Slow Learners

July 14, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Angela Merkel, Asylum Seekers, EU, Europe, German, Germans, Germany, Heiko Maas, Migrants, Refugees, Sebastian Kurz, Social Democracy, Social Democrats, SPD Leave a comment

The Good Germans still haven’t figured it out.

Although this became loud and clear as a bell very quickly after Angela Merkel opened up the floodgates back in 2015, many German Gutmenesch (do-gooder) politicians still believe they can convince leaders in other European countries to help them establish a “fair” distribution system for the asylum seekers who Germany unfairly invited to Europe.

More dream world thinking, in other words. Personally, I think the fairest solution would be to fly all would-be asylum seekers wishing to come to Europe directly to Germany, Berlin Airlift style.

German foreign minister calls for alliance of EU countries to take in migrants – Berlin is willing ‘to make a substantial contribution,’ says Heiko Maas…

His proposal was immediately rejected by Austria’s former and possibly future chancellor, Sebastian Kurz. Kurz, who is running to regain the chancellorship in September, described quotas as an outdated idea and declared that “the distribution of migrants across Europe has failed,” in a statement Saturday reported by dpa.

Louisa von S.

July 13, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Hotness Tags: Louisa von Spies Leave a comment

Beautiful German of the week.

Because somebody has to admire them.

German Of The Day: Mundtot Machen

July 12, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Censorship, Consensus, Free speech, Freedom of Speech, German, Germans, Germany, Groupthink, Islam, Language, Muslims, Political correctness, Political Parties, Social Democracy, SPD Leave a comment

That means to make “mouth-dead,” as in to silence someone.

“Groupthink requires individuals to avoid raising controversial issues or alternative solutions, and there is loss of individual creativity, uniqueness and independent thinking.”

On its third try, Germany’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD) will be able to kick controversial anti-Islam author Thilo Sarrazinfrom its ranks, an arbitration court ruled on Thursday. The former Berlin senator intends to appeal the ruling.ConCo

“We will try to take the case to all stages of the state and the federal arbitration court of the SPD and, beyond that, if necessary, all the ordinary civil instances of the district court of Berlin, the Court of Appeals and Federal Supreme Court, then the Federal Constitutional Court,” defense lawyer Andreas Köhler said. “In the meantime Dr. Sarrazin will continue to be an astute and attentive member of the SPD.”

Who are the Brain Police?

German Of The Day: Hinterzimmer

July 11, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hustle (Hoax), Hypocrisy Tags: Elections, EU, European elections, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Non-elected Officials, Technocrats, Ursula von der Leyen Leave a comment

That means backroom.

You know, like backroom deals? Like the way EU technocrats decide who runs the show despite what the electorate says? Why even hold European elections in the first place?

Von der Leyen nomination: Germans criticise ‘backroom deal’ – “What was the point of all that?” German critics are asking, after the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s defence minister, for the top EU job of Commission president.

There were TV debates. There were election rallies. Germany’s streets were plastered with posters showing the faces of candidates for the EU’s top jobs.

But Mrs von der Leyen’s face did not appear on any posters. Instead her nomination was suddenly announced after weeks of difficult, behind-the-scenes wrangling between EU leaders.

This is European, I mean EU democracy in action, people.

Fifteen Years!

July 10, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Asylum Seekers, Crime, German, Germans, Germany, Justice, Law, Migrants, Murder, Prison, Punishment, Rape, Refugees Leave a comment

Fifteen years? That’s what a “life sentence” in Germany means.

In other words, in Germany you get away with murder when convicted of murder.

A failed Iraqi asylum seeker has been handed life in prison for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old German girl.

Ali Bashar, 22, had admitted in court in Wiesbaden that he strangled Susanna Feldman on 23 May 2018, but claimed he did not know how it happened…

Susanna’s mother, Diana, said that “part of my future and my heart disappeared” when her daughter died. “I have already received life imprisonment, although I am not guilty. I will never get a chance for a pardon.”

The Perfect Choice

July 9, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Horror, Humor, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Bundeswehr, Bureaucracy, Corruption, Democracy, EU, Europe, European Commission, Inefficiency, Intransparency, Non-elected Officials, Syria, Technocrats, Ursula von der Leyen Leave a comment

This woman has been in charge of the German Bundeswehr for what feels like decades and has accomplished absolutely nothing other than to stumble from one self-inflicted scandal to the other without ever having to face the consequences because, being one of Angela Merkel’s top girls (and therefore being more equal than the other girls), she is simply too good and too big to fail.

That is why she is the ideal choice to head the European Commission. Un-freakin’-believable.

Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen nominated to lead EU Commission – EU leaders have put forward their nominations for the bloc’s top jobs, with a woman for the first time proposed as European Commission chief.

The surprise choice of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker came after the main front-runners were rejected.

“Von der Leyen is a very good candidate and a very good choice to head the European Commission. Her capacities and competences totally qualified her.”

Ho-hum, They Found Another Bomb In The Neighborhood

July 8, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: Bombs, Books, Discounts, eBooks, German, Germans, Germany, Oddities, Sales, WWII 1 Comment

German Oddity 15. Germany is a place where huge underground bombs are routinely unearthed all around the country and this barely even makes second page news. In fact, most Germans directly affected are more annoyed about it than anything else. They grudgingly leave their homes until the bomb crews have disarmed or detonated the damned things. Over 5,000 bombs are found in Germany every year.

1,100-pound US bomb from WWII defused in Germany after mass evacuation.

Verzögerte Räumung, schnelle Entschärfung.

German Of The Day: Entlassungswelle

July 7, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Deutsche Bank, Employees, Employment, German, Germans, Germany, Jobs, Language, Layoffs, Work Leave a comment

That means wave of layoffs.

Although the plural form would be more accurate these days. It’s the latest big thing in Germany. Everybody’s doing it – or in the process of planning it (see German automobile industry).

Take the Deutsche Bank, for instance. Give me 18,000 employees to go. The times they are a changin’.

Up to 20,000 jobs could be axed at Deutsche Bank in a radical reorganisation of Germany’s biggest bank.

The investment bank is expected to be particularly hard hit, with many of the cuts set to affect London and New York.

“I can assure you: we’re prepared to make tough cutbacks.”

The Next German Folk Hero Is Born

July 2, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Asylum Seekers, Drugs, German, Germans, Germany, Guilt, Migrants, Psychology, Refugees, Sea Watch 1 Comment

For fifteen minutes or so, at least.

Carola Rackete has been lauded as a heroine and decried as a criminal for helping asylum-seekers stranded in the Mediterranean Sea. What drives the 31-year-old German captain of the Sea-Watch rescue boat?

That’s easy. It’s the drug she’s taking: Guilt. Guilt gets people high. At least here in Germany it does. Guilt-induced moral intoxication turns its users from nobodies minding their own business into moral supermen saving the world. Those they claim to help are of secondary importance.

“I have decided to enter the port of Lampedusa. I know what I’m risking, but the 42 rescued people are exhausted. I’m taking them to safety now.”

Not If You Work For A Living

July 1, 2019 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Health, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria Tags: German, Germans, Germany, Health Insurance, Health-care, Insurance 3 Comments

Is Germany’s health care system a model for the U.S.?

Nope. Unless you want to pay a considerable amount of what you earn for your regular health insurance (15 percent – and climbing) – that’s the el cheapo insurance, by the way, the “private” insurance costs much more. Your husband/wife get to pay that fifteen percent, too. Then you get to pay extra for countless other things like dental work (1000 euros for a crown ain’t no big deal, for example) And if you’re a freelance, self-employed type you normally can’t even afford the regular insurance. You have no choice, however. You cannot opt out when it comes to insurance here.

However, if you’re on the dole and even openly admit that you have no intention of going back to work, everything is covered for you.

This is what “free health care” comes down to, folks.

“The ones who are able to pay more, pay more. And the ones who aren’t able to pay that much, don’t pay that much.”

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”