Ralf Ekrowski
@ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Born in Ahlen, shaped in Münster, now settled on Germany’s coast. Lawyer. Focused on politics, urban development, and democracy.
"Humans built SUVs to feel powerful. They only look smaller inside"
https://ekrowski.net/unasked-unfiltered/
"Humans built SUVs to feel powerful. They only look smaller inside"
https://ekrowski.net/unasked-unfiltered/
Reading this this morning, I could hardly believe it: Trump’s strategy warns of Europe’s “civilizational extinction” and backs “patriotic parties,” including extremist ones. To me, the rhetoric feels disturbingly close to what Putin said before invading Ukraine.
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Trump Administration Says Europe Faces ‘Civilizational Erasure’
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reading this this morning, I could hardly believe it: Trump’s strategy warns of Europe’s “civilizational extinction” and backs “patriotic parties,” including extremist ones. To me, the rhetoric feels disturbingly close to what Putin said before invading Ukraine.
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Explore this gift article
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Explore this gift article
With all the AI and CGI out there, stop-motion still has its own kind of magic. It’s impossible to resist. Fantastic video.
youtu.be/i1a2AzvX7pc?...
youtu.be/i1a2AzvX7pc?...
Just Dance 2026 gameplay - Born to be Alive (Stop Motion)
YouTube video by Born to be Alive
youtu.be
December 6, 2025 at 8:51 AM
With all the AI and CGI out there, stop-motion still has its own kind of magic. It’s impossible to resist. Fantastic video.
youtu.be/i1a2AzvX7pc?...
youtu.be/i1a2AzvX7pc?...
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
Collapse of key Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for centuries, study finds. @swinda.bsky.social
That's an under-appreciated impact of #AMOC shutdown, of particular concern given the recent results showing much higher likelihood of this. 1/2
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
That's an under-appreciated impact of #AMOC shutdown, of particular concern given the recent results showing much higher likelihood of this. 1/2
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
December 5, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Collapse of key Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for centuries, study finds. @swinda.bsky.social
That's an under-appreciated impact of #AMOC shutdown, of particular concern given the recent results showing much higher likelihood of this. 1/2
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
That's an under-appreciated impact of #AMOC shutdown, of particular concern given the recent results showing much higher likelihood of this. 1/2
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
Football shapes identity in Germany. But this World Cup — these images — feel deeply wrong. Football has sold its soul to political spectacle. And when the sport kneels before power like this, it loses more than a match — it loses its credibility.
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
Donald Trump & Gianni Infantino: 'World Cup draw will illustrate close relationship'
Friday’s World Cup draw in Washington DC will be the latest illustration of the ever-closer relationship between US President Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
www.bbc.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Football shapes identity in Germany. But this World Cup — these images — feel deeply wrong. Football has sold its soul to political spectacle. And when the sport kneels before power like this, it loses more than a match — it loses its credibility.
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
www.bbc.com/sport/footba...
Suspicion: election manipulation.
Who has the motive? Who has the means? Who has the opportunity?
The Atlantic piece makes it clear: the ones to indict aren’t the AIs, but those who choose to weaponize them.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Who has the motive? Who has the means? Who has the opportunity?
The Atlantic piece makes it clear: the ones to indict aren’t the AIs, but those who choose to weaponize them.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Could ChatGPT Secretly Tell You How to Vote?
The political manipulation machine
www.theatlantic.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Suspicion: election manipulation.
Who has the motive? Who has the means? Who has the opportunity?
The Atlantic piece makes it clear: the ones to indict aren’t the AIs, but those who choose to weaponize them.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Who has the motive? Who has the means? Who has the opportunity?
The Atlantic piece makes it clear: the ones to indict aren’t the AIs, but those who choose to weaponize them.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Small break! Coffee on the table, Motown in my ears, Spirou & Fantasio open. And I’m wondering: what would the Marsupilami have done with Trump? Something to think about…
December 4, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Small break! Coffee on the table, Motown in my ears, Spirou & Fantasio open. And I’m wondering: what would the Marsupilami have done with Trump? Something to think about…
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
In addition to rum, moonshine and peanut butter whiskey, this raccoon at a Virginia liquor store also got into some vodka and eggnog. If you have not tried it, peanut butter whiskey “is excellent,” a PR manager for the store said. The raccoon apparently agreed. trib.al/XurZIQv
December 3, 2025 at 11:10 PM
In addition to rum, moonshine and peanut butter whiskey, this raccoon at a Virginia liquor store also got into some vodka and eggnog. If you have not tried it, peanut butter whiskey “is excellent,” a PR manager for the store said. The raccoon apparently agreed. trib.al/XurZIQv
The article looks for explanations in today’s policies. But the AfD’s rise can’t really be explained that way:the party has no coherent policy at all. Maybe the answer is simpler, and more uncomfortable: ideas we thought were buried have become acceptable again. That’s the real shift.
gift article
gift article
Opinion | They Have a Historic Mission, and They’re Blowing It
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:30 AM
The article looks for explanations in today’s policies. But the AfD’s rise can’t really be explained that way:the party has no coherent policy at all. Maybe the answer is simpler, and more uncomfortable: ideas we thought were buried have become acceptable again. That’s the real shift.
gift article
gift article
Germany re-arms because it trusted “good deals” for too long — like the AfD still does. But deals with aggressors never bring peace. They hit others first, then you. Such “deals” have no place in a peaceful world — they always produce losers.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The New German War Machine
After World War II, Germany embraced pacifism as a form of atonement. Now the country is arming itself again.
www.theatlantic.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Germany re-arms because it trusted “good deals” for too long — like the AfD still does. But deals with aggressors never bring peace. They hit others first, then you. Such “deals” have no place in a peaceful world — they always produce losers.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Atlantic piece reflects on quiet resistance. What concerns me today, in Germany, is something else: why it’s still so hard to learn from that history while the AfD keeps rising. The measure isn’t repetition of the past, but responsibility now.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Germans Who Stood Up to Hitler
And the Germans who didn’t
www.theatlantic.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
The Atlantic piece reflects on quiet resistance. What concerns me today, in Germany, is something else: why it’s still so hard to learn from that history while the AfD keeps rising. The measure isn’t repetition of the past, but responsibility now.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
When I read the NYT piece, I stopped at the idea of opening someone’s found handwritten diary. That just feels wrong. Handwriting still carries a different kind of weight. Even with Chat & co., my first thoughts always start out on paper.
gift article from The New York Times.
gift article from The New York Times.
Opinion | Why I Love Reading Other People’s Old Diaries
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:15 PM
When I read the NYT piece, I stopped at the idea of opening someone’s found handwritten diary. That just feels wrong. Handwriting still carries a different kind of weight. Even with Chat & co., my first thoughts always start out on paper.
gift article from The New York Times.
gift article from The New York Times.
Germany’s major papers agree: Trump is aligning with Putin. And with the AfD rising — some members even traveling to Russia — Europe is heading into darker days. Shuster’s Atlantic piece shows how stark the shift has become.
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Inside Trump’s Latest Push for Peace in Ukraine
The most consistent thing about Trump’s 10-month search for an end to the war in Ukraine has been his inconsistency.
www.theatlantic.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Germany’s major papers agree: Trump is aligning with Putin. And with the AfD rising — some members even traveling to Russia — Europe is heading into darker days. Shuster’s Atlantic piece shows how stark the shift has become.
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
If Trump’s favorite book is the Bible, he surely knows the line: you cannot serve two masters.
This new recording makes the question painfully clear — which side is he really serving?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
This new recording makes the question painfully clear — which side is he really serving?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Trump envoy Witkoff reportedly advised Kremlin official on Ukraine peace deal
Steve Witkoff spoke to Yuri Ushakov on territorial control and suggested congratulating Donald Trump and framing talks more optimistically, audio recording suggests
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM
If Trump’s favorite book is the Bible, he surely knows the line: you cannot serve two masters.
This new recording makes the question painfully clear — which side is he really serving?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
This new recording makes the question painfully clear — which side is he really serving?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
As the EPC warns, Europe wakes up in a world shaped by others. CFR’s analysis of Trump’s plan shows why: it empowers Moscow and weakens Kyiv. And the FAZ reminds us this isn’t theory but reality. If Europe won’t act, others will keep writing its future.<
www.epc.eu/publication/...
www.epc.eu/publication/...
Europe didn't plan, so others did | Trump's Russia–Ukraine peace plan
Trump’s Russia–Ukraine ‘peace plan’ is not a negotiation – it’s a geopolitical verdict. It shows that Europe is drifting onto the wrong side of history – the side where others make the decisions and Europe foots the bill.
www.epc.eu
November 26, 2025 at 7:59 AM
As the EPC warns, Europe wakes up in a world shaped by others. CFR’s analysis of Trump’s plan shows why: it empowers Moscow and weakens Kyiv. And the FAZ reminds us this isn’t theory but reality. If Europe won’t act, others will keep writing its future.<
www.epc.eu/publication/...
www.epc.eu/publication/...
Culture is still alive. The difference? My generation grew up unwatched—no algorithm, no constant gaze. That freedom made experimenting easier. Maybe culture needs spaces again where curiosity matters more than reach.
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Make Culture Weird Again
Even failures and half steps will be more interesting than the boring stuff.
www.theatlantic.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Culture is still alive. The difference? My generation grew up unwatched—no algorithm, no constant gaze. That freedom made experimenting easier. Maybe culture needs spaces again where curiosity matters more than reach.
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
The author is right: X has become a perversion of what the internet was meant to be. But the deeper question is why people remain so captivated by a platform that has turned into a hall of poisoned mirrors — and why serious newspapers still participate in it.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk’s Worthless, Poisoned Hall of Mirrors
How X blew up its own platform with a new location feature
www.theatlantic.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:10 AM
The author is right: X has become a perversion of what the internet was meant to be. But the deeper question is why people remain so captivated by a platform that has turned into a hall of poisoned mirrors — and why serious newspapers still participate in it.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
From a German perspective, this whole discussion is astonishing. An ideology that relativizes human rights inevitably leads to antisemitism. The vast majority of Germans know one thing for certain: There are no good Nazis!
gift article www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/u...
gift article www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/u...
Why Republicans Are Fighting About the Nazis
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:49 AM
From a German perspective, this whole discussion is astonishing. An ideology that relativizes human rights inevitably leads to antisemitism. The vast majority of Germans know one thing for certain: There are no good Nazis!
gift article www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/u...
gift article www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/u...
The NYT report shows one thing clearly: OpenAI had to step in because ChatGPT was getting too close to people. The risk isn’t the AI itself, but the race for attention. When engagement outruns safety, even a small shift in the system can go the wrong way.
gift article from The New York Times.
gift article from The New York Times.
What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch With Reality
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:41 PM
The NYT report shows one thing clearly: OpenAI had to step in because ChatGPT was getting too close to people. The risk isn’t the AI itself, but the race for attention. When engagement outruns safety, even a small shift in the system can go the wrong way.
gift article from The New York Times.
gift article from The New York Times.
Bremerhaven — my hometown — wins, Hamburg loses.
Irony of this new era: it took Putin to push our port forward.
Only now does politics realise it has to respond to his assault on NATO — and the NATO hub finally brings the investment our harbor was denied for years. (PW)
www.faz.net/aktuell/wirt...
Irony of this new era: it took Putin to push our port forward.
Only now does politics realise it has to respond to his assault on NATO — and the NATO hub finally brings the investment our harbor was denied for years. (PW)
www.faz.net/aktuell/wirt...
Bremerhaven bekommt Geld aus dem Verteidigungshaushalt
Plötzlich gibt es Geld für den Ausbau von Kaianlagen und Drehbrücken, jedenfalls für Bremerhaven. Andere Häfen bräuchten dringend Geld für die Modernisierung.
www.faz.net
November 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Bremerhaven — my hometown — wins, Hamburg loses.
Irony of this new era: it took Putin to push our port forward.
Only now does politics realise it has to respond to his assault on NATO — and the NATO hub finally brings the investment our harbor was denied for years. (PW)
www.faz.net/aktuell/wirt...
Irony of this new era: it took Putin to push our port forward.
Only now does politics realise it has to respond to his assault on NATO — and the NATO hub finally brings the investment our harbor was denied for years. (PW)
www.faz.net/aktuell/wirt...
Follow the money.
Applebaum makes it clear: this “peace plan” isn’t about peace — it’s a business model.
Putin and Trump aren’t trying to stabilize the world; they’re carving it up. And when the feast begins, Europe will be handed the bill.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Applebaum makes it clear: this “peace plan” isn’t about peace — it’s a business model.
Putin and Trump aren’t trying to stabilize the world; they’re carving it up. And when the feast begins, Europe will be handed the bill.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The Murky Plan That Ensures a Future War
Who will benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?
www.theatlantic.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Follow the money.
Applebaum makes it clear: this “peace plan” isn’t about peace — it’s a business model.
Putin and Trump aren’t trying to stabilize the world; they’re carving it up. And when the feast begins, Europe will be handed the bill.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Applebaum makes it clear: this “peace plan” isn’t about peace — it’s a business model.
Putin and Trump aren’t trying to stabilize the world; they’re carving it up. And when the feast begins, Europe will be handed the bill.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The “US peace plan” even contains Russian phrasing — no surprise, since Putin’s envoy co-wrote it with Trump’s representative while Ukraine and Europe were excluded.
A plan that speaks the aggressor’s language isn’t peace. It’s a warning.
A plan that speaks the aggressor’s language isn’t peace. It’s a warning.
Ukraine risks losing key partner or its dignity, warns Zelenskyy, as Trump sets Thanksgiving deadline to accept deal – as it happened
US president says ‘Thursday is an appropriate time’ in radio interview as Ukrainian leader weighs up US proposal
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:18 AM
The “US peace plan” even contains Russian phrasing — no surprise, since Putin’s envoy co-wrote it with Trump’s representative while Ukraine and Europe were excluded.
A plan that speaks the aggressor’s language isn’t peace. It’s a warning.
A plan that speaks the aggressor’s language isn’t peace. It’s a warning.
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
Halve food waste.
Cut methane emissions.
Reduce hunger.
This new initiative lays out a game plan for cities to follow: www.stopfoodlosswaste.org/advocacy/foo...
#COP30
Cut methane emissions.
Reduce hunger.
This new initiative lays out a game plan for cities to follow: www.stopfoodlosswaste.org/advocacy/foo...
#COP30
November 22, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Halve food waste.
Cut methane emissions.
Reduce hunger.
This new initiative lays out a game plan for cities to follow: www.stopfoodlosswaste.org/advocacy/foo...
#COP30
Cut methane emissions.
Reduce hunger.
This new initiative lays out a game plan for cities to follow: www.stopfoodlosswaste.org/advocacy/foo...
#COP30
Trump keeps treating Putin’s demands as if they were his own. A “peace plan” that forces Ukraine to retreat is Europe’s capitulation. And we should remember: for Putin, the USSR never really ended. He thinks like a KGB officer shaped by 1989 — and he acts accordingly.
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Zelenskyy faces pressure from Trump to accept his Ukraine peace plan
President Trump said he’d like to see Ukraine accept his peace plan by Thursday of next week. But the plan asks Ukraine to make concessions it's previously rejected, and President Zelenskyy said his c...
www.pbs.org
November 22, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Trump keeps treating Putin’s demands as if they were his own. A “peace plan” that forces Ukraine to retreat is Europe’s capitulation. And we should remember: for Putin, the USSR never really ended. He thinks like a KGB officer shaped by 1989 — and he acts accordingly.
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Putin’s goal is the old Soviet sphere. Look at those borders — Ukraine is only the first stop. A “peace plan” that forces Kyiv to cede land and disarm isn’t peace. It weakens Europe at a moment when Washington treats Europe as optional.
gift article
gift article
U.S.-Russian Peace Plan Would Force Ukraine to Cede Land and Cut Army
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Putin’s goal is the old Soviet sphere. Look at those borders — Ukraine is only the first stop. A “peace plan” that forces Kyiv to cede land and disarm isn’t peace. It weakens Europe at a moment when Washington treats Europe as optional.
gift article
gift article
Reposted by Ralf Ekrowski
