From the article that is what they said. Those tiger markets are slowing down. I meant the DM, not the Franc. My bad. Trade would be good but the currency is unstable. Hopefully Germany keep it under check but with the recent Greece bail out, it doesn't really make the Euro look overly good.
And USB sticks. The EU wants to make one USB universal across Europe, which has probably annoyed Apple immensely. I also heard they want to make one type of plug universal - which I don't like (I don't like the USB thing either). The UK's plug has a very intelligent design that makes them safe for kids who like to jam their fingers down them. The UK won't carry out open conflict with Russia because we're very close to them - unless Russia continues to piss us off by flying bombers into our airspace, and ignites the war themselves. If open conflict were to happen between Russia and the UK, I'd imagine the other British Commonwealth members (Canada, Australia, etc.) and the US would step in - a long with the other European Union/NATO members, and Norway might as well (seeing as the last time they tried to remain neutral in a World War, they got invaded and the UK saved them (after planning to invade them...), and they might still believe they are somewhat in debt to us). I would imagine the UK's allies would be the ones providing most of the soldiers, and combining the Royal Air Force's power with the US's and stuff.
Weren't Europe the ones wanting to shoot up a Russia-controlled airfield (which would have started World War 3) during the Cold War? Also, doesn't the Cold War fit the definition of World War 3, so WWIII has already been and gone?
I think the EU is really important, even if I don't know a lot about it, we stick together and make sure everyone is ok. In my opinion we all need to stick together more, so its good. And I'm a kid and I don't know too much about politics, but still I think that by having the EU we can understand other cultures more. Also if there is a war or if a country in the EU is in crisis, people can come and live in a country in the EU which I think is good because I don't think anyone should have to suffer in an unhappy country and if the country I live in was in crisis I would want to move.
They want to make phone chargers the same. There are currently no plans for USB. They won't change the plugs because it'll cause a load of problems internationally, especially with the UK.
It should be noted that Europe essentially started WW2, so them supposedly preventing WW3 is just righting their previous wrongs. And no, I am not talking about Germany, I am talking about those (LoN) who motivated the Germans to support extreme nationalism. The EU may have good intentions, but with every internally "good" doing, they create a negative reaction on the outside, especially when this "good" thing they are doing is in selfish tastes.
The EU had nothing to do with World War I, II or even (if there was) III. People need to check the date the EU was formed (1993). There were many things leading up to the EU such as the European European Coal and Steel Community, however these had no play in the world like the EU does. WWII started because the winning nations (mainly France) got very greedy. The Germans are strong and willing people. This is what Hitler saw and was able to use the fact of lost land to encourage them to fight. Hitler was also very good at talking to people. He could rally up thousands of men in a single speech. Anyone who got in Hitlers way was 'removed' from the situation. No one could stop the extreme nationalism taking place because there was no way to.
I live in the US, so my perspective on the EU is as an outsider. I see the EU as being similar to the many other cooperative entities all over the world. At a very basic level here, we have neighborhood associations and local business cooperatives, to states participating in sharing regional resources like water, on up. There is good and bad to them. I think the cooperation is good. I think most of the bad comes when they get too big, over-reach, and that the power attracts the wrong people to them. It is something we do as humans. We may be trying to do what is best for a large number of people, but also we tend to serve our own interests so not everyone will think the same things are good. Surprisingly, I think the discussion about power outlet standardization is an interesting example of why opinions of the EU(and other organizations like it) are so varied. I write software for handheld computers. The companies that make these devices have to produce equipment that meets the specification of the countries they intend to market them in. Often in the past I had to order equipment with a part number that indicated a US power supply. It makes ordering very messy and if someone accidentally ships you the wrong thing then you have to deal with returning it and getting the right item. It slows you down, wastes resources like time and extra shipping, and can make you look bad to customers. The company whose equipment I am current working a lot with has started providing these power supplies(Click if you want to see them up close): That's a US adapter on the left, then I think European, Great Britain, and Australia/China. You just pick the one you need and slide it onto the power supply. Nice right? Maybe not. I've sold thousands of these to businesses in the US and every one of the non-US adapters probably gets chucked into the trash along with the packaging right after it is opened. I hate to see that happen and what I see is just a teensy-weensy-itty-bitty-bit of what is happening in the world. It would be best for everyone if we could standardize things like this: power, telephones, roads, tools, systems of measurement, ... but whose standard do we use? Who has to disrupt their lives and livelihood in order to invest in change? It's complicated for a whole lot of reasons that may have nothing to do with electronics or waste. I see an article like this: http://www.cnet.com/news/eu-wants-all-companies-ahem-apple-to-use-standard-charger On one hand I see that the intention is good. On the other I dislike the idea of restricting Europeans from being able to buy products that don't adhere to certain specifications they may not agree with or with specifying how a company builds its products. On the other hand you have companies that do things like bottle water then sell it sometimes back to the very people who live there. If the aquifer is drained or polluted, the local people have the choice of buying water from somewhere else, moving, or dying. In this case I feel that the resource should be controlled by some higher authority on behalf of those people. Ultimately people, companies, and their governements should want to do these sort of things because they know they are better for us rather than being given no choice. Most won't do that and other motivators like money seem to rule over other more altruistic ones. Hardly any of these problems are not messy and it is no wonder people feel the various ways they do.
I'm Dutch, as most people will know. I know hardly anything about the EU at all, though. I read about half of the posts, here, and I must say the conversation is quite interesting.
I'm also duch, I also only raad half the Posts, I also don't know That much About the eu. But I do know That I can go cycling in belgum with my dad couse the eu. So for That reason I. Do Like it . Nothing more nothing less.
That's a good point. Did you have to stop at the border before and do you have to now? Those two countries are about half the size of the state I live in. I would hate to have to go through customs with a passport every time I go downstate to visit relatives or go north for a camping trip. I'll bet it has made travel and commerce a lot easier on the people and businesses there.
I don't think that has anything to do with the European Union, though - that's probably mostly (if not all) the Schengen Agreement (which the UK and Ireland have completely opted out of, but every other European country has opted into).
I see. I took Jelle's statement to mean that is was related somehow. Whatever the reason, not having your travel restricted seems preferable to me.
Yeah, its a pretty decent idea, seeing as Europe is smaller than most American states. Although it completely abolishes border control, which opens mainland Europe (and Iceland) up to terrorist attacks.
You can go anywhere in Europe that is part of the Schengen Agreement as long as you have some form of ID on you. So a Nation's Identity Card can be used to go from France to Germany with no problems. There is border control. It's just stricter on EU to non-EU countries. External borders such as oceanic ones (The Channel and France) are also a lot stricter. Internal borders exist, just are very quick checks to prevent anyone illegal.
What about England and Wales? Would they be the same size as your state when put together? Travel is pretty easy between the two - I live right on the England-Wales border, go on holiday there every year and may go to college in a college there that's no more than 30 minutes away from me, and we have bus routes going through there. I have not once encountered border control, and I haven't needed a passport for 13 years
That's because England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are part of the UK. The UK is classed as 1 country (internationally anyway). Which means there doesn't need to be border control. If all 4 countries were separate (aka no UK) then we would have border control. It's like if Scotland leave the UK there will be border control on the England-Scotland borders.
