Cyprus bailout: Euro haters couldn't have done better.
If you had asked me to come up with a scheme to undermine trust in the Euro and trust in governments, I might have given you just the scheme now cooked up for the "bailout" of Cyprus.
Make it so that the "little guy" gets fleeced.
Yeah. You have a couple of thousand euros in savings, sure, we'll take 6.75% as a one off levy for the greater good.
Of course, the EU grandes wanted to get their hands on the Russian "black" money in Cyprus and grab a few pink backs from the Greeks who moved their larger untaxed funds to the island next door.
They compensate people by giving them "shares" in the banks -- whooha, and who pays what fees, and how does that work if your bank is privately held and does not do shares? When can they sell the shares they did not ask for?
If Russians own 50% of all the money in the banks, have you just handed over a majority of shares in one one more banks to Russians?
Did the Germans come up with this? Maybe thinking that the now almost 25 year old "solidarity tax" to build up the former East German lands has done "so well", why not make the Southern Europeans contribute a bit to their own bailout in a one off withholding?
Bonkers, bonkers.
The dollar will say thank you, and for the paranoid computer nerds their bitcoin rates will reach new heights.
Someone just showed their true colors -- they must have been itching to do this levy thing but didn't dare earlier -- send your meeting minutes to the press to prove us wrong...
Looking at the folks in high finance, all we can do is ask: high on what?
Can you please put my grandma on the board of the European Central Bank for some real life perspective?
[Update 18 March] The Cypriot government is trying to find ways of relief for small savers; the British government will reimburse the UK military stationed in Cyprus; Paul Krugman sounds his dire warning; Asian stock markets are down.
The long-term resentment....
Euro Saint Angela stated that the levy "was an instrument designed to make those responsible contribute to the effort" , which we read as: if you have a couple of thou in a bank in Cyprus you are partly responsible for the crisis.
The European bank insurance scheme akin to the US FDIC promises 100% of your money is safe up to 100 Euro K. -- but in Cyprus, your bank is being saved a couple of days before bankruptcy, so that the "your funds are safe" promise can be circumvented with a "levy".
[Update 20 March] Cyprus parliament has nixed the bailout plan. Writes one German commentator in a big paper: the EU cannot change course because that would open up the EU for blackmail. Says the K-Landnews editor: are you kidding me, the EU and blackmail go together like cows and milk.
Are we the only people who see the botched bailout as a neat example of double standards with a hefty dose of beggars can't be choosers?
[Update 25 March] Euro down against the Dollar by some 2 Euro cent. Cyprus a template for future rescues. Told you so.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Shake it, shake it
Powder instead of burgers, a cute headline about another food topic.
The story of a 24 year old software engineer who makes a food replacement powder because he finds eating normal food too burdensome, a waste of time and effort.
Several aspects of this story struck us as odd.
The idea that this could be the way of the future is one strange thought.
Because, at least in the US, it is the way of the past and the way of the present for many people. "Complete nutrition" replacement drinks exist, you can buy them almost anywhere -- well, except the corner liquor store, and Whole Foods has a smaller selection.
It is understandable that this might be news in Germany, after all the big supplement and food replacement business does not exist here. Supermarkets don't have yards and yards of that stuff - just one yard or so last time we checked - and GNC and the like are not around either.
So, the question is: how does this this become news stateside?
Must be the internet blogs, hungry for new food reports...
The other somewhat odd aspect in the article linked to above is that the author has opinions and quotes by German nutrition experts!
It appears to us, your trusted K-Landnews team, that neither the US bloggers nor the German serious news writers understand young software engineers.
We have seen the serious "automatic bartender" one of our colleagues constructed. The nice contraption of tubes, dispensers and cups worked.
The problem is: making drinks is an almost negligible part of a bartender's job.
Just as the act of moving your jaw and neck muscles is a negligible part of eating.
And the contributor we asked to do this post did exactly what the young man does -- but ten years ago and without fanfare.
Go, make shakes, and enjoy them as long as you can.
[Update 9/2015] In the meantime, Soylent has been criticized for exceeding the levels of lead and cadmium specified by California's Prop. 65, which are more stringent than the requirements of the EPA and the WHO.
The K-Landnews food editor recommends: instead of ingesting this weird stuff, use it to replenish the lead in your pencil by dipping the pencil in a glass of the concoction.
The story of a 24 year old software engineer who makes a food replacement powder because he finds eating normal food too burdensome, a waste of time and effort.
Several aspects of this story struck us as odd.
The idea that this could be the way of the future is one strange thought.
Because, at least in the US, it is the way of the past and the way of the present for many people. "Complete nutrition" replacement drinks exist, you can buy them almost anywhere -- well, except the corner liquor store, and Whole Foods has a smaller selection.
It is understandable that this might be news in Germany, after all the big supplement and food replacement business does not exist here. Supermarkets don't have yards and yards of that stuff - just one yard or so last time we checked - and GNC and the like are not around either.
So, the question is: how does this this become news stateside?
Must be the internet blogs, hungry for new food reports...
The other somewhat odd aspect in the article linked to above is that the author has opinions and quotes by German nutrition experts!
It appears to us, your trusted K-Landnews team, that neither the US bloggers nor the German serious news writers understand young software engineers.
We have seen the serious "automatic bartender" one of our colleagues constructed. The nice contraption of tubes, dispensers and cups worked.
The problem is: making drinks is an almost negligible part of a bartender's job.
Just as the act of moving your jaw and neck muscles is a negligible part of eating.
And the contributor we asked to do this post did exactly what the young man does -- but ten years ago and without fanfare.
Go, make shakes, and enjoy them as long as you can.
[Update 9/2015] In the meantime, Soylent has been criticized for exceeding the levels of lead and cadmium specified by California's Prop. 65, which are more stringent than the requirements of the EPA and the WHO.
The K-Landnews food editor recommends: instead of ingesting this weird stuff, use it to replenish the lead in your pencil by dipping the pencil in a glass of the concoction.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Ask Ed
Storm in a test tube about DrEd.com in Germany.
The head of the German Medical Association and a conservative politician are once again complaining about online doctors, in particular the London based DrEd.
They stress that their concerns are about treatment quality and potential dangers to patients when a physician does not have face to face contact with a patient. Their other area of concern is about the "traditional local pharmacy system".
We checked the DrEd site and found that they offer very limited and specific services, basically reproductive health (i.e. the pill for women and erectile dysfunction drugs for men), malaria prevention drugs and refills/follow-on prescriptions for some general long term conditions.
That's all.
The latest report in the media only mentions forms to fill out on the website and does not mention video conferences offered by DrEd.
And as far as the traditional pharmacy system goes, it not only looks hyper-quaint from an American point of view, it is also super expensive.
You cannot even get f**** aspirin or an anti-itch cream outside of a pharmacy.
Don't ask what they are selling in a German drugstore!
Sundries.
For now, the otherwise much scolded EU gets the credit they deserve: prescriptions from other EU states must be recognized in all member states.
Comments by German readers to one of the media reports sound so familiar to any American HMO patient that we laughed very hard.
"Try getting an appointment!"
"Doctors spend just a few minutes with each patient."
As they say, laughter is the best medicine -- but even the Germans have not tried to make that "by prescription only".
Maybe they are afraid of back alley laughter involving coat hangers.
The head of the German Medical Association and a conservative politician are once again complaining about online doctors, in particular the London based DrEd.
They stress that their concerns are about treatment quality and potential dangers to patients when a physician does not have face to face contact with a patient. Their other area of concern is about the "traditional local pharmacy system".
We checked the DrEd site and found that they offer very limited and specific services, basically reproductive health (i.e. the pill for women and erectile dysfunction drugs for men), malaria prevention drugs and refills/follow-on prescriptions for some general long term conditions.
That's all.
The latest report in the media only mentions forms to fill out on the website and does not mention video conferences offered by DrEd.
And as far as the traditional pharmacy system goes, it not only looks hyper-quaint from an American point of view, it is also super expensive.
You cannot even get f**** aspirin or an anti-itch cream outside of a pharmacy.
Don't ask what they are selling in a German drugstore!
Sundries.
For now, the otherwise much scolded EU gets the credit they deserve: prescriptions from other EU states must be recognized in all member states.
Comments by German readers to one of the media reports sound so familiar to any American HMO patient that we laughed very hard.
"Try getting an appointment!"
"Doctors spend just a few minutes with each patient."
As they say, laughter is the best medicine -- but even the Germans have not tried to make that "by prescription only".
Maybe they are afraid of back alley laughter involving coat hangers.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Free scientific journals
The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a website that lists scientific journals you can read and download at NO cost.
If you look at their country list, you will probably be surprised. The United States very predictably leads the list with 1293 journals registered as of this year.
Do not even try to guess which countries follow in spots 2 to 10.
You will get it wrong, and that tells us a lot about the value of knowledge and the, how else to phrase it, rip-off culture in the world of scientific and technical journals.
Here is the list of the top ten countries and the number of freely accessible publications as of March 2013:
U.S. 1293
Brazil 821
UK 580
India 483
Spain 452
Egypt 352
Germany 283
Canada 259
Romania 258
Italy 240
If we look at the grouping by subject, we can probably safely claim that soft sciences like "literature and languages" are a little over represented, with a total of about 500 for "literature and languages" compared to the grand total in "technology and engineering" clocking in at no more than 1000.
This should not be seen as criticism, merely as an illustration of which sectors seem to embrace the concept with more ease than others, and which sectors continue to try selling overpriced journals to the public.
We are also not quite sure if there are other directories with different rates of sign-up for different countries.
If you look at their country list, you will probably be surprised. The United States very predictably leads the list with 1293 journals registered as of this year.
Do not even try to guess which countries follow in spots 2 to 10.
You will get it wrong, and that tells us a lot about the value of knowledge and the, how else to phrase it, rip-off culture in the world of scientific and technical journals.
Here is the list of the top ten countries and the number of freely accessible publications as of March 2013:
U.S. 1293
Brazil 821
UK 580
India 483
Spain 452
Egypt 352
Germany 283
Canada 259
Romania 258
Italy 240
If we look at the grouping by subject, we can probably safely claim that soft sciences like "literature and languages" are a little over represented, with a total of about 500 for "literature and languages" compared to the grand total in "technology and engineering" clocking in at no more than 1000.
This should not be seen as criticism, merely as an illustration of which sectors seem to embrace the concept with more ease than others, and which sectors continue to try selling overpriced journals to the public.
We are also not quite sure if there are other directories with different rates of sign-up for different countries.
Florida Rolf
German media are talking about the man called Florida Rolf on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of major social reforms.
The then government of social democrats and the greens pushed through a huge overhaul of the German social system and labor market.
One of the major tenets of the package was limiting unemployment benefits to 12 months for those under 55 and 18 months for those over. At the same time, the amount of money paid was drastically reduced.
Once these benefits run out, you may become eligible for means-tested SSI type benefits along with the attached social stigma (lazy, uneducated, not pulling your weight in society). German style means-testing is a serious business and until recently included the odd 10 euro cash gift to the grand kids by opi or omi.
Contract hires were made easy, laying off workers was simplified, and some fairly timid reforms to promote self-employment were instituted. Payroll taxes for employers were reduced, and 401 k type individual pension schemes came into being.
Around the time of these reforms, a German living in Florida became famous as a "tropical moocher", on perpetual vacation in the sun financed by the German government, as the poster boy of the campaigners against Germany's social safety net. The reform abolished payment of SSI benefits to Germans who live outside the country.
While most Germans at the time agreed that some measure of reform was desirable, the results are mixed and are said to have contributed to the growth of a low wage sector which, opponents claim, furthers marginalization. The jobs pay a maximum of 450 euros a month and are exempt from payroll tax, making them an instrument of choice in a number of low wage sectors.
The benefits, known as Hartz IV after the VW manager (and subsequent convicted felon) who proposed them, are being re-calculated every five years and are currently around 400 euros a month. Insecurity in the lower middle class is said to have increased, and German populist tabloid Bild Zeitung continues to take pot shots at people on their version of SSI.
Inequality has increased here, too, and conservative chancellor Merkel was just reminded that the "haves" are fragile when it comes to high incomes. She mentioned in public that it might be a good idea to look into management compensation and found herself heavily criticized by the pillars of conservatism.
To us, this looks a lot like a modern day version of Nietzsche's "what does not kill me makes me stronger".
The then government of social democrats and the greens pushed through a huge overhaul of the German social system and labor market.
One of the major tenets of the package was limiting unemployment benefits to 12 months for those under 55 and 18 months for those over. At the same time, the amount of money paid was drastically reduced.
Once these benefits run out, you may become eligible for means-tested SSI type benefits along with the attached social stigma (lazy, uneducated, not pulling your weight in society). German style means-testing is a serious business and until recently included the odd 10 euro cash gift to the grand kids by opi or omi.
Contract hires were made easy, laying off workers was simplified, and some fairly timid reforms to promote self-employment were instituted. Payroll taxes for employers were reduced, and 401 k type individual pension schemes came into being.
Around the time of these reforms, a German living in Florida became famous as a "tropical moocher", on perpetual vacation in the sun financed by the German government, as the poster boy of the campaigners against Germany's social safety net. The reform abolished payment of SSI benefits to Germans who live outside the country.
While most Germans at the time agreed that some measure of reform was desirable, the results are mixed and are said to have contributed to the growth of a low wage sector which, opponents claim, furthers marginalization. The jobs pay a maximum of 450 euros a month and are exempt from payroll tax, making them an instrument of choice in a number of low wage sectors.
The benefits, known as Hartz IV after the VW manager (and subsequent convicted felon) who proposed them, are being re-calculated every five years and are currently around 400 euros a month. Insecurity in the lower middle class is said to have increased, and German populist tabloid Bild Zeitung continues to take pot shots at people on their version of SSI.
Inequality has increased here, too, and conservative chancellor Merkel was just reminded that the "haves" are fragile when it comes to high incomes. She mentioned in public that it might be a good idea to look into management compensation and found herself heavily criticized by the pillars of conservatism.
To us, this looks a lot like a modern day version of Nietzsche's "what does not kill me makes me stronger".
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Eyes too big
Or penis too small? How Neaderthals went extinct.
A prominent study claims that the eyes of Neanderthals were too big for their own good, taking up too much processing space in their brains, hence causing a disadvantage, hence paving the way for extinction.
We quote from the BBC "By contrast, the larger frontal brain regions of Homo sapiens led to the fashioning of warmer clothes and the development of larger social networks."
The resident forensic anthropologist at the K-landnews has a very different take on the story.
Remember when they said the Neanderthal went extinct because they had no language? Wrong...
Then came the claim they were not too bright because they had no art. Wrong...
Now, it's the size of the eyes.
There are sapiens with eyes as big as the Neanderthals!
We claim the Neaderthal went extinct because the males had penises that were too small!
In the Northern cold climates, additional shrinkage contributed to the demise of the species.
A prominent study claims that the eyes of Neanderthals were too big for their own good, taking up too much processing space in their brains, hence causing a disadvantage, hence paving the way for extinction.
We quote from the BBC "By contrast, the larger frontal brain regions of Homo sapiens led to the fashioning of warmer clothes and the development of larger social networks."
The resident forensic anthropologist at the K-landnews has a very different take on the story.
Remember when they said the Neanderthal went extinct because they had no language? Wrong...
Then came the claim they were not too bright because they had no art. Wrong...
Now, it's the size of the eyes.
There are sapiens with eyes as big as the Neanderthals!
We claim the Neaderthal went extinct because the males had penises that were too small!
In the Northern cold climates, additional shrinkage contributed to the demise of the species.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Me banker, no speak English
Or we not smart.
This is a highly condensed version of the verdict against our friends of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt.
At stake was a lot of money and, priceless, the bank's reputation.
German media empire Kirch went bankrupt a few years ago, and the heirs filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank asking for damages because, they claimed, Deutsche Bank caused the bankruptcy. In December 2012, a court sided with the plaintiffs and found the bank partially liable.
The verdict was made then but the publication of the full statement followed only now.
The judges basically call the top brass of the bank liars (German article in Handelsblatt).
The court calls the bankers' interpretation of an English transcript "highly idiosyncratic", either indicating a lack of adequate knowledge of English or clearly fabricated arguments.
All is not lost for Deutsche Bank, though. They have a few more scandals to work on and are being heavily criticized for continued involvement in "investments into food", or - in the words of their opponents - speculating with food.
So, their inadequate English skills should be forgotten soon.
This is a highly condensed version of the verdict against our friends of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt.
At stake was a lot of money and, priceless, the bank's reputation.
German media empire Kirch went bankrupt a few years ago, and the heirs filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank asking for damages because, they claimed, Deutsche Bank caused the bankruptcy. In December 2012, a court sided with the plaintiffs and found the bank partially liable.
The verdict was made then but the publication of the full statement followed only now.
The judges basically call the top brass of the bank liars (German article in Handelsblatt).
The court calls the bankers' interpretation of an English transcript "highly idiosyncratic", either indicating a lack of adequate knowledge of English or clearly fabricated arguments.
All is not lost for Deutsche Bank, though. They have a few more scandals to work on and are being heavily criticized for continued involvement in "investments into food", or - in the words of their opponents - speculating with food.
So, their inadequate English skills should be forgotten soon.
The Office
Politically incorrect, funny, awful office quips and monikers for German white collar workers not only exist, there even is a new book full of them. Graciously reviewed by many, the folks of Spiegel online published it as a desk reference of sorts.
We mention this compendium of office humor and insults as part of our "people are people" collection of blog posts.
If you have the sudden urge to label your boss a tyrannosaurus rex, you can take comfort in the fact that some German office workers suffer under the same kind of animal.
Conversely, the success of the TV show "The Office" in several European adaptations should convince you that the question "who moved my cheese", or "who moved my tofu", is asked across offices worldwide.
We took to the web and looked for other collections of jargon or slang beyond office chatter and found a whole slew of sites with military slang which provided an important social insight: the more males you put together in one place, the nastier the language. No single term or word is safe from the male human. The German military had, for example, the gross slang term "Cafe Eichmann" for the gym when a periodic test of gas masks was held there, and a lot more benign, recent radio operators were sometimes nicknamed "teletubbies".
We mention this compendium of office humor and insults as part of our "people are people" collection of blog posts.
If you have the sudden urge to label your boss a tyrannosaurus rex, you can take comfort in the fact that some German office workers suffer under the same kind of animal.
Conversely, the success of the TV show "The Office" in several European adaptations should convince you that the question "who moved my cheese", or "who moved my tofu", is asked across offices worldwide.
We took to the web and looked for other collections of jargon or slang beyond office chatter and found a whole slew of sites with military slang which provided an important social insight: the more males you put together in one place, the nastier the language. No single term or word is safe from the male human. The German military had, for example, the gross slang term "Cafe Eichmann" for the gym when a periodic test of gas masks was held there, and a lot more benign, recent radio operators were sometimes nicknamed "teletubbies".
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Most Romans ate "animal feed"
Hailed as a new discovery in German online edition of Der Spiegel, we learn something not so new about the diet of the great empire.
This was a weird short article about Roman eating habits. It was not all grapes, peaches, wheat and succulent lamb. According to the author, most Romans ate lots of "animal feed", especially millet.
Millet as animal feed appears to us possibly slightly off, but that is not the point.
It should be pretty obvious to researchers that the modern distinction between what people ate and what they fed to many animals is misleading, and it should not be a surprise to anybody that a few staple crops have sustained the poor everywhere.
We could use the exact same argument to describe the modern American diet: many Americans eat animal feed. And we are not talking about corn or soy but about potatoes!
That Russet potato you see in TV commercials, guess what - Germans call that one pig food.
Unless someone makes a meat pie where all the meat comes from mice or rats, don't say they a munching on animal food.
This was a weird short article about Roman eating habits. It was not all grapes, peaches, wheat and succulent lamb. According to the author, most Romans ate lots of "animal feed", especially millet.
Millet as animal feed appears to us possibly slightly off, but that is not the point.
It should be pretty obvious to researchers that the modern distinction between what people ate and what they fed to many animals is misleading, and it should not be a surprise to anybody that a few staple crops have sustained the poor everywhere.
We could use the exact same argument to describe the modern American diet: many Americans eat animal feed. And we are not talking about corn or soy but about potatoes!
That Russet potato you see in TV commercials, guess what - Germans call that one pig food.
Unless someone makes a meat pie where all the meat comes from mice or rats, don't say they a munching on animal food.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Nobody For President
The Italian version?
The American Nobody For President Campaign is still present on the Internet, not one just one but two sites. We stumbled on them as part of search to find something catchy for a post about the recent general election in Italy.
Disgraced former prime minister Berlusconi and former comedian Grillo came in second and third in these elections and were promptly called 'clowns' by the German social democrat candidate in this country's upcoming elections.
While the German public largely agreed with the surprisingly candid statement, two negative repercussions followed swiftly.
A dinner with the current Italian head of state was cancelled, and the federation of professional clowns condemned the comparison.
How dare you compare upstanding, hard working clowns to these two? the clowns complained.
The K-landnews team has a soft spot for the Italians, we'd rather be sitting in a sidewalk cafe on a sunny Sunday morning, sipping a great little espresso, watching couples and families mill around.
The American Nobody For President Campaign is still present on the Internet, not one just one but two sites. We stumbled on them as part of search to find something catchy for a post about the recent general election in Italy.
Disgraced former prime minister Berlusconi and former comedian Grillo came in second and third in these elections and were promptly called 'clowns' by the German social democrat candidate in this country's upcoming elections.
While the German public largely agreed with the surprisingly candid statement, two negative repercussions followed swiftly.
A dinner with the current Italian head of state was cancelled, and the federation of professional clowns condemned the comparison.
How dare you compare upstanding, hard working clowns to these two? the clowns complained.
The K-landnews team has a soft spot for the Italians, we'd rather be sitting in a sidewalk cafe on a sunny Sunday morning, sipping a great little espresso, watching couples and families mill around.
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