Blogs : 24th September

Blunting the Samurais' Blade? Alpha Sources.CV (en)
EU domain names for sale. Brusselsblogger, Blogactiv.eu (en)
In support of the freedom of speech of someone with whom I almost completely disagree. NoseMonkey, EUtopia (en)

The good, the bad and the ugly. Certain Ideas of Europe (en)
" ... Londoners might rejoice in knowing that their city does not make the top 10 list for rainiest in Europe. That honour goes to Halle in Germany, followed closely by Cologne. If you're looking for a tan, though, head for Faro in Portugal or Izmir in Turkey, which are listed as the two least rainy places to be ..."

Crise financière: le Parlement européen réveille la Commission. Jean Quatremer, Les Coulisses de Bruxelles (fr)
" ... Dire que le Parlement européen est excédé par l’inaction de la Commission présidée par José Manuel Durao Barroso dans la crise financière actuelle est une litote ... il demande à l’exécutif européen de légiférer afin d’encadrer l’activité des fonds spéculatifs (« hedge funds ») et des fonds de capital-investissement (private equity) : exigence de fonds propres, transparence, surveillance européenne des agences de notation, etc ..."

North By Northwest. EuroSoc Three, EuroSoc (en)
" ... Canada proclaimed its formal freehold in 1925 to a swathe of territory extending by longitude to the North Pole. (It could be argued that Canada’s claim dates back to an official visit by the English explorer Henry Hudson in the 16th century).
Last year Ottawa put money on the table to challenge Moscow. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a 1.3 billion dollar order for six-to-eight special ice-breaking patrol ships with the latest in surveillance technology. These vessels will be armed ..."

Rumors of Sarko's Blow Up in Medvedev Negotiations. Robert Amsterdam (en)
" ...Apparently, shortly after the talks began Medvedev left the room, leaving the French president alone with the negotiators. Four hours into the talks with the Russian president still nowhere in sight, Sarkozy lost his temper. With the protocol snub of having been left with Russian negotiators as his interlocutors, the French president stood up and told his team they were walking out ..."

And the scores are in… (Transparency International CPI 2008). Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)