The Power of Portugal ... for those that didn't know

[Roy Hersh]

You should.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXw5fMIYGqg

Surprised?

[Moses Botbol]

That was awesome!

[Eric Johnson]

Wow, that is a crazy amount of interesting facts. Definitely worth watching more than once to absorb it.

[Roy Hersh]

I watched it again with two people on my flight while waiting in Philadelphia. They loved it too and were heading here to Portugal for their very first time.

[Daniel R.]

this was prepared within a very specific political context; Finland is threatening to veto the EU bailout (newly elected rightwing government in Finland) and the Estoril Conferences are a political event (4-6 May, where this was presented): this was meant to be a slap to the face (with a white glove) aimed at Finland.

[Peter W. Meek]

Bail-outs are a thorny problem. The fact is that most (countries/companies/individuals) who need one, brought it on themselves. Sometimes by greed, sometimes by buying votes with entitlements, and sometimes by just being improvident.

It goes against the grain for most (countries/companies/individuals) to "reward" other (countries/companies/individuals) for any kind of improvident behavior. I don't like the idea, myself.

The fact remains that most of the people who will suffer ARE NOT THE ONES WHO MADE THE DECISIONS. If Portugal does not get help, I doubt that any Portuguese policy makers will miss a meal, be evicted from their homes, or lose their jobs (although some of them should, perhaps).

(Also posted a reduced version of this as a comment on YouTube.)

[Daniel R.]

Finland replies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Bn7V29jFWs

[Eric Menchen]

So why are these videos in English?

[Andy Velebil]

So why are these videos in English?

So no one in either Country understands what their about

[Daniel R.]

So why are these videos in English?

So no one in either Country understands what their about

or, so that both can understand each other... everyone in Europe speaks English, and if you're Portuguese, you probably speak French, Spanish and Italian as well!

[Eric Menchen]

I just thought the one about Portugal should have been in Finnish, and vice-versa.

[Derek T.]

Bail-outs are a thorny problem. The fact is that most (countries/companies/individuals) who need one, brought it on themselves. Sometimes by greed, sometimes by buying votes with entitlements, and sometimes by just being improvident.

It goes against the grain for most (countries/companies/individuals) to "reward" other (countries/companies/individuals) for any kind of improvident behavior. I don't like the idea, myself.

The fact remains that most of the people who will suffer ARE NOT THE ONES WHO MADE THE DECISIONS. If Portugal does not get help, I doubt that any Portuguese policy makers will miss a meal, be evicted from their homes, or lose their jobs (although some of them should, perhaps).

(Also posted a reduced version of this as a comment on YouTube.)

Well said.

IMHO, if a country's people are facing a problem that the rest of the world can help them avoid, it is worth the pain to help them fix it. In the long term, the world never benefits from nations or people being in trouble.

There are lots of noises in the UK right now about whether or not we should assist Ireland, Portugal, Greece or anyone else who is in trouble. My view is "why wouldn't we help them? If we were in trouble, wouldn't we ask/expect them to help us?"

[Tom Archer]

Bail-outs are a thorny problem. The fact is that most (countries/companies/individuals) who need one, brought it on themselves. Sometimes by greed, sometimes by buying votes with entitlements, and sometimes by just being improvident.

It goes against the grain for most (countries/companies/individuals) to "reward" other (countries/companies/individuals) for any kind of improvident behavior. I don't like the idea, myself.

The fact remains that most of the people who will suffer ARE NOT THE ONES WHO MADE THE DECISIONS. If Portugal does not get help, I doubt that any Portuguese policy makers will miss a meal, be evicted from their homes, or lose their jobs (although some of them should, perhaps).

I think the issue is not whether or not one should help a friend in need, but whether or not the remedy will work.

If people were confident that a bail-out would provide a permanent solution, then there would be little issue; but as we are seeing in Greece, and probably in Ireland, expensive medication is not having the desired result.

I just thought the one about Portugal should have been in Finnish, and vice-versa

There will be very few people who can translate Portuguese into Finnish and vice versa; but most people in europe have some grasp of English.

I'm even been told that some Americans are learning it too..

Tom

[Peter W. Meek]

... have some grasp of English.

I'm even been told that some Americans are learning it too....

Nah.

Too much trouble.

[Eric Menchen]

Good points above there. On the one hand I hated the bailouts we had here (e.g. TARP) which seem to reward bad behavior and unsound financial practices, but on the other, the alternative would likely have been worse even for those not involved. The same can be said about all the programs to relieve homeowners of their absurd mortgages. I think a few people may have been preyed upon, and a lot were just stupid. I'd be happy to let many of them get their just reward, and I'd personally be fine with a bigger slump in the real estate market, but too many and too much and we are all hurt by the impacts to the overall economy.

[Roy Hersh]

Putting aside the socio-economics between Finland-Portugal-EU at large for the moment ... watching this video yet again, after another week+ in Portugal makes me realize that independent of the Portuguese economy, they've made some seriously amazing contributions to the world at large.

Here's one more small one:

While wine judging at Concourso Nacional de Vinho last week in Santarem, we used a computerized program that was absolutely brilliant. I have judged in many a wine competition in the USA and have never seen any of the panels being offered this type of scoring matrix, nor any computerization for the individual judges or panel leaders. Brilliant!