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Like those apocryphal Eskimos with their endless names for snow, Frank Jacobs reports that the famously punctual Germans have four different ways to tell time:

In a large part of north-western Germany, from the Danish to the French border, the preferred option is viertel nach zehn (‘quarter after ten’)….In what used to be East Germany, the same clock time is referenced as viertel elf (‘quarter eleven’)….An option limited to German-speaking Switzerland is to call this particular time viertel ab zehn (‘quarter from ten’)….Another national Option is viertel über zehn (‘quarter over ten’), used only in central parts of Austria.

Wait a second. Shouldn’t there be five ways to say this? What about the German version of “ten fifteen”? Doesn’t anyone use that? After all, what do they do when it’s 10:12 and there’s no handy “quarter” or “half” shortcut to use? 

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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