There's no such thing as a free lunch...Or is there?

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It's official. The next president of Indonesia is former army general Prabowo Subianto. Quite how the next five years will pan out is anyone's guess but hopefully the foreign pundits who always bring up his dodgy human rights record will be proven wrong. Nonetheless, on policy making, Prabowo's popularist move to literally offer the poor 'a free lunch' every day of the week does not augur well for the future. Such a policy - if it ever came to fruition - would cost a phenomenal amount of money and likely lead to huge inefficiencies (food waste) and poor incentives (make people lazy). Another concern is Prabowo's strong nationalist bent. Thus, in the possible event that he finds himself with his back against the proverbial wall in the face of stern economic challenges, there is a big chance that he will simply scapegoat foreigners. But he will have to be careful. Construction of the new capital city, Nusantara, for example, is highly dependent on foreign in
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Warning to all expats in indonesia

You’d better start stockpiling that Bintang now!!!!

Cos prices of hops are soaring across the world. I’ve checked on Bloomberg and in the last six months alone, hop prices on international markets have more than doubled. We are facing dark days ahead….

Price of a pint 'could rise 60%'

The average price of a pint of beer could hit £4 after poor weather forced up the price of hops.

Scottish & Newcastle today forecast "material price increases" next year. The brewer, which sells three of the top 10 beer brands in Europe including Kronenbourg and Foster's, is also reviewing its supply chain in a bid to cut costs.

Industry experts say the cost of an average pint will rise by at least 15p, although some are now predicting rises of up to 60%.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the average price of a pint of lager is £2.50, with bitter fans paying around £2.20. A 60% hike would take the average cost of lager to £4 and that could be even higher in some bars.

"It is a bleak time for everyone," said Iain Lowe, research and information manager at Camra. "These price rises have been predicted for a long time. Hop farmers have not seen any price rises for years, but the appalling summer has finally forced the prices up.

"Prices at the pump could easily go up by 60%."

> from the Guardian

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