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.

Have you seen her? No. STOP IT!

This Madeleine story has been going on my nerves for a while now. Basically since it started. Don't get me wrong. I feel sorry for this family and wish them that they find her soon. But the whole country is getting crazy about this thing. Well, at least the media is. Leave it to the tabloids! Please! I cannot stand it anymore! If you don't bother carry on reading, my point is simply this. Why should this girl and her family deserve more attention than any other abducted person?

There were 846 offences in 2002/03 in England and Wales alone. Also has anyone ever questioned that the media hype may do the girl more harm than good? I mean decreasing her chances to be found alive?

It was predictable that The Sun would exploit the story. But live coverage from the BBC? Eleven minutes prime time with anchor Hugh Edwards live from the Algarve (10 o'clock news 15th May BBC1)? And what was the news? Well, that there was no news. The couple had been seen walking on the beach. But there was an agreement that media would not bother them with interviews. Nice, they are so respectful.

Earlier this week it was reported that the parents feel guilty because they hadn't been with her when she was abducted. Jesus, of course! What did you think? That they are happy about it.

There is more. Today the Prime Minister in waiting demanded that the Portuguese police should release more details of the case. Can someone please tell him to stay out of this.

And when you think it can't get any worse... BBC online has justed annouced that the parents are to see the Pope.

To sum it up there are 4,270,000 hits for "Maddie" on google and the entry on wikipedia has about the length of the WW2 article. Appeals from David Beckham and Christiano Ronaldo, yellow ribbons at a football match, uncounted campaigns. The rewards total £2.6m - and counting.

And has anyone ever dared questioning this madness? Well, I have. Anyone out there joining me? Yes, found them!

And while I'm moaning 128m are still searching...

We love David M.

If there was ever polictician to praise, it must be Environment Secretary David Miliband. No, I'm not in the Labour party, they didn't bribe me or anything. I just think that he takes his job seriously and tackles a serious problem. One that has been left unnoticed, indeed ignored for far too long. I'm talking rubbish, I mean about waste and avoiding waste in particular. I am aware that after announcing the Government's plans everybody feared that the wheelie bin chips will trigger a spy rather than an environment programme.

The most important part for me, however, was that someone mentions the enourmous waste in this country. The Independent ran a brilliant campaign against waste - i.e. waste as in unnecessary items such as packagin or most interestingly carrier bags. I was shocked when I heard that Teso alone gave out four billion - this is 4,000,000,000 - carrier bags to customers last year.

The mere fact that Miliband mentioned carrier bags seems remarkable to me. He talked not only about recycling quotas the UK needs to meet, he actually talked about avoiding waste. That's the point, you don't need to recycle somehting that has never been produced and used in the first place.

So, take your carrier bag to the shop and refuse new ones. I have to tell the assisstants over and over again as they already have the new bag in their hands when I arrive at the till. But they'll learn if more people refuse it.

Of course it remains to be seen if the Government really acts though on this problem. And if Miliband will still be in his job after 27th June.

Sorry, Bryan, but that's it

Marks and Spencer drop Bryan Ferry over the Nazi gaffe. Oh no, sorry it wasn't because of that. We wouldn't have used him for the campaign anyway, or least it was "highly unlikely". Ferry apologised for his remarks earlier. But, between us, how likely is it that this just M+S PR? A pretty bad one btw...

Just as you like it

The German government wants to reintroduce border controls for the G8 summit in Heiligendamm from 6th to 8th June. Germany signed the Schengen Agreement and introduced it in 1995. So how is it possible to simply opt out for a couple of days as it suits you? It seems the government is afraid of (radical) left wing protestors and attacks.

To be fair there were attacks in the past, just remember Genoa in 2001. But I doubt very strongly that one can put so called suspects under "Vorbeugehaft" (which I guess can be translated as a preventive arrest) and indeed reintrodce border controls for a week or so - then abandon them again and say, well, principally Schengen is a good idea, but sometimes we just need the Cold War back.

Ferry III

It's really getting confusing now. More than 300,00 hits on google. I remember finding only to German papers mentioning him. Only two weeks ago...

More in the UK
BBC
Yahoo News
Telegraph
Brandrepublic
Contactmusic.com
Mail on Sunday

Blogging
Bryan you disappoint me

Eire
RTE

Even Australia and Canada
The West Australian
Reuters Canada

More re Mr Ferry

There were more stories in the Daily Mail and the Mirror today.

Bryan's Bunker

I guess Bryan Ferry had no idea that his remark in the interview for the German weekly Welt am Sonntag (4th March) a couple of weeks ago could be used against him. But then how daft can you be to admit that you admire Riefenstahl's movies, Speer's buidlings and Nazi mass parades and not think that there will be an outcry? In a German newspaper! Up to now Ferry was lucky. Even the Welt editor's were sensible enough (or gutless) to leave out the passage of the March interview (Headline: "I am a serious player") on their website. It seemed that the remarks remained almost unoticed in German media in general. Only Spiegel online and freundin, a women's magazin reported. I actually discovered it in the satire magazine Titanic (April edition) in the infamous column "Briefe an die Leser".

Today's Independent on Sunday finally reveals his "Nazi gaffe - and the outcry was prompt. And loud.

Moreover Ferry calls his West London studio "Führerbunker".

Gut, 10 Uhr 30 Gaststätte Brummer...

Die berühmt berüchtigte Satirezeitschrift Titanic (Ausgabe Juni 2001) hat das Ausstiegsprogramm des Bundesamtes für Verfassungsschutz zum Anlass genommen, bei DVU-Kreisvorsitzenden anzurufen und sich nach ihrem Ausstiegswillen erkundigt. Genauergesagt ist der Anlass der Misserfolg der eigens für die Aktion eingerichteten Hotline. Will sagen, Neonazis wollen nicht aussteigen und rufen folglich nicht da.

Warum sollte man auch darauf warten, dass sich die "Fahnenflüchtigen" melden? Titanic druckt ja auch keine Leserbriefe ab sondern "Briefe an die Leser".

Der "TITANIC-Telefon-Terror" war ein voller Erfolg. "Julius Streicher", die Redaktion hat die Namen der DVU-Kreisvorsitzenden netterweise mit denen von Nazigrößen ausgestauscht, nahm das Angebot und mindestens 25.000 Mark "finanzielle Unterstützung" dankend an. Und damit nicht genug: Für weitere 3.000 tritt er auch in die SPD ein!

Köstlich! Vor allem der Anruf im Originalmitschnitt (letzter Download).

Wer im Glashaus sitzt, sollte nicht mit Steinen werfen

Der türkische Außenminister Gül hat das neue deutsche Einwanderungsgesetz kritisiert. Ausländische Ehepartner, die nach Deutschland nachiehen, müssen schon vor der Einreise ausreichende Sprachkenntnisse nachweisen. Nach Herrn Güls Ansicht verstößt das gegen die Menschenrechte. Ich bin wahrlich kein Freund von schärferen Migrationsgesetzen - zumal ich selbst in einem fremden Land lebe. Als Repräsentant der türkischen Regierung aber in einem anderen Land die Menschnrechte einzufordern geht zu weit.

Der Länderbericht von Amnesty International listet im Kapitel Türkei zahlreiche Vergehen auf. Nach einem neuen Strafgesetz können Menschen, die sich zu bestimmten Themen äußern strafrechtlich verfolgt werden. Es gibt zudem regelmäßig Berichte über Folter und Misshandlungen. Das Vorgehen der Polizei gegen Demonstranten wird als "exzessiv" bezeichnet. Im November 2006 wurden vier Demonstranten erschossen.

Natürlich kann und soll jeder deutsche Gesetze kritisieren, schon gar Einwanderungsgesetze und ganz besonders deren Verschärfung. Kommt diese Kritik aber von der Regierung eines Landes, das selbst massiv die Menschenrechte verletzt, so wirkt diese Kritik bestenfalls unglaubwürdig.

On my mission...

... to eliminate stereotypes I deal with "Germans don't have a sense of humour" today. I was at a wedding in Frankfurt, Germany last weekend. It was in fact my cousin's wedding (Jörn and Sonja on the left). I realised that my preparations were mediocre at best when my boss asked my if I had written my speech. It is not a German tradition that the broom's best man holds a humorous speech. Nevertheless the wedding was very nice and very funny. Funny especially because of a special comedy programme (Schmitts Reisen). Thanks for that, Sandra, well done! I also learned that a 83 year old guest was forced to change her travel itinerary this year because her children were concerned about her well being during air travel. So she's only up to short flights to Bulgaria and the Czech Republic this year. She travels on her own btw.

Living in London for almost a year and a half now my present had to be English somehow. So invited Sonja and Jörn to London for a concert and gave them the first season of Green Wing to get them used to British humour. He's a doctor in a hosptial and she a physiotherapist.

The later the hour the more unusual the dancing becomes.