Every New Year's Eve (auf Deutsch:  Sylvester) there is a particular television tradition in Germany:  Dinner for One oder: der 90. Geburtstag.

This is about as traditional as the Dick Clark New Year's Eve Special from Times Square, except it comes on television on multiple different stations all evening long. So don't worry if you miss the first showing at 10:55 am, because it will be running constantly from 5:30 to 8 pm.

Dinner for One is well-known for its catch-phrase "The same procedure as every year!"

A great way to incorporate a small amount of German into your everyday life is to see the same thing day after day and to use something like this calendar from www.kalendar-365.eu. It's available as the whole year for 2014 or each month individually (if you click on the link for each individual month).

Click here to open the 2014 calendar and note a few things:

1. The weeks start on Mondays.
2. The major holidays are in red.
3. Those holiday dates are listed in German at the bottom of the calendar.

Do you use a German calendar for your every-day contact with German? What do you like about this calendar? Comment below and I'll be sure to answer any questions you might have.

Since 2007, the foreign spouse of a German national must be able to prove they can speak a certain level of German before they can legally stay in the country. It may sound simple, but isn't always, if perhaps you travel so much for work that you can't regularly attend a German course. Perhaps there simply are no German courses in your area. Or maybe you don't have the electricity, computer and internet connection necessary to visit a German-learning website, much less read the article below. Is it perhaps another option to have mandatory courses once the spouse has moved to Germany?

The European Court will decide at least one thing:  if the German tests are illegal, or if they are in accordance with European Union Guidelines.

Lesen Sie den Artikel "Deutschtest: Hohe Hürde für Ehepaare?" von der Deutsche Welle.

1. Bücher sind den Deutschen wichtig! Und vom 7. bis 13. Oktober gibt es, wie jedes Jahr, die Frankfurter Buchmesse.  Dieses Jahr ist der Ehrengast Brasilien.
2. Die Deutsche Jugend liest gern: 16% der Deutschen zwischen 12 und 19 Jahren lesen täglich in einem Buch. Im Durchschnitt lesen die Deutschen 8,9 Bücher im Jahr und am liebsten lesen sie Krimis (54%).
3. In Deutschland herscht für Bücher eine Preisbindung – das heisst, dass die Käuferin im kleinen Büchergeschäft den gleichen Preis bezahlt, wie die Käuferin im großen Geschäft.

There’s a lively conversation rolling around the internet about this ad, which just won the top prize at the “First Step Awards.” A young Hitler in his Austrian village is run-over and killed by a Mercedes-Benz* that recognizes dangers, before they appear. (The slogan used in the short film:  “Erkennt Gefahren, bevor sie entstehen".)

Meine Empfehlung:  Die Kommentare zu diesem Artikel unbedingt lesen!

Hier geht's zum Artikel bei Spiegel.de.

*Mercedes-Benz has officially distanced itself from the advertisement, as mentioned in the article linked above.

If you’re headed to Oktoberfest this year, be sure to check out the apron ties on the womens’ Dirndls. (Ja, Dirndl. 4 consonants all together. It’s the traditional Bavarian dress we all so know and (many of us) love. Here’s how to decipher whether a woman is committed or still on the market, plus a few more tips for your visit to Oktoberfest.

Click here to read the article on Spiegel.de.