California compared to Italy, Greece, and Spain (San Diego, Paradise: real estate, buying)

[SEAandATL]

Just read this article:

California, Greece, Spain and Italy have plenty in common | UTSanDiego.com

What are your thoughts? I've also heard California being compared to Japan, which is the exact opposite of those 3 European nations.

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

What are your thoughts?

Italy, Greece, and Spain have far more class than this waste-bucket of a state. In fact, I sometimes consider moving to Lombardia and being around cultured intellectuals and such who don't live for television and "partying".

[TrueTimbers]

Other than the Mediterranean climate, little is in common with the PIIGS of Europe (No Ireland is not Mediterranean but the rest are)... IMO Japan is a much better comparison. Global economic downturn, aging post WWII boomer populations, the rise of China hurt big GDP places like Japan, Germany and California.

[italianuser]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Italy, Greece, and Spain have far more class than this waste-bucket of a state. In fact, I sometimes consider moving to Lombardia and being around cultured intellectuals and such who don't live for television and "partying".

Er, as a european I find your statement a complete (even offensive) exaggeration: do you REALLY think that every spaniard, greek and italian is a "cultured intellectual"?
Come on, you can't be so naive: Southern Europe is actually different from your rose-colored vision.
I assure you there are SEVERAL trashy places in Italy, Spain and Greece, and theirs inhabitants aren't exactly "cultured intellectual"...
Honestly, between the hideous Athens and San Diego I prefer America's Finest City: and I don't give a s*** if it doesn't have any old temple

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Italy, Greece, and Spain have far more class than this waste-bucket of a state. In fact, I sometimes consider moving to Lombardia and being around cultured intellectuals and such who don't live for television and "partying".

One of the cultural traits of Italy are the "Campfire Girls" standing around small pots of fire on the side of the roads of the Cultural Paradise, servicing all comers. (did I just coin a pun?) Usually in the back seat of a Fiat. I am sure they are discussing the effect of Julius II on the legacy of Dante, or comparing Raphael's use of pagan imagery with Leonardo's use of the same.

Another interesting high cultural trait of Italian men is their treatment of the women in their lives, I watched Good Morning America doing a special broadcast from northern Italy, the pretty blonde talking head stopped a group of professional men in suits and asked them sweetly what they did to please their wives or girlfriends . They looked a little startled, looked at each other, then one answered the sweet American blond talking head, "no no no, you have it wrong, they are to please us."

Lombardy of course is named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe that settled there some time back. The German influence upon the Italians was profound, as witnessed by the cultural and economic differences between the Germanic north and the pure Italian Mezzogiorno.



Oh, and

Today the mafia is not only the biggest bank in Italy– it is the country’s single most profitable business as well,

[nullgeo]

Curiously, the most productive American state is continuously bashed as the state least friendly toward businesses and development.

I'm sure it must be at least fairly true. So what?
It is already the most productive.
It is also pretty close to the most desired place to live.
It is already the most populated.

Yes. Let's make it aggressively more "business friendly".
Then it can become even more expensive to buy real estate in the most desirable areas.
Then it can become ever more populated and increase the demand and strain on it's already overburdened water and power resources.
Maybe we can even achieve total, 24/7 gridlock on the highways, too.
Let's make it so popular that you can't enjoy it's parks and shores without being shoulder-to-shoulder worse than already.

Great idea. More business friendly. More people. More traffic. Higher real estate prices. Less water. Less power / more expensive power.

Cool.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Maybe we can even achieve total, 24/7 gridlock on the highways, too.

Cool.

Hasn't that already been achieved twice a day, Mon. thru Fri. in cities and Sat. thru Sun. on weekends on routes leading to the mountains and beaches? OK, not 24/7 yet but gettin' there.

See? Mission accomplished!

Yeah, what's needed is another few million people moving in from the hinterlands throughout the country.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by TrueTimbers

Other than the Mediterranean climate, little is in common with the PIIGS of Europe (No Ireland is not Mediterranean but the rest are)... IMO Japan is a much better comparison. Global economic downturn, aging post WWII boomer populations, the rise of China hurt big GDP places like Japan, Germany and California.

Yes, Germany is the European nation comparable to Japan as far as being hard-working, organized, efficient, and polite customer service. Would you say California is all those things? One reason California is compared to Japan is because of their technology. Now, if only California had a train system like Japan or Germany...

Originally Posted by .highnlite

One of the cultural traits of Italy are the "Campfire Girls" standing around small pots of fire on the side of the roads of the Cultural Paradise, servicing all comers. (did I just coin a pun?) Usually in the back seat of a Fiat. I am sure they are discussing the effect of Julius II on the legacy of Dante, or comparing Raphael's use of pagan imagery with Leonardo's use of the same.

Another interesting high cultural trait of Italian men is their treatment of the women in their lives, I watched Good Morning America doing a special broadcast from northern Italy, the pretty blonde talking head stopped a group of professional men in suits and asked them sweetly what they did to please their wives or girlfriends . They looked a little startled, looked at each other, then one answered the sweet American blond talking head, "no no no, you have it wrong, they are to please us."

Lombardy of course is named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe that settled there some time back. The German influence upon the Italians was profound, as witnessed by the cultural and economic differences between the Germanic north and the pure Italian Mezzogiorno.

In Sicily they have "Umbrella Girls". Catania, a major city in Sicily, reminds me of Tijuana.

That's interesting what you mentioned about Lombardy. That region and Northern Italy as a whole does look more similar to Germany, which explains why its cleaner, friendlier, and more organized compared to the rest of Italy, and why I prefer Northern Italy.

[italianuser]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

That's interesting what you mentioned about Lombardy. That region and Northern Italy as a whole does look more similar to Germany, which explains why its cleaner, friendlier, and more organized compared to the rest of Italy, and why I prefer Northern Italy.

Northern Italy is generally cleaner than Southern Italy: though cities such as Milan, Bologna and Genoa aren't exactly pristine.
But... friendlier? I am not sure
Anyway, the user who bashes California (praising the "superior" culture of Lombardia) is up to a nasty shock if he actually relocates in Lombardia

[18Montclair]

California is in a much better position than any of those countries as far as debt---its not even close.

Our bond debt is only 5% of our GDP, compared to around 100% or more for all of those countries.

Its only 2 specific kinds of people who like to compare CA to those countries: 1. looney neocons who errantly think that CA is a sinking ship and 2. jealous eurotrash who think that pointing to CA will deflect from their disastrous monetary policies.

California is actually in much better shape than the federal government as well.

This Californian's message to the world: Just keep sipping our wine, watching our movies, listening to our music, eating our damn strawberries, copying the clothes we wear and buying our damn iPhones and shut the hell up cause this is our world, your just along for the ride.