23 Oct 2025: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  German gov't agreed....they will cover the salary of 11,000 Germans employed by the US gov't....who weren't going to be paid at the end of October.  Finance Ministry will cover the bill.   

2.  The German Bundeswehr, police, and fire department were scheduled to train together in Erding for a defense emergency yesterday. However, apparently not all authorities are informed about the large-scale exercise.  Some cops reacted....thinking the Army guys were shooting with real bullets....firing back with real bullets.....one soldier wounded.

3.  Shots are fired in the middle of Hanover.  One dead and several wounded.

Police arrest a suspect. They believe there are other perpetrators involved.

Some kind of argument between 2 groups of men....outside of betting shop...started the problem

Court Case Chatter

 Public TV court case ended today.

The Federal Administrative Court has ruled partially in favor of a plaintiff from Bavaria who refused to pay the public broadcasting fee (ARD/ZDF). 

I'll pause and think over the implications (number of them)....probably will  write an essay tomorrow.  A collection of data is required (by the court order).

The judgment emphasizes that the fee is only payable if citizens receive comprehensive, balanced, and diverse information.  Bavarian plaintiff said it wasn't balanced news, and that speculation was often 'injected' into ARD and ZDF news.  So the court agreed....unless they can fix the problem.....she won't have to pay the tax.

I'm guessing 300 'bosses' for public TV in Germany are huddled tonight....sipping a whiskey, and worried about what is going to occur.

Telling The Spanish Blackout Story (From 28 April 2025)

I still follow this blackout story.....small updates occasionally.  So the basic story....

On 28 April 2025 around 12:33 PM....a massive power outage struck Spain.  Effect?  About 55-60 million people in mainland Spain and Portugal....for ten-plus hours, and some folks....it took around 24 hours.

I should add....there is a small area in southwestern France which  lost power for a couple of hours.

Oddly enough....no lives were lost.

What caused it? 

Around noon, Spain was producing a lot of renewable energy (wind and solar made up roughly 80% of power at the time). 

Electricity prices were super low, so Spain was exporting a record 5 gigawatts (GW) to neighbors like France. 

Then.....suddenly, in the south of Spain, about 2.2-to-2.5 GW of mostly solar and wind power dropped offline in just 20 seconds.  The explanation given?  A mix of overvoltage (too much electrical "push") and some types of glitches that have never been really detailed. This caused wild swings in voltage and frequency (the grid's "heartbeat").

The grid went into automatic....trying to fix itself with automatic defenses (like cutting exports to France), but that simply didn't work.

Voltage spiked even higher in a "cascade" (chain reaction), tripping more plants offline across Spain and Portugal. Connections to France snapped, and the whole Spanish system collapsed in minutes. 

If you wanted something to blame?  Spain's network hasn't kept up with rapid renewable growth.  

Yeah, you can bring backup as an issue as well.

Probability of reoccurring?  I'd give it a 5-percent chance.

A Chat Over The Conscription/Draft In Germany

 The current (ongoing) plan aims to expand the German armed forces from around 183,000 active personnel to 260,000 by the 2030s, plus an additional 200,000 reservists primarily drawn from six-month service commitments.

So....they need 77k MORE individuals....plus more reservists.

The discussion of including women in the conscription deal?  Still ongoing.  It would appear....to reach these numbers.....you'd have to include them.  Presently, through volunteers....women make up 12-percent of the force.

All of this....because of the Putin threat? More or less....yes.

Can they afford this?  At least once a week....someone brings up the cost factor (people, and equipment).

Will there be problems with young 'new' Germans marginally speaking/writing German, and in a draft situation?  Oddly, no one has brought this up yet.

The SPD and CDU/CSU having to reach an agreement?  Yes, and it appears that a large segment of the SPD aren't in favor of a draft situation.

Some fear that Trump might pull US troops out of Germany?  This rational or irrational fear....stands there in the open....with probably half of the politicians in absolute fear that it'll be Germany/France alone in some Putin conflict.

Looking Over Hamburg

 The past two days....I've spent time looking over Hamburg's vote (On October 12, 2025, Hamburg held a citizen-initiated referendums: the "Hamburger Zukunftsentscheid" (Hamburg Future Decision) on accelerating climate neutrality).  It passed. 

Most people agree....it's sort of binding...meaning if the city council tries to delay or hinder it....the environmentalists can drag them into court.

Basic concept of the deal?  Advance Hamburg's climate neutrality target from 2045 (aligning with Germany's national goal) to 2040. This includes legal binding measures like phasing out gas/oil heating in buildings, expanding electric transport, a city-wide 30 km/h speed limit, and ending industrial gas use. Somewhere in the text....it says it emphasizes "socially just" implementation to protect low-income households.

I've been to Hamburg four times over a 40-year period, and consider it one of the more interesting German cities to visit.

So....is there substantial risks now involved?

To some degree....if you talk about the politics, the economy, and logistics....yeah.

Currently, it's the number three port in Europe.....bringing in €20 billion annual industrial output.

 Problem now approach?  Replacing all gas/oil heating (billions in landlord costs; 8,000 km natural gas network decommissioning).  Then there's electrified transport overhaul and industrial decarbonization. Potential job losses in energy-intensive industries?  Yes.

Getting to upfront investments?  It appears to be a problem now.

I'm going to make five predictions here:

1.  Property taxes have to escalate.  Figure 25-percent up.

2.  Rent from 2030 to 2035....figure 300-plus Euro up.

3.  Whole inner-city will likely have a massive monthly/weekly/daily fee attached....to lessen traffic.

4.  Plans to renovate/upgrade the harbor? That probably will end, and the port will  drop to number five to number 8 in terms of traffic movement, by 2035. Figure job losses...maybe 3,000 jobs minimum.

5. At least 5,000 residents to start discussing leaving the city...maybe moving 20 to 50 km away.

Recovery for Merz's agenda?  It might continue for a year, but as court battles brew to force changes upon the city council....a stall will begin on improvement of the economy.

One added note......I expect the Fridays For The Future crowd to believe that federal funding from Berlin will come to pay for over half of the project.  It won't come, and financially....Hamburg will get itself deep into debt.   

BILD Piece: German Barber Shops As Black Market Establishments?

 I sat and read through the piece....BILD builds a decent (not absolute) case that the German barber shops are using 'black' labor (undocumented folks). Also, they hint....nail salons work the same  way.

Here's the thing....if you walk around Mainz or Wiesbaden....you kinda notice this  massive growth in both establishments  since 1990.

I used to walk  weekly in Mainz by a particular nail shop....run by Chinese individuals....with ONLY Chinese employees. It seemed like every 60 to 90 days....the crews switched out.

Barber shops in Wiesbaden? You see the same trend....fresh new crew every three months or so.

But you'd need another 10,000 audit-agents to really check things like this out.