This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Meister means master in German (as in master craftsman, or as an honorific title such as Meister Eckhart). The word is akin to maestro. In sports, Meister is used for the current national, european or world champion (Deutscher Meister, Europameister, Weltmeister). Many modern day German police forces use the title Meister. During the Second World War, Meister was the highest enlisted rank of the Ordnungspolizei.

Meister has been borrowed into English slang, where it is used in compound nouns. A person referred to as “Meister” is one who has extensive theoretical knowledge and practical skills in his profession, business, or some other kind of work or activity. For example, a “puzzle-meister” would be someone highly skilled at solving puzzles. These neologisms sometimes have a sarcastic intent (for example, “stubble-meister” for someone with a short, neat beard or “crier-meister” for someone who often cries).

Etymology[link]

Meister is derived from the Latin word "magister" (teacher).

In Germany and Austria, the word Meister is a title in the crafts guilds, in which workers go up in rank from a Geselle (journeyman) to become a "Meister" of their trade.

In popular culture[link]

Television and film[link]

The character Stifler in American Pie refers to himself as "the Stif-meister." At one point in the movie, he says, "Let the Stif-meister handle it. 'Meister' means 'Master' in German."

The mayor in the 1970 animated movie Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is called "Burgermeister Meisterburger."

In the TV series Scrubs, the surname of Elliot Reid's boyfriend Keith is "Dudemeister", meaning literally "master of dudes".

Music[link]

• "Der Meister" is the title of a song by the German band Rammstein.
• Meister is the alias used by Ryo Matsui (松井 亮, Matsui Ryō^?) for his solo work. Matsui gained prominence as a guitarist and songwriter for the Japanese pop rock band "The Brilliant Green". He become well known for performing the ending song for the Japanese anime adaptation of the manga series Beck.

Anime/Manga[link]

In the manga series Soul Eater, Meisters (職人, Shokunin, meaning "craftsman," "mechanic," "worker") are people who have exceptional soul wavelengths and are paired with weapons.

In the 2007 anime Mobile Suit Gundam 00, the pilots of the mobile suits are called Gundam Meisters.

In the manga series Ao no Exorcist, meisters are a rank of exorcists.

Automobile racing[link]

Formula One driver Michael Schumacher is called Der Regenmeister (the rain master) due to his highly rated driving through low-visibility or wet conditions. The same term has also been applied to other race drivers.

See also[link]

• Burgomaster
• Wachtmeister

Johanna Quaas (née Johanna Geißler; born November 20, 1925 in Hohenmölsen)^[1] is a German gymnast.

Career[link]

She started gymnastics at an early age and appeared in her first competition in 1934.^[2] After completion of school she worked in the obligatory social year (Pflichtjahr). In 1945 she finished her job training as gymnastics coach in Stuttgart.^[2] Afterwards she moved to Weißenfels, where she started to train handball as gymnastics was banned by the Allied Control Council. In 1947 this ban was removed and she started again with gymnastics. In 1950 she started to study at University of Halle-Wittenberg. Afterwards she trained coaches at the Institut für Körpererziehung.^[3] She co-authored the gymnastics text book „Gerätturnen“.^[2]

During this time she trained at the HSG Wissenschaft Halle. In 1961, she also coached gymnasts at SC Chemie Halle, including Barbara Dix-Stolz and Christel Felgner-Wunder, who were later nominated to start at the 1964 Summer Olympics. At age 57, Quaas again started with training in 1982 and won at the VII. Turn- und Sportfest der DDR in Leipzig.^[2] After the German reunification she also started at all Deutsche Turnfeste since 1990.^[2]

Quaas rose to prominence in 2012 when several YouTube clips showed her training at age 86 during the Turnier der Meister in Cottbus. The clips became instant viral hits and generated 2,9 and 3 million views.^{[4] [5]}

German and international newspapers and TV stations reported on the 86-year-old gymnast. Quaas was invited to German TV show Gottschalk Live and her story was covered in at least 188 Chinese newspapers.^[6]

On September 13, 2012 it was announced that Quaas will receive an entry in The Guinness Book of Records as oldest gymnast in the world.^[1]

Personal life[link]

In 1963 she married the gymnast coach Gerhard Quaas, with whom she has three daughters.^[7]

References[link]

de:Johanna Quaas

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

Alpa Gun
Birth name	Alper Sendilmen
Born	(1980-07-04) July 4, 1980 (age 31) Berlin, Germany
Origin	Turkey
Genres	Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap
Labels	Sektenmuzik
Associated acts	Sido, B-Tight, Fler, Die Sekte, Ceza

Alper Sendilmen (born 4 July 1980) is a German rapper with Turkish origin, better known as Alpa Gun. In 2004 he got signed to Berlin label Sektenmuzik and since then a member of rap group Die Sekte.^[1]

Biography[link]

At the beginning of his musical career, formed Sendilmen together with friends the group AK. When rapper Sido discovered him, the members of AK signed their first label contract.

It came to disputes between Sendilmen and the other members of AK, thus the group disbanded. Sendilmen signed to Sektenmuzik, where he worked together with other artists on Sampler 1. He joined rap group Die Sekte and had mainly contacts with Aggro Berlin and Bass Sultan Hengzt.

He became a good friend of Sido and repeatedly thanks him in songs and interviews for supporting him and taking him away from his criminal street life.

On the Aggro Berlin sampler Aggro Ansage Nr. 5, was he featured with a solo track titled "Alpa für Westberlin".

On May 1, 2007 presented Sendilmen on MTV Germany his first video "Ausländer", reaching place 5 of the Most Wanted charts in the Total Request Live series. The single of this song was released May 25 over Sektenmuzik. On the same day released his debut album Geladen und Entsichert.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

Singles[link]

Free tracks[link]

• ¹ The title actually means Stop with that nonsense in German, but the word "U(n)fuk" is a wordplay of "Unfuk" (meaning Nonsense) and the name Ufuk.

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpa_Gun