h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hyp, we probably look old to some hooticians...I remember 59 pfennigs ( € .28 ) per liter - and that was 2stroke mix!

I saw that in the morning paper, CZ. There are going to be lots of unhappy, frightened people. I realize that when it was started, SS wasn't intended to be enough to live on. It was supposed to supplement savings, investments, etc. But a lot of people do have to live on it. And thank heavens it's there.

Pit, compared to most of the members here, I ~am~ old. When I started driving, gasoline was $0.19 a gallon. I remember when it went up over 30 cents. I was already married by then. I thought it was a ridiculous price for gasoline.

"keep the money in America by spending it... on prostitutes, or beer or tattoos"

They do know that the beer people are most likely to spend it on is foreign-owned, right? Bud, Miller Coors are not American any more

However, there could hardly be a better commercial for craft beer than this I can't think, off the top of my head, of a single American craft brewery that isn't American-owned. So here's to increased sales of Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head, Great Divide, Live Oak, Real Ale, Deschutes, Stone, Lagunitas, etc, etc, etc

Prostitutes and tattoos are something I prefer not to comment on

Yeah - those were the times when the air was clean and sex was something dirty...oh yes, and being healthy was something one took for granted. We still go places and we´re still alive, so they haven´t yet got us down, right?

Gosho, I figured if beer was mentioned, you'd make an appearance.

Pit, I've had a few minor things go wrong, but we have to expect that, I suppose. I'm so much better off than some people my age that I always feel guilty complaining. And I'm actually enjoying my life more than I did a few years ago. Well, aside from the work headaches. And those are fewer, too.

Work = headache, yes. More so for the youngsters who still believe that crerating panic all around gets them more carreer points than your knowing the ropes and getting things done by just knowing how. (?)

Beer?? I can remember when mum and dad took over their pub, a pint of bitter was just 10p

I don't know how people can afford to smoke anymore. Cigarettes are so expensive and they go through so many of them. Remember the vending machines where the cigarettes were a quarter a pack? Everyone thought that was expensive.

Remember the pop machines that sold the bottles, not cans. They opened from the top like a big cooler. A Coke cost a dime out of one of those. We had penny candy and nickle ice cream cones. Comic books cost a dime. Movies were a quarter then went up to 35 cents. A drive-in was a dollar a carload.

I have books that were priced 2/6...and they were not paperbacks

Paperbacks were under a dollar a lot of the time. And the huge thick ones were under two dollars. Those were the days. When I graduated college, you could get a sports car for $3600. And a loaded Corvette only cost around 5 grand.

amaz** dot com have made an allegiance with librarians - you can get books that would normally end up as landfill...of the ~€350 I have for eating and light I spend some C on books...bliss!

I remember all that. I also remember when I lived in Scotland in 1969 on 10 quid a week, including rent. Cod and chips was 2s/6d.

Oh, and regarding federal withholding from my UI: I believe I'll get a refund when I file my return next Spring. So the Feds give the state monies for UI, take a chunk out of my weekly benefit, and then give at least some of it back when I file. That makes perfect sense. Also.

Ten quid a week - a student could survive on that! I have worked as a croupier for most of my life, and a 20jeton is still called a "Louis" - the old 20 Francs Gold Louis d´Or, which was a peasant´s yearly income.

It's nice to get a refund check. The thing is, you need the money now. The entire system is crazy.

Pit, does Germany use euros exclusively now? I should pay closer attention to things like that.

I don't think inflation started getting bad here until the mid-70s. Ever since then, things have skyrocketed. Well, everything except wages. At least the minimum wage has finally gone up a bit.

Hyp, the whole of Europe ( and more and more countries join ) have switched to €. Imagine a 5 hrs drive to a ball game and having three different exchange rates to cope with? (Besides, banks can´t cheat us anymore - I order online in Italy, transfering money costs me zilch, instead of 10% banks took off me before € - olive oil!!!)

I know that euros are legal tender in common market countries, but I thought some of the countries kept their own currency as well. That you could use either. Guess I misunderstood. That happens to me more often lately. It does make sense when traveling. Makes life simpler.

There was a short period when countries switched over where you could use both, but that's over. Some countries - like the UK - have retained their currency and Euros aren't accepted (mostly - I think Marks & Spencers do and some shops around ports and stuff).

You should have been around ~ New Years Eve when we did the changeover - our canteen had windows towards Hannover´s central bank. You have never seen security forces being so f*****ng frightened - new money, and they were the only few to guard it to the bank safes!

>>Hyp, the whole of Europe ( and more and more countries join ) have switched to €.>>

Not quite - Sweden is one exception, and I think there are others. And Norway isn't even a member of the EU.

Ti - I know. And if you join in you´ll pay for the nonsense we have done in our social system.