1. What's with this expression 'Where's Olaf'?
It's been around for probably a month, and relates to Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor. Basically, you'd never notice Olaf because he kinda limits his public appearances, and makes only random public talks. So journalists joke over this gimmick, and ask 'where's Olaf'?
Insult? Well....he was this way as mayor of Hamburg. You can go back over the years he served there.....doing basically the same thing. If you were looking for a 'fixer' or 'in-the-middle-of-things' guy.....then he's not the choice for the job.
2. Health Minister (Lauterbach) indicating ban rules will relax by Easter?
Yes, he did say that yesterday. Easter? It's 17 April.....still a long way to reach. State by state, I'd say that all of them will have unhooked the ban rule wagon....way before (maybe most rules are gone by the end of Feb).
3. Chancellor Scholz to meet with President Biden today (Monday)?
Yes, but there's just not much likely to occur. Some talk on the Nord Stream II pipeline to occur (maybe shutting it down if the Ukraine invasion occurs). Getting some natural gas from the US? That might be on the list. I doubt if Biden gives more than an hour of his time on this, and Scholz might be shaking his head over commitments that Biden wants from Germany.
4. This Mali military mission that Germany performs....in serious trouble?
Germany has a nine-year situation going on in Mali....to help keep the region stabilized. Around 1,200 German troops there. The current discussion is centered on the government of Mali becoming increasingly negative about foreign troops on their soil. The Bundestag is basically looking for a good reason to haul everyone out and just let the situation deteriorate/evolve.
5. Is there some kind of Catholic Church reform being forced from within Germany?
After a fair amount of complaining, there is a church meeting going on. Three major things thrown on the table: (1) female priests being endorsed, (2) allowing priests to proclaim their gay situation, and (3) marriage being authorized for priests.
Something that Rome has to contend with? More or less.
Decades of problems have brought this to the top level of German society. Church may not be happy over the ideas, but these are likely to be accepted in German society.
Odds that female priests will out-number male-priests within 20 years? I'd say it's better than 50-50 odds (at least in Germany).
6. Second individual in the Kusel police murders not being actively involved?
Well....it's been a week since the shooting that left two German police dead. What can be said is that one of the two folks at the site....pulled the trigger. The second person was just an associate and witnessed the whole thing. His lawyer is seeking to have him released from jail.
Gunpowder test conducted? Yes, but no one yet speaks of test results.
No comments:
Post a Comment