Germany moves on after a close call against a stubborn Algerian side. Nil-nil at the end of 90 minutes, the game went into the overtime period. Germany put one into the net rightaway, then another late in the 2nd OT. Algeria responded with its first goal near the final time, losing 2-1. Porto Allegre locals loved the contest.
Earlier, France finished off Nigeria, setting up a match with Germany. Could be worth watching.
Tomorrow
USA v. Belgium. They are equal on paper and the contest will be rough match for both sides. Jurgen has to fill in a few gaps in the lineup and those moves could make the difference in the outcome.
Watch it.
Monday, June 30, 2014
French Financial Fiasco Finally
BNP Paribas, a French bank. The French Bank. They ran afoul of THE US of A's Justice Department(Eric Holder, Head). After some` years of investigations, the hammer fell today in western Europe. The bank, and its 200,000 employees, agreed to a fine payable to the USA in the amount of $8,900,000,000.(10 places, 8 zeros-count 'em). That's 8.9 billions of dollars. Lots of money you say? Well, yes, to most of us.
But to a bank that is too big to fail, it represents a part of its business, not all. So, have they learned their lesson? Was anybody jailed? Anybody jump off the Eiffel Tower? Apparently not.
President Francois Hollande made a few calls to the White House, but to no avail. How sad.
In 2007, then President of the bank, Baudouin Prot, gave the order to cease all transactions with Sudan, then Iran, then Cuba. That order followed the visit to France of Special Envoy and Treasury Undersecretary for terrorism, Stuart Levey, who informed France and 40 other European banks to abide by US embargoes, especially with Iran.
Investigators uncovered evidence that bank employees took steps to cover up their dealings with the listed countries. So, now, CEO of BNP, Jean-Laurent Bannafe' has his hands full(and a bit tied up). THe COO, Georges Chodron de Courcel, will step down today, June 30.
CEO Bonnafe' gave a statement today to his employees:" Let me put it clearly; we will be severely punished". "Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made."
"Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made"
"Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made"
"Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made"
And the US Treasury is 8.9 billions to the good. This fine comes on the heels of fines levied against Lloyds Banking group PLC and Credit Suisse Group AG, paying penalties of only $350 millions and $536 millions.
Nobody's going to jail, again.
Bankers: gotta luv'em.
But to a bank that is too big to fail, it represents a part of its business, not all. So, have they learned their lesson? Was anybody jailed? Anybody jump off the Eiffel Tower? Apparently not.
President Francois Hollande made a few calls to the White House, but to no avail. How sad.
In 2007, then President of the bank, Baudouin Prot, gave the order to cease all transactions with Sudan, then Iran, then Cuba. That order followed the visit to France of Special Envoy and Treasury Undersecretary for terrorism, Stuart Levey, who informed France and 40 other European banks to abide by US embargoes, especially with Iran.
Investigators uncovered evidence that bank employees took steps to cover up their dealings with the listed countries. So, now, CEO of BNP, Jean-Laurent Bannafe' has his hands full(and a bit tied up). THe COO, Georges Chodron de Courcel, will step down today, June 30.
CEO Bonnafe' gave a statement today to his employees:" Let me put it clearly; we will be severely punished". "Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made."
"Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made"
"Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made"
"Because some malfunctions occurred and mistakes were made"
And the US Treasury is 8.9 billions to the good. This fine comes on the heels of fines levied against Lloyds Banking group PLC and Credit Suisse Group AG, paying penalties of only $350 millions and $536 millions.
Nobody's going to jail, again.
Bankers: gotta luv'em.
Giants Slide Continues: The June Swoon 2014
What happened and when did it happen to SF's Giants? Just a few weeks ago, they were unbeatable: pitching, hitting, defense; all were working in sync. The bull pen, when necessary, were on top of their game. And then the hitting stopped; then the pitching failed, then the bull pen collapsed.
Well, they're still in first place you say. But, they hold the worst record in baseball for the last 3 weeks. And the Dodgers from LA have chipped away at that 9 1/2 game lead. Now what?
We have an All Star Game, mid season break coming this week. With a little rest, maybe the boys will get their MOJO back. Maybe not.
Meanwhile, we have World Cup Soccer to keep us busy.
Well, they're still in first place you say. But, they hold the worst record in baseball for the last 3 weeks. And the Dodgers from LA have chipped away at that 9 1/2 game lead. Now what?
We have an All Star Game, mid season break coming this week. With a little rest, maybe the boys will get their MOJO back. Maybe not.
Meanwhile, we have World Cup Soccer to keep us busy.
Party Time; UC Berkeley
Time to let your hair down: wedding celebration. Here we blended French/ Southern(USA), San Francisco Pride, West Coast, and Mississippi coastal. The Mayor and his entourage put on the finery and jumped in the 'water' w/ both feet appropriately decked out in lizard like shoes.
The ceremony was held in the Mather Redwood Grove on the UC campus in north Berkeley. What a beautiful setting, complete with tiered seating in an amphitheater surrounded by 70 year old coast redwoods. The weather was ideal, almost too warm. But the shade provided by the trees kept all the guests comfortable and in fine fettle.
Mike, the officiant(friend of bride and groom) rose to the occasion with fine words and heartfelt delivery. The bride and groom testified equally to each other their unending love and bottomless happiness. Tears were flowing and tissues were passed around to deal with the flow.
The reception was held in the adjacent UC Botanical Garden Rock Pavilion. The patio here is surrounded by a variety of tall palm trees which gives the site a tropical island-like feel. Mint juleps, Pimms Cup drink, champagne, and a complete selection of beers and French and California wines were set up on the patio. A sit down dinner followed.
After an appropriate time, the party moved back to the patio(where the temperature was much cooler) and the music started. And today, with ipods, music streaming service, portable amplifiers and speakers, any site becomes a hip club. And the guests rolled for hours until well after sundown.
The photo booth and costume accessories added a carnival atmosphere to the event.
No, the Mayor will not share the product of the photo booth. By the midnight bewitching hour, the guests began to slip away, making the rounds, voicing "adieus".
And the ride home was all down hill and only one bridge.
The ceremony was held in the Mather Redwood Grove on the UC campus in north Berkeley. What a beautiful setting, complete with tiered seating in an amphitheater surrounded by 70 year old coast redwoods. The weather was ideal, almost too warm. But the shade provided by the trees kept all the guests comfortable and in fine fettle.
Mike, the officiant(friend of bride and groom) rose to the occasion with fine words and heartfelt delivery. The bride and groom testified equally to each other their unending love and bottomless happiness. Tears were flowing and tissues were passed around to deal with the flow.
The reception was held in the adjacent UC Botanical Garden Rock Pavilion. The patio here is surrounded by a variety of tall palm trees which gives the site a tropical island-like feel. Mint juleps, Pimms Cup drink, champagne, and a complete selection of beers and French and California wines were set up on the patio. A sit down dinner followed.
After an appropriate time, the party moved back to the patio(where the temperature was much cooler) and the music started. And today, with ipods, music streaming service, portable amplifiers and speakers, any site becomes a hip club. And the guests rolled for hours until well after sundown.
The photo booth and costume accessories added a carnival atmosphere to the event.
No, the Mayor will not share the product of the photo booth. By the midnight bewitching hour, the guests began to slip away, making the rounds, voicing "adieus".
And the ride home was all down hill and only one bridge.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Netherlands Oust Mexico
Robben the flopper. Ok, he sold the foul to the referee in extended time. The defender did make contact with Robben's foot, and then he did a classic belly flop to the turf. SOLD! Whistle, yellow card, PK, goal. Match.
Hmmmm. World class soccer? I don't think so. The Dutch side should be ashamed of themselves. But, Mexico could not control the game. The second half was all Orange. The first Orange goal came on a corner kick rebound strike front the top of the area when Mexico failed to mark the lurking Dutch player_ goal in 88th minute.
The next game should be interesting as Costa Rica tries to make amends for Latin America.
Hmmmm. World class soccer? I don't think so. The Dutch side should be ashamed of themselves. But, Mexico could not control the game. The second half was all Orange. The first Orange goal came on a corner kick rebound strike front the top of the area when Mexico failed to mark the lurking Dutch player_ goal in 88th minute.
The next game should be interesting as Costa Rica tries to make amends for Latin America.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
The Central Park Jogger Case: Update
NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio vowed that upon his election he would settle the case for claims related to the incident in Central Park in 1989. Recall that on a summer's evening a lone female jogger was raped and beaten senseless by an attacker(s). She survived, but the press seized the incident as symbolic of NYC's decline into mayhem and crime, casting a pall over a city used to grimy streets and their grimy denizens.
Police arrested a group of teenagers who were found in the park at the time, ages 13-16 years old. Four were Black and one Hispanic. The news media cried for justice as the victim lingered in hospital. The police elicited a confession from the group's members and the DA filed charges and the criminal case went forward leading to convictions and long jail sentences, despite the ages of the alleged perps.
One problem: they were not involved in that attack at all, nor were they in the vicinity. The attacker was a serial rapist named Matais Reyes, who admitted to the Central Park attack 13 years later in 2002. The teenagers convicted of the crime were released from prison after DNA evidence indicated they had no part in the attack. Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not want to admit wrongdoing by prosecutors and would not settle the case during his administration, claiming prosecutors acted in good faith. However, as lawyers discovered, the behavior of police interrogators was not only illegal on its face, but morally reprehensible in its outcome: sending the wrong people to prison for much of their young boyhoods. Is $1million per year sufficient compensation? Nobody knows the answer.
Police arrested a group of teenagers who were found in the park at the time, ages 13-16 years old. Four were Black and one Hispanic. The news media cried for justice as the victim lingered in hospital. The police elicited a confession from the group's members and the DA filed charges and the criminal case went forward leading to convictions and long jail sentences, despite the ages of the alleged perps.
One problem: they were not involved in that attack at all, nor were they in the vicinity. The attacker was a serial rapist named Matais Reyes, who admitted to the Central Park attack 13 years later in 2002. The teenagers convicted of the crime were released from prison after DNA evidence indicated they had no part in the attack. Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not want to admit wrongdoing by prosecutors and would not settle the case during his administration, claiming prosecutors acted in good faith. However, as lawyers discovered, the behavior of police interrogators was not only illegal on its face, but morally reprehensible in its outcome: sending the wrong people to prison for much of their young boyhoods. Is $1million per year sufficient compensation? Nobody knows the answer.
Tahoe Summits: #2 Mt. Rose
At, 10,778 feet, Mt. Rose is 100' feet shy of being the basin's tallest peak. The most northern of the 7 peaks, Mt. Rose sits in a 30,000 a. wilderness across from Highway 431 in Nevada. On the slopes of Mt. Rose, a snow surveying system was born in 1904 that changed the world and the world's agriculture. A UNReno professor, James Church, scaled Mt. Rose to determine how much water was bound up in the snow on its slopes and how much would be available for farmers in the valley below.
His system proved so accurate, weighing snow core samples, that it remains as the signal estimate of water management in the West. Church Peak(10,661) to the north of Mt. Rose is named for him. Dr Church taught sub-alpine communities from the Andes to the Himalayas what he learned on Mt. Rose.
In winter, the summit of Mt. Rose is a wind-scoured beaten site of vicious gusts of bone rocking force. Not for the faint of heart. Backcountry skiers have been known to explore the bowls found about the shoulders of the peak.
His system proved so accurate, weighing snow core samples, that it remains as the signal estimate of water management in the West. Church Peak(10,661) to the north of Mt. Rose is named for him. Dr Church taught sub-alpine communities from the Andes to the Himalayas what he learned on Mt. Rose.
In winter, the summit of Mt. Rose is a wind-scoured beaten site of vicious gusts of bone rocking force. Not for the faint of heart. Backcountry skiers have been known to explore the bowls found about the shoulders of the peak.
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