Taxi Driver Online

Hi there!
I´d like to officially introduce my journey through Europe by bike, as planned from spring 2013 on.
Although it is on bike I will do still do it as a cab-driving writer and want to particularly reach other drivers, all around Europe, with it and portray their concerns and issues.

I will post this too on the forums in Germany, Austria and France where I´m a member already, others supposedly will follow. (France is log-in-only) Maybe there´ll be encouragement and support trans-nationally, I´d wish for that and would translate all posts.

Links to Germany: http://www.taxiforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8431
Austria:http://www.taxi-forum.at/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1723

About the journey: I´m giving it the a bit poetic-resonant name “a long line of hearts” (to which I have already began to text and compose a little song, too).

It will be under the motto peace, reconciliation, togetherness, justice, protection and preservation of nature and environment in Europe and elsewhere, against a Europe, a world, of corporations, for a Europe, a world, of the people and most of all – of hearts.

About that, the slogan, using the multiple meaning of the word “line”, is indicating in one sense one, long, line, that the route draws on the map, as well as a row, so figuratively one can imagine this endlessly long line as an endlessly long row, too, a row of people who I want to meet and who´s hearts I´d like to touch.

After some back and forth the start as well as the finish shall be Freiburg i.Br., in Germany, the route roughly estimated 20.000 km, touching almost all countries, about 40, of Europe and their capitals, time of journey roughly estimated 3 years. The idea is that the whole thing will self-carry financially, through sponsoring, donations and also the helpfulness of the people en route. Yet, in the bike-trailer that I will also carry along, there will be my, as the trained masseur I am, collapsible massage bench, to all those who are willing to take me up and support me I am offering a one-hour massage in return! Also, my skills in guitar and vocals are almost back in shape again, so I should be able to give enough back to motivate someone to put me up for a night, I only need a place to crash and could do with last day´s spare bread from the bakery, which they´d normally chuck, for a while, yet I will also take along a small tent to be independent.

For it is a very important principle for me, that I don´t want to bum myself through Europe, instead it should be that whoever has done me a favour can expect that I am gladly willing to return it! That I will give back every cent I might have spare at the end of this journey, through the expectable public interest and its marketability, to the people that had supported me.

Another important principle of this journey is that Germany´s position and significance within Europe shall thereby be pointed out, the route leads in and out again, to remind this country at its responsibility for Europe! Germany is the heart of Europe and this heart shall beat for Europe!

I´d like to portray all the places, people and human encounters on the way, especially I want to dedicate myself to the concerns and troubles of small people, how they look at Europe and how they would want Europe to be, I am not going to depict a Europe of elites, from politics, economy and science, but a Europe of the people!

Another focus will be of course the area taxi, I want to address specifically colleagues and portray their stories and concerns and would hope to get special support there, as well. Whenever I will be around in the German-speaking area, I will offer readings of my books too, of course.

Considerable motivation for me concerning peace and reconciliation of course is – and by all means, I surely won´t leave this out - that I have made very bitter experiences with a woman that has showed herself unforgiving towards me for over five years and most of all the most bitter experiences, yet, with the folks around her and the reactions of all the people that knew of it, yet remained silent. Here too it is visible that our society is still far from peace and reconciliation, here too the discrepancy shows that our world spends many, many billions for arms, war and destruction, but only a few hundred of thousands for research about peace and those mechanisms ultimately leading to hate and violence and thus the lack of peace.

Other than originally planned I will put those experiences with that woman, about which I have after all written a large book in after all soon six editions, completely in the background, yet, I have left my small personal hurt far behind and see myself now as a part of a big picture, for so many people suffer from injustice day by day and often they are not even capable of fighting against it.

Therefor this journey now has taken on a more political aspect, though I still intend, despite my rather free believe, which is not bound to any confession, to pray in churches of all confessions for peace, simply, because it is a strong and obvious signal for peace and reconciliation, that yet also appeals to people who´d rather not be involved in politics. Thereby I´d like to aim right at Europe´s two main religions, Christianity and Islam in my effort for reconciliation, for this is exactly and simply of the most immense importance for our century, so that no one, who seriously wants to advocate for peace can go round it. Like ”Mahatma”Mohandas K. Gandhi said, “I am a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Jew”, I want to say a prayer for peace in churches of all religions and there, where it is not possible, I will have at least tried.

A particular emphasis will be, yet, to hand over, at each seat of government, yes, in each town hall on the way, a petition for peace, unity and social justice, yes, like in medieval times I want to call on barons and bishops, yet talk in favour of the people and, close to the end, hand over one to the pope himself. Should the journey have gone along as planned why would he not accept it.

As a matter of course I will keep on blogging and post daily, but this in English, of course, though I know some French and bits of Spanish and Italian. But the journey will lead through many areas of different languages and therefor this is my pleading for English as the world language, still better than Mandarin in my eyes.

I know this is a bold and daring undertaking, people may find it hard to believe in me being able to do this, I myself still have difficulties about it, yet I can look back now on after all 20 years, where I again and again had a go at things I first though impossible and that I have after all achieved some modest success therein.

Still, as much as I may advertise for it is likely I won´t get much support at first and I will have to brace myself for a rough start, where I will have to improvise a good deal – I am braced for it. But once the first step has been made there will be support and encouragement, I am sure about that. The best publicity for this trip is the trip itself, not do to a lot of premature fussing about, but to get on the bike and do the job.

A good start for the whole venture at least is now that I, according to my special bond to the French town Colmar, opposite Freiburg on the other side of the Rhine, have chosen it to be my first initial milestone and that I agreed with the coordinators of the association http://www.transrhinrail.eu (Fr.) or http://www.freiburg-colmar-bahn.eu (G.), which deal with the initiation of a new rail bridge over the Rhine at Breisach to connect the German town Freiburg with the French Colmar, that I can express my utmost solidarity with the project the best way, if we´d meet at that point at the Rhine where the future bridge likely will be, for a photo-shooting, with me and my bike with trailer and the two boards on either side it, displaying the logo of this journey. A minimum of media interest is already guarantied for that, I hope in the end it will be a lot.

For this journey I don´t hold a copyright, yes, many have done things alike, may many more follow this example, it would a pleasure and delight for me. I will hit the road on my own, yet whoever who´d wish to accompany me, at least for a bit, is warmly invited.

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

This is the preliminary version of my song, for the trip. In about two weeks I will record it and upload on YouTube and link to here. Maybe I´ll change it still a bit or leave it like it is, we´ll see.

A long line of hearts
© Jochen Lembke (guitar and vocals)

Chorus 1 (before each verse).
A long line of hearts,
a long line of hearts,
for peace and unity,
a long line of hearts!

A long line of hearts,
a lo-ong line of hearts,
for peace and unity,
a long line of hearts!

Verse 1. Luxembourg, Andorra, Spain and Portugal,
I´m calling on your governments to end this damn abuse,
France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium
break corporations power, take the banksters on a leash,

Chorus 2 (after each verse).
and I say!
We want peeea-ce!
We want riii-ights!
We want social justice
and that´s why I´m doing this!

2. Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland,
I´m calling on your governments to watch those close who are in control
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia
ban crooks who call themselves politicians, put corruption to a halt

3. Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Czechia, Austria
I´m calling on your governments to end those senseless quarrels
Slovakia and Hungary, Moldova, Romania
instead work together and join in for a Europe, a world, of the people

4. Turkey and Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece
I´m calling on your people to embrace yourself as brothers and sisters
Albania and Montenegro, Bosnia and Serbia
have faith in you, to love and follow your heart, again

5. Croatia and Slovenia, Liechtenstein, San Marino
I´m calling on your people and I´m calling straight for action
Italy and Vatikan, Monaco, Switzerland
let´s show them our strength let´s build us a house where we wanna live in

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

Today I´ve uploaded the text for my trip on the French cab-forum finally, after a native speaker had done some corrections on it. Unfortunately the forum there is log-in only. http://taxi.forumpro.fr/

What´s more, I wanted to stimulate a discussion there about Europe, which I´d love to do here as well, at best between all the four forums I am a member of, about the petition I´d like to hand over at each seat of government.

What would you wish for to be in it? What Europe would you wish for? If one thing is certain, then it´s that the European idea that used to be a way to a political union, ensuring that there would never be a war in Europe again, has deteriorated to a mere instrument of banks and corporations and that we now see a split into EU-profiteers, bosses mainly, and EU-losers, mostly the small people of west- and south Europe, who had to witness how they had been torn out of their rather protected positions and been forced to compete with eastern Europeans, about jobs, houses and social benefits and how the West became a hunting ground for criminals from eastern Europe or even the entire world.

In my eyes the EU, as a mere instrument of banks and corporations, has miserably failed in many areas, yet, is still in need to be reformed but worth keeping. Our problems are global and their only solutions global, Europe here is an important pacemaker of global unity, it´s just that the small people of Europe or world-wide still need to find their lobby, which could only happen, when we network internationally on the level of small people too.

Back to national solos like the British EU-referendum or like what the Austrian “party for out of EU” demands is no option anymore and it would also mean that we would have to give up on a lot of achievements that now go under in the general rip-off and jumbled mess. Ergo: we want a better EU.

What do you think?


Plus, my song is making progress, in the meantime one can admire my skills as a musician by visiting my YouTube-channel, there´s where I have finally uploaded my 21 cover songs to a bunch of slides of mine.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jochenlembke

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

I think we will leave.

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IDFIMH

Fine, leave then. Oh, and if you don´t mind, take all the mess that Thatcher has done with you, if you don´t mind. Thanks.

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

The London Agreement on German External Debts, also known as the London Debt Agreement, was a debt relief treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany on one part and on Belgium, Canada, Ceylon, Denmark, the French Republic, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Union of South Africa, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and Yugoslavia and others. The negotiations lasted from February 27 - August 8, 1953 [1]

The London Debt Agreement covers a number of different types of debt from before and after the Second World War. Some of them arose directly out of the efforts to finance the reparations system, while others reflect extensive lending, mostly by U.S. investors, to German firms and governments.[1]

The total under negotiation was 16 billion marks of debts from the 1920s which had defaulted in the 1930s, but which Germany decided to repay to restore its reputation. This money was owed to government and private banks in the U.S., France and Britain. Another 16 billion marks represented postwar loans by the U.S. Under the London Debts Agreement of 1953, the repayable amount was reduced by 50% to about 15 billion marks and stretched out over 30 years, and compared to the fast-growing German economy were of minor impact.[2]

The agreement significantly contributed to the growth of the post-war German economy and reemergence of Germany as a world economical power. It allowed Germany to enter international economic institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization.

Even I have only just watched it this very morning in TV – it was the London Dept conference of 1953 that enabled the "Wirtschaftswunder", the German economic boom, and the industry and capability of the Germans came merely secondary. We are being so manipulated that even to me this was not so commonly known!

Among the countries that forgave Germany it´s criminal war of aggression and forgave debts was Greece, a country that had to suffer under the German occupation and regime of terror itself! This is how the criminal policy of appeasement of banks-and-corporations-boot-jack Merkel pays back this favour to Europe!

Millions of people in Europe life in poverty or are even homeless, while the banksters still shovel billions, that money being stolen out the pockets of the small people to "bail out" the banks, so they say, for otherwise our economy would be endangered - while all the while share-holders of these banks had been shoveling record dividends for many decades now!

This criminal acting of this woman belongs to be brought before court!
Germany is called upon to schedule a new Marshall-plan for Europe and the rich and super rich to finance it!

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

She's not alone, Jochen.
Many of the worlds leading politicians have been bought and sold by these banking scumbags, including most of Westminster.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

The politicians initiated most of the banking scams - indeed they encouraged it under the guise of the Chicago School of Economics.

South America was systematically swindled by the promise of western money - as was Poland.

You can have money but you must free up your markets;


In the case of Poland, Solidarity took power from the Soviet-backed regime. Solidarity transformed itself from a trade union movement into one that advocated neoliberal “solutions.” In Poland, when Solidarity gained power, they now had to come up with the funds to pay the state apparatus, including the police. The IMF originally allowed the Polish economy to fall in the face of a debt crisis. The Unites States made statements that it expected the new regime to make good on its payments. The United States offered very little relief to the crumbling economy. In the face of an economic meltdown due to debt, the Polish regime turned to the Chicago School economists. Jeffery Sachs dubbed “the Indiana Jones of Economics,” adviser to the Bolivian military regime, now advised the Solidarity regime. The Polish regime adopted what was known as “the Sachs Plan” or “shock therapy.” It was only after the regime adopted the plan that the IMF agreed to provide loans. Poland was strong-armed into accepting the emerging neoliberal consensus. (pp. 221-233) It caused a depression in Poland. There was a 30 percent reduction in industrial production in the first two years. Unemployment skyrocketed, reacting a quarter of the population in some places. (pp. 241-243) Eventually, there was a backlash in Poland. Solidarity was defeated at the ballot box. (pp. 242-243)

Read the Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein

http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

It´s not about bought politicians. I know Westminster is sold out, too, but that´s not the point, here.

It´s about being born in a country that has committed unspeakable crimes, that has fallen on the mercy of the victors and came out lucky that time (for after World War I it suffered the same fate as Greece does now) being raised with the lie of the Wirtschaftswunder solidly achieved by German virtues and diligence and now having to watch how this country spats on the very country that gave forgiveness, in many ways once - while all those people care about now is their own sake.

It is not about the poor people in Germany, for there are many poor now, but there are so many people that benefited a great deal from Europe and still they give a wrap about those who on the other hand went down the drains with Europe. We have homeless now who have to fight for little handouts, competing with the poor come streaming in from eastern Europe.

I completely dislike Cameron but this not even close to how much I hate this woman!

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

Btw, gusmac, I did this just for you:

..."France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium"...

Although Scotland is as much part of the UK as Northern Ireland and Wales are, I figured that the desire for independence there is so great, that it justifies to mention Scotland in the song as an independent state. I mean I also intend to present my petition at the parliament at Belfast or at whatever they have instead of a parliament, as I do at every city council on my way. I hope I don´t get ambushed for this opinion somewhere on the way by some royalist.

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

Btw, gusmac, I did this just for you:

..."France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium"...

Although Scotland is as much part of the UK as Northern Ireland and Wales are, I figured that the desire for independence there is so great, that it justifies to mention Scotland in the song as an independent state. I mean I also intend to present my petition at the parliament at Belfast or at whatever they have instead of a parliament, as I do at every city council on my way. I hope I don´t get ambushed for this opinion somewhere on the way by some royalist.

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

Jochen, Perhaps you could post the fuel prices in each country you fill up in

"I´d like to officially introduce my journey through Europe by bike..." Duh!
No CO2 on this mission, sirree, and therefor no filling up. Fuel prices all a cabby cares about?

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)

Just in time for spring, here´s the song!

(This post goes also on the other forums in G, AU and F.)

I know this song still sounds awful and the recording is not completely to blame for it, it´s more that I had no practice in the past 11 years, where I focused on writing.

But this doesn´t matter, here too I show one more time my ability to improvise, to accept me for what I am, to make the most out of nothing and to go right ahead!

Would I plan this trip from A to Z I´d still be stuck in 10 years, instead I want to leave in barely 2 months, I feel like s_hit and I don´t even have a bike, let alone money and even if this sounds so awful that people pay me to stop torturing them, I will head off!

The current status on the forums is approx 1000 views on the German, 1500 on the Austrian (because I´m new there and there are also Germans reading along) and France 300. Two, three people on those forums each have encouraged or even offered me to put me up or to come along a bit, the least interest so far was in England with only 250 views and all they so far had to say was they want to leave the EU anyway (which I doubt) and that I should let them know the fuel-prices in each country I will have filled up, it didn´t even stick with them that I only intend to refill my stomach on the way to be able to keep on cycling!

Other than that, I don´t want to complain, more advance praise is not to be expected - but what´s really disappointing, everybody wants peace and cooperation in Europe, but free of charge! Europe should, if anything, only offer advantages!

No one wants another 1939, but no one feels like raising a hand for it to prevent this from happening again! No one wants neoliberalism anymore but no one feels like raising a hand for that this awful thing vanishes for good!

This non-political irresponsible attitude of a whole generation has brought us into this mess! Everybody is called on to change this!



Thanks to lucky circumstances this vid is already embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqldstPH3pw

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Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer and author of the best Hitch-hiker´s-Guide-to-the-Galaxy-volume-six ever written. Or else money back (haha.)