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.