1 Apr 2025: Five German News Stories

 1.  ARD story.....German gov't now says....1-billion Euro was spent by lobbyists in 2024....on the Bundestag...all-time  record.

2.  ARD piece....story over US bases in Germany, and the impact of troops possibly leaving.  I think the bulk of journalists in Germany believe some (if not  all) of US troops will leave...the remaining question...when?

I'm more of the mind that it'll happen by the end of 2026....with fewer than 6,000 US troops remaining.

3.   Next week....crime statistics for the federal-police will be released.  Lot of chatter over  this.....more violence numbers by teenagers expected in the numbers.

4.  Just an odd discussion item in the coalition talks.....CDU-CSU and SPD...want some firm understanding about dual-nationality Germans.  Could be positive....could be negative.

5.   Digital drivers license to start in Germany tomorrow.  You would carry it on your cellphone.  To be honest....if you asked Germans about how high a priority this is....most would say no-where near their top 1,000 things they desire.

Russian Draft Set?

 Well...the spring conscription starts in two months....Putin says (as of this morning)....new Russian conscription target is 160,000.

Not that I doubt he signed it.....but the odds of getting 160,000?   I  put it at 50-50.   At best....his 'boys'  will find probably around 50k to 70k...ask where a bunch of folks have disappeared off to, and just accept that fact.

The military reporting FULL conscription? Absolutely, but it's pure BS.

Why Is The Bahn (Nat'l Railway) Of Germany So Fuc*ed-Up?

 Being here in Germany in 1978/1979....I had a chance to see the old Bahn system....without all the technology.   So I will offer some observations:

1.  Old Bahn had a paper schedule, and once the 'route' started  (say at 9:30  AM)....it ran, until done.  Today....any one of forty things could trigger the modern Bahn to cancel the 'run'.

2.  Old Bahn lacked air conditioning, modern WC's (toilets were pretty simple), and windows were the only way to cool things.  Ticket prices were set to one single standard. 

Modern Bahn has  a ultra modern WC....decent air conditioning, and windows which cannot open.  Ticket prices?  There are a dozen ways you can calculate a price between X and Y locations.

3.  Did anyone in 1978 collect statistics?  I doubt it.  Today.....every single train, with every single 'failure'....is collected.

4.  The daily-use crowd of Bahn?  7.3-million of the 84-million....use it daily.  There's no statistical numbers for the 1970s Bahn....but I would imagine in the past twenty years....passenger traffic has doubled in nature.

5.  Germans adaptable to a plan 'B' situation?  I hate to say it....but I suspect that half the Bahn travelers of today....aren't able to handle a stressful mess....where you dump 300 folks at some station in the middle of nowhere, and told the rest of the trip is cancelled.  The 1978 Germans would have gathered around a schedule, and come to a rational plan in 4 minutes.

6. Finally, Germans of 2025....have this vision that 'IT ALL WORKS'.  I'm not saying this is a bad thing....but adapting to a mess used to be a major part of German culture. 

Note:  When I buy a 'Bahn-ticket'.....I tend to have a plan 'B' in mind.....knowing that the Bahn can (and will) fail.

Le Pen Story

 Did the French court system....convicting Marine Le Pen....barring her from running for French presidency in 2027....make a mistake?

Well...here's the thing about the National Front (Le Pen's party)....their current top choice is  probably NOT Le Pen...more likely Jordan Bardella....young and more acceptable (I think).

So for 3 years....Le  Pen will be seen as a 'martyr'....convicted by the system.

Maybe in their mind....the EU folks and the Macron folks....think handing the  conviction fixes things....but it just hypes Bardella more.

Military Chatter

For those who aren't really paying attention to the problem....Germany is having trouble recruiting people for the Army.  Remember....they gave up conscription about 15 years ago.  They have around 180k on active duty  presently (around 30k on reserve status).  They'd like to bump the 180k up to 200k.

Presently, the CDU-CSU  Party is talking over the problem, and they want a conscription 'deal' of some type.  The SPD Party....split mostly on this topic.  Half of them want a volunteer program where you could avoid military duty....if you weren't happy with it.  

I noticed today....the Youth Socialists (Juso)....the junior side of the SPD...has a group-leader...who is slamming this idea.  

The chairman of the German Youth Social Union (Juso), Philipp Türmer, says no to both the military service and civilian service. 

Quote?  "Conscription or compulsory military service are false solutions. The Bundeswehr doesn't need 18-year-olds who can barely hold an assault rifle. In the 21st century, it needs highly specialized personnel." 

I paused over the quote....to be honest....if you aren't of some maturity at 18...why should you have a vote?  If I were going with his logic....I'd set maturity to 21, and deny 'kids' the right  to vote until 21 as well.

Where this discussion is  going?

I think there's going to  be a list of civilian 'occupations'.....five to ten in nature.....and around age 17-to-19....you have to give six-to-eight months of training, and one year of 'duty' (either full-time or part-time)...with varying pay situations.  On the military-duty side.....you sign up for a longer period, but get a better pay-deal.  

I also think  there ought  to be a larger reserve force (like the way Finland does it).....where you pull a full 2-year period, then agree to meet for 2 weeks each summer for summer drill activity, and offer up 750 Euro at age sixty (per month) as a early retirement plus-up.

Rail Travel Advice

 About every two or three years....I write a Bahn-advice essay, and this  is one of those.  Some advice:

1.  Always have a plan 'B' in your mind....if the Bahn (German railway) were to fail in getting you from point 'A' to point 'B'.

2.  Dress appropriately. Bundle-up in the winter...as if you got stuck somewhere.  Dress ultra-casual in the summer months....expecting the air-conditioning unit to possibly fail on the train.

3.   Load the Bahn/local rail App on your smart-phone.  You can check schedules, plan trips, and buy tickets.

4.  There really isn't much difference between 1st class and 2nd class. More space (bigger seats) on 1st class, but if this were just a hour-long trip....stick with 2nd class.

5.  ICE train (the high speed rail) offers a dining car.  Don't go expecting anything like they had in the 1970s/1980s.  I'd suggest you buy your water or coffee before boarding the train.

6.  German train stations have become 'magnets' for nutcases and dopers...so don't linger around the station much (particularly true in Frankfurt).

7.  Best ticket, Deutschland Karte....49 Euro.  Travel on all train and bus networks for a month....2nd class.  NOT for use on high-speed rail.  

8. If you ventured out (say 50 km from your house) for some event, and intend to ride the Bahn back home after 11 PM....onboard one of three trains (before they shut down at midnight)....have a plan if all three trains fail to run.

9. Other than local travel....there are various prices for a standard ticket....each coming with a plus-minus.

10.  Avoid travel on long-distance trains for Sundays....especially after 12-noon.

31 March 2025: Four German News Stories

 1.  WELT piece this AM....prepare for more medical-insurance burden in the coming years....the term 'bottomless-pit' was used.

2. Frankfurt authorities confirm that Fentanyl has arrived in the city...being mixed with heroin....just starting to be noticed.   

3.  More chatter over the weekend of a potential failure in the CDU-CSU coalition talks with the SPD Party.  If this were to happen....it'd be a fairly weak situation for the CDU-CSU to run a minority government.   I doubt that they would last more than two years....calling for a new election.

4.   Last Friday....searches/raids started up in Germany and Denmark (suspicion of terrorism) against Eritrean groups.  Cops say they are responsible for attacks on fellow citizens at Eritrean festivals.

The UK, Ramadan, And The Path Being Contemplated

 I noted last week.....some  chatter came up in the UK...with Ramadan ending, and some Muslims say its unfair that co-workers and people in public (meaning non-Muslims).....are tempting the Muslim folks....so they  (the Muslims) think it's time that you force non-Muslim British to not eat (or drink) in front of them.....during Ramadan. 

How this would be accomplished? Unknown.

I took a German language class in 2014, and this was a group of about 18 folks....14 of them either Syrian or Iraqi, and 13-of-the-14....Muslims.  That class....occurred during Ramadan.

I had no experience in such matters....so this was all new to me.  I felt sorry....but to ask me to refrain from water, food, or smokes from  5:30 AM (as the sun rose), until 9:45 PM...was not going to work.  To be kind....if I were sipping water  or coffee in class...it was during the 'pause' and 100 ft away from the building.

I asked one of the older Syrians (over age 40)....how this really worked back in Syria, and he admitted....most guys he knew...had a small flask of water hidden somewhere at work....with a baggy of dates....breaking the Ramadan rule around mid-day.

How this all started?  He had been told that it was the Jews, and later the Catholics who went this  path.....with Muhammad simply copying the tradition.

As for these Brits being dragged into this mess? If the police came to mess with me....I'd  say that's the end of my staying in the UK.  I'd have to leave if you were leading me to this Ramadan-path.

This Weekend

 I spent Sat/Sun in Hamburg....musical deal for the wife (Michael Jackson musical).  

So, the trip?  Deutsche Bahn.  I had this planned out and reserved almost  four months ago.  First-class, with seats reserved.

So about 8 minutes into the trip from my village to Frankfurt to catch the high-speed rail....that train was cancelled. 

Bahn ran a replacement train....but with no reserved seats....probably 35 minutes after what the original train was supposed to run.

Cost of coffee on a Bahn ICE train?  3.90 Euro for a small cup.

The hotel?  Fraiser Suites....which I can recommend....5-star place....great location.

The musical?  If you were into pop of the 1980s/1990s....interesting enough. From the audience....probably 20-percent of the place was empty (Sat evening show).

Return?  I had a 12:25 1st  class return deal...monitoring from 10 to 12 (eight potential trains  going through Frankfurt....two of them cancelled).

Our train ran....about 15 minutes behind schedule.

So my travel tip?  If timing matters....don't use the Bahn. If stress on a train bothers you....don't ride it.

Cellphone Story

 This week in Hessen, the state, they passed the law.....as of August....kids in school cannot bring cellphones or cell-watches into the classroom.  If they do...it'll be confiscated.

Lot of commentary about this idea.....most Germans think it's a positive idea.  Only legit criticism I've heard.....parents don't have direct chat-ability with the kid. 

Other states likely to copy it?  I would imagine by the end of the year....the other 15 states will have passed the same law.

Germany and War Bunkers

 All the way through the Cold War.....Germany had bunkers  that were operational....in  case war started up.

So as the  Cold War ended.....they rushed off  to shut them down.  In 2023...they inspected what was left....about 580 roughly....in poor condition.  They figure....with some  effort and funding (130-million Euro)....they would all be up to date. Coverage?   Roughly half-a-million out  of  84-million people.

I  watched this update on N-TV today.  Fairly interesting.

Yeah, they are worried about the Russians and war.   On the priority list to resolve?  I get the impression that it's important....but it's not a top ten, or top fifty, or top-100 problem.

So this report went to interview somone  who builds private bunkers.   They admit....about 1,000 a year are built, and they say that 1,000 could protect 20 folks each.

Sparking  interest?  Well...all this Russia-Ukraine stuff has changed the perception of Germans.  But to be honest....if you wave 25-million Euro at Wiesbaden politicians.....they just aren't going to bundle it into some plan to build a 6,000 person bunker network.

28 March 2025: Seven German News Stories

 1.  Several working groups of the CDU/CSU and SPD parties are engaged in coalition talks...which could cost taxpayers at least 500 billion Euro (extra)....over a four-year period.

What they'd spend it on?  Well...more clinic/hospital money (includes pharmacies).  Then some type of expansion of parental allowance and the multi-language daycare centers.  Energy tax reductions?  Yes, as well.

Then they brought up lowering the VAT (tax) for the catering industry. Finally, they want some growth on the mother's pension, and the reduction of the air travel tax.

As you can imagine....this new tax stuff is worrying folks.  Target?  Stock and investment folks?   

2.  Chatter on getting rid of the name 'Burger-Geld' (basic welfare name)?  Yes, both the CDU-CSU and SPD...agreeable....everyone is negative about the name.  More money in the pot?  The way they talk....yeah, you might see 5-to-10 percent more.

3.  German church taxed folks leaving?  Over 2024.....1-million Germans said 'enough' and quit the church tax. It amounts to 8-percent of your paycheck....if you pay it (optional).  Yeah, it means financial worries to the two  churches.

4.  Collapse of new convertible cars registration in Germany?  Well....for 2024....no one really wants a new convertible now.

5. German cops say because of data-sharing.....1,500 folks who arrived at German airports....were detained on charges in 2024.  Record year.

6.  Some serious problems with the CDU-CSU and SPD in coalition talks.  I noted yesterday....some journalist had started discussing the CDU-CSU attempting to run a minority government.  It is conceivable that they can't form a deal.  At this point, I'd  give it only a 5-percent chance of happening.

How long coulda minority gov't survive?  Maybe twelve months.  It would benefit AfD....raising their status,  and getting them by mid-2026 up to around 30-percent in polling.

7.  Finally, late news on ZDF (Channel 2 of public TV).....saw the return of their chief TV news guy....where he noted he had used Deutsche  Bahn (the railway system) for his previous week of leave.  As he noted....all 100-percent of the 'legs'  were delayed.  I'm supposed to travel to Hamburg on Saturday (2 legs)....anticipating the delays. 

Kid Missing

 From central Hessen, village of Weilburg....half-way between Bonn and Frankfurt....there's some 6-year old  kid missing.  Third day now.

The catch?  Well....he is autistic and pretty high odds that he got on a train.  

How far could a kid go on the Bahn? I would imagine a thousand miles in just one single day....changing trains every two or three hours.

The cops? They haven't given up....but readily admit....the train element has thrown them a loop. No one says if he has pocket change.  Most German kids around age six....might have five in their pocket. 

Terrorism, Red Army Faction, and German Fears

 When I arrived in Germany in January 1978...the RAF had been active for about 10 years.  There the first week....the Air Force 'briefing' was about 10 minutes long and simply said....you needed to pay attention to things.  

For me....coming out of a rural Alabama surroundings....I had trouble imagining terrorism.   From the description from 'Willi' (the  German in my shop)....they were simply young 'gangsters'....on the far-left side of the political spectrum.

A week passed, and I was in the Frankfurt train station...observing the 'wanted' poster of the dozen-odd folks the police were seeking.   Again, my mind went to 'gangsters'...like the 'Bonnie-and-Clyde' legend stuff.

Two years passed, and I left Germany, but returning in 1984....where the RAF were noted as a bigger-and-more-worrisome 'gangster' unit.

All of this  continued until the Wall went down (1990).  As the event occurred....oddly....it was like you'd poked a hole in the balloon, and the RAF significance dried up.  The general gut feeling? RAF survived as a tool of the East German Stassi (secret police).  You can bring this up today, and folks argue about it....some agree....some disagree.

How many RAF  members are still out there?  Two guys...in their late 60s and mid-70s.  I noticed a updated poster today.  Cops agree....they've mostly stayed around Germany all these years....hiding, and using fake IDs....avoiding arrest.

Was there true fear in the 1970s/1980s?  I suspect if you asked in that era....on a index of 1-to-10....most folks would have said less than a '4'. The curious thing....each time that they robbed a bank or had a shoot-out....it made front pages for week. 

Constantly getting help?  Most believe that hidden cells around Germany provided shelter, and the police weren't equipped to really handle this type problem.

 Bigger threat at the time....than today's Islamic nut-case knife-guys?  I'd argue they were about equal in terms of public attention.

Total number killed?  Thirty-four over a three decade period.

Why all this hype currently (March 2025)?  Well....this last female caught (a 1980s RAF member) was caught, and her court case is upon us. If she was convicted of all charges?  Probably 15-to-20 years of prison.  Does the public care?  I'd say more than 90-percent are not paying attention and don't care. 

This Berlin Car Chase

Last night in Berlin....in the Gesundbrunnen area of the city....a 17-year-old driver injured eight people via reckless driving.

What the police say....kid (with 3 buddies)....no license.....stole a vehicle (car-share type).  He saw a roadblock...tried to get  around it...drew attention of the police...striking several folks (one seriously).

NO, not  a terror situation.....just a stupid teen.

Charges?  Looking at the description.....I'd say he's up for around ten to twelve charges....going  to juvenile hall for 3 years.  Passengers in the car....his buddies...might get off with nothing.

Kid ever getting a license?  No...I  seriously doubt that the law will allow that to  happen.

The 'Hurt' To Car Imports To The US?

 With this 25-percent import tariff going shortly.....which manufacturing companies are hurt and what percent of what they make....goes to the US?  (I looked this up via Global Data):

The Jag Land Rover: 100 percent

Volvo: 90-percent

Mazda: 81-percent

VW: 80-percent

Kia/Hyundai: 65-percent

Mercedes: 63-percent

Toyota: 51-percent

BMW: 52-percent

Stellantis: 45-percent

Subaru: 45-percent

Honda: 35-percent

So you can work the numbers yourself....who will put plants in the US....to off-set the import tariff situation.

27 March 2025: Eight German News Stories

 1.  I went to a Wiesbaden pub yesterday....mid-afternoon....with at least sixty folks sitting and having a beer.  One cook and one single bartender/waitress....that was it. 

Getting served?  Just to order....took 20 minutes....to get the beer....another 20 minutes.  Their problem?  Positions empty and no one applying.

2.  SPD in the coalition talks?  Talking of massive tax raises.  CDU-CSU is not going to move too far on this idea.

3.   Constitutional Court said the Solidarity tax can stay...as is.

4.  DGUV Working World Barometer....says stress levels with German  employees....rising.

5.  Some chatter yesterday...nuke engineers say it's possible will have six nuke energy sites up and running by 2030.  Will be bitter fight by Green Party.

6. Bitter discussion going on between SPD and CDU-CSU....over bringing conscription back to the German Army.  CDU-CSU say 'something' has to occur...to reach manpower goals.  SPD....says 'no' to conscription. 

7.  The EU has asked in some format....that residents/households to stockpile 72 hours of food, in case of war.

After pondering  this for ten minutes....I assume they know that Putin/Russia....can only fight for 3 days before they have to surrender.  I asked my wife where the 'rations' will be stored....probably where all my secret stash of junk food  sits.

8.  Weather folks are saying some 'massive' heat-wave will come over Germany (mid-30 C range) in July.  How they can predict this 10 weeks ahead of time?  Unknown.

Nazi-Chatter

 Curious news item....Argentine President Javier Milei...yesterday ordered the national release of all remaining documents on Nazis who fled to Argentine after World War II. Part of this will include reports of possible Hitler sightings in Argentina after 1945.

BS?  

I would suggest that some lists...probably in the 5,000 range will come out....former Nazi members, their wives, and kids.  99-percent are probably dead now (the Nazis).  

As for the Hitler reports? I think everyone was BSing each other....claiming the Hitler was brought in and hidden in some mountain-village in the north of Argentine.  You might even find reports where people claim to have sat and talked to Hitler, with the report stamped 'secret' and filed away.

Hitler-look-alikes?  Yeah, there might be two or three who arrived in Argentine....pretending to be him.

Don't go expecting more than that.

26 March 2025: Fifteen German News Stories

 1.  Odd weather. Regional weather chatter (HR) from last night....said from 1Jan to now.....half as  much rainfall/snowfall as normal.  Whole valley, from Frankfurt to here....marginally in a drought.  Keeps things green only with a brief shower about every two weeks.   One thunderstorm over the house since late November.  

Last winter was to the extreme on snowfall....most in forty years in the region.  

2.  New EU rule....driving licenses will be valid for a period of 15 years.  Also....some type of digital license will exist....that you can carry on your cellphone (doesn't sound like they will implement this in 2025).

3.  After 5 years of review...Constitutional  Court of Germany....will decide upon the legit nature of the Solidarity Tax (something left over from the Kohl era).   Kohl passed the legislation....with a end-date....to rebuild Eastern Germany.  End-date came, and gov't constructed a extension.  This extension is talked about as being illegal.

Amount collected yearly?  13-billion Euro.

4. YouGov poll: CDU-CSU at 26 percent, and AfD at 24 percent. 

5.   'Late Night Berlin' talk show....ending.  Klaas Heufer-Umlauf says he's tired of the show after 7 years....burned-out.

6.  WELT item: German coffee prices are way up over the past year.  In some cases....ultra-premium coffee running at 10 Euro per pound.

7   Reich Citizens' court-case continues on (might even last into 2026)....accused former German soldier was scheduled to testify yesterday. 

Court folks more or less witnessed hours-long nonsense.  Based on commentary....I'd say that he could make a case for 'crazy-crazy-status'.

8.  NTV item from this AM:  Europe apparently lags behind the US in development of military technologies.  So this idea of the US leaving NATO and  Europe filling the 'hole'.....is starting to worrisome.

9. The pricing of the monthly Deutschland Ticket (ride freely over all of Germany, buses and trains....except for high-speed rail)....for 2025/2026....to be 58 Euro.  CDU-CSU-SPD will sponsor extra funds to keep the ticket going.

10.  Serious discussion underway with the coalition talks.....SPD wants a speed limit of 130 kph on autobahns.  CDU-CSU so far....says 'no'.

I expect some urbanization  rule to be resolved, and around 40-percent of German autobahns to have a limit.

11. EU in some planning stage....preparing a program  to prepare citizens of Europe for war.  Hate to suggest it.....but it sounds more like a PR-program with public TV in each country carrying the war-prep content.  

Within German society....I'd  say this might freak out 5-percent of society, and make for additional mental issues.

12.  Sigmar Gabriel (former party-boss of the SPD Party), gave a talk two days ago....calls for a German recruitment program for skilled American workers.  Says there's opportunities with frustrated Americans (the anti-Trump crowd).

I paused over this idea.

First, the language issue comes up and you'd be talking about a year-long language class.  Second, for a number of folks from California/NY....pay-scale probably can't be matched by the Germans.

Then tax chatter will come up.....but for the most part, if you are a California or NY resident....you are used to the German-level of taxation.

At best, I might suggest maybe 3,000 Americans in the mindset....to go to this extreme level, and seek jobs in Germany.   

Housing shock?  Well....this will be the painful point....where you realize that things are screwed up.

13.  Protests in Turkey....7th night in a row.

Public support for Erdogan?   It's less so than at any point in  the past 15 years.  This idea of the Constitutional change coming.....allowing him another chance to run for office?  I'd say at this point....almost zero chance it'll pass.

14.  Conscription (draft) for women in Denmark.....set for 2026....to start.

15. ARD item, almost every second person in Germany...over the age of 16....has experienced age discrimination of some type.  

The 16-to-44 group?  More so......the over-65?  Only one-third of them reporting this.

That Red Army Faction Trial

I'm kinda interested in this court episode unfolding in Verden....over the RAF terrorist gal....Daniela Klette. I was around in the late 70s in  Germany,  and remember the threats.

So the defense of Frau Klette have laid out a curious opening position.

Her lawyers now say....Klette can't have a fair  and legal case....because it's all 'political'.

I  pondered over this....if you are a German and born around 1975 or afterwards....you probably have zero knowledge-level of the RAF or the  terror stuff.

But then they added this one problem.....the court needs to show 'membership'.  This is not some kind of 'card' membership operation.  You will have  to find someone who was a member and have them vouch on Klette, and this might be a problem.

The two operations that Klette is suspect in?  Well....the 1991 US embassy sniper attack (Bonn), and the 1993 explosive-attack against Weiterstadt prison (it was still under construction). 

The evidence in both cases?  Somewhat limited.  The German  gov't would have to put someone on the stand who knows some type of insider knowledge.  The odds of producing some DDR information....from the old Stassi files?  Yeah, that's the key thing that Klette has to worry about. A lot of people have the opinion that the Stassi had a major say in RAF operations.

Numbers Story

 

From the election a month ago....via ZDF's data collection...there's an interesting numbers story.

Youth  voting (18 to 24).....one out of two German youths voting....either went to AfD or Linke Party.  Bad sign for Greens,   SPD or CDU-CSU.

Begs the question....what happens in 4 years?

25 Mar 2025: Six German News Stories

 1. Much of the debated 'Heating Act' (from 3 years ago....pushing folks away from natural gas/oil to heat pumps)....being discussed and likely several parts of this to be dissolved (coalition talks between the SPD and CDU-CSU).

2.  Case starting this week, after 35 years on the run....former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette is now on trial.  

3.  Newly seated Bundestag in place....from recent election.

4.  Lot of stuff in Turkey....resembling a gov't 'coup' of sorts....trying to prevent candidates with a chance of winning.

5.  EU strict rules on senior citizen's driver's license and health testing?  Squashed....apparently several countries said 'NO'.

6.  Since partial legalization of cannabis in Germany...the Charité Hospital has noted an increase in consumption among people with pre-existing mental health conditions. (N-TV item this morning)

Is The Clock Ticking For AfD To Pass The CDU-CSU Party On Polling?

 This coalition build exercise that the CDU-CSU and SPD Parties are engaged in....have one critical element...in that migration and deportation have to some type of success story over the next year or two.

At the current pace...about ever two-to-three months....there's a knife-assault or a multiple victim situation in Germany....where it leads back to a non-German.  The more victims....the more public discussion, and you can't really hide these events.

The one positive?  You can generally count on the police/authorities as identifying the  person in question having mental 'ailments' or disorders.

At the  present pace....if the new coalition does minimally nothing? I'd say by late 2026....AfD and CDU-CSU will each have around 25-percent of the poll numbers.

If I were desiring to prevent this day from arriving?  I'd probably go with the strategy in general....no matter who you are (German or non-German)....if you are labeled as potentially-dangerous (in the mental sense)....you go for 90 days to some farm-like  situation (with a security fence) and prove you are safe.  If you can't prove this over 90 days....you get a longer stay.

Failure to resolve this mess....the 2029 election gets to being fairly heated....with the possibility that AfD might win, but be unable to form a coalition with anyone.  In this scenario....the CDU-CSU is forced (as in 2nd place) to form  a rather difficult  coalition with probably the SPD AND Green Party.   If you want a massive weak government....that's the route to achieving it.

24 Mar 2025: Five German News Stories

 1.  French news: French police say they are in a investigation involving the Ukrainian Defense Minister.  They say the guy took around $46 million....destined to be used for munition purchases....to buy a villa (in France) for roughly $2,500,000.  On top of that....a vineyard for $6,500,000 and 27 land plots for $1,000,000.

Illegal?  No one is saying that yet.  But a fair number of French folks aren't pro-Ukraine and it just begs more questions.

2.  ARD news item: Germans are noticing rising health-care premiums, longer waiting times for appointments, a general shortage of doctors.  Polling shows that roughly one out of three Germans are now frustrated with the German healthcare system.

I'll just say roughly 10 months out of the year....if I need a local appointment....I can usually get it within five work-days.  Around mid-summer....he (the doc) goes off on a two to three week RV trip.....and you are screwed during this time.   I should add....if you wanted to be on his patient list....it could take you three years.

3.  Weekend violence: From Sunday, a guy  was mortally wounded by gun-play by gunfire at a wedding reception in Fürth.  Cops know who the 'shooter' was and are  searching for  him.

Other event....Parsberg....village 'party' got out of hand....two guys arguing, and one pulls out a knife...to stab the other guy.  Party connection?  Something connected to the Kurdish culture.

4.  From the weekend....political party selection  for presidential candidate done....Mayor of Istanbul...13 million Turks elected Imamoglu (being held in jail by Erdogan).  Whether he'll be allowed to run....up to the judicial system.

5. German companies pursuing national approval/financial-support for the  Deutschlandticket.  Funding by the federal gov't guaranteed for 2025....nothing spoken yet for 2026.   The ticket allows you monthly travel via buses/regional trains for a fairly inexpensive cost. 

Three Observations

 1.  With this political turmoil going on in Turkey....doesn't it harm tourism?

YES.....even with a ton of tourism money poured into TV ads....hoping on a recovery from Covid....Erdogan's crew are creating a perfect mess for Germans to view things, and get nervous about stability.

Ever since 2016....Germans have questioned things.  Prior to that....Turkey was one of the top vacation destinations.

If you asked me nightly....off commercial German TV....I'll see at least one to two Turkish tourism ads.  Total waste now.

2.  Talk in the coalition meetings...of  a E-car rebate?

Well....there's  talk to get people encouraged.  Early 2024....based on new car numbers....the whole E-car trend in Germany has peaked.

The majority of Germans....even if you offered a 3k Euro rebate (only on EU-produced E-cars)....it won't influence the selection.  Part of this.....charging station  opinions, and part  of this is simply the increasing cost of electric rates.

3.   Nicolas Walter wrote an interesting piece for WELT....worth a read....entitled: “I don’t want to know how many fake driving licenses are on German roads.”

What he points out....a high  number of folks are failing the drivers tests, and in recent years....there might have been some 'cheating'  going on.

My German wife is often critical of drivers now....pointing out to me as we drive through town....this 'mistake' or that 'mistake'.  Over a normal week....I hear this criticism of hers at least twenty times now.

Would I Offer A Travel Advisory For The US (Or Germany)?

 To be honest, I can think of a hundred reasons that I'd suggest you watch your backside....while on a trip to the US. But also....if you were an American visiting Germany....I'd probably also give you some advice on avoiding trouble or threats in Germany.

Urbanization threat?  It doesn't matter if you are visiting San Francisco, Dallas, Munich or Frankfurt....you need to pay attention to where you are walking, and avoid certain parts of town.

Drugged-up idiots?  Presently, I might give a edge to the US having a bigger problem.  But you have to view the knifing business in Germany and how crazy people have become.

Escalation?  There's no doubt that things have progressed over the past thirty years and predator-type crime exists in both countries.  

Less so in rural areas?  I can vouch in hundreds of German small towns....being 100-percent safe.  You can walk in towns like Speyer, or Bitburg....10 PM, and feel completely safe.  I can say the same thing for the majority of town in Oregon or Iowa.  

Trouble at border entry?  I can give examples out of Frankfurt....where an American got stupid at the airport. Lately, I've seen examples in the US....where some German got himself into trouble.  Nothing is simple anymore.

23 March 2025: Eight German News Stories

 1.  INSA, the polling organization....says the CDU-CSU at 27-percent, and AfD has climbed up to 23-percent.

2.  Odd tactic....Trump suggesting that the US take over operations of the Ukraine nuclear power plants.

3.  Rumor chatter...CDU  said to be working on a 'deal'  to hook back German energy purchases to Nord Stream II.

4.  SPD working on coalition position....to  bring new taxes up on the rich of Germany. CDU-CSU don't appear agreeable.  

If they fail on coalition strategy?  You'd probably see a new election by May.

5.  WELT item: Reported absences at work....due to depression, among Germans, up by 50-percent.

6.  largest protests in almost 12 years in Turkey.  Arrest of Erdogan's rival (Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul) is mobilizing thousands to protest.  

I would suggest a long built-up pressure....probably half the nation want  a change, and in their mind....Erdogan has to retire. 

7.  Odd conversation going on....to spark  economic growth....the idea is put out there to cancel ONE German holiday.  Around the public....you just can't find any German who are agreeable to this. 

I imagine if you asked most....they would say if you have to dump a day....dump 'Unity Day' (3 Oct).  This celebrates unification of East and West Germany.  To be honest....99-percent of people have nothing special to do on the day. Politicians all have to mingle and make speeches talking over the glory of unification. 

8.  I noticed a speech by Ukraine's Zelensky from Saturday evening....he rejects Macron’s (of France) plan for UN peacekeepers (in Ukraine)....say he wants the NATO troops on the 'front-lines'.

Virtually no one in NATO is  going to be agreeable to that idea.  

Five Interesting Economic Stories

 1.  This past week....if you had $24 sitting around.....you could have bought just over 1-million Iranian Rials.

Reality?  You could order up a full McMenu dinner at McDonalds....for roughly $4 in Iran....while in California, it's nearly $18 for the same deal.

2.  I noticed off German business news this week....there's chatter that more pubs/cafes are banning laptop-use.  Reason?  Folks come in....order one drink, and use the Wi-Fi.....staying for 2 to 3 hours.   So there's tables being used but no real income.  

3.  The University of Potsdam started a unusual program nine years ago....taking degreed non-Germans (migrant folks) and putting them through a program to make them German accredited.  Success story but limited numbers.

4.  Since 2020.....a hundred German breweries have dissolved.....profitability issues.  Part of this trend....energy costs?  Yeah.   And that leads back to the war.

5. One interesting aspect of the German gov't debt change this week.....a bunch of city pools exist around Germany....that are 30 to 40 years old, and in need of either maintenance or replacement.  So some folks are hoping for cash to come down to them.

22 March 2025: Ten German News Stories

 1.  Just odd.....The French government is preparing a 20-page survival manual....which tells you what to do in a national emergency...if invaders come to France.  To be sent out in late-summer  2025.

I would  speculate that some French gov't agency went around and asked folks what they should do, and found that 99-percent have no idea.

Who would invade?  Unknown.  Doubt it's the Russians.....they've dissolved most of their force.   The Brits?  The Germans?  The Americans?  

If Trump wanted to 'play' along? Have the US prepare a Normandy-like 20-page  pamphlet....how we'd arrive on the shores, and repel the enemy for the French people. 

2.  From ZDF Politbarometer.....73 percent of Germans in a poll....which includes around 44 percent of CDU/CSU folks....think that the Merz and the CDU/CSU lied to voters  in some ways, and violated some  promises made.

3.  There's talk that Merz wants a 'path' to end gov't funding for Ukrainian refugees....basically suggesting they work to earn help.....or go home.  I can't say this idea resonates with Germans in general.

4.  Via a YouTube  podcast, wit Tijen Onaran....there was a talk last nigt with German sociologist Armin Nassehi....on MUT.  You can watch it here (in German).

So Nassehi says something interesting in the 50-odd minute talk.  He says there's growing uncertainty in the landscape....involving politics and people. Then he says: "Yes, Germany is indeed going crazy." 

He points out...various levels of stress and crisis are going on....which he  notes: “We don’t really know how the world works anymore.”

Then he notes....it's not just a German thing.....it happens throughout the world.   In simple terms....things have changed.

5.   Back on 19 February 2020, a 43-year-old German guy shot nine people.  Motive?  When you read through everything....racism....all shot were Turks.  Later, the shooter went home and shot his mother and himself.

A fair amount of investigation has been  done....facts on the table.   As far as the city and police are concerned....it's enough, and now closed.

Well....relatives of the dead (all Turks) aren't satisfied.  One unusual element is left.

The back-door of the 'Arena Bar' (where the shooter entered to kill most of his victims....was locked-up.  The folks inside  could not exit.

Why?  Well...the story goes to a number of police raids at the bar.....for drug sales.  Someone had ordered the door to be locked.  The families of the victims want the person responsible to be listed.

The families have gone to a regional court to force the issue.  The paperwork submitted?  700-pages.

The problem  with this  pursuit?  Well....you can't prove that the victims inside had a chance to make it to the rear door.

What'll happen? It'll take six months to review the paperwork, and come to some conclusion.  They could reopen this, and force another investigation.  Being able  to conclude  facts....six years after the event? Yeah, that might be problem.  If it were a fire-escape door....it could not be locked under any circumstance.

6.  Currently,  besides the US embassy in Berlin, there are US consulates in Munich, Leipzig, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf. 

Chatter out of DC started yesterday....worldwide, the US is considering a major cut in consulates.

Odds of at least  two of the  consulates in Germany closing? I'd give it high probability...with Leipzig being one.

7.  Knife attack.....a German allegedly injured two people with a knife on the street in Bielefeld (at a gas station). One pretty serious.  What the cops say....the was in an apparent state of mental distress.

8.  Ministry of Defense had a blunt statement on Friday...NO....the F-35s ordered from the US....will NOT have a kill-switch on it.  Lot of chatter on this story.  All BS.

9.  Mercedes is downsizing and there's a group of 'protected' employees which they can't CUT.  The topic came up today, and Mercedes is working on a 'deal'...for a number of these employees....there's a offer on the table...for the top-level guys....of 500k Euro (if they'd volunteer to leave).  

10.  WELT item, 14.5-percent of couples with kids in kindergarten and day-care....German is not the primary language spoken.  

Crystal Ball Gazing

 Five things I see happening:

1.  I think Tesla will fail within 18 months....with the Germany plant collapsing.  Chief reason....enough Germans and Europeans convinced that  Musk is 'evil'. Oddly, a year after this....I see E-cars in general....not selling, and H-Cars  (hydrogen-power) being  the new development.  Oddly, the Tesla plant closes.....with the lesson learned being...it's a risk to start a plant in Germany (whether true or not).

2. As the war ends in the Ukraine, with Russia taking roughly 10-percent of 2020's Ukraine....the population situation develops quickly....that 70-percent of the 2020 population of the region...refuses to live in Russian occupied territory.  Even Russian-Ukrainians (living there before)....will have no interest.

3.  Germany re-establishes Nord Stream II natural gas contracts with Russia...by the end of 2025.

4.  The German Army, desperate to enlist people....will  offer up a deal as migrants can get residency and citizenship....if they can pass the German language test, and enlist for 6 years.  Over 15,000 by 2030....will be under this program.

5. By 2050, a majority of 21-year-olds in Germany....will be migrant in nature.  A German Chancellor who is second-generation Syrian-German....will be elected.

21 March 2025: Eight German News Stories

 1.  Turkey situation....Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul....was arrested by Turkish authorities.

Imamoglu was just a couple of days away from being set to be a presidential candidate. Yeah....he was speculated to be the strongest political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  With him....around 100 others were detained (journalists, political folks, and some businessmen).

Next  election?  Well....this gets interesting.  On paper, the NEXT election is scheduled for May 2028. Yeah, that's a long time away.

Added to this drama....by the Constitution...Erdogan has hit his limit, and is not supposed to be able to run....unless you change the Constitution. There is some belief that this is the idea.....and it's to be a 'snap' election (immediate)...getting easily a win for Erdogan. 

Age playing into this? Erdogan is 71.  

2.  The German Army pays out around 650 million Euro a year....for private security to guard the gates/bases throughout Germany..  Reason?  Shortage of Army personnel for the job.

3.  The F-35 deal that Germany signed (2022, with the Biden team)....has run into issues, and discussion started up to cancel the purchase.

4.  The rush to build LNG ports on the north coast....called into question now....at least one is likely to close, and the money considered 'wasted'.

5.  If you have Netflix in Germany....a movie/series I can recommend: 'The Frog' (South Korean series).  Murder-who-done-it type.  

6.  WELT did a fine article yesterday.....housing crisis and which states are extremely affected.  Bavaria is in the worst trouble.

7.  German police union had a statement on E-cars....highly critical....saying as patrols are supposed to start.....batteries are still re-charging.

8.  Germans intent on leaving Germany?  Their top choice presently?  Switzerland....mostly because of salary increases.

20 March 2025: Three German News Stories

 1.  Focus had a piece....talking over a TV-tax bill that came to this one German's house address....saying Nanuk vom Veybach needed to pay his TV-tax.

Well....Veybach happens to be a German Longhaired Pointer dog.

So far....the tax office hasn't figured out how the dog got onto the list.

2. From ARD TV news....a little more than half of members of ethnic or religious minorities in Germany....on a routine basis....experience discrimination (at least they believe that).

3.   (N-TV) Europe is experiencing the highest levels of measles in 25 years.

Q-and-A

 1. Does anyone listen to Radio-Free-Europe anymore?

Well....RFE says that somewhere in the range of 50-odd million weekly listen in.  An independent source?  I spent an hour yesterday looking  for  'other' numbers....not finding much.

There's a 2016 survey which found that 47-percent of Europeans listen to the radio (in general) weekly.  Back in 2023, a German survey found that around 32-million Germans listened to 'something' daily on the radio.  None of the surveys mentioned RFE.

Maybe in the 1970s/1980s....folks listened to RFE.....but I just don't see the same volume existing today.

2.  That big effort to get more Germans to sign organ-donations a year ago....any success?

Well.....this topic came up last night on ARD news, and what they say....with the massive effort in 2024....the numbers haven't shifted...same trend.

3.  Sausalitos in Germany bankrupt?

Yeah.  It's a Mexican-food/bar chain.  Fairly popular.  Probably in the 1,000 employee range.   There was one of these in Wiesbaden.  

19 Mar 2025: Eight German News Stories

 1  Baerbock, current Green Party member, and Foreign Minister....is a candidate for the presidency of the UN General Assembly in the 2025/26 session.  

2.  N-TV did a new political poll.....CDU-CSU at 27-percent, and AfD at 23-percent (up 2).

3.  German Bundestag has voted in favor of the billion-euro infrastructure and defense packages. Bundesrat (the upper house) will vote on Friday.....should  pass. 

4.   Frankfurt Airport's passenger traffic rose by 3.7 percent to 61.6 million in  2024.  That still doesn't beat the 2019 year number....before Covid...at  70 million air travelers.

5.  Siemens to cut 6,000 jobs by the end of 2025.

6.  Supposed to be a 3-percent-plus pension increase this summer.  Last time an increase came?  Well....17 years ago.  Lot of folks grumbling.

7.  WELT piece from Tuesday....Germany....a land of illiteracy and innumeracy?  What the facts say....around 33-percent of students fail the basic skills of reading, writing, and math.

8.  Merz (incoming Chancellor) did a speech yesterday....says he wants a 'audit'....drilling down into social spending, and suggesting that cuts can be made. Yeah, it sounds a  bit like the US's DOGE audit. But I don't see this finding a trillion Euro of poor spending habits.  

What The Ukraine-Russia War 'Proved'?

 Basically, since WW II....the Russians were prepared to fight the great magnificent tank land battle....where they could lead a tank invasion across 300 km in seven days.  

Unfortunately, the US and most of NATO had advanced on the idea of anti-tank rockets, and figured if you denied the tanks fuel-trucks/tankers....the advancement would halt.  They provided the weapons/training to  the Ukrainians, and readily proved....,tank warfare in seventy years was defeatable.

On top of that...they advanced intel-gathering (like listening in on cellphone-calls), and drone coverage. The Russians?  They wasted most of the first and second year....not realizing the degree of this advancement.

The minimal training attitude of the Russians?  Once you got a group of forty minimally trained folks into a bad situation....they retreated, or got into stupid trouble.

The Russian Generals and commanders who'd moved up over the past twenty years?  Well....you eventually figured out that they probably didn't have the skills for the rank they wore.  

So you have a Russian force that is mostly defeated and a Ukraine force which has lost probably half of their entire manpower of 2022, and both are at a point where there is not to be a 'winner' in the end.  If you believe the Brit intel numbers....if you count both civilian  and military deaths....from both sides....there's a minimum of a three-quarters of a million buried.  Added to that....from the Russians alone, there's probably around one to two million Russians who quietly left the country since 2022.  

The end of this saga....probably is not a positive epic story to be told.

17 March 2025: Six German News Stories

 1.  The German Bundestag Parliamentary Control Committee says after this release of a secret Covid report (revealing it was a lab accident).....they want the whole report released....as is.  

If this were to occur....the BND report would list 'what' lab was involved, and that means who financed the lab.  I'm guessing this gets more messy.

2.  A wife (on a tram) was set on fire by her husband....in Gera on Sunday.  The two are from the nation of Georgia.  Police say the guy walked  away and they've been searching for him since.   

UPDATE: Mon AM....husband went to a police station and turned himself in.  

3.  Rumor has it....that the CDU-CSU-SPD coalition talks will include a national pension change....where the  contribution will go from 18.6-percent rate (of your pay)....to 22.9-percent.  

A fair amount of public criticism exists over pensions and limited funds upon retirement.  This would help to change  things.

4.  Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP politician) quote from a interview this weekend: “People are asking themselves who we have to vote for so that we don’t get left-wing politics.”

In  some ways, he's pointing not only at the SPD, but also the CDU-CSU.

5.  Just an odd alliance....party boss Wagenknecht  of the BSW Party (no seats in the Bundestag) is calling for a "Prevent rearmament program", where the left (Linke/BSW) combines with AfD...plans to halt the present CDU-CSU-SPD rearmament of the Bundeswehr (German Army).  

Yeah, it is one of the odd parts of the AfD Party....that they seem to be anti-NATO, and somewhat supportive of Russia.

6.  Weekend fire in a disco in North Macedonia  over the weekend. 

Cops say 59 people dead.  Arrests started up yesterday with disco management being held responsible....15 people arrested so far.

Raid Story

This week....a German judge signed off on a home-raid...in the Berlin area.  Target?  Well....a right-wing group called "Kaiserreichsgruppe."

About four years ago...Kaiserreichsgruppe (aka  'United Patriots' or 'Germany Day-X')...fell into play (noted in the public).  

The design of this group?  Basically, they'd trigger a coup...which would lead to the downfall of the German gov't...both at the national level, and the state level.  

Where all of this leads back to?  Well....it's a historical situation, where the design crew for the Kaiserreichsgruppe....wanted to bring back Bismarck's Imperial Constitution of 1871....that it would be reintroduced in Germany....without a vote.

The search results for the raid?  Not much is said.

From my prospective....about every six months....another group develops, and another raid occurs, with eventual charges (fed-time in jail if convicted).

To say it's right-wing or one single ideology?  No....there are points all over the strategy discussions. At one point, I noticed that some folks were discussing the idea of dismissing women's rights (naturally, it's all German guys in this discussion).

The idea of taking down the German gov't?  This is the wild part of the argument. The group generally believes if you knocked out one single  power grid....the government would fall....or if you removed one single chief from the police....you could dissolve the police from existing.

In some ways, they remind me of the Red Army Faction of the 1970s....believing they could remake German society. 

A Pit Story

This past month....German cops in the Offenbach (Frankfurt) area  were alerted to a 'problem'.

So what they say....in this woods...a mile or two south of the Rosenhöhe district, is a manmade hole....about four meters (13 ft) deep (circular in fashion, 4 meters wide).

Recent 'dig'.

Purpose?  Well....no  one knows.

There are theories here: WW II stuff buried, Red Army Faction weapons that were hidden, gold from Roman era, etc.

The crew just quietly left?  Well....that's the belief....that they found whatever they were looking for. 

Authorities?  Sometime next week...some crew (they don't say if they are city-workers, or some contracted folks)....will come out and dump a dump-truck-load of dirt into the pit.

Having been stationed around Frankfurt (1970s)....I will vouch that the soil locally is fairly sandy....so if you had two guys with shovels....you could dig this pit in six to eight hours.

A good script for a German comedy-mystery movie?  Yeah...I could see some secret map being dealt with and folks believing in some hidden Roman gold.

Price Chatter

 I stood in my local German bakery this morning.  

Strawberry cake, per slice?  2.95 Euro (probably a 25-cent rise over 2024).

Cheese cake, per slice?  2.65 Euro (probably a 20-cent rise over 2024).

Germans quietly grumble about the escalation of prices....but they pay it.

Worst I've seen?  If you were to order a double-espresso, it's probably 1-Euro more  in price over 2023.  

15 March 2025: Four German News Stories

 1.  Amazing....Greens agreed to debt change in the Constitution...to give CDU-CSU-SPD what they wanted.  

What the Greens got?  100-Billion Euro spending for climate protection.

Criticism over this 'new' debt?  Yeah, it's a fair amount of negativity dumped on Merz, and the Greens.

How the climate protection money will be dispensed?  Unknown at this point.  If it were entirely spent within Germany.....might be positive (like flood control).  

2.  New PM of Greenland says non-cooperation with Trump....but needs full support of new membership in the national assembly.  I'm not sure where this leads onto.  Most folks there seem to want independence, period....from Denmark....as a minimum.

3.  Another knifing incident.....this near Esslingen.  What the police say, a unknown guy attacked a woman with a knife on the street in Kirchheim unter Teck.  Considered seriously injured.  Victim considered out of danger. 

No motive or known relationship.  Guy just walked away.

4.  Mayor election coming up in 6 months in Ludwigshafen.  WELT had a piece this AM...giving some odds that a AfD candidate might be able to win the election.  I should point out...at least three other parties fronting candidates as well. 

Big deal?  Normally, on the western half of Germany....AfD doesn't typically get beyond 10-percent on any type of vote.  Stronghold is the eastern side of the country.  Population of the town?  Around 175,000.

Ludwigshafen for me....is this German town with the weirdest train station (of the hundred-odd stations I've been at).  I'd describe the area....as a working-man's city.

Project Saaremaa?

This week....two German newspapers dug up a 5-star scandal-story.  Die Zeit, and  Süddeutsche Zeitung did a joint investigation.  

So what they lay out....in simple text...alleging...that both Chancellor Merkel and Scholz...took a BND (German CIA) report on Covid, and locked it up.

What the BND concluded? By the end of 2020....with 80-to-90 percent reliability...that a 'accident' in a laboratory in Wuhan started Covid.

I emphasize here.....'accident'.  They are not saying anything beyond that.

Name of the BND report operation? ‘Saaremaa’.

It's being  talked about a good bit.....via regular news, and public TV news.

Making Merkel and Scholz appear 'goofy'?  Well....it begs the question....why hide the data....unless there's more to the story.

What happens next?  I would suggest....someone is going to ask the Bundestag for a full and complete release of 'everything' on Covid.  The key point?  What lab was this stored in, and who funded it.

All this Covid-reminding BS....angering folks?   We are around 2.5 years beyond where Covid dissolved as a threat....but in various groups, the topic will come up and it's highly negative/frustrating.

I'll admit....the wife and I can't discuss it without having some bitter German talk come out, and life-reminders over the complex rules invented...making no sense.  I still remember grocery-shopping...where we pulled up and parked...to find 'Yassir' (a bulky wrestler-type Iraqi guy wearing a  'SECURITY'  jacket and hat)....guarding the grocery door.  We stood in line, with store policy limiting entry to only 12 customers.  I peered off into the distance....dark clouds forming and heavy rain within 30 minutes.  I told the wife this waiting would not work. German stubbornness prevailed, and right as the rain started....'Yassir' gave us entry. I  refer to this story as the 'bouncer-rule'.  The bouncer-era lasted 6 weeks at the grocery.

By the end of 2022....I had lost about one-third of my patience/understanding. It's never come back.

This BND era might be an interesting twist to watch.

14 March 2025: Five German News Stories

1. To explain this debt-talks situation?

The German Constitution says you can only assume x-amount of debt as a gov't.  So  they have reached that.  In the strategy of the new incoming CDU-CSU-SPD coalition....they want a stronger military budget (500 billion Euro discussed)....they need to reword the Constitution. This requires more than a simple majority....so they need help from the Green Party.

The Greens are saying presently 'NO'...we won't cooperate.  

For Merz, the future Chancellor....this is a big deal. He needs this budget to show Trump and ensure the US is still a key partner in NATO. This would push military spending for the four years....up around 4-to-5 percent of GDP. 

What Merz will have to do....to make the Greens happy?  Unknown. 

Public feeling over this?   I'd say around forty-percent of Germans see this debt business in a critical and negative way.

2.  Constitutional Court met....considered the request by the BSW Party to force a national re-count....then said 'no'.  Logic?  It would appear that the BSW folks could not show one single solid piece of evidence of corrupt counting.  So the numbers for the election are now final.

The re-vote demanded five years ago for Berlin-City voting?  Different outcome, and they could easily show crappy management of the voting structure.  

3.  Gov't numbers released for 2024.....just over 400 people drowned in Germany.

4.  The city of Marburg....usually holds a Cherry Blossom Festival.  Well...it's been cancelled  this year....due to the anticipated cost of security requirements.  Their Rose Monday parade...cancelled...same reasons.  All this terror stuff adds up with extra police action.

I went to the Wiesbaden parade two weeks ago, and will admit....fair amount of extra security (garbage trucks parked to block traffic for example).  

5. Since fall of 2024.....there's been increased stationary border controls here in Germany. The Federal Police Commissioner has received a high  number of complaints. 

Reason?  Well...the random checks are suggested to be centered on physical things....you know....racial profiling.  So folks say it's unfair....they have a dark complexation....approach the border ten times in a month, and get selected for a 'check' nine out of ten times.

I've been to the French border and returned to Germany twice since the 'checks' started....just waved through.  

Tariff Chatter

 I went to a German grocery last night with the wife, and stood in the liquor/wine area for a good ten minutes.  My mind was on the tariff business and booze.

If you asked me on 'labels' for booze at the shop....there's about 300 brands/types of booze, and out of that....if you asking American-labels....probably 10 (mostly whiskey and gin).  So lets say roughly 3-percent of their items.

For wines?  Out of the four-hundred brands/types....maybe two bottles from the US. 

When the full-force of the tariff occurs?  I'm guessing the grocery 'bosses' will cut half of the US options.  Jack Daniels and Jim Beam probably survive...Maker's  Mark might survive.  Jameson High....might make the cut.

So to be honest....the bulk of German booze drinkers rarely drink US whiskey.  

The new non-alcohol gins?  I looked at the labels....NONE were US brands.  There's at least thirty different brands  on the shelf.  I would not  drink the stuff myself.

As for what I would miss?  Mostly Hendrick's Gin and Beefeater's London Dry Gin.

The wealthy Germans still buying the good stuff?  Well....yeah, that's my best guess.  Even if you put a 200-percent tariff on Hendrick's  Gin, and make  a cocktail up around 18 Euro....people would still  pay it.

So here's the thing....one has to start asking the question....if the EU is collecting $50-odd-billlion a year....how is the money dispensed out?   Will each of the 28 countries get a 'cut'?  This isn't openly discussed off the nightly news, and I'm curious what the answer is.

Just Observations

 By the end of 2025....I will have wrapped up four segment periods of Germany-time...adding up to around 32 years.

Twenty observations:

1.  My skeptical 'index'?  Hyped up and I readily admit that my internal 'index' pings a minimum of ten times a day. 

I'm not saying Germany drew me to be this skeptical on things....but it helped.

2.  I've reached the point where a 30-minute train delay doesn't really bother me. Course, in July, and a train-air-conditioning unit is marginally working....the 35-C temp gets me pretty negative.

3. I've reached a point where I note at least one-third of German beers as crap (like Bitburger and Astra).  

4.  Whenever a German politician says he can fix a problem....I tend to want to hear the solution in detail, and three-quarters of the time....I find the solution lacking.

5.  The difference between a left-of-center and right-of-center German politician?   Millimeters, at best.

6.  Trying to compare a Starbucks coffee with a regular German bakery shop coffee?  No real difference....other than Starbucks being 200-percent over-priced.

7.  Amazing to put on my 1984-hat and walk around in 2025....seeing constant help-wanted signs everywhere you walk today.

8.   With all that hype around 1990 about the Cold War ended....it's just odd how bunker-discussions started back up in the past two years, and how nation-wide warning Apps/sirens started back up.  On any given evening on public  TV....someone is pumping up chatter of a possible Russian invasion, and how the German Army can only fight for 7 days before they run out of bullets.

9. It's interesting how German public TV (with its tax) lingers on, while the bulk of the under-25 crowd has zero interest in viewing.

10. In 1978, you hardly ever saw a beggar or homeless guy on a German street.....while in 2025.....you can probably count more than 200,000 existing in Germany today.

11.  You can engage on 500 different German 'what-if' historical situations, and get a hour-long talk going in any pub or beer-garden.

12.  Germans are the least-likely conspiracy theorists in the world (my humble view).

13.  In my 30-odd years living around the US/Panama....I've seen various instances of food poisoning. From my German era....not a single case. You just can't eat a bad bratwurst.

14.  It's an odd place where you could be sitting on a German city bench, and have two guys approach....flashing a badge, and trying to set you up to be taken-in/robbed by fake-cops.  

15.  In 1980s Germany, you could have asked about such-and-such regulations to cover X-situation, and be told it's 3 lines of text.  2025, you'd be told it's seven pages of text.

16. Something historically that you come to realize....that the German dog tax is presently 215 years old.

17.   After you've driven at 210 mph on the autobahn for 20 minutes....you get over this speed 'thing'.

18.  The wildest accident I've witnessed over the years....at 6AM in the K-town region....on some road to work....I came upon a German garbage truck that had suddenly encountered a huge wild boar and it'd collapsed the whole front axel of the truck  about three minutes before I came up on the truck  (could have been me). The three guys were standing there shaking their heads, with one guy gulping down a Jagermesiter bottle to calm his nerves.

19.  For every German who professes some authority or knowledge of modern fashion....there's another German living in 1970s/1980s style clothing.  Its hard for a sixty-year old German to clear a closet. 

20. I was in a German language class with a Ghana-guy, and one day for break...we engaged in a talk about complicated German rules.  He was asking if there was some 'gain'. I had to pause over this and eventually countered....this was a Roman thing....where they (the Germans) complicated things so much....that Rome collapsed. It's a BS-answer, but it could be one of sixty reasons why Rome did eventually collapse.

All This German Covid Chatter

 This week.....a fair amount of German news  is focused on March 2020....as  the Covid crisis started up.

I went back to my blog of that month. Highlights?

12,000 Germans were 'stuck'  in New Zealand....flights were halted. Some folks were stuck there for weeks....waiting for  the German gov't to rescue them.

Crisis-chatter nightly via ARD/ZDF.

549 Germans were dead from the virus by the end of the month.

Zoos were being shutdown....animals missed human contact.

Some cities were mandating a mouth/nose covering.

For the few flights still operating....if you flew into Germany....you had to be tested at the airport/near-by.

Finance Minister of Hessen commits suicide over the stress involved with Covid.  He was regarded as the next Premier-President of the German state...major shock.

Some German cities preparing 'bad-boy' facilities.....where if you are not cooperating on quarantine rules....the cops will drag you to a guarded building and force you to play by the rules.

Lufthansa put 31,000 people on short-work details.

From one particular area of Italy....51 Italian doctors reported dead.

German border closed to asylum seekers.

Once tested positive....gov't policy is that you are on home-quarantine for 14 days.

Fight at a Frankfurt shop...over toilet paper.  People were in fear of a national shortage.

Becks beer produces pure alcohol for disinfectant purposes.

Jails releasing folks ahead of schedule.

National shortage of masks being reported.

It's just an odd era, and people seem to have marginal memory of the details.

13 March 2025: Nine German News Stories

 1.  German police in Beselich (Hessen region) have arrested a teenager who had a fair number of weapons, chemicals, and explosives in his house. What the cops  say?  Active investigation.  Just appears that the kid was a 'collector-type'.

2.  BND (Germany's CIA) says  COVID was a lab-leak....but as they published the secret report....the Chancellor locked-up the report....never released, until this week.

Yeah, this is going to draw attention.

The one thing I noticed last night via ZDF reporting...fair amount of criticism brewing over Covid management/decisions. Yet it took four years to reach this level.

3.  Five non-Germans arrested in Munich....trying to bribe the immigration office.

4.  That serious question that the CDU posed in the Bundestag....about the NGO business.....didn't get answered.  Gov't (Greens, SPD, FDP) refuse  to really identify how the NGO's use the gov't funding.

5. PUMA having financial woes.

6. Things in the crapper for Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Conflict brewing as the pro-Serbian leader there says 'war' possibly starting.

Serb leader Milorad Dodik has said  that the state gov't of B-H's judiciary and police are not able to have jurisdiction. Pro-Russian guy?  Yeah.

What the EU says?  They say they will bring in more troops/police.

Having been down to the region....the design of B-H (over 30 years ago)...is crap, and most all locals see 'eternal' conflict about the function of the gov't.

7.  Were Germans outside of Germany...denied a 'right' to vote in the fed election?

Well....it's openly discussed now, and a Constitutional Court situation is being drawn up.  I'd say that 10-percent of society is asking questions. 

It's wild to suggest it....but there might be enough judge-support to force a 2nd election because of the short time to prepare for the vote.

How many Germans live outside of the country? The fed gov't says they don't track it.  If you dig through the world....there's probably in the range of 1.5-million Germans who live partially or entirely outside of Germany.  Some of them did vote....some didn't.  

Changing the results of the election....if you found 500,000 additional German folks and ensured they got a vote-opportunity?  There's nothing factual to say how they'd vote.  

8.  Volocopter is a German company you may have heard of.....had this idea to build a taxi-helicopter (urban-use).  Well.....money ran out and the company 'crashed'.  This week...a buyer was found in China and will take over the company.  

9.  Finally, just an odd story out of Gelsenkirchen.  Most all cities have a audit/inspection crew for pubs, cafes and restaurants. Usually every two years, you can expect an inspection.  

So these two employees of the city of Gelsenkirchen were sent to inspect an ice cream shop yesterday.  A argument with the ice cream 'boss' started up, and he produced a knife....seriously injuring one of the inspectors...slightly injured the other. Cops were called....going to be charges against the ice cream guy (described as 64 years old).

New EU Chatter On US Tariffs?

 Well.....there is a list of 99 pages.....EU draft of what they want to tariff next.  (here if you want to read it, in English).

Women's evening wear?  Yeah.

Nicotine patches?  Yeah.

Wood doors?  Yeah.

I looked at the list....includes Catholic waffers, chewing gum, and motor scooters.  To be honest.....I don't see much that I'd ever buy.....on the German economy.

Adding to this?

My wife....German in nature....goes to the extreme on knowing what the product is.....that she buys.  She'll tell you it's from northern Italy, or Crete, and if it has bad chemicals mixed in.  

Buying some US product?  I just can't think of any that she would procure.

US-made handbags?  Trust me....nothing like that is made in the US anymore....it's all Chinese.  But that's on the list too.

US-leather-made gloves?  NO....the stuff on the market is entirely Chinese crap.

This is getting comical in various ways....but if this develops further...I could see the Chinese getting pushed a bit, and then traiffs will get really weird.

A Little German Flight Rule

 It rarely comes up....but I notice that Ryan Airways brought it up today.

By German regulation....you MUST check in at least 40 minutes prior to your flight take-off time (meaning at the desk).  

If you were at some rinky-dink airport....like Saarbrucken or Rostock....you can park the car and be at the desk done...at the 40-minute point....leisurely walking past security and be at the gate in 10 minutes. At Hamburg or Frankfurt....I would allow for 100 minutes minimum (not 40 minutes). 

So, here's the Ryan Air 'warning'.....if you break the 40-minute standard....they can charge you at the desk...100 Euro (per person).  That couple of minutes charging you?  Well...that eats at your check-in time.

12 March 2025: Eight German News Stories

 1.  Greenland election results?  The way it looks....Democratic Party of Greenland  took 29-percent of the vote....to win.  Inuit Ataqatigiit Party took third place (losing seats since the last  election).

Independence movement.....still in the path,  but the Democrats wanted a slower pace....so it probably won't be a national referendum in April. More likely to be the end of 2025.

2.  Porsche profits fell....30-percent....hurts VW (their owner).

3.  All this billion-Euro debt chatter of the new Chancellor....tied up in a mess because of declining relations between the SPD and Greens.

4.  I sat and watched a ZDF news piece last night....going over Covid-era 'crime'.  Police still investigating and charging folks for fake test results.  The way they talk....could still be investigations going on for another five years.

5. WELT piece this AM....apparently some of Germany's free spending within the gov't....not only went to charity operations....but also to some lobbyists.   Expect this to develop into a scandal.

6. Numbers out today....over past decade....one-third of all German bakeries....dissolved/disappeared.

7.  New EU tariffs on  the US....boats, whiskey and jeans.  

8.  Out of Sebnitz, Saxony, a German guy found a kangaroo on the street.  Took a pic to prove it.  Calls the cops but the 'roo' is gone by the time they get there.  

BS Story

 Germany had signed a contract for 35 F-35 fighter jets (Lockheed Martin).

So about a week ago...some BS came up and said in public news....that the F-35 came with a kill-switch....that in some fashion....the Pentagon could turn 'off' the jet.  So this started a discussion if the German gov't should proceed.

My German wife brought this to my attention....asking why we 'screw-over' Germany?

My initial reaction was to suggest that Nazis might take over the government....meaning the AfD.  But after 60 seconds....I went to research the entire topic.

Well....there is no kill-switch.  I even had one retired Air Force mechanic ask me.....what idiot would fly in 'any' plane....that had a 'kill-switch'?  It'd be the same way if driving in a car, and some 'kill-switch' technology existed.  

This BS started up and went into overdrive....as fake-news.

The plane having a requirement for software updates? Yeah.  I have no idea how Lockheed Martin sells the 'product', and how yearly updates occur....but that's about the only limiting angle.

How many Germans believe the kill-switch story?  Oh...I imagine at least 50-percent.

Little Train Chaos This AM

So an ICE train (high-speed rail train) left Koln this AM...bound for Berlin.  About 30 minutes into trip...emergency stop (at Gifhorn).  

What the cops say....some 44-year old guy was checked for a ticket, and ended up threatening the train staff.  The claim? He had a knife and other weapons.

The cops taking the guy?  Yeah....but they had to search the train to ensure no weapons or bombs.  

Already in boarding the train in Koln....the guy had issues....trying to take a bike with him (something you can't do on a ICE).

Trouble now?  Well....fed charges....insults, threats, and disturbing the peace.  Enough to get him a year minimum in prison, unless they declare him crazy.

11 March 2025: Eight German News Stories

 1.  It's a tough three days here.....no bus service in Wiesbaden for 3 days....strike action.  

2.  German employers are complaining of a loss of billions in costs....reason.....sick leave rising. 

3.  Riots started up in Romania yesterday....supporters of Calin Georgescu were peeved the Central Election Bureau had a meeting....then voted to bar the right-wing, pro-Russian candidate from the presidential.

Constitutional crisis?  Well.....whatever comes out of the election....will just get folks more disturbed.

Generally....if you viewed polls....Georgescu....with the numerous candidates running....was set to get around 40-percent of the vote (thus winning enough for a run-off).  

4. I watched a update piece from Channel 1  (public TV) and it covered post-office complaints....2024 was a record year.  

5.  My prediction on the Greenland election (today)?  There are five parties....to fill the 31 seats in the national assembly.  My humble guess is that the top two parties (the I-A and Slumut parties) will have the seats to set a referendum vote for independence...before summer.  

Humble guess?  Between 60 and 70 percent of the public in that case will vote to  be independent.  

As for feelings back in Denmark?  Utter shock, and disbelief. 

6.  Health report I read....one out of three Germans has a iodine-deficiency.  I find it odd.....you'd  get it from eating a diet of eggs or fish...which a lot of northern Germans would have in  their diet.

7.   Just an odd Monday night with the 'Hard But Fair' public forum show....the new coalition badly needs Green Party support for their debt plans....but there's also a fair number of SPD folks who don't want a rearmament plan, which is a major goal off the CDU-CSU-SPD talks.

8.  8k Audi employees talked about....loosing their jobs possibly.

10 March 2025: Four German News Stories

 1.  Should be an interesting week in Germany.....13 airports hit by a strike today...closed/shut-down for 24 hours.  Then tomorrow....starting in my town of Wiesbaden....bus-strike....for 72 hours.

2. If you sat and watched the public forum show of ARD last night....the 'Caren Miosga Show'.....the topic was....getting Germany up to par in terms of the military, with one key statement: "We are facing a real threat of war in the autumn."

German soldiers going to be at war with Russia?   It's kinda got hinted.  So the hot topic of conscription got brought up.  

The odds that a large number of 'draftee-guys' (if it arrives) would confess being  far-right wing and AfD members?  I would imagine nearly half of the 18-to-20 year old crowd might say that.....so then what?  By current rules, they can't participate.

3. Some bad blood brewing....between Germany and Austria.  Coalition talks going on....new position would be that if you were a migrant trying to enter from Austria and were caught....you'd  be pushed back into Austria (legally) and they'd be stuck with asylum person.

4.  Interesting case on N-TV this AM.....Miguel Morales Molina is dead....twice over.

So....about is one of them. His death is now attracting a great deal of attention.

About a decade ago....after having been missing for several years....the authorities in Durcal in Andalusia (SW Spain)....Miguel was officially declared dead by a judge....to settle up a property situation.

Well....they found Miguel dead....from last year's flood activity....ID'ed....newly dead (drowned).   So they issued a fresh new death certificate for him.

9 March 2025: Four German News Stories

 1.  I noticed that the national German police leadership is making a comment that if they are saddled up with border-control as a permanent job.....they want 10,000 new additional slots. Where the funding would come from? Unknown.  The border-control being a permanent fixture?  I don't think that was the original intent.

2.  These talks between the CDU-CSU, and SPD....for a coalition....will include a package on asylum, and it's generally believed to be a rigid program than the past four years.

3.  The Bahn folks (railway system) paid out in 2024....around 197-million Euro for delayed trips.  If you arrive at your destination 60 minutes or more past the original  'promise'.....Bahn has to pay you 25-percent of the ticket cost.  Paperwork drill?  Yeah, but it's fairly simplified.....if you kept your paperwork and noted the train issues.  

4. Romanian Constitutional Court announced it rejected motions to void the registration of Calin Georgescu (he's in the running as a candidate in the May 4 presidential election).  If you remember....he kinda 'won' the last election  and because of perceived Russian leanings....they cancelled the results of the election.

I kinda expect another attempt to halt his name on the ballot.

The 4:30 AM Scenario...Frankfurt, Bitburg or Kasierslautern?

 I came to be stationed at three German bases in my life (over a 22-year period).....Rhein Main (outside of Frankfurt), Bitburg, and Kaiserslautern.

Each was unique and different.  

But in terms of getting into 'stupid-trouble'....you figured out a couple of things.  It's what I would call the 4:30 AM reality.

In Frankfurt, there were probably over 1,000 different ways of getting into trouble, or just standing in the wrong place....at the wrong time.

In Kaiserslautern, you had to go looking at 4:30 AM....for trouble, and maybe in 10-percent of these situations....you'd find one single way of getting into trouble.  What you generally figured out....most all night-life ended by midnight.  

In Bitburg, it was nearly impossible to find trouble. Most night life?  It was closed by 10 PM.  

8 March 2025: Three German News Stories

 1.  Planning a flight out of major German airports on Monday?  You might want to check on cancellations,. most of them have strikes going on.

2.  EU establishing 'easier' rules on the shooting of problem-wolves....over-ruling the German establishment rules.  Yeah, kind of a shocker that they were proactive.

3.  That Dortmund railway stabbing incident (I mentioned yesterday)....with the Syrian as the knife-player?  Well....the cops have reported the cause of the conflict.  The Syrian showed up and wanted to extend his monthly railway ticket.  The agent at the station conveyed....it can't be done without an ID card.  This led to an argument....which apparently (it appears) the Syrian didn't have a German ID.  

The Hungary - Trump 'Bluff'?

 Late yesterday, via the Brit Telegraph (newspaper)....a insider DC story came out. Trump's team is considering removing 35,000 US troops from Germany and putting them into Hungary. 

BS?  A bluff?  

That's the thing about the story....you can't tell.

First, the 35,000 number.  If you assess all Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines....including EUCOM, the AF Hq's, and the Army Hq's.....then it comes to almost 35,000 within Germany.  

Second, would this be more of a signal to Germany and the EU....than anyone else?  Well....the 35,000, with services and spending....runs several billion Euro a year through the German economy.  It would be missed.   

Third....how would such a move occur?  Well....it'd take three to five years...minimum.   I would expect former Soviet bases (now ghost-towns) to be renovated/rebuilt....figure five to ten billion dollars minimum.

Would all US structures shut down in Germany?  I'm of the mind that the new medical facility at Ramstein (replacing Landstuhl) would likely stay, and Ramstein itself might be kept open with just less people.

Leaving US troops in Italy and UK?  The Telegraph story leaves that topic out. It'd make sense to take the 21,000 Army troops out of Germany, and the 4,500 troops in Italy....moving them to Hungary. 

Sending a signal that the US considers Hungary a major partner in NATO?  Yeah, thats a plus-up, and that the US is not exiting NATO.

The condition of the former Soviet  bases in Hungary?  I went looking at Hajmasker Castle (the old Soviet headquarters base).....it's in fairly crappy condition.  I admit it's probably a great location for EUCOM, and maybe a consolidated location for both the Army and Air Force headquarters units. The Veszprem base?  Crappy condition, and totally abandoned. Same story for Tokol air base.

Kunmadaras Airbase?  It would be a match for the Spangdahlem unit....but it's a major rebuild.  

Considering all  the infrastructure that they would be leaving....I think  both the Army and Air Force would be shaking their heads.  There's almost a billion invested into the hotel/BX complex at Ramstein. You walk around Wiesbaden....looking at the various sites....there's probably three to five billion invested over the past twenty years.

Some folks in Germany being politically happy at the Americans leaving? If you are a dedicated voter of the Linke Party, the Green Party and the AfD....yeah....you'd be happy.  The SPD voters....mixed-bag...mostly happy at them exiting.

Folks in the rural areas of Bitburg, Kaiserslautern and Baumholder?  It would be a massive financial loss to the three communities. 

Folks in Wiesbaden?  Well....it'd bring up the re-use of the runway area, and some massive battle over preventing it being used.  The re-development of Hainerberg 'hill' (housing)?  That's likely to be torn down and re-developed as a whole new neighborhood  of Wiesbaden....if this were to happen.

This being a Trump-bluff to get to a different landscape?  I'm more likely to believe that.   Remember, we started this story of 20-odd thousand US troops leaving Europe, period....going back to the US....so a whole lot of things have been re-considered.  

Police Story

This AM (4:30 about).....Schönebeck near Magdeburg....German cops were called.

Description so far....some Afghan guy in a stairwell of a apartment building....was  waving a knife around....threatening another German guy.

So the cops arrive and try to calm the guy now....de-escalation failed.....police were forced into shooting the guy (dead).

I should note here....within the building (after the police arrived)....they fired three warning shots....before the final 4th round.  

What the argument was about?  No one says.  Typically....if you were on a German street at 4:30 AM....it would be some really stupid crap that you'd be arguing about. Odds of alcohol or drugs contributing?  If I were a betting man....better than 90-percent chance that one or both are in the mix.

What Would Really Be Different Between NATO and a EU-Run Military Structure?

 Over the past week, I've pondered  this.  So my five observations:

1.  Turkey is 'out' if there is no NATO.  I'm not saying it's a good thing or bad thing....but they would not be part of a EU structure.

2.  Twenty-eight members of the EU would have to crank up and spend a LOT more on defense.  Whatever they spend now (today) for NATO.....you can figure to double that amount....meaning you take a sum of money away from infrastructure or 'free' stuff.

3. The permanent 'Doctor-Evil'?  Russia. 

So who do you buy natural gas and oil from?  Well....you'd be over with Russia and writing contracts....paying them your cash to re-arm.

4.  The odds in an election year....that three or four countries have a serious election.....where military decisions lead to a loss, and a whole new crowd  arrives to  challenge EU decisions?

5.  Finally, if I were Portugal or Spain....I'd ask why I need to fulfill financial obligations....when I don't consider Russia to be a threat to my country?

Five Humble Thoughts Over Europe

 1.  I don't think Zelensky has gotten the message yet....but the Ukraine-Russia war is dissolving.  The 'help' that Ukraine got (particularly in the first year) cut deep into Russia's advantages (tanks, rocket, artillery).  I do agree....Russia is incredibly weakened at this point, and would  need twenty-odd years to recover.  But there's a whole generation of Russian and Ukrainian young men....who are 'gone' and future industry/commerce for either....is crap.

2. If you took a EU vote....country by country (28).....over getting militarily-involved in Ukraine....to fight Russia, I personally doubt that you'd find more than 3 or 4 countries with citizens voting 'yes, lets get involved'.  

Just on Germans alone....majority of SPD voters would say 'no-way'....with most all Linke Party, AfD and Greens agreeing 'no-way'.

3.  All this talk of enlarging the Germany military from 180k to 240k?  BS.

They already spend tons of Euro on recruitment/'promises', and the majority of  18-to-24 year old 'kids' don't want the experience.

4.  I'll predict within 3 years....this whole agenda to go E-car in Europe stalls, and hydrogen technology replaces the agenda.

The shocker?  Telsa adapts within one year.....to produce H-cars.   

5. German markets for 2025....to be in a full-scale recession.  You can expect to add 2 to 3 points to the current unemployment rates.

Russophrenia?

 I saw this yesterday....explanation of Russophrenia.

Over the past year....via various European news publications....I've seen this 'take' at least forty times.

The journalist will spend three minutes telling me how Russia is near a complete collapse. Then  linger on the report another minute or two....how they could  conquer Ukraine, and then take on Europe itself.

The first couple of times I saw this weird take...I thought it was just crappy reporting.  Now?  I'm more likely to believe that they believe in both comments, and want you....the reader/viewer.....to also believe in this BS.

7 Mar 2025: Three German News Stories

 1.  Fake gay story.  Focus had a tenthly piece yesterday....over Afghan folks being given papers and allowed to fly directly into Germany (from Pakistan).

So one of the odd stories....is that one method of getting  paper.....is you apply for sexual background.....claiming to be gay.  So this one Afghan guy was given advice how to apply....then came for the German diplomat to interview him, and the German  wanted some description of the gay activity, and the Afghan guy got bent out of shape....defending  his manly status (not gay).

2.  Yesterday.....German Foreign Minister Baerbock (outgoing)....had a speech where she told Germans to prepare for war with Russia.  

This preparation?  I'm not sure how she meant that. For some Germans....this hype is all a bit 'shocking'.

3.  Weird confrontation at the Dortmund railway station.  22-year old Syrian was there at the  train-ticket office...wanting to extend his ticket (type left unexplained), and the ticket-guy....was having issues. So the extension was turned down. The Syrian left....then about an hour later....he returns with a knife....attacking the ticket-sales-guy (several times).

While wounded....the victim appears to survive, and the cops arrest the Syrian.   Humble view, this will end up as a attempted-murder charge...unless you can prove that the Syrian is mentally unfit.