Okay, this is entertaining. Are you accusing the French of being socialists? France is ruled by the UMP a Conservative political party member of the International Democrat Union just like the US Republican Party!
P.S. You are more likely to find sodomy in the halls of the U.S. Congress - where pages really know what pain in the ass means!
Of course, what did you expect from a law student?:D And as a Norwegian the Isle of Mann has a special place in our history. It was after all a Norwegian kingdom. Did you know Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame lives there?
Kjære nabo, have a look at the ruling parties in Norway. The current government is a coalition of Labour, Socialist-Left and the Center Party. SF's søsterparti. Perhaps you should consider moving? hehe
Well to my ears that still sounds like the old propaganda about the "socialist" European countries where taxes are high and the unemployment even higher. Did you happen to read the article I linked to?
I know quite a few Americans here in Norway that I discuss politics with on a regular basis - and one thing that strikes me is that the tax burden is never seen as the real issue. In fact they say the taxes back in the US - all in all - are quite steep. I wonder how much you pay when you consider local/county/city, federal and school district taxes? Like the article says in Denmark the average is 50%. And then you get money back from the state for things like obligatory childrens welfare support (cash in hand to parents) and other social support services. If you make less money, you obviously pay a lot less than 50% of your income. I suppose something like 35% is quite common. And please remember we have free schools, Universities, healthcare, welfare, pensions and unemployment benefits. You get what you pay for.
There is no tax on TV - it is a license you pay for TV ownership. Just like the American Fuel Tax you pay that funds road maintenance. Call it a tax if you like, remember to give next time PBS calls.
The social programmes everywhere is also quite old fashioned and not at all true. In fact because of the European Union and it's goals of free flow of people/goods/services and money we have to be competitive even within our own economies. And that has lead to widespread privatisation in all levels of government. Today even the local garbage collection, county maintenance and street renovation is a gov contract like any other. So you see the reality is very different from what it once (maybe) was.
Working for the government is NOT seen as prestigious in Scandinavia. Perhaps in France. And they don't pay as you good either. In fact working for the local district (kommune) is a downright derogatory remark here. It implies you are lazy and have no incentive to work harder for better pay.
What I find really funny is that Americans like to talk a lot about "small government" - but practice is another entirely different matter! Since the "New Deal" era you have had socialist work and welfare programmes like most "socialist" countries. You just don't like calling them that.
Here in Norway the Constitution does call for a limited government. However by interpretation more tasks have become the responsibility of the government. The real difference is that we have more faith in our government and it's abilities than the average American. It would take a book to explain our mentality.
So you agree that Europe is not "necessarily socialist"? That is my message too. We are not the socialist countries the US thinks we are. And the real socialist countries have long since disappeared from Earth. Look at China. It is a boolean situation - we either are or not. Our way is called the Middle Way - it's Social-Democracy. Some times we are ruled by right, centre or left leaning governments. Yet the core concept of a democratic market economy and welfare state remains. That is what I would like Americans to understand.
I think you have to read my other posts here as well. The point is that the "Socialism" of the Soviet Era does not exist in Europe any longer. We have Social-Democracy and leftist political parties - but they have long since changed and adapted to a new reality. They can be very progressive and relatively market friendly if they want to - and some really have been and are.
Yes, of course, there are differences in European politics. However you have to understand the point I am making is that there is no real Socialist state in Europe. There are political parties that say they are socialist, but truthfully it is not purely so. The fact is that Americans think "Socialism" is something evil on level with Communism (of the Soviet facist kind). And there is no DDR or SED any more.
To expect them to understand the difference between the relatively "market friendly" politics of Social-Democrats in Europe is too much. Just like you said "in very many areas" - and in the others?
I live in Scandinavia and we have our radical socialists too - in the minority. The powerful Labour parties that govern Europe have long since changed too much to deserve the name and content Americans would associate with "Socialism".
Remember this is a very different society than America. We are only 4.5 million people, and Oslo only has about 450.000 inhabitants. A wealthy, educated and content society. A country where religion is for the few, Christianity is a rarely observed. When something happens it is not because of some government or police conspiracy.
The violence I described was not a large group of immigrants - quite the contrary - just three young Pakistani men who observed a Jew walking past. The attack on the Synagogue was no coincidence either - the group of four planned this and many other attacks. They just did not get to complete more than the first. The Secret Service fortunately had wire taps on them.
I have nothing against Muslims per se, my best friend is a Muslim woman. Living in a part of Oslo where there are many immigrants has not made me any less friendly towards them. And there is no reason to fear them as a group - but understanding the potential threat from extremist elements is another matter. I do not advocate violence towards anyone - but being prepared for threats internal and external means we have to be vigilant.
Being a law student I understand the ramifications of giving the Police more authority. However I also accept that this is a new threat to our society. Muslims have only recently arrived in Norway - and they bring with them their culture and views. And especially in our homogenous and very tolerant Scandinavian society their views are often at odds with ours. Not understanding our culture and vice versa leads to conflict.
Why is it Americans always brings up this "Socialism" rubbish? Why do you still live in the 50s? Socialism in Europe has long since disappeared. The Labour governments of most European nations are far more centrist and market friendly than you believe. Actually your Republicans are more interested in creating "large" government agencies than European politicians. Here it's more: "how much can we privatizelink" and "is it legal under EU competition laws".
It just so happens that I don't have the networks you are referring to because I live in Scandinavia.
And because you seem to think what I said is conjecture I would like to tell you about what is happening in Norway - which just happens to be next to Sweden. In fact the [few] extremists amongst our Muslim immigrant population have begun physically attacking our Jewish minority on the streets. At cultural events in the Jewish community we have to have secret police protection both inside and outside the buildings. Just a few months ago one group attacked the Synagogue in Oslo, shooting at it with automatic weapons, because they "sympathized" with their Muslim brethren. Their next target was bombing the American embassy. They were arrested afterwards. And we have had the pleasure of hosting numerous international terrorists responsible for attacks in Spain etc. Thank God, our Secret Service is very active and has stopped numerous attacks and kept tabs on the extremists.
Norway is a much better target because we actually participate in both NATO operations, Afghanistan and at one time in Iraq. So we really are "crusaders" in the eyes of the militants. But do they really care where they attack? Some of the Jihadis even believe in that Dar al-Harb rubbish.
My point was that Sweden needs to be vigilant and it only takes a few nut jobs in the Muslim community to attack innocent people. Muslims as a whole represent no threat - but the propaganda the violent Islamists broadcast can easily turn young minds into monsters.
Just being Christian and democratic is enough for Islamist terrorists to attack. Besides what do they know about Sweden? Bin Laden has already ordered attacks on Norway for some reason - but Denmark has troops in Iraq. Go figure? Anyway - Sweden has thousands upon thousands of Muslim immigrants from Somalia and Iraq. Two somalis with Swedish passports were just arrested in Somalia fighting for the Islamists (Islamic Courts). Who are they going to attack next? Lots of infidels in Sweden they can attack at will.
I am soo looking forward to the day VMware finishes the Fusion product for Mac OS, because then all the Apple-haters will have one argument less. You do know Fusion enables you to run Windows in OS X and use DirectX for games? We would not even have to leave OS X to play your Windows games! Probably at a performance cost of course - but we have BootCamp for that!
What "fringe audience"? You think selling premium quality goods is a silly business concept? Tell BMW, Porsche, LVMH and other well run luxury goods companies that they are wrong. Apple does not need to be large because they have loyal and very valuable customers that come back again and again. They even proselytize and convert!
And who says OS X is really that massive compared with say Windows? After all Mac OS only has to work on their hardware. Apple can deliver a controlled environment and experience - something customers love because it just works.
If I am one to judge by Apple will continue to earn money in the years to come. Last year I bought my first Mac after being introduced to some old G3 iMacs and "information" from an Apple fan. I quickly got rid off the MacBook, bought the MacBook Pro and then an iMac 20". I have loads of MP3 players but I ended up getting an iPod 30GB because of the integration with backup software and iTunes. And let us not forget the excellent software I have suddenly begun buying from Apple and others.
Okay, I dont know where you get your information. But Norway has had troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Just these last weeks Norway was asked by the US/NATO to contribute more troops to Afghanistan. So we are sending even more special forces units. Not to mention our F-16s were flying missions down there. And I believe our Royal Norwegian navy is still part of related NATO missions in the Med.
No, we have not had bombings in Norway yet. However we have had attacks on the only Synagogue in Oslo by Pakistani militants. We have had attacks on our Jewish populace by Arab immigrants. And we have had the pleasure of hosting terrorists from North Africa that were involved in other European bomb attacks. If those people had not been arrested thanks to our Secret Service we might just have had our 9/11. Who knows.
Regardless, our nose is very much indeed in other peoples business. We are active in Israel/Palestine, Sri Lanka, Guatemala etc. Remember the Oslo agreement that led to the Camp David signatures? Not loved by the Arab world. In Sri Lanka they burn our flags and effigy's of our Ambassador because we are trying to create peace. They do not want peace or our peacekeeping observer corps (troops). Did I mention the Muslims on Sri Lanka?
So you see there any number of reasons why Norway could be attacked.
Norway never "nationalized" anything - however the government at the time did require that a majority of the profits would go to the state. Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum have been the largest investors and developers of oil field off the coast of Norway. So if anything the "thieves" are still here, not that they get to keep much of their earnings. Today the state oil company, Statoil, is actually a publicly traded company listed on the NYSE. The Norwegian government has something like 50-60% of the shares. However the actual surplus from the oil is NOT invested in the local economy - but invested abroad to avoid overheating our own economy.
In case you haven't noticed monarchies continue to thrive and are actually doing quite well. In fact the Kingdom of Norway was rated #1 by the UN's annual Human Development Index (a measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living). The US was number 8. Of the top 20 countries, 9 are monarchies - plus Canada, Australia and New Zealand have the British Queen as head of state. But I guess you meant the absolute form of monarchy?
You SO dont understand the nature of full EU membership and the simple EEA-agreement. I am a Norwegian lawyer and I have studied this subject at Uni. If you only knew how deeply connected we are to EFTA - and not the EU! It is in fact the EFTA countries that have the actual agreement with the EU. Norway routes everything through the EFTA system and the EFTA court where it belongs. Because the EU did not want non-members to work within their institutions. The EEA is very limited in scope compared to the full legislation for members nations of the EU. Not to mention the requirement to join the common currency.
Who is screwing who? It is certainly debatable wether Apple is screwing Cisco or the other way around. Clearly the iPhone name came about because of speculation Apple might create a phone product. Apple should probably have reserved the rights to the name, it is almost too obvious their legal dept failed them. Cisco jumped on the chance to screw Apple! With all the free publicity why should they not take advantage of Apples failure? But it is clearly Cisco screwing Apple.
Perhaps you should consider the fact that Europe and the US have different laws and systems of law? US Common Law is very different from European "Roman" civil law. Some issues are covered by international conventions and agreements. But this is an issue for german domestic law. Especially considering the fact that gmail.de existed prior to any Google application for a German trademark.
What socialism? Like I said - do you know anything about the current state of Europe? Even if most governments in Europe are actually conservative? Or that the majority of the European Parliament are conservatives? I am a capitalist myself - I even hate paying taxes! So keep your equation Europe=Socialism to yourself.
the EU fights foreign monopolies
Bullshit. The EU is built around the Internal Market - and one of the greatest concerns for Europe is opening national markets to both domestic and foreign (European/international) competition. If you do not know this - you know nothing about the EU. I wish I could explain it all - but then again I studied this at Uni and it would take some to time do.
forcing all people who own a TV to pay a licensing fee for a television station
No, the license is for the TV set. The channel gets the funds over the national budget. Many consumers do not understand this important legal distinction.
same sorts of "language protection" in the U.S.
You are such a troll! What Norway is trying to do is keep our tiny language alive through active measures like producing programming in our native language! In another 50 years we will probably only use English anyway - all our major corporations already do. Our cultural protection program has nothing to do with foreigners or xenophobia - its about American TV and music crushing our own unique culture. You have probably heard about how the French protect their language.
consumer protection laws seem to be designed around giving the power-elites more power
No, in my "socialist" country, like you said, it is all about the "proletariat". At least try to be consistent. We actually have a system where the people have the power.
if the E.U. was really concerned about protecting its citizens,
We are not members of the EU (of our own choosing).
It is politically expedient...
You obviously have not visited Norway. The council is independent and non-political. Your political and legal system is so different from ours - I understand your scepticism. We have our tiny leftwing anti-American groups, of course, but our close historical ties (WWII/NATO) and the 4 million Norwegian-Americans mean we are actually quite fond of the US.
You have never been to Europe, right? Perhaps you watch a lot of Fox News?
Europe is NOT full of monopolies because the EU actively fights against them (example: Microsoft) and all other kinds of trade barriers within the EU. The European Union is very aggressively pursuing opening all national markets for competition. In fact the national governments are required by EU law to assist in this venture.
The BBC and many other national public broadcasters are NOT monopolies because there is plenty of competition! The BBC and the like are actually recipients of the national TV-license fees that the government requires for TV ownership in some countries. You may not like it but it is required none the less. This happens to be the case in Norway as well - for reasons of protecting our language from the massive English influence on the commercial TV-stations.
The EU does not make it illegal to sell Champagne or Parmesan products! They do however require that producers labeling their products Champagne actually have some basis in reality - and produce it in that region! Think trademark and salesmark laws.
Monopolies and restrictions in order to benifit certain companies and economic interests are rampant in Europe.
Like I said above the EU is VERY active in removing exactly that kind of barrier to free trade within and amongst the EU nations. You obviously do NOT know anything on the subject.
protectionism
What protectionism? This started in Norway. And as far as Norway is concerned this is about Norwegian consumer protection laws that far better than anything the US has ever seen - they actually protect the consumer! Think democractic socialism where consumers actually have rights.
The anti-American populous??
Norway is a great friend of the US - and loves America! The population has nothing but great respect for the US. This is about legitimate complaints from consumer agencies.
Your comment made me laugh so hard I had to reply. Seriously. The Consumer protection agency in Norway decided to complain about Apples terms for Norwegian consumers regarding music purchases which were too restrictive according to Norwegian consumer protection laws. Apple cannot limit liability in Norway and Apple wanted to use English (UK) law which is not valid here. The Ombudsman demanded this be changed immediately - when in Rome... does as the Romans!!
Secondly he wanted changes to the DRM restrictions that are in conflict with Norwegian fair use laws. This includes MSN Music and every other service on the market using DRM! Norway does have a few MP3-player companies for sure - but this agency is hardly interested in helping them! Its all made in Korea anyway. Try to restrict the hateful anti-Europe sentiments.
Of course many countries have long-arm statutes - however your examples are plain wrong.
Pinochet was charged by Spain for crimes against Spanish citizens living in Chile. Spain tried to have him extradited from the UK but failed. He returned to Chile where he died.
Milosevic was indicted by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for crimes against humanity and charges of violating the laws or customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. The trial might have been in the Hague however the Netherlands was not the country prosecuting him.
So both these cases had very little to do with long-arm statutes.
Well, Russia is the worlds largest nation and has the largest natural resources of any nation. With less than 120 million people they are well on their way to wealth. Living next door to Russia it is quite obvious they are both rich and poor - and what nation does not have both groups of people? It is all about the distribution of course - just like in the US.
Russia ended 2005 with its seventh straight year of growth. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $180 billion at yearend 2005. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Nevertheless, serious problems persist. Taken from the CIA World Fact Book
An interesting comparison might be to look at the GDP of the US, Russia and the two largest economies in Europe: US $12.31 trillion Germany $2.48 trillion France $1.794 trillion Russia $1.584 trillion
Slashdot Mirror
Okay, this is entertaining. Are you accusing the French of being socialists? France is ruled by the UMP a Conservative political party member of the International Democrat Union just like the US Republican Party!
P.S. You are more likely to find sodomy in the halls of the U.S. Congress - where pages really know what pain in the ass means!
Of course, what did you expect from a law student? :D And as a Norwegian the Isle of Mann has a special place in our history. It was after all a Norwegian kingdom. Did you know Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame lives there?
Kjære nabo, have a look at the ruling parties in Norway. The current government is a coalition of Labour, Socialist-Left and the Center Party. SF's søsterparti. Perhaps you should consider moving? hehe
Did you know that the Isle of Mann is NOT part of the UK or the EU? In other words not very "British" at all ;)
Well to my ears that still sounds like the old propaganda about the "socialist" European countries where taxes are high and the unemployment even higher. Did you happen to read the article I linked to?
I know quite a few Americans here in Norway that I discuss politics with on a regular basis - and one thing that strikes me is that the tax burden is never seen as the real issue. In fact they say the taxes back in the US - all in all - are quite steep. I wonder how much you pay when you consider local/county/city, federal and school district taxes? Like the article says in Denmark the average is 50%. And then you get money back from the state for things like obligatory childrens welfare support (cash in hand to parents) and other social support services. If you make less money, you obviously pay a lot less than 50% of your income. I suppose something like 35% is quite common. And please remember we have free schools, Universities, healthcare, welfare, pensions and unemployment benefits. You get what you pay for.
There is no tax on TV - it is a license you pay for TV ownership. Just like the American Fuel Tax you pay that funds road maintenance. Call it a tax if you like, remember to give next time PBS calls.
The social programmes everywhere is also quite old fashioned and not at all true. In fact because of the European Union and it's goals of free flow of people/goods/services and money we have to be competitive even within our own economies. And that has lead to widespread privatisation in all levels of government. Today even the local garbage collection, county maintenance and street renovation is a gov contract like any other. So you see the reality is very different from what it once (maybe) was.
Working for the government is NOT seen as prestigious in Scandinavia. Perhaps in France. And they don't pay as you good either. In fact working for the local district (kommune) is a downright derogatory remark here. It implies you are lazy and have no incentive to work harder for better pay.
What I find really funny is that Americans like to talk a lot about "small government" - but practice is another entirely different matter! Since the "New Deal" era you have had socialist work and welfare programmes like most "socialist" countries. You just don't like calling them that.
Here in Norway the Constitution does call for a limited government. However by interpretation more tasks have become the responsibility of the government. The real difference is that we have more faith in our government and it's abilities than the average American. It would take a book to explain our mentality.
So you agree that Europe is not "necessarily socialist"? That is my message too. We are not the socialist countries the US thinks we are. And the real socialist countries have long since disappeared from Earth. Look at China. It is a boolean situation - we either are or not. Our way is called the Middle Way - it's Social-Democracy. Some times we are ruled by right, centre or left leaning governments. Yet the core concept of a democratic market economy and welfare state remains. That is what I would like Americans to understand.
I think you have to read my other posts here as well. The point is that the "Socialism" of the Soviet Era does not exist in Europe any longer. We have Social-Democracy and leftist political parties - but they have long since changed and adapted to a new reality. They can be very progressive and relatively market friendly if they want to - and some really have been and are.
Yes, of course, there are differences in European politics. However you have to understand the point I am making is that there is no real Socialist state in Europe. There are political parties that say they are socialist, but truthfully it is not purely so. The fact is that Americans think "Socialism" is something evil on level with Communism (of the Soviet facist kind). And there is no DDR or SED any more.
To expect them to understand the difference between the relatively "market friendly" politics of Social-Democrats in Europe is too much. Just like you said "in very many areas" - and in the others?
I live in Scandinavia and we have our radical socialists too - in the minority. The powerful Labour parties that govern Europe have long since changed too much to deserve the name and content Americans would associate with "Socialism".
Remember this is a very different society than America. We are only 4.5 million people, and Oslo only has about 450.000 inhabitants. A wealthy, educated and content society. A country where religion is for the few, Christianity is a rarely observed. When something happens it is not because of some government or police conspiracy.
The violence I described was not a large group of immigrants - quite the contrary - just three young Pakistani men who observed a Jew walking past. The attack on the Synagogue was no coincidence either - the group of four planned this and many other attacks. They just did not get to complete more than the first. The Secret Service fortunately had wire taps on them.
I have nothing against Muslims per se, my best friend is a Muslim woman. Living in a part of Oslo where there are many immigrants has not made me any less friendly towards them. And there is no reason to fear them as a group - but understanding the potential threat from extremist elements is another matter. I do not advocate violence towards anyone - but being prepared for threats internal and external means we have to be vigilant.
Being a law student I understand the ramifications of giving the Police more authority. However I also accept that this is a new threat to our society. Muslims have only recently arrived in Norway - and they bring with them their culture and views. And especially in our homogenous and very tolerant Scandinavian society their views are often at odds with ours. Not understanding our culture and vice versa leads to conflict.
In fact please have a look here for how many European nations are run today.
And because you seem to think what I said is conjecture I would like to tell you about what is happening in Norway - which just happens to be next to Sweden. In fact the [few] extremists amongst our Muslim immigrant population have begun physically attacking our Jewish minority on the streets. At cultural events in the Jewish community we have to have secret police protection both inside and outside the buildings. Just a few months ago one group attacked the Synagogue in Oslo, shooting at it with automatic weapons, because they "sympathized" with their Muslim brethren. Their next target was bombing the American embassy. They were arrested afterwards. And we have had the pleasure of hosting numerous international terrorists responsible for attacks in Spain etc. Thank God, our Secret Service is very active and has stopped numerous attacks and kept tabs on the extremists.
Norway is a much better target because we actually participate in both NATO operations, Afghanistan and at one time in Iraq. So we really are "crusaders" in the eyes of the militants. But do they really care where they attack? Some of the Jihadis even believe in that Dar al-Harb rubbish.
My point was that Sweden needs to be vigilant and it only takes a few nut jobs in the Muslim community to attack innocent people. Muslims as a whole represent no threat - but the propaganda the violent Islamists broadcast can easily turn young minds into monsters.
Just being Christian and democratic is enough for Islamist terrorists to attack. Besides what do they know about Sweden? Bin Laden has already ordered attacks on Norway for some reason - but Denmark has troops in Iraq. Go figure? Anyway - Sweden has thousands upon thousands of Muslim immigrants from Somalia and Iraq. Two somalis with Swedish passports were just arrested in Somalia fighting for the Islamists (Islamic Courts). Who are they going to attack next? Lots of infidels in Sweden they can attack at will.
I am soo looking forward to the day VMware finishes the Fusion product for Mac OS, because then all the Apple-haters will have one argument less. You do know Fusion enables you to run Windows in OS X and use DirectX for games? We would not even have to leave OS X to play your Windows games! Probably at a performance cost of course - but we have BootCamp for that!
What "fringe audience"? You think selling premium quality goods is a silly business concept? Tell BMW, Porsche, LVMH and other well run luxury goods companies that they are wrong. Apple does not need to be large because they have loyal and very valuable customers that come back again and again. They even proselytize and convert!
And who says OS X is really that massive compared with say Windows? After all Mac OS only has to work on their hardware. Apple can deliver a controlled environment and experience - something customers love because it just works.
If I am one to judge by Apple will continue to earn money in the years to come. Last year I bought my first Mac after being introduced to some old G3 iMacs and "information" from an Apple fan. I quickly got rid off the MacBook, bought the MacBook Pro and then an iMac 20". I have loads of MP3 players but I ended up getting an iPod 30GB because of the integration with backup software and iTunes. And let us not forget the excellent software I have suddenly begun buying from Apple and others.
Okay, I dont know where you get your information. But Norway has had troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Just these last weeks Norway was asked by the US/NATO to contribute more troops to Afghanistan. So we are sending even more special forces units. Not to mention our F-16s were flying missions down there. And I believe our Royal Norwegian navy is still part of related NATO missions in the Med.
No, we have not had bombings in Norway yet. However we have had attacks on the only Synagogue in Oslo by Pakistani militants. We have had attacks on our Jewish populace by Arab immigrants. And we have had the pleasure of hosting terrorists from North Africa that were involved in other European bomb attacks. If those people had not been arrested thanks to our Secret Service we might just have had our 9/11. Who knows.
Regardless, our nose is very much indeed in other peoples business.
We are active in Israel/Palestine, Sri Lanka, Guatemala etc. Remember the Oslo agreement that led to the Camp David signatures? Not loved by the Arab world. In Sri Lanka they burn our flags and effigy's of our Ambassador because we are trying to create peace. They do not want peace or our peacekeeping observer corps (troops). Did I mention the Muslims on Sri Lanka?
So you see there any number of reasons why Norway could be attacked.
Norway never "nationalized" anything - however the government at the time did require that a majority of the profits would go to the state. Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum have been the largest investors and developers of oil field off the coast of Norway. So if anything the "thieves" are still here, not that they get to keep much of their earnings. Today the state oil company, Statoil, is actually a publicly traded company listed on the NYSE. The Norwegian government has something like 50-60% of the shares. However the actual surplus from the oil is NOT invested in the local economy - but invested abroad to avoid overheating our own economy.
In case you haven't noticed monarchies continue to thrive and are actually doing quite well. In fact the Kingdom of Norway was rated #1 by the UN's annual Human Development Index (a measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living). The US was number 8. Of the top 20 countries, 9 are monarchies - plus Canada, Australia and New Zealand have the British Queen as head of state. But I guess you meant the absolute form of monarchy?
You SO dont understand the nature of full EU membership and the simple EEA-agreement. I am a Norwegian lawyer and I have studied this subject at Uni. If you only knew how deeply connected we are to EFTA - and not the EU! It is in fact the EFTA countries that have the actual agreement with the EU. Norway routes everything through the EFTA system and the EFTA court where it belongs. Because the EU did not want non-members to work within their institutions. The EEA is very limited in scope compared to the full legislation for members nations of the EU. Not to mention the requirement to join the common currency.
We are not the quickest to implement EU directives any longer - in fact we have been slacking. The Schengen agreement is not part of the EU framework. The United Kingdom and Ireland are the only ones that are not signatories to the agreement and convention. Every other member state is now party to the agreement or in the process of ratifying it.
Who is screwing who? It is certainly debatable wether Apple is screwing Cisco or the other way around. Clearly the iPhone name came about because of speculation Apple might create a phone product. Apple should probably have reserved the rights to the name, it is almost too obvious their legal dept failed them. Cisco jumped on the chance to screw Apple! With all the free publicity why should they not take advantage of Apples failure? But it is clearly Cisco screwing Apple.
Perhaps you should consider the fact that Europe and the US have different laws and systems of law? US Common Law is very different from European "Roman" civil law. Some issues are covered by international conventions and agreements. But this is an issue for german domestic law. Especially considering the fact that gmail.de existed prior to any Google application for a German trademark.
Actually he made quite a lot of money from his ventures - so this is not the typical scam!
Bullshit. The EU is built around the Internal Market - and one of the greatest concerns for Europe is opening national markets to both domestic and foreign (European/international) competition. If you do not know this - you know nothing about the EU. I wish I could explain it all - but then again I studied this at Uni and it would take some to time do.
No, the license is for the TV set. The channel gets the funds over the national budget. Many consumers do not understand this important legal distinction.
You are such a troll! What Norway is trying to do is keep our tiny language alive through active measures like producing programming in our native language! In another 50 years we will probably only use English anyway - all our major corporations already do. Our cultural protection program has nothing to do with foreigners or xenophobia - its about American TV and music crushing our own unique culture. You have probably heard about how the French protect their language.
No, in my "socialist" country, like you said, it is all about the "proletariat". At least try to be consistent. We actually have a system where the people have the power.
We are not members of the EU (of our own choosing).
You obviously have not visited Norway. The council is independent and non-political. Your political and legal system is so different from ours - I understand your scepticism. We have our tiny leftwing anti-American groups, of course, but our close historical ties (WWII/NATO) and the 4 million Norwegian-Americans mean we are actually quite fond of the US.
Europe is NOT full of monopolies because the EU actively fights against them (example: Microsoft) and all other kinds of trade barriers within the EU. The European Union is very aggressively pursuing opening all national markets for competition. In fact the national governments are required by EU law to assist in this venture.
The BBC and many other national public broadcasters are NOT monopolies because there is plenty of competition! The BBC and the like are actually recipients of the national TV-license fees that the government requires for TV ownership in some countries. You may not like it but it is required none the less. This happens to be the case in Norway as well - for reasons of protecting our language from the massive English influence on the commercial TV-stations.
The EU does not make it illegal to sell Champagne or Parmesan products! They do however require that producers labeling their products Champagne actually have some basis in reality - and produce it in that region! Think trademark and salesmark laws.
Like I said above the EU is VERY active in removing exactly that kind of barrier to free trade within and amongst the EU nations. You obviously do NOT know anything on the subject.
What protectionism? This started in Norway. And as far as Norway is concerned this is about Norwegian consumer protection laws that far better than anything the US has ever seen - they actually protect the consumer! Think democractic socialism where consumers actually have rights.
Norway is a great friend of the US - and loves America! The population has nothing but great respect for the US. This is about legitimate complaints from consumer agencies.
Your comment made me laugh so hard I had to reply. Seriously. The Consumer protection agency in Norway decided to complain about Apples terms for Norwegian consumers regarding music purchases which were too restrictive according to Norwegian consumer protection laws. Apple cannot limit liability in Norway and Apple wanted to use English (UK) law which is not valid here. The Ombudsman demanded this be changed immediately - when in Rome... does as the Romans!!
Secondly he wanted changes to the DRM restrictions that are in conflict with Norwegian fair use laws. This includes MSN Music and every other service on the market using DRM! Norway does have a few MP3-player companies for sure - but this agency is hardly interested in helping them! Its all made in Korea anyway. Try to restrict the hateful anti-Europe sentiments.
Of course many countries have long-arm statutes - however your examples are plain wrong.
Pinochet was charged by Spain for crimes against Spanish citizens living in Chile. Spain tried to have him extradited from the UK but failed. He returned to Chile where he died.
Milosevic was indicted by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia for crimes against humanity and charges of violating the laws or customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. The trial might have been in the Hague however the Netherlands was not the country prosecuting him.
So both these cases had very little to do with long-arm statutes.
Well, Russia is the worlds largest nation and has the largest natural resources of any nation. With less than 120 million people they are well on their way to wealth. Living next door to Russia it is quite obvious they are both rich and poor - and what nation does not have both groups of people? It is all about the distribution of course - just like in the US.
Russia ended 2005 with its seventh straight year of growth. Strong oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from only $12 billion to some $180 billion at yearend 2005. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Nevertheless, serious problems persist. Taken from the CIA World Fact Book
An interesting comparison might be to look at the GDP of the US, Russia and the two largest economies in Europe:
US $12.31 trillion
Germany $2.48 trillion
France $1.794 trillion
Russia $1.584 trillion