Right now, and perhaps for the past five years in Germany....it really doesn't take much for the authorities, or the police to get hyped up and react to what they perceive as a public threat (say terrorism for example).
So it came up in local news this morning that the cops got a call from the Frankfurt Niederrad area, that some guy was on the train with a 'weapon'. The initial report? Well....it came from some passenger communicating with the train engineer aboard a S-Bahn train.
Within seconds, the engineer called the cops, and they shut the station down, and spent a fair amount of time going car by car.
So the cops come to the guy who first reported this, and he started with some 'gun' story, seemed to get confused, and then went to a group of a dozen who threatened him.
The changing story? Well....at that point, after most passengers were interviewed....there just weren't any suspicious people or guns.
Paranoid Schizophrenic guy? Well....maybe. But here's the thing, everyone is hyped up and prepared for the worst-case scenario now in Germany. Cops get this call.....they feel hyped-up and anxious, expecting action and maybe some terror threat.
This is part of the landscape that you have to live with today.....things might be fine and perfectly normal, or vice-versa (in massive chaos), or in some state of paranoid schizophrenia for a guy who can't tell reality from fantasy.
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Remains of Rhein Main
I had to go and use 'Holiday Parking' at the Frankfurt Flughafen (airport) last week, and the terminal bus took around to what was the entrance of the old American base, and through a great deal of base itself.
The only two things left standing that were there in 1990, was the old base hotel (now a converted commercial operation) and the Berlin-Airlift Memorial. Otherwise, everything else is gone. You would not recognize the old base today.
The amount of airport support facilities? It's massive, on that side of the runway. A large part of the forested area? Gone.
The 'Holiday Parking' area? Well....it moved entirely from the end of the runway, to a inside-zone and security-protected today.
The only two things left standing that were there in 1990, was the old base hotel (now a converted commercial operation) and the Berlin-Airlift Memorial. Otherwise, everything else is gone. You would not recognize the old base today.
The amount of airport support facilities? It's massive, on that side of the runway. A large part of the forested area? Gone.
The 'Holiday Parking' area? Well....it moved entirely from the end of the runway, to a inside-zone and security-protected today.
Merkel to Ireland?
So why did Chancellor Merkel of Germany quickly plan out a trip to Ireland for this week? Well, if you go through the German news outlets, they barely mention this trip. When you go to Irish and Brit sites, they discuss the matter.
Since the hard BREXIT will occur now (guaranteed), the EU has some issues left on the table. The EU leaders have gotten virtually no real discussion from Ireland on halting crossings via the border it has with Northern Ireland. Why? Let's be honest, the whole framework of the peace treaty dating back to the 1990s, to stop the IRA bombings/attacks, meant an open border. I don't think the EU has ever grasped that part of the treaty, nor do they care if they invite the chaos to return.
So Chancellor Merkel is there.....oddly, outside of the EU device....to talk 'sense' to the Irish political folks. I would imagine....after about two hours of talks, they will educate her on the open border, the peace treaty, and how things will continue (as is).
I would suggest, there are literally dozens of problems which the Germans, the French, and the EU political folks lost track of, and really can't grasp. So this is just one of many.
Since the hard BREXIT will occur now (guaranteed), the EU has some issues left on the table. The EU leaders have gotten virtually no real discussion from Ireland on halting crossings via the border it has with Northern Ireland. Why? Let's be honest, the whole framework of the peace treaty dating back to the 1990s, to stop the IRA bombings/attacks, meant an open border. I don't think the EU has ever grasped that part of the treaty, nor do they care if they invite the chaos to return.
So Chancellor Merkel is there.....oddly, outside of the EU device....to talk 'sense' to the Irish political folks. I would imagine....after about two hours of talks, they will educate her on the open border, the peace treaty, and how things will continue (as is).
I would suggest, there are literally dozens of problems which the Germans, the French, and the EU political folks lost track of, and really can't grasp. So this is just one of many.
Oh, That Raid?
So what happened after the massive raid in Frankfurt, Offenbach, Main and Wiesbaden on the 22nd of March with the arrest of the 11 individuals for terror-operations planning?
Well....one of the folks was released. Other than that....nothing has been reported by newspapers, commercial news networks, or the public TV networks.
Odd? You would usually expect a quiet period of three to five days, then the cops and authorities would say something about the arrests, the threats, and the potential. In this case, nothing has been said.
Why? It's a virtual unknown.
One might suggest that the extent of this threat might shock some people in the region. Or perhaps the case isn't that clear.
It is odd that a massive story like this occurs, and there's basically only five lines of text to the story, no matter who you get the story from.
Well....one of the folks was released. Other than that....nothing has been reported by newspapers, commercial news networks, or the public TV networks.
Odd? You would usually expect a quiet period of three to five days, then the cops and authorities would say something about the arrests, the threats, and the potential. In this case, nothing has been said.
Why? It's a virtual unknown.
One might suggest that the extent of this threat might shock some people in the region. Or perhaps the case isn't that clear.
It is odd that a massive story like this occurs, and there's basically only five lines of text to the story, no matter who you get the story from.
A Green Party Chancellor
Last weekend, the public TV folks in Germany did a survey show (they do them monthly), and they announced that for the first time since Chancellor Merkel entered the Chancellor-job....she was no longer the most popular political figure in Germany. Robert Habeck of the Green Party now emerges as number one. The signal here? Let me make several observations.
The 'Merkel-hype' has finally peaked out, and one might even go and suggest in 2017, it was obvious that the public wanted a new leader in the Chancellor's position. Polling for the national election suggested that, but no one really stood out as a better choice.
If you observe public TV in Germany for the past twelve months, Habeck now appears almost weekly. It's not just political agenda forums, but even on regular chat shows as well. The Green Party is doing a lot of energize the public, and get them on the Habeck 'bandwagon'.
So how does Habeck get into the Chancellor seat?
The next national election is in the fall of 2021. The Greens have moved up into second place (bouncing around 16-to-19 percent of the polling nationally). The SPD? Well....they've fallen (they routinely pull 12-to-15 percent now). One can say that the CDU is still 'safe' at around 28-to-30 percent (for at least twelve months now).
As the election for 2021 comes up, let's say that the Greens find ways to entertain SPD-frustrated voters, and get up to around 25-percent of the vote, while the SPD Party falters to around 8-percent.
You have an election with the CDU easily winning 31-percent, and they need a partner (or two) to form a coalition government.
They go over and have this talk with the Green Party. They say 'yes', but here's the thing.....we will only entertain the junior partner deal in the coalition, if you allow Habeck to be Chancellor. The CDU folks in the meeting start laughing (they won the election and ought to own the Chancellor's seat).
They (the CDU) leave the meeting and try to forge the coalition. They CAN'T partner with the Linke Party or the AfD). They might be able to do some deal with a weakened SPD and FDP situation, but the SPD might say no.
Then you move back to the Green 'deal'. The Greens want Habeck in as Chancellor, and at least four of the cabinet posts (to include the Foreign Minister, and the Attorney-General position).
When this problem goes public, the voters that stood by the CDU in the election will go ballistic. Yet the only other alternative is to have a second election, or attempt a minority government. Neither are appealing.
So a CDU Party allows a partner-party to have the Chancellor seat. When was the last time that something like this happened? Oh.....the fall of 1930, with Hitler getting the Chancellor job, while his party came in second.
The anger of CDU voters? You can go and predict for the next three or four state elections, the CDU will be punished, and some voters might flip to the AfD (showing discontent).
The odds of this CDU-Green Party coalition after 2021 failing in less than two years? It's probably a safe bet to predict that. But this is how Habeck would arrive and fill the Chancellor seat after Merkel.
The 'Merkel-hype' has finally peaked out, and one might even go and suggest in 2017, it was obvious that the public wanted a new leader in the Chancellor's position. Polling for the national election suggested that, but no one really stood out as a better choice.
If you observe public TV in Germany for the past twelve months, Habeck now appears almost weekly. It's not just political agenda forums, but even on regular chat shows as well. The Green Party is doing a lot of energize the public, and get them on the Habeck 'bandwagon'.
So how does Habeck get into the Chancellor seat?
The next national election is in the fall of 2021. The Greens have moved up into second place (bouncing around 16-to-19 percent of the polling nationally). The SPD? Well....they've fallen (they routinely pull 12-to-15 percent now). One can say that the CDU is still 'safe' at around 28-to-30 percent (for at least twelve months now).
As the election for 2021 comes up, let's say that the Greens find ways to entertain SPD-frustrated voters, and get up to around 25-percent of the vote, while the SPD Party falters to around 8-percent.
You have an election with the CDU easily winning 31-percent, and they need a partner (or two) to form a coalition government.
They go over and have this talk with the Green Party. They say 'yes', but here's the thing.....we will only entertain the junior partner deal in the coalition, if you allow Habeck to be Chancellor. The CDU folks in the meeting start laughing (they won the election and ought to own the Chancellor's seat).
They (the CDU) leave the meeting and try to forge the coalition. They CAN'T partner with the Linke Party or the AfD). They might be able to do some deal with a weakened SPD and FDP situation, but the SPD might say no.
Then you move back to the Green 'deal'. The Greens want Habeck in as Chancellor, and at least four of the cabinet posts (to include the Foreign Minister, and the Attorney-General position).
When this problem goes public, the voters that stood by the CDU in the election will go ballistic. Yet the only other alternative is to have a second election, or attempt a minority government. Neither are appealing.
So a CDU Party allows a partner-party to have the Chancellor seat. When was the last time that something like this happened? Oh.....the fall of 1930, with Hitler getting the Chancellor job, while his party came in second.
The anger of CDU voters? You can go and predict for the next three or four state elections, the CDU will be punished, and some voters might flip to the AfD (showing discontent).
The odds of this CDU-Green Party coalition after 2021 failing in less than two years? It's probably a safe bet to predict that. But this is how Habeck would arrive and fill the Chancellor seat after Merkel.
German Army Story
If you follow the German Army (Bundeswehr), you know that they have an enormous amount of trouble recruiting these days for the volunteer force. With various options in life, it's hard to go out and find quality kids who would be willing to sign up for a three or four year period.
So this problem came up, with political enthusiasts of the SPD Party (left of center). Over in the city of Berlin, the SPD Party members in the city voiced some complaints about allowing the Bundeswehr come in and do advertising or 'talks' for recruitment.
In fact, it'd reached the point where they held enough power, to go and ban the Bundeswehr from entry into the schools.
A curious confrontation occurred, where the national chief of the SPD Party had to get involved (Nahles), and she's had to make a blunt statement that banning is the wrong signal to send.
Creating a confrontation? This is the problem of the SPD Party today.....there is an extreme left contingent of people within the party, and a centralist group. Nahles is trying to keep both groups happy, but lets face it.....if you banned the Bundeswehr from recruitment activities....within five years, you'd have major problems across the nation.
So this problem came up, with political enthusiasts of the SPD Party (left of center). Over in the city of Berlin, the SPD Party members in the city voiced some complaints about allowing the Bundeswehr come in and do advertising or 'talks' for recruitment.
In fact, it'd reached the point where they held enough power, to go and ban the Bundeswehr from entry into the schools.
A curious confrontation occurred, where the national chief of the SPD Party had to get involved (Nahles), and she's had to make a blunt statement that banning is the wrong signal to send.
Creating a confrontation? This is the problem of the SPD Party today.....there is an extreme left contingent of people within the party, and a centralist group. Nahles is trying to keep both groups happy, but lets face it.....if you banned the Bundeswehr from recruitment activities....within five years, you'd have major problems across the nation.
The Problem in Following Asperger-Leadership
There is this thin line that exists in following individuals who've been diagnosed with Asperger-syndrome.
An individual who is an innovator or developer of an idea, with Asperger-syndrome, can lead you to great developments in technology. When you look at Bill Gates or Steve Jobs....their participation and leadership mattered in terms of the product delivered. We are all better off today via their focus and obsession.
But on the other side of this Asperger-syndrome are individuals in politics, science, and agenda situations....where you could attach yourself to some 'movement', and find the head guy/gal running this (having Asperger-syndrome) is unable to filter or handle conflicting data situations or opposing facts to their agenda. In simple terms, they are so obsessed with their view of things or the end-result.....that they might actually cause massive chaos and later be discovered as a fraudulent revolutionary.
I suggest all of this because in recent weeks in Europe....we've progressed to a new agenda, with an individual identified with Asperger-syndrome, and virtually no one wants to discuss the impact of large bulky movements coming out of this revolutionary individual, and the potential for public fallout to occur.
Serious potential? At some point, someone will challenge this new revolutionary and I suspect that the public obsession will begin to dwindle as people realize the opposing facts can't be discussed or viewed while this person sits in the seat of authority.
An individual who is an innovator or developer of an idea, with Asperger-syndrome, can lead you to great developments in technology. When you look at Bill Gates or Steve Jobs....their participation and leadership mattered in terms of the product delivered. We are all better off today via their focus and obsession.
But on the other side of this Asperger-syndrome are individuals in politics, science, and agenda situations....where you could attach yourself to some 'movement', and find the head guy/gal running this (having Asperger-syndrome) is unable to filter or handle conflicting data situations or opposing facts to their agenda. In simple terms, they are so obsessed with their view of things or the end-result.....that they might actually cause massive chaos and later be discovered as a fraudulent revolutionary.
I suggest all of this because in recent weeks in Europe....we've progressed to a new agenda, with an individual identified with Asperger-syndrome, and virtually no one wants to discuss the impact of large bulky movements coming out of this revolutionary individual, and the potential for public fallout to occur.
Serious potential? At some point, someone will challenge this new revolutionary and I suspect that the public obsession will begin to dwindle as people realize the opposing facts can't be discussed or viewed while this person sits in the seat of authority.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Measles Epidemic in Germany?
The Health Ministry chief (Spahn, CDU), has kinda hinted in the past couple of days that there is a problem underway. Instead of the word 'epidemic'.....he uses the word 'scandal', to point at parents who have not immunized their kids.
Schools? Well, the minute that a German school has an outbreak.....they measure the situation with kids who attend, who have not been vaccinated. Those kids are identified in quick fashion, and during this period that the 'crisis' continues....the kid is directed to stay home. The teachers have to pass out homework, and try to continue with the bulk of the kids in the class.
Effect on the school system? Unknown. You can go state by state in Germany and get various numbers, but no one is talking about the number of kids spending two weeks out of action. If you had 'wave' after 'wave' of the outbreak? It's best not to discuss that idea.
Schools? Well, the minute that a German school has an outbreak.....they measure the situation with kids who attend, who have not been vaccinated. Those kids are identified in quick fashion, and during this period that the 'crisis' continues....the kid is directed to stay home. The teachers have to pass out homework, and try to continue with the bulk of the kids in the class.
Effect on the school system? Unknown. You can go state by state in Germany and get various numbers, but no one is talking about the number of kids spending two weeks out of action. If you had 'wave' after 'wave' of the outbreak? It's best not to discuss that idea.
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