Reading List: März

Reading: 

Juli Zeh: Spieltrieb.

Film: 

An Education (2009, Lone Scherfig) *****.
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) ***.
Fingersmith (2005, Aisling Walsh) ****.
Mean Girls (2004, Mark Waters) ****.
Cracks (2009, Jordan Scott) ***.
Män som hatar kvinnor (2009, Niels Arden Oplev) ***.
Under Great White Northern Lights (2010, Emmett Malloy) ***.
Atonement (2007, Joe Wright) ***.
This is England (2006, Shane Meadows) ****.
Remember Me (2010, Allen Coulter) **. 

Series: 

Wallander (Sidetracked, Firewall, One Step Behind, Faceless Killers,  The Man Who Smiled, The Fifth Woman).

Music: 

Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore: Dear Companion.
Son Lux: At War with Walls and Mazes.
Skream: Skream!
Various Production feat. Gerry Mitchell: The Invisible Lodger.
Port O'Brien: Threadbare.
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing.

Linkliste unbehandelter Themen

Distraction cake (I guess strictly speaking "something pleasant" doesn't exactly apply, but I had to include this somehow...) Not telling what for though. 

Politics:

It hasn't been reported widely, but the election of the secular candidate Allawi in the parliamentary elections in Iraq might turn out to be quite significant. 

The BBC has revealed a massacre in the Democratic Republic of Congo that happened last December. The Lord's Resistence Army, a Christian militia that originated in Uganda, killed 300 villagers. 

The US considers a secession of the oil-rich Southern part of Sudan a viable option.

The Council of Foreign Relations has a special report about Somalia, the country currently holding the first position on the Failed States Index.

There is a very interesting essay about the ties between class, competition and taste in History Today.

"In modern times, there is nothing which more exactly defines social differences than personal taste, whether in food or music or wallpaper or the choice of children’s names."

Pop Culture: 

Afterellen.com has a rather wonderful interview with Ed Hime who wrote the second episode of the fourth season of "Skins", "Emily", and the haunting Unseen that first introduced the character of Sophia. He also confirms that a movie is in the works, but no details. 

Music? OK. This band caught my ear in the NPR-coverage of SXSW. 

Vadoinmessico - In Spain (MySpace)

Also, what is it with me and Scottish accents? (also also, watching loads of British tv shows and some excellent movies in the past month, the most remarkable among them being "This is England", has introduced me to Regional accents of England, and Wikipedia entries on Scouse and rhotic accents)

Linksammlung zum neuen START-Abkommen

"Russland und die USA haben sich auf einen neuen atomaren Abrüstungsvertrag geeinigt. Nach Angaben des Weißen Hauses soll das Start-Abkommen am 8. April in Prag besiegelt werden. Die Einigung wurde in einem Telefongespräch zwischen Kremlchef Dmitrij Medwedjew und US-Präsident Barack Obama am Freitag erzielt.
Anzeige
Nach Medienberichten einigten sich Washington und Moskau darauf, die Zahl der nuklearen Sprengköpfe von je 2200 auf je 1550 zu senken. Die Zahl der Trägersysteme wird demnach auf jeweils 800 halbiert. Das Abkommen muss von den Parlamenten beider Staaten ratifiziert werden, bevor es in Kraft tritt."

Die Zeit: Obama und Medwedjew rüsten ab, 26. März 2010

"President Obama has declared that ridding the world of nuclear weapons is a strategic U.S. foreign policy goal. He said in his landmark speech in Prague that, “Today, I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. I’m not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly—perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change.”
The START follow-on makes concrete progress toward that end and lays the groundwork for the United States and Russia to begin additional negotiations to hammer out an even more far-reaching agreement."

Center for American Progress: A New START Deal for Arms Control, March 25, 2010

"But the underlying problem will not go away. As long as U.S. strategists see "rogue state" capabilities increasing, they will pursue defensive systems, no matter how dubious technically. And as long as Russian strategists treat old-fashioned strategic nuclear parity as a requirement of their own security, they will keep saying that the United States is threatening them."

Council on Foreign Relations: The Strategic Arms Treaty's Promise, March 25, 2010

• Radio Free Europe points out the fringe benefits of a new START treaty in regards to North Korea and Iran.
• The New York Times gives a timeline of the negotiations ("President Obama was angry")
• Das Telefongespräch zwischen Obama und Medvedev und eine Zusammenfassung von Struktur und Inhalt ("The Treaty’s duration will be ten years, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement. The Parties may agree to extend the Treaty for a period of no more than five years.")
• Andere relevante Themen: "How Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation Undermines Security and Development", die Verbreitung von Breitbandinternet in Afrika könnte die Weltwirtschaft in Gefahr bringen (wegen eines "virus and malware problem")

START I

START II

START III

Das Lied zum Sonntag

Cat Power - Shaking Paper

Hold the gun
Way deep down
Look out young son
Look out young son

Good things coming
Cause the good thing's coming

Shotguns with no guns
Shot army with no army at all

I don't know what is worse
And I can't tell what is the best
People emphasize the weight of the world
Demons despise the sound of shaking paper
Guess what I found out
You
Too.

[on "You Are Free", 2003]

What can I say?

"I'm quiet" / "What can I say?"

"The movie's most contentious exchange is pretty mild, and actually revolves around Meg's refusal (or perhaps inability) to speak up. Throughout, the White Stripes live up to their mythic roles: Jack runs around, charismatically blabbing, yelping, and flailing like a little brother while Meg's big-sis stoicism keeps things grounded."

Pitchfork

When I posted the clip from The White Stripes, I should have mentioned that it comes from a documentary called "Under Great White Northern Lights" by Emmett Malloy which followed their band on their 2007 tour through all Canadian territories and provinces (they played unusual venues and very small towns as well). I've never seen the band live, sadly, but there are moments in the film that capture perfectly why The White Stripes were my favourite band growing up: but the thing that I like most about it is when Meg steps up to the microphone, clearly not enjoying that she can't hide behind the drum set anymore, to sing "In the Cold Cold Night", and it's beautiful because you never really hear her voice in the interview segments (she speaks so quietly that everything she says has subtitles). I didn't know that they had to stop touring because of her anxiety.

Oh "Parks and Recreation", every time!

"Can you photoshop your life with better decisions?"

April

I know I promised to stop, but...

Somehow, one week after the finale, I am still working through my feelings about "Skins", and one of the consequences is that some of the songs used on the show still float around in my head, and there is still a line or two in almost everything I hear that reminds me of the show. This is probably going to take a while, and I might just do some more mixtapes until it's...over and done with. 

Port O'Brien - Tree Bones 

"I push away I beg and plea / you will no longer come with me"

The song that I like even more from their record "Threadbare" is "My Will Is Good".


"I was never home / I was never here / All these thoughts came back / To you this time, of me."

Born Ruffians - Little Garçon

"I don't care just where you go / As long, as long as it's with me"

Also, because I live in a world filled with wonder, I was listening to the XLR8R-Podcast for this week and one of the bands featured (the theme is "Portland") is Nice Nice (who contributed the last song ever for this gen of "Skins", "Set and Setting").

Eventually, non-music related posts will follow, I promise. Oh, and health reform passed the Senate, despite all Republican efforts (they just found a procedural flaw that does not seem to be as game-changing as the animated headlines today morning made it out to be).

You've been looking all around for years for someone to tell your troubles to.

"By expanding their emotional palette and the tones that infuse them with distinct, individual motifs and instrumental approaches for each record they release while remaining as raunchy and big-hearted as ever, the White Stripes have found a way to have their cake and eat it too without sacrificing a whit of integrity along the way. This is brought into bold, untainted focus on Under Great White Northern Lights, as Jack and Meg indulge the starry-eyed crowd with spellbinding brawn and brains, tying together each step they’ve taken thus far into a coherent portrait of a constantly fascinating career of peaks."

PopMatters: The White Stripes. Under Great White Northern Lights.

Some of the stuff that didn't make it.

The recurring theme of this post is "two things I like find each other". First, Michel Gondry finds Mia Doi Todd (via We Love You So).

Mia Doi Todd - Open  Your Heart



 Apparently, articles about Dubai are starting to sound a bit like those that are occasionally written about "Second Life" after "Second Life": Waste Land.

Am I the only person who thinks that taxing non-renewable energy (not just petrol, but gas and oil for heating as well) would mostly hit people who don't have the money to actually CHOOSE how their living space is heated ( most people who don't own their own houses)?

HOME TAPING IS KILLING MUSIC. Everybody else is getting nostalgic for the Nineties, why not bring back some of the awesome that was the Eighties. 

Three times squee: The sequel to Dr Horrible might make it to the big screen, Enver Gjokaj has a webseries that is "Twin Peaks meets Clue", and Natalie Morales ("The Middleman", "White Collar") heads over to "Parks and Recreation" for a couple of episodes (my favourite new comedy show plus Dub Dub!!)

Carrie Brownstein in an interview with IFC about Sleater-Kinney: "We spent 11 years committed to that band, heart and soul. To get back into it we have to be in that place where we can immerse ourselves fully. I think it will happen. We have to loop around, and we're at the far end of the circle, away from the band, but I think we will come back and revisit it. And hopefully that record will be sometime in the next five years." That's my FAVOURITE BAND!!

I'll probably link this in my upcoming review of the final "Skins"-episode, but that might still take some time so here is where you can get Naomi's shirt from the episode. I can't, sadly, but I absolutely would given the chance (also, this is where the "Skins"-movie-rumours started)

Uh oh.

So there are more or less confirmed rumours about a movie featuring gen 2, which would explain the open-ended finale...

But I promise I won't freak out about it until it is officially confirmed, and there is at least one interview with any of the actors mentioning their involvement. Promise.

...

that didn't go so well. That was a little bit awful. It gets much better the second time around when you know what to expect.
I'll make one more post about all the things that I would have wanted (probably over at cellar door), and then it will be over, I promise.

Episode Eight. It's All Over.

Random predictions:
Katie fucking Fitch will make a surprising return to the centre stage by giving Naomi Campbell a complete make-over.
They'll throw in cute babies to distract from the inevitable shocking moment (and Cook will be at least half-naked at some point.  It's, like, tradition)
Talking about "shocking" things, please, I don't want a shot of Freddie's mutilated body in Dr John's basement. I'd even sit through a soppy montage of happy moments instead. 
Pandora will have a grand, grand scene at last.
Oh Effy. I don't even know how you can be okay after this.
It would be rather nice to see Gina, Naomi's mum, return...but I think we won't see her. Sadly. Nor will the house ever be explained.
That poor, poor actress who plays Mandy. There will be cheering at some point. For violence.

mixtape...

sleater-kinney. JUMPERS. ida maria. OH MY GOD. crooked fingers. LUISA'S BONES (Daytrotter). dj shadow. STEM / LONG STEM. moloko. SHOULD'VE BEEN,  COULD'VE BEEN. blonde redhead. FALLING MAN. regina spektor. BLUE LIPS. elf power. BACK TO THE WEB.  the raveonettes. LUST. louise attaque. DEPUIS TOUJOURS. (and finally, in case it all goes well: clues. APPROACH THE THRONE.)

Sentimental rambling & liveblogging, kinda....

Incrowd...etc.

"Hey, there's a werewolf called Nina in Buffy!"

Well actually, that's "Angel", but I'm really getting into "Being Human". It's also fun to see whether they use the same locations as "Skins" - it's like I've been to Bristol already.
Nine  eight hours.

Warm and fuzzy

...for reasons that will become apparent in like 13 hours... (also: GO PANDA!)

Mia Doi Todd - Courting

If I were a kangaroo, I'd want to carry you in my pocket.
If I were a koala bear, I'd wanna always have you there in my pocket.
Would you be my baby?
Would you be my baby?
If I were a chimpanzee, I'd take you out and sing in my jungle.
If I were an orang-utan, I'd want you to come and hang around in my jungle.
Would you be my monkey?
Would you be my monkey?
If I were a nightingale, my songs would float like a trail behind you.
If I were an albatross, there'd be no sea or ocean I would not cross to find you.
Would you be my birdie?
Would you be my birdie?
If I were your next-door neighbour, I'd provide anonymous favours every day.
If I were just a casual acquaintance, I'd renew my vow of determined patience every day.
Would you be my baby?
Would you be my monkey?
Would you be my birdie?
And could I be your baby?

[on "The Ewe and the Eye", 1997)

Linkliste unbehandelter Themen

Politics

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the Eurogroup, stated that the states of the Eurozone would help Greece with a "coordinated response" that was in accordance with European treaties and national law. There were no specific plans announced. Greece's national debt is expected to reach 120 per cent of its gross domestic product in 2010.

Economist: All for One, March 11, 2010

Guardian: Greece: eurozone ministers agree to rescue package, March 15, 2010 

Der Spiegel: Athen flieht Berlin um politische Hilfe an, 5. März 2010

Planet Money: Why Greece is Stuck with the Euro, March 5, 2010

Planet Money: Why Greece Matters, February 23, 2010

Eurogroup website

Announcements of new housing plans for Jerusalem only shortly before US Vice President Joe Biden travelled to Israel caused a diplomatic conflict between the two countries.

Remember how the demonstrations in Iran spawned several articles on the use of social media in the organisation and coverage of political unrest? This gory display of dissatisfaction with government is a rather impressive contrast.

Pop Culture

This is a promising combination: Michel Gondry, superhero movies and Ellen Page. Awesomeness.

A year ago, when it became clear that this would be David Tennant's last stint as the Tenth Doctor, there were some rumours regarding the new companion (for Matt Smith), and one of the names that came up, and made me very happy, was Hannah Murray's (Cassie from "Skins"). I'm sure that Karen Gillan is a fine actress as well, but... this would have been pretty cool.

The fourth season and therefore the second generation of "Skins" will be over tomorrow. This makes me sad, but at least I'll be able to focus on other things then.

Things to do until Thursday 11 PM

• Go to lectures.
• Read the required reading. One paragraph at a time. It's doable. 
• Watch "Being Human". 
• Re-Watch "Misfits" and "The Inbetweeners" (anything as long as it's made in Britain really)
• Listen to audiobooks of Henning Mankell's novels. 
• Avoid going back to all the favourite episodes and scenes from season three and season four so far. 
• Failing, miserably. 
• Oh.... NEVER, EVER watch a single episode of "Skins" dubbed in German. The music is different. It's heavily edited. And the voices. Frack, so, so, wrong. This is my early youth - spoiled by the cultural crime of dubbing (Kieran actually uses the formal SIE for Naomi. It's just...awful). Gegenpusten. I had to share that.
• Interviews: here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here (I could go on). 
• Celebrate St Patrick's Day. I mean *really. Wake up tomorrow, at 10:45 PM, and throw the other people out who just wouldn't understand.

(To See What Condition My Condition is In)

"Die Volkspartei habe die größten Zugewinne prozentuell und an Mandaten erreicht, betonte Karner, die SPÖ das "schlechteste Ergebnis seit 60 Jahren". Jahrzehntelange "rote Hochburgen" seien zu "roten Krisengebieten" geworden. Die Kommunalwahlen seien nicht nur die "nächste Watsch'n" für die Führung der niederösterreichischen SPÖ, sondern auch die zehnte Pleite in Serie unter Landesparteichef LHStv. Sepp Leitner gewesen. "Gegen diese Ohrfeigen sind sogar meine schärfsten Attacken geradezu liebenswert", merkte Karner an. "Zehnmal hintereinander kann sich der Wähler nicht irren."

DerStandard: Jubel bei der ÖVP, 15. März 2010

"Ein weiterer Schlag also für Parteichef Werner Faymann, der vor den wichtigen Landtagswahlen in Wien und der Steiermark im Herbst (davor wählt noch das Burgenland im Mai) immer noch keine Trendwende verzeichnen kann. Aber immerhin kann Faymann auf die Bundespräsidentenwahl setzen: Da scheint SPÖ-Kandidat Heinz Fischer einem ungefährdeten Sieg über die umstrittene FPÖ-Politikerin Barbara Rosenkranz entgegenzugehen."

Die Presse: Schlappe für SPÖ bei Gemeinderatswahlen, 14. März 2010

It was a pond, with, like, ducks in it.

"I like making connections with random strangers, interesting ones, who want to change the world without becoming a footballer's wife or a porn star. Life is all about meeting interesting individuals you come across in ways you never expect" 

-Naomi

Just watched the interactive trailer of this generation of "Skins" (which is the lengthy promo of the bar fight for the third season, but has every single character say something about themselves) - and thought it was just completely random that Pandora's background music was "I hate myself and I want to die" by Cat Power, which played while she talked about always having the taste of cheese in her mouth. It also feels strange to watch the promo, considering how little group- and party scenes these two seasons of "Skins" have had, and how seldomly more than three characters have shared a scene.

I heard a song on the radio that reminded me of you, but I lost it.

It only took a vague resemblance in tone and delivery to make me realize how much I actually do look forward to a new original record by Chan Marshall. 

"Once you’ve played the song a thousand times, your life experiences affect the way you perform the song and the way the song actually grows and lives. The recording should actually come after - it just seems weird that you record the song and then play it afterwards. I don’t know how to feel good about recording. It’s strange - it’s like trapping ghosts. It’s like math. Or trapping the meaning of life. That doesn’t really feel right."

In a January 2010 interview with Reverb-magazine, via Wikipedia

Das Lied zum Sonntag

The Mountain Goats - Woke Up New 



On the morning when I woke up without you for the first time
I felt free and I felt lonely and I felt scared
And I began to talk to myself almost immediately
Not being used to being the only person there

The first time I made coffee for just myself, I made too much of it
But I drank it all just cause you hate it when I let things go to waste
And I wandered through the house like a little boy lost in the mall
And an astronaut could've seen the hunger in my eyes from space

And I sang
Oh, What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
What do I do without you?

On the morning when I woke up without you for the first time
I was cold so I put on a sweater and I turned up the heat
And the walls began to close in and I felt so sad and frightened
I practically ran from the living room out into the street

And the wind began to blow and the trees began to pant
And the world in its cold way started coming alive
And I stood there like a buisness man waiting for the train
And I got ready for the future to arrive

And I sang
Oh, What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
What do I do without you? 

[on "Get Lonely", 2006]

Possibly the most beautiful break-up song in my music collection.

Yeah. There was destruction.

Foals - Spanish Sahara

"Forget the horror here / Leave it all down here / It's future rust and then it's future dust."

Beautiful song, even more captivating video, from the trailer for the last episode. The show got renewed for a fifth and sixth season, but that will be a new generation. Also, a particular clip from the finale has leaked online, and this means that I will probably continue to post in this fashion until the episode airs, because it's just, like... the song. You wait, and then something amazing happens.

I have to stop with the random shuffle on my playlist, this is getting creepy.

Nick Drake - Man in a Shed

"Well there was a man who lived in a shed / spent most of his days out of his head"

This review is going to take a while because I think I will need to talk about character assassination,  the killing off of characters - and under what conditions it's okay (when it is absolutely necessary for the story) or completely useless (when it's just done to shock the audience).
Someone misunderstood the works of Joss Whedon there. 

....

well that was weird.

Episode Seven. I'm Elizabeth.

Look who is actually smiling and used all the miserable months to study? Never saw that one coming. 

But this is Effy's episode. Or rather, Elizabeth's episode, as this is all about reinvention.
I can't really say why I like Effy so much. I appreciate her function in the show - and this idea of her as the mysterious observer who sees everything, and changes things either way, but always radically, whenever she decides to intervene.  Her episodes always move all the storylines forward - her two in the first generation of "Skins" are among my favourites in their respective seasons. On the other hand, this has been one of the issues of this and the last season: how to give Effy her very own story. I hope they manage this with the last of her four episodes tonight.
If a third generation should ever happen, then not seeing Kaya Scodelario  (it's still absolutely unbelievable to me that she isn't even 18 yet, but inhabits this character perfectly) as part of the cast will really drive home the point that this is different now, and will take much more getting used to. I'll miss these people. Even Freddie.

I want:
Panda/Effy friendship.
A scene between Emily and Naomi that does not soak up all joy and happiness, makes unicorns cry and rainbows go b/w. 
Naomi actually talking to Effy, not just sharing real and figurative space (and a lighter) with her.
Cook, being more than a comic relief.
At least a little bit of... the Effy that used to see and understand everything. The Effy that changed or even fixed things (since obviously, the Effy that brings chaos and destruction is no longer required...).
Katie fucking Fitch.

mixtape...

arcade fire. NEIGHBOURHOOD #3 (POWER OUT). kaki king. PULL ME OUT ALIVE. son lux. BREAK. howlies. SMOKE (Daytrotter). the organ. LOVE LOVE LOVE. zero7. THROW IT ALL AWAY.

Liveblogging, kind of...

Oh, this is just perfect (because I'm secretly sappy, you know)

 Simon & Garfunkel - For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her ("Live in New York", 1967)

"And when you ran to me / your cheeks flushed with the night"

(Stay Alive! I Will Find You!)

Yann Tiersen - Naomi ("Rue Des Cascades", 1996)

 "The key is in the window / the key is in the sunlight"

Linkliste unbehandelter Themen

I didn't watch or very much care about the Academy Awards this year, but "The Hurt Locker" getting best movie and directing (how is Kathryn Bigelow the first woman ever to get this award?) makes me happy. I was surprised by how intense that film was, it's incredibly well-made, Jeremy Renner (the first time I ever saw him was in "Firefly" "Angel", and in the unfortunately cancelled "The Unusuals) and the other actors did a great job. I haven't seen "Avatar" yet, but if I want intelligent Science Fiction that deals with how "civilized" and "advanced" societies treat indigenous people and nature, I read a novel by Ursula K. Le Guin.

I also haven't seen "The Blind Side", but Sandra Bullock is... when I was younger and still used to watch movies with my parents on the weekends, hers were usually enjoyable and smart and funny. The Academy Awards tend to be given to actors and actresses for more than just a performance in one movie (sometimes the performances they pick for particular actors stuns me - like Denzel Washington for "Training Day", or Kate Winslet for "The Reader")- it's more of an acknowledgment of who they are. And I like Sandra Bullock, so seeing her get standing ovations and then delivering an enjoyable and not at all awkward acceptance speech (maybe they should pick the winners by how well they deliver speeches?) warmed my heart (but Carey Mulligan was still really, really good in "An Education"). 

NY Times: ‘The Hurt Locker’ Wins Big at Oscars, March 7, 2010

A.V. Club: Breaking Down the 2010 Oscar Ceremony, March 7, 2010

These unfortunate young Americans will soon star in the remake (yes. A REMAKE. of a TV show) of generation one of "Skins". Well, at least they won't have to cut all the sex scenes, they can just not shoot them this time around. I'd very much like to say that I'll reserve judgement until it's finished, but... I can't. If they'd done something original, maybe, and only taken the format of "Skins", but really, not with a remake. 

In other epic fail news: more political fail from the recent well of inaptitude.

This is a rather beautiful song by cellist Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore (Daytrotter Session). It might end up on a "Skins"-mixtape, but I can't wait two weeks. 

Dear Companion

Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous committed suicide. He made beautiful, fragile songs - which I first discovered when one of them featured in "Dandelion". 

Pitchfork: R.I.P. Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous

PopMatters: It’s a Sad and Beautiful World: Remembering Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse

And I thought so much political fail at once was impossible...

"In Verlegenheit gebracht hatte sich die FPÖ-Politikerin Rosenkranz selbst. In Interviews stellte sie den Teil des NS-Verbotsgesetzes infrage, der sich "mit der Meinungsäußerung" befasse, weil dieser "zum politischen Missbrauch" einlade - eine Abschaffung dieser Passagen könnte Holocaust-Leugner straffrei stellen. Auf die Frage nach der Existenz von Gaskammern in der NS-Zeit brachte die blaue Politikerin kein eindeutiges "Ja" über die Lippen. Selbst ihrem Förderer, der Kronen Zeitung, war das zu viel. Dort wurde jenes Gelöbnis gefordert, das Rosenkranz nun vornehmen sollte."

DerStandard: Da fiel Frau Rosenkranz kein Stein aus der Krone, 8. März 2010

DerStandard: 41 Prozent sagen, Rosenkranz schadet Österreichs Ruf, 7. März 2010

Die Presse: FPÖ-Tirol und "Krone" distanzieren sich von Rosenkranz, 6. März 2010

DerStandard: Anzeige gegen Rosenkranz wegen Wiederbetätigung, 4. März 2010

Die Presse: Rosenkranz für Aufhebung von NS-Verbotsgesetz, 3. März 2010

Die Krone: FPÖ-Kandidatin Rosenkranz gegen NS-Verbotsgesetz, 3. März 2010 (es ist immer schön, Meinungsfreiheit in Anführungszeichen zu sehen)

Nachdem die Kandidatur (vor dem endgültigen Beschluss des Parteivorstands) verkündet wurde, wollte ich schon einen Eintrag über die fehlgeleitete Verwendung der "Bürgerlichkeit" in Bezug auf Kandidaten und Parteien verfassen - der jetzt im Rückblick natürlich auch unterhaltsam gewesen wäre. 

Ö1 Inforadio: Öhlinger: Begrenzte Macht des Bundespräsidenten (2008)

Die Kompetenzen des österreichischen Bundespräsidenten im Detail

Das Lied zum Sonntag

Starsailor - Coming Down

If you don't mind, can we not fight?
See your clothes woman in the night,
I'm sober, still alive,
Waste your days on your own,
Getting drunk, getting stoned,
I'm sober, still alone,
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Or were you always coming down?
See your face, see your eyes,
Shouldn't have left, shouldn't have lied,
I'm sober, spirit's died,
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Or were you always coming down?
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Or were you always coming down?
If you don't mind we'll not fight?
See your clothes woman in the night,
I'm sober, still its dark,
Wasted days on your own,
Getting drunk, getting stoned,
I'm sober, still alone,
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Or were you always coming down?
Must I always take a back seat?
Must I always be your clown?
Did you ever really love me?
Or were you always coming down?

(on "Love is Here", 2001)

...

This is why I haven't been updating [though I can't tell whether she is happy because of something that happened, or because of all the booze]. Also, I'd like to point out again how awesome this song is: 

The Rosebuds - Life Like

"I'm wild but I'm not free". A clean way out? Really?

Once I've gotten over the two minutes of complete and utter misery in "JJ", I shall review the episode. I am working on it.

Episode Six. I'm not you. I have trust.

I like JJ. He knows that things are fragile, so he takes care of them - because sometimes he can't, and then he wakes up with the things he cherishes and loves in ruins. JJ understands that life can't ever be simple, and that you have to work to make it okay everyday. This is why I really hope that he is happy by the end of this episode - and that there is a scene between him and Naomi.

mixtape...

electrelane. IN BERLIN.  micachu. LIPS (REMIX). the xx. ISLANDS. regina spektor. MARRY ANN. frightened rabbit. THE TWIST. man/miracle. ORANGE BLOSSOMS.

PopSugar UK Interview with Ollie Barbieri ("Describe the other cast members in three words")
YAY, finally. An Unseen with Panda (watch it. This is probably my favourite Unseen so far, yes, it even beats Naomi and Emily living in a tree, and not just because I really really love Pandora and feel like the writers should have figured out how to give her more to do in this series). She is totally going to get into a good University and surprise everyone (oh, the teacher is COOP from "Imagine Me & You". Of course. I love that movie).

Oh, my prediction for the finale: in a surprising and ironic (considering Naomi's situation in s3) turn, the writers of "Skins" will take Buffy's seventh season as a source of inspiration and have everybody live at Naomi's place. Also, everybody except JJ and Pandora will have been expelled. 


Liveblogging, kind of.

Random Things are Random

Pop

Portland-based singer Laura Veirs played a beautiful Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music. She also has a regularly updated blog on her website.

The A.V. Club (we talked about this, remember) interviewed Lili Taylor about some of her roles. Sadly they didn't get around to ask about Abel Ferrara's "Addiction", which is among the more disturbing films I've ever seen more than once, but they do talk about Lisa in "Six Feet Under". Her new film, Antoine Fuqua's "Brooklyn's Finest", is scheduled to come out tomorrow. 

James Marsters, who will start his stint as a monotheistic religious leader and terrorist in tomorrow's episode of "Caprica", talks about the show and says its about "the collapse of the American Empire". I'm still trying to catch up with the reviews for the show, the last two episodes really made me curious about where "Caprica" is going.. There are also rumours that SyFy might renew the show, despite not very high ratings.

Politics

Foreign Policy lists 32 current conflicts in the world - it's important to remember what doesn't make it to the front page of the newspapers.

Something to keep in mind whenever the US or the European Union debates Iran and the potential nuclear threat: China's dependency on Iran's oil. 

"China has vested interests in a good relationship with Iran. Iran is China’s third largest source of imported crude oil and possesses the abundant energy reserves that the rising power needs to sustain its rapid economic growth. China’s thirst for energy and its vast foreign reserves are an ideal complement to Iran, which has the world’s second-largest crude oil reserves but desperately needs investment to develop them. But China’s priorities in Iran go beyond economic interests. Strong bilateral relations help to counter U.S. dominance in the Middle East and increase Beijing’s strategic leverage. China sees Iran’s influence in the Middle East and Central Asia as useful to advancing its political, economic and strategic agenda in that region."

International Crisis Group: The Iran Nuclear Issue: The View from Beijing, January 2010

 Slate maps out Obama's end game for Health Care Reform. The new deadline is Easter. 

Haiti slowly disappears from the news; comparisons.

"In the aftermath of a natural catastrophe, this matters: To call Chile a democracy is another way of saying that Chile is a country whose political leaders have to take voters' concerns into account. Chile's earthquake response will have to reflect the same values as Chile's famed pension system (designed by the president-elect's brother, Jose Piñera), which is intended to assure ordinary workers a decent retirement income. In the coming months, the state may not be able to help all of the poor citizens who have suffered, but it cannot ignore all of them indefinitely either.
Disasters have no logic, and no political significance, either. But the recovery process that follows a disaster is always deeply political. Despite a stronger earthquake and more damaging aftershocks, Chile will return to normal faster than Haiti. Luck has nothing to do with it."

Slate: Shaken, but Not Broken, March 1, 2010

Die Zeit: Gewalt und Plünderungen in Concepción, 2. März 2010

NY Times: Chile Calls for Outside Aid as Devastation Sinks In, March 1, 2010

NY Times: Photos from the Earthquake

The New Yorker: Chile's Test, March 1, 2010

And the obvious, of course

Eels - Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor

[review. written quickly, knowing fully well that I wouldn't want to return to the episode again; not because it was bad though.]