6 Oct 2024: Seven German News Stories

 1.  The German Economic Ministry has revised the numbers for growth in 2025.  Instead of a .3-percent growth.....it's a .2-percent decline.  So, here's the problem.....they still don't have a solid budget built for 2025, and this 'decline' will make things even more difficult.

Recession trigger?  I'd just say that things will be stagnant for 2025.  I'd say presently....most Germans are more careful about spending.  They still go on vacations...but they aren't that likely to spend a lot extra.  Real estate still affected and less pricing on homes/condos presently. 

2.  That 1,000 Euro 'bonus' idea talked about....paying the people on the citizen's allowance (welfare), if they accomplish a year of full employment?  LOT of criticism popped-up  yesterday by the general public.  

3.  Putin's latest threat?  Well....if you didn't realize it....there's still trade going between the US/Europe and Russia...on certain raw materials.  Putin says 'enough'....that trade will halt shortly because of support for Ukraine.

4.  FDP Party is exploring the idea of cutting the 'allowance' for asylum seekers....if they have failed on their application.  The cut?  Just enough for basic food. Greens likely to go against this idea.

5.  Odd political development for Greens. Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Wurttemberg (the state) is a Green Party member.  He is fairly concerned about the loss of public support for the party (you can figure nationally....from four years ago, the Greens have lost one out of three of their voters).  

So in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg....in the city of Tübingen....is the Lord Mayor Boris Palmer.  Palmer used to be a Green Party member.  At some point about four years ago....he expressed a number of opinions/positions that were deemed right-wing (at least for a Green member to say).  At some point....the 'heat' went up and  Boris was 'dumped' out of the Green Party.  He was invited to the FDP Party....but declined....saying he'd run for Lord Mayor of the city....unattached to any party (he won).

So what Kretschmann has said in a blunt way....it's  time to invite Palmer back to the Green Party and exam his ideas (maybe they weren't that crazy or right-wingish).  

What's  going on?  2026 is the next election in Baden-Wurttemberg (the state), and I suspect that Kretschmann (nearing 77 in 2025) doesn't intend to run again, and the Greens won't win a majority in this state  election....unless things change (namely, getting people back to the party).  So I think Palmer is the angle being discussed....he'll be the face of the party in 2026, and end up as state-president.  

Key problem?  If you lined up the 50 top figures of the Green Party across the nation....more than half probably aren't supporting Palmer.  The more amusing thing?  At least two or three times a year....public TV invites Palmer on as a guest and gives him a national platform to speak on issues.  

6.  Most Germans won't notice, but the border with Denmark has increased check-points (by Denmark).  Meaning?  You approach the border and it's likely they may stop and ID you.  

7.  Mushroom picker in Slovakia.....is apparently attacked by a bear, and dies.

 For those who aren't aware of it....there's still a couple hundred bears on the loose in Slovakia. 

Do I Believe In No-Go Areas Existing In Germany?

 In 1978, around any part of Germany....I just didn't see no-go zones.  You could have taken me to Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich or Koln....day or night, and I would have seen nothing much to suggest a no-go zone.

After cocaine came along in the mid-1980s....there's some point existing where you just notice more scenes existing that suggest increased petty-crime...more drug use, and a slightly higher threat existing.  It was barely worth mentioning.

After the Wall came down (early 1990s)?  You just start to notice other little factors in the mix.  The drug scene has increased....more addicts on the street....more homeless.  

The side-issue?  Well....you could venture into 10,000 smaller towns/villages, and see absolutely no reason to dream up a no-go scenario. 

So, this all went into a weird 'index' of urbanization.  Where you had some town of a population of 200,000 or more....you would  identify parts of the towns that were in some way....a no-go zone.   The two key factors?  Usually this zone had  high counts of addicts in the mix, and were near a train-station.  After a while,  you added the other index.....that things were relative to day-time or night-time.

After a while (especially in the Covid-era)....you could also see a higher presence of police.  I'm not saying 24 hours a day....just that you could walk around the Frankfurt train station....see an occasional police patrol, and then on some rare occasion....see a addict grab a purse, and watch a patrol get alerted....to give chase.

The mix of migrants into this 'index'?  Well....in the past decade, you can make the case that areas of metropolitan cities are affected by this....but the usual quiet communities of 20,000 residents don't have this problem.

If you asked me of no-go areas of Wiesbaden (population of 285k)....I'd take your map, and draw three red circles....places to avoid after dark (particularly after 10 PM).  Frankfurt?  I'd probably draw four red circles (same story, particularly after 10 PM).  

Train-stations a magnet?  Well.....more so to the mentally ill, for some odd reason.

The public becoming disgruntled?  I'd say.....just looking at Frankfurt....if you polled adults, more than a quarter of society want things cleaned up.   Reaction of the city council or police?  It's mostly that they'd like to find a 'friendly-program' take removes addicts in a happy-friendly way, and they've yet to find the vehicle to remove the stigma creating no-go zones.

A Germany-only trend? No....I can see the same trend in Den Haag, Amsterdam, and Rome. 

Just a humble observation.

5 Oct 2024: Nine German News Stories

 1.  Have the German states of Thuringia, Saxony, or Brandenburg formed a coalition state government since their state elections?  No.  It might actually take another four weeks.

2. Leipzig has a Chinese spy episode brewing.  Oddly, she was working in some way for a AfD Party official in the local area.  Whether he knew of her 'mission' or not....unknown.

3. The federal Regulatory Control Council of Germany....has given the government a decent amount of praise. HOWEVER.....they noted there's still a ton of rules and procedures.  In simple terms....still too much bureaucracy built into the way that the German government functions.

4.   There was a federal term invented about a year ago in Germany....to handle Ukrainians in Germany and getting them jobs.  'Job-turbo' was the term.

This week....some assessment chatter came out.  It's not bad criticism....just that folks thought the 'turbo' meaning....meant actual 'turbo', and that wasn't the great deal presently seen in public.

5. Next EU 'blessed' gift to society?  There's talk of a digital ID....that you would load in some way on your cellphone, and it'd replace your national ID card (in some sense).  

Suggesting this and delivering it.....two separate topics, I suggest.  

6.  CSU Party (of Bavaria) making direct hint to the CDU Party (their 'big' brother)....that they might not participate in a CDU-Green Party government.  

It would be 'wild' if the CDU won the 2025 election and formed a coalition with the Greens....which the CSU would not participate in. Present numbers?   Greens won't go past 12-percent, and CDU (by themselves) won't go past 27-percent....so they'd have to have a 3rd big party (either BSW or SPD) to reach 50-percent or more....without the CSU.

7.  Some draft plan being developed by the gov't.....if you were on the citizen's allowance program (welfare) and employed for 12 months straight....they'd pay you a yearly bonus of 1,000 Euro.

Where the money would come from?  Unknown.

8.  EU Climate Commissioner spoke up yesterday.....saying the only path ahead for resolving the climate....is nuke-power.  Will be interesting if the German Green Party finds some agreement.

9.  New German statistic....half the people on the gov't program of citizen allowance (welfare)....are non-Germans.

Alfred Herrhausen And A Curious Story

In the 1980s....Alfred Herrhausen made a name for himself in West German banking.  He ended up as the chairman of the Deutsche Bank.  He was also a member of the Steering Commmittee of the Bilderberg Bank.  I should add....he came to be a personal finance advisor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and a key player in the development of the EU strategy on finance.

So here's the key thing....in 1989....with the Wall collapsing and  West German-Soviet relations developing....for about four months....his name was the second most mentioned name in German society (after Kohl).

Then on the morning of 30 November of 1989....Herrhausen was assassinated in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.  

The police were fixed on the killing.

The type of bomb?  Armor-piercing weapon....not some fly-by-night satchel bomb.

Red Army Faction (RAF) claiming responsibility?  Well....yeah, some statement  came and said they did it.  The problem is....after a serious amount of review....German cops didn't really believe them.

Adding to this Soviet-West German relations, along with East German relations were on a super-positive point.  Neither the Soviets or East Germans (the primary 'friend' of the RAF....had any reason to see him out of the situation).

Last night....ARD (public  TV in Germany) ran a fairly decent historical movie of the guy and his end.  After it ended...an hour-long news piece was done.  All of the people involved in the research....mostly voiced....NO RAF involvement.

So who went to a lot of trouble to end Herrhausen?

I can't see any country in EU involved in this effort.  I also don't think anyone out of the Middle East involved.  People helping and thinking this was a RAF-sanctioned event?  I could see that.  But who ran this assassination?

In the end....you are left with only two intelligence services with the angle and ability....Mossad and the CIA.

The odds that the Kohl government figured this out?  Well....they aren't stupid.

Payback in some way?  It's just something you wonder about. 

Three Things From This Week

 1.  I had to travel into Wiesbaden.....to a particular public building that has few visitors but a fair amount of stress.

So outside.....I'm approaching the building and there's one single gal hanging around there....stressed out.  Burkia gal....face uncovered.....smoking a cigarette.  Yeah....typically something frowned upon heavily by the Islamic religion.  

I didn't say anything....just an odd image.

2.  I had three ATM machines within 2 miles of my house...up until this week.  One was removed (permanently).  I'm guessing the threat of blowing it up....got to the property owner.  So just two ATM machines left now.  

I would imagine that insurance has risen drastically in the past five years where you have a building with a ATM machine.  Last year, almost every week in Hessen....an ATM was blown up and robbed.

3.  Finally, I got some package in the mail from the city of Wiesbaden.  The city council  (as large as it is)....has several seats reserved for representation to the senior citizens of the city (if you are over 65).  So they offered me (the non-German) a voting slip.  

To be honest, other than fixing potholes or lessening crime around the city....I don't have that much interest in the operation of the city.  They offered me around 15 different 'parties'.....one being the Pro-Auto Party and another being the Catholic Party.  

I'll probably just decline. 

4 Oct 2024: 12 German News Stories

 1.  That Marburg Virus story?  Exam/tests done....guy and his GF....did NOT have Marburg Virus....just plain flu.  I'll admit....that story got a bunch of Germans excited.

2.  Poll done...asking Germans if they feel the country is unified (after 34 years).

Answer by a majority?  NO....is not unified (yet).  

I'll just say...there is still a West German prospective on things, and a East German prospective on things.

3.  Empty ATM problem continues across Germany.  Union employees asking for more of a wage, and more vacation time.

4.  German gov't agreed back about a decade ago....they'd start a Islamic 'mullah' training program via the Osnabruck University.  The idea at the time....if you had real German educators in the system....you could produce NON-radicalized Islamic scholars/instructors.

Well....it came out this morning that one will be finishing up his exams, and he happens to be on the 'watch-list' for radicalization.

Basically....as much hype as the German gov't put into this idea....if they produce just one failure.....the program is suspect.

5.  Vote at the EU today....if tariffs will be put on China E-car imports into the EU.  No idea how this will go.  Scholz has said this week....Germany won't support the tariff.  

6.  Last night on the public TV forum show....the Markus Lanz Show....one of the heads of the SPD Party was hyped-up and commenting over 'right-wing-radical-world-views',  and Lanz (the moderator) put a 'halt' on the guy and just said in some nice way....'cut the BS'.   

You see this chatter often now...maybe five or six times a week, where the SPD or Green Party folks are almost weeping over 'far-right-wing-radical-views', and the general public has lost a  fair amount of respect for the criticism.

7.  German police union 'chief' is voicing concern....Hamas-run attack within Germany on 7 October possible.....against Jewish targets.

8.  WELT had some BS article, suggesting that 80-percent of Germans are considering buying a Chinese-made E-car.  Don't know where they got their polling numbers.

9.  Chancellor Scholz gave a talk yesterday (3 Oct)....giving a warning of potential nuke war between NATO and Russia.  

10.  Since mid-September....around 800 cases of entry into Germany have been halted....individuals without status.  Border-patrol efforts showing some success.  Those 800-odd folks were 'turned-back'.

11. Statistic up on balcony solar panels in Germany.....in one-year.....they've doubled the number of panels mounted.  

12. Leapmotor T03 E-car....made in China....to be introduced into Germany.  Cost?  18,900 Euro.  Size?  I'd  say it's about 20-percent larger than a Smart car (yeah, it's ultra small, and 4-door).  Range?  400 km (at least that's the advertised amount).  Charging up?  If you go to a DC-standard station....around 36 minutes.  At a normal home-charger, near 3.5 hours. 

Will Germans buy it?  I'd say if you are a retiree couple....it might fit onto your budget and lifestyle.   

Unity Day in Germany

 So you might ask....as a national holiday in Germany....do people do anything special for Unity Day? 

Well.....99.9-percent will say 'NO'.

There will be some ceremonies across the country, with probably a thousand politicians making speeches.  Otherwise....no one does much of anything.

Stores are closed.  Restaurants will be open for normal hours.  Bakeries will operate on a lesser schedule.

A non-national holiday?  Well....that's what it's become. 

Just Something I Noticed

 I sat  looking at social media this AM, and this 'job-ad' came up....from the UK.

It's for a UNPAID/No benefits job as a personal assistant....an internship.

So here's the organization....'Fight Against Slavery'....a charity group....fighting for human rights.

What they want out of you...is free and unpaid labor.  I pondered over this for a minute....realizing that it's basically a friendly version of slavery.  

A legit organization or charity?  Well....that might be a debatable thing.  Maybe they have good intentions and just lack any funding for real support.  But then I'd ask....this person that I'm the personal assistant to....what is his/her salary?  I'm guessing it's not free labor.

3 Oct 2024: Thirteen German News Stories

 1.  Cash-refill guys who fill ATM machines around Germany....on strike.  So what business operations are finding out.....they don't have enough cash on hand....asking German customers to ONLY pay by credit card or debit card.  Odd problem.

2.  Some major story out of Focus.....measurements taken.  The landscape of Germany is heating up faster....than  the landscape of Earth itself.   

Scientists are lost on explaining this.  Non-science Germans may say it's time to open refrigerator doors, and open windows.....to cool off Germany.

3.  German gov't has given orders....if you are a German...IN Iran at present....LEAVE by any means possible.

4.  A medical student from Rwanda, traveling with his GF on a Bahn train from Frankfurt to Hamburg.....had been out of the country in Rwanda, and just flown into the Frankfurt airport....is being treated for flu-like issues.  Some speculation that he has the Marburg virus. 

“Bild” says the fed-police have closed tracks in Hamburg....bringing in a hazmat team.  Part of the train station was closed off for several hours.

Marburg virus scares the crap out of medical folks....if you aren't aware of it. As of this AM....tests have not yet concluded if the guy has it or not.

5.   In case you were wondering....from Wed evening, the CDU Party spoke and said under 'no conditions'....would Germany be accepting refugees from Lebanon.  SPD-coalition didn't say much.

6.  Today is a national holiday in Germany (Unity Day).  I asked my wife (of West German descent)....if we would be celebrating.  'No' was the answer.

7.  ARD news reporters did some research and came to this odd fact...the German  Criminal Police has between ten and thirty Juveniles (under the age of 14)....on their 'watch-list' for potential terrorist attacks.

Most people always assume it's young adult males...on the watch-list.

8.  For a 250-gram package of German butter....the average price is 2.39 Euro (most highest price since the Euro was adopted).

9.  New winter-tire rules in Germany are in effect.  If you have winter-tires on, and there is no 'snow-flake' symbol shown.....the tire is illegal.  

10. The ARD (public TV) public forum show....'Maischberger'...was on last night.  Topic?  'Should Germany supply weapons to Israel and Ukraine?'

The two guests?  Oskar Lafontaine (formerly of the SPD and Linke Party) and FDP Party member Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.

I'll just say you got a hard dose of left and right views from the two guests.

11.  As of this AM, 130 Germans have been flown by the German Air Force, out of Lebanon (into Frankfurt).  Evacuation still underway.

12. WELT did an interesting report on demographics in Germany. Basic story?  There's a map showing the country, in three colors.  Color one: over-abundance in German employee potential.  Color two: marginal abundance in German employee potential.  Color three: lacking abundance in German employee potential.

So there is a big chunk of the Pfalz region (west) and most of eastern Germany....lacking people.  

13.  Interior Minister pointed out in a blunt way yesterday....any public support/help for Hamas or Hezbollah.....is a federal crime in Germany.

Violation Story

 Roughly seven months ago....Frankfurt-city made a decision to open a on-line portal where you could NOTE traffic-parking violations, with a picture, and if the city-management folks agreed....they'd mail the owner, the violation slip/fine.

Well....they crossed the 25,000 point in the last week or so.

Successful?  Yeah....more than they'd ever imagine.

Imagine....'Huns' just walking down the street....seeing illegal parking, and stops to take an image and report on the situation.  Wouldn't shock me if 10-year old German kids were even reporting on violations.  

Dud

 

I sat and looked at this Iranian-made missile fired into Israel last night.  

Dud.

No one has done the count yet...out of 200-odd missiles fired....I would make a humble guess that 5-percent as a minimum failed.

You can go back to WW II bombs dropped in Germany and that's typically the number people suggest that failed in that war.

I would imagine in the missile factory....there's always a 'Marvin'....who got the assembly job because of his uncle, and 'Marvin' has the tendency to never screw cables properly.   

2 Oct 2024: Four German News Stories

 1.  News piece from ARD last night....roughly 500 drugs that are on a short-supply list in Germany, and if you were on some treatment plan (even cancer).....you might not be able access the drugs, without a lot of trouble.  National pharmacy companies aware of this....pointing to manufacturing outside of the EU and poor logistics.

2.  There's 'quota-talk' going on within the SPD Party.  The idea?  They would mandate in some way....x-number of gov't positions to be held by people of a non-German status.  

It might get pushed, but you have around a dozen significant non-German groups in the country.  Who gets status and who is pushed down on the list?  Turks occupy the top point of ethnic groups.  Russians follow (2.6-percent of population).  Arabic in third place.  Serbs and Poles follow.

3.  Germany has promoted a female (1st ever) to 3-star general status....heading up German Army's Operational Readiness/Support.

4.  German weather folks talking about a 'heat-wave' for this weekend (up to 20 C or 68 F).  

1 Oct 2024: 6 German News Stories

 1.  That nude group of walkers that I saw in the Wiesbaden park on Sunday?  Well....it turns out that it was a 40-person theater group....practicing in the park and later gave a 'show' in city theater.  

2.  Kinda came out yesterday...some elements of the SPD don't want out out-right ban the far-right AfD.  

I think if you asked CDU-CSU voters....I would speculate that half don't want a ban in place.

3.  German gov't has been flying embassy folks out of Beirut yesterday (Monday).  Basically telling German citizens in Lebanon...get out.

4.  Inflation fell in September.....1.6 is standard at this point.

5.  The EU says they will vote on a China car tariff this week.  Odds of passing?  Originally, I thought this was a 90-percent chance.  Now, it's 50-50 (I suspect).

6.  Bridge woes in Germany?  I watched a N-TV news piece talking over the increasing numbers of bridges that MUST be renovated. They say there are 43 bridges (50 meters or longer) in unsatisfactory condition.  Majority are in the state of NRW (NW Germany).