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.

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 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.”

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.

On October 31, 2020, BER Will Open

October 1, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humility, Hurt Feelings Tags: Airports, BER, Berlin, Corruption, German, Germans, Germany, Government Waste, Projects, Social Democracy, SPD, Waste Leave a comment

But don’t tell anyone, OK? It’s too embarrassing.

Berlin’s new international airport can open next month after an embarrassing nine-year delay despite the coronavirus pandemic taking a big bite out of air travel, its chief manager said Tuesday…

BER was set to open in 2011 but the date was repeatedly pushed back over a series of issues, including fire safety and corruption.

In the meantime, the cost of the facility exploded to 6.5 billon euros ($7.6 billion) from a 1.7-billion-euro budget initially.

“There won’t be a big party, just an opening.”

Navalny Survives Merkel Visit Too

September 28, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: Alexei Navalny, Angela Merkel, Berlin, German, Germans, Germany, Poison, Vladimir Putin Leave a comment

This guy is one tough cookie.

German Chancellor Merkel visited Kremlin critic Navalny in hospital – Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny while he was undergoing treatment for poisoning in a Berlin hospital, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday.

Seibert confirmed Navalny’s own report that the “personal visit” took place, but declined to provide further details.

It’s “personal,” see? Why is everybody out to get this guy?

Germany Extends Coronavirus Red Zone List To Include Every Place That Isn’t Germany

September 27, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Lockdowns, Red Zones, Restrictions, Travel 1 Comment

In another breathtaking German Alleingang that Germany promised never, ever to do again under any circumstances we promise this time really, Germany has now declared the rest of Planet Earth a Coronavirus Red Zone.

For those unfamiliar with what that means, a Coronavirus Red Zone is a place the German Foreign Ministry recommends Germans not to visit. You can if you want to but you shouldn’t, as a German. That you are exposed to more Coronavirus in the Berlin subway system than you will find in most of Spain, for example, makes no difference. A recommendation is a recommendation and red zones are red zones.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry has warned against non-essential travel to the new red zones, where new COVID-19 infections have exceeded 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. Anyone travelling back from such areas will need to undergo a test and go into quarantine pending the results.

In recent weeks, the German authorities have repeatedly warned of a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. About 15 European Union countries are now on Bonn’s restricted-travel list. In some cases, such as Spain, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, the entire country is coded red, while in others, only some zones are listed.

“Fascist” Just Doesn’t Work Anymore

September 25, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, High Art, Hostility, Humor, Hurt Feelings, Hype, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Antifas, Conspiracies, Cults, Der Spiegel, Fake News, German, Germans, Germany, Hysteria, Leftists, Liberals, Media, Paranoia, QAnon, The Left Leave a comment

I know. Why don’t we give “QAnon” a try?

It is, after all, “the most dangerous cult of our times.”

Traditionally weak in the argument department, those of the leftist fringe normally call those who don’t agree with them “racists,” “Nazis,” “bigots” or “Fascists,” to name a few, but now their marketing department has discovered that these insults just don’t have the customer appeal they once enjoyed. This is they have now introduced a new product: “QAnon.” Guaranteed to to bludgeon thought criminals into line every time. At least until the next product comes along.

QAnon’s Inexorable Spread Beyond the U.S. – The bizarre, pro-Trump cult known as QAnon has been gaining followers in the United States for months. Now, the conspiracy theory has begun spreading to Germany. It’s followers believe that the coronavirus is a weapon of the elite in their quest to enslave the world.

Germans Still Dropping Like Flies

September 24, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hustle (Hoax), Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Deaths, German, Germans, Germany, Government Waste, Hysteria, Lockdowns, Mass Hysteria, Pandemic, Panic Leave a comment

At a staggering rate of roughly two (2) deaths per day, Germans are desperately searching for new ways to decrease the Corona death toll.

Their COVID-tracing app not being accepted by the public as they were told to accept it, COVID-prepared hospitals pracically empty, German children attending school regularly again without any Corona irregularities and quadrillions of zillions of stimulus euros planned to be burned both this year and the next, the German public is concerned the government just isn’t doing enough.

There always is the Querkopf (oddball) or two, of course. For example, the chief executive of German health-care group Fresenius has warned that the country may have been overly focused on the pandemic, ignoring other areas of business and society that have suffered.

“Even though a lot has been done in the right way, my criticism is that we have focused too exclusively on the coronavirus and we have ignored all the collateral damage that has been going on and continues to go on.”

Always Look On The Bright Side Of The Worst Recession In Post-War History

September 23, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Horror, Hurt Feelings, Hype, Hypochondria, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Economy, German, Germans, Germany, Government Waste, Polls, Recession, Stimulus, Stimulus plan, Surveys Leave a comment

A $256.15 quadrillion zillion stimulus package of their own money taken from them by their government and given back to them as a gift (to be paid back to the government by their grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on should they ever have any) has lifted German spirits.

Sort of. But just keep smiling through the Coronavirus stimulus party anyway, Germany.

German consumer morale improved less than expected heading into October, a survey showed on Wednesday, putting a damper on hopes that household spending in Europe’s largest economy will be strong enough to drive a quick recovery from the COVID-19 shock.

The GfK institute said its consumer sentiment index, based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, edged up to -1.6 heading into October from an upwardly revised -1.7 in the previous month.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Helplessness