1. Hessen, the state, is opening up a discussion on local fests. There's a brewing issue where you as a village or town have yearly fests, and because of security fears....you have to hire more security folks. For some towns, it's reached a point where they can't afford the security.
So the state is opening up a discussion....maybe they will cover some portion of this.
My village has a 3-day fest each spring. Before all the terror crap started up....they'd typically have a 3-man police patrol 'hired' to walk the grounds each day. Today? I'd say there's around two patrols of three-to-four police.
How much is the 'pot'? Unknown....but I would assume a minimum of 10-million Euro for the whole state.
Wiesbaden? They have a minimum of six city-fests, and there's both police and private-security brought in.
2. The cost of driver's training in Germany? Reaching a huge and significant amount....potentially up to 3,000 to 4,000 Euro. So the gov't is now talking about some type of 'help'. I assume here.....they'd probably find some way of covering initial cost (maybe 500 to 700 Euro). But in reality....it's tax revenue.....so you are still paying in some way the 'gifted-money'.
3. Wolf issue....from Friday, members of the Thuringian state assembly talked over how to deal with wolves. So....the BSW, CDU, and SPD called for easier shooting rules to control the wolf issue.
Oddly, the Linke Party and AfD...came out against the measure. After reading the AfD chatter....they went to the far extreme measure....making the hunting rules very open and plain, without any limits.
Thirty years ago....there wasn't a wolf problem in Germany. Since the Wall came down....wolves have come back and become a nuisance for farmers.
4. Somewhere in the past week....the topic of trimming the US Army by 80,000 active duty troops came up. There's a Pentagon study going on...with several options on the table (I would assume 20k, 40, and 80k)....where massive cuts would occur.
Looking at this and German posts/bases....I would assume the bulk of US Army in Europe is going away (probably by the end of 2026).
What will remain? Mostly Pacific posts/bases, and larger footprint in the western part of the US. I might even suggest two or three major US Army posts on the eastern side of the US....going away as well.
German reaction? Around Kaiserslautern, Stuttgart, and Wiesbaden....it'll be a hefty discussion going on.
5. Chancellor started a talk this week....bring ALL German gold back from US (currently in a NYC fed-vault).
Amount? Out of total German gold reserves....around 37-percent sits in NYC. Figure in the range of 1,250 metric tons. Around 2013, Merkel made an effort and moved around one-third of what was there....back to Germany.
Why sitting there? This goes back to 1924, and the loan that Germany had to secure....to pay reparations to US, France and UK. Repaying the loan halted in 1933 (under Hitler). Repayment started back in 1953, and finished in the 1980s.
I suspect that no one (Germany, the US, France or the UK) want to have this dragged up much and laid out for people to realize the reparations gimmick.
How long would it take to bring1,250 metric tons back? Just to plain security and flights....probably 3 to 6 months. But I would guess at least 200 flights and two years of movement.
6. New INSA poll done for BILD Sunday paper.....says CDU-CSU and AfD both now at 24-percent.
Why the downturn for CDU-CSU and the upturn of AfD? I would make it pretty simple....no one is thrilled over the coalition talks, and the deportation topic which is fairly high on public interest....is going nowhere.
Odds by mid-May? AfD might be 2 points ahead of CDU-CSU.
7. Irish news from yesterday....chatty on some new drug-resistant Typhoid. With minimum treatment....10-to-20 percent death rate. First class medical conditions? You probably end up in a clinic for 4-to-6 weeks....in a pretty weakened state...if drugs have marginal effect.
8. Some chatter by the Green Party of Germany.....they want to make conscription (the draft)....if it is changed.....say women would be 'obligated'.
9. Elections in 2026 to look forward to in Germany?
22 Mar: Pfalz Parliament
Spring: Baden-Württemberg Parliament
Spring: Sachsen-Anhalt Parliament
Fall: Berlin-City House
Fall: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Parliament
For the Pfalz election, polling shows the CDU around 30-percent....SPD at 21 percent and AfD at 19-percent.
10. Weather guys saying a high-pressure system is stalled over Germany....forecasting a hot-dry summer period (at least for May/June).
11. German Army talking of a logistical exercise....using the port-city of Hamburg....for September. NATO event....designed to show how NATO transport ships would arrive to confront Russia (if invaded).
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