Overath Christmas Fest Cancellation?

 In this AM's news....the town o Overath (NW Germany, 27k residents) cancelled the city Christmas fest.  

What it came down to....the law currently in place says that the city gov't itself...must cover security costs, and the town basically said....the cost was too much of a burden.

To cover the spring fest....the local private fest 'club'  pulled out the Euro from their pockets, but admitted that took most all of the cash flow they had.  They figured the city would step up and cover costs.....they were wrong.

Yeah, it was the first such cancellation, and I kinda expect more to occur.

Most all towns have a city 'square'....mostly designed for market operations....once or twice a week.  Oddly enough....none of these market-days show extra protection (I can vouch for twenty-odd cities where I've been in their local market (here in Hessen, and the Pfalz).

What cities mostly do for terror-protection?  Most have gone to concrete 'blocks' (the size of four mini-refrigerators) to block the square, with one security guard at each point who could untie the blocks if fire-trucks needed to enter.   So a town the size of Wiesbaden....would have five 'points'.  On top of that....you'd have extra cops on duty and dispatched....probably six to eight roaming  in 2-to-3 man-patrols.  

I have no idea of the cost level....but would assume....for a small square with two entry-points,  with guards/security....for four weeks...you'd have talk about 40k Euro minimum.

This Christmas terror thing?  This started in Berlin in 2016....with 16 deaths.  Prior to that...other than roaming police, no one had a necessity to worry about dying in the  middle of a Christmas  market.

A politically charged thing for AfD now?  Well...yeah, I would imagine locally in Overath now....the AfD will talk alot about this, and hype the threat to society.  For some  mayors and city councils....they might have leaned toward refusing to pay for the extra security, and now realize that more votes locally...will shift toward AfD, if they cancel their fest.

Yeah, it will be a topic of conversation for the week.

Stupid Or Confused People Syndrome

 I asked Grok/AI....since the 1990s....what's happened to folks to make them seem either stupid, confused, or illogical.  So Grok gave me:

Information Overload and Digital Media: The rise of the internet and smartphones (especially post-2000s) has flooded people with information. Social media platforms, starting with early sites like MySpace and exploding with Twitter (now X), TikTok, Facebook, and others, prioritize short, attention-grabbing content. This can reduce attention spans and critical thinking, as people skim rather than deeply engage. Studies suggest average attention spans dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds by 2015, though these metrics are debated.

Echo Chambers and Polarization: Algorithms on platforms like X amplify content that aligns with users’ existing beliefs, creating echo chambers. This can make nuanced discussion rare and reinforce simplistic or extreme views, which might be mistaken for confusion or lack of intelligence. Since the 1990s, political and cultural polarization has grown, with Pew Research showing U.S. partisan divides widening significantly by 2020.

Decline in Education Quality (Perceived or Real): Some argue education systems have prioritized standardized testing over critical thinking since the 1990s (e.g., No Child Left Behind in the U.S., 2001). Others point to reduced funding for public schools or a shift away from teaching media literacy, leaving people less equipped to navigate complex information. However, global literacy rates have risen, so this perception may reflect higher expectations rather than actual decline.

Cultural Shifts and Anti-Intellectualism: The 1990s saw the start of reality TV and celebrity culture, which often glorify sensationalism over substance. This trend, amplified by social media influencers, can create a perception that superficiality trumps expertise. Public distrust in institutions (media, academia, science) has also grown, with Gallup polls showing confidence in higher education dropping from 57% in 1990 to 36% by 2020.

Cognitive Overload and Mental Health: The pace of modern life—24/7 connectivity, economic pressures, and constant notifications—can lead to decision fatigue and mental fog. Anxiety and depression rates have climbed since the 1990s, with WHO data indicating a 25% global increase in mental health disorders by 2020, potentially affecting clear thinking.

Misinformation and Disinformation: The internet democratized information but also enabled the spread of false narratives. From 1990s chain emails to modern deep fakes, misinformation exploits cognitive biases, making it harder for people to discern truth. A 2018 MIT study found false information spreads six times faster than truth online.

I paused over the answer...it fits easily for the US, the UK, and Germany.

There's hardly a day that passes where I don't find  10 examples of misinformation/disinformation, perceived decline in pure facts, and information overload.  It's rampant in the US....rampant in  the UK and seeming to take off here in Germany.

In a lot of cases....we seriously want to believe in something....but five minutes into the orientation...hitting the mute-button...realizing there were some made-up bogus facts included in the story.  

Q-and-A

 1.  How many E-car public chargers in my village of 4,000 residents?

Well....there are presently 2 sites, with two chargers each, and the grocery store is developing a site (probably for 2 chargers).  In the past 18 months, as I've walked or driven by....I've seen two cars total...charging up.

2.  Is there a requirement in Germany to register your new address upon moving?

YES...within 2 weeks, you need to de-register, and newly-register, with a copy of the rental agreement.  If you fail?  You can probably put this off for 30 to 60 days, but if you show up a year later, and they figure this out....the fine can be up to 1,000 Euro.

3.  How many corporate bankruptcies in Germany for 2025?

Well...at the end of June, we were up to 11,900 roughly.....9.4-percent above 2024.

They figure up to the end of October....it's  around 18,500 roughly...up to 12-percent above the 2024 numbers.   It'll top off at 20,500 probably at 1 Jan 2026. 

A Crime/Deportation Story

This past week....a court case wrapped up.....concerning a January 2025 knife attack on kindergarten kids in Aschaffenburg.  One adult (German, protecting the  kids), and a 2-year old kid (not a German, but identified as a Moroccan)...were killed in the attack.

The perpetrator?  He was a 28-year-old Afghan man who was paper-worked-up for  deportation at the time of the attack.

 What the court decided?  The guy must be permanently committed to a psychiatric hospital. 

The guy was deemed not criminally responsible at the time of the attack on January 22nd.  Nutcase from the day he entered Germany in 2022?  Well....no  one says that but you have to wonder....from day one on....he probably wasn't right in the head. What is interesting...from spring of 2023....there were various violent moments...where the police were called, and the guy was charged-up in some fashion.

Spring of 2024....he was detained by the police....resisted them (pretty serious crime), and then he insulted the cops (another serious crime).  

If you total up all the police actions, with charges and comments/reports....it's probably a 6-to-10 page full report. Just guessing here....if you added up police confrontations in man-hours....court-time...judge-time.....it's probably around 100 man-hours that this one guy consumed before we get to the 22nd of January.

23 Oct 2025: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  German gov't agreed....they will cover the salary of 11,000 Germans employed by the US gov't....who weren't going to be paid at the end of October.  Finance Ministry will cover the bill.   

2.  The German Bundeswehr, police, and fire department were scheduled to train together in Erding for a defense emergency yesterday. However, apparently not all authorities are informed about the large-scale exercise.  Some cops reacted....thinking the Army guys were shooting with real bullets....firing back with real bullets.....one soldier wounded.

3.  Shots are fired in the middle of Hanover.  One dead and several wounded.

Police arrest a suspect. They believe there are other perpetrators involved.

Some kind of argument between 2 groups of men....outside of betting shop...started the problem

Court Case Chatter

 Public TV court case ended today.

The Federal Administrative Court has ruled partially in favor of a plaintiff from Bavaria who refused to pay the public broadcasting fee (ARD/ZDF). 

I'll pause and think over the implications (number of them)....probably will  write an essay tomorrow.  A collection of data is required (by the court order).

The judgment emphasizes that the fee is only payable if citizens receive comprehensive, balanced, and diverse information.  Bavarian plaintiff said it wasn't balanced news, and that speculation was often 'injected' into ARD and ZDF news.  So the court agreed....unless they can fix the problem.....she won't have to pay the tax.

I'm guessing 300 'bosses' for public TV in Germany are huddled tonight....sipping a whiskey, and worried about what is going to occur.

Telling The Spanish Blackout Story (From 28 April 2025)

I still follow this blackout story.....small updates occasionally.  So the basic story....

On 28 April 2025 around 12:33 PM....a massive power outage struck Spain.  Effect?  About 55-60 million people in mainland Spain and Portugal....for ten-plus hours, and some folks....it took around 24 hours.

I should add....there is a small area in southwestern France which  lost power for a couple of hours.

Oddly enough....no lives were lost.

What caused it? 

Around noon, Spain was producing a lot of renewable energy (wind and solar made up roughly 80% of power at the time). 

Electricity prices were super low, so Spain was exporting a record 5 gigawatts (GW) to neighbors like France. 

Then.....suddenly, in the south of Spain, about 2.2-to-2.5 GW of mostly solar and wind power dropped offline in just 20 seconds.  The explanation given?  A mix of overvoltage (too much electrical "push") and some types of glitches that have never been really detailed. This caused wild swings in voltage and frequency (the grid's "heartbeat").

The grid went into automatic....trying to fix itself with automatic defenses (like cutting exports to France), but that simply didn't work.

Voltage spiked even higher in a "cascade" (chain reaction), tripping more plants offline across Spain and Portugal. Connections to France snapped, and the whole Spanish system collapsed in minutes. 

If you wanted something to blame?  Spain's network hasn't kept up with rapid renewable growth.  

Yeah, you can bring backup as an issue as well.

Probability of reoccurring?  I'd give it a 5-percent chance.

A Chat Over The Conscription/Draft In Germany

 The current (ongoing) plan aims to expand the German armed forces from around 183,000 active personnel to 260,000 by the 2030s, plus an additional 200,000 reservists primarily drawn from six-month service commitments.

So....they need 77k MORE individuals....plus more reservists.

The discussion of including women in the conscription deal?  Still ongoing.  It would appear....to reach these numbers.....you'd have to include them.  Presently, through volunteers....women make up 12-percent of the force.

All of this....because of the Putin threat? More or less....yes.

Can they afford this?  At least once a week....someone brings up the cost factor (people, and equipment).

Will there be problems with young 'new' Germans marginally speaking/writing German, and in a draft situation?  Oddly, no one has brought this up yet.

The SPD and CDU/CSU having to reach an agreement?  Yes, and it appears that a large segment of the SPD aren't in favor of a draft situation.

Some fear that Trump might pull US troops out of Germany?  This rational or irrational fear....stands there in the open....with probably half of the politicians in absolute fear that it'll be Germany/France alone in some Putin conflict.