"Gordon Couger" wrote in message
...

"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 07:29:29 GMT, "Gordon Couger"
wrote:


"Torsten Brinch" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 05 Aug 2003 01:43:18 GMT, "Gordon Couger"
wrote:
We do pay a price for having the cheapest food on the planet.

Myth: USA has the cheapest food on the planet

Fact: In 50 out of 63 countries worldwide, you can buy
a Big Mac hamburger cheaper than in USA.

We spend less of our disposable income on food than any
nation in the world.

That may be true or not, quite independently from the question
whether or not you have the cheapest food.

We don't live on Big Macs.

That's true. However, if you look at prices in USA of, say,
bread and cereals, or meat, they too are not the cheapest
on the planet.

The only way to evaluate cost is what a hour of my time will buy. The way
countries juggle their currencies there is no other way to compare them.

Gordon


I enjoyed that answer and can certainly appreciate the cause for it.

While negotiating with a Canadian company to assume funding which was
initially in US funds to me for greenhouse production improvements. I was to
be compensated a percentage of the transaction. As this constituted a
sizeable amount of money there were several pointed (and legally related)
questions due to the exchange rate and the significant advantage the
Canadians obtained by accepting my offer.

Did I get paid in Canadian funds or US funds and on what amount was the
percentage actually to be figured.

I was paid the percentage on Canadian numbers and in US dollars and we were
all happy. It did take some creative paper work to satisfy the Two
governments.

This was a hefty 6 figure amount and I reinvested the total lot in another
Canadian University project which is directed to improving food quality and
availability for the disadvantaged.

How did I determine what I wanted in dollars? I used modest but realistic
"value of my hourly time" for a period of two years to compensate for the
research and expenses.

James Curts