I needed also one. I had to pay 20€ for staying overnight. I got dinner, Coffee, water, breakfast with Coffee and all I needed. That is a total difference. Also that people getting money for rent, heating and so on from state is an important feature.
Another one is when people are becoming old and having no money at the end. When it happens here, people getting social money. Even a place in a nursing home will be covered by social money from state. So even people without money can live here. When I was deciding where to live - here or in USA - I decided to stay here. Looking back today this decision was right. I have multiple sclerosis. I need medications, doctor visits, MRI’s and much more. I have not to pay one additional Euro. That’s how it works here. If I would stay in USA I would have many problems. Starting with the medication and 4 hospital bills of one week per year.
OMG, the food too.
The paper said breakfast and lunch were provided.
I had to stay there until 3pm the next day and there was no breakfast and lunch. “We stopped doing that here” 
Glad I didn’t pay: I went through the stair case and checked in where they don’t have registers. 
The second study I had was at a much more expensive place, and it came with food.
You have here this places in hospitals. They always provide food as far as I can say. I never was in a hospital where they did not provided food. Last time I was in hospital I came nearly one pm. The nurse was asking “Mr. Stueker, do you want to eat your lunch before moving to your room so you can eat peaceful and then move in. Today we have fish with potatoes and vegatables.” I was eating first and moved in. Even a cup of coffee I got. And no, I have no additional “Service” Agreement or insurance. So I can not complain. And again: I am happy that I decided to go to germany while it was the best of all options from some reasons.
Keep it civil
I’ve not had to lock a single thread here YET
And I’d like to NOT start doing that
No problem from my side - I‘m nowhere near as insecure as Jay thinks, just more open than he seems to be used to (which you can only really be if you are quite comfortable in yourself).
But I AM disappointed that his insults are so lame. Even Brad did better. Heck, I heard better in Kindergarten when I picked up my niece … 
See, this kind of people can only insult. Now there are two types. One which is doing it with intelligence, charme and eloquence. That’s the good type while it insults but with respect and intelligence. The other one is doing it like a drunk street bum. That’s the bad one while you exactly know frm the beginning that it is this type and you can’t do anything against.
… oh du Schäcker …
Norm:
I saw the highly intellectual argument that we can summaries os “Shit hole” I simply wondered what kind of education would produce this so I asked a simple question.
I do not know Marcus from Agustus Gloop. I simply asked. He exploded calling me a “prick” and spewed the other highly intellectual stuff.
Having said that:
Markus you need professional help for both your mommy and anger manamgnet issues. I do not wish to hang around for your very predictable extinction burst. Good Day. I will not be logging into Ifboti nil for a few weeks.
Really? Possibly you are attacking. I was reading your stuffs Also. What shall I say? The question of his education? Really? Sorry. You should ask for help. I am not his greatest fan but what you have done was an attack. I would simply react in a wise like he did.
Nonsense. You asked a provocative question, then pilloried him for his answer. Taking the high road does not work.
It’s barely worth remembering (and he might not), but I’ve had issues with Markus in other forums. Nevertheless, underneath everything, I think I like the guy, and that we would get on fine in person. 
Sorry, now you are just back-paddling. To quote:
If what you just said was true then you would not have asked “Do you have any?” - so you are now exposed as a liar too. As I said before, these things just reflect badly on YOU. And to top it off you come up with another cringe-worthy insult:
Not even preschoolers stoop to that level … well, but Trump does, so I give you that.
And for the record: I didn’t explode. When I explode you will know - just ask Thorsten. Not my greatest fan, and I’m not his either, but I respect that he defends his opinion and stands by it. No, I didn’t explode, I simply “call a spade a spade” - and you ARE a prick, as you so amply demonstrated.
And for goodness sake, start using the spellchecker.
Sure do. But I don’t have a problem with that. People sometimes ask my opinion, and are then surprised when I tell them - because at heart they wanted confirmation and validation. In Science we constantly butt heads, have fierce discussions, and go out for a drink afterwards. Especially if you are German too. The English think we are RUDE, we think we are honest and straight-forward. There is a saying that encapsulates that quite nicely:
“The Germans are too honest to be polite, and the English are too polite to be honest.” - something even my English friends agree with (I lived in Great Britain for 12 years).
My best friendships started out butting heads. At first they were annoyed, often because I said things they didn’t want to hear, but then it turned out I was right and suddenly they started to appreciate the frankness and started to want it. I make no guarantees that I’m “right” - but I can usually argue my opinion quite well because I have considered alternative opinions as well (you don’t stop being a Scientist and look at every angle when you leave the lab and go home). That also means that I am happy to incorporate new information into my opinion as I hear it, and even completely change my opinion if necessary.
It also means that I’m not changing that attitude for anybody, be it a plumber, my boss (I love a boss you can butt heads with), a president, a king, or my oldest friend … whom I just a few months ago told that his comment was “saublöd” (as dumb as it can get), “equivalent to commenting on slavery by saying at least they all had work”. He was annoyed and wrote one of the worst defences I ever read (if that had been one of my students I would have failed him) as there was no substance, just repeats of complaining how I talk with him - so he got another one coming: “I think your position has gone to your head [he is a big animal at a gigantic international company, member of the board etc]. If you complain about how you are spoken to but completely ignore the substance of what was said, you know what that makes you: a Spießer.” which translates as bourgeois / philistine / stuffy. Two days later we had a really nice phone conversation and he was back to normal.
So to summarise, my position is “If you have a problem with my opinion, then that is your problem, not mine”. I expect people to argue, defend what they believe, and be open to learning more (which is the point of any discussion - otherwise it is preaching).
I don’t expect anyone to agree with me. We can but heads and still be miles apart. But have your opinion! Have a go at me! Bring your arguments and try to convince me! Bring something new and insightful - because THAT is why we discuss.
Which is why Jay is so disappointing.
Which takes us back to the original subject of this thread. My country is at a point where a man has managed to rebrand his coarseness as “authenticity”, or “telling it like it is.” Particularly saddening is how many people (including personal acquaintances) recognize his depravity, but consider it a feature, not a bug—because they want to burn down the house anyway.
It is quite a trick that Trump can make the “little people” think he is there for them but then do everything to help the rich (tax cuts for the rich and try to abolish Obamacare - who doesn’t remember cancer-riddled John McCain’s gesture of defiance?).
I always recommend to read the British Guardian newspaper as it is still an old-style middle of the road newspaper. It has an interesting article (haven’t read it all yet but will):
Except he is telling a pack of lies …
It’s so telling that he refuses to debate with fact-checking in place … and then lies about the reason the debate was delayed by an hour (“Faulty” microphone my ass).
Blocking working quite well to ignore someone
I have to say that question, while seemingly innocuous, did come across as hostile and insulting
I know you’re better than that Jay
What I appreciate about reading non-USA based journalism is they tend to NOT have any skin in the game in the US so they dont tend to be terribly biased one way or the other
( I do say TEND as there are some like Murdoch owned ones that have US counterparts so they do tend to be quite biased)
But I also read & listen to several non_US based papers & podcasts so I try to get a more balanced view of things
That said it is amazing how people can be convinced to vote against their own best interested
What I appreciated about the NBJ interview was people there didnt let him go totally unchecked
And the he said something ludicrous they laughed at him - something he truly hates
We Germans once elected such an individual to the position of state leader (Reichskanzler at the time) and we all know how this ended. If that one was a first in history, today nobody can claim ignorance.
Blocking leads to a bubble of like-minded individuals that end up padding each other on the back and are convinced they are right because they silenced any dissenting voices - pretty much what happens on TOF … AND here as well …
… which is why I didn’t even block Brad and won’t block Jay - to me it seems a rather immoral choice, taking away someone’s voice. I would like to think people can be better than that. I know I WANT to be challenged if I say something stupid or incorrect, and I don’t mean in a “fall in line or you get banned” way.
That is also my definition of friendship. Anyone else can say “I don’t care if you make a fool out of yourself by being an idiot”, but a FRIEND will argue with you, even risk the friendship by being honest, whether you like it or not.
Or as the saying goes: “A good enemy is as valuable as a good friend” - because both will tell you what you do not want to hear.
And that is why I truly despise the banning that has been going on at TOF AND here.
If Jay had come up with some good points, valid criticism, then I would have been happy to hear it. It’s the infantile insults that I object to - that’s just intellectually lazy. It’s shooting yourself in the foot, it’s wide off the mark, it’s a waste of time.
Is Jay better than that? I would certainly hope so.