Green Diplomacy

September 19, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

It’s a lot like Green energy utopia. It has nothing to do with the real world.

Real world diplomacy rule number one: Never actually speak the truth.

Beijing summons German ambassador after foreign minister calls Xi Jinping a ‘dictator’ – While they are major trade partners, Berlin-Beijing ties have been fraying as some in the German government take a harder line over issues ranging from human rights to Taiwan.

Baerbock, who has pushed for a more hawkish line, made the remarks in a Fox News interview on Thursday during a visit to the US.

While talking about the Ukraine war, she said: “If Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president? So therefore Ukraine has to win this war.”

Orange is the new Green

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

Hmmm. Looks like oil-based paint to me.

They better make those protestors put everything back in the orange-inal condition.

Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate Spray-Painted by Climate Activists – Climate activists sprayed orange and yellow paint on the columns of Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate on Sunday to push demands for a stop to the use of fossil fuels by 2030.

“Members of the so-called ‘Last Generation’ sprayed the columns on the east side of the Brandenburg Gate with orange paint from fire extinguishers during the morning,” Berlin police said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It added that police officers noticed a hydraulic lift was being operated at the gate and they kept the protesters from scaling the landmark building. They arrested all 14 protesters at the site and launched an investigation into property damage.

It’s not like I want to tell you that I told you so…

September 17, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

But actually, I do.

I told you so.

Germany says it will keep taking in migrants from Italy after all – Germany has decided to keep taking in migrants and refugees arriving in Italy, the interior minister said late on Friday, two days after it announced the suspension of a voluntary agreement with Rome to receive new arrivals.

Under an European Union solidarity scheme, Germany had pledged to help member states such as Italy that are particularly overwhelmed by migrants by taking in 3,500 people, but it announced the suspension of the accord on Wednesday.

Revive Germany by strangling it?

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

What a novel idea!

Let’s give it a try.

Scholz’s Dream of Climate Revolution to Revive Germany Is Dying – Chancellor’s ambition for economic miracle is floundering.

Coalition is reeling from months of infighting over green plan…

Another big brake on growth and investment is energy costs. Although lower than last year’s records, gas and power prices are still between two to three times the level compared with before the war in Ukraine.

You can never have enough twins

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

When you’re a twin.

A twin city like Berlin, I mean. Take Moscow. Moscow is one of Berlin’s 18 twins. OK, it was. Berlin had to give it Evil Twin status recently and now its twin city status has been “frozen,” whatever that means.

Maybe that’s why Kyiv will now become Berlin’s next twin. Only the Good Twin. Kyiv is a one of a kind, Good One kind of twin. And needless to say, its twinship with Berlin is Vitali important.

Kyiv, Berlin strike twin town deal as Mayor Klitschko visits – The German and Ukrainian capitals marked their new partnership in Berlin, where Mayors Vitali Klitschko and Kai Wegner met at the Brandenburg Gate. “Together we are much stronger than alone,” said Klitschko.

High migratory pressure?

September 14, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

In Germany? Since when?

Too much migratory pressure? Germans can’t get enough of it. If you believe Germany is going to “supend migrant intake,” I’ve got some prime Florida swamp land I can sell you at a real bargain.

Germany suspends migrant intake from Italy – The voluntary agreement aimed to ease the burden on the southern EU border country. Germany’s interior ministry has now paused it due to “high migratory pressure.”

It’s the energy, stupid

September 13, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

They may beat them in footbal (2-1 last night, without a manager) but…

German economic weakness belies France’s outperformance – Germany’s economic weakness is casting a flattering light on France’s relative resilience that belies the otherwise middling performance of the euro zone’s second-biggest economy, economists say…

Germany’s manufacturing-focused economy is struggling to adapt to being cutoff from cheap Russian gas and the rise of the electric vehicle, said Charles-Henri Colombier with the Rexecode economics think tank in Paris.

Germany’s gas-hungry chemical industry has seen production fall 18% from 2019 levels while in France it is only 8%, Colombier said. Meanwhile, German motor vehicle production is down 26% and only 6% in France.

We’re number one!

September 12, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

At saving the planet.

Too bad we’re destroying ourselves in the process.

Strike one: Germany’s nuclear phase-out.
Strike two: Its self-inflicted energy dependency on Russia.
Strike three: Still believing that renewable energy can run an industrialized country.

Green energy prices are killing German industry right before our very eyes.

Germany predicted to be the only major European economy to contract this year as recession lingers – The German economy has struggled in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Berlin having to, very quickly, end years of energy dependency on the Kremlin. The International Monetary Fund said in July that Germany would likely contract by 0.3% this year.

Speaking of the agony of got beat…

September 10, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

You win a few, you lose a few more.

Germany routed 4-1 by Japan in friendly as pressure mounts on coach Hansi Flick – Germany was jeered by its home crowd Saturday after slumping to a 4-1 loss to Japan to pile yet more pressure on coach Hansi Flick, nine months out from hosting the European Championship.

The German defence allowed Japan a string of chances on the counter and the result highlights the lack of progress since a 2-1 loss to Japan played a key role in Germany going out of last year’s World Cup in the group stage. Flick’s team has not won any of its last five games and conceded 13 goals in that time.