Rime posted:

The interesting thing about Russia is how utterly post-development it's become. I mean, those oligarchs could be squeezing double or triple the profit out of their holdings if they were willing to upgrade the infrastructure out of the dark ages but instead they're just riding on the wreckage from the Soviet Union. For example, this is Norilsk, the largest Nickle / Palladium mine and smelter on earth:



It hasn't seen any upgrades in over half a century and it's one of the most polluted regions on the entire planet. The sheer wasted efficiency on display here alone, let alone all the other industrial sites across Russia, is truly staggering. Another good example is the time an explorer went inside the NPO Energomash rocket factory and revealed it to be this mad max-esque crumbling ruin that is also manufacturing the countries supply of highly explosive liquid propellant.

Russia isn't the inevitable result of Communism, it just took a rapid shortcut to where unrestricted Capitalism will have the rest of the world in a few more decades.

less than three posted:

I understand what you're getting at but I'd say things like this demonstrate that Canada isn't a capitalist society, not really. It's a pure kleptocracy. SNC-Lavalin managed to gain control of facilities like this not through the accumulation of capital but rather through patronage and corruption. No capitalist would allow their capital to depreciate that badly unless they had absolutely no choice. SNC-Lavalin doesn't care because they didn't put the capital into the infrastructure, they are pure rentiers, living off long ago invested capital of other people.

Rime posted:

less than three posted:

I understand what you're getting at but I'd say things like this demonstrate that Canada isn't a capitalist society, not really. It's a pure kleptocracy. SNC-Lavalin managed to gain control of facilities like this not through the accumulation of capital but rather through patronage and corruption. No capitalist would allow their capital to depreciate that badly unless they had absolutely no choice. SNC-Lavalin doesn't care because they didn't put the capital into the infrastructure, they are pure rentiers, living off long ago invested capital of other people.

less than three posted:

I understand what you're getting at but I'd say things like this demonstrate that Canada isn't a capitalist society, not really. It's a pure kleptocracy. SNC-Lavalin managed to gain control of facilities like this not through the accumulation of capital but rather through patronage and corruption. No capitalist would allow their capital to depreciate that badly unless they had absolutely no choice. SNC-Lavalin doesn't care because they didn't put the capital into the infrastructure, they are pure rentiers, living off long ago invested capital of other people.

Rime posted:

The interesting thing about Russia is how utterly post-development it's become. I mean, those oligarchs could be squeezing double or triple the profit out of their holdings if they were willing to upgrade the infrastructure out of the dark ages but instead they're just riding on the wreckage from the Soviet Union. For example, this is Norilsk, the largest Nickle / Palladium mine and smelter on earth:



It hasn't seen any upgrades in over half a century and it's one of the most polluted regions on the entire planet. The sheer wasted efficiency on display here alone, let alone all the other industrial sites across Russia, is truly staggering. Another good example is the time an explorer went inside the NPO Energomash rocket factory and revealed it to be this mad max-esque crumbling ruin that is also manufacturing the countries supply of highly explosive liquid propellant.

Russia isn't the inevitable result of Communism, it just took a rapid shortcut to where unrestricted Capitalism will have the rest of the world in a few more decades.

etalian posted:

So which province will produce the best Canadian mail order brides?

David Corbett posted:

Definitely not Alberta, which already suffers from a surplus of men.

quote:

The Canadian Real Estate Assocation says house prices continued to climb in 2014.

Robert Turcic Construcion business owner Roger Turcic says people have no problem spending money on their house.

“We have a lot of work booked up ahead which is different than it been in years past,” said Turcic. “It basically tells me that people are willing to spend money on their homes and get the renovations they want to make their home exactly what they want and be comfortable in it.”

The average house price, which was over $413,000, rose 5.7% compared to this time last year.

In Collingwood, the average price is $348,000 and in Barrie it is $371,000.

While those prices rise, the bank of Canada has said the housing market could be between 15 and 30% overvalued, and that is concerning because of the amount of debt the average Canadian has.

Oil prices have created uncertainty in the Canadian economy.

Jason Ruttan, a real estate broker in Wasaga Beach, says the concerning numbers are only because of markets in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver.

“We think there is great value for what you can get, bigger bang for your buck, in our area compared to other areas in the province,” said Ruttan. “Our prices might be a little less than average, but I think if you were to compare square footage, features, and quality of construction, I think you would find that there is great value in our area.”

In southern Georgian Bay the number of homes worth between $800,000 and $1,000,000 increased 90% from last year.

Baronjutter posted:

I'd say Vancouver has a pretty unique identity, it's just a really lovely one. It's not trying to be anywhere else and has actually influenced a lot of other places. The whole glass "po-to" condo tower James Cheng style condo forest is a proud Vancouver export.

etalian posted:

Vancouver, the cayman islands for Mainland china

Jumpingmanjim posted:

Wtf is a hootsuite?

Cultural Imperial posted:

imagine you wrote a cron job to send a tweet at a very specific time of day.

Cultural Imperial posted:

imagine you an unpaid intern wrote a cron job to send a tweet at a very specific time of day.

Cultural Imperial posted:

imagine you wrote a cron job to send a tweet at a very specific time of day.

Cultural Imperial posted:

imagine you wrote a cron job to send a tweet at a very specific time of day.

quote:

Excelerate Energy's Texan liquefied natural gas terminal plan has become the first victim of an oil price slump threatening the economics of U.S. LNG export projects.

A halving in the oil price since June has upended assumptions by developers that cheap U.S. LNG would muscle into high-value Asian energy markets, which relied on oil prices staying high to make the U.S. supply affordable.

The floating 8 million tonne per annum (mtpa) export plant moored at Lavaca Bay, Texas advanced by Houston-based Excelerate has been put on hold, according to regulatory filings obtained by Reuters.

The project was initially due to begin exports in 2018.

Excelerate's move bodes ill for thirteen other U.S. LNG projects, which have also not signed up enough international buyers, to reach a final investment decision (FID). Only Cheniere's Sabine Pass and Sempra's Cameron LNG projects have hit that milestone.

less than three posted:

At least the LNG pipe dream is collapsing before the government pisses away countless dollars to subsidize TFW built refineries, then proceed to collect next to zero tax revenues all to try and save face.

Lexicon posted:

It's barely housing related, but I simply can't get enough of this guy's shoddy financial analysis. I even added his site to my RSS reader!

http://www.freedomthirtyfiveblog.com/2014/12/2014-year-end-review.html

Qur'an 30: 39 posted:

TO him who is of kin to thee give his due, and to the poor and to the wayfarer: this will be best for those who seek the face of God; and with them it shall be well.
Whatever ye put out at usury to increase it with the substance of others shall have no increase from God: but whatever ye shall give in alms, as seeking the face of God, shall be doubled to you.

Ezekiel 22:12 posted:

In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.

25:35-37 posted:

If your brother becomes poor, and his ability [to earn a living] is weakened - give him a hand - so that he can live with you. Do not take from him interest; you shall fear your G-d and let your brother live with you. Do not lend him your money with interest, nor your food shall you lend at an increased price.

Blade_of_tyshalle posted:

I wish it was a little harder to get credit, honestly. Then maybe I wouldn't have been given a $2000 Visa when I was 19 and making $7/hr. The people at RBC who set me up with that card should really be ashamed; what made them think it was appropriate to give someone with no credit history that much limit?

I'm choosing to believe in good faith here, guys, that they didn't screw me on purpose

Blade_of_tyshalle posted:

I'm choosing to believe in good faith here, guys, that they didn't screw me on purpose

Blade_of_tyshalle posted:

I wish it was a little harder to get credit, honestly. Then maybe I wouldn't have been given a $2000 Visa when I was 19 and making $7/hr. The people at RBC who set me up with that card should really be ashamed; what made them think it was appropriate to give someone with no credit history that much limit?

I'm choosing to believe in good faith here, guys, that they didn't screw me on purpose

PT6A posted:

It's still your choice to spend or not spend the money. [...] debt is a dangerous but useful tool, and you need to be able to understand what situations you should use it in.

Blade_of_tyshalle posted:

Sure, and I agree with this. I did make the choice to blow money with no regard to how I'd afford it later. At the time, I was a complete imbicile about money. I spent and spent and eventually maxed the card out with interest and such. I'm still paying it off, ten years later, because I just didn't know enough about how credit works to have been given that kind of access to it; I've been in lovely finances since and only been concentrating on paying it down the past year or so. I'll get there eventually.

Anyway, I really should not have been given the limit I was given. I hosed myself with a generous amount of help from my bank, and I'm still dealing with the fallout. Not all of us grow up in financially competant homes, after all; both my parents are so bad with money they've each declared bankruptcy twice. Neither one of them was competant enough to advise me on how to handle that card, and I've had to learn an excruciatingly hard lesson as a result.

Lexicon posted:

^ it'll never happen, but I agree completely that education is the ideal solution here.

See also: discussion in the politics thread about the old chestnut "I can't do any more overtime or I'll be bumped into the next tax bracket and make less money"