View Full Version : Is the World at war with the US Dollar?
Dunkirk101
01-04-2008, 06:33 PM
First China announced that they were no longer interested in doing international trading with the US Dollar, then OPEC announced that as far as they were concerned, the US Dollar was nothing more than a "worthless piece of paper,then Iran annouced that they were no longer interested in selling oil in US Dollars.. now india has joined the Bandwagon :(
Thanks but no thanks! India curbs tourist dollars
Posted online: Friday , November 16, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Friday , November 16, 2007 at 10:46:39 Print Email To Editor Post Comments
New Delhi, November 16: Indian authorities have ruled that tourists visiting the country's monuments must pay at a fixed local rupee rate rather than in dollars to shore up revenues as the greenback falls against major currencies.
Entrance to many sites for foreign tourists in India is priced in dollars and then converted to rupees, meaning that authorities have been losing money this year as the dollar slid more than 12 per cent against the local currency.
The Ministry of Culture said in a statement that the move was "to avoid any anomaly on account of falling exchange rates of US dollar vis-a-vis Rupee and consequent fall in revenues".
The government had fixed a USD 5 entrance fee for World Heritage sites like the Taj Mahal and USD 2 for other monuments at a time when the dollar was worth about 50 rupees.
The dollar is now worth around 39 rupees.
The new rate for World Heritage Sites is fixed at 250 rupees, meaning a foreign tourist will pay the equivalent of about USD 6.50.
More than 4 million tourists visited India last year, bringing in around USD 6.6 billion in foreign exchange earnings.
link: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Thanks-but-no-thanks-India-curbs-tourist-dollars/239874/
sedan
01-04-2008, 07:44 PM
More than 4 million tourists visited India last year, bringing in around USD 6.6 billion in foreign exchange earnings.
Holy cow!!
Disney World's Magic Kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World#Attendance) gets four times that many in a year.
mikezila
01-04-2008, 07:55 PM
Holy cow!!
Disney World's Magic Kingdom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World#Attendance) gets four times that many in a year.
good for Disney, bad for the tourists that want to see one hell of a mausoleum....maybe they'll stay closer to home?
dharmabum
01-04-2008, 10:27 PM
What did we expect?
How can you have an economy if you don't produce anything?
MeskDXB
01-05-2008, 06:39 AM
What did we expect?
How can you have an economy if you don't produce anything?
Well I can only speak for steel as that's all I know. Right now the US is still making about 90 Million Tons of Steel per year. That is not so far off the 110 Million Tons before the 70s. So everybody thinks we don't make steel anymore, but we still make close to our max production.
Japan is at around 100 Million and India is only 38 Million Tons (what a shame since India has a population of 10 times of japan). Korea is at 45 Million.
The sad part is China is at about 500 Million TON PER YEAR!!! but that is just crazy - mind boggling stuff!
You would think with the dollar so low that many european and more japanese companies would move some production here! But with China providing such a good environment for production (low wages, light environmental laws, low power cost, tax incentives), everyone is running to china.
primitive man
01-05-2008, 08:03 AM
you can't beat america militarily. if it wants to it can beat anyone, excpet guerilla warfare. but you can kick americas ass economically.
waldo
01-06-2008, 07:14 AM
First China announced that they were no longer interested in doing international trading with the US Dollar, then OPEC announced that as far as they were concerned, the US Dollar was nothing more than a "worthless piece of paper,then Iran annouced that they were no longer interested in selling oil in US Dollars.. now india has joined the Bandwagon :(
link: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Thanks-but-no-thanks-India-curbs-tourist-dollars/239874/
In short no. That has got to be one of the broader mischaracterizations about the dollar in awhile. China is inextricably linked to the USD and the US economy.
Napsterbater
01-06-2008, 09:34 AM
That has got to be one of the broader mischaracterizations about the dollar in awhile.
That has to be one of the worst phrasings of a sentence I've seen in a while.
Foolsworth
01-06-2008, 07:04 PM
[QUOTE=Dunkirk101]First China announced that they were no longer interested in doing international trading with the US Dollar, then OPEC announced that as far as they were concerned, the US Dollar was nothing more than a "worthless piece of paper,then Iran annouced that they were no longer interested in selling oil in US Dollars.. now india has joined the Bandwagon :(
China Literally could not even exist w/o the United States as
a trading partner.Do what Pat Buchannan insists,and implement
trade tariffs and we'll see how far China Ruffles it's feathers
further.
MeskDXB
01-07-2008, 05:50 AM
[QUOTE=Dunkirk101]First China announced that they were no longer interested in doing international trading with the US Dollar, then OPEC announced that as far as they were concerned, the US Dollar was nothing more than a "worthless piece of paper,then Iran annouced that they were no longer interested in selling oil in US Dollars.. now india has joined the Bandwagon :(
China Literally could not even exist w/o the United States as
a trading partner.Do what Pat Buchannan insists,and implement
trade tariffs and we'll see how far China Ruffles it's feathers
further.
China with almost 1 Trillion USD is reserve, I don't think that's true anymore!!
mikezila
01-07-2008, 09:18 AM
[QUOTE=Foolsworth]
China with almost 1 Trillion USD is reserve, I don't think that's true anymore!!
where do you think what little wealth they have comes from? there's only so much world market in rubber dog poo.
Freethinker
01-08-2008, 04:13 PM
First China announced that they were no longer interested in doing international trading with the US Dollar, then OPEC announced that as far as they were concerned, the US Dollar was nothing more than a "worthless piece of paper,then Iran annouced that they were no longer interested in selling oil in US Dollars.. now india has joined the Bandwagon.
The Empire is crumbling right before the eyes of the ConservaFascist scum who run this country. As soon as the US dollar is no longer the international reserve currency, it's game over for The Prosperous Few who've been running America...{right into the ground}.
One wonders how big the circuses will have to be now (you can forget about those reptilian bastards using bread to distract the masses.....might cut into the precious Corporate bottom line, doncha know) in order to keep Mr and Mrs Joe Sixpack distracted and unaware.
Decka
01-10-2008, 01:29 AM
*marvels at the ego of FT... wow
and I might add.. the U.S. dollar really doesn't make that much of a difference on how much it is worth IMO.. unless it is a DRASTIC change. It's more of just a symbolic thing.
MeskDXB
01-10-2008, 06:00 AM
*marvels at the ego of FT... wow
and I might add.. the U.S. dollar really doesn't make that much of a difference on how much it is worth IMO.. unless it is a DRASTIC change. It's more of just a symbolic thing.
huh? Even with china the dollar has dropped over 10% in the last 2 years. That means we (americans) have to pay 10% more to import chinese goods. Europe is a a no brainer - everything from Europe is more expensive for us now. Look at the prices of cars from germany. The S class mercedes could be bought around 2 years ago for around $ 75,00 to $ 90,000 (depending on engine size options etc.). Now it is well over $ 100,000!!
What does that mean for you and me? INFLATION!
Although the low us dollar should increase our EXPORTS. We should see more European automobiles build some factories here - but it ain't happening - because China is too attractive (for my company too by the way)
MeskDXB
01-10-2008, 06:07 AM
As soon as the US dollar is no longer the international reserve currency, it's game over for The Prosperous Few who've been running America...{right into the ground}.
China has 1 trilliion US dollars in reserve. I don't think they can change to Euro overnight. It will take decades! The chinese are the smartest people I know. Against the Dollar, the RMB has gone down only about 10%. It is still pretty much pegged to the Dollar. However, against the EURO, the RMB has gone down by 30%. So, that makes chinese products EVEN MORE attractive to the Europeans. I guess now, the chinese can start building their Euro reserve by exporting to Europe. With the help of Walmart, Carrefour, etc. this will be easy for Chinese.
MeskDXB
01-10-2008, 06:09 AM
[QUOTE=MeskDXB]
where do you think what little wealth they have comes from? there's only so much world market in rubber dog poo.
Doesn't matter where it came from anymore. China has the reserves now and they can subsidize ANY sector and in turn increase their reserve. It is a great model they have put together!!
waldo
01-11-2008, 06:09 AM
huh? Even with china the dollar has dropped over 10% in the last 2 years. That means we (americans) have to pay 10% more to import chinese goods. Europe is a a no brainer - everything from Europe is more expensive for us now. Look at the prices of cars from germany. The S class mercedes could be bought around 2 years ago for around $ 75,00 to $ 90,000 (depending on engine size options etc.). Now it is well over $ 100,000!!
What does that mean for you and me? INFLATION!
Although the low us dollar should increase our EXPORTS. We should see more European automobiles build some factories here - but it ain't happening - because China is too attractive (for my company too by the way)
i'm wondering where u've got the notion that the remnibi is depreciating against any of the major currencies. In fact just the opposite has been happening, it's appreciating.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/eae9b6c4-a892-11dc-ad9e-0000779fd2ac.html
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/27/content_463598.htm
MeskDXB
01-11-2008, 06:30 AM
i'm wondering where u've got the notion that the remnibi is depreciating against any of the major currencies. In fact just the opposite has been happening, it's appreciating.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/eae9b6c4-a892-11dc-ad9e-0000779fd2ac.html
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/27/content_463598.htm
Hi. Those are old. today the RMB is 10.7 to the Euro. A year ago it was 10.05. That is called depreciated. It is because the RMB is closely pegged to the Dollar (with a little play of course). The $ has been depreciating against the Euro so in turn the RMB is depreciating (a little) against the Euro. Why only a little against the Euro? Because the RMB has APPRECIATED about 10% against the Dollar. The chinese government controls this very steadfastly.
Check it out at www.xe.com. I use the rates here for all my international trade. You can see historical data etc.
paulc
01-11-2008, 03:27 PM
A couple years ago the £/$ was £1=$1:56 or there abouts, never fluctuated much.
Now its £1=$2:03 :)
MeskDXB
01-12-2008, 05:37 AM
A couple years ago the £/$ was £1=$1:56 or there abouts, never fluctuated much.
Now its £1=$2:03 :)
exactly...since the RMB is "closely" pegged to the Dollar and the the Dollar has depreciated against MOST currencies...then so would the RMB.
Same with in UAE (where I lived recently), the Dirham is pegged to the Dollar at around 3.67 Dhs to the Dollar. Dollar has fallen drastically against the Euro, so now, the Durham is hurting because European products have become very expensive for them.
waldo
01-12-2008, 06:02 AM
Hi. Those are old. today the RMB is 10.7 to the Euro. A year ago it was 10.05. That is called depreciated. It is because the RMB is closely pegged to the Dollar (with a little play of course). The $ has been depreciating against the Euro so in turn the RMB is depreciating (a little) against the Euro. Why only a little against the Euro? Because the RMB has APPRECIATED about 10% against the Dollar. The chinese government controls this very steadfastly.
Check it out at www.xe.com. I use the rates here for all my international trade. You can see historical data etc.
December 12 is old? It might be depreciating vis-a-vis the euro but against the USD it's been steadily appreciating.
MeskDXB
01-12-2008, 06:58 AM
December 12 is old? It might be depreciating vis-a-vis the euro but against the USD it's been steadily appreciating.
I'm not here to argue. I never said that it wasn't appreciating against the dollar. See my post where i say it has "appreciated" against the Dollar by 10% over last year its right in my post that you quoted "Because the RMB has APPRECIATED about 10% against the Dollar.". So, it seems you just want to argue. There are other threads in politics, religion, etc. where some good fights are going on. I'm not here to argue about the stupid RMB.
The Praetorian
01-13-2008, 03:33 AM
[QUOTE=mikezila]
Doesn't matter where it came from anymore. China has the reserves now and they can subsidize ANY sector and in turn increase their reserve. It is a great model they have put together!!
Uh huh - looks like we're fucked!!! ::bites nails::
MeskDXB
01-13-2008, 06:22 AM
[QUOTE=MeskDXB]
Uh huh - looks like we're fucked!!! ::bites nails::
not really..i think they are fucked a little bit now...their trillion reserve won't buy them what it used to buy them worldwide...:D
The Praetorian
01-13-2008, 06:42 AM
Exactly. And without their ability to sell us our own goods, I willingly await what their currency will amount to.
Oh, wait.....they're making all their "own" money now, aren't they? My bad.
Silly Americans and their 12.5 trillion dollar GDP......Pfffft.
MeskDXB
01-13-2008, 09:05 AM
yep. the trillion reserve is nothing compared to our GDP. But China's GDP is getting bigger every year and plus they have reserve. I wonder what we have in reserve.. does anybody know?
The Praetorian
01-13-2008, 09:12 AM
yep. the trillion reserve is nothing compared to our GDP. But China's GDP is getting bigger every year and plus they have reserve. I wonder what we have in reserve.. does anybody know?
Well, I don't know, but without our industry, what I DO know is they've got shit. BTW, I respect and understand what you're saying here.
paulc
01-13-2008, 12:37 PM
The US/EU should put sanction on them,
and boycott goods from the PRC.
It must be the most brutal dictatorship on the planet.
Freethinker
01-13-2008, 09:50 PM
the trillion reserve is nothing compared to our GDP. But China's GDP is getting bigger every year and plus they have reserve. I wonder what we have in reserve.
I'll tell you what this country **has in reserve**, paul.
It has an endless goddamned line of uber-Conservative Corporate lapdogs waiting to be handed the reins of power in Washington.
mikezila
01-13-2008, 10:07 PM
The US/EU should put sanction on them,
and boycott goods from the PRC.
It must be the most brutal dictatorship on the planet.
should, but the WalMart lobby likes cheap imports.
Cromagnon
01-14-2008, 12:12 AM
When I left Perú by november 2000, before the clown stole the us elections, the exchange rate for 1 usd was 3.5 soles, but today the exchange rate is of less than 3.0 soles per 1 us dollar. The us dollar has lost value against the currency of a poor country... Imagine the value lost with the rich nations.
DarkFantasy96
01-14-2008, 12:29 AM
Indeed.... Costa Rica's currency (which devalued insanely against the dollar between 2004 and 2006 - from less than 300 colones per dollar to almost 500) has now stabilized against the dollar, and is at the same level it was last year. Costa Rica isn't a poor country though, despite their almost worthless currency - they have the highest standard of living of any Latin American country. I suppose that's because the people there wised up and put their savings in dollars!
The Praetorian
01-14-2008, 12:22 PM
When I left Perú by november 2000, before the clown stole the us elections, the exchange rate for 1 usd was 3.5 soles, but today the exchange rate is of less than 3.0 soles per 1 us dollar. The us dollar has lost value against the currency of a poor country... Imagine the value lost with the rich nations.
And yet, unfortunately, you people are still coming here in droves.
That said, thanks for pointing out the obvious when a particular currency is devalued, Einstein. Just think, if you left the US for Peru RIHGT NOW, by 2012, your precious 'sole' might be worth more than 33 cents. Hell, I'd give it a whirl if I were you. I mean, that's just good business and solid extrapolation, IMHO.
DarkFantasy96
01-14-2008, 01:46 PM
And yet, unfortunately, you people are still coming here in droves.
That said, thanks for pointing out the obvious when a particular currency is devalued, Einstein. Just think, if you left the US for Peru RIHGT NOW, by 2012, your precious 'sole' might be worth more than 33 cents. Hell, I'd give it a whirl if I were you. I mean, that's just good business and solid extrapolation, IMHO.
How do you know he's from Peru? Perhaps, like I did with Costa Rica, he just happened to know about the Peruvian currency because he lived there or visited there, and he used it as an example. I think you're a little too harsh sometimes, Prae.
Also, the fact that the sole is worth 33 cents really means nothing... For example, a Costa Rican colon is worth 1/500th of a dollar. But the colon in Costa Rica is not used the same way the dollar is here. The smallest coin is 5 colones (about one cent), and people regularly carry around bills in denominations of 1,000 to 10,000 ($2-$20). Most things cost about the same as they do here.
The Praetorian
01-14-2008, 03:14 PM
How do you know he's from Peru? Perhaps, like I did with Costa Rica, he just happened to know about the Peruvian currency because he lived there or visited there, and he used it as an example.
I could've sworn he said something about being from South America before. Call it a hunch.
I think you're a little too harsh sometimes, Prae.
It just pisses me off when someone comes here (ostensibly to make a better life for HIMSELF) only to take pride in calling our commander in chief a "clown", and if not to add insult to injury, he fires off wildly obnoxious, offensive, and unprovable claims that our president "stole" the election. I guess the irony here lies in the fact that I couldn't hold on to my Nikon for 10 minutes in Lima, but here, according to this self-ascribed cromagnon, we're the real crooks, and our entire system is corrupt...:rolleyes: These accusations are old hat, and I'm sick of hearing 'em, period.
Also, the fact that the sole is worth 33 cents really means nothing... For example, a Costa Rican colon is worth 1/500th of a dollar. But the colon in Costa Rica is not used the same way the dollar is here. The smallest coin is 5 colones (about one cent), and people regularly carry around bills in denominations of 1,000 to 10,000 ($2-$20). Most things cost about the same as they do here.
Thanks, but that wasn't really my point.
MeskDXB
01-14-2008, 05:47 PM
Well, I don't know, but without our industry, what I DO know is they've got shit. BTW, I respect and understand what you're saying here.
Well its lesser and lesser everyday. Steel is a good indicator of a developing country's economic strength since it is a basic need. Right now China is making over 500 Million Tons of steel a year and exporting only 60 Million tons - 12%. Rest 88% they are consuming domestically. And that's only one industry. So, its not true anymore that China is fucked if we stop buying. They'd sure be hurtin', but not fucked.
P.S. Thanks for the respect and understanding - its mutual!
LiquidFork
01-14-2008, 05:55 PM
[quote=DarkFantasy96 - they have the highest standard of living of any Latin American country.![/quote]
that isnt saying very much for the overall whole of the latin american region.
DarkFantasy96
01-14-2008, 06:05 PM
that isnt saying very much for the overall whole of the latin american region.
Why would you say that?
Costa Rica's standard of living is very very high. You can tell because you see kids there in the same trendy (and expensive!) clothing brands as here, a bachelor's degree is so common that it's no guarantee of a good job (just like it is here), etc. Costa Rica is nowhere near a poor country. They have poor people, of course, just like we do here, but those are mainly the people who live far out in the wilderness away from the city. They also have quite a low crime rate, especially compared to other Latin American countries. I believe their violent crime rate is even quite a bit lower than that of the U.S.
LiquidFork
01-15-2008, 02:54 PM
Why would you say that?
probably because of this....
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/dg/povertys.nsf/de9638da553fbfbf8525678a0070b1af/330c1d953b1ee12e85256b22005b24a4?OpenDocument
General characteristics. About 159,000 households are poor, nearly one-third. 33% of whom have incomes below the poverty level and exhibit unsatisfied basic needs (UBN). The poor tend to have less schooling and thus are more likely to be illiterate than the non-poor; are often found among female-headed households; often live in rural areas, which have twice the poverty headcount as the national average; are mostly self-employed, and are less likely to be among the economically active population; and have larger households, with more children, and a higher percentage of children 12 years old and younger.
Unsatisfied basic needs are more common among rural households. The structural poor comprise over half the female population, both rural and urban. Moreover, female heads of households tend to be poor and show double the unemployment rate of male counterparts. The urban poor are characterized by substantially higher rates of open unemployment, especially among heads of households. Higher unemployment is exhibited in female household heads among the structural poor and in the poverty-line poor of both urban and rural areas.
Education. As much as 50 percent of school-age children do not attend school; and among the unsatisfied basic needs (UBN) poor, about 40 percent of children ages 7 to 10 are not in school. These are significantly higher rates than for the poverty-line poor and non-poor. Access to education is low in rural areas, and school attendance is much lower after age 10 than in urban areas. This contributes to a significant difference in average years of schooling for family heads of households by sector of employment: for agriculture it is only 4.7 years, whereas in non-agricultural sectors it is 7.4 years.
A high proportion of structural poor and UBN poor use public health services due to good coverage by the social security system and guaranteed access to subsidized health services. On the other hand, participation rates in all poverty categories is low compared to the non-poor, since the poor are much less likely to participate in formal social security programs. This helps to explain why there is lower coverage for the urban structural poor than for any rural poverty category. Access and participation of the non-poor to public health services subsidized by the social security system appear the same as that of the poor; however, the treatment of poor clients by public health service personnel is an issue. Users must wait for extended periods to receive treatment and are commonly treated rudely by health workers. Among the structural poor, attendance of pregnant women at medical control centers was comparatively low, while a greater proportion of those women who do go to control centers, only see a nurse and not a medical doctor.
As for regional differences, the highest aggregate poverty levels and also the highest numbers of poor in the structural poverty and poverty line categories live in regions outside the Central Valley. In the Metropolitan Area, the structural poor, poverty line poor, and the UBN poor constitute 24.8 percent of total households. On the other hand, structural, poverty line, and UBN poor comprise nearly 40 percent of households in the “rest of urban” areas, and 45 percent of the households in the “rest of rural” areas. This is also true for structural poverty, for which the “rest of urban” and “rest of rural” areas represent more than twice that observed in the Metropolitan Area. A concentration of poor agricultural workers live in the Brunca and Chorotega regions, both of which are outside the Central Valley.
Public Expenditure. The share of national wealth devoted to social expenditures in Costa Rica has been among the highest in the LAC region at levels between 15 and 18 percent of GDP over the last 20 years. This underscores both the commitment and cost of building the country’s commendable level of social infrastructure. However, the fiscal effort implemented in connection with the stabilization and adjustment of programs of the 1980s and 1990s kept the level of social expenditures below the level of that of the seventies. Recovery of 1985 levels of per capita expenditures occurred by 1993 in priority social areas; however, at about 19 percent of GDP in the 1992-95 period, social expenditures are slightly under their mid-seventies level. Since the eighties, there have been important expenditure reductions in education and health. Unless the pension system is rationalized and more carefully targeted and administered, it will continue to be a drain on public expenditures and constrain policy efforts to increase flows to social programs directed to the needs of the poor. Other than social security, the only notable increase in terms of per capita expenditures after 1990 occurred in housing, where the redistributive impact of social policy is difficult to assess.
In essence, the broadly-based welfare concept has not allowed sufficient resources to reach the poor and has limited their access to education, training, and employment that could help them exit poverty. What will be needed — in consonance with the recommendations of the 1990 World Bank Social Sector Spending report — is better targeting and a commensurate reduction of expenditures for benefits going to groups who are among the non-poor.
The main impediment to the Government of Costa Rica in meeting the needs of the poorest are: an inappropriate institutional environment that interferes with the efficient delivery of social services to the poor (over 31 programs accounting for 12 percent of social expenditures); fiscal unsustainability of social policies caused by rigidities in the structure of employment and salaries in the public sector, as well as growth of pension payments, tax subsidies, and the service of domestic public debt.
Statistical System. Periodic household surveys have been conducted by the government since 1976. Starting in 1987, methodological changes were introduced to improve income data (Encuesta de Hogares de Propositos Multiples, EHPM). Between December 1992 and February 1993, the government administered another instrument, the Social Investment Survey (Encuesta Inversion Social, ENISO), specifically designed to collect information suitable for analyzing and appraising the effectiveness of social policies. The ENISO survey methodology permits a combination of the conventional poverty line approach with the notion of Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN). The UBN approach uses a Basic Food Basket (BFB) that distinguishes between urban and rural areas, and allows the factoring of price differences by region.
Although different methodologies have been used in Costa Rican household surveys, the current measurement of poverty gives relatively robust results compared to earlier approaches. Nevertheless, to generate consistent, internationally comparable time-series estimates of the status of the poor, will require a more complete data set than currently captured by the EHPM’s poverty line. This is important, given that the needs of the structural poor are apparently not being met adequately and that the overall distributional effect of social benefits has remained.
Dont get me wrong Costa rica has made huge improvments over the past 15 years or so to fix the poverty level. But this under developed country is a long way away before it should be bragged on. The latina america region population has a 75-80% of the people slightly unfer the poverty line,so to brag on the best of the worst is not that great of a compliment. If it was not for the tourism industry latina america would be worse off than the poorests areas of africa.
DarkFantasy96
01-15-2008, 03:12 PM
I like how you excluded the first paragraph... A little sleight of hand making it look like 33% of Costa Rican households are in poverty...
Costa Rica has had notable success in reducing poverty and improving social welfare. Poverty affected 48 percent of households in 1982; gradually, by 1994, only 15.8 percent of households were estimated to be living in poverty
And that's 1994 - Things have improved exponentially since then. For example, the town I lived in didn't even have electricity in 1994 (not until 1998!), and now most families have cars and nice houses. This is all due to the tourism boom of the last 10 years. Your data is very old - that page was last modified in 1999. Personally I wouldn't put much stock in any of those figures, since they are all at least 8 years old, and I have personally met people who lived in shacks in the jungle 10 years ago who are now in large houses with two cars and take vacations and whatnot. And the town I lived in was the absolute worst of Costa Rica (besides the shantytowns of the illegal Nicaraguans and probably the jungle villages of the Indian tribes). Most people didn't go to school past 7th grade there, it's true, but in the city most people go through high school and at least 2 year technical school. Everyone has access to a doctor - the clinic is fairly nearby and very affordable. In the nearest "large" town (they might have had 1,000 people) there was a clinic, a pharmacy, two dentists, and an orthodontist. The point is, your data doesn't cover the time of the MOST improvement in Costa Rica - the last 10 years.
LiquidFork
01-15-2008, 05:26 PM
I didnt even know you lived there,or had a personal stake there. if I knew that I would of simply believed you rather than search the web for insight. Ofcourse looking back I see the page hasnt been updated in some time. If you seach "costa rica and poverty ranking" it is the second or third search to come up.
I didnt involve the first paragraph because i believe it to be totally true and used it in my own assessment of costa rica at the bottom in my own words. I figured it would have more substance if the fact was portrayed in my own words since i was the seemingly opponant of the meaning.
I did find out alot about costa rica through out my little search. it seems thier trandformation in the last 15 years should be a blueprint for all of latin/central america.
Once again I didnt know you lived there or i would of taken your words for it. I have only been there twice and it was a pleasnt experiance both times. Latin America is beatiful.
DarkFantasy96
01-15-2008, 05:32 PM
Yep, I did live there for 2 years... Of course that alone doesn't mean that I know a lot about it, but living there inspired me to do more research, so now I know quite a lot about the history, culture, and economy of Costa Rica, as well as its relations with the U.S. They have been one of our closest allies in the area, and the fact that they have no military has helped keep them Democratic and protected them from the military coups and dictatorships of many places in the area.
Cromagnon
01-18-2008, 02:17 AM
And yet, unfortunately, you people are still coming here in droves.
That said, thanks for pointing out the obvious when a particular currency is devalued, Einstein. Just think, if you left the US for Peru RIHGT NOW, by 2012, your precious 'sole' might be worth more than 33 cents. Hell, I'd give it a whirl if I were you. I mean, that's just good business and solid extrapolation, IMHO.
"Get that thick finger of yours of your ass, and stop sucking it", maybe you could start thinking... And learn something... Since all your coments are just shit coming out of your mouth... Anything you ever write only shows how miserable you must feel.
You queer!!!!!
DarkFantasy96
01-18-2008, 09:07 AM
"Get that thick finger of yours of your ass, and stop sucking it", maybe you could start thinking... And learn something... Since all your coments are just shit coming out of your mouth... Anything you ever write only shows how miserable you must feel.
You queer!!!!!
Wow... Mmkay, sorry I defended you. You're just as rude as he is, apparently.
The Praetorian
01-18-2008, 02:16 PM
"Get that thick finger of yours of your ass, and stop sucking it", maybe you could start thinking... And learn something... Since all your coments are just shit coming out of your mouth... Anything you ever write only shows how miserable you must feel.
You queer!!!!!
LMAO! If that's all you got, then you're not even worth my time.
The Praetorian
01-18-2008, 02:17 PM
Wow... Mmkay, sorry I defended you. You're just as rude as he is, apparently.
"As rude"???? Pfffft - whatever.
DarkFantasy96
01-18-2008, 02:28 PM
"As rude"???? Pfffft - whatever.
Hey, I didn't say as funny or as intelligent... just as rude. :D
The Praetorian
01-18-2008, 02:40 PM
You're right...when I initially wrote it, I called him a "barefoot Indian". That WAS rude. I changed it later because of that fact. This time, I think I'll leave it in. :)
DarkFantasy96
01-18-2008, 03:15 PM
You've said more offensive things, dear. :p