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Excerpt: On the idea of “economic government” in Europe, at least. While the EU is focused on labour market and fiscal integration – mostly through an open border and a common currency, the idea of full monetary union is next to impossible without closer political integration. The Greek fiasco is a pretty telling test of Europe’s real commitment to the EU project, because it’s not just about having protocol-obsessed summits, but requires someone to open their purse strings rather generously with little political gains – if not massive political losses. Those outside of the immediate currency zone don’t want a Greek bailout (emphasis…
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Germany
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Excerpt: Two arguments on why it won’t happen, and eve it does to a certain degree, it won’t matter. Apparently, severe population decline is very limited to certain regions, also mentioned here last week. There will be countries and regions that will suffer long-term depopulation due to low fertility and emigration – but a combination of the two phenomena is mostly concentrated in eastern Europe, particularly in eastern Germany, Bulgaria and Ukraine. But the European population will also continue to age, and some demographers predict that babies born in the first decade of this century will live to an average age of 100. And…
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Excerpt: Backed when I lived in Toronto, there were areas in the city where you would see veiled women. I feel the same way about veils as I do, well, Mormons in full Mormons dresses, or Jews in full Orthodox gear. The light bulb that goes off is: these are some pretty religious people, and they are probably fairly segregated from the community at large. And most likely, these not people I would end up fraternizing with, nor am I someone they would want to hang out with anyway. But if they can navigate and do well within their own communities, what…
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Excerpt: Berlin’s a cool city, in that it straddles the line separating east from the west. It’s a great city to be in for history buffs, a poster-child that exhorts the “creative class”. Berlin has worked hard to earn its reputation as a place that attracts artists and creative-types. After all, there’s nothing like cheap rents, low cost of living, relaxed laissez-faire vibes, that attracts those looking for inspirations without a fat checkbook. But as one of the most chronically depressed cities in Europe, it’s also an economic basket-base. With a 20% unemployment rate, the highest percentage of Berliners living in poverty compared to…
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Excerpt: Image by Wolfgang Staudt via Flickr Time’s tough, so it’s no surprise that everyone’s a bit nostalgic. Old(er) and poor(er) Russians miss a time when the word “oligarch” had yet to invade their vocabulary, and things could be bought with kopeks (cents). Many say they also miss being citizens of a huge, sprawling multiethnic superpower that seemed to command respect in the world. “I used to travel all over the USSR, and was welcomed everywhere,” says Inna Lepneva, a retired TV sound engineer. “Now the country is split up, no one likes Russians anymore, and good relationships are ruined. Nothing has changed for the…
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Excerpt: Encouraged by Kim Jong-Il’s overtures during North Korea’s new year greetings that carried a reconciliatory tone, WSJ whips out some estimates of possible re-unification costs should the two sides of the peninsula puts down their arms and call it a day. Whichever way you slice it, the Korean version of re-unification is going to make Germany’s still ongoing ordeal look like a stroll in the park. Despite the $2 trillion West Germany has paid over two decades, Bonn had it relatively easy in the beginning. East Germany’s population was only one-quarter of West Germany’s, and in 1989 East German per capita income…
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Excerpt: Early reading list this week. I’m always interested in how cultures affect the way we organize ourselves politically and economically. See how Germany, Norway, and Canada are faring this recession. The actions and reactions are results of something more deep-rooted than a wholesale application of capitalism. Then I stumbled upon a number of older articles on what it meant to be an introvert. A fellow Twitterer pointed me to more evidence that as a marginalized and misunderstood group, we have done pretty well as far as corporate ladder-climbing and entrepreneurships go. And there’s Elizabeth Edwards, whom captivated my interest by going on an…
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Excerpt: Growing up, whenever I screwed up in a test or assignment in school and had to face my mom, I would always preface my failure by citing more spectacular blow-ups by my classmates. The habit never escaped me. Now instead of placating my parents, I use it as a self-administered sedative whenever things get bad. By reminding myself that it could be worse. It’s easy to fall into a depressing spiral these days. There’s little voyeuristic pleasure in watching your economy on a high speed race heading for the cliff, especially when your savings and investments are wrapped in the vehicle. But…
investoralist: Chuck, Thanks for not giving up on it! 
Chuck: Glad to see you posting again. 
ParisGirl111: This is so true. All this time I thought my smarts were my ticket. I realized its... 
jasoncornish: I have been interested in North Korea for many years, it is the... 
Scott: Actually this article is misleading. The Danes are a very closed society of... 
