I had hope that the chalice would bypass me, but, since half the day already passed and nobody stepped up I will give you my summary of what is happening in Germany.
First of all - and I know how strange this will sound for a German and how peculiar it might be for others that it is strange for a German to say such a thing - our prayers are with you jandsm and your family at this time.
So I thought I have a bit on religiosity in Germany, plus two hundred grams of Stoiber and Merkel, then some uplifting Fischer and as a bonus dollop a birthday congratulation and a poem:"ottos mops"
Back to Stoiber - another quote has come out, which caused angry reaction accross the CDU and all across East-Germany. Because: While he said:
"It can't be that the frustated decide about the fate of Germany!"
"Are you (refering to East Germans) stupid, only the most stupid sheep choose their butchers themselves."
This caused quite a storm again so the SPD was able to say they are West-German separatists. Well we will have to see what the overall consequences are. In my opinion, however populist this statements are, they do touch on a nerve of a lot of people in Germany, who do blame the East and their "ungrateful cousins" for their own economic situation. Jerome had some good statistics which counters this a while back, but I cannot find that in the moment.
And then there is also Joschka Fischer
It has become more silent about him - most people would like to see him as a foreign minister, but with the SPD?
Well it is Emmanuelle Bearts birthday today. You might say, what does that have to do with Germany. Well she is popular in Germany as well, what other reason does one need.
ottos mops
ottos mops trotzt otto: fort mops fort ottos mops hopst fort otto: soso
otto holt koks otto holt obst otto horcht otto: mops mops otto hofft
ottos mops klopft otto: komm mops komm ottos mops kommt ottos mops kotzt otto: ogottogott
I'd actually be interested in a discussion on religion from the European perspective. There's too much religion in US politics, way too much (well, of course I'd think that as I think that) there is still too much of it in Europe, but we've learnt to channel it into less disruptive ways. The German institutionalisation of the churches (which is also visible, in a twist of fate, in Alsace-Moselle as these laws came into force when it was part of Germany and were never repealed when it came back into France - so the archbishop of Strasbourg is officially named by the President of France) would certainly be worth a diary of its own...
And please post pictures of Emmanuelle Beart as much as you like! In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
And here in rural Bavaria, church membership is definitely a societal thing. One of my friends just finished medical school, and is a bit worried that she wouldn't be able to get a place at a Catholic hospital around here, because she took her religion Abitur test in Ethics instead of Catholicism (she was raised Catholic, but thought the school classes were stupid).
