New states of Germany Germany thus consists of 16 states with equal legal statuses. Yet the process of the "inner reunification" between the former East and West Germany is still ongoing. Persisting differences in culture and mentality among the old East Germany and old West Germany are often referred to as the "wall in the head" ("Mauer im Kopf"). "Ossis" ("Easties") are stereotyped as racist, poor and largely influenced by Russian culture. "Wessis" ("Westies") are usually considered snobbish, dishonest, wealthy, and selfish. The terms can be considered disparaging. In 2009, twenty years after the fall of the wall, a poll found that 22% of
Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come from? Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come from? Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? is a book by American biblical scholar and archaeologist William G. Dever. Dever has been prominent in the debate between biblical "maximalists" and "minimalists" over the historicity of the Bible (specifically the Old Testament). This book, which coincided with Dever's retirement from the University of Arizona, where he served as professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and Anthropology for many years, was written on a semi-popular level to explain the background and origin of the people Dever describes as