Meet me at the lake

Life moves on quickly. After my stint in Winnipeg, I now live in Fort Frances, Northwestern Ontario to conduct my dissertation fieldwork. I specify Northwestern, because this country here is nothing like Toronto which most people tend to think about when hearing Ontario. In fact, Toronto and Lake Ontario are about an 18h drive away. The next bigger town is 2.5h away. It has about 15000 inhabitants. Considering the vast areas of bogs, rocks, and lakes that cover this country, the sparse population does not surprise. Although the villages and towns around here have a distinct frontier feel to them—think logging trucks and gold mines—this country is steeped in old and rich Indigenous culture. Just this weekend I visited the Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation powwow. There are sweat lodge ceremonies happening almost daily, and the manoomin (a.k.a. wild rice) harvest is around the corner.

Speaking of manoomin, my dissertation focuses on how a hydro-dam here in Fort Frances impacts manoomin and the Ojibwe communities. It keeps me rather busy and so I hardly find time for blogging. When I started this blog, it was my main writing outlet. Now I am a PhD candidate and my writing opportunities have exploded. For example, Agriculture and Human Values has published the summary about my Master's thesis on Pockets of Peasantness in Upstate New York. Another piece that I have co-authored with Sarah Eisler and Brian Thiede has appeared in Global Environmental Change and there is more work in the pipe.

I'll probably stay busy for a while. It's time for my to apply for faculty jobs and post-docs for next year. These applications are their own side-project. When I do manage to take some down time, I make sure to enjoy this beautiful country and go out on Rainy Lake or camping. Isn't it beautiful here?

Reviewing James Scott's “Against the Grain”

It so happened that the subject of my second published book review, like my first, might be categorized as contemporary anarchist scholarship. Good to see that there is a space for this kind of work in the academy. This time, I like to introduce James Scott's "Against the Grain", published by Yale University Press. The book's core message, that the integration of hunters, gatherers, pastoralists, and other mobile peoples into sedentary, agrarian society has been a deeply political process of an elite trying to force peoples into a social structure that served the formers' personal interests against the letters' will is an assault on conventional narratives about unilateral civilizational progress and the inevitability of a hierarchical, agrarian society. Provocative, and - given the presented evidence - convincing stuff. Anyway, I loved this piece. Check out my review in the Journal of Agriculture and Human Values.

When blogging about my first book review, I thanked the author Alex Barnard to encourage fellow grad students like me to stay true to our values and conviction to pursue radical scholarship. Now, James Scott doesn't need more recognition and life-time achievement awards, but I still like to acknowledge that your scholarship - and success as a professor despite unpopular, "against-the-grain"-type of arguments - encouraged me to even enter academia and stick to it to this day. I will do my best to carry on that legacy!

finding my pace VS slowing-down-to-speed-up

I read an article in Die Zeit on the ever increasing tempo of our world, about the ever accelerating rate of change and the difficulty of the human mind to keep up with it. The author Ulrich Schnabel suggests that a key skill of our time is to both be lighting fast when need be, but also be able to slow down when need be. Slowing down is portrayed as a means to recharge and ultimately to keep up. This may indeed be a useful strategy to be successful by today's dominant standards, yet it is also written from a colonialist standpoint. The accelerating rate of change is not a natural force but it is man-made and largely fueled by burning fossil energy. It benefits those that rather have us consume and spend money than create and reflect. I have yet to see that anyone has gotten happier by responding to a text message faster or loading a browser tab in half a second vs two. The slowing-down-to-speed-up strategy is about aligning ourselves to someone else's pace rather than finding our own. However, being happy is neither about slowing down nor speeding up but about doing the things that are meaningful to us in a mindful way, however long that will take us.

Reviewing Alex Barnard's "Freegans: diving into the wealth of food waste in America."

I'm equally surprised and pleased, that my first academic publication is a book review about freeganism and dumpster diving. I absolutely loved reading Alex Barnard's "Freegans: diving into the wealth of food waste in America." I'm not gonna write more about the book here, just check out the review at the Journal of Agriculture and Human Values.There are certainly moments in grad school, when you're wondering if the path that you've chosen is the right one, but when you get a chance to be involved in scholarship on some radical anarchists and their interpretation of how messed up our capitalist food system is, it makes you wonder a little less.On a slightly more somber note: isn't it ironic that copyright law and my agreement with the publisher prohibits me from posting my own review on a book on freeganism on my blog?Also, if you ever read this: Go Alex! You wrote such a great book and it hugely inspirational that a grad student on the other side of the country devotes his dissertation work on such an important yet often intentionally ignored topic. Thank you!

Pockets of Peasantness - Small-scale Agricultural Producers in the Central Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York

Over the course of 2015 and 2016 I worked on my master's thesis called "Pockets of Peasantness - Small-scale Agricultural Producers in the Central Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York" which is finally available online.In case you haven't downloaded and read it already, here's what it is about. Some people call this an abstract:Farmers in the Central Finger Lakes Region of New York (USA) balance their production between principles of peasant farming and capitalist farming. They struggle to extend their sphere of autonomy and subsistence production, while extended commodity production is often a response to external forces of the state and capital. This struggle, together with a quantitative increase of small farms, can be described as an instance of repeasantization.Based on inductive, empirical qualitative social research, and in particular, ethnographic participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this thesis describes the economy and social organization of six farms in the area under investigation. Besides selling commodities to pay for many farming inputs and consumer goods, the farms produce for their subsistence and that of their community. They exchange products and services with other farms, they build networks of mutual provisioning, support and mentorship and try to take good care of the land.This thesis shows that subsistence production and peasant culture are not restricted to the past or the Global South, but also exist in the United States of America, albeit subject to the globalized capitalist market economy. I suggest that these pockets of peasantness are an important source of inspiration for society at large, while the dominant capitalistic social order fails to deliver good living conditions for most people. It is therefore critical to support farmers in their struggle.

Refugees Welcome - Some thoughts on the current events in Europe

While I enjoy labor day weekend in Upstate New York, the news about refugees arriving in Europe are becoming overwhelming. It is strange to observe these historic events from a country, that tends to see itself as the center of the world and yet couldn't be more away from the events that currently dominate the global news. Isolated by a huge ocean and the unwillingness to take responsibility for a crisis, that is not completely unrelated to American intervention in the Middle East, the US is merely a supporting actor in this plot, at best. To be fair, the US have their own issues with refugees and immigration. No western country has accepted more refugees than the US. And yet, the American willingness to help people escaping from war and political prosecution is very limited in comparison to the millions of refugees in the middle east.But this article is not about the US, but an attempt to make sense of what is currently happening in Europe. I used to accuse Europe for a racist immigration policy, that willingly accepts thousands of refugees to die in their attempt to cross the border. And I don't see much reason, or hope, to change my opinion anytime soon. When Merkel is now credited for her human stance on helping refugees, it is less her politics that have changed than it is the number of people trying to find a refuge in Europa. We read about the thousands of refugees that arrive in Germany or Hungary every day, but people continue to die at the borders.And yet, the tracks of refugees across Europe points out a few issue I like to address:

• The hundreds of thousands of refugees are a very powerful reminder, that much is messed up in this world. I do not like the term "refugee crisis", as it implies that the refugees themselves are the problem. But framed differently, the term becomes useful. It is fair to say that every single refugee experiences a personal and a collective crisis. And refugees are a small, often privileged group that represent much greater crises. The war crises in Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia etc. cause misery and often death to millions who cannot or do not want to escape. Other crises, as the food crisis, the climate crisis or the poverty crisis add on top of that. While not officially recognized as reasons to seek asylum, they are experienced in a similar way, as a threat to life.  When refugees from these countries come to Europe to seek asylum, it reminds us, that these crises are our crises. Not in a way, that Europe should intervene wherever it can. But certainly in a way, that we rethink our legacy of colonialism and global economic domination, which impact that has on other parts of the world and how we can help each other to solve those crises that threaten us all as humankind. Because we're all in it together.
• Europe remains a popular goal for people in distress. Neither Europe's politics of deportation and closed borders nor [growing numbers of attacks on refugees]() stop people from trying to get there. The degree of political stability and recognition of human rights in Europe compared to countries such as Syria or Afghanistan can't be taken for granted. I find a lot to criticize and improve in Europe, but sometimes it's useful to put things in perspective.
• It is said that Europe (it's a gross generalization, I know) is good at a few things. In disciplines such as economic power, individual wealth, education, health, even personal well-being, at least some European countries rank in the top tier. But when we see pictures of refugees walking on rail tracks or sleeping in tents or on the street amid the oh-so-wealthy Europe, we have to conclude, that Europe is terrible in being a good host and helper. Europe can built skyscrapers and high-speed trains, but apparently it is incapable of providing for people, that have lost everything and reach out for help.
• There is growing divide among Europeans and their government(s). While the latter try to stop as many refugees from entering Europe as possible and try to get rid of those who made it, backed up by a to a great extend xenophobic electorate, more and more people take charity in their own hands and organize help to welcome and support refugees. About a year ago, we organized a small group of students at my university to support refugees, who have moved into a shelter right next to our school. When I now see hundreds of volunteers in Vienna (and elsewhere, like Munich or Hungary), who try to help where they can, it gives me hope, that humanity is not lost. It is great to see, how these idealistic and self-organized groups are so much more efficient in providing for people in distress than the officials.In a way, this is telling about the neoliberal course Europe is taking. Charity and humanity is privatized and delegated to a minority who has the time and means to provide social services. While I cannot thank those activists enough (and I almost feel guilty that I cannot be among them right now), their commitment is no justification for the government to reduce services. Rather, it should be a signal, that people in Europe are willing and able to support refugees and that their government should follow suit. So if anyone in Europe deserves credit for humanity and helpfulness, it's the civil society, the activists and not the government(s) nor Europe as a whole.
• In some way, this current period of flight reminds me of other historic events, when people tried to escape one country to get into another. Remember, when Europe was like the Middle East today and one crazy group called Germans or Nazis tried to dominate and extinguish other Europeans? Millions fled to countries close (like Jordan or Turkey today) and far (just like Germany today). When Merkel announced that refugees in Hungary could proceed to Germany without being stopped it remind me a lot of 1989 when East German refugees in the German embassy suddenly were allowed to move to Western Germany.  Every event is unique and history only repeats so much, but I think it is time to reciprocate the generosity Europeans have experienced during those times.

This entry is mostly an article about the grand scheme of things, of flight and humanity. And yet, we shouldn't forget this isn't only an arena of political struggle. It is the sum of million individual stories and destinies of people who risk their lives for a better future. I wish people in Europe keep that in mind when they consider their personal response to the current events.

borders instead of humanity - Why I accuse Europe for the murder of thousands of refugees

This is going to be a rant on a racist Europe that kills thousands of refugees each year. To put all my cards on the table, I disapprove of borders (writing this seems as trivial as saying I disapprove of being run over by a car but as it turns out, it is not as trivial). They exist so people inside the borders don't have to deal with what is going on outside. The whole argument about people from all over the world coming to some presumably "developed" country and thus ultimately lower its standard of life, boils down to the attitude, that those who enjoy this standard of life don't want to share it. They enjoy being on the favored side of the inequality. Of course, this inequality exists with or without borders. But with borders, it's much easier not to look at it, making the people inside the borders feel good.I am aware, that the world being the way it currently is, makes the vision of a human society without borders look like a leftist, anarchist utopia (to those who lack imagination and especially to those, who in fact appreciate their borders). I'm just writing this as a primer on why borders suck in general so you don't have to point out my position, when I now continue to write, why they suck in particular.The dying of more than thousand refugees in the Mediterranean during the last week has in fact very little to do with one's stance on borders in general. Like them or not, it is apparent that people are willing to cross them at all costs, even risking their own lives. And it is also apparent, that the Mediterranean Sea is the kind of border, you either cross or you die. And the European border policy and police makes it clear, they rather see you die than crossing the Mediterranean. One could argue, this is not true, sure do the various European border guards rescue refugees in distress at sea. Oh these hypocrites. Making sure that refugees can't just take the safe ferries from Tangier or Tunis - and, instead, have to resort to overloaded, life-threatening boats - and then even getting credit for picking a few back out of the water. So what's gonna happen, if the coast guard destroys potential border crossing boats as has been proposed in the last days? Besides effectively destroying the fishing fleet of the North African countries...rubber boats! Even more distress at sea. Even more deaths.So if all the people that expressed their sorrow over the most recent catastrophes would actually mean to save lives, they would allow legal and affordable ways of entering the country. What happens then, is where my leftist anarchist vision would come in. In my world, there would be people waiting for the newcomers with music and hot tea and the newcomers could immediately do and get what everyone else is allowed to do or entitled to get. The point is, even if one disagrees with this vision and everyone would have to apply to remain in the country and the application would be assessed according to the rule of the law (as it is now - at least in theory - the case for everyone who manages to get into Europe alive. The theory-qualification is due to the fact, that more often than not, refugees are not treated according to the rule of the law and instead are being abused or deported without a fair process), people would not have to die in the sea. So all the proposals of increasing the funds for search and rescue missions aren't changing a thing, that refugees still have to resort to the dangerous sea in the first place. The green proposal to not only increase funds but also widen the area in which theses rescue missions can operate, is not an exception.Therefore, if politicians wanted to save lives, they would NOW allow everyone to legally enter Europe. History has thought us that the unconditional opening of borders from one moment to the other is possible. Compared to the saving of thousands of lives, all the problems that may arise in consequence are subordinate. Kenia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Turkey and Iran have accepted more than 500.000 refugees each. Lebanon and Pakistan more then a million. Did this cause massive humanitarian problems in the refugees camps? Yes. Still, people choose these camp over residing in countries of war, terror, torture and/or political prosecution. I am not saying that massive, slum-like camps are the best way to treat people. They are actually pretty bad. Still, the rescuing of human lives must come first.I don't see this happening, though. And as a result, I accuse those in power in Europe and everyone who supports them of racism, as the life of a foreign refugees seem to weigh less than the quality of life of people from inside the border. Secondly, I accuse the same people of complicity to murder. As had been expressed several times, the death of refugees in the Mediterranean is not only accepted, it is used as a (inefficient) tool to control borders by scaring new people from crossing the sea by boat. Thus, refugees die by purpose of the European border policy. To me, that's an act of active, fatal violence that I, lacking legal expertise but owning a common sense and some degree of sympathy, call murder. Shame on you, Europe.

Why we keep stuff

Due to my frequent moving through Europe, I'm often confronted with the question why I, why people in general, keep stuff. Travelling is soooo much easier with 1-2 bag and as long I don't live forever in a place with a massive warehouse attached, most things are a pain in the butt, really. So why don't I chuck them away, getting rid of the forever? I try to examining this question by sorting all my possessions in categories and than, trying to find the reasons why I keep these things. All that with the aim, to question these reasons and give these things away, at last. Or in other words, distinguish the really useful possessions from the less useful ones.OK, let's get started:

1. potential use (e.g. books you've already read , Australian cattle lead, special wrench)You know, one day in your life, you'll need them.Problem: That day, you won't find them among all the other potential helpers respectively clutter. That is, these things don't have any use for you, you can easily give them away.Solution: That special day, when you actually need them (if it comes, at all), borrow them from someone. (You can even try to remember, who you gave yours)
2. books to read (all the books you got last christmas, also newspaper articles you cut out and these free magazines you picked up somewhere)They are all VERY EXCITING. You want to read the NOW.Problem: You don't have time NOW. Later, you might not be that interested anymore and you'll definitely got something new, hotter. Also, new, exciting texts are published every hour, they are abundant as solar power.Solution: Get rid of all of them. In case, you actually end up with nothing to read and the internet isn't an option, go to the library. If you're really desperate, you could even go to a book shop and sell the book again, after you read it.
3. representatives (e.g. pocket edition of the universal declaration of human rights, travel guide of a former journey)The use of things from this category is hard to decipher, in fact, there's none. No practical one, anyway. In my case, I carry around this amnesty international pocket edition of the universal declaration of human rights. They remind me, that I value human rights and think that ai is a cool organisation.Problem: Every time I need to look up an article for a paper or so, I'll use the internet. It's much faster.Solution: Again, give it away (do some propaganda!). I'm still a member of ai, even if I give away all there material.
4. Unused gift (e.g. your 4th bottle opener, an ugly piece of cloth)Someone gave you something of which you know, you'll never ever use it. With the unused gift we are entering the categories of psychological terror.Problem: You think you will insult your dear friend by chucking it away.Solution: Appreciate the kindness of your friend and pass that thing to someone, who actually is in need of it. You're friend might not even remember that thing. If (s)he does, tell him or her the truth. True friends appreciate your decision, they wouldn't want to hold any psychological power over you.
5. confession of a bad buy (something you bought but never used)You bought something (it seemed to be a bargain at that point), but than, you never had an occasion to use it.Problem: By discarding that thing, you confess that you made a mistake.Solution: Live with it, everyone makes mistakes. By the time you give it away, it'll stop bothering your soul. Forever.
6. witnesses of the past (class pictures, stamp collection from your childhood)Things you kept for ages and which gather almost religious dust.Problem: These things represents stages from your live and you think you'll denial parts of your personality by chucking this kind of clutter away. On the other hand, these things can be a heavy, psychological burden. You progressed since that particular stage and they just hold you back in your further development.Solution: Accept that you are the person that your are now and appreciate your life at the moment, be open for new things and don't waste too much time (and space in your shelf/bag) with your past. Light all that shit. It's liberating.

Identify your stuff makes it way easier to get rid of it. And never forget:Out of sight, out of mind.PS: Did I forget a category? Do you own something without knowing why, but it  just won't fit in the aforementioned system? Do you want to keep your love letters? Why? Let me know.

Return to Iceland

The year being just two days old, I moved back to my beloved city of Reykjavík, Iceland and it proofed to be a great decision so far. Like in 2009, while I was working at Greenhouse Studios, the city is bursting with creativity and its very unique beauty. Reykjavík is big enough to offer a surprising wide range of urban infrastructure such as art galleries, higher education, live music venues, pups/night clubs, swimming pools (which serves as Iceland's main social hubs) and many more, while being so small that you don't waste an awful lot of time on the underground and that you can skip town to Europe's perhaps most outerworldly landscape in a few minutes.I love it.Personally, I cancelled my music production course in Bath, UK in favour of applying for the composition course at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. Let's see how that goes. Anyway, being part of this city is great already, and possibilities to create music are unlimited one way or another.

Hello England

After spending the summer in Sweden, Norway, Germany, England and Wales, I'm now finally settled in Shepton Mallet, a small town in the outstanding county of Somerset, UK. It's an 18th century house with recording studio, plenty of space to freak out. Bristol, the cradle of trip-hop (represented by groundbreaking bands/artists such as Tricky, Portishead and Massive Attack) and buzzing drum'n'bass/dubstep hub is around the corner, so is the majestic city of Bath - where I'm taking a course in Music Production - and Peter Gabriel's world class Realword Studios. To sum up, a thriving area for all interested in music. Can't wait to dive in.

johann-strube.org relaunched

spring-cleaning on www.johann-strube.org. So what's new?

• new design: new, clear design. I dumped some unnecessary information such as the tag cloud and everything is now laid out in two instead of three columns.
• soundcloud player: I finally got rid of the ugly myspace player. Instead, you can listen to my portfolio on the smart soundcloud player. Looks much better and offers some features as sharing and commenting music.
• tumblr and twitter feed: In the right column you will now find my latest posts on tumblr and flickr. So you find everything I'm posting aggregated at one place.
• wordpress 2.9.: I also updated wordpress to it's latest version.
• improved commenting: The comments are now powered by DisqUs, enabling cross-platform discussions.
• sharing: Under each post you'll now find a button to share the post on your social media.

Gatto! Eating cats and other friends

Bebbe Bigazzi, italian tv-chef recommends his audience to eat cats. House cats. Soak them 3 days in spring water and then stew them in there own juice. Buon appetito!That statement caused a lot of protest and Bigazzi got fired at the end. I wonder why. Most people don't care to eat for instance cows, chicken, pigs. Their keeping emits more greenhouse gases as the worldwide traffic and causes hunger and thirst in many areas on the earth. Not to speak of the brutality of factory farming. I haven't heard from large scale cat keeping for meat production and the most cats are living a life, pigs and co. just can dream of. So where is the problem in eating cats? Because they are more intelligent than other animals? Cuter? That means, we evaluate the value of life on the basis of intelligence and cuteness. That's cynical.Some of Bigazzi's opponents said, that eating cats has no tradition in Italy. That's the worst argument ever. Is there a tradition of treating animals as machines? Is there a tradition of a kilogram mince meat under 2 €? A tradition of fast food?I certainly don't want to encourage people to eat cats. But I want that everybody applies the same moral standards to animals, of what ever species.

open your doors for the homeless

The whole north of Europe is struggling against an extreme winter. While the majority of the population is confronted with cancelled trains, burst pipes and snow clearing, homeless people have to fight for their survival. According to Spiegel Online, 15 people has been killed by the cold only in Germany. It's a question of humanity, that (semi-)public institutions such as schools, churches, stations etc. open their doors for them. The life of people is more important than physical education. A good example is the occupied lecture hall of the University Vienna, where the students allow homeless people to find a shelter from the cold. All of us, who have the opportunity to help freezing people to survive, commit non-assistance of a person in danger. Or something like a passive murder.

koalitionsflirt 09

Wenn man zur zeit das tagesgeschehen Deutschlands verfolgt, bestätigt sich der eindruck, wie konservativ, mutlos und unkreativ die politische klasse in sachen beziehungen ist. Das TV-"duell" zwischen kanzlerin Merkel und ihrem herausforderer Steinmeier hat gezeigt, dass sich die beiden zu einer scheidung ihrer großkoalitionären vernunftsehe nicht entschließen können. Klar, ziemlich unverdeckt flirtet die kanzlerin mit den liberalen, aber nach heißglut sieht das auch nicht gerade aus, wie folgendes video zeigt:Grüne und FDP, in liebesdingen durchaus liberal eingestellt, sind einem flotten dreier grundsätzlich nicht abgeneigt, können sich aber auf den dritten partner nicht einigen. Die SPD ist den liberalen nicht wild genug, während Trittin mit Merkels phantasie der schwarz-gelben steigbügelstellung nichts anfangen kann. Bleibt als letzte möglichkeit noch der linker gruppensex (rot-rot-grün, umgangssprachlich "kubanisch"), der aber wegen des schmuddelkindes Oscar zur zeit noch unter die kategorie "verbotene liebe" fällt.Um das politische (liebes-)leben deutschlands wieder etwas zu beleben, ruhen daher alle hoffnungen auf den liberalen. Denn wie wir alle wissen:

Bisher ist die FDP noch mit jedem ins bett gegangen.

Update: Und es wird spannend. Altkanzler Schröder verkuppelt das linke lager.

Popping plastics - piece for toy organ

After quite a while, I'm happy to present a new piece of me. It's called "popping plastics" and named after the thing it was written on.

Saftladen Partei Deutschlands

Saftladen. Saftladen. Saftladen. Die SPD ist ein Saftladen. Weil ich heute das große vergnügen habe, meinen 50. blogeintrag schreiben zu dürfen, verreiße ich heute die SPD. Denn sie ist ein saftladen.Ihre andauernde erfolglosigkeit kann einem ja noch sympathisch sein, aber mit welcher ideenlosigkeit sie darauf reagiert, ist erbärmlich. Wo ist das große zukunftsprogramm? Hatte Andrea Ypsilanti in Hessen vor einem knappen jahr wenigstens noch den umbau der energieversorgung hin zu den erneuerbaren in aussicht gestellt, ist von diesem ehrgeiz heute nichts mehr zu spüren. Stattdessen versucht sich der kandidat auf das außenministeramt kanzleramt, Franz-Walter Steinmeier als retter der autoindustrie , ohne den umbrau der flotten auf energeisparfahrzeuge auch nur ernsthaft anzudeuten. Überhaupt Steinmeier. Kreativloser hätte die SPD ihren kanzlerkandidaten kaum auswählen können. Statt auf einen wenigstens ansatzweise progressiv wirkenden kandidaten wie Wowereit oder Sigmar Gabriel zu setzen, sucht sich die SPD den ehemaligen kanzleramtchef aus, dessen einzige reform die agenda 2010 war. Da hätte sie auch gleich August Bebel nehmen können.Und nun der internetfilter. Da ist doch die SPD tatsächlich der CDU hinterhergedackelt und hat das heute verabschiedet. Gegen jeden verstand (so vorhanden), gegen den rat praktisch aller experten innerhalb der partei und gegen 130.000 unterzeichner der antifilterpetition. So etwas nennt man auch politischen selbstmord. Wie es dazu kommen konnte, dazu hat sich "Markus Beckedahl auf netzpolitik.org aufschlussreich gedanken gemacht.Kurzum: Das wahlkampfmotto der SPD für dieses jahr lautet: "Mutlos. Ideenlos. Erfolglos." Bestenfalls noch ein "rubbellos" hintendran.Nur um das nochmal klarzustellen: Ich finde diese dahinkräpeln der SPD keineswegs lustig. Im gegenteil. Auch wenn eine schwache SPD durchaus einen stimmenzuwachs für die Grünen bedeutet, kann ich mich nur bedingt freuen. Denn je schlechter die sozies, desto wahrscheinlicher der super-gau, schwarz-gelb. Und ansonsten schwarz-rot. Bei dieser SPD nicht unbedingt vielversprechender. Man überlegt sich ja schon, aus mitleid sozialdemokratisch zu wählen, aber irgendwie... nee. Ist halt immer noch ein saftladen.Sorry, all ihr progressiven sozies da draußen. Aber ihr habt euch einfach den falschen laden ausgesucht. Den Saftladen. Die Saftladen Partei Deutschland.Vielen Dank an spreeblick.com für diesen STOPP-klotz

Europe as a trial to overcome national thinking

Today, the election of the European Parliament started. Reason enough to outline my desired Europe. Being grown up after the second world war and inspired by different journeys within Europe, I really feel like a member of a new, European generation. To me, the term European Union doesn't only mean the possibility to live and work anywhere in the Schengen area, but the overcoming of national thinking.Having said this, I'm very concerned, that Europe is right on the way to become and elite club, excluding the rest of the world: The Fortress Europe. As a interstation on the way to real global governance, Europe must not make the same mistakes of the national countries again, just on another level. Therefore, the success of the European projects depends on its ability to be open to the world and to take international responsibility.As on every stage, human rights and sustainability must be the main criteria of European politics. I support an Europe, which finally acknowledge the right on asylum as well as the freedom of torture and which stops any discrimination of whatever minority. I support a sustainable Europe, as well in economic as in ecological terms. Both the recent economic crisis and the ongoing climate crisis thought us, that the only reasonable way of living is a sustainable one.On that account I wish, that every European take advantage of her or his constitutional franchise and vote for a party which stands for the values mentioned above.An alle deutsche: Leute, wählt Grün. Welche partei bitte sonst hat eine stimmige antwort auf die probleme der zeit? Die CDU steht für nationalstaat, abschottung und überwachung, die FDP für den komplett gescheiterten (und zerstörerischen) neoliberalismus. Der linkspartei ist vielleicht noch am ehesten nachhaltiges handeln zuzutrauen, aber die einzige konsequenz ihrer extremen europaskepzis ist eine renationalisierung der politik. Wäre noch da noch die SPD.Wirkt nicht gerade erfrischend progressiv, aber man begeht sicher auch keinen großen fehler, die zu wählen. Und eben die Grünen: Die haben nicht nur mit Ska Keller, Franziska Brantner und Jan Philipp Albrecht die einzigen deutschen kandidaten unter 30 (und damit die Generation Europa) auf aussichtsreichen plätzen, sondern bieten u.a. mit dem Green New Deal einen progressiven entwurf für das Europa von morgen.

You love broiler?

You love broiler? Than you should see, how it is produced. This excerpt of Erwin Wagenhofer's fantastic movie "We feed the world" will tell you.This scene was the cause, that I don't eat meat out of factory farming anymore. It's not just a moral or political thing, I would certainly feel very bad with a piece of this junk in my stomach.In general, I have nothing against eating meat and slaughtering animals for food reasons. However, the way it is produced definitely matters to me.I know, organic livestock breeding can be a nasty thing, too. But is far away from this. But please, convince me to the contrary and send me all kinds of links, videos.

Gorleben-Video

Ich habe ja versprochen noch fotos von der Gorleben-demo zu zeigen. Die habe ich nicht bekommen, deswegen gibt es jetzt hier ein video. Man bekommt darin einen ganz guten eindruck von der demonstration und warum atomkraft einfach nur scheiße ist.Video from the anti-nuclear-demo in Gorleben.

Schöner leben ohne Nazis im Rathaus

Ja, den naziladen in der Doberaner Straße in Rostock gibt es immer noch. Ja, der NPD-landtagsabgeordnete Birger Lüssow hat dort immer noch sein büro. Und ja, die NPD wird bei den anstehenden kommunalwahlen versuchen, in die Rostocker bürgerschaft einzuziehen. Dies alles war anlass genug, heute demonstrieren zu gehen. Unter dem motto "Schöner leben ohne Nazis im Rathaus" fanden sich über 500 menschen ein, um gegen die menschenfeindliche und antidemokratische NPD zu demonstrieren.Dass die NPD - erfolglos - versucht hat, eine gegendemonstration anzumelden, stellt eine völlig neue qualität der auseinandersetzung mit rechtsextremisten dar. Bisher gab es das nur bei rechten demos. Das die nazis sich nun linken oder bürgerlichen kundgebungen entgegen stellen deutet auf ihr gesteigertes selbstvertrauen hin. Das finde ich beunruhigend. Auch im vorfeld zum diesjährigen CSD hatten rechte durch diskriminierende schmierereien auf sich aufmerksam gemacht. Damit etabliert sich in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern eine rechte aktionskultur, wie sie in anderen ländern wir Polen oder Ungarn längst gang und gebe ist. Anders als dort, werden aber bisher unsere demos ausreichend von der polizei geschützt.Auch wenn nach einer aktuellen Friedrich-Ebert-Studie die zustimmung zu rechten ansichten leicht abgenommen hat, nützt dies wenig, wenn der rechtsextreme kern stärker wird.