The news goes on - stocks exchanges all over the world go up-and-down. A roller-coaster ride so to speak, which is definitively not a pleasant one (especially for those at the bottom of the ladder).
What intrigues me is this; when I apply for a mortgage or a credit, my bank is poking into my private life, trying to find out every single detail, to assure them that I will be able to pay them back (plus all the extra fees, interest rates and all). I have to meet certain criteria - what assurance is it that I have a contract now, while my boss can get bankrupt by next week anyway? - well, so be it.
When we apply for a concert project to the Ministry of Culture (government)!), we need to prepare the most irrelevant paper work and requirements (even submit proof of insurance of the individual musicians). Yet what we get is sometimes just small fraction of the needed budget.
Now the banks are in trouble; but governments pump in billions of Euros - and against what assurance? None? So bank-managers are at least able to get their millions in bonuses paid. Great; what a relief!!! I was already getting worried that they were not able to afford their Bahama Christmas this year.
Aren't we becoming a part of a bizarre Kafka plot? So far one good thing has happened - Last month, the Culture Ministry increased the own contribution from 5% to 15%, giving several ensembles a death-blow. Last Friday, due to this crisis, the Ministry has decided to reverse this decision. Whether the remaining projects would still be feasible is still to be seen.
MS
What intrigues me is this; when I apply for a mortgage or a credit, my bank is poking into my private life, trying to find out every single detail, to assure them that I will be able to pay them back (plus all the extra fees, interest rates and all). I have to meet certain criteria - what assurance is it that I have a contract now, while my boss can get bankrupt by next week anyway? - well, so be it.
When we apply for a concert project to the Ministry of Culture (government)!), we need to prepare the most irrelevant paper work and requirements (even submit proof of insurance of the individual musicians). Yet what we get is sometimes just small fraction of the needed budget.
Now the banks are in trouble; but governments pump in billions of Euros - and against what assurance? None? So bank-managers are at least able to get their millions in bonuses paid. Great; what a relief!!! I was already getting worried that they were not able to afford their Bahama Christmas this year.
Aren't we becoming a part of a bizarre Kafka plot? So far one good thing has happened - Last month, the Culture Ministry increased the own contribution from 5% to 15%, giving several ensembles a death-blow. Last Friday, due to this crisis, the Ministry has decided to reverse this decision. Whether the remaining projects would still be feasible is still to be seen.
MS
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