Not socialism.
Der Spiegel (in English):
As the United States Supreme Court considers whether requiring people to have health insurance is unconstitutional, Germans are bewildered as to why so many Americans appear to be against universal coverage.
And the questions that no conservative American can ever answer:
Don’t Religious Americans Love Their Neighbors?
A German documentary on ZDF sheds light on the reality of what is left of the country formerly known as Greece?
How will this continue? How can this continue?
Endorsed gay marriage.
Watching a country grow up is sometimes exhilarating and sometimes feels like a clusterfuck.
German politicians want to boycott the European Soccer Championships. Six weeks ahead of the Games. Hope they can get this solved before the players hit the field, would hate for the players to miss this opportunity. But I do think it’s important to take a stand.
Urg, I thought we were over this by now… it’s 2012 leaders of the world, come on, get your act together.
After their first victory in Berlin in September the Pirate Party has won seats in a state-wide election in Saarland.
(Link is to the German Live-ticker of Focus Magazine)
Germany elected Joachim Gauck as its president on Sunday. The former East German civil rights campaigner and later head of the vast Stasi archive will face a tough task in restoring the reputation of the office, after his two predecessors resigned within just two years. But German editorialists believe the 72-year-old is up to the task.
Fascinating character.
The German President: The position of German president is largely ceremonial, but he or she is expected to be the nation’s moral compass.
President Obama sings “Sweet Home Chicago” with Mick Jagger and B.B. King. Even Jason liked it.
Der Spiegel highlights what’s important:
That may make for good TV, but it’s the voters who pay. CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer tried to heighten the drama by asking absurd questions about US colonies on the moon, Swiss bank accounts, and Puerto Rican statehood, not to mention which of the four candidates’ wives would make the best first lady.
Lots of people in my town, Olympia, a state capitol are very involved in politics. Not a bad thing, and here is some encouragement from someone young, who is making it happen:
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s newly installed treasurer, John Campbell is a 23-year-old college student.
This is for you, Rob Richards.
Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge
For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.
Read the comments at the bottom of the article. It says what the article doesn’t.
Notes From a Guantánamo Survivor in the NYTimes:
Still, it is hard not to think about my time at Guantánamo and to wonder how it is possible that a democratic government can detain people in intolerable conditions and without a fair trial.
Killers aren’t diverted from their mission to destroy
Assigned to the demoralized
The course of dreamers hypnotized
Killer’s promiscuity infects his false security
When forced to use his intellect
To trace the path of righteousness
Lyrics by Saviour Machine.
My good friend Emmett taught me the word ‘metonymy‘ in respect to our home town which is the State Capital of Washington thus lots of political business is often referred to as “from Olympia”. Or Olympia gets blamed for this and that.
Here is another one : ‘Europe’. While referring to a political system Republicans are trying to distance themselves from in their own country in hopes for votes from people who can only vote of something if there is a strong enemy build up they are ‘fighting against’.
Right of America, it gets old. Wake up and grow up. There is no ‘stars and stripes’ in ‘world’.
The Obama Router Challenge:
Imagine how many people would see this anonymous promotion over the next year if One Million of us decided to spend 5 minutes changing our wireless router name to: OBAMA_2012
The Berlin Pirate Party used this idea as one of their campaign promotion tricks. Well, it got them elected!
“Anonymous” hackers have declared “Blitzkrieg” on neo-Nazis for the New Year, disabling a number of their websites and publishing lists of extreme-right supporters.
Using the internet in the best possible way.
Wow… Ron Paul ad on foreign policy. Love the message, so refreshing for an American politician.
He should become Secretary of State. As President I still wouldn’t trust him.
That’s why leadership is so crucial.
Canada is under fire for exiting the Kyoto Protocol just one day after UN climate talks ended with an agreement to extend the treaty. Putting financial interests ahead of environmental commitments is an affront to global climate protection efforts…