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homunculus-argument · 2 years ago

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I was born and raised American, but with everything that's happened over the past few years I've been considering moving to another country. but I don't know if this is just "the grass is greener". Not sure if this really fits with your blog, but as someone from Europe what's your attitude towards living in the US?

I've visited there a handful of times and most of my thoughts are "damn bitch, y'all really live like this?" People in Finland like to complain about the climate, the taxes, and how stingy the welfare systems are (if you currently rely on them) or how costly they are (if you're currently not relying on them), but honestly most of the time that's because people are used to having it so good, or don't really have a perspective of how bad everyone would be doing without the infrastructure that everything runs on.

Sure, nowhere is perfect, and there's always room for improvement, but honestly the people I've met in the US only really seem to think that their system is good because they've never been anywhere else and don't know any better.

Mostly it's stuff that you'd never think about if you hadn't been to both places, like being able to trust that tap water is drinkable or that you can safely walk/bike to wherever you need to go. The US really doesn't have the kind of ability to just hang out in public places, just walking to the town and sitting on benches. Having public parks and libraries isn't really the same if you can't just walk there, and you genuinely need a car to go anywhere.

I moan and lament a lot about how the winters here are hard to endure - at the darkest time of the year the sun rises at 9 and sets before 5 pm - but I wouldn't move from here just because of that, mainly because of how reliably everything is structured here. Sure, it's all run with funds from relatively high taxes, but that is a self-feeding loop on its own. The tax-paying workforce isn't a disposable resource that's wrung dry once and tossed out when it's broken, but even when you're just another cog in the machine, you're one that's maintained, not replaced if broken.

I had a lot of breakdowns when I was younger, largely due to depression and other mental issues I had due to the undiagnosed ADHD. When I started breaking down at work in my old factory job, they couldn't just fire me on the spot because of the workers' union fought tooth and nail to make sure that you can't throw people out for getting sick, and mental illness is treated no different from other health issues. I was allowed to take two years off work in order to study into a career I thought would fit me better. That didn't turn out well either, but I was still allowed to bounce back and forth between odd jobs, sick leave, and studying - all on government pensions during the spots when I wasn't working a wage - until I found the right diagnosis, the right medications, and the right job.

It's not a hyperbole to say that I owe my life to the ample and studry social welfare systems that Finland has in place. Sure, you're just another brick in the wall, a cog in the machine, but if you keep breaking down, it takes a long time until they completely give up on you if you can somehow make them believe that you're trying, because it's cheaper for the tax system to figure out how to make you fit into the machine than just toss you out. A human being is an expensive investment and if getting you to the right job, education, diagnosis, medication or even arranged housing is what it takes to get your ass back into the workforce, they'll at least try.

I'm perfectly happy to pay the taxes here to fund the system that helped me onto my feet when I was in no condition to function, and to support the people who never do recover, find their place, or be able to support themselves on their own. And I can live with the peace of mind that even if I fall apart again, that safety net is still there. It's brutal, pragmatic, and regards your health and welfare as a means to an end - to get you working and paying taxes again - but they still do prioritise your welfare. Cogs are cheaper to maintain than replace.

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hanakihan · 7 months ago

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you know i just got asked why I made salieri into ruler like what’s the reason for it and I’m like

do people even read his biography at least on Wikipedia? Man in his 72 years of life pretty much reshaped and changed entirety of Europe’s musical and social structure with his sheer passion and love.

he was a man passionate for music, he loved and he loved deeply.

he was bright in musical field, created many beautiful pieces, was kapellmeister for two decades and high key overseen entirety of musical community of Europe, was one of the most trusted and favored people for Joseph II, and even after Joseph’s death he still kept his position despite being his trusted man, he tutored brightest musicians of that era, he managed and organized frequent charity concerts for pensioners and orphaned children (he even argued with Mozart over former organizing his own concert of day of charity concert)

he was so respected and loved that his coffin was followed by a long procession made of court musicians and all musicians who were present in country at the moment

this man never had a bad bone in him, if anything if you read his biography he just followed his passion and just lived.

and that’s why him being remembered over that cursed rumor and eventually losing his health over it is extremely sad. and even after two decades of him being officially announced not responsible for it people still continue to believe in it.

so yes, man strived for good and brought it out in others too

if that isn’t enough to be in ruler class then I don’t even know what is

#fate grand order #fgo #antonio salieri #it’s just really sad #he has such rich and bright biography full of good deeds #and all he’s remembered for is a rumor about murder that eventually made his health deteriorate #I firmly believe that without corrupted saint graph and rumor he would’ve been ruler #I will Never stop crying over salieri we as humanity did him so dirty #it’s irredeemable at this point

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une-sanz-pluis · 11 months ago

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Philippa of England, Queen of Norway, Denmark and Sweden

Philippa of England was the youngest daughter and last child of Henry of Lancaster and Mary de Bohun, Earl and Countess of Derby, and was born on, or shortly before, 1 July 1394, when her mother died from complications in childbirth. Little is known of Philippa’s early childhood but when her father usurped the throne in 1399, becoming Henry IV, her future changed dramatically. No longer the youngest daughter of an earl, she was now a princess.

The new king almost immediately began searching for marriage alliances for his two daughters. 1401 saw Henry enter into marriage negotiations with Margrete of Denmark for Philippa to marry Margrete’s adoptive son and heir, Erik of Pomerania. Like Henry, Margrete was hoping for an alliance to strengthen her domestic position and that of the fledgling Kalmar Union of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. It wasn’t until 1405 that the marriage was formally agreed upon and in December, Philippa was proclaimed Queen of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. In August 1406, the 12-year-old Philippa sailed from England in August 1406. She married Erik at the cathedral of Lund, and her coronation soon followed. Famously, Philippa is the first documented European princess to wear white at her wedding.

She spent the next three years at Kalmar Castle in Sweden, the first year under the guidance of Katarina Knutsdotter (the granddaughter of Saint Birgitta of Sweden), and probably owing in no small part to her youth, Philippa remained in the sidelines of rule until Margrete’s death in 1412. She retained close ties to Sweden, serving as Erik’s de facto regent there, and was the only queen of the Kalmar Union to ever achieve popularity in Sweden. Of particular note is her patronage of Vadstenna Abbey, the motherhouse of the Bridgettine Order. She often stayed there when in Sweden, was a generous patron, and petitioned the pope multiple times on the Order's behalf, even enlisting the support of her brother, Henry V of England. In 1425, Philippa donated a choir dedicated to St. Anne, where she was later buried. This may have had particular significance for Philippa, as she had no surviving children..

Philippa was deeply involved in the rule of all three kingdoms of the Kalmar Union. In 1420, demonstrating Erik’s trust in her, it was decided that she would serve as regent to his heir, Bogislaw of Pomerania, should the marriage remain childless, and her widow’s pension would effectively give her a ‘queendom’ in Sweden. In 1423, Erik went on pilgrimage and Philippa served as his regent, with all power that entailed, until his return in 1425. She also obtained the resources and support Erik needed for his war against the Hanseatic League. Indeed, it was Philippa who organised the defence of Copenhagen against the bombardment of the Hanseatic League in 1428 to great acclaim.

In late 1429, Philippa, apparently in good health, travelled to Sweden to secure further support for the war against the Hanseatic League. She was staying in Vadstena Abbey when she fell seriously ill and died on the night of 5 and 6 January 1430, possibly following a stillbirth. Philippa was remembered almost universally favourably, a reputation that was surely deserved.

Sources: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS Lat. 17294), "Filippa, drottning", Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon (article by Charlotte Cederbom), Steinar Imsen, “Late Medieval Scandinavian Queenship”. Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe, Mary Anne Everett Green, Lives of the princesses of England from the Norman conquest, Vol 3.

#philippa of england #edits #on this day #historyedit #henry iv #henry v #medieval scandinavia #kalmar union

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zvaigzdelasas · 9 months ago

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The ȘOR Party [...] was a populist political party in Moldova.[13] Known from its foundation in 1998 until October 2016 as the Socio-Political Movement "Equality"[...],[14][15] the party held Eurosceptic and Russophilic stances.[16]

The party was closed down in 2023 having been declared unconstitutional.

The party was founded in 1998 by Moldovan politician Valerii Klimenco as the "Socio-Political Movement "Equality".[17][...]

In 2015, the party decided to nominate Ilan Shor for Mayor of the town of Orhei. [...] In October 2016, Shor was elected president of the party, which was renamed Șor Party. In June 2017, the party President, Ilan Shor was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail for fraud. He broke house arrest and fled the country in 2019 whilst appealing the sentence.[20] On 1 December 2018, the party joined the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe.[21][...]

The party organized a Victory Day parade in Chișinău on 9 May 2019.[27][...]

The Șor Party was the main instigator of the 2022–2023 Moldovan protests.[28][...]

On 8 November 2022, the Moldovan government requested the constitutional court to initiate proceedings for the outlawing of the party in Moldova, due to it allegedly promoting the interests of a foreign state (Russia) and harming the independence and sovereignty of the country.[29][30]

On 13 April 2023, the appeal court doubled the sentence of party President Ilan Shor in a case linked to the theft of $1 billion in bank assets as well as money laundering, breach of trust, and fraud to 15 years in prison in absentia and froze his assets. Shor was living in Israel at the time of the court ruling after having fled Moldova in 2019.[31][...]

On 19 June 2023, the Șor Party was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Moldova.[35][36][37] [...]

On 31 July, the Moldovan parliament voted in favour of banning the leaders of the dissolved Șor Party – including Ilan Shor – from standing in elections for a period of five years.[41] In October the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that Article 16 of the Electoral Code is unconstitutional and that former members of the Șor Party can stand for elections.[42][...]

The Party's 2019 programme introduced the following points:[46]

○ Free universal health care.

○ Free education including higher education. Increasing the size and scope of disability benefits, maternity benefits and retirement pensions.

○ The creation of modernised collective farms to work alongside the private sector. Active state intervention in the spheres of infrastructure, transport, energy, communications, housing, pharmaceuticals, etc.

○ The nationalization of foreign-owned energy companies.

○ A commitment to law and order including both reinstating the death penalty for particularly dangerous criminals and addressing the underlying socioeconomic issues that may cause crime.

○ A commitment to Moldovan independence and military neutrality.

The opening paragraphs of the party's 2008 election programme stated that it viewed the average person's quality of life as superior under the Soviet Union when compared to modern times. It further stated that it viewed Moldova's alleged socio-economic problems as relating to Moldova's negative relationship with the Russian Federation.[47]

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city-of-ladies · 10 months ago

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Hersend (fl. 1249-1259) was a physician known for accompanying King Louis IX of France on the Seventh Crusade.

A skilled and trusted doctor

The document mentioning Hersend calls her magistra (the feminine form of magister, "master" or "teacher" in Latin), which could mean that she was university educated. This would be surprising since women technically couldn't attend universities at that time.

Hersend was a valued member of the royal household. A royal act dating from August 1250 promises her a lifelong pension of twelve Parisians deniers a day. Even if it can’t be known if she was the king’s personal physician, she likely took care of him during the expedition. Since Queen Margaret of Provence gave birth in 1250, Hersend could also have acted as a midwife.

Going back home

Hersend survived the dangers of the crusade (which saw the king captured and ransomed). She returned to Paris at the end of 1250, married an apothecary named Jacques and continued practice her profession. They bought a house together in 1259. Hersend was likely dead by 1299 and her house was bought by lady Pétronille, apothecary to the King of France.

Further reading:

"Hersende" - Les guerriers du Moyen-Âge

Kostick Conor, The Crusades and the Near East - Cultural histories

Le Goff Jacques, Saint Louis

Whaley L., Women and the Practice of Medical Care in Early Modern Europe, 1400-1800

#hersend #doctors #history #women in history #women's history #france #french history #13th century #middle ages #medieval women #medieval history #crusades #women in medicine

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noneatnonedotcom · 10 months ago

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@suncrysthyper so with the modern set up of hyperboria being local republics federated into larger and larger citizen republics under the social and religious rule of the suncryst church with only warriors who've served their tour of service given franchisment, lets look at how industrial era institutions take hold and evolve towards more modern times. tax: with the publishing of progress and poverty by irishman Colm J. mac Kavanagh. in 1590 A.D the only tax is a land value tax based purely of of the price of the land itself and not any private property on it. this tax along with various terrifs on outside goods is more than enough to fund all government expenditure while still incentivising individuals to work harder and not taking away capital from people. furthermore what taxes do not get used are granted back to the people as a citizen's dividend. there are still rich people and poor but those who have fought for the empire will have not only their pensions but their citizen's dividend to pay for their needs after. and given the nature of the land value tax the various large landowners and incentivised to sell non productive land to citizens who will in turn develop it increasing the land value and thus the tax received. with the empire's continued defense of the republic of jerusilum there will always be a need for more warriors. "what is earned by the individual is given to them but what is earned by society is given back to society"

trade: free trade within the church is enforced but terrifs on other peoples like the french germans russians romans and Spanish ensure that internal development is encouraged rather than dependence on outside economies. unions: are allowed but they must be able to prove they actually work in the shops they are said to represent. banking: credit unions with members receiving dividends based on successful investments by the board. each ting-meet has it's own credit union which work together to form and fund the greater credit union of the kingdom which all work to form and fund the credit union of the empire. the stated goal of the imperial credit union is investment in the development of the empire's territory via industry and expansion of home ownership. political parties: there are only two, libritarians who argue that the government works best when not trying to insert itself into everyday life and focusing only on it's stated responcibilies, and the imperialists who feel that the empire has a responsibility to set up and protect suncryst republics across the globe in the same way the did with the americas. environmental protection: the church and royal family own certain areas in trust tax free that are basically national parks and have rules about pollution of waterways and air. since business men being rich grants them no greater power in the political system it's much easier to crack down on people who violate these regulations. meaning that the environment is far healthier in this industrial society than the environments of even the agrarian cities of medieval Europe their closest competitors. active wars: currently there's only one active war but it's one that seems to have no end in sight. the defense of Alexandria and jerusilum for the continuation of pigramages to these holy cities, though only jerusilum is a holy city for the church of suncryst the areas around these holy cities are under the rule of the republic of jerusilum a sister republic to the hyperborean empire. constant war is a result as the caliphates of the ottomans and and mamlukes have declared an eternal jihad against the empire and republic. the republic of constantinopal is also under the protection of the empire acting as a gateway into the black sea and it's trade. though the city itself is still greek orthodox. lemme know if you think of anything else that should be touched upon

#alt history #worldbuilding

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thebetterluthor · 2 years ago

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Just wanted to say that as a European citizen, I stand by the people of France, who have been protesing the government's plan to raise retirement age, for 11 weeks now.

Tell Macron to fuck himself. If he needs money, he can take it from the 10%. I hope the people's voices will sound victorious, and that the rest of Europe will follow suit.

Retirement age in the UK is currently at 68, AND they will be cutting back on pensions. Don't trust their lies, they won't stop pushing for more of our time and lives. We need to fight back.

#France #EU politics #French protests

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papirouge · 1 year ago

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Idk if this is super controversial but very much in my family, but I believe as Christians we should be the BIGGEST advocates for every socialist program that will help everyone, absolutely everyone. I’ve seen weird tales from Catholics where they believe they shouldn’t even try to help the poor because poverty would always exist (under capitalism, of course) and I think that’s actually evil to believe.

I’m also a big believer in sex separated areas. Not because I think women are too ~tempting~ or “distracting” to men, but simply because I don’t trust church bros. Normal guys who attend church aren’t church bros. Church bros are those lukewarm “spiritual” guys who go to church because they believe they are entitled to a submissive self hating trad wife who will stay at home, be feminine, and worship them as kings while also going 50/50 on everything. Then if they’re failing to attract girls at church, church bros will loudly complain to any guy nearby how awful western women are, how they are all used up whores who are gold diggers and too high maintenance with too high standards. And then some of the worst ones are asked to leave if they continue making a scene. OR if your church sucks, they will stay to build a group of likeminded church bros (and some self hating Pick Mes who actually never gets picked despite trying to agree with everything negative the bros say about women) to harass any woman at the church until one of them gets the police called on them and the church leadership then has to either defend them if they’re as misogynistic as the church bros or hide them by kicking them out to save their public reputation 🙂

Tbh beside the USA where they have this flop mentality of assuming that anything state controlled is coMmUnIsM and that wellfare implies stealing, your opinion is absolutely not controversial. Socialism has definite perks and only capitalism simps or crusty libertarian flops refuse to acknowledge this reality.

My country has a very socialist welfare & pension system and we have some of the lowest elderly poverty rate in Europe. Our healthcare system used to be one of the best in the word (it's currently attacked to make it more 'liberal' so its quality is getting down the toilet unfortunately...). Unlike the USA there's no 65 y.o working to survive here - they have a pension simply because we consider you shouldn't have to work so old.

I'll never forget during c0vid lockdown when anti government bro were like "see that's what government having too much power does!!!" and like yeah it sucked, but why is that they NEVER have the same energy when it comes to LACK of government that makes people resort to work until they die?? Did they even care ONCE about the amount of people who died out of lack of state assistance (which is probably much higher than c0vid lockdowns) since this shit has been going on for decades while the c0vid crisis lasted 1-2 years....? The vaçcine poisoning people with non tested formula wasn't solely the fault of government enabling this, but ALSO big pharma greedy CAPITALISM. Why don't they attack capitalism too?? ....they are such frickin hypocrites lol

I once made a post talking about Christian communes depicted in the Bible and it was only American burgers losing their shit at me and how mUh GivIng shIt tO pEolPle iS stEalINg MonEy as if they weren't themselves some broke randos living in their parents basement 🙄 like it's crazy how broke people will feel compelled to wk for the very system that keeps them down.... Stockholm syndrome shit.

But to come back to socialism, I think that's why many people (esp American) have a very flawed understanding of what it is. I literally lose braincell when I see them use interchangeably leftism - socialism - communism - (cultural) liberalism - globalism. Right wing socialism is a thing (bourgeois socialism). There are leftism movement rejecting liberalism (for example radfem are left aligned yet reject (cultural) liberalism). Communism is the antithesis of both liberalism and globalism....

Burgers think they are soooooo smart when they say "Nazism was socialism #checkmate" But these idiots always forget that 'Nazism' is the contraction of 'Nationalsozialismus'. Nazism is the demented offspring of Nationalism AND Socialism. Nazism was equally Socialism AND Nationalism so much that its name mix the 2 of them, so solely point out the socialism of Nazism to act like it was a socialist regime is dishonest and stupid. Interestingly, you never see them criticize nationalist countries and argue that Nationalism is the cornerstone of totalitarism and shit like that 🤔

Maybe that's bc I'm from a European country and that European is the breeding ground of all those ideologies but I got educated early on about these concepts and their peculiarity in school... so it bafflese to see grown ass Americans so uneducated about it. Which isn't their fault ofc, but then they should shut up instead of mindlessly rehashing those idiocies. Americans are the most politically illiterate people EVER which is why I'll never acknowledge whatever they have to say about politics beyond their own country. Damn even when they talk about France they always have to bring shit that happened almost a century ago be like tHey AlwAyS suRrEnDeR🤪 as if their own fat burgers asses weren't currently (economically AND politically) put to shame by Russia and China💀 like- don't throw stones when you live in a house made of glass 🤷��‍♀️

I'm surprised of your experience with greedy Catholics bc from my experience they've always been more based than protestant. Here in France Catholics are known to be pretty charitable and care for the homeless and poor family. Even when I was a child and my family piss poor it was an old catholic lady who regularly came to our apartment to give us food. I will never forget that. That's why despite the criticism I have for Catholicism as a faith, I'll always have a lot of respect for Catholics as individual.

I also think Catholic women are more based when it comes to modest clothing, veiling, etc. Protestant women tend to freak out when we say that, hm no, wearing makeup isn't compatible with the Bible, that there's not a single time where make up is talked about positively in the Bible, that makeup or heels aren't traditional and that such vanity was trAditionAlLy the prerogative of PROSTITUTES🙄

Oh and I don't go to church, but hearing all the horror stories of those who do like yours, I know that I'm doing the right thing xD

#answered

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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year ago

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This day in history

On October 7–8, I'm in Milan to keynote Wired Nextfest.

#20yrsago BBCi director’s stunning speech on file-sharing and TV https://web.archive.org/web/20031018142323/http://www.paidcontent.org/stories/ashleyrts.shtml

#15yrsago Top Maryland cops ordered nonviolent peace activists’ names added to anti-terror, drug trafficking databases https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/07/AR2008100703245.html

#10yrsago Battling Boy: Paul Pope surpasses himself https://memex.craphound.com/2013/10/08/battling-boy-paul-pope-surpasses-himself/

#10yrsago Congress’s private health club spared from shutdown by Boehner: “essential” https://archive.thinkprogress.org/exclusive-gyms-for-members-of-congress-deemed-essential-remain-open-during-shutdown-dedd914b6e08/

#5yrsago French spy used darknet to sell access to national mass-surveillance databases https://www.zdnet.com/article/french-police-officer-caught-selling-confidential-police-data-on-the-dark-web/

#5yrsago RIP, Google+: long ailing and finished off by a security bug https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/project-strobe

#5yrsago Virginia towns’ trick-or-treat laws threaten over-12s with jail-time https://letgrow.org/ask-lenore-halloween-rules/

#5yrsago Russians’ support for Putin drops off a cliff after pension cuts https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/08/trust-vladimir-putin-declines-steeply-among-russians-poll-shows-pension-changes

#5yrsago Tech workers are downing tools and refusing to work on unethical projects https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/technology/tech-workers-ask-censorship-surveillance.html

#5yrsago Climate change is AWOL in America’s political debates https://truthout.org/articles/climate-change-is-a-major-midterm-issue-corporate-media-are-ignoring-it/

#5yrsago We’ve got a front-row seat for Europe’s internet censorship plan https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/whats-next-europes-internet-censorship-plan-0

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

#pluralistic

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beardedmrbean · 2 years ago

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One has to hand it to Emmanuel Macron: he has principles – and, like Groucho Marx, if people don’t like them, he has others. Earlier this month, he scooted off to China, where he seemed eager to appease President Xi Jinping. Followed by an 80-strong entourage of French corporate bosses eager for contracts, he went all de Gaulle a couple of times, most notably in an interview to Politico, in which he said that Europe had no business “getting caught up in crises that are not ours”: to salvage her “strategic autonomy”, the continent should not become “America’s vassal”.

Yet, on Monday, a French parliamentary delegation numbering three Macronista MPs (and a lone Républicain) was off to Taipei, to meet most of President Tsai Ing-wen’s government, and “reaffirm our support to Taiwanese democracy” (tweeted by Constance Le Grip, a former Sarkozy aide, now a pro-Macron MP).

You can’t really call this a damage control operation – the trip had been planned for some time. What it really shows, if proof was still needed, was that French foreign policy, like French domestic affairs, is made up as it goes along, by one Macron, Emmanuel. (The clever Bruno Tertrais of Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, a think-tank, recently and accurately told The Economist “Emmanuel Macron’s chief diplomatic adviser is Emmanuel Macron.”) Which isn’t noticeably working out so well for le Président.

Almost immediately after he was re-elected last year, Macron suffered humiliation after humiliation. First, he lost his majority at the legislative elections that followed his victory. Then started the endless battle for the pensions reform bill, in which, by refusing to talk early with the unions, he managed to get much of the old Yellow Vests crowds out in the streets. Even if the bill was eventually passed without a vote, domestically, he has lost control of his agenda.

He was never a professional politician, and the current situation, in which he faces four years of battling for every measure, bores him. Now, with nothing to lose, he’s trying to build up his reputation as a world statesman: Europe’s negotiator-in-chief. His problem being that the rest of Europe doesn’t acknowledge his self-appointed mandate. You only have to talk with Poles, Balts, Central and Northern Europeans to see that they share an exasperation not unlike in tone to that of many of the French marchers.

It’s hard not to recall the first time Macron felt he could alter the course of world politics: his frenzied attempts at dialogue with Vladimir Putin, whom he had invited to Versailles soon after the 2017 election, and was sure he could prevent from invading Ukraine. What followed were trips to Moscow, telephone calls, mentions of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky galore, all for nothing except rising annoyance in Moscow, especially when the Kremlin discovered that a documentary France 2 camera crew had been filming the French end of those long telephone conversations. (Soon afterwards, Putin pointedly cut off one of their calls: “Have to go, I’m already geared up and I’m about to play ice-hockey”.)

In China, the all-too conciliatory Macron (who, as early as a year ago, agreed to a French-Chinese mutual statement in which “France [understood] the importance and sensitivity of Taiwan-related issues and will abide by the One China principle”) still managed to annoy Xi Jinping. At their official press conference, he ad-libbed his answer to the Chinese president’s scripted remarks, droning on and on for twice as long, enough of a diplomatic gaffe that Xi decided to fidget visibly, looking at his watch.

His partners don’t trust him, his adversaries don’t respect him, his own people grumble (in private): having cancelled the French Diplomatic Corps two years ago, so that any member of the French civil service can aspire to a diplomatic post, M Macron not only disdains advice from his remaining diplomats, but even from his Élysée advisers. (“He listens, but he doesn’t follow”, one said.)

This should worry us: Macron has started to encapsulate the unlovable attributes of a particular fraction of the French realist school of foreign affairs, in which cleverness trumps sincerity and values – but with none of its historic cautiousness or subtlety. Listening to the advice of such policymakers as Hubert Védrine, the former Socialist foreign minister, he despises the Western approach to foreign policy, measured by right and wrong, as over-simplistic. (He may be “a snake” – as Iain Duncan-Smith said of him, amid reports that Macron was working on plans with China to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table – but he’s a blundering one: the worst of both worlds.)

Having risen to power by modelling himself as an outsider, Macron remains an archetypal product of the French blob, a strange universe where talking about something means you’ve achieved it – and also means nobody hears you speaking. This explains a lot of French gaffes in history, and especially why Macron doesn’t understand that each time he lobs another of his brilliant new notions, his allies and enemies hear him. Like the French public, who stopped listening some time ago, so should the West.

#nunyas news #opinion piece

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expatwealth · 9 days ago

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At Expat Wealth At Work, we specialise in financial planning for expats worldwide. Our chief consultant, a Certified Pension Planner and AML Specialist, has years of experience working across Europe and Asia. Trusted by senior expats from Southeast Asia to Latin America, he brings a unique understanding of cross-border retirement and investment needs.

With firsthand expat experience, we understand your journey and are here to help secure your financial future wherever you call home.

Learn more about our tailored services at Expat Wealth At Work: https://expatwealthatwork.com/about-us/

#expatwealthatwork #wealth #finance #financial #management #specialist #wealthmanagement #investment

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stockmarketanalysis · 8 months ago

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Navigating the World of Stock Brokers: Understanding Definitions, Histories, Types, and Roles

Introduction: In the vast and intricate landscape of financial markets, stock brokers stand as indispensable intermediaries, facilitating the exchange of securities between buyers and sellers. From the bustling trading floors of yesteryears to the digital platforms of today, stock brokers have evolved alongside the markets they serve. In this article, we delve into the definition, history, types, selection criteria, and roles of stock brokers, shedding light on their significance in the world of investing.

Definition of a Stock Broker: At its core, a stock broker is a licensed professional or firm that facilitates the buying and selling of securities on behalf of investors. Acting as intermediaries, stock brokers execute trades, provide investment advice, and offer a range of financial services to individual and institutional clients. They serve as the bridge between investors and the financial markets, leveraging their expertise to help clients achieve their investment objectives.

History of Stock Brokers: The history of stock broking can be traced back centuries, with origins rooted in the trading floors and marketplaces of medieval Europe. In the 17th century, formalized stock exchanges began to emerge in cities like London and Amsterdam, providing a centralized venue for trading securities. Over time, the role of stock brokers evolved from mere intermediaries to trusted advisors, guiding investors through the complexities of the markets.

Types of Stock Brokers: Stock brokers can be classified into several categories based on their business models, services offered, and client base. Some common types of stock brokers include:

Full-Service Brokers: These brokers offer a comprehensive suite of services, including investment advice, research reports, portfolio management, and financial planning. They cater to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, providing personalized guidance tailored to their unique investment goals.

Discount Brokers: Discount brokers focus primarily on executing trades at a lower cost, often charging flat fees or commission rates per trade. While they may offer fewer advisory services compared to full-service brokers, they provide a cost-effective option for self-directed investors who prefer to manage their own portfolios.

Online Brokers: With the advent of digital technology, online brokers have become increasingly popular among retail investors. These brokers operate entirely through online platforms, offering a wide range of investment products, educational resources, and trading tools. They provide convenience and accessibility, allowing investors to trade from anywhere with an internet connection.

Institutional Brokers: Institutional brokers cater to large institutional investors such as mutual funds, pension funds, and hedge funds. They specialize in executing large block trades, providing liquidity, and offering customized trading solutions to meet the specific needs of institutional clients.

Choosing the Right Stock Broker: Selecting the right stock broker is a critical decision that can significantly impact an investor's financial success. When choosing a broker, investors should consider the following factors:

Reputation and Reliability: Look for a broker with a solid reputation, regulatory compliance, and a track record of reliability and trustworthiness.

Services and Features: Evaluate the range of services and features offered by the broker, including trading platforms, research tools, educational resources, and customer support.

Fees and Commissions: Compare fee structures, including commission rates, account maintenance fees, and any additional charges for services or transactions.

Investment Options: Consider the range of investment products available through the broker, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, options, and more.

Customer Support: Assess the quality of customer support provided by the broker, including responsiveness, availability, and expertise of support staff.

Roles and Responsibilities of Stock Brokers: Stock brokers play a multifaceted role in the financial markets, with responsibilities that encompass:

Trade Execution: Executing buy and sell orders on behalf of clients in a timely and efficient manner, ensuring best execution and price improvement where possible.

Investment Advice: Providing personalized investment advice, market insights, and recommendations based on clients' financial objectives, risk tolerance, and investment preferences.

Research and Analysis: Conducting fundamental and technical analysis, generating research reports, and offering insights into market trends, company performance, and investment opportunities.

Portfolio Management: Designing and managing investment portfolios tailored to clients' needs, objectives, and risk profiles, rebalancing portfolios as necessary to maintain optimal asset allocation.

Compliance and Regulation: Adhering to regulatory requirements, maintaining client confidentiality, and upholding ethical standards and industry best practices.

Conclusion: In the dynamic world of investing, stock brokers serve as invaluable partners, guiding investors through the complexities of financial markets and helping them navigate towards their investment goals. Whether through traditional full-service firms, online platforms, or specialized institutional services, stock brokers play a vital role in facilitating the exchange of securities and fostering wealth creation. By understanding the definitions, histories, types, selection criteria, and roles of stock brokers, investors can make informed decisions and harness the expertise of these professionals to enhance their financial success.

#finance #investing stocks #stock trading #stock #stock market

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olko71 · 11 months ago

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New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2024/01/post-office-paid-fujitsu-95m-to-extend-horizon

Post Office paid Fujitsu £95m to extend Horizon

Reuters

By Ben King

Business reporter, BBC News

The Post Office has paid Fujitsu over £95m to extend the troubled Horizon IT system for two years after a plan to move to Amazon had to be abandoned.

A serving postmaster told the BBC the software is still unreliable, and causes money to disappear.

Costs and delays are still dogging the Horizon project more than two decades after the contracts were first signed.

The Post Office said it plans to start trialling a new system in branches this year.

When Fujitsu won the contract to install computer terminals in over 17,000 Post Office branches around the UK, it called it “the biggest non-military IT project in Europe”, designed to automate and simplify everything from selling stamps to paying pensions.

Nearly 28 years later, it is still in use throughout the country, still plagued with difficulties, and the Post Office is struggling to replace it.

It led to what has been called one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in British history. Thousands of sub-postmasters who used Horizon to manage their businesses were held accountable for losses which were not their fault, with 983 receiving criminal convictions.

Their plight received new public attention this year when ITV broadcast a drama series about their fight for justice.

Horizon is still in use in UK Post Offices to this day. One postmaster, who runs two Post Offices in the South East of England and spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said the system is still unreliable.

“You still get shortfalls. You can’t trust it. You can’t rely on it.” However, since the sub-postmasters won their court case in 2019, the Post Office is more likely to resolve significant disputes in the sub-postmaster’s favour, he said.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “As you would expect, we have made significant changes in the way we work with Postmasters.”

Abandoning the cloud

Horizon is currently housed in two Fujitsu-owned data centres in Belfast. In December 2022, the Post Office abandoned a plan to move it onto the vast network of data centres run by Amazon – a more up-to-date, flexible and robust system used by thousands of other online services known as ‘the cloud’.

“Everything seems to be ‘in the cloud’ these days,” a Post Office announcement breezily noted in 2022. “You may well use the cloud to store photos and music on your devices, for example.”

But later that year, the plan proved too difficult, and was abandoned.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “The age of Horizon and the complexity involved meant that particular programme proved too technically challenging and costly. A decision was taken in November 2022 to discontinue this particular programme and resulted in a need to extend support services for our current data centres.”

The cost of abandoning this plan was £31m, according to the the Post Office’s latest accounts, published in December and first reported by The Stack news website.

The Horizon contract was meant to expire in 2023 but the challenges of replacing it have been so great that it has been extended twice – for £42.5m in 2021, and again last year in two contracts worth £16.5m and £36.6m.

These take the contract up to 1 April 2025, at a total cost of £95.6m.

The Post Office justified the £16m contract extension because a “program to transfer the services to a new cloud provider created fundamental technical challenges that POL [Post Office Limited] could not economically and technically overcome.”

The Post Office is still working on a replacement for Horizon, dubbed “New Branch IT”. The first installations were meant to happen last year, but it is behind schedule.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are still working to come off Horizon. We’ve been testing basic mails transactions live on this new system in two pilot branches. Next, we are adding and testing more mails and back-office functionality. After evaluation, this will be the version that we plan to install in pilot branches later in 2024.”

In 2022 the Post Office awarded Accenture a £27m contract to assist with moving their IT systems onto the cloud, and a separate contract to work on the user interface for the new system.

The Post Office’s accounts also note that: “A further impairment review at the cash generating unit (“CGU”) level was performed during the year resulting in an additional impairment of capitalised software costs of £115 million.”

In accounting terms, an impairment usually means that an asset which was once considered valuable has become less valuable, creating a loss for the business. The Post Office has not given the BBC more detail about how this loss had come about.

Fujitsu and Accenture declined to comment.

Ben King is on X (formerly Twitter)

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