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Reply to Haiti : Limbaugh, shut the F*** up! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

I don't remember anything specific to tell you the truth - it's been five years or so. I do remember that the US navy was on site with ships full of aid but that the indonesian government did not allow them to land at first. The analysts here mentioned Obama's decision and explained that the opposition (reps) criticized a lack of leadership in Obama and that he had changed is political vocabulary as well in response to that. He now said "war on terror" for example even though he had t

Reply to Haiti : Limbaugh, shut the F*** up! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

It would be a shame when the fate of the victims and the whole country of Haiti indeed would only be used for political gain of some sort - who brings the most aid, the fastest aid - in competition btw. south american countries like Venezuela, Cuba and others that I don't know about and the US. The reports I heard in the news here lauded the decision of the US to send aid so quickly - even if it had been done to make Obama look good and show leadership qualities. Days matter for

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

Of course! You can also seed trees with dollar bills and gummy bears - makes for a very fun harvest. Then you have everything you need - transportation, money and a food source.

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

Stuttgart can be divided up into Stuten Garten - they used to breed cavalry horses there. Stute = mare and garten = garden, so it literally means maregarden or horsegarden.

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

Nobody blames the US for things that go wrong in Germany. That would be pretty outrageous, and in fact the gratitude towards america for all that was done to help turn Germany into a western democracy is huge. The positive outweights the negative attitudes by far, even though I know that some think it is the other way. I don't know of any antiamerican violent incident where tourists or americans living here had problems - from Germans that is. They turned the consulate general in Frankfurt in

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

There was a small article in the papers here that an outdoor sporting company used a picture of President Obama for an addcampeign in New York without his consent. But as president he is a public figure so that was well within their rights of free speech and press. It must really suck being a public figure in the US in any shape or form if the media can basically publish everything on you without regard to your privacy. If your free speech is protected by the 1st Ammendment, do you ha

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

I don't find that bloodhound mentality that just thrives on sensationalism very ethical - but it is influencing the private sector here as well. They copy the american style of late nightalk shows, infotainment etc. on cable, complete with the way the news are presented by anchormen/woman and journalists reporting "live" who state the first name of each other at the beginning of every sentence. Some people here loudly criticize the american influence on our beloved culture *cough* App

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

Interesting. I don't remember bias so explicitly in the news, but german public broadcast news report more on what is happening and who is saying what without personal commentary of the anchormen/woman. It's very serious in its style and americans would probably find it boring because they always wear very formal dress and (almost) never smile. News are a serious affair, after all. I like THAT style and find the american one hard to take serious at times, it's like a show for entertainment.

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

Now that you mention it, the big news creating agencies like Reuters and AFP colour their reporting according to national biases as well. I remember skewered news reports from the war in Croatia and Bosnia in the 1990ies where Reuters and AFP were almost doing propagandawork for the Serbs, presenting what had happened completely different than it had actually occured. If you believe my mom (but she likes conspiracy theories a little too much sometimes) the old WW2 coalition is still working i

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

I forgot the exact number, but 30 years ago the diversity in print and broadcast media was more pronounced with around 40 different companies or so. We had debated US media during a class on american society in university, but my filing system is not the greates so I doubt that I could cite the reference because it had been quite a while ago. It is a good question wether impartial and objective news coverage is even possible because every single journalist has an oppinion which colour

Reply to Media Bias? - Never! in The Media JoeUser Forums

Why are you even surprised that the media is biased? They (ever cable/private broadcast company) have to make money with their broadcasts, so they will send what their bosses tell them to send who in turn get their orders or pressure from their bankrollers who have their own agenda. There is almost no media diversity in the US, I think 7 major corporations exist that control the market. Disney corporation owns ABC for example. I think lobbyism is a big factor in US politics and it is

Reply to Air port security in Misc JoeUser Forums

There had been a feature about air port security in the paper here as well. Apparently, the airport in Tel Aviv is the most secure in the world because they use a form of racial profiling as a technique. They have well trained security staff that interview everyone thoroughly, and especially those that fit a certain profile like single christian woman, single muslim young male etc. It seems to work very well. What I found so hilarious in a bad way with this slovakian training exercise

Air port security in Misc JoeUser Forums

I don't really know if you had heard about this incident in detail, but I found it so bizarre that I wanted to share it. I can only imagine what would have happend to that man had he flown to the US.. who would have believe someone with explosives in their duffel bag that it wasn't theirs? Don't travel to Slovakia via air travel, you might end up being used as a courier without your knowledge, and by the police no less. from CNN [quote] Slovakia explosives gaf

Reply to THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING in Misc JoeUser Forums

You really know your stuff about music. I know more about classical composers and classical music (and a little Jazz) than about rock n roll, and could give you a interpretation of Beethoven's 5th symphony and his oppinion and stance towards humanistic ideals and the french revolution if so desired, coupled with a theoretical analysis of the different musical motifs, tonality and methods of composing. It can be very interesting despite the dusty description :) I think Leonard Bernstei

Reply to Homesick for dictatorship in Misc JoeUser Forums

It certainly shaped european mentality, I agree. I would say that the US was shaped by a frontier mentality. Settlers had to fight to make the wilderness arable and defy all sorts of dangers which gave them a tremendous self confidence and that can do attitude. The wish to push boundaries and make the impossible possible is a very american trait. The ideal combination for that is a mixture between germans and american. You got the americans with the great ideas and visions and

Reply to THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING in Misc JoeUser Forums

The textbooks mostly say what you said, I think. I am just not very avid with musicians and bands of that time. I know a little bit about how "black entertainment" was presented in the public, and mostly it was very demeaning like the minstrel shows. Blacks always eat watermelon and dance, apprently - they were very racist. So it makes sense that white boys had to sing black songs in order to become mainstream, which in turn did not diminish the influence of black musicians. (sorry for

Reply to Homesick for dictatorship in Misc JoeUser Forums

I can only imagine a lot of chaos if a country with 300+ million citizens were governed with minimal government. I think you refer mostly to the economic aspect of overregulation by the government, but as you said, I grew up with the german model of a social market economy where the government sets the frame within the market can develop on its own. It is always a tightrope walk though because there is too much brureaucracy invovled in some aspects. All in all, it would make sense to ha

Reply to THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING in Misc Stardock Forums

Rock n roll.. I learned about what you experienced in your youth in school. I found the history of rock n roll really interesting. Did you know that Rock n Roll used to be a black vernacular word for sex.. one reason why so many conservatives condemned that type of music so much, it was heavily influenced by african american music. It is rather curious that mostly white guys were the protagonist of the rock n roll scene in the 50ies, as far as I know anyway. The musicians bridged trenches lon

Reply to Homesick for dictatorship in Misc JoeUser Forums

Complicated issue all in all (for me), because it all seems to come down to the question of how society should be like and how it should be governed. I don't see how a modern state could function without potentially alot of government. There are alot of issues that could be adressed on this issue - like in what departments and areas less government would make sense, because it is not a universally known truth for everything. I don't know enough about economic theory or state philosophy to hav

Reply to Native Mike in Misc JoeUser Forums

When were little we always went to the beach in Mali Losinj (a croatian island) where my uncle was the principal of a boarding school. It was empty in the summer and my parents were able to stay there without a problem with us 6 kids. I saw pictures of the logistical effort it took to take 6 kids ranging from 1 year old to 15. My mom packed at least 20 navy seabags with diapers and Müsli and clothes and bedding etc., and we took the train and then a ship the rest of the way. I'll n

Reply to Native Mike in Misc JoeUser Forums

It is a funny story. It must be quite a new experience but as you said, you get used to it quickly. I remember news reports (that was years ago though) about a swiss au pair girl who took pictures of the 2 year old girl she was babysitting in summer in the garden, and the girl was nude. They arrested her on charges of child pornography - I just thought that was insane. Kids run around naked on the beach most of the time, even when the rest wear swimsuits. So a young kid running around

Reply to Homesick for dictatorship in Misc JoeUser Forums

But doesn't coexisting with other people require a certain level of organization? And there is no group that I know of that can live without it. Organization on a small level like a city is complicated. I wrote a paper on silver mining in Freiburg during the 12th -14th century and everything that has to do with a lot of money is always coupled with political power, so the relationships between the ruling aristocracy, money lenders, church parishes, city council etc pp was fairly complex. Who

Reply to New medal for bravery in Misc JoeUser Forums

It is a complex problem, not easily solved with the fact tht all that were alive back then are dead now. It has to do with how the different nations and cultures deal with memory and also remembrance of the victims, perpetrators, bystanders.. The history of WW2 has become part of european identity and the memory of what had happened is kept alive and will be kept alive in the future. I will answer more detailed, but I have to run off in a few minutes and don't have the time right now.

Reply to Bacon Sandwiches in Misc JoeUser Forums

lol. I saw the tail end of this documentary last night on WW2, and one veteran told the story of what they recieved for lunch near the front line near the ardennes forrest in january '45. It was roast beef, peas and carrots, potatoes, and on top of everything chocolate pudding. I guess they only had one plate so they got it all on that. The guy told that he can still taste roast beef with chocolate pudding - he was sort of grinning when he said it, too.

Reply to Living the Dream...Again in Misc JoeUser Forums

Some people are crazy about their cars, especially if it is an expensive one like a mercedes. But I also know that many got a mercedes because they are very good and will probably safe your life in an accident. It is more than just a status symbol, even though it is that as well. As for the house.. depends. Usually, owning your own home is something that many want to achieve, but it takes a long time to achieve it because paying back the loan from the bank could take up to 30 years. S