Central Perk: 20 sept. 2014

sâmbătă, 20 septembrie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

French Farmers Upset Over Falling Prices, Torch Tax and Insurance Offices, Dump Produce

Posted: 20 Sep 2014 10:18 AM PDT

As a direct result of sanctions on Russia, there is an overabundance of fruits and vegetables in France, Spain, Poland, and elsewhere in Europe. Basic law of supply and demand dictates prices of crops would fall. And they did.

While most foolishly want to stick it to Russia, few actually are willing to pay the price if it affects them.

Here is another case in point: French Farmers Torch Tax Office in Brittany Protest.

French vegetable farmers protesting against falling living standards have set fire to tax and insurance offices in town of Morlaix, in Brittany. The farmers used tractors and trailers to dump artichokes, cauliflowers and manure in the streets and also smashed windows, police said.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls condemned protesters for preventing firefighters from dealing with the blaze.

The farmers say they cannot cope with falling prices for their products.

A Russian embargo on some Western goods - imposed over the Ukraine crisis - has blocked off one of their main export markets.

About 100 farmers first launched an overnight attack on an insurance office outside Morlaix, which they set light to and completely destroyed, officials said. They then drove their tractors to the main tax office in the town where they dumped unsold artichokes and cauliflowers, smashed windows and then set the building on fire.

Everyone Loses

The French protest underscores the stupidity of sanctions. No one wins. Russia does not get fruits and vegetables, but European growers lose income.

France actually the worst end of it, with a tax office destroyed and widespread discontent spreading. In Russia, support for Putin is at all-time high.

Sanctions will never work.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

The World Is United in the Fight Against ISIL

Featured

Weekly Address: The World Is United in the Fight Against ISIL

In this week's address, the President thanked Congress for its strong bipartisan support for efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces to fight ISIL. This plan is part of the President's comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy to degrade and destroy the terrorist group, and does not commit our troops to fighting another ground war. America, working with a broad coalition of nations, will continue to train, equip, advise, and assist our partners in the region in the battle against ISIL.

In the coming week, the President will speak at the United Nations General Assembly and continue to lead the world against terror, a fight in which all countries have a stake.

Click here to watch this week's Weekly Address.

Seth's Blog : What everyone reads

What everyone reads

Everyone used to read the morning paper because everyone did. Everyone like us, anyway. The people in our group, the informed ones. We all read the same paper.

Everyone used to read the selection of the book of the month club, because everyone did.

And everyone used to watch the same TV shows too. It was part of being not only informed, but in sync.

Today, of course, that's awfully unlikely. Only 1 or 2 percent of the population watch the typical 'hit' show on cable. Of course, it's entirely possible that everyone in your circle, the circle you wish to be respected by, is watching the same thing, but that circle keeps getting smaller, doesn't it?

And when 'everyone' isn't part of the picture any more, when the long tail is truly the only tail, plenty of people stop trying. They stop reading difficult books or watching less-than-thrilling video, and they don't push themselves to do the hard stuff, because, really, why bother?

Society without a cultural, intellectual core feels awfully different than the society that we're walking away from.