Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, J.W.!

Today would have been Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 263rd birthday.

I used to be a tremendous fan of his life -- not so much of his work, which took longer to appreciate -- but his life. Someone back in the 19th century said Goethe's life was his greatest work of art! I wonder what that would mean in the modern era. Except for celebrities who are famous for being famous, most people are known for what they've created or otherwise achieved. The way they conduct their lives is another matter.
Perhaps the ethical structure of everyday life is not what it used to be.
In the next few months, in between finishing up my novel (which is very much about ethical structures) and trying to earn a bit of money, I hope to return to Goethe's work. Just rereading the beginning of The Sorrows of Young Werther while heading to Weimar was an eye opener (see above photo of Weimar's commercialization of its most famous son).
I invite you to check back to see my progress -- in this and other ongoing German lessons.

Berlin Tops List of Cities with Most Democratic Spaces

Persusing the excellent Science Daily site I usually look at on a Sunday, I came upon an article that made me smile. According to the study by Dr. John Parkinson, of the U of Warwick, Berlin has the most democratic spaces out of the eleven cities he examined. (Ottawa is #3!) I am definitely not surprised.

Dr Parkinson carefully selected 11 capital cities and assessed how well they provide space for all kinds of democratic action. He visited Berlin, Washington, Ottawa, Canberra, Wellington, Hong Kong, Mexico City, London, Tokyo, Santiago and Cape Town.
He said: "In my book I have tried to answer the question, what makes for a good capital city from a democratic point of view? Even though revolutions and protests may be co-ordinated via Facebook and Twitter, they still involve real people who take up, occupy, share and contest physical space. Politics is still a physical pursuit, even in an online, interconnected world."
Dr Parkinson looked at a number of criteria, including the accessibility of public buildings, but also the availability of public meeting space, parks and footpaths, public transport systems and more.

 I like the idea of characterizing democracy as a promise to be fulfilled or acted out, not just a political concept. In other words, it's a verb rather than a noun. In so many ways, Berlin allows democracy to flourish.
Sniff! Nice memories flooding back!!!

Tiergarten