This Gelsenkirchen Bank Break-In

 The most obvious questions:

1.  Is it normal for Germans to have a bank 'box'? 

Not that normal.   If you have items of value....silver/gold  coins, bitcoin passwords, etc....then it makes sense.

2. A lot of the customers in this case were Turks?

News reports suggest 75-percent. 

3.  Did Turkish business owners stash unreported money into their boxes?

Well....yeah, that is a possibility.  If you ran some operation heavily dependent upon cash, you might have gone to the bank box weekly and stashed several thousand Euro.  It wouldn't shock me if some folks lost over 100,000 Euro.

4.  The bank in incredible trouble? 

No....the police will clear them of responsibility....once consumers show proof of valuable items...the insurance company will pay them off (figure six months).  The folks who had cash....into the tens of thousands (or more)....they will never get their sum back.

5.  Trust in banks takes a hit?

Across the nation....probably over a quarter-million of people who have bank boxes.....are now wondering about their safety/security.  In January, I expect a lot of people to go and buy a safe for their basement.

6.  The robbers?

Rumor has it....the German police are eyeballing clan gangs in the Netherlands. 

7.  The numbers of value 'stolen' reliable?

Well....NO.  If you were a business owner and stashing 2,000 Euro weekly into a box....you won't admit your 150,000 Euro 'stash' to the banks or the police. 

Stress Chatter

I sat this AM...watching N-TV news here in Germany....curious news item came up.

So....mental illnesses comes up as a topic.  Here in Germany....numbers are increasing dramatically for mental issues, and apparently leading to significantly longer periods of absence from work than most other illnesses. 

Curiously.....the Linke Party (far-left)  is talking about a mandate being necessary....by the federal government....to respond with an anti-stress regulation.  Yes....another regulation of some type.

Evidence?  The number of sick days due to mental illness has more than doubled in Germany since 2014. This comes from a study done by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to a parliamentary request from the Linke Party.

The data says....German women were absent from work for a total of 87.55 million days in 2024 due to mental and behavioral disorders. 

They compared against a period...ten years ago....the figure was 43.51 million days. For men, the number of days absent due to mental illness was lower at 60.39 million in 2024. However, the increase for men was even more dramatic: in 2014, they were absent for only 26.88 million days.

My question....exactly how would you wrote some regulation for less stress?  Having been at both 'ends'.....worker and manager....I can understand the stress issue to some degree. But writing some forty-page regulation and hoping it cuts/resolves stress?

The likely German 'cure'?  Create some massive 'stress' agency....mandate stress-meters to be worn by employees, and mandate offices to have de-stress cats/dogs?

To be honest....if you mandated fewer office meetings (like a limit of 10 minutes a week)....mandated a 3-day weekend at least once a month....identified stress-creating managers....and gave a 90-minute lunch which had a 15-minute 'walk' built into it....probably would cut half of all stress out.

31 Dec 2025: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  From that break-in of the Gelsenkirchen bank vault....it now appears that 75-percent of the 3,000 customers with losses....were Turks.  Not sure if the break-in guys knew this fact or not.  

2.  Targeted murder attempt....Dusseldorf.....taxi passenger was shot multiple times in the middle of Düsseldorf (still alive at this  point).  Guy is some type of Dutch social media influencer.

Minimum of ten shots fired.  Other people in the car....unharmed.

Sounds like a mafia-hit job.

3.  I watched Sunday night....German series...'Schwarzes Gold'.  Six-part series....ARD (Channel 1, public TV)....they ran the first four 45-minute pieces on Sunday night.  I have to say....good fictional  piece...early 1900s Germany....oil-boom and soap-opera-like story.

I watched the final two episodes last night via media-tech library.

Curiously....lot of Germans tuned in for the first part (45 minutes long)....no commercial break....then they (the network) launched into episode two....with around 5-percent of the viewership flipping the channel (leaving the movie).   Episode three went the same way.....episode four went the same way.

Worth watching if you find it.

4.  Doctor suggestion going up.....charging consumers 3 Euro each time they visit their clinic/local Doc.  You would pay at the desk  (in cash).

Not selling well as a concept.  I doubt that it's adapted.

5.  Environment Minister Schneider (SPD) has come out strongly in favor of banning disposable e-cigarettes. 

Reason?  He says that the devices are dangerous and harmful to the environment. Consumer and environmental protection groups support his position. 

Something that the CDU-CSU folks would support?  No one says much.

6.  Curious rumor.....EU/UK....talking of a deal where if Russia/Ukraine sign a peace deal....Europeans would volunteer 15,000 troops to be a 'peace-monitor-group'.

Next EU 'Invention'?

I paused over this story today....that the EU says it will introduce a digital payments infrastructure/creature to replace Visa/Mastercard and Apple/Google Pay.

What they hint at.....zero fees and be 100-percent European-only. 

Then the same authority said....it will in some fashion....prevent companies and people having to pay 2-to-3 percent of transactions to process business payments.

I paused  over this....you have to have some type of FEE....for the person/user or the commercial operation, or business....to cover the cost of transactions.  The EU simply saying there would be NO fee?  I don't think they grasp how these things work.

This should  have been identified already 20 years ago to think about?  Yeah, that's my chief problem.....the EU is always ten to twenty years behind on resolving things.  

Hint: Elon spoke up a week or two ago....he was originally thinking of a Tesla-style cellphone, but instead has gone to a personal individual device....simply a screen which would 'talk' to a cloud server to move information to your hand.  XAI would accomplish what you need...whether calling for a pizza, asking for a friend's communication number, getting the police to your site, or playing some tune. Likely to be delivered by the end of 2027 (if you ask me).  The EU reaction?  Probably freaked out, wanting the Apps zeroized (the problem is...no App on the phone will exit).  

A Business Spiral Story

 Once upon a time (2015)....Domino’s Pizza entered the Italian market.  The strategy was....in 15 years (by 2030)....they'd have 880 outlets in Italy.

Somewhere around 2020....they peaked at 29 operations.  By 2022....ALL 29 had closed.

A humble observation....until you've tried real Italian pizza....out of the wood-oven, you haven't had real pizza.

I was sent on temp-duty for 10 days to Aviano, and got stuck way out in the rural region at a hotel.  About 5 minutes away was this grandmother-grandson operation....couple of  folks who ran a restaurant/pub.   Each night, I had a pizza.  You simple couldn't  go wrong, and  I doubt that I spent more than $10 on the pizza and beer.

What Does Drecksarbeit Really Mean?

 Well....it's a new term (used in 2025) and usually (as a noun) means someone is doing something classified as 'dirty-work'....that most folks don't want to do or admit to.

Several ways of meaning it? Example.....you have a farm with hay to bale....where 90-percent of folks don't want to 'haul' the hay.  Another example....you go off and bomb some folks (like Iran)....which most folks don't think it's wise to bomb them. Another example....Trump bombing some drug-transport vessels.

If you watch intellectual public forums much....it gets used a bit now.

Bank Break-in Story

 Up in Gelsenkirchen over the weekend....some 'guys' drilled into the bank vault area....where the bank-boxes are stored, and then drilled into the boxes (figure around 95-percent of them). Figure around 3,000 total boxes broke into.

Bank is saying two things....if you didn't buy their insurance....you won't be paid for your losses (whatever they were), and you have to prove the items were there.

So a fair number of customers are grumbling....they had gold bars, and  they felt they were 'safe'....without the insurance cost.

Inside job?  I'm of the belief there were some type of information provided.  

The normal size German 'small' box?  You could probably store 200 coins easily in a box.  

Money Chatter

 I saw this today...European billionaires.....2024/2025.

Interesting  statistical analysis....Germany near the bottom on self-made billionaires....meaning?  Well...it's fairly hard to start a trend, get wealth built up, and 'hold' the wealth.

I'm not saying Germany is a crappy place to start a massive business.....just that when the smoke clears each year....because of employee cost, taxes, operations cost....you'd be better off in other countries.

ADAC Chatter

 I noted this AM....an article concerning ADAC (the German Automobile Club) which took a odd position....fuel prices should rise to achieve climate goals. Naturally, a lot of ADAC-folks aren't happy about the idea.

They didn't say the pricing scheme, but I would imagine you'd have to price E-10 fuel (unleaded) at 8 Euro a liter (currently around 1.62 Euro per liter) to get people 'hot' for E-cars.

Even at 5 Euro....I think more than half of German drivers would be pro-gas/diesel.

The problem I see with this reality....eventually, the grid-pricing scheme....for electrically charging your car....would get to around 1,000 Euro per month.  Then where does the next strategy go?

30 Dec 2025: Germany: 6 Things

 1.   The newest discussed strategy discussed for the German pension reform?  "Performance-based pension". 

A pension amount plan that isn't determined by age, but by working life. A person  who started contributing to the pension insurance at age 16 can retire after 45 years of employment. Someone who only starts working at age 25 must continue until they are 70. Otherwise, there will be reductions in their pension.

Basic idea....a university grad would be stuck in this retire-at-age-70 route. The rest (probably 70-percent of society) would retire by age 61. Yeah, the unhappy crowd would be the better-go-to-college folks. After viewing the concept....it's  also apparent that the college-route folks would likely put more money away in their 40s/50s, and retire retire anyway at age 60 to 65.

2.  Lot of hype yesterday from the anti-fireworks folks, as sales started up. 

Up to around 2010....fireworks-problems (firing them at firemen, ambulances, and police)....was fairly rare on the 31st (Dec).  In the past 15 years....it's a major problem in urbanized areas like Berlin, Frankfurt, etc.

3.  Sparkasse (the bank) came out with a unusual 'note'....saying 'yes-bacteria-are-on-bills-from-the-ATM-machine'.

After you remove bills from a ATM....yeah, you probably should wipe your hands with alcohol.

4.  A German guy ran through a church in Rottenburg, Baden-Württemberg.  Threatening visitors with a knife. He ended up damaging church property.

Afterwards, he then went to the market square, where police who had been called to the scene, found him. The man threw the knife at the officers' feet.  Prior record....ended up being taken to a psychiatric hospital.

5.  Focus business article from yesterday....suggesting that 3.3-million people are working in Germany....on the 'black'...meaning they are not paying taxes, social pension, etc.

Gov't looking for various ways to discover them.

From the piece....if you really dig into it....a lot of these people are not full-time employed, and it might only be a month or two....with undeclared work.

6.  N-TV had a business report this AM.....4-million German 'homes' (houses, apartments) have undeclared help/maids/cleaners.

They figure 90-percent of all help....is undeclared.

I would imagine a lot of people would halt their maid-service....if they had to go cover taxes/social pension....as well.

29 Dec 2025: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  Focus piece this AM...German natural gas reserve....in a very low level.  If this were a serious winter....we'd probably in serious trouble by March.  You can read the piece here.

2. WELT piece by Lennart Pfahler, suggests the Linke Party is looking for a policy which would sell easily to social groups with a Islamic background. 

3.   One of the things to occur in 2026....the EU directive on the "right to repair" is expected to be finalized by July.  Once implemented....manufacturers will be required to keep spare parts for their products available for at least seven years. In the EU way of thinking....the companies are to be incentivized to offer more durable products, which should significantly reduce electronic waste.  Whether this occurs or not....unknown.  One would think prices would have to escalate 10-to-20 percent to cover this warehouse/parts cost.  To be honest, if a dryer crapped-out by the fifth year....transporting it and getting the problem resolved....would just invite more hassle/stress.

4.  Fireworks on sale this AM....the rush is on.

Numbers

 I saw this posted....from the PEW Research folks, dated from 2017...assuming growth patterns for EU member states....for projected Muslim population in European countries in 2050:

🇸🇪 Sweden: 30.6%

🇦🇹 Austria: 19.9%

🇩🇪 Germany: 19.7%

🇧🇪 Belgium: 18.2%

🇫🇷 France: 18%

🇬🇧 UK: 17.2%

🇳🇴 Norway: 17%

🇩🇰 Denmark: 16%

🇳🇱 The Netherlands: 15.2%

🇫🇮 Finland: 15%

🇮🇹 Italy: 14.1%

🇨🇭 Switzerland: 12.9%

🇧🇬 Bulgaria: 11.6%

🇬🇷 Greece: 9.7%

🇪🇸 Spain 7.2%

🇸🇮 Slovenia: 5.2%

🇭🇺 Hungary: 4.5%

🇮🇪 Ireland: 4.4%

🇵🇹 Portugal: 2.5%

🇭🇷 Croatia: 2.1%

🇨🇿 Czech Republic: 1.2%

🇪🇪 Estonia: 1%

🇷🇴 Romania: 0.9%

🇸🇰 Slovakia: 0.7%

🇱🇻 Latvia: 0.4%

🇱🇹 Lithuania: 0.2%

🇵🇱 Poland: 0.2%

Where this leads to in Germany?  Well...eventually, the pro-Muslim folks will politicize  themselves enough...to exit all currently existing parties....to forge a new  party.  If you thought it was tough now for the SPD, or CDU-CSU to forge coalitions....by 2050....it'll be a pretty tough situation.

Why Is The German Bahn (Railway) So F**ked-Up?

 My theory.

In 1978, I was introduced to the German railway system.  At the time, there were four curious positive points.  First, it wasn't very technical.  Second, you bought tickets from a person (mostly) and there was one single pricing scheme. Third, for the most part....it was on-time, but you didn't really care if it ran 30 minutes late.  Finally, train toilets and station toilets....worked.

Between 1978 and 2025....things evolved.

Everything is highly technical....with your reliance on a App at a top-level. Odds of breakage? It's probably triple of what existed in 1978.

With train toilets....it's 50-50 whether they work. At stations....as long as it's a medium-sized or large station....they exist, and you pay 1-Euro.

You can go to the counter to buy a ticket...discovering the way you get there....might have six different pricing schemes. 

If you used a train 150 occasions throughout a year....the odds are that 20-percent of the occasions are either delayed (by 30 minutes or more), or totally cancelled.  Plan 'B' is always in your mind.

So, I've come to this reality....it's an adventure to travel via the German rail service.  It pushes you to appreciate things that work.  You generally improve your plan 'B' mentality.  And it's occasionally entertaining to note the amount of grumbling by Germans, when dumped mid-route...with limited options to complete the trip.

When I peak on Bahn-stress?  It usually mid-summer days when the AC is crapped-out by mid-afternoon, or when all six toilets on a long-haul train are broke at the same time.

My worst experience?  I paid for first-class tickets.....Frankfurt to Hamburg....with reserved seats.  About 12 minutes before the Frankfurt train was to leave....it got cancelled.  They ran a back-up train 30 minutes later....combining two trains....with no reserved seats (yeah, I already paid).  It did eventually get to Hamburg. 

German Bank Spiral

I sat and read through a Focus article on Germany banking.

Around 700 Volks and Raiffeisen banks with 15 million German members are coming under pressure because of the economic slowdown, shaky lending practices, and poor judgement over loans.

Some institutes are facing restructurings....others had to be propped up by the security fund after billions in losses.

What Focus points out....regional banks are gambling in various ways....some on real estate....some over brothel purchases, some involving soccer club financings, and control failures. 

In some ways....what the article points out...risky behavior is increasing.

If German banks reach a point of serious damage?  Well....the Deutsche Bundesbank acts as a 'Federal Reserve' and would  likely inject money, and mandate tighter controls.

But at that point....real  estate issues will pop up and more serious economic problems will spiral into the situation.

28 Dec 2025: Germany: 2 Things

 1.  The Federal Council of Germany.....approved the pension package proposed by the CDU-CSU and SPD. 

Poll done....the German public....still believes that a genuine 'real' reform is still needed. More than 80 percent expressed support for a major overhaul. The current state of the coalition is a source of skepticism.

2.  Lot of black ice over Germany for past two days.  For half the country....fairly dangerous to be out driving.

Essay Commentary

After the Wall came down....there was a East German civil rights actvist who wrote up a assessment of the 'wrongs' of old DDR/East Germany, and how the future would go. Words/test by Bärbel Bohley: 

“All these investigations, the thorough exploration of the Stasi structures, the methods they worked with and still work with, all that will fall into the wrong hands.

People will examine these structures most meticulously, only to take them over.  They will adapt them a little, so that they fit into a free Western society.

They won’t necessarily arrest the troublemakers either.  There are more subtle ways to render someone harmless.

But the secret bans, the surveillance, the suspicion, the fear, the isolating and excluding, the branding and silencing of those who don’t conform, that will come back, believe me.

They will create institutions that work much more effectively, much more subtly than the Stasi.

The constant lying will come back too, the disinformation, the fog in which everything loses its contours.”

Interesting vision of the future. 

26 Dec 2025: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  China putt up a tariff of 42-percent against a number of EU products....because of the tariff the EU has on Chinese-made E-cars coming into Europe.  German wine got onto the list.

2. Berlin-City is fixing up a new set of laws for 2026....to reduce bureaucracy. Anyone wishing to open a restaurant or café....will be able to wrap up ALL paperwork...online...in four weeks.

3. Just a odd TV note from the Christmas eve (24th) viewing on ARD (public TV) at around 1145 PM.  I was channel flipping, and in the midst of the view....some Catholic Church Christmas mass....Stuttgart area.  Camera panned over....here's some German guy in plastic wrap...all hunched over....laying on the cold tile floor of the church....with a priest in the background speaking. 

Took me about a minute to realize....it was a artist thing.  

On social media....lots of hype (mostly negative)....a few asking if this was thought through by the Catholic 'bosses'.

4.  N-TV piece...it's estimate around 100-billion Euro is 'washed' yearly in Germany.

25 Dec 2025: Germany: 4 Things

 1. Interesting commentary by Susanne Nickel on Focus.....worth reading (here). Topic?  How to avoid hyped-up discussions with relatives around holiday periods.  

As bad as the situation has become in the US....there's a German trend where bickering occurs as well....where political positions are drawn.

2.  WELT piece: hype building up in Germany over a possible sugar tax....where 'bad' food would cost more.  Idea is that people would quit the 'bad' food...rather than pay a Euro or more  for the item.   I'm not buying into the idea too much.  I'm of the mind that neighboring countries would see shopping visits by Germans....buying sugar-treats at a normal price.

3.  From Giessen, the guy who injured several people with a car?   The local public prosecutor's office has charged him with attempted murder and has committed him to a psychiatric hospital.  No suspicion of terrorism.

4.  Starting in January....the German Armed Forces will send out questionnaires to around 650,000 young German folks.  

If you ignore the form, fail to respond, or provide fake data......there's up to a 1,000 Euro fine.

The German Armed Forces questionnaires....will go to around 650k folks yearly....figure around 54k per month in a situation where they have to respond.

If you follow the news coverage....I'd say more than half of the youth population are negative about the questionnaire and very unlikely to participate in the German Army, or the defense of the homeland.

Radio Topic

 In the 1990s...stationed here in Germany....I worked with a guy who was also married to a German gal.  One of his favorite topics....was the 'lifestyle' that his wife had growing up in the 1980s...in a West German household...without a TV.

His father-in-law (and wife) were accepting of a radio, but a TV was simply unacceptable.  There was some sort of German logic to this position in life.

About ten years ago....some public TV discussion came up....where they had analyzed TV ownership/use, and came to find out that around 800k to 900k Germans had no TV in the home....relying strictly upon a radio.

No one says how this works.  I'm of the mind that if you divided the no-TV/just-radio crowd up....of the 800k, probably three-quarters of them are over the age of 70. 

My Gut Feeling Over All This Censorship Chatter

 First, there's simply way too much information being dished out yearly, monthly, weekly and even daily.  Generally, people can't consume vast amounts of knowledge and grasp realities (or irrational facts).

Second, in the 1970s/1980s....you might have viewed the news and only had to deal with a thousand 'experts' over a normal year.  Today?  In a average year.....you probably have to engage/devote-time to 40,000 'experts'.  Even your wife, neighbor and kids....now act as 'experts'....conflicting your life even more.

Third, we might as well admit we already allow gov't control over air travel and 300-odd parts of life.....so a little extra censorship isn't going to hurt anyone. This year, the discussion started up to control the green in Mountain Dew....censoring the color in some way.

Fourth, lets just be honest.....a full 15 minutes or 30 minutes of news is way too much for the bulk of society.  You need seven minutes of actual news, and just censor the rest.  Keep the soccer scores in....the weather report stays 'as is'.....cut the rest.

Fifth, we really don't need 13 or 14 year old kids getting hyped-up over the news....they need massive censorship.

Sixth....with x-amount of news....folks reach a point where they need to know the 'MOTIVE' of folks.  Look, you are asking for a lot of extra details....which conflict.  So censorship makes sense....less questions later.

Finally....seventh...people need to be kept constantly busy, otherwise, they get into 'trouble'.  So arguing about censorship (pro-con) keeps them from getting onto  really important topics. 

24 Dec 2025: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  That Giessen story I discussed yesterday.....guy driving his car into a bus-stop...injuring a couple of folks?  Well....police are suggesting he has a mental issue.  I would imagine....judge will put the guy into a 30-day deal....have him evaluated.  'Dummy-test' situation (as youthful Germans describe the eval).

As my son noted of a co-worker faced with taking a dummy-test.....you really don't want to be in a position of proving your mental state.

2.  German weather folks hyping up massive arctic front....snow-fall for eastern/southern parts of Germany for Xmas.

This AM....0 temp (32 F).  Hefty wind.....wind-chill way down.

3.  Fair amount of criticism coming up in Hamburg....city has noted that over 2025....they've spent near 75-million Euro on hotel rooms, for migrants.

4.  Some CDU Party members (not from the top 1000) are trying to engage on topics of 'agreement' with the AfD Party.  CDU leadership discussing kicking these folks 'out' of the CDU Party. 

Simply not going to happen.  

Woke Chatter

 The German TV show "Die 100 – Was Deutschland bewegt," a debate format on Last Monday night....I sat and viewed ARD (public TV, Germany) featuring the Die-100 public forum show (live)....with 100 participants voting on controversial topics.  

Topic?  "Ist Deutschland zu woke?" (Is Germany too woke?). 

This directly addressed ongoing "woke" debates in Germany, such as political correctness, cultural appropriation (e.g., wearing sombreros or Native American costumes), language changes, etc.

In the beginning....the 100 folks 'playing along'....were pretty much 50-50 on 'yes', or 'no'.

By the end....the 'no' crowd....feeling the country was not so much 'woke'....edged  up to the 60-percent level.  Oddly, via the folks at home, and voting....they were near '60-percent' on yes, Germany is woke.

I sat and pondered over this number business, and then wondered....how did the ARD  folks select people for the live show?

How do Germans explain woke?  In simple terms....some intellectual comes up....associated with some university, some political group, or some foundation....to say some stance/language/belief in society is outdated, and troubling. So they want you to focus on dumping your thoughts, words, or beliefs.

If you argue with the intellectual....things just go worse-off for you, and you are identified as old-fashioned or racist.

The problem here....as 'woke' is explained to the non-intellectual crowd....they seem to pour more 'concrete' on their belief/words.  

Throughout the past week or so....via social media....a lot of Germans have discussed the show, and the 'woke-agenda'.....more so....on the negative side.

The 'slam' I see approaching?  Well....the SPD and CDU-CSU folks....don't have much room to engage on this talk, and should avoid woke-BS entirely.  On the list of 500 political topics to hype-on.....this is a 300-to-400 position (on woke).  

Germany And Christmas Movies

 In the mid-1990s....I was stationed at Ramstein, and around the week after Christmas....another guy who was married to a German....came up to converse on a topic (week after Christmas).  

A Christmas movie shown on commercial German TV.....I had watched the same one.

So the plot....modern era....German Santa....being chased in some way by a mafia-group (with machine guns).  

My associate asked if this were typical/normal?  I responded....stuff made from 1960s/1970s....had a low budget situation and revolved around some snow storm.

Last week....I viewed a ARD (public TV) production.  The chief theme of this family Christmas 'meeting'....the older daughter (a nurse)....was screwing around with Doctor-so-and-so (married guy), and about 40-percent of the movie theme....was mom giving the girl a lecture, or accidentally bumping into the guy.

This week (last night)....the ZDF (public TV) production....was a Christmas murder-mystery.  No Santa....marginal snow-storm....just a murder.  By the last 12 minutes....they'd figured out he died of a heart-attack, and was not murdered.

My advice....don't go expecting much if the conversation comes up with a German...over possible viewing options.  Just ensure you have a adequate stock of rum and a six-pack of Pepsi. 

How Older DDR Germans View Today's Society

 I watched a piece (podcast) in the past ten days....where two older Germans (I'd assume they were both in their 60s...originally from DDR/old East Germany).  

The two went through five or six quick topics...mostly having to do with woke-BS, news-coverage, politics, social media being lite-police-action, and Germans being told what they 'think'.

Yeah,  it wasn't really a positive talk.

What they got around to....drilling into the idea that in some weird way...we were in some new-age DDR.....sounding free-and-open....while 'boiling' (frustrated) in the same way that East Germans were accustomed in the 1980s.

The trouble here....you can't readily blame Merkel, the CDU-CSU folks, ARD/ZDF (public TV), the police, Scholz, Merz, the SPD, the Greens, or Trump.

Added to this....you can't say it's a DDR/East German 'creation' or evolution.

About fifteen minutes into this 'talk'....I muted the conversation.  It jump-started a pondering session for me.  

This woke-BS leading back to 1980s DDR-thinking?  Well....you can probably say this....but only if you are over the age of 60 and remember the 1970s/1980s.  These 18-to-30 year old Germans (particularly from the western side of Germany)...have no viewing point to talk about., 

My question....just how many former older DDR folks think this way?  Ten-percent?  Thirty-percent?  Sixty-percent?  Ninety-percent?

It's just an odd topic and I would imagine no one from public TV will engage upon this.

If You Go By District Voting

 

If you go purely by district voting trends (not state or national)....the CDU-CSU folks lead, but AfD is in 2nd place (easily).

You still have marginal pockets of support for the SPD folks.

23 Dec 2025: Germany: 2 Things

 1.  I watched a German podcast yesterday....intellectual German guy saying....'many Germans no longer feel represented by established media (I assume meaning print-news TV)'.

The 'butter' to his talk....democratic exchange only functions when different opinions meet on the same level.

2.  32-year-old driver from Azerbaijan, living in Giessen, taken into custody yesterday.

Guy drove into oncoming traffic on one of the main streets near a bus stop in the afternoon....hit a car. Minutes prior....cops say that the same man had driven his car into a bus stop, injuring several people.

Cops are careful not to say it was intentional.  Based on the description.....sounds like he was wasted/boozed-up or on drugs.

Bad Indicator

 New poll out....just over 50-percent of Germans don't see the coalition (CDU-CSU-SPD) lasting 3 more years (next election).  Blame?  Mostly directed at the Chancellor, and lack of progress.

If they held a new election in 2027?  AfD likely comes up with 25-to-30 percent of the vote....but there's zero chance of a coalition being built to include them.

Any bright candidates for the SPD, or CDU?  No.

Disenchantment likely to continue.

Greenland-Trump 'Saga' Continues

 I noted today....US President Trump has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as Special Envoy for Greenland, which is officially part of Denmark.

In a limited statement....Trump added that Landry will work hard to protect US interests and security, as well as the "survival of our allies" and the entire world.

Within hours....Denmark reacted sharply and summoned the US ambassador to explain things.

Early in 2025....poll was done in Greenland.  85-percent of folks were against joining the US.  Around 5-percent were pro-US, and  9-percent were simply not willing to answer either way.

If you asked what drives this idea?  It's never been fully laid out on the table.  I doubt if its a mineral/oil thing.  

As for Landry changing 'minds' there and getting folks to accept the idea....I'm open that maybe 10-percent might be easily convinced within a year, but beyond that....most are convinced that Denmark is a wonderful provider over the island.