INTERNATIONAL. From World War II until very recently, the West – specifically Europe and the United States – was on a course for greater centralization, greater integration, and greater economic intervention. But this consensus is breaking down.

In Europe, the euro has gone from steadily adding new members to now facing the prospect of having its weaker members quit. In America, the US Congressional Supercommittee has now officially failed in its mandate to bring even meager cuts to the bleeding US deficit.

This is the beginning of the end. Both the EU and US are politically paralyzed, seeming only to be able to make compromises that involve more spending, more debt, and more central planning.

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This week’s decision by NAMA to seek to appoint an administrator to the Battersea Power Station site marks the latest stage in the decline of Johnny Ronan, perhaps the most colourful character to emerge from the Irish property boom.

On Wednesday, NAMA and UK bank Lloyds applied to the High Court in London seeking a date for a hearing to appoint an administrator, similar to a receiver in Irish insolvency law, to the Battersea Power Station site. The total debt owed on the site is 330m (385m), of which 130m is owed to NAMA.

The major shareholder of the 38-acre Battersea site, which occupies a prime location on the north bank of the River Thames, is Real Estate Opportunities (REO), with a 54pc stake. REO in turn is 50.7pc owned by Treasury Holdings, the Irish property company founded by Johnny Ronan and his business partner Richard Barrett.

The Battersea site has had a chequered history.

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Funding Is Available

This Saturday, November 26th, is the second annual Small Business Saturday, promoted by American Express. The point of Small Business Saturday is to let small businesses in on a little piece of the holiday shopping pie. Through promotion, customers are encouraged to shop at small businesses on Saturday, the day after Black Friday. American Express is doing more than simply promoting small businesses; they are also helping them with financing. In the recent blog post “Small Business Saturday with American Express to Revitalize the Economy,” the Business Finance Store discusses some of the things American Express has been doing to support small businesses and how to benefit from it.

The current economy is a tough but exciting time for small business owners. The

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While many people see the holidays as an opportunity to spend time with family and take it easy, first-time job seekers can use the holiday season opportunistically to kick-start their job search. According to Brett Woodard, director of the Career Development Center at Saint Joseph’s University, the holiday season represents the perfect time for college students to “network before they need work” as they search for their first jobs.

“Seize the opportunity to introduce yourself, and engage others by asking about their career,” said Woodard. “Share a little about your own career goals, and watch your network multiply before your eyes.”

Woodard also recommends those searching for a job for the first time to follow these steps to turn a happy holiday season into an even better new year.

Start conversations at holiday parties

Woodard advises potential job seekers to use holiday functions as an opportunity to let people know their career aspirations.

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Wikipedia’s annual fundraising campaign kicked off with a bang this week — Google (GOOG) cofounder Sergey Brin’s charitable organization has awarded a $500,000 grant to the foundation that runs the free online encyclopedia.

The Brin Wojcicki Foundation — started by Brin and Anne Wojcicki, cofounder of personal-genetics company 23andMe — awarded the half-million dollars to the Wikimedia Foundation as it started its eighth annual fundraising campaign, Wikimedia announced Friday.

“This is how Wikipedia works: people use it, they like it, and so they help pay for it, to keep it freely available for themselves and for everyone around the world.

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