Schwarzenegger Pumps Up CeBIT Tech Fair

[Liebling:-)))]

Schwarzenegger Pumps Up CeBIT Tech Fair

The world's favorite Governator is in Germany to spread technology-induced optimism. Arnold Schwarzenegger, never one to mince words, was upbeat and defiant as Germany's mammoth technology fair CeBIT gets underway.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had a message for those pessimists who worry that the bottom has fallen out of the technology market: stop your whining.

"Losers whine but winners move forward in a strong and powerful way, and I know that everyone who is here at the CeBIT is a winner," Schwarzenegger declared in a rollicking speech on the eve of the high-tech fair.

Schwarzenegger, originally from Austria, first gained fame as a bodybuilder before skyrocketing into the movie business with the "Terminator" movies. He is currently the governor of the state of California, where he has been struggling to deal with budget shortfalls.

Stagnating prospects

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Plenty of high-tech gadgetry is on display

CeBIT, which officially opens its doors on Tuesday, March 3, has fewer exhibitors than it has in past years. Organizers blamed the economic slowdown.

Schwarzenegger spoke at an opening ceremony alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday evening.

"We are gathering in challenging times. Some may say this is the wrong time for a big trade show like this but they are wrong," Schwarzenegger said.

Some 4,300 firms from 69 countries are in the northern German city of Hanover to show off their latest electronic gadgets and innovations. That is down 25 percent from last year, according to organizers.

Nevertheless, Germany's high-tech industry predicted earlier Monday that it expects to buck the economic crisis this year with sales stagnating but not sinking.

The sector encompassing information technology, telecommunications and digital consumer electronics is expected to hold steady at about 145 billion euros ($183 billion dollars), the BITKOM industrial lobby.

"For the time being, the high-tech industry is holding its own in the crisis," group president August-Wilhelm Scheer told reporters. "The sector looks pretty good compared to other industries."

A little star power

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The high-tech industry says its holding its own despite the financial crisis

Merkel, who is facing Germany's worst postwar recession and a general election in six months' time, thanked Schwarzenegger for bringing "a little American spirit" to the northern city of Hanover.

According to California newspapers, Schwarzenegger will be in Germany for most of the week.

Speaking first in English then German, Schwarzenegger said he was pleased to be back in the country where he got his start as a bodybuilder and looked forward to enjoying some "German beer and German food" again while in town.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would come back to Germany as governor of the great state of California," he said.

He's back

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Schwarzenegger was happy to be back in Germany

While in Hanover, Schwarzenegger will also pick up an award from the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany on Tuesday for "his exceptional commitment to the global issues of environment and energy."

California is the honorary guest at this year's CeBIT and Schwarzenegger has come to the CeBIT with around 50 firms from

California, most from Silicon Valley, an area which has been hard hit by the financial crisis. CeBIT runs through Sunday.

But Schwarzenegger wasn't letting the financial crisis drag him down.

At the end of the speech, Schwarzenegger brought down the house with his trademark "Terminator" farewell: "I'll be back. Hasta la vista, baby."

Schwarzenegger Pumps Up CeBIT Tech Fair | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 03.03.2009


I laughed when I saw him with robot on TV because of his movie "Terminator"... and said in his speech how much he looking forward to eat German foods and beer...

 

[Jiro]

that's cool! you should try to see him in person!

 

[Liebling:-)))]

that's cool! you should try to see him in person!

Yes I wish... He is one of my favorite actors...

Hannover is over 10 hours away from my hometown...

 

[Jiro]

Yes I wish... He is one of my favorite actors...

Hannover is over 10 hours away from my hometown...

I hope you have some vacation days left! use it!

 

[Liebling:-)))]

I hope you have some vacation days left! use it!

I would if he is in Austria because it's only few hours away from my hometown...

 

[Steel X]

Governator *chuckles* I like that term

 

[Jiro]

Stop Whining About Economy, Says Schwarzenegger

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has some advice for people complaining about the state of the global economy: stop whining.

"It doesn't make any sense for people to sit back and whine and to complain about the economy slowing down because we have to look forward rather than back," he said during a speech at the Cebit trade fair in Hanover, Germany, on Tuesday.

"We have to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And the only way we are going to do this is by being optimistic and finding new ways to stimulate the economy," he said.

Schwarzenegger is at Europe's largest technology fair to promote investment in his state's technology industry. California is the partner state of Cebit this year. It's the first time a state rather than a country has been named official partner.

Fifty-one small and medium-size business from the state are here to promote their products in several industries including environmental technology, which is an area he is particularly promoting.

"There's great potential," he said of the environmental technologies on show. "There are all kinds of great stuff that we have seen here. Technology that will help us."

Schwarzenegger has good reason to talk up green technology. In the last year the state has seen US$3.3 billion in venture investment in green-tech start-ups, which is half of all venture investment in the sector in the U.S., according to the state.

The governor also spoke out against trade protectionism. Trade barriers thrown up to protect important national industries during times of recession stand to cost California-based companies business.

"It's something we have done in America in the '30s and it has backfired in a huge way," he said. "We should not go in that direction, we should learn from those mistakes. This is now a world where the world is the marketplace."

 

[Steel X]

Well he does have a point...sitting back and whining about the ecomomy isnt going to help or anything.

As much as we ALREADY know how bad it is, I'm very sure the congress and other places are hard at work trying to fix the shit up and all so yeah we would be expecting this a very long time to be completely improved. So the only advice here is to have patience.