Lanz Chatter

 I went back and watched a bit of the ZDF late-night talk-show with Marcus Lanz....the episode where he had the Islamic lady guest.

It has stood out in my mind.  (you can watch the segment here....in German)

At some point....after she's given her emotional talk....Lanz observes the impression that he has.

In essence....he sums it up in 20 seconds....it's rather crazy...how that the best countries to live in as an Islamist isn't a Islamic country....it's in the non-Islamic countries.

It's an odd perception that one gets.....you found some need to escape a crappy reality....find a better life or culture which isn't exactly Islamic in nature....does quiet well economically....feeling safe around the clock....allows a vast amount of freedom...starts off on a friendly footing with the accepting society, and then this odd 'path' starts up.

The 'odd path'?  Well....you miss the old mess so much....that  you want to drag it along with you and draw people to focus on your problems (which is what made you leave).  

Lanz is NOT AfDish or right-wing....but he's obviously speaking for what a majority of Germans have started to think about.

There's probably a hundred-odd things I've learned about German culture/society over the years.....one of those being....eventually, the German nature to be blunt and tell you some stuff that you probably don't want to hear, but you deserve it never-the-less.

Bahn Chatter

So...in the old days....the railway folks.....the Deutsche Bahn....offered up currywurst/fries if you had a bistro-wagon on the train.

I'm not saying it was four-star stuff....but on a four-hour journey....it was typically the only solid food sold.

This week....it came out....the EU regulated the situation.

There's a new EU F-gas regulation....over refrigerant....so you can't freeze anything much on the train.  So....the fries are deleted....as a option.

I paused over this....probably some environmental necessity....which might make sense (or not).

To be fair.....by 2035, I expect the bistro-wagon to be eliminated entirely (by EU regulations)....because even serving chilled soda, or heated coffee....might be a bad thing.

US-Australia World Cup Game/Ref

 As they approached the 90th minute of the game (roughly 6 min of over-time left)....it evolved into a medical issue for the ref....leg-cramps.

So the med-guy comes out and helps.....then some alternate ref comes out with some tube of liquid 'stuff'....must have been a maximum dose of magnesium.....ref drinks  it and the cramps are gone in 30 seconds.

Made me wonder what this might be.

Drug Facts

 Just a little German fact....between 1859 and 1912....German chemists invented meth, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.  

I would imagine if WW I (1914) hadn't come along....there's probably another dozen nifty drugs they would have discovered.

Three Observations Over 'Heat'

 First, via both German commercial and public news....three pieces this  week so far...talking over the 'horror' of being in hospitals that lack AC.  I looked it up....roughly 32-percent of German hospitals have AC.

Yeah, it's a problem if you get up into the 34 C (93 F) range....couple of days straight.

My advice....wheel yourself out into the gardens (most hospitals have a shaded area) and sip on chilled water.

Second, you start to now notice briefly dressed Germans....men and women.

It wouldn't matter if the women were all model-types, but it's an issue if you  have a 50-year-old gal.....marginally-dressed....showing 80-percent of her body. And it's  almost the same if Huns (the 70-year old retiree) is wearing  just a pair of underwear while sitting on his balcony.

Third, I can understand the 'doom-chatter-BS', but after you get two-plus hours  over a entire day from  TV news.....you come to ask if more people die in the summer, and the answer is ALWAYS the majority of folks die in the winter months. 

If you try to explain this to Germans....they seem to get confused.

20 June 2026: Germany: 4 Stories

 1. How this Musk-versus-ZDF thing likely goes?

The lawyer for Musk says he'll go back over three years to review all of the 'insults'.   If you ask me.....I'd suggest at least fifty occasions where they probably got themselves into 'trouble'.

Each is a case by itself....possibly between  10,000 and 100,000 Euro of 'damage'. But here's the thing that would hurt the most....if the judge says you owe a on-the-air apology....saying what you did....admitting it was either fake-news or wrong, that's fifty occasions that you'd have to say this.

The money won't matter that much....it's the apology business that gets under the skin of the network in the end.

2. Gas sales limits in Moscow? 

Well...within greater-Moscow, there are around 40 brands...of which ten probably account for 50-percent of the gas sold.  One of the top ten....this past week....went to a 20-liter gas sale limit per day. Another one or two of the brands are  'talking' of a limit.

3.  Western coast of France.....45 C (113 F).  Locally for me....hit 34 C yesterday, but rapidly changed as a storm front came in. Based on weather data....I'd say nine more days of 30-plus temp's....before we dip back into high 20s.

4.   NBA in talks....European league.  No one says when.  Appearing that both Munich and Berlin being discussed.

Heat Advice

1.  On bus and rail travel...even if they claim AC....its probably is only effective up to 30C.  Avoid travel after noon.

2.  Physical labor?  Get it done by noon.

3. Avoid hot soup.

4.Avoid booze/beer until after dinner.

5. Take magnesium in liberal amounts....especially after 9 PM.

6. Park the car in shade as much as possible. 

7. Whatever level of water you normally consume....up it by 50 percent.

8. Keep the shutters and windows closed...after 11 AM. 

9.  Find a weather gal who feeds you only basic weather BS. 

10. A wet towel around 6 PM helps.

'Expert' Status

Last night....via ARD (public TV,  Channel 1)....for the 8 PM Tagesschau news piece....one of the key items was 'HEAT' and German kids.

Lots of folks seem worried over the 35 C temps and kids.

So in the midst of this news item....ARD has a 'expert' to speak on kids and climate.

The name of the expert popped up.....oddly (I  do this once or twice a week)....I looked up the background of the expert.

Well...she  was a former employee/journalist for ARD.

I'm not denying that she doesn't deserve expert-status....it's just that you get presented 'experts' around the clock now....with the German news folks....the BBC/Sky.....CNN....etc.  At some  point, you start counting and realize in a single year....you might get 100,000 'experts' telling you something....maybe true, half-true, or fabricated.