To lay out this story....two German guys...were in Canada...and at some point in 1990...they killed a guy (he was an actor, if it matters).
The two German guys end up in court....get sentenced....and then get released by 2008.
Someone out there....decided to write up a Wiki article, and they created this entire event. They wrote the two names, and gave all the facts.
This past week...the two German guys...now free men and out of jail....set up a lawsuit against the "charity" behind Wikipedia....saying that its inclusion of detail of their life and crime infringes upon their right to privacy.
It is a test of sorts.
"He who controls the past, controls the future"....is a wonderful quote to toss into this mess.
If the case concludes and Wiki has to delete the entire record or at least delete their names....then the entire value of Wiki comes into play. (Frankly, the value of Wiki is currently marginal and barely a plus-point, but that's an entirely different story to write).
Lots of folks could come up and claim that their privacy has been messed with and then demand Wiki remove them. Why not the Google guys next, or newspapers?
The court is given a juicy case in this episode. The guys are afforded certain rights....erasing history on their event is what makes this different from previous cases.
I hate to defend Wiki....because their incompetence in general....but I'd like to see history remain available for folks. Erasing history...brings up lots of potential episodes...all to be forgotten in a decade or two.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Dresden Case
A number of months ago...over in Dresden....there was a court case. Basically, some Russian-German guy had charges laid up against him and the chief witness was an Egyptian woman. At some point in the trial....the Russian-German guy....in court...pulls out a knife and begins stabbing the Egyptian woman. Don't ask how he got into the courthouse with the knife or his rational.....none of that matters now.
The husband of the Egyptian woman came to her aide. He gets stabbed a time or two. Meanwhile, a cop or two arrive....in the midst of this entire mess....they end up shooting the husband in the leg severely. The mess stops at this point. The Russian-German guy who started this mess....never got shot, interestingly enough. The Egyptian wife? Dead.
Alot of Muslims in Germany got all upset over this. They blamed the German government for the entire event.
The murder case took a very short period of time to rig up and concluded this past week. The Russian-German will spend most of his life behind bars.
What now develops are two interesting episodes. One, the family is now suing the judge of the original episode for not providing adequate protection in his courtroom. They want the German government to compensate them for a death that was unnecessary. The second part of this.....is that the husband who was shot.....was a compensation. We are likely talking about a lifetime retirement deal via the German government.
Frankly, it'll be hard to see how these will develop. There are so few cases like this to compare against. Normally, once you get into a German courthouse, it's fairly safe. In most court cases, there's always a cop in the court room.
I've come to agree about the husband and the compensation. The cops owe this guy something. Whether it's a simple "gift" of $250k or a yearly pension of $30k....doesn't matter. They basically shot him while he was defending his wife in their courtroom. He maintains that he's crippled for life, and his doctor agrees that he will never walk correctly again. Based on videos I've seen....he walks with an extreme limp and a cane.
It's a weird case....even for Germany.
The husband of the Egyptian woman came to her aide. He gets stabbed a time or two. Meanwhile, a cop or two arrive....in the midst of this entire mess....they end up shooting the husband in the leg severely. The mess stops at this point. The Russian-German guy who started this mess....never got shot, interestingly enough. The Egyptian wife? Dead.
Alot of Muslims in Germany got all upset over this. They blamed the German government for the entire event.
The murder case took a very short period of time to rig up and concluded this past week. The Russian-German will spend most of his life behind bars.
What now develops are two interesting episodes. One, the family is now suing the judge of the original episode for not providing adequate protection in his courtroom. They want the German government to compensate them for a death that was unnecessary. The second part of this.....is that the husband who was shot.....was a compensation. We are likely talking about a lifetime retirement deal via the German government.
Frankly, it'll be hard to see how these will develop. There are so few cases like this to compare against. Normally, once you get into a German courthouse, it's fairly safe. In most court cases, there's always a cop in the court room.
I've come to agree about the husband and the compensation. The cops owe this guy something. Whether it's a simple "gift" of $250k or a yearly pension of $30k....doesn't matter. They basically shot him while he was defending his wife in their courtroom. He maintains that he's crippled for life, and his doctor agrees that he will never walk correctly again. Based on videos I've seen....he walks with an extreme limp and a cane.
It's a weird case....even for Germany.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Panther
Somewhere, along the German-Belgium border....there is a panther on the loose. Well....folks think....there's a panther on the loose.
The thing is....several residents have seen the big cat...which they described as black and huge....and then a couple of hikers said the same thing.
The odds? I'm betting on some guy in the area who got into exotic cats....bought some panther kitten and tried raising it in his basement or garage. The cat eventually attacked him and escaped via a door....and has been on the run ever since. The guy won't dare admit this in public, and he probably got the cat from some Russian mafia guy or circus owner.
The thing is....everyone wants the cat caught alive. This kinda puts a crimp into any type of logical planning. Some folks are a bit scared now in this region....because this is the one animal that could hunt humans. The thing is...without any mate...it won't reproduce and we might just be talking about a twelve year period of activity.
The odds of catching it alive? I'd say less than ten percent chance. Most hunters are going to be more prone to use a real rifle and not take chances on being attacked.
The thing is....several residents have seen the big cat...which they described as black and huge....and then a couple of hikers said the same thing.
The odds? I'm betting on some guy in the area who got into exotic cats....bought some panther kitten and tried raising it in his basement or garage. The cat eventually attacked him and escaped via a door....and has been on the run ever since. The guy won't dare admit this in public, and he probably got the cat from some Russian mafia guy or circus owner.
The thing is....everyone wants the cat caught alive. This kinda puts a crimp into any type of logical planning. Some folks are a bit scared now in this region....because this is the one animal that could hunt humans. The thing is...without any mate...it won't reproduce and we might just be talking about a twelve year period of activity.
The odds of catching it alive? I'd say less than ten percent chance. Most hunters are going to be more prone to use a real rifle and not take chances on being attacked.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Cross Episode
Ever since the European Union came along...things have kinda come down from the EU...on individual countries...and they tended to just accept what was handed down. There is some ability to challenge....but rarely have countries taken any big actions.
This week...things changed.
Some folks in Italy....got a bit upset over a ruling by the European Human Rights Court. The court ordered schools in Italy to remove crucifixes from the classrooms. This was supposed to level the playing field and give the impression that schools were totally neutral.
Folks have taken this in a very negative fashion. Pier Luigi Arnera....mayor of a small town by the name of Sezzadio....came out with a fine...for anyone in the village who removes a cross from any municipal building....to includes schools. The fine? $700.
The logic of the mayor? He says displaying of the cross in “places other than churches does not affect the dignity of anyone, because it is one of our cultural references.”
The thing about Italy....once one mayor does something like this....a bunch of small town mayors get the same ideas.
With Christmas coming up...I'd wager that nativity scenes will be doubling up and folks will carry crosses on their person...and openly display them.
I've spent around a month of my life in Italy. Italians are a different breed. First....no matter what they say....they are absolutely Catholic in nature. They might bend here and there with what the Pope says....but the bottom line is a belief in Christian values. Whatever attitude that Baptists think they have....Italians can carry a fifty pound bag of religious sand a mile further.
As you look around Europe today....various Islamic groups have been successful in different European countries. The one exception? Italy.
The odds of this cross episode being forced down on Italians? I'd give it zero chance. Italians know in the end....they are absolutely right...whether they are or not.
This week...things changed.
Some folks in Italy....got a bit upset over a ruling by the European Human Rights Court. The court ordered schools in Italy to remove crucifixes from the classrooms. This was supposed to level the playing field and give the impression that schools were totally neutral.
Folks have taken this in a very negative fashion. Pier Luigi Arnera....mayor of a small town by the name of Sezzadio....came out with a fine...for anyone in the village who removes a cross from any municipal building....to includes schools. The fine? $700.
The logic of the mayor? He says displaying of the cross in “places other than churches does not affect the dignity of anyone, because it is one of our cultural references.”
The thing about Italy....once one mayor does something like this....a bunch of small town mayors get the same ideas.
With Christmas coming up...I'd wager that nativity scenes will be doubling up and folks will carry crosses on their person...and openly display them.
I've spent around a month of my life in Italy. Italians are a different breed. First....no matter what they say....they are absolutely Catholic in nature. They might bend here and there with what the Pope says....but the bottom line is a belief in Christian values. Whatever attitude that Baptists think they have....Italians can carry a fifty pound bag of religious sand a mile further.
As you look around Europe today....various Islamic groups have been successful in different European countries. The one exception? Italy.
The odds of this cross episode being forced down on Italians? I'd give it zero chance. Italians know in the end....they are absolutely right...whether they are or not.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Simon Polt
There's a terrific Austrian series of movies (not a TV show, as you might hope)....which feature the character Simon Polt. If you were ever looking for a under-played cop movie.....with a four-star script....then these four movies would be a great choice. The movies?
Polt muss weinen (1998)
Blumen für Polt (2000)
Himmel, Polt und Hölle(2001)
Polterabend (2003)
Polt is the "Andy" of a small Austrian town....managing crimes and murder. No police car....he rides the bike everywhere. As of yet, I've never seen him pull a pistol and I don't think he ever would. He arrives at his cottage each evening....sits quietly looking out the window....petting his cat....and simply thinking. If you ever wanted a Austrian Andy Griffith show....this is it.
The catch to this is that he uses the art of persuasion on just about everyone he meets that needs it. He presents flowers to ladies. He sips a beer quietly and pondering. He's the cop that states the obvious and then gives you a slight grin.
The chance of catching this? You might have one of these show up once a year, if you were lucky. They ran all four a few weeks ago on 3SAT.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Maut (The Road Tax) Episode
I was kinda waiting for this…..the new government (the righty crowd)….had the transportation chief come out last week....and announce they are renewing a review of the introduction of road tolls in German autobahns. About twelve hours later...he came out and said it was a mis-statement and backtracked.
This is one of those ideas that revenue guys have been hyping on for a decade now. They know the invention of new methods of collecting taxes has to be extended....and this is the best “hidden” method they know of. The majority of Germans though....are against it.
About ten years ago…..the new government came in (the lefty crowd)….and decided that folks in trucks ought to pay a road toll and then determined that a technology concept of “black boxes” and satellites would be the answer. Naturally, this answer left the door open for car inclusion later.
So the boys jumped in….got around six major companies involved and figured in eighteen months they could crank up this massive program across the whole nation. The simple deal? You had a card that you “charged” up at some gas station ATM-like machine. You put the card into a “black box” within the truck….that had antenna. As the truck passed under a steel structure on the autobahn….it reads the account and then deducts the money from the account.
How far apart are these structures? It could be five miles….it could twenty miles. Each one is a different charge. You could enter one end of a town like Frankfurt….travel the entire distance on the autobahn to the other end…and never cross a single one of these readers. In my case, if I take the long route on the autobahn….I will pass one reader before I get to the base. The likely charge? Unknown at this point, but I’d guess on 50 cents….so it’d likely run a buck a day to drive quickly to work.
This charge….the “maut”….is an amusing subject. If you ask Germans who pays the charge…they tell you the trucker. Then you ask if the trucker assumes the entire burden…or passes it along to the consumer buying the item off the truck? Then they start to realize that they quietly pass this charge or tax themselves.
The selling point is that other nations that transit Germany….pay their fair share….and that’s all foreign income unrelated to Germany.
There are folks who oppose this entire idea….like the German Federation of Taxpayers….who referred to this road toll idea as "a scam."
The current selling point on this deal is that foreign cars transit the country….on vacation or business….and they could improve the current tax revenue bucket by 20 percent.
Having been in Germany for fifteen years….I can tell you a simple fact….folks will work hard to avoid paying this tax. If they find that it costs $40 a month to use the autobahn to drive to work….they will find the county or city roads to avoid the scam….and crowd up the current access roads by two hundred percent. The advantage of using the fee? Out the back door rather quickly.
Would I pay the $1 a day? I laughed as I considered this idea. I would burn up an extra twenty minutes a day if I avoid the autobahn, and probably burn an extra three gallons of gas per week….but you have to analyze this problem carefully. I work with people who would have to transit five of these readers….and maybe pay $40 a week….which would be a silly expense.
Would the current gas tax be deleted? No….the odds are zero on that. The government guy’s won’t even discuss that idea. So basically….an entire new tax would be levied across German society….emptying out another $500 a year or more….on the common guy. The bulk of folks won’t be getting a pay raise…just like last year….so they are all digging in and tossing more money to the government.
So, everyone is hoping the mis-statement made....was just that...and that these idiots won't bring this up again. My guess? Give it six months....and it'll be brought up again....just when they need more taxes.
This is one of those ideas that revenue guys have been hyping on for a decade now. They know the invention of new methods of collecting taxes has to be extended....and this is the best “hidden” method they know of. The majority of Germans though....are against it.
About ten years ago…..the new government came in (the lefty crowd)….and decided that folks in trucks ought to pay a road toll and then determined that a technology concept of “black boxes” and satellites would be the answer. Naturally, this answer left the door open for car inclusion later.
So the boys jumped in….got around six major companies involved and figured in eighteen months they could crank up this massive program across the whole nation. The simple deal? You had a card that you “charged” up at some gas station ATM-like machine. You put the card into a “black box” within the truck….that had antenna. As the truck passed under a steel structure on the autobahn….it reads the account and then deducts the money from the account.
How far apart are these structures? It could be five miles….it could twenty miles. Each one is a different charge. You could enter one end of a town like Frankfurt….travel the entire distance on the autobahn to the other end…and never cross a single one of these readers. In my case, if I take the long route on the autobahn….I will pass one reader before I get to the base. The likely charge? Unknown at this point, but I’d guess on 50 cents….so it’d likely run a buck a day to drive quickly to work.
This charge….the “maut”….is an amusing subject. If you ask Germans who pays the charge…they tell you the trucker. Then you ask if the trucker assumes the entire burden…or passes it along to the consumer buying the item off the truck? Then they start to realize that they quietly pass this charge or tax themselves.
The selling point is that other nations that transit Germany….pay their fair share….and that’s all foreign income unrelated to Germany.
There are folks who oppose this entire idea….like the German Federation of Taxpayers….who referred to this road toll idea as "a scam."
The current selling point on this deal is that foreign cars transit the country….on vacation or business….and they could improve the current tax revenue bucket by 20 percent.
Having been in Germany for fifteen years….I can tell you a simple fact….folks will work hard to avoid paying this tax. If they find that it costs $40 a month to use the autobahn to drive to work….they will find the county or city roads to avoid the scam….and crowd up the current access roads by two hundred percent. The advantage of using the fee? Out the back door rather quickly.
Would I pay the $1 a day? I laughed as I considered this idea. I would burn up an extra twenty minutes a day if I avoid the autobahn, and probably burn an extra three gallons of gas per week….but you have to analyze this problem carefully. I work with people who would have to transit five of these readers….and maybe pay $40 a week….which would be a silly expense.
Would the current gas tax be deleted? No….the odds are zero on that. The government guy’s won’t even discuss that idea. So basically….an entire new tax would be levied across German society….emptying out another $500 a year or more….on the common guy. The bulk of folks won’t be getting a pay raise…just like last year….so they are all digging in and tossing more money to the government.
So, everyone is hoping the mis-statement made....was just that...and that these idiots won't bring this up again. My guess? Give it six months....and it'll be brought up again....just when they need more taxes.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Geothermal Story
So this is what happened. Some folks were digging a geothermal heat source in Wiesbaden (downtown). Basically, you are digging at a significant dept....and hoping to find that pocket of warm springs. The boys were down to 300 feet or so....when it erupted. So water started spewing out of the ground at the drilling site. The boys were kinda surprised. They figured it'd just be water....not under any pressure.
This started on Thursday. It spewed all night, then through most of Friday. We've likely gone from the tens of thousands of gallons scenario to the hundreds of thousand of gallons scenario by this point.
The neat thing here...is that it's right by the Finance Ministry and some fancy hotel downtown. So both have some minor flood issues.
Based on some reports....they were apparently able on Saturday to plug this to some degree but folks still aren't one hundred percent on this plug business. It could be....that it's simply contained and the water is flowing somewhere else right now. The closeness of the hotel and Ministry buildings....makes you wonder if ground strength is now being disrupted and maybe a pit might be opening up sooner or later to swallow up things.
Naturally, you can envision this scenario. Here's Schmidt arriving at his lowly finazamt office building on Monday over at the Finance Ministry. Schmidt is amongst the lowest of the low on the management pole.....number 44 out of 52 leaders in the building. Schmidt passes a stairway, and observes this crack in the wall. He stands there....eyeballing this for a full minute. He turns around and walks out....goes home....and calls in sick (saying he has the Swine Flu).
Hours pass at the ministry building....and then.....the whole thing caves into a 300 foot pit. Everyone in the building is wiped out. The next day.....Schmidt shows up at the emergency finance headquarters to find that he's moved up 43 places and is now judged to be the next chief of the Finance Ministry....by mere survival. All due....to a crack in the wall.
Stranger things have happened....you know.
Friday, November 6, 2009
ZDFneo
There's a legendary fact about state-run TV in Germany....nobody under the age of 30 really watches it. The state TV guys may argue about this and get all pumped up over sports on their channel which might attract guys....but beyond that....it's a big zero.
So the boys woke up...in the new digital era....and created another channel (yet another expense on the TV audience via taxes).....and created ZDFneo.....a channel for the "hip" generation of Germany.
So, the ZDFneo management team went out to find really hot shows that German youth would watch....to get them addicted and willing to help continue on this TV tax game.
The boys bought the rights to broadcast 30 Rock.
Last week....with its first broadcast....they got 5,000 or less folks in Germany to watch. It was mostly a joke....and they really needed more folks to make this pay off. Well...this week....they got up to 30,000 viewers....out of 80 million folks. It would be a safe bet to say this was awful marginal and if they can't get past 250,000 viewers....they might as well give up on this idea of "hot" shows to draw new viewers.
The sad thing....is that I have to pay for this stupidity with my TV tax.
So the boys woke up...in the new digital era....and created another channel (yet another expense on the TV audience via taxes).....and created ZDFneo.....a channel for the "hip" generation of Germany.
So, the ZDFneo management team went out to find really hot shows that German youth would watch....to get them addicted and willing to help continue on this TV tax game.
The boys bought the rights to broadcast 30 Rock.
Last week....with its first broadcast....they got 5,000 or less folks in Germany to watch. It was mostly a joke....and they really needed more folks to make this pay off. Well...this week....they got up to 30,000 viewers....out of 80 million folks. It would be a safe bet to say this was awful marginal and if they can't get past 250,000 viewers....they might as well give up on this idea of "hot" shows to draw new viewers.
The sad thing....is that I have to pay for this stupidity with my TV tax.
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