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Post by rdywenur on Mar 7, 2008 6:10:51 GMT -7
To me a ghetto is the extremely poor neighborhood in any city which is usually where blacks and hispanics live. Or any other extremely low income family. You know the ones you would not travel through in nightime or daytime. Where most of the action is sale of drugs or people shooting people for drugs. A very unsafe place.
Bling is a slang word for the sparklies like gold and diamonds or any type of shiny jewelry. This word I think originated with the rappers. (typr of singing)
As far as the fall of the dollar, I hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel of doom and gloom. It is hard to phanthom the US as a superpower slowly loosing its strength. I think globalization has much more to do with it than the war. In the last few years everything has excelerated at super speeds thanks to technology and mostly Internet. Before we could fool the people because they only had a newspaper written by what their powers wished for them to know. Today they can connect anywhere and read for themselves possibly what is really happening. But still need to be careful with the facts put out there as it may not always be accurate also. Maybe this the beginning of a new stage the world is going through.
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george
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Post by george on Mar 7, 2008 6:12:18 GMT -7
I think people are overly demonizing the low dollar. Does it hurt tourists? Sure does. Does it hurt retired people living in Europe? Sure it does. However don't forget, a cheaper dollar helps exported goods. And American exports are booming right now because of the low dollar. The American government is more interested in jobs associated with better export business than they are with tourists and retirees living outside the US, and rightly so. Can't please everybody. Low intrest rates are the main causes of a low dollar. Are we to raise interest rates to help out tourists and retired folks living in other countries?
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Post by freetobe on Mar 7, 2008 12:49:29 GMT -7
George,
Good thinking. And you too, Chris. But these issues are just the tip of the iceberg. We in the US face harder times Inflation continues unabated no matter what economists or the Federal reserve says. The standards for estimating inflation numbers are adjusted to suit any situation. So who really knows how good or bad weak dollars are? Americans will probably have to do with less for a while, but that's okay, because we consume too much of everything any way. It's just a shame that those who can least afford to cut back are those that will have to. Put your money in the mattress and stay home.
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nathanael
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Post by nathanael on Mar 7, 2008 13:34:39 GMT -7
Rdywenur, your Webster must be different from mine for the world "bling" does not officially exist in it. I agree with "ghetto," provided it is not capitalized. As for the verb "phantom," I am under impression that it does not exist, except if the language has been amended in the last years (my Webster is 1996). As for the low dollar, it is not being "demonized." The low dollar is causing havoc all over the world! Those who are suffering the most are not the tourists. The tourists more often than not can afford travel. Those who suffer the most are the poorest of the poor, especially the disabled, in America and abroad! Just consider what the low-dollar inflation did to the migrant workers in the Middle East: their many years' savings have been instantly erased! This is a human tragedy and this is only the tip of the iceberg! Above all, the low dollar increases our national debt due to higher prices that need to be paid for oil. The high price of oil, in turn, increases the living expenses to all Americans! Many can no longer drive to work! It's a disaster of cosmic proportions, with no end in sight! Incidently, if "American exports are booming," why is it that we have a total economic stagnation and a virtual zero GNP? China exports are booming, not ours!
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Post by rdywenur on Mar 7, 2008 14:32:47 GMT -7
Nathanial : Here is a definition of phanthom...I used the aol on line dictionary. Main Entry: 1phan·tom Function: noun Pronunciation: 'fan-t&m Etymology: Middle English fantosme, fantome, from Middle French fantosme, modification of Latin phantasma 1 a : something (as a specter) apparent to sense but with no substantial existence : APPARITION b : something elusive or visionary : WILL -o'-the-wisp c : an object of continual dread or abhorrence : BUGBEAR <the phantom of disease and want> 2 : something existing in appearance only 3 : a representation of something abstract, ideal, or incorporeal <she was a phantom of delight -- William Wordsworth> - phan·tom·like/-"lîk/ adverb or adjective Pronunciation Key More Information: Audio As for "bling" I'm sure it might not be in any dictionary but it has become so much a part of regular verbage due to slang you just might see it in your next Webster addition. Here is a Wiki definition en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bling and if you enter Bling in Google you will see tons of entries. ;D
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nathanael
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Post by nathanael on Mar 7, 2008 14:50:13 GMT -7
We are in agreement, then: it's a noun, adverb or adjective, but not a verb! By the way, you probably wanted to say "fathom," which would have been perfectly O.K. "Fathom" means "to measure the depth" or "to get to the bottom of something."
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nathanael
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Post by nathanael on Mar 8, 2008 2:40:30 GMT -7
It seems that our own military leaders are bent on doing harm to the U.S. economy and dollar! The recent awarding of the 40 billion aerial refueling contract to the European Union's Northrop-EADS by the Air Force is a clsssic example how the globalists, who infiltrate the U.S. military, have a total disregard for the manufacturing slump that the Nation is experiencing!
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george
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Post by george on Mar 8, 2008 12:37:58 GMT -7
My God Nathaneal.... The world is going to come to a end because of the low dollar! Get real. Get it right. Right or wrong, the American government is NOT interested in Americans working abroad. They are interested in Americans working STATESIDE! NOT in migrant workers working in the Middle East. Get real. I work in a company that depends on exports and we are booming and hiring. " China exports are booming because of our low dollar? Which would you have, their standard of living, or ours? Everybodys gas prices are rising. Ours is about 3.20 per gallon. Others with a strong currency is about twice as much. Don't panic, we are not headed for a diaster of " cosmic proportions". Geesh, take a breath.
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nathanael
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Post by nathanael on Mar 8, 2008 15:15:00 GMT -7
Jaga, I want you to hear this: "My God Nathaneal (my name is Nathanael)," "Get real," "Get it right," "Get real," "Which would you have," "Don't panic," "Geesh, take a breath" - are argumetums ad hominem against my person by a someone who uses the Internet to express his vulgar manners! Argumentums ad hominem do not belong in a cultural exchange. Disparaging the opponent by using the protection of cyber space has no place in a civilized discourse!
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george
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Post by george on Mar 8, 2008 19:38:25 GMT -7
Good Bye Nathaneal or Nathanael whatever. You just called me a swine. Your mother would be dissapointed. Despite your hissy fit, you said nothing about my previous column. I just pointed out we are not headed for armageddon because of our low dollar. If you can't respond without calling for help, then well, take a deep breath.
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Post by jimpres on Mar 8, 2008 19:58:42 GMT -7
Whoa ! I'm sure both of you can communicate without all the name calling. Once said none of the words can be taken back.
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Post by Jaga on Mar 8, 2008 22:08:27 GMT -7
Nathanael and George, I think you have just different views about how big is the impact of the weakening dollar. I think there was simple misunderstanding and nobody called here the opponent swine.
Frankly, I believe that weak dollar is bad for the economy, although maybe people abroad feel it more than here in the US, especially if they (people here) are listening to FoxNews. In the very morning I watched briefly business news on Fox but they avoid any economy subjects even in their economy news, or try to blame democrats for all. My husband called me to show me the question in FoxNews "do the election battle between Obama and Clinton impact the economy negatively?"... as like there were no any real economy news like lower job market (one of my friend in IF just lost her job also), lower dollar, terrible budget deficite etc.
I guess, all can be blamed just on democrats
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nathanael
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Post by nathanael on Mar 9, 2008 2:32:00 GMT -7
We have touched here several roots of evil in the world simultaneously! First, there is the idea that those who suffer "should do nothing." This idea has been put forward by the haves since the beginning of the world against the have-nots: "as long as we survive, to hell with you, to hell with the rest of the world. Don't rant"! You will never hear Warren Buffet complaining about the dollar! But you will likely hear him criticizing the disabled, the unemployed, the poor ... until the last person on earth has perished! This is the nature of evil! The Americans in the U.S., when economically well-off, tend to disparage the Americans who for whatever reason live abroad or have no resources! This is a direct insult to all naturalized U.S. citizens dreaming of retiring in their countries of birth! This is especially an insult to all Polish-Americans who love their country so much! Our U.S. citizenship means that we are equal! We have not worked to merit a Social Security paid in dead dollars! With the poor, it is different: they have the right to complain more forcefully and raise their voices! Those laid-off rightfully complain more frequently that those who work! And they more genuinely feel the pain of the migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, who have lost their lives' savings because of our dollar! This is why there has been evil blood since Abel and Cain between the rich and the poor, and this is why I stand by my argument that the U.S. government has a duty not to allow the dollar's demise!
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Post by rdywenur on Mar 9, 2008 5:58:47 GMT -7
Nathanael I don' t think the powers that be that can change or fix this are reading this forum. You need to write to your congressman, senators and President on this one. All we can do is sympathize with you here.
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Post by uncltim on Mar 9, 2008 6:39:11 GMT -7
I sympathize with them as well.
I must say that I'm a bit torn on the subject,
I dont know how to explain my thoughts on this without making people really, really, mad.
So I wont!!!
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