German Stuff

Ah! Spring is here!  Well, at least for  yesterday and today.  70 degrees and sunny.  I accompanied our cat on our back deck.  We sat in the sun, absorbing Vitamin D until it got too hot.... imagine that.. it's still February.

German Stuff

My news sources are:

The New York Times (Sunday edition)
The Week magazine (But Elaine hogs it)
BBC News on DC's WAMU
The Carroll County Times (Local news)
The Baltimore Sun (on my Kindle)
The Washington Post (on my Kindle)
The Sunday Talk Shows (on CSPAN)
The New Bedford Standard Times (on my Kindle)
CNN News Shows on TV
MSNBC News Shows on TV
CBS News Shows on TV
Fox News (yes, even Fox News)

(please note that Internet news is usually false, so I sometimes read it, but usually discredit it)

But... even with all of these sources (glut), something is missing.  Yes.. you guessed it: A view of the world's news by European eyes.  I think that I get that viewpoint from a German newspaper, even though published in the United States.

Some of you know that I majored in Germanic Languages and Literature at Boston University.  At one time, I thought in German and translated to English.  Through disuse (non-use) my German skills deteriorated until I have become a neophyte when it comes to the German language.

Lately, many gerontologists suggest that to ward off Alzheimer and Dementia, a good  way is to study a foreign language.  So, since I knew German once..  I will now try to learn it again, and one way to do so is to subscribe to a new news source: Amerika Woche, which is a German language weekly, as the name suggests: A weekly view of the world  published in German in the United States of America.  Here are some of the contents of the latest edition:

A report that a deep-sea video filmer found the wreckage of a German U-Boat 900 meters deep in the waters off Azores.  The submarine was sunk by a British Destroyer in February 1942.

Lots of information about Turkey politics and German interaction with Turkish officials.

Information about how to take advantage of methods to save energy.

Scary words about "The Moslim Brotherhood" and the fear in parts of Germany about the implementation of Scharia law.

Information about Austrian elections.

An article about the Cowboy Church  going "big time" in Fort Worth, Texas.

Information on sanctions placed against Russia by the European Union.

A report that Chetchen (sp?) purchased 20 German tanks... to protect themselves from Russian oppression.

Surprising statistics, for example:  In Graz, Austria, every third school child is Moslem.

News about a 70 year old Swiss woman who attacked a car that was attempting to take her parking place.  She bashed it with a broom.

Information about Six Swiss soldiers who were disciplined for stomping a German Cross in the snow and then giving  a "Hitler Gruss mit ausgestrecktem Arm."  (That's the old "Heil Hitler" greeting.)

News from Edinburgh, Scotland about a new Winter drink, consisting of Gin, Tonic and Coffee.  One should drink this after meals.

News that Copenhagen, Denmark, has opened a movie theater for 250 patrons, who can watch a show with their shoes off, reclining on couches.

A report on the Zapp family that has been traveling around the world for 17 years in their 80-year old Graham-Paige automobile.

An article about the Mapuche indigenous people in Chile and Argentina who are fighting the good fight over their land rights.

News that a  Roman shipwreck was found 70 meters deep off Mallorca.  It appears that it was transporting lots of wine in amphorae ...   1800 years ago... when it sank.  Divers found it when they came upon a "mountain of wine containers."

A story about life in Antarctica.

A section containing "Not very nice things" being said about President Trump from Frankfurt, Brussels, Turin, Paris, and Madrid. (It sounds to me that folks in Europe think Mr. Trump is not right for the job.)
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Now... tell me... where could I get this input from an American source?

Also... My German newspaper has puzzles that I like: for instance:

This is the German equivalence of our daily crossword puzzle.  I find such puzzles fun to do, while increasing my knowledge of the language.

This is called a Nuernberger Trichter for some reason.  As I show, one starts with a letter and then adds another to it based on the clues.  These are a bit harder than the daily puzzle type above.

This is called a Magische Figur (Magic Figure)... it's similar to some of our American puzzles, except for the double clue for one of the numbers.  Also fun to do.

I've found that if I get stuck (often)  in a German puzzle, I can type the clue into Google, add the word "Kreuzwortraezel"  and get access to sites that may point to the correct German answer.

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So... if you are getting older and want to have some fun while holding off Alzheimers... why not try to learn German.  Subscribing to Amerika Woche  could help.
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Auf Wiedersehen!