Being a professional observer of the teacher’s scene I have subscribed to various corresponding mailing-lists. Yesterday I was lucky to learn that the oft-quoted summer slump bears also positive news from time to time. The „Lehrer-Online“ Newsletter made use of exactly this „sun slump“ (referring to the rainy summer 2011), to point out to some interesting intercultural projects. The discovery
Right in the middle of the German (!) midsummer, which might feel like winter for Dubai standards, the Bavarian capital experiences its Arabian Nights (alf laila wa laila): an enormous quantity of abayas intermixes with the usual touristic crowds on the most popular shopping miles of Munich. Namely we are talking about the well-known Maximilianstraße and the area around the
It took me a while, but now it is here: The second podcast from the headquarter! This time it is about a montage of various statements taken from the conference: “cultural conflicts-cultural encounters”, that took place in Berlin on May 20th and 21st, 2011. Within those two days it become quite quickly obvious that the emotional status of the Germans
Last weekend I discovered another of the many faces of Germany: the so called Ruhrpott. The Ruhr Area does not only shine by its meaty sayings such as “Mach’ es dir zur Lebensregel, jeden Abend drei, vier Schleg(e)l!” (sorry not translatable), but also by its unique industrial culture and nature. Enthusiastic cyclists, such as me, should take a ride on
Granted, times are confusing. On the one hand Mumbai witnesses its severest bombings since 2008, on the other side our female chancellor delivers tanks to Angola and Saudi-Arabia. At first sight, these facts do not seem to be linked to each other. Then, there is a civil war under way in Libya and is not the NATO involved in it?
Having a glance at the crowded hall on this sunny Tuesday evening makes it clear: the need for clarification of the ‘culture issue’ is yet unbowed. I presume not for any culture but for clarification of the European-Islamic or in terms of urban culture, for the German-Isalmic issue. Announced in a full-bodied manner, the ninth sequel of the ‚Herrenhäuser Gespräch’
Until yesterday night I had the firm conviction that Rumpelstiltskin originated from the brain of the Brothers Grimm. Yesterday evening, however, I was taught a lesson on the German/French TV channel “arte”. De facto, Rumpelstiltskin can also be found in the Arabic World. Where? It is hard to believe, but for instance you can find it at the “Middle East
Spiegel Online recently published the article “Trüffelpasta mit Wüstenblick” about the alleged highest restaurant of the world and its extravagaces. The article itself does not reveal anyhing new besides the usual superlatives upon which Western press has zeroed itself when it comes to oddities from the desert state. The respectable amount of comments at the end of the article, however,
Sometimes, inconsiderable sentences turn out to be avalanches in disguise. What am I talking about? An article called “Carrot and Stick Diplomacy” by Matthias Sailer. The paragraph: “Bearing this in mind, it does not come as a complete surprise to discover that the Emirate of Dubai has refused to extend the licence of the Gulf Research Centre, one of the
Shortly and eventually I came across three totally different fictional books having a plot situated in Saudi Arabia. In my opinion it is still a country on which myths, rumours or lurid tales do the rounds and little has been proven. In order to narrow this knowledge of mine (and ours) gap I borrowed three non-fiction books covering this kingdom