fnordian_slip
In defense of Deutsche Bahn, countries with comparable infrastructure but more reliable transport have put in about twice as much money per capita for the last 30 years at least.
Also, it went through a pseudo-privatisation back then, which hasn't helped (just private enough to focus on quarterly profits by letting bridges decay so that they have to be rebuilt or repaired in a few years, just public enough that they have to serve a lot of non-lucrative areas by law).
I have to admit I'm rather biased as I work there, but I would say most employees do the best they can with the hand they're dealt. It's just that politicians dealt them a really bad hand. And if Germany were to properly invest in infrastructure from now on, there's so much stuff that has to be repaired that reliability would go down even more in the next decade or so (seriously, this is not something you could fix in a year or two, even with hundreds of billions).
For me, the page contains a number of categories like compass roses, fauna, labels, rivers, monsters etc. under the search box. Each category contains maps from all over the world that include those features, most of them rather nice looking.
Hope that helps you decide if you want to spend time on the problem :)
I rather like the way it releases concentrated light towards you, as the sun does through a window, but not everyone wants harsh shadows. At the same time, the reflector makes the 20.000 lumens feel like a lot more, as the light doesn't have to illuminate the whole room, just where you're sitting.
And the people with guns mostly either cheer it on or pretend it's not so bad (until they themselves feature in /r/leopardsatemyface).
lygte-info.dk/
Of course not for all insects, but I would guess that GP didn't mean highly succesful species like ants, which seem to thrive pretty much everywhere. I recommend visiting an old growth forest if you can find one in your area, they're a completely different beast compared to the ones you might be used to. It's really worth it!
I know you have AC for the summer, where we use Lüften during the night and then close our exterior blinds. And that makes sense, as your summers are hotter in many areas and it doesn't get cool enough at night for our strategy to work consistently. But I have always assumed that everyone does Lüften in the winter, and that you guys just like the funny sounding word we use for it.
Just out of curiosity: you do realise that illness is not specific to humans, but also occurs in animals, right?
I mostly solve any issues with VOC by "Stosslueften", but if that's not enough because the air quality outside is too bad, a CR box is an effective, easy to build and almost perfectly silent design, especially if you do it with decent quality pc fans.
Even if you were to show them data, you could never convince them, as their position is based on emotions. And you can't argue someone out of a position using facts, if that person didn't arrive at that position using facts to begin with.
But I like your second interpretation way more!
But as we are supposed to steelman others on hn, I will pretend that your comment was made in good faith, and that you are actually amused by "Europeans gloating" and just want my take on the rest of the parent comment.
Of course, some of the price difference between US and the rest of the world comes from research and development, along with price segmentation, the latter being pretty much standard in capitalism on a global scale.
But as long as your drug companies spend so much on marketing and making intermediaries rich beyond measure, and your government doesn't negotiate the prices down and doesn't properly regulate them, it seems a bit strange to me to completely focus on the r&d part when talking about the 10x difference.
While the US isn't willing to meaningfully address any of the other major issues with healthcare pricing, it feels like this issue is just an excuse for some Americans to see themselves as victims on the global stage, which has become rather fashionable with supporters of the current administration. To an outside observer, the situation looks very similar to the ongoing embarrassment about the tariffs, or the examples I have already given about defense spending and vacation time.
> we work longer hours and take less vacation.
Yes, but people working longer hours doesn't necessarily translate to more output, especially when quality is taken into account.
Anecdotally, from what I've heard from people working in international companies, the American work culture doesn't seem to be very efficient when looking at the end result. The studies of 32 hour work weeks seem to indicate similar findings, though like the anecdotes, should be taken with a grain of salt of course. But I truly believe that in most cases, a developer who works 10 hours a day will not produce more than one who works 6 hours a day, at least after a couple of days.
>Europe makes fun of us for our defense spending yet demands protection
You do realise that until very recently, America has gained an absurd amount of soft power through this defence spending, right? And was able to convert this soft power into a lot of GDP through indirect subsidies of its international companies? Just because the current administration has squandered this advantage, doesn't mean you did not get out more than you paid for the last couple of decades.
>I just can't shake the feeling that Europeans see Americans as suckers.
I agree with you on that point,but not for the reasons you might think. I see the "temporarily embarrassed millionaire" phenomenon, people constantly against their self-interest and the like, and and it's hard not to. I have relatives in the US, and I still feel sympathy for your people.
But it's getting harder and harder to not see you as suckers when you look at the tariffs or the cuts to welfare, science and education, all while the rich get massive tax cuts. And all is being done in the name of "draining the swamp", by a billionaire who is incredibly well-connected with 90% of the corrupt elite he publicly opposes.
Also, the gesture is usually interpreted in the context of his increasingly fascist rhetoric, which makes it harder for an outside observer to give him the benefit of the doubt.
However, as you posted the video in defense of Elon and decided to believe the narrative over what you can see with your own eyes, I'm probably wasting my time here.
So I wanted to show that people have also used cheap excuses like this in the past, and that we shouldn't give Russian propaganda the benefit of the doubt.
Of course there weren't any atrocities commited against the Sudetendeutsche population, I just assumed everyone knew that, but that's due to my German-centric view of history.
I should have expected this, as sarcasm doesn't translate well over text, especially if people don't share the same cultural background.