German Of The Day: Ärmer

April 1, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Inflation, Language, Oil, Pipelines, Putin, Ukraine Leave a comment

That means poorer.

As in “we will become poorer as a result.”

Germany “will be poorer” because of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the government’s economy minister has warned, as soaring energy prices fuel record inflation and threaten to tip Europe’s biggest economy into a recession.

“It is not possible that this ends without costs for German society, it is unthinkable,” Robert Habeck told public broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday. “I believe that we are ready to pay this price which is small enough compared to the sufferings in Ukraine.”

Is This The Beginning Of The End?

March 29, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: EU, G7, Gas, Germany, Oil, Pipelines, Putin, Roubles, Rubles, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

Or the end of the beginning? Or just the start of the next big ugly mess – once Putin turns the gas off.

Germany: G7 rejects Russia’s demand to pay for gas in rubles – The Group of Seven major economies have agreed to reject Moscow’s demand to pay for Russian natural gas exports in rubles.

“Payment in ruble is not acceptable, and we will urge the companies affected not to follow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s demand.”

German Of The Day: MEGA-Blackout

March 25, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Dependency, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Oil, Pipelines, Putin, Rouble Leave a comment

That means mega-blackout.

IF PUTIN TURNS OFF OUR GAS TAP – Government warns companies of MEGA-Blackout!

And here’s some more German of the day: Lass den Rubel rollen! That means let the rouble roll, as in spend, get that cash rolling!

Castes A Shadow Over Her Party?

March 24, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Angela Merkel, Dependency, German, Germans, Germany, Legacies, Pipelines, Putin, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

But not over her? How convenient. Even that saluting soldier down there can see that something ain’t kosher with her.

Talk about Teflon. But even the Germans will scratch it all off eventually, Mutti. Get those memoires out ASAP!

Merkel’s Legacy on Russia Casts a Shadow over Her Party – Angela Merkel had been fully aware of just how brutal Vladimir Putin could be. She even admitted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline had been a “devil’s project.” But why didn’t she do anything to change Germany’s energy dependence on Russia – and why is her party so quiet about it now?

Grab a pencil and a piece of paper and I’ll explain to you: She systematically bumped off anybody in her party who dared to have an opinion other than hers. See Friedrich Merz, the guy who came back in from the cold to run the party now. They’ll get around to dismantling her eventually, once they’re in power again.

PS: Personally, I think she was a Russian mole. But maybe that’s just me.

Yacht To Have Docked It Someplace Else

March 3, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Humor, Hurt Feelings Tags: EU, Germany, Hamburg, Oligarchs, Puns, Putin, Russia, Sanctions, Ukraine, Yachts Leave a comment

That oligarch was really cruising for a bruising. Take a bow, Germany. Looks like there will be a sail on megayachts in Hamburg soon…

European authorities seize oligarch’s megayacht in German port – Authorities in Germany have seized Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s 500-foot megayacht, the Dilbar, as part of the package of sanctions against the Kremlin and its supporters, Forbes magazine reported.

The ship was taken by authorities in the north German port of Hamburg on Wednesday. The megayacht is estimated to be worth $600 million.

Good Times

February 28, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Defense, German, Germans, Germany, NATO, Putin, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

The old days. When Germany could elegantly or less elegantly wiggle out of paying for its own defense (spending 2% GDP for defense like it had promised to pay many, many years ago).

Suddenly, inexplicably, now it’s possible after all. Mysterious, don’t you think? We need to find some experts to explain to us just how this change of heart was made possible.

Putin Accidentally Started a Revolution in Germany – The invasion of Ukraine is triggering a dramatic reversal of Berlin’s grand strategy.

In seven days, Germany has axed its biggest Russian energy project, imposed sanctions that will cause significant pain at home, and instituted a course that will make Germany the largest European defense spender, with the most advanced aircraft and a growing forward presence in Central and Eastern Europe. One can wonder whether Germany’s dedicated detractors in Washington will notice. How did it happen so quickly, when German officials had so tenaciously defended their status quo policies for so long?

Tough As Nails

February 25, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: EU, Germany, Putin, Russia, Sanctions, SWIFT, Ukraine, War Leave a comment

Or as Jell-O, at least. Here’s the latest “Money Makes The World Go Around” going around in Germany (some still refer to it as “the EU”).

Cutting off Russia from the SWIFT global interbank payment system should not be part of the second EU sanctions package against Russia that EU leaders will decide upon at a meeting on Thursday in Brussels, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

He’s right, of course. Doing that would be one of the only things that would actually hurt Putin & Co. and that would be counterproductive.

Die Swift-Keule kommt nicht zum Einsatz.

This Will Show Them Russkies

February 24, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Humor Tags: Berlin, Colors, Demonstrations, Paris, Protests, Putin, Russia, Ukraine, War Leave a comment

And if lighting up stuff in the national colors of Ukraine doesn’t help, we may have to consider building a Menschenkette (a chain of people holding hands). As a last resort, we MIGHT even ask them to sing We Shall Overcome. So, like watch it, Putin. Give peace a chance, or something.

Berlin and Paris illuminate buildings in Ukrainian colours in show of unity – The German capital lit up the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most famous landmark in blue and yellow, the national colours of Ukraine, on Wednesday evening in a show of unity with Kyiv as the crisis with Russia deepens.

This Is CNN?

February 1, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: Blackmail, Dependency, Energy, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Media, North Stream 2, Pipelines, Putin, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

How refreshing or something. What others (conservative voices) have been warning about for years and years has finally gone “mainstream” – as in North Stream 2.

Why Germany is so vulnerable to Russian blackmail – Roughly half of Germany’s natural gas imports come from Russia. That reliance will become increasingly important in coming years as Germany embarks on a simultaneous phaseout from coal and nuclear energy. Russia is also an important destination for German exports. And for historical reasons, German leaders have long desired close relations with Russia.

Slowly but surely, Germany has maneuvered itself into a position of vulnerability vis-à-vis the Kremlin.

German Of The Day: Auftragsmord

June 18, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings Tags: Berlin, Contract Killings, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Putin, Russia Leave a comment

That means a contract killing.

Germany Says Russian Officials Ordered Berlin Park Killing – Germany’s top prosecutor said Russian officials ordered the killing of a political opponent in a Berlin city park last summer, escalating tensions between the two countries.

“State entities within the central government of the Russian Federation gave the order to the accused to liquidate.”

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

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