Five German News Stories

 1.  The Health Minister (Lauterbach, SPD Party) has Covid. 

2.  There is a report out by Focus....talking about the potential lack of pressure on natural gas lines in Germany.  The scenario to this?

It would appear at some point....if the 'feed' is not at a certain level....your furnace would cut off.  According to the government (I have my doubts on this).....you'd need a qualified technician to come to the home and 'reset' the system.  

However, if  you think about it.....this could reach a crisis stage where the technician could be called to 2,000 homes in a town.....at least twice a week.  There simply aren't enough technicians to do it. 

If things were to reach this stage?  People would go to the electric heaters, and put an enormous strain on the grid.....probably triggering some blackouts.  

3.  About two weeks ago, I talked about the Director of RBB (public TV network out of Berlin-Brandenburg.  She had apparently used 'company' (network) funding to host what was business dinners, at her home.  Catered affair, it sounds like. 

Well....this AM, they announced that she'd resigned from her job.  

4.  Focus brought up the worry-factor over escalating natural gas prices and electrical increases.  Apparently, on polling....around one-third of Germans now think about this a good bit.  

Discussions are now starting up about 'cold' showers.....to avoid heating water.  

5.  HR (the Hessen public TV network) did a update on Frankfurt, and the drug issues around the train station.

For those who might have been stationed around the region in the 1970s/1980s....I regard the Bahnhof of Frankfurt mostly a place where you avoid, or simply get from track X to track Y.  You don't need to venture out of the front door or walk around the district.  I would draw a 1,000 ft circle now around the station and just say to avoid it.

There's probably over 2,000 junkies who now live off the street in the district.  

So the locals, the city council, and the police all agree now....it can't remain 'as-is'.  But they really aren't sure of the next step.