Monday, March 26, 2012
European Socialism? Campaigning, USA Style
Es gibt leider zuerst eine Reklamme, aber ich finde die Nachrichten wichtig für uns.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Schenk den Eltern kein iPAD. . .
--> ABER sag mir WER kommt mit den ganzen Aps klar?
VERSUCH HIER!
(Above link should bring up the clip.)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Der Bratwurstkönig von New York
Wed, Mar 21 · 03:45-04:15 (Deutsche Zeit) · PHOENIX -- Der Bratwurstkönig von New York
"German Soul Food" verkauft Rolf Babiel aus Hoyerswerda (Sachsen) an der Fifth Avenue - deutsches "Seelenessen". Seit 10 Jahren ist sein fahrbarer Stand eine Institution in New York - der pfiffige Sachse, ein wohlhabender Mann, der aus dem Stadtbild von Manhattan nicht mehr wegzudenken ist.
-->Wie haben ihn die Terroranschläge vom 11. September verändert?
-->Wie sieht er seine Zukunft mit Ehefrau Bernie aus Haiti und den drei Kindern? ,,SachsenSpiegel extra" war vorher da - und nachher: Der unbeschwerte Bratwurst-Mann ist nachdenklich geworden.
Doch auf ihren ,,Rolli" können sich die Stammkunden verlassen. Nach wie vor genießt er den Ansturm jeden Mittag und gibt den New Yorkern, was sie lieben: "Wartburg" oder "Mercedes" - deftige deutsche Wurst - "Combos" mit Zwiebeln, Bratkartoffeln und hausgemachter Currysauce.
Und ,,Rollis" unverwechselbaren "German touch" gibt's gratis dazu.
Für diese Geschichte danke ich Lutz Szemkus -Frau B
"German Soul Food" verkauft Rolf Babiel aus Hoyerswerda (Sachsen) an der Fifth Avenue - deutsches "Seelenessen". Seit 10 Jahren ist sein fahrbarer Stand eine Institution in New York - der pfiffige Sachse, ein wohlhabender Mann, der aus dem Stadtbild von Manhattan nicht mehr wegzudenken ist.
-->Wie haben ihn die Terroranschläge vom 11. September verändert?
-->Wie sieht er seine Zukunft mit Ehefrau Bernie aus Haiti und den drei Kindern? ,,SachsenSpiegel extra" war vorher da - und nachher: Der unbeschwerte Bratwurst-Mann ist nachdenklich geworden.
Doch auf ihren ,,Rolli" können sich die Stammkunden verlassen. Nach wie vor genießt er den Ansturm jeden Mittag und gibt den New Yorkern, was sie lieben: "Wartburg" oder "Mercedes" - deftige deutsche Wurst - "Combos" mit Zwiebeln, Bratkartoffeln und hausgemachter Currysauce.
Und ,,Rollis" unverwechselbaren "German touch" gibt's gratis dazu.
Für diese Geschichte danke ich Lutz Szemkus -Frau B
Märchen Quiz: 13 Fragen
HEUTE ist Weltgeschichtentag. Aus der Süddeutschen Zeitung kommt daher dieses Quiz:
WER ISST MEINE SUPPE?
Wieviel Pünkte sammelst du? (Ich war zweimal falsch.)
Raeum' hier auf! Zieh' die Schuhe aus!
Roger Cicero singt!
Was kannst du hier im Lied verstehen?
Songtext:
Ich bin ein Sammler ein Jäger
ein guter Ernährer
ein Schrauber ein Dreher
ein Ganz-Früh-Aufsteher
ein Broker ein Seller
ein Intellektueller
ein Helfer ein Heiler
im Grunde ein Geiler
bin ein Schöpfer ein Macher
Beschützer Bewacher
ein Forscher ein Retter
adretter Jet setter
gedstählter Don Juan
ein Bild von einem Mann
so steh ich vor Dir
und höre dann:
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
Aber nicht was du meinst.
Ich bin ein Dichter ein Denker
ein Richter ein Henker
ein Sänger ein Lover
der Typ auf dem Cover
ich bin ein Stürmer ein Spieler
das Vorbild so vieler
ein Meister ein Sieger
die oberste Liga
ich versteh mich als Renner
als Könner und Kenner
als Gangster ein Bringer
ein ganz schlimmer Finger
der Beste im Team
der Kopf vom Regime
Funktionär , Offizier
was sagst Du zu mir ?
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
Aber nicht was du meinst
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
aber nicht was du meinst!
Ich weiß nicht was du meinst!
Was kannst du hier im Lied verstehen?
Songtext:
Ich bin ein Sammler ein Jäger
ein guter Ernährer
ein Schrauber ein Dreher
ein Ganz-Früh-Aufsteher
ein Broker ein Seller
ein Intellektueller
ein Helfer ein Heiler
im Grunde ein Geiler
bin ein Schöpfer ein Macher
Beschützer Bewacher
ein Forscher ein Retter
adretter Jet setter
gedstählter Don Juan
ein Bild von einem Mann
so steh ich vor Dir
und höre dann:
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
Aber nicht was du meinst.
Ich bin ein Dichter ein Denker
ein Richter ein Henker
ein Sänger ein Lover
der Typ auf dem Cover
ich bin ein Stürmer ein Spieler
das Vorbild so vieler
ein Meister ein Sieger
die oberste Liga
ich versteh mich als Renner
als Könner und Kenner
als Gangster ein Bringer
ein ganz schlimmer Finger
der Beste im Team
der Kopf vom Regime
Funktionär , Offizier
was sagst Du zu mir ?
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
Aber nicht was du meinst
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
Zieh die Schuh´aus!
bring den Müll raus!
paß aufs Kind auf!
und dann räum hier auf!
geh nicht spät aus!
nicht wieder bis um eins
Ich verstehe was du sagst
aber nicht was du meinst!
Ich weiß nicht was du meinst!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Why Bilinguals Are Smarter
New York Times The Sunday Review "Gray Matter" By YUDHIJIT BHATTACHARJEE
Published: March 17, 2012
SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.
This view of bilingualism is remarkably different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century. Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interference, cognitively speaking, that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development.
They were not wrong about the interference: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual’s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other. But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn’t so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles.
Bilinguals, for instance, seem to be more adept than monolinguals at solving certain kinds of mental puzzles. In a 2004 study by the psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were asked to sort blue circles and red squares presented on a computer screen into two digital bins — one marked with a blue square and the other marked with a red circle.
In the first task, the children had to sort the shapes by color, placing blue circles in the bin marked with the blue square and red squares in the bin marked with the red circle. Both groups did this with comparable ease. Next, the children were asked to sort by shape, which was more challenging because it required placing the images in a bin marked with a conflicting color. The bilinguals were quicker at performing this task.
The collective evidence from a number of such studies suggests that the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks. These processes include ignoring distractions to stay focused, switching attention willfully from one thing to another and holding information in mind — like remembering a sequence of directions while driving.
Why does the tussle between two simultaneously active language systems improve these aspects of cognition? Until recently, researchers thought the bilingual advantage stemmed primarily from an ability for inhibition that was honed by the exercise of suppressing one language system: this suppression, it was thought, would help train the bilingual mind to ignore distractions in other contexts. But that explanation increasingly appears to be inadequate, since studies have shown that bilinguals perform better than monolinguals even at tasks that do not require inhibition, like threading a line through an ascending series of numbers scattered randomly on a page.
The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment. “Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often — you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language,” says Albert Costa, a researcher at the Univ. of Pompeu Fabra in Spain. “It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving.” In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr. Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, indicating that they were more efficient at it.
The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age (and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life).
In a 2009 study led by Agnes Kovacs of the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, 7-month-old babies exposed to two languages from birth were compared with peers raised with one language. In an initial set of trials, the infants were presented with an audio cue and then shown a puppet on one side of a screen. Both infant groups learned to look at that side of the screen in anticipation of the puppet. But in a later set of trials, when the puppet began appearing on the opposite side of the screen, the babies exposed to a bilingual environment quickly learned to switch their anticipatory gaze in the new direction while the other babies did not.
Bilingualism’s effects also extend into the twilight years. In a recent study of 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals, scientists led by the neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the Univ. of CA, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset.
Nobody ever doubted the power of language. But who would have imagined that the words we hear and the sentences we speak might be leaving such a deep imprint?
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee is a staff writer at Science.
Published: March 17, 2012
SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.
This view of bilingualism is remarkably different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century. Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interference, cognitively speaking, that hindered a child’s academic and intellectual development.
They were not wrong about the interference: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual’s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system obstructs the other. But this interference, researchers are finding out, isn’t so much a handicap as a blessing in disguise. It forces the brain to resolve internal conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its cognitive muscles.
Bilinguals, for instance, seem to be more adept than monolinguals at solving certain kinds of mental puzzles. In a 2004 study by the psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin-Rhee, bilingual and monolingual preschoolers were asked to sort blue circles and red squares presented on a computer screen into two digital bins — one marked with a blue square and the other marked with a red circle.
In the first task, the children had to sort the shapes by color, placing blue circles in the bin marked with the blue square and red squares in the bin marked with the red circle. Both groups did this with comparable ease. Next, the children were asked to sort by shape, which was more challenging because it required placing the images in a bin marked with a conflicting color. The bilinguals were quicker at performing this task.
The collective evidence from a number of such studies suggests that the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks. These processes include ignoring distractions to stay focused, switching attention willfully from one thing to another and holding information in mind — like remembering a sequence of directions while driving.
Why does the tussle between two simultaneously active language systems improve these aspects of cognition? Until recently, researchers thought the bilingual advantage stemmed primarily from an ability for inhibition that was honed by the exercise of suppressing one language system: this suppression, it was thought, would help train the bilingual mind to ignore distractions in other contexts. But that explanation increasingly appears to be inadequate, since studies have shown that bilinguals perform better than monolinguals even at tasks that do not require inhibition, like threading a line through an ascending series of numbers scattered randomly on a page.
The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment. “Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often — you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language,” says Albert Costa, a researcher at the Univ. of Pompeu Fabra in Spain. “It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving.” In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr. Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, indicating that they were more efficient at it.
The bilingual experience appears to influence the brain from infancy to old age (and there is reason to believe that it may also apply to those who learn a second language later in life).
In a 2009 study led by Agnes Kovacs of the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, 7-month-old babies exposed to two languages from birth were compared with peers raised with one language. In an initial set of trials, the infants were presented with an audio cue and then shown a puppet on one side of a screen. Both infant groups learned to look at that side of the screen in anticipation of the puppet. But in a later set of trials, when the puppet began appearing on the opposite side of the screen, the babies exposed to a bilingual environment quickly learned to switch their anticipatory gaze in the new direction while the other babies did not.
Bilingualism’s effects also extend into the twilight years. In a recent study of 44 elderly Spanish-English bilinguals, scientists led by the neuropsychologist Tamar Gollan of the Univ. of CA, San Diego, found that individuals with a higher degree of bilingualism — measured through a comparative evaluation of proficiency in each language — were more resistant than others to the onset of dementia and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: the higher the degree of bilingualism, the later the age of onset.
Nobody ever doubted the power of language. But who would have imagined that the words we hear and the sentences we speak might be leaving such a deep imprint?
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee is a staff writer at Science.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Ein neuer Wise Guy. . .
Hier singt der Clemens...
.. und nach einem Jahr war Clemens aus der Band ausgestiegen. Er hatte sich für einen neuen Beruf entschieden.
Und nun macht auch Ferenc bald (Ende Dezember 2012) seinen Abschied. Die Wise Guys müssen einen neuen genialen Typ wie Nils Olfert finden, der nicht nur einen tollen BASS singt, aber der auch gern als Wise Guy mitspielt.
Im Internet fand ich folgende Nachricht:
Leider kein Scherz...
"Es fällt uns nicht leicht, euch das hier zu sagen. Wir alle fünf haben über einen langen Zeitraum versucht zu verhindern, dass es passiert. Wir alle fünf haben es trotzdem schon über lange Zeit als Möglichkeit kommen sehen.
Wir müssen euch leider mitteilen, dass Ferenc nur noch bis Ende des Jahres 2012 bei uns dabei sein wird. Er hat uns dies im Januar mitgeteilt, und wir müssen nun mit der Suche nach einem neuen Bass beginnen, denn wir anderen Wise Guys möchten auf jeden Fall weitermachen.
Wie konnte es dazu kommen? Wir möchten Ferenc selbst zu Wort kommen lassen."
"Liebe Wise-Guys-Fans und -Hörer,
ich muss Euch heute leider mitteilen, dass ich beschlossen habe, die Wise Guys nach knapp achtzehn Jahren zu verlassen. Ich habe Eddi, Sari, Dän und Nils im Januar dieses Jahres meine Kündigung überreicht; bis Ende 2012 werde ich aber noch bei den Wise Guys bleiben.
Es ist mir nicht leicht gefallen, diesen Schritt zu gehen, denn ich war immer gerne ein Wise Guy und weiß, dass mir einiges fehlen wird. Dennoch ist meine Entscheidung endgültig.
Gerne möchte ich versuchen, Euch die Gründe meines Ausstiegs zu erklären.
Es hat sich bei mir in den letzten Jahren immer stärker so entwickelt, dass ich an meinem Beruf als Sänger bei den Wise Guys im Grunde wirklich nur noch das "Kerngeschäft" mit voller Begeisterung mache: Die Proben und die Konzerte auf der Bühne. Das macht mir auch heute noch einen riesigen Spaß.
Andere Aktivitäten und "Begleiterscheinungen" wurden für mich in letzter Zeit aber immer mehr zu einer Belastung, die ich nicht mehr tragen möchte. Ein Beispiel sind die Afterglows, wenn wir uns nach jedem Konzert noch unter die Leute mischen. Ich hatte dazu ja schon im Magazin geschrieben, dass ich beim "Bad in der Menge" immer mehr Unbehagen entwickelt habe.
Ich denke, dass ich allgemein eher ein Mensch bin, der eine große Privatsphäre braucht. Wahrscheinlich mehr als die anderen Vier. Die Sehnsucht nach Zuhause, wenn ich auf Tour bin, ist bei mir sicher stärker ausgeprägt. Auch Aktionen wie Workshops in Schulen, Besuche bei Familien, Teilnahme am Karnevalszug, die geplante Fahrradtour, lange Auslands-Studiozeiten, die Inseltouren und viele andere Dinge, die Eddi, Sari, Dän und Nils größtenteils sehr viel Spaß machen, liegen mir, zumindest in der auftretenden Häufigkeit, einfach nicht so. Kurz gesagt würde ich am liebsten einfach "nur" Sänger sein und auf der Bühne stehen.
Die anderen Vier haben eine andere Definition davon, was es bedeutet, ein Wise Guy zu sein. Natürlich ist es auf Dauer schwierig, diese unterschiedlichen Auffassungen unter einen Hut zu bringen. Auch dadurch ist es zwischen uns immer wieder zu Differenzen gekommen, deren Inhalte allerdings in den internen Wise-Guys-Bereich gehören.
Das noch verbleibende Dreivierteljahr mit den Wise Guys möchte ich aber auf jeden Fall noch genießen, und ich werde den Jungs auch bei der Einarbeitung von einem neuen Bass, so gut ich das kann, helfen. Es herrscht eine gute Stimmung bei uns (ehrlich!!) und ich hoffe sehr, dass wir freundschaftlich auseinander gehen werden.
Was ich in Zukunft machen möchte? Tja, ehrlich gesagt bin ich mir noch nicht 100% sicher, aber ich hätte große Lust mit meiner Stimme weiter zu arbeiten. Vorstellen kann ich mir Tätigkeiten in folgenden Bereichen: Radio, Synchronisation, Hörbücher, Hörspiele, Gesang etc... Wer weiß, vielleicht nehme ich ja auch mal eine Solo-CD auf.
Euch allen danke ich dafür, dass ich diese langen Jahre mit so einem Spaß und so viel Unterstützung und Begeisterung von Euch erleben durfte.
Es war eine geile Zeit!!!
Ich wünsche Euch alles Gute für die Zukunft! Das gilt natürlich auch für meine vier bekloppten Freunde.
Danke!
Euer Ferenc
P.S. Ach ja, nur damit es keine Spekulationen in diese Richtung gibt! Das Konzept der "Zwei Welten" fand ich immer schon genial. Mein Ausstieg hat nichts damit zu tun."
Wir anderen Vier wünschen unserem "bekloppten Freund" Ferenc von ganzem Herzen alles Gute. Wir haben aus unserer Sicht wirklich alles getan, was wir konnten, damit es nicht zu diesem Schritt kommen musste. Wir hoffen nun, dass ihr Ferenc in der nächsten Zeit mit euren guten Wünschen begleitet - und uns andere auch, denn es wird für uns vielleicht nicht einfach, schon nach vier Jahren den nächsten Wechsel zu verkraften. Mit Nils ist uns ein absoluter Glücksgriff gelungen - hoffentlich haben wir für 2013 auch wieder solches Glück. Bitte helft uns dabei!
Wir sind im Alltag und insbesondere im Konzertbetrieb noch alles andere als auf Abschied getrimmt. Im Gegenteil, die Stimmung unter uns ist gelöst, wie Ferenc es schreibt, und die Konzerte machen uns nach wie vor riesigen Spaß.
Daher freuen wir uns trotz Allem auf dieses Jahr mit Allem, was es noch für uns bereit hält. Bis bald, herzliche Grüße eure
wise guys
.. und nach einem Jahr war Clemens aus der Band ausgestiegen. Er hatte sich für einen neuen Beruf entschieden.
Und nun macht auch Ferenc bald (Ende Dezember 2012) seinen Abschied. Die Wise Guys müssen einen neuen genialen Typ wie Nils Olfert finden, der nicht nur einen tollen BASS singt, aber der auch gern als Wise Guy mitspielt.
Im Internet fand ich folgende Nachricht:
Leider kein Scherz...
"Es fällt uns nicht leicht, euch das hier zu sagen. Wir alle fünf haben über einen langen Zeitraum versucht zu verhindern, dass es passiert. Wir alle fünf haben es trotzdem schon über lange Zeit als Möglichkeit kommen sehen.
Wir müssen euch leider mitteilen, dass Ferenc nur noch bis Ende des Jahres 2012 bei uns dabei sein wird. Er hat uns dies im Januar mitgeteilt, und wir müssen nun mit der Suche nach einem neuen Bass beginnen, denn wir anderen Wise Guys möchten auf jeden Fall weitermachen.
Wie konnte es dazu kommen? Wir möchten Ferenc selbst zu Wort kommen lassen."
"Liebe Wise-Guys-Fans und -Hörer,
ich muss Euch heute leider mitteilen, dass ich beschlossen habe, die Wise Guys nach knapp achtzehn Jahren zu verlassen. Ich habe Eddi, Sari, Dän und Nils im Januar dieses Jahres meine Kündigung überreicht; bis Ende 2012 werde ich aber noch bei den Wise Guys bleiben.
Es ist mir nicht leicht gefallen, diesen Schritt zu gehen, denn ich war immer gerne ein Wise Guy und weiß, dass mir einiges fehlen wird. Dennoch ist meine Entscheidung endgültig.
Gerne möchte ich versuchen, Euch die Gründe meines Ausstiegs zu erklären.
Es hat sich bei mir in den letzten Jahren immer stärker so entwickelt, dass ich an meinem Beruf als Sänger bei den Wise Guys im Grunde wirklich nur noch das "Kerngeschäft" mit voller Begeisterung mache: Die Proben und die Konzerte auf der Bühne. Das macht mir auch heute noch einen riesigen Spaß.
Andere Aktivitäten und "Begleiterscheinungen" wurden für mich in letzter Zeit aber immer mehr zu einer Belastung, die ich nicht mehr tragen möchte. Ein Beispiel sind die Afterglows, wenn wir uns nach jedem Konzert noch unter die Leute mischen. Ich hatte dazu ja schon im Magazin geschrieben, dass ich beim "Bad in der Menge" immer mehr Unbehagen entwickelt habe.
Ich denke, dass ich allgemein eher ein Mensch bin, der eine große Privatsphäre braucht. Wahrscheinlich mehr als die anderen Vier. Die Sehnsucht nach Zuhause, wenn ich auf Tour bin, ist bei mir sicher stärker ausgeprägt. Auch Aktionen wie Workshops in Schulen, Besuche bei Familien, Teilnahme am Karnevalszug, die geplante Fahrradtour, lange Auslands-Studiozeiten, die Inseltouren und viele andere Dinge, die Eddi, Sari, Dän und Nils größtenteils sehr viel Spaß machen, liegen mir, zumindest in der auftretenden Häufigkeit, einfach nicht so. Kurz gesagt würde ich am liebsten einfach "nur" Sänger sein und auf der Bühne stehen.
Die anderen Vier haben eine andere Definition davon, was es bedeutet, ein Wise Guy zu sein. Natürlich ist es auf Dauer schwierig, diese unterschiedlichen Auffassungen unter einen Hut zu bringen. Auch dadurch ist es zwischen uns immer wieder zu Differenzen gekommen, deren Inhalte allerdings in den internen Wise-Guys-Bereich gehören.
Das noch verbleibende Dreivierteljahr mit den Wise Guys möchte ich aber auf jeden Fall noch genießen, und ich werde den Jungs auch bei der Einarbeitung von einem neuen Bass, so gut ich das kann, helfen. Es herrscht eine gute Stimmung bei uns (ehrlich!!) und ich hoffe sehr, dass wir freundschaftlich auseinander gehen werden.
Was ich in Zukunft machen möchte? Tja, ehrlich gesagt bin ich mir noch nicht 100% sicher, aber ich hätte große Lust mit meiner Stimme weiter zu arbeiten. Vorstellen kann ich mir Tätigkeiten in folgenden Bereichen: Radio, Synchronisation, Hörbücher, Hörspiele, Gesang etc... Wer weiß, vielleicht nehme ich ja auch mal eine Solo-CD auf.
Euch allen danke ich dafür, dass ich diese langen Jahre mit so einem Spaß und so viel Unterstützung und Begeisterung von Euch erleben durfte.
Es war eine geile Zeit!!!
Ich wünsche Euch alles Gute für die Zukunft! Das gilt natürlich auch für meine vier bekloppten Freunde.
Danke!
Euer Ferenc
P.S. Ach ja, nur damit es keine Spekulationen in diese Richtung gibt! Das Konzept der "Zwei Welten" fand ich immer schon genial. Mein Ausstieg hat nichts damit zu tun."
Wir anderen Vier wünschen unserem "bekloppten Freund" Ferenc von ganzem Herzen alles Gute. Wir haben aus unserer Sicht wirklich alles getan, was wir konnten, damit es nicht zu diesem Schritt kommen musste. Wir hoffen nun, dass ihr Ferenc in der nächsten Zeit mit euren guten Wünschen begleitet - und uns andere auch, denn es wird für uns vielleicht nicht einfach, schon nach vier Jahren den nächsten Wechsel zu verkraften. Mit Nils ist uns ein absoluter Glücksgriff gelungen - hoffentlich haben wir für 2013 auch wieder solches Glück. Bitte helft uns dabei!
Wir sind im Alltag und insbesondere im Konzertbetrieb noch alles andere als auf Abschied getrimmt. Im Gegenteil, die Stimmung unter uns ist gelöst, wie Ferenc es schreibt, und die Konzerte machen uns nach wie vor riesigen Spaß.
Daher freuen wir uns trotz Allem auf dieses Jahr mit Allem, was es noch für uns bereit hält. Bis bald, herzliche Grüße eure
wise guys
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Fettes Brot singt ueber einen ERDBEBEN
Ja, die Band singt etwas schnell. Was kannst du hier verstehen?
Was bedeutet (means)
--> das Hinterteil?
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A Fairytale in Braunschweig, Germany
An Anonymous Donor and Envelopes Stuffed with Cash Original Story By Nora Gantenbrink in Braunschweig
The German city of Braunschweig has a new benefactor. An anonymous donor has been stuffing envelopes filled with 10,000 euros in cash into the mailboxes of charitable organizations. His latest contribution was an anomaly. A local hospice found the money under its doormat.
There are stories that are so good they are hard to believe. Henning Noske laughs when he hears such sentiments. A section editor with daily Braunschweiger Zeitung, Noske has been a journalist for thirty years and if there is one thing he knows, it’s that a good story is a good story.
These are crazy times for Noske. His phone is constantly ringing with major German television stations seeking to speak with him. All because his little paper has been thrust into the limelight by a local story. “Every editor dreams of such a story!” says Noske.
It all started with an article about a local robbery. A short while later an envelope, sent by an anonymous donor, found its way to the local victim support center. The envelope contained €10,000 — in cash. Twenty €500 notes.
Disney's new Toy Story 3 iPad app teaches Chinese
The Daily Disney -- by Steven Ford Orlando Sentinel 9:59 p.m. EST, March 7, 2012
Looking for a good excuse to purchase Apple’s newest edition iPad announced today?
Disney offers one for parents: Buy it to help the kids learn.
It’s stating the obvious to say Disney is known as an entertainment company. But it creates a host of educational initiatives, too, and one of its latest offerings is a case in point.
Disney Publishing Worldwide recently released its first language-learning app, “Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3.” The iOS app is designed for Apple’s iPad and is the first in a series of Disney storybooks that are designed to help children learn to read in various languages. This app teaches key English and Mandarin words and grammar.
Employing multiple versions of the Disney-Pixar story of Woody, Buzz and the gang, the app transforms from English to Chinese throughout various levels of the storyline. For example, the first level is written in English only. The second level introduces beginning Chinese, and intermediate Chinese is employed by level three. By the time the app’s user advances to level five, the storyline is presented fully in Chinese.
The app uses the educational concept called Diglot Weave. This form of language learning, like its name suggests, weaves new language words and rules into another language already known by the student. As more foreign-language words become familiar to the student, increasingly unfamiliar words are introduced. Gradually, the student is able to comprehend both his or her native language and the new one.
The “Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3” app uses this concept and also employs bilingual narration. App users also can tap individual words to hear their pronunciation.
In a press release announcing the app, Dr. Yuhua Ji called the app “a real industry first.” Ji is a professor at Xiamen University and a pioneer in this kind of learning process. He also was an adviser on the Disney project.
A Disney spokesperson says other stories will later be used to teach Chinese to children, and Disney may be releasing a Spanish-language learning app next.
The app is available at the iTunes store for $4.99.
Looking for a good excuse to purchase Apple’s newest edition iPad announced today?
Disney offers one for parents: Buy it to help the kids learn.
It’s stating the obvious to say Disney is known as an entertainment company. But it creates a host of educational initiatives, too, and one of its latest offerings is a case in point.
Disney Publishing Worldwide recently released its first language-learning app, “Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3.” The iOS app is designed for Apple’s iPad and is the first in a series of Disney storybooks that are designed to help children learn to read in various languages. This app teaches key English and Mandarin words and grammar.
Employing multiple versions of the Disney-Pixar story of Woody, Buzz and the gang, the app transforms from English to Chinese throughout various levels of the storyline. For example, the first level is written in English only. The second level introduces beginning Chinese, and intermediate Chinese is employed by level three. By the time the app’s user advances to level five, the storyline is presented fully in Chinese.
The app uses the educational concept called Diglot Weave. This form of language learning, like its name suggests, weaves new language words and rules into another language already known by the student. As more foreign-language words become familiar to the student, increasingly unfamiliar words are introduced. Gradually, the student is able to comprehend both his or her native language and the new one.
The “Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3” app uses this concept and also employs bilingual narration. App users also can tap individual words to hear their pronunciation.
In a press release announcing the app, Dr. Yuhua Ji called the app “a real industry first.” Ji is a professor at Xiamen University and a pioneer in this kind of learning process. He also was an adviser on the Disney project.
A Disney spokesperson says other stories will later be used to teach Chinese to children, and Disney may be releasing a Spanish-language learning app next.
The app is available at the iTunes store for $4.99.
National German Exam 2010 - 2011 Peabody MA
March 5, 2012 Peabody students tops in national German exam
By Jesse Roman Staff writer The Salem News Mon Mar 05, 2012, 04:30 AM EST
PEABODY — Können sie Deutsch lesen?
If you don't speak German, you don't have any idea what that sentence means. For a select group of students at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, however, it's embarrassingly easy.
At this year's German National Exam, taken by high school students studying German across the United States, three Peabody students placed in the top 90th percentile nationally and two more in the upper 80s.
One student, 17-year-old junior Steven Zarella, placed in the 99th percentile nationally.
Their scores on the German exam are the equivalent to scoring 700 or higher on the language portion of the SATs.
"He speaks German better than most Germans, as far as I can tell," said Maria Branquinho, who speaks five languages and is the chairwoman of the school's foreign language department. "It's a gift. He's an exceptional kid."
Zarella began learning German in the eighth grade by playing an online computer game with some German kids he met online. They became serious about tweaking the game, writing new codes, and Zarella began asking his friends to teach him their language. It was almost like an online immersion program.
"Every week, I was learning something new. ... I just wanted to be understood like a native, to speak to them in their own language," he said. "It gave me a big head start."
Last year, he scored in the 98th percentile. After a rigorous selection process, the American Association of Teachers of German selected Zarella and 38 other students from across the nation to go to Germany for 31/2 weeks last summer. Zarella lived with a German family, went to school and spoke the language.
"It was the trip of a lifetime," he said.
The language program at Peabody High — offering Spanish, French, German, modern Greek, Latin, Portuguese and Italian — has been extraordinarily successful in recent years. Some graduates have gone on to become professional translators, interpreters for the U.S. Department of Defense. One is a Fulbright scholar working in Austria. From time to time, the department receives calls from corporations seeking translation help.
"It's highly unusual to continue to have (that many language) programs in this day and age," because of limited funding, said interim Peabody Superintendent Herb Levine, who has worked in several districts.
"If it's between math, English or a foreign language, you're probably going to cut foreign language first. This school system here has made a commitment to its longtime residents; it's a cultural thing. But I don't know how long we can do that." In fact, Levine has proposed cutting the hours of a high school foreign language teacher and eliminating a full-time middle school foreign language teacher next year as a cost-cutting move.
German teacher Margaret Farrell, who teaches all four sections of German, agrees that Peabody places much more emphasis on language than many other school districts, because so many immigrants live in the city.
"We are an international city. It would be a sin if we only offered Spanish because we have such a large Spanish-speaking population," she said.
Case in point are Juliana Santos, an 18-year-old senior from Brazil, and Amer Becirovic, 15, who was born in Germany after his parents fled Bosnia to escape the genocide. Both are taking German at Peabody High.
Becirovic moved to the United States when he was 2, but he still has family in Germany and plans to go to college there. "I plan on moving to Germany and majoring in electrical engineering," he said.
For Santos, German is her third language, along with her native Portuguese and English. She hopes to enter the Air Force after high school and be stationed in Germany. She attributes the success of the German program to continuity — the same teachers, same students all the way through.
"It's become sort of like a small German family," she said.
Peabody students begin learning a foreign language in sixth grade, and many continue through all four years of high school. Of the roughly 1,900 students at Peabody High, about 1,500 are enrolled in a foreign language course.
More and more, students are beginning to acknowledge language courses as more than just a requirement for college, Branquinho said.
"If you want to prepare students for the world market today, you have to invest in language," she said, "and I think Peabody has been doing that. No other school I know of provides seven languages. ... Our philosophy here has always been to serve our students and our students' needs."
By Jesse Roman Staff writer The Salem News Mon Mar 05, 2012, 04:30 AM EST
PEABODY — Können sie Deutsch lesen?
If you don't speak German, you don't have any idea what that sentence means. For a select group of students at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, however, it's embarrassingly easy.
At this year's German National Exam, taken by high school students studying German across the United States, three Peabody students placed in the top 90th percentile nationally and two more in the upper 80s.
One student, 17-year-old junior Steven Zarella, placed in the 99th percentile nationally.
Their scores on the German exam are the equivalent to scoring 700 or higher on the language portion of the SATs.
"He speaks German better than most Germans, as far as I can tell," said Maria Branquinho, who speaks five languages and is the chairwoman of the school's foreign language department. "It's a gift. He's an exceptional kid."
Zarella began learning German in the eighth grade by playing an online computer game with some German kids he met online. They became serious about tweaking the game, writing new codes, and Zarella began asking his friends to teach him their language. It was almost like an online immersion program.
"Every week, I was learning something new. ... I just wanted to be understood like a native, to speak to them in their own language," he said. "It gave me a big head start."
Last year, he scored in the 98th percentile. After a rigorous selection process, the American Association of Teachers of German selected Zarella and 38 other students from across the nation to go to Germany for 31/2 weeks last summer. Zarella lived with a German family, went to school and spoke the language.
"It was the trip of a lifetime," he said.
The language program at Peabody High — offering Spanish, French, German, modern Greek, Latin, Portuguese and Italian — has been extraordinarily successful in recent years. Some graduates have gone on to become professional translators, interpreters for the U.S. Department of Defense. One is a Fulbright scholar working in Austria. From time to time, the department receives calls from corporations seeking translation help.
"It's highly unusual to continue to have (that many language) programs in this day and age," because of limited funding, said interim Peabody Superintendent Herb Levine, who has worked in several districts.
"If it's between math, English or a foreign language, you're probably going to cut foreign language first. This school system here has made a commitment to its longtime residents; it's a cultural thing. But I don't know how long we can do that." In fact, Levine has proposed cutting the hours of a high school foreign language teacher and eliminating a full-time middle school foreign language teacher next year as a cost-cutting move.
German teacher Margaret Farrell, who teaches all four sections of German, agrees that Peabody places much more emphasis on language than many other school districts, because so many immigrants live in the city.
"We are an international city. It would be a sin if we only offered Spanish because we have such a large Spanish-speaking population," she said.
Case in point are Juliana Santos, an 18-year-old senior from Brazil, and Amer Becirovic, 15, who was born in Germany after his parents fled Bosnia to escape the genocide. Both are taking German at Peabody High.
Becirovic moved to the United States when he was 2, but he still has family in Germany and plans to go to college there. "I plan on moving to Germany and majoring in electrical engineering," he said.
For Santos, German is her third language, along with her native Portuguese and English. She hopes to enter the Air Force after high school and be stationed in Germany. She attributes the success of the German program to continuity — the same teachers, same students all the way through.
"It's become sort of like a small German family," she said.
Peabody students begin learning a foreign language in sixth grade, and many continue through all four years of high school. Of the roughly 1,900 students at Peabody High, about 1,500 are enrolled in a foreign language course.
More and more, students are beginning to acknowledge language courses as more than just a requirement for college, Branquinho said.
"If you want to prepare students for the world market today, you have to invest in language," she said, "and I think Peabody has been doing that. No other school I know of provides seven languages. ... Our philosophy here has always been to serve our students and our students' needs."
BBC Cartoon: Each Episode Introduces Another Language
Young viewers will learn to count to 10, say “hello” and “thank you” and memorise basic words such as cat, dog, boat and the names of various colours Photo: BBC
THE TELEGRAPH: New BBC show offers Mandarin for pre-schoolers, teaching them the basics of Mandarin.
By Anita Singh 6:15AM GMT 12 Mar 2012
The Lingo Show, which begins on CBeebies today, uses a cartoon character called Wei to introduce children as young as four to the Chinese language via songs and games.
Young viewers will learn to count to 10, say “hello” and “thank you” and memorise basic words such as cat, dog, boat and the names of various colours. Other characters (insects) on the program will focus on languages spoken in many school playgrounds.
Ministers have warned that Britain could be left behind if it does not adapt to a world in which China is an economic powerhouse.
Analysts predict China could overtake the United States as the world’s greatest economic power by 2027, and the ability to speak fluent Mandarin will be an asset in business.
Many public schools already teach their pupils Mandarin.
Dr Frances Weightman, a senior lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Leeds, said pre-school children would not find Mandarin difficult to learn.
“There are certain qualities to Mandarin which make it a very good language to teach young children,” she said. “It’s tonal, so it lends itself very well to imitation and nursery rhymes, singing, that kind of thing.
“Also, Mandarin has short sounds — the numbers up to 10 have single syllables, for example — so the words are much shorter than French or German words.
“People talk a lot about the Chinese education system and rote memorization, but for younger children repetition works quite well. And teaching it so young takes the exoticism out of a language that is so very different from English.”
Dr Weightman predicted that Mandarin will one day overtake other languages in the national curriculum.
“In a sense, there’s not a whole lot of point in people learning Spanish; Spanish is fine if you’re going on holiday, but not in business terms. I think learning Mandarin is going to be the way forward,” she said.
The Lingo Show, which is aimed at four to six year-olds, began online and proved so popular with parents that the decision was taken to transfer it to television.
Kay Benbow, the head of the CBeebies channel, said the programme “introduces children to the magic of language and different cultures”.
Tim spricht 11 Sprachen
Tim ist Polyglot. Ja, das heißt, er lernt viele Sprachen. Hier hat er kurz Hindi gelernt.
Bei YOUTUBE geht es weiter. Und wie! (Hindi kenne ich nicht, aber ich finde seine Indonesiansprache interessant...)
Welche andere Sprachen spricht Tim?
Bei YOUTUBE geht es weiter. Und wie! (Hindi kenne ich nicht, aber ich finde seine Indonesiansprache interessant...)
Welche andere Sprachen spricht Tim?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Poldi nach Arsenol für $17 Million? Noch nicht?
Vor ein paar Jahren hatte sich FC Kolle Poldi ENDLICH aus Bayern heim geholt. Vor ein paar Wochen hat man ihm sogar seinen eigenen Karnevalwagon geschenkt, mit der Hoffnung, dass er vielleicht doch in Köln bleibt. Aber jetzt, dass er für $17 million für ARSENOL spielen könnte? Wird er wirklich wieder aus Köln hinweg?
Gunners coach Arsene Wenger said on Friday that the deal was not yet complete, which the Germany star confirmed. -Photo by Reuters
BERLIN: Arsenal target Lukas Podolski said his deal to join the Gunners was far from done as he finished a turbulent week by being shown a red card during Cologne’s 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday.
Reports in both the British and German media in mid-week claimed Podolski is poised to join the London club for 13 million euros ($17m) later this year as the Premier League side aim to beef up their attack.
Gunners coach Arsene Wenger said on Friday that the deal was not yet complete, which the Germany star confirmed after he finished the week by seeing red during his team’s win in a bad-tempered Bundesliga match.
“Contrary to the reports of the past few days, nothing has been decided yet,” Podolski told German Sky Sports.
“If there is something to report, I’ll let you know.”
Podolski’s contract with Bundesliga strugglers Cologne does not expire until June 2013 and he is set to star at Euro 2012, having previously made 95 appearances for Germany.
German daily Bild have previously claimed Cologne want 18 million euros for Podolski, who has scored 16 goals in 21 German league games this season – more than half of his team’s total tally of 31.
Parents embrace dual-immersion instruction - San Jose Mercury News
Parents embrace dual-immersion instruction - San Jose Mercury News
Might this help explain why our GAPP Exchangers seem so very clever?
I'm hoping that, with the Dept. of Defense organizing seminars in RI this winter in the effort of getting our local Board of Education to comply with their guidelines for second language fluency by the end of 12th grade, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ALONG THESE LINES ARE ON THEIR WAY IN RI, TOO!
Onward!
Might this help explain why our GAPP Exchangers seem so very clever?
I'm hoping that, with the Dept. of Defense organizing seminars in RI this winter in the effort of getting our local Board of Education to comply with their guidelines for second language fluency by the end of 12th grade, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ALONG THESE LINES ARE ON THEIR WAY IN RI, TOO!
Onward!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Baby, du siehst gut aus, v. Bakkushan aus Mannheim
(Clip of the Month, v. Step into German)
Songtext:
Baby, du siehst gut aus,
ich will dich tanzen sehen.
Lass deine Haare fliegen
beim Pirouettendrehen.
Lass mal deine Wut raus --> die Wut = rage
und alles andere stehen.
Es gibt nur Hier und Jetzt
und diesen Rhythmus zum Gesetz.--> das Gesetz = the law
Bitte, bleib so,
lass dich nicht überreden,
alles umzudrehen, Nein,
da hab' ich was dagegen.
Wo wir hinfahren brauchst
du keinen Masterplan.
Der Staub zu deinen Fußen
lässt dich herzlich von mir grüßen. Hey!
Baby, du siehst gut aus,
ich will dich tanzen sehen!
Baby, du siehst gut aus,
ich will dich tanzen sehen!
Baby, ich wil dich, dich,
schneller, schneller tanzen sehen!
Baby, du siehst gut aus, gut aus!
--
Du bist so gar nicht schicki-micki.
Das sieht man nicht jeden Tag.
Du bist so seltsam, selten
und das ist es, was ich an dir mag.
Du ziehst die Schuh' aus,
in deinen Socken willst du rocken.
Lass die Wut raus,
du siehst dabei gut aus. Ja!
Songtext:
Baby, du siehst gut aus,
ich will dich tanzen sehen.
Lass deine Haare fliegen
beim Pirouettendrehen.
Lass mal deine Wut raus --> die Wut = rage
und alles andere stehen.
Es gibt nur Hier und Jetzt
und diesen Rhythmus zum Gesetz.--> das Gesetz = the law
Bitte, bleib so,
lass dich nicht überreden,
alles umzudrehen, Nein,
da hab' ich was dagegen.
Wo wir hinfahren brauchst
du keinen Masterplan.
Der Staub zu deinen Fußen
lässt dich herzlich von mir grüßen. Hey!
Baby, du siehst gut aus,
ich will dich tanzen sehen!
Baby, du siehst gut aus,
ich will dich tanzen sehen!
Baby, ich wil dich, dich,
schneller, schneller tanzen sehen!
Baby, du siehst gut aus, gut aus!
--
Du bist so gar nicht schicki-micki.
Das sieht man nicht jeden Tag.
Du bist so seltsam, selten
und das ist es, was ich an dir mag.
Du ziehst die Schuh' aus,
in deinen Socken willst du rocken.
Lass die Wut raus,
du siehst dabei gut aus. Ja!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Collection of 500 new Fairytales Discovered in Germany
A collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years
A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world.
Last year, the Oberpfalz cultural curator Erika Eichenseer published a selection of fairytales from Von Schönwerth's collection, calling the book Prinz Roßzwifl. This is local dialect for "scarab beetle". The scarab, also known as the "dung beetle", buries its most valuable possession, its eggs, in dung, which it then rolls into a ball using its back legs. Eichenseer sees this as symbolic for fairytales, which she says hold the most valuable treasure known to man: ancient knowledge and wisdom to do with human development, testing our limits and salvation.
Von Schönwerth spent decades asking country folk, labourers and servants about local habits, traditions, customs and history, and putting down on paper what had only been passed on by word of mouth. In 1885, Jacob Grimm said this about him: "Nowhere in the whole of Germany is anyone collecting [folklore] so accurately, thoroughly and with such a sensitive ear." Grimm went so far as to tell King Maximilian II of Bavaria that the only person who could replace him in his and his brother's work was Von Schönwerth.
Von Schönwerth compiled his research into a book called Aus der Oberpfalz – Sitten und Sagen, which came out in three volumes in 1857, 1858 and 1859. The book never gained prominence and faded into obscurity.
While sifting through Von Schönwerth's work, Eichenseer found 500 fairytales, many of which do not appear in other European fairytale collections. For example, there is the tale of a maiden who escapes a witch by transforming herself into a pond. The witch then lies on her stomach and drinks all the water, swallowing the young girl, who uses a knife to cut her way out of the witch. However, the collection also includes local versions of the tales children all over the world have grown up with including Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin, and which appear in many different versions across Europe.
Spinning a yarn … King Golden Hair, one of the newly-discovered fairytales. Illustration: Barbara Stefan
Von Schönwerth was a historian and recorded what he heard faithfully, making no attempt to put a literary gloss on it, which is where he differs from the Grimm brothers. However, says Eichenseer, this factual recording adds to the charm and authenticity of the material. What delights her most about the tales is that they are unpolished. "There is no romanticising or attempt by Schönwerth to interpret or develop his own style," she says.
Eichenseer says the fairytales are not for children alone. "Their main purpose was to help young adults on their path to adulthood, showing them that dangers and challenges can be overcome through virtue, prudence and courage."
In 2008, Eichenseer helped to found the Franz Xaver von Schönwerth Society, an interdisciplinary committee devoted to analysing his work and publicising it. She is keen to see the tales available in English, and a Munich-based English translator, Dan Szabo, has already begun work on stories ranging from a miserly farmer and a money-mill to a turnip princess.
"Schönwerth's legacy counts as the most significant collection in the German-speaking world in the 19th century," says Daniel Drascek, a member of the society and a professor in the faculty of language, literature and cultural sciences at the University of Regensburg.
A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world.
Last year, the Oberpfalz cultural curator Erika Eichenseer published a selection of fairytales from Von Schönwerth's collection, calling the book Prinz Roßzwifl. This is local dialect for "scarab beetle". The scarab, also known as the "dung beetle", buries its most valuable possession, its eggs, in dung, which it then rolls into a ball using its back legs. Eichenseer sees this as symbolic for fairytales, which she says hold the most valuable treasure known to man: ancient knowledge and wisdom to do with human development, testing our limits and salvation.
Von Schönwerth spent decades asking country folk, labourers and servants about local habits, traditions, customs and history, and putting down on paper what had only been passed on by word of mouth. In 1885, Jacob Grimm said this about him: "Nowhere in the whole of Germany is anyone collecting [folklore] so accurately, thoroughly and with such a sensitive ear." Grimm went so far as to tell King Maximilian II of Bavaria that the only person who could replace him in his and his brother's work was Von Schönwerth.
Von Schönwerth compiled his research into a book called Aus der Oberpfalz – Sitten und Sagen, which came out in three volumes in 1857, 1858 and 1859. The book never gained prominence and faded into obscurity.
While sifting through Von Schönwerth's work, Eichenseer found 500 fairytales, many of which do not appear in other European fairytale collections. For example, there is the tale of a maiden who escapes a witch by transforming herself into a pond. The witch then lies on her stomach and drinks all the water, swallowing the young girl, who uses a knife to cut her way out of the witch. However, the collection also includes local versions of the tales children all over the world have grown up with including Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin, and which appear in many different versions across Europe.
Spinning a yarn … King Golden Hair, one of the newly-discovered fairytales. Illustration: Barbara StefanVon Schönwerth was a historian and recorded what he heard faithfully, making no attempt to put a literary gloss on it, which is where he differs from the Grimm brothers. However, says Eichenseer, this factual recording adds to the charm and authenticity of the material. What delights her most about the tales is that they are unpolished. "There is no romanticising or attempt by Schönwerth to interpret or develop his own style," she says.
Eichenseer says the fairytales are not for children alone. "Their main purpose was to help young adults on their path to adulthood, showing them that dangers and challenges can be overcome through virtue, prudence and courage."
In 2008, Eichenseer helped to found the Franz Xaver von Schönwerth Society, an interdisciplinary committee devoted to analysing his work and publicising it. She is keen to see the tales available in English, and a Munich-based English translator, Dan Szabo, has already begun work on stories ranging from a miserly farmer and a money-mill to a turnip princess.
"Schönwerth's legacy counts as the most significant collection in the German-speaking world in the 19th century," says Daniel Drascek, a member of the society and a professor in the faculty of language, literature and cultural sciences at the University of Regensburg.
Princeton's Pi Day, Celebrating Einstein's GENIUS and GENIALITY
NJ.com EDITORIAL
Albert Einstein was perhaps the most engaging genius of the 20th century — or any century, for that matter.
Playfully sticking out his tongue when a photographer tried to coax him into smiling; helping a young neighbor with her arithmetic in return for gumdrops; posing in a pair of slippers as fluffy as his halo of white hair — these were some of his very human quirks.
During his two decades in Princeton, he was a familiar figure. Respectful visitors were drawn to his unassuming home on Mercer Street, and he was regularly observed wheeling around Princeton on his bicycle and going to the Institute for Advanced Study.
His dazzling intellect and boundless curiosity gave the world an astonishing new perception of the universe in the simplest terms possible.
By happy coincidence, Einstein’s March 14 birthday occurs on what has been designated World Pi Day, a celebration of the numerical value pi, or 3.14.
That deceptively simple yet irrational number, as you may remember from math class, goes on forever. It’s the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Computers so far have calculated up to 1 trillion numbers beyond the decimal in its unabbreviated form.
In what is becoming a tradition, Princeton will celebrate the two events with its own piece of Pi Day as the Princeton Public Library and other community organizations stage events throughout the weekend. The festivities begin today.
Many of the events will center on Einstein, the legendary stories and his legacy. They include a look-alike contest and a “no-socks” hop. (Einstein eschewed socks.) Activities will also include a book discussion and signings, pi recitation contests, a violin contest, a children’s scavenger hunt and a Rubik’s Cube challenge.
The other sort of pie is the central ingredient in several other events. Competitors will bake pies, eat pies and throw pies.
Princeton Pi Day represents a lively expression, mathematical and otherwise, of the Ivy League town’s appreciation of its brilliant residents. It’s an invigorating way for the community to champion math and science without taking itself too seriously.
It’s also a celebration of creativity, say Mimi Omiecinski and Joy Chen, the Princeton entrepreneurs who a few years ago had the brainstorm to combine the famous birthday and Pi Day.
And that’s something Einstein probably would have liked.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge,” he said. “Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
-->Last year's German Club nearly celebrated this with look-alike- and trivia- contasts. I'm happy to see that Princeton is carrying on this tradition.
Largest ancestral group in USA = GERMAN
US Cadets from West Point hold both USA and German flags as they march in the Steuben Day Parade in NYC. --> Will we march along next September, or will we be too focused on our next Partnership Exchange?
Bloomberg News Measuring the Melting Pot (with interactive map)
March 5, 2012, by Frank Bass
The U.S., first populated by Native Americans, rediscovered by Europeans and colonized under the flags of the Spanish, English and French, is now filled with Germans.
More than half of the nation’s 3,143 counties contain a plurality of people who describe themselves as German-American, according to a Bloomberg compilation of data from the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey. The number of German- Americans rose by 6 million during the last decade to 49.8 million, almost as much as the nation’s 50.5 million Hispanics.
CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE THE INTERACTIVE MAP
“A lot of people aren’t aware that German is the largest ancestral group in the country,” said Don Heinrich Tolzmann, a Cincinnati author who wrote “The German-American Experience.” “It’s an eye-opener, and it’s something that’s commonly overlooked.”
While Hispanics and Asians make up the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population, the increase in those identifying themselves as German-American underscores the nation’s European immigrant roots. It also reflects the use of new ancestry-tracking tools, a longing for identity and a surge in ethnic pride after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, more than four decades after Nazi Germany’s defeat.
Exhibit Hall in Washington DC's German-Heritage Museum. Many are surprised with the explosive growth shown in the recent census which reflects greater pride in being German.
Germans have been immigrating in significant numbers to the U.S. since the 1680s, when they settled in New York and Pennsylvania. The bulk of German immigrants arrived in the mid- 19th century; they’ve been the nation’s predominant ethnic group since at least the 1980 census.
The increased identification with German culture contrasts with earlier eras in U.S. history -- during both world wars -- when many kept those ties quiet. The passage of time has replaced that impulse with a search for enduring traditions, said J. Gregory Redding, a professor of modern languages and literature at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Cultivating Identity
“The more homogenized our society becomes, the more we see some people seeking to differentiate themselves by forming distinct personal identities,” Redding wrote in an e-mail. “For those who can find Germanic family traditions somewhere in their past, it can be personally fulfilling to cultivate that aspect of one’s life.”
The 49.8 million German-Americans are more than triple the 14.7 million Asians counted in the 2010 census. Bloomberg’s county-by-county analysis broke down the Hispanic and Asian populations into subgroups by national origin, with Mexican- Americans and Chinese-Americans making up the largest share of their respective groups.
Americans of German descent top the list of U.S. ethnic groups, followed by Irish, 35.8 million; Mexican, 31.8 million; English, 27.4 million; and Italian, 17.6 million, the census shows....
Only nine counties were predominantly African-American, all in the South, even though the 2010 census reported there are now 37.7 million blacks. The Census Bureau doesn’t break out ancestry by African tribe or nation for descendants of blacks who came to the U.S. as slaves.
German Belt
The German belt of the U.S. extends from eastern Pennsylvania to the Oregon coast. A majority of counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas are predominantly German, and they make up a plurality of Ohio and Indiana counties.
Census figures show German-Americans are... better-educated than the general population, with one-third having a bachelor’s degree or higher. More than 85 percent live in the same place as they did in 2009, and 40 percent are employed in management, business, science or the arts.
Pennsylvania has the largest population of German-Americans and is home to one of the group’s original settlements, Germantown in 1683. The state has 3.5 million people claiming German ancestry -- more than in Berlin. Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, has 348,979 German-Americans, according to the census.
Comanche Detente
While most Germans settled across prime Midwestern farmland, small pockets of immigrants gathered in less-hospitable locations. German settlers made peace with the Comanche tribe in the mid-1840s to settle large parts of the Texas Hill Country, a granite, cedar and cactus-studded region of central Texas stretching from Austin to Kerrville.
At least three-dozen Texas communities celebrated Oktoberfest last year, said Warneke, of the German-Texan Heritage Society in Austin. A spring Germanfest in Muenster, a town of 1,544, drew almost 30,000 visitors, she said.
The cultural influence also is evident in the teen dialect that echoes through the hallways of some schools in the region - - as in the Texas German variant on a standard adolescent shot of dismissiveness: “Vas-ever.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Frank Bass in New York at fbass1@bloomberg.net
Sunday, March 4, 2012
World Languages -- Illustrated
If all world languages were illustrated on a single tree, the following illustration shows the various branches the tree would have. Some branches would be larger than others.
Many languages would be featured as leaves. English is one of those languages. From which branch would our language of English dangle?
Many languages would be featured as leaves. English is one of those languages. From which branch would our language of English dangle?
DER WOLFIE IST EIN WITZBOLD
der Witzbold ( = baffoon! / jokester)
Und hier der Film:
Sag uns, war das hier eine gute Idee? -- Autsch!
-- Und? . . . . Wer in unserer Klasse spielt Witzbold?
Und hier der Film:
Sag uns, war das hier eine gute Idee? -- Autsch!
-- Und? . . . . Wer in unserer Klasse spielt Witzbold?
German Oscars?
Did you know that the very first Best Oscar Award (1929) went to went to Emil Jannings of Germany (for 2 silent pics in 1927 & 1928).
Did you know that German-born Luise Rainer, at 102-years-old, is the oldest living Oscar winner? She won TWO back-to-back Oscars in 1937 and 1938, and now lives in London.
Did you know that, German, Wim Wenders was nominated this year for Best Foreign Film, “Pina 3D”, as well as Best Documentary? Take a peak at the trailer:
You will see scenes from correographer Nina Bausch's hometown, Wuppertal, in this film, including a shot of its elevated (hanging) mass transit system, the Schwebebahn.
Frau Bausch had been involved in planning the film with Herrn Wenders, to take advantage of new 3D technology to create something new with dance and film. She was going to appear in the film – but died suddenly, just before the start of filming.
Wenders and her dance troupe decided to continue the project; they made it into a celebration of her work.
The film did not win an Oscar this year, but it has won a string of prizes, including the German Film Prize documentary award.
I learned some of this by checking out GermanAbout.com
(TRY THAT HERE!)
More of these details came from Step Into German (SiG) posts on Facebook
--> YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU CHECKED THIS OUT!
Did you know that German-born Luise Rainer, at 102-years-old, is the oldest living Oscar winner? She won TWO back-to-back Oscars in 1937 and 1938, and now lives in London.
Did you know that, German, Wim Wenders was nominated this year for Best Foreign Film, “Pina 3D”, as well as Best Documentary? Take a peak at the trailer:
You will see scenes from correographer Nina Bausch's hometown, Wuppertal, in this film, including a shot of its elevated (hanging) mass transit system, the Schwebebahn.
Frau Bausch had been involved in planning the film with Herrn Wenders, to take advantage of new 3D technology to create something new with dance and film. She was going to appear in the film – but died suddenly, just before the start of filming.
Wenders and her dance troupe decided to continue the project; they made it into a celebration of her work.
The film did not win an Oscar this year, but it has won a string of prizes, including the German Film Prize documentary award.
I learned some of this by checking out GermanAbout.com
(TRY THAT HERE!)
More of these details came from Step Into German (SiG) posts on Facebook
--> YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU CHECKED THIS OUT!
Mein Automobil von Max Mutzke
Könnt ihr dieses Lied gut verstehen? Singen???
Du musst nicht allein nach Hause gehen!
Und bist du gut zu mir --
Dann bin ich gut zu dir!
Und wir Zwei fahren HEIM in meinem Automobil.
-- Alles was ich will ist ein kleiner Kuss.
-- Rück nur ein kleiner Stück näher, mein Schatz!
Du musst nicht allein nach Hause gehen!
Und bist du gut zu mir --
Dann bin ich gut zu dir!
Und wir Zwei fahren HEIM in meinem Automobil.
-- Alles was ich will ist ein kleiner Kuss.
-- Rück nur ein kleiner Stück näher, mein Schatz!
Mozart Oper
Mozart completed the "Abduction from the Seraglio" "Entführung aus dem Serail" in 1782 in Vienna.
The story of the opera is quite simple: Belmonte's beloved Konstanze is abducted by Turks to the Seraglio of the Pasha Selim. Belmonte tries to get her out of it with the help of his servant Pedrillo. He fails, however. Konstanze, Belmonte and Pedrillo appeal for mercy, and in the end Pasha Selim allows them to leave.
In spite of the Turks having been a threat to Austria only a few years ago there was a general interest in Turkish music and culture. Mozart built his opera on that interest, however he "westernized" the music a bit.
Here: The Aria of Osmin
Osmin, the overseer, has discovered Pedrillo and his beloved, Blonde and is now expressing his triumphant feelings. He is singing about how the two will be executed, and the joy he'll feel, as they are being led to the executioner.
Günter Wewel singt:
Wie will ich triumphieren, wenn sie euch zum Richter führen How I shall triumph....
Weil unser Sohn heute in die Oper geht, und Mozarts Cosi fan Tutte sehen, wird bringe ich eine sehr schöne und auch lustige Szene hierbei:
Ich wünsche ich wäre dabei. Viel Spaß in Budapest, Junge!
The story of the opera is quite simple: Belmonte's beloved Konstanze is abducted by Turks to the Seraglio of the Pasha Selim. Belmonte tries to get her out of it with the help of his servant Pedrillo. He fails, however. Konstanze, Belmonte and Pedrillo appeal for mercy, and in the end Pasha Selim allows them to leave.
In spite of the Turks having been a threat to Austria only a few years ago there was a general interest in Turkish music and culture. Mozart built his opera on that interest, however he "westernized" the music a bit.
Here: The Aria of Osmin
Osmin, the overseer, has discovered Pedrillo and his beloved, Blonde and is now expressing his triumphant feelings. He is singing about how the two will be executed, and the joy he'll feel, as they are being led to the executioner.
Günter Wewel singt:
Wie will ich triumphieren, wenn sie euch zum Richter führen How I shall triumph....
Weil unser Sohn heute in die Oper geht, und Mozarts Cosi fan Tutte sehen, wird bringe ich eine sehr schöne und auch lustige Szene hierbei:
Ich wünsche ich wäre dabei. Viel Spaß in Budapest, Junge!
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