My record for the Potsdam Island Swimming

Yesterday it was not so much fun...

Too many unfair behaviours by pool swimmers during the competition

I scored my best time by far, which is very surprising to me too

Results

2016 00:23:33

2014 00:25:03

2012 00:24:26

Female Punk and Their Influences

Pitchfork has never been my favourite source of reviews, still its website is so rich in audio and written content that a lot of inputs come from there anyway...so be it.
As this article a friend of mine forwarded yesterday.

This morning, with the flea market down here, I listen to The Raincoats (and put The Slits on queue).
Their album Odyshape is anything but punk though.
Even better

Airports stream of consciousness

There is a global unwritten rule:  any cardholder of any Easyjet frequent flyer scheme is an idiotic moron or a moronic idiot

Catching up with old releases

New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
Iggy Pop - The Idiot
Genesis - Foxtrot
MF Doom - Operation: Doomsday

Still one of my favourite songs by Radiohead

....
Has the light gone out for you?
Because the light's gone out for me
It is the 21st century
It is the 21st century


It can follow you like a dog
It brought me to my knees
They got a skin and they put me in
They got a skin and they put me in
.....

A Moon Shaped Pool

It does not matter if it sounds good or bad, everytime a new albnum by Radiohead is out, I put on my headphones and listen to it in absolute solitude.
Tonight is one of those evenings
http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace

B. Clementine on NPR

I had the chance to listen to B.Clementine's album during a Christmas dinner party last year and it didn't convince me at all.

This live performance is however impressive. The piano looks simply an extension of his body, the lyrics a storytale, his eyes a gaze looking beyond.

Spring Acknowledgments

The astonishingly beauty of Meryl Streep, when you watch Manhattan for the 7th time
The stroke in the stomach, when you find out one person you have been madly crazy about is pregnant
The limited knowledge of Prince discography
The difficulty of imagining everyday life in a place other than Berlin
The dream of imagining everyday life possible in Venice
The sharp clarity you attain, when alcohol is banned for a while
The comfort of spending time in a library reading academic works

Germany vs Italy who cares....

Altough being an Italian citizen living in the German capital, I consider a point of personal pride the fact of spending an amazing evening with friends (dinner and drinks) and not being aware of the football results.

It overflows...

Lighter than air

Watch this video on The Scene.

Il quadro dipinto da Censis e Istat per l'Italia appare durissimo da digerire

Dall'articolo apparso online su Lettera43
"C'è dunque oggi in Italia una «pericolosa povertà di progettazione per il futuro, di disegni programmatici di medio periodo». Prevale una dinamica d'opinione messa in moto da quel che avviene giorno per giorno. È la vittoria della «pura cronaca», che si vede nella «disarticolazione strutturale» del nostro sistema: vincono come al solito l'interesse particolare, il soggettivismo, l'egoismo individuale e non maturano valori collettivi e un'unità di interessi."

My top 5 albums for 2015

The Districts
Vijay Iyer Trio
Beach House
Protomartyr
Ryley Walker

Comments:
All 5 from the US
All 5 from the East

Signs of my neighbourhood's gentrification increase

1. Parking becoming more and more difficult at night
2. This morning saw at least 2 brand new Defenders (Landrover) within 10 minutes
3. The number of coffee-related drinks you can order any given bar; as if coffee, espresso, cappuccino and latte macchiato were not enough
4. At least one renovation going on in very block
5. Prams prams prams

Signs of a creeping, pervasive privatisation of Everything

A tentative draft list:

- Citizens cleaning up streets
- Parents creating their own kindergarten
- European citizens saving migrants and refugees's lives
- European citizens helping migrants and refugees in general
- Social start-ups trying to solve problems the State does not anymore
- The rethoric of " We can do it" which sounds a lot like capitalistic self-reliance
- The inflation of the prefix "self"
- The use of social media data for commercial purpose
- The growing sense of necessity of working pro-bono or voluntary to get a job
- The Self-production of more and more services
- The commercialisation of art in all its forms
- The growing costs of education at all levels
...
 

Justice will not be made, ever.

Just to put few circumstances in perspective:

(1) it is a piece of news from yesterday that "Mr." Berlusconi actually bought Italian deputees so that the government by his only real political challenger, Mr. Prodi, would fall.

(2) Given the length in the proceedings and in the first trial, due primarily - please note - to the fine tactics of the "best" Italian lawyers he can afford paying because to the immensity of his wealth and also due to the sclerotic judicial system he did not even dare reforming in the almost 10 years he spent as PM, the sentence will never be applicable i.e. he will not spend a single day in jail.

(3) That screams for injustice and social revolt from every possible perspective.

(4) It is beyond my understanding that people do not go on the streets, boycott all his media empire or stop voting his accolytes and supporters (shares of votes for his scandalous club-wanna-be-party dimished lately, though steadily >10% nationally).

(5) Given all that, it feels more and more difficult to ever think to go back to such a neurotic, self-condescending, culturally biased, disillusioned, filled-with-double-standards, unable-to-ever-bounce national community currently going under the name of Italian Republic.

No Peace Without Justice in Palestine

TVOTR @KCRW

Thursday night in Dundee

Yesterday night a concert
Dean Owens played: link
Few thoughts that came to my mind while listening to it
Never take part in a meet-up of old school mates
Never criticise without being constructive
Never spend a week without smiling
Never forget that I long for the seaside
Elliott Smith rules

Also a good lesson

Dear .....,
The videos have been sent almost two weeks ago, with a much greater speed than any of the feedbacks you ever provided, included the 7 working days delay you needed to send a reimbursement form, which btw you promised (quote) you will have sent the next day (end of quote).
The length/quality in the delivery by the Italian mail service is something I have no control over, as much as the way you don´t talk to each each other at EIUC, an institution with less than 30 workers and biased email communication.
Let me also assure you that you will not need so much time for the videos, as long as you intend to produce them in a quality as poor as the one of Mudar´s interview, if that ever can be a relief for you sudden growth of hastiness.
I am sure that irrespective of all this you have received your salary regularly over the months: well you might need to wait for the mail.
Also a good lesson.

Sunday afternoon: 12 - 14 °C water temperature

#liepnitzsee

A photo posted by Marco Baldan (@mmkakou) on May 17, 2015 at 6:12am PDT

...und Gretchen schläft weiter..

Saturday afternoon

#swim #schlachtensee

A photo posted by Marco Baldan (@mmkakou) on May 9, 2015 at 7:47am PDT

Long term effects of watching "Sounds and silence", a documentary on ECM´s founder, Manfred Eicher

This guy never laughs while his label will make you cry. I finally found a way to sum it up. Extract from an e-mail I sent today.

Saint Nothing Live Recording by D. Rossen

Scandinavian jazz discovery of the week

Applicable to mild dull springs too

Crossing

That spooky moment when you read a tweet about an artist likened to P.J. Harvey, at the same time your podcast on Itunes plays one song by that artist and you wonder whether you are listinening to Harvey´s new track... FYI Artist: Mourn Feed: Pitchfork Podcast: KEXP song of the day

A redescovery from Mogwai from yesterday night

Tigran Hamasyan

Júníus Meyvant - Color Decay

INTERNET USAGE OECD

Best November musical discovery so far: PROTOMARTYR from Detroit

Brexit asap then

On some levels I do hope that the UK simply opts out from the EU so that ink and bytes can be finally spared. The UK government is the worst the country had in a very long time. Let them go

Zentrum für politische Schönheit: 25 Jahre Mauerfall

The Global Gender Gap Index 2014

hundred years of rock as an infographics

Click image to see the full interactive music graphic(via Concert Hotels).

Iran, the internet and a Berlin-based graphic designer

Where are the Romanians? Why don´t they come? J. Fischer at the Hague Institute for Global Justice

God save the Italian internet providers

Slowdive           
Mac DeMarco                 
Haydn Sonatas and Symphonies
FKA Twigs                      
Broen Season 2                      
Chapterhouse                       
Charlie Haden & Co
Charlie Liberation Music Orchestra    
Ornette Coleman  Free Jazz
Swervedriver
Ambrose Akinmusire    
Lush
Africa/Brass J.Coltrane
Black Sabbath
Bob Mould                
Sharon Van Etten               
Boros - En Otra Parte           
Lee Fields and the Expressions  
The Blasters
Sylvan Esso               
The Antlers  Familiars        
Black Keys - Turn Blue       
Ty Segall                   
Brian Jonestown Massacre       
Burial Untrue               
Burial, 4tet and T.Yorke
Amen Dunes   

T. Yorke´s new album is a kick in the nuts of the self elected gate keepers (and costs 4.72 euro over BitTorrent)

His and N. Godrich´s letter

As an experiment we are using a new version of BitTorrent to distribute a new Thom Yorke record.
The new Torrent files have a pay gate to access a bundle of files..
The files can be anything, but in this case is an 'album'.
It’s an experiment to see if the mechanics of the system are something that the general public can get its head around ...
If it works well it could be an effective way of handing some control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work.
Enabling those people who make either music, video or any other kind of digital content to sell it themselves.
Bypassing the self elected gate-keepers.
If it works anyone can do this exactly as we have done.
The torrent mechanism does not require any server uploading or hosting costs or ‘cloud’ malarkey.
It's a self-contained embeddable shop front...
The network not only carries the traffic, it also hosts the file. The file is in the network.
Oh yes and it's called
Tomorrow's Modern Boxes.
Thom Yorke & Nigel Godrich

Fokus Europa : Festung Europas

Die Flüchtlingssituation an den Europäischen Grenzen und die EU-Migrationspolitik

My week in few words (so far)

Bron/Broen
Rebecca Hall
James Blackshaw
Idiots not doing their job
Asian food
Goodbye

Neil Young still believes that change can happen: new track recorded live

Glitches in the Break, jo

mapping of climate change vulnerabilities

Walk-through - Projects EMAPS Amsterdam Sprint March 2014

Gianni Ansaldo thinks he knows stuff about Radiohead´s new album

Here the post : link

Please reckon with me that the whole post is about old tracks which G.A. imagines Radiohead will use.
It has been fun to listen to this old stuff though.

A great metal band, discovered thanks to my buddy PH

D´Addario Series

B. Eno and P. Schwartz on the Gaza conflict and US politics: chronologically linked READ IT

Brian Eno initial letter

Peter Schwartz´s reply

Brian Eno reply to Schwartz

My personal  sum up:

There is no reason left to support Israel in the way he wages war to Palestinian: This is one point where the two agree.
If Israel is guilty of war atrocities as it is the case since the eighties at the latest, it has no more moral primacy left.
Two states and two people PLUS ejection of the extremists on both side the only solution.
Europe and US shall work for it without reluctance to engage.

I am still very angry.

You can´t do that ´cause it is freaking me out (via visualisingadvocacy.org)

Suddenly this video started popping out all over my feeds: where good ideas come from

New German expression I learnt

Satz des Monats:
Du laesst mich abblitzen

GIRL by Pharrell Williams

How records are (not) sold + tracklist

-----------

If you download music illegally, you might feel like buying that record or not.

If you had not bought the record anyway, downloading it does not make any difference to the artist.

If you subscribe to Spotify or MOG or similar, you will not feel like buying a record, ever; plus almost no cent will end in the artists´ hands. For the only sake of the industry.

-----------

Albums I (il)legally listened to lately (a lot of NPR first listen and suggestions, plus Blow Up inspired discoveries and other stuff friends uploaded on the cloud).

Beck - Morning Phase
The Notwist - Close to the Glass
St. Vincent - om.
Chopin - Nocturnes et Ballades (Ashkenazy)
Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum
Angel Olsen- Brun Your Fire For No Witness
Have a Nice Life - The Unnatural World
Thumpers - Galore
Cecile McLorin Salvant - Woman Child
Menahan Street Band - The Crossing
AAVV - Red Hot + Fela
The War on Drugs - Wagonwheel Blues
The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
Flamin´ Groovies - Supersnazz
Blondie - Greatest Hits
De La Soul - Stake is High
Tinariwen - Tassili I
Grant Hart - The Argument
Kaboom Karavan - Short Walk with Olaf
James Holden - The Idiots are Winning
Egyptian Hip Hop - Good Don´t Sleep

From Rainer Veil an amazing slot of electronic tracks on Soundcloud

Freizeitgestaltung

When taking one position feels like coming to terms with what you are worth of, i.e. good

Dear Ms _________, I would like to come back to the offer I received from ASEF for the position I applied for. Once more I would like to stress the fact that we have had an open and constructive dialogue throughout the application procedure, which I held in high respect: this mail tries to develop that openness further. Ms ______ and Mr _______ read in :cc ( though I know that the first is currently on leave). After having attentively evaluated your financial offer (and the related conditions), discussed living costs and rentals´ situation with acquaintances living in Singapore, considered the profile of the person you had been looking for in your opening, and - last but not least - after having considered my profile and my previous professional experience, I came to the conclusion that the income you offer does not correspond to the expectations I would have for a such a position. For as much as I am willing and excited by the idea of moving to Asia and developing the projects of the Foundation, discovering a new and vibrant culture and getting to know new colleagues and friends, I do not find appropriate the kind of living arrangements I would need to undergo if working (full time) at ASEF under your offer. I am aware of the fact that I would need to share a flat with some other people, but still it would be a matter of how much I would need to share. Furthermore, together with the costs of living, one has also to consider additional health benefits costs, travel costs (at least once a year a flight way and back to Europe, I reckon), pension founds, savings and so on. I am not sure whether there is room for negotiating the salary with ASEF, i.e. with you or any other person in the Foundation; in case there was such room, I would be willing to discuss any job offer entailing an income ranging from ___ to _______ thousand Singapore dollars (gross). I am fully aware that this request would represent at least an increase of more than a third of your initial offer; still, after a long consultation with friends and an extensive internet search I am confident that this request does not look too high or unfair if compared with living conditions in Singapore for a 33-years old professional with almost 7 years of experience in educational programmes. I hope that ASEF will be as open to discuss the issue as I have been in reviewing my profile and qualifications in the past weeks with you. If not, I do not want to prevent the Foundation from selecting another employer in due time. I thank you for your attention and hope to hear form you soon, either way. Let me finally wish you a nice day. With very kind regards from Berlin

Soundtrack

And I read you from afar

Mail I got on October 6

"So I have been thinking about sending you a message a lot of times. But every time i started writing i got the vague feeling of having to apologize for something but i wasn't really sure for what exactly. Anyway, today i was cleaning up and found a box of old pictures and i saw the attached one. Maybe i am an enormous sentimental fool.. but I think it would be a shame if we would loose contact and become strangers. Hope you are doing well.
x Name

Full albums I have been listening to today

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

Sebadoh's new 

Rokia Traoré's latest

E. Costello and the Roots

Chvrches, the new one

Oneonthrix Point Never, the new one on Warp

Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt (twice)

OM Advaitic songs

VH-1 - Purple R@in (1984)

En Espanol sobra Soundcloud

New track from NY

Anniversary and Colbert

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

An email from July 2nd Id love to see answered at some stage

(...) "I just came back from an event organized in Venice by the regional authority. It is about sharing memories about different tragedies of the recent European history, though, given the organisations involved, it turned out to be only about remembering the Shoah. Long story short there was a guy from an an org in Munich named name removed and for a moment I thought it was one of those guys you worked with. I hid this memory somewhere until I came to my office; then tried to figure out whether I knew the guy from before, which involved going through our correspondence from the days in Djermanie. Looking at it today, it seems to show that we were very close or maybe only lonely back then. Anyway a very beautiful souvenir in my inbox has been kept all these years and I rejoiced. I hope you are fine, at some point you will also update me on your whereabouts, Miss name removed, I am sure. Take care until then and enjoy summer (...)

Coffee and Flats

11th commandment If s/he burns your coffee machine, keep the distance and run away as fast as you can, if you can...

True buddy: a friend able to tell the truth and to be your best friend

Ich kann Dir nicht genau sagen warum und es geht mich auch nichts an, aber als ich Dich gesehen habe am WE beim schwimmen und auch nachher am Telefon – ein Supergefühl von Dir für die Dame höhrt sich anders an…

A take of mine I like, the city of mine I love

Singles

TVOTR´s single on NPR. Here

Few thoughts on how people send in job applications (after having read ca. 200 for a senior position (sic))

Dear applicants,
Doctors,
PhDs,
Researchers,
Savers of the lonely,
Defenders of the poor,
Unique hopes in a world of poor management,
....Dudes,

When applying for a position, what you should do is (it is actually very easy indeed):
- read the key qualifications requested
- read the opening in the very first place, for God's sake
- avoid bragging around with all the languages you speak for a paragraph or more (unless you apply for a god-damned interpretor job!)
- avoid sending 8-pages-long cvs with your experience in fostering coordination whatsoever
- Insert your name at the beginning of the cover letter 

What would also be very welcome(, I swear, and might actually give you an opportunity to a proper interview)is:
- use the same font for your cover letter
- write a cover letter ( at least as long as it is asked in the opening!(sic))
- put your cover letter separately from the email text (for the cv you should do the same)
- check the spelling
- stick to the deadline for submission ( if not, at least acknowledge that you are late).

Good luck (you very much need it)

#nograndinavi

Via Garibaldi vinerized

The day after my birthday at work

Correspondence July 3rd

There are loads of friends meeting up every couple of years over a drink and chatting about life, trivia and stuff: since we have been doing so in the past decade or so, I guess it'd be better to keep that way. I am happy to know you are happy and do not intend to mess anything up. That is why I think name of the city can and should wait. Take care, enjoy your holidays, which I think are starting soon, and good luck.

Trouble will find me

I am hunted by the last album by The National. I rarely look into lyrics of songs I like, this is one of those cases. So go there and buy one yourself! I have been also listening to a lot of Joy Division, Primal Scream and John Prine. They have not so much to do with each other. The main reason is that I did not know them that well so far.

Montalbano

Mist

I feel like one of those Central European cities, mostly interesting and possibly charming but covered with a veil of unremovable, melancholic and sad reminder of the past. Good for a weekend trip, they are otherwise dull and become boring quite soon. There was that one Czech word Kundera wrote once an essay about...

Rabat

Not about discounts. It does look like indeed that I am going to Morocco next week.

Jochi is not in town

The 4th by Bruckner, its 1st movement in particular The speed you can download via torrent any new issue, always faster than anything else My favourite Single Malt from Scotland The green of this one tree in front of my room, which the wind shakes constantly The time I spent to get the flat tied up The days I long to be here while simply doing nothing " I should live in Salt" by The National

Calligraphy

Id rather be able to say good bye to Europe

Rainy Saturday Morning playlist: The Ashes of Piamonte

Suggested by P.A.Howe

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust on Rdio

I have been invited today by Rdio to join and so did I.
It looks like as good or bad as MOG was two years ago, which does not sound so tempting, right?
Plus: NPR, Soundcloud or any other major music portal offers more new releases than Rdio apparently does here in Europe. Subscription seems necessary but also quite pricey.
Right now I am listening to the only Sigur Ros album I dont have in digital.
Is that enough? hhhhhnop.
If you want to try it yourself, just drop a line and I ll invite you.
Peace

Digital Zoo

Snow at the seaside, Floods in the city. 11.2.2013

Wishlist reviewed

After listening to "Carpe" by Russian Circles, I realize I wish I was with my buddies Paul and Adam on our way to a gig of this band. Would turn awesome for sure.

NCATBSs

AAA Tandem Danish Italian/German in Venice

http://venice.it.craigslist.it/grp/3581417209.html

My work on this Saturday has been mostly like

Musicians and Musicians

There are those artists like Phosphorescent or the Afghan Whigs, an example, who write the same song all over again.
And people listen to that, me included, and like them. Fair.

Then there are those few ones, less than a dozen I guess, who are not able to write the same kind of song twice. And we fall in love with them.
David Bowie is a full fledged member of this latter category.

Lonleytude: (med.) feeling lonely while being alone a.k.a. willing to be alone in order to feel lonely.

Possible symptoms: seriousness, monotone and/or dull looks; Twitter dependancy; pour diet; laziness.

Therapy: sun, sex (possibly with sentimental involvement), good sleep, vegetables, vodka ginger beer on the rocks, internet restrictions.

Mourning together, 54 years apart

Nico Duvinage´s Video

Dave Grohl turns Director: Sound City Preview

Phosphorescent´s new single

2013 Resolutions (italian)

Imparare il danese seriamente

Imparare a vogare alla veneta

Non arrabbiarsi troppo spesso

Non parlare di politica italiana fino al 2014

Fare più volontariato

Tornare agli 82 chili

Fare una vacanza di mare con mamma

Vedere Zoe, Fratz e Luc

Risparmiare

Comprare una bicicletta nuova (da Martin o qualcun altro)

Resolutions 2012 accomplished

Get the driving license 
Leave the old job  
Find a new job  
Find a new flat
Swim in an open waters competition 
Quit smoking completely  
Get a wetsuit


I am considering options for the 2013 resolutions.
Any idea is welcome. Silly ideas more than ever.