minimizando a ausência blogosférica

Isto não anda para brincadeiras, muito trabalho, pouco tempo, muito material, poucas postas. Acontece. Só queria deixar aqui um pensamento...

Politician Demands IQ Tests for Would-Be Immigrants

Germany's conservatives have never been terribly coherent when it comes to immigration. Despite a stubbornly low birth rate and what many consider to be a developing need for skilled foreign labor, members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) have long been unwilling to roll out the welcome mat.

On Monday, the party once again made a less-than-fortunate foray into the immigration debate. Peter Trapp, a domestic policy expert with the CDU in Berlin, demanded in an interview with the mass-circulation tabloid Bild that would-be immigrants to Germany be given intelligence tests before they are allowed in.

"We have to establish criteria for immigration that really benefit our country," Trapp said. "In addition to adequate education and job qualifications, one benchmark should be intelligence. I am in favor of intelligence tests for immigrants. We cannot continue to make this issue taboo."

Embora pareça óbvio, das palavras do senhor, que também se devia fazer esse tipo de teste a quem lá vive, deixo aqui mais um exemplo para chover no molhado:

Puppy thrown at German biker gang

A German student "mooned" a group of Hell's Angels and hurled a puppy at them before escaping on a stolen bulldozer, police have said.

The man drove up to a Hell's Angels clubhouse near Munich, wearing only a pair of shorts and carrying a puppy.

He dropped his shorts and threw the dog, escaping on a bulldozer from a nearby building site.

Cumprimentos a todos e até breve.

também conhecido como o bar dos bombeiros

Germany's First Drinking Room for Alcoholics

The Sofa looks like any Eckkneipe, the small corner pubs with a working-class clientele that dot German cities, and about the same amount of alcohol is consumed here. It has roughly 70 regulars, aged from 18 to 70, football pennants hang on the walls, and a TV set above the bar, on the left side, is always on -- but usually with the sound turned down. However, there is one critical difference between the Sofa and other bars.

In this bar, some of the costs are covered by taxpayer money from the city treasury. The Sofa is Germany's first drinking room, a sort of crash smoking room for alcoholics. Most of the people who frequent the place are serious alcoholics and are allowed to bring their own cheap beer and sangria. The bar itself only serves soft drinks and strong coffee. "It's great," says Dirk, twisting his tattooed face into a smile, "isn't it?"

imunes aos torpedos

Germany's Ferrostaal Suspected of Organizing Bribes for Other Firms

The current internal corruption scandal at Ferrostaal revolves around the delivery of two Type 209 submarines to Portugal. Ferrostaal, which had bid against submarine builder HDW and shipbuilder Thyssen Nordseewerke, won the €880 million contract in November 2003 -- with the help of bribes and a number of phony consulting contracts.

According to the investigators' files, a Portuguese honorary consul approached one of the Ferrostaal board members in 1999. The man allegedly said that he could be helpful in the initiation of the submarine deal. According to the files, the honorary diplomat demonstrated his influence by setting up a direct meeting in the summer of 2002 with then Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso.

The Ferrostaal executives in Essen were apparently so impressed that they signed a consulting agreement with the honorary consul in January 2003, in return for his "constructive assistance." Under the agreement, the Portuguese diplomat was to be paid 0.3 percent of the total contract volume if the deal went through.

The consul ended up collecting roughly €1.6 million, which the investigators see as a clear violation of his duties as a diplomat.

But it appears that Ferrostaal did not rely solely on its advisor's good connections to bring about the submarine deal. It is believed that a consulting agreement was concluded between Ferrostaal and a partner, on the one hand, and a rear admiral in the Portuguese navy, on the other. The deal, most recently, was worth €1 million.

Há que salientar que, quando a merda flutua, não há nada a fazer. Não importa quantas vezes se puxa a água, a merda continua ao de cima.

coragem na face do preconceito

A City Mobilizes Against Neo-Nazis

Thousands of left-wing, anti-Nazi demonstrators successfully blocked the streets around the train station in Dresden's Neustadt district where the neo-Nazis had been given permission to start their march.

Meanwhile, across the river in Dresden's Baroque historical city center, more than 10,000 residents created a human chain in protest against right-wing extremism and neo-Nazis.

"Dresden doesn't want them and these groups do not belong here," said Dresden Mayor Helma Orosz. Later, when news emerged that the march would not take place, the mayor, a member of the conservative Christian Democrat Union (CDU), told local residents: "I am proud of you."

The left wing's approach, according to Katja Kipping, the deputy head of Germany's far-left Left Party and Dresden resident, would be to compel police to cancel the neo-Nazi parade for security reasons. She continued: "Feb. 13 should not be used to distract from Nazi crimes. Germany started the war -- it just came home on Feb. 13."

the Hoff

Germany Still Looking for Freedom from David Hasselhoff

The Germans have some fairly devastating national trauma to deal with: in addition to the obvious, there were several decades of living in a country divided in half, being stuck in the middle of the Cold War, the non-sale of Opel this week, the controversial Wembley goal of the 1966 World Cup. And then, of course, there's David Hasselhoff.

Countless embarrassing conversations have started like this: "Hasselhoff is still a star in your country, isn't he?" It's not meant as a compliment. The cause of all this, of course, is one of Hasselhoff's songs, "I've Been Looking For Freedom," which dominated the charts during the period of German reunification.

In the 20 years since then, Germany has had plenty of pop stars; bands like the trance-dancing trio Scooter and heavy- metal rockers Rammstein are well known in the country. But, outside of Germany, everyone still thinks Hasselhoff is Germany's biggest star. The international success of pop-rockers Tokio Hotel has gone a little way toward improving the situation. But now, thanks to MTV, the legend will live on. On Thursday evening, Hasselhoff will be onstage in Berlin for the Europe Music Awards.

Já imaginaram se Portugal se tivesse colado no Iran Costa?

à atenção da CGTP-IN

Flash Mobs Bound For Germany's Highest Court

Flash mobs with a purpose are the newest form of political protest. Now one of Germany's biggest unions is using them to fight labor disputes, asking members to desert loaded shopping carts in supermarket aisles. Businesses want flash mobs outlawed and are taking the case to Germany's highest court.

They started off with pillow fights, water pistols and beach parties. But now German flash mobs are getting serious. The impromptu meetings of large groups of people usually organized online or via mobile phone, are now being used by a labor union as a tool in a dispute over wages and hours. As a result, the question of whether they are legal or not may soon become a case for Germany's highest court.

(...) This flash mob came just two days after Germany's Federal Labor Court decided that flash mobs were a legitimate form of industrial action. The court had been addressing the issue of another flash mob organized by the Verdi union that took place in late 2007.

The court's judgment: "A union-organized action like this, undertaken in the course of industrial action, is not illegal." The court said such an action could be justified as part of a labor dispute and that employers could defend themselves against it by utilizing their proprietorial rights or by closing the business for a short time. A flash mob cannot be seen as "blockade of business," the court said.

microgerações

A Power Station in Your Own Basement

Green-energy provider Lichtblick and German automaker Volkswagen are joining forces and promising to stir up the energy market with an unusual plan. Instead of relying on massive energy facilities, the average consumer may soon have a miniature power station in their basement.

(...) The ambitious new project could be worth billions of euros and generate enough electricity to replace up to two nuclear power stations or even coal-fired power plants in the near future. The technology required to put this plan into practice is highly complex, but -- depending on demand and the market situation -- the new setup could network 1,000, 10,000 or even 100,000 small natural-gas-powered thermal power stations and, in effect, instantly create a virtual large one.

A giant quantity of electricity could be generated by such a system. Channelled straight from the basements of individual houses, where Lichtblick plans on installing the mini power stations, it could then be fed into the public powergrid. Likewise, the mini stations could also provide a source of cheap thermal energy and warm water for each household.

otários XVIII

Man Destroys Apartment While Fixing Airbed

A man inadvertently blew up his apartment while he was attempting to repair a leaky airbed. The 45-year-old, who lives in the western German city of Düsseldorf, saw his DIY attempt end in disaster on Tuesday, leaving both him and a three-year-old girl with burns.

The man had applied tire repair solvent to a hole in the mattress and left it overnight. When he went to inflate it the next day, a spark from the electric air pump ignited it, the local fire brigade told reporters.

The blast was so strong that it pushed the living-room wall into the building's stairwell and caused extensive damage to the apartment, blowing out windows and wrecking furniture.

eles cagam tudo!

Who Should Pay When a Flash Mob Comes to Town?

After a flash mob of 5,000 invaded the small North Sea island of Sylt on Saturday, the community was left to clean up the mess. Now the island wants the man responsible to fork up for the costs. He has refused, saying it wasn't his fault the bash got hijacked.

sugestão para o alberto joão

Separatists Harness Humor for Europe Campaign

For most foreigners, Germany is little more than Oktoberfest, the Alps, beer, lederhosen and the Bayern Munich football club. The stereotypes, though, apply to just one corner of Germany -- the state of Bavaria, which happens to be Germany's biggest and richest.

Much of the rest of the country, though, regards this wealthy southern colossus with a mixture of bemusement, derision and loathing. It's like a German version of Texas.

Now a Bavarian separatist party is hoping to harness this animosity in the European parliamentary elections. The tiny Bavaria Party has come up with a tongue-in-cheek posters asking "Don't you want to get rid of the Bavarians?" which feature a woman in traditional dirndl and a man in lederhosen walking away as they wave goodbye.

tiros no pé e gente aos tiros II

German Retailer Takes Violent Video Games off Shelves

German retail chain Galeria Kaufhof is pulling violent video games from its shelves. Beginning in April, the company announced this week, games with 18-plus ratings will no longer be sold in its department stores. Kaufhof's decision comes in the wake of a horrific school shooting in the southern German town of Winnenden earlier this month.

On March 11, 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer shot 12 people to death at the Albertville secondary school -- including nine pupils -- before killing three more during his escape attempt. Investigators say the teenager was fond of playing "Counter Strike" and had played "Far Cry 2" on the night before his brutal rampage. Both games are considered excessively violent and cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 18.

E se em vez de retirarem os jogos das prateleiras, retirassem as armas? Para já, creio que um tripado a atirar DVDs ao pessoal faria menos danos, e depois, este tipo de jogos é um bom escape para um dia cansativo. Tiros nuns mânfios no PC deviam servir para matar o bichinho do tiro ao alvo. Pelo menos eu conduzo mais calmamente depois de jogar Burnout!

O problema pode ser resolvido com subsídios ao paintball: podem andar aos tiros sem se magoar, saem da frente da merda do PC e começam a conviver com humanos. Simples.

St Pauli, farol da concórdia

Graves confrontos entre adeptos em Hamburgo

Oito pessoas hospitalizadas, cinco delas agentes policiais, foram o resultado dos distúrbios ontem á noite entre adeptos do St. Pauli, de Hamburgo, e o Hansa Rostock, equipas da segunda Liga alemã.

(...) 1350 agentes da polícia foram obrigados a intervir para tentar por cobro aos confrontos entre adeptos das duas equipas após o jogo, disputado em Hamburgo, e que acabou com a vitória do Hansa Rostock por 3-2.

(...) Os adeptos das duas equipas chegaram, a interromper os confrontos para, em conjunto, atacarem a polícia, que teve muita dificuldade em terminar com a violência.

eu tenho uma opinião em relação a isto, mas não vou partilhar

Germans Sexually Unpermissive during Carnival

ferramentas diplomáticas

empreendedores

Creio que, no seguimento da série otários, faz falta dar destaque a malta que se destaca pela sua capacidade de iniciativa. Já alguns foram referidos, e um dia destes tento recuperar essas postas, mas para já, lanço esta...



Inmate escapes German jail in box

A manhunt is under way in western Germany for a convicted drug dealer who escaped by mailing himself out of jail.

The 42-year-old Turkish citizen - who was serving a seven-year sentence - had been making stationery with other prisoners destined for the shops.

At the end of his shift, the inmate climbed into a cardboard box and was taken out of prison by express courier. His whereabouts are still unknown.

romenos enxovalham Hollywood

Daring Motorway Bandits Arrested in Germany

German police are finding it hard to conceal their admiration for a well-organized gang of Romanian thieves suspected of raiding trucks by climbing onto the tailgates at 80 to 90 kilometers per hour from the bonnet of a car, at night, on motorways.

brutos, burros e porcos

[1] Bófias a arrombar cadeias para matarem um bófia que matou outro bófia, [2] malta que confunde Mónaco e Munique e [3] um presidente de câmara que decidiu que a cidade está tão enterrada em merda que mais vale irem todos embora.

Tudo louco.

gradiente de seriedade

Partimos do desastre anunciado, com o Equador e a Venezuela a colocarem tropas nas fronteiras com a Colômbia, graças ao ataque contra as FARC; temos mais jogadas políticas nos Balcãs, sem Kosovo à mistura, porque a Grécia não curte a Macedónia; entramos no nonsense com as piores ideias políticas na Alemanha e o maior palhaço político na Rússia; terminamos com um gajo que se masturba em cima de bicicletas de mulher.

Queda para o degredo?

Falar Português é bonito

A Língua Portuguesa é traiçoeira, como se costuma dizer. Verídico. E por milhentas razões. Neste caso, a sigla dum partido político, o Freie Demokratische Partei, deixa um bichinho a zumbir: estas iniciais não vos recordam de nenhuma expressão em português? Se sim, então concordarão que ao menos estes gajos são honestos, ainda que sem quererem. Entretanto vão ao sítio deles e reparem no chefe com o papillon, cuja fronha vi em cartazes por todos os cantos de Hamburg.