Day 3 in Berlin!

We were given a "free morning" on this Wednesday and my new friends Sarah Herndon from ABC News in Washington D.C. and Blake Warenik a freelance multi-media journalist in Athens, Georgia decided to head for Museum Island and check out the Pergamon Museum and its Babylon Exhibit. Its "Myth" traces the roots of Babylon's rise and fall, but also reveals their strong remaining influence. The architecture and design of the work displayed in the museum was mystical to me! The jewelry and sculptures were filled with intricate detail and fine craftsmanship. I was truly amazed also by the manuscripts and contemporary art being featured.

There were more than 800 objects to explore including statues, pieces of masonry, reliefs and votive offerings. I learned also that timepieces, calendars and the signs of the zodiac would be inconceivable without babylonian science. The first part of the Babylonian tour explored the roots of our western culture through a tiny scope. I now have a better understanding and appreciation for museums and all they have to offer. I also found it quite interesting at the line formed to get in. There were dozens and dozens of people all over the museum learning and exploring too, it was really quite inspiring.

In between our first meeting of the day and our afternoon appointments we had a few free hours, so our RIAS hosts Rainer and Sandra treated us to a beautiful boat ride down the Spree River.

The Spree runs through Berlin and the sites to see along the way were absolutely amazing. We saw the German Parliament, beautiful old churches and lots of tourists too. Some walking right along the river, while others relaxed in what looked like cheap metal beach chairs outside of cute little cafes. It was a brisk cool day, with a slight breeze, but the fresh air felt amazing and I really enjoyed the scenery.

We then took a tour bus to our first meeting of the day. We met up with Mr. Ozcan Mutlu who is a member of the Green Party and of Turkish descent. The Green Party was born out of the 60's movement. They're very much in favor of the environment and doing away with nuclear power. The Green Party makes up roughly 9% of Germany's population, so essentially it is tied as the second smallest political party with the "FDP" or liberal party.

Mr. Mutlu is a member of state politics currently, and is running for re-election next year. He believes Turkey must find its peace in the European Union. Turkey would like to be a member of the EU, but some others oppose the idea.

Mr. Mutlu spoke about the non-German population in Germany, immigration issues and his experience as a Turkish politician. He says there were two ways to enter Germany as a non-German by either family unification or as a refugee. Turks mostly came into the country as guest workers: either working in construction or on the assembly line. It's my understanding employers had asked for low educated people to pay them less, yet still get the job done.

Again, as I have already stated 50% of the Turks living in Germany are unemployed.

Kreuzberg is the neighborhood we were in, and it is often referred to as "Little Istanbul." 25% of the population living there is Turkish. One of the largest jails in the city houses 1/3 alleged criminals, who are so called non-Germans.

I found it interesting that Mr. Mutlu says the overall impression of German Educators is teachers believe kids with migratory backgrounds cannot succeed at the Gymnasium or University. Only 10% of German students go on to the Gymnasium (which is very much considered an elite high school) while 70% of the students go to the types of schools where you have no future. They are called the Haupt Schule. That statement really bothered me, since America is considered the land of equal opportunity.

No matter your race, background and gender you can succeed with hard work and determination. Why is it that teachers have a say in your future? I understand that German kids' future is decided at age 12, but parents I guess, can also refuse the track.

Mr. Mutlu also told the group immigration law here is an anti-immigration law. From what I gathered, it is extremely difficult to live in Berlin and Germany for that matter as a Turk. He basically told us, Turks are the Latinos of Germany.

Mutlu said this was a huge reason why he wanted to get into politics, to help his own people. I respect that completely and compare it to the way some people in America treat people from Mexico or Spanish speaking people in general.

There are big issues in the area in which I live (which is near Hazleton, PA). The city's "anti-immigration relief act" was the brainchild of Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. He had hopes of imposing fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and to deny business permits to companies who give illegal immigrants jobs. After a nine-day trial last March, a federal judge ruled it unconstitutional.

The city of course appealed, but seeing also how Germans speak (not so highly) of their Turkish neighbors I have developed a more sympathetic attitude toward so-called "outsiders." These people come into our country and other countries (most of them working their tails off) to create better lives for themselves and their families. It is quite courageous and I have a better understanding and respect for them.

We ate at a delicious Turkish restaurant where I had Turkish Comlek and Bulgur. It was basically lamb with vegetables and like a wheat type of rice. It was yummy! The coffee was very different though, they don't separate the grounds from the cup. It was rather strong and a bit bitter for me.

After the meeting with Mr. Mutlu we headed for RBB "Inforadio" or Rundfunk Berlin/Brandenburg. RBB radio/t.v. covers the city-state of Berlin and Brandenburg exclusively. RBB's parent company is ARD. That stands for "Arbeitsgemeinschaft der offentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland." In English that means "Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations in the Federal Republic of Germany." There are nine independent broadcasting corporations under state law. They provide radio and t.v. to the public, who pays a fee of (about) less than 20 Euros a month. The tenth and final member of ARD is the International Broadcasting service Deutsche Welle.

RBB's Inforadio runs 24-7. Reporters usually get about 2 minutes and 30 seconds for each piece they put together. The Radio Reporters in the group of fellows were blown away by that.

They couldn't believe the amount of time given, since they usually receive about 30-seconds for their entire story including the host "intro."

They "do it all" in the sense they cover news, weather and traffic every 20 minutes with features and interviews and other reports as well. The biggest difference to me is that public radio and t.v. stations here get all their money from the government so they don't do any on air fundraising. That is crazy to me!

Their newsroom was very similar to what we see in the states, but a bit different for me was the fact they also had a small television studio off to the side of the newsroom where the anchor was delivering the news for the t.v. broadcast side of RBB. She was actually standing in the control center, so everything was right there.

We then walked over to the television side of RBB to meet with Ms. Daniela Hartmann. She is the editor of RBB's "Abendschau." It's a well known local daily t.v. news show that lasts 30 minutes and covers the news of both Berlin and Brandenburg. Reporter presence here is not like what we see in the states. There aren't very many stand-ups (where you see the Reporter in the story bridging one part of the piece to the next). I was told Reporters do stand ups here when they cannot get an official to speak on camera, but the executives were also open to the idea of seeing more of a Reporter presence because I personally think it helps viewers identify more with the story when they can put a face with it. At least, that is what the viewers in Pennsylvania have always told me!

The anchor of the RBB show "Abendschau" is a beautiful older blonde woman, and I cannot remember her full name off the top of my head. I believe it's Caterin Bohme or something like that. I of course, tripped over a wooden box behind the set when I went to get my picture taken with her. It was funny, but I was embarrassed. We all snapped a few photos and were given the opportunity to watch the show in the control room.

I was rather impressed with how polished the anchor was. German language isn't easy to speak let alone pronounce and she "nailed" every word with beautiful tone and articulation. She was very professional. There were reporters in the show too, but it was very different from what we see in America. Here, the anchors usually toss to a Reporter who is "live in the field." He or she then introduces their story. It wasn't quite like that. The Reporter that was included in the show, was a financial "guru" who acted basically as a commentator to the news in the U.S. with the financial status of Lehman Brothers Bank and more.

Then there was also a reporter covering the Golden Hen Awards, which is basically like an awards show featuring German celebrities and the Olympic Swimmer Britta Steffen who just won double Gold in Beijing. It was pretty cool to watch on T.V. but we also got a glimpse of this "red carpet" event on the streets of East Berlin before the actual ceremony even started.

We also saw German's President on T.V. (who was at the show at the time). His name is Horst Kohler and the way I understand it, he's more of a speaker who doesn't have a lot of power but travels quite a bit. That was interesting to me as well; very different from the U.S.

As if our bellies weren't full enough with all the delicious Turkish treats, we then went out to dinner at the SONY Center in Potsdamer Platz. I had a wonderful Bavarian meal. It was heavy pasta gnocchi's with lots of different cheeses. I cannot begin to explain the amount of fresh bread I've eaten too so far, but I can't help it. It's so fresh and yummy!

The time at the restaurant lasted for several hours. We had a wonderful time together as a group and before we knew it, it was rather late. We took off and headed home on foot. We've been so busy so far and we all needed to get some "shut eye."

This is also the time where I lost my digital camera. Leave it to me to lose it! I missplaced it somewhere between the tour of RBB, the ride to the river and/or the restaurant at Potsdamer Platz.

We've put calls into the bus company, the restaurant and RBB. Please keep your fingers crossed it shows up somewhere. I've taken some great shots and I'd like to be able to post them. But in the meantime, I did bring a second digital camera given to me by my younger sister Elizabeth. It has since come in handy for the time being.