Wednesday 30 April 2008

The temperature in Berlin

7th May 2007

(Please read in conjunction with the post above)

The hottest news in Berlin is still the weather: the highest recorded springtime temperatures in the last hundred years. The environmental lobby is warning that this is yet more evidence of global warming.
McPlanet a three-day conference held at the Technical University over the weekend, attracted over 1500 participants calling for ‘a climate of justice.’ Meanwhile many Berliners decamped to the beach at Wannsee – a large lake south-west of the city, where apparently middle-aged nude bathing remains popular. (see photo below).

Also top news last week in the Berliner Zeitung is Sahira the 27-year old Palestinian born German hip hop artist who raps about the racism which bubbles just beneath the surface here – and who has now reclaimed the hoodie as a feminist neo-muslim alternative to the hijab.




(NB a free translation of ‘Frei Schnauze’ is ‘speak your mind!’)

I’m not generally in favour of women covering up their natural assets. However, it’s good to see youth coming up with creative solutions to the world’s problems, while the older generation just let it all hang out. I don’t mind hip hop, but more importantly, I think Sahira rocks (and let’s hope the planet keeps on rolling).

(Today it’s cold).




(Photo by Daniel Rosenthal courtesy of Greenpeace Germany)

Greenpeace activists urged G8 climate action at the G8 environmental ministers meeting in March in Potsdam (also on the Wannsee)

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