1. The European Parliament voted yesterday on whether all EU residents holding a 'health inspection/audit' every 15 years in order to keep their driving license. It passed.
In case you were wondering....it's not just for cars and trucks...includes farm tractors, scooters and motorcyclists.
Lot of negative hype building up over this idea.
Would Germans doctor-shop? Would Germans cross the border and get some doctor from Bulgaria to sign off their health inspection? All speculation.
How many Germans would lose their license? Unknown....no doctors, lawyers, journalists, or politicians are guessing here.
One odd provision in the law....each country would write the 'rules' of this inspection or health audit. No one in the SPD-coalition is talking much....I think most politicians would prefer a low threshold.
It'll come up from doctors....they don't really have the man-hours to get intensive into this concept.
2. Some speculation over this Red Army Faction gal (caught by the cops)....that several weeks ago...some German journalist had fed pictures into a facial recognition system, and knew a month ago that she was living out of Berlin. Yeah, ahead of the police.
Odd piece on her....she actually had a Facebook account. That's something I wouldn't have done....if hiding.
3. Good quote: comes from Alexander Kekulé.....who was a analytical expert on Covid challenges....now says that the Covid era...."acted like an accelerant for polarization. The fact that increasing parts of society are drifting into parallel worlds that are no longer accessible will continue to concern us for a long time.”
I would agree....not just in the US, but across German society as well....just seems to be a lot of people on a brain-fog turbo 'charge'.
4. Bielefeld public library....locking up 60,000 books. Arsenic problem noted. Came from green dyes used in printing.
5. WELT had a Wed piece....talking over escalating taxation for young people, and suggesting that a lot of people will eventually discuss leaving Germany because of the eventual impact.
6. This draft EU bill on car repairs? Basically, the draft written says something to the effect if a EU-registered gas/diesel car is over 15 years old....repairs are not deemed appropriate.
Odds of passing? I'd say near 10-percent.
It would probably infuriate probably half the German population that. It'd just create a black-market mechanic situation....where parts are procured in Turkey....sneaked into Germany, and cars are fixed illegally.
7. Just an odd story via several German news sources.....US CIA has a dozen 'secret' bases in Ukraine...probably going back to 2014. Some skepticism....comes from Germans over this NY Times news item.
Just admitting that....means it advances the Russian 'blame-game'. What were the dozen doing? Unknown. If this were true....how many CIA 'bases' in Germany? This would trigger some Germans to ask this same question. Whole Putin 'game' might divert away from Nazi-influence....to CIA-influence.
8. There are five Red Army Faction murders that are unsolved....still today, 30 years after they went and dissolved. Some public discussion coming up over this question.
9. German weather guys talking over past four months of 'winter'.....only two winters in recorded history of Germany have been 'milder' (over whole country), and that the amount of rainfall/snowfall is extreme.
I will agree...harsh start-up in November (most snow in my region in a decade). But if you ask on heat-use since mid-December....man, it's been so mild that I put the heavy-duty jacket away, and just wore a vest and hoodie most of the time when outdoors. Flurries? I haven't seen any since first week of December. My salt-bucket? I haven't dragged it out since late November.
10. Bahn guys (railway system) are now admitting as they close the books for 2023.....there was a financial loss. Mostly due to the increased use....and that stupid 49-Euro monthly Bahn card. Wouldn't shock me if the monthly rate goes to 59-Euro by early fall of 2024.
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