Germany In Brief
March 21, 2003
No early release for Egon Krenz
A Berlin court refused a request by Egon Krenz to be freed early from jail on Thursday. The judge argued the German public would fail to accept it and the gravity of his deeds demanded he stay in prison. Krenz (66), who was responsible for security in the GDR, succeeded Erich Honecker as East Germany's last Communist leader for just a few weeks in 1989 and is serving six and a half years for issuing shoot-to-kill orders to border guards along the Berlin Wall in the 1980s. He was convicted in 1997 and began his sentence in 2000.
Leipzig Book Fair Shifts Focus
The Leipzig Book Fair opened its doors to the public on Thursday. Overshadowed by the onset of war in Iraq, Christian Democrat leader Angela Merkel cancelled her visit in the light of hostilities, as did award-winning Israeli journalist Amira Hass. Organizers have changed this year's focus slightly to emphasize the international situation, including podium discussions about America and Iraq in the programm. Some 2000 publishers from almost 30 countries will be in Leipzig launching their newest literature offerings until Sunday. Speaking at the official opening ceremony on Wednesday, German culture minister Christina Weiß said, "literature may not be able to prevent a war, but it can help make the world think. Anyone who talks about the co-existence of nations inevitably talks about culture."
Media Influence on Children on the Rise
The Ravensburger Publishing Foundation has presented a study on youth and media which reveals that the media has a greater influence on children than parents, teachers and friends. The study -- presented at the Leipzig Book Fair -- explored the media interests and habits of young people between 10 and 16, spanning books, television, Internet and SMS. The study was designed to help teachers develop specific educational strategies aimed at conveying to pupils how best to work with the broad range of available media. It concluded that books are still the optimal medium for cultivating childrens' imagination, language skills and judgement.
Coke's not it
As anti-war protests flare up across the globe and large-scale demonstrations get underway in Berlin and other cities in Germany, a number of restaurant owners are choosing to express their outrage with a boycott of American products. Proprietor Bruno Kessler of the traditional German restaurant "Zuntz Selige Witwe" in Bonn has banned a number of American products from his establishment in protest against the U.S.-led strike on Iraq. These days, anyone ordering U.S. whisky, Coca Cola, or ketchup is likely to be shown the door. Kessler says his boycott has been well-received by guests. Hamburg-based top French chefs Louis Bouillon and Martial Bruzeau told German news agency dpa they set the ball rolling in response to the U.S. boycott of French cheeses and wine. They stress their decision is not prompted by anti-American feeling – they just want to make people think again about the conflict in Iraq.
Sweet but Sinful
German ice cream maker Langnese has launched a new range of ice-cream named after the seven deadly sins -- much to the disgust of Catholic church leaders. Manfred Nielen, spokesman for the archbishopric of Hamburg, responded angrily, saying "these sins are serious matters. We cannot support something which advocates turning away from God." Other leading Catholics believe Langnese is deliberately being controversial in an attempt to boost sales. Langnese, a brand of Anglo-Dutch group Unilever, has responded coolly and denies their new flavors "envy", "gluttony", "greed", "lust", "pride", "sloth" and "wrath" promote mortal sins. "They're just seven great flavors of ice cream" Langnese spokeswoman Ute Sievert said.