E.c. "cache Mountain" Shock

[+wildlifewriter]

Concern in Brussels was growing today, after revelations that costs of the notorious EC "cache mountain" topped 160,000,000 euro last year (2003).

 

Officials were noncommittal about the widely-resented payments, which subsidises the hiding of plastic boxes which hardly anyone looks for.

 

 

French commissioner Jules Bleuagasquet was quoted as saying: "They are a disgrace these geocachers, is it not? So much money it is being wasted on these boxes, when it could be wasted on paying French farmers to do nothing, instead!"

 

Peter Mandelson was unavailable for comment.

 

(Reuters)

[+Kitty Hawk]

Had a quiet day?

[+Snosrap]

That's disgraceful.

 

160,000,000 euros is about 110,000,000 quid. Say around £10 per cache (box, logbook plus 2 macdonalds happy meal goodies) gives 11,000,000 caches for 2003.

 

The UK currently has only 4310 caches!

 

Yet another example of the raw deal we in the UK get from Brussels. No wonder Mandy was unwilling to comment.

 

Vote UKIP - British Cash for British Caches!!

 

 

[Edit - bad spelling or bad typing? you guess]

Edited October 22, 2004 by Snosrap

[+NickandAliandEliza]

Are there enough GCXXXX codes left??????????

[+Kitty Hawk]

Crikey you are right - I was flippant in an earlier reply, but this could be a real crisis!

 

4 figures in base 36 gives us only enough capacity for 1,679,616 caches worldwide, let alone the predicted 11,000,000 just in Europe. This on it's own is a powerful argument for enlargement.

 

There are two possible solutions.

 

1. Compulsory increases to the minimum value of european caches to £100 per box aiming for an average of £150 per box to leave capacity for the remainder of the world. As the value of the box and notebook are fixed, this would mean either increasing the number of happy meal toys to around 80 per box**, or putting in a couple of more expensive items.

 

2. GC.com would need to relocate to Russia - they would then be able to use Russia's alphabet which, being larger, would leave more capacity for waypoint codes.

 

** the predicted consequential pandemic of severe obesity amongst geocachers would not occur as caching would become sustainable as a full time hobby, having so many caches to find and the values being so high. Cachers would find themselves walking 100's of miles per week, especially if the proposal for Tibet to enter the European Union is ratified.

[+Fangsy]

Are there enough GCXXXX codes left??????????

They'l just have to introduce cachecode IP v5.. add an extra digit or two to the codes

GC.XXX.XXX is on it's way!

[+wildlifewriter]

(snip) As the value of the box and notebook are fixed, this would mean either increasing the number of happy meal toys to around 80 per box**, or putting in a couple of more expensive items.

 

I think you're getting into the realms of fantasy now, Pike...

[+klaus23]

And as the Germans have subsidised the roads that I drive on when I go caching, votez pour l'europe!

 

 

 

 

Apologies for schoolboy grammar...

[+Haggis Hunter]

Confused?? No!! Well I BLOODY am!!

 

 

[+klaus23]

When Ireland was still receiving EU Structural Funds it was estimated that at one point, 5% of German GDP was going directly towards improving Ireland's infrastructure.

 

As German chancellor Gerhard Schröder put it afterwards, “As long as only one country (i.e. Ireland) was financing its infrastructure from our money, we could accept that.”

 

Still confused...?