You mean cultural norms that differ from nation to nation effects how that country deals with public policy?

...the mud people from Dilbert?

Mentalpatient87: ...the mud people from Dilbert?

No, you're thinking of Druidia.

Downside: you have to live on the Baltic sea north of 55º.

Enjoy that SAD.

At least he learned the age old lesson...

See that roses really smell like boo-boo
Yeah, roses really smell like boo-boo

Approves.

I was in Estonia around '97 or so. It looked as though you could walk at a brisk pace and elude the police cars; I think they were using Ladas.

Beautiful city, Tallinn. They were still digging out from the Soviet matrix at the time, but it was a fascinating place to be.

Estonia grows beautiful women. Anything else is gravy

JasonOfOrillia: Downside: you have to live on the Baltic sea north of 55º.

Enjoy that SAD. Nordic summers are brief, but freakin' wonderful. If you haven't seen the midsummer bonfire reflect in the ocean and partied through the brief, twilit night, you've missed out on a good thing.

(In winter, you huddle up inside, drink and read long, bleak novels. Nothing good is free.)

Yeah, but that's where where Dr. Doom reigns.

Smeggy Smurf: Estonia grows beautiful women. Anything else is gravy

Thats old Europe

right, so, why don't we just balance our budget, jack up import tarrifs 10% across the board, setting them at 10% if they're currently 0, etc. ?

-mL

I am pretty sure Estonia has a really high public debt to GDP ratio. Then again, maybe I am thinking of Latvia or Lithuania.

/ but do they have hot women there?

BarbadoSlim: Yeah, but that's where where Dr. Doom reigns.

I think you have Estonia confused with its neighbor Latvia.

I think they moved to Scandinavia recently

Loki-L: BarbadoSlim: Yeah, but that's where where Dr. Doom reigns.

I think you have Estonia confused with its neighbor Latvia.

No, no, that's Liberia.

Smeggy Smurf: Estonia grows beautiful women. Anything else is gravy

They hit the wall hard though. When I on the defense side of GM I was involved in selling a lot up armored pickups and stuff to the Baltic States. Most of the women hit the wall at about 35 or so, likely an artificat of malnutrition growing up during the Soviet era.

One factor the article forgot to mention is Russia. Russia is good for an invasion about twice every century, give or take a little. The governments focus heavily on preparing for the next time the Russian Bear shows up and the people understand that. It definitely impacts the Baltic psyche. Save up and get ready for the next guerrilla movement against Russia. Putin of course only makes people even more concerned.

GypsyJoker: Loki-L: BarbadoSlim: Yeah, but that's where where Dr. Doom reigns.

I think you have Estonia confused with its neighbor Latvia.

No, no, that's Liberia.

No, this is Patrick!

I visited Estonia a few years ago and loved it. Talinnin is a fantastic city and I want to go back soon.

When a Greek leaves a sunny country filled with olive trees, magnificent beaches and warm sea foam, when he leaves a place where summer lasts for seven months

Writer has never lived in Greece (or even spent seven months there).

I wonder in what country women age the best?

I have observed that in the country just south of the United States they put on a lot of weight in their 20's, and it stays on.

JLEM: When a Greek leaves a sunny country filled with olive trees, magnificent beaches and warm sea foam, when he leaves a place where summer lasts for seven months

Writer has never lived in Greece (or even spent seven months there).

Apparently Greece is somewhere in Westeros, now.

In northern, central, and eastern Europe, the more you do to kick our Russian influence, the cleaner you are. Really. Name any country in northern, central, or eastern europe, and its level of corruption is directly tied to how closely tied it is with Russia. Estonia started succeeding the minute it kicked the Russians out. Ukraine is failing the moment it is letting Russians back in. The only exceptions to this are probably Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, who simply take Russian money, but those countries, by doing so for Russians thieves and other desirables, have been not much better than high class whores for a long time.

And their unemployment rate is only 13%! Wait that's bad right?

I like the sound of it, but it's definitely not America, that's for sure. That system would never work here. Their success isn't institutional; it's cultural. America tried the exact same thing back in the 20s and it was a miserable failure because Americans are NOT transparent or trustworthy. Hell, America is hyperbureaucratic precisely because Americans are so untrustworthy. I just recently closed on a house and every single damn clause in the mortgage agreement as well as every right the bank was obligated by the state to disclose read like a closed loophole that was repeatedly raped until it was sewn shut by red tape.

Basically, the article was written by a reporter wearing rose-colored lenses covered in teabagger jizz. American businessmen and politicians are corrupt, greedy liars, and trying to become a second Estonia won't change that.

To put it another way, there are tame dogs and dangerous dogs. Chaining a tame dog is an unnecessary restriction of freedom, but letting loose a dangerous dog doesn't suddenly make it tame. Ideologues are idiots.

JLEM: When a Greek leaves a sunny country filled with olive trees, magnificent beaches and warm sea foam, when he leaves a place where summer lasts for seven months

Writer has never lived in Greece (or even spent seven months there).


QFT, I been back to "The old country", and what I recall was scorching arid heat, smog, litter, an ocean full of jellyfish fronting a beach filled with human trash. Oh that warm sea foam? Probably "agricultural runoff" aka: feces, human or otherwise. If you want to see unspoiled beautiful Greece, you need to sail the islands, or better yet, the Croatian coast, just stay the fark on the boat, Greece is a shiathole.

bmihura: I wonder in what country women age the best?

I have observed that in the country just south of the United States they put on a lot of weight in their 20's, and it stays on.

I don't know if you've noticed, but women in the United States do that now, too.

FuturePastNow: bmihura: I wonder in what country women age the best?

I have observed that in the country just south of the United States they put on a lot of weight in their 20's, and it stays on.

I don't know if you've noticed, but women in the United States do that now, too.

You're right. It's starting to become trendy in the United States too.

CitizenTed: bmihura: I wonder in what country women age the best?

In my experience, the Czech Republic has an inordinately huge number of screaming hot chicks in their 40's.

Czech women, though, have a habit of being rather, well... handle them with great care, is all I'll say. And that only gets worse with age.

If you consider driving your GDP to 85% of its 2007 level in order to balance your budget a success, then I guess you should indeed move to Estonia...

TFA: "making sure that their legal system, administration, legislature and economic system were as far from socialist as possible"

Good thing we're working to do that right now ... oh, wait, we're going the opposite direction. Thanks, BHO.

Erik_Emune:
(In winter, you huddle up inside, drink and read long, bleak novels. Nothing good is free.)

Heh. My husband has recently complained "Why are all the great countries cold?"

What is their percentage of the successful and attractive types.

/guess I'm the only one who noticed that elephant standing there

dragonchild: I like the sound of it, but it's definitely not America, that's for sure. That system would never work here. Their success isn't institutional; it's cultural. America tried the exact same thing back in the 20s and it was a miserable failure because Americans are NOT transparent or trustworthy. Hell, America is hyperbureaucratic precisely because Americans are so untrustworthy. I just recently closed on a house and every single damn clause in the mortgage agreement as well as every right the bank was obligated by the state to disclose read like a closed loophole that was repeatedly raped until it was sewn shut by red tape.

Basically, the article was written by a reporter wearing rose-colored lenses covered in teabagger jizz. American businessmen and politicians are corrupt, greedy liars, and trying to become a second Estonia won't change that.

To put it another way, there are tame dogs and dangerous dogs. Chaining a tame dog is an unnecessary restriction of freedom, but letting loose a dangerous dog doesn't suddenly make it tame. Ideologues are idiots.

Well put. I would argue that a lot of the loopholes are geared toward institutions - or should be - but we all suffer when they're left open, and yet we all chafe when they're all closed. Which is really an ugly statement, because I know that quite a lot of Americans are hard-working and relatively honest. And they have zero power. :\

Holy insane bullshiat batman. That place a cyber criminal's wet dream.

He_Hate_Me: If you consider driving your GDP to 85% of its 2007 level in order to balance your budget a success, then I guess you should indeed move to Estonia...

There is something to be said for austerity, but every person in favor of it in America wants someone else to do the suffering for them. The politically powerless wind up paying the heaviest price. Difficult to balance a budget that way. I'm not a Keynesian idealist; I'm a realist who understands that Keynesian economics works best for Americans.

I am sincerely happy for Estonia, and I hope Americans don't read this thinking it's a real-life Galt's Gulch. I shudder to think of the things Wall Street would do to that country.

Aidan: Well put. I would argue that a lot of the loopholes are geared toward institutions - or should be - but we all suffer when they're left open, and yet we all chafe when they're all closed. Which is really an ugly statement, because I know that quite a lot of Americans are hard-working and relatively honest.

As do I. The honest and hard-working ones aren't why I inspect every product I buy, read every contract I sign and lock my doors at night.

Robo Beat: Druid

No, it was definitely Estonia. Druidia is from Spaceballs.

GypsyJoker: I was in Estonia around '97 or so. It looked as though you could walk at a brisk pace and elude the police cars; I think they were using Ladas.

The Lada copy-of-Fiat-131 seems to be the standard rally car in countries like Hungary.

Not a bad choice. Before Ford released the MkIi Escort onto the world, the 131 was the rally car to have.

Sweden is also doing okey....


"The Swedish economy emerged from the financial crisis as one of the strongest in Europe. A high-tech local economy and a comprehensive system of welfare benefits allow Sweden to enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Sweden has one of the most globalized and competitive economies today.

From the early 1990s until 2008, Sweden enjoyed a sustained economic upswing fueled by strong exports and rising domestic demand. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Sweden entered a recession. Heavily dependent on exports of autos, telecommunications, construction equipment, and other investment goods, Sweden was hit hard by the contraction in external demand due to the global financial and economic crisis. As a result, GDP fell 4.9% in 2009.

GDP grew by 5.5% in 2010, beating expectations. It is expected to grow 4.2% in 2011. The Swedish economy bounced back more quickly than other similar economies due to strong public sector finances and a reliable export-driven economy. Main Swedish exports include machinery and transport equipment, chemical and rubber products, food, clothing, textiles and furniture, and wood products. Exports and investments are rapidly increasing, and the Swedish export market is expected to grow by 8% each year through 2013."

Smeggy Smurf: Estonia grows beautiful women. Anything else is gravy

I was going to say... damn hotties there to warm up the nights

dustlesswalnut: Robo Beat: Druid

No, it was definitely Estonia. Druidia is from Spaceballs.

That's the joke, Captain Wetblanket.

Robo Beat: Mentalpatient87: ...the mud people from Dilbert?

No, you're thinking of Druidia.

actually, its Elbonia

dustlesswalnut: Robo Beat: Druid

No, it was definitely Estonia. Druidia is from Spaceballs.

Not technically Estonia. The country in Dilbert is a fictional one called Elbonia.

I've got a buddy who works for Skype, and travels to Estonia all the time. He'd get a kick out of these replies, I assure you.

harbingerofdoom: Robo Beat: Mentalpatient87: ...the mud people from Dilbert?

No, you're thinking of Druidia.

actually, its Elbonia

No, that was Robonia.

BarbadoSlim: harbingerofdoom: Robo Beat: Mentalpatient87: ...the mud people from Dilbert?

No, you're thinking of Druidia.

actually, its Elbonia

No, that was Robonia.