EU death throes continue, strikes wrack Continent

Austerity measures drew union protests across the European Union in 10 ten cities resulting in the arrest of 218 in Brussels, its capital, alone. Strikes by out of touch syndicalists is the lest of the EU's worries.


Spain experienced its seventh general  national strike with calls of '¡'Zapatero dimisión!'' (Zapatero resign!)

Zapatero is the president of Spain and as a socialist, a reliable friend of the unions. 


The European Union's fiscal crisis is not over. Moderate moves to reign in its spending is rejected by the unions at a time when the markets are calling for fiscal sanity. 


Labor reform including a higher retirement age is a nonstarter for entrenched interests across the Continent. 


Change is never easy but reality is closing in on the doddering socialist welfare states in Europe suffering from massive public deficit spending  and an ageing population which together threaten the viability of the EU. 


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If you need research from open sources in Spanish, French, or Portuguese and presented in a stylish English language report or a translation of documents in said languages to English, please contact Professor Winn at by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Chavez Stumped

El presidente Hugo Chavez of Venezuela was stumped by a piercing question from a Radio France International (RFI) correspondent in a press conference on Monday after parliamentary elections last Sunday.

Journalist Adreina Flores confused el presidente with embarrassing facts by asking:

 ¿Por qué si la oposición ha obtenido más votos a nivel nacional, tienen menos diputados en el Gobierno?

If the opposition received more votes nationally, why does it have less seats than the government (in the National Assembly)?


This is why el presidente has nearly squashed press freedom in Venezuela. Tyrants do not have time for such silly questions.

Now let us see how long RFI remains reporting on the Caracas regime.

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If you need research from open sources in Spanish, French, or Portuguese and presented in a stylish English language report or a translation of documents in said languages to English, please contact Professor Winn at by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Frightened France Folds for AQIM

French headlines today tell it all:

La gare Saint-Lazare évacuée après une fausse alerte
(St. Lazare Station Evacuated after False Alarm)

Otages du Sahel: Paris attend les exigences d'Aqmi
(Sahel Hostages: Paris Awaits AQIM's Demands)

L’Élysée prêt à negocier
(French Government Ready to Negotiate)

rfi.fr

France rightly fears an AQIM (Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb) attack after a French hostage was murdered in the Sahel last July following a daring yet unsuccessful French raid, the Eiffel Tower was closed after a (false) bomb threat two weeks ago, and another group of French workers was kidnapped just last week in Niger. 

AQIM is an expansion of the Al Qaeda franchise which developed out of an Algerian terrorist group. It has found a fertile recruiting ground in the lawless and economically-depressed Sahel (meaning ''edge'' or ''shore'' of desert).

AQIM is also involved in transnational narcotics trade to fund its operations.

Official denials to the contrary, if France again pays tribute to terrorists for seizing its nationals, expect more of the same. 

Unfortunately, the Sarkozy Administration is in the political doldrums and certainly does not need a hostage drama to remind les français of its perceived ineffectiveness.

A constant terror threat only complicates his portfolio of foreign policy challenges. 

Defeating terrorism is a test of wills. A rogue group in the African desert cannot be allowed to force France to fold before Islamic fascism. 

Conquering fear calls for facing it. 

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If you need research from open sources in Spanish, French, or Portuguese and presented in a stylish English language report or a translation of documents in said languages to English, please contact Professor Winn at by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Not the Last China-Japan Clash

wikipedia.com

So, Japan made the correct move and finally released the Chinese captain who piloted a fishing trawler which allegedly rammed two Japanese patrol boats off the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (Senkaku in Japanese) earlier this month in the East China Sea.

The latest in a series of Sino-Japanese territorial disputes involves the island group claimed by both China and Taiwan, but is under Japanese control now.

Why is there the fuss over seemingly insignificant isles?

OIL!

Asia's two largest economies are dueling over the natural resources needed to keep their economies humming.

In August, China passed Japan to become the world's second largest economy.

Not only China, but South Korea and Russia as well, have ongoing maritime spats with Japan.

Clashes over islands, or sometimes more accurately, rock piles, in Asian seas is not a new phenomenon.

Expect China to continue its global push for the energy supplies needed to sustain its meteoric climb to surpass the United States and become the world's number one economy.

Also expect more clashes as Beijing fills the strategic vacuum in Asia in light of waning US power and flexes its national power to achieve its rightful ranking in the international system.

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If you need research from open sources in Spanish, French, or Portuguese and presented in a stylish English language report or a translation of documents in said languages to English, please contact Professor Winn at by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Colombia Scores Major Victory over FARC

Newly-elected President Santos of Colombia begins his term with another dead commander in the inner circle of the FARC, the oldest rebel army group in Latin America fighting Bogotá for more than 40 years.

The number two commander and reputed sadistic narcoterrorist,Victor Suárez, nicknamed "Mono Jojoy,'' died in a heavy bombardment and military raid, according to military sources last Thursday.

President Santos stated: "Once again I notify the leaders of the FARC and the guerrillas: We're going after you. We will not hold back any effort."

Plus, another treasure trove of laptops, pen drives, and files was captured, an invaluable bonus to learn more about the group's workings.

Madrid's ABC daily newspaper reports that an infiltrator in the FARC command structure, not a GPS device in his boots as some media outlets reported, led the military to the rebel hideout.

If true, perhaps the latest daring maneuver marks the beginning of the end of the narcoterror war against the innocent of Colombia.

***If you need research from open sources in Spanish, French, or Portuguese and presented in a stylish English language report or a translation of documents in said languages to English, please contact Professor Winn at by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.