We have lived in Germany for the last 5 yrs and enjoy the 6 weeks vaction every year! On the other hand the work atmosphere is less social and more formal and we miss the social part of the American workplace.
One correction I would note is that we do have to pay for part of our healthcare and our employer has to pay for the other part. It is not aid by the government so much as overseen by the government.We also pay higher taxes here.
Thanks for the great article!
IT'S NOT A CREDIT CARD it's a prepaid Debit card get it PRE PAID everyones so quick to jump at the ohhh no someone stole my identity or this is a scam crap yes maby it was unsolicited but the only information they have is your name and address wich I'm sorry to say if you have ever done anything online millions of firms already have that info hell when you set up a home phone service your info is given out how the hell do you think telemarketers call you by randomly dialing numbers out of the air??? if you read the fine print in the letter you still have to activate it and put money on it to use it and when you activate it you supply them with all your info IE social security number and such I have one use it every day Love it and would recomend it to everyone have had no problems with it
"The German government tries to alleviate a lot of these worries by providing many for free. The government provides citizens with free healthcare, free university education, and childcare."
Uh, no. None of that is free. Someone's paying for it, unless German doctors, college professors and childcare workers are all volunteers. It'd be more accurate and less misleading to say that the German government taxes its citizens, then spends the money collected on the above services.
"There has literally only been a handful of times in two years."
I'm pretty sure the number of times you needed to drive somewhere far away in the last couple of years did not and could not fit in your hand.
"Having one less possession — in this case probably your most expensive possession aside from a house — is very liberating."
No. Cars, not the absence of cars, liberate you. They let you travel where you want, when you want. That's a more concrete form of "liberation" than whatever psychological rewards you derive from denying yourself a car. If it's so liberating, why not give up the house, too?
You also don't mention where you live. Isn't that important?
It's not the actual purchase that makes us happy -- it's the moment right before we purchase something. It's called anticipation. Thats why we get more excited about going to a party, going on a vacation, about to eat something really delicious, than we do actually doing these things.
Except for food clothing and shelter, try pretending to buy something without buying it or keeping it in your memory, you will feel much happier than if you actually bought the item in ?
Hey guys, is it possible to contaminate shine like beer? I have had a few batches that have had a very "unique" taste (hard to describe). Not horrible but not necessarily great. I gues maybe a little more sour than others. Probably not the best description but tough to describe. I made (2) 5 gallon buckets with same sugar supply, water supply and had them set next to each other sealed with air locks. One tasted perfect (as normal) and one had this "funky" taste. Contamination is the only thing I can think of considering all other variables to be the same. IF this is the case, is it ok to drink? Considering I usually flavor it, the flavor I believe will mask the difference in taste. Thanks for your input!
The Germans... Yeah let's really be like the Germans. Isn't that socialism????? No thanks. I'll keep my freedoms and deal with the "worry" as Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount recorded in Mathew Chapter 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31"Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' 32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The problem is that other countries in Europe have the same mandated work hours and their productivity sucks. If we take a look at Greece we might find the American water cooler mentality and the European vacations.
Clearly you cannot mandate longer vacations and have that result in higher productivity. It is more a function of the national identity or social trends of that country.
I have no idea whether to thank you for this post or hate that I read some of it. Either way, I'm making it my "read of the week" during my round up post that will go up on Saturday.
Seriously...I can't wait for another one of these!
When your boss asks you what you like about a job, and he keeps prompting you, and all you can think is, 'Nothing' but you can't say that to your boss. So you just stand there, quiet.
The swaddling needs to be *really* tight. My husband could do it, but I wasn't very good at it. Movement was always the best solution for my son. Holding him while swaying also worked very well. Other tricks I used a lot: putting my son on top of a dryer or even washing machine while they were working (though beware the buzzer and end of cycle), the baby swing, even when he was so small he needed extra padding to sit safely. The only baby carrier that worked let him face out and watch everything. He hated the others. Simethicone drops! Harmless and it breaks up the gas bubbles that cause the distress.
Agreed. Unless we are buying a clearance-priced cloth costume that they can play dress up in for years, we avoid the store-bought ones altogether. I almost died when I saw a plastic costume at the drugstore for almost $30. I had a very flimsy plastic mask and something that looked similar to a disposable rain poncho that you get at a truck stop for 3 bucks. The markup on these outfits that are no more than party tablecloths blow my mind!
my daughter-in-law MaryAnne writes a blog for expats in Tokyo, called Tokyoblog.com She is always looking for mail order items that can be shipped to Japan by the vendor. Obviously the shipping will be high but less than shipping to (PaPa Jack or Uncle Pat) the gift giver who then must repack and do all of what is required to ship to another country. Toys, clothes, office supplies etc. Any suggestions?
According to the CIA World Factbook for 2009, the USA smokes Germany in per capita GDP. In fact, we're 48 percent MORE productive by that measure.
We have lived in Germany for the last 5 yrs and enjoy the 6 weeks vaction every year! On the other hand the work atmosphere is less social and more formal and we miss the social part of the American workplace.
One correction I would note is that we do have to pay for part of our healthcare and our employer has to pay for the other part. It is not aid by the government so much as overseen by the government.We also pay higher taxes here.
Thanks for the great article!
This Sounds good! I'm going to try it this weekend!
Zinio magazine zubscriptions are cheaper than intro subscription rates on many magazines. Are you just pricing amazon?
IT'S NOT A CREDIT CARD it's a prepaid Debit card get it PRE PAID everyones so quick to jump at the ohhh no someone stole my identity or this is a scam crap yes maby it was unsolicited but the only information they have is your name and address wich I'm sorry to say if you have ever done anything online millions of firms already have that info hell when you set up a home phone service your info is given out how the hell do you think telemarketers call you by randomly dialing numbers out of the air??? if you read the fine print in the letter you still have to activate it and put money on it to use it and when you activate it you supply them with all your info IE social security number and such I have one use it every day Love it and would recomend it to everyone have had no problems with it
"The German government tries to alleviate a lot of these worries by providing many for free. The government provides citizens with free healthcare, free university education, and childcare."
Uh, no. None of that is free. Someone's paying for it, unless German doctors, college professors and childcare workers are all volunteers. It'd be more accurate and less misleading to say that the German government taxes its citizens, then spends the money collected on the above services.
"There has literally only been a handful of times in two years."
I'm pretty sure the number of times you needed to drive somewhere far away in the last couple of years did not and could not fit in your hand.
"Having one less possession — in this case probably your most expensive possession aside from a house — is very liberating."
No. Cars, not the absence of cars, liberate you. They let you travel where you want, when you want. That's a more concrete form of "liberation" than whatever psychological rewards you derive from denying yourself a car. If it's so liberating, why not give up the house, too?
You also don't mention where you live. Isn't that important?
YOU FORGOT TO MENTION NOT TO RUB THE ARMOUR ETCH INTO THE LENS VERY HARD, I NOW HAVE VERY RUINED EYEGLASSES!! :[
It's not the actual purchase that makes us happy -- it's the moment right before we purchase something. It's called anticipation. Thats why we get more excited about going to a party, going on a vacation, about to eat something really delicious, than we do actually doing these things.
Except for food clothing and shelter, try pretending to buy something without buying it or keeping it in your memory, you will feel much happier than if you actually bought the item in ?
Hey guys, is it possible to contaminate shine like beer? I have had a few batches that have had a very "unique" taste (hard to describe). Not horrible but not necessarily great. I gues maybe a little more sour than others. Probably not the best description but tough to describe. I made (2) 5 gallon buckets with same sugar supply, water supply and had them set next to each other sealed with air locks. One tasted perfect (as normal) and one had this "funky" taste. Contamination is the only thing I can think of considering all other variables to be the same. IF this is the case, is it ok to drink? Considering I usually flavor it, the flavor I believe will mask the difference in taste. Thanks for your input!
Let's try hours in a work year - 2080 hours equals 52 weeks, 40 per week
I'll do this next time a there's a crying baby in the restaurant.
You obviously have a very limited understanding of socialism.
Jesus is the ultimate socialist and the anti-capitalist. The more religious folks are the less they seem to understand about their religion.
"1,436 hours per week, versus the 1,804 hours". How can there be more than 168 hours per week? Did you mean minutes?
The Germans... Yeah let's really be like the Germans. Isn't that socialism????? No thanks. I'll keep my freedoms and deal with the "worry" as Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount recorded in Mathew Chapter 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31"Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' 32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The problem is that other countries in Europe have the same mandated work hours and their productivity sucks. If we take a look at Greece we might find the American water cooler mentality and the European vacations.
Clearly you cannot mandate longer vacations and have that result in higher productivity. It is more a function of the national identity or social trends of that country.
Ha! Clearly propaganda written by people who think nothing of paying $10 for a beer, but who want to "communicate" with us little people.
I have no idea whether to thank you for this post or hate that I read some of it. Either way, I'm making it my "read of the week" during my round up post that will go up on Saturday.
Seriously...I can't wait for another one of these!
When your boss asks you what you like about a job, and he keeps prompting you, and all you can think is, 'Nothing' but you can't say that to your boss. So you just stand there, quiet.
The swaddling needs to be *really* tight. My husband could do it, but I wasn't very good at it. Movement was always the best solution for my son. Holding him while swaying also worked very well. Other tricks I used a lot: putting my son on top of a dryer or even washing machine while they were working (though beware the buzzer and end of cycle), the baby swing, even when he was so small he needed extra padding to sit safely. The only baby carrier that worked let him face out and watch everything. He hated the others. Simethicone drops! Harmless and it breaks up the gas bubbles that cause the distress.
Agreed. Unless we are buying a clearance-priced cloth costume that they can play dress up in for years, we avoid the store-bought ones altogether. I almost died when I saw a plastic costume at the drugstore for almost $30. I had a very flimsy plastic mask and something that looked similar to a disposable rain poncho that you get at a truck stop for 3 bucks. The markup on these outfits that are no more than party tablecloths blow my mind!
my daughter-in-law MaryAnne writes a blog for expats in Tokyo, called Tokyoblog.com She is always looking for mail order items that can be shipped to Japan by the vendor. Obviously the shipping will be high but less than shipping to (PaPa Jack or Uncle Pat) the gift giver who then must repack and do all of what is required to ship to another country. Toys, clothes, office supplies etc. Any suggestions?
I remember when my son would be satisfied with thrift store or home made costumes. Besides being cheap, they look so much better.
I simply long for the good old days when career changes were much more simple. Now that was a long time ago, wasn't it?