German Of The Day: Fremdschämen

That means being embarrassed – for someone else.

And this particular embarrassment has less to do with a stupid song and its stupid song lyrics than it does with the fact that authorities feel the need to censor it.

Schlager louts? Row erupts over ‘sexist’ pop hit in Germany – Town festival authorities refuse to play chart-topping Layla by DJ Robin & Schürze, prompting complaints of censorship.

“People are being prescribed how they should talk, how to write, and now how to party. This prudish nannying of the politically correct bregade must stop. We are heading for an anti-fun society.”

And here you thought Germany was an anti-fun society already.

German Of The Day: Implodieren

That means to implode or implosion.

Germany’s Nuclear-Power Implosion – The eco-left eschews reliable, clean power in an energy crisis in favor of coal and hope.

Europe’s climate obsessions have led to an energy crisis, and who would have thought the Germans would choose to make it worse. That’s what happened last Thursday when the Bundestag voted to shut down the country’s remaining nuclear power plants by the end of the year.

German Of The Day: Handelsbilanzdefizit

That means trade deficit.

Germany warns of ‘historic challenge’ as trade slides into deficit – Soaring energy prices and trading disruption push balance €1bn into the red for May.

Imports increased 2.7 per cent to €126.7bn from April to May while month-on-month exports fell 0.5 per cent to €125.8bn, according to data released on Monday by the federal statistical agency.

“In the past. Germany could always rely on strong exports to revive the economy and today’s numbers show the trade balance will not return as a positive element for growth for at least the next couple of years,”

German Of The Day: Wohlstand

That means prosperity.

Ukraine war: Germans fear the end of prosperity – The war in Ukraine and inflation have Germans concerned about their standard of living. Those who have the least are likely to suffer the most…

Inflation is running at nearly 8%, compared to the same time last year, according to Germany’s Federal Statistics Office. Consumer energy and food prices are up more than 38% and 11%, respectively.

And So The Cold War Began

The original one, I mean.

On June 26, 1948, the largest humanitarian operation in history began, later known as The Berlin Airlift, which prevented West Berlin from capitulating to the Soviet blockade.

When the wartime alliance between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union ended and friendly relations turned hostile, the question of whether the western occupation zones of Berlin would remain under Western Allied control or whether the city would be absorbed into Soviet-controlled East Germany led to the first crisis of the Cold War.

Hardly Off The Plane…

And Joe’s misbehaving again. Put him on a leash or something.

G7 Leaders Meet in Germany – Germany welcomes the leaders of the G-7 wealthy democracies Sunday.

The summit for the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States is being held in a castle in the Bavarian Alps…

“The summit must send not only the message that NATO and the G-7 are more united than ever,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told German parliament recently, “but also that the democracies of the world stand together against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s imperialism just as they do in the fight against hunger and poverty.”

I Didn’t Do Nothin’

The other kids were jumping off the bridge. What, me worry?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has not only revealed the willful ignorance of German politicians, businesspeople, and voters to Vladimir Putin’s regime, it has cast a dark backwards shadow over the tenure of former chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel’s lack of regrets illustrates the fallacies of Germany’s Russia policy – Russia’s war of annihilation against Ukraine and the unhinged rhetoric of its elites raise urgent questions about the future for Europeans, for the trans-Atlantic alliance, and for global order.

For a generational cohort of German politicians, some of whom are retired and some still in power, it also raises urgent questions about the past. What could they have known, or at least predicted? What bloodshed could they have prevented?

“Art Is Whatever You Can Get Away With”

And sometimes you can’t get away with it.

Israel, Jews voice ‘disgust’ over antisemitic imagery at German art festival – Hateful caricatures feature at Documenta art fair, despite controversy; German culture minister urges curators to ‘draw the necessary conclusions.’

“Artistic freedom ends where xenophobia begins.”

Reality Can Be An Ugly Thing

When you’re greener than Green.

Which is a pretty hard thing to be. Unless you live in Germany. It goes like this: Turn off your nuclear energy plants and never mention that ugly n-word again (think Voldemort). Demand all coal-burning power plants be shut down ASAP too. Actually BELIEVE (not think, just believing is enough) that wind turbines and solor panels can actually power a country like Germany. While doing that, let yourself become 50% energy dependent on Russian gas and oil despite repeated warnings from your European neighbors and that awful evil US-Amerika that’s always saying mean things (or at least it used to). Then something like Ukraine comes along, get it? What’s not to like? We’re here from the German Green government and we’re here to help. We created the problem in the first place but now we’re the ones who are going to fix it. You can thank us later, voters. They’ll get re-elected, of course. You can’t make this stuff up, people. And even if you could no one would believe you.

Germany to Bring Back Old Coal Plants as Russia Cuts Gas Supply – Government to offer financing to ensure storage is increased.

Country to rely more on coal-fired power plants, minister says.

Energy Conservation Is A Good Thing

It’s progressive even. One should see this latest problem as another opportunity, another chance to excel into the Brave New German Green World you seek. Using this environmentally-friendly private transportation model, for instance. There are no areas in which you can’t conserve energy, if you only try. Really, really hard.

Germans urged to use less energy after Russia cuts gas supply and prices surge – Germany has accused Russia of trying to push up gas prices by cutting supplies.