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Germany is being fined 2 billion euros because it missed it's CO2 commitment by 3%. But that's just cherry-picking again, right?

The average IQ in Afghanistan and Syria is in the 80's

https://iq-research.info/en/pa...

Even the migrants with University education have an IQ in the 90's

https://www.focus.de/finanzen/...

Even in an elite group, engineering students from the Gulf States, there is one big difference: their competencies are two to four years less behind those of comparable German engineering students. These results are underpinned by a recent study in Chemnitz: Asylum seekers with university studies had an average IQ of 93 in mathematical and figurative tasks - a skill level of native high school students.

The average age of an Audi when recycled is 19 years (source).

Perhaps there's a Zoology Masters research project in working out ways to keep birds (and bats) away from the turbines.

Dead birds -> biomass -> energy. Sounds like an added bonus to me :-)

More serious reply: According to an article on the website of German magazine "Focus" http://www.focus.de/wissen/kli... the bird observatory Brandenburg has a database of all recorded cases of birds killed by wind turbines in Germany. Since 1989, there have been 681 dead birds on record. Other researchers more critical of wind turbines estimate that by far not all dead birds are found, though, due to other animals eating them, the birds not dying right next to the wind turbine etc. and so they think the real number is more like 10000 to 100000 birds killed by wind turbines per year - which still would mean only about 1-5 dead birds for each of the 20000 wind turbines in Germany, per year. That does not sound TOO horrible to me.

... how fast the documents east germanie's secret agency stasi (they were top of their time) had on NSA spying disappeared after the reunion.

"Eltern haften für Ihre Kinder" => "Parents are liable for their Children"

Is a sign that is used around construction sites in Germany. I have seen it all my life but it basically is complete bullshit.
There are a LOT of cases where children may damage the property of others but the parents will not have to pay.
I don't know who makes these retarded laws.

http://www.focus.de/finanzen/r...

* 2014 and Slashdot has problems with Umlauts - why do I still come here? .... keep focusing on your fucking Beta UI!

Not here in the USA, parent's are financially responsible for their children until they are 18. I know because I got emancipated when I was 17 because I had left home at 16 and my parents didn't want to be responsible for anything I did.

"Eltern haften für Ihre Kinder" => "Parents are liable for their Children"

Is a sign that is used around construction sites in Germany. I have seen it all my life but it basically is complete bullshit.
There are a LOT of cases where children may damage the property of others but the parents will not have to pay.
I don't know who makes these retarded laws.

http://www.focus.de/finanzen/r...

* 2014 and Slashdot has problems with Umlauts - why do I still come here? .... keep focusing on your fucking Beta UI!

Here is some info about Germany (use Google translate):

http://www.test.de/Deutsche-Bahn-Wie-puenktlich-fahren-die-Zuege-wirklich-1617492-2617492/

Note in particular that people reached only half the train connections without problems.

Here are some more news stories (these probably aren't the best ones to illustrate the problems, just some examples):

http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/handel-dienstleister/deutsche-bahn-bund-will-konkurrenz-auf-der-schiene-foerdern-seite-all/7154850-all.html

http://www.focus.de/finanzen/news/wirtschaftsticker/verband-kritisiert-bahn-verspaetungen-schaden-unternehmen_aid_1067256.html

Try some comparisons between car and train routes:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=chemnitz&daddr=fulda&hl=en&ll=50.785102,11.228027&spn=2.927746,4.493408&sll=50.951506,11.304932&sspn=2.917317,4.493408&geocode=FUWSBwMdGirFACnpnf0BX0anRzEc0XUJKPjdUQ%3BFaJrAwMdzbeTACktufnpSTSjRzEwq7ApUEMiBA&mra=ltm&t=m&z=8

Note that for trains, you usually lose a couple of hours due to scheduling: they don't run exactly when you need them to, and you need to leave an extra couple of hours to allow for delays and missed connections.

Trust me, I have traveled a lot on trains in Europe. It's great fun as a tourist when you don't have to worry about time or schedules; as a practical means of transportation, it sucks.

You can do what you want at home, but if your kid's going to be sharing a space with others then you've got to respect those others' basic right to health.

Exactly. If a child has not been vaccinated and there are no valid reasons for not vaccinating (e.g allergies or whatever), that child should not be allowed in public schools / kindergarten.

In Germany, the large political parties are thinking about mandatory vaccinations: http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/zahl-der-masern-ausbrueche-steigt-union-und-spd-erwaegen-impf-pflicht-fuer-alle_aid_1042699.html

Non-Americans don't even have the same business models that drive traffic to US sites. They don't even have per-story comments [...]

It would have been sufficient to RTFA to see that you are wrong. Underneath the text even the Google translation shows quite prominently "Read comments (162 posts)". Let us visit the largest German news websites that I can name off the top of my head and click on an exemplary story to see who has per-story comments:

• Süddeutsche Zeitung: check
• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: check
• Die Welt: check
• Der Spiegel: check
• Focus: check
• Stern: no
• TAZ: check
• Tagesschau online: check

7 out of 8 have per-story comments. This business model has very much arrived here.

Current pension age in Germany is 67. Was raised from 65 a few years ago.

Currently, politicians test the waters every few months in demanding a raise to 69 years. (see German magazine Focus (large MSM news) in 2009 http://www.focus.de/politik/weitere-meldungen/rentenalter-anhebung-auf-69-jahre-sei-schlechter-scherz_aid_418805.html)

How people outside of a comfy office are expected to work when 67 years old is beyond my imagination. Grandpas doing construction work, on scaffolding 500m above ground, at 7am in the morning, in 4 degree cold and rain? Who would or could do that?

Sorry, but you have totally misunderstood the case. There was no law against Open Wifi, in fact there was no fine or damages involved.

However due to the copyright infringement that did occur on the user's network he was liable for the [capped] lawyer fees involved in sending him the cease-and-decist letter.

The law in question actually stops copyright holders from demanding damages and limits this kind of cases to a maximum of 100 Euros in compensation [to the complainant].

The judge stated that users have a responsibility under German law to secure their networks, simply turning on encryption and changing the default password, based upon the existing legal situation.

Even if the user fails to secure it, properly or not, he could not be held liable for damages.

"Wer folglich ein nach diesen Kritierien unzureichend gesichertes oder gar gänzlich offenes WLAN betreibt, kann künftig für jede Urheberrechtsverletzung auf Unterlassung in Anspruch genommen werden, die über den Anschluss begangen worden ist. Allerdings dürften nunmehr die zu erstattenden Abmahnkosten auf 100 Euro beschränkt sein, außerdem muss kein Schadensersatz an den Rechteinhaber geleistet werden."

http://www.focus.de/digital/computer/bundesgerichtshof-wlan-betreiber-muessen-ihr-netz-schuetzen_aid_507474.html

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/BGH-schraenkt-Folgen-der-Stoererhaftung-fuer-WLAN-Betreiber-ein-998591.html

Oops, I mean: German article here

Here's some links, unfortunately, they're in German:

http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/DE/Content/Statistiken/Verkehr/Verkehrsunfaelle/Tabellen/Content75/UnfaelleVerunglueckte,templateId=renderPrint.psml http://www.focus.de/auto/autoaktuell/unfallstatistik_aid_54847.html

Basically, only 12% of the fatal accidents in Germany happen on the Autobahn, where in turn most of the kilometers are driven.

It is quite surprising how long the rumor keeps circulating that the German BKA plans to send its trojan as an email attachment. Of course, those folks are not that stupid.
What they is actually going to happen is that they will most likely break into a suspects house the conventional secret service style. During such a visit, they will figure out the best approach to place the trojan on the suspects machine. Then, they will tailor-make the trojan for this specific machine. Different methods are conceivable to actually place the trojan onto the machine. Could be a second break-in into the apartment -- or indeed an email attachment. What they will definitely not do is send random-guess emails that depend on the suspect's stupidity.
See http://www.focus.de/digital/computer/chip-exklusiv /chip-exklusiv_aid_68603.html (in German) for some information.
In that light, what is happening in Germany is actually not that new. Spy equipment is being used since ages. It is only a little step to also cover suspects' PCs -- and it is happening most likely already today and in many countries.

Funny how things happen. GWB looked into his eyes ... and Gerhard Schroeder, our (Germany) former Chancellor, was (and still is) convinced that Vladimir is a "... flawless democrat... " see http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/putin_nid_4084 7.html (german) and http://politicsandpress.com/2007/vlad-the-great-st rides-west/ (english)

a brusqueness that we find unacceptabl

This sounds faked, especially because the Focus Magazine homepage is littered with Microsoft paraphenelia and is tied in with MSN. You people need to stop taking everything against Microsoft and running with it! Sometimes it is just a hoax!

How do /. editors know that this was a real interview ?

This link is not even on FOCUS magazine's website

This post fooled you all
The interview link in the post is on The Cantrip Corpus
website

cantrip: (kän tRip), n. (Chiefly Scot.)
1. a magical charm or enchantment; 2. an elaborate deception or prank.
corpus: (kôr pus), n., pl. -pora,
1. a complete set of writings; 2. a dead body.

How do /. editors know that this was a real interview ?

This link is not even on FOCUS magazine's website

This post fooled you all
The interview link in the post is on The Cantrip Corpus
website

cantrip: (kän tRip), n. (Chiefly Scot.)
1. a magical charm or enchantment; 2. an elaborate deception or prank.
corpus: (kôr pus), n., pl. -pora,
1. a complete set of writings; 2. a dead body.