Three Observations

 1.  VW/Germany....posted a billion-euro loss in the third quarter here in 2026.

CFO comments this AM....blame goes to the boom in E-cars....VW earns significantly less with them than with combustion engines.

If trend were to continue?  In this weakened state, it's possible that they (VW) gets bought by someone. 

The odd story?  Tesla seems to be doing well.

2.  Saturday (31st, Halloween)....massive riots predicted in urban centers around Germany....youth-related, like the France riots.  

Does Germany have the funding to react like France and pump billions more into education?  Not really....unless you raise taxation, and reduce competitive nature of commerce/industry.  

3. In the state of Hessen (where I live)....someone did a survey of happiness with students.  Oddly,  just over half of the kids stated that they often or sometimes sleep less or worse because of studying or homework late into the night. 

Almost two-thirds said that this study effort....sometimes leaves them too little time for hobbies and leisure activities.

Around half of those in the survey...complained the buses were over-loaded. I won't really disagree with this.  From 7 AM to 8 AM....you really don't want to take the bus from my village.

29 Oct 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.  Saxony-Anhalt.  CDU Party members (state-level)....are tasked to swear under oath....how they voted for President of the state parliament group. The belief is....because of numbers noted....some CDU guy/gal voted for AfD.  

Just a suspicion....if you asked a hundred CDU-CSU voters....their feelings over AfD....maybe 20-percent might see some reason to vote for AfD agenda items.

2.  EU....has said bluntly...no associate-membership deal for Canada.  All the hype?  Dissolved.

Odds of coming up again?  I'd say a 100-percent chance.  One of the funny issues....they've never defined what exactly comes with the 'associate' label.  

3.  Paris-court says 'no'....you can't establish a curfew on teenagers.

4.  There will be a meeting of Putin, Trump and Zelensky....in the works.  Does not appear that European countries will be invited to participate.

Odds of a 'deal'?  I'd give it only a 25-percent chance.  

5.  Study complete.....one in five young Germans (age 15 and up) use disposable vapes.

Fuel-Tank Chatter

 Someone this past week or so...at the EU....a discussion group started up over gas-tank sizes.

So...the way this goes....some EU political folks have observed that one negative about accepting E-cars...is that E-car and gas-car ranges...are NOT equal.  

The political discussion?  Well...if you limited fuel-tank sizes....then E-cars and gas-car outcomes...would be the same. So this excuse of not equal would go away.

You can imagine some French or German guy hearing this....looking at cars in 2030 or 2034....realizing the 40-liter tank is mandated to go away, and you have just a 22-liter tank.  The amount of anger/hostility would be enormous.

I thought about this...having owned a Smart-car back around 2006 to 2009.  The tank was around 32 liters/8 gallons.  

The old Fiat 500 (from the 1970s) had a 10-liter tank.  I knew a Air Force guy who had early 70s model, and he pretty much limited himself to a 10 km circle of the base....keeping a half-liter can of fuel in the trunk as a emergency situation.

It's just a funny discussion...you make a one-star problem into a four-star problem.

What France Promised To Halt The School-Kid Riots?

 I sat and reviewed last night...the promise deal offered:

First....for teachers and staffing.  The gov't will hire/deploy 3,000 extra supply/substitute teachers quickly to the 500 most understaffed districts. If you do the math...it's 6 extra teachers to each 'stressed school'.  If it sounds marginal....yeah....it is.  

Where the 3,000 will come from?  Unknown.  I assume there's a resume process, and some folks might have no educational background, but at least have a degree.

Within this promise....the previously announced 'cuts' to manpower....teaching posts...deleted.  And the system will create 500 new/full-time teacher billets.

Where the funding for this will come from?  No one says much....but I'd assume new and fresh taxation.

Second?  Well....class sizes.  Cap first-year high-school classes to a max of 28 kids.

From what most suggest.....most schools have 30 or more in a class-group.

This idea is not immediate...it'd take a year or two to balance this out.  

Funding?  Well....no one says much.

Third....buildings and renovation.  Four billion Euro in LOW-interest loans to regions to occur.  The regions have to pay the money back (it's not free). For colleges?  That's a one-billion Euro fund....which appears to be free (not a loan).  That has to be spent in 2027/2028/2029.

Where that money comes from?  Unknown....likely more taxation.

Fourth....university access.  Easier criteria to enter.  Creation of 15,000 extra higher-education places in 2027–2028....oddly, directed toward vocational/technical courses.

How it's funded?  Unknown....but likely fresh new taxation.

Fifth....Student grants indexed to inflation from the 2027 academic year.

Sixth....A review of the baccalaureate degree program. 

Seventh....Longer lunch breaks (MINIMUM of at least one hour). 

So....if you think about this....taxes have to go up, and that makes industry and commerce....less competitive.....so down the road....say in 3 to 5 years....fewer jobs, higher unemployment, and disgruntled 20-to-30 year old folks....with a useless education achievement.

If you ask me....somewhere around 2030 to 2035....there's a exodus to occur....where 100,000 French educated folks have no choice....they have to depart France to find productive lives.

Acceptance of the deal?  German interviews went to two thoughts....the gov't did give in and offer something.....OR the deal didn't cover all the complaints that started the riots.

Weirdest German TV Moment

 Around 2000...one of the commercial German networks ran a 'wife-swap' show.  Basically, they recruited one crazy-or-unique gal and one normal gal.  For 7 days....they swapped houses.  The husband or boyfriend....didn't get sexual or such.....they just had to observe and half of the show was mostly the husband's reaction.

The wife and I had watched season one.  On entertainment value (1-10)....I personally gave it a '3'....but there wasn't much alternative crap to watch.

So one night....here is a US Army intelligence guy (Stuttgart area) who has a German wife, and she's hyped up to participate in the show.  I suspect there's a paycheck in the mix as the benefit.

What the Army guy gets?  Some German gal with serious stability problems....who smokes cannabis a good bit (to take the edge off).  Around day two or three of this....the Army guy has given the production team 'notice'....the nutcase-gal needs to leave.  The production team is acting 'funny'....asking why.  This part of the show ends early.

I felt sorry for the Army guy....he should have seen this as a likely scenario....that the more 'nutty' that you appeared....the more likely you got a invite to participate in the show.  I always wondered after the show aired....did he guy lose his security clearance?  If he did lose it....how did the security guys write the report?

Germany and Micro Cars?

Up until five years ago...I don't think you ever saw one.

So....a microcar (also called Mopedauto, Leichtkraftfahrzeug, or 45-km/h-Auto) in Germany is a very small, light four-wheeled vehicle.

EU-wise....it's classified as an EU L6e light quadricycle. It does appear like a small enclosed car but is legally closer to a moped than a regular passenger car (Pkw).⁠  Max?  Two people.

Max speed?  45 km/h.  Max weight: 425 kg empty (batteries excluded on electrics)

Seats?  Only one to two.

Power?  Normally....4 to 6 kW, or 5 to 8 HP.

Drive: Gas, diesel, or electric versions exist

For the driver's license/age?  You need a Führerschein Klasse AM (moped license), which has been available nationwide from age 15 since 2021. Holders of a regular Class B car license can also drive them with no extra requirements. Until age 16, the AM license is generally valid only inside Germany.⁠

Registration, insurance, and taxes?  Well...no full vehicle registration or regular TÜV (Hauptuntersuchung) is required.  Mandatory liability insurance, shown by a yearly-renewed Versicherungskennzeichen (insurance plate, similar to mopeds).

No vehicle tax (yet).

Where you can drive?  Normal streets, state roads.  NOT ALLOWED on autobahns.

Around Wiesbaden?  I imagine there's at least 300 of them....mostly all used by 15-to-18 year old 'kids'.  

On my danger-index?  Within the city....no threat.  If you said for me to drive it on some 2-lane road...outside of the city....with mixed 100 km/h vehicle traffic?  It's not that safe.

What they remind me of?  Flintstone's cars.

New Hessen State Poll

 I noted this AM....poll done just for the state of Hessen (where I live):

CDU: 25 percent (major downturn since last poll....down 7 percentage points)

AfD: 23 percent (up three points since last poll)

Greens: 16 percent (up two points)

SPD: 15 percent

Left Party: 7 percent 

Next state election....fall of 2028.  

If trend continues?  AfD is probably around 28-percent...winning, but unable to get a coalition.  In this scenario....CDU would get the nod to form a gov't coalition, but forced to partner with both the SPD and Greens...meaning a fairly diluted CDU state gov't.

27 Oct 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

1.  Last night's 'Hard But Fair' public forum show (ARD, public tv)....the topic was....lot of Germans are pulling home-duty....caring for a relative...on their own.  Numbers?  Gov't suggests 10-million are caring for 'someone' in Germany.  So....reform chatter going on....that you should get 'paid' something for this duty.  Gov't says....they don't have the cash to cover this idea.

2.  Kehlsteinhaus/'Eagle's Nest'....debate starting up over re-construction (after the fire).  One part of the story...local region has this as a attraction....with around 350,000 tourists coming up yearly to see the site.  No one wants to really say 'rebuild-the-Nazi-site'.

3.  Sale of micro-cars booming....up 80-percent over 3 years.  Max speed, 45 kph.

4.  Lot of hostility over Audi opening a US plant.

5.  Who will succeed Federal President Steinmeier in January?  Virtually all of the parties are lining up their candidate, and it's about a 99-percent chance that it will be a woman.