Five Observations

 1.  My take on Nicola Sturgeon resigning as head of the Scottish gov't and her party?

For the SNP, they needed some fresh new angle and face.  Sturgeon has been around as THE face since 2014, and I would suggest for the past four years, there wasn't much significant to talk about.

Around Glasgow?  She's like Lady Gaga, Elvis and Jesus wrapped up into a single person.  Beyond that...outside of Glasgow, just about everyone had some criticism to offer.  

John Swinny to move up a step?  I'm not that convinced.  He's also been in his position since 2014, and some folks might be wanting a significant change.

2.  There is some raging German debate going on....about people dressing for carnival/Fasching as American Indians.  The negative given?  Cultural appropriation.   There are some Germans walking around and wanting to give you a lecture, if you happened to be dressed as an Indian.

I'll just offer this.....of the 1,000-odd costumes that the Fasching shops offer....you can probably find some argument against at least 300 of them.  Perhaps we should just offer a paid-waiver that you'd buy for 17 Euro, and it would allow you the 'gift' of appropriation for one day a year.

3.  We had this odd incident where a dance 'show' opened up for a premiere in Hanover.  The journalist-critic for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (I'd regard them as one of the five major newspapers in Germany).....wrote a fairly negative piece.

The choreographer of the show?  Marco Goecke.

Apparently Goecke didn't take the criticism well.  Goecke approached the critic, and smeared dog-crap in the face.

Yeah, it was rather juvenile in nature. Goecke has gone and said he was sorry for act.  Around various social media sites.....the dog-crap incident is still openly discussed. 

4.  There's a political discussion in the Bundestag.....to allow the garbage bins behind grocery stores....to be open to 'dumpster-divers'.  Currently, it's supposed to be illegal to go through their dumpster.....with fruit and vegetables thrown out.  

5.  There's supposed to be a federal-and-state meeting tomorrow (Thursday) on the immigration crisis in Germany.

In blunt terms....they are running out of housing.  The states are telling the fed folks.....either you come up with serious money/funding....or we halt acceptance.  

Is this a different situation than 2014/2015?  I would argue that there are a dozen problems playing out....some relate to same issues of 8 years ago.....some are fresh new concerns.