Moving House in Downing Street

Some headline from the shortest move in history. Interstingly New PM Brown often wasn't the number one headline as Blair has been confirmed as Middle East envoy and Merkel gets some credit at the end of German presidency. Here we go. The German tageeschau.de runs a rather dull "Erst Premier, jetzt Gesandter", Where as Der Spiegel (German weekly magazine) focuses on "Brown's Independence Day" ("Browns Unabhängigkeitstag") The Swiss are also dull, the headline of Neue Zürcher Zeitung reads "Blair zum Nahost-Sondergesandten ernannt" (and continue in smaller print, "Browns Kabinett soll am Donnerstag vorgestellt werde", and Die Zeit simply informs "Blair ist neuer Sondergesandter" (Blair is new special envoy) . Interstingly Süddeutsche Zeitung is the only that doesn't rank the news among the top three. In fact it's the fourth headline after Merkel re Poland, Merkel re Marco and, yes, Merkel re the Kaczynskis. And the SZ also seems to be the only paper that claims to know that the German Government is not amused about Blair's new job (Bundesregierung irritiert über Berufung Blairs).

Adieu Ténéré

I've sold my motorbike today. My dad stored it for me in a garage and has recently convinced me put to up for sale. Obvioulsy he was right as I haven't used it in two years. And even in my last year in Germany I rarely took it for a ride. Still a bit sade though. we had a good time. So from Whitechapel in London it's good-bye.

Military Might II

Mit einiger Verspätung hier eine Meldung zu den weltweiten Rüstungsausgaben.

Stockholmer Friedensforschungsinstitut: 2006 rund 3,5 Prozent höhere Rüstungsausgaben

Die weltweiten Rüstungsausgaben sind im vergangenen Jahr auf die Rekordhöhe von rund 900 Milliarden Euro gestiegen. Damit seien 3,5 Prozent mehr als noch 2005 für militärische Zwecke ausgegeben worden, teilte das Stockholmer Friedensforschungsinstitut mit. Als Grund für die Entwicklung wurde der von den USA ausgerufene Krieg gegen den Terrorismus genannt.

Den weltweit größten Rüstungsetat haben die Vereinigten Staaten, auf die allein 42 Prozent aller Militärausgaben fallen. Deutschland liegt auf Platz sechs der Rangliste noch vor Russland. In Asien verwendete erstmals China das meiste Geld für Rüstung. Den Angaben zufolge sind die Mittel in diesem Bereich weltweit in den vergangenen zehn Jahren um ein Drittel gestiegen.

dradio-newsletters: Deutschlandradio 20 Uhr Nachrichten 11.Juni 2007

What a foreigner might find peculiar

Ich wollte diesen post eigentlich auf English schreiben. Dann fiel mir ein, lästern über Einwohner eines Land in dem man zu Gast ist sollte ich wohl lieber in meiner Muttersprache. Dieser Artikel ist der Start der Serie "Pecularities", die ich in loser Folge posten werde. Den Start macht die Schlange.

Es gibt diese Dinge, die man amüsant findet, weil sie anders sind als "zu Hause". Dann jene, die unverständlich erscheinen, weil man den Sinn dahinter schlichtweg nicht erkennen kann. Schließlich solche, die einfach nur nerven, weil sie absurd sind und einen dazu direkt betreffen.

Mit folgender Schilderung einer amüsanten Begebenheit bediene ich ein Klischee. Ich bemühe mich normalerweise, Klischees zu widerlegen, weil ich sie meist, wenn nicht unberechtigt, so doch übertrieben sind und der Sache nicht gerecht werden. In diesem Fall aber kann ich es nur bestätigen. Eine englische Kollegin tat das auch. Engländer lieben das Schlange stehen und praktizieren es regelmäßig. Besonders gerne vor Bankautomaten (cash points oder ATMs). Mittlerweile schaue ich mich schon verwundert um, wenn ich an einem ATM vorbeikomme und es stehen nicht mindestens fünf Leute an. Meistens ist er dann "out of service".

Das beste Beispiel ist die Barclays Filiale gegenüber Old Spitalfields Market. Dort habe ich Sonntag nachmittags mehrmals über 20 Menschen gesehen, die sich brav angestellt haben, um Geld abzuheben. Zugegeben, es befindet sich keine Bank in unmitelbarer Nähe.

Um mich nicht in Details zu verlieren, verweise ich auf meinen post vom Oktober.

P.S. Selbstanalysen in Sachen queuing wurden bereits angestellt.

We don't want your missile defence...

... especially because it does not work!

ACTION: Ask your Member of Parliament to sign EDM 1517 National Missile Defence, sponsored by Jeremy Corbyn MP

EDM 1517

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENCE

18.05.2007

Corbyn, Jeremy

That this House expresses concern at US intentions to develop National Missile Defence (NMD) bases across Europe and the UK's continued involvement at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill in both the operational and logistical components of NMD and the advancement of the space based infra red system; is further concerned that the programme will encourage a new nuclear arms race; fears that it will put the UK in the frontline in future wars whereby the US will have the technological and military capability to launch first-strike attacks without fear of retaliation; and recommends that the Government withdraws its support and encourages the US to cease this programme, which is widely interpreted as aggressive not defensive.

Another Cold War?

Meanwhile the Russian President is re-aiming his ICBMs at European cities and the US have triggered a new cold war. And all that because of a missile defence system that does not work, did never work and will never work. I don't want to put myself in the limelight, but I the then called NMD was subjsct of my thesis.

Military Might

It's worth taking a look at military budgets from time to time. It seems that the news is dominated by the fear of China military and the extraordinary rise in the defense budget. Have a look at the DoD budget below. Within seven years it will have risen to $481.4 billion. That's 62 percent. And btw the almost Norway's and Denmark's GDP combined (Source: The Economist: Pocket World in Figures. 2007 Edition).

The President’s 2008 Budget:

• Provides $481.4 billion for the Department of Defense’s base budget—a 62-percent increase over 2001—to ensure a high level of military readiness as the Department develops capabilities to meet future threats, defends the homeland, and supports the all-volunteer force and their families;
• Supports operations in the Global War on Terror by providing an additional $93.4 billion in supplemental funds for 2007 and $141.7 billion for 2008, including funds to accelerate efforts to train and equip Iraqi and Afghan Security Forces;
• Continues ground force modernization and the expansion of Special Operations Forces;
• Enhances missile defense capabilities by adding additional interceptor missiles and sites to expand coverage against new threats;
• Provides a 3.0-percent increase in basic military and civilian pay; and
• Aligns military health care premiums and copayments for retirees under 65 years of age with general health insurance plans.

Brain drain (East) German style II

Speaking of the devil. Thanks for reading my blog, Angela.

The German government wants to launch a programme to stop the migration of young Germans from Eastern Germany.

It's not yet been decided where the two pilot projects will bet set up. They have €4m for the next two years. Good luck.

A tiny little difference

I knew that everything is biger in America. With the experience of five West Wing seasons I should have been prepared. Yet it struck me when I read Martin Amis's Blair portrait in this weeks Guardian weekend.

"When Blair goes somewhere, he relies on a staff of 30 (and five bodyguards). When Bush goes somewhere, he relies on a staff of 800 (and 100 bodyguards); if he vistits two countries on the same trip, the firgure rises to 1,600; three countries, and the figure is 2,400. At the other end, Blair will settle for whatever transport is made available. Using freight aircraft, Bush takes along his own limousine, his own back-up limousine, his own refuling trucks and his own helicopters. Mm, murmured a chastened Brit. You make our lives seem very simple. This was, shall we say, the diplomatic way of putting it."

Indeed. Even in this list of superlatives, I think that the helicopters and the refuling trucks stand out.

Apparently the presidential motorcade includes 35 vehicles. Not including the helicopters and trucks, I suppose.

Brain drain (East) German style

The low birth rate has been a German problem for some years now. This is especially true for the East. In so far, the findings of the report of the Berlin-Institut für Bevölkerung Entwicklung (Population and Development) are hardly surprising.

It is worrying though as they shows that the government has not been able to tackle the problem. Young and well educated people move to the West or foreign countries. Why shouldn't they? The aveage unemployment rate for the Eastern Bundesländer has been 20 percent for years.

It is also not new that the Neo-Nazi and other radical right wing groups are popular in the so called new states. It is very distressing indeed that they attract especially young people, mostly teens and young men. And one conclusion is that those who stay only have an average education. Some of them are more likely to believe (Neo) Nazi propaganda as it offer so easy solutions. Something along the lines of 'foreigners steal your job'.

You have to ask yourself why black world cup tourist were warned to to go to certain areas in Berlin and Brandenburg. Lonely Planet did the same before the world cup fever started.

My feeling is that these problems are widely ignored by politicians. I remember that the funds for anti-nazi programmes and for organisations who try to give these kids some future. I reckon it helps a lot if the only explain the world to them and make them aware of other cultures. Tell them, that it is mostly foreigners who empty there wheelie bins and that being gay is nothing unnatural or wrong.

Sad but true, people were killed because of her skin colour, sexual orientation etc.