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.