NÜRNBERG MILITARY AREA

Football hooligans 'getting more violent'

2012-01-11T18:58:00.001-08:00

Football hooligans 'getting more violent'

Violence at football matches in Germany’s top leagues has reached record highs, leaving police struggling to control it, the Interior Ministry said this week.READ (2 COMMENTS) »

07/01 Football tournament scrapped after fans riot »

21/12 Officials investigate more football violence »

Man who duped Army gets 6 months in prison

2010-09-18T05:22:00.001-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jesse Bernard Johnston III, 26, wears a Marine dress uniform with ribbons and medals even though records show he never served in the Marine Corps. An Associated Press investigation has found that, despite not having a military background, Johnston was able to join the Army Reserve in February and was given the rank of sergeant.

Man who duped Army gets 6 months in prison - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Munich's answer to Lent: stronger beer - The Local

2010-03-03T14:00:00.001-08:00

Munich's answer to Lent: stronger beer

Published: 26 Feb 10 09:56 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/lifestyle/20100226-25519.html

Lent might be a period of abstinence, but Bavarian monks decided centuries ago that drinking highly alcoholic beer helped their fasting. Thomas Barkley explains Munich's Starkbierzeit tradition.

Munich's answer to Lent: stronger beer - The Local

Klein tells inquiry he ordered Kunduz air strike in a rush - The Local

2010-02-24T06:12:00.001-08:00

Klein tells inquiry he ordered Kunduz air strike in a rush
Published: 24 Feb 10 13:14 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100224-25473.html
German Bundeswehr Colonel Georg Klein has justified ordering a deadly bombardment near Kunduz in Afghanistan by telling a parliamentary inquiry he was in a hurry, a media report said on Wednesday.

Klein tells inquiry he ordered Kunduz air strike in a rush - The Local

Facebook | Anna Black

2010-02-23T08:54:00.001-08:00

Anna Black This is in Killeen Texas today Chicago fam... what the hell, I could have stayed in Chicago.

Facebook | Anna Black

Porsche faces hefty fines from US fuel efficiency law - The Local

2010-02-22T11:36:00.001-08:00

Porsche faces hefty fines from US fuel efficiency law
Published: 22 Feb 10 11:48 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100222-25419.html
German sports car manufacturer Porsche could soon face severe fines in the United States thanks to a proposed law meant to encourage greater fuel efficiency, daily Financial Times Deutschland reported on Monday.

Porsche faces hefty fines from US fuel efficiency law - The Local

Germany prepares for floods as big thaw looms - The Local

2010-02-22T11:35:00.001-08:00

Germany prepares for floods as big thaw looms
Published: 20 Feb 10 16:51 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100220-25391.html
Several regions around Germany are preparing for floods in the next few weeks as rising temperatures are expected to melt masses of snow accumulated over a long, cold winter.

Germany prepares for floods as big thaw looms - The Local

Airports reel as Lufthansa pilots strike - The Local

2010-02-22T05:43:00.001-08:00

Airports reel as Lufthansa pilots strike - The Local

Nürnberg U-Bonn

2010-02-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

Jeep Distruction

2010-02-20T09:08:00.001-08:00

Facebook comes under German law - The Local

2010-02-20T07:16:00.001-08:00

The internet social network Facebook can now face prosecution in Germany in the case of privacy violations, the country's data protection commissioner Peter Schaar confirmed Saturday.
Bishop Mixa under fire for sexual abuse scandal comments - National (19 Feb 10)
Motoring past the mainstream - Society (18 Feb 10)
What's on in Germany: February 18 - 24 - Lifestyle (18 Feb 10)
Since Facebook had opened an office in Hamburg on February 11, Schaar said that the company was now subject to Germany's strict data protection laws, the federal government official told broadcaster Deutschlandradio.
Facebook has access to the personal data of its users, but up until now, those living in Germany have had no legal protection from the unwanted use of that information.
But Schaar emphasised that the "first responsibility" lay with Facebook users, and advised them to read the terms and conditions of the social network website.
DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Facebook comes under German law - The Local

Siemens unveils huge layoff plan - The Local

2010-02-19T03:48:00.001-08:00

Siemens unveils huge layoff plan - The Local

German engineering giant Siemens said Tuesday it planned to cut 16,750 jobs worldwide in a major restructuring drive to push down costs and boost competitiveness.
Munich Re to stop doing business in Iran - Business & Money (19 Feb 10)
Daimler posts dramatic loss for 2009 - Business & Money (18 Feb 10)
Number of Germans living in poverty surges - Society (17 Feb 10)
Siemens, which employs 400,000 people around the globe, said it would cut 12,600 mostly white-collar jobs. It also plans to eliminate 4,150 jobs as part of an ongoing restructuring process.
"The speed at which business is changing worldwide has increased considerably, and we're orienting Siemens accordingly," Siemens chief executive Peter Löscher said in a statement. "Against the backdrop of a slowing economy, we have to become more efficient."
Of the total number of jobs lost, 5,250 would come in Germany, the company said. Plants in Erlangen, Munich, Nuremberg and Berlin will take the biggest hits.
"We want to begin negotiations with the employee representatives quickly in order to make the cuts in a way that will be as socially responsible as possible," Siemens Personnel Director Siegfried Russwurm said, AFP reported.
Löscher said the sprawling conglomerate which makes products ranging from light bulbs to power stations and trains, had to catch up with its main rivals, such as the US group General Electric.
Siemens's cost base remains double the size of its competitors' in several areas and the company says it expects the work force reductions to save it €1.2 billion ($1.9 billion) by 2010.
afp
The Local (news@thelocal.de)

Siemens unveils huge layoff plan - The Local

Police gird for May 1 marches and protests - The Local

2010-02-18T11:03:00.001-08:00

Police gird for May 1 marches and protests
Published: 1 May 08 11:59 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20080501-11633.html
Police and demonstrators are gathering in Hamburg and Nürnberg Thursday as preparations are made for marches planned by right-wing extremists – and the protests against them.
Dresden forms human chain against neo-Nazis - National (13 Feb 10)
Berlin forges deal over WWII expellee centre - National (11 Feb 10)
Neo-Nazi party given green light to target school children - National (6 Feb 10)
Nürnberg has been chosen by the neo-Nazi NPD party as the site for their central demonstration, sparking the deployment of at least 3,000 policemen, and an expected 10,000 protestors, including a number of mainstream politicians.
The march has been given permission for a route which the German Jewish Council said goes past a Jewish old people’s home and the town’s Jewish cultural centre.
But the decision was defended by Nürnberg’s Jewish cultural association, which said it had carefully agreed the route with the city and it was far enough away from Jewish establishments.
Hamburg is more likely to turn violent, with a strong left-wing scene determined to give the far-right demonstrators a hard time. They are expected to be joined by many protestors from Berlin, which is just a couple of hours’ drive away.
The NPD and other extremists have registered their march to go through Barmbek, a traditionally left-wing, working class area. The scene's left-wingers are expected to be joined by a mix of trade unionists, politicians and church-goers in their protest.
Wednesday night, often a time for fights with the police in many of Germany’s larger cities in the run up to May 1, was largely peaceful in Berlin, but several people were arrested in central Hamburg.
A barricade was set alight in the Schanzenviertel of the city, and a stand-off between a number of punks and policemen ended with a handful of arrests.
DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

Police gird for May 1 marches and protests - The Local

1 dead in Germany school shooting - CNN.com

2010-02-18T05:29:00.001-08:00

Berlin, Germany (CNN) -- One man was dead and another man was in custody Thursday after a shooting at a vocational school in southern Germany, police said.

The school was in lockdown, surrounded by police as officers searched the building, a spokesman for the Ludwigshafen police told CNN. The hundreds of students at the school were evactuated to a nearby building, the spokesman said.
The suspected shooter, a 23-year-old, was in custody, the spokesman said.

1 dead in Germany school shooting - CNN.com

Erlangen Military Brats Reunion 1979 - 1984, Erlangen, Germany

2010-02-17T18:26:00.001-08:00

Erlangen Military Brats Reunion
Welcome to the Erlangen Military Brats Reunion 2010 web site.
OMG! It's been 30 years!
Join us in Colorado Springs, Colorado - July 23-25, 2010.
Details of the reunion are currently being flushed out. 1979 - 1984

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Erlangen Military Brats Reunion 1979 - 1984, Erlangen, Germany

Lufthansa pilots to strike - The Local

2010-02-17T17:56:00.001-08:00

Lufthansa pilots on Wednesday voted for what could become the biggest strike to hit the German airline since 2001, when a series of stoppages caused chaos for thousands of passengers.

The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany - Lifestyle (17 Feb 10)
Number of Germans living in poverty surges - Society (17 Feb 10)
Less but better: Design according to Dieter Rams - Society (17 Feb 10)
Ninety-three percent of the airline's 4,500 pilots backed heading to the picket line for four days starting Monday, according to their union Cockpit.
The first wave of stoppages would start at midnight on Monday and run until 11:59 pm on Thursday, and would also affect Lufthansa's huge cargo business and its Germanwings subsidiary, the trade union Cockpit said.
"All 4,000 pilots working on those days are called upon to strike," union official Ilona Ritter said. "Lufthansa management bears all the responsibility for this dispute."
The airline, which operates around 800,000 flights around the world every year, is drawing up emergency plans including putting customers from several flights onto larger aircraft and providing train tickets, newspapers said.
"We are preparing for different scenarios with different measures with the aim of limiting the impact on passengers as much as possible," said Lufthansa spokeswoman Claudia Lange.
Lufthansa was hit nine years ago by the worst strike in the airline's history that went on for four months and cost the German firm millions of euros.
"It's going to be around the same scale this time," the Rheinische Post cited an official at the Cockpit trade union as saying. "Small warning strikes are insufficient. The differences are too fundamental this time."
"Only if Lufthansa makes a last-minute offer will industrial action be avoided," a Cockpit spokesman told the paper.
European airlines have been fighting for survival for several years as they battle with the triple whammy of budget airlines poaching customers with low prices, soaring high fuel costs and the worst global recession in decades.
In response, they have sought to consolidate, as seen in Air France's mega-merger with Dutch KLM, and by attempting to cut costs wherever they can, including by slashing jobs and levels of service.
Lufthansa saw sales slump over 13 percent in the first nine months of 2009, the latest figures available, with operating income sliding 76 percent and a net loss of €32 million.
Talks between Lufthansa and unions collapsed in acrimony in December, with Cockpit demanding a pay increase of 6.4 percent for the next 12 months and commitments that Lufthansa's German pilots would keep their jobs.
Pilots fear that their jobs could go as Lufthansa steps up use of foreign affiliates like Swiss, Austrian Airlines and British Midland instead of its own aircraft. They are so worried about their jobs that they are willing to compromise on their salary demands, the union says.
AFP/DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Lufthansa pilots to strike - The Local

Deutsche Bahn to ditch English - The Local

2010-02-16T06:46:00.001-08:00

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn is ditching or changing its use of English terms such as “Service Point,” “hotline” and “Call a Bike” amid concerns gratuitous and unintelligible Anglicisms are irking its customers.

Policeman killed in Karlsruhe tram collision - National (16 Feb 10)
Cologne may use controlled flooding to save metro - National (16 Feb 10)
Thieves steal road salt as harsh winter depletes supply - Society (15 Feb 10)
DB chief Rüdiger Grube has written to parliamentarian Ernst Hinsken of Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) to assure him the company would be moving away from the use of English in its product descriptions, daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Tuesday.
Hinsken had written to Grube raising his concern about the growing use of English terms and phrases.
In the letter, Grube said the company would no longer be using the term “flyer” to describe its leaflets. Nor would it call its customer service phone number a “hotline” and would be dropping or reviewing other English terms.
However, it would keep using product brand names such as its travel discount “BahnCard” and “InterCity” trains, which it believes people have got used to and would be cumbersome to change.
Some terms will be given German explanations – such as the “Call a Bike” service, which will soon be followed in promotional material by – "das Mietrad-Angebot der Deutschen Bahn" - or “Deutsche Bahn’s bike rental offering.”
The decision comes amid a broader shift in Germany about use of gratuitous and often silly English, with some senior politicians complaining that Anglicisms have started to ruin the German language.
Peter Ramsauer, also from the CSU, told the paper: “I know of no other country on Earth, in which people treat their own language with such a lack of respect.”
The DB complaints stemmed from former school principal Franz Aschenbrenner’s complaint to Hinsken, who was his local parliamentarian. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Aschenbrenner was annoyed by the “mindless practice of Anglicisms” – in particular when DB set up a “Kiss&Ride” zone (allowing car drivers to drop off or pick up train passengers without having to park) at Straubing station in Bavaria.
“What right does Deutsche Bahn have to impose on us a language that isn’t ours?” he asked.
Hinsken passed on the complaint to Grube – partly, it seems to head off any confusion about a recent local newspaper headline, “Hinsken for Kiss&Ride.” Readers with weak English might have thought Hinsken was calling for the establishment of a drive-by red light district.
And so Hinsken asked the company whether they couldn’t come up with a German title for the service. Grube responded immediately that he would have his people come up with an alternative to the Anglicism, to avoid further confusion.

Deutsche Bahn to ditch English - The Local

EXPATICA.COM

2010-02-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

After the Berlin Wall fell, hundreds of thousands of people fled the former communist East for a better life in the West and an overwhelming number of them were young women.

The result, 20 years on, is one of the worst demographic imbalances in the whole of Europe that threatens the future of entire German regions, especially in the northeast.

Experts fear that the female exodus might indirectly fuel a rise of far-right extremism among bored young men, many of whom lack education and job prospects -- and a girlfriend.

Between 1991 and 2005, as many as 400,000 eastern German women under the age of 30 moved west across the former Iron Curtain, compared to 273,000 young men under 30.

This has led now to a situation in some northeastern villages in which there are just 45 women for every 100 men.

In 60 eastern German towns with more than 5,000 inhabitants, there are just 80 women for 100 men in the 18 to 29 age bracket said, Steffen Kroehnert of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development.

"The problem is worse in eastern Germany than even in areas of northern Finland or Sweden which have long seen an exodus of women," he added.

The problem is starkly evident in the small northeastern town of Wittstock, halfway between Berlin and Hamburg, which in two years up to 2008 saw 436 citizens aged between six and 26 leave out of a youth population of only 3,181.

Auslaenderin in Berlin: Talking about the weather < Blogs & photos | Expatica Germany

2010-02-16T06:16:00.001-08:00

Auslaenderin in Berlin: Talking about the weather < Blogs & photos | Expatica Germany

When most people think of northern Germany in winter, or northern Europe for that matter, they think, cold, grey, wet, gray, depressing, gray, bleak, gray and more grey.

They wouldn’t be wrong.

In fact, one of the things that has dramatically changed in my life since I moved to Berlin six years ago from the DC suburbs is the weather, or more specifically, the dictatorial role it plays in my life and in those around me.

First of all, it dominates conversation: To talk about the weather, so to speak, is not to talk about the weather. It is a serious topic of conversation here, one full of hope and despair and extreme earnestness. It peppers almost every conversation I have with friend, acquaintance, shop clerk and colleague. “Can you believe it is so cold today” asks one friend in disbelief echoing countless others. “I am so depressed, I just need some sun,” says another, lamenting a bashful sun that hasn’t put in an appearance in weeks. “I want out of here to …(fill in with Egypt, Kenya, the Seychelles).”

It also rules mood: People get sick, depressed, work slower and are decidedly grumpier. It is no accident that southern cultures are known for being (and actually are) more cheerful and chatty. In Berlin, this grumpiness even has a name: Berliner Schnauze.

It lords over lifestyle and habits, too: People go out less, plan more carefully and contemplate excursions across town as if they were transcontinental trips. People, including myself, also obsessively check weather reports. That is new for me. And I don’t only check one either: I shop around for those with the best prognoses.

German Cuisine: More Than Just Sausages and Beer | Facts about Germany | Deutsche Welle | 05.02.2009

2010-02-15T07:13:00.001-08:00

No doubt about it, Germany counts as a high-potato-consumption country. According to tradition, meat, a dark sauce and some potatoes make a meal. You like filling foods? Then you’ll love German cooking. Roasts, pig knuckle, ham hocks -- these high-calorie specialties can be found on many German menus.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Pizza came to Germany with Italian immigrants

Fortunately, however, there is no one single “German” cuisine. Every region has its specialties. The Rhineland is known for its Sauerbraten -- traditionall, marinated braised horsemeat. In northern Germany they serve a dish called Labskaus -- a mixture of corned beef, potatoes, pickled herring, red beets and onions, with a fried egg on top for good measure.

Multi-culti is in

Lower Saxony is the home of kale with pinkel, a kind of spicy sausage. Thuringia is known for dumplings, and also for tiny little roast sausages known as Thuringian bratwurst. Bavaria is known for its Weisswurst, or white veal sausages, that are traditionally eaten with a doughy pretzel before 11 a.m. And that’s just the best-known specialties. There are countless variations.

Meanwhile, as Germany grows more multicultural, so do its menus. After all, the country is home to more than a million foreigners. First there were the Italian immigrants, who brought the Germans things like pizza and spaghetti.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Germany makes great wines as well as beer

Now, in addition to Turkish doener and gyros snack stands, foreign restaurants cover cuisines from Asia to Latin America and everywhere in between. Sometimes a fusion restaurant will get creative, offering German-foreign mixes like potato-curry-dumplings with schnitzel, or bean stew with ginger.

Beer, beer and more beer

Yet sometimes stereotypes do hit home. Beer remains Germany’s favorite drink, so it is no wonder there are more than a thousand varieties here. Brewing has a long tradition in the country. Germany’s beer purity law was proclaimed on April 23, 1516, making it the oldest food law in the world.

Germany is also known for its wine production. There are a number of wine regions in the country, but the most famous are in the Rhine, Main, Mosel, Saal and Elbe river valleys. Germany is best known for its white wines, like Silvaner and Mueller-Thurgau. Its reds, like Dornfelder and Spaetburgunder, are also popular internationally.

German Cuisine: More Than Just Sausages and Beer | Facts about Germany | Deutsche Welle | 05.02.2009

More reports of degrading initiation rites in German military surface | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 14.02.2010

2010-02-15T07:10:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, Germany's parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Reinhold Robbe, was quoted by the weekly mass-circulation newspaper Bild am Sonntag as saying five more soldiers had come to him with stories of forced eating, drinking and vomiting.

This comes just a week after Robbe submitted a report detailing allegations of such treatment, known as hazing, at a mountain infantry training camp in Mittenwald in southern Germany to the parliament's defense policy committee. The original report came from a conscript who said he and others were forced to drink alcohol and eat raw liver until they vomited.

"After the complaint from the soldier from the mountain infantry in Mittenwald, more soldiers have now come forward with reports, both from the Mittenwald unit and also from other sites," Bild am Sonntag quoted Robbe as saying.

Robbe said he would inform the defense policy committee this coming week.

Robbe also told Bild am Sonntag that he was concerned about a general problem with alcohol abuse and over-drinking in the Bundeswehr.

"I have the impression that in certain parts of the Bundeswehr there's an after-hours alcohol problem that we must fight against," he told the newspaper. "The reports suggest that excessive alcohol consumption played a big role. Binge drinking should absolutely not be taking place in the Bundeswehr, at locations within Germany and abroad."

The Munich district attorney is currently investigating one soldier on suspicion of causing intentional injury as part of the ongoing investigation into the reports of hazing.

More reports of degrading initiation rites in German military surface | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 14.02.2010

Loch secures gold for Germany

2010-02-15T07:07:00.001-08:00

Felix Loch accumulated a large winning margin over four heats to claim gold in the men's individual luge competition - leading a top two German finish in the event.

The 20-year-old became the youngest ever Olympic champion for the event, finishing his series of runs in 3 minutes, 13.085 seconds.

He finished 0.679 seconds ahead of German teammate David Moeller who picked up a silver medal. Loch, a police officer, said that taking part had been "enormous fun."

"The last two days have been simply awesome," he said. "I will need two or three hours to realize what's happened. I knew I had a good run but this is unbelievable."

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Changes were made after the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili

Referring to the fatal high-speed training accident that killed Georgia's Nodar Kumaritashvili on Friday, two-time world champion Loch said that a decision to shorten the course had been correct. "What happened was very hard for all of us," he added.

Loch and Moeller beat title-holder Armin Zoeggeler of Italy, who won took third place.

Loch's father, Norbert Loch, is Germany's luge coach. He competed at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games for East Germany and finished 13th in men's luge.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Beckert of Germany won a silver medal in 3,000-meter women's speedskating, finishing two seconds behind Czech Martina Sablikova.

Sablikova referred to the German as "a great skater in the 3,000," adding that Beckert would most likely be her main rival for the 5,000-meter event, the final of which will be held February 24.

dfm/rc/Reuters/AFP/dpa
Editor: Nancy Isenson

Loch secures gold for Germany in top two luge finish | Sports | Deutsche Welle | 15.02.2010

Facebook | US Army Germany

2010-02-14T14:54:00.001-08:00

Facebook | US Army Germany

Facebook | American Soldier

2010-02-14T14:10:00.001-08:00

Here’s a good page on facebook to become a fan of. Lots of people hitting and leaving entries.
Facebook | American Soldier

Facebook | Nürnberg Military Area

2010-02-14T10:17:00.001-08:00

I was just on the Nürnberg Military Area Group on FaceBook. Looks like things are running pretty smooth. We are getting quite a few members. Looks like we should have more than we have though. Think about all the thousands of soldiers that were stationed in the area over the years the place was open.

I mean, look how many kasernes were in the Nürnberg area. How many soldiers were on each kaserne at one time. Then appox. every 3 years there were new ones. I guess there were more like millions that have been stationed in the area.

Facebook | Nürnberg Military Area