Ethic Dilemmas in the Ivory Tower
How the scientific community opened up about animal testing.
On the day that changed his life forever, Florian Dehlmet calmly entered the laboratory of the Werner Reichardt Centre at Tübingen University to conduct a research experiment on a rat. There was the familiar buzzing sound of the dimmer switch as the fluorescent tubes flickered on. The white light illuminated the white benchtop where the white-coated rat calmly ground its teeth. A little plastic mask covered the gnashing sound as the anesthetic gas sedated the rat. Scalpel in hand, Florian started the surgery. But a few minutes later a piece of equipment started to malfunction, reducing the amount of gas being delivered. Wiggling its foot, the rat started waking up. As the procedure dictates in case of unexpected reactions of the animal, Florian immediately stopped the experiment and killed the rat. “That’s when I decided to abandon animal experiments”, says Florian...
Why comedians go into politics
Nico Semsrott’s perspective sheds light on the crisis of the German left
Many entertainers animate today’s politics. Former comedian Beppe Grillo is leading the major opposition party in Italy. Russell Brand campaigned for the labor party in the UK’s last elections. Jan Böhmermann’s “poem” on Erdogan caused a political crisis between Germany and Turkey. But why are comedians going into politics? “I am a disillusioned social democrat”, says Nico Semsrott, comedian and front man of the satirical German party Die Partie. His perspective shed light on the crisis of the German left.
Semsrott’s party shocked German public opinion with controversial posters reading: “a nazi could be hanging here”. They raised public funding by selling money. They sneaked into 31 Facebook groups followed by AfD’s supporters, and kicked out the administrators shortly before the elections. Their program includes re-erecting the Berlin wall, and their leader, Martin Sonneborn, now sits...
A self-indulgent but honest memoir
Looking back to my time trying to be a movie director in Los Angeles
I was twenty-one then, drained in my bed at 7:43 am as the alarm sounded from across the room, inside the cupboard, on the highest shelf - a strategy I adopted to force myself to wake up. Three minutes to stop the loud buzzing sound, eight to shower, three to heat up three slices of toast and squeeze two oranges while listening to the news. Six minutes to enjoy breakfast so I could start studying at 8 am. Last weeks before my graduation date - feeling like an octopus on roller skates.
Still on my bad, the alarm still buzzing, eyes wide open as if the sound had pulled me back from the underworld, I grabbed my phone. A long message from Natalie. Quite too long actually. Sent at 3 am, not a good sign. I scanned through it trying to understand what happened. She was rambling, but the meaning was clear. I stopped the alarm: I was awake.
Out of my window, Viale Monza was already congested. Clerks’ cars and Supermarket’s trucks were stirring up the pollution and fog of another grey day in M...