Post titled: "Holy Cow, Batman, we've confused business with culture!"

I was sitting in a performance-reading/ self-DJ'd-lecture tonight from an author called Thomas Ernst who has recently written a book called "Pop Literature" (which follows the development of contemporary German Literary world) when the audience began complaining about the export of American crap-culture during the Q&A it dawned on me that "Whoa- wait, we're confusing 'culture' with the bi-products of business, OR to clarify, the stereotypically most-disliked things about America (McDonald's, etc.) are really just the result of hyper-successful business practices (or happenstance/dumb-luck? for better or worse) not 'culture' in the true sense of the word... things like McDonalds are nasty annoyances which we have to deal with as well."

If there was a widespread annoying business which originated in one country and ended up in virtually every other then the reaction to such a best would surely be the same... but... actually, this is a dull topic.

(Fruitstand at Kottbusser Tor and the author fielding questions)

Stadtbad Neukölln

Nadine and I went to the local neighborhood Schwimmbad this morning which was like something out of another world. Besides the barcoded tickets (which were completely unnecessary since the people who work there just sit and read anyhow) the place hadn't seemed to have changed since 1930. Columns, arches, murals and mosaics of people abounded, everything a bit browned or oxidized with age, but classic... swimming seems to have done wonders for my foot also, (which I am still sure is permanently damaged since the accident in January since it effing hurts all the time).



Nadine went to pick Charley up from school and I proceeded once again to wander the city, this time through the area surounding Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn station, which is a slightly rougher-around-the-edges neighborhood than ours, and even more heavily Turkish. Graffiti is literally ALL OVER Berlin, but this area in particular was more colorful than most. I even noticed one of Shepard Fairey's large OBEY giants on the side of a building, one which I assumed was several years old because of the image. Walking through the labyrinth of streets looking at the walls and wondering if/how the graffitti issue would ever resolve itself here, it doesnät seem likely in the near future. One scrawl on a wall read "Sauberere Mauern= Höhere Mieten" (cleaner walls = higher rents) which seemed way too... true(?)... My policy towards graffitti is basically the blanket policy: support small establishments and don't destroy/deface property or steal from your 'class'mates / peers (which would include houses, small businesses and ordinary citizens like yourself.) Ethics nowadays is a multi-multi-multi-faceted beast...