The Fifth Page
Most Recent Posts At The Bottom
Growing Up In West Berlin / 06.04.1981 - Today
This is my actual CV and all things being equal? I shall finally begin as a pensioner on April Fools Day next year ie 2025, at the sprightly young age of 66 years and 3 months- Hooray! PS: My last State Pension statement (covering full medical insurance & later care + Free local travel pass. plus telly licence to-boot too) runs continuously with 'no breaks at all at all' from my 16th birthday (when I first started paying National Insurance at my cushty little part-time Coopers Arms number) 12.01.75 - 31.03.25 which I make to be, a whopping 50 years and 2 and a bit months no less- Fancy! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/17tm72iwkod8w33/AACC5mLPJ4qOGaWBz47wAvjba?dl=0 - PS: Scroll right to the bottom at 'GGR 2022 -63.pdf' for the Front Page -"Cripes!"
The Final Update of my world-beating CV – Posted: 19.07.2024 - https://webmail.freenet.de/Cloud/?shareToken=2fc8e1e3f0ce463d33bdc4de59922be074a3e6c8
PS: All documents shown within are de facto invalid, I now proudly hold EU German Citizenship – Hooray!
Seeling Strasse 37, 14059 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +491757365666 (sms only) & +4917639285797
em: graham.ricketts@freenet.de & graham.ricketts@gmx.de
graham.george.ricketts@gmail.com
***********************************
Posted 08.06.24 - "Ich Bin Ein Brexit Opfer"
and 'Baby Doomer'
Quite big here in Sunny EU Berlin at the mo -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxOpanZSMiE
„The New Normal“
Posted 06.07.24
„And
Who is Who?“ - Posted: 15.07.24
Posted – 17.07.2024 - Happy 70th Our Angie: You’re worth a dozen Thatchers, and a baker’s dozen at that – Hooray! https://www.dw.com/en/how-do-germans-view-angela-merkels-legacy/a-69686758
Posted - 19.07.24
What would happen today though, I wonder?
Posted - 20.07.24
Posted – 03.08.24 – Your EU German will have to be really tippy top to fathom this little gem out – Fancy!
Posted - 26.08.24
Posted - 01.09.24 - Berlin - 1984
https://www.dw.com/en/currywurst-haggis-and-rolex-fast-food-from-around-the-world/g-69982686
Posted: 05.09.24 - Haggis actually originating from, er, England of course - Yummy! Yummy! PS: Fun Fact: Ex-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was very fond of Saumagen (Sow's stomach) a very similar, though much posher version.
Ah Yes! I remember it well, only the hard core remained of course https://www.dw.com/en/1994-remembering-when-world-war-ii-allies-left-berlin/a-70156413
As well as celebrating a fine ‚Written Constitution‘ too, naturally https://www.bundestag.de/en/documents/textarchive/kw36-open-day-1013292
Posted: 08.09.24 - X 3 above
Posted - 25.09.24 - Pretty damned impressive stuff in anybody's book https://www.innotrans.de/en/
Posted – 27.09.24 –
Top Song – Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgUK3p7Q7DE
Posted - 28.09.24 - Yet another long lost Meisterwerk (pastel) - 1982
Mat of course, didn’t have a clue what was soon to be coming! (neither did I) „cat’s away the mice will play“ and all that old tosh aka totally taking the piss out of a situation to its very limit – Wankers.
Posted
– 05.10.24 – Class
of 2012,
no less. Although living here in Sunny EU Berlin for some
decades,
and being able to speak, understand, write & read the language
fairly competently, taking (and passing) an ‚Official‘
State-Recognised)
Public
Exam
to a certain level, and
getting the Certificate to actually prove it, is
another kettle of badly-packed-kippers entirely. All
of us here, („that’s me in the corner losing my religion“) had
different nationalities, I was the only one who’d been in town for
so long, so had a slight advantage, (though not a contest in any
way of course). They were all mature
graduates
in their
various fields, (one actually a Professor
Dr. of Physics no less). A
very nice bunch of hard-working people, we met in class daily for 6
hours, for a whole year
(plenty
of homework was ladled out as well). An’
Internationally
‚Professionally-Recognised‘
Measure
of
Competence’
in any Foreign Language
(not
to be confused with UK
O
& A levels, or even University (proper) Degrees in
the subject)
states
that an absolute beginner starts with the level A1
(once actually
passed
that is, – right through to the highest level C2
which
essentially refers to Native Speakers (at the very
highest
level of competence naturally). In
Europe/UK for instance, to start a proper (state-funded)
apprenticeship/training,
one needs at least B2
(which
we all got here on our own
course
– also
very useful when applying for German/another
Nationality Citizenship
too
naturally).
To study at a State
University,
one requires at least level C1.
There’s
a lot of Mickey
Mouse Language Courses
out there (especially from today’s
Third
Country Britain, mentioning
Cambridge and the like)
which are also
not
cheap, and can often simply go
unrecognised
when actually
applying
for said foreign education/training. Private
Firms/Schools/Universities can all generally simply do as they please
of course, whether the resulting piece of paper is actually worth
anything or
not, is
another matter entirely, innit. PS:
After
much ado, I finally managed to fund my own course through the
European
Social Fund (ESF)
which I did 100% alone, the final cost was circa €8,500,- so I was
very lucky indeed.
PPS:
Although
being
no
foreign-language
natural,
and I always have to keep on the auld ball daily, though do
learn
something new and interesting German-language-wise constantly. My
current level and pretty
large
vocabulary (roughly
the same as my English one)
is easily (well
I
reckon) now
C1-C2
(as
proven by recent high-requirement jobs where
no problems arose in the real ‚unaided‘
world, though one as per usual, only gets paid at one's de facto kosher qualification & experience level),
it all depends on the
quality of what
one regularly
watches, listens to
and
reads,
and with whom one actually
spends
one’s time with of
course (as
was/is
always the case, was/is
it not?) therefore,
I’ll
rest it then
– Goodnight!
Remembering
too; that your College/School are often quite different to where you
actually take your Final Exam/s – and the Examination
Board actually
stated on your Certificate is the one that Actually
‚de
facto real-word‘
Counts. AI may well replace translation services, but it can't simply replace Human Skill - This is a Mega Big Global Business - Hooray!
NB: It’s fairly easy to find an Online - ‚Proper UK-Recognised - English C2 Test‘ – So try it out sometime (as a Native) and see just what you Don’t Really Know, (no matter what your own level of ‚percieved‘ competence may be) – Fancy!
Posted – 07.10.24 – Every early October, here in Sunny EU Berlin, our now well-loved „Festival of Lights“ takes place, this now being the 20th no less – Hooray! https://www.visitberlin.de/en/event/festival-lights-2024 As with Londoners, ie ‚those who were actually born there or have lived there for a very long time‘, Berliners also like to Moan quite a lot, about their, er, lot! Though unlike with London (which is nearly 3 times bigger, and 3 times older) they, in contrast, really don’t have anything to genuinely moan about, well Public Services-Wise at least. PS: Many Scandinavians suffer from a now regular ailment called ‚Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD) basically a depression brought on by dark and very cold winters, so perhaps they should also have more Light Festivals, like ever-Sunny EU Berlin too then?
Posted – 07.10.24 – A Really Excellent Track, period - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXjI8OOZolE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOygvVNUg0M
Posted - 09.10.24 x 3
"eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher"
Posted - 10.10.24 - No decent & respectable household should ever be without one, period
„No More Heroes Anymore“
‚Well all except for one that is‘
Posted - 20.10.24 x 6
Posted - 04.11.24 - "Well There's Loverly Avenue" - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1wjq2x9x5eo
%20Harlow%20from%20Poplar.jpg)
Posted – 25.12.24 –
‚FUN FACT‘
„Instagram, You Tube, Facebook, Tik Tok and Twitter make up the top five news sources for under-24s in the UK.“
So I wonder what the figures are like for here in Sunny EU Germany then?
Posted - 27.12.24
Posted
– 29.12.24 – Private Eye Magazine – London „In The Back“
(issue 1638 – December 2024) - Most interesting to see how today’s
London Met Police deal with such matters, in comparison to their
professional (and fully transparent) counterparts here in Sunny EU
Berlin
Gepostet am 02.01.25
Geposted am 03.01.25
Posted – 05.01.25 – This is a Really Good Track, that I’ve been hearing quite often of late – Hooray! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIX_ouNJsTs
Posted – 10.01.25 Public Politeness - https://webmail.freenet.de/Cloud/?shareToken=624c0e35ff279f3f51be35a33486fee375741c6b
Also posted – 11.01.25 – Well I never! Finally they’re all waking up and distancing themselves from the bleedin obvious. I personally have the fine distinction, (see Front Page, Posted - 26.08.24 near top of page) of actually being suspended for all eternity by the extremely daft South African (Trump got kicked out once too of course, but now they’re great buddies again – Hooray for Truth & Reality!) but only as they see it – „Crikey!“ - https://www.dw.com/en/german-institutions-depart-x-a-day-after-musks-weidel-talk/a-71266331
Posted – 12.01.25 – Although registered in many different exotic places aux-various, these ageing rust-buckets, are still being insured (also an international legal requirement) in, er, London (de facto simply ignoring the Russian embargo) – „Cripes!“ - https://www.dw.com/en/russian-shadow-fleet-oil-tanker-towed-to-german-port/a-71276417 - (Please also refer to Front Page – Post from 01.01.25)
Posted – 15.01.25 – I really do rate this one, a really Cracking Track (that gets better every time I hear it) "Really Really" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDJMYtwX9X8
Posted – 16.01.25 – I’m pretty sure there’s a file in there somewhere with my name on it too - See above post from 14.01.25 – As we all know „The Secret Police do so love to hold their Balls“, now don’t they! Post WWII, the Yanks did a brilliant job of microfilming hundreds of thousands of NS Files, saving the meticuloiusly protocolled intel for future generations aux-various to ponder upon (most still legally Restricted to prevent journalistic (sic) abuse). My own ‚fairly recent‘ experience of studying original NS Police & Justice Files (both Paper and MF (still not digitalized, though now properly indexed, well in our own project’s sphere of interest at least) – Please refer to The Front Page - posted – 21.05.24 „Here’s Some of my Favourite Things“) at Berlin’s State & National Archives, reminds me too, that in the 1950‘s (with the Governing Allies consent) tens of thousands of NS Paper Files were destroyed, just for a matter of space + cost (lost forever). It would be a great tragedy if something similar happens with all the remaining Stasi Files (quite convenient for some politically too of course). In this new age of digitalization, I’m confident that Berlin (and the EU) will be able to fund such a task, to also act, not only as a fantastic de facto archive, but as a reminder, of what psychological + physical horrors occurred, not so very long ago (here in our little island – West Berlin, stuck right in the middle of the post-WWII / actual-Cold War Soviet Union) https://www.dw.com/en/stasi-secret-police-35-years-on-my-file-is-mine/a-71293301
Posted – 17.01.25 – Well worth having a listen to; this year also marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of WWII, too of course – Watch This Space - https://www.dw.com/en/how-did-the-east-germanys-stasi-operate/video-71297431
Posted - 19.01.25 - Most amusingly, Trump publically swore to everybody (right up to the late 1990's) that he was of (bigly hands) Swedish stock - always vehemently denying any German family connection at all, at all – (So I wonder if amybody’s dared post that on „Truth Social“ or "X" then?) https://www.dw.com/en/donald-trumps-roots-in-germany-und-scotland/video-71333596 - PS: And not forgetting the nearby little town of, er, Frankenstein too of course, you really couldn’t bloody well make it up, now could you? - https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(Pfalz) - „O little town of Frankenstein. How still we see thee lie!“ - But will Alec Baldwin ever play him, in the eventual Blockbuster Autobiographical Movie?
Posted - 21.01.25 - So no more freebie trips to Florida for him then - https://www.dw.com/en/germany-donald-trump-threatens-us-democracy/a-71344176
Posted – 23.01.25 – A recent report carried out by a highly respected International Jewish Organization, has just released (Today) some pretty startling findings. Large groups of young people aux-various, aged between 18 – 29 were asked what they knew (if anything) about the Holocaust? Here in Sunny EU Germany for instance, the figure of 12% was ascertained, meaning that those people had no knowledge of it whatso’ever. In EU Romania, the figure was circling around the 25% mark, and most surprisingly in EU France, a whopping 45% was noted. The 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz- Birkenau ‚liberation‘ by Soviet troops‘ in 1945 comes around next Monday, so perhaps many a young person (especially those clueless fans of Farage, Johnson & Co in ever-Racist Third Country Britain) should take a really close look, and actually learn something ‚REAL & FACTUAL‘ for once - https://www.auschwitz.org/en/home-page-80/ - PS: The estimated 400 million people (globally) who speak German on a daily basis, will also be acutely aware that circa 120 of their regularly used words, are de facto Yiddish, no less – Fancy! PPS: Also with ‚eng‘ still having no actual meaning in Ingerlund either of course, though used here daily, in Sunny EU Berlin – „Cripes!“
Posted – 24.01.25 – Fun Fact! The total border length of EU Germany, is actually 200kms longer than the US border with Mexico – Fancy!
Posted – 25.01.25 – Read this fascinating short report and learn something entirely new and, Factual – Hooray! - https://www.dw.com/en/otto-k%C3%BCsel-the-thief-who-saved-lives-in-auschwitz/a-7140037
Posted – 27.01.25 - https://www.dw.com/en/survivors-mark-80th-anniversary-of-auschwitz-liberation/live-71398763
Posted -30.01.25 – Two very different stories pertaining to the very same place (though some 80+ years apart) - https://www.dw.com/en/leni-riefenstahl-nazi-propagandist-or-innovative-filmmaker/video-71332046 - https://www.dw.com/en/how-to-explore-berlin-on-a-budget/video-71399851
Also posted
– 30.01.25 – A great blessing for music, period -
https://www.jmberlin.de/en/obituary-for-coco-schumann - Enjoy -https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kXleilkzCMsKei2T6s9m2HlO1SWk4hKuk
- Posted – 31.01.25 – So Bye Bye then Marianne, you were much loved here in Sunny EU Berlin too, and by all sorts of very different people – Fancy! https://www.dw.com/en/british-singer-actress-muse-marianne-faithfull-dead-at-78/a-71463059
- Play it Nice and Loud Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERMaRcbSuwc
- Posted – 01.02.25 – How the German public actually vote’s in a few weeks time, is another kettle of badly-packed-kippers altogther, of course – „Cripes!“ https://www.dw.com/en/german-migration-bill-fails-amid-storm-of-controversy/a-71477742
-
Also posted on 01.02.25 - A Top Man, literally - https://www.dw.com/en/former-german-president-horst-k%C3%B6hler-dies-at-81/a-71480725
-
Posted - 02.02.25 - Perhaps they should all become working Freemasons instead then? - https://www.dw.com/en/anti-war-russian-orthodox-priests-struggle-in-german-exile/a-71439788
Posted
– 04.02.25 – Quite Brilliantly hits the digital nail right on
the head methinks!
Posted
– 06.02.25 x 2 - Well
worth checking out, most especially for real
fans of course -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urrtx2k2BiI- Posted – 08.02.25 – One can’t help but smell the contemporary UK Nationalistic twist to this story I feel - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/08/rediscovered-a-young-english-novelists-warning-of-the-nazi-threat – And not forgetting the brilliant Jack London’s (totally forgotten and virtually unknown) Masterpiece from, er, 1907 too of course, namely -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/929783.The_Iron_Heel – PS: Which I personally read about 25 years ago – Fancy!
-
Also posted - 08.02.25 - "This sounds like a right old fiddle, dunnit?" - https://www.dw.com/en/rare-stradivarius-violin-auctioned-for-113-million/a-71545424
Posted
– 10.02.25 – Of course here in Sunny EU Berlin, we had our very
own Cpl Carpetchewer-loving Press Baron too. Namely, Axel
Springer, who I actually met one fine morning on the Yacht Club
(BBYC) lawn in 1982-ish, he was chatting with then NATO boss Lord
Carrington. My own boss (a serving soldier - NCO KOBs) quietly asked me to hand them both large G&T’s,
(it was after 10am afterall) then beat it, nobody else to be seen.
Springer (who lived across the lake in Goebble’s old Villa) spoke
to me briefly in perfect accent-free English, I had absolutely no
idea who he was, and only a vague idea of the the other bloke too?
Upon telling my German (Düsseldorf) better half at home of my
meeting later, she went quite ballistic (after I said what a nice
chap he was) and didn’t talk to me for nearly a week – Fancy!
Posted
– 12.02.25 – Probably the most usefullist computer / digital /
online accessory wot i’ve ever bin given – „Cheers
Young Ginger, Me Ole Mucker!“ - Play
it loud Son! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrIPxlFzDi0
Posted - 13.02.25- Posted – 14.02.25 – „When is a door not a door? When It’s a Jean Michelle Ajar, obvious, innit“ – This certainly looks well jolly interesting, I shall really have to pop along for a little butchers methinks - https://www.visitberlin.de/en/event/synthesizer-museum-berlin
- Also posted – 14.02.25 - You Read it Here First Folks!
- „The St Valentine's Day EU German Political Barometer“
- Very smart money says that the new up-and- coming post-election Gernan government and opposition will comprise of the following; A CDU/CSU, SPD 2-Party Coalition – led by Friedrich Merz as Chancellor (with Boris Pistorius as most likely Foreign Secretary). Opposition parties will include, a slightly smaller Green Party, a very slightly larger Link Party, BSW will just edge in with 5-6%, and the AfD will more than double their current vote percentage (though nobody will work with them at national level, as they are deemed dangerous and undemocratic) the FDP will not get the required 5% to re-enter the Bundestag.
- The New Bob Dylan Film will most likely be rained with Oscars eventually too – Hooray! https://www.berlinale.de/en/2025/news-press-releases/264454.html
- Posted – 15.02.25 – Always a Classic Timeless Track, which simply must be played very loudly, period - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatK_l9Yuyk
-
Posted
– 16.02 25 – ‚Absolutely Brilliant!‘
- Also posted – 17.02.25 – A Terrific Track (very mid-early Joni Mitchell-esque) as well as being a perfect Anthem for today’s Sunny EU Berlin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZfpD7cIAqU
- Posted - 18.02.25 - More respected in death than Trump will ever be alive - https://www.dw.com/en/germany-funeral-held-for-former-president-horst-k%C3%B6hler/a-71646239
- Posted – 19.02.25
- Posted - 21.02.25 - I think I shall continue to stick with my forecast / prognosis posted above on St Valentine's Day - https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-parties-face-off-over-ukraine-nato-trump/live-71689493
-
Also posted - 21.02.25 x 2
Auch gepostet am 23.02.25 -“Don’t Moan, Vote!“ (von 1951) https://webmail.freenet.de/Cloud/?shareToken=2b4e1e0c8fa19571b95ae31974ea82087cd39b8e
Posted
– 24.02.25 – PS: Yet More Fun Facts: The 69-year-old Friedrich
aka Fritzi Merz has never actually held High Office, at
either State or National level – His far smaller Sister-Party
CSU (Bavaria) is led by a loud-mouthed, egotistical clown
called Markus Söder, so what could possibly go wrong I wonder? Trump
& Co will simply love it – „Cripes!“ -
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ckg82wwrwy6t
Posted - 13.03.25 - The Fat Lady still hasn't sung yet! - https://www.dw.com/en/german-politics-parliament-debates-debt-brake-reform/live-71905412
Posted
– 23.03.25 x
2
– This major
incident happened
just yesterday, and I very much suspect that certain individuals
amongst the Neo-Nazis certainly knew the significance of this
location, unlike the great majority of Berliners today?
-
https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-police-arrest-scores-as-neo-nazi-march-blocked/a-72008289 - PS:
Correction – And many thanks to the eagle-eyed reader who kindly
pointed out that Sunny EU Berlin now has only 12 Boroughs, and not
14, like I'd mistakenly written above – Shadenfreude does seemingly
have some positive traits to it afterall,
your cheque's in the post Madam!
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