SPIEGEL Surfs the Web Rent-a-German
If you have ever had problems finding enough shades of black or Kraftwerk records to spice up your party, then Rent-a-German is just the site for you. With prices starting at 750 euros per day, you can hire "the German of your choice for an exclusive lifetime experience" for parties, family events or just hanging out together at the shopping center. The service even offers a special business package, just in case you need an added bit of seriousness for that crucial meeting.
Munich-based new media artist Johannes Blank created the site, which is far from serious, after getting fed up with constantly coming across cliches about Germans when traveling abroad. His rational for creating the site being that: If everyone is so interested in Germans, he may as well rent a few out.
Around the World Wide Web With Jules Verne
A full century has passed since Jules Verne died, but a hundred years has done little to cool his fans' ardour. His works, available for free under public domain law, are widely available online . This week, the French Center International Jules Verne is holding a conference in Amiens to celebrate the author's life. Online, there are a mind-boggling number of Web sites devoted to aspects of his stories, ranging from detailed plans of the Nautilus submarine from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" to an analysis of the enormous space-craft-firing gun he described in "From Earth to the Moon." There are also any number of curiosities, including (surprisingly extensive) Jules Verne stamp collection slide show , and images of the original maps that came with the original versions of his novels. And, proving the Verne was a man well ahead of his time, he even has a profile on the Internet Movie Database .
The Zimbabwean
A group of dedicated Zimbabwean journalists won't take no for an answer. Their newspaper was closed down by President Robert Mugabe's regime in 2003, but they haven't given up on fair reporting on their troubled homeland or the right to free speech. Instead, they have launched their own newspaper in exile, printing a weekly tabloid in Britain and South Africa. The paper, called The Zimbabwean , hit the streets in February, and on Tuesday the Web site was launched.
The unpaid staff consists of more than 50 refugees dedicated to helping the more than three million Zimbabweans -- about 25 percent of the nation's population -- who are living in exile. Most live either in Britain or southern Africa. The paper ships 10,000 copies to Zimbabwe so those still living there can have an objective news source. Mugabe came to power in 1980 and is notorious for his crackdown on journalists critical of his regime. The paper's editor, Wilf Mbanga, says "A news blackout is dangerous for any society." The paper, he says, strives to provide coverage that is "accurate, fair and balanced." They even let the government have a say.
