what happened to the großrossiya thread

[Dinner]

The reason you debt has spiralled is because you guys have spent six years dithering. If you had set yourselves to doing the hard work of reforming, liberalizing the economy, and privitizing all those things the government should never have owned anyway then your economy would have started growing again years ago. Plus the privitizations sales would have raised money to pay down debt. Instead you guys chose to do nothing but sit there, not improving the economy, and just letting debt pile up. Not a smart move on your part.

Hell, to this day your government continues to block the construction of new hotels to protect special interests in the form of existing hotels from competition. That is madness. You should be welcoming any and all foreign investment as it creates jobs and economic growth plus the additional capacity would make your tourism industry more competitive.

[Saras]

Latvia has the lowest wage per hour: just 2 dollars.

not true, more like €3,4.

One in 6 has migrated. Its population is down to 1957 levels. That's the reason umeployment is down.

So if a guy from Lyons leaves and gets a job in Paris (and keeps sending money to his mom in Lyons), that's horrible. Also, not sure about Latvia, but in Lithuania over half of emigration was ex-Red Army officers and families, mostly first half of nineties.

It had a 20% contraction. Even with the current growth level (that is unsustainable anyway) it will someday reach its 1987 levels of GDP.

It ALSO had the mother of all real estate bubbles 2005-2008. The "economy" of 2008 was full of hot air. There is no policy, other than the government continuing to buy overpriced apartments and expensive land plots indefinitely, that could have prevented this contraction.

Its social state is dismantled. Schools that can't afford electricity are shut down.

Factually untrue. Also, Latvia and Lithuania have extremely bloated (in physical terms, not in monetary ones) public sectors - top decile in beds(also teachers, nurses, doctors, cops etc)/1000 population. These numbers have to go down for the state to afford better pay for these employees (and also demand better performance, which now is (SWAG) bottom decile).

All the baltics are the poorest EU members and have undergone brutal austerity.

Lithuanian GDP/Capita is higher than Greece. Point set match. Also, you suck at basketball

The only reason they accepted that is to prove they are "good northern europeans" because they have recently gained their independece from Russia and don't want the chance to lose it again.

And you gleaned this from years of anthropological studies of Baltic cultures, mores and opinions?

[Dinner]

Euro 4 per hour? So the minimum wage in California in the 1990's? Not bad.

Honestly, the Baltic states sound like great places to go on vacation. Much better than over priced Greece.

[Saras]

Honestly, the Baltic states sound like great places to go on vacation. Much better than over priced Greece.

Yea, not right now though, unless temperatures below that in your freezer are your thing.

[Bereta_Eder]

Euro 4 per hour? So the minimum wage in California in the 1990's? Not bad.

Anyway not in the mood for serious discussion although I do appreciate saras contributions.

and for dinner the essense begins at 1:55

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oAff_Eiwhs

[Bereta_Eder]

And Lithuania is indeed great, a friend went to visit and loved it

[Saras]

And Lithuania is indeed great, a friend went to visit and loved it

I liked Greece, too. My second Western European country, visited it in 1991 while shooting Mozart's Requiem in Meteora with Azuoliukas boys choir!

[onodera]

I liked Greece, too. My second Western European country, visited it in 1991 while shooting Mozart's Requiem in Meteora with Azuoliukas boys choir!

Isn't it to the east of Lithuania?

[Saras]

Isn't it to the east of Lithuania?

It had Cocacola and nice shops, you know what I mean, smartass

[Dinner]

Anyway not in the mood for serious discussion although I do appreciate saras contributions.

and for dinner the essense begins at 1:55


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oAff_Eiwhs

She's cute. I am sure Greece is a lovely country with lots to see and do which is why it is maddening that it is run so poorly. On a different note, I am currently eating a salad (damn new year's resolution) but I did top it with some Riga Gold Smoked Sprats which I bought specifically because it was from Latvia.

[onodera]

It had Cocacola and nice shops, you know what I mean, smartass

We had Pepsicola, not good enough for you?

[Saras]

We had Pepsicola, not good enough for you?

I'm not from Generation P

[The Mad Monk]

I like Pepsi.

It was originally marketed as a remedy for indigestion (hence the name), for which I find it is well suited.

[The Mad Monk]

http://satwcomic.com/two-ways-about-it

Finns are always talking about how much the cold doesn't bother them, while Russians refuse **** around with it.

I once traveled in the winter with a group of friends. Most of us were just wearing a winter jacket, but the one Russian wore no less than two woolen sweaters and two thick jackets, wrapped a scarf around his head and put a hat on top.

6th January 2016

[pchang]

I like Pepsi.

Coke just hasn't been the same since they took the coke out.