One day...

...I'm gonna live in Paris. Or elsewhere. Just one day. Only for the sake of it.

I wanted to sing that song the whole week but I couldnt really remember the lyrics. As usual. So now.



Oh la la, cest champes elysee! Cest magnifique, incredible. I'm going there twice this year, I might have found the fish in the bowl for going to. Ta, pink floyd. Nice job. Or lyrics in that case. And then also going to Lisbon. That's great too. Nothing against Cardiff, but it will be warm, sunny and delicious there. And cheaper. It almost tops last year, even tho last year it was more. Switzland, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, US, Iceland, France, Romania, ... But well, one has to do other things.

I dunno what I wanted to write in the first place. Oh, yes, now I remember. I'm jolly happy. I had my second to last revision class today and bought some icecream for them. It was steaming hot outside (for British conditions) and they had deserved it. They did the exercise more than good, I'm proud of them. And some icecream is always delicious. We did an exercise on theory and history, was quite a lot. All of the major and minor theories there are in the sociological universe but they did rather good. Hail to the sociological phantasy, is all I say. Then also finished something for my supervisor. It had been a bit of a trouble changing him but now we are seeming to get on track. further, and the news he told me about the workers of the world unite sound rather splendid. This was a good thing too; I didn't think we both would get that far with our little statistical exercise as we did. Then also finished marking the statistical assignment which was by and large good as well. Apart from the little upsetting thing with the comparison between 0.067 and 0.050 that resulted in the statement that the former is smaller than the latter... something had gone wrong there in 6th grade. but ok. it was like the racist comment in one of my earlier essays. i see what else is in there. apart from that, there was also a sunshine going up this week. in the form of icecream, a fairy tale (sorry; the one will know when reading this), and a video. at least kind of. i mean after all, this week already had enough surprises and i didnt, nor i anticipated this one. this was almost the cherry on top, and a quite nice one. sixth, im still amazed of how my right fore arm is bigger than the left one. you have to look close but it's visible (apart from the fact that i dont fit into my older t shirts anymore. not because of food but more because of all the losing and winning at squash). i do have a tennis arm, as one would say in germany. is this a good or bad thing? i dont know. but it still makes me wonder and let wander off my thoughts. so, is that all? no. i twisted my ankle quite badly, not to say im in pain. terrible pain (not a men's joke; i am actually). in the regular squash game. i cooled it for the last two days but it still hurts sometimes. i think i go and see a doctor tomorrow. i now remember churchill saying that sports is murder. he was right. not only blood and tears but murder too.
in other words, there are 6 bloody good reasons plus the one about paris and lisbon why im happy. if s.o. can proof me wrong he or she is welcome.

i'm happy to have made friends with the greek and the fairy tale finally (plus the ghost writers!!). they have become important ones. this is, what makes me also happy! (this realisation only came to me after a year or so, but i want to express it). it's really coming together and what im starting to realise only slowly..! in the whole week, there was only one big negative thing when i think about it. the danish is leaving and i couldnt cope with it. i already do miss her and i wished there would be a short way home. she's not completely gone, but she's in a county far, far away. i miss her. and i feel angry that i missed to say it properly. i hope she is coming back soon. if feels so empty, the office.

ok, i leave you now. it is enough of bragging and mourning. i hope you enjoy the reading of my blog and the inner sensation that maybe nothing has changed (this is meant for the ones, who have long gone and will never return). i had a bloody good week and the more i think about, well...

edit: I wrote this post originally on the last day of April, just before midnight. Since then, a few (quite a few actually) things have changed; actually it started about 2 days after I wrote this post. It changed for the better in all respects. Maybe I'm just a bit "sentimental" right now, but sometimes you wake up in the morning thinking it's going to be a day like all others and when you go to bed (at least "geographically") everything has changed. Nothing is as it was in the morning. And you know in that instance, it is for the better. You have the weird feeling (is it weird??) that your fingers will keep on clicking for a while... I finally stopped smoking. I gave up my daily intake of diet cokes. If it's raining the sun shines. If the sun shines I get blinded. And still can see. Whether I might can really blind at one point I don't know. I don't feel like... Anyhow, right now I'm happy. Und Alles ist Bestens. Mit einem breiten Grinsen auf meinen Lippen. I saw black cat, white cat the other day and it certainly sums up one of the morales I learned (and some others, I hope to learn soonish) at the end. That, whatever happens and you do, at the end of the day most things will turn out fine. If something is meant to be (and I heart that quite a lot of times) it will be. And it is.



I only edited a few things in the original post, a few spelling things or else. But nothing substantial. Basically, iubesc, smokina mou.

Ne...Malakas...Ne...Malakas...

...is the basis for properly speaking Greek. And I can speak it fluently :p OK, the only other words I can are yamas, kali nixta, kali mera, and oxi. Anyway. I spent splendid days (first time ever) in Greece with a friend of mine. She invited me and we stayed in Athens and Ios. It was really beautiful and relaxing; only drinking coffees all the time and eat Souflaki with Tzatziki (loads of Tzatziki! I'm still smelly...). A friend of hers drove us around Athens and we heard this song, which caught me instantaneously



I think I will always link the trip with this song and vice versa. I know why; but it's also because it fitted his driving style and the mood of Greece. He speeded around the city, we had the windows open, and the warm wind blew into the car... What a memory... and he could drive so that all could relax and lean back and inhale the city...

And then, something very strange happened. I was at Athens airport to get my flight back and I walked past a music shop. A few steps later I stopped and thought, wait, something is wrong here. I went back and heard very familiar tunes that seemed to be misplaced. That was the song



The song is from the East German band City and is one of those very knows there. It fills dance floors in the second the first tunes come. Almost like hymn. I wondered why it is played in a small record store in Athens in its original version (German)... It was amazing. And I smiled inside. I checked now and saw that the song received gold in Greece in the early 80s... But still... Amazing how small the world can be sometimes... Ne!!

Road Trip

The next film I want to see in the cinema

Schuhe von Rewe'n

New Age?

Sometimes, strange things happen. Things that make you thinking about your own state of mind and extra-psychical forces. I can readily think of two types: incidences where you get the feeling “hm, either this is going to be a very bad day if I don’t look out, or something is happening”. And déjà vu feelings.
The déjà vu is interesting because it’s not only that I have sometimes the feeling, I have seen this already somewhere or I have been here before, but that I know I will see this again or experience a particular situation in the future while I’ve a dream. Usually I wake up after such a dream and try to remember what I’ve “seen” so that I can look out for it in the future. But then, it slips my mind and I forget about it. Until the situation comes. It’s a strange feeling because it kind of unfolds slowly and I slowly become aware of the déjà vu, together with the feelings of being there before or having seen it before. The most recent one I can remember is that I was in a restaurant with friends and I had dreamt before that I would sit on a large round table, looking outside onto the car park and that the restaurant would be light inside and spacious. And yes it was like this when it actually happened. Only that I didn’t know from the dream if there would be someone else with me. Makes me wonder if there is someone putting these things into my dreams.
The other one is a bit stronger because I’m actually awake (at least physically). The other day my computer fell down the stairs. Apart from that I could watch it falling down in slow motion (in real time it only lasted a second or two) I had the strong feeling, shit, I have to be careful today; in the meantime I had to pack my stuff back into the box. And my heart made a negative leap. I really had to be careful because I had to travel a few hundred miles that day. I drove more careful than normal and nothing happened, except the usual overexcited hockey mums in their oversized vans erratically changing lanes and the little car-scrap scheme cars, who are new but undersized for any kind of speed over 120km/h and thus are like firearm bullets rather than actual cars (yes, I do have something against those schemes. They destroy what they are meant to support, their effects are predictably unpredictable. In a year, whole sectors have to be bailed out (or not). Garages, car rental agencies, and last but not least the car industry itself; anyhow). Back to my feeling, there are other situations where I have the feeling something is happening or will happen even if I can’t put my finger on it. Usually it’s in the car; but sometimes also in different situations. However, a bit more care in driving normally does the trick or simply walking.

Hm, even though this was on my mind for quite a while because it’s reoccurring only yesterday I was actually thinking that maybe I should become self-employed as a professional fortuneteller. It’s certainly better than driving taxi, waiting for supervisors, or sitting in a stuffy office. I could call myself the “magical”. What do you think? I also have already an idea for my logo and the sign over the entrance… But this is a surprise… Now I better get some sleep and work on my magical powers… or move some glasses in order to speak to my medium… or seek a muse…



esoteric rulez...

Blurb

I have been looking for quite a while whether there is a song out there that summarises all what's going on. Hm, I still havent found one. But while looking my thoughts wandered off and I found something else.



I got to her because of her song "Jungle Drum" which is played up and down in Germany. To be honest, I think she's got a nice accent and smile so I'm a bit biased there. Anyhow, her earlier works are good too; maybe not for all the time but some are ok for certain occasions. Put differently, sometimes it's amazing to discover some artist backwards and see what they have done before.

Umm, what a blurb and no deep-philosophical content... I need vacation I think.

Here comes the sun...

!!! :D !!!

before i go to bed

Lisa: just because Maggy can't talk it doesn't mean she's dumb. Einstein couldn't speak until he was 3.
Marge: ... and even then he only could speak German.

Ha, only American English is the superior language... :p

Beep Revised

Beep, Beep, Beep. What is beeping? Sputnik. And why is it important? Because it put men on the moon. From a feminist point of view I would say it's good it were men and not women because it wouldn't be that much of a loss in case of disaster...
Continuing from last week's urge to freedom, to touch the sky, and to see the stars an early commemoration of the moon landing.



Unfortunately, it's only purpose was to kick the Soviets in their red asses... Otherwise, we would have stayed there. The thought in my mind these days is how history is redefined in the (British) media at the moment. There are a lot of programs regarding the landings and space in general, May in Space and consorts. But in all of them (at least most) the role of the Soviets in the cosmos is devalued, if not neglected. It was the same 2 years ago with the Sputnik anniversary; I remember some British news saying "The sound that shocked the World". Hm, I would have a good bet if I said that at least half of that "World" was actually dancing on the streets (metaphorically speaking). This time, there are a few other gems, like: "The Americans put the first man into space, Gagarin was only in Earth Orbit." Someone is having sex with definitions there... Or when they ask celebrities about the moon landing and what they felt back then. No word said or asked about the Soviets, only Sputnik and maybe Gagarin if at all... It's kind of amazing how small omissions by the media can change the image of something. It's not even lying about something, it's only not saying it and thus shifting the perspective to only one side of the story (-ies). Well, I hope that in two years they do a proper commemoration of the first man in space and, in four years time, the first woman in space (20 years before the Americans did, btw.; and Tereshkova was on her own and didn't need to be flown by men..).

Oh, what a rant. Maybe because I went to Gagarin and Tereshkova elementary schools. And maybe because I like the sound of "cosmonaut" more. But hey Mr. Spaceman, one day, will you please take me along for a ride? To the moon, to the Sun, to the space? That would be very kind indeed!

Forgot this video for the post today. My cousin sent it to me the other day. I particularly like the two guys being the airbags...

Oh, I wanted to publish the foregoing post for a long time now and had been writing on it every now and then. That's why it's here; and maybe one day, I will do my own road movie...

Four wheels under my saddle

Just to warn you, this post is utterly pathetic.



Freedom. Hm, Freedom? Part of my urge for freedom is to ride into the sunset like they do in the old Western Movies. The only difference is that I’m using a car for that. Driving down the road, only me, the song, the car, and the sunset.



I think the best place to do it is the US because you can drive on for hours and nothing changes – or everything changes every couple of miles. That is just great. So, part of the freedom is basically to be surprised and overwhelmed by the grandiosity of nature. Making me and everything else small, meaningless, “a lump of biological waste” accidentally put on earth. I even don’t mean it in a negative way. But the thing with riding into the sunset is that you are free and put yourself back into the wilderness. Into an almost natural state of being. I mean look at this one and then tell me humans are bigger than nature. And sometimes the clouds are so low as if they want to tell “duck down” and I think, I almost can touch the sky. See here







The great thing is that there is nothing certain when you are on the road. The only thing for sure is that you drive forward and don’t reverse. That’s all. You can stop for a swim, for a church, to hug a tree, to relieve yourself and watch over the large lake in front of you and being watched by some animals who also relieve themselves, see bisons, sheeps, cows, etc. crossing the road and starring at you, sleeping under the open sky.
And then there is music. “Cowboys” had their guitars and harps (supposingly), I have got the Cds. There’s loads of road music, here are only a few:




(on the Harry Nilson one: When I bought the CD the cashier asked me if I always buy my own Cds… because I looked like him on the cover…; and if you have time listen to Coconut from him, I think it’s one of the most hilarious songs there is because it’s basically just a song about a coconut. Anyhow)
Both songs are dealing with freedom and that you can run away but never hide from things, no matter how hard you try. This is what happens when I’m on the road. I drive and drive for thousands of miles, nothing changes in my mind. Until one moment which is like those dreams one has. You run and run, and suddenly you run over a cliff and then fly like a bird, looking down on earth, on the green grass, on the hills. The feeling is, my feet loose ground, my mind detaches, and I fly. All while driving.

And at last, I feel free. At peace. I reached a higher spiritual stage.

p.s. my driving-to-freedom strategy: don’t know and don’t care where I want to go. I just drive and if I like a road and want to take the turn I do it. I will find the sunset and the sunset will find me.

Stupid. A Fuck. Stupid??? Welcome back to Go.

Ralf Dahrendorf is dead. He died last week at the age of 80. Why telling about? He was one of the first sociologists I read when I started with sociology. And he tried to answer the foregoing question by using power. The (only) book by him I read was "Homo Sociologicus" which is about a hundred pages long and in its 16th(?) edition since the mid 60s. In there he develops on the concept of social role but in a normative context. Why people act as they do and use three levels of expectational norms directed to them: can, should, must. Each of these has different courses of action and sanctions attached.
Hm, I'm not entirely sure where this post is really going or what I want to say at all. It's just that the news of his death made me a little upset. I'm not even sure why, maybe it's because it was one of those books you will never forget, the books that give you a certain spin. I remember going on to Goffman afterwards. And then seeing the "house", also conceptualised by Dahrendorf. He was Marxist but sought to find another mode of class distinctions. So, instead of poverty he used power and today German academics of social structure and inequality use "layers"/milieu instead of pure class. And then Dahrendorf is technically the same generation as Habermas or Luhmann, even though all three experienced it differently. Within a very short time of a year, people will have quite varying life courses; meaning, all three were 15-17 in the last year of WWII and thus may have or may not have served. Anyhow, I will certainly read the little book again and venture on to some of his other books.

I don't have anything to say about jacko except that it was probably the best for him; he was completely fucked up and maybe it was the best for him to live on as a "mythos/legend/genius/ambivalent character/fallen celebrity/whacko/.../.../" than as a wreck.

Just bubbling on... :D

The early academic catches the conference…

Two days ago, we had our annual PhD conference in the department. After a little reluctance of people to present and the usual proposed streams I was fed up and I volunteered to organise the paper sessions, along with the professor. Long story short, we had 16 very interesting paper session and 2 equally interesting, and challenging, plenary sessions. The topics went from Philosophy to the financial crisis, from Britain to Sri Lanka, from chocolate to quantitative facts… The discussions were good and pushed a few papers beyond the first line. The whole day was partially sunny outside so that the final session, “Sociologists in the “Public Field”” could take place, meaning we had a splendid BBQ at the lake. Calming down, discussing the day, and plain socialising. Overall, I’m in debt to the presenters and all people who came! (even tho, I bribed some of them with cakes and harassed them on end…)

Front Page Conference Flyer

The motto of the conference was “How is society possible?” Asked by Simmel in 1908 and attempted to answer. One said to me that I have to start my opening speech for the conference with a joke as Americans do and I try to do it here now (the opening was ultimately done by the Co-Organiser). So here are my two cents of sociological wisdom:

"What happens if two sociologists discuss something? You end up with 4 different opinions (at least). While this might be annoying for non-sociologists it leads me to three aspects for today’s conference: on one side, we as sociologists, try to capture the world (whatever it actually is) by taking different perspectives. We take it not as black and white because it mostly isn’t black and white. Even if looking at the same thing there are always more questions than answers.
On the other side, as Simmel argues in his paper society and individuals are interdependent. The one can’t be understood without the other and only together both are possible. That is, why there is always (at least) 2 perspectives per sociologist. As Simmel writes the thing we understand as “real” is fragment of the real we are trying to understand. We can only get a small glimpse of the thing we are looking at. But we know about this insufficiency and impossibility of grasping the “natural” state of things. Thus, we always add something to what we are seeing. We are presented with something and we are seeing it. We think what we are meant to see and think what we should or ought to see. Both together may be similar but often vary and produce two perspectives for both society and individuals.
But above both sides, the question “How is … possible?” connotes simultaneously a fact and a contingency. Society is something which vanishes in the instant it emerges. It exists but is also constructed. So, the answer can only be a question and contingency. We as sociologists shape and are shaped by society. So are individuals. It is, after all, a very nice dilemma. And now lets go to the bbq and see how many opinions we manage to find…"

Puh, fortunately I spared the full thing and only did a brief recall of the day at the end of the conference. And then basically just said to stop thinking, no sociology anymore please, get back to the content of society, and come to the BBQ.

(oh, and the joke worked in the closing speech)

Finally happy???

Turn the page pt. 2...

Oh, and fortunately: I still haven't finished with my German degree and I can become a proper taxi-driver... :-D That's my consolation!

Turn the page...

...and close a chapter. I read a book last week by Coelho and there were quite a few lines dealing with freedom in it. One was: when you choose something and fail the scar from it hurts but if you are free to choose that something and fail the scar has a sweet taste and hurts less. Meaning, despite the tears and injury you enjoyed your freedom; obviously it's only in reference to oneself and doesnt mean to hurt someone else. anyho. It was something along those lines. And, as said in the foregoing post, I now had to de-register from my German university because they deemed me a career student and I would have had to start paying a few hundred euro tuition fees from next academic year onwards (mind you, there are usually hardly tuition fees at all). And it makes me a bit sentimental. I spent 3 1/2 years there, studying very interesting subjects, met people, went partying, had student jobs, and started to become a grown up (not very successful tho...). There are certainly some memories there; the only thing I didn't get was a degree because I still had half a year left and the examinations to do. But then I chose to go to England and stayed there (and spent more time doing the degree actually here than back there). I remained registered with the German university and even went back for a term because of the little thing examination left and just in case, somebody found out I had no first degree and throw me out here... Hm. neither happened so far, and won't hopefully in the future.

To cut a very long story short, when I started I always looked at those career student with a certain degree of distrust and now I'm one myself officially. It makes me sad to know that I have defo to leave the uni and will never be able to go back so easily. But then, I chose to go away and I'm happy here. And the scar of having to turn the page and close a chapter tastes sweet. MLU rulez...


(just bubbling away today as there wasnt a post for a few days and get some pressure of the (writing) system)

Hitchcock-esque Moment

I was recently back in Germany and thought I would have a kebab... And as I now got the notification from my old uni that I either have to pay higher tutition fees or to ex-matriculate myself I opted for the later and decided to have a last dinner on the main uni square. So, there I am sitting on the square with my kebab and watching the last sunshine of the day. Suddenly, a bird landed next to me and started to pick up the crumbs. I looked at him and he looked at me. He looked innocent and cute and I was thinking that he has a relaxed life and how much he must have got used to humans; he wasn't scared or else. Well, at one point I looked away and when I turned back to my kebab I only felt his wings in my face. That bloody bird was eating my kebab... And I couldnt do anything... Still in shock, I looked at him and his face was resembling a big broad smile, as if he was trying to say to me "you might be taller than me but I got your kebab, you ..." Hm. Alfred Hitchcock at his best...

Oh, and I throw the kebab away...

Just in between exam marking... watch here a schnaps would be nice, just ease the pain of reading stats over and over again...

The last day of May

...well, and i was just thinking it's the last day of the month and I just came back from some friends. Maybe a post, just for the sake of it. And yes, it was my birthday a few days ago. It was very nice, almost the way I thought was perfect. I'm now a year older, again, like every year. I feel the pain of old age... ;) my leg hurts, I wake up early, and sight gets bad... hehe ;) joking. just the leg is hurting, again. Probably from squash.

What I was going to say is that I was in Paris over the weekend and thus on my birthday. I really had a nice time and just enjoyed. I'm still smiling and very very happy. However I acknowledge that Paris might be one of the most romantic cities in the world. But, I think it's overrated because I think there are more and better place to feel romantic... And after all, isnt romanticism something you construct, and thus, can have everywhere? Do I really need Paris..? Can't it be Champ de Mars, Quebec; Granville Park, BC; Kühlungsborn; Wustrow... Je ne sais pas mais... While in Paris I listened to Jackson Browne. I went to his concert a few weeks ago and was amazed (apart from that, that my best mate invited me)... I hadnt heard much before from Browne but I fell instantaneously in love with the music when in concert. It's somewhere between Tom Petty, CSN (and Y), and Byrds. You have defo heard him before, remember Running on Empty in forrest gump? that's him. He also wrote the Pretender, sang "Stay (Just a little bit longer)", and some other well known songs (he wrote for the eagles, e.g.). So, I heard this one...



if you listen, the lyrics are quite good. He has very political lines and often quite subtle. What I like with this song is, that it is on one hand cheesy in its rhythm but going deep in its lyrics on the other hand... Do his eyes hurt because he has seen so much misery...? and never looked away? Wondering, can someone help him? Hm. I just liked it. I had other songs on my ear too. Gladys Knight. L'Art de Passage. Depeche Mode. To sum up, great birthday.

Where neuroses mushroom I want to be the landscape gardner

Just to today I heard Element of Crime again and then stumbled over that line, “Where the neuroses mushroom I want to be the landscape gardener.” It’s from their song lyrics “Tram of Death.” It’s sounds melancholic and depressive but the song is actually quite nice. And has only partially something to do with neuroses. Watch a self made video here.
There are two stories in the song: one about love and one about a “depressive”, ordinary German city, where everyone is a bit disillusioned, lyrics “where old people stand in corners ranting”, and the supermarket cashiers are rude, lyrics “supermarket of terror, where he being friendly looses’ (this has improved since the song came out; anyhow..). In other words, the ideal place to develop a neurosis from depression.
The protagonist (it’s unclear whether he or she) hangs out with “grey” and disillusioned people just to see his or her love. Basically, s/he tries to set up chance encounters, such as waiting at the paper recycling station until the love comes to dispose paper… Or, standing in the tram to a suburban dormitory town, where nothing happens (hence the title of the song), and enduring other people stepping on his/her feet. But all is fine, when the love enters the tram…
The song is actually quite nice because of these two stories told in one and the twist of feelings. The hate towards the city is turned into a hate-love because it is there where his or her love lives.

Oh, and what I wanted to say is this: sometimes I feel the same with my PhD. It is something that can really push you to the edge of desperation some times, depression looming. Fortunately not now, but there have been a few times over the last years when I was close on deleting the whole bloody thing... (that's nothing new, I guess). But then you have always something nice coming around. Like that, or that, or that (symbol for all others ;P). And many, many more things I like and love. :-# Then, the same twist happens like on the tram of death, and all is fine.

Paradoxical Time Management

This is what happens when you have to do something but can't concentrate because of sunshine. And that me, an atheist...



Maybe (s)he's with me too although I had two strange conversations with protestant missionaries in the last months which wouldnt go down too well.
If I believe in religion? No! But, you do in Christianity? No, last time I checked Christianity was a religion too!
Or,
Do you believe in God? No! But you know we all live in sin and have resurrection one day? Yes, still I like my sins. BUT you will suffer and regret for them!! (that guy was really shouting at me by his second question) Maybe, but at least it will be hot...

Seriously, I'm open for a discussion but not like this. Anyho, ...

Same from below, for English readers...

Who needs words
if one can kiss
Who needs words
if one has eyes to see
Who needs words
if one can smell
Who needs words
if one has hands, if one has hands to feel.

Feel what you touch

Wer braucht schon Worte
wenn er küssen kann
Wer braucht schon Worte
wenn er Augen hat zum sehn
Wer braucht schon Worte
wenn er riechen kann
Wer braucht schon Worte
wenn er Hände hat, wenn er Hände hat zum fühlen.

Manche Sachen braucht man halt nicht zu sagen... Ist ja auch besser so.

Back to Nature

Singing, Dancing, Electric Guitars...

(I know I had this song earlier but, well, music is part of the strip)

Apart from that, I love the outcome of the G-20. Not-only did Michele sat next to a former DSS-recipient and an ex-girl friend of an ex-drug addict but they also pumped 1 trillion into the economy (that's 1.000.000.000.000, or roughly equal the FTSE100 of early 2008, and double the US defense spending, mind you...). That helps a lot. Not only that Michele meeting Carla (my preference goes for Carla) is on top of the news on the BBC website but it also shows the incapacity of most world leaders... Despite the usual argument of the failure of capitalism it shows that we will leave our children (the sheeps and seeds of the future) yet another 1 trillion dollar, on top of the existing bill. The crisis triggered through lending is healed through just more lending. Welcome in the 1930s. We know what happened then but this time there will be no sweat or tears. But how about if we let the "market rule" and GM (including the European subsidies), Lloyds, royalBS, HRE, Fanny Mae, and all the others let fail?After all, they didn't plan for the future in one way or the other, just for the short-term illusion. It's bad to loose 3% of the US GDP through GM's failure (I understand that point) but it would ripple us to the needed awareness that a foot on the property ladder or 70mpgs aren't good enough for a climate change, the quality of the house you get (there is no such thing as value for money), or sustainable growth. It's good that they try to curtail the damage but they should seriously start to think what factors caused the crisis in the first place. It started in liberal Western countries (and it should stop there) and not in social market or transitionary communist economies. Capitalism leaves us with two problems: distribution and wishes. For the latter, we can't all have what we want. Never been so, and even in communist countries choice was limited. And distribution will always be arbitrary, yet can be dealt with. But when we mix wishes with distribution we get into trouble as we are now. I can wish more than I have but it won't be mine, it'll be the banks (or whomever who gives credit). The state can guarantee it through welfare but nothing more.

OK, anyway, let's leave it there. Enough ranting on about. Glad, that they found a solution at least. Whether it is the right one remains highly questionable. But it won't be over yet, it's still infant. What a rant, I shouldn't do economics.

oh, and what i think about the new like-function of Facebook: firstly, there is no -dislike function. you can't say that you dislike a particular statement or post of someone else. FB automatically assumes that you will like it, one way or the other. Secondly, you can still click like if you dislike the post/status because of that uncertainty. The problem on FB is the difference between the information (pure status) and the message (the post of status and thus information). If s.o. writes Obama was beaten up by g-twenty protestors I can like the fact that protestors were beating up but I can dislike the fact that he was beaten up. FB leaves no choice between this. I think FB should change its options in this regard because you can only like a message but never dislike. nonetheless, if you like a message it is never for sure whether you like the content of the message (I like the message) or the implications of the messaging (what did the poster of the message wants to say)... It's simple sociology there but FB should change it...

in the last months i have certainly turned fundamentally anti-british. something i would have never thought off before. but it kinda happened. after all, britain isnt that great as it appears or wants to appear. even british see the point. this country once ruled the world but it doesnt and hasnt done so for a very long time any more. and the sooner people realise the better. but on another note, i realised that some of my objections might be racist in the sense that i overstate them without any comparison. today we had a discussion whether british males, in a general sense and i know there exceptions, are overacting to proof their masculinity (e.g. loud cars, abusive behaviour, beating up people, shouting c*** and w***** whenever possible) whenever possible. Well, I didn't know the answer to if a few other nations' males do the same. E.g. Mexican. I'm still thinking about it and I admit that my first rejection is wrong and that I have to rethink it. But still the question persists, why there are males (let's face it) who have fast cars, want to beat you up (without provocation), or think patriarchy is god-given.