Five Things: Zionism, Kissinger, Randomness, Parking Lots, Christmas Trees
Five Things: Zionism, Kissinger, Randomness, Parking Lots, Christmas Trees
Happy First Advent!
The countdown is on. Christmas is around the corner. In Germany, the advent time is a big thing, as we not only have four advent Sundays before Christmas, but also do advent calenders, so kids can get a little gift each day until Christmas. Of course we decided to go totally overboard with this and pack 24 little paper bags for each kid, which makes 96 in total. This year I didn’t get to a pack a single one, so I assume I screwed up a lot last year. Anyhow, I’m incredibly grateful that my wife did all the shopping and packing for the 96 bags this year. We even got real snow yesterday, which was a great start into the festive season. Apart from all this, December means cramping four weeks of business into three and sprinkling lots of christmas events, both business and private, on top. It started with carol singers on Friday afternoon at my daughter’s school. Outside in the cold, because we all have to suffer to appreciate Christmas, I guess. I had some mulled wine, which is really a weird drink to have, if you think about it. Cheap red wine with spices and sugar - what’s not to like?
Here’s the Five Things for today. Enjoy!
The founding of Israel wasn’t a colonial act – a refugee isn’t a colonist
“There were many Zionisms, some more idealistic than others, but the founding of Israel wasn’t an act of colonial depredation. Fleeing from pogroms isn’t colonising. Returning to one’s old home, as Jews had been returning to it for centuries, isn’t colonising. A refugee isn’t a colonist.” - exactly.
Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies
When in university, I once wrote a paper about the foreign- and security decision-making process of the executive branch in the USA. Obviously, it was Kissinger who redefined the role of the National Security Advisor. Kissinger was also a controversial person and this is why I picked this article about Kissinger, as not everyone liked him and his ultrarealist politics. You probably got to read a lot nicer obituaries elsewhere. But he had a certain aura that made people listen to him. I once experienced this myself, when he delivered the eulogy at the funeral of former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt in St. Michael’s Church in Hamburg. There was this small old man in this really big church - and his speech was the only one I remember. What an interesting life he lived. Remarkable.
Why Randomness Doesn’t Feel Random
“Randomness can leave our human brains poorly placed to make sensible deductions, and, unfortunately for us, it is a part, to a greater or lesser degree, of many everyday situations we are faced with, from the arrival time of the next bus to the next song that is dealt to us by our music players when set to shuffle.”
Building Less Parking Space Helps Us Fight Climate Change and the Housing Crisis
There is so much we can do. We just have to rethink our attitude towards cars and mobility in general. Parking lots are taking up so much space and they contribute to our cities overheating. We need more trees or at least solar panels above the cars.
The economics of Christmas trees
I always wanted to know the numbers behind the christmas tree, especially as they vary a lot between the different neighborhoods. We always go to a nearby forestry where rangers use chainsaws to get the tree trunk in shape for the christmas tree stand. The trees are imported from Denmark, which I always find odd. But they also sell mulled wine, so everything is okay in the end. Oh, by the ways, did you know that the origins of the fake christmas tree were about 500m away from where I grew up? After WWII some guy set up a factory in the old ammunitions plant that got turned into a neighborhood, where I grew up (exploring old WW2 bunkers was part of my childhood…). And those fake trees where sold to many destinations around the world, including department stores in the USA. Nope, I didn’t know that, but my synapses conveniently led me to research the so called Möllner Chenille Fabrik, which always had a large fake tree in front of the building. According to this report (in German), the “Möllner Tanne” apparently was a thing back then, until the competition from Asia was too strong and the factory closed down.
That’s it. Have an amazing first advent Sunday!
— Nico