Hanukkah Market in Berlin - Opens November 28

http://www.berlin.de/international/christmas-markets/hanukkah-market/index.en.php

http://travel.smart-guide.net/hanukkah-christmas-market

http://www.jmberlin.de/main/EN/02-Events/Events_2010/2010_11_28_hanukkahopening.php

German Trailer zu "Arthur Weihnachtsmann"

Here is the script to the German trailer above:

Seit dem allerersten Weihnachtsfest hat sich die Welt gefragt, wie der Weihnachtsmann alle Geschenke in nur einer Nacht verteilt.


Sargeant Klaus: "Operation Weihnachtsmann ist im Anmarsch!" ... "Los!"... "Mission Erfüllt!"


Alter Klaus: "Wieso steigt niemand mehr heutzutage durch den Kamin ein?  Haben wir gewiss...[Er hustet.]


Lern die Familie kennen, die Weihnachten möglich macht.  "Trinken wir auf mich, dass ich nächstes Jahr einen noch besseren Job mache."  Er ist der Boss.  "Der Truthahn da hat mehr gemacht als er!"


Er ist das Hirn.  

Sargeant Klaus: "Das ist Deutschland, Vater: Rechtsfahrgebot, Nationalgericht: die Wurst."


Und dann gibt es noch Arthur.

Arthur: "Ich möchte doch nur, dass es für jedes Kind perfekt ist!"  

Doch dieses Weihnachten... 

Elf: "Es hat eine Panne gegeben." 

Arthur: "Wir haben ein Kind vergessen!"  

Sargeant Klaus: "Willst du etwa den ganzen Nordpol wecken?"  

Arthur: "Gute Idee!  Wir haben ein Kind vergessen!"  

Sargeant Klaus: "Wen interessiert ein einziges kleines Kind?"


Arthur: Sie wird denken dass sie das einzige Kind auf der ganzen Welt ist, das dem Weihnachtsmann egal ist.


Sargeant Klaus: Weihnachten ist nicht die Zeit für Gefühle.


Alter Klaus: "Arthur!  Es gibt eine Chance!"


Arthur: "Es ist unmöglich!"


Alter Klaus: Früher sagte man, es sei unmöglich, Frauen das Lesen beizubringen.  Komm, folge mir!...Bereit!"  

Arthur: "Versprichst du mir, dass du nicht zu schnell fliegst!?"


Von Sony Pictures und Animation Aardmann...


Alter Klaus: "All die vielen Sterne...und wir sind jetzt einer von ihnen..."
Elf: "Wie können Ihnen helfen, Sir" 
Arthur: "Wir schaffen es rechtzeitig.  Hier darf niemand ohne ein Geschenk vom Weihnachtsmann sein."  Sargeant Klaus: "Komm sofort nach Hause!"
 "Arthur...bringt das Geschenk."  
Santa Klaus: "Arthur?.."  
Arthur: "Fröhliche Weihnachten!"
Arthur: "Die ???

Alter Klaus: "Dreh schon den Tarnungshebel um!"
Demnächst in Kino!

Compare to the English trailer:

The fact that the film appears in Germany does not mean that every family imagines "the Gift-Bringer" like the rotund Sanka Klaus.  [Though the message of the film likely touches all audiences, whether their family-holiday-practices are like those in the film or not.]

Comparing Yiddish and German

A blog about MANY things, including Yiddish language and culture in the present and the past:
http://thrownpeas.blogspot.com/

Matters of Faith - Multimedia Page

While searching for information about this years Hanukkah Market in Berlin, I came across this page called "Matters of Faith" at the website of the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

You'll find this multimedia page fascinating, whether you are religious or not.  Try out the "Niche".  http://www.jmberlin.de/osk/glaubenssachen/glaubenssachen_EN.php

Jewish Life in Germany today

As a German teacher, I am frequently asked about Jewish culture and German culture.  I think that most students want a talking-point-like quick answer from me, but they don't get one.  I wish I could give a two- or three sentence answer which would do justice to the question, because the long version [read: what Herr Graff ends up saying in the span of 20-40 sentences] is way too much to process at a time.

So while I work on refining my response to this question, let me refer everyone to this article at germany.info 

Especially in light of the recent outbreak of right-wing idiocy in Germany, it's important to know that respect and tolerance and mixed-salad-concept of German citizenry is the norm.

There is currently an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Berlin which investigates these questions: http://www.jmberlin.de/heimatkunde/ausstellung/en/ausstellungsinfo.php

Christmas Village in Philadelphia - Ceremonial Opening Today with the Christkind

The Christmas Village in Philadelphia had its Ceremonial Opening today (it's officially been open since the 24th).  At 2 in the afternoon, the Christkind spoke the traditional opening prologue for the largest Christmas Market in Germany in Nürnberg [or Nuremberg, as most people know it in English.]  [She did say the prologue  in English for the audience in Philadelphia.]

http://philachristmas.com/2-0-Newslisting.html

Why is she called "Christkind"?  Well, the answer is sort of complicated.  It's complicated enough that the people in charge of the English-language version of the Nürnberger Christmas Market decide to call her "The Christmas Angel": http://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/english/index.php?navi=1&rid=11

Homework idea: Spend 5-10 minutes of your weekly homework in discovering a bit more behind the story of the Christkind.

There is a fairly accurate and thorough history at the English-version Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christkind       

Check out Post Office Christkindl: http://www.christkindl.at/

If you're fond of looking at lodging that you will be very lucky to be able to afford, (and I do hope that each and every one of you are so successful in life!!), then check out the Christkindl Hotel and Restaurant (read: Resort!) in Austria: http://www.christkindlwirt.at/

This graphic from the University of Augsburg gives you a feel for where in German-speaking Europe kids look forward to a visit by the Christkind, and where they are on the lookout for the Weihnachtsmann:

Uli Stein -- Funny Comics with Animals

Students: see the bottom of this entry for homework ideas

Uli Stein is a German comic artist who has had broad success over many generations.  I am happy to introduce him to you here for many reasons, but especially because his humor is more along the lines of Calvin and Hobbes than Southpark.

You can click here everyday and see a new cartoon [täglich neu humor = daily new humor].  The cartoons seem to be culled randomly from his many published books.

http://www.ulistein.de/cartoons-taeglich-neu-humor.html

Just as with comic characters like Garfield or Snoopy, or comic artists like Gary Larsen, there are many products available based on Uli Stein's comics.  As you can imagine, Uli Stein calendars can be found in every bookstore, especially during the holiday season.

Viel Spass = A lot of fun!

Herzlichen Glückwunsch = Hearty congrats [for your birthday]

Warum...heraus...= Why don't you just say outloud

dass = that

dieses Jahr = this year

Schlips = Krawatte, tie

keinen Schlips = no tie

zum Geburtstag = for your birthday

du möchtest...keinen Schlips = you would not like any ties.

***************

***Note to students: To fulfil the "personal interest" aspect of your homework requirement, one possibility would be to choose a comic and 1)explain it  2) tell what new words mean  3) make a note if there was a part that you couldn't make sense of [=honesty, letting the teacher know what you do and don't understand, and willingness to learn] 4) draw a comic with a similar idea or theme  5) remove the original artists words and put your own words in  6) ...***

Siebenstein: Seven Stone Crow

For some silly/interesting viewing which wouldn't likely show up in a generic search on YouTube, check out this kid's show.  [Unlike many streaming-sites from Germany which block the US and other areas because they are not in the viewing area, it looks like we can see anything from this particular show.]
http://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/siebenstein/start/index.html

Think in terms of "Reading Rainbow".  Click on "Lesen" to get a number of book descriptions -- as a video!  though you can print out the text as well -- .  But reading is just one part of Siebenstein!

This could be a great source for independent homework; in other words, for you to investigate as a portion of your 30-minute a week homework requirement.

http://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/siebenstein/start/index.html

Germany's Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel

This is a screenshot of http://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/logo/bildergalerie/08667/index.html from November 25 The link above will take you weekly to important news-making photos from Germany and all around the world.

Do you recognize the words under Chancellor Merkel's picture?

• Hilfe = Help; Rettungsdienstwagen = ambulance
• Anfang = beginning
• zurück = back
• vor = forward, ahead
• Ende = end
• Bild = picture, image

Aufgebaut = "Built-Up" (which doesn't seem like the best description for the picture.

Huch, da sieht man ja die Kanzlerin vor lauter Bäumen nicht.

Yikes, here we don't see the chancellor due to the sheer number of trees.

Angela Merkel bekommt am Donnerstag im Kanzleramt einen Weihnachtsbaum.

Angela Merkel receives on Thursday in the Chancellor's Office a Christmas Tree.

Den Mini-Baum gibt's einfach so dazu.

=Es gibt den Mini-Baum einfach so dazu.

=[roughly] There's the mini-tree simple as an add-on

Just as there are many holiday traditions at the White House which draw the attention of media and families across the country, Germany is just as concerned with how their leaders celebrate this time of the year.  [And since Germans invented Christmas [=tongue-in-cheek], Bundeskanzlerin Merkel and President Obama likely share very similar traditions!]

Dankbarzeit - Thanksgiving Time German Style

Check out this German Thanksgiving at the Local:
http://www.thelocal.de/lifestyle/20111124-39059.html

Tanzt du wie Jagger? Do you dance like Jagger?

Alexander, username: AlexiBexi on YouTube, has been making videos for the web for a while now.

In the past two years, he has taken countless hit songs and made a faithful and singable German translation of them -- and he took the next logical step, and performed them himself, along with talented friends of his.

A recent effort, and a pretty cool one, was: Moves Like Jagger:

Here are the lyrics: http://www.alextv.de/?p=4580

Here is AlexTV on Facebook: http://www.facebook.de/alextvmedia

knutschen = "to make out"
kennenlernen = to get to know each other
Ich versuch' hier nicht ___________ = I'm not trying to ____________ here
steuern = steer

Legend of Saint Nicholas

Die Legende von Sankt Nikolaus

Saint Nicholas at Germany.Info







http://www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/04__W__t__G/01/09__Advent__Christmas/St__Nicholaus__4.html

Bernd das Brot

Bernd das Brot page at Kika: http://www.kika.de/fernsehen/a_z/b/bernd_das_brot/index.shtml

Freakonomics on Learning Languages

Freakonomics Blog Article on Learning Languages and Math

[More commentary to come]

Deutsche Welle Media Center

Think: Germany's BBC

DW Media Center auf Deutsch: http://mediacenter.dw-world.de/german/start/
DW Media Center auf Englisch: http://mediacenter.dw-world.de/english

This Week in Pictures -- Diese Woche in Bildern

Pinguine Spaziergang [walk] in Basel, in der Schweiz

This week in pictures: Click here

German Kids TV

1. ZDFtivi
2. Löwenzahn: Cool Science Show
3. Logo News for Kids
4. Kindernetz -- Kids Net
5. Kika

Many Germans are *quite* devoted to their soccer teams, both local and national.  And even if one's devotion to a team doesn't cross over into the religious, soccer is an indelible part of German and European experience.

Following a soccer team in a German-speaking country is one way to fulfill part of a week's homework requirement.  [Remember, on each Friday you will need to demonstrate to me that invested real effort in your German-Excursions outside of class.]

German Soccer League Site in English
German Soccer League Site auf Deutsch
The Soccer Magazine Kicker Online

Current Soccer Issues: Strategy: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15530662,00.html

PUMA -- German Sports Apparel Company

PUMA ist eine deutsche Brandmarke.

PUMA reveals plans for compostable sports apparel:
http://www.thelocal.de/money/20111112-38833.html

Here is a very readable page about PUMA as a company, i.e., what their mission is, what is important to them:
http://about.puma.com/
Same in German: http://about.puma.com/?lang=de

The history of Puma: http://about.puma.com/?cat=7
The same in German: http://about.puma.com/?cat=7&lang=de

http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/saf/prj/sig/mus/gch/enindex.htm

Over at Step Into German, the website from the San Francisco-branch of the Goethe Institute which specializes in music and soccer, they publish monthly the Top-10 German-language singles in Germany.

Take a look!

As of November 13, 2011, Tim Bendzko is up there with two songs, and I dig them both.  Students in my current German 4 class don't get how wickedly cool both songs are, but hey, like good troopers, they still studied the lyrics with me.

Casper is a unique and quite successful rapper, and one of his parents is American--  Check out this video of "So Perfekt":

Saint Martin's Day 11.11.11

Read this short, straight-forward article on Sankt Martinstag or Saint Martin's Day.

This page at Germany.Info is equally informative and straight-forward.  It included recipes for Weckmänner, the sweetbread-men which get baked for Sankt Martin [and sometimes into December], as well as audio clips of the songs typically sung.  [Here is the direct link to the recipe.]

This video features lines to a song which describes the scene that so many people associate with Saint Martin.  Namely, there is a beggar in the snow with mere rags for clothes to protect him from the ravages of winter.  Martin comes by and takes pity on the beggar.  He cuts his coat in half and gives it to the beggar.  [Here's hoping that he offered him some money or food, too!]

You don't have to be Catholic or of the Christian faith to appreciate how this image embodies what it means to be a human being.

Here is a cartoon-video of what a typical Sankt Martin Eve would look like [the parades usually happen on the 10th]

11.11.11 Karneval, the 5th Season, begins

Check out this short blog entry from Nikki over at Young Germany to read what she experienced last Friday.

This article over at The Local [Germany's News in English] is also quite good.