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The transformation of Essen from coal, oil and gas to green energy.

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What is it like in intensive care (ICU) in hospitals in Berlin, Essen, and other parts of Germany. In this report in Der Spiegel doctors in ICU's talk about their daily experiences treating coronavirus patients.

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Ms. Esken the new leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) party in Germany says SPD will withdraw from the coalition government of chancellor Merkel as its demands for more spending on education and transport were not met. Ms. Esken says the coalition "is crap for democracy." Both the partners in this coalition the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, parties that ruled in the post war years, have seen their support drop to the low twenties and thirties percent in recent elections with votes shifting to the Greens and the far right the AfD, and other parties. The disenchantment among voters with Merkel's immigration policies grows and the SPD is seen as failing to stand up for workers rights against decade long austerity policies of Merkel. Labour party in Britain faced a similar situation as it lost its focus on workers and ordinary people and is only now shifting its stand under Corbyn to workers rights and spending for education, infrastructure and health. ...

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Sabine Kinkartz of the DW.com looks at the way in which Olaf Scholz achieved what was seen as impossible through patience, grit, and hard work in the face of adversity. SPD was seeing poll numbers of as low as 15% in the spring of 2021, just months before the election. Scholz believed in his party's ideas for the renewal of Germany, remained undeterred even after losing an election to lead the SPD to Esken and Walter-Borjans in 2019, when Esken and Walter-Borjans reinforced the idea that the SPD should stand for workers and families, what it always stood for. Scholz was put forward as candidate by Esken and Walter-Borjans in 2021 with conviction. By Spring 2021 it was clear that Scholz had achieved the impossible, getting the conservative Merkel and the CDU, with instincts against borrowing in all situations, to agree to a huge aid package for Germany to fight the pandemic, and a huge aid package for the European Union to fight the pandemic.  That Scholz remained undeterred in his campaign by low poll numbers and went on campaigning on the basis of convictions about what is right for Germans and Germany, comes from deeper convictions from his days growing up in the Hamburg youth wing of Social Democrats in the years following SPD's Wily Brandt and the post war recovery. Germany's most remembered leader after Adenauer, Willy Brandt was leader of the SPD Social Democrats from 1964 to 1987, and chancellor 1969-74. Both Adenauer and Brandt are respected some 50 years later in the world and in Germany. That Germany is going back to this tradition of leadership after the period of the Merkel years when Germany was held back, brings new hope to Europe and the world. In allying with the Greens under a younger generation leaders Scholz saw the promise of an opportunity to tackle problems of climate change and investment in infrastructure together. Both parties see borrowing as essential to invest big in the future. Scholz message to Germans, Europeans and the world is - "Big jobs, but our country is capable of doing them." A message sent out from the US by president Biden, and from Asia by the Indian prime minister. ...

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Le Monde looks at falling living standards across the UK. It looks at Essex and Brentwood and other towns outside the metro region of London. The 2009 financial crisis caused by banks was followed in four blows of Cameron's decade of austerity and of not investing in Britain, the upheavals of Brexit, the once in a century pandemic, and now inflation, causing a depressing sight of all lower and middle social classes struggling to make a living. 

Since 2007 real wages in UK have fallen by 3.5%. Between 1970 and 2008 wages grew by 33% every 10 years.

The poorest 10% in Britain have 22% lower purchasing power than the poorest 10% in France, says Torsten Bell of Resolution Foundation, author of report "Stagnation Nation."

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The situation in Argentina in April 2021. Economic growth of 7% is expected with higher prices for soyabean exports. The financial crisis with extravagant borrowing by the Macri government led to negotiations for help from the IMF. The IMF under its new head, Georgina Kristalina Georgieva, is working with governments around the world to lessen the burden of loan payments.

This report shows that the pandemic has hit working families in Buenos Aires suburbs very hard. The Peronist administration of Mr. Alberto Fernandez is making efforts to help working class families during the pandemic.

Argentina is too dependent on agricultural exports. Diversification of the economy would add stability and protect Argentina with less fluctuation in financial reserves.

 

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China is still interested in a trade deal with the U.S. even after Mr. Trump signed a bill passed by Congress that it criticized as interference in its internal affairs. Mr. Trump's signing statement gave China an opening to continue its persistent effort to seek a trade deal that would lessen the effect of tariffs on its economy. It mentioned "constitutional authorities with respect to foreign relations," and stated Mr. Trump had signed the bill "out of respect for Mr. Xi, China and Hong Kong." This has credibility because Mr. Trump has consistently supported an effort to bring a peaceful end to protests and any efforts to that end that Mr. Xi has and would continue to make. Both sides see the role of the biggest economies in the trading system as too significant to be affected by different views on Hong Kong, as long as mutual respect is sustained.  

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Recent polls suggest that 4 out of 5 Germans say they are not benefitting from the rebound. Germany has experienced growth with the recovery in export markets in Asia, but the benefits are not being seen at home. Experts at the OECD, and at Duisburg-Essen University's employment institute, say that there has been a downside to the unemployment rate having reached 7.6%; much of this gain has been achieved by expanding the low wage sector. Something like this has not happened in other European countries. The OECD employment outlook report 2010, reveals that 21.5% of Germans were employed in the low-wage sector in 2008, compared to 16% in 1998. The Duisburg-Essen University estimate is that 2.3 million workers were added in this sector from 1998 to 2008, with a total of 6.55 million workers in this sector in 2008. What is happening according to experts is that the Hartz IV labor-market reform is subsidizing the low wages paid by the private sector. And the German government has spent $50 billion in subsidies for people in this sector since 2005. The concern relates to consumer spending which is tight in Germany, even as exports have done well in the recovery from 2008. Average net income has actually fallen since 2004 in Germany, reaching 15,815 euros in 2009 from the figure of 16,471 euros in 2004. Germay has no minimum wage across all sectors. To have a minimum wage comparable to other European countries, hourly pay would have to be between 5.93 euros and 9.18 euros. The DGB group of unions have called for a 8.50 euro minimum wage. ...

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This editorial says the approach of France's Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel to the Greece debt situation is not working and the crisis will only get worse. Sarkozy and Merkel are protecting French and German banks as Greece takes on additional austerity measures which will not lessen the chances of default.

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A dozen Conservative lawmakers including Nicky Morgan support a new customs union with the European Union. The bipartisan motion had the support  of the majority in Britain's parliament. Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan stated in parliament that "this country is being asked to experiment at other people's pleasure with a free trade policy where we do not know what the costs will be for constituents and businesses in this country." This reflects changing sentiment in Britain about the costs of Brexit supported by a part of the Conservative Party that includes Liam Fox and Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary.  There is a sense that Britain's economy will be hurt by Brexit and Britain leaving the European Union without any way to lessen the consequences of the break in trading relations.

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BBC Transport correspondent Tom Edwards gives this report on the Elizabeth Line, the Crossrail project that connects London from east to west. He has seen the infrastructure project project from its inception in 2005, past the planned opening date of 2018, till today, through all the ups and downs for a project of this size and complexity. It is the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Most of the tunneling was actually done on time says Edwards, but signaling from stations, and software ran into problems along the way. There were some deaths inside the tunnels and some outside over ground with vehicle accidents. Edwards provides glimpses into the most advanced infrastructure project attempted in Britain for decades. Queen Elizabeth opened the Elizabeth Line at Paddington Station. Station ambient characteristics are also covered in the BBC in a separate article, each station having unique design from Berkshire to Essex. BBC videos and pictures show the evolution of the line, with new management team brought in after delays. At the end of May the new Elizabeth Line will be open to the public. It has been quite a journey says Edwards, with public skepticism over delays, and the pandemic's financial problems. It is surreal now says Edwards, to see trains whizzing through tunnels every 5 minutes. ...

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Roger Cohen in the NYT says Macron has missed the public mood in France, the cost of living crisis and the social and economic problems left by the pandemic. FR24 says about two thirds of the French people think this is the wrong time to tackle the pensions issue. The change in the pensions is not an immediate solution as it will be phased in over a period of time stretching to 2030. Many solutions could have been put in place to tackle age discrimination and other problems to make it possible to work productively for longer. Macron needed to address these problems and come up with ways to lessen the burden of the cost of living crisis first before tackling longer term issues. This is a major misstep by Macron, and comes from his lack of experience as one of the youngest persons to become president of France at the age of 39. He was reelected but only with the help of voters who had supported  a socialist candidate Mr. Melenchon. Macron said after that election that he would listen carefully to the voting public that had elected him, even with reservations after the yellow vest protests about his lack of sensitivity for people struggling to make a living. ...

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With a 6% decline in sales in Europe expected for 2012, the problems at GM's Opel operations are expected to worsen. GM's sales in Europe declined by 2% in 2011. Critics say GM has not give enough attention to Opel's operations. Giving it only an afterthought after being overwhelmed by problems in the U.S. operations, and mostly using the design expertise of its engineering center in Russelheim, near Frankfurt. The Buick Regal is based on the Opel Insignia and the work of Opel engineers. Ferdinand Duddenhoffer, professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, says GM has neglected Opel and is not making good use of the manufacturing capacity at Opel. The problem, he says is production management and being able to shift quickly to different models based on demand, and using Opel as part of a global factory network. The repeated restructurings at Opel for 15 years have left this problem unresolved. In his view GM is still in the Middle Ages in this respect.

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The rulings in Britain for "duty of care" protect a customer or worker from harm. The rule "to love your neighbor becomes in law "you must not injure your neighbor." This is the new idea that the British government is moving forward so that the internet as public space is protected for all who use it. It does not state how many fire extinguishers are to be installed in a public building. Britain's Health and Safety Act simply requires the owners to do all that is needed to protect the users and occupants from harm. Since 1945 this is the foundation for heath and safety laws in the U.S. and in the UK.  This is the principle that 2 researchers Mr. Perrin and Ms. Woods have come up to tackle the protection of the internet as public a space. Perrin is a civil servant and founder of Ofcom, the UK's version of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission regulator. Woods is a professor of internet law at Essex University. It is now part of the legislation proposed by Boris Johnson's government in The Queen's Speech outlining government priorities. A new regulator would have the power to require companies to protect users of public spaces (the internet) from online harms such as pornography, extreme content, cyber bullying. The 2017 suicide death of Molly Russell a British teenager made this a priority for the government. The French government is also proposing rules based on this principle. ...

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Aldi store name comes from the store name Albrecht's Discount for stores opened by 1961 in Germany by the Albrecht brothers. The brothers worked at their mother's grocery store in Essen Germany, following their father's disability and not being able to work in the mines. After serving in the war the two brothers expanded the small family grocery store into a chain of about 15 stores. By 1955 this chain had expanded to about 100 stores, and in 1961 the chain took on the Aldi name. The brothers separated their business in later years with Karl taking on the Aldi Sud stores in southern Germany and expanding into UK, Australia and the U.S. Theo, the younger brother, ran the Aldi Nord stores in northern Germany, of what was then West Germany. Aldi Nord expanded in Europe and acquired Trader's Joe in 1979. The two brothers agreed to stay out of each others territory in this unique arrangement. The Albrechts felt strongly in the post war conditions in Germany that "customers with very limited income should be able to eat and drink quality food," according to a statement by Aldi Sud. Karl Albrecht saw this as his calling- to find creative ways to do this. One way was to get rid of other unnecessary expenses such as display and advertising that could be passed on as savings to customers. In this sense Aldi laid the ground for American retailer Wal-Mart. By 1955 Aldi had 100 stores in West Germany. Expansion thereafter made Aldi a household name in most parts of Europe and the U.S. Karl and Theo remained reclusive throughout their life, more so after Theo's kidnapping in Essen in 1971 for a ransom of 7 million deutsche marks. Karl operated the Aldi Sud stores till he was 75 and passed away in 2014 at the age of 94. Ikea founder from Sweden also has a similiar history in being very private, frugal, and living in a small town in Switzerland, providing direction to the company well past his eightieth year. He pioneered the concept of well designed quality furniture at affordable prices that passes on savings to customers. The same concept and vision inspired Ikea founder- that people of average means and younger families starting a home, should be able to afford furniture quality and design in their homes....

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The view from Qureshi, Foreign Minister ofr Pakistan at the Journal's offices in New York of a sudden withdrawal when the Pakistani Taliban are threatening Pakistan and so close to Islamabad. He fears "more misery, more suicide bombings, and adramatic loss of confidence in the economy as investors fear that an emboldened Taliban , no longer pressed by coalition forces in Afghanistan, would soon turn its sights on Islamabad. Pakistan faced with a withdrawal would lessen cooperation against AlQuaeda and the intelligence that made drone attacks so precise in targeting Taliban leaders may be withdrawn. Pakistan may then strike adeal with the jihadists.

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What is Antifa. during the protests this term keeps coming up, yet no one is really sure what it is.  It started in Germany in the 1920's and basically means anti-fascist or in German antifaschistisch. Most Germany parties from the SPD, CDU and the Greens to other parties accept this as a point of view considering Germany's Nazi past.  Yet DW.com asks is it only referring to all those opposed to fascism in Germany or to black clad anarchists and leftists facing police on German streets. The last such confrontation with police happened in Germany in Hamburg during the 2017 G20 summit. A famous scene from that time is pictured in DW.com. There the meaning becomes complex as the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) adopted the phrase and the disinctinve two flag logo for the 1932 election campaign, in Weimar Germany's last free election, which the Nazis could not win fully but with the left parties split emerged as winner. After the formation of the GDR, the German Democratic Republic in East Germany, the interwar KPD party veterans like Walter Ulbricht came to power in GDR. GDR became part of the Soviet bloc countries during the Cold War and used antifascist in a way that was synonymous with anticapitalism. This same movement then langusihed in the Germany of the early post war years under Cologne's former mayor, Korad Adenauer. In the 1970's and 1980's the left movement revived in Hamburg and Berlin, coalescing with a antinuclear movement and widespread protests against president Reagan's stationing of nuclear missiles on German soil aimed at the Soviet Union bloc. After the reunification the protests against coal, for climate change action, and for anti-globalization. There is even an overlap with anti-Zionism. Germany's internal intelligence agency says the antifa movement is the "main field of agitation" for autonomous leftist groups, with some groups supporting "militant actions." Yet when there are broad uncontroversial protests there can be people from all walks of life, not just the anarchist or far left groups.  So that the protests in the U.S. were met with comments of antifa - Saskia Esken of the SPD saying "58 and atifa. Obviously." To which the General Secretary of the CDU said "Against fascism, and for democracy and human rights. Without violence. Obviously, for me. It's sad that the chairwoman of the SPD lacks the strength to differentiate."  To which Esken says it is only a point of view that antifa refers to, not some action. To which the the youth organization of the Angela Merkel CDU/CSU alliance the Junge Union (founded 1947) replied: " 73 and appalled" getting the final word.  Search for a dictionary and you are left with no clear meaning either. DW.com says Germany's duden dictionary only says antifa refers to the " entirety of the movements and ideologies, which oppose fascism and national socialism."    ...

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Coventry, Hull, Bootle, the list goes on and on, the cities destroyed in the Blitz as England was bombed in the Battle of Britain. Then there are the German cities Essen, Dresden. In Ukraine Kharkiv, Mariupol are 90% destroyed says this report in The Times. What has been destroyed is shown here in figures and pictures. The Times looks into how will it be rebuilt and the cost.

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Patience and remaining undeterred with SPD at 15% just months before the election helped SPD'S Scholz to win. There was also a carefully planned campaign around Scholz, unity in the SPD behind Scholz. Scholz and SPD realized that there was a major opportunity to win confidence of Germans in the pandemic aid packages for Germany and the European Union that Scholz put together. Scholz took charge chairing meetings when Merkel was in isolation. In this way he not the outgoing chancellor Merkel was seen as the architect of economic recovery from the blow of the pandemic.  Percentages are deceiving including the drop to 15% for SPD. Scholz pointed to public fatigue with the two major parties and need for change had led to shift to Greens, and other parties. By working with Greens to develop a common approach based on borrowing to invest in infrastructure and climate change Scholz realized he could both tap into skills of a younger generation that had gone to the Greens and build Germany along lines that also tackled climate change. This created a new and real option for Germany- the experience and new zeal for workers and families of the changing SPD under Esken and Scholz with the energy and zeal for tackling climate change of the Greens under Habeck and Baerbock. As a map of Germany in the NYT shows on September 28, the numbers can be deceiving. Except for Bavaria in the south most of Germany's regions including cities of Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg voted for the SPD or the Greens. Most of the map is red color of the SPD, with small densely populated pockets in cities Cologne and Berlin for Greens. Apart from Bavaria and Thuringia-Saxony, the election was won by Greens SPD by big margin. ...

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Only 61% of shareholders present at the annual general meeting voted in approval of the management at Deutsche Bank in May 2015. Legal settlements and lack of trust in strategies of management have hurt credibility. A large part of the lack of credibility comes from the culture at Deutsche Bank which is seen as slow to change. Co-CEO Jain was head of the investment bank when traders engaged in activities that are causing large legal settlements for wrongdoing. Strong criticism came at the annual meeting from shareholders. Han-Martin Buhlmann of the shareholder association VIP raised the question: "Mr. Jain, are you the solution to the problem or part of it?" Alison Esse, managing director of change consultancy, The Storytellers, says shareholders had voted no-confidence against senior management because they lack the credibility to restore the reputation of the bank.

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England miss the tenacity and run scoring ability of Alastair Cook as they lose the Ashes. England was unable to come up with anything to match the legendary scoring of Australia's Steve Smith in the Ashes fourth Test with 210 and 82 in two briliiant knocks with the bat at Old Trafford on Sunday.  Cook reflects on his own period as Captain of the English side in his new book. He now plays county cricket for Essex after Test cricket drained him and he decided to retire. He says from the first time a Test cricketer gets on the scoreboard he is the subject of incessant reporting on averages for the batsmen- for whom there is no rest- because between the glorious hundred he is out for nought or 20 more often. He recalls his last game in Test cricket when he was able to score 147 in the second innings against India, and he considers himself so fortunate to be able to retire at that time. England is going through a period when it feels it is short on good batsmen. And Cook says after Strauss retired in 2012 he could not find a stable partner, not one of the 14 he batted with lasting long. What does he think of Steve Smith? Cook says he is phenomenal.  The best three batsmen he has seen- Lara, Ponting, and Kallis. The good batsmen in English country cricket are still too young. He thinks the best way to keep Test cricket strong is to have less of it so that it remains special. This way fans would be riveted. And this would mean players would not have to choose between franchise cricket and Test cricket. ...

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Russian oil policy at work in towns like Kalyazin, 100 miles north of Moscow, and across Russia. Gasification program is being extended, plan is to increase coverage from 53% to 60% of the people in Russia in the 2005-2007 program. Increase prices to discourage wasteful use and promote energy saving technologies in cooperation with German companies so that more gas is available for export at higher world market prices, especially to the European market. Use profits to promote exploration and increase exports. Germany gets 45% of its gas from Russia and has built close relationships with Gazprom. See the article in BW, July 31, 2006, Jack Ewing, "The Lines that Bind" and references to German-Russian ties: 1) Gerhard Schroeder, former Chancellor, as managing director of the pipeline joint venture, the $5.7 billion North European Gas pipeline formed by partners Ruhrgas, BASF and Gazprom. Ruhrgas owns 6.4% of Gazprom, and its CEO Burckhard Bergmann sits on Gazprom's Board. 2) The survey by Berlin pollster Forsa shows that 75% of Germans support the pipeline project, 45% consider Gazprom a reliable energy supplier vs. the 26% who consider Saudi Arabia as dependable. 3) At an industrial fair in Hanover German business leaders supportive of Gazprom as follows. Klaus Mangold for Daimler management board member considers it " a totally normal market economic process" for Russia to have threatended to supply China with the same gas if European countries cultivate other sources of energy supply. Michael Gloss, German Minister of Economics and Technology, says its good thing to have a neighbor close to home as a supplier. Ruhrgas, Essen based, is a subsidiary of Dusseldorf company E.O.N., and Wintershall, Kassel based, is a subsidiary of BASF. Wintershall management Board member Rainer Seele, speaks of not just partnerships but friendships. 4) Interlocking ownership of assets between Gazprom and the German companies. Gazprom 35% ownership of the assets in the WinGas Joint Venture, Wintershall gets 35% of the equity and 25% of voting shares in the gas field that supports the pipeline. Ruhrgas traded assets in Hungary for 25% ownership of the same gas field. 5) The German relationship under Merkel changes little because she has no options, German suppliers have long term contracts with Gazprom. This article shows how the Russian policy is being shaped on the ground in small towwns like Kalyazin. The one on Gazprom about "The Lines that Bind," shows how the policy is to build relationships with German suppliers, interlocking ownership of assets, increasing the supplies to Germany from the current 45% to over 50 %. Using German investment in joint venture with Gazprom for exploration and development and building pipelines and securing long term contracts at higher prices. Note the reference in article "Can Gazprom Keep the Gas On?" by BW's Moscow Bureau Chief, Jason Bush, BW July 31, 2006- ironically the policy that caused a lot of controversy between Russia and Ukraine about Russian energy prices will actually provide Gazprom with more profits to put into exploration. Forecasts referred to by Bush show that it is expected to earn $20 billion on $62 billion in revenues. ...

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Advice on walking away from a home loan when you are way under water, and it makes no sense to keep writing checks, and when government help is not there as you are way under water. Martin Feldstein had warned abut this as a major cause of rising foreclosures from early last year. Now without government help this looks like a rising tide for many homeowners under water. This financial planner says its feasible, and may make sense. He talks to the Mortgage Bankers Association, and a spokesman there tells him that its cost prohibitive for a bank to chase down a borrower in financial difficulty. And some states have laws that prohibit banks from going after borrowers for the remainder after foreclosure, including California and Arizona, two of the worst affected. And a lawyer arranging the foreclosure, can put in writing a waiver for this. For the tax impact, he says recent laws eliminate a federal tax through 2012 on most primary resident debt that a lender has reduced through loan restructuring, or forgiven through foreclosure. And states like California and Arizona have passed laws echoing these federal rules. Then there is the question of credit. Yes, its impaired for about 7 years. But with so many in foreclosure there may be an effort by credit unions and financial institutions to destigmatize borrowers who have foreclosed. A law Professor at George Mason University says credit scores will have to be adjusted to lessen the impact of a foreclosure, as this does not carry the information value in 2009 that it would say in 2005. And with so many people in foreclosure there is an emerging market here, according to credit union lender BECU in Washington state. If other than foreclosure you have good credit, its not going to be a big issue, says the director of the Rental Property Owners of Michigan, especially as good tenants are not that easy to find in this difficult economic environment anyway. What this suggests is that many will take this option and foreclosures will rise for the rest of 2009, especially if the job losses go on for longer in the range of 400,000 to 600,000 that we have seen for the last 4 months. Changes in the bankruptcy laws and restructuring the loans on that basis, or government help to those under water in some future plan that lowers payments to something in the range of 30-40%, are ways in which this can be averted. But with job losses of this magnitude a lot of people would end up in serious difficulty, and consider the foreclosure option....