Ok

An 18-year-old with a long criminal record for violent offenses kicks a paramedic who's lying on the ground, and some judge, completely out of touch with reality, declares: "They didn't actually mean for him to die."... Well, what the hell did he hope to achieve by kicking someone repeatedly in the head?! I already know that this judge has never once in his life witnessed such violence. The verdict is everything, but one thing it certainly isn't: in the name of the people. The people are ashamed of such a verdict.

What can I say? It's just a court case. I've been trying to get a fairly simple question answered over the phone for three weeks now. The aftertaste is bittersweet, because the person in question might no longer exist or might have already gone into hibernation. In any case, I'm starting to get personally worried about the employee... er, person. "Employee" would be something else entirely. Anyway. Bottom line: very, very nice staff at the main switchboard, and I'll only find out about the rest when things get back to normal in the spring. The advertised office hours are a complete joke and a nerve-wracking experience. At least phone calls are now available as a flat rate. Otherwise, I couldn't afford it. Thanks for nothing. To be continued.

The illusion of bureaucracy, what a joke! What are these officials paid for? I have the feeling everyone is doing their job properly except for the court in Bonn. Because the staff here aren't competent enough to work properly and on time, people and companies have to pay fines. Complaints were rejected because incompetence definitely prevails here. This court should be audited at every step.

I applied for a name change and a new land registry extract in November. Now it's January and still nothing has happened. Of course, you can't reach anyone by phone – just great if you don't live in Bonn...