tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88467171001761125742011-11-28T01:23:12.025+01:00Information about and discussions of actual and personal topics from the point of view of the authorRalph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-49676197830257105332009-11-23T18:14:00.002+01:002009-11-23T19:05:45.686+01:00

Is swine flu really a threat, or is it just another form of seasonal influenza? Why are people dying from it?Until mid November, the number of people infected by swine flu in Germany were minimal, but the media blew it up to a real danger, being able to cause sudden death. Warnigs were issued, but nobody took it seriously. At mid November, suddenly the number of infections increased dramatically.

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-2239831467047833032009-09-15T14:09:00.003+02:002009-09-15T15:57:31.976+02:00

Boring, uninteresting, nothing new ...These are the words for describing the tv debate between Chancellor and conservative party chairwoman Angela Merkel and Social-Democrat Chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier who are tied up in the governing coalition of the two biggest parties in Germany. No wonder they praised the governmental work of the past four years more than stressing the

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-39341173852328283112009-09-05T18:47:00.002+02:002009-09-05T19:15:38.646+02:00

If you want to travel into Berlin city centre after Jan 1st, 2010 with your old Diesel car, you risk to be fined. What you need is a green badge attached to the windscreen from inside to show that your car has a soot filter. This goes for local as well as foreign cars.So if you live outside the city boundaries or in the outskirts, as I do, there is no way of giving somebody a lift to the

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-62798414272513070302009-05-20T17:51:00.000+02:002009-05-20T17:51:00.799+02:00

It is one of the most modern and fashionable ways to travel and move about. Instead of getting into the car and going where it is nice at the weekend, even low-paid employees treat themselves to a weekend visit to London for shopping or Mallorca for a quick swim in the Mediterranian. Holidays are much cheaper anyway if you go on an all-inclusive holiday to Turkey or the Dominican Republic. So

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-13195914800140059292009-05-13T17:07:00.002+02:002009-05-13T17:51:01.331+02:00

A few weeks ago, a poll took place in Berlin about the introduction of Christion religion as a school subject. The initiators was an initiative of the Catholic and Protestant churches together with some VIPs, such as the tv moderator of "How to become a Millionaire", who is very popular in Germany. The idea was to be able to choose between the official subject Ethics and Chistian religion as an

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-89685135563700226182009-04-03T11:12:00.003+02:002009-04-03T12:34:17.369+02:00

It seems that there are no chances for traumatised children. How much help can be provided, and how much help can foster families and authorities provide?The problem with traumatised foster children is that foster families need professional support. Most traumatised foster children have never experienced a caring family or parents. They have been neglected and have experienced violence and evil

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-15114507245710588572009-03-02T14:50:00.004+01:002009-03-02T17:15:36.349+01:00

It is six and a half years ago, when Sue and Janet came to live with us. We had many nice times, like holidays in France and Britain, our families had accepted both of them, they found friends and enjoyed their freedom.But finally, every-day life got the better of us. The symptoms of the multiple trauma from which Sue is suffering made life in our family unbearable. Something had to happen.So I

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-78941545518748475642009-02-06T13:36:00.005+01:002009-02-06T22:06:43.061+01:00

A grey, cold Wednesday evening in Hannover. Masses of people flocking to the TUI Arena. Everybody is in anticipation of the things to come. What is she going to be like? Still the old one with nearly seventy? Calmer? Less professional?A huge stage. Huge loudspeakers hanging from the ceiling. LCD screens. A video camera mounted to a rail in front of the stage. A lonely microphone in the middle. A

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-80481097486772139782009-01-01T23:03:00.004+01:002009-01-01T23:55:32.675+01:00

It started at 7 p.m. Nobody knows why. Bring in the cats; they´ll go bazurk. Feed and calm them.Eleven thirty in the Berlin Fast Transit train. A goup of young people. They are igniting a canon cracker right under the seats. Is there a chance to ask for the use of this action?10 to midnight on a Berlin re-vegetated landfill from after WWII from which most of the city can be viewed. Ear-deafening

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-6933615569610225532008-12-28T16:07:00.003+01:002008-12-28T17:28:42.897+01:00

Sometimes I hate the school I am employed at. And so do my colleagues, more often than I do. Lessons start at 7:30 a.m., announced by a bell that could revive the dead, telling me that I have to show up in a certain classroom expecting a certain number and sort of students, with the task to fill 45 minutes with some knowledge which they could possibly make use of, hoping that they are really

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-91254859555239253942008-11-20T13:29:00.003+01:002008-11-20T14:00:49.533+01:00

Puberescent girls are a drag. Traumatised puberescent girls are a nightmare! This is the experience we have had during the last weeks, but we try to be understanding. Slamming doors, shouting, kicking - we know all of this.Lately, I had an idea. I tried to put myself into Sue´s situation, and I wondered how I could help her in that state of suffering - because this is what it really is. And I

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-58893801311133616852008-10-26T16:36:00.006+01:002008-10-26T18:14:00.138+01:00

The German school system is one of the most ineffective ones internationally, and this has been proven by studies like the international PISA study. It shows that there is far too much illiteracy and key qualifications like calculating, reading, writing and communicating are not taught sufficiently and effectively. Especially those kids who have a problematic social and migration background have

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-8915889563260396682008-10-16T18:39:00.003+02:002008-10-16T19:04:48.663+02:00

An intelligence test shows that she is normally intelligent, and deficiencies do not entitle Sue to school support to make up for the social problems she has inherited from her originating family.She has a maths deficiency, but her every day knowledge ist phenomenal. (We assign this to our constant attempts to explain the world to our kids ;-)) ) She doesn´t show abnormal behaviour, she tries her

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-59946949871404762942008-10-15T17:58:00.003+02:002008-10-15T18:31:44.313+02:00

When I entered the airport handling staff fist year training class for the first time, I felt like being part of a bad dream. They had arranged tables and chairs neatly aligned to the blackboard. What was that supposed to mean?There can only be one explanation for this sort of strange behaviour. First, they don´t want to get in contact with each other, not wishing to look into each other´s faces.

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-66094283796717384322008-10-07T16:32:00.003+02:002008-10-07T16:48:39.592+02:00

How would you deal with this situation?You have spent a nice weekend at some relatives some hundred miles away, the children enjoyed it, and everything seems to be normal. Then, your sister phones you up to tell you that the sweets you have in stock have vanished over the weekend, or a DVD is missing. You start reconstructing the situation and find out that only your children can have taken them.

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-74642814088514093552008-10-02T17:55:00.005+02:002008-10-02T18:16:21.349+02:00

During the last support plan meeting, the so-called "specialists" and officials told us it was necessary to claim support from the elementary school Sue is attending for social-emotional deficiencies. Sounded clever and a good move to make.Last Tuesday, I had a talk with the special adivisor on educational and learning problems. The result was that a support is only granted after a diagnosis and

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-12544154716287621092008-09-28T17:47:00.004+02:002008-10-02T17:28:10.446+02:00

On our motorbike tour in August, we spent a few days on the isle of Rügen. Rügen is famous for its steep coasts and a giant rock called "Stubbenkammer".This is what the steep coast on the island of Ruegen in the North of Germany looks like . We got sight of this panorama on a footpath to the "Stubbenkammer", which is famous for its steep rocks.

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8846717100176112574.post-71731228110835761302008-09-13T19:32:00.002+02:002008-09-13T21:01:41.991+02:00

You are probably stunned by the heading: Of course they should support the interests of our foster children. Why don´t they?The last support plan meeting showed us that they don´t have a clue of what is going on in a family with traumatised children from desolate family backgrounds.Our kids have watched a crime in their oririnal home. They have been subject to neglect during early childhood. And

Ralph Gehrkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151227950062507233noreply@blogger.com0