Germany’s ZDF program “Leute heute” has a nice 15 minute recap of last Sunday’s Academy Awards.  Check the video out to hear a German translation of some winner’s acceptance speeches, including Sandra Bullock.

Thanks to Christa Garcia for sending this in!

If you know of a video that you’d like to see featured as our “Video of the Week”, send a link to the video to website@dank.org and we will consider publishing it in a future post. Videos must be family friendly!

This last week on the DANK Forum, user jschlie posted a video of ABBA performing Waterloo in German and it inspired me to dig up this video of the Beatles doing a song in German.  The Beatles have done a few songs in German, but with “Sie liebt dich” aka “She Loves You” they made a music video to go along with their visit to Munich in 1966.  Check it out…

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you know of a video that you’d like to see featured as our “Video of the Week”, send a link to the video to website@dank.org and we will consider publishing it in a future post. Videos must be family friendly!

“Style Your Garage” is a company in Germany that makes amazing garage door covers that are sure to make people take a second look as they pass by.

The principle is simple: the garage billboards, as they are known, are printed with motifs that show exactly what every car owner would like to have in his garage – be it a racing car, horses, an airplane or a pile of gold bars. The choice of motifs at is constantly being extended to make sure there’s plenty of variety when it comes to garage door design.

The garage billboards are quick and easy to fit with Velcro and, when it‘s time for a change, equally easy to remove again. Made from high-quality materials, the billboards are completely indestructible. The 3D motifs, with their intense colors, are deceptively realistic and make neighbours, friends and passers-by stop and stare.

You can check them out at their website… www.style-your-garage.com and they also have covers for regular doors as well as adding windows to the lineup soon.

See more examples below…

Thanks to our valued DANK South member, Anita Walthier, for passing this along.

Like in the US, Lady Gaga is a huge hit in Germany.  Just for fun, I dug up this YouTube clip of a guy doing some of Lady Gaga’s hits on an accordion.  It has a nice polka sound too it which surprisingly doesn’t feel too out of place.  Check it out…

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you know of a video that you’d like to see featured as our “Video of the Week”, send a link to the video to website@dank.org and we will consider publishing it in a future post. Videos must be family friendly!

DANK National Now Accepting Applications For 2010 Internships

Our National Office, located in Chicago, is offering internships in 3 different areas: The German-American Journal, Marketing & Advertising, and Grant Writing. Starting and ending dates, as well as weekly schedules and hours, are flexible and can be determined upon acceptance. Internships will be unpaid and will be available as of March 15, 2010.

If interested, please send the following to amelia@dank.org: resume, two references, letter of interest (one page) telling us about you, your experience, and career goals.

Descriptions of each internship are available below.

German American Journal

(10-15 hours per week, bi-monthly)

DANK is looking for proofreaders to proofread and edit articles and submissions for DANK’s bi-monthly national publication, the German-American Journal. Interns will be asked to read and prepare articles for publication around the deadline, which falls on the 25th of every other month. Candidates must be enthusiastic, organized, and skilled in the following areas:

• Excellent writing, editing, and grammar skills.
• Major in Journalism, English, German, or related field.
• Native German speaker ideal for some German articles.
• College graduates feel free to apply.

Marketing and Advertising

(10-15 hours per week)

DANK is going to be launching the “DANK Shop” on Ebay and needs a self-starting, organized individual to manage this project with our current products as well as possible donated items and antiques. Intern will also be asked to research and secure good advertisers for our national publication, the German-American Journal and our official website, dank.org. Candidate must be enthusiastic, forthright, and skilled in the following areas:

• Proficient with Ebay; Ebay marketing savvy.
• Great writing and phone skills.
• Major in marketing, management, non-profit, or related field.
• German skills a plus, but not required.
• College graduates feel free to apply.

Grant Writing

(10-15 hours per week)

DANK is looking for a highly talented writer with experience in marketing or advertising to contact various organizations and societies and gain funding for DANK. Candidate should have some grant or professional writing experience, as well as:

• Good marketing and business skills.
• Non-profit experience a plus.
• Major in marketing, management, non-profit, or related field.
• German skills a plus, but not required.
• College graduates feel free to apply.

If you have any questions regarding the internship opportunities, feel free to send an email to amelia@dank.org or office@dank.org

Just left Hong Kong today on my way back to the US via a layover in Tokyo.  Did not even consider that I was going to be in Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year so what a bonus.  All on the same day, Valentines day, Chinese New Year, the start of the Winter Olympics and of course the start of Karneval/Mardi Gras celebrations.  Missed the gigantic fireworks since they will be held tonight but got to experience the New Year’s Day parade in the Kowloon section of Hong Kong last night.  This is the model for all the Chinese New Year’s Parades in the US.   They had quite a few international participants, Swiss bands, American NFL cheerleaders but I did not see any from Germany.  They must all be in the Karneval mood instead of New Year.   I met plenty of German spectators though.  Enjoy the pictures from the New Year of the Tiger.

Christmas & New Years lights on the buildings

Captain Bill with hotel hostesses (who happen to be Dutch interns) in front of good fortune tree in Hotel lobby

This is pretty amazing! Can you imagine how all this operates? How do they lock each car in it’s cubicle for safety?

Who cares!

No one in their right mind could get in your car. But believe me, the Germans will lock their car.

The 2 photos were taken at a new parking garage in Munich. The actual space that the facility occupies is only 20% of a comparable facility of the traditional design used in the US.

Not only is the German structure less expensive to build, but vehicles are also retrieved in less time and without the potential of being damaged by an attendant.

Update: As Tricia pointed out in the comments, this is an urban legend.  The images are real, and in a sense it is stall a parking garage.  What is shown is a 20-story tower in Volkswagen’s Autostadt, where the cars to be purchased are stored.  When a person purchases their vehicle, the car is taken from one of these cubby holes and brought down to the new owner.  Maybe we should have saved this for April Fools Day