Tag Archives: Language

Uneducated, illiterate cops?

August 27, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

OK. But they should at least be able to speak the language.

Berlin police struggle to find German-speaking recruits – Berlin is struggling to recruit enough police officers because applicants are unable to speak German, according to the force’s president.

Barbara Slowik Meisel revealed that 40 per cent of applicants failed a German language skills test.

Ms Slowik Meisel said the trend, driven by increasing numbers of migrant applications, had created a dilemma for the Berlin police department: it cannot lower its standards but also urgently needs officers.

German of the day: Langstreckenraketen

August 23, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means long-range or deep-strike missiles.

Inside Germany’s roughly $14 billion plan to deter Russia with a new arsenal of deep-strike missiles – The German government expects it will need almost €12 billion — roughly $14 billion — to build a new arsenal of long-range weapons aimed at deterring Russia.

The weapons would give German forces the ability to hit military targets hundreds or even thousands of kilometers behind the front — including command centers, airfields, missile launchers, and supply hubs.

Internal documents call the effort a top priority for both Germany and NATO.

German of the day: Berlin war gestern

August 22, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

That means Berlin was yesterday.

Germany news: Berlin losing its appeal for many Germans – Fewer than a third of Germans find their capital city “fascinating”, a sharp fall from 20 years ago, a survey has found.

More Germans think Berlin ‘lacks charisma’ than those who find it ‘fascinating,’ according to a survey.

German of the day: Aufgetaucht

August 7, 2026 By in Hard Facts, History Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means surfaced, emerged, turned up.

World War II Bomb Defused in Cologne-Deutz – Road Closures Lifted.

An unexploded bomb from World War II was found in the Rhine in Deutz on Wednesday. The bomb was defused on Thursday.

After an unexploded bomb from World War II was found in Cologne-Deutz on Wednesday, the American five-zentner bomb was successfully defused on Thursday evening…

Low Water Levels: Do Not Touch Suspicious Objects – Although the low water levels in the Rhine are currently causing problems for shipping, they facilitated recovery efforts.

German of the day: Schmarotzer

August 4, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means freeloaders.

Germany’s new drug law is a case study in foreign freeloading – U.S. patients will bear even more of the global bill.

At the very moment President Donald J. Trump is demanding that wealthy nations pay their fair share for American medicines, Berlin moved the other way. Its new cost-containment law squeezes more savings from the American companies that discover these medicines and leaves U.S. patients bearing even more of the global bill.

The German parliament passed the law last month. It more than doubles the mandatory rebate that manufacturers pay on brand-name medicines, from 7% to 15.5%. It locks German list prices in place through 2030. And for the first time, it lets German insurers force patented, brand-name medicines into tender-style price competitions — a tactic Germany had reserved for generic drugs until now. Berlin called it a fix for its strained insurance system. In plain terms, it is a wealthy nation balancing its books on the backs of American patients.

German of the day: Arbeitslosigkeit

August 1, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means unemployment.

Germany news: Unemployment tops 3 million as industry slumps – Over three million people are currently unemployed in Germany, with 1.1 million drawing unemployment checks, authorities say.

Germany’s employment agency recorded a jump of 71,000 in monthly unemployment numbers, pushing the total to over 3 million.

EU’s biggest economy reports 6.4% overall unemployment rate.

German of the day: Blutung

July 29, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means hemorrhage.

Germany news: Industry hemorrhaging 15,000 jobs a month – Industry boss Tanja Gönner says the situation is critical but offers opportunity.

The head of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) says the country has become less competitive and called on politicians and business leaders to usher in a course correction.

German of the day: Ladenöffnungen an Sonntagen

July 7, 2026 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means store hours on Sunday.

There are none in Germany, in case you didn’t know. Germans are very religious. Hardy, har, har.

But wait! Suddenly. In the year 2026…

Debate Over Expanding Sunday Store Hours – Following libraries and bakeries, the retail sector now also wants to fight for the right to open stores on Sundays. It has received support from the Bundestag’s Economic Committee. Churches and labor unions view the initiative critically.

Following the government’s announcement that it would extend Sunday opening hours for bakeries and pastry shops, the discussion about general store opening hours on weekends is now gaining momentum: The Bundestag’s Economic Committee has called for a significant relaxation of the current ban on Sunday openings…