Meanwhile In Balkans...

[urbanoid]

7 minutes ago, bojan said:

Local nickname was "Gypsy's dream" or "Albanian's dream" due the it's popularity among them.

 

I was there in 2018 so the vast majority of MBs I've seen were from 1990s/early 2000s. Quite worn out too in many (most?) cases, but hey, as long as there's a star...

[Roman Alymov]

38 minutes ago, bojan said:

And how "flow of life" is slow compared to Russia... and Belgrade is considered "super fast" in Serbia..

The same impression of "why everyone is running" from Serbian girl who have moved to Russia (in Russian with English subtitles)

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Roman Alymov

[ink]

Quote

 

33 minutes ago, bojan said:

There is another things why Russia is popular among common people, and that is agricultural exports to Russia. Unlike infernal EU bureaucracy, that more-less only large agriculture producers can navigate with profit, export to Russia is far more friendly to a smaller producers. Hence, sanctions toward Russia will hurt those small producers heavily.  

That's a good point and I feel bad that my Belgrade-centric brain didn't think of it.

Quote

And how "flow of life" is slow compared to Russia... and Belgrade is considered "super fast" in Serbia.

Those Russians who think Belgrade is slow should try really glacial Serbian cities like Sombor or Subotica. Life there is like being in permanent bullet time.

On the other hand, my friend spent an evening out with some trendy young Russians (for work as much as pleasure) in a newly opened Russian restaurant in Belgrade and swears that they all proclaimed to really love it here.

I'd like to think that overall this influx of young Russians will eventually be good for Serbian/Belgrade society. 

[ink]

2 minutes ago, Roman Alymov said:

The same impression of "why everyone is running" from Serbian girl who have moved to Russia (in Russian with English subtitles)

 

To be expected, I suppose. Serbia doesn't have any really large cities - certainly nothing comparable to a mega city like Moscow. 

[DB]

On 7/15/2023 at 12:09 PM, ink said:

There's a hidden 3) that nobody seems to mention, which is that the rich and stable societies of Western Europe and North America have stripped Serbia of it's best and brightest over the last 30 years... and are now busily stripping Serbia of its cooks, drivers, nurses, carers, plumbers, etc.

One could argue that's not exactly "the west's" fault. If Serbia was so great a place to be, then nobody would leave...

On the flip side, how many Serbians choose to go to Russia as a "brain drain", or as service staff?

[bojan]

At university level education it was a popular destination for people who wanted to work in oil industry. At lower levels, construction was most common.

One thing that has biggest impact is that English is mandatory foreign language, and German is more common as secondary than a Russian.

Edited July 17, 2023 by bojan

[ink]

1 hour ago, DB said:

On the flip side, how many Serbians choose to go to Russia as a "brain drain", or as service staff?

Bojan's right. People do go to Russia to work. It's not as common as people going westwards but these things change over time anyway - lots of people now go to the ME and Asia looking for work too.

 

Quote

One could argue that's not exactly "the west's" fault. If Serbia was so great a place to be, then nobody would leave...

Oh, I'm not sure I was exactly apportioning blame. I was just saying where the resentment comes from, in my view. Of course, were I to make a case for it being the West's fault, I think I'd have some material. It is entirely the West's fault that they installed and are supporting the current government through thick and thin. Which means that the current status quo suits Western interests. So, there is a little blame to go around, that's for sure.

However, you are right, ultimately, that if Serbia were in better shape, fewer people would leave. Most of the blame for that does fall on the heads of Serbian politicians. No doubt about that. I just don't want it to be forgotten that it's an intricate dance, this whole thing, and the choreography calls for two dancers.

[JWB]

44 minutes ago, ink said:

... West's fault that they installed and are supporting the current government ....

How was this done?

[ink]

35 minutes ago, JWB said:

How was this done?

The US pumped the newly created party with financing, advisors and campaign managers (some from Europe, others from the US and Israel) and also pulled the plug on the incumbent Democratic Party. Angela Merkel dithered a bit but then fully supported the new government.

Support has been unwavering in spite of the fact that the new government quickly worked on becoming a regime (through Orban style systemic changes and lots of much dirtier tricks). Support continues in spite of the fact that the government has close ties to international organised crime networks, in spite of its authoritarian hold on power, in spite of its control of the media... The list simply goes on and on.

[DB]

Shocking to see a country interfering with another country's electoral process...

 

[ink]

9 hours ago, DB said:

Shocking to see a country interfering with another country's electoral process...

 

😂 Indeed!

Although, if it makes anyone feel better, there is plenty of interference in Serbia's internal politics from the Russia side too. It's just the Chinese who want nothing more than money (...and severely deregulated labour laws).

Edited July 18, 2023 by ink

[Yama]

On 7/15/2023 at 5:16 PM, bojan said:

There is another things why Russia is popular among common people, and that is agricultural exports to Russia. Unlike infernal EU bureaucracy, that more-less only large agriculture producers can navigate with profit, export to Russia is far more friendly to a smaller producers. Hence, sanctions toward Russia will hurt those small producers heavily.

That's one of the down sides of EU - everything is deliberately rigged to benefit big players. To manage all the paperwork for your farm requires one person to work full-time on it. Otherwise you can't get anything sold, or apply for agricultural subsidies. If you have a big farm which employs 20 people, well it's doable. Just hire 1 extra person. But if you have a family farm which is ran by 2 adults - hiring a third one eats up all your margins and more. Most can't do it, so they sell their arable land off and quit.

And increasingly it's the same thing in other sectors - for example, Finnish fishing industry is almost dead. EU fishing regulations are designed for huge fishing enterprises of North Sea and Atlantic. It's hard to deal with all the bureaucratic nonsense if you're Baltic fisher with a boat full of hope and few nets. Similarly, service industries are increasingly dominated by huge international chains. Well it brings efficiency to the markets, right? Sure...except that they don't pay taxes to the country they operate, they just take the profits and siphon them to somewhere else.

[bojan]

 "You will own nothing"

[BansheeOne]

Quote

Kosovo police on the hunt for gunmen after deadly shooting

28 minutes ago

One officer was killed in an ambush in northern Kosovo on Sunday. Several assailants remain on the loose as Kosovo blames Serbs for the attack.

Kosovo police forces entered the northern village of Banjska on Monday, searching for members of the armed group that opened fire on a police patrol on Sunday.

A group of around 30 individuals killed one officer and barricaded themselves in a local Orthodox monastery on Sunday. In the stand-off that lasted several hours, police forces killed three of the gunmen and injured another two.

Several assailants escaped on foot and remain on the loose.

Local forces secure and search the area

Local police forces arrested two of the attackers, as well as four ethnic Serbs who are suspected of supporting them. All six are being investigated for terrorist acts.

Authorities also searched for infiltrators among worshippers in the monastery. 

Two clergymen and a group of pilgrims from Serbia were reportedly staying in the building when the fighting broke out on Sunday. None of them have been injured.

Gunmen believed to be ethnic Serbs

It is not yet clear who the attackers are and who is supporting them, but they are widely believed to be ethnic Serbs from northern Kosovo.

Tensions between predominantly Orthodox Serbs and mostly muslim Albanians in Kosovo have been flaring up over recent months.

According to the Ministry of Interior, police seized arms and explosives that could be used to arm hundreds of people.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti condemned the incident as a "terrorist attack" and accused Serbia of supporting the "mercenary structure."

Serbia denies involvement

Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic denied any connection to his government, pointing the finger at local Kosovo Serbs instead "who no longer want to stand Kurti's terror."

Belgrade has repeatedly accused Kosovo of oppressing Serb communities in the country's north and has demanded more autonomy for them.

While Vucic condemned the attack, he also slammed the West for its "hypocrisy" over Kosovo. "You can kill us all. Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, that monster creation that you made by bombing Serbia," Vucic said.

[...]

https://www.dw.com/en/kosovo-police-on-the-hunt-for-gunmen-after-deadly-shooting/a-66915675

[ink]

Yeah, you know some shit's gonna go down when the Guardian runs a pro-Kurti piece on its front page.

[JWB]

 

[BansheeOne]

Any elections coming up?

Quote

US monitoring large Serbian force along Kosovo border, White House says

Reuters

September 29, 2023 9:07 PM GMT+2 Updated 10 hours ago

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The United States is monitoring a troubling Serbian military deployment along the border of Kosovo that is destabilizing the area, the White House said on Friday and called for the forces to be withdrawn.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Kosovo's peacekeeping force is going to be increasing its presence of NATO forces in northern Kosovo as a result of the tensions.

Kosovo authorities said police fought around 30 heavily armed Serbs who stormed the Kosovo village of Banjska on Sunday and barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Three attackers and one police officer were killed.

The gunbattle has prompted new international concern over stability in Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority and declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and a 1999 NATO intervention.

Kirby said the attack was not a random one and that the amount of types of arms that were found represent a threat not only to Kosovo personnel but international personnel, including NATO troops.

"Everyone involved in this attack needs to be brought to justice," he said. He called on Serbian authorities to assist in the investigation into what happened.

Kirby called "a large Serbian military deployment along the Kosovo border" a destabilizing development and called on Serbia to withdraw those forces and contribute to lowering tensions.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier on Friday spoke to Serbia's president by phone to convey U.S. concerns, and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Kosovo's prime minister to discuss the events and stressed the importance of dialogue, Kirby said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-monitoring-large-serbian-force-along-kosovo-border-white-house-2023-09-29/

[bojan]

Yes, date should be determinated soon.

[Rick]

On 7/22/2023 at 7:41 PM, Yama said:

That's one of the down sides of EU - everything is deliberately rigged to benefit big players. To manage all the paperwork for your farm requires one person to work full-time on it. Otherwise you can't get anything sold, or apply for agricultural subsidies. If you have a big farm which employs 20 people, well it's doable. Just hire 1 extra person. But if you have a family farm which is ran by 2 adults - hiring a third one eats up all your margins and more. Most can't do it, so they sell their arable land off and quit.

And increasingly it's the same thing in other sectors - for example, Finnish fishing industry is almost dead. EU fishing regulations are designed for huge fishing enterprises of North Sea and Atlantic. It's hard to deal with all the bureaucratic nonsense if you're Baltic fisher with a boat full of hope and few nets. Similarly, service industries are increasingly dominated by huge international chains. Well it brings efficiency to the markets, right? Sure...except that they don't pay taxes to the country they operate, they just take the profits and siphon them to somewhere else.

Did not know this. In the U.S. your statement "...To manage all the paperwork for your farm requires one person to work full-time on it." Change "farm" to a solo doctor's office and it will be the same thing. 

[BansheeOne]

34 minutes ago, bojan said:

Yes, date should be determinated soon.

Well, that's a relief then.

 

[JWB]

4 hours ago, Rick said:

Did not know this. In the U.S. your statement "...To manage all the paperwork for your farm requires one person to work full-time on it." Change "farm" to a solo doctor's office and it will be the same thing. 

How much of that is insurance?

[Josh]

8 minutes ago, JWB said:

How much of that is insurance?

It is estimated that a single payer healthcare system would remove >100,000 jobs from the US.

Edited September 30, 2023 by Josh

[Rick]

1 hour ago, JWB said:

How much of that is insurance?

Will ask, that's not my area of much knowledge.  I work for an ophthalmologist -- retina surgeon, as an angiographer/technician. What I have observed is that with insurance, most of the time is getting someone from the insurance company to answer our phone call or email for a prior authorization. If we deem it an emergency, we go ahead and do it. Afaik, we don't have a problem with this. Then the girls figure out co-payments and deductibles based on insurance plans.

With Medicare -- the federal government insurance plan for folks 65 and older -- there is  a lot of bureaucracy involved which we pay an outside group to help  with Medicare's constant and medically unnecessary  changes of rules and regulations.  

[Rick]

1 hour ago, Josh said:

It is estimated that a single payer healthcare system would remove >100,000 jobs from the US.

One example of a single payer healthcare -- aka as government -- is "Medicare for All." The following is from the ultra-liberal website Democratic Underground. 

How would Medicare for All work from a financial aspect?

At present, 100% of contributions made to Medicare by everyone who has a job in this country cover the healthcare costs for the current program. Those tax dollars are barely enough to cover seniors on Medicare, who account for roughly 19% of the population.  So the question is: how much would payroll taxes need to increase to cover 100% of the population as opposed to the current 19%? The current tax rate is 1.45% for the employee and 1.45% for the employer, or a 2.9% total. 19% divides into 100% 5 times, so one assumes that one would need to raise the payroll tax five-fold to cover 100% of the population. That would mean that the employee would pay a tax of 7.25% as would the employer, equaling a tax of 14.5%.  Add into this the fact that current Medicare recipients pay monthly premiums of $109 on average, or $1308 a year.  So do the math: if you earn $50,000 a year, your Medicare tax would be $3625 at 7.25%. Add in your premiums of $1308, and you're paying just under $5,000 a year per person for Medicare for All. Sounds good.

But what if you are a family with a spouse who doesn't work and two young children who don't work? How are they covered in the Medicare for All scenario? Surely, there would be additional premium cost involved. They can't be covered free of charge. That $5000 per year mentioned above covers ONE working person, not their family members. Even if you waive the payroll tax deduction and charge only the average monthly premium per person (as Medicare currently does), you are looking at an additional $3900 per year to cover a non-working spouse and two children. That makes your cost around $9000 per year, and that is equal to 18% of that $50,000 income you are earning.

And, to cover all bases, let's not forget that you are currently paying 6.2% of your income in Social Security taxes. Add that into the mix, and your combined Medicare for All and SS expenses for that family of 4 with one bread winner described above would be over 25% of your income.

That's still a bargain when compared to the taxes paid in European nations, and it's the true cost of having a truly socialistic approach to things. It is what it is. Let's not downplay the realities involved.

I don't have the answers. I do know that while Medicare for All might well be the best and fairest approach we could take toward universal healthcare, it comes with real expenses and real costs to real people.

[bojan]

9 hours ago, BansheeOne said:

Well, that's a relief then.

Dog and pony, as usual, except this time someone got killed. Every time there is any kind of government crisis at Kosovo or Serbia, suddenly "other sides" will do something so utterly stupid it is almost unbelievable, masses will get ecstatic and original problem will get forgotten for at least few months.