The Alpine Schunklers Oompah Band, with its accordionist Ken Gordon, presents ‘Music and song from the Bavarian beer festivals’ (note that what the British think of as ‘Roll out the Barrel’ is ‘Rosamunde’ in German).

Our repertoire consists of music and song from the bier festivals, marches, waltzes and polkas. We integrate many audience participation spots such as the Ladies Horn Blowing Competition followed by the men’s Yodelling session. Lili Marlene followed by the music man and Al Jolson pops up frequently for an up tempo sing-along accompanied by a Singalongamax ditty.

Schunkling and Ein Prosit’s throughout marching back to the bier kellar scene for more authentic polkas and some beautiful Strauss waltzing and cuckoo waltz, Alte Kameraden, Radetski march, Drinking song, In Munchen Stheit, Trink Trink Pruderline Trink, etc etc.

(sic)

For even more exciting accordion playing see Charles Magnante and his Trio (at least partially deceased) and – coming soon – the Baldie.

When I read at Swordplay about the Times Spelling Bee, I thought they meant the New York Times – but no, it’s the so-called London Times Spelling Bee site.

Mind you, if you write ‘higher’ instead of ‘hire’ you’ll get thrown out, and similarly if the speaker mumbles so you write ‘boo’ instead of ‘booth’.

There are various levels, some very easy.

Ich werde ein Berliner seems to take Nothing for Ungood a step further.

The year is 2009. Berlin is hip. Germany is hip. Are you struggling to make some German friends? This blog will teach you how to blend in “wiz ze” Germans.

When you ask a German person why he likes to go to Aldidl, he or she will give you a surprised look and say “because they have the exact same product as other supermarkets, only in another packaging!”. As German people are always eager to 1-up others on bargains, they will happily buy whatever is on sale that week, needed or not. Then they will drive back to their house via the Autobahn at 120 mph, burning 3 times the amount they saved on gasoline. Back home, they will compose a bunch of text messages on their “Handy’s” at 25 cents a piece, bragging to their friends about the great bargains they found again at Aldidl.

(Via …jurabilis!

From Wikimedia Commons:

Starting on Thursday Dec 4, 2008, Wikimedia Commons witnessed a massive upload of new images. We received nearly 100,000 files from a donation from the German Federal Archives. These images are mostly related to the history of Germany (including the German Democratic Republic) and are part of a cooperation between Wikimedia Germany and the Federal Archives.

Vom Bundesarchiv:

Wikimedia Commons wird vom Bundesarchiv um 100 000 historische, zum Teil einmalige Fotos bereichert. Wikipedia wiederum unterstützt das Bundesarchiv bei der Zuordnung von Nummern der sogenannten Personennamendatei (PND) zu den Einträgen in der Personenliste des Bundesarchivs und bei der Erschließung von noch nicht identifizierten Bildern. Dadurch ziehen Bundesarchiv und Wikipedia gleichermaßen Nutzen aus dieser beispielhaften Beziehung.

Here’s an example: the ‘zeppelin on rails’ (Schienen-Zeppelin) arriving in Berlin on 21 June 1931.

(Thanks to Trevor)