German Of The Day: Schrumpfen

That means to shrink.

You know. As in the Sick Man of Europe? The Incredible Shrinking (or was it Sinking) Country?

German Economy Shrinks Faster Than Expected – It’s a rare thing to happen, but Germany now looks like the sick man of Europe, a phrase previously often used to describe Britain.

The health of the business sector dropped significantly in June, according to recent data. The Ifo Business Climate index for Germany, which measures the health of the commercial sector, registered 88.5 in June, down from 91.5 in May. Higher numbers show economic strength, whereas lower ones show a weakening of the economy.

Speaking of sinking…

Forget Manhattan

First we take Sonneberg. Then we take Berlin.

When conservative parties no longer have the courage to be conservative parties (thanks again, Angela Merkel), where will many of their voters go?

German far-right party wins its first county leadership post, rising in polls – Victory of AfD’s candidate in rural Sonneberg area reflects rising popularity of anti-immigration party.

They sentenced me to 20 years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I’m coming now, I’m coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

We Germans Don’t Have Babies Anymore

And now we don’t have workers anymore (some speculate there may be a connection here).

But we’ve passed another way cool law. Now the unskilled migrants who came here illegally can stay. Unfortunately, the skilled migrants we would now like to have aren’t interested in coming to Germany because of our taxation bureaucracy, etc. A well-functioning system, don’t you think? Or have we forgotten to fix anything else? No need to thank us. We’re from the government and we’re here to help.

German parliament reforms skilled work immigration law – The German parliament has passed legislation to open up new opportunities for job seekers from countries outside the EU and for many refugees who are already in the country. Conservative lawmakers are up in arms.

The Germans Can’t Talk About Biden

Even they can see what’s happening in US-Amerika right now and are in the deepest, strategic denial. So they gladly talk about (as in down) Trump instead. Or “Trump’s America.” That Evergreen (German for perennial hit) is always a guaranteed feel-good.

A Road Trip through Trump’s America – Former U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking another term in the White House. A trip through Republican-controlled states reveals just how radically America has already changed. Can the country survive a second Trump tenure?

Is America on the verge of a split? Or, even worse, a civil war? The question may sound rather hysterical, but the longer you travel through the country, the more pressing it becomes…

Save The Planet

Leave the country.

It’s the only Green thing to do.

German energy prices are so high they’re driving companies to relocate, industry body says…

In May, the German government revealed plans to set aside around 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) each year to subsidize electricity prices for energy-intensive industries, in an attempt to shield businesses from high electricity prices.

“A lot of family-owned companies … have very operational plans to relocate.”

Depends On The Woman, I Guess

And what is a woman these days, anyway?

1 in 3 German men find violence against women ‘acceptable’ – A survey commissioned by Plan International Germany found that 33% of male respondents thought violence against women was acceptable. Almost half of respondents also felt “disturbed” by public displays of homosexuality.

According to a new survey, 33% of men aged 18-35 thought it was “acceptable” if “their hand slipped” occasionally during an argument with their female partner, while 34% of respondents admitted that they had been violent towards women in the past.

German Of The Day: Deprimiert

That means depressed.

German bosses are depressed – And dissatisfied with the government.

We are at a dangerous point,” worries Arndt Kirchhoff, boss of the employers’ association in North Rhine-Westphalia and one of three brothers who run Kirchhoff, a maker of car components. Germany recently slipped into a technical recession. Many companies are investing abroad rather than at home. Chinese consumers are importing less after the lifting of pandemic restrictions than German manufacturers had been hoping. And Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian invaders is injecting uncertainty into Germany’s backyard.

I’ve Seen German Men Do Lots Of Weird Things

But I’ve never seen one try to sit in one of these.

I’m calling fake news on this one.

Men shouldn’t stand to pee, but sit like Germans do, urologist says – A senior urologist claims that men should not urinate standing up but should instead sit down. Here, the Germans might have the right idea.

PS: Personally, I’ve heard nothing but disdain for men who sit when they piss, but maybe that’s just the questionable crowd I hang around with. See “sit pisser:” Sitzpisser = Sitzpinkler = Turnbeutelvergesser = Warmduscher = Nullschecker = Regenschirmmitdabeihaber…

But Violence On The Left Is OK

Right? I mean, left?

German lefties are confused about the jail term given to a fellow lefty who attacked neo-Nazis. They have now reacted to this judicial violence against leftist violence with, well, more violence.

German row over jail term for woman who attacked neo-Nazis – A jail term for a far-left extremist who took part in violent attacks on neo-Nazis has caused uproar on both the left and right of German politics.

Lina E was given a sentence of five years and three months – but was also told she is now free pending an appeal, having been in custody since 2020.