Samstag, 29. August 2009

Travel Blog: Day -35

I guess most (all?) of the few people who read this blog already know about my travelling plans.
I have decided to take 6 months off and travel around South America, New Zealand and Australia.

My flights are booked and the general route has been laid out. I will work out the details along the way.

  • October 3rd: Flight from Frankfurt to Lima, Peru (via Madrid, Spain)
  • Somehow make my way to La Paz, Bolivia
  • November 4th: Flight from La Paz to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Via Santiago, Chile)
  • Travel southward to Buenos Aires, Argentina (maybe Uruguay...if there is time...), then further south to explore Patagonia. Then on to Santiago
  • January 3rd: Flight from Santiago to Auckland, New Zealand (via Los Angeles, USA and Brisbane, Australia)
  • Travel southward to Christchurch
  • January 27th: Flight from Christchurch to Sydney, Australia
  • February 1st: Flight from Sydney to Brisbane
  • Move along Australia's east coast up to Cairns
  • March 24th: Flight from Cairns to Melbourne
  • March 29th: Flight from Melbourne to Frankfurt (via Singapore)
I still have some things to get straightened out before I leave. The most pressing issue is my apartment...haven't found anybody to rent it. Got lots of inquiries for single rooms but not for the whole thing. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Updates will appear here on a regular basis.

Dienstag, 11. August 2009

Lyrics Snippet #11

Today I present you a little piece by Phil Ochs - a songwriter I actually stumbled across when reading Stephen King's "Hert in Atlantis" where his song "I Ain't Marching Anymore" (video) was mentioned several times.

If you are into 60s and 70s folk/protest music you should check out some of his songs:
  • Bullets Of Mexico
  • Links on the Chain
  • Talking Cuban Crisis
  • One More Parade
  • The Men Behind the Guns
Those I like best from the few I know (hardly more than a dozen) so there probably are lots of others worth listening to.


For I marched to the battles of the German trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore

~ "I Ain't Marching Anymore" - Phil Ochs ~



Donnerstag, 18. Juni 2009

Werbung oder keine Werbung? Das ist hier die Frage...

Seit einiger Zeit prangt an meinem Briefkasten ein "Stopp! Keine Werbung"-Aufkleber. Vereinzelt verirrt sich zwar manchmal ein Flyer von einem Pizza-Schuppen oder einiger freiberuflicher Kistenschlepper im Briefkasten, aber im Großen und Ganzen erzielt der Aufkleber die gewünschte Wirkung.
Ein Klientel, das diesen Aufkleber jedoch geflissentlich ignoriert, sind die politischen Parteien. Zur Europawahl und den gleichzeitig durchgeführten Kommunalwahlen hatte ich jede Menge Wahlwerbung im Briefkasten. Und kaum denkt man, damit sei jetzt erstmal Schluss, finden sich schon wieder einige Pamphlete dort - der bevorstehenden Stichwahl zum Ortsvorsteher sei Dank.
Dabei scheint die Sache klar zu sein. Das Bundesverfassungsgericht urteilte 1988 (BGH vom 20.12.1988, Aktenzeichen VI ZR 182/88), dass solche Aufkleber beachtet werden müssen.
Auch ein Rundbrief der GRIBS (Grüne und Alternative in den Räten Bayerns) befasst sich mit dem Thema und kommt zu folgendem Ergebnis:

Wahlwerbung
"Bitte keine Werbung einwerfen !"
Werden solche oder ähnliche Aufkleber auf Briefkästen ignoriert, kann dies Unterlassungsbegehren mit z.T. nicht unerheblichen Rechtsanwaltsgebühren für die betreffenden Untergliederungen mit sich bringen.
Wenn sich auf einem Briefkasten ein werbeabwehrender Aufkleber befindet, muss dies auch bei der Verteilung von Wahlkampfzeitungen oder sonstiger Parteiwerbung respektiert werden. Trotz der besonderen rechtlichen Stellung von Parteien ist Wahlwerbung nach aktueller Rechtsprechung grundsätzlich wie gewöhnliche Werbung zu behandeln. „Dem Recht der Parteien, ihrer politischen Tätigkeit ungehindert nachgehen zu können, entspricht keine Pflicht der Bürgers, sich von den Parteien informieren lassen zu müssen.“ (NJW 2002, Heft 5, S. 380) Die Übersendung von Werbematerial trotz eines erklärten entgegenstehenden Willens stellt eine Besitz- bzw. Eigentumsstörung und darüber hinaus eine Störung des allgemeinen Persönlichkeitsrechts dar.
Wenn werbungsabwehrende Aufkleber missachtet werden, hat der oder die Betroffene zivilrechtliche Abwehr- und Unterlassungsansprüche. Dies kann im Einzelfall nicht unerhebliche Rechtsanwaltsgebühren für den Störer - also die Parteigliederung - zur Folge haben.

Für die hobbymäßigen Stressmacher und Beschwerdebriefschreiber unter euch also ein gefundenes Fressen.

PS: Generell finde ich es nicht schlecht, dass die Bürger über die politischen Programme der Parteien informiert werden, aber auch Parteien stehen eben nicht über dem Gesetz. Und zumindest die Informationen zur bevorstehenden Stichwahl waren bei mir überflüssig - ich hatte meine Stimme bereits am Tag zuvor per Briefwahl abgegeben.

Montag, 15. Juni 2009

Lyrics Snippet #10

Here's another song that deals with the Northern Ireland conflict: "Zombie" by The Cranberries (watch the video on youtube here). I remember listening to this song again and again when I was around the age of 15. It always sent a shiver down my spine - and still does.

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying...

~ "Zombie" - The Cranberries ~

Donnerstag, 4. Juni 2009

Lyrics Snippet #9

After the overwhelming response to my last "Lyrics Snippet" post I just feel obliged to keep writing to keep all of you satisfied and entertained. No, but really, this may sound a little harsh. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't care...but still....f*ck it. If this whole thing doesn't change anything for anybody else it still has affected the way I listen to songs. Exactly six days ago I was in Mannheim listening to some band at the Mannheim city festival. When they played "Sunday Bloody Sunday" I thought this would be a good song to write about here. Wikipedia tells me that this song is about the "Bloody Sunday" - January 30th 1972. On this day a demonstration for civil rights took place in the town of Derry. Thirteen people were shot by British military...
Check the rest out for youselves...



And the battles just begun
Theres many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart

~ Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2 ~

Montag, 1. Juni 2009

Wahlen leicht gemacht


Auf dem Foto erkennt man meine Briefwahlunterlagen für die bevorstehenden Kommunal- und Europawahlen: 2 Merkblätter, 2 Wahlzettel, 6 Stimmzettel und 4 Umschläge. Einfacher gehts kaum, oder?

Mittwoch, 27. Mai 2009

Lyrics Snippet #8

Today I turn to a rather trivial topic. Tonight Manchester will play Barcelona in the Champions League Final. Reason enough for me to create a little post about the reference to athletes in songs. Right now I can think of three and I invite everybody who reads this to contribute to the list. I know there are hundreds - if not thousands - more.
Valid are only songs that are not especially dedicated to an athlete or sports in general (like "Three Lions"...beautiful song by the way).


Steppin' into the jam and I'm slammin' like Shaquille
Mad boy grips the microphone
Wit' a fistful of steel

~ "Fistful of Steel" - Rage Against The Machine ~

________________


See I've Got Heart Like John Starks
Hitting Mad Sparks
Pass Me The Mic
And I'll Be Rocking The Whole Park

~ "Get it Together" - Beastie Boys ~

________________


Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away

~ "Mrs. Robinson" - Simon and Garfunkel ~

Freitag, 22. Mai 2009

Flash Mob gefällig?

Towel Day - Keine PanikHabe gerade durch Zufall gesehen, dass am Montag 18:00 Uhr in Ludwigshafen ein Flash-Mob geplant ist (guckst du hier). Mal sehen ob ich es schaffe, daran teilzunehmen. Immerhin könnte ich dann Punkt 66 auf meiner Liste der "101 Dinge, die man getan haben sollte, bevor das Leben vorbei ist" streichen.

Mittwoch, 20. Mai 2009

Ich kann es nicht mehr hören!

Muss denn in jeder, aber auch wirklich jeder Meldung über die Zukunft von Opel die Floskel "tragfähiges Konzept" verwendet werden?
Und bin ich eigentlich der einzige, den das stört?

Dienstag, 19. Mai 2009

Lyrics Snippet #7

Just a short one today:

If ignorance is bliss, then knock the smile off my face

~ "Settle for Nothing" - Rage Against the Machine ~

PS: For a better understanding of RATM lyrics I recommend the "Lyrical References" section in the RATM FAQ

Mittwoch, 13. Mai 2009

Lyrics Snippet #6

One of the best-known songs of the great depression is probably "Brother, can you spare a dime", which was written in 1931 by E.Y. Harburg (music by Jay Gorney). This song has been recorded by dozens of artists and also appeared in a Simpsons episode :-)

Interestingly, 8 years later Harburg wrote one of the most hopeful songs of the era - "(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow".

BTW: Don't think I just know all this stuff...looked it all up on wikipedia.


Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

"Brother, can you spare a dime" - Music by Jay Gorney, Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

Donnerstag, 7. Mai 2009

Lyrics Snippet #5

So, now to a different topic. Considering the current economic crisis I find it appropriate to share a couple of lyrics snippets from songs about the great depression.

The first one is from Springsteens "Ghost of Tom Joad" which is basically a song about John Steinbeck's book "Grapes of Wrath". Reading the book surely helps to understand the song...maybe it is even necessary. But really, if you haven't read it yet, go ahead and do it. In my opinion it's an eye-opening masterpiece.

There's also a version of this song by Rage Against the Machine which is...uhm...slightly more "dynamic". Remember, RATM songs are best served at high volume :-)

Now Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight 'gainst the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me Mom I'll be there
Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand
Or decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom you'll see me."

~ "The Ghost of Tom Joad" - Bruce Springsteen ~

Dienstag, 5. Mai 2009