Why is that a problem? Citizens working under the Schengen laws in any capacity are protected by those laws as well, in terms of compensation as well as Hartz IV and so on. The highest percentage of first generation immigrants right now are from the newer EU members such as Moldova. Besides Turkish, which you would…

Why not? It's not like we're going to stop paying for the rest of the continent's population growth. Do you think the Germans are going to send Greece a bill in a couple years to be paid in kids for the bailout? Despite the CSU's grumbling the majority of the population is committed to the wellbeing of the EU.

I see your answer to my question above here, kind of, for the U.S. We're not having that problem for these reasons (or with these effects) in Europe.

Please illuminate me (a German) to the "host of problems" brought on by low birth rates.

Jezebel made the same error of...insularness...or something...in the coverage of the Cairns shooting, getting the day entirely wrong.

I appreciate your response Mark. This is a much more measured and non-doubling-down response (i.e. "Catch the fuck up.") than the staff writers have afforded readers with lately. Obviously on your particular "beat" you post a lot of stuff that is not to everyone's taste. There is also no point in caving to criticism…

Crisis: Your entire family was killed right before Christmas and you were the girl thatdeath left behind.

If only it were that easy. I'm not saying people should do nothing instead of something if they are depressed, but saying you can "eliminate" what in many cases is a genetically preordained disease from your life is like saying you can wish your way out of Parkinson's, etc. Don't you think people like David Foster…

So true. I heave a sigh of relief every time the city manages not to begin a sell off of that fantastic collection.

Right, but the actual painting is in color. There's not an engraving or a black and white sketch. So the attribution is incorrect, since it refers to something that does not exist. Seriously, Jia, need to accept corrections/comments less defensively.

It's weird, right? Fuseli was definitely a precursor to the psychosexual torment we see later in Munch... I always interpreted this painting in another way, though, that the woman was to some extent escaping into her subconscious, not necessarily that the demon was a manifestation of it. Fuseli was a French-speaking…

The Nightmare (1781) by Henry Fuseli is a beautiful image; maybe the artist deserves credit? And a color reproduction?

Agreed. A cheap shot. I apologise.

OK. I know you can't hear tone on the Internet. But I sincerely mean that it sounds like you are working very hard, maybe too hard, at your studies, and right now, you're right, all college, all programs, are competitive.

I don't want to sound like an elitist...

It's so funny but humanities scholars never run down the achievements of STEM researchers, faculty, and students, from bachelors to postdoc fellows. I suspect it's because our discipline is more inclined to attract empathic people who, though they might be introverts, are at some level content with their levels of…

That's great. I think this early success was really hard on Jennie Livingston though. Lavender Limelight and her other work hasn't had quite the momentum. Maybe this will provide some funding and motivation for her to get back on track. Not saying her documentary work isn't excellent, it just hasn't caught the way PiB…

Like katsuospawn, I want to correct your misinterpretation. Humanities programs are actually very difficult to get into (into top programs I mean, and even public ivies) precisely because of the cutbacks to liberal arts education. We can afford only to accept the best of the best applicants and even some of those…

That's a really really really good point. I teach college and try to constantly emphasise to the bootstrap parrots how much luck, timing, general external factors play in a person's life, including education. Good for you for being clear headed and making a practical decision not so influenced by the perception of…

I am Bavarian, and you must be a Hamburger or from parts north, because this is a very popular iteration of our culture in Bayern.