Babies wanted: Nordic countries crying for kids

Yahoo – AFP, Pierre-Henry DESHAYES with the AFP bureaux in the Nordic region, 17 January 2019

Norway's prime minister has underscored a growing concern: fewer and
fewer babies are being born in Northern Europe

"Norway needs more children! I don't think I need to tell anyone how this is done," Norway's prime minister said cheekily, but she was raising a real concern.

Too few babies are being born in the Nordic region.

The Nordic countries were long a bastion of strong fertility rates on an Old Continent that is rapidly getting older.

But they are now experiencing a decline that threatens their cherished welfare model, which is funded by taxpayers.

"In the coming decades, we will encounter problems with this model," Prime Minister Erna Solberg warned Norwegians in her New Year's speech.

"There will be fewer young people to bear the increasingly heavy burden of the welfare state."

In Norway, Finland and Iceland, birth rates dropped to historic lows in 2017, with 1.49 to 1.71 children born per woman. Just a few years earlier, their birth rates hovered close to the 2.1 level required for their populations to remain stable.

"In all of the Nordic countries, birth rates started dropping in the years after the 2008 financial crisis," University of Oslo sociologist Trude Lappegard told AFP.

"The crisis is over now but it's still falling."

From Copenhagen to the North Cape, from Helsinki to Reykjavik, demographics across the Nordics reveal two things: there are fewer large families, and women are waiting longer before having their first child.

There's no single explanation, but financial uncertainty and a sharp rise in housing costs are seen as likely factors.

An economist in Norway has suggested that women be given 500,000 kroner

(50,000 euros, $58,550) in pension savings for each child born

In the long term, this means there will be fewer people of working age to pay taxes that fund the generous state welfare systems.

These systems pay for, among other things, lengthy parental leaves, which in Sweden can last up to 480 days.

Paying for pregnancies

Experts present differing diagnoses and prescriptions to remedy the situation.

In Norway, one economist concerned about the effect the slowing demographics will have on economic growth has suggested giving women 500,000 kroner (50,000 euros, $58,550) in pension savings for each child born.

Another has suggested that, on the contrary, women in Norway who reach the age of 50 without having had a child should be paid one million kroner, since children also cost society a lot.

Finnish municipalities have already decided to loosen their purse strings to encourage locals to get busy under the covers.

The town of Miehikkala, home to 2,000 people, is offering 10,000 euros for each baby born and raised in the municipality.

"The number of childless individuals is growing rapidly, and the number of women having three or more children is going down. This kind of fall is unheard of in modern times in Finland," said Anna Rotkirch, a family sociologist at the umbrella organisation Finnish Family Federation.

In Denmark, Copenhagen has meanwhile turned its attention to men, who are in less of a hurry to become parents than women, with a campaign aimed at raising awareness about how sperm quality declines with age.

Syrian refugees Walaa Al Hodl,(L), and Kahled Al Hodl applied 

for asylum in Sweden with their six-month-old girl Nour in 2013

Immigration boost

The Nordic region already boasts a wealth of family-friendly initiatives, such as flexible working hours, a vast network of affordable daycares and generous parental leave systems.

But when all that is still not enough to encourage people to have more children, immigration can be a lifeline -- or a threat, depending on the point of view.

Sweden may have a falling birth rate, but it still comes in second in the EU behind France with 1.85 children born per woman in 2016.

That is largely due to Sweden's decades-long history of immigration: immigrant women tend to have more children than the average Swede.

With 2.6 children per woman in recent years, the town of Aneby in southern Sweden has one of the highest rates in the country, a phenomenon attributed to the fact that it opened its doors to immigrants two decades ago.

"Aneby welcomed around 225 Eritreans in the early 1990s and just after that (it took in) refugees from the Balkans. 1994 was a demographic record for the town," local official Ola Gustafsson told AFP.

But population growth among minorities has also fuelled fears.

A former justice minister in Norway, Per-Willy Amundsen of the populist far-right, made headlines when he called for family allowances to be reduced after a third child.

His stated goal was to stop Somalis who, he said, had a higher "birth production" rate than "ethnic Norwegians".

Related Article:

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  3 - Longer Life is Going to Happen, But…

Here is one that is a review. We keep bringing it up because Humans don't believe it. If you're going to start living longer, there are those who are frightened that there will be overpopulation. You've seen the way it is so far, and the geometric progression of mathematics is absolute and you cannot change it. So if you look at the population of the earth and how much it has shifted in the last two decades, it's frightening to you. What would change that progression?

The answer is simple, but requires a change in thinking. The answer is a civilization on the planet who understands a new survival scenario. Instead of a basic population who has been told to have a lot of children to enhance the race [old survival], they begin to understand the logic of a new scenario. The Akashic wisdom of the ages will start to creep in with a basic survival scenario shift. Not every single woman will look at herself and say, "The clock is ticking," but instead can say, "I have been a mother 14 times in a row. I'm going to sit this one out." It's a woman who understands that there is no loss or guilt in this, and actually feels that the new survival attribute is to keep the family small or not at all! Also, as we have said before, even those who are currently ignorant of population control will figure out what is causing babies to be born [Kryon joke].

Part of the new Africa will be education and healing, and eventually a zero population growth, just like some of the first-world nations currently have. Those who are currently tied to a spiritual doctrine will actually have that doctrine changed (watch for it) regarding Human birth. Then they will be able to make free choice that is appropriate even within the establishment of organized religion. You see, things are going to change where common sense will say, "Perhaps it would help the planet if I didn't have children or perhaps just one child." Then the obvious, "Perhaps I can exist economically better and be wiser with just one. It will help the one!" Watch for these changes. For those of you who are steeped in the tradition of the doctrines and would say that sounds outrageously impossible, I give you the new coming pope [Kryon smile]. For those of you who feel that uncontrolled procreation is inevitable, I encourage you to see statistics you haven't seen or didn't care to look at yet about what first-world countries have already accomplished on their own, without any mandates. It's already happening. That was number three.….”

US farm belt tries to head off another surge in suicides

Yahoo – AFP, Juliette MICHEL,  10 June 2018

Ranch hands drive cattle to a new pasture against the backdrop of hills covered
in wildflowers in April 2017 in Taft, California; the farming industry is bolstering
outreach efforts amid a surge in suicides across the US

Responding to signs of rising despair in rural America over a farming downturn exacerbated by the current trade war fears, agricultural leaders are mobilizing to try to prevent another suicide crisis.

Two high profile deaths in the past week, of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade, have shined a spotlight on the issue of depression and suicide in the United States, where the latest data show rates are rising, especially in rural states.

Farm industry officials are bolstering outreach and counseling programs throughout the American farm belt and calling for more action from Washington.

"Things are tough in the countryside," said John Sorbello, a vegetable and nursery farmer in upstate New York and a director of the state's farm bureau, an affiliate of the nation's biggest farm group.

Dairy farmers are facing especially tough times, he said.

"There's nothing to do over the pricing of milk, they are worried about NAFTA, about the surplus in dairy products all over the world," Sorbello said.

"It seems you have no control over it and it's stressful."

Earlier this year, one of the large dairy cooperatives took the drastic step of including suicide prevention information with the monthly check.

"Some people thought it was too extreme," Sorbello said. "But it got everybody's attention."

The outreach push comes amid a big surge in suicides throughout the United States. The suicide rate rose nearly 30 percent between 1999 and 2016 -- and in many states by more than that -- according to a report this week from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report did not break out individual industries, but 2016 CDC data showed US farmers have five times the rate of suicide as the broader population.

The US farm belt also has bad memories of the 1980s when a bruising industry downturn saw an explosion of agricultural workers taking their own lives.

Crisis

"Farmers and ranchers already have the highest suicide rates of any occupation," said Matt Perdue, of the National Farmers Union.

Those who work in rural areas point to myriad factors, including commodity price volatility, more extreme weather and worsening isolation as more young people leave for the cities.

And making matters worse, "About 60% of rural residents live in areas that suffer from a mental health professional shortage," Perdue said.

The CDC study also pointed to research that suggests chronic exposure to pesticides "might affect the neurologic system and contribute to depressive symptoms."

Financial stress is one factor that can lead to suicide and farm incomes have fallen around 50 percent since 2013 and revenues are expected in 2018 to come in at the lowest level since 2006.

The National Farmers Union, at the urging of members who see growing numbers of growers fearful of losing the family farm, urged the US Department of Agriculture to "proactively address the farm suicide crisis."

Lawmakers voted in 2008 to bolster mental health services in agricultural communities as part of an omnibus farm bill, but no funds have been allocated to the effort.

There is a chance Congress could provide support in a bill now being considered, but "it's too early to make a prediction one way or the other," Perdue said.

The troubles facing farmers extend well beyond the United States.

France in early 2018 boosted its funding for anti-suicide programs following a rise in the number of calls for help.

And India has also suffered a wave of farm suicides after many in the sector became mired in debt.

'Not an occupation'

NY FarmNet at Cornell University, which was founded in 1986 amid a rash of suicides, provides free aide to farmers in need.

"We send one financial consultant and one farm family consultant to each case, as we have found that even if the case presents itself as purely a financial matter, there are almost always underlying personal or communication issues that need attention," said Hal McCabe, outreach director at NY FarmNet.

Hearing of rising concern in rural communities, the group has conducted suicide prevention workshops aimed mainly at agricultural services workers, such as bankers, suppliers or farm maintenance staff.

"While we cannot speak to suicides, as that data is very hard to ever come by, the types of calls we are getting are far more dire than in the past five-10 years," McCabe said.

Italian fertility campaign recalled for treatment

Yahoo –AFP, Angus Mackinnon, September 2, 2016

Italy has the lowest birthrate in the European Union and one of the lowest
in the world

An Italian government campaign urging young couples to "get on with it" to boost the country's flagging birthrate has been pulled after a furious backlash on social media.

Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said Friday she had ordered changes to the online campaign after a series of captioned images intended to promote an upcoming Fertility Day were slammed as patronising, sexist and hectoring.

The biggest outcry was over an image of a fraught-looking young woman touching her stomach with one hand and holding an egg-timer in the other, with the sand running away.

"Beauty has no age. But fertility does," said the caption, widely criticised for implying women delaying pregnancy had only themselves to blame if they ended up childless.

Men were not treated any more sensitively. A picture of rotting banana skin was deployed to make the point that: "Male fertility is much more vulnerable than you might think."

That was making a similar point to a picture of a man holding a cigarette with the warning: "Don't let your sperm go up in smoke."

Another image shows a wading bird on the edge of a nest, imploring surfers to: "Get a move on! Don't wait for the stork."

The tweets, released to promote a Fertility Day planned for September 22, quickly went viral -- the initial incredulous reaction being amplified by a swell of support for Lorenzin from pro-family groups.

'Demographic suicide'

Criticism of the campaign focused on the numerous obstacles to having children in Italy, including high unemployment, low wages, weak maternity rights and inadequate childcare provision.

One of the most popular tweets was a cartoon by Virgilio Natola showing a female hand holding up a pregnancy test kit bearing the result: "Go abroad and find yourself a job."

A total of 485,000 babies were born in Italy last year, a record low and

less than half the level of the 1960s

Others cited Italy's falling birthrate as a serious problem.

"The criticisms of #fertilityday are ridiculous," tweeted Comitato Articolo 26, one of the groups involved in organising recent "Family Days" in opposition to legislation on gay civil unions.

"In the country of demographic suicide, a lot, lot more should be done."

Announcing a review of the campaign, Lorenzin said: "We did not intend to offend or provoke anyone. If the message has not gone across as we we would have liked, we will change it."

Lorenzin, a practising Catholic, was left looking isolated after Prime Minister Matteo Renzi appeared to criticise the campaign.

"As far as I know, none of my friends had their kids after seeing an advert," he said in a radio interview on Thursday.

Italy has the lowest birthrate in the European Union and one of the lowest in the world, with only eight babies born for every 1,000 residents in 2015, according to EU figures released in July.

A total of 485,000 babies were born in the country last year, a record low and less than half the level of the 1960s.

Lorenzin warned earlier this year that the current "catastrophic decline" would reduce the number of newborns to 350,000 within a decade unless action is taken to reverse the trend.

She has proposed doubling "baby bonus" child benefits to encourage more couples to start families and existing parents to expand theirs.

Related Article:

Italy set to double baby bonus to fight birth rate 'apocalypse'

Germany has lowest birth rate in the world, study shows

German birth rate hits new low

Dutch Birth rate drops again, economic crisis gets the blame

What Retirement? Singapore Recruits Older Workers to Stay

Singapore Population Growth Hits 10-Year Low

Fewer parents in China want a second child than expected

Seven billion people and climbing, but not everywhere

Today’s pensioners will live for 20 years after retiring

Dutch centenarians double in 14 years to 2,200

Japan’s Centenarian Population Swells to Record, at Almost 59,000

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  3 - Longer Life is Going to Happen, But…

Here is one that is a review. We keep bringing it up because Humans don't believe it. If you're going to start living longer, there are those who are frightened that there will be overpopulation. You've seen the way it is so far, and the geometric progression of mathematics is absolute and you cannot change it. So if you look at the population of the earth and how much it has shifted in the last two decades, it's frightening to you. What would change that progression?

The answer is simple, but requires a change in thinking. The answer is a civilization on the planet who understands a new survival scenario. Instead of a basic population who has been told to have a lot of children to enhance the race [old survival], they begin to understand the logic of a new scenario. The Akashic wisdom of the ages will start to creep in with a basic survival scenario shift. Not every single woman will look at herself and say, "The clock is ticking," but instead can say, "I have been a mother 14 times in a row. I'm going to sit this one out." It's a woman who understands that there is no loss or guilt in this, and actually feels that the new survival attribute is to keep the family small or not at all! Also, as we have said before, even those who are currently ignorant of population control will figure out what is causing babies to be born [Kryon joke].

Part of the new Africa will be education and healing, and eventually a zero population growth, just like some of the first-world nations currently have. Those who are currently tied to a spiritual doctrine will actually have that doctrine changed (watch for it) regarding Human birth. Then they will be able to make free choice that is appropriate even within the establishment of organized religion. You see, things are going to change where common sense will say, "Perhaps it would help the planet if I didn't have children or perhaps just one child." Then the obvious, "Perhaps I can exist economically better and be wiser with just one. It will help the one!" Watch for these changes. For those of you who are steeped in the tradition of the doctrines and would say that sounds outrageously impossible, I give you the new coming pope [Kryon smile]. For those of you who feel that uncontrolled procreation is inevitable, I encourage you to see statistics you haven't seen or didn't care to look at yet about what first-world countries have already accomplished on their own, without any mandates. It's already happening. That was number three.….”

Japan PM pledges to invest $30 bn in Africa by 2018

Yahoo – AFP, August 27, 2016

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a session with Kenya's Ministry
 of Health and World Bank group at the Tokyo International Conference on African
Development (TICAD) in Nairobi on August 26, 2016 (AFP Photo/Simon Maina)

Japan will pour $30 billion (27 billion euros) in investment into Africa by 2018, including $10 billion in infrastructure development, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday at a summit in Nairobi.

"When combined with the investment from the private sector I expect the total real amount to be $30 billion," Abe said at the opening of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).

"This is an investment that has faith in Africa's future," he said.

Abe will use the conference to meet dozens of leaders from across Africa, among them Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and South Africa's Jacob Zuma.

It is the first time that the TICAD conference is being held in Africa, with all five previous events hosted in Japan.

The goal of the conference is to boost trade and aid to Africa, as Japan hopes that quality will trump quantity in the battle for influence against cash-rich China.

While Tokyo already has a well-established presence in Africa, its financial importance to the continent has long since been eclipsed by regional rival China.

The world's second-largest economy -- a resource-hungry giant -- recorded total trade with Africa of about $179 billion in 2015, dwarfing Japan's approximately $24 billion.

President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya visits the Mombasa Nairobi Railway built
by China Communications Construction on Jan. 24, 2014. (Photo/Xinhua)

Related Articles:

Obama competing with China to secure African support

"The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text-Version)

" .... Africa

Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit.. ...."

Dutch remain happy with life, more positive about Muslims

DutchNews, December 11, 2015

The Dutch are positive about their own personal situations but worried about the prospects for the next generation, according to a major new report on society in the Netherlands. 

On average, people give their own lives a score of 7.8 out of 10, in line with the results two years ago. The survey, by the government’s social policy think-tank SCP, was carried out in February before the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and the rise in refugee numbers.

The survey is carried out every two years. ‘The Dutch are relatively positive about the way society is, notably positive about national politics and more than averagely pro-Europe,’ the report states. 

‘However, the rise in concern about the future is notable. People expect the next generation will find the going tougher.’ 

In particular, crime is considered less of an issue and ideas about Muslims have also improved ‘strongly’, the survey shows. In 2004, just one-third of those questioned said most Muslims respected others, but this has now risen steadily to 55%. 

In 2004, 47% of people thought there were too many immigrants in the Netherlands, but that has now dropped to 36% – albeit a four percentage point rise on the last survey in 2013. 

Boorish behaviour

However, there has been an increase in the number of people who are embarrassed about the behaviour of their fellow Dutch nationals. Two years ago, 31% were left red-faced about bad manners and loutish attitudes but that has now risen to 36%.

‘We are all proud of our tradition of freedom of speech, but we are embarrassed about the loutishness it can generate,’ said SCP deputy director Robert Bijl. 

Almost six in 10 are also concerned about the lack of ‘norms and values’ in present day society, the survey showed.

Related Articles:

New research shows 85% of the Dutch are satisfied with life

Why Dutch Children Are the Happiest in the World (And What We Can Learn From It) - (Update)
Many Dutch people are feeling happier in 2014


"Not Your Father's New Age" / "Paradign Shift" (3) - Feb 14/15, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… The New "Listening" Body

Number three: There'll never be a time in Human history that is more profound than this one, when it comes to how the body is listening to what you are saying. There is a process, and always has been, where the cells of the body are on alert to what the boss - you - wants. For years, we have been asking you to talk to your body, talk to your cellular structure. Now we're going to tell you that it's listening, even when you don't realize what you're automatically saying! It's now listening 24-7. So what are you saying to it?

This is now a time where negative dialogue will have more personal influence on you than ever before. Think about what you are saying in life as you move around socially. What is your attitude when you say it, and how often do you say it? Your body is listening. Dear Lightworker, part of your spiritual evolution is that the body, the innate, is now aware of everything. Now, you may say, “Well, that's nice.” It's more than nice; it's profound! If you don't listen to this and understand it, you will keep you aging in the same old way you have. This is why we have spoken of affirmations more than ever before. This is far more than just positive thinking. Every time you open your mouth, you have the potential to give instructions to your body, and it listens to you when you talk to it. Unfortunately, your habits are to tell your body that you are unworthy!

I want you to think about what you're saying. When somebody asks you about your health, about your spirituality, about your intent, or about your aging, do you say the words, “I am working on it. I am trying”? The result is the cells of your body say, "Well, she's working on it - she is trying," but (implied), "She doesn't have it yet." I want you to listen to yourself when you talk. Are you giving "less than" messages to your own body?

Perhaps I've said enough, but almost every single one of you comes from a culture that is proud of demeaning itself in some way. It's an old habit from old ways that are supposed to represent a gracious countenance. Someone wants to give you a gift or celebrate your birthday. How many of you automatically say, "You shouldn't have"? Do you realize that your actions and words are saying, “I don't deserve it" to your own innate? Your actions say, “I am unworthy.” Don't you think your body hears this or sees it? It does. It is time to get out of the unworthy closet, Lightworker! You are alive with God inside! Don't be afraid or ashamed to proclaim, “I am healthy, I am healed, I am youthing, I am in charge of the situation.” Not, “I'm working on it” or, “I'm trying.” That tells your body that it may happen someday, but not today. That's the difference. “I am worthy of happiness. I am worthy of a peaceful situation in my life. I am worthy of a solution in my life.”

When someone wants to give you a gift or celebrate your birthday, automatically say, "Thank you for this wonderful gift!" Your innate will hear, "I am worthy of this gift of appreciation from others." Then love them for it. ….”

Councils want changes to welfare rules, plan experiments with ‘more friendly’ approach

DutchNews, December 7, 2015

Junior social affairs minister Jetta Klijnsma is in talks with four Dutch cities about experiments they want to run to relax the rules governing welfare benefits. 

Utrecht, Groningen, Wageningen and Tilburg want to overhaul the current welfare rules so that claimants would not have to continually apply for jobs and go on ‘reintegration’ courses, the Volkskrant says on Monday. 

The councils think a more friendly approach will work better and cost less than the current regulations. The four cities will meet Klijnsma again next week with more concrete plans. All experiments with alternative ways of dealing with welfare benefits (bijstand) have to be approved by her. 

The Volkskrant says a number of other cities, including Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Amsterdam, are also working on new ways of dealing with welfare claimants. 

‘Many people on benefits become paralysed by all the rules and checks,’ Eindhoven councillor Saskia Lammers told the paper. In particular, the government’s tone in dealing with claimants and its lack of trust in them have an impact, she said. ‘We have to stimulate rather than sanction,’ she said. 

Soft

In June, Utrecht city council said it planned to begin experimenting with a ‘basic income’ to replace the current complicated system of taxes, social security benefits and top-up benefits, if the government gave approval. 

Other cities, including Groningen, Maastricht, Gouda, Enschede, Nijmegen and Wageningen, are said to be looking along the same lines. 

VVD councillors in many councils oppose the ‘softer’ approach, the Volkskrant says. ‘You get the most out of people by challenging them, not allowing them to sit around doing nothing,’ said Amsterdam VVD councillor Marianne Poot. 

Rules

At the moment, someone claiming bijstand is required to apply for a number of jobs a month, take part in reintegration sessions, follow courses and do voluntary work. Council have to check they are meeting the conditions and to reduce benefits if they are not. Claimants who find a part-time job are allowed to keep up to €196 a month on top of their benefits.

Related Articles:

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Utrecht city council to begin experiments with a basic income

This Dutch City Plans to Give Residents a Universal ‘Basic Income’

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Why Should We Support the Idea of Universal Basic Income?

UN aims to 'end poverty' with 2030 agenda for sustainable development

New research shows 85% of the Dutch are satisfied with life

DutchNews, November 2, 2015

Around 85% of the Dutch are satisfied with life, according to new research by national statistics office CBS. 

It is the first time the CBS has carried out in-depth research into the Dutch mood, and follows on from international studies. 

Around two-thirds of people say they are always or nearly always happy, with slightly more men than women taking an optimistic view. 

The research also shows women are more likely to be nervous and depressed than men. Some 72% of men say they are always calm, compared with 61% of women. By contrast, 91% of women think what they do is meaningful, compared with 87% of men. 

In addition, 94% of men and woman say they are satisfied with their relationships and 70% with their financial situation. But just one-third are happy with their weight and 30% are always worried about money. 

The most satisfied people live in Drenthe, Zeeland and Friesland. The least positive live in Flevoland but the differences are only marginal. 

The research looks at eight different aspects of life to develop its happiness indicator. ‘It is not just about money. It is about measuring a feeling,’ CBS spokesman Jan Latten told news agency ANP. ‘The focus in no longer just on gross national income but on gross national happiness.’

Related Articles:

Why Dutch Children Are the Happiest in the World (And What We Can Learn From It) - (Update)
Many Dutch people are feeling happier in 2014


"Not Your Father's New Age" / "Paradign Shift" (3) - Feb 14/15, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… The New "Listening" Body

Number three: There'll never be a time in Human history that is more profound than this one, when it comes to how the body is listening to what you are saying. There is a process, and always has been, where the cells of the body are on alert to what the boss - you - wants. For years, we have been asking you to talk to your body, talk to your cellular structure. Now we're going to tell you that it's listening, even when you don't realize what you're automatically saying! It's now listening 24-7. So what are you saying to it?

This is now a time where negative dialogue will have more personal influence on you than ever before. Think about what you are saying in life as you move around socially. What is your attitude when you say it, and how often do you say it? Your body is listening. Dear Lightworker, part of your spiritual evolution is that the body, the innate, is now aware of everything. Now, you may say, “Well, that's nice.” It's more than nice; it's profound! If you don't listen to this and understand it, you will keep you aging in the same old way you have. This is why we have spoken of affirmations more than ever before. This is far more than just positive thinking. Every time you open your mouth, you have the potential to give instructions to your body, and it listens to you when you talk to it. Unfortunately, your habits are to tell your body that you are unworthy!

I want you to think about what you're saying. When somebody asks you about your health, about your spirituality, about your intent, or about your aging, do you say the words, “I am working on it. I am trying”? The result is the cells of your body say, "Well, she's working on it - she is trying," but (implied), "She doesn't have it yet." I want you to listen to yourself when you talk. Are you giving "less than" messages to your own body?

Perhaps I've said enough, but almost every single one of you comes from a culture that is proud of demeaning itself in some way. It's an old habit from old ways that are supposed to represent a gracious countenance. Someone wants to give you a gift or celebrate your birthday. How many of you automatically say, "You shouldn't have"? Do you realize that your actions and words are saying, “I don't deserve it" to your own innate? Your actions say, “I am unworthy.” Don't you think your body hears this or sees it? It does. It is time to get out of the unworthy closet, Lightworker! You are alive with God inside! Don't be afraid or ashamed to proclaim, “I am healthy, I am healed, I am youthing, I am in charge of the situation.” Not, “I'm working on it” or, “I'm trying.” That tells your body that it may happen someday, but not today. That's the difference. “I am worthy of happiness. I am worthy of a peaceful situation in my life. I am worthy of a solution in my life.”

When someone wants to give you a gift or celebrate your birthday, automatically say, "Thank you for this wonderful gift!" Your innate will hear, "I am worthy of this gift of appreciation from others." Then love them for it. ….”

Wal-Mart woes revive minimum wage debate

Yahoo – AFP, Jeremy Tordjman, 19 Oct 2015

Walmart employees stock the shelves at a Walmart store on February 19, 

2015 in Miami, Florida (AFP Photo/Joe Raedle)

Washington (AFP) - Wal-Mart caused a stir when it raised the pay of 500,000 of its workers. But now the US retail giant seems to regret the move after its profit outlook plunged, reviving a minimum wage debate.

The nation's biggest employer blames its recently released lower forecast on a plan it unveiled in February to hike minimum hourly compensation to $10, up from $7.25 at the federal level.

Wal-Mart's move followed mounting criticism by labor unions and others that its low wages have locked workers into poverty and even pressured some of them to seek public assistance to make ends meet.

The decision had a snowball effect, spreading most notably to fast food chain McDonald's at a time when several US states including New York and major US cities -- Los Angeles and Seattle among them -- took similar action, effectively bypassing hostile Republicans in Congress.

But now Wal-Mart's woes could put the brakes on this trend. They have already prompted reactions from the large camp of those opposed to increasing the minimum wage, something that hasn't been done since 2009.

"Wal-Mart's announcement that their plan to increase wages is a contributing factor to their disappointing earnings report confirms the obvious truth that increasing wages has significant impacts, even on the largest of employers," Randy Johnson, an official with the US Chamber of Commerce, the powerful business lobby, told AFP.

The reasoning is that companies could jeopardize their bottom line by boosting paychecks.

"If even Wal-Mart feels the pinch then other employers will certainly have problems," Johnson added.

This argument has also been used to hit back at US fast food workers who have stepped up calls and actions demanding that the minimum wage be increased to $15.

"A rise in the minimum wage to $15 would very definitely mean that the jobs of large numbers of people would be at risk," said Tim Worstall, a fellow at the Adam Smith Institute in London.

"Companies would have to become intensive users of well-trained labor ... rather than extensive users of low skill and lowly paid labor," he wrote in a piece published by Forbes magazine.

'Absurd'

Eyeing Wal-Mart, will other big businesses back away from paying their workers better?

That remains to be seen.

"The companies for whom it makes business sense will continue to do it," Michael Strain, of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told AFP.

But "the others might think twice about this."

Strain noted that companies might be torn between wanting to score points with the greater public or win favor with shareholders.

Walmart blames its recently released lower forecast on a plan it unveiled in 

February to hike minimum hourly compensation to $10, up from $7.25 at the

 federal level (AFP Photo/Joe Raedle)

"The corporate responsibility community will say: 'you raised your wages voluntarily, that's great,' but the business community and the shareholders are like 'jeez, this is really not helping our earning statements,'" he said.

Experts are divided.

David Cooper, economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, sought to put the negative impact of Wal-Mart's minimum wage hike into perspective.

"The notion that this pay increase will threaten the profitability of the company is absurd," Cooper told AFP, highlighting the fact that the measure's cost of 1.5 billion dollars represents just 0.3 percent of the giant's turnover.

"This is a drop in a very large bucket for them," he said, pointing to pressure from online competitors and a strong dollar as additional reasons for its lackluster performance.

Cooper and others maintain that the benefits of a minimum wage hike will only become apparent over time.

"Spending this money on the workforce may not please short-term investors but it's good business policy for the long-term health of the company," he told AFP.

Cooper added that, as the labor market improves, it will become harder to attract and retain the best people.

But "when you raise wages, workers will stay on longer," minimizing turnover, which comes at a significant cost, he said.