18 May 2026: Germany: 7Things

 1.  If you watched ARD (public TV) last night....9:45....the Carin Miosga forum show....it was a fairly long live chat with CSU's Soder (Premier-President of Bavaria).

Basically....he's selling himself as the potential replacement for Merz...if a step-down occurs.  On the interview?  I'd give him high marks.

2.  Tiger-Queen story?  Well....in Leipzig over the weekend, cops got called....tiger loose.

They arrive to find a real tiger....ending up shooting it. Apparently...this gal in Leipzig has a private collection (11 of them), and this one got loose.

Germany has a license program for exotic pets and strict requirements.  Based off reports....it doesn't appear that she has a current existing license.   

3.  Crisis has started up in the European Song Competition.....some Germans are tired of losing...to the point that they are asking why allow the state-culture fund funnel money into the deal.  Amount?  I looked it up...comes to around half-a-million Euro per year.

I doubt if it's a huge number (probably into the tens of thousands feeling this way).

4.  At current pace of things....by the end of 2026....AfD's numbers will  reach 30-percent on polls (my humble belief).  It makes things very difficult with the CDU-CSU folks, and how they build future partnerships/coalitions.

5.  Austria: 67-year-old woman hiker....attacked by cows while crossing a meadow....dead.

6.  Interior Minister asking for 10 billion Euro for civil defense.

7.  Green Party talking up prioritizing child poverty in Germany. 

After A Week In The Hospital

 Ten random thoughts:

1.  I had first-class care.....finding almost no criticisms.

2.  Food-wise....it did get 'boring' after the 5th day.

3.  I probably watched twelve hours of CNN/BBC over the 6 days.  Yeah, there is still a element of propaganda existing.

4. It was pretty nifty to have a refrigerator in the room (pull-out drawer) and sip cold liquids.

5.  Nurse came by one morning while I was on the inverted hospital bed (my feet about a foot above my head), and got a pulse rate of 40 out of me.  He and the Doc got concerned.  I was ultra-relaxed that morning.  If I had a hiding place in the house for a hospital bed....yeah, I'd buy one.

6. The 'cantina' in the clinic offers beer.

7.  On my index of ultra-boring....1-to-10....it was a '12'.

8.  To step in.....finally getting to a bed....I had to encounter and pass through 12 offices/steps.  Luckily, it was not an emergency.

9. Free coffee.....all day long.  

10.   Free bananas and free pears....all day long. I probably haven't eaten a pear since the 1980s.

Higher Tax Talk

This past week, I noted a conversation/interview....where German economist Marcel Fratzscher spoke up for higher taxation on wealth being generated in Germany.

Curiously....same interview....he felt pretty sure that German retirement will eventually be set to age 70.  And no....he rejected the idea of different retirement ages for various professions. 

I paused over this.

Higher taxation isn't selling well...between the CDU-CSU and SPD folks.

Also, if you quizzed Germans....it's probably 98-percent against age 70 retirement.

Exploding Price in Germany

https://x.com/i/status/2054396218412085355

Hospital Stay

Well...shocked I am.  Staying at HSK.  Premium room, 48 in tv, decent menu, free bottle of water, and refrigerator in the room.  IV hook up 3x a day with Aciclovir for shingles.  No real pain, yet.

Room cost?  105 Euro per day...figures Tricare covers around 90 percent.   In the US, this would have been $500 a day.

Zero criticism except nurses wanting to check on you hour by hour.

Quiet Until The Weekend

 Will be lounging as of tomorrow AM.....in a Wiesbaden clinic....doc say shingles.  Says I have to stay for 3 nights....so no chatter for a couple of days.

Two German Holidays At Risk?

Well....the Chancellor (Merz) is to have a meeting with the SPD rep (Klingbeil). To show increased 'production'.....there is this suggestion to dump two holidays  (1 May, and either Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day) or Pfingstmontag (Whit Monday / Pentecost Monday).

Public appeal? Zero.

The idea that the SPD would agree to dump May-Day?  Zero.

To show some mathematical plus-up? More or less....16 extra man-hours a year....for each working adult.  

10 May 2026: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  The Hantavirus ship is now parked at Tenerife (the Spanish isle).  Supposed to be a medical team (in hazmat suits) checking each guest out.

2. Putin said something to the effect that the 'special operation' is about to end. Maybe BS...maybe some conclusion.

3. Tuesday, here in Germany....CDU-CSU and SPD bigwigs to meet and  talk over 'path' ahead.  Reportedly, Merz has said...on a number of issues, there has to be a firm 'conclusion'.  If this is not met....the rumor goes that Merz would collapse the coalition.  

Maybe BS....but I suspect that the SPD is fearful of a crappy result if a fresh new election would occur (like 12-percent or less).

4.  Trump hinted....whatever troops leave Germany....odds are....they move to Poland. NATO continues on.  

5.   Putin say.....he wants former Chancellor Schroeder....to head  up talk with the EU....to get Russia relations on 'track'.  Trade?  That's the top priority....I would suspect. 

6. Rumor started up....Linke, SPD and Greens...would exit Twitter and their 'hype' would only be seen on Bluesky.

I looked for numbers....only 2-million Germans have accounts currently on Bluesky.  The hope here....if they left Twitter/X....others would leave.  The worst scenario....1-to-2 million add  Blueesky, but stay on Twitter as well...getting both sides of the spectrum.