As a non US citizen I have to say that I am deeply worried about the economic situation in your country. And not just because it affects the rest of the world so much.
I am worried for all the families who will be affected by the lack of government support. People in the US seem to have a horror of the thought of 'the government' getting too involved in their lives. Thus people have opted for lower taxes, less industry regulation and more privatisation. Anyone who realises that private enterprise is a for-profit venture could figure out that leaving your healthcare in the hands of private companies is...umm... maybe not such a good idea. Making money off the sick is sick. So what I say to Americans is that you shouldn't fear the idea of higher taxes or what you consider a 'nanny state' (which by the way you already have, what with the governments ability to tap your phones and control your bodies - sex ed, anyone?). What you should focus on instead is making your government, and your private industries ACCOUNTABLE. More taxes arent bad if they are used for the right purposes. But of course your government is too busy funding an illegal war to worry about whats best for the people.
Oh man, I am going to get shouted at for this.
But my ultimate point is that you guys are focusing on the symptoms, not the cause. If you have no faith in your government doing right by you, change it! You have the power! There are a lot more of you than them, dammit.
PS. As an non US citizen I also fear the fact that your country is in economic freefall and seems to be led by people with their fingers on the button, so to speak. You guys have more nukes than most other countries, and more than half an eye on foreign resources. Awesome.
I hope I am not offending anyone :( but thats how you are seen from an international standpoint.
Lessee now, the last time the word economy tanked, people starved, begged, got frustrated and started to get behind something you might be too young to remember called Communism. In response to that, some businessmen and politicians got behind something else called fascism, and started bankrolling this guy, Adolf Hitler. The result was the most destructive war in world history. Oh yes, no one had nukes until the war was almost over (and then it was only us).
Now, where did I put the key to my fallout shelter?
I was very pleased to see this post. You make some extraordinarily good points, and I hope that people keep recent events in perspective.
An 11th silver lining, at least for an economics student like myself, is that it provides a lot of fascinating material to study. Mistakes and catastrophes of all forms are best when we learn from them.
Polls are NOT an accurate reflection of ANY form of measure when it comes to who will vote for whom in November. It has no reflection of the proportional representation that is our elective college, nor do ANY of them sample a large enough sample to accurately reflect the make up of American voters. Besides the before mentioned points, in addition, the methodology and how the pollster frames the questions can completely change results of a specific poll.
Polls that matter are the ones answered before the election, and then post election. With good controls set in, it is possible to compare entry/exit polls to the actual results of said specific district.
Don't get me wrong, Hunter S. Thompson had it right when he said politics is better than sex. Watching/Following Politics is like a crack to me, besides its what I went to school for.
Amid the turmoil of Wall Street the consensus is these problems are arising out of a liquidity, not a solvency, problem. This means companies that are basically sound and solvent, meaning having profitable books with more assets than debt, need cash to carry them over to that period when the income that they have already earned arrives. Basically its like being broke on a Wednesday, but having all your bills paid through the next month, having a full tank of gas in your car, but you forgot to do your grocery shopping and don’t get a check until Friday. Its ramen noodle and peanut butter time, but Friday you’ll have a steak (Veggie burger at J Alexanders for the vegetarians ). We just need to get to Friday. The problem is that everyone you know is eating ramen noodles and peanut butter until Friday too. Just remember the contrarians usually win in the end. If anyone out there has the money for steak now, Buy AIG at $2 plus a share, you’ll be the one every person calls a genius in a year when it is sitting at $40 a share, imagine making 2,000% on your money.
As for the Obama comment, I can only hope that McCain wins, too many skeletons in Obama’s financial closet. Obama has a nice personality, and inspires hope, but when the questions about his financial deals are asked, and not answered, such as his real estate transactions in Chicago, he starts to remind me of the guys on Wall Street making statements like “how this could happen”, as they get in their Porsche to drive to the Hamptons. I want the guy, who has a record of fighting for the little guy and disregarding his Party when it comes to doing what is good for all. If you doubt that is McCain try Google News for the old stories about him fighting the Republicans and Bush.
Mary, thanks for the tip about storing prices in the cell phone! That never occurred to me. I've always had prices memorized for several different stores, so I notice when the price fluctuates at all. I try to buy mostly fresh or frozen, not canned or boxed, and as a result, have far fewer coupons, so I pay close attention to what goes on special each week. Unfortunately, here in the land of hurricanes, prices have gotten quite volatile.
I would kill for the milk prices y'all pay....a gallon of store brand milk at the cheapest non-Walmart (further away, so not good for quick trips) store is $4.99 a gallon. Store brand! Back to powdered milk for me. All dairy is expensive here, and more so in the past few years. Now produce, which had been at least acceptable, is through the roof. Last month, I paid $3.99 for a three-pound bag of apples, and thought it was expensive. I saw the same three pound bag yesterday...it was $7.99!!! And this is at the moderate-to-cheaply priced grocery store. Most of us lost most if not all the food in our refrigerators in one or both of the last two storms, so replacing it has been extra painful. Some, but by no means all, of our residents (not us, either) have received disaster food stamps to replace things they lost, but amounts were based on last month's prices. I'm afraid there are going to be some hungry people here soon.
In addition to pointing out the value of the store brands I think your post also highlights the importance of having a price book so that you really know how much things cost at each store. I have mine stored in my phone and check it while I am shopping. More than once it has stopped me from buying something that seemed like a good deal.
It makes my doom and gloom post seem so, well, doomy and gloomy in comparison. As for point 10, if only. Recent polls suggest that some economic problems could favor Obama, but more people still trust Republicans to handle a meltdown. Don't ask me why.
I'm afraid to go dumpster diving solely because of the fact that I am afraid of eating anything in an unsanitary condition. But without being a freegan, I can say it still influences my life. After hearing about it a lot, I started realizing how much gets thrown away, and it makes me think about throwing my own things away. While I am not dumpster diving, I try my best to never throw out food (which I do mainly by watching the food in the frige; if it gets pushed to the back, I am more likely to forget it is there and let it go to waste). I respect their principles, and without actually being one, I try to incoroporate their basic ideas (environmentalism, not being wasteful) into my everyday life.
"""Runescape SUCKS it has poor graphics, poor customer support and its full of arrogant annoying little kids."""
So w8 lets see...
The game sucks because...
poor graphics?
poor customer support?
full of annoying kids?
Sorry but the thing u left out this the economy is great, its the best mmorpg, people who hate it are people who dont have the brain's to understand the real world.
TRading, scamming, communication.
Runescape - best gameplay.
WoW - great graphics, simply because ITS NOT MADE IN FUCKING JAVA U NERDS. if runescape wasn't made in java (its made in java so u dont have to download, as that wastes time) it would have much better grahpics.
you know the games u get on mobiles?
THEY ARE JAVA.
runescape has done MASSIVE you know what **** this ur all idiots
i cbf even finishing this off.
WoW - fails, only good cuz its downloaded.
Runescape - pwns.
If u hate runescape, and have never been a member, then u have no right to hate it.
Pay the $5, become a member, and then u can rip on it.
fucking poor noobs.
Btw - Hahaha WoW is ****.
u cant train skills or anythhing.
n wtf is with tweaking
and wtf is with not being able to choose ur combat?
u just get "combat lvls"
insted of, like runescape:
I have never gotten the hang of coupons esp. since I too love store brands. I buy coffee, oatmeal, cashews (these are way better than the branded brand), grape juice, mandarin oranges, frozen veggies, dairy products (milk, sour cream, cheese), taco dinners at Lowe's Foods; house wine at Whole Foods. I tried store brand peanut butter in college--once--but most things are fine.
yes, I totally agree they are a trap, people do not realize what they are getting into when they see how easy it is to get one of these loans. I too have fallen into such a trap, but am in the process of paying it off from a loan from a family member. Payday loans should be illegal because they pray on people who are in desparate situations.
Myscha, I've found success at Sweetbay, which is Hannaford's remodeled Kash-n-Karry. I really like being able to pick up as much loose produce as I need (1 leek vs the 3 bundled at Publix- yes they will break packages but that means hunting down an employee). Both store brands of Sweetbay and Publix are good. Other supermarket names in Tampa: Fresh Market and Whole Foods/Wild Oats (higher end), a few Winn-Dixies, and maybe some Albertsons stores left, but I think many are being sold to Publix. Of course, SuperWalmart too. We are also getting a few Aldi stores soon. Hillsborough County is a major agricultural producer, so if you are interested in shopping locally you can try local farmers' markets (good ones I hear in St Pete, but I've never been) or farms. There is a publication called the Hillsborough Grown Consumer Directory that lists local farms and nurseries. You can see it at: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/econdev/resources/onlineservices/hgcdi.... And, be sure to stop by the Florida State Fair in February and The Strawberry Festival in Plant City in March! Best wishes house hunting!
When we go food shopping, its definitely store brand for most of our stuff.
Aside from choosing store brand over name brand, if you live within a more populated area - chances are theres a few different stores in nearby towns. Compare the prices in each of these stores.
You will notice that each store, although the same store in name (in my case, Stop & Shop) varies greatly in price depending on where it is located. The more urbanly located stores are much cheaper than the more ritzy suburbs.
PPS... i admit that my understanding is probably quite general on this topic, as a foreigner.
As a non US citizen I have to say that I am deeply worried about the economic situation in your country. And not just because it affects the rest of the world so much.
I am worried for all the families who will be affected by the lack of government support. People in the US seem to have a horror of the thought of 'the government' getting too involved in their lives. Thus people have opted for lower taxes, less industry regulation and more privatisation. Anyone who realises that private enterprise is a for-profit venture could figure out that leaving your healthcare in the hands of private companies is...umm... maybe not such a good idea. Making money off the sick is sick. So what I say to Americans is that you shouldn't fear the idea of higher taxes or what you consider a 'nanny state' (which by the way you already have, what with the governments ability to tap your phones and control your bodies - sex ed, anyone?). What you should focus on instead is making your government, and your private industries ACCOUNTABLE. More taxes arent bad if they are used for the right purposes. But of course your government is too busy funding an illegal war to worry about whats best for the people.
Oh man, I am going to get shouted at for this.
But my ultimate point is that you guys are focusing on the symptoms, not the cause. If you have no faith in your government doing right by you, change it! You have the power! There are a lot more of you than them, dammit.
PS. As an non US citizen I also fear the fact that your country is in economic freefall and seems to be led by people with their fingers on the button, so to speak. You guys have more nukes than most other countries, and more than half an eye on foreign resources. Awesome.
I hope I am not offending anyone :( but thats how you are seen from an international standpoint.
Lessee now, the last time the word economy tanked, people starved, begged, got frustrated and started to get behind something you might be too young to remember called Communism. In response to that, some businessmen and politicians got behind something else called fascism, and started bankrolling this guy, Adolf Hitler. The result was the most destructive war in world history. Oh yes, no one had nukes until the war was almost over (and then it was only us).
Now, where did I put the key to my fallout shelter?
I was very pleased to see this post. You make some extraordinarily good points, and I hope that people keep recent events in perspective.
An 11th silver lining, at least for an economics student like myself, is that it provides a lot of fascinating material to study. Mistakes and catastrophes of all forms are best when we learn from them.
Meant to say sample of the population. My apology!
@ Paul Mitchell,
Polls are NOT an accurate reflection of ANY form of measure when it comes to who will vote for whom in November. It has no reflection of the proportional representation that is our elective college, nor do ANY of them sample a large enough sample to accurately reflect the make up of American voters. Besides the before mentioned points, in addition, the methodology and how the pollster frames the questions can completely change results of a specific poll.
Polls that matter are the ones answered before the election, and then post election. With good controls set in, it is possible to compare entry/exit polls to the actual results of said specific district.
Don't get me wrong, Hunter S. Thompson had it right when he said politics is better than sex. Watching/Following Politics is like a crack to me, besides its what I went to school for.
My 2 cents.
I just wish we Americans could stop with the booms and busts. For once, can we just do things in moderation?
Amid the turmoil of Wall Street the consensus is these problems are arising out of a liquidity, not a solvency, problem. This means companies that are basically sound and solvent, meaning having profitable books with more assets than debt, need cash to carry them over to that period when the income that they have already earned arrives. Basically its like being broke on a Wednesday, but having all your bills paid through the next month, having a full tank of gas in your car, but you forgot to do your grocery shopping and don’t get a check until Friday. Its ramen noodle and peanut butter time, but Friday you’ll have a steak (Veggie burger at J Alexanders for the vegetarians ). We just need to get to Friday. The problem is that everyone you know is eating ramen noodles and peanut butter until Friday too. Just remember the contrarians usually win in the end. If anyone out there has the money for steak now, Buy AIG at $2 plus a share, you’ll be the one every person calls a genius in a year when it is sitting at $40 a share, imagine making 2,000% on your money.
As for the Obama comment, I can only hope that McCain wins, too many skeletons in Obama’s financial closet. Obama has a nice personality, and inspires hope, but when the questions about his financial deals are asked, and not answered, such as his real estate transactions in Chicago, he starts to remind me of the guys on Wall Street making statements like “how this could happen”, as they get in their Porsche to drive to the Hamptons. I want the guy, who has a record of fighting for the little guy and disregarding his Party when it comes to doing what is good for all. If you doubt that is McCain try Google News for the old stories about him fighting the Republicans and Bush.
Is it made of recycled paper? In any case, thanks for the chance to win.
PAZ!
Mary, thanks for the tip about storing prices in the cell phone! That never occurred to me. I've always had prices memorized for several different stores, so I notice when the price fluctuates at all. I try to buy mostly fresh or frozen, not canned or boxed, and as a result, have far fewer coupons, so I pay close attention to what goes on special each week. Unfortunately, here in the land of hurricanes, prices have gotten quite volatile.
I would kill for the milk prices y'all pay....a gallon of store brand milk at the cheapest non-Walmart (further away, so not good for quick trips) store is $4.99 a gallon. Store brand! Back to powdered milk for me. All dairy is expensive here, and more so in the past few years. Now produce, which had been at least acceptable, is through the roof. Last month, I paid $3.99 for a three-pound bag of apples, and thought it was expensive. I saw the same three pound bag yesterday...it was $7.99!!! And this is at the moderate-to-cheaply priced grocery store. Most of us lost most if not all the food in our refrigerators in one or both of the last two storms, so replacing it has been extra painful. Some, but by no means all, of our residents (not us, either) have received disaster food stamps to replace things they lost, but amounts were based on last month's prices. I'm afraid there are going to be some hungry people here soon.
In addition to pointing out the value of the store brands I think your post also highlights the importance of having a price book so that you really know how much things cost at each store. I have mine stored in my phone and check it while I am shopping. More than once it has stopped me from buying something that seemed like a good deal.
It makes my doom and gloom post seem so, well, doomy and gloomy in comparison. As for point 10, if only. Recent polls suggest that some economic problems could favor Obama, but more people still trust Republicans to handle a meltdown. Don't ask me why.
I'm afraid to go dumpster diving solely because of the fact that I am afraid of eating anything in an unsanitary condition. But without being a freegan, I can say it still influences my life. After hearing about it a lot, I started realizing how much gets thrown away, and it makes me think about throwing my own things away. While I am not dumpster diving, I try my best to never throw out food (which I do mainly by watching the food in the frige; if it gets pushed to the back, I am more likely to forget it is there and let it go to waste). I respect their principles, and without actually being one, I try to incoroporate their basic ideas (environmentalism, not being wasteful) into my everyday life.
that would be quite a bold move, Larry.
I blog at www.shopliftingwithpermission.com.
"""Runescape SUCKS it has poor graphics, poor customer support and its full of arrogant annoying little kids."""
So w8 lets see...
The game sucks because...
poor graphics?
poor customer support?
full of annoying kids?
Sorry but the thing u left out this the economy is great, its the best mmorpg, people who hate it are people who dont have the brain's to understand the real world.
TRading, scamming, communication.
Runescape - best gameplay.
WoW - great graphics, simply because ITS NOT MADE IN FUCKING JAVA U NERDS. if runescape wasn't made in java (its made in java so u dont have to download, as that wastes time) it would have much better grahpics.
you know the games u get on mobiles?
THEY ARE JAVA.
runescape has done MASSIVE you know what **** this ur all idiots
i cbf even finishing this off.
WoW - fails, only good cuz its downloaded.
Runescape - pwns.
If u hate runescape, and have never been a member, then u have no right to hate it.
Pay the $5, become a member, and then u can rip on it.
fucking poor noobs.
Btw - Hahaha WoW is ****.
u cant train skills or anythhing.
n wtf is with tweaking
and wtf is with not being able to choose ur combat?
u just get "combat lvls"
insted of, like runescape:
Attack, str, defence, range, mage, prayer, hitpoints, summoning.
and it has various skills, such as - mining, crafting, runecrafting, fishing thieving hunting construction cbf Gf noobs.
The metal lid of a glass baby food jar usually has some kind of coating on it. Also, a lot of baby food comes in plastic tubs nowadays.
I blog at www.shopliftingwithpermission.com.
The construction never ceases.
I have never gotten the hang of coupons esp. since I too love store brands. I buy coffee, oatmeal, cashews (these are way better than the branded brand), grape juice, mandarin oranges, frozen veggies, dairy products (milk, sour cream, cheese), taco dinners at Lowe's Foods; house wine at Whole Foods. I tried store brand peanut butter in college--once--but most things are fine.
yes, I totally agree they are a trap, people do not realize what they are getting into when they see how easy it is to get one of these loans. I too have fallen into such a trap, but am in the process of paying it off from a loan from a family member. Payday loans should be illegal because they pray on people who are in desparate situations.
i got 3.4bil from macroeing for 7 years straight who plays i just sold my money for money in rl.made over 3k in cash in rl
i got 3.4bil from macroeing for 7 years straight who plays i just sold my money for money in rl.made over 3k in cash in rl
Myscha, I've found success at Sweetbay, which is Hannaford's remodeled Kash-n-Karry. I really like being able to pick up as much loose produce as I need (1 leek vs the 3 bundled at Publix- yes they will break packages but that means hunting down an employee). Both store brands of Sweetbay and Publix are good. Other supermarket names in Tampa: Fresh Market and Whole Foods/Wild Oats (higher end), a few Winn-Dixies, and maybe some Albertsons stores left, but I think many are being sold to Publix. Of course, SuperWalmart too. We are also getting a few Aldi stores soon. Hillsborough County is a major agricultural producer, so if you are interested in shopping locally you can try local farmers' markets (good ones I hear in St Pete, but I've never been) or farms. There is a publication called the Hillsborough Grown Consumer Directory that lists local farms and nurseries. You can see it at: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/econdev/resources/onlineservices/hgcdi.... And, be sure to stop by the Florida State Fair in February and The Strawberry Festival in Plant City in March! Best wishes house hunting!
Thanks for stopping by to give input. This really is a great conversation Mary started.
And I'm going to use that phrase "lash yourself to the mast with this piece of truth" in conversation tomorrow, if you don't mind.
When we go food shopping, its definitely store brand for most of our stuff.
Aside from choosing store brand over name brand, if you live within a more populated area - chances are theres a few different stores in nearby towns. Compare the prices in each of these stores.
You will notice that each store, although the same store in name (in my case, Stop & Shop) varies greatly in price depending on where it is located. The more urbanly located stores are much cheaper than the more ritzy suburbs.