Outlook For 2014

Mon Dieu, Air France preponed my flight to Paris en route to Lima and as things stand i will spend New Year's Eve sitting on Charles de Gaulles airport, a place not short with one star ratings. However i will get over it, since there is hardly a better way to start the new year with a lenghty timeout from the daily grind with another trip probably to Vietnam later on the cards. 2014 features two major events, the football World Cup and the EU parliament elections. The World Cup is something, more and more people get crazy about, proving a national identity is deeply engrained and thus a project like the EU has to do with geopolitics, the striving for power of a finance elite and is nothing the population will benefit from in the long run. The former Soviet Union flew apart as well as Yugoslavia, because people don't accept any longer to be under the thumb from another ethnic group. And now we Europeans want to do it the other way around, perhaps even worth want to be governed by those folks occupying the top floors of this terrifying building, the new European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt ? To my delight the number of EU sceptics is growing and i hope the elections reflect that.  Although i sometimes think i should ignore all these absurdities for a more jaunty life , looking away is of course not an option, especially not during the World Cup, when politicians like to pass laws behind our backs intending to get ahold of our hard earned. So i keep trying to get on terms with all that razmatazz, attempt to filter out what is true and what is manipulation and write my point of view here once in a while, hoping to give something to think about. As always cheers for visiting my blog and a great 2014.

Christmas Sports

As ever i stayed clear of the Christmas shopping frenzy and rather thought about , how to take ol' Fred Done of Betfred to the cleaners with his Goals Galore, where both teams have to score. After some number crunching i came up with the following games : Gillingham v Leyton Orient / Huddersfield v Derby / Middlesbrough v Burnley / Bradford v Rotherham and Port Vale v Notts County @ odds of 17*** Only 8 of 10 teams scored, so Fred got away unscathed. Now over to the sport of Kings. Also on December, 26th the King George VI Chase takes place in Kempton. You could make a case for every runner in this top class field, why he could win the race, however my preference is for the striking grey Al Ferof (FR). He missed last season due an injury, but ran excellent in an recent race and seems to be back at his best. He definitely has, what it takes to win the chase and i am pretty happy with the early odds of 5 i got at Ladbrokes.*** 3rd

Putin

Like him or loathe him - i for my part have some sympathy for the Russian president and not only for granting asylum to Edward Snowden. To me democracy becomes more and more a mockery, when elected toothless and wishy-washy politicians of debt stricken countries or Barack Obama, who let us know he is good in killing people, then behaves like a silly teenager and is good friends with Wall Street , have nothing to oppose the financial power of global corporations. Here in Germany i can observe their influence day in, day out and in this scenario i certainly prefer Putin with his "controlled" democracy, than some CEO, who only cares about profits and is not squeamish with his methods. This anecdote shows Wladimir Putin has also a good sense of humor : He once invited Angela Merkel """over to the Kreml and knowing of her fear of dogs he let his puppy in to greet the flinching guest too.

""" Angela Merkel was just confirmed as the German chancellor for four more years and she swore to do her best to keep any damage away from the German people. Maybe this video shows her true attitude towards Germany and that Alexander Dibelius, a high ranked Goldmann Sachs associate, is her advisor speaks volumes as well.

Rwanda

Intriguing news from Rwanda, a country infamous for the Tutsi genocide in 1994. For quite a while now plastic bags are banned there and upon arrival at Kigali airport, luggage is searched and they are taken away, when found. That is a far cry from the weatern throwaway society, where micoscopical small plastic pieces can even be detected in toothpaste or cosmetics. These pieces eventually show up in waterbodies, where they are a menace to the flora and fauna and it is about time Rwanda is taken as an role model in this subject.

Art

That nightmare in orange to the left is called " balloon dog " and was auctioned at Christie's in New York for ... 2,50 $ or perhaps a tenner ? Nope, some unknown bidder dished out 55 million US $ to purchase it and i would assume he is a member of the champagne society, earned his fortune effortless and never experienced the joy of dollars earned with own hands. Creator of that botch is Jeff Koons, who came to prominence with a relationship to Cicciolina. He also once tried to erect a work of art of unparalleled ugliness here in Hamburg, however the plan could be thwarted. Anyway, let's hope Champagne Charlie has a big enough basement to stash that thing away for good.

The Grand Coalition

Once again our fellow politicians from the CDU and SPD parties were busy with themselves for several weeks now, but eventually came to grips to form a coalition by sorting out disagreements and without a noteworthy opposition. The contract comprises 185 pages and this higly recommended video explains , what's it all about. The other video below has a speech by Edmund Stoiber ( CSU ) set to music, unfortunately without subtitles. And if you haven't cried "enough" yet here is a double featuring chancellora Angela Merkel. At least as laughing stock she is useful.

" Those, who were elected do not decide and those, who decide were not elected " - H. Seehofer (CSU) -

Fashion

Last week Germany played a friendly football match versus Italy and while the Italians were dressed as usual in blue, the Germans displayed the outfit pictured on the left instead of white shirts with black shorts. So while the Italians take some pride in tradition ( blue is the color of their former kingdom ) and call their team the " Squadra Azzurra " the German team rather looked like the "Squadra Spaghetti Pomodoro". My only explanation is, that the very affluent German Football Association ( DFB ) along with Adidas expect the simple minded, flag waving football fan to rush to the store and cough up a lot of money for it, hence for the DFB tradition means next to nothing, while commerce is the name of the game - as usual.

Punting For The Philippines

After having watched the aftermath of typhoon " Haiyan ", who struck the Philippine islands with enormous force i organised a fundraiser to collect a little bit of money. I have two bets for the weekend and should they be successful i will donate the profits entirely to an aid organisation and hope others with some change sitting in their Paypal account will chip in as well. 1.) TAP NIGHT to win the Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase on Saturday, Nov.16. Trained by Lucinda Russell and ridden by champ A. P. McCoy i expect a bold show in this wide open contest. Betfair offers odds @ 13 2.) World Cup Qualifier UKRAINE - FRANCE on Friday,Nov. 15. Both teams under immense pressure and will focus on defense, so i believe in a 0:0 correct halftime score @ 2.40 *** Tap Night ran okay, just wasn't good enough. However the second bet was successful and left me with a profit i will donate to an aid organisation.

Chemtrails

The other day i went on my backporch with a beer and a smoke, when i saw it again: A criss-cross pattern of white stripes on a otherwise clear blue sky. In this sphere condenser trails caused by aircrafts usually disappear within a minute, but these trails stayed up there for a couple of hours, eventually fanned out and turned the sky milky, hence they were spraying again. I have sent e-mails to the environment protection organisation BUND and the Green Party and asked, whether they can shed some light on the issue. Only the BUND answered by writing, that they spoke with authorities and there isn't any evidence of chemtrails. Well , there are many videos proving otherwise and most stunning is perhaps this one. There were suspicious nozzles discovered on engines from no-frills airliner Ryanair, who flies for 15 quid from Dublin to Barcelona and one could think, that passenger transport is only a supplement and there main income stems from spraying chemicals as aluminiumoxide among others causing raging wildfires, morgellons and mental problems. Now i know people get older and kids are exposed to a multitude of stimulus satiations, though not too long the Alzheimer disease was hardly known and children were not spoonfed Ritalin to keep them quiet - those chemicals could provide an explanation. I signed up with a clean sky organisation and hope lots will follow.

Life's Seductions And The Church

While many churchmen cannot leave their hands off children, this shepherd with the name Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst went on a spending spree by remodeling his residence in Limburg for 30 million Euros and flying first-class to India. When he lied about it his earthly boss was not amused and called him in to pull his ears and for telling him to leave Limburg, though i suppose he wasn'nt stripped off his monthly 8500 Euro salary. And here is, where it gets crazy : Because Napoleon Bonaparte evicted the Evangelic and Catholic churches from their properties 200 years ago Germany pays them 460 million Euros state subsidies every year until today for compensation. So not only the churches receive imposed taxes from their members, but a lot of money from people, who have nothing to do with religion ( like myself) or belong to a different Confessing as well - unbelievable ! The current status of Germany is as follows - Big corporations as Apple, Amazon or Starbucks make many millions of profits, but hardly pay any taxes / The church receives a big load of money for nothing / The upper class rakes in more and more wealth / A growing number of kids grow up in poverty and an increasing number of elderly people become shoplifters, because of insufficient pensions. Don't expect chancellora Merkel to do something about it.

Lynyrd Skynyrd ...

... was my starting point, when i got interested in music and also a great inspiration to play the guitar. Some 36 years ago on the 20th of Octobre 1977 their chartered airplane crashed in a swamp near Gillsburg, Mississippi and killed six passengers with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant among them. Despite further tragedies and feuds between the survivors the band exists until today with one remaining original member, guitarist Gary Rossington, and Ronnie's brother Johnny doing the vocal work. Kudos to You Tube for providing the platform and to everyone, who uploaded all these videos - watching them is a tremendous joy and something i never thought would be possible.

Evo and the Bolivian way ...

Here is what happened in Bolivia in the year 2000 : The Bolivians solicited a credit from the International Money Foundation and received one under the prerequisite, that they would privatize their drinking water. U.S. construction giant Bechtel 's bid was accepted and they wasted no time to triplicate prices much to the disgust of the Bolivians, who forced Bechtel to pack up and leave after a fierce battle. Under Evo Morales the same fate overtook McDonalds and Coca Cola, when they received marching orders as well last December. This shows the Bolivians have cojones while we Europeans hand over our souls to big corporations, bankster and politicians, less trustworthy than sleazy used car dealers. In this context i want to mention, that here in Germany the CDU just obtained a big cheque from the automobile industry and  that meanwhile 1691 companies are exempted now from participating in the energy transformation, what means a steep rise for the electicity bill of us citizens - some are literally sitting in the dark already, because they cannot cope with it. If we want to know, what Europe is up to a view over the great pond could give some clues as they seem to be one step ahead. Many Americans are enslaved by banks due to huge debts acquired with low rate loans or by income taxes. In the U.S income taxes are against the constitution, but the government imposes them to get funds for feeding the " Creature from Jekyll Island ", how G. Edward Griffin aptly named the Federal Reserve Bank, with interest. These days the Americans once again reached the fiscal cliff, though by now the finance acrobats can still hold the whole thing together with their Monopoly money, however a hike of the interest rate with the shortage of liquidity could mean game over. There are many videos predicting an imminent collapse of the financial system perhaps accompanied with a monetary reform where the Dollar is replaced with the Amero. What fuels these fears are rumors, that the Department Of Homeland Security ordered 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition and that allegedly 15000 Russian troops were hired to restore order in case of riots. Whether all this is unjustified fearmongering or not is open for debate. What i know is, that it has nothing to do with common sense.

Rebel With A Cause - The Ed Snowden Shirt

6.10.13 PRIX DE L´ARC DE TRIOMPHE (Group 1) in Longchamp

I know, nothing can make a man more look like a fool than women and racehorses, however NOVELLIST is entered in this race and he means business. After his scintillating performance in the King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes he won a recent prep run in Baden-Baden a bit workmanlike, but i am convinced trainer Andreas Wöhler will have him back at his best for this contest, where he takes on strong opposition from France and Japan. Crack Irishman Johnny Murtagh is back on board and i can't wait to watch the race and cheer him home. Novellist to win @ 5.5.***Non runner Racing is full with hard luck stories. This video shows Japanese aficionados in agony, when their hot fav Ofevre was beaten on the line in this race last year.

The March Of The Lemmings - Election Wrap-Up

The SPD / Greens and The Left parties have a majority of votes, but Peer Steinbrück (SPD) stands by his word to decline a collaboration with the Left party and forfeites the opportunity to become chancellor - fair enough. So my bets whistled west, however it is a lot worse, that we have to deal for four more years now with Angela Merkel (CDU) and her neoliberal politics meaning happy days for big enterprises, the money glitterati and the markets, whoever they are, and extended lines before soup kitchens. She was mostly elected by women and elderly people, who completely ignored the shortcomings of the last four years and follow her blindly like lemmings, because of her friendly demeanor. We all know, how these critters eventually come to grief. For me it was a certainty, that the AfD would jump over the 5% mark to enter the parliament after strong internet support. The first projection had them at 4.9 % !!! and they ended up at 4.7%. Assumed the elections were not fixed ( i am suspicious by nature and really not shure about it ) a great chance was wasted to steer politics to a in my humble opinion right direction, because they offered a real alternative to those spineless nodders in the parliament. However the good news is, that Bernd Lucke keeps on pushing - his time will certainly come, because the Euros crisis will sooner or later fall on our feet. I dearly hope CDU and SPD voters, who sniffed at the AfD and tried to defame them as right-wingers will get hurt most. This video shows Nigel Farage (foto) having an argy-bargy with Martin Schulz, president of the EU parliament. Farage is the British pendant to Bernd Lucke and meanwhile famous for his speeches as he is as Bernd not mincing matters - something we will never experience from A.Merkel. That bloke Martin Schulz used to be an book dealer, before he became mayor of the provincial town of Würselen, where he ruined the finances with a waterpark. Usually parties send politicians to Brussels to get rid of them and how he made it to the top i don't know, but his staff comprises a head clerk, an assistant head clerk, a number of assistants and advisers, four spokesmen, translators, a speechwriter, a commodity pool operator, a valet and a chauffeur - all in all 38 people. This illustrates, what a money devouring buraeucratic monster the EU in Brussels is and i certainly don't want to be governed by them - period. As i write coalition talks are still underway and i don't care with whom Angela Merkel goes to bed.

22.09.13 German General Election 2

Here is a question : Assumed you run a business, which one of the German politicians would you hire ? None  ...? Thought so, since the homo politicus nowadays prefers to hang out in talk shows and waste tax payers money instead of doing proper work. However there is a glimmer of hope with the newly founded AfD, headed by the straight talking Bernd Lucke ( foto ). The established parties and survey researchers ( Forsa) try to play them down as having proximity to right wingers and it is really annoying, that in this country one has to be political correct or he gets branded as being right or whatever - a view Udo Ulfkotte shares in his excellent book " Raus aus dem Euro, rein in den Knast ". I consider myself a moderate lefty and adress problems, where i think it is necessary and firmly believe the Euro as well as a unrestricted immigration policy mean flirting with disaster and have to be altered, thus it is advised to vote for the AfD. Bets as follows : - SPD / Grüne und Die Linke to form the next government @ 13 with Bwin ( market meanwhile suspended )***Lost - P€€r Steinbrück to become the next chancellor @ 7 and the AfD to join the parliament @ 3.20, both with Bet3000.***Lost

The Daily Dose Of Poison

Until recently i used dental care products containing flouride. Not any longer since i have learned that it is not a proven caries prophylaxis, but highly toxic causing a plethora of diseases. Once it was added to drinking water, then prohibited. Now we find it in toothpaste or mouthwash, where it contaminates the people - i wouldn't touch that stuff again with a bargepole. And while i gather momentum i want to mention seeds giant Monsanto. I read in a marginalia, that Monsanto has won a lawsuit in France and are now allowed to cultivate their gene manipulated corn MON 810 there. I don't bother mentioning all the different pestizides they engineered into the seeds, but i think it is safe to assume, that the food eventually landing on our plates is not the healthiest. In 2010 a desastrous earthquake hit Haiti. Afterwards the altruistic folks of Monsanto delivered 475 tons of seeds to the battered country. However the Haitians smelled a rat and made short work with the rubbish - 60000 sacks went up in smoke.

Can this be fun ?

For those, who are afraid of missing out the latest trend here he is - Stand up paddling ! Personally i would feel like a shmuck doing it, but then again i don't have a lot of muscles to display and shun a sun tan. What i relish though is to mock about modern times dudes following every nuisance.

List of Disgrace

All the world is a stage with the unmasked B. Obama and A. Merkel two of the biggest actors. Here is a list with disgraceful things they nor their puppet masters want us to know about with accompanying videos.
1.) THE MONEY SYSTEM - Essential knowledge   http://youtu.be/OwQhlUMRvRk

2.) FEMA CAMPS - Federal Emergency Management camps. When the system crashes
                                  and civil unrest arises thousands of insurgants can be detained.
                                    http://youtu.be/7qvv1_2VELo  

3.) HAARP - Powerful tool to influence the weather. Also can be used as a weapon.
                      http://youtu.be/dLGG91SvWsU

4.) RFID CHIP - Once we all have one implanted their mission has been acclompished.
                            http://youtu.be/uNNeVu8wUak
                         

5.) CHEM TRAILS - Sprayed nano aluminium particles infiltrating the brain causing
                              Alzheimer disease or other mental problems.
                                   http://youtu.be/NT1xjMMAnEU
                                 
                               

6.) CO ² SWINDLE - Whatever caused the climate change, apparently it is not carbon
                                dioxide.     http://youtu.be/SG3yT0Ol8ik
                     

7.) COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS - Another secret society.
                                                          http://youtu.be/ggzhTW68rX4              
                                                                         


Some would dismiss all this as NWO humbug, but it is  well documented and when respected personalities as Alex Jones, Jesse Ventura, Ron Paul, Gerald Celente or Edward G. Griffin report about it i better listen and don't take it lightly. The war against terror already turned  into a war against the people, because some old white men sitting on trillions of dollars cannot leave  mankind alone, but need to bug them in their pursuit of happiness with some one world government bollocks. Living in a world with Photoshop or alibi agencys, what can you still believe or whom can you  trust ? We are living in an atmosphere of constant manipulating and spying everywhere
making it necessary to check information from reliable sources other than mainstream media and then form one's own opinion. That said i order my " Team Snowden " shirt now.

Weekend Sports

24.08.13 German Bundesleague Matchday 3 : HERTHA BSC BERLIN - HAMBURGER SV  Life doesn't get much better playing professional football for Hamburg. Stuffed with money the players didn't feel like breaking out in sweat and lost after a dreadful performance  1: 5 at home to Hoffenheim and were rewarded with two days off afterwards giving some of those deadbeats time to fly to Mallorca for having fun in the sun. Hertha meanwhile got off to a good start into the season by beating Frankfurt 6:1 and playing 2:2 in Nuremberg. So it seems defence tacticts are not en vogue right now and i don't expect this game to be any different especially after HSV coach Fink declared he won't change his offence preferring bias. Bets as follows:  Hertha to score 4+ goals @ 7.50 and Hertha to score first before the 27 th minute @ 2.40 *** 1:0 Lost / Now over to the sport of kings, where the Ebor, one of Englands oldest handicap races,  takes place in York at Saturday. With 22 runners going to post it is an almost impossible quest to find the winner, but hey- ho. I looked for young progressive types not carrying  to much weight and came up with TIGER CLIFF (IRL, above) *** Won and BISHOP ROKO (UK). I have a tickle on both with odds @ 10 and 21, offered by Ladbrokes.

9/11

This video shows Larry Silverstein, who leased the asbestos contaminated twin towers seven weeks before the attack and insured them way too high against demolition. He usually spent the mornings in the building, but at that particular one had an appointment with his dermatologist. After the towers collapsed he collected 4.5 billion dollars from Swiss Re insurance company. The Carlyle Group is a major defense contractor and was closely associated with the Bush family. They received some handsome orders to reinforce the homeland security. After the attack the U.S. started their war against terror in Afghanistan and shortly afterwards went into Irak. As usual funds for that were provided by the Federal Reserve Bank. The FED is a legalized cartel of mighty banker families, which accumulated unprecedented wealth by financing wars for centuries and through the scandalous money creation system ( i always chuckle, when Forbes releases the list of the world's richest people and a software dude, who also runs a dubious vaccination program, shows up on top of the list). These aristocrats own the U.S. $ and have the power to plot another financial crisis anytime with their boom and bust scheme. Probably some of those named above meet next month at ground zero, where a third !! building (WTC 7) tumbled down without the impact of an colliding aircraft, for mourning and conducting speeches. Here is another video investigating the circumstances of the attack and all this raises a question. Were thousands of lives and various buildings sacrificed for sinister purposes ? If so, wouldn't it be more appropriate to follow the money instead of  chasing some ragtag in the caves of Afghanistan to find the true culprits ? Just askin' ...

German General Election 2013 Preview

Almost seven weeks to go and for conspiracy theorists the outcome is already done and dusted. P€€r Steinbrück (SPD) and Jürgen Trittin (Green Party) received invitations from the Bilderberger Group and joined their meetings making it clear these two were chosen to form the next government. Should one pay attention to this hint ? Very much so since history is full with politicians coming to power after having visited such meetings not least Barack Obama, who made smooth and rapid headway from a little known senator to the top. And it makes sense for the money nobelity. Listening to the  the red/green rhetorik the following scenario is very likely: - The floodgates will open and more German money will float down south - Eurobonds will be introduced making Germany accountable for foreign debts - Turkey will join the European Union trying to reinforce the Islamization. Add to this cohorts of people from Eastern Europe, who in 2014 will be entitled to enter Germany and apply for social benefits, if they can't find a job and everything is laid out for mischief and mayhem. Then to bond all those bickering countries tighter together and take away some more of their sovereignty the U.S. - European free trade zone will come - a further step to the New World Order ! At some point all debt riddled European countries will helplessly flunder at strings pulled by the high finance after these have picked up the pieces. In an earlier post i mentioned a guy named Jesse Ventura, who will run for U.S. president in 2016 and will hopefully teach some suits a lesson or two. Unfortunately here in Germany we have nobody of that calibre, but i surely hope Bernd Lucke and the AfD receive enough votes to exert influence. The sad thing is that not only Zimbabwe needs election observers, Germany needs them too. Anyhow, good luck Bernd !

" There are many reasons to leave things as they are and only one to change something : You can't stand it anymore."  - Hans Curt Flemming

27.07.13 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Ascot

This race normally is dominated by one of the market principals. St. Nicholas Abbey was the ante post favorite, but had to be withdrawn after an injury handing over favoritism to French raider Cirrus Des Aigles. However the horse i like most is NOVELLIST (IRE), trained in Germany by Andreas Wöhler. I have seen him running last year in the German Derby, where he was well fancied, but could finish only second leaving some long faces behind. He is an 4 year old now, physically stronger and is a really likeable sort with a great attitude. Wöhler could enroll top jock Johnny Murtagh for riding him and i consider the ante post odds of 7.5 i snapped up from Betfair fantastic value.*** Won

Germany not sovereign ...

That's right, Germany the economic powerhouse, G8 member and what not is not a sovereign nation. It  has the status it had right after World War 2 ( German Empire ) and is de facto still occupied by allied powers according to reliable sources. Neither the peace treaty from 1947 nor the 2+4 treaty from 1990 changed that. For me as a German citizen this is important to know and understand, because it provides answers to different questions. Some are : Why is German gold stored in the FED's basement in New York City ? Why paid Germany 1.2 billion € to a US company for a useless drone ? Why lost Airbus Industries a big order for building tanker aircrafts they had already bagged again to US companies ? Why can the NSA spy on German soil as they please ? Because Germany is their vasall. Chancellora Angela Merkel should be fully aware of this, but dishonest as we know her, she said she had no idea of the spying activities and was completely caught by surprise. One of her CDU lickspittles (Mr. Binninger) added she couldn't know it , because the NSA spies from outside Germany ... oh dear, oh dear. To keep the charade intact Merkel dispatched secretary of the interior Hans-Peter "Fiete" Friedrich to Washington to ask for explanations. He probably listened to the following words: "Howdy Fiete, great to see ya, but we unfortunately ain't got no time for ya. Have a nice trip back home." And home he went like a doused poodle. How these chumps made it into government is beyond me - higher powers ? Go figure ! However they have a fair chance of becoming reelected in September and i think we are in for a rude awakening afterwards.

Thoughts of being 50

Yep, i am half a century young now and at this age some people take a look back at their life and strike a balance only to get a grim reminder that they spent many years in a dull job, are divorced, have two Facebook junkies as kids and are sitting on a load of debts for house and car. I recently made my income tax declaration and was done after 10 minutes, because i could leave most of the spaces blank telling me my life is how it shall be - simple without worries and complications. Across the years i lived through different epochs and none of them feel as historically insignificant as the current one. In twenty years from now, what will be remembered ? Maybe the EU debt crisis, the intelligence service knowing you better than your wife does ( Still somebody believes Zuckerberg is the mastermind behind bloody Facebook ? ) or lethal plastic guns thanks to 3-D printers - Goodness gracious me !? Being in my twenties nowadays i perhaps could handle a smartphone with great virtuosity, but would be without orientation trying to get a well paid job in a rotten business culture. Being in my thirties i perhaps would be a paranoid sushi and latte macchiato consumer and had no idea who Mississippi John Hurt was. But as a fifty year old i am a witness of the late 60's, 70's and early 80's, times when things as music, cars, nightlife or fashion had a certain kind of magic, something that is completely gone in todays illusory world. I like my first car ( a Mercedes-Benz 200 D/8 ...mmmh) a lot better than cars built by now, in my favourite night club i met people as Prince or Metallica and danced to music from James Brown - nowadays a pale faced techno dj hammers monotonous rhythms in the ears from intoxicated juveniles, who are supposed to be our future. Charisma seems to be extinct. The German football national team looks like a  bunch of 6. graders on a class field trip crying more after a lost game than girls in a casting show and when i see the German minister of economic affairs Philip Rösler i spontaneously want to give him some sweets. Action movies starred Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson - nowadays heartthrob Brad Pitt. Women were classy, silicone free and without tattoos, intimate shaving, screeching voices and artificial tan and hair color - nowadays ... don't get me started ! So the bottom line is, that being fifty is completely alright and i am looking ahead to the next half century with a healthy life-work balance.

13.07.13 Darley July Cup in Newmarket

LETHAL FORCE carries my hopes in this 12 runner 6 furlong sprint. He already won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and usually that form bodes well for this contest. I grabbed ante post odds of 7 and meanwhile he is backed down to 5, so some market support is already there boosting my confidence he will run a good race.*** WON

Cuba II

Cuba has still something the modern world completely smothered with abundant money and plastic - and that is soul. While most inner cities by now look more or less the same with skyscrapers occupied by the usual suspects Havana has hardly changed, when i was there for the first time nearly a decade ago. Generally Cubans are a friendly lot though they have their share of touts and more than once a confidence trickster tried to get a quick peso out of my pocket. After some conversations with locals i got the impression they are doing relatively good despite the ongoing embargo, although some were moaning about their low wages or how little they receive with their food ration cards. The Buena Vista Social Club made their music quite famous, but to my ear the sound belongs in the "When you know one song, you know them all" category and sometimes i was relieved, when the bar band took a break. Cigars can be purchased for a fraction of the regular price from the "La Cooperativa" , located behind the Patargas factory. There are always dudes loitering around in the area willing to show you the way. To sum it up : Cigars, rum and slinky ladies - the trip panned out as expected and my advice would be to leave your better half at home and see for yourself.

6.07.2013 Coral-Eclipse (British Champions Series) (Group 1)

 A top class horse is required to win the race and AL KAZEEM fits the bill. He is the highest rated horse and unbeaten during the current season. Odds of 3 are acceptable and i get on.*** Won

29.6.2013 Greyhound Derby in Wimbledon

While a game with some white dressed tennis hunks can easily put me to sleep, the real action takes place next door. Derby fav is currently Droopys Jet and i will bet a few Euros on him, but my main money will be down for SIDAZ JACK (left). He is the youngest dog in the race and outsider @ odds of 7, but is a son of the legendary Westmead Hawk and trained by master trainer Charlie Lister. If he can put his blistering speed to good use from the inside trap he should have a decent chance to win this.*** WON

"GRANMA"...

... is the Cuban newspaper. There is never a necktie behind it.

Cuba

I am off to Cuba next weekend and by writing Cuba i mean Havana and not some itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny tourist resort. I want to see it again as long as Fidel Castro presides over proceedings and capitalists can't get a hold of it to turn the city into another Miami Beach. Also the right place to have a drink on my 50th and reminiscent ...

1.06.2013 Investec Derby - Epsom Downs

Dawn Approach ( IRE ) is the the hot fav, but at skinny odds remains a risky betting proposition. Being a 3 year old colt the trip of 12 furlongs or 1.5 miles will stretch his stamina to the max, although his sire suggests he will stay. Also the undulating nature of the racecourse could be a problem so I will take him on with RULER OF THE WORLD ( IRE, left ), the only jolly in this 12 runner field, who won over this distance and @ odds of 9 looks a solid each-way bet.*** Won

25.05.13 Champions League Final

With  BAYERN MUNICH and BORUSSIA DORTMUND two German teams vie for the title. Bayern Munich is certainly the best team in Europe right now having played sparkling football all season long, but they are prone of losing finals, as they did last year on home turf. They are trying to make amendments now and look for redemption, though i believe they enter the game cautiously due to the respect they have for Dortmund's fast style of football and their modest h2h stats. Dortmund themselves have to cope with the absence of Mario Götze, so they will start the game more defensive minded as well. Bayern are clear favs, however i expect the match to be tight throughout. In charge of the game is the Italian Rizzoli, who is not shy of handing out cards and he is also someone Bayern had never any luck with. Bets as follows : Correct halftime score 0:0 @ 3.10 / Dortmund to win after penalties @ 13 /  Red card shown @ 3.80 *** 2:1 (0:0) Vaffanculo ! Two clear assaults, but Rizzoli didn't pull a red card.

Sports gone crazy

 Remarkable, what some folks do to get ahead of the competition in the world of sports. The capsized beast to the left was built to win the  America's Cup. When not upside down it is supposed to plow through the water with 80 km/h. Also it is loaded with state-of-the-art technology and came with a price tag of 10 million $, paid by software giant Oracle's CEO and multi billionaire Larry Ellison. Two days ago a similar constructed boat broke apart and killed a British sailor. Everybody is in shock now and sends out prayers, but of course the show goes on until the next tragedy happens - only for the sake of some polished metal. In Formula 1  Racing a team sponsored by that sticky brew producer Red Bull now exchanges four tires in 2 seconds !! and 18 men are deployed to achieve that. Meanwhile six lads died performing off-the-wall stunts Red Bull wanted to use for marketing purposes. Football is littered with shady characters investing exorbitant sums trying to win titles at any price. Usually you would think people turn away in disgust, but the opposite is right and more and more become crazy about it - the old principle of bread and games works better than ever. Personally i follow football for betting purposes, but vowed a long time ago, that i will never again support it directly with a single cent. I do have a affinity for horse racing though, obviously  a multi million Euro business too, but still somewhat  steeped in tradition. You cannot tinker around with a thoroughbred race horse, as they do with race cars and you will not find an Irish jockey with a fancy haircut.

1.05.2013 FC Barcelona - Bayern Munich

Champions - League : Semi final, second leg. Bayern is by far the superior side. They already won the first leg 4:0 and in my humble opinion will not lose this game either as long Barça fields players like Dani Alves, Bartra or Valdez - all average defenders at best. I guess the game will pan out like one of those old Bud Spencer ( left, left) movies.
 Some bloke tries to impress him with his far eastern fighting techniques and Bud just slaps him down to the ground. Barça will probably pass the ball  around without end, but instead of being impressed Bayern grabs the ball, starts a counterattack and scores. Bets as follows:  Correct score 1:1 @ 9 / Thomas Müller first goalscorer @ 9 / Bayern to win with ( -1 ) handicap @ 7.5*** 0:3

Funk Guitar

"Alternative für Deutschland"

I will travel to Cuba in June and had the original plan to revitalize Fidel Castro and bring him over to Germany along with his iron broom to sweep politicians from the CDUSPDFDPGRÜNE block party out of the parliament. With the establishment of the "Alternative für Deutschland" (AfD) party that is not necessary anymore and i can concentrate on drinking rum and smoke cigars. The AfD staunchly opposes the Euro and that is just the right thing to do, because the Euro splits the EU, weakens the stronger countries and prevents a economic resurrection from weaker countries. The Dakota indians already knew it by saying " When you notice you are sitting on a dead horse, get off ". The Eurozone is dead as a dodo, but politicians from the above mentioned block party refuse to acknowledge it and  paid  last week another 10 bn Euros for Cyprus, a small island known for welcoming dirty money, and Slovenia waiting next in line. And what is that all about ? Here is my theory: Spineless politicians are playing in the hands of the high finance, who are trying to gain control about Europe by degrading Germany and make many other countries dependent from the European Central Bank (EZB). Besides that more and more competences from the national governments are shifted to Brussels, enhancing right wing tendencies. In the USA this scheme already worked very well with the Federal Reserve Bank. The Fed is by no means federal, but privately owned. It's absurd - the U.S. government borrows money from them and then some more to pay interest. The U.S. are in debt of many trillions of $ and in whose satchel belongs that money ? Rothschild's, Morgan's, Warburg's to name a few and to call Barack Obama the world's most powerful person is  a joke, these people just push him up front to execute their orders. I am afraid Europe goes the same route and hope the AfD gets in their way. I was determined to skip the elections, but will now cast my ballot for the AfD, period.

Bird flu crisis ? I smell a rat ...

Mainstream media just spread the news about an bird flu outbreak in China killing a couple of people. After i recently stumbled upon this video by Jesse Ventura i approach news like that with caution. Jesse has been a former Navy Seal, professional wrestler, governor of Minnesota and is an absolute no-nonsense guy, who conducted an investigation on a clandestine group of powerful people with sinister intentions, called the "Bilderberger". They try to establish a New World Order with a single regime that rules the world, but since there are meanwhile too many human beings inhabiting the planet they need methods to reduce their number. One could be that they stage a pandemic via their controlled media and when panic starts people rush to the medics to receive a flu shot . That is at least, what they believe when in reality they receive something making them unfertile or harm them in another way. Sounds sick ? There are some sick minds among us, damned !

Weekend Sports

German Bundesleague Matchday 28 : HAMBURGER SV - SC FREIBURG   Hamburg lost their last home game against lowly Augsburg and received a 2:9 drubbing against Munich afterwards, but instead of a more intense team drilling the club organized a barbecue to reconcile their fans - oh dear , oh dear ... . I supported Hamburg until around 1984, when i felt i reached an age where it is a bit ridiculous to cheer for overpaid brats running around in short pants. Meanwhile 30 years later they are overpaid and pampered to the max. For example during training camp in Dubai they are lodging in one of the most luxurious hotels or when a player needs someone to walk his dog or wants a new flat screen TV - no problem, the club takes care of it and i would say, that it is no wonder they play like sissies. Freiburg has won their last game against Gladbach and also their last two fixtures in Hamburg. They are a team with mediocre ability, but with a desire to play passionate football and have a great coach in C. Streich. I got Hamburg wrong before and maybe get them wrong again,  however facts are facts and they clearly speak for Freiburg, so my hard earned is down for the SC at very decent odds. Freiburg to win @ 3.35 ***0:1. Now over to the sport of kings. On Saturday the greatest event in horse racing takes place, the John Smith's GRAND NATIONAL CHASE(Grade 3) in Aintree.It is a hugely competitive affair wit 40 runners going to post and my two selections against the field are Across The Bay (IRE) @ 34 and Balthazar King (IRE) @ 21(above). Both have won a long distance chase during the current campaign, are sound jumpers, will act on the prevailing ground and that's is all i need to know.*** Both finished unplaced though gave me good runs for my money. You can watch the race here.

The Hotel "España"and Annuschka

In Lima i have been a longtime guest in the above mentioned hotel, but when they rose prices for the fourth consecutive year of around 15 % i about had it and moved to the hotel "Europa", just down the road,where i recorded the video. This place is lesser known to tourists, charges half the price as the "Espana" and represents a lot better value.

Annuschka is my dentist in Cusco. While dentists in Germany sniff at me, because i am not privately insured, she gave my teeth a wonderful TLC treatment for such a modest price, that i was left gobsmacked. It is always a genuine pleasure dealing with people not driven by greed . My days in Peru for this year are over now and what's my conclusion ? I must say i once more had a really good time and what annoyed me most were  elderly women, who just cannot wait patiently in line, but need to jump the queue and start nagging. But of course i was just a tourist and for tourists life in Peru is generally plain sailing. On the other side an article in the New York Times i have read on my flight back home confirmed my view, that the outlook could be a bit dim. Peru meanwhile belongs to the emerging markets, where the economy grows at rates of about 6 % p. a.. Big foreign corporate money flows in with the exploitation of raw material meaning more prosperity for the middle- and higher class - housing prices in Lima and Cusco are already skyrocketing. As usual where some become richer others are left behind, living in a destroyed and contaminated environment and are unable to participate at the newly found wealth. Maybe it doesn't take long and we see the resurrection of the "Shining Path" or another terrorist group fighting those injustices... . I once spent three days in an appartment house with oceanview in upscale Lima-Miraflores and it bored the heck out of me. Leaving it i had to pass security. Outside at every corner - security and police cars patroling the streets. Rich people living in constant fear behind high walls, that some pennyless dude could rob them and thus keeping psychiatrists busy. Anytime i prefer sharing a beer with less affluent people in a cantina in Cusco and once they are all torn down to make room for slick appartment buildings i know it is time to pack up and move elsewhere. But so far i still can quote Arnie from one of his shitty movies : " Cusco, i'll be back !".

Due to popular demand ...

... i cranked up the distille once more and made some maracuja schnaps. Earlier attempts with exotic fruits were rather disappointing, but this time it turned out just fine. It is triple distilled and and has some rich flavor - very much worth the effort.

Pilcopata

...discussing the oneness of it all.

New Pope

No, ... not him but a chap from Argentina. Usually news from the catholic church are about child abuse, however yesterday the new pope was inaugurated after having been elected by 115 old f... . I don´t mean to offend someone, but watching the ceremony ( only a few minutes ) and the surrounding caboodle with thousands of glassy eyed people - spooky stuff, if you ask me. Religion ? Thanks, but no thanks.

Cheltenham 2013

The Cheltenham Festival gets underway tomorrow and i hope i have done my homework properly to snatch some dough out of my bookies deep pockets. Selections as follows:
Treble - Simonsig (GB) to win the Arkle won/ Quewega (FR) to win the Mares Hurdle won/ Sprinter Sacre (FR) to win the Champion Chase won at combined odds of 3.12
Single - Zarkandar (IRE, left) to win the Champion Hurdle @ 4.5 unpl.
Single - Bobs Worth (IRE) to win the Gold Cup @ 4 won

Alvin Lee †

Guitar ace Alvin Lee passed away  Feb. 6 in Spain, age 68. He wrote music history in 1969 with his band Ten Years After after having played an electrifying concert at the Woodstock Festival. Their signature song was " I´m Going Home", which i practiced many hours until i could play it faster than him - silly me. I feel fortunate, that he was a part in my younger days and that i do not belong to the Rap or Techno generation.

Cash is the king !?

Meanwhile it is possible to pay not just with a plastic card, but with a smartphone or even a fingerprint too and people like Jack Dorsey, the founder of the babble box Twitter, want to develop a system that makes cash completely superfluous. Less initiated minds will welcome it thinking cash is  something for drug pusher or other crooks anyway and still better it can´t be stolen anymore. Now wait a minute. First of all cyber crime causes a lot more damage than petty theft and there are some more points to think about. Cash is the only legitimate currency, while a number on the account is not. What if the system crashes through technical failure or sabotage and  suddenly it is not possible anymore to make payments. Being cut off from the system can easily  threat one´s existence. Next obviously a trace is left with every payment and citizens can be monitored by Feds making the visions G. Orwell described in his book "1984" become a greater reality. Bankster will certainly love it, because they are getting rid of their biggest fear - the bank run. No bank retains nearly enough cash to satisfy huge demands and should a bank gets into trouble and plenty of people want to withdraw  money from their account, it is simply not possible anymore. Disturbing activities for cryin´out loud.

Volkswagen and the system of interest

The Volkswagen AG just pronounced record profits after taxation of 22 billion Euros. I suppose they will not park that money in an account, but will reinvest it. Assumed they use 2 bn Euros to modernize their company and the other 20 to acquire German bonds for better than average conditions of 5 % interest annually and a contract period of 10 years. This means Volkswagen receives for 10 years every year 1 bn Euros of interest without having done anything from the state of Germany. Now where gets Germany the money from ? They could raise taxes and fees or cut government spending. This means they take money from us and give it to Volkswagen, who accumulate obscene wealth - shifting of money from bottom to top of gigantic proportions. While John Doe might be happy with the 2 % interest his bank gives him for his meager savings he does not realize he pays a lot more of interest to fill the pockets of already rich people and this is the reason, why the system of interest has to be abolished. Perhaps this example is a bit crude and not quite flawless, but i think it hits the mark. On YouTube people like Bernd Senf, Andreas Popp or Rico Albrecht have a series of interesting videos on the subject and for those , whose intellectual horizon goes beyond watching football or Germany´s Next Topmodel they are recommended.

Sausage ? Yes, please ...

Introducing my good friend Pedro, who probably makes the best ham and sausages this side of the Atlantic Ocean. If you are around Cusco and yearning for the good stuff, give him a buzz. He is a honest bloke always ready to share a beer and a fair deal. Please contact him here.

Quanah Parker

The 22 of February marks the 102 day of death of Quanah Parker, the last and greatest Comanche chief. He became a leader at a very young age being shrewd, fearless and equipped with enormous physical strength.The Comanche were once a rather primitive tribe, but developed an uncanny knack for horses, which were introduced by the Spaniards. With their added skills as archers they became the most ferocious warriors among all tribes within a couple of years. In about the same time a ¨bluecoat¨- nickname for a soldier- needed to load his musket a mounted Comanche  would shoot 20 arrows at him from 30 yards away with deadly precision. Comanches lived as nomads in the Texas plains and in their heyday their territory or Comancheria reached from Kansas to Mexico.Many settlers , who put a foot in that territory were made pay for it. Comanche lived in a communist society in which the concept of private property was unknown as well as religion. Life was harsh with blistering hot summers and freezing cold winters. When they ran out of water they killed a horse, slashed the stomach and drank the contents.( In the society i live people stare at me with disbelief, when tell them i don´t take a daily shower or walk 20 km home, when i missed the last bus. When i am hungry i go to the fridge and eat something - easy. When i am cold i turn up the heater and should i feel sick i see the doctor - one of many insurances will pay him. I guess this is called prosperity, a way of life that produces plenty of mental wrecks and complacent slobs, waiting for their pension. I am glad there is still some rambling on my mind and i am still able to leave my comfort zone once in a while.)
Quanah Parker was by no means a noble Indian. He had mixed blood, because of his white mother, who once was captured by Comanches. When whites killed his father he relentless pursued and killed many of them and at the same time was at war with other Indian tribes, most notably Apaches, Navajos and the hapless Tonkawas, who got a lot of stick. However, after 40 years of Comanche warfare against the white intruders he and his band surrendered. Whites had slaughtered millions of buffalos and thus have taken away the fundament of survival in the plains. In addition 49ers or gold digger spread deadly deseases as smallpox or cholera and soldiers had  meanwhile a superior weaponry. Quanah Parker died February, 22 in 1911, age 63,of heart failure. Looking at those clowns occupying goverments today i rather had him as a leader.

Malicious tongues have it, that ...

... i prefer drinking beer in seedy bars with shabby plastic furniture and a toilet, where urine stands ankle high. To a degree this is true, since prices are reasonable and  no noisy neighbors, talking about nothing else than money and businesses, wind me up. But of course that is not the whole truth. The foto shows me sitting in the ¨Casa de Salcantay¨ tasting the finest Dutch genever out of silverware.

About this blog

First and foremost i started this blog to let my old lady know ( " Hi mom, love you ! " ) how and what i am doing while travelling. She is not quite au fait with computers, but at least it makes writing postcards obsolete. Besides that, some workmates kept asking what i am doing abroad and now instead of repeating myself i point to this blog. As i write this site was visited 3483 times, mainly from Germany, the U.S. and Peru. I consider this a decent number, since i don´t come up with earthshaking revelations or the most delicious cookie baking recipes. I thank you for your time and sincerely hope the content makes your visit worthwhile.