Outlook for 2013

Blimey, the year is almost over again and it is time for a final write up. A copy and paste job from last years post would fit, but for a change here is a shortlist of things i will not do next year. I will not waste more time than necessary with fruitless work, i will not learn how to dance Gangnam-style, i will not accept a prize or award, i will not cast a ballot in Germany's general elections and i will not waste any emotions for professional sports. Did i forget something ? Probably, but that's it for now. The way i see it the pace of life is ever increasing and greed, profits, growth and more greed are the names of the game and i will not play along. I never cared about material or financial wealth and will continue to do so. Should the inevitable happens and bankster and their clueless, compliant politicians send the nation into desperation due to a system crash i will stay relatively relaxed since i don't have  much to lose and no kids to feed. Maybe i am too pessimistic, maybe the future proves me right - the jury is out. Cheers for reading all this and a swell 2013. Off to Peru the day after tomorrow.

28.12.12 Flemenstar to win the Lexus Chase ...

... in Leopardstown ( IRE ). In the world of betting there is no such thing as a dead cert, but this bet comes pretty close to it. Flemenstar is unbeaten in six races in which he galloped his rivals into submission and jumped superbly. For this race he is stepped up in distance, what is a little bit of a concern, although according to his trainer Peter Casey this shouldn't be a problem. Odds of 2.25 are still acceptable  and i get on.*** 3rd

Raymond van Barneveld to win ...

..the World Dart Championships . After a dry spell of five years he finally won again a major tournament in November and it seems he sorted out some personal problems and is back on top of his game. In 2009 Barney threw a 9-darter in this event, what i reckon is one of the most astonishing feats in sports. Again -  he only needed nine darts to set 501 points down to zero to win that leg ( click here to watch it )!!! Meanwhile this year he reached the second round and played with a lot of self confidence and great body language. With odds of 9 still available i rather side with him than with fav Phil " The Power " Taylor, who could not win the title for the last two years.*** Barney lost a thriller to Taylor in the semis, who went on to lift the trophy.

Recommended books

"Von der Wüste und vom Meer: Zwei Grenzgänger, eine Sehnsucht " is a book written by two German gentlemen, Wilfried Erdmann and Achill Moser. Wilfried sailed alone around the world in a small boat, while Achill hiked through nearly every desert, so clearly neither is a  faint hearted all-inclusive tourist. In their book they narrate about the challenges, beauties and perils of nature and a self-determined life in wide open spaces.  If you need a timeout from the daily grind, your grouchy wife or unruly kids this is a cracking good inspirational read.

The other book has been called " Der grösste Raubzug der Geschichte" and explains, why the hard-working class becomes poorer and the rich richer, no matter what. It answers questions concerning the finance system and takes a journey into a world full of  lies, fraud and the biggest annihilation of capital mankind ever has whitnessed. But here is a word of warning. Should you be a happy bunny and believe happiness is only a lack of information - don't bother !

Mississippi Fred McDowell

Fred is one of my all-time favourite musicians and hopefully this post generates some more fans. No penny in my pocket ? No sex for many months ? No worries - as long as i have a beer and ten healthy fingers to play his music with my pride and joy i will be all smiles. Please check him out here.

The Devided States Of America 2

The gigantic clash of interests has been decided and the Democrats prevailed.
Ok ..., alright ..., so be it. More news from across the big pond +++ Giants won the MLB title !!! +++ They could play in my backyard i wouldn't go / +++ Facebook shares down 50 % !!! +++ What can you expect from a load of drivel / +++ Hollywood releases new meaningless flick !!! +++ The red-carpet crazy society will go bananas - i don't give a whit / +++"Stand your ground "- law implemented !!! +++ Geez, i already came under fire without that law / +++ Hurricane "Sandy" hits East Coast !!! +++ Of course the stock exchange was up and running first /+++ People visiting the U.S. without a visa have to pay a 14 $ entrance fee !!! +++ You got to be kiddin' me.  I have been over there many times, know the country probably better than 90 % of the Americans also thanks to my trusty Ford, had great experiences and met  wonderful people, but my interest is that country is constantly fading. The USA perceive themselves as the last remaining superpower, but produce bad numbers in many areas. For example during the election campaigns according to some sources around 6 bn dollars were spent and 1 million TV-spots broadcasted - sheer insanity. I think a leading role from a nation that worships the almighty greenback and doesn't care very much about the natural environment is not desired. They should adopt a more modest attitude, but i am afraid modesty is not a American virtue.

The Devided States Of America

With three weeks to go until the next presidential elections the situation is as usual. Twenty states are staunchly held by Democrats, twenty by Republicans and the rest is up for grabs. Pres. Obama began his term with plenty of advance praise, even received a Nobel Peace Prize only to dispatch 30000 further troops to Afghanistan after that. Under his regime many innocent people were killed by armchair soldiers maneuvered drones and Guantanamo  is still not closed. Granted the Congress blocked some of his proposals and he earned some merits with the health system, but i think it's fair to say he is a bitter disappointment for many people. Trying to boot him out of The White House is Mitt Romney. Mitt is a filthy rich "This is my house, this is my boat, this is my car ! "kind of guy, the typical big grinning American snitch, who specializes in the verbal faux pas. I already can envision myself him conducting talks with Irans Ahmadinejad or North Corean leader Kim Jong-Un - Good Lord ! But does it really matter, whether they vote for Barack, Mitt or this hairy fella ? Not really. With the establishment of Super PACs ( Political Action Committee ) fat cats are now allowed to pitch in big money supporting indirectly their favoured party and thus trying to make their will count. Some call this charade a democracy - i call it a lobbycracy.

7.10. Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe in Longchamp

The magnificent German mare Danedream ( right ) was supposed to defend her crown in this race. Won't happen since an outbreak of a nasty equine infection in her stable left her in quarantine and thwarted her participation.  Once nobody believed in her and she was sold for a mere 9000 .- Euros, but nonetheless  has meanwhile won more than 4 million Euros in prize money.  Always giving her all  I had loved to back her, but will have to look elsewhere now. My speculative vote goes to ORFEVRE, the quirky Japanese superstar. His odds of 5.9 are not quickening my pulse and he has  the worst draw to overcome, but so what ? 少年移動  ( Go boy ! ) *** 2nd

Message for Ludl

Sea Nomads of Malaysia

A recent documentary of them left a deep impression on me. For centuries they conduct a simple, happy lifestyle not paying attention to the rubbish of the so called civilized western world . These people do not care about damned stocks, do not cheer for a bloody sports team, do not need f... Facebook, do not worry about their pension, never heard of Botox or a burn- out- syndrome, do not stand in line all night long for a daft iPhone 5 or 6 or need the latest BMW or Mercedes sports car. I can imagine their life gets a little tedious from time to time, but i wish them well - the world needs a counterbalance.

Need a billion ? Ask Mario ...

This friendly chap is Mario Draghi, boss of The European Central Bank and soon of the still to be proclaimed EUDSSR as well. Mario is in a spending mood and prints billions of Euros to purchase bonds from less than fluid Southern Europe countries. He has no mandate to do it, but for the sake of saving the Euro  that's fine, while regs and rules in context with the Euro in general are not worth the paper they are written on. Saving the Euro ? In an earlier post i mentioned, that Draghi is an former associate from Goldman Sachs ( I recentley saw an excellent documentary about them and there is no room for doubts - they are the worst scumbags prowling  the surface of this planet ) and so in my humble opinion he tries to save Greece from bankruptcy so that American banks are spared from huge payouts because of their CDS's. Mess about with somebody else, Mario !
In Germany the constitutional court waved through the European Stability Mechanism ( ESM ). Germany pays right up 22 billion Euros and guarantees for further 168 billion Euros for countries which cannot obtain a credit somewhere else. Remarkable for a country, which sits on debts of around 2106 billion Euros.But that's it. Not a cent more without asking the parliament for permission ! Forget it, the finance mafia keeps on pushing and shifts more money out of Germany until the last Euro has been drained. Nobody knows how all this lunacy will end, maybe with a hyper inflation. I think it is safe to assume that some folks accumulate obscene wealth, while others have to move into a barrel - enjoying a Huckleberry Finn lifestyle. Disgusting.

Paralympics 2012 in London

 I have seen some swimming competitions and there is no denying. How these athletes handle their physical handicaps and triumph over adversity demands utmost respect. I don't bother watching that Adonis Michael Phelps swimming one world record after the other - people like Zheng Tao ( CHN ) or Britains Ellie Simmonds ( left ) are the real heroes.

About animals

Even the most bona fide philantropist will reconsider his attitude after having read this. Customs in Peru confiscated 16000 dried seahorses, which were en route to Asia. Some male over there believe they would enhance their virility, so even those animals have to die now, because these knuckleheads want to satisfy their  basic instincts - oh dear, oh dear ... !They all deserve a swift kick in their balls. I am quite  familiar with greyhound racing, but mops racing ? So far i perceived the mops as a rather sluggish, short-legged fellow with a breathing problem. Far from it, the foto shows a champion named Emma, who completes the 80 meter dash in around 7 seconds. Pretty impressive in my book.

Olympic Games 2012 in London

The British put up a fabulous spectacle, chapeau ! My interest in the games suffered in recent years due to gigantism and overwhelming commercialism, but was rekindled because of jawdropping performances like this one from a Dutch lad (right) or this goal from a German field hockey player http://olympia.ard.de/london2012/videos/olympia2679.html Some controversial decisions were also made. For example against the Japanese boxer whose opponent from Aserbaidschan hit the deck six times, but was declared as the winner afterwards.

German politicians keep trying their level best to ruin the country

The parliament agreed to rescue Spanish banks with 100 bn Euros and Germany guarantees with 29 bn Euros. I think we can kiss that money good-bye. Former federal minister of the federal state of Baden-Würtemberg Stefan Mappus (CDU) is accused of repurchasing stocks from the once sold power supplier EnBW for a price way too high. The script for that deal was given to him by Dirk Notheis of Morgan Stanley, who allegedly bagged 10 million Euros and is an old buddy from Mappus. So far the damage done is estimated at around 840 million Euros. The list wouldn't be complete without ..., step forward, Kurt Beck ( above,SPD), the  federal minister of Rheinland-Pfalz. Kurt once decided the "Nürburgring"- racecourse needed an attached amusement park and invested big time. Meanwhile the "Nürburgring"  declared bankruptcy and as it seems 330 million Euros whistled west. With that kind of leadership i ask myself, how is it possible that the German economy is sill doing comparatively well. Probably it has to do with the low-wages workforce of 7 million and people like my brother. He doesn't play up, delivers proper work and pays a lot of taxes.

Jazz guitar great Slim Richey ...

... got badly injured in an hit-and-run accident in Austin, Texas. Slim once showed me some cool stuff during a workshop in Levelland, TX . We had a really good time and i wish him a speedy recovery. The foto also shows Burm Snart, strumming a consummate 7th chord and my old Hồ Chí Minh  t-shirt. Being in Texas i thought twice  before wearing it.

Bye-bye Facebook

In a ever chattier becoming world, where a smartphone seems to be glued to many people's hands, so that they can swiftly share their latest baloney, i paddle backwards and deleted my "Facebook" account. I know it's hard, throws me back into isolation and a life under a stone quasi. But then again under a stone you meet creatures with similar brainpower like some "Facebook" users.

Bye-bye Paddy

The other day i tried to log in my Paddy Power account, but was denied. I asked them, what's going on and was told that due to new German gambling regulations they had to shut down my account. To say i am fed up with German politicians would be the understatement of the year. I then moved over to Ladbrokes and took a look in the Premier League's topscorer market. Can't fancy Rooney or van Persie next season, but the one i like is Nikica Jelavic. He left the financially troubled Glasgow Rangers last season for Everton and had an immediate impact. Everton is not a freescoring team like the top 4, but Jelavic is a clinical striker and at odds of 26 worth a play. Alternatively a few Euros on Sergio "Kun" Aguero from Manchester City at odds of 8.

The Great Euro Swindle

I watched an interesting documentary yesterday with the above title ( can be seen here ). Before the Euro was introduced the Greece finance minister Papantoniou complained to the German finance minister Theo Waigel, that the new Euro bills don't have any greek letters. Theo replied, that this isn't required since Greece is no member of the Eurozone and will never be. Papantoniou offered a bet. Greece then started to forge their balance of accounts invalidating nearly every rule of solid accounting with  no outsider having permission to check the numbers. But when they didn't succeed Greece pulled another trump out of their sleeves: Antigone "Adi" Loudiadis. This woman is an associate from Goldman Sachs ,  knows every trick of the trade and took matters in her hands. Greece shortly after that joined the Eurozone and the rest is history. Would i bet on a bright future for the Euro ? Not with stolen money

23.06.12 Royal Ascot - "Diamond Jubilee Stakes"

The world's fastest mare Black Caviar ( AUS, left ) is entered in this race. She is unbeaten in twentyone races at the highest level and for Australians defeat  is out of the question since their money pushed the odds down to 1.24 in a fifteen runner field. Usually with that kind of odds i would say "Ok, let her win "and stay away, but i found a horse named  THE CHEKA, which could figure at odds of 34 and is worth a dabble.*** Black Caviar won it, but only just. Her jockey misjudged the finish line, dropped his arms prematurely and nearly got pipped. Many millions were bet on her and had she lost that jockey would be immortal for the bookies and chased through town by punters.

Another great man passed away

The legendary EARL SCRUGGS died March, 28. 2012. He developed the driving banjo picking style that influenced countless people, myself included ( right ). This video shows him with Doc Watson playing the classic song "John Hardy ". Both gentlemen are sorely missed.

29.5.2012 Arthel "Doc" Watson died ...

... age 89 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Blind from early childhood he was an outstanding musician and personality, oozing class through and through and is also one of my main musical influences. I have fond memories listening to him live and visiting his hometown of  Deep Gap, NC ( right ). RIP Doc.
Check him out here

Football EURO 2012

The Euro crash looming ...+++ Neo-nazis and leftists turning the district of Hamburg-Wandsbek into a battlefield with 38 policemen injured ...+++ German subsidised submarine sales to Israel ... . Who cares,  for three weeks bad news have to take a backseat , 'cause  the football EURO is up and the principle of bread and games always works. Spain and Germany are obvious contenders to lift the trophy, but @ odds of 13 the value pick has to be FRANCE. Under new coach Laurent Blanc they are a tight unit and meanwhile unbeaten in 19 games. Further bets are - Spain, Germany, France and Russia to reach the semis @ 61 and Miroslav Klose to become topscorer @ 17.

Been there, done that - My trip to New Zealand

Upon arrival in Auckland immigration detained me for two hours. I was told my presence was of some concern , so they interrogated me and thoroughly searched my belongings. I have gone places, but  i never experienced something like this before. Flying down under only to be treated as an miserable crook- ridiculous and let me put it straight right here: Never in my life i cared about drugs and touched a fuckin' joint !!! A fellow traveller didn't declare an forgotten apple in the luggage and had to reach in his pocket to dish out 400 NZ$, a little less than 400 US$. I eventually left the airport and stood in heavy rain. Weather rarely got much better after that. NZ is a expensive country for low-budget travellers, for starters a pack of ciggies sells around 20 NZ$, and that brings me to the next bugger - I moved in a backpacker hostels dorm. Socializing with people half my age and the smell of some deodorants is nothing i appreciate. Regular New Zealandians treated me very nice, albeit the majority of the Maoris seem to be natural born bouncers. Auckland is a slick city, surrounded by water with a subtropical feel. However the downtown area has to be avoided on a saturday night when the youth goes completely bonkers. The beer is excellent ( "Mac's Hop Rocker") and drinking a pint at 6.45 in the morning watching the Champions-League final was a highlight. I marked off the usual touristic attractions and also ventured out to the countryside. I can confirm, all very beautiful. Heading back home i handed over my passport at immigrations to a grumpy woman and all of a sudden red alert was triggered. She jumped out of her booth and ordered me in a rude manner to come with her to a room, where it all happened again. When i finally got off the hook i sprinted to the gate to catch my flight. Luckily i am still in good shape and EMIRATES airlines were waiting for me. My thanks go out to them - fantastic airline. So all-in-all was it worth it ? For personal reasons yes, for the country itself no. Drinking beer in a wooden shack in a so called third world country is more to my liking.

Final seasonal football bet

Bettingwise it wasn't a great season and sometimes it seemed a horse race with class six plodders on heavy ground is more predictable than the beautiful game. One standout bet however is Robin van Persie ( left ) to become  Premier-League topscorer at odds of 10. With two games to play he is two goals ahead of Wayne Rooney and i expect him to wrap up my bet on Saturday against Norwich City, which lost the plot after being saved from the relegation zone. In the German Bundesleague Mario Gomez meanwhile lost his top position to Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Bayern Munich plays now Cologne, which have a defense hardly deserving that name and i suppose Gomez will be eager enough to regain the top spot. My bet is a double with van Persie scoring twice and Gomez scoring anytime at combined odds of 3.8. Off to Auckland next Sunday.*** Lost

New Zealand

Always had sympathy for low key countries like Australia, New Zealand or Canada, but never  any interest traveling to them. This has changed now and i am heading to New Zealand next week. Seeing my favourite little lady there is another incentive for going the distance.

Aintree follow-up with a view on experts

Before the race experts let me know - don't bet on a French horse, they are not bred for
 a distance that long - don't bet on a grey, they didn't win since '61 - don't bet on a horse carrying more than 11 stone 5.Would be too much for the grueling distance - don't bet on a horse trained by Paul Nicholls. Yes,a champion trainer, but never won the race.
                                 

Well, the race was won by Neptune Collonge, a French bred, grey horse, carrying 11 stone 6 and is trained by
Paul Nicholls. Experts are pushing to the limelight in many areas trying to impose their opions on others, but  they get it wrong all the time. So the lesson is, never to forget about the own judgement and to be critical - paid me a nice dividend. Apart from that, riding such a magnificent animal and crossing the line first in such a big race must be one of the finest moments in sports. Unfortunately all i ride is a rusty bicycle.
                                                        
                                                                                                         

14.04.2012 Hamburger SV - Hannover 96

German Bundesliga - Matchday 31
Bookies still clueless about Hamburg  making them favs despite their dismal home form, which reads 2-6-7. Hamburg dwells in an dogfight against relegation and you want to see them fighting teeth and nails, but what did i see yesterday against modest Hoffenheim - zilch, zippo, nada. Hannover is no away force, but they need to win to qualify for the Euroleague and with Ya Konan and Diouf up front Hamburg defenders might quickly feel like whirligigs. Some already demand to stop this guy from singing before the game, because he puts everybody in a sluggish mood. Ladbrokes offers odds of 3 for the away win and this writer gladly accepts.*** 1:0

In times, when The Netherlands become baseball ...

... world champions it is obvious, that things are not, what they used to be. But what you still can count on are incomprehensible laws and rulings made by the German government on taxpayers expense. Talking about so called child care subsidy. In short every child in Germany up to three years was granted a kindergarten spot by law. But there are not enough  for everyone , so the government decided to pay their parents some money ( "oven premium" ) for forfeiting their rights. In other words  parents receive money for keeping their kids away fom the kindergarten and attend them at home, something you would expect every good father or mother to do. The price tag for that nonsense lies at 1.9 billion Euros annually and coinicidentally that law comes into effect in January 2013, a few months before general elections. Living in a democracy are they trying to buy votes ? If i vote at all i do so with my feet.

14.4.2012 Grand National Chase in Aintree

Finding a winner in this one is not an easy task considering the magnitude of the field and the number of obstacles. Ballabriggs ( left ) did me a favour winning it last year and i expect him to be a leading contender again this year, but my main money will be down for STATE OF PLAY. This horse is a brilliant jumper and stays longer than the mother-in-law, or so they say. He finished 4th last year and 3rd two years ago and has this year  less weight to carry. Odds of 33/1 show some lack of respect for his achievements and i will back him each way meaning he has to be among the first five for an excellent payout. But win or lose lets's hope all jockeys and horses make it home safe and sound.*** Incredible race with Ballabriggs sixth and State Of Play unseating his rider. My third selection won it though with the narrowest of all margins, by a nose, after 4.5 miles and thirty huge obstacles leaving me well in profit. But nothing to cheer about as the ugly side of racing was displayed in abundance with horses falling left, right and center. Only 15 of 40 made it to the finish line.

Borussia Dortmund - Werder Bremen

                             German Bundesleague Matchday 26
Dortmund is unbeaten in 19 league games and en route to their next championship as they encounter here a injury troubled Bremen side. Skipper Clemens Fritz is back for Bremen, but that doesn't help much, since goalie Wiese joined the disabled list yesterday. Bremen lost their last away game to bog awful Hertha Berlin and in my opinion they won't stand a chance against the speedy  football Dortmund plays. Bets as follows - Dortmund to win with 4+ goal difference @ 7 / 5:0 @ 41 / 6:0 @ 61 / 7:0 @ 151 / 8:0 @ 426 / 9:0 @ 501*** 1:0

Zapfenstreich

Huh ? What ? I hear you askin'. Well, that is the name for a farewell ritual conducted for high ranked German politicians leaving office. Soldiers, torches, big band, the whole enchilada. If i had behaved like the former federal president C. Wulff i would sneak out  through the backdoor, but he being himself wants the complete program and of course gets not just that, but on top an annual pension of 199000.- Euros for a tenure less than twenty months. And when i hear, that still many Germans support him i am ready once more to become despaired with my fellow countrymen.

Another shipload of money for Greece

This time we are looking at 130 bn Euros in return for saving measures. I am just a dropped out student of economics, but with saving you will never get an economy back on her feet, so much i know. So what is going on in reality ? If Greece goes into bankruptcy the five biggest US banks would have to pay out huge liabilities ( 518 bn Dollar ), because of so called Credit Default Swaps ( CDS ). Even President Obama called up Europe and demanded to cough up more money for Greece to prevent that and the Europeans duly oblige. Seems US banks are more important, than European tax payers. Probably Obama , not to mention German politicians, is just a pawn in a game, which is played on terms by Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs ? Right, the investment bank, that among other deeds speculates with food products, driving millions of people deeper into poverty. In the USA they are a long standing shadow government and now they openly implement their troops in Europe, EZB boss Dragi and IWF boss Lagarde for example to make shure the stream of money down south will not run dry, so Goldman Sachs can snap up their share. Who is going to stop them ?
In Germany Federal President Wulff relieved us, finally stepping down. He made some of his party friends, who defended him fiercely until a few days ago look like complete fools.

Arequipa

Had a lunch break on main square, when all of a sudden i became part of a demonstration. The theme was " Agua si - oro no ". I can get along with that. Arequipa itself has changed quite a bit from the last time i have been there, but remains a pleasant city.

Some gossip

If there is a woman i cannot stand aside from the obvious one, it must be Heidi Klum. Besides her unbearable voice she is wrong as it gets, activating her phony smile every time she detects a camera. Now she pronounced her divorce from Seal and it probably needs a crooner like him to endure someone like her for six years. In that period they renewed their marriage five times and i just hope the advertising industry spares us from her in the future. Deliberately no foto.

Felt like picking a John Hurt song

click here  

18.01.12 Another take on the " El Classico "

We all know both sides can play exciting football, but this is the first leg of the Copa del Rey and i assume a game with more focus on defense. So i will back the 0:0 at 15.5 with Betfair , trying to trade out at halftime, with a saver in the under 2.5 goals market @2.12 .HT 1:0/FT 1:2

A lawyer named Wulff

As a follower of this blog you know there is a certain group of people i have very little appreciation for, yep, lawyers. Unfortunately Germanys highest representative is such a specimen and confirms every prejudice i have about the majority of them. Behind his friendly manners and a crooked smile the words honour and integrity seem to be completely unknown to him as the list of misconduct grows longer by the day, he just can´t tell right from wrong. Instead of taking consequences he keeps beating around the bush and tries to sit out his term. To make matters worse chancellora Merkel still backs him due to tactical reasons. She and that mollycoddle are a major disgrace for the country - a major disgrace .

Stumbled in this joint a while ago for a quick beer ...

..., but received such a warm welcome, it was overwhelming. Friendly folks, the band played hot local music and unlike  those touristic places in the center i didn´t have to pay obnoxious prices for beer. I decided to spend New Years night there and thoroughly enjoyed it or as football great Kevin Keegan said it with this last two words click here .