Tag: germany

Weekly Rundown

by MAÔ, posted in Social

What I’m reading: I read very little this week. Best of intentions and all, but time slipped away. I did start perusing An Innocent Abroad, compiled travel wisdom by Don George and published by Lonely Planet. But, not enough to actually call it reading.

What I’m listening to: Die Winterreise by Franz Schubert. I learned of this song cycle five or ten years ago, and I listen to it every winter. It’s 24 pieces, poetry set to music, following a man’s journey into the snow to rid himself of his departed, lost love. Quintessentially German.

What I’m spending time on: The Witcher on Netflix, starring Henry Cavill. I hadn’t followed the phenomenon that is The Witcher, from a fantasy franchise based on the series of books from Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. But the show has garnered some attention, and I wanted to see what it was all about. A man fighting monsters in a world with wizards, elves, and dragons.

What I’ve shared:

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Why books?

by MAÔ, posted in Books

Another thought following the past two posts. Why books?

I was in Amsterdam two years ago, riding the tram across town, and there were passengers in large numbers reading books. The same was true in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, etc. Not when I take the bus or train here in the States. Why are books still so popular over there, while not so much here?

I may explore that in more detail when I travel over there next (not sure when).

But as for now, I know that I like my books. I like reading them. I like bookstores and libraries. And that’s not going to change.

Kill all drug dealers

by MAÔ, posted in Government

Back at it. And this week, like all weeks it seems, is not uneventful.

  1. I don’t support the death penalty.
  2. Drugs are sold because they are profitable. (Hello capitalism.)
  3. Addiction is a disease
  4. Dealers exploit addictions, much the same way tobacco companies did (do), and, perhaps, social media companies do…

How to fix it.

I don’t know. Lots of possible ways. Killing the drug dealers just makes gaps for other drug dealers to come in. And in a world where dealers will kill each other to make room in the market, who among them wouldn’t be happy to have the President sanction those murders?

I personally like the German way. It is illegal, but there are buildings where users can go to partake in the hard stuff. (Marijuana should just be legal all the way around.) In these buildings, there are clean beds, clean needles, medical professionals, access to help, and the cops don’t go in there. So, you’re safe. If you have a problem, there are people there to help. When you’re ready to admit that you have a problem.

Less drug-related crime, less festering on the streets.