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Archive for the ‘News’ Category

I am Ujian

Posted in Fun, News on May 9, 2009| 1 Comment »

That’s the name of the album to be released in Germany by a new 14 year old pop singer Ujian (pronounced Uyan). When it hits the stands in June 2009, it might give Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears a run for their money. The talented singer hails from Switzerland and currently lives in Heilderberg, Germany.

“If there are any profits it will all stay with the zoo to refurbish the ape enclosure”, said producer Christian Wolf.

If you are wondering why the money is going to the Zoo, well, it’s because that’s where Ujian lives. Ujian is a orangutan at Heidelberg Zoo who learned to whistle last summer.  According to the zoo, Ujian started whistling after a vegetable delivery man was late coming to his cage. Ujian let out a disgruntled whistle in an attempt to get him to hurry up. From simple notes, Ujian soon graduated to melodic phrases. A local musician was impressed with his talent and decided to make a musical album having Ujain’s whistle in the background.

Ujian’s talent doesn’t end there. He along with his female live-in partners has painted and produced a number of abstract art works. The zoo recently held an auction of their paintings.

Even though Ujian might not be the first orangutan in the world to whistle, he can be glad that he is the first pop singer to produce a “Wind of Change” after Scorpions.

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Aftermath of the "Final Solution"

Posted in News on April 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Germany has its history written all over it, most of which every German would like to forget (or rather, not think about it anymore). But at times, the history sends its messages as gentle reminders of the pain the country and its people went through. 

Yesterday, some workers at a construction site, about 4kms from where we stay, uncovered human bones, what the experts later found to be the remains of a German soldier.

The remains also had 2 metal belt buckles, the knapsack of the soldier (which had an ashtray, a toothbrush with paste tubes and some coins) and some ammunition.

During World War II, Pforzheim was bombed a number of times. In one of the largest raids carried out by the British Royal Air Force, on the evening of February 23, 1945, about one fifth of the town’s population, over 17,000 people, were killed, and about 83% of the town’s buildings were destroyed.

Ironically, German authorities began an excavation yesterday at another site south of Berlin that they believe contains one of the last undiscovered mass graves of Jews killed by the Nazis. 


The excavation site marks the spot where, on February 2, 1945, 753 sick men and women, originally from Poland and Hungary, are believed to have been killed by the SS after being transported from Auschwitz death camp.

True reminders of the Final Solution (Endlösung) on Earth day.

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