The Off Topic Topic

[Admiral Yi]

If you can relocate assets and thereby supposedly add value, I suggest that the measure is broken.

They're not adding value; they're changing where the royalties get booked as income.

[Sheilbh]

The Irish economy grew by a colossal 26.3 per cent in 2015 rather than the original 7.8 per cent estimate, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has confirmed.
The revised growth rate, the strongest on record, reflects a 102 per cent spike in net exports.
However, the figures appear to have been hugely affected by a number of once-off factors, including activity in the aircraft leasing sector and restructuring by multinational companies involving the movement of patents.
A handful of firms in the tech sector relocated their IP assets here amid the international clampdown on the tax avoidance.

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/economy-grows-by-26-3-in-2015-says-cso-1.2719047

If you can relocate assets and thereby supposedly add value, I suggest that the measure is broken.

It's why any international comparisons have Ireland's GNP instead of GDP

[Josquius]

Omfg britain is shackled to the declining eu corpse.

[Monoriu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCWJINpJx88

Is this real?  This guy is supposed to be a member of the US Congress?  I can't make sense out of what he is saying. 

Or is this some kind of joke or parody? 

[The Brain]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCWJINpJx88

Is this real?  This guy is supposed to be a member of the US Congress?  I can't make sense out of what he is saying. 

Or is this some kind of joke or parody?

Texas is a joke, yes.

[Maladict]

Speaking of jokes 

Not enough staff left to run Italian town after arrests for bunking off work


The mayor of a small town outside Naples had to shut down most municipal offices after police arrested 23 of his staff in the latest revelations of absenteeism in Italy's public sector.
Staff were filmed clocking in and then leaving to go about their personal business or using multiple swipe cards to register absent colleagues, police said, in scenes that have become familiar after numerous similar scandals.
A police video showed one man trying to tamper with a security camera and then putting a cardboard box over his head to hide his identity before swiping two cards.
Police arrested around half of all employees in the town hall offices of Boscotrecase following a weeks-long investigation that they said revealed 200 cases of absenteeism involving 30 people.
"I'll probably have to shut down the town hall," Pietro Carotenuto, elected a month ago as mayor of the town of 11,000 people, told Sky Italia.
He said four major town hall departments had been closed on Tuesday due to a lack of staff. Those arrested, accused of fraud against the state, included the head of the local traffic police and the head of the town's accounting department. The workers, whose arrest comes amid a government crackdown against absenteeism, have been suspended from work for between six and 12 months and risk eventual dismissal.

[Monoriu]

Most people I know in the HK government work at least 60 hours per week.  Many work unpaid overtime on Sundays. 

[Archy]

I'm surprised they are cracking down seems like the stereotype of  the lazy Italians,, even more surprised that they have to close municipal offices since the people present apparently weren't working already

[The Larch]

I'm surprised they are cracking down seems like the stereotype of  the lazy Italians,, even more surprised that they have to close municipal offices since the people present apparently weren't working already

Yeah, if they were already skipping work how did they manage to remain open? I guess they had a sophisticated system in order to cover up for each other, sound like lot of work in order to avoid work.

[The Larch]

Most people I know in the HK government work at least 60 hours per week.  Many work unpaid overtime on Sundays.

Over here the stereotypical public servant drops his pen and bolts for the door as soon as their schedule finishes. Unpaid overtime? That's not what they passed their official exams for, that's what they wanted to avoid in the private sector. Also, office work on a sunday, that's downright abominable.

[Josquius]

Last night the hostel I was staying in was pretty awful. Mosquitos ate me, it was loud and hot.
My friend hated it and was moaning since midinght. She got a full refund. I had to leave too of course. And of course I was only able to get one of my three nights money back.
Bastard.
This is why I travel alone.
That and the vegetarianism.

Losing money hurts even if I can afford it.

[derspiess]

Is traveling alone pretty common in Europe?  To me it seems like, well, a foreign concept.  And the idea of staying in a hostel creeps me out.  NEED MAH PERSONAL SPACE

[Josquius]

That was the advantage of the crappy one. Private rooms. Now I'm back sharing a room with a smelly girl

Travelling alone.... I do recall an article not too long ago about it being increasingly common. But still not the usual.

[derspiess]

Wonder if she knows she smells bad.  Nothing worse than a smelly girl. 

[Maladict]

Travelling alone is great, but after a week or so I've usually had enough.