What is Germany doing right that we're not? And why?
Discussion
jjlynn27 said:
Germans also make CUBE bikes. Y'know, the bestest ones.
Good, but by no means the best. These guys from Northeast Germany - I've run their 'All Mountain' bikes for ten years - arguably are the best in the world: http://www.nicolai-bicycles.com/en/Digga said:
Good, but by no means the best. These guys from Northeast Germany - I've run their 'All Mountain' bikes for ten years - arguably are the best in the world: http://www.nicolai-bicycles.com/en/
3345 euros just for the frame? Cube looks better, not that I'm biased.
jjlynn27 said:
Digga said:
Good, but by no means the best. These guys from Northeast Germany - I've run their 'All Mountain' bikes for ten years - arguably are the best in the world: http://www.nicolai-bicycles.com/en/
3345 euros just for the frame? Cube looks better, not that I'm biased.
jjlynn27 said:
I'll try to continue this on Pedal part, not to derail thread anymore. But seriously, over 5k for a bike that looks significantly worse than mine?
They are such stable platforms, fork manufacturers use them as 'test beds' for their R&D. Praise does not get much higher than from Dirt, they're not known for dishing out compliments where they're not due: https://dirtmountainbike.com/reviews/nicolai-ion-c...Digga said:
The 'debt warehousing' dodge that Greece used (courtesy of those ever-present vultures Goldman Sachs) to 'comply' with Euro entry requirements was not the only dirty deal when the Euro was created.
To be fair Greece/GS did an off market FX swap, albeit a large one, a trade I've done hundreds of times (although for more legit reasons!); more to the point it was within the rules and done with the full knowledge of the EU.http://www.risk.net/derivatives/structured-product...
TLDR version; "There is no doubt that Goldman Sachs’ deal with Greece was a completely legitimate transaction under Eurostat rules. Moreover, both Goldman Sachs and Greece’s public debt division are following a path well trodden by other European sovereigns"
Digga said:
France and Germany themselves had also transgressed the rules they wrote:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16834815
They didn't just transgress the debt and deficit rules. They then took apart the enforcement mechanism of the Stability and Growth pact of the Maastrict treaty in order to avoid the punishment by the EU. I wonder if historians will one day look back on that act as the wound that ultimately proved fatal.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16834815
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/the-tic...
"the Germans, together with the French -- both facing the threat of an excessive debt procedure -- were too busy undermining the Maastricht Treaty. The two countries, determined not to submit to sanctions, managed to secure a majority in the EU's Council of Economic and Finance Ministers to cancel the European Commission's sanction procedure. It was a serious breach of the rules whose consequences would only become apparent later.
The German-French initiative effectively did away with the Stability and Growth Pact, which the Germans had forced their partners to sign. The consequences were fatal. If the two biggest economies in the euro zone weren't abiding by the rules, why should anyone else?"
From what I understood, what Greece did was legal, but not in the spirit of the rules of compliance for the entry to the Euro. It was, however, done with tacit knowledge of other Euro nations and was not questioned at the time.
That Germany and France fudged so early in the game just demonstrates what a house of cards the whole thing is.
That Germany and France fudged so early in the game just demonstrates what a house of cards the whole thing is.
fblm said:
....
"the Germans, together with the French -- both facing the threat of an excessive debt procedure -- were too busy undermining the Maastricht Treaty. The two countries, determined not to submit to sanctions, managed to secure a majority in the EU's Council of Economic and Finance Ministers to cancel the European Commission's sanction procedure. It was a serious breach of the rules whose consequences would only become apparent later.
The German-French initiative effectively did away with the Stability and Growth Pact, which the Germans had forced their partners to sign. The consequences were fatal. If the two biggest economies in the euro zone weren't abiding by the rules, why should anyone else?"
But we had a veto..."the Germans, together with the French -- both facing the threat of an excessive debt procedure -- were too busy undermining the Maastricht Treaty. The two countries, determined not to submit to sanctions, managed to secure a majority in the EU's Council of Economic and Finance Ministers to cancel the European Commission's sanction procedure. It was a serious breach of the rules whose consequences would only become apparent later.
The German-French initiative effectively did away with the Stability and Growth Pact, which the Germans had forced their partners to sign. The consequences were fatal. If the two biggest economies in the euro zone weren't abiding by the rules, why should anyone else?"
Digga said:
...not in the spirit of the rules...
Rules is rules. It's not like it was a gray area, it was allowed and other countries did it too. Ironically when I used to trade this stuff I wouldn't touch one of these off market deals without permission from compliance to cover my arse. The potential for abuse is obvious even to a summer intern. God only knows why it was allowed, sovereigns don't have a legit use for such swaps.Dr Jekyll said:
Surprised no one has mentioned this yet.
Good man!I'd not driven in Germany for a few years and was a bit confused joining the A1 to Koln and seeing my current speed displayed on the satnav but no speed limit next to it. The penny dropped pretty quick - it was a pleasant surprise.
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