Hunting for Batman: Simply not!

Sick at home, today.

No WGT for me. F**k

More bands missed...

Sing when you're winning!

... and when you play even

Der FC St. Pauli ist wieder in der Zweiten Bundesliga!

Fotos folgen...

Hunting for Batman: WGT in Leipzig ahead

Just about 20 hours, then I will join the scene in Leipzig as well, just as described by SpOn. Hunting bats, getting mad in the visual overload, and hopefully seing some bands. What I already missed today: Amorphisand Poisonblack. Fuck!

But see you next time!

Lessons in policy. Lesson One: Stubbornness

"I have no recipe except one in politics: to continue, to continue, to be obstinate, to be obstinate, to never abandon an issue as long as there remains a small shred of hope."

The new French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner in an interview with the New York Times.

Also remarkable: The portrait on BBC News.

Dr. SpOn hat Diagnose-Schwäche

Wenn es Horst Schlämmer, der zerknitterten Kunstfigur von Hape Kerkeling aus dem schönen Grevenbroich, körperlich nicht gut geht, dann röchelt er durch Mund und Nasenflügel: "Ich hab' Kreislauf, weisse Bescheid, Schätzelein!" Manchmal hat er dazu noch "Rücken" und "Bandscheibe". Das nennt man Diagnose. Kurz, knapp und treffend. Kein Wort zuviel.

Wenn Spiegel Online mal wieder "Feuilleton" hat, dann braucht man dort mehr Zeichen. Kulturredakteur Reinhard Mohr basht in 1293 Wörtern alle derzeit gegen das Welt-Gipfeltreffen mobilisierenden Größen aus Politik, besonders aber Kunst und Kultur. Was SpOn noch hat: die üblichen Verdächtigen und die üblichen Phrasen. Dabei ist Reinhard Mohr genauso undiffernziert wie die Weltsicht, die er anderen vorwirft:

Alles, was gegen den G8 mobilisiert, wird in einen Topf geworfen - und kräftig umgerührt. Pax Christi und Grüne Jugend Aachen in einem Topf mit den sogenannten Militanten - kein Problem. Ganz nonchalant wird Attac im Attribut vorgeworfen, inzwischen "stumpf" geworden zu sein - der (nach dem Artikel erfolgte) Beitritt von Heiner Geißler zeigt das wohl, wie?

Besonders eingeschossen hat sich der Autor auf Jan Delay. Gut, Jan Delay ist

• ein guter Rapper
• ein grandioser Entertainer
• ein arroganter Styler
• und ein schlechter Verlierer (siehe Bundesvision Song Contest)

aber weder

• Politiker
• noch Philosoph
• oder Wirtschaftswissenschaftler.

Aber jede Aussage von Jan Delay wird genüßlich seziert, als sei er einer. Ein Fachmann. Und hätte "G8". Dabei - und da liegt der Diagnose-Fehler - hat Jan Delay nur "Demokratie".

Denn im Gegensatz zu anderen engagiert er sich wenigstens. In der griechischen Demokratie war Engagement und Meinung Pflicht, Enthaltung verboten. Vielleicht hat sich dieses Prinzip zu recht ein bißchen abgeschliffen (man KANN nicht zu allem eine Meinung haben), aber in Zeiten der Demokratie-Verdrossenheit ist bürgerliches Engagement mehr als notwendig.

Wenn niemand - wenn auch mit womöglich platten Parolen und einfachen, aber kleinstmöglichen Nennern - auf die Straße geht, passiert gar nüscht. Und da hab ich doch lieber G8 als Kreislauf, Rücken oder Bandscheibe!

The Scarfs are vanishing from Konya?

Might Hell as well freeze over?

Today I read this article in the New York Times - and I had to read it twice and thrice:

Have you ever been to Konya? I have been, early in the Nineties and BEFORE the most significant rise of Necmettin Erbakans party. At that time you could go wherever you wanted in Turkey - and it was mostly forbidden in the cities to wear a headscarf as a woman. And no one would have come to that idea anyway. You could rather go to Essen-Altenessen to see more women covered in a headscarf than in all the cities of Turkey altogether.

With one prominent exception: Konya.

But now it seems like the times they are a-changing of all things under the rule of the AKP. Very interesting phenomenon. Seems like it's time to visit Mevlana's tomb again!

Don't Tell Mum!

Wow! Eurovision is over again. And what a result - a Lesbian boarding school wins against a trash Drag Queen. Look sharp - unlike the German commentator surmises this is not the final win of an Eastern state, but the Gay Community reclaims their red-letter-day. Even the motto and decoration of the Finnish hosts was camp enough: "True Fantasy".

Besides, the ESC finally is an total European Mash-Up: Lithuania presented Italian tenors and Albania a classic bariton, some countries came with Hispano-Songs (f.e. Norway), the winning song is a French chanson. And the best with Marija Serifovic is that "Generation Otpor" did not only fight themselves the way to Democracy but now sung themselves the way to Europe. Well deserved!

 

So much fo the official program. But the best was the sideshow:

• Best band & best show: Apocalyptica and the additional freakshow ballet.
• Best self-mockery: The Isralian host when telling the points: "This land has pushed the button".
• Best voting of a country: Norway
• Best tongue-in-cheek: The dutch host "xx points go to Kelly Osbourne, umm, Serbia"
• Most handsome eyecatcher: Official Host Mikko Leppilampi
• Even more handsome: The Swedish host, who was friendly enough to present the Icehockey results as well

So don't worry. At least every artist can at least go on tour in his direct neighbouring countries. Maybe except of Ireland and UK. Ya basta.

 

By the way, I bet I know where most of the after show parties ended, at the infamous and great Lost&Found Bar. Don't tell Mum!

Thumbs up for THE ARK!!!

4 hours to go...

So don't tell you haven't been warned when THE ARK will seduce your nerves at the Eurovision Song Contest. Or rather keen on Gay Trash Camp Transvestites from Ukraine? Rather not. Not after this preview.

As the Semi-Finale already proved, the fans of Eastern Block post-folklore or whatever are more alert in voting this year than ever. So none of my favourites did make it to the Finale - neither Israel nor Denmark, Switzerland, Czechia or Andorra (Green Day in cute) did make it. Ok - who of a Anti-Semite-Surrounding in somewhere East would vote for a punkrock playing Jew who is actually good at what he's doing? *Sarkasm mode off again* What I especially liked about the Israelian band was their wit. But ok, they will make it anyway. As all the other good bands. Buy their albums. And read you tomorrow. And vote for THE ARK!

Useful info about the Babelfish

Something I didn't know about Babel Fish until now:

It's very good translating Spanish into English - but you can forget about most of the "other way around". And German is crap.

Visit Hamburg! It's really nice ;-)

Already plans for your summer holidays? Come to Hamburg!

I really like the Guardian - because of it's British-ness, because of the political analysis - but I hope they are based on a more thorough research than this travel guide to Hamburg: Hamburg | Travel | Guardian Unlimited

And no, I don't mean the fact that it's from last year with lots of plans for last year's Football Championships, but it already starts with the wrong legend to the picture - which is not the harbour but the Lake. Nevertheless, here's the links to the two best cheap accomodations:

• Instant Sleep, a backpackers' hostel about 10 minutes to St. Pauli, near the area called "Schanze"
• Jugendherberge Am Stintfang is a member of the International Youth Hostel Federation - and the best place to stay in Hamburg at all, with a beautiful view over the Harbour. The page is only in German, but you'll get the main point. And they'll answer mails in English ;-)

Read more about them in the Backpackers Network! And enjoy your stay!

So ein Wetter wie heute hatten wir noch nie!

... sagte die Eintagsfliege.

Heute ist -wie vorhergesagt - das Wetter umgeschlagen und es regnet nun, nachdem es vorher rekord-heiß war.

Dieser Blog-Eintrag ist so etwas wie eine familiäre Erinnerung: Nach der folgenden Bauernregel Grünt die Esche vor der Eiche, hält der Sommer große Bleiche. Grünt die Eiche vor der Esche, hält der Sommer große Wäsche müßte es in diesem Sommer besonders naß werden, denn die Eichen in Norddeutschland (= Bereich zwischen Schaumburg und Nienburg) sind schon grün während die Eschen noch winter-kahl dastehen.

Also: Wir lesen uns in zwei bis drei Monaten wieder!

ps: 1958 gab es in (Nord-) Deutschland einen Sommer ganz ohne Regen, dieses Jahr soll es aber auch laut Hundertjährigem Kalender eher nass werden...