Baader Meinhoff Reaction

I'm not sure why, but I actually found it pretty interesting.  Reading the subtitles and keeping track of the action is always a chore with foreign films, but  it always feels more authentic if the supposed German people are actually speaking German...It was kind of weird to see how these (at the beginning) somewhat normal people with strong ideals made a drastic transformation into violent political radicals.  These normal people who were taking things way too seriously (in my opinion, but I don't even vote.....) just became fixated on these ideals (mostly concerned with the idea of a greater good) until they kind of lost sight of what they were doing and let it consume them.  What they did was absolutely terrorism.  Their need to speak out against institutional policy eventually became an impulse to actually "do something about it."  But as time goes on, their cause becomes twisted to fit the ideals of new and more violent "activists" giving way to more and more extreme ways to kill the innocent citizens standing between themselves and the Institutions that they initially aim to target.  This is almost exactly what is happening now with the War on Terror.  An influential few use their power to forge a motive for a mass movement against an institution (in this case, the USA) and eventually the original purpose is lost among the escalating violence that has now taken center-stage.  The Reason evolves into pure, irrational, irreconcilable hatred.  Most conflicts boil down to an ignorance that spurs a cultural conflict (that is my standard criteria for why war exists).

Gender Roles of the 18th Century

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1xiwnyRKp7SioQPGqt5qw47zK_HPbf0LnzQ_wlRIfZKg&hl=en#

Class Discussion Part 1: All Quiet on the Western Front

Paul Baumer and his high school classmates thrust themselves into a war with ideas of nationalism and duty, but as the war went on it became less about the greater good and more about individual survival.  At times they fought with ferocity, but these young men were not particularly aggressive in nature; it's part of the human condition to instinctually respond to a threat.  The drill Sgt. Himmelstoss was a man of low stature in the civilian world, and when given a position of leadership in the Army, he abused his power out of a need to feel more authoritative/important.  This is a reflection of the mentality of Germany at the time.  They never had a national identity and tried to force one upon the world through the use of authority.  Though fiction, many of the stories are drawn from experiences of the author and soldiers in the field hospitals.  The realness and detail of it contributed to the book's success, and appealed to the survivors of the lost generation who went through the traumas of the war. 

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is in the the North-East corner of Germany, and it surrounds but does not include Berlin which is a state in itself.  It has a population of about 2,511,525.  I would compare the size of the State to Maine in the U.S.  The Eastern 3rd of the state was ceded to Poland in 1945 after WWII.  Historically, Brandenburg has been part of the Holy Roman Empire, later became a duchy, then a Kingdom, and under the Third Reich was known as "The Free State of Prussia."

Trivia

Trivia Q & A – September 21^st

Life in Germany

1.       When and where did German scientists recently discover a new species of ape?Answer: In Asia on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-world/german-scientists-discover-rare-ape-species-in-asia-20100921-15lkn.html

2.       What city is known as the salt capital of Germany? When did the salt production end?
Answer: Lüneburg, a German city in the state of Lower Saxony, is known as the salt capital of Germany.  It was not until 1980 that the production of salt in the Lüneburg Saline finally closed.
Source: http://worthgem.blogspot.com/2010/09/german-salt-museum-at-luneburg.html

3.       What type of schooling is forbidden?
Answer: Homeschooling
Source: www.german-way.com/educ.html

German History

1.       What was the difference in population in Germany from 1939 to 1946?
Answer: 4 million less people from 1939 to 1946

2.       In the early and middle eleventh century the Saxon kings were able to defeat which Germanic tribes thus strengthening the Elbe Saale frontier?
Answer: The Magyars and the Slavs

3.       What Germanic tribe held onto their tradition of worshiping heathen gods the longest?Answer: The Saxons

German Media

1.       What date did the "television contract" (Fernsehvertrag) get signed?
Answer: March 27, 1953
Source: pg 91 of "The Mass Media of the German Speaking Country" by John Sandford

2.       The Deutsche Welle first began broadcasting is what year?
Answer: 1953
Source: pg 39 of "The Mass Media of the German Speaking Country" by John Sandford

3.       What German newsmagazine is on the rise while its predecessor is on the decline?
Answer: The Focus is on the rise while Der Spiegel is on the decline.
Source: http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/facts/bl_newspapers.htm

German States: Bavaria

1.       Who are the three primary Germanic tribes to inhabit Bavaria in history?
Answer: Bavarians, Franks, and Nordgau

2.       Pope Benedict was born in town of Marktl Bavaria. Where did he live his adolescence?
Answer: Traunstein
Source: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/biography/documents/hf_ben-xvi_bio_20050419_short-biography_en.html

3.       The Hofbrauhaus is a famous beer hall in Munich Bavaria. What family still owns and operates this historic site?
Answer: The Gerdas
Source: http://www.aviewoncities.com/munich/hofbrauhaus.htm

German States: Schleswig-Holstein

1.       Where was the chief base for the Third Reich's navy operations?
Answer: Kiel
Source: pg 259-260 of “Discover Germany” by Jack Altman

2.       Schleswig-Holstein was part of Denmark until what year?
Answer: 1866
Source: pg 259-260 of “Discover Germany” by Jack Altman

3.       What is the world famous annual rock fest that takes place in Schleswig-Holstein?
Answer: Wacken Open Air
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Rhine-Westphalia

German States: Westphalia

1.       The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia convenes to which city in Westphalia?
Answer: Dusseldorf
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleswig-Holstein

2.       Where can the best soil in North Rhine-Westphalia be found?  (specific place)
Answer: The fertile, deep loessial soil of the Köln Bay.
Source: pg 12 of “North Rhine-Westphalia” by J. A. Hellen

3.       What are the names of the two broad trails, one a road the other a trading route in North Rhine-Westphalia that can be traced back to prehistoric times? Answer: Rhine (Road) and Hellway (Trade Route)
Source: pg 18 of “North Rhine-Westphalia” by J. A. Hellen

Berlin

1.       What animal infestation did the U.S. Army eradicate in Berlin?
Answer: Rats
Source:  “The Berlin Wall: How it Rose and Why it Fell” by Doris M. Epler

2.       What is this and what does it stand for? (Picture Link: http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/berlin-d1434.jpg)
Answer: The Soviet War Memorial; it was built in memory of all the Soviet soldiers who died in the battle of the conquest of Berlin. (WWII)
Source: “The Berlin Wall: How it Rose and Why it Fell” by Doris M. Epler

3.       What was the full birth name of the mayor of West Berlin who was in office during JFK’s “Ich bin ein Berliner Speech?”
Answer: Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm

Final Category – Poetry & Cars

1.       “At Bacharach on the Rhine, Lorelei is lingering” is the English translation of the first line of whose poem?
Answer: Hans Rudolf Hilty – poem’s title Lorelei
Source: pg 131 of Contemporary Germany Poetry: An Anthology

2.       “I greet Berlin as three times
 I band my head, three times
against one of the walls” is the English translation of whose stanza?
Answer: Günter Grass – poem’s title Brandmauern
Source: pg 147 of Contemporary Germany Poetry: An Anthology

3.       How does the BMW logo represent the company’s history?
Answer: Originally, the Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW or “Bavarian Motor Works”) was a German airplane engine manufacturer, which later came to focus on making sweet cars.  The BMW Logo is supposed to represent a white airplane-propeller against the blue sky; a reflection of the company’s beginnings in the early days of flight.

German Print Media Reviewed

For the most part, it looks like the German newspaper models are nearly identical in format to their American counterparts, especially online. They have a top story, and (online) there are links to other featured headlines of the day.  If you scroll down, you'll find an area at the bottom of the page where they'll have different sections of interest like Politics, Culture, Sports, etc. Apparently, there are some Germans who are interested as to how Paris Hilton's drug trial will go because she was the main headline of the day for Entertainment.

Interest Ranking

Berlin During WWII

Berlin After WWII

The Reichstag

Berlin Nightlife

Berlin Buildings

The Brandenburg Gate

Tourism