TODAY is the 90th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War, and it will be commemorated very differently on each side of the Atlantic and across the borders of Europe. It’s a reminder that not all “victors” experience wars in the same way, and that their citizens can have almost as much difficulty as those of the vanquished states in coping with the collective trauma of conflict.
For Americans, Veterans Day celebrates the survivors of all the nation’s 20th and 21st century wars. In France and Britain, by contrast, the mood is altogether more somber. In these countries, it is the dead who, since 1919, have been the focus of the ceremonies.
Why this difference? After all, for citizens of all three countries the date marks a shared victory. In the jargon of the time, Nov. 11, 1918, was the day of their soldiers’ triumph over “Prussian militarism,” the vindication of a “fight for civilization” and the successful finish of a “war to end all wars.”
I wonder what it will really take to end all wars … why can’t the memories of tragedies past keep our world’s nations from continuing to wage battle causing countless meaningless deaths? Over what? Religion and ethnicity, primarily. Land, oil and money secondarily.
On this Veteran’s (or Armistice) Day, let’s take after our French and British brethren, and remember the dead, rather than celebrate the victory; for what have we won?
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly.
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt. Col. John Alexander McCrae (1872 - 1918), Canadian soldier who died in Belgium, January 1918
Just in time to start getting people psyched for the upcoming cyclocross season, I found this short 40-minute film by 14-year old Andy Frothingham … there’s a few name misspellings, but the kid is only 14, and the film is otherwise excellent. I think that can be forgiven.
Now hie your ass on over to littlebelgiummovie.com, and click the DONATE button to kick a little dough in the kid’s direction.
U.S. Brewer Is Expected to Reject Belgian Company’s Offer, Promise Its Own Plan to Boost Shareholder Value
Anheuser-Busch Cos. is prepared to reject InBev NV’s unsolicited $46.35 billion acquisition offer as early as this week, setting the stage for a hostile takeover battle for America’s largest brewer, according to people familiar with the matter.
Anheuser is expected to argue that InBev’s offer undervalues the maker of Budweiser beer and soon present its own strategic plan. That plan, which is likely to include the sale of noncore assets such as Anheuser’s theme parks, is designed to boost the company’s share price, these people said.
Ultimately, the move isn’t likely to deter InBev, which has put together a carefully crafted battle plan, according to people familiar with the matter. InBev, of Leuven, Belgium, is prepared to take its offer directly to Anheuser shareholders via a tender offer that Anheuser has few defenses to stop, these people said. InBev has yet to decide whether to pursue such a course, however. Many investors have expressed support for the bid, which represents a roughly 30% premium to where Anheuser shares traded before the offer.
Anheuser declined to comment.
Personally, I think this is a good deal for Anheuser-Busch’s shareholders … if I owned shares of NYSE:BUD, I would definitely be voting to approve a merger; not to reject it.
As for the proposed tender offer … participate for the short-term 30% premium? Or continue to hold the shares long-term through the merger?
In the short- and medium-term after the merger is completed, share prices tend to fall more than rise due to the costs of integration, not only of products and systems, but of people … and the fact is that many mergers do end up failing.
So if I were a shareholder, I would vote for the merger, take the tender offer, wait for the share price to fall, and then start buying back in as (and if) the businesses come together. InBev has been incredibly successful internationally; it would be a good thing for the American beer drinker for them to come in and help turn around Anheuser-Busch.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. [NYSE:BUD] faces a potential assault from beer giant InBev NV and activist investors that threatens to place the 150-year-old American icon in foreign hands.
Leuven, Belgium-based InBev is weighing an unsolicited takeover of the Budweiser maker, people familiar with the brewer’s planning said on Friday. Anheuser-Busch shares jumped 7.66%, to $56.61 on the news, giving the company a market value of $40.4 billion. Trading volume totaled 11 times the daily average.
InBev has yet to make a final decision on whether to pursue an unsolicited offer, an approach that would be fraught with complications, the people said. But now may be the time to strike given how the depreciating dollar makes U.S. corporate assets cheaper for foreign buyers. Behind SABMiller Co., InBev and Anheuser are the world’s second- and third-largest brewers as measured by volume. Together they would control 300 brands on six continents, brewing 10 billion gallons of beer each year. Both companies declined to comment on deal speculation Friday.
InBev’s designs on Anheuser come as beer makers face pressure to trim costs because of increasing expenses for commodities such as barley, aluminum and glass, making it more important to gain economies of scale. Plans by SABMiller to combine its U.S. operations with Coors Brewing Co., a unit of Molson Coors Brewing Co., have also increased pressure for other brewers to consolidate. Heineken NV and Carlsberg A/S recently clinched a deal to acquire Scottish & Newcastle PLC, the biggest brewer in the United Kingdom.
InBev, which makes Stella Artois and Beck’s, is eager to gain a foothold in the U.S., where it has a tiny presence. The U.S. is the biggest beer market in terms of profits, though sales growth is tepid. The companies have relatively little geographic overlap. InBev has a strong footprint in emerging markets, including Brazil, but is exposed to some slower-growth markets, like Western Europe. By combining, InBev and Anheuser would gain a stronger position in China, where they have both been expanding in recent years. China is the world’s largest beer market by volume.
During my youthful years in Belgium in the early 1980s, Stella Artois was the primary beverage of weekend consumption … other InBev brands of Belgian brews include Jupiler (eh), Hoegaarden, and Leffe (mmmmm….). And what self-respecting cyclist doesn’t like Belgian beer?
InBev also controls a host of other incredible world-wide brands, like Spaten, Skol, Staropramen, Bass, and Murphy’s.
If this takeover attempt means that more good European beers can find their way into the US in general (and Utah in specific), then I say “Bring it, baby!”
» by flahute in: Cycling on April 13th, 2008 at 15:25:07 UTC |
Eurosport’s early coverage was of the Portuguese GP leg of the MotoGP tour … so I went looking for other sources of either audio or video coverage, hoping not to have to pay for coverage of Paris Roubaix.
But, I couldn’t find anything … so l got out my credit card, and pointed my browser to Cycling.TV, and I’m not exactly sure what happened, but there was Paris-Roubaix … live, and free. It’s supposed to only be part of their Premium (or higher) packages, but somehow I managed to grab an unrestricted feed.
So that’s two of the Monuments of cycling that I’ve been able to watch live, for free, thus far this season.
We’ll see if my luck holds out in two weeks, for Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the next major Belgian classic (albeit in Wallonia, rather than Flanders).
» by flahute in: Cycling on April 13th, 2008 at 04:39:47 UTC |
“A Paris-Roubaix without rain is not a true Paris-Roubaix. Throw in a little snow as well, it’s not serious.” — Sean Kelly
In just a few short hours, the 106th edition of Paris-Roubaix will depart the streets of Compiègne, heading north some 260 kilometers to the industrial town of Roubaix; along the way, encountering 28 sections of pavé (or cobblestones) covering about 53 kilometers of the overall course.
While the race itself is in France, Belgian riders have won 51 of the 105 editions run thus far; truly a race for the hard-men, the Flahutes.
Eddy Merckx won this race 3 times, as did Belgians Rik Van Looy and Johan Museeuw; and Roger de Vlaeminck won the race 4 times. Collectively, these 4 riders have accounted for fully one-quarter of Belgium’s wins in Roubaix.
Is it any wonder that the Vlaamse Leeuw flies as much along this course in France as it does the week before at the Ronde van Vlaanderen each year?
Oddly, to me anyway, the best quote I have ever heard about the race came not from a Belgian or a Frenchman, but from the Dutchman Theo de Rooy, after the 1985 edition:
“It’s a pile of shit, this race, it’s a whole pile of shit … you’re working like an animal, you don’t have the time to piss and you wet your pants … you’re riding in mud like this and you’re slipping and … it’s a pile of shit, you must clean yourself otherwise you will go mad …”
When asked by John Tesh, who was covering the race for ABC, if he’ll ever ride it again, de Rooy responds:
“Sure, it’s the most beautiful race in the world!”
Tesh, his crew and de Rooy then all burst out in laughter.
@ashbuckles WPTouch is just a WordPress plugin to format a WP blog for viewing on an iPhone. WordPress has a app to post in the App Store. in reply to ashbuckles44 mins ago
During my youthful years in Belgium in the early 1980s, Stella Artois was the primary beverage of weekend consumption … other InBev brands of Belgian brews include Jupiler (eh), Hoegaarden, and Leffe (mmmmm….). And what self-respecting cyclist doesn’t like Belgian beer?
Eurosport’s early coverage was of the Portuguese GP leg of the MotoGP tour … so I went looking for other sources of either audio or video coverage, hoping not to have to pay for coverage of Paris Roubaix.
In just a few short hours, the 106th edition of Paris-Roubaix will depart the streets of Compiègne, heading north some 260 kilometers to the industrial town of Roubaix; along the way, encountering 28 sections of pavé (or cobblestones) covering about 53 kilometers of the overall course.
