A report came out yesterday....from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)....from the results of a survey on education across the globe. For the Germans....it was a kind of negative report. It didn't really give Germany a thumbs up or a thumbs down....but a middle kind of rating....which upset a number of folks because of efforts over the past five years.
Naturally, some politicians in Germany quickly came up with their angle of how to fix this.
The opposition party....the SPD....thinks that the teacher's path via the university system is kind of haphazard. They want standards....where you ensure better and more qualified teachers enter the system. If you think about it....it'd probably dilute ten percent...maybe even twenty percent of the entry group from ever getting into the teacher profession. I'm not one to forecast long term problems usually....but you might fix one problem and then create another problem in a decade, with a problem of replacing retiring teachers.
Another item suggested by the politicians is the idea of a full-day of school. Most German schools wrap up around 1:30 each day. Politicians think a full day would do wonders. More time in class, more results.
There are issues with this time suggestion of course. You'd have to convince teachers to accept another hour or two which I doubt they'd accept without a major pay-raise. Some would say the stress of another 90 minutes would be too much for them, and ask for retirement. Some would suggest that if a kid didn't pick up the information after what they currently offer....they would doubt that the kid improves with another hour or two.
Educational agenda folks exist in Germany...just as they do in the US. If you offer up a negative report, then it means something is broke. Rarely do you go back and review how these reports was generated or what they gathered to make the data "pure and clean".
My guess is that a couple of standards will be tossed into the pot and approved...and it trims off at least three percent of the folks going after educational degrees in the future. That doesn't really fix the substandard teacher mess in existence today, but it'd help toward 2020 and beyond.
As for the longer hours? I suspect that the teacher's union will stand up and accept 60 minutes onto each day....with a five-percent pay-raise attached and some one-time bonus (figure at least 700 Euro). Forget anything more than 60 minutes because it just won't sell. Oh, and along the way....some professor will eventually show a statistical analysis that another sixty minutes would likely only benefit twelve percent of the students anyway (just my humble guess on that suggestion).
Just a personal observation here, but if you look around November and December time-frame in your local German paper....you will notice all of these after-school extended private study deals to help your kid improve his results. Most expect at least 200 Euro a month for this two to three hours per week schedule. Over the past two decades, these study operations have grown and have a fair amount of business. Why? The answer is that kids aren't picking up what the teacher's expected of them in class....and they need private tutors to explain a lesson in a totally different fashion and in a smaller setting of twelve kids.
So a worried parent tosses 200 Euro a month for five months onto his must-pay schedule and has to find cuts in the family budget to afford that....if the kid is in serious jeopardy of screwing up his grades. If you have two kids....400 Euro might be expanded. And that's just for one weak area...what if the kid had two weak areas?
There's a problem that probably exists, but I doubt that politicians can ever get to the level of thinking at the local school level and grasping the significance of one simple lesson in math being a failure.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Airlines Update
It's rare these days that you see more flights added between the US and Germany. Most folks would say that the system is fairly maxed out. Today, it was announced by Condor Airlines (the low-budget, no-thrill, peanuts-and-Coke airline of Germany) that they'd start a flight between Seattle and Frankfurt. This would start next summer and involve two flights a week.
The thing about this deal is that Condor has formed a partnership with Alaska Airlines. They are likely looking at this from the prospective of Germans wanting that "wild" two week vacation....where they fly into Washington state and spend a week there, and then work a ticket with Alaska Airlines to fly up and do an adventure for a couple of days....return to Seattle for a day of urban living, and then return to Germany.
The plus side? The Euro rate is to the advantage of Germans currently. I'd predict a large group of Germans taking advantage of these tickets with Condor.
The thing about this deal is that Condor has formed a partnership with Alaska Airlines. They are likely looking at this from the prospective of Germans wanting that "wild" two week vacation....where they fly into Washington state and spend a week there, and then work a ticket with Alaska Airlines to fly up and do an adventure for a couple of days....return to Seattle for a day of urban living, and then return to Germany.
The plus side? The Euro rate is to the advantage of Germans currently. I'd predict a large group of Germans taking advantage of these tickets with Condor.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Competition and State-run TV
Today....roughly forty-eight hours after the big Wetten Dass accident.....news analysts in Germany are taking a long look at this competition angle of German state-run TV. Both ZDF and ARD management will say....even before the televised accident...that they have to be out front and competing against commercial TV networks.
I went through several German newspapers, and most offer the most updated info on Samuel Koch. They also take up some lines and discuss the competition angle. The major newspapers have a slightly negative view of how competition runs the network and challenge the notion that this is acceptable.
I was a regular viewer of both state-run channels from 1993 to 2009. It often surprised me to the extent that state-run TV went to compete. When it came down to buying rights to major sports events, the state-run management team were willing to spend freely and had no problem in paying significant sums of money to be the kingpin of various programing. This is true over the Tour de France coverage, major soccer coverage, and even racing. Toss in the Olympics as well.
Families tend to pay around 300 to 400 Euro a year (depending on what you want to admit to in your house), and that goes to this fund where state-run TV splits amongst the two big boys (ARD and ZDF), and then minor cousins (around 18 minor channels) and the new digital empire.
In the past couple of years, different segments of German society have challenged this entire concept of state-run TV because viewership is not at the levels of 1975 any longer. If you went to the younger crowd of 18-30....most Germans would insist on curtailing the network's ability to tax on consumers. If you only watch four hours of state-run TV a week.....it's hard to relate to your portion of tax given to the "mafia" (a title that a German used in a conversation with me over state-run TV).
If you gaze over at the top ten shows of each week....ZDF and ARD typically own six or seven of those shows. When they find the right formula....they tend to stick with it and keep the series in full swing. They know that a major Sunday Formula One race will get them a top-ten slot. They know that a major game between two soccer contenders will get them a top-ten slot. They know that Tour-de-France daily race will get them a top ten slot. So it entices them to pay whatever is required to own that property for the evening.
In the end, this accident on Wetten Dass doesn't settle much, but it simply tosses another log on the fire of state-run TV's issues. They've been competing for three decades since commercial TV became a reality in Germany (actually it had to start in Luxembourg because the licensing wall that the German government put up because the big boys didn't want competition). Normally, I'd say competition makes something better. In this case, it's a question whether they are any better for all the money and effort taken.
I went through several German newspapers, and most offer the most updated info on Samuel Koch. They also take up some lines and discuss the competition angle. The major newspapers have a slightly negative view of how competition runs the network and challenge the notion that this is acceptable.
I was a regular viewer of both state-run channels from 1993 to 2009. It often surprised me to the extent that state-run TV went to compete. When it came down to buying rights to major sports events, the state-run management team were willing to spend freely and had no problem in paying significant sums of money to be the kingpin of various programing. This is true over the Tour de France coverage, major soccer coverage, and even racing. Toss in the Olympics as well.
Families tend to pay around 300 to 400 Euro a year (depending on what you want to admit to in your house), and that goes to this fund where state-run TV splits amongst the two big boys (ARD and ZDF), and then minor cousins (around 18 minor channels) and the new digital empire.
In the past couple of years, different segments of German society have challenged this entire concept of state-run TV because viewership is not at the levels of 1975 any longer. If you went to the younger crowd of 18-30....most Germans would insist on curtailing the network's ability to tax on consumers. If you only watch four hours of state-run TV a week.....it's hard to relate to your portion of tax given to the "mafia" (a title that a German used in a conversation with me over state-run TV).
If you gaze over at the top ten shows of each week....ZDF and ARD typically own six or seven of those shows. When they find the right formula....they tend to stick with it and keep the series in full swing. They know that a major Sunday Formula One race will get them a top-ten slot. They know that a major game between two soccer contenders will get them a top-ten slot. They know that Tour-de-France daily race will get them a top ten slot. So it entices them to pay whatever is required to own that property for the evening.
In the end, this accident on Wetten Dass doesn't settle much, but it simply tosses another log on the fire of state-run TV's issues. They've been competing for three decades since commercial TV became a reality in Germany (actually it had to start in Luxembourg because the licensing wall that the German government put up because the big boys didn't want competition). Normally, I'd say competition makes something better. In this case, it's a question whether they are any better for all the money and effort taken.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Humor in Secrets
Typically....you don't expect state-classified material to have any humor. The US state department has proven that wrong.
Several years ago (2006), there was a bear episode in Germany. We can admit that it was the first bear to be seen in Germany in a hundred years at least. It's a long and sordid soap opera (I blogged the entire tale at the time).....but in the end....the Germans had to kill the bear. He was a threat.
Somewhere amongst all the WikiLeaks material, there's this analysis and discussion by the US State Department over repopulating the wilds of Germany.
There is this great quote then....by the writer: "Perhaps the greatest insight from the whole Bruno affair might be that despite the veneer of 'greenness' extolled by German society, modern Germany in fact coexists rather uneasily with untamed nature,"
I sat for a while and pondered over this commentary and remember the Bruno the bear episode in detail. There is an excellent point over this analysis. There is often bragging done (similar to cases in the US) where the government and foundations are working to reintroduce wild populations back into "outback regions". In this case, all it took was one simple bear to upset the locals.....and that got the bear onto the hit-list.
Up until this point, I had nothing much positive to say over the WikiLeaks episode. I don't think anyone gains. Some people may use a light term of transparency to suggest that secrets are bad. These however, are the same people who get frustrated when governments can't readily step in to fix an international problem and sit in the midst of the living room and conjure up various solutions to international problems based on the think-tank guy who just spoke on CNN or the BBC or channel one news.
The amusing thing in this story is that it's a brief analysis of a reporter over a secret commentary by a state department guy....over a dead bear in Bavaria. Wish I could get a job with the state department writing bear summaries. But knowing my luck...in 2015, WikiLeaks would publish my classified bear summaries and I'd get a reputation.
Several years ago (2006), there was a bear episode in Germany. We can admit that it was the first bear to be seen in Germany in a hundred years at least. It's a long and sordid soap opera (I blogged the entire tale at the time).....but in the end....the Germans had to kill the bear. He was a threat.
Somewhere amongst all the WikiLeaks material, there's this analysis and discussion by the US State Department over repopulating the wilds of Germany.
There is this great quote then....by the writer: "Perhaps the greatest insight from the whole Bruno affair might be that despite the veneer of 'greenness' extolled by German society, modern Germany in fact coexists rather uneasily with untamed nature,"
I sat for a while and pondered over this commentary and remember the Bruno the bear episode in detail. There is an excellent point over this analysis. There is often bragging done (similar to cases in the US) where the government and foundations are working to reintroduce wild populations back into "outback regions". In this case, all it took was one simple bear to upset the locals.....and that got the bear onto the hit-list.
Up until this point, I had nothing much positive to say over the WikiLeaks episode. I don't think anyone gains. Some people may use a light term of transparency to suggest that secrets are bad. These however, are the same people who get frustrated when governments can't readily step in to fix an international problem and sit in the midst of the living room and conjure up various solutions to international problems based on the think-tank guy who just spoke on CNN or the BBC or channel one news.
The amusing thing in this story is that it's a brief analysis of a reporter over a secret commentary by a state department guy....over a dead bear in Bavaria. Wish I could get a job with the state department writing bear summaries. But knowing my luck...in 2015, WikiLeaks would publish my classified bear summaries and I'd get a reputation.
Guarded Enthusiasm
Bloomberg Businessweek has an interesting short update: The Germany central bank is giving a thumbs up on the German economy for 2011....and for 2012.
German stocks look great. German business dividends look great. Domestic consumption is very positive. And the unemployment can only decline over the next two years.
The hint from the Bundesbank looks like two percent growth for next year, and at least 1.5 percent in 2012. All very positive numbers. Most state banks would be planning magnificent bonuses for their management team in a moment like this.
Would a German be in a hearty state of mind after hearing this? The truth is no. None of this would really make a German rush out to buy a new house, a new car, or a 60 inch LCD TV. It wouldn't even make a German plan on a bigger than normal vacation. In fact, it would even be questionable if it helps in an election year to give the stamp of approval to the party in charge.
So quietly, the Merkel team sits and scratches its head over great news. There's nothing they can get out of this.
German stocks look great. German business dividends look great. Domestic consumption is very positive. And the unemployment can only decline over the next two years.
The hint from the Bundesbank looks like two percent growth for next year, and at least 1.5 percent in 2012. All very positive numbers. Most state banks would be planning magnificent bonuses for their management team in a moment like this.
Would a German be in a hearty state of mind after hearing this? The truth is no. None of this would really make a German rush out to buy a new house, a new car, or a 60 inch LCD TV. It wouldn't even make a German plan on a bigger than normal vacation. In fact, it would even be questionable if it helps in an election year to give the stamp of approval to the party in charge.
So quietly, the Merkel team sits and scratches its head over great news. There's nothing they can get out of this.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wetten Dass
State-run German TV features a popular program which has been around for over thirty years....Wetten Dass. The theme of this live two-to-three hour show....is family entertainment. You have around six to eight stars (most internationally known), a singer or group, and then these five "stunts". The weight of the show is primarily on these "stunts".
Typically, these stunts are used as bets for the guests and everyone is smiling as they bet the kid can add forty-four columns of numbers and announce a solution in twelve seconds. Or you have the guy who takes forty beer cannisters and builds this standing column that he climbs in two minutes. Or you have a woman who can recognize the knee caps of her women's volleyball group and pronounce each person by their kneecap. The bet is always a secondary part of this whole act.
Last night, the boys at Wetten Dass had accepted a more dangerous stunt. This young German guy had offered to jump over five oncoming cars in the building....with spring-powered stilts. He actually succeeded with the first jump....avoided the second opportunity....and then came the third jump which went terribly wrong. He basically crashed down onto the ground (with a helmet on)....and just laid there. A pretty dramatic moment.
Medics were on the scene....quickly going into action....and they moved him to the local hospital.
The thing about Wetten Dass....which is the biggest sales item of the show....it's all live. So the host of the show.....Thomas Gottschalk....had to make some split second decisions. They carried the moment of medical personnel on the scene for a couple of minutes and then cut away. Then Gottschalk made the decision to run some clips of music for around ten to fifteen minutes. Finally, he said enough and stopped the show entirely. Since he'd been running the show in the mid-80s....it'd never been stopped like this.
Based on news from Germany....this guy is injured but little else is being said. I'm guessing at least a concussion and maybe some internal injuries.
Since 1993....I've probably watched around sixty of these shows. They run around eight to nine of these shows per year. They are highly organized and it'd shock folks because Gottshalk will bring out people who typically never do shows (Micheal Jackson was a great example). But over the years that I've watched....there were five or six stunts per year that I regarded as highly dangerous and I felt it was stupid to do this with live TV.
I'm guessing some manager with the state-run TV empire will sit down over the next month with Gottshalk and his team....and discuss the idea of no more thrilling stunts. You might still see dog tricks and such....but the deadly stunt period is now finished. The fact that they were successful for thirty years doing things like this.....was simply luck.
Typically, these stunts are used as bets for the guests and everyone is smiling as they bet the kid can add forty-four columns of numbers and announce a solution in twelve seconds. Or you have the guy who takes forty beer cannisters and builds this standing column that he climbs in two minutes. Or you have a woman who can recognize the knee caps of her women's volleyball group and pronounce each person by their kneecap. The bet is always a secondary part of this whole act.
Last night, the boys at Wetten Dass had accepted a more dangerous stunt. This young German guy had offered to jump over five oncoming cars in the building....with spring-powered stilts. He actually succeeded with the first jump....avoided the second opportunity....and then came the third jump which went terribly wrong. He basically crashed down onto the ground (with a helmet on)....and just laid there. A pretty dramatic moment.
Medics were on the scene....quickly going into action....and they moved him to the local hospital.
The thing about Wetten Dass....which is the biggest sales item of the show....it's all live. So the host of the show.....Thomas Gottschalk....had to make some split second decisions. They carried the moment of medical personnel on the scene for a couple of minutes and then cut away. Then Gottschalk made the decision to run some clips of music for around ten to fifteen minutes. Finally, he said enough and stopped the show entirely. Since he'd been running the show in the mid-80s....it'd never been stopped like this.
Based on news from Germany....this guy is injured but little else is being said. I'm guessing at least a concussion and maybe some internal injuries.
Since 1993....I've probably watched around sixty of these shows. They run around eight to nine of these shows per year. They are highly organized and it'd shock folks because Gottshalk will bring out people who typically never do shows (Micheal Jackson was a great example). But over the years that I've watched....there were five or six stunts per year that I regarded as highly dangerous and I felt it was stupid to do this with live TV.
I'm guessing some manager with the state-run TV empire will sit down over the next month with Gottshalk and his team....and discuss the idea of no more thrilling stunts. You might still see dog tricks and such....but the deadly stunt period is now finished. The fact that they were successful for thirty years doing things like this.....was simply luck.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The Tolerance Issue
It's an interesting item by the Scotsman newspaper....Germans are less tolerant of Muslims than most Europeans. The numbers are 34 percent of western Germans and even worse on the eastern Germans with 26 percent. The Dutch were on the high end of tolerance with 62 percent.
There are several questions over this poll taken and the results. Why the difference between east and west Germany? I suspect that having an influx with Muslims throughout the 1960s and 1970s in western Germany....caused some folks to have friendships or work situations with Turks. That type of environment didn't exist in eastern Germany. As for the influx with Muslims into eastern Germany today? Jobs haven't been bountiful and I seriously doubt that any significant number of Muslims have moved in. In most towns throughout the eastern part of Germany....you do have some Turkish restaurants....but it's not the quantity that you'd see in Mainz or Stuttgart.
Why a difference between Germany and its neighbors? I suspect that Germans have higher expectations. They can't see a foreigner moving into Germany....taking a job....and then NOT integrating as the German public would expect.
The educational problem? This is another part of the situation because Germans watch the stories on TV and see various Muslim kids who simply aren't achieving much in school and doomed for failure by age eighteen. I suspect that if you asked a German about potential rocket scientists coming from Muslim families in Germany....they'd start laughing and probably laugh hard enough to produce tears.
Could the numbers ever improve? I suspect that this is actually the peak....and if some massive terrorist action were to take place in Germany by a Islamic group....it'd solidify the German opinion even more. You could actually see more dismal numbers.
What could the Islamic groups do to reverse the trend? There are three simple things for a Muslim in Germany to do. First, why caused you to leave your old country? Deep down....something went wrong, and you need to examine the idea that Islamic traditions might have screwed up your old country enough to force you to leave. If so....using the same values for traditions here will just recreate the reason why you left. Second, if your traditions and expectations are solid and you truly believe in them.....why would you remain in a non-Muslim country? Finally, what comes first....your citizenship or your religion? If you ponder upon this question long enough....you might come to agree that religion only comes if you are a citizen of the right country.....so your religion is second to the values of citizenship.
It's an interesting poll and I doubt that Germans are surprised by the results.
There are several questions over this poll taken and the results. Why the difference between east and west Germany? I suspect that having an influx with Muslims throughout the 1960s and 1970s in western Germany....caused some folks to have friendships or work situations with Turks. That type of environment didn't exist in eastern Germany. As for the influx with Muslims into eastern Germany today? Jobs haven't been bountiful and I seriously doubt that any significant number of Muslims have moved in. In most towns throughout the eastern part of Germany....you do have some Turkish restaurants....but it's not the quantity that you'd see in Mainz or Stuttgart.
Why a difference between Germany and its neighbors? I suspect that Germans have higher expectations. They can't see a foreigner moving into Germany....taking a job....and then NOT integrating as the German public would expect.
The educational problem? This is another part of the situation because Germans watch the stories on TV and see various Muslim kids who simply aren't achieving much in school and doomed for failure by age eighteen. I suspect that if you asked a German about potential rocket scientists coming from Muslim families in Germany....they'd start laughing and probably laugh hard enough to produce tears.
Could the numbers ever improve? I suspect that this is actually the peak....and if some massive terrorist action were to take place in Germany by a Islamic group....it'd solidify the German opinion even more. You could actually see more dismal numbers.
What could the Islamic groups do to reverse the trend? There are three simple things for a Muslim in Germany to do. First, why caused you to leave your old country? Deep down....something went wrong, and you need to examine the idea that Islamic traditions might have screwed up your old country enough to force you to leave. If so....using the same values for traditions here will just recreate the reason why you left. Second, if your traditions and expectations are solid and you truly believe in them.....why would you remain in a non-Muslim country? Finally, what comes first....your citizenship or your religion? If you ponder upon this question long enough....you might come to agree that religion only comes if you are a citizen of the right country.....so your religion is second to the values of citizenship.
It's an interesting poll and I doubt that Germans are surprised by the results.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Germans and Snow
Over the last couple of days....snow has fallen across a significant portion of Germany. It is a bit early for drastic snowfall, but then luckily, Germans have "global warming" to blame (otherwise, they'd just blame God).
Snow is like science to Germans. If you sat down in a pub and asked a group of German men to comment on snow....they'd give you 300 pages of information and analysis over an entire evening....and almost forget that a soccer game was on TV.
First, they'd chat about the right tires. For an American, we traditionally want to use all-weather tires and slip on chain when absolutely necessary (when forced actually by the cops). For a German, it's winter-tires, period. No discussion. It's hard to find a German who might use all-weather tires except for their summer-tires. Winter-tires discussion could go on for an hour as each guy will tell his life story over the winter-tires that he's owned.
Second, they'd talk over the right salt for using on the house-steps or the sidewalk by the house. There are friendly environmental mixes, then the 1945-recipe which people still brag about, and then some cheapo mix that they got from the market and manufactured in Turkey. There will be the various directions given over how to toss the snow off the sidewalk and the proper use of the shovel when finished (it ought to be washed & cleaned).
Third, they'd chat on the topic of blankets and gear to carry in the car. Most Germans would refuse to carry anything extra in the car because they just refuse to stop or allow snow to hinder themselves. Other Germans are prepared and carry an entire bag with candles, a blanket, a bottle of water, and a shovel. Some German guys have a "snow-lite" bag and a "snow-heavy" bag....and keep it in the garage to toss in if they are driving a couple of hours in potential snow.
Fourth, they'd chat on snow statistics. If in a open environment where booze is flowing....most guys will admit there's no such thing as global warming and they've seen bigger snowfalls in the 1960s than today. People will carve out legends as they chat on the 1979 January snowfall across central Germany and all their woes. Some guys will chat for an hour on the difference between wet snow and dry snow....giving you a vast amount of information that you'd normally only hear from a Professor.
Fifth, they'd chat on the effect of salt on cars. Each guy has a story in his life about his 1976 Volkswagen that fell apart in six years because of rust. There used to be a massive amount of salt used on roads and Germans got to a point where they actually owned two cars....one for winter which was the old disposable car, and a nice car for the other eight months of the year. There are guys today that repeat this same practice although salt is used alot less and towns sometimes mix the salt with another solution to prevent rust episodes.
Sixth, they'd chat on roofs that have fallen in around their neighborhood from snow. It's rare but about every ten years in some towns...you have a major snowfall and some guy had structural issues to start with....and the snow just collapsed the room. Guys will remember this and bring up this neighbor's name a hundred times over the rest of their life as they turn this into a legendary piece of history.
Seventh, they'd chat on the right booze to drink after clearing a path on their sidewalk and returning to the house. Some recommend mixing it with the coffee....so the wife doesn't comment on drinking so early. Some will suggest just plain beer. And some will suggest an Italian wine (cheap of course) to settle your nerves after such hard work.
Germans need snow in a way....it gives them a different prospective on life, and gives them a moment to ponder and think about things... intensely. I suspect some of the greatest inventions in history....came from Germans who were cramped up in the house during a snowstorm and nothing to do but sit and think. Maybe, that's a good thing.
Snow is like science to Germans. If you sat down in a pub and asked a group of German men to comment on snow....they'd give you 300 pages of information and analysis over an entire evening....and almost forget that a soccer game was on TV. First, they'd chat about the right tires. For an American, we traditionally want to use all-weather tires and slip on chain when absolutely necessary (when forced actually by the cops). For a German, it's winter-tires, period. No discussion. It's hard to find a German who might use all-weather tires except for their summer-tires. Winter-tires discussion could go on for an hour as each guy will tell his life story over the winter-tires that he's owned.
Second, they'd talk over the right salt for using on the house-steps or the sidewalk by the house. There are friendly environmental mixes, then the 1945-recipe which people still brag about, and then some cheapo mix that they got from the market and manufactured in Turkey. There will be the various directions given over how to toss the snow off the sidewalk and the proper use of the shovel when finished (it ought to be washed & cleaned).
Third, they'd chat on the topic of blankets and gear to carry in the car. Most Germans would refuse to carry anything extra in the car because they just refuse to stop or allow snow to hinder themselves. Other Germans are prepared and carry an entire bag with candles, a blanket, a bottle of water, and a shovel. Some German guys have a "snow-lite" bag and a "snow-heavy" bag....and keep it in the garage to toss in if they are driving a couple of hours in potential snow.
Fourth, they'd chat on snow statistics. If in a open environment where booze is flowing....most guys will admit there's no such thing as global warming and they've seen bigger snowfalls in the 1960s than today. People will carve out legends as they chat on the 1979 January snowfall across central Germany and all their woes. Some guys will chat for an hour on the difference between wet snow and dry snow....giving you a vast amount of information that you'd normally only hear from a Professor.
Fifth, they'd chat on the effect of salt on cars. Each guy has a story in his life about his 1976 Volkswagen that fell apart in six years because of rust. There used to be a massive amount of salt used on roads and Germans got to a point where they actually owned two cars....one for winter which was the old disposable car, and a nice car for the other eight months of the year. There are guys today that repeat this same practice although salt is used alot less and towns sometimes mix the salt with another solution to prevent rust episodes.
Sixth, they'd chat on roofs that have fallen in around their neighborhood from snow. It's rare but about every ten years in some towns...you have a major snowfall and some guy had structural issues to start with....and the snow just collapsed the room. Guys will remember this and bring up this neighbor's name a hundred times over the rest of their life as they turn this into a legendary piece of history.
Seventh, they'd chat on the right booze to drink after clearing a path on their sidewalk and returning to the house. Some recommend mixing it with the coffee....so the wife doesn't comment on drinking so early. Some will suggest just plain beer. And some will suggest an Italian wine (cheap of course) to settle your nerves after such hard work.
Germans need snow in a way....it gives them a different prospective on life, and gives them a moment to ponder and think about things... intensely. I suspect some of the greatest inventions in history....came from Germans who were cramped up in the house during a snowstorm and nothing to do but sit and think. Maybe, that's a good thing.
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