Many things the left has fought hard for have eventually come to pass. The end of segregation is a good example. Today I am not so sure that the human race in the west of the world is moving in a forward direction. Let us begin with Europe: Two days ago the SPD (Germany´s Social Democrats) lost the election in what was their worst placement in recent memory. Who were the winners in the whole thing? The FDP and the CDU. One party claims to be the Christian Democratic Union (and party that uses Christs name is something to be wary of) and the Free democrats (who are essentially Libertarians). In many ways this union of these two parties for a four year mandate are oddly similar to the Republican party in the US, which if the current pattern continues is poised to make a comeback. The reason for all this? I don´t really know where to start.
The FDP have sold themselves as being some kind of saviors for the economic crises and have along with their allies the CDU promised to make tax cuts. How they are going to do this is not clear at all. This is a similar Republican strategy as well: tax cuts and talks about morality. The idea behind these types of thinking is that the Market economy will solve any and every problem faced by society. In truth it has done exactly the opposite. Lack of regulation was a big cause of the current economic crises and this is generally accepted by most economists (I defer to Krugman here over at the NY Times).
Essentially the policies that this union are offering to Germany is this: hey government sucks (but not us of course, because we somehow don´t) and all you need is greed. Hey they should re-write that Beatles song: All you need is greed....Greed....Greed is all you need!
About Me
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
A sad day for Germany
Today is a sad day for Germany. Many of us knew it would be, but tried our hardest to put on a smile and say a few optimistic words. Even up till the results were first broadcast, I hoped that there was some chance that this wasn´t going to happen. That the CDU and the FDP were not going to be able to jump into bed together. It did. Now we are stuck for the next four years in a nightmare.
The SPD are the big losers here: they can´t really form an alliance with the Linke party as they are too leftist and the Green party is just too small. So what is the big goal of the CDU and their new partner: lower taxes. How this is possible no one knows. The only thing that makes this a bit more decent is that in recent years the CDU has come more toward the center and the FDP is by no means a Republican party obsessing about family values and such garbage. No in fact the head of the FDP is actually gay so that should send a message that while they may be neo-liberal economists, they are left wing when it comes to accepting people as they are. For the next four years the German people have given the CDU and the FDP enough rope to hang themselves on, lets hope when the next election is coming around they figure out how to tie the noose.
The SPD are the big losers here: they can´t really form an alliance with the Linke party as they are too leftist and the Green party is just too small. So what is the big goal of the CDU and their new partner: lower taxes. How this is possible no one knows. The only thing that makes this a bit more decent is that in recent years the CDU has come more toward the center and the FDP is by no means a Republican party obsessing about family values and such garbage. No in fact the head of the FDP is actually gay so that should send a message that while they may be neo-liberal economists, they are left wing when it comes to accepting people as they are. For the next four years the German people have given the CDU and the FDP enough rope to hang themselves on, lets hope when the next election is coming around they figure out how to tie the noose.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Request for Serious Debate
The US seems to have lost all capability to debate when it comes to serious issues. Generally it turns into a shouting match lead by the loudest ignorant person around. For instance the Tea-bagger-or-bags-or-whatever-they-wish-to-be-called seem to never run out of steam. They are against "Czars" though this term was started by a republican and has never been questioned under any other presidents. Or what about health care being used as a way to compare Obama to Hitler (ironically this is a slap in the face to anyone who fought Nazism).
Today I ask for a serious debate about Homosexuality on two fronts: Marriage and the Military. Lets get things started: the military has the famous don´t ask don´t tell policy that is used to prohibit homosexuals from serving openly. The reason given is usually something about unit cohesion though no proof is ever presented to back up this claim. Is this the best answer for the reason that gays are discriminated against? Because straight people are uncomfortable, though no one has been able to prove this? Every other western democracy allows homosexuals to serve openly and their militaries aren´t falling into disarray and confusion or turning to orgies either. Please give me a good reason beyond some form of conservative religious morality.
Secondly we arrive at marriage. Marriage is a state institution. What that means is that in terms of legal framework it is something that the state recognizes as a union of two individuals (it can be talked of in more romantic terms but that is not the purpose of this post). At this point in time the US states tend to recognize only the marriage between a man and a woman (defined by what and shouldn´t they have some athletic gender test to make sure that this is always followed). What is the reason for denying marriage to same sex couples who wish to look out for one another until they die in both the romantic sense as well as the legal (financial and death) sense? Is there any reason beyond conservative religious morality that is used to defend straight marriage as being the only option that should be tolerated?
For those who wish to cling to religious answers please note your constitution is secular and calls for a separation of church and state so as not to discriminate against minority groups and others who do not share the same religion.
Today I ask for a serious debate about Homosexuality on two fronts: Marriage and the Military. Lets get things started: the military has the famous don´t ask don´t tell policy that is used to prohibit homosexuals from serving openly. The reason given is usually something about unit cohesion though no proof is ever presented to back up this claim. Is this the best answer for the reason that gays are discriminated against? Because straight people are uncomfortable, though no one has been able to prove this? Every other western democracy allows homosexuals to serve openly and their militaries aren´t falling into disarray and confusion or turning to orgies either. Please give me a good reason beyond some form of conservative religious morality.
Secondly we arrive at marriage. Marriage is a state institution. What that means is that in terms of legal framework it is something that the state recognizes as a union of two individuals (it can be talked of in more romantic terms but that is not the purpose of this post). At this point in time the US states tend to recognize only the marriage between a man and a woman (defined by what and shouldn´t they have some athletic gender test to make sure that this is always followed). What is the reason for denying marriage to same sex couples who wish to look out for one another until they die in both the romantic sense as well as the legal (financial and death) sense? Is there any reason beyond conservative religious morality that is used to defend straight marriage as being the only option that should be tolerated?
For those who wish to cling to religious answers please note your constitution is secular and calls for a separation of church and state so as not to discriminate against minority groups and others who do not share the same religion.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Which Mad Hatter will win?
Well the Republicans already think they have the 2010 election in the bag and it would probably be good to let them keep thinking that for now. The question that I am chewing on right now is which of the mad hatters they have available will get the nomination for the 2012 election. Palin, Huckabee, and Romney have all made sure to keep their names on the tip of potential voters tongues. So what do these people really stand for? Well what do the republicans stand for.
If we try to boil it down to ideology questions then the first thing we get to is that the government should spend less. Less of course on social issues and more on military doodads and campaigns. Following this notion that government always ruins things and can´t run things we should turn to the stellar way that free enterprise has always worked for the good of mankind (when you can find an example, then please leave a comment). Another one they like to talk about is that government shouldn´t regulate health care, but should ban all forms of abortion. They claim to stand for family values and this has worked with keeping the Dobsonites on board till now. The problem is of course that they don´t really practice what they preach on that one. Their foreign policy is essentially simple: who isn´t for us (giving us troops for our wars and bases) is against us and socialist etc. They also seem to believe that the US is not capable of commiting wrongs (please tell this to the Slaves, the people of Iraq, and countless other countries they have meddled in).
From what I have boiled down so far I get a party that I wouldn´t vote for in my worst nightmares. These are some candidates that creep me out.
If we try to boil it down to ideology questions then the first thing we get to is that the government should spend less. Less of course on social issues and more on military doodads and campaigns. Following this notion that government always ruins things and can´t run things we should turn to the stellar way that free enterprise has always worked for the good of mankind (when you can find an example, then please leave a comment). Another one they like to talk about is that government shouldn´t regulate health care, but should ban all forms of abortion. They claim to stand for family values and this has worked with keeping the Dobsonites on board till now. The problem is of course that they don´t really practice what they preach on that one. Their foreign policy is essentially simple: who isn´t for us (giving us troops for our wars and bases) is against us and socialist etc. They also seem to believe that the US is not capable of commiting wrongs (please tell this to the Slaves, the people of Iraq, and countless other countries they have meddled in).
From what I have boiled down so far I get a party that I wouldn´t vote for in my worst nightmares. These are some candidates that creep me out.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Kitchen Nightmares
I have been watching a few episodes of Gordon Ramsays Kitchen Nightmares and last night I noticed a difference between the English version and the American one. The American version is shown on Fox, which while that doesn´t necessarily tell you much it should say that there is something that American audiences love to see: as much drama as possible. The English version on the other takes a more traditional food program take where it focuses on improving how the kitchen is run and lets the drama be a less in your face and more sophisticated type. Therefore as a cook I prefer the English version better.
The episode I watched last night featured a restaurant in Scotland now known as Abstract and which had probably the fanciest walk-in refrigerator I have ever seen in my life. They actuall had the produce as fresh as possible (meaning crayfish were still alive and everything) and the produce was all the most expensive one could get. The way to do this: have a multi-millionaire owner.
Anyway I made the Creme Brulées last night and they are looking to be a great success. More information to follow.
The episode I watched last night featured a restaurant in Scotland now known as Abstract and which had probably the fanciest walk-in refrigerator I have ever seen in my life. They actuall had the produce as fresh as possible (meaning crayfish were still alive and everything) and the produce was all the most expensive one could get. The way to do this: have a multi-millionaire owner.
Anyway I made the Creme Brulées last night and they are looking to be a great success. More information to follow.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sick and Back again...
Had some small and annoying cold thingy thats kept me behind for a couple of days here but now it seems the worst is over and I am on the way back to good health. Tomorrow is a big day for cooking and I am planning on making Flammkuchen (as the Germans call it) or Tarte Flambée (French). Of course I am doing the vegetarian version so no bacon. This is a dish which is Alsatian in origin. To go with this I am also planning on serving Creme Brulée for dessert. This will be the first time that I have made Creme Brulée at home so I am a bit nervous about messing that up. However the friends we are having over for dinner supposedly have a burner so I am going to call them in a few minutes and ask them to bring it along.
My experience with Creme Brulée is that it has to be watched rather constantly so that the eggs don´t get a chance to overcook, because if they do you end up eating sweet scrambled eggs. There is also no better smell than when you have cut a vanilla bean and gotten some of the seeds on your hand. For a whole day you can smell vanilla on them.
I am still trying to decide if I should have some starters. I was thinking about some form of italian bread chips (the name is escaping me) with some tapenade or something like that. We shall see what happens.
......................................................................................................
Almost forgot to mention that we are planning on drinking Federweisser which you can read about here. Seeing as how its a fall thing, I think everything here is pretty much timed perfectly with the season.
My experience with Creme Brulée is that it has to be watched rather constantly so that the eggs don´t get a chance to overcook, because if they do you end up eating sweet scrambled eggs. There is also no better smell than when you have cut a vanilla bean and gotten some of the seeds on your hand. For a whole day you can smell vanilla on them.
I am still trying to decide if I should have some starters. I was thinking about some form of italian bread chips (the name is escaping me) with some tapenade or something like that. We shall see what happens.
......................................................................................................
Almost forgot to mention that we are planning on drinking Federweisser which you can read about here. Seeing as how its a fall thing, I think everything here is pretty much timed perfectly with the season.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Paranoia U.S. and A style
I have lost all hope of any kind of logical debate occuring in the US over healthcare. From either side. In my time living in the US and following politics there I cannot say that I have seen any good debates take place where both parties were involved. Take Presidential debates: both candidates blow smoke up each others ass because the American public don´t like to see their politicians bicker. Americans also supposedly believe in this concept of Bipartisanship. Bipartisanship is in many ways a practical way of saying hey we don´t actually want anything to really change so we take this half-assed approach where we water something down to the point where both parties look like losers. The democrats need an FDR, desperately and at the moment they haven´t got it. To Obama: stop bending over backwards and shove this thing through.
Paranoia and right-wing populism seems to be the way that the Republicans are going to retake the house and the senate. Too bad I would have loved to hear something solid coming out of their mouths instead of the garbage they are spewing at the time.
Funniest statement of the month: a man was interviewed on BBC about Carter´s comment that race is motivating a lot of the criticism of Obama (something I have not taken a stand on yet) and said something like this... actually racism in the US is not a real issue anymore. I almost died laughing wondering who the idiot who said this was.
Tonight Barcelona vs. Inter or as the press likes to call it Etoó versus Ibrahimovic. Hope Messi and Ibra rip through Inter.
Paranoia and right-wing populism seems to be the way that the Republicans are going to retake the house and the senate. Too bad I would have loved to hear something solid coming out of their mouths instead of the garbage they are spewing at the time.
Funniest statement of the month: a man was interviewed on BBC about Carter´s comment that race is motivating a lot of the criticism of Obama (something I have not taken a stand on yet) and said something like this... actually racism in the US is not a real issue anymore. I almost died laughing wondering who the idiot who said this was.
Tonight Barcelona vs. Inter or as the press likes to call it Etoó versus Ibrahimovic. Hope Messi and Ibra rip through Inter.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Invitation for Lesbian Haircuts
Todays facebook highlight had to be the invitation for a Lesbian haircut that a certain Quebecoise native sent me. I checked it out and laughed myself silly for about five minutes and then started thinking about it. How do these women go to a barber and request these styles? Do they do what we all did when we were young: take a photo of some celebrity we wanted to look like and kinda thought we would if we had their hair, or do they have proper terms for them? Are there barbers who specialize in cutting Lesbian´s hair? There are plenty of women in Berlin going around with these haircuts in any case.
Tonight the group stage of the Champions League begins and while I have to work tonight I am looking forward to watching the Barcelona/Inter Milan game tomorrow. It will be fun to watch Ibrahimovic face his former teammates so early on.
Tomorrow I have my first Yoga class for this fall term. Its going to be fun and a lot of pain. Last time around I was really starting to notice a difference after a month or two.
I think that there is no longer anything worth saving in the Republican party and hope that they will eventually expose themselves as the corporate party that they are instead of sucking up votes by playing nationalist and family value cards. Despicable.
Tonight the group stage of the Champions League begins and while I have to work tonight I am looking forward to watching the Barcelona/Inter Milan game tomorrow. It will be fun to watch Ibrahimovic face his former teammates so early on.
Tomorrow I have my first Yoga class for this fall term. Its going to be fun and a lot of pain. Last time around I was really starting to notice a difference after a month or two.
I think that there is no longer anything worth saving in the Republican party and hope that they will eventually expose themselves as the corporate party that they are instead of sucking up votes by playing nationalist and family value cards. Despicable.
Monday, September 14, 2009
There is something fishy about all this...
These protests have been the talk of the summer (and now the fall as well) in the US and A. They don´t necessarily seem to be going away either. Fox News and their make out buddies (you know who you are) take the approach that this is the voice of the "normal" American speaking out against his country being stolen out from him by fill-in-the-blank a. african-born unconstitutional leader b. marxist c. socialist d. fascist e. hitler f. stalin. g. mao h. all of the above. Just what exactly has he done so far to merit any of these empty phrases being thrown at him? I am not so sure really.
Health care. Its a debacle in the US and there is really no ignoring that. If the republicans manage to block this bill and/or water it down as they are hoping to do, we will be facing another long drawn out period of waiting for Americans to get tired of being taken advantage of by big corporations who reap profits off them being sick. That in itself is sick enough to merit change. Does anyone really truly deep down believe that capitalism will solve its own problems? It hasn´t been able to so far in history so why would that change this time?
Health care. Its a debacle in the US and there is really no ignoring that. If the republicans manage to block this bill and/or water it down as they are hoping to do, we will be facing another long drawn out period of waiting for Americans to get tired of being taken advantage of by big corporations who reap profits off them being sick. That in itself is sick enough to merit change. Does anyone really truly deep down believe that capitalism will solve its own problems? It hasn´t been able to so far in history so why would that change this time?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Le Weekend
This weekend was spent in the following manner: Friday was filled up from 11 am to 1 am with the wedding of a friend, Saturday was spent in a relaxing manner where the house was also cleaned up and I got a chance to watch some of the Barcelona game, then Sunday was spent having breakfast with a friend in Friedrichshain, going to the market in Boxhagener kiez and then home to do nothing (which is definitely underrated).
Today I wasted some time looking at photos of protestor´s signs in the US that are against Obama. I don´t really know what to think about this most of the time. I have narrowed it down to two options: A. these people are completely out of their minds and paranoid about everything or B. these people have no idea what is going on and are using this opportunity to prove just how bad American schools are for promoting free thinking.
All these notions that the US is being destroyed that are promoted on all the media outlets by such scum as Glenn Beck and co. are actually counterproductive to any debate taking place. These people are screaming that they should be heard, yet they are actually well represented in both the House and the Senate so this brings us back to the idea that American schools are doing fuck all to educate them about how democracy actually works. A diversity of ideas and a healthy debate are what make democracies and cultures strong. That Obama is labelled a Fascist or Communist at every turn is a slap in the face to anyone who fought either of those two forms of government. In fact it is a slap in the face to every veteran from WWII. I wish the Republican party had some intellectual thinkers who could debate things so that there would be a debate and not a minority mob chanting in the streets about their paranoia.
Today I wasted some time looking at photos of protestor´s signs in the US that are against Obama. I don´t really know what to think about this most of the time. I have narrowed it down to two options: A. these people are completely out of their minds and paranoid about everything or B. these people have no idea what is going on and are using this opportunity to prove just how bad American schools are for promoting free thinking.
All these notions that the US is being destroyed that are promoted on all the media outlets by such scum as Glenn Beck and co. are actually counterproductive to any debate taking place. These people are screaming that they should be heard, yet they are actually well represented in both the House and the Senate so this brings us back to the idea that American schools are doing fuck all to educate them about how democracy actually works. A diversity of ideas and a healthy debate are what make democracies and cultures strong. That Obama is labelled a Fascist or Communist at every turn is a slap in the face to anyone who fought either of those two forms of government. In fact it is a slap in the face to every veteran from WWII. I wish the Republican party had some intellectual thinkers who could debate things so that there would be a debate and not a minority mob chanting in the streets about their paranoia.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Berlin and Fall
The weather has taken its turn and the clouds are gathering. It seems that the summer has lasted so long that I am having a hard time remembering what a fall is like, though I won´t deny that I would have liked it to stay away a bit longer. Especially as I have started skateboarding again now pretty frequently.
I have a job interview tomorrow which is good, though its another restaurant job which doesn´t make it as great as I would wish. Maybe if this keeps up I can find a restaurant that focuses on Env. friendly food and make my mark through the world of food. It isn´t exactly what I had in mind but if that is where its at then I will be happy all the same.
I recently read the novel, or novella is more correct, named The Road by Cormac McCarthy. While I found great portions of it pretentious, I will say that some parts of it triggered my imagination into thinking whether or not some of the happenings would be possible. For instance if the governments completely ceased to exist and nothing grows anymore are humans going to return to a tribal mentality or even an individualistic cannibal lifestyle where friendship is only based on whether or not they increase the persons chance of survival (meaning at some point if the survival chances are lowered the said friends are likely to try to eat each other without even having to think about it). Essentially, we are just one nuclear war from falling apart. Somewhere there are dusty red buttons that some lunatic designed in the name of Mutual Assured Destruction.
I have a job interview tomorrow which is good, though its another restaurant job which doesn´t make it as great as I would wish. Maybe if this keeps up I can find a restaurant that focuses on Env. friendly food and make my mark through the world of food. It isn´t exactly what I had in mind but if that is where its at then I will be happy all the same.
I recently read the novel, or novella is more correct, named The Road by Cormac McCarthy. While I found great portions of it pretentious, I will say that some parts of it triggered my imagination into thinking whether or not some of the happenings would be possible. For instance if the governments completely ceased to exist and nothing grows anymore are humans going to return to a tribal mentality or even an individualistic cannibal lifestyle where friendship is only based on whether or not they increase the persons chance of survival (meaning at some point if the survival chances are lowered the said friends are likely to try to eat each other without even having to think about it). Essentially, we are just one nuclear war from falling apart. Somewhere there are dusty red buttons that some lunatic designed in the name of Mutual Assured Destruction.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Inhofe is a liar
Read the following link about Sen. Inhofe and once you are finished and if you find yourself agreeing with anything the guy is saying, please go check yourself into a mental hospital.
Link
Link
Berlin, Berlin
Raining cats and dogs this morning and to add to all that it didn´t start till about four in the morning when a loud crack of thunder pealed through the sky and woke me up. Maybe the grass will return to its more natural green color before fall has its savage way. Speaking of fall the leaves are turning just slightly and that means that winter is peeking its frigid eyes on us.
Amidst all this it somehow stopped raining a few minutes ago and that means that if this sun thing keeps up long enough the skate-spot at Hasenheide will be dry enough to hit up by six in the evening. Needless to say I am hoping for this option. Today is work on application day as well as try to figure out what other paperwork needs to be filled out so that I can change my name day.
I want to write a blog for ESPN about Hertha Berlin (the local Football team in the Bundesliga), but there is no contact information to get ahold of those individuals who can pull those strings. Work is ok for now but seeing as how the high season is about to end (if it has not already done so) means I need to find another temp. job for the moment.
Otherwise things are good today, going for a skate, got payed, and having chanterelles for dinner with the most beautiful woman in the world, well it doesn´t get much better.
Amidst all this it somehow stopped raining a few minutes ago and that means that if this sun thing keeps up long enough the skate-spot at Hasenheide will be dry enough to hit up by six in the evening. Needless to say I am hoping for this option. Today is work on application day as well as try to figure out what other paperwork needs to be filled out so that I can change my name day.
I want to write a blog for ESPN about Hertha Berlin (the local Football team in the Bundesliga), but there is no contact information to get ahold of those individuals who can pull those strings. Work is ok for now but seeing as how the high season is about to end (if it has not already done so) means I need to find another temp. job for the moment.
Otherwise things are good today, going for a skate, got payed, and having chanterelles for dinner with the most beautiful woman in the world, well it doesn´t get much better.
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