Hi, I am a mentally ill guy (late 20s) from Germany who tells himself that his life would be better if he lived in LA. I consume copious amounts of literature and movies about the U.S. and, more specifically, Southern California, so I know for a fact that this is the place for me. 

My degree in the humanities is basically useless, but I am sure I’ll find a local company that will hire and sponsor me. I’d prefer to move to Santa Monica so I can go to the beach every day after work.

Anyway, do you guys have any tips for me? I appreciate any help:)

Edit: I forgot to add that my mental illness precludes me from getting a driver’s license.

Submission statement: The incident occurred at around 11:40 am local time, 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, and outside of UK territorial waters. This is relevant to this subreddit because it deals with Russia's continued aggression towards European countries.

Ich lese gerade In Stahlgewittern, Jüngers Buch über seine Zeit als Soldat im Ersten Weltkrieg. Ich suche nach einem Buch, welches sich kritisch mit seinem Werk und ihm als Person auseinandersetzt. Nach etwas Googeln habe ich, Ernst Jünger: Die Biographie von Helmuth Kiesel sowie Ernst Jünger – Ein Jahrhundertleben von Heimo Schwilk gefunden, jedoch habe ich mir ein paar Rezensionen durchgelesen und in beiden Fällen wird von manchen Personen bemängelt, dass die Biographien nicht kritisch genug sind.

Kennt ihr gute Bücher, die sich mit Jünger auseinandersetzen? Es muss auch keine Biograhpie sein. Oder vielleicht habt ihr eines der zwei genannten Bücher gelesen und empfandet dieses doch als ausreichend kritisch?

Danke sehr :)

The idea for a Franco-German fighter jet first emerged nine years ago. After lengthy disputes, it is now clear that Europe’s largest defense project will not come to fruition.

Berlin (dpa) - After years of preparation, the multi-billion-euro project to develop a joint German-French fighter jet has failed. According to German government sources, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have come to the joint conclusion that Dassault and Airbus are unable to reach an agreement on the construction of a joint fighter jet.

“They acknowledge this reality.” Merz therefore advised Macron not to pursue the construction of a joint fighter jet any further. However, the joint networking of various weapon systems, platforms, or sensors in a so-called “Combat Cloud” is to be continued. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is thus not completely off the table.

[Additional info from Tagesschau: According to government sources in Berlin, the two countries intend to continue jointly developing the overarching “system of systems” designed to integrate aircraft and drones. At the Franco-German Ministerial Council in mid-July, the two defense ministries are expected to present a work plan outlining several joint defense projects.]

Merkel and Macron gave the green light in 2017

Then-Chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron gave the green light for the prestigious project in July 2017. However, Airbus and Dassault’s visions of the fighter jet’s capabilities had recently diverged significantly.

Dassault had claimed an oversized share of the project as well as leadership. The German side, on the other hand, expressed the expectation that Dassault would “adhere to the existing agreements,” according to which the companies were to be equally involved. There had been repeated disputes over the division of responsibilities in the past as well.

Decision Postponed Several Times

The political decision on the project was postponed several times; now Macron and Merz have finally put a stop to it. Spain is also involved in the project through the manufacturer Indra.

For Germany and France, which like to portray themselves as the driving force of Europe, this is a bitter political setback. For years, Macron has been insisting on European sovereignty and joint defense projects. The fact that the most ambitious European defense project to date is now failing due to industrial policy disagreements with one of its closest partners does not align with the message of unity he would like to convey, and it is also a very personal failure for him as a co-initiator of the project.

Merz also cited differing requirements as a problem

FCAS stands for “Future Combat Air System” and, had it been implemented, would have been the largest and most expensive European defense project. The air combat system was intended to operate in conjunction with unarmed and armed drones and was therefore designed to be more than just a fighter jet. The plan was for it to replace the Eurofighter used by the German Armed Forces and the French Rafale starting in 2040. The total cost was estimated at more than 100 billion euros. Germany, France, and Spain, which was also involved, had been struggling for months to get the project off the ground.

Merz had recently cited as a core problem the fact that the French need a different fighter jet than the Bundeswehr. France requires a nuclear-capable and an aircraft carrier-capable aircraft in the next generation of fighter jets, which the Bundeswehr does not currently need. The German side ultimately proposed the option of implementing FCAS with two aircraft. France had rejected this.

Full article:

Germany’s Merz struggles to contain ‘chancellor swap’ talk

Younger, more popular conservative Hendrik Wüst emerges as dark horse for the chancellery as polls slide

Just over a year after taking office, Friedrich Merz faces what few German chancellors have encountered so early in their term: persistent talk of a younger and more popular party colleague replacing him.

Hendrik Wüst, the 50-year-old prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, shares many of Merz’s attributes: he is also tall, tie-wearing and steeped in the conservative heartlands of western Germany. But he has something the chancellor lacks: public appeal.

Wüst has not said he wants Merz’s job. But a statesmanlike visit to Poland accompanied by Berlin-based journalists last week, including a carefully choreographed stop at Auschwitz, was enough to prompt a flurry of commentary about a change at the top.

“Suddenly Hendrik Wüst is touted as the replacement chancellor,” the centre-left Stern magazine declared on Monday.

“Wüst against Merz: it seems inevitable,” followed a commentary in the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “Is a chancellor swap looming?” asked rightwing tabloid Bild on its front page on Wednesday.

“The question is: is Friedrich Merz still the right one?” an anchor of the country’s most viewed news show, the Tagesschau, wondered on Thursday.

The debate has grown prominent enough for senior figures in Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to intervene. People close to the chancellor have dismissed the discussion as “absurd” and “dangerous”. One government insider accused titles owned by media group Axel Springer, which include Bild, of waging a “campaign”.

“It’s a very improbable scenario,” another insider said. “But [Merz] is under pressure from his own ranks.”

The debate reflects growing anxiety within Merz’s CDU over shrinking support ahead of difficult regional elections in eastern Germany in September.

Support for the CDU has slipped to around 23 per cent, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has risen to 28 per cent despite Merz’s pledge to curb its advance. High energy prices driven by the war in Iran and deadlocked talks with his Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners over welfare reforms have deepened voter discontent, pollsters say.

Never a popular figure, Merz appears to be suffering most. With fewer than a fifth of Germans satisfied with his performance, he is now less popular than his SPD predecessor, Olaf Scholz, at a much later point in his term. Merz, 70, ranked last in a Bild popularity ranking published this week. Wüst, meanwhile, ranked third — the highest of any CDU politician.

For Jana Puglierin, head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Berlin office, the episode underscores that Germany is no more immune to political volatility than France or the UK.

Merz has projected strength abroad, after loosening debt restrictions to inject €1tn into Germany’s derelict infrastructure and military, and emerging as the biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine. He criticised the US-Israeli war on Iran as ill-prepared and humiliating, triggering a massive row with Donald Trump.

But at home, he lacks a strong power base. It took him three attempts to become party chair and two attempts to be elected chancellor in the Bundestag.

“Europe thought that Germany was more stable than France and the UK, with its fiscal space and its coalition,” Puglierin said. “But as it turns out, Germany’s domestic politics are more shaken than people think.”

Panic is creeping through the CDU, once a big-tent party able to attract a wide array of voters but now feeling directionless, she added.

After Angela Merkel’s centrist rule, Merz promised to take the party back to its conservative roots and lure voters away from the AfD. This has involved tightening immigration rules and relaxing green regulation. The CDU won last year’s elections with 28 per cent, less than he had hoped for, while the AfD won a record 21 per cent, becoming the second largest party in parliament.

As the CDU’s poll ratings have fallen, attention has turned to “alternative models” such as Wüst, whose successful coalition with the Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia offers a different template, Puglierin said.

Andreas Rödder, a historian and former senior CDU official, says that while there are “no current plans to overthrow Merz”, the concerns stem from a “great deal of dissatisfaction with him, which could turn into panic”.

CDU insiders, commentators and political analysts agree that replacing Merz midterm is highly unlikely.

The constitution allows for a change of chancellor without fresh elections through a so-called constructive vote of no confidence, under which a parliamentary majority agrees on a successor. Unlike in the UK, a German chancellor need not be an MP.

In 1966, CDU Chancellor Ludwig Erhard resigned after his liberal coalition partner left his government. His successor, Kurt Kiesinger, avoided new elections by forming a new coalition with the SPD. In 1982, SPD Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was replaced by CDU leader Helmut Kohl after the liberal partner switched sides.

A similar scenario would probably require Merz to step aside, Wüst to enter the race and the SPD to back him as chancellor.

“Wherever you look, this scenario makes no sense. It’s only possible if Merz wants it. All other scenarios are out of the question,” Roland Koch, the former CDU premier of Hesse and a Merz ally, told the FT.

These “theoretical discussions” arise because “the situation is so critical for the coalition, which has done some things right but is in trouble because of the economic situation”, he said.

The SPD is to blame, Koch said, for failing to embrace bold reforms. “I am astonished at how little the two coalition parties can agree on economically.”

Regional elections in the former eastern communist state of Saxony-Anhalt, where polls suggest the AfD is within reach of winning an absolute majority, are looming large over the debate.

“There are no popular reforms, but best to see them through before these elections rather than having to admit that nothing can be done,” Koch said.

Merz this week addressed the debate indirectly, telling voters in his constituency that he was “personally determined” to revive Europe’s largest economy, and promising a big package of measures before the summer. Earlier that day, Wüst told reporters Merz had “his full support”.

A government spokesman on Friday said the chancellor was “focused on the reform process”, adding: “All other matters are irrelevant.”

If the AfD becomes the first far-right party to win a state election in postwar Germany, pressure on Merz would intensify sharply, said Andrea Römmele, a political scientist at Berlin’s Hertie School.

Still, replacing him would require the support of the very man at the centre of the speculation.

“It says more something about the CDU — how insecure they are,” Römmele said.

Perfect Days is in my top four, and I recently watched Dazed and Confused and loved it. I enjoy that both movies have very little plot and are relatively chill. Do you guys have other recommendations? I also watched Paterson, which, I believe, also fits the bill, but I honestly did not enjoy that as much.

TRANSLATION:

Number of Naturalizations in Germany Hits Record High

More people than ever before received a German passport in 2025. A year earlier, legal barriers had been significantly lowered. As a result, dual citizenship has been permitted in principle ever since.

A new naturalization record is emerging in Germany: According to research by “Welt am Sonntag” (WamS), nearly 310,000 people received German passports last year. This would put the figure above the national record of just under 292,000 naturalizations in 2024.

According to the newspaper, the data comes from 14 federal states, with only Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt missing. There are no overall figures from Lower Saxony, Saarland, and Schleswig-Holstein, but the paper writes that almost all cities and districts in these states provided their naturalization data upon request. Some of these figures are still preliminary.

Ukrainians Seek German Passports

Several municipalities report that they are currently seeing a decline in the number of applications. However, they are already preparing for the next naturalization boom. According to estimates by several authorities, an increasing number of Ukrainians are expected to seek German passports in the coming year.

“Since the first major wave of refugees began with the start of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the first refugees will have completed the required five-year residency period in the spring of 2027,” a spokesperson for the northern German district of Aurich told the WamS.

In March 2027, the collective protection status granted to date will expire. “To achieve legal certainty, many refugees will likely then take advantage of the shortened five-year naturalization period, which has become even more attractive due to the new allowance of dual citizenship.”

“Sharp increase” expected

Compared to the refugees of 2015/2016, Ukrainians benefit “from significant structural advantages,” according to the spokesperson. Thanks to immediate access to the labor market, many could demonstrate the required ability to support themselves significantly faster. In addition, lengthy asylum procedures and identity checks are no longer necessary. A “renewed sharp rise in the number of applications” is therefore expected.

Other municipalities also anticipate rising application numbers, but emphasize that Ukrainians have no legal entitlement to naturalization based on their current protection status.

Five years of residence are sufficient

A reform of the nationality law took effect in mid-2024. Since then, anyone who becomes a German citizen has generally been allowed to retain their previous nationality. In addition, the general requirement has been reduced to five years of residence in Germany, down from eight. The current federal government is maintaining these changes.

The number of nearly 292,000 naturalizations in 2024 was a record since statistics began in 2000 and represented a 46 percent increase compared to the previous year. Of those naturalized, 28 percent were from Syria, followed by people from Turkey. According to figures from the WamS, the renewed increase in 2025 is significantly lower at six percent.

I haven't watched anime for a while and wanted to get back into it a little bit. I also don't mind older anime from the 80s, 90s, and 00s. I have found Maison Ikkoku, but I am not sure if that fits the bill exactly.

I am looking for books about loser men (or women) who are unemployed losers with few prospects who wallow in self-pity. Ideally, they are also lonely, with few if any friends and no romantic relationships.
Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.

Edit: I received way more responces that I thought. I just want to thank everyone who took the time to reply, thank you :)