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Thread ID: 87956	2008-03-10 03:07:00	Germany’s “Dunkerque.”	Roscoe (6288)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
648269	2008-03-13 02:55:00	Sorry, the position has already been filled. Should you really describe her thus?	Cicero (40)
648270	2008-03-13 03:05:00	Should you really describe her thus? I would never describe my missus like that. I meant my work colleague who I totally own at COD4 ...	Biggles (121)
648271	2008-03-13 04:42:00	I would never describe my missus like that. I meant my work colleague who I totally own at COD4 ... Ha ha, that's who I meant. You might consider a harem. Johno sounds a likely candidate.:blush:	Cicero (40)
648272	2008-03-13 06:21:00	When unification was imminent he spoke of the east as another country and another people - almost as though the country and the people were not German. I found that rather strange and rather sad. He was bemoaning the fact that since the end of the war, the west had worked hard and rebuilt their half of the country and now those people (considered by some, it seems, as a foreigners) were coming to reap the benefits of the last forty, or so, years. I would have thought that the west would have welcomed the oppressed east as brothers and sisters and would want to help them as much as they could. I would be interested in your opinion. Hello Roscoe, well, obviously it depends, if someone benefits from the new situation or not. Former Chancellor Hellmut Kohl promised, that the "5 new provinces" will really soon become "blooming landscapes". For this purpose a lot of money was necessary, and a part of this ammount we still have to pay as a tax. It's called "Solidaritätsbeitrag" (solidarity fee). Money, which was dedicated to the development of villages, towns and cities in the "11 old provinces", now floated towards the eastern provinces. The situation there was very very difficult and amap money asap there made sense to avoid "riots". Politicians want to win elections, either. ;) Many towns were in bad shape: so many houses laid in ruins, and, after the former economical system crashed, so many people were unemployed - it was inevitable to divide the ressources even if this meant, that many people in western germany will become disappointed. Especially the pension-topic aroused jealousy: people from the "five new" never paid money into the western german pension office, but now benefitted from that - even at that time - already torn and twisted retirement pension system. Many "Wessies" (western germans) were angry about that, fearing to lose a good pension, for which they had been struggling for decades of their life. People, who fear the future - with reason or not - easily overdo, don't they? On the other hand, the "Ossies" (eastern germans from the five new provinces) were dissapointed, because the development towards the "blooming landscapes" in their opinion was too slow. This was naiv, because developing a former whole country up to the western standards within just a few years is ... impossible. It took 40 years to destroy the basics (of the former GDR) and it probably takes 40 years (within a really changed country) to build them up again. One generation each minimum. Moreover the "Ossies" don't like the way, many "Wessies" treat them. There is - sometimes - a lack of selfconfidence on one hand and - sometimes - quite a lot of arrogance on the other. But much of this is just stereotype. :D Personally I still welcome the unification. Although neighbours, the GDR was a kind of exotic country for the western part of germany till the 1990ies. Many of us probably knew better Auckland or Sydney than Leipzig or Dresden. As a "Wessie", the only time I visited the GDR was as a member of my schoolclass in 1983. In many cities, especially Dresden, I felt if being an actor in an early post-war-movie. It's really difficult to describe. Even Austria was much more familiar to me (stayed there on almost any summer vacation) than Saxonia, Thuringia or Brandenburg. All I had heard about Leipzig, Weimar or Dresden was part of the history of Goethe, Schiller, Lessing and the "Republic of Weimar" (1918-1933). Please understand, that there was an "iron curtain" through Europe and especially Germay. This "iron curtain" was not just fences, mines and "shooting orders", but became part of our daily life for four decades - on both sides. Almost nobody believed that something like unification will ever happen again - and never without even killing a single person. So the "iron curtain" was and for some still is in our heads. To change this it will take time and probably a whole new generation grown up in the circumstances of today. I hope, I was able to help you to understand a little bit what is going on here. It's a very difficult and complex topic and in fact, impossible to explain with this few words. Regards Thor P.S. Do not apologise for your English. It is very good. Understand that many Kiwis know no other language. :o You are very kind and patient with me. Thank you! :) Well, it's just school-english. Updated during several journey throughout Europe and Northafrica, moreover some time ago I used american- and british-english rulebooks for fantasy roleplaying games and read a lot of times J.R.R. Tolkiens "The Hobbit" & "Lord Of The Rings" in the Penguin-Books-Paperback-Version. You see, it was just the normal career of a German to get along with the modern form of latin language. ;) I think it was actually "liebestraum" wine, which i believe is locally produced, not sure what it means in German, "sweet dreams"? Dear Nigel, "liebestraum" means "love dream" (singular).	Thor Branke (13486)
648273	2008-03-13 09:10:00	Hello Thor, Wie gehts? Wei ist das wetter draussen? Danke schön. Your explanation is most appreciated. I will have to read it a few times. Much to digest. Very interesting. I can see now why there would be some resentment among the "Wessies." Nevertheless the term "unification" will now be a thing of the past. I assume that there are not many people who speak of it now. Tchüβ.:)	Roscoe (6288)
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