not being an economist - my predictions are based soley on the bible.
Indeed - but not being an economist is no excuse for the source of your predictions (and it's "solely", by the way, not "soley" - even in American, methinks)...
and, as you both have been so kind to get me more up-to-date on happenings around the world - i shall combine my biblical predictions with across the street knowledge.
The mind fair boggles - the history of Christian times merged with that of present-day PA so as to make a point about real estate sales problems...
my neighbors are attempting to sell their home. a year or two ago - it would have been flooded with potential buyers at two open houses. NOBODY showed up. we live in a prime area for growth (and big conglomerates/malls are expanding - but smaller stores have been going out of business right and left). the problem is the lending rates and corresponding high credit card interest which makes it hard for young people to get a foothold into the housing market as before.
Here in Bath, UK, the current thinking is that, given time and a continuation of the present market even allowing for its occasional blips, a million pounds will probably be required in 15 years' time or less just to buy the garage into which to park the cars that you can't afford to buy...
my only understanding for young people so far is to really pay by CASH. live meagerly. save and put money into credit unions and not the typical banks. even though the housing market is poor- as i see it - it is one of the few ways left to make money if the housing market turns around.
Try doing that here on five-figure university debts; you'd have not to live meagrely but to "unlive" in order even to begin. In most cases, you'd have to steal the cash to do this.
ok. back to the euro. against the odds - i see the stronger nations simply assuming some risk for the poorer and forcing them to integrate (thus losing some national identity). i think the nations of europe will expand under different names. this is simply a personal feeling.
Interesting thought but, when the chips are down, each nation will look after itself as best it can and to hang with the others - none will be able to afford to adopt any more altruistic attitude than this, I think. The extent to which national identity might or might not be preserved will inevitably depend on many other consideations besides purely economic ones.
biblically - the revival of the 'holy' roman empire is not out of the question, though, is it.
Since you ask - yes.
i mean books have been written on this subject by serious scholars and they do not doubt that a 'one world system' is likely to be combined with powerful intruege which does not rule out the catholic church. the pope is said to be addressing the eu parliament sometime.
You are a devout Christian, as I understand it - yet why is it that, from time to time, I get the distinct impression that you are at best suspicious of the Roman Catholic Church?
so, as i see it - the element of mystery (religion) and politics is not so far-fetched.
In an ideal world, perhaps it would not be. We don't live in one of those, Susan.
otherwise - we wouldn't read of it in the newspaper.
You cite NEWSPAPERS as some kind of authority on such matters of importance? Shame upon you!
i admit i don't read as much as i should - but when i do - it seems that there is a 'spirit' of secrecy that will soon become open to all. we'll see what is truly happening behind the scenes in banking, industry, and government.
You are certainly correct in that it is becoming increasingly difficult, challenging and expensive to hide all manner of things, but seeing more of what goes on doesn't mean that it will change; take private equity companies' acquisitive activities, for example - who is to say that one of these might not dislike what goes on somewhere in attempts to flout its ambitions that it takes the plunge and says "right - we don;t like that, so we'll buy up the country"? This has not yet happened, as far as we know - but it will...
nobody can stay afloat without relying on some help. so - this help comes at a price. joining the eu.
EU membership is not the same as Eurozone membership (i.e. not all member states are part of that currency). No one yet knows hoe far the EU might expand. Personally, I think that the first things that will happen will be the acquisition of Turkey, the ex-Yugoslav states and Albania, together with the absorption of the recalcitrant Norway and Switzerland - but then the Moroccan desire for membership will inevitably open the entire question of which Arab / Middle Eastern states might in time follow its membership ambitions; whilst it would obviously take a good many years, the possibility that all the north African states, the new Palestine and Israel may join is far from unreal and then Lebanon and Jordan might followe suit. If it goes this far, it may only be a matter of time before applications are received from Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia and all the other gulf states, then Iraq (yes, Iraq - which has a border with Turkey, one of the existing applicants), Syria, Irán and Afghanistan, the latter two of which have borders with what were once southern states of the former Soviet Union. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Ingushetya and Chechnya will follow - more easily if the more western ex-Soviet states such as Ukraine and Moldova have already become members - then it will be a matter of absorbing all those other -stans - Uzbeki-, Tadziki-, Kazakh-, Kyrgyz-, Turkmeni-, together with the more central and then eastern states of the former Soviet Union until the EC extends from Ireland and Portugal in the west to the Pacific ex-Soviet seaboard in the east. Denmark (already a member) will drag Greenland abd the Faroes in and then (of not before) Iceland will simply have to get in. Given the fragmentation of certain previous nations of which we have written before (the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia being perhaps the most significant already, but the forthcoming broken-up UK and split Spain and France that will release, at the very least, the Basque country and Catalunya as nations in their own rights falling not far behind in importance), we might end up with an EU comprising at least 80 nations. OK, this may take years, but it will probably be necessary as an economic and political foil for the rampaging China; small may remain beautiful but its practicality in political and econominc terms is dissipating fast, as some of the more fearful of you in US know well. But try achieving any kind of "world government" out of that lot! Forget it!
Best,
Alistair
Topic: Scotch on the rocks