Rose Colored Glasses?

[beamon]

One of the correspondents in a Leica Enthusiasts Mailing list to which I belong, posted the following:
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"Considering that we are in the middle of a financial crisis, Leica has
come away a lot better than many other medium and small scale
enterprises in Germany, at least they haven't introduced short-time or
laid anybody off.

This morning's /Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung/ reports:

*Leica still in the red*

The camera manufacturer Leica has slipped back into the red. A reported
by the company in mid-Hessian Solms on Thursday, Leica registered a loss
of 4.8 million euros in the financial year 2008/2009 (to 31.3.2009). In
the same period of the previous year, the company made a profit of 3
million euros.
Turnover figures fell by 14.1 percent to 134.2 million euros. the
company expects to register a further loss in the current financial year.

Could be a lot worse."
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I guess anything "could be a lot worse", but it seems bad enough to me. Again, it wonders me just how many Euros Herr Kaufmann is willing to lose before the pendulum begins in the other direction?

 

[robmac]

In line with OP's comments, link to Leica Camera AG year-end results vs prior year by segment. Released yesterday (took their time give March YE).

German: http://www.photoscala.de/Artikel/Leica-mit...Zukunft-hoffend

Google translation (not too bad actually): http://translate.google.de/translate?u=htt...de&ie=UTF-8

Here is a more detail analysis: (warning: some of the side bar images are not work safe - in NA ;>)

http://www.ad-hoc-news.de/camera-le...09-with--/de/Unternehmensnachrichten/20411807

 

[Mark_Tuttle]

Many things could get worse:

An asteroid could be headed for earth and wipe out most life (but with my M8.2 I'm going to get some great photos!)

Global warming might move southern Arizona from the middle to the top rack of the oven (but we've got our UV/IR cut filters so we should be in good shape)

Everything just depends on the perspective with which it is approached ....

 

[beamon]

Global warming might move southern Arizona from the middle to the top rack of the oven (but we've got our UV/IR cut filters so we should be in good shape)

Fear not Mark, global warming ain't happening! Quite the contrary, we're just beginning up the curve of the next major ice age. For the next 11000 years it's gonna get a lot colder here.

But, we Arizonans are gonna have beach front properties, albeit cold beaches. This after the San Andreas Fault gives way completely and poor Jack ends up subducted under part of Alaska. Plus filters will become all the rage to put between the sun and us to help warm our bodies.

Now, what was this thread about? Oh, that's right, I started it!