Reason to be happy #1: Marstonalia is on line.

Reason to be happy #2: Die Zeit got a facelift. Loads faster. Cleaner pages. One complaint: the old version had a better graphic for "Mr. Check", the friendly online German dictionary superstar who went from being an inviting cartoon exclamation point to being a dorky German guy with a receding hairline, polka dot tie and sunglasses.

It turns out that I am an egalitarian, that I should vote for Social Democrat or "alternative parties" (like the Greens, I guess), and that my political preferences line up pretty well with readers of Die Zeit. I found this out by taking the following test on Die Zeit's webpage, Find out who you are!!. The questions were designed by Prof. Winand Gellner and Gerd Strohmeier. Question six, for example asks the following:

Not every member of society has success. What is the cause of the failure of individuals?

a) Humans are naturally good and are corrupted by established authorities and institutions

b) It is often quite difficult to figure out the causes of failure. Usually people who are socially and morally different from "normal" human beings end up failing in life.

c) Individual failure is caused by bad luck or incompetence of the individual in question. But everyone can obtain a new chance if he works hard for it.

??

Prof. Gellner and Mr. Strohmeier are not into subtlety, apparently.

Question seven:

Do you like risk?

a) Yes. Without risk, danger, and uncertainty there is no chance for success.

b) No. Decisions that could entail hidden, undesired or unalterable consequences should be avoided.

c) The decision whether or not to take a certain risk is best left to experts in the particular field to decide [for me].

??

"7b" is a sign of illness. "7c" shows evidence of some deep cultural divides: I cannot imagine any American I know actually picking it, but, somehow, it sounds just fine in German. Hmm.