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.

The Thrilla in Manila II

September 9, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Higher Education Tags: , , , 1 Comment

If you’re German, anyway.

The Muricans felt the agony of got beat.

FIBA World Cup 2023: Germany shock USA in Manila thriller to reach final – Andreas Obst scored a game-high 24 points to lead Germany to a 113-111 win over the reigning Olympic champions.

“This is not 1992 anymore. Players are better all over the world, teams are better, and it’s not easy to win a World Cup or an Olympic Games.”

German of the day: alles bestens

September 8, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means everything is fine, cool, hunky-dory.

Falling industrial output for three straight months ain’t no big deal, says German Green Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck. And “not everything is bad,” he added. Wow. That’s actually unbridled optimism for a Green.

Habeck defends German economy as output drops – Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Germany remains a “highly attractive location” for investors. But the statistics agency said industrial output fell for a third straight month, and that wasn’t the only negative news.

What, me worry?

September 7, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

About work? I live in Germany.

I’ll just live off the state (i.e., taxpayers). Everybody’s doing it!

Germans question value of working after new welfare increases, survey shows – More than half of Germans believe work is not worthwhile after the government’s planned increase in welfare payments and child benefits, a survey showed on Tuesday.

The government said it was raising benefits, first introduced in 2005, to fight child poverty and help citizens cope with inflation, but added it did not want to deter people from work altogether.

Welfare payments, dubbed “citizens’ money”, for more than 5.5 million jobless in Germany will rise to 563 euros ($605.06)from 502 euros per month for single people from next year.

PS: What you may not be aware of is that those who receive welfare payments in Germany also get their rent, healthcare and other entitlements paid for in addition.

For the past forty years…

September 6, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Germany has been becoming “a far-right stronghold.” For the past forty years at least (I’ve seen it, live).

So, you’d think that after all this time and effort these far-right folks might have finally built a stronghold that anyone with any sense would finally feel threatened by. Well, they haven’t. This is just another classic media and leftist party trope the German establishment recycles at regular intervals to allow their clientele to feel morally superior and signal virtue. You know. That “cry wolf” kinda thing? Call them Nazis and the people will love you for it.

Once Inoculated by Its Nazi Past, Germany Is Becoming a Far-Right Stronghold – Support for pro-Russia, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany surges as more voters lose faith in mainstream politics.