2018-03-31

Time to tell again how it all started: Behold! The story of Easter!

Time to tell again how it all started: Behold! The story of Easter!

Originally shared by Kristian Köhntopp

Hallo, Ihr Traditionshasen! Hier ist die Ostergeschichte! http://www.joshuawright.net/slack-wyrm-269.html
http://www.joshuawright.net/slack-wyrm-269.html

Eggsistential crisis...


Eggsistential crisis...

Enjoy Easter! (If you celebrate it...)

Originally shared by Maia Legazpi

Eggsistential Crisis 🐰❓🐣

2018-03-29

Some more Easter egging today, despite the Goethe Cup.

Some more Easter egging today, despite the Goethe Cup. Tomorrow we will go to a highschool nearby and do this with their German club, about 30 pupils I heard.

#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系


Our department is holding the Goethe Cup today, students are competing in various categories showing their German...

Our department is holding the Goethe Cup today, students are competing in various categories showing their German language skills. I selected the topic for presentations, naturally it was "My plans for world domination".

Most contestants spoke about what they would do if they were supreme ruler, but some spoke about their plans to get there and I must say some seem to have potential:

One student wanted to employ cats, one used a plot similar to Kingsmen 1 and one wants to control the internet to spread her propaganda. I think they are ready to graduate...

#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應徳系


2018-03-25

Hahaha, now that is "interesting"...

Hahaha, now that is "interesting"...

German police was monitoring a Turkish rocker gang, including their phone conversations, because the group was accused of attempted murder, human trafficking and much more.

During the observation police was rather surprised when suddenly Turkish president Erdogan showed up on the line. Apparently the rocker gang is helping him with several activities in Germany, to a degree that he personally asks about status updates...

Good company...

Originally shared by Jörg Walossek

Irgendwie peinlich, wenn "Rocker" für den Präsidenten arbeiten...
https://www.derwesten.de/politik/am-telefon-mit-erdogan-osmanen-rocker-wurden-ueberwacht-dann-meldete-sich-der-praesident-id213836433.html

2018-03-24

_"This is a liberation," Mr.

_"This is a liberation," Mr. Tammo told the NY Times, "They [YPG] took control by force of arms and forced the people to live under their rule." _

Did they?

Throughout "Operation Olive Branch", FSA members have been accused of extrajudicial executions, mutilation of female soldiers bodies, and looting. Since they occupied the city on Sunday, they broke into shops, restaurants and houses, often leaving nothing behind.

Those are the "moderate rebels" you read about, the guys of which Western governments said that they would bring democracy to Syria. They are doing really well.

By the way, did you recently notice the term "SDF" in the news? Or "US-led coalition"? No? You are right. When Kobane was besieged by ISIS in 2014, the US saw a chance to get "boots on the ground" to fight ISIS without sending own troops. (Hello Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq...) Since the YPG/YPJ were not as excluding as other forces (Remember how moderate rebels attacked moderate rebels? And both groups backed by the US?), they also included Arabs and others and called themselves "SDF" - Syrian Democratic Forces.

That term almost disappeared when instead Western media reported about the "US-led coalition" - which funnily included both SDF and FSA (yes, the "moderate rebels"), who were fighting each other - or rather, the FSA couldn't stand the SDF, because the "moderate rebels" were not quite so "moderate". In a YT video posted by the allegedly most moderate group the guy behind the camera managed to praise Allah 17 times a minute. Apparently that's "moderate".

If you go back through news articles, you will find that the "US-led coalition" disappeared from news by the time Turkey invaded Syria. For a short time there was still a "US-backed coalition", then there were YPG and YPJ, meanwhile sometimes all that is left is "the Kurds".

It looks like "the Kurds" fulfilled their purpose and can be thrown to the wolves (Turkey and "FSA"). Ironically, the only people supporting them now are regular Syrian troops, Assad's SAA.
http://theregion.org/article/13093-turkey-will-replace-afrin-administration-with-its-own-council

The German Foreign Minister apparently thinks that Turkey invading Syria to attack Kurds is no big issue, no...

The German Foreign Minister apparently thinks that Turkey invading Syria to attack Kurds is no big issue, no international law was violated. Only if Turkey stayed, then a continued occupation "may change the situation". But the German government is optimistic that Turkey will "revert" the situation - whatever that is supposed to mean. I wonder how they are going to "revert" people from death.

So, invading a country, displacing some hundred thousand people, killing civilians is all OK as long as you don't stay for too long. Oh, and you should be a NATO member. Then you can even bomb hospitals and nobody will annoy you:
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/krieg-in-syrien-offenbar-tote-bei-angriff-auf-krankenhaus-in-afrin-1.3910348



https://twitter.com/arndhenze/status/976458853985521664

2018-03-23

I had totally failed to notice these: All vendors in our cafeteria are listing weight and calories for all their...


I had totally failed to notice these: All vendors in our cafeteria are listing weight and calories for all their meals. I think I need to reconsider some of my lunch choices...

Easter egg test run

Easter egg test run

Next week we want to go to a nearby junior high school and decorate Easter eggs with their German club, so this week I did a test run with some of the graduate students who will go. While they did this for the first time, the results are not bad and next week should be fun...

#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系



Blaming CA, Facebook, Russians etc is convenient, but doesn't address the real cause. A good article IMHO.

Blaming CA, Facebook, Russians etc is convenient, but doesn't address the real cause. A good article IMHO.

Social media platforms, nefarious bots and dodgy data companies can amplify views that are already out there and distort perspectives that already exist – but they cannot invent them. In short they can manipulate the supply of ideas, but they cannot create the demand for those ideas from thin air.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/22/us-politics-data-cambridge-analytica-russia-trump

It's not really our fault! The satellite is ours, but the rocket isn't...

It's not really our fault! The satellite is ours, but the rocket isn't...

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/2017SW001738

2018-03-21

A breakfast store in Tainan


A breakfast store in Tainan

About a week ago I finally got to see La La Land.


About a week ago I finally got to see La La Land. Not in a cinema though, in a stadium in Tainan. And it wasn't simply the film, it was "La La Land live in concert".

That means there was a stage with the musicians who recorded the original soundtrack for the film, as well as a national orchestra and choir. And they did what I only knew from the silent film era: They accompanied the film by playing the music live.

That was a pretty amazing experience, the only drawback being that our night temperatures are currently way lower than the day temperatures, because I wasn't dressed for sitting outside at night. But it was still great and the film way better than I had imagined.

2018-03-20

Sunset in Chiayi


Sunset in Chiayi

2018-03-17

Manamana?


Manamana?

Originally shared by Diane Attaway

Garfield, I appreciate that you want to bring me a present on #Caturday, but it really doesn't need to be a snake...


Garfield, I appreciate that you want to bring me a present on #Caturday, but it really doesn't need to be a snake...

Did anyone see a petunia?


Did anyone see a petunia?

Via Peter Lindelauf

Originally shared by Polynomial -C

2018-03-16

Priorities...


Priorities...

Via Daniel Börresen

Originally shared by Barbara Nelsen

Our elected buffoons have their priorities! You know what to do come time for re-election, right?

2018-03-14

We're not Neo-Nazis, we merely worship Stepan Bandera, proudly wear insignia of Ukrainian Nazi battalions on our...

We're not Neo-Nazis, we merely worship Stepan Bandera, proudly wear insignia of Ukrainian Nazi battalions on our uniforms and happily present the Nazi salute. But no, we're not Neo-Nazis, so please pour some more billions on us.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/13/ukraine-far-right-national-militia-takes-law-into-own-hands-neo-nazi-links

2018-03-12

Ouch...


Ouch...

Via Jörg Walossek

Originally shared by Terry Irwin

2018-03-10

Night market!


Night market!

Take a seat. (Not much space though)


Take a seat. (Not much space though)

Look whom I met...

Look whom I met...

This is in Tainan, in what originally was Tainan county, a kind of snack stop.

#totoro #ghibli

Lantern Festival in Chiayi


Lantern Festival in Chiayi

With the right light, even a boring building can look impressive.

2018-03-05

Small experiment: We have a chilli paste here under the name "the hottest thing on earth" and this time I added a...

Small experiment: We have a chilli paste here under the name "the hottest thing on earth" and this time I added a spoonful to the dough.

I was worried that the dough may not rise, but it did. As expected, the heat during baking destroyed quite a bit of hotness, but it's still there. So basically, this can be done. Next time two or three spoons?

Where do you find your country on these scales?

Where do you find your country on these scales?

Originally shared by Steĉjo Schwichow (道説 Dō Setsu)

This ought to be required watching in today's schools. How seen we forget.
https://youtu.be/hYVRMztG5Q4

2018-03-04

Since her recent excursion to the outside, where she must have been in a fight, Gigi has rediscovered the pleasures...


Since her recent excursion to the outside, where she must have been in a fight, Gigi has rediscovered the pleasures of being home.

This is my box. There are many like it, but this one is mine.


This is my box. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Through an article where someone spoke about daily customs of a Taiwanese friend I accidentally found out that we...


Through an article where someone spoke about daily customs of a Taiwanese friend I accidentally found out that we now have stainless steel drinking straws, so I got myself a set. Beverage stores/stalls are very popular in Taiwan, which is not surprising considering that half the island is tropical and the other half at least sub, so something like this can avoid a lot of garbage.

The thick straw on the left is for pearl milk tea and similar teas and the set even comes with cleaning brushes. Time for field testing...

2018-03-03

Lantern Festival in Chiayi

Lantern Festival in Chiayi

Not strictly related to the festival as such, but at one of the stalls inside this lion-shaped pavilion a glass artist was selling his creations and had a small workshop where people could try working with glass themselves.


Lantern Festival in Chiayi

Lantern Festival in Chiayi

Here you see the southern branch of the Palace Museum (on the right, in blue) and the footbridge leading to it (left and center). The museum was equipped with a few lights, but the really impressive part was the bridge:

The bridge's backside had been covered with white cloth and a battery of 24 projectors turned it into a huge screen. This was supported by amplifiers and speakers. Part of the loop they ran was a short speech by the county head, projected onto a water screen in the pond in front of the bridge. (I didn't get that one.)

2018-03-01

Lantern Festival in Chiayi


Lantern Festival in Chiayi

The big searchlights are also in the area accessible starting tomorrow.

Lantern Festival in Chiayi


Lantern Festival in Chiayi

This area will open tomorrow.

Mr Trump revealed he had been taken aback by what his 11-year-old son Barron watches and raised fears about the...

Mr Trump revealed he had been taken aback by what his 11-year-old son Barron watches and raised fears about the computer games that are being played. 

It's a pity Fox does not speak about parental control, so Trump hasn't heard of it. When your underage child watches unsuitable TV, then that's your responsibility. (Although it's of course Obama's fault.)

It's interesting the US would now try the German government's approach to shootings. In Germany, one way to legally get hold of a gun is membership in a shooting club. A number of politicians (especially Christian Democrats/Socialists) are members in such clubs.

Although in the majority of shooting sprees the shooter had access to guns through membership in such a club and had also trained there, politicians would each time construct a connection to Counterstrike (likely the only FPS they ever heard of), while completely ignoring the club membership. Yes, pressing "R" on a keyboard really teaches you how to swap magazines on a gun. That's something you just can't learn in real life...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/28/donald-trump-suggests-terror-ratings-movies-help-stop-gun-attacks/

Looking bad, very bad...

Looking bad, very bad...

The failed coup was in Erdoğan’s own words a “gift from God”. Many suspect the hand of the Turkish intelligence services in planning the abortive coup, on behalf of the government in order to provide a pretext for the purge.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/turkey-erdogan-selahattin-demirtas-rebels-government-democracy-court-human-rights-lawyer-a8232606.html