utemia

Reply to Homesick for dictatorship in Misc JoeUser Forums

How would you describe the necessary mindset that is needed? [quote]one that says you can suceed of fail, but if you want to win it all you have to risk a lot.[/quote] sounds a lot like the old wild west and *ahem* very american. I stand by the statement that a complex society with a corresponding form of government is not possible without a complex system of rules and regulations. I don't know of any high culture that didn't have such a system, either.

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

[[quote]one of the places where water is charged on a flat fee basis (it is just a montly fee regardless of usage) is in the Desert of california! I believe a similar case exists in Phoenix AZ since it is a crime to let your lawn die there! (That is the desert as well).[/quote] That doesn't make sense - why do you have to have a lawn in the desert in the first place? Or golf courses.. Thanks for the information

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc Stardock Forums

Have a merry christmas! I wish you lots of fun and a good time with your families - and that the weather won't be too bad to make travel difficult. God bless Ruth

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

And how do you pay for water? because here, every household has a meter and you pay for every drop and also for wastewater disposal for every drop you use. In fact, the wastewater fee is alot more than you pay for the water itself. If I remember correctly, you just paid a flatrate of sorts in Iowa every month and could use as much water as you wanted, and people were not very concerned with wasting water.

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

Thanks for explaining. It makes sense to have strict rules if there is really so little water. I'm sorry for your friend, too. Losing a family home must be hard, especially for a reason like this. If water is such a rare commodity - why do you allow cities like Las Vegas? I mean, it's in the middle of the desert, so to speak. It seems like such a waste of resources and energy to maintain it there. And where does all the water come from that they use? I remember reading that some areas

Reply to Name Change in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Today I read in my german newspaper that Tiger's wife is moving out back to Sweden and was seen not wearing her wedding ring - it's a friggin soapopera. I feel sorry for that woman, all the media attention must be horrible for her. Why is this newsworthy in the first place? People just love to gossip I suppose.

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

I think I just have a different idea about what communism is. From my perspective, what is going on right now in the US is a far cry from communism. Germany is a social democray which has more elements of regulation than the US and I wouldn't really classify Germany as a communist country. IMO Americans like to be dramatic and many are paranoid and wield emotions in politics like a weapon, scaring people into believing that Obama will rob americans of their freedom and destroy america

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

www.nimanranch.com They have an online shop there and my mouth watered just looking at the pictures lol I don't really know how much higher the price is to what you would normally pay, but it is well worth it. Groceries and produce are alot more expensive in general in the US than in Germany. I am quite happy to promote Niman, one because I know Paul and also because I believe that what they are doing is a good thing. One could make a p

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

The special thing about Niman is that they treat their animals decent. That video is on Pauls farm in Iowa and I've been there quite often while I was there. It is great to see the pigs just run around, they can behave like pigs, literally. Niman has also beef, veal and poultry farmers, but I don't know much about that. I think cattle is generally raised in quite a animal friendly way because you have the space to let them grow up on the pastures. But what I do know is that the

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

I was there in 1995/96 - even saw Bill Clinton speak on his campeign at the community college in Mason City. That was quite the exciting experience for me back then. Outside the presidential election campeign, even domestic politics didn't really seem to interest people - or maybe I didn't notice it. All the local newspapers wrote about was who was having their anniversery, which churchgroup met when and where, other social events, highschool events, games, etc. USA Today was the only

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

The one big exception to the ketchup rule is Curry Wurst.. the most popular german fastfood. The legend says that in the late 40ies in Berlin there was an excess of curry powder courtesy of the British sector (India was still a british colony back then), and one Wurst vendor decided to mix it with ketchup.. it's history after that. They even have a curry wurst museum in Berlin now and you can buy it everywhere. Luckily, I've never seen a liver stand - I don't like the taste of liver a

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

I thought of including that aspect about the rich american culture in the previous comment because it sounded a bit condescending otherwise and I appologize for that. I was thinking about the a common denominator in the US that links the people together - being an American - and that is missing in europe. Even with great diversity in the US there is still much in america that the different regions and people have in common - more than in europe in any case. Of course I would never dare tell

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

I'll have you know that Heinz is german ketchup of sorts.. does it really taste different in Germany than it does in the states? I know for example that Germany is the only country in the world (for some reason) where paprika flavoured potatoe chips are popular, so there might be differences in the Ketchup mixture as well. You can always tell someone has an accent, especially so if it's an american one. AmE gargles everything in the throat, and german with a southern drawl must sound

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc JoeUser Forums

I have met quite a few american tourists that were on a tour akin to "See europe in two weeks". I find that a little hilarious because even if europe isn't geographically as big as the US, I dare say it has a lot more diversity and history to offer than the US. You could easily spend 2 months (if not alot more) in Germany alone and not run out of things to see or do. There is so much diversity and differences in culture and language alone that you can't really take everything in d

Reply to ISA TAJIMA AND FUJI in Misc Stardock Forums

That is a nice story, thanks for sharing. Have you been back to Japan in the meantime?

Reply to Name Change in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Why is everybody making such a fuss about this guy? So he is not some moral institution, he lied and cheated and his personal life has the normal everyday problems the rest of us have in the course of their lives. The american media is so highstrung when it comes to public figures and percieved moral proper behaviour that something like this "scandal" makes the evening news. I can think of many other issues that are a lot more interesting and worth knowing than that.

Reply to Isn't it Ironic? in US Domestic Stardock Forums

Mercedes has decided to move production of the Mini to Tuscaloosa because it's cheaper to produce them there than it is in Germany. Good for the ppl in Tuscaloose but bad for the folks here, they lose their jobs to you. It always goes both ways. And Germany is pretty good at building machinery - we'll happily build the compoments for you :) (kidding just a little bit)

Reply to Some Basic Logical Problems with the United Nations in International JoeUser Forums

If the UN have an agenda, I would really like to know who is invovled in forming it. Because I believe in the democratic principles - out of everything, it is the best alternative. And in that, theoretically at least, the elected body of governance is at least supposedly able to be held accountable for their actions. The people have an power in a democracy - the US constitution has that as its very first sentence, and it's not without a reason. (We, the people of the United States...) W

Reply to Dracula - What was the last book you read? in Books JoeUser Forums

Didn't figure you to be the sort of person to have read that classic tale of love and woe B) but I'll take your word for it.

Reply to Dracula - What was the last book you read? in Books JoeUser Forums

I've heard of the Dune series from Herbert, but never read it. Thanks for the rec. Monsters are an interesting literature study field. (If I remembere correctly, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a social critique of sorts, a warning against uninhibited ambition and hybris) In alot of literature, they are more diverse and complex than the phony way Hollywood likes to portray them these days, I think so too. But there are differences in movies regarding that as well. Have you seen Al

Reply to Dracula - What was the last book you read? in Books JoeUser Forums

You're real funny, BFD. I know that. Who sets the standards? Well for one, the reader. Something that would have been boring would not have been so successful (Dracula is not boring). Then there is tradition and literary history that give you an idea of how a character was created and how it developed. Of course, literary freedom is privilege of any author and they can do whatever their fantasy and creativity allows them to do. Vampires are also part of east slavic m

Reply to Some Basic Logical Problems with the United Nations in International JoeUser Forums

Put like that.. I know that Maggie Thatcher was vehemently against the whole idea of one united german state for one. But then, I didn't know that the UN is a body that had its own political agenda - or it shouldn't be in any case. Because it begs the question of whose agenda they are actually following. Admittedly, I don't really follow what the UN does that closely so I am probably misinformed on a lot of the processes.

Reply to South Africa, here we come! in Football JoeUser Forums

Interesting. Cricket.. I thought it was an annoying bug :) I've never watched it but I know it is insanely popular in some countries. I heard about gaelic football and Hurling and its popularity in ireland, and that it is a pretty rough sport too. I have never seen a game though.

Reply to South Africa, here we come! in Football JoeUser Forums

[quote]Rubgy Football ("Ruggers") and Association Football ("Soccer") have both always been called football.[/quote] I wasn't aware, thanks for pointing that out.