Loislane
Your dollar is holding up much better against the Euro than the south Pacific peso we laughingly call the Aussie dollar. Mind you - it is holding against the greenback a bit. Perhaps I should give up this idea of Italy and .....
(Glad, I live in the EURO-zone :wink: )
Walter, A strong Euro isn't all that it's cracked up to be. In the world economy, a strong currency just makes your products and services more expensive to consumers, and our balance of trade becomes cheaper. All the paper other countries have in US dominated investments have just lost value. It does become more expensive for Americans to travel to Europe, the UK, and some other countries, but that's small change compared to the billions lost in value for the Euro countries and investors. Jumping for joy is a bit premature IMHO.
(minor digression, Clare....)
You really ought to teach a class, c.i.
Seriously, there's lots of people in this forum that could benefit tremendously from your ability to distill the complex elements of finance down to its essence. That paragraph up there is a perfect example.
Agreed, and I know to my cost the bad effects of a strong economy. My widow's pension is paid from Hong Kong in HK dollars - pegged to the US dollar. My school of English is permanently short of students because they feel it's too expensive to come from Europe or the far East and live in Britain, even though we've pared our profits to a minimum.
Perhaps c i does teach a class or write about economics!!
Clary wrote:[ ...]it's too expensive to come from Europe [...]and live in Britain [...]
It's even expensive, when you come just over the weekend! :wink:
I think Mrs Broon's little boy, Gordon, is doing a fine job.
So I can afford an extra Koelsch or a Wurst or two when I go to visit Germany.
McTag wrote:I think Mrs Broon's little boy, Gordon, is doing a fine job.
So I can afford an extra Koelsch or a Wurst or two when I go to visit Germany.
You might be right, but isn't it more due to the Hon. Sir Richard Evans' kindness? :wink:
I saw that... more sauce for the goose...
looks a tad hard to get a ticket...
Cool, a saucy opinion I could pay attention to.
Nada about the architecture, of course, but good with the smudgearound.
j/o
There are words in this thread I don't understand. My thread, too.
Well, they certainly got a lot of publicity for the re-opening of La Scala - it was in my newspaper as well - one of the Mozart operas is on at the time I may possibly be there next year!
I read in another article today that people listened to the opera all over Milano; for example, in the Galleria next to the opera house, somewhere I forget, somewhere else I forget, AND the sound was piped in to the city prison.
Smudgearound? One of my contrivances, meant to suggest "reports about people schmoozing".
McTag, I shared your link with a 'friend' who is active in the local opera. He's trying to get more people involved to ensure it's survival. They even do events at the local art museum with lectures and operettas. He's also a food critic, so when we need to find a nice restaurant, he has his recommendations - worldwide. Really!
On a completely different note, I am happy to see that alternative gifts have made their appearance this year to counteract the ghastly commercial binge of those that have giving to those that have even more. World Vision and other charities will give a goat, pig, tubewell or other useful things to some needy family or village, you pay for it and send a card to your near and dear saying their present is actually a goat, p, t etc and can be found in Somalia, Honduras, India... if they really want it. Seriously, a good antidote to all this overindulgence.
End of preachy bit.
S'nice, Clary, but still, I think a well-thought out present for someone you love is a worthy thing. Last year, hmmm, we got a flock of ducks. A sweet idea and I hope they reached their intended spot. Here's the source:
http://catalog.heifer.org/
We're making a lot of presents for those near & dear... eight Welcome Sign sets... and I'd better go and finish them.
I agree with well thought out presents - but there are those, like my mother-in-law, who doesn't want THINGS, and will be much happier with the fishing net I sent to some needy family for her. I've got a pig for the kids, as well as the w.t.o. presents, and a sheep for a cousin! Fun!
