Immortals. No mercy!

I have been invited to a funeral… Of an old friend of mine… Going to a funeral always makes you weak… You have to face the reality against immortality… Strange feeling… We all want to be immortal… If you don’t than you are a big liar! You are indeed…

But we are not here to make moral lessons, but speak about more important things;

After funerals I like to go back to classics - it may refresh your mind and soul... Why classics? Obviously they become immortals... Right?

 This is my favorite - Marcus Tullius Cicero… He wrote this few decades before the Virgin Mary was born...

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious, but it cannot survive treason from within. 
An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly, but the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. 
For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their garments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men.  He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.  A murderer is less to fear.”  

I have just one remark about Ed Snowden’s ongoing scandal;

 

Several heads of states got angry, when they have realised, that their phones were tapped; Angela got angry, as this was the “gratitude” the Americans showed to her, when she turned her own party sentiments towards a friendly  trans Atlantic dialog and building the trust with the Americans.

Now we all learned a lesson - Never trust the Americans!

Or in other words, you can trust them, but they will never trust you...

However there is nothing to complain about them. They also do not trust themselves. 

Do you remember the USD notes?

Any further question?

I am still curious if and when someone will claim the economic impacts of this surveillance program…

USA has one of the strictest laws about “insider trading”.

“Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) by individuals with access to non-public information about the company. In various countries, insider trading based on inside information is illegal. This is because it is seen as unfair to other investors who do not have access to the information.” (Source: Wikipedia)

We can only guess for what purposes the US and the British intelligence services were using information gathered from the world’s top leaders… They would be total fouls not to take advantage of this.

We know already, that the US was gathering information, that it was illegal, it was against their constitution, and it is highly immoral; What else we need to know?

US (and also the EU) was very strict on punishing the banks for any wrongdoing – this year the banks paid about 43 billions in fines and settlements… http://www.cnbc.com/id/101295147

When shall UK and US pay for illegally gathering and misusing the strictly confidential insider economic information?

Can we find any co-relation between US economic top decision-making process and that information gathered?

It is only the matter of time and effort to find out a very clear direct link… You need to trust me on this.

It should be otherwise the vital interest of most of the nations – not to talk so much about the matter of Angela Merkel’s privacy, but they supposed to raise the question of an independent Nation’s privacy…

Sounds pretty interesting right?

Since the first world war the rules of the war are set; The beauty of the intelligence activity is, that it has no international rules set; However a certain “code of conduct” is followed, based on centuries old practices in this “field”; However there are bilateral agreements – we can certainly agree, that the US-German agreement did not allow the Americans to listen Angela’s phoneJ)

So it is time to sit down and draw some lines; on a multinational level;

Many people think this is a political and moral issue – it is not really – this is very much an economic issue;

It is a huge difference for Ben Bernanke to wake up and to know, where Angela, Francois, Dilma and the others are going to move next week, than for Angela, Francois or Dilma to wake up and to try to guess what Ben will do;

And this behaviour is certainly unfair; Not only to Angela, but also to all the investors doing honest business in Germany, France, and the EU or in Brazil; 

As the USA is cheating them from the moment they gather any insider info about any independent Nation’s leader or any person, who has influence on the course of that national economy or economic alliance.

This may cost billions to those investors in Germany, France, EU or Brazil, which they can lose in few seconds. 

And tempering the libor is nothing in comparison with one single decision made in US based on that kind of insider info….

In my previous posts I called David a traitor… He is the modern day Judas indeed… Britain once will pay a huge price because of this dandy boy… Remember him and make sure never forgive him… (And let me remind you the first sentence of the quote…)… 

No mercy!

And there is one more aspect of the same dilemma;

The US regards itself as a role model for equal opportunity concept; this supposed to be one of the main pillars of their democratic idea;

However the same US is the first, which violates this principle on the international level, where their main principle is to use unequal force, taking advantage by any means and use open discrimination;

It is true, that they do this to make their own businesses and people happier and their own nation stronger.

However they should think sometimes for a second, about the cost of their actions and how many people’s life on the planet they make worst, or absolutely miserable.

Hey guys! Think about the cost of your action!

It is also a big question, if the US politicians will ever learn, that this kind of actions sooner or later will bitterly backfire on them… 

And I am wondering, how many more lessons the US has to learn, before they shall stop doing the same mistakes?  

And what remained for the rest of the World?

I let you think about….

Can money make you happy?

Bismarck & Angela…

Can money make you happy?

Far too many things happened during the recent weeks…

Nelson Mandela died; - RIP

The social democrats voted for grand coalition in Germany;

The Ukrainian president made a U-turn and wants to join the Russian economic zone;

The US has the lowest unemployment rate since the beginning of the crisis;

Ireland exits the EU bailout program;

A federal judge ruled at last Monday that the National Security Agency's collection of phone records "almost certainly" violates the Constitution, setting up a larger legal battle over long-secret counterterrorism programs. – Good news not only for Ed Snowden…

But at this moment I would like to talk about Bismarck and Angela! Did you know, that Angela means Angel?

Otto Eduard Leopold Von Bismarck was born near Berlin at 1^st of April… 1815… 1815 is a very interesting year…

-        39 German states unite under Act of Confederation;

-        End of the Congress of Vienna: New European political situation is set.

-        Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon defeated;

-        Napoleon surrendered, later exiled on St Helena;

-        Russia, Prussia & Austria sign Holy Alliance;

-        2nd Peace of Paris: France and allies after 2nd defeat and abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte;

-        Russia, Prussia, Austria & England signs Alliance "for the maintenance of peace in Europe" same day as Treaty of Paris;

-         City of Kraków (Poland) declared a free republic state by the Congress of Vienna;

-       Adoption of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland;

And the small Otto did not even imagine, that he will have to deal with all this ”mess” created the same year, when he was born…

Otto by the way was a talented student both, in Berlin and Gottingen... He even managed to enter the Prussian civil service, but he felt so much bored, that he resigned at 1838…

1847 - he married Johanna von Puttkamer. The woman must have been a strong personality, as she managed to put him (I mean Otto) in order…

 One year later he fell deep into all the politics, intrigues and tactics of the 1848 revolution…  He started his “official” political career in the Prussian legislature and was appointed by the king to represent Prussia in the German Confederation;

He also served as an ambassador in Russia and France. He gained a massive reputation as an ultra conservative royalist… By 1862 he returned to Prussia and the new king Wilhelm I appointed him as prime minister (what a bright story right?).

Bismarck had one goal. To unify all the German states in one. It took him less the 10 years to achieve his goal and raise to the throne of the German Empire Wilhelm I.

Next goal of Bismarck was to make Germany the major player in Europe. He also realized, that this can be achieved only if he creates peace in Europe.

Bismarck resigned at 1890 and he died at 1898. The peace remained until the First World War. Peace, when there was not a single day in Europe without war for the last 1000 years!

Among other achievements, Germany became the first nation in the world to adopt a social, health and retirement insurance program. Do you hear this???? From an ultra conservative royalist right?

But please listen the next chapter…

Angela Dorothea Kasner, or how we know her, Angela Merkel…

 She was born at July 1954.

That was a turbulent year… The colonial era started to come to an end, the Allied nations stop the occupation of Germans, Vietnam wins independence and the cold war starts to get more an more freezing… The post war arrangements come to a relative stand still. Germany surpass its pre-war economic achievements, thanks to the Marshall Plan, which ended 2 years before… The West Germans cannot even guess, that they are to witness 20 years of prosperity…

Here is the list of events… I think it is useful to read as many things happening to us today, having roots since then…

-        Queen Elizabeth II opens NZ parliament;

-        Military rule in Egypt; 318 Mohammedan Brotherhood arrested

-        Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS);

-        Ground breaking begins on Disneyland;

-        President Eisenhower reports detonation of 1st H-bomb (done in 1952) a number of nuclear tests follows;

-        Snow falls on Gibraltar

-        Eisenhower warns against US intervention in Vietnam

-        General Zahedi wins election in Persia

-        Syrian army drives out president Adib el-Shishakli;

-        Abdul Nasser appointed Egyptian premier

-        Michigan rep Ruth Thompson (R) introduces legislation to ban mailing "obscene, lewd, lascivious or filthy" phonograph (rock & roll) records;

-        Russia wins title in their 1st international ice hockey competition;

-        Viet Nam’s General Giap opens campaign on Bien Phu;

-        USSR offers to join NATO;

-        The West German government refuses to recognize DDR;

-        President Eisenhower fears "domino-effect" in Indo-China;

-        Robert Oppenheimer accused of being a communist;

-        Colonel Nasser seizes power & becomes PM of Egypt;

-        USAF flies French battalion to Vietnam;

-         USSR joins UNESCO;

-        1st American, civilian pilot, P.R. Holden, wounded in Indochina;

-        Australia & USSR break diplomatic relations;

-        Bell labs announces 1st solar battery (NYC);

-        Nationwide test of Salk anti-polio vaccine begins;

-        Military coup by general Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay;

-        French surrender after 55-day battle at Dien Bien Phu;

-        US, Great-Britain & France reject Russian membership in NATO;

-        Bolshoi-ballet does not appear in Paris;

-        Postmaster General Summerfield approves CIA mail-opening project;

-        Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of Nationalist China;

-        German airline Lufthansa forms;

-        IBM announces vacuum tube "electronic" brain that could perform 10 million operations an hour;

-        Dutch bishops forbid membership to non-catholic sporting clubs;

-        Emile Zatopek runs world record 5K (13:57.2)

-        France grants Vietnam independence inside French Union;

-        UEFA (Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is formed in Basle, Switzerland.

-        Ngo Dinh Diem elected president of Vietnam;

-        1st nuclear power station opens (Obninsk, near Moscow, Russia);

-        CIA-sponsored rebels overthrow elected government of Guatemala;

-        West Germany beats Hungary 3-2 for soccer's 5th World Cup in Bern;

-        B-52A bomber made its maiden flight;

-        Construction begins on Disneyland;

-        Theodor Heuss re-elected president of West Germany;

-        Armistice for Indo-China signed, Vietnam separates into North & South;

-        Eisenhower signs Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party;

-        Espionage & Sabotage Act of 1954 signed;

-        US spy plane shot down above Siberia;

-        USSR performs number of nuclear tests;

-        1st nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, commissioned under Commander Eugene P.

-        School integration begins in Wash DC & Baltimore Md public schools;

-        Ho Chi Minh returns to Hanoi after withdrawal of the French troops;

-        Egypt & Great Britain sign treaty; British troops depart;

-        Indonesian troops land in New-Guinea;

-        West Germany joins North Atlantic Treaty Organization;

-        Britain, England, France & USSR agree to end occupation of Germany;

-        President Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam;

-        Trieste returned to Italy;

Angela, a West German citizen, still will not witness the prosperity… As daughter of a pastor, her family is placed to a small town 80 km from Berlin in East Germany. They had the privilege to travel freely between East and West and to have cars…

Angela had her first “political” role, as secretary at the East German Young Communist League (FDJ) in the Academy of Sciences… She was by the way among the best in math and Russian…

In the University of Leipzig Angela could show first time her organizational and political abilities… She was participating in a project of building a student club and recreational facility on her campus. This thought to be nearly an impossible plan at that time in DDR. (You would not understand, if you would not try to do the same under the similar conditions. You must trust me… This was a hard job… Just like to keep alive John Connor in Terminator 3...)

At 1989 Angela was already in the middle of the political events, and being the deputy spokes person of the last, pre-unification government of DDR (anyone needs an advice what was the DDR?).

At 1990 she was elected to Bundestag from the district of Stralsund – Nordvorpommern - Ruegen… And she get re-elected in her district since then…

Ruegen Ohhh! The most beautiful island in Germany! Will never forget!

Let’s jump a bit further…. Angela gets the main power within her political party after Kohl’s scandal… This was in fact a milestone in German politics – 2000 was the year of general clean up… You know, when they clean the corrupt guys out!!!! (Sounds surreal in many places in the World, but this really happened in Germany!!)

At 22^nd of November she becomes the first female chancellor of Germany.

Within the party they call her “Mutti” (mother) and mostly they compare her to Margaret Thatcher… There are certain similarities indeed, but so far I would better compare her to Bismarck…

Both, deeply conservative, both extremely good and clever politicians, both very pragmatic, both not very strong in economics, but booth look into one single goal, to serve their own nation!

Listen to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! – always vote for someone believes in you!

Angela was accused of collaborating with the Honecker boys.

Any “regime” should learn about the East German and East European experience... (But not so recently during “Arab Spring” some more guys learned the same bitter lesson on their own skin)

There are three categories of people (or in other words your own nationals):

-        One is protesting and talking day and night nonsense against the system… We have a sentence – “barking dogs never bite”..

-        One is keeping passive and silent; these guys can be spotted out soooo easyyy!

-        One is waving the flag pleasing you at every corner and having a very specific and very firm private opinion about you; Do not be mistaken – this guys are the real danger for any kind of “establishment”… And the STASI knew about this… Just they did not have enough means to spot those guys out… And even they would found them, they could do nothing against them.. They were the most loyal members of the DDR political society…

Trust me, they went after Angela – a good old game of catch me if you can - right????? Angela has a good sense of humor… She learned and earned it those times...

Bismarck was deadly afraid of the socialist ideas, so he created the first steps of a welfare system. Angela is about to rule the second time in grand coalition with the socialist… Is she so much in love with them?

The answer is no, but she follows the wish of the majority of her German voters… And they have voted for her to make this (grand) coalition…

Since the Marshall Plan Germany became a major player in Europe, but in fact since 2005 Germany is the “de facto” and the undisputed major and main player of Europe. This becomes the most evident after the economic troubles, from which Germany came out as the strongest nation. The history repeats itself, a bit over 100 years before Bismarck also managed to sideline France…

Do you remember the historic dance of Angela with Nicolas?

Strange how a women can lead a guy right? It is not strange to any husband to experience, but can be strange to any states man… And did you see how Angela has cannibalized Monsieur Hollande? Francois!!!! Angela did not had to force any reverse dancing this time. Nicolas at least gave some more resistance for defense of his nation. Good to know... Good for France! Vive la France!

And what is the story, why the Germans, and why not the French? Tour the France, World Football cup? Michel Platini or Zindeine Zidane? No!!!!…. Excuses moi, no, je ne regret rien!!!

Is this because the French are the biggest drinkers of red wine in the World? And the Germans drink beer? Or because the French sleep the longest time during their life among all the Europeans after the Greeks? Or because they make love as frequent as the worlds best lovers, the Italians?  Or might be because they spend their longest lunchtime in the World in famous bistros and restos of France enjoying government subsidy, which naturally includes red wine on the table?

May be… or may be not…

Up to you to find it out... But I have one more story for you.. I admire the Paris METRO… Really I do so… I have spent on it a lot of time.. First I have had to figure it out, how I could travel free of charge… I was nearly 20 at that time… I was living those days on an empty baguette with some french-fries… I loved it all… I love Paris and France!

So, when I came to Berlin, than I have found U-Bahn and S-Bahn… they looked different – they were not like the French metro… Going up and down… U-Bahn went under and S-Bahn went on the top…

I have learned one thing I could never learn in my life…

This was the only public transport system, where they told me WHEN THE TRAIN SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE!!!!!

You understand the difference – anywhere else they tell you, when it arrives. But in here you could see if it is ahead or behind the schedule… And most of the time it was IN TIME… You could adjust your watch after DB arrival times… Amazing right?

And this was the other story, what I loved in Germany. These crazy guys were obsessed with their clocks – lots of clocks – and they all moved properly… I was amazed of this… I really was…

Let me tell you secretly - I am a totally disorganized guy – I HATE THOSE GERMANSJ))

And I do admire them a lot at the same time…

So we are coming back to our topic – for what reason we talk about Otto, Angela, Nicolas and all this stupid history? Is this having any connection to our topic?

Uhhh… The Marshall Plan was designed NOT to rebuild anything… It was designed to put back in shape the whole Europe  - and this was the first step to the till now “troubled” EU and it was to introduce anything, which is new and innovative! Not only to Germany, but for the whole Europe..

Strange, but it was even offered to USSR, the main ally of USA!  Yepp. The Marshall Plan!

Money spent? Not muchJ)) about 150 billion USD in today’s dollar terms..

Do we love for this the USA????

No, Neun, Nicht, Niet, Khong, Ohh Noooo! Or can I say this in any other language?

You know what was happening?

USA never thinks for a single second to pay you a penny for free…

No way… Forget it…

They have just “sssshit” into their Pampers (or Huggies???), that Europe is going to collapse and the big USSR shall take over their beloved Ireland and Europe and create an extended Albanian state under the rule of Enver Hoxha or in the best scenario with the famous Latino, Franco macho French lover Superman, Nicolai Ceausescu and his charming wife Helena… But if we put apart this bad jokes, than we realize, that the after war Europe was effectively falling under the hands of the left wing parties and the people started to be more and more inpatient after the general euphoria over the end of the war…

Why would Europe collapse? Well, for the first two years of peace the idea was to punish the Germans. They have dismantled and shipped out a lot of factories, equipment, practically the Allies took whatever interested them. But it turned out, that by punishing the Germans they punish the whole Europe. Germans were linked so closely to other economies, that there was no way for “separate punishment”…

So can we say, that one of the best national strategies is to become un-replaceable for others? Can we say, that integration with other economies is a win strategy? Is this important to check who depends on whom?

And I let you wonder about this till next few days, as this post start to become too long for a short reading…

And before you jump for your holiday shopping, I would recommend you to read few articles…

It turns out, that those very upset Greeks are still spending more in the middle of their crisis, than the Germans…. Interesting right? Did you think for a second who’s’ money the Greek spend?

ww.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-11/germans-go-grinch-while-europes-weakest-spend-big-on-christmas

And it is even more interesting, that 26% of Greeks feel suffering in their country… And by this they are one of the leading nations in suffering… And what about Germans? There you have 6% of the  guys suffering. At the end of the day the Germans spend less for their holiday joy, but feel much more happy, than the Greeks...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/166076/suffering-bulgaria-armenia-highest-worldwide.aspx

So can money make you happy?