Thanks Andrea

Checked my postbox on returning from the institute this afternoon. A nice suprise was waiting for me. A card from Andrea. She sent it to congratulate me on getting German nationality. Thanks Andrea, your card and best wishes mean a lot. I have also got a number of congratulatory e-mails from different readers of this blog. I got a very nice one from Stefan S., so thanks to you as well. I think it is time for a late summer 'Treffening' over a plate and glass. I shall arrange it.

Marcel is very much in my thoughts. Waiting for a call that doesn't come, a voice asking if he can come over, hearing that he is hungry and what there is to eat. Missing the cheeky smile, laughter, questions about German and English grammer as he does his homework. Missing his need to talk about private things in his life, even at 11:00 pm when I am threatening to throw him out! Hope he is catching up on sleep and having a restful holiday. He needs it. I have completed 130 photos of his time here and burned to CD-Rom to send to him, his parents, Marga and Heike as a momento of his stay in Berlin. I know they will value it.

I have a little more time for myself now so I resumed reading a very interesting book. It is called, 'The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason', by Sam Harris. Printed in the UK in 2005 and in the USA in 2004. ISBN:13: 978-0-7432-6809-7. An absolute must for anyone with half a brain and able to think for themself. This excludes most religious believers by definition, but I hope some of them try.

Within my family and closest circle of friends there are many who go to church, mumble what they have been taught, leave some money and go home. There is little, if any, chance of having any conversation about faith, belief, history, evidence, Darwinism, natural selection and why so many people need to believe in mind numbing life threatening mumbo-jumbo. I am spreading the idea that all religious people should be sent to a large island to then kill each other in the name of their religions, and so leave the rest of us in peace. As Richard Dawkins is quoted on the front cover, "Read Sam Harris and wake up."  Just try it!