012 - Prague

- Finally I have gotten around to booking a holiday for the first time since Düsseldorf in 2006, and will be visiting the Czech Republic capital Prague next month. If anyone has been before, lives there, knows anything about Prague please message me your experiences or suggestions on the sights and what we can do.. -

- Schließlich buchte ich mein ersten Urlaub als ich letztes mal in Düsseldorf in 2006 war, und werde ich die Hauptstadt des Tscheche Republik nächstes Monat besuchen. Wenn jemand da besucht hat, da wohnt, oder etwas über Prag wüsst bitte schickt mir Ihren Erfahrungen oder Anregungen über die Sehenswürdigkeiten und was los ist.. -


-Musím dostat instrukce poněkud Čech -


- Again I'm not too sure why the pictures are not very clear, but click on them and they look better -
- Wie letztes mal, ich bin mir nicht so sicher warum diese Bilder nicht so klar sind, aber wann man Sie klicht sehen Sie besser aus -

011 - Made by Loora

- A bilingual blend of talented photography capturing beautiful scenery and the impressive landscapes of her native Estonia and a diverse range of creative handicrafts -

http://madebyloora.blogspot.com/

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” ~Vincent van Gogh ~

'MadebyLoora' by Laura

Apologies for the quality of the pictures in this entry, for some reason they've decided to lower themselves somewhat drastically in pixel count whenever I post it here. Just click on to Laura's blog to get a better quality version (opens in same window).

010 - News Headlines F1

Buemi for Red Bull in 2012?

This story I have to admit took me completely by surprise. On the back of Mark Webber having re-signed to Red Bull to partner Sebastien Vettel for 2011, news or rathe rumour has suggested that Toro Rosso (Red Bull 'B' team) driver Sébastien Buemi is being lined up to partner Vettel in 2012. This story surprised me somewhat, as only recently Buemi was told to up his performances if he was to retain his current drive for next season. This coupled with the in my opinion more consistent and impressive drives by his Spanish stablemate Jaime Alguersuari (pictured) such as challenging Schumacher in Australia and his points finish in Malaysia (especially considering Buemi has driven these tracks before), I would not have considered the Swiss born Buemi as a potential candidate for a seat in what has become a championship challenging team. To give credit where credit is due Buemi's performance in Canada was solid, though my doubts about his consistency and future potential continue to linger. Furthermore Red Bull have recently been linked with attempting to offer 2007 champion Kimi Raïkkönen a return to the sport, despite their inevitable denials. Choosing solely between the two (although it is evident that both require more experience yet) I would rather have highlighted Alguersuari as the potential heir to Webber's Red Bull throne. Then again Red Bull's Helmut Marko has a habit of not making sense sometimes, and perhaps Toro Rosso's current line up should be grateful if nothing else that his usual trigger happy finger hasn't quite reared its ugly head just head, as Tonio Liuzzi, Scott Speed and 4 time ChampCar champion Sébastien Bourdais will attest to. Let's not forget that this story remains largely as rumour for now, but will be an interesting one to watch.

Mercedes against 4th team supply to Red Bull:

This story frankly should come as no surprise at all given that two of Red Bull's chief rivals are currently using Mercedes power in the shape of McLaren and also the works Mercedes team themselves. It's understandable that Norbert Haug wouldn't want to be supplying another team with engines when ultimately they could result in defeating the works crew. Mercedes' works team has had a somewhat troubled start to the 2010 season, potentially suffering as a result of the investment issues under previous incarnation Brawn GP, and Brawn's heavy push for the 2009 championship. Much has also been said about the somewhat inconsistent performance of the returning 7 times champion Michael Schumacher, as although further time will tell if the German can adapt to the new regulations his performances thus far have mostly not been eye catching, with particular reference to what appeared to be an almost desperate drive in Canada last weekend during which he became involved in a multitude of collisions and near-misses. With talk already of Mercedes GP abandoning most of the developmental work on the 2010 car to focus on the 2011 design process, it comes as no surprise that the company will not put themselves under extra potential pressure by supplying frontrunners Red Bull.


Ferrari's Di Montzemolo criticises new teams (again).

Forgive me for a moment if I congratulate myself on almost predicting the latest outburst from Ferrari's head principal, for it was only in my previous post that I mentioned the issues regarding the new teams and the maligned nature of their performance. di Montzemolo has been critical from the outset of the performance of Lotus, Hispania and Virgin Racing suggesting that their current pace should not warrant a grid position in the pinnacle of motor racing, and that instead top teams should be allowed to run 3rd cars. I won't for one moment deny that currently the new teams are lacking in performance somewhat, that they have had some embarassing troubles along the way with Virgin's fuel tank issue and the accident above easily recalled, and are racing in almost a league of their own (though Lotus' Heikki Kovalainen impressed in Canada). It seems though that Ferrari's chief should re-assess his focus, as the Italian team are in danger should their Valencia upgrades be unsuccessful of slipping out of championship contention. It cannot be denied that there were some serious negligances on behalf of the FIA and Max Moseley on awarding entries last year, though again to give credit where it is due Lotus' (and to a point Virgin's) performances continue to improve, and Hispania are making large advances especially given their almost non-start to the season. Whilst di Montezemolo has a point about the new teams' poor performances, a little support in the way of my suggestion in my previous post yesterday may go a long way to resolving both of their issues.

009 - Vorsehen

´Slæmur hlutur sjaldan komum með góður vedur..´

Wer hat mir das gesagt ist für sicher die geistvolle Person des Land, oder vielleicht anstatt der erfahrtest. Dann, ist die Spruch dass weisheit mit Alter kommt. Es ist doch ein Übungsspiel damit ich mein Leben erzählte könnte. In der letzten Zeit (und mein letzten Blogs auch) bin ein bisschen bedächtig und beschaulich gewesen, wie mein Post über Straßenkreuzung letztes mal. Heute, hab' ich über ein Berwerbung für ein sehr gutes Arbeitsplatz in mein Stadt wo ich geboren war geschrieben, und dachte ich über der nächsten Jahren, wo ich hoffe dass ich genug Geld sparen kann um mein Masters in Psychologie zu machen. Ich bin mehr positiv und ermutigte jetzt, und kann der Zukunft ein bisschen besser sehen. Es gibt ein Sache (vielliecht ein paar Sachen aus ein grössere Angelegenheit) dass mir verblüfft und belästigt. Ich hoffe dass alles bald in Ordnung kommen wirdt, aber vielleicht werden wir sehen..

Anyhow, onto the next section of this post, and another big passion of mine: motor racing. For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated by it, and this year's Formula 1 season is so far shaping up well. One thing that has caught my attention though is the much maligned performance of the new teams Lotus, Hispania (pictured) and Virgin this season. Personally I believe they have all done well, particularly given the circumstances and time constraints under which some of the projects were born. Many ideas and theories have been floated about regarding how to solve issues regarding struggling new teams, and larger teams' (most notably Ferrari) desire to run a third car. For what it's worth here is my solution: allow teams wishing to run a third car the option of 'renting' a seat at a smaller team. The bigger team eg Ferrari would be required to contribute to the small team either financially or through assisting in development of their car in return for one of the driver's seats. This would both solve the problem of teams wanting 3rd seats, and would ensure the competitiveness of their driver and the team, and also any financial or start-up difficulties for the team renting out a seat as they would benefit from a vital cash-injection and development assistance. It's only a thought, then again would small teams be willing to accept a potentially imposing larger manufacturer essentially creating a satellite outfit within their confines? Slæmur hlutur sjaldan komum með góður vedur..

'Pondering..'
Sandlefish

008 - Slæmur Hlutur og Öldrun Draumur..

A crossroads isn't a pretty place to be. Two roads either side and an inevitable change of direction. It feels lately like I've been grappling with little more than a shadow of my own reflection. I guess this 'blog' entry comes out of a lull period just after finishing my PGCE, where the arduous task of finding secure employment has long since begun and where the frantic rush of the last few months has left a huge void in my daily routine. Even booking a simple holiday has become a minefield of potential disasters (don't ever let LastMinute.com convince you their services are anything other than long-winded, though that's probably in the majority my own fault. It will always be made difficult when you can't decide where to go..). Still, hanging about in one place never got anyone anywhere did it. I've lost count now of the number of websites I've browsed, hotels I've checked out, and cheap flights I've investigated and interrogated only to find that at some point down the line things just don't quite seem to add up. Back to the drawing board on the holiday front has been approached so many times I'm beginning to wonder whether the aforementioned crossroads is tying itself in ever repeating knots and circles like an elaborately mirroed figure of eight. No matter which direction you take you always end up back at the start point eventually, and at no point can you trust entirely in what you are seeing.

As anyone reading this with even a slight knowledge of me will know, I've been itching desperately for a few years now (hold your jokes) to travel to Iceland. This has only been magnified intensely by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull this year, and the apparent impending eruption of big sister volcano Katla. It seems almost nonsensical for me to find this a perfect holiday destination when most people dream of peace and relaxation, and the beach and perfect tide. For me though Iceland still holds that sort of tranquil beauty, but is once again awake with the sort of vibrance and natural splender that only such an extraordinary land could dream to offer. Such is my interest for this incredible place, it took me a good 15 minutes to decide on a photo to go with this section, because everything for me to choose from couldn't sum up everything that Iceland has to offer. Volcanoes, the northern lights, glaciers, geysers, culture, an entire country where everyone is on first name terms, incredible scenery.. I'll end this section before my anger at my bank balance ends up scrawled into this post irreparably. So then, holidays. Any suggestions?

Another thing that has crossed my attention lately (possibly due to me having more free time to think and ponder now I have finished for summer) is my interest in Psychology, and particularly the Psychology of the people around us day to day. The distinct differences and also amazing similarities between people never ceases to surprise and interest me, so much that people watching when walking through town has become an ever-amusing game to play. In particular, the complex systems for reasoning for beliefs that people use also perplex and intrigue me. There's been a few points over this last year when during any sort of minor or heated debate the opposing party has presented their logic and argument with an interesting sense of reasoning. Sometimes this reasoning has made me take stock of other perspectives and arguments, and has completely taken me aback with surprise, yet at other times has seemed to me so obviously flawed and constrained by 'faith-beliefs' that I have found it hard to accept. We care too much about books written by our fellow man, yet I also continue to admire those people who can find blind faith in any sort of pursuit or ideal even in defiance of the evidence that may be stacking against them. They have at least, found their path through the crossroads..

'Dazed and Confused'
Sandlefish