Recession.

[mattgreenecomposer]

That was some good info there...although in the future could you post the Cliff notes version so it doesn't take me 1/2 hour to read. J/K

The reason I mention the United States dollar as being so important is because the entire world is affected by the US economy.  If the US economy shrinks so does everyone elses.  I'm not exactly sure why, but its true.

I think what you were getting at is all countries are printing money that is not backed up by gold and silver (especially the USA.)  How many South American countries have tried this in the past and they end up bringing a car load of cash to buy a loaf of bread.  Politicians just don't get it?!?! 
well...I guess I'll just eat my piano then.

[ahinton]

That was some good info there...although in the future could you post the Cliff notes version so it doesn't take me 1/2 hour to read.

Who is Cliff and when and why did he make a (presumably abridged) version of what I wrote?

The reason I mention the United States dollar as being so important is because the entire world is affected by the US economy.  If the US economy shrinks so does everyone elses.  I'm not exactly sure why, but its true.

Notwithstanding the economic rise (until recently) of China, India, etc. which, had it not been severely dented by the present recession, looked set to have changed the face of that for the foreseeable future, it is true that this recession has brought us all back to the good old days of "if America sneezes, the world catches cold" (and there remains no cure for the common cold). That said, every country's economic performance affects almost every other country's to greater or lesser degre, since most countries have economic relations with many others, including lending and borrowing as well as trading.

I think what you were getting at is all countries are printing money that is not backed up by gold and silver (especially the USA.)

In Britain, the government has sold off most of our gold reserves but, even had it not done so, printing money for the sake of it doesn't do any good in the long term if it is not and cannot be backed up with collaterl of equivalent value.

Don't eat your piano; it'll give you indigestion and you'll then have nothing to practise on!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

In Britain, the government has sold off most of our gold reserves

At the lowest possible price of course.

Thal

[Petter]

Canīt Bill Gates and Bono save us?

[ahinton]

At the lowest possible price of course.

No doubt. They didn't sell any of it to me, by the way.

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Canīt Bill Gates and Bono save us?

Bill Gates, like his sidekick (whose name immediately escapes me), Warren Buffett and other - er - rather well off people have given away very large chinks of their fortunes to charity so they'll have insufficient money left to do that but, in any case, we are talking here about 16+-digit sums by comparison to which all these personal and corporate fortunes added together is but a drop in that Pacific Ocean that I mentioned earlier, so there'd be no chance of that even if they'd all kept their money to themselves.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

have given away very large chinks of their fortunes to charity

Chunks surely.

I don't think they have given away any large chinks, but i might be wrong.

Thal

[ahinton]

Chunks surely.

I don't think they have given away any large chinks, but i might be wrong.

Oh, thank you for being here! - and noting my typos! If they'd been giving away chinks of any size that would have undermined quite "abit" of my argument - but, of course, as you quite rightly observe, the word should have read "chunks".

Hey Mr Thal-e-man, peel me a banana
Typos come and I'm already at home...

Best,

Alistair

[Petter]

Hey Mr Thal-e-man, peel me a banana
Typos come and I'm already at home...

Best,

Alistair

 

[ahinton]

Emotions are what they are - vital to human existence. Emoticons are what they are, too - just a "con"...

Never mind...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Oh, thank you for being here! - and noting my typos!

You are more than welcome. It was the least we could do in light of your great work in pointing out every other buggers keyboard slips.

Perhaps it is just as well that Benjamin Britten did not live long enough to contribute to this forum. I expect you would have driven him mental.

Thal

[ahinton]

You are more than welcome. It was the least we could do in light of your great work in pointing out every other buggers keyboard slips.

Having a "we" again, I see! I would not have described all the other contributing forum members as "buggers" as you do. Keyboard slips? - you should hear me playing the piano (not!). By the way, there should be an apostrophe before the "s" in "buggers"...

Perhaps it is just as well that Benjamin Britten did not live long enough to contribute to this forum. I expect you would have driven him mental.

Had Benjamin Britten lived long enough to contribute to this forum, there would have been no guarantee that he would actually have done so; in fact, I'm quite sure that he'd have had nothing to do with it, if for no better reason than that he would have been far too busy overdoing it, as was his wont, as conductor and pianist as well as composer. I don't imagine that, in any case, I would have "driven" him anywhere; we got on very well both in correspondence and face to face on the rare occasions that we met, thank you Signor Talibano...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I'm quite sure that he'd have had nothing to do with it, if for no better reason than that he would have been far too busy overdoing it, as was his wont, as conductor and pianist as well as composer.

Yeh, I cannot imagine any composer having time to spend on here.

Thal

[ahinton]

Yeh, I cannot imagine any composer having time to spend on here.

Then you lack imagination, sadly.

Best,

Alistair