Book Burnings, here and there

This week, US soldiers in Afghanistan accidentally burnt a few copies of the Quran because they regularly change the copies of the Quran that the prisoners there are allowed to use, in order to prevent messages being written into the books and being passed on to other prisoners.

The population of Afghanistan is outraged, aghast and angry. More than 20 people were already killed in the ensuing riots.

An over-reaction? After all, the story is only about a few books which can be printed again. Surely this matter does not warrant the loss of human lives.

But maybe Afghans have simply learnt the lessons of history. Let us look at another book burning, at another place, 79 years ago:

The nation of poets and thinkers got together in May 1933 for the specific purpose of burning books. The book burnings were led by students and professors, the supposed intellectuals, who set tens of thousands of books ablaze under the jubilation of spectators.

Already 1823, Heinrich Heine had (the Muslim) Hassan say in Almansor:

Where they burn books, so too will they in the end burn human beings.

This quote, which actually refers to the Quran (!) in Almansor, should turn out to become true as German history proceeded. At the end of the only 12 years of the Nazis’ reign, the book-burning people had laid waste to all of Europe and murdered several million people.

I wish Germany in 1933 would have seen protests anywhere near as now in Afghanistan.

(Es gibt eine deutsche Version dieses Artikels.)

Posted in Afghanistan, Books, Germany, History, Islam, Politics, Religion | Tagged | 30 Comments

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

Congratulations, Steve Jobs, you are now the richest man in the cemetery.

Posted in Economics, Philosophy | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Titanic klaut meinen Bundespräsidenten-Gag

Unmittelbar nach dem Rücktritt von Bundespräsident Wulff brachte ich dies – auf meine übliche niveau- und humorvolle Art – in Zusammenhang mit den spontan ausgebrochenen Freudenparaden in ganz Deutschland, von manchen als “Karneval” oder “Fasching” bezeichnet: https://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/president-wulff-resigns-germany-celebrates/ (mein Blog vom 17. Februar 2012)

Heute nun, drei Tage später, bringt das von mir hochgeschätzte Satire-Magazin “Titanic” das folgende Titelbild:

Vielleicht einfach zu naheliegend, vielleicht abgekupfert. Aber selbst wenn, es ehrt mich. Und schließlich lasse ich mich ja auch oft genug von der “Titanic” inspirieren und motivieren.

Posted in Germany, Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Paraglider defies Icarus’ Lesson

Today when I was at Golden Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa in Malta, I saw this paraglider who ignored the lesson of Icarus. Luckily, he survived.

More photos of Għajn Tuffieħa – including a spectacular sunset – to follow soon.

Posted in Malta, Photography, Sports, Travel | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

President Wulff resigns – Germany celebrates

The German President Christan Wulff has finally resigned today – as I had predicted already a month ago.

Germans spontaneously took to the streets to celebrate.

only minutes after President Wulff announced his resignation

The celebrations are expected to continue for a few weeks, until a new President will be elected which has to happen within 30 days.

I thank you very much for all the nominations, but I am unfortunately ineligible to run for German President because I am not yet 40 years old (as Art. 54 I 2 of the Constitution requires).

Posted in Germany, Politics | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

A secret look into Iranian Intelligence training

“Did I just blow my legs off? Damn, that’s not enough to get into paradise.”

The somewhat botched assassination attempt in Bangkok yesterday in which an Iranian assassin blew his own legs off instead of even getting close to any target provides more circumstantial evidence that Iran is also behind the attacks on Israeli embassy staff in Tblisi, Georgia and New Delhi, India. Just last year, an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in the US with the help of Mexican criminals was uncovered.

My own encounters with Iranian Intelligence in 2009 already left me less than impressed, but these recent plots are at least as ridiculous as they are dangerous.

The incompetence might be explained by this secret video which shows the Iranian Intelligence Service’s training for their assassination attempts on foreign soil:

(From the film “Four Lions“.)

Does anyone still think that nuclear weapons in the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran are a good idea?

Posted in Iran, Israel, Politics, Terrorism | Tagged | 5 Comments

Whitney Houston, 1963-2012

Houston, you no longer have a problem.

Posted in USA | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Why I don’t ask strangers to take photos of myself, # 1

There is a reason why I don’t ask strangers to take photos of myself with my own camera:

Somebody’s attempt of capturing us on camera in Cardiff Bay, Wales.

I prefer to use the self timer

We do look much better in reality: hiking the Taff Trail in Wales.

or rather not to take any photos at all. I know what I look like myself, after all, so there is no need to put it on film.

As everybody seems to be equipped with camera phones nowadays, I have also began to think about asking strangers to take photos with their own cameras and giving them my e-mail address for them to e-mail the results to me. On my next trip, I will test how people will react to this proposition.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged | 1 Comment

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

Since February 1952, Elizabeth II has been the Queen of the United Kingdom and a few other Commonwealth countries, putting her into a league with other long-reigning heads of state like King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya or Fidel Castro in Cuba. You will have noticed that none of the members of this elite circle was democratically elected.

"If you are stupid enough to continue to pay for us, we will continue to pester and embarrass you."

The 60th anniversary of the ascension to the throne is being celebrated in the UK and other Commonwealth countries as the “Diamond Jubilee“. I already expressed my dismay about this undemocratic relict here and here. I could use this occasion to do so again, but I found something much better in the German satirical magazine Titanic which I will translate for you below.

Here the original in German, published as part of the series “Versager der Geschichte” (“failures of history”):

Seit sechzig Jahren (in Worten: 60) sitzt sie nun schon auf dem Thron und verstopft die britische Monarchie: Queen Elizabeth II. Die zäheste aller Krampfhennen hat von ihrer Mutter (Queen Mum) die Unverwüstlichkeit geerbt, aber so etwas Grundsympathisches wie deren Ginsüffeltum sich nie angeeignet. Bieder, blaß und triefend vor Deppenwürde stinkt sie gegenüber allen ihren Vorgängen auf dem hochsubventionierten Monarchensessel ab: Nicht einen einzigen Lebensabschnittspartner hat sie aufs Schafott gebracht – und sollte sie doch je ein Mitglied ihres Boulevardfressenhofstaates beseitigt haben, dann geschah das gemäß ihres Schoßhündchengemüts: unauffällig und ohne Respekt für die spektakuläre Mörderhistorie ihres Amtes. Auch in Sachen Folter blieb sie stets eine Null – sieht man einmal davon ab, daß sie die Öffentlichkeit mit den einzigen Gestalten foltert, die noch schlimmer sind als sie: ihrer Familie. Der früh vergreiste Trottelgatte, der schamlose wie peinliche Sohn mit der Goofy-Visage… Und erst die Enkel: die fickrige Pub-Nase, der debile Vorzeige-Schwiegersohn. Von dem angeheirateten Genmüll mal ganz zu schweigen! Ihre Zähigkeit und die Brut, die sie mal hinterlassen wird, wird ihre Schreckensherrschaft noch auf Jahre hinaus sichern. Glückwunsch!

And here my attempt at a translation in English:

For 60 years she has now been sitting on the throne and has clogged up British monarchy: Queen Elizabeth II. From her mother (Queen Mum) this most pertinacious of all spasmatic hens inherited the indestructibility, but unfortunately not something as likeable as the old lady’s habit of sipping Gin. Unsophisticated, pale and oozing with a douche bag’s dignity, she can be forgotten in comparison with her predecessors on the highly subsidised throne: she did not manage to push a single significant other onto the scaffold – and if she ever did get rid of a member of her tabloid gobsmack royal court, then it happened in tune with her lap dog mind: low-key and without any respect for her office’s spectacular history of murder.  She always remained a similar nothing in regards of torture – unless you consider her torturing the public with the only creatures that are even worse than herself: her family. The senile baboon husband, the equally shameless as embarrassing son with the Goofy mug… And then the grandsons: the horny pub nose, the moronic trophy son-in-law. Not to speak of the in-lawed genetic trash. Her resilience and the brood which she will leave behind one day will secure her reign of terror for years to come. Congratulations!

If you find it too harsh, you may abdicate.

Posted in History, Politics, UK | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

The true Identity of Mitt Romey

Mitt Romney, one of the Republican Party‘s contenders for President of the United States of America raises a question among voters: “Who is Mitt Romney really?” Obviously, even Republicans have some serious doubts about his identity. How else would you explain that the best-looking candidate who hasn’t done any mistakes in his campaign cannot pull ahead and out of a race with the likes of Newt GingrichRick Santorum and Ron Paul?

Like you, I’ve been thinking “Who is Mitt Romney really?” while I was following the campaign over the past few weeks. Unlike you, I didn’t forget about the question the next minute to watch the NFL or to walk the dog, but I spent every free minute of my life on this investigative quest. I vowed not to give up, I vowed to look under every stone, for every piece of evidence. Because of this perseverance, ladies and gentlemen, voters and pundits, this blog can today reveal the world exclusive truth about Mitt Romney’s real identity:

But let’s start with the last shred of evidence that finally gave Mr Romney away. You know this feeling when you watch him or listen to him: you know there is something wrong, something fake, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Then, today, I saw this photo of Mitt Romney making phone calls in Florida yesterday, on the day of the Florida primary.

I thought “I’ve seen this guy before, somewhere else, and he was not on a phone then. It was also not in Florida.” Then it suddenly dawned on me where I had met him before.

It had been a few years ago, but there could be no doubt. It was him.

  • exactly the same hairstyle
  • the same shirt
  • no tie
  • still good-looking even though the hair got a bit grey
  • holding the phone now like he used to hold the gun back then
  • and the same smirk

There are more give-aways, like the love for gambling:

the same dress code and pretend-serious look:

He never could resist women:

“So who is this guy?” you ask. Do not despair if you don’t recognize him, because it is his job to hide his true identity. Yet today, under immense fear for my own safety, I can reveal that Mitt Romney is James Bond, a British spy. His last cover was that of Pierce Brosnan, an actor, but had you ever wondered why Pierce Brosnan hadn’t appeared in too many films in recent years? Now you have the explanation! He was busy in Massachusetts.

Did you, like many others, also wonder what this “Bain Capital” venture capitalism story was about? Now it’s obvious why nobody understood what Mitt Romney did there: because he never really worked there!

Here is some more footage of “Mitt Romney” in his previous job:

And Mr Romney thought his Mormonism was a problem.

Posted in Cinema, Politics, USA | Tagged , | 10 Comments