Mainz, Germany
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
WINNENDEN, Germany – Why? That is the predominant question for the shocked residents of the small southern German town of Winnenden and for TV stations and newspapers across the country this morning.
All night, forensic experts collected evidence in search of clues that could possibly explain why 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer went on a wild rampage at his former school and killed 15 people before taking his own life on Wednesday.
During a press conference on Thursday investigators revealed more clues that may explain Kretschmer’s possible motive for the rampage.
At 2:45 a.m., just hours before the attack, officials said that Kretschmer warned of his plans on an Internet chatroom. He wrote that he was tired of his life, he felt everyone was laughing at him and that nobody recognized his potential.
He added that he would be visiting his former school and wrote, "Tomorrow you will hear from me, just remember the name of a place called Winnenden."
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
After being questioned by authorities for nearly nine hours at the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees on Wednesday, U.S. Army Spc. André Shepherd felt tired, but also ‘‘full of hope to win the battle that had just started," according to his lawyer, Reinhard Marx.
And a legal battle it will surely be.
The 31-year old soldier from
Cleveland, Ohio, went "Absent Without Leave" in April 2007 when he walked off his unit’s base near Katterbach, Germany.
 |
| Reuters |
| U.S. Army specialist Andre Shepherd listens to reporter's questions during a news conference in Frankfurt in November, 2008. |
He said he deserted because he did not want to return to what he calls a "completely illegal war" in Iraq. He is believed to be the first American deserter to plead for asylum with German immigration authorities.
Shepherd’s case is unique in Germany, but he is not alone across Europe. According to Bruce Anderson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army in Europe, Shepherd is among 71 Army soldiers to desert European bases in 2008.
If he is granted asylum, his case could create new legal options for soldiers looking to escape the military, his supporters say. But rejection of his case could find him handed over to military authorities and could lead to a longer jail sentence.
"I take it a day at a time," Shepherd said in a phone interview. "And I will pursue what I believe is the right thing. They can't punish you for something that is right."
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
MOEDLAREUTH, Germany – It felt like I was in a time warp when a colleague and I recently visited the small village of Moedlareuth, a farming community in central Germany that was once cut in half by the infamous border that divided Germany – known to Americans as the "Berlin Wall."
Even 19 years after the "fall of the wall" – which led to the final collapse of communist East Germany and to the start of an economically difficult, but unexpectedly smooth reunification process – it was an emotional visit.
Memories of a difficult past were triggered when we saw remains of the old bulwark running through town and sat down at the local museum to watch a film about the dark chapter of German history that luckily culminated on Nov. 9, 1989.
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
MAINZ, Germany – As soon as Barack Obama’s presidential victory was confirmed, German media outlets cheered what they hoped would be a big change from the Bush years.
"America – risen from ruins," said the headline on the Web site of Germany's national newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
"Historic victory for Obama. America has shown: everything is possible," Germany's mass-circulation BILD newspaper exclaimed online.
 |
| EPA |
| An Obama supporter holds a placard which states 'Obama for chancellor' during an election party at the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany on Nov. 4. |
Election enthusiasm
Interest in this year's U.S. election was exceptionally high in Germany, with millions of viewers staying up all night to watch election coverage.
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
MAINZ, Germany – It's not surprising Germans are fascinated with the American election; it's colorful and flashy when compared with the usually staid German political process.
Even German politicians admit that they are impressed by the numbers of supporters at U.S. campaign events and especially envy the American parties' financial budgets.
"There are clearly cultural and structural differences between the two countries. In Germany, for example, the entire election spending of all parties adds up to only $85 million," said Dirk Metz, a spokesperson for the local state government in Wiesbaden, in comparison to the hundreds of millions spent by both the Democrats and the Republicans in their race for the White House.
But, in general, Germans are clearly just interested in American politics. When the candidates' television debates were shown recently in the early morning hours in Germany – the usually marginal middle-of-the-night ratings surged.
The interest likely stems from the desire among the general public in Germany to overcome what has been dubbed "Bush-fatigue." A generally negative sentiment towards the Bush administration that has been nurtured over the past eight years by Germany's anti-war stance, as well as the "old Europe" and "with us or against us" remarks by U.S. officials.
But while many Germans favor the fresh face of Sen. Barack Obama, it's yet to be seen if he is really the best candidate for German interests.
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
MAINZ, Germany – With nearly 3 million people of Turkish descent living in Germany, it’s going to be a night of fierce but mostly friendly rivalry when the two countries play in the semi-finals of the European Soccer Championship. (The match starts at 2:45 p.m. ET).
 |
| AFP - Getty Images |
| Crowds of supporters of the German and Turkish teams wave their national flags in the "Fan zone" in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on June 25. |
Hundreds of thousands of soccer-crazy fans from both nations will be flocking to "public viewing sites" in major German cities.
In Berlin alone, up to 500,000 spectators with German and Turkish flags are expected to gather at the "fan mile" in front of Brandenburg Gate.
Many of Turkish origin find their loyalties are split.
"I had been rooting for Germany at the beginning of the tournament, but tonight my heart goes out to the Turks, the underdog, who showed amazing morale in the last two matches," said Cueneyt Goekcoel, a 35-year-old German of Turkish descent.
"In my head, I feel German," Cueneyt said, "but tonight I am Turkish."
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
It is an everyday lottery when it comes to fuel prices at German gas stations. Prices for regular unleaded and diesel gas bounces up and down, often changing twice on the same day. And drivers in this car-loving nation are unhappily dealing with increasing prices at the pump.
Record prices on the international oil markets have driven gas prices across Europe sky high, with a gallon of unleaded gas costing about $8.60 per gallon in Germany. (In Germany, gas is sold by the liter with one liter of unleaded fuel selling for an average of $2.29)
The high prices hit people where it counts – in the wallet.
"For us, as a family with two children, the high fuel prices are burdening," said Britta Koester, a nurse who has a 20-mile commute to work at odd hours and no options for using public transportation. "I am totally dependent on the car; the infrastructure in our little town is miserable in that respect," said Koester.
While filling up his small Volkswagen Golf, Dietmar Dannemann, 63, watched the meter at the pump carefully and tried to stop his purchase at an exact amount.
"As a member of the ADAC automobile club, I get one cent discount per liter, but I don't want to get more than 15 liters today, the prices are too high," he explained.
Meanwhile, Susana, a 33-year-old mother of two children, actually traveled across town to get a better price at the pump. "I get gas when I see a bargain," she explained. "And, in my family, we call each other when we spot a station with lower prices."
Still loving the autobahn
But despite the rising costs, Germans have continued their love affair with the open road.
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the zeal of the recycling-conscious German public. Little did I know at the time that one waste product was potentially life threatening – at least for German hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs, spiny creatures which are native to Africa, Asia and Europe, are so beloved in Germany that they led McDonald’s Germany to introduce a new, hedgehog-friendly design for its McFlurry ice cream treat containers.
Two years ago, McDonald's Germany was contacted by BUND, one of Germany’s largest environmental groups, which reported that up to 100 hedgehogs had been killed as a result of being caught in the lid holes of the popular McFlurry treat.
"There were no solid statistics on hedgehog deaths caused by McFlurry lids," said Alexander Schramm, a McDonald's spokesman in Munich. "But, because our company had confronted the same problem in the U.K. in 2006 and had already changed the product line, we decided to do the same in Germany."
The re-design process included several different lid-sizes and cover flaps, which could prevent hedgehogs and other small animals from getting stuck inside the containers and, as a result, starving to death.
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
RUMMELSHEIM, Germany – Fair warning: This story involves one of those fairytale, somewhat kitschy German villages.
It also includes a cuddly toy, environmental laws and high-tech sneakers.
Let’s start in Rümmelsheim. Rummelsheim is the type of village where the grass seems to have been cut with rulers and fingernail clips. The sidewalks are so spotless you could eat off them.
Many Germans would call this little wine-growing town near the Rhine River a "lawn gnome community"– referring to those plastic dwarfs which often characterize "proper" German gardens and are a common sign of the German propensity for orderliness.
Sometimes that penchant for order is taken to extremes.
Take, for instance, a recent visit I made in an effort to shoot some video of the picturesque village. After I parked my car – perhaps a little sloppily -- I was immediately approached by an elderly local man, who was passing by with his grandson.
"You should be filming your car and the violation," the man began yelling at me.
Startled, I turned around to see what had gotten him so angry. It turned out that the tires of my car were on the edge of the sidewalk.
"This is not in order," were his last words as he walked away, steaming mad.
Which leads me to the cuddly toy....
CONTINUED >>
By Andy Eckardt, NBC News Producer
MAINZ, Germany – It smelled of fresh-baked cookies when I dropped my children off at kindergarten on a recent morning. For a moment, I just stood there, inhaled the sweet scent and watched little kids in their aprons – faces dusted with flour – dance to German Christmas songs.
The weeks before Christmas – or the Advent season, as we often refer to it here – is a very special time in Germany. Solemn, quiet and full of old traditions.
 |
| Andy Eckardt / NBC News |
| An evening in the Christmas market in Wiesbaden, Germany. |
While it seems that marzipan and chocolate Santas are put up earlier in stores every year, people begin to really feel the Christmas spirit about four weeks before the big holiday – when Christmas markets open and more visitors than usual flock into churches for the four Advent Sunday masses.
CONTINUED >>
