Einigkeit & Recht & Freiheit

"Anfangen ist leicht, Beharren eine Kunst." (CHARACTER DEPICTED ON THIS BLOG IS IN NO WAY CONNECTED TO THE GERMANY FROM CANON HETALIA.) (Historically, bilaterally, & culturally accurate. Ask blog for the personification of Germany - please check the [Rules/FAQ] and [about] before sending any questions, thank you! Admin's Nathan, German (for those wondering). No form of racism will be tolerated on this blog.) var sc_project=10958905; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_security="fc503908"; var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://secure." : "http://www."); document.write("");

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No idea. 

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( This blog’s about as active as Germany is on its National Day, huh? ) 

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They: Pride Month is almost over. Germany: Wait, hold my beer.

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Germany Legalizes Gay Marriage In Historic Vote.

June 30th, 2017

(Angela Merkel dropped her opposition to same-sex marriage virtually overnight earlier this week, and her fellow politicians have pushed for a vote on it before the Bundestag’s summer break — which happened to be this Friday, today. German efficiency at its best, is it not--?

In recent polls, the more than 80% of Germans were supportive of same-sex marriage. The German LGBT community and parties such as the SPD have been fighting for this for quite some time now, and now it finally became a reality. Surprisingly, without any of us really actively working towards it. 

I don’t have much time to work on drawings right now as we’re in the middle of moving apartments, but as a guy engaged to another guy, this is something beyond important to me. It’s a big, very important step in the right direction, and I wanted to do a little something for it. I’ll most definitely write a more detailed post about our journey to this point once we’re doing moving.

Happy Ehe für Alle, fellow Germans!)

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I'm also passing by to leave a reminder: please remember that you're loved and cared for, that you're able and capable of great things. You're gifted, beautiful and worthwhile, no matter what. Take care of yourself and of others. I bless you!

(Omg you’re so sweet ;__; <33 Thank you so much for your kind message, it means a lot to me! I hope you [and anyone who reads this] has a nice day/night, wherever in the world you are!)

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(This may be something many non-German people aren’t really  familiar with, but for us Germans it’s a pretty big deal :D 

GEMA [Gesellschaft für Musikalische Aufführungs- und Mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte; Society for Musical Performing and Mechanical Reproduction Rights] has been blocking YouTube videos with music of major label artists on YouTube -- that includes not only music videos, but many videos that contained background music as well -- ever since 2009, only four years after YouTube was created. 

This is the screen German YouTube users would face if a video they tried to view contained copyrighted music. Translation: “Unfortunately, this video is not available in Germany, because it may contain music for which GEMA has not granted the respective music rights. Sorry about that.” 

Trust me, they’re not sorry. For those who live in a country that doesn’t have this sort of organization blocking videos for them it may be hard to imagine, but virtually all well-known songs/artists were blocked -- including PSY, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Rihanna, Rammstein, Oomph!, Katy Perry, Linkin Park, One Republic... a basically endlessly long list, really.

YouTube and GEMA were involved in a legal battle over copyright issues for years, until now! As of the morning of November 1st, 2016, the “blocking banners” have disappeared! YouTube and GEMA have finally managed to solve the conflict that have made it impossible for us to peacefully listen to music on YouTube for the past seven years. 

Happy music-listening and video-watching, everyone! Mark this date on your calendar, it’s important to remember [I’m joking of course]. Let’s just hope it’ll stay this way in the future.)

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I’ve never quite thought about which one of my cities I like to visit most... from my north to my south, they’re all very beautiful and special, each with their own history and identity. 

Perhaps Bonn...? Maybe Berlin, or Frankfurt... ah, I really can’t pick just one, I apologize.

(Thank you so much ;__; <3 

Germany really does have many beautiful cities aside from just Berlin, and many of them are really old with a long history too! Like Hamburg, which has been rated Germany’s most popular city in a 2015 poll, and has a history going all the way back to the 8th century.

Anyhow, Ludwig has trouble picking favorites because his cities are what make him who he is, and historically, many of them have been very important to Germany’s future - like Berlin for obvious reasons, Bremen and Hamburg as two of Germany’s Hanseatic cities [and now two of our sixteen states], or Leipzig for its mass demonstrations in 1989, that played a big role in Germany’s reunification.

According to this website, the 10 most popular cities of us Germans are...

1) Hamburg 2) Munich 3) Cologne 4) Dresden 5) Freiburg im Breisgau 6) Berlin 7) Nuremberg 8) Lübeck 9) Münster 10) and Potsdam!

Munich being the one with the “best reputation,” and Dresden being the “most beautiful” one :b The reason Hamburg ranks one is because it apparently ranked best at how likable the people are - and I can personally confirm that, cause I’m from the far north too and Hamburg’s only two hours of driving from where I live, I’ve been there quite a lot. People really are great there.)

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Today is Tag der Deutschen Einheit (”Day of German Unity”) - Germany’s national holiday, celebrated annually on October 3. It commemorates the anniversary of the German Reunification of East and West that happened in 1990, when the goal of a united Germany that originated in the 1800′s was fulfilled again. For this reason, the name addresses neither the re-union nor the union, but the unity of Germany. 

An alternative choice to commemorate the Reunification could have been the day the Berlin Wall came down: 9 Nov 1989, which coincided with the anniversary of the proclamation of the German Republic (1918) and the defeat of Hitler’s first coup (1923). However, this was also the anniversary of the first large-scale Nazi pogroms against Jews in 1938 (Kristallnacht), so the day was considered inappropriate as a national holiday. Therefore, 3 Oct 1990, the day of the formal Reunification, was chosen instead and replaced the previous “Day of German Unity” (17 June), which had been the national holiday of West Germany since 1954. This year’s celebration centers around Dresden, state capital of Sachsen under the motto: „Brücken bauen“ - “Building bridges”. Next year it will be in Mainz.

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Schönen Tag der deutschen Einheit! Ist zwar schon n' bisschen spät, aber was soll's! :) Also I totally agree with the last post :D

(Ach was, besser ‘n bisschen spät als garnicht, nicht wahr :D Vielen Dank, ich wünsch dir auch ‘nen schönen Tag der deutschen Einheit <3)

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(Just saw Google’s doodle for Germany’s Unity Day! I like it even though it’s simple ♥

Happy birthday, Germany!)

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Fun Facts: Germany & Religion

In contrast to some other countries, religion is considered a personal and private matter by most Germans, and the proselytizing of groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons isn’t appreciated. Scientology is considered a business venture and therefore doesn’t qualify as a religion in Germany. 

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I hope this helps you a little? If you want to know something more specific, please let me know and I'll try to offer a more detailed explanation. Don’t worry tough, many bigger German cities like Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin are pretty multilingual, and most people in those cities will be able to have conversations in English as well---especially younger generations, as English is a mandatory class in German schools, introduced in elementary.

(Please do keep in mind that although German sentence structure and grammar are overall quite similar to English, there's some important differences. For example, there are two different German pronouns for the single English word "you." In German, we differentiate between the formal "you" and the informal "you." Germans actually have two verbs to describe the use of these specific pronouns:  "duzen" and "siezen," so "du" and "Sie."

First off, there's "du" which is impolite and usually used for family and friends or people younger than 18. Then there's "Sie" (with the S capitalized too), which is the polite form of it and most commonly used for doctors, teachers, strangers, people you generally aren't too familiar with. For people older than 18, no matter their job or whatever, you may ask for permission to use "du" instead, or they might just give you permission right away. Dropping those formalities is becoming more common among younger people. Regardless, if in doubt, sticking to the formal way is definitely the safer choice, as some people may deem anything else disrespectful. Aside from "du" or "Sie", there's various other forms of the word depending on who it is you're talking to, and how the word is used. It’s much like he/him/his, except with “you.”. The reason for the different word endings is the various genders of German words; similar to Spanish. 

German pronouns are er, sie, and es - he, she, it. Articles are der/die/das instead of just the -- der is masculine, die is feminine or plural, and das is neutral. Unfortunately, as a language where gender plays a big and important role, there is no they as in an alternative to he or she. In German, it only serves as plural and, if used otherwise, doesn't make any sense. There’s many useful websites online that can help you understand those things too. If German isn't your first language though, don't worry, native speakers will understand! People don't get mad at you for messing up or using the wrong word, German is a very difficult language to learn for non-natives, and trust me, people wanting to learn our language always brings a smile to our faces!)

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Hi! I read your post regarding racial prejud. towards Germans & I was saddened by it.I am Romanian,but father was Jewish,thus my surname ascribes German phonetically.Fellow citizens always ask me if I'm German & fearing what might ignite if I said no, I've gotten used to saying yes.My ancestors were German Jews,but it doesn't feel right.I'm proud to be Romanian & I wish to bring worth to my country.Yet,I'm being discarded as a 'mutt'. On a happier note Germans are seen in a very good light here.

(Hey friend!I am very sorry I respond to this so late, but I frankly was not sure how to. I’m very happy that you come to my blog to tell me this, especially because things related to that general topic have already been mentioned before. I really do appreciate your contribution to that discussion! Anyway, I see where you are coming from. It’s a shame that there would be a negative reaction to the truth behind your surname, but unfortunately that’s a reality in many countries. Well, countries were German/Yiddish-language surnames aren’t exactly common, I mean. You definitely do not deserve to be called a ‘mutt’ or anything of that kind, you’re just human like any other person—you have a right to be proud, regardless of what other ethnic group or nationality your family is/was part of, aside from Romanian. In my opinion, it shouldn’t matter, but as unfortunate as it is, I also know that many people think differently about that. Telling people why your surname looks/sounds German even though it’s technically not exactly that doesn’t sound like a good idea if there’s really that much of a negative response to it where you live, but if you feel uncomfortable telling people that you are German (and not the descendant of Jewish people), you should probably consider if it’s not a better idea to state how it really is, after all. At the end of the day, as I said, I don’t think that’s something that makes you a different person (or less of a Romanian). You are who you are, regardless of your family’s background. After all that doesn’t really affect you, and a surname is just a name.Let me tell you I’m German and Jewish, ha ha. My surname on the contrary, doesn’t really make that all that obvious. Also you definitely do have a reason to be proud of being Romanian too, it’s a beautiful country with an interesting history and great culture. Anyhow, if you ever want to really talk about this one-on-one, feel free to use Tumblr’s messenger feature to message me any time.On another note, I didn’t know Germans had much of a good reputation in Romania, or at least the part where you live. Good to know though, Romania’s on my list of countries I wanna travel one day.)

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Die Lange Anna auf Helgoland. Helgoland is a small German archipelago in the Nordsee (North Sea). The islands were at one time Danish and later British possessions. The islands (pop: 1,127) are the only German islands not in the immediate vicinity of the mainland - they’re situated 70 km by sea from Cuxhaven. During the period of British possession, the lyrics to the song “Deutschland über alles”, which became Germany’s national anthem, were written on the island by August Heinrich Hoffmann in 1841, while he was vacationing there. In addition to German, the local population, who are ethnic Frisians, speak the Heligolandic dialect of the North Frisian language called Halunder. Heligoland used to be called Heyligeland (“holy land”), possibly due to the island’s long association with the Old Norse god Forseti.