The shareholders of the IMF have squandered the political will for governance reform of the institution by making marginal changes that will fail to shift the balance of power.
The Fund’s members have been debating how to revamp the formula that sets voting rights at the institution for more than two years (see Update 58, 55). Much of the rancour has been directed at Europe, which has been the obstacle to quicker progress. A deal was finally approved by the IMF board at end March and sent to the IMF board of governors for approval. The total increase for developing countries is only 1.6 percentage points, meaning that rich countries, representing about 15 per cent of the membership of the IMF, will continue to wield nearly 60 per cent of the voting rights at the institution.
The final quota formula included the use of GDP measured at purchasing power parity (PPP
), a key demand of developing countries, as part of the increase of the weight of GDP in the formula to 50 per cent. But PPP-weighted GDP will only make up 40 per cent of the new GDP measure, with the balance continuing to use GDP weighted by market exchange rates. Additionally the use of PPP in the formula has only been approved for 20 years, after which it must be reassessed.
The new formula continues to give a 30 per cent weight to trade openness, which the G24 group of developing countries has repeatedly called flawed because it is highly correlated with GDP and it tends to favour small rich countries with lots of trade. The balance of the formula is made up of 15 per cent variability and 5 per cent international reserves. The variability factor, which measures the volatility of trade and investment flows, has also been highly criticised by the G24 because it is not scaled by the size of the economy. A small compression factor of 0.95 has been introduced as a mechanism to shrink the dispersion in calculated quotas, as it will slightly increase the quotas of the smallest countries and slightly shrink the quotas of the largest.

brettonwoodsproject.org

“War and imperialism are Siamese twins joined at the hip. Each thrives off the other. They cannot be separated. Imperialism is the single-greatest cause of war, and war is the midwife of new imperialist acquisitions.” Chalmers Johnson
While other nations realize it full well, Americans do not want to accept that the United States dominates the world through military power. Due to the extreme secrecy of the present administration, the American people are completely ignorant of the fact that the United States “garrisons the globe.” There is a huge network of military bases in more than 150 countries. It is called the new empire. It is the American Empire. Our government employs more than half a million soldiers, spies, technicians, teachers, dependents and civilians as well as civilian contractors all over the world. In addition to officially listed bases, the US has numerous secret bases not to be found on any government listing. Some of these bases are engaged in listening to people all over the world, including American citizens – keeping track of what they are saying, faxing and emailing.
This Empire began back in the 19th century, when the US declared Latin America as being under its “sphere of influence,” and proceeded to enlarge its territory while ignoring or slaughtering those who stood in the way; i.e., the indigenous peoples of North, Central and SouthAmerica. Today we have a similar group of imperialists in power who, under the guise of the “war on terrorism” are expanding American bases all over the world, particularly in Middle Eastern countries.
It was after World War II that America emerged as the richest nation and became a natural successor of the British Empire, which floundered economically due to the heavy costs of the war. The Cold War of the 1970s justified the US government creating scores more bases, all to fight the communist threat. Government officials of course denied that the bases indicated global imperialism.

biddho.com

[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]
MTV Celebrates The Convergence Of Music Democracy and Youth Culture With The Renewal Of Smash-Hit “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew,” And Two New Series, “Rock The Cradle” And “Celebrity Music Mentor Project (Working Title)”
Santa Monica, CA (March 11, 2008) Tapping into young America’s aspirations, inspirations and the music nation, MTV announces 2 new series and a series pick-up, offering gateways for young people to demonstrate their talents, and passionate fans a front row seat to participate in the journey.
“These series and their companion custom vertical sites empower the audience to realize their musical dreams, play out their own aspirations and reflect their own passionate musical opinions on-air and online, a virtual and perpetual forum for convergent musical participation and expression,” said Brian Graden, President of Entertainment, MTV Networks Music Channels.
“These series represent the heart and soul of MTV innovative cross-platform musical extravaganzas that empower our viewers and reflect their world,” said Tony DiSanto, EVP of Series Development & Programming, MTV. “We are showcasing their dreams and passions, giving them an emphatic voice for the world stage, and embracing the power of music in all its forms presented in a way that is uniquely visual, uniquely inspiring and uniquely MTV.”
The young, aspiring offspring of music royalty find their own inspiration outside the lives of their famous parents as they journey through “Rock The Cradle,” the new, live’ music competition series from FremantleMedia North America, set to premiere on April 3 at 10:00PM (ET/PT). Chloe Rose Lattanzi (daughter of Olivia Newton John), Crosby Loggins (son of Kenny Loggins), Jesse Money (daughter of Eddie Money), Lucy Walsh (daughter of Joe Walsh/The Eagles), Lil Al B Sure (son of Al B Sure), Jesse Blaze Snider (son of Dee Snider), Lara Johnston (daughter of Tom Johnston /The Doobie Brothers), A’keiba Burrell-Hammer (daughter of MC Hammer) and Landon Brown (son of Bobby Brown) will battle it out every week in front of their parents, a panel of judges, and a live studio audience to see who has what it takes to step out of the shadows and onto a worldwide stage of their own. Home viewers are offered a 24/7 tactile experience as they vote for their favorite second generation singer or chat up their legendary parents on the site, iamonmtv.com, the 12th vertical to be launched by MTV, designed to give fans a social media experience and unprecedented access to the cast and crew behind many of MTV’s most popular franchises. The iamonmtv.com vertical has collectively garnered over 25 million page views, and over 1.5 million uniques since its launch.

thefutoncritic.com