Monthly Archives: October 2016

How Much Money Do You Have To Earn In Order To Rent An Apartment In A New Building In Berkeley?

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As I said last month, Parker Berkeley on Shattuck Avenue is now open and renting apartments. It is 4 blocks from my house. This place is huge. It covers a whole block and half of the next block. 2 bedroom apartments at Parker Berkeley rent for $4,500 a month. Parking and utilities are extra. The rent is even higher if you have a cat. (You know, I have been a landlord for a long time, and it seems to me that if a landlord is getting $4,500 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment, he can afford to let a tenant have a cat for free.)

So – how much do you have to earn in order to rent one of these apartments? By my calculations, you would need to make at least $200,000 a year. You see, a person making $200,000 a year is only going to take home $100,000 after withholding. He is going to spend 33% of his income on federal income tax, plus 10% for California state income tax, plus 6% for Social Security. That leaves this guy with $100,000 a year or $8,300 a month in take-home pay. Landlords don’t like to rent apartments to people who are going to be spending over half their take-home pay in rent. So – what kind of people are going to live in this building or any of the other pricey new apartment houses going up in Berkeley? How many people in Berkeley make $200,000 a year? A lot more apartment houses like Parker Berkeley are going up. Many are already under construction. I think this a bubble, and I think it will end badly. The thing that I especially dislike like about these new apartment houses in Berkeley and San Francisco is that they only contain housing for the rich, the poor, and the elderly. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is being built for normal working people.

British vs. American English

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QUITE. What does the word ‘quite’ mean? Suppose somebody said to you: “The play was quite enjoyable”. What would that mean to you? If you were an Englishman, that would mean that the play was slightly or mildly enjoyable. On the other hand, if you were an American, it would mean that the play was very enjoyable. In England, ‘quite’ means ‘a little.’ In the U.S., it means ‘a lot.’  There is a long list of words that have opposite meanings in the U.S. than they do in the U.K.

HOMELY. Another word that has opposite meanings in the U.K. and the U.S. is ‘homely’. In England, it is a compliment to say that a woman is homely. In the U.S., it is an insult. In Britain, a homely woman is welcoming, practical, and down to earth. In the U.S., a homely woman is ugly. In Britain, a homely house is comfortable and charming. In the U.S., a homely house is unattractive. I think that a book listing words like these would sell quite well. By that, I mean I think the book would sell very well. I speak American English.

Why Do Germans Speak American English?

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English is taught everywhere in Germany and is, by far, the most widely-spoken foreign language in the country. Students are taught British English everywhere in Germany. And not just Germany. In Europe, people tend to think of British English as ‘standard English.’ However, most German adults speak American English and use American definitions of words, like ‘quite’. For example, when a German tells a waitress in a restaurant that he wants “a sandwich with chips”, he expects to get a sandwich with potato chips (American English) rather than french fries (British English). Germans use American rather than British definitions of words. Germans don’t call flashlights ‘torches.’ They don’t call elevators ‘lifts.’ Why is that? Since Germans are taught British English in school, why do they speak American English? I don’t know the answer to that, but I suspect it is effect of American popular culture on German children while they are growing up. Germans see far more American movies and TV shows than British movies and TV shows. For example, ‘Die Simpsons’ is the most popular animated TV show in Germany and has been for 20 years. And Donald Duck is as familiar to German children as he is to American children. This is only a guess on my part. The next time you see an English-speaking German government official being interviewed on television, listen to the way he is pronouncing and defining words. It’s invariably American English. If anybody knows why this is, let me know.

Denmark. As I said, this isn’t just in Germany. There are many other European countries where students are also taught British English in school but speak American English. I recently heard a speech by Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen on TV. They teach British English in Danish schools as well, but Rasmussen was clearly speaking American English. He used the word ‘schedule.’ That’s one of the words that Americans and Englishmen pronounce very differently. In England, it’s pronounced ‘SHED-ual’, but Rasmussen said ‘SKED-ual’, the American way. That’s what started me thinking about this. (P.S. – You don’t have to tell me that there are more important things in the world to ponder over than why Germans and Danes say SKED-ual instead of SHED-ual. I know that.)

The Mystery of Donald Duck in Germany.

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donaldduckHere is my second big mystery about Germany. Donald Duck is extremely popular in Germany. Over 250,000 Donald Duck comic books are sold in Germany every week; however, Donald Duck in Germany is very, very different from the Donald Duck we know in the United States. In the U.S., Donald Duck is foolish, hot-headed, and dim-witted; but in Germany, Donald Duck is just the opposite. In Germany, Donald Duck is sophisticated, articulate, cultured, and well-read. Donald discusses philosophy, science, and literature with intelligence. He also frequently discusses politics and is sometimes quoted by German politicians. So – how did Donald Duck in Germany become so different from the American Donald Duck? Can you imagine our American Donald Duck discussing Viking mythology and Wagner’s operas with his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie?

DONALD DUCK IN EAST GERMANY.

 

Surprisingly, Donald Duck comics were both legal and widely-read in East Germany, but that was because the communist government in East Berlin saw Donald Duck as a critique of capitalism. Children in East German schools were told that Dagobert (Scrooge McDuck) was the ‘arch-prototype of capitalist greed and exploitation’. Well, that was true. Uncle Scrooge was both very rich and very greedy. Donald Duck symbolized the ‘downtrodden proletariat’ and his nephews Tick, Trick, and Tack (Huey, Dewey and Louie) were ‘socialist youth’ learning to become ‘good communists.’ I wonder what Walt Disney thought of this. He was notoriously and fiercely anti-communist.

Is There a Word for ‘Government by the Dead’?

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North Korea has a unique form of government. Most people would say that North Korea is a dictatorship or an autocracy, but those words do not accurately describe North Korea’s kind of government. North Korea is governed by the dead. Kim Jong-un is the absolute ruler of North Korea. He is Chairman of the Worker’s Party and holds several other titles. However, the President of North Korea is Kim Il-sung, even though he has been dead for over 20 years. His title is ‘Eternal President of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.’ That means that the title of President of North Korea will never again be held by a living person. (See photo below of the current president of North Korea.) The head of the North Korean armed forces is also dead. Kim Jong-il is the ‘Eternal Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army.’ Kim Jong-il died in 2011, but he is still the head of the North Korean military. So – this means that the President of North Korea is dead and the supreme commander of North Korea’s armed forces is also dead. I teach history, and frankly, I can’t think of another country in the history of the world that was ruled by the dead. I have asked some other history teachers about this, and none of them could think of another country that was ruled by dead men, nor could any of them think of a word to describe this form of government. Is there a word for this? If there is, let me know. I am curious. I like odd words. I picked that up from my Uncle Maurice. What do you call ‘government by the dead’? kim