E. Coli in Germany: Bad, but May Be Ending

"Health minister voices cautious optimism on E. coli"
Health, Deutsche Welle (June 6, 2011)

"German Health Minister Daniel Bahr has said he can't sound the all-clear on the E. coli outbreak in northern Germany, but that the latest figures offer 'reasonable cause for hope.'

"German Health Minister Daniel Bahr appeared on German public television Wednesday to say there were signs that the E. coli outbreak in Germany may be on the decline and that the spread of the deadly bacterial infection was slowing.

" 'There will be new cases and unfortunately we have to expect more deaths, but the number of new infections is dropping significantly,' Bahr said on the ARD network. 'I can't sound the all-clear, but after analyzing the latest data we have reasonable cause for hope.'..."

There's almost certainly going to be a huge amount of finger-pointing in Germany, Europe, and anywhere that's imported vegetables from Europe. There's also, the Lemming hopes, going to be some serious attention paid to just how E. coli got in the food supply - and how to keep it from happening again.

After that major outbreak in Germany, E. coli is a major news item here in America. People have gotten sick, and a two-year-old in Virginia died, but they're apparently not connected with the German outbreak. (FoxNews.com)

It's not really 'good news,' with 26 people dead so far in the European outbreak: but it looks like the worst is over.

In terms of the disease, that it.

Economic fallout from the E. coli outbreak will, in the Lemming's opinion, be around for a long time. And that's another topic.

Related posts:

• "E. Coli, Sprouts, Caution, and Business"
  (June 5, 2011)
• "EU E. Coli Mutant Killer Bacteria New!! Unknown!!! Or, Not"
  (June 2, 2011)
• "Rat Poo Peanut President is Back: As a Consultant"
  (September 9, 2010)
• "Salmonella in Eggs: Let the Blames Begin"
  (September 2, 2010)
• "And the Moral of This Story is: Don't Eat Raw Meat"
  (March 25, 2010)

In the news:

• "Health Officials: Latest U.S. E. Coli Cases Unrelated to Outbreak in Europe"
  Body & Mind, FoxNews.com (June 8, 2011)
• "E. coli: EU vegetable producers hit hard"
  News Europe, BBC News (June 8, 2011)
• "Health minister voices cautious optimism on E. coli"
  Health, Deutsche Welle (June 6, 2011)

E. Coli, Sprouts, Caution, and Business

The E. coli outbreak - still almost entirely in Germany - is bad. Around 2,500 people may have caught the bug. Numbers vary from one report to another, but it looks like 19 have died so far. Apparently it's "one of largest in history." (Healthy Living blog, KABC)

There's a new educated guess about where the infection came from: bean sprouts from a particular farm.

"Bean sprouts now suspected in E. coli crisis"
The Local (Germany's news in English) (June 5, 2011)

"...Lower Saxony Agriculture Minister Gert Lindemann told reporters on Sunday that health authorities in the state had identified bean sprouts as the likely cause of the bacterial health crisis, which has killed 21 people.

"While a conclusive laboratory analysis was still pending, with results not expected until Monday morning, the Lower Saxony Health Ministry felt the indications were strong enough to issue a public warning against eating such sprouts which are typically used in salads and consumed raw.

"The restaurants and food outlets to which the cases of E. coli had been traced all had received shipments of the particular beansprouts, he said.

"The supplier of the sprouts is based in the Lower Saxony town of Uelzen. Two company employees reportedly were suffering diarrhoea.[!] The firm supplies various types of sprouts including mung bean sprouts, radish sprouts, pea sprouts and lentil seeds.

"The fresh revelation came as German Health Minister Daniel Bahr said the scale of the E. coli outbreak in the country had overwhelmed hospitals in northern Germany. Meanwhile, experts speculated that the pathogen might be linked to biogas facilities...."

Again, it's bad. People have died. Many more are sick.

And a whole lot more are hurting: consumers and suppliers who paid for food they have to toss; and folks who produce sprouts. Or any other sort of vegetable. In Europe.

Because, apparently, one farm didn't pay attention to hygiene.

Unfair? Maybe: but the Lemming realizes that with a potentially-lethal disease, caution makes sense.

Here's some of the economic fallout from the E. coli outbreak:

---

"Qatar suspends vegetables import from Spain, Germany amid E. coli outbreak"
Habib Toumi, gulfnews.com (June 5, 2011)

"Qatar has banned the import of cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce from Spain and Germany amid an E. coli outbreak that has killed 19 people.

"The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) said it decided to impose a temporary ban on the three products, but would not 'hesitate to ban all vegetables from all European countries if necessary', an official said, Qatari media reported...."

The Lemming hopes that the Supreme Council of Health pays attention - and lifts the ban when the rest of us find out where the tainted food came from.

Related posts:

• "EU E. Coli Mutant Killer Bacteria New!! Unknown!!! Or, Not"
  (June 2, 2011)
• "Rat Poo Peanut President is Back: As a Consultant"
  (September 9, 2010)
• "Salmonella in Eggs: Let the Blames Begin"
  (September 2, 2010)
• "And the Moral of This Story is: Don't Eat Raw Meat"
  (March 25, 2010)
• "New Wonder Anti-Bacterial Element: Copper"
  (June 15, 2009)

In the news:

• "Bean sprouts now suspected in E. coli crisis"
  The Local (Germany's news in English) (June 5, 2011)
• "Qatar suspends vegetables import from Spain, Germany amid E. coli outbreak"
  Habib Toumi, gulfnews.com (June 5, 2011)

Background:

• "E. Coli"
  CDC.gov

EU E. Coli Mutant Killer Bacteria New!! Unknown!!! Or, Not

"E. coli outbreak is a new strain"
James Gallagher, BBC News (June 2, 2011)

"The World Health Organization says the E. coli outbreak in Germany is a completely new strain of the bacteria.

"The infection can cause the deadly complication - haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) - affecting the blood and kidneys.

"More than 1,500 people have been infected and 17 have died: 16 in Germany and one in Sweden.

"In the UK, three British nationals have been infected - all had visited Germany.

"Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, a WHO spokesperson, is reported as saying: 'This strain has never been seen in an outbreak situation before.'

"Scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute, in China, are also reported as saying: 'This E.coli is a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic.'

"Preliminary genetic analysis of the outbreak suggests the bacteria is unique.

"Early evidence suggests the bacteria has genes from two distinct groups of E. coli: enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)...."

First, and very important: People died, 17 in all that we know of; around 1,500 others are or have been sick. This E. coli outbreak is a serious health hazard.

It's also doing no favors to farmers, folks who make their living in the EU food processing and distribution system, and consumers. That's arguably not as important as the loss of life - but a whole lot of folks who haven't been directly affected by this bug have either lost income, or have to destroy food they bought. My guess is that it'll drive food prices up, too.

Back to E. Coli, the WHO, and scientists who say it's new.

They could be right. Or, not.

Those last to paragraphs in the BBC News excerpt, again, with the Lemming's emphasis:

"...Preliminary genetic analysis of the outbreak suggests the bacteria is unique.

"Early evidence suggests the bacteria has genes from two distinct groups of E. coli: enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)...."

"Preliminary" and "suggests" are not "definitive" and "demonstrates."

WHO, CDC, and Editorial Style

The WHO says new killer bacteria! China scientists declare mutant peril! CDC Indecisive! Will America's Arrogant Indifference Doom Us All?!

No, the Lemming has not run into any headlines quite like those.

However, the Lemming also wasn't too surprised - or shocked - that the CDC isn't as certain as news editors may be, about this being a new strain of E. Coli.

My guess is that folks at the World Health Organization aren't quite as sure as news reports imply they are:

"Cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) continue to rise in Germany. Ten countries have now reported cases to WHO/Europe.

"As of 31 May 2011, nine patients in Germany have died of HUS, and six of EHEC. One person in Sweden has also died. There are many hospitalized patients, several of them requiring intensive care, including dialysis....

"...Numerous investigations are continuing into the cause of the outbreak, which is still unclear.

"In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is keeping Member States informed about the latest developments and providing technical guidance on further investigation of the ongoing outbreak. WHO does not recommend any trade restrictions related to this outbreak."
(WHO news (June 2, 2011))

That "the cause of the outbreak ... still unclear" thing might refer to the E. coli strain, how the bacteria got into Europe's food supply, or both, as far as the Lemming knows.

If you're waiting for a rant about journalistic irresponsibility, that's not gonna happen in this post. News media, what the Lemming's read, has done a pretty good job of reporting this outbreak - all things considered.

About the CDC and WHO apparently not being on the same page? Presenting that as if it were a conflict is factually accurate, in the Lemming's opinion, but probably misleading. News media, in America at least, tends to show everything as conflict - as the Lemming learned during journalism courses, decades back.

Quite a few folks who wouldn't be interested in what two guys at the next table are saying might get interested if the strangers were arguing about something. Conflict often sparks interest.

In the same way, perceived conflict in a headline tends to spark interest. The function of news is to sell newspapers, magazines, and advertising. Also inform and persuade. Which is, in the Lemming's opinion, okay.

Provided that folks who read and listen to the news know what's going on.

Back to E. Coli.

Rare, Yes: New? Maybe Not So Much

"...'We have very little experience with this particular strain, but it has been seen before,' said Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC's division of foodborne diseases.

"The CDC said the strain is very rare and added that, while it is not aware of any cases ever having been reported in the United States, it is aware of a few previous reports of the strain in other countries. Britain's Health Protection Agency has said that the strain suspected in the outbreak is 'rare' and 'seldom seen in the UK.'..."
(CNN June 2, 2011)

Maybe Robert Tauxe, the CDC database, and the British HPA are all wrong. Or maybe the New! Unknown! strain just didn't ring any bells in the labs where the samples were studied.

'Wash Your Hands Before Eating' - Mom (or Dad) was Right

The Lemming's read the usual 'cook meat, wash hands, wash produce' advice on the WHO website and elsewhere. You've read it all before, anyway. The Lemming thinks it's a good idea, by the way.

Meanwhile, in Texas

The Amarillo Globe-News reports that folks got sick there. E. coli. Seriously enough, in the case of four children, for them to be hospitalized.

'And the moral of this is:' quite a few things, actually.

The usual thing about common-sense hygiene, of course.

Also, that children are quite often the folks who wind up with really serious E. coli infections. Which makes the European outbreak odd.

European E. Coli Outbreak: Kids, No; Women, Yes

"...Previous E. coli outbreaks have mainly hit children and the elderly, but the European outbreak is disproportionately affecting adults, especially women...."
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com June 2, 2011)

That is odd - maybe this strain of E. coli is new, after all.

Or maybe there's something different about the way it's being spread.

If the outbreak was in America, with that particular demographic getting sick, the Lemming might suspect some sort of 'Fat-B-Gone All-Natural Organic Vegetarian Salad' product.

It's early days: and this outbreak will probably stay in the news for a while. It's massive. And that's another topic.

Remember Ebola?

A not-so-high-profile news item. Not internationally, anyway, as far as the Lemming knows:

"Ebola in Uganda"
WHO news (May 18, 2011)

"On 13 May 2011, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Uganda notified WHO of a case of Ebola Haemorrhagic fever in a 12 year old girl from Luwero district, central Uganda. On 6 May she presented to a private clinic in Zirobwe town, Luwero district, with a 5-day history of an acute febrile illness with haemorrhagic manifestations. She was later referred to Bombo General Military Hospital where she died few hours after admission.

"Laboratory investigations at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe, Uganda confirmed Ebola virus (Sudan species). A sample is on route to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA for additional analysis and sequencing.

"A National Task Force has been convened by the MoH Uganda, which is working with several partners including WHO, CDC, the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) and USAID. A joint MoH, WHO and CDC team was deployed to the district on 13 May to carry out a detailed epidemiological investigation. WHO will be supporting the MoH in the areas of epidemiology and infection control...."

The ebola case is just that - one case. From the sounds of it, folks in Uganda want to keep it that way. Quite understandably.

And that is yet another topic.¹

Related posts:

• "Antibiotic-Resistant Superbug With NDM-1 Enzyme"
  (September 15, 2010)
• "Rat Poo Peanut President is Back: As a Consultant"
  (September 9, 2010)
• "Salmonella in Eggs: Let the Blames Begin"
  (September 2, 2010)
• "And the Moral of This Story is: Don't Eat Raw Meat"
  (March 25, 2010)
• "New Wonder Anti-Bacterial Element: Copper"
  (June 15, 2009)

In the news:

• "Russia bans EU vegetables over E.coli, EU protests"
  Edition: U.S., Reuters (June 2, 2011)
• "World health officials scramble to stem deadly E. coli outbreak"
  CNN (June 2, 2011)
• "WHO says Europe E. coli is new, but CDC not sure"
  newsday.com (June 2, 2011)
• "EHEC outbreak: Increase in cases in Germany"
  WHO news (June 2, 2011)
• "WHO: E. Coli Outbreak Caused by New Strain"
  Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (June 2, 2011)
• "E. coli cases reported in city"
  Amarillo Globe-News, via amarillo.com (Texas) (June 2, 2011)

---

¹ The Lemming's posted about Africa, health care, and related issues, in another blog:

• "Sudan, Darfur: My Take"
  (January 8, 2011)
• "Partners in Education and Mr. Grimes: A Melodrama For Today"
  (November 26, 2010)
• " 'Conflict Minerals,' Politics, and Making Sense"
  (July 22, 2010)
• "Sustainable African Development: And Swift's Modest Proposal"
  (May 6, 2010)
• "Zambia: Corruption, Hospitals, and Bishops"
  (July 22, 2009)
• "Good News from Africa: But Some People Won't Like It"
  (March 17, 2009)

The New Year's Eve Bullet, and Some Reminiscing

"How drunk do you have to BE, Lamar?"
Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (August 24, 2010)

".So Doc, tell me. How did the operation go to remove that cyst? I feel great!

"Well Lamar, surprisingly it wasn't a cyst at all. It was a bullet, lodged right there in your head, I'd say for five or six years. You've been carrying it around all this time.

"A bullet, huh? I'll be! I guess that would be from a New Year's Eve party.

"What? How do you know that, Lamar?..."

The rest of that Oddly Enough post is - well, pretty much what you'd expect. Whether or not you think it's funny depends on your sense of humor.

Although Oddly Enough's author went a bit past what was in the news: he didn't have to stray too far to make the situation sound, well, odd.

That photo, of an x-ray, is legit, and from a Bochum Police handout, via Reuters.

The constabulary in that German town is taking that bullet seriously. Finding out who pulled the trigger probably won't happen - and besides, they're assuming that it was an accident.

Just the same, according to The Local, they're going to try to convince folks in their area that it's not a good idea to load a gun, and then yourself, at a party.

---

In the news:

"Bullet found in man's head years after drunken New Year's Eve"
The Local (Germany's News in English) (August 24, 2010)

"A 35-year-old man in North Rhine-Westphalia has lived for the past several years unaware a bullet became lodged in his head one drunken New Year's Eve, police told The Local on Tuesday.

"The Polish construction worker in Herne doesn't quite remember whether it was in 2004 or 2005, but he does recall feeling a forceful blow to the back of his head around midnight as he celebrated in the city centre, said Bochum police spokesman Volker Schütte.

"He recently noticed a cyst on his head and went to the Herne hospital, where X-rays revealed the culprit – a 22-calibre bullet lodged in his scalp.

" 'He must really have a strong constitution,' said Schütte, who spoke with the patient while he recovered in the hospital following an operation on Friday. 'He was of course intoxicated at the time he felt the blow. It was New Year's Eve so naturally he'd had a bit more than usual to drink.'..."

Seriously? The Lemming is glad that the fellow got that bullet out of his scalp. Another news report had someone speculating that the bullet might have been fired in the air, and hit him on the way down: which would explain why it stopped where it did.

The Lemming's also not going to go into the conventional hand-wringing over the dangers of guns or Demon Rum, or New Year's Eve parties.

Come to think of it, I haven't heard about Demon Rum for a long time.

It's not that the Lemming is apathetic - I've explained that before - it's just that I think that guns and beer aren't problems: it's the folks who can't handle guns and beer, at least not at the same time.

Which reminds me of another story. This one's true:

• "A Woodpile, a Skunk, and Dynamite: Remembering the Good Old Days"
  Through One Dad's Eye (December 15, 2007)

Radioactive Pigs Attack Germany - No, Really

"Radioactive Boars Rampaging Through Germany"
FOXNews (August 3, 2010)

"It sounds like the plot of a B-movie, yet it's bizarrely true: Radioactive boars are on the loose and thriving in Germany's forests.

"A succession of mild winters has left Germany scrambling to deal with a skyrocketing wild boar population. Tales of swarming beasts rampaging through city streets and attacking citizens occur with alarming regularity.

"The problem has been aggravated by the lingering effects of the Chernobyl disaster from twenty-five years ago; a large portion of the wild animals are contaminated by radioactivity...."

It's no joke.

Fallout from Chernobyl (26 April 1986) left at least some of Germany's vegetation radioactive. Mushrooms and truffles are particularly good at soaking up radioactive material, and wild boars particularly like mushrooms and truffles. Which leaves the critters too radioactive for us to eat safely.

Boars shot by hunters have to be checked for radioactivity - and the German government, by their laws, is obliged to buy the contaminated meat.

The FOXNews article links to an article in Der Spiegel (English version) on Germany's radioactive boars.

What may be particularly annoying about the situation is that wild boar meat is considered a delicacy in Germany.

Rabbit Terrorism: You Can't Make This Up, Folks

"Court rejects teacher's suit against student for 'rabbit terrorism' "
The Local, Germany's News in English (July 10, 2010)

"A German court on Tuesday threw out the case of a schoolteacher against a pupil who allegedly tormented her by scrawling pictures of rabbits on the blackboard to aggravate her rabbit phobia.

"The court in Vechta, northern Germany declined to hear the complaint by the 60-year-old geography teacher, who was seeking an injunction against the 16-year-old girl to stop her from making the drawings or spreading rumours that the plaintiff had a paralysing fear of rabbits....

So, naturally, the teacher takes the teen to court. Because rabbits don't bother her at all. And nobody is supposed to say that they do.

Back to the article:

"...Chief Judge Hermann Pieper did not give a reason for the ruling, but said the case was business as usual. The teacher, who did not appear in court, has the option to appeal...."

"...Two years ago at another school, the teacher took a pupil to court in a similar case and reached a settlement in which the teenager agreed never again to claim that the plaintiff 'freaked out' when she saw a rabbit or heard the word...."

The alleged rabbit terrorist had been at the school where this teacher was absolutely not bothered by rabbits at all, when the previous rabbit incident occurred. So maybe the teen plotted to make witnesses see the teacher break down, sobbing, when she wasn't at all bothered by a picture of a rabbit.

If this sounds crazy, you probably don't live in Germany. Apparently this sort of thing isn't all that unusual in that country:

"...Judge Pieper said that while the case may seem curious to outsiders, 'mobbing and strife in the schools' were frequently brought before the court."

I don't know what to think of that teacher. If she's really terrified of rabbits, the word rabbit, or a picture of a bunny rabbit on a blackboard: a school full of teenagers is among the last places she should be. For her sake, and that of the teens.

If she's not, and just likes to yank someone's chain: she missed a great opportunity. By watching a copy of Night of the Lepus (1972, MGM), she could have gone to court and sued MGM for everything they've got.

On consideration, though: that would probably mean traveling to America - and I'm not sure that the courts here are quite as eager to jump on those 'emotional pain and trauma' cases any more.

---

A tip of the hat to irish_brigid, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this article.

They're Birds! They're Planes! No, It's the SWAT Team!

"Look Out Below! Wingsuits Pushed for Airborne Assaults"
Danger Room, Wired, (December 3, 2009)

"Yves Rossy, aka 'Jet man' and 'Fusion Man,' has grabbed headlines with his jet-powered flights with an 8-foot wing strapped to his back. But he could be joined sometime soon by commandos on an airborne assault.

"Last year, Rossy successfully flew 22 miles across the English Channel. Last week’s attempt to cross from Africa to Europe by flying from Morocco to Spain was less successful. Strong winds were against him, and Rossy ended up in the sea three miles short of the coast. Undaunted, the Swiss former military pilot now plans to fly across the Grand Canyon.

"Rossy has reportedly refused requests from the military and stated that his powered wing, which cost more than $190,000 to develop, is only for aviation enthusiasts. However, he’s not the only one in the wingsuit business.

"The Special Parachute and Logistics Consortium, is a German venture between two companies with expertise in this area. SPELCO produces a variety of parachute systems, helmets, oxygen supplies and other gear and services. But their most eye-catching project is the Gryphon Next Generation Parachute System (PDF, pictured)...."


(from Special Parachute and Logistics Consortium, via Wired, used w/o permission)

I'll skip the culturally-normative hand-wringing over the horrors of war, and how nice it would be if everybody was nice and not nasty. You probably know it by heart, anyway. And yes, it would be nice.¹

My hat's off to Mr. Rossy: it looks like he's kept the rights to his invention, and he can decide how to market it.

As for the German consortium, they've got a (what else?) more practical idea as to how their technology can be used:

"...'All equipment is hidden in a lifting body optimized for stealth, the radar-signature is extremely low,' says the Gryphon data sheet (PDF). 'Detection of incoming Gryphon soldiers by airborne or ground radar will be extremely difficult.'

"Gryphon has a guidance system and heads-up display navigation. Best of all, the company are looking at an option for bolting on small engines similar to those used in Yves Rossy’s setup. These will increase the range to more than 60 miles, but will also make it possible to cover long distances from low altitude so that the entire mission can be more stealthy...."

As I said, I think it would be nice if everybody would be nice. But, since I live in the real world, I'm not terribly anguished to know that NASA is developing drop ships and that a German consortium has something like a Flash Gordon flying suit in the R&D stage. With luck, the American armed forces will be able to buy enough units, if and when such things are needed.

Or maybe, for the first time in thousands of years of recorded history, everybody all over the world will start being nice. That would be groovy.

Meanwhile, the Wired article gives a pretty good look at the Gryphon project - with links to additional information from the consortium.

Think of the Possibilities!

Aside from military operations, Gryphon flying suits (or whatever we call them) have some exciting possibilities for search and rescue operations. It's possible that these things, or next-generation flying packs, could get a rescue team to places where something big and bulky like a helicopter could cause more problems than it solves - like on a snow-covered mountainside.

That sort of application, though, will have to wait for the (anticipated) controlled-landing capabilities that the Gryphon consortium is looking at, for later models.

Interesting times, these that we're living in.

Related posts:

• "The Future: Just Like Today, Only Different"
  (October 24, 2009)
• "NASA's X-37 Project, New Technologies, and - EEEK! the Military!!"
  (October 23, 2009)
• " 'Hot Eagle:' the Space Marines Are Coming"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (October 19, 2008)
• "EEEK! Guns! Hoplophobia and Foreign Policy"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (December 23, 2007)

---

¹But, as I wrote in another post, "there's little in the five millennia or so of human history to suggest that the world's Caligulas and Pol Pots will be willing to go along with such a nice idea...." (October 23, 2009) Also, from that post, "I've posted an explanation of this blog's name. Briefly, the Lemming is "apathetic" in the sense that I don't care deeply, passionately, irrationally, about the 'right' things."

(Don't worry: The rest of today's posts will be on the light side.)

That's Not a Swanie River! That's a Lake

"Way down upon the Swanie River"
Oddly Enough, Reuters Blog (November 24, 2009)

"Blog Guy, you seem to know a lot about nature. Can swans fly?

"No. They can neither fly nor swim.

"What? Hold on, I’ve SEEN swans swimming in lakes and rivers and stuff!

"No, you've seen swans, which have very long legs, PRETENDING to swim. Mostly, though, they prefer to travel by boat...."


(from Reuters/Christian Charisius, used w/o permission)

It's not so much that they prefer to travel by boat, really. A bit at the end of this post explains that Olaf Niess - he's the dark-colored one in the photo - is supervising Hamburg's swans - they're the ones with the long necks - in an annual routine they all go through. Winter's coming on, you see, and - well, actually, there isn't really an explanation given.

There is, however, a fairly redolent play on words.

Enjoy.

Oktoberfest: Not for the Faint of Heart

"I didn't prepare ya for Bavaria?"
Oddly Enough, Reuters blog (October 6, 2009)

"Blog Guy? I read about Oktoberfest in your blog and went to the bar you suggested, and now I wanna die!

"Really? What did you order?

"Hold your voice down. I’ve never had a headache this bad. I ordered 'Bavarian Shooters.' My ears are still ringing. I inhaled so much black smoke…..."

Turns out that some "Bavarian Shooters" are Bavarians who shoot. 'Blog Guy' doesn't say this, but I think it's a testament to the stamina of your average Municher - that a fusillade of sixty Bavarian-wielded guns is a part of the final day of Oktoberfest in Munich.

High-Speed Stealth Bomber: Built in 1940s

" 'Hitler's Stealth Fighter' Re-created"
National Geographic News (June 25, 2009)

"ON TV Hitler's Stealth Fighter airs Sunday, June 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel.

"Top stealth-plane experts have re-created a radical, nearly forgotten Nazi aircraft: the Horten 2-29, a retro-futuristic fighter that arrived too late in World War II to make it into mass production...."

The article gives a pretty good overview of a working military jet, made mostly of wood, that was designed to be virtually invisible on radar.

I could be wrong, but I detect some NIH (Not Invented Here) in one statement: "...Some experts, like the Garber facility's Lee, question the Hortens' postwar claims that their plane had been intended as a stealth plane...."

The National Geographic News article is, of course, intended to encourage people to watch the company's program this Sunday, June 28. It also is a pretty good look at one facet of recent history.

If contemporary tests show that the Horten design was 'stealthy, Germany came very close to having a fleet of stealth bombers in WWII. This could have changed the course of the war - at least for a short time, until countermeasures were developed.

"...But by early 1945, aviation historian George Cully said, 'The Germans had run out of pilots, petroleum, and time.' "

Männerspielplatz: 17-Acre Sandbox for Grownup Guys

"Disneyland for Dudes: Playing With Backhoes, ATVs, Weapons"
Wired (December 22, 2008)

"Think of it as a testosterone-soaked sandbox: a German amusement park where, instead of standing in line to ride on roller coasters, you get to play with big, loud machines. For 219 euros (about $280), patrons can spend the day operating 29-ton Liebherr backhoes and 32-ton Komatsu front-end loaders, off-roading through the woods in a Mercedes-built Unimog, peeling out in a Suzuki SUV, and slinging some mud on quad bikes.

"The brainchild of Alexander Bammer, a former IT honcho, Männerspielplatz (literally 'men's playground') began seven years ago as a one-off corporate promotion with a handful of rented earthmovers at a construction site near Kassel in central Germany. The event struck a chord with pasty execs who loved getting...."

The Männerspielplatz sounds like a lot of fun: 17 acres of 'guy stuff.'

Women are buying tickets to the place, too. Apparently as gifts for their guys. That makes sense: it would keep them out from underfoot for an entire day.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: A Gallery of Sawn-In-Half Cameras

"A Gallery of Sawn-In-Half Cameras
Wired Blog Network (June 30, 2008)

"...The exhibit is full of retro gadgets, as you'll see below, but the most interesting to me were the bisected lenses and cameras, the insides of which show the precision of a CAD drawing. Read on to see sawn-off gadgets, the origin of digital cameras and a secret doorway just for horses...."

The title of this post is somewhat deceptive: one of the lens assemblies wasn't sawn in half. A quarter-section had been removed.

However, the many photographs and descriptive text may be a treat for those of us who will never see the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.

The Lemming Gets Serious: Holocaust Survivors' Website

"Holocaust Survivors"

"Why have this web site? Because history is not just about events, it is about human lives. Here we present history with a human face. Read the stories of the survivors. Hear them speak. Look at their family photographs. Consult our encyclopedia. Read a historical introduction to the Holocaust. Leave your thoughts or ask your questions on our discussion page."

The people who survived places like Auschwitz and Dachau are have grown old. Soon there will be no living voices to remind us of what happened during World War II, under the Nazi regime.

"Nazi" has become an epithet, used to describe someone the speaker doesn't like, or approve of: something like "commie" in America, back in the fifties.

I don't recommend wallowing in unpleasant details of the past.

On the other hand, a very great many people suffered and died because of Dr. Josef Mengele, Heinrich Himmler, Martin Weiss, and the ideals they promoted.

It might be just as well to remember what happened, and learn a lesson or two.

Quotes: Churchill; Einstein; Pasteur

"World History Quotes"

Here are selections:

• Winston Churchill
  • "The truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is."
  • "It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations is an admirable work, and I studied it intently. The quotations when engraved upon the memory give you good thoughts. They also make you anxious to read the authors and look for more."
  • "The empires of the future are the empires of the mind."
• Albert Einstein
  • "We see a universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws."
  • "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."
  • "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
• Louis Pasteur
  • "Science brings men nearer to God."
  • "In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind."
  • "One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me."
  • "Do not let yourself be tainted with a barren skepticism."

J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan:" A Story that Hasn't Died, About a Boy Who Doesn't Grow Up

"Peter Pan" is a remarkably large cultural icon in America, considering that it's a play written by a Scottish novelist, Sir James Matthew Barrie or J. M. Barrie, in the first years of the 20th century.

Peter Pan first appeared as a character in "The Little White Bird" (1902), a novel by Barrie. The novel was written for adults, but the "Peter Pan" chapters were lifted out and re-published as "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens" (1906).

The play, "Peter Pan," opened in 1904.

Project Gutenberg makes these available as online books:

• "The Little White Bird; or, Adventures in Kensington gardens"
  J. M. Barrie
• "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens"
  J. M. Barrie
• "Peter Pan"
  J. M. Barrie
  (Currently for US distribution only!)

There have been quite a few screen adaptations of "Peter Pan:"

• "Peter Pan" 1924 (Cyril Chadwick, Mary Brian)
• "Peter Pan" 1953 (Disney)
• "Peter Pan" 1955 (television series, apparently made in Brazil, in Portuguese)
• "Peter Pan" 1960 (Cyril Ritchard, Maureen Bailey) for television
• "Peter Pan" 1962 (Wolf Ackva, Michael Ande, made in West Germany, in German)
• "Peter Pan 1976 (Danny Kaye, Mia Farrow)
• "Peter Pan" 1986 (Animated Australian version, it seems)
• "Hook" 1991 (Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams)
• "Peter Pan" 2003 (Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter)
• "Peter Pan" 2000 (Paul Schoeffler, Elisa Sagardia, made for television)
• "Return to Neverland" 2002 (Disney)
• "Peter Pan" 2003 (Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter)
• Even a video game1993

More, about Barrie and his works, at "Born in Scotland; Lives in Neverland – J.M. Barrie and the big adventure of Peter Pan."

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Update May 21, 2008

Someone's adding to the Peter Pan phenomenon: "Peter Pan's Neverworld" ("A new novel by Peter Von Brown, based upon the expansion ideas of Sir J. M. Barrie"). The author left a comment on this post.

He has a blog: "Peter Von Brown." A recent entry (May 13, 2008) says that he has an advance copy, and that the book will soon be available: "So hang in there, Peter Pan is coming back…and he's not alone."

There's a pre-release review at Lulu Marketplace: Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Brother Claus Field Chapel

"Peter Zumthor - Brother Claus Field Chapel" Mechernich, Germany
arcspace.com (June 11, 2007)

"The recently inaugurated Brother Claus Field Chapel is located in Mechernich near Cologne, Germany.

"The Chapel, dedicated to the holy Niklaus von Fluehe, called Brother Claus, was donated by farmer Hermann-Josef and Trudel Scheidtweilerand, and built by local farmers on the edge of his field."

Photos and description of a remarkable piece of architecture.

Magnificent European Cathedral

" Interior of Sankt Lozenz Kirche. Nurnberg, Bavaria, Germany"

Photo of one of those sculpture-in-stone old European cathedrals.

A Photo: of a Woman; in a Black Leotard; and Cat Ears; and Pointe Ballet Slippers; Standing on Wine Bottles

500.jpg

I took another look.

The photo is still there.

I wasn't imagining it.

I'm making an educated guess that the writing on the wall, in full, is "Weinkeller zur Schwarzen Katz" - which means something like "Black Cat Wine Cellar" in English.

Which would explain the costume. Sort of.

Beer that Fights Cancer: No Kidding!

"Boffins may develop cancer-fighting beer"
"The Sydney Morning Herald" (January 14, 2008)

Food - drink, actually - that's good for you! A refreshing change from the "everything causes cancer, high blood, pressure, or whatever" medical news. Researches found (another) chemical in hops that's good for people: xanthohumol.

There's some of this cancer-bashing stuff in beer now, but these scientists plan to boost the concentration sixty times. I can see the ads, when the uber-beer hits the shelves:

"New and Improved! With Wonder-Ingredient Xanthohumol"

And, wouldn't you know it: The researchers are German.

German Smokers = Holocaust Jews Incredibly Stupid T-Shirt

Contemporary culture being what it is, it's hard for a tasteless, disgusting T-shirt to stand out.

But it can be done.

BostonHerald.com's "German Jewish group protests use of Star of David on advertised pro-smoking T-shirt" gives details.

"The shirt features a yellow Star of David similar to the one Jews were forced to wear under the Nazis. The world "smoker" is written across the star instead of 'Jew.' "

Since the shirt was marketed in Germany, I suspect that "smoker" was actually "raucher."

I realize that smokers feel bad about having limits imposed their behavior.

On the other hand, it takes a special sort of mind to see Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews as being equivalent to today's treatment of smokers. I haven't read about any smokers being turned into lampshades, but I could have missed it.