Category Archives: Hard Facts

Fantasy Book From 1875 Not Up To Today’s Strict Moral Standards

August 24, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

The Virtue signaling industry is high gear again. And morally intoxicanted, as usual.

It’s a dangerous combination but we’re used to it, right? Cowardly search for and find something that might offend somebody somewhere, remove it from its historical context and then call yourself brave as you loudly apply a current attitude to the long-dead past.

German publisher pulls Winnetou books amid racial stereotyping row – Ravensburger Verlag reacts as debate rages over depiction of Native American character in children’s books.

A German publisher has announced it is withdrawing two new books paying tribute to a highly popular character in children’s fiction after facing accusations of racism and cultural appropriation.

At least this is a first. As far as I know, Germans have never banned books in the past. Or burned them or anything.

German Of The Day: Unermesslich

August 23, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hysteria Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means immeasurable. You know, like die Preise steigen ins Unermessliche. Prices are going through the roof.

German Power Price Soars, Hitting 700 Euros for First Time Ever – Europe’s benchmark electricity price jumped more than 25% on Monday to pass 700 euros per megawatt-hour for the first time. The level is about 14 times the seasonal average over the past five years.

European gas and power prices surged as panic over Russian supplies gripped markets and politicians warned citizens to brace for a tough winter ahead.

Benchmark gas settled at a record high, while German power surged to above 700 euros ($696) a megawatt-hour for the first time. Russia said it will stop its key Nord Stream gas pipeline for three days of repairs on Aug. 31, again raising concerns it won’t return after the work. Europe has been on tenterhooks about shipments through the link for weeks, with flows resuming only at very low levels after it was shut for works last month.

“The catastrophe is already there.”

German Of The Day: Unter Druck Setzen

August 22, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means to put under pressure, or to feel the squeeze.

Germans feeling the squeeze over surging food, energy prices – Middle- and low-income families say they’re struggling to make ends meet amid high inflation, soaring energy bills.

Inflation has soared in recent months, hitting 7.5% in June, and according to the latest German central bank estimate, it is likely to rise further this fall, reaching double digits.

I’m No Joe Biden

August 21, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

But I’m pretty damned unpopular all the same.

Over 60% of Germans are Dissatisfied with the Work of Chancellor Olaf Scholz – Currently, only 25% of Germans are satisfied with Scholz’s performance as chancellor, and as many as 62% are dissatisfied – a record low during his tenure.

If the chancellor had been elected directly, Scholz would have taken only third place. According to the survey, 25 percent would choose current Economy Minister Robert Habeck as Germany’s chancellor, 19 percent would choose CDU leader Friedrich Merz and only 18 percent would choose Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

German Of The Day: Existenzielle Bedrohung

August 19, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means existential threat. Like: “The existence of many companies is being threatened by the increased prices.”

German companies are supposed to save gas. But the switch to oil, for example, is being held back by bureaucracy and legal uncertainty.

The German government is calling for gas savings, with the Federal Minister of Economics leading the way – and yet, from the point of view of companies, the government is preventing exactly what it is calling for. Several associations say that it is very difficult for companies to obtain approval for retrofits.

German Of The Day: Atomstrom

August 17, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? That means nuclear power.

The real world has a way of biting you in your ideological ass from time to time.

Germany to Keep Last Three Nuclear-Power Plants Running in Policy U-Turn – Move prompted by the mounting economic war with Russia marks the first departure from a two-decade policy to abandon nuclear energy.

Germany plans to postpone the closure of the countr’s last three nuclear power plants as it braces for a possible shortage of energy this winter after Russia throttled gas supplies to the country, said German government officials.

Electricity prices in Germany:

Google Searches for ”firewood” in Germany:

Gas Price Already Unaffordable?

August 16, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

You won’t be able to pay for your heating this winter as it is? We’ll help out by adding an additional tax to that. Only we won’t call it a tax, of course. We’ll call it an Umlage. That means contribution, share, levy.

It’s what we do here in Green Germany. It’s for the greater good or something.

Germany Slaps Levy on Households to Spread Pain of Gas Surge – Government allows industry to pass on prices to consumers.

Germany’s government said households will face additional annual costs of about 290 euros ($296) to pay for natural gas as the burden of Russia’s squeeze on energy flows to Europe is redistributed.

German Of The Day: Mogelpackung

August 15, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means deceptive packaging (smaller amounts of a product for the same price). Or shrinkflation, if you prefer.

Forget Inflation. Shrinkflation Is Sparking Fury in Germany – German shoppers are getting increasingly angry at attempts to hike goods prices by stealth.

While so-called shrinkflation — where the cost of a product stays the same though its size declines — isn’t a new phenomenon, consumer-protection authorities in Europe’s top economy are being inundated by complaints.

German Of The Day: Ende Gelände

August 14, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means, literally, the end of the terrain. You know, as in the end of the line, end of the story, the buck stops here? That’s the name of that leftist climate activist group down there.

They’re trying to blockade the port of Hamburg (because of that bad LNG stuff coming from Amerika) and a coal-fired power plant in order to save the planet.

Now, I’m no climate activist expert here, but if you’re going to block a train shouldn’t you be on the tracks and not between them? Just saying. And they’re not even glued to anything yet. A little more quality control here, people.