Typically, the first thoughts when you think about the common history of Russians and Germans go to the 20th century with its two World Wars and the separation of Germany into a Western allies and a Russian (or Soviet) controlled East.
And you wouldn't necessarily be aware of the fact that some 6.5 million people (out of a total of just over 80 million) in today's Germany have roots in the countries of the old Soviet Union.
So, what's their story, and why are the German media and politicians all of a sudden getting worried about the group of people whom you can all the country's biggest quiet minority?
The history of Germans and Russians mixing and mingling goes back more than 1000 years, but we'll focus on the time between 1763 and the present. 1763 marked the year in which then Russian Empress Katherine II (the Great), herself German, officially invited settlers from what is now Germany into her country. She offered freedom of religion, no obligation to do military service, independent local administration with German as the official language, a settlement cash bonus and thirty years of no tax obligation.
Needless to say, this was a great offer, made even more enticing for people in areas that had been ravaged by the 7 Year War.
Fast forward to the turn of the 20th century and World War I. Nationalist Russian circles began warning of a Germanization of Russia, and World War I saw the Germans branded as "the enemy within", with the requisite persecution and such. After the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, large scale deportations to the East took their toll on those who had survived the Revolution, the subsequent "Civil War" (which really was an international war), the famines and Stalins rule.
While some ethnic Germans managed to leave at the end of World War II, the vast majority continued to live in the Volga region, in Kasachstan and around Novosibirsk. With the end of the Soviet Union, the number of ethnic Germans from Russia and Kasachstan surged, making the 1990s the decade when most of the current "Russian" population arrived in Germany.
Legally, the ethnic Germans from the East were German citizens from day 1 if they could show their ancestry and spoke "some German".
As far as the "indigenous" population went, they were considered foreigners, much like the Italians or Greek migrant workers of the 1960s or refugees from other countries.
The "Russians" found themselves in smallish towns and saw their new neighborhoods called "Little Kasachstan". Even in 2016, a native politician told Russians that the Germans made a big effort 20 years ago to "integrate" them - and was immediately confronted with: but are Germans!
There were all the expected issues when the numbers of new arrivals grew: an uptick in juvenile delinquency - nicely explained by politicians, as opposed to any real or imagined uptick among the recent refugees. The old new Germans learned to live with the label Russian, and went too work. So, official Germany forgot about them.
This all changed for the media and the politicians when Russian state TV recently broadcast the story of a girl named Lisa and alleged she had been held captive and been raped by Arab refugees. According to police, she was not.
All of a sudden, German news outlets reported of demonstrations of ten thousand Russians in Germany against the refugee policies of the current German government. The fake story of the rape off Lisa is given as the cause.
The number is wrong. There were small protests, even in front of the Chancellor's office in Berlin, but even if you add them all up, you probably won't get to 10 000 total.
Yes, there were posters of solidarity with Lisa, but if you listen to the "Russians", things become much more complicated and very unfavorable for German politicians and media.
As it turns out, before the actual latest violence of some refugees against women, there was Ukraine.
As one said: Ukraine and the refugees crisis have turned the situation upside down. If you indicate that you have even the slightest understanding for Putin, you are immediately told: Then go home.
And about TV: older folks watch Russian TV for entertainment. They know there is some propaganda, but Western TV also keeps some things under wraps.
Only now is local police engaging with "the Russians" to inform them about rumors of refugee crime. And politicians?
They was to start explaining to "the Russians" that Russia Today is by no means as objective as the German media.
What does the immediate future look like?
Police efforts to dispel myths and rumors will probably work.
On the other hand, the media and the mainstream politicians will almost certainly fail - they will focus on the refugee crisis but ignore the issues of Russia, the sanctions, and Putin and the role of German media.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
German auto makers sell one third of their cars - to themselves
One third of new cars sold in Germany are bought by the respective auto makers themselves.
This article in Zeit Online is the most recent and best of reports we have seen over the past couple of years on the state of one of the world's premier auto countries.
Not to be too self congratulatory, but exactly as we saw that Americans are buying bigger cars since gas went down - confirmed in the meantime - we had the impression that something didn't jibe with German cars.
They seemed too expensive.
The Zeit article provides hard numbers: the price of new cares in Germany went up by 40% in 15 years, unlike the prices for other long lived goods, which have remained flat or even went down.
In terms of income, a single average earner has to spend 16.5 months of his or her income versus 13.5 in 2000.
At the cheaper end of the market, individuals buy more new cars, and - who would have thought - the same is true for the higher end Mercedes.
So, fleet vehicles and sales to themselves now make up 63% of the new car sales in Germany. The cars sold to themselves then go on sale as used vehicles a few weeks to a few months later.
Everybody wins?
Not really. Some people get much better deals.
About a year ago, a friend of the K-Landnews bought a brand new car at 50% off, with a set of winter tires as a freebie.
The maker introduced a new vehicle with a temporary discount of 25%. Our friend, the eventual buyer was told by a factory employee, that the company was holding a public introduction event in city A. She went there with her boyfriend, a former employee at said company, they talked to the event manager and walked out with another 25% off.
The episode highlights an aspect of the German way of doing business the blogster dislikes quite a bit: very little transparency, favoring insiders to a greater extent than, say in the US.
Similar processes can be found across the economy, for instance, when internet regulator ICANN opened up a bunch of new top level domains for sale, one disappointed bidder remarked what a coincidence it was that the best domain names for one of the states went to people who seemed eerily well connected to the state government.
And before you ask, no, there is virtually no recourse in matters like this.
This article in Zeit Online is the most recent and best of reports we have seen over the past couple of years on the state of one of the world's premier auto countries.
Not to be too self congratulatory, but exactly as we saw that Americans are buying bigger cars since gas went down - confirmed in the meantime - we had the impression that something didn't jibe with German cars.
They seemed too expensive.
The Zeit article provides hard numbers: the price of new cares in Germany went up by 40% in 15 years, unlike the prices for other long lived goods, which have remained flat or even went down.
In terms of income, a single average earner has to spend 16.5 months of his or her income versus 13.5 in 2000.
At the cheaper end of the market, individuals buy more new cars, and - who would have thought - the same is true for the higher end Mercedes.
So, fleet vehicles and sales to themselves now make up 63% of the new car sales in Germany. The cars sold to themselves then go on sale as used vehicles a few weeks to a few months later.
Everybody wins?
Not really. Some people get much better deals.
About a year ago, a friend of the K-Landnews bought a brand new car at 50% off, with a set of winter tires as a freebie.
The maker introduced a new vehicle with a temporary discount of 25%. Our friend, the eventual buyer was told by a factory employee, that the company was holding a public introduction event in city A. She went there with her boyfriend, a former employee at said company, they talked to the event manager and walked out with another 25% off.
The episode highlights an aspect of the German way of doing business the blogster dislikes quite a bit: very little transparency, favoring insiders to a greater extent than, say in the US.
Similar processes can be found across the economy, for instance, when internet regulator ICANN opened up a bunch of new top level domains for sale, one disappointed bidder remarked what a coincidence it was that the best domain names for one of the states went to people who seemed eerily well connected to the state government.
And before you ask, no, there is virtually no recourse in matters like this.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Europe needs an annual Day off Work for immigrants only
Europe should introduce an annual Day off Work for first and second generation immigrants to demonstrate to everyone how some countries would come to a standstill without immigrants.
Do not discard this as a joke. There is more evidence than you can quote that physically modifying a routine helps people understand reality. This is, in fact, how a common problem with police officers who do only night shifts has been successfully addressed in some US cities. You get so used to the criminal nights that your perception gets skewed and the world around you looks bleak even during your waking hours.
Natives would have to show up, though - otherwise the scheme wouldn't work.
There are some practical issues with the suggestion, the blogster readily admits. Some sectors and jobs are pretty much 99% first and second gen immigrants, with the remaining 1% a third gen or "native" manager.
A one day shutdown of Germany's biggest airport would be inconvenient but that's the point.
Shutting down some hospitals due to a shortage of doctors, nurses and other staff is not an option, but emergency or holiday operations could certainly be arranged, right?
Old folks homes fall into the same category. While the blogster is not beyond - sorry if you figured a gentle person behind this post - entertaining the thought of some old Nazi arses going unwiped for a day, common decency prohibits actually doing this.
So, old folks homes would need to figure out staying open, too.
Everything else gets no break from a Day without Immigrants, period.
The mirror aspect of such a holiday would also demonstrate where countries lack diversity. In Germany, for example, police and courts would continue to work or be open, minus the secretarial staff.
Most law firms would be humming, but many would have no client meetings for the day.
Many stores would remain shuttered, so would Amazon and trash collection, construction companies and car factories -- the list is endless.
If you extended it to the third generation, you could probably take a bicycle on the famed autobahn and have a great outing.
[Update] The usual, typos, grammar.
Do not discard this as a joke. There is more evidence than you can quote that physically modifying a routine helps people understand reality. This is, in fact, how a common problem with police officers who do only night shifts has been successfully addressed in some US cities. You get so used to the criminal nights that your perception gets skewed and the world around you looks bleak even during your waking hours.
Natives would have to show up, though - otherwise the scheme wouldn't work.
There are some practical issues with the suggestion, the blogster readily admits. Some sectors and jobs are pretty much 99% first and second gen immigrants, with the remaining 1% a third gen or "native" manager.
A one day shutdown of Germany's biggest airport would be inconvenient but that's the point.
Shutting down some hospitals due to a shortage of doctors, nurses and other staff is not an option, but emergency or holiday operations could certainly be arranged, right?
Old folks homes fall into the same category. While the blogster is not beyond - sorry if you figured a gentle person behind this post - entertaining the thought of some old Nazi arses going unwiped for a day, common decency prohibits actually doing this.
So, old folks homes would need to figure out staying open, too.
Everything else gets no break from a Day without Immigrants, period.
The mirror aspect of such a holiday would also demonstrate where countries lack diversity. In Germany, for example, police and courts would continue to work or be open, minus the secretarial staff.
Most law firms would be humming, but many would have no client meetings for the day.
Many stores would remain shuttered, so would Amazon and trash collection, construction companies and car factories -- the list is endless.
If you extended it to the third generation, you could probably take a bicycle on the famed autobahn and have a great outing.
[Update] The usual, typos, grammar.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Ronnie's cabin for the ladies
It's one of these, sure, we all figured that anyway episodes. You know, the kind of stories an elderly man tells you over a glass of whiskey - with ice, please - and you chuckle, shake your head like a Greek grandpa to mean yes.
Our man Ronnie** was a man of values, a family man, clean, all American, with the looks of a movie star and the acting skills of a politician, revered by his party contemporaries and frequently invoked by later aspiring leaders. No, seriously, not Arnold, we would have made a Mozart or Bach joke to lead you in the wrong direction. Also not Ron, the virtually unknown third founder of a company called Apple Inc.
Anyhow, we were talking about real estate deals in the area, specifically a large ranch with cabins dotting the landscape, some of them weekend rentals, others long term, but all serving as private getaways. The smog in the LA basin was horrific back then.
M., a well known developer, approached the owner one day with a partnership offer to turn the ranch into new subdivisions for the growing metropolitan area. The owner decided to enter into talks and invited M. to a tour of the property.
As they were driving around, M. would point at some of the long term rentals and add a short back story, give the name of the renter, what they were known for, unless they were a household name anyway.
Passing one cabin, he pointed: "And this is where Ronnie meets his ladies. He insists on having fresh flowers there at all times."
This is the point in the conversation where you both chuckle and shake your head.
And then you say something along the line of "like a true man of values" and gaze out of the big windows overlooking the ocean bathed in the light of the setting sun.
** Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
Our man Ronnie** was a man of values, a family man, clean, all American, with the looks of a movie star and the acting skills of a politician, revered by his party contemporaries and frequently invoked by later aspiring leaders. No, seriously, not Arnold, we would have made a Mozart or Bach joke to lead you in the wrong direction. Also not Ron, the virtually unknown third founder of a company called Apple Inc.
Anyhow, we were talking about real estate deals in the area, specifically a large ranch with cabins dotting the landscape, some of them weekend rentals, others long term, but all serving as private getaways. The smog in the LA basin was horrific back then.
M., a well known developer, approached the owner one day with a partnership offer to turn the ranch into new subdivisions for the growing metropolitan area. The owner decided to enter into talks and invited M. to a tour of the property.
As they were driving around, M. would point at some of the long term rentals and add a short back story, give the name of the renter, what they were known for, unless they were a household name anyway.
Passing one cabin, he pointed: "And this is where Ronnie meets his ladies. He insists on having fresh flowers there at all times."
This is the point in the conversation where you both chuckle and shake your head.
And then you say something along the line of "like a true man of values" and gaze out of the big windows overlooking the ocean bathed in the light of the setting sun.
** Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Germany further tightens asylum laws & the "no support in other countries" mantra
The argument that migrants or immigrants get no government support at all in other countries keeps cropping up in conversations about the European refugee crisis.
This really has to to with the long standing unproven claims by conservatives that many migrants come to Germany to collect social benefits and have no intention to work. Previously directed mostly at immigrants from some of the recent new EU member states, such as Poland, Romania, or Bulgaria, this claim is now being used for refugees.
Germany has tightened its asylum law twice within a year or so, extending the list of countries that are deemed "secure countries of origin", first to include Balkan states like Kosovo and Albania, now to include Northern African countries like Tunisia and Algeria, as well as imposing restrictions on refugees already present in Germany. Faster processing of claims and lowering the threshold for deportation are two other aspects of the new law.
Integration courses, in other words, the language courses migrants need to attend, used to be free, but in the future, refugees will have to contribute a co-pay of 10 Euros, which is not negligible if you only get a couple of hundred Euros monthly cash allowance.
Some German states are keeping refugees in communal centers for as long as possible because such refugees can claim only about 150 Euros in monthly cash benefits.
The most controversial change in last weeks "second asylum package", as they call the recent set of changes, lies in the restriction on bringing family into Germany. Sold to the public as a measure that would really not affect people out of Syria, it turns out, Syrian refugees would be affected, too.
Even worse, unaccompanied minors are set to lose the right to have their parents come to Germany within a period of two years. This has caused some upset in the junior partner of the Berlin government, the social democratic party.
The rationale for prohibiting parents of unaccompanied minors to follow their children is, in the opinion of the blogster, borderline barbaric. We saw a tweet by the office of the Christian Democratic Party (@cdurlp) of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate yesterday that justified the measure as follows: If we allow unaccompanied minors to bring their parents, we run the risk of parents sending their children to claim asylum and then bring the rest of the family.
You read that right.
Some German Christian Democrats are convinced that people in a refugee camp in the Middle East will send their teen to undertake a perilous, uncertain journey in order to get asylum for the family in Germany.
And what about those Germans who don't want to provide any support? They are either willing to let people die or don't know how Germany works.
There is no infrastructure in Germany for people who get no government support at all. Yes, it may sound strange to see "no infrastructure" and "no government support" in the same sentence, but Americans and others understand.
Americans may not like tent cities of homeless people right next to luxury malls, and cities may ban charities like Food Not Bombs from feeding the homeless in "middle class" neighborhoods, but there are spaces for them. Churches and volunteers provide food without asking for a government paper that certifies you are poor. There are doctors and nurses or med students who will provide care.
Germany doesn't have much of that. Tent cities like the "jungle" near the French city of Calais, are anathema around here.
Germans are very proud to have food banks these days, the biggest organization is known as Die Tafel (a fancy term for a table with food), founded in 1995. Needy people have to show an official benefits statement proving they are entitled to the basic means tested Hartz IV or equivalent SSI type benefits.
Recent reports detail the strain on the food banks in the wake of the refugee crisis and potential rationing of groceries by the organization.
France just recently passed a law that mandates super markets donate leftover groceries, but no such law is in the works in Germany. In fact, dumpster diving continues to be illegal in Germany and is still being prosecuted.
[Update 2/8/2016] The more restrictive rules outlined above are not enough for some. One of the Christian Democratic Party's deputies is already calling for even tougher ones. Among them: move the earliest date for gaining permanent residence status from three to five years, speak good German (not just "basic"), be able to support yourself.
Der Spiegel simply printed his claims, apparently unaware that Germany has two types of permanent residence, one of which you can get after three years, the second (that one equivalent to the US permanent residence status) after five years.
This really has to to with the long standing unproven claims by conservatives that many migrants come to Germany to collect social benefits and have no intention to work. Previously directed mostly at immigrants from some of the recent new EU member states, such as Poland, Romania, or Bulgaria, this claim is now being used for refugees.
Germany has tightened its asylum law twice within a year or so, extending the list of countries that are deemed "secure countries of origin", first to include Balkan states like Kosovo and Albania, now to include Northern African countries like Tunisia and Algeria, as well as imposing restrictions on refugees already present in Germany. Faster processing of claims and lowering the threshold for deportation are two other aspects of the new law.
Integration courses, in other words, the language courses migrants need to attend, used to be free, but in the future, refugees will have to contribute a co-pay of 10 Euros, which is not negligible if you only get a couple of hundred Euros monthly cash allowance.
Some German states are keeping refugees in communal centers for as long as possible because such refugees can claim only about 150 Euros in monthly cash benefits.
The most controversial change in last weeks "second asylum package", as they call the recent set of changes, lies in the restriction on bringing family into Germany. Sold to the public as a measure that would really not affect people out of Syria, it turns out, Syrian refugees would be affected, too.
Even worse, unaccompanied minors are set to lose the right to have their parents come to Germany within a period of two years. This has caused some upset in the junior partner of the Berlin government, the social democratic party.
The rationale for prohibiting parents of unaccompanied minors to follow their children is, in the opinion of the blogster, borderline barbaric. We saw a tweet by the office of the Christian Democratic Party (@cdurlp) of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate yesterday that justified the measure as follows: If we allow unaccompanied minors to bring their parents, we run the risk of parents sending their children to claim asylum and then bring the rest of the family.
You read that right.
Some German Christian Democrats are convinced that people in a refugee camp in the Middle East will send their teen to undertake a perilous, uncertain journey in order to get asylum for the family in Germany.
And what about those Germans who don't want to provide any support? They are either willing to let people die or don't know how Germany works.
There is no infrastructure in Germany for people who get no government support at all. Yes, it may sound strange to see "no infrastructure" and "no government support" in the same sentence, but Americans and others understand.
Americans may not like tent cities of homeless people right next to luxury malls, and cities may ban charities like Food Not Bombs from feeding the homeless in "middle class" neighborhoods, but there are spaces for them. Churches and volunteers provide food without asking for a government paper that certifies you are poor. There are doctors and nurses or med students who will provide care.
Germany doesn't have much of that. Tent cities like the "jungle" near the French city of Calais, are anathema around here.
Germans are very proud to have food banks these days, the biggest organization is known as Die Tafel (a fancy term for a table with food), founded in 1995. Needy people have to show an official benefits statement proving they are entitled to the basic means tested Hartz IV or equivalent SSI type benefits.
Recent reports detail the strain on the food banks in the wake of the refugee crisis and potential rationing of groceries by the organization.
France just recently passed a law that mandates super markets donate leftover groceries, but no such law is in the works in Germany. In fact, dumpster diving continues to be illegal in Germany and is still being prosecuted.
[Update 2/8/2016] The more restrictive rules outlined above are not enough for some. One of the Christian Democratic Party's deputies is already calling for even tougher ones. Among them: move the earliest date for gaining permanent residence status from three to five years, speak good German (not just "basic"), be able to support yourself.
Der Spiegel simply printed his claims, apparently unaware that Germany has two types of permanent residence, one of which you can get after three years, the second (that one equivalent to the US permanent residence status) after five years.
Friday, February 5, 2016
Rallying call "Separate propaganda from truth" - another German internet OpEd & how to fix things
Let's start with a fix of sorts: Google, Twitter and Facebook need to get themselves some bona fide foreigners on the Board of Directors. Facebook's Mr. Thiel might or might not count as one, depending on how you look at it.
Lobbying seems to have worked mostly, but over here in old Europe, there's some shrill stuff lobbed at, for the moment, mainly these three players.
Take this OpEd in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine: "Lies on the internet. Separate Propaganda from Truth!" [our translation of Lügen im Internet Trennt Propaganda von Wahrheit!] *
The lead in is "The internet has become ugly, hostile, and incensed. And now, it loses the truth, too. How a medium of enlightenment became an instrument of irritation."
The OpEd is well written, as you would expect from a professional journalist. So, it is tempered by praise of the net as "one of humanity's greatest cultural achievements". Criticism is couched in nice statements, for example, that tolerance is on the retreat in "numerous" areas, not a plain old "on the retreat".
There is the nod to the fact that the internet "is only as good as the people using it".
In between all of these are the claims:
1) Now, truth on the internet is getting lost.
2) It "increasingly becomes an instrument of irritation, disinformation, and propaganda".
Supporting facts?
Another claim, namely that "conspiracy theorists were a tiny minority until a few years ago" but that propagandists and swindlers now reach deep into "middle Germany", followed by rhetorical questions: Did Ukraine shoot down MH17, do refugees really steal goats from German petting zoos, can we really be sure that Berlin police is not covering up the alleged rape of the girl Lisa?
The examples come from Russian propaganda and obvious wingnuts.
They are published in a German paper that swallowed hook line and sinker the big lies that were used to get the West into all wars since Korea or to make them more palpable to us.
But "why does the truth have such difficulties"?.
"The more it [the net] turned into a mass medium, the more its character changed."
Blaming the unwashed and uneducated again. And so it is that "cat video beats a nature documentary, rant beats sophisticated argument. And the purely invented often displaces the truth."
The suggested solution sounds reasonable enough: search engines like Google need to find ways to differentiate better between credible sources and propaganda and conspiracy theories. Google has been working on this, but there is no mention in the OpEd, no mention either on search engines that strip your data before submitting a query - preventing personalization.
Easing into the next paragraph with "It is not censorship but taking responsibility" prepares for the gut punch: "No multinational company can forever let its products be a vector of division of society, fuel hate and distrust, help propaganda and lies."
By now, the bold statement that the internet "is only as good as the people using it" does not matter any more, does it?
These days, there are data on how many users trust news in social media - not many, it turns out in Are those nefarious social media bubbles a figment of our imagination?
And what does it say about an OpEd in a paper discussed in Who's afraid of Google? Turns out, lots of people.
Do you remember the yellow pages? Oh, you are not old enough, okay, then read why they also manipulated your world view in Google manipulates your world view? Stop yelping!
Oh, and no, we don't dislike Frankfurter Allgemeine reporting, only most of their OpEds.Yes, you could argue that the piece is not an OpEd because it doesn't appear in the OpEd bar near the bottom of the page. Which would make it infinitely worse because of the absence of research apart from a few quotes.
We do agree with the author that a cat video beats a nature documentary: His own newspaper has ample internet video evidence of that.
* You are welcome to criticize our translations here. We do believe they are accurate enough to support our reasoning.
[Update] Fixed typos, added italics to highlight quotes. Added sentences "Yes, you could argue..." and "We do agree..." re cat videos.
Lobbying seems to have worked mostly, but over here in old Europe, there's some shrill stuff lobbed at, for the moment, mainly these three players.
Take this OpEd in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine: "Lies on the internet. Separate Propaganda from Truth!" [our translation of Lügen im Internet Trennt Propaganda von Wahrheit!] *
The lead in is "The internet has become ugly, hostile, and incensed. And now, it loses the truth, too. How a medium of enlightenment became an instrument of irritation."
The OpEd is well written, as you would expect from a professional journalist. So, it is tempered by praise of the net as "one of humanity's greatest cultural achievements". Criticism is couched in nice statements, for example, that tolerance is on the retreat in "numerous" areas, not a plain old "on the retreat".
There is the nod to the fact that the internet "is only as good as the people using it".
In between all of these are the claims:
1) Now, truth on the internet is getting lost.
2) It "increasingly becomes an instrument of irritation, disinformation, and propaganda".
Supporting facts?
Another claim, namely that "conspiracy theorists were a tiny minority until a few years ago" but that propagandists and swindlers now reach deep into "middle Germany", followed by rhetorical questions: Did Ukraine shoot down MH17, do refugees really steal goats from German petting zoos, can we really be sure that Berlin police is not covering up the alleged rape of the girl Lisa?
The examples come from Russian propaganda and obvious wingnuts.
They are published in a German paper that swallowed hook line and sinker the big lies that were used to get the West into all wars since Korea or to make them more palpable to us.
But "why does the truth have such difficulties"?.
"The more it [the net] turned into a mass medium, the more its character changed."
Blaming the unwashed and uneducated again. And so it is that "cat video beats a nature documentary, rant beats sophisticated argument. And the purely invented often displaces the truth."
The suggested solution sounds reasonable enough: search engines like Google need to find ways to differentiate better between credible sources and propaganda and conspiracy theories. Google has been working on this, but there is no mention in the OpEd, no mention either on search engines that strip your data before submitting a query - preventing personalization.
Easing into the next paragraph with "It is not censorship but taking responsibility" prepares for the gut punch: "No multinational company can forever let its products be a vector of division of society, fuel hate and distrust, help propaganda and lies."
By now, the bold statement that the internet "is only as good as the people using it" does not matter any more, does it?
These days, there are data on how many users trust news in social media - not many, it turns out in Are those nefarious social media bubbles a figment of our imagination?
And what does it say about an OpEd in a paper discussed in Who's afraid of Google? Turns out, lots of people.
Do you remember the yellow pages? Oh, you are not old enough, okay, then read why they also manipulated your world view in Google manipulates your world view? Stop yelping!
Oh, and no, we don't dislike Frankfurter Allgemeine reporting, only most of their OpEds.Yes, you could argue that the piece is not an OpEd because it doesn't appear in the OpEd bar near the bottom of the page. Which would make it infinitely worse because of the absence of research apart from a few quotes.
We do agree with the author that a cat video beats a nature documentary: His own newspaper has ample internet video evidence of that.
* You are welcome to criticize our translations here. We do believe they are accurate enough to support our reasoning.
[Update] Fixed typos, added italics to highlight quotes. Added sentences "Yes, you could argue..." and "We do agree..." re cat videos.
Korean tacos and burritos coming to Germany soon
That's a prediction, based on demography and the fact that Kimchi just recently showed up at the Ausländer shop we go to once a month or so to stock up on ingredients during a "trip to the city".
Which is a big deal for us hillbillies. *
The shop has all the good stuff German run grocery stores either don't carry at all or offer at moon prices. Unless you think buying taco ingredients as a "Taco kit" at a price that matches last week's special offer from the pharmacy in town - 10 aspirin tablets with Vitamin C for 5.95 Euros (six or so dollares) - is a good deal, you go to the foreigner run shop.
Which is where you can now get Kimchi, or as the Germans call it Koreanisches Sauerkraut.
Korean tacos have been around for several years in the U.S., hailed as one the many "fusion" cuisines. Want to try some? Recipes are here and a steak taco version is here.
The usual caveat for foreign food applies: just as sound can affect the taste of food, it is wll known that the surroundings. Which does not mean that Mexican food in Germany would be any better if you had it in Mexico - sorry about that one.
But hanging out, say, at a noisy Korean restaurant just outside the surreal night time wilderness of the Port of Los Angeles certainly makes it more "authentic". By the way, if you have never been to the Port of LA and the adjacent industrial area, at night, they do look like the landscape in Grand Theft or any truck and shoot 'em up video game you have ever played.
If you happen to be a restauranteur in Germany and are inspired by this post to add Korean tacos and burritos to your menu, let us know.
Since it's carnival time and we are talking fusion cuisine, you might want to try New Orleans style rice doughnuts, Calas, too. Here is our recipe in German.
* Hillbillies R us
Which is a big deal for us hillbillies. *
The shop has all the good stuff German run grocery stores either don't carry at all or offer at moon prices. Unless you think buying taco ingredients as a "Taco kit" at a price that matches last week's special offer from the pharmacy in town - 10 aspirin tablets with Vitamin C for 5.95 Euros (six or so dollares) - is a good deal, you go to the foreigner run shop.
Which is where you can now get Kimchi, or as the Germans call it Koreanisches Sauerkraut.
Korean tacos have been around for several years in the U.S., hailed as one the many "fusion" cuisines. Want to try some? Recipes are here and a steak taco version is here.
The usual caveat for foreign food applies: just as sound can affect the taste of food, it is wll known that the surroundings. Which does not mean that Mexican food in Germany would be any better if you had it in Mexico - sorry about that one.
But hanging out, say, at a noisy Korean restaurant just outside the surreal night time wilderness of the Port of Los Angeles certainly makes it more "authentic". By the way, if you have never been to the Port of LA and the adjacent industrial area, at night, they do look like the landscape in Grand Theft or any truck and shoot 'em up video game you have ever played.
If you happen to be a restauranteur in Germany and are inspired by this post to add Korean tacos and burritos to your menu, let us know.
Since it's carnival time and we are talking fusion cuisine, you might want to try New Orleans style rice doughnuts, Calas, too. Here is our recipe in German.
* Hillbillies R us
Thursday, February 4, 2016
The Turkish connection in the video of an arrested Germany based IS sympathizer
The Washington based Middle East Media Research Institute TV Monitor Project collects and translates clips from the region and elsewhere and recently added clip #5290 - Frankfurt-Based Syrian Activist Dr. M. F: "This Is Why I Support the Islamic State".
German police arrested the man, a postgraduate student at the Darmstadt technical university on 2 Feb 2016. The article explains that the shortened video had been posted on the Facebook page of a German politician the previous Sunday and that many callers had contacted the university after the weekend.
Facebook deleted M.F.'s account, so we cannot see the history, but his Twitter account is still up. The article reporting his arrest mentions that the university had no previous indication of his sympathies for IS/Daesh.
Missing from the article is any mention of possible indications the German authorities might have had. The Twitter account, dormant for two years, saw its first tweet in early July 2015, and this tweet clearly expresses sympathies for IS.
While there was not much activity on the Twitter account, with fewer than 50 tweets until the February 2016 arrest, they were all very unambiguously pro IS.
The MEMRI video is about 8 out of the 52 minutes of the original video (on YouTube). Sitting behind a desk, with a laptop and a glass of water as well as a script in front of him, the young man has a clear statement: Let me explain why I support the Islamic State.
A book shelf behind him indicates that he is in a room that appears to be an office of an entity related to Turkey. There are two small flags on the bookshelf, one a flag of Turkey, the other a corporate flag with a fairly modern looking logo and a text that appears to end in "group". This may or may not be his place of work, assuming that the grant he received from the Syrian government ended in 2011 as reported in the article, and he needed to earn money.
The edges of the book shelf, the contents, as well as the chair seem to indicate that the video was not recorded in Germany. Unless we are looking at a very conservative Turkish business in Germany.
In the video, F. blames the U.S. for allegedly trying to destroy the Sunni Muslims of Syria and Iraq in cooperation with local helpers and launches into an all out Sharia-based "explanation" of IS with gory details of killings.
F.'s demeanor is rather calm and focused on the camera, with very few glances to the sides, once to the computer on his right, later to the left and up. It is not clear if someone else was in the room during the taping, although his body language can be read as supporting this hypothesis.
The blogster would really like to know what the Turkish connection in the video is. So, here is a partial screenshot of the bookshelf with the flags and some other interesting items.
Get in touch if you have any information on these items:
[Update 2/6/2016]
Found a Facebook account after going through all links on the still active Twitter account].
The full length YouTube video has been removed.
German police arrested the man, a postgraduate student at the Darmstadt technical university on 2 Feb 2016. The article explains that the shortened video had been posted on the Facebook page of a German politician the previous Sunday and that many callers had contacted the university after the weekend.
Facebook deleted M.F.'s account, so we cannot see the history, but his Twitter account is still up. The article reporting his arrest mentions that the university had no previous indication of his sympathies for IS/Daesh.
Missing from the article is any mention of possible indications the German authorities might have had. The Twitter account, dormant for two years, saw its first tweet in early July 2015, and this tweet clearly expresses sympathies for IS.
While there was not much activity on the Twitter account, with fewer than 50 tweets until the February 2016 arrest, they were all very unambiguously pro IS.
The MEMRI video is about 8 out of the 52 minutes of the original video (on YouTube). Sitting behind a desk, with a laptop and a glass of water as well as a script in front of him, the young man has a clear statement: Let me explain why I support the Islamic State.
A book shelf behind him indicates that he is in a room that appears to be an office of an entity related to Turkey. There are two small flags on the bookshelf, one a flag of Turkey, the other a corporate flag with a fairly modern looking logo and a text that appears to end in "group". This may or may not be his place of work, assuming that the grant he received from the Syrian government ended in 2011 as reported in the article, and he needed to earn money.
The edges of the book shelf, the contents, as well as the chair seem to indicate that the video was not recorded in Germany. Unless we are looking at a very conservative Turkish business in Germany.
In the video, F. blames the U.S. for allegedly trying to destroy the Sunni Muslims of Syria and Iraq in cooperation with local helpers and launches into an all out Sharia-based "explanation" of IS with gory details of killings.
F.'s demeanor is rather calm and focused on the camera, with very few glances to the sides, once to the computer on his right, later to the left and up. It is not clear if someone else was in the room during the taping, although his body language can be read as supporting this hypothesis.
The blogster would really like to know what the Turkish connection in the video is. So, here is a partial screenshot of the bookshelf with the flags and some other interesting items.
Get in touch if you have any information on these items:
[Update 2/6/2016]
Found a Facebook account after going through all links on the still active Twitter account].
The full length YouTube video has been removed.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Relax - you cannot be addicted to all of the internet
Despite the fact that there are "internet addiction tests" all over - well - the internet, saying that someone is "addicted to the internet" makes the blogster cringe.
Of much greater interest are specialized quizzes on gaming, gambling, online sex and others.
We could tell you to go and take some quizzes and get help if needed, but, of course, that's not how we do things. The feeling of unease regarding any generic quiz is also caused by the evaluation point system.
If you check what appears to be a widely used quiz by an expert psychologist, you will find that only the range 0 - 30 points says you have no addiction at all. 31 - 49 points already comes with the label "MILD", although the explanation states you are an average user.
Like with other addictions, addiction to internet offers and features comes with value judgments attached. Take this statement:
If your Internet use pattern interferes with your life in any way shape or form, (e.g. does it impact your work, family life, relationships, school, etc.) you may have a problem.
Replace "internet use pattern" with your favorite socially accepted hobby.
If "lying or hiding the extent or nature of your online behavior" is a problem, what does the NPR report that 13 million Americans are hiding a bank account from their spouses and partners tell us?
Sure, you may call the latter caution in the face of modern divorce laws, but is there a fundamental difference between hiding your online behavior and hiding a bank account?
The good news - or the bad if you belong to one of these groups - is this:
National surveys revealed that over 70% of Internet addicts also suffered from other addictions, mainly to drugs, alcohol, smoking, and sex.
Life disrupting problems from addiction to internet features or sites can be treated through counseling and, as Dr. Young says on her website, with a Twelve Step technique similar to AA/NA.
Even if you are an "average user", it is actually fun to put aside the computer or smart phone and forego non-essential use for some time. Not religiously, a smart phone is a phone after all, and there is no reason to go back to paper maps merely to make a point.
In case you feel overwhelmed by the thought of not using the beloved digital helpers, there are plenty of activities that entail reduced use of the internet. For example, become a member of a Renaissance Fair guild or work a RenFair to limit use to breaks.
A job in an Amazon warehouse or behind the counter of a McDonald's, to name only two, will have the same effect. But they are not as much fun.
Of much greater interest are specialized quizzes on gaming, gambling, online sex and others.
We could tell you to go and take some quizzes and get help if needed, but, of course, that's not how we do things. The feeling of unease regarding any generic quiz is also caused by the evaluation point system.
If you check what appears to be a widely used quiz by an expert psychologist, you will find that only the range 0 - 30 points says you have no addiction at all. 31 - 49 points already comes with the label "MILD", although the explanation states you are an average user.
Like with other addictions, addiction to internet offers and features comes with value judgments attached. Take this statement:
If your Internet use pattern interferes with your life in any way shape or form, (e.g. does it impact your work, family life, relationships, school, etc.) you may have a problem.
Replace "internet use pattern" with your favorite socially accepted hobby.
If "lying or hiding the extent or nature of your online behavior" is a problem, what does the NPR report that 13 million Americans are hiding a bank account from their spouses and partners tell us?
Sure, you may call the latter caution in the face of modern divorce laws, but is there a fundamental difference between hiding your online behavior and hiding a bank account?
The good news - or the bad if you belong to one of these groups - is this:
National surveys revealed that over 70% of Internet addicts also suffered from other addictions, mainly to drugs, alcohol, smoking, and sex.
Life disrupting problems from addiction to internet features or sites can be treated through counseling and, as Dr. Young says on her website, with a Twelve Step technique similar to AA/NA.
Even if you are an "average user", it is actually fun to put aside the computer or smart phone and forego non-essential use for some time. Not religiously, a smart phone is a phone after all, and there is no reason to go back to paper maps merely to make a point.
In case you feel overwhelmed by the thought of not using the beloved digital helpers, there are plenty of activities that entail reduced use of the internet. For example, become a member of a Renaissance Fair guild or work a RenFair to limit use to breaks.
A job in an Amazon warehouse or behind the counter of a McDonald's, to name only two, will have the same effect. But they are not as much fun.
Monday, February 1, 2016
German women storm town halls & other carnival customs
A group of female town employees, some masked, gather one Thursday morning outside of the mayor's office. At least two or three are armed with scissors, another carries a heavy champagne bottle by the neck - a formidable weapon in experienced hands.
Too early, whispers one, 11:11 - countrywide.
In old Hollywood movies, they would now synchronize their wrist watches with a mix of gravitas and anticipation.
Instead, they just look at their smartphones.
Now.
One opens the door to the secretary's office, the others rush in, turn towards the mayor's office and repeat the drill. The ladies start to shout as they rush the chief executive's office. To foreign ears, their cry sounds like some sort of battle cry, nothing you'd learn in the six weeks of "integration course" German lessons. Sounds like "all off and hey, laa", a source told the blogster. ** The secretary, in on the plans, silently picks up her government issued scissors and follows the group into the chief's office.
The mayor is sitting at his desk, with a wry smile, both hands on the desk as two women with scissors raised close in on him, one from either side of the broad desk, blocking his escape.
One of the ladies grabs his tie, lifts it, and with one swift, experienced move, cuts the tie just inches from his chin.
Out, out, out!
The mayor gets up and takes a step towards the door. "Here, don't forget your coat", the secretary says, handing him his jacket. With the gait of a man resigned to defeat but certain of a reversal of fortune in his favor, the mayor steps outside into a chilly German February day to declare the ladies' takeover of the town to the assembled press and local citizens.
Champagne cork pops, glasses appear out of nowhere.
This, more or less, describes the ritual in many German towns and cities on the Thursday before the final week of carnival. The temporary outing of the mayor as well as managers in other government administrations and companies is a long standing tradition. Contrary to the beliefs of some nay sayers, the tie cutting is not sponsored by German or international tie makers.
It merely symbolizes the loss of power - and the loss of a male appendage.
Before you ask: no, the blogster has no idea what form the ritual takes if the mayor is a woman. But, promise, we'll find out for you.
American officials in Germany go through the same ritual if they have local national employees. Some stubborn ones are known to have refused, most play along.
Everybody knows carnival is a time of sanctioned excess, of temporary madness, but the sexual side normally does not make the news in any sort of explicit explanation. It's understood - from the very short dresses in freezing weather to the loud, drunk hugging and kissing of strangers.
Then there are the usual suspects in the clash of cultures: blackface is still common during German carnival. And so are Wild West floats with a noose.
In 2016, however, things are different, according to this article in Zeit online. German towns and cities feel the need to explain the native customs to refugees, so flyers in Arabic and other languages are being handed out.
The need for an explanation can be understood better against the widespread molestation of and attacks on women on new year's eve in several cities, among them one of Germany's biggest carnival cities, Cologne.
The blogster has not seen any of the flyers, but according to the article, the sexual side of the festivities may not be explained well enough.
By next week, we'll know.
Given the current climate in the country, there will probably be some less than cheerful headlines, some reports of transgression by "people from a migrant background".
But, as long as tabloid BILD and others don't single out the second generation immigrant ladies mingled in with their German co-workers, scissors in hands, we can hope that this year's days of debauchery go well.
[Update 2/1/2016] Added: "Then there are the...to noose"
** Those chants are actually "Alaaf" and "Helau", two of the regional carnival greetings.
Too early, whispers one, 11:11 - countrywide.
In old Hollywood movies, they would now synchronize their wrist watches with a mix of gravitas and anticipation.
Instead, they just look at their smartphones.
Now.
One opens the door to the secretary's office, the others rush in, turn towards the mayor's office and repeat the drill. The ladies start to shout as they rush the chief executive's office. To foreign ears, their cry sounds like some sort of battle cry, nothing you'd learn in the six weeks of "integration course" German lessons. Sounds like "all off and hey, laa", a source told the blogster. ** The secretary, in on the plans, silently picks up her government issued scissors and follows the group into the chief's office.
The mayor is sitting at his desk, with a wry smile, both hands on the desk as two women with scissors raised close in on him, one from either side of the broad desk, blocking his escape.
One of the ladies grabs his tie, lifts it, and with one swift, experienced move, cuts the tie just inches from his chin.
Out, out, out!
The mayor gets up and takes a step towards the door. "Here, don't forget your coat", the secretary says, handing him his jacket. With the gait of a man resigned to defeat but certain of a reversal of fortune in his favor, the mayor steps outside into a chilly German February day to declare the ladies' takeover of the town to the assembled press and local citizens.
Champagne cork pops, glasses appear out of nowhere.
This, more or less, describes the ritual in many German towns and cities on the Thursday before the final week of carnival. The temporary outing of the mayor as well as managers in other government administrations and companies is a long standing tradition. Contrary to the beliefs of some nay sayers, the tie cutting is not sponsored by German or international tie makers.
It merely symbolizes the loss of power - and the loss of a male appendage.
Before you ask: no, the blogster has no idea what form the ritual takes if the mayor is a woman. But, promise, we'll find out for you.
American officials in Germany go through the same ritual if they have local national employees. Some stubborn ones are known to have refused, most play along.
Everybody knows carnival is a time of sanctioned excess, of temporary madness, but the sexual side normally does not make the news in any sort of explicit explanation. It's understood - from the very short dresses in freezing weather to the loud, drunk hugging and kissing of strangers.
Then there are the usual suspects in the clash of cultures: blackface is still common during German carnival. And so are Wild West floats with a noose.
In 2016, however, things are different, according to this article in Zeit online. German towns and cities feel the need to explain the native customs to refugees, so flyers in Arabic and other languages are being handed out.
The need for an explanation can be understood better against the widespread molestation of and attacks on women on new year's eve in several cities, among them one of Germany's biggest carnival cities, Cologne.
The blogster has not seen any of the flyers, but according to the article, the sexual side of the festivities may not be explained well enough.
By next week, we'll know.
Given the current climate in the country, there will probably be some less than cheerful headlines, some reports of transgression by "people from a migrant background".
But, as long as tabloid BILD and others don't single out the second generation immigrant ladies mingled in with their German co-workers, scissors in hands, we can hope that this year's days of debauchery go well.
[Update 2/1/2016] Added: "Then there are the...to noose"
** Those chants are actually "Alaaf" and "Helau", two of the regional carnival greetings.
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