German Of The Day: Weiblich

October 13, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Helplessness, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Feminists, German, Germany, Language Leave a comment

That means feminine. You know, like the German language?

Well, not quite yet.

Germany’s Interior Ministry has objected to draft legislation drawn up by the Justice Ministry that uses the feminine form for every reference to people. It argued on Monday that the result likely would be unconstitutional. In German, linguistic convention has long called for the masculine form of a word to be used as the default when referring to people of either sex, such as in legislation.

In der Bundespressekonferenz ergänzte ein Sprecher des Innenministeriums, die Formulierungen des Gesetzentwurfs hätten “bei formaler Betrachtung zur Folge, dass das Gesetz gegebenenfalls nur für Frauen oder Menschen weiblichen Geschlechts gilt und damit höchstwahrscheinlich verfassungswidrig wäre.”

Flatliners

October 12, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Face Masks, Hysteria, Masks, Mortality Rates, Panic, Regulations, Restrictions Leave a comment

Coronavirus mortality rates: Germans continue to keep not dropping like flies.

They forgot to add the panic level here though. It’s also still as flat as ever. At a much higher level, of course, but still.

Coronavirus digest: Germany mulls restrictions on traveling, partying – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s aide has called for restrictions on social gatherings and travel to deal with the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Germany has reported a surge in daily infections…

While the number of cases and deaths in Germany is lower than in many neighboring countries, the country has been reporting more than 4,000 daily cases since Thursday, the highest since April.

German Of The Day: Sperrstunde

October 11, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Berlin, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Curfews, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Pandemic Leave a comment

That means curfew.

The first one in Berlin in 70 years. It’s a good thing that Germany (and the German capital) has this corona thing under control, right?

Coronavirus: Berlin’s first curfew in 70 years kicks in – The German capital has implemented a nighttime curfew in response to a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. On the first night of the new regulations the mood was somber in the Friedrichshain district, a virus hot spot…

Leaving a Späti — the Berlin colloquialism for a kiosk — a group of friends is struggling to haul a crate of beer outside into the heavy drizzle, joking that they need to stockpile supplies — or, as Germans would say “hamster” — before the new curfew kicks in.

Katja L.

October 10, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hotness Tags: Katja Losch Leave a comment

Beautiful German of the week.

Because somebody has to admire them.

It’s Reassuring To Know That The Germans Always Have Everything Under Control

October 9, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Control, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Face Masks, German, Germans, Germany, Lockdowns, Masks, Pandemic, Restrictions, Risks, Thresholds Leave a comment

Especially when you live in Germany. Take the “coronavirus risk threshold,” for instance. Please.

Hmmm. No longer head of the mask class, Germany? 4,500 new infections yesterday, and rising. Do you have this under control? Does anyone?

Berlin and Frankfurt both hit German coronavirus risk threshold – Germany’s capital and financial capital have both hit the level defined by the government as risky — 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period. It could lead to travel restrictions at home and abroad.

“We must avoid reaching the point where we lose control.”

German Measles?

October 8, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Animals, Bats, China, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, German, German Measles, Germans, Germany, Racism, Wuhan Leave a comment

How racist is that? Next they’ll be calling it the Spanish Flu.

Or, heaven forbid, the China Virus (try googling that, you won’t find it).

Newly discovered viruses suggest ‘German measles’ jumped from animals to humans – The virus that causes rubella, or German measles, finally has company. Scientists had never identified close relatives of the virus, leaving it as the only member of its genus, Rubivirus. But with a report in this week’s issue of Nature, rubella has gained a family. One of its two newfound relatives infects bats in Uganda; the other killed animals from three different species in a German zoo and was found in wild mice living nearby as well.

“Now we know that every disease in the letters of the MMR vaccine has a zoonotic origin.”

German Of The Day: Laufbursche

October 7, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Alexej Nawalny, Gazprom, Gerhard Schroeder, German, Language, Russia, Social Democracy, SPD, Vladimir Putin Leave a comment

That means errand boy.

An example would be Russian Putin critic Alexej Nawalny saying of ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (SPD, head lobbyist for Gazprom AKA Gazprom Gerd): „Schroeder is an errand boy for Putin who protects murderers.”

“Schröder ist ein Laufbursche Putins, der Mörder beschützt.”

Great Pumpkin Finally Discovered

October 6, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Home Cooking, Humility, Humor Tags: German, Germans, Germany, Halloween, Linus, Monsters, Peanuts, Pumpkins, The Great Pumpkin Leave a comment

And neutralized. And then given an award.

Finally, some non-fake news we can dig our teeth into.

Monster pumpkin weighing almost 1,600 lbs wins annual prize in Germany – A man from Bavaria has won this year’s award for the heaviest pumpkin grown in Germany, with his winning entry weighing in at a whopping 1,588 pounds (720.5 kilos).

The Great Pumpkin is an unseen character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. According to Linus van Pelt, the Great Pumpkin is a supernatural figure who rises from the pumpkin patch on Halloween evening, and flies around bringing toys to sincere and believing children. Linus continues to have faith in the Great Pumpkin, despite his friends’ mockery and disbelief.

Number Of Germans Reporting In Sick Has Fallen To Dangerously Low Levels

October 5, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Health, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humor, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Employment, German, Germans, Germany, Home Office, Sick, Work Leave a comment

This is a real German dilemma. How do you gracefully call in sick to stay home when you’re already home playing sick in the first place? OK, to avoid being sick. But still.

Coronavirus: Fewer Germans call in sick during pandemic – With many avoiding the doctor’s office and working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, the number of German workers reporting in sick has fallen to below average levels.

“After a record high at the end of March, the number of sick employees insured by TK dropped to a below-average level.”

PS: And this at a time when other folks refuse to call in sick when maybe they ought of sort of should.

€3 Million Might Sound Like A Humble Beginning

October 4, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Fines, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Regulations, Rules Leave a comment

But the German state governments have only just begun collecting the money. It’s a sum that is certainly ausbaufähig (capable of being developed, i.e. increased).

Coronavirus: German cities issue 35,000 fines to rulebreakers – Germany’s biggest cities have collected more than €3 million in penalties from violators of coronavirus restrictions. Munich and Hamburg, which have been hit hardest by the pandemic, have doled out the most fines.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Author Archives: Hermann Observer