Kategorie: English

Eurovision Nationality Contest 2010

Contrary to my expectations, Lena won the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Congratulations!
That’s why I want to thank all voters of the contest who did not vote for the artists of their home country. You made it happen that many Germans are very happy now because they think they have won the contest.

I watched the finale in a group of 10 persons. The expectations about the result were manifold. Only very few could imagine to find Lena at the first rank finally. But they shared the thrill with Lena. Deep inside they hoped that she will win – sorry, they hoped that they will win (despite the East-European conspiracy).
But can you imagine, I was the only person who gave a vote? It is not possible to vote for the artists of the country you currently stay in. So my co watchers could not vote for Lena, that’s why many of them decided not to vote at all even though they had their favourites besides Lena. It wasn’t about the best performance or the best music, it was about the patriotic act to vote for their home country. How dopey! If all people would think like that, who would win the contest? Nobody, because nobody would vote? „Eurovision Nationality Contest 2010“ weiterlesen

Non-religious people are better Christians?

In November 2009, the people of Switzerland were asked to take a public referendum against the building of minarets in Switzerland. In contrast to the expectations of most people the referendum was accepted. Big question marks followed: What does that mean? Is Switzerland xenophobic? Is Switzerland islamophobic? Why did people vote for the referendum?

To shed some light on such questions a survey was conducted after the referendum. Such surveys are common in Switzerland since 1977. They are called „VOX analysis“. And the recent survey revealed a very interesting finding: The majority of the Swiss Christians voted for the referendum even though the officials from the protestant and catholic churches supported voting against the referendum. The majority of the non-religious people in turn voted against the referendum.

Does this mean that non-religious people are better Christians?

Extraterrestrials, the Good, and the Evil

Once in literature and cinema, humankind was the good and all evil came from outside earth.
A famous example for the vicious extraterrestial  invaders is Wells‘ famous „War of the Worlds“ from 1898. And with „Independence Day“ from 1996 this plot was still showing its relevance in entertainment.

But what happened meanwhile and where are we now?

A famous example of a harmonious cohabit of humans and aliens is Rodenberry’s „Star Trek“ universe which had it’s great moments in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Likable single individuals like „E.T.“ or „Alf“ show upped additionally.

But recently there seems to be a 180° turn from the original enactment 100 years ago. Humankind became the evil who invade other worlds and kill poor aliens. It’s „District 9“ where humans suppress accidently grounded star travellers and in „Avatar“ humans invade and loot a whole planet.

That’s a very interesting trend!

Günther Jauch and the ethics

Till last Easter weekend, Günther Jauch was just a good entertainer and generous donator for me.  Now this impression changed radically after I had to hear the radio spots for the radical religious education movement „Pro Reli“. This civil movement wants to change Berlin’s education system regarding religious education. At the moment, all pupils of secondary schools in Berlin are taught in an compulsive ethics course. Additionally they can subscribe to a religion course of the religion they prefer.

The „Pro Reli“ movement wants to change the law so that pupils will have to choose between the general ethics course and a special religion course. Because of financial and practical constraints it will hardly be possible that they will be able to subscribe to both courses in this case.

Günther Jauch supports this idea and says in one radio spot that in a diverse town like Berlin it is not good to have a general ethics for all groups of people. The logical conclusion of this statement is, that everybody can have an own ethics. So if anybody prefers to kill witches or women who want to live their own live beyond family tradition, it will be okay. Different ethics fit to the logic of „Pro Reli“. Ensuring a common understanding of a peaceful and tolerant living together is not necessary in their opinion.

The referendum is on 26th April. I just can hope that the citizens of Berlin will vote for the much more reasonable decision of „Pro Ethik„.

Origin of humankind – what do Germans believe?

Do humankind and apes have the same ancestors or is humankind created by god as written in the Bible? What do Germans believe?

In a survey conducted in West Germany in 1970, 40% of the respondents said that they don’t believe in humans and apes having the same ancestors. On the other hand 38% did believe in it.

As reported by the Humanistic News Service (hpd) the Institute for public opinion of Allensbach (IfD) recently conducted a survey to answer this question for nowadays. The result shows significant changes within the last 39 years. Now 63% of the Germans believe in the deduction induced by the evolution theory. Only 20% still believe in the creationist claim and 19% don’t know for sure.
Interesting is the fact that even a considerable majority from protestant or catholic Germans don’t believe in the human’s creation by god as claimed in the Bible.

A day lasts longer than 24 hours

Communication technologies as enabled by the internet overcome geographic and time barriers. This sounds logical and can be observed in everyday internet usage. But getting a real understanding of what it means may take a while until you get birthday greetings from Japan 5 hours before you considered your birthday. So, who said that a day lasts 24 hours?!

The party goes on!

What a farce

I just watched the CNN Interview with the georgian president Saakashvili from two or three days ago.

What a farce. This president doesn’t talk like a president. He speaks like a sleazy salesman who wants to sell his lies for your life. In his background is the flag of the European Union. But Georgia is not member of EU and won’t become a member in near future!
Additionally CNN shows a split screen with a video-loop of moving tanks in the second screen. Probably they are meant to be Russian tanks but they look like Georgian tanks.
Incredible! What a farce!

The biggest Phallus for Middle East

Prince Al-Walid bin Talal had the idea to build the biggest Phallus symbol the world has seen so far. It is called „Mile High Tower“ and is planned to be 1.600m high. What a symbol of archaic male dominance and desired virility! To complete this picture it will have two smaller towers beside which are meant to support its rigidity: the stylized balls. It is ridiculous!

Anyway, besides such useless towers the world doesn’t need there are towers which really have a purpose: Solar updraft towers. These are hollow towers with 1.000m or higher. They are meant for generating renewable energy by using convection effect: heated by the sun warm air rises inside the tower and drives turbines. One 400MW solar power tower is planned in Namibia.

Why don’t they build such a Phallus!?

German sources:

Ruins on Kickelhahn

Since 2004 you can see the fundament of an old hunting lodge which was used by the former nobility around 250 years ago on top of the hill „Kickelhahn“. This hill is one of the attractions in Ilmenau and it is visited by hundreds of drunken students for Bierathlon every year in May. Although this hill is known by almost all students who are willing to leave their room to get a fresh breath I guess these ruins are unknown to most of them. Even the German wikipedia did not mention it before I added the information.

That’s why I want to provide some pictures to increase its publicity. So, I took my bike, went up the hill and took some photos. When riding down I stopped to eat some tasty blueberries which grow next to the track.

More photos are provided in my facebook profile.

Actually, to post in English is a bit counterproductive but I do it anyway.

The one-dimensional view of many so called German democrats

It is incredible: Some Germans who call themselves democrats are so wise about politics:
„Ob Extrem Links oder Extrem Rechts, beides gleich schlimm.“
in English: „Extreme left is just as bad as extreme right.“

Oh yeah and
extreme deep is just as bad as extreme high,
extreme dark is just as bad as extreme light,
extreme loud is just as bad as extreme silent,
extreme thick is just as bad as extreme thin,
extreme wide is just as bad as extreme narrow,
extreme hot is just as bad as extreme cold,
extreme female is just as bad as extreme male,
extreme house is just as bad as extreme hut,
extreme stupid is just as bad as extreme clever?

Some person’s mind never get beyond the age of 12…