The Chicago Tribune is reporting about a law firm composed solely of Muslim women. I like this concept because it shows diversity can work in all ethnic and religious settings, once the will is there to make it work.

"In what may be the nation's only law firm composed solely of Muslim women, the attorneys represent the ethnic and religious diversity within the Islamic faith: Some cover their hair, some don't. Some are Sunni; others are Shiite, and at least one is happy to be secular."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-relig_muslim-lawyersaug01,0,1900988.story

My last early morning German TV- news media is gone. ZDF is not part of the program any longer; it simply cost the fitness center too much! Now I am left with English, French, Dutch and Italian.

Not that I am suffering to live without ZDF in the morning, but it was still nice to watch the German news program - at least, sometimes. And I am certain; I am not the only one silently complaining about the loss, many members of the fitness center are actually fluent in German. Mais voilà, that's life.

"Situation Report, Russo-Georgian Conflict" by Frederick W. Kagan, Institute for the Study of War

Our world sometimes is a very funny place. Today, August 2nd 2008, when I searched the web for the latest information about the breakdown of the WTO talks (Doha-Development-Round) in Geneva, I found under the same abbreviation WTO a link to the World Toilet Organization. Interestingly enough, this organization wants to break the taboo of toilet and sanitation. One single guy from Singapore, Jack Slim, seems to be responsible for the whole effort.

An astonishing book, written by Giles Milton in 2004 already and published by Hodder&Stoughton in London.

"Rule, Britannia, rule the waves. Britons never will be slaves."
James Thomson, Rule, Britannia!” (early eighteennth century)

"We have been forced to draw carts of lead with ropes about our shoulders ... (and) have carried great barrs of iron upon our shoulders. I believe all Christian people have forgottn us in England, because they have not sent us any releife ... since we have been in slavery."
John Willdon, British slave (early eighteen century)

You are coming to Brussels and you like to find a nice, easy going little café? Voila, the 'Le Matin Sympha' is a great location. It's situated closed to Place Stephanie, in the Rue de Florence, 20, 1050 Ixelles and it opens (most of the time) at 7:00 Am and closes around 5:00 PM. Its closed on Sunday.

It's a great little place, run by an Italian woman who run for many years big restaurants but got tired of doing this. "I like to run small places, the ones I can control myself". And that what she does in the most charming way. Nearly everything she cooks herself. Purely Italian cuisine. Simple and delicious. Don't forget to go there! You will love this place.

Pink pink, pink - in one of the first speeches the newly elected Italian President Silvio Berlusconi gave, he announced that he thinks the new Spanish government had too many ladies. This shows again, that on the one side he is a known womanizer, while on the other side is stays an old patriarch.

A new conservative trend?

One might get the feeling, that a new trend has found its way into Europe - and maybe into the world. It seems that Conservatives are increasingly becoming more popular because somehow they are able to capture lifestyle, trends and perceptions better than Social Democrats and left-wing parties do. This is true for Italy and it seems to be true for Cameron in UK, the nationalist Party in Scotland, and also in Hungary - other countries could be added to that list.

...only our British Colleagues in the European Parliament seem to enjoy themselves in using the email system for extensive conversation in funny ways and, with language and comparisons which are sometimes more then obscure for a German mind.

The vote on housing census was one of those topics where the email system got bogged down by our friends from the island. I read many of their remarks but I must admit I got lost! How would you read the following two comments?

"funny though, LORD Digby Jones, one of Labours GOATS said the same thing as Godfrey Bloom did THREE YEARS AGO. WHY DO we seem to be ahead of the game all the time?"

"Would your UKIP MEP colleague who advised women to stay at home and clean behind the refrigerator agree?"

I will never get used to Belgium although I like staying here. I am going to a nice fitness center, which opens early in the morning - the main reason why I have chosen it - and it closes very late.

It is open over the week-end, not that I can use it that much, since I am staying in Brussels most of time between Monday evening and Thursday morning. But sometimes when I am lucky, I am arriving at night on Saturday and my first move on Sunday will be my trip to the fitness center. Unfortunately, I like to start my day with an espresso. Not possible in my fitness center. No one is there before 9 to prepare a coffee and, the management is too reluctant to buy a coffee machine. The explanation for this is that they like to be a little posh and a coffee machine is obviously regarded as anti-posh. Great! Nothing before 9 AM!

Amerika ist immer voller Überraschungen. Auf meinem Flug von Washington nach Tucson/Arizona Ende Januar 2008, saß neben mir ein Pfarrer einer lutherischen Kirche (Immanuel Lutheran Church) aus Fargo/ North Dakota.

Diese Kirche hat eine lange Geschichte und geht zurück auf deutsche lutherische Quellen. Sie wurde von Deutschen gegründet, die Ende des 1800 Jahrhunderts nach Amerika auswanderten; erst mit dem zweiten Weltkrieg fand ein Wechsel von der deutschen Liturgie in eine englische statt. Und auch heute noch ist die deutsche Kultur überaus präsent. Die Familie des Pfarrers stammt aus Bayern und er trägt den sehr bayrischen Namen Sedlmeyer. Seine Gemeinde umfasst 1000 Mitglieder und scheint sehr wohlhabend zu sein. Sie hat zwei Pfarrer und zusätzliche Hilfen. Eine alte Kirche und zusätzliche einen modernen Anbau.

Webseite der Kirche