Nachrichten – Erasmus Stiftung

Political education

Gender Gaga against the German people?

Bavaria recently made headlines when the cabinet banned the use of gender-sensitive spelling, including the internal I, gender asterisk, colon and mediopunct, in schools, universities and public authorities. Similar measures were announced in Baden-Württemberg for official language. Only two federal states have taken a clear stance in favour of gender-neutral language: Bremen and Saarland. In the other federal states, gender confusion is rampant. There is a veritable patchwork of gender rules, depending on which party constellation is currently at the helm of orthography.

29 March 2024

science

„We will have to forgive a lot.“

Fortunately, coronavirus is now history. It is time to reflect and learn lessons. The most significant restrictions on fundamental rights in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany inevitably mean that the events surrounding the pandemic must be reviewed, and indeed are being reviewed. However, this cannot be the task of the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation, as we fulfil an educational mandate. We are not concerned with identifying those responsible for any excessive and unnecessary restrictions on personal freedoms. Even if it naturally raises questions when RKI protocols are „published“ with names and passages blacked out. The question of what is being concealed cannot be dismissed.

26 March 2024

Political education

Water – humanity's Achilles heel

We humans should drink at least two litres of water a day. After just two days without drinking water, vital functions begin to suffer and death is imminent. Humans are not camels, which can go without water for up to three weeks. But all animals and plants need water too. It is the key to life. When researchers search the universe for extraterrestrial life, they scan planets and moons primarily for the presence of water in liquid form.

25 March 2024

circular

Dear friends and supporters of our foundation,

The first few months of this year have been marked by turbulent events. As a political foundation, we are following the policies of the federal government and the left-wing spectrum of opinion with interest and, as committed democrats, now also with considerable concern. Together with many actors it lavishly finances, this federal government is unscrupulously and quite publicly doing everything in its power to massively damage, even destroy, the AfD, with which we are affiliated, through smear campaigns.

She won't succeed!

23 March 2024

Current issues

Back to the „stagecoach“

The good old letter: sent today, delivered tomorrow. That's what we've been used to for decades. You read that right: we were used to it. This is about to change fundamentally. The volume of letters has been declining for years, with much of the correspondence now being sent by email. Even the once-cherished Easter and Christmas cards have practically gone out of fashion. Today, they have been replaced by WhatsApp messages. Even text messages are now considered antiquated.

22 March 2024

Political education

Cash is king – and now Frankfurt and Brussels have caught on too

Banks are closing more and more branches in Germany. Within ten years, their number has halved to around 20,000 locations. Branch networks have been systematically thinned out, especially in rural areas. But it is not only branches that have been closed for cost reasons; many cash machines have also been rationalised away. They are too expensive to maintain, and around 500 are blown up by criminals every year. ATM attacks are the modern bank robbery, as ATMs can contain 50,000 euros or more.

21 March 2024

Political education

School reports like Swiss cheese

Swiss cheese is known not only for its excellent taste, but also for one thing in particular: its holes. What does this have to do with school reports? In Thuringia, a lot, because over 51,000 reports remained „full of holes“. Grades could not be given because in some subjects, no or too few lessons took place in the first half of the 2023/24 school year. According to the Thuringian Ministry of Education, the reasons for this are a shortage of teachers and cancelled lessons.

20 March 2024

Political education

Driving test: One in two fails. An analysis of the causes.

This development is cause for concern. Young people are increasingly failing the theory test for their driving licence. Around half of them do not pass the test on their first attempt.

The theory test for Class B, i.e. the car driving licence, consists of 30 questions (out of a possible 1,720). Topics covered include behaviour in road traffic, traffic signs, hazard awareness, technology and environmental protection, right of way and priority. Since 2010, the test has been taken on a computer in multiple-choice format.

16 March 2024