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Category Archives: Politics
A welcome alternative to flag-burning
When I was in Kosovo in February 2009 for the first anniversary of Kosovo’s independence, I spotted this car draped is US flags in front of a mosque in the Southern (i.e. Kosovar) part of Mitrovica: Of all the countries I … Continue reading
Assessing the risk of nuclear technology
The nuclear industry is keen on coming up with probabilistic risk assessments that show that a serious accident at a nuclear power plant can only happen every 20,000 years or so (admittedly this number is from a somewhat outdated report … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Politics, Technology
Tagged Chernobyl, Fukushima, Japan, NASA, Statistics, Wackersdorf
13 Comments
Deutsche Aussenpolitik schafft sich ab.
Nach Wochen des Mordens, Bombardierens und apokalyptischen Schwadronierens durch den libyschen Führer Gaddafi hatte die Weltgemeinschaft in Form des UN-Sicherheitsrates ausnahmsweise mal selbst genug von den ewigen “Ermahnungen”, “Aufforderungen” und “dringenden Bitten”, mit denen sonst auf Menschenrechtsverletzungen reagiert wird. Vor … Continue reading
Why the North is taking itself too serious
Map-making has always had the problem of trying to fit the surface of a (roughly) ball-shaped object on a flat piece of paper. A map reflective of the true proportions of our planet would look something like this: However, most … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Travel
Tagged earth, equator, geopolitics, map of the world, mapping, Maps, north-south divide, Northern hemisphere, Southern hemisphere, world, world map
2 Comments
Iran chickening out of 2012 Olympics?
Iran has threatened to boycott the 2012 Summer Olympics in London because the logo of the games resembles the world “Zion”. Iran has now complained to the International Olympic Committee – 4 years after the logo was launched. But see for … Continue reading
Posted in Iran, Israel, London, Politics, Sports, UK
Tagged competition, Erez Israel, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lisa Simpson, London Olympics, Olympic logo, Olympics, oral sex, Summer Olympics
11 Comments
Mandela deserves better
The mail delivery centres where you have to pick up the parcels that are too big to be squeezed through the letter slot, are rarely housed in beautiful buildings or located in enticing parts of the city. My local Royal … Continue reading
Posted in Germany, London, Politics, Travel, UK
Tagged Amberg, Invictus, Madiba, Mandela, Mandela Way, Nürnberg, Nelson Mandela, Nelson-Mandela-Platz, Nuremberg, Panzer, parcel, post, Royal Mail, South Africa, T-34, tank, train station
3 Comments
Two down, more to go.
What a year 2011 has already been in the Middle East and North Africa: In Tunisia and in Egypt, two long-term dictatorships have been toppled by street protests. If the transformation of this part of the world continues at the … Continue reading
Human Rights with Hollie
The debate raging in Britain about the European Convention on Human Rights has been enriched by a new pundit on the block: (CAVEAT: I do not buy, read or even look at “The Sun”, one of Britain’s worst tabloids. Thanks … Continue reading
Posted in Human Rights, Law, Politics, UK
Tagged ECHR, Hollie Peers, Human Rights, Media
10 Comments
The Happy Hermit 