Author: Almut Leitner

So, had the EM finally with Portugal taking it all, apart from the embarrassing hooligan behavior we are really happy to say that there were no other attacks (if so: pls report to the authorities) – ah, Germany did not succeed in the EM after being world champion – and? Drama? Of course it is disappointing as the aim was to win. But – if the most offensive players missed because of injuries mostly and the few left could not replace their jobs… I am not talking about the strange ‘Müller Elfmeter’ in the game vs. Italy… In front of the TV we only saw the UEFA pictures resp. what the UEFA allowed us to see – in the stadium and for the players it is always different – for everyone directly involved in the game, no matter what role.
We loved to see strong teams we never had the chance to see before in the championships – Slovakia, Hungary, …; and no one would have bet on Iceland or Wales reaching the play offs.

I am not a soccer expert (Thomas is much more) but some things in my eyes were really weird – and some new ideas how to play the game to give it another twist I really could identify. Learning effect. Some were complaining that there is too much money spent on soccer.
Well, for some players (in the player market in general), stadiums, for advertising, may be.
But the effect – ask those who travelled and had the chance to visit France, to be part of the crowd in the stadiums, who earned money with the EM, even in small bars, restaurants…

Ah, and the Olympic Games! Rio, Samba feelin’, sunshine, Copacabana… favelas, crime and corruption. Lot of Russian athletes missed it as did a lot of politicians (Were they on vacation?
The politicians, I mean; the athletes, there is the doping reason). Well, the Olympics are still fascinating, I think nobody can deny it. But troubles are rising: started with Rio itself, the Olympic Village being not really in shape, the arenas that won’t be used by the poor afterwards (IOC, are there any plans?), the strange behaviours of some athletes and so on…
Mr. Bach celebrating – the games, his power – the power that failed in dismissing the Russian athletes completely for systematic doping reasons.
Positive signs are nevertheless arisin’ like athletes sponsoring their medals for good e.g.

New records have been set up, the stars did their job like every athlet did – as he/ she started
in Rio. This alone is an achievement and the pure medal counting is only a part of the big whole thing. And please, if you set the goals for medals – then make it possible to gain them and support the trainings and the effort behind… legally, of course.

Apart from sports, Europe and the world behaves hectic these days.

Brexit – now a fact – will have big impact – not only in economy and the financial markets – no, it will have direct influence on the people – free travels and work? Sorry, no longer possible.

Hey, I expected to have a job in the new wind parks? Sorry man, the company will leave
after the Brexit.

Oh, your spouse is living in another EU country? Hm, well, oh, do we have a paragraph for that? And so on…

New job for the EU, for sure. Brexit…, well, a lot of people just did not really know what the referendum was all about…

Attacks seem to be everywhere – in France right after the EM in Nice, in the US (esp. in the southern parts of the country) the police faces a kind of counter reaction. In Germany, we had attacks in Bavaria. And in Japan. And in… Terror, amok, IS, the words are buzzing through the press. Security. Big thing – may be the British play the island joker as a solution
‘Ha, come on over if you want to, but swim! To make it fair: We allow Burkinis.’

In politics – of course – they seem to have the right solutions. And the easy ones at first sight people believe right away. Main issue: strong leader. Seems as if it doesn’t matter anymore if he tends to be a dictator then or not (even Erdogan’s election has been democratic…ha, ha).
How would you describe Trump then? Some media here (even the ones I thought were always critical) now tend to underestimate a possible Trump effect, in case he would be elected.
And what about Mr. Putin? And…?

Is there still the good tradition of ‘Diskurs’, also in politics? Talk to each other first – and do not give the demagogs too much room. I am really concerned about the fact that whatever has been revealed about Trump and his campaign is forgotten the next day – disappointing that the  and the NATO seem to have no idea how to handle Turkey. Now, Germany is warning Turkey:
‘Do not implement death penalty.’ Oh gosh, what about the other things happening now and happened right after the coup bid? Shortcut answer? ‘Sovereign State’…

And here in Germany? The political parties are kind of self-destroying or, OK, re-adjusting themselves. CSU and CDU are always competing, in persona Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Seehofer, well, Mr. Söder is preparing to be Seehofer II, Mr. Gabriel as Vice Chancellor at the moment seems
to be divided into three: left-left, left and green, the ‘Greens’ want to take over the power
with a ‘Öko Diktatur’, the AfD seems to fall into two parts (we will see if two parties of this kind is even worse than having just one proclaiming a ‘new (in fact: too old) national position’),
and so on…

Berlin is voting for the House on SEP, 18 and the parties have mounted their election posters, some more in a funny comic style, some of course very serious and some are not readable at all. And one party decided to paint their posters themselves… well, but very embarrassing:
CDU posters claim for ‘SICHER lernen’, ‘SICHER feiern’ etc. (‘SECURE learning’,
‘SECURE’ celebrating’). Annoying: no fellow citizens appear whatever their skin colour is…. hm, security for the white ones only? And what will Berlin visitors think?
International Berlin, open society, tolerant??? If I missed posters that show Berlin reality pls announce.
And may be someone has simply forgotten to tell Mrs. Merkel about it?
‘Wir schaffen das.’ So far away if Berlin itself puts up these kind of posters;
moreover, I missed comments in the Berlin press about that too.

Remember what life is: ‘It isn’t black and white’ as a good friend told me years ago when I was a student (as he noticed that I still used an old black and white TV). I changed – of course…

Want a short dog notice? New law regarding dog handling in Berlin, most of it starting later, beginning 2017. Beware, the more you regulate the more people will demand their rights and – again – bureaucracy will rise… end of discussion, end of Diskurs.

And here another notice that caught my eye (HC(A) Online, Jul 18, 2016 Julia Yates, UEL, stated):

‘If all the usual plans and ideas have failed, the organization is likely to look around,
desperate to try anything which might work. Even a woman.’

Hopefully this statement is ironic Mrs. Yates. Because one thing is clear: Women are not pure fill-ins. Not at all. If women now are the “Red” Adairs in times of crisis –
hey then, pay us an extra fee for taking all the risk: for bursting through the glass ceilings, etc. Would be fair enough.

 You cannot find your way through in this world respectively these topics are not interesting for you at all (‘Ph, the world… I have my problems here and they are more important!’)? It is up to you, but nevertheless, a last comment:

Finally, let’s make a cosmic outlook: Proxima Centauri b – another possible next planet, earthlike. If everything is too confusing here – hey, there is a promising new planet to start again 😉
(kidding, of course, solve the problems where they are…).

and even a 4 days visit only is just great – and why not get away from New York City
for one day if you have the time and already know the most popular sights to visit
(the Libeskind Tower we saw for the first time)? Eating out is always an option in the city –
we did it in Chelsea and Brooklyn. And of course walked along the new prolongation of the
High Line up north (ignoring a bit the hasty crowd nearly running up and down the walkway).
After having visited a fabolous Robert Ryman show at Dia:Chelsea we spontaneously decided:
“Let’s make a ‘Sunday Art Tour’ with a special MTA ticket, the entrance fee for visiting Dia:Beacon included.”

We did it (better: Thomas and Almut, I *sigh* had to stay at home as for this kind of short trip the efforts would have been enormous to travel with them you know… would have been
an airport quarantine visit only…). Not to forget: THE reason we had been in New York
has been a Saturday housewarming party (‘awesome’, our hosts would say)…
And as we managed not to get drunk we could carry out our plan for Sunday.

Started the trip with the MTA Hudson Line at Grand Central on Sunday morning
(well, ‘morning’, about 10 a.m. …). The Station itself wasn’t that crowded as during
the normal working hours so we easily could get the tickets, had enough time to stroll around
to get us something to eat and drink.
Ah, and the Great Hall – we know many movies where the Great Hall
is part of the scenery, do you?

The clock, the ceiling, the bar on the mezzanine, etc., we knew already,
but for the very first time we stepped onto one of the over 100 platforms –
to get a train called ‘Yankee Doodle’.
Very impressing, indeed, to enter the platform from the Great Hall…

 The first part of the trip, right until the first stop on Harlem 125th Str., we were travelling underground like in a tube. From Harlem, crossing the Harlem River, the train took us through the western part of the Bronx, right up along the Hudson River. And in fact, the Hudson is nearly always on view (if you are lucky to sit on the left side!);
and many more interesting sites: old and new industry buildings, stadiums, bridges, bridges, bridges…,
hills, jungle like nature sceneries and canyon cliffs, an old toll station, an art park, harbors –
even Westpoint is on view (on the western bank of the Hudson, opposite to Garrison).
At first we did not recognize it – it is huge, connected to an old fort and looks like a city itself… so close to NYC.
Some of the stations (on Sunday we passed several, the train only stopped at some selected stations) still have Indian names – like Manitou for example.
About one hour later we reached our destination, short up hill walk – and we stood right
in front of the ‘temple of art’ as a good NY friend told us Dia:Beacon is for her.
Having spent hours in the halls with fabolous art pieces, arranged and installed in a really
great manner – there is nothing to add to this view.

My (Almut’s) personal favorites? The Robert Irwin work that seemed to me like a
‘White Kasbah’,
Read more →

Beautiful weather? Did you succeed in finding your Easter eggs?

Easter… From a Bloody Sunday 100 years ago in Dublin, Ireland,
to the still existing Ostermärsche today.

Not everywhere – even in Germany – it is appropriate to wish each other Happy Easter. Depending on the historical background of the country/ region/ place you are at that moment
you are proclaiming something – what you might not have intended.

But, we do not wish each other a bloody sunday, but a happy one.
And as long as we truly behave like that it is just right. No matter the religion behind.

A while ago, the 71st celebration of the liberation of the Auschwitz KZ took place in Oświęcim and other places and the Great Coalition in Berlin was able to create the Asylpaket II.

Well, read about it briefly in the media – and it seems that everybody is tolerating the fact
that it will be easier to send refugees back when they are ‘in frail health‘.

Merkel, Gabriel und Seehofer wollen gesundheitlich angeschlagene Flüchtlinge leichter abschieben, nur eine schwere Krankheit soll vor Abschiebung schützen.
(source: SPIEGEL ONLINE, Der Kompromiss-Kompromiss  die Fakten zum Asylpaket II)

What health? Financial, psychological or physical or what? And then?
Getting even more ill in your home country? Perhaps killed? Ups.

“Oh, you have a flue? We do not need your viruses/ bacteria.” And 1, 2, 3 you will be put on the next plane (if you are lucky, otherwise you might walk back…), getting even more infected by the AC (meanwhile you have a severe bronchitis) and when entering your home country again you find yourself with a severe double bacterial pneumonia; but: every hospital has been bombed…

Who will decide on the health status, based on what facts? Is there already a hidden agenda with the diseases behind?

Last but not least we won’t forget the AfD and Mrs. Petry who celebrated *pardon* shooted herself out of the democratic game lately claiming that the border control should “notfalls von der Schußwaffe Gebrauch machen”. To withhold unregistered refugees from entering Germany via Austria. Like in the GDR, the other way around. Belated best wishes Mrs. Petry.

I am glad to read that even the NYT got notice of that right-wing development here. And with the latest election results in 3 of our Bundesländer the ‘old’ parties face the movement in their parliaments in person. Big task… for all of us.

Story of a Berlin dog owner:

Had to pay 25 EUR (’25 EUR OK for you?’ I have been kindly asked by one of the 2 people of the Public Order Office) because I was walking my dog in a Landschaftsschutzgebiet in Berlin off-leash. (Side note: What are dogs allowed to do there? ‘Walk on leash only‘ (Everywhere?)- well, at least this sounds better than Leinenzwang or Leinenpflicht – these words are so disgusting…).

I did not want to pay and had a discussion with the 2 Ordnungsamt people:

No, I won’t pay.
So take your belt instead of the leash then.
Do not wear one.
Then carry your dog.
No, it is a dog and I want my dog to stand on his 4 feet on the ground.’

End of story – handling and administration fee included?

I had to pay over 60 EUR – and still refused to do so. Next level: court. And in the very end – after having heard one of the Public Order Office people (who in fact could not remember everything that happened that very day…) the judge said:
‘Know what? I own a dog as well.’

Happy Ending?! Case closed – the man obviously knew his rights and maxed them out,
kept lots of people busy – handling and administration fee included – to gain what in the end?
Hopefully new ideas regarding the handling of dogs in protectorates of various kinds.

Have been watching lots of winter sports on TV. Lately, in one of the biathlon competitions (men), Mr. Lesser started very slowly, as the last one in the competition – but he knew that the others would prepare the ground for him (as it was snowing). Looking at the total distance, he moved forward step by step, paced himself, brilliant in shooting. So he finished finally number one with 0 failures in shooting.

If this has been his strategy – an excellent one indeed.

Some are complaining that Berlin only plays a minor part in my texts. So, here we go with some examples from my daily walks&talks.

Have been talking about toxic baits lately with some folks while walking in the park. Huge problem for us as dogs – and small children as well! Not mentioning other living beings. Everyone laying out these baits, we should ask: “Wanna share?”

And to everyone smashing bottles on the ground: “Come on now, take off your shoes and socks and walk over it. You don’t want to? Can understand, hurts me too. Bring it off.”

Stole a ball from a ball- mad hyperactive young lady. Did not give it back. Why should I? To reinforce being ball addicted? Her carer said that this is stealing movable property and can be reported to the authorities. Poor me… But, well, hasn’t the fact of throwing the ball all the time not caused the crime in first place? Forensic nitpicks.

How the game ended? The ball junky went on with one of my balls while I was investigating the physical characteristics of the other one (hm, attractive, love orange, good size…). Finally the man threw my ball in my direction and Almut convinced me that my ball is more attractive than the other dog one’s.

What did the humans do that night for nearly an hour? So very much different compared to the calm Christmas days… Now I know it is just another kind of celebration. The Chinese for example do it extensively when celebrating their New Year (this year it will be FEB 8th, and know what? At that time, the world’s largest migration movement takes place). Me, now, traumatized? No, I am sure I have not encountered irreversible damage after that night, thank you for your concern.

Damage? Well, in Cologne, obviously a group of men did something illegal what left marks of various types. Offensively touching women – this is sexual harassment! Plus pickpocketing. Rip-off. Awful. Attacks against personal inviolability. Plus: in front of the dome! What a shame.

There have been lots of discussions and direct consequences afterwards – I am sure you read/ heard it in the news, even abroad. Some say it was planned, some say no, some believe that this is another proof that the migration politics in Germany fails, etc. pp.

Nearly nobody is talking about the victims, the women. Instead: higher level actions and hunting the offenders. Typical male habit? Hunting the offenders? And the women: just left alone with their fear? Shall they now buy pepper sprays, have gun licenses and carry weapons? “Rüstungstechnische Gleichberechtigung”? Oh no… Will be a nice carnival then. Everybody armed like in the middle ages. And the days/ weeks/ months/ … after?

‘Fear is a bad counselor’ – and wearing weapons is also – at least partly – a fear based reaction. But after such attacks – who or what can still the victims’ fears? And do not forget: there were more than than just a few men attacking – these have been large groups of men acting together.

They have been acting criminal, no doubt at all. The case again brings an old aspect into play – gender equality. ‘Oh, in Germany we are so developed regarding gender equality.’ Ph. As if these kinds of attacks between Germans never take place.

Don’t we all want our personal inviolability to be respected? If you are worried: speak out loud.