What are some mind blowing facts about Germany?

 

Jai A Upadhyay

 

Lives in New 

What are some mind blowing facts about Germany?

1. Germany is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of 82 million among which 15 million people are of non-German descent.
2. 
   

1. There are over 150 castles in Germany.
2. The Christmas tree (Tannenbaum) tradition came from Germany.
   

1. Beers
   There are 1,300 beer breweries in Germany, nearly four times as many as all the other countries in the EU combined, making some 5,000 kinds of beer. German people are the world's third biggest beer drinkers after the Czechs and Austria.
   This love affair is truly made manifest during a span between late September and early October, when Oktoberfest is celebrated in Munich. Millions from around the world flock to the city to take part in the spectacle, where girls in dirndl dresses serve very strong beer in Maßkrug one-liter mugs. Perhaps not surprisingly, this excessive consumption can lead to problems, such as people fighting or passing out from intoxication. Those given to such massive overindulgence are dubbed Bierleichen (beer corpses).
   

1. Germany is one of the last Western European countries not to have banned smoking in workplaces, and restaurants.
   One of the political reason for this is that the Nazi officially frowned on smoking, and post-war German legislators have been afraid of imitating Nazi regulations.
2. The oldest sun observatory currently known in Europe is the so-called Goseck circle in Saxony-Anhalt. It was built some 7,000 years ago.
3. Ulm Cathedral is the tallest church in the world, with 161.53 metres (530 feet) in height.
   

1. The German Autobahn
   It is the oldest motorway network in the world (first section completed in 1932), as well as one of the densest (12,000 km for a country of 357,021 km²). It is also the only one in Europe to have no general speed limit. 65% of the Autobahn (highway) has no speed limit. The federal expressways of Germany are known for one thing—their lack of speed limit. With the exception of certain areas, such as those under construction, the entire network of highways operates under an unenforced advisory limit of 130 kph (81 mph). Studies have shown that despite the potential for recklessness, the average driver clocks in around 140 kph (87 mph). Germany is, however, the home of several high-performance automobile manufacturers, like Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, and BMW, and it is not uncommon to see vehicles traveling in excess of 240 kph (150 mph). While accidents are comparatively rare on the autobahn, any crash at such a speed is catastrophic.
   

1. Wedding Abductions
   In rural sections of Germany, the bride is often “kidnapped” by friends prior to the wedding, forcing the groom to hunt for her. Typically, she is moved between a series of taverns. The husband-to-be buys his friends rounds of beer as he searches for his fiance. It is not unheard of for this ritual to devolve into drunken chaos.
   

References:
http://www.eupedia.com/germany/trivia.shtml
http://truenomads.com/2013/04/interesting-facts-about-germany/
http://listverse.com/2013/07/21/ten-fascinating-facts-about-germany/

WHEN TO BE SILENT

 

Posted by 

Ayaz Ali

 

1. Be silent - in the heat of

anger.

2. Be silent - when you don't

have all the facts.

3. Be silent - when you

haven't verified the story.

4. Be silent - if your words

will offend a weaker Person.

5. Be silent - when it is time

to listen.

6. Be silent - when you are

tempted to make light of

holy things.

7. Be silent - when you are

tempted to joke about sin.

8. Be silent - if you would be

ashamed of your word later.

9. Be silent - if your words

would convey the wrong

impression.

10. Be silent - if the issue is

none of your business.

11. Be silent - when you are

tempted to tell an outright lie.

12. Be silent - if your words

will damage someone else's reputation.

13. Be silent - if your words

will damage a friendship.

14. Be silent - when you are

feeling critical.

15. Be silent - if you can't

say it without screaming.

16. Be silent - if your words

will be a poor reflection

of your friends and family.

17. Be silent - if you may

have to eat your words

later.

18. Be silent - if you have

already said it more

than one time.

19. Be silent - when you are

tempted to flatter a

wicked person.

20. Be silent - when you are

supposed to be working

instead.

"WHOEVER GUARDS HIS MOUTH AND TONGUE KEEPS HIS SOUL FROM TROUBLES".

If you speak standard German, how hard is it to understand Austrian and Swiss German dialects?

 

Cross into Austria, and a tomato is suddenly a Paradeiser. Cross into Switzerland, and standard German loses its simple past tense entirely.

The German language operates on a vast dialect continuum, meaning that local speech changes gradually from region to region. For someone accustomed only to standard German (Hochdeutsch), the difficulty of understanding these southern neighbors varies dramatically between the two countries.

Austrian German is generally highly accessible to standard German speakers, provided the conversation remains relatively formal. In schools, media, and business, Austrians use Austrian Standard German, which is essentially identical to standard German in grammar but features distinct vocabulary—like the aforementioned Paradeiser or Erdapfel (potato)—and pronunciation. Still, mutual intelligibility remains extremely high. However, when Austrians switch to their local Bavarian-Austrian dialects in casual settings—such as deep Tyrolean or broad Viennese—the difficulty spikes. Vowels are shifted, consonants are softened, and entire syllables are swallowed, leaving standard speakers guessing at the context based on context clues.

Swiss German, or Schwiizerdütsch, presents a much steeper challenge. It is not a single language but a collection of Alemannic dialects that differ significantly from standard German in almost every linguistic category. For a standard German speaker, listening to heavy Swiss German can feel like trying to understand Dutch: the roots are familiar, but the execution is deeply foreign.

Swiss German dialects feature unique phonology, most notably the heavy, guttural "ch" sound used in words where standard German uses a "k" (such as Chind instead of Kind for "child"). Grammar is also drastically altered; as mentioned, it relies entirely on the perfect tense to discuss the past. Furthermore, it incorporates heavy French influences in its vocabulary, such as using Velo for bicycle or Trottoir for sidewalk.

Because Swiss people use their dialects in nearly all daily situations—from casual chats to television broadcasts and parliamentary debates—a standard German speaker moving to Switzerland usually requires months of immersion just to understand conversations passively. While Austrians can easily smooth out their dialect to accommodate a standard German speaker, Swiss Germans often have to actively switch to standard German. To many Swiss speakers, standard German feels like a foreign language used primarily for reading and writing, rather than a native spoken tongue.

How to develop strong presence & personality?

 

Answered by 

Steve Kerwick

1. Always walk with confidence. Shoulders back, chest out, head up. Take slow measured strides.
2. Listen intently and maintain eye contact.
3. Pause before speaking. Make silence your friend and make others anticipate your words.
4. Always maintain control over your emotions. Remain calm and poised at all times.
5. Ask lots of questions before speaking your mind.
6. Show compassion, empathy and sympathy towards others who deserve it.
7. Never admonish others in public or in front of friends, family or colleagues. Do it in private.
8. Always dress sharper than what’s called for on the invitation.
9. Never be drunk, distraught, embarrassed or panicked in public. Show that you are always calm, cool and collected.
10. Be humble, courteous and kind to everyone you meet.
11. Stand your ground against bullies, loud mouths and know-it-alls, but do not engage them. Simply look through them with unblinking, intelligent disgust and move on.
12. Treat women with respect and dignity. Offer your seat, open the door, let them go first.
13. Don’t brag, embellish or inflate stories about yourself or your adventures. Stay mysterious.
14. Always negotiate from a position of power.
15. Never let anyone know your plans, your business, your successes or failures.

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1 of 4 answer

Is it good to eat banana in the morning?

 

Theresa Belvis

 · 

Medical PractitionerMay 30

Every day, my grandmother would put slices of bananas into her porridge before consuming it, without any fear of anything related to the ongoing nutritional debate because at her age, there were none.

My grandmother lived until she turned ninety-one. During her life, she managed to make her cardiovascular system be better than those who were decades younger than her. Every year during an appointment with a doctor, he pointed that out as one of the puzzles he would never be able to solve. However, she always told him that she had not stopped eating her fruits.

I found out the following years about how smart her idea was because it is precisely what modern-day research tells people should eat. Namely, she never ate her bananas alone. Instead, she always consumed them together with some other products she could find in her pantry, such as some nuts or seeds or even a small spoon of peanut butter.

Thus, she was unknowingly providing her body with all the essential nutrients needed to keep her healthy and energetic. The potassium provided by that daily banana helped maintain her cardiovascular system healthy for decades. In addition, she was receiving sufficient amounts of magnesium needed for good muscle and nerve activity, which made her be sharp in mind and energetic in the last two decades of her life. Moreover, due to the consumption of underripe bananas, she was supplying her gut bacteria with resistant starches.

What genuinely nourished people across generations was never complicated or expensive. It was simply real food eaten with the kind of practical wisdom that grandmothers carried instinctively before nutrition became an industry. Natural foods used with genuine knowledge have healed real people from the inside out. That knowledge is worth finding.

What are the reasons behind the trend of Filipino women dating foreigners and wanting to permanently leave their country?

 

Ghemma Marie

 · 

I will give an unfiltered answer here, and apology in advance if it sparks an offensive connotation.

To begin with, it all starts with the Filipino perception that a "greener pasture" is a place somewhere outside the Philippines. I'm a Filipino, and I admit I am not different with that kind of mindset because.. it really is. Life in the Philippines (if you're poor) is very hard.

There are Filipino professionals who practiced their professions overseas but mostly, we land a job that doesn't match our qualifications (if you're not a graduate in any medical field). Plus processing a work visa to work outside the Philippines, say, western countries, is not easy, and costly and most Filipino job hunters don't have these requirements.

And so, yeah, to make it short here comes the fiancé visa. Which is easier to obtain for an Asian woman if she found a foreign suitable partner. A fiancé visa (K-1) is far more accessible and straightforward if you have a U.S/ western partner, as work visas require an employer sponsor. Although, work visas offer permanent resident paths and immediate employment, whereas a fiancé visa requires marrying within 90 days and a lengthy wait to get a work permit.

I never saw an actual demonstration of extreme feminism but I think that plays a big factor why western men shift their romantic interest toward Asian women, plus of course, several factors like cultural stereotypes, relationship priorities, and physical preferences. Western men flocked to Asian countries to look for a suitable partner and bring home their wife and establish a life together.

I won't ignore the idea that there's feelings involved. There is, of course. Feelings developed overtime. But let's be realistic here, for a Filipina woman, western countries are a land of opportunities and they will grab every chance to get there the easier way, and that is to find a foreign man. In some cases, the foreign man, who usually a retiree, wants to settle down in the Philippines.

The main reason I see why some Filipina women wanting to leave their country and settle overseas is it is easier to help their family back home. Once the Filipina wife granted a, say, a US citizenship, it will be much easier for her to help her family back home or bringing them to work there.

What should we eat on an empty stomach in the morning to stay healthy?

When we wake up in the morning, our body needs something light, clean and full of energy.. So it's better to start the day with some simple food..

Here are few things which you can consider :

• Warm water with lemon : it will clean your stomach and helps with digestion.
• Banana or few soaked almonds : provides good energy and are easy to eat.
• A simple fruit : like apple, papaya etc.. Don't go for sour fruits.
• Coconut water : you will feel fresh and it's good for body..

Many people takes coffee or tea as soon as they wakeup.. That's not suggestible.. First take a simple food and then you can have tea or coffee.