Wiesbaden or Bust

Wiesbaden Luisenplatz

We're moving this week to Wiesbaden. Be back here shortly.

Germany makes it to the Finals - Euro 2008

Germany defeated a tough Turkish team 3-2, and moved to the finals where they will face either Russia or Spain.

There is much fanfare throughout Germany. It is 2254 hours here in Germany and it sounds like the 4th of July. They (Europeans) take their football seriously!

I'll keep rooting for my German Team.

Jail Time for Homeschooling Parents

We made it back from a week long family vacation in Switzerland (a post on that later); and are getting ready to move from Mannheim to Wiesbaden which is the state capital of Hesse.

Speaking of Hesse...I read an article posted on Worldnetdaily.com about some German homeschooling parents living in Hesse, that are getting prison time for homeschooling their children. Read it here. The German government is anti-homeschooling to say the least and according to this article federal prosecutors are taking it to these parents.

A mother and father who have been homeschooling their children each have been ordered by a German judge to serve three-month prison terms after a prosecutor said he was unhappy with fines the family paid and he wanted the parents jailed. It was just a year ago when WND reported the prosecutor, Herwig Muller, appealed a lower court's imposition of fines against the Dudeks.

I'm a little concerned (more about the perception of 'homschoolers') but thankful my family and I do not fall under German jurisdiction for homeschooling. BTW, there is a large American homeschooling community serving here. However, this should not be a big surprise. Afterall, Germany is a socialistic state.

Of note: One of the first acts by Hitler when he moved into power was to create the governmental Ministry of Education and give it control of all schools and school-related issues. In 1937, the dictator said, "The youth of today is ever the people of tomorrow. For this reason we have set before ourselves the task of inoculating our youth with the spirit of this community of the people at a very early age, at an age when human beings are still unperverted and therefore unspoiled. This Reich stands, and it is building itself up for the future, upon its youth. And this new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing."

What gives big government? I like what Joerg Grosseleumern, a spokesman for the the Netzwork-Bildungsfreiheit, a German homeschool advocacy group, said: in Hesse a family's failure to follow the mandatory public school attendance laws violates not only administration regulations but the criminal code.

"It is embarrassing the German officials put parents into jail whose children are well educated and where the family is in good order," he wrote in an earlier alert about the situation. "We personally know the Dudeks as such a family."

What does the government have to fear about well educated, good citizens? Nothing.

But according to Wolfgang Drautz, consul general for the Federal Republic of Germany, has commented on the issue on a blog, noting the government "has a legitimate interest in countering the rise of parallel societies that are based on religion."

The government certainly doesn't want your children to be socialized in religion (read Christianity; perhaps Islam and others are on the hit list too); but it's ok to socialize your children into secular humanism, materialism, etc-- the religion of atheism is straight all right for your children.

I'm raising and teaching my children to be followers of Jesus Christ, students of God's word, and to be good citizens of whatever state they serve. This is not a parallel society; at least not according to our founding Fathers (read what some of them had to say about Christianity and citizenship). In the end, my family lives in two cities: The City of God and the City of Man. We will do our civic duties for the rulers of the City of Man but ultimately we serve the Christ, the ruler of the City of God .

Croatia stuns Germany in Euro 2008

Germany's Michael Ballack, right, Croatia's Niko Kovac, second from right, and Croatia's Ivica Olic, left, challenge for the ball during the group B match between Croatia and Germany in Klagenfurt, Austria at the Euro 2008 European Soccer Championships.

Germany's misery was complete in stoppage time when Schweinsteiger was dismissed for a push on substitute Jerko Leko.

On Thursday Croatia dealt Germany a 2-1 Euro 2008 Group B defeat here on Thursday in one of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far.

However, Croatian Coach, Slaven Bilic stated, "There is no other way to beat the Germans than to play well. They're still a great team, though, and still one of the favourites for the title."

Germany plays Austria on 16 June in what turns out to be a crucial game for both football clubs; a rivalry that goes back at least to 1978.

Defending champion Germany was eliminated by Austria 3-2 at the 1978 World Cup in Cordoba, Argentina, in a match in which Austria had nothing to gain and Germany everything to lose. It remains one of the most famous Austrian sports victories over its bigger neighbor and it came after 47 years of trying.

Germany needs at least a draw against co-host Austria on Monday in Vienna.

16/06/2008

v

Austria

20:45

Group B	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Croatia	2	2	0	0	3	1	6
Germany	2	1	0	1	3	2	3
Austria	2	0	1	1	1	2	1
Poland	2	0	1	1	1	3	1

I will continue to root for Germany (at the slight chance of upsetting Christina's Austrian kinfolk).

Wo wir leben

I wanted to make a quick post on the city in which has become my family and I's surrogate home (we've lived here for close to six months now). I present a brief summary on Mannheim in English followed by German. So here it is:

Mannheim is known as the city of quadrangles (blocks). On 17 March 1606, Prince-Elector Friedrich IV of Palatinate layed the plan for the fortified city of Mannheim with streets at right angles. The German word 'Mannheim' translates to "A place where men are at home". The city of blocks, second largest city in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, is located at the center of the Rhine-Neckar river triangle. Mannheim and its suburbs include more than 300,000 people. The population of the greater Mannheim-Ludwigshafen urban area exceeds half a million.

Above is the Wasserturm (water tower), Mannheim's landmark.

From its start as a quaint fishing village more than a thousand years ago, Mannheim has grown into one of the largest and most developed cities in Southern Germany. For a short time in the eighteenth century, the city served as a regional government center, and many of the grand old buildings remain. Below is the Mannheim Coat-of-Arms:

Boasting a large university and a nearby industrial center, Mannheim is a center of the arts and commerce. Considered by many to be one of the best-planned German cities, its easily navigable streets are arranged in a letter and number pattern. Numerous shops and design houses abound, and local events keep things interesting throughout the year. Who can deny that the German Beer tastes good? Here's a Special beer (Kellerbier) by Mannheim's Eichbaum brewery brewed for the city's 400th birthday:

And finally, for the hockey-lover in you, Mannheim's own Adler Mannheim (Mannheim Eagles). The team currently plays at SAP Arena (we live only a few miles away),
where they moved to at the beginning of the 2005/06 season after having played at Eisstadion am Friedrichspark for nearly seven decades from 1938 till 2005.
We take the streetcar on the weekends and go exploring all over the city (pictures will be posted later). All-in-all, we enjoy our city.

Auf Deutsch:

Ich wollte einen schnellen Pfosten auf der Stadt bilden, in der ist unser stellvertretendes Haus geworden (wir haben hier für nah an sechs Monate jetzt gelebt). Ich stelle eine kurze Zusammenfassung auf Mannheim auf englisch gefolgt von German dar. So hier ist es.

Mannheim bekannt als die Stadt der Vierecke (Blöcke). Am März 17 1606, Prinz-Wähler Friedrich IV von Pfalz layed den Plan für die verstärkte Stadt von Mannheim mit Straßen senkrecht. Das deutsche Wort ' Mannheim ' übersetzt "einen Platz, in dem Männer zu Hause sind". Die Stadt der Blöcke, an zweiter Stelle größte Stadt im Zustand von Baden-Wurttemberg, befindet sich in der Mitte des Rhein-Neckar Flußdreiecks. Mannheim und seine Vororte schließen mehr als 300.000 Leute mit ein. Die Bevölkerung des grösseren Mannheim-Ludwigshafen städtischen Bereichs übersteigt halbe Millionen.

Als von seinem Anfang als wunderlichem Fischendorf ist mehr tausend Jahren vor, Mannheim in eine der größten und entwickelten Städte in Süddeutschland gewachsen. Für kurze Zeit im achtzehnten Jahrhundert, bleiben die Stadt, die als regionale Regierung Mitte gedient werden, und viele der großartigen alten Gebäude.

Eine große Universität und ein nahe gelegenes Industriegebiet rühmend, ist Mannheim eine Mitte der künste und des Handels. Betrachtet durch viele, um eine der gut-geplanten deutschen Städte zu sein, werden seine leicht schiffbaren Straßen in einem Buchstabe- und Zahlmuster geordnet. Zahlreiche Geschäfte und Designhäuser haben Überfluss, und lokale Fälle halten Sachen, während des Jahres zu interessieren.

Und schließlich, für das Hockey-lover in Ihnen, Mannheims eigenes Adler Mannheim (Mannheim Adler). Die Mannschaft spielt z.Z. an der SAFT Arena (wir leben nur einige Meilen entfernt), wo sie auf an den Anfang der 2005/06 Jahreszeit nachher spielend bei Eisstadion morgens Friedrichspark für fast sieben Dekaden von 1938 bis 2005 umzogen.

Wir nehmen das streetcar an den Wochenenden und gehen, alle über der Stadt zu erforschen (Abbildungen werden später bekanntgegeben). All-in-alles, genießen wir unsere Stadt. Tchuss.