Is nothing sacred anymore? Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. says it will team up with Germany’s ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik to build three new blimps beginning in 2013.
Goodyear’s CEO says updating the fleet will “assure that future generations will be able to experience the joy of seeing a Goodyear blimp gracing the skies.”
The airships will be built by Zeppelin and Goodyear teams at Goodyear’s airship hangar near Akron.
Sure it’s for real, sort of. As the late Richard Holbrooke said of his experience with it: “Expect the unexpected breach of trust.”
Considering Germany’s latest big coup, declining to vote in favor of a UN Security Council resolution to protect Libyan civilians fighting against the Gaddafi dictatorship (remember that these are the folks who want a permanent seat in the Security Council), I wonder what wonderful words of praise President Obama is going to dish out on June 7 when he bestows the Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian distinction) on Chancellor Merkel? Something tells me he’s going to do a great job, by the way.
We already know what Frau Merkel will say (or already has said): “Freedom does not come about by itself. It has to be struggled for, and then defended anew, every day of our lives.”
Struggle? What struggle? Well it sure is a struggle trying to put German words and action together here. So I suppose, in a way, it is almost better that Germany now comes out and openly says no from the get go. At least then, as in the case of Libya, “It didn’t do what Germany normally does — say ‘yes,’ and then not do much of anything.”
“How come Germans have this reputation of being reliable, when they never quite are, and historically maybe never were.”
And where’s the freakin’ revolution in Berlin? Nichts, nada, niente.
I still can’t believe what didn’t happen here yesterday during this years “Day of Rage.” Some broken glass, a handful of arrests, a little pepper spray and some guy with a pie. Pitiful.
It looks like a history of violence has now become a history of violence.
The real May Day demonstration was taking place somewhere else this year, I guess.
Anarchists these days. Like where’s the action already?
Scores of riot tourists in Berlin and Hamburg are now demanding their money back after violent clashes between anarchist hot heads and the Polizei failed to materialize last night.
“And this is supposed to be unbridled chaos?” asked one disappointed Berlin visitor. “I’ve seen more action at a funeral parlor. We’ve been waiting around here half the night and not a single Benz is burning. Anywhere. Berlin is poor but sexy, huh? Well it’s boring too.”
Sehr zum Unmut vieler Schaulustiger bleibt es dann an diesem Abend im Schanzenviertel weitgehend ruhig. Bei Bier und Cocktails warten sie darauf, dass Autonome sich mit der Polizei anlegen. “Wann geht es denn endlich los”, fragt ein Mädchen in engen Jeans und braunen Lederstiefeln ihren Begleiter im Polohemd. Eine Digitalkamera baumelt an ihrem Handgelenk.
Berlin’s linke Szene (left-wing scene) is ganz aus dem Häuschen (giddy with excitement) and already on the street warming up for Sunday’s big May Day Riot.
The popular annual event, also known as the International Workers’ Day Riot, was originally celebrated as a senseless orgy of radical left-wing violence but has long since mutated into a senseless orgy of radical any-kind-of-violence-you-want dominated by agitated “Autonome“, participants without any political motivation whatsoever.
The Berlin police department is not permitted to intervene in any meaningful way that could possibly hurt the protestors’ feelings, however, this out of respect for the event’s radical leftist origins and the many aging left-wing romantics who will still somehow manage to take part if not vacationing on Mallorca.
All are welcome to attend. Barricades and stones will be furnished for free. You will have to resist arrest on your own, however. And PLEASE leave your cars at home.
Die Aktion sei “nix außer Selbstinszenierung” gewesen.
10 euros a month tops? For a “turbo” phase-out of atomic energy in Germany?
According to the Spiegel, that’s what “almost all” German citizens would be willing to pay to get out of the tsunami-plagued industry pronto (German tsunamis are indeed rare, but still). And they mean 10 euros a month per German household, by the way, not for the whole country.
That certainly is reassuring (sort of) after hearing all these Horrorszenarien (horror scenarios) being circulated out there by crackpot organizations like the Federal Association of German Industry (BDI) these days. They warn, for instance, that a quick German nuclear power halt could raise electricity prices here by as much as 30 percent (that would be more than 10 euros a month I think, but still).
I am sure that “almost all” German citizens would be willing to shell that out too.
But, then again, I am also sure that invading reptilian humanoids disguised as human beings are secretly controlling the fate of the human race.
Es darf nichts kosten (it just can’t cost anything).
PS: Thanks for the link, Joe.
Remember “evil Thilo” Sarrazin, the “Germany is doing away with itself” best-selling author and purveyor of unpopular popular ideas?
His SPD is certainly trying to forget him. What do you do with a Social Democrat politician (remember that they’re the politically correct ones here) who says things like “I don’t want the land of my grandchildren and great grandchildren to become predominantly Muslim” and won’t stop saying it and won’t resign when you ask him to even when you ask him to un-nicely?
Nothing much, I guess. Not when the vast majority of politically correct (and otherwise) Germans agree with him.
Critics say the SPD’s refusal to expel him was motivated by fears that a large number of grass roots members agree with his theories and that if Mr Sarrazin were ejected, the party would risk losing support.
PS: Remember The Case of the Missing Nuclear Balls? You know, the ones that were never missing in the first place? It turns out that the SPD science minister lady what’s in charge let folks think that the ball thingies were missing even though she knew that they weren’t. But the Fukushima hysteria level was dropping too fast at that moment so I can certainly see where she was coming from.
Now that Guantanamo is history…
The latest shocking documents Der Spiegel obtained from WikiLeaks just don’t seem to have that, yawn, special shocking punch they used to have. Not that the other leaks were really all that especially shocking either, but still.
Gee, I sure hope this doesn’t mean that WikiLeaks is history now too.
A working group has been reviewing the detainee assessments since January 2009 and has in some cases reached different conclusions to those contained in the files. Thus, the documents that have been obtained do not represent the US government’s current assessments.
PS: Thanks for the Saint Julian link, Joe. My, how transparent.
Now they know how many eggs it takes to fill the Albert Hall (9800). Happy Easter or something.
Like S&P, Germany ITSELF believes that it’s time for “the yet superpower” to start saving big time and pronto. And I for one would listen (you know, like listening to E. F. Hutton when they used to talk?) because the Germans have had a whole lot of experience in giving good advice like this as of late. Just look at how their recommendations have helped Greece, for instance.
“The danger is that the Americans are still lulled into a false sense of security.”
“Möglich, dass Obama dann (nach der Wiederwahl) wirklich anfängt zu sparen.”
Observing Hermann 