Friday, December 30, 2011

Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris Photos

More junk to clear off my phone. Various places I've been in the past couple of months. Happy new year!

Click on the photos to see larger details.

A canal in Amsterdam's Jordaan district

Parc de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

Delicious! An excellent beer from the Tongerlo Abbey

No idea what this is.

Hotel Ravenstein in Brussels

Shops near the Grande Place de Bruxelles

Grande Place de Bruxelles

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Buying Citizenship in Dominica


View Larger Map


Roseau, capital of Dominica
RufusTeleStrat at en.wikipedia


Interior of Dominica
Photo by Ken Bosma



Monday, December 26, 2011

Getting a university job in Korea


Photo by Carey Ciuro

















Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas from Amsterdam


Snow in Amsterdam
Snow in Amsterdam (sadly, it's not really snowing here)
Photo by Tanya Hart

Friday, December 23, 2011

Finland Blue Card

Update, Feb 24, 2012: the Finnish EU Blue Card has been postponed a bit.

Great news for those interested in Finland. They'll be introducing the Finnish Blue Card in 2012. The requirements, though, are pretty steep.
  • The work requires special qualifications or expertise.

View Larger Map

You may be a perfect candidate but still find that €4,832 threshold pretty difficult to reach. That's currently around $6,300US a month, or around $75K a year. The World Democracy Audit lists Finland as their number one country. For those of you who value and educated, socially conscious and peaceful society, it's hard to beat Finland.

Combine that with Finland's strong economy and a 6.2% unemployment rate and I would definitely say "check it out". Plus, 63% of the populace speaks English (probably even more in Helsinki), so if you're proficient in English, this will make life easier while you learn Finnish.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Apartment Hunting in Paris

We're in Paris for a few days looking for an apartment. Leila asked what I wanted to do with some spare time so naturally I said "Eiffel Tower". I haven't seen it since 1999 and I was looking forward to seeing it again. Fortunately, though cold, the weather was beautiful.

If you've never seen the Tower in person, it might be surprising to learn how large it is. I know I was certainly surprised the first time I saw it. The base in enormous.

As for the flat hunting, Leila, as is her wont, did a huge amount of research and already knew the flat we wanted. It's a lovely two-bedroom in Les Lilas just a few minutes away from my work. Finding something affordable that close is a huge stroke of luck. We have a bit of paperwork to handle today and, if all goes well  (there is still one tiny hitch we're trying to resolve) then we will have the place and move in the middle of January, about a month and a half earlier than we thought.

Interestingly, we'll be signing a three-year contract. That scared the heck out of me at first, but Leila explained that in France, it simply guarantees that the flat is ours for three years, but we can leave earlier if desired. It's not a "lease" in the sense of what I'm used to in the US.

After wanting to move here for decades, it's finally happening. Wow.

In other great news, Leila's birthday was yesterday, so this makes a lovely present for her.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Horrifying Amsterdam Traffic Accident

In lieu of a post today, here are a bunch of awful camera phone pics.

Terrible Dutch traffic accident
When our daughter is hungry, she's hungry.
My wife feeding her in the courtyard of the Grand-Place de Bruxelles
The architecture at the Grand-Place is amazing
Sometimes I can convince my wife
to smile for the camera
Our bored waiter in Brussels

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

French Guiana a Gateway to Europe?

My friend Michael R. sent me this fascinating story about French Guiana being a gateway to Europe.

French Guiana is a small area on the northwest coast of South America and is legally a département d’outre-mer of France, or "overseas department". Legally it has the same status as any other French department.

View Larger Map

Were you to live and work there long enough and gain permanent residency, you should be able to move to France. Sadly, it doesn't appear any easier to "legally" emigrate there than to emigrate straight to France. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see the people will to do that in hopes of some day getting to Europe.

Of course, you could always go there illegally and marry a native. Then you just wait long enough and your spouse could apply for citizenship on your behalf.

Monday, December 12, 2011

A Bad Time to Move to Europe?

(but I'll be damned if I could find it there)
If you're planning on emigrating to Europe, you might be concerned about the financial situation over here, so let's take a quick peek. We often speak of the PIIGS:
  • Portugal
  • Italy
  • Ireland
  • Greece
  • Spain
These are the countries whose economies are performing so poorly and whose debt is so out of control that they threaten to bring down the Euro. How bad is their debt? Well, according to the above infographic:

CountryDebt % of GDP

And the US? Try a projected 100% for 2011 (page 3, PDF), compared to 57.6% when Bush took office. If a country can't manage its debt, creditors get nervous. Most of Europe is doing better than the US in debt management and they're casting a nervous eye towards the US. If the US can't get her house in order, she threatens to take down the world economy, dependent as it is on US dollars.

Still, France is looking at losing her AAA credit rating and I routinely hear people ask "why move to Europe now?"

It's a tough question, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First, this is cyclical. All economies have ups and downs. It's unfortunate that world financial systems have been so poorly regulated that they've helped to collapse our economies (history will identify the causes of this financial crisis far easier than those of the Great Depression). It's also unfortunate that the problem is dragging on so long. Given that this happened relatively shortly after much of Europe switched to the Euro, it's fair to say that this is spectacularly bad timing. Of course, the Euro has always been rather poorly managed, but this is a serious crisis.

So should you reconsider your move to Europe? Maybe. Europe isn't worse off than the US, but as an immigrant, you won't be able to take advantage of many of the social services over here. European countries take care of their citizens when they're down on their luck, but as an immigrant, you won't have paid into the system and it's understandable that you won't get the same benefits. However, if you have a good position in a strong sector, Europe is still a fine choice.

The World is Round!

However, I keep telling people the world is round and they shouldn't forget that. Learn about other places! The main reason most people want to go to Europe is because that's what they know. But if you're worried about the economy, much of South America's economy is doing great!
China wows the world with double-digit economic growth, but Brazil has suddenly become the world's seventh largest economy, on its way to displace the U.K. as the sixth. Brazil's Gross Domestic Product grew 7.5% last year. Argentina's soared 9.2%. Others expanded just as fast. Paraguay's GDP climbed a stunning 15% and Uruguay's more than 8%.
From that same article: Brazil is on track to become the world's sixth largest economy, overtaking the UK and it's easy to emigrate to Uruguay. Don't overlook other great opportunities just because you've become fixated on one continent. It's a beautiful world out there!

Friday, December 9, 2011

More Americans plan to leave the US


One number is particularly striking to me:



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

French Workplace Culture

Ubuntu-be Tshirt 2
Geek formal wear
Photo by Wouter Vandenneucker
When working at one company in the UK, I was surprised to find all of the geeks in slacks and nice shirts. Of course, I say "nice", but the truth is that they were long-sleeved, button-down shirts which invariably looked like they had been wadded up and stuffed in corner for a few weeks. In this case, the dress code definitely made things worse. When it was finally lifted, most of the geeks showed up in t-shirts and it was definitely an improvement. Geeks wear t-shirts. It's practically a requirement, but one that I ignore. Sometimes I stand out a bit because though I wear jeans, I do try to wear nice shirts.

I no longer stand out. My French colleagues actually give a damn about their appearance. They're geeks and some of them are damned good ones, but they're not wearing t-shirts. I thought maybe it was a dress code, but no, it's not. They're French.

The other odd aspect is walking in to the office and shaking hands with your colleagues. I wasn't surprised the first day when a couple of people shook my hand, but when they were shaking everyone else's hands and this happened on the second and third day, I realized that this is just the French way of doing things. It's going to take some getting used to, but already I'm enjoying the heck out of Paris.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Explaining America to Europeans

Here's an interesting experiment: the next time you're discussing politics with someone, try to do two things:

  • Assume they know nothing about the subject you're talking about
  • Try to be fair to all sides

For example, when a European asks me "why do Americans like guns?", there's a huge amount of background there and aside from a polite nod to the Second Amendment, I doubt there are many Americans who have an interest in politics who can either discuss the history and meaning of the Amendment or are willing to try to be fair in explaining the point of view of those who disagree with them on this topic.

As I'll be moving to France soon, I'm girding myself for the inevitable "defending the homeland" talks. The USA has a lot of problems but when all is said and done, it's a much nicer country than many people give it credit for. That being said, sometimes it gets really, really difficult for me to find any way to put a positive spin on some things. Witness the Republican presidential primary.

Presidential Debates for Morons
Photo by Mike Licht
In a upcoming Presidential debate where we have a Michelle Bachmann, who can most politely be described as as "odd", Herman Cain¹, a politically inexperienced businessman who won't allow Muslims in his cabinet or government because there's a "creeping intent" to introduce Sharia law into the US government, Rick Santorum, a homophobe who wants to let states criminalize gay sex and compares it to "man on dog" sex, we have Ron Paul being excluded from the same debate for his "extreme views." Seems he wants to end US foreign aid. That includes aid to Israel. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the debate in question is hosted by a Jewish group which apparently doesn't see "man on dog" conversations as being extreme enough to exclude someone.

We have a later "Presidential Debate" being hosted by a real estate billionaire and reality TV star and the press worry that candidate John Huntsman is unelectable because ... drumroll please ... he acknowledges both climate change and evolution. Meanwhile, the front runner, Mitt Romney, perhaps the platonic ideal of Republican "family values", has never been entirely trusted for reasons I can't quite grasp (psst ... he's Mormon) and it now appears that Newt Gingrich, the thrice-married adulterer who led the charge against Clinton for his affair, may be anointed the standard bearer of this increasingly right-wing Christian party.

While I disagree with many of Ron Paul's views, shouldn't the voters be the people who decide whether or not someone is has "extreme views"? And honestly, Donald Trump hosting a debate? This is simply embarrassing. So much of US politics appears to be a dog and pony show while the need of the US people to have intelligent, informed discussion is simply being ignored.

So can someone tell me how to spin that in a way that doesn't make the US sound absolutely ridiculous? I can't figure it out.

1. I wrote this before Herman Cain announced he was quitting. Voters had no problem with his idiotic tax plan of the fact that he had no idea that China had nuclear weapons. It was the accusations of sexual impropriety which derailed his campaign.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Working in Paris

Azerty keyboard
Photo by Alexandre Duret-Lutz

Yesterday was my first day working in Paris and the company handed me a laptop ... with the operating system in French and an Azerty keyboard. I can deal with a French operating system, but after 30 years of a Qwerty keyboard, Azerty is very frustrating. It seems like a programmer's nightmare: you have to shift to type a number or even many of the most common punctuation symbols. I can see why it would be better for writing a letter in French, but that's about it.

I had dinner at a sushi restaurant last night and waitress heard my accent and seemed almost irritated when I refused to switch to English. I thought maybe it was physically impossible for her to smile until she saw that I left a small pourboire (tip) on the table. I should have left extra for the fruit flies.

I'll work in Paris again today and leaving tonight. No photos yet, but I should be traveling regularly to Paris over the next two to three months.

In other news; the Eiffel Tower is going to be turned into the world's largest planter. Hopefully I'll get to see it again before this happens.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

French OFII Language Test (and a One-Year Anniversary)

Monday was actually the one-year anniversary of my first post to this blog but I was so busy putting together the Young Person's Guide to Living Abroad (though it should have read "moving abroad") that I totally overlooked the anniversary.

As my wife and I are moving to Paris, I had to jump through some hoops to apply for a « visa de long séjour » (long stay visa). This is the first time I'll be using the fact that I'm married to an EU national to facilitate a move to a new country.

First, we had to go to Brussels, Belgium, to apply for the visa at the French consulate because, apparently, the one in Amsterdam does not handle this process (grr ...). After a quick chat to verify that we were really married, I was asked six questions to assess my understanding of French culture. These were basic questions like "can a woman vote?", "does a woman need her husband's permission to open a bank account?" and so on. These questions, as far as I can tell, are mostly targeting those from cultures where women do not have the same rights as men.

Brussels Central Station memorial to railway
workers who died during WWI and WWII.
I answered all of these questions correctly, which led to the scheduling of my OFII language test. OFII is « Office Français de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration ». The test is to ensure that I have the basic language skills necessary to live in France. Many French do not speak any other language (if you know the "trilingual", "bilingual", "monolingual" joke, the French apply it to themselves!), so not speaking French is a serious impediment.

As we left, we took the train from Bruxelles Central and saw the "Aux 3012 cheminots mort" memorial you see the image. I can't help but wonder how Germans feel, traveling all over Europe and getting a constant reminder of how many people have died because of their country. Though it's not spoken of as much as it used to be, it's a common theme which one gets reminded of in Europe: the continent is integrating to ensure these wars do not happen again.

Yesterday I was in Brussels at L'Academie française de Bruxelles Europe for the French language test. To be honest, I was worried. Intellectually I knew that it probably wasn't a problem, but all I had to do was choke a few times and I could fail it. From what I understand, if I had failed it, my visa would be delayed and I'd have to take 40 hours of French to brush up my knowledge. If I failed it again, my visa would still be approved (under EU law, it's very hard to deny it if I'm married to an EU national), but I'd have to take 400 hours of French classes once in France. Fortunately, those classes would be paid for by the French government, but almost all of my free time is spent writing my book, so having to attend 400 hours of French classes would make it impossible to fulfill my book contract. I could not risk failing this test.

Once I got to their offices, I was asking my way to the registration desk when, to my surprise, the lady I was asking directions from asked me to switch to English because she didn't speak French very well. Once I arrived at the proper place, I  sat down to read Les trois mousquetaires (en français facile) while nervously waiting for a test which could make my life very difficult.

I received 100 out of 100 points. If you've spoken French with me before, you may be surprised by that, but this is how easy the French OFII language test is. It's not a barrier the French have erected to keep people out; it's an honest assessment of the minimum French you need to know to survive.

The process: after having the test explained to me (in French, of course), I was asked to just speak for a while in French. I explained I was nervous because the test was important for my family, that I already had a job in Paris, when I learned French, and so on.

After speaking well enough to satisfy my examiner, she fanned out many versions of the written test face down. I picked one at random. The top part just had me filling in my name, date of birth, current date, and so on. Then I had to complete some sentences with five words they supplied, list 5 to 10 items I could buy in a clothing shop and one other easy task which escapes me right now.

Sorry Germany, Belgian beers are the best
Honestly, that's how easy the test was. I was so relieved that I passed that when I left, I sat down to a lovely Tongerlo beer from the Tongerlo monastery in Belgium. Passing that test makes my life so much easier.

Before I left Brussels, I decided to have lunch. That's when tragedy struck. I made a mistake I have made several times before in Europe: I decided to try a Tex-Mex restaurant.

For me, eating at a European Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant is the gustatorial equivalent of picking a scab. Once I get it in my mind, I just have to do it, even though I know I'll probably regret it. The Chi-Chi's Tex-Mex restaurant in Belgium was no exception. I had their €11 lunch buffet. Buffets are never as good as a properly prepared, but they give you a variety and I wanted to see if anything they offered was tasty.

It was crap. All of it was crap. In all of my time in Europe, I've only eaten at two decent "Mexican" restaurants. One was the Arizona restaurant in Camden Town (since closed down and even then it wasn't authentic) and the other is central London. When Europeans say they don't like Mexican food, it's because they've never had it. The food was so incredibly awful that I actually felt bad for the people walking in. I wanted to walk around to different tables and explain that I was from Texas and please don't judge us on the basis of the slop on their plate. The food was, in short, embarrassing.

The one interesting thing about the restaurant, though, was a sight I've seen several times before in various European countries. A young black guy walked in and he was dressed, for lack of a better word, "gangsta". He had his thick jacket, sagging jeans, unlaced running shoes, baseball cap askew, plenty of bling. And he politely asked for a table for one in perfect French.

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Young Person's Guide to Moving Abroad

Adventure or Bust!
Public Domain Image
I call these fairy tale posts.

  • No life experience
  • No work experience
  • No education
  • No language skills
  • No money






Forget Europe


Working Holidays


Teaching English


Volunteer Work


Au Pair


Studying Abroad



Joining the Military


French Foreign Legion

Sorry ladies, this one is for the men only.



Foreign Service Exam

  • U.S. citizens on the date they submit their registration package

Fantasy versus Reality






Friday, November 25, 2011

Can You Move to Europe?

Kalypso Nikolaidis - EU
Photo by openDemocracy

The immigration profiles are:

  • Family Member
  • Researcher
  • Student
  • Worker

Select the one you want, the

  • Employed worker
  • Highly qualified worker
  • Other
  • Seasonal worker
  • Self-employed worker



Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving turkey
Turkey 'n delicious, delicious stuffing
Photo by antonellomusina
It's the one day of the year I really get homesick. I miss Thanksgiving dinner with my friends back in Portland.

My wife doesn't know much about Thanksgiving, so last night a an American friend of ours brought over Thanksgiving dinner. It was chicken instead of turkey (turkey's not as common over here), but it was delicious nonetheless.

And I think it was the first time I've eaten stuffing in years. I forgot how delicious stuffing is. As the years go by, I'm sure our daughter might think it a touch odd to be celebrating an American holiday, but I can't imagine her complaining. Extra holidays are always great, right?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

No Republicans in Europe?



Republican Elephant - 3D Icon
Where are the US Republicans in Europe?
Photo by DonkeyHotey
  • Came here of their own accord
  • Stayed





Friday, November 18, 2011

What is going wrong in the USA?

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask if there's a double standard here.

A tip o' the keyboard to Reddit for that line.

Employment for Foreigners in France

Photo by Taxiarchos228



Wednesday, November 16, 2011

We're Moving to Paris

Paris - Faubourg Saint Antoine
Rue de Fabourg Saint-Antoine, Paris
Photo by Phillipe Payart


Meaux, France
Photo by Daniel Marinaud





Monday, November 14, 2011

Losing the Expat Gamble

As of this writing, we don't know exactly what's going to happen, but from my discussions with people, it looks like the government is reconsidering what I describe below. We still don't know what's going to happen.

When you decide to become an expat, you gamble. Some of us gamble and lose. In this case, the Dutch government is considering new tax rule regarding expats. The short version: many of us earning under €73,000 a year will be losing the 30% ruling if these rules go through. I'll explain a bit more about the 30% ruling to give you an idea of what's going on here. What's worse, they government has considered making the new rules retroactively apply to every expat who has arrived in the past five years.

Dutch Parliament in Den Haag (The Hague)
Photo from the Wikimedia Commons
The 30% ruling is a law which allows companies to (sort of) reduce our salaries by 30%, but then we get that 30% back tax free. For most immigrants who qualify, it means that your taxes are around 25% to 30% of your income. Given that the top marginal rate in the Netherlands is 52%, that's a huge tax savings. If you're a well-paid professional, the Netherlands is not be attractive for you if you don't get the 30% ruling.

Why does the Dutch government offer such a useful deal? The Netherlands has very high taxes and when the Dutch government is struggling to attract highly skilled labor, companies simply can't afford to pay that labor an equivalent amount as a country with lower tax rates. For example, the top marginal tax rate in the UK is 50%, but you don't don't pay that until you hit £150,000. Your top marginal rate is probably 20% or 40%, much less than the Dutch 52% which kicks in at €54,367. Plus, since you you have pay at least €90 a month per person for medical insurance in the Netherlands (it's included in the cost of your taxes in the UK), the Netherlands winds up being far too expensive for a typical expat to move to.

For example, using an arbitrarily chosen salary of 60K (comparing pounds stirling to Euro, so it's not entirely fair), you'll pay £16,520 in taxes in the UK compared to €24,198 in the Netherlands. Add in the costs of medical insurance for a couple and you're paying well over €26K a year! With the 30% ruling, you'd be paying a tax rate roughly what you'd pay in the UK, with the exception of the extra costs for medical insurance.

One of the reasons I was motivated to leave the UK was that they kept changing the laws regarding expats and people I knew who moved to the UK under their old laws were being told they had to leave. Now, because the Dutch government is considering applying these rules apply to all expats who've arrived in the past five years, you have people who have given up their lives to emigrate to the Netherlands, only to find out that the government has decided to effectively give them a huge pay cut.

So how can the government just take this away? Easy. Everyone likes to beat up the immigrants. We have no political power and populist politicians find us easy targets for people's anger. Now, while the Dutch government, like many, is struggling financially, they've found another source of revenue. If the Dutch government had simply said "this change effects new workers," people and businesses would have time to adjust. But by threatening to apply this to all skilled expats who've arrived in the past five years, they've created a mess, but probably appeased a bunch of locals who don't care about the financial hardship they're causing. What's worse, this is a short term fix which causes long term problems. Had the 30% ruling not been in effect, it's very unlikely I would have moved to the Netherlands. I've heard many other expats say the same thing.

So if you're thinking about moving to another country (and if you read this blog, there's a good chance you are), keep this in mind. It's a wonderful gamble, but it's still a gamble. You will probably have no political voice in your country and are at the mercy of politicians.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Prague, Paris, and Brussels

A couple of weeks ago I was in Prague. The week afterwards I was in Paris. Then a couple of days ago I had to take an emergency trip to Brussels (long story, but I'll explain in a few days). Needless to say, I've been falling behind in my posting. Oh, and the first deadline for my book is looming, so I'm struggling to stay on top of this blog. My sincere apologies for this.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Eurozone to break up?

Kalypso Nikolaidis - EU
Photo by openDemocracy



Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Want to teach English in France?

Riquewihr, France
Riquewihr, France
Photo by Russ Bowling
I really like the Jenny n'est plus en France (Jenny is no longer in France) blog. Not only does she have great material about the French language, she also offers a lot of interesting cultural tidbits and sometimes job advice.

Recently she posted about the Teaching Assistant Program in France for 2012-2013 School Year. Basically you need:
  • To speak English
  • To speak French at an intermediate level (B1)
  • At least two years of University
  • Be under 30 years of age
Not exactly onerous requirements!

The pay is low, so housing assistance is available (not guaranteed) and you can opt for a second job, if desired. Not a bad addition to one's résumé or life experience!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

In 2003, American expats were almost destroyed financially

I can't believe I just read this. Fortunately, it looks like the provision didn't get much support, but in 2003, Senate Finance Committee chairman Charles Grassley supported a bill to revoke Tax Code Section 911. That's the section of the tax code which gives expats one of their (few) legal benefits by allowing us to deduct some money off of our income for tax calculation purposes.

American expats would have been returning to the US in droves or renouncing their citizenship. There really wouldn't be a financial choice in the matter. Imagine having to pay full taxes on your income in both the US and your country of residence! Already we have plenty of problems abroad.

  • The earned income exemption is not indexed to inflation, thus being an effective tax increase every year.
  • The devalued dollar artificially inflates our wages abroad, thus being an effective tax increase again!.
  • Most people claiming the earned income exclusion still paid US taxes ($4.2 billion in 2006 is a huge amount of double taxation)
  • We pay Medicare but we're not allowed to claim it
  • Because we've moved abroad, we're no longer allowed to deduct pension contributions
  • If I take a foreign pension instead of a US pension, my social security will be cut, even though I've paid for it.

There are many benefits to living abroad and if you earn under the earned income threshold, you won't be impacted by most of this, but finding out that they've already gone after one of my few legal benefits is horrifying.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Getting into the US: buy a house?

Very Honest For Sale By Owner Sign
Photo by Casey Serin
I've mostly talked about strategies for getting to various non-US countries. I honestly don't much about US immigration (and I'd welcome a guest post). It looks a bit confusing, though no more so than many other countries. The main advantage the US has is that we have the same set of laws across all 50 states. This gives the US a significant immigration advantage over Europe, including the fact that the hard to obtain Green Card means permanent residency and a path to citizenship, if desired.

I did note, however, a bill which would allow foreigners to buy U.S. homes for residency. It hasn't passed yet, but if it does, it would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on residential property to live in the US. There are a few caveats, but basically, it would require you to buy at least one house to live in for $250,000 and other residential property totaling another $250,000 or more. You can rent out the extra property.

Personally, I'm all for this idea. I want to see barriers to immigration lowered, but honestly, given that the US now has %4.6 of homes empty and awaiting sale or rent, who actually thought this bill was a good idea now? Banks are foreclosing on people's homes left and right and this bill would allow them to be sold off to foreigners who can then rent a bunch of them back to the Americans who were foreclosed on? I can see this blowing up badly in some politician's faces if it passes.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Liberal whingers are wrong – we should shut our libraries

The British Library
The British Library
Photo by Steve Cadman
Americans take heart! Mean-spirited conservatism is not a "US only" phenomenon. Conservatives in the UK have decided that public libraries have got to go. After all, as this article in the Telegraph points out, almost 60% of people in the UK don't use libraries! And why would anyone? Today we have powerful computers and smart phones which let us look up information any time we want to!

The move to shut down the libraries has been a UK conservative issue for a while now. I can't figure out why the Tories are so keen on such an unpopular and stupid and idea, but I do note that it strikes a blow at the very poorest of society, those who likely won't vote Tory at all.

Except that it's Labour politicians who've been pushing this. Even the author of the above article (which I honestly thought was satire), is a well-known Labour strategist.

My friend Piers has written a protest song about this.

Child of the Library by pdcawley

If you think libraries are important, share the song. I understand that the UK is struggling financially right now, but saving money now by sacrificing the future of many poor children doesn't sound like a sound long-term strategy. For example, does the UK really need the third-highest military expenditures in the world? The cost of saving the libraries is a drop in the bucket of their spending on weapons.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Hungary introduces European Union blue card scheme

Hunyad Castle, Hungary
Photo by Alex.bikfalvi
Hungary offers a European Union blue card. I'm slowly compiling a list of European Blue Card implementations to allow job seekers to a convenient resource for understanding basic requirements. Unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble finding better information on the Blue Card implementation in Hungary. It appears that they rushed the legislation to beat the EU deadline (and they're not the only country).

As it stands now, you need to be:
  • A "highly qualified" applicant
  • Have a job offer
The Blue Card will:
  • Be valid from 1 to 4 years
  • Make you eligible for permanent residency after only three years
  • Allow you to seek employment elsewhere in EU after two year
You can read Hungary's CIA world factbook entry to get a good overview of the country.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Working in Prague




Wednesday, October 26, 2011

In Prague
