How Bad Is The German Natural Gas Crisis?

On the harsh-winter index (my region)...1-to-10....this past 3 months has been a '8' (not terrible with snow or ice,  but temperatures have been mostly Minus-5 to pluss-5 for the winter so far).   Expectations for the next two weeks?  Lot of showers (plus-5 to plus 8 C), with some negative numbers this weekend (with snow expected).

So here's the thing...natural gas supplies/reserves have been noted declining....with the country reserves near 27-percent.  All of this because of the Russia situation.

Public authorities? No public comments whatsoever.

What the weather guys are saying of March?  Well.....lower than normal temperatures.

The belief is that once we get to below 20-percent in reserves....things will get pretty expensive.

How full are Germany's gas storage facilities really – and why that's misleading.

LNG ships coming in?  This is often discussed, but the reserves number never seems to bounce upward.

The chatter?  Some belief....that as we get to 15-percent....a  national authority will have to give some speech, and issue directives to cut use. I'm guessing home owners will be asked to set the temp near 18C (64 F).  For stores/factories....wouldn't shock me if the temps were set 17C (62 F).

Should they have said something back around Christmas?  Probably so...but I doubt that anyone with the CDU-CSU-SPD wants to take charge over this.

Should the EU step in and create a 'miracle'?  Well....unless Italy or Spain is sitting  on huge amount of extra natural gas....there's not much to be said or done. 

That 'Juna' Gal?

 So Focus this AM....brought up this social media story.

There is this great trainee profile  created in Germanny....one which is a bit flawed in nature....that happened to be generated by KI (artificial intelligence).

Name?  Juna.

Juna....fake in nature but run by a AI system...is fairly busy.

She's been an apprentice at a roofer's in Hamburg, in a car repair shop, in an elderly care facility, and even pretends to work for real German companies.

At one point....she was an apprentice at Deutsche Bahn (the railway system).

Fake posts?  Yeah.  No one has told the AI that it's a bad thing....at least....so far.

Very suggestive and sexual?  Well....yeah, that has come up by folks reviewing the profile.

This likely to get federal attention shortly....with regulation to control Juna?   I would imagine so.

What could occur?  If AI is cut  loose....I might imagine 1-million fake accounts coming to exist in Germany....with AI making up fake stories....day after day.

IQ Story

 I sat and read Euro News this AM....with the chief article: "The IQ of Europeans is dropping due to technology, say researchers."

The big concept?  Since the 1990s....technology has probably interfered with the development of education...causing folks to have a lesser IQ.

They aren't saying technology made people more stupid....just on the level of understanding the facts, and making balanced decisions....people are apparently less capable.

I paused over this. There's no personal doubt that German teens are probably less developed than those coming out of school in the 1980s.

Any of this worrying me?  If you approach AI-Johan and present a problem....it's probably a 99-percent that AI-Johan will reach a logical (positive) solution...something that I can't really trust if plain old 22-year-old Johan were given the same problem.  

But there's the delayed effect...in thirty-odd years, while holding an election....fifty-percent of the German public might have an IQ of 75-to-85, and vote in some crazy illogical fashion.   That's what I worry about.

11 Feb 2026: Germany: 6 Things

1.  This Thursday...Lufthansa pilots plan a 1-day strike.

2.  Polling: two-thirds of German  voters believe the current welfare-state....cannot continue on.  This puts both the CDU-CSU and SPD parties into a bind. 

3. Serious amount of rainfall for Wed/Thur.....in the northern quarter of Germany....snow.

4.  Besides the language classes mandated....non-Germans are also herded into integration classes (typically four weeks).

The funding for these?  Well...the federal gov't.  This past week....the Federal Office said it was restricting access to these courses. 

"In particular, asylum seekers, those with tolerated stay status, people from Ukraine," and EU citizens will no longer be admitted.

At the state level....some folks are hyped-up over the decision.  

5.  Poll done in Germany.....only 55-percent of Germans feel 'safe'.  

69-percent of Germans  now feel like Germany might get mixed up in a war.

Two-thirds of Germans polled....feel that the US is a 'threat' to  world peace.

If you asked me to explain these numbers....it helps to have public TV setting the pace, and keeping you focused nightly on hyped-up stories.  If they weren't telling the worry-stories....they'd have to focus on the economy....over-regulation, and stalled commerce (within Germany).

6.   Trump administration says it will transfer command of the NATO Southern Command in Naples to Italy and command of the Northern Command in Norfolk, Virginia, to the UK.   Other topic in discussion....the US will assume command of NATO naval forces (currently based in the UK).  If you asked me if Northern Command  will remain in Virginia...I'm of the mind it'll move to some location in the UK.

10 Feb 2026: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  I went back yesterday and watched the clip from the ARD Sunday night public forum show...Caren Miosga show.  Primary talk?  She moderated one-on-one with  AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla.

I'll just say two things....Miosga is usually 200-percent prepared to take on guests, but on this occasion....every time she herded him toward a bad position....he got the best of the discussion.

Second...of the dozen-odd top-dogs of AfD....Chrupalla  might be the brighter of the bunch.

2. BSW Party is still  pursuing a court-action to have the Jan 2025 German election ballots recounted. They missed the 5-percent vote 'mandate' by around 9k-to-10k votes.  They believe in some way....if a recount were to occur...the votes would be found, and they'd get seats in the Bundestag.

3.   Rail 'safety-summit' planned in Berlin for Friday....talking over increasing dangers. 

4.  Odd German statistic, 2024 numbers out for marriage registrations.....350k.  Lowest number (per year) since 1950.

5.  EU is talking to Europol (their police mechanism) to investigate Epstein.  Maybe a good idea...but 7 years (minimum) too late.

6.  Just odd....the 26-year-old Greek guy who killed a German train conductor last week....on a regional express train with his bare fists....had a brief encounter prior to the 'fight'.

Police say they  removed the 26-year-old from a TGV train arriving from France in Kaiserslautern at 11:50 a.m. because he had kicked a door inside the train. Train conductors asked for police help  at that point.

More and more...the guy seems 'heated-up' (drugged) in some fashion.  He hasn't said a word since the arrest.

As for the dead guy?  Well....it was a brain hemorrhage resulting from blunt force trauma to the head.  I don't see the Greek guy getting anything less than 20 years.

Pension Story

 Focus interviewed a guy who has worked now for 50 years (age 74).  In his youth, he ended up at a university, and got a degree in communications engineering.   His  job for a couple of years, then ended up in medical services.

His pension today at 74?  1,071 Euro  a month.....which is below1,200 Euro....generally believed to be poverty-retirement.

Thirteen-million Germans are in this poverty-retirement landscape.

It's a sad bitter end-story for the guy.

End of RTL's Jungle Camp Show For 2026

 Well....it turned out to  be the most controversial show of the past 20-odd years....mostly because they invited Gil Ofarim as one of the twelve.

I won't go and rehash Gil's story from 2025....but it's safe to say that probably 30-percent  of viewers were hated Gil with passion.  At lease three  of the twelve did  everything possible to  drag up the Gil-scandal.

So around 1030 last night....voting  came up for the final three, and Gil won.

Via social media....it's a shit-storm.

Gil wins 100k Euro....on top of his salary for the three weeks...around 300k Euro.  He needs the money to pay damages for the hotel/clerk he insulted, the court fees and lawyer fees.  I'm guessing half the money will go out for this cost.

Peeved a lot of viewers?  Yeah....but the viewership was probably near a all-time level, and I'm guessing RTL is searching around to find  two or three other people like Gil for the 2027 show.

All of this consuming two whole weeks....from 8:15 PM to midnight?  Yeah....they built up three shows nightly to consume the topic and get people tangled-up into the soap opera.

Heat Chatter

I read this in the AM today.....according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred globally each year between 2000 and 2019, with the WHO European Region accounting for 36-percent of them or more than 175,000 deaths annually on average. 

More or less....heat stress.

My belief in this numbers stuff?  

Living around Germany for 30-odd years....yeah, I've seen awful stupid stuff.

While at Bitburg....we  had a Lt  in the office....barely on base four weeks, who signed up for a Volksmarch on a 34 C Saturday (93 F).  Long about the 90 minute  point....he had heat exhaustion issues....requires emergency 'help', and got a ambulance ride back to the base.

I went on a 16 km 'walk' here in the hills around Wiesbaden on a 35 C day, with a 1-liter container of water.  Long about the 90 minute point....I had finished off  the bottle and realized....I was still a good 5 km from finishing (at a bus-stop). I wouldn't make it....without more water.  So I altered my route...ending up in some German grocery 2km away, and buying a fresh bottle of water before I collapsed on the path.

Do I believe 3,000 Germans die yearly from heat exhaustion?  No....there are mild-regular summers where it probably ranges in the 1,200 to 1,500 range....with ultra-hot summers in the 5k range.

For 2025....the number often cited is around 1,477....from sources I consider 'safe'.

2022?  It was a harsh summer...most folks arguing the number got up around 6,000.

The 2018 harsh summer?  That gets discussions brought up....'wave' after 'wave'...where some 'experts' state a 8k-plus number.  

The idea that Germans ought to wise-up on heat exhaustion?  On our regional network (HR)....they will waste a whole Wednesday night 45-minute 'slot'....usually in May...hyping up heat stroke and how to recognize a harsh situation.  

My worst experience?  Around 2016...I went off about 150 km on a train (early AM) in mid-July to a museum.  By noon, I was ready to return.  The AC unit on the train?  Failing.  By the 30th minute of the trip....the temp in the car raging near 44 C.  I got off the train....sat in a bar for hour....cooling off.  Then managed to ride the rest of the trip.

8 Feb 2026: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  Just odd....Epstein stuff: Ghislaine Maxwell had a German press card from the official German 'association'.  How?  Unknown.  Why?  You could waste a whole public forum discussion discussion on the topic.

2.  German Bahn (railway) spent 7-M Euro to make a new commercial....just out in past two weeks....have decided to pull the commercial.  Lot of criticism building up.

3. Police in Trier got called...shopping district....some nutcase walking around with a knife in full view.  Got there in minutes....tasked the guy to drop it.  Guy refuses...cops shoot him (wounded).  Midst of shopping zone....around 4:15 PM.

4.  WELT piece....talking over problems in state of NRW....public  priorities: too many aggressive beggars in public, desires for drug-free zones, and more public toilets.

The New (Possible) ETSA Rules?

 The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is required for citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries to enter the United States without a visa for short stays. 

So...as of February 2026, the core ESTA requirements remain unchanged: a valid passport from a VWP country, a valid email address, home address and phone number, emergency contact details, payment method for the application fee, and responses to eligibility questions about criminal history, health, and prior travel.  

Germans typically don't complain about the present system.

HOWEVER.....the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has proposed significant updates to the ESTA application process, which may soon become mandatory pending approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. These proposals stem from Executive Order 14161 issued in January 2025 and aim to enhance security vetting.

The potential new items?

Social media information: Handles/names and identifiers from all platforms used in the last 5 years.  Note....ALL...so if you were on 8 social media platforms....you have to list them.

Biometric data: A live "selfie" photo (already required for mobile app submissions and proposed for all), plus potential collection of face scans, fingerprints, iris scans, and even DNA.

Contact history: Personal phone numbers and email addresses used in the last 5–10 years; similar details for family members (parents, spouse, siblings, children) and business contacts.

Family details: Names, dates of birth, places of birth, and residencies of immediate family members.

Technical data: IP addresses and metadata from submitted photos.

Application method shift: All new ESTA applications would need to be submitted via the ESTA mobile app only, with the website decommissioned for submissions (though it would remain for status checks and information).

Tomorrow....Sunday....the 8th....the discussion would end.  No one says what'll happen on Monday.

One or two of these requirements may occur.  Maybe certain nations will  get dumped-upon.  

The general talk?  Germans suggest if all of these occur....everyone (literally) would shut down tourism in the US.

Germans forcing the US into the same  gimmick?  That's possible.  They could go and suggest all family members of military members go the same route.

My belief?  As you enter Germany....you probably get finger-printed (digitally) and  maybe forced to provide some residence info.   Beyond that...I don't think it really helps security-wise.

Crazy BS?  Yeah.

The 'Great' Threat of German Printing Presses (1600s)

 Over the past week, I've been on a research track....looking at the great evils of social media  in  Germany, and comparing against the arrival of the printing  press technology (1500s/1600s).  

So one of the 'tools' of the printing press...became pamphlets.  So.....some examples:

1. Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools), written by Sebastian Brant (1494)....this was a collection of stories (satire)....mostly stories  revolving around greed, lust and crazy folks.

2.  Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches), by Heinrich Kramer (1487)....fictionalized summary on witchcraft...treated as 'fact'.  Influenced a lot of people to believe in real witches.

3.  Ein kurtze underweysung wie man beichten soll,  by Martin Luther (1519)...basically a short summary on the proper way to confess (your lifestyle, your woes, your  mistakes).

4.  On the Jews and Their Lies, by Martin Luther (1543)....short but controversial anti-Jewish pamphlet.

There are three observations I can make.   First, the more controversial the pamphlet.....the greater odds of the salesman selling out as he marketed the pamphlet.  Second, 1500s to today....BS sells. Third, as much as the Catholic  Church tried to hinder or control printing presses....they mostly failed.

Is There A German AI....Connected By Fax?

 Well....yes, there is a German AI-powered fax system available in Germany. 

FaxKI is a service provided by Simple Communication GmbH that allows users to send questions or tasks via fax to a specific number (0531-490590019), where an AI (integrated with ChatGPT) analyzes the request and sends a response back via fax. 

It's built to translate....do math/calculations....provide cooking recipes, etc.

Free?  Yes, that's the odd part  of the story.  You will end up with some fee for the standard fax transmission. 

To be readily used?  I have my doubts.

My best guess....across Germany....there are probably a hundred individuals...consumed with passion to use fax capability, and they probably will use this daily.

France Topic

 The French parliament law commission (this week) stood up and adopted a draft-bill that would allow non-EU foreign nationals the right to vote and stand in municipal elections.

I'm not saying the National Assembly will pass the draft-bill....just that it will arrive and be discussed.  At best, I'd give it  a 20-percent chance of passing.

Key deal? Well...you'd have to hold a visa, and have a French ID.

This concept drifting over into Germany?  I pondered this.

Neither the CDU-CSU Party or SPD Party would NOT openly discuss this....in fear of driving more voters to AfD.

The Green Party or Linke folks....might discuss it....but they'd likely have the same fear...driving voters to AfD.

In France?  I would imagine just having this draft bill discussed.....might drive several million to the far-right.

Mandelson Odd Development

  I follow Brit news to a moderate degree.  About a month ago, I noted that British politician Peter Mandelson came out and said....he's not really in the Epstein files because he was gay.

To be honest....I thought that probably one-half of all Labour  Party big-wig guys....were gay.  Why he had to make that statement at the time....seemed a bit odd to me.

So this week....the picture comes out...from a dozen-odd years ago....Mandelson standing in a hotel-like room....young gal (face blacked-out)...with him in his  underwear.  Obviously a 3rd person in the room....taking pictures of the older  guy and younger gal.

I sat there thinking....well, if he's gay, then the lusty-moment in the hotel, with the gal in some bathrobe....makes no sense.

But then it struck me....if you were regular-straight Brit guy...wanting to progress up the Labour Party 'path'....then you need to fake-gay your situation.

So the past 20-odd years....Mandelson was fake-gay?  I'm of that opinion.

But if you accept this concept.....of the top 100 Brit guys in Labour...might there be forty-odd guys who are also fake-gay?   And was this the chief 'drive' of  Epstein (and his team)....to train guys to be fake-gay? 

Then finally in this thinking mode....who was the gal in the robe? For some reason...based on height...I'm of the mind that she's likely 18 or older.  Was she some model, actress, or game-show-participant?  Did she go off and later marry some well-to-do fake-gay guy, or prince?

Just some things I wonder about.

Should Twitter/Google/Instagram Just Up And Leave Germany, France And The EU?

For about a year, I've been pondering this idea....more so since Christmas.

Going back to the 1990s as new technology came upon the continent...it's been a dangerous path. Every time that some new App or platform came to Europe....there were two groups in the shadows.

First group?   The opposers....they simply saw the platform/App as something  Europeans didn't need.  Oddly, within two years...around a quarter of folks had picked up the App and were thrilled/happy with what they saw.   

If you asked Germans about WhatsApp....statistics suggest that three out of four use it to some degree, and in the 12-to-20 age group....it might be 90-plus percent using it daily.

Second group?  The regulators....they wanted rules and limits.  Some made sense....some made no sense.  

Having sat and watched all of this unfold....there are three observations:

1.  While there are German, Swedish, Dutch and French Apps developed and mingled into the 'bunch'....the Americans were mostly in the lead position (I give some China some credit for TikTok).

I've often wondered if the opposers/regulators delayed European deliveries to such an extent....that they always came a year to three years 'late'.

2.  If you lined up a hundred Germans...ages 12 to 30....they are now firmly tied into various platforms/Apps.  The minute that Smart-phones went 'cheap'....you put  a tool into everyone's hands.  Statistics show most Germans in their 20s/30s....spend an hour a day (minimum) on some platform/App.

I'm not saying everyone is hyped-up on Twitter....they aren't. But Grok/AI suggests that around 16-million Germans use it weekly.

3.  Finally, I'll point this out.....in 16th-century Germany (part of the Holy Roman Empire), there were efforts to control and censor printing presses, driven by fears that the rapid dissemination of ideas could undermine religious, political, and social authority.

The 'bosses' viewed unchecked knowledge as a threat. 

This stemmed from the invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440 in Mainz, which exploded the availability of books and pamphlets, fueling the Protestant Reformation and challenging the Catholic Church's monopoly on information. 

It's just odd to bring up this printing-press story and compare against Apps/platforms....basically the same threat...500 years apart.

So to end this commentary....yes, I believe that Twitter, Google, Instagram, TikTok, and crew.....should leave Europe.  They should block off the region and allow the continent to only step forward at their own pace.

I'd even use a Star Trek logic....that you shouldn't announce yourselves to some  culture/society...unless they meet x-conditions (prime-directive BS).  

Using 1500s logic....religious leaders at the time argued that mass printing led to errors, low-quality content, and the "debasement" of learning by making it accessible to the uneducated masses.  We should just admit.....there are some uneducated masses, and not waste time or resources. 

TV Chatter

Late night viewing last night....was crap.

Basically, you had a choice of after-action-Jungle-Camp, or the public forum show "Maybrit Illner." 

For a brief period....maybe twenty minutes....I tried to watch Illner's show.

This was a debate of sorts....centering on "Work harder – save prosperity?".

Lifestyle got uttered a number of times and in different ways.  The arguments mostly centered around a fairy tale environment where you worked less hours....felt less stressed, and produced the same quality of service/work.

At some point...I grasped that the folks at the table were all politicians, and whatever they uttered....didn't really fit with reality.  I flipped the channel over to Jungle-Camp-BS.

So a secret reality I'm going to let you in on....we are approaching in seven years....a point where robots will replace one-third of German jobs.   This whining about stress, over-worked conditions, and lifestyle?  It'll end in a abrupt fashion...with 'Huns' an 'Freda' standing there....without much to do.

Forum Chatter

 The 'boss' of the Bahn (German railway system) is going to hold a public forumto assemble solutions/fixes to violence onboard trains/subways and in train stations.  

This is basically a reaction to the assault/murder of the conductor in the Landstuhl area this week....while conducting a ticket audit.

Over the past dozen years....counting bus and train audits....I've probably witnessed around seven 'events' where people lacked tickets.  None turned violent.  Personally, I think nation-wide....if you really dug into it....there's probably one-per-day where some escape is attempted, or some threat of violence occurs.   

Fixing this?  I'm not sure what you can do...other than having two-man teams conduct the ticket-audit and have them 'armed' in some fashion (taser for example).

I pondered upon this...having traveled in the Netherlands on trains. First, they have a ticket-swipe situation (turnstile) as you reach the start of the platform.  You swipe....if you enter and skip the swipe....there's likely some agent to approach you on the platform and already engage there. They also seem to have a fair amount of posters warning of issues if attempting a free-ride.  Oddly, they've gone to AI-use....figuring the more prevalent routes/stations with issues....putting more audits into effect.  

I'll also point this out....where you have violence on the audit-guys....it's always a male-thing.

This public forum might be an interesting event to view.

Election Chatter

 In mid-March....there's a city election in Wiesbaden.  This past Tuesday....I opened the mail box, and found a note from the city....official-looking.

I had my German wife confirm the wording....yep, they've invited me (non-German, auslander) to participate in the city election.  To be clear....there is a sub-council  under the city council....where 15 to 20 folks (non-Germans) have a voice for non-Germans in Wiesbaden.

I looked up the situation...roughly 13-odd parties.  Some represent Syrians...some Ukrainians...one CDU-related...one related to AfD....the WIF-folks (for women's rights), and so on.

I'm not really hyped-up to vote.   It's not like they would resolve the pothole situation, crime in the city, or invent more parking spots.

I'll decline this opportunity....got enough on my plate to vote in Alabama.

Example of German 'Fake-Outrage'

 Around 2000....Google came out with overhead imagery....tied to the maps program.  So in effect....you could browse your German neighborhood, and see what the back-yard looked like...of the guy two blocks over.

It took around two to three weeks for this to hype-up, and become a top-ten national problem....talked about via public TV forums.

So the lead-off solution...take it all down....no imagery..

For a brief period, this was discussed....they (Goggle) said they'd just take down imagery of Germany only....leaving all other nations up.  At this point,  the Germans (politicians) realized how silly they'd look.

Solution 'B' came up....Google would have a German office and if you (the owner  of such-and-such property)....lodged a complaint...then  Google would blur the property noted.

I surveyed this discussion and solution....about three months after it was finalized.  I looked over my village of 200 homes....none blurred.  I looked over Kaiserslautern...noting maybe three that were blurred.  Mainz? Over a 20-minute period.....I found maybe five blurred.

No one ever from Google or the German authorities ever went public to say the national number....but I seriously doubt more than two-thousand lodged a complaint. Chief reason?  I suspect a lot of these folk sun-bathed in the nude in the back-yard...not wanting imagery of them in the nude.

All this hyped-up chatter that comes up weekly?  Could it be that fewer than 1-percent of people are hyped-up?  Well....you don't know.  

5 Feb 2026: Germany: 5 Things

 1.  This AM, I noted a news piece....registration at German driving schools...in the past 2 months....plummeting to rock-bottom.   Almost no one signing up for driver's training.

So gov't chatter....that they might 'cover' for some of the cost.  This BS was barely mentioned, and probably wouldn't happen until late 2026. At present pace....a fair number of driver training businesses might go under by that point.

The question is....where do you find a couple hundred million Euro?

2. This attack on the train in the Landstuhl area....36-year old Turk-German conductor dead.  When the police came to inform his dad....he had a heart-attack.

Lot of Germans reacting to the attack on the guy ('enough' is the comment).  If you asked me what may develop here....armed escorts with the conductors, and some rough treatment of  'free-riders' in the future.

3. The Chancellor gave a talk yesterday....indicating another pension reform situation.  In this 'path'...he wants to work on a private (IRA-like) situation.

I'll just say this....27 years ago....the SPD  gave a talk about creating such a plan, and it failed miserably.

4.  Talk by CDU-CSU-SPD....tobacco tax to be increased.

5. Epstein chatter: coming up in a WELT piece....fair number of German businessmen, academics, and banking officials were connected. 

What Is Elon's Troubles In The UK And France?

 Well...in France...the authorities raided X's Paris offices on 3 Feb 2026, as part of an ongoing investigation led by the Paris prosecutor's cyber-crime unit.

What they say....the probe focuses on suspected offenses including unlawful data extraction, algorithmic manipulation, political interference, and complicity in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and 'deepfakes'. (Don't ask me to translate deepfakes to/from French). 

What the prosecutors want?  Well...they desire for Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino for a "voluntary" interview in April.  If they fail....they'd issue a warrant and possibly seize assets.

This political?  France has a system where they can suggest that prosecutors and judges are outside of the  political control.  I'm not an expert on this....so it might be true....it be stretching the truth.

Will Yaccaino or Elon show up?  Unknown.  

The Brit issue?

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced a formal investigation into xAI's Grok AI tool on 3 February 2026.  Job?  To examine its potential to generate harmful sexualized images and videos, as well as compliance with personal data processing laws. 

It appears that UK authorities have restricted access to Grok's image generation features, but it also appears that users can still bypass these limits. 

Where this is going?  The PM is barely hanging on presently, and having some issues with Trump.

The odd thing with the UK situation....this investigations could continue for the remainder of 2026, and somehow.....develop into fines or operational restrictions for X and xAI in the UK.

I sat and pondered over both situations.  Elon could simply deny user abilities for both France and the UK....'dead-zone' type of operation.  This would solve the French/UK problems, and make the achievement into a major 2027 mess  to clean up.

In the UK case....the Grok image-maker...is like a van Gogh 'machine' and pure art at work....so the government's master plan of controlling 'art'....would become a 'joke'.

Arresting or detaining Musk?  I seriously doubt it.

Theater entertainment?  If you view the public sentiment of Macron and Starmer....things have evolved to a soap opera level.  

Final note....if one drags up erotic stuff, or nudies....seems like both countries have a fair amount of art on display or intellectual stuff....that have pushed the limits for 300-plus years.  Seems like things ought to start there and rid civilization of the terrible nudie stuff, or that Shakespeare BS.  

Train Story

 Regional train....near Landstuhl area (Pfalz, Germany)....had a situation where the  conductor was doing a ticket-check. 

Confrontation between one male passenger (Greek guy) and Turk-German conductor.  Passenger had no ticket.

Confrontation led to a fight....conductor dead.

Police have the passenger....will face charges.  Would assume fairly substantial and serious situation...minimum of twenty years of prison.

Fair number of Germans on social commenting....term of 'brutalization' comes up.

If you are over age 50 in Germany....you just don't remember engagements, deadly physical violence, or 'crazy stuff' in the 1980s/1990s.   

You wouldn't engage in such a conflict....over a 60 Euro fine for lacking a ticket.

Baden-Württemberg State Election (In 4 Weeks)

 Roughly 4 weeks  away....polling?

CDU is likely to win (29-percent).

Greens at 22-percent, and AfD at 20-percent.

SPD at 8-percent, and Linke at 7-percent.  FDP at 5-percent.

Likely coalition?  CDU-Greens.  

Who loses the most over 5 years?  Well...Greens and FDP....lost a serious amount of votes.

4 Feb 2026: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  Poland suggests Epstein's path....leads back to Russia (KGB)....wants to start a investigation.

I might believe 15 years into the whole 'game'...they might have started to 'buy-into' the situation.   Other angle....maybe just a couple of Oligarch guys wanted in on the action.

2.  Read through a business analysis piece....13-million Germans living on the edge of poverty.  

3.  Some BILD piece from yesterday....suggesting in 3 German states....60-percent of those on state-assistance....are non-German.

Their key point....if you have no prospects in life, then getting state-assistance makes no sense in the long run.

4.   REWE (grocery chain) regional 'boss' says in the Koln area....they have a store, and it'll close unless the state starts providing 'security'.  The landscape?  Between theft and homelessness....the particular  grocery is under daily threat.

5.  Hessen's state Minister for Education....advocating for mandatory age for social media.

Hot topic in Germany....I'm likely to believe by end of 2026....some  law will be passed....either age 15 or 16 will be mandated. 

6.  Massive snow/ice problem in the Wiesbaden/Mainz area from mid-afternoon yesterday.  Some folks required 4 to 7 hours to return home.  Weather guys kept saying  2 to 3 cm of snow....my village had about 14 cm by the end.  

The Downfall Of Asylum 'Players' Upon Arrival In Germany

 About 8 years ago...I was doing a German language class, and later a integration class....so I was hanging around Syrians, Africans, Afghans, Venezuelans and even some South Koreans.

It came up in a break-pause one day....Syrian educated guy (pharmacist trade)....we got into a English discussion.

Upon arrival in Germany with his wife, and two kids....they were put in a temp-camp (old US barracks)....for about 6 weeks.  

Daily....came the issue....young 'punks' (various countries)....going out and discovering alcohol and drugs on the streets of Germany. I asked...how'd they get the cash....he responded 'black-work'.

So he had to continually monitor his kids....keeping them away from the idiots.  

He'd go and tell the 'manager' of the stuff going, but they never responded.

Most all of the incoming folks were from  countries that had strict laws on booze/drugs.....serious punishment.  So they had no ability to control themselves.

This murder from the last week (Hamburg subway)....an example of a asylum guy....no control....consumed with boozing up  daily.

I don't think the German authorities have really leaned into this issue, or grasp it.  

2 Feb 2026: Germany: 10 Things

 1.  This AM....odd story developing. Since 2022....the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war...many EU states imposed sanctions against Russia. Well....five guys in Germany circumvented these sanctions and supplied tens of thousands of products. Secret network, now exposed.

2.  Beer statistics....in 2025, breweries and beer warehouses sold a total of 18.9 percent, or 1.8 billion liters, LESS beer than in 2015.

Looking over my beer consumption in 2025....I probably had no more than 40 bottles (with 20 of them the .3-liter size).

3. If you go to Rome.....the Trevi Fountain was one of the ten things you had to go and see/experience.

Rome now charges two euros to enter.

4.  From RBB this AM....Security authorities for the city...speaking up of a 'hybrid' threat, with hospital operators seeing a growing risk.

Berlin hospitals have been recording an increase in suspicious incidents for months.

Combination of things: cyber attacks, drones, unauthorized persons, forced entry, etc.  Belief?  Russian KGB.

5. 'Schwarzfahrer', term used by Germans (translates to 'blackrider') for people on trains without tickets....NOW seen as discriminatory language.  

Talk now centering on inventing a new term for something that has been used for almost 100 years in Germany.

6. Last night...prime news on ARD...natural gas reserves for the nation now down to 33-percent.

7.  Josef Seitz wrote a Focus commentary....after watching the ARD (public TV) forum show last night (Caren Miosga Show).....that after a year of hyped-up worry over Trump...plus years of Ukraine-Russia war....he personally doesn't care anymore.  

Yes, the hyped-up BS.....doesn't sell anymore.

8.  Massive strike today (Monday) across a lot of Germany.  My village and city of Wiesbaden part of it.....no bus service or local rail-traffic.

9.  Across Germany....noted today....41,000 kids are repeating the first-grade (half of them...in NRW).

10.  Report this AM....nearly half-a-million people in Germany (mostly men) are members of a clan-crime 'gang'.

Report says 36 groups...13 come from Arab regions, 11 belong to the Mhallamiye community with roots in Turkey, Lebanon, or Syria. 9 have Turkish origins, 2 are Kurdish, and 1 comes from the Western Balkans.

The report suggests that they now exert influence (avoiding the term blackmail) over politicians and LE.   

Weak Dollar BS

 My wife (German in nature) wanted to  impress upon me the 'great-evil' of the US dollar being so 'weak' currently....forcing me to read a article from Handelsblatt (the German version of the Wall Street Journal).

The piece went to a anti-Trump strategy....how a weak dollar hurts the German economy,  and endangers the US.

Current balance?  One dollar buys .84 Euro.

So here's the thing....if you go back to 1960....there have been three low dollar periods: 

1971-1979: Following the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, the US dollar experienced significant weakness against the Deutsche Mark, with the exchange rate (DM per USD) declining from around 3.48 in 1971 to 1.83 by 1979. 

I remember 1978/1979...I was stationed in Germany, and it was obvious.

1986-1995: After the Plaza Accord in 1985, the dollar entered another major period of depreciation against the DM, dropping from a peak of 2.94 DM per USD in 1985 to a low of 1.43 in 1995. 

I was here in the early 90s....remembering that era well.

2002-2008: In the Euro era, the dollar weakened substantially against the Euro, with the exchange rate (EUR per USD) falling from about 1.06 in 2002 to 0.68 by 2008, reflecting broader dollar weakness during this period. 

I worked as a contractor in that era...here in Germany, and it reached a point where the company just said...'that's it....we got no extra money to help you with the crappy dollar'.

Looking at the three eras....we have yet to reach this absolute weak point....so the Handelsblatt folks are just talking hot-air at this point.

Social Media BS Makes You Question Things

A day ago....I chatted over the subway murder in Hamburg.  The basic story....refugee from Kenya just up and grabs the hand of a Iranian 18 year old  girl, and  yanks her with him....in front of a oncoming train...both dead.

Most locals see the guy as a nutcase (paranoid schizophrenia)....mostly the end of the story.

This AM....someone dug into the personal details of the guy.  His birthday?  1 January 2000.  Odd detail.

Was this an actual birth date (conclusively proven during registration)....well...that's not really proven.

In the reality of Germany society....if you don't have a birth certificate or state-produced identification document....you get assigned the first day of the birth year is selected as a "substitute date."

Did the German authorities go into detail about his situation and really vet the guy?  Unknown.

But there's this odd detail about this guy....he said he couldn't go back because it was too dangerous for him.  Kenya is considered politically stable, predominantly Christian, and popular among Germans.  

Roughly 80,000 Germans frequent Kenya yearly.  It's fairly safe...maybe every three years....you have a lion-attack on some tourist, or some bus flips over at a curve.

So you end up wondering....was the guy 25 years old....might he have been 30 or 40 years old?  Was his story mostly faked-up and some German bureaucratic official swamped with people and just thought....'what-the-hell', and signed off?

The real question?  How many folks exist in the German 'book'....with 1 January as their birthdate?  If your answer (out of 84-million)....is around 1-million....folks might start to question a lot of things.

1 Feb 2026: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  Last night, ARD prime news did a brief mention of the Hamburg subway murder (I mentioned yesterday AM).

I noticed that some news group had interviewed the dead guy's housing partner. The guy had been in refugee housing (almost 2 years)....was described as always aggravated....serious consumer of alcohol, and not exactly right in the head.  

2.  From that power grid situation 2 weeks ago in Berlin....a number of folks  who had the new technology heat pumps....serious damage caused and a number of units require replacement (figure minimum of 10k Euro and on up to 15k Euro).   Not sure if your normal household insurance will cover such stuff.

3. Former SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert...last year...quit the Bundestag 'business' (after 4  years of service).  Stress levels were a problem.

So  he's gotten a note from the gov't....he has at retirement age (still 30 years away)....earned a status of 800 Euro a month for his brief working period for the gov't.  He says it's a bit unfair.

Five Observations

 1.  Just odd....public TV.....ARD (Channel 1) actually managed to not utter a single syllable about the horrific subway murder in  Hamburg. 

But then they were about the raging, armed American who was shot dead by ICE folks in Minneapolis....delivering extensive reports over three evenings as the lead story.

2.  Talk from Denmark this weekend....there will be some law (likely to be challenged in court)....that if you were a non-citizen and commit a violent act (suggesting a felony)....automatic deportation.

Probably has to be a process involved, and the unlucky guy will wise up quickly....just quickly exit to Germany.

3.  German Defense Minister....Pistorius...gave a speech/talk yesterday....assuring young German men upon entry into the German Army....'humane treatment' upon conscription.

I paused over this.  Two meanings to the talk.  First, there's a lot of freaked-out young German men (age 18-to-20)...who don't want their dad's army reality....where Sergeants run around yelling at them, or dumping crap on them for unshinned boots.  Second meaning....perhaps some worry over perverted/kinky sex stuff being introduced them in the military environment....which is way more than the kinky stuff they are already into. 

4.  Oddly....also coming from a Pistorius talk...he's of the mind that Russia has zero interest in peace (of any type), and that the current model of existence...reflects upon a full-up war being good for the Russian society.

I pondered over this way of thinking (both from Pistorius and the Russians).  There's obviously a think-tank or two (in the EU and Germany) and sells this 'brand' of logic.  The Russians? They probably also have a think-tank or two....talking the same way.

How I might buy into it?  If I ran Russia, and wanted a lesser prison population...I'd recruit/order prisoners to be forever-Army members, and give the prison crowd medals upon war-field death.  

5.  Back on 30 January 1979....the city of Berlin, Germany, enacted the Berlin Nature Protection Act (Berliner Naturschutzgesetz), which includes the prohibition on using de-icing salt on sidewalks (within the city) under §39.

Well....this week, with all the ice and snow.....the city council wrote a waiver (basically for 2 weeks) to strongly encourage the public in Berlin to salt-up their sidewalks.  Tons of ice....threats of falling.

So some Germans on social media made the comment....literally no one  in the region (grocery or hardware store) sells/markets....road-salt.  You'd have to drive a minimum of 15 minutes outside the city limits....to find some place with road-salt to sell.

Kinda funny....amount of regulation created, and momentary lifting  the regulation has marginally any effect.

Hamburg Murder

 Thursday evening, Hamburg, at the subway station Wandsbek Markt (east of the Bahnhof)....a 25-year-old Sudan guy....dragged an 18-year-old woman onto the tracks in front of a U1 train....killing both. Presently, it does not appear that they knew each other.

What the cops say?  The 25-year-old apparently waited for an approaching subway train....then approached the 18-year-old and grabbed her. He then threw himself and her in front of the oncoming train. 

Sudan guy known to the police (a record)?  Well....so far, they've said he's got a record...mostly acts of aggression and violence.  Couple of days prior to the attack....he allegedly became violent towards city police.

His time in Germany?  He came in mid-2024, and authorities are clear that he was vetted in some way. I'm guessing that some examination of the vetting process will occur.

Paranoid schizophrenia 'player'?  They don't really lay out enough of his past two years to guess this problem.   If he had this issue....allowing him to integrate into a heavily metropolitan city was the wrong idea. 

The unfortunate side of this?  It becomes another hot-topic for AfD to talk about.  

Added: rest of the story....the 18-year-old girl....Iranian.

A Unique Public Transportation Problem

 If you live  in Wiesbaden....you know the 'game' to play if  you want a quick ride to the Airport, or into Frankfurt city.....you take the S-Bahn out of the Wiesbaden station and waste around 30 minutes just to get through Mainz and 3 or 4 odd-stops....to get to the  airport.....then it's a zero-stop situation if using a ICE-train onto Frankfurt. 

So regionally....there's this ultra high-speed railway....skipping Wiesbaden, Mainz....in a minute or two....reaching the Airport, and in 3 minutes reaching Frankfurt.

For probably 15 years....the city of Wiesbaden has been begging for a 'stop' to be built....out of thin air....the ICE train would halt for a minute or two....then race onto the Airport....then race onto Frankfurt.

Several  thousand Frankfurt workers live out of Wiesbaden, and this type of project would bring tears to their eyes....giving them back 70 to 80 minutes of the day.

This week, the ICE  upper-management held a meeting....discussed the matter, cost, and priorities.  The Wiesbaden 'fix' didn't  make the list.

The odd piece of discussion?  Well...this station being talked  about is  non-existent today....in Wallau.  Personally, I don't consider Wallau a 'part' of Wiesbaden.   It stands about 3 miles east of the Army Post.   

What the pro-stop folks intend?  They would find funds for  some part of this....building a station next to the line, and by the autobahn....with a fair  amount of parking  (say in the range of 500  to a 1k parking spots).  Right now today....nothing there exists.

With the trouble of planning (legendary in the region)....even if they got permission to proceed...it  might be six to eight years before the whole thing was connected up.

The odd factor?  Well...from the 6AM to 9AM Wiesbaden crowd....probably 50-percent of folks would  quit riding the line across the river to Mainz/Airport.  

But there is this one odd factor no one brought up.....if  you ride on ICE....even for 5 minutes....you pay for a higher cost railway ticket.  In a year....you could be talking about 800 Euro more.  Course, you'd get 350 man-hours back on your yearly travels.  Maybe folks would pay more 

TV Comedy Show That Got 'Serious'

I'll try to make this uncomplicated.

Germany has a regional public TV network....for the NW part of the country....name is NDR.  NDR runs what I'd call a intellectual-satirical TV program called "Extra 3."

It's been around since 1976....a weekly format...running 45 minutes.  

If you asked the question....yearly, do they ever cross the line and get into trouble?  I'd have to respond....yeah, on a average of probably 3 to 5 times a year.

So....this week....a crew from the show....traveled to Greenland's capital, Nuuk....with comedian Maxi Schafroth.

Chief aim?  Well...they (mostly Maxi) attempted to hoist a US flag outside the local cultural center as part of a filmed stunt intended to mock US policy toward Greenland, particularly referencing past American interest in acquiring the territory. 

Yeah....it probably didn't take more than two or three minutes for local residents to  confront him....halting the situation.  Then a massive amount of anger came out (from the Nuuk folks).

Police ended up being called, and involved.

By the end of the confrontation....Nuuk cops issued a fine to the production team, and an investigation followed. 

No one says much over the investigation....I'm guessing that Danish intelligence is  involved....with EU authorities close behind them.  I'm of the mind that they will just drop this after a week or two....putting the members of the crew on some forbidden to enter list (into Greenland). No....I don't think further charges will occur.

So....this all came back to NDR headquarters, and I'm guessing that ARD (the top dog in running public TV got involved as well).  What NDR said?  Well...they clarified that the action was purely satirical and not meant to offend Greenlanders, then expressing regrets for the pain-and-suffering caused. 

At the end of all this chatter....Nuuk's mayor urged responsible behavior from visiting journalists and creators. 

Yeah, it's a lot of BS....over stupid childish humor by the TV crew. I would imagine they got a long lecture about and how they should never leave the German border to do comedy.

But I sat and pondered two  things.   The crew probably spent near 10,000 Euro for the flight, and hotel....which had to be approved by NDR leadership....so they must have known about the  extent of the show.  Second thing, there is a total disconnect between Europeans and this Greenland topic....with the Greenland residents hyped-up to the max.  If you walked into a German or Italian pub, I think at least half of the people there see the whole Trump thing,  and Greenland discussion as a joke.

Atom Bomb Chatter

 This week....the former Foreign Minister...Joschka Fischer (born back in 1948)....who was a  prominent German politician from Alliance 90/The Greens...served as Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister from 1998 to 2005 under Gerhard Schröder...gave a talk.

So the topic of building nuke bombs came up.

He suggested Europe (didn't really say Germany) needs to build nuke bombs to defend against  the 'threat' (meaning Russia, without really saying it).

He says....the situation with  the US is not really stable, and Europe needs its own nukes.

First, based on treaty by West Germany, East Germany, the US, and Russia (1990)...unified Germany can never  build nukes.

Second, to have some Green Party guy suggest this...is absolutely crazy.

Third and final....this week....I noted some German scientist got dragged into a discussion like this, and he said....from day one on, if Germany wanted production of nuke bombs, they could be producing within 3 years.

If you bring this up with Germans over the age of sixty....lot of crazy talk that they never thought would come up as being rational.

30 Jan 2026: Germany: 5 Things

1.  INSA, the polling service, went and did a poll....every second German would be willing to do more to boost the economic recovery.

In this group....53 percent of those in employment would be prepared to work at least one hour longer per week or even per day.

2.  Arctic front this weekend in  Germany....some regions set to go down to minus-15 C (5 F).

3.  I watched RTL's 'Jungle-Camp' show last night. The TV crew has rules to live by in the camp, and there's some team of rule-breakage counters.  So in the first six days of camp operation....the 12 players had broken 146 rules.  Smokes were taken away last night to 'correct' behavior.

While amazed....I came to  think that my German wife often counts my rule violations (I probably exceed 40 per week).

4.  Absenteeism in Berlin schools have reached a serious level....where there is a discussion of mandating city health departments examine each kid who claims he's sick.

5.  Anyone traveling to the UK is required to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) in advance. 

Rule has been around for almost  a year....lax-enforced. Started at the end of  Feb...will  be strictly enforced.  Airlines will not be permitted to board passengers who cannot present a valid ETA. An ETA costs £16, which is approximately €18 to €19.

Bank Vault Mess To Clean Up

I sat this AM....reading a German piece over the Gelsenkirchen bank box robbery.

So there's this older gal.....who had a condominium that she sold. She 'SAYS'....she kept a sum of around 400,000 euros in cash in her safe deposit box....which got robbed with the others.

Cops have taken the report.

I paused over it....who would sell property....in cash?

Then, who would take the money to ONLY store in the bank-box?

It sounds like BS....but it's enough to make you wonder, and likely ends up as a court case against the bank.

Three Things

1.  I learned this AM....takes about 20 days for a LNG-container ship....to get from  the US east coast...to the port in Hamburg.  How many make the trip...monthly?  Five, on average.

2.  This  Deutsche-Bank raid yesterday (Frankfurt/Berlin)?

Some employees (maybe just two or three at each site)....were money-laundering for 'someone' (probably the mafia).

3. Bundestag President Klöckner wants to use information from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germany's domestic intelligence agency)...to check for security checks of Bundestag employees in the future.

I just find it curious....they weren't doing this before.

My No-Good Reason Theory

I sat and read a social media comment today: 

"Germans are autistically efficient about everything" is the fakest stereotype in the world.  Germans are reactionary brutes (lovingly) and do tons of things very stupidly for no good reason."

I paused over it for ten minutes.  

Yeah....you can walk around on a simple day...noting fifty-odd things which are efficiently-design....that make little to no sense.  

In fact, you can go back to the 1980s in Germany and suggest the same thing. More intense over the past 40 years?  You could probably make that assessment.

But I would describe Germany this way....out of 84-million in residents....there's probably 12-million Einstein-like Germans who'd like to branch out and do some radical stuff...but they are held back by the 25-odd-million anti-Einsteins.

Day in and day out.....the Einstein-crew does tens of thousands of weird stuff....to keep the anti-Einsteins off-guard, and continually trying to hinder anti-progress agenda.

 So, settle back and just enjoy the show.

29 Jan 2026: Germany: 4 Things

 1.  This AM...Berlin Zeitung piece: Several German companies (BMW, ZF and Henkel) moving to new factories in Hungary....lower costs.

2.  Pfalz scandal brewing?  Well....around 10 to 12 years ago...a couple of folks who were upper-level state employees...found new civilian jobs.  Curiously, as they departed....a deal was worked up where for 6 to 12 months.....they had state benefits (maybe even a salary of some type).  In the last month.....this has unfolded....investigation being done.  Probably illegal.

3.  WELT piece this AM.....German population...despite refugees entering...now on a decline.  

4.  Survey of Russians....50-percent now consider Germany to be hostile (a  threat).  Not sure on German perception....but it might be 40-to-50 percent who see Russia as a threat.

Interesting HR - Police Problem

So....Berlin-City found the funding over the past year to recruit and train up 1,224 folks for the city police.

However....they were unable to fill a quarter of the training positions because many applicants fail the German language test.

I read through the piece.....you can blame the education-sector to some degree, or the better potential folks finding better choices for their employment situation.

My Impression Of The EU Deal With India

Basically....it creates a 'BIGGEST' trade deal that either side has ever signed, creating a free trade zone covering about 25-percent of global GDP and over 2 billion people. 

Central feature? It aims to strengthen economic and political ties amid geopolitical tensions, boost bilateral trade (currently over €180 billion annually), and promote rules-based trade. 

The EU claims....the agreement is expected to double EU goods exports to India by 2032, save around €4 billion per year in duties, and support job creation, with the EU estimating nearly 800,000 jobs already tied to this trade. I'm not saying this is accurate or BS....just the broad suggestion.

So in the package....Indians will get work/study permits fairly easily.  The wording suggests that.

Negatives?  This will be challenged in court....just like the South American deal from a couple of days ago.  Anyone thinking there are hundreds of thousands of Indians with German language ability....is imagining things.  A wave of Germans with a criticism over Indians.....yeah, that's probably a problem to occur.

My best guess over India-to-Germany air traffic?  Presently....10 flights out of Germany per day....to India.  I would imagine within 3 years....it'll  be near 40 flights a day....half being cargo-only.

Finally, just speculation....EU quietly gave a message to China....the idea of  getting a better 'partner' is key to this situation.  

Sunday Night's ARD Tatort Episode

 I ended up this past Sunday evening (8:15) watching the Tatort series on ARD.  To describe Tatort....it's a crime  drama....running for 90 minutes...which weekly features one out of a 15-odd cities.  Yes, there's been a murder....which they spend the whole show with a couple of police-characters.....trying to tie up loose ends.

To be honest....I might watch eight of these per year.  I'm just not into krimi-dramas unless it's really decent script-writing and  unusual characters.  The Wiesbaden-drama from six years ago...featured some scenario where 40-odd bad-guys were killed over 3 days...is an example of great writing.

So this Sunday evening's event?  Out of Bremen, and entitled: If Only One Could Be Saved.

It took about 3 minutes to lay out the murder....German college girl...some lounge-pimp....cash handed over.....girl end up pushed down a stairs...dead.  But you never see who pushed her down.

The two female detectives arrive, and the show spends about sixty minutes laying a fairly lame situation. German university 'kids' can't afford housing....side-story develops around a messy partnership apartment and outrageous rent.

At some point near the end....some 15-year old kid is part of the crime...drives off in a RV. Some 2-minute 'race' through side-streets of Bremen.

The sad side story?  I basically had this....a NFL football situation....'Jungle-Camp'....or some cooking show from 2018....to pick from.

What You Don't Want To Occur If You Don't Have A Rail Ticket

About six to ten times a year....I get ticket-checked on the bus or train (here in Germany).  About once every two years....I'll stand there and note a 'conflict' where some 'guest'  of the  bus/train...fails to produce a ticket.

So, I noted a interesting story from the weekend (Sunday)...over at Halle.

This was near the Halle-Neustadt subway station....where a dispute between a train conductor and a passenger started-up.

A physical situation occurred....both injured. 

Late afternoon...a 38-year-old passenger from Cameroon was checked....refused to produce a ticket....things got heated, and the fight started.

From what they describe (witnesses)...the train conductor was struck in the face, fell to the ground, and hit the back of his head so hard that he briefly lost consciousness. 

Charges? The Cameroon guy will be dragged into court....probably getting a mental eval situation.  Even if sane....he'll be charged up with two  or three things....could be looking at a minimum of 12 month in prison.

My general  advice....if riding the train without a ticket....have 60 Euro in your mind as the fine.  You  might  ride 200 times in a year without a ticket....never being audited.  But one day.....it'll come.

Heating Numbers

 With 2024 data....German numbers and the heating:

- Oil, 17-percent

- Natural gas, 56-percent

- Heat-pump, 4.4-percent

-  District station, 15.5-percent

-  Electrical: 2.5-percent (usually the most expensive way)

- Coal: .2-percent (fairly rare)

- Wood: 4.1-percent

Back in the early 90's....I was assigned to  Bitburg, and a co-worker had a house-rental with only electrical heaters.  It was an enticing low rental price....but heat was six times what I was paying for natural gas heat.   

LNG Over The Weekend

 I noted Sunday morning....the national natural gas reserves in Germany hit around 39.7-percent. If you go state by state....it gets pretty harsh in Bavaria.  If nothing happens over the next week or two, and the temp stays near  0 C....it's a problem.

But....three LNG ships arrived around Friday evening near Hamburg....to ditch their loads.

The catch?  There is a testing requirement for each ship's LNG...required before they can hit the port and 'unload'. 

Amusingly, the test facility and personnel....don't work evenings, or weekends.  So the three vessels sat there....until testing can conclude this  AM.

If tests work out?  One would imagine the national reserves to get back up into the 65-percent range.  

Germany And 2025 Bank Insolvency Pattern

 I saw this an hour ago.....insolvenz situation for the 16 states....over 2025.

Worst state? NRW, with Bavaria following closely.

Eastern states less affected.

Blame?  Lack of orders, and liquidity bottlenecks contributed to a broader recessionary environment....for 2025.

Improving in 2026? There's no sign of that yet.

If you view banking 'trust'....why would you loan out huge  sums of money, if you felt the system was still unstable? 

26 Jan 2026: Germany: 3 Things

 1.  Odd story out of BILD for the  weekend.....estimation of 8,000 asylum-seekers in Germany....who've disappeared into Germany.

Facts?  No...simply a state-by-state assessment (best guess) by individual gov't organizations. Personally?  It wouldn't shock me 100,000 were disappeared into Germany.

2.  16/17-year olds in Baden-Wurttemberg for this upcoming state election....will have the right to vote.  No  clear poll how this might affect the outcome.  

3.  Black-ice warning across probably a quarter of Germany this AM.

If The US Army Exited Wiesbaden

 I could write this over four to five locations....but this essay is purely over problems/issues....if things went 'south' enough to cause an exit.

First, you might want to note the 'area' of Mainz-Kastel where the old US Army property was located....is still in a planning/acceptance stage (I think it's  now up to the 7th year).  Their last suggested use plan by the city....was not acceptable to the general public.

You can also say the re-use plan for the American Arms Hotel property....took a long time to develop.  Execution  was four years ago, with the site mostly a grocery/condo use.

Second, the properties in mind?  Well....you have the air-base area, the Hainerberg post area, and roughly two housing areas.

Third, virtually no one in the city gov't wants to drag out the re-use concept for the air-base.  They don't want the runway re-used....nor have any part of the Frankfurt Airport operating some part of it.

If you asked me on re-use of the air-base....the runway might be kept as a recreational spot, and 90-percent of the structures torn down to be another major 'burb' of the city (probably in the range 10,000 new residents).

The two housing areas....likely to stay as is....converted to public housing.

As for Hainerberg? The hill overlooking the city is prime real estate, and likely to become some high-end condo district....all new housing to be built.  If I were guessing....it's another 10,000 resident development in the end.

The chief issue....getting to some point of acceptance of a city-planning commission and the general public.....likely taking a full 10 years.

Was it this way in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Hahn, Hanau?  Well...yeah, after each closure....it was a good decade before 'changes' started to occur, and a re-use plan accepted.

If you go around Frankfurt today....the old BX-property is 'high-end' use.

Mental Aspects Story

I sat down this week and eventually asked Grok/AI if Danes had any recent build-ups over mental health issues (over anything....even Trump). 

So after 10 minutes...Grok responded.....based on recent surveys and reports from Danish sources, a significant portion of Danes do report experiencing mental health challenges, such as increased worries, anxiety, and stress, and yes...linked to Donald Trump's presidency and actions.

Then Grok responded....Danish women were showing higher rates of impact in some data (over men). Not a lot of explanation....why more women than guys?  I might assume guys worry or get hyped-up over 'other' things (like soccer, Grand Prix, beer shortages).

So....a survey was conducted by Epinion for the pension company Sampension, polling about 1,000 Danes, found that 48-percent reported more worries negatively affecting their mental health following Trump's inauguration in January 2025.  (bt.dk)

This figure rose to 54-percent among women in particular.   Looking past this....53-percent of respondents anticipated increased worries impacting their mental well-being due to global developments under Trump, escalating to 60-percent for women. 

The health 'boss' at Sampension...analyzed things....then suggested coping strategies like taking news breaks (lessening news) and conducting more physical outdoor activities. 

Danica....a Danish health insurance company....noted a mid-20's spoke in anxiety-related inquiries to their online psychologists since Trump's January 2025 inauguration, with anxiety accounting for about one in five consultations. 

The same guy then suggested that daily Trump stories....covering pardons, tariff chatter and Greenland threats....were layered on top of  already pre-existing anxiety tendencies. 

Added burden?  A 2024 Opinion survey indicated roughly eight out of ten Danes would have voted for Kamala Harris over Trump if eligible.

If I were asked where this all comes out of?  Well....simply a lot of news being dished out....from one-single view creators.  The sad thing.....non-Danes gaze over at this, and just shake their head....something  going on in terms mental stress, and other than 'meds', cannabis, alcohol....not much to confront the 'pain'. 

By the end of 2026....I would imagine some mental health clinics there will have a rehab program up and running....mostly trying to get Danes away from news programs.

Knockout-51....Criminal Gang or Terror Group?

 This is a rather odd story.

Roughly halfway between Leipzig and Frankfurt (more so on the Thuringia state side)....lies the city of Eisenach. Forty-thousand residents, and mostly known as the town where Bach was born.

Somewhere around 2018/2019 (depending on who tells the story)....some group of German guys started a club, criminal gang, or terror-group  (again, depending on who tells the story).

As far as I can tell....it's strictly Germans....not 'guests' or EU folks. 

This guy....'Leon' started the group.  Their original intent?  They (probably no more than a dozen in the beginning....had some interest in right-wing ideology and were into martial arts (Kung Fu, Krav Maga, MMA) BS.  Some folks say over the next year or two....the KO-51 guys tried to get attention as private security (lounge-bouncer-status).  

This led the local law enforcement (the police/DA)....to eyeball them as some type of threat. However, in their view.....they weren't criminals or thugs....they were seen as terrorists.

Somewhere around 2021 (Covid  era)....one of the KO-51 guys made the statement about ending the lives of some left-wing extremists. This  got the KO-51guys deeper  into  terror status.

In this period 2020 to 2023....the group took up a anti-Covid agenda....which got them deeper into a terror status.

Then in 2022, there was this party in town.....where a 'suspected' KO-51 member  with an associate....got into a fight with a off-duty policeman (severe beating from the description given).

 This all led to a raid in early 2022....where four guys were identified  as Neo-Nazis....where a year goes by, and a state court says.....yeah, you can proceed on criminal charges, but the group isn't a legit terror group.

Various  raids occur, and charges continue to maneuver  toward terrorism....while the state court says 'no'.....they are basically criminals....not terrorists.

So this past week....the federal court of Germany came to a end-point....the  group is  criminal in their  existence....not terrorists.

But the fed court also said  a number of things that were handled on the four guys kept in jail....were 'wrong', and they want a complete review of the case.

This mostly a story of  a group  of a dozen-odd German guys who were hyped up on martial arts and having a anti-Covid view of things?  Well....I think it's a five-star script for a German comedy movie.

24 Jan 2026: Germany: 5 Things

 1. Lot of chatter developing  over the Mercousur/EU/South America trade deal.

Everyone  from 10 days ago were super-positive....now with the EU vote....there has to be a judicial review....with some believing the treaty might be dismantled, or take years to  approve.

The people being blamed?   Some elements of the Green Party.   Chancellor gave a talk yesterday....fairly peeved at the way this trade deal was halted.

2. Ten countries declared 'SAFE' yesterday....so if you were on the deport-list from these countries....up until now....they were unsafe, and you could delay your exit. The ten?

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, Moldova/Republic,  Montenegro, North Macedonia, Senegal, Serbia.

To be honest....there are probably a couple thousand Germans each year who were going to  Albania on summer vacations. 

More pressure now to  increase deportations.

4. 6,700 conscientious objectors listed since December.  List grows....day by day.  Would imagine by end of 2026....nearing 80,000.

5.  German news media preparing public for 'over-throw' of Cuban gov't. 

Yeah, they might go defend the Castro-era and hype a severe criticism over the  Trump effort. 

Why Do People Complain About DEVOS Food Options

 I watched about 4 hours of clips this week (economic forum), and at least three folks commented on the crappy food, or cost situation.

Back in 2022....same meeting, a burrito was priced at around $51, French fries at $22, and a hot dog at $43 at one prominent hotel venue.

A lot of this...simply high-end catering?  Yeah....there's no doubt that the vast amount of food  is 'brought-in'.

Just in general....food menu's in Switzerland being on the high-end?  Back in 2019....the wife and I spent six days there.  I admit....the hotel-breakfast (free) and a light after 'snack'....saved us on cost....but the evening dinner usually ran $150 by the time you figured food and beverages (eating at high-end places).  Yeah, we could have done the McDonalds routine but still spent $45.

Marriage 'Contract' Story

 So...BILD has some story out this AM....concerning Koln.

Police in the region did some raid....with this document system coming to light.

I'm not saying this is accurate, or just faked-up stuff by the crime-gangs....but the story goes this way.

What the cops found....under the heading "Marriage Obligations," is the sale of underage girls in the clan membership which is regulated by contract. Yes....names and purchase price are listed.

BS?  I sat there looking at the limited story....no real analysis by the police/DA yet....just some 'forms'.

I could see the crime-gang laying out fake marriage obligations....so the police would spend hundreds of man-hours investigating a bogus story.

Where were the underage girls from?  Not in the story, and I seriously doubt that they were German or EU-born.  So for the story to be somewhat true....it means Syrian or Iraqi underage girls were 'brought' in. 

The underage defined?  No.  Could just be 16-year old girls. But you are left to wonder.

Why the gang has to be in the marriage-contract business?  Well....that's the big unknown.  I would assume you have 20-year old crime-clan members who are mostly losers (halfway-doped-up throughout a day), and on the get-happily-married-index (1-to-10)....they are mostly '3's'.  But the gang-boss probably figures happy members are less likely to do stupid things.

The police chief of Koln? He's got no choice....he'll dedicate several detectives on the case and ask....are there 15-year old wives of gang members?  The worst scenario?  This leads them to 20-odd German cities where those gangs are engaged in contracts as well. 

Voting Story

 If you asked how Germany votes....district by district....this graphic shows the lead vote-getter in each district.

Eastern Germany (old DDR)?  Yeah...mostly AfD.

SPD?  Mostly in high urbanized districts.

Bavaria and western Germany?  Mostly CDU-CSU.

It is a major discussion.....how divided things are presently, and fractured discussions become.   

How Polling Looks In Baden-Württemberg For The State Election?

 Poll released today:

CDU would  win with about 29-percent, with the Greens in second-place with 23-percent.

AfD, at 20-percent.

SPD, at 8-percent. Linke at 7-percent. And FDP at 5-percent.

Yeah, it would be a dismal situation for the SPD to explain.  As for the coalition?  Probably CDU-Greens. 

The EU 'We'-Platform (Alternate to X/Twitter)?

Well....yeah...it was announced at Davos in the last day or two.

So....it's a ongoing initiative in Europe to launch a social media platform called W, positioned as a European alternative to X (formerly Twitter). 

'W' is being developed by a group of European organizations, businesses, and former politicians, with a focus on combating disinformation/misinformation, ensuring user verification (including your national photo ID), prioritizing data privacy, and hosting servers within Europe to maintain digital sovereignty. 

Naturally, you will ask about 'We' and it's meaning.....the platform's name stands for "We," with the two Vs symbolizing "Values" and "Verify."

So....does the EU financially support the development?  No....at least from what I've read....it's a non-support position at present.

The W-technicians/controllers....currently emphasize free speech balanced with human verification to reduce bots and misinformation (noble-stuff, I will admit). It aims to allow easy data migration to other platforms, avoiding user lock-in, and complies with EU digital regulations like the Digital Services Act. How they comply?  Not fully explained yet....more of 'trust-us' in the mix.

When it launches?  Mixed conversation....some say before end of 2026.

Naturally, you would lead off asking....would Germans sign up for 'more'?  

I asked Grok/AI to assemble the data:

YouTube: 65-M Germans have accounts.

WhatsApp: 53-M.

Instagram: 31-M

Reddit: 29-M

TikTok: 23-M

Snapchat: 23-M

Facebook: 23-M

Pinterest: Approaching 23-M

Twitter/X: 22-M

Telegram:  17-M

So I'll offer 6 observations:

1.  Most Germans will state WhatsApp is their preferred media platform....doesn't  matter on age-groups.

2.  If you drag up the topic of accounts, memberships, use of social media....I believe that 90-percent of Germans are happy and satisfied with what they typically use (mostly TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube).  If you asked this group....do you really need another social media account....they'd mostly start laughing.

3.  This 'We' effort....is about a decade behind the times.  If they'd started this in 2013 timeframe.....they might have assembled real numbers.  Presently....if started in 2026....I would imagine that fewer than 5-million Germans will engage in this....with half  of them frustrated by the user-verification situation.

4.  Will German politicians attempt to mandate membership?  It'd be awful stupid,  and probably ten-million would take an immediate hardline against a mandate situation.  Doesn't matter if you ask  left-wing or right-wing.

5.  I am reminded historically of the US effort with 'MySpace'....that ultimately failed, but also of the German effort to create it's alternate....Lokalisten.de

Lokalisten had between 5 and 6 million members at the peak.  What ended Lokalisten?  I'd generally say that alternates (Apps) came around and developed....plus you had all those data-privacy laws that the German gov't put into place to protect you (a thousand times over).

I wish the developers at We luck.....we probably will get hours of introduction via public TV here in Germany.....hyping the product.  Then six months later....the same journalists will admit that everyone is mostly happy with what they already have.

Are There Alternates In Germany to US-Based Amazon-Video, Netflix or HBO-Max?

Over the past month, there's been some German chatter....about dumping US-brand video-streaming services.  So  the question is....are there alternates?

Well...yeah:

RTL-Plus: A German streaming service from RTL Group, focusing on local TV shows, reality TV, sports (like Bundesliga), and originals. Presently, they have about 10 million subscribers in Germany and come 'bundled' with HBO Max ....basic price at 7-Euro a month, and 13-Euro for premium.

Joyn: Owned by ProSiebenSat.1, it offers free ad-supported streaming of German TV channels, movies, series, and some exclusives. Their price is similar (7-Euro). If you asked me to rate against RTL-Plus....it's sufficient but one step down.

Sky/WOW: Sky (now under Comcast) provides premium streaming via WOW, with a focus on movies, series, live sports (e.g., Premier League, Formula 1), and has HBO content. Their monthly starts at 10-Euro.  I used the WOW service for 6 months in 2025....would rate their product almost at the RTL-Plus level. 

Free....ARD Mediathek and ZDFmediathek: These are free apps from Germany's public broadcasters (ARD and ZDF). They stream live TV, on-demand shows, documentaries, news, and some international content. No subscription required, though funded by public fees (Rundfunkbeitrag).  

Arte Mediathek: A free Franco-German cultural channel app offering high-quality documentaries, films, concerts, and European arthouse content in multiple languages. It's ad-free and focuses on educational/international themes.  If you asked Germans in general about use of Arte (normal) or Arte-Mediathek...probably 90-percent would respond they've never watched either.

So, here's the thing....with my ranking.....most all of these alternates have US-productions...some more....some less...of what you'd expect.

I'd even suggest if you wanted non-US productions/movies/shows.....Netfix is still way ahead of everyone else.  I'm partial to Netflix because of the Japanese/South Korean shows/movies/series offered (sub-titled). My belief....almost 50-percent of what is stored on Netflix-Germany....is non-US programing.

As much as people think they can punish Paramount, Netflix, Amazon....to be honest....the German streaming platforms are pretty well entangled in partnerships. 

23 Jan 2026: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did a talk at DEVOS....said in a straight-forward way....the EU has a problem....."Germany and Europe have wasted incredible potential. We have become the world champion of over-regulation and zero growth."

I doubt if anyone will argue against him.

2.  That Gelsenkirchen bank vault robbery (all the private boxes)....has drawn 350 investigators now.  But I would remark....probably half of them are interviewing the owners of the bank boxes and the listed contents.

3. Curious Wednesday night ZDF docu-news piece on Ausland Journal show (9:45)....they did a anti-Trump piece.....telling the Minneapolis story.  Used a protest-character....William Kelly.  

If you asked me on the extent of the whole story....they spent about 20 minutes to tell a 3-hour story....strictly from Kelly's prospective.

So...by Thursday afternoon, oddly enough....Kelly is arrested and charged-up for the church demonstration act from the weekend (which ZDF's folks never detailed on Wed night).

A bit funny, if you follow the Minneapolis spiral....how most Germans think/feel about things, but gas-lit to follow a belief.

4.  EU to have a discussion on defense....without the US help....basically replacing NATO.

Healthy discussion from several aspects....but eventually, they will have to discuss budget issues, and admit each having to double their military budget.....while buying Russian natural gas/oil (helping them re-arm).

5.  German farmers plan to protest despite the halted Mercosur agreement.  They are very much anti-Mercosur.....some aspects hurting CDU-SPD-Green voting trends.

On the Maybrit Illner Show last night...public forum event (live)....guest came up and suggested that the final acceptance of the Mercosur treaty....may be 25 years away, by the time the  EU system settles everything.

6.  The Bahn (railway folks) say they are now at the point to cut 1,000 management positions.

Bus Story

 Was reading Berlin-City news....curious problem.

Over 100 e-buses are out of service. The entire Ebusco fleet is waiting for repairs/modifications.

What they say?  Well....cracks in the frame....thus making them dangerous.

New buses?  No....these are 3 and 4 year old buses.  

Germany and Slot Machines Story

 Slot machines are legal in Germany.....under a fair number of regulations.  You (as a pub, bar  or restaurant) go to the city and get a permit.  You admit....x-number of machines, and pay a taxation fee.  Most will tell you that it's a marginal profit by the end.   

If you asked me how many Germans actively play slots?  I'd say it's 95-percent male-orientated....probably one German guy out of fifty.

So this week....in my town of Wiesbaden....a police raid occurred.  What the cops say....they busted the maintenance facility of such machines, and this goes hand-in-hand with a two-year investigation of the region....with unlicensed slots.

Yeah, these pubs/bars....had machines in operation....with no license. 

From what they figure....locally....forty-odd machines....there was a five-figure amount of untaxed income flowing back to someone.

So the parties involved....in trouble for unlicensed operations, and then dealing with the German tax folks. 

22 Jan 2026: Germany: 5 Stories

 1. Couple  of shots fired last night in Dortmund....guy (unknown nationality) was hit and died. Police are investigating.  All the cops say....occurred at north part of town....near midnight.  

Shootings in 1980s/1990s were awful rare. If you follow the news these days....there's probably one every couple of week...usually crime-clan related.

2. Out of Thuringia.....a 34-year-old man from Georgia on asylum-status (supposed to be deported)....got into some argument with two aid workers.   What cops say....the guy beat the two refugee aid workers so badly they required hospitalization. 

3.  The only 'big' gain in this Trump-Greenland deal?  All military facilities on Greenland....end up with US operational control.  Besides what the US already had....if Grok/AI is correct....six non-US sites end up in this deal. 

Difficult to say if these are going to be US-manned, and 3,000-odd US Army guys end up in some 1-year Greenland temp-duty situation.  

Yeah, and most likely they create a medal for the one-year deployment.

4.  Out of WELT: now costing 5k Euro a month for a 'spot' in a German retirement home.  Reaching a point where half of folks can't really afford the monthly bill.

5.  For 25 years....this Mercosur deal has been attempted.  The Mercosur-EU deal refers to a comprehensive trade and partnership agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur trade bloc, which consists of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay (with Bolivia as an associate member and Venezuela suspended). 

It was supposed to create one of the world's largest free trade areas, covering over 700 million people and facilitating tariff reductions on goods, services, and investments while enhancing political cooperation. 

It settled agricultural standards, environmental protections, and market access.

So....they signed the deal on 9 Jan 2026....done deal.

Well....NO....yesterday....the formal group in  the EU....said we want a judicial review.  EU court?  

First, you can expect the review to take 12 months minimum....maybe on up to 26 months.

Second, this ECJ assessing?  It'll list compatibility with EU treaties, focusing on issues like a "rebalancing mechanism" that lets Mercosur countries challenge EU legislation (e.g., environmental or agricultural standards), potential regulatory autonomy erosion, and alignment with EU climate commitments. 

Potential destruction?  Lot of South American folks figured this was a done deal....hyping up their economy over 2026/2027.  Now?  Even  if the ECJ were 'nice'....saying no issues....you won't see any benefit occurring in 2026, and possibly even in 2027.

If the ECJ fails the deal....go expect a mini-economic crash.

The odds of total abandonment?  Well....I'd give it a 10-to-20 percent chance.  Maybe there's just one or two problems to re-engage upon and resolve.

The cheap steak path to Europe?  This got brought up this past week....where both Argentine and Brazilian beef would be arriving in a few months.

Natural Gas Chatter

 If you go by the European gas storage database....GIE AGSI....the current fill level of German natural gas storage facilities on 21 January....is 40.7 percent.

No one really says the 'breaking' point where leadership gets worried.  I would imagine if we reach a 30-percent point before the middle of February....there will be warning given and some lecture on conserving heat.

If you ask me about this current winter season....it's a bit more 'brisk' than most of the past decade.....at least in my valley.  Two brief snow falls....most of the past month are minus-5 C temperatures for evenings.

DEVOS Chatter

 I sat and watched a DEVOS talk....Finland's President, Alexander Stubb, says Europe can "unequivocally" defend itself, without the Americans.

It's pretty much a true statement...ONLY because Putin wiped out his military over a four-year period.  

If you add up....rebuilding stage/era required (minimum of 30 years)....with the  population issue (1-million dead men, and a bogus advertised population), and a limited manpower situation for decades to come....the Russians are simply not a key-threat anymore.

Keeping Ukraine armed and carving off Russian numbers...month by month....has shown the regional dynamics.

Cherry on this conversation?  Well...once you establish that the Putin-team is not a threat....who will be able to dedicate military funding?  Very quickly....France and Germany will want a cut in funding.

AkademikerPension Chatter

I sat and read through a news piece today....$150b Danish Pension Fund ‘AkademikerPension’ ready to sell all of US Treasury bonds amid rising Greenland tensions.

So there are three parts of the story left out.  

First, the total amount in Treasury bonds....around $100-M or .4-percent of their total.....so it's not exactly a lot.

Second, AkademikerPension is a public pension fund....which is designed for college graduates and government employees....who know their regular pension from Denmark....is limited.  You won't find heating technicians, plumbers, or car mechanics participating in their  program.  

Third, yes....the college graduate crowd probably put a lot of internal pressure on the managers of the fund.

Finally, the prime question I have....after they sold the bonds....did they at least break 'even'?  If they didn't break even....how exactly will they explain the loss?  

Oh, and a odd  final question....you have $100-M now in your hand.....where will you invest it? German bonds?  Swedish bonds?  Greek bonds? 

German Police With Language Problems?

This is a story I noted about a month ago and I asked Grok/AI to lay out references.

So reports in 2025 indicated that a significant portion of new Berlin police recruits require additional German language training due to insufficient proficiency.

Back in the spring of 2025, out of 240 cadets who began training, 132 of them  (around 55-percent) needed remedial German classes, particularly in written skills, during their first semester. (brusselssignal.eu)

What the leadership has said?  It's a repeating issue....affecting about half of new entrants on average, and attributed it to broader societal trends like declining language abilities, teacher shortages, and increased classroom diversity rather than a problem unique to the force. (brusselssignal.eu)

Oddly, the requirement now  mandates that recruits in training....must ultimately reach C2-level fluency (near-native proficiency) before graduating. 

Odds of this occurring across all sixteen states?  Well....no one says that.  I would  imagine have some  issue brewing and quietly mandate additional language classes.

The Suggested Boycott

 German politician Jürgen Hardt (CDU) has proposed a boycott of the 2026 World Cup which is to be held in the United States, regarding Greenland.

Pausing over this....it's a curious idea.

Most breweries, pub and  bars in Germany need the European Cup and World Cup (alternating every two years) to occur....for the month-long period in summer.....to help profits and business to 'survive'.

Most German bar owners will tell you that a Cup-action for a month....makes about 40-percent of the yearly income, and it MATTERS.  They also do NOT want the  televised action to occur at 6 AM or noon.....they'd rather have hefty consumers of beer for late afternoon or evening games.

The same crowd have gotten use to beer-gardens being used....with weather being a major factor for beer consumption.  Just having a one single rain-storm cancel out the bar garden situation....could mean a 10-percent loss in beer-profits for the month.

I'm not saying this idea of a boycott is good or bad....just that brewery industry and bar-owners don't agree with the idea.

The Odds of NATO Evolving Into Something Without The US?

 In the early 1990s....I was giving this a 80-percent chance of happening....where most all of US forces in Europe would exit. This NATO versus Warsaw Pact....was dissolving.   But I was wrong.

 By the 2005 era....I was giving it a 10-percent chance of happening....very unlikely. 

Here in 2026....I'm giving it a 99-percent chance of happening.  The evolution will involve 'hate-Trump' chatter, keeping Russia alive by buying their oil/natural gas after the war ends, and some weird EU creation of NATO-plus-up with Ukraine as a active member-player.

The comical side of this evolution?  Well...Europe has a arsenal of US-designed weapons.  So they need to replace them....with limited to marginal funding available.  To make this successful....taxes need to escalate...meaning public funds get more troublesome.

US commerce has to be punished in some way.....with several hundred thousand Europeans in such jobs....getting laid-off.  Explaining this will take care of a number of political parties....triggering them to be more punished than usual

All of this acceptable to all members of the EU?  I don't really buy into that....there's probably five or six European states which aren't going to buy into the 'path' designed.  Poland, Hungary and Czech might go against the path....so might Italy.  

All happening in 2026?  No....but it'll be like the 1966 event in France, where the exit plan is drafted and finalized.  I would imagine somewhere between 2027 and 2028....this 'end' will occur.

Financial chaos to occur?  Yeah, but the more things change....the more they stay the same.

It's not the end of the world scenario....it's just a new evolution.  

This RyanAir-Elon Musk Chatter

 Here in Germany, this RyanAir 'comedy' where they got into Elon's business by saying 'no' to the Starlink being used on RyanAir flights for internet service.  They could have lightly said 'no'....suggesting their flights are ultra-cheap and they don't offer gimmicks (that cause a upswing on tickets). But they decided to go a step or two beyond that.

This Elon hyped-up, and he asked (mostly as a joke)....how much was RyanAir if  he were to buy them.

So this discussion has  taken off....without much German notice unless  you are on Twitter.

Cost, if Elon was serious?   Folks suggest $35-B  if you were to buy RyanAir.

My general take?  I used RyanAir twice (2000-2005 era)....out of Hahn....to Shannon (Ireland) and some poverty-airport near Rome.

My experience....Hahn runs like a Greyhound bus station, and you spend an hour looking for parking...before you finally start walking to the terminal. The airplane?  You feel like it's a Greyhound bus situation out of Memphis (yeah, I did that experience in 1980).

The ticket is ultra-cheap...but logically coming because RyanAir refuses to use prime airports, and most are these mostly 'dead' airports that died out in the 1970s.

If your priority is just to get from point A to B...cheaply as possible, and rent a car for four days.....to see X and Y....then it makes sense.  

If you board the plane and want a Coke? It's not free.....figure a minimum of four Euro.....on up to 6 Euro....if it is a long distance flight.  You want a particular seat?  Pay for that as well.

If they could figure a way to charge for toilet services on the plane.....yeah, they would likely charge 5 Euro for that.  So far, it hasn't happened.

If Elon did buy them?  I don't see it as a huge profit situation.  Elon would re-name them....either Air-X or  X-Air.  He'd likely add some membership deal....50 Euro a year.....where you got cans of soda for 25 Euro-cents. And yes, Starlink would be on each plane.

A tip here....don't let German bureaucrats drag Elon into a nuke energy discussion.  He's likely to go and anchor some platform off the north coast of Germany by 12 miles....put five or six mini-nuke stations on it...and offer to sell cheaper power to  Germans....by a 30 to 40 percent discount than what they current produce with solar and wind energy. Another tip....don't get Elon talking to the Poles about mini-nuke stations....engaged in selling cheap  power to Germans.