Now that the COVID pandemic is finally over.
Germany: New Year’s Eve fireworks for sale again after ban – People in Germany will be allowed to legally purchase fireworks to celebrate New Year’s Eve. They had been banned for the past two years to avoid injuries that could overburden hospitals during the COVID pandemic.
Unable to see beyond the tips of their noses, a group of zany climate activists tried to tip the balance of power in Germany by tipping their hands and cutting off the tip of a Christmas tree.
That’s right. Don’t ask. Hell if I know.
Police got a tip-off but this anonymous tip came too late to keep the tip from tipping off. The activists are doing this, they were told, in order to… Wait a minute, it’s on the tip of my tongue… That’s right! In order to “save the planet.” How stunning and brave or something. Merry Christmas to you too, pal.
Climate activists decapitate prominent Berlin Christmas tree – Climate activists said Wednesday that they have sawed off the tip of the Christmas tree erected in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate.
The group Last Generation said two of its members used a hydraulic lift and a hand saw to cut two meters (six feet) off the top of the 15-meter (50-foot) tree and hang up a banner stating: “This is only the tip of the Christmas tree. (tip of the “climate catastrophe,” get it?).”
If it’s something fishy, the Russians are always behind it.
Berlin: Major police operation as massive aquarium bursts – More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene at the Radisson Blu hotel in the German capital’s Mitte district.
A 16-meter (52-foot) aquarium has burst at a hotel in downtown Berlin, Germany, rescue services said on Friday.
Yeah, I read about those once. Looks like it’s been quite a while since then, though.
Tesla’s Berlin Hub Can’t Hire Enough People, or Keep Them – The company’s staffing problems have been magnified in Germany, where it is unable to meet targets as more workers head for the exit.
“Some people are off sick longer than they’ve actually worked. There are people who I haven’t seen working for three weeks in six months. Many people are signed off sick because the motivation isn’t there.”
Or the use of its name for a subway station.
Which makes sense, if you think about it because.. Actually, no. That doesn’t make any sense at all. But why doesn’t that surprise me?
A Berlin subway stop is called ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ Some Black Germans want change – Most outbound commuters on the U3 line of Berlin’s U-Bahn subway system exit long before reaching the penultimate stop, nestled between the Grunewald forest and the Free University. But Moses Pölking remembers the uneasiness he felt when he was riding the train and first spotted the station’s peculiar name on the route map: Onkel Toms Hütte.
Although if you watch any of his last few films…
Berlin film fest gives Spielberg lifetime achievement award – Steven Spielberg will be honored for his life’s work at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
Festival organizers said Tuesday that the 75-year-old American director, producer and screenwriter will be awarded an honorary Golden Bear, the annual event’s top prize, for a body of work that comprises more than 100 movies and series.
Right? Even in, uh, Germany?
Germany Clears Rerun of Part of 2021 Election After Berlin Glitches – Irregularities in capital’s voting marred national election.
German lawmakers cleared a rerun of last year’s national election in six parliamentary districts in Berlin after irregularities at hundreds of the capital’s polling places triggered official complaints.
In oh so many ways.
Earlier this week in Berlin, a cyclist was declared brain dead after an ambulance couldn’t reach her on time. Berlin police blamed the delay on a traffic jam caused by a road blockade by protesters from theLast Generation group. Police filed charges against two of its activists for failing to render assistance and obstructing persons rendering assistance.
“We did not expect that an entire media system would turn against us.”
Oops (wrong country – although that’s a very popular chant here too). I meant of course “death to the Islamic Republic!”
Thousands Rally in Berlin, Elsewhere in Support of Iranian Women – Thousands of Iranians were among an estimated 80,000 people who joined in a rally Saturday in Berlin, the largest of several protests in cities around the world showing solidarity with women-led protests in Iran.
Making someone question their own reality. The term may also be used to describe a person (a “gaslighter”) who presents a false narrative to another group or person, thereby leading them to doubt their perceptions and become misled, disoriented or distressed.
Berlin’s 19th Century Gas Lanterns Go Dark as Russia Cuts Fuel – The city is speeding the shutdown of traditional streetlights while citizens scramble to stay warm.
Like other cities worldwide, Berlin began installing gas lanterns along its avenues and alleyways in the early 19th century. But while the rest of the planet has long since moved on to sodium, halide, and LED, the German capital has remained stubbornly old-school, with some 23,000 gas lanterns still illuminating the city. For years the local government has sought to eliminate the gaslights in favor of more sustainable technologies, but fans of the warm glow and sculpted lampposts have managed to slow the effort. Today, Russia’s war in Ukraine is hastening the technology’s demise. “Gas is too expensive and wasteful,” says Benedikt Lux, a city legislator from the Green Party. “They should have been converted to LEDs long ago.”
Observing Hermann 