No incisive political or cultural analysis this time, no typical Webber humor - just take a look over at the left side of the page. There's a new gadget there; if you enter your email address you'll be notified any time I publish something new (a few of my trusty readers already get a mail, because I added your address to a list by hand). I promise you won't be spammed (at least not by me), unless you consider my writings to be spam - but in that case you're probably not reading this. Go ahead, add yourself to the list, share this with your friends (and enemies).
" Wie geht es dir ?" "How are you feeling?" These questions are probably heard in every culture. The answers, and how mild illness is dealt with, varies between Germany and America. Mir geht es schlecht - I'm not feeling well. Really. Since Thursday I've been lying in bed with a low fever, racking cough, stuffed up nose and sneezing. A typical February complaint. What do I have? For an American, the answer is probably simple - either a cold or the flu, perhaps with a touch of bronchitis. For a German the answer is not quite so clear cut. The German is aware that real flu (influenza) is characterized by a sudden high fever, chills, and aches and pains - in addition to the typical upper respiratory symptoms. I don't think I have influenza - my fever, at around 100°, just isn't high enough. And I don't have any aches and pains. But a cold? Well, does a cold come with a fever? It might, I guess, in English. But the Germans have a special word fo
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