German Of The Day: Schwaches Glied

August 11, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Economy, Energy, German, Germans, Germany, Inflation, Language, Recession, Supply and Demand, Supply Chain Leave a comment

That means weak link. I could also mean limp member, but let’s not go there.

Weak. You know. Like the German economy?

From Europe’s powerhouse to its weak link: Germany’s economy stutters – Economic model that depends on exports has been hit by a series of external shocks.

Germany is experiencing a squall of shocks that are darkening its economic outlook. Along with soaring inflation, persistent supply chain problems and weaker global demand are weighing heavily on its industrial sector.

“What’s most worrying is just how broad-based the weakness in the economy is,” said Clemens Fuest, head of the Ifo Institute, a think-tank. In previous downturns, services suffered but industry recovered, and vice versa. “But now we’re seeing weakness across the board.”

Germany Absolutely Desperate

August 10, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Dependency, Energy, Germans, Germany, Greens, Pipelines, Putin, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

The Germans are now even willing to accept sour crude (its sulfur content exceeds 0.5%) from US-Amerika ITSELF.

How impure or something.

A tanker of U.S. sour crude was delivered at Germany’s port of Rostock last week for the first time ever, according to sources, analysts and vessel tracking data, as local refiners test alternatives to Russian oil.

I Couldn’t Agree More

August 1, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hurt Feelings Tags: Football, Men, Millionaires, Pay, Soccer, Sports, Women Leave a comment

German men footballers should be paid the same as German women footballers.

And the pay cut should be financed by, well, them.

German chancellor to argue for equal pay for country’s footballers – German chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet the national FA director Oliver Bierhoff to argue for equal pay for the country’s female footballers, Scholz said at the women’s European Championship final on Sunday.

Germany were beaten 2-1 by England in the final at Wembley after Chloe Kelly scored an extra-time winner for the tournament hosts.

German Of The Day: Warmduscher

July 29, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Energy, German, Germany, Language, Oil, Pipelines, Putin, Renewables, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

Literally, that means somebody who takes warm showers. Not ice cold like real men do. A wimp, in other words.

Thank goodness Vladimir Putin is in the process of finally changing all of that now.

German cities impose cold showers and turn off lights amid Russian gas crisis – Hanover is first large city to impose energy-saving measures and Berlin switches off monument spotlights.

Cities in Germany are switching off spotlights on public monuments, turning off fountains, and imposing cold showers on municipal swimming pools and sports halls, as the country races to reduce its energy consumption in the face of a looming Russian gas crisis.

German Of The Day: Klassenbester

July 27, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Energy, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Nord Stream, Oil, Pipelines, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

That means the best in class, the best pupil.

That’s how Germans like to see themselves. Aber das war einmal: But that was once upon a time.

Eurozone crisis in reverse as southern states scold Germany over gas – Analysis: Southern European countries were unwilling to sign up to homogenous 15% cut in gas.

A decade after its government admonished southern European states to “do their homework” of painful fiscal changes to end a sovereign debt crisis, Germany is slowly adapting to the humbling reality of being worst-in-class when it comes to reliance on Russian gas.

German Of The Day: “Schwelle zur Rezession”

July 25, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: Economy, German, Germans, Germany, Industry, Language, Polls, Recession, Surveys 1 Comment

That means cusp of recession, as in being on it.

Germany on cusp of recession, says ifo, after business sentiment falls – German business morale fell more than expected in July as high energy prices and impending gas shortages push Europe’s largest economy to the cusp of recession, a survey showed on Monday.

The Ifo institute said its business climax index was 88.6, its lowest level in more than two years. June had also seen an unexpected drop to a downwardly revised reading of 92.2.

Germany Also Wants Unicorns, Candy Hearts And Free Beer For All

July 22, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germans, Germany, Greens, LNG, Nuclear, Oil, Pipelines, Renewables, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

Germany wants clean, reliable energy. But first, to survive winter…

Germany is largely dependent on Russian energy, with half its natural gas and a third of its oil coming from that country. There’s currently no other way to quickly secure Europe’s supply of energy for heating, transportation, and industry, says the German government. But they’re trying. Leaders have decided to build liquefied natural gas terminals, which opens up new energy supplies but also raises a bevy of questions about Germany’s energy security.

Nuclear energy has been phased out, and renewables such as wind aren’t yet ready to pick up the slack, so lawmakers have decided that LNG is the answer to Germany’s energy crisis. They’ve announced plans to build two domestic LNG terminals, which re-gasify the supercooled form of natural gas that arrives on ships. Leasing floating terminals and securing supply via terminals elsewhere in Europe is also in the works. Essentially, Germany is trying to buy whatever it can, from wherever it can.

German Of The Day: Knirschen

July 19, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Energy, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Oil, Pipelines, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

That means crunch.

And crunch here it soon will.

Implications of a German Energy Crunch (with added Supply-Chain Problems).

On Monday, utility Uniper SE, Germany’s biggest buyer of Russian gas, said it had received a letter from Russia’s state-owned Gazprom PJSC that claims force majeure—a legal declaration that exempts the company from fulfilling contractual obligations due to circumstances outside its control—to justify past and current shortfalls in gas deliveries.

What’s A Little White Lie Here And There?

July 18, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: Energy, Germans, Germany, Greens, Hypocrisy, Lies, Nuclear, Renewables, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

I meant Green lie, of course.

And over there. And over there too. Damn. Little Green lies all over the place. Actually, they’re not all that little either.

German Government Lied About Nuclear – Germany’s Economy and Climate Minister, a Green Party leader, lied about nuclear fuel rods.

The German government is moving forward with plans to close its last three nuclear plants this December despite Europe being gripped by the worst energy crisis in 50 years. Robert Habeck, Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, said there is no point in operating them because Germany lacks natural gas, not electricity.

“Nuclear power doesn’t help us there at all,” Habeck said on Tuesday. “We have a heating problem or an industry problem, but not an electricity problem — at least not generally throughout the country.”

Besides, Habeck said, only Russia could provide Germany with the uranium fuel rods required to keep the nuclear plants operating, and there was no way to make sure the plants would be able to operate safely.

But none of what Habeck said was true. Coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy all generate electricity. Less nuclear means using more of coal or natural gas, which is why the German Cabinet, led by Habeck, just approved burning more coal…

I Wood If I Could

July 14, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Energy, Gas, Germany, Nuclear, Oil, Pipelines, Renewables, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

There’s tons of trees in that park down the street. But I don’t have a fireplace.

Germans could switch to wood this winter to heat their homes as Russia withholds natural gas, Deutsche Bank says – German households could turn to wood as a heating source this winter as gas supplies remain tight while Russia restricts flows to Europe, Deutsche Bank wrote in a note Tuesday.

The bank said it expects gas consumption in Germany to be 10% below 2021 levels thanks to private households saving and high gas prices. It also noted that coal and lignite could emerge as replacements for natural gas in the industrial power sector.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Heconomy