Juncker Will Stay As Head Of Eurogroup, WirtschaftsWoche Reports

Bloomberg reported news from Wirtschaftswoche, according to which Juncker will stay on as President of the Eurogroup, AND Yves Mersch, the Luxembourg central banker will join the Executive Board of ECB.


If confirmed, this reveals Juncker's excellent skills around the un-elected European power alleys. He contemplated the possibility to be outmaneuvered and said he would not pursue the job anymore. Then helped setting rules for his successor to be a former head of government, then lobbied for Mr. Schaeuble, himself not a head of government, and finished visiting Mr. Hollande almost minutes after he got elected President of France. To knowledgeable observers, this was clear evidence of a covert operation to keep the job.


What is more, Juncker has declared that he would prefer concentrating on his job as Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and that accumulating two jobs would be unrealistic for the future head of Eurogroup. That notion got amended more recently into something that makes it all of a sudden highly desirable again that Mr Euro should also be a national Minister of Finance, which he is. Accumulating or not? Mr. Frieden, his successor in petto as Prime Minister of Luxembourg, keeps his fingers crossed.


If all this is true, it is a beautiful success for Juncker in the messy European establishment politics. It was also always speculated that if Juncker would stay on as Mr Euro, that would preclude Yves Mersch from joining the ECB's Executive Board. According to Wirtschaftswoche's sources, Luxembourg would get the two prizes! A double whammy!


We might not beat Malta in soccer, but our people are tops in Europe, and tell you where it goes around! No wonder you all trust us with your money in our banks. We provide the sheriffs as you can see.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charges Lance Armstrong who denies charges.

Lance Armstrong was formally charged with doping as ESPN reported.

Our Luxembourg cycling fans will note in the correspondence available at ESPN, and the initial paragraph of which is below, that also named is Mr. Bruyneel, who is, if I'm not wrong, Andy and Frank Schleck's manager. 

It is a sad day for cycling, even if this this turns out to be untrue. But this is a steep mountain to climb.

In so many words!

When regulators meet in Luxembourg:

Come see how we do it!

Luxembourg and the 68th anniversary of D-Day

68 years after the Longest Day on Normandy's beaches on June 6th, 1944, I found no mention of the historic event in the Luxembourg online Press. Silence.

   Luxembourg-Hamm US Cemetary. Silence. Too.

Luxembourg companies operate 65% of the world's geostationary satellites

That sounds impossible?
Let's see the news: http://tinyurl.com/72xcqm9
Intelsat launched Intelsat 19. Intelsat is a Luxembourg company, since it moved its headquarters from Washington to Luxembourg.
It thus adds the satellite count to the domestic SES, which adds up to about 110. Uncertainty is about the satellites at the end of life cycle and being replaced.
That makes Luxembourg the mightiest satellite operator in the universe. What about that!?
There was a time in the 1980ies, when our French neighbors pushed to limit Luxembourg satellites' foot print to the territory of Luxembourg

EU To Extend Probe On State Aid Given To Dexia

Dexia, the crisis plagued Franco-Belgian-Luxembourg bank on life support has the number of "doctors" around it scratching their heads. Comes along the regulator, who thinks that the treatment might be illegal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120531-716485.html

It certainly reeks of therapeutic relentlessness. By the way, many of the good fine weather doctors have left the Board when things got too ugly. They had a good ride though.

The year Andy Schleck wins 2 Tours de France in one year?

Andy Schleck today was in yellow. Indeed he was declared the winner, just now in 2012, of the Tour de France 2010, after Alberto Contador lost his victory to the "contaminated beef" from a corrida doping case against him. For Andy Schleck it is a bitter victory, because he was denied the usual glory, thrill and fun of touring the Champs Elysées  in 2010 as the winner. And his fans were deprived too. His victory will forever carry a footnote, saying "after the disqualification of Alberto Contador".

The way Andy Schleck got the yellow jersey is almost a metaphor for what is wrong with 2012, and why he might not win 2 Tours the same year: This was a victory on paper by the end of the day, and the day he was clad in yellow, Andy Schleck was not a champion in top form. Actually for both Schlecks, the 2012 season has not been brilliant. But it shouldn't be that way. On paper they are two athletes  who have great talent  and can do very well. They have on paper the strongest team. They have on paper the infrastructure to support many victories, the most gifted and capable professionals managing and caring for the team. So where are the results, where is the problem?

It is somewhat unproductive and unhelpful to blame the Schlecks. To a certain point. The blame has actually to be something else, such as tough love. That's what they need, and tough love here it is:

You both are extremely gifted. So was Charly Gaul in the 50ies. Individually, that is great to have. But without a team all three of you could only be prima donnas. When Charly Gaul got this, after many glorious feats in several Tours without a final victory, and was accepting the evidence and listened to advice, that added up to his 1958 victory. His path to victory was talent, training, suffering and self-discipline. Those are all the physical and the mental ingredients that makes a winner.

 I was always convinced that in modern cycling, apart from the good luck to have great natural talent, all other attributes get acquired by methodological and science based physical and mental training. You do have the magical manager who set the scene for Lance Armstrong's many victories. Don't fight the magic. Physical preparedness can be fixed. Be careful of the emotional side and the negativity of conflict. It messes up the whole team.

Emotional preparedness comes with adhering to the idea that you have the best managers, that you are motivated, that many people contributed to get you the best team, that the Luxembourg  public will again camp on the slopes of the Alps to fire you up. But you have to be motivated, stick together with that team, work hard, persevere, suffer, impress the competition not only with your skills, but also your willpower.

No one can answer questions like these more accurately, and hopefully honestly than you: Did I prepare thoroughly for the 2012 season, do I want very badly to win, not only for me, but my team and my public, did I get out of recent competitions too easily, was I at the limit of my suffering, do I have the discipline to follow my preparation plan, even when no one is watching and lastly can I really subdue my tendency to reject authority and submit to the directions of a manager? All it takes is a quiet moment of deep honest if not brutal introspection.

You have it all together on paper, an exceptional configuration of talent, team, management and  public support. That doesn't happen very often. You are in such a privileged situation to see this through. It now is up to you to have the willpower to make it happen.