Category Archives: Hurt Feelings

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.

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.

The COVID-19 Gold Rush days are over

September 29, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

And the money, she is all gone, señor.

BioNTech to close 3 sites in Germany after failed buyer search – BioNTech is set to shutter multiple sites in Germany, impacting about 1,800 jobs, after efforts to find buyers fell through.

BioNTech announced plans to exit three German sites in May, as the mRNA pioneer adjusts production capacity in response to a sharp drop in global COVID-19 vaccine demand while pivoting to its developing oncology pipeline. At the time, the German company said it was exploring potential divestment options, including a partial or total sale, for the manufacturing sites.

“Despite the intensive efforts of all parties involved and a broad-based sales process, it was unfortunately not possible to realize a sale,” a BioNTech spokesperson told Fierce in a statement.

Germany to save American climate data from Dr. Evil Himself

September 28, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hi-tech, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Although why all these tweaked versions of climate simulations (all incorrect, as usual) would interest anybody is rather mysterious.

Germany Is Building a Digital Noah’s Ark for US Climate Data – Wary of Trumpian tampering, scientists have taken matters into their own hands…

Under normal circumstances, the DKRZ’s mission is to provide computing power and storage to the German climate science community. But these new racks will serve a different and highly sensitive purpose: They will store backup versions of climate simulations from the other side of the Atlantic. The operation aims to ensure that essential work performed by US scientists for the next major U.N. climate assessment, due in 2029, cannot be meddled with or compromised by the administration of President Trump, which has slashed funding for climate research, buried scientific reports, removed references to human-caused warming from dozens of government websites, and sought to prevent satellites from collecting key climate data.

Migration, energy, taxation, bureaucracy… and migration

September 27, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

That’s behind it. At least when it comes to the AfD.

What’s behind the rising polarization in German politics?

Recent state elections in Germany saw wins for parties on the political fringes, while parties in the center struggled. What is behind this realignment? And is it here for good?

German of the day: Wiesnflation

September 18, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

That means Oktoberfest inflation.

Oktoberfest: A Maß of beer (one liter) costs five times as much as it did in 1985 – Beer prices at the Wiesn (Oktoberfest) —or rather, the frustration over them—have been a topic of discussion in Munich for decades. In raw numbers: This year, a Maß of beer costs an average of 15.61 euros, 2.4 percent more than last year.

Sometimes UN, sometimes U Out

September 17, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Ain’t nobody gonna listen to you at the UN anyway.

Merz cancels UN visit after AfD election win puts his leadership on the ropes – German chancellor gets support from state leaders but further far-right gains this weekend could spell the end.

Powerful German state leaders from Friedrich Merz’s party have rallied behind him as speculation builds that his days in office may be numbered.

The chancellor’s hold on power has looked increasingly shaky since a bombshell regional election result earlier this month in which the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party routed his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Saxony-Anhalt.

With two more states heading to the polls on Sunday where the AfD is expected to perform well, Merz cancelled a plan to speak at the UN general assembly in New York next week because “his presence is required in Berlin”, a government official said on condition of anonymity.

“Elections still closed to foreigners” in Berlin?

September 15, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helections, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I don’t understand.

How could elections not be closed to foreigners? In Berlin or anywhere else.

In cosmopolitan Berlin, elections still closed to foreigners – A quarter of Berlin residents will have no say in the German capital’s city-state election because they lack citizenship. That’s the highest proportion of residents excluded from the election yet, and many are unhappy.

A warning for Germany?

September 10, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I think this warning is coming a little too late.

Warning Systems in Germany Are Being Tested – Can authorities reach and warn the public in an emergency? That will be tested today starting at 11 a.m. as part of the nationwide Warning Day. In the past, gaps in the system have repeatedly come to light.

Across Germany, disaster warning systems will be tested on Thursday morning starting at 11 a.m. On the nationwide Warning Day, the federal government, states, and local authorities will trigger a test alert via various channels—including official warning apps such as Nina and Katwarn, as well as the cell broadcast system for cell phones. The media and electronic display boards will also broadcast warning messages. An all-clear is expected to be issued around 11:45 a.m.