Neighbourhood stories (without words) pt1

Eno -Spider and I

Two times the same song…

Spider and I sit watching the sky
On a world without sound
We knit a web to catch one tiny fly
For our world without sound
We sleep in the mornings
We dream of a ship that sails away
A thousand miles away.

Michael Jackson is dead

I just realised that my last blog entry was on June 7.  Now it’s the last day of June. There was nothing special about the last three weeks – I just didn’t mange to write anything, and I was in

Konstanz with Anna vistiting the grandparants. We discussed how the look of  Lake of Constance Ferries changed over the years – and now we’re back in Berlin and Michael Jackson is dead.

Byrne&Eno

I ride on a perfect freeway
Many people on that road
I heard the sound of someone laughing
I saw my neighbors car explode
Just up ahead
Against the sky
Quicker than you blink your eye
Chorus: Oh my brother, I still wonder, are you alright? And among the living, we are giving, all through the night
From the milk of human kindness
From the breast we all partake
Hungry for a social contract
She welcomes you with dark embrace
(puts) socks and shoes Upon our feet Little fishes swim upstream
Oh my brother, I still wonder, are you alright?
In the deepest silence, gold and diamonds, all through the night
Everything that happens will happen today
& nothing has changed, but nothing’s the same
and ev’ry tomorrow could be yesterday
∧ ev’rything that happens will happen today
ev’rything that happens will happen today
and nothing has changed but nothing’s the same
& ev’ry tomorrow could be yesterday
and ev’rything that happens could happen today

Akuna Matata is gone

I wanted to get a newspaper today at my favorite KIOSK Akuna Matata at U-Bahnhof Eberswalder Straße… -

… and realised that it’s gone!

My God! What’s going on here??? BYEBYEAKUNAMATATA -

(I was thinking about changing my header. Now I won’t)

TE-SAT 2009

Terrorists aim at intimidating the people, compelling states to comply with their demands, or destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an organisation.

Terrorism is the attempt to achieve political goals with the use or the threat of violence.
In the EU, groups of people of very different orientation continue to rely on terrorism as a tactic.But terrorist acts and activities on the territory of the EU can also be triggered by developments in other parts of the world. Terrorism continues to impact on the lives of EU
citizens, both inside and outside of the EU. In 2008, four people, including a law enforcement officer, died in the EU as a result of terrorist attacks that were carried out by ETA in Spain.  (Director of Europol in his foreword)

The European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2009 (TE-SAT 2009) is out now.

In 2008 seven member states reported a total of 515 failed, foiled or successfully perpetrated attacks.

1009 is the total number of arrested suspects in EU in 2008. Leader of the “topf seven” is France with 402 arrested suspects, followed by the UK with 256, Spain: 197, Italy 53, Ireland: 52, Belgium: 22 and Germany with 12.

A survey and the whole document you find on the europol website.

Markt in der Bibliothek

Once again Markt in der Bibliothek is right in the center of attention. When I left my house this morning, it looked like a crime scene:

Most probably parts of a balcony came down last night.

P.S: shop is still closed. We would need it urgently since Vietnamese grocery store on Danziger Strasse (just around the corner) has turned into Vietnamese Restaurant number 15 000…

Something in the air…

Prenzlauer Berg prepares for traditional “Walpurgisnacht”-riots,  the night before May 1.  Here are some pictures I took this afternoon on Schönhauser Allee / Oderberger Strasse / Mauerpark:

Der gläserne Deutsche

ZDF documentary by Ulrike Brödermann and Michael Stromper, first shown on April 7, 2009.  In the last two parts Andrej Holm tells about his arrest because he was suspected to be a member of a terrorist group (militante gruppe). Interesting! More about one of the most disturbing cases in recent German history here. See also gret blog Annalist which is written by Andrej Holm’s wife.

May 1 mobilization

Berlin’s militant left is preparing for May 1 demonstrations. And German press watches every step they do and predicts very bad riots:

“Berlin Police fear May 1 Demonstrations will turn violent” (easybourse online article, April 9, 2009)

“Ein Schritt zu spät” (Tagesspiegel vom 09.04.09)

“Autonome proben den 1. Mai” (Berliner Zeitung vom 09.04.09)

THIS is Revolutionärer 1. Mai-Hompage’s press review

” Der böse Tanz in den Mai” (Berliner Kurier vom 29.04.09)

“Rückzug aus dem Kiez – Innensenator Körting musste in Friedrichshain in Sicherheit gebracht werden” (Berliner Zeitung vom 30.04.09)

“Furcht vor Unruhen am 1. Mai” (Berliner Zeitung vom 30.04.2009)

“Kreuzberger Klassenkämpfer” (Süddeutsche Zeitung vom 30.04.09)

In a way it reminds me of how Italian press frightened the country before 2001 G8 summit in Genoa. What happened during the summit is to be seen here