As attacks rattle Germany, Chancellor Merkel finds herself in the spotlight

dw.com ^ | July 25, 2016 | dw

[IronJack]

The flags were never at half mast. That term applies only to flags aboard naval vessels or on naval bases. The accurate term is “half staff.”

[Little Ray]

In a sane world, Merkel would not be in the spotlight, but hanging from a streetlight.

[Electric Graffiti]

[Moltke]

Guess your interpretation of “descent” is different from mine. They may have citizenship, but they’re 100% ethnic (whatever) Iranian (dare I say: not one drop of German blood in the lot of them). It’s not like one of mom or pop was German - which would make it German-Iranian descent in my book. That said, I think it’s just down to the DW writer’s lack of English language comprehension to make that distinction.

[Moltke]

I’m aware of that. I’ve also never, not once, heard that visitors from Hong Kong were ever a criminal problem in Germany. No...can’t put my finger on it...those are overwhelmingly from...hmmm, wait, I think I’ve got it...ah, yes, muzzie crapholes!

[Moltke]

Wasn’t aware the right-wing Nazi angle was injected in this case. Wouldn’t be surprised, either, though...

[Moltke]

Exactly. The media push to twist these incidents away from the obvious is starting to look ridiculous.

Thanks - though I'd be willing to put this one down to the writer not knowing what "descent" means. Example: some time ago they called the US Attorney General "state prosecutor (Generalstaatsanwalt)" - obviously ignorant of the fact that it is actually the equivalent of "justice secretary (or minister)". Literal 1:1 translations are often misleading between two languages...

[the OlLine Rebel]

Well, there were definite accusations that he had interest in that Scandanavian Anders guy who shot up the liberals on that island.

Never mind how Shep was making comments all the time how he was probably right wing while it had just happened!

[Moltke]

Didn’t catch any of that (no Shep to be seen in these parts - if I even watched *any* sort of MSM idiotic propaganda; totally off the grid in that respect) - so I concede the point. :-)

[pepsionice]

My wife has a distinctive Spanish name but is German. The descendant who came to Germany....did so in the 1400s. Do I refer to her as Spanish-German or German?

My relatives came to the US in 1666, from England. But they weren’t exactly pure English...they were part of the invasion/conquest of 1066 from Normandy. Do I refer to myself as Norman-English-American?

[Moltke]

My wife has a distinctive Spanish name but is German. The descendant who came to Germany....did so in the 1400s. Do I refer to her as Spanish-German or German? My relatives came to the US in 1666, from England. But they weren’t exactly pure English...they were part of the invasion/conquest of 1066 from Normandy. Do I refer to myself as Norman-English-American?

I suppose the 2016 answer is: whatever you self-identify as. ;-)

I'd say your wife is German, partly of Spanish descent. After so many generations I'm guessing her family was long, long ago fully assimilated into the German culture (unlike the more recent 2nd or 3rd generation muzzies).

The Iranian we were talking about has zero German in his family background. I therefore consider German-Iranian a misnomer, or at least misleading, the way the press likes to do it. Don't like these hyphenated passport constructs anyway. An Iranian (100% by descent) with a German passport should be called just that.