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01 Jun 2011 11:02

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World: German E.coli outbreak making people sick, pissing off Spain

  • 1,500 people, mostly in Germany, have been sickened by E.coli — a dramatic increase
  • 16 people have died in the outbreak; 365 new cases of the disease were discovered Wednesday
  • ??? the source of the outbreak — initially thought to be Spanish cucumber source
  • » Contradictions and conflict: Despite the findings of new cases by the Robert Koch Institute, a German disease control agency, European Union Health Commissioner John Dalli was recently on record for saying this: “According to the latest information we have available from Germany, it appears that the outbreak is on the decline. Fewer people have been hospitalized over the past couple of days than before.” Uh, not so much. Also, Spain (already struggling with the highest unemployment of the European Union) is very upset that their cucumbers were slandered by Germany, and is considering legal action. Either way, if you’re in Europe — particularly Germany — you might want to be extra-careful when eating food.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 May 2011 10:03

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World: John Demjanjuk convicted after lengthy Nazi death camp trial

  • before John Demjanjuk, a 91-year-old retired U.S. autoworker, is reportedly a notorious Nazi death camp prison guard. As a result of this he lost his U.S. citizenship and has been tried on various charges since the 1980s.
  • now After his extradition to Germany in 2009, he was tried in a lengthy trial that ended with his conviction as an accessory to murder at a death camp. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Note that he’s 91.
  • next He was released pending appeal. As Demjanjuk no longer has a country to call his own (he’s literally a citizen of nowhere), he’s pretty much stuck in Germany until the appeals go through. Again, he’s 91. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 10:41

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World: German defense minister learns about the dark side of plagiarism

  • In case you need a reminder that plagiarism doesn’t pay, meet Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. The German defense minister, who is a rising political star in the country and makes our career look like the joke it is, resigned over allegations that he pilfered large parts of his doctoral thesis. “I informed the chancellor in a very friendly conversation that I’m resigning from political offices and requested to be relieved. It’s the most painful step of my life,” he said. He admitted to “grave errors” in the 2007 thesis, but emphasized that he did not plagiarize it. However, this goes against what German media found – scores of pilfered phrases from other documents. The end result? Guttenberg no longer has a doctorate. On the plus side, we’re now on the same playing field as he is. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2011 13:10

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Offbeat: German man charged over endangered tarantula sale

  • 247 tarantulas mailed from Germany to Los Angeles source
  • » “Operation Spiderman” was a success. Federal authorities, posing as tarantula buyers, successfully ordered five packages worth, including 22 Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, a species protected under international convention. Sven Koppler, the German national who made the sale, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Jan 2011 09:57

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World: Is German farm feed manufacturer behind tainted egg outbreak?

  • 4,700 dioxin-sporting German farms quarantined source
  • » Blame it on the eggs, yeah yeah: The farms have been quarantined in the wake of a tained egg scandal reportedly caused by some possibly contaminated animal feed. Harles and Jentzsch, the makers of a fatty acid used by animal feed producers, noticed high levels of dioxins but reportedly did nothing to stop the spread of the fatty acid. So now, we’re here. Oops.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Dec 2010 12:12

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Culture: Shocking injury on German television overshadows Justin Bieber

  • bad Last night, Justin Bieber had to cancel a planned performance on German television at the last second. (So did the reunited Take That.) Always a bad day when that happens to the Bieb.
  • worse It was because a guy trying an insane stunt involving spring-propelled stilts, Samuel Koch, failed at his attempt on the show and is severely injured, possibly paralyzed. Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Nov 2010 10:17

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World: Explosive device turns out to be security-testing “test device”

  • good A U.S. security company, looking to test an airline route, put a “test bag” that looked like a bomb on a plane recently.
  • better The bag worked. Airport security officials noticed the suspect device almost immediately, and did their jobs.
  • bad The bag was the one involved in this mess, which annoyed the piss out of hundreds of Nambian travelers. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Nov 2010 10:27

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World: Suspicious device found on flight headed to Germany

  • OK, who tried to bring the bomb on the flight from Nambia to Munich? Germany, already on high alert after warnings of a potential terror attack, had good reason to worry: A suitcase with a fuse, clock and wires was found with the cargo on a plane headed from Windhoek, Nambia to one of Germany’s largest cities. Eventually, the 296 inconvenienced passengers were allowed to take their flight – but without their luggage in the cargo bin. Hope they brought most of their stuff on carry-on. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Nov 2010 10:55

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World: Germany braces for potential terrorist attack later this month

Germany is on its P’s and Q’s after reports of Islamic militant groups plotting to attack the country. This guy’s helping out now that he knows how to use his walkie. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Nov 2010 11:11

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Biz, World: Ireland getting peer pressure to take bailouts to ease debt

  • Anyone know where Ireland can find 15 billion euros by Tuesday? The country of potato bread and U2 (to grossly oversimplify) needs some extra money to allay fears of other, fiscally stronger European countries, such as Germany, as well as to calm local markets, which went haywire on Friday on debt concerns. Ireland denies the need for an immediate bailout (despite a banking system in tatters), but outside sources, such as Barclay’s Capital, suggest that the country could need €80 billion (or $110 billion) in bailouts between 2011 and 2013. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that political needs (including her own) may be in play. “There may be a conflict here between the interests of the financial world and the interests of politicians,” she said. One source suggests the possibility of an Irish default could hurt her crisis-resolution plans. Meanwhile, Ireland plans to release a budget next month it hopes will ease debt concerns. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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