How are things in YOUR country?
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Hello Mike,
Look at the situation we have in Italy.
There is nothing cheerful.P.S. In the area of "artisan" ,a simple replacement of a window glass (about 50,00 Euro)
is paid with installments of € 10 per week!
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Roberto - that 30 Euro seems very low for daily wage.
What is that figure from? average of everyone working or not?@micione said:
Hello Mike,
Look at the situation we have in Italy.
There is nothing cheerful.P.S. In the area of "artisan" ,a simple replacement of a window glass (about 50,00 Euro)
is paid with installments of € 10 per week! -
@unknownuser said:
Mike, quoting you "Thanks for your slant on things Pete" is exactly spot on.
I live in the deep south, work in Houston, and I can say I never seen these signs in any states that I have visited or worked in. I point this out, because you should not believe that this derogatory racial attitude is the general feeling of this country. Note, I am not implying that these types of signs are not present, or have not been seen by some, but I have never seen any in my travels.
As for the hateful speech, I agree. The name calling, the total lack of respect for the other side. Not sure how we are ever going to be a country again. The TV talking heads are our problem in molding the hateful perception of what is happening here at the present. What I wouldn't give for ten old fashion investigative reporters and a dozen special prosecutors.
This is a country being led by a complete neophyte when it comes to governing. As a small recent example with the highest number of people out of work,(note didn't say unemployed) the highest number of people on food stamps and welfare, the big new program for our country is MyRA. Look, any one over the legal age can go into a bank an start an IRA for saving. So another IRA, with all the people out of work and on welfare is the big news? Where in the hell are they going to get the money to save, when there are no jobs.
I could go on, but prefer not to, just wanted to clarify, that as I said in the beginning, you are spot on if should happen to say, "Thanks for your slant on things Pete and Ken."
Ken
Thank you!!!
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@unknownuser said:
This is a country being led by a complete neophyte when it comes to governing.
He's been in politics since the mid-nineties, and he's currently serving his second term as president. Calling him a 'complete neophyte' is a bit of a stretch.
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@unknownuser said:
I live in the deep south, work in Houston, and I can say I never seen these signs in any states that I have visited or worked in
Maybe you are not looking, I know what your opinion is of Obama so I hardly expect you to ever acknowledge it anyway.
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Greetings from the frozen North.
Ah Canada.
Our banking system, which is highly regulated, pretty much dodged the sub-prime debacle, which had the effect of keeping our keel even.
But since our #1 trading partner is the U.S. it has a profound effect on some sectors in particular manufacturing.
In Canada we are so spread out it means economies are really regional, and therefore some provinces feel the economic downturn more than others.
In the western Provinces, where I live, I believe there is really more talk of hard times than actual hard times. Mining in mining exploration and development, oil, both from standard sources, and the much debated tar sands, are both booming. Forestry has been hard hit although recent markets such as China are putting it on the upswing. Construction, commercially is doing well, but residential is down, but that is mostly because of a built up surplus, and a real estate bubble keeping prices high.
I think the difference I see in the past few years is the labour force lives in one area, and works in another.
I know that Central Canada, has been harder hit, as this is where the manufacturing primarily takes place. There has also been down sizing of the auto manufacturing here moving plants to where workers are not so highly paid.
I'm not well connected with the Eastern Provinces, so really not sure how they are faring. -
andybot,
the average pay of an employee
can vary from € .700.00, to € .1200.00 "netto".
For companies the cost of labor affects more than double.
Serious problems afflicting Italy:
Our public debt is totally in the hands of banks (38% foreign),
that, at this time, strangling the State in order to fill their holes.
Our political system (bad) creates, always unstable.
Corruption is rampant in all sectors.
It lacks a true "STATESMAN" with long views.
We no longer have a entrepreneurial system with balls.
Many companies close down or re-open in other states most convenient.
Our best "brains" are fleeing abroad and no longer fit.
And I might continue indefinitely.
Certainly still cut pensions and health.
So the poor will still be poor.
Only a few families (10%) holds a great wealth.
Hard to radically change these things.
Our people are very angry.
My fear is that everything could, over time, degenerate into popular revolts.
I do not know how it will end.
I still think that after the fall of the Berlin Wall
and the disappearance of "Communism", even the "Capitalist" system
is destined to disappear. First there was a strange "balance":
as the day has the night, the white has black, good and bad, etc..
Now we see the "Globalization" ...
We hope in God ! -
I'm glad I started this thread as we are seeing honest and forthright opinions from many of SCF members around the world. Hopefully more will row in and we might then start throwing ideas around that might shine some light on WTF is really going on .......... I have a feeling about what is actually happening but hope I am being paranoid ...... time will tell.
Fortunately the average man on the street these days is in a great position to get a true picture of what is happening world-wide. Even reliable information on North Korea is available if one delves deep enough. Then we have the whistle blowers! I think they deserve support from the ordinary man.
As mentioned above in a number of threads, Big Corporation and Big Government are being identified as root causes for much of the turmoil. I have purposely not used the word 'globalization' as I don't feel the true meaning of the word is our problem. Here is a definition, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization
I read a short but very concise and informative article this morning in the Telegraph (UK newspaper) by Jeremy Warner which explains in simple straightforward language what is causing the continuation of the financial crisis. Well worth the read here,
Argentina is no danger to the world - but the eurozone is
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/10607595/Argentina-is-no-danger-to-the-world-but-the-eurozone-is.htmlAnother article by David McWilliams, a very well respected economist here in Ireland shown some light for me on what the big multi-national pharmaceutical giants are doing here in Ireland. The article is here, An Economic Renaissance in Cork?
http://www.davidmcwilliams.ie/2014/01/30/an-economic-renaissance-in-corkOne particular paragraph stuck out for me. It reads,
'But just look at the bargain the multinationals are getting in Cork. In 2011, Co Cork had the highest value of gross output per person engaged in Ireland at €1.18m. So the multinationals are making on average €1,180,000 per employee and they are paying each employee €44,800. This is a phenomenal deal for multinationals.'
They (multinationals) are making €1,180,000 per person engaged in Ireland! If this is the case there is something totally out of balance. I don't know what as I am still thinking about it.
My immediate thoughts are the cost of the medicine I need each month. I pay on average €140 and this figure is subsidized by the Health Authority. I am lead to understand that the actual cost of the medicine is over €240! I imagine the profit margin MUST be gigantic, possibly many 100s of percent!
Still thinking
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Greece on high alert after extremists declare war on ‘German capitalist machine’
It looks more and more that Greece is the ticking time-bomb of the EU. I just watched a short report from RT News, an NET based alternative news media, that shows pictures of the German Embassy in Athens with walls peppered by machine gun bullet marks, they said 50 hit the embassy. No one hurt thankfully.
Blame is laid on 'The Popular Fighters' (Party / Movement). They are being described, as a 'Leftists' on the media and I imagine many would brand they as terrorists of sorts but at the same time I think they may feel its the only way they can express their feelings about what is happening in Greece, the 'Home of Democracy'!
This happened in late December 2013 and I did not hear a word about in on the Irish national broadcaster, RTE. I wonder why? I have however a fair idea why this important news was not reported to the masses.
The RT News items includes a comment from a sympathetic German citizen. It reads as follows,
"As a German my advice to the Greek people is: declare bankruptcy and get out of the EU. Iceland did and it seems they are doing ok now. Harneis is spot on, by far most of the "bailout" money goes right back to the banks and not to the Greek people. As an occasional vacationer I have to admit that Greece is off my list, though. And btw, lots of ordinary Germans are suffering also-over the last 10-15 years our social safety net has been shred to pieces".
The comment speaks for itself .... "by far most of the "bailout" money goes right back to the banks and not to the Greek people"
I think the whole EU 'experiment' is going to come to a bad end very soon. The May EU elections will determine the will of the people of Europe. There are signs that the next EU parliament to be elected will be heavy with Euroskeptics! In my case I don't think I will be voting for more of the same ..... change is needed
The link to the RT news item is here, http://rt.com/news/greece-germany-leftist-group-866/
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Those (the quote) are the type of opinions that I've only heard when the media search hard for a "contra" opinion to have a nice pro&contra. I don't know any person who thinks so.
There is also a small new eurosceptics party in Germany (AfD). What if Europeans elect such alternatives or even Nationalists, that all contradict each other? Can there be an "International Union of Nationalists"?
I think this would be contraproductive. It might be true that we need to optimize the balance of subjects that are better handled by the EU or by individual states, but the way to do this (ie. to agree to increase/reduce EU involvement) can only be a common European way, and not a way of disagreement. -
Mike, I was watching a piece on Al Jazeera America regarding fracking in Northern Ireland and how that would impact the Shannon river, I'm not sure if or how you will be affected but interested in your opinion of this.
Here in Texas we have had so many issues from water that you can light to extreme tremors and mild quakes.
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@aerilius said:
Those (the quote) are the type of opinions that I've only heard when the media search hard for a "contra" opinion to have a nice pro&contra. I don't know any person who thinks so.
There is also a small new eurosceptics party in Germany (AfD). What if Europeans elect such alternatives or even Nationalists, that all contradict each other? Can there be an "International Union of Nationalists"?
I think this would be contra productive. It might be true that we need to optimise the balance of subjects that are better handled by the EU or by individual states, but the way to do this (ie. to agree to increase/reduce EU involvement) can only be a common European way, and not a way of disagreement.I take your point Aerilius and can understand where you are coming from.
Fundamentally I feel the EU as it stands is a mess. As they say, 'One Size Does Not Fit All' and this is what I see being forced in the periphery countries.
I also am not happy about how the EU Commission and Presidency is elected. Neither are done truly democratically as far as I'm concerned and until this becomes the situation I think we would be better off 'running at our own speeds' and go back to the Common Market idea with our own currencies and build from there on a more sensible model.
Also on the currency end of things, I think we could be seeing a new global trading currency / note backed to some extent by PMs, gold / silver. It looks that China and Russia also other BRICS countries have this in mind and the US may have no option but to join the basket of currencies also ....... could be the beginning of the New World Order!
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Inflation unknown as fudged by government, supposed to be 2%, but probably 6% as food basics keep climbing. unemployment ~6% and probably rising. banks all bailed out by current right wing gov. recent earthquake in Christchurch being hailed as economic boom, but really is just NZ$40 billion that could've been spent elsewhere. we still have free education and medical care.
NZ's core economic problem (IMO) is cultural, where the economy switches en masse to new ideas, so we've had rural booms (manufacturing has been gutted by a no-tariff system and most goods now imported from Asia - if we ever have a real oil shock, we'll be in trouble as there's little industrial capability left) based on: kiwifruit, deer, forestry, grapes, a brief flirtation with olives, and now dairy farming. But at core the focus is on quantity, so the result is a sudden correction, either when the market saturates, our competitors catch up or a disease occurs - most crops underlying this are monocultures with the attendant disease risk - e.g. kiwifruit got a virus and died off.
Rural land prices being driven up by dairy boom, but Rabobank has reported that this should end soon as we have no competitive edge, and the quality edge is falling off - it's difficult here (read - unhelpful/antagonistic government) to be an organic (or be environmentally aware) farmer. Farm debt is nz$50 billion and becoming a concern. Monsanto has been visiting a lot trying to influence government and ensure tht organic farming etc never happens (very little reporting on this though as most media Fairfax controlled, also anything technical here seen as progress, also ecological solutions are difficult to monetize and so are a threat to corporations - sounds paranoid but "by their fruits shall you know them").
Forestry has been hard hit as previous gov. signed kyoto, while the right-wing were too gutless to pull us out, and with the carbon price collapse no one is planting trees - rules here around carbon and trees are so confusing that growers have become wary of planting. The dairy boom is also at work here too as poorer land that should've gone to forestry is being made into pasture.
house prices heading towards another bubble. we still have free education and medical care, although health insurance is a good idea as queues are long, cost is quite low though.
A bit like a smaller version of Canada in that each region has its own economy, not that government aportions funding back to the contributing areas - farming makes the money, but most money spent in the cities, so rural roading, hospitals and telecoms generally suffer. And all cities are on major faultlines / volcanoes so that's a winning strategy eh !?
we have a right wing government who are constantly straining to sell off state assets, mine the oceans, legalise GE, frack everything and generally *&^% the planet, as well as run off to war whenever the US whistles.
our climate is seriously out of whack, with extended droughts, winters (generally) much warmer than usual, a dramatic increase in tornados! and larger, more eratic storms. What interests me about climate reporting is how little media discussion there is about the possible causes of the eratic weather - this (http://blogs.channel4.com/liam-dutton-on-weather/weakening-jet-stream-means-stormy-outlook/5923) is one of the few pieces that explores some causes.
That said I've traveled a lot and this is still the best spot on the planet, but it's sure getting expensive to live here.
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@solo said:
Mike, I was watching a piece on Al Jazeera America regarding fracking in Northern Ireland and how that would impact the Shannon river, I'm not sure if or how you will be affected but interested in your opinion of this.
Here in Texas we have had so many issues from water that you can light to extreme tremors and mild quakes.
Pete, I'm fairly up to speed on fracking as half of Co. Clare, where I live, is shale and its been licensed for exploration however the government has not yet given the go ahead for the extraction. There are a lot of strong anti-fracking groups that are pressurising to stop all fracking.
Northern Ireland is part of the UK so the Irish Government has no say, well not much, when it comes to fracking in Northern Ireland. I have also read what you mention, potential polution to the River Shannon (longest river in the British Isles or the Western Atlantic Archipelago, as some like to call it!) and as there are plans to draw drinking water from the Shannon to Dublin (Capital), there could be huge implications.
I approached fracking with an open mind but after some study and research I would prefer to leave the shale alone. My main concerns are, the fracking companies will not say what chemicals are bing used as they say its a trade secret! The system executed under strict supervision cannot guarantee that there will be no leaks of methane to the ground water table. There is also the problem of disposal of the toxic (unknown) waste. And finally there could be issues with potential earth tremors.
The upside is that farming community in the Republic of Ireland are a close knit bunch and I doubt that it will be that easy for fracking companies to lease/ purchase land from then. I would go as far to say that breaking ranks would be a rare enough thing.
Bottom line for me is No Fracking In The Island of Ireland! We should concentrate on renewables and wait for development of this,
Scientists announce breakthrough in quest for fusion power
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@unearthed said:
That said I've traveled a lot and this is still the best spot on the planet, but it's sure getting expensive to live here.
Thanks for the great overview on NZ. I have a special interest as my daughter, her hubby (a Kiwi) and our grandson will moving to Auckland in September this year. As our other daughter is located in Sydney and intends settle there, we could be moving lock stock and barrel in a couple of years as soon as I get my pensions sorted out
Even though NZ has lots of problems and which country doesn't, t looks to be a great place to live and your confirmation is good to here
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Hi Mike, Why Auckland (I lived there 12 yrs)?, is it for a job, because if not there're much nicer parts - I live about 1600km (allow 4-5 days for a comfortable drive: there's a lot of windy bits) drive south of Auckland and have lived all over NZ , with the last 15 yrs in the South Island, which has much lower population and is more scenic than the other one, if you want any other info pls PM me
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@unearthed said:
Hi Mike, Why Auckland (I lived there 12 yrs)?, is it for a job, because if not there're much nicer parts - I live about 1600km (allow 4-5 days for a comfortable drive: there's a lot of windy bits) drive south of Auckland and have lived all over NZ , with the last 15 yrs in the South Island, which has much lower population and is more scenic than the other one, if you want any other info pls PM me
Auckland is where Rob's extended family is located, so naturally that is where they will base themselves. Thanks for you kind offer and I will most definitely ask any questions that crop up.
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Mike
One of the real concerns with fracking is the amount of clean surface, and in some cases ground water it takes to frack a well or shale bed, as this is the main medium the in the fracking fluid.
In areas of Alberta where there is heavy fracking there is a noticeable depletion of surface water. Fracking is up for review there this year and there are rumblings it may be stopped. However, the cynic in me doubts it, as I have yet to see money not trump environmental concerns. -
@dale said:
Mike
One of the real concerns with fracking is the amount of clean surface, and in some cases ground water it takes to frack a well or shale bed, as this is the main medium the in the fracking fluid.
In areas of Alberta where there is heavy fracking there is a noticeable depletion of surface water. Fracking is up for review there this year and there are rumblings it may be stopped. However, the cynic in me doubts it, as I have yet to see money not trump environmental concerns.Dale, I somehow agree with you when you say, '... the cynic in me doubts it, as I have yet to see money not trump environmental concerns'
I would not be surprised to see the fracking / oil companies arguing that Global Warming will solve the fresh water shortage when the Ice Caps melt
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