EU Vote

[GUT]

When I was a kid the old bloke next door had a cow, he gave me some fresh milk,me arm really creamy, in fact I think I got pretty much all cream, from then on I didn't want Andy (the milko) milk, I wanted Charlie (fellow next door milk).

[Robert]

Yes Jeff the Euro currency was, and still is, driven by political considerations i.e. European unification. And the part about taking the USA as a model is in line with the reason behind the European project itself - to rival the USA. Such thinking is OK in sports, e.g.golf, where the American strength in depth meant that the only way to keep the Ryder Cup interesting was to have Europe versus the US instead of Britain versus the US. But as for the politics - well, the EU reminds me of a playground gang.

[Mayerling]

Back on track to the issues of this thread, there was an interesting story in the New York Times today in the second (or business section) on page three regarding a new book "The Euro: How a Common Currency Threatens the Future of Europe" by an economist named Joseph E. Stiglitz. Stiglitz is basically telling in the book that there was little imput by economists when the Euro was created 17 years back, and most of the structuring was based on the views of politicians. They were considering that the main purposes of the unification of Europe's economies was to keep deficits per country down relative to their G.D.P. But this policy was really being pushed by the strongest economies, and actually had really bad effects on the weaker ones (read Greece and Spain - both actually doing somewhat better before adopting the Euro). In fact, internal legislation within member states was forced to favor other nations' advantages. Greece had to scrap a rule that fresh milk is no more than four days old. If older it had to be labelled as such. What was the real reason for this? German and Dutch dairy industries wished to ship their factory farmed milk across Europe to sell elsewhere, including Greece. In doing this they hurt the Greek dairy industry.

There is also evidence that (in the wake of Brexit) they plan to do some sort of punishment on Britain, so that they set a warning example for other members of the Union not to leave [Like Voltaire's famous description of the execution of Admiral Byng in 1757 - "To encourage the other admirals".]

Supposedly when the Euro was created, the model used was the relative growth and wealth of the U.S. with it's single currency. However this failed to notice that the U.S. grew (even with it's Civil War) in a single body of states together - unlike Europe which lacked political integration. Actually this strikes me as a strange thing to miss.

Well it is some food for thought. Any critiques?

Jeff

[Mayerling]

Caz
now you've really hurt Sarah Cluck Clucks feelings! Shes the hen who produced the egg Robert didn't want to eat!

speaking of food stuffs and kids-being the youngest of nine kids, I was told all kinds of crazy things about food. One I distinctly remember was my older brother telling me that if a I swallowed a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow in my stomach. I lived in eternal fear of it for years!

I heard that bit about the watermelon seeds too when I was a kid. Scary stuff they told us.

All this stuff about Sarah Cluck Clucks reminded me of one of Gary Larson's old "The Far Side" cartoons. A farmer is headed back to the house from the chicken coop with a basket full of eggs, when he notices his infant baby is being carried by a hen back to the coop from his house!

I miss Larson. Loved his cartoons.

Jeff

[Karl]

When I was a boy and I wouldn't eat my boiled egg, my mother told me that "Sarah Cluck-Cluck" would be so sad if I wouldn't eat one of her eggs. So I ate the egg to spare Sarah's feelings.

Kind of like the episode of Fraggle Rock when they discovered that if they didn't eat the doozers' constructions, the doozers would soon find themselves without work and out of a job. So the fraggles were actually doing them a favour by eating their buildings.

[Robert]

And not just one watermelon, for the watermelon would produce seeds which in turn would produce more watermelons.....

[Abby Normal]

Sarah Cluck-Cluck being the woman next door, I presume. You must have had the tiniest egg cup in the world, Robert.

Good weekend all.

Love,

Caz
X

Caz
now you've really hurt Sarah Cluck Clucks feelings! Shes the hen who produced the egg Robert didn't want to eat!

speaking of food stuffs and kids-being the youngest of nine kids, I was told all kinds of crazy things about food. One I distinctly remember was my older brother telling me that if a I swallowed a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow in my stomach. I lived in eternal fear of it for years!

[caz]

Sarah Cluck-Cluck being the woman next door, I presume. You must have had the tiniest egg cup in the world, Robert.

Good weekend all.

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

When I was a boy and I wouldn't eat my boiled egg, my mother told me that "Sarah Cluck-Cluck" would be so sad if I wouldn't eat one of her eggs. So I ate the egg to spare Sarah's feelings.

[caz]

How about

"Pork, Bacon, Ham, all off one animal, a mystical magical animal".

Hi GUT,

When my daughter was small, she fondly imagined that sausages were somehow harvested from pigs without killing them, like wool from sheep, or milk from cows I suppose. When she tried roast duck for the first time, I asked if she was fine with eating the "quack quack" and she replied "Oh yes, it's already dead".

She now eats anything and everything.

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

I would vote to keep the foot, but the athlete can go.

[Robert]

Thank heavens for that, Caz!

[caz]

The people would jump at a referendum 'on athlete's foot'?

Are you another one who thinks 'the people' are stupid and you alone and associated left-wingers hold the solution?

I thought it was obvious I was just pulling your leg, FM. But then if athlete's foot could be abolished, wouldn't we all be at the front of the queue to vote not to keep it? I can't recall ever suffering from it myself, so my vote would be to keep the nation's feet healthy.

Love,

Caz
X

[caz]

It's like a turkey giving everyone a vote for Christmas in March, so it can secure its place at the head of the table, then trying desperately to turn everyone veggie by November when it realises its mistake

Don't forget to put the sprouts on, Caz.

They're boiling away nicely, Robert. Should be done by Dec 25th.

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

http://www.pope2016.com/en/news/news,469765,pope-francis-wyd-bodyguards-to-vatican-for-reconnaissance.html

I don't know why these people are bothering, since I don't suppose the Pope will want a bodyguard. I'm confident that His Holiness will request no protection at all, since he will doubtless be anxious to set an example in 'overcoming fear.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3711530/Pope-Francis-slams-Polish-government-demands-admit-refugees-fleeing-horrors-war.html