Money for Pakistan

Now, southern province of Pakistan is affected. In Germany, all TV channels are constantly calling for donations....last night, 8 million euros donated alone! Impressive. 

Wildfires in Russia Continue to Burn

Wildfires in Russia are  still partiallyout of control. Flames are also raging around Tschernobyl, potentially causing the release of radioactive particles into the air, government officials warn. Moscow is still under a thick smog blanket. See Pravda photogallery for image documentation.

Moon Rock & Perspective

"Whenever arguments [...] heated up beyond reason, I would interrupt and say, 'You see that rock? It's 3.6 billion years old (moon rock). We're all just passing through. Let's calm down and go back to work'. That moon rock gave me a whole different perspective on history and the proverbial 'long run'. Our job is to live as well and as long as we can, and to help others to do the same. [...] All we have is the moment." (Bill Clinton's My Life, 2002)

Nuclear Waste in Germany

Nuclear waste is hard to dispose of. Often far-away countries or the oceans serve as dumping grounds, but this time a deserted salt mine in Lower Saxony/Germany tells the story. Having been a deceptively safe 'storage' of Germany's nuclear waste for almost 50 years, the mine has grown instable, is filling with water and on the verge of collapsing. Now, a new solution must be found quickly before more radioactive water leaks into the environment. (National Geographic)

This is how it looks above the hazardous source:

Ticket Prices in England 2010

The Guardian (29/06/2010) compared ticket prices and revealed a stunning number for football tickets...

Worldcup Chatter

I chatted with an English academic about football, the classic game England vs. Germany in particular.
He coolly said that the best team should win. However, upon leaving the room he mumbled: “But my money is on Germany” and grinned all over his face. Well, Germany won (4-1).

Journey to Mecca - Watch the Trailer

The film Journey to Mecca  is about Ibn Battuta, a great explorer of the 14th century, whose journey started 1325 in Tangier and ended 1326 in Mecca. It was an adventure, dramatic and perilous, marking the first Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca) as made by millions of Muslims today. Watch the trailer here.

Satellite - Love - Eurovision

How does that go together? Well, easy: A love song called 'Satellite' wins the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo. And it was Lena who sang and won for Germany. Nice surprise. As an expatriat living in the UK I heard of Germany's victory several days later and checked out the song. Well, I am surprised that she won. Was it because of her cheaky innocence, the casual freshness and clumsy dancing? Well, whatever the reason, she won! She touched people's minds, which is more important than a perfect voice or perfect artistic performance. Hear the song here.   (Photo: Amazon)

Second World War Bombs Still Kill

In Goettingen,in the heartland of Germany, a 500kg bomb from the time of World War II was found during excavation works to build a stadium. The alerted specialists, experienced sappers and combat engineers, evacuated the surrounding area immediately and initiated defuse action. But before they  could actually deactivate the bomb, it exploded. 3 specialists died. Bombs, which where dropped by allied air fighters in the 1940s, are still found quite often. Normally they do not explode unexpectedly, but they become increasingly instable with age. Sadly, despite its official end 65 years ago, WW II has claimed further three casualties. (Adapted from BBC; Photo: Spiegel)

World Famines (1693-2005)

A report dealing with historical famines caught my eye. 2 countries are re-occuring, such being China and Russia, mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries. China lost approximately 32 million people to hunger and Russia approximately 16 million in the course of ca. 100 years to famine only. The reasons for those famines (listed in 'Observations') range from merely natural ones such as drought or floods to political ones such as war and policy failure.

(Source: Survival. Global Politics and Strategy. June-July 2009. Vol. 51 No.3)

Film Reel

Soon, film reels will be historical artefacts.....

Mother Teresa & Confidence

"Mother Teresa's famous observation that she knew God would never giver her a heavier burden than she could carry, but sometimes she wished He didn't have so much confidence in her." (Bill Clinton, My Life, 2002)

Advocating Social Justice

Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, restlessly advocating social justice, said: "A dying person does not have time for the peripheral or the accidental ...it is wrong to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and division." (from Clinton's book My Life, 2004)