Tag: Germany

Closing Thought–17Feb17

Before I begin my closing thought….

Ohio Players front man, Junie Morrison, has died….The Dayton, Ohio, vocalist and producer responsible for founding The Ohio Players and contributing to the rise of the Parliament-Funkadelic passed away today at age 62.

May he Rest in Peace.  He will be missed!

Because you will not hear this from racist bastards that push a lie!

With the New Year came the report that migrants/refugees went batcrap crazy in Germany and sexually attack many women…some say as many as 55 migrants committed these crimes…..

And of course those tiny mind slobbering at their keyboards on the Right jumped on this report and are still using it as of today to denigrate anyone that is not white.

But the report was baseless according to the police…..

Prosecutors are investigating two people for allegedly fabricating an account of a mass sex attack by Arab migrants in Frankfurt.

Claims that a “sex rioting mob” of around 50 men assaulted a group of women over the new year were reported by German tabloid Bild earlier this month.

The report, which suggested the attackers lived at a refugee shelter in central Hasse, was widely re-circulated by right-wing news sites.

Source: Mass sexual assault in Frankfurt by refugees ‘completely made up’ | The Independent

Sad how these few bigoted a/holes will hold on the a lie just to spread their disgusting paradigm….

In closing please enjoy the Ohio Players….Fire

Today is Friday and I am tapped out…..I go and begin a restful weekend (hopefully) and you do the same…..Be well, be safe….chuq

Closing Thought–09Jan17

From The Days Of Old……

There is much hysteria in Germany these days (most of Europe as well)…..immigrants are being accused of all sorts of crimes….I am not saying that some are not committing these crimes just that they are being blamed for most of the crime.

There has even been a story circulating on some conservative websites about an increase in the sell of “chastity belts” in Germany….there are other stories along these lines……(at this point an image from Monty Python comes looming into my head….and like most of Python’s stuff…I get a chuckle)

With all this hysteria over immigrants there has been a rise in far right political parties in Europe….from Holland to Hungary to Macedonia….seems no country is immune to this fear and loathing….and Germany is NO different.

With this fear comes the news that there is a rise in the time worn “classic” from their past…..”Mein Kampf”…..

Germany has “a surprise bestseller” on its hands, reports the Guardian. Some 85,000 copies of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf sold in Germany in the first year the book was published there since World War II. Andreas Wirsching of the Institute of Contemporary History—which began publishing scholarly copies in January of last year after a copyright expired, with the goal to challenge Hitler’s ideas—says the company is “overwhelmed” by the number, which works out to about 233 copies sold per day. A sixth print run will launch at the end of the month and English and French editions are in the works, but Wirsching says “it would be irresponsible to just let this text spread arbitrarily,” per the BBC.

This should be disturbing on many levels……

This is it for today my friends…see ya tomorrow.

Germany Sued For ‘Forgotten Genocide’ In Namibia

Yes Irene it is a Friday and what better time than a little history…..(is that heavy sighs?)

Very few people realize the Germany in 19th and early 20th centuries was a colonial power…..they were in control of what was called in those days German Southwest Africa….during their empire days they were brutal to the indigenous people….and now one of this situations has come back to bite them in the ass….

But first a little background……

Conflicts between the indigenous population and the Europeans, mainly over control of land, led to outbreaks of violence in the 1890s, which worsened in the 1900s. In 1903 the Nama began a revolt, joined by the Herero in 1904. The Germans pursued an uncompromising military campaign that by 1908 had resulted in the death of about 54,000 Herero (out of a total Herero population of about 70,000), many of whom were driven into the Kalahari Desert, where they perished; 30,000 others also died in the revolt. In 1908 diamonds were discovered near Lüderitz, and a large influx of Europeans began.

During World War I the country was occupied (1915) by South African forces, and after the war South Africa began (1920) to administer it as a C-type mandate under the League of Nations. In 1921–22 the Bondelzwarts, a small Nama group, revolted against South African rule, but they were crushed by South African forces employing airpower. After the founding of the United Nations in 1945, South Africa, unlike the other League of Nations mandatories, refused to surrender its mandate and place South West Africa under the UN trusteeship system.

Descendants of the Herero and Nama people brought lawsuit for for what they called a campaign of genocide by German colonial troops in the early 1900s….

Germany has been sued for damages in the United States by descendants of the Herero and Nama people of Namibia, for what they called a campaign of genocide by German colonial troops in the early 1900s that led to more than 100,000 deaths.

According to a complaint filed on Thursday with the US district court in Manhattan, Germany has excluded the plaintiffs from talks with Namibia regarding what occurred, and has publicly said any settlement will not include reparations to victims, even if compensation is awarded to Namibia itself.

Source: Germany sued for damages of ‘forgotten genocide’ in Namibia | World news | The Guardian

It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out….could be a harbinger of things to come….

Keep in mind the US refuses to recognize the Armenian genocide by the Turks and they try very hard to sweep the Native American treatment under the rug…..like is said…interesting.

Class Dismissed!

Is German Militarism Making A Comeback?

Inkwell Institute

European Desk

Today we will delve into the wonderful world of international relations…..something that not many people understand or care about….

I am almost positive that most Americans know what happened in WW2……the rise of Germany and that little dude with the funny ‘tashe…I know us old farts know that part of history and I doubt if too many of the youngsters know the whole story….which is kinda sad……maybe I should offer a bit of clarification here……

After their defeat in WW1 Germany was not allowed  navy, air force and only a small army for defense only……but then the little guy won and election and took over the government after the parliament fire and German militarism was on the rise and that culminated in WW2 and the defeat of Germany and the whole process started all over again…….your simplistic tour of WW2……(you are welcome)…….

From the end of WW2 until the present Germany had had a very limited engagement with the different wars of aggression……….but all that is changing…….

The announcement by the new grand coalition government in Germany that the country’s previous policy of military restraint is at an end marks a historic turning point. It heralds a new stage of aggressive imperialist foreign policy.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Social Democratic Party—SPD) first announced the new policy last week in the Bundestag (parliament). He said Germany was “too big and too important” to confine itself any longer “to commenting on world politics from the sidelines.”

Due to its economic power and geographical location in the centre of Europe, Germany bore a special responsibility in regard to world affairs, Steinmeier declared, adding, “We recognise our responsibility.” Germany would serve as a catalyst for a common European foreign and security policy, he said, and while the use of military force was only a last resort, it could not be ruled out.

This change of course is supported by the entire government. Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (Christian Democratic Union—CDU) said Germany would take on “more responsibility in NATO and other alliances” and announced a significant expansion of foreign missions by the Bundeswehr (armed forces). Von der Leyen added that she had begun to work with Steinmeier and Development Minister Gerd Müller (Christian Social Union—CSU) to develop a “strategy for Africa.”

“from restraint, something like self-privilege arises” and called for a clear commitment to NATO, “even if the United States cannot always afford more.” It should, he said, be natural for Germany to intervene militarily “if human rights violations culminate in genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity.”

(From an article written by Ulrich Rippert)

To me all that sounds a bit ominous…….smells like the starting salvo of a return to German militarism….this could be a massive push for the world, if you will, something that was promised to the German people 80 years ago……..will history repeat?

Germany: Miracle On Life Support

College of Political Knowledge

International Studies Group

European Desk

Last Friday, Aug.13, 2010…the economic news brought us a good picture of Germany and Europe…all the economic pundits on the airwaves were jumping and jerking off at the news that the economy in Germany rose by 2.2 percent, which helped the EU rise by 1%….all in all good news right?

I got to think about the US and all the “good” news in the US….that about earnings and growth and……I just had to do some research on what was really happening in Germany…..

The German figures have been greeted with euphoria and self-congratulatory pronouncements by bankers, government officials and sections of the German media, but as Financial Times columnist Wolfgang Münchau pointed out recently, the German economic recovery is more “mirage” than “miracle.”

Germany was able to regain some economic ground in the early part of this year due to stimulus subsidies made available to employers by the government. But as is the case in France and many other European countries, these subsidies, such as short-time working, have largely come to an end.

Germany’s export industry also benefited in recent months from the fall in the value of the euro, which at one point declined to near 1.20 per dollar. In recent weeks, however, with concern growing over the prospects for the US economy, the euro has risen toward the 1.30 per dollar mark. The strengthened euro makes German exports less attractive on world markets.

The strength of the German economy is also its Achilles heel. Germany’s relatively expensive exports can find buyers only under conditions of expanding markets. But urged on by the German government, one European nation after another has introduced drastic austerity programs, which will inevitably depress economies and choke off consumer demand, with far-reaching longer term implications for German exports.

Recently, the US was lectured by the EU, at least some in the EU, to get our run away spending in check or we could suffer the same as Greece….there has even been some US pundits that has said similar stuff….the truth is….that most of Europe would just sh*t if the US stopped spending….the rest of the damn world dependsw on the spending habits of the US, both private and public.

In other words….Germany’s miracle on the economic front is NOT such a miracle.  Makes good copy and makes good fodder for some politicos but in reality…… Germany needs the US to continue spending and spending…if the US becomes serious about its deficit then the rest of the world go into the crapper….what to do?….what to do?

Speculators Beware!

Inkwell Institute

International Studies Group

European Desk

The economic crisis has hit the EU rather hard, especially Greece and then there is Portugal, Ireland and Spain, all of which could be the next big problem for the EU.  Some of the countries are trying desperately to find ways to prevent a total meltdown of their economy…….one such move is by Germany’s government….

Germany pledged to impose a partial ban on so-called naked short-selling early Wednesday to ward off steep market drops.
Before a parliamentary discussion regarding the 750-billion euro rescue package German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for tougher regulations against speculators to restrict some financial trades saying that the future of the euro was at stake.

Naked short-selling involves traders selling shares or investments which they do not hold in hopes of buying them cheaper later.
Germany announced its intentions to prohibit naked short-selling of eurozone government debt and shares of major financial companies hoping other nations would follow suit.

This is a rather tame attempt to cut the legs off of predatory practices…speculators have given the world almost every depression and recession and to try and control devious and possibly illegal financial practices is one way to stop the train in its tracks.

However, there must be something to the attempt for the DOW slid 376 points on the news of the attempt by Germany…..looks like the speculators were trying to get out before they were caught with their pants down.

Keep in mind that speculation caused the economic bubble in Japan to burst……speculation caused the American economic bubble to explode and now China is looking at the problem of speculation….will their economy be the next busted bubble?

Recession Hits Hard

Times are difficult down at Berlin’s Pussy Club where a new all-in service is on offer: 70 euros for girls, drinks and food.

Like many of its counterparts, the brothel has been hit by the credit crunch and has had to come up with its own stimulus package for a trade that was legalised in Germany seven years ago.

The Belle Escort, another Berlin brothel, has never before faced problems, but the current financial crisis has triggered a sharp decline in clientele, said its owner Isabelle, without giving her surname.

Since 2001, prostitution in Germany has been legal and is relatively widespread, especially in big cities like Berlin, Munich and Hamburg, where women tout for business in the show windows of the infamous St Pauli district.

But social stigmatisation persists and Heitmann is concerned that prostitutes’ trials and tribulations are not being taken seriously.

Hoping for more success, many women are driven from the clubs to the kerbs to sell their bodies on their own terms.

An increasing number of men on a tight budget are also picking up prostitutes on street corners rather than in pricey brothels or “Eros Centres.”

Some places have been forced to shut their doors and in January, sex-shop owners and porn producers pushed for state aid, taking their lead from the crisis-hit auto and banking industries.

Erotic trade federation official Uwe Kaltenberg, said that “economic aid would be judicious.”

Damn!  I guess there is truly NO recession proof  jobs, huh?

Marx Gets Resurrected

Two decades after the Berlin Wall fell, communism’s founding father Karl Marx is back in vogue in eastern Germany, thanks to the global financial crisis. His 1867 critical analysis of capitalism, Das Kapital, has risen from the publishing graveyard to become an improbable best-seller for the academic publisher, Karl-Dietz-Verlag.

“Everyone thought there would never again be any demand for Das Kapital, the managing director, Joern Schue-trumpf said. He has sold 1,500 copies so far this year, triple the number sold in all of 2007 and a 100-fold increase since 1990. “Even bankers and managers are now reading Das Kapital to try to understand what they’ve been doing to us,” he added.

A recent survey found 52 per cent of eastern Germans believe the free market economy is “unsuitable” and 43 per cent said they wanted socialism rather than capitalism. Unemployment in the former communist east is 14 per cent, double western levels, and wages are significantly lower. Millions of jobs were lost after reunification.

Merkel Faces Challenges From The Left

Faced with crumbling support and a growing challenge from the far left, Germany’s Social Democrat party nominated Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to lead the party into national elections next year.

The nomination effectively kicks off Germany’s election campaign with a year to go until the September 2009 poll, pitting Mr. Steinmeier against Chancellor Angela Merkel. That rivalry, say analysts, could add to the paralysis in Germany’s already-fractious coalition government, where the Social Democrats are junior partners to Ms. Merkel’s conservatives.

Like center-left parties in Britain and France, Germany’s Social Democrats are in deep trouble as they compete with conservatives for the center ground on economic policy while at the same time trying to hold on to voters who feel Europe’s mainstream leftist parties have abandoned their roots.

Germany’s Social Democrats face a particularly strong challenge from the hardline leftist party Die Linke (German for ‘The Left’), an alliance of former East German Communists, discontented West German trade unionists and ex-Social Democrats. Die Linke has eaten into the Social Democrats’ voter base with a populist promise of pacifism abroad and anticapitalism at home. Opinion polls say about 14% of the German electorate would now vote for Die Linke, up from 9% at the last elections in 2005. Many of their supporters are former Social Democrat voters.

Not the best news for one of Bush’s favorite leaders.  And it looks like Bush and his brand of politics is pulling other leaders into the gutter with him.