Nostalgia (Trees And Things)

postillion: Re: Nostalgia

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:28:28 EST

I was just talking about cost of living with some friends over dinner tonight. The topic came up because of Masa in New York where the prix fixe meal currently costs $400 per person.

Yet, despite such extravagant meals, the real cost of food is lower. &

Lou: Sorry for the confusion

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:08:20 EST

I wasn't referring to our Shumway/Urkel...I was thinking about the real one.

thefadd: Re: Nostalgia

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:08:54 EST

It's true that in developing nations, people spend more than half their income on food versus less than a quarter in America. I obviously have no stats on the issue but I'd think that America, when it was developing went through a very similar cost structu

joshv: Re: Nostalgia

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:00:40 EST

Actually, food costs, as a percentage of income, have fallen dramatically as a result of industrialized agriculture. Rising fuel costs look set to reverse that trend, but grandma probably paid a much larger proportion of the family income for groceri

zyxwvutsr: Re: Nostalgia

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:20:43 EST

I can't believe that this shitty discussion about, whatever, is running when there is a perfectly delicious writeup about condom mints sitting in the submissions moderate. Damn.

thefadd: Re: Prices are deceiving...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:31:36 EST

As the basis for our economic system, they are manifestations of the industrial era.

joshv: Re: Prices are deceiving...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:30:10 EST

We've had population and productivity growth for quite some time. Even back when gold and silver were the standard they devalued because we got better at mining it, or simply stole it from those who'd been hoarding it for millennia in the "new world"

Lou: Re: Nostalgia

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:22:44 EST

How did you find a picture of Shumway's sweet 16 party?

thefadd: Re: Prices are deceiving...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:09:02 EST

exactly...and our economic system wasn't always predicated on such growth.

joshv: Re: Prices are deceiving...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:01:14 EST

As with any unit of currency, if there are more of them, they become worth less. Dollars, gold or kilos of heroin.

As our economy expands, mostly as a result of population and productivity growth, the government creates more money to

uncarved block: Interesting Reading

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:08:54 EST

I've recommended this book before, but it's worth mentioning again: Otto Bettmann's (yes, of the Bettmann Archives) The Good Old Days-- They Were Terrible!. It's not meant as a serious scholarly work, so don't go into it expecting ream

thefadd: Re: Prices are deceiving...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:41:06 EST

The question then becomes, of course, why do we have an economic system predicated on inflation.

dzetetes: Re: Nostalgia

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:40:42 EST

Must be some strange browser cookies thing to make sure you see all of their ads on the page the picture is displayed on. I had no trouble accessing it through the link, then I cleared my cookies, and I couldn't get to it. Thanks for the new link.

port1080: Re: Nostalgia

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:29:50 EST

That link doesn't work - here's a working link to the same photo.

dzetetes: Re: Nostalgia

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:40:27 EST

It must have been a golden age back then. Just look at all the people smiling at this lynching. Good times, good times.

port1080: Prices are deceiving...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:42:45 EST

My grandfather would often harp about how when he was young (he was born in 1925) his first (used) car cost him $20. This was all well and good, but then we'd ask him how much his weekly salary was - and he made a whole $10 a week. It's simply