Define: Terrorist

Do you really believe that between 2010 and 2018, in Austria, there were only 1,974 victims of criminal sexual predators belonging to the Catholic Church?

This is only the number of reported cases. The real number is probably a multiple, multiple of those.

This number is carefully detailed by the investigating commission, created by Vienna's Cardinal Schönborn.

Can such hideous crimes truly be broken down into percentages, without somehow also considering the likelihood, nay, certainty, that only a fraction of those, victimized by Priests, Bishops and Cardinals, will have had the intestinal fortitude to become public accusers?

To accuse persons of such high moral reputations as those criminal perpetrators enjoy, or enjoyed, takes a good deal of bravery, and an almost brazen disregard of one's own credibility, if not to say, safety.

Fortunately, there were those 1,974 who took this brave step.

66.4% of the victims were male, 33.4% were females.

Over 60% of all victims were children between the ages of 6 and 12 years.

In order to “compensate” these victims, the Catholic Church paid about

27,3 Million Euros.

What is the real damage done to those victims?

The world would rather not hear this question, since there is no answer.

How does one define the word “Terrorist?”

Bertstravels 

knows one kind.

A sturdy Wall

Trump's Wall

Mr. Trump wants xyz billions of Dollars 

to build a wall on his Mexican border.

I could build one for a lot less...
and I would make it sturdy enough
 to keep him inside for a long time

unusual lighting

How did this happen?

In dark surroundings, the hippo's head is lit beautifully.

No flash was used.

It's a bit of a puzzle

Footprints

Bert, where do you come from,

where are you going?

The House at the Lake

or, the continuing Saga of Bishop Alois Schwarz:

There will just not be peace in the Causa Bishop Alois Schwarz.

At first there is the easy manner in which he is said to have handled his promised Celibacy.

Then we hear about his sense of justice, covering for a rogue sexual predator Priest.

Not enough of that, there are the financial dealings which caused losses to the Bishopry amounting to Millions of Euros.

He apparently was not only a lousy Man of the Cloth, but also a less than clever businessman.

Now comes the story of

“The House at the Lake”

According to the Bishop, it was an elderly lady who wanted to “do something good for the church”.

She sold some real estate (building with 5 apartments) with private access to Lake Wörther, to the Bishopry for 1.38 Million Euros, which the Bishopry, one year later, sold for 1.5 Million Euros to a Foundation owned by the Austrian weapons manufacturer and dealer Gaston Glock.

Now, would you believe such a coincidence, at the same time, this same Glock Foundation made a most generous donation, amounting to 600,000 Euros to the Bishopry.

Had the Bishopry sold this Real Estate to Glock for 2.1 Million Euros,

an amount closer to the real market value of such Real Estate, the entire upside would have been taxable. There is however, no tax payable on Donations received by the Church from generous donors.

So, what does a devious, tax cheating Bishop do? He sells the property for just a little more than the purchase price, so as not to excite the tax department, and for the difference he graciously accepts a non-taxable donation to the Bishopry from the purchaser.

Now with Bishop Schwarz, transferred to another Bishopry, and the Vatican having sent an “Investigating Team” a “self accusation” is quickly filed with the Tax Authorities, in order to mitigate possibly arising penalties.

How does it happen that a man with the character of Alois Schwarz rises to the upper echelon of the Roman Catholic Church, when he would probably have been well suited for membership in the Mafia?

Because there is seemingly not much difference between those two organization.

Bertstravels

will just have to ignore 

the RCC, as he ignores the Mafia.

Vultures and the Wildebeest

A Lapped Faced Vulture finds the highest perch

from which he can see the on-coming herd of Wildebeest.

Steve Schwarze, friend and acknowledged  Bird Expert tells me

that Lapped Faced Vultures "see" rather than smell their intended prey from large distances.

The first of an estimated 10,000 Wildebeest approach the river.

After a short hesitation they plunge into the Croc infested waters.

On the opposite shore line, several hundreds of opportunistic Vultures 

 (there are 50 in this picture)

have gathered, in the knowledge that a good meal awaits them.

Some of the antelopes missed the narrow Hippo trail

and now face this vertical shore line,

where Crocs and Vultures await them.

Of course, most of the Wildebeest crossed the river successfully 

There are Wildebeest from Mara's shore to the horizon.

and your intrepid photographer knows no rest

The Hotel

The evil rumor that we stayed in this hotel 

in no way corresponds with the facts.