Berlin Blog question 2 alone in Berlin

I started off my day getting to know a 20 year old Israeli guy on the elevator of our hostel, he gave me his email and I told him I would 'facebook him'. Upon leaving the hostel I decided I needed to buy a map to figure out where I wanted to go. I hopped off the U. at Alexanderplatz figuring that I could find a map there. However I was wrong, I spent a good 40 minutes wandering from store to store not a map to be seen, one in English at least. I decided to head to the next area/stop that I knew well, Potsdamerpaltz, I figured I could find something to do there. I was wandering around looking at street signs when I stumbled across a big guide map in the middle of the sidewalk. Low and behold on the map I saw 'Berlin Philharmonic' excitement shot through me; I had been wanting to visit the building. Before continuing on my journey I decided I really needed to find some sort of map, so for a second time I went wandering from store to store in hopes of finding an Berlin map. This time around I had better luck, I found a bookstore with an English map, and I also purchased a guide book titled 'Berlin 1933-1945', talk about exciting. While exiting I saw H&M and had to stop and shop. After H&M I tried to start my adventure, when I realized the map I had just bought sucked! So I went back to following the ever so handy street signs. Being the picture taker I am, I stopped at a corner to take a picture of a unique looking yellow building. Like a gift from God I discovered that building was in fact the Berlin Philharmonic. Ecstatic I ran to the entrance of the building, only be flooded by melancholic emotions; my beloved philharmonic was closed to tours from July 4th through August 28th. Feeling dejected I roamed around the area hoping for something to pop out. After an hour of no such luck I decided to head back to the U. While approaching an intersection and blue sign popped out with a long word which I determined meant musical instrument museum. Suddenly it was like the clouds parted and the sun began to shine, I skipped to the museum. All of that excitement for nothing, the doors were locked and the lights were off. I stood looking at the hours posted on the door in disbelief, until I could snap out of it. Upset I decided to go to the film museum, my last resort. On my way to the museum I saw the IMAX and decided to go in and take a gander, I picked up a pamphlet with the hours on it, and the one next to it titled ‘The History of Berlin’. Upon reading it I bypassed the film museum for the U. and took it to the Zoolander stop. Now I thought it would be easy to find this place, but again I was wrong; I walked up and down the street 4 times before I realized the museum was in a mall. The museum was ok, it was a bit scary due to the use of audio, and visual effects. Nothing really stood out to me besides the lack of information about victims of the holocaust, it mainly focused on the Jewish. Upon exiting I stopped and ate some great pesto pasta, and started writing this. While eating and thinking I patted myself on the back for avoiding Starbucks while in Germany. I mentioned this only because on my way back to the U. I was stopped by a seducing sign outside of starbucks. Sadly this is where I finished my day in Berlin.

Berlin Blog question 3

When comparing the German Chancellor, British Prime Minister and the United States President, there is greatest contrast between the U.S. President and the other two. To start off, the United States President is both the Head of Government and the Head of State. In the other two European countries mentioned above, the Head of State is a separate entity. The British have the queen, and the Germans have their president. Also the German and British Heads of Government are brought to their position in a different manner than is the U.S. President. In Germany and Britain the Heads of Government are appointed by the lower house in their legislature (the House of Representatives, and the Bundestag). Where as the U.S. President is elected by the people (technically the electoral college).
Also their ease in the passing of bills are different due to the difference in electoral systems and the way in which the government functions as a whole. The Prime Minister of Britain is part of the legislature and his/her part is the majority, therefore the likelihood of getting bills past are extremely high due to party unity. The Chancellor of Germany usually has to form a majority coalition with usually a minority party (except in the case of the Grand Coalition), this requires a lot of compromise; however bills tend to be passed easily due to the compromises in the legislation process during the drafting of a bill. The U.S. President could be from one party while having a legislative majority from the other party, this obviously makes getting bills passed a little more complicated. And lastly all of these Heads of Government are alike in the fact that they get to appoint their own cabinets.

Berlin Blog question 1

One of the most distinct ways in which the U.S. and Germany memorialize their history differently, is where it's memorialized. In Germany there are plenty of public/random bits of history, such as the graffiti in the Reichstag, the line of the Berlin Wal, and the tower of the kaiser wilhelm church. When thinking about U.S. history memorials, most of them can be found in museums, taken from their original home, or constructed in such designated areas like around the Washington D.C. Mall. In contrast the German Holocaust Memorial is in it's own area, an area frequented by it's citizens daily.
The only memorial that comes to mind that contradicts my argument of memorializing bits of history where they originally stood, would be the Pearl Harbor memorial of the US Arizona. For that particular artifact of history, one needs to charter a boat to the middle of the harbor and the memorial is built around the sunken ship. However if I remember correctly the sunken ship had to remain under water, because it couldn't be brought up or maintained correctly.
Also when watching a Frontline documentary about the process of creating the German Holocaust Memorial (link found on d2l), the argument was brought up that this was Germany displaying something they as as nation were at fault for. The man in this video then pointed out that the United States had never really done that, his example being the United States mistreatment of the Native Americans (Trail of Tears). When trying to think about American memorials the ones that comes to mind are those in D.C., the Oklahoma City bombing, and 9.11 memorials. The Oklahoma City bombing was done by one man, not the government, 911 was a result of terrorist attacks, and the DC memorials are mainly war related. Even such a frowned upon, mainly U.S. war, the Vietnam War, doesn't recognize U.S. faults and blatant disregard for human life.
There is a wall commemorating all of the U.S. fallen soldiers, as there should be; however what about the U.S. treatment of the Hmong, our unfulfilled promise to grant them all U.S citizenship. Still today it's been documented in TIME ASIA, that there are still a great percentage of the Hmong population hiding in the jungles of Loas, afraid of being prosecuted and killed by the Government for aiding the U.S. during the war. And what about the live of our ally Hmong that were ostentatiously ruined by the use of Agent Orange along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. No where that I know of, does the U.S. memorialize these faults or even the Hmong who gave their lives while aiding the U.S. military.
Lastly I would like to bring up the U.S. Civil War. I'm not much of a history buff and I've never really paid attention to Civil War memorials; however I think that it is an interesting debate when it comes to the Confederate (rebel) Flag. Some people view it as a way of memorializing family members that fraught in the war, some view it as just a flag displaying southern pride, and then there are those who use it and/or who view it as a blatant symbol of racism. One country, one symbol, a variety of views.