Radio, so enlightening
Random tidbit from the news: Half of the German women and 40% of the German men are overweight. Actually, this bit of news floated around last year already, but this time they also say it's the high level of beer consumption in this country that's at least partially responsible.
As I don't drink beer and have got rid of the evil 7 (only one month after Christmas, yay!), I took a heart and calculated my BMI with a handy website. And lo and behold, I seem to be the middle of the middle, the average of average, whatever, a totally unspectacular body with six kilos down and nine up until leaving the "normal weight" territory. Odd that that range should be so wide. Also, I don't see how more than half of the female population should have a higher BMI than me of the generous curves and wobbly bits.
Not-so-random: Hitler's NSDAP took power, or rather, were officially inaugurated into government this day 75 years ago. I won't insert a lecture on the Nazi reign. It's just that I notice how quickly time passes, how back in school we discussed 50 year-old history rather than - 75. I'm getting old. Also, those documentaries on TV with people who remember those times? They're historical themselves now. The living connection to that horrible part of history that was still totally present in my youth isn't there anymore for today's kids. WW2 is as distant to them as WW1 was to me. Weird.
As for the NATO request to provide a Quick Response Team (or whatever it's called) - I dunno. I don't want my country to participate in that bloody war like that. But then it already does, only less spectacular, and it might just be a case of mitgefangen, mitgehangen. But I just can't see the German army doing that job. They should be there to help rebuild things and build dams when there are floodings and such. They don't have the equipment either.
In more happy news: God bless the net, I've found a Tosca fanfic writer. It feels so good to know I'm not alone in this crazy, shamefully under-represented fandom! The fic in question is set in the 23rd century and wonderfully weird. Go SciFiTosca!
Also, I've made contact with an English tango composer via myspace, and he answered with a mile-long email offering to send me some sheets and recordings so I can choose which ones to play with my "very professional" band. And the guy has just signed a contract with TONOS, the tango music publishers. And he likes us. Yippie!
As I don't drink beer and have got rid of the evil 7 (only one month after Christmas, yay!), I took a heart and calculated my BMI with a handy website. And lo and behold, I seem to be the middle of the middle, the average of average, whatever, a totally unspectacular body with six kilos down and nine up until leaving the "normal weight" territory. Odd that that range should be so wide. Also, I don't see how more than half of the female population should have a higher BMI than me of the generous curves and wobbly bits.
Not-so-random: Hitler's NSDAP took power, or rather, were officially inaugurated into government this day 75 years ago. I won't insert a lecture on the Nazi reign. It's just that I notice how quickly time passes, how back in school we discussed 50 year-old history rather than - 75. I'm getting old. Also, those documentaries on TV with people who remember those times? They're historical themselves now. The living connection to that horrible part of history that was still totally present in my youth isn't there anymore for today's kids. WW2 is as distant to them as WW1 was to me. Weird.
As for the NATO request to provide a Quick Response Team (or whatever it's called) - I dunno. I don't want my country to participate in that bloody war like that. But then it already does, only less spectacular, and it might just be a case of mitgefangen, mitgehangen. But I just can't see the German army doing that job. They should be there to help rebuild things and build dams when there are floodings and such. They don't have the equipment either.
In more happy news: God bless the net, I've found a Tosca fanfic writer. It feels so good to know I'm not alone in this crazy, shamefully under-represented fandom! The fic in question is set in the 23rd century and wonderfully weird. Go SciFiTosca!
Also, I've made contact with an English tango composer via myspace, and he answered with a mile-long email offering to send me some sheets and recordings so I can choose which ones to play with my "very professional" band. And the guy has just signed a contract with TONOS, the tango music publishers. And he likes us. Yippie!