Saturday, July 05, 2003
Sound of Frankfurt
Each year Frankfurt holds a big music festival at this time of year and 70 bands participated. One big problem. So does every OTHER town in Germany. The result is that out of 70 bands that played at venues thoughout Frankfurt, I'd only heard of ONE of them (Cool and the Gang) and they have been around longer than most of the audience. But it's still nice to see the streets closed down for the festival kiosks and all the PEOPLE. I'll post other photos, but for now, just one of the tower near the pedestrian area in Frankfurt. Just click on frankfurttower.jpg THIS link
Each year Frankfurt holds a big music festival at this time of year and 70 bands participated. One big problem. So does every OTHER town in Germany. The result is that out of 70 bands that played at venues thoughout Frankfurt, I'd only heard of ONE of them (Cool and the Gang) and they have been around longer than most of the audience. But it's still nice to see the streets closed down for the festival kiosks and all the PEOPLE. I'll post other photos, but for now, just one of the tower near the pedestrian area in Frankfurt. Just click on frankfurttower.jpg THIS link
Desperate Messures
I'm sure it's happened to you before. There you were in the steamy prelude to conjugal relations with "Sure Thing" Shirley when you realised to your GREAT dismay that you'd forgotten your Boy Scout oath. Yep, you weren't prepared.
So what DO you do? Do you morph into a car salesman "don't WORRY, I'll be careful!"? Do you don the collar and tell Shirley "I'm sorry, but our relationship is simply not substantial enough yet to consummate it" to avoid the embarrassing fact that you were comdomless? No, you pour some ice water down your pants and tell Shirley to wait for JUST 10 MINUTES while you run down to the drug store to pick up an econobox of insurance. But then you realise with naked HORROR that the drug store is CLOSED now! What DO you do?
In Germany, that's not a problem. Being practical people they've taken the condom vending machines out of the toilet and put them just anywhere they'll sell, like coke machines. Here is an example:
I'm sure it's happened to you before. There you were in the steamy prelude to conjugal relations with "Sure Thing" Shirley when you realised to your GREAT dismay that you'd forgotten your Boy Scout oath. Yep, you weren't prepared.
So what DO you do? Do you morph into a car salesman "don't WORRY, I'll be careful!"? Do you don the collar and tell Shirley "I'm sorry, but our relationship is simply not substantial enough yet to consummate it" to avoid the embarrassing fact that you were comdomless? No, you pour some ice water down your pants and tell Shirley to wait for JUST 10 MINUTES while you run down to the drug store to pick up an econobox of insurance. But then you realise with naked HORROR that the drug store is CLOSED now! What DO you do?
In Germany, that's not a problem. Being practical people they've taken the condom vending machines out of the toilet and put them just anywhere they'll sell, like coke machines. Here is an example:
Water Color
Ok, I'm going to try uploading a watercolor painting I did recently. No, check that. To be more precise, I'm going to upload a SCAN of the painting. Let's see if this works.
Ok, I'm going to try uploading a watercolor painting I did recently. No, check that. To be more precise, I'm going to upload a SCAN of the painting. Let's see if this works.
At the Movies
I like movies. ALL ex-pats are avid movie goers, at least the American ones are. The blissfully nasal whining ennuciation of American being spoken is just NOT to be missed. What I have found is that I like just about EVERY movie that comes down the pipe because I can like them for some reason. The recent movie "Hulk"? Loved it. It had the best CG combat ever done. His brawl with the Hulked-out dogs was brutal, savage and convincing. His punishment of the main battle tanks was just brilliant. When he ripped the main gun from one tank and used it like a Good 'Ol Boy with a Louisville Slugger, you just HAD to think Joe Don Baker in Walking Tall.
But reviewers like Roger Ebert's just gloss over or pan the CG work and focus on the "essesence" of the movie. PuhLEEze. Look Roger, it's a comic book movie. Any attempt to identify and resolve the deeper issues of a super hero - while appreciated - are not really that important to my enjoyment of a film about them. Look at the movie "Daredevil". Now THAT is a movie that was so bad that I wanted my money back. He rated them identically. Who in the WORLD was the idiot that cast a soft beefcake like Ben Affleck as an action hero? He's the sort of softie you'd see with a sheen of lubricating oil on his well tanned body looking surly in a Beneton ad. Daredevil was yet another BF-lite (Beautiful People - lite) movie stuffed into a comic book genre.
Kudos to Spiderman because they used a generic guy to be the hero. Nary a doe eyed eye lash or pouting lip to found in that movie. Of the recent comic book movies, Daredevil was for women, Hulk for men and Spiderman struck a happy medium.
Of those comic book movies that I have seen, I'd rank Spiderman first, Hulk second, Batman 2 third and the Superman movies as fourth. Daredevil will not be ranked as it has been thrown in the pit of celluloid hell to join the likes of "Ishtar", "The Beach" and "Highlander 2".
I like movies. ALL ex-pats are avid movie goers, at least the American ones are. The blissfully nasal whining ennuciation of American being spoken is just NOT to be missed. What I have found is that I like just about EVERY movie that comes down the pipe because I can like them for some reason. The recent movie "Hulk"? Loved it. It had the best CG combat ever done. His brawl with the Hulked-out dogs was brutal, savage and convincing. His punishment of the main battle tanks was just brilliant. When he ripped the main gun from one tank and used it like a Good 'Ol Boy with a Louisville Slugger, you just HAD to think Joe Don Baker in Walking Tall.
But reviewers like Roger Ebert's just gloss over or pan the CG work and focus on the "essesence" of the movie. PuhLEEze. Look Roger, it's a comic book movie. Any attempt to identify and resolve the deeper issues of a super hero - while appreciated - are not really that important to my enjoyment of a film about them. Look at the movie "Daredevil". Now THAT is a movie that was so bad that I wanted my money back. He rated them identically. Who in the WORLD was the idiot that cast a soft beefcake like Ben Affleck as an action hero? He's the sort of softie you'd see with a sheen of lubricating oil on his well tanned body looking surly in a Beneton ad. Daredevil was yet another BF-lite (Beautiful People - lite) movie stuffed into a comic book genre.
Kudos to Spiderman because they used a generic guy to be the hero. Nary a doe eyed eye lash or pouting lip to found in that movie. Of the recent comic book movies, Daredevil was for women, Hulk for men and Spiderman struck a happy medium.
Of those comic book movies that I have seen, I'd rank Spiderman first, Hulk second, Batman 2 third and the Superman movies as fourth. Daredevil will not be ranked as it has been thrown in the pit of celluloid hell to join the likes of "Ishtar", "The Beach" and "Highlander 2".
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Cultural Affectations
I had an interesting debate today. Outside the Mainz Opera House people were crowded around a few tables and some literature was placed on a board to be read. Essentially the city of Mainz is about to lose their orchestra because the necessary funds from the state have dried up.
Contrary to the belief - and the BOAST - that "culture" is a priority in Europe, the fact is that it is a heavily subsidized phenomenon that would largely be nonexistant if it were not for governmental intervention. Culture is for tourists. According to the Mainz site , the population is about 184,000. The Mainzer Opera House itself, which is in pristine condition due to a recent renovation, seats (my estimate)about 1,000 people.
I politely asked the woman that accosted me with a petition clipboard - once she recovered from the shock of an American livingin Mainz - explained that the orchestra was about to be terminated due to a lack of funds. I replied that any such extravagance as Opera SHOULD fail if it can not support itself by ticket sales. She was taken aback again, so I continued. If the people of Mainz and the surrounding area REALLY WANT to keep the Opera House operating, then they'll pay the ticket prices necessary to keep the orchestra, right? She replied that it wasn't quite so simple and after all, it's CULTURE.
No it isn't, I replied. It is not German culture if must be foisted upon people. IF they are willing to support it - or any other Art form for that matter - with their patronage, then I'll agree that Opera is a part of modern Mainzer society. As it stands now, Opera in particular is an Artform to boast about having, but not actually patronizing in Germany. Why does Mainz have a soccer team of highly paid athletes? Because THAT is a real reflection of German culture. Enough people rabidly support the team with their wallets to continue to have the team. Why do pubs and cafes and kebap houses and pretzel stands and soccer teams and Saturday morning markets thrive here? Because they serve what the people want. THAT is the culture, not one that must be subsidized heavily by people 568 kilometers away in Berlin. Don't confuse "culture" with "tradition" or "affectation". Opera IS a vital part of Italian culture and the people there pay a lot of money to maintain that part of their culture. They will sacrifice to keep it part of their lives. Here in Mainz - perhaps in Germany generally - they have not and odds are they WILL not.
I was a little depressed to tell her these things that she needed to hear from SOMEONE, but I doubt much sunk in. Germany's socialist governments have insinuated themselves so completely into the Germany psyche that even the basic understanding of supply and demand is an esoteric concept. They really do believe that it is the obligation of the government - that elusive, faceless, distant Overlord - to be responsible for every aspect of life.
I did a little more investigation and found out that ticket prices are "...strongly influenced..." by the goverment! Sounds like a Communist Central Planning example to me. The maximum price in the Mainzer Operahaus - for the best seat during a Premiere - is 43 Euros, which is about $50. The cheapest tickets cost 8 Euros for an adult. Having attended several performances there, I can attest to the quality of the venue and the productions there.
Just for a frame of reference, I looked at a few Opera House sites. La Scala in Milan ranges from 12 to 186 Euros. The Opera House in Frankfurt ranges from 11 to 110 Euros. In Munich they range from 10 to 160 Euros (could be more, they don't publish the Premiere prices). In Prague the National Opera House the prices range from about 1.20 to 40 Euros. In London, where there are a whopping 41 Opera Houses listed on OperaStuff, tickets range in price from an obstructed view for 8 Euros to 80 Euros. In New York's Metropolitan Opera House you can get in the door for as little as $25 but it will set you back $110 for the First Ring. OperaStuff includes 26 Opera Houses in New York City.
The sad part is that I spoke to the ticket manager (incidentally, the only one in an office that caters to foreigners that could speak English!) and he flatly agreed that the only solution was to raise ticket prices. He isn't allowed to, but if he doesn't the orchestra will be lost. Now THAT is modern German culture.
I had an interesting debate today. Outside the Mainz Opera House people were crowded around a few tables and some literature was placed on a board to be read. Essentially the city of Mainz is about to lose their orchestra because the necessary funds from the state have dried up.
Contrary to the belief - and the BOAST - that "culture" is a priority in Europe, the fact is that it is a heavily subsidized phenomenon that would largely be nonexistant if it were not for governmental intervention. Culture is for tourists. According to the Mainz site , the population is about 184,000. The Mainzer Opera House itself, which is in pristine condition due to a recent renovation, seats (my estimate)about 1,000 people.
I politely asked the woman that accosted me with a petition clipboard - once she recovered from the shock of an American livingin Mainz - explained that the orchestra was about to be terminated due to a lack of funds. I replied that any such extravagance as Opera SHOULD fail if it can not support itself by ticket sales. She was taken aback again, so I continued. If the people of Mainz and the surrounding area REALLY WANT to keep the Opera House operating, then they'll pay the ticket prices necessary to keep the orchestra, right? She replied that it wasn't quite so simple and after all, it's CULTURE.
No it isn't, I replied. It is not German culture if must be foisted upon people. IF they are willing to support it - or any other Art form for that matter - with their patronage, then I'll agree that Opera is a part of modern Mainzer society. As it stands now, Opera in particular is an Artform to boast about having, but not actually patronizing in Germany. Why does Mainz have a soccer team of highly paid athletes? Because THAT is a real reflection of German culture. Enough people rabidly support the team with their wallets to continue to have the team. Why do pubs and cafes and kebap houses and pretzel stands and soccer teams and Saturday morning markets thrive here? Because they serve what the people want. THAT is the culture, not one that must be subsidized heavily by people 568 kilometers away in Berlin. Don't confuse "culture" with "tradition" or "affectation". Opera IS a vital part of Italian culture and the people there pay a lot of money to maintain that part of their culture. They will sacrifice to keep it part of their lives. Here in Mainz - perhaps in Germany generally - they have not and odds are they WILL not.
I was a little depressed to tell her these things that she needed to hear from SOMEONE, but I doubt much sunk in. Germany's socialist governments have insinuated themselves so completely into the Germany psyche that even the basic understanding of supply and demand is an esoteric concept. They really do believe that it is the obligation of the government - that elusive, faceless, distant Overlord - to be responsible for every aspect of life.
I did a little more investigation and found out that ticket prices are "...strongly influenced..." by the goverment! Sounds like a Communist Central Planning example to me. The maximum price in the Mainzer Operahaus - for the best seat during a Premiere - is 43 Euros, which is about $50. The cheapest tickets cost 8 Euros for an adult. Having attended several performances there, I can attest to the quality of the venue and the productions there.
Just for a frame of reference, I looked at a few Opera House sites. La Scala in Milan ranges from 12 to 186 Euros. The Opera House in Frankfurt ranges from 11 to 110 Euros. In Munich they range from 10 to 160 Euros (could be more, they don't publish the Premiere prices). In Prague the National Opera House the prices range from about 1.20 to 40 Euros. In London, where there are a whopping 41 Opera Houses listed on OperaStuff, tickets range in price from an obstructed view for 8 Euros to 80 Euros. In New York's Metropolitan Opera House you can get in the door for as little as $25 but it will set you back $110 for the First Ring. OperaStuff includes 26 Opera Houses in New York City.
The sad part is that I spoke to the ticket manager (incidentally, the only one in an office that caters to foreigners that could speak English!) and he flatly agreed that the only solution was to raise ticket prices. He isn't allowed to, but if he doesn't the orchestra will be lost. Now THAT is modern German culture.
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Diversity
There are many interesting words in English and one of the more intriguing ones is "logomachy". Logomachy is an argument about a word or words. It could be the origin of the word - Greek? Latin? French? - or the definition of word. Diversity is one such logomachic word. If you do a search on Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary you'll be directed to "diverse", which it defines as "1 : differing from one another : UNLIKE 2 : composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities.
But that is a shallow definition today, don't you think? The word has been bandied about and vulgarized into a rallying cry, a societal aspiration, and a comdemnation if not striven for. Diversity has come to NOT mean a diversity of opinions or perspectives or knowledge, but one of race. It is PC-speak for race. The faces of the earnest young marchers for equality become clouded with uncertainty when interrogated about the meaning of this diversity, which is where the logic unravels.
You don't have to proceed far to see that at its source, the concept of racial diversity is indeed a racist concept. It implies that by virtue of being of a different races that that alone implies a diversity of opinion. Clearly this isn't the case. A diversity of races is only just that, a diversity of races. There is no inherent benefit to a diversity of races or lifestyles, only a diversity of TALENTS and KNOWLEDGE, at least in the context of vocational endeavor.
The Affirmative Action crowd have become so entangled in the presumption and assumption of racist politics that they seem unable to consider that there are circumstances that are not related to race. As a business owner I want the best that I can afford. I couldn't care less about race or gender or who they sleep with and it is a risky proposition to consider a less qualified applicant because the more qualified applicant doesn't fit into my particular comfort zone. The counterargument is that while my opinion is laudable (it is not, it's simply logical. I am not emotionally attached to the decision), the fact that OTHERS may not think as I may inhibit how competitive my company is.
So diversity has society between a rock and a hard place and no amount of logic will break that emotional situation.
There are many interesting words in English and one of the more intriguing ones is "logomachy". Logomachy is an argument about a word or words. It could be the origin of the word - Greek? Latin? French? - or the definition of word. Diversity is one such logomachic word. If you do a search on Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary you'll be directed to "diverse", which it defines as "1 : differing from one another : UNLIKE 2 : composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities.
But that is a shallow definition today, don't you think? The word has been bandied about and vulgarized into a rallying cry, a societal aspiration, and a comdemnation if not striven for. Diversity has come to NOT mean a diversity of opinions or perspectives or knowledge, but one of race. It is PC-speak for race. The faces of the earnest young marchers for equality become clouded with uncertainty when interrogated about the meaning of this diversity, which is where the logic unravels.
You don't have to proceed far to see that at its source, the concept of racial diversity is indeed a racist concept. It implies that by virtue of being of a different races that that alone implies a diversity of opinion. Clearly this isn't the case. A diversity of races is only just that, a diversity of races. There is no inherent benefit to a diversity of races or lifestyles, only a diversity of TALENTS and KNOWLEDGE, at least in the context of vocational endeavor.
The Affirmative Action crowd have become so entangled in the presumption and assumption of racist politics that they seem unable to consider that there are circumstances that are not related to race. As a business owner I want the best that I can afford. I couldn't care less about race or gender or who they sleep with and it is a risky proposition to consider a less qualified applicant because the more qualified applicant doesn't fit into my particular comfort zone. The counterargument is that while my opinion is laudable (it is not, it's simply logical. I am not emotionally attached to the decision), the fact that OTHERS may not think as I may inhibit how competitive my company is.
So diversity has society between a rock and a hard place and no amount of logic will break that emotional situation.
Beggers in Mainz
I have read that beggers are pretty much the same everywhere. I'm here to state that that is not true. The beggers here in Germany are very different than those that I encountered in California and Detroit.
They are agressive here and they don't even PRETEND that the money they're begging for is going for anything else but booze and cigarettes. Last week I saw a begger may be 50 meters away and he saw me. Damn. Well, he was puffing away on a cigarette and asked me for money for food. Having been accosted enough for one day, I retorted that he should use the money he spent for cigarettes on food and he looked at me as if I had broken some sort of social taboo or that I was insane. He looked as if he was about to say something to he effect of "how DARE you say such a thing to a member of the Beggers Local 0000? I'll have you know I've been a member in good standing for over a DECADE and I have corner seniority here and I will NOT be spoken to in that way!" But he didn't and I just waved him off before he had summoned whatever he was going to say.
But yesterday was the most amazing. I saw a guy (I've seen him many times before) standing outside the Post Office (normally he sits on the steps and you have to sort of step OVER him) with a torn paper box in one upturned hand as a silent appeal for for coins and a "tall boy" beer can in the other. Next to him on a window sill was his morning's breakfast of cheap beer and cigarettes. Such a scene is sad, but the bewildering things is that I saw people putting money in his paper box! It seemed like they were putting bullets in the chambers of the pistol he was using to kill himself.
I have read that beggers are pretty much the same everywhere. I'm here to state that that is not true. The beggers here in Germany are very different than those that I encountered in California and Detroit.
They are agressive here and they don't even PRETEND that the money they're begging for is going for anything else but booze and cigarettes. Last week I saw a begger may be 50 meters away and he saw me. Damn. Well, he was puffing away on a cigarette and asked me for money for food. Having been accosted enough for one day, I retorted that he should use the money he spent for cigarettes on food and he looked at me as if I had broken some sort of social taboo or that I was insane. He looked as if he was about to say something to he effect of "how DARE you say such a thing to a member of the Beggers Local 0000? I'll have you know I've been a member in good standing for over a DECADE and I have corner seniority here and I will NOT be spoken to in that way!" But he didn't and I just waved him off before he had summoned whatever he was going to say.
But yesterday was the most amazing. I saw a guy (I've seen him many times before) standing outside the Post Office (normally he sits on the steps and you have to sort of step OVER him) with a torn paper box in one upturned hand as a silent appeal for for coins and a "tall boy" beer can in the other. Next to him on a window sill was his morning's breakfast of cheap beer and cigarettes. Such a scene is sad, but the bewildering things is that I saw people putting money in his paper box! It seemed like they were putting bullets in the chambers of the pistol he was using to kill himself.
