Three Corona Stories

I sat and watched an afternoon update on ARD (public TV, Channel One):

1.  Starting tomorrow (1 August), if you fly back into Germany from a 'hot zone'.....you have to take a Corona test.  Cost?  Free of charge.  The deal is worded that the government has 'ordered' the insurance companies to cover this.  More cost to this?  No one is talking about this, but you'd assume some insurance rise will occur in 2021.

Only at the airport?  Well....their wording is that some airports will have it, but if they don't.....you have to accomplish this at your doctor's situation (at your hometown).

Mandatory nature being legal?  Some have suggested that it'll be challenged.  

2.  Up in Kleve (NW Germany)....they had a wedding celebration.  Afterwards, it's up to about 50 folks who are positive on the Corona test.  The wording is that they haven't finished testing on all the guests.....so it might be going higher.  A listing of all guests existing?  Yeah, and that's probably the positive of the story.

3.  The head of the German SPD Party (Esken) said in a blunt talk this morning....school operations (starting up shortly) should not be expected to be normal, and everyday life in the schools isn't something you should be hopeful for. 

Substitute teachers?  No one talks much over this but it's probably going to be a major topic this fall.  

Berlin Covid-19 Story

Throughout Germany (the 16 states), there are various ban rules in effect over the Covid-19 virus.  It doesn't matter what the virus experts or politicians say.....the general public has probably reached its peak in obeying the ban rules.

Over the past two weeks in Berlin, another sign of avoiding ban rules has come up.  Deutsche Welle brought up the topic, but a number of Berlin news sites are talking about the trend.

Techo bars/clubs were fairly popular in Berlin before Covid-19 came along....but since the bans took place....they were basically shut down to massive crowds.

So what happened?  Well....secret parties are now organized.  Massive crowds show up.

Welle pointed out one party from last week....with 3k guests.

The locations being used?  Some are in city parks....some occur in the forest of the region, and some are in older unused buildings.  All organized at the last minute, with booze and speakers set up in a matter of an hour or two.

Getting the info out without the authorities figuring this out?  It appears that they aren't using the normal Facebook or Twitter 'toys'....preferring lesser known social media gadgets which aren't typically monitored.  The message then gets passed around via email or WhatsApp.  

Spreading Corona?  More than likely.....yet they don't care.

What'll happen with this trend?  My guess is that a second wave will be determined....angering the Berlin political figures, and triggering some secret police organization to infiltrate the party organization and try to halt the parties.  

Dry Zones of Hamburg Story

The Coronavirus period is creating a lot of 'problems', and a lot of creative solutions.  I sat and read over a ARD article this morning involving Hamburg.

In the more popular neighborhoods of Hamburg, the city council wrote up 'bans'.....basically there's to be no outdoor consumption of alcohol between 8 PM and 6 PM on weekend nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).  Indoor consumption?  No problem.

To be a tool against social distancing violators?  More or less.

Now, you can assume, it's going to create a magnet for indoor drinking establishments, and more people mingling.  The idea of buying beer in the forbidden zone and walking two blocks outside of the forbidden outdoor drinking zone?  You could do that.  Remember....this is only for certain neighborhoods in Hamburg.

A violation of the Constitution?  Well, this got brought up.  There is a paragraph in the German Constitution which talks to 'general freedom of action' and buying/consuming a beer would generally fit into the Constitutional wording.  At the very least, this will be challenged in court.

No one says much over the police, but I would imagine that they aren't that happy over enforcing this ban.

Odds of this going away by mid-September?  I would suggest that.  

At the heart of this discussion.....you simply have a lot of Germans who were forced to stay indoors in the spring because of the Corona ban rules, and they've generally spent most of their patience already.....with a desire to 'cool off' with a beer in a public setting.  

Corona Story

About every single day, there is some science report from a German university or research group....on the Coronavirus, which makes you pause and wonder.  I noticed this morning a short piece in Focus.  Definitely worth a read.

The basic line to the story?  

Charité University Medicine in Berlin has found this odd connection between the common cold and Corona-19.  There are T-helper cells which benefit from colds, and basically build them up.  These same cells are seen as the positive from the Coronavirus.....making it a less harmful 'bout'.

More research to come?  Guaranteed.  

Bridge Story

Lernbrücken is this new phrase that I had to look up today.  Basically, it translates over to meaning 'learning bridge'.  The way this phrase in German works.....people look at kids and suggest that they haven't advanced to the point where they should be.  So you invent this 'bridge' to get the kid from X-position to Y-position, via tutoring. 

This came up via a SWR (SW Germany public TV) today.  

As the school year ended, with all the Corona chaos.....weeks of missed school where the kid was given homework, studied at home, and performed as well as they could....their school year ended with most kids admitting they are behind somewhat.  No one can clearly say how much.

Down in Baden-Wurttemberg and including the 15 other states, they have attempted to run a voluntary program where you spend two weeks....trying to gain a standing....during your summer vacation period.

Across the nation, 5k German teachers are involved.  

The problem is....there weren't enough teachers to run the program nationally, and parents are grasping now that the new school year is promising massive problems because of the shortfalls.

How does the new school year look?  There is a second wave of Corona coming but no one is discussing closing schools.  I think a fair number of parents realize the impact of the two months of closure.  

The issue at hand....you could be a teacher with 20 kids in the room....half are where they should be....and the other group are a month behind in knowledge.  2021 is going to be a rough period.  

Why Doesn't the German Unemployment Raise with Corona?

This is an interesting question.

Officially, with data that came out today....the German unemployment rate is 6.3-percent.  Data coming from ARD (public TV, Channel One).

Total number of Germans out of work?  2.9-million....out of a population of 83-million.

Why no serious affect with Corona? Well, this comes down to 'short-work'....the term that is assigned to the program where the government is covering employees, even if the service or organization is not working or producing.  

The example here....you run a company that makes bicycles.  You have 100 employees.  You decide that there is no real market for the quantity of bikes that you typically make, so you announce that a 50-percent cut in production will occur, so 50 of your employees aren't needed.  You work out a schedule where everyone is working 8 to 16 hours a week, and the government is covering their salary structure.  The max you make in short-hours?  Typically 65 percent (it'll rise to 80 percent in the future).  

Most all companies that were major producers....are on short-work.  

So this prevents the companies from handing out the pink-slips and letting folks go.....for the time being. 

A number of companies have said that by December....they will go to pink-slips because the short-work idea was not designed for a long-term situation.  

At that point....probably November 2020 to January of 2021....the slips will go out, and unemployment probably will edge to 10-to-12 percent in a matter of three months.  

Creating a problem for Chancellor Merkel?  No.  We are walking into the election period, and the entire election will be about the replacement Chancellor and a better economic situation coming by the end of 2021.  

Will it max out at 10-to-12 percent?  No one can predict that scenario.  

This era hurting the Green Party message for the election?  Oh......yes, in a very dynamic way.....the priority will be the economy and jobs....not climate change.  

Update: How many jobs were saved via short-work?  NTV says four million.

Playing the Rules Strategy

In recent weeks, I've essayed a good bit over the Coronavirus and a meat-processing company up in NW Germany called 'Tonnies'.  Today, there was a curious addition to the story.  

To fill in gaps on info....it's safe to say that a huge number of the Tonnies folks (butchers in a mass warehouse operation) came down with Corona (more than 1,500 folks were tested positive).  Along the way, the state authority came in and did a massive inspection and failed them on various things....some minor....some significant.  Also, along the way.....a lot of video came up on their temp-housing for Eastern European guest-workers....with a lot of Germans getting hyped over how the company was treating the workers. 

Just on Corona alone, the company stumbled badly, but the rest of this really laid into standard practices.  

The state made various regulations which were lettered for only 'mass-meat-processing' companies.  In simple terms....the big guys. The medium and smaller companies were left out of the regulations.  This was supposed to clean up abuses.

So Focus came up today to discuss the newest Tonnies gimmick....their lawyers showed up and filed 15 briefs....creating 15 mini-meat-processing plants around the region.  They basically divided up all their work, and the new regulations written by the state are mostly now non-effective.  

The 15 little companies are mostly just sub-contractors, if you view the method they are constructed.

Drawing more attention?  Yes, but if you write more regulation that affects medium and small butcher operations.....then you harm the rest of the industry which was doing the right thing all along.

Cars and Yearly Inspections

Germany is one of those nations which doesn't send out a yearly 'warning-letter' telling you of the approaching deadline to have your TUV car-safety inspection.  Basically, you track it yourself, or face the consequences.

The fine for missing the deadline?  After two months of missing, and up to four months....it's a 15 Euro fine.  In this case, you will get the letter to tell you that you missed the deadline.  There are no excuses for the fine. 

After the 4th month?  There will come another warning-letter, and this time, the fine is 25 Euro.  After the eighth month will come the next warning-letter, and this time the fine is 60 Euro.

US Military Story Updated

Along with the essay piece I wrote yesterday....one added feature from late-night coverage in Germany is that EUCOM Headquarters (long based out of Stuttgart) will be moving as well.

Their new location?  Mons, Belgium.  Not much is said over what facility is in the local area and they will be using.

Time-line existing?  Some elements of EUCOM will be in Mons by the end of August. 

The significance of EUCOM?  It's the official headquarters with the four-star general (typically an Army situation) and he controls all Army, Air Force, and Navy situations in Europe. 

The remaining question?  Someone brought up the African Command that rests in Stuttgart as well, and there's apparently some suggestion that they will be moving as well, but not necessarily to Mons. 

Adding this to the scenario?  It makes sense because SHAPE HQ's (the NATO headquarters) is in Belgium already and this four-star would be running this if a actual war-time situation developed.  Both should have always been in the same general location. 

'Night-Mayor'?

I had to look up the phrase when it came up in the news this morning....Nachtbürgermeister.  It's a German word that I hadn't heard much about.

So it translates over to be the 'night-time-mayor'.

True meaning?  This is a guy that would be walking around the city after 5 PM (particularly on weekends) and be the supreme guy in charge of the police, firemen, and city support (garbage for example).

The topic comes up in Stuttgart....because of recent riots.  SWR (public TV from SW Germany) covers this in detail.

At some point in 2019, Stuttgart's city council created the position....but they never did fill it (it begs questions but you might as well skip that issue).

A  job that people would want?  If you sit and think about it.....you are being tasked to work a good 12-hour long shift....Friday and Saturday evenings....walking into the middle of chaos...directing orders to the police and fire safety...defusing tensions with residents....trying to get 'kids' calmed down to prevent a riot, and continually being stabbed in the back by the city council over decisions made.

I would question the situation, and a lot of people....upon reviewing the job description....would just say 'no thanks'.

You'd basically need some former Army commander with absolute priority over public safety. 

The odds of Stuttgart getting someone to fill the job?  I'd give it a 100-percent guaranteed situation, but I doubt that the guy or gal stays more than twelve months. 

Scandal Brewing Out of Wirecard Fiasco?

For those who don't follow the company Wirecard, a brief intro.  Wirecard was developed around 20 years ago to be some modern-age Paypal-like company, with accounts in far-flung locations and connected by your 'card' or device.  An awful lot of people who looked at the development had the opinion that they were perfectly devised for money-laundering, but the company insisted on it's rules preventing that.

Around five years ago, some finance people looked at the numbers being published as 'profit', and had doubts.  Around two years ago, that speculation grew.  Finally, the German government (who had been doing audits on a regular basis).....now got serious.  Toward the end 2018....an extensive audit was started.  About six weeks ago....the audit revealed a shortfall of 1.9-billion Euro.  In simple terms, the company was reporting the money existed in a bank in the Philippines.  The bank when asked....said no, they had no such money. 

Did the money ever exist?  No one can cite factual data to say it ever existed.  Did the company pay taxes on non-existent profits?  Well, it appears so. 

So the scandal brewing is that the head of the Finanzamt....SPD's Olaf Scholz (vice-Chancellor)....knew about the investigation over a year ago and never said a word in any conference or party dialog.  Some members of the SPD are furious about the secrecy involved.

The accounting company....Ernst and Young are in the middle of this, because for years....they did audits of the company and signed off the books. 

The Economics Minister (Altmier) is also in the middle of this because he was advocating the company at various times.

Chancellor Merkel?  She gets dragged in because she tried to hype the company to the Chinese in 2019.

What's at stake?  Bavaria (where the investigation is going on) says around 3-billion Euro is at risk from company loans, if they fold up entirely. 

At the end of this whole episode, you have to wonder who exactly Wirecard was buying interest in.....within the CDU-CSU-SPD government.  Or were these political folks wined and dined....having zero interest in the Wirecard business but just playing along for the weekend hotels and travel benefits? 

Interesting Poll

I followed a short story this morning by the Civey survey folks.  They went out and polled Germans on the subject of.....do you support Germans who feel the need to fly out and spend their vacation outside of Germany in this Coronavirus period?

Well....three out of four Germans said 'NO'....they aren't happy with this current trend. The more conservative you are....the less likely you will support the idea of a vacation outside of Germany.

For about a month, this has been brewing.  The second wave chatter?  This is based entirely now on the return of these people from 'hot zones'.  There's at least one story nightly now on either ARD or ZDF public news about the second wave chatter and higher infection expectations.

The real question that will arise here shortly....once the second wave arrives.....will massive anger be directed at the folks who left the country for two weeks of relaxation in Spain?  At this point, I don't see how you can avoid the 'confrontation'.

The odds that some funny law comes out of this to prevent vacation flights?  It wouldn't shock me if this was openly discussed. 

Covid-19 Testing

Based on the hype to test incoming passengers for the Covid-19 virus....the FRAPORT (the Frankfurt Airport) folks are renovating an area between Terminal One (the old terminal) and the underground subway area.  Basically where the shops and deli area is located. 

Our regional news folks covered this in detail. 

The two facilities already in operation?  Well....they will continue on, and are commercial operations (you pay for the tests to 'exit' the country, if your destination is not a EU member).

How this mandatory facility will operate?  The operation instructions have yet to be written down.  Who will pay?  Based on the Bavarian 'model'....they simply passed the cost factor onto the health insurance companies, with facility operating cost being covered to some degree by the government. 

Getting the health insurance companies to increase cost in 2021?  No one says much but you'd have to assume that the companies will pass this testing cost to the consumers, and you can assume another ten to twenty Euro a month will be assessed to people.

So this brings up the curious question.....will Germans who don't go out of the country get aggravated paying for the Germans who do take the risks and leave the country for a vacation?  My humble guess is that this will come as a topic by spring of 2021. 

The final part of the airport expansion into the testing?  Well, this location is at Terminal One....NOT Terminal Two.  So you could fly in (internationally) at Terminal Two, collect your bag, and just leave the airport entirely.  The mandatory nature of this testing?  Yet to be seen. 

Most people....at the end of a 12-hour flight, don't want a long process of entering the home-country.  I don't see people volunteering to exit one terminal area, collect your bags, getting to the second terminal, and waiting in line for two hours to get tested before they can exit the airport. 

Stats on Corona Story

So if you went into the hospital because of Corona.....here in Germany....your odds were one out of five dying.

N-TV had a piece today and talked over the technical data that AOK (the insurance folks) gleaned.

Now, it DOES NOT mean that everyone who had Corona actually went to a hospital.  German doctors reserved the bed spaces only for people who had secondary conditions or a fairly rough time with Corona.  This would then suggest that four out of five....in rough times or having secondary conditions....survived in the hospital.

For this period discussed (late Feb to late Apr), 1700-odd patients ended up being ventilated (to help them), and roughly 900 of them didn't make it. 

The other folks (8,300-odd Germans) avoided the ventilation business, and their death rate was 16-percent.

 The bulk of the ventilated people being over 80 years old?  Well....73-percent were in that category.

There's probably going to be more studies done, and ventilation is going to be heavily discussed. 

It's an interesting piece on statistical data, and worth reading. 

US Military Story

About a month ago, stories started up that US military folks would be leaving Germany (approximately 12,000).  Some Germans were shocked.  Some political folks wrote up letters to ask for more reasoning and reflection, hoping the decision would be halted.

Today, if you follow Focus....the areas affected have been put out in the public sector.

From the Air Force, one squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base will be leaving.

For the remainder of folks (Army)....Vilseck, Wildflecken and Grafenwoehr are affected.

Leaving Europe  entirely?  No.  Approximately half will be either in Italy or Poland.....the rest return to the US.

The timeline?  Still unannounced but the original hint was that folks would start to leave in the fall of this year.

A big deal for Grafenwoehr?  Well....this was the training site for the US in Germany.  To be honest, 'Graf' has been a training site for the German Army prior to WW II.  You can go back to the early part of the 1800s.....where it was used for military training then.

Population Trend Story

For a number of years, I've pointed out the declining birthrate of Germany and it's affect on the population of the future (unless migration were to continue at the current trend).  This factor of the declining birthrate has been around since the 1960s, and part of the reason why an open door has to exist.

So today, ARD did a great update on statistical data and who makes up Germany now.  For the record.....one out of every four people you see on the street....are non-German, or from outside of the country.

13.8-million residents are from Europe itself (French, Polish, Italian, Greek, etc).

4.6-million residents came from Asia (Japan, South Korea, etc).

1-million residents came from Africa.

600k residents can claim either the Americas (the US, Canada, Argentina, etc) or Australia/New Zealand.

Russians in this mix?  They make up 7-percent of the general population.

The likely trend?  They don't get into this discussion, but I would imagine the trend to continue without much change.  Part of this issue involves the birthrate....part involves the need for German industry or technology companies to maintain a 'balance'....part revolves around stability. 

Problems with this?  There are literally hundreds of issues which exist. 

To be honest, the population sector in rural areas of Germany are still declining, and the incoming crowd has mostly an interest in urbanized areas where jobs exist.  So you will still continue to see rural towns in Germany to downsize.

Adding to this....various areas are in some creation mode of making 'Little Damascus' or 'Little Moscow', or 'Little Milanio'.  So far, no one has gone to start up a 'Little Brisbane' or 'Little Auckland' or 'Little Beverly Hills' area. 

Political dynamics changing?  There's no doubt that a pro-Turkey political party will likely form in the next couple of years and create a new trend.

The idea that Germany is still something out of the 1980s West Germany?  I would suggest that it's a bold new world, and multiculturalism.....whether liked or disliked....is going to be around for a while.

Spielothek Story

I always note that after 1 AM in Germany....your odds of getting into a stupid argument or some violent situation dramatically escalate.  There's just no reason to hang out after midnight.

This morning, our regional public TV network, HR, did an update over a brawl that occurred in the region....around 2 AM.

This occurred over in the town of Erbach (SW of Darmstadt).....at a casino-bar or spielothek.  The difference between a regular bar and a spielothek....a spielothek will involve various betting devices.  You can anticipate that it's mostly all guys, and most have a gambling/drinking habit.

So what the cops say of the evening....some issue developed where ATM or credit cards weren't being accepted  at some point around 2 AM.  No one says what technical issue developed....just that the bar was cut off from various functions. 

This argument develops.  Gunshots occur, and the police get the call.  They show up and 15 folks are in some stage of arguing with one guy wounded.  A gun in the middle of this, and confiscated by the police. 

Investigation going on?  Yes, with possible charges of dangerous bodily harm being a pretty serious deal. 

The thing is....thirty years ago in Germany....you never had gunplay developing into these late night events.  Now?  The police get the call and have to go in with their pistols drawn and expecting trouble.  This is one of those dozen-odd things that really have changed over the past two or three decades in Germany. 

The Corona Bar Story

Last night on German public news, there was a pretty interesting Corona 'drama' that was laid out.  This morning, N-TV (commercial news) also chatted over this, giving the better of the news pieces.

So in the heart of Berlin, around the Berlin-Neukölln neighborhood (a neighborhood on the SE part of Berlin)....there's this pub/restaurant.  They had a Corona outbreak (minimum of 18 folks with the Coronavirus). 

Once the test results started to come  back and they figured out the location....they went to the pub.  By state law, you have to maintain a listing of names, addresses, phone numbers, etc....as the person sits down in your bar or restaurant.

So this problem started up for about 41 of the guests.....they didn't put down the correct info (false or fake data).  The suggestion that some of the writing is unreadable?  That came up as well.

The odds of a fine coming out of this for the pub operation?  More than likely.

Since the bans were lifted, and these attendance forms started up....it's been a hassle.....which even I will admit.  I probably fill out five of these slips each week.  Even if you stopped to have a cup of coffee or a tea....just for five minutes to sit on some patio.....they hand you the slip and ask for personal data.  Just giving out my cellphone number....I feel kinda negative about the 'free' data situation.

It wouldn't surprise me if some pub generated 200 of these slips in an evening, and 10-percent of them had false data written in or were simply unreadable.

This all leading to the point where you need to present your ID card and the card ID number being the identified point?  I would make the suggestion that Berlin-City will reach this point within two months....where the ID must be presented.

But the other problem mentioned is the laughable point.  A lot of Germans (my wife included) write in a fashion which is almost unreadable.  You might have a slip existing and half the data simply can't be read because of the writing style.  How can you write a law to get around this problem? 

Corona Fine Chatter

This little Corona topic came up this morning in Focus news, over Hamburg.

The 'senators' from the Hamburg 'state' have openly said that if you as a parent take your kid into a 'hot' zone (more or less Spain), and come back to Germany with the virus.....then the family goes into quarantine.....then you need to pay a 'fine' for the kid missing school during the quarantine. 

School would typically start in Hamburg on the 6th of August (next week). 

Amount of the fine?  Unknown.

Would it openly be challenged in court?  I would imagine various lawyers hyped up to challenge the authorities.

The thing about this...you could take the kids 40 km's outside of Hamburg's state limits, to some ice cream shop for an hour, and everyone in the family gets ill from that visit....forced then to play quarantine for two weeks at home.  So it doesn't matter if you go to Spain or to some regional ice cream shop....you end up with the same results. 

The threat intention?  It's simply leading back to 'Corona-guilt' which I talked about yesterday in an essay. 

Bahn Story

I noticed this afternoon on N-TV (commercial German news) a business item....involving the Bahn folks (the German national railway).

The affect of Covid-19 on Bahn profits (Jan-Jun)?

What they say is that they are missing around 3.7-billion Euro.

The rest of the year?  No real discussion. 

I have a 50-percent off Bahn card, which I used a good bit for regional trips in 2019.  This year?  Almost nothing, and I don't really expect any trips for the next six months because of the virus.  I think a lot of normal long-distance travelers are the same way.  It's one thing to ride for an hour for your office situation, but you can't go and plan some 7-hour ride and feel great about the massive amount of virus potential. 

The government likely covering a 10-billion loss for them at the beginning of 2021?  I would bet on it.

Guilt-Trip Discussion

If you follow German public news (ARD and ZDF) over the past month....a lot of chatter over Covid-19, vacation agendas of regular Germans, and the guilt-trip put upon the vacation crowd (having left German) with their return with potential Covid-19. 

The majority of Germans (working-class) live and breathe upon the concept of summer arriving, and some type of vacation occurring (usually two to three weeks) where they get off from early June to late August, and uncoil from all that stress that has built up.

Naturally....staying in Germany is never a priority.  This is one of the reasons why beach vacations (Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Greece, etc) play a key role in vacation planning.

So with this late approval of out-of-country experiences now approved....folks want to leave and have a regular typical vacation.  That means close contact with people....no social distancing....boozing it up....and the odds improving that you will get Covid-19 over some period of the two week vacation.

The news journalists?  Well....it's a guilt-trip discussion which goes on nightly....the Germans taking these risks are unfairly bringing the disease back to Germany.

All the chatter driving mandatory testing at airports for the incoming folks?  Well, last weekend, the health ministers of the 16 states met, with the federal leadership.  They want mandatory testing....but this would come with a pricetag.  Added to this, which was carefully avoided by the journalists....there's no law that exists which say you MUST cooperate and take a test upon entry. 

If such a law had existed....it would have been used 2013-to-2016 for the mass entry of asylum seekers.  No one was tested for TB or anything.

That's the curious thing about this whole discussion.  You can ask folks to take a test, and as long as they desire it.....things would run fine.  If Germans don't want the test, you can't mandate it.

But this guilt-drama?  You kinda grin because you know that the jouranlists themselves are taking vacations, and likely slacking off on social distancing or taking risks themselves. 

Funeral Story

I noticed a short news item on N-TV this morning.  Topic?  Covid-19 and a funeral.

One of the bigger German ban rules for April and May was the idea of not allowing funerals to occur....at least with full-size crowds.  In some states, the rule limited guests at a funeral to ten or less....even at the burial site, it applied.

So in recent weeks, that rule was relaxed.

N-TV picked up the story from Schwabisch Gmund....in the state of Baden-Württemberg. 

A funeral was held and a large crowd gathered, around two weeks ago.

In the week after the funeral....forty-seven folks came for various reasons to be tested for the Covid-19 virus.....being positive.

A list of guests?  No.  No one gathered up names, so there might be more folks who should be tested.

The odds of the funeral ban rules going back?  They probably will make a rule about the 1.5 meter social distancing and require some guy to take names of all folks at the funeral. 

Course, the question ought to arise....if they wore masks in the church and at the graveyard....how did it transmit?  One habit of Germans, after a funeral....is to gather at a local cafe for coffee and cake.  My humble guess is that they removed the masks at the cafe and that's where the transmission started up.

Speed Story

Last week, I essayed a piece over disgruntled Germans being negative about the new regulations for speeding in Germany. 

The basic story was that after 28 April, if you were 20 kph over the limit within urban areas....you lost your license for a month.  Prior to that, it was 30 kph over the limit to lose the license in the cities.  In rural areas, 30 kph over the limit became the new problem....to lose your license.

Well...a lot of hype came up.

Yesterday, the authorities finally said enough....all this lost license business is cancelled with the 28 April regulation.  They go back to the old standard.

HR (my regional public TV network) covered a good bit of this and is worth reading.

The consequence left?  Well...the points stay, as does the fine.

Now, I should note.....this is a Hessen change, and it doesn't mean other states handle it the same way.  But if you live in Hessen, this is the state standard of the Federal regulation.  Again, it's a state-by-state decision at play.

Somewhere in the middle of this, I suspect a couple of highly-placed political folks got the license-lost letters and got hyped up to resolve this mess in a hurry. But that's simply my speculation on this. 

New US Ambassador to Germany

Douglas Macgregor.

I should note, he has to be confirmed by the Senate, and this might be a dragged-out process. 

Who is the guy?

The bulk of his career was  US Army, and he is mostly known for being a strategist....being blunt in talk....and always critical with consequences chatter if the job isn't finished correctly. 

My general take....if the Germans weren't happy with former ambassador Grenell, then they probably won't be happy with Macgregor. 

Anti-Bodies Test Story

It was an odd Corona story which was a news brief comment, and then kinda left there.

For those who remember the initial period of Corona in Germany, around April.....it was down in Bavaria and a guy who'd been around a Chinese executive for a day or two. 

The medical establishment asked the 'first' guy to come in and do a anti-bodies test, to determine how much of the original virus he had in his system.....to 'protect' himself from a future event.

Well....the test came back today....ZERO anti-bodies of Covid-19.  So you go and figure it up....early-April to late-July (roughly four months).  That's it.

Worrying some folks? I would imagine so.  For the vaccine crowd, the best they can hope for is to vaccinate folks, and get roughly four months of 'protection'.  Then you'd repeat the whole episode over, and over, and over.

If You Can Afford It......

There was a good commentary piece in Focus today, written by Benjamin Konietzny....on the topic of the German Health Ministers (from the various states, and Federal Minister) who met this past weekend, and decided that as folks returned from 'hot-zones' where Corona might be (like Greece or Croatia, or Spain).....that they need to be tested at the German airports upon arrival back in the country.

So they added this one curious segment....it'd be free (in other words....someone would pay but not the traveler). 

So Konietzny asked the correct question.....why is the government sponsoring this or paying for this?  His thought was.....why not make the traveler pay for it himself?

The current cost?  If you go for the ultimate cheap test (requiring 8 to 12 hours)....it's around 110-to-130 Euro (depending on the source).  A couple with two kids?  Well....440 Euro, which is a fair chunk of money.

I kinda agree with this logic.  You could go and do a extra 'tax' for using the airport, adding 110 Euro onto each ticket purchased, and give the guy a free test upon arriving back in Germany.

Will these tests eventually get down to 40 Euro?  I would suggest that by the end of 2021....some cheap method will be found to test folks.

It'll shock me if regular tax-paying Germans buy off on this 'free' deal.  Most would eventually stand there and ask....who exactly is paying for the 'free' test, and wise-up over the political parties involved in this who are just 'gifting' people this deal. 

Free Covid Testing at the Frankfurt Airport?

NO.

Whatever decision was made at the German Health Minister conference over the weekend....did not pave the way for 'free' testing at Frankfurt.

HR put out a short note on this situation.

Free testing at NRW or Bavarian airports?  Yes.  But this was a state-by-state action.  Hessen hasn't signed up for this 'free-deal'.

Commercial testing at Frankfurt?  Yes....for cash or credit card. 

More to come?  I would imagine in August that more will be announced. 

Covid Chatter

So it came out this morning (having seen this on N-TV news) that there is political chatter about MASSIVE Corona testing coming (at least in discussion).

The aim? 

It would not matter if you flew into Germany, drove into Germany, or rode the railway system into Germany....you'd be halted at some point in the process, and Covid-19-tested.

Bavaria's Premier-President....Markus Soder (now chief candidate for the CDU's replacement for Merkel) is now chatting about this idea of mass testing.

How this would work?  Unknown, and it's probably three months away from some serious effort. 

The airport testing is being worked out presently and most of the airports will be functional for tests within days.  But having a testing center along railway entry points in the country, or road-entry points?  You would be talking about a serious amount of infrastructure effort, and literally hundreds of 'stations' to accomplish this.

Who would pay for this?  Unknown.  The general idea of airport testing has been laid out for the government or health insurance companies to cover.  But if you were talking about some station in Kiefersfelden (below Munich) having 3k cars a day cross over the border, and you'd stop each one, and commit to a test?  Just having the personnel to run all of these airport, railway or road-entry points?  You'd be committing to some manpower deal of a 20k people.....to make it work.

Then the question would come up.....would they halt you at the border and refuse you entry.....sending you back into Austria or Poland, but they could refuse you entry and just stick you into some no-man's land because you don't hold their citizenship either. 

Covid-19 Chatter

I noticed this off a CBS-news site today.....where a King's College medical team had finally researched Covid-19 a good bit, and classified it into six 'levels'.

1.  Plain old flu-like, zero fever.  A sore throat, cough and loss of smell might fall into this group.

2.  Plain old flu-like, with fever.  Same conditions as above, but with loss of appetite.

3.  Flu-like with gastrointestinal issues.  All of the above conditions....just add diarrhea and subtract the cough. 

4.  Severe case #1: All of the previous conditions....add fatigue and weakness.

5.  Severe case #2: confusion setting in, with all previous conditions. 

6.  Severe case #3: Add breathing issues, and abdominal swelling.

Why six levels?  Unknown. 

If you examine the first three....it's all regular flu-like situations which most of us have seen a dozen times in our life. 

The confusion factor in severe case #2?  Yes, that's the odd one and it makes you wonder if this is a fever situation making you this way or just the pure weakness. 

From the first four.....you could deduce that handling the situation at home would work with no issue.  Around Severe case #2.....you'd probably have to take the hospital route for intensive help. 

Corona in My Local Area

So my local German town is a total of 285k residents.  As of yesterday (Sunday, the 26th)....the total infection rate since day one is 510 folks (476 recovered).

Data from the regional news site.

Death tally?  22....vast majority over the age of 70.  Most of the 22 had secondary conditions (diabetes, COPD, etc).

Low?  Yes, and it simply begs questions which can't be readily answered. 

Yes, there is a stringent policy about visitation to retirement homes and hospitals.  Some parts of this have been relaxed in the past month.

Yes, schools did re-open and are in summer holiday period right now.

But beyond that.....it's only a guess why the infection rate stayed so low. 

Taking Precautions

NDR, public TV for the NW of Germany (around Hamburg)....told an interesting story this morning which I'd recommend a 'read'.

The chief of police for Hamburg, and the city council....came to a basic agreement on some barriers in the party-district of Hamburg, and started some bans of alcohol (starting at 10 PM).

To avoid the Stuttgart and Frankfurt troubles?  More or less.  Some of this is to send a message on the carnivorous social distancing. 

Area that they aimed this at? The Schanzen Quarter....the main party district where a lot of non-Hamburg folks come in and spend an entire evening drinking/partying.

Permanent?  I doubt it.  But it'll probably last through the summer and start to disappear as fall approaches. 

Frankfurt Evening Story

So Saturday ended in Frankfurt, and no re-occurrence of rioting or confrontations with the police.  However, HR (our public TV network from Hessen) did cover an unusual aspect of the evening.

I essayed a piece or two over last weekend, and the dramatic events around the Opera House district. 

Compared to last weekend with around a thousand people in the district at 3 AM when the confrontation started up....this Saturday evening saw around 400 folks (at least what HR says).  The disparity on numbers?  This is one of the odd parts to last weekend.....some locals say that about a hundred people were the 'bad-boys' and the other 500 in the area were just standing there and observing. 

So 150 folks gathered near the Opera House and a demonstration of sorts started up in the evening.

What can be said....a public 'speech' was given by some local guy.....which centered on police 'racial profiling', in that migrants are the target of police attention and in a unfair way.

The self-appointed speaker of the group?  Unknown. 

The mayor of Frankfurt ended up showing up....making what I'd call a PR entry, and probably there to hype things being calm in the city.

The problem here for the mayor is that the group focused on him....demanding ramifications for police action last week, and for the comments that the chief of police made during the week.  The crowd (150-odd people) wanted the chief gone.

The mayor?  Well....he went to a scripted answer....there is no room for racism, period.  Then the crowd went off to chant 'Nazis raus' (Nazis out).

At that point, the mic went dead and the dramatic theater effect kinda died off.

As things go, the police kinda noted that by 1 AM.....folks were gone and the whole district was quiet (unlike last weekend).

Front-page coverage for the various papers or news sites in Frankfurt, for Monday?  More or less.

What you can take out of this are three things:

1.  The bulk of people in Frankfurt aren't looking for a dramatic and adventurous evening out.  They might be willing to have a drink or two.....listen to some good music, and enjoy a evening out without problems.

2.  If you are in the midst of left-of-center or right-of-center political folks.....'Nazis raus' being uttered isn't a public forum that they are happy about.

3.  150 folks demonstrating....aren't much of a crowd to get excited about.

The end?  Well....for the rest of the summer period, there's probably going to be more police on the 'beat' for Saturday evening. 

Public and Personal Records Story

Last week, I essayed a piece on this 'problem' called 'NSU 2.0', which revolves around police/personal records that exist on Germans, and the use of the records to give personal addresses to right-wing types in Germany.....to mail threatening letters to these individuals (mostly political folks and journalists). 

There's a major investigation brewing now....nationally in Germany, over these record 'searches'. 

So ARD (public TV, Channel One) did some coverage and wrote up a piece today, which brings a whole new issue up for public review. 

It's apparent now, that all sixteen states have different rules and standards of protection for these personal records.  The police also admit....since 2018, more than 400 occasions have noted where personal records have been illegally accessed.

One national standard?  No.  It's again one of those odd things about Germany in that the 16 states have their view of handling things. 

The odds of the personal records being taken over by some national data protection group?  No one is suggesting that yet, but you get the feeling that some 'firewall' is going to be created and only judges issuing a waiver will be the method where a policeman can get personal data on people. 

Talking Poverty

I noticed via several sites this past week....commentary over a Bertelsmann Foundation survey report.....one in five German juveniles.....are growing up in the circle of poverty.

Figure roughly 2.8 million German kids.

Bertelsmann says simply in passing that this was all in the pipeline even before Corona came along, and recent months simply corrodes the situation even further.

Resolving this? 

A couple of the political parties have talked about Basic Income (say in the 2k range for a couple and child, with another allowance for more kids).....suggesting that the welfare program (Hartz IV) is a failure.  Even if you give the parents more....does it really mean that the kid is lifted out of poverty or that the parent spends the extra money on reckless 'toys'?

Trying to hand the money directly to a 13-year-old kid?  I watched some forum show where this idea got thrown out there.  There's no guarantee that the kid would wisely spend extra cash flow or that the parent might 'persuade/bully' the kid into handling the money over to them. 

Where does this lead?  I might go and suggest that in ten years....a lot of those poverty kids will be over 18 years old, and able to vote.  Getting a couple million of them lined up to vote for some radical party or political platform....might turn out to be your worst nightmare. 

Wiesbaden Story

A couple of years ago, the ESWE folks (the electrical company of my region in Wiesbaden) did a survey for planting a wind-generator 'farm'.  The results were....the best location was a hill region between Wiesbaden and Taunsstein (north of the city....about five miles from Wiesbaden itself). 

It's safe to say that as you leave the city limits of Wiesbaden.....the elevation changes and you are climbing a pretty decent 'hill'.

What ESWE wanted....was a 'farm' of about ten windmills about halfway up the 'hill'. 

All of this got dragged into court, with the anti-windmill folks of the region. For a year, this got discussed.

Yesterday, it concluded at the court.....they gave permission for ESWE to build the 'farm'.

HR (public TV for the region) did a decent job of telling the story.

The ten windmills?  They will stand around 207 meters tall (680 ft).

The general problem with this discussion is that the same people who were hyped up thirty years ago to dismantle nuclear energy.....are the same people fighting the establishment of the wind-generators.  Various environmental issues have been drawn up on why you can't build the wind-generator farms.  If you were building solar panel farms?  The same type debate would occur there.

The end of this discussion, or the construction woes?  I doubt it. 

Roman Vessels Story

On the evening of 31 May 1944....German soldiers were preparing to evacuate the Italian city of Nemi.  If you were looking on a map, it's a small town ten miles south of Rome (central region of Italy).

Americans were advancing and the Germans had their orders to leave.

So this odd thing happens.....as part of the plan, the Germans set fire to a number of buildings in the town, and among them....a museum. 

The significance of the museum?  Well....it held two ancient Roman vessels.  They had been found on the bottom of the local lake in the late 1920s.

N-TV brought up this discussion today, which has begun in the town of Nemi.  The mayor and locals want the Germans to compensate them for the two burnt Roman vessels and the Museum.

The amount?  Not openly discussed.

Why burn the museum and the two Roman vessels?  This is the hard part of the story which is left out, and you have to wonder about.

One could understand burning a fuel depot, a railway repair facility, or blowing up some runway. 

One can understand destroying a bridge. 

But a plain museum and two Roman vessels? 

What drove this plan and need to destroy the facility?  Unknown.  The odds of money or compensation coming out of this?  Probably near zero (they should have done this in the 1960s). 

Corona Chatter

There were two interesting stories over Corona in the past 24 hours.

First, ARD did a short piece over these dogs that the German Army had.  The question was.....could you train a sniffer dog to sniff out Corona. 

Well....the answer is....yes.  They are using Labs, Spaniels, and German Shepherds.  100-percent detection?  NO.  Right now, the general success rate is 94-percent.

More development?  It has the interest of folks, and it'll probably turn into a long-term project.

Second, the German Health Ministers concluded their meeting.  Standard Corona testing is strongly recommended if you fly back from a 'hot-country', or you go and do a 14-day quarantine at your home.

ARD (public TV, Channel One) did a good Q and A over the discussion.

Cost factor?  'Free'....meaning your health insurance has to cover it.  Impacting the general cost of health insurance?  I would imagine in a year....they will bump the monthly cost up.

Within this concept, you'd test at the airport....then leave.  Results would be passed to you when completed a day or two later. 

Basic Income Chatter

Back around a year ago, I essayed a couple of times over the idea of Basic Income, and the Finland experiment.  In simple terms, at the end, it was deemed a failure.  It won't be coming back....at least in Finland.  So what happened?

The government elected to do an experiment....2k unemployed Finns....getting their regular unemployment check, and then 560 Euro of Basic Income on top of that.

The idea was.....you'd go and invest in some small business idea, get a certification, or do something of value for the money. 

The PhD folks overseeing this?  They just needed needed to see evidence of a plus-situation at the end.

It ran for two years. 

Failure?  More or less.

Did they screw up the process?  I read over several articles, and they did two unusual things with the process.  One....you had to be long-term unemployed (meaning more than a year).  Two....you had to be young....meaning under the age of 30. 

Should they have offered coaching to the 2k?  You could suggest this.  Would the 2k have accepted the coaching? Well....that's an unknown factor.  If this had been mostly all people from age 30 to 50?  That might have changed the outcome. 

The odds of another experiment?  I'm guessing at least three or four European countries are writing the script, and intend to do something to prove that it can be made to work.  Some might even go far enough to bump the 560 Euro up to 2k Euro as part of the test. 

I have marginal enthusiasm for Basic Income....unless you attach some major coaching element to it and tell the individual that this is not a permanent deal....either you gain something or you prove the case that it's a failure. 

Ten Books on German History That I Recommend

To grasp the events of the 1930s and WW II.....I have a long list of books that I'd recommend for a read, but I'll list the ten that I consider at the top:

1.  The Dark Valley by Piers Brendon.  Excellent read of the 1930s and European landscape.

2.  Backing Hitler by Robert Gellately.  Good read of the 1920s/1930s with Hitler.

3.  Blitzed, by Robert Ohler.  A decent history of drugs, Germany, the 1920s, 1930s, and how drugs figured into WW II.

4.  Hitler's First Hundred Days, by Peter Fritzsehe.  Very detail orientated book, recently published.  Really dives into 1933 and the momentum created.

5.  Sixteen Months in Four German Prisons, by Henry Charles Mahoney.  A rarely read book describing the 1914 to 1915 era, the frustrating handling of this one British citizen within the system, and the German landscape.

6.  Death of Hitler, Jean-Christophe Brisard. Unusual details after Hitler's death and the Soviet 'story'.

7.  Kaiser Wilhelm II: Life and Power, by Christopher Clark.  Covers the last Kaiser and the entry into WW I.

8.  Before the Deluge: Portrait of Berlin, by Otto Friedrich.  Deals strictly with Berlin of the 1920s, after the war, and it's been out for over 25 years.  Paints a great landscape of the city.

9. Who Financed Hitler: 1919 to 1933, by James Pool.  This has been around for more than 20 years and you probably will have trouble finding the book. A lot of details and research involved.  He carries you all the way up to the election era of 1933. 

10.  Stormtroopers, by Daniel Siemens.  It's a long book and that's a minor slam against it.  He gives you an awful lot of details over the Brownshirts, their development, and their end.  Over 500 pages, and it's a hefty reading project. 

All of these....sadly.....are a fairly long-read. 

Form Story

When you step into a Hessen cafe, bakery, or restaurant....there is this administrative detail that you have to accomplish....filling out the form for the Corona ban requirement.  Date, time, name, phone number, address and e-mail.

The business is required to keep this for x-number of days.  If a Covid infection report comes up.....you have to provide the data to the health authorities (if requested).

So it came out recently....that the police can show up and ask for the listing (on such-and-such day or time), and you (the cafe owner) have to provide it.

Legal?  HR (public TV in Hessen) picked up this topic.

The state data protection officer says this is a general problem, and kinda hints that it was built as a health 'tool'. 

To be used only in a serious crime situation (murder, robbery)?  Well, that has been said but one might question where this will eventually end.

The fact that you could provide a fake name, fake address, etc?  No one can demand an ID when you sit down.....it's all done in the expectation of you being honest.

An end point on the paperwork requirement?  No one has ever said where this record requirement will end.  I wouldn't expect it to end in 2020 or 2021. 

Corona Story

This is both an economics story and a Corona issue 'drama'.

The basic ban rules which are in effect....allow pubs and restaurants to open, but with rules on the number of guests and the seating arrangement.  The music clubs, discos, and 'event-venues'?  Screwed.

HR (local public TV in Hessen) points out a letter that went to the state government.....literally begging to do something because of the financial impact that the clubs are undergoing.

The chief club brought up....Batschkapp.  Over on the far east side of Frankfurt, this is an event-venue, which used to take in a thousand customers easily on Friday and Saturday evening.

If nothing changes in the next month or two?  I would offer the analysis that the majority of clubs/discos in the entire region will go and start planning the permanent closure.  At that point.....preparation of bankruptcy paperwork will start.

It's one of those segments of the economy that was mostly hidden from view and no one ever said much.   

Polling Story

ARD (public TV, Channel One) went and did a survey on Germans and their willing nature to accept masks, and ban rules (social distancing). 

So 79-percent said that they've accepted masks and social distancing....meaning that one in five don't readily accept the masks or distancing.

I should add....of the Germans who've accepted this....roughly one in five of that group say that it's a strong hindrance and they aren't that happy about it.

But they went a step further.....asking folks about their political side, and then you found a curious situation.

From the far-right (AfD Party)....43-percent of those folks said they aren't that happy with the masks or social distance rules.  Even a third of the FDP Party folks felt that way.

The most happy people with the Corona rules?  CDU, SPD, and Greens. 

You can ride the German trains and buses....to find that everyone plays by the rules (if you didn't, you'd be fined).  Over the past two months, I've only come across one individual in a store without a mask....a handy-man on a lunch break and desiring a sandwich at a bakery. 

Could they continue this for a extended period (two years)?  Maybe.  I've generally told my German wife that 60 minutes in a grocery is my limit, and I will exit at that point....removing the mask and feeling 'relief' in the parking lot.  I think a lot of Germans have that type of 'limit'.

Corona Chatter

This story popped up a couple of days ago, and it's generating some discussion with Germans.

So over from Cottbus, a eastern German city of 100k residents....they have this 'record' that they were building upon.  Officially, they hadn't had any infections of the Coronavirus in a number of weeks (they actually say 12 weeks, but I'm a bit skeptical of this claim).  In the past week, this Cottbus family of four (husband, wife, son and daughter)....came back from a Spanish isle vacation.  As they arrived home....some symptoms appeared, and they were tested. 

Yep....they all have the Coronavirus.

The chief question by Germans on this discussion....did they party down or do any risky public distancing stuff.  The family says no.....they were on the beach, lounged at the hotel pool, and ate at local restaurants, in what you'd think was a safe way. 

Proving the risk factor?  That's the real issue where this discussion goes. 

The more people you hang around, the more potential for some virus to pass from person to person. 

The Bus 'Jet'?

For years and years....we did not have long-distance bus travel in Germany.  This was mostly due to the law, which gave a unfair advantage to the Bahn (the railway).  So in the last decade, that law got dumped. 

For a brief while.....a number of bus companies jumped into long-distance travel, with competition fierce, and today....there's basically Flexbus (the company) as the national leader, and a couple of minor players like Pinkbus (they only do four cities). 

So I noticed via SWR (public TV for the SW of Germany), another company that has appeared and called 'Roadjet'.

It goes only from Stuttgart to Berlin, and back.....at least here in the beginning.

The difference in their offerings?

If you ride any of the other bus deals.....it's a regular bus with 55 to 60 seats, wi-fi, a toilet onboard, and that's it.

Roadjet intends to be a premium bus ride.  More space...only 44 seats...washrooms (meaning two or more)....etc.  They say there's a body temperature sensor that checks you out as you enter the bus. 

This is a 7.5 hour ride (2 stops along the way, Leipzig and Nuremberg). The one-way cost?  A hefty 40 Euro.  That's probably 40-percent more than what you'd pay on Flexbus. 

The train ride?  On a ICE connection, it'd be 5.5 hours, and cost (at the cheaper hour rate around 35 Euro one way).  If you tried to leave at a premium-time of 2 PM?  It'd be in the 65 Euro range. So that 35 Euro trip only happens if you were willing to leave at 5:30 AM. 

It's hard to predict if these guys got smart and figured that premium bus situations were able to attract a certain crowd of folks. 

Corona Tests Coming

Over the past couple of weeks, as vacation bans outside of Germany were lifted....Germans packed up and left for the summer holiday period.  Then folks in these various countries which had the German 'guests'....discovered that the Germans were not performing good habits, and taking unnecessary risks with the Coronavirus.

German politicians got all worried about this, and the 'second wave' chatter.

So the Health Ministers of the 16 German states met.  They've agreed to a basic idea.

There's going to be a 'hot-zone' list of countries, and if you (as a German) have been there on a tour or vacation, then fly back into Germany.....there at the airport, you will take a Covid-19 test.

How this will work?  Unknown.  There are a hundred-odd pieces and parts to this concept, which haven't been worked out.

N-TV did a great update on this and is worth reading.

They do agree....it wouldn't be your choice about the test upon re-entering the country.  The government would mandate this.

Funding this?  Unknown.  My guess is that some states (like Bavaria) might pay entirely for the test.  But I suspect most of this will be upon you, and you can figure 110 Euro as a minimum for the test (8-hour results).

The airport management folks?  They kinda hinted in a strong way.....they don't want responsibility over this.  I'm guessing the police feel the same way.  And I would imagine that no commercial company could do more than just test folks.  So some type of uniformed health officer?  Maybe....but if you figure around thirty airports in Germany handling such passengers....this would require a significant number of people to manage things.  You'd be talking about a thousand folks minimum....just to run a marginal program.

The quickness of the test?  Right now at Frankfurt, there is a facility which can get the results in roughly 90 to 120 minutes (figure close to 200 Euro) for that type of quick turn around.  I'm pretty sure that most Germans will refuse to pay that kind of money (you figure a couple and two kids....800 Euro).

What countries are 'hot-zones'?  No one is clear on this.  Switzerland?  I doubt it. Spain?  Maybe.

The fact that you might leave on a Saturday to a non-hot-zone, and come back a week later to discover the status changed?

How would you handle this quarantine?  What if the guy flew out and returned to Hamburg's airport....but he's actually from the Frankfurt region.  Would you allow him to drive back to the state of Hessen?  Would you quarantine the guy in some compound of Hamburg?  Who would pay for the two weeks in that Hamburg quarantine?

Just my humble guess....but once you lay this out and it looks pretty rough on travel arrangements....why the hell would I vacation outside of Germany?  Why even bother flying there.....I'd just jump in the car and spend 18 hours driving to Spain instead, and get around this stupid test and quarantine business.

License Story

Germany is one of those countries where you can incur a driving situation (tickets)....and you lose your license for a month very easily. Under the old rule book, if you went 31 kph above the limit in a urban area or 41 kph in a rural area....that was an entire month without the license. 

You'd get a letter in the mail, which you could challenge.  The details of the letter were....you were caught doing this speed....here's the fine, and by the way.....sometime in the next two months, you need to visit the local police station and hand over your license for one month. 

Well....I noticed today via N-TV....there's been a change in the book of regulations, and there's a new problem. 

They set the new limits....if you are 21 kph over the limit in urban areas, or 31 kph in rural areas.....you lose the license.

A lot of negative hype has occurred.

Since the rule went into effect 28 April.....11k Germans have been notified of a license loss situation.

This has drawn political frustration from various German politicians, and there's some discussion that the regulation has to be 'undone'.

The odds of them hitting 40k license losses by 1 January?  I'd give it pretty good odds.  In fact, some folks might be on their second license loss for the year by Christmas.

Because you can pick the one-month period to some degree....some folks are timing this to occur with their summer vacation.  Others are working out some deal with their co-workers for rides.  And others are looking at public transportation (in the Covid-chaos). 

Talking German Minimum Wage

Back in January of 2015, legislation went into effect in Germany to bring about a national minimum wage.  The original amount agreed upon?  8.50 Euro an hour, and it'd be upped every two years.  So presently, we are at 9.35 Euro. 

There's chatter going on (mostly with the SPD Party) of a programmed raise to hit 12-Euro by summer of 2022.  There's a decent piece by N-TV discussing the rise and implications.

I should point out....without tinkering or extra work....the normal raise in 2022 would bring it to 10.45-Euro.

All of this geared toward an election year (2021) tactic?  Well....to some degree, yeah.

Inflation?  For the past two years, it's been bouncing from 1.5 to 2 percent a year.

Covid-19 Travel Chatter

Several European airlines have written a letter to both the EU and the US......trying to get them into a room and talk over the Covid-19 situation and how to ease travel restrictions.

ARD (German public TV, Channel One) did a decent job of laying out the letter and problem.

First, lets admit that flying is nowhere near 'normal'.  Most German airports will say they are somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of the traffic they had from the same period of 2019.  The airlines need a return to normal or they need to rebalance the manpower situation (meaning terminate).

The airlines involved?  Both US and European.

The basic suggestion?  Aircrews and passengers would submit themselves (on both sides of the Atlantic) to a Covid-test....say 24 to 48 hours prior to the flight.  You pass....you fly.  You fail....you stay where you are.

My guess is that the airlines would prefer to have x-crew test and pass....make the flight...spend 24 hours in a rest stage and return to Europe on their 2nd flight without another test. 

The cost factor?  No one brings this up.  In Frankfurt (at the airport), there's the short version which runs in the 200 Euro range, and the 8-hour version which runs around 110 Euro.  For a passenger?  Well....it'd be your burden and you can figure on top of the 800 Euro airline ticket....you'd be spending around 300 to 400 Euro for going-test and returning-test.

If you flew into Frankfurt from the US, and spent two weeks....then got ready to return, but failed the Covid-test?  No one says much.  I would assume that you'd have to go and quarantine, but the question would be....where?  Would you then spend two weeks in some Darmstadt compound....paying 75 Euro a day for a box-lunch and a quarantine bunk? 

So you go and look at the past relationship of the EU and the US on negotiations.  These typically would take months and months to iron out details.  The airlines don't have months to sit and wait on this.  In some cases, they've already hinted that by the end of 2020.....unless matters drastically improve....layoffs are coming.

Even if they did accomplish this agreement in six weeks, and agree on a unified testing program.....would people be convinced to travel again?  I have my doubts. Just hinting to someone that you might end up with Covid-19 and get pushed into some French or Italian quarantine 'center' for possibly three weeks?  That kinda drains out most enthusiasm for traveling. 

Riot Chatter

There is a public letter that came out today from the SW of Germany, from four individuals who are part of the Green Party of Baden-Wurttemberg.  The two you might recognize?  Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister.....Winfried Kretschmann, and the Mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer.

The best description of the letter and the discussion?  N-TV carries a very informative piece.  I'd suggest a read of the discussion and the suggestions. 

The discussion of the letter?  There's frustration building in the SW of Germany over recent riots in Stuttgart/Frankfurt, and noticeable trends with young men.

Both Kretschmann and Palmer are suggesting a full year of social 'duty' to bring young people to some form of respect for society and culture.

The term 'riot-brothers' and poor integration are noted by both political figures.  Their discussion is that integration hasn't taken place.

So they go and suggest this pretty radical idea.  If you have been given the visa and shown that you aren't integrated (suggesting you are a threat)....maybe it's time and wise to bring you back to the initial refugee facilities and let you 'relive' this introduction to Germany.  Basically, it deem it as a 'lesson' in life, and you apparently didn't learn from that lesson....so you'd repeat it.

One can be amused by the suggestion.  There's likely to be zero agreement by the CDU or SPD Parties on this concept, and I doubt if the national element of the Green Party would agree with the idea of returning young men to refugee facilities that they left three or four years ago.

Legal challenge?  I doubt if you could find any judges who'd agree to 'send' a dozen 'bad-boys' back to the immigration centers and repeat integration.

But here's the thing....while Frankfurt's riot was mostly non-German participants....the Stuttgart folks arrested are a mix....50-percent Germany and 50-percent non-German.  You can't even say it was mostly a mix of Turks....there's at least seven different nationalities in the detained groups. 

So you have a lot of Germans are watching the nightly news....gazing at the riot videos, and reading over newspaper accounts.  The prosecution folks and judges are under some pressure.  At the very least.....some detention is going to be suggested. 

The letter inviting discussion?  It'll be around a while....while folks discuss frustrations with the system. 

Toilet Chatter

I went to a German hardware shop yesterday.....browsing in the bathroom items department.

So this 12-button toilet was featured....398 Euro. 

Yes, it's got assorted nozzles to sprinkle water on various parts of your 'front or end' and appeared to even have some musical element to it.

I brought this up with the German wife, and I was told in blunt language....it'd never be installed in the house. 

How many they sell per year?  It'd be curious to know.  I'm guessing it's strictly single or widowed guys who buy something like this. 

Halle Case Opens

Back in October of 2019, I essayed a piece or two over the attack in Halle, Germany.  Briefly, this was a young German guy (27), who'd tried to enter a Jewish synagogue with the intention of killing a number of people.  The door was secured, and he failed on that effort....instead killing one person on the street.  He'd walk away from the scene and arrive at a Turkish kebab shop...killing a customer there.

Full charges?  Two murder charges and seven charges of attempted murder. 

No one argues over the deed, and it should be a rather simple court case.

Well....it opened yesterday, and with a serious amount of security built into the case....the judge allowed the guy to start making a statement.  It's hard to say what the intent of the guy was, or the intent of the judge. 

MDR (regional public TV for the state) did a great opening piece and I'd strongly recommend a read.

The statement?  Fairly blunt, and eventually reached a problem stage when he talks about his life and the 2015 period.  He brings up migrants and Muslims....opening a point where the judge wanted him to quiet down.   The general 'push' here?  If he continued to demonstrate racist tendencies in the court....he'd be removed and not participate in the case.

Nazi-like?  Maybe....but the problem of mental competence is going to come up and one might go and suggest that a mental evaluation will deem him marginally able to live in the real world, and maybe he'll end up in a mental facility rather than an actual prison.

An idiot?  That's another curious part of the story....after some time in the Bundeswehr (the Army), he went off and spent a year at the Halle University....studying chemistry.  A criminal history or on some government watch-list for right-wingers?  No. 

I noticed one of the networks mentioned last month....he actually attempted to escape from some jail-house where he was housed....being out for roughly five minutes before guards recovered the guy.  Since then, he's been in a maximum security location.  Even yesterday, if you watch the video of him being brought into the court....he's escorted by five guys. 

Completing the case without issues?  One might have doubts about this.  He's apparently not intimidated by the judge or the threat of a lifetime in prison.  He's also likely to say a few more things of a racist nature before the end of the court episode. 

Economic Chatter

Back in May, you could look across the Coronavirus landscape of Germany, and predict one enormous problem approaching by the end of 2020.....the economic stability of German states and cities. 

ARD (public TV, Channel One) picked up the topic today.  It's worth a read.

Basically, with the economy shut down for almost two months, there's plenty of tax revenue missing from the pot.  That's money that would have gone to support government programs and services.

Short-time work and unemployment benefits?  That hurt the country to a great extent.

The buses and trains that attempted to run but were mostly empty in the ban-period?  That's revenue that the networks failed to earn.

Last month, the federal government of Germany said that instead of covering 50-percent of all welfare costs that each state expended....it'd go and cover 75-percent.

Course, the federal folks also opened up more financial worries by trimming back the sales VAT for the last half of 2020....which meant that 20-billion Euro is missing from the sales tax reduction.  Their hopes were that people would go and buy big-ticket items and move things along faster.

Where this all leads to?  Towns and communities want some type of feeling that a more stable economy will occur in the future.  My guess is that both the CDU and SPD parties will sit down.....discuss the future, and somewhere in 2021....as part of the election year talk, a more fair distribution of revenue will occur. 

Budget cuts coming at the state and community-level?  There are probably some programs which will see cuts as you enter 2021.

EU Summit Over

At some point after midnight last night....the EU concluded this Covid-19 aid package.  ARD did a decent update and laid out the basic story....worth reading.

Key points:

- All 27 member states agreed in the end.

- Amount?  1.8-trillion Euro over 7 years.

- Grants?  390-billion Euro (not the 500-billion originally discussed)

- The 'rule of law' change?  This was the big sticking point over most of the weekend.  Various countries didn't want to be intimidated or forced to do things....to be entitled to their grant money.  So a different rule was created to resolve.

The end?  Well....there's still a Covid-19 recession going on, and no one feels that great over 2021 approaching.  It wouldn't surprise me if the EU has to have another summit in the summer of 2021, and do a second round of miracle-work. 

Reason for Riots?

There was a great piece written up in Focus this morning by Paula Schneider.....talking over the recent issues of riots and police confrontations in Germany.  I'd strongly recommend a read. 

So in the end.....she points at three key components:

1.  Boredom

2.  Anger

3.  A negative prospective

I might go a step further and note that all of these confrontations revolve around young males and either alcohol or drugs fitting into the general script of a riot.  One might even add the odd ingredient of weather.  Come November....all this riot-hype will quietly disappear for five months.

German Soccer and Corona

It's a curious discussion....the German league is discussing the idea that you'd show up and do a Coronavirus test (say on Friday), and Saturday morning....the results would occur with some text message/call occurring.  Then you could proceed on Saturday afternoon to the arena, and enter with 40k other fans (who also were tested).....showing the barcode message on your phone.

The item came up this afternoon on ARD Sports.

Who would pay for this?  Unknown.

Cost?  The cheaper of tests around now....maybe 110 Euro.

Would guys pay 110 Euro?  If a German guy brought this up with his German wife....I'm guessing half of these guys would be cut off real quick.

If the tests cheapen?  That's been openly discussed for the past three months, and it seems every month that someone brings out a new test.....having a 10-percent less price. 

Takeaways from the Frankfurt Police/Community This Morning

Well....meetings wrapped up and things were said about the Sunday morning 'riot' in Frankfurt.  Focus did a great job on coverage this morning.

The four things that kinda stand out from comments:

1.  The police are increasing their surveillance patrol business at the Opernplatz, the park on both sides of Main River, the Hauptwache and the Günthersburgpark.  So even if the riot crowd moves to another location in town....it's still being monitored.

2.  From the 39 arrested from riot?  Well, the police say that vast majority have some type of record in their files.  Not just the narcotics law, but physical acts, and theft.

3.  The police will hold back from more alcohol bans for the time being.

4.  Cleaning procedures will start up in the evenings around 11 PM....so staying in place and consuming booze/beer probably won't be something accepted.  By the wording....the square is supposed to be cleared by the police for the clean-up crew to start their work. 

If you view social media around Frankfurt, this is the number one topic of discussion and some folks are amazed at the events that occurred.

Covid-19 Story

I saw this today.

So here's the thing about statistics....comparing two different numbers.  One number is relative to the other, in the end.

So with all these tests accomplished in the US for Covid-19, you end with x-number, and then you compare the death count.  Well....in the past week....the US reached the point where it's even less than Germany or Japan (don't even bring France in a conversation).

How?  Well....some folks say that when several states starting throwing the antibodies test results into the 'bucket'.....that result meant a whole bunch of folks had marginal symptoms and never got officially tested for Covid-19.  But they now count for the results.  The proper way to count?  I tend to question it, but numbers are just numbers in the end. 

Weekend in Frankfurt Chaos

As the 'smoke' clears this morning over Saturday evening's riot episode....a lot of questions exist, and meetings between the police and city leadership are scheduled throughout the week.

What you can say for facts?  Well, it generally depends on which journalist writes the report, the view of the street video, and police perception.  The only facts are: (1) things were normal until 3 AM Sunday morning, (2) some fight started which drew police action, (3) a crowd of 300 to 500 people in the center part of Frankfurt reacted with bottles  thrown at the police, and (4) the police responded with 39 people detained. 

What started the fight that drew the police?  Unknown.

Were the crowd hyped up by one guy who did a lot of bottle throwing?  The police, upon reviewing video, suggest this.

Copy of the Stuttgart riot from 3 weeks ago?  The police and journalists say no.

Mostly all young men?  If you look at the video, and read the police statements....yes.  There's one single video from ARD TV news last night....which showed a single blonde female throwing a beer bottle at the police.

So these meetings slated for the week?

Lets start off with the original problem....for several weekends, the Opera House square was basically trashed-up by Sunday mornings, and local folks were fed up with that....demanding action.  Four-hundred garbage cans were added on Friday....to hopefully resolve that issue.  The garbage guys will admit that a ton of broken glass lay on the ground from Sunday morning's episode. 

The chatter about curtailing alcohol consumption in the square?  Some are suggesting all booze/beer be shut-off in the downtown area by 10 PM.  A lot of the bars are shaking their heads.....party-time starts around 10 PM and continues on until 4 AM.

Having more police?  Attracts anti-police crowds.

Fencing off the square?  This actually has been suggested, but I don't see this happening.

I noticed on social media....someone suggesting opera music be piped into the square area, which would discourage a high percentage of folks from hanging out there.

So it'll be curious what the city managers decide upon for next weekend.

The EU-Corona Summit?

As of 6 AM today (Monday), the summit is now extended and to start around 2 PM this afternoon in more talks. 

It's a trillion-Euro discussion over Covid-19 aid, the division factor, the 'gift' factor, and the rules involved. 

A failure in the making?  There are high expectations laid out by France and Germany....with a minimum of five other countries asking questions.

Tesla Woes Coming

N-TV did a brief business update today over Tesla's new factor going up in the area southeast of Berlin.  It's worth a read.  About every other month, I talk  about the Tesla project and where things are going. 

So here's the thing....all this effort to get the permits done, and start construction.....there's this issue about water.

At this point, Tesla hasn't applied to the local water supply for a permit.

They say they need 1.4 million cubic meters per year, to run the plant.

The water association manager for the local area?  He says as of last week....no applications have been done, and he doesn't see how there is sufficient water in the local area to handle the factory requirements at the present time. In simple terms....even if they applied to be connected to 'city-water'....it's not enough there.

Someone in the process intentionally screwing up?  You just look at this and think....there has to be a project manager who does the overview of everything, and one single planer in charge of water requirements and applications.  Could this one guy be this stupid....allowing the project to reach this level, and admit later.....there never was enough water to handle the Tesla plant?

The location poorly picked?  You kinda wonder about this, and you'd think that water concerns would be one of the top ten things in picking the plant location. 

Some emergency meeting coming up tomorrow to discuss this, and the necessity of a application?  I would imagine the big project manager is calling up the water-planner and finding some reaction-commentary to be questionable. 

Soccer and Covid-19

We are about eight weeks away from the new season of soccer starting up in Germany (18 Sep).  The old season ended with 'ghost-games'....meaning players and coaches were there, with the ref's.....but no fans.  This was to help prevent the spread of Corona. 

Most teams will tell you (without journalists around) that they can't do long-term survival without the fans.  They need some element of the seats sold.

This topic got brought up today via ARD (public TV, Channel One).

The league (DFL) and the government are having talks.

The gov't says that games could be held, if some form of social distancing were to occur.  Naturally, it'd mean that a 40k seat stadium would be limited to probably 15k to 20k sold seats. 

Then the gov't said that some sanitizing concept would have to be employed (not saying how this would work).

The league?  They suggest that for whichever community is holding the game....the local infection rate should be used to figure seats available.  So if you had a real low infection rate and 40k seats....maybe you could sell a higher number (perhaps 30k)?

My suggestion is to do this partially like the Chinese....have some gals at the entry point checking for signs like sweat and high temperatures....force folks to do really extreme sanitizing....then have every other row empty of fans. 

What is the 'NSU 2.0' Affair All About?

Ok, I could make this 300 lines long but I'll try to simplify the entire story/scandal.

Back in 2016/2017, a number of journalists, politicians, and public people (entertainers, comedians, etc) got hyped up and made public comments over migration, immigration and asylum (mostly all pro in nature).  Freedom of speech in Germany allows that.

So, some right-wing individuals went to social media and were a bit hostile toward the commentary and then got further aggravated over social media 'control' and police involvement in their commentary.

At this point, more so into 2017....a different type of campaign occurred outside of social media.  People got the addresses of these journalists, entertainers and politicians.....writing actual physical letters to them.  Yes, just plain old fashion letters with intimidation wording in the middle of it.

Logically, you'd then ask....how did they get the addresses?

Well....the German government has this law that says when you move....establishing residence....you come to the town-hall (Rothaus) and enter the address data.

This database....is not only available for the city authorities, but to the police as well.

About a year ago, someone figured out the German database trail, and that someone in the police (here in Hessen) went into the system....found the individual's addresses and passed them on.

Now, part of this story, which isn't actively discussed....the computers at each police station....don't seem to be readily controlled.  You would think passwords linked to individuals, and only certain people to control searches via the computer.  Well....no.  They ran a fairly sloppy review situation.  The police can't be readily sure who did the review, or the leak.

This coming out and the chief of Hessen police held responsible?  More or less.  He resigned/retired, and a new guy (in the past month) has come onto the scene.

All of this leading to a commission to investigate?  Yes.

The suggestion that a large assortment of Hessen police are right-wing?  This story has started up and it'll be months before they can end the investigation.  Leading to people being let-go?  More than likely.

The surprising part of this?  Everyone kinda assumed in 2017/2018 that various social media rules by Berlin would lead to controlling the right-wing and shutting down criticism of people via Twitter or Facebook.  The right-wing crowd merely stepped to the side, and went the old-fashioned way...via regular postal mail.  Hindering this or stopping it?  It's hard to figure any remedy to resolve this postal intimidation situation, except to 'hide' addresses securely. 

That's the basic introduction, and if you kinda wonder about the nightly updates on this?  Well....it's mostly because there's no real four-star news items out there and two-star/three-star stories have simply moved up to the top level.