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.

7 July 2026: Germany: 7 Stories

 1.  About a week or two ago...I essayed a piece over the Job-Center in Bremen fixing up a special room in the building...called the 'creative-room'.  At the time....folks were saying around 100k Euro was spent.

Well....days passed and finally a picture was feature of the room, and added details.....so it's closer to 1-million Euro, than 100k Euro.

If you asked me to 'project-it'....I probably could have done a decent similar job for 30,000 Euro (that couch is ultra-special....that's one key problem....probably over 50,000 Euro just for it to be bought/delivered and assembled.

2.  I  watched the ZDF/ARD nightly news last night (Monday)....leading story....Trump/US red-card chatter.

They both waste around 3 minutes telling a 1-minute story.....with the next four stories being of more significance.

On the positive.....they kept German TDS-levels hyped-up.   

Amazing side-story....about 90-percent of Americans have no idea what the hell a yellow-card or red-card is about.   Same group hearing about FIFA for the first time....probably thinking it's some new rap-group.  

3.  From 7 July 2026, all new passenger cars and vans across the EU will require these built-in features: advanced emergency brake detecting pedestrians and cyclists, advanced driver distraction warning system, better forward vision, a new test for worn tires, and expanded safety glass area designed to protect pedestrians during accidents.

Extra cost for this?  Unknown, and not projected by the EU.  I would be guessing....you can figure 1,200 Euro added in cost.

4.  I looked up average sick-leave usage from around Europe.  Germany leads with 20.  France?  14.  Italy?  8.

Greece at 3 days is the lowest.

There's probably some breakdown of how it relates to stress and non-stress...I've yet to find it though.  

5. Focus....some story that low-level Russian  'spies' are all over the place in Germany.

If you asked me to break it down....most simply gather data and pass it on.....with some office in Moscow getting 10,000 reports a day....most of which....is worthless.

On numbers of spies?  Wouldn't shock me if there were a thousand walking around Germany daily....reporting late trains, useless economic data on beer pricing, and passing heat-wave records.

6.  SPD Party trying to keep mini-job category 'alive'....for students desiring part-time jobs.

7.  Heat-wave 'lite' approaching?  For Sat/Sun/Mon approaching....my local temp is estimated at 32 C....warm but not awful hot.  On the negative side.....the grass is dead and half the leaves on the cherry tree are dead/laying-on-the-ground. Grass-mowing?  Forget about that necessity for July.

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.

6 July 2026: Germany: 4 Stories

 1.  In a lot of smaller communities (in rural regions)...there's a anti-wind-generator attitude....with  people saying there's health risks.

New study, conducted by the University of Augsburg....has analyzed data from the USA. The study found no health effects from wind turbines.

Probably not the end of the discussion.

German farmers do suggest their cattle are 'unsettled' by the rotating blades....reasons are never detailed.

2.  World Cup BS....Belgium is attempting to “lawyer up”....to halt the return of US striker Balogun (red-carded out, but FIFA allowed him to come back.

Oddly....whole thing pushed by Trump.  I'd say 99-percent of soccer intellectuals are charged-up and negative about this. 

If US beats Belgium?  Things will get crazy.

3.  Lot of VW chatter for this week....four plants being discussed.....100k jobs at risk.

4. Greenland chatter up again....US wants to 'acquire' (still). 

Never really ends.  Keeps Danes pepped-up.