In a damning indictment of the Eurozone's economic policies, and of the folly of joining a single currency system, the youth unemployment (18-24) level in Greece has risen to a disgusting 64.2%.
Levels of unemployment such as this are normally associated with third world countries in the midst of a civil war, or the equivalent. Yet Greece is, allegedly, a first world country and is meant to be an "equal" member of a powerful and prosperous economic block (ie the Eurozone).
The reality is that Greece is not treated as an equal, it should never have joined or been allowed to join the Eurozone and the prosperity within the Eurozone is not evenly spread but confined to the wealthy Northern economies.
As such it is clear that as an experiment the Eurozone is destined to fail, indeed the world will be a better place without it. However, with levels of unemployment such as this in Greece the real danger is that of a plague of dictatorships and civil unrest spreading country by country in the Southern members of the Eurozone.
In order to survive as a democracy and civilised society Greece needs to exit the Eurozone now, others such as Cyprus need also to consider their positions.
Oh and by the way, in case anyone cares, today is Europe Day!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
DIY or HIRE??
You might remember me talking about wanting to paint our media cabinets dark grey last week. They are currently Sherwin Williams Divine White (flat) and Jamestown Blue (Sherwin Williams??) on the back wall.
And I want to paint them dark grey like this:
I actually don't WANT to paint them myself, so I called the painter who painted my office for $100 (well worth it in my opinion) to get a quote. I'm not sure what I expected, but it sure wasn't $750! He said he would paint it with his spray gun and the cost is really in the care he has to take in covering everything else in the house so it doesn't get sprayed with paint.
I politely declined.
My question is: Is this something I can tackle myself? I painted the back wall, but that was easy, no drawers and doors, etc. I really admire all you DIYers out there that wouldn't even hesitate to paint this yourself, but I'm very hesitant because I want it to look good, especially because it's such a focal point in the room.
Would you paint it yourself?
What do you think is a reasonable price to pay to hire someone?
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And please come say hi to Jenna at SAS Interiors- she invited me over to talk about creating a meaningful home. Thanks for having me Jenna!
And I want to paint them dark grey like this:
I actually don't WANT to paint them myself, so I called the painter who painted my office for $100 (well worth it in my opinion) to get a quote. I'm not sure what I expected, but it sure wasn't $750! He said he would paint it with his spray gun and the cost is really in the care he has to take in covering everything else in the house so it doesn't get sprayed with paint.
I politely declined.
My question is: Is this something I can tackle myself? I painted the back wall, but that was easy, no drawers and doors, etc. I really admire all you DIYers out there that wouldn't even hesitate to paint this yourself, but I'm very hesitant because I want it to look good, especially because it's such a focal point in the room.
Would you paint it yourself?
What do you think is a reasonable price to pay to hire someone?
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And please come say hi to Jenna at SAS Interiors- she invited me over to talk about creating a meaningful home. Thanks for having me Jenna!
Euro Downright Dangerous
Kudos to Lars Seier Christensen, chief executive of Saxo Bank, who has vented his spleen on the Eurozone.
He said that it was clear that the eurozone would eventually break up, as Brussels claimed even more power and used it “ever more poorly”. He also, wisely and correctly, noted that "short term" capital restrictions are always introduced as "short term" but end up being long term; and warned that there will be many more.
As per the Telegraph, he said:
He said that it was clear that the eurozone would eventually break up, as Brussels claimed even more power and used it “ever more poorly”. He also, wisely and correctly, noted that "short term" capital restrictions are always introduced as "short term" but end up being long term; and warned that there will be many more.
As per the Telegraph, he said:
"Euro denominated assets will remain unattractive, and downright dangerous, to hold for years to come."A wise man indeed!
Monday, May 6, 2013
BOY
My little baby is turning into a full fledged BOY. We had a date night last Friday which included a trip to the bookstore (his request) and dinner at a restaurant, just the two of us. I told him when I dropped him off at school that when I picked him up we were going on a date. Hours later when I returned, the first thing he said when I walked into his class was, "Are you ready for our date, Mom?" So sweet!
But he's not all sweet all the time anymore. He wants to play rough, pretend he's Darth Vader, and challenge me. We can't go anywhere without his lightsaber or Mack/Mater/McQueen. He tells me, "No," goes straight to time-out for one minute, and then chastizes with that pouty face, "Don't be ugly to me!" And he wants to negotiate all the time. Mr. Let's Make A Deal, I swear.
He's developing his independence and exploring the world. Finding out what he likes to do and what makes him happy. Testing boundaries and asserting himself. Asking questions and making connections. Struggling with discipline and rules. Getting so good at talking and communicating. He might be more and more boy, but he is still so friendly and outgoing, talks to everyone, and loves to give hugs and kisses. He's already teaching me more about myself as a person and woman and mother than I'm probably offering him. I get lessons in patience and self-control and staying "in the moment" daily. I'm so proud to be his mom- I feel like I should thank him on Mother's Day for coming into my life and making me a mom. It's the best thing in the whole world.
But he's not all sweet all the time anymore. He wants to play rough, pretend he's Darth Vader, and challenge me. We can't go anywhere without his lightsaber or Mack/Mater/McQueen. He tells me, "No," goes straight to time-out for one minute, and then chastizes with that pouty face, "Don't be ugly to me!" And he wants to negotiate all the time. Mr. Let's Make A Deal, I swear.
He's developing his independence and exploring the world. Finding out what he likes to do and what makes him happy. Testing boundaries and asserting himself. Asking questions and making connections. Struggling with discipline and rules. Getting so good at talking and communicating. He might be more and more boy, but he is still so friendly and outgoing, talks to everyone, and loves to give hugs and kisses. He's already teaching me more about myself as a person and woman and mother than I'm probably offering him. I get lessons in patience and self-control and staying "in the moment" daily. I'm so proud to be his mom- I feel like I should thank him on Mother's Day for coming into my life and making me a mom. It's the best thing in the whole world.
Abby M. Interiors
Happy Monday friends! Over the weekend I was thrilled to hear my friend Abby announce the launch of her new interior design blog, Abby M. Interiors. I've been following Abby since she first started blogging (A Delightful Design) and we started our blogs around the same time- hard to believe it's been about 3 years now! I think Abby is so talented and beyond classy and I'm just so happy for her success. It takes a lot of bravery and determination to follow your dreams, so big KUDOS to you Abby!
Here is a sampling of some of her work, but you can visit her new blog for more photos and info about hiring her for your own project.
All photos via Abby M. Interiors.
Have a great week!
Here is a sampling of some of her work, but you can visit her new blog for more photos and info about hiring her for your own project.
All photos via Abby M. Interiors.
Have a great week!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Basket Addiction
Happy almost Weekend! If you have a chance, head on over to my friend Jen (I Heart Organizing) where I'm sharing my tips on how to organize your home with baskets! I must have at least 50 baskets over here, what about you??
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Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Cable Calls For Decision on Fred Goodwin
Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, is less than pleased that action has yet to be taken by Scottish prosecutors against Fred "the shred" Goodwin (the former CEO of RBS) and other senior directors of RBS for their role in its demise.
The Telegraph reports that Cable has written to Lord Wallace, the Government’s chief legal adviser in Scotland, demanding to know when a decision will be made on whether to ban the former bankers from sitting on company boards.
The Telegraph reports that Cable has written to Lord Wallace, the Government’s chief legal adviser in Scotland, demanding to know when a decision will be made on whether to ban the former bankers from sitting on company boards.
Cable first asked Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to consider prosecutions in January 2012.
The irony being of course, despite Cable's desire for speed, if a decision to prosecute was taken the trial would be lengthy and extremely complex. Any successful prosecution would then be appealed, and the resulting quagmire of appeals and counter appeals/hearings would take years to resolve, not to mention cost a small fortune.
The question that Cable needs to ask himself is will such a lengthy prosecution really serve the public interest?
A cynic might argue that Cable is playing to the gallery.
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