You probably already know that the World Trade Organization has a new Director General, Pascal Lamy. Bet you didn’t know what he looked like. That’s why I love getting pics!!!
Now if someone will just sponsor my trip to Hong Kong in December we’ll have some “live” photos of the DG on AgWired! That’s when the next WTO Ministerial Conference is set and I hope to blog it (sponsors willing). Anyway here’s what DG Lamy said to the press on his first day, September 1.
I won’t say much on the substance today. It’s my day back to school. On the first of September, like many people in this country, we are starting our work, knowing there is a lot of work ahead of us. Following both what happened and what did not happen last July when the General Council met and a few ministers were here.
I am pretty aware that there is a lot of work to do. I will be starting this right now, in starting internal and external consultations. Internally, of course, with all the members of the Secretariat, who have received an email from me this morning, and with the chairs of the various negotiating groups, of course. With the ambassadors, the regional groupings and so on. And I will be back to you in a fortnight from now with more precise views on the substance and the way ahead to Hong Kong — which obviously is and remains the number one priority for myself, my team and the Secretariat.
Last thing: as we all know, and I think I have to remember this everyday, including when reading today’s press, the WTO Director-General has no magic wand. Things don’t work this way in the WTO. Members have the decision-making power. We can catalyze, we can broker. Sometimes, sometimes we can lead, but at the end of the day they take the decision, and that’s why I have to start this series of contacts.
Lori Maude, 
I’m sure you’re tired of IFAJ news and information by now so it’s on to other things. For example, 
I just found out that there’s already a website for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists 2006 Congress in Norway. Of course their theme is “
AgWired reports on IFAJ Congress 2005 are sponsored by 
We’re at the end of my posts on the 
singing with part of the Quasimojo band (Mike Wilson and Owen Roberts)! Here you have IFAJ president David Markey singing along!!!
On the IFAJ Dinner Cruise awards were given including IFAJ medallions. These were presented to numerous people who put in a lot of hard work on this event. Some of them are pictured here below the balcony which was lined with people. I don’t have all the names and why’s and wherefore’s though.
Here’s what the medallion looks like. 
The last event of the IFAJ Congress was a Lake Thun dinner cruise. The “Berner Oberland” is a beautiful boat and we had a wonderful evening. As we got on the boat we were greeted with gifts (Swiss watches) and some kind of a fruity concoction that I didn’t get a name for. It was kind of like a strawberry/fruit juice with a sparkling wine in it.
Our onboard entertainment was a New Orleans Jazz Band. Talk about surrealistic when all the news we’d been seeing was on the tragedy in New Orleans! They were good though.
This was just sent out from the 
As I just mentioned in my last post about CornTalk, you podcast subscribers to the MBIC Report should have received it earlier this week. But now it’s also posted for those of you who just like to click and listen.
We’ve had this week’s CornTalk from the