Yesterday was 1/1/11.
The morning started with my android being out of order. A hard reset was required. I removed the battery, and then it worked again. Is that a 2010/2011 problem? Well, wasn’t that a wonderful start of the year 2011?
Another way of writing 1/1/11 is 010111 – if you interpret it as binary, you get the number 23 in the decimal number system.
If we take the US version of the binary number 110101, the result will be 53.
These are all prime numbers …
2011 is also the sum of 11 prime numbers following each in direct order:
2011=157+163+167+173+179+181+191+193+197+199+211.
Well, at least that is what they said – I did no control counting.
Well – isn’t all this a reason to get really worried?
Basically, I am not superstitious, so I find it a nice game with numbers.
Our Federal Chancellor, too, is certainly not superstitious. Otherwise she would never have made her New Year’s address in this plump and naive fashion, full of self-content and confidence. You can read read the entire address in the FAZ. It almost sounds like she wrote it herself.
What a collection of statements. Let me give you a few citations (copy and paste from FAZ-Online):
Never since we were re-united did Germany have less unemployed than today. The number of unemployed persons is the lowest in almost 20 years.
Germany mastered the crisis better than most other countries. We managed to do what we had set out to do: we even emerged stronger after the crisis than we were before.
…
Germany is such a huge success because you (note by the editors – she means US) do your jobs each day. You get up early every day. You work shifts and on Sundays and Holidays. You see to it that you get commissions and look after the well-being of your employees. You cope with everyday life, no matter how hard it sometimes is. We managed to do something enormous together. Together, we found out what is possible. That is important, because we Germans are sometimes not aware of our own strengths. In South Africa, our national soccer team showed us exactly those virtues that make us strong: diligence and discipline, an abundance of new ideas and technology on the highest possible level.
…
At this time, Europe is facing a huge challenge. We have to strengthen the Euro. This is not just about our money. After all, the Euro is a lot more than just a currency. We Europeans have luckily been united. The united Europe is what guarantees our peace and freedom. The Euro is the basis for our prosperity. Germany needs Europe and our common currency. We need it both for our own well-being and in order to master great future tasks on a world-wide scale.
…
We will also continue to bring order to our financial situation and simplify the taxation system. In order to provide every person with the health care and all ministrations they need in the future, we also wish to improve our health and geriatric care systems.
…
We take the term “educational republic of Germany” seriously: many new university places for students will be provided and we will introduce educational coupons for children who often stood apart in the past. We are on our way towards the best energy supply world-wide. An environment and climate-friendly concept that we can also afford.
Hurrah!
Merkel hands out a good yearly report for Germany.
That is what ARD.de wrote in its Online-Headline. And I think our Federal Chancellor was wonderfully precise, just like always.
But were we really such good pupils as we faced 1/1/11? What is the reason for this great contentedness?
Well, let us do some thinking (even if it hurts):
Who among us are those who still work all that hard? Who are those who rise early, work shifts, work Sundays and holidays, care for their employees?
There are less attractive jobs than there used to be. The number of hidden jobless is probably just as high as the official number.
OK, our multi-culti team was not too bad. Even if they did not end up world champions. And the German female team is even better.
But as the year 2011 starts, we have a debt that is a three-digit number higher in Billion Euros than at the start of 2010. We do not yet really know the exact number, but I guess the party was well worth it. And what a pity that we only just discovered that there will be considerably fewer tax income in 2011. Yet the cost is increasing all the time.
The dues, too, climb all the time. Starting on 1/1/11, we have to pay more for our “health”. Nursing care insurance is totally out of control. Flight travel will cost more (which is a good thing), the same is true for smoking (also a good thing). Energy will also get more expensive (also for the environment). But there are quite a few other things that get more expensive, some of which might actually hurt.
In exchange, the taxation system will certainly not get any less complicated. With 1/1/11, many additional laws and exceptions have become active. Among them are quite a few tax and due laws.
The situation of our schools and universities gets harder and harder. The communities suffer more and more. Only the stock market rates, for sheer economical optimism, skyrock. As do the bonus payments for bankers and the turnover with certificates …
So I (very morbidly) look forward to 111111 (binary number 127 – it is even a Mersenne-prime number). Let us see if we will still have a black-yellow Federal Government by that time! I also look forward to seeing more of the Euro dance. And I wonder what the price of Diesel fuel will be by then. And where will the DAX be?
And then I will re-read this article 11/11/11 – and hopefully I can write another article on the same topic!
A successful year 2011 (prime number?) to all my readers!
RMD
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
Now I re-read the speech several times. Almost every single sentence hurts in some way or other. I keep wondering who these kinds of speeches remind me of.
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