Google’s German engineering headquarters in Munich is the kind of office environment many can only dream of.
With two on-site baristas ready to serve up the perfect coffee macchiato, and a choice of canteens from which staff can drop in for a wholesome feed – almost every consideration has been made for worker welfare.
A quick tour of the Munich office on Internet Safer Day to promote the latest technologies and innovations to help keep our information secure online offered a glimpse into a privileged world.
The office is dog friendly, with staff allowed to bring their hounds into work with them – as long as there is no friction with any neighbouring pets on the next desk.
There is an outdoor basketball court and fully functioning gym equipped with all the latest equipment, complete with motivational messages from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
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Plants hang down from the ceilings to give a feeling of the outdoors, even on the most hostile German winter’s day and an indoor crazy golf course can keep workers busy during break time.
If golf’s not your thing, there is always a game of pool or table football to help pass the time.
Whilst the work and rest balance strikes all the right notes, there is also a keen eye on the environment inside the walls of Google’s Munich office.
Rain water is harvested from the rooftops and used to flush the toilets, with each area of the sprawling office off Marlene Dietrich Strasse themed to offer the perfect ambience to get the best out of staff.
The luxurious surroundings are enough to make even the most privileged green with envy – with free music lessons offered to those looking to turn their hand to a new skill in a dedicated music room.
Life at Google is set at a different pace, and if it all gets too much – there is a quiet room for some meditation and even a sleeping room for staff to take a power nap and recharge their batteries.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
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