Frau Marion Schreiber, formerly the principal of the Institut für Fremdsprachen und Auslandskunde, died on March 7 2009. There was a notice in the Süddeutsche Zeitung of March 14. I can’t yet find any information on the site of the IFA, so this is for any readers who happen to have missed this.

Frau Schreiber was born in Leipzig. Her father died when she was 12. After the war she passed her Abitur, but of ten people in her class, only one went to university. She could not go to university in what was then the Russian zone, later the GDR, because her parents had both studied (they were graduates in librarianship). She crossed to West Germany alone (her mother later followed her) to a contact in Erlangen. There she was a part-time secretary at the institute founded by Dr. Karl Friebel and Dr. Isolde Friebel, and eventually managed to complete university studies in economics. She was Schulleiterin from 1978 to 1993, and after that she remained the treasurer. She originally intended to spend her retirement with Isolde Friebel in Tutzing, but after Friebel’s death in 1992 she lived in Tutzing alone. The funeral was in Tutzing on March 20th.

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!