Wouldn’t A 3-Day Work Week Save Even More Jobs?

August 17, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Automobile Industry, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Employment, German, Germans, Germany, Jobs, Recession, Unions Leave a comment

Personally, I think it’s time to start talking about the 2-day work week. But that’s just me. I’m a visionary or something.

Germany’s biggest union calls for 4-day week to save thousands of jobs – Germany’s automotive and industrial sectors were already undergoing huge structural changes before the pandemic struck. The IG Metall union thinks a shorter working week could now help prevent mass layoffs.

In the upcoming union talks, Hoffman said IG Metall would call for a wage increase for workers, despite the recession.

The Russians Are Crazy To Release A COVID-19 Vaccine So Soon

August 14, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, German, Germans, Germany, Russia, Vaccines Leave a comment

The Germans say. This is a process that normally takes eight years or longer.

But Germany will have a vaccine “in the next months” and that’s OK. OK.

Germany ‘optimistic’ about having coronavirus vaccine soon – Germany’s health minister has said he is “optimistic” the country will have a vaccine “in the next months, and certainly in the next year.” However, he warned the number of new infections among young people was rising.

Spahn warned Russia had not carried out sufficient broad testing and said that there was relatively little data available on the vaccine.

Numbers, Numbers Everywhere

August 13, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hostility, Hustle (Hoax), Hype, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, EU, Europe, Fake News, Hysteria, Journalism, Media, Numbers, Pandemic, Panic, Statistics 1 Comment

And not a drop to drink. I mean think. Absolute numbers can be absolutely worthless. But who’s counting?

Read an interesting observation yesterday while going through an article by journalist Jürgen Kunze at the Swiss nzz.

Is the USA going to get the pandemic under control? Looking at absolute numbers can be spectacular but being that it was the expected number of deaths that got politicians to act we must concentrate on that: Per 100,000 inhabitants, the death rate list is led by Belgium with 86, followed by Great Britain with 70, then Peru 67, Spain 61, Italy 58, Sweden 56, Chile 54, USA 50, Brazil 48, France 46. Germany lands at place 36 with 11. Consequently, the USA is in the upper middle range. Shouldn’t one be asking why Belgium can’t get the pandemic under control!

Bekommen die USA die Seuche nicht in den Griff? Der Blick auf absolute Zahlen kann spektakulär sein, aber da ja die erwarteten Sterbefälle die Politik zum Handeln zwang, müssen wir auch dabei bleiben: Pro 100000 Einwohner führt die Todesratenliste (alles gerundet) Belgien mit 86 Toten an, gefolgt von Großbritannien mit 70, dann Peru 67, Spanien 61, Italien 58, Schweden 56, Chile 54, USA 50, Brasilien 48, Frankreich 46 und an 36. Stelle Deutschland mit 11 Verstorbenen. Somit befinden sich die USA noch im oberen Mittelfeld. Man müsste eigentlich fragen, warum Belgien die Seuche nicht richtig in den Griff bekommen hat!

But Isn’t Everybody In Sweden Dead By Now?

August 7, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Economy, Germany, Industry, Lockdown, Recovery, Stock Market, Sweden Leave a comment

How could their economy be in relatively good shape? They were BAD (compared to head of the class Germany) because they didn’t do that COVID-19 lockdown thing. I don’t understand.

The 18 members of the DAX 30 index of Germany’s biggest firms that have already reported swung from a healthy profit in the second quarter of 2019 to a loss almost as big this year. For many companies, including Volkswagen, a giant carmaker, and BASF, the world’s biggest chemicals concern, results were even worse than analysts had expected. The income of the 27 Swedish firms in Stockholm’s OMX 30 that have reported so far fell by 49%, bad but much better than the DAX. If you include adjusted earnings of two opaque investment vehicles in the OMX, income actually rose…

In public, CEOs of big German companies generally praised their government’s tougher policies. Privately, though, some shared the fears expressed openly by the BVMW, the association of Mittelstand firms that represents 3.5m businesses with up to 250 employees. In an open letter in May the BVMW called on the government to lift the lockdown “before it is too late” and criticised it for lacking an exit strategy.

Schools Reopen In Germany

August 4, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Education, German, Germans, Germany, Hysteria, Pandemic, Panic, Schools Leave a comment

“But the coronavirus is not gone.”

Politicians are agreed on the need to avoid large-scale closures. But the coronavirus is not gone.

Schools are considered lower-risk and many doctors favor a return to the normal schoolday. But the coronavirus is not gone.

In May and June, 2,600 students and teachers were tested as part of a pilot project and not a single acute infection was found. But the coronavirus is not gone.

Fewer than 20 of those tested had antibodies in their blood, which usually indicates an infection in the past. But the coronavirus is not gone.

Experts say a new lockdown would have negative psychological and physical repercussions for young people. But the coronavirus is not gone.

The German teacher’s union doesn’t want the schools to open, however. Because the coronavirus is not gone.

If You’re Against Covid-19 Restrictions In Germany…

August 3, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Berlin, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstrations, Fake News, Free speech, German, Germans, Germany, Masks, Media, Media Bias, Protests, Restrictions, Rights, Rules Leave a comment

You’re a neo-Nazi.

That’s pretty straightforward. It is also deceptive, unbalanced and an incorrect. Some would even go as far as to say it is fake news. But then they would be called neo-Nazis too.

Neben Corona-Leugnern und Impfgegnern waren auch viele Teilnehmer mit eindeutig rechtsgerichteten Fahnen oder T-Shirts in der Menge. – Along with Corona deniers and anti-vaxxers many participants in the crowd were waving what were clearly right-leaning flags or wearing related t-shirts.

Politik diskutiert über Einschränkung der Versammlungsfreiheit – Politicians are discussing the restriction on freedom of assembly.

German Of The Day: Ohne Mundschutz

August 2, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Health, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Berlin, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstrations, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Masks, Protests, Restrictions, Rules Leave a comment

That means without masks (“mouth protection”).

Uh-oh, the natives are getting restless. Pandemic Is Over! (If You Want It).

Thousands of maskless Germans protest COVID-19 rules in Berlin – Thousands protested Germany’s coronavirus restrictions Saturday in a Berlin demonstration marking what organizers called “the end of the pandemic” — a declaration that comes just as authorities are voicing increasing concerns about an uptick in new infections.

Ohne Mundschutz, ohne Abstand – Tausende demonstrieren gegen Corona-Maßnahmen.

German Of The Day: Tiefer Fall

July 31, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, History, Hurt Feelings Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Decline, Economy, EU, Europe, German, Germans, Germany, Growth, Language, Recession Leave a comment

That means a steep fall. Very steep in this case. Really, really, really steep already.

You would have to back in history some ninety years to find a comparable peacetime decline in German economic activity.

But why would anybody want to do that?

Germany’s Economic Slump Shows Scale of Europe’s Challenge – The 10.1% drop in output in the region’s largest economy is a harbinger of worse figures elsewhere. Spain, France and Italy will probably report even deeper contractions on Friday, reflecting a recession that prompted an unprecedented policy response from governments.

Man wird in der Geschichte bis zur Weltwirtschaftskrise vor rund neunzig Jahren zurückgehen müssen, um in Friedenszeiten einen vergleichbaren Sturz der wirtschaftlichen Tätigkeit in Deutschland zu entdecken.

German Of The Day: Sperrzone

July 21, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hostility, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Angela Merkel, Asylum Seekers, Corona, Corona Parties, COVID-19, Frankfurt, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Migrants, Parties, Police, Refugees, Riots, Violence Leave a comment

That means restricted area.

For law abiding citizens. The rioters will still go wherever they want to go and do whatever they want to do anyway.

Police and security officials in Frankfurt, Germany, announced Monday they have banned late gatherings in that city’s opera square after a party there turned violent over the weekend, resulting in 39 arrests.

German of the Day 2: Migrationshintergrund. That means having a migrant background. As in, “the suspects are between 17 and 23 years of age and predominantly with migrant background.”

Die Tatverdächtigen seien zwischen 17 und 23 Jahre alt und überwiegend mit Migrationshintergrund.

Cows Step On Somebody In Germany

July 19, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Humor, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Cows, Fake News, German, Germans, Germany, Hikers, Journalism, Media, News, Sommerloch, The Silly Season Leave a comment

Finally, some good news! A “cow-trampling drama” has taken place.

If Sommerloch items like this are finally getting reported again then the Corona Panic must be just about over with and we are rapidly returning to normalcy.

Germany: Cow-trampling drama leaves hiker severely injured – A 67-year-old German man has received serious injuries after he was trampled by cows while hiking in Saarland. Police say he was out hiking with his dog when he was knocked to the ground by a herd of cattle.

A warning sign has been placed there, pointing out the dangers of cows and urging hikers to avoid the pasture if there are animals on it.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Tag Archives: COVID-19