Regardless of all the information flood from the media (paper and internet), via social media (Twitter, Facebook, Google+) and radio and TV, some of the recent news linger in my memory. To be sure, they are also more important than those news I forgot. But some way or other, they also scratched at a surface inside me. Consequently, I wish to write down a few ideas on them …
Our Federal Chancellor and Gorleben
(Zeit and SZ)
They installed another one of those committees of enquiry. Even our Federal Chancellor was asked questions. Because, at the time, she was the minister in charge. It was about the desperate situation at Gorleben. Except that, so far, nobody really takes notice. Of course, the committee cannot really present any results.
Because back then nobody could know that things might not go as well as planned. Regardless of the fact that everybody with even an inkling of scientific knowledge and a little common sense had to have known that the combination of nuclear waste and salt mine could not work. Now we see the result. Taking the waste out would cost more than anybody could pay – and probably it could not be done anyway at this late time. At some time, there will be radio-active alarm and the potable water in the region will be a thing of the past.
To be sure, our Federal Chancellor conceded that the situation was not really solved to perfection at the time (or something like this). Instead of just admitting that she made a huge mistake when she was still environmental minister. After all, we all make mistakes, don’t we?
Lawsuit against Church Tax
(Spiegel)
I was surprised to see that a judicial theatre as absurd as this is actually worth making the news. Some wisecrack had the idea that he should not be asked to pay club fees, because the club is something like common property. Because it is the Church of Jesus Christ. What a strange idea. Like if I were to play in the chess club tournament of a small town without being a member of the chess club. Because, after all, chess is common property, isn’t it?
Such an idea can only originate with someone who is both a lawyer and Christian. Mind you, the church does not even charge entrance fees for its events, such as the mass service.
Speaking of church, it comes to mind that there might be a few more lamentable/offensive facts to write about. For instance that many church officials and dignitaries are still paid by the state, that churches still enjoy special dispensations from taxes, that we still have compensation payments for the church by the state for dispossessions that happened during the second half of the last millennium, and much more of similar kind. But it seems nobody is interested in these kinds of things.
Offended Religious Communities
(Welt and 20min)
Much has been written on this. The range is from absurd arguments about numbers (when it comes to the consequences of circumcision) to illogical legislative proposals. It seems that religious communities need their special treatment and thus have to get it. Some need it in order to mutilate their toddlers without violating the law. Others need it in order to “protect” their feelings. And our Federal Chancellor is wondering whether she should banish a not very impressive video recording, because it might just be a danger to public safety.
Stale Air in the Airbus 380
(dw)
This is also one of the things the media will make good use of. But why? Lufthansa does not only fight part of their employees (and UFO), but also stale air. Mind you, isn’t it logical that it must be smelly in such a huge airplane? After all, an Airbus 380 is a new and complicated system. It is not yet fully mature and consequently still has (must have) its flaws. I could imagine worse than stale air. It sounds like an error that can be found and corrected.
Stress Test for the European Nuclear Power Plants
(Focus)
The “stress test“ for nuclear power stations (note the martial choice of words) is finished. We can now read the report and it tells us that there are scandalous safety risks in more or less all the European nuclear power plants. However, the stress test only tells you half of the truth. Important criteria have been left out.
Mind you, not that it matters. Because, according to the report, the repair of all the discovered defects would (once again) cost the unimaginable sum of 10 to 25 billion Euros. This kind of money is not available; or rather, nobody is prepared to spend it on safety. Neither can the EU put pressure on anybody in this important instance. Consequently, nothing is going to happen. There is no such thing as safe nuclear power. Period. All you can do is hope nothing serious will happen. Well, it is what the Japanese did, isn’t it? Except that they were not lucky.
To make up for it, the EU comes up with a few more new regulations and laws. Yet no reasonably minded European will ever stick by them. And, as a side-effect, Europe is divided in order to “safe“ banks with sums that make those aforesaid 10-25 billion look ridiculous.
But the banks, again, need some extra money – and the Euro rescue fund gets larger.
(SZ)
Of course, the money for the banks will not be enough for Spain and the proud nation will have to seek shelter underneath this strange Euro rescue fund.
NSU and the Protection of the Constitution
(Handelsblatt)
The things I keep hearing on this make me speechless. “Civil servants” and politicians lie shamelessly. It can almost be assumed that V-persons working as civil servants were not only the culprits, but also the agitators. Nobody seems to be interested in finding out where the real persons behind the scenes sit.
To make up for it, the telecommunication of the citizens is recorded and data stockpiling secretly makes progress.
IRAN blocks Gmail
(ARD)
Again, I am reminded of data security. And then I ask myself what I fear more: enterprises using my data in order to sell something to me (ha, ha), or the state confiscating my means of communication? Or – what is worse – the state working espionage against me at random. Because in this country, the administration is permitted to do exactly what they want to protect us against from Facebook&Co.
Consequently, we fear data abuse “in the cloud“ as the devil fears holy water. And we fight the devil with Satan. Because there is no data security when it comes to the state and its executive organs. The many terrorists alone make it impossible. But perhaps the short-term blocking of Gmail by the Iranian authorities was just a means of fighting world-wide terrorism?
BND building will cost 100 billion more than planned
(Welt)
This, too, is nothing special, is it? Except that the biggest building the state ever planned is for the BND. But it is certainly no surprise that it is (so far) the biggest miscalculation. Basically, huge projects will always end up costing a lot more than planned. This is true for philharmonic houses (Hamburg), airports (Berlin-Brandenburg), railway stations (S21) and also buildings where the “Federal Investigation” is done and the constitution is supposed to be protected.
As a general rule, there are probably two reasons for this: firstly, the cost has been voluntarily kept low in the planning phase in order to make them politically acceptable. Secondly, they certainly do know that the number of errors will not increase linearly with the degree of complexity. It can probably even be calculated. Except that nobody can tell in advance what kinds of errors will occur and how much they will cost.
And finally, again our Federal Chancellor – with a pleading in favour of the e-car.
(Bild)
This is particularly delightful. By the year 2020, we are supposed to have one million battery powered cars. To be sure, they will look more like Pedelecs, instead of cars in the modern sense.
Physical laws (such as energy density) are opposed to it. If we want to compete against vehicles powered by fossil material with e-mobiles, we will first have to make individual traffic e-mobile adaptable.
Light and slow e-mobility can only be attractive if you adapt the traffic. You will have to make it softer and slower. Consequently, the best promotion for e-mobility would be a clear speed limit, for instance 30 km/h inside cities, perhaps 50 km/h in rural areas and 90 km/h on motorways. This, however, would mean a de-emotionalisation of the false God car. Something most Germans, including their boss Merkel, cannot imagine…
Economy and Sport
I find it particularly easy to remember the economy sector. Here, the story is quite simple: there is more than enough money available, the banks almost drown in it. Fuel prices climb (which I find good), property gets more expensive (I cannot judge this) and the stock prices climb (I could not care less). Officially, we have as good as no inflation. Only the prices do not know that. Consequently, everything gets more expensive all the time.
Here is more news from the economy (FTD): dpad and Neckermann (according to Quelle) are now definitely bankrupt. dpad used to be DPA, which, along with API was perhaps the world’s most renown press agency. There came a time when it merged with the “Deutschen Depeschendienst”.
As I see it, all these bankruptcies were more or less a matter of course. And, naturally, there was no rescue umbrella for them. As opposed to the financial institutes – most of which definitely are also now well into their dotage.
In Europe, the spiral goes downwards all the time. Only Germany goes up. This cannot be a good sign and it makes me wonder.
And with sports, matters are even simpler: the FC Bayern will always win. Except in Belarus.
Now the article I was going to write on our day of jubilee is a lot longer than I had intended. All I wanted to do was remind you of the fact that not all is gold that glitters in our highly-praised black-red-golden country. National intoxication will not help us. We have to sit down and do our homework for a Europe that is unified in freedom. If I were asked my opinion, I would quickly abandon the Third of October as a national holiday. Instead, I would come up with a common European Holiday. And now I will go to the forest pub by bike and celebrate October, 3rd among Jazz music and a litre of Oktoberfest beer. And tonight, we are going to eat a “truly authentic” Chinese dinner.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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