>>>>>>Well, my German grammar is terrible - only a few reminiscences (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reminiscence)
>>>>>
>>>>>But at least you can express yourself. I'm limited to the native dialect of the mountains where I grow up and the foreign languages of german, english and a rotten russian. (^.^)
>>>>>
>>>>>Agnes
>>>>
>>>>Now I have a serious question: German is not your native language? Which mountains?
>>>>
>>>>(And, sitting in for Dragan, which rotten Russian?)
>>>
>>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erzgebirge
>>>
>>>Mine. Eleven years of scool and I have problems to count up to ten in russian.
>>
>>It's beautiful. Can I ask why you left?
>
>to much blossoms
>
>Just to make it clear.
>20 years ago the former chancelor Kohl promised a vital country and used an expression that means a land of blossoms (Blühende Landschaften). The flowers grow on the ruins of the industry.
>
>Other reasons are that is a damned cold place called saxonys siberia. Three quarters of the year rain and the other quarter bad weather conditions.
>
>The area has had two good times - during the times of silver rush and later in the GDR. At all other times it was a land of poor. Narrow valleys, cold, (beans will raise once in 6 years). It was a place where the people would do cheap timeintensive work for small money. Socialism brought up some money (just by the tendency to make things equal). There is not much left.
>
>Everyone young with the brain that was made for a slab of toast leaves the area.
>
>Agnes

Does mining still happen there? Even in the states we have areas that were productive, vibrant communities that after environmentalists got involved, became poverty stricken (due to the closing of mines).

Right now there is an area in California where farmers no longer have water for their crops because environmentalists are protecting the Delta Smelt (the endangered species act). There is an argument going on as to which is more responsible for the loss of water - the drought from previous years or the severe reductions in pumping due to protections for the fish.