Host Nation Update, Feb. 13, 2023
A kiss as an admission ticket – castles launch campaign
Couples could get free admission to the castles during the week of Valentine’s Day. To do this, they just must kiss in front of the ticket office.
This Tuesday is again the day of lovers. And what could be better than being rewarded for a kiss? Precisely for this proof of love, there is free admission to certain institutions in Baden-Württemberg during the week of Valentine’s Day. Specifically, we’re talking about castle tours.
Those who kiss each other at the cash desk can leave their wallets behind, according to the administration of the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg.
13.02.2023 – 09:35 Uhr Stuttgarter Zeitung
E-scooters end up in rivers and streams time and time again.
Time and time again, police officers in Stuttgart are called to the Neckar River: E-scooters thrown into the water out of destructive rage threaten to drift in the river. This was also the case on Saturday, when a passer-by reported a case of vandalism on the banks of the Berger Steg. A patrol moved out – and fished the floating electric scooter out of the Neckar. Such incidents are also becoming more frequent in other cities.
Everyone should know how to park the scooters properly – actually. Nevertheless, the scooters still end up in rivers or streams, are demolished or placed in the city in such a way that they obstruct other road users.
Recovery from the river costs 200 euros
But what happens when the scooters are parked where it is forbidden? The city of Stuttgart writes on its website that such violations should be reported directly to the provider. This must then take care of the scooters. The Bolt company confirms that in such cases mobile teams are sent out to move or recover the e-scooters. Defective or incorrectly parked vehicles emit a signal so that they can then be located, the provider adds.
That can be expensive, however. According to the company Voi, recovering a scooter from a river or lake costs an average of 200 euros. Actually the causer would have to answer for the wrong parking of the scooters or other damages. In most cases, however, this is difficult to identify, say the e-scooter providers. Especially if the culprit is not the renter, but someone who later throws the e-scooter into the river.
12.02.2023 – 15:39 Uhr Stuttgarter Zeitung
Dogs and cats are at risks for mange
Because mange is not notifiable, many pet owners have not noticed that the disease is rampant. To make matters worse, not all owners keep an eye on their four-legged friends at all times during walks in the countryside. “I observe that some owners are partly distracted by their cell phones,” says Thomas Glaser. Therefore, the dogs often come into contact with foxes without their owners noticing. According to Hans-Otto Härle, it would make sense for owners to leash their dogs. This would also prevent hares and other small game or ground-nesting birds from being startled and disturbed. Who would not like that, should at least ensure that he has his dog under control, demands Härle.
13.02.2023 – 10:36 Uhr Stuttgarter Zeitung
What is the risk of a violent earthquake?
The devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria is also causing great concern in Germany. Many are now asking themselves whether a natural disaster of such magnitude could also occur in Baden-Württemberg. After all, the southwest is the most seismically active German state.
But experts estimate that the risk of an earthquake as terrible as the one here is low. Earthquakes far above magnitude 7 are unlikely both on the Upper Rhine and on the Zollernalb due to the structure there, Martin Hensch of the State Earthquake Service (LED) at the Freiburg Regional Council informed.
There are zones of weakness in the southwest
“Earthquakes occur most frequently and most strongly worldwide at the boundaries between tectonic plates,” he explained. This is called “interplate seismicity”; the word part inter means between, he said. “This is also the case now in southeastern Türkiye, where the Anatolian and Arabian plates are shifting horizontally with respect to each other.” By contrast, no direct plate boundaries run under Baden-Württemberg. The region lies on the Eurasian plate – a good distance north of the plate boundary.
Here, however, there are so-called zones of weakness, such as the Upper Rhine Graben and the Albstadtscherzone on the Zollernalb, Hensch explained. There, earthquakes are mainly generated by pressure of the African plate on the Eurasian plate. The talk is then of “intraplate seismicity”; intra for within. The collision of the two plates has, among other things, also unfolded the Alps. The most seismically active regions in Baden-Württemberg are the Upper Rhine Graben, Zollernalb and the Lake Constance region, he said.
No comparison with earthquake regions
Nevertheless, the activity can be described as moderate in a global comparison and is by no means comparable to earthquake regions at tectonic plate boundaries, Hensch emphasized. “Weak, generally imperceptible earthquakes are measured daily in Baden-Württemberg.” On average, there are also locally slightly perceptible earthquakes once a month. And about once a decade, he said, medium-strong earthquakes can be expected here, which can lead to building damage and business disruptions on a larger scale regionally.
13.02.2023 – 11:14 Uhr Stuttgarter Zeitung