Category: economics

India hates tourists

On By Rick McIn economics, product complaints, travel, travel India1 Comment

You still need a visa in ADVANCE to visit India. Getting one is a pain.

I spent hours in a Kafkaesque office in Calgary, trying to get the paperwork right.

WHEN is India going to improve the process for applying for a tourist visa?

In Canada you are recommended to go through a 3rd party – BLS India. That helps. A bit.

All foreign nationals except those from Nepal and Bhutan need a visa to enter India. But the following nationals can probably get what we all want — a visa on arrival:

Finland
Japan
Luxemburg
New Zeeland
Singapore
Vietnam
Philippines
Laos
Myanmar
Cambodia

Rishikesh
Rishikesh

India is fascinating, once you finally get a visa.

On arrival at Mumbai International terminal, I changed cash at Thomas Cook.

US$200 got me … 11,250 rupees (“Trans Fees, Service tax, Education Cess., Higher Education Cess., etc)

Google (same day) told me $200 was worth 12,410 rupees.

So I lost 9.35% by going through Thomas Cook. Par for the course, I believe.

Using my Visa card cash advance was, the Thomas Cook agent told, was going to cost me about 16%.

There seems to be no good way to get cash when traveling abroad, these days. My plan in future is to try not to exchange currencies more than once. You get burned each time.

Everything Is Amazing and Nobody Is Happy*

On By Rick McIn economics, government, things getting betterLeave a comment

Things are not as bad in the USA as we might think. Check this excellent article by Morgan Housel:

… If I say the average family earns less today than it did in 2000, it sounds depressing. If I say the average family earns more today than it did in 1995, you get a much different view. …

realincome1_large

Go ahead, argue that 18 years of near-stagnant real incomes is a failure. I hear you. Just realize that 2.8 billion people around the world earn less than $2 a day, and you’re upset that we aren’t richer than we were when we were already rich and felt like kings. “First-world problems,” as they say. …

I’m not arguing that inefficiencies, injustices, and inequalities don’t exist today. Of course, they do. But they always have, and by comparison, we are living in one of the most prosperous times in the history of this world.

We have a lot to be thankful for.

read the entire article – Motley Fool – Everything Is Amazing and Nobody Is Happy

title credited to Comedian Louis C.K.

___

China’s Gross Domestic Product might surpass the USA before 2020. But the “influence” of the USA will surpass China’s for decades longer.

Economist – Keeping watch – Economic success has given China greater weight, but not nearly enough to tip the balance

economist chart

Sooner or later the vast inefficiencies and corruption of the totalitarian Chinese State are going to become evident.

Explaining the Imperial Measurement System

On By Rick McIn economics, government, humourLeave a comment

Or is it the United States Customary System?

The USA (mostly) keeps the old British Imperial system, I assume, because the American KING put it in the Constitution. 🙂

And the Constitution is sacred.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

China and India …

On By Rick McIn economics, friends, good news, government, hiking, things getting betterLeave a comment

China and India sounded a new optimistic tone in their relationship … as they signed an agreement to boost meetings between their militaries to avoid any repeat of this year’s tense standoff along their disputed Himalayan border.

The accord followed a meeting in Beijing between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who also had trade ties on the agenda as India seeks to gain greater access to Chinese markets and readjust a trade balance tilted heavily toward China. …

China, India Sign Border Cooperation Agreement

India China

Hans Rosling: The best stats you’ve ever seen

On By Rick McIn economics, education, hiking, things getting better, travel, travel IndiaLeave a comment

I’m just finishing a BUSY World Gymnastics Championships, packing for my next destination — northern India. Hiking.

If you’ve got time for a laugh today, click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

You’ve never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called “developing world.

Professor Bill Sands recommended to me this unbelievably likable educator from Sweden.

the most DANGEROUS drugs

On By Rick McIn economics, food, government, health & fitnessLeave a comment

Economist – A new study suggests alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack

dangerous drugs

related – Influential and successful marijuana users

I’m thinking of quitting. Alcohol, that is.

Dear Gun Nuts …

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, firearms, government, health & fitness, product complaints, things getting worseLeave a comment

A great opinion piece by Matt Bors:

… After every mass shooting—which is essentially all the time these days—gun rights advocates drag out the “more guns = more safer” argument. And yet: we’re still not safe!

Despite having almost one gun for every man, woman, and child in the nation, peak safety has yet to be reached. …

gun deaths USA

If you take the positions of the NRA and add them up, you can see how the world would look if the gun lobby got everything it wants: Every American would have easy access to assault weapons, gun dealers would not be required to check the criminal record and mental health history of someone before selling them a gun, the capacity of gun magazines could be near-infinite, and it would be illegal for a city to stop people from carrying guns in public. This would be a country where you could literally buy an AR-15 at Walmart, immediately put on full tactical gear worn by SWAT teams, and stroll into a school for your parent-teacher conference with another fully armed adult….

read more – Dear Gun Nuts

related – My Gun Stance

American Health Care Sucks

On By Rick McIn bad news, economics, ethics, health & fitness, product complaints, things getting worse2 Comments

John Green explains why.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via upworthy)

Obamacare slightly improves the suckiness, but not much.

Does cosmic radiation account for Earth’s climate swings?

On By Rick McIn climate change, economicsLeave a comment

It looks a lot more convincing than the CO2 theory.

Danish Physicist Henric Svensmark has offered a cosmic theory for Earth’s primary climate swings through history.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Svensmark’s had trouble getting anyone to pay his data serious attention.

Here’s a more detailed documentary on his findings.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Both videos linked from wattsupwiththat.com.

I thank Brian for the link. Long a “global warming” skeptic, cosmic radiation theory is my new default explanation for the long series of ice ages and warmings we’ve experienced for millions of years.

NEXT?

Can we somehow harness cosmic radiation for energy?

Whether or not Petroleum products are warming the Earth, they’ll run out soon.