OTA Berlin Apartments


 

Archive for December, 2009

So-called “Allied” Museum in Berlin also wants a part of Tempelhof

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Berlin   31-12-2009

The so-called “Allied” Museum in Berlin which will celebrate its 50th anniversary soon and is already on the look-out for a new and larger location after outgrowing its premises.

The present museum building was opened in 1994 after all the occupying powers, namely the US, Britain, France and the USSR had left Berlin.

Getting circa 70,000 visitors per year, the Allied Museum has [...] Continue Reading…

German claims to have cracked GSM secret encryption phone code

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

 Berlin  30-12-2009

A German computer scientist speaking at the ‘Chaos Communication Congress’ in Berlin claims to have broken the secret algorithm – the encyrption code that keeps  billions of calls on mobile telephony hidden and unintelligible – for anyone other than the personalized user.

Mr Karsten Nohl, who has led a team working on cracking the code, said this proved that security for GSM [...] Continue Reading…

Berlin opts for big austerity program in 2010

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

Berlin 23-12-2009

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has indicated that the German federal government has decided to apply a huge national savings plan next year in order to get the nation’s  tattered public finances back to fiscal stability.

Towering spending by the German government to promote and reset Europe’s biggest economy and assist it out of the present recession has cost the public purse enormously.

Add [...] Continue Reading…

Kiwi film ‘BOY’ chosen for Berlinale film competition

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

The New Zealand feature film, ‘Boy’,  by Taika Waititi, has been selected to screen at the Berlin International film festival this coming February.

Written and also directed by Waititi, the film will screen in the festival’s ‘Generation’ programme.

For this genre, the film will be adjudicated by two separate juries – one young group that will award the ‘Crystal Bear’ and another jury of [...] Continue Reading…

Herzliche Einladung zum Chopin Projekt am 29.12. um 20.30 h

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Berlin 22-12-2009 

Liebe Freunde der Klavierabende,

 ich darf für den Dienstag zwischen den Jahren, den 29.12.09 um 20.30h zum zweiten Klavierabend des Chopin Projektes 2010 einladen.

Der als Chopin Spezialist bekannte gewordene Pianist Eugene Mursky spielt alle Chopin Werke anläßlich des 200. Geburtstages des Komponisten auf historischen Instrumenten an 12 Konzertabenden. 

Am 29.12. folgt nun das zweite Konzert mit der ersten Hälfte der Nocturnes, ein verträumteres  [...] Continue Reading…

German mediator close to aiding prisoner exchange

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Berlin   22-12-2009

An agreement being brokered by German officials – between the Palestinian Hamas and Israel – seems to be closer than ever before. This amid a flurry of activity and movement in a usually stolid and perpetually slow prisoner swap process.

Both sides are using the good offices of the German state to seek some kind of resolution to this very basic and [...] Continue Reading…

Relative strength of EURO could become a burden for Euro-Zone economies – So far Berlin least affected

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Berlin 22-12-2009

The European Commission has indicated that the Euro is presently overvalued relative to other major currencies like the Dollar, Yen and Renminbi and further rises would seriously affect Euro-Zone economies.

The Euro has basically been rising against the US dollar since March this year but halted recently, partly due to major concerns about the financial stability of EU member Greece.The European Commission has [...] Continue Reading…

December 21st 2009 – 1747 hours exact time of ‘Winter Solstice’ in Berlin

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Berlin  21-12-2009

Various cultures in the Northern Hemisphere, have interpreted their seasons differently.

Winter can be a rather personal or subjective term, but there is a scientific calculated beginning called the Winter Solstice and it has been calculated to the very second each year on the 21st of December.

The Winter Solstice occurs when the earth’s axial slope is at the longest distance from the [...] Continue Reading…

‘Christmas Tree as checked baggage’ – Allowed as one-off by Air Berlin

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Berlin  21-12-2009

Air Berlin, the low cost airline based in Berlin is going to allow its passengers to transport Christmas trees for free this year – with a height limit of 2 meters.

There is apparently a demand from German travellers.

Probably the only destinations effected , other than domestic ones, will be its daily flights from the Nordic cities of Goteborg and Stockholm [...] Continue Reading…

Sinister Auschwitz-Birkenau sign found

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Berlin  21-12-2009

Polish authorities have arrested 5 men over the theft of the sinsiter  ‘Arbeit macht frei’ – [Work will mean freedom] sign that hung over the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau .

 [see former OTA-Berlin Constituency blog article- http://blog.ota-berlin.de/berlin/2009/12/19/sinsiter-auschwitz-birkenau-gate-sign-is-stolen/]

It has been disclosed by the Polish police that it seems this group were not members of or associated with neo-Nazi groups and acted [...] Continue Reading…

Perhaps time for Queen Nefertiti to leave Berlin – Egypt asks for return of prized bust from Neues Museum

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Berlin  20-12-2009 

Egypt has again asked for the return of Queen Nefertiti’s bust from a Berlin museum .

The 3,400 year-old limestone bust of Nefertiti was discovered in Egypt in 1912 at Tell el-Amarna, the capital city of her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten. Its almond-like eyes, fine elongated neck, and Mona-Lisa like pensive stare have made this piece of antiquity draw millions of visitors from [...] Continue Reading…