27 April 2024: Seven German Stories

 1.  One of the more positive aspects of working in a German plant/industry....was the company-run canteen....where you gathered up for lunch and ate a fairly cheap meal.

Focus ran a piece this AM....talking about the spiral of canteens.

What they generally say....sales have dropped....maybe up to 60-percent, after Covid.  People got used to the no-contact and no-friendship situation.  

2.  This 'Cicero' talk over the closure of nuke stations in Germany and involving the Green Party's Habeck....is going to a new level now.  This Cicero editor (Graber) says now that he has even more details that he will release in the future.  

Zero risk that Germany will revert back to nuke power, but for Habeck and the Green  Party....high risk of this hurting their image for the national election.  Most were expecting Habeck to the chancellor candidate for the Greens.

3.  I sat and watched a Russian economist (he'd left the country) talk over impending problems on the economy.  

Via a private foundation numbers, he says more women than ever....now employed in Russian society since the war started.  Also chatter about a draft law allowing companies to hire 14-year old Russian kids for industry jobs.  Then he got onto the subject of having smart capable folks around for building things, and how Russia really can't demonstrate much of a future.  Worth a viewing (here).

I don't see the war ending in 2024, or for that matter 2025.  But when it finally does end....I don't see a Russia with the stated population of 144-million people.  I  also don't see them being dominate in economic terms for at least 20 years.

4.  Financial problems in data-streaming of German soccer games now existing.  DFL (national control of soccer)....was supposed to release a big chunk of money down through the 1st and 2nd league.  Well...instead of 127-million Euro flowing, ONLY 47-million Euro flowed.  This company on the providing end....DAZN appears to have over-calculated what they thought they could generate.

Hurting soccer?  I suspect a lot of the clubs were somewhat dependent on this to survive.  You might expect ticket  prices to bump up by one-third in the next season.

5.  Both GETIR and Gorillas (the delivery of food in major urban areas) are giving up.....they couldn't sustain profit.

I think part of their problem....as Covid ended....people lessened the use of food delivery.

6.  Porsche profits down by 30-percent.

7.  15-year old kid in Berlin....had taken a ride-share vehicle, and got a cop-chase underway.  By the end....number of vehicles damaged by his action, and four policemen injured.  Cops eventually arrested him....handing him over to his mom, and there's likely to be a court session next month for him to attend.

How Does A Weapons-Free Zone Work In Germany?

 Well....first, you erect signs which basically say this 'zone' (defined in some way) is a area where you are not permitted to carry weapons or knives with fixed or lockable blades with a blade length of more than four centimeters.

Usually under the sign....it'll say a time-rule.  Example, the zone exists from 6 PM to 6 AM.  

Then another sign will indicate...police will patrol and have the right to frisk you and ask for your German national ID card.

Then, they have a little fee deal involved....where one single knife or weapon mandates a meeting with some judge, and a fine (figure minimum of 500 Euro). 

The idea is....we want to get your attention.  

Where they pick these zones?  Usually where the police tell the authority trouble has started up (mostly near train stations or downtown areas).  

Affect?  Based on police commentary....it lessens bad-boy behavior to some degree....but the threat of a fine isn't a joke.  In the case of Wiesbaden, their fine can go up to 5,000 Euro.  So one single knife on your possession (say at 10 PM)....could cost you two months of salary.  

Then you take into consideration....the intimidation factor that the police will just halt you and want some ID.  

A development in the past decade?  That's the funny part of the story.  Wiesbaden was the first town to go this direction and the whole idea came up around 2017,  with the action signed into law by the end of 2018.  What cops will say....prior to this decade....you had simple assaults (fights), without weapons.  Then at some point....say 2010 to 2017....numbers started to add up and worry the general public.

This Norovirus Chatter

 Lot of fest action going on in SW Germany, and it appears that this norovirus has started up.  

More than 700 folks affected....mostly nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

City of Stuttgart health folks say it was NOT food or drink where it got passed around....just folks going  to the bathroom, and FAILING to wash hands (usually a guy-thing).

The bad thing about this?  There's no real medication to use.  You simply go through the 24-to-72 hour business....rest...and hydrate.

Avoiding crowds and fests for now?  Well....if you use alcohol wipes, and wash after using a rest-room.....in most cases, you might prevent a case.   

26 April 2024: Seven German News Stories

 1. In recent months, if you follow US car insurance rates....everyone is getting a hefty dose of reality, with yearly rates going up.

Well....I noticed off Focus....same issue brewing in Germany....where the national car  insurance folks are reporting a three billion euro loss.

Rates?  The figure given is a 20-percent rate increase expected.

2.  Norovirus in Stuttgart?  What the news reports are saying....726 folks at a fest tent....ended up with diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.  Person-to-person contact.  Pretty serious.

3.  German Constitutional Court about to decide who pays for extra police protection at soccer games.  They may say that the arena and soccer clubs may get with the bill.   Could inflate ticket prices by double.  

I will say this....almost every single arena now has some police presence....minimum of forty police either inside or outside the event.  If you count up....man-hours for a  minimum situation is 1,600.  

4.  Curious development on ending of German nuke power stations.  

Cicero (the news magazine) says that the Federal Ministry of Economics 'rigged' up a report about the nature to shut down the nuke plants (the remaining three).

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Green Party both) are rumored to have controlled internal concerns.

Both say the comment is not correct.  However, for Friday....two committees of the Bundestag are supposed to open up a discussion.

If any were true (I have doubts)....yeah, it could trigger coalition talks....asking questions that the Greens would prefer not to answer. 

One odd bit, WELT says that various members of the Energy Ministry had the opinion that keeping last couple of nuke plants operational....had strong benefit, and they were outruled by Habeck.  

All of this....a wasted talk?  Well....yeah, there are now no nuke plants in operation.  Zero interest by both the CDU/CSU or SPD parties to restart nuke plants.  Majority of German public see no reason to restart.  They would readily admit if they have to buy nuke power from France or neighboring country....it's perfectly acceptable to do that.  Even if you proved on paper that bringing back six nuke plants could cut 30-percent of electrical cost....will to rebuild is zero. 

5.  WELT study report....almost 22-percent of young Germans (14-to-29) would vote AfD Party (far-right) currently.  That's almost double in a year.  Some fear of where this may lead onto.

6.  Bundestag set to vote on having a military veteran's day....would be 15 June. 

7.  400 jobs likely to be cut at the German Tesla factory.

25 April 2024: Five German News Stories

 1.  Focus article, Wolfram Weimer gave an interview...says that insiders to the German Green Party are quietly preparing for an early national election (was set to Fall of 2025).  This disagreement between the FDP Party (coalition member) is the driving force.  

Personally, I can't see the big 'fall' occurring prior to summer vacation...would likely occur early August/September where a collapse might occur.  But you have to figure 3 state elections set for Sep/Oct already in 2024.

2.  Odd school story out of Ludwigshafen...involving a first-grade group.  Teachers and staff have decided in this one school...out of 147 kids....they will 'repeat' with 44 kids the entire year over.  Reason?  These kids don't speak German well enough to pass onto the second grade.

3.  Sahra Wagenknecht of the BWS Party (the new folks).....says maybe there should be a 'new' vote in the Bundestag over the idea of forbidding gas/diesel new car sales in 2035 in Germany.

Making this an election topic?  Yeah, I would imagine that.

Attitude by Germans?  No one has really polled people to say how the national trend on the topic is going.

This was a position staked out by Chancellor Merkel, and simply pushed.  One interesting trend currently....it appears that new registrations of E-cars has peaked, and it's getting harder to sell E-cars of any type.

If you asked me....from working-class Germans...fewer than one-third are hyped-up or enthusiastic about E-cars.  I could even envision 2075 coming around and half the cars in the nation are used gas/diesel cars from the 2020s.  

4.  WELT piece, study done by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation....says that at the local levels of government...increasing number of Germans feel disconnected, and that politicians at the city level....aren't listening to the public.  

5.  N-TV did a piece talking over the German Army deployment (permanent basis) into Lithuania.  Brigade size.  Cost?  11-billion Euro to build a operational base and quarter 5,000 German soldiers and their families.

Lot of money, and it probably shocks the coalition.  Even if they spread it out over five years....it'll be a problem.  

24 April 2024: Seven German News Stories

1.   Just odd.  German cops have detained an employee of the AfD's top candidate for the European elections (Maximilian Krah). Accusation against the guy?  He's a hired-up spy for China (yeah, not Russia as you might expect).

Now....who was he spying upon?  Well....not really the German gov't.  He was supposed to be spying on the Chinese opposition movement going on in Germany.

So, the other part to this story (this is what  ARD-TV says).....the same guy offered himself to the German gov't a couple of years ago....but they turned him down....saying they thought he was a double-agent of some type.

2.  For 2023, around 16,000 Germans who were unemployed.....were offered jobs, and refused the jobs....so their welfare money was cut in some minor way.  ARD talked over this story last night....which leaves a lot of working-class Germans peeved how they pay into the 'pot', and there are jobs existing...which people unemployed....still refuse.

3.  30 cm of snow has fallen in past 24 hours in Bavaria.

4.  ARD news: about every single German adult....loses around 2,600 Euro because of the energy crisis and the ban on purchasing Russian natural gas.  Growing pressure to end the ban and get some Russian gas movement.

5.  Odd attack in the Mannheim University library....German guy with a machete.  Police called.  Tried to calm the guy down....ended up having to shoot him (dead).  One library worker injured by the guy.  All the police say is that he'd had a couple of police interactions before and been banned from the library.  

6.  WELT piece....almost half of all German teachers report physical or psychological violence among their students.  Growing burn-out rate noted.  

7.  WELT: 'Youth in Germany' study done.  Odd discussion going on....from Gen-Z population....growing rate of youth attracted to right-wing politics.  Presently, twice as many from 2022....would now vote for AfD.

Hot (Not)

Just scolding hot for this upcoming weekend in Germany and eastern Europe.  Predicted to be 25 C (77 F) over in Stuttgart.  Boiling hot-hot.

Well....to be honest, you might get a sweat up if you bundled up in sweatshirts, and just sipped warm beer.

The red-tint thing going overboard?  Yeah, but until they invent a personalized color scheme where you can adjust it yourself.....this is their game.

23 April 2024: Two German News Stories

 1.  Curious piece in Focus this AM.....around two weeks ago, we had a one-on-one debate between Mario Voigt, the CDU's top candidate for the upcoming state elections in Thuringia, against the right-wing AfD chairman candidate, Björn Höcke.  Public was asked how they felt about the debate and nearly 50-percent said they want more of the one-on-one debates.....to have a clear understanding of 'arguments'.

2.  EU plan to end gas/diesel car 'new' sales by 2035....in trouble?  Well...various political groups are asking questions and the enthusiasm appears to be lessening.