Flexibel ohne Absicherung:Arbeitslosigkeit unter Filmschaffenden

Für viele Film- und Fernsehschaffende ist es kaum möglich, Ansprüche auf Arbeitslosengeld I zu erwerben, obwohl sie sozialversicherungspflichtig beschäftigt sind. Ursache dafür ist die besondere Erwerbsstruktur der Branche. Befristete Arbeitsverträge mit kurzen Laufzeiten und die Kombination abhängiger und selbständiger Beschäftigungen sind hier an der Tagesordnung. Eine Situation die auch in anderen Branchen mehr und mehr zum Tragen kommt. Der vorliegende Beitrag nimmt eine empirische Beschreibung der Beschäftigungssituation vor und diskutiert die sich daraus ergebenden Probleme bei der Einbindung in die Arbeitslosenversicherung. Ein Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf den besonderen Regelungen, die zur besseren Absicherung der Film- und Fernsehschaffenden eingeführt wurden, namentlich der kurzen Anwartschaftszeit und den Arbeitszeitkonten.For many film professionals, it is hardly possible to acquire entitlement to unemployment benefits (ALG I) even though they contribute to the unemployment insurance. This is due to the specific employment patterns of the industry, namely its short term contracts and the combination of dependent and self-employment. These patterns seem to get more and more common in other industries, too. This paper gives an empirical description of the employment situation and discusses the resulting problems concerning the unemployment insurance. Particular attention is paid to two specific regulations, the "kurze Anwartschaftszeit" and the "Arbeitszeitkonto"

Die soziale Lage von Film- und Fernsehschauspieler/innen in Deutschland

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt die soziale Lage der Film- und Fernsehschauspieler/innen in Deutschland. Anhand der Daten einer quantitativen Befragung von Mitgliedern des Berufsverbands der Film- und Fernsehschauspieler/innen (BFFS) werden die Beschäftigungs- und Einkommenssituation, die Lebenszufriedenheit und die Einbindung in die Arbeitslosenversicherung analysiert. Vor dem Hintergrund der sich in den Ergebnissen der Analyse abzeichnenden problematischen Einbindung in die Arbeitslosenversicherung wird abschließend die allgemeine Integration der Wissens- und Kreativarbeitenden in das System der gesetzlichen Sozialversicherungen diskutiert.This article describes the social situation of movie and TV actors and actresses. Using data of a survey on members of the German association of film and TV actors and actresses (BFFS) we are analyzing their employment and income situation, their life satisfaction and their integration into the unemployment insurance. The results of the analysis concerning the integration into the unemployment insurance are discussed as an example for the general mismatch between the structure of the German social security system and the employment patterns of knowledge workers and creative professionals

Innate Sex Differences in the Timing of Spring Migration in a Songbird

In migrating animals protandry is the phenomenon whereby males of a species arrive at the breeding grounds earlier than females. In the present study we investigated the proximate causes of protandry in a migratory songbird, the northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe. Previous experiments with caged birds revealed that males and females show differentiated photoperiod-induced migratory habits. However, it remained open whether protandry would still occur without photoperiodic cues. In this study we kept captive first-year birds under constant photoperiod and environmental conditions in a “common garden” experiment. Male northern wheatears started their spring migratory activity earlier than females, even in the absence of environmental cues. This indicates that protandry in the northern wheatear has an endogenous basis with an innate earlier spring departure of males than females

Altered hippocampal morphology in unmedicated patients with major depressive illness

Despite converging evidence that major depressive illness is associated with both memory impairment and hippocampal pathology, findings vary widely across studies and it is not known whether these changes are regionally specific. In the present study we acquired brain MRIs (magnetic resonance images) from 31 unmedicated patients with MDD (major depressive disorder; mean age 39.2±11.9 years; 77% female) and 31 demographically comparable controls. Three-dimensional parametric mesh models were created to examine localized alterations of hippocampal morphology. Although global volumes did not differ between groups, statistical mapping results revealed that in MDD patients, more severe depressive symptoms were associated with greater left hippocampal atrophy, particularly in CA1 (cornu ammonis 1) subfields and the subiculum. However, previous treatment with atypical antipsychotics was associated with a trend towards larger left hippocampal volume. Our findings suggest effects of illness severity on hippocampal size, as well as a possible effect of past history of atypical antipsychotic treatment, which may reflect prolonged neuroprotective effects. This possibility awaits confirmation in longitudinal studies

Patterns of long‐term vegetation change vary between different types of semi‐natural grasslands in Western and Central Europe

Questions: Has plant species richness in semi‐natural grasslands changed over recent decades? Do the temporal trends of habitat specialists differ from those of habitat generalists? Has there been a homogenization of the grassland vegetation? Location: Different regions in Germany and the UK. Methods: We conducted a formal meta‐analysis of re‐survey vegetation studies of semi‐natural grasslands. In total, 23 data sets were compiled, spanning up to 75 years between the surveys, including 13 data sets from wet grasslands, six from dry grasslands and four from other grassland types. Edaphic conditions were assessed using mean Ellenberg indicator values for soil moisture, nitrogen and pH. Changes in species richness and environmental variables were evaluated using response ratios. Results: In most wet grasslands, total species richness declined over time, while habitat specialists almost completely vanished. The number of species losses increased with increasing time between the surveys and were associated with a strong decrease in soil moisture and higher soil nutrient contents. Wet grasslands in nature reserves showed no such changes or even opposite trends. In dry grasslands and other grassland types, total species richness did not consistently change, but the number or proportions of habitat specialists declined. There were also considerable changes in species composition, especially in wet grasslands that often have been converted into intensively managed, highly productive meadows or pastures. We did not find a general homogenization of the vegetation in any of the grassland types. Conclusions: The results document the widespread deterioration of semi‐natural grasslands, especially of those types that can easily be transformed to high production grasslands. The main causes for the loss of grassland specialists are changed management in combination with increased fertilization and nitrogen deposition. Dry grasslands are most resistant to change, but also show a long‐term trend towards an increase in more mesotrophic species

Predation Danger Can Explain Changes in Timing of Migration: The Case of the Barnacle Goose

Understanding stopover decisions of long-distance migratory birds is crucial for conservation and management of these species along their migratory flyway. Recently, an increasing number of Barnacle geese breeding in the Russian Arctic have delayed their departure from their wintering site in the Netherlands by approximately one month and have reduced their staging duration at stopover sites in the Baltic accordingly. Consequently, this extended stay increases agricultural damage in the Netherlands. Using a dynamic state variable approach we explored three hypotheses about the underlying causes of these changes in migratory behavior, possibly related to changes in (i) onset of spring, (ii) potential intake rates and (iii) predation danger at wintering and stopover sites. Our simulations showed that the observed advance in onset of spring contradicts the observed delay of departure, whereas both increased predation danger and decreased intake rates in the Baltic can explain the delay. Decreased intake rates are expected as a result of increased competition for food in the growing Barnacle goose population. However, the effect of predation danger in the model was particularly strong, and we hypothesize that Barnacle geese avoid Baltic stopover sites as a response to the rapidly increasing number of avian predators in the area. Therefore, danger should be considered as an important factor influencing Barnacle goose migratory behavior, and receive more attention in empirical studies