Absolutely Anything Else

2) You misunderstand.

Too late.

Misunderstand then.

Disagree - for the world not too late, for most western countries off course too late for years.

As with all over used things, they get old and people have moved on from it. Everyone is sick of being fed division. It might work here for a while but it's one of those backward countries where half the population are functionally and politically illiterate. Eventually it will not work at all.

I've just come back from Germany. It's a very diverse place and it's still rich and prosperous. Not what I see here.
-@fluffy2560

Yeah, well as usual dictionaries are different.

Nowdays such words like backward can considered as praise (among various other terms).

Many disregard facts like how many countries, with how much population, and how large territories belong to such looked down categories which is always some 70-90%.

There is term for that:

The West versus the Rest

Now just as even truly poor countries like in West Africa one after each other kick out the neocolonial forces, such as France, EU, US and their corporations situation is not stands well for the ones on the high horses. When the ice cream licks back, and the poorest sanction the richest.

Off course such poor countries know all too well what will happen the same what happened for hundreds of years, and only the rhetoric changes. Off course santions are enacted, millions will die from famines, lack of medical supplies, lack of everything, because this is among the most common measures what imperialists always do.

But their other most common measure the invasions is increasingly troublesome.

• Afghanistan have rare earth metals -> Afghanistan needs democracy
• Iraq have oil -> Iraq needs democracy
• ....
• Niger have uranium -> Niger must restore democracy ... or else

Problems are:

• The world less and less believe, encripted what certain terms mean in reality.
• There are less and less pawns who are ready to die for their masters interests

Usual tactics, to bomb back countries to the "stone age" worked in places like Yugoslavia, even in Iraq.

But in other parts of the world less likely:

Afghanistan:

1. We the migthy Coalition of Killing will destroy your infrastructure with or unstoppable missiles!
2. Taliban: What infrastructure?

So in the Sahel region:

Get ready for military intervention because France (Germany, Belgium, others who had troops there), EU, US furious!

They ready to bomb all electrical plants, and water plants, and...

Barefoot tribal member with AK: What is electricity?

Also because folks there are so overwhelmingly happy because colonial powers kept them poor, and organised various terrorist organizations to generate chaos, rule with divide and conquer:

Many of them just recently said thank you for France even in France:

France ERUPTS In Protest After Police Caught Lying About Killing Of Teenager

Or just like as Algeria joined the alliance against any attempt to depose the recently risen popular Junta in Niger.

Among other reasons to say thank you for hundreds of years of occupation + genocide by the French.

So yea off course possible to kill Moammer Kadhafi who wanted an African currency based on gold, and drop both the US dollar and CFA/ XOF (franc), possible to ruin and divide his country and make hell, but that carries consequances.

Bad news:

Many in the Sahel will fight.

While millions will come to exactly Europe. For sure full with gratitude and the deep desire to integrate into the French (German, Belgian, etc) society.

Ej-ej Europe.

@sjbabilon5 Pretty spot on. Sadly so. The West is using Africa for resources and as rubbish tip. That's about it. And so far it was easy to control most African countries without many boots on the ground. Control over the air and planes/drones do the job. Maybe some African leaders have found out that by involving Wagner they are involving a military force that has battle front experience and the tools they need.

I've just come back from Germany. It's a very diverse place and it's still rich and prosperous. Not what I see here.
-@fluffy2560

Indeed, Germany is by now an almost as diverse place as the UK has been for a long time. And fortunately for the UK, English is such a widely spoken language. The not so popular German is much less frequently spoken, but required almost everywhere in the job market.

Germany is still rich compared to other EU nations, but lots of the riches depend upon chap energy supplies. The latter are gone, thanks to a leadership that sacrificed Germany for the big leader of The West. So it is only a matter of time until Germany is bleeding out. The political leaders still voice many plans, but ultimately the bosses of the big and small companies will make their own decisions and go away. And the subsidies for Germany residents, EU projects and war in Ukraine will make sure that the average German will not feel quite as rich anymore.

Germany is a country which is very attractive for immigrants coming from low income nations that don't want or cannot work. That's why only less than 10% of our guests from Ukraine work in Germany. And they get what every unemployed German gets after paying into the system for years. This is no criticism of the Ukrainians that are making the best of their situation.

I am wondering why the French are still holding up people that want to migrate to the UK. By letting them more freely they would only support the right of free movement that - according to some - every human being should have.

.....While millions will come to exactly Europe. For sure full with gratitude and the deep desire to integrate into the French (German, Belgian, etc) society.

Ej-ej Europe.
-@sjbabilon5

Sorry, Vlad, that's just too biased and too boring to read.

Keep it short and don't turn it into a lecture. 

I've just come back from Germany. It's a very diverse place and it's still rich and prosperous. Not what I see here.
-@fluffy2560
Indeed, Germany is by now an almost as diverse place as the UK has been for a long time. And fortunately for the UK, English is such a widely spoken language. The not so popular German is much less frequently spoken, but required almost everywhere in the job market.

Germany is still rich compared to other EU nations, but lots of the riches depend upon chap energy supplies. The latter are gone, thanks to a leadership that sacrificed Germany for the big leader of The West. So it is only a matter of time until Germany is bleeding out. The political leaders still voice many plans, but ultimately the bosses of the big and small companies will make their own decisions and go away. And the subsidies for Germany residents, EU projects and war in Ukraine will make sure that the average German will not feel quite as rich anymore.

Germany is a country which is very attractive for immigrants coming from low income nations that don't want or cannot work. That's why only less than 10% of our guests from Ukraine work in Germany. And they get what every unemployed German gets after paying into the system for years. This is no criticism of the Ukrainians that are making the best of their situation.

I am wondering why the French are still holding up people that want to migrate to the UK. By letting them more freely they would only support the right of free movement that - according to some - every human being should have.
-@nz7521137

Interestingly enough, I saw very fit sporty young men appearing to speak Russian on the Munich metro.   They had their designer sports gear on.  Why they were there, who knows?  They should have been in the Army (whichever one).

Moreover, on the autopalya to Austria, there were Russian cars.  I wonder how long before those cars get vandalised if they get seen by Ukranians.   

And of course, the annual Turkish migration is also taking place now.  Too much traffic for the locals.

Anyway, we're coming back full circle to immigration.

Unfortunately, the UK no longer is in the EU which of course, was caused by a mental aberration and hysteria of some people.  French are happy to take money from the British and do little to interfere with the boats.  If they aren't in France, they are not a French problem. What's not to like from the French side?   Talk about being scammed but possibly it's a price to pay by the British in an attempt to show they are doing something.  Anything.  Even if it's ineffective. 

BTW, plenty of the people in Munich we spoke to (regardless of what they look like) spoke German to me.  They all seemed quite integrated.   I've always enjoyed being in Germany and I was happy to be there.  Munich is an old haunt for me.

@sjbabilon5 Pretty spot on. Sadly so. The West is using Africa for resources and as rubbish tip. That's about it. And so far it was easy to control most African countries without many boots on the ground. Control over the air and planes/drones do the job. Maybe some African leaders have found out that by involving Wagner they are involving a military force that has battle front experience and the tools they need.
-@nz7521137

Actually locals also "blessed" with some battle experience:

https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site … %20map.png

Also they are home and knows the land better.

Wagner can be helpful, but they are guests in foreign landscape, foreign climate, flora and fauna.

Interestingly enough, I saw very fit sporty young men appearing to speak Russian on the Munich metro.  They had their designer sports gear on. Why they were there, who knows? They should have been in the Army (whichever one).

Moreover, on the autopalya to Austria, there were Russian cars. I wonder how long before those cars get vandalised if they get seen by Ukranians. 

And of course, the annual Turkish migration is also taking place now. Too much traffic for the locals.

Anyway, we're coming back full circle to immigration.

Unfortunately, the UK no longer is in the EU which of course, was caused by a mental aberration and hysteria of some people. French are happy to take money from the British and do little to interfere with the boats. If they aren't in France, they are not a French problem. What's not to like from the French side?  Talk about being scammed but possibly it's a price to pay by the British in an attempt to show they are doing something. Anything. Even if it's ineffective.

BTW, plenty of the people in Munich we spoke to (regardless of what they look like) spoke German to me. They all seemed quite integrated.  I've always enjoyed being in Germany and I was happy to be there. Munich is an old haunt for me.
-@fluffy2560

I guess you wouldn't be able to determine whether a Russian or a Ukrainian is speaking Russian. There are heaps of mostly well to very well off Russians and Ukrainians (including men that one would expect to be in the military) all over Europe. In Portugal there are either those that drive big fat cars (first Audi Q8 i saw was with a Ukrainian plate) and rent houses/apartment starting from EUR 3000 a month OR those that are brought in by the Portuguese Government. With social services in Portugal pretty bad the latter tend to leave after a while for greener pastures. The rich ones usually stay. Nobody goes back to Ukraine. Only some go back to Russia.

I would hope that Ukrainians in Germany refrain from damaging Russian property, but in a country like Germany one never knows. Maybe there will be ads soon requesting to not buy from Russian businesses. Nothing ever changes. Fortunately Portugal isn't like that Russians and Ukrainians seem to be getting along by avoiding political topics.

Munich is one of those rich, well run, German cities and one should avoid mixing it up with Germany as a whole. NRW is very different and I know that there are many Germans that are very unhappy having to share their public services with people that have not contributed a cent. On the other hand, they voted for those that made this possible .

Interestingly enough, I saw very fit sporty young men appearing to speak Russian on the Munich metro. They had their designer sports gear on. Why they were there, who knows? They should have been in the Army (whichever one).

Moreover, on the autopalya to Austria, there were Russian cars. I wonder how long before those cars get vandalised if they get seen by Ukranians.

And of course, the annual Turkish migration is also taking place now. Too much traffic for the locals.

Anyway, we're coming back full circle to immigration.

Unfortunately, the UK no longer is in the EU which of course, was caused by a mental aberration and hysteria of some people. French are happy to take money from the British and do little to interfere with the boats. If they aren't in France, they are not a French problem. What's not to like from the French side? Talk about being scammed but possibly it's a price to pay by the British in an attempt to show they are doing something. Anything. Even if it's ineffective.

BTW, plenty of the people in Munich we spoke to (regardless of what they look like) spoke German to me. They all seemed quite integrated. I've always enjoyed being in Germany and I was happy to be there. Munich is an old haunt for me.
-@fluffy2560
I guess you wouldn't be able to determine whether a Russian or a Ukrainian is speaking Russian. There are heaps of mostly well to very well off Russians and Ukrainians (including men that one would expect to be in the military) all over Europe. In Portugal there are either those that drive big fat cars (first Audi Q8 i saw was with a Ukrainian plate) and rent houses/apartment starting from EUR 3000 a month OR those that are brought in by the Portuguese Government. With social services in Portugal pretty bad the latter tend to leave after a while for greener pastures. The rich ones usually stay. Nobody goes back to Ukraine. Only some go back to Russia.

I would hope that Ukrainians in Germany refrain from damaging Russian property, but in a country like Germany one never knows. Maybe there will be ads soon requesting to not buy from Russian businesses. Nothing ever changes. Fortunately Portugal isn't like that Russians and Ukrainians seem to be getting along by avoiding political topics.

Munich is one of those rich, well run, German cities and one should avoid mixing it up with Germany as a whole. NRW is very different and I know that there are many Germans that are very unhappy having to share their public services with people that have not contributed a cent. On the other hand, they voted for those that made this possible .
-@nz7521137

No, I couldn't tell which side they came from. But I know some words of Russian (some words are the same in Hungarian too) and it sounded very much like Russian to me. I've worked in Ukraine (and other Former Soviet countries) multiple times and I never actually heard anyone speaking Ukrainian. Not that I can recall anyway. All the people I worked with were Russian speakers. That was before Ukrainian became much more compulsory.

My counterparts there always told me it would lead to divisions between the older generations and the younger ones.  But it's not like that sort of thing hasn't happened before in many countries and without resorting to violence.  In my own country, people (even English speakers) in Wales actively encourage their kids to learn Welsh, simply because Welsh schools get higher funding.

The Russian cars in Hungary were going West. On of them blinged up with useless spoilers.  We see a lot of UKR (more properly UA) cars around here.  Usually they are high end cars or small older ones. Very few of them in between. Most seem to have KA plates which I assume is Kharkiv. Not a place you'd want to go back to right now. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Russian cars got damaged. No-one can tell someone's politics just by looking at them but they can certainly tell what they are driving. Looks like a risky thing to be driving a Russian vehicle. Might get cans of yellow and blue paint thrown over it. Not to be condoned but understandable.

I used to live in NRW back in the early 1990s. It was a good place to hang out then.

The Russian cars in Hungary were going West. On of them blinged up with useless spoilers.  We see a lot of UKR (more properly UA) cars around here.  Usually they are high end cars or small older ones. Very few of them in between. Most seem to have KA plates which I assume is Kharkiv. Not a place you'd want to go back to right now. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Russian cars got damaged. No-one can tell someone's politics just by looking at them but they can certainly tell what they are driving. Looks like a risky thing to be driving a Russian vehicle. Might get cans of yellow and blue paint thrown over it. Not to be condoned but understandable.

I used to live in NRW back in the early 1990s. It was a good place to hang out then.
-@fluffy2560

I think that big expensive UA and RU cars are equally in danger. Nobody likes the rich to fuck off when the going gets tough. Here in Portugal the rich refugees from UA have become a lot quieter on FB looking for expensive housing. But overall my sources tell me that the UA and RU community get along okay.

For how many years did you live in NRW. You are very quiet about your expat life around the world. NRW has many good places, but also many shitty ones. NRW does have almost 20 million inhabitants.

We spent 15 years living in and around NRW; after 2 years in Berlin, we moved to Gütersloh, Düsseldorf and then Münster; later, we lived just across the Dutch border in Enschede, so are frequent visitors.  It was a nice place back in the '70s to the early '90s, but it has definitely gone downhill since then, but I say the same about London (where I was born); if you want a perfect example of a place that has gone from good to bad, that's the place I always site.

I think that big expensive UA and RU cars are equally in danger. Nobody likes the rich to fuck off when the going gets tough. Here in Portugal the rich refugees from UA have become a lot quieter on FB looking for expensive housing. But overall my sources tell me that the UA and RU community get along okay.

For how many years did you live in NRW. You are very quiet about your expat life around the world. NRW has many good places, but also many shitty ones. NRW does have almost 20 million inhabitants.
-@nz7521137

About 2.5 years I was in Bonn.  It was the time when the capital was going to be reinstated as Berlin.  Bonn was experiencing a boom to compensate for the loss of jobs.  I liked living in Bonn.  I also had jobs in Hannover and Munich.  Hannover I thought was a bit dull.  But Munich was nice.

My Russian speaking contacts face a dilemma.  They are Russian speakers but don't approve of the current political incumbents and are actively working against them.  I get gleeful video calls when there's been some event like the bridge or ship attacks.

We spent 15 years living in and around NRW; after 2 years in Berlin, we moved to Gütersloh, Düsseldorf and then Münster; later, we lived just across the Dutch border in Enschede, so are frequent visitors. It was a nice place back in the '70s to the early '90s, but it has definitely gone downhill since then, but I say the same about London (where I was born); if you want a perfect example of a place that has gone from good to bad, that's the place I always site.
-@Cynic

I must say I've noticed an upswing in homeless people in Germany.   I used to visit Frankfurt a few times a year and from about 2000 onwards, I suddenly saw homeless people in the metro.  Haven't been there for a while.

Last week, I also saw people in Munich Olympiapark collecting empty bottles and cans.  On the other hand, the metro trains are being modernised and replaced.  They are really posh now. So there is money around.

Well, even 2000 is over 20 years ago. Germany will go down quite quickly, but that doesn't mean within a year or two. And with Germany going down, who will pay for so many goodies inside the EU? I predict that the car industry will see a massive scale down (starting outside Germany, but getting there as well) and the chemical industry will leave for places with cheaper energy. After all chemical industry means altering chemistry by energy. On a global scale this will be a upside/benefit for non-EU countries.

We spent 15 years living in and around NRW; after 2 years in Berlin, we moved to Gütersloh, Düsseldorf and then Münster; later, we lived just across the Dutch border in Enschede, so are frequent visitors. It was a nice place back in the '70s to the early '90s, but it has definitely gone downhill since then, but I say the same about London (where I was born); if you want a perfect example of a place that has gone from good to bad, that's the place I always site.
-@Cynic

I must say I've noticed an upswing in homeless people in Germany.  I used to visit Frankfurt a few times a year and from about 2000 onwards, I suddenly saw homeless people in the metro. Haven't been there for a while.

Last week, I also saw people in Munich Olympiapark collecting empty bottles and cans. On the other hand, the metro trains are being modernised and replaced. They are really posh now. So there is money around.
-@fluffy2560

Our last time in Germany was 5 years in Münster; I can imagine why the locals are fed up; they were promised that all the British camps would be turned into nature parks, or absorbed into the University; that the former housing used by the Brits would be given to local social housing needs; then Merkel decided to use these places for Asylum seekers.

Well, even 2000 is over 20 years ago. Germany will go down quite quickly, but that doesn't mean within a year or two. And with Germany going down, who will pay for so many goodies inside the EU? I predict that the car industry will see a massive scale down (starting outside Germany, but getting there as well) and the chemical industry will leave for places with cheaper energy. After all chemical industry means altering chemistry by energy. On a global scale this will be a upside/benefit for non-EU countries.
-@nz7521137

Yes, it was a long time ago. But it's still a rich place. Maybe it's just reaching some kind of equilibrium socially and economically.

Judging by the cars in BMW-Welt, there are plenty of people with money still in Germany. Some beautiful Rolls Royces and some cool BMWs and Minis.  They had quite a few electric vehicles and one hydrogen powered SUV too.

Germany's dumping of nuclear power is beginning to look short sighted even though there's a lot of solar you can see from the Autobahn. It won't be enough. In other places they are building more nuclear plants.  On the AT Autobahn just past the HU border, it's windmill town. Very densely packed. Didn't see any of that in Germany.  I like the idea of distributed micro-generation.

I heard this morning, China is building a giga-battery factory every few days whereas Europe lacks any serious capacity to meet demand and limited access to the raw materials. But obviously China does not have a monopoly on knowledge for current vehicle batteries.

Well, even 2000 is over 20 years ago. Germany will go down quite quickly, but that doesn't mean within a year or two. And with Germany going down, who will pay for so many goodies inside the EU? I predict that the car industry will see a massive scale down (starting outside Germany, but getting there as well) and the chemical industry will leave for places with cheaper energy. After all chemical industry means altering chemistry by energy. On a global scale this will be a upside/benefit for non-EU countries.
-@nz7521137

Yes, it was a long time ago. But it's still a rich place. Maybe it's just reaching some kind of equilibrium socially and economically.

Judging by the cars in BMW-Welt, there are plenty of people with money still in Germany. Some beautiful Rolls Royces and some cool BMWs and Minis. They had quite a few electric vehicles and one hydrogen powered SUV too.

Germany's dumping of nuclear power is beginning to look short sighted even though there's a lot of solar you can see from the Autobahn. It won't be enough. In other places they are building more nuclear plants. On the AT Autobahn just past the HU border, it's windmill town. Very densely packed. Didn't see any of that in Germany. I like the idea of distributed micro-generation.

I heard this morning, China is building a giga-battery factory every few days whereas Europe lacks any serious capacity to meet demand and limited access to the raw materials. But obviously China does not have a monopoly on knowledge for current vehicle batteries.
-@fluffy2560

Rich is very relative. Even the definition of "poor" is relative.

Large windmill treat land like it is worth nothing. AT east of Vienna looks horrible, like many parts of Germany that you don't seem to visit. If you want to learn something about Electrical Power and Electrical Energy in Germany and Europe then look at https://www.energy-charts.de/index_de.htm. You can select country and language. Wind and Solar will not be the solution anywhere. The fact that many people believe this tells a lot about our education system.

Rich is very relative. Even the definition of "poor" is relative.

Large windmill treat land like it is worth nothing. AT east of Vienna looks horrible, like many parts of Germany that you don't seem to visit. If you want to learn something about Electrical Power and Electrical Energy in Germany and Europe then look at https://www.energy-charts.de/index_de.htm. You can select country and language. Wind and Solar will not be the solution anywhere. The fact that many people believe this tells a lot about our education system.
-@nz7521137

Everything is relative. Ask Einstein.

One shouldn't assume I'm ignorant of the current energy situation across Europe and especially around here but also in other countries. I've been monitoring PV technology for some years, both for professional and personal reasons. I've no reason to go to the North in Germany any more and wouldn't make any special trips to look at their wind turbines. I can see huge installations of the turbines offshore in the UK.

Everyone knows that wind and solar is not a solution as there's no storage facilities unless one looks at things like pumped water reservoirs or molten salt.

But anyway, that's why I said "Atomkraft, nein Danke" thinking was looking short-sighted. A few years ago, I saw the coal fired stations of the Ruhr region still pumping it out. Looks like nothing changed around there.

But what can one expect about the energy density of litre of petrol and a battery. It's getting better but we're not there yet. My car takes about 80L of fuel and can go about 800km. Even Tesla cannot do that.

I don't mind the windmills myself. I'm just surprised at the rapidly increasing density of them at the AT border area. It looks like double the density compared to the HU side.

One shouldn't assume I'm ignorant of the current energy situation across Europe and especially around here but also in other countries. I've been monitoring PV technology for some years, both for professional and personal reasons.

Everyone knows that wind and solar is not a solution as there's no storage facilities unless one looks at things like pumped water reservoirs or molten salt.

But anyway, that's why I said "Atomkraft, nein Danke" thinking was looking short-sighted. A few years ago, I saw the coal fired stations of the Ruhr region still pumping it out. Looks like nothing changed around there.

But what can one expect about the energy density of litre of petrol and a battery. It's getting better but we're not there yet. My car takes about 80L of fuel and can go about 800km. Even Tesla cannot do that.

I don't mind the windmills myself. I'm just surprised at the rapidly increasing density of them at the AT border area. It looks like double the density compared to the HU side.
-@fluffy2560

How could anyone assume your ignorance in anything . The website isn't about PV as such, but electric energy/power in Europe.

I fully agree about your statement on wind and solar. Stopping nuclear energy was a purely media/populist driven decision of the Merkel government. What can one do if a whole population is brainwashed? Like so often (including the current situation) "rational" isn't a relevant criteria in "The West" anymore.

Looks like you are driving a small truck or big SUV as my medium sized car uses 5 liters of diesel per 100 km.

I like the train ride from Vienna to Budapest because after the border the windmills almost stop and one can enjoy the waste little plains of Hungary.

How could anyone assume your ignorance in anything . The website isn't about PV as such, but electric energy/power in Europe.

I fully agree about your statement on wind and solar. Stopping nuclear energy was a purely media/populist driven decision of the Merkel government. What can one do if a whole population is brainwashed? Like so often (including the current situation) "rational" isn't a relevant criteria in "The West" anymore.

Looks like you are driving a small truck or big SUV as my medium sized car uses 5 liters of diesel per 100 km.

I like the train ride from Vienna to Budapest because after the border the windmills almost stop and one can enjoy the waste little plains of Hungary.
-@nz7521137

Glad you noted my lack of ignorance. One should not assume anyone needs a lecture. And I'm having a bad week.

I have done a couple of jobs involving PV and some involvement on micro-generation. As a result, I had a look at it for my house and it's an expensive way of obtaining power unless you have the right property. Mine is not ideal. But the technology is advancing quite fast - the panels have gone from optimal max 200W to about 400W in a few years. Even in sub-optimal conditions it could pass break even in a reasonable period. Unsurprisingly, it's more or less like Moore's law - 2x capacity and 1/2 the price. Maybe within 5 years it might be really usable to retrofit marginal properties. I see plenty of warehouses being built around here which are ideal surfaces for PV installations but nothing visible. Easy I'd have thought to pass the 50kW threshold in HU on commercial generation.   They should look at fixing that - maybe bands for up to 10kW, 20kW, 40kW and 60kW and above.  But they won't do it as they need someone to buy the nuclear supply.

What is attractive to me at home is being somewhat independent of the grid and politics. To complete the picture, I believe water is going to be a significant issue in the future. I am now working on upping my rainwater storage plan from 2500L to 3500L or if I can manage it reasonably, 5000L.

Agent Merkel made a mistake over closure of the nuclear plants. I've heard her explanation and it seemed rational if a little naive.

Our main car is a large bodied but smaller engine sizeed petrol car. We bought it instead of a diesel as we thought diesel would be banned within the lifetime of the petrol car. And we have to get the kids, the dog and piles of stuff in it. It uses about 8 litres/100km if it's not driven hard. It's not great compared to diesel but not unreasonable for petrol. We should have bought a minbus. When we're all together there without kids' partners there would be 6 of us so we need space.

Oh boy, if one is judged by their cover ( car) ,we are judged as being one step from homeless.

Our car is a 1998 Toyota.

It's silly, many people collect welfare but have brand new cars in someone else's name which they drive around as if they owned them.

We knew a Hungarian Engineer in S. Ca. who was loaded.

He worked in Asia for many years then opened up a large machine shop in Ca.

He decided to move his shop and didn't want to deal with renting spaces. He just paid a few million out of pocket to out right buy the land for his new shop.

At the time in the 70's I drove a decent used Volvo, just a few years old.

This guy drove a Volvo too. His was from the early 60's. It was primer colored and looked like it would break down any moment. ( It ran like a charm and he even set us up with his Volvo repair shop in Santa Monica, very VIP service)

He also sported a wild hairdo, Like Einstien, all wild and curly like he wasn't groomed at all.

My husband went to his house and almost broke his ankle on the carpets.

They were so thick and rich that one got stuck .

All handmade Persian carpets all over the place.

Some people like to lay low and not flash.

As my mother used to say, "Show me the pink slip" meaning owners papers.

I recall a couple who visited us in Ca. years ago.

The women was German and her husband Hungarian.

They lived in Germany and had 3 children.

He worked at the Mercedes factory and got a super discount from the factory to purchase a new Mercedes.

His wife was telling me the car was nice but they turned it back because it wasn't practical for their fmaily.

It was to small for them.

She turned in her Mercedes for a Ford station wagon.

Glad you noted my lack of ignorance. One should not assume anyone needs a lecture. And I'm having a bad week.

I have done a couple of jobs involving PV and some involvement on micro-generation. As a result, I had a look at it for my house and it's an expensive way of obtaining power unless you have the right property. Mine is not ideal. But the technology is advancing quite fast - the panels have gone from optimal max 200W to about 400W in a few years. Even in sub-optimal conditions it could pass break even in a reasonable period. Unsurprisingly, it's more or less like Moore's law - 2x capacity and 1/2 the price. Maybe within 5 years it might be really usable to retrofit marginal properties. I see plenty of warehouses being built around here which are ideal surfaces for PV installations but nothing visible. Easy I'd have thought to pass the 50kW threshold in HU on commercial generation.  They should look at fixing that - maybe bands for up to 10kW, 20kW, 40kW and 60kW and above. But they won't do it as they need someone to buy the nuclear supply.

What is attractive to me at home is being somewhat independent of the grid and politics. To complete the picture, I believe water is going to be a significant issue in the future. I am now working on upping my rainwater storage plan from 2500L to 3500L or if I can manage it reasonably, 5000L.

Agent Merkel made a mistake over closure of the nuclear plants. I've heard her explanation and it seemed rational if a little naive.

Our main car is a large bodied but smaller engine sizeed petrol car. We bought it instead of a diesel as we thought diesel would be banned within the lifetime of the petrol car. And we have to get the kids, the dog and piles of stuff in it. It uses about 8 litres/100km if it's not driven hard. It's not great compared to diesel but not unreasonable for petrol. We should have bought a minbus. When we're all together there without kids' partners there would be 6 of us so we need space.
-@fluffy2560

Unfortunately I have seen too many people in dire need of lectures on the energy industry. But today most decisions on technical issues are driven by ideology and politics. Well, so be it.

Only in very very rare cases people are installing PV to be independent from the grid. Mostly this was done to feed into the grid and cash in (all subsidized by the tax payer). A relative in Portugal has 16ha land and no utilities. They have to use PV, but for pumping water they need a diesel/petrol engine. Fortunately the land as good elevation changes for water distribution.

Merkel explained the opposite (extending life of NPP) a few months before explaining the end to NPPs. Merkel has been like a weather vane all of her life.

Fortunately petrol still seems to be cheap in Hungary. I still prefer the diesel, because of better economics for me down here in Portugal.

I recall a couple who visited us in Ca. years ago.
The women was German and her husband Hungarian.
They lived in Germany and had 3 children.
He worked at the Mercedes factory and got a super discount from the factory to purchase a new Mercedes.
His wife was telling me the car was nice but they turned it back because it wasn't practical for their fmaily.
It was to small for them.
She turned in her Mercedes for a Ford station wagon.
-@Marilyn Tassy

These days employees of the car manufacturers have a pretty wide selection of vehicles to choose from. A Mercedes Vito is good for large families and very comfortable.

Oh boy, if one is judged by their cover ( car) ,we are judged as being one step from homeless.
Our car is a 1998 Toyota.
It's silly, many people collect welfare but have brand new cars in someone else's name which they drive around as if they owned them.
-@Marilyn Tassy

Toyotas are very nice cars. My last car in Austria was a Toyota Carina E with a good diesel engine. Very comfortable. One of the mechanics at the Toyota workshop near us still has one. It is/was a nice looking car.

I recall a couple who visited us in Ca. years ago.
The women was German and her husband Hungarian.
They lived in Germany and had 3 children.
He worked at the Mercedes factory and got a super discount from the factory to purchase a new Mercedes.
His wife was telling me the car was nice but they turned it back because it wasn't practical for their fmaily.
It was to small for them.
She turned in her Mercedes for a Ford station wagon.
-@Marilyn Tassy
These days employees of the car manufacturers have a pretty wide selection of vehicles to choose from. A Mercedes Vito is good for large families and very comfortable.
-@nz7521137

This was way back when in the mid 80's.

No idea how employees are treated now at these factories.

We used to entertaine all the time when we had a large home and almost every Hungarian in town had a afternoon with lunch or BBQ at our house.

In good weather they were invited to bring their swim suits too.

I am never impressed by flash cars.

Like I stated, show me you actually own the car first.

Usually the bank owns it or it's leased.

I know I used to drive a brand new BMW 2002 all over LA and it was not mine.

It is a bit uncomfortable though to have everyone staring at you while driving a flash car.

Of course in LA no one is for real.

Unfortunately I have seen too many people in dire need of lectures on the energy industry. But today most decisions on technical issues are driven by ideology and politics. Well, so be it.

Only in very very rare cases people are installing PV to be independent from the grid. Mostly this was done to feed into the grid and cash in (all subsidized by the tax payer). A relative in Portugal has 16ha land and no utilities. They have to use PV, but for pumping water they need a diesel/petrol engine. Fortunately the land as good elevation changes for water distribution.

Merkel explained the opposite (extending life of NPP) a few months before explaining the end to NPPs. Merkel has been like a weather vane all of her life.

Fortunately petrol still seems to be cheap in Hungary. I still prefer the diesel, because of better economics for me down here in Portugal.
-@nz7521137

Petrol in HU is about 630 HUF a litre or around EUR 1.52.  It's much cheaper here than in Germany where the cheapest we saw was about 1.65 EUR for 95.  On the autobahn, it was nudging 2 EUR. Weirdly there was a massive queue on the AT side of the border where people were filling up. That didn't make any sense.  A quick check in Google Maps shows it's much cheaper in HU and cheaper filling stations could be found within a few km of a border station.

Your relatives could use mechanical windpower to pump water up to a pond/reservoir.  A guy I once knew was building large reservoir for his cows and to water his grapes. It was a huge pond, like 2000m2 and 2-3m deep with a large retaining dam. His wind pump worked 24h day to draw up the water. It was impressive but he did live in a relatively arid and desolate area.

My own plan is and was multi-faceted. It's not so much the FIT (Feed In Tariff - it's not good in HU anyway) although it would help a bit, but to keep the lights somewhat on if the Russians lose their marbles even further.  I saw this sort of problem coming a few years ago. I also wanted to be able to potentially charge an electric car. It was a risk reduction strategy. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. PV payback in HU is about 11 years depending on configuration. 

One limiting factor is infrastructure. There's a capacity limitation on delivering PV power on to the grid in HU. Domestic installations are those under 50kW (it used to be anyway) and it might be there's moratorium on installing them because of overloading the grid. I actually think it's because of the expansion of Paks (the nuclear power station). It needs to be paid for.

Your relatives could use mechanical windpower to pump water up to a pond/reservoir. A guy I once knew was building large reservoir for his cows and to water his grapes. It was a huge pond, like 2000m2 and 2-3m deep with a large retaining dam. His wind pump worked 24h day to draw up the water. It was impressive but he did live in a relatively arid and desolate area.

My own plan is and was multi-faceted. It's not so much the FIT (Feed In Tariff - it's not good in HU anyway) although it would help a bit, but to keep the lights somewhat on if the Russians lose their marbles even further. I saw this sort of problem coming a few years ago. I also wanted to be able to potentially charge an electric car. It was a risk reduction strategy. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. PV payback in HU is about 11 years depending on configuration.

One limiting factor is infrastructure. There's a capacity limitation on delivering PV power on to the grid in HU. Domestic installations are those under 50kW (it used to be anyway) and it might be there's moratorium on installing them because of overloading the grid. I actually think it's because of the expansion of Paks (the nuclear power station). It needs to be paid for.
-@fluffy2560

Pumping water with wind power is very good and done for centuries. It was also used on US railway systems to fill the tank that refills the loco.

If the US/UK had not lost their marbles long time ago nobody would have a problem with the Russians, natural gas would be cheap, middle distillate ample and the world a safer place. 50 kW is a lot for a domestic system. Any network operator that doesn't have a guaranteed market for that in neighboring countries would be mad to accept more. Germany is back to importing nuclear power from France on a daily basis. And it looks like the rivers will have sufficient water to run power plants without limitations.

Paks II is a great idea, because there will always be a demand for reliable (>8000 h/a) electrical power supply. Did you know that Germany is the biggest producer and user of lignite in the world. Bigger than China, despite China having more reserves.

Pumping water with wind power is very good and done for centuries. It was also used on US railway systems to fill the tank that refills the loco.

If the US/UK had not lost their marbles long time ago nobody would have a problem with the Russians, natural gas would be cheap, middle distillate ample and the world a safer place. 50 kW is a lot for a domestic system. Any network operator that doesn't have a guaranteed market for that in neighboring countries would be mad to accept more. Germany is back to importing nuclear power from France on a daily basis. And it looks like the rivers will have sufficient water to run power plants without limitations.

Paks II is a great idea, because there will always be a demand for reliable (>8000 h/a) electrical power supply. Did you know that Germany is the biggest producer and user of lignite in the world. Bigger than China, despite China having more reserves.
-@nz7521137

Yes, I did know about lignite production. It's not the only place in Europe using it. Kosovo is another example. if you spend any length of time there, you'll get the Kosovo Cough.

Obviously I don't agree with your sentiment on Russia. But we've done that one. I haven't got a problem with Paks itself as technology but I don't like the Russians owning so many strategic assets here. It's the same as the Chinese railway and university island. All of this is completely without transparency. No-one knows what is going on behind the scenes. Short sighted.

BTW, we passed over the river Inn at Braunau am Inn (famous for other reasons than the bridge/river). It was in full and violent flow but no apparent run of the river power generation going on. Right now, it seems a wasted opportunity to me. I don't think the Inn is navigable at that point. But maybe the flow will almost certainly reduced as the mountain snow and ice recede due to global warming.

Having lived in NL on and off for some years, wind power for pumping is embedded in national pride there. And they are in the right place for wind. And centuries of experience. Gotta love the Dutch.

50kW is indeed a lot for residential but it could work for large apartment buildings with a decent storage system. HU government stopped licensing those sites in something like 2021. I didn't really look at it since then. I would expect my own house to need 5 to 7kW with storage.

One of our Aldis has PV on the roof and there's a sign showing instant use at the entrance. It uses quite a lot of power.  I had some dabbling in this idea for industrial areas with local generation using gas turbines.  I really like this idea of distributed generation, micro-generation etc. In developing countries, it's transformational.

Less ambitiously, there are some places in the UK which generate as cooperatives and participants effectively get their power for free but pay for maintenance. It's like a club. Obviously here in the semi-burbs of Budapest, we don't have this opportunity but one of our neighbours 100m away has both innovative wind turbines on the roof and also a couple of nice solar panel arrays. Always tinkering with it though.

BTW, we passed over the river Inn at Braunau am Inn (famous for other reasons than the bridge/river). It was in full and violent flow but no apparent run of the river power generation going on. Right now, it seems a wasted opportunity to me. I don't think the Inn is navigable at that point. But maybe the flow will almost certainly reduced as the mountain snow and ice recede due to global warming.

-@fluffy2560

Has you bothered looking at the website I provided for you (and others) you could have easily seen that there is a "Laufwasserkraftwerk" at Braunau (100 MW), and another two upstream in Ering-Frauenstein (72.9 MW) and Scharding (96 MW). Austria has 986 Laufwasserkraftwerke.

I assume you believe in "global warming" as you are using the term. I know for certain that  there is (was and will be) climate change.

BTW, we passed over the river Inn at Braunau am Inn (famous for other reasons than the bridge/river). It was in full and violent flow but no apparent run of the river power generation going on. Right now, it seems a wasted opportunity to me. I don't think the Inn is navigable at that point. But maybe the flow will almost certainly reduced as the mountain snow and ice recede due to global warming.

-@fluffy2560
Has you bothered looking at the website I provided for you (and others) you could have easily seen that there is a "Laufwasserkraftwerk" at Braunau (100 MW), and another two upstream in Ering-Frauenstein (72.9 MW) and Scharding (96 MW). Austria has 986 Laufwasserkraftwerke.

I assume you believe in "global warming" as you are using the term. I know for certain that there is (was and will be) climate change.
-@nz7521137

No, I didn't look at it as I don't do homework. Good they have hydro and well done for looking it up.

Of course I believe in global warming but I'm not panicking about it.  The planet will probably end up like Mars but it will take thousands of years. That's not going to affect me, my kids and non-existent grandkids.

I am slightly concerned about water shortages but that won't matter if that moron Putin pulls the nuclear trigger.

i come to hungary

i come to hungary
-@Juhil Dhameliya

Better to introduce yourself first in the appropriate thread.

Unless you want to comment on something relevant to the current conversation.

No, I didn't look at it as I don't do homework. Good they have hydro and well done for looking it up.

-@fluffy2560

Maybe that is one of the main problems of this era. People with or or half knowledge taking about things they don't really understand. Homework is there for a reason. However, I understand that you are a busy person and understand a lot about those things that you understand a lot about. However, be aware of the Dunning and Krueger syndrom.

I broke a large mirror this morning, 7 years bad luck?

Could be the begining of the Tribulation of 7 years?

Just kidding but with all that's happening world wide it would  not be a stretch .

Sad to see Lahania beachfront on fire.

We used to hang out there a few times a month when we lived on Maui.

Before it was all bought up by billionairs.

Beautiful old banyan trees all over...

Nice old whaling ship in the harbor.. bad karma perhaps for all the whales that were hunted?

Has anyone seen the insane video about the brawl on the dock in Alabama?

So many entitled people overstepping the limits of what's right.

At least the weather looks like it may turn back to summer by the weekend.

I broke a large mirror this morning, 7 years bad luck?
Could be the begining of the Tribulation of 7 years?
Just kidding but with all that's happening world wide it would not be a stretch .
Sad to see Lahania beachfront on fire.
We used to hang out there a few times a month when we lived on Maui.
Before it was all bought up by billionairs.
Beautiful old banyan trees all over...
Nice old whaling ship in the harbor.. bad karma perhaps for all the whales that were hunted?

Has anyone seen the insane video about the brawl on the dock in Alabama?
So many entitled people overstepping the limits of what's right.

At least the weather looks like it may turn back to summer by the weekend.
-@Marilyn Tassy

I am sure all the ills of the world are directly traceable to your mirror breakage. Even more spooky, my metal desk lamp broke as well. And weirdly, on Monday it looks like someone tried to kill us by taking some of the nuts off one of our car wheels. Like WTF? It was parked in our driveway for days and didn't move and no-one should have been able to interfere with it. Or did they? But who would do such a dangerous thing? I can only think it's OV or Trump supporters sneaking about in the night. I'm going to take up voodoo.

I saw the news and radio reports from Hawaii. Surely the President send in FEMA for that. I was mixed up with Typhoon Mawar and watching TV, I saw FEMA had taken charge of it all and was sorting much out. Shame about the people. I guess they won't get any help from anyone.

The weather will be great again next week - over 30C.  Mrs F and the kids will be down at Balaton. I'll be there just sometimes.

And weirdly, on Monday it looks like someone tried to kill us by taking some of the nuts off one of our car wheels. Like WTF? It was parked in our driveway for days and didn't move and no-one should have been able to interfere with it. Or did they? But who would do such a dangerous thing? I can only think it's OV or Trump supporters sneaking about in the night. I'm going to take up voodoo.
-@fluffy2560

I would have bet you blame this on Fidesz and OV. Maybe they found you out as an enemy and now they are sending their underlings for you.

And weirdly, on Monday it looks like someone tried to kill us by taking some of the nuts off one of our car wheels. Like WTF? It was parked in our driveway for days and didn't move and no-one should have been able to interfere with it. Or did they? But who would do such a dangerous thing? I can only think it's OV or Trump supporters sneaking about in the night. I'm going to take up voodoo.
-@fluffy2560
I would have bet you blame this on Fidesz and OV. Maybe they found you out as an enemy and now they are sending their underlings for you.
-@nz7521137

Yes of course I'd blame them. But I wasn't diligent enough in naming suspects. I left out Putin from my list. And the former foreign minister of Austria.

But of course the old jokes are still true.

"The authorities have uncovered a plot to kill <insert your despised target> politicians. Police are looking for <insert voting population> million suspects".

I think possibly the nuts just fell off which is just weird. We always use a torque wrench but to my knowledge, no-one has removed the wheels in months. We'll have to check all the nuts regularly to see if it happens again.  In Hungary, I guess with Nuts in charge, the wheels are bound to come off.

My gosh, that is super creepy finding the nuts of your wheels so loose.

I wonder if it could be your crazy next door neighbor?

My deceased sister broke down crying in my arms once.

She said our father wanted to kill her.

She had purchased some big old funky Oldsmoblie from our father.

She went to fill the gas tank up and the gas/pertol just poured on the ground.

She could only keep 1/4th a tank of gas in at a time. The tank had a big hole in it.

She said our father must of known it leaked and didn't care if she blew up.

IDK but it sure wasn't very,"fatherly" of him to rip off his own daughter.

Yesterday as we drove past our building we noticed a guy crashed out on the ground in front of the house.

As we entered the building a women and man were standing over him.

I asked what was up and she said she had called an ambulance. Just then we heard it coming.

He was young looking and hard to say but seemed like an immigrant, sort of Arab looking IDK.

It seemed he was in good hands so we went into the building.

As soon as I got in our flat I woke up.

Why hadn't I checked his pulse or checked his breathing?

I'm losing it.

I then remembered I knew some CPR but had totally put it out of my mind.

I doubt I'd be able to assist him much these days though.

Not strong enough to do chest compressions and wonder if I could of taken the abuse on my knees?

I felt a bit quitly though, why did I forget I knew CPR?

I used it once in my 20's but the man died. Perhaps that's why I put it out of my mind?

Werid is all I can say.

Old age catching up to me, forgetting things?

The ambualnce was pulling in but I now wonder if another min. would of helped him or not, quick actions need to be taken when someone is not breathing on their own.

One can't take the weight of the world on their shoulders either. Someone must of dropped him off on the sidewalk?

Why would a young person just go down like that?

I know many of those home in Hawaii must of been paid off generations ago.

I wonder if their insurance will cover rebuilding?

Perhaps they must now rebuild with new building codes and not have the funds to do so?

I wonder too, if some big developer has plans to take over the area?

Everyhting is so corrupt these days it makes one suspious of everything.

I know that's what happened to many home onwers in Paradise, Ca. a few years back when they had their fires.

They didn't collect enough frm their insurance to afford to rebuild.

My gosh, that is super creepy finding the nuts of your wheels so loose.
I wonder if it could be your crazy next door neighbor?
My deceased sister broke down crying in my arms once.
She said our father wanted to kill her.
She had purchased some big old funky Oldsmoblie from our father.
She went to fill the gas tank up and the gas/pertol just poured on the ground.
She could only keep 1/4th a tank of gas in at a time. The tank had a big hole in it.
She said our father must of known it leaked and didn't care if she blew up.
IDK but it sure wasn't very,"fatherly" of him to rip off his own daughter.

Yesterday as we drove past our building we noticed a guy crashed out on the ground in front of the house.
As we entered the building a women and man were standing over him.
I asked what was up and she said she had called an ambulance. Just then we heard it coming.
He was young looking and hard to say but seemed like an immigrant, sort of Arab looking IDK.
It seemed he was in good hands so we went into the building.
As soon as I got in our flat I woke up.
Why hadn't I checked his pulse or checked his breathing?
I'm losing it.
I then remembered I knew some CPR but had totally put it out of my mind.
I doubt I'd be able to assist him much these days though.
Not strong enough to do chest compressions and wonder if I could of taken the abuse on my knees?
I felt a bit quitly though, why did I forget I knew CPR?
I used it once in my 20's but the man died. Perhaps that's why I put it out of my mind?
Werid is all I can say.
Old age catching up to me, forgetting things?
The ambualnce was pulling in but I now wonder if another min. would of helped him or not, quick actions need to be taken when someone is not breathing on their own.
One can't take the weight of the world on their shoulders either. Someone must of dropped him off on the sidewalk?
Why would a young person just go down like that?

I know many of those home in Hawaii must of been paid off generations ago.
I wonder if their insurance will cover rebuilding?
Perhaps they must now rebuild with new building codes and not have the funds to do so?
I wonder too, if some big developer has plans to take over the area?
Everyhting is so corrupt these days it makes one suspious of everything.
I know that's what happened to many home onwers in Paradise, Ca. a few years back when they had their fires.
They didn't collect enough frm their insurance to afford to rebuild.
-@Marilyn Tassy

It did occur to me the neighbours did it but the old duffer isn't that with it. He's all hot air. Maybe it was just incompetence and we didn't notice amongst the 1000 things we need to do each day.

How could your Dad do that to your sister? So dangerous! I wouldn't ever let my kid drive a car that was falling to bits. I'd have it repaired pronto. But like many people, we'd die to protect our kids.

There was a movie with George Clooney in it about land owners in Hawaii. It was called The Descendants. I don't remember it being any good. I might have to watch it again to remind myself.   Might be on Netflix but I think we've been blocked now.

Strangely enough, I was reading that places around New Orleans are uninsurable and people are leaving those flood prone areas for others that are less risky.  The wildfire areas must be the same.  On a similar theme, car insurance has doubled in price in the  UK and people are giving up their cars.

Meanwhile, we asked our insurance company to up the HUF insurance value of our house and they have refused saying there's a limit in this area.  It's problem because inflation and exchange rates have increased the price in HUF (but it's still about the same in EUR).

In other news, we've given in to the hype and are going to see the Barbie movie today. I don't know how stupid I'm going to feel sitting there.  I wouldn't feel stupid at the Oppenheimer movie.