Germany Tries More Aid

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and colleagues announced on Tuesday a second stimulus package to get the economy beyond recession.Germany entered the worst recession since World War II in Q3 of 2008.The first package was worth 32 billion euros;the second is worth 50 billion.Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck called the new plan the biggest package the Federal Republic of Germany has ever seen.The package,which was agreed late Monday,involves a mix of investment spending and tax cuts,including incentives for new car buyers.The German economy may contract 3% in 2009,with unemployment possibly surpassing 9%,according to experts.Flagging demand for German products both at home and abroad has hindered an economy that the rest of Europe saw as a model of strength.

Nature Note:After the Ice

An ice storm badly damaged an Asian pear tree,ripping a large chunk of it off.I'll be cleaning that up the rest of the winter.There's no rush.I got it off the neighbor's property,so I can work at it a bit at a time.It's too cold to work for any length of time, when it isn't a necessity.To me,it's just another aspect of nature.I'm taking the debris in stride.It could have been a lot more costly.Someone could have been walking underneath the tree when it split.

GCC Seeks Union

The Gulf Cooperation Council,an organization of six Arab states,is moving toward a common currency and other closer economic ties by 2010.The GCC consists of Saudi Arabia,Kuwait,the United Arab Emirates,Oman,Bahrain and Qatar.Problems posed by the financial crisis have made this drive for unity more urgent than in the past,when it was hindered by squabbles.The oil-based economies of the GCC have seen their revenues decline sharply as global demand for petroleum products withers.This raises the specter of political instability in a region where radicals are all too eager to exploit such dislocation.And Shiekh Khalifa,the prime minister of Bahrain,pointed out that the rest of the world has been coalescing into economic blocs,so it is high time the GCC sped up its integration project.The GCC is definitely aware of the high costs of fragmentation in an increasingly competitive environment.

Nature Note:Ice Again

So far,much of the Mid-Atlantic region has seen precious little snow this winter.Mostly it's been a wintry mix of snow,sleet and freezing rain.Yesterday morning began with sleet,then rose to plain rain,and finally fell back to freezing rain overnight,ending as plain rain once more this morning.It's a shifting about of layers of temperature and moisture,a very dynamic regime.The ice decorates the trees and shrubs even as the rain pours,saving the day from dullness.There is something rarefied to look at beyond the cold buckets being dumped on our heads.

GE To Power Iraq

General Electric intends to sell Iraq about three billion dollars' worth of power turbines.GE Energy will provide 56 heavy-duty frame 9E multi-fuel gas turbines.They can supply 7k megawatts of power-or enough for about 5.4 million homes.That will more than double Iraq's current capacity of about 6k megawatts a day.Iraq has been suffering from extensive outages,with some sections of Baghdad getting only four hours of electricity a day.

Nature Note:Back To Cold

After a mild Christmas,the New Year is coming in like a snow leopard.Indeed,a snow squall blew in from the mountains,and there is snow in the forecast for January 2.Wind is the headline of the day as gales from the north firmly take control.Leaves are hurled about with great velocity.I got some raking done before the gales arrived,watching a dramatic sunrise develop.As the sun emerged,gray clouds streamed down,trying to obscure it.In the end,though,it dawned clearly,cheering those buffeted by the northern big cat.

Holiday Greeting

I will not be publishing next Wednesday,Christmas Eve.Have a blessed holiday season.A special greeting to our military men and women.You do the heavy lifting for democracy,and so you are gratefully remembered.