October 1st, 2007 by jens
On my stay in Copenhagen I visited the zoo and took some pictures. I would like to show and describe some of the animals I met there.
The bears were very tired, but the sea lions were wide awake due to feeding and the monkeys because of cleaning of their cage, which gave them the opportunity to visit their neighbors. One group of monkeys had a chameleon as cage mate. The muskox is an arctic mammal which lives in herds of ten to twenty animals and is remarkable for its thick fur and odor emitted by males. Funny to watch were the prairie dogs which are native to the grasslands of Mexico, the United States and Canada. These rodents live in a colony of different families consisting usually of a male with up to four female and build large tunnel systems and mounds as observation points. They are quite social animals which visit each other in a colony and show a variety of behavior patterns, e.g. greating each other with a sort of kiss. The ant bear is native to South America and solitary. Ants are the preferred prey, but termites are the next best thing. This ant bear was busy with his long tongue at the artificial termite mound. Some of the flamingos scooped at the bottom of the pond. Their beaks are specially adapted with fine hairy structures called lamellae, which line the mandibles and tongue , to separate the mud from the brine shrimps and algae they consume. The characteristic pink color is caused by Beta Carotene in their diet which is substituted to the food in the zoo. Why they frequently stand on one leg is still a mystery. One suggestion is that this may conserve energy or keep the leg from getting wet. When they stand in the water they use the webbed leg to stamp in the mud and stir up food from the bottom. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the deer and what their feed are specially adapted for.
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September 20th, 2007 by jens
When I was on a conference, I could get a small impression of the cultural tapestry and rich diversity of the Danish capital Copenhagen. Beautiful buildings and tastefully laid out parks demonstrate that Danish people attach great importance to design. The weather was tricky, quite enjoyable without long rainfall and much sunshine. One of the main attractions in Copenhagen is the Tivoli located close to the main railway station, where roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, slot machines and candy stalls provide an atmosphere like at a fair. Moreover, it is the second oldest amusement park in the world and has concerts on the schedule every day.
Another tourist attraction is the Little Mermaid which is based on a fairytale by the famous Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen. The tail says that she must do good deeds for 300 years in order to gain an immortal soul and enter the kingdom of God. With each good child, she finds, she subtracts one year, while she adds one day for each tear she sheds over a wicked child. Next to the bronze sculpture is a fortification which is frequented by joggers in the mornings and evenings.
Also much appeal to tourists has the hippie settlement Freetown Christiania in the borough Christianshavn. Christiania is a partially self-governed settlement without traffic and street-lightning located at a large water area. On this place the inhabitants have a liberated and free-spirited lifestyle. The settlement was founded as a protest against Danish government due to expensive housing and increasing traffic in Copenhagen and has established a semi-legal status as an independent community. Meditation and Yoga are popular among the inhabitants as well as consuming light drugs. The future of the settlement is threatened since criminals use Christiania, which is already a thorn in some people’s side, as a hideout.
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September 15th, 2007 by jens
Count the ‘f’ in the following sentence:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.
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For an interpretation of the result click here.
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September 6th, 2007 by jens
When I was reading The Times of India, the advertisement on the right by the Ministry of Tourism concerning garbage on heritage sites attracted my attention. On the picture a group of children is upset about the shameless behavior of an Indian couple at a heritage site. The text says: “Our nation has a large number of heritage sites and monuments which are being ruined and defaced. Victims of negligence, some of these monuments are serving as dustbins and even as a means to showcase the ‘love’ of some insensitive people among us. Defacing or throwing waste around our heritage sites is a shameful act. Our glorious heritage will be lost for our future generations forever. We owe it to our country to preserve our heritage. Let us all join hands and save our national legacy.” This advertisement expressed my anger when I saw repeatedly the garbage left by inconsiderate people who without any awareness of nature’s assets spoil beautiful locations in India. It was often tricky to take pictures of originally awesome landscapes without plastic bags and bottles.
I experienced intensively poverty as another big issue in India during a taxi ride from Sahai International Airport in Mumbai to Chhatrapati Shivaji (Victoria) Terminus through Dharavi. After an exhausting flight and a non-warm welcome given by an intrusive begging experience in front of the airport I was not keen on anything challenging or adventurous and easily felt threatened. I did also not know that I was confronted with Asia’s largest slum such that is became very scary to see numerous people sleeping on the street in the dark night in front of cramped huts looking close to collapse. I did not take any pictures and left immediately Mumbai for the uphill station Matheran to relax and adapt slowly to India. Fortunately, with this uphill station I found a place to rest in a calm and garbage-free surrounding and I saw for the first time the beauty of India. Some of this beauty is shown in the pictures of this post. Most impressive at this location were the Ferry wheel at the market and the rickshaws, both hand-pulled since engine driven vehicles are forbidden on the upper part of the hill.
The simultaneous existence of masses of garbage and poverty rises the question why poor people are not simply encouraged to collect litter by offering them money. This won’t be expensive considering the tiny amount of money people are begging for. Later I learned that this happens on a large scale just in Dharavi. Meanwhile I know that I started my India tour by visiting the recycling industry of Mumbai. In Fact Dharavi is a thriving business center where small-scale entrepreneurs (mostly illegally) turn around the discarded waste of the 19 million citizens of Mumbai. An article about Dharavi with slide show says that estimations of the output of the slum were impressive £700m a year. Similarly, an Indian couple founded the conserve organization in order to tackle waste by turning plastic bags into fashion bags in New Delhi.
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August 30th, 2007 by jens
These pictures were taken this spring when I attended a socio-economics workshop of the scientific EU project AquaTerra. AquaTerra has been active since June 2004 for a time period of 5 years and hosts university working groups, university partners, small to medium enterprises and environmental protection agencies of 12 EU countries as well as of Romania, Switzerland and Serbia. The main objective of the project is to provide the scientific basis for an improved river basin management through a better understanding of the whole river-sediment-soil-groundwater system on different temporal and spatial scales and by integrating both natural and socio-economical aspects. Therefore, the identification of relevant biogeochemical, climatic and hydrological processes, the quantification of associated parameters and the development of numerical models are desired. The goals include the development of specific tools for water and soil quality monitoring. The researchers, ‘AquaTerriers’ or ‘AquaTerrorists’, also evaluate the impact of modifications due to climate change, land use and pollution of soil and water in order to identify adverse trends in soil functioning, water quantity and quality. The project involves disciplines from geosciences, environmental engineering and chemistry to socio-economic sciences as well as practitioners and end-users to elaborate operational tools for the different stake-holders which are for example policy-makers, river basin managers, regional and urban land planners.
Menorca is the second largest of the Balearic Islands lying in the Mediterranean Sea off the south-east coast of mainland Spain. Compared to its neighbor islands Ibiza and Mallorca it is unspoilt and quite. The pictures show the cities Citudella and Maó with its surrounding. Citudella, a charming historic city with numerous squares, cobbled and narrow streets, was the former commercial and cultural center of the island and is still a tourists favorite. Maó has become the current hub of the island due to its location close to the airport and a big harbor. The charm of the bustling streets crammed with Menorca architecture, the restaurants and stylish shops draw many tourists. The former strategic importance of the harbor located in the heart of the Mediterranean manifests at a giant fort, which has a grim past due to its use as a military prison during the Franco dictatorship. The spring bloom and morning mist enhance the inherent beauty of the fort when it was the venue of the AquaTerra workshop. I could get a glimpse of the picturesque area surrounding Maó when I was running in the early morning. The remains of about 3500 years old Talayotic settlements are everywhere on Menorca.
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August 21st, 2007 by jens
During my stay in Fort Cochin I did a two-days trip up country to Munnar, the center of Kerala’s principal tea growing. Munnar itself has little of interest. The town is a scruffy settlement of corrugated iron-roofed cottages and tea factories, but with an extraordinary picturesque surrounding. The greenery and refreshing climate attracts well-off honeymooners from cities like Mumbay and Bangalore. Tourists from all over India as well as foreigners visit this place because of its spectacular setting dominated by carpets of tea plantations between soaring mountains. The tea pickers were astonished and asked “Why are you coming here?”. The fisherman on a picture come regularly on his motorbike to this region more than 100 km from the coast to sell his catches.
We enjoyed the pleasant weather of this region relaxing and walking among the numerous tea estates where we could view the entire process of making tea. Besides tea, coffee and spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pepper grow here. The lush tropical forests still provide habitat for much wildlife. On this trip we were lucky to spot a wild elephant mother grazing with her kit.
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August 20th, 2007 by jens
A broad market for sports nutrition products has developed promising runners or more generally endurance athletes to help improve performance. Sports drinks, energy bars and gels, specifically made for pre-, post-, and during exercise and competition. Products for fast- and slow-release energy as well as combinations of both. The variety includes hydration drinks which aim to optimize fluid levels in the body by including minerals and salts that can be lost during exercise. Additionally, products contain a small amount of carbohydrate for instant energy. Now the key question is if these specialist sports nutrition products are worth buying or unnecessary luxury items?
Astonishingly, many of the best distance runners come from a single tribe of about 3 million people, the Kalenjin tribe living in a province northwest of Kenya. To reveal the secret of their success, the style and physique of Kalenjin runners were compared with that of elite Danish runners in a scientific study. The scientists noticed that the heart rate of Kalenjin runners stayed remarkably low even if they run at high pace over long distances. When the muscle fibres of Kalenjin runners were analysed they were found to be capable of converting oxygen into energy much more efficiently. The findings indicate that the Kalenjin runners carry certain genes which adapt them to living in hot, dry conditions at high altitude since they live on a plateau 7000ft above sea level. To compensate the low oxygen levels in the atmosphere, the body has to increase the number of oxygen carrying red cells in the blood. Worth noticing is also the build of Kalenjin athletes with long, very thin legs which apparently makes them destined for running.
The predominance of the Kalenjin runners indicate for a high impact of certain genes on running performance. In the regions they originate people will not spare much money on sports nutrition products. Some Kalenjin runners are during summer in Germany to be close to important meetings. Runners who cannot start at top meetings have difficulties to support adequately their families at home. They can get by with extremely little money with clothes provided by their sponsors, accommodation by their manager, and by bringing their cereals from Kenya such they just add chicken bought in Germany. More generally, excellent athletes were already good before they start serious training and less talented hardly close the performance gap even with most intensive training. Training, certainly, remains an important point and a permanent development of more and more sophisticated training methods keeps many current world records volatile.
Obviously, the most important factor is talent. If you are an athlete or not, it makes sense to eat healthy food or to make a carbohydrate diet before a marathon but why should anybody use supplements without medical indication? An adequate and healthy sports diet seems, somewhat surprisingly, not to differ substantially from a healthy diet for inactive people. Avoid fads and eat a variety of foods says the guideline. A difference is that athletes eat and drink more to compensate the higher caloric consumption and perspiration. Eating food rich in carbohydrates - bananas, bread, etc. - immediately following exercise additionally helps regenerate the carbohydrate stores for the next workout. Furthermore, take care not to become dehydrated while running and eat an easily digestible food an hour before a run. These tips are well known and might bore you. To summarize: Sensible eating is required and should be enough. Foods that leave one runner feeling strong may leave an other depleted. We spend a lot of effort in our dreams of success which makes us an easy target for marketing strategies. The promise that certain nutrition generates performance gains is alluring. It is up to the athlete to find his own diet and sports nutrition products are an additional offer. In contrast, sports where masses of muscles are required like weight lifting will make supplements inevitable.
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August 17th, 2007 by jens
Reports about Iraq give the impression that terrorism and US occupation are two faces of one coin. Published figures give a picture of a giant mess. Meanwhile numerous Iraq Veterans have gathered in organizations like IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) and appeal for redress. Estimates for the running total of civilian deaths are for example given by the campaign Iraq Body Count. In this chaos extremists have the setting to intimidate civilians, kill opponents, and recruit people for their cause. After years of suffering under occupation, which has generated a hopeless situation, more and more people will become willing to participate in sectarian violence and even commit suicide attacks. Warmongers have the control over Baghdad and live their aggressive drive while moderate people are in the dog house. Minorities in any Islamic country like the Yazidis’ in northern Iraq or Coptic Christians in Egypt are especially vulnerable because of Iraq’s current violence. Extremists denounce them as infidel and accuse them of being devil-worshiper.
Also on the flip side of the coin the policy of aggressive people has left its imprint starting with the lies and deception about weapons of mass destruction to justify the assault. In accordance with that policy an increase of authority for eavesdropping has been demanded recently for national security. Even torture of prisoners has already been under discussion for national interest. Perfect match - Aggressive people on both sides have been working successfully on the right setting for their aggressive behavior.
Some views by Iraqis:
Nabil
Najma
Omar and Mohamed
Hammorabi
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August 11th, 2007 by jens
The Jordan rift valley is a unique place located at the margin of the Arabian and African tectonic plates. At this so called transform boundary the plates grind past each other side by side which has generated an impressing mountain landscape. The rocks rise sharply close to the shores of the Dead Sea where the deepest region on Earth is located. At about 400 meters below sea level the reduced distance to the center of gravity of the earth makes someone about three to five kilograms heavier. The pictures show the semi-arid 
landscape in spring with some greenery. The intense heat with the resulting water shortage causes not only discomfort to the plants, but also rises political conflicts. Nevertheless, without oil deposits the prosperity of this region depends strongly on agriculture. Farming is concentrated in the region north of the Dead Sea using water of the Jordan river and the springs on the valley’s flanks. At least Jordan has some income from tourism and hopes for higher revenue since Petra made the cut in the poll of the Seven New Wonders of the World. 
Unfortunately, by spreading fear of terror plots, Islamic fanatics effectively harm this politically moderate with its western oriented leader King Abdullah whose picture you can see above the checkpoint on the right. In the year 2005 suicide bomb attacks and a shooting at western tourists destroyed Jordan’s reputation as one of the safest countries in the Middle East. It’s a great pity in respect to the strong friendliness and hospitality I experienced there.
While the political tensions in the middle east go up and down the SMART project (Sustainable Management of Available Water Resources with Innovative Technologies) has been running since Juli 2006. SMART is one of the research programs for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in regions with water shortage induced in the year 2000 by a UN-Resolution which proclaims the International Decade for Action, “Water for live”. For this project scientists and administrations of Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Germany have been working in this region in order to optimize the use of the available water resources. Since the watershed is located on Palestinian, Jordan, and Israeli territory cooperation is 
inevitable. This works astonishingly good and has created many deep friendships across the borders. The pictures were taken during a field trip at a Scientific Coordination Meeting in Amman, Jordan. The picture on the right shows some ’smarties’ waiting in a line for the security check at a hotel entrance. The success of the fundamentalists became obvious when we came back to Germany and one participant was stupidly asked at the customs “How can anybody go to Amann?”.
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August 9th, 2007 by jens
Have your say! Please, give your opinion to the almightiness of god.
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Dig deeper.
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The bears were very tired, but the sea lions were wide awake due to feeding and the monkeys because of cleaning of their cage, which gave them the opportunity to visit their neighbors. One group of monkeys had a chameleon as cage mate. The muskox is an arctic mammal which lives in herds of ten to twenty animals and is remarkable for its thick fur and odor emitted by males. Funny to watch were the prairie dogs which are native to the grasslands of Mexico, the United States and Canada. These rodents live in a colony of different families consisting usually of a male with up to four female and build large tunnel systems and mounds as observation points. They are quite social animals which visit each other in a colony and show a variety of behavior patterns, e.g. greating each other with a sort of kiss. The ant bear is native to South America and solitary. Ants are the preferred prey, but termites are the next best thing. This ant bear was busy with his long tongue at the artificial termite mound. Some of the flamingos scooped at the bottom of the pond. Their beaks are specially adapted with fine hairy structures called lamellae, which line the mandibles and tongue , to separate the mud from the brine shrimps and algae they consume. The characteristic pink color is caused by Beta Carotene in their diet which is substituted to the food in the zoo. Why they frequently stand on one leg is still a mystery. One suggestion is that this may conserve energy or keep the leg from getting wet. When they stand in the water they use the webbed leg to stamp in the mud and stir up food from the bottom. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the deer and what their feed are specially adapted for.
