71–80 of 91 posts
If someone chooses to spend several years of her life only in order to get a few letters in front of her name, that's her problem. Meanwhile, the rest of us can get out there and do something productive. Degree obsession is a choice.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your first point basically matches mine - in a lot of other countries, it is an act of God. Only in central European countries is it considered to be the responsibility of the home owner. After all, if you don't have power over that sidewalk, why should you have responsibility over it? Unless, of course, it works out as best for the society... Germany has something like the absolute best set of bicycle lanes of any c…
In USA it is also your responsibility. No, it is not an act of GOD for the simple fact that the fall a lot of times is caused by a damaged sidewalk. Fixing up the sidewalk is always the owner's responsibility. At least that is the case in New York City.
It seems like the OP is from Scotland, where snow rarely falls and when it does, it doesn't stick around. I wonder if snow removal laws are more a matter of climate than culture.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nope, lived in Hamburg for 3 years and lived in Berlin for 3 months. In fact, southern Germany is the part of the country that I know the least! ;-)
Weird. I've lived in Hamburg all my life and I've yet to see anybody be scorned for jaywalking. The same basically goes for family models, I've been to more homes where everyone just sort of does their own thing than I've been to homes where the family gathers round at a table and eats together, although that one definitely is also not a rarity. Is it elsewhere?
This article seems to not mention another important fact for Schavan: If she loses the Doctorate, she will not have any degree whatsoever . The Doctorate is the only degree she ever did, she does not hold a Magister. (→ Grundständige Promotion) The English wikipedia entry has that added by now, however, it doesn't list any sources...so in that sense: http://www.heise.de/tp/blogs/8/153683 & http://www.wiwo.de/politik/…
"“I just think that many Germans have a police gene in their genetic makeup,”" Lol, discussion Godwin'ed by the OP itself - the NYT, no less.
Well, I'm living in Germany and I'm inclined to side with the NYT on this.
Anyway, I wasn't so much saying that the article is wrong as that the snide tone of the remark came across as somewhat unbecoming of a purportedly 'serious' publication as the NYT.
I don't think that Germans have a "Title-fetish", in general they couldn't care less. I'm working in engineering, having a Physics PhD myself, but titles are never mentioned in daily work. Politicians on the other hand had always tried to give themselves some additinal credibility by bragging about their alleged academic merits, but searching for plagiatism was not something anyone would seriously had thought to enda…
Isn't the professional title on german ID cards?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In USA it is also your responsibility. No, it is not an act of GOD for the simple fact that the fall a lot of times is caused by a damaged sidewalk. Fixing up the sidewalk is always the owner's responsibility. At least that is the case in New York City.
Chicago too. And the landowner can also be be ticketed by the police for not clearing his snow. It seems like the OP is from Scotland, where snow rarely falls and when it does, it doesn't stick around. I wonder if snow removal laws are more a matter of climate than culture.
Germans place a greater premium on doctorates than Americans do as marks of distinction and erudition. [...] According to the Web site Research in Germany, about 25,000 Germans earn doctorates each year, the most in Europe and about twice the per capita rate of the United States. Visiting a university in Germany is almost free. More people having a "Diplom" degree means that if you want to stand out you have to aim f…
Germans place a greater premium on doctorates than Americans do as marks of distinction and erudition. [...] According to the Web site Research in Germany, about 25,000 Germans earn doctorates each year, the most in Europe and about twice the per capita rate of the United States. Visiting a university in Germany is almost free. More people having a "Diplom" degree means that if you want to stand out you have to aim f…
Ummmm Education Minister who (allegedly) cheated at university forced to step down. Don't really see that as a "Fascination With Degrees" Might have been a interesting topic, but it's a hopeless segue.