Ho visto che i politici parlano molto spesso sull'economia, facendo delle promesse sul futuro e parlando come se fossero grandissimi esperti mondiale sul tema. Ma tutto è falso. Se si ascoltano con attenzioni i loro discorsi, è facile scoprire che soltanto dicono parole lunghe e vuote, senza significato e senza comprometersi veramente. Se le loro previsioni (spesso troppo ottimiste) non diventano realità, troveranno una scusa per non avere capito bene il futuro.
Ma è anche un errore pensare che gli economisti sapono che cose ci porterà il futuro. Un anno fa, un economista molto importante della banca dove ho il mio conto ha detto che le azioni di Citigroup dovrebbero essere comprati sui 32 dollari, Goldman Sachs diceva che l'olio avrebbe un prezzo di 200 dollari in decembre 2008, il ministro spagnolo di Economia ha fatto il budget di 2009 con una crescita del 3%, e così via...
Nella vita nessuno può sapere cosa succederà nel futuro, è lo stesso se si usano il tarocco o modelli econometrici, la securità piena sul futuro non può essere ottenuta: ci sarà sempre lo sconosciuto. Quindi, tutti quelli che dichiarano sapere con precisione cosa accaderà nel futuro (alcuni economisti) possono diventare pericolosi. Quelli che parlano sul futuro con falsa sicurezza (i politici) sono anche pericolosi.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Between planes and other stuff
I went with my friend Alberto last Saturday to Speyer, where I met my friend Maciej, who has recommended me for a long time a visit to the Techniches Museum. There you can see an impressive collection of machines, from planes to cars, from a submarine to train engines,...
But, undoubtedly, the "prima donna" of the museum is the Boeing 747, hanging around 25 metres from the ground. You can go inside it, inside every corner in the plane and you can even walk on one wing (that is what I am doing in the picture below). When you finish your visit, you can go down using the stairs or a slide (something extremely funny, which I tried four times). But before and after visiting it, the same question comes to my mind: how the hell they have taken such a huge thing up there...
But also the Antonov deserves a visit: after all, it was the largest cargo plane in the world and it has this strange charm of the Soviet Union days. If you watch the video inside, you understand why it needed five pilots: it was amazingly unstable for a plane. There are some fighters (see picture below), a ship, two helicopters (one of them huge) and a submarine. Wow, what could I say about the submarine? It was designed for 28 people and one really feels claustrofobic inside, there is not much space for anything, everything is together and there are not many exits. I just imagine living there surrounded by the ocean and I suddenly begin to love my job.
But Speyer also has a remarkable city centre, around the Maximilianstrasse, which heads up to the cathedral, one of the most impressive I have ever been (for example, much better than the cathedral in Mainz). To sum up, Speyer is an unknown place outside Germany but you will really enjoy it if you decide to spend there a day.
But, undoubtedly, the "prima donna" of the museum is the Boeing 747, hanging around 25 metres from the ground. You can go inside it, inside every corner in the plane and you can even walk on one wing (that is what I am doing in the picture below). When you finish your visit, you can go down using the stairs or a slide (something extremely funny, which I tried four times). But before and after visiting it, the same question comes to my mind: how the hell they have taken such a huge thing up there...
But also the Antonov deserves a visit: after all, it was the largest cargo plane in the world and it has this strange charm of the Soviet Union days. If you watch the video inside, you understand why it needed five pilots: it was amazingly unstable for a plane. There are some fighters (see picture below), a ship, two helicopters (one of them huge) and a submarine. Wow, what could I say about the submarine? It was designed for 28 people and one really feels claustrofobic inside, there is not much space for anything, everything is together and there are not many exits. I just imagine living there surrounded by the ocean and I suddenly begin to love my job.
But Speyer also has a remarkable city centre, around the Maximilianstrasse, which heads up to the cathedral, one of the most impressive I have ever been (for example, much better than the cathedral in Mainz). To sum up, Speyer is an unknown place outside Germany but you will really enjoy it if you decide to spend there a day.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Éramos pocos...
... y parió la abuela.
Cuando ya parecía que la crisis que ha venido sacudiendo los mercados financieros en los últimos 18 meses nos había mostrado todas sus cartas, nos encontramos con lo inesperado: una estafa piramidal en los elitistas clubes de inversión de Nueva York y Florida. Es de locos, la verdad. Aunque alguna conclusión hay que sacar de esta estafa y yo, en este corto período de tiempo, he sacado dos:
1) La SEC no sirve como organismo supervisor, no se entera de nada de lo que pasa a su alrededor. Me resulta increíble que este sea el regulador de la bolsa norteamericana. Igual se la dan bien otras cosas, pero lo que es supervisar, la verdad es que no, no es lo suyo. Alguien la tendrá que pedir responsabilidades antes o después, digo yo.
2) Me río de los que decían que la estafa piramidal (muy parecida a Fórum Filatélico y Afinsa) se produce solo por los reducidos conocimientos financieros de quien formaban parte de ella. Pues en este caso, nos encontramos con algunas de las mayores fortunas de Norteamérica, bancos europeos,... Vamos, gente que parece saber algo de las finanzas. Y que encima se consideraban privilegiados al formar parte de ella. Lo que se debe haber reído el señor Madoff en su casa todos estos años, la verdad.
Esto es lo último que ha pasado lo inmediato, pero desde mi última entrada han pasado algunas otras cosas que me gustaría, al menos, mencionar.
La primera es la ayuda que el gobierno norteamericano ha dado a Citigroup. Hace un año aproximadamente, Citigroup presumía delante de los bancos europeos de que apenas había reconocido pérdidas por los activos tóxicos de su balance, cuando sin rubor alguno las reconocía fuera de balance y latentes. El resultado es que un año después ha tenido que acudir llorando a los brazos de papá Estado. En este punto, ya he dejado de preguntarme qué papel juegan los organismos reguladores norteamericanos (SEC, FDIC,...) porque veo que no pasan de meras comparsas embutidos en caros trajes de diseño.
La ayuda al maltrecho sector del automóvil norteamericano me ha proporcionado algún que otro momento de felicidad. Resultó patético ver a tanto CEO balbucear cuando les espetaron en el Congreso de los EE.UU. por qué habían ido a esa cita en su jet privado, dado que sus empresas están tan necesitadas de dinero. Para la siguiente cita, acudieron todos en prototipos de coches eléctricos (o similares). ¿Qué será lo siguiente? ¿Ir en tren? ¿Hacer una teleconferencia con Skype? El amor propio de alguno de estos CEO ha sufrido demasiado con esto y eso es algo que me encanta, para qué lo voy a negar.
No quisiera pasar por alto la metedura de pata (¿o era intencionada?) de Goldman Sachs, hace unos meses, cuando anunciaba que el petróleo alcanzaría los 200 dólares, culpando de ello a los chinos (los pobres), por utilizar tanto petróleo. Pues bien, hoy en día el barril se encuentra por debajo de los 50 dólares y no parece que vaya a dispararse de precio en el corto plazo. Esto me deja dos conclusiones respecto a la predicción de Goldman Sachs: 1) no se enteran de nada y basan sus predicciones en hechos erróneos (si es así, se pueden juntar con los amiguitos de la SEC mencionados antes); 2) tienen algún interés oculto, en forma de derivados, para encarecer artificialmente el petróleo y así apuntarse jugosos beneficios (a esto se le llama especular).
Pues creo que ya está, no se me ocurre nadie más contra quien escribir por ahora. Así que mejor lo voy dejando, que esta entrada ya es demasiado larga. A ver lo que me encuentro la próxima vez que escriba sobre economía.
Cuando ya parecía que la crisis que ha venido sacudiendo los mercados financieros en los últimos 18 meses nos había mostrado todas sus cartas, nos encontramos con lo inesperado: una estafa piramidal en los elitistas clubes de inversión de Nueva York y Florida. Es de locos, la verdad. Aunque alguna conclusión hay que sacar de esta estafa y yo, en este corto período de tiempo, he sacado dos:
1) La SEC no sirve como organismo supervisor, no se entera de nada de lo que pasa a su alrededor. Me resulta increíble que este sea el regulador de la bolsa norteamericana. Igual se la dan bien otras cosas, pero lo que es supervisar, la verdad es que no, no es lo suyo. Alguien la tendrá que pedir responsabilidades antes o después, digo yo.
2) Me río de los que decían que la estafa piramidal (muy parecida a Fórum Filatélico y Afinsa) se produce solo por los reducidos conocimientos financieros de quien formaban parte de ella. Pues en este caso, nos encontramos con algunas de las mayores fortunas de Norteamérica, bancos europeos,... Vamos, gente que parece saber algo de las finanzas. Y que encima se consideraban privilegiados al formar parte de ella. Lo que se debe haber reído el señor Madoff en su casa todos estos años, la verdad.
Esto es lo último que ha pasado lo inmediato, pero desde mi última entrada han pasado algunas otras cosas que me gustaría, al menos, mencionar.
La primera es la ayuda que el gobierno norteamericano ha dado a Citigroup. Hace un año aproximadamente, Citigroup presumía delante de los bancos europeos de que apenas había reconocido pérdidas por los activos tóxicos de su balance, cuando sin rubor alguno las reconocía fuera de balance y latentes. El resultado es que un año después ha tenido que acudir llorando a los brazos de papá Estado. En este punto, ya he dejado de preguntarme qué papel juegan los organismos reguladores norteamericanos (SEC, FDIC,...) porque veo que no pasan de meras comparsas embutidos en caros trajes de diseño.
La ayuda al maltrecho sector del automóvil norteamericano me ha proporcionado algún que otro momento de felicidad. Resultó patético ver a tanto CEO balbucear cuando les espetaron en el Congreso de los EE.UU. por qué habían ido a esa cita en su jet privado, dado que sus empresas están tan necesitadas de dinero. Para la siguiente cita, acudieron todos en prototipos de coches eléctricos (o similares). ¿Qué será lo siguiente? ¿Ir en tren? ¿Hacer una teleconferencia con Skype? El amor propio de alguno de estos CEO ha sufrido demasiado con esto y eso es algo que me encanta, para qué lo voy a negar.
No quisiera pasar por alto la metedura de pata (¿o era intencionada?) de Goldman Sachs, hace unos meses, cuando anunciaba que el petróleo alcanzaría los 200 dólares, culpando de ello a los chinos (los pobres), por utilizar tanto petróleo. Pues bien, hoy en día el barril se encuentra por debajo de los 50 dólares y no parece que vaya a dispararse de precio en el corto plazo. Esto me deja dos conclusiones respecto a la predicción de Goldman Sachs: 1) no se enteran de nada y basan sus predicciones en hechos erróneos (si es así, se pueden juntar con los amiguitos de la SEC mencionados antes); 2) tienen algún interés oculto, en forma de derivados, para encarecer artificialmente el petróleo y así apuntarse jugosos beneficios (a esto se le llama especular).
Pues creo que ya está, no se me ocurre nadie más contra quien escribir por ahora. Así que mejor lo voy dejando, que esta entrada ya es demasiado larga. A ver lo que me encuentro la próxima vez que escriba sobre economía.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Half Italy and I in Vienna
First of all, in case Mr. Berlusconi was worried last Saturday, I must bring some important news to him. Silvio, do not worry too much if the streets were empty in Rome, Milano or Neapel; half of the population of your country was that day in Vienna. It was impossible not to listen to any word in Italian while wandering through its streets. I think I saw more Italians than in the rest of my life (what does not imply anything negative, it is just a fact).
Once done the duty, I must admit that Vienna is one of my favourites cities in Europe. One feels there something special, the city tells you that it is not a city like any other, no, it is an imperial city. The Ring is simply amazing, all the buildings around it deserve a visit: the town hall, the Burgtheater, the Hofburg, the two twin museums, the Volksgarten, the Votivkirche,... Besides, in this time of the year, Vienna is full of Christmas markets, being the one in the town hall the largest one, but not necessarily the cosiest.
Everytime I take the tram in Vienna I cannot help laughing with the recorded voice announcing the stops. It is a male voice (while in the cities I visit it is usually a female voice) and has something laughable in its tone. The way it announces the stops is really remarkable, although not always understandable, believe me.
Schönbrunn palace and gardens are also a nice place to visit. They are so big, I mean, but really, really big. I always wonder in such huge buildings who is in charge of the cleaning, because he/she must have quite a tough work. In the picture below, you can see the Gloriette from the palace itself, an amazing view. And coming back to the comment in my first paragraph, half (or more) of the people you see in this picture are Italians...
Ah, yeah, I went to Vienna to attend a seminar on IFRS and Basel II, but it is not so important after all.
Once done the duty, I must admit that Vienna is one of my favourites cities in Europe. One feels there something special, the city tells you that it is not a city like any other, no, it is an imperial city. The Ring is simply amazing, all the buildings around it deserve a visit: the town hall, the Burgtheater, the Hofburg, the two twin museums, the Volksgarten, the Votivkirche,... Besides, in this time of the year, Vienna is full of Christmas markets, being the one in the town hall the largest one, but not necessarily the cosiest.Everytime I take the tram in Vienna I cannot help laughing with the recorded voice announcing the stops. It is a male voice (while in the cities I visit it is usually a female voice) and has something laughable in its tone. The way it announces the stops is really remarkable, although not always understandable, believe me.
Schönbrunn palace and gardens are also a nice place to visit. They are so big, I mean, but really, really big. I always wonder in such huge buildings who is in charge of the cleaning, because he/she must have quite a tough work. In the picture below, you can see the Gloriette from the palace itself, an amazing view. And coming back to the comment in my first paragraph, half (or more) of the people you see in this picture are Italians...
Ah, yeah, I went to Vienna to attend a seminar on IFRS and Basel II, but it is not so important after all.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Snow and taxis
Last week I was in Luxembourg for working purposes and I cannot find a better way of summarizing what I did than with the title of this post. When I landed on Monday night, we were in the middle of a snow storm and the airport was completely white. That is the explanation of the snow. The explanation of the taxis is because in less than 24 hours I took six: from home to the airport in Frankfurt, from the airport in Luxembourg to the hotel, from the hotel to the meeting, from the meeting to the city centre, from the city centre to the airport, and from the airport in Frankfurt to home.
But there are more to write about this intense day in Luxembourg. First of all, the place of my meeting was in the third floor of a modern building which in the lower floor has... a shopping centre! I cannot believe it, but it is true, a shopping centre with Auchan.
The historical centre of Luxembourg is nice for walking as it lays in some hills and it still has part of the ancient wall which protected the city from invaders. Maybe as a consequence of the slopes, I could not see a single cyclist in Luxembourg (something quite common in Germany). The other reason behind this fact is that everybody in Luxembourg is rich enough as to own a car. The cathedral is also remarkable, although when one has visited Cologne's cathedral, everything else seems to be quite simple indeed.
Luxembourg ressembles in a certain way Andorra, as both of them seem to have been isolated places in the past, ideal for smugglers, which now make their living dressed with expensive suits and working in banks. I could walk along the headquarters of Fortis Bank (je, je, je) and I watched some advertisement in the airport of a Icelandic bank (je, je, je, again).
But there are more to write about this intense day in Luxembourg. First of all, the place of my meeting was in the third floor of a modern building which in the lower floor has... a shopping centre! I cannot believe it, but it is true, a shopping centre with Auchan.The historical centre of Luxembourg is nice for walking as it lays in some hills and it still has part of the ancient wall which protected the city from invaders. Maybe as a consequence of the slopes, I could not see a single cyclist in Luxembourg (something quite common in Germany). The other reason behind this fact is that everybody in Luxembourg is rich enough as to own a car. The cathedral is also remarkable, although when one has visited Cologne's cathedral, everything else seems to be quite simple indeed.
Luxembourg ressembles in a certain way Andorra, as both of them seem to have been isolated places in the past, ideal for smugglers, which now make their living dressed with expensive suits and working in banks. I could walk along the headquarters of Fortis Bank (je, je, je) and I watched some advertisement in the airport of a Icelandic bank (je, je, je, again).
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Team Building
Vor eiginen Wochen bin ich zu einem Dorf in Rheingau mit meinen Kollegen gefahren, um einen "Team-Building" Tag zu verleben. Wir sollten etwas über "Stress-Management" lernen. Das war eine tolle Idee, aber vielleicht haben die Italiener und die Spanier nicht alles so gut verstanden.
Zuerst soll ich sagen, dass mehr als 50% von uns aus Italien oder aus Spanien kommen. Es gibt auch vier "Antonio". Es macht einer Mehrheit von uns. Für uns war das "Stress-Management" nicht so wichting und deshalb haben wir kein Wort notiert. Einer Kollege aus Österreich hat trozt so viel geschrieben... Alle waren der Meinung, dass unsere Leiterin nicht so viel getan hat und dass sie zu viel verdient hat, aber das war nicht unsere Entscheidung. Diese Leute wird reich wegen Institutionen wie die EZB.
Unser Hotel hatte ein Sauna und manche möchten dort gehen, obwohl es geschlossen war. Das Hotel sollte uns hinein kommen lassen oder wir würden die Zinsen erhöhen, haben manche gesagt. Das war toll aber endlich waren wir ungehört. Abends habe ich Darts mit Antonio Colangelo und Pep angefangen, zu spielen und danach sind fast alle die Kollegen auch gekommen. Unser Chef Jean-Marc hat uns gesiegt, aber das war das Beste zu machen, glaub mir! Endlich bin ich gegen 1 morgen ins Bett gegangen...
Zuerst soll ich sagen, dass mehr als 50% von uns aus Italien oder aus Spanien kommen. Es gibt auch vier "Antonio". Es macht einer Mehrheit von uns. Für uns war das "Stress-Management" nicht so wichting und deshalb haben wir kein Wort notiert. Einer Kollege aus Österreich hat trozt so viel geschrieben... Alle waren der Meinung, dass unsere Leiterin nicht so viel getan hat und dass sie zu viel verdient hat, aber das war nicht unsere Entscheidung. Diese Leute wird reich wegen Institutionen wie die EZB.
Unser Hotel hatte ein Sauna und manche möchten dort gehen, obwohl es geschlossen war. Das Hotel sollte uns hinein kommen lassen oder wir würden die Zinsen erhöhen, haben manche gesagt. Das war toll aber endlich waren wir ungehört. Abends habe ich Darts mit Antonio Colangelo und Pep angefangen, zu spielen und danach sind fast alle die Kollegen auch gekommen. Unser Chef Jean-Marc hat uns gesiegt, aber das war das Beste zu machen, glaub mir! Endlich bin ich gegen 1 morgen ins Bett gegangen...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
First snow of the season
Yeah, the weather forecasts could not be so wrong and this evening I have witnessed the first snow of the winter season 2008-2009 in Frankfurt.
On Saturday I went to the football stadium to
watch the game Eintracht-Hannover 96 and I really enjoyed it: Eintrach won 4-0, playing quite a good football. However, despite my North-Pole clothes (two pairs of socks, shoes, underwear, cycling pants, trousers, T-shirt, shirt, sweater, coat, gloves, scarf, cap), I almost freezed there up there. However, it did not snow. Well, it did not snow that much, because in the first half some small white things were falling from the sky. Anyway, the views from my seat were great, as one could see the Frankfurt skyline if the game was too bored (unfortunately, as I have pointed out several times in this blog, the camera in my mobile phone is not very good indeed).
However, the big snow was forecasted for this evening and it was here just in time. These two pictures are taken from the window in my living room. Passers-by might have thought something like "who's that geek taking pictures of the snow? is it the first time in his life he sees snow?". I do not mind that much, I just wanted to have something to feed up my blog and here it is:
On Saturday I went to the football stadium to
watch the game Eintracht-Hannover 96 and I really enjoyed it: Eintrach won 4-0, playing quite a good football. However, despite my North-Pole clothes (two pairs of socks, shoes, underwear, cycling pants, trousers, T-shirt, shirt, sweater, coat, gloves, scarf, cap), I almost freezed there up there. However, it did not snow. Well, it did not snow that much, because in the first half some small white things were falling from the sky. Anyway, the views from my seat were great, as one could see the Frankfurt skyline if the game was too bored (unfortunately, as I have pointed out several times in this blog, the camera in my mobile phone is not very good indeed).However, the big snow was forecasted for this evening and it was here just in time. These two pictures are taken from the window in my living room. Passers-by might have thought something like "who's that geek taking pictures of the snow? is it the first time in his life he sees snow?". I do not mind that much, I just wanted to have something to feed up my blog and here it is:
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Juego visual
Una amiga mía (no creo tener su permiso para poner su nombre) ha estado hace unos días en Florida de vacaciones y me ha enviado esta foto. El juego consiste en encontrar un caimán y un pájaro. No prometo ningún premio pero al menos es un cierto descanso tras algunas entradas muy densas y profundas.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Qui sont les vrai pirates?
Aujourd'hui les journaux télévisés ont mentioné la séquestration d'un pétrolier dans les aux de la Somalie. Il semble que des pirates somaliens sont responsables de ce fait dans les eaux du Océan Indique. Ce n'est pas la première fois et peut-être qu'il ne soit pas la dernière.
Mais ce que je me demande est qui sont les vrais pirates? Les hommes qui sont à bord du pétrolier ou les avocats londoniens qui les répresent en les negotiations pour le libérer? Comment est possible que des pirates somaliens (qui n'habitent pas dans notre societé occidental et ne conaissent pas notre lois) ont des avocats? Pour moi la réponse est claire: certains pirates sont encore dans la mer mais des autres travaillent avec des costumes sur mesure dans les bureaux.
Mais ce que je me demande est qui sont les vrais pirates? Les hommes qui sont à bord du pétrolier ou les avocats londoniens qui les répresent en les negotiations pour le libérer? Comment est possible que des pirates somaliens (qui n'habitent pas dans notre societé occidental et ne conaissent pas notre lois) ont des avocats? Pour moi la réponse est claire: certains pirates sont encore dans la mer mais des autres travaillent avec des costumes sur mesure dans les bureaux.
Friday, November 14, 2008
London (again)
Yes, for the second time in two weeks, I had to go to London for working purposes. But being in London is always a pleasure, one can always find something enjoyable and this time was not an exception. What is more, it did not snow as in my previous two times there and this really helped me a lot.
My hotel was quite close to the British Museum and I had to pay a visit there, I was forced to it, I just could not help it. Last time I was in the British Museum, it was snowing and the olympic torch was coming in front of it, with hundreds of demostrators shouting in favour of Tibet. This time, however, everything was quieter. The Bristish Museum (despite the lie in its name) is amazing: in two minutes, one can change culture without even realising it. It is certainly one of my favourite places in London.
These days the whole country was remembering the fallen soldiers in the Remembrance Day and many people were wearing a red ribbon on their chest. It is quite a remarkable initiative, which aims not to forget those who gave their life serving their country, regardless the sense of the war they were involved in. Here lays the most significant of their sacrifice: they were soldiers and they could not go back just because they did not share the opinion of their government.
The public transport in London is supposed to be one of the best in the world. However, I had strange experiences in it in just five days. First, I took an empty bus in the area of Canary Wharf and for several stops nobody came in. When I left it, in front of Canary Wharf underground station, I had not seen any human being for quite a long time. On the other hand, one evening, the underground station of Holborn was closed just because there were too many people inside waiting for the trains. Do you see? In the same context, we have solitude and crowds. It can only happen in London.
Finally, during my work there I met the CEO of an international organisation and he was some kind of weirdo. While seated in the meeting, he was silent playing with his Blackberry (should I write it with capital "B"?). But suddenly, he just stood up and leant against a wall, making some noises with coins... It is unbelievable, believe me. He was like a character from "The Sopranos" or like the bad guy in films like Seven.
Finally, as I do not know when I will back in London again, let me post a nice picture I took on Sunday morning.
My hotel was quite close to the British Museum and I had to pay a visit there, I was forced to it, I just could not help it. Last time I was in the British Museum, it was snowing and the olympic torch was coming in front of it, with hundreds of demostrators shouting in favour of Tibet. This time, however, everything was quieter. The Bristish Museum (despite the lie in its name) is amazing: in two minutes, one can change culture without even realising it. It is certainly one of my favourite places in London.
These days the whole country was remembering the fallen soldiers in the Remembrance Day and many people were wearing a red ribbon on their chest. It is quite a remarkable initiative, which aims not to forget those who gave their life serving their country, regardless the sense of the war they were involved in. Here lays the most significant of their sacrifice: they were soldiers and they could not go back just because they did not share the opinion of their government.
The public transport in London is supposed to be one of the best in the world. However, I had strange experiences in it in just five days. First, I took an empty bus in the area of Canary Wharf and for several stops nobody came in. When I left it, in front of Canary Wharf underground station, I had not seen any human being for quite a long time. On the other hand, one evening, the underground station of Holborn was closed just because there were too many people inside waiting for the trains. Do you see? In the same context, we have solitude and crowds. It can only happen in London.
Finally, during my work there I met the CEO of an international organisation and he was some kind of weirdo. While seated in the meeting, he was silent playing with his Blackberry (should I write it with capital "B"?). But suddenly, he just stood up and leant against a wall, making some noises with coins... It is unbelievable, believe me. He was like a character from "The Sopranos" or like the bad guy in films like Seven.
Finally, as I do not know when I will back in London again, let me post a nice picture I took on Sunday morning.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Riunioni di lavoro
Oggi sono stato in una riunione di lavoro e veramente ogni volta sono più convinto che non servono a niente. Ho passato due ore con i miei colleghi parlando e non abbiamo deciso niente: venti persone non hanno fatto niente in due ore perchè ci trovavano in riunione! Non va male come perdita di produtivittà, vero?
Anche mi colpisce molto come i miei colleghi vengono con tasse di caffé, acqua,... come si andassero alla guerra. Alcuni anche escono della camera, tranquillamente senza fretta, per prendere più bevande o semplicemente perchè sono stanchi. C'è qui quando s'annoia parla con il collega alla sua destra o sinistra, dimenticando totalemente il resto della riunoni.
Questo mi sembra non molto elegante e non riesco a non sorprendermi con comportamenti come questi. Forse io sono diverso a tutto il mundo ma qualcun'altro non trova anche che le riunioni di lavoro sono molto inefficienti?
Anche mi colpisce molto come i miei colleghi vengono con tasse di caffé, acqua,... come si andassero alla guerra. Alcuni anche escono della camera, tranquillamente senza fretta, per prendere più bevande o semplicemente perchè sono stanchi. C'è qui quando s'annoia parla con il collega alla sua destra o sinistra, dimenticando totalemente il resto della riunoni.
Questo mi sembra non molto elegante e non riesco a non sorprendermi con comportamenti come questi. Forse io sono diverso a tutto il mundo ma qualcun'altro non trova anche che le riunioni di lavoro sono molto inefficienti?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
2 U
You once came to my life and it seemed that our lives could go along parallel paths for quite a long time. However, now it is pretty clear that they are following completely different paths as our destiny has lead us to different worlds. I have learnt, just after realising, once more, how marvellous you are, that no matter how hard I try, no matter what I do, no matter how much energy I put on it, we cannot be together.
And this breaks my heart into a million pieces, it just brings back the black hole in my soul and it makes all the other things in my life suddenly vanish into the black hole. After all, that is the point about black holes, they suck everything at an incredible speed. Just two seconds after leaving you in Greenwich, I was missing you to death and the black hole in my soul was back in my stomach, my eyes were overrun with tears and nothing, nothing in my whole world, had any sense.
Now it should be time to find someone else to whom say good morning every morning when I wake up, with whom drink tea, whose hand to hold and whose heart to discover. However, I know that this search cannot be successful, because whatever I find it will have an unsurmountable drawback: she will not be you.
And this breaks my heart into a million pieces, it just brings back the black hole in my soul and it makes all the other things in my life suddenly vanish into the black hole. After all, that is the point about black holes, they suck everything at an incredible speed. Just two seconds after leaving you in Greenwich, I was missing you to death and the black hole in my soul was back in my stomach, my eyes were overrun with tears and nothing, nothing in my whole world, had any sense.
Now it should be time to find someone else to whom say good morning every morning when I wake up, with whom drink tea, whose hand to hold and whose heart to discover. However, I know that this search cannot be successful, because whatever I find it will have an unsurmountable drawback: she will not be you.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A river and a lot of books
Well, in the last days my parents have been here, visiting me and life is getting quite hectic. I cannot control my house and my fridge, I do not know how many food I have and when I should go to the supermarket... Oh, Lord, life was easier when I was alone. But only concerning logistics; it is great having my parents here, after quite a long time living in different countries.
Yesterday I took them to the Romantic Rhine, to Boppard, when the Rhine makes a huge curve, almost in a 360º angle. The trip had some problems in the beginning: we had to get up extremely early, fog dominated the landscape and the train I planned to take did not run on Saturday. But, in the end, despite the fog and the cold weather which welcomed us in Boppard and despite the restaurant where we had lunch (the average age of customers was around 70 years), they enjoyed this wonderful area of Rhine. The views from the Gedeonseck, got after an amazing uphill trip in "Sesselift", were worth the entire journey. The way back, with a stop in St. Goarshausen to see the Loreley was much easier and quicker.
Today, we have gone to the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest one in the world. There was a lot of people, few books in Spanish and not many books to buy. In any case, we have bought three books, with important discounts, but we have also taken home a lot of papers we did not, do not and will not need at all. Now, all of them are in the dustbin.
Yesterday I took them to the Romantic Rhine, to Boppard, when the Rhine makes a huge curve, almost in a 360º angle. The trip had some problems in the beginning: we had to get up extremely early, fog dominated the landscape and the train I planned to take did not run on Saturday. But, in the end, despite the fog and the cold weather which welcomed us in Boppard and despite the restaurant where we had lunch (the average age of customers was around 70 years), they enjoyed this wonderful area of Rhine. The views from the Gedeonseck, got after an amazing uphill trip in "Sesselift", were worth the entire journey. The way back, with a stop in St. Goarshausen to see the Loreley was much easier and quicker.
Today, we have gone to the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest one in the world. There was a lot of people, few books in Spanish and not many books to buy. In any case, we have bought three books, with important discounts, but we have also taken home a lot of papers we did not, do not and will not need at all. Now, all of them are in the dustbin.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Crisis financiera
Desde mi última aparición en este blog hablando de la crisis financiera, ha sido tanto lo que ha pasado que me será difícil mencionar todo en esta entrada. Por de pronto, la crisis y el pánico han cruzado el Atlántico y varios bancos europeos han tenido que ser salvados in-extremis por “Papá Estado”. Curiosamente, se trata de bancos alemanes, británicos e irlandeses (y no de los denominados países PIGS), que intentaron emular a sus colegas americanos, con el visto bueno, por supuesto, de una regulación y supervisión excesivamente permisivas. Tanto el BaFin (supervisor financiero alemán) como la FSA (supervisor financiero único británico) tienen mucho más nombre que contenido.
En el caso de Irlanda, además, parece que se ha acabado el milagro irlandés de crecimiento. Un crecimiento económico exclusivamente basado en el boom de la construcción, el boom crediticio y las ayudas de la Unión Europea no podía ser eterno y ahora han tenido el honor de ser el primer país en entrar en recesión.
Más dramática aún resulta la situación en Islandia, a punto de declararse en bancarrota. Se trata de un país eminentemente pesquero de apenas 300.000 habitantes, donde los depósitos bancarios suponen 10 veces su PIB y donde su pequeño banco central es incapaz de supervisar el sector financiero. Evidentemente, los clientes extranjeros acudían a los bancos islandeses atraídos por sus elevados tipos de interés en tiempos en que conseguir más de un 3% de rentabilidad era realmente meritorio. La nota esperpéntica de todo esto es que Gran Bretaña ha invocado la ley antiterrorista para congelar los fondos de los bancos islandeses en su territorio y que así no puedan ser repatriados por el banco central. ¡La ley antiterrorista! ¡Aplicada a Islandia!
Al otro lado del Atlántico, el plan Paulson ha muerto antes de nacer. Los tres folios que presentó Paulson al final se convirtieron en más de 400 en el Senado y las medidas contenidas allí han dejado paso a la entrada del gobierno en el capital de los bancos, la medida sugerida por, entre otros, el premio Nobel de Economía Paul Krugman y que ya fue puesta en práctica por Suecia en la década de los 90. No era una buena idea desde el principio esto de comprar los activos malos de los bancos y que el Estado se encargue de ellos y el tiempo nos ha dado la razón a los que así pensábamos.
Lo que es común de esta crisis es el escándalo provocado por la remuneración de los directivos de estos bancos, que siempre ganan, vayan o no las cosas bien con sus entidades. En mi opinión esta es una forma de bandidaje tan digna como la del trabuco en tiempos. Alguien debería pedir responsabilidades penales a esta gente, no es posible hundir Lehman Brothers, por ejemplo, y no tener que pagar, de algún modo, por ello.
Y al final va a resultar que Alan Greenspan, el anterior presidente de la Reserva Federal, no era tan listo y que su receta de bajar los tipos de interés para generar crecimiento a corto plazo no ha hecho sino inflar dos burbujas: la inmobiliaria y la crediticia. ¿Dónde estarán ahora aquellos que alababan sin pudor ni capacidad crítica alguna cada movimiento del señor Greenspan?
Por último, me gustaría remarcar que lo vivido en los últimos días es una crisis sistémica de manual, donde la desconfianza y el pánico han dominado los mercados financieros. Los datos fundamentales de la economía no son tan negativos como para justificar estos descalabros. No conviene olvidar que el dinero es muy cobarde y ante la más mínima duda huye presa del pánico a lugares más seguros.
Una de las mejores explicaciones de lo vivido en las últimas semanas está en el siguiente link: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=tDUiVLKZT80&feature=related
En el caso de Irlanda, además, parece que se ha acabado el milagro irlandés de crecimiento. Un crecimiento económico exclusivamente basado en el boom de la construcción, el boom crediticio y las ayudas de la Unión Europea no podía ser eterno y ahora han tenido el honor de ser el primer país en entrar en recesión.
Más dramática aún resulta la situación en Islandia, a punto de declararse en bancarrota. Se trata de un país eminentemente pesquero de apenas 300.000 habitantes, donde los depósitos bancarios suponen 10 veces su PIB y donde su pequeño banco central es incapaz de supervisar el sector financiero. Evidentemente, los clientes extranjeros acudían a los bancos islandeses atraídos por sus elevados tipos de interés en tiempos en que conseguir más de un 3% de rentabilidad era realmente meritorio. La nota esperpéntica de todo esto es que Gran Bretaña ha invocado la ley antiterrorista para congelar los fondos de los bancos islandeses en su territorio y que así no puedan ser repatriados por el banco central. ¡La ley antiterrorista! ¡Aplicada a Islandia!
Al otro lado del Atlántico, el plan Paulson ha muerto antes de nacer. Los tres folios que presentó Paulson al final se convirtieron en más de 400 en el Senado y las medidas contenidas allí han dejado paso a la entrada del gobierno en el capital de los bancos, la medida sugerida por, entre otros, el premio Nobel de Economía Paul Krugman y que ya fue puesta en práctica por Suecia en la década de los 90. No era una buena idea desde el principio esto de comprar los activos malos de los bancos y que el Estado se encargue de ellos y el tiempo nos ha dado la razón a los que así pensábamos.
Lo que es común de esta crisis es el escándalo provocado por la remuneración de los directivos de estos bancos, que siempre ganan, vayan o no las cosas bien con sus entidades. En mi opinión esta es una forma de bandidaje tan digna como la del trabuco en tiempos. Alguien debería pedir responsabilidades penales a esta gente, no es posible hundir Lehman Brothers, por ejemplo, y no tener que pagar, de algún modo, por ello.
Y al final va a resultar que Alan Greenspan, el anterior presidente de la Reserva Federal, no era tan listo y que su receta de bajar los tipos de interés para generar crecimiento a corto plazo no ha hecho sino inflar dos burbujas: la inmobiliaria y la crediticia. ¿Dónde estarán ahora aquellos que alababan sin pudor ni capacidad crítica alguna cada movimiento del señor Greenspan?
Por último, me gustaría remarcar que lo vivido en los últimos días es una crisis sistémica de manual, donde la desconfianza y el pánico han dominado los mercados financieros. Los datos fundamentales de la economía no son tan negativos como para justificar estos descalabros. No conviene olvidar que el dinero es muy cobarde y ante la más mínima duda huye presa del pánico a lugares más seguros.
Una de las mejores explicaciones de lo vivido en las últimas semanas está en el siguiente link: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=tDUiVLKZT80&feature=related
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Farewell to summer in Freiburg
The weather forecast had announced some good weather this weekend and I decided to go to Freiburg, a city I always wanted to know, as a way to say goodbye to good weather and to my day-trips to Germany.
Before starting describing what I found there, I must refer to my trip in train. I saw there two people who made me think about how fortunate I am. The first one was a teenager having extremely strong spasms and convulsions. My first reaction was that of thinking he was some kind of mentally-handicapped person and I understand how hard it must be for him when everybody look at him, at his spasms, which he cannot control, with fear and mistrust. The second person was a blind man taking the train in Freiburg. If live is hard enough for you, just imagine it in complete darkness...
Freiburg in Breisgau is a university city, with an extremely well-preserved historical centre. It is possible to walk along most part of its clean streets, but I soon missed something very important in Germany: the river, it is not in the heart of the city, contrary to what happens in, among others, Cologne, Frankfurt, Koblenz or Mainz. Among the historial street, I would like to highlight Konviktstrasse, with its charming shops and, more especifically, the restaurant-hotel Blauekreuz, where you can have incredibly good food for a very nice price. It is also remarkable how the people park their bikes in Freiburg (see picture attached), I cannot find any good reason for parking your bicycle on top of a stone crocodrile in the middle of a canal.
Let me draw your attention about one thing: Schlossberg has not castle (as its name in German suggests). It has an amazing walk through the forest, via very steep ways, which finally ends in an observation tower, who was funded by the persons and institutions to be read in its stairs. From the top of it (attention, it moves!!!!!!), you can see three countries: Switzerland, France and Germany, but not surprisingly, you cannot see the border line or any differences in the views.
The main tourist attraction of Freiburg is the cathedral (Münster in German). It seems it survived the Second World War without severe damages, but this time I could not enjoy it all due to the restoration works currently being developed and due to the market organised every Saturday around it. In any case, the stain glasses inside are really beautiful and one can guess who paid the bills by looking at the symbol at the bottom of them. The tower provides very good views of the surroundings and good news are that you only pay at the top, meaning that those who give up do not have to pay for the attempt.
To sum up, Freiburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited in Germany and it really looks like an amazing place to live or study.
Before starting describing what I found there, I must refer to my trip in train. I saw there two people who made me think about how fortunate I am. The first one was a teenager having extremely strong spasms and convulsions. My first reaction was that of thinking he was some kind of mentally-handicapped person and I understand how hard it must be for him when everybody look at him, at his spasms, which he cannot control, with fear and mistrust. The second person was a blind man taking the train in Freiburg. If live is hard enough for you, just imagine it in complete darkness...
Freiburg in Breisgau is a university city, with an extremely well-preserved historical centre. It is possible to walk along most part of its clean streets, but I soon missed something very important in Germany: the river, it is not in the heart of the city, contrary to what happens in, among others, Cologne, Frankfurt, Koblenz or Mainz. Among the historial street, I would like to highlight Konviktstrasse, with its charming shops and, more especifically, the restaurant-hotel Blauekreuz, where you can have incredibly good food for a very nice price. It is also remarkable how the people park their bikes in Freiburg (see picture attached), I cannot find any good reason for parking your bicycle on top of a stone crocodrile in the middle of a canal.
Let me draw your attention about one thing: Schlossberg has not castle (as its name in German suggests). It has an amazing walk through the forest, via very steep ways, which finally ends in an observation tower, who was funded by the persons and institutions to be read in its stairs. From the top of it (attention, it moves!!!!!!), you can see three countries: Switzerland, France and Germany, but not surprisingly, you cannot see the border line or any differences in the views.
The main tourist attraction of Freiburg is the cathedral (Münster in German). It seems it survived the Second World War without severe damages, but this time I could not enjoy it all due to the restoration works currently being developed and due to the market organised every Saturday around it. In any case, the stain glasses inside are really beautiful and one can guess who paid the bills by looking at the symbol at the bottom of them. The tower provides very good views of the surroundings and good news are that you only pay at the top, meaning that those who give up do not have to pay for the attempt.
To sum up, Freiburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited in Germany and it really looks like an amazing place to live or study.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Movimiento Rápido de los Ojos
Esto es lo que significa el acrónimo REM, en inglés. Se refiere a una de las fases del sueño, durante la cual nos encontramos profundamente dormidos y los ojos, es de suponer, se mueven rápidamente. REM es también una banda de pop-rock norteamericana (de Athens, Georgia, para ser más exactos), que viene "dando guerra" desde los años ochenta. En mis años adolescentes era mi banda preferida (gracias a la influencia pérfida de mi primo Alfonso), pero no fue hasta la semana pasada que tuve la oportunidad de asistir a uno de sus conciertos.
El repertorio de canciones de REM les da para hacer un concierto de ocho horas sin muchos problemas (igualito que otras estrellas de la música actual como David Bisbal o Merche, con todos mis respetos). Por este motivo, "apenas" dos horas y media se hacen en cierto sentido cortas, dado que muchas canciones se quedan sin tocar. En mi caso, eché de menos alguna balada más. Cierto que tocaron "Strange currencies", que es una canción que pone los pelos de punta, llena de sentimiento e intensidad; pero REM tiene baladas realmente brutales ("You are the everything", "Be mine", "At my most beautiful"), que se quedaron para posteriores conciertos.
Entre sus clásicos (o himnos) únicamente faltó "Everybody hurts". Los demás, estuvieron casi todos. A "Shiny happy people" no se le esperaba porque es una canción repudiada en público por REM así que lo de tocarla en un concierto ni se lo plantean.
De todos modos, faltó algo de frescura y de juventud en el concierto. Una gira como esta es realmente agotadora y cuando uno va cumpliendo años... Y es que Madrid llegó al final de un viaje ininterrumpido por media Europa, con dos paradas cerca de Francfort, donde resido actualmente.
Hubo, además, un momento de cierta preocupación durante el concierto. Fue cuando Miguel Bosé subió al escenario en calidad de amigo de Michael Stipe (cantante de REM, para los no entendidos). Debo confesar que algo en mi interior estaba seguro de que Miguel Bosé iba a ponerse a cantar, pero supongo que se lo debió pensar mejor y acertó al quedar en un segundo plano durante el concierto.
Los dos vídeos adjuntos los grabé durante el concierto y es evidente que ponen de manifiesto dos cosas: i) he hecho bien ganándome la vida como economista porque como cantante no tendría futuro alguno, ii) necesito un móvil mejor. Desde aquí animo a desarrollar una colecta para financiarme un móvil con mejor cámara de vídeo y de fotos. Verdaderamente, escuchando estos vídeos uno sí que se cree que es el final del mundo tal y como lo hemos conocido, además de perder cualquier religión posible.
El repertorio de canciones de REM les da para hacer un concierto de ocho horas sin muchos problemas (igualito que otras estrellas de la música actual como David Bisbal o Merche, con todos mis respetos). Por este motivo, "apenas" dos horas y media se hacen en cierto sentido cortas, dado que muchas canciones se quedan sin tocar. En mi caso, eché de menos alguna balada más. Cierto que tocaron "Strange currencies", que es una canción que pone los pelos de punta, llena de sentimiento e intensidad; pero REM tiene baladas realmente brutales ("You are the everything", "Be mine", "At my most beautiful"), que se quedaron para posteriores conciertos.
Entre sus clásicos (o himnos) únicamente faltó "Everybody hurts". Los demás, estuvieron casi todos. A "Shiny happy people" no se le esperaba porque es una canción repudiada en público por REM así que lo de tocarla en un concierto ni se lo plantean.
De todos modos, faltó algo de frescura y de juventud en el concierto. Una gira como esta es realmente agotadora y cuando uno va cumpliendo años... Y es que Madrid llegó al final de un viaje ininterrumpido por media Europa, con dos paradas cerca de Francfort, donde resido actualmente.
Hubo, además, un momento de cierta preocupación durante el concierto. Fue cuando Miguel Bosé subió al escenario en calidad de amigo de Michael Stipe (cantante de REM, para los no entendidos). Debo confesar que algo en mi interior estaba seguro de que Miguel Bosé iba a ponerse a cantar, pero supongo que se lo debió pensar mejor y acertó al quedar en un segundo plano durante el concierto.
Los dos vídeos adjuntos los grabé durante el concierto y es evidente que ponen de manifiesto dos cosas: i) he hecho bien ganándome la vida como economista porque como cantante no tendría futuro alguno, ii) necesito un móvil mejor. Desde aquí animo a desarrollar una colecta para financiarme un móvil con mejor cámara de vídeo y de fotos. Verdaderamente, escuchando estos vídeos uno sí que se cree que es el final del mundo tal y como lo hemos conocido, además de perder cualquier religión posible.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Amidst the fog
First of all, I must write it, I cannot keep it to myself. I have just seen "Star Wars Episode III: Sith's revenge" and I am totally shocked for the tragic destiny of Anakin Skywalker. What a sad end!
Now, coming back to the title of this post, on Saturday I spent most of the day in Marburg, a cosy university city just 90 kilometres north of Frankfurt. It has a very nice and well preserved historic centre, where I would highlight the town hall overall. In any case, as in most German cities, one is never sure whether these buildings are really coming from the Middle Age or whether they were rebuilt after the Second World War.
I am not sure, but it seems that Saint Elizabeth was coming also from Marburg. At least, she has a cathedral with her name, she is present in the symbol of the town and everybody seems to look for her protection. 
According to what I read, she was a former Queen of Hessen in the Middle Ages, coming from Hungary. It is not much and I am not even sure about its accuracy, but I could not get more information. In any case, her cathedral is quite nice (not the best cathedral ever, to that group belong Vienna's, Strasbourg's and Cologne's, amongst others), with a very remarkable higher chore.
After having wandered from its city centre, I must admit that Marburg is the dirtiest German city I have visited this year. I think it is due to its university population, but it is really remarkable. It is the only city where I have signs inviting inhabitants to use the dustbins and lots of graffitis in historic buildings. Nevertheless, even the dirtiest German city is far much cleaner than the cleanest Spanish city, believe me (and I would better not compare it with Guadajara, my home town).
Marburg welcomed me with a intense fog, which did not allow me to see it as I was approaching with the train. When I was getting to the top part of the city through its narrow streets, where the castle remains, I could get some amazing pictures of the roofs arising amidst the fog. The castle itself is not especially beautiful, but the views from the gardens at its side are really the best that Marburg can offer to the tourist.
In conclusion, Marburg is not a top destination and it does not have any world-class attraction, but it can guarantee a very nice day for any person interested in getting lost in its narrow streets.
Now, coming back to the title of this post, on Saturday I spent most of the day in Marburg, a cosy university city just 90 kilometres north of Frankfurt. It has a very nice and well preserved historic centre, where I would highlight the town hall overall. In any case, as in most German cities, one is never sure whether these buildings are really coming from the Middle Age or whether they were rebuilt after the Second World War.
I am not sure, but it seems that Saint Elizabeth was coming also from Marburg. At least, she has a cathedral with her name, she is present in the symbol of the town and everybody seems to look for her protection. 
According to what I read, she was a former Queen of Hessen in the Middle Ages, coming from Hungary. It is not much and I am not even sure about its accuracy, but I could not get more information. In any case, her cathedral is quite nice (not the best cathedral ever, to that group belong Vienna's, Strasbourg's and Cologne's, amongst others), with a very remarkable higher chore.After having wandered from its city centre, I must admit that Marburg is the dirtiest German city I have visited this year. I think it is due to its university population, but it is really remarkable. It is the only city where I have signs inviting inhabitants to use the dustbins and lots of graffitis in historic buildings. Nevertheless, even the dirtiest German city is far much cleaner than the cleanest Spanish city, believe me (and I would better not compare it with Guadajara, my home town).
Marburg welcomed me with a intense fog, which did not allow me to see it as I was approaching with the train. When I was getting to the top part of the city through its narrow streets, where the castle remains, I could get some amazing pictures of the roofs arising amidst the fog. The castle itself is not especially beautiful, but the views from the gardens at its side are really the best that Marburg can offer to the tourist.In conclusion, Marburg is not a top destination and it does not have any world-class attraction, but it can guarantee a very nice day for any person interested in getting lost in its narrow streets.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wer kommnt dran?
In letzten Tagen haben manche Banken finanzielle Schwierigkeiten gehabt. Unter Anderem denke ich an Bear Stearns, Northern Rock, Merill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, HBOS, oder AIG. Heute möchte ich etwas über sie schreiben.
Bear Stearns war der erste Opfer im Frühling. Sie war die fünfte Bank in Wall Street und es wurde gesagt, dass sie zu viel und zu schnell grosser werden wollte und das könnte nicht geschafft werden ohne ein Preis zu bezahlen.
Northern Rock war eine Bank aus Newcastle, in Nord England. Mit ihrem Fallen hat man für erste Mal Reihen von Kunden gesehen. Die Regierung musste es verstaatlichen, nachdem das FSA (Financial Services Authority) mit ihrem coolen Namen nichts Besonderes entdeckt hatte.
Merill Lynch hat sich dafür entscheidet, verkauft zu werden statt verschwinden, wie Lehman Brothers. Jetzt gehört sie zu Bank Of America (BOA) und man wird sehen, wie sie in seinen neuen Leben benimmt.
Nach 150 Jahren konnte Lehman Brothers die "Subprime" nicht überleben und sie hat verschwunden mit der Hilfe des Feds. Man dürfte hier die Frage stellen: warum konnte Lehman Brothers fallen und andere nicht?
HBOS sollte ein Partner finden bevor sie auch verschwunden wurde. Sie war erfolgreich und hat überlebt aber mit einem höhen Preis: jetzt gehört sie zu Lloyds TSB.
AIG war eine Versicherungsfirma, sehr gross und erforlgreich, aber die niemand kontrollieren hat. Sie hatte Verträge mit riesem Risiko und deshalb hat sie so viel Geld verdient, aber was passierte vor einige Tagen? Sie sollte um regierungsfreundliche Hilfe bitten.
Was die amerikanische Regierung gemacht hat, konnte als Sozialismus definiert werden. Aber das ist nicht richtig, weil bei Sozialismus die Banken gehören immer zum Staat, nicht nur wenn sie Schwierigkeiten bekämpfen. Nein, das ist viel ungerechter mit den Bürgern und ich würde es als "Schlaukopf gehen" bennenen. Die Regierung werde nur die uneinbringliche Krediten bekommen, ohne Kosten für die Banken, die die Krise provoziert haben.
Zuallerletzt möchte ich ein Artikel von Paul Krugman (auf Englisch) empfehlen: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/22/opinion/edkrugman.php
Der Titel beschreibt genau in drei Wörte die Rolle der amerikanischen Regierung.
Bear Stearns war der erste Opfer im Frühling. Sie war die fünfte Bank in Wall Street und es wurde gesagt, dass sie zu viel und zu schnell grosser werden wollte und das könnte nicht geschafft werden ohne ein Preis zu bezahlen.
Northern Rock war eine Bank aus Newcastle, in Nord England. Mit ihrem Fallen hat man für erste Mal Reihen von Kunden gesehen. Die Regierung musste es verstaatlichen, nachdem das FSA (Financial Services Authority) mit ihrem coolen Namen nichts Besonderes entdeckt hatte.
Merill Lynch hat sich dafür entscheidet, verkauft zu werden statt verschwinden, wie Lehman Brothers. Jetzt gehört sie zu Bank Of America (BOA) und man wird sehen, wie sie in seinen neuen Leben benimmt.
Nach 150 Jahren konnte Lehman Brothers die "Subprime" nicht überleben und sie hat verschwunden mit der Hilfe des Feds. Man dürfte hier die Frage stellen: warum konnte Lehman Brothers fallen und andere nicht?
HBOS sollte ein Partner finden bevor sie auch verschwunden wurde. Sie war erfolgreich und hat überlebt aber mit einem höhen Preis: jetzt gehört sie zu Lloyds TSB.
AIG war eine Versicherungsfirma, sehr gross und erforlgreich, aber die niemand kontrollieren hat. Sie hatte Verträge mit riesem Risiko und deshalb hat sie so viel Geld verdient, aber was passierte vor einige Tagen? Sie sollte um regierungsfreundliche Hilfe bitten.
Was die amerikanische Regierung gemacht hat, konnte als Sozialismus definiert werden. Aber das ist nicht richtig, weil bei Sozialismus die Banken gehören immer zum Staat, nicht nur wenn sie Schwierigkeiten bekämpfen. Nein, das ist viel ungerechter mit den Bürgern und ich würde es als "Schlaukopf gehen" bennenen. Die Regierung werde nur die uneinbringliche Krediten bekommen, ohne Kosten für die Banken, die die Krise provoziert haben.
Zuallerletzt möchte ich ein Artikel von Paul Krugman (auf Englisch) empfehlen: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/22/opinion/edkrugman.php
Der Titel beschreibt genau in drei Wörte die Rolle der amerikanischen Regierung.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Where the Moselle meets the Rhine
Yes, I was in that place on Saturday and let me tell you that its name is Koblenz. It is quite a beautiful town, but before getting into details, I must pay back a debt I have.
When I went to the Romantic Rhine (about two weeks ago), the batteries of my camera got empty just in the worst moment, in front of the Loreley rock and therefore I had to upload a picture from Internet in my blog. However, on Saturday, the train to Koblenz took me through the Romantic Rhine and I could take a picture of the Loreley. I know it is not the best picture ever, but the train was moving at around 120 km/h and I think you get the idea that it was something kind of personnal.
Going back to Koblenz, I must say it is a strange city. When wandering through the city centre, I could not notice many tourists and it seemed quite a nice city to me. But, just when I was approaching the Deutsche Ecke (the triangle where the Moselle gets into the Rhine), crowds of tourists appear, from thousands of buses from unknown cities in Germany (at least, unknown for me). Then, again, I walked for five minutes away from it, and the city was again with no traces of tourists. I have started to build a theory, according to which the Deutsche Eck is like a magnet for tourists.
The best views of the city are those from the Fortress Ehrenbreitstein, as the picture above shows. I recommend going there on foot, after having crossed the river Rhine in a ferry, probably unchanged from the sixties (it is like a time travel, believe me). Although a bit tiring, it is quite nice to walk uphill for a while, far from the hordes of tourists. The fortress claims to have been conquered only once and after assessing its size and its position, I think that people who conquered it were really heroes, since it seems totally impregnable.
I must admit that the Deutsche Ecke is really breathtaking, the statue is huge and the sensation is that of being in a ship, let's say Titanic, in the front part of it. But there are other amazing spots in Koblenz. For example, the one in this picture is just five minutes away from the Deutsche Ecke and I find it really, really beautiful.
In general terms, Koblenz is quite an interesting town, with a pleasant atmosphere, two huge rivers (you know the fascination for rivers that is growing inside me since I moved to Germany) and some amazing spots. And to get there, the train must go along the Romantic Rhine, in what is a wonderful trip just itself.
When I went to the Romantic Rhine (about two weeks ago), the batteries of my camera got empty just in the worst moment, in front of the Loreley rock and therefore I had to upload a picture from Internet in my blog. However, on Saturday, the train to Koblenz took me through the Romantic Rhine and I could take a picture of the Loreley. I know it is not the best picture ever, but the train was moving at around 120 km/h and I think you get the idea that it was something kind of personnal.Going back to Koblenz, I must say it is a strange city. When wandering through the city centre, I could not notice many tourists and it seemed quite a nice city to me. But, just when I was approaching the Deutsche Ecke (the triangle where the Moselle gets into the Rhine), crowds of tourists appear, from thousands of buses from unknown cities in Germany (at least, unknown for me). Then, again, I walked for five minutes away from it, and the city was again with no traces of tourists. I have started to build a theory, according to which the Deutsche Eck is like a magnet for tourists.
The best views of the city are those from the Fortress Ehrenbreitstein, as the picture above shows. I recommend going there on foot, after having crossed the river Rhine in a ferry, probably unchanged from the sixties (it is like a time travel, believe me). Although a bit tiring, it is quite nice to walk uphill for a while, far from the hordes of tourists. The fortress claims to have been conquered only once and after assessing its size and its position, I think that people who conquered it were really heroes, since it seems totally impregnable.
I must admit that the Deutsche Ecke is really breathtaking, the statue is huge and the sensation is that of being in a ship, let's say Titanic, in the front part of it. But there are other amazing spots in Koblenz. For example, the one in this picture is just five minutes away from the Deutsche Ecke and I find it really, really beautiful.
In general terms, Koblenz is quite an interesting town, with a pleasant atmosphere, two huge rivers (you know the fascination for rivers that is growing inside me since I moved to Germany) and some amazing spots. And to get there, the train must go along the Romantic Rhine, in what is a wonderful trip just itself.
Monday, September 15, 2008
United 93
Il y a quelques jours j'ai regardé à la télévision le film "United 93", sur ce que s'est passé dans le quattrième avion du 11 Septembre. C'est un film tourné avec beaucoup de realité, avec des acteurs inconnus, mais qui transmet tout l'horreur et le drame vécus dans l'avion.On ne réussi pas à comprendre pourquoi ces personnes ont dû mourir, parce qu'ils n'ont pas fait rien, ils étaient des innocentes dans le lieu trompé le jour trompé. Ces dernières appels à ses familles et leur contre-attaque vraiment touchent le coeur du spectateur (au moins, ils ont touché mon coeur). On sait comment le film finit mais on ne peut pas éviter avoir un petit espoir.
On doit réfléchir aussi sur les terroristes. Quel tête malade pouvaient justifier cette action? Quel Dieu pouvaient réserver pour leur le paradis? À mon avis, ces hommes représentent la méchanceté absolue, ils seulement cherchent faire des dommages, sans penser à des innocents ou à des raisons pour fair ça. Comment nous avons arrivé ici?
Mais, sette ans plus tard, on doit se demander, qu'est-ce qu'a changé aprés le 11. septembre. Pas beaucoup, pour dire la verité. Et ce qu'a changé non a amélioré rien...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Stuttgart bajo la lluvia
Ayer sábado había decidido ir a pasar el día a Stuttgart, aunque las previsiones de lluvia me hacían temer que no fuera tan buena idea, al fin y al cabo. Stuttgart es la capital de Baden-Württermberg y cuna de las marcas automovilísticas Mercedes Benz y Porsche. Pero además, es una ciudad con muchas zonas verdes y muy "habitable", con una ordenación urbana muy cuidada.
Dadas las perspectivas para el día, decidí empezar mi jornada turística por el Museo Mercedes, pensando que me podría tener entretenido dos horas. Me equivoqué, me estuve casi tres horas y eso que lo dejé deprisa y corriendo, porque no me daba tiempo a ver nada más en la ciudad (comí una salchicha ya en la estación cuando esperaba a mi tren de vuelta a Francfort). Me tuve que contentar con un breve paseo por el centro y las panorámicas desde la plataforma panorámica (Aussichtplatform) que hay en la estación, que recomiendo a todo visitante de esta ciudad. La colección de pinturas de la Staatsgallerie, el zoo Wilhelma, la torre de comunicaciones y el museo Porsche tendrán que esperar mejor ocasión.
En el Museo Mercedes hice muchísimas fotos a coches antiguos, a deportivos clásicos de los años cincuenta, a coches de competición,... A casi todo lo que tenía cuatro ruedas. En realidad es un museo muy completo y didáctico, donde se aprecia la evolución del automóvil en apenas cien años. Además, subí en un simulador de carreras, que me decepcionó un poco, pero solo un poco. Algo a destacar es que el último Mercedes campeón del mundo de Formula 1 que tienen expuesto es el de... Hakkinen, je, je, je. Verdaderamente es un museo que merece la pena visitar. De hecho, seguramente sea el museo más visitado de Stuttgart, y eso que no tiene ninguna obra de arte en su interior.
De todos los automóviles que vi allí, me llamó poderosamente la atención el camión de la fotografía de abajo. Sí, lo habéis reconocido: es el mismo camión de "En busca del arca perdida", el mismo en el que Indiana Jones se cuelga de la estrella y de las dos barras a los lados. La pena es que lo tienen en blanco en el museo, lo que rompe un poco con la magia del momento (alguien debería sugerir que explotasen este filón un poco mejor, la verdad). Temo que esta es la foto más destacada de mi incursión en el Museo Mercedes Benz...
Dadas las perspectivas para el día, decidí empezar mi jornada turística por el Museo Mercedes, pensando que me podría tener entretenido dos horas. Me equivoqué, me estuve casi tres horas y eso que lo dejé deprisa y corriendo, porque no me daba tiempo a ver nada más en la ciudad (comí una salchicha ya en la estación cuando esperaba a mi tren de vuelta a Francfort). Me tuve que contentar con un breve paseo por el centro y las panorámicas desde la plataforma panorámica (Aussichtplatform) que hay en la estación, que recomiendo a todo visitante de esta ciudad. La colección de pinturas de la Staatsgallerie, el zoo Wilhelma, la torre de comunicaciones y el museo Porsche tendrán que esperar mejor ocasión.En el Museo Mercedes hice muchísimas fotos a coches antiguos, a deportivos clásicos de los años cincuenta, a coches de competición,... A casi todo lo que tenía cuatro ruedas. En realidad es un museo muy completo y didáctico, donde se aprecia la evolución del automóvil en apenas cien años. Además, subí en un simulador de carreras, que me decepcionó un poco, pero solo un poco. Algo a destacar es que el último Mercedes campeón del mundo de Formula 1 que tienen expuesto es el de... Hakkinen, je, je, je. Verdaderamente es un museo que merece la pena visitar. De hecho, seguramente sea el museo más visitado de Stuttgart, y eso que no tiene ninguna obra de arte en su interior.
De todos los automóviles que vi allí, me llamó poderosamente la atención el camión de la fotografía de abajo. Sí, lo habéis reconocido: es el mismo camión de "En busca del arca perdida", el mismo en el que Indiana Jones se cuelga de la estrella y de las dos barras a los lados. La pena es que lo tienen en blanco en el museo, lo que rompe un poco con la magia del momento (alguien debería sugerir que explotasen este filón un poco mejor, la verdad). Temo que esta es la foto más destacada de mi incursión en el Museo Mercedes Benz...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Last week I was in a business trip back to London, one of my favourites cities in the world. I was looking forward to it, since it was bringing some light to me, after the end of the holidays and the return to the daily routine. As the title of the post suggests, I had some rain too.
The trip has quite a strange start. While waiting in the main lounge of Frankfurt Airport, I watched more Boeing 747 landing and departing than in all my life together. Then, once in the plane, I had to change my seat, because it was taken by a small and naughty kid (about two years old), who was travelling by plane for the first time in his life and who ended up vomiting the snack served by British Airways.
The important conclusion is, all in all, that I arrived safe and on time. However, the underground had a delay of 15 minutes, what meant that I was late for work. So, I had to rush up a little bit and I was walking from Blackfriars towards Saint Paul's eating a sandwich with one hand and cleaning my jacket with the other, walking amidst groups of tourists fascinated by what they were watching, thus, walking extremely slowly. That was a bit stressing, to tell you the truth, and the first time I missed the food I have here in Frankfurt.
On my first night, I could hardly sleep because I was placed in a room too close to the main pipe of the hotel, making a constant noise all night long. It was not so comfortable and immediately I asked for a new room.
So far, the negative points. Among the positive points, I must mention the new possibility of travelling in London in boats (Thames Clippers), quite cheap and really, really convenient when playing the tourist. Sometimes timetables are not respected, but even there you can make friends (while queueing for an hour, I met a group of Spaniards from Manresa, crazy about basketball as I am). I also recommend walking under the Thames in the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, which was opened in 1912. One does not have the feeling of being under litres and litres of water and it is worth, at least, a visit (and it is free).
Once in Greenwich, going to the Observatory was
just the next thing to do, without any discussion. I went to the Meridian and I must admit I did not have the slightest idea that Greenwich Observatory has so amazing views of the town and such a wonderful group of historic buildings. It is not just the picture every tourist must take, there are more things beyond. Nevertheless, you will not see them in this post, as the only picture is that of the Meridian, je, je, je.
The new Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport also deserves a mention here, as it is so full of shops that boarding gates can hardly be noted, believe me, I am not exaggerating at all: never in my life have I seen so many shops in an airport.
In conclusion, I had amazing days in London (even when working as well), I met amazing people there and I am so much looking forward to my next trip to London in October... Wait for me, please!!!!!!
The trip has quite a strange start. While waiting in the main lounge of Frankfurt Airport, I watched more Boeing 747 landing and departing than in all my life together. Then, once in the plane, I had to change my seat, because it was taken by a small and naughty kid (about two years old), who was travelling by plane for the first time in his life and who ended up vomiting the snack served by British Airways.The important conclusion is, all in all, that I arrived safe and on time. However, the underground had a delay of 15 minutes, what meant that I was late for work. So, I had to rush up a little bit and I was walking from Blackfriars towards Saint Paul's eating a sandwich with one hand and cleaning my jacket with the other, walking amidst groups of tourists fascinated by what they were watching, thus, walking extremely slowly. That was a bit stressing, to tell you the truth, and the first time I missed the food I have here in Frankfurt.
On my first night, I could hardly sleep because I was placed in a room too close to the main pipe of the hotel, making a constant noise all night long. It was not so comfortable and immediately I asked for a new room.So far, the negative points. Among the positive points, I must mention the new possibility of travelling in London in boats (Thames Clippers), quite cheap and really, really convenient when playing the tourist. Sometimes timetables are not respected, but even there you can make friends (while queueing for an hour, I met a group of Spaniards from Manresa, crazy about basketball as I am). I also recommend walking under the Thames in the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, which was opened in 1912. One does not have the feeling of being under litres and litres of water and it is worth, at least, a visit (and it is free).
Once in Greenwich, going to the Observatory was
just the next thing to do, without any discussion. I went to the Meridian and I must admit I did not have the slightest idea that Greenwich Observatory has so amazing views of the town and such a wonderful group of historic buildings. It is not just the picture every tourist must take, there are more things beyond. Nevertheless, you will not see them in this post, as the only picture is that of the Meridian, je, je, je.The new Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport also deserves a mention here, as it is so full of shops that boarding gates can hardly be noted, believe me, I am not exaggerating at all: never in my life have I seen so many shops in an airport.
In conclusion, I had amazing days in London (even when working as well), I met amazing people there and I am so much looking forward to my next trip to London in October... Wait for me, please!!!!!!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Walking through the Rhine
Last Saturday I went with a work colleague to the area known as "Romantic Rhine", just between the cities of Bingen and Koblenz, in Germany. Inside this are, you can find the "Loreley", a rock in the Rhin which became famous after a poem by Heinrich Heine. All this site has been declared as World Heritage by UNESCO. It covers around 70 kilometres where river Rhine runs among hills, castles and vinyards in a lovely (and romantic, as claim the touristic brochures) background.
Our trip started with a slight disappoinment, as we missed a train connection and we arrived at Bingen, an hour later than expected and after a short visit to Bad Kreuznach's train station. We visited the city centre of Bingen, a town which is just when river Nahe meets Rhine (and there is a Spanish hotel in front of it all!). As we soon realized, there was some kind of Garden Fair that Saturday in Bingen and the whole city was crowded with aged people, running crazily through the different sections of the fair. It seems that German aged people are crazy about gardens, that is the only explanation I can find to what I watched in Bingen.
Afterwards, we walked about ten kilometres, visiting two castles. It was a very nice walk, with nice weather and views. I was also struck by the amount of ships and cargos running up and down the river, it was like a highway! From the two castles that we aimed at visiting, I can state that castle Rheinstein is worth a visit. By the way, I would like to mention that it is owned by an opera singer, who bought and restored it.
But, just at the end of this walk, and when we are waiting for the train to the Loreley and the most breathtaking part of our trip, I realized that the batteries of my photo camera were "kaputt", what meant that I could not take any other picture. As an evidence of my incompetence on this issue, I have uploaded in the blog a picture which was not obviously taken by me.
As you might see, the Loreley is not a big thing itself. But it has turned out to be a major attraction thanks to the legend according to which sailors heard women singing and lost control of their ships. This legend was, some centuries later, written by Heinrich Heine in a poem (which, needless to say, not many people have read). What I truly think is that were the meandres of Rhine the real problem, not any female sensual voice singing in the middle of the night.
In any case, whatever it is, let me recommend you a visit to this area, if possible with the batteries of your camera charged and ready for a tough day of work.
Our trip started with a slight disappoinment, as we missed a train connection and we arrived at Bingen, an hour later than expected and after a short visit to Bad Kreuznach's train station. We visited the city centre of Bingen, a town which is just when river Nahe meets Rhine (and there is a Spanish hotel in front of it all!). As we soon realized, there was some kind of Garden Fair that Saturday in Bingen and the whole city was crowded with aged people, running crazily through the different sections of the fair. It seems that German aged people are crazy about gardens, that is the only explanation I can find to what I watched in Bingen.Afterwards, we walked about ten kilometres, visiting two castles. It was a very nice walk, with nice weather and views. I was also struck by the amount of ships and cargos running up and down the river, it was like a highway! From the two castles that we aimed at visiting, I can state that castle Rheinstein is worth a visit. By the way, I would like to mention that it is owned by an opera singer, who bought and restored it.
But, just at the end of this walk, and when we are waiting for the train to the Loreley and the most breathtaking part of our trip, I realized that the batteries of my photo camera were "kaputt", what meant that I could not take any other picture. As an evidence of my incompetence on this issue, I have uploaded in the blog a picture which was not obviously taken by me.
As you might see, the Loreley is not a big thing itself. But it has turned out to be a major attraction thanks to the legend according to which sailors heard women singing and lost control of their ships. This legend was, some centuries later, written by Heinrich Heine in a poem (which, needless to say, not many people have read). What I truly think is that were the meandres of Rhine the real problem, not any female sensual voice singing in the middle of the night.In any case, whatever it is, let me recommend you a visit to this area, if possible with the batteries of your camera charged and ready for a tough day of work.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
La partita di pallacanestro
La partita finale di pallacanestro dei Giochi Olimpichi a Pekino tra Spagna e gli USA sarà ricordata semplicemente come "la partita di pallacanestro". Come spagnolo, mi sento orgoglioso della nostra squadra, dato che hanno fatto una partita quasi perfetta. È difficile spiegare quello che ho guardato nella TV, ma cercherò di farlo qua.Non so dove cominciare. Forse dovrei dire che gli USA hanno presentato una squadra veramente forte a Pekino, niente da vedere con le altre squadre prima di 2008. Questa volta Kobe Bryant e Jason Kidd sono stati i giocatori più importanti, facendo che gli altri se implicano insieme. E gli altri giocatori sono stati "prime donne" come Lebron James, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard,...
Ah, dimenticavo dire che Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul e Chris Bosh vengono dallo stesso "draft": quello di 2003.
La squadra spagnola ci hao mostrato perché ha vinto il Campeonato del Mondo nel 2006. Ha giocato senza paura e allo stesso livello che gli USA. Felipe Reyes è diventato il ré vicino ai canestri, Pau Gasol ha fatto quello che fa sempre, Navarro ha trovato di nuovo la sua insolenza, Ricky Rubio sembrava di non avere solo 18 anni,... Ma sopratutto, mi piacerebbe non dimenticare mai il canestro che ha fatto Rudy Fernández davanti Dwight Howard (un uomo di 210cm e 130kg): formidabile! Abbiamo avuto possiblità di vittoria fino all'ultimo minuto e questo è veramente molto valioso. Senza i problemi con gli arbitri, la partita potrebbe avere diventato nostra.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Espíritu olímpico
El Comité Olímpico Internacional demostró lo que pondera a la hora de otorgar unos Juegos Olímpicos a una ciudad ya en 1996, cuando Atlanta, sede de la Coca-Cola y de la CNN, fue elegida en detrimento de Atenas, entre otras. Aquellos Juegos Olímpicos no dejaron muy buen recuerdo por su desarrollo, y además pusieron de manifiesto lo poco que queda del espíritu olímpico tal y como lo concibió el Barón de Coubertain hace poco más de un siglo.
Con estos antecedentes, no sorprendió en exceso la concesión de los Juegos Olímpicos de 2008 a uno de los países que encabezan la lista de violaciones de los Derechos Humanos, como bien saben en el Tíbet, por poner el ejemplo más mediático. Pero al mismo tiempo, se concedieron los Juegos Olímpicos a un mercado de 1200 millones de consumidores ávidos de incorporarse al delirio consumista del mundo occidental. Para prevenir posibles protestas y en aras de una neutralidad política mal entendida, desde el propio Comité Olímpico Internacional se prohibieron todo tipo de manifestaciones políticas en Pekín.
El reciente accidente aéreo en Madrid nos ha dado otra muestra de lo que importa a los voluminosos estómagos de los miembros del Comité Olímpico Internacional, prohibiendo a los atletas españoles portar brazaletes negros de luto. La razón dada es que esa es una manifestación política, lo que evidencia o bien la poca vergüenza de esta gente o bien ciertos problemas cognitivos, pues son incapaces de diferenciar una manifestación política de una manifestación de luto. Es sencillamente vergonzoso y nauseabundo; actitudes como estas provocan ganas de vomitar sin parar.
Sin embargo, entiendo en cierto modo la postura del Comité Olímpico Internacional. Su situación es tan extraordinaria y sus méritos tan escasos que intentan que nada cambie para seguir en la misma posición, por el máximo periodo de tiempo posible. Espero que el Barón de Coubertain no sea consciente de la degeneración en que ha caído su ideal olímpico.
Con estos antecedentes, no sorprendió en exceso la concesión de los Juegos Olímpicos de 2008 a uno de los países que encabezan la lista de violaciones de los Derechos Humanos, como bien saben en el Tíbet, por poner el ejemplo más mediático. Pero al mismo tiempo, se concedieron los Juegos Olímpicos a un mercado de 1200 millones de consumidores ávidos de incorporarse al delirio consumista del mundo occidental. Para prevenir posibles protestas y en aras de una neutralidad política mal entendida, desde el propio Comité Olímpico Internacional se prohibieron todo tipo de manifestaciones políticas en Pekín.
El reciente accidente aéreo en Madrid nos ha dado otra muestra de lo que importa a los voluminosos estómagos de los miembros del Comité Olímpico Internacional, prohibiendo a los atletas españoles portar brazaletes negros de luto. La razón dada es que esa es una manifestación política, lo que evidencia o bien la poca vergüenza de esta gente o bien ciertos problemas cognitivos, pues son incapaces de diferenciar una manifestación política de una manifestación de luto. Es sencillamente vergonzoso y nauseabundo; actitudes como estas provocan ganas de vomitar sin parar.
Sin embargo, entiendo en cierto modo la postura del Comité Olímpico Internacional. Su situación es tan extraordinaria y sus méritos tan escasos que intentan que nada cambie para seguir en la misma posición, por el máximo periodo de tiempo posible. Espero que el Barón de Coubertain no sea consciente de la degeneración en que ha caído su ideal olímpico.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Unos días de playa
He estado pasando estos primeros días de vacaciones en Irún, junto a unos familiares. Solo había ido allí una vez, cuando tenía apenas 1 año, y la verdad es que no recordaba mucho de lo que vi.
Antes de empezar a contar lo que allí ha acaecido estos días, me gustaría mencionar algo que me pasó en el aeropuerto de Francfort y que evidencia lo estúpidas que son algunas normas de seguridad aérea. Resulta que se me olvidó sacar la bolsa con líquidos de mi mochila, con lo que éstos pasaron el scanner normalmente y nadie se dio cuenta, no pasó nada. Y eso que eran materiales tremendamente peligrosos, como una colonia y un gel de baño. Nunca he creído en la eficacia de esta restricción de líquidos (me parecen más peligrosos los cordones de los zapatos y los líquidos que uno compra en las tiendas del aeropuerto) y he aquí una evidencia a mi favor.
Algo que me ha llamado extraordinariamente la atención es lo fácilmente que uno cambia de país. Había días que me levantaba en España, iba a la playa en Francia, comía en España de nuevo, iba otra vez a Francia y me acostaba en España. Me resulta chocante que haciendo algo tan simple como cruzar un puente, se pase de depender de las leyes francesas a las españolas, y viceversa. En la foto de abajo y a grandes rasgos, lo que queda a la derecha del río Bidasoa es Francia, y la parte de la izquierda España.
Metiéndome en harina, la playa a la que he ido estos días es la de Hendaya, en Francia. Una playa absolutamente espectacular, larga, con olas y muy agradable. Nada que ver con el agua encharcada del Mediterráneo ni con la masificación de otras playas. No, lo que hay en Hendaya y el Mar Menor no pueden ser la misma cosa. Realmente, creo que es la playa que más me ha impresionado, me gustaría mucho volver allí. Y encima, los aviones del aeropuerto de Fuenterrabía pasan apenas a cinco metros sobre los bañistas, ¿se puede pedir más?
También he encontrado tiempo para visitar San Sebastián, una ciudad señorial pero que tiene un cierto aire decadente. Pude ver el hotel donde se celebra el festival de cine y pude comprobar que no son tontos los directores y actores, pues siempre tienen festivales en sitios como Cannes, Venecia, San Sebastián,... Las vistas desde el Monte Igueldo son espectaculares y la playa de la Concha parece ser una de las mejores playas urbanas de España.
En líneas generales, me ha gustado mucho lo que he visto del País Vasco. Me parece una tierra donde se puede vivir muy bien, aunque lamentablemente una parte de la población no puede vivir tan bien. Y con lo bonito que es todo, es una pena, la verdad.
Antes de empezar a contar lo que allí ha acaecido estos días, me gustaría mencionar algo que me pasó en el aeropuerto de Francfort y que evidencia lo estúpidas que son algunas normas de seguridad aérea. Resulta que se me olvidó sacar la bolsa con líquidos de mi mochila, con lo que éstos pasaron el scanner normalmente y nadie se dio cuenta, no pasó nada. Y eso que eran materiales tremendamente peligrosos, como una colonia y un gel de baño. Nunca he creído en la eficacia de esta restricción de líquidos (me parecen más peligrosos los cordones de los zapatos y los líquidos que uno compra en las tiendas del aeropuerto) y he aquí una evidencia a mi favor.
Algo que me ha llamado extraordinariamente la atención es lo fácilmente que uno cambia de país. Había días que me levantaba en España, iba a la playa en Francia, comía en España de nuevo, iba otra vez a Francia y me acostaba en España. Me resulta chocante que haciendo algo tan simple como cruzar un puente, se pase de depender de las leyes francesas a las españolas, y viceversa. En la foto de abajo y a grandes rasgos, lo que queda a la derecha del río Bidasoa es Francia, y la parte de la izquierda España.
Metiéndome en harina, la playa a la que he ido estos días es la de Hendaya, en Francia. Una playa absolutamente espectacular, larga, con olas y muy agradable. Nada que ver con el agua encharcada del Mediterráneo ni con la masificación de otras playas. No, lo que hay en Hendaya y el Mar Menor no pueden ser la misma cosa. Realmente, creo que es la playa que más me ha impresionado, me gustaría mucho volver allí. Y encima, los aviones del aeropuerto de Fuenterrabía pasan apenas a cinco metros sobre los bañistas, ¿se puede pedir más?También he encontrado tiempo para visitar San Sebastián, una ciudad señorial pero que tiene un cierto aire decadente. Pude ver el hotel donde se celebra el festival de cine y pude comprobar que no son tontos los directores y actores, pues siempre tienen festivales en sitios como Cannes, Venecia, San Sebastián,... Las vistas desde el Monte Igueldo son espectaculares y la playa de la Concha parece ser una de las mejores playas urbanas de España.
En líneas generales, me ha gustado mucho lo que he visto del País Vasco. Me parece una tierra donde se puede vivir muy bien, aunque lamentablemente una parte de la población no puede vivir tan bien. Y con lo bonito que es todo, es una pena, la verdad.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Dopping in Spanien
Sommer 2008 ist sehr erfolgreich für Spanien gewesen. Rafael Nadal hat Wimbledon gewonnen, unsere Fussballmannschaft hat die Europäischemeisterschaft gewonnen, Carlos Sastre hat Tour de France gewonnen, usw. Man muss immer das Verb "gewinnen" schreiben, wenn über Sport sprechen.
Aber, wie fast immer, Frankreich und Deutschland glauben das nicht. Sie werfen Nachrichten ohne Grunde über spanische Sportler und Dopping. Ich bin der Meinung, sie ziemlich neidisch sind. Spanien hat das "Operación Puerto" gehabt, und ich bin einverstanden damit, dass nicht alle Schulder erkennt worden sind, aber es bedeutet nicht, dass alle Spanier sich doppen.
Deutschland könnte nicht so viel über Dopping sagen. Ich werde nur einige Namen schreiben: Jan Ulrich, Bjarne Riis (obwohl er Däne ist), Patrik Sinkewitz, Erik Zabel, Jens Heppner, Heike Dreschler, Deutsche Telekom Team,... Und ich wollte auch nicht die DDR vergessen. Vielleicht sollte Deutschland zuerst seine eigene Haus sauber machen, bevor weiter zu gehen.
Ich habe keine Zweifel über Frankreich. Sie sind einfach neidisch...
Aber, wie fast immer, Frankreich und Deutschland glauben das nicht. Sie werfen Nachrichten ohne Grunde über spanische Sportler und Dopping. Ich bin der Meinung, sie ziemlich neidisch sind. Spanien hat das "Operación Puerto" gehabt, und ich bin einverstanden damit, dass nicht alle Schulder erkennt worden sind, aber es bedeutet nicht, dass alle Spanier sich doppen.
Deutschland könnte nicht so viel über Dopping sagen. Ich werde nur einige Namen schreiben: Jan Ulrich, Bjarne Riis (obwohl er Däne ist), Patrik Sinkewitz, Erik Zabel, Jens Heppner, Heike Dreschler, Deutsche Telekom Team,... Und ich wollte auch nicht die DDR vergessen. Vielleicht sollte Deutschland zuerst seine eigene Haus sauber machen, bevor weiter zu gehen.
Ich habe keine Zweifel über Frankreich. Sie sind einfach neidisch...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Eau de Cologne
Yesterday I went to Cologne, a city I should have known some years ago. Cologne is worldwide famous for its cathedral and for its water (eau de Cologne in French) and I could admire both of them during my visit.
I went to Cologne by train, but this time I had learnt the lesson and I had no difficulty in getting an unreserved seat for my trip. Cologne lies 200 kilometres north of Frankfurt and it only took an hour, so imagine the average speed of the train. It is really recommended from my side going there at least once when living in Frankfurt.
I started my visit by going to the ruins of a Roman turm and to the ElDeHaus, former headquarters of Gestapo in Cologne. It is amazing how a country could fall into that kind of bloody crazyness in less than ten years. The cells of the prison, with the inscriptions in the wall by the real inmates is really breathtaking. Luckily, in my opinion, with initiative like this one, the horror of those days will not be forgotten and repeated.
Afterwards, I devoted my time to less material issues. Firstly, I went to the original house where the Eau de Cologne was created and I bought a bottle of it for my mother. The smell of the shop was quite nice, to tell you the truth. Then it was time for another important visit: Museum of Chocolate, the place where I would like to work. It is a nice museum, but obviously not like Prado or Louvre. Anyway it managed to keep me busy (and drooling) for an hour.
Then, the rest of the day was devoted to the cathedral. To get there I just walked close to the River Rhein, an incredibly wide river (I counted 442 steps over the Hohenzollern bridge, what would mean approximately the river being 330 metres wide). The area around the cathedral and the river is really pleasant.
The size of the cathedral itself is outstanding and the amount of statues and sculptures in it is beyond my vocabulary. Inside, there is a strange feeling, thanks to the light entering through marvellous windows and the height of the ceiling; one feels to be separated from the rest of the world in its interior, believe me, it is mainly a provider of peace. Unfortunately, I could not visit, since it was closed to visitors, the chapel where the Three Wise Men are supposed to be buried. I had some complaints for them, grrrr!
I also climbed the 509 steps of one of the towers to have impressive views of Cologne. It was midday, very hot and I think the Pope Benedictus XVI should grant heaven to anyone doing this, because it was kind of hard and sweatful experience. Due to this bias, probably, I do not classify Cologne's cathedral as the most impressive one I have ever been to. This first place belongs to Strasbourg's cathedral, but together with Vienna's, Cologne's could easily get a place in the podium.
I went to Cologne by train, but this time I had learnt the lesson and I had no difficulty in getting an unreserved seat for my trip. Cologne lies 200 kilometres north of Frankfurt and it only took an hour, so imagine the average speed of the train. It is really recommended from my side going there at least once when living in Frankfurt.I started my visit by going to the ruins of a Roman turm and to the ElDeHaus, former headquarters of Gestapo in Cologne. It is amazing how a country could fall into that kind of bloody crazyness in less than ten years. The cells of the prison, with the inscriptions in the wall by the real inmates is really breathtaking. Luckily, in my opinion, with initiative like this one, the horror of those days will not be forgotten and repeated.
Afterwards, I devoted my time to less material issues. Firstly, I went to the original house where the Eau de Cologne was created and I bought a bottle of it for my mother. The smell of the shop was quite nice, to tell you the truth. Then it was time for another important visit: Museum of Chocolate, the place where I would like to work. It is a nice museum, but obviously not like Prado or Louvre. Anyway it managed to keep me busy (and drooling) for an hour.
Then, the rest of the day was devoted to the cathedral. To get there I just walked close to the River Rhein, an incredibly wide river (I counted 442 steps over the Hohenzollern bridge, what would mean approximately the river being 330 metres wide). The area around the cathedral and the river is really pleasant.
The size of the cathedral itself is outstanding and the amount of statues and sculptures in it is beyond my vocabulary. Inside, there is a strange feeling, thanks to the light entering through marvellous windows and the height of the ceiling; one feels to be separated from the rest of the world in its interior, believe me, it is mainly a provider of peace. Unfortunately, I could not visit, since it was closed to visitors, the chapel where the Three Wise Men are supposed to be buried. I had some complaints for them, grrrr!
I also climbed the 509 steps of one of the towers to have impressive views of Cologne. It was midday, very hot and I think the Pope Benedictus XVI should grant heaven to anyone doing this, because it was kind of hard and sweatful experience. Due to this bias, probably, I do not classify Cologne's cathedral as the most impressive one I have ever been to. This first place belongs to Strasbourg's cathedral, but together with Vienna's, Cologne's could easily get a place in the podium.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Mes amis les avocats
Aujourd'hui je voudrais être bref parce que je n'ai pas beaucoup de temps et parce que il y a longtemps que je n'utilise pas mon français. Le sujet que j'ai choisi est le rôle des avocats dans le système judiciarie actuel.
Je pensait que les avocats doivent assurer que l'accusé a un procès juste et avec tous les droits. Mais parfois il semble que l'objectif des avocats soit laisser libre l'accusé malgré il ayait declaré sa culpabilité. Les avocats cherchent dans les lois des trous pourquoi leur client soit declaré innocent. Quand ça n'est pas possible, ils cherchent des avancer des arguments sur les problèmes mentaux de l'accusé. Par exemple, l'assassin d'un garçon de dixhuit mois parce qu'il faisait des bruits quand ce monstre joueait avec la console. Ce monstre mérite de rester beaucoup d'annés en prison et les efforts de son avocat pour le rendre libre sont dégoûtants.
Ça n'est pas son rôle, à mon avis. C'est la mission d'avocat être sûr que le procès est juste et transparent. Naturellement je sois en faveur d'un système judiciaire plein des droits et des garanties, mais cette système ne devraient oublier que son dernier bout est faire justice, et les avocats semblent d'oublier trop souvant ce fait.
Pour conclure, je voudrais rappeler ce que Woody Allen a dit sur les avocats: "si on t'aide avant commettre un crime, il devient un complice; si on t'aide après le crime, il est ton avocat".
Je pensait que les avocats doivent assurer que l'accusé a un procès juste et avec tous les droits. Mais parfois il semble que l'objectif des avocats soit laisser libre l'accusé malgré il ayait declaré sa culpabilité. Les avocats cherchent dans les lois des trous pourquoi leur client soit declaré innocent. Quand ça n'est pas possible, ils cherchent des avancer des arguments sur les problèmes mentaux de l'accusé. Par exemple, l'assassin d'un garçon de dixhuit mois parce qu'il faisait des bruits quand ce monstre joueait avec la console. Ce monstre mérite de rester beaucoup d'annés en prison et les efforts de son avocat pour le rendre libre sont dégoûtants.
Ça n'est pas son rôle, à mon avis. C'est la mission d'avocat être sûr que le procès est juste et transparent. Naturellement je sois en faveur d'un système judiciaire plein des droits et des garanties, mais cette système ne devraient oublier que son dernier bout est faire justice, et les avocats semblent d'oublier trop souvant ce fait.
Pour conclure, je voudrais rappeler ce que Woody Allen a dit sur les avocats: "si on t'aide avant commettre un crime, il devient un complice; si on t'aide après le crime, il est ton avocat".
Sunday, July 20, 2008
City of bishops
Some days ago I only knew the city of Würzburg because it is the birthplace of Dirk Nowitzki, one of the best basketball players of the XXI century.
But my day trip yesterday allowed me to discover a wonderful and charming city. However, there were some negative points and I would like to report them just now, before starting with the good memories. First of all, in the train from Frankfurt it was quite difficult to find a seat, since most of them were already reserved. I had to walk forward and backward the whole train and just in my second “lap”, I was able to find an empty seat for me. The other negative point is that I could not watch two of the three main churches in Würzburg: St. Killian’s Cathedral and Hofkirche. The first one is being renovated and it is closed until 2009 and there was a wedding at Hofkirche at the time I wanted to visit it.
The city centre of Würzburg is very nice and enjoyable if walking. I recommend a short wander which must finish at the Neumünster (New Cathedral) and at the St. Killian’s Cathedral. The small garden called Lusam Gärtlein, backwards both cathedrals, is worth a visit. I went there twice, since my Lonely Planet guide strongly recommended it. At noon, first attempt, I could not stay long because a couple was having a moment of passion and I could not help feeling to be interrupting something. On my second attempt, in the afternoon, there was an exhibition there and I had to pay 6 euros to get in.
From there, just take the Domstrasse towards the old bridge over the river Main. River Main keeps me fascinated because of its huge dimensions: it is incredibly wide at Frankfurt and it is still at Würzburg, more than 100 kilometres upstream. The bridge is quite nice, with all the statues of these saints which bear so old-fashioned and weird names.
Once on the other side of the river, your natural destination is the Fortress, which according to my Lonely Planet guide, has only been taken once: by Swedish soldiers. Yeah, the same question comes immediately to my mind: what the hell were doing some Swedish in Franconia? It seems they were taking part in the 30 Years War, but in any case I still think it is too far away from Sweden. Ok, let’s focus on the Fortress itself. After an amazing walk, I understood why it is so invincible: it has so many walls and doors and towers and… Nowadays there is a beautiful walk uphill among the vineyards but it has not ever been like this.
Würzburg is a World Heritage Site due to the Residenz, the dwelling of its bishops in Middle Age. Not only in Spain did bishops enjoy high quality of life. I must admit I felt a bit disappointed by it, as I was expecting much more after the amazing day in the town. The staircase is worldwide famous and it is also a bit disappointing. But the most remarkable of all are the gardens the bishop needed in his meditation.
According to my Lonely Planet guide, again, Hermann Hesse once said that he would have liked to be born in Würzburg. Dirk Nowitzki even dared to do it. And I think I could perfectly agree with both of them, since Würzburg is really a lovely place, one of the very top ones.
Last but not least, I just wanted to remark a geographical issue. In the 50 days that I have been living in Frankfurt, I have visited four regional lands so far: Hesse (Frankfurt), Rhein-Pfalz (Mainz), Baden-Wurttenberg (Heidelberg) and Bayern (Würzburg). And Nordrhein-Westphalen (Cologne) will join soon. Do not panic, this will not continue at the same pace.
But my day trip yesterday allowed me to discover a wonderful and charming city. However, there were some negative points and I would like to report them just now, before starting with the good memories. First of all, in the train from Frankfurt it was quite difficult to find a seat, since most of them were already reserved. I had to walk forward and backward the whole train and just in my second “lap”, I was able to find an empty seat for me. The other negative point is that I could not watch two of the three main churches in Würzburg: St. Killian’s Cathedral and Hofkirche. The first one is being renovated and it is closed until 2009 and there was a wedding at Hofkirche at the time I wanted to visit it.
The city centre of Würzburg is very nice and enjoyable if walking. I recommend a short wander which must finish at the Neumünster (New Cathedral) and at the St. Killian’s Cathedral. The small garden called Lusam Gärtlein, backwards both cathedrals, is worth a visit. I went there twice, since my Lonely Planet guide strongly recommended it. At noon, first attempt, I could not stay long because a couple was having a moment of passion and I could not help feeling to be interrupting something. On my second attempt, in the afternoon, there was an exhibition there and I had to pay 6 euros to get in.From there, just take the Domstrasse towards the old bridge over the river Main. River Main keeps me fascinated because of its huge dimensions: it is incredibly wide at Frankfurt and it is still at Würzburg, more than 100 kilometres upstream. The bridge is quite nice, with all the statues of these saints which bear so old-fashioned and weird names.
Once on the other side of the river, your natural destination is the Fortress, which according to my Lonely Planet guide, has only been taken once: by Swedish soldiers. Yeah, the same question comes immediately to my mind: what the hell were doing some Swedish in Franconia? It seems they were taking part in the 30 Years War, but in any case I still think it is too far away from Sweden. Ok, let’s focus on the Fortress itself. After an amazing walk, I understood why it is so invincible: it has so many walls and doors and towers and… Nowadays there is a beautiful walk uphill among the vineyards but it has not ever been like this.
Würzburg is a World Heritage Site due to the Residenz, the dwelling of its bishops in Middle Age. Not only in Spain did bishops enjoy high quality of life. I must admit I felt a bit disappointed by it, as I was expecting much more after the amazing day in the town. The staircase is worldwide famous and it is also a bit disappointing. But the most remarkable of all are the gardens the bishop needed in his meditation.
According to my Lonely Planet guide, again, Hermann Hesse once said that he would have liked to be born in Würzburg. Dirk Nowitzki even dared to do it. And I think I could perfectly agree with both of them, since Würzburg is really a lovely place, one of the very top ones.Last but not least, I just wanted to remark a geographical issue. In the 50 days that I have been living in Frankfurt, I have visited four regional lands so far: Hesse (Frankfurt), Rhein-Pfalz (Mainz), Baden-Wurttenberg (Heidelberg) and Bayern (Würzburg). And Nordrhein-Westphalen (Cologne) will join soon. Do not panic, this will not continue at the same pace.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Un poco de todo
He estado este fin de semana en mi casa de Guadalajara, por primera vez desde que me trasladé a Francfort, y tanto ajetreo de viaje ha hecho que no esté centrado para escribir únicamente sobre un tema, así que esta vez voy a dedicar una frase o dos a cada una de las cosas que quiero mencionar aquí.
En primer lugar, hablaré de mis perennes problemas informáticos. Llevo unos días con problemas en mi conexión a Internet, justamente desde que instalé la versión 3.0 de Mozilla. Todo funcionaba tan ricamente pero tuve que cambiar a la nueva versión, que tampoco me ofrece nada que merezca la pena. Ahora ya tampoco me funciona el cortafuegos Zone Alarm. Moraleja: si algo funciona, no lo toques, incluso si es para mejorarlo.
Al comparar el grado de civismo de Guadalajara con el de Francfort, temo que la ciudad alemana gana por goleada. Así, entre otras "perlas" de mi querida Guadalajara cito el pestilente olor que emena la recién estrenada pasarela sobre la N-II, el individuo que tiró una lata de Coca-Cola desde un coche en marcha, el millón y medio de chicles y escupitajos que adornan nuestras aceras y la práctica de aparcar donde le viene a uno en gana.
Hoy he estado otra vez en un aeropuerto y la verdad es que últimamente estos sitios me dan algo de sueño y me ponen algo tristón. En los últimos tiempos he tenido muchas despedidas en un aeropuerto ante un viaje que debía hacer solo y poco a poco creo que esto me va erosionando. Espero tener pronto un recuerdo algo más agradable.
En el vuelo a Madrid con Lanchile he visto la película de "21", sobre unos estudiantes del MIT que sacaron un dinero de los casinos en los 90 usando técnicas matemáticas de probabilidad. Es una película muy amena, y, que pese a su final feliz, me ha gustado mucho. La escena de los escarceos del protagonista con la chica delante de sus amigos freakies me hizo reír, porque eso es real, eso lo he vivido yo, desde todos los puntos de vista, je, je, je.
Venga, pues lo dejo hoy aquí. Añado alguna foto de Francfort, que espero no esté repetida y hasta la próxima.
En primer lugar, hablaré de mis perennes problemas informáticos. Llevo unos días con problemas en mi conexión a Internet, justamente desde que instalé la versión 3.0 de Mozilla. Todo funcionaba tan ricamente pero tuve que cambiar a la nueva versión, que tampoco me ofrece nada que merezca la pena. Ahora ya tampoco me funciona el cortafuegos Zone Alarm. Moraleja: si algo funciona, no lo toques, incluso si es para mejorarlo.
Al comparar el grado de civismo de Guadalajara con el de Francfort, temo que la ciudad alemana gana por goleada. Así, entre otras "perlas" de mi querida Guadalajara cito el pestilente olor que emena la recién estrenada pasarela sobre la N-II, el individuo que tiró una lata de Coca-Cola desde un coche en marcha, el millón y medio de chicles y escupitajos que adornan nuestras aceras y la práctica de aparcar donde le viene a uno en gana.
Hoy he estado otra vez en un aeropuerto y la verdad es que últimamente estos sitios me dan algo de sueño y me ponen algo tristón. En los últimos tiempos he tenido muchas despedidas en un aeropuerto ante un viaje que debía hacer solo y poco a poco creo que esto me va erosionando. Espero tener pronto un recuerdo algo más agradable.
En el vuelo a Madrid con Lanchile he visto la película de "21", sobre unos estudiantes del MIT que sacaron un dinero de los casinos en los 90 usando técnicas matemáticas de probabilidad. Es una película muy amena, y, que pese a su final feliz, me ha gustado mucho. La escena de los escarceos del protagonista con la chica delante de sus amigos freakies me hizo reír, porque eso es real, eso lo he vivido yo, desde todos los puntos de vista, je, je, je.
Venga, pues lo dejo hoy aquí. Añado alguna foto de Francfort, que espero no esté repetida y hasta la próxima.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Difficoltà economiche
Alcuni mese fa, tutti i paesi europei hanno cominciato ad avere difficoltà economiche o qualcosa similare, che cercano di descrivere lo stesso che la parola che non può essere detta: "crisi".
Adesso sembra che la globalizacione non è una fada che ci farà la vita più facile e bella, ma è una bestia brutta che ci farà lavorare 60 ore alle settimana (come nel 1910) per guadagnare meno soldi ogni volta, e così fino ai 70 anni, perchè la età di retiro dovrà moversi avanti un po' per i problemi demografici. Anche la globalizacione non ci piace e perciò chiudiamo le nostre frontiere agli stranieri, dimenticando a volte i diritti umani. I mercati finanziari non sono luoghi dove tutti multiplicano l'inversione in due anni e comprare una casa in propietà è diventato un'aventura che farebbe paura a Indiana Jones.
Gli economisti e i politici hanno sicuramente visto venire queste difficoltà, ma hanno preferito non dire niente o, ancora peggio, dire delle bugie. Oggi, il giornale "El País" compara quello che hanno detto politici ed empresari un anno fa sulla situazione della costruzione e che cosa è successo alle loro ditte. Tutti quelli che dicevano che il mondo era felice e perfetto hanno avuto delle grandissime dificoltà: Enrique Bañuelos, Fernando Martín o Luis Portillo, tra altri tanti. Le loro parolo ci mostrano la loro stupidità e mancanza di onore (per mentire giorno dopo giorno).
Anche la classica frase liberale di lasciare fare al mercato è minaciata con queste difficoltà. Tre mercati hanno preso tutta l'attenzione mondiale: il mercato dell'olio (dove c'è tantissima speculazione, vero Goldman Sachs?, che non è possibile sapere se la salita dei prezzi è dovuta alla demanda, all'oferta o alla speculazione); il mercato de gli alimenti (lo stesso, siamo in 2008 più o meno gli stessi abitanti del mondo che in 2006 e quindi direi che la demanda non si trova dietro alla crescita dei prezzi) ed i mercati finanziari, dove i prodotti finanziari si hanno trovato molto più avanzati che le regolazioni che dovrebbero controllarli. Per la prima volta, ci sono evidenze di che i mercati liberi non servono per fare tutto, che i prezzi non sono i re' e bisogna un minimo di regulazione.
Vediamo cosa succede e quello che ci porterà il futuro, un futuro dove il capitalismo non sarà il re'...
Adesso sembra che la globalizacione non è una fada che ci farà la vita più facile e bella, ma è una bestia brutta che ci farà lavorare 60 ore alle settimana (come nel 1910) per guadagnare meno soldi ogni volta, e così fino ai 70 anni, perchè la età di retiro dovrà moversi avanti un po' per i problemi demografici. Anche la globalizacione non ci piace e perciò chiudiamo le nostre frontiere agli stranieri, dimenticando a volte i diritti umani. I mercati finanziari non sono luoghi dove tutti multiplicano l'inversione in due anni e comprare una casa in propietà è diventato un'aventura che farebbe paura a Indiana Jones.
Gli economisti e i politici hanno sicuramente visto venire queste difficoltà, ma hanno preferito non dire niente o, ancora peggio, dire delle bugie. Oggi, il giornale "El País" compara quello che hanno detto politici ed empresari un anno fa sulla situazione della costruzione e che cosa è successo alle loro ditte. Tutti quelli che dicevano che il mondo era felice e perfetto hanno avuto delle grandissime dificoltà: Enrique Bañuelos, Fernando Martín o Luis Portillo, tra altri tanti. Le loro parolo ci mostrano la loro stupidità e mancanza di onore (per mentire giorno dopo giorno).
Anche la classica frase liberale di lasciare fare al mercato è minaciata con queste difficoltà. Tre mercati hanno preso tutta l'attenzione mondiale: il mercato dell'olio (dove c'è tantissima speculazione, vero Goldman Sachs?, che non è possibile sapere se la salita dei prezzi è dovuta alla demanda, all'oferta o alla speculazione); il mercato de gli alimenti (lo stesso, siamo in 2008 più o meno gli stessi abitanti del mondo che in 2006 e quindi direi che la demanda non si trova dietro alla crescita dei prezzi) ed i mercati finanziari, dove i prodotti finanziari si hanno trovato molto più avanzati che le regolazioni che dovrebbero controllarli. Per la prima volta, ci sono evidenze di che i mercati liberi non servono per fare tutto, che i prezzi non sono i re' e bisogna un minimo di regulazione.
Vediamo cosa succede e quello che ci porterà il futuro, un futuro dove il capitalismo non sarà il re'...
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
A month in Germany
I have been living for a month in Germany and I think I could tell some characteristics of life here which seem to be a bit strange to the eyes of an Spaniard like me.First thing I would like to mention are traffic lights. Their functioning is rather strange. I mean, in Spain we also have traffic lights and I know the basics. But I mean that in a crossroad, here in Germany, you have at the same time, the two traffic lights in red for the cars or green for them. It should not be that way, at least, it is not in all the places I have been. Nevertheless, I am pretty sure there is a great reason for this strange functioning, there is always a reason for everything in Germany.
My apartment is quite close to a hospital and I think I am starting to regret it. You should hear the volume of ambulances, here. It seems they just want to be sure that drivers are aware of their presence by making an incredible noise. And if ambulances are noisy, firemen (o firepersons or whatever) are twice of three times noisier, they are like a rock concert or a landing aeroplane.
Bikes are some kind of mistery for me. I have seen the same bike, parked in the same place during one month and I am desperate trying to find an answer for this. My best estimate is that they are left by the owners in different points of the city, "just in case" they need to use them. I mean, imagine I go to Westend one day, then I know that I have parked a bycicle in a square and I can cycle back home. If you watch the amazing number of bycicles parked in some train stations (such in Heidelberg), you would believe in my theory.
In a few days, I must get my hair cut. Let's see if I can make myself understood by hairdressers'...
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Magun... ¿qué?
Hoy he estado en una de las pocas ciudades alemanas con pasado romano: Maguncia (o Mainz, como dicen los nativos).
Lo de pasado romano se puede ver desde la misma estación de tren, puesto que al lado de los andenes están los restos de un teatro romano. Esto parece algo muy español (lo de construir algo al lado de un yacimiento arqueológico, porque la estación vino después que el teatro, que conste), pero esta vez sucede en Alemania. Y más allá de esto quedan pocos restos de los tiempos del Imperio.
Maguncia es famosa por su catedral, que realmente es digna de ver, especialmente el claustro. Parece que esta fue una de las pocas que se salvó en la Segunda Guerra Mundial de los "bombardeos de escarmiento" de 1944 y 1945 (Dresde y Francfort, como ejemplo). No es la más espectacular, pero es muy interesante, sobre todo por las tumbas antiguas que tiene, donde se representa a los prohombres de la Edad Media con una cabeza medio calavérica.
En Maguncia desemboca el río Meno (el que pasa por Francfort) en el Rin, y como se puede imaginar fácilmente, eso parece el mar, como se aprecia en la foto.
Por lo demás, es una ciudad donde pasear es muy agradable, donde hay que mencionar su cuidado centro histórico y la recargada en exceso iglesia de los Carmelitas. Añado, para los cunefitos, que es donde Guttemberg imprimió su primer libro, je, je, je. Para una visita de un día, es un sitio muy recomendable.
Lo de pasado romano se puede ver desde la misma estación de tren, puesto que al lado de los andenes están los restos de un teatro romano. Esto parece algo muy español (lo de construir algo al lado de un yacimiento arqueológico, porque la estación vino después que el teatro, que conste), pero esta vez sucede en Alemania. Y más allá de esto quedan pocos restos de los tiempos del Imperio.Maguncia es famosa por su catedral, que realmente es digna de ver, especialmente el claustro. Parece que esta fue una de las pocas que se salvó en la Segunda Guerra Mundial de los "bombardeos de escarmiento" de 1944 y 1945 (Dresde y Francfort, como ejemplo). No es la más espectacular, pero es muy interesante, sobre todo por las tumbas antiguas que tiene, donde se representa a los prohombres de la Edad Media con una cabeza medio calavérica.
En Maguncia desemboca el río Meno (el que pasa por Francfort) en el Rin, y como se puede imaginar fácilmente, eso parece el mar, como se aprecia en la foto.
Por lo demás, es una ciudad donde pasear es muy agradable, donde hay que mencionar su cuidado centro histórico y la recargada en exceso iglesia de los Carmelitas. Añado, para los cunefitos, que es donde Guttemberg imprimió su primer libro, je, je, je. Para una visita de un día, es un sitio muy recomendable.
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