Measures to allow an increase of interest rates on loans and deposits appear to be inevitable, even from the side of the European Central Bank.  In past years, we had become used to interest rates that stood at zero when not, in some cases, dropping to below zero. To park their funds at central banks for a night or two, commercial banks have been “paying” -- at a negative percent on the funds they would leave to the “care” of central banks.

So now we will be witnessing developments about the existence of which we  had forgotten in the management of money: like:

--to borrow from a bank, interest payments will rise. How will this affect the real estate and housing market across Europe?

--in recent years, depositors were being paid practically no interest on the funds they held in banks. Now they should start receiving some cash returns. Millions of German pensioners will be relieved.

--over the last two years, governments again indulged in public deficits. They relied heavily on loans to bridge the arising financial requirements. Now they could be finding that the payments they will need to make on these loans are putting on weight...

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TRADITION

Often, the claim is made that we are losing our religious, cultural, sports, social traditions plus more, and that this is a bad thing. Often as well, efforts are made to give more attention to “ancient” activities and customs that seem to have been curtailed or forgotten.

To be sure, such a point of departure does not find unanimous agreement. Indeed, some people argue against various traditions -- like those who are against hunting or certain ways of slaughtering animals. Not to mention practices like genital mutilation...

No criteria exist by which to clarify what makes for a “good” tradition and how it should be sustained, or which traditions should be wound down and out. In reality, any judgement about this will remain subjective, to reflect the beliefs and values of whoever is making such a decision. As it happens, no tradition is static. It continues to alter with time, in the same way that beliefs and values also change.

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MAN AND MACHINE

I dislike nothing more than having to reply to a machine or do what it orders me to do. With time, the occasions when this happens are becoming increasingly frequent.

From the voice that “greets” you whenever you phone a bank or a public corporation to advise you to push the digit 1 or 2, according to who you want to contact... And then the emojis which tell if you’re supposed to be smiling, laughing or crying. Onto the Daisies and the Dans who pretending to be a person, must teach you how to open and run a computer or washing machine. Not to mention the replies which you get when a deal you’re trying to secure over the internet gets jammed and a machine begins to give detailed instructions about what needs to be done.

I dislike all this not because I’m so proud of being human or because I despise machines. Actually I’m not prepared to trust them.