"Black Friday" or "Buy Nothing Day"

El consumo se ha convertido en el concepto clave de la sociedad moderna y su papel esencial dentro de la filosofía del crecimiento constante como garante de bienestar y prosperidad.

Dos modos de entender el consumismo como forma de vida se dieron cita el pasado viernes. Por una parte, el común de la población americana, unos 128 millones de estadounidenses que acudieron en masa a las rebajas del Black Friday (1) y por otra parte los contestatarios del Buy Nothing Day (2)

Interesante la reflexión que Kalle Lash (director de Adbusters) nos ha dejado al respecto: "Este año es particularmente significativo porque la crisis económica es tan grave y afecta directamente a tantos países que la gente está empezando a hacerse preguntas. ¿Es necesario seguir alimentando la cultura del consumo sin límite? ¿Va a poder soportarlo el planeta? Por primera vez parece que el motivo de la crisis ha sido precisamente el exceso de consumo y eso está obligando a la gente a reflexionar".

1) Noticia 1
2) Noticia 2

FMI. Returning to Bretton Woods

El Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) parece haberse convertido en el malo de la crisis y el instrumento que todos creen necesario reformar. P.E., en la conferencia de prensa conjunta de Barroso y Sarkozy del 16 de octubre de 2008 (1), Barroso hablaba de un Bretton Woods 2 e incluso de la reforma de las instituciones internacionales, y Sarkozy directamente plantea una reflexión sobre el papel del FMI ya que éste se había convertido en una especie de instancia de ayuda al desarrollo.

Un par semanas antes, Brown y Zapatero pedían que tanto en la UE como en todos los foros internacionales se adopten medidas de supervisión internacional del sistema financiero. Para ello, proponen que esta supervisión la lleve a cabo el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y que esta institución cree un Colegio Internacional de Supervisión de los mercados financieros (2).

Sinceramente, y creo que como yo, prácticamente, todos los mortales no conocemos con exactitud los propósitos del FMI, por lo que recurriré a lo que el propio FMI dice en sus “highlights” (3):

What does the International Monetary Fund do?
The IMF is the world's central organization for international monetary cooperation. It is an organization in which almost all countries in the world work together to promote the common good.
The IMF's primary purpose is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries (and their citizens) to buy goods and services from each other. This is essential for sustainable economic growth and rising living standards.
To maintain stability and prevent crises in the international monetary system, the IMF reviews national, regional, and global economic and financial developments. It provides advice to its 184 member countries, encouraging them to adopt policies that foster economic stability, reduce their vulnerability to economic and financial crises, and raise living standards, and serves as a forum where they can discuss the national, regional, and global consequences of their policies.
The IMF also makes financing temporarily available to member countries to help them address balance of payments problems—that is, when they find themselves short of foreign exchange because their payments to other countries exceed their foreign exchange earnings.
And it provides technical assistance and training to help countries build the expertise and institutions they need for economic stability and growth.

Crisis prevention
Since the Mexican crisis of 1994–95 and the Asian crisis of 1997–98, the IMF has intensified its efforts to help countries prevent financial crises. It has emphasized the importance of countries' incorporating "shock absorbers" into their policies—such as adequate foreign exchange reserves, efficient and diversified financial systems, social safety nets, and a fiscal policy that allows governments to run higher deficits during difficult times, if necessary. And it has introduced several initiatives designed to make countries less vulnerable to crisis.

*In collaboration with the World Bank, the IMF conducts in-depth assessment of countries' financial sectors under the Financial Sector Assessment Program.
*It has developed, sometimes in cooperation with other organizations like the World Bank and the Bank for International Settlements, standards and codes of good practice in economic policymaking, financial sector regulation and supervision, statistical collection and dissemination, and other areas. It issues reports on its members' observance of these standards and codes (known as ROSCs). The IMF's Data Standards Initiatives encourage members to make reliable, timely, and comprehensive statistics available to the public, thereby enabling investors to make well-informed decisions, improving the functioning of financial markets, and reducing the likelihood that shocks will precipitate crises. The IMF launched the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) in 1996 to provide guidance to member countries that have, or wish to gain, access to international capital markets on the dissemination of data. The General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) was established in 1997 to help countries that are not yet in a position to subscribe to the SDDS and need to improve their statistical systems. Participation in both systems is voluntary.
*It has developed vulnerability indicators and early warning system models to improve its ability to identify countries at risk.
*It has stepped up its efforts to promote good governance, particularly in the public and financial sectors.
*It participates in international efforts to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.


Curioso que dentro del apartado “Crisis prevention” se diga lo siguiente:

“financial sector regulation and supervision”. Es decir, regulación y supervisión del sector financiero

No es preciso continuar... Le dejo la conclusión a El Roto:



Learn more (4)

1) Conference de presse conjointe
2) Noticia
3) FMI highlights
4) Learn more

Por alusiones

Palin devuelve sus vestidos a los estúpidos (1). Curioso que se haga una defensa sobre el conocimiento o desconocimiento de lo que representa África, ¿un continente?

1) Noticia

$150.000

Se desconoce si Palin ha sido un acierto político o no. Pero lo que sí parece claro es que ha salido un tanto cara para ser una mujer del día a día!!! (1) We all want that spot at 6pm but no one is really listening!! (POS)

Y, como siempre: El Roto


Apariencia (2)

1) Noticia
2) Artículo sobre la apariencia

4-N

Menos de 24h!!! (1) Será un día histórico con toda seguridad por lo simbólico del hecho de que Obama se convierta en presidente de los EEUU pero no serán excesivas las esperanzas "depositadas" en él ¿?

1) Noticia