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GERMERICANA
German Americans Cheer Bismarck's Triumph
Members of New York's German American groups came out in force to celebrate the end of the Franco-Prussian war that established Germany's unity. A report in The New York Times of April 10, 1871 make for interesting reading. Please click HERE
DER BLOGGER
Mitt and Newt: The Gloves Come Off
Newt Gingrich’s surge to success in South Carolina has surely brought joy to the Obama White House. For his 12-point victory ensures the fight for the GOP nomination will not end soon and will get nastier.
WANDERLUST
Québec City: A Touch of Europe
By Adam Leposa
When we woke up this morning, the scene outside our hotel window looked perfect for the Winter Carnival: lots of snow. Unfortunately, the storm also brought with it high winds that nixed our previous plans to go cross-country skiing on the Plains of Abraham. So, we set off to explore Québec City’s Old Town, as well as two unique hotels in the region.
ESSEN & TRINKEN
More Americans say, Prost!
German beer sales dip slightly in 2011 German beer sales remained more or less steady in 2011, according to the Federal Statistics Office. While Germans themselves bought less German beer compared to 2010, beer drinkers abroad were saying 'Prost!'
GERMERICA LINKS
RSS FEED
German Foreign Minister Urged to Quit
Mon, 08/30/2010 - 06:52 — Walter
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s deputy and her main coalition ally is facing growing calls to quit as head of the Free Democratic Party as its support hovers near historic lows.
Westerwelle should recognize he’s causing “damage” and limit himself to his other post of German foreign minister, Ruediger Linsler, the FDP’s general secretary in Saarland state, was cited as saying by the Saarbruecker Zeitung Monday.
“I don’t think Guido Westerwelle can regain voters’ lost confidence in the FDP in his dual role as foreign minister and party chairman,” Linsler was quoted as saying in an interview on the newspaper’s website.
Merkel’s second-term coalition has plummeted in polls since September’s federal election and now lags the opposition, mainly due to the decline in backing for her Free Democratic partner.
Westerwelle, who has headed the pro-business FDP for a decade, said in an Aug. 22 ARD television interview that he has broad support in his party and its support will bounce back.
Linsler’s comments were the second attack this week on Westerwelle’s leadership. Joerg-Uwe Hahn, the party’s leader in Hesse, the state that includes Frankfurt, said party members are “disappointed” and urged Westerwelle to stay out of domestic politics, according to an interview in Handelsblatt.
Under Westerwelle, the FDP won 14.6 percent at the September vote, its best-ever showing in a federal election, setting up the coalition with Merkel’s Christian Democrats and ending her alliance with the Social Democrats.
Latest Poll
Backing for the Free Democrats has since shrunk by about two-thirds. The FDP gained one percentage point to 5 percent support, according to a weekly Forsa poll for Stern magazine and broadcaster RTL published today.
That’s still on the 5 percent threshold needed to win parliamentary seats under German election law and just above the low of 4 percent the party first reached in June.
Merkel’s Christian Democrats held at 30 percent, compared with 33.8 percent in the election. The opposition Social Democrats were unchanged at 27 percent and the Greens held at a record 20 percent.
The SPD-Greens’ combined support of 47 percent is enough to form a government if replicated at an election, Stern said.
Forsa polled poll 2,501 people on Aug. 16-20. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
News In Brief
DAS KINO
'Berlinale' Presents 2012 Offerings
A new movie from Billy Bob Thornton and a turn as Marie Antoinette by Diane Kruger will rub shoulders with offerings from Asia to Africa at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.
DAS BUCH
Breathtaking Tour of Germany
Featuring the wonders and beauty of Germany through the eyes of author Maureen Mahan Copelof and her husband, Sylvan, Discovering Germany shares a captivating view of the rich German tradition.
KULTUR
Thomas Quasthoff Bids Farewell
By Marita Berg
The news that singer Thomas Quasthoff would be concluding his career for health reasons came as a surprise to fans and concert organizers. His warm, colorfully nuanced and voluminous voice coupled with his intense, energized renditions have enchanted audiences for years.
DAS AUTO
The E-Car: False Hopes?
Germany’s plan to put a million electric cars on the road by 2020 is unlikely to do much for the environment without a dramatic increase in renewable energy, the daily Berlin-basedTageszeitung reported on Monday.
FUSSBALL
