Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Final Blog


When I first registered for this class I thought it was going to be a class where we learn more about the German language and how to speak it. I was worried because I don’t know how to speak much German so I was worried, but I thought the class was very enjoyable. I learned a lot in this class, I learned things in this class that I never thought could be real. I never thought that German was the way it was, I thought it would have been more of a relaxation country.  I learned a lot of interesting things in this class like how many famous people actually lived or were born in Germany.  I loved learning about the history and georgraphical part of Germany, Germany’s history is very interesting and full information, Germany also consists of a lot of interesting places to tour.  The other thing that really caught my eye was the brands of motor vehicles that were built or generated in Germany.
It was interesting to me to learn that German women in the earlier years really meant nothing to a man, it seemed to me that besides having children they really had no purpose, as bad as it sounds its pretty much true.  The way that Germany discovered medications and the way that they found diagnosis was pretty amazing, they put a lot of people through pain just to find ways to stay healthy.  I learned a lot from Baader-Meinhof Complex and what really amazed me was the way that Germany’s extremists and protestor were formed, mistreated and beaten for doing what they believe in. It was just very interesting to know that the uprisings in Germany were so big and brutal back then, I just sometimes wonder if the United States Army would start a war in Germany now days to stop another uprising like the one during Baader-Meinhof.  We haven’t talked much about German food or drink or there housing style and environment, but it would definitely be something for the instructor to touch base on a little bit more when the class does the German city assignment. 
All in all I had a great time in the class and I enjoyed it a lot, I would recommend this class to another student interested in finding out more culture or to a student interested in studying abroad in Germany so that he/she will know more about the country itself and the traditions it consists of. If a student was looking for a class to learn the German language, so for that kind of student I would not recommend this class but for any other student I was say this class is a good choice to take. I took this class not only thinking I was going to learn a language but also because I thought it was going to be an easy Gen Ed class. Im glad I chose it, as long as you do what your supposed to do this class can be very enjoyable and worth taking. The instructor turns it into a much more enjoyable class by involving the students and keep them more active. I loved learning about the German culture and knowing that my ancestors once lived in Germany and to know that I have a generation of  Germany makes this class that much more fun. Im just glad I learned a little bit about Germany and the kind of culture my family members once lived in.
This class was a fun, lightweight, good laugh kind of class, a long class but a fun one at the same time. 

German Food and Drink

I chose a type of cake called Stollen, its basically Germany's fruitcake.
StollenStollen (Stollen)
Stollen is a rich, sweet yeast bread that is full of dried fruit, nuts and often marzipan and dusted with confectioner's sugar. It is Germany's answer to "fruitcake" and has been made in Germany since 1329. The most famous kind of Stollen, which can be found at most local supermarkets, is called Dresdner Christstollen, originating in Dresden, Germany. The Stollen is a typical christmas cake. Its shape and the shell of confectioner's sugar is said to represent the Baby Jesus wrapped in sheets.
http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/guidetocookiesandcakes.cfm

Punch (Bowle / Punsch)Punch (Bowle / Punsch)
A Bowle is a cold mixed drink that could be described as a summer punch.The most well-known of all Bowle is the Maibowle or May Bowl that is drunk during may and is flavored with woodruff (Waldmeister). A Punsch on the other hand is a warm mixed drink
http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/guidetobeverages.cfm



Friday, December 7, 2012

Blue Sheet

1. Their protests were very organized and everything that they planned was very top secret and disclosed. They had meetings and even though not all of them could agree on the same plan they were still successful with their plans. Everything they did was done carefully and all of that kind of changed as it went on. They had riots and protests and they murdered people. Later on they committed bank robbery's and assassinations.

2. In the beginning I identified them as a group that I agreed with, a group that was making the right choice. By the end of the movie I thought the group was crazy because of the way that they executed their plans, they basically lost their mind and they killed innocent people.

3. He kind of became leader of the group because he didn't really take any crap from anyone. He basically showed them that he was the boss and that he knew the right path and what was best for the group whether they liked it or not.

4. I was one of the people in the middle, but I lean both ways. It depends on the situation that I'm facing.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Rote Armee Fraktion


The Rote Armee Fraktion also known as Red Army Faction was caused because of a disagreement in the German Society. The society felt that Germany was headed in the wrong direction because the political side of germany was partly corrupt. The society was looking to protest the oppression. The cause of the oppression was because of the corrupt political side. The RAF had three generations, 1. The original founders, 2. Held the power until 1970 due to high risk terrorist attacks, 3. Existed from 1980 - 1990, many of the terrorist attacks disappeared but the RAF continued to stay strong and abrupt. The RAF ended when the government was no longer able to compete.The RAF lost credibility and foundation when the Soviet Union started to fall off and dissapear. Some of the similarities from back then and now is  the terrorism is still occurs. Different kinds of Terrorism were found in Germany during the RAF. Both groups thought it was vital to take the life of another human being. The members were okay with the though of taking there own life if needed.The terrorism that was occupied in Germany then is still the same as now it just doesnt seem to be as bad.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Baader-Meinhof Complex

After watching the movie in class, My reaction i think will be almost the same as the rest of the students in class. In the movie I was shocked by the way the extremists were treated, they had the protesters and the Police both teaming up on them. I never thought that Police corruption could be that bad, i mean the police are supposed to be keeping the peace not encouraging it. The extremists were treated very unfairly and no one cared what they had to say. As the movie continued i seemed to not feel as bad for the extremists as i did in the beginning because they seemed to strengthen themselves and get back up from what they had received. They strengthened themselves with great planning and organization along with allot of understanding for each other. When the movie started to get to the end the extremists started to lose control, break down and separate from each other, they were either killed in attempt to run or escape, or they were captured and sent to prison. It was interesting to watch the relapse that the German government had to go from falling apart due to the extremists, to rebuilding and overcoming the extremists. I think the extremists in the end of the movie deserved everything that they received i mean not so much the killings but the prison sentences. All in all the movie was good but i don't know if i would choose to watch it on a daily basis but it definitely fit well into the criteria that we were covering. The movie shows a good example of the uprising in Germany, and just because of everything that has happened so far, I am eager to watch the ending.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Berlin Calling

      In the movie Berlin Calling they focus on one main character; Ickarus. Ickarus is a DJ that is on the verge of becoming famous, he is one great album away from breaking out. In the movie Ickarus is dealing with a huge drug addiction and an addiction to doing whatever he feels like. The addictions are a big part of becoming famous and having so many fans that look up to him, it also has to do with all the people in the clubs, his friends and his fans selling him drugs and feeding him words that he takes to close to heart. Drugs to Ickarus are like his gasoline, it seems like he feels if he doesnt have his daily dose of Ecstasy, Cocaine, LSD, PCP, Ketamine or Meth, then he wont be able to write popular songs which means to him that his fame will begin to decrease. He doesnt realize that the drugs are not what is writing his music, its his brain that comes up with the ultimate music.

      His fans follow in his footsteps by taking drugs an acting outrageous because they feel that if one man can become famous by doing that then they should be able to. His fans come to his shows and as soon as they step in the door they shoot up the meth, snort the cocaine or pop the pills because they think its cool. The drugs that are involved in this movie are Ecstasy, Cocaine, LSD, PCP, Ketamine and Meth. I kind of stated it in the earlier paragraph but just to touch base, Ickarus thinks that without the drugs there will be no music. He feels that the drugs are his life, they are like another Ickarus. There is the drug using, music writing Ickarus and then there is the caring, loving, gentle Ickarus. when he wants the music writing Ickarus to show his face he induces himself with drugs.

      In comparison there really isnt much difference, famous people in america use drugs all the time. Alot of famous people that use drugs usually end up getting arrested or overdosing and dieing. Some may say that this is just an opinion but if you look at the past few famous people that have died and read some of the news lately, dont get me wrong the news is not always right but 75% of the time they know what they are talking about. Comparing this movie to me is a little different, Im from a city just on the outside of the major cities in minnesota. Where im from we have an imaginary line that runs right through town, on one side you have all the country people and farms and on the other you have all the city people. In my high school we have about a 50% ratio of people that use drugs and people that dont. we dont have any clubs but many people from my town go into the big city to go clubbing so they are available but they are about and hour away. Where im from we dont have alot of choices on drugs but we do have people using them, in my household drugs are unacceptable and if you use them; even if you are a family member you will be frowned upon. where in the movie they are frowned upon but many people still do them anyways, more than 50%.

        In the movie the youth is lost to partying and clubbing. Youth almost seems to be mummified by the fact that using drugs, clubbing and acting stupid is the way to get people to see you. The only thing in the movie that really shows hard work is the act of Alice and the label director, they are almost like realizationists. They try to show Ickarus that he can write the songs and become famous without the drugs, when Ickarus loses it, fires the label director and ends up in the mental institute Alice steps and keeps faith in him that he can make it through the fight and eventually forget about the drugs. The label director shows faith by re-signing Ickarus and giving him another chance to be successful. I have not really seen any movie that i could compare to this very well but im sure that somewhere in the U.S. there is a movie that could almost be the american version to this movie.

       My reaction to this movie was in one word wow. It was hard to watch a man go from the one of the most popular people in germany to almost nothing all because of a drug addiction, there were times where i felt like i wanted to just jump in the movie and slap him and make him realize everything he had and everything he was losing. I also couldnt believe that the youth were also so strung up on the drugs and partying that it seemed liked they were just robots following and idle that was heading in the wrong direction. Not one youth realized how big of a mistake they were making. In the U.S. they do alot of clubbing but drugs in the club are prohibited now i know you cant stop everything but before you can enter a club they search you to make sure you dont have anything like that. The clubs in the U.S are not as wild and crazy as they were portrayed in the movie. The movie was a very good realization movie, it helped me realized that there are other parts of the world that are alot crazier than the U.S. and i was happy to see that Ickarus finally realized that the drug use was the wrong direction and that when he gave up the drugs he was still successful at doing what he loved, he could keep the fame without the bad influence.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

My Reaction To Health In Germany

My reaction to health in Germany is wow! They made alot of firsts and discovered many things, between medication and diagnosis for diseases. Germany found methods to medicines in weird ways, they used it on people to see the after affects and the reactions that happened to people when they took it. Germany is alot more different than the U.S., it was way back many years ago and still is. In the 19th Century Germany was home to the first physician to perform psychotherapy and they were also home to the first scientist to crystallize hemoglobin.

Expansion:
Germany had many good discovery's but it also had some bad discovery's to go along with it. Even though the Germans found significant answers they had to sacrifice lives to get the results they wanted or were attempting to look for. They looked at it as they will find the answer they are looking for even if they have to take someone's life to do it. When the 20th century rolled around Germany's Olympic teams were the main focus of someone people because German Olympic athletes were all well known to use steroids and other drugs. The Olympics were mostly taken by Germans who were involved with steroids. Now in the Olympics everyone has to take random UA tests so that athletes wont gain any advantages.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Five Talking Points about "All Quiet On The Western Front"

  • The war was a very harsh war.
  • It shows definite effects on people that are involved in a war.
  • It shows the things and the pressure that people go through when they are making there decision about joining the war.
  • It easily defines the values of life and how easily they can be taken away.
  • It also shows the effects of their conditions after the war is over.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

In chapter eleven of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, many tragic events are described. This chapter is one of sorrow and despair, filled with death. Each word in this chapter makes the reader feel the pain of the solider, the pain of loss and death of those around him. It condemns the characters worst fears of losing those that he has come closest to on the battlefield.
            “War is the cause of death like cancer and tuberculosis, like influenza and dysentery”. (pg271) This quote alone sets the stage for this chapter of gloom. The main character talks of how each day passes practically unnoticed.  How each of them have grown so accustom to the war their minds have ceased to think of nothing else. How no man remembers what life outside the war could possibly be like. “It is as though formerly we were coins of different provinces; and now we are melted down, and all bear the same stamp”. (pg272) The main character goes on to talk about how the death all around them has left them as animals.
            This chapter tells of how Detering, having seen a cherry tree, goes, in a sense mad, for his longing of home has surpassed his control. The main character, Paul, tells of how one morning Detering was gone. He goes on to say that Detering had absurdly gone toward Germany, and so was caught by the field gendarmes; military police. We then hear no more about Detering, for the main character himself hears nothing of him. Müller, one of the main charcters, we learn is dead. We go on to find out that he was shot at point-blank in the stomach. He lives for a short time longer, but in utter agony.
            “Germany out to be empty soon,” says Kat’. (pg 281) At this point in the book the characters seem to be loosing hope that the war will ever end. German forces do not have the food, the artillery, or any such supplies to match the competitors. “For one hungry, wretched German soldier come five of the enemy, fresh and fit” (pg286).
            Leer, a character that went to school with the main character, Paul, has been shot. The boy bleeds out, at the same time Bertinick the Company Commander is shot. Soon after, the main character and Kat have been hit, Kat is hit in the bone, and bleeds fast. Paul carries Kat over his shoulder, stopping to get out of the way of the firing that is over them. Paul makes it to the shelter where the doctors and surgeons can tend to Kat, but only to find that his work has been for nothing. Kat is dead. “Only the Militiaman Stanislaus Katczinsky has died. Then I know nothing more” (pg 291).
            

Part 2: Stanislaus Katczinsky

Stanislaus Katczinsky from be beginning looks to be a father figure. In the beginning he seems to have a positive or at least a not-defeated view of the war stating it would not be such a bad war if only they could get some sleep. He is described as the leader of the group. A man who is “shrewd, cunning and hard bitten...” with “a remarkable nose for dirty weather, good food and soft jobs.”(pg03). Later it is said that he has to have a sixth sense for finding supplies. During most of the hard times he and his comrades go through he is the one to find something to cheer up his comrades, most of the time it is either food or somewhere to sleep. Though the story behind it is not mentioned in the novel it is said his greatest accomplishment in the area would be to finds a few crates of lobster for the men. At one time while being bombarded and running low on food there are multiple attempts to get food to the front. Then it is stated “Finally Kat tries, and even he reappears without accomplishing anything” (pg107) Food great necessity in the book and because of this Kat is a great friend to have. One such occasion when they were going hunger he and Paul go and steal geese to eat and use the feathers for a pillow. However it is not just good times for Kat. He seems to also have to make hard decisions in order to protect his younger followers. One such example would be when after rescuing a soldier and he realizes that the soldier is going to die, he asks the hard question to end it for him so as to keep the young soldier from suffering.

Most of the time Kat has a veteran like position to him. Where most of the men in the story are somewhere near 18 or 19 years old Kat is 40.  Most of the time the narrator seems to talk about the older soldiers in jealous nature. He and his friends were thrown into the fray at a young age with no life experience to help them after the war and little to cling onto to keep sane such as a wife or children. However Kat often gives helpful advice and is shown to be like a sort of wise elder to listen to and respect even though he does not out rank them. Other times he seems to be in a daze. One such time is when he is talking about men getting literally getting blown out of their clothes by mortars. He is killed in the end by a stray piece of shrapnel to the back of his head as he was being carried by Paul back to the medical area in order to treat his leg. He is the last of the group to die besides the narrator Paul, and was probably Paul’s closest friend. After Kat dies the book skips some time to when Paul is sent to rest for inhaling some poison gas which to me is a sign that Paul has given into depression and most likely does not care too much about the time after Kat dies.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Political parties


I was assigned to the group that was supposed to find information on all the parties that the other groups researched and our group was supposed to find information on other parties in Germany. As a group we got together on Wednesday after class and we decided that Kari would set up a document on Google so that when we found information we could post it to the document, that way we wouldn’t have to worry about meeting anywhere because of such uncoordinated schedules between all the group members. After we gathered all the information about particular parties we decided as a group to put it all on a PowerPoint to present to the class.
For the project I helped with all the parties we found and I just brushed up the information to try and find interesting facts that the other members of our group never found; if any. I found most of the flags and symbols for the parties and made sure that everybody’s information was cited. Most of my work was done on the NPD (Nazi Party), there was a lot of information on the Nazi party that I found mainly because I feel it had to do with Hitler and it was happening around his era.
The party that seemed most interesting to me was the Pirate party. The pirate party seemed like a party that kind of gave you free will for anything you wanted to do within the boundaries set by the party. The Pirate party wasn’t a real strict party at all; I learned some things about it when I was listening to the presentations that totally caught me off guard. When I first read “Pirates” I thought that it meant a group of people that dress up like actual pirates with peg legs and eye patches and ship, later I found out it was a group that was more like the pirating that you would do on the internet.
I like doing group work even though it was very hard for our group to actually meet in person, I loved Kari’s idea of making a Google document. The Google document was a lot easier to add information that it was to try and set up a time to meet and worrying about conflictions. If I was to do another group project; which I’m sure we will do, I would do it through a Google document again. I think that are grouped worked together well to get the task done. The link to the PowerPoint is posted on the top of this page, you can access it if you click on Political parties.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Bremen, Germany



http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=sU3CQUwjNhQIOM:&imgrefurl=http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-54704/Bremen-Germany&docid=CMUSMMEjvcVnEM&imgurl=http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/86/64786-004-2A6F7A7B.gif&w=345&h=365&ei=khRSUKadFqLCyQGC5YG4Bg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=356&vpy=283&dur=1517&hovh=231&hovw=218&tx=122&ty=98&sig=101234450245374655160&page=2&tbnh=141&tbnw=133&start=20&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:20,i:155

Population: 660,706
Men: 321,940
Women: 338,766

Size: 126.15 sq miles. (Smallest amongst Germany's 16 States)
http://www.citypopulation.de/php/germany-bremen.php, Aug. 30, 2012


Main Industries
Car Production
-2nd largest in Europe
-Manufactures many vehicle models which include Chrysler and Mercedes Benz
-Has a workforce around 13,000 people
                                                                                                                                  http://wfpquantum.s3.amazonaws.com/images/autos/articles/ultra/fc9d9jo4jhwyr0ywjpnf-6279020.jpg
  
Aerospace and Aviation Industry
-One of the leading centers in Germany's for aerospace
-employs around 4,000 employees
(http://www.big-bremen.de/en/daten_fakten_inhalt_text?sv[id]=141678)
Food and Beverages
-Home to many well known names such as Kellogg’s, Kraft, and Anheuser-Busch.
(http://www.big-bremen.de/en/daten_fakten_inhalt_text?sv[id]=141678)

Information Technology, Mobile and Wireless Technology
-Very technologically advanced city
(http://www.big-bremen.de/en/daten_fakten_inhalt_text?sv[id]=141678)
City GDP: Approximately $39 billion in 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_states_by_GDP

-Bremen consists of two cities. The largest city is Bremen itself, with an estimated population of 547,340 people. The second city is Bremerhaven with an estimated 113,366 people.
-Bremen is located on the northwest side of the Weser River in Germany.
-Bremerhaven has Germany’s second largest port, following Hamburg.
-Bremerhaven's products include: ships, aircraft, steel machinery, electrical equipment, textiles, and beer.
-It is a commercial and industrial center in trading cotton, wool, tobacco, and copper.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0808837.html, Aug. 30, 2012

A Brief History of Bremen
-In 787 under the rule of Charlemagne, Bremen became bishopric and a base for missionary activity. In 847 it became archbishopric.
-Bremen joined the Hanseatic League in 1358, then the Free Imperial City in 1646.
-In 1806, the Free Imperial City of Bremen became an sovereign state title Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Their currency was the Bremen thaler until 1873.
-In 1827 Bremen bought land from Kingdom of Hanover, where Bremerhaven (literally translates as Bremen's Harbor) was established.
-Bremen became part of North German Confederation in 1867, then an autonomous component state of the German Emprire in 1871.
-Under the Third Reich, Bremen became a regular city in 1935 and wasn't reestablished as a state until 1947.
-In 1949, Bremen joined the Federal Republic of Germany.
http://www.indianchieftravel.com/en/germany/bremen/bremen/bremen-germany-1, Sep. 2, 2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen_%28state%29, Sep. 2, 2012

Places to See
Bremen Town Hall
-dates back to the15th century
-one of the most important examples of Brick Gothic architecture in Europe
http://www.euratlas.com/Atlas/germany_north/bremen_city_hall.jpg

Becks Brewery
-Well known brewery around the world. Dates back to 1879.
http://cdn-locations-images.tripomatic.com/img-poi9120-qVcwyO-m.jpg

Bottcherstrasse
-known as the "museum street"
-very famous for its unusual architecture
http://www.kunsttrip.nl/images/bremen/het%20bottcherstrasse%20bremen.jpg
http://gogermany.about.com/od/citiesandregions/tp/Bremen-Travel-Germany.htm, Sep. 3, 2012

Bremen Town Musicians
-Featured in Brother's Grimm story
-Rumored if you rub the donkey's leg while making a wish, the wish will come true
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Bremen.band.500pix.jpg/250px-Bremen.band.500pix.jpg

Ratskeller
-Germany's oldest wine cellar
-Dates back to 1409
-Featured in a verse of a poem by Heinrich Heine
-Setting for Phantasein im Bremer Ratskeller by Wilhelm Hauff

St. Peter's Cathedral
-99 meters tall
-No structure in Bremen is taller than the Cathedral
http://www.bremen-tourism.de/bremen-at-a-glance, Sep. 2, 2012
Statue of Roland
-Medieval hero, Bremen's city protector
-Erected in 1404 as symbol of city's freedom













Gunter Meisner
-Born April 18th, 1926 in Bremen, Germany
-Played Mr. Slugworth in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 1971
-Died of heart failure in Berlin at the age of 68                      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577070, Aug. 30, 2012