2025 - Website

Black Rider

Along the wind-lashed dikes of the North Sea rode the Black Rider on his dark steed, Fury, their figures outlined against the roaring “Blanker Hans.” The people of Husum whispered that he was a spirit of the storm, sent to guard the dikes where Hauke Haien once fell to the sea. When the tide rose and the wind moaned through the reeds, his hoofbeats echoed over the salt marshes — steady, unyielding, like a heartbeat of the land itself. Fury’s mane streamed like black foam, and in his rider’s eyes burned the same fierce will that once drove Hauke to defy the sea. At dawn, when the storm broke, the Rider and Fury vanished into the mist — leaving only silence, and the feeling that the dikes still had their watchman. 🌊🐎 Northsea in German: The Blank Hans Be aware pls: This Post is about Death: Following the Grimm Brothers on Gevatter Tod. The latest Bob Dylan concert in Hamburg - according to some reviews I read in German media, showed an artist and song writer awarded with a Nobel Prize in Literature because of his lyrics: Haunted by the Black Rider. A bit like the last Jonny Cash Songs that I love a lot before this great artist died (RIP). Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmermann) has fascinated me since I had learnt to read and write in a Primary School in…

Wendland

In Hamburg Sep 2025 | Credit phb This post is about the ZDF Series Wendland with the German actor Ulrich Noethen. I worked in Wendland for 11 Years: Because of the Zonenrandgebiet and Gorleben a North German area near Lüneburg, not to be missed! The Elbtaulaue from Bleckede to Dannenberg and Hitzacker has attracted many visitors from Europe and around the world. The area is Storch Country and very known among cyclists mostly with push bikes on their racks like the Police Volkswagen Van. Paradise for Bird Watching and Campers and Outdoors. Artists have settled here as well. Known is the annual Kulturelle Landpartie. More to come here soon. Wendland Magazin | Credit phb Credit phb Credit phb Ulrich Noethen and “Wendland”: A Critical Review About the actor Ulrich Noethen Ulrich Noethen, born November 18, 1959 in Munich, is one of Germany’s most acclaimed character actors . His breakthrough came in 1997 when he starred as Harry Frommermann in “Comedian Harmonists,” earning him the German Film Award for Best Actor in 1998 . He has notably portrayed Heinrich Himmler twice, in “Der Untergang” (Downfall) and “Mein Führer” , and played Otto Frank in “Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank” (The Diary of Anne Frank) . Noethen has won numerous awards including the Bavarian Film Award, the German Television Award, the Grimme Award, and the German Television Academy Award in 2022 . The…

Initiaton and Omission

Chapter 1 US Literature and American Studies Hemingway, Salinger, and the Satirical Legacy of T.C. Boyle Iconic Baywatch Tower | SLS in OZ | Credit phb Introduction The American short story tradition has long been shaped by the theme of initiation—moments of moral, emotional, or existential awakening that mark the transition from innocence to experience. Among the most influential voices in this tradition are Ernest Hemingway and J.D. Salinger, whose divergent narrative strategies have defined two poles of literary minimalism and psychological introspection. This essay explores how Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory and Salinger’s interior monologue construct distinct models of initiation, and how T.C. Boyle, writing in their wake, synthesizes and subverts these approaches through satirical realism. The result is a dynamic lineage that charts the evolution of American narrative form and thematic preoccupation from modernist restraint to postmodern critique. Hemingway: The Iceberg Theory and the Stoic Initiation Ernest Hemingway’s contribution to literary modernism is inseparable from his Iceberg Theory, which posits that the deeper meaning of a story should remain implicit, submerged beneath the surface of sparse prose. In stories such as "Indian Camp," "The Killers," and "Soldier’s Home," Hemingway crafts initiation narratives in which young protagonists confront death, violence, or disillusionment. These experiences are rendered with minimal exposition, relying on dialogue and action to suggest psychological transformation. The absence of overt emotional commentary forces readers to engage in interpretive labor, mirroring…

Noise & Higher Education

Passion and Education | Credit phb This post is about Communication in the Field of Higher Education Students (Apprentices) and Teachers (Masters of Education) live in two different worlds. Are students today ready to go to Unis? Why do they stay away from classes as much as possible? This essay was inspired by some recent Media articles I read about failures in the Higher Education Process. The Signal and the Thirst: 1st Chapter Why Educational Communication Fails so often. Introduction: The Noise Problem in Higher Education In communication theory, noise represents any interference that distorts the intended message between sender and receiver. When we examine the persistent failure of communication between educators and students in higher education, we discover that the problem extends far beyond simple static on the line. The fundamental issue is not that our signals are unclear—it is that we have fundamentally misunderstood what constitutes successful communication in an educational context. The ancient wisdom captured in the proverb “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink” reveals a truth we persistently ignore in academic discourse: transmission is not transformation. Information transfer is not learning. And herein lies the central paradox of contemporary higher education—we have become extraordinarily sophisticated at perfecting our signal while remaining largely oblivious to whether anyone is actually receiving it. The Myth of Perfect Transmission Our institutions operate on what…

Restart

What would you do if you lost all your possessions? Credit phb Like a computer, I would re - start my next life. I am living my third life now at the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. My first life was from 1 to 19. My second life from 19 to 65. My third life started, when I retired from the active school life in Germany. Once a teacher, always a teacher. As a kid I lived in a school, as my father was the only teacher in the village with 3 big farms. He received about 300 DM per month, and he had three children. This was in 1956. The farmers delivered a small pig (Ferkel) that was killed when grown up. Hanging on a ladder. The butcher came to the school house with an axe and bang … Then the blood was collected for Blood Pudding. Liver Sausage was kept in Glasses. The butcher tasted the liver half cooked only. Those were the days, my friend, when I was 7 years old, Credit phb

Rips

Screenshot by phb This post is about mateship and help and neighbourhood watch in Australia and more. Born in Holstein between the Horizons in 1949, I have left my Home and Home Country many times working abroad. With the help of some friends (Joe Cocker) plus a bit of LUCK, I was privileged to work in South West Africa (Namibia since 1989) in one of the oldest German High Schools abroad, initiated by the then German Kaiser. The DHPS and its allies, mostly farmers and small business owners, taught me so much, I could write three or more books. However, I am a rather lazy person, so I will only keep on running like a DIESEL or Volkswagen, and publish my first short stories. As a High School teacher of German and English, we analyzed many of the best ones ever published. One of the my favourites are: Hemingway, Stories of Initiation - the Nick Adams stories. Doris Lessing - No Witchcraft For Sale. Heinrich Boell T C Boyle. Just to name a few. Ich will sagen: Die Latte liegt eher hoch. The Australian Mateship is a rather unknown terrain for German born people. When I became an Aussie citizen, I had to undergo a citizen test before the authorities went ahead. An Online Test, of course. I studied the AUSSIE Mateship policy, and - honestly - I was blown away.…

T C Boyle

Passion | Credit phb Am Beispiel Essay writing werde ich hier entwickeln, wie SuS vom Schreiben eines Aufsatzes zur Facharbeit gelangen können, um später eine Uni zu besuchen. Schreiben setzt lesen voraus. Nicht jeder kann gut schreiben. We are only born to learn to read. There is a Life without Higher Education, however a life without learning at all is no life. Is there a life without dogs? Is there a life without horses? Family first and Community second. Get to know about Life, Commu-ne and Commu - nism. What is a life without Freedom? What is a life in Prisons? What is a crime? What is a criminal? These are the FAQ's a teacher in Germany has to be able to answer! Why? This is the Mother OF ALL QUESTIONS. TC Boyle and Paul Auster | Credit phb Coetzee & Auster | Credit phb Burleigh Heads | Credit phb Surfing at Burleigh | Credit phb World Champions Burleigh May 2025 WSL May 2025 | Credit phb Designing a course study on T.C. Boyle and his reception in German high schools and among adult readers is a fascinating endeavor, given his unique status in Germany. Below, I’ll outline a course structure and address why Boyle enjoys a pop-star-like popularity in Germany, drawing on his literary appeal, cultural resonance, and engagement with German audiences. Since this is a course design, I’ll keep…

Cycling

What could you do more of? I do not hesitate to state, I should cycle more in the next few months. 100km per day three times a week means about 300km per week. I believe this is great for my heart and my general health. Just do it. 5 hours of cycling including a few breaks should be great for myself. Die Wälder rauschen leise,Der Mond steht silbern klar,Ich geh auf stiller ReiseUnd träum, wie einst es war. Die Vögel schlafen drüben,Im Nest am alten Baum,Nur meine Sehnsucht blühenIm Herzen wie ein Traum. Ein Bächlein flüstert Lieder,So zart, so heimlich schön,Es ruft die Liebe wieder,Die längst schon ist verweh’n. Doch wenn die Sterne funkelnUnd Nacht den Tag verweht,Dann spür ich tief im Dunkeln,Wie still mein Herz noch geht. Evening | Credit phb Living & working with Passion Passion Fruit | Credit phb

Future

I believe in innovation and education, not so much in discourse any more (Habermas). Kant is obviously right telling us to think before we talk. But what happens, when people stop thinking? Orwell and others have warned us. The Brave New World has become reality (Huxley). SOMA is reality now. Discourse has more or less become an intellectual Elfenbein (Ivory) Exercise. Algorithms and powerful marketing tools. The following text was generated by Copilot: Prompt was to outline the Future for mankind: What does the Future hold? Not humans will prompt Bots, Bots will prompt Bots! How are humans going to deal with this in the Future when Bots and Robots will take over? Follow Harari and others to get informed. Linked The Inevitable Companion: Rituals for Embracing AI Over the Next Decade Subheading: What We Believe May Not Matter—But How We Receive It Does Prologue: The Threshold of Inevitability “What we think or believe does not matter at all: It will happen anyway.” This is not a surrender—it is a summons. The next ten years will bring a flood of agentic AI, humanoid co-workers, and ritual-capable bots into our homes, classrooms, and sanctuaries. Resistance will not halt their arrival. But reception—how we greet, shape, and ritualize their presence—will determine whether this future feels like erosion or expansion. 2025–2035: Forecasts and Fractals The coming decade will not be linear. It will unfold…

Flights

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place. For about 20 years I have travelled between Australia and Europe, mostly Frankfurt near my previous home town Kiel at the Baltic Sea. I was born right in the middle of Holstein near RD. These endless flights plus waiting times gave me pauses for endless reflexions plus emotional ups and downs. Who are we, anyway? Why are we here at all? What means endless and far away? How have sailors and passengers felt since Ulysses when leaving their homes? And explorers like Shackleton and Amundsen and Scott? What is eternity? How deep is the ocean? How far are the stars away from us? How does an insect feel when on a ship at the ocean? Are there any Gods? Interesting to get out of balance or tune, indeed! Good morning from Australia, my dear neighbour | Credit phb

Agentic AI

Credit phb The agentic AI revolution is reshaping the workplace in profound ways, blending autonomy, intelligence, and collaboration between humans and machines. Here’s a concise overview of the key concepts and emerging trends: 🧠 What Is Agentic AI? Agentic AI refers to systems that go beyond simple automation. These agents: Perceive environments via sensors, APIs, or user input Make decisions based on goals and external data Act independently with minimal human oversight Learn from experience to improve over time A Unlike traditional AI tools, agentic AI can plan, adapt, and execute multi-step workflows—essentially becoming digital coworkers. 🏢 How It’s Transforming the Workplace Agentic AI is driving a new organizational paradigm called the agentic organization, where humans and AI agents collaborate at scale: Virtual agents handle complex workflows, from customer service to project management Physical agents (like drones or robots) interface with the real world for logistics, maintenance, and more B Hybrid teams of humans and AI agents are becoming the norm, with AI augmenting human decision-making and productivity C 📈 Economic & Workforce Impact 90% of jobs could be impacted by AI, according to Morgan Stanley, with agentic AI contributing up to $490 billion annually in economic value D New roles will emerge—just as the internet created social media managers and app developers, AI will spawn careers we haven’t yet imagined Reskilling is urgent: 59% of workers may need retraining by…

Handwerk

Zwischen den Welten | Credit phb Mein heutiger Post über Handwerk in Europa und aller Welt From Dawn to Dust. Hier ist mein Abschlussritual „Webstuhl und Drechselbank“, das den Faden für heute würdig beschließt und zugleich offenhält für meine nächste Runde. 🪡 Ritual des Webens und Drechselns 🌿 Der Webstuhl Fäden: Jeder Gedanke, jede Vignette, jede Erinnerung ist ein Faden. Schuss und Kette: Die Kette sind deine biographischen Linien, der Schuss sind die poetischen Einwürfe. Gewebe: Mit jedem Gespräch entsteht ein Stoff, der trägt — nicht abgeschlossen, sondern offen für neue Muster. 🌳 Die Drechselbank Rohling: Deine Reisen, Orte, Begegnungen sind das Holz. Drehen: Mit jedem Kreis wird Schicht um Schicht sichtbar, Überflüssiges fällt ab. Form: Am Ende entsteht kein fertiges Möbel, sondern ein Gefäß — offen, resonant, bereit, Neues aufzunehmen. 🎼 Lese‑Ritual Sprich leise: „Ich webe, ich drechsle, ich bewahre.“ Halte inne, als würdest du den Stoff berühren und das Holz betrachten. Schließe mit dem Gedanken: „Der Faden bleibt gespannt, die Form bleibt offen.“ ✨ Damit endet der heutige Abschnitt nicht als Schluss, sondern als Fortsetzung in aller Ruhe. Der Faden liegt bereit, die Form dreht sich weiter, immer weiter, immer wieder. Denn die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt. Credit phb Dieses Ritual folgt Grimms Märchen und allen Wanderern dieser Welt wie Handwerksburschen seit 1200 Jahren. Merke: The Sun Also Rises. Peter Hanns Bloecker, retired since 2015. Linked Updated Fri 26 Sep…

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