Making Phone Calls in German-Speaking Countries

Gone are the days when most European countries had one state monopoly phone company run by the post office—the former PTT: Post, Telefon, Telegraf. Things have changed! Although the former German monopoly Deutsche Telekom is still dominant, German homes and businesses can now select from a variety of phone companies. On the street you see people walking around with their Handys (cell/mobile phones). This article deals with several aspects of using a telephone in German: (1) practical Telefon how-tos, (2) vocabulary related to the equipment and telecommunications in general, and (3) expressions and vocabulary concerning good phone etiquette and making yourself understood on the phone, along with our annotated English-German Telephone Glossary. Talking on the phone is an important skill for English-speakers in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, or anyone who needs to make a long-distance call (ein Ferngesprà ¤ch) to a German-speaking country. But just because you know how to use a telephone at home doesnt necessarily mean youre ready to cope with a public phone in Germany. An American business person who is quite capable of handling any business situation can quickly be at a loss in an unfamilar German telephone booth/box (die Telefonzelle). But, you say, anyone I want to call probably has a cell phone anyway. Well, you better have the right Handy or youre out of luck. Most U.S. wireless phones are useless in Europe or just about anywhere outside of North America. Youll need a multi-band GSM-compatible phone. (If you dont know what GSM or multi-band means, see our GSM phone page for more about using ein Handy in Europe.) A German or Austrian public phone can be confusing if youve never seen one before.  Just to complicate matters more, some public phones are coin-only, while others are phone card-only. (European phone cards are so-called smart cards that keep track of a cards remaining value as its used.) On top of that, some phones at German airports are credit card phones that take Visa or Mastercard. And, of course, a German phone card wont work in an Austrian card phone or vice versa. Just knowing how to say Hello! on the phone is an important social and business skill. In Germany you usually answer the phone by saying your last name. German phone subscribers must pay per-minute charges for all calls, including even local calls (das Ortsgesprà ¤ch). This explains why Germans dont spend as much time on the phone as most Americans. Students staying with a host family need to know that even when they call a friend in the same town or across the street, they shouldnt talk for long stretches like they may at home. Using the telephone in a foreign country is an excellent example of how language and culture go together. If you dont know the vocabulary involved, thats a problem. But if you are unfamiliar with how the phone system works, thats also a problem— even if you know the vocabulary.

Napoleon Info Essay - 740 Words

Successes | Reasons for Success | Failures | Reasons for Failure | Concordat of 1801 | It solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France | Creation of Republics | He rules as a dictator, there was no real voting power for anyone | Abolition of serfdom and feudalism | The republic saw that all citizens were equal | Continental system | Cause economic problems throughout Europe | Code Napoleon | It was confusing that the localities of France had different laws, and having set uniform laws made life easier | Invasion of Russia | Unbearable weather, lack of food for soldiers to forage, and lack of preparation | Economic stimulation | The†¦show more content†¦He states that hes â€Å"clear and decisive† which isnt enough to support my claim but when followed by â€Å"gifted† proves my claim true. Goethe also metaphorically compares him to a â€Å"demigod.† This shows that he idolizes Napoleon far more than the average fan would. The comment of Napoleon going from â€Å"victory to victory† and the claim that his fate was â€Å"more brilliant than the world has ever seen or is likely to see after him† shows that Goethe is blinded. Napoleon has lost a number of battles and the end of his reign was far from brilliant. In conclusion, Goethe idolizes Napoleon on a completely different level. B.John Adams, unlike Goethe, seems to despise Napoleon. He starts of strong with â€Å"a mighty bubble† meaning he thinks Napoleon isnt near as great as others say. He also says â€Å"a whirlwind raised and a whirlwind blowed him away† which shows he doesnt care about his past nor future. He also calls him a â€Å"creature† and states that his birth was a disaster. 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Movie Summary Exit Through the Gift Shop Essay Example For Students

Movie Summary Exit Through the Gift Shop Essay â€Å"Exit Through the Gift Shop† is a thought provoking film about what is art, and what is imitation. The movie features the story of Thierry Guetta, a video tapping addict that becomes a self-proclaimed street artist. â€Å"Exit Through the Gift Shop† is not just about the life of Thierry; it is about street art as a passion. The film questions whether Thierry is insane. He starts carrying a camera with him everywhere and filming every aspect of his life. His fixation with video tapping leads to recording street artists. It starts with his cousin, the Invader, who posts space invader mosaics all over the streets. Later, Thierry meets Shepard Fairey and starts filming his street art. Thierry follows Shepard on trips and films him creating his art. He tells Shepard and all the other artists that he films that he is making a street art documentary. Thierry has no real talent. He is just a guy obsessed with recording everything with his video camera that never really intends on making a street art documentary. Thierry became obsessed with the arriving street artist Banksy. He is determined to find the street artist that never shows his face. One day, Thierry receives a call that Banksy asked for Thierry to record his street art. Banksy says that he â€Å"needed someone who knew how to work a camera. † Thierry records Banksy’s works and after a while is forced to sit down and make the â€Å"documentary† he promised all the street artists. Banksy admits that the movie suckes, therefore, Banksy sends Thierry off to post some of his own works on the streets. It is then that Thierry turns from a recording addict, to a street art addict. It is a question as to whether Thierry is a real artist or just another fake? Thierry skips the journey into becoming a street artist, and jumps head first into opening one of the biggest street art events. Banksy got word of the event and sends some of his guys over to help. Thierry is not a very active part in this gallery. It is as if everyone else is doing the work, and he gets the credit. Thierry finds inspiration from already existing art and uses Photoshop to create new works. His art serves as nothing more than pieces to please the eye. His works even have Banksy and Shepard questioning whether art is real. Art is defined as a work of human imagination, but it is so much more than just a picture someone produces. Art has meaning and makes people feel a certain way. In order for a piece to truly be considered art, there has to be some sort of though provoking mechanism. Thierry makes art about the money, but as Banksy states â€Å"it’s not about the money. † Art is having something to say, and saying it through an image. The question still remains, is art real or just an illusion? Maybe art is all about what each person wants art to be. There are movies that do not require though, so why should any other type of art be different. Some things are just pretty objects used to escape life, while others provide an opportunity to examine it. â€Å"Exit Through the Gift Shop† reveals these two polar sides of art; Thierry’s eye pleasing works as well as Banksy’s and Shepard’s works of thought. The movie itself is an artwork filled with thought and passion that questions what it truly means to be a work of art; a question that is only answered through opinionated individuals.

Objectivity In Journalism Essays - Media Bias,

Objectivity In Journalism Merriam Webster defines objectivity as expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations. Objectivity, as defined by the school of media ethics, means standing so far from the community that you see all events and all viewpoints as equally distant and important, or unimportant for that matter. It is employed by giving equal weight to all viewpoints--or, if not, giving all an interesting twist, within taste. The result is a presentation of facts in a true non-partisan manner, and then standing back to let the reader decide which view is true. By going about it this way, we are defining objectivity not by the way we go about gathering and interpreting the news, but by what we actually put in the paper. It can be measured out by allocating so many lines for this group, and so many lines for that group. To be fair, we should spread out our resources as evenly as possible. The critics get a lot to chew on when that is the definition of objectivity. One form of reaction is to say, Objectivity is impossible! No matter how we spread our resources, we'll never get it right. We might as well be honest, and listen to our subjective inner voices, and write and report from a neutral point of view. Some journalists who think that way will surely rely on public journalism as an excuse to paint with a biased brush. Of course it is impossible for a journalist to be completely objective because journalists are human and humans are subjective by nature. It is possible, however, for journalists to strive to be objective. A journalist may not like the Ku Klux Klan or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes but must understand the need to report about groups and organizations that have an impact on the community. Journalists have to put personal feelings and beliefs aside when dealing with the news. If the ideal of objectivity is hard to grasp, then perhaps better words are fair, impartial, neutral or balanced. It is the last concept of balance that is in practice each day for journalists. Each story a journalist writes must present the facts accurately and provide a balanced view of both sides of the issue. For example, if a journalist finds accurate information about the mayor stealing funds from the public, the mayor must be given the opportunity to respond and explain the circumstances. The notion that journalists must maintain objectivity is a relatively new concept. The early American publishers were involved in politics and helped bring about the Revolution. Thomas Paine is admired for his words on freedom for the common man, and in motivating the colonies to rebel against the British Redcoats. Thomas Paine wrote, These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. I love the Internet as a journalistic platform, but I certainly see that it has as many flaws as traditional journalism. When I see the constant barrage of attacks from political partisans on the right and the left accusing journalists of being partial to the other side, If the journalists are getting attacked from both sides, it probably means they are doing a pretty good job of being fair and objective 'mainstream' journalists. Before the Internet, the non-mainstream wasn't readily visible; we didn't have easy access to anything but the mainstream. When the Internet opened us up to a vast world of sidestream opinion and culture, it made us second-guess the mainstream media. The Internet revealed to us that the big mainstream media corporations weren't really telling us that's the way it is but that's the way it is in order for certain media corporations to capture a share of the mass market. From being on the Internet, I'm probably more skeptical of everything I read, both on and off the Net. I am even more skeptical of Internet publications than I am of the mainstream. Gatekeepers aren't necessarily a bad thing. Those lessons I was taught in journalism classes