Gerlind Institute for Cultural Studies

09/08/2021

Hi**er’s favourite artists: why do N**i statues still stand in Germany?

"A shocking new exhibition reveals the thriving postwar careers of artists the Führer endorsed as ‘divinely gifted’. Many made public works that remain on show today

A photograph from 1940 shows three conquering N***s in Paris against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. Within a few years one of these men, Adolf Hi**er, was dead by his own hand; another, Albert Speer, was writing his memoirs in Spandau prison, having eluded a death sentence at the Nuremberg trials. But the third, Arno Breker, was alive and free, making sculptures in the new West Germany that in their bombast and iconography echoed those he had made during the Third Reich."

A shocking new exhibition reveals the thriving postwar careers of artists the Führer endorsed as ‘divinely gifted’. Many made public works that remain on show today

09/08/2021

German Greens receive more large donations than Angela Merkel’s party

"Germany’s Greens have so far received more large donations ahead of this September’s federal elections than the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel, after a Dutch tech entrepreneur gave the environmental party the highest one-off sum of cash in its history."

Environmental party given highest one-off sum in its history by Dutch tech entrepreneur

09/08/2021

Free Year of Germany culture and cuisine class to be held Sept. 13

Free Year of Germany culture and cuisine class to be held Sept. 13

$description_new

08/26/2021

Ein schöner Land – Grüner Spot zur Bundestagswahl 2021

…"Der Tagesspiegel referred to the ad as “a political advert for a DIY store” and said it was akin to a cargo bike anthem, a reference to the Greens’ plan announced last week to give every German household a €1,000 subsidy towards a cargo bike to encourage people to forgo their cars. The campaign has been mocked by the party’s opponents.

Die Zeit, however, suggested that on second sight, the slot is a clever appeal to the older German – by far the largest demographic group among voters.

“It’s not so far-fetched that this might win over a few disappointed conservative voters with its aesthetic conservative look and feel,” it says, but decries the “Ohrwurm” (earworm) quality of the slot, suggesting that “like every earworm, it’s something you will quickly begin to curse”."

Jetzt alles geben, den Aufbruch leben – wir sind bereit. Unser Spot zur Bundestagswahl 2021.👉 Teil unseren Spot mit so vielen wie möglich, um zu zeigen: "Ei...

08/18/2021

Germany’s Baerbock sets out sharp break with Merkel era for Greens

Germany’s Baerbock sets out sharp break with Merkel era for Greens

Party’s chancellor candidate vows to shake up EU debt rules and get tough on Russia and China

08/15/2021

Während in Deutschland der Druck auf Ungeimpfte steigt, hebt Dänemark alle Corona-Maßnahmen auf

Denmark is planning to end all Corona restrictions.
https://de.rt.com/europa/122039-waehrend-in-deutschland-druck-auf-ungeimpfte-steigt-hebt-daenemark-alle-corona-massnahmen-auf/

So nah und doch so fern: Deutschland und Dänemark sind Nachbarn und gingen nach Ausbruch der Corona-Pandemie ähnliche Wege. Doch während hierzulande die Politik einen immer größeren Druck auf nicht geimpfte Bürger ausübt, erhalten alle Dänen ab Oktober trotz steigender Inzidenzzahlen ihre Fr...

07/30/2021

Pride and LGBTQI Germany | DW | 07.07.2021

"What's it like to be gay, transgender or non-binary in Germany? For this week's Meet the Germans, Rachel flies the rainbow flag and looks at q***r history, LGBTQ rights and "Christopher Street Day" (aka Pride) in Germany. "

As Pride events continue to some extent in German cities over the summer, Meet the Germans presenter Rachel Stewart finds out more about LGBTQ rights in Germany.

07/30/2021

Young Syrian loses everything in German floods | DW | 29.07.2021

"The flood catastrophe in western Germany has hit many hard: homes were flooded, complete livelihoods destroyed. DW visited a young Syrian from Ahrweiler, who has lost everything — for the second time in his life."

The flood catastrophe in western Germany has hit many hard: homes were flooded, complete livelihoods destroyed. DW visited a young Syrian from Ahrweiler, who has lost everything — for the second time in his life.

07/02/2021

Interview: Merkel's likely heir favors her centrist path

"DUESSELDORF – As a child of the Cold War in West Germany, Armin Laschet remembers when then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan came to Berlin in 1987, stood at the barrier separating East from West, and said, “Tear down this wall!”

“For many West Germans, that was a utopia that didn’t seem realistic, but which fulfilled itself in the end,” said Laschet, who is seeking to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor in the country's Sept. 26 election.

The 60-year-old governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, is still grateful that in his youth the Americans were reliable guarantors of peace and stability against the Soviet Union.

“They were always there for us, they secured the freedom of Berlin,” Laschet said in an interview this week with The Associated Press at his office in the western city of Duesseldorf.
For Laschet, close U.S. relations are of utmost importance as Merkel steps down after nearly 16 years in power. He hopes to advance progress on global challenges with the help of a new U.S. leader, President Joe Biden."

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2021/07/02/merkels-likely-heir-favors-her-centrist-path-for-germany/

Armin Laschet is a child of the Cold War who has long valued U.S. leadership and says he hopes for a big push forward on global challenges like climate change with the help of President Joe Biden.

07/02/2021

Germany to have 1 million electric cars on the road in July – paper

"BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany will in July have 1 million electric cars on the road, hitting its target six months late, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told Tagesspiegel daily on Friday, saying subsidy programmes had boosted demand.

“We will reach our target of 1 million electric cars by 2020, which everyone thought was unattainable, this July, just six months late,” the minister was quoted as saying.

“More bonuses have been taken up in the first half of 2021 than in the whole of last year,” he added, saying they amounted to 1.25 billion euros. Subsidies were increased during the coronavirus pandemic.

Altmaier also said that Germany may exceed its longer-term goal of having 7-10 million electric vehicles on its streets.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)"

https://whbl.com/2021/07/01/germany-to-have-1-million-electric-cars-on-the-road-in-july-paper/

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will in July have 1 million electric cars on the road, hitting its target six months late, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier ...

07/02/2021

Amazing discussion at the publishing house Yilmaz-Günay in Berlin about anti-Muslim racism.

06/28/2021

How one person saved over 2,000 children from the N***s - Iseult Gillespie

In 1943, Irena Sendler and Janina Grabowska froze when they heard Gestapo pounding on the front door. Knowing she was minutes from arrest, Irena tossed Janina her most dangerous possession: a glass jar containing the names of over 2,000 Jewish children she’d smuggled to safety from the Warsaw Ghetto. Who was this courageous woman? Iseult Gillespie details the life and legacy of Irena Sendler.

Get to know the story of Irena Sendler, a social worker who saved over 2,000 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.--In 1943, Irena Sendler and ...

06/28/2021

Germany passes new citizenship law for descendants of N**i victims

"Campaigners say the move allow many to reconnect with their German heritage, particularly in the Jewish community.

"We acknowledge the work that the German people have undertaken to honour the memory of those lost and those who suffered in the [Holocaust]," said Felix Couchman, chair of the Article 116 Exclusions Group, which has been lobbying on the issue for years.

"These measures have been necessary stepping stones to rebuilding trust," he added."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57618755

The move closes loopholes that denied citizenship to some whose ancestors had fled persecution.

06/25/2021

Deposit System: Why aren’t we all recycling bottles like Germany?

Deposit System: Why aren’t we all recycling bottles like Germany?

Around the world, one million plastic bottles are sold... every single minute. Which makes disposing of them one of the biggest environmental challenges coun...

06/18/2021

Germany's Stasi files agency wraps up work after 3 decades

"BERLIN (AP) — An agency set up to oversee the voluminous files of communist East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, has wrapped up its work after nearly three decades.

The files on Thursday became the responsibility of Germany's Federal Archives, headquartered in the western city of Koblenz, which also took over the agency's roughly 1,300 employees. The files themselves are staying put at the sprawling former headquarters of the Ministry for State Security, or Stasi for short, in Berlin, and 13 other sites in eastern Germany.

The Stasi used a vast network of agents and informers to collect details on East German citizens to quash dissent. It compiled a huge catalogue of material ranging from the banal to the fictitious, and also placed thousands of agents to spy on top Western officials.

Germany's parliament decided in November to wind up the files agency and transfer oversight to the Federal Archives. One argument for the change was a need to combine resources, with many files still needing to be restored and digitized. A new post of ombudsperson for victims of the East German dictatorship was set up, and former opposition activist Evelyn Zupke was appointed to that job earlier this month."

https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Germany-s-Stasi-files-agency-wraps-up-work-after-16254696.php

BERLIN (AP) — An agency set up to oversee the voluminous files of communist East...

06/13/2021

Belarusian Nobel laureate writing book on homeland's 'revolution with a woman's face'

Belarusian Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich lives in Berlin and writes about the "revolution with a woman's face". https://www.yahoo.com/news/belarusian-nobel-laureate-writing-book-173646660.html

Svetlana Alexievich, who won the Nobel literature prize for her oral history of the end of the Soviet Union, is devoting her latest book to the "revolution with a woman's face" in her native Belarus after a disputed election last year. Alexievich, 73, became a Nobel laureate in 2015 for her account....

05/19/2021

Wahlen in Chile: Erdrutschsieg für die linken Kräfte

Santiago. Entgegen aller Erwartungen haben die linken Kräfte in Chile am Sonntagabend einen Wahlsieg auf ganzer Linie erreicht. Bei den Wahlen für die Verfassungsgebende Versammlung sowie den Regional- und Kommunalwahlen gewannen in vielen Orten linke Persönlichkeiten Spitzenplätze.

Glücklich blickte am Sonntagabend Giovanna Grandón in die Kameras der Fernsehsender. Sie ist von Beruf Schulbusfahrerin und wurde wegen ihres Pokemonkostüms bekannt, in dem sie jeden Freitag auf die Proteste seit Oktober 2019 im Stadtzentrum ging. Heute ist sie eine von 27 Mitgliedern der Lista del Pueblo, die am Wochenende in den Verfassungskonvent gewählt wurden. Die selbsternannte Liste des Volkes ist ein Bündnis aus Aktivist:innen der Oktoberrevolte von 2019. Umfragen sagten ihnen eine einstellige Zahl an Plätzen im Verfassungskonvent voraus.

Auch das Bündnis Apruebo Dignidad, bestehend aus dem linken Frente Amplio und der Kommunistischen Partei (KPCh), erzielte einen Überraschungserfolg. Das Parteienbündnis stellt 28 der 155 Sitze im Verfassungskonvent. Damit haben antineoliberale Kräfte die ersehnte Sperrminorität erreicht und werden mit ihren Forderungen für mehr Demokratie, soziale Grundrechte und Umweltschutz die Verfassung maßgebend prägen.

Die rechten Parteien hingegen erlitten eine herbe Niederlage. Sie verfehlten das selbstgesetzte Ziel der Sperrminorität von einem Drittel und verloren die meisten der wichtigen Gemeinden außerhalb der Oberschichtsviertel von Santiago. Sie erreichten gerade einmal 37 Sitze und sind innerhalb des Konvents isoliert.

Auch die Parteien des ehemaligen Regierungsbündnis Concertación wurden hart abgestraft. Die Christdemokratische Partei, die bereits mehrere Präsidenten stellte, erlangte gerade einmal zwei Sitze. Ein Parteimitglied nach dem anderem räumte nach Bekanntgabe der Ergebnisse das Scheitern der eigenen Partei ein. Die ehemalige christdemokratische Präsidentschaftskandidatin, Ximena Rincón, sagte gar ihre Kandidatur ab. Die neoliberale Mitte ist aus der politischen Landschaft praktisch verschwunden.

Dabei war der verfassungsgebende Prozess durch die rechten und Mitte-Links Parteien initiiert worden. Angetrieben durch die Protestwelle von Oktober 2019 wurde am 15. November das Abkommen für Frieden und eine Verfassung angekündigt. Der Prozess wurde vor allem wegen der angekündigten Sperrminorität von einem Drittel kritisiert. Bis zuletzt war erwartet worden, dass die Rechte ein Drittel der Stimmen auf sich würde vereinen können.

"Heute beginnt die Möglichkeit eines realen Wandels in Chile", sagte der Präsidentschaftskandidat der Kommunistischen Partei, Daniel Jadue, am Sonntagabend. Das Wahlergebnis liefert eine Steilvorlage für die kommenden Präsidentschaftswahlen im November 2021, bei der Jadue laut Umfragen derzeit als Favorit gilt.

Doch der politische Wandel hat auf lokaler Ebene bereits begonnen. In mehreren wichtigen Gemeinden übernahmen linke Bürgermeister:innen das Amt. Sie alle traten mit einem Programm an, dass insbesondere die Immobilienunternehmen in die Schranken weisen will. In Santiago gewann die Kommunistin Irací Hassler knapp gegen ihren rechten Kontrahenten Felipe Alessandri. Damit regiert erstmals eine Kommunistin im politischen Zentrum des Landes.

In der Region von Valparaíso gewann der Umweltaktivist Rodrigo Mundaca in der ersten Runde mit 43,7 Prozent die Gouverneur:innenwahlen. Mundaca ist durch seine Aktivitäten gegen die Wasserprivatisierung und die Großgrundbesitzer:innen von Avocadoplantagen weltberühmt geworden. Sein Sieg ist eine Kampfansage an die sogenannten Avocadobarone, die an den Hängen der Voranden sich ganze Gemeinde angeeignet und die lokale Politik geschmiert haben.

Das Wahlergebnis ist der größte Sieg der Linken seit der Regierung von Salvador Allende. Die Märkte reagierten darauf mit gewohnten Kursabstürzen. Die Börse von Santiago verlor am Montagmorgen 9,2 Prozent ihres Wertes.

https://amerika21.de/2021/05/250653/wahlen-verfassung-chile-linker-erfolg

Linke und radikal-linke Kräfte erringen Überraschungssieg. Ausarbeitung der neuen Verfassung wird von ihnen geprägt werden. Rechte Parteien verpassen Sperrminorität Santiago. Entgegen aller Erwartungen haben die linken Kräfte in Chile am Sonntagabend einen Wahlsieg auf ganzer Linie erreicht.

04/26/2021

'It Ruined Normal Life': 35 Years Later, Chernobyl Worker Still Suffering From Nuclear Disaster

"Former Chernobyl power plant worker Anna Shynkarenko remembers the confusion and delayed evacuation of families following the 1986 nuclear disaster in what was then the Soviet Union. She says she was initially kept in the dark about the seriousness of the worst-ever civilian nuclear accident and even worked her shift at the power plant the day after the disaster. When Shynkarenko, her husband, and three daughters were finally evacuated from their home in nearby Prypyat, they were all suffering from radiation-related illnesses. "Chernobyl took our childhood away," said one of her daughters, "and it ruined normal life for you and Dad.""

Former Chernobyl power plant worker Anna Shynkarenko remembers her last shift following the 1986 nuclear disaster and says evacuation delays damaged her family's health.

04/19/2021

Germany mourns its 80,000 Covid dead at memorial

After a remembrance mass, Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier participated in a remembrance ceremony at the concert hall Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin.

80,000 people have died due to coronavirus in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/04/18/germany-mourns-its-80-000-covid-dead-at-memorial

Germany, represented by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, holds a national memorial service in a Berlin concert hall for its nearly 80,000 victims of the coronavirus pandemic.