MSGID: 2:221/6.0 600fcf20   
   REPLY: 1:153/716.0 00cb2d52   
   PID: SmapiNNTPd/Linux/IPv6 1.3 20201225   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
   TZUTC: 0200   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2020-11-09   
   Hi, Ardith Hinton - Alexander Koryagin!   
   I read your message from 23.01.2021 18:46   
      
    AK>> I think the inflation in Canada is not so high as in Russia. How   
    AK>> many percent do you have per year?   
      
    AH> On average it's been roughly 2% per year for the past few years,   
    AH> not counting 2020, but in the more distant past I've seen it go a   
    AH> lot higher. And the numbers are based on the prices of all sorts of   
    AH> things... many of which we don't usually buy at frequent intervals.   
    AH> The price of food has increased with the onset of COVID-19 and is   
    AH> expected to rise another 5% within the next year. By the time it is   
    AH> lumped in with the prices of things others don't need to buy right   
    AH> away because they're working from home... or can't afford to buy   
    AH> because they're unemployed... the composite picture may be quite   
    AH> misleading.   
      
    AH> Late flash: Vancouver City Council announced recently that property   
    AH> taxes will go up by 5% this year. The cost of natural gas will go   
    AH> up by 6.59% this year as well. But meanwhile the Bank of Canada is   
    AH> keeping the prime rate at .25%, meaning folks may get very little   
    AH> interest on their savings.   
      
   So actually you are losing you bank money by 2% per year. Is your pension   
   indexing or your pension is constant?   
      
    AK>> Times are changing. A day on two ago I saw in an internet shop a   
    AK>> lock for a bicycle which can be unlocked only via a smart phone   
    AK>> application. It has an alarm system, too. Looks as a usual bicycle   
    AK>> lock.   
      
    AH> Hmm. Sounds like a good idea... until you realize that in Vancouver   
    AH> bicycle theft is increasingly common & what kind of lock a person   
    AH> uses may not matter much to professional thieves. We've watched   
    AH> film footage of them using bolt cutters etc. to get through a chain   
    AH> or steal an entire bicycle rack.: - Q   
      
   Yes, that lock can be useful only in an open public place. The cutting tools   
   now are in a great progress. I see it looking at how our railways fight with   
   people. The new railway policy now is that people should not enter the   
   passenger platform without a ticket. So they barred all railways with high   
   iron fences, sometime literally cutting whole cities in two. But this fences   
   are mercilessly cut by a numerous cutting tools during the night. Actually   
   every day the railway workers go to mend the fences, and these fences look   
   very funny and pitifully because of their numerous patches.   
      
    AH>> When smaller businesses such as Mom & Dad's Grocery can't afford   
    AH>> to do that they must still accept cash. If their produce is better   
    AH>> & cheaper than what I can find at the local supermarket, and they   
    AH>> offer more variety, I may still choose to buy such things from Mom   
    AH>> & Dad whenever their shop isn't particularly crowded.   
      
    AK>> So, people really can start money laundering, in a real sense of   
    AK>> this phrase.   
      
    AH> Ah... now there's a wonderful example of a live metaphor! Years ago   
    AH> Dallas & I read a book by a woman who was "in service" during the   
    AH> 1920's. She mentioned that her employers insisted all folding money   
    AH> & newspapers be ironed before they'd touch either. And a female   
    AH> friend who is somewhat older than we are routinely ironed sheets &   
    AH> pillow cases to kill any nits (i.e. insect eggs) which might be   
    AH> there. I wonder if today's plastic bills can be washed. :-)))   
      
   I heard that viruses don't live long on dry surface.   
      
   Bye, Ardith!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   english_tutor 2021   
      
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