I occasionally watch other European countries and the various soap-opera events that occur within their systems. This past weekend.....Greece went into turbo-mode, hunted down the Golden Dawn political leaders (the Greece Nazi Party), and arrest the top level guys.
What came in public view over Saturday and Sunday was an odd thing. Guns drawn....the arrests....the charges....public police behavior? It was a staged event. Almost every single Greek could view the episode and question if unusual Greek public behavior was necessary.
In the 1970s....Greece went through a chaotic period where a coup toppled the government, and cops routinely displayed their aggressive behavior and weapons.
The trigger to this weekend? Around ten days ago....a confrontation occurred between a liberal Greek rapper and a Golden Dawn member. A knife was drawn, and the rapper was dead. To this day....no one can say with full belief or facts....who owned the knife and who did what.
The authorities? They have two former members of Golden Dawn, who've given dispositions...allegations....to show the party is deep into corruption. They also hint that members who became negative with Golden Dawn.....were usually harassed and intimidated. The authorities felt that was enough to arrest the leadership.
It's hard to say if any of the accusations are truthful, or if the knife fight occurred over actions by the Nazi Greek guy.
Meanwhile, you sit there and ponder.....Hitler's best movement up in Germany....came after he was arrested and started to write his book. If these arrested Nazi members follow the same tactic....they likely double their membership in two years. Hitler's arrest? Well....for the most part, it was rigged up by the authorities....over flimsy evidence.....and was thought to be the best way of marginalizing the Nazi Party in Munich. They were wrong.
History has an odd way of repeating itself.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Coalition Game
Now a week after the German election....we are in the midst of a game on how the coalition will be formed (likely for the moment to be the CDU/CSU and the SPD).
The theme? Well...taxes. Pure and simple.
Most all Germans expected taxes to inch up slightly. The main difference between the theme of the CDU and the SPD? The CDU would inch the taxes forward, hitting to some degree on more wealthy Germans. The SPD would inch forward, and maximize it's growth pattern on all rich Germans, period.
The general expectation is that the public will accept these tax measures....like the more wealthy Germans will grumble and look for newer ways of hiding wealth or protecting wealth. In the general end....four years from now....there's likely to finally be some recession.
Some analysts will blame the recession on the SPD's tax strategy. Some will simply say it's time for another recession to occur. Some will say that government spending likely led into the recession in some fashion.
So as you watch the political players go and forth over the next week or two.....watch for the lively talk over taxes. Journalists will play into the game, and try to explain how taxes are part of life and society. Most Germans will just grumble, and just say they wished this had been out in the open prior to the election.
The theme? Well...taxes. Pure and simple.
Most all Germans expected taxes to inch up slightly. The main difference between the theme of the CDU and the SPD? The CDU would inch the taxes forward, hitting to some degree on more wealthy Germans. The SPD would inch forward, and maximize it's growth pattern on all rich Germans, period.
The general expectation is that the public will accept these tax measures....like the more wealthy Germans will grumble and look for newer ways of hiding wealth or protecting wealth. In the general end....four years from now....there's likely to finally be some recession.
Some analysts will blame the recession on the SPD's tax strategy. Some will simply say it's time for another recession to occur. Some will say that government spending likely led into the recession in some fashion.
So as you watch the political players go and forth over the next week or two.....watch for the lively talk over taxes. Journalists will play into the game, and try to explain how taxes are part of life and society. Most Germans will just grumble, and just say they wished this had been out in the open prior to the election.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
What Goes Around, Comes Around
In 1991, a youthful Frank-Walter Steinmeier was attending Giessen University....working on a doctorial degree in economics. To finish up the whole process....he had to write a thesis. His topic? Tradition and perspectives of state intervention for the prevention and elimination of homelessness.
It was a decent thesis by university standards in 1991, and got him his doctor's degree. Frank goes on.....moving up in politics, and eventually in the last decade.....becoming a big player of the SPD in Germany.
Well....over the past couple of years....various folks have come out to review thesis products of conservative politicians. You had to expect some idiot to waste weeks of time looking at liberal politicians eventually. Steinmeier is now the focus of such a review.
In fact, it's to the point that a computer hints of 500 awkward notes in the thesis presented....which lead the university to a full-up review. Tomorrow (Monday).....the university will sit down and present it's case so far to Frank and ask for his comments.
Expectations? It's hard to say what happens. The university could make a determination in the months ahead to revoke his degree. For a fifty-year old guy....this is the kiss-of-death in Germany. Your respect, your past, your future, and your top tier of associates....all fall into a problem area. They could come to an agreement that some errors exist, but not enough to take the degree away, which does some personal harm to his character but at leaves him with the title of "doctor".
Steinmeier rose to one of the five top SPD political players over the past decade. He's likely sitting there and questioning how this stupid thesis that he wrote....comes back twenty years later to be a major problem. As for this meeting? Steinmeier will have to pull out the old thesis, spend weeks reviewing how he wrote back in 1991.....and to argue the finer points that it's all within the range of being acceptable.
Meanwhile, the SPD is sitting there and wondering if there are other political figures with thesis-type degrees, and if they are under review. When they opened this tactic five years ago....they probably never anticipated it being a mess for themselves to clean up.
It was a decent thesis by university standards in 1991, and got him his doctor's degree. Frank goes on.....moving up in politics, and eventually in the last decade.....becoming a big player of the SPD in Germany.
Well....over the past couple of years....various folks have come out to review thesis products of conservative politicians. You had to expect some idiot to waste weeks of time looking at liberal politicians eventually. Steinmeier is now the focus of such a review.
In fact, it's to the point that a computer hints of 500 awkward notes in the thesis presented....which lead the university to a full-up review. Tomorrow (Monday).....the university will sit down and present it's case so far to Frank and ask for his comments.
Expectations? It's hard to say what happens. The university could make a determination in the months ahead to revoke his degree. For a fifty-year old guy....this is the kiss-of-death in Germany. Your respect, your past, your future, and your top tier of associates....all fall into a problem area. They could come to an agreement that some errors exist, but not enough to take the degree away, which does some personal harm to his character but at leaves him with the title of "doctor".
Steinmeier rose to one of the five top SPD political players over the past decade. He's likely sitting there and questioning how this stupid thesis that he wrote....comes back twenty years later to be a major problem. As for this meeting? Steinmeier will have to pull out the old thesis, spend weeks reviewing how he wrote back in 1991.....and to argue the finer points that it's all within the range of being acceptable.
Meanwhile, the SPD is sitting there and wondering if there are other political figures with thesis-type degrees, and if they are under review. When they opened this tactic five years ago....they probably never anticipated it being a mess for themselves to clean up.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Fest News
It is a shocker to some.....for the first time ever at the Oktoberfest....an offering of vegan food. Most Germans would admit that roughly nine percent of the population are vegetarians in nature, and this was something that you'd expect to come to the fest sooner....or later.
Last year, the fest ended with half-a-million chickens sold throughout the various tents. The experts indicated four hundred tons of food waste and bones at the end of 2012 event.
Last year, the fest ended with half-a-million chickens sold throughout the various tents. The experts indicated four hundred tons of food waste and bones at the end of 2012 event.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
"Risk Analysis" Matrix
Wiesbaden, the US Army, helicopters, flights, political figures, action groups, environmental players, and "risk analysis".....all add up to make a German version of Matrix (complex, deep scenarios, chaos, and no virtual outcome until the last twelve minutes of the movie).
It's an odd piece. The US Army sat and made some decisions several years ago....that they'd stay in three primary areas of Germany....Graffenwoehr, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden. The facilities in Stuttgart were an anchor....Graf had the practice or maneuver area, and Wiesbaden? Well....the city hyped up things and preferred to have them as their neighbor at the airfield....rather than allow the Frankfurt Flughafen folks take it over. It was that simple.
Days....weeks....and months have passed. Frankly, bad relations have started up over helicopter activity around the local area. So political folks and action committees meet routinely now to discuss this. They'd like to invite the US Army in and participate....mostly by providing data and acting on the wishes of the committee. As you can imagine....the US Army doesn't play this type of game.
Statistics are desired now.....to help prove the point of the locals that the US Army is acting in a reckless manner. The statistics aren't going to come via them.....so folks sit around and create their own database efforts.....some pure...some questionable.
The chairman of the local environmental committee is all peppy over this talk....because it only reflects the hazardous threat to lives via crashes. They don't count up pollution or the dire consequences of the environment. You can sense where the intended priorities should go with this environmental group.
All of this leads to what management calls in the modern era...."risk analysis".
If you have data....you project a problem....you analyze the problem....you solution the problem, and note the changes. Then you return, repeat as often as possible. All of this....assumes that you have a valid problem in the first place.
You can guess the gut feeling by local political folks over this. If you start digging deep into the US Army....they will eventually add up the score, and say "enough"....pack and go....and leave the airfield and support structure to the Flughafen folks.....who would be twice as bad to handle, control, and fight tooth and nail via the legal system in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden. Political folks know when you have one bad cow....you don't swap it for a second bad cow. They'd like for some pleasant ending to this, and just leave the US Army folks alone.
What I anticipate in the end? Around a decade from now....the US Army will be told to decrease its footprint in Germany, and pack up everything in Wiesbaden to leave. It'll be a minor shock for the locals. The bigger shock will be how quickly the Flughafen folks move in....take control of the runway....and create a bigger monster for the locals to fight.
It's an odd piece. The US Army sat and made some decisions several years ago....that they'd stay in three primary areas of Germany....Graffenwoehr, Stuttgart and Wiesbaden. The facilities in Stuttgart were an anchor....Graf had the practice or maneuver area, and Wiesbaden? Well....the city hyped up things and preferred to have them as their neighbor at the airfield....rather than allow the Frankfurt Flughafen folks take it over. It was that simple.
Days....weeks....and months have passed. Frankly, bad relations have started up over helicopter activity around the local area. So political folks and action committees meet routinely now to discuss this. They'd like to invite the US Army in and participate....mostly by providing data and acting on the wishes of the committee. As you can imagine....the US Army doesn't play this type of game.
Statistics are desired now.....to help prove the point of the locals that the US Army is acting in a reckless manner. The statistics aren't going to come via them.....so folks sit around and create their own database efforts.....some pure...some questionable.
The chairman of the local environmental committee is all peppy over this talk....because it only reflects the hazardous threat to lives via crashes. They don't count up pollution or the dire consequences of the environment. You can sense where the intended priorities should go with this environmental group.
All of this leads to what management calls in the modern era...."risk analysis".
If you have data....you project a problem....you analyze the problem....you solution the problem, and note the changes. Then you return, repeat as often as possible. All of this....assumes that you have a valid problem in the first place.
You can guess the gut feeling by local political folks over this. If you start digging deep into the US Army....they will eventually add up the score, and say "enough"....pack and go....and leave the airfield and support structure to the Flughafen folks.....who would be twice as bad to handle, control, and fight tooth and nail via the legal system in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden. Political folks know when you have one bad cow....you don't swap it for a second bad cow. They'd like for some pleasant ending to this, and just leave the US Army folks alone.
What I anticipate in the end? Around a decade from now....the US Army will be told to decrease its footprint in Germany, and pack up everything in Wiesbaden to leave. It'll be a minor shock for the locals. The bigger shock will be how quickly the Flughafen folks move in....take control of the runway....and create a bigger monster for the locals to fight.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Explaining the German Bundestag Coalition Business
For an American, once an election is finished....there's nothing left to discuss. Well...in Germany....that silly election business is just half the battle. After an election....if you don't have fifty percent control of the Bundestag seats....you build a coalition.
For years and years....winners came and went, and there were easy coalitions and hard coalitions. The head party with the victory....tends to sit down and invite the best of the better-than-five-percent groups to meet with them. There's roughly three topics.
First, can there be some basic agreement on platforms....like energy, labor, economics, and the environment?
Second, what cabinet posts would be offered for the partner?
Third, can the partner prove that they will have support of their folks.....when the fight is on in the Bundestag....to support the winner-party?
All of this discussion usually leads onto man-hours of conversation, political BSing, and angry hostile folks who feel that a partnership is a terrible thing.
The winner party has around sixty days to iron out this partnership. If they can't do it....they have two options.
Option one: proceed ahead as a minority in the Bundestag and hope that things go their way (it rarely if ever works). This idea usually invites another election within a year or two....or upsets the nation because of stagnant activity.
Option two: call for another election (sixty days down the road after you admit partners can't be found).
Option two in this case is an interesting episode. Most folks who voted for the anti-
Euro party and the FDP.....would view this current mess as a sign to stick with the CDU, period. You might see another five percent of the national voting go toward Chancellor Merkel. Of course, you might wound up with still forty-eight percent of the Bundestag vote, and still need a partnership with someone.
For the Greens? They could see some of their voters slip over to the SPD because of some views on lack of a partnership.
The hidden factor? The Linke Party. The Linke folks are considered poison by bulk of German voters. Most folks don't want them as the partners of a SPD or CDU government, period. No exceptions is usually the comment by most folks. The problem is that they tend to pull around ten percent of the national vote and they simply sit there as a party that can never be a partner in any coalition. It's a problem.....kinda having the Nazi party in existence but saying you just can't partner with them for obvious reasons.
For the next days....I would suspect that the CDU will humor the SPD with various offers. Three or four of the cabinet posts.....maybe an agreement on sixty percent of the platform issues. The SPD will hint of half ownership of the cabinet posts, and an extremely hard lean toward three of their major party platforms. The CDU really doesn't want to give up that much in return.
The Greens? The radical side of their leadership absolutely doesn't want a partnership at all. They'd have to dump half their values, and insult the radial players of the party. Most are likely shocked they got eight percent of the national vote, and don't care if they ever partner with anyone. Its the principal that matters, in their minds.
But the Greens will likely be offered a fair amount of hope for the next four years. Figure four cabinet posts, and the continued anti-nuclear energy agreement that the CDU has in place.....it's not exactly a bad deal.
For an American, it's tough to watch this agreement business go back and forth. It'd never work in the US Senate, and US journalists would go into fits if the Republicans and Democrats had to be fairly agreeable after an election. I think for this reason....the two major German parties are more careful about insults during the heat of an election. Maybe that's a positive.
For years and years....winners came and went, and there were easy coalitions and hard coalitions. The head party with the victory....tends to sit down and invite the best of the better-than-five-percent groups to meet with them. There's roughly three topics.
First, can there be some basic agreement on platforms....like energy, labor, economics, and the environment?
Second, what cabinet posts would be offered for the partner?
Third, can the partner prove that they will have support of their folks.....when the fight is on in the Bundestag....to support the winner-party?
All of this discussion usually leads onto man-hours of conversation, political BSing, and angry hostile folks who feel that a partnership is a terrible thing.
The winner party has around sixty days to iron out this partnership. If they can't do it....they have two options.
Option one: proceed ahead as a minority in the Bundestag and hope that things go their way (it rarely if ever works). This idea usually invites another election within a year or two....or upsets the nation because of stagnant activity.
Option two: call for another election (sixty days down the road after you admit partners can't be found).
Option two in this case is an interesting episode. Most folks who voted for the anti-
Euro party and the FDP.....would view this current mess as a sign to stick with the CDU, period. You might see another five percent of the national voting go toward Chancellor Merkel. Of course, you might wound up with still forty-eight percent of the Bundestag vote, and still need a partnership with someone.
For the Greens? They could see some of their voters slip over to the SPD because of some views on lack of a partnership.
The hidden factor? The Linke Party. The Linke folks are considered poison by bulk of German voters. Most folks don't want them as the partners of a SPD or CDU government, period. No exceptions is usually the comment by most folks. The problem is that they tend to pull around ten percent of the national vote and they simply sit there as a party that can never be a partner in any coalition. It's a problem.....kinda having the Nazi party in existence but saying you just can't partner with them for obvious reasons.
For the next days....I would suspect that the CDU will humor the SPD with various offers. Three or four of the cabinet posts.....maybe an agreement on sixty percent of the platform issues. The SPD will hint of half ownership of the cabinet posts, and an extremely hard lean toward three of their major party platforms. The CDU really doesn't want to give up that much in return.
The Greens? The radical side of their leadership absolutely doesn't want a partnership at all. They'd have to dump half their values, and insult the radial players of the party. Most are likely shocked they got eight percent of the national vote, and don't care if they ever partner with anyone. Its the principal that matters, in their minds.
But the Greens will likely be offered a fair amount of hope for the next four years. Figure four cabinet posts, and the continued anti-nuclear energy agreement that the CDU has in place.....it's not exactly a bad deal.
For an American, it's tough to watch this agreement business go back and forth. It'd never work in the US Senate, and US journalists would go into fits if the Republicans and Democrats had to be fairly agreeable after an election. I think for this reason....the two major German parties are more careful about insults during the heat of an election. Maybe that's a positive.
Wiesbaden and School Lunches
An American has a certain view of school lunches. It's safe to say that almost everyone it's lousy food, and except for being reasonable on costs.....no one really cares in the US to eat a school lunch.
Up until recently here in the schools of Wiesbaden....it was mostly the same way. In fact, parents finally got pretty testy and vocal. So the catering service that operated in four schools.....just simply walked away from the contract. The complaints were helping them, and they just couldn't improve on the meal with the cost factor laid into the system.
School lunches in Wiesbaden run around 4.18 Euro ($4.8 roughly ) for students and 4.50 ($5.30 roughly) Euro for teachers. A fair chunk of money for a lousy meal.
So the new catering service walked in. Their strategy? They found a source for cheaper and better vegetables and fruit. The salad buffet episode improved overnight. Students took note of this....as strange as it sounds.
The fear? Well.....this isn't exactly a long-term contract. The new guy may be eating up profits to some degree, in hopes of the next contract being a bit more profitable....meaning a rise in the cost of each meal. There's some feeling that they may have to revert back to a "bad" catering deal....only because of the cost factor.
In the end, it's pretty much the same deal as in the US. You can provide a four-star lunch for school kids that they would eat.....but at what cost? So you accept a cheaper meal with half the students saying "no" to it.
Up until recently here in the schools of Wiesbaden....it was mostly the same way. In fact, parents finally got pretty testy and vocal. So the catering service that operated in four schools.....just simply walked away from the contract. The complaints were helping them, and they just couldn't improve on the meal with the cost factor laid into the system.
School lunches in Wiesbaden run around 4.18 Euro ($4.8 roughly ) for students and 4.50 ($5.30 roughly) Euro for teachers. A fair chunk of money for a lousy meal.
So the new catering service walked in. Their strategy? They found a source for cheaper and better vegetables and fruit. The salad buffet episode improved overnight. Students took note of this....as strange as it sounds.
The fear? Well.....this isn't exactly a long-term contract. The new guy may be eating up profits to some degree, in hopes of the next contract being a bit more profitable....meaning a rise in the cost of each meal. There's some feeling that they may have to revert back to a "bad" catering deal....only because of the cost factor.
In the end, it's pretty much the same deal as in the US. You can provide a four-star lunch for school kids that they would eat.....but at what cost? So you accept a cheaper meal with half the students saying "no" to it.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Observations over the Election
For an American watching over the German election.....there are some basic observations that come up.
First, while most Americans never realize this....Germans have elections on Sunday, period. No exceptions. What you have is a large segment of society who is off from work, and without any excuses to vote. More people participate, and I suspect more people are satisfied in the end.
Second, the CDU rode to a 42-percent win. Fairly high when compared against statistics of the past thirty years.
Third, the FDP (the normal partner of the CDU) picked up 4.9 percent. To be in the Bundestag by their rules.....you need five percent. Missing that one-tenth of one percent....is a big deal. Where did their vote go? This anti-Euro Party slugged away and got almost 4.5 percent of the vote. It's not clear yet, but I'm guessing that at least half of the anti-Euro Party vote came from previous FDP-voters.
Fourth, every single polling station in Germany is shut down by 6PM, period. The TV journalists? By 6:01PM, they had their preliminary win-numbers, and forecasted the numbers for the vote. It was kinda shocking as votes continued to be counted for two or three hours, and the original numbers didn't differ more than half-a-percentage point. They were absolutely right on the numbers.
Fifth, it ought to be noted that absentee ballots in Germany work mostly like the system in the US. If you are out of the country, or in some hospital.....you can ask for a ballot weeks ahead of time, and they will provide it.
Sixth, voter ID? Well....it's a curious thing. Weeks before an election, because you are registered.....you get a note in the mail explaining where the poll station is, and to bring this sheet. The sheet acts as an ID. The polling station can accept that one sheet alone.....or ask for some ID like a license or passport.
Seventh, as much talk as the Pirate Party had in the last month.....they just couldn't get more than two-to-three percent of the national vote. Dead from this point on? I doubt it. They will stick around for a couple of years, and maybe even survive for the 2017 election. The anti-Euro Party? Someone is going to eventually realize that they weren't viable and really just a minus-feature of German politics.....hurting the FDP mostly. I don't see the anti-Euro Party around in 2017.
Eighth......Somewhere around eight networks carried the election coverage yesterday....most with state-run TV. Some were carrying an hour here, then some documentary, and then fresh new numbers again. If you wanted some decent alternative to the election.....you would have been better off to read a book or play cards with the neighbors.
Ninth.....the Greens are sitting there with a brand-name problem. They've had several of their programs taken by the CDU, and likely have issues connecting with the normal crowd that vote Green. You could actually be an independent.....thinking that the CDU is progressive over nuclear energy, alternate power, and family policy. To regain any platform issues.....the Greens need to huddle up and think boldly over the next four years. Some radical ideas need to be discussed and presented.
Tenth and final. The difference between US and German politics? An American would view this situation, and say that cable news and internet platforms have hurt American politics more than helping. An American would also say that corruption in politics has crept into the US system, and is a major contributor to party policy. Toss in economic issues that continually come up, a fierce debate over health care that has not yet ended, and a fair segment of political figures who aren't capable of agreement, and you have a chaotic mess that folks just accept. Neither system is perfect, but at least on the day after the election....most folks can walk away and feel OK.
A final note, and it's fairly obvious. When you take a bill up as a national party in Germany....propose it....and put the party apparatus support around it.....it's passed. There is no Senate to deal with, and no President to veto it. The national party coalition concept.....works mighty fine. The German Supreme Court could step in and say it's a bad law, but that's the only hook to the procedure. Yeah, an American notices this, and would readily agree.....this system might have benefits.
First, while most Americans never realize this....Germans have elections on Sunday, period. No exceptions. What you have is a large segment of society who is off from work, and without any excuses to vote. More people participate, and I suspect more people are satisfied in the end.
Second, the CDU rode to a 42-percent win. Fairly high when compared against statistics of the past thirty years.
Third, the FDP (the normal partner of the CDU) picked up 4.9 percent. To be in the Bundestag by their rules.....you need five percent. Missing that one-tenth of one percent....is a big deal. Where did their vote go? This anti-Euro Party slugged away and got almost 4.5 percent of the vote. It's not clear yet, but I'm guessing that at least half of the anti-Euro Party vote came from previous FDP-voters.
Fourth, every single polling station in Germany is shut down by 6PM, period. The TV journalists? By 6:01PM, they had their preliminary win-numbers, and forecasted the numbers for the vote. It was kinda shocking as votes continued to be counted for two or three hours, and the original numbers didn't differ more than half-a-percentage point. They were absolutely right on the numbers.
Fifth, it ought to be noted that absentee ballots in Germany work mostly like the system in the US. If you are out of the country, or in some hospital.....you can ask for a ballot weeks ahead of time, and they will provide it.
Sixth, voter ID? Well....it's a curious thing. Weeks before an election, because you are registered.....you get a note in the mail explaining where the poll station is, and to bring this sheet. The sheet acts as an ID. The polling station can accept that one sheet alone.....or ask for some ID like a license or passport.
Seventh, as much talk as the Pirate Party had in the last month.....they just couldn't get more than two-to-three percent of the national vote. Dead from this point on? I doubt it. They will stick around for a couple of years, and maybe even survive for the 2017 election. The anti-Euro Party? Someone is going to eventually realize that they weren't viable and really just a minus-feature of German politics.....hurting the FDP mostly. I don't see the anti-Euro Party around in 2017.
Eighth......Somewhere around eight networks carried the election coverage yesterday....most with state-run TV. Some were carrying an hour here, then some documentary, and then fresh new numbers again. If you wanted some decent alternative to the election.....you would have been better off to read a book or play cards with the neighbors.
Ninth.....the Greens are sitting there with a brand-name problem. They've had several of their programs taken by the CDU, and likely have issues connecting with the normal crowd that vote Green. You could actually be an independent.....thinking that the CDU is progressive over nuclear energy, alternate power, and family policy. To regain any platform issues.....the Greens need to huddle up and think boldly over the next four years. Some radical ideas need to be discussed and presented.
Tenth and final. The difference between US and German politics? An American would view this situation, and say that cable news and internet platforms have hurt American politics more than helping. An American would also say that corruption in politics has crept into the US system, and is a major contributor to party policy. Toss in economic issues that continually come up, a fierce debate over health care that has not yet ended, and a fair segment of political figures who aren't capable of agreement, and you have a chaotic mess that folks just accept. Neither system is perfect, but at least on the day after the election....most folks can walk away and feel OK.
A final note, and it's fairly obvious. When you take a bill up as a national party in Germany....propose it....and put the party apparatus support around it.....it's passed. There is no Senate to deal with, and no President to veto it. The national party coalition concept.....works mighty fine. The German Supreme Court could step in and say it's a bad law, but that's the only hook to the procedure. Yeah, an American notices this, and would readily agree.....this system might have benefits.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Oktoberfest in Simple Terms
First, the fest around the middle of Munich is chaotic and full of people. Crowds gather by mid-morning....position themselves in the various tents....and stay for the duration of the day. The more popular tents are full all day, and if you find seating....you might consider yourself a bit lucky.
Second, folks get drunk and do stupid things at Oktoberfest. The local cops usually look the other way, but in recent years have acted because of safety concerns. A decade ago....a drunk taking a leak out on the street would have been observed and just allowed to continue his business. Today? You might get picked up and toted off by the cops.
Third, nothing is really cheap. You can figure at least sixty Euro spent easily on one day, and possibly on up to a hundred Euro ($120). Everyone is out to make a profit.
Fourth, thinking of going and staying at a hotel? You'd best have made this local reservation back in April. You won't find anything much in the city open if you go at the last minute. Traveling by train to a town forty minutes away? That might be a decent option, but even those are filled to capacity.
Fifth, driving down and back in one day? Some folks will base themselves out of Stuttgart or such, and just drive down for one day of fest. I'd strongly advise against it. Traffic is heavy and stormy weather could really screw up your drive.
Sixth, other fests? Well....yeah. Most cities in Bavaria will operate a Oktoberfest as well....with drinks and food. Less stress and chaos, if you think about it. Even Wiesbaden will offer a mini-Oktoberfest.
Seventh, the real pitch of Oktoberfest? Some will say it's the atmosphere. Some will say the fun and laughs with their friends. Some will say it's chaos and beer loaded into one afternoon and evening. A decent description would be a circus operated with minimum supervision.....beer flowing in ample portions.....drunks in all directions.....and a day full of music.
Eighth and final. Years ago, a co-worker of mine made the comment....what happens in Oktoberfest....stays at Oktoberfest. It was a rewording of the Vegas phrase that people like to think about and remember. He might be right. Twenty years ago....camera crews barely shot any video of daily action. Today? There are hours and hours of video shot, with drunks doing stupid things, and it ends up on some nightly newscast. If you did something really stupid.....it ends up on TV where your boss and friends see you. Just a warning.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
The Pool Burka Story
Germans run an interesting view on mandatory school topics. If they say it's mandatory....there is absolutely no waiver or excuse out of it, period. Unless most US school programs, where there's always a waiver for something....in Germany, rules are rules.
Well....along came this Muslim teenage girl who had an issue with swimming lessons mandated by the school. The school mandated that swimming was required and it'd be a co-ed situation.
Naturally, this didn't sit well with the Islamic folks, and this girl ended up as a test case....challenging the school and it's rules.
The German top level of administrative court....over in Leipzig.....determined this week that there is no waiver required or necessary for this business. She could have claimed some health issue, and they might have voiced agreement to limit the mandate....but she didn't use that excuse.
All the court did say on the girl's behalf? She would be allowed the option of wearing the full-scale burka of sorts.....to cover all of her body. A regular swimmer would look at this, and probably say that you might drown wearing such a thing, but the court say it as the only offering to give her.
Germans would tend to view this as 'right', and avoid saying much else. They'd like for foreign folks to integrate and at least pretend to be German-like. The Islamic side of this? I would imagine that they are a bit disturbed that rights didn't extend to them, and waivers weren't granted.
It's hard to see how things develop over the next decade or two. Young Islamic women are making their way through the German school system and trying hard to stay pure-Islam. On all fronts, I suspect it's a losing battle. They will eventually finish up schooling and try to stay with the 'clan'....having to accept only guys from the Islamic community. After a decade or two of trying to fit into this very tight lifestyle.....I just don't see them as happy with the outcome.
The pool business? It'll be curious if someone doesn't come up almost drowning with this full-scale burka on.....while on some school mandated swimming hour. Then the court will step in and blame the school for this stupid burka rule.....that the courts originally ordered them toward. You just can't win, in such a mess.
Well....along came this Muslim teenage girl who had an issue with swimming lessons mandated by the school. The school mandated that swimming was required and it'd be a co-ed situation.
Naturally, this didn't sit well with the Islamic folks, and this girl ended up as a test case....challenging the school and it's rules.
The German top level of administrative court....over in Leipzig.....determined this week that there is no waiver required or necessary for this business. She could have claimed some health issue, and they might have voiced agreement to limit the mandate....but she didn't use that excuse.
All the court did say on the girl's behalf? She would be allowed the option of wearing the full-scale burka of sorts.....to cover all of her body. A regular swimmer would look at this, and probably say that you might drown wearing such a thing, but the court say it as the only offering to give her.
Germans would tend to view this as 'right', and avoid saying much else. They'd like for foreign folks to integrate and at least pretend to be German-like. The Islamic side of this? I would imagine that they are a bit disturbed that rights didn't extend to them, and waivers weren't granted.
It's hard to see how things develop over the next decade or two. Young Islamic women are making their way through the German school system and trying hard to stay pure-Islam. On all fronts, I suspect it's a losing battle. They will eventually finish up schooling and try to stay with the 'clan'....having to accept only guys from the Islamic community. After a decade or two of trying to fit into this very tight lifestyle.....I just don't see them as happy with the outcome.
The pool business? It'll be curious if someone doesn't come up almost drowning with this full-scale burka on.....while on some school mandated swimming hour. Then the court will step in and blame the school for this stupid burka rule.....that the courts originally ordered them toward. You just can't win, in such a mess.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Reality TV
I generally hate reality TV....doesn't matter if it's American or German. Maybe one show out of twenty....does some good fake reality stuff....and I can appreciate it for either entertainment or for the story it tells.
This week....I sat one night and watched Kabel Eins with it's show Stellungwechsel: Job Bekannt. It was a lousy two hour piece.
Basically, it's this idea that the network guys had....taking some pool lifeguards from some town in Germany, and swapping them with two ocean lifeguards from Brazil. I could sense from initial moments....this just wouldn't work. It was a ten-day experiment of sorts......that was supposed to be a soap opera of sorts.
From Brazil came Gutavo and Talan ("Joe" and "Little Joe" as far as I was concerned). Young Brazilian guys....comedians to some degree. They lucked out....were treated five-star by their German pool management folks, and that side of the story was more of a comedy than anything else.
At one point, I would have just turned the two guys loose on Germany and made an entire series about the two Brazilian guys and their charm offensive on German women....from age eighteen to seventy.
The other side of this story was was Gabi (the 51-year old female German life guard) and her junior partner David (27 years old).
It's safe to say that Gabi was like some hardcore do-it-by-the-book lifeguard and more concerned with controlling horseplay around a German pool. Putting her down in Brazil on some beach with rough seas and danger lurking every minute.....just didn't work.
This David-kid? Well....first, it was obvious that he was gay, and he was peppy about his ear rings, tongue-ring, and hair. David didn't fit well with the Brazil lifeguard "general" (the best description of this guy would have been Rambo-in-Brazil-on-caffeine).
The two Germans just fell into a pit of woe and frustration. You felt sorry for them. You felt sorry for the viewers. You felt sorry for the Brazilians stuck with this mess to run for ten days.
In the end....everyone hugged.....packed up and left for home. I sat there.....shaking my head. Sadly, for this evening....being in the midst of political-run-up for the election....there's just nothing on German TV. My other choices were Brokeback Mountain on one channel, CSI-Vegas, Two and a Half Men on one network, some banking documentary trying to blame the banking crisis of 2008 for the 1,500th time on someone besides the Germans, and some nature documentary about deer in Europe.
I try to avoid blasting German TV. At least there's around thirty-odd channels....which is a heck of a lot better than the 1980s when there were six channels. The problem is....like American cable options....even if you had two hundred channels....it's mostly lousy choices. Sadly, it might actually make me go back and read Huck Finn for the fifth time, or read up on Irish poets of the 1600's.
This week....I sat one night and watched Kabel Eins with it's show Stellungwechsel: Job Bekannt. It was a lousy two hour piece.
Basically, it's this idea that the network guys had....taking some pool lifeguards from some town in Germany, and swapping them with two ocean lifeguards from Brazil. I could sense from initial moments....this just wouldn't work. It was a ten-day experiment of sorts......that was supposed to be a soap opera of sorts.
From Brazil came Gutavo and Talan ("Joe" and "Little Joe" as far as I was concerned). Young Brazilian guys....comedians to some degree. They lucked out....were treated five-star by their German pool management folks, and that side of the story was more of a comedy than anything else.
At one point, I would have just turned the two guys loose on Germany and made an entire series about the two Brazilian guys and their charm offensive on German women....from age eighteen to seventy.
The other side of this story was was Gabi (the 51-year old female German life guard) and her junior partner David (27 years old).
It's safe to say that Gabi was like some hardcore do-it-by-the-book lifeguard and more concerned with controlling horseplay around a German pool. Putting her down in Brazil on some beach with rough seas and danger lurking every minute.....just didn't work.
This David-kid? Well....first, it was obvious that he was gay, and he was peppy about his ear rings, tongue-ring, and hair. David didn't fit well with the Brazil lifeguard "general" (the best description of this guy would have been Rambo-in-Brazil-on-caffeine).
The two Germans just fell into a pit of woe and frustration. You felt sorry for them. You felt sorry for the viewers. You felt sorry for the Brazilians stuck with this mess to run for ten days.
In the end....everyone hugged.....packed up and left for home. I sat there.....shaking my head. Sadly, for this evening....being in the midst of political-run-up for the election....there's just nothing on German TV. My other choices were Brokeback Mountain on one channel, CSI-Vegas, Two and a Half Men on one network, some banking documentary trying to blame the banking crisis of 2008 for the 1,500th time on someone besides the Germans, and some nature documentary about deer in Europe.
I try to avoid blasting German TV. At least there's around thirty-odd channels....which is a heck of a lot better than the 1980s when there were six channels. The problem is....like American cable options....even if you had two hundred channels....it's mostly lousy choices. Sadly, it might actually make me go back and read Huck Finn for the fifth time, or read up on Irish poets of the 1600's.
The Bottle Isle
Yeah, we have this odd belief that it taste better when it comes in a bottle. That canned stuff? It's OK, but it's just not pure Coke or Pepsi.
So last week, I went off to the isle of Corfu, Greece.
Corfu is this enchanted place in Europe.....where life is a bit slower, stress is marginal, beaches are pure, history is locked into first gear, and you can still find Coke or Pepsi in a bottle.
On a hot afternoon, you sit under a shade....order a soda....and minutes later find yourself staring at an amazing thing....a bottle of Pepsi. You glance to ensure it's actually real Pepsi. Then you slide it toward your glass, and pour. The taste? A million times better than that canned stuff, or I'd like to think that.
An hour or two later.....another hot moment....and the guy brings out a Coke in a bottle.
A Bama guy has to travel half-way around the globe....to the middle of some great sea....to an isle full of Greeks.....to find one of life's wondrous things. It's kind of sad and wonderful at the same time.
Well....yeah....they do run roughly 1.50 Euro (almost 2 bucks), and way behind reason, for what is less than seven ounces of Coke or nine ounces of Pepsi. But it's the best you can do in such an environment.
The Greeks probably don't think much about this. They've been bottling Coke and Pepsi for seventy years....no big deal. I doubt if the companies really think much about it. The bottles get returned, and life goes on.
So for a brief moment, a Bama guy was in paradise....enjoying a brief pause with a refreshing drink.
The Election
The election in Germany is roughly two days away. An American can come away from the last two months with several prospectives.
First, there really weren't any four-star issues to generate huge enthusiasm for this election. The news media tried hard to make Snowden and the NSA episode big....but it was a failure. Then they tried to use Syria, and it was mostly a failure. Unemployment? Talked about to some degree, but the numbers show the best that it's been in a decade. Without that enthusiasm....I'm of the mind that fewer folks will come out and vote (generally, that's the attitude in the US).
Second, the Greens are screwed. Over the past couple of years....the CDU took away their major topics (get rid of nuke plants, hype renewable energy, etc). It's hard to see them getting more than seven percent of the vote. I suspect in 2014.....the Greens will meet to figure out the next trend, and find a new direction or brand to sell their politics onto.
Third, the media has suddenly awaken in the past week and now claim that the anti-Euro Party will have around five percent of the vote. It's a strange note because polls for the past month have tended to give them between two and three percent. A sudden real change? I kinda doubt it. The media in the past week has tried hard to hype down the Merkel numbers. You get to a point where you doubt that one single poll of five percent will make sense.
Fourth, the media in the past couple of weeks have taken to music and slow-motion video to build their news articles (channel one and two both have done it). It's a comical way to slam political parties or actions by people. Almost like a mini-Hollywood production....proclaimed news, when it's more of a theater production.
Fifth, the election last weekend in Bavaria is a bigger deal than most would admit. You see the SPD really not getting past thirty percent for the nation.
Sixth, this Wahl-O-Mat program? Well, it's a computer quiz that takes questions....attaches a weight....then it helps you (the undecided voter)....to make a wise choice. Generally, from what I've viewed....if you were unable to attach yourself to a party, this Wahl-O-Mat ends up making your decision by leading to a two or three topic candidate. Instead of looking across the spectrum, you just made two things important, and this program guided you to the choice. Sadly, in most cases, it's leading you to an odd-ball party (not the SPD, CDU). How many folks will use the software program? I doubt if you can find more than a million Germans who used it....half simply to see if it confirmed the party they always vote for.
Seventh, I'll admit in the last two weeks....the SPD's guy has appeared a great deal on TV, and looks better each time he appears. He has gained five points over the last month. Maybe if they'd done more appearances back in June and July with him.....he might be closer today to Merkel.
Eighth. The Linke Party (the Communists).....will likely pull close to twelve percent in this election (my humble opinion). So far, neither the CDU or the SPD want to admit they exist, or think of a day when they might be part of a team effort to run the government. I suspect that the day will come in a decade or so....when they finally get up around sixteen percent on the national vote, and both of the major parties have to figure a way to partner up with them.
Ninth. For the next four years, it's Chancellor Merkel in charge. It's hard to imagine the CDU not winning this election. It's also a challenge to wonder on what happens in four years, and who steps out of the shadows for the CDU then. I don't think Merkel will desire another run for the job in 2017.
Tenth. If you are an American walking the streets of a German town on this Sunday.....you will notice almost everyone leaving their house and going to a local poll station. They will quietly come back.....brew some coffee....snack on cheesecake.....and wait until six to watch the beginning of election results. The race will be decided by seven, and everyone will be relaxed for the most part....another election concluded without issues. Simplicity, if you ask me.
First, there really weren't any four-star issues to generate huge enthusiasm for this election. The news media tried hard to make Snowden and the NSA episode big....but it was a failure. Then they tried to use Syria, and it was mostly a failure. Unemployment? Talked about to some degree, but the numbers show the best that it's been in a decade. Without that enthusiasm....I'm of the mind that fewer folks will come out and vote (generally, that's the attitude in the US).
Second, the Greens are screwed. Over the past couple of years....the CDU took away their major topics (get rid of nuke plants, hype renewable energy, etc). It's hard to see them getting more than seven percent of the vote. I suspect in 2014.....the Greens will meet to figure out the next trend, and find a new direction or brand to sell their politics onto.
Third, the media has suddenly awaken in the past week and now claim that the anti-Euro Party will have around five percent of the vote. It's a strange note because polls for the past month have tended to give them between two and three percent. A sudden real change? I kinda doubt it. The media in the past week has tried hard to hype down the Merkel numbers. You get to a point where you doubt that one single poll of five percent will make sense.
Fourth, the media in the past couple of weeks have taken to music and slow-motion video to build their news articles (channel one and two both have done it). It's a comical way to slam political parties or actions by people. Almost like a mini-Hollywood production....proclaimed news, when it's more of a theater production.
Fifth, the election last weekend in Bavaria is a bigger deal than most would admit. You see the SPD really not getting past thirty percent for the nation.
Sixth, this Wahl-O-Mat program? Well, it's a computer quiz that takes questions....attaches a weight....then it helps you (the undecided voter)....to make a wise choice. Generally, from what I've viewed....if you were unable to attach yourself to a party, this Wahl-O-Mat ends up making your decision by leading to a two or three topic candidate. Instead of looking across the spectrum, you just made two things important, and this program guided you to the choice. Sadly, in most cases, it's leading you to an odd-ball party (not the SPD, CDU). How many folks will use the software program? I doubt if you can find more than a million Germans who used it....half simply to see if it confirmed the party they always vote for.
Seventh, I'll admit in the last two weeks....the SPD's guy has appeared a great deal on TV, and looks better each time he appears. He has gained five points over the last month. Maybe if they'd done more appearances back in June and July with him.....he might be closer today to Merkel.
Eighth. The Linke Party (the Communists).....will likely pull close to twelve percent in this election (my humble opinion). So far, neither the CDU or the SPD want to admit they exist, or think of a day when they might be part of a team effort to run the government. I suspect that the day will come in a decade or so....when they finally get up around sixteen percent on the national vote, and both of the major parties have to figure a way to partner up with them.
Ninth. For the next four years, it's Chancellor Merkel in charge. It's hard to imagine the CDU not winning this election. It's also a challenge to wonder on what happens in four years, and who steps out of the shadows for the CDU then. I don't think Merkel will desire another run for the job in 2017.
Tenth. If you are an American walking the streets of a German town on this Sunday.....you will notice almost everyone leaving their house and going to a local poll station. They will quietly come back.....brew some coffee....snack on cheesecake.....and wait until six to watch the beginning of election results. The race will be decided by seven, and everyone will be relaxed for the most part....another election concluded without issues. Simplicity, if you ask me.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Just Things I Notice
Last week.....I spent some time in Corfu, Greece. Along this way, I made my way one morning from the hotel to the main drag and waited for the local Corfu bus to come along and pick me up.
After I entered the bus.....I spent about a minute looking over the interior. To be honest, I expected a unkept and marginal bus. This one was up to date, clean, and modern. Then I noticed a couple of things.
First, all these German stickers over the interior. It was a former German bus. Don't know the deal.....but obviously this Corfu bus company had bought the bus, moved it to the isle and was using it.
Second, normally....in Germany.....you just don't smoke onboard the bus. There's various signs on the Corfu bus to note this. Then I looked over and the driver was huffing and puffing away on a cigarette. He was obviously stressed out, and the smoke was helping him. No one was saying much.
Third and final.....there on the window of this 80-passenger bus....was this tiny air freshener. It was one of those cheap Wal-Mart style air fresheners. In a car, it might have been a marginal help for a week. This? In a big huge bus? I doubt if it served any purpose other than looking great on the front window.
It was a this point that I took a big long sniff, and realized that Greeks tend to sweat a bit, and there at noon.....it probably wasn't that great of a bus ride from that point on. I maximized my view of the tiny air freshener, and hoped for maximum benefit. Maybe it's more of a physiological thing.....than actually freshening up the air.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The Meat-Less Day
It's a German statistic which generally surprises an American. Reliability? Well....that might be up for discussion.
It's believed that roughly nine percent of the German population....is vegetarian in nature. Out of eighty million residents....around 7,380,000 million Germans have gone to the vegetarian routine. The source? The Institut Produkt und Markt. It's probably a decent statistic and within the correct range.
An American would look at this....note what they see in public view and question the number.
If you go to most restaurants in Germany today....I'd say the bulk of them offer something for the vegetarian. It might not be a long list of options, but you could sit for an hour with your friend, and eat what you felt was 'safe'.
If you go into any major German grocery chain....they all offer vegetarian frozen meals, and some kind of bio fruit and vegetable area.
Reasons? Heath is usually near the top. Some vegetarians will dwell on and on about the terrible consequences of a daily meat situation. Some will say that it was the typical diet situation if you go back several hundred years ago. Some will state the purity of being a vegetarian. It's the normal list of reasons that you'd see in the US.
The one difference between the German and American vegetarian? Well...over the past couple of months in Germany....there's been this effort to introduce meat-less days at company and government-run canteen operations.
A lot of German companies will have a central cafe, run by a catering company....which sells a lunch at a reasonable price (figure roughly five to eight Euro). They will offer standard German meat selections and meals. They also offer traditional vegetarian menu items, which satisfy most everyone. Quality? Well....you shouldn't expect a four-star meal but it generally makes happy, for the price they charge.
The German vegetarians started an effort on various fronts to influence the canteen operations to offer a meat-less day each week. The meat crowd was amused in the beginning.....then realized that they weren't kidding, and it was getting fairly serious.
In some ways, the vegetarian crowd is making an effort to introduce their lifestyle. They'd like to show folks the practical and healthy side of this. Some of the canteens are bending on this and trying agree with various 'factions'. I would suspect that most will show the receipts and profits in six months....demonstrating that meat-less days....meant lesser participation....less profits....less sales.
Whether or not this trend continues? I'm of the mind that all of the German canteen operations will eventually agree to one meat-less day a week. And the canteens will all agree that they've lost five percent of their weekly profits and sales somewhere in this lifestyle demonstration. The meat guys? They will bring in some wurst.....some microwave dishes....some sandwiches.....and survive on.
No real winners. No real losers. Just a trend spinning its wheels.
It's believed that roughly nine percent of the German population....is vegetarian in nature. Out of eighty million residents....around 7,380,000 million Germans have gone to the vegetarian routine. The source? The Institut Produkt und Markt. It's probably a decent statistic and within the correct range.
An American would look at this....note what they see in public view and question the number.
If you go to most restaurants in Germany today....I'd say the bulk of them offer something for the vegetarian. It might not be a long list of options, but you could sit for an hour with your friend, and eat what you felt was 'safe'.
If you go into any major German grocery chain....they all offer vegetarian frozen meals, and some kind of bio fruit and vegetable area.
Reasons? Heath is usually near the top. Some vegetarians will dwell on and on about the terrible consequences of a daily meat situation. Some will say that it was the typical diet situation if you go back several hundred years ago. Some will state the purity of being a vegetarian. It's the normal list of reasons that you'd see in the US.
The one difference between the German and American vegetarian? Well...over the past couple of months in Germany....there's been this effort to introduce meat-less days at company and government-run canteen operations.
A lot of German companies will have a central cafe, run by a catering company....which sells a lunch at a reasonable price (figure roughly five to eight Euro). They will offer standard German meat selections and meals. They also offer traditional vegetarian menu items, which satisfy most everyone. Quality? Well....you shouldn't expect a four-star meal but it generally makes happy, for the price they charge.
The German vegetarians started an effort on various fronts to influence the canteen operations to offer a meat-less day each week. The meat crowd was amused in the beginning.....then realized that they weren't kidding, and it was getting fairly serious.
In some ways, the vegetarian crowd is making an effort to introduce their lifestyle. They'd like to show folks the practical and healthy side of this. Some of the canteens are bending on this and trying agree with various 'factions'. I would suspect that most will show the receipts and profits in six months....demonstrating that meat-less days....meant lesser participation....less profits....less sales.
Whether or not this trend continues? I'm of the mind that all of the German canteen operations will eventually agree to one meat-less day a week. And the canteens will all agree that they've lost five percent of their weekly profits and sales somewhere in this lifestyle demonstration. The meat guys? They will bring in some wurst.....some microwave dishes....some sandwiches.....and survive on.
No real winners. No real losers. Just a trend spinning its wheels.
Monday, September 16, 2013
TV and the Teenies
Last week....while on vacation in Greece....I sat up one night and watched German TV (the series 39 Degrees). It's on public-run German TV, and it's an interesting weekly piece. They take a journalist and camera guy.....then toss them a story....which takes weeks and months. They go out....visit....ask a few questions....come back a month later....ask more, and watch for the story to develop. There's some creative nature to the series.....I will admit.
This past week? They had these German teenage girls....thirteen to eighteen years old. They were all of the mind that they had a bad nose. Yeah.....a bad nose.
So they wanted a nose job.
For the curious among you.....German plastic surgeons charge roughly 6,000 Euro ($7,200 in general numbers) for such a job.
So on for about forty-five minutes.....we get these stories revolving around these young ladies. The eighteen year old gal....by the end....has made the decision and done it. I personally couldn't tell much difference in her nose, but she was all happy for some apparent reason.
The thirteen year old gal? Well....she is a four-star bitch of a kid, and bound and determined to have this done ASAP. I've seen these types of characters in the US, but this is the first German kid that I've seen that was just plain nuts about this stuff.
Mom tried hard to convince the young gal to abandon this. Then mom turned to dad. Dad was supposed to say "NO" until eighteen. Well....dad answered she could do at sixteen to eighteen. I got the impression....maybe dad didn't answer right, and this invited more issues.
So finally, the thirteen year old gal talks mom and dad into going over to the plastic surgeon. He is awful careful.....knowing he's on camera. He finally comes to some point and says his ethics are clean, and he won't do it for such a young gal (meaning she could come back at eighteen). You could sense her frustration with the guy.
I sat there....sadly.....thinking "yes, we do need to tax wealthy folks more, to prevent stupidity like this". Then it hit me....I was admitting to taxing wealthy folks more.....something I'd never ever say in public. Reality sunk in for that brief moment.....I probably needed a drink to settle my nerves and come back to the real world.
A decade ago? I don't think German teenagers would ever have done something like this or dreamed of nose jobs at thirteen or fifteen years old. Their source of inspiration? I can only guess MTV or some nutty TV show.....from the US.
Reality? Sadly, I'd guess that ten thousand teenage girls around Germany are dreaming of some nose job, and by age twenty-one....some boob job.....and by age thirty....some butt-job. And to think fifty years ago....they would have been happy with just a fancy new blouse.
This past week? They had these German teenage girls....thirteen to eighteen years old. They were all of the mind that they had a bad nose. Yeah.....a bad nose.
So they wanted a nose job.
For the curious among you.....German plastic surgeons charge roughly 6,000 Euro ($7,200 in general numbers) for such a job.
So on for about forty-five minutes.....we get these stories revolving around these young ladies. The eighteen year old gal....by the end....has made the decision and done it. I personally couldn't tell much difference in her nose, but she was all happy for some apparent reason.
The thirteen year old gal? Well....she is a four-star bitch of a kid, and bound and determined to have this done ASAP. I've seen these types of characters in the US, but this is the first German kid that I've seen that was just plain nuts about this stuff.
Mom tried hard to convince the young gal to abandon this. Then mom turned to dad. Dad was supposed to say "NO" until eighteen. Well....dad answered she could do at sixteen to eighteen. I got the impression....maybe dad didn't answer right, and this invited more issues.
So finally, the thirteen year old gal talks mom and dad into going over to the plastic surgeon. He is awful careful.....knowing he's on camera. He finally comes to some point and says his ethics are clean, and he won't do it for such a young gal (meaning she could come back at eighteen). You could sense her frustration with the guy.
I sat there....sadly.....thinking "yes, we do need to tax wealthy folks more, to prevent stupidity like this". Then it hit me....I was admitting to taxing wealthy folks more.....something I'd never ever say in public. Reality sunk in for that brief moment.....I probably needed a drink to settle my nerves and come back to the real world.
A decade ago? I don't think German teenagers would ever have done something like this or dreamed of nose jobs at thirteen or fifteen years old. Their source of inspiration? I can only guess MTV or some nutty TV show.....from the US.
Reality? Sadly, I'd guess that ten thousand teenage girls around Germany are dreaming of some nose job, and by age twenty-one....some boob job.....and by age thirty....some butt-job. And to think fifty years ago....they would have been happy with just a fancy new blouse.
The Bavaria Election
Yesterday was the state election in Bavaria....a week ahead of the national election. You'd have to have a German political analyst explain the timing business. I do know that German states (all sixteen) can run their own interior elections, and rig the timing as they please (as long as it's on a Sunday).
In this case? You could say that this gives a big hint on the national election and the trends in play.
The results?
First, the CSU (cousin of the CDU)....picked up roughly forty-nine percent of the vote. It was considered a major win.....better than they had expected.
Second, the FDP in Bavaria did lousy. They barely got three percent and this really hints of problems across the whole country. Some folks suggest that some CDU folks might cross the line and just 'throw' their vote to the FDP....just to ensure they get to the five-percent point.
Third, the Greens did less than average. The news media is hinting that Green enthusiasm peaked out in the last four years. With various positions put into place this year for the election....they may have lost two or three percentage points because of views on this positions.
Fourth, the Pirate Party? Well.....they took barely two percent of the vote in Bavaria. Across Germany? I would imagine they will be lucky to get three percent.
What's left? Merkel will lead the CDU to a victory.....with a forty to forty-four point win. No one much disputes that now. The remaining question is the FDP at the national level, and if they can get the five-percent and still be a partner to the CDU. Otherwise, the election business is finished.
In a way, the Bavaria election released much of the enthusiasm around the country from next week's election. From an American prospective.....it's odd to see an election where people aren't that peppy about who wins and loses. It's not a typical German election.....at least I get that impression. But, it's an election that doesn't get folks all upset and hostile afterwards. Maybe that's a good thing.
In this case? You could say that this gives a big hint on the national election and the trends in play.
The results?
First, the CSU (cousin of the CDU)....picked up roughly forty-nine percent of the vote. It was considered a major win.....better than they had expected.
Second, the FDP in Bavaria did lousy. They barely got three percent and this really hints of problems across the whole country. Some folks suggest that some CDU folks might cross the line and just 'throw' their vote to the FDP....just to ensure they get to the five-percent point.
Third, the Greens did less than average. The news media is hinting that Green enthusiasm peaked out in the last four years. With various positions put into place this year for the election....they may have lost two or three percentage points because of views on this positions.
Fourth, the Pirate Party? Well.....they took barely two percent of the vote in Bavaria. Across Germany? I would imagine they will be lucky to get three percent.
What's left? Merkel will lead the CDU to a victory.....with a forty to forty-four point win. No one much disputes that now. The remaining question is the FDP at the national level, and if they can get the five-percent and still be a partner to the CDU. Otherwise, the election business is finished.
In a way, the Bavaria election released much of the enthusiasm around the country from next week's election. From an American prospective.....it's odd to see an election where people aren't that peppy about who wins and loses. It's not a typical German election.....at least I get that impression. But, it's an election that doesn't get folks all upset and hostile afterwards. Maybe that's a good thing.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
The Middle-Finger
A number of Germans got all upset....even though they've seen this at work and on the street a thousand times.
A number of Germans didn't get upset, and just said it was all part of the political process.
For a guy from Alabama.....generally, this would be enough to screw up your election results, lose ten percent of your audience, and kinda put you in the "John McCain-status" (nutty but acceptable).
But in Germany, it's a different world. I don't think he lost any votes with the pose, and I doubt if anyone really got all that upset. There's probably forty guys out there that wish they'd done the same pose. Chancellor Merkel? Well.....she'd just grin and say that she'd like to do it, but thinks it's probably unladylike.
Sadly, this is the biggest news of the past week....in the run-up to the German election. That really says a lot.
Friday, September 6, 2013
The Best Ever German Cowboy Western
Your choice....Apache Gold (the American title) or Winnitou (the German title).
It was a 1963 cowboy western made out of a book from 1893 by Karl May (a German).
The best I can say is that this guy....Karl May....was a smart kid in the 1850s and would do some teacher training....but screwed up. Perhaps bad luck, but the authorities took a liking to Karl and he did some local county jail time for oddball things.
The curious thing is that he eventually picked up some two-star western novels....read them....and got this idea of writing an authentic cowboy novel himself. The difference between his writing and the typical American-style? Well....in Karl's vision....the Indians were always the good guys, and a number of Latinos and white guys were typically bad guys.
Somewhere in the mix was this one handsome John Wayne-like character....always kept buddy-buddy with Winnitou.....the gracious Indian character.
Yeah, it does sound hokey.
Apache Gold has around a dozen folks who were either big-name stars or would go onto being big-names. The site for the movie? Yugoslavia.....deep in the heart of Serbia territory. The landscape looks western. The outfits? Well...they look cheap Italian, if you ask me.
The script is basically a two-star deal and it's best not to take things in this movie too serious.
As for Germans? Well....the Winnitou series of movies were all hot properties, and you can catch them several times a year on state-run TV. Course, older Germans watch them....younger Germans think they are mostly bogus. A generational thing, if you ask me.
As for Karl? He wrote literally dozens of pieces, and did well later in life. Course, Karl also had a stress-related issue, and probably had several mini-breakdowns as well.
So, if you can find the movie....settle back and enjoy it. I'll admit....it is hokey and a bit different from the typical cowboy westerns. But, it's Germany's best western.
It was a 1963 cowboy western made out of a book from 1893 by Karl May (a German).
The best I can say is that this guy....Karl May....was a smart kid in the 1850s and would do some teacher training....but screwed up. Perhaps bad luck, but the authorities took a liking to Karl and he did some local county jail time for oddball things.
The curious thing is that he eventually picked up some two-star western novels....read them....and got this idea of writing an authentic cowboy novel himself. The difference between his writing and the typical American-style? Well....in Karl's vision....the Indians were always the good guys, and a number of Latinos and white guys were typically bad guys.
Somewhere in the mix was this one handsome John Wayne-like character....always kept buddy-buddy with Winnitou.....the gracious Indian character.
Yeah, it does sound hokey.
Apache Gold has around a dozen folks who were either big-name stars or would go onto being big-names. The site for the movie? Yugoslavia.....deep in the heart of Serbia territory. The landscape looks western. The outfits? Well...they look cheap Italian, if you ask me.
The script is basically a two-star deal and it's best not to take things in this movie too serious.
As for Germans? Well....the Winnitou series of movies were all hot properties, and you can catch them several times a year on state-run TV. Course, older Germans watch them....younger Germans think they are mostly bogus. A generational thing, if you ask me.
As for Karl? He wrote literally dozens of pieces, and did well later in life. Course, Karl also had a stress-related issue, and probably had several mini-breakdowns as well.
So, if you can find the movie....settle back and enjoy it. I'll admit....it is hokey and a bit different from the typical cowboy westerns. But, it's Germany's best western.
Raids
If you read through the international news today.....there were raids down in Bavaria yesterday. The basic story is this Christian group (of a fairly unusual nature).....were accused of physical and emotional abuse with the kids in the farming group community. Reports indicate around thirty kids. Part of the issue also centered on the educational requirements that Germany mandates.....either public or private school (no home-schooling). Number of cops involved? News report indicate a hundred cops were involved....with a substantial number of social welfare folks.
The general rule in Germany is that you can run up just about any religion you want, and keep it transparent to the public, and there's no issue. For schooling? Well....you can have a public school setting or a private school setting. The key element is that you have accredited school teachers. You can't just yank your kids out of a German school and do the home-schooling thing. Based on some reports.....it appears that the accredited teachers that the religious group had for last year.....left. And there's no clear sign that any accredited teachers were hired for the new year. Maybe this was wrongly understood by the authorities....but it's mentioned in several news sources.
What drives the no home-schooling business?
Germans have a simple basis for education. Around the ninth grade....you are basically finished with formal school. Some kids go onto college-pre or a more technical environment. The bulk (around sixty percent) go to the apprentice program (figure 25 hours of work each week and 15 hours of classroom work). The bulk of what you learned at age 15.....is finished except for the trade crafts.
What Germans will tell you is that they really can't see the sense of allowing folks who basically have a ninth-grade education.....instructing their kids. It doesn't make logical sense.
Toss in the fact that the whole apprentice program is based on you being prepared around age fifteen and sixteen.....there's some steps that you really need to go through and be ready.
Finally, folks have this negative feeling about giving out social benefits. They don't want to see some idiot show up at age thirty at the welfare office and say that he can't get a job in life.....because he doesn't have a real education background or trade background.
There's a bit of pondering and thinking that the Germans have put into this whole business of home-schooling. If you polled folks in Germany.....I doubt that you'd find more than one person in twenty who is fully supportive of home-schooling.
The news media? They generally tell the pro-government side of the story, and point out the radical religious nature of these groups asking for home-schooling. I'll admit.....it's easier for the public to understand the episode....if they think these folks involved are radicals. That might be a problem in some ways.
What happens now? Court action. Some folks from the religious group will make a break from the group and clean up their act. Some of the kids in the next couple of months will go back to their parents.
The general rule in Germany is that you can run up just about any religion you want, and keep it transparent to the public, and there's no issue. For schooling? Well....you can have a public school setting or a private school setting. The key element is that you have accredited school teachers. You can't just yank your kids out of a German school and do the home-schooling thing. Based on some reports.....it appears that the accredited teachers that the religious group had for last year.....left. And there's no clear sign that any accredited teachers were hired for the new year. Maybe this was wrongly understood by the authorities....but it's mentioned in several news sources.
What drives the no home-schooling business?
Germans have a simple basis for education. Around the ninth grade....you are basically finished with formal school. Some kids go onto college-pre or a more technical environment. The bulk (around sixty percent) go to the apprentice program (figure 25 hours of work each week and 15 hours of classroom work). The bulk of what you learned at age 15.....is finished except for the trade crafts.
What Germans will tell you is that they really can't see the sense of allowing folks who basically have a ninth-grade education.....instructing their kids. It doesn't make logical sense.
Toss in the fact that the whole apprentice program is based on you being prepared around age fifteen and sixteen.....there's some steps that you really need to go through and be ready.
Finally, folks have this negative feeling about giving out social benefits. They don't want to see some idiot show up at age thirty at the welfare office and say that he can't get a job in life.....because he doesn't have a real education background or trade background.
There's a bit of pondering and thinking that the Germans have put into this whole business of home-schooling. If you polled folks in Germany.....I doubt that you'd find more than one person in twenty who is fully supportive of home-schooling.
The news media? They generally tell the pro-government side of the story, and point out the radical religious nature of these groups asking for home-schooling. I'll admit.....it's easier for the public to understand the episode....if they think these folks involved are radicals. That might be a problem in some ways.
What happens now? Court action. Some folks from the religious group will make a break from the group and clean up their act. Some of the kids in the next couple of months will go back to their parents.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
1242 and Wiesbaden
There's this little bit of history, which most folks in Wiesbaden never get into....an explanation why there aren't any buildings in existence today, except from the late 1600's on.
For years and years....there's been this comical nature between Wiesbaden folks and Mainz folks (the guys on the other side of the river). They are basically separated by half a mile of water....nothing more. Today, you can cross a bridge on foot in five minutes. You'd basically declare that Mainz looks like a working-man's town, and Wiesbaden an upscale swanky town.
Well....back to the history lesson.
In the years before 1242....Wiesbaden wasn't exactly swank. The local folks were a bit testy, challenging folks on various topics, and ended on the short end of the Mainz Catholic Church list. It'd be polite in today's world to say that they'd become like a US Tea-Party group, and made themselves a broad target.
Insulting? Well....there's not enough written down to explain how the Bishop of Mainz felt about all the words spoken.
The Bishop of Mainz was the chief player of local politics. In 1242, he was more of powerhouse than any royalty in the region. So things came to pass that he simply made a decision....burn Wiesbaden to the ground.
No one can say today with much authority over the number of houses, huts, or buildings involved....but it had to be more than just a hundred. It's hard to say the reaction of Wiesbaden folks....some church bishop at their city limits....burning the place down.....more or less in the name of God.
One has to imagine locals being a bit testy and hostile after this event. Like good Germans....they aspired to recover. Some history to Wiesbaden lay in the ruins. But, they rebuilt.
So roughly three hundred years pass by. Wiesbaden has made a comeback of sorts. Around 1547....a fire breaks out, and a fair amount of the town burns to the ground. Some history to Wiesbaden.....lay in the ruins. But, they rebuilt.
Fourteen years go by. Wiesbaden has made a comeback of sorts. Then in 1561....another fire breaks out, and a fair amount of the town burns to the ground. Some history to Wiesbaden....lay in the ruins. But, they rebuilt.
Toss in the Thirty-Years War, and more damage.
So around 1690, the remaining population of Wiesbaden are now bound and determined to rebuilt, with absolute enthusiasm. Basically....it's 730-odd residents. You can figure half are over fifty or under eighteen....and it's basically on the backs of 200-odd guys to rack and stack the mess at their feet.
They'd messed with the Romans....the Catholic Church....the fires, and bluntly....their patience had been tried. From 1690 on.....the real city today of Wiesbaden lays out like a curious marvel of design and perfection. You could say that version one, two, three, and maybe up to version five of the city....have been burnt to the ground or destroyed. You've got the one and only version in existence today.
If you kinda laid out this history lesson to the locals....they might know bits and pieces. They are a forgiving crowd for the most part. They'd admit maybe they are tough on commentary for their neighbors, and maybe this is part of the local tradition. They are a swanky town compared to Mainz....mostly because they built it that way. They'd claim they have more art and culture....because they wanted it that way.
A simple moment in history.
For years and years....there's been this comical nature between Wiesbaden folks and Mainz folks (the guys on the other side of the river). They are basically separated by half a mile of water....nothing more. Today, you can cross a bridge on foot in five minutes. You'd basically declare that Mainz looks like a working-man's town, and Wiesbaden an upscale swanky town.
Well....back to the history lesson.
In the years before 1242....Wiesbaden wasn't exactly swank. The local folks were a bit testy, challenging folks on various topics, and ended on the short end of the Mainz Catholic Church list. It'd be polite in today's world to say that they'd become like a US Tea-Party group, and made themselves a broad target.
Insulting? Well....there's not enough written down to explain how the Bishop of Mainz felt about all the words spoken.
The Bishop of Mainz was the chief player of local politics. In 1242, he was more of powerhouse than any royalty in the region. So things came to pass that he simply made a decision....burn Wiesbaden to the ground.
No one can say today with much authority over the number of houses, huts, or buildings involved....but it had to be more than just a hundred. It's hard to say the reaction of Wiesbaden folks....some church bishop at their city limits....burning the place down.....more or less in the name of God.
One has to imagine locals being a bit testy and hostile after this event. Like good Germans....they aspired to recover. Some history to Wiesbaden lay in the ruins. But, they rebuilt.
So roughly three hundred years pass by. Wiesbaden has made a comeback of sorts. Around 1547....a fire breaks out, and a fair amount of the town burns to the ground. Some history to Wiesbaden.....lay in the ruins. But, they rebuilt.
Fourteen years go by. Wiesbaden has made a comeback of sorts. Then in 1561....another fire breaks out, and a fair amount of the town burns to the ground. Some history to Wiesbaden....lay in the ruins. But, they rebuilt.
Toss in the Thirty-Years War, and more damage.
So around 1690, the remaining population of Wiesbaden are now bound and determined to rebuilt, with absolute enthusiasm. Basically....it's 730-odd residents. You can figure half are over fifty or under eighteen....and it's basically on the backs of 200-odd guys to rack and stack the mess at their feet.
They'd messed with the Romans....the Catholic Church....the fires, and bluntly....their patience had been tried. From 1690 on.....the real city today of Wiesbaden lays out like a curious marvel of design and perfection. You could say that version one, two, three, and maybe up to version five of the city....have been burnt to the ground or destroyed. You've got the one and only version in existence today.
If you kinda laid out this history lesson to the locals....they might know bits and pieces. They are a forgiving crowd for the most part. They'd admit maybe they are tough on commentary for their neighbors, and maybe this is part of the local tradition. They are a swanky town compared to Mainz....mostly because they built it that way. They'd claim they have more art and culture....because they wanted it that way.
A simple moment in history.
Observations on Wiesbaden
After two months of walking around Wiesbaden, I can make ten basic observations:
First, there are a fair number of lady-guys (shemales, fake-women, transexuals, etc) in Wiesbaden. A guy will walk around and notice things like this. Maybe it's just a statistical thing, and I'm in the right part of town. Maybe it's just the urban nature of Wiesbaden. But it just seems like way too many guys attempting to look like women when it's a dismal failure.
Second, the folks that tend to walk into upscale bio-foods only groceries? I spent forty minutes this morning, in a waiting situation....sipping coffee and eating cheesecake....across from one of these bio-grocery shops. That's the only thing they sell....nothing else but bio. From the dozen folks who walked in.....all were dressed in what a Bama guy would call 'church-going clothing'.....meaning they were dressed up. You don't see working class folks buying the bio stuff.....just the folks with cash to burn. Maybe this says something....maybe not.
Third, after a while, you come to note that there are a heck of alot of high-maintenance wives in Wiesbaden. Basically, you can spot them them from fifty feet away....dressed in swanky stuff and fancy shoes. Maybe there's some really lucky guys who live in town, and patting themselves on the back each day with the great paychecks, a perfect house, and Lady Gaga-like wife. Course, when the gig runs out....will the trophy-wife still be there? That's the million-dollar question.
Fourth, folks in Wiesbaden tend to drink coffee and apple-cider (the hard stuff and the soft stuff). Wine is on down the line, and beer is probably like the number five or six on the drink list. A guy could feel out of place sipping a beer. As for the coffee? I'd make a guess that every adult in town is sipping three to four cups a day minimum.
Fifth, fashion in Wiesbaden goes from fancy Paris-gaudy to trailer-trash slutty. The Gothic folks have their fashion. The $400 sweater guys have their fashion. The cleaning ladies have their fashion. The banker wives have their fashion. The punk kids have their fashion. And somewhere out there....are the 75-year old guys who are still dressed in 1966 plaid-suits....looking sharp, but way out of date.
Sixth, the Burka-gals don't ever stop or allow themselves to be seen in a book shop....unless it's a kid's book shop. You can walk for hours and hours.....around twenty odd bookshops in Wiesbaden, and you just don't ever see a Burka-gal. Maybe it's fear of being seen there by some friend of the husband or some threat by the clan....it's hard to say.
Seventh, if a guy woke up and realized at 9AM that it was his wife's birthday....Wiesbaden is the only town in the world where I think he could hustle into, find an appropriate gift in sixty minutes, wrap it, and have it ready to hand over an hour later. There's virtually nothing you can't find.....in some oddball shop, that won't work as gift for someone. The thousand-odd shops in town are bound and determined to sell you just about anything you need.
Eighth, if your doctor was telling you that you've bundled up way too much stress....on the verge of some heart-attack....then I'd tell you to pack up and come to Wiesbaden for two weeks. Sip some apple-wine.....take a two-hour walk in the park....admire some graffiti.....listen to some jazz....or just gaze at 1880's construction. A guy's blood pressure will lessen after just a week, and you keep wondering if there's anything possible to get you all stirred up.
Nineth, you keep looking for gangs or thugs.....and it's hard to find them in Wiesbaden. After almost two months of walking around.....I can't think of any situation where there was even a hint of gang activity or dopers. Now.....drunks? Oh, yeah....there's always a guy here or there....whose had a few apple wines too many. But thugs? No.
Tenth. I think around fifty percent of the population of Wiesbaden.....if you offered them a chance to move anywhere in the world.....would decline. You could toss up a fancy job and apartment in New York City, a lakefront property in Zurich, a big house in Berlin, or even a ranch house in Montana. It wouldn't matter....they'd refuse to leave. These are people who are handcuffed, and grinning on a daily basis....with no necessity to ever think about leaving.
First, there are a fair number of lady-guys (shemales, fake-women, transexuals, etc) in Wiesbaden. A guy will walk around and notice things like this. Maybe it's just a statistical thing, and I'm in the right part of town. Maybe it's just the urban nature of Wiesbaden. But it just seems like way too many guys attempting to look like women when it's a dismal failure.
Second, the folks that tend to walk into upscale bio-foods only groceries? I spent forty minutes this morning, in a waiting situation....sipping coffee and eating cheesecake....across from one of these bio-grocery shops. That's the only thing they sell....nothing else but bio. From the dozen folks who walked in.....all were dressed in what a Bama guy would call 'church-going clothing'.....meaning they were dressed up. You don't see working class folks buying the bio stuff.....just the folks with cash to burn. Maybe this says something....maybe not.
Third, after a while, you come to note that there are a heck of alot of high-maintenance wives in Wiesbaden. Basically, you can spot them them from fifty feet away....dressed in swanky stuff and fancy shoes. Maybe there's some really lucky guys who live in town, and patting themselves on the back each day with the great paychecks, a perfect house, and Lady Gaga-like wife. Course, when the gig runs out....will the trophy-wife still be there? That's the million-dollar question.
Fourth, folks in Wiesbaden tend to drink coffee and apple-cider (the hard stuff and the soft stuff). Wine is on down the line, and beer is probably like the number five or six on the drink list. A guy could feel out of place sipping a beer. As for the coffee? I'd make a guess that every adult in town is sipping three to four cups a day minimum.
Fifth, fashion in Wiesbaden goes from fancy Paris-gaudy to trailer-trash slutty. The Gothic folks have their fashion. The $400 sweater guys have their fashion. The cleaning ladies have their fashion. The banker wives have their fashion. The punk kids have their fashion. And somewhere out there....are the 75-year old guys who are still dressed in 1966 plaid-suits....looking sharp, but way out of date.
Sixth, the Burka-gals don't ever stop or allow themselves to be seen in a book shop....unless it's a kid's book shop. You can walk for hours and hours.....around twenty odd bookshops in Wiesbaden, and you just don't ever see a Burka-gal. Maybe it's fear of being seen there by some friend of the husband or some threat by the clan....it's hard to say.
Seventh, if a guy woke up and realized at 9AM that it was his wife's birthday....Wiesbaden is the only town in the world where I think he could hustle into, find an appropriate gift in sixty minutes, wrap it, and have it ready to hand over an hour later. There's virtually nothing you can't find.....in some oddball shop, that won't work as gift for someone. The thousand-odd shops in town are bound and determined to sell you just about anything you need.
Eighth, if your doctor was telling you that you've bundled up way too much stress....on the verge of some heart-attack....then I'd tell you to pack up and come to Wiesbaden for two weeks. Sip some apple-wine.....take a two-hour walk in the park....admire some graffiti.....listen to some jazz....or just gaze at 1880's construction. A guy's blood pressure will lessen after just a week, and you keep wondering if there's anything possible to get you all stirred up.
Nineth, you keep looking for gangs or thugs.....and it's hard to find them in Wiesbaden. After almost two months of walking around.....I can't think of any situation where there was even a hint of gang activity or dopers. Now.....drunks? Oh, yeah....there's always a guy here or there....whose had a few apple wines too many. But thugs? No.
Tenth. I think around fifty percent of the population of Wiesbaden.....if you offered them a chance to move anywhere in the world.....would decline. You could toss up a fancy job and apartment in New York City, a lakefront property in Zurich, a big house in Berlin, or even a ranch house in Montana. It wouldn't matter....they'd refuse to leave. These are people who are handcuffed, and grinning on a daily basis....with no necessity to ever think about leaving.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
The Roman Pit
There's a decent pub of sorts there on the hilltop where a guy is under a shade, and right next to the Roman pit.
One could imagine two thousand years ago.....a couple of Italian soldiers.....bored....and putting up an afternoon wrestling display, with a couple hundred of their buddies sitting on the rocks surrounding the pit.
Most Germans will come up and admire the pit.....thinking it's the actual real pit and a very historic site.
Course, a Bama guy sits there long enough and gazes down into the pit and notices this drainage trap at the bottom. Modern technology arrived and installed a fairly decent drainage system.....in the last fifty-odd years.
Authentic? Well....it looks real and you can imagine hundreds of wrestling bouts held there, between "King Kong" Alfonso and "Macho Man" Pascal. Bouts of theater action....like the WWE? Well....it's hard to say. Once you get to the point that wrestling is entertaining and not a sport.....it's hard to keep things straight.
The positive here is that the local German folks have a decent looking Roman pit, and you can spend an afternoon sipping hard apple cider and imagine husky overweight Rome warriors playing around. Course, if we were in Rome.....you'd have some fake warriors having fake bouts.....hired by the city to make the tourists happy. Luckily, the Germans don't go to that extreme.
Little Things You Notice
Down near the only real German restaurant left open, there is an authentic horse trough sitting there, with running water going into it. It's a village-operated thing.
Some villages have a water fountain. Some have fancy statues. My village has a horse trough.
How many horses will sip from it? Well....I'd be the wrong person to ask but I'd take a humble guess that maybe once every ten years.....someone brings a horse down to the center of the village and he takes a 10-minute pause. I won't vouch for the water.....it's probably piped over from the city water.....which runs off some mountain stream.
The Diana Story
Public-run ZDF (one of the two major German networks)....ran 37-Degrees last night. It's a weekly show that generally is a fairly serious documentary piece on people. You'd basically say from a weekly prospective....it's the trials and woes of regular people, with all the ups and downs in full view. Real people.....real situations.
Last night was this fifty-minute piece on Diana....a missing 26-year old gal.
The best I can say after watching it......here is some gal that grew up always in confrontational status....had a kid around age eighteen....then discovered herself just spinning her wheels and going nowhere. She felt she had art and writing talent, but was told no one wanted her drawings or her manuscript.
Her anger and frustration have now reached maximum capacity.
Two years ago.....she decided to take a two-week hike. Germans do this on occasion....usually to clear their mind and dump some stress. This episode went in a slightly different manner. She wanted no cellphone for the trip, and took 300 Euro. If you camped and ate cheaply.....the 300 Euro would have lasted maybe five weeks at best. She disappeared off the face of the Earth. For two years, nothing....no contact with the family and everyone assuming the worse.
What the private detective has run down is her last day or two....in some village over in the eastern side of Germany. A small town in the middle of nowhere. After that? Nothing.
After watching the whole show.....I came to this opinion that she basically was going to commit suicide, and this was a long-planned episode. Without the cellphone, there's no tracking going on and you can quietly find some thick woods to disappear into.
The German cops will tell you of the eighty million population....they have roughly 200 Germans per day reported "lost". The majority end up being found within a day or two (they got drunk, stayed at some friends house, or just ran away from home to live under the bridge). You can estimate from the rest that around a thousand Germans a year.....never come back or show up. Murder? Suicide? Or just living under some bridge? You just don't know.
The bridge-people, as I refer to them, aren't counted in census operations, and the cops don't really care who they are or why they chose that life. In the Wiesbaden area.....just walking around and taking a humble guess.....I'd say around four hundred folks in the city exist as bridge-people. Some are teenagers who just walked out the door and won't go back. Some are hardcore drunks. Some are crazy.
The social office will take anyone who walks through the door, and help to put them into some organized effort. You can't slam the German system.....they will take on anyone, and at least ensure they have three meals a day and a roof over their head.
This Diana? You'd like to settle the story and at least the parents (and her son).....would know the precise end. Even if you found her body in some woods....it'd leave everyone with a set feeling. You could accept something like that. In this case? You just don't know. She might be one of the bridge-people and intend to live the next thirty years quietly.
The shows title? 37-Degrees? Well....that's Celsius, and that's where life exists.....at 98 degree F.
Last night was this fifty-minute piece on Diana....a missing 26-year old gal.
The best I can say after watching it......here is some gal that grew up always in confrontational status....had a kid around age eighteen....then discovered herself just spinning her wheels and going nowhere. She felt she had art and writing talent, but was told no one wanted her drawings or her manuscript.
Her anger and frustration have now reached maximum capacity.
Two years ago.....she decided to take a two-week hike. Germans do this on occasion....usually to clear their mind and dump some stress. This episode went in a slightly different manner. She wanted no cellphone for the trip, and took 300 Euro. If you camped and ate cheaply.....the 300 Euro would have lasted maybe five weeks at best. She disappeared off the face of the Earth. For two years, nothing....no contact with the family and everyone assuming the worse.
What the private detective has run down is her last day or two....in some village over in the eastern side of Germany. A small town in the middle of nowhere. After that? Nothing.
After watching the whole show.....I came to this opinion that she basically was going to commit suicide, and this was a long-planned episode. Without the cellphone, there's no tracking going on and you can quietly find some thick woods to disappear into.
The German cops will tell you of the eighty million population....they have roughly 200 Germans per day reported "lost". The majority end up being found within a day or two (they got drunk, stayed at some friends house, or just ran away from home to live under the bridge). You can estimate from the rest that around a thousand Germans a year.....never come back or show up. Murder? Suicide? Or just living under some bridge? You just don't know.
The bridge-people, as I refer to them, aren't counted in census operations, and the cops don't really care who they are or why they chose that life. In the Wiesbaden area.....just walking around and taking a humble guess.....I'd say around four hundred folks in the city exist as bridge-people. Some are teenagers who just walked out the door and won't go back. Some are hardcore drunks. Some are crazy.
The social office will take anyone who walks through the door, and help to put them into some organized effort. You can't slam the German system.....they will take on anyone, and at least ensure they have three meals a day and a roof over their head.
This Diana? You'd like to settle the story and at least the parents (and her son).....would know the precise end. Even if you found her body in some woods....it'd leave everyone with a set feeling. You could accept something like that. In this case? You just don't know. She might be one of the bridge-people and intend to live the next thirty years quietly.
The shows title? 37-Degrees? Well....that's Celsius, and that's where life exists.....at 98 degree F.
The Other Debate
From Monday, a second political show came up....with the "other" three parties in the running for this month's election (Greens, FDP, Linke). The show was entitled: Dreikampf (Battle of the Three).
For an American, there's not much to say. The big show on Sunday had the two major parties who will pull roughly sixty-five percent of the national vote. These three parties? They will end up with twenty-five percent of the national vote. It was around an hour of debate....which ended up being a very loose situation.....candidates running over to debate one another. I suspect the audience probably would have preferred more structure, or maybe they enjoyed the nose-to-nose situations.
Affecting the numbers? The news media says it didn't really do much to change numbers.
The other two parties? (Anti-Euro and Pirates) Well....it's yet to be seen if either can pull that magical five-percent win. Most polls just aren't showing either getting more than four-percent, and in that case.....they get no representation in the Bundestag.
The chief topic? Well....jobs. Amazingly enough....Germany has more folks employed than almost every single country in Europe, and you'd almost brag with numbers like they have. The other side of this story are the bigger-name companies which are downsizing, and laying off thousands. Folks are going through long-term unemployment....months and months sending out resumes.....getting no offers. The news media (especially state-run TV folks)....have gone to make this one of the top topics of this election. The experts kinda argue that some companies just aren't in a great position to be competitive....whether by cost issues, benefit costs, or regulation. The hint by the media....is that the political folks need to get involved in this and somehow fix it. Usually, this always comes around to higher taxes....a magical answer for every single problem.
It was a debate that came and went. I doubt if more than half of the Sunday audience (15 million estimated for that one).....watched this debate.
For an American, there's not much to say. The big show on Sunday had the two major parties who will pull roughly sixty-five percent of the national vote. These three parties? They will end up with twenty-five percent of the national vote. It was around an hour of debate....which ended up being a very loose situation.....candidates running over to debate one another. I suspect the audience probably would have preferred more structure, or maybe they enjoyed the nose-to-nose situations.
Affecting the numbers? The news media says it didn't really do much to change numbers.
The other two parties? (Anti-Euro and Pirates) Well....it's yet to be seen if either can pull that magical five-percent win. Most polls just aren't showing either getting more than four-percent, and in that case.....they get no representation in the Bundestag.
The chief topic? Well....jobs. Amazingly enough....Germany has more folks employed than almost every single country in Europe, and you'd almost brag with numbers like they have. The other side of this story are the bigger-name companies which are downsizing, and laying off thousands. Folks are going through long-term unemployment....months and months sending out resumes.....getting no offers. The news media (especially state-run TV folks)....have gone to make this one of the top topics of this election. The experts kinda argue that some companies just aren't in a great position to be competitive....whether by cost issues, benefit costs, or regulation. The hint by the media....is that the political folks need to get involved in this and somehow fix it. Usually, this always comes around to higher taxes....a magical answer for every single problem.
It was a debate that came and went. I doubt if more than half of the Sunday audience (15 million estimated for that one).....watched this debate.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
It Could Have Been Real Art
Up until twenty years ago.....they all had a station master, and someone to sell you tickets. Automation caught up, and now while the train does still stop.....there's no one there, and there's no necessity for the old Bahnhof buildings.
There's a general Bahn rule now about which towns keep an operational station, and which ones go into a disposal status. Some stations sit vacant. Some turn into a restuant or pub. Some end up as the Leubenheim station....as a after-school center for the town.
The intention I think.....city officials admitted they had an issue with 'wild kids', and they sent off to the state a request for funding and a social worker. The request was approved, and some funding was put into fixing the interior of the place. In some ways, it became a magnet for the 'wild kids' and graffiti ensued. Maybe it's a positive think that they did the graffiti there....rather than around the main streets or business district.
I sat there for thirty minutes one afternoon.....waiting for the train to Mainz, and admiring the graffiti work. The sad thing here....some punks have some art talent, and could be doing da Vinci-like work....if they just focused. Instead, you get abstract stuff with hip-meanings, which don't really relate into anything worth viewing.
Personally? Course, I am the American here....not the German....and I ought not criticize too much. But I'd fire the social worker, and hire some French art instructor and turn the punks loose on real art creativity. There are a billion walls around German worth painting brilliant landscapes or masterpieces. If you got to waste paint.....do it in some way of value....that people appreciate. Sadly, it's a guy from Bama saying this....who never took a class in art, but can recognize a van Gogh from a mile away (don't ask).
Just two cents of humble view.
The Bench
It's there for two reasons. Some folks are of a older generation and probably just do a short walk, and need a spot to rest for ten minutes. For other folks, it's a chance to sit, pause and reflect. Well, and there's the other group who pulls out a pack of smokes and lights up.
The thing is....the bench is this standardized item. They are generally all constructed the same way. There's nothing fancy about them. I doubt if they cost that much. And a couple of guys could put it into the ground in less than ten minutes.
After you've walked a fair amount, it becomes this oasis of some sort. You take a few minutes. Stretch your legs. Gulp down a bit of water to cool off. And you relax.
It's one of those things that Germans probably don't think much about. Benches have been around for centuries, and there's nothing big about them being there. They've merely accepted the bench and continued on.
An American would sit there a while.....look at the construction.....the value.....the scene.....and have this forest image in his mind with a bench and a million-dollar view.
Monday, September 2, 2013
The Forum
Germany's two primary candidates for the Chancellor job were in a debate last night. The secondary candidates (Greens, FDP, and Linke)? Well....by the agreement between the two major parties and the news media.....it was strictly a small debate without the other players.
Generally, nothing really changed much at the end. Merkel might have been challenged a bit by Steinbreueck. The SPD candidate did say that if he won.....he'd likely kick the NSA folks out of Germany. Whether he'd carry out the threat.....would be a curious thing.
The more interesting parts of Sunday evening? Well.....the two top state-run TV networks carried the forum, along with two of the commercial networks. Yep, four major networks. So it left very little for the rest of the TV spectrum. It's believed that fifteen million Germans watched (roughly a quarter of the nation). The best choice of entertainment if you weren't into this stuff? German Promi Shopping Queens in Africa.....yeah, a pretty limited choice of viewing.
Changing the outcome? No. The SPD might have picked up another three or four points, which they desperately needed. My humble guess is that they are around twenty-seven percent of the national vote right now.
Finally, the analysis after the debate? Well.....the state-run TV folks went to a pretty serious and chatty forum. The commercial networks? It was kinda like a Jay Leno hour, with a comedian or two. Folks observed the attire and dress of the two candidates......in serious fashion. Then some minutes were spent on discussing the "stare-factor" of both Steinbreueck and Merkel. Both tried hard to stare down the other, and it was like two kids in a sixth-grade class.
As an American, I'd say it pretty much was of the same value of an American debate. After ninety minutes, you really haven't changed your mind much over who to vote for, and you feel cheated in someways because you would have asked tougher questions.
Generally, nothing really changed much at the end. Merkel might have been challenged a bit by Steinbreueck. The SPD candidate did say that if he won.....he'd likely kick the NSA folks out of Germany. Whether he'd carry out the threat.....would be a curious thing.
The more interesting parts of Sunday evening? Well.....the two top state-run TV networks carried the forum, along with two of the commercial networks. Yep, four major networks. So it left very little for the rest of the TV spectrum. It's believed that fifteen million Germans watched (roughly a quarter of the nation). The best choice of entertainment if you weren't into this stuff? German Promi Shopping Queens in Africa.....yeah, a pretty limited choice of viewing.
Changing the outcome? No. The SPD might have picked up another three or four points, which they desperately needed. My humble guess is that they are around twenty-seven percent of the national vote right now.
Finally, the analysis after the debate? Well.....the state-run TV folks went to a pretty serious and chatty forum. The commercial networks? It was kinda like a Jay Leno hour, with a comedian or two. Folks observed the attire and dress of the two candidates......in serious fashion. Then some minutes were spent on discussing the "stare-factor" of both Steinbreueck and Merkel. Both tried hard to stare down the other, and it was like two kids in a sixth-grade class.
As an American, I'd say it pretty much was of the same value of an American debate. After ninety minutes, you really haven't changed your mind much over who to vote for, and you feel cheated in someways because you would have asked tougher questions.
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