The Bureaucracy Is Expanding To Meet the Needs of The Expanding Bureaucracy

So my attempts to obtain university library membership were thwarted by my lack of Meldebescheinigung. Which is one of those classic German words that’s about a month long. It is also a registration card, that is required if you are to reside in any one area for more than three months. Without these papers one cannot get a bank account or library card.

I was initially terrified at the thought of having to deal with the German Bureaucracy. Maybe its just because I am a History geek, but would you not be? The thought of having to advise the German Government of my location repelled me as a Kiwi. How the NZ govt does it, or needs to do it considering its size , I am unsure.

Turns out you just go there and give them minor details and it’s done, pretty painless with a tame German with you to do the translation.  Ima go ahead and leave the part about Religious orientation out…just in case. Oh yeah it also cost 10 Euro. What that money is used for I do not know. Cocktail parties surely, it was such a small exercise. If everyone that moved ever paid 10 Euro and every time..well that’s a lot of party.  Just like in Korea, paying $40 US  for a stamp that says you can have multiple entries. The Korean Authorities did not even take the number or anything, just BANG and $$. I must get into that industry.

Anyways this is interesting. The building that houses the official type Hamburgers was built after WW2 to house some of the Allied occupation forces. However it took so long that by the time it was finished, they were well gone back home for tea, scones and medals. They did not experienced the lethal joy of a Paternoster.

A Paternoster is lift. A passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments that moves slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. There is room for two in each box.  Thankfully,  they are rather slow elevators, typically travelling at about 0.3 metres per second, thus improving the chances of getting on and off successfully. As unsuccessfully attempt would equal grievous bodily harm. I just had to ride it around the bottom to be in a horizontal lift if only for a moment.

 

  I should think that if a device like this was to be installed in a building their Accident Compensation Corporation levy would be rather substantial.

A Paternoster is masculine by the way, der Paternoster, can you not tell? ;0