ebaynut

Understandable Explanation of Derivative Markets:   Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit . She realizes that   virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such,   can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she   comes up with new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink   now, but pay later.   She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting   the customers loans). Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later"   marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers   flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any   bar in Detroit .   By providing her customers' freedom from immediate payment demands,   Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially   increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages.   Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.     A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that   these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases   Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern,   since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.   And, he has an MBA to back up this analysis.     At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these   customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These   securities are then bundled and traded on international security   markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities   being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of   unemployed alcoholics.     Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities   soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading   brokerage houses.     One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk   manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to   demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.   He so informs Heidi.     Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being   unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts.   Since, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into  bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs.     Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and   PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The   collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank's liquidity and prevents   it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity   in the community.     The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment   extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various   BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off   her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the   bonds.     Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a   family business that had endured for three generations. Her beer   supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the   local plant and lays off 150 workers.     Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their   respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion   dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the Government. The   funds required for this bailout is obtained by new taxes levied on  employed, middle-class, non-drinkers.     Now, do you understand? [:-))]

[quote user="Pierre ZFP"] To put it in perspective, this land is on offer at 74 CENTS per sq metre.  or around €1 including fees. What else on earth could you buy so cheaply these days? have a search in your area for land on www.lebocoin.fr   I bet you don't find much for less that €10 per metre and a LOT more if it comes with building permission [/quote] And of course, it does go down a VERY long way also. [;-)]

[quote user="Russethouse"]    Immigrants add to our economy, in many cases we want and need them, or have done so in the recent past   [/quote] [IMG]http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk77/ebaynut/fallingdownlaughing.gif[/IMG]

[quote user="woolybanana"]It used to be  a conditon of asylum that the refugee does not take part in political activity; he has breached that and should be put on the first plane back or offered another country, such as Saudi. The comment concerning the BNP is stoopid.[/quote] Nah, buying WHAT make of camper van is stoopid.  [:-))]

[quote user="Quillan"] I also saw one of those found guilty of extreme behaviour being interviewed, he seemed to complaining about HIS country being bombed etc. Perhaps, as he seems not to like it in the UK, he might consider going back to HIS country yet somehow I doubt he ever would. [/quote] Your application form to join the BNP has been sent to you, with a statement like this I am sure you will be approved.  [Www]

[quote user="Russethouse"]  . Even those with squeeky clean intentions sometimes go overdrawn, in the past the bank taking 3 days to clear a cheque hasn't helped, but in any case charging £30 for a service that costs £2.50 isn't going toassist anyone, it just makes the problem worse. http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/reclaim/2009/11/bank-charges-qa-door-reopened-for-reclaimers [/quote] Of course it helps someone, it helps the banker take further control of the life of the unfortunate who run in to unexpected problems / greedy person/ thick moron, (take your pick) who has borrowed the money. Remember the government want people to keep their money in bank accounts, not under their beds so they can keep a check on everyone. Charging to keep it in a bank account would see more people withdrawing their finances for mattress filling.

O/H receives DLA at higher rate (both components), and has for years. She is unable to receive IB as when her illness struck she was not paying Nat Ins stamps as she was a mother with young children, and was looking after them all day. We have been in touch with Blackpool within the last nine months and told quite clearly that receiving DLA does not entitle you to an E121. Are you sure that other people who you know of who are receiving an E121 are not being granted it as they have another benefit which does qualify? Still not of great importance at present to ourselves as with such a weak pound it would be madness to move at present for us. But still wise for us to keep up to date with what is happening.

As stated above an E121 "SHOULD"  be given with other exportable benefits apart from IB, but it is not being granted. It may well be that legal action may be brought against the UK government for withholding E121's, but none of this has happened and at present you will not get an E121 with any other exportable benefit than IB.   If you have the time and the will to take on the UK government on this, again I wish you good luck.   When this whole saga of changing the health rules in French took place a couple of years back, I contacted all my local MEP's, the only one who replied within the first month ( a 45 minute phone call)  was Tom Wise from UKIP, and look where he is now!!!!!  

If you are planning to move to France and do not intend to work when there, and I take it from what you have stated you will not be, the only way you can legally do it is by having an E121 issued to you. This would cover both yourself and your wife's healthcare. The only UK benefit that will enable you to obtain an E121 is Incapacity benefit. As Sprogster correctly states you cannot just pay to join the French system, you must take out insurance for healthcare and with your conditions you will not be able to. By French law you must have healthcare cover to legally live in France. As you state you do not receive any payment for incapacity benefit, it really is a matter of phoning Blackpool to check if you will be entitled. None of the other benefits you or your wife receive will entitle you to an E121. Please also be aware, just getting through to speak to someone is not easy, ALWAYS take the persons name you are talking to and find their extension number for future use. Good luck.

[quote user="Patf"] To go back to the OP - what about conscripting those young villains and sending them off to fight in Afghanistan? Give them something creative to do [:@] [/quote] Most likely where they came from in the first place. [;-)] Perhaps they are English afgans??????

[quote user="Quillan"] To be honest if I felt rather upset about this I think I would raise a petition and ask everyone, whatever their ethnic and religious background, to sign. I rather think that probably you would get just as many non Christians signing as Christians. The other thing of course is to claim discrimination under the Religious Discrimination Act which states.: The European Convention on Human Rights upholds freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the manifestation of religion and belief. This was included in the Human Rights Act (1998), but only applies directly to public bodies. and The religious discrimination regulations give protection against discrimination on the grounds of "any religion, religious belief or philosophical belief" in a similar way to the existing sex discrimination and race discrimination laws. The Equality Act 2006 widened this to specifically protect "lack of belief" as well. As the council is a 'public body' then they are discriminating against Christians by not allowing you to put Merry Christmas on their tree(s). I am sure you could get enough equally minded people to support you. Hope that helps. [/quote] But surely this is all part of the problem. Why should the English have to mess about putting in complaints because people have moved into their country and want to change things from how they were?  You might enjoy form filling and running to teacher ( government department) with your grips, most do not. [8-)]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="ebaynut"][quote user="Quillan"][quote user="ebaynut"] [/quote] [/quote] So you missed this part then??? [/quote]   Yes I did, sorry but I only read from the pages given on the left hand side. It still says 75% so do we assume the other 25% are white? Are these percentages representative of the whole of the UK? [/quote] I somehow thought you would only read the left side.  [;-)] Lets ignore the 75% then and concentrate on the 25% that may be white.  and no, I doubt the percentages represent the UK as a whole, YET.

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="ebaynut"] [/quote] Your right, I had to google it and their website is HERE . Strangely the 'Home' page has a gun held by a black hand and a white hand, the black hand clearly is masculine and the white hand feminine. I read through the site and there is absolutely nothing to back up you comments. I do agree that there is no requiremnt for guns in a modern society be they held by white, black, brown or little green people with bug eyes and as such they are mainly illegal (most of the time). [/quote] So you missed this part then??? Trident is an anti-gun crime operation that was set up in 1998 to help bring an end to a spate of shootings and murders among young, black Londoners. Over 350 police officers and 86 support staff work just on Trident. They are advised and informed by a group of black community leaders called the Trident Independent Advisory Group. 75% of London's gun crime involves the victim and suspect both coming from the capital's black communities. Trident was set up in response to black community members wanting the police to do something that specifically targeted the criminals affecting them. Trident only works because it is a partnership with community leaders combined with robust, intelligence based policing.

Maybe you have heard of "Operation Trident", (goggle it if you have never heard of it) it is the unit that tackles gun crime in the capital. Not any gun crime, but gun crime in the black community. I have a friend who serves in the Metropolitan police, one day I asked him if  there is a unit that tackles white gun crime in the capital, "no need for one " he replied.     I now predict a long list of links to sites showing crime committed by whites in London. [Www]  

[quote user="Russethouse"] Ebaynut, I hear this type of view from my 89 year old mother, I excuse her due to ignorance of the way life is outside her four walls - whats your excuse ? Many of those women and men you see wearing dress which is nor the norm here are  British . They were born in the UK, just like me (or you as far as I am aware)   [/quote] So if you are born in the UK its makes you British?? Does that mean that if a dog is born in a stable its a horse????  [Www]

[quote user="Cat"] [quote user="ebaynut"][/quote] Not very original, it's a rip-off (in places word for word) of an American piece http://www.snopes.com/rumors/thisisamerica.asp Also, when did councils start issuing driving licences? [/quote] I never said it was my creation, just something that had been sent to me, and is doing the rounds here in England. So apart from the licence part I guess the rest is OK then? BTW, Thanks for resizing it. [:)]

ENGLAND I think this really sums it all up. After hearing that many cities did not want to offend other cultures by putting up Xmas lights, so DIDN'T! After learning that the British Red Cross shops were instructed not to display Christmas decorations least they cause offence.  After hearing that the Birmingham council changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's licence with her face covered. You try it! After hearing of a Primary School in Birmingham where a boy was told that for PE they could wear Football League shirts (Aston Villa, Birmingham, West Brom etc) but NOT an England shirt as it could offend others ! This prompted the editorial below written by a UK citizen. and published in a British newspaper. IMMIGRANTS. NOT BRITONS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on London , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Brits. However, the dust from the attacks has barely settled and the 'politically correct' crowd begin complaining about the possibility that our patriotism is offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Britain . However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of England being a multicultural centre for community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Britons, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of wars, struggles, trials and victories fought by the untold masses of men and women who laid down their lives and of the millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language! If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.. If St.George's cross offends you, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our National Motto, or Our Way of Life, I encourage you take advantage of one other great British freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'. We didn't force you to come here. If you don't like it GO HOME!! You asked to be here.. So accept the country that accepted YOU. Pretty easy really, when you think about it..

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="ebaynut"][quote user="Quillan"] Dog - A serious question. You appear to have little or no positive things to say and in particular about the current political scene. I was wondering, seriously, what your solution would be and who you would like to see as MP's and which political party would you prefer to have in power (if any)? Also, what do you think can be done to sort out the current problems facing the UK? [/quote] Why would anyone want to do this?  So you can take the *iss out of the answers and spend the next week putting your point of view???? [Www] [/quote] Actually, NO believe it or not, it was a serious question. Having been very negative about politicians, politics etc in general I thought it might be nice to hear Dog's side/ideas. In fact I think everyone has stated their point of view and suggestions I just wondered if Dog might like to give us an insight in to his suggestions for sorting it out. We might be in for a surprise and find ourselves agreeing with him but not knowing they are we will never know. [/quote]# Do you know of ANYONE who has anything positive to say about the UK's current MP's and the banks???? ( except themselves)

[quote user="Quillan"] Dog - A serious question. You appear to have little or no positive things to say and in particular about the current political scene. I was wondering, seriously, what your solution would be and who you would like to see as MP's and which political party would you prefer to have in power (if any)? Also, what do you think can be done to sort out the current problems facing the UK? [/quote] Why would anyone want to do this?  So you can take the *iss out of the answers and spend the next week putting your point of view???? [Www]

[quote user="Quillan"] I have been trying to remember the name of a TV program I once watched but I can't, I think it was called something like 'How English are You'. Anyway the general gist was they selected a group of people and asked them how English they were. There were two people that I remember, a mature lady and Ian Wright the footballer. Whilst the first, who held opinions only very slightly to the left of 'him' and was ranting about the population being diluted by immigrants etc whilst Ian Wright was sure he came from Africa somewhere in his dim distant past. The then took DNA samples from which they could work out the region of the world their family line originated from. It turned out that the 'white' English aristocratic ladies DNA originated from Romany Gypsies in norther Russia and that Ian Wright had far, far more  English DNA in him that she did. Of course she claimed it was a setup, a fiddle etc, etc. The point I am coming to is wouldn't it be interesting if they did the same for 'him' and wouldn't it be a real scream if it turned out he came from some obscure coloured Jewish or Muslim part of the world or someplace similar. [/quote] It COULD be suggested that anyone who is truly English will know that they are, and other English people will also know this. ( like Masons know when they meet a fellow Mason, it would not take long to realize) People who keep calling into question what makes someone English  it could, be also  suggested are not English and know they are not, but would soooo love to be, but NEVER can. [;-)]

[quote user="Benjamin"]I posted earlier on the Blue Badge thread that some towns let badge holders park without paying. Why? Qualifying for a blue badge doesn't entail being poor and unable to afford parking fees. [/quote] No, but it may well impede someone's ability to earn as much as others.

[quote user="buelligan"]I think it would be useful if you would define the Values and Culture of the "English", tegwini.[/quote] Why are you so keen to know the answer to this question? Do you think that possibly you may have a test to take to see if you can become a British citizen at some time in the future and are looking for some tips? [8-)]

"that comment if very close to being racist and in particular something you would expect from a BNP supporter and I am sure you are neither." Are you ??????  [:-))]

[quote user="velcorin"] Looks like you can live in "England", if you wish, then Scooby. Don't think I'll make it, though, I'm second generation Dutch. Oh well, maybe they'll have me. Missis fails, and she's the one who wants escape France[8-)] [/quote] Why not try moving to "Dutchland" ????

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="velcorin"] [/quote] In the UK, my wife worked in one of the largest London hospitals for a while, they provide translators for in excess of 29 different languages and dialects of said languages, free of charge and the cost is taken from the hospitals budget.[/quote] Not free of charge at all Q, as you say comes from the hospital budget, PAID FOR by those who were here first, and can speak the English language. Do you think the English tax payer would prefer more services for the English, or 29 translations for those arriving who have not paid anything into the system???? Answer is we get what our government tell us we will have, time for a complete change of government me thinks.[:)]