Tag Archives: Language

German Of The Day: Ringtausch

November 18, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Some say it means “ring exchange” (not the wedding kind). Others say it means being chicken shit.

With Slovakian deal, Germany expands three-way ‘Ringtausch’ dance to arm Ukraine – Under the Ringtausch program, Germany has sent newer equipment to Slovakia, Greece, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, with those countries shifting older gear to Ukraine.

The Germans have a specific word for an exchange between at least three parties: “Ringtausch.” So it makes sense that is what the German government has named its procedure to gift modern military equipment to former Soviet-bloc countries who, in turn, gift their Soviet-era equipment to Ukraine.

German Of The Day: “Keine Deutsche Sonderwege”

October 27, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means no (more) Germany going it alone.

That’s a very popular political mantra here. You normally hear it right before Germany goes it alone again.

France and Germany’s relationship questioned as Scholz goes alone on policy – Germany has been criticized for approving a 200 billion euro ($200.2 billion) rescue package.

Fresh tensions between France and Germany are challenging their relationship at a time when their unity is critical for broader European policy in tackling the energy crisis.

The leaders of the two nations will meet in Paris on Wednesday, but this encounter almost got canceled.

Hamburg, An Islamist Hotbed?

October 26, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Ausgeschlossen (no way)! German authorities would never allow such a thing.

Hamburg Mosque Reportedly a Hotbed for Iranian Propaganda – The Hamburg Islamic Center is considered the most important outpost of the Iranian regime in Germany. But since it is also reportedly used to spread the mullahs’ propaganda across Europe, calls are growing for its work to be restricted.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which is charged with keeping tabs on all forms of extremism, has been observing the IZH community for many years and describes it, besides the Iranian Embassy, as “Iran’s most important representation in Germany and a significant center of propaganda” in Europe.

German Of The Day: Arbeitsplatzabbau

October 25, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means job cuts.

Energy crisis: Quarter of German companies ‘plan to cut jobs’ – In order to tackle rising energy prices, a quarter of German companies revealed in a new survey that they planned to cut jobs, among other cost saving measures.

Around 25 percent of German companies plan to axe jobs as a cost saving measure, according to a survey of 1,080 German firms led by the Munich-based Stiftung Familienunternehmen released on Monday.

Gott Sei Dank

October 20, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Thank God. The Germans are relieved. For a while there things were starting to look way too positive.

Post-Brexit-wise.

Positive trend in German exports to Britain no cause for optimism – DIHK.

German exports to Britain this year could grow for the first time since 2015, statstics office data showed, but the DIHK business association said the numbers did not mark a turn for the better, especially in light of Britain’s current turbulence.

German Fracking Doesn’t Stink

October 18, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Not like that yucky US-Amerikan fracking does.

German of the day: Wir sollten Fracking ernsthaft in Erwägung ziehen. That means “We should seriously consider fracking.”

Reinhard Ploss was head of chip company Infineon, now he heads the German government’s Future Council. Here he talks about how Germany should respond to the energy crisis and why robots are the future.

German Of The Day: Wink Mit Dem Zaunpfahl

October 11, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Literally, to wave with a fence post. That is, to make a very broad hint, a wake-up call.

German Diplomatic Building in Kyiv Damaged by Russian Attack – Germany said a Kyiv building housing the German visa office had been damaged in the barrage of missiles that hit the Ukrainian capital on Monday and said Berlin would deliver the first of four modern air defense systems to Ukraine within days.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, these offices have not been used by our embassy,” Germany’s foreign ministry said in a tweet. “Our colleagues at the embassy in Kyiv are well.”

German Of The Day: Sabotage

October 9, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means sabotage.

A lot of that going on in and around Germany these days, don’t you think?

Sabotage Hits Trains in Northern Germany, Forcing 3-Hour Halt – A train communications system in Germany was targeted by sabotage Saturday, forcing both passenger and cargo trains to halt for nearly three hours across the northwest of the country, authorities said.

“I can’t stand it, I know you planned it…”

German Of The Day: Allzeittief

October 6, 2022 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means all-time low.

Buying mood in Germany drops to all-time low – Consumer sentiment in Germany has reached an all-time low due to the high cost of living. The consumer barometer of the German Retail Association (HDE) fell for the third month in a row, reaching a value of 84.14 points in October, the association announced on Tuesday. The value had already fallen to 90.53 at the beginning of the Corona crisis in April 2020 but then temporarily rose again to more than 100.

Consumer pessimism is expected to have a “negative impact on private consumption in the coming months,” the association said.

Do As I Say And Not As I Do

October 4, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Or, if you prefer, no more German Alleingänge (going it alone)… After this one. Promise.

Tensions flare over the EU’s new irresponsible big spender: Germany – Countries say Berlin has a burden of responsibility not just to pour billions into its own economy — when German mistakes created the crisis.

Ten years ago, when Europe was in the throes of the eurozone crisis, Germany led the drive for austerity. Now the rest of Europe is fuming about Germany’s heavy spending on energy subsidies that they fear could exacerbate the Continent’s politically explosive rich-poor divide. It hardly helps these growing tensions that it was Berlin’s misguided dependence on Russian gas that helped trigger the bloc’s energy crisis in the first place.