Fabulous video (from Pino) with Tom Hanks philosophying on Germany, Berlin and Eisenhüttenstadt…and Autobahn!

Well done…since 2 months I see this stupid campaign “don’t be a maybe” at my Stadtbahn stop. Now an Unknown Artist, blogged on FB by Street Art Hamburg  did this fabulous détournement. Thanks Pino for sharing!!

This is Berlin. Better a Polish cigarette than these tired tricks, innovative among Mad Men fifty years ago.

I don’t know…to me what Merkel says makes a lot of sense. Is it so hard to understand that in its selfish dreams Germany also needs demand and growth in the Rest of Europe in order to be able to power ahead with its exports, and not a weaker Europe? And that a growth fuelled by printing banknotes or bailing out ships threading water by writing white cheques would be a catastrophe, especially for the weakest economies?

Budget discipline means collecting taxes from those who should pay them, spending on the right projects with have something similar to a ROI and not idiot infrastructure like the Ponte sullo Stretto or decorative kerbs in Spain, supporting the right kind of welfare: the one that enables workers in declining industries to acquire new skills, not nepotist public (or private) low productivity sector jobs. And the unions’ objective should be to negotiate good terms without putting the country on its knees on one side and becoming themselves a protected kast on the other side?

But everybody knows that the nations’ daddies are those who promise gifts, play football and masquerade as Santa. And good moms are those who enforce math homework, room cleaning and spinach eating. There are still gender stereotypes in Europe, and women are the ones which make things work in 80% of cases. More balanced roles would be preferable, but the math exams are tomorrow, the vitamine count is low, kids are panicking and distracted, so someone’s got to keep the pieces together. You’ll get the ice cream, but first eat your greens.

More on Davos here.

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 25 January 2012– Europe needs to move forward with structural political reforms if it is to resolve its sovereign debt crisis and put to rest doubts about its unity and viability, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an address to participants in the opening plenary session of the World Economic Forum’s 42nd Annual Meeting. At the core of the crisis are weaknesses in the competitiveness of many European countries, she remarked, noting that deficits have accrued over the years. “There is a clear lack of political structures and underpinnings to make this work,” Merkel acknowledged. “We are not going to become faint of heart. But we will not be able to wave a magic wand to address this. Yet at some point in time we have to do something about these weaknesses.” Concluded the German leader: “The question is: Do we dare to have more ‘Europe’? In the year 2012, yes, we do dare.”

In her speech, Merkel called for structural reforms that would allow for genuine labour mobility in Europe so that people can move to where jobs are and be able to take their pension rights and insurance with them. She said that, while Germany strongly supports the single European currency, it is not prepared to make any guarantees. “It is not that we don’t wish to show solidarity and have binding commitments. But what we don’t want is to promise something that we can’t fulfil.” Merkel added that she would like to see the G20 pursue the agenda for growth and employment set out by Mexico, the chair this year. G20 countries will also need to work on financial market regulation and securing free trade against increasing signs of protectionism, she said.

Prior to Merkel’s speech, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Councillor of the Federal Department of Finance of the Swiss Confederation, welcomed participants. She stressed that countries have to address the long-term challenges of chronic fiscal imbalances and climate change. “Both of these issues will affect future generations,” Widmer-Schlumpf declared. “We must not burden the young with the problems that we have created.”

With record participation of over 2,600 leaders from government, academia, business and civil society, the theme of this year’s Annual Meeting is The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models. “We have a vision gap in the world,” Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said in his opening remarks. “My wish is threefold – that we build by searching for constructive new solutions and models, that we bond by looking for long-term vision, and that we bind by creating the necessary underpinning framework of shared values.”

Source: WEF, CNN and FT

The cheeky video is nice…and I really hope that Berlin can boost its employment rate. For sure the quality of life for young people studying or starting their career is higher than all other European’s cities. But job opportunities are still scarce, as Berlin is probably the German city which exports less among other Länder. Still it imports a lot of travellers, art lovers, fashion professionals thanks to the fashion week and Bread and Butter, music producers, movie professionals…this is always a good start. Then, the “boring jobs” in finance, legal, accounting, will follow.

All bookstores in our street show biographies, history tomes and magazines covering the hot topic of 2012: Frederick the Great, aka “Der alte Fritz”, born in 1712.

I don’t exclude to delve more in the story of the great man, especially after having listened a few years ago to a beautiful radio broadcast by one of the most entertaining Italian historians, Alessandro Barbero. You can find all episodes on Radio 2.

Barbero tells us about his aggressive warfare impetus, his 16 wars, 13 won and 3 lost, his love for the arts and his friendship with Voltaire and Bach. But even more about the loneliness of Frederick, triggered with the events of Küstrin.

Source: Der Spiegel

Every morning I check the Bund quotes. I’m always long, never short…

The Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf: one of those 50s architectural bijoux, “rund und bunt”. Staircases in the 50s were status symbols. Nowadays only private residences and flagship stores still show off their stairs, back then the backbone of corporate headquarters and institutional building were those banisters, those spirals.

What surprises me always in Germany is the consistency of the 50s style and its pristine state of conservation and maintenance. Lights, banisters, handles, everything is bespoke and unique to the building. Not standard. And still there, after 60 years.

Frugal but elegant.

Berlin Fashion Week…I love Eva&Bernard perforated fabric and leather. Would like to see a bit more of it actually.

Source: Courtesy of IMG Fashion / InDigital

Globalization risk in a nutshell means a higher domino-effect. 2011 saw a wild bunch of black swans flocking from environmental and technological disasters like Fukushima and oil tanker spills to societal ones in London, from the environmental and urbanization problems of Liguria and Thailand to the geopolitical ones in Syria and Iran.

Have a look to the World Economic Forum’s matrix of risks (likelihood/impact) across regions and spanning across societal, economic, geopolitical, environmental and technological risks.

The US has a higher risk in cyber attacks and critical systems failure, in line with a higher terrorism likelihood. All regions score high in water and food supply shortage, Europe included. Failure of climate change adaptation score highest in USA, followed by Europe and Asia. Severe income disparity is higher in the Americas compared with Europe and Asia. Pervasive entrenched corruption is higher in South America, Sub-Saharian Africa vs North Africa and ME, the US follow, Europe is less hit and curiously Asia scores low. On chronic fiscal imbalances the US score higher than Europe.

For a global view have a look at the gravity (risk eye of the storm?) map. The diffusion of weapon of mass destruction scores low, as unexpected risks stemming from nanotechnology. Unmanageable inflation and deflation are also estimated to be relatively lower risks than religious fanaticism.

One major stakeholder is missing: populations. Especially when the highest ranking risks are food and water supply shortage…

I am curious to see what Merkel will say at Davos’ opening speech.

Today I noticed that the city of Dusseldorf is also an active sponsor on these pages. I am not surprised, from a city who has in its own website pages in English, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.