For weeks, cops in Hamburg have been waiting for evidence that the prosecutors and judges will actually handle the G-20 riot charges, and hand out true punishment. Today, it came.
A twenty-eight year old local Hamburg guy who'd been accused of throwing a beer bottle at cops during the G-20 Summit....hitting one cop and injuring him....was charged and convicted today. Sentence handed out? The prosecutor was asking for a two-year sentence. The judge said no....that wasn't going to fit the crime, so it was three and a half years of prison.
Right now....that's the most handed out for any of the riot folks, and a bit of a shock.
What triggered the more hefty situation? Journalists say that the guy was a repeat offender and had done some violent acts before. This was simply where the judge said 'enough' and hoped that he'd have time in prison to think about actions and consequences.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
The Sand-Bag Vest
It's hard to figure this story out. It appeared on a page three short news list today in Germany....over some youth school in the Hamburg area.
What they did was bring in these sand-bag vests (don't even ask me where you buy these), that were loaded with approximately 13 pounds (6 kilo) in sand.
If you were a kid....fidgeting around in the class....the teacher would call you up to the front and you'd wear the 'vest' for the rest of the day.
The comment is that it was sort of dreamed up for hyperactive kids, ADAH punks, or just plain trouble-makers.
The science behind this? Non-existent. The local medical association, upon hearing about the usage, asked questions and just started shaking their heads.
I sat and pondered over the idea. Back in Alabama, we would have adapted this pretty quickly, but 13 pound vest would have been for 4th-grade kids. We would have adapted to 60 pound vests for most 16 year old kids, and wore it with pride. Some kids might have even gone and asked for the hundred-pound vests, just to make a point.
The question I have....where exactly did this idea come from? It had to be some German sitting in their garage, and they just dreamed this up over a weekend.
What they did was bring in these sand-bag vests (don't even ask me where you buy these), that were loaded with approximately 13 pounds (6 kilo) in sand.
If you were a kid....fidgeting around in the class....the teacher would call you up to the front and you'd wear the 'vest' for the rest of the day.
The comment is that it was sort of dreamed up for hyperactive kids, ADAH punks, or just plain trouble-makers.
The science behind this? Non-existent. The local medical association, upon hearing about the usage, asked questions and just started shaking their heads.
I sat and pondered over the idea. Back in Alabama, we would have adapted this pretty quickly, but 13 pound vest would have been for 4th-grade kids. We would have adapted to 60 pound vests for most 16 year old kids, and wore it with pride. Some kids might have even gone and asked for the hundred-pound vests, just to make a point.
The question I have....where exactly did this idea come from? It had to be some German sitting in their garage, and they just dreamed this up over a weekend.
The Profit Story
I've mentioned the Elbphiharmonie or Hamburg Opera Hall, on several occasions. This is the structure that was dreamed up around fifteen years ago, to be near the harbor and re-use to some degree of some historic buildings. The original estimate of cost was around the 200-million Euro range....then issues arose during construction and the amount escalated. At some point, the windows became a dramatic issue....with the original windows discarded because they wouldn't work because of the wind at the harbor. The final cost, with customized windows....near 800-million Euro.
A lot of speculation went around last year as it finally opened....that it would never turn a profit.
Well....NDR (the regional public TV network) came up today and said that a profit for 2017 was realized.
The profit for 2017? 900,000 Euro. To some degree, the city can brag about this.
The hall operates with three sections for shows. In addition, on the eastern side of the structure.....there's a luxury hotel operation. On the other side of the building, there are forty-five luxury apartments. The complex also operates a couple of restaurants and bars. So the 900,000 is basically the profit from all of these situations....minus the structural maintenance and normal monthly costs.
Will it ever pay for itself? No. But as long as it's not draining the city of any additional funds....no one is going to complain.
A lot of speculation went around last year as it finally opened....that it would never turn a profit.
Well....NDR (the regional public TV network) came up today and said that a profit for 2017 was realized.
The profit for 2017? 900,000 Euro. To some degree, the city can brag about this.
The hall operates with three sections for shows. In addition, on the eastern side of the structure.....there's a luxury hotel operation. On the other side of the building, there are forty-five luxury apartments. The complex also operates a couple of restaurants and bars. So the 900,000 is basically the profit from all of these situations....minus the structural maintenance and normal monthly costs.
Will it ever pay for itself? No. But as long as it's not draining the city of any additional funds....no one is going to complain.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
The Topic of Illiteracy
This is one of my little essays where I take on a topic that won't be discussed much in German culture....illiteracy.
Back in 2011, the Hamburg University sat down and did a lot of analysis. They eventually came to this study where they say about nine-percent of the 82-million population....can't read beyond the 3rd grade level. That basically comes to around 7-million folks....more or less.
The Germans have invented various program to go back and try to bring this group (some are approaching their senior years) to some level of improvement.
For a number of folks....especially the intellectual class, it's hard to believe that many Germans exist at that level.
Over the years, I've come across a few folks like this. They ended up as grocery clerks, bus drivers, or landscapers. There are various jobs that you can kinda hide out and just avoid making it known about your limited intelligence or marginal reading skills. I used to deal with a delivery driver at Ramstein who was in this category. The boss of this guy was kind in avoiding any IT-gadgets and the order to deliver was always a simple listing with a map and the building number.
Explaining why such a high number exists? Germans typically have this perception that you ought to just catch onto the teaching method, and if you don't.....they easily let you fall through the cracks, and don't waste time on 'recovery'. I saw that at various points with my son's German schools. In the local areas, there are tutor services now that run from September to early spring....to help the marginal kids stay with their groups. Note, it's not free, and a fair number of parents simply can't afford this extra tutor deal to make up for the problems.
To some degree, this large group that exists now in the long-term unemployed.....the ones with no certifications or training to make their re-entry positive....it's a major problem.
My German wife brought up this point today, because it's a discussed item in hiring of migrants now.....if they are illiterate in nature. Some Germans perceive that issue rests in the background of the current immigration problems. Whether it's truthful or not.....they already feel this way about themselves....in that some Germans are illiterate, so why not the migrants as well?
The problem here, if you try to invent some resolution or way out of this problem.....it usually just makes it worse.
Back in 2011, the Hamburg University sat down and did a lot of analysis. They eventually came to this study where they say about nine-percent of the 82-million population....can't read beyond the 3rd grade level. That basically comes to around 7-million folks....more or less.
The Germans have invented various program to go back and try to bring this group (some are approaching their senior years) to some level of improvement.
For a number of folks....especially the intellectual class, it's hard to believe that many Germans exist at that level.
Over the years, I've come across a few folks like this. They ended up as grocery clerks, bus drivers, or landscapers. There are various jobs that you can kinda hide out and just avoid making it known about your limited intelligence or marginal reading skills. I used to deal with a delivery driver at Ramstein who was in this category. The boss of this guy was kind in avoiding any IT-gadgets and the order to deliver was always a simple listing with a map and the building number.
Explaining why such a high number exists? Germans typically have this perception that you ought to just catch onto the teaching method, and if you don't.....they easily let you fall through the cracks, and don't waste time on 'recovery'. I saw that at various points with my son's German schools. In the local areas, there are tutor services now that run from September to early spring....to help the marginal kids stay with their groups. Note, it's not free, and a fair number of parents simply can't afford this extra tutor deal to make up for the problems.
To some degree, this large group that exists now in the long-term unemployed.....the ones with no certifications or training to make their re-entry positive....it's a major problem.
My German wife brought up this point today, because it's a discussed item in hiring of migrants now.....if they are illiterate in nature. Some Germans perceive that issue rests in the background of the current immigration problems. Whether it's truthful or not.....they already feel this way about themselves....in that some Germans are illiterate, so why not the migrants as well?
The problem here, if you try to invent some resolution or way out of this problem.....it usually just makes it worse.
FUNK-TV Options
I looked over this afternoon at FUNK-TV (my German public TV option that you can't get via the satellite or antenna or cable). It's a data-streaming network that the ZDF public TV folks had to invent to satisfy the political folks that they were producing something that the 15-to-25 year old audience would view. You can download an app for your TAB or smart-phone, and watch the network over your internet application.
What's offered? Well....it's been up for roughly fifteen months.
1. Films. About 90-percent of what's listed is criminal, mystery, thriller or murder type movies....the same stuff that you'd find with the ZDF or ARD network. Science Fiction? None.
2. Comedy. NEO Magazine Royale is their top offering....a satire show which is mostly made for the other network NEO. Sketch History is listed....mostly taking historical notes and blending a bit of humor into them....to tell some point of history. Bares for Rares shows up....although it's made for another network. Bares for Rares is a antique show, which you know.....German teens are exceptionally interested in antiques (sarcastically said of course). There's a couple of cooking shows listed, which also draw a LOT of German teen interest (sarcastically said of course).
3. Documentary Section. There's a number of documentary shows listed....mostly made for the other networks. One is the 10,000 kilometer four-hour piece done with a couple of adults in some car and driving across Russia and doing mostly a travel essay (teens love that kind of stuff, you know). There's several animal documentary, relating to apes, dogs, dolphins, etc. There's a 43-minute piece on Germany's biggest disco. Oh, there's also a 43-minute piece on 'blackout' (what would happen if Germany had no electricity....something that teens often sit and ponder about). There's also a whole group of documentary pieces on the evils of food and how the grocery folks openly lie to you (something that kids often wonder about).
4. Culture section. They list out a couple of dozen 'unplugged' sessions with various German singers and groups. This actually might be the one plus of the network that teens might agree with.
5. Story section. It's basically a collection of documentary pieces that often relate to art, music, history, and tell a story by some German PhD guy. If you were an intellectual kid, you might appreciate some of the offerings.
6. Political section. There are probably sixty downloadable pieces here. Interviews, public forums, journalist pieces. If you were a young guy with political interest....it might occasionally draw your interest. The other ninety-percent of the youth population? Zero interest. Fifteen year old kids just aren't hyped about politics.
7. Consumer section. Their chief offering was a news piece on hazelnut chocolate (nine minutes long). Kids wonder about stuff like that.
My son (27 years old, and German) noted about ten years ago that the public TV offerings in Germany were worthless. He refused to watch anything they offered. Over the past decade, he's marginally used German commercial TV, and gone heavily toward data-streaming option (note, that's Amazon and Netflix, NOT FUNK). His humble opinion is that about 70-percent of the 15-to-25 year old group have given up on public TV and won't be going back. This leads onto a bad scenario in another decade as they insist on dumping the media tax.
So this effort by ZDF to regain an audience? I look at what's listed and ask three simple questions: (1) Since the big drawing card for the commercial data-streaming networks is science fiction....why can't FUNK produce anything in that category? (2) Since the majority of what's seen on FUNK is already packaged for the other adult networks....why bother trying to pretend that the younger folks will watch it? (3) Who is exactly running this network and are they actually talking to the audience?
If you were interested? Here's the site....it's free to watch.
What's offered? Well....it's been up for roughly fifteen months.
1. Films. About 90-percent of what's listed is criminal, mystery, thriller or murder type movies....the same stuff that you'd find with the ZDF or ARD network. Science Fiction? None.
2. Comedy. NEO Magazine Royale is their top offering....a satire show which is mostly made for the other network NEO. Sketch History is listed....mostly taking historical notes and blending a bit of humor into them....to tell some point of history. Bares for Rares shows up....although it's made for another network. Bares for Rares is a antique show, which you know.....German teens are exceptionally interested in antiques (sarcastically said of course). There's a couple of cooking shows listed, which also draw a LOT of German teen interest (sarcastically said of course).
3. Documentary Section. There's a number of documentary shows listed....mostly made for the other networks. One is the 10,000 kilometer four-hour piece done with a couple of adults in some car and driving across Russia and doing mostly a travel essay (teens love that kind of stuff, you know). There's several animal documentary, relating to apes, dogs, dolphins, etc. There's a 43-minute piece on Germany's biggest disco. Oh, there's also a 43-minute piece on 'blackout' (what would happen if Germany had no electricity....something that teens often sit and ponder about). There's also a whole group of documentary pieces on the evils of food and how the grocery folks openly lie to you (something that kids often wonder about).
4. Culture section. They list out a couple of dozen 'unplugged' sessions with various German singers and groups. This actually might be the one plus of the network that teens might agree with.
5. Story section. It's basically a collection of documentary pieces that often relate to art, music, history, and tell a story by some German PhD guy. If you were an intellectual kid, you might appreciate some of the offerings.
6. Political section. There are probably sixty downloadable pieces here. Interviews, public forums, journalist pieces. If you were a young guy with political interest....it might occasionally draw your interest. The other ninety-percent of the youth population? Zero interest. Fifteen year old kids just aren't hyped about politics.
7. Consumer section. Their chief offering was a news piece on hazelnut chocolate (nine minutes long). Kids wonder about stuff like that.
My son (27 years old, and German) noted about ten years ago that the public TV offerings in Germany were worthless. He refused to watch anything they offered. Over the past decade, he's marginally used German commercial TV, and gone heavily toward data-streaming option (note, that's Amazon and Netflix, NOT FUNK). His humble opinion is that about 70-percent of the 15-to-25 year old group have given up on public TV and won't be going back. This leads onto a bad scenario in another decade as they insist on dumping the media tax.
So this effort by ZDF to regain an audience? I look at what's listed and ask three simple questions: (1) Since the big drawing card for the commercial data-streaming networks is science fiction....why can't FUNK produce anything in that category? (2) Since the majority of what's seen on FUNK is already packaged for the other adult networks....why bother trying to pretend that the younger folks will watch it? (3) Who is exactly running this network and are they actually talking to the audience?
If you were interested? Here's the site....it's free to watch.
The Engineer Story
N-TV (Commercial German news media) came to tell an interesting story today. The focus? A lack of railway engineers.
As a kid, I always thought the job of being a train engineer was a dream job.
Here in Germany, the 'dream-status' is barely noted. Right now, when a engineer vacancy is noted....it's roughly 132 days before the vacancy is filled.
The regional networks have even reached the point where on occasion....they have to cancel a run because there's simply not an engineer to run the train. Sometimes, this goes on for weeks.
The issue is now extending out to the rest of the staff jobs....the electricians, the IT-support, the dispatch or controllers, etc. Recruitment programs are mostly in a crisis mood because they can't keep up with demand.
N-TV noted there are currently 912 vacant slots existing. If you went back five years ago, it would have been one-third that many.
The salary situation? If you were with the Bahn national railway folks....depending on your experience level, you'd be getting 38k to 45k Euro a year on salary. As a 'rookie', you'd probably be in the 25k range.
The thing is that the Bahn folks run a hefty training program. You end up in a three-year program, and it's geared to keep you on as a long-term employee.
The typical complaint? Long-hours and holiday time off. When they hand you the shift situation for the next month, and you notice that you are doing a lot of 5 AM start-up shifts, you typically get a bit frustrated. The same can be said if this were a 3 PM start-up episode.
The trend getting better? There's no indication of an improvement period coming.
As a kid, I always thought the job of being a train engineer was a dream job.
Here in Germany, the 'dream-status' is barely noted. Right now, when a engineer vacancy is noted....it's roughly 132 days before the vacancy is filled.
The regional networks have even reached the point where on occasion....they have to cancel a run because there's simply not an engineer to run the train. Sometimes, this goes on for weeks.
The issue is now extending out to the rest of the staff jobs....the electricians, the IT-support, the dispatch or controllers, etc. Recruitment programs are mostly in a crisis mood because they can't keep up with demand.
N-TV noted there are currently 912 vacant slots existing. If you went back five years ago, it would have been one-third that many.
The salary situation? If you were with the Bahn national railway folks....depending on your experience level, you'd be getting 38k to 45k Euro a year on salary. As a 'rookie', you'd probably be in the 25k range.
The thing is that the Bahn folks run a hefty training program. You end up in a three-year program, and it's geared to keep you on as a long-term employee.
The typical complaint? Long-hours and holiday time off. When they hand you the shift situation for the next month, and you notice that you are doing a lot of 5 AM start-up shifts, you typically get a bit frustrated. The same can be said if this were a 3 PM start-up episode.
The trend getting better? There's no indication of an improvement period coming.
The Two-Percent Story
In the spring of 2017, President Trump brought up a topic which kinda irked the German political establishment....the two-percent defense spending situation. Some NATO members were meeting the goal....most weren't. The German attitude about this was that they would meet the goal within the time planned (certainly not 2017, but very likely by 2020). The topic was brought up a couple of times in 2017....but the German position is, there simply isn't enough government funding laying around to support a two-percent goal.
So ARD (public TV, Channel One) brought this whole subject up today.
The entire topic has become a hotly debated subject for the Bundestag.
For the SPD, Martin Schulz has said that the German government should do nothing to support President Trump's request.
But there's this one problem....this two-percent idea was dreamed up in 2002. Yes, sixteen years ago. There was even a SPD minister in charge of the German military at the time and attended the conference where this two-percent of the GNP discussion came up. For sixteen years, the goal has existed and most of the NATO members simply have avoided the goal.
If you look forward over six years, it would to a German problem of finding sixty billion Euro just laying around. Frankly, the money doesn't exist unless you tax more.
One suggestion thrown around now is to dump the two-percent goal and settle for 1.5-percent of the GNP instead. That would be achievable.
So you can sense that there is political problems here. It's doubtful that Merkel or this new coalition government coming....will be able to work this out and find billions to achieve the two-percent goal.
Where does this lead onto? I would speculate that some meeting in 2018 will occur where the US suggests that NATO can't meet its objectives and it might be time to reduce the US footprint in Europe. Some German political folks will pat themselves on the back because that's a great thing. And some downsizing of the US military in Europe occurs.
Then, as if on stage and following a script....Putin will conduct some major exercises and the German news media will hype the potential of a 'threat' existing. Dragging the US back? Maybe if they wait long enough for Trump to leave but the odds are that the US isn't going get itself dragged back in. So, this brings on the real long-term issue....instead of worrying about finding the two-percent money laying around, the EU will have to force everyone to cough up more money....likely 2.5 to 3 percent, to build a major military force.
You can imagine the SPD big-wigs sitting there and trying envision how they got into such a mess.
So ARD (public TV, Channel One) brought this whole subject up today.
The entire topic has become a hotly debated subject for the Bundestag.
For the SPD, Martin Schulz has said that the German government should do nothing to support President Trump's request.
But there's this one problem....this two-percent idea was dreamed up in 2002. Yes, sixteen years ago. There was even a SPD minister in charge of the German military at the time and attended the conference where this two-percent of the GNP discussion came up. For sixteen years, the goal has existed and most of the NATO members simply have avoided the goal.
If you look forward over six years, it would to a German problem of finding sixty billion Euro just laying around. Frankly, the money doesn't exist unless you tax more.
One suggestion thrown around now is to dump the two-percent goal and settle for 1.5-percent of the GNP instead. That would be achievable.
So you can sense that there is political problems here. It's doubtful that Merkel or this new coalition government coming....will be able to work this out and find billions to achieve the two-percent goal.
Where does this lead onto? I would speculate that some meeting in 2018 will occur where the US suggests that NATO can't meet its objectives and it might be time to reduce the US footprint in Europe. Some German political folks will pat themselves on the back because that's a great thing. And some downsizing of the US military in Europe occurs.
Then, as if on stage and following a script....Putin will conduct some major exercises and the German news media will hype the potential of a 'threat' existing. Dragging the US back? Maybe if they wait long enough for Trump to leave but the odds are that the US isn't going get itself dragged back in. So, this brings on the real long-term issue....instead of worrying about finding the two-percent money laying around, the EU will have to force everyone to cough up more money....likely 2.5 to 3 percent, to build a major military force.
You can imagine the SPD big-wigs sitting there and trying envision how they got into such a mess.
The Pallet Story
It's an odd business problem which N-TV (German commercial news network) brings up.
When you make a product and sell it, then you need to ship it to the receiver. Somewhere in the process, you need pallets.
So it got brought up today....there's a pallet shortage going on in Germany. The association over the pallet companies.....HPE (Federal Association of Wood, Packaging, Pallets, and Export Packaging)? Well, they say that some companies have have had to cancel some large-scale orders because they simply can't get their hands onto enough pallets.
Typically, when you can't buy new pallets....then you go to the secondary market....the used pallet companies, and buy off them. Well....they've run out as well.
A national shortage? What the pallet companies are saying is that they've actually gone to a higher production scale and making more pallets. Demand is simply up and this points to a business climate which is very positive right now.
Naturally, all of this leads to one key part of the story.....increased cost for pallets.
It's an odd problem. Typically, this is where you'd find new companies starting up and filling the void. But in this case....you don't see that.
All of this affecting the market, and costs? Well.....yeah.
ADDED NOTE: ZDF brought up a short news piece. It revolved around three small companies that use pallets daily. The three were all suffering from pallet theft. Yes, folks were sneaking onto the property at night, and stealing pallets....a hundred here, two-hundred there. Cops figured the average make on these at 6 Euro per pallet on the used pallet market. So a sting operation was set up. A couple of guys were arrested, and charges are going to be filed.....for stealing pallets.
When you make a product and sell it, then you need to ship it to the receiver. Somewhere in the process, you need pallets.
So it got brought up today....there's a pallet shortage going on in Germany. The association over the pallet companies.....HPE (Federal Association of Wood, Packaging, Pallets, and Export Packaging)? Well, they say that some companies have have had to cancel some large-scale orders because they simply can't get their hands onto enough pallets.
Typically, when you can't buy new pallets....then you go to the secondary market....the used pallet companies, and buy off them. Well....they've run out as well.
A national shortage? What the pallet companies are saying is that they've actually gone to a higher production scale and making more pallets. Demand is simply up and this points to a business climate which is very positive right now.
Naturally, all of this leads to one key part of the story.....increased cost for pallets.
It's an odd problem. Typically, this is where you'd find new companies starting up and filling the void. But in this case....you don't see that.
All of this affecting the market, and costs? Well.....yeah.
ADDED NOTE: ZDF brought up a short news piece. It revolved around three small companies that use pallets daily. The three were all suffering from pallet theft. Yes, folks were sneaking onto the property at night, and stealing pallets....a hundred here, two-hundred there. Cops figured the average make on these at 6 Euro per pallet on the used pallet market. So a sting operation was set up. A couple of guys were arrested, and charges are going to be filed.....for stealing pallets.
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