And the axe keeps falling…

November 4, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

German of the day: Streichen. That means to cut. As in jobs.

‘Industry crisis’: Germany’s auto sector faces fresh cuts as Schaeffler axes 3,460 jobs and eyes defense – Car parts maker Schaeffler said Tuesday it would cut 3,460 jobs and shutter five of its sites across Europe, blaming an “automotive industry crisis” amid a struggle against economic headwinds, overseas competition and technological change.

Approximately 2,660 of the jobs and four of the five sites affected are in Germany, including Schaeffler’s plants in Dortmund and Morbach, which manufacture products for internal combustion engines. Operations will also be discontinued at its Berlin and Schwalbach sites, and toolmaking will cease at Höchstadt. Capacity will be adjusted in Haguenau and Toulouse, France, as well as Skalica and Kysuce in Slovakia.

Well, our chancellor lady worked out well, didn’t she?

November 3, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , Leave a comment

A German president lady shouldn’t cause all too much trouble.

Merz says next German president ‘must be a woman’ — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s second term is due to end in March next year.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out in favor of having a woman succeed Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Germany’s president.

“I will propose a consensus candidate to the party, a candidate from the political center,” Merz said at a non-public meeting of local Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chairs in Berlin, participants told the German DPA news agency.

“I am firm in my belief that it must be a woman,” he reportedly added.

61% is a 100% miss

November 2, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , Leave a comment

But it will still get us through the winter. Maybe.

Gas Storage Facilities Only 61.17 Percent Full – German natural gas storage facilities are significantly less full than expected for this time of year. At the end of October, the fill level stood at around 61.17 percent. This means Germany fell short of the targeted nationwide average of around 70 percent as of November 1. This is according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe, as reported by Bloomberg. The EU average is around 75 percent.

The Left Party in Berlin: “Defund the police!”

November 1, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Also the Left Party in Berlin: “Give me police protection!”

Elif Eralp to Receive Police Protection at the Left Party Convention – Politician Elif Eralp will attend the Left Party convention in Berlin under police protection. Authorities currently believe she is at risk.

The decision is partly related to calls on social media for a rally outside the conference venue against “betrayal of voters” and in support of “consistent solidarity with Palestine and socialization.” In addition, according to reports, the police see grounds for protecting Eralp in light of a report by “Der Spiegel.”

On Thursday, “Der Spiegel” published a report claiming that Eralp, who may become the next Governing Mayor, is said to fear Israel-haters and terrorist sympathizers in her own party. The report mentions unauthorized interview excerpts as well as internal comments made during the authorization process—comments that her office had inadvertently sent back to the magazine along with the interview text and that were not intended for publication.

Gen Z as in Zzz

October 31, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

In Germany. Get it? Zzz, as in sleep? As in BORING?

I love slow news days just as much as the next guy but could we please move on to something real? Like Halloween?

Massive Gen Z protests set to sweep cities across Germany – Young people in Germany are taking to the streets in some 34 cities, calling for greater political say and a more hopeful future. The protests come amid a wave of youth demonstrations across Europe. DW has more.

PS: Happy Halloween!

German of the day: Antisemitischer Sumpf

October 30, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means anti-Semitic quagmire.

“Elif Eralp is the harmless face of left-wing fascism”—“The Left is an anti-Semitic quagmire,” said columnist Henryk M. Broder following *Der Spiegel’s revelations about Berlin’s top candidate, Elif Eralp. With her as mayor, “Hamas would already have a foot in the door.”

Let’s get back to nature!

October 29, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Wolves are our friends.

Until they’re not.

Germany: Eight-year-old girl seriously injured in wolf attack at wildlife park – The incident comes after a number of other animal attacks at zoos and wildlife parks across Europe in recent weeks.

An eight-year-old girl has been seriously injured in a wolf attack at a wildlife park in Germany.

Police said the girl had been inside an enclosure with a staff member and two other children when the attack happened at the Johannismühle wildlife park in Brandenburg, near Berlin, on Wednesday.

It might make our roads kaputt!

October 27, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Leave a comment

No, wait. Our roads already are kaputt. But we won’t allow that there Cybertruck on our roads anyway. So there.

Cybertruck driver stopped in Germany, ‘Monster truck’ not allowed on roads – A Tesla Cybertruck was pulled over while driving in Germany, a reminder that the vehicle is generally not legal on European roads.

The Tesla Cybertruck has attracted plenty of attention, mostly for its unconventional and polarizing look. For better or worse*, the car looks different than anything else on the road, and thus has been the target of all sorts of discussion (*it’s for worse).

“If the American president invites you…”

October 26, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking Leave a comment

“You accept the invitation. That is what respect for the office and for the country in which we invest demands.”

Audi defends decision to stand by Trump on $4 billion factory in Georgia – The head of German automaker Audi defended on Sunday the company’s planned $4 billion investment in a new US plant, announced by President Donald Trump as he campaigns for the November midterm elections.

Audi Chief Executive Gernot Doellner stood alongside Trump at a rally in Perry, near Macon in central Georgia on Saturday, as the US president said Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group VOWG_p.DE, planned to build an assembly plant in Georgia that will produce 200,000 SUVs annually.