BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 04:29 PM

My bank lost £3 billion the other day.

It's all got so awful that it's kinds black humour time, isn't it?

"Oh, another billion! Woops!"

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 03:21 PM

To quote the late Senator Everett Duerkson..."A billion here, a billion there...and pretty soon you're talking about real money!"

I guess it has to be upgraded to Trillions, now.

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 01:51 PM

Everyone is weird but me and thee...

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Amergin
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 01:30 PM

Well, I think you're weird, Little Hawk....so I suppose that's all right.

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 01:20 PM

Well, what if people already think you're weird anway? Then would it be okay?

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 01:17 PM

The "UK billion" was virtually extinct more than a generation ago. Use the word with anything other than the US meaning and people would think you were pretty weird.

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 01:13 PM

Ah yes...Quintillions are just around the corner. I heard that in Zimbabwe now the smallest amount of money you can get is a 500,000 whatever-it-is note in their local currency. With it you can buy a toothpick...if anyone has one to sell you.

Subject: RE: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Midchuck
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 01:12 PM

I think "billion" has a different meaning between US and Britain.

"Billion" in the US is a thousand million - ten-to-the-ninth.

Isn't it a million million - ten-to-the-twelth - in Britain? That would be a trillion in the US.

Or did they change that when the rationalized the currency?

Either way, it's a whole s***load - of either dollars or pounds.

Peter

Subject: BS: From MILLIONS to BILLIONS?
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Dec 08 - 12:29 PM

Have you noticed? We used to hear of 'millions' that a wealthy person had, 'millions' that somone had hijacked or had been garnered in a fraudulent scheme, 'millions' as in 'millionaire'.

Now we toss around 'billions' as casually as if we understood the figure. Banks are bailed out to the tune of billions, approaching trillions, the auto industry is loaned billions, Madoff defrauds investors of $50 billions.

What's next? Is this just inflation? Is the new million a billion?