WARNING!
This newspaper is a time machine, locked in around the time of two World Wars, one World Cup and a lost age when it was permissible to poke fun at Germans.
Read more >>
Polls
RSS Feed Germany in Focus28. 07. 12. - 12:30
Swear Hotline
Two Germans inspired by the 1972 Monty-Python sketch about a man who wants to pay for an argument have set up a real-life argument Hotline for grumpy Germans to ring and let off steam.
Alexander Brandenburger and Ralf SchulteZur from Hessen are cashing in a pound a minute for the complainant to ring up and argue about what ever is annoying them most at the time. Shouting and swearing are all allowed and included in the price for the service which is available 18 hours a day.
In the Monty Python sketch a man goes into a surgery and books a five-minute row with argument consultant John Cleese for five pounds.
Schulte said: "It sounds like a silly idea but it is really healthy. A lot of people need to be able to let off steam about the frustrations of the modern world – and by being able to have a go at our trained its argument staff it means they can be a lot more relaxed and less argumentative in other areas of their life."
The pair will even help amateur arguers by suggesting ways that they can improve their argument, including when might be the right time to really lose control and shout a bit – offering suggestions of swear words that might be appropriate to encourage the process.
But the move has been criticised by professional telephone counselling services.
Priest Sven Kepper, who offers a telephone counselling service for unhappy Germans, said the argument Hotline could not be taken seriously and was certainly not giving helpful or professional advice to callers.
German Herald
Tag cloud:
counselling shout SchulteZur pound amateur relaxed Sven unhappy appropriate ways arguers Hotline Monty argumentative argument Python steam professional Germans staff
GRIN AND BEAR IT - Brown Bears At The Dentist
With toothache in choppers this size, these brown bears at a German wildlife park had every right to be a bit grizzly.
FORK THAT - Worker turns Fork Lift Into Jousting Lance
German police are investigating after a hyper market worker turned his forklift truck into a jousting device and attempted to spear a fellow worker after a row.
DIRTY THIRTY - Fake Euro Note Warning By Cops
A German corner shop owner saw some of his profits go up in smoke after he accepted payment for a pack of cigarettes with this non-existent 30 Euro note.
MURDER MYSTERY: Did Killer Confess in Novel?
Fugitive Norbert Wieland, 66, has been on the run since his girlfriend Bettina Polzer's body was found at her apartment in Furstenfeldbruck, Germany.
WHITE BLAM MAN - Brit Cheats Death By Seconds in Crane Smash
A British white van man cheated death by seconds in Germany when a falling 130 crane arm cut his truck in half.
UNTRUCKY BREAK: Thief Facing Justice
This smug looking truck thief will soon be facing justice - after speed cameras caught him fleeing the scene in Sarstedt, Germany.
NAZI SHOCK: Death Camp Victims Buried Beside SS Officers
Nazi death camp victims were secretly buried beside SS officers at a German World War II cemetery, outraged historians have revealed.
PICNIC BASKET BABY MURDERED - Baby abandoned in River Danube
A mother whose newborn baby boy was found dead in a picnic hamper with his throat cut is being quizzed by police in Regensburg, Germany.
WE ARE NOT EMU-SED - 7 Police Cars Chase Emu
Heavy handed cops gunned down a six foot tall emu after it escaped from an enclosure in Heimfeld, Germany.
BUNNY SPOILER: Bieber Playmate Demoted
A Playboy bunny girl who met teen sensation Justin Beiber privately at a hotel after a show has been disciplined by bosses in Cologne, Germany.
Top stories – last 7 days
