12 July 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.  WELT piece this AM....wave of German hospital bankruptcies going on.

At present pace, I might suggest that a full-blown Bundestag 'emergency' will occur by early 2027.

2.   Between Dusseldorf and Koln....Bahn railway sabotage noted....left-wing group claims credit.

Group noted....."Kommando Angry Birds."

The group says....."mass death caused by progress" as their motive.  BS chatter if you ask me....probably a group of two nutcases.

3.  100 folks in Germany for June...drowned....mostly all males....highest rate in almost 30 years.

4.  Noted on N-TV new....near one-third of German retirees....get only 900 Euro or less on monthly pension.

5.  AfD....regionally (SSaxony-Anhalt)....published their 10 key points to 'push' upon winning in the state election (within 90 days):

- Cancel public broadcasting, at least for their state....which might mean no TV tax (would be court-challenged).

- More deportations (not explained HOW).

- Work requirement for asylum seekers....this gets brought up as a common theme....how they would force the issue, unknown.

- Cut funding for foundations & democracy projects.

- Driver's license subsidy for apprentices (where funding would come from, unknown)

- Special classes (not explained). 

- Security guards at schools (where funding would come from....unknown).

- Only use of the German National flag....instead of rainbow flag

-  Some topic called German-thinking.....replacing Modern-thinking (not explained). 

- Reduce ministries (easily done, if you combined several into one).

If you ask me....several of these probably would have 60-plus percent of folks in support of.  Lot revolving around extra funding.

Two Heat-Wave Stories

 First, France launched a national authority 'emergency'.

Basically....if you are senior citizen or homeless guy/gal....the local city authority is ordered to 'provide' you cooling comfort...meaning public buildings (that are cooled) must drag out chairs and keep you cooled throughout the afternoons.

I thought over this....here in my village....there's no public building with cooling.  In Wiesbaden....there might be twenty-odd public structures with some kind of cooling.  In France?  Unknown.

Second story....spokesperson for the German Green Party came up and said there needs to be a national 'moment' for the Germans dead from the June heat-wave. 

They aren't saying a monument or statue....just some 30-second remembrance.

What the media says for a number?  5,000 is thrown around....saying the heat killed them.  I won't vouch for the number or against it....just that it's a nice round number, and that usually means bogus facts.

If I were the SPD....I'd  jump on this and have a statue of some type....symbolic of the sun radiating.  

Juvenile Story

 This past week in Germany...changes occurred.

In the future.....the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (their version of the FBI)....will be able to recruit juveniles/minors (starting at age 16)....as informants. 

I paused over reading this....it's a short piece and not really worth much discussion.

What is funny.....you go and trust/rely upon the 16/17 year old....but then you say they are lacking maturity for social media....but you trust them to be secret agents/spies.

This new spy-crew needed to spy upon right-wing elements?  I would imagine so.

You can imagine the sales-pitch....be a spy for the German nation. 

Q-and-A

 1. Hostage situation in Berlin?

Somewhere around 10 PM.....as the REWE grocery was to close....some nutcase took a clerk hostage.  As of 7 AM....situation continues.

Odd factor?  Well....this is in the Marienfelde area (near Tempelhof).....away from urbanized Berlin.

2.  Mayor Wegner of Berlin (CDU guy) down-and-out?

For the upcoming election, Wegner is replaced by a new candidate for the party (Evers).

Back in January....there was the terror-attack on the city electrical grid....affecting about 10-percent of the Berlin area. For several days....power was off (in cold weather).

Wegner was 'gone' for about12 hours....with a comment that he was on a 'tennis' lesson.  It was a odd explanation, and news folks suggested he was on some other 'business'.  

A History Story

I live about 25 minutes away from Idstein, Germany.  There are three things which the town is known for.  The first....I'll skip for another day.  The second, the witch trials between February 1676 and March 1677 (where 43 folks were executed for demon stuff), and finally....the traffic circles (roughly 35 of them).  Two of the topics...I'll blog another day.

The witch business?  By the end, they had executed 35 women and 8 guys.

What triggered the witch business?  

Most folks agree that religious zeal with fear of heresy started it.  There were ongoing tension between the Catholics and Protestants....each needing angle to get public support,  and paranoia/demonic influences help to get things going. 

I should add...witchcraft was seen as as a direct threat to Christian order. Folks had started to engineer sermons and religious texts....talking up the agents of Satan (the witches).

Crop failures, famines, and the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648)?  Over the years....they added up.  The area?  I won't say it was poverty-stricken....but poor harvests came up occasionally. 

Legal and Judicial woes?  The Carolina Code of 1532 (a legal code) was a instrument used by the Holy Roman Empire, an it permitted legal cases for witchcraft.  You could make the case that it was 'due-process' at the time.

Mass Hysteria?  Well....after you got torture to lead onto confessions...it was a  self-perpetuating cycle. 

Why it just stopped?  Mostly judicial exhaustion, locals getting anti-demonic, and oddly enough....the local count’s satisfaction that the “demon-threat” had been eradicated.

Why a ratio of 4 women for each guy....executed?  I've always speculated that the guys accused...probably had a better alibi to tell, thus lessening the potential to be found guilty.  Course, it could be that more women are demonic in nature....than guys.

The odd thing that it's the only community around....that has a history like that?  Yeah, it's a odd note.  

German Court Story

 I'll try to make this brief...coming out of the Stuttgarter Zeitung (rather long story):  

Older (mid-50s) German gal.....she is a gynecologist by trade...goes to  massage studio.  Asks for a massage....somewhere in this process....younger guy (20 years old....nationality not German)....penetrates her with two fingers (nothing else).

Yeah....that part she didn't ask for, and it's a basic rape....she goes to the police same day.

So it comes out...in reality....he has no training....no certificate.  How he got hired....unknown, and left for you to imagine.

This was back at the end of 2024.

Case recently came up....months later...guilty....2.5 years in prison.

His lawyer challenges this.

What occurs....the new court hears evidence (recently) that he lacks maturity to grasp what he did was wrong....so they throw out the bulk of the 2.5 years.

How?  Well....they applied juvenile code....not adult code....saying he wasn't really able to grasp the wrong committed.

I paused over this....three or four times.  

Cops and prosecutor did what they felt was the right-job...right charges....right ending.

Judge effort?  Well....it makes you now wonder....everyone you meet on the street....even if they look 18, 20, 25, 30 or even 45.....if they haven't reached maturity yet.....can you assume anything?

Then I pondered....after this guy exits jail.....will he even have maturity in Germany at this point....to work and survive in this atmosphere.

Yeah...pretty confusing.

The Round-About Rule

 Back in 1978, when I first came to Germany....there was this slight mention of round-abouts (traffic circles) in the German driver's training episode.  The instructor spent about five minutes going through the thrill of traffic circles, and there were probably one single question on the 100-item test relating to the circle.

For two years....around the Frankfurt region....on the rare times that I did drive beyond the base....I never encountered a single round-about.

1984 to 1986?  On my second tour?  I probably encountered about twenty round-abouts.  

From 1993 on?  It was a hit-and-miss thing....you might go a whole year and never see or experience a single one.  Sometimes you'd wander into some town and go through eight in a single day.  

I live about six miles from a small German town (12,000 residents) that has around forty-five round-abouts.  In my local city of Wiesbaden?  There might be ten in the entire city.

Lately, the cops are onto enforcing the round-about rule.....you MUST signal as you enter, and exit the round-about.  Failure to signal?  Ten Euro fine.  If you enter and go LEFT (instead of right)?  That's a 35 Euro fine.  If you park inside of the round-about (there's never room for this anyway)....it's a fifty Euro fine.

Where did round-abouts start?  Well....most folks argue in the UK....in the mid-1950s.  Some argue that the French started this in 1778.....in central Paris.  Some Germans will argue it was in Gorlitz....right around 1900.  

At some point after 2000, Ramstein (the base) went to the circles......building around twenty of them.  With the gate renovations in the past five years....there's probably another dozen thats been added.  

I'm not anti-round-about....but I'm not pro-round-about either.  

My negativity intensifies mostly when you have a two-lane (particularly if you go to a 3-lane round-about).  Your intensity of concentration bumps up a notch or two....with two lanes, and how you exit (or if you make a second or third circle....trying to get to the right lane for exit purposes).  

Around five or six years ago....there was a German story from my region....older couple (guy/gal were in their 80s) who'd planned a grocery trip....to a town that they didn't typically visit.  It's safe to say that guy driving probably didn't have full concentration of where they were going, or knew that four traffic circles were in the route.  At some point about six hours into a 45-minute trip....he pulled into a gas station and admitted he was 'stone-cold-lost' and needed some help to find his way back home.  He'd taken an exit too early, and hit another circle later that just further complicated matters (bringing him at least sixty kilometers away from his intended target).  

The intensity of building more traffic circles?  That's the rather odd thing.  If I got back to my old village around Kaiserslautern/Ramstein.....there's probably over two-hundred round-abouts which now exist.....where in the 1993 period....there were just two.  At the pace of things?  I would suggest in another decade, that a minimum of four-hundred round-abouts will exist in that one single region.  

Heat Realities

 Today, my German valley will peak at 30 C (86 F).  For me....without the AC running (just 3  fans)....I don't consider it a big deal.

32 C (90 F)?  It starts to reach a  point.....where I say it's warm.

34 C (93 F)?  That's where the windows are shut....the AC runs in one room....all six fans are running.

But is 93 F really HOT, or just mildly warm?

I spent 3 years in Panama, and followed that with four in Arizona....with one day reaching 47 C (117 F).

I'm just not sitting much within the German reality of a HEAT-WAVE.

10 July 2026: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  What VW says....because of declining profits....they will cut the models they produce....maybe a 50-percent reduction.

Odd other factor?  They are settling on the idea of limiting 'options' (figure 50-to-75 percent cuts there).  Yeah.....bare base models are the path for the next year or two.

I will be honest....for the Audi A5 that my wife bought (2019)....offering here near 50 different options...was the wrong thing.  She had to spend almost an hour talking to some car rep....to grasp what the option packages meant.  If you ask me five years later....I would have told you around 4,000 Euro of the options she picked....were crap.

2.  German states (16) hold the responsibility of debt for cities in their region.  Well....there's a massive amount existing.  So the fed-guys are saying....maybe to some degree....they will pass money down.

3.  Some science report yesterday....German study....there is a trend of higher deaths due to 'heat'.....but it connects directly to blood pressure issues.  So, they can say 'heat-deaths', but at the same time....heart-disease deaths are basically the same thing.

My View Of Spain As A Vacation Destination

 I've made four vacations to Spain over the past forty years.

So, I'll offer five observations:

First, from a beach prospective....I can think of several better choices (country-wise).

Second, if this is purely a city-tour (for a week)....then yeah....Barcelona or Madrid are worth the trip.  But you need to add the warning....crime in both are an issue.

Third, food-wise.....you can't go wrong.

Fourth, rural areas and small towns might be a better choice to select....than some beach resort.

Fifth and final.....on the islands....locals have a dislike of tourists, and the past decade....a housing crisis has started up. 

Advice....if you want a pure-beach suggestion....both Denmark and the northern coast of  Germany....are worth reviewing....as well as Greece.

Bahn Violence?

 The Bahn (railway) folks admitted today....on average....there's  5.5 assaults/threats -made daily against their employees nationally.  They say....it's reaching a level where employees want 'something' done.

If you ride the rails......even locally....it's a mix now....Bahn-security (guys ready for action) and ticket-audit folks.  I'd say out of each three trains I ride (mostly regional around Wiesbaden/Frankfurt/Mainz)....there's a ticket-check.  Maybe out of each 20 trips....there's the security guys there....ready to take you to the floor.

In my 1978/1979 and 1984/1985 periods.....there just wasn't that level of violence.  This pretty much started 15-to-20 years ago, and really pepped-up in the past five years.

What you have (even on buses now) is a free-rider who refuses to exit or pay the fine (60 Euro).  They easily slip from a rider-mentality....to a irrational nutcase-mentality.

The security guys?  Most are young...say age 25, and fairly fit (over 200 pounds), and I'm pretty sure they could throw you to the floor, and hold you down till the cops arrive.

This getting ridiculous? 

Personally, I'm of the mind....they need to issue shock-sticks, and give the nutcase a jolt-or-two....halt the train in the middle of nowhere, and simply toss the guy on the gravel. 

AI Story

 The German Bahn (railway) folks came up today and said....coming in the future (suggesting we will start to see it in 2027).....AI will be used to keep the public informed on delays, problems, platform changes, cancellations, etc.

You (the consumer/customer) would get these AI messages (with a friendly greeting) telling.....your train is running 16 minutes late, or that they moved from  platform 4 to platform 12 (figure a 10 min walk).

I pondered upon this.

At some  point....this AI will start to 'know' a lot about crappy service, and even warn you ten minutes ahead of time....things are fu*ked-up.

Eventually, the AI ought to start asking the Bahn leadership....WHY.

At that point....AI will take over and fire the leadership (I would imagine).

Is it that bad?  If you ride daily to work...in a metro-area (Frankfurt, Bremen, Stuttgart for example)....you probably have one trip out of each eight occasions....that is screwed-up (15 min late, or a flip to a new platform).  Personally, safety is a higher concern to me, and having a seat. If it were 10 minutes late....I wouldn't say much.

My worst experience?  Last year....going from Frankfurt to Hamburg, and  finding  out 10 minutes before the 'run'.....that train was cancelled. The back-up deal?  Running 35 min later, but it was never clear about the platform, and the reserved seats I paid for....were non-existent.

A Court Story

 Up in Minden (population 84k)....NW Germany....a school case came up in court.

This  local public school had a mandated 'trip' (at least a night or two gone)....they leave the destination...but I'm assuming it's probably a trip to Berlin.  It's paid by the gov't.

So this Islamic girl and the parents said 'no-thanks'.  The school came back and said you have no real choice.

The parents said....the trip is not possible....she'd have to be escorted by a male relative.  School said 'fine'....they would allow some relative of the girl to come as well.

Parents said 'no, this won't work'.

Court comes back this week....says it's mandated, period. Whether she goes or not....I'm guessing 'not'.  Could the school fail her on this class situation?  It's possible, but I'm guessing it's not enough to hold her back.

It's an interesting case.   

School is basically saying....you need to 'act' German and live in the modern society.

Parents?  I would imagine they are waiting to get her to some marrying age, and she'll never be employed in the German system.   

My Assessment Of Five Guys Burgers In Wiesbaden

 Over the past two years....I've probably been there five times.  Yeah, it is a better burger than BK or McDonalds.....but you end up paying 24 to 28 Euro for the menu selection (unlimited soda).

Their problem is that it doesn't matter if you walk by at noon or 6 PM....there's never more than 10 people sitting there.  It's a great spot....to seat 100 guests.

By the time they pay rent (good location) and labor costs.....I doubt if there's any profit.  

Better to have much smaller spot/less rent?  I'd probably go and find a side-street, and cut my rent in half.

Three months ago.....the Dunkin-Donuts shop on the shopping district closed.....I hate to suggest it...but this is headed the same direction.

Three Things I Noted This Week

 1.  Sometimes.....I watch HR or SWR or NDR (the regional public networks) for news.

So....I was watching SWR and they do a report over a murder.  There's this report of a guy who murdered a gal....then shot himself.

Pretty rare/unusual.  About 30 seconds of info....then finished.

I sat and thought....there must be more to the story.  So I  go to social media,  and the rest of the story....involves the guy being Turkish, and the dead gal being a  Ukrainian woman.

Ninety-nine percent of Germans leaving the story as public TV told it?  Yeah....probably.

2. Just seems to be a LOT of public TV (ARD/ZDF) attention over French far-right politician Marine Le Pen.  

Apparently, she will be running for President in 2027, and higher than normal odds for her to win.

I guess some fear....her 'win' would drum up more AfD attention.

The sad thing....normally...Germans focus almost no attention on France, and now....ARD will probably make this a weekly thing.

3.   Just odd....the feeling of creation of crisis-after-crisis-after crisis....over and over....like a normal thing now.

Irrational acceptance of crisis-chatter....being normal?

I Spent The Entire Afternoon In The Wiesbaden Shopping District

 Six observations:

1.  Goth attire....is coming back. I thought it died off in 2015....but it appears that it's raging back.

2.  It's amazing to see a fair number of 13/14  year old young German ladies with extensive tattoo work....obviously not done in German (you have to be of age usually).

3.  There's simply no public parking situations for four hours in the city....for less than 8 Euro ($10).

4.  The short-term beer-garden is a huge draw in the center of shopping district.

5.  I'd say demographics-wise....approximately 5-percent of the female population of the city are head-dress situations.

6.  A new grab-and-go restaurant opening....Chinese-connected.  We have a Chinese grocery already open....next to the train station.

Nord Stream BS

So....a footnote....there was insurance coverage for the Nord Stream pipes....the ones blown up.

Insured by Lloyd's of London....for roughly 580 million Euro.

Once the Germans figured out the culprits (suspects from Ukraine)....they avoided uttering the term "terrorist attack."   Yeah...they suggested "sabotage." 

One is insured....the other is not.

Lloyds looked at the mess and said....the contract does not cover losses or damage directly or indirectly caused by armed conflict.  

German court?  They still suggest sabotage.  Brit court?  No.....terror action.

My general bet....in the end....to settle this....Lloyds probably will offer 20-percent of the payment.

Five Observations

 1.  When you are watching a German chat-forum (5 individuals usually).....if Frau X or Herr Y is an expert on something.....and the conversation drifts out of the topic to something that has nothing to do with their expert-status....DON'T give them any attention.  They are typically out of their 'zone' and offer little in terms of expert value.

2.  Both ARD and ZDF (the public TV folks)....will do anything possible to avoid negative economic news to the general public.

3.  Hype building up for more Sunday openings....oddly, the church and trade unions are totally against it.  The odd counter-punch?  Staying closed on Sundays....gives leverage to Amazon.

4.  When some German says his political stance is center-right.....he's mostly saying he's center-center-center.  I'd almost suggest that 50-percent of CDU-voters are this way now.

5.  For five years....the EU has mandated that members pay the EU budget €0.80 per kilogram (€800 per ton) of non-recycled plastic packaging waste.  For Germany....this amounts to 1.4-billion Euro a year.

So....Germany has finally decided....rather than taking this out of the general budget....they are going to create a special new tax....passing this to the companies....who will pass it to the consumer. 

The 1.4-billion Euro that was general budget spending?  It'll continue....just to be used for some other gimmick.

Your individual cost?  Around 16.60 Euro a year....per person.

What does the EU do with the 1.4-billion?  Unknown. 

Did FSK Grant a Rating For 'Citizen Vigilante' (the film)?

 YES.

The FSK (Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft) granted a rating to Citizen Vigilante on 6 July.

Rating?  "Keine Jugendfreigabe / ab 18" (no youth release / from 18) specifically for theatrical/cinema release in Germany. 

Will it be shown in German kinos/theaters? I doubt it.  It might show up in a local small operation for two or three nights....probably more so in the eastern half of the country.

FSK forced into a rating?  FSK is not under the gov't in anyway....totally separated.  I suspect they eventually figured out....via the internet....probably a million Germans have already watched it.

VW: To Be Bought?

 Philipp Raasch wrote a piece for Focus this AM....suggesting a takeover of VW....by China's BYD.

Three observations.

First, Raasch is a competent economist (not a VW official or politician).  He is correct....VW is in serious jeopardy.

Second, as much as the union thinks they are 'helping' VW....they are probably simply delaying this purchase in the end....where it's it the only fix-it-scenario left.

Third, if VW is bought....I don't see how Mercedes, Opel, or BMW survive long-term.

Now, if you asked me....how faithful  are Germans to VW (over BYD)?  I'd say more than 80-percent won't buy a BYD product.....but if BYD bought VW and renamed themselves VWB....that might convince them to stay with  the product.

Added note:  I'm of the mind....once they sink to a low-value....China will sweep-in and try to buy them.  Then Trump will see the action going on, and offer to buy VW as part of some Telsa-expansion deal (moving the HQ to Texas)....allowing production in Germany to continue, and save all the jobs.  Naturally, this would make Trump the most evil one....instead of China.

Explainning This World Cup Red Card Gimmick

 First....to what red and yellow cards mean.  Soccer is a pretty rough sport....after pro-wrestling, roller-derby, and WNBA action....I rank soccer number 4 on 'hurt'.  So to limit incidents.....they hand out yellow cards to ensure you don't get ultra-rough.  Two yellow-cards in a game....you leave (no sub allowed in), and you miss the next game.  The two yellow cards equal one red card.  

Can you go from zero yellow cards to one red card...asap?  Yes.

I've gone back and reviewed the video of this incident....mostly agreeing myself....the American deserved a yellow-card.  Red?  I'm not that sure about.

Then I note that I've watched a dozen World Cup games.  If I were a ref....I'd have issued 200 yellow-cards for the dozen games, and probably forty red cards.

Getting the suspension lifted?  Well....this has hyped-up the Belgium folks, and most everyone else.

Has this lifting been done before?  Yes.

Trump's role?  He basically picked-up the phone and asked for a review. For TDS-sufferers....it's a terrible thing.

If the US wins against Belgium.....there's to be massive grumbling.

Only 4-star crap from the Cup so far?  No....I'd suggest a dozen-odd crap things going  on.  For the Germans....they are still crying over the loss.

Oddly.....99-percent of Americans know nothing about yellow/red cards.

The Anti-AfD Protest

 The AfD Party has been holding the yearly 'big' congress meeting the past 24 hours....in Erfurt.

Lot of public TV coverage (via ZDF/ARD)....more so on the protest folks, than the meeting itself.

Protest 'bosses' say 50,000 protest attendees. Cops are saying at the peak....mid-afternoon....25,000.

In terms of blocking AfD attendees?  Zero success.

Three remaining state elections for 2026 and potential 'gains' for AfD?  Berlin City election (20 Sep), Sachsen-Anhalt (6 Sep), and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (20 Sep).

Berlin?  AfD will likely take 16-percent of the vote.  Five parties in  Berlin with a chance of 16-percent or more of the vote....fairly divided.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? Latest INSA poll suggests 35-percent 'win'....but no ability to form a coalition.

Sachsen-Anhalt?  INSA says currently....AfD at 41-percent.  But there is this odd factor.....at least four parties  with 5-percent or less in the forecast. You only get seats if you have 5-percent or more.   By the numbers game....there's 17-percent of the vote that may not get results. So you do the math, and find that AfD is fairly close to 50-percent and will not require a coalition.  I'm not saying that this path is possible...only that the math gives this funny option.

5 July 2026: Germany: 6 Stories

 1.  This Stade shooting update.

Almost daily....there's another odd  piece to the story I started on Monday.  So, the pistol has come up.  This German-Turk....a week or two prior to  the shooting....bought the pistol from SOME guy (not a weapons-offical-dealer) in Berlin  (near the 'zoo' station)....for 4k Euro cash.

For those who've never been to the 'zoo' area....it's where drunks/dopers mostly hang-out. Having been there a couple of times (near my hotel on the last trip)....it's a place you leave the subway, and walk quickly to get a hundred meters away. You don't linger there.

The car (Mercedes AMG)?  Well....there's a lot of questions over who officially owns the car.  Some say it's  privately owned....some suggest it's a NGO-group....some suggest it might be a relative's car.  The police?  They are saying next to nothing.

Then you have this odd 'help' being provided to the German-Turk guy....relating to a migration/refugee group....when the guy was born/educated here in Germany.  In some way....they are treating him like a migrant....which makes no sense.

2.  That Canada-Morocco World Cup game last night?  Extremely rough....number of yellow-card warnings.

3.    I watched a news piece this AM....gas station situation.....outer-ring of Moscow....approximately two-hundred vehicles lined up for refueling....gas-cars and diesel-trucks. Guy estimated....minimum wait of two hours, and you were going to have some limit of what you could buy.

He sums it up....we are approaching harvest season in 2 months.  It's probably not going to be a full harvest....with food shortages likely to be predicted by the end of 2026.

4.  Klopp has said he'll take the German national team soccer coach job....but won't fly back to Germany for the interview.  Yeah....he wants them (the DFB top  leadership) to fly and interview him...in the US.  

Assistant coaches?  The present guys have to go.....so DFB have to terminate them, and compensate in some way.  For Nagelsmann and them?  Probably in the 10-million Euro range.

5.  Essen mass brawl....150 guys.....1 guy dead.  Cops investigating.

6.  DGB study.....one in four Germans say they are physically unable to work all the way to 67. 

I'm Sorry

 Over the past three or four days, I've viewed fifty-odd clips (from Twitter) of  Germans, Australians, Brits, Italians and Japanese...who were overcome with emotions over their trip to the US for the World Cup games.

Probably a quarter of the crowd were overcome with emotions.  They had weeks/months of their public TV folks telling/warning  of the 'terrible' America, and the stories were BS.

The food, the beverages.....the friendly nature....the happy enthusiasm....the grocery stories....everything was 'Disneyland-like'.  

I'm sorry.

Going back home.....will be hard for them.  All that public TV BS....will be ineffective.  Some will ask how  to get Fox-News.  Some will ask  how to make that tangy ribs sauce.  Some will have a taste for whiskey.

Yeah, we overdid it.....we made folks feel welcome.

Yeah, we did something terrible....making Trump's America look better than what the media suggested.

Fixing this?  How? 

Three Theories Of Mine

 1.  I think from the day (Sep 2023) that DFB hired 'coach' Nagelsmann for the national team....more than fifty sports-figures/journalists....just started laughing and knew the success story of Nagelsmann....was a bluff.

I think in June as the team arrived in the US to train....the failures of the team were obvious.

2.  Every time some German politician notes a successful reform-package....a clock starts ticking....to reform the reform-package....fixing the mess laying there.

3.  If you start counting across German new/media (I think).....a typical German.....gets forty-plus 'lectures' per week. Between age forty and fifty....half of German society can mute the lectures, and not pay attention.

I also believe the lecture-people condemn them as 'stupid'....when they are actually fairly bright....in muting worthless information.

Five Observations

1.  That Turk-German shooter from  Monday...in Stade....has a twist or two.

Back in 2021....this guy was in Turkey....and was detained/arrested by the Turkish cops....on sexual abuse of his daughter (this is a separate daughter from the German situation).  I asked AI on the age....but none of the Turkish newspapers noted this.

So he was held.....then one day....he escaped.  

I paused over this.....when you get detained and held in a Turkish jail....you don't normally escape.  In my mind....there's probably a fair amount of a bribe....where the door is left unlocked.  Oddly, after he escaped....being a German citizen....he went 'home'.  You would think....some Turkish prosecutor would have talked to the Germans and searched for the guy.  But 'no'....nothing much happened. 

All this connectivity to the NGO business?  Well....it makes you wonder.

2.  Klopp pretty much 'fixed' to be the new soccer coach?

There is this small matter....he has still some kind of continuing contract....where he can't coach another team.  

3.  No one yet seems able to explain the new sick-note procedure....where you MUST start the note on day one.

I asked my German wife....odds of me getting an appointment with our doctor....she responded.....'the staff won't answer until 9 AM....it's 50-50 if  you can get a appointment to be seen by 5 PM'.

This being done strictly by phone?  Well.....ethically, it's possible....just me telling the 'doc' I feel sick.

Coalition screw-up?  Yeah....this will be a major problem.

4.  One of the biggest fires in a decade or two....in Stuttgart last night.  Two warehouses in an industrial area on the Neckar River.  

5.  Drought continues on....my cherry tree has probably lost one-third of it's leaves now.  There's been two ultra-light rains over a 10-week period now.  Temps?  Fantastic....six days of 24 C to 28 c.

3 July 2026: Germany: 6 Stories

1.  Nagelsmann, the  German national team coach....got dragged into a 3-hour meeting with DFB 'top-brass' yesterday....having to explain how the team 'failed'.  Afterwards....they asked him to resign.

Reports from Sky this AM...say he's submitted his resignation.  Based on some estimates....he'd still walk away with 7-million Euro.

2.  Drought?  Well....weather folks are saying rainfall is lagging.  In my backyard....leaves falling off the cherry tree already.

3.  Reform package done on sick-leave.  On day one of feeling 'ill'....you need a doctor's note.  Some doctors are saying this will be impossible to accomplish.

4.  3-0, Spain wins over Austria last night. Most impressive team that I've seen so far.

5. WELT piece.....a regular scheduled freight train....take 6 days to travel 600 km.

6.  I watched a clip of 'waiting-for-fuel' in Russia this AM.....roughly a 28-hour wait until he could fuel up.  

German Soccer T-Shirts....Half-Price?

 Well....a major distributor brought this up yesterday....since the team is 'out'.

I asked the wife...if this would affect sports-viewing and marginal interest for the remainder of the games.  Answer:  'hell---yes'.

Even beer consumption will probably drop.

The Odd Connecting Story To The Monday Shooting

Well....it's odd to lay this out.

This Turk-German guy (born in Germany, ethnic status: Turk)....lives in Hannover. He was driven by a older gal (age 65), who was a migration policy activist....from a local NGO.

German federal program (financed)....called 'Democracy Live'.

The strange thing is that he (the shooter) was a German (born in Germany)....yet being handled/supported....as a immigrant/migrant.

No one says much....in the retreat/effort-to-leave-the-scene...but the gal (driver) had to hear the shots and know chaos was occurring.

Charges on her?  I seriously doubt it.  She simply believed in good intent (even if he had a open-file with the police....connected to some crime-clan operation).

For a normal German looking at the whole story....nothing makes much sense.

Who Will Be The Next German Soccer National Team Coach?

 Jürgen Klopp.  (My humble guess)

Management career: 2001–2008: Mainz 05 (considered a legend in Mainz), 2008–2015: Borussia Dortmund (considered a legend in Dortmund), and 2015–2024: Liverpool (considered a legend).

He 'retired' in 2024, and returned to the Wiesbaden....saying he was finished.

2 July 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.  Weather folks anticipating 35-plus C temp's.....mid-July.  

2.  Job Center authorities in Neukölln....early Wednesday morning....did a 'audit' o a homeless shelter for fraud. Twenty-six folks  were noted 'gone'....explanation?  Well....they were on vacation.  How they could afford vacation? Unknown.

When they show back up....there's some explaining to do.

3. The DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund / German Football Association) headquarters in Frankfurt....got raided yesterday by police.

150 cops involved.....accusation?  Investigation into suspected corruption / granting and accepting undue advantages (Vorteilsgewährung / Vorteilsannahme) linked to UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. 

It appears some type of possibly illegal or preferential internal allocation of thousands of tickets to favored guests.

WELT  says the suspects...include a 66-year-old German (former administrative employee from Gelsenkirchen, previously known in connection with fraud allegations).

Official response?  No-comment. 

4.  Lot of chatter over the contract of the German national team coach....very critical.  Even if they fire him....he walks away with 11-million Euro.

5.  That shooter guy (I essayed the story 3 days ago)....bought the pistol used....around 7-to-14 days prior....4,000 Euro. (Bild)

'Intent' will come up in the court business now.

The Three Problems In Massive Air Conditioning Increases For Germany

 First, power grid cost are outrageous....more than most all EU member states.  If you were talking about 15 days a year of running a AC unit....it's not bad.  If this were 60-odd days....some folks would have a cash-flow problem.

Second, if you live in a apartment building built in the 1950s/1960s/1970s, and hasn't had a electrical renovation....you probably have a limited amount of  power that you can draw.  You could overcome the issue....with a 3k to 5k project.

Third and final....there's a guilt 'trip' involved....where public TV (ARD/ZDF) will attempt to identify you as a problem.  I would imagine a quarter of the population would prefer not to receive criticism.

1 July 2026: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  German national soccer 'drama'.  

Apparently, the coach-contract was set to around 21-million Euro....locked into place, if the team emerged out of the first three games (which they accomplished). I think the German national authority will just let this go....probably for a year,  before they dismiss the guy.

2. Of the top ten producing Russian refineries....only two are undamaged.

3. German inflation rate falls to 2.3-percent, for June.

Q-and-A: Germany, AC, and the Heat Dome

 1.  This second 'heat-dome' chatter?

The current cooling off....probably 7 days of 25-to-29 C (max of 84 F).  Then the heat-dome returns to some degree....probably 2 weeks....of 31 to 35 C  (max of 95 F). Weather gal hint....another cooling trend occurs (week or two). 

She doesn't say if a 3rd heat-dome occurs.  

I would just say....as bad as 35 C (95 F) is....getting to 38 C (100 F)....is damn hot.

2.  The chatter of Germans asking if this is a permanent thing....is a daily thing now.

The cut-off point, I think.....if you say there's to be 35 C plus-temps over 60-plus days each summer.....most folks are going to buy a AC unit (roll-around) by spring of 2027.

3.  Could the grid handle doubling and tripling the AC unit count in Germany?

I have my doubts. 

4.  Mandates likely by spring of 2027?

Would not shock me if NO-Booze sales during heat waves (maybe beer/wine-coolers allowed).  France has some 'rule' like this currently.

5.  Buckling of pavement on a massive scale?  

Talked about a good bit.

6.  “Mallorca rule”?

Well....if you are a German public 'servant'....you can do home-office up to 8 weeks a year....out-of-the-country.  I'm not saying they do it much....but it's been brought up.

30 June 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

1.  Germany-Paraguay game.

This went on to like 1:30 AM.  Average play by German team....nothing spectacular. Some analyst over the weekend had said....one of the weaker German teams of the past 20 years.

From the games I've watched....France and Argentina look stronger of the entire group.  

Nagelsmann (the coach)?  I'd say he's gone by spring of 2027.  High expectations for past four years.  

2.    New whale drama....version 2.0....Timmy II.  They named the weakened whale....'Hartwin'....younger whale than Timmy.

No analysis yet on their strategy of handling this whale.

3.  Extremely high number of road 'blow-ups' being reported (because of the recent heat).

4.  Weather view?  About 7 more days of 25-to-28 C....then 35 C temps return.

5.  Sort of funny.

I  asked AI (Grok).....if El Nino was causing the US heat-umbrella/dome.....answer  yes.

So I asked.....the European heat umbrella/dome....also caused by El Nino....NO.

Grok explain the US problem is El Nino, and the  European problem is man-made climate change.

I paused here....asking if the US pattern of wind/Gulf Stream could be contributing....NO was the answer.

So, I asked Grok....assemble all reports/data from 1990 to 2005....asking if El Nno affects European weather patterns. 'Absolutely' was the answer.

Yeah....Grok/AI has been taught to answer in a certain way.  One problem can be answered one way....the other a different way.

Rest of the Story Over the Shooting

 From yesterday's shooting:

1.  Shooter was a Turk-German, with a connection to some crime-clan group.  Age mid-40s.

2.  When the cops stopped the vehicle to capture the guy....he was a passenger.  Some female relative was the driver.

3.  He's not from Hamburg/region....he's from Hannover.

4.  Authorities had ordered his wife/newborn child into a women's protection facility (just west of Hamburg).  Way that the comment comes across....he appears to have a short-fuse.  

5.  Disagreement with the staff members of the facility.....they appear to be all the dead.

6.  It does not appear that he had a gun license.

7.  Some comment from the police...'they knew him'....meaning he had a record.

8.  On court action....judge might ask for a mental exam.  If so....could be an effort to permanently hold him (threat for the remainder of his life). If no exam....I don't see him ever getting out of prison.  

My Morning Adventure

 This AM....I went early to the Wiesbaden Zollamt (tax-office)....to renew my pink-card (allows me to use the BX/commissary).

So I get there....plenty of parking.  Walk in....hand the card to  the uniformed Zoll-lady.  She spent 20 minutes....coming over to see me....a problem.

Well....her system connects to some server in Darmstadt (Zoll HQ for the state, I guess).  AC is down.  Server is off. 

I ask....can I come back in 2 hours?  NO.

Maybe in 4 hours?  NO.

Wednesday?  Maybe.

Thursday.....yeah.

I pondered this....all this connectivity in Germany....with AI being a priority, and if the AC fails....the whole system collapses.

Pretty critical weak point.

Is The German Mini-Job System In Trouble?

 Well....the mini-job status was simple.

You as a shop/store....hire a guy/gal to work minimum hours over the month....making a max of 603 Euro for the month (no taxes/pension).  It was mostly designed for women with kids.....to have a part-time situation

What came up in recent  years.....there's no pension.

So these older folks....upon reaching 67....had nothing.  They'd turn to the welfare office....who had to pay them some type of 'pay-deal'.  Eventually, the CDU-CSU woke up....realizing the system can't continue this way.

What happens?

Some believe that part-time jobs will dissolve drastically.

Shooting

 German police are in the early stages of a homicide investigation.

Six adults dead (one died at the hospital).  Shooter captured by the police (alive).

Occurred mid-afternoon....at or near a mother-child welfare facility (Mutter-Kind-Einrichtung) in the Dankersstraße area of Stade, Lower Saxony.  This is about 30 min driving west of Hamburg.

Victims at scene: four women and one man (all adults).

Ethnic info/names?  No....nothing released yet.

Note: Shooter arrested getting out of his car (Mercedes AMG 43 model).  Appears to be five-plus years old....something in the 20k  Euro range (if in good condition). 'Status-car'.  

Pool Assaults

 Police operations over the weekend at Frankfurt, Griesheim, Kriftel....at regional public outdoor swimming pools.

Plain assault, and alleged sexual assault.

Based off what the news says.....pools have been shutdown until facts are established.

Magnet for trouble?  Up until the past 20 years....you just didn't hear of brawls or sexual assaults at German public pool.  Now?  Some of them have gone and hired 'security' and bouncer-folks.

Burnham

 Andy Burnham gave his UK-I'm-going-to-be-your-PM speech this AM.

What I got out of it?  Well....he says to fix all of the UK problems...he'll need 10 years.

I had to quit at some point where that was said.....being unable to take anything serious.

I am reminded of a used car I owned....continually broke....the mechanic finally said something to the effect....'look, I can fix this once and for all but it'll cost you ten times the value of the car'.   The catch was....I  simply dump it and buy a brand new vehicle.

The UK needs a 'Jesus'....somebody very likeable like a Merkel but without a lot of BS or promises.

This UK-Jesus....does he/she even exist?  I doubt it.

Is anyone buying the 10-year plan guy? 

EU Regulating

 Starting 19 July (2026).....the EU is banning all big clothing manufacturers from throwing away unsold clothing and shoes.

Path left if unsold?  It must be reused, recycled, resold at a lower price, or donated to reduce waste.

For the most part....I think they are aiming at low-end/cheap crap.

So if this were a 3-pack of cheap T-shirts....selling for 12 Euro....laying there for a year....you can't just throw it away.  This reminds me of a 2019 purchase I made via Amazon....where the T-shirts arrived, and I realized they were crappy stock....basically lasting through the summer....then thrown out.

What'll happen?  I would imagine that they create a XXL box of clothing items....mixed-up....sold for 15 Euro (telling you the original value was 250 Euro).  You order....finding that 90-percent was crap, and throw it away yourself.

28 June 2026: Germany: 7 Stories

 1.  This AM....first rainfall in 4 weeks for my 'valley'.  Temp dropped 10 degrees C....sitting at 20 C (68 F).  

2.  Number of Germans noting public TV (ZDF/ARD) 'slant'....on evil air-conditioning.  Basic idea....if you buy/install a unit....you are speeding up  climate change.

I will say....if 50-percent of the public over the next year buy a unit....the grid will probably have some problems in supporting the 'load' on particularly hot days.

3. Odd police event in Kehl (Baden-Wuerttemberg). Around 50-to-60 French men....arrived, and tried to  enter the local German public pool....without paying.

4.  ZDF's tv show....'Fernsehgarten' (Sunday musical show)....has a studio situation....open-air....with people paying to enter.   So folks have noticed since the summer  season started up....ZDF refuses to sell alcohol (only water/sodas allowed for sale).  Network suggests consumption problem.

5.  Putin had a crisis summit/emergency meeting....relates to fuel shortages in Russia.  The suggestion is....he will open emergency reserves.

Just a suggestion....I doubt that the folks in charge of the reserves....have much to 'share', and if there is some reserve.....it's probably enough for 30 days at best. 

Amazing....those 'evil-Nazis' of the Ukraine bringing Russia to its knees.  Yet, the emergency operation continues on.

6.   SPD having talks...wants to raise booze-tax....20-percent higher.

7.  ARD (public TV, Channel 1)....ran a Brennpunkt (emergency status show) over the weekend.  Chatter?   Heat-wave.

Mobility researcher Andreas Knie was invited.  He says....there must be an immediate halt to new construction, massive changes to economic life, and radial planning approach.

Yeah....if you watched it and got hyped-up....it probably scared the crap out of you.

'Freddy' Comparison

 I follow the travels of 'Freddy' (German visiting the US for the World Cup).  He takes a photo about every couple  of hours....writes a comment or two, and a million-odd people follow him.

So it occurred to me....he's simply a German version of Alexis de Tocqueville....the French guy who came over in 1831....observed a lot of the US....wrote two volumes of a highly popular book about the nation.

If you haven't read 'Democracy in America'.....well worth reading....in how things work/evolve in America.  Freddy is simply doing a 2026-version.

Q-and-A: Heat/Germany

 1. Are there any German rules/laws preventing AC?

No....don't be silly.  

In my village of 4,400 people and  roughly 2,250 residences....I'd estimate that 300 residences have heat-pumps/installed AC units (my dentist has AC in each room). I'd also guess that 1,300 residences have a roll-around unit (like I have).

2. The worst scenario?

You live in a roof-top apartment, and after the 5th day of 34-plus C....the place never cools off at night.

3. Are there any clothing required rules for bus/rail travel?

The past week....I noted a couple of guys on the train.....sport shorts/no-shirt. Gals?  Tube-tops and sport shorts.  There might be rules, but they aren't going to enforce them.

4.  Weather for  July?

Well....today peaks at 35 C (95 F)....chills off by 8 degrees C for 10 days.....then the 34-to-40 C temp returns....probably for two weeks.  August is anyone's guess....might be a 3rd wave of 40 C.

5. How many public buildings have AC?

In Wiesbaden? Probably 5-to-10 percent.....mostly because of cost-factors. Schools?  Zero.

6.  Public buses having AC?

The label on the door says 'AC'....but lets be honest.....it probably works up to  32/33 C (93 F).  Temp up to 40 C......don't go riding after 1 PM.

7.  Why do more French people die from heat....than Germans?

Various theories on this.  

Some belief that any French gal/guy dying  (of  anything)....if they die on a day of 35 C (95 F).....the doctor automatically labels them  dead from heat....even if they fell down a stairway.

Some Germans believe that French nature to consume wine all day.....also plays a role.

Lot of BS, if you ask me.

8.  Heat wave causing Germans to eat out 'late'?

Germans (majority) prefer to eat between  5 PM and 7 PM.  Past month....this has slipped to a 8 PM  to 10 PM deal.

9.  Can you find a AC unit to buy?  

I walked into a hardware store (OBI) yesterday....for some repair items.   AC unit on display.....sign indicates next shipment in mid-July.  Fan selection?  Near zero.

10. If 38 C (100 F) were the norm for summer....say 30 days in June/July/August?

I would imagine mandatory-siesta-mandate (gov't talk going on) would occur.  I also think 80-percent of homes would acquire AC units.  I also believe the grid  would be UNABLE to support the draw of power.

Explaining The German Heat-Cycle

 Latitude-wise....Germany (central region) should match up with Vancouver, Canada. Shocking....huh?

So, there are three types of summers.  Imagine a 10-year cycle....where you have three outcomes.

First cycle.....roughly two  of  the ten....will have 60 days of 30-plus C temps.  You might have 3 straight days of 34 C.....then a retreat to high 20's for a couple....off-and-on.  A few days of 35 C....in the mix.....for harsh value.

Second cycle.....maybe three of the ten years....maybe 40-odd days of 30-plus.....still a few 35 C (two or three in a row).

Third cycle?  Maybe five of ten years....with 30-mixed days of 30-plus....with 33-to-35 C occurring a dozen days out of the summer.

The first cycle....yeah, you need AC.

Second cycle....AC is marginally needed.

Third cycle....there's probably six days of rough temps....so AC is not a big deal.

This year (2026)?  It's rough....ten days in a row with 32-plus temp....climbing to 36-plus five of those days.

Should UK Residents Blame BREXIT On All Of Their Woes?

 Well....I will make four observations:

1.  Before BREXIT ever arrived (by vote)....things were spiraling in a somewhat crappy way.  No one blames pre-BREXIT on this 'path' (say 20 years prior).

2.  Oddly, if you observe Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands today....without BREXIT....none of them seem to be thriving that well.  

3.  I get this impression that around 50-percent of the UK society....sees BREXIT as a curse, or 'boogy-man'.....explaining this in detail.....but lacking facts/data.

4.  Finally....based on the level of 'shit-hole' status they've procured over the past decade....I'm not sure the EU really wants them or their problems back.

Sweat TV

 Yesterday....Friday....ZDF (public TV)...ran something for 45 minutes.....a broadcast called 'Germany is Sweating'.

Basically, I guess the point is......people aren't distressed enough....so they decided to give you a more intense view.

I probably gave it 15 minutes of total viewing.

Maybe Germans aren't consumed enough....maybe they need more heat information.

27 June 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.  Some German gal showed up at a German airport....in pretty limited clothing (noting the temps)....Lufthansa said 'nein'.....too little of  clothing.  

I looked at the pic....me, being  67...the tube-top probably was marginal, but acceptable.  Sports shorts...rather short. I would just say....don't travel tramp-ish.

2.   Yesterday, traveled through Frankfurt.....41 C (106 F).   Today, in my valley....predicted to hit 39 C (102 F).

3.  State of 'emergency' declared in Crimea....locals are said to be leaving.

4.  CDU suggesting 'early-retirement-age-63' to end.

5. At some non-air-conditioned hospital in NW Germany....staff told patients they could lounge in their room....in the nude. Not sure it helps.

Heat-Demon/Witchcraft

 Past ten days....if you watch ARD/ZDF (public TV in Germany)....you get a morning/evening update....over the heat-demon business.

Frankly, having lived three years in Panama, and four years in Arizona....the heat marginally bothers me.

The sales-pitch on the heat-demon/climate change?  Oddly, it reminds me of the 1500s and the witchcraft era.  If you demonize it enough....you get results (I'm not saying positive or negative...just results).

Last night....ARD went to interview some 7-year old kid....having him speak to the 'demon' business.  Later....it was some older retiree gal in a hospital....that had no AC, and just cooled by a fan.

Come Monday....with a new front coming in....we revert back to the 25 C to 30 C 'norm' (77 F to 86 F)....with the demon-BS dissolving for a while.

One aspect coming out of this 2026 June-demon era....most Germans are discussing the idea of getting AC units.   That means energy consumption goes up in 2027....as they procure the units.  My expectation....the grid starts to fail in 2027....with Germans warned to avoid cooling off. 

Boll

 Uwe Boll (director to Citizen Vigilante...movie 'set' in Europe).....gave  a interview yesterday to Jack Posobiec....saying "I'm suing Germany for censorship after it banned my movie to protect immigrants."

Facts?  There's a agency which reviews and 'rates' movies for release in Germany (meaning theaters, streaming, TV)....Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK), or Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry.  It doesn't report to the gov't or the Chancellor (I need to point this out).  Long in existence?  1949.

The gov't years ago.....'gave' FSK a primary law called the Jugendschutzgesetz (JuSchG), or Protection of Young Persons Act (Youth Protection Act). It just says....go and protect children/juveniles/adolescents from 'THE' media.

I'll just say....you can do mild sex scenes with 'approval'....alien-invasion's with 'approval'....some demonic stuff with 'approval'....even zombie thrillers with 'approval'.

The whole existence of FSK?  Well....to protect kids....Not adults.

So....FSK went and viewed the movie (Citizen Vigilante) and afterwards....simply declined to rate it....meaning no rating....no viewing.   They didn't really 'ban' the movie.

Legal standing for Boll?  He'll get the 'bosses' of FSK dragged in and legally offer their opinion (I believe) that the Youth Protection Act carries a burden/weight.  

The problem I see (having viewed five or six clips of Boll's movie)....it is violent but FSK has stamped/rated dozens of pretty violent movies.  At this point, they will have to remark that Boll's movie has violence against some particular group of people (without mentioning which one).

The judge will remark....there's no law for him/her to force FSK to approve a movie.  End of the case...I suspect.

As for Germans watching the movie....I'd say by mid-July....probably 20-percent of the nation will have watched the movie via X/Twitter....mostly folks between ages 12 and 30.  A vast majority will say they agree with the story-line and outcome.  Intellectual Germans....who mostly do not view it....will be fairly negative.  I might  even offer the opinion....a lot of Turks will have watched and agree on story-line.

Boll to make Citizen Vigilante II and III?  Well....there's talk. II would be a US landscape.....III is anyone's guess.

The apartment scene near the last 20 minutes of the movie?  I've watched about six times now.  It draws you to form a opinion.  

Odd note: you know....it reminds me of 'Billy Jack' a good bit.

26 June 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.   Ended up watching half of the Germany-Ecuador game (started at 10 PM).  I'll just say....roughest game I've seen so far....Ecuador won 2:1.

2. Some kind of weird ARD  (public TV) report yesterday....E-cars/AC units.....electricity 'hogs'.....warning of massive consumption.

It's possible to save some power....just turn ARD news reports off.

3.  ARD (public TV) ran some 'tips' for public pool use.  Just read like stuff you'd lecture a 9-year old child.

My general advice....with temps up around 37 C (100 F) today.....avoid the overcrowded pool, and just hangout under a tree with a chilled beer.

4.  From Wed....at an outdoor swimming pool in Bochum...a brawl of sorts started up.

The pool 'boss' decides enough is enough...calls the cops...with the help of the police, he has the facility cleared. 4,000 guests have to leave the pool.

5.  On Amazon-Germany offerings....I got some email that women's vibrators are discounted off.  I guess....some heat-wave sale.

That 10 PM Germany-Ecuador World Cup Game?

 I  questioned the wife....if  we would watch it.  

It was a pretty definite 'NO'.

A Silly Pool Story (Out of Germany)

There is this public-access swimming facility in Germany....the Heidebad in Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt.

Basically a large lakeside public swimming area (a former quarry lake up to 13 meters deep).  

There is a 'boss'....head-director....Mathias Nobel....who up and decided to introduce a new entry rule in mid-June.

Guests must be able to understand safety instructions, bathing rules, and directions from lifeguards....in GERMAN. No formal language test....just sprinkle basic German, and you get entry.  This was going to be forced.....case-by-case.

If you couldn't speak German....maybe someone in your crew/group could speak it.

Yeah....in the first week...some folks (who weren't German) were denied.

So...some folks asked 'why', and the logic was....safety concerns.  

I thought about this....there's probably forty factors in hanging out at a pool....and if you didn't heed warnings (obviously in German).....you might put yourself in danger.

Oddly, this got a fair amount of chatter....some Germans felt it was anti-migrant....some felt it was extremely fair.

The mayor got involved....saying it was wrong.  Some folks suggested hiring multilingual life-guards.

Interestingly enough....the 'boss' stood by the initial rule.

This debate over?  No....there's still political bickering going on.

I expect the 'boss' to be fired/let-go eventually....someone hired to reverse the rule, and within a month or two....some non-German speaker/no-swimmer....to drown.  Then the discussion will be....how was this possible when we were so helpful.

I asked Grok/AI to assemble data....how many residents in Germany...speak/read ZERO German.  Not much data exists....Grok did say that 6-percent of society speak only NON-German at home....meaning they exist with marginal German at work or in their status.

The funny side this....there might be a class developed in the future....called swimming-pool-German....where you spend  a weekend in some class....learning enough German to fake the pool management folks into letting you enter.  My US Army associates would call it 'beer-German'....one-hundred phrases to use at a beer-garden/lounge/disco.  

Five German Things That I Believe Will Be 'Controlled' By 2035

 1.  Heat-Pumps/AC units....will have some registration and be gov't mandated on temperatures (especially in the summer....NO lower than 24 C).

2.  Fast-food calorie control....where an attempt will be made to limit your visit to X-number of calories.

3. Coke/Pepsi/the rest....will be threatened to limit per can/bottle 100 calories.

4.  Temperature 'siestas' to be implemented....any time it reaches 35 C....all commerce/business....ceases.

5.  A digital form will be mandated between 2 consenting adults....if they want  to 'roll-around-in-the-hay'.  National registry will hold the forms for two years. 

Police Raid Chatter

 This police raid in Hamburg this AM...gets more interesting.

200 police....some asylum 'complex/building'.....the suggestion is that 'some' folks....probably into the dozens....are faking Ukrainian citizenship/residency in Germany.

Roughly around 1-million Ukrainians are registered in Germany...on some type of status.

How many are fake?  Unknown.  But I'm guessing this is going to open up investigations around the country....where non-Ukrainians exist, and possibly Ukrainians themselves have two or three identities.  

Naturally, AfD is hyped-up over this and putting out comments.

Why Is The German Bahn (Railway System) Broke?

 Well....to lay it out (note, off/on, I've been here for 30-odd years....so I can talk from a historical standpoint).

First, some effort in the 1990s started up this 'technical-marvel' spiral....where they wanted a ultra-modern railway system, and it meant more things which could fail/go-wrong.

Putting AC into all carriages was great....except you bought into a system that probably maxes out at 32 C (90 F).  By 1 PM...with temperatures around 36 C....my advice is to leave the train....sip beer at some pub until 7 PM, and try to wrap up your trip then.

The toilets?   Well....if you board four trains in  one day....pretty good odds of at least one toilet 'broke' onboard.

The German expectation of things 'working'?  They gaze across at broke-bridges....crappy roads in need of repair.....schools that need drastic renovation, and they realize the country is geared to be half-ass. 

Train stations now a magnet for drug-gangs, irrational nutcases, and charged-up boozers?  Between 2000 and 2010....there were minor examples out there and you kept thinking....well.....things will correct themselves.  No....they just doubled-up, and tripled-up.

I'm not anti-Bahn.....I still use it occasionally.  But I'm realistic....I always have a plan 'B', act vigilant in train stations, and generally expect something to go wrong.

Footnote: Two days ago....about a block outside of the Frankfurt train-station....cops got called. Irrational guy....with a knife....acting crazy (drugged-up probably). They arrive...issue orders to drop the knife. Guy refuses.....cops fires two rounds into him...for a good wound-situation (he's still alive).  Oddly....group  of folks watch from a distance and applaud the cop shooting the guy.  They weren't chanting or nothing....just that it seemed the best way to demonstrate to the guy....be civil.     

25 June 2026: Germany: 9 Things

 1.   That big train shut-down from Tuesday night (nationwide)?

Well....it appears to be a technical problem with the secure radio that the engineers have....to talk to the regional 'authority'.  It's a fairly old system (2G).  It's on the to-be-replaced list, but frankly....they ain't got the funding.

This led to big 'stink'....lot of folks were left in the middle of nowhere....hotel-the-night away....to move on in the morning.

2. ZDF this week (the public TV folk) are on a heat-agenda.  This graphic was from yesterday....telling you to disconnect your router when not in use. What they didn't tell you.....your phone calls lead through  it.....so if someone was calling you....it went to a dead-number.

I'm not saying they were 'stupid', but obviously, they probably don't have a phone in the house anymore.....just using a cellphone.

I'm waiting today....for them to  suggest disconnecting your TV.....to save on heat, and get less ZDF 'advice'.

3.  19 million retirees in Germany....receive 421 billion Euro yearly.  Of this....1.48 million former civil servants receive 67 billion Euro.

Yeah.....if you do the math....big chunk for public office people.

4. Watched the Switzerland-Canada World Cup game.   Must have been 300 occasions where players were laying on the ground wounded/fake-wounded.  Also....from the Swiss guys.....they all seem like male models....even the coach.

5.  This AfD Party 'congress-meeting' for this weekend.....Erfurt.....cops say 50,000 protest folks expected.....with 2,500 described as 'threatening' (meaning they are prone to violence).

6. 200 cops were used in a raid on a apartment building in Hamburg....refugee-fraud accusations.

7.   Mandated-siesta talk going on in Germany...unions now advocating a temp-setting to trigger the siesta. 

8.  N-TV went to talk about the DC algae-in-the-pond story.  They say: "New theory is circulating: US President Trump himself could be responsible for the peeling sealant."

After reviewing things.....I think it's a alien conspiracy situation.....aliens dropping in algae nightly....to bring down Trump.

9. Social media chatter.....to safeguard young people from risky content and excessive social media use....the German Family Minister says there has to be a age limit.  

The platforms question how this would work, and if the kids might be clever enough to get around it.

After pausing....I have three solutions:

First, go back to 56-speed (what we had in 1998).

Second, mandate a maturity test.....even for adults.  If you aren't clever/mature-enough....even at age 35....no internet/social media.

Third, create some unbelievable tax-rate to have social media of any type....like 12 Euro per hour.

Court Story

 Back in February....around the region of Landstuh (near Ramstein)....a ticket-check/audit was occurring on the train.

Turkish conductor....encountering a non-German...without a ticket.  For whatever reason....the customer had no ticket.  The conductor to the normal rule....you ID yourself, and you exit the train at the next station. 

Well....the customer went berserk....for whatever reason...throwing a couple of punches...knocks the conductor on the ground.  He goes into a coma...dies two days  later.

So....this story goes in a odd way. Most folks thought the customer (non-German) was a refugee.   Well....no....about a day into things....he's identified as a mid-20s Greek guy.

Court action?  Started this week.  Prosecutor lessened the charge...not murder, but manslaughter (can go from 5 years up to 15 years). The family of the conductor (Turkish).....was pretty distraught over this.

Up until a dozen years ago....you just didn't hear of attacks on conductors...awful rare.  I'd suggest conductor-duty now....is a fairly risky business.

My Opinion On New Apparent UK PM (Burnham)

 Andy Burnham looks pretty well set to become the UK’s 7th Prime Minister since David Cameron’s departure in 2016.

Oddly?

Well....up until 2 weeks ago....he was not even  member of Parliament....new election in his district....he wins....moves onto PM level in a matter of ten days.

Well...then there's the issue of both journalists and Labour Party folks....seeing him as a 'Jesus-like' figure. 

Well...then there's his wife who seems to have taint of corruption, and there's likely to be some  audit to clear her.

I'd say the guy can limp the part over for 6 to 12 months....for the next guy.

I should add.....on the Marxism index....where Starmer was  a '7'....I might rank Burnham as a '8'.  I'm not saying Marxism is a bad thing (some people need the passion).   

Saturday Peak?

 In my valley, the temp-prediction for Saturday is 39 C (102 F).....with Wiesbaden forecasted at 41 C (106 F).  A cool front is supposed to start on Sunday....back to the mid-to-high 20s.

My AC unit....dragged up and will be turned on around noon today.

Yeah, the 39 C is mostly a record for the village, with 41 C absolutely a record for Wiesbaden (lot of pavement to suck-up on heat).

INSA Polling

 INSA, the polling folks....went and did a unique poll....splitting the CDU and CSU apart:

AfD: 29-percent

CDU: 17.1-percent

CSU: 4.4-percent

SPD: 12.5-percent

Greens: 13-percent

BSW: 3.5-percent

Linke: 10.5-percent

FDP: 4-percent

Two thoughts....first, at present....BSW and FDP are unlikely to reach 5-percent (you don't get seats with less than 5-percent).

Second, if AfD were to win....they can't get a coalition to reach 50-percent.  The CDU-CSU gets the 'nod' then, but has to form with the Greens and SPD. It is conceivable...in these coalition talks....that the CSU gets peeved over being dragged to a fairly left-agenda, and says 'no'....they won't be a part of the coalition.  This would force a 4th partner....the Linke.  This would be a fairly fragile coalition and likely to fall apart in a year or two.

Railway Shutdown?

 Something started to occur around 8 PM last night in Germany....where the radio system that trains use to communicate.....started to fail.

By 10:00 PM roughly....the whole national network was shutdown.  

So....into the tens of thousands....folks were more or less dumped in the middle-part of their journey.  The Bahn told them....go find a hotel for the night (you can get up to 120 Euro of vouchers later).

What happened?  Unknown. 

They did a reset, around 2-to-3 AM, and seem to be catching up this AM.

My general advice...if using the Bahn....always have a plan 'B' in your mind....particularly if going a long distance.

When The Smoke Finally Clears Over The Ukraine-Russia 'War'

 First, the Crimea will probably (because of Russian economic disaster)....will return to Ukrainian control.  Oh the population shift?  I imagine half the population will up and leave for Moscow...creating a weird disaster.

Second, Putin ends up buried in some graveyard, with honors.  I don't think the FSB really cares for him carrying things to the next level.

Third, the banks of Russia....will be in disaster-mode for a year or two....requiring help from the US/EU/Asia.

Fourth, you will never know the true death-count for Putin's army.  More-than-a-million.....probably nearing 1.5-million.  

Fifth, as Ukraine opens it's gates....roughly a half-million will exit and never return. 

January 1978: The 'Guest' Lecture

 Upon arriving at Rhein Main AB, West Germany...there was a in-processing session.  Somewhere in the four hours of that morning....there was a 8-to-10 minute 'lecture' which went this way.

'You are a guest of West Germany.  For some....it's Disneyland.  For others....it's s beer paradise.  A few might even suggest it's rough to get orientated upon. You make the best out of it....as a 'guest'.  Don't do anything stupid....don't insult anyone....don't go and think you can out-drink any German.  Don't waste this opportunity.'

There were probably forty tips in the lecture (most I've forgotten).  The intent was to let you know.....you were invited in some way and have a obligation to act as a 'guest'.

Later on....1984 when I returned....there was no guest lecture. Same story in 1993.

Over the years....I've had the idea that the 'lecture' needs to be recreated....in a longer format....in a more blunt form.

Yeah, I might suggest.....that probably one-third of the 'guests' can't honor the obligation.

AC Chatter

 I saw this in the AM today....ZDF-Heute info poster....the 'evil-AC' stuff.

The basic words?  

Mobile air conditioners are BAD because the warm exhaust air is vented outside and then delivers hotter air to the world.

In my village of 4,000 folks and around 600 residences?  I would imagine one out of three now have a AC unit.

Yeah.....the air (hotter-than-hell) has to go somewhere.

My Thoughts: UK

I watched about 90 minutes of BBC yesterday (normally, I might average 15 minutes a month).

The PM's 'I'm-leaving' speech and analysis took up the bulk.

Then you had this weird overhead view.

BBC paid some chopper crew to follow the Manchester-to-London train....delivering the immortal Andy Burnham into London....to be the next PM.

Yes.....live.

The way it felt....like some train-delivery of Jesus or Moses.

It just felt like some TV production.

23 June 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.  Citizen Vigilante has come out (movie).

Basic script.....some bad folks have corrupted European society...finally peeving some American guy who is a combo Billy Jack-Dirty Harry-The Punisher-John Wick....who brings vigilantism to Europe.  I watched probably 12 minutes of clips....fairly blunt....violent.

So....Germany's film review agency did review the movie but refused to give it a rating....so it means it can't be shown at a theater....reason given....'would incite people'. (they don't say which people)

Can a German still view the movie?  Only in Blue-Ray form....coming out of Austria  and Switzerland. 

So I will suggest this.....couple of hundred Turks who own smoke/drink shops....will illegally import 100,000 copies of it from Austria and likely sell it under the counter.  Turks....will watch and readily agree....some folks have arrived in Germany over the past decade....making for problems.

It's not a four-star script.....could readily be a 2nd and 3rd movie.

2. France-Iraq World Cup game on the air last night....starting at 11 PM.  Rain-storm in the middle of the pause.  Two hours added....restarted at 2 AM (local) and finally ended at 3 AM.  France won 3-0.

Earlier game.....Messi versus Austria. 2-0: Messi.

3.  Moscow stock exchange....at lowest point of past 3 years.

4. N-TV: German shops/stores....reporting record level of shop-lifting.

5.  Heat?  30-plus temp's for seven more days....peaking this weekend at 38 C locally (100.4 F).  

The 'Quiet-Germans'

 Jan Josef Liefers. actor/intellectual.....gave a podcast talk this past weekend.  He's one of those folks who seems to think over consequences in life and make observations.

So he talked about the topics of the AfD, Covid, and the left-wing restriction of freedom of speech. 

In a kind way....he described the country with a negative fundamental mood and people striving to not speak over their opinons....at work, at school, at the church, with neighbors, or social gatherings.

If you asked me of the 'quiet-Germans'....it's probably reached the 40-to-50 percent level (my assigned level).

If someone tries to state a topic....the quiet-German simply gazes off and acts like they know 'nothing'....realizing their opinion might shock the associate or neighbor.

Where they know they can state their mind....at the ballot-box....voting for AfD.

I sat six years ago, and noted a conversation between two Germans (strangers).  One was a craftsman....asked over a task.  The second was a person with a job in their mind.  One uttered a thought (not blunt)....the other uttered a connecting thought (also not blunt).  Within two minutes....both were uttering commentary that you'd typically not hear. It was a harsh exchange on political dialog.

Two quiet-Germans.....realizing each had a blunt thought in their mind.

What got thing this way?  I'd suggest the refugee/migrant era (2013-2017), and Covid.  You had to be careful and avoid certain words....over the period....Germans learned how to be 'quiet'.

A good thing?  Well....no, but it made the 'lecture-Germans' happy....thinking they'd convinced the bulk of society to accept their BS.

Five Humble Thoughts

 1.  New incoming Labour Party PM?  Simply a fresh face with the same problems and 'faults'.  I'd give him no more than 12 months.

2.  The entire top level of Mullah-leadership of Iran exists in a bubble, and their mentality is that of 3rd-grade kids.  Basic formula to beak up Iran into five to ten 'nations' (eventually).

3.  The chief problem facing German politics from a economic/jobs/commerce level....they've (the leadership for 30-odd years) have designed a highly regulated mechanism....determined to fail. Since unification....it's meant to go this path.

4.  The eventual failure of AfD to deliver a solution for migration?  There's a deportation listing of 200,000 folks and no gov't (even a AfD-led one) can design a fix where they actually deport folks ASAP.  If you did find a solution....then starting to bag guys at the court-hearing....off German soil in 12 hours....it'd be a miracle.

5.  Is the German pension program crap?  Well...if you just took the amount they gave you and exited to Vietnam or Thailand.....you'd do very well.  It's just that they all seem to want to live out their lives in Germany....grumbling over energy prices, rent, taxes, and cost of living.

22 June 2026: Germany: 4 Stories

 1.  Down in the SW....in the Saarland.....fight started up at a public pool.  The way the police describe....total brawl....100 guys...mostly all non-Germans (some spoke French). Argument over something?  Well....they (the police) could not draw any conclusions.  

I should note across the border into France....lot of new pool rules, and they won't accept any violence.

2. There are 33 'proposals'  on the German reform-the-pension-plan situation that are under review.

3. Next German World Cup game....at a stadium with artificial turf. Lot of criticism.

4. For my valley's weather chat for Friday....expected temp of 100 F. Yeah, I dragged the portable AC unit from the basement up to the apartment. 

The Chatter Of Raising The German Retirement Age

Rather than making this a 10-minute discussion....lets just cut to the basic isssue.

German law now.....says retirement occurs at age 67 (where you get full pension).

The problems (2)?

First....the pension program is not fully funded.

Second....commerce seems convinced that there are labor shortages approaching.

The pitch? The gov't would like to eventually raise the retirement age to 70....by year 2092.

It's hard to find any Germans (working-class) who buy into this.  Most want to retire around age 62/63....most will tell you that their company frowns on employees over age 60 currently....most will tell you that even retiring at 67 currently---seems to get you a marginal pension not worth talking about.  Then you bring up the 2092 chatter, and they start laughing.

If you wonder why no one takes politicians serious.....this is a big reason.

Was The Refugee Crisis Of 2013-2017 Germany....The First Such Crisis?

 Well.....NO.  There's a little funny story here, which I'll tell in a brief way.

Back around 1984-1986.... there's something that we'll call the Central Operational Process (ZOV)....run by the East German (DDR) Stasi (secret-police).

Over a two-year period....the DDR arranged for about 150,000 asylum seekers (several 3rd  world areas) to be brought into East Germany....as a political weapon.

Once on the ground....the 'crew' would be brought to Schönefeld by bus....going  from the Friedrichstraße station without passport control....then walked over  into West Berlin.

Oddly....150,000 were more than enough (instead of 2-million in the 2013 to 2017 era....to tie up the West German foreign nationals' offices...with temp-housing a major problem, and added social costs.

Yes....there were debates between the CDU-CSU and SPD.

Oddly, the creation of the Republican Party occurred....same look and feel as the AfD Party today.

How the Kohl/Schaüble coalition handled this?  It went mostly in a failed way....talking to DDR, and offering negotiations and loans.  I'll describe it....mostly negative results.  Then the January 1987 election came up....where the SPD folks (trying  to tell a positive spin over migrants).....went poorly.

Anyone around today remembering 1984-1986?  No.  You might find a few in their 70s/80s....who were living in Berlin in that era.....laughing over the details.

A tactic created by DDR?  I've had this thought over the years....it was probably a Soviet KGB idea....simply to test and see how far/how stupid....politicians in Germany could get.

If the 1987 election had gone better for the SPD (end result....37-percent for them)?  DDR would have continued the import....probably ramping up 150,000 per year.

What happened to the 150,000?  Well...some folks point out a fair sum were shipped out of Berlin eventually.....to western Germany.  However....some of the Lebanese folks stayed, and created suburbs for mostly their population, and in a funny way....got into gang-activity, drug-dealing and crime.   Yeah....40 years later....part of the crime crap....goes back to this era.

Oh, and the Lebanese folks in western areas of Germany....developing also into gangs and drug-dealing?  Yeah, but lets not engage in history stories.

Enough material for a 500-page book?  Probably....but it's just dull history BS.

Starmer

 Keir Starmer....PM of the UK....resigning Monday?  Appears that way.

Labour says....they can avoid a election....appoint a replacement and continue on.

Some polls indicate that seven out of ten Brits would  not vote for Labour in a election....mostly over achievements of Starmer.

Getting Labour back into good numbers?   You basically need a guy who does nothing...says nothing....has zero accomplishments for a year.

Oddly, the biggest must-do-task left on the board of Starmer and Labour....rejoin the EU.  

Just Kinda German-Funny

In case you've never been around Germany during a World-Cup....there's public-viewing.  This mostly consists of picnic tables, chairs, and a lot of beer.  Some are catered affairs offered by the regional/city cultural 'authority'....some are just local pubs/bars who have a area (usually out of doors).

Usually....the only rule existing is not to binge-drink.

This year....oddly, I noted a story this week out of Kassel (city about two hours north of Wiesbaden).

This Kassel cultural center went and banned bringing of national flags to its public viewing event for the soccer World Cup. 

I paused over this....the necessity for the rule?  They say that that national flags could come across as exclusionary, intimidating, or politically charged-up.

So....NO flags are the rule.

Locals from Kassel pointed out that Palestinian flags were visible at previous events.  They also brought up the LGBTQ flag.

The problem here?  Well.....this cultural center is publicly funded (by the state and city).

How many German cities have a no-flag rule in play? No one says much....but I  would imagine if you looked....it's more than a dozen.

Can you function as a no-flag nation....if it bothers folks that you have a German national flag?  I'm not that sure about that.

Here's the thing....if you bring up this NO-flag BS....if the AfD goes pro-flag....there's probably another three-to-five million extra votes for AfD....just over a stupid pro-flag position.  

News App Chatter

 For a long while....for Apps for news....in Germany....Reddit and Turk-TV was at the top.

I noticed this past week....Twitter/X moved to number one in  Germany.

At the beginning of 2026....19-million Germans held a X-account. Oddly, for each female account.....there's two male accounts.  

Content-creators expanding?  If you asked me over 2024 numbers and today....I'd go and suggest twice as many German creators existing today.  I might also suggest that Russian influence has doubled as well. 

21 June 2026: Germany: 6 Stories

 1. Can virtually anyone be a German President?

Well....the catch is that the Bundestag members are the only ones voting for you.   Normally.....it's a senior-citizen who is a member of the Bundestag.

This next six months....there's to be a lot of talk.  Some folks think it's time to have a non-Politian.  Some think it has to be a woman. Some are even prepared for a comedian to hold the office.

Presently, the Linke, Greens and SPD hold enough votes/seats....to get it to a lefty.

2.  France issued a mandate....because of the heat (45 C reported)....if you hold a fest as a village/city.....no booze/beer to be sold.  Has to be water.

3. VW Touran/T-Roc.....SUV's to be discontinued.

4.  Linke Party held a come-together meeting....new leadership.  During the late meeting on Saturday.....German soccer viewing occurred with some members.  Other members condemned it as 'nationalism'

5. Read through some Ukraine-Russia war-action.....some folks report they've seen Soviet-era 1945 tanks being used by Russia.   

6.  German Interior Minister (Dobrindt, CSU)....says he wants to increase deportations of migrants convicted of crimes to Afghanistan.  

There are around 284,000 male Afghans in some level of status.  Anyone's guess to how many have pending court action or already on a deportation list.  

Lanz Chatter

 I went back and watched a bit of the ZDF late-night talk-show with Marcus Lanz....the episode where he had the Islamic lady guest.

It has stood out in my mind.  (you can watch the segment here....in German)

At some point....after she's given her emotional talk....Lanz observes the impression that he has.

In essence....he sums it up in 20 seconds....it's rather crazy...how that the best countries to live in as an Islamist isn't a Islamic country....it's in the non-Islamic countries.

It's an odd perception that one gets.....you found some need to escape a crappy reality....find a better life or culture which isn't exactly Islamic in nature....does quiet well economically....feeling safe around the clock....allows a vast amount of freedom...starts off on a friendly footing with the accepting society, and then this odd 'path' starts up.

The 'odd path'?  Well....you miss the old mess so much....that  you want to drag it along with you and draw people to focus on your problems (which is what made you leave).  

Lanz is NOT AfDish or right-wing....but he's obviously speaking for what a majority of Germans have started to think about.

There's probably a hundred-odd things I've learned about German culture/society over the years.....one of those being....eventually, the German nature to be blunt and tell you some stuff that you probably don't want to hear, but you deserve it never-the-less.

Bahn Chatter

So...in the old days....the railway folks.....the Deutsche Bahn....offered up currywurst/fries if you had a bistro-wagon on the train.

I'm not saying it was four-star stuff....but on a four-hour journey....it was typically the only solid food sold.

This week....it came out....the EU regulated the situation.

There's a new EU F-gas regulation....over refrigerant....so you can't freeze anything much on the train.  So....the fries are deleted....as a option.

I paused over this....probably some environmental necessity....which might make sense (or not).

To be fair.....by 2035, I expect the bistro-wagon to be eliminated entirely (by EU regulations)....because even serving chilled soda, or heated coffee....might be a bad thing.

US-Australia World Cup Game/Ref

 As they approached the 90th minute of the game (roughly 6 min of over-time left)....it evolved into a medical issue for the ref....leg-cramps.

So the med-guy comes out and helps.....then some alternate ref comes out with some tube of liquid 'stuff'....must have been a maximum dose of magnesium.....ref drinks  it and the cramps are gone in 30 seconds.

Made me wonder what this might be.

Drug Facts

 Just a little German fact....between 1859 and 1912....German chemists invented meth, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.  

I would imagine if WW I (1914) hadn't come along....there's probably another dozen nifty drugs they would have discovered.

Three Observations Over 'Heat'

 First, via both German commercial and public news....three pieces this  week so far...talking over the 'horror' of being in hospitals that lack AC.  I looked it up....roughly 32-percent of German hospitals have AC.

Yeah, it's a problem if you get up into the 34 C (93 F) range....couple of days straight.

My advice....wheel yourself out into the gardens (most hospitals have a shaded area) and sip on chilled water.

Second, you start to now notice briefly dressed Germans....men and women.

It wouldn't matter if the women were all model-types, but it's an issue if you  have a 50-year-old gal.....marginally-dressed....showing 80-percent of her body. And it's  almost the same if Huns (the 70-year old retiree) is wearing  just a pair of underwear while sitting on his balcony.

Third, I can understand the 'doom-chatter-BS', but after you get two-plus hours  over a entire day from  TV news.....you come to ask if more people die in the summer, and the answer is ALWAYS the majority of folks die in the winter months. 

If you try to explain this to Germans....they seem to get confused.

20 June 2026: Germany: 4 Stories

 1. How this Musk-versus-ZDF thing likely goes?

The lawyer for Musk says he'll go back over three years to review all of the 'insults'.   If you ask me.....I'd suggest at least fifty occasions where they probably got themselves into 'trouble'.

Each is a case by itself....possibly between  10,000 and 100,000 Euro of 'damage'. But here's the thing that would hurt the most....if the judge says you owe a on-the-air apology....saying what you did....admitting it was either fake-news or wrong, that's fifty occasions that you'd have to say this.

The money won't matter that much....it's the apology business that gets under the skin of the network in the end.

2. Gas sales limits in Moscow? 

Well...within greater-Moscow, there are around 40 brands...of which ten probably account for 50-percent of the gas sold.  One of the top ten....this past week....went to a 20-liter gas sale limit per day. Another one or two of the brands are  'talking' of a limit.

3.  Western coast of France.....45 C (113 F).  Locally for me....hit 34 C yesterday, but rapidly changed as a storm front came in. Based on weather data....I'd say nine more days of 30-plus temp's....before we dip back into high 20s.

4.   NBA in talks....European league.  No one says when.  Appearing that both Munich and Berlin being discussed.

Heat Advice

1.  On bus and rail travel...even if they claim AC....its probably is only effective up to 30C.  Avoid travel after noon.

2.  Physical labor?  Get it done by noon.

3. Avoid hot soup.

4.Avoid booze/beer until after dinner.

5. Take magnesium in liberal amounts....especially after 9 PM.

6. Park the car in shade as much as possible. 

7. Whatever level of water you normally consume....up it by 50 percent.

8. Keep the shutters and windows closed...after 11 AM. 

9.  Find a weather gal who feeds you only basic weather BS. 

10. A wet towel around 6 PM helps.

'Expert' Status

Last night....via ARD (public TV,  Channel 1)....for the 8 PM Tagesschau news piece....one of the key items was 'HEAT' and German kids.

Lots of folks seem worried over the 35 C temps and kids.

So in the midst of this news item....ARD has a 'expert' to speak on kids and climate.

The name of the expert popped up.....oddly (I  do this once or twice a week)....I looked up the background of the expert.

Well...she  was a former employee/journalist for ARD.

I'm not denying that she doesn't deserve expert-status....it's just that you get presented 'experts' around the clock now....with the German news folks....the BBC/Sky.....CNN....etc.  At some  point, you start counting and realize in a single year....you might get 100,000 'experts' telling you something....maybe true, half-true, or fabricated.

19 June 2026: Germany: 8 Stories

 1. German finance folks are estimating the final bill on the Covid masks that Spahn 'order' (recklessly)....goes to 4-billion Euro range.  Somewhere in 2026/2027 budget they have 'force' it.

2.  For Thursday aftermath in Moscow....there must have been near 100 drones that 'hit' something.  For fuel-production....I'd say if they could mount a full-week of  this level....gas-production probably would shut down for several months.

3.  95 F/35 C is predicted in my valley today....with possible hail toward the evening. Probably seven days minimum of that level. AC unit by this weekend....will be dragged out and set up.

4. It's now figured....one in eleven speeches given in the Bundestag....is AI-written.

5. Some German gov't chatter.....maybe they have to introduce 'siestas' into Germany for summer months?

Only way I'd say it'd work....allow people to come in 2 hours early (6AM), if you do physical work, or have a NON-AC office.

6.  Virtually parties in Germany are identified now (except for AfD) with Islamic 'agents'....says a researcher who has viewed the issue.

The way it's said....it's like some influencers...with a agenda.

7.  Gov't study concludes....to get better safety numbers....lower B-roads throughout Germany to 80 kph (instead of 100 kph).  

To be honest....getting it to 50 kph....might even be safer.

8.  28k VW workers taking a 'deal' to leave the company.