The Diary Idea

 Germany's 'Doctor Doom' on Covid-19 (Christian Drosten)....came out (via a N-TV update this morning).....saying that people out to keep 'contact diaries'.

This means that you'd walk around with some notebook, and as you met people...say at the kino, grocery, or bar....you'd just start writing their names.

In this fashion, when you finally get Covid-19....you can ID all the events and people, and help those health department call the sixty people from yesterday that you hung out with.

I sat and pondered over this.

For someone like Chancelor Merkel, this contact diary would probably go to 300 contacts per day and reach a point where she'd probably close the door on certain people after 4 PM.

But this would also trigger people to get all hyped up, and start demanding Covid tests.  You'd see some dramatic surge in tests conducted, and a dramatic increase in negative test results.

Eventually, your spouse would start look for trends in this secret diary, and if certain people seem to repeat often in your day....thinking you've got an affair building up.

Selling this contact diary business?  I suspect 99-percent of Germans will laugh over this idea and just pass.  

German Beer Tavern Story

 Over on the NW side of Munich....about six minutes walking from the Munich train-station, there's a brewery, inn and beer garden....called the Munich Augustiner.  

The brewery itself, has been around for almost 700 years.  

As for drinking establishments in Munich....one might rate it in the top ten places to go and visit (after the Hofbrauhaus of course).

Well...prior to the Covid-19 era....it's an interesting note that they had gone and had a insurance policy made up.  It's not clear about the wording of the insurance product, but it was valued at one-million Euro.  No one says what they paid yearly for the insurance.

Today, the brewery had their day in court.  You see....the insurance company didn't want to pay for the damages of the Covid-19 period.  

The court?  Well....their decision was that there were damages (loss of profits), and the insurance was effective.

BR24 had a good decent report over the episode.

The insurance did its best to convey the theme....that a disease or virus...is not mentioned in the paperwork done for the policy.  The court said otherwise.

The first of several insurance claims?  Yeah....I might go and expect more to be seen in public before the end of 2020.

The 2003 Heat Wave

 This event....lasting roughly five weeks (mid-July to mid-August) was probably one of the roughest periods I'd ever seen in Germany, or for that matter in the US.

There's not a single day in that period where the daytime temperature went below 34C (94 F).  On some days, it easily hit 38C (100 F).  

You have to remember in that era....out of a thousand German homes/residents....probably fewer than 1-percent had a AC unit of some type.  In a lot of stores at the time....probably fewer than 10-percent had AC.  Trains in that era had just begun to put AC units into the newer models.   

Wind?  Non-existent.

Asphalt pavements?  Buckled up, and triggered all kinds of autobahn accidents.

In France?  14,000-plus people died.  A lot of these were elderly folks who simply didn't stay hydrated to the degree required.  

In Germany?  The death number (with secondary issues figured in) went up around 7,000. 

The AC unit in the Air Force office?  Non-effective.  The best you could hope for was around 32 C (90 F).  I'd drive home, go up to the second floor of the building, and with the windows open and fans running....it'd easily be 38 C (100 F) by 6 PM within the structure.  You'd sit there in your underwear, with a water sprayer dosing your face and having a fan five feet away.

Around the second week of the wave....even if you had 500 to 800 Euro in your pocket to buy a small AC unit for the house....they were all completely sold out.  I worked with one American gal who'd found some source in K-Town who had two units left, which they wanted absolute full-pricing (they were probably 150 Euro each over their normal pricing), and she readily paid for them with no questions asked.

The dehydration problem?  A lot of people were unfamiliar with this type of heat, and they often went to wine or beer as a hydration beverage (big mistake). The French media tried desperately to alert older folks to drinking plain water.  

Road crews?  You'd go down the autobahn and see guys wearing the briefest shorts possible, no shirt, and usually shutting down the operation by 1 PM in the afternoon.  

As for the end?  Toward the third week of August....there was a new front to go through central Europe and in a matter of just hours....the temperature dropped down to the high 20s (C), and you felt like a huge burden had been lifted.

The thing that amazed me over the next twelve months....when you analyzed the death count throughout all of Europe....it was easily up in the 70,000 range.  Heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke, etc.  

Then quietly...within ten years, the whole event was forgotten.  You can bring it up today, and only the Germans who are over thirty-five remember that summer.  

Regular Death Versus Covid-19 Death

 There's a curious statement on statistics that came out today, via the head of the Frankfurt-City Health Department.  The Berlin Zeitung discusses this statement and it begs questions.

So the Professor (Gottschalk) says in a blunt way....while agreeing that there is a serious increase in the number of admission reports (to hospitals)....there are now fewer serious illnesses with the admissions.

Then he goes onto a key point....that death rates from the past....with flu and heat waves (something of a curious element in Germany over the past twenty years)....are more of a worrisome nature, than Covid-19.

In simple terms, he's not buying into the national strategy that the RKI folks (advising the government) is the best way forward.

The term of use here?  'Excess mortality'.  Numbers for infection or for Covid-deaths....ought to be higher.  The factual data which the government releases....doesn't demonstrate the mortality level needed for the present situation.

Around a month ago, I saw a US news piece which discussed the same issue....mortality levels ought to be higher, and they simply don't exist.  At the time, some believed that fewer people did elective surgery in the US and put themselves at risk in the spring and summer of 2020....with increased death numbers that should have occurred.

A lot of this discussion also goes around to second issues....which lay out the fact that a fair number of people (including Germans) suffer from heart conditions, COPD, or diabetes later in life, and the secondary issues are like 'anchors', upon Covid-infected individuals.  

The health professional here readily admits....Covid is serious.  But if you do the crunching of the numbers....a serious flu season or month-long heat-wave in the midst of summer will do more damage to society than Covid-19.  For older Germans who remember the summer of 2003....this heat-wave topic brings up a lot of frustrations and memories.  I should note that 14,000 French died that summer from heat related issues.  Here in Germany presently, we've yet to cross the 10,000 death count for the nation (9,571 dead as of today).

Tempelhof 2020

 On the southern part of Berlin-City....rests Tempelhof (or what remains of the old airport and runway).  The size of the area?  Roughly 2 km by 2.5 km.

If you go up around the old airport structure itself....it still stands, and has no clear plan on the future.  The runway and grassy area?  It just lays there.  

For a brief period, it was used as a refugee holding point.

Long-term planning?  It's basically locked into a major political battle.

I noticed this morning via a RBB (public Berlin-City TV) discussion....that the FDP Party would like to establish a plan.  Basically, their vision is that one-third of the acreage would turn into apartments, with the rest serving as a city-park.

The Linke Party enthusiasts?  They want the park to stay 'as is'....no changes....no added structures.  On an average summer weekend, there are probably five-thousand folks using the runway/ramp areas, for jogging, biking, or roller-skating. On the grassy areas....folks have picnics.

Trying to limit this to just a Borough decision?  You have people from all over Berlin-City itself....who use the runway and airport as a recreation area.  

The shape of the runway in terms of asphalt degradation?  No one says anything negative, and you might get thirty more years of use (at least safe-use) before something has to be done.  

The fact that Berlin-City is short on affordable housing?  Well....most all political folks in the city readily chat on  that topic, but they aren't all willing to go and re-use Tempelhof in that fashion. 

In some ways, it's become sacred ground and you can't touch it.  

The Nein-Danke Crowd

 Over in Berlin-City.....on the eastern and south-eastern section of town, is the neighborhood of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.  It's made of about 290k resident, and what you'd call a serious mix of counter-culture individuals.  Some lean to the Green doctrine....some lean to the Marxist routine....some are just plain working-class Germans.

In this period of Covid-19, this region of Berlin has been hit pretty hard, and the leadership authority will admit that they need some 'help' in terms of health-management and testing.

So the Defense Minister and Health Minister (federal level) offered up Bundeswehr (German Army) help.  

The Borough Council (made up mostly of 57 members....said 'NO'.  They would accept regular help or non-military help, but Bundeswehr help was declined.  For the record....32 members of the Borough Council are either Green Party or Linke Party members.

RBB (the Berlin City public TV folks) told the basic story, which is kinda interesting. 

The comment....."This is not a domestic combat-mission" was uttered, but it didn't really change any perceptions.

So are data collections, testing and contact tracing taking place?  No one is real clear about this.  My humble guess is that the Borough has just enough people to support a bare minimum situation, and will just continue 'as is'.

The question....is this type of behavior going on across Germany?  I would suggest that in the bulk of rural regions....you can't find this anti-Bundeswehr attitude.  Even in most medium-sized urban towns....it's hard to find this attitude.  

But when you get to cities like Hamburg, Dresden or Berlin....you've got neighborhoods which attracted a certain philosophy and even if you had flood action or a earthquake....they might not be willing to allow German Army help to proceed into their territory.  

It's a bit silly, but that's the modern situation that you see in Germany.  

The Old-Germany Versus New-Germany Economy

 I sat and read this comment on German social media today:

"Old Germany was a rising society. You went to work, at some point you could afford a small house and support the family. The new Germany is a society of decline. You have 2 jobs and can barely pay for your apartment."

Generally, within a working-class situation....probably two-third's of German society believe in the statement.  In a group of journalists, politicians, or upper-end employed people....they won't agree with the idea.

When I made my first 'tour' of Germany in 1978 (two years in Frankfurt)....I generally saw a lot of people on the enthusiasm angle of life.  They had a job....a decent working wage...taking a vacation off to Italy or the north coast each year...had a Opel or VW in the garage, and felt like they were in a up and coming society.

You don't get that feeling today.  With the Covid-trend on business spiraling a bit....a fair number of Germans are now worried about their future, their stability, travel arrangements for a vacation in 2021, and generally whining about expectations lacking.

These 'tafel' operations (the food banks) that exist today?  In 1978, you just didn't see any existence of these around in Germany.  Today?  Most every city has a couple of them existing now, and a lot of the Germans on welfare will tell you that it's the only way that they get ahead.

The art of collecting returnable bottles?  You didn't see this in 1978.  Today?  Around a city like Mainz, I would take a guess that more than 100 folks will roam around and look for bottles on a daily basis....especially after a sports match or some public parade.  I watched a reality show from five years ago where some father-son team showed up after each soccer game in the city....picking up fifty to a hundred bottles (25 cent each on returns).  This was the only way to supplement their welfare situation.  

What happened over the past forty-odd years?  General expenses went up....wages stagnated. Most working class Germans will drag this topic up and talk about the trend stalling.

Along with this....German-manufactured goods declined (with production shifting to China).  

Any expectation of change coming?  No, and that's really the harsh part of this discussion.  Even with next year's national election coming....no  one really expects the economy to shift or improve.  

Some Folks in Trouble Story

 This is one of those comical stories that you occasionally find in the German news.  So N-TV this morning brought up this story, which seems to be somewhat factual.

If you aren't familiar with the German office of 'the Protection of the Constitution'....they basically serve in a function like the US version of the FBI.  Once you get on their watch-list....you could be potentially detained and charged-up.  Right-wing, left-wing, mafia types, neo-Nazis, Chinese spies, Russian spies, and literally dozens of 'groups' are on the list to be watched.  

The way that the office is lined up....there is the federal office, and then you have state by state....more regional offices.

So this came up....some employees (numbers presently less than five) of the NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) Office for the Protection of the Constitution have been noted on posting Islamic or xenophobic commentary on chat forums.

Right-wingish?  Well.....yeah.

An investigation has started up.  Other folks likely to be identified?  Maybe.

The comical side of this is that they are actually connected to the Protection of the Constitution crowd, so they'd either have fire these guys or put them on a watch-list as well.

But we are headed down this road where you kinda expect a whole bunch of government employees and just regular Germans.....to have no opinion on things.  This would be like an Audi factory-assembly guy being asked about how the car is made, and he states as a fact that he has no opinion on the manufacture of the Audi cars.

Generally, my advice to Germans is that in any public forum or around a crowd....don't get all chatty or say much of anything related to any religious group or related to foreigners in Germany because it'll be dragging you into some xenophobic discussion (one that you can never win because of the expected behavior business of Germans now).

In terms of religious criticism....you could spend an hour being exceptionally critical of the German Catholic Church, or the ways that Lutheran Church crowd wastes their tax revenue money.  But all it does is stir up the pro-Lutheran or pro-Catholic crowd.  The same is true for the pro-Muslim folks.

What I expect out of this investigation on the Protection of the Constitution folks?  Basically, some course will be developed....probably a full 8-hour course....teaching people how to hide their feelings or avoid being vocal in criticism over anything. The cynics or sarcastic folks?  They will be re-educated in some form to just shut up and not say much of anything.  

So, some advice....learn some English and go 'hide' yourself under the American umbrella of social media, saying whatever you really want.....or just learn how to shut-up and not post anything of criticism.