I Try

Macy Gray

We 've Got Tonight

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers

"Hans im Glück" Restaurant/Pub

Wolff and I went to a new place in town unexpectedly. We headed out with intentions to go to a café. And we did. We visited Café Diwan at the Passau city tower. Arriving at 6:15pm. My eyes focused on the Sacher Torte and Florentine cookies. We are seated by a handsome waiter; a fine fellow out of the Godfather series. A silver-haired gent, long apron, who sees us at the window seat overlooking the city buildings and the plaster white cathedral with copper green towers. Lights a twinkle. We scan the menu to order beverages. He, a cappuccino. Me, a chai tea spiced latte, only to find out the café closes at 7pm. Deflation. After a week indoors, finally setting out downtown for some fresh air and holiday cheer, we are randomly pushed out by early closing times. Beverage good. But where to? So we walk down the outdoor galley to the xmas tree; our noses nearly touching the tree. Catty-corner to our left is McDonalds. We deliberate. A burger sounds good. But wait. Are there lights on at the new place "Hans im Glück"? They've been talking about that place opening for at least a year. Nestled near the mall, directly to our left, with an adjoining mall window, but doors to the outside, we think, "sure let's check it out". The wheelchair accessible ramp is certainly friendly, even if it's just plywood construction. The menu visible at the door. Lots of people there. "Hey, let's give it a try." We wait politely at the Hostess stand which tells us politely to do so. We are not alone. The restaurant is packed with 20-somethings and a few parents; skinny tall tree trunks decoration. Comfortable, but seemingly small seating arrangements. Packed in. Ho Ho Ho. 'Tis the season to be merry. Full length bar center stage. All the brand names. Lillet, Aperol to name a couple. And half-filled bottles of strawberry juice. Bartender directly passing us our drinks. Wolff a 0,33 liter Erdinger helles beer and for me a Fanta. Burgers the cuisine d'art. We shared one with a basket of sweet potato fries and a side of chive cream dip. But we thought we'd get a half-pound burger for almost 10 bucks. Was closer to a quarter-pounder. Cheese, bacon, and a small leaf of lettuce with an orange sauce, perhaps a twin of the famous Big Mac sauce, and a light smattering of grilled onions. Ambiance perfect for holiday revelers. Gorgeous Nora our waitress from Köln. A lawyer type directly across from the bar to the left of our table, sitting alone. Fresh food. But still hungry, we paid our bill and left an hour later. On a Tuesday they have about 4-5 Chefs in the kitchen, noted Nora. A chain, "Hans im Glück" packs a light-weight punch, but compared to burger pubs back home in the 'ole US of A, it's not a lot of bang for the buck. Twenty-one euros for a burger and fries, and 2 sips. But for a city evening out, quite satisfying and somewhat entertaining. 3-1/2 Stars. Price Range: $$

Thank You for sharing. Love You. : *)

Facts of Life - Theme Song

Notes - Lessons of Life - The eagle has landed

theloadstar.co.uk

When I first moved to Germany with my husband, January 1, 2001 from Chicago, with our son, I was in for a few lessons of life outside of the grand 'ole United States. What probably bothered me most personally and on a level that hit the knuckles was the music. There was almost no American or British pop music on the radio. And for a stay-at-home mom, that nearly pummeled me; instead classics of German oldies and some German pop music. And of course, TV was not better; just CNN in English, and no other English channels on cable TV.  I was miserable. Radio and TV, my only source of entertainment and comfort in a situation whereby I felt deep loneliness for creature comforts, my family, my friends and my country. Fast forward almost 19 years, we have several popular radio stations in Germany and from Austria on regular FM, that play American and British favorites, as well as a possibility for internet radio including worldwide music. And surprisingly radio stations in Italy, for example, and even South Africa are playing top American and British hits -- no longer pining for music. And with a satellite we get enough TV choices to satisfy our curiosity. And 19 years later we are still here and practically own the place with happiness and love that we moved here. Lesson: Invest in Tech Stocks.

Follow You, Follow Me (1978)

Genesis

Keep the Fire Burnin'

REO Speedwagon - official music video

Some music to cheer us up. We are Lazarett Haus.  Both of us in pain.  Accident and old age.
Wolff fractured his shoulder but is healing okay without surgery. I still have a knee brace. Hoping for a surgery soon. Plus additional aches due to old age.  

Jesus Take the Wheel - Official Music Video

pinterest.com

For my Christian friends and country music followers:
Carrie Underwood

She's Got It All

flowerinfo.org

Kenny Chesney

Is U2’s Bono writing his autobiography? By Debbie McGoldrick

pinterest.com

Is Bono planning to put pen to paper for his autobiography? Apparently the answer is yes! ... And he’s allegedly got many millions of reasons to do so.

The U2 frontman and global activist, according to the Irish Sun, “is believed to have bagged as much as €6.5million from publishers for his autobiography, which publishers promise will offer an inside view of his life and career in U2 and as a humanitarian.” No word on which publishing house nabbed the memoir…kind of strange really as Bono would be a huge get. But maybe that info will be forthcoming soon. As the world knows, Bono has a way with words. An autobiography would undoubtedly be a best-seller given the places he’s been and the people he’s dealt with as a rock star and humanitarian. The closest Bono got to putting his life story into words was in 2005, when he sat for a series of interviews for a book called Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assays. The French author, a friend of Bono’s, conducted a number of talks with Bono over several years. Bono spent time in Mexico last week at a Mexico 21st Century event. "The moral arc of the universe does not bend toward justice," he said at the gathering. "It has to be bent toward justice by people like the ones in this room, by students who go out in the streets, by people who join organizations like ONE or support (RED), or whatever it is…do not fall asleep in the comfort of your freedom." IrishCentral

Boston "More Than a Feeling"

youtube

New Jersey 1979
Gilford, New Hampshire 2008
Denver 2017

Good 'ole Dolly Parton

9 to 5

The Squeegees

Money B

My Valentine

beautyeditor.ca

Martina McBride

Voyage Voyage

The Voice France 2018

‘We are facing a learning crisis’, UN chief warns on International Youth Day By UN News/Culture and Education

11 August 2019

Culture and Education

Schools are “not equipping young people with the skills they need to navigate the technological revolution”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned, in a message released to mark the UN’s International Youth Day.
Transforming Education is the theme for this year, which comes at a time when the world is facing a “learning crisis”, says Mr Guterres, and students need not only to learn, “but to learn how to learn”.

The UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which is co-organising the Day alongside the UN Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO), says that statistics demonstrate that significant transformations are still required to make education systems more inclusive and accessible: only 10% of people have completed upper secondary education in low income countries; 40 % of the global population is not taught in a language they speak or fully understand; and over 75 % of secondary school age refugees are out of school.

Ensuring access to inclusive and equitable education, and promoting lifelong learning, is one of the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and International Youth Day 2019, will present examples that show how education is changing to meet modern challenges. The role of young people as champions of inclusive and accessible education is also being highlighted, as youth-led organizations are helping to transform education, through lobbying, advocacy, and partnerships with educational institutions.

“Education today should combine knowledge, life skills and critical thinking”, said Mr. Guterres. It should include information on sustainability and climate change. And it should advance gender equality, human rights and a culture of peace”.

All these elements are included in Youth 2030, the UN’s strategy to scale up global, regional and national actions to meet young people’s needs, realize their rights and tap their possibilities as agents of change. United Nations Organization

Kenny Chesney

countryfancast.com

Summertime

Phil Collins

Come With Me

Mr. Mr.

Kyrie

Ist da jemand

Amazon.de

Adel Tawil

Tulpen Aus Amsterdam

Mieke Telkamp

Arthur

Christopher Cross

U2

coverculture.blogspot.com

U2

EU elections: Wake-up call for centrists amid euroskepticism, climate inaction By Bernd Riegert

DeutscheWelle DW by Bernd Riegert - Brussels

Europeans have mobilized to vote in numbers not seen for decades. Major parties have seen their power shrink, and with populists and Greens making gains alliances will be crucial. Bernd Riegert analyzes the results. 

The biggest surprise this European Union election was the high voter turnout. Nearly 51% of the 400 million eligible voters cast their ballots, 8 percentage points more than the previous election in 2014. Protests against climate policy, school-striking teenagers and the urge to defend the EU against euroskeptic, right-wing populist parties appear to have mobilized voters.
To read how the day unfolded, click here: EU election: Turnout highest in 20 years
To follow the results as they came in, click here: Surge for Greens and euroskeptics, losses for centrist blocs

Margrethe Vestager, the EU's competition commissioner from Denmark with the liberal ALDE bloc, told DW that voters had realized what was at stake. "Voting is power," said Vestager, who wants to become the next president of the European Commission.

"You have politicians running for the European Parliament who want to destroy it. You have parties running for the European Parliament who call themselves nationalists, but who seem to be willing to sell out to the Russians. So something has been at stake, and that I think has also made people consider, 'Maybe we should vote this time.'" The lead candidate for Europe's Socialists and Democrats, Frans Timmermans, said the high voter turnout sent "a great signal for a functioning democracy."

Victories for Greens, liberals
The liberal and Green blocs in the European Parliament have made strong gains. The German Greens, with about 20% of the vote, beat the Social Democrats to come in second place behind the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian counterparts, the Christian Social Union (CSU). On a national level, it's the Greens' best result ever. German politician Udo Bullmann, head of the socialist group in the European Parliament, was disappointed by the outcome of Sunday's vote and admitted to DW that his party had underestimated the issue of climate change. He said that's something the party wanted to improve upon. In Berlin, CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer confessed to shortcomings on environmental issues. She was, however, satisfied that despite their losses, the center-right conservatives would remain Germany's strongest party and the strongest bloc in the European Parliament.

Manfred Weber, the lead candidate for the conservative European People's Party (EPP) — to which the CDU belongs — has also staked his claim to the post of European Commission president.
"We haven't won a great victory, but we are the strongest group," he said in Brussels. He called for cooperation with the other pro-European Union parties, making special mention of the Greens.
"The Greens are also the winners of the day. This makes them a possible partner. We should sit down together and draft a mandate for the next five years," he said.
Read more: What does the European Parliament actually do?

Conservative bloc remains largest
According to preliminary results, Weber's EPP has taken 179 seats in the European Parliament, a significant drop from 216 seats in the 2014 election. The Socialists and Democrats' share of the seats has also shrunk; they'll have 150. The centrist Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and ally En Marche, the new party of French President Emmanuel Macron, are set to claim 107 seats — a major jump from 69 five years ago. The Green bloc has also grown, from 52 to 70 seats. Populist and nationalist parties, strong in some EU member states like Italy and France, won fewer seats across the bloc than expected. Altogether they have about 150 seats, but these are divided among three different blocs. The German nationalists, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) did not perform as strongly as expected. But in Saxony and Brandenburg they managed to edge past the CDU conservatives, bumping them into second place.

Right-wing populists make gains
Janis Emmanouilidis, a political analyst at the Brussels-based European Policy Centre, points out that pro-EU parties still hold about 80% of the seats. "As a group, the right-wing populists are altogether not as strong as some had previously warned. We already knew that they wouldn't have a majority, but they are perhaps weaker than we had thought."
In Italy, the right-wing League of Interior Minister Matteo Salvini won the most votes, and in France the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen came out on top. "Macron had really tried to use his own political weight, to prevent Le Pen and her party coming out in front. And he hasn't managed to do it," Emmanouilidis said. In many of the EU's 28 member states, traditionally large parties in the center of the political spectrum struggled, while liberal, environmentalist and right-wing parties grew in strength. Emmanouilidis saw that as a sign of increasing fragmentation. "We see that the large parties have lost ground and that there will need to be a wide coalition to find a majority," he said. In the future European Parliament, the traditional large centrist parties will have to work together with the liberals, and perhaps also the Greens.
Read more: Austria's far-right FPÖ party under scrutiny for ties to Russia

A left-of-center majority comprising the Left, Social Democrat, Green and Liberal factions doesn't add up. A right-of-center majority is also out of the question, because the traditional conservatives don't want to join with the nationalists and right-wing populists."From now on, things get complicated, because no one can live without the other in order to have a working majority that's sufficiently strong. So the next couple of days will be of huge interest, who's talking to whom, what kind of coalition can get things started," Vestager told DW.

Results across the EU
The EU elections were especially unusual in the UK, which had planned to leave the bloc in March but couldn't get Brexit sorted out in time. The new Brexit Party of anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage has, as expected, had the highest vote tally with 31.5%. The ruling Conservatives of outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May, who announced her resignation on Friday, were severely punished.

In Greece, the left-wing populist premier Alexis Tsipras lost to the conservative opposition, possibly paving the way for fresh national elections.

In Austria, the People's Party of conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz made strong gains, despite Kurz facing a confidence vote in Vienna's parliament on Monday. The right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPÖ,) which recently crashed out of the governing coalition, made fewer gains than initially orecast following the recent Ibiza video scandal. Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache quit last weekend as vice chancellor and Freedom Party leader after a leaked video showed him appearing to offer favors to a purported Russian investor.

Meanwhile, in Germany, satirist Martin Sonneborn celebrated the electoral success of his party, called simply Die Partei (The Party). He now has two seats in the European Parliament, but still no policies.

Germany's political parties CDU, CSU, SPD, AfD, FDP, Left party, Greens - what you need to know Here's a look at Germany's political parties, who they are and what they want.

 DeutscheWelle DW

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) / Christian Social Union (CSU)
Color: Black
Chairpeople: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU), Horst Seehofer(CSU)
Parliamentary leader: Volker Kauder (CDU)
Membership: 575,000
Voters: People over the age of 60, churchgoers, living in rural areas - especially in southern Germany - still represent the hardcore of CDU and CSU voters. The CDU has also traditionally done well among small business owners and people with lower or medium education levels.
2017 Bundestag election result: 33 percent (246/709 seats)
History: The CDU was founded in West Germany in 1950 in the aftermath of World War II as a gathering pool for all of Germany's Christian conservative voters. It became the most dominant political force in the post-war era, unifying Germany and leading the government for 47 of those 67 years, alongside its Bavaria sister-party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
CDU Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who governed from 1949 to 1963, is the closest the Federal Republic has to a founding father. It was Adenauer and his economy minister (and successor as chancellor), Ludwig Erhard, who presided over West Germany's "economic miracle." The party's reputation as Germany's rock of moral and economic stability continued under another long-term CDU chancellor, Helmut Kohl, who drove German reunification in 1990 - a key historic moment important in understanding today's politics.
Platform: Angela Merkel represents both a continuation and a break from the CDU's traditional values. Alongside Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, German voters trust her to steward the economy safely. She also maintains certain conservative social values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage (though she voted against it herself, she ushered in gay marriage at the end of the last legislative period by sanctioning a conscience vote in the Bundestag). However, her relatively liberal stance on immigration has turned much of the CDU base against her.
Preferred coalition partners:  FDP, SPD - and now the Greens


Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Color: Red
Chairperson: Andrea Nahles
Parliamentary leader: Andrea Nahles
2017 Bundestag election result: 20.5 percent (153/709 seats)
Membership: 443,000
Voters: The SPD has traditionally been the party of the working classes and the trade unions. The SPD's most fertile ground in Germany remains in the densely-populated industrial regions of western Germany, particularly the Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony. History: The SPD was founded in 1875, making it Germany's oldest political party. In the tumultuous first decades of the 20th century, the party acted as an umbrella organization for a number of leftist movements, trade unionists, and communists. But with the founding of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1919, the SPD became the permanent home of the social justice reformers, rather than the revolutionaries - though that didn't stop its politicians from being sent to concentration camps during the Third Reich.
The SPD's first chancellor, Willy Brandt, governed West Germany from 1969 to 1974. He earned an international reputation for reconciliation with Eastern Europe during his time as foreign minister in a CDU-led coalition government. He was succeeded by Helmut Schmidt, an SPD icon until his death in 2015. Both remain hugely respected figures in German politics. Altogether, the party has been part of the German government for 34 of the 67 years of the Federal Republic and led governing coalitions for 21 of those. Though its reach has eroded significantly in the past few years, it was still behind some of Merkel's most significant social reform policies during her third government, which has just ended.
Platform: The SPD's best suit has always been social policy. It stands for a strong social infrastructure, though it also advocates sanctions-based unemployment benefits. In 2015, the SPD was instrumental in introducing a national minimum wage in Germany - currently €8.84 ($9.40) an hour. Nevertheless, the Agenda 2010 labor market reforms introduced by SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the early 2000s has lost the party some traditional support, and it's no accident that Martin Schulz's candidacy in the 2017 general election was marked by a "correction" of the policy, and a new emphasis on social justice and tax redistribution - though that failed to help him. The September 2017 election saw the worst result for the SPD in the history of the party.
Andrea Nahles was elected to replace Schulz in April 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the SPD. As both chairperson and parliamentary leader, Nahles has been trying to turn around the SPD's bad luck at the polls and win back voter confidence.
Preferred coalition partners: Greens, CDU - the Left, but only at state level.

The Left party (Die Linke)
Color: Red (TV coverage often uses magenta to distinguish it from the SPD)
Chairpeople: Katja Kipping, Bernd Riexinger
Parliamentary leaders: Sahra Wagenknecht, Dietmar Bartsch
2017 Bundestag election result: 9.2 percent (69/709 seats)
Membership: 60,000
Voters: The Left party's stronghold remains the "new German states" in the former East, where its voters tend to be former communists who supported the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and protest voters who want to express their disenchantment with traditional parties. If polls are to be believed, many of these have switched to the populist nationalism of the AfD in the past two years. 
History: Though it was only founded in 2007, the Left party has a much longer history, and is still considered a direct descendant of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) that ruled the East German GDR until reunification with the West in 1990. The Left party was formed out of a merger of the SED successor, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), and Labour and Social Justice - The Electoral Alternative (WASG), a west German movement of trade unionists and disgruntled SPD members alienated by the welfare cuts introduced by Gerhard Schröder. The most prominent of these defectors was Schröder's first finance minister and SPD chairman, Oskar Lafontaine, who later led the Left party and is still a prominent figure guiding the party from his Saarland base.
Partly because of its association with the East German dictatorship, the Left remains a pariah for the other mainstream parties, and has never been part of a federal government coalition - though it has some government experience at state level.
Platform: The Left is the only major German party that rejects military missions abroad. It also wants NATO to be dissolved and the minimum wage to be raised from the current rate of 8.84 euros to 12 euros ($14.10). Some political scientists still see the Left as a radical party that ultimately seeks to overturn the capitalist economic order, but the party itself actually only advocates stronger market regulation, stronger rental caps, and more social investment. Preferred coalition partners: SPD, Greens

The Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Color: Green
Chairpeople: Annalena Baerbock, Robert Habeck
Parliamentary leaders: Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Anton Hofreiter
2017 Bundestag election result: 8.9 percent (67/709 seats)
Membership: 61,000
Voters: The Greens rely heavily on the well-educated, urban demographic for their voter base - and its strongholds tend to be major cities in western Germany, especially where universities are located. However, the party's voters have also aged significantly over its 30-year history: fewer than 10 percent of Green voters are now under 35. By the same token, Green voters have become more affluent over the years, and the Greens struggle to attract voters from lower income classes.  
History: The Green party is probably the most successful counter-culture movement in Germany's post-war political history. The party, whose official name is Alliance '90/The Greens, grew out of an assortment of social protest movements of the 1980s that eventually unified. Their supporters marched for everything from ending nuclear power to gay rights - while maintaining the key plank of environmental protection. Their success lies in the fact that all of these causes have been incorporated into mainstream politics since the alliance was officially founded in 1993 (the Green party itself was founded in 1980). The party became truly prominent in German politics in the early 2000s, when it became junior coalition partner to Gerhard Schröder's SPD, and supplied his government with Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. Still, its biggest electoral success came in 2009, when it claimed over 10 percent of the national vote for the first and only time.
Platform: Political pundits tend to divide the Greens between the "Realos" and the "Fundis" - the "realists," who are willing to compromise party aims to have a say in government, and the more left-wing "fundamentalists," who are closer to the party's counter-culture roots.
The Realos have slowly taken control of the party, to the extent that it is now leading a coalition with the conservative CDU in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. While environmentalism remains a core cause (agriculture reform was a key Green achievement in the early 2000s), it has also tried to a push a leftist agenda on tax and social policy. However, the prospect of a coalition with the CDU suggests that it may opt for a more centrist approach during this legislative period.
Preferred coalition partner: SPD

Alternative for Germany (AfD)
Color: Light blue
Chairpeople: Jörg Meuthen, Alexander Gauland
Parliamentary leaders: Alexander Gauland, Alice Weidel
Membership: 25,000
Voters: The AfD has poached voters from all the other major parties except the Greens, and has simultaneously succeeded in mobilizing many non-voters. The AfD scores best among middle income earners - though that is by no means its exclusive voter base, and draws voters from across social classes. Its membership, meanwhile, has one significant feature - only 15 percent are women.
2017 Bundestag election result: 12.6 percent (92/709 seats - 2 MPs have left the party since the election, and will be independent)
History: The right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to prominence in the four years of its existence. Founded just five months before the 2013 election as a euroskeptic party, the AfD very nearly entered the Bundestag. Since then, Germans have elected the AfD to every state parliament in regional elections as well as the European parliament. The AfD was originally created by a group of neo-liberal academics as a protest against the single European currency. They were angered specifically by Merkel's decision to bail out Greece in 2010 following Europe's financial crisis. But a power struggle in 2015 ended with the ouster of party leader Bernd Lucke, who was replaced by Frauke Petry. Petry, along with other prominent figures, set a much more overtly nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam agenda, a policy that scored some success during the refugee crisis of 2015. But Petry has now also left the party, seemingly in protest at the far-right extremist turn the party took in the run-up to the 2017 election. In Petry's absence, parliamentary leaders Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel have become the face of the party, particularly with their diligent attendance at parliamentary sessions. In 2016, the AfD was the only major German party to welcome the election of US President Donald Trump and Britain's decision to leave the EU.
Platform: The AfD wants to seal the EU's borders, institute rigorous identity checks along Germany's borders and set up holding camps abroad to prevent migrants from heading to Germany at all. The party wants to immediately deport anyone whose application for political asylum is rejected and to encourage foreigners to return to their home countries. The party insists on the primacy of "traditional" German culture and rejects Islam as a part of German society. It also questions the notion that climate change is man-made and wants to reverse Germany's ongoing transition to renewable energy sources.
Preferred coalition partners: Ruled out by all other parties, but closest in policy to the CSU.

Free Democratic Party (FDP)
Color: Yellow
Chairperson: Christian Lindner
Parliamentary leader: Christian Lindner
2017 Bundestag election result: 10.7 percent (80/709 seats)
Membership: 63,000
Voters: As the party of neo-liberal free enterprise, it's no surprise that the FDP has found the most voters among the self-employed - especially business owners and professionals like dentists and lawyers - and the fewest among workers.
History: The Free Democrats were a permanent fixture in the German parliament from the early days of the Federal Republic. However, the party suffered major election losses in 2013, failing to clear the 5-percent hurdle to enter the lower house. It has struggled for relevance ever since, but then experienced a resurgence under new leader Christian Lindner, and is now re-entering parliament with some 80 Bundestag members and is likely to re-join the government in coalition with the CDU. Founded in December 1948, the FDP has been kingmaker to both the CDU and the SPD in its time. Though it has never led a German government, it participated in government for a total of 41 years, longer than any other party. Consequently, it has provided the bigger parties with many cabinet ministers, some of whom, such as Helmut Kohl's long-term foreign minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, became major post-war historical figures.
Platform: The FDP's program is founded on the principles of individual freedom and civil rights. While it has always campaigned for more tax cuts, it opposes leaving the financial markets unbridled. It is also a pro-European party.
Preferred coalition partner: CDU

"SHE moves in Mysterious Ways"

U2

Irish Coffee

Irish Coffee/52kitchenadventures.com

Recipe By: Jason Ring

"Fresh hot coffee gets a little added pep with the addition of Irish whiskey and Irish cream."

Ingredients

1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger Irish cream liqueur

1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger Irish whiskey

1 cup hot brewed coffee

1 tablespoon whipped cream

1 dash ground nutmeg

Directions

1. In a coffee mug, combine Irish cream and Irish whiskey. Fill mug with coffee. Top with a dab of whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg. Allrecipes.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2019 Allrecipes.com

Notes

Fasching/www.dreamstime.com

We reached 60°F/15.6°C at noon today, but then the weather changed and we are hovering at a cold and misty 48°F/8.9°C. Starting the 1-hour power walks again, but not without arthritic pain in both knees. The joys of turning 50. Sent a box to NYC today. A box that was actually sent in August, was sitting in the mailroom and was not deliverable due to a wrong address; box got returned in February, re-boxed and sent again to the right address.  But crossing the pond twice (plus a return) costs a meager 24 Euros, plus a nominal fee for tracking. Not too bad, eh ? We are in the midst of Fasching in Germany, also known as Karneval. Mostly celebrated in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Germany, with wildly dressed Menschen, candy tossing Frauen, and parade floats, plus light humor at gathering halls in the evening, with lots of beer. Rosenmontag followed by Faschings Dienstag, and then the effervescent Aschermittwoch, (Ash Wednesday) of political events in many cities, with serious political speeches & Demokratie and again lots of beer, fish, and cheese and lox sandwiches, starting at 8am.

We enjoyed a busy weekend which included first-time gel nails for a first meeting of folks for a movie and pizza evening. Back to normal nails with self-care at home.

We are hesitating on any travel as there is an ill member of the family, but still planned for Summer are a 60th birthday party and a wedding in Germany. And in order to fit into the Brussels dress, I must lose weight, not less than 5kg. So I am out walking and dieting, including fasting.

Happy for Spring rain, and lil flowers sprouting from our earth. And ecstatic about March sunshine and warm weather.  Prayers for our soul family in America who are still freezing. Just a couple more weeks. There's hope.

Greetings from under our umbrella. More sunny days ahead.   

Radetzky March

New Year's Music

Isaac Mizrahi: By the Book New York Times

Feb. 21, 2019

The fashion designer and author of the new memoir “I.M.” likes his literature “sort of plain”: “Style is suspicious to me in general. I think that’s true about my taste in everything. Food. Décor. Clothes.”

What books are on your nightstand?

The complete works of Shakespeare.

“The Portrait of a Lady” and all the rest of Henry James, including a ravishing novel about him called “The Master,” by Colm Toibin.

“I, Claudius,” by Robert Graves.

“Dr. Faustus,” by Thomas Mann. (A lot of Thomas Mann on my nightstand. “Buddenbrooks.” “The Magic Mountain.” Short stories.)

“Austerlitz” and “The Rings of Saturn,” by W. G. Sebald.

I have a huge nightstand! Also I’m very possessive about books and I don’t necessarily edit. Things just pile up. I keep a broad selection of Mark Twain. Volumes of Tolstoy and Flaubert. Dawn Powell and Philip Roth. Some Seamus Heaney and Whitman. And I change my mind a lot. I like things and then I remember I like other things better.

What’s the last great book you read?

“In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower” (Vol. 2 of “In Search of Lost Time”), by Marcel Proust. I’m in the midst of reading the entire series and it’s really daunting and inspiring, not to mention time-consuming. So in between volumes I read stuff that collects and I’m a little late. I’m just getting to what everyone was talking about last year. For instance I just read a beautiful novel about Lorena Hickok and Mrs. Roosevelt called “White Houses,” by Amy Bloom. Also “A Little Life,” by Hanya Yanagihara.

What should we read if we want to learn something about fashion?

“D.V.,” by Diana Vreeland.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

There’s a series of novels by E. F. Benson about Mapp and Lucia, set in the fictional town of Tilling, which comes to mind as being obscure-ish. But then I found out there was a monthly newsletter published by the Tilling Society, which I subscribed to for a while until the society ceased publishing it. But I guess that means masses of people know about these books already!

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

Impossible to really narrow this down, but here’s one pass: Colm Toibin. Anne Carson. Haruki Murakami. A. M. Homes. Dave Eggers. Tony Kushner. Andrew Solomon. Pete Wells. Alex Ross. Maira Kalman.

Whose opinion on books do you most trust?

I trust my friends who talk about books they’re reading. My best friend, Mark Morris, who gives me books to read when we collaborate, some of which I have yet to return.

I also listen to my friend the interior designer Robert Couturier, who reads everything printed. He’s another insomniac with very similar tastes in literature to mine. He recommended the beautiful Patrick Melrose novels, which I devoured a few years ago. Also he introduced me to someone called Caroline Weber, whose book about Marie Antoinette, “Queen of Fashion,” I’d enjoyed 10 years ago and who’s recently been a guiding light in my pursuit of Proust. Her book “Proust’s Duchess,” about three women who were models for the Duchesse de Guermantes, is a masterpiece.

Also I listen to my bridge-playing friends Choire Sicha, Dale Peck and Richard Desroche. As bridge players we share a careful skepticism about everything, including literature. Rather than recommendations, those guys tell me which books I don’t have to read.

When do you read?

I read at night when I’m supposed to be asleep. I read in the car on my way to QVC. I know a lot of people get carsick from reading, but I get carsick if I’m not reading.

What moves you most in a work of literature?

For me literature is most effective when it’s sort of plain. I like “unstylish” writers. I think of how much I love the book “Stoner,” by John Williams. And Raymond Carver makes me cry. I make exceptions to this rule about stylish writers: I love Joyce Carol Oates. And Fitzgerald. And Gertrude Stein. Also brevity and simplicity are not the same things. I never adored Hemingway. And often lengthiness can be the absolute soul of wit, as in Proust or Dickens.

I have a difficult time reading poetry (I’m much better when someone reads it to me) but when I do, usually those ideas about unstylish writing apply. I love Mary Oliver. I love Anne Carson. Style is suspicious to me in general. I think that’s true about my taste in everything. Food. Décor. Clothes.

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

I never thought of myself as someone who reads within genres but since you asked, it occurs to me that I really love diaries. One of the most perfect books ever written is Dawn Powell’s “Diaries.” Noël Coward’s “Diary” is so funny. Samuel Pepys. Leo Lerman’s “The Grand Surprise.” Also I adore reading about food. I love cookbooks. I love compilations of old food writing; A. J. Liebling, Ruth Reichl; one of my “nightstand” books is something called “Life Is Meals,” by James and Kay Salter. I just read a wonderful book called “The Gourmand’s Way,” by Justin Spring. The only upsetting thing about it was how good a case he made to discredit certain aspects of M. F. K. Fisher, whom I revere as a god.

I stay away from popular novels. Many of them seem like premeditated screenplays. Unless three or four people recommend it, it’s best to wait for the streaming series.

How do you organize your books?

I have massive piles of books, things people send me or that I come across in bookstores, like everyone’s favorite place Three Lives. These books collect either in my bedroom in N.Y.C or on the coffee table in Bridgehampton. I rifle through those piles till I’m sufficiently intrigued to start reading. For every three books in that pile, one gets read.

Do any writers bring an especially strong sense of fashion or style to their literature?

Proust refers a lot to clothes and décor and food. But especially color, which I think a lot about when I read. Whether it’s a color specifically described as in the color of Odette’s lingerie, or a color suggested by the subtext of any book, it’s something inexplicable, like music that suggests colors which come to define a work. I see color a lot when I listen to music and when I read.

What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?

I have an enormous number of books about the game of bridge (which might surprise some people who think I’m a lousy bridge player!).

Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain?

I love “ Memoirs of Hadrian,” by Marguerite Yourcenar. In that book the emperor Hadrian talks about being an insomniac, sitting up nights writing while everyone else is asleep. Years ago when I read that I stopped hating being awake at night. I also remember being very inspired by Becky Sharp when I read “Vanity Fair” a long time ago. She’s my opposite in that she never worries. Also she’s very three-dimensional as a character. Neither good nor villainous.

As for antiheroes. I love Lady Macbeth. I love Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes novels, elusive as he is. Dracula is one of the great characters of all times. Just a fun guy. I love “The Master and Margarita.” In that book, which on the surface is about good and evil, there seem to be no bad or good characters, just images.

What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?

I don’t remember reading as a child. When I was 3½ I was hospitalized with spinal meningitis and there was one book (ironically I can’t remember which one) that was read to me so many times that I memorized it. I even memorized where the pages were turned. I fooled the adults, who were astonished because they thought I could read.

I remember the “Madeline” series by Ludwig Bemelmans because my mother read it to us when we were really young. Also the Dr. Seuss books which I consider masterpieces. Also the wonderful books about Eloise. But they were read to me. I do remember not liking Maurice Sendak as much as everyone else. I read Roald Dahl late in the game as a young adult to see what I missed and I adored it. When I was in grade school my mother started giving me grown-up books to read. I remember she gave me “The Godfather” when I was 11, which I loved, and a book called “Earthly Paradise,” by Colette, when I was 12, around the time of my bar mitzvah.

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

Are we sure he can read?

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

Humor is really important to me, especially at dinner, so I would invite Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde. And David Sedaris. I think he cooks too.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

I never quite grasped Kurt Vonnegut. I tried a few books and couldn’t do it. I think you have to be heterosexual. Recently I tried “The End of Eddy,” which was gripping, but there was a lot of graphic violence so I abandoned it.

Whom would you want to write your life story?

Maira Kalman. Paintings and writing.

What do you plan to read next?

Before I embark on “The Guermantes Way” (Volume 3 of “In Search of Lost Time”), which will preclude me from reading anything else for four or five months, I have these books lined up: “The Charterhouse of Parma,” by Stendhal; “Upstream,” by Mary Oliver; “The Mighty Franks,” by Michael Frank; “South and West,” by Joan Didion. Also, I’ve had “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” by Hannah Arendt, on my pile for years. I might save that till after Proust entirely. The New York Times

An expanded version of this interview is available at nytimes.com/books.

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A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 24, 2019, on Page 7 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: Isaac Mizrahi. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Copa Libertadores 2019 - A Win Today for Peru

The CONMEBOL Libertadores, named as Copa Libertadores de América (Portuguese: Copa Libertadores da América or Taça Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in South American football. The tournament is named in honor of the Libertadores (Spanish and Portuguese for liberators), the main leaders of the South American wars of independence. Wikipedia

2019 Copa Libertadores group stage

The 2019 Copa Libertadores group stage will be played from 5 March to 9 May 2019. A total of 32 teams compete in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the final stages of the 2019 Copa Libertadores. Wikipedia

Juan Martín del Potro

Juan Martín del Potro (born 23 September 1988), nicknamed Delpo, is an Argentine professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). His biggest achievement has been winning the 2009 US Open, defeating Rafael Nadal in the semifinal and 5-time defending champion Roger Federer in the final.

After reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 French Open, he again matched his career high of No. 4. Finally, in August, he achieved the World No. 3 ranking for the very first time. At the 2018 US Open, he reached his second Grand Slam final.

Early life

Juan Martín del Potro was born in Tandil, Argentina. His father, Daniel del Potro, played semi-professional rugby union in Argentina and is a veterinarian. His mother, Patricia Lucas, is a teacher and he has a younger sister named Julieta. He also had an elder sister who died when she was 8 years old in a car accident. Del Potro speaks Spanish, English and some Italian. Wikipedia

Students discover how solar power empowers

February 17, 2019

ASU trio study socioeconomic and health effects of introducing solar technology to rural communities in Belize

Tucked away somewhere, in the annals of many a university’s research archives, are the theses of the students of yesteryear. Grand ideas, curious inquiries and profound realizations — true products of blood, sweat and tears — collecting dust. Not so at ASU. The honors thesis being developed by a group of interdisciplinary Barrett, The Honors College students, detailing the socioeconomic effects of the introduction of solar technology to rural communities in Belize, is already having real-world impact.

Later this month, Ivan Bascon, Olivia Gonzalez and Grant Laufer will present their initial findings at the Human Development Conference in Indiana, and they’ve also invited a representative from the organization that supplied the solar technology to sit in when they defend their thesis this spring. It’s the difference between research for the sake of knowledge and research for the public good. “Now there's a possibility of them actually implementing positive changes based on the research that we did as opposed to just letting it sit in the Barrett repository forever,” said Gonzalez, a global health senior.

Video by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
The idea for their thesis came about after participating in The Global Intensive Experience, a unique study abroad program sponsored by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership designed to expose students to liberal democracy in different contexts around the world. Currently, GIE offers programs in north India, Israel and the West Bank, with another in development in South Africa.

Bascon, a molecular biosciences and biotechnology senior; Laufer, an economics and business senior; and Gonzalez participated in the spring 2018 program in India, where they witnessed the work being done at Barefoot College, a volunteer organization founded in 1986 that trains poor, rural women — called Solar Mamas — from all over the world to become entrepreneurs and produce solar-energy technology to take back to their communities. What they saw blew them away. “It almost just seemed too amazing to be true,” Laufer said. “Just all these foreign people coming together, different languages, different backgrounds, and they're all learning to be solar engineers. You can't walk away from that without wanting to know more.” As individuals who share an interest in international development, they were also impressed with the nonprofit’s focus on sustainable empowerment.

So the trio hatched a plan to travel to one of the rural communities in Belize where Solar Mamas had brought solar technology and see for themselves how it affected the community.
For 17 days over winter break, they observed and interviewed the residents of Santa Elena, where solar technology had recently been introduced, and Jalacte, another rural village that did not have electricity.

Despite a couple of hiccups at the beginning of the trip (trouble finding their contact upon arrival and a brief bout of illness), the students found they were able to ease into a good workflow, thanks in large part to the warmth and hospitality of the communities. For the most part, they spent nights at a hostel in Punta Gorda, a fishing town on the Caribbean coast of southern Belize, and took a bus each day to the rural villages. But one night, the councilman of Santa Elena — whose wife is a Solar Mama — invited them to stay overnight at his home. “We got to — in a brief little way — live a little Mayan life,” Bascon said. That night, they ate a traditional meal and slept in a hammock. “Everyone was so accommodating and excited to talk to us,” Laufer added.

Susan Carrese, the group’s thesis director and GIE facilitator, said the program is not only a great way for students to learn what “leadership” and “service” mean in another culture, but a great way to stimulate future research. “As part of our first GIE cohort in March 2018, Olivia, Grant and Ivan were forced to assess their own skill sets, seek help from others, reflect on failures and dig deep into who they are and who they want to be on the GIE,” she said. “When they came back to Barrett Honors College, they were primed for an ambitious project.”

Since returning from Belize, the group has been analyzing mountains of notes and hours of interviews. It’ll be some time before they have anything conclusive to report, but they have been able to make some preliminary assessments of the data and have found both health and economic benefits to having solar energy.

Health-wise, solar technology eliminates the need for kerosene lamps and the harmful fumes that accompany them. Economically, the more efficient lighting allows women to stay up later making crafts and jewelry, a major source of income for the village.

While the group is eager to see the immediate impact of their research on the communities involved, they’re also cognizant of the lasting effects it will have on each of them personally. “Having a nonprofit come in and just making the change themselves is the easy way, but the harder way is empowering others so they have the tools and the resources to make the changes they want to. That nuance is so important,” Bascon said. “As a future doctor, there's nothing more fulfilling than empowering others so they can live their full lives.”

The ASU Study Abroad Office offers 250-plus programs in more than 65 different countries. Learn more at the Study Abroad website.

Top photo: (From left) Grant Laufer, Olivia Gonzalez and Glenn "Ivan" Bascon (photographed Feb. 1 on the Tempe campus) traveled to Belize to conduct research on the effects of solar power panel use in rural communities. Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now Arizona State University

Großartiges Spiel - Big Soccer Game Today

Bayern Munich/hdwallpaperpc.blogspot.com

Champions League:
Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool.

Die Toten Hosen "Tage Wie Diese"

I'm Like a Bird

Nelly Furtado/pandorascajalatidos.blogspot.com

Nelly Furtado on Letterman

Notes

Susi Homemaker up at 5:30am enjoying the morning quietude, sipping espresso coffee with milk, sparkling water, catching the weather on tv, and baking homemade blueberry muffins. A beautiful Sunday morning. Will be 9°C/48°F today. A perfect day to walk the pup. Been very busy with housekeeping and offering charity, including volunteering. Lawn has almost melted. We are getting our bearings from the cold of Winter. We are not yet done with remodeling but just about. A mini-project in Summer will complete our work for now. And following a wonderful 17 years with our car, we decided on a new one. Such memories of our journeys and with our son Francis who would have been 20 on Thursday. We wait patiently for Brexit to be over and see what will transpire for England's future. A bummer for our British friends who live in Germany. Red tape and bureaucracy, uff. 

Gambler

Blake Shelton

Passau Luftballon

Zac Brown Band

Zac Brown Band "Chicken Fried" at Grand Ole Opry

Chicago Arctic Blast warms to a balmy 52°F by Monday

Photo Credit: WGN9 Chicago - Skilling

Weather in Fahrenheit. -25°F Tuesday and Wednesday. (Windchill -50°F). Inching to 3°F Thursday, then to 52°F by Monday.  Welcome to Chicago, The Windy City.

Congratulations Annette & Malte on your Engagement. Can't Wait !!

Frank Sinatra 1974 (Bad, Bad) Leroy Brown

An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314

Vienna Philharmoniker, New Year's Concert 2014. Conductor: Daniel Barenboim