Fuzzy Bus

There are many things to see in Mannheim, and many ghosts to chase. There is a sometimes terminal case of hipness that comes through at certain times of year, where everyone moves like a ghost. It’s also one of the great moments in the city, and really, any month is terribly interesting. Summers are always the season when the city takes a collective breath, but Fall can be broody enough to warrant staying a few extra nights in the hotel in Mannheim . An extra day should be allowed, always, to try to chase any loose threads of a journey, although the ends are impossible to find.

It can at times be like an archetype of itself, the perfect postmodern place to chase all kinds of techno-electro dreams. Cafe life is of the moment, but it’s also frozen in time, and often feels like walking into the past. Perhaps, on a particularly good afternoon when the wind is just right, one can catch a glimpse of Carl Jung’s grandfather and namesake.

The stories go that he was the lovechild of Goethe, and more than 200 years later, it doesn’t matter all that much. Anyone who’s been pulled into the mystery of Goethe’s plays understands that there are things that happen out of time, and sometimes a daydream is just as true as anything else. He was also a surgeon in Mannheim, and a member of the Freemasons, and so colorful a character that the grandson would see himself reflected, and find roots of a mystic hero here.

It would be nice to have one of those great legendary dinners with famous people and have the grandfather and Jung himself there to tell stories. Nothing would be cleared up by the end of the evening, just more loose threads, and conversations with people who were so good at inventing themselves as they went along.

The local shelter in Singapore, aptly called Action for Singapore Dogs is a non-profit agency. The main concern is that the future of the animals they adopt out remains their utmost priority. It is the welfare of the animals and not monetary gain nor profit which drives them in their mission. Character traits and personalities of each specific animal is openly discussed, all the good, and all the bad. They state that they are not concerned with only adopting out the animals, but ensuring that the owners know what they are getting and are able and willing to deal with it for the rest of the dog’s life. It serves no purpose to place a dog without the knowledge of what either the people, or the dog are in store for, this is a philosophy in which they adhere to strictly and with pride. All that stated, they will not just wash their hands of the ‘deal’ should something go wrong, as in the case with many high-end breeders or pet stores. Employees of the agency keep in contact throughout the years with the owners of the dogs they release, and offer help at any stage of the training process and development of the pet/owner bond. They do emphasize however, that just trying dogs on for size is not what they are about and not something that they support. That even though a new dog may be problematic at first, there are ways to deal with and correct behavioral problems, creating a more harmonious life for all those involved.

While many are strays picked up on the streets in the residential neighborhoods, business districts and along the roads of Singapore luxury hotels, the mixed breeds often times make the best companions. Much more healthy and hearty than their pure breed counterparts, the dogs are very low maintenance and are very acclimated to the heat and the humidity of the Singapore environment. Common health issues associated with the pure bred, such as skin ailments or genetic defects are often by-passed in the mixes, they are just simple tougher than the pedigrees. Those pedigrees can cost would-be dog owners anywhere from $500 to $2,000 dollars. And any costs related to the health of the animals is left up to the owner. While there is a minimal adoption fee at the shelter, many more benefits, including visits to the vet, are included. All the dogs adopted out by the shelter are rescued animals, either beaten or abandoned. And while they are still, “just” dogs, their survival through suffering and the hardship they have endured, they remember and will forever be grateful and loyal companions. For whether an abandoned creature is rescued on the streets of New York, Detroit, Paris or downtown Singapore, they will know that they have been given a second chance.

Schooled as we are by Valentine’s Day greeting cards and breath-mint commercials to think of love as something that is expressed in spontaneous, personal ways, we may viscerally reject the idea that what we regard as our innermost, most intimate selves could be governed by something as crass as filthy lucre. Despite the fact that the gospel of romantic love preaches that our love lives are individual and personal, economics has always played a primary role in the choices we make. We are, as Adam Smith wrote, rational actors looking out for our best interests — and if anyone doubts it, they should ask themselves if, all other things being equal, the average middle-class women would prefer to marry a neurosurgeon or a construction worker.

While the latter may have a certain amount of sex appeal, the former won’t get one gossiped about as “could’ve done better.” Heck, just look at the problems Harvard-educated Miranda and working-class Steve had in Sex and the City.  Read more..