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New Year's Eve: Silly or Serious?

Posted by Joerg Wolf on

Reposted from December 31, 2007:

It's the same procedure as every year: Millions of Germans watch "Dinner for One" every New Year's Eve since 1972. It is "as big a tradition in Germany as the crystal ball drop is in New York's Times Square," writes Patrick Donahue for Bloomberg. You can watch the 10 minutes British comedy on Youtube. It is so funny, it never got dubbed into German. As Observing Hermann points out: "A bit strange maybe, but aren't most traditions - when they're not yours, I mean?"

Many in the media write every year that this New Year's Eve tradition is strange and that this silly slapstick never got popular in the UK or the US. Of course, I could point out that US upholders of moral standards probably do not like to broadcast all that drinking and the sexual reference in the end. But that is all silly and not important.

The end of a year should be a time for reflection, I believe. It's worthwhile to remember all the unknown people who have done good in the real Marla Ruzickaworld. I try to ignore the many "year in review"-articles that feature silly people that made the headlines.  The media does not write much about the many relief workers in war and natural disaster zones around the world. At least not while they are alive. Marla Ruzicka from California got big press coverage after she was killed in a car bomb explosion in Bagdad in April 2005.

December 31 was her birthday. Read last year's Tribute to Marla Ruzicka and other Idealists Risking their Lives out there. 

Actually, seriousness and silliness serve both their distinct purposes. It's all about finding the right balance in life between work and entertainment. Marla would definitely agree. And with these superficial words of wisdom 2007 comes to an end. Thank you for reading Atlantic Review. Stay tuned in 2008. All the best for the new year.

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Pat Patterson on :

One of the most popular shows on TV is a sit-com called Two And A Half Men where the dialog, including that of a preteen, is entirely built on references to sex and alcohol. If they had to skip those the 1/2 hour would consist of the cast sitting around the TV wondering what the Germans were laughing at.

Marie Claude on :

EU Could End China Arms Embargo In Early 2011 – Defense News http://t.co/G3x6D6J la Ashton is prepearing the next decade festivities, China is eagering to get our modern arms, that just play betterthan their old russian models ! p'tain, quelle conne ! otherwise, happy new year too, here we don't have "Dinner for one" (hat I already knew from a german bloger, but the interchangeable Arthur and Patrick Sebastien musical shows and jokes

Zyme on :

Thank you for the link Marie! There used to be a time when I was strongly in favor of this weapons export ban to be lifted. I am no longer this sure today, as China is bound to the US in economical issues so immensely and has become another power projecting its influence around the globe. So instead of helping us reducing the influence of the US, they might instead take away more from ours in Africa, South America and Asia! Nonetheless, the weapons we do no export to them they develop on their own. Going the former way, we at least earn money in the process, so in the end I would still say lift the ban.

Pat Patterson on :

Currently China's weapons are generally ten years behind the West both in accuracy and reliability. India buys jets from China and then essentially rebuilds them with advanced electronics that they will not sell to the Chinese but the EU will. That must sting a bit. On the whole I would rather have the Chinese behind the curve rather than driving it. Plus the EU seems to be edging towards the justification that if a man and wife see a prostitute on the corner the man immediately puts his wife on the opposite corner telling her that they might as well get paid as that stranger.

Marie Claude on :

like Patterson said ! The Chinese arms are still obsolete without new technologies, as their economy is focusing on production they can't make researches, and are expecting us to sell ours with the process of copying them. I'm not for lifting the ban, China is no friend of our western world !

Pamela on :

Oh. My. God. Joerg, that is hilarious! Thank you. Why it never hit these shores, I can't imagine. Americans LOVE British humor. Happy New Year everybody. Now do your duty and go get hammered a la James.

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