That means more than half don’t.
Let the Knaller (bangers) knallen (bang)!
Almost half of all Germans want a ban on fireworks – In Germany, it is only permitted to sell fireworks in the three days leading up to New Year’s Eve. Some line up early to buy them, but others have safety concerns and want to see them banned altogether.
Happy New Year!
Or at least strictly regulated. Then verboten.
Anything in Berlin that is not expressly permitted must be forbidden.
Berlin to crack down on a beloved giveaway tradition – One resident’s trash is another’s treasure has long been part of Berlin’s culture, but the German capital has had enough and plans to raise fines. Will they work?
Between old sofas and broken fridges, boxes of baby clothes and crates of cassettes, hidden treasures dot Berlin’s streets. In one such collection of unwanted stuff, Berlin musician Eno Thiemann discovered a new favorite author.
The Haruki Murakami books were left outside with the label “zu verschenken.” Meaning “to gift”, it’s a tradition that has long seen Berliners leave their repurposable goods on window ledges and in front of houses for others to take. And take, they do. Often within a matter of minutes.
“I was very pleased when I came back in 2013 to see that there’s some kind of culture,” said Thiemann, who had left Berlin three decades earlier before the practice took off. “Most people don’t just throw the trash out — it’s a nice thing to do and it’s enriching the neighborhood.”
But as Berlin plans to fine people for putting items on the street, this informal circular economy could become a thing of the past. The city’s environment department argues that while the idea behind leaving things out for others to take is “good and desirable,” it has “led to excesses that are not in line with the original intention.”
Why should Germans worry about that?
Vater Staat (Father State) has everything under control. Wie immer (as usual).
Germans fear rising cost of living – Inflation, migration, expensive housing — these are the things that most people in Germany are worried about, according to the latest study “Germans’ Fears 2024.”
Oh, sorry. Green energy already turned the lights off for you.
Germany in crisis: Intel and Volkswagen mull a multibillion-dollar withdrawal from the country.
For the first time in its 87-year history, Volkswagen is considering shutting down plants in Germany, where it employs around 300,000 people, as the company ramps up efforts to save €10 billion in costs…
Reuters reports that Intel will consider pausing or halting plans for its €30 billion ($33 billion) factory in the east German city of Magdeburg as the semiconductor manufacturer looks for cost savings. Germany had committed €9.9 billion ($10.9 billion) to the project when it was announced in June last year.
That means progress.
Germany’s Anti-Digital Law Is a Case Study in Stunting Progress – Germany just passed a law that completely bans digital contracts and signatures. Whether you’re a coder who finds jobs online, an Amazon delivery guy or a Dilbert character, you’ll now get the fine print of your terms on paper — the dead-tree kind. And it’ll have your new boss’s signature in just-dried ink. If employers provide a digital contract instead, they’ll get fined up to 2,000 euros ($2,049) for each instant.
They did everything wrong. As in we did everything wrong. So we’re warning us not to ever do it again.
A Look at the Worst Mistakes Germany Made in the Coronavirus Pandemic – From the tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths, to neglected children and a helpless vaccination campaign, German politicians deserve poor marks in many aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. Experts look back at the worst mistakes made and offer advice for the autumn.
“The ‘constituency’ of the expert is those who have a vested interest in commonly held opinions; elaborating and defining its consensus at a high level has, after all, made him an expert.”
– Henry Kissinger
Do they mean fake vaccine CERTIFICATES or FAKE VACCINE certificates?
Report: German Police See Surge in Fake Vaccine Certificates – German news agency dpa has reported that police are investigating thousands of cases of suspected forgery of coronavirus vaccine certificates.
Germany’s parliament is expected to begin debating a universal vaccine mandate in the coming months, though government officials acknowledge the measure is unlikely to take effect for several months.
Almost 73% of the German population have received a full course of vaccines against COVID-19, while nearly 48 % have had an additional booster shot.
That means mandatory vaccination. And those signs down there read “for free vaccination decisions” and “no to mandatory vaccination.”
Tens of thousands of people are protesting against the latest restrictive COVID measures in German cities all over the country. And it’s fun to watch the state media squirm. They’re clearly finding it more and more difficult labelling these people wackos.
In Hamburg, some 13,700 people attended a demonstration against the restrictions, police said.
Under the banner, “Stop the corona dictatorship,” 4,000 protested in Düsseldorf.
Around 5,000 people rallied in Frankfurt, according to the police.
In Bulgaria, actually. But still.
And more power to them.
A Community of German Anti-Vaxxers on the Black Sea Coast – A number of Germans have sought refuge on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast from what they view as dictatorial anti-coronavirus measures back home. It has developed into a kind of alternative reality for conspiracy theorists.
They came here to stay. Their cars with license plate numbers from the North Sea coast, Berlin and Bavaria are parked out in front of the Château Aheloy on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria. The apartment complex in the town of Aheloy is considered a stronghold of German-speaking corona truthers and so-called “Querdenker,” that hodgepodge of anti-government conspiracy theorists who have waged an ongoing campaign against all measures aimed at combatting the pandemic.
“For you, we’re all just tin foil-hat wearing yokel. You just want to shove us into a corner and stand us up against the wall.”
That means nationwide.
You know, like “Thousands of opponents against the Corona measures took to the streets again nationwide Monday night?” And that came from one of Germany’s state TV channels too. Reminds me a bit of 1989. Sort of.
Thousands protest against Corona measures – Once again, numerous people have taken part in protests against the Corona regulations and against compulsory vaccination. The situation escalated in several cities: demonstrators attacked emergency forces.
Observing Hermann 