Category Archives: Helplessness

Healing The Wounds Of German Colonialism

May 19, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Humor Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

In a country Germans never set foot in, much less colonized?

Seems like there’s just never enough guilt to go around these days. But hey, if it makes you feel good, I mean virtuous, run with any guilt you can find (or steal, or make up).

But you know, personally, I think sending Nigeria 20 Greens instead of 20 Bronzes would have been a much nicer gesture.

Germany had hoped that by returning 20 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria last year it was “healing the wounds” of colonialism and righting a historic wrong.

But when it emerged that ownership of the repatriated objects will pass to the king of Benin rather than the Nigerian state, Berlin found itself facing a PR nightmare.

“The government has recklessly consigned African world heritage to oblivion. The pieces will vanish into the private possession of a Nigerian king.”

“This should be a wake-up call to end the hyper-moralism in the whole restitution debate.”

Far-Right Coup Comedy Plot

May 18, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

It goes like this: Five Rentner (retirees) overthrough the German government.

Or plan to. Or at least think about maybe doing it or something.

Forgive them, judge. This took place (not) when that wacky “January 6 insurrection” fad was going around. German media just had to come up with something.

Five Germans go on trial over alleged far-right coup plot – Group accused of plotting to abduct minister and topple government in protest at Covid measures.

Let’s Make A Deal

May 17, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A deal you can’t refuse.

Five Germans handed jail sentence for Green Vault jewel heist. But these slaps on the wrist aren’t the story.

A part of the loot had been handed over to to a lawyer’s office. In return, the clan members received lighter sentences. The deal had previously been arranged through the defense, a capitulation to the clan criminals before the rule of law.

And the “six German men” handed jail sentences? They weren’t of the Michael and Johannes type. They were of the Lebanese Remmo Clan variety. You know, Corleone style.

Chinese Police More Active Than German Police – In Germany

May 16, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Well, somebody’s got to do the police work around here.

China still conducting police activities in Germany – German ministries. German security authorities believe that China is still conducting police activities on German soil even though Beijing assured Berlin in February that it had ceased to do so, the German foreign and interior ministries said on Monday.

Meanwhile…

Germany: Viral video prompts debate on police brutality – Footage of a German police officer using a pain grip on a climate activist has some experts saying police have broken the law.

German Of The Day: Willkommensgeschenk

May 15, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means welcome gift.

Gift in German, by the way, means poison.

As a welcome gift, Scholz put together an arms package worth 2.7 billion euros. Germany is supplying more infantry fighting vehicles, older Leopard-1s, howitzers, armored combat vehicles, reconnaissance drones and ammunition. It is the most extensive pledge by the German government since the start of the war.

Green Hydrogen?

May 12, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Do you mean green like in pink unicorns or like in red herrings?

I see. As in both.

How Germany’s Hydrogen Boom Stalled – Green hydrogen has the potential to heat millions of homes and keep German industry humming. So far, though, a lack of the environmentally friendly gas and the infrastructure needed to transport it have prevented its wide-scale use.

Welcome to the sobering hydrogen reality. While Germany hopes that it will soon be able to run basement gas heating systems on hydrogen, steel manufacturers are converting their production to the green gas at a cost of billions and energy companies are planning new power plants that will generate electricity from hydrogen, almost everything needed to make the climate-neutral dreams a reality in the near future is still lacking. The environmentally friendly hydrogen is missing, as are the pipeline networks to carry it across the country, not to mention reliable business models.

Talk The Talk

May 11, 2023 By in Habitudes, Helplessness, Hard Facts, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

But walk the walk? And give up one of my many annual vacations, say?

Thanks, but we’ll just stick to the talking, if you don’t mind.

This, folks, is “saving the planet” rhetoric in a nutshell.

Germans Want Climate Policy – Just Not in Their Homes. A new law about home heating reveals political constraints on the energy transition.

Polls show that Germans are earnestly worried about the climate crisis and in favor of more climate action. The fallout of global warming is one of their most pressing concerns, indeed as it is across Europe. And yet, when it comes to modifying their lifestyles or paying higher prices to curb emissions, most say they’re not willing, or only as much as it doesn’t sting.

Kanßel Kultur

May 10, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, History Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Looks like the Germans beat you to the draw on this one, cancel culture commissioners.

But chin up. The methods you use to silence the un-woke are much more effective.

Nazi book burnings in Germany – archive, May 1933 – 10 May 1933: Students in uniform around the country burn thousands of books deemed to be un-German.

Thousands of curious spectators lined the pavements this evening to watch the procession of Nazi students on their way to a gala on the Opera Square, where they burned a huge quantity of “un-German” books. The students, who were in uniform, escorted six vans of the doomed books, as well as confiscated emblems of the Jewish fraternities.

German Of The Day: Hiobsbotschaft

May 9, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Literally, “Job of the Bible’s message.” Bad news, in other words. Evil tidings.

HIOBSBOTSCHAFT FOR GERMAN ECONOMY: Industrial Production Surprisingly Down Sharply.

Germany’s Industrial Plunge Revives Winter Recession Fears – German industrial production sank by the most in a year — raising the risk that Europe’s largest economy slipped into a winter recession.

Output dropped 3.4% in March, more than the 1.5% decline economists had predicted in a Bloomberg survey. The decrease was especially pronounced in the automotive sector, according to the statistics office.

Germany May Be Arming Ukraine

May 8, 2023 By in Habitudes, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hard Facts, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

But it clearly has no intention of arming itself.

This is still considered news?

Germany is finally focusing on defending NATO, but its military ‘lacks almost everything’ it needs to do it, a former German general says.

In the early years after the Cold War, the military of the reunited Germany — comprising the West German Bundeswehr and parts of East Germany’s National Volksarmee — was a large, well-trained, and well-equipped force.

In 1990, that force had almost 500,000 personnel. Today, the German military is just 183,000-strong, and it can’t meet its recruiting goals. In 2018, half of its jet fighters and none of its six submarines were rated ready for combat. In 2022, German commanders complained that their Puma infantry fighting vehicles were plagued by defects.