My redeployment has begun.

Hello All,

Redeployment is the buzz word for "you completed your deployment and you are going back to where you came from". I have about 6 weeks left, but today, I did pack one of my pieces of luggage with stuff I knew I would not need before I leave.

Hard to believe it has been almost 7 mos already. There is no way I will see all the things that I wanted to see. But, even if I only did half the things I did, I would consider it a worthwhile expedition. Certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Since we have a contract on the house, I have been mindful to contain my leisure spending. We have the house in the near future and that house will need a refrigerator (all the installed appliances are GE Profile so I will have to get something that matches those) as well as a family trip to Disney. I figure that Rome has stood for thousands of years and if I don't get out to see it for another 20, I am confident that it will still be there.

Another reason to pull back a bit is that the dollar continues to sink against the Euro. The exchange rate is now Euro $ 0.66 per USD $1. That means to get Euro $100, it costs USD $150. In other words, add 50% to all the prices you see. This in on top of a 20% tax on most everything you buy. It is called VAT or "value added tax" but I'm not sure where the value gets added.

I haven't really done much shopping here in Germany but casual observation has allowed me to draw the conclusion that almost everything you can buy in Germany is also available in the US. The only difference is that you get to pay an extra 80% for it here (20% VAT plus 50% on the exchange rate). As an example, a $50 item in the US is $50 Euro, plus VAT (brings you to $60) plus exchange rate brings you to $90 USD. Of course, Germans get paid in Euros so they don't take a bath on the exchange rate.

Speaking of VAT, maybe we could have a 20% tax on everything that we buy in the US to pay for Universal Health Care. You know, "free" health care for everyone? That way, when you work, you can pay income tax and when you spend, you can pay VAT (don't think you are just not going to spend any money to not pay VAT because there is also an estate tax). Almost be enough make me move out of the country.

You know, Germany has a "cradle to grave" healthcare system. You are probably thinking, "That 20% VAT tax must pay for it". If you thought that, you would be wrong. Everyone who draws a paycheck has an average of 13% deducted to fund this system. If you don't like how much is withheld from your paycheck, maybe you would be happier with 13% less.

If that were the case, we might as well just move the family to Germany. Jodi already knows how to speak German, Wynnie (the dog) already thinks she is a German Shepard and we already own two German made automobiles.

In addition to that, there are highways out here with no speed restrictions and the climate seems to be overcast and cool more then it is hot and humid. Both these things appeal to me. Jodi is also of German heritage so it would be like going back to the Fatherland for her.

I think the Germans would be happy to have us. I have a lot of traits which are valued here. I am efficient, organized, methodical, and precise as well as being somewhat stern. The ladies wear proper footwear here, mostly leather flats and heels. Jodi loves shoes. She also likes riding scooters so she could get a Vespa to get around.

As an added bonus, folks here aren't much for truck based vehicles. Neither am I. An average sized car is the size of a BMW 3 series. Station wagons or estate/touring wagons, as they are called here, are the hip anti-SUV. Jodi and I both like station wagons. Kids, pack your bags! We're going to Bavaria. (Jodi wanted me to point out that she does not like station wagons or scooters.)

Germans apparently have not gotten the word that smoking kills. The smoking rate in the US is highest in W. Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi (28.5%-25.1%). No offense to any reader from those states. Those are just the stats from the Center of Disease Control (those are 2006 numbers, btw). Lowest rate is Utah (9.8%).

For Germans over the age of 17, the smoking rate is a shocking 44 percent for males and 37 percent for females (1996 stats). 2004 stats from German government surveys stated that half the women aged 15 to 30 smoke today.

I have an idea, as part of Universal Health Care, provide to everyone who is over the age of 18, two packs of cigarettes per week and fund an "all you can eat" option at fast food restaurants. If you choose not to smoke your cigs, you are encouraged to give them to someone that will. I don't think we can afford to keep everyone alive until they turn 100 years old.

I've also heard talk about "death panels" that would decide what care you get (or don't get). I'm intrigued. I wonder what the panel chairperson would grade out at (government job term)? Probably a GS-15, I'll bet. Hummmmmm......

They wouldn't be called "death panels" either. I suggest Healthcare Allocation Review Panel or HARP. Don't worry, if I become a HARP Chairman, I have got everyone covered. By the way, my birthday is 14 Nov and I enjoy scotch and cigars (just in case you want me to think of you fondly while reviewing your case). See, I am already towing the party line by setting the example...."Be like your HARP Chairman, smoke and drink like I do!"

You know, if the President wants to stimulate the economy, he should appoint me as his Tobacco Czar to implement this plan immediately. People would save money by not having to buy two packs of cigs a week which would give them money to spend on other things. Cig manufacturers would have to hire people to make more cigarettes which would lower unemployment.

Anything tied to agriculture would also see a boost like fertilizer companies and companies like John Deere because more farm land would need to be cultivated to keep up with tobacco demand. Farmers in the South would switch to growing tobacco and generate more profit for themselves and farmers everywhere would make more money because the farmers in the South are growing less of whatever the other farmers are growing (supply and demand). And finally, people would die sooner because they smoke and that will save everyone money in the long run by having to put less money towards Universal Health Care.

This plan is a win for everyone. If you smoke, you get FREE cigarettes. What smoker wouldn't like that? The government would save money by providing free cigarettes because it would save lots of money on the back end by not having to spend as much on smokers' lifetime care. The government would love to save some money. And, we would win by having truly free healthcare.
The only outlay would be the modest cost of providing people with free cigarettes which the government could do by running federal tobacco farms. Once you do that, the plan sustains itself.

You can see that this is a much better idea then "cash for clunkers" which is not self sustaining and only benefited people who bought a new car, sold a new car, or manufactured a new car. That is pretty narrow in scope.

Think about it and tell me it wouldn't work. I bet you can't.

I think I'll call this plan: "Smokes For Smokers".

Cheers,
Michael

I wanted to go to Hell today. It was closed.

Hello all,

Today I had planned on taking a trip to Hell but it was temporarily closed.

/

Of course, I am not referring to that fire and brimstone place where devils are poking you with pitchforks. I am referring to the storied and once notorious race course which is now classified as a one way public toll road called the Nürburgring Nordschleife, also know as "Grüne Hölle" or "The Green Hell".

/

The Nürburgring Nordschleife... a famous, now historical race track, is situated in the beautiful Eifel region in Germany. It is still rated as the most demanding race track in the world. According to Sir Jackie Stewart: "The greatest and most challenging race circuit in the world". It used to be the German Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit until Niki Lauda's crash in 1976 in which he almost burned to death while trapped in his car. Miraculously, he was behind the wheel of his Formula 1 car to race only six weeks (two races) later, finishing fourth in the Italian GP.

Modern Formula 1 circuits are between 2.6 miles (Magny-Cours, France) and 4.2 miles (Spa Francorchamps, Belgium) in length and may contain some 8 to 15 corners. This track is 12.9 miles in length and contains 73 (that being the official number) corners! Add to this the altitude difference of around 300 meters between lowest and highest point on the track, several blind corners behind a crest, lack of run-off area (remember, this track existed before safety entered Formula 1), many bumps and dips, often slippery conditions, and you'll realize that this is not going to be a walk in the park.

So, I left at 0820 which was a little later then I wanted to leave. This track (part of it was used for the German Gran Prix which I attended in Jul) is about 3 hours away and I wanted to get there before lunch when I thought it would be a little less crowded.

An hour into my drive, traffic on the autobahn came to a stand still. 10 minutes prior to coming to a stand still, I was moving along at about 125 mph. We all sat there for almost 2 hours before we got under way.

Turns out it was a single car accident (the most common on the autobahn) in the far left lane. A little car, like a VW Golf, had plowed into the guard rail. The car was a mess and the section of guard rail it hit had buckled pretty good (and this was reinforced guard rail, not the garden varity stuff we have in the US).

I continued on and as I got within 45 minutes of the track, it was getting darker and darker. Eventually, I experienced light showers. No problem, the course would still be open and the wet road surface would slow everyone down. This is probably true for most but not for those with more confidence then driving skills. So, on the other hand, while most would slow, there would be a handful who would not and cause mishaps.

The light rain was fine with me because I was not going to go out there and try and set a new record. That would have been foolish and dangerous as my rental car (Mercedes Benz E350 coupe) is not a race car. It is not even a sports car. It is way too heavy and does not have brakes designed for the punishing workout track driving brings. I suspect that the repetitive hard braking would have cooked the brakes to a point of having very reduced capacity to outright failure. I was not going to be "that guy" who put a car into the barrier, much less a rental.

Once I got to the entrance area, I was shocked at how many people were there. Some in extremely expensive exotic sports cars, others on motorcycles, and still many more in their daily drivers. Some obviously turned out just to watch the spectacle and planned on making a day of it with chairs, grills, and beer.

So, I prepaid my toll and had a debit card with 4 laps of credit. It is funny that this toll road has no outlets, i.e. it doesn't go anywhere. You exit at the same point that you enter the road. The fee for this trip to nowhere is Euro $22 per lap (you get a discount for multiple laps so my 4 lap toll was Euro $75.

This may seem like a lot to drive on a toll road that doesn't go anywhere. However, motorsports enthusiasts seek out "The Ring". This is a popular attraction for many driving and riding enthusiasts from all over the world, partly because of its history (completed in 1927) and the considerable challenge it still provides. The lack of oncoming traffic and intersections sets it apart from regular roads, and the absence of a blanket speed limit makes it an additional attraction.

So, I was all ready to go and approached the toll gate only to find that signage indicated it was closed. I asked that traffic attendant what was going on and he said that someone crashed and the track was closed until the track was cleared. Looks like that over confident, under skilled driver closed "Hell".

While it is unusual for deaths to occur during sanctioned races, there are several fatalities and many accidents each year during public sessions. It is not unusual for the track to be closed several times a day for cleanup, repair, and medical intervention. The track management does not publish any official figures, but regular visitors to the track have used police reports to estimate the number of fatalities at somewhere between 3-12 in a full year.

Somehow, I feel like a victim in all this. Two mishaps had spoiled my trip to "The Green Hell". I will try again next week.

/

Until next week,

Michael

The Perfect Storm

Hello All,

It is Labor Day weekend and I hope everyone is enjoying a little time off. I, however, am not. As the saying goes, "duty calls". Something has come up and I will be working everyday until further notice. On non-working days, like today, I have a couple of hours of work and briefs to attend. So, while not a full work day, I have to stay close to the barn which eliminates even day trips into the surrounding area.

I realized that Germans love sitting in cafes and beer gardens in the summer because summer is a relatively short season here. Today is cool with scattered showers. Summer is giving way to fall and the tables of the cafes will soon be moved back indoors. The summer festivals will give way to Octoberfest, and Octoberfest will give way to Christmas festivals.

So, how does all this tie into "the perfect storm"? It doesn't.

As you all know, the economy has been in the dumpster for a while now. About 18 mos ago, the perfect storm existed with banking, spending, credit card debt, home equity loans, and speculative home buying. This led to the biggest collapse in home values any of us has ever seen and many respected financial institutions, which have been in business for almost a century, are no longer.

The stock market also experienced a huge pull back and unemployment is as high as it has been in decades.

As a result of all this, interest rates have been lowered by the Federal Reserve in an effort to stimulate the economy and housing foreclosures have driven down the overall market prices. In areas that had the biggest run ups (Las Vegas, S. California, Phoenix, Florida) now have the highest foreclosure rates with many properties being sold for half of their selling prices only 3 years ago.

This, is the "new perfect storm": historically low interest rates and an over supply in the housing market. Slowly, people are dipping their toes back in the housing market to take advantage of prevailing market conditions. Count me and my ever lovin' wife, Jodi, as having our toes in the water. We had a contract accepted on a home in the small town we live in now, Sneads Ferry, NC.

The house was built in 2006 just before the market peaked and is in, what was supposed to be, a planned community development. Many of the lots were snatched up by greedy speculators thinking they would make some fast, easy, money. I've come to realize that making money is neither fast nor easy. A handful of houses were built and many of the lots are for sale.

As is the case with all planned communities, the first thing the developer does is build a nice entrance with beautiful landscaping leading you all the way to the sales office. To impress potential buyers even more, a community clubhouse was built and tennis courts are situated next to it. That is about as far as they got before the housing crisis hit although a pool is promised but I doubt it will ever be built.

Back to the house. It was built in 2006 by one of the development builders to demonstate the work he is capable of. It has never been lived in. The price of the house was recently reduced and a couple had a contract in on it that same day. We were heartbroken. We requested that our offer be submitted as a back-up offer and the realtor said that our offer was so laughably low that it would not even be considered.

Well, the couple with the contract backed out of the deal and the realtor representing the seller/builder contacted us to see if we still wanted to submit our laughably low offer. This time, I was laughing and we went from there. We had to move a little on our offer, but they came down a lot more then we came up. Patience and persistence paid off.

We feel like we got a really good deal and a 4.875% interest rate to boot. All these exotic ARMs and 80/20 mortgages for 110% of the properties "appraised" value was one of the factors that got us into this mess so, needless to say, I am a 30 year conventional loan kind of guy.

Jodi loves the large screened back porch and the country style front porch as well as the fact that deer can often be spotted on the property. She probably will not love it so much when they eat all the flowers she says she is going to plant.

/

I can picture us growing old together there.

That is about it. 4 Bed Room, 2.5 Bath, 2600 sq ft. We close on 1 Nov, just before I get back.

/

Cheers,

Michael

Back From Africa

Hello All,

Left for Africa last Sunday afternoon and arrived almost 24 hours later. I spent more time on layovers then I did flying. There are not really many good flight schedules to Africa. Turns out it is a little more difficult then catching the NY to LA flights back in the states, not to mention, Africa is a lot further away then it looks on the map. Keep in mind that the continent is 3.5 times as large as the continental US and the country of Sudan is as big as California, Arizona, and Utah combined.

By the time I got to camp and changed over, most of the workday on Monday was over. Did manage to get my email accts and internet up and running as well as find an empty desk to work at. The next three days were pretty busy with meetings, office calls with the branch directors and the Commander (a one star Admiral) and the Deputy Commander (one star Army General).

Before I knew it, Thurs late afternoon was upon me and it was time to leave for Germany. Since a good part of my trip was on Ethiopian Air, my boss recommended that I don't check any bags. He says that they are notorious about losing bags.

Taking my bag as a carry on was no problem the whole way down. For the way back, it was a problem. When I told the agent that I had no bags to check, only carry on, she said she needed to see my bag and put it on a scale. She said it was 5kg over weight and I would have to check it.

In a country with 70% unemployment, no natural resources, a refugee problem, and a central government that is under internal stress, this guy is gravely concerned over my carry on bag weighing 5kg to much to be a carry on. Not sure what the logic was.

Needless to say, I was pissed. After a heated discussion with the supervisor, I made no progess towards hanging on to my bag. I reluctantly checked my bag feeling that I may never see it again. Sure enough, when I got to Stuttgart, no bag. Can't say I was even a little surprised.

What I really dislike about being in Djibouti, is that I always sense a covert hostility from Djiboutians who are in postition of authority like customs, police, security personnel, and this particular pair at the check in counter. Since I had this heated disagreement with the counter people, I figured that they probably just tossed my bag in the corner or in the dumpster after rummaging through it.

I am sure if I gave him some money, it would not have been a problem anymore. Honestly, before I did that, I would have found out what one months salary for the security people was and paid one of them that amount to break the guys hands. If I was African, it would not have been an issue. I saw bags that appeared to be the same size and weight of the one I was forced to check. I always have felt that because I am a Caucasian American, they like to show me who is in charge by f**king with me every change they get. Others have told me the same thing.

Well, I ended up getting my bag about 24 hours later. I was surprised that no one even opened it to spit on my clothes.

I am really happy to be out of Africa and don't think I will have to go back to Djibouti. I really hate it there. If you asked me to tell you something positive about DJ, I would not even be able to think of one thing. It is just a horrible place.

I am sure there are some nice things to see in Africa but I would not waste a penny of my own money to go there. The place will never be anything more then it is right now. They will never move beyond their clan and tribe mentality which permiates every aspect of their cultures and politics. Unfortunately, they have resources we need so we have to engage them or the Chinese will end up with rights to everything.

On a positive note, once I resigned to the fact that I would never see my bag again, I decided that I would go out a buy a new razor since I was out of blades anyway. I had been using one of those Gillette 5 blade deals which provide the best shave I have ever had although I cringe when I buy blades (4 pack is around $12). I decided to upgrade to the Gillette Fusion Power. This is the same as my old razor but it is has a battery that vibrates the head. I don't know the science behind it but I can tell you that this is the best shave in the world. If you don't use an electric razor like me, I highly recommend trading up to this little baby.

Well, next week is Labor Day so we have a long weekend. Not sure what I will do yet. Was thinking I would go to Rome but I would have to fly down. Jodi and I are pretty close to buying a house so I am torn between cutting back here to maximize resources and doing something that I will probably never pursue again, like going to the Sistine Chapel and the Roman Colosseum. If we get a contract on the house we are looking at, it will need a refridgerator which are not cheap.

I will keep everyone posted on the house. Should know more next week.

I also miss my dog.

The Formula One race is starting so I will sign off for another week.

Michael

Off to Africa

Hello All,

Sorry for the lack of updates. Left for Africa last weekend and now just back. Hope I never have to go back!

This is really to pass a message to my good friend Mike T in Odesa, TX. He is like a brother to me and we shared a lot of time together in 29 palms, CA, in some pretty intense situations.

I have emailed him countless times over the last few months and he has not resonded.

I am going to go to Odesa and I will kick his ass when I get back.

More this weekend.

Michael

Dachau Concentration Camp.

A somber greeting to all,

This past weekend, I decided that I would travel to see the Dachau Concentration Camp. This was not a "fun" trip but one I felt compelled to make. Before I recount my personal experience, a little background is in order.

I will tell you up front that pics I took are posted on Flicker. Each pic has a title which describes what the picture is. If you don't see it, play around with the settings. I think it adds a lot to the photos.

The Dachau concentration camp, established in March 1933, was the first regular concentration camp established by the National Socialist (Nazi) government. The camp was officially described as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners." It was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the northeastern part of the town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich in southern Germany.

During the first year, the camp held about 4,800 prisoners. Initially the internees consisted primarily of German Communists, Social Democrats, trade unionists, and other political opponents of the Nazi regime. Over time, other groups were also interned at Dachau, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Gypsies, and homosexuals, as well as "asocials" and repeat criminal offenders.

The number of Jewish prisoners at Dachau rose with the increased persecution of Jews and on November 10-11, 1938, in the aftermath of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), more than 10,000 Jewish men were interned there. (Most of the men in this group were released after incarceration of a few weeks to a few months, many after proving they had made arrangements to emigrate from Germany.)

The Dachau camp was a training center for SS concentration camp guards, and the camps organization and routine became the model for all Nazi concentration camps. The camp was divided into two sections--the camp area and the crematoria area.

The camp area consisted of 32 barracks, including one for clergy imprisoned for opposing the Nazi regime and one reserved for medical experiments. The camp administration was located in the gatehouse at the main entrance. The camp area had a group of support buildings, containing the kitchen, laundry, showers, and workshops, as well as a prison block (Bunker). The courtyard between the prison and the central kitchen was used for the summary execution of prisoners. An electrified barbed-wire fence, a ditch, and a wall with seven guard towers surrounded the camp.

In 1942, the crematorium area was constructed next to the main camp. It included the old crematorium and the new crematorium (Barrack X) with a gas chamber. There is no credible evidence that the gas chamber in Barrack X was used to murder human beings. Instead, prisoners underwent "selection"; those who were judged too sick or weak to continue working were sent to the Hartheim "euthanasia" killing center near Linz, Austria. Further, the SS used the firing range and the gallows in the crematoria area as killing sites for prisoners.

Dachau was not an extermination camp like Auschwitz where upwards of 3 MILLION people died. Prisoners were used as forced laborers and an important part of the Nazi war effort. They built roads, worked in gravel pits, and drained marshes. During the war, forced labor utilizing concentration camp prisoners became increasingly important to German armaments production.

Towards the end of the war as Allied forces advanced toward Germany, the Germans began to move prisoners from concentration camps near the front to prevent the liberation of large numbers of prisoners. Transports from the evacuated camps arrived continuously at Dachau, resulting in a dramatic deterioration of conditions.

On April 26, 1945, as American forces approached, there were 67,665 registered prisoners in Dachau and its subcamps; more than half of this number were in the main camp.

On April 29, 1945, American forces liberated Dachau. As they neared the camp, they found more than 30 railroad cars filled with bodies brought to Dachau, all in an advanced state of decomposition.

The American troops were so horrified by conditions at the camp that a few killed some of the camp guards after they had surrendered in what is called the Dachau massacre. The number massacred is disputed as some Germans were killed in combat, some were shot while attempting to surrender, and others were killed after their surrender was accepted.

The mistreatment of combatants who surrender is strictly prohibited by the terms of the Geneva Convention (1949) which was signed after the war and also violates the terms of the US military's Law of Land Warfare. We will never know what really happened but I suspect that the US soldiers did kill some of the camp guards after they surrendered. Looking at the pictures of what they saw on the day of liberation, I can say that I understand what they must have been feeling.

Ok, enough with the history lesson, Professor. How did this all make me feel? I felt different things at different times. Walking through the front gate, I felt gloom. Standing next to the wall where prisoners were routinely executed by firing squad, I envisioned how that unfolded every day. The fear and terror those about to be shot must have felt penetrated me. I heard the shots ring out in my mind. I pictured the bodies falling to the ground.

In the interogation room of "The Bunker" (the on grounds prison), I felt anguish. I could hear the laughter of the guards as a prisoner endured another blow to the head, blood and teeth hitting the floor, probably praying for death.

What about those who endured (most often dying as a result of) cruel medical experiments. The torment of being kept alive but also hoping for death. Twisted.

In the crematorium, I felt horror and grief. I was standing in one of the rooms that bodies were temporarily kept awaiting the oven or a mass grave and looking at a picture taken the day the camp was liberated. In the very room that I was standing bodies were piled chest high. ON THE VERY SPOT I WAS NOW STANDING. Disgust was what I was feeling now.

How did the US soldiers feel when they saw 30! rail cars filled with dead bodies when they liberated the camp. Shock? And then rage? That is how I would have felt. Did they murder some of the camp guards who had surrendered. Yes, they were overwhelmed by their rage.

How did I feel knowing that the last camp commandant was hung on the very grounds he oversaw having been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity? It did not bring me joy in a high five sort of way. It was more of a feeling of satisfaction. It lifted my spirits. This was justice for all those who were ever imprisoned there. (It turns out that nothing in the above paragraph is true. I decided to leave in this little piece of non-factual content for impact. I just think it wraps up the piece nicely even though it is not even remotely true.)

At the memorial, I felt pain, grief, sorrow. I felt happy knowing that 32,000 people were freed from certain death. And that was it. Certainly lots to experience and feel in one day.

I was also pleased to find out that so much of the camp had been preserved. It is something that everyone NEEDS to see and experience. It is not until we are pushed out of our comfort zone that we really experience life.

I cannot understand how so many were systematically murdered. It is numbing.

In honor of the Holocaust victims which number between 11 and 17 million including 6,000,000 Jews, Do Not Forget.

Evil lurks around every corner. Evil overcomes good when good men do nothing.

That's it. Be good to each other.

Michael

Another week under my belt.

Hello all.

Well, I have another week under my belt and 7 days closer to getting back home. I haven't done anything interesting in a while so I need to get out of town next weekend.

I was working this entire weekend as the staff is conducting a staff exercise which is being evalutated by the Joint Forces Command. It is an artifical inject of events which the staff reacts to. The key is to do it according to well established doctrine taking all the proper steps. Interesting stuff, huh?

I will point out a couple of neat features the past two rental cars have had. My last rental, a Mercedes Benz C250 turbo diesel with 6 sp manual transmission, had a feature that, when stopped and going uphill, would keep the brakes engaged while you make the transition from brake pedal to gas pedal. If you have ever driven a manual transmission, you know what I am talking about. It prevents the car from rolling backwards while you work the clutch and gas. Nice feature.

As you may recall, in Germany, if you know you are going to be halted for more then 30 seconds, you are suppose to turn off the engine. On my current rental, a BMW 320i with gasoline engine and 6 speed transmission, when you have the transmission in neutral and the clutch is not engaged, the car shuts off after 30 seconds. As soon as the clutch pedal moves about a 1/4 inch, the engine starts automatically. It is really quite seamless, much to my surprise. I would imagine that if every car in the US had this feature (and Americans actually drove standard transmission cars), we would save millions of barrels of oil every year. Again, a really neat feature.

Well, Summer is in full swing here and I have discovered that Germans do wear shorts. I can tell you that Germans are reluctant to wear shorts for a reason. It is because they do it very poorly. Shorts are really pants that are not quite as long a regular trousers. Americans where shorts that are typically at or above the knee with some sort of sport shoe or sandal.

Germans, on the other hand, were "shorts" that are cut to around mid-calf. If you have ever seen the episodes of the longest running animated series in TV history, "The Simpsons", then picture the shorts the character "Milhouse" wears.

Additionally, if they are usually wearing some weird color socks with their tennis shoes or sandals, like gray. If they don't wear socks (recommended for all readers) they usual have really gross looking toe nails.

Honestly, they need to stick to traditional trousers and proper leather shoes. They do that very well. As I always say, figure out what you do well and do that all the time. At least the Summer season is realitively short here. I hear they do great Christmas festivals thougth as well as Octoberfest, which I will be in country for.

Hope all is well back in my "Motherland".

Until next time,
Michael