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Massive Layoffs Hit University of Copenhagen
jones_supa writes: University of Copenhagen is cutting deep into its staff to cut operation costs. Even though a great deal of the savings are aimed at administration and service, they are expected to affect the quality of education and research many years ahead. More than 500 teachers, researchers and employees in service and administrative jobs will be leaving. This corresponds to 7% of all staff. 209 employees can anticipate being laid off, while 323 jobs are either discontinued or terminated via voluntary redundancy. In addition to this, the university will have to reduce its PhD intake by 10% in the coming years. This is the outcome of the government's 2016 budget which imposes huge savings on research and education. As you might remember, we just heard about a similar situation in University of Helsinki in Finland.
This is the outcome of the government's 2016 budget which imposes huge savings on research and education.
You seem to have misspelled "cuts".
~Idarubicin
This is silly. We as a whole of humanity may have enough means of production to satisfy probably not only basic needs. This however does not take into account that the wealth distribution is not even throughout societies thus making providing for all rather difficult. In other words - we may have the capacity to give all a place to live plus bread and circus but the capacity required is either occupied by something else or being owned by people that may not wish to share all that much. Forced sharing as in Soviet Union has so far not been very successful. In ages past we have solved this problem by moving large groups of population to empty places or places where local population could not defend itself. I do not see all that many places to move so indeed redistribution may be the only solution but this will not go down well. I would expect lost of blood being shed about that in coming decades. Unless of course productivity increases that much that we get star trek type of economy - I suppose we die under mountain of trash if this will become true or because somebody will try to fix population into his/her vision of universal ideas (the -isms). I recall there was an idiot that claimed history is over when communism fell - I laughed back then and now I am proven right once again.
I guess academia is nerdy but who cares? Europe is crumbling, this is no surprise.
If Europe is really crumbling, should we rejoice? By we, I mean everybody who believes in an ideology of human progress, whether socialist, Communist or liberal democrat. Hasn't the world become so entangled that the collapse of one major civilization will have serious repercussions somewhere else, even if it's separated by mountain ranges or whole oceans? There isn't going to be any refuge from a new Dark Age, the way China or the Arabs of the time continued to bear the torch of civilization after the fall of Rome. This time, nobody would be left to reignite a new Renaissance.
A 7% reduction (where over half are voluntary meaning only 3% actually get sacked) doesn't seem so unusual and by no means massive. In all companies I've been there has been cuts that were both bigger in absolute and percentage terms, hardly raised a headline. But now it's the public sector so it is somehow a disaster not only nationally but also news-worthy internationally?!
It seems in the past year, some danes have figured out that whenever the government does something they disagree with they can run to the international media with "Oh look how evil they are!" stories and easily have them printed. Even though the actual news content is utterly trivial, and in fact many other countries have been doing the same "evil" thing.
There has been a massive upsurge in hiring at University of Copenhagen in recent years. A tripling of PhD students over 10 years. Any half-decent grad student gets routinely offered 2-3 PhD positions if they finish, and can easily get research assistant and PostDoc positions after they finish, and then teachers, asisstant professors and what not after that. Everyone knows they are not all top scientists - quite far from it. In fact many of them couldn't make the cut at a private company, but yet consider themselves superior just because they got a trivial PhD degree.
So on balance, it seems only in order with a little clean-up - just as many other companies have to from time to time. By the way, the actual cut in funding was only 2% so it can't explain why they now have to fire 7%.
uuuuhuh... Only one problem though, Europe isn't christian, the wast majority of our population is either atheist or agnostic. Nowadays anyone claiming to be a real believing and devout christian is regarded as being a little "funny"
Well, it is obviously bad from the point of view of a global, interconnected economy. It is hurting us, and it will get worse. But Europe crumbling is not something we have any control over; the European model simply isn't sustainable. So, the question at this point amounts to: will the US adopt the same kind of policies that are destroying Europe or will we turn back. If Europe hurries up and falls apart quickly enough, that may prevent Americans from foolishly walking down the same path. We still pay the price for Europe's follies, but at least our own economy and society will be able to muddle through intact.
The situation isn't all that different from a century ago, when Europe also self-destructed while the US avoided both fascism and socialism and managed to help the West get back on its feet again after WWII.
No indeed. You are not good Christians. But to deny that European culture descends from Christian ideals is to deny reality. I see you proudly preserve your catherals, and Christian art. It suggests pride in your past. The muslims you take in have no pride in your past, at all. They want to replace you.
The Nordic welfare states are dropping like flies.
Eh? By "the Nordic welfare states" I'm assuming you mean Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland?
Let's examine that claim. Sweden is doing great, Denmark almost as great. Norway has the oil (and a *lot* of it) and has had the god foresight to save oil money from the good times to insulate against poorer times. Norway is doing exceptionally great. Which leaves Finland. Sure, Finland has challenges which can be attributed to a disrupted monoculture. But they are not dismantling the welfare state by any means. They're innovating. None of the Nordic countries are about to "drop" like a fly.
I don't know why you would try to paint a picture of the Nordic welfare states failing. They're not. Not by any stretch of imagination. Do you live in a place where successful welfare states would be an inconvenient counterpoint to your political point of view?
Yes - there's challenges in the Nordic elfare systems, like with any other model. Right now the Nordic welfare states (and the German welfare state) are under pressure because a lot of migrants would like to live in a place with generous social benefits, free education (and at least in Denmark you will even receive full state-paid scholarship all the way through college), free healthcare, retirement welfare etc.
Other countries have other challenges. In the US the average middle-class income has stagnated sinde the 1970ies. The wealthy are getting wealthier, the middle-class is struggling and the poor has gotten even more poor. US social mobility has degraded to a level where "the American dream" is but a distant fantasy.
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You must also realize...they don't care. You are an infidel to them. Christian, agnostics, atheist, secular humanist...it does not matter. You are not a true adherent to their particular strain of Islam so you must be killed or subjugated.
The refuguees number for 2015 is more like 30.000. And at least the same amount to come in 2016. Besides, it is expensive for a country to take in 0.75% or even 0.25% of citizens who do not produce but will live off the produce of the existing population (many of which are not productive either). Compare the ratio to other countries and their population size. I don't think the U.S. would have an appetite for taking in millions of people annually that would have to get free housing, food, healthcare etc. But this is what it would amount to should the U.S. take the same amount of refugees on a per capita basis. While good education system is a necessity for society to prosper, it doesn't mean that no cut backs are ever possible in education, just as society shouldn't spend an infinite amount of money on education. Giving people degrees that either lead to unemployment or only employment as PhD's teachers, etc within said field, or as administrative staff in the government in positions where the subject matter of the degree has no relevance, certainly won't benefit Denmark as a society. For instance, people take a 5 year degree in History and then people just an office worker in the government. But because of their degree they are now entitled to a salary as an acdemic even though their degree is not doing anything good in the position! If the same position had been filled by someone without a degree, the pay would have been about half. That's just crazy! Can't imagine it being like that anywhere else. That's just one of many, many things that will have to change in the coming years because it is costing a shit-ton of money and is outright counterproductive in terms of actually making people seek productive careers. Maybe the people you know who left in 2010 were just angry that there was starting to be a limit on the hand-outs (in terms of either welfare or "easy" public sector jobs). They better watch out, it seems suchs hand-outs are shrinking in just about all countries.
Just send all the Muslim refugees to college for free.
Oh, we will. You can count on it.
If they are accepted as refugees, after a few years they will be eligible for the same benefits as other citizens. Danish education - including college education - is free. Not only that, but we will even pay students scolarships of around DKK 5100 a month (apx $9200 per year) to cover living costs.
Universities have admission criteria, however. You'll have to be accepted. Most citizens with muslim background seeking higher education tend to go for the types of education that traditionally have high status in their culture: Law, medicine, dentists etc.
I have a high wage. I pay a *lot* of taxes. Do I mind that refugees seek education in Denmark and receive benefits? No, I do not. Any qualified young man or woman seeking higher education is *exactly* what we need. If they're qualified, I'm happy with paying my taxes so that they can receive an education even if they come of circumstances very unlike mine.
Right now we're receiving both refugees and migrants. We are well aware that the generous welfare systems in the Nordic countries and the economic opportunities (and welfare system) in Germany is attractive. Obviously, the Nordic countries cannot open the borders and let in every needy person in the world.
Bit the ones we *do* let in considered needy. And they *will* be eligible for the same benefits as the rest of us. And I'm kind of proud of that. And yes, I pay my high taxes with pleasure. Makes me feel good about it.
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Selective history much? The US didn't avoid Facism, we put a great many Asians and Germans into concentration camps of our own. We just didn't murder them all. Also keep in mind, that social security was born during this time. The country was decidedly more liberal than it is today. We were forcing people into military service and rationing materials as well as food.
You forget that rebuilding Europe is also what made the US economy what it is today. If we didn't do that these policies your espousing as superior would likely have lead to a different kind of failure in the U.S. economy. Laissez faire died when the stock market collapsed on Black Tuesday. We realized as a country that you need to regulate commerce or it will swallow the country whole. You'll end up with a great Chicago fire due to crappy construction and living conditions. That you need Unions to counter-balance business-owners single minded pursuit of the all mighty dollar no matter who gets hurt.
Germany's economy is quite strong and most decidedly not crumbling despite all influx of people. The UK's economy is also strong. Keep in mind, being jobless isn't the end of the world in those countries either. It certainly isn't an extravagant lifestyle but you'll also live and receive healthcare unlike in the U.S. where you will end up on the street or die trying to find a place to treat your illness.
Communism is never going to work, neither is unbridled capitalism, we need to find a sweet spot somewhere in the middle.
Your numbers are factually incorrect.
In Denmark, the number of asylum applications in 2015 was 18,492. That's applicants, the number actually granted asylum is significantly lower. So far, it seems the trend for 2016 will be less Syrian refugees (as most of those who are able to flee have already done so), and more refugees from comparatively peaceful countries in Africa and Asia (e.g. Afghanistan). Where almost all Syrian asylum seekers received asylum, that is not the case for refugees from other countries. As such, while the number of applicants might rise, the number of people actually granted asylum in 2016 is not expected to grow significantly.
When you then factor in that most of the expenses of receiving and processing these refugees is paid from money already allocated to foreign aid, it becomes quite clear that no, asylum seekers are not making a significant dent in the overall budget.
The righties in America all think that they're invincible and that bad things won't hasten to them so a social safety net is just fit shirkers out to steal their money.
That's why those turkeys keep voting for Christmas while the people they vote for extract more and more from them.
They hate the Nordic countries because it gives the lie to the idea that any kind of social democracy will destroy their way of life so anything negative about those countries is seized as an example that those Scandinavian commies are a failure.
The parlous state of the US infrastructure that is supposed to be paid for by their taxes never enters their consciousness except as an excuse to privatise everything in the name of efficiency which is actually the worst of all worlds, setting up private monopolies at taxpayers' expense.
In the last couple of decades I have seen educational institutions acquire prime real estate, charge students through the roof for tuition and books exponentially, place credit card booths hither and yon, situate food outlets that charge more for food and beverages than outside said institutions. Schools are a business, not a place of education and it is appalling. What else are they going to do but operate like the heartless corporations they are. Somehow, educational institutions lost touch with their mandate.