12:19 – The news reports over the last couple of days have said that the Troika was requiring Cyprus to sell its gold reserves, about €400 million worth. As it turns out, they’re not requiring Cyprus to sell those reserves; they’re requiring Cyprus to transfer all its gold reserves to the ECB. In other words, the ECB is robbing Cyprus of its gold at gunpoint. Why is that, I wonder. Could it be that the eurocrats realize that Cyprus has already been pushed too far, and may well decide simply to leave the euro? If so, having those gold reserves would make it easier for Cyprus to return to a national currency. We can’t have that, can we?
Merkel and the rest of the Northern Tier eurocrats are taking an increasingly hard-line approach toward funding bailouts. They’ve announced that under no circumstances will the Troika exceed the €10 billion they have already committed to. If that’s insufficient–and it is grossly insufficient–tough luck. They’ll let Cyprus collapse, convinced that there will be no “contagion”. They’re wrong, in spades, but that’s their attitude. Meanwhile, the other weakling members of the eurozone–particularly Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Slovenia–must have a deep sense of foreboding. The so-called “unity” of the eurozone is rock-solid, unless it’s going to end up costing Germany money. In that case, Germany will tell everyone else to get screwed. As I’ve been saying for a long time, ultimately the eurozone crisis is a cat fight about who’s going to get stuck paying the bills for this abomination of a currency. Germany is determined not to be the one stuck with the bill.
“… ultimately the eurozone crisis is a cat fight about who’s going to get stuck paying the bills for this abomination of a currency. Germany is determined not to be the one stuck with the bill.”
True. And why do I get the distinct feeling that the bill will somehow eventually end up at our table? The UK won’t pay it, either, and they’re likely to end up in the soup as well over there at some point.
Not to worry, OFD. Europe doesn’t have a Muslim majority, so al-Hussein Obama won’t be funneling huge jizya that way.
Oh, we’re already on the hook for a lot of money. The eurozone is deeply in debt to the IMF, and guess who’s the main source of IMF funding.
{OFD in totally irresponsible fantasy mode}
I sure would like to see the various leadership execs in all these organizations personally on the hook for all their financial shenanigans, criminal felonies, and bonehead mistakes; twisting slowly on meat-hooks for days. The misery they’ve caused around the globe beggars belief.
{OFD off totally irresponsible fantasy mode}
the same movie, again and again and again and again
the myth of Sisyphus
but, now we are all on the same boat, sooner or later, welcome!
only the martians are safe.
I sure would like to see the various leadership execs in all these organizations personally on the hook for all their financial shenanigans, criminal felonies, and bonehead mistakes; twisting slowly on meat-hooks for days. The misery they’ve caused around the globe beggars belief.
Nah, not me. Too much screaming tailing off to a whisper. Guillotine first, then the head on a pike at the front gate.
This author is claiming that all government spending in the USA has passed the median income in the USA in 2010:
http://www.sumnerbooks.com/books/view/completely-predictable
“In fiscal 2010, according to numbers published by the Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), net spending by all levels of government in the United States was $5,942,988,401,000. That equaled $50,074 for each one of the 118,682,000 households in the country.”
“In that same year, according to the Census Bureau, the median household income was $49,445.”
Slovenia? That’s a country name I don’t hear much. I know it exists but I thought they were comparatively sensible, by European standards.
Wow, everyone is watching Netflix (Netflix streamed more than four billion hours of movies and TV shows to its members in the first quarter of this year):
http://paidcontent.org/2013/04/11/netflix-four-billion-hours/
The world is changing as fast as it can. Faster even. Desktops -> laptops -> tablets. OTA (over the air) tv -> cable tv -> satellite tv -> internet tv. Mainframes -> mini computers -> desktops -> pc networks -> internet -> billions of smartphones / desktops / laptops / tablets networked together.
The content users are rapidly changing. The content creators are not. There is a lesson in here somewhere.
As Chuck may agree with me here, or not, the content creators mainly suck rocks nowadays. The analogy in weaponry would be chimps moving from clubs to nukes in just a few years. But they’re still chimps.
And this just in from my main man, Patrick, on the firearms situation:
http://buchanan.org/blog/who-is-winning-the-gun-war-5526
The bill? Why should anyone pay the bill? Let countries out of the Euro; there will be a painful economic correction, but if they would just “get it over with”, the countries could be back on their feet in just a few years. The longer they way, the nastier the crash will be. Of course, we’ve all been saying this for years now.
The stupid thing is: This was all so unnecessary. If the governments had been forced to keep their spending within the Maastricht requirements (and they really were meant as requirements), none of the countries would now be in financial difficulties. Of course, Germany led the parade, by being among the first to violate Maastricht. Once they did it, everyone else felt entirely free to do so as well…
Water under the bridge. Time to pay the piper. Or whatever your favorite saying may be…
Ping Dave B and ech!
For my Level 30 Arms Warrior would Blacksmithing and Leatherworking be a good combo? I’m thinking of synergy between the two and also making a bit of gold. I’ve only just taken them so I don’t mind dropping one or both.
Edit. Is it worth paying 10 gold for dual specialization at Level 30?
“Or whatever your favorite saying may be…”
No use crying over spilt milk.
“If you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.”
The cowards never started and the weaklings died along the way.
I would go with Mining and Blacksmithing for a warrior. That way you can get make mail armor now, and plate armor later. While a leatherworker can make mail armor, you’ll only want plate after level 40. If you have an Alliance Hunter on the same realm, you can make that toon a Skinner/Leatherworker. I would not choose a crafting profession without choosing the corresponding gathering profession.
Gathering/Crafting
Mining/Blacksmithing
Mining/Jewelcrafting
Herbalism/Alchemy
Herbalism/Inscription
Skinning/Leatherworking
In short, I’d drop Leatherworking and pick up Mining.
Okay Dave, thanks. I thought there wasn’t much synergy.