1. Presently, the Bahn folks (railway system in Germany) are offering monthly tickets (bus and train)....for nine Euro. Go anywhere in Germany....only intercity fast trains or ICE (high-speed) trains are forbidden with the cheapo tickets. They started in June, and will end at the conclusion of August.
So the hype has started up....what can they offer in September?
I read this morning that some people are pressing to have a 29-Euro (per month) ticket. The chief selling point? There is a claim (unproven at this point) that a lot of working people bought the 9-Euro ticket and went daily to work via bus/train.....thus saving gas and keeping the land 'pure/clean'.
I will agree...a lot of people used the cheapo tickets for off-days and vacation time....flooding the rail system especially on weekends. If you were trying to 'sell' the 'brand' for continued use.....it'd be a miserable experience to try using the weekend travel option.
2. Lot of chatter this morning....suggesting that the national natural gas storage tanks need to be 95-percent full by the fall.....to avoid chaos.
3. WELT says that this new natural gas surcharge tax....will amount to 5 Euro-cents per Kwh (about double what the public was expecting), and so the average for a family of four....could be around 1,000 Euro per year EXTRA in cost.
The charge reason? Basically.....a number of providers are in dire troubles, and the government will ensure their survival by this tax. Massive anger coming? I'd suggest if it were 300 Euro a year.....most folks could find a pocket of money to cover it. For the bottom third of society....a 1,000 Euro is a big chunk of money to 'find'.
4. Some environmental study discussed by WELT.....saying that the average clothing wash in Germany....runs at 42 C (107 F). The study says 30 C (86 F) is all that is really required.....so Germans need 'encouragement' to change their habit.
5. Hessen state government sent out a letter to all public buildings (libraries, city gov't structures, schools, etc). Winter heating temperature will be set to 20 C, and NO hot water for use in bathrooms. Most critics came up and said the measures won't be enough.
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