Let's have the funny one first, a poster found by one of the writers at Hauptstadtblog: "Nazis are stealing our jobs." A neat reversal of the usual, right-wing complaint about foreigners.
[cheers Rhochus]
Now for the less funny one. Seems some Hamburg lawyer is about to be gifted a defunct hotel in Delmenhorst so that he can develop it into a sort of Neo-Nazi conference center. The city and its residents (or, one supposes, many of them) have been trying to figure out ways to block the purchase, but the building's owner seems intent on just giving the hotel away. Delmenhorsters have raised nearly Euro 700K in a few days, I guess to buy the hotel themselves, and the city was set to donate additional funds. Then the city quickly declared the vicinity around the building a redevelopment zone, which gives it the right to purchase any building in that area before a private individual or corporation could do so. In spite of this fight, however, it seems at this point that the lawyer is going to win.
In part because it strikes close to "home" (i.e. NW Germany) for me, this news makes me feel defensive and angry. It's not the first time this guy has established Nazi facilities of this kind (the pub in Pößneck that hosted a big NPD rally and concert a few years ago is his, too), and it makes me sick to my stomach to see him branching out. But I'm wondering what other people think of this: to what extent does the state (here, the city government) have the right to step in and block a sale like this when it's clear what its purpose is? What kinds of precedents are there? And does this bring us back to the discussion of whether limiting the rights of right-wingers in Germany does anything to prohibit the growth of the movement (c.f. the discussion around banning the NPD)?
[An aside: given Grass' recent announcement, I realize that this post should be three things about Nazis, but I haven't quite gotten around to articulating my thoughts on that one yet. Mostly I think it's a shame that he didn't admit to being in the SS sooner, even if he was only a kid, and even if he never fired a shot himself. He still should have mentioned it. But I can't believe that this late admission lessens the value of his writing or his years of usually very clear-headed--if slightly smug--political critique.]
Across the street from our house there's a big, square reservoir encircled by a fence. Last week we noticed that the water level was dropping: it seems it's time for its annual cleaning. So today, finally, men with trucks are pottering around in the cold damp, attaching hoses to compressors, I presume to get ready to pressure blast the walls. I have a feeling it's going to be a noisy few weeks while they get this taken care of.
And an ugly few weeks, too. With no water in it, the reservoir looks sort of like a low football stadium draped in plastic, and it's the same grey color as the sky today. When it's sunny, it's really nice to have the water across the street, all sparkly and constantly moving. But when it's grey like this it just looks like a big murky mess. I suppose that's how it'll be all winter long, so I'd better get used to a somewhat dreary view from this window. It'll help me get more work done, right? Plus, most of the time it'll be dark, anyway. Sigh.
It finally rained today, only a little bit, but possibly enough that the scorched earth that is our yard might be able to relax a little. When I went out to see if anything still needed to be watered, I found a whole army of snails all over the front flower bed, including a bunch of wee baby snails with their wee baby houses. I played snail harvest and ended up with about twenty of the buggers in my watering cup. And then, because I have this thing about killing stuff that's any bigger than a gnat, I walked the snails down to the park and dumped them under some bushes.
This is the second time this summer I've done this, and I'm starting to wonder how many more of them are hiding under that layer of pine needles and rose petals. I guess I'll find out the next time it rains.
Other people conduct extensive research on local food culture for a living.
(Well, at least this makes me glad to be in a 'real' city, even if I'm currently living pretty darn far away from the strip in question.)
EDIT: Having reread this, I'm not sure if I was clear. It's not all about unlimited grazing, obviously; it's making quality judgments, writing for a deadline, and braving criticism. Hard work, and in this case it's work that might help out some small businesses. Still, I'm totally envious of the eating part.
Alright, I don't know about that, but seriously, this Ok Go video was truly one of the highlights of my week. Did they really do that in one take? I want to believe it.
So now I'll be a sport. At least as a latecomer I'm in good company):
warum bloggst du? / why do you blog?
Let’s see. Technically I haven’t blogged in a while. But I guess that, whenever I do get around to writing something, it’s because I need to think something through more carefully. Articulating ideas in the blog has been really useful, even when it’s also been a distraction from my “real” work.
seit wann bloggst du? / how long have you been blogging?
Apparently since August of 2003.
selbstportrait? / gotta pitcher?
Here’s one Andrew took; since I reformatted it I'm calling it a self-portrait. Gotta love that hat.
warum lesen deine leser deinen blog? / why do people read your blog?
Do they? I suspect some do out of habit, which is fine by me. But at the beginning, we were addressing the same kinds of issues, and I suppose more brains makes for better discussions. Plus cat pictures. Haven’t been many of those in a while.
welche war die letzte suchanfrage, über die jemand auf deine seite kam? / what was the last search that landed someone on your blog?
(Wait, I forget, how do I find my stats again?) Since there’s no indication of which was the *last* one, I’ll use the one that’s the funniest: “gerhard richter pain.”
welcher deiner blogeinträge bekam zu unrecht zu wenig aufmerksamkeit? / which entry didn’t get the attention it deserved?
I try not to think of it that way--witness the fact that I couldn't remember how to get to my stats--because if I did I’d just be disappointed that no one was reading and forget that the writing itself is useful too. Really.
dein aktuelles lieblings-blog? / favorite current read?
Hm. It seems to be Slog, although at times it’s so cliquey I can’t stand it. Still, it’s been a good way to get oriented, however subjectively, to Seattle politics and culture.
an welche vier blogs wirfst du das stöckchen weiter und warum? / who gets the baton now and why?
I believe I’ll excuse myself from this portion since absolutely everyone has already either done this or willfully ignored it. On the other hand, if you’d like the opportunity to testify, consider this an open invitation.