Day Fifteen in Germany

Bauma, the biggest construction and heavy machinery trade show in the world, started on Monday. I have been working on setting up the JCB stand with lots of others from the UK, Germany, and the U.S. Everything has gone smoothly, and now we can sit back and enjoy the show. Of course, if problems arise during the week-long exhibition, we have to quickly find solutions.

The weather has spoiled us with lots of sunshine and warmth. I am getting a sun tan, as we mostly work outside.

I am learning to enjoy Guinness as I hang out with the Brits in the evening. It is unlike any other beer.

Day Six in Germany

Munich is a beautiful, souther German city of over a million people. The weather has been unusually warm, above 25 deg. Celsius every day since I arrived. I did not bring enough warm-weather clothes, so I'll have to go shopping. Our stand for JCB is coming along beautifully. We have one more week to go until show begins. There is still lots to do, of course, and we'll be working 12-14-hour days before we're done. But now it's mainly details: furniture, carpet, graphics, placing of the machines, etc.

We work with a team of British guys who are in charge of the product (machines), and two German teams who do all the building and installation of the stand. I have started to use my very rusty German a bit, and its been fun. The Germans are very skilled and professional, and so are the English. They don't need much supervision as they run their own teams independently. This makes our work so much easier.

Saksassa

Olen toista paivaa Munchenissa. Projektinamme on rakentaa nayttely messuja varten. Ohessa muutama kuva tyomaalta. Messut on tarkoitettu rakennuskoneita varten. En ole ikina nahnyt yhta monta valtavaa konetta yhdessa paikassa. Messuilla on nostureita, kaivinkoneita, traktoreita, kaivoksille tarkoitettuja tyomaakoneita jne. Jokamiehen unelma...
Alimmassa kuvassa nakyva kolmikerroksinen rakennus on meidan pystyttama.

McCain Goes to Baghdad

John McCain visited Baghdad recently to show everyone how safe it really is over there. Of course he didn't mention that he had about a hundred soldiers surrounding him and some helicopters hovering above. What an idiot! Or should I say, does he think that we are such idiots?

Bush Jokes

Bush at the Pearly Gates

Einstein dies and goes to heaven. At the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter tells him, "You look like Einstein, but you have NO idea the lengths that some people will go to sneak into Heaven. Can you prove who you really are?"

Einstein ponders for a few seconds and asks, "Could I have a blackboard and some chalk?"

Saint Peter snaps his fingers and a blackboard and chalk instantly appear. Einstein proceeds to describe with arcane mathematics and symbols his theory of relativity. Saint Peter is suitably impressed. "You really ARE Einstein!" he says. "Welcome to heaven!"

The next to arrive is Picasso. Once again, Saint Peter asks for credentials. Picasso asks, "Mind if I use that blackboard and chalk?" Saint Peter says, "Go ahead." Picasso erases Einstein's equations and sketches a truly stunning mural with just a few strokes of chalk. Saint Peter claps. "Surely you are the great artist you claim to be!" he says. "Come on in!"

Then Saint Peter looks up and sees George W. Bush. Saint Peter scratches his head and says, "Einstein and Picasso both managed to prove their identity. How can you prove yours?"

George W. looks bewildered and says, "Who are Einstein and Picasso?"

Saint Peter sighs and says, "Come on in, George."

George Bush and the Queen

While visiting England, George Bush is invited to tea with the Queen. He asks her what her leadership philosophy is. She says that it is to surround herself with intelligent people.

Bush asks how she knows if they're intelligent.

"I do so by asking them the right questions," says the Queen. "Allow me to demonstrate."

Bush watches as the Queen phones Tony Blair and says, "Mr. Prime Minister, please answer this question: your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?"

Tony Blair responds, "It's me, ma'am."

"Correct. Thank you and good-bye, sir," says the Queen. She hangs up and says, "Did you get that, Mr. Bush?"

Bush nods: "Yes ma'am. Thanks a lot. I'll definitely be using that!"

Bush, upon returning to Washington, decides he'd better put the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the test. Bush summons Jesse Helms to the White House and says, "Senator Helms, I wonder if you can answer a question for me."

"Why, of course, sir. What's on your mind?"

Bush poses the question: "Uhh, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"

Helms hems and haws and finally asks, "Can I think about it and get back to you?"

Bush agrees, and Helms leaves. He immediately calls a meeting of other senior Republican senators, and they puzzle over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Helms calls Colin Powell at the State Department and explains his problem.

"Now lookee here, son, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"

Powell answers immediately, "It's me, of course."

Much relieved, Helms rushes back to the White House, finds George Bush, and exclaims, "I know the answer, sir! I know who it is! It's Colin Powell!"

And Bush replies in disgust, "Wrong, it's Tony Blair!"


http://www.allbadjokes.com/Bush-jokes.php

Strange Lesson

I took my 9-year old daughter to the toy store. She had saved 10 dollars to buy something for herself. I told her to put the money in a safe place (not her coat pocket) so she would not lose it. I ended up putting the 10-dollar bill in my own pocket for safe-keeping - had I been smarter I would have put it in my wallet.

As we were browsing in the toy store I watched a mother and a young daughter (about 5 or 6) having a conversation about geography. I was impressed how precocious the little girl was, and how well the mother talked to her about the world and explained where "Croatia" was.

A little later the same mother and daughter were walking by me again. This time the girl was very excited about what she had just found on the floor: a 10-dollar bill! I thought how cute! The mother said how lucky the girl was.

I just then realized I had put my own daughter's money in my pocket; was it still there? I checked and the money was gone. Just keys were left. The 10-dollar bill in the girl's hand was folded just like the one I had stuck in my pocket earlier. But I realized I could not say anything to the girl or her mother - would they believe me if I told them that the money was mine?
I just hoped that the smart mother would teach her daughter a valuable lesson about honesty: "Some other child has probably dropped their money on the floor of the toy store, let's take it to the cashier and see if someone claims it". No such luck. The mother explained to the girl how she could spend the money on a new toy...

I felt really stupid for losing my daughter's money the way I had warned her about it! I paid her back; she scolded me - for a good reason. But I was more upset about the lesson learned by that other girl.