Monday, June 28, 2010

Bjarne Riis responds to Andersen's new Luxembourg ProTour team, Schlecks likely gone

Bjarne Riis responds to Andersen's new Luxembourg ProTour team, Schlecks likely gone

A Luxembourg Team around the Schleck Brothers? What about Lance Armstrong?

There we are, one year later. The Schlecks are going to leave Saxo Bank Team and join a "Luxembourg based team."
Please see the story here at Velonation.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4690/Bjarne-Riis-responds-to-Andersens-new-Luxembourg-ProTour-team-Schlecks-likely-gone.aspx

I'm not sure what this team will be. It is bad strategy to announce this at 5 days before the beginning of the Tour de France. But you could argue that it is Ok. It is proof of a high self-confidence ahead of the biggest event of the year.

But is it meticulously preparing a career, that as everyone knows considers Lance Armstrong as a retired participant? What can a Luxembourg team bring to the Schlecks except the fact that both are the guaranteed leaders? We all know that in this short career, income derived from corporate endorsements beats wins and salaries. Therefore my post from last year is still as to the point as last year. Please go and have a look here:

http://egidethein.blogspot.com/2009/07/luxembourg-tour-de-france-armstrong.html

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Canoeists survive Bucks County capsize - The Trentonian News: Serving Trenton and surrounding communities. (trentonian.com)

This must be a message from a parallel world:

Canoeists survive Bucks County capsize - The Trentonian News: Serving Trenton and surrounding communities. (trentonian.com)


This is a brilliant parable. The name Luxembourg got my attention first, the name of a Lake in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. First question: Is the Lake the size of Luxembourg, like the Icebergs slitting away from the shelf ice, or a measurement unit for the oil spill in the Gulf?

Anyway, a canoe capsized, but everything went well. Only some bruises. So we may rejoice and catch the deep meaning in this hidden message.

Im sure, this is hidden message from the "powers", a very classical parable: it needed the name Luxembourg to set the environment. Who are those guys in the canoe, named "Tripartite", paddling wildly on Lake Luxembourg? Were they navigating under Luxembourg flag? We learn, at least in the biblical sense, that with uncoordinated paddling, the team goes overboard. The good news is that on Lake Luxembourg that's not to big a deal. You are always close to the shore.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Tour de France on Versus

Let the serious things begin. Tour de France is on soon. In the US get Versus!

http://www.versus.com/blogs/2010-cycling-events/tour-de-france-tv-schedule/

If you bet that Schleck wins, this year you have two chances to be right. Both Schlecks are in good shape.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Friday, June 18, 2010

Feierwon: Le Luxembourg et la Pyramide de Madoff

This aticle in French is about UBS facing a probe in Luxembourg.

Feierwon: Le Luxembourg et la Pyramide de Madoff

It is well known that Madoff had its tentacles well spread into the financial center of Luxembourg, About $2.5 billion are said to be lost. Investors by the thousands scrambled in a difficult attempt to get some money back.

Now that they are somewhat organized, Luxembourg authorities launched a criminal investigation. That's bad news: a curious principle edicts that criminal proceedings have precedence over civil matters. The plaintiffs have to wait out the criminal case.

A strange twist is that at the time of the Madoff affair, Luxembourg law didn't cover the aspect of corporate criminal liability. Is the time spent then on criminal proceedings lost time?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Gulf of Mexico, BP, the US, the Oil Spill and Luxembourg


I'm living on the Gulf Coast, and given the fact that the now notorious oil leak is in its 58th day, I start wondering.... People get pretty frustrated with the seemingly "Mission Impossible" to stop the leak. Those who think they could easily do so are even more frustrated. As evidenced here in a quote from the Lloyd's List Intelligence:

"AN OFFER by Belgian dredging giant Jan de Nul, (headquartered in Luxembourg), to bring an early end to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was turned down because of a protectionist US law, the company said today.
Jan de Nul offered to send its fallpipe vessel Simon Stevin to the Gulf of Mexico but was frustrated by the US Jones Act, which restricts coastal traffic to vessels built and flagged in the US."

The fallpipe vessel Simon Stevin, navigating under Luxembourg flag is described in this Dutch speaking video, that shows the essential pictures. Read on for a summary.

http://www.tvoost.be/nl/2010-06-09/de-nul-hekelt-aanpak-olievlek/

The video explains that the vessel is equipped with a 1 meter diameter fallpipe, which compares to the 6" pipe being used now. If my math is right that is about a 1:40 difference. The fall pipe is 2,000 meters long. The video shows other equipment that would have been able to build a berm around the marshes.

The Jones Act, acts against common sense.