Author: Serkadis

Volkswagen AG will buy a controlling stake in Italy’s largest design and engineering firm, Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., two industry sources confirmed to Automotive News Europe.

One of the sources said that an announcement could come as early as next week. Italdesign and VW representatives declined to comment.

The move is consistent with VW’s plan to be the world’s largest automaker by 2018 with sales of 10 million vehicles a year. To reach that goal, VW’s 10-brand group, including Porsche, will need more designers and engineers. In 2010 alone, VW group plans to add 60 models, including upgrades.

Italdesign, co-founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1968, currently has 975 employees and 800 computer-aided design workstations. Most of the workers and equipment are based at the company’s headquarters in Moncalieri, Italy, 9 miles south of Turin.

Italdesign is a private company entirely owned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, 71, who serves as chairman, and his son Fabrizio, 45, who heads the design and model division.

Both executives are expected to continue working at the company following the VW takeover.

Italdesign does not disclose its financial results. The most recent data available shows that in 2008 the company increased its revenues 6.2 percent to 136 million euros ($166 million) and reported an operating breakeven.

Engineering work stays confidential

Recent models designed by Italdesign include the Alfa Romeo 159 sedan and station wagon, the Brera coupe, the Fiat Grande Punto, Idea; the Suzuki SX4 and its Fiat Sedici sister model.

Italdesign’s design work is often made public by its automaker clients, but its engineering work typically remains confidential.

In the past five years, the only engineering task that Italdesign was allowed to take public credit for was engineering the model range of BMW’s second-generation Mini–a hatchback, convertible and Clubman station wagon.

Previous engineering works include the Citroen C3 Pluriel convertible small car and variants of the past generation Renault Megane compact.

For VW Italdesign styled the first generation Audi 80, VW Passat and Scirocco; the entire family of VW’s W12 sports car concepts, plus several Seat models and concept models for the rebirth of the Bugatti brand under VW.

For more

Source: Car news, reviews and auto show stories

Hyundai is reportedly considering opening a $550 million diesel engine factory in India designed to serve that burgeoning market. The plant would supply Hyundai’s Chennai, India, assembly plant, which builds the company’s diminutive i10 hatchback.

The i10 was designed specifically for the Indian market, although it is sold in a number of European, Asian and African markets as well. It currently offers a South Korean-built 1.1-liter diesel, but that engine is installed only in higher-specification i10s marked for export.

A company representative said that the automaker is mulling producing the diesel engine locally in India in an effort to reduce the company’s break even point for the powertrain. Hyundai says that i10s sold in India tend to be lower-specification, entry-level models that compete at a more competitive price point than export i10s sold abroad.

The automaker says it needs to forecast demand of between 150,000 and 200,000 diesel-equipped i10s in order to justify the additional Indian assembly plant.

“We initially want to localize some critical engine components in India,” a Hyundai source in Seoul told the Indo-Asian News Service. “Once that is done, making other components like cylinder block heads is not a problem.”

Hyundai is India’s largest vehicle exporter.

References
1.’Hyundai Motor mulls…’ view

Source: Leftlane

Toyota Motor Corporation is to recall Lexus vehicles due to problems on the computerized steering system. Toyota, the Japanese auto giant, had received about 12 reports of electrical problems causing the steering system to malfunction for a few seconds, as reported by Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun on Wednesday.

Meiko Iwasaki, spokeswoman of the carmaker, said that Toyota is to recall about 11,500 Lexus cars: 4,500 Lexus Cars in Japan and 7,000 vehicles overseas, including 3,800 cars in the United States. The recall covers four models – LS460, LS460L and hybrids LS600h and LS600hL – which are affected with the defect. Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, had recalled about 10 million vehicles worldwide since last year. It had also agreed last month to pay a record US fine for hiding accelerator pedal defects that caused more than 50 deaths in the United States. Iwasaki stated that customers in Japan have complained about wheels not returning to original positions fast enough after making turns. The problem is both mechanical and software-related, she added.

Toyota shares have declined 1.4 percent in Tokyo and were trading 1 percent lower at 3,496 yen, whereas the Nikkei Stock Average was down 1.6 percent.

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“No, no, no…In NO way am I dating her,” Lohan told Us magazine when asked about the reports. Lindsay is absolutely in denial with her relationship with Indrani Pal Chaudhuri.

Lohan, who was just reported to be separated with her lesbian girlfriend DJ Samantha Ronson last year, is said to be dating again!  The New York Post reported Lohan who is only 23 years old and Pal Chaudhuri who is 36 years old began dating after meet last fall at a photo shoot. Pal Chaudhuri confirmed the romance to the Post, saying, “We have been spending a lot of time together. I have never had a relationship with a woman before, but Lindsay is just somebody who I find fascinating, gorgeous and extremely smart, as well as super-hot.”

How ever, while Lindsay is completely denying her relationship with Indrani whose real name is Julia I. Pal-Chaudhur, Indrani’s business partner Markus Klinko went one step further by confirming the romance. He told the New York Post, “Lindsay and Indrani have been seeing each other since we shot her last fall. I’ve seen them on dates, I have seen them making out… Indrani is a good influence on Lindsay. She is the opposite of a party girl – a Princeton graduate, she’s into art and is a philanthropist – not what you’d expect (of) the typical girl for Lindsay to go out with.When they are together, they talk about art and the deeper meaning in life.”

Who is talking about the real thing? Lindsay or Indrani? They better need to clear things up so that people will not be troubled. Does Lindsay have relationship with Indrani? Or Indrani is just saying these stuffs just to promote her show?

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Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), the 100% owned 2-wheeler subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company, Japan – the world’s largest manufacturer of 2-wheelers, today launched its Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler bike. Honda entered in the Motorcycle market in India in 2004 with the introduction of Honda Unicorn (now CB Unicorn).

Honda CB Unicorn has been refreshed regularly to meet the diversified needs of customers. With one of the most refined engine in the segment, Honda CB Unicorn has created a very premium image among the mature male customers. Honda CB Unicorn will continue to exist in the segment. The Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler that we have launched today is a step further towards adding more value to the much-admired model.

Living up to the style aspirations of Indian two-wheeler customers, the Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler offers aggressive styling, advanced equipments, blistering performance, impressive mileage of 60 kmpl*, comfort and convenience. The bike has aggressive style with floating side cowl, aggressive front, screenless front cowl, 110/80 wider rear tyre and half-chain case. Other attractive features include: two-tone seat, new design mirror, handle bar weights, 3D emblem, digital meter and front & rear disc brake.

Various advanced equipments have been added in the bike which makes it the best in its segment. Powered with 150cc reformed engine, the bike delivers excellent performance with 14 BHP power. It is equipped with tubeless tyres and alloy wheels and offers best pick-up and mileage combination in the segment. CB Unicorn Dazzler will deliver a mileage of 60 kmpl*. The bike is equipped with maintenance free battery & viscous air filter for more convenience. Strictly adhering to the BS-III norms, it is environment friendly like all other Honda products.

The Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler price for ex showroom Delhi is Rs. 62,900. The CB Unicorn Dazzler will be available to the customers by the end of May, 2010. The bike will be available in four attractive colours – Armour Gold Metallic, Pearl Nightstar Black, Sword Silver Metallic and Pearl Siena Red. Present at the launch event were: Mr Atsushi Amataka, President, Honda R&D India; Mr Shinji Aoyama, CEO & President, HMSI; along with Mr N.K. Rattan, Operating Head – Sales & Marketing, HMSI.

Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler Price & Features:
– Honda CB Unicorn Dazzler price is Rs. 62,900 (ex showroom Delhi).
– Powered with 150cc reformed engine
– comes with aggressive styling, advanced equipments, blistering performance.
– Has impressive mileage of 60 kmpl*.
– Maintenance free battery & viscous air filter for more convenience
– Other attractive features include: two-tone seat, new design mirror, handle bar weights, 3D emblem, digital meter and front & rear disc brake.
– Available in 4 attractive colours – Armour Gold Metallic, Pearl Nightstar Black, Sword Silver Metallic and Pearl Siena Red.

Source: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd

Source: Auto News India

A gay couple, Twonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, were found guilty of unnatural acts and gross indecency last Tuesday. It was the result of the couple holding and engagement ceremony. The magistrate stated that the couple will be sentenced on Thursday. In Uganda, a law was recently proposed where homosexuals are to be executed. Just last month, President Bingu wa Mutharika was quoted calling homosexuality as “evil and bad before the eyes of God” and an act “we Malawians just do not do.”  The magistrate, Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa, referred to the crime as “bluggery,” and found both men guilty of “carnal knowledge” which was “against the order of nature”. He stated that the two men had been “living together as husband and wife,” which “transgresses the Malawian recognized standards of propriety.” Each of them could face 14 years in prison.

Malawi is a nation that sees homosexuality as nonexistent of something that must be suppressed. Chimbalanga and Monjeza were brought out through the back door to escape from a mocking crowd that celebrated the couple’s conviction. The couple had been in jail since December 28, 2009, two days after their engagement party at a lodge where Chimbalanga worked as a cook and housekeeper. The chief prosecutor, Dickens Mwambazi, said “In Malawi, we don’t allow men to marry men or women to marry women. I think 90 percent of the crowd here agrees with the ruling.” Dunker Kamba, the administrator for a group that provides counseling about AIDS,  said “As much as I expected a guilty verdict, I still hoped for a miracle.”

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The latest iteration of the critically acclaimed Ghost Recon series was originally planned to be released before the Christmas season, but due to the stiff competition from other FPS, Ubisoft has announced that it will push back

Call of Duty:Black Ops World Premiere uncut trailer has been revealed! The action-packed Call of Duty: Black Ops World Premiere trailer features more of the different locations the game is set in as well as a few of the gameplay elements. The trailer is 1.43 minutes long. Call of Duty: Black Ops is being developed by Treyarch. The Call of Duty: Black Ops game will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC. Call of Duty: Black Ops will be released in different countries starting November 9, 2010.

Call of Duty: Black Ops World Premiere can now also be viewed in youtube.

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Lee Dewyze’ “Hallelujah” is a spectacular performance!Lee DeWyze seems won the fight as he received applause and overwhelmingly positive reactions from the judges. It was Tuesday night, May 18 when Ryan Seacrest declared that the night’s performances were “a fight for the finale.” Lee Dewyze’ Hallelujah song is a spectacular performance!

If Lee Dewyze crushed his fellow competitors in round one, as Kara DioGuardi declared after his performance of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” he eliminated them in round two with his spin on the familiar “Idol” pick “Hallelujah.” Simon Cowell said that his pick for Lee DeWyze as wanting “a moment” for the former paint-store worker. “We’ve heard this song before,” Cowell said, alluding to earlier versions of the song from Jason Castro and even Tim Urban earlier this season. “We always talk about the moment. I wanted him to do something that shows he has the potential to be a great artist.” Lee Dewyze’ Hallelujah performance became the talk of the night!

Lee Dewyze’ Hallelujah performance started out his version of the now-classic Leonard Cohen song softly, slowly ascending (complete with string accompaniment and a small choir of backup singers) to the night’s undisputable highlight. At the end of the Lee Dewyze’ Hallelujah performance, the cameras panned to Simon, who gave a knowing nod.

Randy Jackson stated that he had been “waiting all season to see who’s going to throw down the real gauntlet to win the whole thing.” He gave credit to Simon’s song selection, then declared Lee Dewyze’ “Hallelujah” as his “biggest moment on this show. That was unbelievable.” Ellen De Generes was glad Lee listened to Simon: “There’s really nothing more to be said. That was stunning. Just stunning.”

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating four suspicious packages that were sent to Toyota Motor Corp U.S. facilities in the past week that were later found not to contain threatening.

“This package is similar to other suspicious packages mailed to our corporate office in Erlanger, Kentucky, on Friday and our West Virginia and Texas plants on Monday. All of these packages were found to be non-threatening,” Toyota spokeswoman Kelly Dillon said.

It bore a handwritten originating address from Nigeria, just like the other three packages, said Gibson County Chief Deputy Sheriff George Ballard. A postal inspector called it a “hoax device,” Princeton police detective Sgt. Mike Hurt said.

The automaker evacuated its North American manufacturing headquarters in Kentucky on Friday after a suspicious package was found in the mailroom. The brief evacuation ended after officers determined the package was not a threat. Similar packages were also delivered to Toyota plants in West Virginia and Texas but neither of the two plants conducted evacuation procedures. The fourth package was intercepted at a post office in Princeton, Indiana, near a Toyota manufacturing plant.

The Princeton incident is being investigated by the FBI, the Indiana State Police and the postal inspector in Evansville, state police spokesman Sgt. Todd Ringle said. He said he could not discuss details of the investigation.

said the FBI had been investigating the incidents since Friday and Toyota was not calling the incidents threats.

“For all we know, it could be that these packages were legitimate attempts to contact Toyota.” Mike Goss added.

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CinemaNow was one of the dreadful early Hollywood attempts at offering streaming videos online. Pretty much since it launched it was considered a joke that no one used. However, Best Buy last year announced a “partnership” with the latest owners of CinemaNow, Sonic Solutions, and have now announced that they’ve also bought the name CinemaNow. Best Buy has now announced it will be using the name for a new movie download service still powered by the same tech as the old CinemaNow. Got that? Of course, the press is saying will compete with Netflix and Blockbuster’s streaming offerings — and the stock of both companies took a hit. But, it’s difficult to see what’s all that compelling about this new service. Unlike the popular “all you can eat” models, Best Buy’s will be $4 per movie download with $15 for full “purchase.” Those prices seem quite high, especially when you can find used DVDs for half that or less. Plus, why bother going to Best Buy for all of this?

At least some in the press wonder what all the fuss is about:

Best Buy is hoping to rent digital flicks for $4, and sell permanent downloads for roughly $15 apiece. Those prices aren’t all that different from what Blockbuster and Amazon.com have been trying to do for several quarters — and those companies haven’t exactly set the digital realm on fire.

Bulls will argue that Best Buy has certain chain-specific advantages. It can promote the service within its stores, and bundle home theater systems with pre-paid rentals.

So how is Best Buy’s scorecard on that front? The company teamed up with TiVo for a strategic alliance last summer, yet the DVR pioneer continues to shed subscribers. Best Buy acquired Napster two years ago, yet Best Buy is still an afterthought in digital music.

Sure, Best Buy sells a ton of DVD and Blu-ray discs. Now, it can tack on digital copies through CinemaNow, and all will be perfect… right?

What’s that? Wal-Mart teamed up with Time Warner four years ago to do this with the DVD release of Superman Returns, and it was retail kryptonite? Uh oh.

Basically, this seems like yet another case of “well if we offer service combined with a big brand, people will just have to use it,” rather than any look at coming up with at truly compelling offering.

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The famous computer game is now on the big screen! According to the director of the upcoming movie, Mike Newell, they went through a big evolution. During his interview with David Sztypuljak, Mike said “everyone was aware that we had to make a story that was a general audience, not a game audience that had real scope and epicness to it, character, action, romance, comedy and all of those things and then little by little we discovered that the gamers themselves are very vocal, they had websites and all sorts of stuff and asked, when are we going to make a decent movie out of a video game?”

And with that, the director took the making of this movie seriously and he even tried to play it in order to understand it. But how did he choose the characters of this movie?

The director stated that he was the one who cast Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. The director stated that he have known Jake since he was a small boy, since he was about 10, and he also knew his mother and father, then the director knew him slightly through Mona Lisa Smile and through his sister, Maggie. The director also said “I’d seen him and I thought that what I had to have was no a prince, I had to have a trickster, an anarchist, a rebel, someone that would down the social scale from the rest of the royal family – this kid’s no royal, he’s from the steet and I had to have someone who had an anarchic sense of humour.” On the other hand, he chose Gemma because she is a terrific actress. When the director met her, he already adored her.

What is good in this movie is that the effects are awesome and that it will be appealing to every viewer! It will also show how the Prince of Persia fights through his amazing adventures! The movie will be coming out in the U.S on May 28,2010.

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Nothing can ruin that new car feeling faster than a coffee stain or parking lot scratch, but Mercedes-Benz has launched a new program that should take some of the worry out of the new car experience.

Mercedes-Benz Financial has released two new insurance programs to ensure that shiny new car stays that way longer. Dubbed First Class Exterior and First Class Interior, the new programs insure against small wear and tear items to the exterior and interior of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

“All of this was based on feedback and input we got from our dealerships, from dealership interviews and dealer surveys,” said Anamika Singhal, general manager, Insurance Americas, about the new programs. Both became available at Mercedes dealerships last month.

Not to be outdone by its cross-town rival, BMW plans to launch a similar program in the coming months. Mercedes-Benz’ programs are handled by DuPont Automotive, but no word on what partner BMW will select.

References
1. ‘M-B Financial…’ view

Source: Leftlane

Adam B. Wheeler, a 23-year-old, was a senior at Harvard before officials at the university discovered his scam. Reports say that Wheeler allegedly forged his way into Harvard University by submitting false transcripts stating that he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the elite Phillips Academy. But the truth is that he attended high school in Delaware then attended Bowdoin College but was suspended for plagiarism. During his suspension, the appliet to transfer to Harvard. He also stated that he scored 1600,  a perfect score, on his SAT; but, the truth was that he only scored 1100. After he transferred at Harvard, he earned about $45,000 in scholarship grants, awards and financial aid. His scam was known when he applied for Rhodes and Fullbright scholarships using his fake credentials, transcript and work that he plagiarized. A Harvard professor who was reviewing the application for the scolarships then grew suspicious. It was not long when they found aout that his application was bogus and they learned that he forged transcript from MIT with letter grades – MIT uses numerical system for scoring – and that he had claimed to take classes at Phillips that was not even offered.

Clerk Magistrate Michael Sullivan stated that if Wheeler was to post bail, he would not be allowed to leave the state and be required to surrender his passport, stay away form Harvard university and other institutuions which he applied for interships and acceptance which included Yale University and Brown University.

A telephone call from Yale about his application expressing their doubts about the veracity of parts of Adam’s transfer application alarmed his parents, Richard and Lee Wheeler. They then forced their son to tell the caller that the application was fake and that he had been kicked out of Harvard.The New Republic – a news magazine based in Washington, DC – posted on their blog that Wheeler had sent them an application letter for intership earlier this 2010 after he was dismissed form Harvard.

Sullivan scheduled Wheeler’s next hearing for June 9.

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“We opened a PCOS machine yesterday and there is evidence of fraud that’s why we want to make sure that the remaining 58 machines are intact and untouched so that under the proper investigation with the Senate committee, proper yung procedure to uncover the elements [of fraud],” A statement said by presidential candidate Nicanor Perlas from an interview.

Almost 2000 civilians swarmed the COMELEC owing to poll fraud allegations. After a day of that event, 60 controversial precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines that was believed to have been used to commit poll fraud, left the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. These PCOS have been sent to the Senate to be investigated. These machines were guarded heavily by atleast 400 police and military escorts and a mere 100 cars and 4 buses were used to deliver this controversial package.

The COMELEC had asked the Senate to act as custodian of the controversial machines, earlier erroneously reported as a total of 67 units, which were used in the country’s first nationwide automated polls. The move will ensure that the machines will be “safeguarded and will not be tinkered with, tampered with by unauthorized individuals,” Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal told reporters that “What is important is that the machines should not be touched or the boxes should not be opened because [they were] sealed by the Board of Election Inspectors.”

Because of these occurrences, supporters of losing mayoral candidate Angelito Gatlabayan, presidential candidates Sen. Maria Anna Consuelo Madrigal, Olongapo Councilor John Carlos de los Reyes, and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas forcibly entered the storage room and asked their technicians to open the machines.

Smartmatic on the other hand wants to file criminal charges against Sen. Maria Anna Consuelo Madrigal, Olongapo Councilor John Carlos de los Reyes and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas for tampering with the machines without Comelec permission.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the machines will be stored in an area with security cameras “so that we will know who are approaching and who are entering or touching any of these materials.”

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This will be great news for all the fans of the Travolta couple out there! John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston is expecting their third baby!

According to Hollyscoop, Kelly expressed a desire to have a third child a few years ago and wanted to have one while they daughter Ella was about four. However, due to work schedules and then the unexpected death of their son, the years just slipped by and now Ella is seven-years-old and Preston is nearing 50.

But the good news is the star couple has confirmed on different Tabloids about this issue and even John wrote on his website “It’s impossible to keep a secret… especially one as wonderful as this” he also stated “We want to be the first to share this great news that we are expecting a new addition to our family. Love, John, Kelly and Ella.”

As we can remember, their son Jett Travolta died in January 2009 after a seizure while the family was in the Bahamas; he was 16 at the time. Travolta’s story is that his son had Kawasaki disease. However, it was a mystery on how he really died because as stated at Gawker.com, Jett had suffered a seizure and struck either the toilet or the wall as he collapsed. He was “bleeding in several areas,” including his mouth. He had no cuts but did have bruises on his body. Jett had also been bleeding internally. On the other hand, they also lost their two dogs because they were killed by an airport truck.

But despite the events that had happened in the Travolta family, it is grand news for them to have another member that will add up to their family.

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High Moon Studio has released another round of video documentary for upcoming Transformers game, Transformers: War for Cybertron. This time, the developer’s give us a lil’ sneak peak into the mission design and the campaign mode of

UK’s telco regulator Ofcom has apparently decided that the Digital Economy Act’s provisions on suspending accounts of those accused of file sharing will only apply to wireline ISPs who have 400,000+ customers. I would imagine that this might create a bit of a boom in business for smaller ISPs — though, that could be self-defeating if too many customers switch and push any particular smaller ISP over that 400,000 mark…

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Last night, Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers showed how someone who lived from Wonders Hall and attending Michigan State University can jump up so high. Shannon Brown tried an outrageously daring dunk on Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

His attempt started on the free-throw line, and was stopped by the Spartan’s Jason Richardson. Brown could not get it in the basket but his attempt made Richardson commit a blocking foul.

Though Brown’s daring attempt was not really that impressive as when he could have completed it, the video of his dunk is one f the sensation on the internet. Many people also called it the best missed dunk attempt they have seen. Does that really exist? For the sake of those who haven’t seen the video, here it is.

Shannon Brown Greatest Missed Dunk Of All Time

Was it really the greatest missed dunk of all time? Talk about an epic fail with his dunk but most people still like it. 5 star for the crazy idea for the dunk, 3 star for overcoming Richardson and 1 star for your effort to put the ball in the basket. Hey, it’s still a nice game in the end.

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Today was dominated by the news that Germany planned to institute an emergency naked short-selling ban, a move that sent the euro and the stock market into a tailspin.

Of course, this is not the first time German leaders have deserved finger-pointing.

It was the fault of Angela Merkel that the Greece crisis was allowed to metastasize, feeding on her no-bailout bluff.

The sharpest take comes from BTIG’s Mike O’Rourke, who sees political incompetence being taken to an art:

Over the past several months, (Finance Minister Wolfgang) Schaeuble has demonstrated an uncanny ability to send both the Euro and the Equity markets swooning.  Evidently, Schaeuble is not fond of those Sunday night announcements that were commonplace here in the U.S. in the fall of 2008.  You know, the ones designed to be made while all markets were still closed so investors had the opportunity to digest the news.  To top it all off, nearly 3 hours after spooking the markets and sending the Euro to a new 4 year low, Schaeuble try to reassure markets that the Euro is a “stable” currency.  All in a day’s work.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the methods of Paulson, Bernanke and Geithner in late 2008, most would likely agree that they were well intentioned.  When it comes to Merkel and Schauble of Germany and their perpetual fumbling through this crisis, it is hard to say the same.  But there has been a lone beneficiary to their continued foibles, German exporters.  Interestingly, last night we noted the biggest beneficiary of the weakened Euro is Germany, but in the same respect, they would be the biggest loser if the Euro were to be dissolved, which is why Sarkozy’s threat to pull out of the Euro (if true) would have been so impactful. 

If you’re bearish on Europe, perhaps there’s a bigger opportunity than merely shorting the euro (like everyone else is).

From our perspective the fact that markets are placing so much faith in German bunds is misguided.  The leadership there is either inept or malicious, and neither is good in the long run for Germany.   Those bunds may be a better short than Euro.  Wait – you can’t do that anymore. 

Burn!

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Does This Woman Have Any Idea What She’s Doing?
• The 10 German Banks That Angela Merkel Thinks Need Special Protection From Speculators
• Dow Off Triple Digits, As German Short-Selling Restrictions Officially Go Into Effect Until 3/31/2011