Some ill-thought-out Google statistics in the Nürnberger Nachrichten, 21 February 2008:

Dass Bären schon immer erfolgreich waren, unterstrich André Fischer, Lokalchef der Nürnberger Zeitung. Doch erst das Internet habe den Eisbären-Boom möglich gemacht. 2,2 Millionen Google-Treffer habe der Begriff “Flocke” bereits. Günter Beckstein , so Moderator Siegfried Zelnhefer vom Presseamt, müsse sich mit 42 000 zufriedengeben, Angela Merkel mit 318 000.

I get 11,400,000 for Flocke, but that includes flock wallpaper, a hot air company (appropriately) called Heißlufttechnik Flocke GmbH, a horse, some people with the surname Flocke, a flock of tables and Professor Dietrich Flockerzi.

Günter Beckstein is much more of a rara avis. I get only 3,660 ghits if I enclose the name in inverted commas. This takes account of various spellings of his first name. For “Angela Merkel” 4,280,000. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was close to the figure for genuine polar bear Flocke hits, which puts Frau Merkel in quite a different league.

Nothing much will be happening here for a week or two.

If it does, it may be something I posted in advance, like this!

I think some people are unaware that they aren’t actually obliged to provide amusements for children.

Some words have two different translations.

Lücke in German can mean a gap in a contract that shouldn’t be there – a gap.

It can also mean a situation that has been missed out by some legislation – tax laws, for example and can therefore be exploited – a loophole.

Mixing the two up in translation can be quite amusing.

Nick Freeman is an English solicitor with his own Wikipedia entry. He is famous for getting people off driving charges on technicalities and the press have called him Mr Loophole. He has now registered the name Mr Loophole as a trade mark. More in The Guardian.

Gap, conversely, is a clothing company.

(Via Geeklawyer, who credits the mysterious Blawg Review editor)

This boy is supporting the SPD, the CSU and O2.