Dancing Procession Of Echternach (1924) - YouTube: "
DOUBLE CLICK:
"
Did you know you this was to save the lambs?
Did you know this is UNESCO world heritage?
Did you notice clergy doesn't dance?
In modern times the Echternach Procession has become a metaphor for government inefficiencies: two steps forward, one step backwards. A world heritage too.
'via Blog this'
Monday, May 25, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Pro-Bono advice to Luxembourg, or Bono in the Tax-shop.
My Orchids. Dendrobium "Double Irish". Photo Youtoo |
Pro-Bono advice to
Luxembourg, or Bono in the Tax-shop.
How do you preach WATER
and drink WINE? In this article by Conall Ó Fátharta of the Irish Examiner Reporter, Bono produces some good language on how to justify tax
rulings in a rush down to zero when you are a tiny country and need prosperity,
and on how to justify the same when you are a corporation. Bono’s U2 sheltered
some in the Netherlands. Here is the language from the article, “Bono: U2
‘happy to pay a fortune in tax’:
“It’s
just some smart people we have working for us trying to be sensible
about the way we are taxed.”
“Because
you’re good at philanthropy I think and because I am an activist people think
you should be stupid in business and I don’t run with that.”
But
then Guitarist The Edge ruined somewhat the argument, saying it was
“ridiculous” that people made an issue out of the band’s tax arrangements.
“So
much of our business is outside of Ireland. It’s kind of ridiculous to make a
big deal about the fact that we operate outside of Ireland because everything
we do is outside of Ireland,” he said. That wasn’t a well-coordinated response
as it opens the can of worms with the questions on how much business is U2
doing then in the Netherlands?
The
Edge through some divine intervention got punished immediately for that comment, when at the
first concert of the Band's new tour he fell over the edge and off the stage. Down,
down like a tax rate.
My
advice to Luxembourg hence is: Let Bono write your lyrics, not The Edge.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Luxembourg Prime Minister Marries Same-Sex Partner
My Orchids. Phalaneopsis "Nigerian Eye". Photo ET |
As reported in Nigerian Eye and confirmed in Outlook India, and finally on Youtube
On Youtube: CLICK to enlarge
Monday, May 4, 2015
Seniors Banking…..
My Orchids. Phalaneopsis "Can you Hear me Now? Photo. Bankers Association |
Seniors
Banking…..
This might not be true, but at least read it, feel as if we can get even with the beast!
Shown
below, is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The
bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the Times.
Dear
Sir:
I am
writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavoured to pay my
plumber last month.
By my
calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the
cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it. I refer,
of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an
arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.
You are to
be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for
debiting my account £30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your
bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused
me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed
that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, - when I try
to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless
entity which your bank has become. From now on, I, like you, choose only to
deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will
therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank,
by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank
whom you must nominate.
Be aware
that it is an OFFENCE under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an
envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your
chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order
that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no
alternative.
Please note
that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary
Public figure, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation
(income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented
proof. In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN
number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be
shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button
presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank
service.
As they
say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me
level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as
follows:
IMMEDIATELY
AFTER DIALLING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH
#1. To make
an appointment to see me
#2. To
query a missing payment.
#3. To
transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
#4 To
transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
#5. To
transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To
transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
#7. To
leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password
will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact
mentioned earlier.
#8. To
return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 to 9
#9. To make
a general complaint or inquiry.
The contact
will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering
service.
While this
may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the
duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must
also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new
arrangement.
May I wish
you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble
Client
And
remember: Don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first
place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.
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