That means denying reality.
A common German problem.
Op-ed on Bärbel Bas: That’s a denial of reality, Minister!
“No foreigners are exploiting our social welfare systems,” claims Labor Minister and SPD Chairwoman Bärbel Bas. Our Labor Minister. The woman who should know the facts and figures better than anyone. I wonder: What country does Ms. Bas live in?
Nearly half of all welfare recipients in Germany are foreigners.
That means small livestock also makes manure. And that means…
Many pennies make a dollar.
Parking meter heist: German worker accused of stealing €2M – German authorities charged two couples in separate cases: in Bavaria, a former municipal worker allegedly stole about €2 million from parking meters over the years; in Berlin, another couple is accused of stealing bronze statues and religious items from cemeteries and parks.
That means withdrawal.
Trump’s bombshell in response to Merz’s criticism – U.S. to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.
The U.S. is getting serious. According to his department, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany. The withdrawal is expected to be completed within six to twelve months, the department announced on Friday evening (local time).
U.S. President Donald Trump (79) had threatened to withdraw a few days ago. Earlier, Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said that the Iranians would humiliate the U.S. in the negotiations to end the war, which has been ongoing for two months. However, the already strained relationship between the U.S. and most of its other NATO allies had continued to deteriorate in the weeks leading up to that.
That means spring fatigue.
The shocker: Researchers say it doesn’t exist. It turns out Germans are no more fatigued in spring than they are in winter, summer and fall. Although that is pretty pooped.
Study busts myth: German ‘spring fatigue’ doesn’t exist – Do we really feel more tired in spring? Researchers in Switzerland say, “there’s no such thing as spring fatigue.” But it is a deep cultural phenomenon in German-speaking countries.
It’s one of the first warm days of the year. The first harbingers of spring are cautiously poking their heads out of the ground, the cappuccino in the street cafe tastes of new beginnings. Winter seems to be over.
Everything seems easier — if only it weren’t for that one feeling that seems to plague many people (at least in the German-speaking countries) every year: spring fatigue.
PS: But Stink-Fuß does exist. Although it is more prevalent in the summer. “Out through the night an’ the whispering breezes to the place where they keep the imaginary diseases…”
That means troop withdrawal.
Trump threatens to reduce troop numbers in Germany amid growing row with Nato allies – US president’s threat comes after Germany’s Friedrich Merz suggests Trump team is being outplayed in its negotiations with Iran.
That means growth.
A rare occurance in Germany these days.
Energy price shock slows growth – The war in Iran is dashing hopes for a sustained economic recovery. This is throwing the Merz administration’s entire economic policy strategy into disarray.
That means speed limit.
And that ain’t never gonna happen in Germany. Think banning guns in the USA.
‘Tempolimit? Nein, danke!’: why German petrolheads won’t slow down – despite the energy crisis – Driving fast is in ‘the German DNA’, say lovers of the speed-limit free Autobahn, but support in the country for a restriction is growing.
That means some are like this, some are like that.
Refugees in Germany, I mean.
Ukrainian Refugee Brutally Murdered by Syrian Boyfriend in Germany – A 19-year-old Ukrainian refugee has been brutally murdered by her 17-year-old Syrian boyfriend in Mannheim, Germany. According to media reports, the case is investigated by German authorities as a murder, with the suspect in custody.
That means a soft egg.
And that mean a wimp.
German tourist sues NYC taco shop for $100K over dangerously ‘spicy’ hot sauce that left him in ‘nonstop’ pain: suit – What a dummkopf!
A German tourist tried to squeeze a Times Square taco spot for $100,000 — claiming his northern European tongue suffered “nonstop pain” from dangerously spicy salsa — but a judge said “nein” to his lawsuit.
Faycal Manz, a self-described spice-intolerant traveler from Schemmerhofen, Germany, claimed he suffered “diarrhea, nausea” and “mouth/tongue blisters which cause nonstop pain” after loading up three tacos at the Los Tacos No. 1 in August 2024, according to his lawsuit.
That means those declared dead live longer, or there’s life in the old dog yet.
At least I hope so, in this case. There aren’t many political parties in Germany that dare to call for freedom of choice – or freedom itself.
Germany’s pro-business liberals risk death blow in regional vote – The Free Democratic Party has played a key role in German politics for most of the postwar era, but a poor result in a state vote on Sunday could mean its demise.
Germany’s pro-business Free Democrats, on the brink of political extinction, face a make-or-break state vote this Sunday that party leaders believe may well be their last chance to claw back relevance.
Leaders of the fiscally conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) — which was part of Germany’s previous, ill-fated coalition government under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz — have long pinned their hopes for a national revival on this Sunday’s election in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, traditionally one of the party’s strongholds.
Observing Hermann 