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Lived in our current place for 5 years and we've spoken to our directly-across-the-street neighbors twice? Maybe three times. Neighbors on the corner? Nope, not even once. Now the neighborhood's being developed (it was fine as it was, especially before the developers 'accidentally' paved over the wetlands at the back of that parcel of land... I liked the chorus of frogs better than the retards that've bought the overpriced underbuilt pieces of poo poo that are there now) and I have exactly zero interest in getting to know any of these morons. Because of them and the desire to cater to their ridiculous 'need' to buy a house we've had to put up with construction noises and blasting 7 days a week from 7am to 7pm; we've had our road ripped to poo poo and unusable off and on over a 4 year span and earthmoving equipment parked in front of our house for days on end, blocking our driveway ingress/egress, fuckwits parking in front of No Parking signs to go check out the demo home, etc., etc., so frankly they can all go gently caress themselves with a chainsaw. They're why I bought a drum kit and play it (poorly... I'm a guitarist) with the windows open. Has the municipality upgraded the water lines or sewage or roads? gently caress no, let's just pack more people in here and, by the way, gently caress all the wildlife and trees and poo poo. For the record, I fully admit and acknowledge that I'm a raging misanthrope.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:13
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OhYeah posted:Don't smile, don't show any emotions especially happiness or being amused, never make eyecontact with anyone. Sounds similar to middle and high school dance functions in the US. Better to not dance and let people wonder how cool you are than dance and remove all doubt.
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Oct 5, 2015 21:56
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The Maritimes have a reputation for being friendly, but the reality is that doesn't really apply if you're not from here and definately not if you're not a "Old Stock Canadian".
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Oct 5, 2015 21:58
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Lived in my Vancouver condo for 4 years, talked to my next door neighbor maybe 5 times in that time span (and only saw her maybe ~10 times ever). Didn't know anyone else in the building except for a prior friend who moved in about a year after I did. Things are no different here in SF.
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Oct 5, 2015 22:30
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Man that's weird because I'm introverted as gently caress but I still talk to my neighbours from time to time.
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Oct 5, 2015 22:49
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I spent two weeks in Toronto for work in September and I talked with the people who lived in the building I stayed in more than I've talked to the people who live in my building in Vancouver in two years. Also people would just talk to me in elevators, on the subway and on the street. It was really weird. Hilariously, the 'rear end in a top hat' coffee place in Toronto (Sense Appeal) would rank like top three in friendliness in Vancouver. No one rolled their eyes as I ordered.
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Oct 5, 2015 22:53
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Maybe all the passive aggressive behavior and lack of general friendliness is a sign that yes Vancouver does have a real tech industry now?
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Oct 5, 2015 23:26
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THC posted:It's always the gooniest motherfuckers who try to strike up conversation with random strangers on the bus. And then they complain because turns out this isn't a very good way to make friends. Can't believe Im agreeing with THC but this is spot on. Same type of guys who hit on random women in the street and get upset because they're turned down constantly. "Ugh, women just don't like nice guys" Also, i hate people who complain about "everybody on their phones on transit, not caring about anyone else". I just show them this pic 
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Oct 5, 2015 23:40
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Yeah it's been like this for a long time; even before the advent of ubiquitous portable technology my parents were telling me not to speak to the neighbors because they were strangers and probably assholes. When people have something to complain about to one of their neighbors, they're way more likely to leave a passive-aggressive note than to risk actual confrontation.
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Oct 6, 2015 01:06
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People tend to demand more privacy when they spend more time in close proximity of each other because moments of not having do deal with other peoples bullshit become rare and precious.
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Oct 6, 2015 01:31
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In back to debt bubble news, I have an anecdote from the wilds of east van: This afternoon two realtors were going up the street, knocking on every single door, and aggressively trying to convince the owners that they should sell their houses. The main one was of indeterminate origin, had a Chinese translator with him. Now I've gotten countless flyers over the years but opening the door to a guy who immediately starts telling me how I should sell the house and have him represent me, rather than asking if I was considering selling or if I even owned the drat place, really got under my skin. The fuckers weren't even going back to the sidewalk, they were cutting straight across lawns from door to door. So I tore the flyer up in their face and told the scum to get off my lawn. 
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Oct 6, 2015 01:45
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Hey spergs. Remember a few hundred pages back when everyone was bitching how Canada lacked a Sov wealth fund like 1MDB, Dubai World and Norway ? Remember how I cautioned that sometimes concentrated pools of capital from resource funds are just as dangerous as giving that back to individual savers? Well, we now are starting to see what happens when large endowments find a sudden plunge in book marking will affect their distributions and obligations; kind of like subprime. Only, unlike subprime you can't find a large enough market to "bail-in" a saturated energy A&D market. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-05/norway-seen-plundering-its-wealth-fund-to-ward-off-oil-risks Read that very slowly. Take some time, it should change some views on SWF's. If it doesn't, wait 10 months and we can revisit the subject. And in response to Rime, if you looked at the MRLS listings the average home in the 800,000 - 3,000,000 range has fallen by about 38% since Jan 2014. Current stats are at $630/sq ft. for the 3 major civic centers (Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver). The mean price for the last 30 years? about $330/sq ft. inflation adjusted. So breathe deep, we should see a heavy leg down by March 2016. QE infinity withstanding.
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Oct 6, 2015 04:15
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Just ignore hal_2005 and don't waste your time trying to decode his autistic brain farts, divined from reading his superior's newsletter as if it were passed down from mount sinai. This article provides a much better explanation. https://next.ft.com/content/46a1abbc-6036-11e5-a28b-50226830d644 quote:Sovereign funds wake up to fiscal reality
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Oct 6, 2015 04:36
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I'm not really seeing the issue. Money saved up during the good years is now getting used during the bad years to avoid austerity. It's sound fiscal policy.
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Oct 6, 2015 06:28
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Xoidanor posted:I'm not really seeing the issue. Money saved up during the good years is now getting used during the bad years to avoid austerity. It's sound fiscal policy. No. You're supposed to cut taxes and create a deficit during the good years, and then blame the World Economy during the bad years. Did you even take Austrian Economics 101.
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Oct 6, 2015 06:57
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Wow Norway is in deep poo poo having to consider selling off some of its wealth fund, meanwhile Canada and Alberta in particular are laughing all the way to the bank with crippling mortgages and consumer debt and no wealth fund to speak of. Also loving  at Hal's false dichotomy between saving royalties in a wealth fund and just passing them off to taxpayers (hint: the third option is collecting minimal royalties).
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Oct 6, 2015 10:55
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Hal_2005 posted:Hey spergs. Remember a few hundred pages back when everyone was bitching how Canada lacked a Sov wealth fund like 1MDB, Dubai World and Norway ? Remember how I cautioned that sometimes concentrated pools of capital from resource funds are just as dangerous as giving that back to individual savers? If Alberta had a massive SWF it could do the same now while oil revenues are way down. But they don't so they can't. This is a good example of GWM decisions by Norway. Not sure where you're getting your conclusions from - not this article or this reality.
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Oct 6, 2015 12:24
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If only the Norwegians had used that money to build up truck equity.
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Oct 6, 2015 12:40
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cowofwar posted:Uh it is working as expected. Oil revenues down so now Norway will draw more interest from the fund and reduce transfers. Yeah the SWF concept is great since it saves money away during feast years in the commodity cycle and also prevents dutch disease from infecting the economy. Of course such practical concepts offend a Austrian School AI. eXXon posted:Wow Norway is in deep poo poo having to consider selling off some of its wealth fund, meanwhile Canada and Alberta in particular are laughing all the way to the bank with crippling mortgages and consumer debt and no wealth fund to speak of. Yeah in Alberta's case the province got no rainy fund reward from the oil boom and now has to face the crash without any significant financial cushion etalian fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 6, 2015 16:28
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Rime posted:
Niiiiiice, bet those guys had no idea they were dealin with a pro hustlin badass like you, bro
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Oct 6, 2015 16:33
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cowofwar posted:Uh it is working as expected. Oil revenues down so now Norway will draw more interest from the fund and reduce transfers. Yeah Norway's sovereign fund is incredibly smart and is an example of sound long-term fiscal planning by a country. Neoliberals are great at racking up deficits and debt because they want to cut taxes during bad times, but they never want to raise them during good times. It's just tax cuts all the way down. These people also think TPP is awesome because NAFTA worked out so great for the average Canadian citizen.
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Oct 6, 2015 16:47
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etalian posted:Yeah the SWF concept is great since it saves money away during feast years in the commodity cycle and also prevents dutch disease from infecting the economy. The Heritage Fund is Alberta's scarlet letter. The comparison with Norway's SWF is embarrassing, Alberta wasted it's chance for a permanently sound financial footing in exchange for (temporarily) lower taxes and short-term spending. Admittedly I don't think any other province would have done better, Canadian's aren't big on non-real estate investments so why should the government be different?
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Oct 6, 2015 16:48
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The other good thing about a well run sovereign fund like Norway's is takes risky commodity earnings and converts them into diversified assets. So even if the economy goes south the money is locked away in properly diverse investments that include things such as stocks, bonds, real estate and private equity.
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Oct 6, 2015 19:42
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Shut up u guys, let hal_2005 clear this thread of ignorance
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Oct 6, 2015 20:26
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Comparisons between Canada and Norway are interesting. On the one hand: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/behind-numbers/2015/10/how-have-canada-and-norway-managed-climate-change quote:Norway emits two-thirds as much carbon per capita as Canada: 9.2 Mt vs. 14.1 Mt. Canada has the third highest GHG emissions per capita of 17 OECD countries ranked. If Alberta were a country it would have the highest per capita emissions in the world, on par with Qatar. On the other hand: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/norway-regulator-raises-warning-housing-market-is-out-of-control quote:Norway’s housing market, which Nobel laureate Robert Shiller all the way back in 2012 said was in a bubble, has been inflated amid an oil boom that has driven wealth creation and kept unemployment below 4 percent. Norwegians have more debt than ever before, owing their creditors about twice their disposable incomes, a level that Olsen and FSA’s Baltzersen have said is unsustainable. Norwegian 200% disposable income to debt levels make Canadians look prudent at a mere ~170%. Everyone's trying to buy a house in the part of the country that gets winter daylight. On the subject of Qatar, their sovereign wealth fund is worth ~$170 billion. This is almost exactly what Alberta's fund would be worth if the province hadn't been run by accelerationists: http://www.fraserinstitute.org/content/reforming-albertas-heritage-fund-lessons-alaska-and-norway
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Oct 6, 2015 22:25
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After a great bunch of campaign promises, the ANDP has decided that education isn't actually all that important, and they'll thus put 101 separate education-related projects on hold for the time being. Good going, you useless fucks! Support for education was one of the shining diamonds in a platform composed mainly of raw sewage.
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Oct 6, 2015 22:30
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Melian Dialogue posted:Also, i hate people who complain about "everybody on their phones on transit, not caring about anyone else". "Ugh, people spend so much time on their phones socializing that they never are forced to socialize with me, because I'm vapid and boring anymore."
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Oct 6, 2015 23:41
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PT6A posted:After a great bunch of campaign promises, the ANDP has decided that education isn't actually all that important,and they'll thus put 101 separate education-related projects on hold for the time being. They are correct, schools are dumb and ultimately unimportant. gently caress your glorified 12 year long daycare
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Oct 7, 2015 01:25
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Even the NDP can't fix a province that was robbed blind by Conservatives for 40 years
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Oct 7, 2015 01:40
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THC posted:Even the NDP can't fix a province that was robbed blind by Conservatives for 40 years They could at least start by not taking money out of one of the most important systems that the government funds. Next to healthcare, the education system should be an absolute top priority.
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Oct 7, 2015 01:47
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Alberta should just dissolve its government so they can have their libertarian utopia. I'm so tired of listening to those loving whiners moan about everything all the time. Bunch of loving babies with persecution complexes.
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Oct 7, 2015 02:01
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gently caress Alberta
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Oct 7, 2015 03:08
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cowofwar posted:Alberta should just dissolve its government so they can have their libertarian utopia. I'm so tired of listening to those loving whiners moan about everything all the time. Bunch of loving babies with persecution complexes. Well look on the bright side, will be a example of why the Equalization concept is really good. Remember how they whined to the other provinces, "Stop stealing our oil money" now they can get to be bailed off by provinces such as Quebec.
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Oct 7, 2015 03:28
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Based on this thread I tried to make small talk with my neighbour this morning in the elevator. He gave me a weird look and rushed out the elevator as fast as he could.
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Oct 7, 2015 03:46
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Mantle posted:Based on this thread I tried to make small talk with my neighbour this morning in the elevator. He gave me a weird look and rushed out the elevator as fast as he could. Next time try an opening where you don't mention your magical girl figurines.
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Oct 7, 2015 04:46
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Mantle posted:Based on this thread I tried to make small talk with my neighbour this morning in the elevator. He gave me a weird look and rushed out the elevator as fast as he could. did you try touching their face when you first met? do not touch a strangers face when you first meet, they will become alarmed
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Oct 7, 2015 05:06
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As much as cell phones might lead to a social disconnect with people you don't know and have no commonalities with, unless you enjoy being alone all the time it's pretty damned easy to find people with similar interests doing all sorts of things pretty much at any time. poo poo I bet right now through Facebook groups, Meetup and a few websites I could get anything from a board game night to a midnight group bike going in about 15 minutes.
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Oct 7, 2015 06:36
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Cultural Imperial posted:gently caress Alberta It's kind of hosed. Sloppy seconds? Just remember, its hard to make 18 billion in transfer payments when your Province is operating at a fiscal loss (deficit). But you guys know all about how deficits are just transitory. Just wait 5 years and when the books balance with new tax hikes, we'll start sending Quebec and the "have not's" money again. Just like King Justin proclaimed it to be.
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Oct 7, 2015 06:41
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Hal_2005 posted:Just remember, its hard to make 18 billion in transfer payments when your Province is operating at a fiscal loss (deficit). But you guys know all about how deficits are just transitory. Just wait 5 years and when the books balance with new tax hikes, we'll start sending Quebec and the "have not's" money again. Just like King Justin proclaimed it to be. Hal_2005 on how Alberta is bad at finances and equalization payments work?  Also when was it King Justin who introduced equalization.
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Oct 7, 2015 06:43
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Cultural Imperial posted:Icahn is a duplicitous little shithead who will go the ends of the earth to further his own personal interest. cf. Herbalife. Did you watch the video where he explains tax arbitrage or is this just the new normal of nerdrage at concepts you cant understand. Herbalife was a trade. Nothing more, nothing less. If you hate Ichan for taking a squeeze trade, what are your thoughts on Loeb, Soros and Watsa ? No less than three.... Alberta is not bad at finance. It planned for a surplus, which happened regardless on WTI falling 60% from the highs, which is a pretty stellar example of financial planning, since most govts barely make ends meet at a 4% collapse in flat price. Such as Nigeria, Venezuela, Yemen, Russia and a whole host of Petostates I could namedrop. Your failure to see that difference is pretty sad. We can pull out the equalization payment formula. Should I go get it, or do you want to shame yourself first ? My time is precious. No, King Justin said deficits are ok so long as you pay them back. Yet he fails to grasp the concept of cash payables vs. income losses. Much like you in this post. So just stay in the shallow end of the argument next time, instead of trying to hate post.
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Oct 7, 2015 06:48
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