26 June 2024: Ten German News Stories

 1.  Frankfurt police have reported murder charges coming up.  45-year-old German guy murdered (Friday) on the eastern side of town (north side of the river).....by a 26-year-old Transwoman.  Beyond the identification and age of the two....the police are trying to avoid any other commentary.

Oddly, it's generated a fair amount of social media commentary.  I doubt if you will hear another word about this murder until you get to the court case next year.  

2.  Murder at the Frankfurt airport from 2011 settled...German court found a Kosovo-Albanian man guilty (Friday afternoon case concluded).  This was the episode where the shooter boarded a US military bus parked just outside of the Airport terminal, and shot several folks (2 American Airmen dead).

3.  German gov't says there's a 8.8-billion Euro 'hole' existing with renewable energy.  Likely to be a new energy tax invented out of thin-air.  

4.  Some lower than expected number out of the 2022 Census for the population....growth didn't occur.

5.  Is German TV summer-dead at present?

Typically, for about 8 weeks...especially on public TV and to a lesser extent commercial TV....they go to what I'd  describe as 'dead-status'....meaning nothing new is shown, public forums don't occur, and usually the only excitement is live-soccer or the Olympics. 

Someone this week within Focus....added up the off-period...saying that it's closer to 12 week of a summer-dead season this year.

Then the topic came up....the only way to really generate hype for the political parties....is public forum chat shows....where you invent a problem or mess, then bring on some political folks to to explain how they can solve this mess.

Well...the suggestion is that the SPD is getting hurt a good bit, and the dead-season is harming public status for the party.

Why this topic comes up?  Well....there's continual chatter of a gov't  collapse coming up, and the SPD is missing a golden opportunity to hype their theme/message. 

6.  End of the Germany 49 Euro rail ticket (monthly deal)?

Well....the CDU Party in Hessen (my state) is openly saying it has to come to an end...sooner or later.  Causing a stir to mention this (SPD is still fully for it).

To make the 49-Euro ticket possible in this state....the government has turn in around 4-billion Euro extra.  

The reality here?  All of the sixteen states are putting money from their budget into this gimmick, to make it 49-Euro.  The truth is....the ticket  (monthly) should be near 65-Euro...maybe even 70-Euro.  

7.  Smoking cannabis around a school in Hessen?  Fine was set today....400 Euro, if you are within eye-sight of a school.

8.  Oropouche fever now noticed in Italy....likely to be seen within a year or two in Germany.  

Common?  NO.....mostly seen in the Caribbean.

What you typically get?  Serious fever (up to 104 F)....along with chills, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, serious joint pain, and rashes.

9.  Weather?  Today and Thursday....up to 30 C where I live (86 F)....not terrible heat but warm.  But some serious storms start to come through on Thursday.....with lightning predicted.  Then the next seven days?  All back down to a cool 21/22 degrees.  More rain into July?  At least five days out of the first dozen are predicted to be drizzle minimum.

10.  This week....30 years ago....Soviet troops pulled  out of old East Germany.  Lot of Germans still remember the period.  

25 June 2024: Eleven German News Stories

 1.  I've watched probably six Euro Cup 2024 soccer games  over the past two weeks.  The one odd thing you tend to notice.....just a lot of 'reviews' of goal points, where off-sides is reviewed by the computer, and the point scored....is reversed/denied.  I've probably seen this at least eight times. 

I would suggest that this trend is infuriating fans a good bit.

2.  There's chatter in France, because of the election and financial issues anticipated after the results are announced....there will be a financial CRISIS period for August.  

I'm not saying France is in worse shape than Germany.  

3.  There's a Berlin high-school which cancelled their graduation ceremony....due to pro-Hamas stuff going on.

4.  From Sunday political chatter....some ARD interview with Chancellor Scholz....question was thrown at him....asking if he was now a burden to the SPD Party (his folks).

Pretty insulting question, but the answer is...yes....if you go to rank-and-file membership of the party.

WELT piece from Monday, suggests that some SPD Party members are recommending an early election (instead of the planned fall 2025 date).  This budget battle going on....is taking energy out of the party at present.

5.  Budget battle within the government for 2025....Finance Minister (FDP Party member) isn't that agreeable with goals of SPD..

Break-up possibility?  It seems to be some chatter over that.

6.  First half of 2024.....11,000 German companies declare bankruptcy....30-percent above the 'norm'.

7.  How I think this BYD-Chinese-made-E-car stuff will go?

Ton of them coming into Europe and some hyped-up Chinese success coming.  Well.....I will forecast that the BYD dealers around Germany will quietly say by December....consumer interest has fallen apart.

By spring of 2025....around the ports of Hamburg....around 25,000 BYD cars will be parked and lacking a purchase order.  

The EU shift?  I'm telling you....the EU by summer of 2025.....will unhinge the mandate of E-cars, and China will standing there in a crappy situation....unable to market their cars.

8.  That knifing in Mannheim from 3 weeks ago?  Prosecutor yesterday handed down charges....attempted murder, plain murder, and bodily-harm.  

Nut-case Islamic guy?  Well...unproven yet. I'm guessing the judge will refer him to some clinic....sooner-or-later.  

9.   WELT had a report on beer consumption  lessening in Germany, and the trend (if believed) is accelerating.  

My general take?  Compared to forty years ago....Germans simply have widen their drink choices....to healthy drinks, cocktails, and wines.  Going back to 1978....I just don't remember anyone in a German pub/bar....ordering cocktail.   

10.  One thing happening this week in Germany.....the Census of 2022 will be finally published.  It's been on a continual delay situation for at least a year.  Lot of hype expected....some numbers over refugees/migrants will occur....as well rent-data.

11. One thing expected out of a RN Party win in France (if it occurs)....they say if you have dual citizenship....you WILL NOT have a gov't job (meaning fire, police, etc).  No one really knows the extent of this issue.

Soda Tax Chatter?

 Several German states (Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Thuringia and Saarland) are pursuing a federal policy of a sugar-soda tax.

A Munich university sat down and did a study.....saying if there was a national soda tax....over a 20-year period.....it'd raise 16-billion Euro.  

What the tax amounts to?  The chatter suggest 20-percent.   Currently, for the BIG bottle of Coke, it generally runs around 1.84 Euro (when on sale).  If you did the 20-percent add-on?  2.21 Euro.  

So would that halt people from  consuming sugar sodas?  No.....I don't buy into this logic.  

Oh, I agree....the government would make 16-billion  Euro EXTRA over 20 years, but they'd just convince people to pay the extra and tax income would not even be noticed after six months of implementation.

Will they press forward on this?  I'm pretty sure by spring of 2025....the tax will be added.  

24 June 2024: Seven German News Stories

 1. Heat wave coming into my valley (Wiesbaden region).  Tuesday....getting up to 29 C (84 F).  It'll be the first time this entire year we cross the 28 C point.  

On my miserability index (1-to-10).....I'd still rate it near a '1'.  

Weird weather year?  Most moderate year I've ever seen in Germany.  My grass is 5-star....I've mowed almost every 9 days...plenty of rain to keep it thriving.  Last week....at least three days that was too brisk to wear shorts/t-shirt.

2.  Purpose of the Vice-Chancellor's visit to China?  Well....it's now hyped-up to the max....Habeck is suddenly in a 'mess'...trying to prevent a tariff 'war' between not just Germany, but the EU itself and China.

A lot of this has to do with a massive amount of E-cars that China is trying to deliver into Europe.  

I've been shaking my head.  The freighters will unload tens of thousands of these Chinese-made E-cars....but I don't see there being any real potential to sell them.  The EU?  Worried like hell that this will screw up the economy.  Habeck is carrying an enormous amount of pressure on his shoulders.

3.  Curious piece (here) from Focus....dealing with Berlin and crime.  

The chief of police for Berlin (Barbara Slowik) says that there has to be stricter laws on weapons.  Slowik says the trend (from statistical data) shows the 'bad-boys'....getting younger.

She ended doing a interview with N-TV news...talking up the bump in knife attacks within the city.  Non-Germans?  Yeah....statistical shows that too.

4.  I was reading a piece....roughly 40,000 bridges exist on the German autobahn system.  Out of that....5,000 are in some need or repair, renovation, or replacement.  Funding-wise?  They think they have enough to do around 400 per year....at  best.

5.  This attack on the Crimea over the weekend?  Ukraine fired off a US-made ATACMS rocket/missile.  Whatever the target was....it missed and landed on a beach loaded with Russian tourists.  Result?   Appears like 151 were wounded, and around 80 were bad enough to get an ambulance run to a hospital.  

Based on Russian commentary?  Well...US-made missile and US-GPS in the mix....so Russia owes some retaliation.  Anyone's guess how this will go.

Added to this.....I read Twitter commentary from a Brit politician who'd  talked to Brit military analysts.....they say that there's a belief that some CIA-Ukraine plan to do a hoax 'dirty-bomb' in Europe....blaming Russia.   Reasoning, this would trigger NATO military action right before the US election. Some odd belief this would help Biden win, and some type of WW III action would  start  up.  Some BS likely here, but after the natural gas pipeline was blown up....people are more prone to discount hoax attacks now.

6.  Another knife-death in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (Berlin)?  Well.....what the cops say is that they came upon s body near the Kottbusser Tor subway station, 

7.   Wolf attack near Paris?  What N-TV said this AM....French jogger out....encountered three wolves, who chased him.  Pretty serious wounds.

Tourism Story

 Spain has a population of 48-million.  If you didn't know.....around 1.9-million of this group....has a job in some way connected to tourism.

I've made four vacations into Spain since 1984.  If you asked me the selling point of trips to Spain?  It comes down to three key elements: great weather, 4-star hispidity, and a historical landscape....no matter where you go.

So I opened up Spanish news this AM, and here is this story over Barcelona. The city of Barcelona intends to ban all holiday apartments.

What's driving this?  Really.....too much success.

Between the crowd-flow, heavy traffic, ongoing water issues,  and mass tourism....the city says there has to be some limit.

So when 2029 comes around....the license to rent out homes/apartments?  It comes to an end.

If you are a tourist?  You will either stay in a hotel, or find a rentable home/apartment outside of the city.

The odds that the hotel crowd pushed this?  Well....you can't really discount that idea.

Fixing crowd-flow, heavy traffic, or ongoing water issues?  Well....NO.

It is kinda funny....carving out the B&B rentals and such....telling the public that you are fixing something.....when you simply are telling the public some BS solution....that makes a ton of money for hotels....is amusing.

My advice?  Barcelona has a five-star public transportation system....that extends well out of the city....beyond the controlled area.  So if you want a decent apartment to rent for 2 weeks and a goal to enjoy the city....rent beyond the controlled area and use mass transit. 

23 June 2024: Six German News Stories

 1.  France election on 30 June (1st round).  Key player to watch?  Well....from the right....the RN Party.....Jordan Bardella.  They are closing in on 35-percent (leading the pack).  Macron's Party at least 12 points behind.  Trend-wise....RN might manage to get 50-plus percent....meaning no partnership required. 

To get past the first vote/round....the party is required to secure an absolute majority of votes cast, and able to secure votes equal to at least 25% of eligible voters in their constituency.  ONLY two parties fit that profile.

Affect on the German election in 2025?  Some folks are starting to suggest that.

2.  Germany apparently missed the EU climate 'goals'.  Meaning?  Well....the rules say you pay a fine (as a country).....amounts to several billion Euro.  I'm sure that the SPD-coalition has money in it's pocket (tax-payer funds) to cover the fine.  

Helpful for the fall 2025 national election?  Just gives AfD another topic to talk about.  

3.  The Interior Minister (Faieser, SPD) made a comment that she wants to fill gov't billets with migrants in the future.....to bring diversity into government offices.

Selling point?  I suspect if you asked SPD-voters....a quarter of them will say this is the most ridiculous thing they've ever heard the party suggest.

But to be honest, with the decline in the birth-rate....eventually (sooner or later)....you will be stuck with no one but migrants to fill the empty positions.

4.  In the state of NRW....police were given orders (for the soccer championship).....you can't wear pro-Germany pins or wave German flags.  You just need to be professional and neutral.  

Only German state I know of....to hand down orders like this to their police.

5. Some chatter has started up on Ukrainians in Germany.  If you receive 'citizens-pay' (welfare).....you need to work in some way (like part-time efforts), or face being sent back to western Ukrainian (deemed safe).

Minor talk and I doubt if it'll go anywhere.  The majority of Ukrainians in Germany are women and children.  

6.  For this Covid mask court case.....what the government faces if they 'lose'?  Around 2.3-billion Euro.  To be honest, this is the mess left by the CDU-coalition under Merkel.  

Fair amount of chatter to indicate a fair portion of the delivered masks (maybe 20-percent) were not quality-type and did not meet the gov't standard.  

What Happens After 8 July In France?

 Well....the LN Party (right-wing) will have an absolute majority (I believe) and you will see  a list of laws to be passed affecting immigration. 

This triggering a 'freak-out' and exodus into Spain or Germany?  Yeah, I would imagine within two months....more than 20,000 'problem-folks' will have left, and you will see a reaction in both Spain and Germany....with a 'lets-vote' situation being pursued.

People in Germany on a watch-list?  I would suggest they might be easily pursued and put on a soon-to-be-deported list.

All of this leading to a higher percentage of folks voting AfD?  Well....I would imagine that the number could go above 25-percent.  

Freaking out the public TV folks?  Yeah.

This might be interesting to watch unfold.

22 June 2024: Eight German News Stories

 1.  Just an odd 'cold-war' story....up off Kiel (Baltic Sea) rests a Russian 'spy-ship'.  German authorities are concerned (at least talking about it).  I guess they might be getting some cellphone traffic.  There is some perception that  they might be messing with GPS satellites/regional tracking.

2.  This 'honor-killing' of the 15-year old Afghan female by the father and mother?  Well...it took a turn.

Cops say after interviewing the arrested father....he pointed the finger at the wife....saying she was the one pushing for the 'honor-killing'.   The reason given?  The young lady had a 'lifestyle' issue....at least that is the talk of the police about cause.

3.  Focus wrote up a long piece....you can read it completely (here).

Emphasis?  Well....journalists from the New York Times came to the Euro Cup games,  and among  non-game  news....started talking about breakdowns in German rail traffic.  They started up talking about the past experience....German rail being efficient and functional, and now being disappointed.

Then the Times got into "miserable conditions" for the fans trying to get to or from the Munich stadium.

The Times slant?  For visitors.....this was a shock, but locals just accepted as a normal thing.

My take?  I rode German rail  first in 1978....throughout the 1980s/1990s, and since entering retirement  in 2013....have lessen my use.  I might make five or six extended trips per year these days of German rail.  

My gut says they added an awful lot of technology....with people thinking it improved the system.  I'd argue that with each new piece of technology....you made the network more complex, and more breakable.  The Bahn App?  Well....it's a fantastic tool, but it also tells you the tracking time, and it's a constant remainder about late arrivals or cancellations.  

I also think urbanization has crept into the mess...where living around Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, or Munich....is a mess by itself.  

4.  Meeting of NRW state Green Party.  They started talking up a new view of politics....wanting to focus themselves on 'everyday-problems'. 

This aimed at youth voters?  Yeah.

Meaning less environmental chatter?  I'm not sure about that.  They seemed careful not to say what 'everyday-problems' were listed.

5. Over 100 lawsuits pending against the Health Ministry of Germany.  This group goes back to the 2020 era (Merkel's crew were still in charge)....and in the Covid crisis.  The Health Ministry then....needed the stupid masks.....so they had a open contract, without really managing things.

Well....a ton of suppliers started to deliver the masks, and there were just too many, and some were of crappy design.

What this amounts to....if the court says pay?  Over 1-billion Euro.  Some people think it might get up to five or six billion if you take in delayed payment/damages. 

Legal standing?  I read through a WELT piece and would suggest that there's an enormous amount of incompetence on the part of the Health Ministry.  But adding to it....a fair amount of masks arrived and were proclaimed 'defective' when they came off the truck.  

6.  That Mannheim knife incident  of 31 May, with the dead policeman (about 6 weeks ago)?  It's taken an odd turn.  Local prosecutor has reported that six locals filed 'complaints' over the way that the event was handled by the police (the necessity of shooting the Muslim guy).  The attacker survived the gunshot.  

Basic suggestion?  Police did not maintain control or should have provided more security. 

7.  Long piece in WELT. If you can find the paper....worth reading.  They wrote up article how cocaine has become a normal part of life in Germany, and there's some fear that political and judicial corruption might be a new problem because of the drug.

8.  I sat and watched a N-TV news piece this AM....discussion?  Forced heat planning, drawn up by the federal folks....dumped upon individual municipalities. Yeah...all 11,000 of them.

The comical side of this?  The SPD-coalition says that chief problem is heating is not a national issue....it's a municipal issue.

The mandate is that  you (the mayor/city council) need to wrote a report and explain how you (the city) intend to supply home-owners/businesses with heat in the future.  Key point?  Well....your report  needs to state how climate-friendly your design will be and how you 'might' do this in some inexpensive way. 

Yeah, it's a massive BS dump on the 11,000 towns, cities and villages.

Prior to this....it  was simply shifted to individual owners (homes and apartment  buildings) to gear some heat plan that 'worked', and it wasn't the government business how this was designed.

This pressuring municipalities to hire some idiot to write a bunch of BS.....giving fake goals/agendas, and just turning in a BS-report?  Yeah....that's about the whole perception of this effort.  The odd thing?  Someone at the federal level would have to read all 11,000 reports.  

Q-and-A: The Youth Voting Chaos Within Germany?

 1.  How big a deal was the voting results from the EU election two weeks ago?

For roughly two years....the SPD, Greens and Linke Party (left)....believed that this wonderful day would come where the 16/17 year old vote would occur, and they'd likely take 90-percent of the vote.  

Well....you can pretty much divide it 50/50, saying that the CDU, FDP and AfD took half, and in the eastern side of the country....it was a serious number that voted for the AfD (the far right folks).

2.  What went wrong?

The assumption for the last year or two.....with the effort of public TV (the ARD channel for youth), social media, the message/theme, and trends....would bring this massive vote to the front of the left....failed.

3. Did German public TV miss their opportunity?

FUNK was designed to be this streaming video service....compliments of ARD (public TV) and would attract teenagers.  

Around a year ago, I checked it....you can load any of their offerings.

So, I'd say about 60-percent is entertainment, movies, or sports.  The rest is news designed for teenagers....public forums....or theme/message projects.  Yeah, they do try hard to format some political theme.  But the problem is.....most teenagers prefer stuff you'd see off Amazon or Netflex.  Yeah, they don't care so much for in-depth political BS.

4.  Does this worry the political elite over the fall 2025 fed election?

I would say if you were in the Green Party or SPD....you probably are discounting extra votes coming your way, and the AfD folks probably will take in the 15-percent or more of the vote.

Getting the youth vote back?  You'd have to find some political topic other than the environment or social causes.

5.  Doesn't this force some migration policy?

Most of the parties hoped that the EU efforts were 'enough'.   Thinking that the SPD would lead the nation to another level  of immigration reform....is mostly fantasy.

6.   Just how many 16/17 year old voters in Germany exist?

Roughly one-million.  From the 2021 election.....46-million Germans turned out.....so if you added the new voters.....there should be in the range of 47-million.

7. Statistically, is there an odd draw for the youth vote?

VOLT....a minor party....took a fair sum of the youth vote, especially in western states of Germany.  It's possible they may see their chance here....push for more social media messaging, and take near 5-percent of the  vote. I perceive that the Linke Party will not be a big factor in this 2025 election.  

Grocery Story

 I sat and laughed over this commerce (here)in SWR news this AM.

So when you get permission to build a grocery in Germany....there's the sales space and the warehouse space.  The permit will say this....as you get permission from the local building authority.

A number of years ago....LIDL (one of the top grocery chains in Germany) had this idea....why not use daily deliveries more, and convert the warehouse space (say half) to sales space?

In 1990s....this practice started up....without LIDL telling the building authority or getting permission to remove walls.

So they gave an example.....where a 800 sq meter space had a wall removed, and the warehouse was lessened....giving the sales space went up to 1200 sq meters.  

Profit increase?  What they suggest is 10-to-20 percent more sales.

So here's the thing....LIDL got caught.  LIDL paid a fine.

An investigation was attempted....to find who and where this was done...but LIDL said this started such a long time ago....there's just no records.  

The necessity of 'CONTROL'?  I sat and pondered over this.  If you'd removed the beams, or made the building unsafe....I could understand the need for rules and regulation.  If structural integrity was maintained....why get bothered if they added another 200 to 400 sq meters of sales space?

Just an odd story.

21 June 2024: Four German News Stories

 1.  Focus item this morning....there's a listing of bridges throughout Germany that require renovation/replacement. A group that monitors it....says by 2026....it's an average of 400 which must be attended to....yearly.

Well....the gov't has cut the budget, so they won't meet the 400-number.  Warning is going out....sooner or later, some bridge will have problems and be completely shut-down.

Within my region....there are three bridges which came up 'suddenly'.....needing repairs, and were shutdown.  Massive issues for public (one took almost 4 years of shutdown to reach replacement status).

2.  Locals in Frankfurt shocked....Denmark-UK soccer game ended, and Brits were entirely 'peaceful'.

3.  German states are pushing for mandated flood-insurance.  Presently, only about one in two homes buy it.  

Me? Well....we  live on a hillside....about 60 meters from the bottom of the hill.  I can't imagine the amount of rain required to make me worried over flooding.

4.  Postbank....cutting 1,000 positions.  Used to be a highly popular bank....today less so.   

The Hint Speech?

 "Experts say attacks on Germany are already underway."

That was the N-TV interview with military expert Thomas Wiegold.

Interesting deal....Germany...he insists....has to prepare for attacks "below the threshold of an open conflict." Meaning?  With Russia.

At one point, he even suggests that certain things have occurred and  might be readily connected to Russia.

Back in the late 1980s....I was introduced to the concept of 'low-intensity-conflict' (LIC).  This is where you have terror actions or sabotage, and it's done in a way to leave you wondering....who exactly did it?

If I were looking at the current mess here....I'd say that Germany has half-a-million LIC targets of value.  Just a hundred-odd Russian sabotage guys could create all kinds of problems affecting the entire nation.  A half-dozen sabotage acts around ZDF (public TV, channel 2) in Mainz?  You could take them down for a couple o days.

I noticed this AM....across the river from where I live....in the town of Budingen....the transformer for the town blew up yesterday afternoon.  ZERO power from 3 PM on....no cellphone service, no grocery operations, no gas pumped, no water pumped throughout the town (9,000 residents).  It took around 20 hours for the town to bring in a new transformer unit....getting it hooked up.  Cause of the explosion?  Unknown.  But imagine you did that in a dozen towns around the country on a weekend.

Ghetto Story

 In recent days.... lot of hype in British press over Frankfurt (related to the English team coming to play a game here)....and how Frankfurt's Bahnhof 'quarter' is a 'ghetto'.  Course, this got into the German press...trying condemn the accusation.

Well....I'll just say it...for the past hundred years, you went to the Bahnhof 'quarter' for sex, sex shows, boozing it up, and drugs.  In the 1980s....the drug business exploded.  Over the past 20 years?  I'd say around 2,000 to 3,000 addicts live in and around the Bahnhof 'quarter'.  If you follow the crime business...probably once or twice a week....someone passing through (guest of the city or a resident) gets assaulted or threatened in some way.

Locals and shop-keepers?  For the past decade, they've put a tremendous amount of pressure on the mayor and city council, and the best you can say is that once a month....the cops walk through....detaining two or three dozen folks, and show some image of 'clean-up'.

It's comical enough that one of the commercial networks run a reality show....featuring fifteen-odd addicts and their typical day.  Occasionally, one will overdose and die....but nothing really remarkable other than a form of entertainment.

Its not a tourist magnet.  My advice, if you were traveling through the station and needing to walk from there.....walk directly out of the district.  Don't stand there and linger, or become a target.

What I suspect will eventually happen?  In a decade or so....some city election will come up and the AfD Party locally will suggest a massive strong-arm policy of clean-up....shocking the SPD/Greens with a massive number of locals getting their wish.  The junkies and addicts?  They will get picked up and hauled off to remote part of the city with a security fence and told to get cleaned-up or forced to remain there for the remainder of their lives.

A crappy reputation?  I've been around thirty-odd major cities of Germany (to include Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart)....if you measured for a index....the most junkie-open area?  Frankfurt wins easily, with Hamburg coming up second.

Same thing in the US?  Go to Philly, SF, or Portland.....you find the same accepted behavior there.

Brits aren't wrong.....but it just bothers Germans that it's so obvious.  

One final note.  The rest of Frankfurt?  Great town....I can think of four dozen places where you can roam without any fear of assault.  

Ten Humble Thoughts Over 'The War' (Ukraine-Russia)

 We are approaching 30 months of the war now, and I will offer my observations.

1.  The six-week war that Putin imagined?  He was assured by the FSB (KGB) that Ukraine was not capable of holding the Russians back....both he and the FSB were wrong.  

2.  The census that Russia conducted in 2021...saying there were 147-million Russians?  I frankly don't buy into it.  Nor do I buy into the 2010 or 2002 census numbers.

I suspect if you went region by region....the only areas of Russia where the numbers increase...probably in the eastern non-ethnic Russian areas.

3.  UK intel folks say that the number of Russians either killed or wounded....at least by May 2024....amounts to 450,000.  But out of that....realistically, they figure around 150,000 are buried....the rest are wounded in some fashion.

I know the Ukrainians say it's closer to 500k dead.....but it's simply an over-count.  

4.  I followed a lot of YouTube video the first year....tons of modern Russian equipment (made since 2000) laying on the field.  Past year....not so much modern equipment.  A lot of stuff that would have been made in the 1990s, and 1980s.  I've seen damaged T-64s....meaning 60-year old tanks brought  out of the depot and made temporarily operational.

How I mean temporarily operational?  Tank 'x' dragged out....couple of mechanics spend 100 man-hours making sure it runs (new battery, etc), and transported to a rookie tank company.....maybe two or three hours of running it, and then led to some field where it lasts anywhere from one hour to one week. 

5.  If you were a Russian parent of a male 'lad' (say 16 years old)....you probably are getting fairly nervous about the kid reaching 18 within the next two years and being sent off to the war.  

6.  At the end....whenever it comes....I don't see a unified Russia existing anymore, and likely broken into a dozen or more pieces.  Ukraine surviving as one nation?  I'm getting an impression that a regional break-up might occur there as well.

But I also think there is a de-population 'bomb' likely coming in both countries....as you have tens of thousands of males (in their 20s/30s) who won't be returning.  There's going to be some trend noticed around 2040....whole lot of Russian and Ukrainian kids not existing compared to 1990s trends.

7.   This whole war based on a BS-believed reality that Russia ran a 1st-class military?  Well....the more you linger on this topic, you begin to wonder how screwed up it was throughout the 1960s/1970s with the 'cold-war'.  All the money invested in the military....squandered?  

8.  If is surprising how Germans have suddenly woke up....worried now about a potential Russian invasion, and gearing up for some type of imagined 'war' scenario.  

9.  The fresh new troops for both Ukraine an Russia....getting the bare minimum of training before dumped on the field?  No one speaks much about this.  

I watched some video last year where a Russian soldier had called his wife (Ukraine was listening in on the call)....where he said the new folks arriving...hadn't fired more than 100 rounds of ammo (in boot-camp) before being delivered to the combat unit.  

10.  It is a no-win effort in the end.  Even if the war ends tomorrow.....I see a massive 20-year period where economically....neither can repair the damage done. 

20 June 2024: Eight German News Stories

 1.  “Imagine if there were only white players” was the quote yesterday by the Green  Party VP Katrin Göring-Eckardt.  Quote came after German win in the Euro Cup series yesterday.  Fair amount of criticism on how it was spoken.

Statement was deleted around an hour later.

2.  Putin's visit to North Korea?  It's been over 50 years since a Russian/Soviet leader has visited.  So there are various interpretations about the visit.

Most analysts believe it's a deal-making situation....where rockets, artillery shells an ammo will be manufactured and sold to Russia...with natural gas and oil going to North Korea.  Maybe the intention is that they keep x-amount, and re-sell on the market.

North Korea capable of being a big producer of hardware?  Well....maybe they convinced themselves of this legendary 'status'. 

Some folks suggest that manpower (ground troops) might be 'bought' in some way, and that you end up with several thousand North Korean troops in the Ukraine war.

3.  Interior Minister of the sixteen states are meeting this week.  Statement from yesterday....deportations of disapproved asylum seekers must not be hindered by the court system.  

Simply a statement of negativity about the federal law.....Bundestag would have write a law limiting rights.

More topics?  Well....yeah, they want a public-training program on how to react in a war-like emergency.

They also noted that a secure communications ability should exist with the federal government across all of Germany....in a war-scenario. 

Lot of talk centered on 'war'?  Yeah.  Lot more fear of Russia than existed before 2022.  

4.  Budenheim region (Pfalz state).....had a transformer explosion.  Electricity out....some suggestions that this will take 24 to 48 hours before power is fully restored (affecting around 9,000 homes in the region).  

5.  The murder of that 15-year old daughter of Afghan parents (parents are figured to have killed her over 'lifestyle' issues...takes a twist.  Daughter  was living with mom at one residence....father at a different  residence. Police say that the father had a criminal record....bodily harm, domestic violence.

6.  Amazon says they will invest 10-billionn Euro into their operation in Germany....building up the 'cloud', and adding more jobs.

7.  Emma, the mattress-maker in Germany, laying off 200 workers.  They make premium mattresses. 

8.  Hessen state government officials held a meeting over at the Wiesbaden US Army post.

Discussions?  Nothing to do with the post.  

Several topics....there is to be " civil-military cooperation " improved....to ensure a rapid and coordinated response in an emergency.  They didn't specify what type of emergency.

Another topic....more weapon-free zones to be created...meaning that they will mark the areas and allow cops to roam and ask you for a frisk (within certain hours).   Wiesbaden was first community in Germany to start the weapons-free area.  

State police have also asked for the start-up of ankle-monitoring systems....if you have people on a certain watch-list.

Rest of the Story of 'Lifestyle' Murder

 I talked about this murder yesterday. Basic facts: 15-year old daughter of a Afghan couple from Pirmasens...found in the Rhine River over by Worms.  Mother reports suspicions....both she and the father are being held.  It appears (police report  this) that the father had serious issues with the daughter's lifestyle.

Fair amount of talk in Germany over the past month of forced marriages....where the parents drag the son or daughter back to the homeland, for a forced marriage situation.  No indicators yet in this case, but I would imagine that some hint had been given of the summer break in school and that she might be flown back for an arranged marriage.  

Pretty tragic scenario....where things unfold and you barely have any real sense over things or the maturity to handle a discussion.  Then you realize that the people you trust (your parents)....aren't really trustworthily. 

Likely outcome?  In a German court.....a sentence can  range from 3 to 15 years for this type of crime.   The mother, if she were an accomplice....might get the lesser.  The father, if he were the one carrying  it out...probably the full amount. 

19 June 2024: Eight German News Stories

1.  So, there's aa dead body that washed up near Mainz, and they ID'ed the body....15-year old girl from the Worms region (down the river).  

Cops on this?  Well....yeah, and they've detained the parents (Afghan couple).  What is said is that the girl had some life-style 'issue' and they saw this as a problem, and they murdered the daughter.

Odds of this getting public reaction?  Well....yeah, I'd say this is going to be openly discussed and just be more of a negative note on migration.

2.  Building permits chaos?  WELT says for the 24th straight month....it's been on a negative spiral in Germany.

3.  Golf-ball size hail seen in Berlin and NRW yesterday.

4.  Piece on N-TV yesterday afternoon....on 'forced-marriages' in Germany.  Story Here.

So, the story goes....in 2022, the cops figured out around 67 cases.  In their mind, there are likely a lot more that simply get missed.

5.  Ford Germany talking up job cuts.

6.  Yesterday, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germany's FBI) decided to classify climate activists as "certainly left-wing extremists". This means they are on a list to be watched or surveilled.

Problem?  Well...the same group is fairly connected to the Green Party....so there's odds  here that members of the party might be caught up in the surveillance.

7.  Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel has gone over the knife assault/murder in Mannheim (from 2 weeks ago), and  identifies it to be a special case.  Difference?  ZERO evidence of this being a Islamist-influenced attack. So far....not a single bit of evidence leading to jihadist activities.

Based on accounts I've read....the guy seemed to be unbalanced.  

8.  Interesting opinion piece in WELT....which I'd recommend a read if you can find today's newspaper....written by Franziska Zimmerer.  Topic?  German teens aren't blue-haired, vegan or Green (Party) types.

What she drills down into....shocker....a fair sum of youth voters (age 16 to 18) vote right-wing....not left-wing as people kept predicting.  

I might agree that if you had a hundred juvenile German voters....somewhere around a third of them will be on the right-side of the spectrum.  Depending on location ....particularly on the eastern side of the county, it might get up to two-third of them fit into this category.

Eight Significant Facts Over The 1919 German Election

 1.  For those who didn't know....this was the first national election since January 1912, and it was the first where the influence of the Kaiser was null and void.

2.  The SPD (left-of-center) Party will win the election with around 38-percent of the vote (in the range of 4.25-million votes).  They will partner up with the German Democratic Party (DDP) and the Catholic Centre Party.

3.  Who could vote?  Men and women (the female vote law came into play after November 1918).  If you were on 'poverty-status' or in jail....you didn't have a right to vote.  Age requirement?  Oddly enough.....20 (prior to this election, it'd been set at 25).

4.   Approximately 18 parties participated.

5.  Oddly enough, the Communist Party of Germany boycotted the election....believing it was unfair.

6.  Turn-out?  83-percent of the registered voters showed up.

7.  If you were a Austrian citizen....living in Germany legally....you had the right to vote in this election.

8.  Philipp Scheidemann would be the first Chancellor under this term....lasting roughly 130 days....quitting because of inability to bring the cabinet to decisions.  

My Zoll Experience Yesterday

 I'm retired military, and via the German rules.....I can shop at a BX/commissary, with a card....reporting the purchases once a month at the  local Zoll-office (the tax office)....then pay a 13-percent 'tax' on whatever I bought.  

To be honest, I doubt if I use the card more than eight times a year, and there's probably only a dozen-odd items at the commissary that are of interest to me.

So the rules are....I keep all receipts, and  go on the first week of each month to Wiesbaden Zoll-office.  It's down by the river, and it's one of those places with almost zero parking.  You walk in.....they do a tally of what you spent (usually taking 30 to 50 minutes), then hand you a bill (typically between 10 and 25 Euro).

Back as Covid hit....they went to a 'don't-come-and-visit-us' standard.   You were allowed to just mail the card and receipts to them,  and a week later....you'd get the card back with a bill in the mail.  This simplified the whole deal, and avoided the stupid parking problem.

For three years, this worked.  Actually, I thought it would last.

Well....last month, they sent me a note.....the don't-come-and-visit-us' routine is halted.  We want you to come and visit.

Yesterday, I went over.  Parking?  Non-existent.....six tractor trailer rigs took up half of their  parking lot (this was a 7 AM).

I walked down the hallway, and noticed a couple of Zoll recruitment posters.  They were aimed at 18-to-21 year old folks.

I looked for the older gal who handled the cards....well....she's now retired.

The six to eight older guys who worked around the place?  Gone....they seem to have retired during the Covid-era.

Here were mostly 20-year old Zoll employees....all in military/police uniforms.  

The visit?  Well....it took about 50 minutes to do the paperwork.  If you count up the 60 minute drive....I wasted two hours of time.  I don't mind the tax....it's just this stupid paperwork drill experience.  

Military Story

 In the last day or two....it's come out that NATO has designated the local US Army post in Wiesbaden as the 'coordination-center' for Ukraine support.....meaning weapons and training activities.  

This new mission?  To be headed by a 3-star general and reporting direct to SHAPE HQ's.

A big deal?  Well....I doubt if you will see any construction work or permanent type facility.  At the most, there's probably some Army Captain running around the post trying to find 500 more parking spots for guests/workers coming in.  From my view, it's one of the few military posts that lacks parking and you are better off to park off-post, and walk on.  

18 June 2024: Four German News Stories

 1.  Something I didn't know....Focus told the story this AM....knife-assault statistics in Germany...ONLY started in 2021.  Prior to that....the German government never kept numbers.

2.  Weather warning given for Friday across most of Germany....heat-wave, hail and lot of lightning strikes predicted.

3.  German federal police went and deported a Afghan family into Poland.  Confusing story.  Would appear that they came into Germany via Poland....were stopped and  then launched into a asylum request, where the police said 'no'....you were supposed to do this in the  first country you arrive at in the EU.  Event got a fair amount of attention by the Polish President...in that it wasn't 'right' for Poland to get stuck in this situation.

4.  Greece to introduce a 6-day work-week, and allow a Greek citizen to work up to 13 hours a day.   

Is Germany Suffering The Same Economic Spiral As The US?

This is a personal essay and carries the weight of my opinion.  

The answer here?  NO.

First, if you asked most all Germans....they readily cite increasing grocery cost, energy increasing since the Ukraine-Russia war started, and various major industries having cut some manpower.  These are all factual and you can see evidence across urbanized communities and into rural regions.  

If you were in my shoes....you'd likely have a twice-a-month schedule to eat out, and it used to be (before Covid) a 50-Euro experience for two people at a sit-down restaurant.  Presently, I'd put the cost closer  to 65-Euro.  The wife and I had a premium-burger 'stop' last Friday.....spending near 32-Euro (burger-plate and a bottled water each).  

Government statistics being given?  I can look at GDP, unemployment, inflation....with monthly numbers given, and readily trust what the German gov't gives out.  It would turn into a crisis rather quickly if the SPD-coalition were giving fake numbers.  Looking at the US....I'd say more than two-thirds of the public no longer believe the numbers given there.

Housing sales stalled like in the US?  Not really.  You see....to have any real opportunity here....you need to convince the bank that you will put down a minimum of 25-percent.  Locally in Hessen for the mortgage rate?  4.17-percent for a 20-year loan.  

Insurance rates in Germany getting inflated?  Well....both car and home insurance have gone up in the past year.  Car insurance probably popped more than 5-percent in 2024.  Home insurance nudged up just a notch or two.

Germans grumbling?  If you indexed woes....at the very top is migration/asylum complaints....finding affordable housing (especially in high urban areas)....the war....political extremes (both left and right), and economic instability (like this travel agency bankruptcy that appeared out of nowhere in the past 2 weeks....stranding Germans).  

So I'm not really convinced that economic woes measure to the same level for the two.

17 June 2024: Two German News Stories

 1.  Another odd 'attack' story.  This was in the Reeperbahn (party district) of Hamburg...yesterday afternoon (Sunday).

What the cops say....they ended reacting to a guy who ha a pick-axe and a Molotov cocktail.  He hadn't harmed anyone yet, but he made some threats to the cops as they approached.

Foreigner?  No.....39-year-old German local guy.  Just guessing, either alcohol or drugs are probably in the mix.  One thing noted from local reporting....the guy had a history of arrest situation...violent behavior.

2.  Rod Stewart is on a 'farewell-tour' in Germany.  Over the weekend....at a concert in Leipzig....he gave a shout-out....'Fu*k Putin'. 

Well...this went negative with the audience and he got booed a good bit....with the German audience.  

Explaining Three Lesser Known Political Parties From Germany

 I often throw political party names around, and most are well-known types.  So today....I'll explain three of the lesser folks:

1.  BSW Party (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht).

So the party came out of thin air in early 2024, and naturally...named after former Linke Party member....Sahhra Wagenknecht.  Presently, she's the figure-head of the party, and if I were ranking her....she's been known around Germany for a dozen years.

My description of BSW?  It's about 50-percent far-left, 25-percent left-of-center, and 25-percent right-of-center.  Yeah, it is  bit confusing.

They will tell you they want limits to migration....but the number is never mentioned.  They want fairness in pay scales, but the dividing line is rarely discussed.  They want lesser support for Ukraine, and an end to the war.....without saying they are pro-Putin.  They want massive investment in education and job training, with more potential jobs to be created....while taxing companies more.  They are very careful about talking over the environment....avoiding the discussion as much as possible.

Who would they take votes from?  That's an interesting question....mostly from the old Linke Party (I'd say they are dying presently), an possibly from the Green Party.  For the fall 2025 federal election?  I would imagine they might be able to get around 8-to-10 percent of votes.  In eastern German states....for state elections?  They might be able to turn 15-to-18 percent of individual eastern state numbers.  

Monthly appearances on public TV  forum shows with Wagenknecht?  That's the selling point....she get invited to at least one forum every month, and she is bright/clever and capable at debates.  

2.  VOLT Party

VOLT came around in 2018 (spring) and was designed as a party with a limited number of talking points (pro-EU....meaning they want their structure to pass tough legislation, CO2 - neutral, heavy investment in digitalization, and creating measures to combat racism and anti-Semitism).

In effect, designed to a great degree for ages 16 to 25.

Prior to the June 2024 election....I figured they would never get past 1-percent of the national voting.  They actually got 2.6-percent in this election and could possibly build up on that for the fall federal election of 2025....yeah, maybe getting up around 5-percent of the vote (taking from the Greens).

3.  Die PARTEI.

Basically a group of voters who are cynical/sarcastic and not taking politics serious.  A group of comedians?  Yeah.

In this EU election....they took 1.9-percent of the German vote.

They will never get a invitation to a TV public forum....I suspect....because of their inability to take any subject serious.  If they were invited....it'd probably flip 10-percent of society over to them....because Germans would realize how screwed up the whole system is.

16 June 2024: Four German News Stories

 1.  “Looks like a sh#thole” was the quote that went around Germany yesterday....as a visiting Brit soccer fan arrived in the Gelsenkirchen area.  

The social media comment has disturbed a fair number of Germans.  

I'll just say that you can drive around the UK, Germany and most all of Europe....and find crappy neighborhoods and areas.  

2.  The eastern Germany segment of the CDU Party has given notice to the national folks....that they might be willing in state contests (if they were to win)....that they would consider building coalitions with the new BSW Party (definitely left-of-center).

To be honest, in any eastern Germany election....at least right now....you would find the CDU Party in 2nd place (behind AfD).

3.  INSA (the polling organization) did a national poll and it shows several million voters that came to the Green Party in 2019....have dropped away now.

4.  Tragic event in Wolmirstedt (about 30 min east of Hanover)...there were three people attacked/wounded at a European Championship party on Friday evening.  What the cops say...some Afghan guy went crazy at a prior situation with a house-mate (having stabbed this guy)....then left to encounter these three.  The house-mate?  He's dead.

The 23-year old Afghan with the knife?  Cops ended up on the scene and shot him dead.

Police are examining motivation....nothing religious can be suggested.  Just seems like the guy was mentally unbalanced.  

15 June 2024: Six German News Stories

 1.  I'm 'old-school' and still tend to take the car over for a car-wash....a couple of times in the winter-period because of salt use on the roads here in Germany.

I use one particular car-wash in Wiesbaden.

This week....I noted it in the newspaper....some German guy was using this same car-wash (eastern side of town), and his gas-pedal got 'stuck'.  By the time the vehicle got stopped....100k Euro of damage done to the car-wash, and it'd totaled-out the car.

Fixing the place?  Based on the text written....I'd say it'll be at least three months of work to get everything back in working order. 

2.  The wife and I went out to a premium-German-style  burger shop in town last night.  Pricing?  Well....for what you'd consider a  premium burger, with fries and a bottled water each....it ran about 17 Euro each ($18.30).

Two years ago, it would have been 25-percent less.

3. Munich news.....significant number of Brits/Scots were in Munich the past couple of days for last night's soccer game (Germany won...5-1).   At some point yesterday...one of the beer gardens actually ran out of beer, and shut down for a while until they got a delivery. 

4. Heat wave facing eastern side of Germany over the next couple of days (approaching 36 C or 97 F).  What the weather guy says....just a lot of storm activity is to occur.

5. Putin gave a speech yesterday....saying 700,000 Russian soldiers are on the front in Ukraine.  

I'll just say that a fair amount of analysts don't believe the number.  

6.  I was watching N-TV news and the topic of dysfunctional railway toilets (onboard the trains) came up.

According to the 2023 numbers....around 12-percent of the regional trains operated....with a broke toilet.  The inter-city (fast) trains?  It came close to 4-percent.

Of the top five reasons that I'm hesitant about riding a German train....this is on  the list (along with broke AC unit, delayed trains, over-crowded conditions, and crappy dining cars).  

Does Covid-Masking Still Occur In Germany?

 Well....my wife drags me to three weekly grocery expeditions, and I will simply note that you still see around 1-percent of society (mostly those over sixty) who wear masks, and 1-percent of that group....will still wear gloves.

I walked out of a store this week, and noted a German at the back of their car....wiping down bought items while masked...with some kind of alcohol wipe. It still goes on.

In the summer of 2023?  I would have responded that it was close to 2-percent of the public....still playing the mask-game.  So it has decreased a good bit.

Covid gone?  Well....I noticed in regional news a health update....two new versions of Covid loose in Germany and a health warning being given.  

If you tried to bring up Covid....vast number of Germans aren't curious or interested in the discussion.

14 June 2024: Eight German News Stories

1. It was an odd day in the Bundestag yesterday (13 June).....as they sat and debated over the issue of how to deport problem-asylum seekers.  They pretty much all agreed....if you were a criminal, you need to get into some line to be deported.

Beyond the talk?  Nothing much.  If you were looking for a hyped-up topic for the 2025 federal election?  Well....yeah, this continued lack of progress would get brought up.  

The fact that it's circling back around to just six or seven countries?  Yeah....that is an odd part of the discussion.  You don't find 'bad-boys' from Canada, Australia, the US, or New Zealand.  

One curious story I saw on N-TV.....NRW Prime Minister Wüst is asking the Chancellor in a direct statement....can't you get a 'deal' with the Taliban of Afghanistan to simply take back 'problem-people'?  He didn't say bribing them, but that's probably the only way that idea would work.

2.  N-TV brought up the ten European Championship stadiums around Germany where fans will be showing up shortly....to view games and drink beer....within the stadium controlled party-area.  

So they brought up what a half a liter of beer (Bitburger, one of the lesser beers I'd recommend) will be costing SEVEN Euro. Also a 3-Euro cup deposit is involved.

I brought this up to the German wife....who remarked....what German would drink half a liter of Bitburger....for 7 Euro?   At a normal pub?  You'd probably get a half-liter of Bitburger for 4 to 4.5 Euro.  

3.  Weather to affect the European soccer Championship?  

It's just an odd June....daily temperature for my valley has not gone past 24 C (75 F) for daylight hours.  Last night, it got down to 8 C (46 F).  There hasn't been a single hot day for 2024 yet.

4.  For 30 years, we've had a understanding in Germany of burying underground electrical cables.  In the past couple of months....the CDU/CSU parties have stood up and said one way to cut cost....is to halt underground cables, and go back to hanging cables above the surface.

5. WELT had a piece yesterday....talking up an odd strategy....accepting 3-million Russians.

So the strategy goes this way....because of the war and impending taxes....a lot of Russians have already left, but the belief is that some door might open and MORE Russians (say 3-million) would pack and go.

Positive?  Well....there's the talk of a brain-drain where university-grad Russians would be fussy to stay.  Could Germany take on half-million Russians?  That's an interesting question.

6. ZDF (public TV, Channel 2) did a poll....asking Germans if they want a new fed election (schedule presently for fall of 2025).  Answer?  Approximately 50-percent said yes...NOW.

If this early election were to occur?  I'd say there's no doubt that the CDU/CSU Parties would get near 30-percent, but how the coalition would work?  No idea.

7.  Interesting piece(here) by Focus on EU election results (last Sunday) and talking over the Green Party's numbers (11-percent).

Someone spent a lot of time (probably going on for several months) to analyze public feelings for the Green Party.  What the analysis leads to?  From 2019 voters for the German Green Party.....they figure that roughly one out of three voters (minimum) have walked away from the Green Party permanently....meaning it may take a decade or more....to regain them.

I would offer additional analysis...that the 2019 election (much higher numbers for the Green Party) was just a fluke, and that they got a lot of disgruntled SPD-voters.  

8.  First game of Euro Cup soccer games today....Scotland versus Germany (21:00).  Yeah, kinda late. 

Fourth-Grade Chatter

 So I'm going to tell you a little story, and afterwards....you probably need to pour a shot or two of some whiskey and reflect upon the story.

Some intelligent Germans sat down....analyzed German society, and came to this new view of reality.  According to a 2018 study....the reality is that around 17 million German adults (18-to-64)....read, write and even probably understand....ONLY at the 4th grade level.  I would imagine that you included the 65-and-over age group....it probably gets you up to 20 million people.

Meaning?  One out of five Germans you might encounter....grasp things at the 4th grade level.  

The folks at ARD TV (public TV, Channel 1) sat down and thought about this.  Eventually, they came to this conclusion....you need two newscasts (of the 8PM news segment).   One at the normal level, and one at what they call 'text-level'.  

They also note....there's a fair sum of people in Germany (at least 10-million) who aren't native German speakers, and this text-level would fit for them as well.

The use of AI into this?  Well....they didn't really say that, but the more I look at this discussion...you'd have to have some AI system in the background....taking a 1,200 word text document, blending it in some fashion....to come out with a text that is geared for a 4th grade kid or adult.

Problems here?  I sat and pondered upon it.

To be honest, if you've ever had to go and deal with customer service or some commerce operation (doesn't matter if in the US, UK or Germany)....you were always going to have a 30-percent chance that you were dealing with a 'lesser-person' (meaning, someone not that bright).  

But I sat and looked over this alternate news idea (to be on tagesschau24, on YouTube and in the ARD media library).  What if a majority of people (even the smarter  folks) drifted over and  consumed their news at a lesser level.....that people trained themselves to fit appropriately at the 4th grade level?  

Then I came to the final  issue in my mind....what if 17-million German adults can't comprehend politicians and their 'promises' beyond the 4th grade level?  Would you need politicians speaking at the 4th grade level for people to understand?  

Source: here.

A Tale Of Two Countries

 Somewhere after the Sunday EU election....someone put up a series of graphics....focusing on the idea of a fundamental difference between East Germans and West Germans.  

When the 'Wall' came down (9 Nov 1989)....there wasn't a script or repair manual for the development of one single Germany.  

What made the two Germany's different from 1945 to November 1989?  

I would suggest three things:

1.  DDR/East Germany revolved around the Soviet view of reality....that you (the state) control news, information and education.  

2.  As much as Soviet-Russia was a failure in the 1930s/1940s. ...it simply dragged East Germany along the same route.  As a East Germany....you might have remembered the 1920s and 1930s of Germany....but you couldn't really discuss in public....crappy conditions.

3.  Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s....you might have stood there and voiced the idea....we can analyze things and improve them ourselves, but you were continually told 'no'....just accept this Soviet reality.

As much as the Merkel-era repeated over and over....it's a wonderful world of unification that we live in....one might get the impression that around sixteen-million Germans have a slightly different view of reality in 2024.

So what's with the 2024 eastern side of Germany?  Skepticism is trending at a healthy pace.  The distrust that existed prior to 1989....it's never gone away.  People having still a pro-Russia view of things....yeah, and that is obvious with the Ukraine war business. 

Resolving this?  I would ask....how?

Knife Chatter

Interesting announcement today by the Federal Interior Minister (Nancy Faeser, SPD Party).  She intends to have a federal mandate (law) that has weapons-ban zones in  particular areas (hasn't defined them yet) and a ban of knives on trains.

Lot of reactions....most people say it's impossible to mandate.

My reaction?  Well....we've had such a ban in Wiesbaden for about four years....for a particular area of town (the street leading from the train-station to the shopping district itself....to include the whole shopping district)....for evening hours.

It works in a simple fashion.....a two-man police patrol encounters you around 11 PM and asks in a nice way to frisk you.  You refuse?  They go to a unfriendly method of frisking you.  Got a knife?  They will confiscate the knife....issue you a summons, and there's a hefty (more than a thousand Euro) for the knife issue.

So what Faeser is suggesting....cops would have the frisk option (on the street or on a train) and if you refused....then they could go to the take-down situation.  Got a knife?  The fine would probably equal two months of your pay, and put you into a serious financial mess.

I could see a serious counter-reaction to this....people complaining about frisking and the fines.

All this knife business....did this always exist?  No, that's the funny thing.  Through the 1970s to the 1990s....there were always a possibility of an assault, but most Germans never carried a knife around.  This knife trend started after 2000, and you'd notice in the news as years went by....an occasional stabbing.  Guilty party?  Always guys....never women.

This necessary?  In small towns and villages?  No.  I'd say when you start to have towns of 20,000 or more.....you start to notice thug-like behavior going on.  The more drug activity....the more of a threat.

The cops wanting this law?  I doubt it...it just means frisking more people and having more potential for a threat against the German police.

But the government is at a point....they need to show some kind of reaction.  

If The SPD-Coalition 'Crashed'?

Well....there would be a new election (ahead of the fall 2025 election).

The likely outcome, based on polls now?

The CDU/CSU win with 30-to-32 percent.

The SPD would likely come at 16 percent.  The Greens at 13 percent.  The FDP at 5 percent.

AfD (far-right)?  I'd put them at 17-to-18 percent.  With the new BSW Party coming in around 6-to-7 percent.  Linke?  OUT with only 3 percent.   The FW and the VOLT parties?  They both might manage 2.5 percent each (a lot of youth votes for VOLT). 

So here's the issue....The CDU/CSU folks would have to build a coalition and reach 50-percent control.  Just trying to partner with the SPD or Greens?  Not enough!  You'd have to bring in a 2nd partner....either the FDP, or the BSW Party (unlikely).  Partnering with AfD?  Won't happen.

With Scholtz of the SPD gone....you might see more of a positive trend with the SPD being the partner.

VOLT energizing itself to attract more of the youth vote?  I could see that happening, and getting near 5-percent (taking voters off the Greens or SPD).  

This far-right discussion going on still....even after a new vote?  You would have resolve some of the migration woes and improve the economy.  

Linke out of national politics?  Yeah, once this election occurs, and they don't get seats in the Bundestag.....I see the Linke Party dissolving within a year or two.

Trying To Use 'You-Are-An-Idiot' Criticism To Change People's Minds

 For several months here in Germany...leading up to the EU election (last Sunday), it was painfully obvious that an attempt by the other political parties and the news media (particularly public TV news)....to just say if you were trending toward AfD (the far-right-wing party).....you were stupid and Nazi-like.

Various demonstrations against right-wingism were mounted and hundreds of thousands of Germans participated.

At the time, I just kept thinking....this type of motivation and public criticism doesn't really work well, and in some cases....it might even galvanize the public to stand by their original stance.

In the 24 hours after the election?  It seems like a lot of the opposition party chatter went to the standard....'how could these people be this stupid to vote for the AfD'.  In their mind....the belief is if you heavily criticize party affiliation, that will be enough to cure 'stupid-voting'.  

I would offer the more useful tactic, after you analyze AfD....they are a two-topic party....anti-migrant/asylum and pro-Russia (on  the Ukraine war).  That's it.  They don't have 25-odd platform pieces like the Greens, SPD, CDU or FDP parties.  The smart tactic is to examine the two topics, and find a way to take both away (convincing the public that you might turn to being totally neutral on Ukraine, and that you might find a way to deport problem-migrants actually out of the country).

I don't expect either to be considered, and the trend will continue to be  the 'you-must-be-an-idiot' criticism to continue.

Odds of a wild national election in the fall of 2025?  I would predict that the AfD....nationally...will get somewhere in the range of 16-to-20 percent of the vote.  It's not enough to win, but it's enough to handcuff the eventual winners (the CDU/CSU) into accepting some coalition deal with both the SPD and Greens....to have 50-percent or more of a coalition.  

12 June 2024: Seven German News Stories

 1.  Frankfurt cops (reported by HR, here) say they arrested a 19-year old Afghan guy, after he stabbed some 41-year old Ukrainian gal sitting on a park bench (Monday afternoon).  She's seriously wounded but alive.

Motive?  Unknown.  Just odd....he is a resident of Baden-Wurttemberg....so no explanation on what he was doing in Frankfurt.

2.  I was reading over Focus and they brought up this pub guy who is running a beer-garden for the European soccer championship...starting shortly.

He needs people to serve tables....willing to pay 18-Euro per hour, and can't get people to apply.  Most are saying that 'no one wants to work'.

To be honest, if you had a weak/zero resume....18-Euro an hour isn't bad work.  Affecting those who want to spend 2 hours watching a game and sipping beer.

3.  In the middle of some moderator talk (public TV) Sunday night....some SPD Party guy referred to the AfD Party gal in the studio as a 'Nazi'.  This apparently is going to be dragged out as a insult situation.  Hard to see if it's a legit legal complaint.  

I would imagine that the judges are shaking their head....in a non-political situation, this probably would be a insult problem and get you a fine.

4.  Extreme heat to hit Greece/Turkey in next couple of days (45 C/ 113 F).  

5.  Some kind of attack in the Saarbrucken area...onboard a train.  Turkish guy, 31....apparently stabbed a German guy (age 21) in the neck.  No motive given.  German guy alive....just seriously wounded.

The two...strangers?  Well....so far the police haven't found a connection....just a bad moment where the older guy went 'nuts'.

6.  Focus had a curious piece (here) headlining things this AM....there's going to be a investigation to unfold (probably taking a full-year).

What is odd here....local politicians in North Rhine-Westphalia state reacting to the story that a mafia-boss who handle luxury goods smuggling....admits his guys work to bring 'rich' Chinese into Germany (since 2015).  They figure around 350 have been in this effort.

The curious piece to this?  There were fictitious investor models and investment plans created....from which....most just disappeared later.  The politicians?  They either were awful stupid, or were drawn into the situation for approval (for some kind of bribe).

The odds that this gang was just one of several operating in Germany?  I would probably go and wonder if there weren't a dozen smuggling operations around the country....getting entry papers and approval for some type of visa.

7.  Some interview done with the Danish PM after that 'attack' on the street from 10 days ago.  She feels better (whiplash is mentioned), but has some PTSD-like symptoms.  

The guy in the attack?  Polish 39-year old guy....who the cops are fairly sure....he was either 'high' or drunk. 

EU Chatter

 Focus went and had a long piece written up over the idea of the EU ban on gas cars coming (2035). Worth a read HERE.

So there's the odd thing....the experts now believe with the new incoming membership of the EU....there's going  to be a long discussion over the ban, and they suspect it'll be taken down within a year.

I'll make four observations here:

1.  All of the German car companies will tell you that they've put a billion Euro each into the E-car design and technology.  If you reverse your way out of the ban.....the companies and stock-holders probably will be fairly hostile. 

2.  Fair amount of evidence that E-car purchases peaked in 2023.  Those wanting the technology.....probably have found enough limitations to reflect upon the future.  You rarely see interviews with people on the idea if they will  stick with it.

3.  Just odd.....all of the car companies in Germany have a lessening production schedule on gas/diesel cars.  All of them had a plan to lessen production and lessen manpower. 

4.  If the EU stops the ban business....I kinda wonder what happens to the Green Party 'push' and if the same thought process goes toward the heat-pump folks....stopping that trend as well.

I've done two test-drives of E-vehicles, and  spent a whole day in Munich at a solar energy tech show.  Yeah, I've asked about sixty questions (along with my wife) and gotten the whole landscape of how it'd fit into my life.  And  in the end....the only way it'd make sense is if I put panels on the house,  and scored on my own power generation.  The cost factor?  I kept coming back to the same story....about every 15 years....I'd have to get new batteries (for the house/car) and replace the panels.  Maybe at age 50, it'd make sense if this were a one-time deal.....but once you said  a 15-year cycle and repeating it....no, I just wouldn't sign onto that.

My final pitch?  If the EU unbans gas/diesel vehicles?  You just wonder....what else were they wrong about over the past decade.

Forum Chatter

Last night (Monday), the weekly forum show on ARD (public German TV, Channel 1) ran their 1-hour live show (Hart Aber Fair).  What I'll generally say....of all the forum shows....diving into political topics....it's probably best designed for regular people (working-class) to watch.

So the hype last night dwelled upon the EU election results from Sunday.

At some point, they bring on a German truck driver (Jan Labrenz).  I would guess the guy's age....about 45.  He jumped all over the politicians (both from the left and right)....at one point, saying they all seem  to look after themselves.

Then he said the thing I thought was impressive....suggesting 'politicians think they know what's going on here'.....then dismissing that idea....saying they aren't capable of grasping things.

The trucker then makes an assessment....that there are social disparities going on (dividing the public), increasing bankrupt business trends, serious inflation, and then he brings up an interesting topic dilapidated bridges around the nation.

On the bridges?  I can cite three bridges within 20 km of my village....that 'suddenly'  became 'broke' and closed off (the one over my hill to the next village....stayed in renovation mode for almost 4 years before it was re-opened).  All of these bridges built in the 1960s/1970s....are in serious need of work, and the state governments simply don't have the money to stay ahead of the ballgame.

But then the trucker brings up an interesting observation (I agree with totally)..."the threshold for irritation has become lower." 

Just walking around or traveling around Germany....you see problems....like in my case, I'll make the observation to the German wife....'isn't this fu*ked-up'?  She'll respond...yes, but the gov't hasn't the money to resolve this.  

It's like all the potholes in my village that I observed a couple of weeks ago, and last week....some patch-team came through.  They've done a street or two, but then moved on....the other 40-odd streets?   They will probably get some attention next year.  

The trucker's piece ended with the question posed to him....if he was in favor of a new election.  He was mostly negative about the election fixing anything. 

I'll just make the observation....the average German will tell you about forty-odd problems, and the political system isn't that advanced to fix all forty....so you get a menu selection deal.  You stomp your foot loudest on five or six problems....then leave the remainder on the table.  

The Day After The EU Vote

 From early AM to late PM...Monday....just a awful lot of hype and discussion in Germany over the EU vote.  Center point?  I would say three things:

1.  The experts all expected up until Sunday night results...that the AfD Party (far-right) would be damaged by events over the past three months and news media efforts.  

They were wrong.

Painfully obvious....in eastern Germany....AfD was very dominant.

2.  Lot of talk over the idea of Germany calling for a early election (fall 2025 would be the normal cycle).  Most of this idea is linked to France's call for early elections.

Could Germany handle the early election?  Maybe, but it'd be a painful  thing for the Greens to enter (their polling is a lot less than it was 4 years ago).

3.  Youth-vote (16/17 year olds) went way off from what the news media was expecting.....fair number went to AfD.

My general question....even if you had a snap-election in Germany....would it really change or improve anything (like the economy)?

Germans going to heavily view the French snap-election?  Oh yeah.  Scheduled?  30 June for round one, and 7 July for the final vote.  This will be hyped up a good bit.  

How Did The Youth Vote Go In The EU Election In Germany

 I saw this slide off ZDF (public TV, Channel 2):

What you get?  From the 16 to 24 year old Germans who voted.....it was mostly a CDU (right-of-center) contest against AfD (far right).

The Greens and SPD?  They really didn't get the bounce they were expecting.  A month ago....both suggesting they'd take near 40-percent of the youth vote.  

The one shock?  VOLT Party, which I would describe as center-left, hyped up on  three main topics (the environment, digitalization, and creation of a fair economy).  

The youth trends worrying the public TV crowd?  Well....it's hard to say if they have the theme/system to really get the attention of these folks.  Also....TikTok probably plays into this a good bit.  

Maybe creating the right for a 16/17 year old vote....wasn't a brilliant idea.  

NO-GO Chatter

 I sat yesterday...reading a Bloomberg business report....talking over Frankfurt (business capital of Germany), the upcoming Euro-Cup games there, the crime  and drug situation near the train station in town, and how it's a NO-GO area.

I'm not really going to argue against the piece (Brit journalism).

This chaos around the station has been brewing since the Wall came down.  You could walk though....shuffle through the subway area of the station, and each year....you'd notice another downward trend.

Around ten years ago....locals got fed up and put heat on the city council.....with them reacting and finally getting police action going on.  About every month or two....there's a clean-up that occurs.  Forty-odd drug dealers will be hauled off....new dealers are recruited, and a hundred-odd users are urged to get 'cleaned-up'.  Yeah, it's scripted and the public knows the deal.

My advice....if you were British and  attending the games there....do yourself a favor and just stay at hotels outside of Frankfurt.  Don't go drinking in Frankfurt itself, and don't hangout around the station....waiting to be robbed or assaulted.

There are plenty of good hotels in Darmstadt, Wiesbaden or Mainz.....all with decent pubs or bars.  All have easy connections to the stadium area.

As for the script for the week prior to the games started?  I would imagine at least 100 dealers are detained and jailed for a minimum of a month, with 500 dopers told to vacate the station region for a while.  It'll seem 'cleaned-up'....even if it goes away after the games.

How The EU Vote Yesterday Went in Sachsen-Anhalt (The State of Germany)

 

Well....the AfD Party (far right wing) went to 38 percent (about 18 points over the last EU election).  

So yeah....it scares the crap out of the six  competing parties within the state.

Greens? Pitiful  run at 2 percent.

CDU did manage around 23 percent for 2nd place.

All of this a bad indicator for the fall state election?  Yeah...I would imagine anyone on the left or left-of-center....is huddling around today and how to counter this trend.

A one-topic situation?  AfD added a second topic in the last year....being negative on the Ukraine and pro-Putin/Russia.  In the eastern half of Germany....that apparently was accepted to a great degree.

My Humble View On The EU Election From Yesterday

 I will offer seven observations:

1.  It's NOT the end of the world as some TV journalists on German TV tried to suggest yesterday.  They had the prior-to-the-election belief that left and left-of-center parties (not just in Germany) would do OK, while they lost a fair amount compared to five years ago.

2.  I'll just say that typically (comparing against 2019 and 2014 EU elections)....there's normally not a lot of advertising, program-chatter, promises or debates.  This year, for some odd reason....there was a ton of debates and public display of 'promises'.  Maybe the public got fed up with the fake-promise routine, or people just started to ask questions about all the 'free-stuff' being promised.

3.  There were over 20 'other' parties in the running (the Marx-Party of Germany for example....13,000 voters went for them across the country).  If you were into weird promises or hopes.....you had a chance to vote for any party of your choosing.

4.  Turn-out?  65-percent....which is decent.

5.  If you could say anything about German perception right now (June 2024)....it's that a fair number are simply skeptical of politicians, their 'promises', and that solutions can be formed. If you bring up migration issues....I would imagine a good one-third of German society is fairly disturbed and want some pretty harsh actions on problems.  You can add another one-third of society who see the gov't actions on migration issues so far as ineffective....yet they aren't pro-extreme-right because of the Nazi-chatter. 

6.  It's just an odd color graphic map of districts in Germany, and which party led in each district.   

Almost all of what was old 'West Germany' (say about 90 of those districts)....were CDU or CSU winning.  SPD-winning districts?  There are just 3.....that's it.  Green district wins?  I count 12 on the map.  

AfD (the far-right party)?  About 80-percent of the old DDR region (Eastern Germany)....went for AfD as the districts winner.

The SPD vote?  Extremely split throughout all the districts of Germany.

7.  Finally, all of this chatter leading to the September elections of three German states in the fall?  Well....yeah.

All three in eastern Germany (Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Sachsen.  

So here's the deal....if you look over these results....at least in Sachsen and Thuringia.....I'd expect the AfD to win (lead) in those two states.

Brandenburg?  AfD is polling 4 points higher than the CDU, and it'll be close.

If the AfD were to win all three state elections?  It'd create a number of talking problems for both the CDU and SPD (right-of-center and left-of-center). 

This issue will drive a lot of political chatter for the next four months.

10 June 2024: Four German News Stories

1.  EU election results:

CDU/CSU: 30 percent

SPD: 13.9 percent

Greens: 11.9 percent

BSW: 6.2 percent

AfD: 15.9 percent

Linke: 2.7 percent

FDP: 5.2 percent

How to read this?  Well....back about six months ago....both ARD/ZDF (the two public TV networks) went out and tried to be anti-AfD....slamming them  for being far-right extreme, with the other 7 parties helping as much as possible.  The polls from last month indicated that AfD might drop just below 10 percent.  Well....that all failed for the most part.

All of the left or left-of-center parties?  Except for BSW (their first voting chance)...they all did crappy.

The juvenile vote?  The new 16/17 year old  kids voting?  They were supposed to  be this amazing add-on to the left/left-of-center folks.  Based on numbers....I'd say from the eastern 'quarter' of Germany....one out of three kids voted for AfD  (meaning they bought into the message).   The experts now being worried over the voting trend and that the juvenile vote might not be a good thing.

France in the EU voting?  That's another interesting story....Macron's party barely got 16-percent in the voting.  The LePen Party got twice that. So Macron announced last night....he's dissolving Parliament there and having a snap-election in two months.  Odds here?  LePen folks probably will win there.

Belgium in the EU voting?  Far-right party shocked everyone.....literally the same story.  PM offered up his resignation last night....elections likely to be called shortly.

What's really going on?  I'd say a 'perfect-storm' has arrived in Europe.  Economics are not that great....cost of living escalating...some anti-migrant sentiment brewing...the support of the 'Last Generation' environmentalists hasn't been a positive thing...cost of energy up....and so on.  

Could the German gov't (SPD-coalition) collapse?  Recent chatter has intensified and I'd give it a 50-percent of a collapse by October.  The current trend?  It's positive with the right/right-of-center folks.   

2.  That attack on the PM of Denmark?  Only updates: Cops now say the 39 year old man didn't seem to have any terror motive.  Some say that he merely 'pushed' the PM (suggesting he didn't even know who she was).  PM injury?  Well....whip-lash.  Place being where alcohol would be served?  Yeah, I was looking at video of the site and it kinda looks that way.

3.  On the idea of less war-front news via German TV?  Well....this is getting painfully obvious that it's a LOT less video coverage than  in 2022.  

4.  I was watching a N-TV segment on German heat-pumps....sales are dropping like a rock.  Curious how it was pushed for a year.....then the hype simply disappeared.  

9 June 2024: Three German News Stories

 1.  EU election day.  What is generally expected in Germany?  A minimum of 60-percent of adults (age 16 or older) will vote.  If it goes past 70-percent.....it'll be a 'thrill'.  Just for the record....you can only vote at your local town polling station, if you show up with your German national ID card.

2.  More rain expected today in Bavaria.  Flooding continuing.  Weather guy spoke to Monday/Tuesday.....with MORE rain expected those days as well. In some locations, it's been an entire year of rainfall over the past ten days.  

3.  The Galeria-Kaufhof store in Mainz (like a Macys)....was on a closure list (by the end of 2024).  

Well....someone sat down and noted that the store actually made a fair amount of profit, but the rent was eating up profits.

I will note, having been to the store a dozen-odd times....it's a five-star location.

So this past week....the company that owns the building came to grasp the situation....that they would end up with a empty building and no one capable of renting it....so they cut the rental price.  The store changed it's plans, and will not be shutting down.

Volunteer Force Support Dwindling?

 WELT did a poll, and a majority of Germans now agree....to end the volunteer status of the German Army.  I would say the past dozen years have been an experiment in progress, with the Bundeswehr recruitment guys having problems.

Chief cause?  There's not that much that they could offer....other than  job  training and a basic pay structure.  It's not like the US where tens of thousands could be offered for college incentive.  

The problem now?  How they would reflect upon the mess, and introduce a new conscription deal....where you have no choice at age 17....you'd have to sign up and do 'something'.  

Where this goes?  I expect three options on the table: (1) the military path for 15 to 18 months...(2) The TH folks who do emergency civil engineering projects...where you'd probably get a 1-year deal.....(3) some type of medical 'help' organization where you'd sign up for two years of part-time or weekend status.

This being challenged in court?  OH YES.  

Something that won't be discussed by the SPD or Greens?  I'd say on the Green Party side....this idea won't be discussed.  On the SPD agenda....it'll be split 50-50, with a fair sum of left-voters saying that something has to change or improve.

8 June 2024: Seven German News Stories

 1.  The wife and I ended up yesterday at the street-fest in Wiesbaden....which is a 3-day event and thousands usually show up.  

What I'll say....prior to Covid, a couple could go and have a good evening on beverages and food...for about 90 Euro (to include the bus tickets into town).  I added up the cost for last night....about 125 Euro.   

Fewer people there?  Well...that was the other odd thing....I'd say it was a minimum of 10-percent fewer people there (at least from 6 to 8 PM). 

2.  Weird weather?  The max in my little valley so far in 2024....has been 25 C (77 F).  I checked out the forecast all the way through to the 21st of June, and it's mostly in the 19 to 22 C range.  It's just a unusual weather pattern.  It's at least two nights in the past week that the furnace system reached a automatic turn-on, and the radiators heated up in the house.

Usually by this point....we would have had five or six days near 30 C.  

Rainfall?  In the region, the weather guy says for May....it was about 130-percent of normal rainfall.  

3.  There's supposed to be a budget drawn up by the SPD-led coalition within the next sixty days....for 2025.

Well....the Finance Minister (Lindner, FDP)....is making this a painful process, and there's talk of a collapse in the government.  Early election (instead of the fall of 2025)?  This chatter is getting to a point of being serious.

4.  Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen....assaulted by a guy on Friday evening in a square in Copenhagen.  

Limited talk on injuries.  I sense that she was banged-up a bit  but no broken bones.  Motivation of the guy?  Unknown.....cops are still reviewing things.  Won't surprise me if it were drug or alcohol involved.

5. Interesting statement this week by the Deutsche Börse (Germany's Wall Street) boss (Theodor Weimer).  He used the phrase....“A sheer catastrophe” to describe the economic path laid out by the Economics Minister Habeck (Green Party).  Fair amount of criticism.

6.  Miele, the German company that manufactures a list of high-end products.....said they are dismissing 1,300 employees (one out of nine).  

7.  If you did watch the Germany versus Greece soccer game last night....Germany won, but most analysts are saying it was crappy play and no enthusiasm on the part of the German players.

7 June 2024: Three German News Pieces

 1.  ARD (public TV, Channel 1) had a interesting news discussion (here)....cable car expansion in Germany.  

So the Transportation Ministry is advocating growth of cable cars as a way in major urban areas of Germany to transport people.

A plan?  No.  It seems like they are dangling potential funds....where a couple of cities could float a project and see if public interest could take off.

Locally?  Oh, I could see a Mainz-Wiesbaden cable car taking you from  mid-town Mainz to mid-town Wiesbaden, but once you suggest 5 Euro as a 'fee'....interest will dwindle.  That's the problem with the sales pitch by the Ministry folks....there's always a daily operations cost.

2.  ZDF (Channel 2, public TV in Germany) has a political show called Politbarometer, and they run polls often.  So the topic came up.....is Germany hyped-up on the EU election (this coming Sunday)?  Answer?  YES.

In fact, the polls show more interest in this EU election than any previous EU election.

Leading party....CDU-CSU with 30-percent.  2nd-place, AfD, SPD and Greens....at 14-percent each.  BSW, the new party, around 7-percent.

I would say from personal perception, compared to the past two elections (2019, 2014)....there's more posters, and a LOT more TV forums.  People do seem to believe that the EU can fix  problems....which the German gov't is unable to accomplish.

3.  With cannabis now legal, the Bundestag finally came to a limit on THC....setting a 500 Euro fine if you exceed it while driving.