Pirate Party

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fLYeg0qZA48zJ7Ja7Mxh1e87KPHAblSaiRhYM-JUNyE/present#slide=id.p18

After finding out who was in our group for the project, we all exchanged emails during class. We decided on doing a Google Doc page to upload when everyone’s availability was. Getting a group of 7 people together, in college, with all of our busy schedules between classes, transportation, and work, is frankly almost impossible. A few of us finally found time to meet up on Tuesday for a couple of hours in the afternoon and another part of the group found time to meet up Tuesday evening. We did a lot of sharing of information through the Google Doc page. One of our group members put the PowerPoint together and before class most of the group met up one last time to go through who would talk about what slide and last minute additions. Although we ended up with a finished product and everything worked out it was stressful trying to figure everything out through email, especially when the emailing was mainly between 4 people of the group. Overall I would have to say that the group communication was not the best and many things could have gone better, but it is what it is. I don’t mind group work, but after experiencing our first project on the states and now this project on the political parties, I much prefer smaller groups. It is easier to find a time that fits everyone’s schedule. Learning about the Pirate party proved to be very interesting. I was surprised to find out that it had only recently been established in 2006. The most valuable resource out of our research was Wikipedia, it had the most information that we used on our presentation. One of the things that stood out to me, maybe even shocked me was the fact that the Pirate Party did not have a clear stance on what they stand for. They don’t really have any clear stance on how they feel about major topics such as; gay marriage (rights), abortion, etc. I was also interested on how they are so unorganized yet still gaining popularity. I believe they gain the popularity by how open they are; wanting everything broadcasted and available for the public to comment and contribute to topics. A lot of the Pirate votes and contributors come from the younger aged group of people (ages 20-34). Another thing I was intrigued by was the fact that the Pirate Party was predominantly made up of males.

Saxony

David Colbert

Joseph Albers

Kayla Rardin

September 5, 2012

Saxony, or Freistaat Sachsen for those of the German tongue, is one of the 16 Länder (states) that make up the whole of Germany.  It is the tenth-largest German state bordering its western German counterparts Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg. The population of the state is 4,130,133, as of April 2012, and has been decreasing slowly over the past 6 months. The state further divides into 3 Direktionsbezirke (districts) Chemnitz, Dresden, and Leipzig then further divided into 10 “counties“. The largest cities are Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz with populations ranging from 240,00 to 533,000 vs. Minnesota’s cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, with Populations of 380,000 and 288,000 respectively .

Historical

            Before 1871, Saxony had its independence but had lost some of its northern lands to Prussia due to the Austro-Prussian War (June 14-august 23 1866). Kingdom of Saxony was forced to join the North German Confederation in 1867. In 1871, the kingdom of Saxony became a part of the newly formed German Empire. After Germany's defeat in the World War 1, the monarchy of the German Empire was overthrown. Saxony became a part of the Weimar Republic and was renamed the Free State of Saxony. Saxony maintained its name and borders from 1918 to 1945 in which Germany was defeated in World War 2. After WW2, the USSR set up the communist satellite nation of the German Democratic Republic and Saxony a part of it.  The communist government dissolved the state in 1952, in which it divided up Saxony into the Bezirke of Leipzig, Dresden and Karl-Marx-Stadt. During the German reunification of 1990, the Free State was reconstituted with slightly altered borders.

Economic

Saxony, Germany coined the nickname Silicon Saxony due to its large association of nearly 300 companies in the electronics and microsystems industry, including science and consulting organizations. Many of the companies develop and produce computer calculation and memory chips or new materials and electronics. The developed and produced small semiconductors chips are used in all kinds of cars, mobile phones, TV sets and so on. Saxony has one of the largest economies in eastern Germany and one of the few in which “new economy” sectors such as microelectronics have experienced considerable growth. The major manufacturing sectors in Saxony include electronics, being one of the largest, machinery, pharmaceuticals, auto and auto parts production, food processing, publishing, and textiles.  “Autoland Saxony” is home to 4 different car manufacturers; BMW, NEOPLAN, Porsche, and Volkswagen. The GDP (gross domestic product) in Saxony is 95,100 million euros and the GDP per gainfully employed person is 44,494 euros.

Cultural

            Throughout our excavation of Saxony’s cultural mine we dug up some interesting bits of knowledge.  First and foremost,  i believe, we should identify the children of Saxony. Many people of great significance were born or full time residents of the  state. For example, the mathematician and philosopher who contributed  a significant deal to modernday calculus was born in Leipzig; of course who I’m speaking  of is none other than Gottfried Leibniz. 

             Saxony did more than produce  one legendary mind. As we traverse the various arenas of human interest we eventually come to the realm of art.  Saxony housed and birthed great musical  composers and performers whose timeless tunes perpuate to this very day. Some examples of the greats of Saxony are none other than  J.S. Bach (choirmaster of Leipzig) , Wagner, and Schumann.  Attending along side these musical artists are those of the literary field—these being Kurt Vonnegut writer of Slaughterhouse-Five  and Karl May who wrote titles such as the Winnetou series.

            Interesting places to view in Saxony are most assuredly not limited; however, for our purposes, I’ll look at a couple that caught my interest.  First is the Nikolaikirche or St. Nicholas Church. It is one of the most famous buildings in Leipzig mainly because of the peaceful demonstrations that took place prior to the bringing down of the wall. Today it attracts people from all over to view this reconstructed church and reflect on time long passed. A second location of note is the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault). The vault is a museum located in the Dresden Castle that houses a collection of various German treasures; a good spot to visit if you’re in Dresden to absorb some interesting historical treasures such as the ‘Moor with Emerald Cluster’.

But significant people and places are not all that makes Saxony unique. Saxony is home to various fair and festivals, however, there are some that exude cultural significance. One of  these is the Dresdner Stadtfest. This arguably is Dresden’s largest party, it is filled with various merriments such as food and drink all wrapped together by a surplus of Saxony’s residents. Among those lavish portions of food you may be lucky enough to find a German treat called the Liegnitzer Bombe. This morsel  is reminescent of a choclate pastry ranging in sizes to that of a cupcake up to a full-blown cake. It consists as put by one local observer, “… of a very rich dark gingerbread dough with honey, marzipan, almonds, raisins, cherries, orange juice, orangeat [orange peel], hidden under a coat of dark chocolate icing”.

            Last but not least, to conclude with a couple interesting piece of culture. You know when you’re trying to cross the street right? That little man in the light that signals you to walk may be seen all over the US imploring citizens to cross safely. However, and to my surprise, the little man that beckons in Saxony is quite different. These figures are referred to as ampelmännchen in Saxony and bear different characters to the ones we are used to.  For example, some portray a girl with dress and hair, or may display a man with a hat and the occasional bike. As well, these figures hold more meaning to the citizens of Saxony then they do for us. Before the reunification, these characters were displayed. After the war and rebuilding of Germany however, they were changed. This created unrest among the people who eventually fought and won having them changed back to these humble symbols.  

            All in all, Saxony is a culture rich and prominent force in Germany that has brought the world brilliant minds. If one wanted to get a true taste of the German world Saxony is definitely the place to be.

           

Sources: Accessed Sept. 3, 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_states_by_GDP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony,_Germany

http://www.silicon-saxony.de/en/Saxony_at_a_Glance/143085.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/526083/Saxony

http://www.germany-insider-facts.com/german-states.html#sax

http://www.statistik.sachsen.de/download/010_GB-Bev/Bev_Gemeinde.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony

http://www.who2.com/bio/gottfried-leibniz

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/places.php?type=2&id=128

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/places.php?type=2&id=133

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/people/music.php?id=123

http://germanoriginality.com/heritage/people/music.php?id=95

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Church,_Leipzig

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCnes_Gew%C3%B6lbe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_Frauenkirche

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Sachsen/Dresden-67870/Local_Customs-Dresden-TG-C-1.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Sachsen/Goerlitz-60279/Local_Customs-Goerlitz-TG-C-1.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Germany/Land_Sachsen/Dresden-67870/Local_Customs-Dresden-TG-C-1.html