Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

It be a good guess to say that I’m probably not the only one out there in the world that clicks the TV to mute (or off) when modern newscasters drone on about what England’s new duchess is wearing. But, it did get me to thinking that merry ol’ England doesn’t have the monopoly on the monarchy.

Germany too was a hodge-podge of kingdoms and dukedoms, and they certainly weren’t without scandal (as is the modern day English monarchy). Sorry, Elizabeth, I ain’t judging — I’m just saying. ;-)

What’s really funny (and I mean REALLY funny) is ordinary common folk also have their fair share of scandals. It just doesn’t so happen to make the tabloids or CNN. Most of the time.

So, if you’re scandal bound; why not add a real German noble title to your name?

No, I’m not kidding. With a few clicks of the mouse & a hundred bucks (or two), you can buy yourself the designation of a German noble title — such as Herzog (that’s a Duke) or Fürst (Prince).

Alright, the titles you buy might be only to the micronation of Pomerania and Livonia, but it might be fun to make all the people who think you’re a “Nobody” call you Freiherr (Baron) John Doe.

It’s downright hilarious. What? Am I the only person to find the humor in this?

What wasn’t funny when it comes to titles of the nobility is the case of Caroline of Brunswick. Oh, she was a lady of German noble blood who went on to become a Queen of England at the turn of the 17th century.

Sort of.

Her husband, King George IV of England, was illegally married to his mistress prior to Caroline. Their tumultuous relationship was chocked full of gossip, adultery, and scandal. Hmm, you mean these aren’t just modern day problems?

Anyway, Caroline was so despised by her hubby that he had her turned away at the doors of Westminster Abbey for the coronation — and those loyal to the king referred to her as just a simple Duchess. Oh, a snub to a proper queen, don’t you think?

For us mere mortals, I wouldn’t be offended if someone called me just a Graf (that’s a Count).

Once you buy your coveted German title, I wouldn’t worry too much about an assassination attempt like the Archduke Franz Ferdinand (in line for the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), whose death kickstarted World War I.

Wheww, that’s a relief — ’cause I’m about to go get me a title (just kidding).

And if you’re interested in hearing more scandalous stories in German history, let me know — there are PLENTY. ;-)

Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the building of the infamous Berlin Wall. A series of events marking this not so auspicious day was (and is) found throughout Berlin and the rest of Germany.

It was on August 12th, 1961 that East Germany leader, Walter Ulbricht, gave the order to build a separation wall between them and the West Germans, which had started the day after. Hmm, interesting since only two months beforehand he said that “no one wants to build a wall.”

But, he did build a wall. A 160km concrete barrier around Berlin, to be exact.

As if the wall wasn’t insulting enough, watchtowers (which is believed that no two were alike) were added along the wall’s perimeter with soldiers ordered to shoot anyone trying to defect. They called it Repulikflucht, or illegal immigration.

East Germans were a bit creative in trying to flee to the more free West Germany, using a variety of methods to get across, including tunneling, hot air ballooning, and one soldier drove a tank through it.

In 1989 after the East and West Berliners could cross “freely,” it was still dangerous, as the Soviets had buried landmines along the Eastern side — so it did take a while for it to be truly safe. And there’s no exact number of people who perished trying to cross the wall, estimates guess somewhere between 136-200 souls lost trying to reach freedom.

Now a little more than two decades after the fall of the wall, a new exhibit has opened up at Unter der Linden 40 in Berlin with never before seen photos taken from the East German perspective. Which is to say, taken from the eastern side of the wall.

The exhibit opened August 5th, which will until October 3 before heading off for an exhibition in Poland.

Maybe the exhibit should circle the globe, as a reminder of hope to all those who are repressed.

The date of June 26, 1963 may not be a day that stays in the mind of many people these days. However, for those living in West Berlin at the time, this marked the day that everyone in the world was with them in mind and spirit. This was the date when the US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy stood in front of the City Hall and spoke these words: “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

Let’s go back a bit before this speech to see why it resonated so much with the citizens of Berlin.

Twenty-two months before this famous visit, one of the monstrosities of modern time was erected in the city of Berlin. This was, of course, the reviled Berlin Wall, which divided the city as well as families and friends by a huge block of concrete and barbed wire.

Berlin, for those who haven’t yet visited our lovely country, was situated in the middle of former East Germany, which was under the power of the Soviet Union.

As occupied Berlin was split into four zones, those who lived within the Soviet area soon found that the repressive nature of the Soviet Union was working its way into their beloved city. And so, they began to flee into the western half of the city.

Naturally, the USSR did not appreciate this drain on their population and built the Wall to prevent such freedom of movement. However, they claimed that the Western part of Germany had not yet been properly “de-Nazified” and that the Wall was really for the protection of East German citizens. They called it the “Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart.”

Meanwhile, citizens living in West Berlin felt like they were surrounded by the enemy, who was hoping to take control of the rest of Berlin and fully incorporate it into East Germany.

And so, we can imagine the feeling of these West Berliners when the US President reminded them that they were not alone, and that they were not forgotten.

This speech is regarded as one of Kennedy’s best and is still well-remembered in the United States and around the world to this day. The famous words were repeated twice as the President said:

“Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!'”

—Marcus

Many of us watched in horror as the double tragedy of earthquake and tsunami hit Japan earlier this year. The disabled nuclear power plant at Fukushima reached levels of meltdown that haven’t been seen since the days of the Chernobyl disaster.

But while the rest of the world briefly discussed the possibilities of moving away from this controversial power source, only Germany has made real plans about its nuclear future. The government has announced that all remaining nuclear power plants will be put out of commission by the year 2022.

The first nuclear power plants were opened in Germany in the 1950s. During this half a century, the country experienced three near-catastrophes that resulted from problems with the reactor.

The first was in 1975 in Greifswald, East Germany. A fire brought about by an electrical error came close to causing a meltdown after the main coolant pumps were destroyed. Two other calamities occurred in the 1980s.

In 1986 in Hamm-Uentrop, a broken fuel rod led to the release of an excess of radiation, which contaminated the surrounding area.

And again in 1987, a stop valve malfunctioned at Biblis Nuclear Power Plant in Hesse and released more harmful radiation.

Of course, the disaster at Chernobyl was one of the worst for Germany, despite the fact it didn’t even happen within German borders! While the meltdown occurred in modern-day Ukraine (then a part of the USSR), Germany was just downwind from this catastrophe. In some areas of southern Germany, it is still possible to find traces of radioactivity in the mushrooms or in some wild animals.

Currently, Germany has 17 nuclear power plants, which provide about 25% of the country’s energy. Seven of the oldest reactors have already been shut down because of safety concerns. These power plants will be replaced by newer renewable-energy technology that will not emit greenhouse gases, which places Germany in the forefront of green countries.

Many believe that Germany could provide the “road map” that will enable other nations to give up the risky nuclear reactor system for something more environmentally-friendly.

In addition to the news about nuclear power, which was greeted with happiness and applause by many staunch environmentalists, Chancellor Angela Merkel also promised to reduce the carbon emissions of her nation by 40% in the same ten-year time period.

So in the next decade, all eyes will be on Germany to see how well it adapts to an economy and environment with clean energy and new cutting-edge technologies.

The future will be an exciting place for us! :-)

—Marcus

Because Germany and her people are concerned with environmental health, many strides have been made in improving the country’s richness in resources. And it has been vital to protect for many reasons.

Surrounded by industrial nations, many pollutants enter the country on the breezes, via the rivers and with the rain. The autobahn offers a path for thousands of automobiles on their way to numerous vacation spots both within Germany and without.

Germany’s own factories have been a source of pollution, as well as agricultural development and the “necessary” pesticides. But don’t despair. I don’t intend to paint a black picture. Many improvements have been made. And Die Grünen a.k.a. The Greens have assisted in many ways.

The Green Party (also known as the ecologist party) have as their basic principles not only social justice, nonviolence and a desire to do away with nuclear power, but also a large stress on environmentalism. These principles are known as Green politics.

It has taken years for the Greens to reach the nationwide popularity they have achieved today.

To really be considered in the running as a political party, the contenders need to reach at least 5% of the vote. In 1983, the Greens crossed this threshold. They attained 5.6%. In the national election of 1987, they won 8.3%.

And why has their popularity grown recently? Predominantly due to the nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

As The Greens carried forward their causes, it became clear their major priority was handling environmental concerns, including ending the use of nuclear power as an energy source. This elicited environmental awareness across the country.

They have had their ups and downs, of that there is no doubt. For example, in 1990 they only got 4.8% of the vote and no seats in the Bundestag. However, this didn’t stop them. They were back with a larger 7.3% in 1994. And reached an all-time high in 2009 with 10.7% of the vote.

Now The Greens are the strongest party after the recent elections in Baden-Württemberg. Plus, they are on their way to become Germany’s second largest party.

The current environmental issues in Germany consist of everything from acid rain, air pollution from coal-burning utilities and Baltic Sea pollution to hazardous waste disposal issues and river pollution. These areas must be addressed and the Greens know it.

Now to compete with this ecologically minded party in Germany, others must jump on the bandwagon and start making a difference. And a whole “eco-industry” has formed to make environmentally friendly equipment, devices, and cars.

As The Greens have balanced ideals, they have won many German hearts. And we are sure to see more of them with seats in the Bundestag as they continue to lead the way in the areas of renewable energy, consumer rights, and environmental consciousness.

—Marcus

Smoking is a hot topic in Germany at the moment, thanks to a vote in Bavaria on July 3rd to put a new public smoking ban in place. It is being called one of the strictest in Germany, and has commentators wondering what this will mean for the weak smoking bans currently in place in the rest of the country.

Smoking bans, after all, are hardly new in German. You can’t smoke in federal buildings, and there were a number of bans on smoking in restaurants and pubs passed in 2008.

However, the way things work in Germany, the national government doesn’t handle the smoking laws. Instead, each individual state has their own rules, and some of them are more strict than others.

Some of them are not very strict at all . . . and even the 2008 rules were rather quickly relaxed.

It’s not because Germany is a country of die-hard smokers. Yes, the smoky beer hall is a tradition in some areas, but just like people in the rest of the world my fellow Germans and I enjoy meals and public spaces that are smoke free.

The larger issue, of course, is that we Germans don’t always appreciate being told what we can and can’t do. Restaurant owners and bar managers also feel that smoking bans hurt their businesses by driving away customers and raising expenses as they need to create new spaces for smokers. So the smoking bans become controversial, and a subject of hot debates.

Many establishments work around the smoking bans in Germany by turning their businesses into private clubs, where smoking is still allowed. You may find yourself surprised to get a ticket or a membership card when you sit down for a drink or a meal, but it’s just a way to help skirt the local laws.

The bigger deal with the smoking ban in Bavaria is that it has been extended to include Munich‘s famous beer tents in the fall. For 2010, the authorities are saying they won’t do much in the way of ban enforcement, but for 2011, expect your trip to the Oktoberfest to be a smoke free experience!

—Marcus