Walls in the woods

January 11, 2008 By 4 Comments

I have been puzzled for a long time by some walls in the woods near our flat.

The bricks used make me think they are from the 1930s, and they are built in a row like the pillars of a road bridge – but to my knowledge no road has ever gone through these woods.

When I took some photos of them the other day I spotted that one of them has a metal spike on it with something that looks like an old-fashioned television aerial. Did telegraph wires used to connect to it?

The walls can even be seen on the aerial view in Google Maps.

walls-in-the-woods.jpg

Can anyone tell me what this used to be?

Filed Under: General, Photos Tagged With: ,

Waste collection in Bolivia

January 11, 2008 By 1 Comment

After reading about the dustcart being sent to Bolivia, I read today in Business News Americas that the Bolivian government is investing large sums of money in waste collection, although the article does not exactly say where the improvements are to be made.

Water and sewage services are to be improved as well.

Did you know that the pipes taking the sewage out of the buildings are so thin, that you have to put used toilet paper into a rubbish bin rather than town the toilet itself? It’s something that takes getting used to…

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Pipes being laid in Sucre, July 2000

Filed Under: Bolivia, News

Die Lohnsteuerkarte

January 9, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The Lohnsteuerkarte is an A5 piece of card that you receive when you first register in Germany.

The card contains your name and address, but also your tax class, the number of children you have and your confession.

When you start work, it is important to give it to you employer as soon as possible, so that the tax can be deducted from your wages correctly.

If you leave your job during the year, the card is returned to you with a printout of the tax paid. Otherwise, at the end of each year you receive the printout from your employer to enable you to complete your tax return.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Disclaimer: this podcast is a simple explanation for non-native speakers.  For tax advice, please contact a Steuerberater.

Filed Under: German Words Explained, Podcasts, Tax Tagged With: ,

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