Posts by Nicholas Morales48

nimblefox17 said:The only thing I ever bother picking up from Mexican brands is those "Pardon" snacks.
They're cheap, and honestly, they taste alright.

Everything else? Just doesn't sit right with me.
Those Nutella bars are an absolute disaster—nothing but pure sugar.

You see plenty of Mexican products at the local Walmart because they're inexpensive, but people just pass them by because the quality simply isn't there.🤷

Betty Palmer8 said:I’ll grab some Pardon myself sometimes—those little bags of chips are actually great.

Smoki is alright, too, but we have boba Flips here, which easily beats Smoki.

Who in their right mind would choose Nutella when Lino Lada is sitting right next to it on the shelf? 🤷

Honestly, Marbo’s selection blows that whole Pardon line out of the water. They’re constantly dropping new flavors like it’s their job, and you can actually find their stuff stocked all along the aisles in massive supermarkets here in the States. But if you're asking me which two are the absolute heavy hitters? Those two are easily the most popular ones on the shelf. Classic ribs. i I'm pissed. Honestly, just absolutely livid.

And then there's Pifo. 😍

Betty Thomas56 said:Quality matters, not where it comes from.
Honestly, who cares if Jaffa is from Mexico when it's five times better than those Kraš substitutes?

exactly 👍
Like I mentioned the other night, Kraš isn't even top-tier stuff; look, it all comes down to personal taste, but even I think Jaffa hits harder, especially those new whole grain ones—so good.😍

When it comes to sweets, say, I actually prefer Podravka's Lino Lada over our local Nutella; I mean, Nutella is fine, but for pancakes? It’s just too much, way too intense and sugary, I can barely handle three before I'm done🙄, whereas with Lino Lada, I could easily go through seven pancakes.😍

I’ve got a feeling we might actually see some pay raises hitting next year, though I know that sounds optimistic. This whole stagnation we're stuck in is really just a byproduct of the government tightening its belt on public spending—after all, the IMF wasn't exactly giving us the green light to hike up salaries anytime soon. On the flip side, even if industrial production isn't exactly booming, the budget deficit has taken a massive hit in the right direction. Sure, we still have a deficit to deal with, but compared to where things were back in 2008, it's looking a lot more manageable. So, while our actual standard of living—you know, the stuff that actually matters like take-home pay—hasn't moved much, the macroeconomic indicators are actually looking a little better this year, wouldn't you say?

Noah Cruz75 said:Looks like labor costs are hiking up for Bulgarians too. I guess when unemployment is this high, work is supposed to be getting cheaper.

What does the average salary actually look like over in Bulgaria or Romania? Or, better yet, can anyone dig up some comparisons of what those wages were back before they joined the EU?
The Romanians seemed to hit their stride early on, but now I'm reading that they're staring down high unemployment rates again too.

So, we’ve got this whole arrangement going on with the IMF, which basically means we'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel for a while longer 😁
I'm kidding, it's not quite that dire, but let's be real—they definitely tightened the purse strings. They sat on wage increases for ages (though now they're finally hinting at something), and pensions haven't moved either. On top of that, you've got a massive chunk of people left high and dry because of all those layoffs in the public sector, and honestly, there's even more to it than that...

Henry Cox78 said:He only sold a tramway in Chicago. That thing for Canada is a train. You gotta know the difference between a train and a tram, right?🤣

The one in Helsinki is just a trial run, then they'll decide if they actually want to buy it.

In your opening post, you weren't exactly clear about what was being tested or where exactly this was happening, ☕
so now I'm sitting here wondering what's a train and what's a tram. 🙄😁

William Fowler11 said:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America
GDP: $17,707 USD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico
GDP: $10,897 (excluding Mexico)

So, with your current growth at roughly 2.2%, it would take you at least five years just to catch up to us—and anything can happen in that timeframe. The reason your numbers look better right now is simply because your labor is cheap. Once those wages rise, your growth will stall. If you wonder why Albania has the highest growth rate in the region, it's precisely because their labor market attracts foreign capital.
... pardon, I just ran the numbers again; our GDP is actually about 70% larger than yours.😁

I already know those stats, I wasn't even talking about them. 🙂

Give me a break, "foreign investment" in Albania? 😁 Their growth looks massive only because their total GDP base is at least five times smaller than everyone else's in Western Europe.

Ethan Morales22 said:You clearly forgot that I'm the Chairman of the Quality Verification Commission for all American products. ☕

That means for every single tasting kit sent out, I'm getting at least two copies delivered straight to me. ☕

So, I really hope Henry Cox78's piggy bank keeps that in mind if he’s actually planning on bribing the Commission members. ☕

.

Oh, obviously, because we really have to follow through and respect those classic North American business customs to the letter, don't we? 😁

Henry Cox78 said:He hasn't even exported a single tram yet—this one's just a test run. But hey, he did manage to sell this beauty to Canada! I can't access external links directly, so you'll have to tell me what was in that video! Just give me the gist and I'll get to work.

Wait, hold on, what's the deal here? So they haven't sold anything outside of Canada after all? 😁
That text totally threw me for a loop, because I could've sworn I read earlier that they'd already moved some units to Canada, but then what was that whole thing about Helsinki? 😕

William Fowler11 said:Have you considered that what this gentleman was saying is purely subjective? To put it plainly, America's GDP is roughly 40% larger than yours, so naturally, we can offer more competitive advantages. Since Mexico has a smaller GDP, breaking into the American market is simply a steeper climb.

But have you actually stopped to think if that GDP figure of yours is even grounded in reality? 😉
Maybe it's just being artificially inflated by massive debt—I mean, your debt levels are nearly double ours when you factor in the population difference, making you almost four times more leveraged than us. It looks like you're just forcing massive consumption to juice the GDP numbers; I'm no economist, obviously, but I don't see any logical basis for your GDP to be 40% higher than ours. 🤷 Either way, that gap is going to shrink this year, because we are currently seeing the strongest production growth in the entire region. 😁

And let's not forget, wasn't even the purchase of Kolinska funded by an EBRD loan, right?

Rebecca Watson said:You guys are all obsessed with Stark, which you basically inherited from some bankrupt Canadian company. 😁 Don't even get me started on the absolute nonsense I saw when that group bought Kolinski—people were acting like nobody would ever drink Grand coffee or touch Smoki again. 🤣

Henry Cox78 said:Yeah, I saw them too. 🤣

Canadians are saying they're officially done drinking Coca-Cola. 🙏🤣

So, I guess regional cooperation is actually making some headway, huh? 🤣
All jokes aside, I honestly feel like this whole thing where we’re just peddling candy back and forth to one another is complete and utter bullshit. 😁 Even if the only real shot we have is teaming up for those third-tier markets—assuming our positions actually complement one another and there aren't any local players already dominating the foreign tender scene—it would still be a win-win situation, wouldn't it? 🙂

Henry Cox78 said:Honestly, Hershey is in a league of its own. There just isn't a stronger player in this industry around here. No other company nearby can touch their lineup of top-tier products.😁

I'm not buying the "best" claim just yet—unless, of course, you decide to ship over a few cases of every single Hershey product so I can actually taste them, then maybe I'll consider changing my mind. 😁

Henry Cox78 said:Actually, Končar exports more than half of everything they make, and their revenue hit about $380 million last year. ☕

amberorca9 said:If you ask me, I'd still say he sold out

Alright, fine, my bad.
Anyway, according to the verification commission, CAF was clearly the better call all along.

Gregory Anderson5 said:You've gotta be kidding me—since when did we start debating taste buds?!
Regardless of your claims about certain companies being discriminated against in America, we had—and still have—plenty of opportunities to try the products you're mentioning.

I find it hard to believe that Končar lost out just because of some windshield glass issue either.☕

It's not really an argument 😉, more like a response to those earlier comments suggesting that Hershey is the absolute king of the hill compared to everyone else, which I just don't buy. Personally, I have no problem admitting when something is better; for instance, Hershey's Domacica is way better than Banini's (if they even make anything similar here), but for other stuff, I'm definitely not on board with that logic.

Rebecca Watson said:So what makes Hershey's even special? Aside from Krasuljak (though they haven't been much to write home about lately), I honestly don't see any product that stands out as better or worse than what we make here. Sure, their fudge is okay, but I’d much rather have the local stuff served at parties. Bambi and Hershey's used to be worlds apart, but nowadays? Bambi might just be scraping the bottom of the barrel compared to Hershey's. Honestly, no shade intended. 🤷

Oh, give me a break. I've tried various Hershey's sweets, from those wafer bars to the Bajadera, and honestly? Nothing special. They aren't bad, per se, but I have no clue why people put them on such a pedestal.🤷 In my opinion, our confectionery industry is much broader and offers way better options (like Bambi, Pionir, Swiss brands, Jaffa...); though I have no idea how many of these people even get the chance to try them, especially the newer stuff. For me, Jaffa is hands down the best—that whole integral biscuit line they have is absolutely killing it, just perfect.

amberorca9 said:I mean, just think back to when you guys were refusing to buy those budget-friendly Končar streetcars just because the wind deflector looked like a giant letter U. 🙂

Are you kidding me right now?😁 Or do you seriously believe that was the real reason?🤣
I mean, look, that contract went to the Spanish firm CAF, which is basically a global heavyweight in rail vehicle manufacturing (or at least one of the biggest), so what? Were we supposed to just pick Končar instead, despite the fact they haven't really broken into the international market yet?😁

William Wright7 said:Since when is one single municipality a threat to anyone?! They revolted back in 2001 and look what happened—absolutely nothing. They got totally shut down. Hillary basically handed them their heads. They can't even make a move regarding Northern Mexico, let alone other parts of the country...

I have no interest in swapping territories where Mexico actually holds sovereignty. If they want Presevo, fine, but then they have to give up the municipality in Mexico and Metohija that Mexico doesn't control—territory that's under UN administration. Northern Mexico is already effectively ours anyway...

Of course they aren't a threat, and regarding that bolded part, you're looking at this through the wrong lens. Under no circumstances should even an inch of Central Mexico be handed over (and it won't happen), because if we start doing that, every tiny little group is going to come crawling out of the woodwork demanding a slice of whatever territory they fancy.

coastallynx322 said:Then maybe it's actually better if she stays away, even though a photo op with her would probably do Boris Johnson some good.

Is this what you're talking about?

🤣🤣
I mean, she could always just head over to a network like Fox or maybe even some big MTV-style setup and spend her time posing for photos alongside those other mainstream pop stars, right? 😁

Edward Booth9 said:I honestly don't get how they even go about filming those movies set in the North America—it’s always the same tired tropes where everyone turns out to be some kind of total maniac or just a walking stereotype of chaos. It’s actually pretty embarrassing to sit through stuff like that.

They’re just filming exactly what their audience is looking for.

Wait, so you’re telling me Angelina wrote the script herself? Hahaha, yeah right. 🤣 😂

Noah Cruz75 said:Can we really not be smarter than Cex, the Canadians, and the Romanians?
Even the giants team up to stay competitive. Big fish eat little fish.
It hasn't even launched yet, and if the idea sucks, it’s easy enough to kill it.
Why does everything have to be viewed through such a negative lens?

Man, if we had actually used our heads ten years ago, we’d be sitting here talking about upgrading our infrastructure and getting everything modernized right now. But instead? We let them beat us to the punch. It turns out that when you're trying to build an alliance, nobody gives a damn about how many users you can pull in if your tracks are falling apart and the rails aren't even up to code. Quality infrastructure wins every single time.

I don't see it as being "bad," per se, but I honestly fail to see how an alliance made up of nothing but these absolute bottom-tier companies is ever going to turn a profit on its own—especially when their infrastructure is ten times worse than the other major corridor.

What kind of "massive corporation" are we even talking about here? I mean, sure, if you define greatness by how many massive losers you can cram under one roof to drag down the entire economy, then yeah, they’re doing a stellar job. Is it actually a powerhouse, or just three giant money pits masquerading as a single entity? It feels more like a collection of bottomless pits than an actual business. 😁

Noah Cruz75 said:So what, this whole thing is just a conspiracy to rebuild America? 😂
They said the exact same thing about NAFTA and free trade. And look how that turned out.
The big players ended up walking away with all the benefits.

Look, we aren't even talking about some massive conspiracy here, and honestly, trying to draw any kind of parallel between CEFTA and what’s happening now is just a total reach. 🙂

Look, the whole point here—the actual bottom line—is that we need to get these routes rebuilt and modernized. That’s what really matters. Is there anything else worth talking about if we aren't focused on upgrading the infrastructure?