1.
Lechts und Rinks on the subject of compulsory vaccination
Will there be a general corona vaccination requirement in Germany?
The Bundestag has been discussing this question since today.
A concrete draft law is not yet available.
The SPD, the Greens and the FDP have agreed that the deputies should consult and decide freely without the usual group guidelines.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not have a word of power.
In this way, compulsory vaccination becomes a matter of feeling, a question of conscience.
At the beginning there was only a so-called orientation debate.
In other contexts one would perhaps say »chair circle«.
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Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in the Bundestag: For general vaccination from the age of 18
Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP
And so the political camps are now dissolving on the subject, and new groups are formed, right and left, across faction boundaries.
Group 1
wants vaccinations to be compulsory for everyone over the age of 18. The SPD MPs Olaf Scholz and Karl Lauterbach have made this known, but also some from the CDU and CSU.
Group 2
rejects compulsory vaccination.
Here Wolfgang Kubicki from the FDP is one of the spokesmen, but also the Left Sevim Dağdelen;
she tweeted: "Vaccination that does not protect against infection or spread should not be made mandatory."
And then there is
Group 3
with ideas for a middle course: first mandatory advice for the unvaccinated, then mandatory vaccination for people over 50. Marco Buschmann from the FDP supports this plan, but also several Greens representatives.
Everyone agrees that there should be no compulsory vaccination, i.e. forcible administration of the vaccine.
After all.
Instead, there are fines of several hundred euros.
Does Germany also need a
vaccination register
to control compulsory vaccination?
Do the federal states have a say?
Should vaccination be limited?
For how many vaccinations?
All of these questions still need to be clarified.
Overall, the attitude towards mandatory vaccination seems to be subject to strong fluctuations. In December, the mood shifted from »It's not possible« to »We absolutely need it«. Now things are slowly going in the other direction again, because it shows that, firstly, tens of thousands are infected with the omicron
variant
despite booster vaccinations and, secondly, the number of hospital admissions is kept within manageable limits despite record incidences, at least so far. But maybe that's just a snapshot.
I am curious to see how Olaf Scholz will explain why the question of vaccination is an individual decision of conscience for members of the Bundestag, while for citizens it should be a collective obligation.
Here, it seems to me, a chancellor who doesn't want to lead has found himself in a dilemma.
Read more here: What the debate about general corona vaccination is about
Corona News: The most important developments at a glance
2.
Where do you go here to leave the church?
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Towers of the Munich Frauenkirche: Hundreds of appointments for leaving the church have been booked in the city in the past few days
Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa
Since it has been known that the later
Pope Benedict XVI.
During his time when the archbishop of Munich dealt with cases of abuse in an inappropriate manner, but told untruths about it, the number of people leaving the church apparently accelerated rapidly. According to the district administration department (KVR), around 650 appointments for leaving the
church
have been booked since last Thursday in Munich alone
, twice as many as usual. The registry office has extended its opening hours and is now employing two additional employees for people leaving the church. The cities of Regensburg, Ingolstadt and Würzburg are also reacting and expanding their capacities.
I can understand anyone who no longer wants to support the Catholic Church.
A pope who lies: the most pious fall away from the faith.
I have all the more respect for those who remain in the Church because they do not give up hope of changing it from within.
The
reform movement Maria 2.0
has Benedict XVI.
asked to discard his papal name.
Read more here: Cities in Bavaria are preparing for mass church exits
3.
Raging, you come to Germany
The Czech multi-millionaire Radim Passer made a short trip to Germany some time ago.
His destination: the A2 autobahn between Berlin and Hanover.
Left Lane.
Passer accelerated his
Bugatti Chiron
(1500 hp) to 417 kilometers per hour.
The rapid journey was captured on camera, and the film has had great international success on Passer's YouTube channel.
Many think the Czech is crazy, but many also celebrate him for his action.
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Intoxicated by speed: Some tourists are drawn to the German autobahn
Photo: ollo / iStockphoto / Getty Images
My colleague Jürgen Pander, who is experienced in dealing with fast cars himself, investigated the phenomenon. He writes: "It's obviously a particularly blatant case of
speed tourism
in Germany - but by no means the only one. The German autobahn lures with a promise that is unique in the world. The unique selling proposition ›speed rush without remorse‹ works. The German autobahn is a dream destination for speed drivers from all over the world.«
The Magdeburg entrepreneur Phillipp Müller has turned it into a business model.
His company rents out a Porsche 911 for 699 euros, a Ferrari 488 GTB for 999 euros or even a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse for 14,999 euros in order to push these vehicles to the limits of driving physics for 80 minutes each.
»The Original Autobahn Experience« is advertised in English.
On the internet, the speed tourists show off their speed intoxication.
For example, the YouTuber “Supercar Blondie”, who is driving a Mercedes GT on a German autobahn for the first time, accelerates to a speed of 250 km/h.
"Why is that allowed?" she screams first, then advises imitation: "If you ever have the opportunity, do it." The video has already been clicked more than 2.7 million times.
Millionaire Radim Passer, however, is now in trouble.
The police are investigating the Czech because of a possible illegal solo race.
"Regardless of this, paragraph 3 of the road traffic regulations stipulates that a vehicle may only be driven so fast that it is under constant control," writes my colleague Jürgen.
"At more than 400 km/h on a public road, that's at least doubtful."
Read the whole story here: The German Autobahn, a place of longing for speeders from all over the world
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What else is important today
Denmark wants to overturn all corona restrictions on February 1:
Omikron has caused the incidence in Denmark to skyrocket – but the clinics were not overloaded.
Now the government wants to initiate the end of the pandemic.
However, there remains an obstacle for those entering the country.
Germany wants to deliver 5000 military helmets to Ukraine:
Ukraine is pushing for the delivery of weapons.
But Defense Minister Lambrecht announced that 5,000 military helmets would come from Germany.
The Ukrainian ambassador speaks of a “purely symbolic gesture”.
DFB sports court blocks Markus Beginning for one year:
Bremen's ex-coach Markus Beginning has admitted to having presented a false vaccination card.
The DFB sports court has now suspended him for a year, but he could take over a club again next season.
My favorite story today: Death Trap Carvingski
Before you set off for the Alps at the weekend to throw yourself down the slopes in limitless hubris, I would like to recommend an interview with the surgeon Christian Schenk, which my colleague Andreas Haslauer conducted.
Doctor Schenk works in the beautiful mountain village of Schrunz in Vorarlberg and, thanks to many customers from Germany, has managed to set up a private clinic with several of its own rescue helicopters.
His day's work begins shortly after the ski lifts open in the morning.
"Let's see what the mountain throws off today," says Doctor Schenk in an interview and laughs.
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dr
Christian Schenk with a drill, which he uses to drill holes for the screws
Photo: Daniel Hug
He has calculated that he has already performed 48,300 operations in his clinic since 1994. Prominent skiers were among them, such as Patrick Ortlieb, Marc Girardelli and Bode Miller. But amateurs take care of the mass business. »People always think they can
master their
carving skis
. That's a fallacy," says Schenk. "You have to know: These skis were originally designed as pure racing equipment for speeds of up to 80 km/h."
Schenk divides the ski season into two halves: »In the first three months of winter, i.e. from December to February, I usually have breaks on the table because the slopes are extremely hard during this time due to the artificial snow and the cold.
In March and April, when the snow is softer, there are more soft tissue injuries.
The result is broken shoulders with ligament and tendon injuries as well as dislocations, and of course the usual program with regard to thighs and lower legs.«
But what does Schenk advise the clumsy skiers from Germany?
He says that super-fast carving skis should be left to the pros.
Also equip yourself with back protectors, elbow and wrist protectors.
And of course wear a helmet.
I wish you a lot of fun in the snow.
Come back safely!
Read the full story here: »A recreational athlete shouldn't strap on such racing beasts«
What we recommend at SPIEGEL+ today
"The price of an invasion must remain incalculable for Putin":
Russia's President Putin has managed to split the West, complains the CDU foreign policy expert Kiesewetter.
The retired colonel calls the traffic light's no to arms deliveries to the Ukraine a "devastating signal."
“The fat years are over”:
Threatening interest rate increases, the Russian crisis, Corona: the stock market is afraid of a crash.
Hedge fund manager Markus Sievers says: Investors have to be prepared for tough times.
The fleeting dream of a quick way out of the pandemic:
According to experts, at some point everyone will be infected with the corona virus.
This is even necessary for stable immune protection.
At the same time, infections should continue to be avoided.
Why isn't that a contradiction?
How "beautiful Kay" lost his job:
For insiders, the fall of marine chief Schönbach comes as little surprise.
Even before his statements on the Russian crisis, he was seen as an argumentative border crosser.
To say goodbye, he publicly threw himself in the dust.
Which is less important today
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Musician Neil Young (archive image)
Photo: Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP
Doesn't rust:
Neil Young, 76, possibly the second best songwriter in the world, has taken on the streaming service Spotify.
Because false information about corona vaccines is being spread there, he is even considering a boycott, according to the industry journals Variety and Rolling Stone.
Neil Young's anger is directed at the podcast by US comedian Joe Rogan, who has been criticized for downplaying the corona virus and spreading conspiracy theories.
His podcast is one of the most successful offerings on Spotify.
Yet.
“You can have Rogan or Young.
Not both,” says Young.
Typo of the day
, now corrected: "Fear of encirclement"
Cartoon of the day:
further escalation
And tonight?
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Writer Krug 1997
Photo:
Monika breeding / DER SPIEGEL
His double life is exposed, he is frustrated with his job, then a stroke: One cannot say that
Manfred Krug
led a happy life in the mid-1990s.
He made it big at the time: as the advertising face of Telekom, he was supposed to make the Germans a nation of shareholders.
In his
diaries
in 1996 and 1997, Krug revealed himself as a man plagued by self-doubt. Krug's children have now declassified the diaries more than five years after his death. The actor himself had kept the recordings secret, but agreed to later publication. My colleague Janko Tietz has already read the diaries. He writes: »Krug's language is powerful, straightforward and has an existential truthfulness that can only be found in a few books. He embeds his private experiences in the social conditions, resulting in a portrait of the late 20th century. You can get a taste of it here in the current issue of SPIEGEL.
I wish you a nice evening.
Sincerely
yours, Alexander Neubacher
Here you can order »Situation in the Evening« by e-mail.
