More Bad News

May 18, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstration, Economy, German, Germans, Germany, Lockdown, Protest, Recovery, Restrictions, Shutdown Leave a comment

For the perennial doom-and-gloom folks in charge of what we are supposed to think – at least here in Germany.

As if the popular uprising against the Coronavirus shutdown here wasn’t enough.

Bundesbank sees early signs of recovery in German economy – Central bank expects easing of lockdown to boost activity in Europe’s largest economy

“There is currently much to suggest that overall economic developments will move up again in the course of the second quarter as a result of the easing measures and a recovery is under way.”

Lockdown Or Lockup?

May 17, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habeas Corpus, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hostility, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hysteria Tags: Constitution, Constitutional Rights, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstrations, Demonstrators, German, Germans, Germany, Lockdown, Police, Protestors, Protests, Restrictions, Rights, Shutdown Leave a comment

Take your pick, citizens.

You either shutdown voluntarily or we shut you down permanently.

Germans are people who wait until the light turns green before crossing the street. Even if nobody else is around. They are top of the class when it comes to following rules and regulations. They are very law-abiding people, in other words. But the Coronavirus – or the arbitrary and disproportionatly restrictive government actions being taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic here in Germany – seems to have had a negative effect upon their normal behavioral patterns and they are now taking to the streets in protest. North, south, east and west. They are, in other words, mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore.

Proteste in vielen deutschen Städten – Tränengas und Festnahmen bei Corona-Demo in Hamburg.

German Nuclear Power Plant Explodes

May 14, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypochondria, Hysteria Tags: Blasts, Corona, Coronavirus, Demolitions, Energy, Explosions, German, Germans, Germany, Nuclear power, Philippsburg, Secrets 2 Comments

Just kidding. Hardy, har, har. Everybody knows Germans don’t have nuclear power plants anymore. Well, not many. One less now for sure.

Former German nuke plant towers demolished in morning blasts – The two cooling towers of a former nuclear power plant in southwestern Germany have been demolished in a pair of early-morning explosions whose timing was kept under wraps to prevent crowds from gathering during the coronavirus pandemic

What, Me Worry?

May 11, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habeas Corpus, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Anti-Lockdown, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstrations, Demonstrators, Fake News, German, Germans, Germany, Hysteria, Lockdown, Media, Protestors, Protests, Quarantine, Restrictions Leave a comment

Nothing can happen to me. I’m a German politician. Right?

But me and my fellow German politicians will play it safe and start labelling normal, law-abiding, protesting citizens “extremists,” “anti-democratic radicals,” “far-right nut jobs” and “conspiracy theorists” like we always do at times like this. Just in case.

Germany: Politicians worry about radicalization at anti-lockdown protests – German lawmakers from across the political spectrum on Monday warned that the growing wave of anti-lockdown protests could provide fertile ground for radicalization, including from the far-right. Over the weekend, thousands of people gathered in cities across Germany to demand an end to restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We will not let extremists misuse the coronavirus crisis as a platform for their anti-democratic propaganda.”

Dis Is Our Disinformation

April 27, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Humility, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy Tags: Blame, Bureaucrats, China, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disinformation, EU, European Union, Kowtow, Political Pressure, Pressure, Reports, Technocrats, Threats Leave a comment

Not China’s.

“The Chinese are already threatening with reactions if the report comes out.”

Well, we certainly don’t want that in ze Europe.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief is facing questions over allegations that a report about Chinese disinformation over Covid-19 was watered down in response to pressure from Beijing…

The report was published on the EU’s monitoring website EU vs Disinfo on Friday. A survey of disinformation and misinformation about Covid-19 around the world, the report largely summarises and analyses publicly available information. It notes a “continued and coordinated push by some actors, including Chinese sources, to deflect any blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and highlighting bilateral assistance”, as well as “significant evidence of covert Chinese operations on social media.”

EU findet Propaganda aus Peking – China will Herkunft des Coronavirus verschleiern.

The End Of Amerika Again

April 13, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hate, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: America, Anti-Americanism, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Der Spiegel, Donald Trump, Fakes News, German, Germans, Germany, Hype, Hysteria, Journalism, Media, Media Bias, Pandemic, Psychology, USA 1 Comment

And again and again and again.

In this episode we die of coronavirus. Stay tuned for the next one.

How Trump Is Fueling a Corona Disaster – Donald Trump’s disastrous crisis management has made the United States the new epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic. The country is facing an unprecedented economic crash. Are we witnessing the implosion of a superpower?

“German schadenfreude knows no bounds, particularly when it comes to the United States. The country loves to feel superior to a superpower like America. The reasons are psychological. The criticism of America has always been a bit infantile. One is familiar with the theory from psychoanalysis, when people talk about transference, or when suppressed feelings or emotions are overcome by projecting them onto others. It may work for a while, improving one’s feeling of self-worth by devaluing an imagined adversary. But it always falls short. Which is why the ritual must be constantly carried out anew.”
– Jan Fleischhauer (a German journalist who used to work for Der Spiegel itself)

PS: The quality of Spiegel journalism should never be placed in doubt.

German Of The Day: Denunziant

April 3, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hostility, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Lockdown, Police, Quarantine, Regulations, Rules 1 Comment

The means informer. Or snitch.

Snitching. It’s just what Germans do.

Law-abiding Germans are zealously helping police crack down on people flouting new social distancing rules aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus by reporting on strangers, neighbours and friends.

In a country where denunciation was commonplace under the Communists in East Germany and Hitler’s Nazis, police forces across the country are getting tip-offs on anything from “corona parties” to people driving to weekend cottages.

Das böse D-Wort – Der Begriff “Denunziant” erlebt in Zeiten von Covid-19 eine Wiedergeburt. Ist Deutschland durchsetzt von meldewütigen Hobbypolizisten?

One Hand Sanitizer On The Rocks, Please

March 25, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hypochondria, Hysteria Tags: Alcohol, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disinfectants, Distilleries, German, Germans, Germany, Sanitizers Leave a comment

A German distillery is giving away pure alcohol it normally uses to make liquor to hospitals and clinics desperate for disinfectants now in short supply due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Germans have been stockpiling disinfectants as well as soap, toilet paper and pasta since early March in anticipation of stricter movement restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, ignoring politicians’ reassurances that supplies are secure…

“This should last until the middle of the week and after that we will run out of stock.”

Can It Get Any More Evil Than This?

February 25, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Humor, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Anti-Greta, Climate Change, Fridays for Future, Greta, Greta Thunberg, Heritage Foundation, Humor, Hype, Hysteria, Media, Naomi Seibt, Spin Leave a comment

Or sacrilegious? Or blasphemous even?

Somebody called Naomi Seibt is desecrating Greta’s media image. She’s being hyped as the “Anti-Greta” and is, well, you know, trying to hijack Greta’s hype. Out-freakin’-rageous if you ask me. Is nothing sacred anymore? She’s German, you know. That pretty much explains it all. If you get what I’m saying.

I’m sure Greta is a nice girl and I would love to have a conversation with her. I just believe that there is a giant network of people behind her who are out to make a profit. I don’t want to be the marionette of the opposing side, I’m not Naomi at the head of the right-wingers. I just question all the propaganda and the hysteria and reach my own conclusions.

Greta ist bestimmt ein nettes Mädchen und ich würde mich gerne mit ihr persönlich unterhalten. Ich glaube einfach, dass hinter ihr ein grosses Netzwerk steht aus Menschen, die durch sie profitieren wollen. Ich möchte nicht die Marionette der gegnerischen Seite sein, ich bin nicht die Naomi an der Spitze der Rechten. Ich hinterfrage die ganze Propaganda und Hysterie und ziehe meine eigenen Schlüsse.

German Of The Day: Rodungsstopp

February 18, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humor, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Brandenburg, Employment, Environmentalists, German, Germans, Germany, Gigafactory, Greens, Jobs, Language, Tesla, The Green Shirts, Trees 2 Comments

That means to stop the clearing. Of trees, in this case.

That this particular Rodungsstopp could also stop the construction of Tesla’s planned Gigafactory in Brandenburg – and what could turn out to be the livelihood of 12,000 people – doesn’t seem to interest the greener than green politicians who have sought it.

Tesla has been ordered to temporarily halt preparations for a car factory in Germany after environmentalists won a court injunction on Sunday…

Protesters say the factory is a threat to local wildlife and water supplies…

According to local media reports, Tesla has promised to relocate colonies of forest ants, reptiles and bats, and is working with conservationists. Last month, authorities defused seven Second World War bombs discovered at the site.

Tesla currently has two Gigafactories in the US and one in Shanghai, China.

Der Rodungsstopp an der geplanten Tesla-Fabrik in Brandenburg alarmiert die Wirtschaft: Mehrere Verbände warnen vor Konsequenzen für den gesamten Standort Deutschland.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Hypochondria