My Trendspotting: September 2012

Sonntag, 30. September 2012

Firebombs, Teargas, Riots Near Greek Parliament; 57% Say Greece Should Abandon Pledges Made to Troika

Once again things are out of control in Greece. A general strike is underway, and schools, hospitals, and transit are affected. Firebombs and teargas have hit Athens as Greek citizens protest the latest round of austerity measures.

Please consider Greek Strike Sees Violence as Police Use Tear Gas by Parliament

Police fired tear gas near the Greek Parliament after protesters threw fire-bombs as thousands of people joined a strike opposing wage cuts and austerity that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said are vital to keep the euro.

Demonstrators streamed into the central Syntagma Square in Athens, opposite the Parliament House, shouting slogans such as ?struggle, clash, overturn: history gets written by those who disobey.? Police spokesman Takis Papapetropoulos estimated the crowd at 35,000 people.

Schools, hospitals, ferries and government services shut down in the first walkout since February. Shops will close from 3 p.m. today to let staff take part in demonstrations. Public transport is operating from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to allow protesters to attend rallies in Athens city center. A three-hour walkout by air traffic controllers will disrupt flights around the country.

Athens, the capital, has been wracked with demonstrations by groups ranging from police officers to parents of three or more children in the past week as Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras remained locked in talks with officials from the European Union, the IMF and the European Central Bank.

Hooded youths throwing fire-bombs at police were met with tear gas today, forcing some of the marchers to scatter. Teams of riot police guarded the Finance Ministry and surrounding streets.

The IMF has indicated that any additional financing for Greece will have to come from Europe, where officials have told Samaras no discussion can be held on debt relief or on extending the time to implement measures until he honors pledges made for the country?s second rescue package.

Polls show continued dissatisfaction with economic policies. More than 57 percent said the country shouldn?t keep to pledges made in exchange for the bailout as the policies have failed, compared with 40 percent who said it should stick to its commitments, according to a Metron Analysis poll for Ependytis newspaper.

Sentiment Has Turned

Sentiment in Greece has turned, and likely turned for good. 57% of Greeks have had enough of austerity to the point they would rather default.

Turn back the hands of time a bit and think how this might have played out if Greece simply left the euro and defaulted three years ago as it should have. Tourism would likely have increased and if Greece had implemented true structural reforms rather than tax hikes, its economy would be stable or recovering now.

Instead, the country is in ruins, tourism is down, and in an on-again-off-again fashion, absolute chaos breaks out.

Another round of austerity and tax hikes can only make things worse at this point, and the people know it. This will pressure political parties to not go along with Samaras.

If another round of elections were held today, there is no way Samaras would win. Instead, the radical left, and radical right (both of which want to exit the euro), would be fighting over the pieces.

The nannycrats in Brussels and Chancellor Merkel are to blame for this sad state of affairs.

Finally, please note that the big fear of the nannycrats and Merkel is not that Greece leaves the euro per se, but rather Greece leaves the euro and the Greek economy starts to recover.

Well, here's the deal and it is something I said years ago: the sooner Greece abandons the euro, tells the Troika to go to hell, and defaults, the better off it will be.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

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What If I Am Wrong About Europe?

I have long stated the eurozone will breakup. Historically speaking, no currency union has ever survived in the absence of a political union.

Moreover, in It's Just Impossible I noted

The Bundesbank said there should be no banking union until there is a fiscal union.
Angela Merkel said that there should be no fiscal union until there is political union.
Fran�ois Hollande said that there should be no political union until there is a banking union.
The German supreme court will not allow a political union nor a fiscal union, nor a banking union without a German referendum.

Mathematically Speaking

Mathematically speaking, I also fail to see how the eurozone can stay intact.

Specifically, please consider point number nine of Michael Pettis: Long-Term Outlook for China, Europe, and the World; 12 Global Predictions

9. Disruptive European Politics

European politics will become much more difficult and disruptive. The historical precedents are clear. During a debt crisis the political system becomes fragmented and contentious. If the major parties don?t become radicalized, smaller radical parties will take away their votes.

Remember that the process of adjustment is a political one. We all know someone has to pay for the massive adjustment countries like Spain must make. The only interesting question is about who will be forced to take the brunt of the payment ? workers in the form of unemployment, the middle classes in the form of confiscated savings, small businesses in the form of taxes, large businesses in the form of taxes and nationalization, foreigners, or creditors.

Deciding who pays is a political process, and because the stakes are so high it will be a very bitter process. This means, among other things, that politics will degenerate quickly, and of course if Europe doesn?t arrive at fiscal union in the next year or two, it probably never will. This conclusion is also the reason for my next prediction.

That prediction was made by Michael Pettis, and I am in complete agreement.

But what if I am wrong?

Can Politics Triumph Over Math and History?

What if the eurozone in spite of all obstacles stays intact? Daniel Hannan is a writer and journalist, and Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999 offers an interesting viewpoint for The Telegraph in Spain teeters on the brink

All of a sudden, the talk is of the breakdown, not just of the single currency, but of the parliamentary system on which it rests. Commentators across Europe fret that Spain, which emerged from dictatorship less than 40 years ago, might give up on multi-party politics.

Every round of economic figures is worse than the last. The deficit is massively larger than forecast. A bailout of unprecedented size is becoming inevitable, even as the prime minister gives his countrymen a ?one hundred per cent assurance? that he won?t apply for one. (He said much the same thing a few days before applying for the last one.)

Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting, some violently. ....

The real tragedy of the euro is not that it will come crashing down upon the financial system, as Smaug upon Esgaroth, splintering it to sparks and gledes. The tragedy, rather, is that the monetary union will limp on, condemning hundreds of millions to gradual immiseration.

I am still trying, as gently as I can, to suggest that there is an alternative to the euro-imposed bailout racket. I did so again in our most recent parliamentary session, as you can hear in the clip above.

The trouble is that, while Spaniards recognise the folly of imposing cuts while at the same time bailing out banks, they shy away from the logical conclusion: that leaving the euro is now the least bad option.

The real threat to Spanish democracy is not internal but external; not a pronunciamiento but a Brussels-imposed civilian junta, as happened in Italy. Mario Monti, the EU?s proconsul in Rome, indicated yesterday that he ?might seek a second term?. Oddly, I don?t remember him seeking the first.

Sad Reality

The sad reality is Spain and Italy may linger on just as Greece did, destroying their countries in the process.

Consider once again what I said on September 26, in Firebombs, Teargas, Riots Near Greek Parliament; 57% Say Greece Should Abandon Pledges Made to Troika

Sentiment Has Turned

Sentiment in Greece has turned, and likely turned for good. 57% of Greeks have had enough of austerity to the point they would rather default.

Turn back the hands of time a bit and think how this might have played out if Greece simply left the euro and defaulted three years ago as it should have. Tourism would likely have increased and if Greece had implemented true structural reforms rather than tax hikes, its economy would be stable or recovering now.

Instead, the country is in ruins, tourism is down, and in an on-again-off-again fashion, absolute chaos breaks out.

Another round of austerity and tax hikes can only make things worse at this point, and the people know it. This will pressure political parties to not go along with Samaras.

If another round of elections were held today, there is no way Samaras would win. Instead, the radical left, and radical right (both of which want to exit the euro), would be fighting over the pieces.

The nannycrats in Brussels and Chancellor Merkel are to blame for this sad state of affairs.

Finally, please note that the big fear of the nannycrats and Merkel is not that Greece leaves the euro per se, but rather Greece leaves the euro and the Greek economy starts to recover.

Well, here's the deal and it is something I said years ago: the sooner Greece abandons the euro, tells the Troika to go to hell, and defaults, the better off it will be

Same Track, Wrong Track

Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Italy are all on the same track and the wrong track. All need work rule reform and lower taxes. Instead, the countries have been short on productivity improvement, short on pension reform, short on work rule reform, and long on tax hikes.

It is no wonder their economies are imploding. It is no wonder protests are getting louder. Yet the political class, beholden to the banks and the IMF have taken the wrong track.

In the end, I highly doubt I will be wrong.

In the meantime, however, Telegraph writer Daniel Hannan appears to be correct in his assessment the "the tragedy is that the monetary union will limp on, condemning hundreds of millions to gradual immiseration."

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

"Wine Country" Economic Conference Hosted By Mish
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At Some Point the Hat Runs out of Rabbits; First Catalonia, Now Basque Separatists Call for Independent Country; El Pais Survey Shows 43% Catalans For Independence, 41% Opposed

Calls for the splintering of Spain have picked up steam. Euskal Herria Bildu (EHB, a left-wing, Basque nationalist party) has called for "A Great National Act" in Favor of Independence according to El Pais.

EH Bildu has called "a great national political act" in favor of the independence of the Basque Country for the next October 13 in the BEC Barakaldo (Bizkaia), announced its candidate for lehendakari, Laura Mintegi in an appearance before the media at EA headquarters in Bilbao.

Mintegi explained that the purpose of the meeting is to claim a free Basque state in Europe. The nationalist left has led in recent times to BEC, in a space with a capacity for 15,000 people, some of his most important acts to demonstrate their ability to mobilize. force.

The sovereignist coalition vindicate independence there to say "clearly and directly" to those "who do not want to hear, who kidnap our rights in the name of the Constitution imposed on us" you want "a free state in Europe."

Mintegi has defended "the pressing need to build a framework sovereign" in the Basque country that allows this community to have the tools to address their own economic, social and employment. "Only from the sovereignty we orient our policies towards true social justice," said the candidate.

In his view, "it is truly reckless remain at the expense of a corrupt system like Spanish, you're sacrificing the rights and freedoms of all the people to ensure the interests of a political and economic elite." With the "corrupt system" called on "break ties".

El Pais Survey Shows 43% Catalans For Independence, 41% Opposed

According to El Economists, Catalan Separatists Not Quite at Absolute Majority.

About the option of independence for Catalonia, El Pa�s published a survey in which, in case of a referendum, 43% would vote for secession, compared with 41% who would decide against.

The complete data interpretation contrasted with other numbers registered in June, when only 21% of respondents said anti-secession and another 21% abstained. The current difference can be understood as a translation of abstention towards not to Catalan independence, which in June this survey enjoyed the favor of 51%.

Various surveys seem to be fluctuating wildly so I am not sure any of the are accurate at the moment. That said, it is clear anger over austerity measures is picking up steam. Protests in numerous countries is proof enough.

At Some Point the Hat Runs out of Rabbits

I am sticking to my long held belief that "Eventually will come a time when a politician will hold up a copy of the EMU treaty, declare it null and void, and the debt null and void right along with it. That politician will be elected."

Yields have come down since my July 24, appearance on Capital Account: Discussion of Social Media Panic in Italy, Soaring Yields in Spain, and the Upcoming 20th Euro Summit, Bound to be Another Failure so it appears there was another rabbit left at the time.

However, the government of Portugal recently had to back off announced austerity measures following a mass protest, and additional protests elsewhere have become more frequent and more violent.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis/~3/z2_v3g3tXf4/at-some-point-hat-runs-out-of-rabbits.html

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255 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Across The Sea Initial Reaction

Weekly Lost Podcast Across The Sea Initial Reaction Be sure to RSVP for the LOST Series Finale Party! Click Here To Download In this episode, Stephanie and I share our initial reaction to Season 6 Episode 15, “Across The Sea.” Don’t forget to give us a call on our listener line. It’s open and ready [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/UiEA2wb8GV0/

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Moog: Another Crop of Musical Doodle Videos

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube-trends/~3/wA1A9XQDMYI/moog-another-crop-of-musical-doodle.html

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All in a row

In the mysterious shell grotto - ooooooh!
Margate - Kent

Source: http://microcosmic.blogspot.com/2007/08/all-in-row.html

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Since I Quit My Day Job...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HowToMakeArt/~3/G50TDvImqxY/since-i-quit-my-day-job.html

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Toronto New Home Sales Plunge 64 Percent; Lowest August on Record

New home sales in Toronto plunged 64% in the wake of government's changes to insured mortgages (30yr to 25yr) and home equity line of credit restrictions (80% max to 65% max) which took effect in July.

Lowest August on Record

Reader Corey emailed the above comments and a news link from the Canada BILD Association: New Home Sales Slip in August.

According to RealNet Canada Inc., BILD's official source of new home market intelligence, the 1,242 homes sold in August 2012 add up to the lowest monthly sales since 2009 and the lowest August on record. Year-to-date sales have remained on par with 2010 but below its record-breaking 2011 predecessor.

"The federal government has been working on reducing household debt levels and recently adjusted mortgage lending rules. August was the first full month with the new rules in place and it appears these regulations have affected consumer confidence, resulting in significantly reduced sales of new homes," explained BILD President and CEO Bryan Tuckey. "BILD will be carefully monitoring new home sales during the next three months to see if this decline becomes a trend."

August '12	Low Rise			High Rise			Total
Region	2010	2011	2012	2010	2011	2012	2010	2011	2012
Durham	182	206	119	7	7	12	189	213	131
Halton	241	610	75	24	283	15	265	893	90
Peel	202	281	267	89	63	66	291	344	333
Toronto	18	47	22	751	1,027	469	769	1,074	491
York	356	385	114	108	587	83	464	972	197
GTA	999	1,529	597	979	1,967	645	1,978	3,496	1,242
GTA % Chg			-60.95%			-67.21%			-64.47
Jan-Aug	11,212	12,357	10,710	12,347	18,055	13,591	23,559	30,412	24,301

"Slip" hardly seems the operative word. Crash is more like it.

Also consider Bernanke Declares War on Canadian Economy (Rest of the World Too)

Addendum:

I said Canada previously but those sales are specifically the Toronto region.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis/~3/sbRwgXSRWoc/canada-new-home-sales-plunge-64-percent.html

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My Best Drawing Advice + My Own Drawing Habits

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HowToMakeArt/~3/JHTJnBD7mNg/my-best-drawing-advice-my-own-drawing.html

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Embellishing the Runway (with beads !)

Project Runway season 9 is in full swing, and this year, I decided (last minute) to join in the fun of designing accessories for each week's winning outfit and posting them in a Flickr group called
Embellishing the Runway. I knew about it last year from my beading friends on Facebook but didn't think I could keep up at the time. This year seems right so I joined a day before the first week deadline. I managed to create a simple bracelet which captures the colors of the winning design by Bert Keeter. I used a basic four bead herringbone stitch which works up quickly and chose some greys and orange (the closest thing I had was more of a pumpkin color). The winning design for this week seems to have stirred up alot of controversy and I'm late starting so it looks like some midnight beading sessions are in order this week ! More pictures posted in the coming weeks (fingers/beading needles crossed !)

Source: http://ambrosianbeads.blogspot.com/2011/08/embellishing-runway-with-beads.html

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231 Weekly Lost Podcast ? What Kate Does Review

Weekly Lost Podcast What Kate Does Review Click Here To Download In this episode, Stephanie and I the weekend review of “What Kate Does.” Complete show notes for this episode can be found at http://gspn.tv/lost231. Don’t forget to give us a call on our listener line. It’s open and ready for your call 24hrs a [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/swinS857Vbo/

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'Call Me Maybe' is Your College Roadtrip Theme Song

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube-trends/~3/8n4BFVO8tDA/call-me-maybe-is-your-college-roadtrip.html

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249 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Interview ? Francois Chau aka Dr Pierre Chang

Weekly Lost Podcast Interview with François Chau aka Dr Pierre Chang Be sure to RSVP for the LOST Series Finale Party! Click Here To Download Stephanie and I had the awesome privilege of interviewing François Chau who plays Dr. Pierre Chang on abc’s LOST. Special thank you to each of you who submitted questions for [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/upBscyV3qwo/

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224 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Flashbacks Part 06

Weekly Lost Podcast Flashbacks Part 06 Click Here To Download In this episode, Cliff and Stephanie go back into the archives and share commentary regarding things that were said back in Episode 009 of the Weekly Lost Podcast that covered “The Long Con.” Don’t forget to give us a call on our listener line. It’s [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/tqfZrrHEo7k/

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246 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Happily Ever After Initial Reaction

Weekly Lost Podcast Happily Ever After Be sure to RSVP for the LOST Series Finale Party! Click Here To Download In this episode, Stephanie and I give our initial reaction to Season 6 Episode 11, “Happily Ever After” Don’t forget to give us a call on our listener line. It’s open and ready for your [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/KDuuF16DpJ8/

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241 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Recon Weekend Review

Weekly Lost Podcast Recon Weekend Review Be sure to RSVP for the LOST Series Finale Party! Click Here To Download In this episode, Stephanie and I give our Weekend Review to Season 6 Episode 8, “Recon.” Don’t forget to give us a call on our listener line. It’s open and ready for your call 24hrs [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/XV86Bnsc3TY/

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Regarding Vogart

Ditto to Doe-c-doe's post here. If you're a Hoop Love member you can read the discussion in the group. I'm so sad. Hopefully things will become clearer soon.

Source: http://stitchybritches.blogspot.com/2008/08/regarding-vogart.html

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Saturday Quotable

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On the Scene Footage: March Midwest Tornadoes

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube-trends/~3/HtvVwQnKi08/on-scene-footage-march-midwest.html

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261 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Finale Review Part 2

Weekly Lost Podcast Finale Review Part 2 Click Here To Download This is part 2 of 2 of our community review of the finale of LOST. While this is our review of “The End” of Lost, this is not the end of the Lost Podcast of gspn.tv. We want to encourage you to remain subscribed [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/hgk-G6TsWO8/

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Drawing | ?Trace? allows you to trace over pictures using digital tracing paper

trace app for architects by morpholio project "the second app launched by the morpholio project, ‘trace’ will enable architects and designers to sketch on digital trace paper on an iPad. users can draw upon imported images or backgrounds as well as adding comments or ideas which may be emailed to colleagues, increasing global design communication. [...]

Source: http://www.richardbanks.com/trends/2012/09/28/drawing-trace-allows-you-to-trace-over-pictures-using-digital-tracing-paper/

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Samstag, 29. September 2012

Turquoise Agate Pendant Necklace

Turquoise Agate Pendant Necklace, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

Here's a little pendant that needed a chain. I used Wildfire thread and had SOOO much trouble getting the last few stitches through the beads the more than once. Arrgh !

Source: http://ambrosianbeads.blogspot.com/2011/10/turquoise-agate-pendant-necklace.html

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Former Pirates pitcher delivers smiles

Kent Tekulve, a retired member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, delivers smiles Sunday to a Rostraver Township woman. (Unity a Journey of Hope photo)

ROSTRAVER, Pa. - Props to the Washington Wild Things Frontier League baseball team for helping a Fayette County nonprofit fulfill a terminally ill woman's dream of meeting a member of Pittsburgh Pirates who played in the 1970s.

The Washington, Pa., ball club knew Kent Tekulve because he previously worked there as director of baseball operations after retiring from Major League Baseball and sent the request in an email to him after hearing about the wish from Unity a Journey of Hope in Vanderbilt, Pa.

Tekulve, who is famous for showing off his 1979 World Series ring, did more than that for 93-year-old Grace, who suffers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, when he visited her Sunday at her Rostraver Township home. He let her wear the ring after learning she never missed watching him play a game on television.

Volunteers with Unity and Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice Services provided food for a family reunion for Grace, timed for the visit from the former right-handed relief pitcher.

Tekulve even found time to appear with one of the volunteers in this silly video:

Source: http://scottbeveridge.blogspot.com/2012/08/former-pirates-pitcher-delivers-smiles.html

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11 Questions

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Reader from Netherlands Says Last Election Not as Pro-Euro as Media Portrays; 81 in 150 Against More Bailouts

European nannycrats breathed a sigh of relief following the re-election of Dutch Liberal Prime Minister Mark Rutte on September 12.

The results ?will likely inject a little more confidence into parts of the European political elite? as they step up efforts to contain the debt crisis, David Mackie, chief European economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in London, wrote today. ?The risks of the Netherlands changing policy direction in a fundamental way appear to have receded, doubtless to private sighs of relief in Berlin and elsewhere.?

Really?

Reader Bert who lives in the Netherlands analyzed the actual stated positions of every member of the Dutch parliament and came up with this analysis. Bert writes ...

Hello Mish

As you can see in the table below, according to statements made by political party leaders in the past few weeks, 81 of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament will vote against any future bailout of Greece. The same thing is likely should the ESM need additional funds for other countries.

Here is my interpretation.

VVD ( classical liberal / conservative)
Party leader and current prime minister made several time's a clear statement: "note a dime to Greece anymore" and got support from Wolfgang Sch�ubele (German finance minister) for that statement.

PVV (freedom party)
Is totally against the Euro and even the EU in its current form

SP (socialistic / maoistic party)
Totally against Euro bail-outs and the Brussels dictates)

CrU (centre/left with a Christian inspiration)
Tried in the parliament to keep the Netherlands out of the ESM

SGP (a strong biblical inspired party)
Totally against "shared responsibilities" in the socialistic way

PvdD (party for the well-being of animals especially critical to the mass bio-industry) Very Europe critical, a statement from them: "Europe is in its present form not democratic"

There was a huge move from voters from the very EU skeptical PVV to the VVD (a pro Europe party), but this was simply because the PVV blew up the last centre/right government. Voters did not liked that, and it had nothing to do with being pro-Europe.

Close analysis of the true positions of the elected parliament tells the real story: the Netherlands are becoming more and more euro-skeptical and EU critical, not the opposite. Thus, media interpretation that the Netherlands voted for pro-euro is totally wrong.

All the best

Bert

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis/~3/cIqeJqpCmnc/reader-from-netherlands-says-last.html

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Can the Fed Fight Droids and Win? Apple's SIRI, Driverless Trucks, What's Next? Riveting Video: Are Droids Taking Our Jobs?

Today, a single farmer can produce as much goods as 100 farmers a half-century or less ago. That freed up labor for manufacturing and the service economy.

However, droids are now replacing humans in both manufacturing and services.

When does it stop?

Every time I go into a grocery store, I see more self-service checkout lanes and fewer manned ones. When RFID checkout comes into vogue, and it will quickly, an entire grocery basket will be scanned at once, and even fewer checkout clerks will be needed.

For a discussion of RFID, please see JCPenney to Eliminate All Checkout Clerks, Instead Using RFID Chips and Self-Checkout.

With each technological advance more and more goods and services are produced by fewer and fewer people. In isolation, that drives down costs, and in the process, standards-of-living have soared.

Because of ever-increasing productivity, it's easy to show that deflation is the natural state of affairs.

But what does that mean looking ahead? Will there be any jobs left? If so where? And what happens to the Fed's effort to prevent falling prices?

Riveting Video: Droids Taking Our Jobs

Let's start off with an entertaining, yet scary video by Andrew McAfee who asks Are droids taking our jobs?

Working Age Population vs. Projected Jobs

Notice the widening gap. Moreover McAfee states "If these predictions are accurate, that gap is not going to close. The problem is I do not think these predictions are accurate. In particular, I think my projection is way too optimistic. ... Because when I look around I think we ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to technology."

Video Discussion Points

Free Language Translation
Apple's SIRI
An article on Forbes about Apple, written by an algorithm (It's not decent it's perfect says McAfee). I tracked down the article: Forbes Earnings Preview: Apple, written by "Narrative Science".
Jeopardy: IBM Watson computer vs. Human who won 74 times in a row
If SIRI functionality increase according to Moore's Law (which it will) it will be sixteen times better than today, six years from now
Google Autonomous Car

Google Autonomous Toyota Prius Car

Managing the Transition to a Workerless Society

"There are 3 and a half million truck drivers and they will be impacted by this technology. .... We are going to transition into an economy that is very productive and just does not need a lot of human workers. Managing that transition is going to be the greatest challenge that our society faces" says McAfee.

In spite of that gloom for 13 minutes, McAfee concludes on a positive note, quoting Freeman Dyson: "Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life, it is perhaps the greatest of God's gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, of arts, and of sciences."

Play the 14 minute video. It is riveting.

Can the Fed Fight Droids and Win?

The Fed wants to increase jobs and wages. It is fighting a battle it cannot possibly win. Forcing down interest rates while hoping to force up labor costs simply increases desire of companies to replace humans with droids.

We would get there anyway, as technology always improves. However, the Fed, by attempting to do the impossible, is actually speeding up the loss of jobs.

Living Wages

Who (besides the Fed and seriously misguided economists) does not like falling prices?

The problem with the "living wage" concept is not that wages are too low, but rather excess money from the Fed has driven up costs of goods and services.

People have been conditioned (by the Fed) to believe they need higher wages. What they really need is lower prices.

Technology, demographics, attitudes, and increasing lifespans, all mandate a need for lower, not higher prices.

If the Fed "succeeds" in further driving up prices, it will destroy the middle class because the technological rampage is sure to increase job losses for skilled labor, at least for the foreseeable future.

The Fed cannot defeat droids. Unfortunately, the Fed does not understand it is exacerbating the problem. Sadly, the Fed does not even understand the nature of the forces it is fighting.

Addendum:

It never fails. Someone misses obvious implications of what I said. One person ranted and raved that increased productivity is a good thing. Of course it is.

I specifically stated "standards-of-living have soared" as a result of technology. And of course that is a good thing.

My problem clearly is not technology and the deflationary effect that has on wages and prices (both good things), my problem is the Fed's attempt to counteract those forces. The result has been an increase in the wealth effect of those with first access to money, namely banks, the already wealthy, and government bureaucrats.

If you are looking for a reason the 1% have done so well lately, simply look at the policies of the Fed coupled with technology that is going to reduce the need for human labor "for the foreseeable future".

I have stated many times there will be another wave of job creation based on new technologies (most likely energy) at some point in the future but I do not know when that may be.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MishsGlobalEconomicTrendAnalysis/~3/BzbDrVimV2E/can-fed-fight-droids-and-win-apples.html

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Cycling | Pioneer bike computer tells you where in your pedal rotation you are weakest

Cycling computer and wireless pedaling monitor mark Pioneer’s bike industry debut "In addition to displaying speed, distance, time, power and cadence, the computer can also show exactly where power is lacking within the monitored pedaling rotation. The crank-based monitor system is designed to work with Shimano DURA-ACE crank sets and is made up of sensors [...]

Source: http://www.richardbanks.com/trends/2012/09/28/cycling-pioneer-bike-computer-tells-you-where-in-your-pedal-rotation-you-are-weakest/

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My "dream" car

A 1970s Plymouth Valiant similar to models I once owned and photographed recently in the Pittsburgh area. (Mike Jones photo)

By Scott Beveridge

A reoccurring dream takes me back to my 20s and the first car I purchased.

It puts me behind the wheel again of a 1975 Plymouth Valiant that has returned to my life three decades after it went to a scrapyard, yet, it's looking as good as nearly new.

In the dream I still have my 2009 Ford Focus sedan, which is nearly as boring of a ride as the one conjured up in stage 5, or rapid eye movement sleep, when a brain is in gear while the body is partially paralyzed.

Yet, I prefer in this fantasy to drive that avocado Valiant sedan to work and play, while looking over my shoulder for the police because its inspection and registration stickers are illegal.

I pass several police officers in cruisers and they don't take notice of my old car. It's engine purrs perfectly so I give up worrying about a traffic violation and travel happily on down the road.

The morning greets me with a smile that soon disappears upon the realization that only my imagination had conjured my "dream car."

In reality the vehicle was anything but a chick magnet. I purchased it for maybe $1,400 in 1979 when I was raking in big tips as the main bartender at Mon Valley Country Club in Monongahela, Pa..

Club member Jim Hamilton owned the nearby Lazzari Motors Inc. car dealership at the Forward Township side of the old Monongahela Bridge, and he promised me a good deal over whatever it was he was drinking. And he soon delivered one in the form of an extremely dependable car about a sexy then as the 2012 Ford Transit Connect is today.

That Valiant needed little more attention than a few drops of oil when its engine started knocking and a change of spark plugs every 50,000 miles.

The car's slant six engine was so reliable and easy to work on that its lasting power likely prompted Plymouth to discontinue making the model in order to sell more cars. So other drivers of that vehicle said at the time.

Everyone who drove that car for long eventually had to have its rusted out rear quater panels repaired.

I drove mine so long that a hole formed in the floorboard around the switch on the driver's side floor that controlled the headlight's high beams. That problem was easily fixed with a one-foot square of sheet metal, drill and handful of pop rivets to piece together the floor and keep rain water on the road from creeping up my pantlegs.

The car was eventually retired in 1982 after its odometer had rolled over some 200,000 miles on its engine. But, the car had proven so dependable that I bought another of the same color and style from a guy who had mostly kept it in his garage.

That car lasted longer on the road, retiring in 1988, but not before I pulled from it a souvenir chrome nameplate from one of its front fenders.

I pulled the logo out the other day after a friend began to pester me about trying to find an old Valiant to purchase and restore, possibly as an excuse to convince him to also buy an old car.

God only knows why he wants one of those ugly 1980 Chevy El Caminos and would even drive to North Carolina to buy one of them. In his defense, those cars are in demand by collectors, according to another friend who collects old cars.

Stange as it seems the vintage Valiants have become collectible, too.

It's rare to see one the road or at an antique car show around here.

And, too my surprise people have been bidding more money today for Valiants on eBay than what I paid for the used ones of my youth.

One souped-up Valiant can be found on YouTube in a drag race with a much-cooler automobile. Another video shows one burning some mean tire rubber to the point where it looks as if its about to catch fire.

Hell someone even once posted on eBay a 1970s chrome Plymouth Valiant logo, different from the one in the photo, below, listing its sale price at $199.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined my old man car one day becoming a hot ride.

A chrome decoration pulled as a souviner from one of my old Plymouth Valiants.

Source: http://scottbeveridge.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-dream-car.html

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'Call Me Maybe' Still on the Rise

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube-trends/~3/NsY8tnYC5uA/call-me-maybe-still-on-rise.html

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Audio | Realistic sound of digital fabrics for computer generated characters

This Fabric Simulator Will Make CG Characters Sound More Realistic Than Ever "Typically this task would be left to foley artists who recreate these sounds in a studio. But professors Doug James and Steve Marschner have developed a new approach that yields more authentic results. They started with actual recordings of the sound cloth makes [...]

Source: http://www.richardbanks.com/trends/2012/09/28/audio-realistic-sound-of-digital-fabrics-for-computer-generated-characters/

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A tour of Carrie Furnaces

Source: http://scottbeveridge.blogspot.com/2012/05/tour-of-carrie-furnaces.html

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On the Scene Footage: March Midwest Tornadoes

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube-trends/~3/HtvVwQnKi08/on-scene-footage-march-midwest.html

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Modern Motifs of Mexican Trend

aka "My best friend went to Mexico and all I got was this tiny sombrero"*

Yes stitchy friends, here's your erstwhile blogger managing a post...although I can't feel guilty because a) so many other great bloggers regularly share stitchy goodness and b) I still don't have a scanner.

Mexico is on my mind - literally:

...As my best friend recently returned from two weeks in Mexico and brought me back a wee present. Hope I'm not scaring you with my pic!

I haven't been to see all her photos yet, and for those of you without your own sombrero (because I know you're jealous) I present "fiesta motifs for colorful touches of Mexican gaiety". You know your breakfast nook wants it.

Apparently:
"Your needle will fly along the simple sitches of these motifs of Mexican flavor. Gay up your kitchen with Mexican-inspired dish towels and pot holders. Put a variety of these designs on curtains and table linen in the breakfast nook to add charm to informal meals. Delight the bride-to-be on your gift list with hand-made guest towels, refreshment napkins, luncheon sets or dresser scarfs reflecting in these designs the happy Fiesta spirit of our South-of-the-Border neighbors."

I'm keen to see if my friend's holiday snaps include women with baskets of fruit on their heads, giant cactii, boys eating bananas, and fighting cocks (actually sounding "gay-er" by the minute...oh dear! Come back readers...please...**) But this pattern assures me that these are common South of the Border capers.

Men wearing rugs will give you flowers:

Doves, cactii and maracas abound:

But the scariest thing in Mexico are the deadly attack parrots!

Watch your fruit girls.

*only kidding Nat, I do love my pressie.
**sorry, really I am.

Source: http://stitchybritches.blogspot.com/2010/04/modern-motifs-of-mexican-trend.html

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Regarding Vogart

Ditto to Doe-c-doe's post here. If you're a Hoop Love member you can read the discussion in the group. I'm so sad. Hopefully things will become clearer soon.

Source: http://stitchybritches.blogspot.com/2008/08/regarding-vogart.html

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215 Weekly Lost Podcast ? The Incident IR

Weekly Lost Podcast The Incident IR Click Here To Download Wondering where episodes 208, 209, 210, 211 and 214 are? We release a few episodes of the Weekly Lost Podcast in the free feed each month. However, our gspn.tv Plus Members get every single episode of this podcast and all our podcasts. To find out [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/UBgl40wp0XA/

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201 Weekly Lost Podcast ? Young Ben Interview

Weekly Lost Podcast Season 5 Episode 9 Young Ben Interview Click Here To Download Wondering where episodes 197 and 198 are? We release a few episodes of the Weekly Lost Podcast in the free feed each month. However, our gspn.tv Plus Members get every single episode of this podcast and all our podcasts. To find [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/generallyspeaking/~3/kfFhLRRc55s/

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Frank Lloyd Wright's laboratory wasn't built for comfort

The dining room chairs Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his home in Oak Park, Ill, weren't built for comfort, but rather to create an illusion the space was taller than it appeared. (Scott Beveridge photo)

By Scott Beveridge

OAK PARK, Ill. ? Frank Lloyd Wright built his first studio in such a manner to impress upon potential clients that he stood out from all competing architects.

Wright positioned its front porch across the street from a row of tidy Victorian-era houses in order for him to frown down on those buildings when greeting prospective customers at his front door, a tour guide said today at the Oak Park, Ill., home and studio of one of the best architects America ever produced.

"This is where he could look across the street and say, "I don't do that. Those are stick houses,'" said Monte Levinson, a retired physician leading about a dozen visitors today through this complex Wright began building in 1889 for his family and business.

Levinson presented himself as a Wright devotee, spitting out anecdotes with perfect accuracy and in rapid fire, often focusing more on them than the architectural details of this national landmark house built in the seaside style at the corner of Chicago and Forest avenues.

He's read the newer books: "Loving Frank," a historical novel by Nancy Horan about Wright's unfortunate mistress who was the love of his life; and Roger Friedland's "The Fellowship: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesan Fellowships," stories that have spawned even greater interest in the architect's remarkable life.

"He was absolutely a difficult man," Levinson said, while standing in Wright's former office, an octagonal room adorned with the architect's signature oak furnishings and art-glass windows. "He was a curmudgeon."

Wright's customers were forbidden from entering the drafting room and kept waiting in the adjoining foyer.

"He would not ask you what you wanted. He'd tell you what your needs were."

In private Wright berated city planners for ignoring nature in their designs and then would play the role of a contrarian in public.

Levinson leads tourists through Wright's office in Oak Park, Ill. (Scott Beveridge photo)

The hero of this story, though, was Catherine Wright, the rejected first wife of this builder and mother of his six children for whom Wright erected this two-story house constructed with Chicago brick and wooden shingles painted brown.

She was a suffragette who gave many civic lectures on the responsibility of the wealthy to care about the less fortunate and earned a master's degree in social work after Wright left her in 1909 for Mamah Borthwick Chaney.

Wright and Chaney fell in love while he built a nearby house on East Avenue for the Chaneys while they, too, were still married.

That house still stands today, albeit in need of attention in an otherwise well-kept suburban Chicago neighborhood speckled with either Wright designed or inspired houses.

However, Mamah Chaney met an untimely death in 1914 during a murderous rampage at Taliesen East, the house Wright built for her in Wisconsin.

Wright designed 1,200 buildings in his lifetime and 125 of them were produced in this studio, Levinson said. He built a debated 460 of those designs, including 30 around the corner from his studio.

Frank Lloyd Wright chose a seaside-style of construction for his first home, using it to experiment in organic and prairie-school architecture. (Scott Beveridge/O-R)

The home and studio grew from a $5,000 loan from Wright's boss, Louis Henry Sullivan, a renowned Chicago architect. To get the money Wright made a promise to continue working for Sullivan, only to sneak behind his back and build four "bootleg" houses in Oak Park, Levinson said.

Wright used this house as a laboratory, designed similar to a spin wheel to maximized the size of rooms that jut out from a central fireplace. It was here where he experimented with organic design techniques that made it appear the rooms flowed seamlessly to and from the outdoors.

While pocket doors were fashionable during this era, Wright shed them in order to allow the eye to travel throughout the first floor of his house. Widows were arranged high on walls so visitors would gaze out to trees rather than neighboring houses.

Paint colors for the walls were limited to those of the autumn, including olive green and Wright's favorite, Cherokee red.

He included built-in couches in the living room, something he would include in many more houses to follow, including Pennsylvania's beloved Fallingwater in the Laurel Highlands.

"He wanted people to sit where he told them to sit," Levinson said.

In the dining room it didn't matter if the chairs were comfortable for seating. Wright designed them with seats too low for sitting and backs so tall they would have given his dinner guests leg cramps.

More importantly the furniture design, Wright believed, made the ceiling above the table appear taller, Levinson said.

Wright was an illusionist. At 5-feet, 6-inches tall, he wore two-inch heels to make himself look taller, Levinson explained, before embarking to the second floor to show off two opposing rooms with vaulted ceilings that hover over the first floor like giant lunchboxes.

The property is owned by the by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, which was established to acquire and care for the site. Advance tour reservations are suggested.

Source: http://scottbeveridge.blogspot.com/2012/06/frank-lloyd-wrights-laboratory.html

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