Last summer our wood shed got a new roof.
Snow stops were installed to prevent avalanches
from cascading down onto unsuspecting pedestrians.
We had a melt lately and the snow stops
created a whole row of angels.
...so fly away with
Bertstravels.
Monday, December 24, 2012
SNOW ANGELS
Last summer our wood shed got a new roof.
Snow stops were installed to prevent avalanches
from cascading down onto unsuspecting pedestrians.
We had a melt lately and the snow stops
created a whole row of angels.
...so fly away with
Bertstravels.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
SALZBURG; WHERE GOEST THOU ???
I had honestly planned that the most recent entry about the "Zocking in Salzburg" was to be the last one on this subject.
Recent developments, however, make me break this vow and tell you about the latest 'shenanigans' happening in this beautiful Province:
You must know that Provinces here have no right to tax its citizens. Taxing is done by the Federal Government, who in turn hand over certain amounts to the Provinces, so they may discharge their responsibilities. They, in turn, fund Municipalities.
This is great for the Provincial Government, since it can never be blamed for 'raising taxes'.
Salzburg, so the Newspapers report, asked the Feds for (in round numbers) 445 Million Euros more than its budget called for. This money was to be used to assist in the erection of residential buildings. (Wohnbauförderung ).
The Feds paid up, but now the Province cannot find this money.
Get this: A Government gets 445 Million Euros, but, after having received this amount, cannot find it.
The suspicion exists that the good lady, Monica, who made so many bad investments with taxpayers money that the Province now shows an earlier mentioned paper loss of 340 Million Euros, has also got her sticky fingers on this amount and gambled it away.
No one suggests, by the way, that she enriched herself to any extent. She did all this in order to make money for the Province and its citizens.
Now what about the 'Auditor General's' claim that they were shown forged documents in order to hide the losses? There are, as is to be expected; denials on every front. The Chief of the office of the Auditor General, Mr. Josef Moser, however, repeated his clearly stated accusation that his auditors were shown forged documents. He said: "A large part of the documents we asked for, were forgeries."
Mr. David Brenner, a member of the Provincial Government and financial advisor to the Province ( Salzburg Finanzlandesrat) has now tendered his resignation. It is said that "he knew or should have known" of all these goings-on. The accusation stands that the Provincial Government of Salzburg deliberately mislead the Auditor General of the Federal Government. This is, of course, hotly denied by the leaders of the Province. In fact, Mr. Brenner claims to have heard about all of this for the first time, when it became public.
Mrs. Burgstaller, the Premier of Salzburg Province also claims not to have had any knowledge of this misuse of power by Mrs. Monica.
Out of all this mess comes, or seems to come, one benefit:
The Federal Government ( consisting of a coalition between the Socialist Party of Austria and the Austrian People's Party) has agreed to officially forbid the use of Taxpayers' money for high-risk investments.
Hurray !!!!!
says Bertstravels
on behalf of all taxpaying citizens
everywhere.
P.S. One Austrian reader of this Blog has chastised me, suggesting that I stop giving advise to Austria. I challenge this reader to show me one single line in anything I have written about this affair which could be interpreted as giving advise to anybody.
I have simply repeated, mostly in my own words, what the Newspapers and other Media report here about this peculiar issue.
Recent developments, however, make me break this vow and tell you about the latest 'shenanigans' happening in this beautiful Province:
You must know that Provinces here have no right to tax its citizens. Taxing is done by the Federal Government, who in turn hand over certain amounts to the Provinces, so they may discharge their responsibilities. They, in turn, fund Municipalities.
This is great for the Provincial Government, since it can never be blamed for 'raising taxes'.
Salzburg, so the Newspapers report, asked the Feds for (in round numbers) 445 Million Euros more than its budget called for. This money was to be used to assist in the erection of residential buildings. (Wohnbauförderung ).
The Feds paid up, but now the Province cannot find this money.
Get this: A Government gets 445 Million Euros, but, after having received this amount, cannot find it.
The suspicion exists that the good lady, Monica, who made so many bad investments with taxpayers money that the Province now shows an earlier mentioned paper loss of 340 Million Euros, has also got her sticky fingers on this amount and gambled it away.
No one suggests, by the way, that she enriched herself to any extent. She did all this in order to make money for the Province and its citizens.
Now what about the 'Auditor General's' claim that they were shown forged documents in order to hide the losses? There are, as is to be expected; denials on every front. The Chief of the office of the Auditor General, Mr. Josef Moser, however, repeated his clearly stated accusation that his auditors were shown forged documents. He said: "A large part of the documents we asked for, were forgeries."
Mr. David Brenner, a member of the Provincial Government and financial advisor to the Province ( Salzburg Finanzlandesrat) has now tendered his resignation. It is said that "he knew or should have known" of all these goings-on. The accusation stands that the Provincial Government of Salzburg deliberately mislead the Auditor General of the Federal Government. This is, of course, hotly denied by the leaders of the Province. In fact, Mr. Brenner claims to have heard about all of this for the first time, when it became public.
Mrs. Burgstaller, the Premier of Salzburg Province also claims not to have had any knowledge of this misuse of power by Mrs. Monica.
Out of all this mess comes, or seems to come, one benefit:
The Federal Government ( consisting of a coalition between the Socialist Party of Austria and the Austrian People's Party) has agreed to officially forbid the use of Taxpayers' money for high-risk investments.
Hurray !!!!!
says Bertstravels
on behalf of all taxpaying citizens
everywhere.
P.S. One Austrian reader of this Blog has chastised me, suggesting that I stop giving advise to Austria. I challenge this reader to show me one single line in anything I have written about this affair which could be interpreted as giving advise to anybody.
I have simply repeated, mostly in my own words, what the Newspapers and other Media report here about this peculiar issue.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
DISAPPOINTMENT WITH A CAPITAL "D"
This truly must be disappointment, spelled with a capital "D"...
There is the skiing downhill race, featuring all the aces...
There is Svindal, who is considered "unbeatable"..
there are all the Austrian, Swiss and other aces.
Down the hill comes a Canadian, Eric Guay, to whom very little chance is given to place in the top 10.
He tears down this slope at breathtaking speed and places "FIRST" ...
Now everybody has come down except some of the lower ranked racers.
Eric Guay is interviewed before everybody has come down.
It seems clear:
Eric is the winner.
Nobody is left up there, but some "also rans"...nobody who can threaten Eric's triumph.
Eric first speaks in reasonable, heavily accented German... then, in his excitement, switches to English and talks about his happiness about winning. " I've never won a race before" he bubbles. The interviewer smiles benevolently.
The race goes on, but has lost excitement. The First, Second and Third place racers are determined.
Now comes a Slovenian, named Rok Perko. I've never heard of Rok and barely glance at the screen.
What is this I see?
First intermediate time: Rok is leading Eric by 0.02 seconds. Second intermediate: Rok is even a little further up front. At the finishing line: Rok Perko, the Nobody from Slovenia has beaten Eric Guay's time by less than half a second.
Eric is now in Second Place.
Everybody pays attention again. Some more racers come down, placing in the mid teens, low twenties and even low thirties..
Now Steve Nyman, USA is on the course and...I won't keep you guessing:
Nyman has First, Rok is Second and Eric Guay, who had been celebrated as the victor is now only Third.
Eric may now repeat: "I've never won a race."
In my mind, everybody who makes it down this treacherous slope in one piece and standing up is a champion, even if not a winner.
Bertstravels doffs his hat at all of them.
There is the skiing downhill race, featuring all the aces...
There is Svindal, who is considered "unbeatable"..
there are all the Austrian, Swiss and other aces.
Down the hill comes a Canadian, Eric Guay, to whom very little chance is given to place in the top 10.
He tears down this slope at breathtaking speed and places "FIRST" ...
Now everybody has come down except some of the lower ranked racers.
Eric Guay is interviewed before everybody has come down.
It seems clear:
Eric is the winner.
Nobody is left up there, but some "also rans"...nobody who can threaten Eric's triumph.
Eric first speaks in reasonable, heavily accented German... then, in his excitement, switches to English and talks about his happiness about winning. " I've never won a race before" he bubbles. The interviewer smiles benevolently.
The race goes on, but has lost excitement. The First, Second and Third place racers are determined.
Now comes a Slovenian, named Rok Perko. I've never heard of Rok and barely glance at the screen.
What is this I see?
First intermediate time: Rok is leading Eric by 0.02 seconds. Second intermediate: Rok is even a little further up front. At the finishing line: Rok Perko, the Nobody from Slovenia has beaten Eric Guay's time by less than half a second.
Eric is now in Second Place.
Everybody pays attention again. Some more racers come down, placing in the mid teens, low twenties and even low thirties..
Now Steve Nyman, USA is on the course and...I won't keep you guessing:
Nyman has First, Rok is Second and Eric Guay, who had been celebrated as the victor is now only Third.
Eric may now repeat: "I've never won a race."
In my mind, everybody who makes it down this treacherous slope in one piece and standing up is a champion, even if not a winner.
Bertstravels doffs his hat at all of them.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
ZOCKEN IN SALZBURG
When you think of Salzburg, Austria, you think of Mozart,
Music Festivals, breathtaking Countryside,
"The Sound of Music" and many other things of Beauty.
Soon you may also think of "Zocken".. pronounced 'Tsocken'.....
Tsocken? you may ask.... yes: 'Zocken'... a word in the German language which means, among other meanings:
"Trading in high risk Investments"
A high ranking female Civil Servant, who was almost singularly in charge of the Province's financial affairs, and in an effort, I have no doubt, to make some money for her employer, the Province, started to place Tax-Euros in some high risk investments. Her first effort happened some 11 years ago. These gambles, unfortunately did not pay off. In fact, the original investments quickly showed losses, which prompted the good lady, to put some more Tax-Euros in some even riskier markets. She bet on the Mexican Peso, and Islandic Kronen. NO, she did not purchase Swiss Franks, or Japanese Yen, to re-sell them when these currencies fluctuate positively in relation to the Euro. She engaged in very complicated high risk transactions, with some inherently weak currencies, hoping that things would turn around, and she would eliminate the losses and show hefty profits.
She talked such a good talk, that large companies, including Germany's largest Bank, the Deutsche Bank, wooed her and tried to have her join their ranks. Fortunately for them, she turned down all such offers, and without a break, (she is said never to have taken vacations ) stuck to her office.
Several times the "Rechnungshof'', the Auditor General, ran routine checks and found nothing wrong. One wonders where they looked.
One financial expert claimed that the reason why nothing inappropriate was ever found was, that according to Austrian Law when, for instance, a share is purchased for 1000, it always shows on the book as 1000, irrespective of the fact, that these shares may now be worth 500, or in fact 1500.
In other words: The Government Auditors checked the Purchase Value against the physical presence of the share and never questioned if the 'Book Value' differed from the 'Market Value'...
This sounds like an absolutely unbelievable claim.
The LOSS, when the Market Value of today is compared to the Book Value amounts to a cool
340 Million Euros
The question is easy, the answer very difficult: When confronted with such a situation do you excercise patience, sit still, do nothing and wait until the Market Value rises to reduce the difference (Loss)...
but what happens if the Market Value falls further, thereby increasing the Loss ?
or do you simply sell the assets and cut your losses, fire everybody connected with this issue, including her boss, because she had a boss, and start from scratch.
Either way, it would be prudent to make it illigal for any Civil Servant and/or Politician to gamble with Taxpayers money.
The only reason why this lady will probably face a jail term is not because she 'zocked' with Taxpayers money, but because she allegedly forged documents and signatures to hide the disasterous state of affairs.
There are opinions that this case is but the tip of the iceberg and that other Provinces and Municipalities are in similar positions. Therefore one must ask: What is the real deficit of the country as a whole??
This is a truly bad deal
as Bertstravels sees it.
source documents: "Der Kurier"; Kleine Zeitung"
Music Festivals, breathtaking Countryside,
"The Sound of Music" and many other things of Beauty.
Soon you may also think of "Zocken".. pronounced 'Tsocken'.....
Tsocken? you may ask.... yes: 'Zocken'... a word in the German language which means, among other meanings:
"Trading in high risk Investments"
A high ranking female Civil Servant, who was almost singularly in charge of the Province's financial affairs, and in an effort, I have no doubt, to make some money for her employer, the Province, started to place Tax-Euros in some high risk investments. Her first effort happened some 11 years ago. These gambles, unfortunately did not pay off. In fact, the original investments quickly showed losses, which prompted the good lady, to put some more Tax-Euros in some even riskier markets. She bet on the Mexican Peso, and Islandic Kronen. NO, she did not purchase Swiss Franks, or Japanese Yen, to re-sell them when these currencies fluctuate positively in relation to the Euro. She engaged in very complicated high risk transactions, with some inherently weak currencies, hoping that things would turn around, and she would eliminate the losses and show hefty profits.
She talked such a good talk, that large companies, including Germany's largest Bank, the Deutsche Bank, wooed her and tried to have her join their ranks. Fortunately for them, she turned down all such offers, and without a break, (she is said never to have taken vacations ) stuck to her office.
Several times the "Rechnungshof'', the Auditor General, ran routine checks and found nothing wrong. One wonders where they looked.
One financial expert claimed that the reason why nothing inappropriate was ever found was, that according to Austrian Law when, for instance, a share is purchased for 1000, it always shows on the book as 1000, irrespective of the fact, that these shares may now be worth 500, or in fact 1500.
In other words: The Government Auditors checked the Purchase Value against the physical presence of the share and never questioned if the 'Book Value' differed from the 'Market Value'...
This sounds like an absolutely unbelievable claim.
The LOSS, when the Market Value of today is compared to the Book Value amounts to a cool
340 Million Euros
The question is easy, the answer very difficult: When confronted with such a situation do you excercise patience, sit still, do nothing and wait until the Market Value rises to reduce the difference (Loss)...
but what happens if the Market Value falls further, thereby increasing the Loss ?
or do you simply sell the assets and cut your losses, fire everybody connected with this issue, including her boss, because she had a boss, and start from scratch.
Either way, it would be prudent to make it illigal for any Civil Servant and/or Politician to gamble with Taxpayers money.
The only reason why this lady will probably face a jail term is not because she 'zocked' with Taxpayers money, but because she allegedly forged documents and signatures to hide the disasterous state of affairs.
There are opinions that this case is but the tip of the iceberg and that other Provinces and Municipalities are in similar positions. Therefore one must ask: What is the real deficit of the country as a whole??
This is a truly bad deal
as Bertstravels sees it.
source documents: "Der Kurier"; Kleine Zeitung"
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
LAST:::VERY LAST... "PENDLER" REPORT
I promise you this will be the very last report about the Pendlers. (communters)
This coming Tuesday the Austrian government expects to pass new, extended benefit regulations in Parliament. The details thereto are too ridiculous and probably boring to report here.
Let me just tell you that the 2013 Budget will provide a total of
530 Million Euros ( about Can$ 715.5 Millions)
that's about Can$89.00 per Austrian man, woman and child,
to support people for driving or bussing or railroading to work.
Why is
Bertstravels
not surprised ?
This coming Tuesday the Austrian government expects to pass new, extended benefit regulations in Parliament. The details thereto are too ridiculous and probably boring to report here.
Let me just tell you that the 2013 Budget will provide a total of
530 Million Euros ( about Can$ 715.5 Millions)
that's about Can$89.00 per Austrian man, woman and child,
to support people for driving or bussing or railroading to work.
Why is
Bertstravels
not surprised ?
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
This is truly "beyond belief"
Remember? A few days ago I wrote about the "Pendlerpauschale" (Commuter subsidy) which is being paid to any one who drives or takes public transportation from his/her home to work and back again. (Certain conditions apply)
What I will tell you now, I promise I did not make it up just to entertain you. This is really true:
In Austria, there are about 540,000 such Pendlers (commuters) daily going back and forth from home to work, using the Railroads.
If the train, any train, not only the trains of the ÖBB ( Austrian National Railroad) is late 10% of the time, or more often, within a given year, then a holder of an annual commuter ticket can expect a partial refund of the price of his ticket. All a Pendler has to do is to register once and his refund ticket will automatically be mailed to him/her.
There is now an 'improvement' planned whereby such refunds are issued if the train is late only 5% of the time.
In 2011, a total of 10,353 long distance Pendlers were paid 385,000 Euros, and 1,368 regional Pendlers together, received 29,200 Euros. All because the train was late.
I have yet to determine the interpretation of "late".
When is a train late? Five minutes after the time table? 10 minutes? Half an hour? I'll find out and don't be surprised if it is the shortest of the above suggestions.
There is another interesting item which I did not mention in my last posting about the "Pendlerpauschale". and that is, that it is being paid even while the commuter is on vacation and does not need to drive back and forth, or if he is home sick and for this very good reason does not drive to work. No matter... he/she still gets this "Pauschale" ( a fixed payment ).
So imagine this: This Austrian man enjoys the sun on the Italian Riviera, the waiter serves him a Gin and Tonic and a letter from the ÖBB with the refund cheque, because their trains ran late 18 days within the year... and another cheque in the amount of his Pendler Subsidy.
He goes home after his vacation and gets sick right away, because he got too much sun or drank too many Gin&Tonics.
Guess what! The cheques for the 'Pendler Subsidy' keep right on coming.
The ÖBB (Österreichische Bundes Bahn) the Austrian Federal Railway, runs an annual deficit, large enough to choke the proverbial horse. So, piddly amounts like the ones listed above make probably no difference to the overall disastrous manner in which this nationalized service is being run.
Hey, what's this I hear, coming down the tracks ?
Must be the train... late again... Next time I go to Klagenfurt (50km) I'll simply take my private jet.
It's always on time.
Bertstravels
What I will tell you now, I promise I did not make it up just to entertain you. This is really true:
In Austria, there are about 540,000 such Pendlers (commuters) daily going back and forth from home to work, using the Railroads.
If the train, any train, not only the trains of the ÖBB ( Austrian National Railroad) is late 10% of the time, or more often, within a given year, then a holder of an annual commuter ticket can expect a partial refund of the price of his ticket. All a Pendler has to do is to register once and his refund ticket will automatically be mailed to him/her.
There is now an 'improvement' planned whereby such refunds are issued if the train is late only 5% of the time.
In 2011, a total of 10,353 long distance Pendlers were paid 385,000 Euros, and 1,368 regional Pendlers together, received 29,200 Euros. All because the train was late.
I have yet to determine the interpretation of "late".
When is a train late? Five minutes after the time table? 10 minutes? Half an hour? I'll find out and don't be surprised if it is the shortest of the above suggestions.
There is another interesting item which I did not mention in my last posting about the "Pendlerpauschale". and that is, that it is being paid even while the commuter is on vacation and does not need to drive back and forth, or if he is home sick and for this very good reason does not drive to work. No matter... he/she still gets this "Pauschale" ( a fixed payment ).
So imagine this: This Austrian man enjoys the sun on the Italian Riviera, the waiter serves him a Gin and Tonic and a letter from the ÖBB with the refund cheque, because their trains ran late 18 days within the year... and another cheque in the amount of his Pendler Subsidy.
He goes home after his vacation and gets sick right away, because he got too much sun or drank too many Gin&Tonics.
Guess what! The cheques for the 'Pendler Subsidy' keep right on coming.
The ÖBB (Österreichische Bundes Bahn) the Austrian Federal Railway, runs an annual deficit, large enough to choke the proverbial horse. So, piddly amounts like the ones listed above make probably no difference to the overall disastrous manner in which this nationalized service is being run.
Hey, what's this I hear, coming down the tracks ?
Must be the train... late again... Next time I go to Klagenfurt (50km) I'll simply take my private jet.
It's always on time.
Bertstravels
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
NO NEWS ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Yes, it's quite true: There is no News hereabouts... at least none that I can think of, which might even remotely be interesting...
Yes it started to snow. In fact, it is snowing like crazy.. It's coming down as if it wanted to catch up with the warm temperatures of the last few weeks. The skiers are literally "frohlocking"... The snow cannons have put down a solid base and now it snows, beautiful large flakes down here and dry, small ones atop of "the Petzen"..
This wonderful mountain which, were I a skier, would be my "house mountain"...:
So that's the News about the weather..
I have not heard of anything particularly dumb spoken by the Pope,
I also haven't heard of anything particularly smart, spoken by any of the politicians, Austrians or Canadians.
So, let me tell you a little story, which harbours a great deal of funny philosophical insight:
(By the way: get yourself the booklet: "Plato and a Platypus walk into a Bar.")
Here's the tale:
An 85 year old man comes to his doctor and tells him, that his 25 year old wife is pregnant. He is overjoyed that, at his advanced years, he will be a father again.
The doctor quietly asks his friend to sit down, compose himself, because, he says, "I will tell you a little story: There was a man who wished to go bear hunting. He got all dressed up in his hunting outfit and on his way out of the house he intended to grab his heavy calibre gun, but, by mistake, he grabbed an umbrella.
He was no sooner in the forest, than a huge grizzly bear confronted him. The man raised his umbrella, squeezed off a shot and the Grizzly fell down... dead as a door nail..."
"But", says the old man, "that's impossible... somebody else must have had a gun of which he pulled the trigger and shot the bear"
"Precisely my point" says the doctor.
As I suggested: Go get this little booklet, along with two others:
"Aristotle and an Aardvark go to Washington" and Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates."
Three books, written by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein, explaining Philosophy through Jokes. These publications will give you many hours of bed time reading, allowing you to fall asleep with a smile on your face. ... and that's always worth the price of admission.
that's the way that
Bertstravels
sees it.
Yes it started to snow. In fact, it is snowing like crazy.. It's coming down as if it wanted to catch up with the warm temperatures of the last few weeks. The skiers are literally "frohlocking"... The snow cannons have put down a solid base and now it snows, beautiful large flakes down here and dry, small ones atop of "the Petzen"..
This wonderful mountain which, were I a skier, would be my "house mountain"...:
So that's the News about the weather..
I have not heard of anything particularly dumb spoken by the Pope,
I also haven't heard of anything particularly smart, spoken by any of the politicians, Austrians or Canadians.
So, let me tell you a little story, which harbours a great deal of funny philosophical insight:
(By the way: get yourself the booklet: "Plato and a Platypus walk into a Bar.")
Here's the tale:
An 85 year old man comes to his doctor and tells him, that his 25 year old wife is pregnant. He is overjoyed that, at his advanced years, he will be a father again.
The doctor quietly asks his friend to sit down, compose himself, because, he says, "I will tell you a little story: There was a man who wished to go bear hunting. He got all dressed up in his hunting outfit and on his way out of the house he intended to grab his heavy calibre gun, but, by mistake, he grabbed an umbrella.
He was no sooner in the forest, than a huge grizzly bear confronted him. The man raised his umbrella, squeezed off a shot and the Grizzly fell down... dead as a door nail..."
"But", says the old man, "that's impossible... somebody else must have had a gun of which he pulled the trigger and shot the bear"
"Precisely my point" says the doctor.
As I suggested: Go get this little booklet, along with two others:
"Aristotle and an Aardvark go to Washington" and Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates."
Three books, written by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein, explaining Philosophy through Jokes. These publications will give you many hours of bed time reading, allowing you to fall asleep with a smile on your face. ... and that's always worth the price of admission.
that's the way that
Bertstravels
sees it.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Pictures at an Exhibition
I was invited to exhibit 12 of my photographs.
I received many very positiv comments.
Even if no Sales resulted, I do not regret
having taken part in this effort.
As I said to Christin:
If I could take the compliments to the Bank,
I would be a rich man.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Silent Cannons
The snow cannons stand silently on green slopes. Slopes which are meant for sliding down at break-neck speeds on a pair of wooden slats... slopes which, at this time of the year are supposed to be covered by white, glistening snow.
If, at least, the temperatures were not 10 to 15 degrees above the freezing point, but 0 degrees or lower, the snow cannons could be used to produce this white stuff, and the ski races could be held on a narrow white band amidst otherwise green slopes. But, as it is, these snow cannons are probably the only cannons standing mute.
The polititians, Federal and Provincial are, however, far from standing around quietly. They mouth off any time and about everything. Right now the Socialists are on a rampage about "Rent control" .. as if there were not already enough of this in Austria. Now they want to put a ceiling of 7 Euros per m² on all rents... although nobody has yet mentioned a ceiling on the costs to operate an apartment building. The only saving grace for Austrian owners of apartment buildings is the fact that most rents are net rents and the tenant pays for such things as electricity and heating...
But of course the Minister of Housing clamors for more government housing to be built.
We poor Torontonians know what this means: More instant ghettos doomed for delapitation.
I well remember when our company bid for the management of a group of social housing buildings.
In order to prepare an operating budget, we were allowed to examine those properties. (we bid for over 800 suites)
We started on the roof: There was not a single air handling unit which functioned. One exhaust unit in fact housed a pidgeon nest. so you can imagine how long ago this one had broken down.
We walked down the stairs, floor by floor... handrails loose or missing... graffiti on every floor.
All the way down to the underground garage. Serious damage to the concrete slabs. Down to the sump pump pit. There was a pit, but no sump pump.
This was then and probably still is now, Government operated social housing.
So that's what the Austrian Socialists are heading towards.
It's a slippery slope... More slippery than the snowless ski runs in Schladming.
Bertstravels knows:
If, at least, the temperatures were not 10 to 15 degrees above the freezing point, but 0 degrees or lower, the snow cannons could be used to produce this white stuff, and the ski races could be held on a narrow white band amidst otherwise green slopes. But, as it is, these snow cannons are probably the only cannons standing mute.
The polititians, Federal and Provincial are, however, far from standing around quietly. They mouth off any time and about everything. Right now the Socialists are on a rampage about "Rent control" .. as if there were not already enough of this in Austria. Now they want to put a ceiling of 7 Euros per m² on all rents... although nobody has yet mentioned a ceiling on the costs to operate an apartment building. The only saving grace for Austrian owners of apartment buildings is the fact that most rents are net rents and the tenant pays for such things as electricity and heating...
But of course the Minister of Housing clamors for more government housing to be built.
We poor Torontonians know what this means: More instant ghettos doomed for delapitation.
I well remember when our company bid for the management of a group of social housing buildings.
In order to prepare an operating budget, we were allowed to examine those properties. (we bid for over 800 suites)
We started on the roof: There was not a single air handling unit which functioned. One exhaust unit in fact housed a pidgeon nest. so you can imagine how long ago this one had broken down.
We walked down the stairs, floor by floor... handrails loose or missing... graffiti on every floor.
All the way down to the underground garage. Serious damage to the concrete slabs. Down to the sump pump pit. There was a pit, but no sump pump.
This was then and probably still is now, Government operated social housing.
So that's what the Austrian Socialists are heading towards.
It's a slippery slope... More slippery than the snowless ski runs in Schladming.
Bertstravels knows:
Sunday, November 25, 2012
This is LATE AUTUMN ????
One day after the other: between 10 and 15 degrees, bright sun shine.
I walk around outdoors without a sweater or jacket. Just a long sleeved shirt.
This is ridiculous. It's supposed to be cold and damp and cold again.
I'm supposed to complain about the low temperatures instead of walking around as if it were the middle of May.
The mayor of our town, Bleiburg, invited all the 'Seniors' to a lunch in the Community Center.
There was pork and gravy and dumplings, with a green salad.
I know that one does not look a gift horse in the mouth...
The mayor is a very nice and competent man. Bleiburg could not have a better man in this position.
He is fluently bi-lingual ( German and Slovenian). When he talks, he talks too fast. I speak not a word of Slovenian, but I don't understand his German either when he speaks publicly. When I speak to him on a one to one basis, I have no trouble understanding him....
Well, as I said, one does not look a gifthorse in the mouth: But I have never eaten a worse piece of meat.
The dumpling was watery and tasted like a ...a...a... well, like a watery dumpling.
We went there to show him our respect. It was, however, a big price to pay.
I entered 4 pictures into a competition put on by the "Scientific Organisation of Carinthia."
The Vernissage is this coming Thursday, 29th November.... I got an e-mail inviting me to attend, because it said, I am a prize winner.... It's just a question which prize I won. First or fourtyest ?
Fourty of all the entries have been chosen to be shown in the Museum for Art. I'll keep you posted...
On Friday, the 30th November there is a "Christmas Market" put on in an Estate about an hour's car ride from here. I've been invited to exhibit 11 of my pictures there. They are about 50 x 100 cm in size and are, in fact, 'printed on canvass'... I shall post some pictures of this market...
Tonight, we are driving to Klagenfurt to listen to some Choirs... I would like it if they sang Carinthian Folksongs... but they always want to be modern... and they sing "Old Man River" and things like that..
It just does't fit........
Oh well, what else do you want to know ? You mean that this is more than enough ???
Then let me say: Talk to you later
Bertstravels.
I walk around outdoors without a sweater or jacket. Just a long sleeved shirt.
This is ridiculous. It's supposed to be cold and damp and cold again.
I'm supposed to complain about the low temperatures instead of walking around as if it were the middle of May.
The mayor of our town, Bleiburg, invited all the 'Seniors' to a lunch in the Community Center.
There was pork and gravy and dumplings, with a green salad.
I know that one does not look a gift horse in the mouth...
The mayor is a very nice and competent man. Bleiburg could not have a better man in this position.
He is fluently bi-lingual ( German and Slovenian). When he talks, he talks too fast. I speak not a word of Slovenian, but I don't understand his German either when he speaks publicly. When I speak to him on a one to one basis, I have no trouble understanding him....
Well, as I said, one does not look a gifthorse in the mouth: But I have never eaten a worse piece of meat.
The dumpling was watery and tasted like a ...a...a... well, like a watery dumpling.
We went there to show him our respect. It was, however, a big price to pay.
I entered 4 pictures into a competition put on by the "Scientific Organisation of Carinthia."
The Vernissage is this coming Thursday, 29th November.... I got an e-mail inviting me to attend, because it said, I am a prize winner.... It's just a question which prize I won. First or fourtyest ?
Fourty of all the entries have been chosen to be shown in the Museum for Art. I'll keep you posted...
On Friday, the 30th November there is a "Christmas Market" put on in an Estate about an hour's car ride from here. I've been invited to exhibit 11 of my pictures there. They are about 50 x 100 cm in size and are, in fact, 'printed on canvass'... I shall post some pictures of this market...
Tonight, we are driving to Klagenfurt to listen to some Choirs... I would like it if they sang Carinthian Folksongs... but they always want to be modern... and they sing "Old Man River" and things like that..
It just does't fit........
Oh well, what else do you want to know ? You mean that this is more than enough ???
Then let me say: Talk to you later
Bertstravels.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The "PENDLERPAUSCHALE"
What ? You don't know what a 'Pendler' is ?
Do you know what a Pendulum is? Ah, now we're getting there. A Pendulum swings back and forth and back and forth...
Therefore, in Austria, 'a pendler' is a person who drives back and forth from his home to his work and back and forth again...
You get the idea? So far, so good.
If my memory serves me correctly, many people who live in Ajax, or in Whitby, or in Barrie, but work in Toronto, go back and forth either by car or, when possible by public transportation.
Nobody thinks about Government paying you an allowance because you drive to work. You either find a job nearer your home, or you find a home nearer your job, or you just drive to work in the morning and home again after the office closes.
Well, that's not the way they do it in Austria:
Here you get a "Pendler Allowance".
You just fill out a rather detailed form, stating how far it is from your home to your work, and wether there is public transportation, and how far you would have to walk from your home to the closest public transportation stop. You may, for instance, live 10km or more from the nearest railway station, or there is no bus running from the railroad to your job etc etc... this entitles you then to take your car and you get paid as follows:
If you can use Public Transit:
20km .... you get 696.00 Euros p.a.
40km .... you get 1,356.00 Euros p.a.
more than 60km .... you get 2,016.00 Euros p.a.
The above is the 'small Pendler Allowance'.
If you have to use your car, because of certain existing conditions
you get much more, right up to 3,672 Euros per year. (large Pendler Allowance)
There are no restrictions as to your annual income, or the distance which you travel.
I live near a lovely lake, the Klopeiner See, on the shores of which are several expensive villas, occupied by people earning, I assume, well in excess of $150,000.00 per year. Are they entitled to charge society for the fact that their office is in Klagenfurt, about, say, 50km from the front door of their home ? Surely not, you say ! Wrong... It matters not how much they earn... it matters not how far away from their jobs they live... they are entitled to either the "small Pendler Allowance" or if they cannot or "cannot be expected" to use public transportation, the "large Pendler Allowance".
Nobody considers the fact that such mollycoddling encourages people not to even try to find work closer to home, or home closer to work.
Also, nobody worries about the fact that the further you drive, thereby polluting the environment more, the more you get paid by this insane regulation.
And it does not seem to anger anybody that even "the rich" get this socialist inspired payment?
Where, on the one hand Austrian politicians scream: "Tax the Rich"
on the other hand they pay them to drive to work.
If this is not "Alice in Wonderland" I don't know what is.
Maybe I should figure out how far Bertstravels travels, I might get paid by this crazy Government.
Bertstravels.
Do you know what a Pendulum is? Ah, now we're getting there. A Pendulum swings back and forth and back and forth...
Therefore, in Austria, 'a pendler' is a person who drives back and forth from his home to his work and back and forth again...
You get the idea? So far, so good.
If my memory serves me correctly, many people who live in Ajax, or in Whitby, or in Barrie, but work in Toronto, go back and forth either by car or, when possible by public transportation.
Nobody thinks about Government paying you an allowance because you drive to work. You either find a job nearer your home, or you find a home nearer your job, or you just drive to work in the morning and home again after the office closes.
Well, that's not the way they do it in Austria:
Here you get a "Pendler Allowance".
You just fill out a rather detailed form, stating how far it is from your home to your work, and wether there is public transportation, and how far you would have to walk from your home to the closest public transportation stop. You may, for instance, live 10km or more from the nearest railway station, or there is no bus running from the railroad to your job etc etc... this entitles you then to take your car and you get paid as follows:
If you can use Public Transit:
20km .... you get 696.00 Euros p.a.
40km .... you get 1,356.00 Euros p.a.
more than 60km .... you get 2,016.00 Euros p.a.
The above is the 'small Pendler Allowance'.
If you have to use your car, because of certain existing conditions
you get much more, right up to 3,672 Euros per year. (large Pendler Allowance)
There are no restrictions as to your annual income, or the distance which you travel.
I live near a lovely lake, the Klopeiner See, on the shores of which are several expensive villas, occupied by people earning, I assume, well in excess of $150,000.00 per year. Are they entitled to charge society for the fact that their office is in Klagenfurt, about, say, 50km from the front door of their home ? Surely not, you say ! Wrong... It matters not how much they earn... it matters not how far away from their jobs they live... they are entitled to either the "small Pendler Allowance" or if they cannot or "cannot be expected" to use public transportation, the "large Pendler Allowance".
Nobody considers the fact that such mollycoddling encourages people not to even try to find work closer to home, or home closer to work.
Also, nobody worries about the fact that the further you drive, thereby polluting the environment more, the more you get paid by this insane regulation.
And it does not seem to anger anybody that even "the rich" get this socialist inspired payment?
Where, on the one hand Austrian politicians scream: "Tax the Rich"
on the other hand they pay them to drive to work.
If this is not "Alice in Wonderland" I don't know what is.
Maybe I should figure out how far Bertstravels travels, I might get paid by this crazy Government.
Bertstravels.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Recent Prize Winners !
Purple on Green
Bell Ringer
Sunset at Lake of Two Rivers
As Rose is a Rose is a Rose
Thursday, November 15, 2012
MAXIMUM RENT LAW . The Dream of Austria's Socialists
There are about 960,000 apartments in the City of Vienna. Three quarters are rental apartments, while the rest fall into the categories of Condominium or Co-Op suites.
In the center of this wonderful city, rents are higher than on the outskirts, (with some exceptions).So what else is new?
The Vice Mayor of Vienna, Mrs. Maria Vassilakou, has now called for legislation, placing a 'cap' on these rents.
The "Kurier", one of Austria's major Newspapers has listed average rents charged in various parts of Vienna.
In the First District, which is the true down town , featuring St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera, the major Concert halls, the 'Musikverein', the Kaerntnerstrasse, one of Europe's finest shopping streets, Museums, Theatres, Art Galleries, and so on, rents are, understandably the highest in Vienna and in Austria.
There, this report states, an average apartment rents for 12.3 Euros per square meter.
If we assume the average apartment to comprise about 75 m² we can extrapolate a monthly average rent of about 922.5 Euros. (about $1,200.00)
Of course there are apartments renting for considerably more. But that's the way it is with averages. There consequently must be other apartments renting for considerably less.
Now, the Vice Mayor suggests a 'rent-cap' of 7.00 Euros per m². This would put a "cap" of 525.00 Euros per month on an apartment in downtown Vienna.
The SPÖ (Socialist Party of Austria) naturally supports this proposition enthusiastically, as does the Labour Union.
The Opposition uses such terms as "Stone-age Communism" and suggests that the good Vice-Mayor really does not have even the most rudimentary understanding of Economics.
I have not seen any supporting statistical evidence, but I believe the claim of some building owners, that at this level, they would be better off just locking the front door of their properties and forget about the Rental Business, immediately converting their properties to the 'Condo-Status'....
What these poor guys don't yet quite understand is that such a Government would quickly prohibit such conversions.
Fortunately, Housing is a provincial affair and this administration has rejected this idea, calling it "a totally unrealizable suggestion".
Does this mean that they might go along with it if it were a "realizable" suggestion? Have they no opposition to this idea on "moral" or "economic" grounds??
Having spent many years in Property Management in the Province of Ontario, I know well the disasterous results of a Socialist Government's "refining" such legislation.
Just remember what Bob Rae (of the New Democratic Party) said to a reporter, when asked how he would change the ratio of Privately owned rental suites (80%) to Government Housing (20%)....
You do not remember ?
Well let me refresh your memory:
He said he would introduce Legislation to make ownership of apartment buildings so onerous and non-profitable, that the Owners and Developers would beg the Government to take their buildings off their hands."
Yes, that's what the Socialists would do, or at least that's what Bob Rae would have done: They would conduct Expropriation without Compensation without even batting an eyelash.
Watch Out, Austria. At first it starts with a "dream suggestion" of a minor official. You never know though, where it ends.
That's the way
Bertstravels sees it.
In the center of this wonderful city, rents are higher than on the outskirts, (with some exceptions).So what else is new?
The Vice Mayor of Vienna, Mrs. Maria Vassilakou, has now called for legislation, placing a 'cap' on these rents.
The "Kurier", one of Austria's major Newspapers has listed average rents charged in various parts of Vienna.
In the First District, which is the true down town , featuring St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera, the major Concert halls, the 'Musikverein', the Kaerntnerstrasse, one of Europe's finest shopping streets, Museums, Theatres, Art Galleries, and so on, rents are, understandably the highest in Vienna and in Austria.
There, this report states, an average apartment rents for 12.3 Euros per square meter.
If we assume the average apartment to comprise about 75 m² we can extrapolate a monthly average rent of about 922.5 Euros. (about $1,200.00)
Of course there are apartments renting for considerably more. But that's the way it is with averages. There consequently must be other apartments renting for considerably less.
Now, the Vice Mayor suggests a 'rent-cap' of 7.00 Euros per m². This would put a "cap" of 525.00 Euros per month on an apartment in downtown Vienna.
The SPÖ (Socialist Party of Austria) naturally supports this proposition enthusiastically, as does the Labour Union.
The Opposition uses such terms as "Stone-age Communism" and suggests that the good Vice-Mayor really does not have even the most rudimentary understanding of Economics.
I have not seen any supporting statistical evidence, but I believe the claim of some building owners, that at this level, they would be better off just locking the front door of their properties and forget about the Rental Business, immediately converting their properties to the 'Condo-Status'....
What these poor guys don't yet quite understand is that such a Government would quickly prohibit such conversions.
Fortunately, Housing is a provincial affair and this administration has rejected this idea, calling it "a totally unrealizable suggestion".
Does this mean that they might go along with it if it were a "realizable" suggestion? Have they no opposition to this idea on "moral" or "economic" grounds??
Having spent many years in Property Management in the Province of Ontario, I know well the disasterous results of a Socialist Government's "refining" such legislation.
Just remember what Bob Rae (of the New Democratic Party) said to a reporter, when asked how he would change the ratio of Privately owned rental suites (80%) to Government Housing (20%)....
You do not remember ?
Well let me refresh your memory:
He said he would introduce Legislation to make ownership of apartment buildings so onerous and non-profitable, that the Owners and Developers would beg the Government to take their buildings off their hands."
Yes, that's what the Socialists would do, or at least that's what Bob Rae would have done: They would conduct Expropriation without Compensation without even batting an eyelash.
Watch Out, Austria. At first it starts with a "dream suggestion" of a minor official. You never know though, where it ends.
That's the way
Bertstravels sees it.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
ELECTIONS USA
The elections in the USA are over and Barack Obama was re-elected.
It seems strange to me that, although, if I were an American voter, I would have voted Republican, this time, however, I simply had to go for Obama. Mitt Romney, somehow, did not impress me and the far right stance of his running mate, Ryan, was a bit frightening.
One must consider that the Vice President is but a heart beat from the Presidency.
The difficult times Barack Obama had during his first four year term will not become much easier, since the Republicans in the House of Representatives outnumber the Democrats 233 to 193.
Everything will depend on Obama's ability to convince some Reps of the 'rightness' of his plans and also on some Republicans to show a willingness to compromise their stance for the good of the country.
Then, and only then will it be possible to pass through Congress new and progressive legislation respecting Health and Welfare as well as Education.
I believe that the difficulties will happen in Internal Affairs and not so much on the international stage.
*******************
Let me put the financial situation of the USA and China into some perspective, driven by a rational examination of some numbers and not by an emotional America-bashing as practiced by many Europeans.
The Gross Domestic Product of the USA amounts to 14.447 Trillion US Dollars.
Second ranked Chinas GDP comes in at about 5.739 Trillion US Dollars
The average annual GDP per person in the USA amounts to about US$48,500.00
while the average citizen of China produces approximately US$8,500.00 annualy.
The USA owes a staggering 16 Trillion Dollars to a variety of creditors:
Currently, publicly held debt amounts to 11.411 Trillion US Dollars (about 72% of GDP).
Debt owed on an 'Intergovernmental basis' runs at about 4.850 Trillion , for a combined Total of the above mentioned US$16.261 Trillion.
Only (?!) about 5.3 Trillion Dollars (46% of Public Debt) is owned by foreign investors, with China and Japan leading International creditors with about 1.1 Trillion Dollars each. China therefore holds about 6.7% of the total Debt. Therefore I say to those who claim that "China could buy America tomorrow" : "Do your Math and think before next you utter nonsense.
Clearly, this level of debt is not sustainable for a future fiscal course.
If any country has the capability to extricate itself from such a situation, the United States of America must be considered a likely candidate.
(the above financial information was taken from Wikipedia)
This, in any event, is the considered opinion of
Bertstravels.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Music in Vienna
We spent some time in Vienna...
Three days to be exact. The weather was not particularly great.
In fact it was cloudy and intermittently it rained.
This,however, did not bother us. The first night we went to see and hear the Canadian Superstar Songstress and Pianist Diana Krall. Accompanied by String Bass, Guitar, Violin, drums and an electronic keyboard, she played the piano and sang, as only Diana Krall can. She is truly a superior artist. Her voice is so utterly expressive, that it seems to change in timbre when the mood of the song changes. Her Piano playing is simply superb, ranking her among the finest Jazz pianists of today. The Great Oscar Peterson wrote about her:
"....I admire Diana because her approach has a dignity and truth to it that immediately captures one's musical attention....."
Diana Krall plays with a youthful exhuberance but at the same time with the soulful experience of a seasoned Musician.
Her side men also were of the highest quality.
The concert lasted about 90 minutes. Ninety minutes of sheer enjoyment. I would gladly have sat there listening for another 90.
The next evening, we visited the "Grosse Musikvereinssaal," a magnificent concert hall, where we heard the "Wiener Philharmoniker" (the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). It is difficult to immagine a more perfect body of sound..
The conductor was a relatively young man from Columbia:
Andres Orozco-Estrada. He brought a seldom heard vigor and speed to the three pieces on the program.
And what a varied program it was:
Luigi Cherubini (1760 -1842) Konzertouvertüre G. Dur
Igor Strawinsky (1882 - 1971) "Concerto en Re"
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) "Symphonie Nr. 4
It is hard to imagine three much more divergent compositions then those three. All were performed at an up- tempo which made even Schubert's "Tragic Symphony" a true joy to hear.
No sooner did we get back home, than we drove to Klagenfurt's Opera and a performance of the Check composer Leo Janacek's "The Clever Little Fox"... a bit weird.... with all the performers running around dressed like different animals... oh well, I shall not bore you with a detailed description of the plot... You can find it yourself... I am sure it's on Google-
Tonight, I'll rest a while with John Irving's "Last Night in Twisted River".
For the next couple of days I shall not travel:
Bertstravels.
Three days to be exact. The weather was not particularly great.
In fact it was cloudy and intermittently it rained.
This,however, did not bother us. The first night we went to see and hear the Canadian Superstar Songstress and Pianist Diana Krall. Accompanied by String Bass, Guitar, Violin, drums and an electronic keyboard, she played the piano and sang, as only Diana Krall can. She is truly a superior artist. Her voice is so utterly expressive, that it seems to change in timbre when the mood of the song changes. Her Piano playing is simply superb, ranking her among the finest Jazz pianists of today. The Great Oscar Peterson wrote about her:
"....I admire Diana because her approach has a dignity and truth to it that immediately captures one's musical attention....."
Diana Krall plays with a youthful exhuberance but at the same time with the soulful experience of a seasoned Musician.
Her side men also were of the highest quality.
The concert lasted about 90 minutes. Ninety minutes of sheer enjoyment. I would gladly have sat there listening for another 90.
The next evening, we visited the "Grosse Musikvereinssaal," a magnificent concert hall, where we heard the "Wiener Philharmoniker" (the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). It is difficult to immagine a more perfect body of sound..
The conductor was a relatively young man from Columbia:
Andres Orozco-Estrada. He brought a seldom heard vigor and speed to the three pieces on the program.
And what a varied program it was:
Luigi Cherubini (1760 -1842) Konzertouvertüre G. Dur
Igor Strawinsky (1882 - 1971) "Concerto en Re"
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) "Symphonie Nr. 4
It is hard to imagine three much more divergent compositions then those three. All were performed at an up- tempo which made even Schubert's "Tragic Symphony" a true joy to hear.
No sooner did we get back home, than we drove to Klagenfurt's Opera and a performance of the Check composer Leo Janacek's "The Clever Little Fox"... a bit weird.... with all the performers running around dressed like different animals... oh well, I shall not bore you with a detailed description of the plot... You can find it yourself... I am sure it's on Google-
Tonight, I'll rest a while with John Irving's "Last Night in Twisted River".
For the next couple of days I shall not travel:
Bertstravels.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Pope Benedict XVI suffers from "Foot in Mouth Disease"
During the "General Audience" given by the Pope a few days ago, he is quoted as having said that:
"Technical advances and great discoveries do not make mankind freer or more humane".
Does he really believe this? ..or did this thought just slip out of his mouth before having made a stop at his brain?
There is not space enough on my Blog to list all the medical discoveries alone, which have freed mankind from disease and pain..
Did the first pain free surgical intervention, performed in 1846 not free man from untold pain and suffering?
Did the discovery of "blood transfusion" not also free mankind from untimely deaths?
Did the discoveries made by Louis Pasteur not prolong healthy lives?
Did Dr. Banting's discovery that Insulin was a treatment against diabetes not save untold lives ?
What about Roentgen's recognition that Xrays had a medical use?
I could go on and on and on, listing all the great discoveries which have made mankind freer.
Freer from untold suffering, freer from crippling diseases, yes, freer from untimely death.
The above is obviously a most inadequate listing of the Great Discoveries in Medicine.
And is it not true that a man or woman, free from pain and disease is more readily capable to care for his/her fellow humans, because the worry about their own survival has been removed from them?
Thereby it could be said that it enabled them to become "more humane"
I am certain that I could list an equal number of "Technical Advances" which have contributed in equal measure to longer and better lives, and thereby having made mankind "freer and more humane."
In the Pope's defence I can only assume that he looked at the many areas of our world where warfare and killing are daily occurrences. He probably looked at the Middle East, at Africa where one could despair about the lack of humane relationships between peoples and people.
An influential man, such as the Pontiff, should, however, express himself more carefully and not issue such generalisations which cannot survive even a cursory examination.
Oh well, he is only infallible in matters of Faith.
In other areas he is obviously not much smarter than you or I....
Bertstravels
"Technical advances and great discoveries do not make mankind freer or more humane".
Does he really believe this? ..or did this thought just slip out of his mouth before having made a stop at his brain?
There is not space enough on my Blog to list all the medical discoveries alone, which have freed mankind from disease and pain..
Did the first pain free surgical intervention, performed in 1846 not free man from untold pain and suffering?
Did the discovery of "blood transfusion" not also free mankind from untimely deaths?
Did the discoveries made by Louis Pasteur not prolong healthy lives?
Did Dr. Banting's discovery that Insulin was a treatment against diabetes not save untold lives ?
What about Roentgen's recognition that Xrays had a medical use?
I could go on and on and on, listing all the great discoveries which have made mankind freer.
Freer from untold suffering, freer from crippling diseases, yes, freer from untimely death.
The above is obviously a most inadequate listing of the Great Discoveries in Medicine.
And is it not true that a man or woman, free from pain and disease is more readily capable to care for his/her fellow humans, because the worry about their own survival has been removed from them?
Thereby it could be said that it enabled them to become "more humane"
I am certain that I could list an equal number of "Technical Advances" which have contributed in equal measure to longer and better lives, and thereby having made mankind "freer and more humane."
In the Pope's defence I can only assume that he looked at the many areas of our world where warfare and killing are daily occurrences. He probably looked at the Middle East, at Africa where one could despair about the lack of humane relationships between peoples and people.
An influential man, such as the Pontiff, should, however, express himself more carefully and not issue such generalisations which cannot survive even a cursory examination.
Oh well, he is only infallible in matters of Faith.
In other areas he is obviously not much smarter than you or I....
Bertstravels
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Hazel in Austria ???
This morning at breakfast, I opened the daily Newspaper and I cannot believe my eyes:
There, prominently dispayed: A picture of Hazel McCallion...
In one of the largest circulation Newspapers in Austria appears good old "Stormy Hazel", the eternal Mayor of Mississauga. There is a short description of her career, indicating that she has functioned as Mississauga's mayor for ever and a day. That her age of 92 probably makes her the Oldest Mayor of a major Municipality world wide... It describes her method of running the 6th largest City of Canada (700,000 inhabitants)..
A democratically elected, time and again elected, dictatorial Mayor. A "Dictator" governing this City "My Way, or the High Way." It speaks of her staff, who with great pride serve her. It mentions the fact that this City has Zero Debt and even during the hight of the recent Financial Crises, ran a balanced budget.
It also mentions the low Taxes, compared to other similar sized Cities.
It will be a sad day, when Hazel finally hangs up her political gavel.
Is there anybody in the wings, ready to take over, when she leaves the mayor's chair ?
I'm sure I'm not the only one asking this question.
Bertstravels
There, prominently dispayed: A picture of Hazel McCallion...
In one of the largest circulation Newspapers in Austria appears good old "Stormy Hazel", the eternal Mayor of Mississauga. There is a short description of her career, indicating that she has functioned as Mississauga's mayor for ever and a day. That her age of 92 probably makes her the Oldest Mayor of a major Municipality world wide... It describes her method of running the 6th largest City of Canada (700,000 inhabitants)..
A democratically elected, time and again elected, dictatorial Mayor. A "Dictator" governing this City "My Way, or the High Way." It speaks of her staff, who with great pride serve her. It mentions the fact that this City has Zero Debt and even during the hight of the recent Financial Crises, ran a balanced budget.
It also mentions the low Taxes, compared to other similar sized Cities.
It will be a sad day, when Hazel finally hangs up her political gavel.
Is there anybody in the wings, ready to take over, when she leaves the mayor's chair ?
I'm sure I'm not the only one asking this question.
Bertstravels
Sunday, October 14, 2012
FOR LACK OF SOMETHING CURRENT
Have not been out to do some Photography....
But I do not like to leave the Blog unattended for too long.
So I dug into my archives and unearthed some images taken many years ago.
Pictures taken in the pre-digital times, on Kodak slides, which I scanned onto my computer.
It was a lot of work then, but now I am glad that I did it.
Bertstravels
But I do not like to leave the Blog unattended for too long.
So I dug into my archives and unearthed some images taken many years ago.
Pictures taken in the pre-digital times, on Kodak slides, which I scanned onto my computer.
It was a lot of work then, but now I am glad that I did it.
Bertstravels
"Disandat" Look at them in LARGE FORMAT
A cottage on Ferry Lake, near Huntsville, Ont.
I was intrigued by several things:
the lamp throwing its shadow,
the parallel lines of the clapboard construction,
the obvious many layers of paint put on without
scraping off the previous layer
and last, but not least, the flake of peeling paint
exposing the pristine wood below.
A vegetable field in the "Holland Marsh"
just a little North of Toronto.
I loved the straight parallel lines of planted lettuce
leading the eye almost to infinity.
I say 'almost' since I deliberately included the barn
and the horizon at the very top.
Jackson's Point, at the south shore of Lake Simcoe.
A lawn right on the shore line.
A stiff breeze blowing spray, enclosing
each blade of grass in a frozen cocoon.
I don't remember for certain, but I believe
this is on the shore of the Mondsee in Austria.
The story tells of a year, a long long time ago, during which
the lake's water level rose so high that it covered the rock
and therefore also flooded the nearby town.
The citizens planted the cross and...
lo and behold...
there was never another such devastating flood.
If they plant another such cross, there will never again
be such bell-bottom pants as I was wearing then.
Friday, October 12, 2012
It's a dog's race !!!
The two long haired Afghans
have no chance against two 'Windhounds'
in the game "Chase the Rabit"
All three wind Hounds hve caught up with the rabit,
while our Afghans are still huffing and puffing
in the back field.
YOU MUST SEE THOSE PICTURES
IN THE LARGE FORMAT:
Hey ! I caught the rabit! No, I did...
he's mine...
What Dogs !!!!
A friend of ours has two dogs.
I think they're called 'Afghans'
They don't bark !
They moan and groan, and whimper
and cry, just like a child
They simply break me up with laughter
when they start making their peculiar sounds.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Some more of the Old Town
This tower marks one end of the town square.
The opposite end is down by the river.
When I was a kid, nobody thought of
"Traffic Patterns", "One Way Streets" "Restricted Parking Zones"
There were three cars parked on the "Stadtplatz"...
One belonged to the doctor, one to a veterinarian,
and the third one to the owner of the Hotel Post.
Now you may cruise up and down and up and down
until you find a parking space.
Other than that, not much has changed.
This plaque attests to the fact, that in 1960
the town celebrated its 700th year of existance.
A side street in the old part of Braunau.
There is a story to be told about almost every one of these houses.
In one of them, a man named Johan Phillip Palm,
a Nürnberg Publisher,
was incarcerated by Napoleon's forces and subsequently executed
by firing squad, because he refused to reveal the name
of the author of a pamphlet which he published:
"Germany at its lowest degradation"
While in one of the houses above, a victim of a brutal dictator
was held until murdered,
in the building below, another viscious dictator was borne.
This one, more than Napoleon, plunged Germany and Austria
into the deepest level of its degredation.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Braunau am Inn (1)
The little allee from which I accessed our house,
Stadtplatz 22.
My family occupied an apartment
on the 3rd floor from 1937 to 1976.
After 40 years at this address, when my sister and her husband
decided to build a nice single family home on the
outskirts of town, my mother is reported to have said:
"what ?... and move again?"
"Hans Steininger".
A city councilor, rushing downstairs in an emergency,
stepped on his beard, fell and broke his neck
A view from the river woods.
A view from just outside the original City limits.
Braunau am Inn
Upper Main Square with "Fischbrunnen" (fish fountain)
in the foreground and Old City Tower in back ground.
City Hall
Lower Main Square
Monday, October 1, 2012
Good News about my New Laptop
Well, hurray, my new laptop seems to be working. Firing from all barrels...
Now, if I can get the printer working in the wireless mode, I'll be happy.
On the location of the "Z" and the "Y" I simply will have to get used to it..
Mind you, I've been told just a moment ago, that if I want to change the whole thing to the English version, I will have to install everything from scratch...
Oh well... I'll survive this too...
Bertstravels
Saturday, September 29, 2012
More laptop woes
So, I took the new laptop back to the store. They offer to send it back to the manufacturer under the warranty. I argue that this is not a warranty issue, but a replacement issue. The discussion of whether I should get a new lt or whether the original one should be sent in for repair, lasted well over half an hour.
I told them that my Euros were good from the outset and do not have to be repaired... and for this good money I want a good product.... Something that is as faulty as this one was can, I have no doubt be repaired, and then what ??? When will the next problem rear its ugly head?
All my powers of argument and persuasion finally bore fruit. They, probably just to get rid of me, unpacked a new one which I told them I would take home over the week end and try it out. If I was satisfied with it, I would keep it, otherwise they would see me again on Monday.
Well so far, so good...
This one does everything it's supposed to do. It lets me open Google Chrome, and actually enter something in the search field... it lets me open e-mail, so that if you write to me I may actually read it...
So I've down loaded Google, Picasa, Open Office... If ultimately I decide to keep this monster, I will download ProShowGold and I will be off to the races.
Computers are lovely as long as they work... but talk about frustration when they stubbornly refuse to do as I tell'em....
Bertstravels...
I told them that my Euros were good from the outset and do not have to be repaired... and for this good money I want a good product.... Something that is as faulty as this one was can, I have no doubt be repaired, and then what ??? When will the next problem rear its ugly head?
All my powers of argument and persuasion finally bore fruit. They, probably just to get rid of me, unpacked a new one which I told them I would take home over the week end and try it out. If I was satisfied with it, I would keep it, otherwise they would see me again on Monday.
Well so far, so good...
This one does everything it's supposed to do. It lets me open Google Chrome, and actually enter something in the search field... it lets me open e-mail, so that if you write to me I may actually read it...
So I've down loaded Google, Picasa, Open Office... If ultimately I decide to keep this monster, I will download ProShowGold and I will be off to the races.
Computers are lovely as long as they work... but talk about frustration when they stubbornly refuse to do as I tell'em....
Bertstravels...
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Old and the New
I have laptop, on which I am writing this. It is at least 5 years old and I wanted a new one... One with a bigger screen and more bells and whistles...
So after long deliberations, examinations, recommendations, I bought, what I was told, is one of the best...
It's called "ASUS"... it looks great... sleek... elegant...
I paid more than "small change" and thought that at this price I ought to have acquired the best...
Well, I thought so, anyway.
The reality is different. It's one frustration after the other.
I turn the bloomin' thing on and get nothing but a white screen....this is of course well after I set everything up.. I got "Google Chrome" I got "Picasa 3" I got "Open Office"
Nothing.. then, all of a sudden, Google appears, but it won't let me type anything in the "Search square"
I call for e-mail.. It appears, but it won't allow me to open anything....
It goes on and on like this ad nauseam and to frustration maximum...
So, my old laptop shows me what "Reliability" means and I am beginning to wonder why I spent all this money for a piece of junk.... Back to the store it goes, from whence it came...
Maybe I shall buy an Abacus... but I hear they are not very good for sending or receiving e-mail.
So in an hour I'll be driving to Klagenfurt, (50 minutes drive) since in the small town where I live, there is no computer store.
I'll let you know the outcome of my negotiations with the company called DiTech...
Maybe they'll give me a new one...
Stay tuned to the woes of
Bertstravels
So after long deliberations, examinations, recommendations, I bought, what I was told, is one of the best...
It's called "ASUS"... it looks great... sleek... elegant...
I paid more than "small change" and thought that at this price I ought to have acquired the best...
Well, I thought so, anyway.
The reality is different. It's one frustration after the other.
I turn the bloomin' thing on and get nothing but a white screen....this is of course well after I set everything up.. I got "Google Chrome" I got "Picasa 3" I got "Open Office"
Nothing.. then, all of a sudden, Google appears, but it won't let me type anything in the "Search square"
I call for e-mail.. It appears, but it won't allow me to open anything....
It goes on and on like this ad nauseam and to frustration maximum...
So, my old laptop shows me what "Reliability" means and I am beginning to wonder why I spent all this money for a piece of junk.... Back to the store it goes, from whence it came...
Maybe I shall buy an Abacus... but I hear they are not very good for sending or receiving e-mail.
So in an hour I'll be driving to Klagenfurt, (50 minutes drive) since in the small town where I live, there is no computer store.
I'll let you know the outcome of my negotiations with the company called DiTech...
Maybe they'll give me a new one...
Stay tuned to the woes of
Bertstravels
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Tale of the Turtle and the Tree
Christin and I celebrated our collective 160th birthday
and I believe the question is legitimate: How many do you know who have reached the ripe old age of 160 ?
Maybe a Turtle, or a Tree.... But since Christin and I have reached this age, we invited 55 friends to a party at a wonderful restaurant on the shores of Lake Klopein in Carinthia. About 20 minutes by car from our home.
Since I hate it when music is played and everybody sits with a drink in their fist, chatting with their table neighbour, calling the waiter for another bottle of bier or glass of wine... Dishes and cutlery clatter and the Band plays and nobody pays attention. When this happens, I could scream with anger.
So, I promised myself: This will not happen at my party.
The above mentioned Restaurant Seerose has a number of great things going for itself:
A fabulous Chef, great, well schooled staff, a knowledgeable Maitre d'...
Great location on the shores of a lovely lake
Two parallel running rooms, large enough for our purpose.
In the room to the right, we asked for a set up "Theatre Style" with about 60 chairs.
In the room to the left, a U-shaped table, accommodating the same number of people for dinner.
From 5PM to 6PM there was a concert given by three musicians of my choosing.
You must hear Tonc Feinig play the piano.... he is simply "THE BEST"
To understand the playing of the String Bass, one must hear Stefan Gfrerer.
Now, in my youth I played the Bass in the "Melodies"... Believe me I did not even dream about being just one tenth the player Stefan is.He is fantastic ... he makes the Bass sing....
My old friend, Charly Reicheneder drove on my invitation 4 hours from Braunau to near Bleiburg.
When Charly caresses his Tenor Sax, I have cold shivers running down my spine.
The people LISTENED !!!!! The room was so quiet, you could hear the proverbial pin drop. Everybody was almost mesmerized listening to those three musicians.
When the concert was over, after an hour... much too short to satisfy me... we all moved over to the other part and there, as if by magic, there was a meal on the table about which Christin negotiated with the Chef and the Maitre d' ... Everything had to be "Just so".... and it was.... The best food, accompanied by the best wines.... The last of our friends left at 11.30PM.....
This was on Saturday, the 22nd September... on Sunday, starting about 10AM one friend handed the door handle to the next.... they came in numbers, saying "Thank You for this party... It was an unforgettable event"
Clearly, the Turtle and the Tree were very happy.
We'll do this again when we are 180....
Bertstravels.
and I believe the question is legitimate: How many do you know who have reached the ripe old age of 160 ?
Maybe a Turtle, or a Tree.... But since Christin and I have reached this age, we invited 55 friends to a party at a wonderful restaurant on the shores of Lake Klopein in Carinthia. About 20 minutes by car from our home.
Since I hate it when music is played and everybody sits with a drink in their fist, chatting with their table neighbour, calling the waiter for another bottle of bier or glass of wine... Dishes and cutlery clatter and the Band plays and nobody pays attention. When this happens, I could scream with anger.
So, I promised myself: This will not happen at my party.
The above mentioned Restaurant Seerose has a number of great things going for itself:
A fabulous Chef, great, well schooled staff, a knowledgeable Maitre d'...
Great location on the shores of a lovely lake
Two parallel running rooms, large enough for our purpose.
In the room to the right, we asked for a set up "Theatre Style" with about 60 chairs.
In the room to the left, a U-shaped table, accommodating the same number of people for dinner.
From 5PM to 6PM there was a concert given by three musicians of my choosing.
You must hear Tonc Feinig play the piano.... he is simply "THE BEST"
To understand the playing of the String Bass, one must hear Stefan Gfrerer.
Now, in my youth I played the Bass in the "Melodies"... Believe me I did not even dream about being just one tenth the player Stefan is.He is fantastic ... he makes the Bass sing....
My old friend, Charly Reicheneder drove on my invitation 4 hours from Braunau to near Bleiburg.
When Charly caresses his Tenor Sax, I have cold shivers running down my spine.
The people LISTENED !!!!! The room was so quiet, you could hear the proverbial pin drop. Everybody was almost mesmerized listening to those three musicians.
When the concert was over, after an hour... much too short to satisfy me... we all moved over to the other part and there, as if by magic, there was a meal on the table about which Christin negotiated with the Chef and the Maitre d' ... Everything had to be "Just so".... and it was.... The best food, accompanied by the best wines.... The last of our friends left at 11.30PM.....
This was on Saturday, the 22nd September... on Sunday, starting about 10AM one friend handed the door handle to the next.... they came in numbers, saying "Thank You for this party... It was an unforgettable event"
Clearly, the Turtle and the Tree were very happy.
We'll do this again when we are 180....
Bertstravels.
What a Party... What a Trio
This is Tonc Feinig.
A better key board man you will not find
any place, any time.
Tonc is simply a Genius.
Here is the Trio at the Restaurant "Seerose"
Meet Stefan Gfrerer.
What Stefan can do with a Bass must be heard
to be believed.
He is simply fantastic.
And here's Charly Reicheneder.
When I was 16 and Charly was 17
for three years we played in a Jazz band called:
"The Melodies"
I played the Bass, Charley, yest you guessed it:
The Tenor Sax and the Clarinet.
Friday, September 14, 2012
FIRST SNOW.....
Last Friday (7th Sept) I swam in our pool. Outside temperatur: 28 C.
On Saturday it cooled off a bit.
On Monday morning it was g.d. cold
Tuesday morning there was "Snow on the Petzen"
I hope that this snow will not last...
Although "Swimming Season" may be over.
Snow right down to 800 meters.
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