Kultur 10, Richard Popp III

"Sorry We're Closed: The Challenge of Spending Money in Germany"

We've all heard a lot about keeping the peace, so to speak, in Germany and this fits right in fitting. Although in America this seems a bit crazy it doesn't for Germany. I heard from a German professor last semester that people aren't allowed to use their home trash compactors on Sundays because of the noise it makes. On the other hand, how much of a nuisance is having a store open late on a busy, main road? Maybe in smaller villages but in Berlin? Regardless, I think laws regarding keeping a store open late at night and on weekends are more economically driven.

"Booze Brothers: Father's Day Debauchery in Deutschland"

This article was both very confusing and funny to me. The author starts off coming in hot with the drunken claims about men on father's day and then toward the end slams on the breaks to say that women, neo-Nazis and others take part in this celebration. That being said my first question is "How many men truly participate in this drunk day?" It seems to me that father would go out and use this day to get with a few man friends and hit the bars for a bit to catch up on each others lives. If thats not the case then I'm moving to Germany on the birthday of my first child!

"Frohe Weinachten: A Visit to Germany's Christmas Markets"

I know how German's feel about Oktoberfest and given its long history in Germany it's quite obvious but I never had a clue how Germans felt about Christmas. Germany isn't necessarily a religious country by any means but with a little thought anyone should be able to extrapolate that they do not take festive seasons lightly religious or secularly driven. Growing up in Michigan and traveling around the state brought me across a lot billboards with advertisements for the largest Christmas store in America/Michigan, Im not entirely sure. It's apparently a point of pride but this article redefines pride when it comes to Christmas store pride. I wonder how they'd match up.