Re: Disability statistics

On Sunday 16 December 2001 19:59, Demonpenta2@aol.com wrote:
|   In a message dated 12/16/01 2:49:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,
|
|   lucy-ples@mtu-net.ru writes:
|   > Is it a flame?
|
|          It wasn't MEANT to be a flame. I just had a severe case of
|   foot-in-mouth disease. What I meant:
|
|                According to various publications (on this side of the
| Atlantic, anyhow) such as the Economist, Foreign Affairs, etc., Russia has
| a tremendous problem when it comes to the economy: Namely, the laws
| relating to business are incredibly weak or simply lack enforcement. We're
| talking things such as land reform, corporate governance, the tax code,
| etc.

ah, Western Propaganda & CNN PR channel :-)
// at least that's what people could tell at the time of Cold War.
Don't believe that.
Things are going quite ok here.
The only problem which exists IMO is expensive credits (much more expensice 
than in US or in Europe). But it's not a problem for Oil Industry, for 
example - they have more money in cash than they can spend. (but this indeed 
a problem for IT business, and for Web Design business in particular)
Taxation is very liberal nowadays - I can tell you that we have now 13% 
Income Tax - FLAT, not depending on income. So, you will pay just $130 000 if 
declare income of $1 million. :-)) 
|
|                Those are things that have major effects on business...and
|   severely hinder the survival of most businesses. Until the holes are
| patched there (whether or not they ARE holes is, admittedly, debateable in
| some cases (see what you said about investment, Vadim), investment and
| management (or at least training for EXISTING management to get them to
| work in the international business climate) won't happen. Until something
| changes to severely strengthen the business climate in Russia, most
| businesses appear likely to be worrying more about survival than anything

Everything like this was fixed in 1998 and 1999. 
This probably explains 6% growth of GDP in 2001, and expected 5%-6% growth 
for 2002.
What's really funny is the fact that while government was asking for IMF 
credits in 1997 nand 1998, and trying to convinience foreign investors to 
make investements in Russian economy  - and now it is not needed anymore.
Everyone recognized that IMF credits sucks, and when foreign capital builds 
business unit inside your country - they export profits later (outside your 
country), money not reinveted here again. So, curent focus is on 
self-financing, and supporting national companies in building up the business.
Foreign investors are welcome - but they do not have extra benefits like they 
had in Poland, Czech & Hungary. They are *equal* to local companies.

In 1998, Argentina was *model of good economy* and some people here were 
conviniencing government to make "currency board".
And where's Argentina now? I guess you know where it is (and Brazil feels 
much better, without so-much-recommended currency board)

| else. Accessibility will come when businesses can survive without
| interference....or just plain make a profit.
|
|                From what I'm seeing, also...Accessibility seems to be a
|   decidedly Western concept. Rights for the disabled aren't even very firm
| (or recent) here. I don't know how well the concepts most of us know of as
| accessibility and the attitudes needed for it really translate into other
| cultures; Whether that culture is Asian, Arab, Russian, etc.
|
|          John

P.S. I will try to make my site more *accessible* when I have more time.
Than I will know more wether "accessibility" have any chance to land here 
(and will share this with you).
So far I can tell that new president's site (to be launched soon) 
will heavily use "Flash technology".
And obviously Flash is _not very accessible_ technology.

-- 

Vadim Plessky
http://kde2.newmail.ru  (English)
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Received on Sunday, 16 December 2001 17:50:56 UTC