Bjarne Riis doing the Barnyard Talk about Andy Schleck

Bjarne did his barnyard talking about Andy Schleck in the Danish Ekstrabladet: Baa, baa, Andy is not going to win; Oink, oink, Andy is not disciplined; Quack, quack, he lacks the final bit!

But, tweet, tweet, Alberto Contador is almost perfect. Meow, meow, me am going to work on just some details with him (like eating contaminated Moo, moo?), and neigh, neigh, Andy's problem is that he is a contemporary of Contador.

Not much value can be extracted from the spiteful declarations of a man who was directing Andy while negotiating a deal with his immediate opponent Contador during the Tour of 2010, and not much credence comes from the man who directed Contador in 2011 and failed to have him win his 4th Tour de France.

But that barnyard talk is good to light a fire. Maybe this doesn't make Andy Schleck perfect, but hopefully enraged enough to do Ruff, ruff on the Tour 2012. Here are our friends from Velonation:

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/10740/Bjarne-Riis-Andy-Schleck-lacks-the-will-to-win-the-Tour-de-France.aspx

Or the original bjarnyardish version:

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/article1681268.ece

Grand Duke of Luxembourg visits HCM City

As seen in "Saigon" English Version:

http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/National/2011/11/98110/

Surely a memorable event. No doubt because of the relationships developed.

In the strictly reserved Luxembourg back-kitchen, it is a memorable visit also because of the one who wasn't there. What that story is however, remains among us, the Luxembourgish speaking Luxembourgers. That's not many, and helps keeping things confidential.

Now you burn with envy? Try to understand what is going on. I have a calling:

http://peckvillchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/meng-kandidatur-fir-wiertschaftsministe.html

Robert "Bobby" Mandell, new Ambassador, drives to Luxembourg with his shofar.

Though a shofar is not a chauffeur, it reminds me of Pearle Mesta in Irving Berlins "Call me Madam".

Upon swearing her in, President Truman (oh Presidents did that theselves!?) said: "Congratulations, Madam Ambassador. When do you leave us?"

"Tomorrow morning!"

"And when do you arrive at your new post?"

'I don't know! Hey Boss, where the heck is Luxembourg?"

The real story seems to have been that she eventually landed in Paris and her chauffeur drove her to the wrong place: looking for Luxembourg in the Belgian Province of Luxembourg.

Today a GPS might help, but careful. The margin of error is small and you could miss the target.

I am generally and personally most intrigued by the following quote (link below):

"The present ambassador to Luxembourg spoke first and told us it is home to the second largest investment fund in the world, behind only the United States, and that it has strategic and financial importance in the world because it is the home of the United States’ and the EU’s money-laundering protections and operations."

I guess that's the Charge d'Affaires who was talking in approximations. The post is vacant. But the quote sounds quite funny to the people in the know. There you have it, the key word(s): money laundering. Our operations are well protected. What a smart move to do it also for the US. But there I'm tooting our horn. Precedence now for the shofar.

Congratulations, Mr. Ambassador.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/10/the-scene-at-robert-mandels-swearing-in-as-u-s-ambassador.html

Prince Alwaleed receives Crown Prince Guillaume of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

This story has two very important aspects. Here is the story as reported from Saudi Arabia:

http://www.ameinfo.com/256255.html

The first piece of information is that Luxembourg continues a long tradition of creativeness when it comes to economic development and its corollary of establishing privileged relationships anywhere in the world. The targeted support from the Crown Prince of Luxembourg has over the years proven to be an invaluable contribution to that effort.

When we think a little bit, we agree with Thomas Friedman that the world is flat: everyone is competing. We know that our Benelux partners are no exception. That's the second piece of information.

So who set up the Luxembourg delegation, that includes "HE Mr. Ron Srikker, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Saudi Arabia"? !! Business meetings are confidential by essence. This is the equivalent of taking your mother in law to your honey moon.

Luxembourg gives large aid package to Burkina Faso

It strikes me how much Luxembourg is spending under the responsibility of one Department: the Ministry of of Cooperation and Humanitarian Action headed by Marie Josée Jacobs. Here $84 million, according to the Washington Post.

http://tinyurl.com/6dkz4t6

This is not the only big ticket from the same Department. Similar numbers have been presented for other recipients.

http://egidethein.blogspot.com/2010/08/luxembourg-buys-hot-air-from-estonia.html

It's nice to have or to get those amounts. I would however point out two facts of life: Luxembourg itself has 15% of its population teetering in poverty, despite having the highest per capita BNP. The second is the otherwise debated usefulness of those programs and the dangers of misappropriation of those funds.

http://egidethein.blogspot.com/2009/11/luxembourg-lesson-of-democracy-that.html

Ah, the fact that some of the programs financed here are supervised by the United Nations! I'm so relieved to know that!

US Ambassador to Luxembourg resigns

US Ambassador to Luxembourg resigns

Though we called her Madam! OK, we know the Public Affairs mill's jargon and what that explains. I couldn't have done it better. But really? You stayed for about a year, for a territory that makes almost 4 digits: 999 sq-miles. That's about 3 sq-miles per day!

We are going to miss you, Madam!

Here is the good part: welcome back to the US.

Luxembourg: iPhone 4 – Luxgsm, Tango and Orange Prices and Packages Compared

A very good and useful initiative and compilation by online-marketing.lu. Interesting blog.

http://www.online-marketing.lu/blog/mobile/iphone-4-luxembourg-provider-comparison

"iPhone 4 is now available in Luxembourg – Luxgsm, Orange and Tango's offers are analyzed and compared right here"

Luxembourg and Australia: And , oh no, the winner is Luxembourg!

The Mouse that roared! Roude Le'iw huel Se! Andy Schleck, go get him!
Running up the white flag on foreign affairs.

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/running-up-the-white-flag-on-foreign-affairs-20100720-10jk6.html

Everyone should by now have gotten visits, if not bribes, from three contenders for two seats at the UN Security Council. Those candidates were Australia, Finland and Luxembourg. Guess what: those who didn't yet get any bribe or any visit, forget about it then. There are only two candidates left. Australia dropped out, given the ridiculous cost for a questionable prestige win.

For Luxembourg it means, we cannot even withdraw. We won for the second time in our history after that glorious assault on the USA of our twelve men expeditionary corps under the unlucky leadership of Peter Sellers in the "Mouse that Roared". We were destined to lose, but Peter Seller's men messed up and inadvertently won the war against the US.

Now someone messed up history again and we are going to get that seat on that thing, or "machin" as de Gaulle used to say. There we'll save the world, tell Israel what they do wrong, embrace Ahmewhatever and reunite Belgium. But you, you the Dutch, who sided with Australia against Luxembourg, get prepared. We'll send you upside down right down under so that your brains get some irrigation in that inversed position. What a blunder! We resent it. It is hard to believe that we were once part of the Netherlands! Though even then Luxembourg had a higher elevation at Grevels Knapp.

I know, it's hard to believe: we could have spared those promotional trips to Ulan Bator, Bandar Seri Begawan and Asuncion. Asuncion is that Paraguay or Uruguay? Got you there! You should know if you pretend to save the world.

The ominous article concludes: "Leaving Luxembourg to take a seat on the council unchallenged would be like delegating questions of international peace and security to the mayor of Geelong." You have to know that Juncker is no mayor of Geelong. Where the heck is Geelong? Uruguay? We haven't been there yet.

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.