[Infowarrior] - The Man Nobody Wanted to Hear

[Richard Forno]

(c/o CS)

THE MAN NOBODY WANTED TO HEAR
Global Banking Economist Warned of Coming Crisis

By Beat Balzli and Michaela Schiessl

William White had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted to do with his  
life after shedding his pinstriped suit and entering retirement.

White, a Canadian, worked for various central banks for 39 years, most  
recently serving as chief economist for the central bank for all  
central bankers, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS),  
headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

Then, after 15 years in the world's most secretive gentlemen's club,  
White decided it was time to step down. The 66-year-old approached  
retirement in his adopted country the way a true Swiss national would.  
He took his money to the local bank, bought a piece of property in the  
Bernese Highlands and began building a chalet. There, in the mountains  
between cow pastures and ski resorts, he and his wife planned to relax  
and enjoy their retirement, and to live a peaceful existence  
punctuated only by the occasional vacation trip. That was the plan in  
June 2008.

And now this.

White is wearing his pinstriped suits again. He has just returned from  
California, where he gave a talk at a large mutual fund company. Then  
he packed his bags again and jetted to London, where he consulted with  
the Treasury. After that, he returned to Switzerland to speak at the  
University of Basel, and then went on to Frankfurt to present a paper  
at the Center for Financial Studies. From there, White traveled to  
Paris to attend a meeting at the Organization for Economic Cooperation  
and Development (OECD). Finally, he flew back across the Atlantic to  
Canada. White is clearly in demand, including in North America.

Since the economy went up in flames, the wiry retiree has been jetting  
around the globe like a paramedic for the world of high finance. He  
shows no signs of exhaustion, despite his rigorous schedule. In fact,  
White, with his gray head of hair, is literally beaming with energy,  
so much so that he seems to glow.

Perhaps it is because someone, finally, is listening to him.

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http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,druck-635051,00.html