absolutgonzo

You surely have seen "Ronin"?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/

Hi Betty, I loved you in "My name is Earl" and "Community"!

Do you ever read the twitter account Betty F*ckin' White?

The tiered school system in Germany is truly terrible. In some German states (Bundesländer) children are already selected, essentially, to go to uni when they are in the 4th grade.

While selection in Klasse 4 may be a bit early it is necessary.

Gesamtschule as a concept is no replacement for the three-tier system. Talk to the teachers - a lot of the good students are held back (Yes, I know that in the upper grades there are different courses im some fields - which is kinda like a tier system...). The difference between 10th grade Hauptschule and Gymnasium is truly staggering - you can't bridge that difference with wishful thinking...

Have you ever experienced the kids taking a "berufsvorbereitendes Jahr"? Believe me, you don't want to know...

Clearly they are, but why?

The windmills take physical space (they are massive)

Yeah, no.
Tall, yes - but they don't take a lot of space in the ground. Around here farming goes on as normal under the windmills.