Michäla Rehl took this picture of Bavaria's  Finance Minister Markus Söder for Reuters February 10, 2012.  Herr Söder was in Veitshöchheim (near Würzburg) for the TV show "Fastnacht in Franken."  Fastnacht is one of the common names for Shrove Tuesday ("Fat Tuesday.")  Fat Tuesday is fat because we fill up before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  It is called Fasching in Bavaria, carnival in much of the world, and marti gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") in places like New Orleans.  Carnaval accounts for 70% of Brazil's tourism and 80% of its beer consumption: not bad for a week's "work." This celebration of the fun before the fast can create enough sin to require at least forty days of repentance.

The "Hast Du mal nen Euro?" translates roughly into "Would you have a Euro already?" or "Spare a Euro?"  I wonder whether this is Bayerisch or Kiezdeutsch.   The Economist describes Kiezdeutsch as "the argot of inner-city teenagers" and a Doktor Heike Wiese, linguist at the University of Potsdam, has argued it to be a distinct German dialect.  Purists are outraged.

Might Herr Söder be making fun of the Greeks asking for a handout? Why such Teutonic skepticism?  Those suspicious Germans figure the Greeks want Fasching without fasting, i.e., carnival without Lent.  Well who wouldn't?  The Germans read their Homer and know what happened to the Trojans when they believed the Greeks.

Act II of the Olympus Drama

From the Wall Street Journal, Olympus defends its deals, but the Chairman resigns and the Euro Zone Looks to Asia for bail out money. 

In this Asia Today video, we find that Japanese camera maker, Olympus, stands by four controversial acquisitions even as Chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa resigns.  The Journal's Isabella Steger and Mariko Sanchanta also discuss how the euro-zone leaders now look to Asia for money (we want your money but not your ethics):

4 minutes and 51 seconds, 10/27/2011

Act I

The first act of this drama was enacted a week ago when Olympus fired its CEO, Michael Woodford, who, in turn,  alerted the UK authorities of his findings about payments made by the Japanese camera maker in connection with the acquisitions. Mr. Woodford had hired an outside auditor to do a forensic investigation. In this October 18th interview, Mr. Woodford tells the FT's Louise Lucas why he has taken his concerns about the deal-making at his previous employer to the UK Serious Fraud Office.  Click through to view the FT video which is just over 10 minutes.