Readers rush to protect Knut's 'bearhood,' and other stories

The following comments reflect the views of DW-WORLD.DE readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD.DE reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

Castrate Knut, says animal rights group

Of course Knut should not be neutered... what has this crazy guy against poor Knut ? From the moment Knut was born, this guy has been busy trying to persecute the poor fluffy. -- Talita Beatriz Matthiesen, Brazil

I believe the full name of PETA is: People Eating Tasty Animals -- Carl Burghardt, US

Find Knut another mate! -- Roberto Negret, US

Berlin's cityscape illustrates evolving German identity

As a third-generation German-American I think it is about time that the German people feel proud of who they are and the heritage that is German. I belong to a German-American club in San Diego and I can't believe the trouble they have with "being German;" from not singing their national anthem to, in many ways, almost disowning their ancestry. When one looks at all of the positive contributions of German citizens and their descendents, what is there not to be proud of? Yes World War I and II were horrible and that is part of the history (after 60 years I think it can be called history). Even when in Munich in 2006 I was at an event where the German national anthem was sung and my partner and I were some of the few that knew the words and sang along. Interesting that when the Bavarian "anthem" was played that nearly everyone sang along. There may be more regional pride than national pride going on there. -- John Winkelman, US

Do we get what we pay for at discounters?

I always question the quality of food I buy regardless of which supermarket it comes from. I buy some things at Lidl, usually non-food products such as food bags and foil, etc., but also some food stuffs. I do find with fresh foods that what I buy at a more up market store in the UK, Waitrose, the food lasts longer, and usually tastes better than at Lidl. So quality is also determined by price. -- Dorotheen Strass, Great Britain

Our thought process has become one-sided. When millions consume one thing at discounted price without getting hurt nobody praises them but if by accident some batch goes wrong there comes a lot of hullaballoo. Don't we find bad batches in top brands like Cadbury, or say pharmacos, or expired blood supplies? Instead of tracing and plugging loopholes we say everything cheap is bad and all expensive is good, which is never the case. Just find out the reason and correct it so that most people have access to everything. -- Arvind Gupta, India

Compiled by Stuart Tiffen
Editor: Michael Lawton