Weird Science
More German environmental backwardness in action. Or would it be better to call it genetic illiteracy?
So much for Europe’s efforts to put the junk science surrounding genetically modified (GMO) food to rest. Berlin this week signaled it will prohibit cultivation of GMO crops in Germany, even if the crops have been approved by EU scientific bodies and despite an attempt by Brussels to legalize them.
Sure enough, neither environmentalists nor German politicians have come up with a justification for Berlin’s looming ban other than, well, because. Supporters cheer the move as an expression of “food democracy” in a country where opposition to GMOs is widespread and the government faced intense pressure to ban them…
Back in reality, EU scientific and food-safety authorities have repeatedly cleared various GMO crops for human and animal consumption. The process often takes months to complete, and in 95% of cases EU regulators ask producers for more evidence before greenlighting GMOs, so it’s hardly a rubber stamp.
German Of The Day: König Kunde
That sounds a bit like King Kong but actually means king customer or the customer is king, if you prefer. And it’s nice to be the king, as you well know.
For decades, France was the single biggest importer of German goods. But that’s changed now. The United States has taken the pole position among clients for “Made in Germany” goods for the first time.
Seit dem Jahr 1961 kauft kein Land so viele deutsche Produkte wie Frankreich. Das hat sich nun geändert. Und auch damit zu tun, dass Amerika wieder mehr auf die Industrie setzt.
PS: But thank goodness Germany still has its trade with ten foot tall China, too.
Angry, Drunk Germans Everywhere
Angry, drunk and unemployed German wasps are invading Essex?
Stuff happens. Angry, drunk and unemployed German wasps have become a real plague here in Germany these days, too. Only they call them neo-Nazis here.
Neo-Nazism remains a fringe political movement in Germany, and these attacks should not be taken as a sign that it is becoming part of the mainstream. But the events in Heidenau are a disturbing reminder that neo-Nazi groups’ message of xenophobia and hate seems to be finding an increasingly receptive audience among ordinary Germans.
Top Speed Ever: 26 Percent
Wind energy is inexhaustible, right? Well, not really. The talk about it is, though.
Researchers now tell us that when it comes to wind parks, due to a saturation effect, the upper limit for natural wind energy produced is one watt per square meter – not the seven watts per square meter as we had been told about before now. This means that a maximum of 26 percent of natural wind energy can be turned into energy here. “The more wind turbines I install, the less energy is produced by the individual turbines.”
“Wind turbines remove kinetic energy from the atmospheric flow, which reduces wind speeds and limits generation rates of large wind farms. These interactions can be approximated using a vertical kinetic energy (VKE) flux method, which predicts that the maximum power generation potential is 26% of the instantaneous downward transport of kinetic energy using the preturbine climatology.”
Maximal 26 Prozent der natürlichen Windenergie lassen sich für Strom nutzen.
Weissach
Beautiful German arson attack of the week.
Because somebody has to notice they’re happening.
Im baden-württembergischen Weissach ist ein Gebäude abgebrannt, das für die Unterbringung von Asylbewerbern vorgesehen war. Verletzt wurde niemand. Über die Brandursache könne noch nichts gesagt werden, sagte ein Polizeisprecher. Ausgeschlossen werden könne derzeit nichts. Auch ein Brandanschlag als Ursache sei möglich.
Look Who’s Back
The novel Er ist wieder da, published in English as Look Who’s Back, imagined the Fuhrer mysteriously waking up in modern Germany.
“Sometimes you don’t want to be a foreigner in our country. But neither do you want to be a German.”
Jennifer W.
NATO’s Eastern European Members
Beautiful German weapon sales of the week.
Because somebody has to admire them.
Military action by Russian-backed groups against Ukrainian government forces has started to nudge policymakers back towards weaponry designed to resist a land assault.
Today’s Headlines
Riots in Suhl refugee camp in Germany.
Refugee chaos in Macedonia.
UK sends cops to Calais to stop migrants from coming through the Chunnel.
Slovakia refuses to let in Muslim refugees.
Germany expecting 800,000 migrants this year.
Maybe this is just me but I think the problem here could have something to do with all of the refugees coming to Europe right now. Has anyone called Brussels yet?
Maybe it’s time for the Europeans to consider putting up a wall down there in the Mediterranean Sea somewhere. And have Mexico pay for it.
Als Erstes muss eine Mauer gebaut werden, für die Mexiko zahlen muss.
