Berliners bemoan the lack of German speakers in the capital. A handful of German MPs have expressed dismay at the increasing numbers of Berlin residents who don’t speak the native language. The issue has been highlighted as being particularly problematic in the service industry, with many workers in restaurants and bars unable to communicate with customers in German. Guardian
Boston police bond with the community over ice cream. After 32 years on the job as a youth service officer, Kenneth Grubbs knows how important it is to have the community on his side. So what better way to build trust than offering them ice cream? Grubbs hopes that by engaging with children at a young age, it can build a level of trust that can help the police force serve the community better. MSN
Female characters receive the worst lines of dialogue in films. A study in to the language of characters in almost 1,000 film scripts has revealed a significant gender imbalance, with men receiving over double the amount of dialogue as their female counterparts. The study also showed that many female characters could be removed from the films in question, with little impact on the plot. Independent
You may have been pronouncing ‘Primark’ wrong. The clothing retailer stepped in to a social media debate to confirm that their name should be pronounced ‘Pr-Eye-Mark’. Users had suggested that pronunciation boiled down to geographic location, but the retailer’s post on their Customer Service page should put any doubts to rest. Primark joins the likes of brands such as Nike, Porsche and Adidas, all of whom have names that are frequently mispronounced. Evening Standard
Cat’s eyes are to be renamed after their name causes confusion with tourists. Though widely understood as little more than an affectionate term for an essential road safety device, cat’s eyes are to be renamed after signs that let motorists know about their removal had been misinterpreted as literal acts of animal cruelty. The term “road studs” is now being employed on roads across Suffolk. Telegraph
Obama’s compassionate response to Charlottesville is the most ‘liked’ tweet in history. In light of President Trump’s divisive reaction to the events in Charlottesville, the former president shared a message of peace and tolerance. Quoting Nelson Mandela, it reads “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion". Engadget
Queens of the Stone Age accidentally release new music on someone else’s LP. With their new album due for release at the end of August, listeners were surprised to find three unreleased songs from the US band on the B-side of vinyl copies of solo artist Gordi’s new record. For fans of the Australian musician, the shift in genre from indie pop to alt rock likely come as something of a surprise. Newsbeat
“Our focus is on young people, and helping them articulate what’s in their hearts. Our show creates a dialogue with young people who feel the gamut of emotions. We want to get to them before Fox News does.”
Drag queen RuPaul explains the social importance of his enormously popular TV talent show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and why he doesn’t want President Donald Trump to watch it.
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