so indicates this article on unemployment in Germany. This isn't really a new issue regulatory and social costs have been crushing the Germany economy during Kohl and Schroeder era as well. I never expected Kohl would reform it. When I first saw Schroeder speak, a few weeks before he was elected Chancellor, I had hopes he might be able to pass a reform package between moderates from his party and perhaps other members of the Budestag like the CDU/CSU and FDP. Sadly it never materialized into reality. Because of that I can believe what the article says about the modern state of Germany.

I have one German friend who has over 10 years experience in Trans-Atlantic business development, he's pretty good at it. That said he doesn't have a degree just plenty of real world experience. He can't get a job doing business development in Germany so he works in the US instead.

The article mentions "Today's emigrants are more likely to choose Canada, New Zealand and Australia, or, within Europe, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands." I can easily believe this because the current US immigration process discourages many qualified people who might come here. One good friend tired of the process and returned to Germany. A major frustration he had was he realized the illegal alien emptying his trash cans at his work was in the same country he was without paying the fees or dealing with government red tape, so why should he bother?

I have heard many other similar stories from Germans over the years. Germany's stagnation without major economic and social reform will continue to make us look like a Utopia by comparison even with the problems we face.

Sadly the story of Schroeder's move from Chancellor of Germany to a Russian Oil Company hasn't gotten much media coverage. Especially funny from the German press because had it been a Bush official they would have been all over the story. Frankly he and Clinton terms of leadership are marked by similarities, both talked a good game before entering office and never could pull together support inside their own party to make anything good happen. If not for the Republicans and CDU/CSU neither would have had any major victories (even with them having to be shared). A waste really.

For more check out this post at Medienkritik

I have always had an interest in German-American relations since the Wall fell and I studied there. Today brings us a diverse coverage of the topic with a blog carnival on the subject, check it out.

Sometimes reality is just too funny.

Wandering the web, looking for nothing in particular and came across this page for Tuebingen including a webcamera. Wednesday mornings they have a farmers-community market and as I look they are setting up. Cheap veggies, good cheese and meat, even Zweibel Gebacken (German baked onion pie). Brings back good memories of Germany and reminder I really ought to go back at some point to work on my German and have fun.

A German couple who went to a fertility clinic after eight years of marriage have found out why they are still childless - they weren't having sex.

No this isn't a joke and knowing Germans it may well be that they thought they needed permission to have sex.

You may think I am joking but I once invited a friend to play golf with some friends. His response was classic German "and who gives me permission to Golf?" I told him I did. Evidently in Germany you go to the hitting range with a golf Pro until you can hit the ball well enough for them to allow you to play. By that standard I'd never make it on a golf course there.

So I can't help but wonder if they were waiting for someone to authorize them to have sex.

The Berlin Wall coming down was a definitive moment to me, while I was headed towards working politics before that those events in November it did crystalize my interest in working in politics and international affairs. So here is a link to a tribute to Chris Gueffory the last person to shot while trying to cross the Wall. He was shot 13 years ago, yesterday. We can't let people like this be forgotten.

Hegel Goethe & Tübingen

I was looking up some information on Philosopher's for a comment on the Small Pieces blog, if you have read the book or interested in it, I would recommend checking it out. Anyways, I ran into this page about Hegel and it reminded me of my studies in Tübingen. For those of you who don't know Germans all that well, they put signs on everything, every historic stone, park bench, or street. Often for something rather insignificant. Hegel studied in Tübingen, so the students be smartass in nature decided to honor the philosopher. Specifically in the middle of the Old Town there is a large church, but right across the street is a bar, right over the top of the bar is a window with the sign "Hegel kotzten hier!" or Hegel got sick here (from drinking too much). I have always found it rather humorous, in fact I bought a postcard of it while I was in town and I will have to scan and post it. POSTSCRIPT: Damn, I wrote all this and then remember it was Goethe on the sign not Hegel. It's still a funny sign regardless. Also if you go to the link for Tübingen check out their webcamera, it has a great view of the marketplace.

An old buddy of mine's kid is hilarious "Nutella...like chocolate gravy". So true, so wrong, so very, very cool. For those of you not in the know, Nutella is amazing, I learned of it in college in Germany and haven't lived without a jar nearby ever since. In fact (Thomas looks into desk drawer) there is a jar in my desk as I type.

I saw this article on my lunch hour about this Iceman in Bozan (or Bolzano), Italy. Home to a good friend of mine, Rainhard(he's the one in the blue shirt, I am wearing the red). He was kind enough to show me about when I visited this summer, even taking me to the Museum and I got to see the Iceman. If you ever ever in Bozan, I highly recommend checking it out.

Let's think people...

Those who know me, know I ain't a tree-hugging wacko but I do fully support responsible efforts like recycling and energy conservation. Anyways you know my interest in Germany, I studied over there and I am fairly active in events around town, funny thing is I get a fax from a German think-tank (not all that unusual), but here is the kicker, it's from the Green's think tank. The Green party that promotes responsibility in regards of the environment is spewing out paper all over DC, you'd think they would get with the time and have an email system, faster, cheaper, and more environmental friendly. How can we expect leadership in technology and environmentalism when the supposedly Green organizations are still using 20th century systems. Strikes me as silly, if any of the Greens want some help, hire me I'll be happy to help you modernize, economize, and environmentalize. :-)

Saw a movie Friday night, Der Ueberfall (in German or in English "The Hold Up") Most German movies are not that different from American movie, they often carry deeper meanings...but not really that different. I have seen alot of German films in the last 10 years or so, everything from early silent films "The Student from Prague" to Fritz Lang to Fassbinder to the Modern ones. While no expert I appreciate the ideas they are based on and the time periods they reflect. While I carry myself a simpleton...I do understand the background a bit. But this was a film where all the German speaking friends walked out of looked at each other asked "what the fuck was that?" Granted it was Austrian, but still we should understand it, very odd film, claimed to be comedy, but while it had it's funny momments, it certainly wasn't a comedy. Interesting film nevertheless.