Three Interesting Things

 1.  Berlin authorities have given the order for tonight (31 Dec) that NO pro-Hamas/Palestine demonstrations can occur....in the midst of massive police deployments (4000 cops on duty)....in the Neukolln neighborhood.     

If some rally were to occur....I would imagine the fireworks 'gangs' would wage 'war' on the protest element.  If I were the police, I'd just videotape and stay out of the line-of-fire.

2.  Berlin cops were active last night....arresting a 14-year old kid....after dangerous behavior with fireworks, and burning garbage cans in the Berlin-Kreuzberg neighborhood.  

3.  New film for release in Germany...heavily featuring Bad Neuheim....covers the meeting/relationship of Elvis and Priscilla.  If you were into the military stuff of the late 1950s/early 1960s and German landscape....might be worth a review.  Title of the movie: Priscilla.  Footnote, Priscilla grew up in the Wiesbaden military housing area...which at that time...was an Air Force situation.  

31 December 2023: Four German News Stories

 1.  Berlin authorities say they will have 4,000 police on-duty for tonight's expected troubles.  Prosecution folks put on duty....will immediately hand out paperwork upon arrest....to face judges within days. 

Is there risk in Berlin for tonight?  In some neighborhoods....yes.  

2.  Jacques Schuster wrote an interesting piece for WELT this AM....talking over the subject that one day (maybe not that far away)....the US will exercise itself to leave Europe.  In this new world....he suggests that a bigger responsibility will be put upon security/protection from Russia.  Worth reading if you can find the article.

3.   Some chatter in Berlin of creating a new outer ring for rail-service (against what already exists).  Would be a massive and expensive project, but connect people who've given up on city life and live 5 km outside of the city outer-ring.

4.  Data from the Bahn (railway) folks for 2023....going long-distance (Berlin-to-Hamburg for example)....one out of three travelers will not arrive on time (meaning a minimum of 30 minutes late).  

I don't think most folks care that much about 30 minutes added to the trip.  It's when you start talking about two hours late....that frustration gets uttered.  

Five Interesting German Facts

 1.  For your bank protection and potential bank failure.....you are protected up to 100,000 Euro.  Similar deal to the US FDIC deal, but less.  So if your savings and checking is more than 100,000 Euro?  I'd suggest you find a second bank, and open another account.

2.  What happens when you end up on a deportation list? 

The term used for the ban is....Wiedereinreisesperre, for the ban-order.

It's valid for five years....meaning you can't enter for a minimum of five years as your 'punishment'.

3.  How many Germans aren't engaged on social media?  It's believed to be 15-percent of society.

4.  For 2022, around 3.6-million people applied for the German driver's license/test.  On failing the roadsign test?  Around 37-percent fail on the first test.  

(note: On my 1993 first attempt....I failed the roadsign test as well.....passing on the second opportunity).

5.  From the top ten reasons you might fail a car inspection in Germany?

  -- You might have an outdated first-aid kit (they update it almost yearly).  You can figure every two years....a new kit will have to be purchased.

  -- Some people get stupid and add 'tint' to their windshield, thinking it won't be inspected (yeah, they inspect for it).

  -- Chipped glass/windshield.

30 December 2023: Six German News Stories

 1.  This week, the Spanish gov't announced that it would be shutting down the remaining nuke energy plants (seven of them).  The aim?  Well....they intend to go the German route, with 'clean' energy.  New taxes in store, to pay for the dismantlement and installation of the renewable business?  Yes.  

I would say this....from a solar energy prospective, they have the right weather for the cells....to produce day-time energy.  

How they make up for this in the evenings?  Unknown.  French probably preparing to sell tons of nuke-power to the Germans and Spanish. 

2.  Lot of police preparation going on in Berlin for evening expectations on 31 December. 

3.  A few days ago, I essayed a piece on the police shooting in Mannheim (49-year old Turk who ended up shot dead by the police).

Well...as  you would expect....an investigation is underway.  What I found interesting over this....from the five or six who were there (I assume most all had cam equipment on)....there were the eyewitness folks who had their cellphones out and taping the incident. 

What the police say now....they have a total of 130 video segments (yeah, a significant number), and this adds up to around five gigabytes of volume.  

4.  WELT am Sonntag has done a survey with a fair number of Germans.  Question listed....do you think the current government (SPD-coalition) can do anything much over migration/immigration issues.

A large number (meaning in the two-thirds to three-quarters range) believe there's nothing much that this coalition can do.....to clear up the immigration problems.

Affecting the 2024 elections?  Yeah....those four state elections and the EU election....will have this as a problem.

5.  WELT had a piece this AM.....talking over the flu business from the past month.  They say...numbers-wise, either via Covid or flu....ten-percent of the German population has been sick and at home for some amount of time. 

I will say, from the wife and I....yeah, we had a short bout of Covid (me---marginally, and the wife for four days).  

Will Conscription Or The Draft Return To Germany?

 Around 2011....conscription/draft ended in Germany, and a volunteer system was created (better pay/benefits).  On the books, conscription was NOT abolished (anyone who suggests that....needs to go read the basic wording). 

So, the Bundeswehr will tell you today....they've got issues.  The 203,000 folks they are supposed to have?  It's not there (presently at 181,000).

There's a fair amount of talk  of bringing back the draft now.  Politically?  The Greens have said 'no way' and I would imagine around half of the SPD voters aren't that thrilled over the idea.

The CDU-CSU folks?  They want something called 'the social year' where you have no choice...you have to participate in some fashion for 12 months....either for civil work, clinic/retirement home work, or the military.  

This becoming a major issue for the 2025 federal election?  I'd rack and stack it....somewhere in the top 20 issues brewing for the public.  

29 December 2023: Five German News Stories

 1.  Curious speech from yesterday by the Federal Labor Minister (Heil, SPD) on the Citizen's Money (old Hartz-IV welfare money).  He wants a rule installed or made up....saying if the Jobs-office of the gov't finds you employment to equal or exceed the Citizen's Money.....if you refuse, he wants the gov't money to be reduced.  First month, 10-percent cut.  Second month, 20-percent cut.  

Odds of this happening?  Well...if you walk around and talk to working-class Germans...it's probably in the 75-percent range of people who want some 'effect' on people who refuse to work and intend to stay on welfare forever.  

As for this changing the perception of folks to work?  Anyone's guess.

2.  There's a good WELT piece from yesterday, written by Christoph Kapalchinski, which I strongly recommend a read....if you can find the paper.  Topic?  There's an effort going on in German advertising to no longer advertise a product but a lifestyle, which goes against the fundamentals that people expect.

He's talking about climate business, pronouns, LGBTQ, etc.   

Then he uses the p-word (propaganda), and a fair number of Germans have been grumbling about this for the past couple of years.

3.  The odds of a fireworks ban coming up nationally if a bunch of BS violence occurs on the night of 31 December?  Well....it's being talked about already.  After last year's mess....I expected most cities to go to a ban situation....so far, it's been a neighborhood by neighborhood thing, with more cops than ever put on the street.  Prosecution folks say this year.....folks will go to jail if they endanger police or ambulance crews or firemen. 

4.  State of Hessen added it up....sixty ATM machines blown up since the beginning of 2023.  

5.  Doctor's strike for five days in January, for more pay?  Appears to be a strike warning being worked up.

How Close Was the 1991 'Vote' To Move The German Capital From Bonn To Berlin?

 Well....48.5 percent of the Bundestag voted the move to stay in Bonn. The move-to-Berlin vote came to 51.5 percent.

That's how close the vote came.

A party versus party election?  Actually, no.  It was more of a region versus region vote....with Bavaria and the Pfalz voting entirely to stay in Bonn.  The five eastern Germany states all went mostly to move-to-Berlin.

History tied to the vote?  Most will say that the stay-in-Bonn attitude was about conditions, better economic landscape, and a more-populated lifestyle.  The move-to-Berlin was mostly a salesmanship deal where everything would be built, new and designed for access (but only to come a decade later). 

How history would have been shaped if two-dozen votes had shifted?  They'd still be in Bonn today.  

Trend Line For The Thuringia Election In October 2024

 Well....this state election is already shaping up and will be discussed a good bit.

If you went back to 2020....the Linke Party held a great deal of sway, leading at around 35-percent.  Today?  They've dropped to 20-percent, and probably will trend lower (down to 17-percent).  

Leading?  AfD Party (far-right folks)....near 32-percent.  Trend-wise in six months, I'd guess unless something happens...they will lead to around 35-percent and 'win' the election.

CDU (right-of-center)?  They are bouncing mostly around 20-percent and not showing much of a gain in the past year.

So the question here is logical....if the AfD folks win....can they form a government partner to lead the state?  No.  None of the other parties at present seem capable of agreeing to some coalition agreement.

The newly formed BSW Party?  There's some belief (no polls though) that they arrive on the scene....steal votes from the AfD, and be in the 20-percent range.  In this scenario, the logical question is...if the CDU won with something like 22-percent.....would they partner up with the BSW folks?  The generally believed answer is that BSW is formed with far left and far right priorities....so it'd make no sense.  

This state election demonstrating that politics are so divided....that no 51-percent coalition can operate (at least in one German state)?  Well....yeah, this is a difficult political mess likely to arrive in the fall of 2024.  

I Was Once A Smart Owner

 Around 2005, I went and bought a 2002 (used) Smart car (the Fortwo).  It was one of those moments where I didn't use a lot of thought or reason in a car purchase.

Within a month, I had reasons to dump the car.  I ended up keeping it until mid-summer 2009.  

The problems?

1.  It burned oil.  From the first month, you could figure every six weeks....a half-can of oil was required.

2.  My local mechanic said it was impossible to drain the oil....you required a suction type device, which only the dealers had.

3.  The glass roof in summer?  It made the car hot and uncomfortable.

4.  The AC unit barely worked (above 34C, it was useless).

5.  Max speed ever was 135 kph.  Getting up to 135 took at least two minutes.  If you had the windows down (especially in the summer)....that slowed the car by 20 kph.

6.  Wind drastically affected the movement of the car on autobahns (especially at high speeds).  Any kind of breeze would 'bump' the vehicle to the left or right.

7.  The seats were crap.  On the car, they were the cheapest-built item.  

8.  Fuel capacity?  22 liters or 5.8 gallons.  I usually had to refuel every three days.  If that red-warning light came on...it's not like your Audi or BMW where you have 40-odd kilometers to go....it meant you needed to find a station within 10-to-15 kilometers. 

9.  The suspension was on a scale of one-to-ten......a '3' at best.  Three hours in the car left your back in crappy condition.

10.  Handling in snow?  I reached a point, with snow-tires, of adding about 150 pounds of sand (distributed with 100 pounds in the rear and 50 pounds on the passenger seat).

11.  The only super-positive I ever saw with the car was parking.  You could park two of these cars in a normal parking spot.

12.  Trying to sell it at the end?  I probably had a dozen American military folks look it over and just say no.  I discounted it about a 1,000 Euro less than value....to get rid of it.

13.  Changing the stupid headlights?  As the first one burned out.....the mechanic said the whole front assembly had to be removed (full hour of work), so the one bulb change....ran about 60 Euro just for the mechanic to reach the bulb area.  On the second time...I found some 8-year old kid in the neighborhood with tiny hands and paid the kid 5 Euro to reach in and swap the bulb.

14.  All this chatter about 40 mpg?  Well....if you drove it in a very conservative or low-power situation....yeah, you got that.  I doubt that I ever got better than 30 mpg.  

15.  A 'death-wish'?  You know....on the autobahn...after about six months of driving it.....I had this bad feeling about surviving an accident.  This lingered all the way to the bitter end of ownership.

16.  The space in the back of the car?  It was enough room for a medium-sized dog or two cases of beer.  The lack of a spare tire?  It bothered me a good bit.

I would say at the twelfth month of ownership....I hated the car with passion.  Somehow, I lingered on.  

28 December 2023: Three German News Stories

 1.  It came out in the past day...that a major public talk forum on ARD (Channel One, public TV in Germany)...'Hart Aber Fair'....has lost 20-percent of their viewership over the past year.   To some degree, they can blame the new moderator.

But in the same path of news....various other public forum shows are losing numbers (just not as bad as Hart Aber Fair).

I think to some degree....Germans are generally burned out on public forum shows which hype a great deal on politics.  But to be honest, if you asked the general population...I think more than two-thirds of German society would tell you they never watch any of the public forum shows (ever).  It is a limited group who watches, and it'd be fairly easy to burn out if you watched three or four of these each week. 

2.  Thuringia (the German state) has a Interior Minister who is suggesting a change to the state's constiution....to prevent the AfD Party from taking control if the election goes AfD's way in the fall.

Just by suggesting this....it'll attract negative attention.

3.  Lot of German doctor's offices are closed this week across Germany.....in strike mode....saying more pay is necessary.  Strike would supposedly end this weekend.  

Elections Scheduled in 2024 in Germany?

 The Berlin repeat of the 2021 federal election is in the late part of Feb.

The EU election?  Schedule for 9 June.

The Sachsen state election is scheduled for 1 Sep.

The Brandenburg state election is schedule for 22 Sep.

The Thüringen state election is scheduled for mid-October. 

What to expect?  

Usually, EU elections have no central theme and limited enthusiasm.  For this year, I'd expect a fair amount of talk and some public frustration over the direction that the EU is heading.

In the case of the three eastern Germany states?  If you read polling efforts....the right-wing AfD Party figures to have in the 25-to-30 percent range, and create problems for the formation of a coalition gov't.

The chatter of a collapse of the federal coalition, and create a path to a new federal unplanned election?  It's openly discussed but so far....the coalition has not fallen apart.  

Political Chatter

 This AM (27th), authorities announced the passing of Wolfgang Schauble....a major player of the CDU Party....at age 82.

To put the guy into prospective, in the Kohl era....if you were writing up a list of top three people to emerge after Kohl left the Chancellor's office, Schauble would have been on the list.

At age 48, shortly after unification of East/West Germany....Schauble attended a political rally event, and some nut-job/drug-addict fired several rounds...one hitting Schauble and permanently paralyzing him (to a wheel-chair).  

Motive?  Afterwards, the shooter noted that 'sound-waves' were being forced upon people and altering their mental state.

After a fair amount of recovery, Schauble returned to politics.  But it was in this era when the 'black-money' business came over over Kohl and the inner circle.  Kohl was basically kicked down from the Bundestag and Schauble never regained his potential to becoming Chancellor.  

Slacker Story

 I sat and read over a WELT piece this AM....stuck on my mind.

Written by Hannelore Crolly, and worth a read if you can find the Monday paper.  Topic?  Well...growing number of German youth who are untrained (meaning uncertified) and not motivated to get trained or work.

The government's figure?   Around 630,000 German youth (meaning between 16 and 21)....are just lingering there....not pushing themselves into some skill program or looking for work.

One single reason for this?  No.  Crolly gives you several reasons for the significant number of 'slackers' (my term for the status).

This worrying folks?  Normally, you'd have a pep-talk and put some pressure on the youth to get 'real' and sign up for 'something'.  Apparently, that doesn't work anymore.

The fact that migrants might fit more easily into the role because they want work, and skill-type training?  Just eyeballing that trend....it ought to worry a fair number of German politicians.  You don't need half-a-million German juvenile slackers just standing around....acting like this work or training business is just not for them.

Another reason for the conscription/draft idea?  Some would suggest it, but the bulk of politicians for both the CDU and SPD would tell you this simply wouldn't work. 

I suspect if you walked across most of the EU today....you'd find this situation brewing in almost every country.

27 December 2023: Six German News Stories

 1.  Fireworks are cleared to sell....starting Thursday AM, and ending Saturday.  By the law, in Germany, you are supposed to use them up by early AM on 1 Jan 2024.  Various cities have bans on where you can use them....so make sure you read the rules.

2.  Flood situation in northern Germany is tense, and likely to remain that way through Saturday.  

3.  A new federal election law is in place....where it's iron-clad that you (as a party) must achieve 5-percent or more in the federal election, or get no seats.  The CSU Party (Bavarian conservatives) are attempting to take this to court. In theory, since they are outside of the CDU Party....in a normal election, it would be hard for them to get a national five-percent situation, but they would get around 40-percent of the Bavarian vote.

If they were to fall out?  Well....the CDU Party alone....would be in a pitiful way to 'win' or lead in a coalition.  

It is conceivable that 3 parties would be out (Linke Party, FDP, and CSU Party).  In this scenario, with the thirty-odd minor parties....almost 20-percent of voters would get no real representation with their votes in the mix.  

4.  Unusual lottery story from Magdeburg....some gal had pulled a winner (for 100,000 Euro) back on 27 Feb 2021.  She only recently turned the ticket in.  Reason for holding out?  It has not been published or understood.

I would imagine that she might have a failed marriage in the mix and didn't want to share the winnings. 

5.  Last Friday night, in my home-town of Wiesbaden...as darkness fell....some guy called the cops.  Report?  Well....over in the south-end (near the river, Biebrich neighborhood)....this guy swears up and down that he saw a wolf.  

Desk Sergeant believes the guy enough....to send out a patrol (2 guys).

I'm guessing while leaving the station....they discuss this matter at length. They'd rather not shoot the wolf because you'd get a full-up investigation and probably some nickname.   I suspect that they just wanted to show up....make a circle, and leave without seeing the wolf.

So, they get to the Biebrch train station area, and note some creature with the appearance of a wolf.  They stop....view the animal under the streetlights, and cast a beam toward it.  Oddly, you'd expect a wolf to react and retreat......this creature approaches.  

Then they identify him....Husky.  Friendly Husky.  Has a name/owner tag.  They call the guy up....yep, he'd been walking the dog and he ran off.

So we safely made it through another year without a true wolf report in our fair city.

6. Odd story comes up over some Syrian folks living in Germany.  This group lives over in the Saxony area and came into Germany back around 2016.  They had become somewhat 'Germanized' and had taken up the habit of volksmarching or long hikes.  

In the past month, this group (now a club) were on some hike and cops had been called on them....reporting them as a migrant entry folks.  They proved their status and complained to some degree of the incident.  

To be honest, Saxony is located to the far east of Germany....up against the Czech border.  If you surveyed locals....there is a fair amount of negativity about the migrant situation (more so than in the western states of Germany).  

Mannheim Shooting

 Some odd incident from Saturday afternoon in Mannheim.

What the police say....some guy called them up and confessed to a crime.  He wanted them to come and 'talk'.  Yeah, this part of the story does seem odd.

They show up, and the guy is standing there....holding a knife.  I should note this is in daylight hours and some video does exist of the short meeting between the guy and the police.  It would appear around a dozen people standing around and watching this unfold....from a safe distance (at least twenty meters away).  

The guy?  Forty-nine years old and a Turk.

From what I observed (from the video)....there is some marginal conversation between the cops (at least five or six) and the guy....out in some street.  There's probably about four meters of distance between them.  

No shirt, on a pretty brisk day....so this is another odd part of the story.

At some point, the guy starts stepping toward the cops....one of them fires at least three shots....killing the guy.

So, what you find out later....locals considered the guy a bit of a nutcase or unbalanced. 

Criticism?  Oh yeah, lot of people (via social media) suggesting it was not right to shoot the guy.  Tasers readily available?  Well....in some states, yes, and in some states no.  It does appear from the group at this incident...none were carrying tasers. 

I should note this as well....lot of criticism existing in Germany over potential taser use because if you have a weak heart....it'll kill you when the 'zap' occurs.  

Fair criticism?  After viewing the video....just seemed to be too little space between the police and the guy....but he wasn't listening to the police calls to put the knife on the ground.  If you were looking for a 'suicide-by-police' angle....this story seems to be loaded.  

Added note: If you view Twitter presently, there must be at least 8 different video prospective (line of sight) of the guy approaching the cops and the shooting.

26 December 2023: Five German News Stories

 1.  Whole past month in the central region of Germany for weather....has been unusually moderate (meaning warmer than usual), after a snow blast in November.  Weather experts came up today and said that by mid-January....change in gulf-stream will occur, and a normal winter will come (meaning....frigid winter temperatures which would be normal for January).  If you were planning a ski trip...lot of snow and the right temperatures. 

2.  Berlin city officials are planning to have 3,000 police on the ground for New Year's eve....anticipating 'trouble'.

3.  This chatter from Merz (CDU Party 'boss')?  He has said in open discussions....he thinks the collapse of the coalition is imminent and probably some federal election will occur by June (2024). For this to occur?  Collapse would be on some chart to fall by end of April.  Insider info?  I doubt it.  

If a new election did occur?  CDU-CSU folks presently polls near 32-percent.  SPD?  Polling at a crappy 14-percent.  Green Party near the same level.  AfD polling?  Trend line is near 21-percent presently....might be near 23-percent by June. 

Presently, the FDP is asking members if the participation in the coalition should continue, with this result likely to be announced by 1st week of January. 

4.  Interesting business piece from N-TV news....German gov't figures around 17-billion Euro is spent on mental situations for people.  They figure for mental issues and behavioral disorders....around 132 million sick-days were used in 2022.  It's up from 126 million in 2021.

What's interesting here....this was a info request by the Linke Party, and they want to establish a 'push' for some type of work-stress limits/regulations (unknown how you'd write this).  People might agree that anti-stress is important but how you achieve this would be a question-mark.  Just giving people more off-time/leave....doesn't always alleviate stress.

Also, I should note....a fair amount of this 'surge' or upward trend....probably is still a trend leftover from Covid (2020-2022).

I used to work with a guy who kept a 'film-card' in his office desk....which could note serious levels (Blue - Green - Red - Black).  I'd observe him pulling the card out at least ten times a day, and he'd announce his stress level (particularly if it were red or black).  He retired from the Air Force one day, and I ended up moving to his desk.  Oddly, he left the card in the top drawer.  I pulled the card out and for a month or two....used it several times a day.  Outcome?  I never got the 'film' to show anything beyond icey-blue color....meaning I had almost zero stress.  

5.  If you can find a WELT paper today....good piece written by Wolfgang Reitzle....entitled: "The Illusion of Effortless Prosperity".  

Basically, Germany has worked itself over the past 20 years to be out of the top 20 competitive countries.  Reitzle lays the blame on politicians.  Worth a read.  

25 December 2023: Five German News Stories

 1.  Some top-level Focus news piece...'Zombie Deer Virus'.  You can read the piece here.

The basic story....some US researchers have discovered this 'wasted-virus' where deer in the Yellowstone Park are showing a pretty harsh decline in a period of a couple of months, and they think the 'mad-cow' like virus could spread to humans. 

The odds of this being man-made and dumped in the park?  Well...no facts but it's odd how it just appeared, and this is a pretty remote part of the US.  

German worry?  Plenty of deer running around in Germany, and maybe it's being passed around?

2.  Koln police say the planned Jihadist terror attack (planning stopped)....was supposed to be at the Koln Cathedral. 

3.  Poll done by ARD TV (public TV folks) says 41-percent of Germans expect a worse economic situation in 2024.

4.  The president of the German military reservist association has openly said that the current numbers need to be tripled over the next decade.

5.  Lot of flood chatter across various areas of Germany this AM (Christmas).   

German Christmas Movie Choices For The 24th?

 Things are always interesting when you read the TV guide and note your choices for tonight.

- Lord of the Rings

- A two-old 2-star Christmas comedy movie off ARD

- NFL football

- Kevin Alone

- 1997 German 'Silent Night' movie production (rustic Bavaria in the 1800s in the background)

- Nanny McPhee

- 2009 Illimanti (with Tom Hanks)

- 1971 Italian western: The Right and Left Hand of the Devil (comedy mostly)

- 1973 'Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella' 

I would say, if you've never watched the Czech/DDR production of the Cinderella movie....it is worth a viewing.  Otherwise, this might be another viewing night of Netflix.  

24 December 2023: Four German News Stories

 1.  Raids took place in Koln, Madrid, and Vienna, against Jihadist terror cells.  What is generally said at this time...they were planning New Year's Eve attacks in the three cities (primary targets:  churches).  More info likely to come today.

2.  For about four days straight now....either rain or drizzle...continuously.  Alerts up for flooding, and some railway services in Germany are suspended.

3. There's a call by non-coalition members of the Bundestag....to have a 'summit' to talk over asylum/immigration in Germany....in January.  Basically, they want to drag Chancellor Scholz and the gov't ministers in to talks with the state's and their leadership. 

I doubt if Scholz wants to engage in this discussion.  On the other side of this discussion?  Well....there are several eastern Germany elections this year, and this is a top-five topic...so it might be wise to engage and discuss a couple of improvements in the system.

4.  The freight forwarding industry in Germany is putting out warnings that these farmer protests in Germany (set for 2nd week of January) will affect deliveries, and you might notice some empty shelves. 

Most truckers will tell you that it's bad enough between autobahn blockages normally, and bad weather....but to have a three-hour protest in the middle of things....will just make deliveries worse.

Review: Rebel Moon (Off Netflix)

 If you took Star Wars....watered it down by 50-percent...then brought in 13-year old kids to write the script....and invested four times the appropriate amount of money for a B-grade movie, this would be Rebel Moon.

I got to the 35-minute point, and had to quit....I lost patience.

This AM, I got up early and watched the remainder of what is a 2-hour-plus movie....speeding through 8 to 10 scenes to reach some conclusion.

This is my current problem with Netflix....they are signing contracts to produce 'something' for their consumers, and just throwing money at crappy promised movies or series.  

I don't have that much of a problem with the South Korean productions.....a lot of them have surprised me on content and script.  Even the German Netflix productions for 2023...I tend to rate the majority of them with fairly high grades.  

Rebel Moon?  If you have trouble sleeping....it's one to watch...you will be asleep in 30 minutes.

Massive German Farmer Demonstration Expected (Starting 8 Jan 2024)

 Farmer organizations are saying....starting 8 January 2024....unless the coalition gov't fixes the diesel subsidy issue....they will block traffic around the nation.

What the issue is about?

There was a promised budget item in the 2021 'extra' budget (the one that started out as Covid-aid)....to cover the rising cost of diesel fuel...for farmers.

About six weeks ago, when the Constitutional Court finally settled the challenged Covid-aid budget....they said you could use the money ONLY for Covid-related issues, and not these 100-odd 'gift-promises' of the SPD-Green-FDP gov't coalition.  So the diesel subsidy disappeared.

As the new 2024 budget was crafted and finalized in the past 10 days....no diesel subsidy appear.  So they (the farmers) were screwed.

Pretty serious threats?  This past week, they blocked off an autobahn near Stuttgart.  This involved around 2,000 tractors.

A big deal?  Budget-wise, there are dozens of groups who were screwed over with the lost Covid-aid budget chopped up.  I doubt that the farmers will be the only group in some process of demonstrating.  

Two Interesting Things I Noticed

 First, the German government says....they estimate around 190,000 Ukrainian men (over age 18) exist in Germany today.  I note the word 'estimate' is approximate.  Some are legally noted (with paperwork)....some are just hidden in the system.

Will they head back to Ukraine...with the new 2024 draft in effect?  No one says much. 

I would guess fewer than 10,000 will head back.

Second, there's a fair amount of fear building up in Berlin with New Year's Eve just days away, and anticipation of fireworks, riots and destruction.  Virtually every policeman and emergency services member....will be on duty that night.

'Message' Story

 

It is an odd message to send.  Up in the Marburg-Bidenkopf area (an hour north of Frankfurt)....some artist folks hung up a gallows with a stop-light (ampel) symbiology.

Message against the current SPD-Greens-FDP coalition?  Yeah.  

If you poll generally around Germany?  It's in the range of two-thirds of the public that want a new federal election (you have to wait until the fall of 2025 for the next official election). 

An lot of work, for this message?  I looked at the 'effort'.

With carpenter and artistic skills, I would guess a good forty man-hours were put into this.  

23 December 2023: Four German News Stories

 1.  There was a Edeka super-market manager over in Regensburg....who went on F-book for a public rant about shoplifting...discussing the occupants of the nearby refugee center as being the chief culprits of his problem.  As  one might imagine....a number of Germans came and suggested that the manager has a racism problem.  

2.  Some strong speculation now that the Defense Minister of Ukraine...skimmed off 36-million Euro of funds...heavily reported across various German news sites.

3.  So much snow existing this year (unlike previous years) that avalanches are now being predicted in Bavaria.

4.  Dengue Fever predictions in Europe?  Well....WHO is predicting this.  Although they aren't saying because of climate change....they suggest that mosquitos are adapting and surviving (evolution).  I doubt on the German 'worry-list'....that this fever issue has passed the top 1,000 worries yet.  

Strike Action

 A fair number of Germans typically plan a Christmas 'vacation'....leaving around the 23rd/24th of December, and avoid things.

Well...if you follow travel news....Discover Airways (a sub off Lufthansa) has said that flight crews intend to strike  on the 23rd/24th of December.  Yeah, it'll anger a number of folks who have reservations laid out already.

I rode Discover this past fall....which I will give them marginal grades.  We did leave on time, and the bags made it there and back.   Seating is tightly arranged....there's no meal, and if you want a soda....you pay for it (note, this was a four-hour flight).

22 December 2023: Four German News Stories

 1.  Roland Berger (age 86) has been an adviser to the German authorities going back over five decades.   He gave an interview....covering the view of Chancellor Scholz.  His suggestion?  Scholz is a procrastinator and consumes a significant amount of time to reach any decision.  Yeah, he said it in a critical fashion.

2.  This Prague shooting?  14 dead and several dozen wounded....was in the university part of town.  No suggestion of motive.  Shooter is dead. One journalist reviewing guy's history....was a student,  and known for being a bit of a nutcase.

3.  It's been blasted on German news....during this meeting of Biden and Xi in SF from a couple of weeks ago....apparently Xi was blunt in saying a invasion of Taiwan would come, with unification being the end-result.

Yeah, it's hyped-up and worrying some political folks that this would come while the US is concerned over the Ukraine and Israel.  If you paid attention in the past  week....a fair amount of US naval strength will be used near the Red Sea because of Yemen threats on shipping.

4.  Some poll done by WELT says that roughly 40-percent of Germans anticipate 2024 will only mean a worse economical year for their lives.  Pretty bad affect on politics, if true.

New EU Regulation?

 This week, the EU has decided that it fix the newest problem...p0rn in Europe.  Namely?  It's selected the big three (P-hub, X-videos, and Strip-chat) that will be regulated.

I paused over the reading material.

What the EU wants is content management.  

Does the EU have a management staff to view this kind of stuff?  Well....that's the chief thing....I don't see a listing of a hundred-odd folks who have the daily task of viewing x-rated stuff, as a job.

In some way, they are to treat the three like F-book, Twitter and Instagram.  

A top priority?  Well....it's come after vacuum cleaner regulation, tea-pot regulation, and driver's license regulation.  I expect toilet paper regulation (single ply), candle regulation (precise length to be standardized), and magic act regulation to come one day.

Having the management staff for the three to face EU executives?  Well...maybe, but I suspect they are all Russians and have zero interest in cooperating.  

This New German Airline Ticket Tax?

 The chatter goes to this idea of an additional tax on airline tickets....if you fly out of a German airport.

Rate?  For in-Europe flights....the tax would be around 17-Euro.   Longer flights?  Up to 58-Euro (max).

Bothering people?  Well....if you were a family of four and running off to Thailand or New Zealand....you can figure 232-Euro extra that you would pay.  For you and a friend flying off to Vienna...28-Euro extra.   

Why the extra tax?  There's a hole in the current budget of around 17-billion-Euro.  

If you wanted to avoid the tax?  If you live near the border regions....say within an hour of Lux-City, or Zurich...you could probably drive over the border...park your car, and save on long-distance flights.

Long term....this staying?  Oh, without any doubt, this is a tax that will never ade away.  I also don't think it's one-of-a-kind....you might see a dozen taxes invented in 2024....to save the budget crisis.  

21 December 2023: Four German News Stories

1.  First AfD Party Mayor elected into office in Germany.  First act?  No free parking for public E-car charger situations.  He simply notes that such vehicles end up taking two to three hours of parking in areas that would normally have a hourly fee attached.  

2.  Hurricane weather along the northern coast of Germany today....expected to be a fair amount of flooding.

3.  Rather odd development....Ukrainian Defense Minister says in 2024....Ukrainian men in Germany who are of fighting age...must sign up and return to the Ukraine as 'conscripts.  Countries that fail to enforce this effort....sanctions would occur.  I seriously doubt that the German government will do anything.  If anything comes out of this....a number of these men would simply ask for asylum and work toward German citizenship.  How many are we talking about?  Unknown....there are around 1-million Ukrainians in Germany, but based off journalist's chatter....I'd say 90-percent are women or kids.  

4.  Some EU chatter going on about wolf-protection.  Oddly enough....they are suggesting less protection, and you might see enough regulation to allow wolf  hunts to occur.   

If a 7-Day Rail Strike Did Occur?

 Some chatter starting up...that the Bahn union folks will go and stage a 5-to-7 day strike in January.

Lot of people eyeballing the threat.

7.3-million Germans use the Bahn daily....so it's a big deal if someone goes to suggest seven days of strike.

Odd Deportation Story In AM

 Over in Schwerin (between Rostock and Hamburg....along the  coast)....police were given a deportation order on two Iraqi guys....in a refugee center.   Based on the description....they were expecting trouble as they arrived.

The two Iraqi guys and a mid-30s female Iraqi have entrenched themselves (reportedly) in some facility.  

Local police have asked people around the facility to stay indoors because of the threats being made.

One regional report says the two guys have escaped, and that the one single woman is faking out the police effort to deport the two.

All of this leading to more political harm for the coalition (helping the AfD Party poll higher)?  Well...yeah, that perception is probably at work as people view this operation underway.

Update: Some journalist commented that the police on this deportation order....brought along a chain-saw to saw through the door of the facility.  It just sounds rather bogus...BS-like....I can't imagine German cops reaching this level of entry.  Typically, they drag in a entry-team and a battering ram.  

Lithuania and the Bundeswehr Problem

 After the invasion business of Russia into the Ukraine....there was a fair amount of chatter in Lithuania about the potential threat of the Russians to invade their land.

Germany stood up and said they'd base a brigade of combat troops there....figure in the range of 4,000 German troops.....permanently.

Getting additional troops 'hired'?  Well....that's a problem, but the Germans have taken an active stance on this.

So this AM...a new problem presents itself.  In the talks that followed of a permanent 'base' in Lithuania....there's the structure involved, and the cost to build it.  I can say...generally from observing both German and American bases....the Americans always spend a fair amount of money. 

You might go and review a world-class gym on a American base....the BX/commissary services....housing....barracks...medical facilities, and just note that a significant amount of funds is required.

Well....I'm not saying the Germans go cheaply, but there is a lesser construction program and maintenance situation.

So, the Lithuania politicians have stood up and said they really don't provide either level (what the Germans provide, or the Americans) for their troops....so the cost factor of building barracks, support facilities, etc....is going  to be too much.  Then, there's this hint that they thought the Germans would pay for everything (I doubt that anything was signed in that manner).

A lot of confusion?  Yeah.

You would think that NATO would step in and cover the bulk (say 75-percent) of the cost involved.  But the other factor which no one has openly discussed....on permanent basing....will there be apartments and German families based there in Lithuania?  If so, do schools get into the mix?  Will German commissary operations be part of this?

If you ask me....I'd say a lot of this plans stuff has not been fully explained to the public in either Germany or Lithuania.  

Long Walk In A Christmas Market

 I spent three hours walking around the Wiesbaden Christmas Market yesterday.  Four observations:

1.  If you measured things, comparing to 2019's market....being the last market before Covid crap started....I'd say we are 95-percent back to a normal Christmas market.

2.  Inflation is extremely obvious.  Most everything is a minimum of 20-percent higher.  Bowl of soup which was 4.90 Euro four years ago.....is now around 6.50 Euro.

3.  If you stand in one location....about every fifteen minutes, you will notice a police patrol (2 folks) walking by...in the market area.  Lot of security.  

4.  Everything has the look and feel of the last full-up market before Covid.  But you notice about every minute or two....a serious coughing attack from someone in the crowd.  

20 December 2023: Thirteen German News Stories

 1.  The union for the Bahn folks (railway system in Germany) voted....saying indefinite strikes are approved.  Expectation next?  likely to be three to five day strikes in January.  

The lesser-hours for work appear to be the big deal that they are aiming for.  I don't see the Bahn management folks being agreeable on this.

2.  Gov't now lacks bonus-money for E-cars sold to consumers, under their program.  Figure in the range of 60,000 E-cars were in this 'line'....when the money ran out.  Will upset a number of Germans.

3.  General talk going on about more tax on airline ticket prices in 2024.  

I'm not saying you are better off in riding a bus over to Lux City or Amsterdam to fly out....but it could eventually get that way.  They have to make up for tax losses in some fashion.  

4.  NTV poll says AfD Party now at 23-percent in national polling....highest level ever for them.

5.  455 voting districts in Berlin MUST have a 2021 national election effort once again....because the 2021 vote was so f**ked-up.  To be 11 Feb 2024.  Constitutional Court deemed this so yesterday.

Bad thing?  I doubt that the parties will advertise much, and the end-result will be less votes than in 2021.  Course, AfD might make a huge effort and shock people with a number number.  Hard to predict this outcome.  

6.  Berlin City says on 31 December.....various prosecutors will be on call, and draft papers as assaults occur on New Year's eve....to show how tough things will be.

7.  New poll on Chancellor's approval.  Only one in five Germans think he's doing a good job.  

Just a humble view.....Scholz hasn't really screwed up, it's just that on a confidence ranking....he's not selling well on the SPD Party or German 'brand'.  

8.  My wife (German in nature) and I got into a broad talk over lack of E-car charging stations in our village.  We are a outer-ring situation to Wiesbaden....4,000 residents in the village.  Presently, not a single public-use E-car charger around.

So I brought this up and asked....even if they installed one or two chargers....is there any place where a person might park the car for 2 hours.....to charge up?  No....is the general response.  Even if you put a charger up at the village church....other than a coffee shop....there's not place to entice people to sit for 120 minutes to get a charge.  

9.  Weird ZDF talk show from last night (late)....via the Markus Lanz public forum show. 

Whole talk with guests was about the general lack of positive feelings in Germany.  General poll done recently says that almost half the population think in ten years....they will be worse off.

Fridays-for-the-Future guest offered up that they are challenges and it just seems like a lot of young people are focused on climate change woes in a harsh negative way.  

10.  There's an interesting article written Rainer Zitelmann for Focus.  If you can find it....worth a read.

He's written a book on the idea that ARD/ZDF (public TV empire of Germany) are actually turning people into experts (for their talk shows/public forums)....who really are not experts.  Yeah, in this US...CNN has been doing this for 20 years (successfully).

11. Over the next 24 hours....hurricane like weather is to arrive in Germany (storm is named Zoltan). Lot of talk that plane schedules will be messed up and that trains will be shutdown.  If you were planning on travel for the 21st/22nd of December in Germany....you will be screwed-over.  

12.  Some kind of report out of Ukraine....BS-factor might be in the reality of this.  They say Russian soldiers are reporting fever and health issues.  There's some belief that rat infestation has reached a level where health risks are involved.  

13. Back in April, I chatted over an odd knife attack at a fitness studio in Duisburg, Germany (far north).  Four guys cut pretty badly, with the knife guy escaping.  Based on a description, cops eventually arrested the guy....27-year-old Syrian guy.

So in holding the guy....they came to realize  he'd also knifed another German a week or two prior to this fitness studio business, and actually killed that German.

Long investigation...led to his court case this week.  He'd arrived in 2016, and been noted in various ways as 'radicalized'.

Court decided by the end (yesterday) that a 20-years sentence which would have been typical....was not enough.  He has been deemed a permanent threat to society, and will stay in prison for the rest of his life.  At some point, it was noted that he believed Sharia Law was in effect in Germany...meaning that if you violated it as a German, you needed to be executed.   I would imagine that disturbed the court a good bit.

Safe situation in prison?  No....this guy would have to be in some maximum security place and not allowed much around other prisoners or guards.  

As for what he was doing from 2016 to now?  It doesn't seem like he was working, or producing any real contribution to himself or society.  

Misinformation Chatter

 Up to the 1890s....if you got news...it came from some local/regional newspaper.  If the authorities were 'upset' (no matter if in the UK, Europe or US)....they'd set the police upon your establishment and wreck the printing press.

In the 1890s, you started to notice news 'magazines'.  These were a once-a-month publication, and usually drilled down upon just a couple of topics for 20-odd pages of material.  If you wanted to make the case that it was designed to get you inflamed....you probably had a case.  

In the 1930s....radio news arrived (throughout the US and Europe).  The BBC made it's case that it would be 'fair' and 'accurate'.  Hitler's crew went in a different direction.  

By the 1950s....TV news arrived.  As much as you wanted to believe intent and attentive effort, you probably saw at least once a day....some type of misinformation dished out.

In the 1960s, you began to get local TV news....which consumed another half-an-hour of time and increased the level of misinformation.

Talk-radio in the 1990s?  It simply added another layer of potential misinformation. 

Internet sits blooming in the late 1990s?  Another layer of potential misinformation.

Social media?  Tik-Tok, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and F-Book?  They simply added more confusion in the end. Citizen-journalists?  They only came to exist because of the decline of the journalistic trade itself.

So we are at a odd point with this battle brewing between the EU 'control-mindset' and Twitter.  In actuality....the other players (Tik-Tok, F-Book and even the TV news empire) are handcuffed to the way that Twitter will be handled.

Oddly enough....all these years, the EU actively talked about how it was solving political problems and often talking about them.  But now, there's some fear that talk may misfire, so you need control.

Timing of this fight with Musk?  Well....why the hell would you select this period....five months before the EU election to mount a major 'control-war'?  

You almost get the idea that Putin and his FSB henchmen have dreamed up this situation to bring chaos to the EU and bring radicals into position within the EU structure.

The comical side of this?  You would need a full-time crew of 20,000 EU employees to continually monitor for misinformation....minute by minute, and a second crew of 3,000 behind them to see if the 20,000 were doing their job correctly or misusing the authority.  

The Newest UK Threat

 Out of the UK...Dame Jenny Harries spoke up over climate change/global warming and made the statement that UK changes will come....bringing in Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Malaria, etc.  All of this...within 20 years, by her analysis.

I'm not a mosquito 'expert'....although I've lived in such climates for five years of my life (Louisiana and Panama). 

You need a fairly warm and robust heated environment, with wetness and humidity.....for mosquitos to expand out and be a problem.

That level in the UK?  It's such a radical suggestion...that most Brits just started laughing when they heard the mosquito threat.

But I looked at this from the prospective of what existed in Panama and Louisiana.  We had 'fogger-trucks' that would drive through both rural and urban areas...at leas once a week....to control the mosquito population.  It's not rocket-science.  I'm pretty sure if things went down this path....you'd spray (unless you were even more 3rd-worldish than Panama).  

But this is the current problem in selling climate change.  You state that 'giant worms sixteen feet long' will come to exist, or some 60-pound cockroach will develop....then immediately some news people give the threat coverage.  One person out of four will take it serious, and continue the trend...until kids readily believe in the 'big worm' idea or the 60-pound cockroach threat.  

We live in a world of misinformation being dumped daily, and it's a miracle that we've survived to this point. 

19 December 2023: Five German News Stories

 1.  Explaining this German farmer demonstration 'surge' in the past couple of days?  When the old 'extra' budget existed (the one cancelled out by the Constitutional Court a month ago)....there was a budget to cover diesel fuel use (call it a subsidy).  The 2024 budget now designed (in the past 10 days)?  Nothing.

Crappy attention level by government over this, and the farmers are going to have demonstrations until the subsidy is created again.

2.  Odd way that the ZDF late news last night (Monday) ended.  The second 'junior' moderator....just kinda stopped, and said she was dizzy (the news segment is done live).  Primary moderator then took over and covered remaining news.

3.  Lufthansa 'chief' has said issues now exist with the gov't tax on jet fuel for 2024....which might require a trimming of flights planned.  

4.  Some weird hospital room fire occurred yesterday in Frankenthal....two dead and six folks wounded.  Cops investigating for cause.

5.  FDP Party membership has a poll underway....if they should remain in the coalition.  If they exit?  The current coalition will collapse.  No idea how this will go.

This EU/Elon Musk 'Act'

 I'll keep it simple.

The EU opened up a formal proceeding today against Twitter/X.  In their mind, he has to restrict or censor commentary...or face sanctions.

What I expect?  Musk will show up and say 'fine'....lets have a open meeting and covey the meeting to all EU residents via Twitter.  

All hell will break loose as the EU says 'no'....this has to be a closed door meeting.  It'd adjourn as Musk refuses the closed door session.

The EU will say that a effort will occur to forbid Twitter....to which they find that 20-odd million residents will gain access to VPN capability and still use Twitter.  

The spring 2024 EU election?  It will be mostly about this effort, and the main parties in charge presently....will find themselves voted down/out.   

I'm not saying Musk is right, or that the EU knows what's best.....just that crap like this seems to end up f**cked-up and most people laughing over the failed act.

18 December 2023: Two German News Stories

 1.  The German Defense Minister (SPD Party member) had a talk late last week, and indicated that a crisis in limited manpower for the military is brewing, and he is looking over the option of some kind of 'conscription' plan (basically drafting young men/ladies).

Over the weekend, both the FDP and SPD parties had statements....they weren't going to support such an idea.

2.  What is this new German movie "Girl You Know It's True" all about?

Well....in the 1990s....this music writer/producer...Frank Farian....had a series of music ideas for a dance album.  The thing was....he wanted it to be two black guys in the front of this, but the music itself would be done by a couple of white guys.  This was a German disco venture.

So he found two black guys (Americans).....who could sing, but just not at the level required.  

The group....Milli Vanilli....was as fake as you could get.

The two guys?  They eventually got tired of the faked-up nature, and wanted to actually sing, and the whole 'act' (gimmick) in a matter of a week or two....fell apart.

One of the two would commit suicide over this in the end.

So it's been near 30 years and the movie covers the history of the group and how they fell apart.  

Ukraine Story

 Der Western (the daily newspaper for the Duisburg region....far NW) went and did a interview with a Ukrainian guy....married, with two kids. So the chief topic of the interview?  This guy is signed up on the German social system....for the citizen's allowance....basically 'welfare'.  

Most all Ukrainians in Germany are getting the allowance in some form. Some have found employment but if you aren't working....you are eligible for the allowance (same level as a German in welfare).

So, he goes and says this curious thing.  He openly criticizes the Germans who are frustrated with the level of welfare help.  The key quote?  "Their attitude is naive and childish."

He and the wife go through the money handed to them....and at the end of each month, there's still 100 to 200 Euro left.

Current rate (starting in 2024)?  For a couple?  1,012 Euro (combined).  For teenagers?  The rate is around 470-odd Euro (per kid).  

His point....if you shopped around....never buying booze, smokes, or getting into stupid habits....that 1,900-Euro was enough to make any family happy.

I would imagine that German welfare folks don't appreciate his comments.  If you were living in the Ukraine before the war....you wouldn't have gotten anything near this level of 'help'.  

Beggar Story

 About a month ago in my local town (Wiesbaden, population 285,000)....city police announced that they were going to take on 'intrusive begging' (basically, the aggressive situation)....as the Christmas market started up.

If you sat through commentary of local Germans....they generally have a frown on this topic.  If you go back to the 1980s....there just wasn't any begging going on in main part of town (from the train-station to the end of the shopping district).

At some point around 2000 to 2005....you might have noticed some trend starting up. Over the past five years?   There's probably fifty-odd beggars that you might see (counting the train-station, and shopping district).  Some are passive....some are aggressive.

The police in their November 'chat'.....there were active beggar 'gangs'.  Not sure how they meant the term 'gang' or how the group functioned (either with criminal intent or without).

Last Friday, the police did an update on the topic....saying 18 'expulsions' were carried out.  Expulsion?  Basically, the two-man patrol gets notified....arrives to where the beggar is active, and goes into the friendly-police routine ('we just want to carry you to a warm place with food' situation).  One might assume that a social worker than gets all chatty there and makes you aware of the forty-odd services they could provide.

The one thing that the police did point out....most people are probably just regular beggar-types, and not really with some 'gang'....so this effort is helpful with both types.

Will this continue after the the Christmas market shuts down?  No one says much.

My worst experience in this matter?  My wife and I were at a regular downtown grocery-store last December, and some beggar couple were hitting on people within the store itself.  About a month after this....I noticed the store had some uniformed guy at the entry, which I assume it was to send a 'message' about aggressive begging.

Deportation Story

 From 1 January 2023 to the end of November of 2023....roughly 4,100 individuals came BACK into Germany, after having been deported (for the sake of numbers....roughly 17,000 have been deported in the same time period).

This was a Focus news item that I read over this AM.

These are all people who filled out the asylum paperwork...submitted it....then a review process took place, with a failed 'stamp' at the end.  Either weeks or months were then spent by German government group...to process the guy or gal....leading to X-day, where they were deported back 'home'.

For whatever reason, they took it upon themselves to return to Germany.

The problem with a report like this....Germans read the piece and ask 'why'.  

They ask why the guy/gal didn't obey the deportation order.  

They ask why the government can't resolve deportation.

They ask about the cost of this business.

Trying to break down the data and explain this in detail?  I don't think anyone wants to really discuss this much.  

The odds that a two-time deportee will return for a third occasion?  Well...I would imagine out of the 4,000 folks....the majority will be around for a 3rd and 4th deportation.   

Same trend in the US?  Yeah, you could dig up the numbers and I would imagine somewhere in the 2-to-5 percent range of deportees....will be back.

Germans And Grocery Shopping

 Years ago, I sat with a couple of Americans who got onto the subject of Germans and the amount of grocery shopping they do.  

The general feeling by the non-German is that Germans seem to grocery-shop at least three times a week.  I didn't really argue over the average. 

It's somewhat true but for varying strategies (at least what they suggest it makes sense).

If you view the traditional small apartment dwelling...there's not a lot of space, and it makes sense to stay compacted.  The same is true for the smaller size refrigerators/freezers that most use.  

Adding to this...Germans will get five or six advertising leaflets each week (different grocery stores), and select five to ten items from each store....at discounted prices. It would therefore make sense to visit several shops each week.

Dedicated toward 'deals'?  I'd call it a passion.  

The urban dweller and use of public transportation?  That falls into this discussion as well.  You wrap up work....catch the bus to the mid-town area....do a 10-minute walk through some grocery to pick up six items, and get back on a bus to your suburb.  

Most will buy drinks (beer, wine, water) from one particular shop.  Bakery goods will only come from one particular bakery.  

Summing it up....it's not an unusual habit.  

17 December 2023: Four German News Stories

 1.  Eurowings (owned by Lufthansa) says that they will seek about 740,000 Euro from Last Generation activists for 'damages' to the flight schedule.  Odds of success?  I doubt that the group has the money, but it will push the legal system to access the big-money behind the environmental group.  

2.  This coming Tuesday morning, the Constitutional Court of Germany will announce if the 2021 national election that was held in Berlin (the city)....if it was so fu*ked-up...that it must be repeated.  If they say a repeat must be held....it'd be in roughly 10 weeks.

What this goes back to?  Shortage of poll workers, marginal organization and planning, a city-marathon held on the same day, and people denied the chance to vote because of ballot problems. 

Anyone's guess on how this court review will go.

3.  The authorities in the state of the Pfalz....say that for 2023....45 ATM machines were blown up (robbed) for the year so far.

4.  Interesting prospective in the WELT this AM....piece written by Hannah Bethke.  Topic: 'Sin, Guilt, Prohibitions'.  If you can find the paper, commentary is worth reading.

Long discussion over climate activism and how it filled the religion gap left by people leaving Christianity.  

Touches on the Catholic act of using indulgences (for you to buy) for atonement purposes (to feel good). Lot of historical connections, if you think about it.

A Cult Story

 About 33 years ago....a group of adventurous folks (from around Europe) decided to start a unique cult-group.  Chief focus?  American-Indian habits....living in the harsh northern regions of Finland.  

Name of the group?  Iriadamant.  

On paper, they existed for about three 'seasons', and then started to dissolve (ending by the end of 1993).  

They went the full landscape....dressing as American Indians, and living off the land (at least they claim that). A  fair amount of what food was 'gained'....came from grocery operations....not the land itself.

Journalists who viewed the final year of existence?  Generally, they report pretty harsh conditions, marginal food, limited healthcare, and everyone was getting frustrated.  I would imagine that if they'd done this in Croatia or Italy (more seasonable weather)....the group might have lasted.  

The head-guy or founder of the group....a  participant in the action?  Well....NO.  It was a general fact that the head 'chief' lived mostly out of a hotel in Helsinki....under favorable conditions.

Toward the final months....a fair amount of coverage started up over the group and the worsening conditions...so finally, the Finnish government stepped in and said 'enough'....you need to leave (meaning some type of deport order was given).

Selling the 'brand'?  Well....this gets to part of the story as well.  The main focus seems to have been having a camp or 'wellness' experience, and it could be marketed in some way....bringing people in for a week or two.  The trouble is....the tribe themselves never reached a point where they felt that 'well'.

The 'chief' getting in serious trouble?  By the end of 1993....this guy had legal troubles in Belgium and had crimes of embezzlement and fraud suggested.  He avoided jail, but escaping off to Nicaragua.   From that point on....the cult died off.

I've always thought....on a scale of one to ten, for a movie script....this whole episode was a solid '10' to be made into a movie.  

16 December 2023: Four German News Stories

 1.  This week, in Koln...a wedding occurred within the Kurdish community.  Argument started up (police have yet to figure out the initial 'trigger').  Three folks get stabbed, and sent off to the hospital.

2.  This week, an explosive report came out suggesting the former COO of Wirecard (German banking company)....Jan Marsalek...was some kind of Russian 'spy'.  Two billion Euro of bank assets are still missing.  On the run since summer of 2020?  Yeah.

Connecting back to the Wagner group?  Yeah, that's a odd part of the story.

3.  Görlitzer Park, city park on the east side of Berlin....will be gated-up and closed after dark now....because of assaults and drug woes.  

4.  Next German plagiarism scandal?  University of Bayreuth is looking over the thesis of Alice Weidel (head of the AfD Party).  

15 December 2023: Three German News Stories

 1.  It came out in the AM today....that the coalition government is writing a regulation that says....if you own a building/house, and seek to renovate (anything requiring a permit), and this structure is built before 1993....you go onto a asbestos suspected list.  That means testing is mandated, and if there is any asbestos....that becomes part of the renovation project (by default).

Payment factor?  Well....it's on you, the owner.  Effect?  Unknown. 

I would imagine on apartment buildings...virtually all renovation projects will come to a end for a couple of years.  

2.   Raids conducted in Berlin yesterday....suspected terror operations being planned against Jewish institutions.

3.  ECB to leave key interest rate at 4.5-percent.

Perception of the Ukraine-War Business

 We are near 660 days of war between Ukraine and Russia.  I don't essay much over the war anymore....it's at a virtual standstill.  Any plus-up that Russia had....ended mostly by the beginning of 2023.  Any plus-up that Ukraine had...dissolved by the end of spring 2023.  It's turned into a WW I-like war at this point, with neither party able to achieve results.

So I'll make five observations:

1.  Economically, there's enough evidence now to say Russia has a long-lasting problem, and any industry or commerce still....is just marginally hanging on.  Some folks found a way to invent a Russian McDonalds....but the general opinion is that its not the same quality.

Russians do trips into Turkey and Thailand....with what cash they can score.  Airports still operate but it's nothing like it was prior to the war.

Ukraine surviving economically?  Strictly because of the EU and US efforts.  

2.  Peace ever coming?  If and when Putin passes....will some 'deal' be worked out.

3.  The SE section of Ukraine to be forever some heavily damaged war-zone?  Yeah, and those Russian-Ukrainians will be shaking their heads for decades....as marginal help from Russia ever occurs.  

4.  These 1.5-million-odd Russian guys who exited Russia in 2022....thinking they'd be drafted sooner or later?  I don't think any of them will ever return. 

5.  The million-plus Ukrainians in Germany ever returning to Ukraine?  At least half of them will end being permanent.  

14 December 2023: Three German News Stories

 1.  The Chancellor (Scholz) appeared last night on ARD (public TV, Channel One) in a live chat.....mostly about the budget crisis being resolved.  It was a normal format, and at some point....the moderator (from ARD) needled at Scholz that he needed to express a 'sorry' to the nation.  I thought it was kinda crappy in the way it was suggested.

At some point then, she (the moderator) comes back when he is fuming a bit to say something like 'you don't want to offer an apology?'.

My question...was there anyone much watching the ARD interview? 

Where all of this is leading?  I suspect all three parties of the coalition have evaluated the potential election results if forced into tossing the gov't, and decided lets just fix things enough to get by.   Presently, it'd be a disaster for the Greens and SPD if a national election was scheduled.

2.  There's talk that the EU intends to invent methods/rules to control electricity cost throughout Europe.  I'm a bit skeptical that this will be accomplished without issues.

3.  Some kind of suggestion going active....to get more people in Germany signed up for organ donation, by running a lotto of some type.  I thought this was a joke, but apparently it's in a discussion stage.  Where the money would come from?  German gov't apparently.  

Covid On The Rise In Germany?

 Eleven days ago....I didn't know any local (German) with it.

In past eleven days....counting my wife and I (tested positive), I know six folks with varying episodes of Covid.  One is 90 years old. 

So yeah, I'd say that the numbers are up.  

Doctor-tested for Covid?  No....all six used the cheapo-Chinese-made test kits.  My wife got the five-day sick slip but I doubt if the doctor reported her case to some local city health official.  

What Is This Reich Citizen Scandal All About?

 If you've watched German news over the past year (especially the past week)....there is a fair amount of discussion over this 'group'.

Best description?  This is a small group (probably in the 10,000 member range) that believe that the Reich Weimar Constitution (dating back to 1919) was never deleted/cancelled in the 1930s (under the Nazis) or by the 1949 new Constitution/Basic Law.  

At some point about a year ago....this group had meetings and decided that the time was right for a 'coup'.  

In their mind, they would take some weapons....overthrow the police, the local and state governments....along with the federal government in Berlin, and that the German military would just stand there and do 'nothing'.

At this point, I pause in the story.  

I really can't think of any Germans who might find some belief in that a coup would happen and the public would accept these Reich guys as a better deal.

My general impression is that these guys lived in a vacuum....only chatted with like-minded folks....never discussing reality.  

What the government has to do now?  Basically walk through a legal court hearing with people who probably don't respect German law....as it exists today, and continuing to argue about Weimar law still in effect. 

A comedy show?  I'm of the mind that someone will record much of the dialog and some TV movie script/series....will be eventually produced.  

Taking any part of this serious?  Well...you can go back to the Weimar years and wonder why the Nazis didn't formerly dissolve it (in some manner) or why the folks who arrived in the 1945 to 1949 era....didn't formerly dissolve things.  I'm guessing everyone assumed that the Basic Law package that came out of 1949.....was 'enough' to do the job.  

Political Chatter

 I sat and looked over a BILD newspaper report from this AM.  

There was supposed to be a coalition asylum agreement....allowing for the max holding/detention on refugees who'd failed their application of 28 days (up from the current ten).

Well...the Greens inserted in a deal where every single deportee (having failed) would be assigned a lawyer (gov't expense).  So when you review this added piece...the new 28 day situation is now null and void.  Deportation will continue to be drawn out.

The good news-bad news? Basically, the AfD Party has a four-star mandate and connection to the public.  This will help to inflate public opinion and continue the upward trend in voting for the right-wing party.

One might sit and laugh over it.....but this whole deportation continued failure seems to be locked into place and a top ten political discussion topic.

Budget Mess Concluded

 Shortly before 6 AM this morning....the German coalition gov't came to some conclusion on the 2024 budget.  There's to be a noon group announcement over this.  An all-night meeting?  Yeah.

TV Chatter

Last night (Tuesday), if you watched ZDF (public German TV, Channel 2) at 8:15 PM....you got 'The Secret World of the Super Rich - The Billion Dollar Game'.

It was a 43-minute documentary piece that revolved around the idea of the wrongs committed by Germany's 237 billionaires.

You can view it here.

 I dosed up on about 20 minutes of it.  The jest, I'd say....you've got some evil German billionaires, and the only way to fix this....is to tax the hell out of them.

I'm not really pro-rich or anti-rich....I do realize that if you have a service or product, and it's successful....you make money.  The government taxes the product/service (at the shop, on the truck, and the employees at the store/factory).  The system works as designed....except at the end....there's the executive or owner, who holds the end result of the effort.

Yeah, he or she flies around on a private jet....lives in a fairly nice mansion....drinks fine wine daily....wears 3,000 Euro suits made in Italy, and seems to get haircuts on a regular basis.  He doesn't fake his way to the status....he appears to have a 18-hour work-day.  

If you tried to tax the billionaires more?  They'd quietly exit the country, and ensure the headquarters for the operation was not in Germany.  I wouldn't call it punishment....it's just the reality of the world we live in.  

Course, with the right effort, we could rid Germany of the 237 billionaires, and feel good about it in the end.  

The odds that a fair amount of Germans watched the documentary piece?  Well...there was competition:  'Farmer Seeks Wife', 'Navy CIS', 'Big Bang', 'Body Guard', some welfare reality series, and a 2020 Tatort murder episode.  Just guessing that 98-percent of Germans watched something else.  Or you could have done the right thing....viewing Netflix streaming video.  

13 Dec 2023: Six German News Stories

 1.  Has Gil Ofarim's case officially ended (in court)?  Well....no.  As of yesterday....he had still not yet paid the court costs (figured near 10,000 Euro).  So the court still has a presence over him.

2.  That 'Hart Aber Fair' show forum from Monday night?  Well....it ended in a weird way....the co-host (Brigitte Büscher) who'd been the public reviewer of comments from people viewing the show....announced at the end that she was 'finished' and leaving.  Based on the way it was done....I don't think she'd told the moderator (Louis Klamroth) of the plans before the show started.  

Some criticism revolving around Klamroth?  If you follow the show....he's been there a year and had some ups-and-downs.  

A big deal?  Hart aber Fair....I tended to rate as the number two forum show on German public TV (ZDF or ARD)....at least before Klamroth came along.  The way he's covered some hot topics....hasn't gone well.  I would imagine he's got a year to renovate things or be moved to some other task.  

3.  If you can find a WELT newspaper from yesterday....there's a fairly decent commentary by Don Alphonso, entitled: 'Get Rid of Problem Children'.

Main emphasis?  Don't put up with woke German kids or their BS in the holiday season.  You get emotional pleas from the stupid German juveniles for the Palestinians, demands to exclude right-wing relatives, condemnation chatter over white supremacy (Germans are supreme in this logic), and kids speaking up about their new diet plan....which means some type of non-meat meal or only accepting non-fat cookies/tarts.  

What Don suggests....don't put up with it.  Course, this puts grandma on the bad-person list and eliminates any conversation with 'Johan' or 'Emmy'.  But it's a 'cancel-them' before they 'cancel-you' strategy.  

4.  This budget mess?  There's a fair amount of talk going on about the Bundestag problem with the 2024 budget.  Virtually no one believes the budget will be resolved between now and 1 January 2024....so a new idea has evolved.  Some believe that as the new year begins....money will be spent at a much less rate (at least until the budget mess is fixed).  

If the FDP says to exit and the coalition collapses?  Well....no budget until after the election (figure six weeks minimum).  

5.  This business story with the Rene Benkos real estate problem will be a top story over the next two weeks.  Two German insurance companies are heavily invested in the real estate firm, and as Benkos empire dissolves....the money for the two companies  go with it.  Billions of Euro involved.

6.  WELT had a piece to suggest some type of talk between AfD (the right-wing party) and the CDU-CSU party.  BS?  Well....the vast majority of the CDU-CSU aren't agreeable to this.  I don't see this idea evolving far.

When Did The 'Heil Hitler' Greeting Start?

 This is an interest history story.

So the earliest use of 'Sieg Heil' or 'Heil Hitler' was in 1921....within the small but growing Nazi Party out of Munich.  The bulk of the early members were veterans of WW I.

So as you get to 1926....it became an official use thing by party members.

Later, as you get into the late 1930s....the 'greeting' became mandatory for civilians.

My wife (the German) has the letter from the commander of her grandfather's unit....from the 1st week of January 1945...noting the passing of her grandfather in defending some roadway at the far end of eastern Poland....as the Army were exiting Russia.

The letter ends with 'Heil Hitler' and the guy's signature.  I would imagine about a month after the event, the guy's wife got the letter.  

Three Humble Thoughts

1.  Last night, if you watched ARD (late) or PRO-7 (prime-time).....you got a heavy dose of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and laid out on a highly critical form.

The segments on after the PRO-7 show.....went directly at Tic-Tok....also in a negative way.  

So the question came up in my mind....how many Germans participate in some form of social media.  Answer....as of early 2023....around 85-percent of Germans do 'something' on social media.  The bulk of the population use WhatsApp, which I don't consider a big 'threat'.  As for Tik-Tok users and accounts in Germany?  Around 20-million.  

2.  The Linke Party existence in the Bundestag....officially ends today.  Employees of the national level party....are terminated, and assets to be 'sold'.  

End of an era.

3.  All 'hell' broke loose this AM at a school in Berlin (Gropiusstadt area of Neukolln neighborhood).

What the cops say is that five young lads (age 14/15)....got into scuffle.....teachers got involved, then other kids got into it, then the cops arrived and got into the middle.  

Someone, either one of the kids or the cops, then brought out pepper-spray.

What this was about?  Unknown. 

These juvenile fights?  They used to be just a one-on-one situation, and it seems lately....gang-versus-gang. 

What's This FDP Party Survey About?

 Well...they are a participating member of the coalition government (SPD-Greens-FDP).  The survey will include the question if the FDP should exit the coalition (over the budget crisis).

Any guesses to the outcome?  No.

What'll happen if a majority says 'exit'?  The leadership of the party will meet and design a statement....then announce the end of their participation.  

Triggers another national election?  ONLY if the SPD can't partner up with the CDU-CSU Party.

Crisis?  No....the rules are set down in stone, and people are aware of the consequences.  

I would imagine that there's a lot of chatter going on in Berlin over this development.

12 Dec 2023: Three German News Stories

 1.  Forsa went and did a public polling situation over German antisemitism.  End result?  There's less prejudice among Germans over Jews than anytime before.  They aren't saying zero....but it's lower than previous poll efforts.

2.  The planned budget talks for 2024 with the coalition gov't (SPD, Greens, FDP)....has been postponed.  Not a lot of talk about why. It would appear that they've not yet reached any compromise position.

3.  There's some German citizenship reform going on....which will make naturalization for Ukrainians in Germany easier and it'll come up in 2025.  The negative part?  If they applied in numbers....the current system will probably not be able to handle the paperwork load.  N-24 piece this AM.

On The Topic Of Gendering

 In the past week....Bavaria's Premier-President...Markus Söder....CSU Party 'boss', has said that use of gender-talk-change...has to be stopped in Bavarian schools.

The poll folks at Civey....went to survey the Bavarian public on this.  Three-quarters of society in the state of Bavaria agree.

The folks who say the 'ban' is wrong?  About 20-percent.  They don't divide them up, but I would make an assumption that it's mostly people under the age of twenty-five.

This being a political thing?  Well....if you did view around the CSU, the CDU, the AfD, and the FDP....they mostly lean against gendering.  So it's got more support from the SPD Party and the Greens than anyone else.

The remaining fifteen states?  It's not a top level issue openly discussed (they tend to have bigger issues to worry about). 

This progressing to the national level to force approval of gendering?  I don't think the sixteen states will allow this type of forced-issue to occur.  

The other issue?  I would suggest that a lot of logical questions would follow this discussion in some open forum, and the moderator/guests would not be able to present an argument about this type of evolution going on.  

German Political Figures Who Lost Their Degrees Because Of Plagiarism

 It's an unusual topic.

The last person in this category.....was the Berlin political figure....SPD Party member....Franziska Giffey.  This was over plagiarism in her doctoral thesis.  The university removed the degree status.  Going back to 2009 (this occurred in 2021)?  Yeah.

Others?  Former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (his PhD was lost and he quit the gov't in 2011).

Then there was the former Education Minister Annette Schavan (another PhD lost....quit in 2013).

Former Vice President of the European Parliament Silvana Koch-Mehrin?  Lost her PhD and resigned around 2011.

The cases with EU President Ursula von der Leyen and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.  Both had a review on the PhD thesis and the university system simply noted minor issues in noting information....not enough to revoke the degree.

This being a yearly thing now?  I'd say about once or twice a year....a new political figure is identified in Germany with thesis issues, and there's a four to six month review.  At the end, either a minor correction statement is issued, or they lose the degree.  

Sloppy work on the thesis?  I think a fair number of people (not just Germans) are just crappy at writing an extended report, and the PhD requirement comes with a huge burden to fulfill.  I would also offer the idea that if you went around to 1,000 PhD thesis reports from the 1960s....more than half would probably fail because of plagiarism.  

I had a conversation back twenty years ago with a Air Force officer who'd completed his thesis, and he admitted in the end....he hired a 'grammar-queen' to clean up his mess and make it presentable in the end.  As much as the thesis business is supposed to show you are an 'expert'....it's more of a test of writing and documentation skills. 

11 December 2023: 5 German News Stories

 1.  Over the weekend, the CDU Party presented a plan to renovate public TV (ARD/ZDF) in Germany.

The deal?  Well....there would be a evolution to occur, where ARD becomes a regional network, and ONLY ZDF would survive as a national public TV network.  Along the way....various programs that ARD produces...would either halt or be handed to ZDF to maintain.

Two national news groups between ZDF and ARD?  That would basically come to an end.

Odds of ARD accepting this?  I'd say near ZERO.  

The CDU plan has a couple of bright ideas, and would trim cost by a significant amount.  If you asked me about the main difference between nightly news from ARD and ZDF?  There's just not much difference.  

2.  In the middle of a live show on Saturday night on RTL....the moderator's watch (one of the new fancy ones)....did an alert and told him to call the doctor (I assume his pulse or blood pressure was an issue).  Just a rather odd thing.  No, he apparently didn't call the doctor, if you were wondering.  I should note, the moderator is an older guy (early 70s).

3.  Some weird attack in Bremen over the weekend.....23-year old sister is attacked by 24-year old brother.  Dead.  Cops have no real explanation yet.

4.  German car parts company Bosch is talking about a 1,500 employee 'cut'. 

5.  Bahn cards (the discount 25-or-50-percent deal) are in some way evolving....with plastic cards likely to disappear.  Replacement?  You'd have a App on the smart-phone to ID your status.  

10 Dec 2023: 4 German News Stories

 1.  INSA did a national poll of Germans, on trends in voting.  CDU-CSU Party would have 30-percent.  SPD Party would have 16-percent.  Greens would have 12-percent.  FDP would have 6-percent. AfD Party would have 22-percent.  Linke Party would have 4-percent (meaning no seats in the Bundestag).  Free Party voters would have 3-percent.  11-percent were spread around to other lesser parties.

Bad sign for the coalition?  Yeah....combined, they would get 32-percent of public voting.

2.  Minister of Health (Lauterbach) made a number of comments yesterday over new numbers of Covid infections.  Things are still in a reasonable state, where national mandates have not been issued (like mandatory wear of masks). I tend to believe in the next week or two....mandated wear of masks for bus/train travel will occur.

3.  Odd story reported via N-TV....Russian military expert has reviewed North Korean manufactured ammo received in Russia, and proclaims quality is a serious problem.  

4.  New Bahn (railway) prices coming up shortly....for long distance trips...prices will go up 4.9-percent.  

How Does Hitler And The 555-Number Business Become A Big Deal?

 Well....it is an odd small story to tell.

In the fall of 1919....Hitler was attending meetings of the German Worker's Party....as a secret agent of the Bavarian secret police.

At some point, with some demonstration of his oral skills (arguing)....he was offered membership with the party.  This meant a 'card' to identify him as a member.

So they sent him a card.  On paper, he would have been member #55.  But the German Worker's Party decided to inflate membership numbers, and the card number he got....was #555.

He kept the card, and that's how the significance of #555 got attached to his name.  

When did the party change it's name (to the Nazi Party)?  Five months later....after the #555 card was issued to Hitler.  

Migration 'Oath' Chatter

 It is a curious development in Saxony-Anhalt (eastern Germany state, which was part of old DDR).  The state Interior Ministry came out (by the 'boss') and said if you are a migrant and seeking naturalized German citizenship within Saxony-Anhalt....you will have to sign a document stating you are not seeking to destroy Israel.

Tamara Zieschang is the minister behind the idea.  CDU Party member.

Legal?  German states (16 of them) have a fair amount of power, which the federal apparatus can't really control.  

I would imagine that if some migrant (holding status to stay in the country) could avoid this citizenship application issue, by moving out of Saxony-Anhalt....to a 'safe' state.

Curiously, Zieschang is presently giving the idea over to the other 15 Interior Ministers, and I would imagine at least two other states will follow this within weeks (Bavaria is likely to be one).

EU to step in and forbid this?  They'd have to have all member states to agree, and I doubt that this can happen.  

Is France a 'Safe' Country

 At least once a month, I watch the BBC 'Question-Time', which often puts intellectual folks into a bind.

This week, the question came up....because of illegal migration into the UK...from France....someone finally asked in some pointed way if France was 'safe'.  Meaning?  If it were safe and the migrant boarded a boat there....then the act of leaving France meant nothing, and the migrant should have avoided the British isle.  

I pondered over this.  It's the same way in the Med...once you land in Greece, Italy, France, or Spain....the safe status falls into play, and trying to sneak off into Germany makes no sense.

Is France 'safe'?

I'm not an authority on France. I admit.....once or twice a year....I cross the border...going 12 km into France....mostly to shop at a particular French grocery (Cora).  Beyond that, if you asked me if it was safe....I'd respond that it seems to be as safe as Mainz or Wiesbaden.  

Once you say France is safe....does that trigger a problem for French people who say the country is unsafe?  Well....yeah, this could be a slight problem.

All of this making little to no sense to the common working-class guy?  Yeah, that seems to be a problem that is developing.  

What Is This German Budget Crisis All About?

 Well....back in 2021...the Bundestag was 'owned' by Chancellor Merkel and the CDU Party.  They invented a second budget.....just for Covid-matters (at the time, it made sense).

As the fall of 2021 came....national election occurred, and the SPD Party 'won' (you can argue that the CDU intentionally, with Merkel's help, arranged a loss).

The SPD Party walked into office and said this extra Covid-budget (from early 2021) wasn't needed any longer.  But rather than extinguish the budget....they said they'd use it for SPD, Green Party and FDP Party 'gifts'.  

Immediately, the CDU folks cited the constitution and said 'no'.....you can't legally change the path of the money 'borrowed'.  The new coalition then invented various ways to spend the money.

Court action ensued, and in the past two months...the German Constitutional Court said...'you guys can't go and rig up spending of Covid-money on something else'.

So there's this list of things, with some contracts signed....without a budget apparatus.  

Presently?  The FDP controls the budget process and says they won't invent new taxes to make up for the crazy matter.  The SPD and Greens?  They either have to dump all promised gifts, or run a new federal election (18 months early).  

If an election were to be held now?  Between the Greens and SPD....together?  They won't get more than 30-percent of the national vote.  

The Covid-budget deal....destroying the coalition gov't?  More or less.  And all this free-gift-chatter?  Well....it'll evaporate, without any further discussion. 

It is funny how this all was created, and how it evolved....to waste two whole years.

Airport Story

 When BER (the new Berlin Airport) was plannned....it was believed that it would become a hub.  Meaning?  Long-haul flights would come in and this would mean a fair number of Germans would transit from lesser airports to Berlin, then leave on long-distance flights.

Well....that hasn't happened.

BER officials now admit that under the current plan....the airport is not being maximized for use.

So they want a deal to involve Emirates....some folks are against it, because it would reduce the Lufthansa business plan.

I looked it up for long-haul flights out of Berlin.  Just six a day move in/out of Berlin's airport.

If you were talking about Munich and Frankfurt?  Over 150 flights per day....for long-haul status.

My gut feeling?  Well....when you go talk about the status of Berlin....it's mostly a place for politics or tourism.  When you talk business....it's Frankfurt, Hamburg or Munich.  

BER never reaching full potential (relating to the enormous cost factor)?  Well....that's really a major part of this discussion.  Adding to the burden....when you look at the long-haul tourism angle....there's just more in the western part of the country to see.  Once you land in Berlin....you have a lot to see in the city, and maybe in Brandenburg.  But beyond those two....it's just not as comparable as the whole state of Bavaria or the western region of Germany.

I would offer the logic that BER will never pass Munich or Frankfurt on traffic numbers.