Dear Bree Olsen, your tearful plea to all young women not to enter a life of pornography is to be welcomed in many respects, and regretted in many others. That you could not have foreseen what life away from the camera would be like, as a ‘public figure’ so to speak, at age nineteen smacks…
This Is Not Your Country
Dear Mr Erdogan, The German satirical television programme Extra Drei was, until recently, only known to a select few who, avoiding those channels filled with advertising and inane Reality Shows, cared about what they watched and enjoyed the wry humour it offers. With your demand for the German ambassador to present himself and explain their…
Dutiful Dereliction
Following our telephone conversation of this morning, I have gained the impression that you do not take my report of a derelict vehicle seriously, thus my resorting to the written form. It is true that a vehicle could be used at times when I am not aware of its movement, despite the fact that I…
Bureaucratic Blindness
I am constantly amazed at how little insight some people appear to have when it comes to the town or city where they live or work. Decisions concerning town planning appear to be made at random as if there is no further concern but that something be done, and be seen to be done, regardless…
Penny Black
I thought your suggestion was wonderful, and that is the reason I decided to do it. Now we have Penny Black as a web site in place of a sub-domain on another site, and you could almost say that this one has come of age. Although, maybe in Internet terms the site is old enough…
Imagine My Surprise
I’m not sure whether you will be able to imagine my surprise when I received and opened your letter. Perhaps if you placed yourself in my shoes, tried to see what it would be like to receive such a missive, you might understand what I have to say. It’s not every day, after all, that…
A Cup Of Tea
I am now settled down with a fresh cup of tea and the chance to reply to you without fear of disturbance or distraction. All my housework has been completed, the cat has been fed and is now asleep, and the lights are all switched off so no one can see I am home. It…
You Take A Chance
Sometimes, when you take a chance, the strangest things happen; things which you might not expect such as, for example, a letter arriving written by someone you had almost given up on. You comment in your letter that I am perhaps not looking for someone from Germany to write to, and yet a reply is…
Companionship
I received your letter over a week ago and have been mulling over how to reply, what to write about and, more important in the long-term, what it is that you are looking for. My problem is not who you are nor where you are and also not why you are where you are. All…
Who Is To Blame?
The municipal region of Nienburg decided, quite some time ago, that the educational needs of those resident within its borders could just as well be served with fewer schools, thus saving the region, which is effectively bankrupt, a tidy sum for use within other budgets. The result has been the closure of several major schools…