Audiostretto 59/4/24 English

Emojis are very common and popular today. Among other things, they are used to express feelings or moods, and it seems to me that an emoji can sometimes say more than many words could. It's not for nothing that a picture is worth a thousand words. Although I am of the opinion that this is not always true. Nevertheless, pictures are in themselves a language that sometimes speak better than our abil...

I only know rhinos from the zoo. But these animals make an impression on me: they are massive and when they run, I don't want to be in their way. They seem strong, almost invulnerable with their armour and the horn on their nose seems invincible. So it's an animal that makes an impression, looks strong and maybe even a little aggressive. But... I didn't know that the animal is actually quite shy....

In the context of World War II, returned aircraft were examined for their bullet holes from combat in order to better armour them with minimal weight gain. Thus, the bullet holes were recorded on an aircraft graphic. Now you might think: where there were the most bullet holes, you were most likely to armour. But wrong! Because: those planes that came back obviously had no hits that led to the cras...

Is this familiar to you: You are in a place with some people and at some point you find yourself in a larger or smaller group and there is some form of negative talk. Be it about other people or circumstances or something else. And without you being aware of it, at some point you become part of the conversation because you might also think of something about the people mentioned or situations or s...

A roof covers a house so that the rain or other weather-related phenomena cannot enter the house. The roof is therefore a protection for everything underneath. With canopies it is not quite like that: the environment is open, not like a house where the walls form a closed space. Nevertheless, the canopy offers some protection from rain or snow or the like. Quite often, especially during a downpour...

Test patterns are used to assess the picture quality of television sets and monitors and to assist in picture adjustment and troubleshooting. In the past, when television programmes were not broadcast around the clock, test pictures were published at times of day when there were no programmes on. To the layman, they simply look very structured and colourful. For the expert, it is recognisable whet...

I recently read in Mark's account of Jesus that he went to a lake, taught many people there and then, at a customs station, invited the customs officer to go with him. Before that, Jesus had already invited other men. I imagine how the first ones invited were proud to belong to this teacher who spoke there at the lake in front of many people. On the political context: the country was under foreign...

According to the official definition, 'disputed' means: "not yet clarified, not yet decided; open to different interpretations". There is an inherent dispute in the German term. This means that something has not yet reached consensus for all those involved, that there are still different views, opinions or opinions. This is often the case in sport, for example in football, when it has to be decide...

A parrot is a colourful bird and it generally has the reputation of having the ability to talk like humans. However, it is said to mainly repeat what it has heard from humans. Thus, the actually beautifully colourful bird with its outstanding ability becomes a kind of scold. People who simply imitate others or talk after their own mouths are called parrots because they do not have their own opinio...

If we saw a kangaroo in our garden, we would probably be totally surprised and excited and wouldn't know how to behave. But if we lived in Australia, the incident described would be nothing special. This is how we can feel about many things in everyday life: Things we experience, behaviour we exhibit, etc. that just seems - as we call it - normal. But for others it can be unusual, perhaps even ext...

When I see open-air swimming pools and green lawns and smell the wet grass, I am immediately transported back to my childhood, not only in thoughts and memories, but also emotionally; as if I were there again. But I need a trigger like seeing or smelling such an outdoor pool to be taken back. Just the thought of it is somehow not enough. Such memories, which can also be quite different and perhaps...

When I was a child, the scissors grinder used to come to our house from time to time and sharpen our blunted scissors and knives. Then the blades were razor-sharp again. Sharp blades were - and still are - much better. In the Bible, sharp knives are used as an image for words. If you transfer that, then words can also become blunt. I think one source of this is fatigue. Peter denying Jesus comes t...

I am fascinated by church windows, especially those by Chagall and similar artists. I can look at them for hours and feel as if I have been transported into a story without words. Church windows like these are especially beautiful when you see them from inside the church. When the light comes in from outside and makes the colours glow and the pictures come alive. I believe that this also happens w...

In our environment, there are numerous frequencies that permanently surround us. However, we do not perceive them with our natural senses. Radio signals are an example: they are omnipresent, but only when we switch on a suitable receiver do they become perceptible to us. But there are also other sensors that partly react to frequencies or signals, although they are not made for this purpose: thus,...

To a certain extent, a scale has a kind of counterweight, where you have to adjust the counterweight equivalently, so that the scale is in balance at the end. In our linguistic usage, i.e. the German language, this is also expressed just like this: equal-weight. So equal weight. In other languages this is called "balance", i.e. equilibrium in a similar expression in German. When I look at my life...

Pincers are used in many cases to pull out nails or the like. This means that it is actually a tool not for building but for dismantling, disposal. In this way, the nails can be removed from old furniture or woodwork and the wood can be burnt and disposed of cleanly without any metal remaining. If the nails can be pulled clean, they can even be reused. We are probably more familiar with tools for...

Beautiful reeds often grow along the shore of natural lakes. On the one hand, it is beautiful to look at because it looks so natural and untouched, but on the other hand, it also obscures the direct view of the lakeshore and the body of water. And that, I think, is also the purpose of this plant: to be a protection for the creatures that live around and perhaps in the lake. Even though most things...

I recently returned from a trip that had a time difference of 9h between home and destination. When I came back, I wanted to concentrate on something - but my eyes kept falling shut. The tiredness due to the journey and the time difference made me fall into a sleepy phase again and again. When we are in our daily rhythm, this happens less often. In a time of 7/24 where almost everything is possibl...

Where I live, huge towers have been built in recent years by a global pharmaceutical company as commercial buildings, which have since significantly shaped the silhouette of our city. Where church towers used to be the prominent features of a settlement, today they are increasingly taller commercial buildings. Higher, wider, longer: we are all familiar with the comparative. Presumably this is not...

Maybe you've had calf cramps too. After an intense sporting activity or after hiking, or maybe at night. Such cramps can sometimes be very painful. In most cases, they indicate that you have a deficiency: either of magnesium or fluid. But what manifests itself locally - in the calves - is a global problem: the whole body lacks sufficient fluid or magnesium or possibly another substance. In our soc...

When mosquito bites are very itchy and in a hard-to-reach place on the body, they can be very troublesome. You want to scratch to relieve the itch. This works for a short time, but rarely for long. You think you are doing yourself some good, but by scratching you spread the insect venom even more. The result can be that you scratch yourself sore. What would have been a barely noticeable puncture m...

When mosquito bites are very itchy and in a hard-to-reach place on the body, they can be very troublesome. You want to scratch to relieve the itch. This works for a short time, but rarely for long. You think you are doing yourself some good, but by scratching you spread the insect venom even more. The result can be that you scratch yourself sore. What would have been a barely noticeable puncture m...

In our days, a topic is suddenly present that, as far as I can remember, has never really been prominent in the media: lack. Especially in the area of energy supply. The conflict in Ukraine with its consequences and the ongoing drought brought this up very unexpectedly and unpredictably. It made me think of winter and snow. Snow is not only frozen water, i.e. precipitation in solid form as a resul...

As far as I know, vehicles have a license plate in every country. What is the point? The vehicles could also participate in traffic without a plate. But they would no longer be identifiable. And what is the point of this? If there is a violation of the traffic law, they must be able to be held accountable. And why is that? So that justice may be done to others who have been wronged by their behavi...

I have just read the 16th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew. It struck me how different groups had very different ideas - namely about the Savior, the so-called Messiah. The theological hot-shots travelled all the way from far away to get a sign from Jesus, who is this Messiah. He, Jesus, points out that they should interpret correctly what they have experienced and seen so far. The followers of Je...