The Off Topic Topic

[MadImmortalMan]

It's not odd at all. Housing prices have been rocketing up in the US ever since QE began. My house has been going up between three and six thousand a month on zillow. It's like a secret second job that I get paid for but I don't have to go to.

[Syt]

Don't forget cost of living too. Germany is more expensive than the US.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Germany

No, that doesn't seem to be true.

I'm skeptical--Germany definitely seems more expensive. Maybe the very recent strengthening of the dollar skews things, and me living in Georgia almost certainly does. However, take the restaurant category. It seems suspicious that the directly comparable categories (coke, water, and mcdonalds) all show Germany to be more expensive while all the other categories are less directly comparable but show the opposite effect.

Also, many of the prices seem much too high for the US--but that might be bias that I'm living in Atlanta.

When I select NYC vs. Hamburg in that thing, then NYC shows as much more expensive. When I compare Hamburg to Detroit, then Hamburg is more expensive. So yeah, depends on where in the US you compare it with.

[Liep]

3rd best railway in Europe. Best on safety (shared with UK).

[The Larch]

Norwegian trains seem to be the black sheep of the nordic family.

It's also strange to see that the highes quality of service is in Spain and Romania. 

[Maladict]

Norwegian trains seem to be the black sheep of the nordic family.

It's also strange to see that the highes quality of service is in Spain and Romania. 

That's because they're using fares unadjusted for purchasing power. The other factors are high speed rail, which they don't have, and punctuality, which I doubt.

Also strange to see Spain's safety level so high after one of the worst rail accidents in years.

[The Larch]

Norwegian trains seem to be the black sheep of the nordic family.

It's also strange to see that the highes quality of service is in Spain and Romania. 

That's because they're using fares unadjusted for purchasing power. The other factors are high speed rail, which they don't have, and punctuality, which I doubt.

Also strange to see Spain's safety level so high after one of the worst rail accidents in years.

Imagine what is going on in the countries that got a 0 in safety then. 

[frunk]

Imagine what is going on in the countries that got a 0 in safety then. 

I'm trying to figure out what that means.  Is every passenger killed as soon as they board the train?

[Syt]

German commerce chambers claim the railroad strike will cost the German economy EUR 750,000,000.

Besides pay, one of the main points of contention is that the old train driver's union (GDL) also wants to represent other railroad personnel ... who are currently represented by a much larger union (EVG). The German railroad (DB) rejects this, because they don't want competing unions in their company who try to lure in members by negotiating better than the other one.

In other corporations that situation already exists, but normally the unions compromise and either set common parameters for their members or split responsibilities. The two railroad unions have yet to meet such a compromise, and the smaller one insists on being independent and doing their own thing.

At this point I suspect the DB is delaying, somewhat deliberately, however. The small GDL and its leader are not popular with the public, and further strikes that affect many people are likely to further erode what support they have left.

[Liep]

It's also strange to see that the highes quality of service is in Spain and Romania. 

It's punctuality and costs only, basically.

Imagine what is going on in the countries that got a 0 in safety then. 

I'm trying to figure out what that means.  Is every passenger killed as soon as they board the train?

Lapses in safety standards I would guess, not necessarily based on human error which can create accidents no matter how high the standards are.

[Liep]

At this point I suspect the DB is delaying, somewhat deliberately, however. The small GDL and its leader are not popular with the public, and further strikes that affect many people are likely to further erode what support they have left.

It's not a bad tactic, the enormous number you mentioned isn't coming out of DB's pocket (there is passenger compensations, but that's still nothing compared to what airlines have to compensate). The more unpopular the union gets the easier it is to negotiate with them, and no matter what happens DB gets to keep the vast majority of their customers.

[Syt]

Union memberships in Germany 2012. From top to bottom: Metal industry, services, construction/chemistry/energy, education/sciences, railroads (EVG).



The now striking union GDL has 34,000 members. Because it's a small union causing big impacts with their strikes, there's many voices who find that compared to their size they have too much power and can take parts of the economy/everyday life hostage.

[Tamas]

Apparently there is series on Hungarian state radio, that showcases one heroic deed of Hungarian soldiers in WW1, each day.

So, the 100th anniversary rememberance of the state radio willl consist of 3 years of hurray-propaganda of Hungarian soldiers achieving one heroic triumph after another. 

[Valmy]

One heroic triumph after another?

That basically sums up the experience of the Austro-Hungarian Army in WWI. Yep. The war that fortunately didn't all wars because war is awesome.

[Syt]

"War. It's fantastic."

[Tamas]

One heroic triumph after another?

That basically sums up the experience of the Austro-Hungarian Army in WWI. Yep. The war that fortunately didn't all wars because war is awesome.

Yeah its ridicilous. Sure there were brave heroic acts on all sides, probably daily, but overall it was a horrible futile conflict, double so for Hungary, and it was a disaster for A-H from the get go.