Tag Archives: Greens

German Of The Day: Deprimiert

June 9, 2023 By in Helplessness, Hard Facts, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means depressed.

German bosses are depressed – And dissatisfied with the government.

We are at a dangerous point,” worries Arndt Kirchhoff, boss of the employers’ association in North Rhine-Westphalia and one of three brothers who run Kirchhoff, a maker of car components. Germany recently slipped into a technical recession. Many companies are investing abroad rather than at home. Chinese consumers are importing less after the lifting of pandemic restrictions than German manufacturers had been hoping. And Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian invaders is injecting uncertainty into Germany’s backyard.

Englisch Of The Day: Green Around The Gills

June 2, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Definition: Looking as if you are going to be sick.

Like Blair but faster: how Germans grew sick of the Greens.

How? Let me count the ways… Nah. That would take too long. All you need to know is that the German Greens always do this. It’s a ritual, sort of. Whenever they reach the point where they actually have some power and are allowed to do something, they shoot themselves in the foot. In this particular case, the straw that broke the camel’s back is forcing, from on high, real Germans living in their real German world to pay a fortune to install heat pumps so Germany can save the world, I mean planet, once again.

German Of The Day: Einbrechen

May 24, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

That means to collapse.

You know. Like how Germany’s export numbers to China have collapsed?

Big drop in German exports to China raises fears over EU’s economic powerhouse – Decrease in demand from Asia’s largest economy sparks concern over how Berlin can fix industrial malaise.

A double-digit drop in German exports to China has rattled Europe’s biggest economy, triggering debate over why its vast manufacturing sector has fallen behind rivals benefiting from a rebound in Chinese demand.

The 11.3 per cent drop in German exports to China in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period a year ago, highlights a unique set of challenges for Europe’s industrial powerhouse, economists say. Carmakers are losing market share in China, chemical producers and other energy-intensive companies are reeling from high power prices, and the euro’s appreciation against the dollar has made German goods less competitive.

German Of The Day: Vetternwirtschaft

May 21, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means cronyism, nepotism.

Those two are as thick as Green thieves. Or they were, at least.

Germany’s star Robert Habeck brought down to earth by cronyism and boilers – Vice-chancellor’s unpopularity contrasts with the adulation he enjoyed for many years.

The Green economy minister and vice-chancellor faced the darkest day in his 17 months in office on Wednesday when he was forced to sack one of his closest aides over a widening nepotism scandal.

Healing The Wounds Of German Colonialism

May 19, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Humor Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

In a country Germans never set foot in, much less colonized?

Seems like there’s just never enough guilt to go around these days. But hey, if it makes you feel good, I mean virtuous, run with any guilt you can find (or steal, or make up).

But you know, personally, I think sending Nigeria 20 Greens instead of 20 Bronzes would have been a much nicer gesture.

Germany had hoped that by returning 20 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria last year it was “healing the wounds” of colonialism and righting a historic wrong.

But when it emerged that ownership of the repatriated objects will pass to the king of Benin rather than the Nigerian state, Berlin found itself facing a PR nightmare.

“The government has recklessly consigned African world heritage to oblivion. The pieces will vanish into the private possession of a Nigerian king.”

“This should be a wake-up call to end the hyper-moralism in the whole restitution debate.”

Green Hydrogen?

May 12, 2023 By in Habitudes, Helplessness, Hard Facts, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Do you mean green like in pink unicorns or like in red herrings?

I see. As in both.

How Germany’s Hydrogen Boom Stalled – Green hydrogen has the potential to heat millions of homes and keep German industry humming. So far, though, a lack of the environmentally friendly gas and the infrastructure needed to transport it have prevented its wide-scale use.

Welcome to the sobering hydrogen reality. While Germany hopes that it will soon be able to run basement gas heating systems on hydrogen, steel manufacturers are converting their production to the green gas at a cost of billions and energy companies are planning new power plants that will generate electricity from hydrogen, almost everything needed to make the climate-neutral dreams a reality in the near future is still lacking. The environmentally friendly hydrogen is missing, as are the pipeline networks to carry it across the country, not to mention reliable business models.

Talk The Talk

May 11, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

But walk the walk? And give up one of my many annual vacations, say?

Thanks, but we’ll just stick to the talking, if you don’t mind.

This, folks, is “saving the planet” rhetoric in a nutshell.

Germans Want Climate Policy – Just Not in Their Homes. A new law about home heating reveals political constraints on the energy transition.

Polls show that Germans are earnestly worried about the climate crisis and in favor of more climate action. The fallout of global warming is one of their most pressing concerns, indeed as it is across Europe. And yet, when it comes to modifying their lifestyles or paying higher prices to curb emissions, most say they’re not willing, or only as much as it doesn’t sting.

Country Saving The Planet Consumes Enough For Three

May 4, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Am deutschen Wesen soll die Welt genesen.” That’s something like: The world shall be healed following the German way.

Overconsumption: Germany needs 3 planets – On May 4, Germany exhausted its capacity to sustain itself. This “earth overshoot” will be compensated by taking finite resources from poorer countries — and future generations.

Despite the economic slowdown due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany has now overreached its sustainable biological limits.

Meanwhile, this year’s global Earth Overshoot Day is, like last year, projected to be around July 28.

Not “Takes” A Time-Out

May 2, 2023 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

He was given a time-out. By the Brain Police.

This guy isn’t a racist and everybody knows it. He was just making a point by intentionally using an “incorrect” word. But the Woke never get the point. It’s just not their thing. Boris, leaving the Greens is probably the best thing that ever happened to you.

German mayor takes ‘time out’ after using racist slur – The mayor of Germany’s southwestern city of Tuebingen said Monday that he’s taking some “time out” after coming under fire over the weekend for using a racist slur.

Boris Palmer also said he’ll resign from the Green party following criticism over his repeated use of a racist term for Black people at a conference Friday, which prompted some attendees to walk out in protest.

German Of The Day: Selbstversorgung

April 30, 2023 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means self-sufficiency.

The Big Dig: Germany reopens its mines in quest for mineral self-sufficiency – Berlin wants to reduce its dependence on China by extracting more critical raw materials, such as fluorspar, at home.

“If we really want a revolution in transport and the resources needed for that, there’s no way around this project.”