Long time no see

With reference to some earlier posts, I just wanted to mention that I saw an old acquaintance on the FT-Deutschland's webpage today (http://www.ftd.de/). Interestingly, the .jpg file is called "Mrs Dax".

Winnie the Pooh meets H1N1

Seen in the Huffington Post

Epi - a recommendation from the new "city"

Having moved back to Cologne, we noted with great pleasure that patisserie/boulangerie  EPI (www.epi-cologne.eu) offers a range of authentic French bakery products within walking distance from our new home. If you would like to taste a piece (or a drop) of France when you are in Cologne, I strongly recommend a visit at Epi in Neusser Str. 32

Back to the future

On Febraury 28th my time as a "Kraut in the City" comes to an end. I am leaving the firm to take on a new position as Legal Counsel Continental Europe for an insurance company in Cologne (Germany) the city where I worked before moving to London.

Therefore this website will be "mothballed" at today's status until it becomes clear whether I have time to continue blogging in the future.

Andreas Laupichler

Best espresso in the City

Here is another recommendation for the City. In my view the best espresso is made on the back of the little three-wheeler (see picture above) that can be found at the corner of Rood Lane and Great Tower Street . The coffee tastes great and is always prepared and served with a friendly chat.

[Yes, I did accept a double espresso as a thanks for this posting]

Almighty (and all-knowing?)

Following op on a post from 7 November 2008: The former Nebraskan State senator who filed a court case against god that was dismissed because the court found that it could not be served on the defendant, is trying to re-start the action.

A God who is "all-knowing'' should know when he's being sued, even without being served notice of the lawsuit, said former State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha. After all, Chambers wrote to the Nebraska Court of Appeals, courts already invoke the Almighty in oaths to witnesses that they tell the truth "so help me God. ''He said it was inconsistent for the Douglas County District Court "to take judicial notice of God in order to administer oaths and to enter an order to dismiss . . . yet simultaneously deny that the all-knowing God has notice of the petition,'' Chambers stated in written arguments submitted Monday. [to be continued]

via Kearnyhub.com

Who needs lawyers?

NRC reports: Ex-Ahold executives sentenced (and they got off lightly if you ask me)

The Amsterdam appeals court sentenced three former executives of Dutch supermarket group Ahold on Wednesday to suspended sentences and fines over an accountancy fraud revealed by the company in 2003. In the Netherlands' biggest ever corporate accountancy fraud, Ahold had revealed massive bookkeeping irregularities at its US Foodservice business and other foreign subsidiaries, overstating profits by almost 1 billion euros.

Former chief executive Cees van der Hoeven was sentenced to pay a fine of 30,000 euros, while former chief financial officer Michiel Meurs was given 240 hours of community labour, a fine of 100,000 euros and a six-month suspended sentence. Former management board member Jan Andreae was given a three-month suspended sentence and a fine of 50,000 euros. Former supervisory board member Roland Fahlin was acquitted, a confirmation of the lower court's ruling. The new sentences were lighter than those imposed by a lower court in May 2006.
[via NRC Handelsblad online]

Soseki

Admittedly, I did not have much time for new postings recently. But now I'm taking a short break from all the legal questions on my desk to introduce you to the restaurant where I ate a delicious meal today. At Soseki, chef Kurokawa-san and his team prepare excellent food and serve it in an oasis of peace, right next-door to the Gherkin.

If you want to have a confidential meeting, away from the eyes and ears of competitors or colleagues, you can book a table for 2 or 4 in a separate "compartment". If you would like to watch how the food is being prepared, take a seat at the bar.

What if...?

A slightly different topic for today's post. It had to be the day when the new US president was inaugurated that I stumbled about this amusing "what if" presentation at English Russia. One of the designs I liked most was the 500 Euro note (see above).

via Cynical-C

Play the bailout game!

Only the future will tell, whether the bailout packages that have been put together in the western industrialised countries will turn out to have been a good idea. If you think you would have done a better job, demonstrate your skills by playing "the bailout game" (click here to play). If you need help, you can always "ask a Greenberg"

Good luck!!

via (http://www.ritholtz.com/blog)

On the road again...

I'm on a business trip, so the next post will appear only after I have returned.

Yum yum!

Whenever a restaurant in or near the City is particularly good, I gladly mention it in a posting. This applies even more if it is a new place that may not yet be so well known.

Hence my recommendation for "The Modern Pantry". The restaurant has its own website (http://www.themodernpantry.co.uk/) for more information and - being situated at St John's Square in Clerkenwell - can easily be reached from the City.

2008 was the year of bad news

Hence it could not end without the employee of the Frankurt stock exchange that I have mentioned several times before (see here, here, here and here) appearing once more - on the same level as Barack Obama! (see Financial Times - Weekend Eedition before Christmas)

Gimme the money!

According to a report by the Times (click here) sharholders of Northern Rock are due to claim that the value of their shares (5 pence) established during the nationalisation wrongly assumed that the bank was no longer a "going concern" and demand compensation.

Interestingly the state's "deep pockets" remain to be a more attractive target to the sharholders of Northern Rock than those of the bank's leadership (and their D&O insureres).