Why Keep a Landline?

was the title of a blog by Jerry Coyne, the retired biology professor, gourmet, and duck aficionado from Chicago. I had to look up the word and learned that landline is what we call a Festnetz (fixed network) in German.

With all those cellphones around, Jerry asks the pertinent question of whether he still needs a landline and moans, "I pay about $45/month to keep the damn landline (I also have AT&T wireless), but while I use the wireless, I never use the landline. Give me one reason why I should keep it!"

Red Baron pays 60 euros/month, including a fast Internet connection (up to 100 MHz/sec) and one Website domain. The monthly sum also includes a telephone flat rate in the EU, Switzerland, and the US. These flat rates are the main reason why I keep my landline.

For a long time, the two-wire analog telephone connection has been a relic. My landline consists of four mobile stations spread throughout my apartment, all using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Still, when somebody rarely calls me on my Festnetz, I am usually too late to pick up one of the receivers before the last ring. Luckily, these units let you call back instantaneously. Consequently, I no longer proffer my Festnetznummer and replaced it with my mobile number, as I always carry my iPhone. When it vibrates* in an awful situation, I answer the call with my Apple watch, telling the person that I will call back later.

*It never rings

In his blog, Jerry lists eight arguments in favor of the landline and rejects them all. However, reason number 6 is odd: "You need your (fixed network) phone to work when you lose power."

When I lose power in my apartment, my Internet is dead, and so is my landline*. On the other hand, my mobile phone is working and lets me call the power company.
*It happened once

In 2020, a survey in Germany found that 73% of respondents aged 18 to 69 still used landlines. Strangely enough, the same poll in 2021 showed that the number had increased to 81%. According to an expert, cell phone reception at home is often inadequate: "Mobile coverage continues to leave much to be desired, especially indoors."

Not for Red Baron, who is spoiled by an excellent 5G coverage. Still, I shall keep my Festnetz.

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Picasso and El Greco

Attracting visitors. The poster on Freiburg's advertising boards.

When the Basel Kunstmuseum advertised its exhibition, Picasso El Greco, Red Baron was excited.

Picasso and El Greco, those dissenters (Abweichler), are always on my mind. A well-organized comparison will shed new light on Picasso's work, for he said, "What I really like in El Greco's work are the portraits, all those gentlemen with pointed beards." 

To make the trip to Basel attractive, the museum chose attractive females (What else?) on their poster. It shows Madame Canals from Picasso's Rose Period juxtaposed with Lady in a Fur Wrap. However, this painting originated in El Greco's workshop. Whether the master lent his hand to the painting is unknown. I doubt it, for the style is too precise and somewhat conventional. According to Wikipedia, the painting is now attributed to Alonso Sánchez Coello.

When I proposed that the Museumsgesellschaft visits the gallery, the response to the call was exceptional.

©Hal Jos

While our group was traveling to Basel in a chartered bus, one of our members, a professor of biology and artist, Hal Jos, gave a witty and expert introduction.

At the entrance to the exhibition, one paper filled with sketches drew all my attention:

These are sketches Picasso made at the Prado he visited with his painter colleague, and friend Francisco Bernareggi called Pancho, "We sent out our copies to our professor in Barcelona, Picasso's father. All was well so long as we worked on Velasquez, Goya, and the Venetians - but the day we decided to do a copy of El Greco and sent it to him, his reaction was, 'You're taking the wrong path.' That was in 1897 when El Greco was considered a menace."

The exhibition tried to follow Picasso's development by confronting his pictures with El Greco's paintings.

Self-Portrait (Blue Period), Paris 1901

Portrait of an old man, 1595

Boy leading a horse (Rose Period), 1905

Saint Martin and the beggar, 1597

Man, woman, and child, Paris 1906

The Holy family with Saint Anna and the infant Saint John, 1600

Bust of a woman (Cubism), 1907

The Virgin Mary, 1590

Head of a woman, Paris 1908

El Greco's workshop: Mater dolorosa, 1587

Seated nude, 1909

The penitent Magdalene, 1580

Portrait of D. H. Kahnweiler II, Juni 1957

Saint Joseph, 1577

Jaume Sebartes with ruff and bonnet, Royan 1939

An elderly gentleman, 1587

Looking at El Greco's Saint Martin and the beggar, I recalled the quarrel in Freiburg about a painting on Saint Martin's gate. Could we not simply incorporate El Greco's masterpiece?

The coronation of the virgin 1592

And there is more. Contemplating El Greco's Coronation of the virgin, I recalled the frivolous altarpiece in the Freiburg Minster, painted by Hans Baldung Grien, another Abweichler.

Krönung Mariens (©Wikipedia/PogoEngel)

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Freiburg’s Weekly Report Turns 70

The Freiburger Wochenbericht is an institution. Since I ditched the paper copy of the Badische Zeitung for the online version (too much paper to throw away daily), Red Baron looks forward to the paper copy of the FWB each Wednesday. It is delivered free of charge to my letterbox, accompanied by lots of advertising prints. Well, somebody has to pay for the free weekly.

This week the Wochenbericht celebrated its 70th birthday and issued a supplement of 52 pages of history and congratulations by officials and advertising firms. The wishes went to managing director Martin Zenke, editor-in-chief Sven Meyer, and their team.

Oberlinden is one of Freiburg's most shot motifs.
In the jubilee supplement is another spectacular view of Oberlinden.
(©Alexandre Goebel/Freiburger Wochenbericht)

In an interview, the two men revealed that they produce the Wochenbericht with their Herzblut (passion), which explains the success of the weekly even or particularly in Corona lockdowns when income became low as customers reduced their advertising.

At the start, on March 21,1952, the Wochenbericht had an edition of 34,000. Seventy Years later, 108,000 copies are printed every week.

Presently a tropical heat wave is hitting Europe with no end in sight.

©ARD

  

©Facebook

 Who will still deny climate change when comparing "global anomalies "in June 1976 and 2022?

©Facebook

Where to cool in Freiburg? As I illustrated already in 2019: Freiburg's "beach" is the new fish ladder at the Dreisam river. Would you think fish will jump in such an environment?

©Freiburger Wochenbericht

Fittingly the Wochenbericht reported that from now on, all genders may enjoy topless bathing in Freiburg's municipal swimming pools. Mind you: The fish ladder is not a public bath.
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More Names to Cancel

From 1955 to 1957, Red Baron studied at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. Whenever the Württemberg hymn was sung, the name of its founder, Count Eberhard V (1445-1496), was on everyone's lips. His subjects simply loved their bearded Prince:

Württemberger Hymne Preisend mit viel schönen Reden Ihrer Länder Wert und Zahl, Saßen viele deutsche Fürsten Einst zu Worms im Kaisersaal. "Herrlich", sprach der Fürst von Sachsen, "Ist mein Land und seine Macht; Silber hegen seine Berge Wohl in manchem tiefen Schacht." "Seht mein Land in üpp'ger Fülle," Sprach der Kurfürst von dem Rhein, "Gold'ne Saaten in den Tälern, Auf den Bergen edlen Wein!" "Große Städte, reiche Klöster", Ludwig, Herr zu Bayern sprach. "Schaffen, dass mein Land dem Euren Wohl nicht steht in Schätzen nach." Eberhard, der mit dem Barte, Württembergs geliebter Herr, Sprach: "Mein Land hat kleine Städte, Trägt nicht Berge silberschwer. Doch ein Kleinod hält's verborgen, Dass in Wäldern, noch so groß, Ich mein Haupt kann kühnlich legen Jedem Untertan in Schoß." Und es rief der Herr von Sachsen, Der von Bayern, der vom Rhein: "Graf im Bart, Ihr seid der Reichste! Euer Land trägt Edelstein."

Württemberg's Hymn Praising with a lot of fine speeches Their own countries and number There sat many German princes Once at Worms in the Imperial Hall. "Marvel," said the Prince of Saxony, "Is my country and its power Silver deep down in its mountains Well, in some deep mining shaft." "Look my dominion's splendrous fullness," Said the Elector of Rhine, "Golden crops in every valley On the mountains finest wine." "Big cities, rich monasteries," Ludwig, Lord of Bavaria, spoke, "Make my country not inferior To yours regarding its treasures." Eberhard, the bearded one Württemberg's beloved count Spoke, "My country has small towns Carries no silver-pregnant mountains But one gem therein is hidden That in forests, no matter how big I can boldly lay my head Into each of my subjects' laps." And then called the Lords of Saxony Of Bavaria and of Rhine "Bearded count! You are the richest! Your country is a gem!" ©lyricstranslate.com

Recently, Eberhard was marked as an anti-Semite, and here we go again. Will Tübingen's University say goodbye to its name?

Studierendenrat (student"council) Tübingen demands the renaming
of the university and critical reflection on its current name
 (©Studierendenrat Tübingen)

As a young man, Count Eberhard was "voluptuous and addicted to pleasure," judging from those many illegitimate offspring reported.

A pilgrimage to the Holy Land transformed the Swabian knight. He returned with a beard and as a prudent man with the firm intention of being a faithful follower of his emperor and a good father to his country. While on his pilgrimage in 1468, he made the vow not to cut his beard henceforth. That owed him the epithet "im Bart."

In 1477, motivated by his mother, Mechthild of the Palatinate, Eberhard moved the Sindelfingen monastery to Tübingen and founded the university.

In the same year, Eberhard arranged for the expulsion or imprisonment of the Jews living in Württemberg. The University founding charter of October 9, 1477, states, "Wir wöllent ouch und gebieten ernstlichen denen von Tüwingen, das sie kein juden, ouch sust keinen offen wucherer by in, in der stat ... laussen wohnhafft belieben (We also wish and seriously command those of Tübingen that they don’t allow any Jews and other open usurers to remain in town)." Eberhard's anti-Jewish policy was certainly economically driven, for his subjects complained about excessive interest rates, and he also benefited from a debt cut following the expulsion of the Jews.

But Eberhard's hostility towards Jews stood out compared to other princes of his time.

In May 2021, the university senate appointed a commission of six historians to produce a balanced report. The experts attest to Eberhard the "typical anti-Semitic attitude of the time," without the count himself having been actively involved in or responsible for the persecution or murder of Jews.

Chairwoman of the commission and regional historian from Tübingen, Sigrid Hirbodian, favors retaining the name as part of Tübingen's university tradition. Eberhard, who gave the name, had his merits, and anti-Judaism must be seen from the perspective of the time when, unlike today, there was no attitude of religious tolerance. Other commission members think that the name should be "canceled."

The Tübingen faculties are divided too. Theologians and natural sciences favor renaming, medical and legal scholars are against it, and the philosophical faculty is split. To change the name requires a two-thirds majority in the University Senate. The chances of this happening are slim.

And what about Württemberg's hymn? Will it still be allowed to be sung?

Stop the blog: This morning, the students' motion to change the university's name to "University of Tübingen" did not find a majority in the University Senate. Fifteen members of the Senate voted in favor of the motion, 16 against, and 2 abstained.

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Too Many People

©imago

We are too many people depleting the resources of Mother Earth and increasing the carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere at a rapid rate. The world population has reached 7.9 billion. About one percent, actually 83 million, live in Germany.

Germany's death rate has been higher than its birth rate since the 1970s. The birth rate is 9.397 births per 1,000 people, declining yearly. The death rate is 11.392 deaths per 1,000 people. Additionally, the fertility rate in Germany is 1.59 births per woman. So over the last twenty years, a decrease in the number was predicted. Still, the once chronic birth deficit no longer exists because the positive net migration consists of younger people in their reproductive age.

©countryaah.com

Still, according to current projections, Germany's population is expected to peak at the end of 2021 at 83.9 million people, and by 2025, it is expected to start decreasing slightly. People in Germany are living longer and having fewer babies. The growth in the past has slowed almost to a halt, with a growth rate of only 0.20%. Germany also has a high median age of 47.4 years. Projections show that 37.6% of the population will be over 60 by 2050. By the end of the century, Germany's population is expected to fall to 74.73 million. Because of this, Great Britain and France will both surpass Germany's population.

©ZDF

As far as the world population is concerned, its increase is clearly driven by the growth in Asia and Africa while Europe is leveling off.

©ZDF

The growth rates in Africa are around 4%, while China long has limited its population growth. Of all nations in Asia, war-battered Syria and hunger-stricken Afghanistan stick out with high growth rates. Poor babies!

©ZDF

High growth rates are usually caused by high fertility rates. In the first half of the 20th century, extended families still common in Europe are now characteristic of Central Africa.

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Among Friends

My faithful readers know that Red Baron is a writer on the German Wikipedia. I published my first article - the biography of Karl von Rotteck - on March 6, 2004. The Freiburg group of authors and editors meets monthly for a Stammtisch.

The writers of the Swiss-German Wikipedia generally meet in Zürich but had their 89th meeting scheduled in Basel on July 8, 2022.

This turned out to be a unique opportunity to meet my Swiss colleagues. Profiting from the nine-euro ticket, I took the regional train from Freiburg to Basel Badischer Bahnhof.

The Basel Tinguely Museum

After a 20 minutes walk, I reached the Tinguely Museum, where the Swiss Wikipedians had organized an editing workshop.

The entrance

According to their notes, the persons participating wrote 18 (!!) new articles for Wikipedia. A la bonheur.

Meet the friends (©Lantina/Wikipedia)

When I arrived at the site, they had finished their work and were assembled under a tent outside the Museum, socializing. They warmly received the guest from the large canton in the north with a glass of cool wine.

Passing a Tinguely installation on our way to the bus

Following the aperitif, we took the public transport to the Elisabethenanlage, a small park near the Basel central train station. On the occasion of the Stammtisch, one participant wrote an article on the history of this green paradise. 

Here is a short and incomplete description in English. In 1817 the former vineyard became the cemetery of St. Elisabethen. It was completed around 1850 with a chapel and a mortuary. Already in 1901, the chapel was demolished while the morgue was preserved and remained known as Tootehüsli (little house for the dead).

Zum Kuss

Following a redesign of the Elisabethenanlage in 2008, the Tootehüsli became a café in 2011 and was named Zum Kuss (To the kiss (?)).

The food was Spanish and too much.

Thank you, friends and colleagues, for your hospitality.
 In the background, the peaceful Elisabethenanlage.

One Swiss colleague visited the Freiburg Stammtisch in 2011.
Time runs so fast.

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An Evening With Carl Schurz

Director Friederike Schulte had invited a high-profile discussion group to the Carl-Schurz-Haus to debate the name bearer's wrongdoings while he was serving as Secretary of the Interior in the United States.

The panel from left to right:
Prof. Wolfgang Hochbruck, Prof. Elisabeth Piller, Carl Schurz,
Dirk Kurbjuweit, and Friederike Schulte

Carl was present as a puppet. At the Carl-Schurz-Haus, he is the main character in a successful play for kids, representing the German pioneer of democracy.

This Schurz legacy was the reason why Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier intended to place a bust of the freedom fighter at Schloss Bellevue, his residency in Berlin. However, he postponed the installation when it became known that Carl, a minister in the US, was responsible for the forced education of Native American children in "white" boarding schools. Here, you may read the whole story. 

At the beginning of the discussion, Professor Hochbruck questioned, "Does a democracy need memorials?" These words were on my mind during the discussion, reminding me of two other local busts, particularly when he added, "Compared to memorials, busts can be easily displaced."

Well, not too easy. It took two years in Freiburg to move the bust of anti-Semite Alban Stolz from the public ground in front of Konviktkirche to the seminary garden of the Collegium Borromaeum.

The other bust that was moved several times is that of Karl von Rotteck.

Karl von Rotteck's newly erected bust on Franziskanerplatz in 1850

His effigy had already a bad start when it was removed in 1851 from its original place in a dark and foggy operation.    

Second inauguration of von Rotteck's bust at the Rotteckplatz in 1861

The bust was stored, and only ten years later, it was moved to a location near his former residence. But this was only the beginning of an odyssey.

After the war, the bust stood in front of Kollegiengebäude 2

Presently, due to the redesign of the Platz der Alten Synagoge, von Rotteck's bust is kept in a municipal warehouse.

In 2010, when the antisemitism of its famous citizen became widely known, Freiburg's municipal council abolished the Karl-von-Rotteck-Medal. However, it kept the name of the city's main boulevard, Karl-von-Rotteck-Ring. The medal attributed as a distinction to people who had rendered outstanding service to Freiburg was re-baptized Gertrud-Luckner-Medaille.

Von Rotteck's antisemitism dates from 1821, when he, a spokesman in the state parliament, tried to make the total emancipation of the Jews in Baden dependent on their complete assimilation. This included changing the day of the Sabbath, the abolition of dietary laws, the renunciation of Hebrew, and the purification of the Talmud from "anti-state tendencies." In other words, the Jews were to earn their civil rights through increased integration. You may like to learn more details.

Re-education, doesn't it sound familiar?

And will Freiburg's city council eventually present von Rotteck's bust again in a public space?


It's time to return to Carl Schurz. At the end of the evening, Professor Hochbruck regretted that the American discussion about Schurz had been switched to Germany.

As Professor Piller formulated, Carl, as a revolutionary, fought for freedom and democracy in his native country. So far, he is a "good" German. His personality was "used" to foster German-American relations on several occasions. In 1929, on his 100th birthday, the United States provided financial support to stabilize the German currency amid galloping inflation. In the 1950s, after the Second World War, Carl Schurz became the figurehead of the transatlantic community.

Ultimately, all panel members agreed to retain the name Carl-Schurz-Haus. They followed the Jerry Coyne classification b, "Carl's life and accomplishments have made the world a better place."
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Der Auswanderer

I did not regret watching the staged performance of "The Emigrant" at the Dilger winery just around the corner from my apartment last Saturday night. The evening before, the two actors from Hamburg, Oliver Hermann, and Markus Voigt, had played to a large crowd, the residents of Pfaffenhofen and their American guests from Jaspers.

The room at the Dilgerschen winery was quite well-filled. The two protagonists sang songs of emigrants and used letter quotes from the crossing and the new homeland as descriptive texts.

While listening, I was painfully reminded of Herbert Schiffels's project of emigrant songs. Due to the pandemic, it had to be postponed several times and finally aborted. Too sad.

In the Der Auswanderer, Hermann and Markus represented several characters with their hopes and fears during embarkation, at sea, and at their arrival in the promised land.  

The applause of the audience was highly deserved.

Scenic representations of historical events are in vogue. Heinz Siebold's play Rapallo also captivated other viewers and me.

When I heard that the two "emigrants" were working on a scenic portrayal of the 1848 events, my ears pricked up. I was beside myself when Oliver Hermann revealed to me over a glass of wine that he would be playing Struve in the play about the 1848 Revolution. I offered the two gentlemen to help themselves to quotes from my website.

Oliver send me more details of the planned Freiheit! 1848, a scenic presentation of the 175th anniversary of the revolution in 2023. The Axensprung theater writes on its homepage about the European dream in three important places:  

Berlin as the seat of the Prussian king and a center of reactionary power

The National Assembly in Frankfurt,  the place of the arduous struggle for democracy and, at the same time, a rapid invention of democratic structures

Baden as an essential focal point of revolutionary uprisings and, finally also, their tragic failure

It is now a must that Freiburg, the stronghold of the revolution of 1848/49, should definitely see the planned scenic representation around Hecker and Struve next year.

Let us not forget that the Struve trial took place at the Basler Hof. At the same place, the invading Prussians ran over the last democratic Baden government.

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