German of the day: Bitte keine Überraschungen

November 14, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means no surprises, please.

Germans hate surprises. “Was nicht ausdrücklich erlaubt ist, ist verboten.” Anything not expressly permitted is prohibited. If Trump’s not careful here, there could soon be a peace deal for Ukraine. Without Europe having participated. As usual. Which is no surprise at least.

Merz Warns Trump About a Mega-Summit with Xi and Putin – This meeting will go down in history—and there is great concern about hasty deals that could come at the expense of Ukraine and Europe! U.S. President Donald Trump (80) announced on Friday that he would meet directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (73) and Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin (74). Chancellor Friedrich Merz (71, CDU) reacted immediately to the news—and, as a precaution, has already issued an appeal to Trump…

Merz and the Europeans are watching this meeting with concern. They fear that the three world powers will also reach agreements at the meeting regarding Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine—and in doing so, will pursue only their own respective interests.

Chancellor Merz has therefore called on the U.S. president to stand with Ukraine alongside European allies. He wants to convey the message to the U.S. “very clearly”: “Please, no surprises. Keep playing on Team Europe and on the same team as Ukraine, and let’s work together for true peace in Ukraine!”

Germany too risky to warrant further investment

November 13, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

By German firms. In Germany.

“Wir sind doch nicht blöd!” We ain’t stupid.

Mercedes-Benz halts all further investment at German facilities – The announcement comes as the luxury German automaker faces increasing pressure from the works council and trade unions.

Mercedes-Benz announced on Thursday that it was halting all further investment at its German sites for the time being.

“The executive board has jointly decided to halt all further investments in German sites,” Mercedes board member Michael Schiebe said in a memo on the company’s intranet that was seen by the AFP news agency.

The company is also weighing plant closures, the memo added.

Germans tired of democracy, want to try something new again

November 12, 2026 By in Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hard Facts, Hideology Tags: , Leave a comment

As in old again.

Only 1/3 of Germans satisfied with state of democracy – A new authoritarianism study has revealed a new low in satisfaction levels with the functioning of German democracy.

Just a third of respondents said they were satisfied with the state of democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany, according to a new report from the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study.

This marked a steep decline from the 42.3% level of satisfaction measured in the last study in 2024 and was the lowest point since the study began in 2002. The level was even lower in the former East German states where only 22.8% expressed satisfaction with German democracy, down from 29.7%.

Only 60%?

November 11, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Germany used to have a real army.

Over 60% of German female soldiers subjected to sexual harassment, survey says – Report comes as German military seeks to expand amid growing need for young recruits.

More than 60% of female German soldiers said they had been subjected to sexual harassment during their service, Der Spiegel news magazine reported Wednesday, citing a survey.

Of the more than 4,000 female soldiers who responded to a questionnaire from the Potsdam-based Center for Military History and Social Sciences, well over 60% reported having been subjected to sexual harassment during their service.

German of the day: Gefährdet

November 10, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means exposed, as in in danger.

In this case it also means failed. As in don’t work. As in dumb idea that nobody is willing to admit.

Europe’s shrinking flexible power cushion leaves Germany exposed – German power prices have hit their highest since 2022. While weak wind output and higher gas costs triggered the rally, the root cause is Europe’s shrinking flexibility cushion.

Germany’s latest power shock reveals a challenge that is becoming central to Europe’s broader energy transition. The issue is no longer how quickly ​the region can add renewable generation, but whether the power system can maintain sufficient flexibility when weather-dependent generation falls short.

From the river to Wannsee!

November 9, 2026 By in Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Reichstag will be free!

How stunning and brave or something.

Berlin: Pro-Palestinian activist replaces German flag – Three men detained after activist scales Berlin’s “Flag of Unity” pole and raises a Palestinian flag.

A pro-Palestinian activist climbed a flagpole outside Berlin’s Reichstag on Sunday and replaced the German flag with a Palestinian flag, prompting a police and fire service response. Three men were detained following the incident.

Using climbing gear, the activist scaled the nearly 30-meter pole in Platz der Republik, in front of the building that houses Germany’s federal parliament, the Bundestag. He removed the 60-square-meter German flag and threw it to the ground before raising a Palestinian flag. Two other men remained below and filmed the incident.

“Slowly, and then all at once”

November 8, 2026 By in History Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“Make Iran Great Again!”

Pahlavi accepts Freedom Prize on Iranians’ behalf as thousands rally in Frankfurt – Iranian exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi accepted Germany’s Freedom Prize for the Iranian people in Frankfurt on Saturday, its first award to a nation rather than a person, and said he would hold it until he could hand it to them in Tehran, as tens of thousands rallied in the city.

Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi accepted Germany’s Freedom Prize on behalf of the Iranian people in Frankfurt on Saturday, the first time the award has gone to a nation rather than a person, as tens of thousands of Iranians rallied in the city for the uprising at home.

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom presented the 2026 prize at St. Paul’s Church, the seat of Germany’s first elected national assembly in 1848. The foundation, which is affiliated with the liberal Free Democratic Party, has awarded the prize every two years since 2006 to individuals who advance civil society and liberal values. This year it chose a nation.

“That is how dictatorships end: slowly, and then all at once. That day is coming to Iran.”

All the news that’s fit to blow up

November 7, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Talk about explosive news stories…

Bomb threats spread to European newsrooms after wave of passenger jet scares – Several media outlets in Europe have reported receiving bomb threats.

It follows a spate of threats to passenger flights across the continent forced airlines to ground or escort planes.

The signature attached to the threats matches the name of a far-right movement in Russia, but the link is yet to be confirmed.