13 Dec 2025: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  Interesting docu-news program on Monday night (15 Dec)....8:15 PM...."How divided is Germany."

ARD, Channel 1.

Hour-long summary....how increased conflict/debate over values, opinions, and power is affecting Germany.  Probably worth watching.

You can throw some blame on social media....but print-media, political parties attaching themselves to trends, and TV commentary....triggering lots of people to have 'stances'

2. Germans wanting to get ALL tickets for Germany-related World Cup games (if they go to the finals)...can go through a national organization.  Problem?  Cost for such packages.....6,000 Euro.  Might be a handful of folks with that determination.  If you throw in air-travel, hotels, and food/drink....probably amounts to 25,000 Euro total.

3.  Some passenger attempted to go through/enter the Frankfurt Airport....with a false bottom  to his luggage.....11,000 diamonds found.  Guy came from Angola to Frankfurt.

Cops admitted...they had to individually count each diamond (several hours of effort).  They now need a expert to appraise each diamond. Guy sits in jail until this can be done, and a fine determined.  Could be a while.

Age of Generational Crisis

 I stood at the magazine rack last week.....looking at the newest Spiegel cover.

 

German kids in chaos. 

I spent about 2 minutes looking at the bulk of story...which they have a point.

Based on the news media....social media, and 'gory-details'....German kids by age 13/14/15....are getting a ton of information....which shouldn't be on their minds, or worry-about index.

About six months ago, I watched a interview of a German parent (assuming in her 40s)...having weekly discussions/arguments with her teen daughter....who was always wanting a debate.  'Mom' was fed-up....she had legit worries and this social media crap didn't really faze her much.

I paused over this....because Germans are going to receive this new 'core' of society in five-to-twelve years....requiring mental help and clinical doctors to cure their stress levels. 

The funny thing?  It's the 85-to-100 age group of Germans....who grew up in the war period, and they have a real view of crisis.

Investigative Journalism

 It won't be front-page news....probably not even discussed via public TV in Germany.

Seven German journalism students....regular college kids.....not the CIA or BND... tracked Russian freighters parked off off the Dutch and German coasts.

Looking at the police reports of drones....they connected the 'dots'.

You can read the piece here.

You know....30 years ago....this was regular investigative journalism,  and thousands of people were capable of digging into stories.

What should be done now?  A real German navy should park next to the freighters....light-up the freighters, and fire blank rounds....to move them.

Difference Between The EU And The European Commission

Well....yeah.

The EU is a political and economic union comprising 27 member states in Europe, focused on promoting peace, stability, and prosperity through shared policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, regional development, travel, security, etc.  

The EU acts like a Senate/House. 

The European Commission is one of the EU's main institutions and serves as its executive branch (same as the US version of the executive branch). 

The Commission is politically independent and consists of 27 Commissioners (one from each member state), led by a President. 

 The Commission's primary roles include proposing new EU legislation (it has the exclusive right to initiate laws in most areas), implementing EU policies and decisions, managing the EU budget, enforcing EU law (such as by taking legal action against member states or companies that violate treaties), and representing the EU in international negotiations. 

 And yes.....the Commission drives the legislative agenda. 

Each Commissioner selected by the member-state....for nomination, and there are hearings to approve/dis-approve the candidate.  The EU at the end of the process...has a vote, and approves the list or disapproves the list.  

If a member country sent up a candidate that the EU doesn't like?  They (the other 26 member states, or a majority) would block the guy/gal.

12 Dec 2025: Germany: 10 Things

 1.  Odd speech by NATO Chief Rutte yesterday...telling Europe to prepare for war with Russia....on a scale not seen since WW II.

Hyping people up.

Pro-war folks don't grasp financial costs.  Other growing problem...fair sum of German youth (I would estimate nearing 50-percent)....aren't likely to play along with conscription/draft/enlistment.

2.  From last night....a 16-year-old boy was critically injured in a knife attack in Herford (NW Germany). Cops are searching for "one or more unknown perpetrators." Attack occurred near the Christmas market.

3.  Driving schools in Germany are saying they've seen 50-percent less applicants in 2025...blaming the cost of a license/training.  They are suggesting the gov't needs to take action.  Hard to say what could  happen....cost nearing an average of 3,400 Euro.  

Sounds like they want the gov't to get in the middle and cover half the cost.

4.  EU gas/diesel ban (was to occur in 2035)....flipped.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reportedly agreed in negotiations with European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber to adjust the 2035 mandate from a 100% emissions reduction to a 90% cut.

What this leads to?  This proposed change would allow manufacturers to continue selling some internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, including those running on gas or diesel, as long as their overall fleet meets the average efficiency target—potentially incorporating e-fuels or hybrids. 

 It also drops plans for a full zero-emissions requirement by 2040. 

Two groups in a daze....the environmentalists thought the gas/diesel era was finished/over....bothered by this change.

Second group....car companies....angered a bit because they spent billions to develop the E-cars....finding that three-quarters of the general public simply don't  want to mess with E-cars.  They now need to spend billions more...developing E-fuel/hybrid technology.

For the public? I noted that when E-cars started to get up to 7 to 10 years in age....new battery discussion came up,  and cost was 5k Euro to 15k Euro  (battery, dump-fee, and service).  Lot of heartburn to have a car valued at 8k Euro....needing a replacement battery. 

5. Ticket shock....€155 for the World Cup opener Germany against Curaçao.  I should note....this is for a regular seat....not a premium seat.

6. Lindt, the German chocolate company....starting new strategy....refusing to sell at discount rates.

7.  My local state (Hessen)....amending the law governing the treatment of the mentally ill. 

Starting in 2026....anyone who continues to pose a danger after a hospital stay must be reported to the police.  Occurs after several incidents where  people were released and were still a threat.

8.  Two evil villain's.....cover of Spiegel this week.

9.  WELT health piece this AM.....199-percent increase in  identifying adults in Germany for ADHD.

10.  Locally in my town of Wiesbaden....22-year old arrested....pretending to be a policeman.  Was attempting to rob  a senior citizen.  Popular trend for past five years in the region....fake-cops.

Intellectual Chatter

 After WW II ended....various Nazi leaders went sent to the Nuremberg Trials, Nuremberg Germany (1945-1947).

At some point....some intellectual Americans were gathered up to study the IQ level of these  Nazis.

These examiners used the Wechsler Bellevue scale...which considered fairly reliable.

I paused over reading this and the results....this AM.

Generally speaking....85-or-less...is real low, and marginally capable of grasping thing.

Average?  100....typically.

110 or above....very capable of math, engineering tasks, and science.

Most of the Nazi leadership tested? 110-or-above.

Albert Speer....128.

Hans Frank....130.

Goering.....138.

Yeah....from this top level of leadership....mostly a higher level of IQ.

Explanation?  Coming out of the late 1800 Prussian education system....they probably were strongly challenged.  Goering...curiously, lasted about a year in university...leaving for the Nazi Party apparatus in 1921.

BS test result?  Well...you can suggest that....but there's little to prove or disprove....in terms of facts.

I would note here....Charles Manson....the cult-guy....who could not read...was assessed at a 121- IQ in the mid-1950s. 

11 Dec 2025: Germany: 5 Things

 1.  Top story this AM....out of Focus.....there's some 'secret'  US national security strategy paper....suggesting a US policy of getting four countries to "withdraw" from the EU in some fashion: Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Poland.

After reading the various accounts....I'm of the mind that someone wrote the piece  to provoke some folks (particularly EU leadership).  And that it's not really a US gov't strategy.

Plus....to be honest...in the past thirty years....as much as it's suggested that the EU is unified....it's always been fractured/divided in various ways.

2.  Debate going on in Germany.....if you call for emergency services (ambulance for example)....the authorities are eyeballing the idea of charging for the 'service'  (amounting to some sum of 300-odd Euro).

For some working-class or retired Germans....if forced into a situation of a 300-Euro fee....they are likely not to call for help, and beg some neighbor to dump them at the Emergency Room.

3. State of Brandenburg Germany....new poll.  Almost 50-percent of the public in the poll....want a new state election (next one would normally be fall of 2029).

Added burden....35-percent of polled folks....favor the AfD.  SPD currently rates  22-percent.  43-percent favor left-or-left-of-center parties.

4. This week....Germany reported a total of 2,000 drone reports for 2025.  Most are up in the Baltic region.

5.  The city of Salzgitter in Lower Saxony.....says they are planning to examine the possibility of requiring asylum seekers to perform community service.

Yeah....NOT a optional thing.

Besides your state/federal welfare/asylum monthly check....in  their vision...you'd also earn 80-Euro-Cents per hour.

Legal challenge? No doubt.

Doing the math....if you worked 40 man-hours a week....you'd top off your asylum check with 128 Euro more for the month. 

My question....where does the 80-cents come from?

The New Rule

I sat today...reading a new US regulation (published Tuesday)....affecting 42 countries....where residents might visit the US.

Yeah, it affects Germans, and start up around mid-Feb....unless challenged in court.

Data required for the Visa Waiver Program?  If you apply for the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization).....they want your history of  social media for the past five years. 

Other data?  Yeah, it will also be requested in the future, to include telephone numbers from the past five years, email addresses from the past ten years, and personal data of family members (I assume spouse and kids), including name, telephone number, date of birth, place of birth, and address.

What'll happen? I'll project it out....visits to the US basically halt by April of 2026....with hotels and tour companies in massive fits of anger.

The EU conducting the same 'game'?  I would imagine by June....same game.

People creating fake accounts?  Yeah....I could see people creating weird accounts....listing sixty-odd aliases.  Creating 60-odd kids....listing fake dates of birth and places of birth.

Necessity To Regulate/Control Things: The EU

At various times in the past 30 years....living in Europe....I've noted the EU determination to regulate/control things...in a stupid way.

Three examples:

The Banana curvature standard: The EU (in 1995) enforced strict guidelines requiring bananas to be "free from malformation or abnormal curvature." 

Why?  Well...to ensure uniformity for trade and packaging.  This lead onto discussions...where you had perfectly good bananas being dumped...if they were deemed too bendy. This was around for 13 years until the public started to openly discuss it.

Then we had  the bottled water hydration problem.

EU regulators made a rule that there was NOT insufficient evidence to claim drinking water prevents dehydration, so they prohibited bottled water companies from advertising or labeling their products as hydrating.

This occurred back in 2011, and still remains in effect today.

Finally, the vacuum cleaner power limits.  In a effort to promote energy efficiency, the EU capped the max power of vacuum cleaners at 900 watts.

This was back in 2014.

They gave notice far enough ahead....that you could buy 1200/1500 watt vacuums....with some folks still using their max-power units even today.

At some point in the next ten years....I expect a drug-treatment coming out...to improve your IQ level by 20 points....to which the EU will likely come to regulate/control the IQ-drug....where only a limited number of people can receive the drug.  The response when asked why regulate?  Well....we don't want too many high IQ folks around.

Spiraling Economy

I read through a Focus business report this afternoon....serious bankruptcy problems in Germany....highest level since 2014. For 2025 so far? Near 23,900 is expected to be the  peak by the end of December.

Add to this....because of energy costs and job dynamics....the level  of unemployed in Germany is figured to be over 3.5-million (out of 83-million).

GDP growth for 2025, projected?  .2-percent.

Nothing much to really brag about. 

The $2-Trillion US Bond Dump Idea That Connects To The EU?

 I finally went to AI (Grok) and asked.....who is the dimwit who advises the EU to sell-off or dump US Treasury Bonds. 

Groke spent 3 minutes assessing this, and finally said: "As for who's giving the advice: The reports trace it back to internal assessments from an unnamed European intelligence agency, which shared details with outlets like the Wall Street Journal about potential "commercial and economic plans" as countermeasures".

So...WSJ had someone who claimed to be a European Intelligence Agency.   BS-factor?  Well....any idiot could claim such a status, and connect back to Russia, or some financial group with an  agenda.

I sat there for a while...contemplating this 'nuke-option'.  I can't think of a single banker, financial professor, or economics wiz....who would advocate such 'behavior'.

It does sound like some bullshit that a Biden-insider, Ukrainian bureaucrat or Russian FSB-agent would say.

If a EU bureaucrat brought this up with a banker?  I would imagine the first reaction would be 'are you crazy'.

So I asked AI (Grok) to identify all elements of the EU who hold US treasury bonds.  Yeah, that took around 10 minutes.

Grok said: The ECB holds some, but it's another 14-odd countries who admit ownership, and you'd have to convince of each individual country to do something stupid.

Then Grok add....there's another dozen countries in the EU....who don't openly share their ownership  of treasury bonds (Poland is one  of them).

For this  BS-idea of nuke-selling....you'd have to go each country and convince them to be seriously stupid (in the case of the UK, it might be simple/easy)....but for 20-odd EU members....they won't sell at a loss.

On my BS-meter....this simply makes no sense.  

Crime Chatter

 The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) published crime figures in its annual situation report this week...."Crime in the Context of Immigration."

So the question  is...what role do immigrants play in crime in Germany? The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) says....they make up almost nine percent of all suspects.

In 2024, there were a total of 1.97 million suspects, 697,000 of whom did not hold German citizenship, and 172,000 of whom were immigrants according to the BKA definition (8.8 percent of all suspects).

If you are in the midst of a German group conversation on crime....it's about a 99-percent chance of this being aggravating conversation....with most shaking their head over what can be done.

Toward the end of the Merkel era....they hired up 10,000 more police billets for the whole of Germany.  There might be another 10,000 more police added (under Merz), but I seriously doubt this can resolve the problem.

This past weekend....near the fitness studio in Wiesbaden where I go....there's a gas station. Some 'kid' (noted age 15, but no nationality).....showed up....waving a pistol, robbing the station and ran off toward the city park with roughly 500-to-700 Euro. Clerk gave a description to the police....20 minutes later....they cornered him in the park.  

It's not the wild-west...like you'd see in Atlanta....but it's something that you didn't see 20 years ago.

The Sell-Off Of US Bonds Scenario

 I spent two hours viewing the crazy scenario where the EU might sell off US Treasury Bonds....to show intent to force Trump  to a acceptable Ukraine-Russia  peace-treaty.

So the rumored value?   In the 2-trillion range.

I sat and remembered the movie....'The Big Short', and the scenario for the bond dumping would likely go this way.

Hour 1: attempting to sell $100-B of  US bonds...$100-B  of value...discounted  to  probably $95-B....to start a dump.

Hour 2: Other markets realizing the haste involved...looking at another dump of $250-B....now valued at a dump price of $200-B.

Hour 3: More markets hesitating....over $500-B of bonds....buying them only at $250-B of value.

By the end of the day....$2-trillion sold at a value of roughly $800-B (my view)....with the EU holding $1.2-trillion of lost value.

Banks in Europe trying to explain the loss in some legit fashion....with various stock markets falling.

So you end up with a group of Saudi/Japanese folks grinning....they bought  $2-trillion of bonds at almost half-price, and European politicians talking over a loss of $1 Trillion of value....just happily dumped.

The more I view this scenario....the crazier it gets. 

9 Dec 2025: Germany: 7 Things

 1.   ARD (public TV) ran 'Arena'  last night....live public  forum....100 guests, with Chancellor Merz being asked questions.

Watching the whole thing....the audience was not 'rigged' (as you might note with US networks).  A couple of folks asked fairly in-depth/complicated questions (slanted), but Merz just went on and gave the answer (without stumbling).

I'm not saying impressive....but if you watched, you probably got a decent 'dose' of reality.

At some point...question came up...how did the AfD folks get so popular....Merz responds, they only got that popular because we (meaning both the CDU-CSU and SPD) weren't that good.  

2.  There's a weird reality series that I watch...off RTL-2 (commercial TV)....which features poverty-Germans on welfare. 

So, there's a young guy on the show who occasionally gets updated.  The latest....the job-center 'forced' him into an apprenticeship deal....so he could make it without German welfare.  Well....this  past week....the guy quit the apprenticeship after the 4th week....saying it was too 'strenuous'.  The type?  Landscaping.

A lot of Germans now grumble about the welfare crowd.

3.  Unusual case in Berlin.....black guy arrested...held now for the 4th week in custody....refuses to identify himself.  They've now published his picture and are asking the public to ID him.

4.  WELT had a unusual story-line this AM....we live in a 'debate-culture'....where everything comes up to talk-over/debate.  Worth reading.

5.  The German statutory health insurance (GKV) now warns of a further increase in additional contributions.  Same issue as in the US.

6. Odd factor to Ukraine-Russia peace talks.

Before the war....roughly 17-percent  of population of  Ukraine was ethnic-Russian...particularly the SE chunk of Ukraine had more Russians.

The Russians want the SE area as part of the peace-deal...which the Ukrainians say 'no'.  If you use older data (going back to 2001 Census)....almost 40-perentof the SE area....was ethnic Russian.  

In either case (peace denied, or peace ensured)...there's likely to be 50-percent population decrease....for decades. 

7.  EU story still circulating.....selling 2.3T of US bonds if US abandons Ukraine or gives Ukraine horrible peace deal.

Full intent?  Crash US economy and bond market.

BS-meter?   1-to-10?  Probably a '3'.

The problem would be on the backs of banks to sell at a highly discounted rate....meaning a loss to EU members holding the bonds.

Yeah, as much damage as the US would suffer....EU members engaged in this....would open up a long period of recession (multiple years).

Who would buy the discounted bonds? Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the Fed. 

In this scenario....I would anticipate NATO dissolving in a matter of a hundred days....I would anticipate von der Leyen being fired as 'head' of the EU, and several member states (Poland among them)...buying the discounted bonds.

Crazy story, and just makes no sense.

Q-and-A: The EU

 1.  Is the EU really necessary?

YES....if you were around as an American (stationed in Germany) in the 1970s/1980s...you likely grumbled each time you went over the border, bought Francs or such, etc.

Germans complained in the same way....knowing they could buy a washer/dryer in Spain for 70-percent the cost of one made in Germany.

So if you listed all the BS....20-odd items....they all get fixed in the era of 2000-2005. Then from that point on....the EU kept looking for things to fix...finding disgruntled folks who said 'enough'.

2.  If you asked a hundred Germans who represents them in the EU.....other than Van de Layen or Weber (CSU)....99-percent have no idea.

3.  What's the pay-level for a MEP?

After taxes/insurance.....in the range of 8,500 Euro a month.

I should note there is a substance allowance, for each day of operations going  on....350 Euro...for hotel/food coverage.

A Funny Story

Over the weekend in Germany (in Aachen, NW Germany)...German federal police arrested a man with 28 identities....27 too much.

This 37-year-old was familiar with police....for drug offenses and was due for deportation.

For some reason....police got suspicious over the guy...standing in the middle of the Aachen Central Station after illegally entering Germany from Belgium.

So they checked him......the man presented a Lebanese passport and an Italian residence permit, which, however, was not valid for the Schengen Area. 

Then the 28 different names came up.

How many folks like him? No one says.   Yeah,  it's possible that if you had a real database across all of the EU....there might be 10,000 folks listed more than once...maybe even more than 20,000.

Defense Chatter

 General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said this week....Europe "doesn’t need so many American troops" and will "do perfectly well" even with fewer U.S. forces.

I've generally said this since the Cold War ended.

My forecast?   By mid-2026....some plan will be laid out....most forces/bases gone by 2028.  

What they keep?  Probably the naval facilities in Italy/Spain, some EUCOM headquarters element (moved to Ramstein), one fighter wing, and fewer than 8,000 Army folks.  I don't think anything much will remain in the UK. 

7 Dec 2025: Germany: 2 Things

 June 14, 7:00 p.m.: Germany - Curaçao (in Houston)

1.  World Cup grumbling  starts.  Germany has the schedule now for the first three games: 14 June, 7:00 p.m.: Germany - Curaçao (in Houston). 20 June 20, 10:00 PM: Germany - Ivory Coast (in Toronto), and  25 Jun, 10:00 PM: Ecuador - Germany (in East Rutherford).

Yeah....if anyone was to watch the 10 PM games....they'd be up to 1 AM.  If they were at a pub or town-square....it'd be between 2 and 3 AM...before they got home.

2.  I watched a German 'game-show' last night...with regular people...not prominent-types.  They came to a series where generic current events questions were asked to the 9 participants. Failure after failure....probably for 15 questions. You could tell....even the moderator  was losing patience and trying to hint the answers. 

Elon Says....

 This AM....I noted this comment  brought up in the past day....Elon Musk says the European Union (EU) sent him a formal letter....in a demanding 'style'...that he censor (in some way) Donald Trump during the 2024 US presidential election.

BS?  Well....no.  It's really old news.

This is the amusing side to the story. This letter occurred on 12 August 2024...a couple of hours before the Musk-Trump interview being aired, and was framed as a reminder of X's obligations under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). 

What the EU letter basically said?  It went into brief detail.....he (Elon) was to prevent potentially "harmful content" and "disinformation" on X.

Who signed the letter?  Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner for Internal Market.

To be honest, in the days after the letter came out....the EU said it was definitely not censorship.

Elon's comeback...some F-this/F-that commentary.

So this past week....looking at the 2025 results of Twitter/X...tensions over digital regulation continue.  This past week...EU fined X $140 million (about €120 million) for DSA violations like deceptive design and transparency failures.

Spring of 2025....it was noted that 21.5-million German accounts exist on Twitter, with EU-wide...being near 100-million. 

Most used in Germany?  Well....YouTube leads with 65.5-M accounts (2025).  With WhatsApp in second place with 62.2-M.  Instagram at 44-M accounts.

I'm not really pro-censorship or anti-censorship....I'm basically expecting in 100-percent of cases....some BS to be part of the sales-gimmick...either for sports, news, politics, finance, or religion.  In the EU fine situation...if I were Elon....I'd just go to members of the countries involved, and charge a 1-Euro monthly fee....calling it a censorship fee.  You pay to support censorship, or prevent censorship....interpreting it in whichever way makes you feel better.

Then I'd hand the EU the yearly 120-M cost of doing business....either supporting censorship, or defeating censorship.

Yeah, in some way....it's like professional wrestling....you need to believe 'something'....even if it's fairly faked-up.

6 Dec 2025: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  Ricarda Breyton wrote an excellent piece for  WELT...recommend a read.  Topic? Federal/state authorities in Germany doing a lot of work on online 'hate'.  A bit into the discussion Breyton asks...where does this all lead in terms of freedom of expression?

2.  German FIFA draw for 2026 World Cup settled yesterday?  The most ridiculous schedule ever.  Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curacao.  

I think you could start 2nd squad for all three games.  

For those suggesting the ceremony for FIFA was a 'circus'......from the past three that I've watched....they were all pretty circus-like.

3. Lot of talk this week that the EU might 'undo' the gas/diesel new car ban (for 2035)....allowing hybrid in some form (gas engine) to continue.  I would offer the humble belief....if this is the only path....nine out of ten 'buyers' will opt for the hybrid, over the E-car.

4.  Interesting to watch Channel One (public TV) news last night.  Whole segment on school kids (13-to-17)....being anti-draft and talking of refusal to fight for Germany.  They apparently (into the tens of thousands) left school in the AM Friday to demonstrate.

The new system....Germany does intend to enlarge the reserves, and if not enough  volunteers stand up.....a draft will occur.

Watching the news segment....I'd say they are going to have a problem.  

If  I were Putin....with enough troops....yeah, I might see an advantage of invading Germany, and counting on anti-draft students enabling my strategy.

The Price of Peace

 Odd story laying there this AM....probably 95-percent chance of BS....but the US is not having any luck in getting the Ukraine to peace talks.  Chief problems? Russia wants territory....the chunk of land that they currently occupy in SE Ukraine...mostly occupied before the war...by ethnic Ukraine-Russians.  Ukraine says 'NO'.

Adding to this...Russia wants a statement that NATO will never approve Ukraine's entry....which the US itself would be agreeable....but the EU says otherwise.

So the odd story goes to this 'end'....the US will just quit the talks...quit talking to Ukraine, and end 'support' (it's not clear if they mean cash-flow or military support).

So to  further complicate this odd story....European leaders are in talks...considering this idea of dumping $2.34 trillion in US bonds/debt if Trump abandons Ukraine.

How they'd dump the bonds....without seriously damaging their own economy?   Unknown.  You would see a massive US and Europe stock market drop.

I'm not really buying into this story....way too much BS.

I don't really buy into Italy or Germany taking this type of step....both are lightly stepping through a recession at present.  The UK leadership?  They might be this stupid. Macron of France has a finance/economics background....I can't see him this stupid.

I'll just add this final comment....were this to happen....the US would exit NATO (removing troops).  It might require a year....but they wouldn't maintain a presence.  For Russia...maybe this was the end-game strategy (since day one of the war). 

BSW Party Looking For A Recount?

 Why is BSW Pursuing a Vote Recount for the 2025 German Federal Election?

Well...the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) Party, a left-populist party founded in 2024 by former Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht...is aggressively challenging the results of Germany's 23 February 2025, federal election. The party narrowly missed the 5-percent national vote threshold required for Bundestag seats, securing only 4.981 percent.....a shortfall of about 9,529 votes. This failure excluded BSW from parliament despite strong regional support in eastern states like Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, where it had won 11-16% in prior state elections.

So....is it serious?  

Isolated recounts in roughly 250 polling stations (North Rhine-Westphalia, Marzahn-Hellersdorf in Berlin) uncovered around 1,300 additional BSW votes per station. BSW estimates a full recount could add up to 30,000 votes, enough to cross 5-percent.

In polls....one out of three Germans say....yeah, go ahead and recount.

The court is up now....reviewing data, and will issue a ruling.

Problems?  If the recount occurs, and they find 10,000 votes....they have to be given seats in the Bundestag....but here is the bigger  issue.....the CDU-CSU and SPD coalition would NOT have sufficient numbers for their coalition.....Merz  would have to invite the Greens, or Linke,  or BSW to join as well.

If you thought things were rough now....go try to imagine a new and broader  coalition.  

The funny aspect?  Court orders a recount, and they find sufficient votes....plus 1....to force a new coalition. 

The Impending Decline Of The German Car Industry

I watched a piece off N-TV this AM....done by Wulf Stolle in "Der Spiegel."

The general end-results? Starting in 2035, car manufacturers in the EU will be prohibited from selling new conventional combustion engine vehicles (gas/diesel).  And the industry is giving a warning of a impending slump.

Added to the commentary.....China is overtaking Europe.

Yeah....it's a crappy period approaching for VW, Audi, BMW, Ford, Mercedes and Opel.

The push going on...to dump the 'ban'?  I would suggest it's a big deal for 2026/2027....with the Chancellor forced into a confrontation.

Steinmeier's Term (End)?

 Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD Party) was elected President of Germany on 12 February 2017, and took office on March 19, 2017, after his predecessor Joachim Gauck's term ended. 

He was re-elected on February 13, 2022, and began his second five-year term on March 19, 2022. 

By the German constitution (Article 55), each term lasts five years, so his current term ends on March 19, 2027.

In case  you were wondering the vote-process....it's by the Bundestag/Landestag...not a public vote.

Toward the end of 2026....a discussion will start up.  The CDU-CSU....is probably in a position where they want their guy/gal to win.  The SPD, Greens and Linke Party?  They can only mount a roughly 38-percent of the Bundestag votes.  Sadly....the CDU-CSU...can only get their candidate in position...if the AfD were to support them.  I wouldn't  expect that.

So the CDU-CSU...really need a compromise candidate....to get the SPD to support....or go clearly to a SPD-candidate (again).

If I were betting?  SPD-candidate....again....to win.

Four Humble Thoughts Over The Ukraine-Russia 'War'

1.  Warfare is permanently changed.  Anti-tank weapons and drones are the future.

2.  Russia on day one...was totally prepared to fight a 1960s/1970s tank war/invasion (like the Warsaw Pact strategy).   Ukraine said 'NO'....downsizing the modern inventory of tanks/APCs...by 90-plus percent.

3. If you can't manufacture replacement equipment....your strategy to 'win' is non-existent.

4.  Drafting some 'kid' and giving them four weeks of boot-camp/combat training....worked in 1914 and 1940....it no longer works today.

3 Nov 2025: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  German  police (this AM) arrested two suspected ISIS terrorists in Trier and Delbrück, the Federal Prosecutor General announced.

2. Saturday evening in Wiesbaden....at the Christmas market....around 7:30 PM (wife and I walked out around 7:10 PM)....some argument started up at a stall....maybe alcohol involved.  Two guys.....both early 20s....leads to a fight.  One pulls a tear-gas cannister on the other....dumps irritant on the guy....also two customers and two stall operators.  Police got called....ambulance required.

3.   Reported...30,000-plus cases in German emergency rooms...daily.  Highest level ever.

War Chatter

 Vladimir Putin warned today....that Russia is ready to go to war with all of Europe if that’s the path European leaders choose.

BS?  At some point....he spoke to the idea....that facing Europe would be nothing like fighting Ukraine.

If I were guessing.....he'd stage a missile attack (non-nuclear)...maybe forty in one evening...to scare the crap out of Europeans.

In 24 hours....realization would occur....no one in Europe is really ready for war.

Potential Ban On Private Fireworks?

 Interior Minister this week....has serious pressure to ban private  fireworks....31Dec2025.

Various groups supporting a ban.

If you asked me....it's a bit too late...grocery stores have already ordered and will be receiving their order shortly after Xmas.

Even if you ban them....you can cross the border into Poland/Hungry to buy there.

Q-and-A

 1. What's the political break-out currently of Germany?

Left-leaning (SPD, Linke, Green, BSW)....around 36-to-38 percent of polling.

Right-leaning (FDP, AfD,  CDU, CSU)....around 55-to-58 percent of polling.

Remaining numbers?  Split among 30-odd parties.

2.  State elections coming up in 2026?

Baden-Württemberg (8 Mar), Pfalz (22 Mar), Sachsen-Anhalt (6 Sep), Berlin (20 Sep), and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (20 Sep).

Of the five....Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Sachsen-Anhalt are probably the bigger play for AfD. CDU is the likely winners of Baden-Wurttemberg and the Pfalz.  SPD and  Linke likely to carry Berlin.

3.  What's this hype from BDI today?

BDI is the umbrella organization of German industry and industry-related service providers.  They put out a statement....industry in Germany is crippled-up....serious condition....serious things need to occur.

4. Odds of a end to the Ukraine-Russia war?

Presently....I give it less than a 20-percent chance.

Ukraine has zero desire to give up territory.  

5. Did the EU Transport Commissioner say they are "open to all technologies?"

Yeah, he basically said....if you had some gas/diesel tech stuff....that changed things....they'd dump the ban of gas/diesel new cars in 2035.

Some hybrid-tech likely to be shown....with a smaller gas/diesel engine (say a 1.0-size?).....might be the resolution. BMW already has a .65L size engine.  Mazda has a .83L rotary engine in development. 

Vax Story

Back in June of 2021....there was this story of a German man from Magdeburg (in Saxony-Anhalt)....that got into the German news....who'd had multiple Covid-19 vaccinations.

Originally....it looked like the guy had taken 30-odd vaccinations....for himself, and other people (to get people good documentation that they were 'safe', but highly illegal).

About a month into the story....the news folks dropped the story....without much explanation.

I started digging a month ago, and the rest of the story stood out.

All total....the guy (62 years old) took 219 vaccination shots.

Yeah, he was investigated for possibly selling vax-certificates in 2022.....but that fell apart....no charges.

 Yeah....researchers from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (in Bavaria) did study his immune response using blood/saliva samples.  No side-effects.

The guy being overly concerned with being safe from Covid? Well....yeah. It would be interesting to review his news content.

Age group falling into this story? Germany had a priority listing....starting in late December 2020....the 90-and-over crowd, with the medical folks were top priority for the first 2 months. That age-60-crowd?  They fell into play around late March.  So from late March to June....219 shots....figure 3 shots per day.

My question?  Are there others like him?

1 Dec 2026: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  New documentary movie coming out..."Now,  Where To?".....detailing the 2025 German federal election, and the Green Party disaster....laying the primary blame onto Germans who 'hate' the  Green Party agenda.

Reading the WELT story....over a thousand folks adding commentary..

In rough numbers....looking 3.5 years into the past....the Greens lost about 40-percent of voters. The agenda....was crap.

2.  Police union officials had a lot of criticism over protests held in Giessen....lot of police injured.

Key point....the anti-AfD protest was not approved by the city/authorities.

3.  Geely....new lux-E-car brand from China....to  be sold in Germany.  Comes with 8-year battery warranty.

4.  Bar inspection in Berlin was to be carried out....four police.  Fight starts up...the four police were injured enough to be sent off-duty.

Explaining The Deportation 'Dilemma'

While the AfD Party states a highly priority to exercise deportations.....'how' remains unanswered.

As of July 2025 (the most recent publicly available data from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior), approximately 220,800 people are living in Germany without an official residence permit and are subject to deportation obligations. 

This includes 178,512 individuals with a "Duldung" (tolerated stay), where deportation is temporarily suspended due to legal, humanitarian, or practical reasons (lack of travel documents/passports, medical issues, or ongoing education).

On top of that....42,296 individuals without even a tolerated stay, meaning they are fully obligated to leave but have not yet done so.

The feds are not part of the system.....it's a state-by-state effort. So they arrange a plane....figure around 28 deportees with papers finally....who are escorted/flown with roughly 40 police....to their country (forcibly).

AfD has never clearly said how they would resolve this.

Presently, with the improved relationship with Afghanistan....it's possible that a 'deal' might be worked out with higher numbers sent home. But even in the wildest of scenarios....with the AfD in power....it's hard to see more than 10,000 per year being physically deported.

Core Issues With The German Retirement System?

The German pension system is in severe demographic crisis combined with a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) structure that is extremely vulnerable to an aging and shrinking population.

Just for the  record....Germany has one of the lowest fertility rates in Europe (currently ~1.3–1.4 children per woman).

In 1990 there were about 4 workers per retiree. Today it’s roughly 2.3, and by 2040–2050 it is projected to fall lower....to roughly 1.5 or even 1.3 workers per pensioner (this came from the Statistisches Bundesamt and EU Ageing Report 2024).

The current Pay-As-You-Go System?  Almost the entire public pension (Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung) is financed by current workers’ contributions (18.6-percent of gross wage, split 50/50 between employee and employer).

There  is already in some form....a count-down-calendar....where the contributor-to-retiree ratio collapses. That means that contributions must rise dramatically, or that pensions have to be cut, or that the federal budget (taxes) must subsidize the gap.  

So, in some fashion....all three have started in some minor form.

Political fixes?  Well....raising the retirement age beyond the current gradual increase to 67 (and possibly to 68–70 in the future) apparently doesn't sell well.

Going to private or occupational pensions?  Some Germans would buy into this idea.    But only about half of workers have any meaningful supplementary coverage, and even then the amounts are modest (figure roughly 2,000 to 3,000  Euro a year....on top of your current pension).

Yeah.....Germany built a generous pension system for a young, growing population in the 1960s–1980s. But that population no longer exists.

Most experts agree the current model is unsustainable after 2030 without either drastic contribution/tax increases or significant benefit cuts.

I should add here....lot of younger Germans complaining that fixes seem to revolve  around them taking up the burden of thing.

School Chatter

I sat and read this unusual piece on Focus this AM...entitled: "1100 teachers write an open letter: More and more children cannot go to the toilet alone."

You can read it here.

This letter?  It reads off that German kids "increasingly lack willingness to exert effort and concentration, frustration tolerance, and the ability to argue and reconcile fairly." 

What the teachers hint at....some are no longer used to using toilet paper or dressing themselves. 

Language problems?  Yeah, this comes up....along with anxiety disorders on the rise. 

Naturally....all the missing crap....falls back onto teachers to cover.

The fix?  Well....they suggest more manpower....but not necessarily teachers....something that sounds more like life-coaches.

Christmas Market Experience

 Wife and I went to the Wiesbaden market last night.

Four observations:

1.  Yeah it's more expensive.  A couple could easily spend 100 Euro over 2 hours.....for food/drink.

2.  Yeah, more of a police presence than ever before.

3. Fewer stalls....I'd say at least 20-percent less (compared to 2019).

4. Misty rain the whole time...making it slightly miserable after 90 minutes.

30 Nov 2025: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  AfD youth meeting in Giessen Saturday?  

Well....some would suggest the 50,000 protest folks were simply anti-fascists, or that they were primarily Antifa, or that they were freedom-loving protesters (depends on how you get your news).  I need to state here....the 50,000 number  comes from the AP....while the police stated their  belief....it was in the 25k to 30k.

Police presence?  Six-thousand....with at least two water cannons.

Jean-Pascal Hohm was voted as the leader if the new wing of the AfD youth group.

What'll likely develop?   Within 30 to 60 days....some state will identify this group as a threat, and take them down.....then nationally (probably by May)...the group will be dismantled (the youth AfD 'wing').

As for the violence yesterday?  I watched about 45 minutes of video. As much as AfD is identified as some threat.....I think the behavior of the anti-AfD folks probably will probably start to worry both the police and the coalition. 

2.  For a number of years....the primary gun for the German Army was the G36.

Ten years ago, then-Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen decided to phase out the G36 assault rifle. New replacement now starting to arrive....the G95. First unit to receive the new weapon is a mechanized infantry unit in Bavaria.

3. Opel CEO came out and said....for E-cars to get bumped-up and more popular....there needs to be cheaper rates for electrical power.

A lousy 8-to-10 percent rate-cut won't hack it....my belief.  It'd have to be 20-to-30 percent.

4. WELT piece this AM.....by Maximilian Heimerzheim....hits on the topic that fringe youth groups (Fridays  For The Future, for example) are developing anti-draft/anti-conscription strategies...in some state of worry/fear....that their membership might be shaken by a year in the military.

We have NOT yet reached the stage where the draft will occur, and personally....I would suggest that this is likely to be a hot topic by 2027. Also, the question will come up....just how many teens would feel threatened by the draft...mentally?  Unknown factor.

5.  Two FDP Party members launched a petition to abolish the mandatory public broadcasting fee, but it has now been blocked on at least one platform. 

Hard to say the numbers. If you were to ask 18-to-30 year old Germans....at least 50-percent are negative on public TV and the monthly fee.  With the older-than-50 crowd....probably near 90-percent are pro-public TV/fee.

6. Numbers out on regional S-Bahn for Frankfurt-Wiesbaden region. Bahn guys now admit that one in ten trains are ending up cancelled.

Severe Flu Approaching?

 Last night on the German news....they hyped-up a new wave of harsh flu. Full force by early January.

I'll just say it....for the past decade....flu-season would come and go....always a moderate season.

It's been at least a dozen years since I had 'real' flu.

AfD Brand Hype?

About 2 years ago, I was analyzing the AfD numbers, and pondered upon the idea....if  they ever develop additional agenda items....they would likely exceed 35-percent of the  vote.

Well....yesterday....they announced 12 new agenda items:

 1. Cheap energy through nuclear power and Russian gas

To reach the Russian natural gas....they need the war to end, and the pipeline to flow....so it's possible.

As for nuke power? Various elements of the CDU-CSU....would be highly agreeable.  At 35-percent....with CDU-CSU votes....they could bring back nuke energy.

2.  Abolition of CO2 pricing, heating law and wind turbine subsidies

The EU pushes the CO2 business....so it's hard to see that ending.  But I imagine some 30-to-40 percent of folks question the CO2 business.

3. Save combustion engines, reduce bureaucracy in supply chains

Again, it's a EU thing on the ban of gas/diesel engines (new cars) in 2035....but I think it's in the 60-percent of German voter range....who want the ban tossed.

4. Get rid of the bureaucracy

I'd guess near three-quarter of the German public hype  on this topic...while none of the parties really achieve less bureaucracy.

5. Welfare state only for contributors

The Basic Law guarantees a minimum standard of living.  However....if you walk around and ask if the current system is screwed-up....more than half would agree.

6. Capital-funded pension with sovereign wealth fund

Risky, but the pension program is currently screwed-up. 

7. Close the borders, deport immediately 

Each plane of  deportee folks....holds  a max of 28 (with around 36 police as guards/escorts).  If you figure 950,000.....it'll presently take over 20 years.  On this topic....probably over 50-percent of Germans believes something has to change.

8. Benefits in kind instead of cash, later naturalization

Under this idea....cash benefits for asylum seekers and naturalization by entitlement are to be completely abolished.  Again, I suspect more than 50-percent of voters  agree.

9. Lean state, no new debt

Massive cuts would occur, and it'd have to be a Constitutional change.

10. Ban Antifa, abolish public broadcasting, cut subsidies

Dumping public TV....if you ask Germans  between 18 and 30....probably three-quarters of these voters support the idea. Among the over-60....less than 10-percent.

Antifa?  Probably less than 10-percent of  society is  concerned over the group.

11. Reduce bureaucracy and clear up the funding jungle

Hot topic, but how?

12. Tax reform and abolition of the solidarity surcharge

Most Germans want reform....but it never occurs. Solidarity surcharge?  It was supposed to end a decade ago.

So with these 12  items....if they hype them enough....they will easily pass 30-percent of voters within a year.  The pressure is now upon the other parties....change.

The Perceived Threat

 Over the past couple of months....there's been German gov't warnings....that Russia could attack NATO by 2029....with military and intelligence threat assessments increasing.

At least once a week....this comes up via public forums on ARD/ZDF.

I mostly shake my head over this 'worry'....it makes little sense.

Course....if this war with Ukraine were to end, and Germany went back to buying Russian natural gas...it'd make perfect sense....financing the rebuild  of the Russian army.

26 Nov 2025: Germany: 6 Things

1.  Focus piece this AM... roughly one in six SPD party members no longer vote for the SPD.  Explanation give?  They were concentrated for decades on  workers....worker-rights....worker benefits. The current theme doesn't sell the old brand.

2. Odd police case from my town (Wiesbaden)....from Tuesday.  Cops get called on 110....robbery of someone's car going  on....description.  They show up....find the guy, and take him to the local station to process.

Well...there at the station...he goes nuts (assaulting the police).  So they bundle him up,  and haul him to a mental facility.  He already had two charges....but now will have to prove mental competency to get out as a free-guy. 

3. Big speech by the Defense Minister yesterday....Germany must move ahead on funds for the military.  Hint that NATO must be European (suggesting the US might exit).

4. Two-thirds (66 percent) of people in Germany feel frequently or sometimes stressed, according to a representative survey by the Techniker Krankenkasse.

They listed school, work and even politics.....as triggers.

My wife (German in nature) discussed this....we just don't remember this kind of stuff in 1970s/1980s. 

5. Job-Center leadership....now discussing zero benefits/pay-out....if you threaten violence against Job-Center members.

6. Christmas period....polar vortex chatter going on.....extreme cold weather.

Deportation Story

 I asked Grok/AI to search German gov't data, and state the current number of failed asylum seekers in the country....who have yet to be deported.

Answer?  At the end of October  2025....934k.  So far in 2025....they had been able to deport around 20k.  They also admit...they added 40k to the new-to-be-deported list since January.

Even if you were super-charged-up for 2026/2027....there would still be 850k by the time we reach the next election. 

All of  this helping AfD?  More or less.  As crime spirals......people ask stupid questions....which local, state and federal folks can't answer.

Covering the cost of living for the 934k?  Well....yeah, that's another topic of discussion.

26 Nov 2025: Germany: 6 Things

 1. Curious piece from Focus....life-long SPD member....exiting the party and telling her story (in her 60s)....now says she's looking for a new party.

After reading  the piece....very similar to American strategy.....'exit-the-party'.  She didn't say where  she'd go but you assume Linke or Greens.

2. The Bundestag vote on the 2026 budget comes shortly.....debt will be highly discussed.

3. Baden-Württemberg (the German state)....yesterday voted  to approve the use of Palantir's controversial "Gotham" software.  Promised results?  Enable police to "analyze data and prevent crimes."

I pondered over the situation.  If the software says such-and-such is the problem....here is the location....then you'd logically apply more police presence...detain folks, and show results.

After thinking over it....most Frankfurt cops could tell you the issues/locations....without the software, without the computer-stuff.  For some reason....just the computer giving you some data....makes leadership feel more confident.

I'm wondering....throughout B-W....if drug-dealing in 2026 takes a massive  hit.

I looked up the general German commentary....several noted the 'Tom Cruise-script' referring to his sci-fy movie.

4. AfD commentary this AM.....Germany should buy Russian oil/natural gas....once peace is declared.

5. Some NATO assessment....Russia sends 20k men off to death...monthly.  There might be a couple of months where such results exist.   I doubt that they did this for the whole war.

If you did ask me....I'd suggest they lost 1-to-1.5 million men total.

6. Watching NTV business news this AM....Germany is short nearly 150,000 skilled workers in STEM professions.

25 Nov 2025: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  Court wrapped up in Hamburg.....over the environmentalist glue-kids....from a airport incident in 2023.

Court say guilty....they will give the 10 'kids' a while to pay Lufthansa 400k Euro....or face serious jail-time.

Questionable if they can come up with this kind of cash....parents 'take'? Near 40k Euro per kid.

2. On paper....Ukraine has reached an agree point....Russia now says 'no'.

Humble view....treaty deal probably will not reach conclusion.

3. Magdeburg court case....Islamic terrorist episode.   Apparently, the accused guy got into a serious scuffle with cops  in  his glass cage....within the court-room.

4.  Vienna female teacher made a statement yesterday....she teaches four classes....100 total students....ONLY ONE speaks, reads and write German.

Weird Story

 Germany has a fed-office which looks for money-laundering.

There's this couple who came up a couple of months ago....out of Bavaria.  Office sent details to the local police, and they've spent some time looking at them....before detaining them.

The catch?  This guy works for a city office, and he's supposed to go around to parking machines....empty out the coin-boxes.  He's been in this job for roughly 15 years.

So...what he was doing....while walking around....splitting the money....some portion to the city, and some to his pocket.   He had his wife open up several (just guessing a dozen or more bank accounts) accounts.

How much?  Cops figure over the years....he siphoned off 1-million Euro.

I sat and pondered this.  It meant he was taking 500k to 700k Euro a year...in COINS, and quietly depositing them in these local banks.

Now....how his wife explained 4k Euro in coins for a deposit? Unknown...maybe she claimed slot-machine wins.  2,800 visits per year....to a dozen banks?  Well....just doing rough math....that's my figure.

But here's the thing...a dozen years ago....Breaking Bad was on German TV....maybe he got this idea of 'washing' his loot from the TV show. Maybe the wife had a fake-bar, with ten slot machines, and just washed 50k Euro in  coins per week.

Somewhere here....there's a TV script for a 2-hour movie....where 'Huns' and 'Maggie' looted parking machines for a decade.

Added to the story....typically, a parking meter machine only accepts 20-cent, 50-cent, 1-Euro and 2-Euro coins....not bills.

Why Has Violence Picked Up At German Train Stations In 2025?

 If you view German news in 2025....yeah, there is some 'up-tick' in the police being called or responding to violence at bahnhofs/train stations and on trains.

Oddly, journalists simply report the incident to the public....never asking the 'why-question'.

So I'll offer my gut-feeling.

First, if you go to the top twenty-odd stations around the country (Hamburg....both the main station and Altona, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hannover, Munich, Koln, etc)....they all seem to be 'magnets' for both the 'druggies' and the 'nutcases'.  

From my introduction era of 1978/1979....first arriving in Germany....train-stations fascinated me with the level of human traffic, automation, commercialization, and tidy nature. There weren't junkies or 'die Verrückten Leute' (German slang crazy people) hanging around.

Even on my second tour...84/85....things seemed safe and normal.

Early 1990s....after the wall came down and the country unified....you could sense a change.  Dealers were now common (especially around Frankfurt's station).   Junkies seemed to hang out at  stations, or within a block or two (particularly true in both of Hamburg's major stations).  I noted in the past month or two...for the Altona station....they enforced a 'dry' situation....no booze to be sold or consumed on the station grounds.

In my local area....Wiesbaden....there are two dealer hangouts (both within 500 feet of the station).  If you follow the police blotter....about every week, there's some type of robbery in the region around the dealers. You can assume it's a junkie without cash for the 'fix'....and a quick robbery solves the problem.  You can sit on a bench across across from the dealer (say 200 feet away) and observe the pick-ups...usually a customer every 10 minutes.

My belief? Junkies do their fix...remain in the vicinity of the station, and do stupid crap in the hours after the fix.  Police react....taking the individual down....jailing them for a day....releasing them, and a court-date occurs.   Even if the judge sends them to 30 days of jail-time....they eventually return to the same 'game'....doping-up, and staging another thrill near the station. Repeat....after repeat....after repeat.

I'm also of the belief that the nutcases are simply paranoid schizophrenics....triggered up to a higher level....by continued drug-use. 

Fixing any of this?  Other than getting really tough on dealers, and sending 'druggies' into a frustrated stage of hunting for new dealers...I can't really suggest much.  What could happen....once you get 50-percent of Germans of some town hyped-up....they might double-up/triple-up the police around stations and get really intense on loitering in/near a station.  

In Case You Wondered What the Russia-Ukraine 28-Point Deal Looked Like

I noted over the weekend....lot of chatter over the points....but never listing them in a  complete format....so here...read up:

 Immediate Ceasefire Trigger: A ceasefire will take effect immediately upon all parties agreeing to this memorandum, with both sides withdrawing to agreed lines of contact to begin implementation.

Non-Aggression Pact: A comprehensive, non-aggression agreement will be concluded between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe (NATO members).

NATO-Russia Expectations (noted for potential deletion in European counter-proposals): There will be the expectation that Russia will not invade its neighbors and NATO will not expand further.

Security Dialogue: A dialogue between Russia and NATO, moderated by the United States, will convene to address all security concerns and create a de-escalatory environment to ensure global security and increase opportunities for connectivity and future economic opportunity.

Security Guarantees for Ukraine: Ukraine will receive robust security guarantees from the United States and European allies, to be determined as measures necessary to restore security (does not obligate US/EU troop deployment).

Territorial Recognition - Crimea: The United States and allies will recognize Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.

NATO Membership Ban: Ukraine agrees to enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO, and NATO agrees to pass bylaws not accepting Ukraine at any point in the future.

No NATO Troops in Ukraine: NATO agrees not to station any troops in Ukraine.

Regional Deterrence: European fighter jets will be stationed in Poland to enhance regional security.

Territorial Cession - Donetsk: Ukraine cedes full control of Donetsk oblast (including areas currently under Ukrainian control) to Russia.

Territorial Cession - Luhansk: Ukraine cedes full control of Luhansk oblast (including areas currently under Ukrainian control) to Russia.

US-Ukraine Energy Partnership: The United States will cooperate with Ukraine to jointly rebuild, develop, modernize, and operate Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, including pipelines and storage facilities. Joint efforts to rehabilitate war-affected areas for the restoration, reconstruction, and modernization of cities and residential areas.

Russia's Economic Reintegration: Russia will be reintegrated into the global economy, including invitations to rejoin the G8 and lifting of certain sanctions upon compliance.

Frozen Assets Allocation: 50% of frozen Russian assets will be allocated to Ukraine for reconstruction; the remainder to a US-Russian investment vehicle for joint economic projects.

Military Size Limit for Ukraine: Ukraine's armed forces will be capped at 600,000 active personnel.

Non-Nuclear Commitment: Ukraine commits to remaining a non-nuclear state and forgoing development of nuclear weapons.

Amnesty for War Actions: All parties will receive amnesty for actions during the war, including no prosecutions for war crimes.

Elections in Ukraine: Ukraine will hold free and fair elections within 100 days of the ceasefire agreement.

No Weapons Limits on Ukraine (with caveat): No caps on Ukraine's arms industry or missile ranges, except: If Ukraine fires a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg, security guarantees will be null and void.

Demilitarization of Borders: Both sides agree to demilitarize border regions along the new lines of contact, with international monitoring.

Prisoner and Remains Exchange: Immediate full exchange of prisoners of war and return of remains of fallen soldiers.

Territorial Negotiation Clause: Ukraine commits not to recover occupied sovereign territory through military means. Negotiations on any future territorial swaps will start from the current line of contact. Once arrangements are agreed, neither side will change them by force.

Economic Sanctions Relief for Russia: Gradual lifting of Western sanctions on Russia in phases tied to compliance, focusing on energy and finance sectors.

Reconstruction Funding: International donors, led by the US, commit $500 billion for Ukraine's reconstruction, sourced from frozen Russian assets and global contributions.

Minority Rights in Ceded Territories: Russia guarantees rights for Ukrainian minorities in Donbas and Crimea, including language and cultural protections.

Enforcement Mechanism: A joint US-Russia-Ukraine commission, with UN oversight, to monitor compliance and resolve disputes.

Breach Consequences: If Russia invades Ukraine or violates terms, a decisive coordinated military response will occur, all global sanctions will be reinstated, territorial recognitions revoked, and other benefits withdrawn.

Implementation Timeline: Upon agreement, implementation begins within 30 days, with phased withdrawals, economic aid disbursements, and diplomatic recognitions.

So, if you hear of 'other' conditions....presently, it's BS.

If you asked me on Ukraine being agreeable....I'd say with half of these....there's  no argument.  The EU?  No one says how economic and energy deals will work out with Europe and Russia.   

Pro-Auto Party?

 Here in the spring....things heat up in Wiesbaden...with a local election.

So this past week....I noted a new party appearing out of thin-air....the 'PRO-AUTO' Party.

Yeah....with all the limitations chatter going on....bans on certain streets....and car-rules being discussed....a party appears ready to chat-up about pro-car stuff.

Of interest to the inner-city voters?  No.

I'm guessing the suburb-voters will be listening and more thrilled about this party. Left-wing or right-wing?  I'd be guessing they will be hyped-up to be right-wing. 

More folks concerned over traffic and car rules....than in the 1990s?  Yeah....the city needs a major reform, and shift.

Two Things I Find Interesting In The German News

First....Germany has reacted to US Peace Plan for Ukraine in a critical way.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a crisis phone call yesterday with President Trump....more or less saying proposed US peace initiative for the Ukraine war rewards Russian aggression and undermines European security.

Personally, the deal seems to be a zero-gain for Ukraine, and creates this 'dead-zone' in SE Ukraine....where no one will ever live.  Oddly, the Russians see this 'dead-zone' as some gift/award.  Even Ukrainians with Russian heritage....probably won't ever live there.  

Personal guess....treaty is dead, and the Russian economy falls apart by April....with massive bank failures.

Second, date rape drugs were classified as weapons yesterday.  Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) announced plans to treat date rape drugs like weapons in criminal prosecutions.

So if you get identified in some German night-club....with the drug in your possession....you are looking at multiple years of state-prison time.  Way serious view of the crime. 

Explaining This Current German Healthcare Crisis

To make this simple....Germany's healthcare cost came up to around $500 billion Euro in 2024....mostly due to inflation, energy costs (blame the  Ukraine-Russia war), and an aging population (20-percent over age 65, projected to 25-percent by 2035).

So they face a multi-billion-euro shortfalls.  This naturally should lead to contribution rate hikes (up 0.6-percent in 2025 to a over-all 15.5-percent on average).

The blunt side?  German patients face indirect costs....either getting longer waits or reduced services.  Most Germans believe cuts are the only path  ahead.

Added burden?  Well....most say that a projected 500,000 healthcare worker gap by 2035 is going to exit.

Throughout the country....there's somewhere around 50,000 doctors short now.  Added to this....roughly one out of three doctors would like to quit/retire early.

The coalition (CDU-CSU-SPD) trying to find a path to sell the public?  Mostly in failure mode.   

21 Nov 2025: Germany: 5 Things

 1. Flu chatter today....hyped-up....bad-ass flu coming to Germany over next 3 months.

2. Focus piece....one in five German adults have a limited reading problem. Basically suggesting 2nd/3rd grade level status.

3.  Germany has the same issue as the US....healthcare cost escalation.

This week....the Bundestag was supposed to pass a cost-cutting package aimed at keeping health insurance contributions stable for 2026....but this got halted today.

Right now...it's unknown how individual health insurance cost will go.

 Added to this...the 16 states are resisting proposed savings of €1.8 billion for hospitals, which are intended to make up the majority of the total €2 billion savings package. 

4.  Some German grounds-keeper....let loose his robo-mower, and it ran for a entire weekend.....major disaster found on Monday morning....converted the field to mud.

5. After that bed-bug situation in Istanbul.....4 German-Turks dead....there's a investigation going on, and possibility of other deaths from the last year or two.

What Is "Bollwerk Bärlin III"

 Well....it's a military exercise area in Berlin...where military folks practice urban warfare.....some above ground....some in subway-like tunnels.

All  of this geared toward a Russia confrontation?  Yeah.....mostly.

The one obvious thing you notice in Germany over the past three years.....the 'cold-war' has returned and intensified. 

Another Piece Of A Odd Story

 Norway went out and bought 800-odd E-buses....from a Chinese company.

At some point this year...it came up as a question....are the buses remotely 'controlled' by the Chinese company itself.  They removed the 'chip' on the bus, and  discovered that the bus was 'dead' (wouldn't move)....without the chip.

So in the past two weeks, they went to the next step.

They took a E-bus to the entrance of a mine in Norway.  They drove the bus in. Within a minute....without contact with the grid....the bus went 'dead'....with the chip installed, and unable to talk to the grid.

Norway hasn't said much since then.  I'm guessing they'd like to have the Chinese resolve this....without further payment.  I'm not sure how this issue will end.

Long Covid Chatter

My wife (German in nature) has a gal-gym-buddy, in her early 50s...with Long-Covid.  If you follow the German news....this gets brought up at least once a month on ARD/ZDF (public TV).

How many Germans suffer from this? Estimates vary by study, population, and time frame, but multiple large-scale investigations show it's a significant issue.

A 2023 population-based study (RKI-SOEP-2) of over 7,600 working-age adults found a small but notable excess prevalence of long COVID symptoms attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, with fatigue and neurocognitive issues most common. 

The EPILOC study of 2022 (12,000 adults who had COVID-19 between October 2020 and March 2021) estimated that around 30-percent developed long COVID 6–12 months later, with fatigue in roughly one-third of cases....and cognitive impairments in about 30-percent of cases.

There were broader reviews that cite ranges of 7.5–41-percent in non-hospitalized adults and up to 53-percent in mixed samples, with German general practitioners reporting 5–12 patients per practice with symptoms lasting over 12 weeks. 

Late last year....new modeling estimated over 1.5 million Germans living with long COVID of millions of total infections (around 38 million reported by early 2023). 

I noted this week....the gov't is putting half-a-billion Euro in a multi-year research program.  

What worries folks the most?  Well....cognitive impairment (my humble belief).  

Franco

Today....a short essay over Francisco Franco (1892–1975), the Spain dictator who ruled from 1939 until his death.

There are fair number of criticisms and negative aspects to talk about.

First....he did overthrew the democratically elected Second Spanish Republic after the 1936–1939 Civil War.

Second, he did establish a one-party rule (Falange/National Movement), that lasted 36 years.

Third, he did ban all political parties, trade unions (except the regime-controlled vertical syndicates), and regional nationalist parties (Catalan, Basque, Galician).

Fourth, through his  years....he established “White Terror”....where historians figure estimates of 50k to 200k  executions after the Civil War.

Fifth, hundreds of thousands were imprisoned in concentration camps, forced labor battalions.

Sixth....use systematic use of torture, used rape as a weapon, and extrajudicial killings by Falangist and military death squads.

Seventh....had from the 1940s to the 1980s, thousands of babies taken from Republican/left-wing families (or unmarried mothers) and given to “politically reliable” families.

Eighth...forced Castilian Spanish as the only official language (“If you speak Spanish, you are Spanish” policy).

Ninth....pushed censorship of press, literature, film, and music.

Tenth....pro-Nazi.  Met Hitler at Hendaye (1940) and seriously considered entering WWII on the Axis side.

I could  probably write forty-odd negatives.

So it's curious today....reading through a Spain news piece....one in five young Spaniards....see Franco as 'hero-status'.

Three Things

1. Chancellor Merz's popularity is plummeting...six months into the coalition.  Only 20% of Germans support his re-election bid if elections were held today.

Continued economic stagnation and AfD gains mostly blamed....with empty revival promises.

Who would fill the shoes?  Unknown....no one really noted.

2.  After the COP30 in Brazil....Germany now ranks low in new climate protection index (number 22).  

Environmental kids all bothered by this.

3.  Magdeburg Christmas Market opened today.  Security pumped up. Lot of local commentary.....worry over public safety....after last year's terror attack there.

Explaining The Current German Pension Reform Package Mess

 To lay this German Pension Reform Package out in simple form.

It's designed as a pay-as-you-go model....but saddled with a aging population...with high numbers currently retiring....folks getting older.....and the worker-to-retiree ratio has plummeted from 6:1 (1950s/1960s)....to today's 2:1.

This year....roughly two-thirds of the Labor Ministry's budget (in the 120 billion Euro range)...will fund pensions. 

There's a reform package (called "Pensions Package II" or the "Pensions Stabilization and Generation Capital Act,") which aims to stabilize the program.  

All of this  design....is supposed to supplement the system without raising taxes (directly).

Here's the thing....it's supposed to come up for a vote in December in the Bundestag.  There's also a incentive built in....tax-free earnings up to €2,000/month for working retirees and mandatory pensions for new self-employed workers from April 2025. You get this if you work  PAST your retirement. Polling-wise....no one says if this is popular or not.

So here's the problem....a internal fight within the youth element of the CDU-CSU....claims of intergenerational inequity. Young conservatives, particularly 18 MPs from the Junge Union (youth wing of CDU/CSU), are threatening to defect and block the bill. 

Key chatter....some folks say there's a 120 billion Euro 'hole'. Maybe that's legit....maybe not.  If passed....this 'hole' business will be a year or so away.

The fragility problem? Merz's coalition holds a razor-thin 12-seat majority in the 630-seat Bundestag.

If this fails....I'd start to suggest a collapse within 12 months....of the SPD and CDU-CSU coalition. 

It's an odd mess, which has lingered there for ten-odd years (Merkel could have worked it, but didn't really have the guts).  The youth element and their point?   Someone has to pay....in the end.  

The Old American Arms Hotel Site

 For those who might have been stationed around Wiesbaden in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s....this is the new 'look' for the  American Arms Hotel site.

About 2 years ago, they wrapped up the  site.

So everything was gutted, and torn down.

The front part is a grocery store.  The rest are a mix of condos/apartments (some in the far back are still a work in progress.

Parking?  Yeah, it's still a mess.  

Dental Visit

I have a unique German dentist....officed-up in Wiesbaden, in a 130-year old villa.

Each time I step into the waiting room...I have to stand there for five minutes.  

Serious amount of history laying there.

He has a TV on the side of the room....running some fireplace video.

The chairs?  One Ikea cheapo....but the rest are probably something from the 1910-era. 

19 November 2025: Germany: Eight Things

 1.  From the German Federal Statistical Office....one in seven children in Germany is at risk of poverty.  

Numbers-wise....2.2 million children and young people out of Germany are at risk of poverty. 

So  what makes this a factor?  Well....a low level of education among their parents.

I read over the story from ARD, and just wondered....if you had dimwitted parents...what exactly could the gov't  do....other than grabbing the kids?

2. Economics Minister Reiche is in Qatar this week to talk natural gas deals.

3.  The SPD Party has absolutely rejected CSU leader Söder's proposal for smaller nuclear reactors.  Chief argument?  Expense, unsafe, and produce more nuclear waste.  It would just seem....if one could ever find a way to dispose of radioactive waste....the bulk of arguments would go away pretty fast.

4.  Lanz talk show from last night....topic of bulking up pensions came  up...with Lauterbach (SPD) as a guest, and a youth-CDU group guest.   The CDU guest noted a 120-billion 'hole' existing   Lauterbach went to conspiracy-theory-chatter accusations.

The problem here....most economists do agree a hole exists....however the number is always argued about....might be 10-billion....might be 40-billion....yes, even 120-billion.

I would suggest....it's  probably closer to 100-billion, and will require fresh new taxes of some type.

5.  Both ZDF and ARD (the 2 public TV networks)....are trying to tell  bits/pieces of the Epstein story.  The problem is...they've avoided it for a decade.  If you asked a hundred German adults....probably 90-percent know nothing much about the guy.  When Epstein Isle comes up....some think of the guy as an American billionaire/oligarch character. 

6.  Interior Minister got into a talk yesterday....suggesting a counter-war situation against the drone problem.  Then he uttered: "direct use of firearms".  Not sure how this will be developed.

The overall opinion of the German gov't.....all of the drone business is a Russia thing.

7. WELT piece this AM....talking over the UK introduction of mini-nuke-reactors for power requirements. 

Pretty sure....no German discussion until you have a massive power loss.  

8. We had a water issue in my city (Wiesbaden) couple of weeks ago....they wanted folks for 4 days to boil water.  Yesterday, they finally came to tell the rest of the story, and why it was contaminated.....spiders got into the water supply.   

LNG Shortage In Germany Shortly

 Without Russian natural gas....Germans have  limited options, and delivery via LNG ships are part of the game.

So  I watched N-TV news this AM.....the topic came up....in terms of storage right now....the Germans are at the 72-percent point (not great).

If it  is a harsh cold winter.....there will be a shortage of natural gas.

Blame? Well....most of it goes toward the government (they should have topped-off by late summer).

I have two electric radiator heaters (heavy-electric-use situation)....if this reaches critical situation.  My best guess....if forced to that situation....maybe 600 Euro a month on extra electric costs.

I will say this....if we get to that situation....the coalition gov't will get 'blasted' by the public. 

17 Nov 2025: Germany: 7 Things

 1.  400k women in Germany work as hookers....of which 30k are officially registered.  The other 370k?  Well....they work off the books.

The German gov't is working on an idea to just plain halt prostitution...where hookers would not be the 'target'....the customers would be prosecuted.  

I've watched this presentation two or three times over the past month.  I get the impression that the experts/politicians....have no idea how the system works. 

2.  Debate going on....if the war ends....number of Bundestag folks want Russian energy turned  back on for Germany.

3. SPD has said 'NO' to Bavaria's idea of mini-nuke-reactors.

4.  One in five German nurses....came from outside of the country. Some chatter of racism  going on. But the system would fall apart without them.

5. Lot of school discussion going on....if Schools should allow AI to be used in German schools.

6. Numbers out.....1-million Germans homeless.

7.  One in four Germans have a phobia....of being sent off to a hospital.  My father-in-law...over 30 years ago....died because of this type of phobia.

My New German Driver's License

 About six weeks ago....I applied for my new German license. Today, I picked it up.

So....five things.

First, it's ALL online....if you paid attention....you could probably wrap up the application in 10 minutes.

Second, the photo business is crazy. I went to a pro-studio operation....which they sent me two photo in separate formats....different sizes....PDF and Jpg.  I spent around 40 minutes trying to get the App to accept either one, which simply was NOT going to happen. I downsized the image enough to get it accepted.

Third, the license office is a new building...with only 16 parking spots  (the old structure had 80 spots). So I had to park four blocks away.

Fourth, you need an appointment (figure a week ahead).  It's complicated walking in....you have to scan a barcode...meaning that you need a cellphone (figure half of the over age 70 German crowd....don't have).

Fifth and final...the lady handed me the license with no issues.  I paused over it.  It's good for 15 years....to age 82. I'll admit....it's probably my last license.  Nice card....chip and everything.

17 Nov 2025: Germany: 7 Things

 1.  Focus piece this AM....ICE trains in the past month...only 62-percent punctual on time.

Over the past 5 years....I've been on ICE probably a dozen times....with only four of the trips that ran by the schedule.  Two of the trips ended up cancelled at some point, and a sub-plan had to be created out of thin air.

My general advice....don't plan a ICE trip to occur after 6PM.  You don't want to be in a mess during the evening hours.

2.  I watched the 3-part mini-series 'Herbertstrasse' last night via ZDF (public TV)....via the media-tech library.  I give it a thumbs up....worth watching (only in German).  Story follows a German gal....in the Hamburg prostitute world.....all true.

3.  Autobahn A45....German police called....body parts found of a female. Scattered over a number of miles.  Investigation continues. 

4.  One in six German young people....noted with a second citizenship.

5. Two-thirds of German women feel unsafe traveling after dark.

6. Over the weekend.....20 German schools in Berlin were identified for 'threat-situations' this week.  Police saying it's just BS.

7.  Here in my region snow flurries talked about for Wed....but temp appears to be in the 0-to-2-plus range....probably won't stick.

Explaining The Beer 'War' Going On

 A dispute is surfacing in Germany.....between  the supermarket chain Edeka and the beer brewing chain ABInBev, and a number of smaller breweries.

To lay out the brews that you might note: Löwenbräu, Hasseröder, Franziskaner, and Beck's. 

The breweries all wanted a drastic upswing on prices going into 2026. Edeka said 'NEIN' (no).

It would appear that for several months....this 'deal' talk has gone on, and Edeka has tried to lessen the increase on beer prices....with the brew folks saying there's no choice.

So at a threat level....there are around 80 brews being talked about....and yeah, that might be a day where the warehouse stock might finally empty out.

Other grocery chains in the same 'war'?  I would imagine almost all of them  have a ticking clock going on.....with beer prices escalating  by 10-to-20 percent in 2026.

To be honest...other than the bio-stores....almost all grocery stores sell some brands of beer.  The ultra-discount folks have just the ultra-cheap beer (a can for about 35 Euro cents for example).  Most German grocery operations will have 50 to 100 types to offer.

16 Nov 2025: Germany: 7 Things

 1.  I was reading over Russia economy stuff this AM....discovered that some type of grocery 'voucher' system is about to be implemented....so that regular low-income Russians can buy food.  Yeah, it's a bad sign of the downward spiral.

2. Couple of days ago....German-Turk family were visiting Istanbul. Health problems  popped up.  Both kids die....mother dies later....father still in bad shape.  Another couple....same hotel...reports issues.  This AM....police say some type of chemical contamination occurred in the hotel to trigger all of this.

3.   Opinion poll done....slightly more than  half of Germans polled....say they have a fear of safety problem  with their local Christmas market.

4. Property development going on here in  Hessen (my state).  "Jungeli" is planning an amusement park with a camping resort on approximately 100,000 square meters. Centerpiece will be a domed building called the "Atrium Saurus." 

Some type of a "tropical rainforest experience with atmospheric lighting and gentle mist" inside. 

Like a Jurassic Park theme.

Curious thing....this property was formerly a red-light hotel complex, with hookers, in the Messel area (near Darmstadt).

5. The past week, the coalition  decided the air-travel tax would be gutted in 2026....but the SPD now wants a tax to affect only business-class/1st-class travelers to replace it. 

6.  Watching N-TV this AM....some expert says by 2047....most buses in Germany will be driver-less.  He claimed costs will lessen.

7.  If you have a E-smoke device with a screen (new trend)....that will be considered  a driving violation if noted driving and smoking....German law.

Is There Any Logic To The 15-Minute City Concept?

Germans have barely scratched the concept of the 15-minute city-concept.  In the UK....it's in turbo-mood.  

Essentially....this is a urban zone where residents can access essential needs....work, education, healthcare, shopping, recreation....within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their homes. 

Where it came from?  It was proposed by urbanist Carlos Moreno in 2016, where it gained traction as a model for sustainable, equitable, and livable cities. 

If you asked from the stand-point of designing a city from scratch....yeah, it might work.  From the stand-point of your town or village having existed for 300 to 500 years....no, it's a bit too late.

From a stand-point of quality of life?  The evidence has yet to prove anything much.

Is there too much misinformation (blasting forward on positive crap) now a problem?  I'd say the public is still disbelieving a lot of the hype.

The one selling point?  If you could rig up parks, grocery stores, and transportation hubs within a 15-to-20 minute walk....it'd be wonderful.  

Do I already live in a 15-minute village? Yes, with 4,000 people....everything is a 15-minute 'power-walk'.....from end-to-end.  No, it was never designed this way....it was purely by accident. So, we really don't need some idiots BSing us into change.

Q-and-A

 1. The odds that the BBC-Trump court eventually....transforms into a ARD-ZDF German public TV case with Trump?

Well....I'm of  the belief that the lawyers for the BBC will eventually reach a number....probably in the $50-M range to pay Trump. 

So yeah....ARD-ZDF might be next and face the same problem, and same conclusion.   In this case....public anger (for wasting tax revenue) will trigger the top level of management to leave.

2. What kind of medical exam will this German military draft situation will occur?

Well....they haven't made this clear.

If you asked me on fat-and-out-of-shape issues....probably one out of ten German  lads won't pass the physical.

If there is reading-and-comprehension German  test?  Yeah....one out of ten might fail that as well.

13 Nov 2025: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  A car accident occurred on the A4 autobahn between Koln and Frechen in the early hours of Thursday morning. 

So when the cops arrived, the two occupants of the car that caused the accident had already fled the scene. Police search the car....then find explosives.  More to the story, but you have to find the two lads, and guess their nationality.

2.  Coalition agreement yesterday....all German men of a given age group will be required to undergo a conscription medical examination starting in mid-2027. Should there not be enough volunteers after that, a lottery system will be used to meet the necessary personnel requirements.  No one is  sure about the volunteer numbers, or if forced into a draft....if the guys stay or leave Germany.

3.  For 270 years, beer was brewed at Hütt in Baunatal.  The brewery, with its 40-odd employees, is closing. The Hütt and Hessische Löwen brands will be bottled in North Rhine-Westphalia in the future.

4.  Curious piece....it's been almost ten years after the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal came up....and they finally are moving toward court action with five current and former executives from relevant departments are facing trial. They are accused of having helped develop the manipulation software.

Anyone's guess how the case will end.

5.  Polling done....one out of three Germans want the Feb 2025 election re-counted.  BSW missed getting seats by 9,000 votes.  Some belief....that the vote count originally done  was screwed up.  Evidence?  No factual data to say it was false counts.

6.  Robert Koch Institute (RKI) says they've been testing waste-water.  

Highly contagious poliovirus has been considered eradicated in Europe for decades....now starting to show up in tests.

Yeah....it's worrying the experts.  

Q-and-A

 1.   Are ARD/ZDF hyping the Epstein affairs?

The problem here is that if you gathered up 100 Germans....at best, maybe 10-percent know 3 facts about the guy/situation.  The rest?  They know he's an American...in some type of scandal, with most  thinking he's alive and in jail.  To some degree...by continued hype, it's simply confusing Germans.

2. Has AfD peaked (at 25-percent)?

Well....I'd say that until you have the next mass terror incident, and then a new trend will start...pushing them 3-to-5 points higher. 

3.  Magdeburg Christmas market cancelled?

Monday...it was on the cancelled list.   Yesterday....another meeting and  security concerns were resolved.  Christmas market there will occur now.

4.  1-million  kids in Germany listed on poverty status?

Yeah....lot of talk about this number. So far, no real solutions noted.

5. What are the basic differences between the BSW Party and the Linke  Party?

Both are left-wingish.  Both parties share economic goals like wealth redistribution and social welfare but diverge sharply on cultural, foreign, and social policies. Linke emphasizes progressive, inclusive values and anti-imperialism, while BSW adopts a more nationalist, pragmatic stance that critics label as authoritarian or right-leaning on non-economic issues.  BSW might be a slightly more pro-Russia trend than Linke.

Presently....Linke sits with around 11-percent polling....BSW sits with 4-percent polling. If BSW doesn't show progress over the next two years....my prediction is that they merge with Linke.

Four Things Out Of The Magdeburg Court Today

 I follow this terror court  case closely:

1.   Abdulmohsen, the terrorist...commented toward the end of Tuesday's day....."I just wanted Germany to understand me.  Everyone is against me, on the side of pimps and drug addicts." 

2.  "I am one person, you are an entire people."  This was his comment/slam about the police/authorities....in saying he had a mental problem.  In some odd way....the suggestion is that Germans themselves have a mental problem.

3.  "I find it morally justified to kill German citizens."  After he delivered this comment....he noted that the German authorities ought to compensate victims of his.

4.  Reading through the commentary....sadly, it'll hype AfD commentary in the end....that he was probably always unstable and a threat to society.

Dragging this out for a month is  going to be worthless.