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With Brexit some of the banking community in London is expected to move to Frankfurt, the financial capital of Germany, and the location of the ECB. This article describes the attractions of Frankfurt, as compared to Cologne and Munich, other cities which attract more visitors. It is lower cost, with shorter distances within the city, a large community of foreigners of about one in three people that gives it international appeal, and easy access to the mountains for biking and hiking.

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Germany has ordered order controls under new Interior Minister Dobrindt. Merz says such border controls are needed at its borders until European borders are secured. A Berlin administrative court similar to courts in the US issued a contrary ruling in the case of three Somalis from Poland to be processed on June 2, 2025. This is weeks, months  after incidents of attacks in Hamburg and other cities when the public resources are already severely strained from migrants.

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The situation in Paris, France, with the lack of an effective lockdown. People leave in large numbers to country homes in the provinces causing resentment and anger of locals who resent the intrusion at this time. There is a sense that this may spread the coronavirus to the provinces from major cities to rural towns in France.

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This report in the WSJ looks at the war in Ukraine in July 2022 as seen from the Ukrainian side. Ukraine has 12 million people displaced or refugees, about a third of the population, particularly in the east. Most of the refugees are women and children. Cities in the east and the south face artillery attacks and airspace over Ukraine lacks the air defense systems that would help Ukrainians live lives not constantly under threat of bombs going off. In this situation and with the massive damage, there is also a breakdown of trust on both sides. Not just the leadership but 93% of the population is against negotiating a peace till the territories lost in the south and the east are regained, says this WSJ report. This report shows Zelensky describing his typical day, his yearning for peace, but serious fears after the failure of the 2014 peace agreements with Russia that Russia is simply negotiating agreements so that it can consolidate its control over territory till it launches another attack. This means that the war will go into a counter offensive phase in the south where Ukraine has its economic links on the Black Sea around the port of Odessa. Ukraine will want to recover the territories in the south so that its future on the Black Sea is restored to what it was before. The eastern part of Ukraine in the Donbas region is being integrated into Russia and Ukraine may seek to improve its position in that area around major cities that it controls and controlled till losses in June.  The lack of air defense systems over Ukrainian airspace that would protect civilians and people of Ukraine in the countryside and cities is what hurts Ukrainians the most. It is the reason why there are so many refugees and displaced people. The US and European countries have failed to provide the air defense systems that would have protected the civilian population and created the worst aspects of this war in the number of refugees having to flee their homes and seeing them destroyed. Years from now people may look back and say this is the worst aspect of this war apart from the claims of either side. As Lincoln said during the civil war in the US in his annual message of 1862 the land is there for ever, and this generation will pass away. The conflicts and tearing apart that this generation of Russians and Ukrainians have experienced, may not be the feelings of future generations.  ...

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This essay in the Economist magazine points out the special nature of the 2017 presidential election in France with the rejection of establishment candidates- Manuel Valls, Sarkozy, Juppe, and now Fillon. Fillon and Valls were prime ministers under Sarkozy and Hollande, from the Republican and Socialist parties respectively. With unemployment high in the areas outside the major cities their is a surge in support in these areas for the National Front. Emmanuel Macron, former Economy minister in the Hollande government, is the only candidate leading Marie Le Pen at this time. In a second round of voting he has to bring in centre right supporters and centre left voters and moderate voters, and appeal enough to working class voters, young unemployed people, offering hope for a better future to win this election against Le Pen. Economist magazine research shows support highest for Le Pen outside major cities in outlying areas, and for Macron in the major cities. There is also an education divide as seen in the U.S. election and Brexit referendum with less educated voters preferring the nationalist sentiment, church support sentiment fostered by the National Front.  ...

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Common sense comes to the German Border with Merz and the national emergency rule at the border, just as has happened under DJT at the US Border. May 8-25 turned back at Germany's borders with 9 European countries about 100 persons- success of national emergency rule at the German Border. This relieves not only pressure on public services in German towns and cities, it also removes a source of anxiety in the people who experienced political divisions and random attacks in public spaces from migrants. It also removes the threats of extreme factions in politics that have used the migrant crisis for exacerbating political divisions. Merkel's policy was not workable from the beginning and based on assumptions that were not correct as Germany and the EU could do more to improve the modernization and improving health and education, industry and agriculture inside Asia, North Africa to help the people in these regions than by taking in migrants. Who has ever suggested migration to Europe or the US  as a solution to the problems of China and India in the 1930's and 1940's, from wars and even famines. The right solutions of decolonization turning back invasions into the 1940's, and providing technology and capital for modernization after 1950 and accelerating this after 2000 have created two modernized nations of 2 billion people. ...

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Street protests in Brazilian cities with economic growth slowing to about 1% in 2012 and inflation at about 6%. Street protests in Brazil reflect public disconten over corruption, overspending on the World Cup and Olympics, and lack of good education, health and other public services. Increase in bus fare and police response against small protests using tear gas set off the large scale protests of tens of thousands in Brazilian cities. President Rousseff's sees her popularity ratings drop 8% percentage points from the March level to 57% in June 2013, according to polling firm Datafolha. Ths includes high popularity in poor northern states. Rousseff's popularity in more industrialized southern states declined by 13%, and by 16% among college educated youth.

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Yale's internal report on its failure on price, value and political polarization.  “In its report, the committee calls on Yale to reflect on and take responsibility for our role in the erosion of public trust.” Maurie McInnis, Yale president  wrote- “I accept this judgment fully.” The report cites one fault as tilting admissions in one direction- to the children of the rich and connected. Report has 20 recommendations including removing the tilt to legacies, varsity athletes, children of faculty, staff, donors. This is not the institution or institutions of higher education that promote the social mobility that happened under FDR and throughout the 20th century to create what emerged as a society that made it possible for people of all incomes to rise. This is also what Marco Rubio has made his main complaint in his book -Decades of Decadence How our Spoiled Elites Blew America's Inheritance of Liberty, Security, and Prosperity. How a immigrant family from Cuba was able to raise a child (Rubio) with a decent income from factory work making steel chairs in a Florida factory and give him a good education.  Something Rubio says is no longer possible today. Much of this factory base was shifted to China under the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations, and no longer exists. In its place is a financial services business that does nothing for workers and ordinary Americans and a business culture that puts costs further and further away and out of reach for education in the nation's universities and colleges. ...

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Fruit and vegetable gardens one can harvest for free in the Rhine River Valley city of Andernach, a medieval city that is one of the oldest settlements in Germany. The city administration launched this project in 2010 to get more local people engaged in the outdoors in their community and raise awareness of how food is grown. The plants cover tomatoes to pomegranates. The mayor hopes other cities around the world will follow this example. The mayor Anneli Karlsson says one does not feel such a relationship to plants as when one goes out and picks out the food, the salad, that one is then going to use for dinner that evening. This is an idea that cities in Europe, the US and other parts of the world can take up in the middle of the current rise in food prices, so that the interest would lead to closer relationship with the food grown around us, and in even growing it oneself in one's own garden. In the first year 100 varieties of tomatoes were planted. Then other edible plants were added. It includes Greek mountain tea leaves as well as the usual pumpkins, potatoes, grapes zucchini, kale, almonds. No pesticides so it is all organic. There aren't any fences one just takes what one needs.  The gardens are good for tourism. They also hire unemployed people to add to the workers in addition to the team of gardeners. Rising food prices are getting people to take interest in how food is grown and urban area food gardens. ...

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A leading pro-China media group Want, Want China closes in Taiwan after the National Communications Commission cites errors in accurate reporting, and the license is withdrawn.

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California is feeling overwhelmed by the pandemic with patients treated in parking lots, in hallways, and in lobbies of California hospitals. This report looks at the situation in California as it reports 53,000 new cases on December 16, 2020. The entire state from high deserts to beachfront cities, from the San Joaquin Valley to Sierra Nevada resort towns is facing a growing pandemic. In Apple Valley, California in the southern part of the state the only capacity is overcapacity with hospitals at 200 or 250% of capacity.  The scary thing is that the health care system is reduced to being available only to the gravest, most urgent medical conditions.

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Efforts by City Hall and the French government to support public housing in Paris with new investment in the city for newly built public housing. This will create an attractive environment for low and middle income residents to stay in the city including small business owners, as the buildings are modern and add to the look of the city. This will be visible during the Olympics in 2024 in Paris. It is a clear goal of the city government of Paris to give people of different income levels the opportunities to live in attractive modern housing in the city. It remains a pioneer in this idea and its execution among European cities.

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The old Fifth Avenue NYC building that Lord & Taylor department store opened in 1914 is remodeled by Amazon for offices that will have 2000 employees or a fifth of its New York workforce. Konrad Putzier of the WSJ looks at the problems of renovating old spaces in cities across the US. The cost is a factor as it cost Amazon $978 million. Renovating it means staying within what the old Italian Renaissance based design would allow without too much cost. This means less natural lighting, putting more interior meeting space which does not require windows. Only the new rooftop 2 floors have flexibility to put in modern windows. 

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Priti Patel, former UK Home Secretary, calls Nigel Farage's comments on UK riots about two tier policing "deeply misleading" and not relevant right now.  Patel told Times Radio: “There’s a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship. What we have seen is thuggery, violence, racism." The riots started after stabbings by a youth at a Southport U Taylor Swift themed dance and yoga party for elementary school children. Misinformation spread about the identity of the attacker. Riots happened in Nottingham, Liverpool, Hull and other cities. 

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Margarethe Lihotzky of Vienna, Austria, designed the first kitchen designed for the modern age by a woman for women. Ernst May started building homes on industrial scale after World War II for Frankfurt and had Lihotzky design this first kitchen that has stood the test of time. It was designed for the workers who came to the cities for work and for working class people.

After the Second World War Lihotzky played a role in the women's and peace movement and designed apartments and kindergardens. 

This Vienna based architect created the form follows function movement in housing that has remained ever since.

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US District Judge Lewis Kaplan cites messages saying the goal of donations from Sam Bankman Fried to political parties were for the purpose of weeding out people who had advised vigilance and prudence in crypto currency, as he sentences FTX's Ryan Salame to seven and half years.