Crocefisso

True, but it is human nature to be excessive and greedy, so there's no danger of that happening. Machiavelli summed it up nicely: One can make this generalisation about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours.

Trondheim? In Norway? I've been there, strangly enough. Six years ago. It's a nice place. But I honestly don't expect many people will be studying there.

This is a problem that I've heard a lot about and considered mentioning; the American tax system is very convoluted and this likely affects the state's revenues negatively. As far as change goes, there are too many conflicting interests in Washington for any real change to happen in the foreseeable future.

Since Duff left, this thread is like a conversation between drunks (this page is at least).

I fully agree with your suggestion. :thumbup:

For the vast majority of us, the idea that we're going to have a difficult financial and social future has been made apparent by the recent financial fiascos in the Eurozone and US, the riots in Athens and London (and other UK cities), Madrid protests, and even the Arab Spring - much of which is, realistically, a reaction not just to dictatorship, but also to massive unemployment rates (often 30%+) and economic stagnation across the Arab world (the Arab world's growth figures are the lowest in the world). In the west, the idea that the age of our global hegemony is beginning a decline, or has at least taken a severe blow, is becoming a cold, hard fact, as demonstrated by the recent events in the financial markets and in governments across the western world. Below is an explanation (or my take on) of the issues. The USA In the US, a routine debt-ceiling increase was manipulated for political gain by the Republican Party, who used their majority in the House of Representatives to their advantage. Subsequently, Barack Obama - a paltry negotiator at the best of times - failed to get the extra tax revenues he wanted, while the Republicans (thanks largely to the uncompromising Tea Party and their reckless brinkmanship) got both the spending cap and the cuts they wanted. The debt-ceiling was also raised enough to be an issue only after the 2012 election. The US currently has debts at 98% of GDP (and a 10.6% budget deficit), though this is expected to rise to 102% in 2012. The US economy grew by a shockingly low 0.4% in the first quarter of this year, followed by 1.3% in Q2, and the general consensus is that US growth this year will be just 2%, as opposed to the 4% predicted earlier in the year. S&P's downgraded the US credit rating subsequent to the debt deal, from AAA to AA+, citing not only the state of the nation's finances, but also the inability of their politicians to get things done (again, the GOP must take most of the blame). I can only see this getting worse; while Europe's politics seem to get closer to the centre each year, the ideological rift between the right, which is veering towards more extreme views, and the left, which is doggedly trying to follow in Europe's footsteps, is widening. Europe Europe, the cradle of civilisation, is even more screwed than the US. Thus far three fairly small economies have needed bailing out - Portugal, Ireland, and Greece - with the latter being the worst off. Spain and Italy are threatening to tip the Euro over the edge and destroy the European federalist dream. The biggest problem has been their exorbitant borrowing from the European Central Bank over the years, which has reached levels they've never been able to pay back. The 2007-8 crisis is the root of the problem. Portugal and Ireland I won't discuss. Greece, which has needed a bailout and a half, is the biggest problem. It's got a CC credit rating from S&P's for a reason. Chiefly, the Greek government lied about the state of public finances in order to ditch the drachma in favour of the euro. Greece subsequently borrowed madly from the ECB. The Greek government is also very lazy and inefficient when it comes to raising revenues via taxes, and many people dodge having to pay to the state. Simultaneously, Greece has the largest (proportionally) and least efficient public sector in Europe - ie, they're lazy - which has meant a lot of state expenditure for very little gain. Private investors have had to contribute $53 billion to reduce Greek debt, and the Greek government must in return begin an austerity programme of spending cuts and privatisation of their inefficient public services. Greece's sovereign debt is over 150% of GDP and its real GDP growth for 2011 at -3.5% or so - ie, they're probably going to need a proper bail-out at some point. To prevent contagion, the ECB has also been given cash (I think) to buy up Greek government bonds, so as to prevent contagion. Spain and Italy look to be on the brink. I think the ECB may even be buying up Spanish and Italian bonds. Spain is a country reliant upon tourism and tourism-based construction. The 2007-8 recession collapsed these industries, because of their reliance upon British and German tourists and retirees. These industries remain damaged and Spain's unemployment rate stands the wrong side of 20%, with young unemployment around 50%. Luckily, Spain's economy is smaller than Italy's, and thus much larger than Greece's, Ireland's or Portugal's, and it's sovereign debt stands at just around 75% of GDP. It's the unemployment and poor growth that is the issue that might need it to be bailed out, but a Spanish bailout would be financially viable (just about, and at a huge cost to many French and German taxpayers). The Spanish PM, Zapatero, has called for an early election in November, so as to solve the political aspect of the crisis. Italy's collapse would be the end of the euro dream. Though its economy looks healthier than Spain's on the surface, it has a number of underlying issues. First, Italy's debt - proportionally second only to Greece, at around 125% of GDP, and the largest absolute figure of all the wobbly countries - would be too big for the EU to handle. Second, Italy's growth stands at 1%, and has stayed at this general level for over a decade; ie, Italy has a long-term problem with economic growth that may be hard to resolve. Third, Spain is a fairly functional democracy. Italy is totally dysfunctional; it is always ruled by coalitions, and Berlusconi's right wing coalition has looked fraught in recent months, what with Rubygate and the loss of the Milan mayorship - if it grew too unpopular, then Berlusconi's key coalition partner, the racist, xenophobic, populistic Lega Nord (the Italian Tea Party) may feel tempted to jump ship and cause an all too common government collapse. A left wing coalition, such as those under Prodi, would likely be less decisive and more short lived than a Berlusconi government. Ultimately, Italy's survival - key to the survival of the Eurozone - depends on Italy's solvency (Berlusconi repeatedly claims Italy is solvent; this had better be true). The ECB has bought some government bonds, but it doesn't have the funds to help Italy or Spain. They just alleviate the issue a little. In the end, Merkel and Sarkozy are going to have to act decisively. They may have to do some more bailing out, at great expense to their taxpayers (this is almost inevitable). If the Euro is going to survive long-term, closer fiscal union is (in my view) a must, and power must be devolved either to the European Central Bank or some other EU body. Switzerland There is very little I have to say on Switzerland. For the most part, the Swiss can be contented and smug that they've opted out not only of the eurozone, but of the EU altogether. But there have been repercussions for Switzerland from recent events. The only one that comes to mind is the over-appreciation of the franc against the backdrop of crises of the euro and dollar. Attempts by the Swiss National Bank to prevent this, largely because of the adverse effects on Swiss exports. The measures introduced were: an increase in supply of francs and interest rates around the 0% mark. Efforts to prevent investors buying francs have been largely unsuccessful, however, largely because of the continuing crises across the world. In the absence of clear-cut solutions to the US and European economic crises, it seems unlikely that the over-appreciation of the franc will be curbed in the immediate future. I realise I've not touched upon a great many factors in all of these problems, such as the markets' response. I've written virtually all of this from memory, so please do correct me on any errors I've made (I've probably confused the ECB with the EFSF a few times). Sections on Britain, Japan and the Arab world/Middle East will all be added in due course. I hope that everything here is enough to stimulate discussion. 23 Aug: Switzerland is up

I will create a separate thread at some point - it's certainly a discussion worth having. Just for the record, trust me I was referring to Bachmann. Palin's just a media personality these days. ;)

@obfuscator; The Tea Party faction of the Republican Party is solely responsible for the shoddiness of the debt-ceiling deal of Aug 2nd. Michele Bachmann is the de facto Tea Party leader; she is one of their key ideologues, she set up the Tea Party caucus, she is essentially the Tea Party candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination. She politicised what was originally a grassroots movement. All the problems caused by this Tea Party can be traced to her. I think that this might also explain a lot of what is wrong with the woman, politically and mentally. If I were American, I'd be very ashamed that she won the (admittedly pointless) Iowa straw poll. (She's doing this on the anniversary of his death, by the way).

I remember liking Yu Gi Oh, both the card game and the first series of the anime (subsequent series' were too convoluted for my liking, too obsessed with God cards). Pegasus was easily my favourite character, if only because of those Toon monsters he used.

This is very true, but if you stop treating the Sun, like Jeremy Clarkson, as a constantly serious source of news, it can be very entertaining. I personally only read the local paper, and get the rest of the news from BBC and Sky on the internet, as well as a few other websites if my news feed links to it. I think a lot of people do the same. I personally don't read local press - the Swanage & Wareham Advertiser is just too dull -, and aside from The Times I tend to use BBC online, printed news magazines (the weekly types, eg The Economist) and I also read The New Yorker online to keep up with what the US is doing.

I admire the creativity of your solution, but I still think it wouldn't be enough on its own and could probably be absused quite easily (choking).

If you live in Europe, this ain't always true. Well i wouldn't really know. I was talking merely on hearsay. But i imagine now that the economy has recovered from back when recession hit, things are much more stable and finding bargains like you could back then will be a lot harder now. Europe and the US look like they're heading for another recession, thanks to Greece, Italy, and the Republican Party. [spoiler=Person Responsible for Double Dip Recession] Don't forget about Ireland, Spain and Portugal. I left those three out because: -Ireland and Portugal are small but, unlike Greece, don't seem to need second bailouts and aren't in quite the same state of economic woe -Spain's sovereign debt as a % of GDP and as an absolute figure is something the EU could manage to bail out; Italy is a bigger economy than Greece that has a debt that is the same % of GDP (the exact figure eludes me), and it'd be impossible to bail Italy out So although Ireland, Portugal and Spain are bad, it's Greece - with its [developmentally delayed]ed public sector and taxation system, not to mention its shaky polity - and Italy, with its incredibly massive debts and long-term economic stagnation, that are the real problems, or at least the ones I'm most concerned about. That's just my opinion.

@Gabe; I am going to respond to your above post without having to fiddle around with the glitched quotes. -On Hamas: The reason for Hamas' success is the perception that Israel doesn't give a [bleep] about Palestinian refugees, and that Fatah and the PA is corrupt and inefficient (something which is partly true). People then look at Hamas, and its affiliate the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, doing humanitarian work, and they feel looked after. They also see Hamas trying to harm Israel, which is what they feel has been done to them, and they feel vindicated. I'm not saying it's alright, but I am saying that it is within Israel's power to change the situation by changing their actions -On the issue of a 'war': I think that Israel is the single country on earth that has the worst relations with its neighbours. I think that, in an inevitable future (it's a matter of when, not if) in which the 'west' is not in a position to help - in some respects, this is already the case - there will be little that Israel can do to prevent insane neighbours like Iran and the massively powerful Hizbullah from dealing them massive damage. I'm not saying it's right, but it's a possibility that Israel seems to be ignoring and just relying on the US. -Sharia law would not cause an issue unless Islamist parties came to power. Ever heard of secularism? It works a treat in Turkey and many other Muslim countries - not all Islamic countries are like Saudi Arabia.

Very good vid. :thumbup:

Oh, so that's what a long exposure photo is. Very nice photos, even if they have a misleading title.

Shooting nuns. Damn Red Dead influences me too much.

You Americans and your overcomplicated healthcare system. :lol: Good 'ol National Health Service - spending silly amounts on secretaries since Tony Blair.

I don't know if you can buy it in the US or California, but tomato frito goes great with pasta (maybe not if you're adding curry powder, but still). Edit: Just realised, what with all the Mexicans, I'm sure you'll be able to buy it.

Pmod corruption is an age old issue and, like most problems, has worsened since February.

If you live in Europe, this ain't always true. Well i wouldn't really know. I was talking merely on hearsay. But i imagine now that the economy has recovered from back when recession hit, things are much more stable and finding bargains like you could back then will be a lot harder now. Europe and the US look like they're heading for another recession, thanks to Greece, Italy, and the Republican Party. [spoiler=Person Responsible for Double Dip Recession]

I'm posing as Pie*. However, he changed his avatar and sig to mine while I was sleeping so I couldn't get his avatar and sig. I improvised. *=istolethepie Surely you also need to change your name?

If you live in Europe, this ain't always true.

Why? Relatives from the cold and windy north

If only I'd known that as a kid.

Today I'm entertaining small children for the sixth day in a row. :thumbdown: