Here is another funny ad I came across.

I Feel Great! (Nutrigrain Advert) (MOV, 10.5mb)

There is a food company here called Wagner and they have their own line of frozen pizza called “The American Way”. Actually having tried it myself, it is not bad. It isn’t good enough to make me feel all misty-eyed and long for American pizza though. There is a commercial for it on TV that cracks me up every time I see it. They have a “typical” American family at dinner eating the pizza and fulfilling all the superficial stereotypes that you see on American TV shows.

Dad: “I love you Sweetie.”

Daughter: “I love you Dad.”

Son: “I love you too Dad.”

Dad: “And I love you too Champ!”

And it just gets better from there. Click here and watch for yourself. Click under “Big Pizza”.

On Lisa Rein’s Radar: Daily Show Covers The Inauguration

Watch. Laugh. Weep.

Far-Right German Party Belittles Holocaust: “A week before Europe hosts a series of memorial services in honor of the freeing of Auschwitz, a group of far-right German politicians caused a stir by walking out on a state ceremony for Nazi victims.”

This seems to have pissed a lot of people off. M., who is usually very sweet, said, “I wish I could kick them all in the nuts.” She also says this about George W. Bush.

<getting teary-eyed />

What a gal!

The German Joke of the day

Um, yeah.

CNN.com – Bush: Better human intelligence needed

Pot to Kettle: “Hey, you’re black!”

‘Good bye, Bayern! Grüß Gott, America’ – FAZ.NET – FAZ Weekly: “Bavarians never spearheaded the lists of immigrants – they came on the second wave, so to speak. Wherever they settled, they influenced the character of their society – and thus Americans’ image of Germany right up to the present day. The picture of women in dirndls and men dancing the Schuhplattler folk dance has stuck as firmly as the image that a castle has to look like Neuschwanstein. ”

High-speed Internet runs into slowdown – FAZ.NET – FAZ Weekly: “An extensive software glitch and logistical problems have caused an estimated 120,000 customers in Germany to wait long periods of time for their high-speed DSL Internet connections to go into service.”

Watering hole – FAZ.NET – FAZ Weekly: “Known as everything from Wasserhäuschen (watering hut) in Frankfurt, to Trinkhalle (drinking hall) in Gelsenkirchen or simply dat Büdchen anne Ecke (that lil’ hut on the corner), kiosks are Germany’s version of the convenient store à la 7-11.”

Expatica: “US flags mounted in dog droppings in German city”

WSJ.com – Tale of the Tape:: Audiophiles Bemoan The End of the Reel

Ah, the smell of a freshly opened reel of 2-inch tape, especially the Ampex 456, is absolutely wonderful. It is a shame to see it go.

I had a pretty good time in America over the holidays. Saw family and friends, ate lots of food and with the Euro:Dollar exchange I got some good deals on clothes.

I also got a chance to exercise mah 2nd amendment rahts….

This picture doesn’t show how the .44 Magnum almost knocks one on his ass when shooting one for the first time.

“…from my cold dead hands” Don’t worry. It is not loaded. I just look crazy. I’m not really. No really.

I know, the targets are a bit macabre/sick/hilarious but I had to do it for the kitsch factor alone. Don’t let the pictures fool you. Most of those shots were made with a 9mm rifle. I’m not sure if I hit anything with that big gun except the ceiling. It’s got a hell of a kick.

Thanks again to Jorge for taken us. It was a good trip. The hardest part was saying goodbye like always.

This is about one of the weird things going on in Germany.

If you have been subjected lately to one of the last legal forms of torture (Are you paying attention Mr. Gonzales?) you have been listening to German radio programming. Chances are, if you were to scroll through the dial right now anywhere in Germany, you would hear in the next 5 minutes, in addition to lot of Phil Collins… Schnappi. I can’t explain it. It is just one of those things. Here is a thread about Schnappi at MetaFilter. Here is a link to the original song.