Who does what in the world economy?

CNN has an article which I'm copying here in its entirety that explains who does what on the world economic stage. Read between the lines, especially when describing the IMF and the World Bank.

SOURCE: CNN Date: Sat 10/11/2008

(CNN) -- Organizations that have a role in the global financial system:

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn speaks Saturday in Washington on efforts to heal the economy.

Bank for International Settlements: The BIS is an organization of central banks that serves as a central bank for those institutions, focusing on monetary and financial cooperation.
 
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.: The FDIC is a U.S. government corporation that insures deposits at member banks.
 
Group of Seven: The G-7 is the meeting of the finance ministers of seven industrialized nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States.
 
Group of Eight: The G-8 is the annual meeting of the heads of state of the G-7 nations plus Russia.

International Monetary Fund: The IMF manages the world's financial systems, primarily by implementing the policies of its 185 member-countries, in particular exchange rates between countries and how payments flow between countries.
 
Securities and Exchange Commission: The SEC is an independent agency of the U.S. government tasked with enforcing laws relating to securities and regulating the securities industry and stock exchanges.

World Bank: The World Bank provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries, with an emphasis on reducing poverty. Its programs are carried out by two development institutions -- the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association -- which are owned by the bank's 185 member-countries.

World Trade Organization: The WTO settles trade disputes and negotiates international trade agreements.

Violence and the economy

A while back we spoke about the relationship between economic hardships and violence. We then discussed the man in California who shot himself and his family after losing his job, and the elderly woman who shot herself in the chest after she could not pay her mortgage. This, unfortunately, seems to be a rising trend around the country.

has a feature about the rising violent trend this week in an article entitled "As economy sinks, officials fear violent solutions"

Of special interest is the following quote:

Across the country, authorities are becoming concerned that the nation's financial woes could turn increasingly violent, and they are urging people to get help. In some places, mental-health hot lines are jammed, counseling services are in high demand and domestic-violence shelters are full.

And, here's another one:

Karthik Rajaram, 45, left a suicide note saying he was in financial trouble and contemplated killing just himself. But he said he decided to kill his entire family because that was more honorable, police said.

The saddest statement, however, comes from a woman in MA who committed suicide after she became too overwhelmed by the mortgage woes:

After falling 31/2 years behind in payments, the Taunton, Massachusetts, housewife had been intercepting letters from the mortgage company and shredding them before her husband saw them. She tried to refinance but was declined.

In July, on the day the house was to be auctioned, she faxed the note to the mortgage company. Then the 52-year-old walked outside, shot her three beloved cats and then herself with her husband's rifle.

Notes left on the table revealed months of planning. She'd picked out her funeral home, laid out the insurance policy and left a note saying, "pay off the house with the insurance money."

This is a very sad state of affairs. I hope it gets better, but there's a real fear that it will not anytime soon. It's the women who are either getting killed, or killing themselves because of these problems. This is yet another example of how women tend to be in the most vulnerable situations in society, and when things get difficult, it in fact, becomes dangerous for women.