My apologies for the Fake News on the US electoral update in the comments to the L.A. happenings from last week. They just slipped through because of my flattered mind caused by the pictures of Los Angeles. Erare humanum est – we all make mistakes. Please forgive me for that. This actually happened, it was confirmed to us by locals, that Military was taking many people into custody out of their homes at night.
Pictures we get to see in Media are powerful. They go deep and manipulate your mind. You can implant Fear but you can also implant hope, optimism or joy with images.
What I want to remind of: We all make mistakes, you, me, everyone in charge, governments, humans in general. FORGIVENESS should be a basic principle of togetherness. It allows us a happier togetherness. We should also always do the REFLECTION of what is told to us, not only on “reliable Media”. There’s no difference anymore in reporting pro vaccination and pro P(l)andemic measure between all media outlets, basically no critical voice can be heard. Have a closer look who owns these outlets.
Have you ever asked yourself, if you are caught in an illusion – all of us – every day, when we stick to the Corona Movie, that is presented to us 24/7? The focus is solely on this topic anymore. Politics make use of it, it’s another dimension of what is healthy for us and our togetherness. They push measure far bigger than protection of society, they started the transformation of our planet. Fortunately the urge to discuss in anger, and persisting on the own stand-point faded a little recently, which is very good for togetherness. We can be proud on ourselves for overcoming problems of separation better as of last.
The attachment on all we see every day is gone. I decided to take my own RESPONSIBILITY during the P(l)andemic. Being very respectful with others, kind and loving to self and to the own needs. Have a closer look who I support with my consumption of food and products in general – and it will not be Big Corporate anymore, that drives a world where we are a number who has to fit in or be excluded. A world where a vast technization even of us human beings is pushed. That is all part of the Agenda of the World Economic Forum, hand in hand with Gene Enhancement and you can find this on recent entries on their website.[1]
I neglect to get a vaccine, that is against all good practice in Life Sciences, developed with a “hot needle”, speeding through all mechanisms to protect us from a hasty market entry with a new technology, where we don’t know the long-term effects. The roll out is actually the long-term study, which is not uncommon in patients suffering from disease. Regarding the use in healthy people it is a novelty. I want to rise your awareness on this, especially when you plan to have children one day. There are many questions and the flow of money is way too powerful, while fear is sustained covered by Media 24/7. The planned regulatory on exclusion of individuals from participation in society, who don’t want to get the jab is another story as is a forced vaccination based on this technique, which is inacceptable!
Especially when you have a look at the aims of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations, where the World Economic Forum itself – uniting Billionaires of all parts of the world, writes the reference for tomorrow. A tomorrow where a reduction of worlds’ population (How?), forced vaccination and a social behavior system following a Chinese rolemodel, as a broad surveillance are rolled out. This New Normal should not happen, it’s not what anybody can truly ask for. Please take your time to convince yourself.[2]
There is no doubt, we need to change our behavior and the claim to overcome neoliberalism is true indeed. While the framework of the SDGs of the United Nation is nothing wrong from the idea, the modus operandi to force this upon us top-down is indeed wrong.[3]
I envision a future, where we overcome the more and more and find back to ourselves. When we claim back our sovereignty, when we reach out to those of the world, who are in need of basic provision of healthy food and water, by support of holistic consumption, we can decide all of this without being forced into this change. It’s a matter of responsibility and abandonement of many modern comforts everyone has to carry. And it is the overcoming of fear, the switch from fear and lack to unconditional love for life and abundance, that is already here. From my point of view there is no opportunity technique and money as source can ever outpace life itself and the creation defined by nature.
A rise of consciousness while leaving behind old patterns will safe us from a forced order upon us, because the principle of energy is always the same. Withdraw energy and focus it on a positive outcome and this positive outcome will manifest. This is the task for everyone of us and it happens, when we start to believe in it. It’s our path together for a future we create with every aware moment in the presence, that helps us to overcome the dualism in many different aspects that force us to blame and judge. When we have a look out of awareness and from above, all is inseparably related and we are the creators in unity with nature, instead of becoming the motors for a machine driven world.
Wir betrachten die Unterschiede von Hautarzneimitteln zu täglich verwendeter Natur- und Biokosmetik, sowie die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten der Konservierung.
Ich bin Apotheker, das verpflichtet. Die unabhängige Aufklärung über Inhaltsstoffe in Produkten, egal ob Arzneimittel, Kosmetik oder Nahrungsergänzungsmittel ist unsere Aufgabe und sollte stets über wirtschaftlichen Interessen stehen.
Heute möchte ich aus gegebenem Anlass über die Konservierung in Natur- und Biokosmetik berichten, denn es besteht Aufklärungsbedarf. Es gibt verschiedene Systeme, wie man Kosmetika haltbar machen kann. Streng genommen sind auch Pasten, Salben und andere topische Zubereitungen, die in der Apotheke gefertigt und abgegeben werden, Kosmetika – durch Zugabe eines Arzneistoffs werden sie als fertige Einheit dann zum Arzneimittel.
Unterschied: Halbfeste Zubereitungen als Arzneimittel versus dekorative oder pflegende Kosmetik
Klassische Zubereitung in der Apotheke von halbfesten Arzneimitteln für die Verwendung auf der Haut
Warum ist diese Differenzierung wichtig? Ganz einfach: Der Einsatz eines Arzneimittels rechtfertigt die Verwendung indifferenter Salbengrundlagen. So kommen bei topischen Arzneizubereitungen oftmals Paraffinöle, wie z.B. Vaseline zum Einsatz, zum Teil als reine Grundlage, zum Teil verarbeitet in einer komplexeren Salbengrundlage, die wir dann gerne als Creme bezeichnen. Dadurch wird sichergestellt, dass ein indifferenter Träger – d.h. eine Salbengrundlage, die nicht mit dem Arzneistoff reagieren kann – zum Einsatz kommt. Es ist nicht wünschenswert, dass ein Arzneimittel unkontrolliert mit sich selbst reagiert und dabei Reaktionsprodukte entstehen, die am Ende im schlimmsten Fall toxisch sind oder nicht mehr wirken. Die Verwendung von Inhaltsstoffen, die man in Natur- und Biokosmetik niemals finden sollte, ist also für Arzneimittel, die auf der Haut und den Schleimhäuten angewendet werden, durchaus sinnvoll. Eine Therapie ist in der Regel aber immer – eine gute Compliance des Patienten vorausgesetzt – zeitlich sehr begrenzt.
Dagegen steht die Verwendung halbfester Zubereitungen als dekoratives oder pflegendes Element. Hier betrachten wir die Lifestyle Ebene. Natürlich sind Hautpflegeprodukte in gewisser Weise auch verantwortlich für ein gesundes Hautbild. Allerdings werden diese nahezu täglich angewendet und der Körper ist hierbei täglich mit der Verarbeitung, d.h. Abtransport eingezogener Anteile und der Metabolisierung, beschäftigt. Daher sollten für die Hautpflege nur Inhaltsstoffe verwendet werden, die auch natürlichen Ursprungs sind. Das ist einer der Gründe, weshalb nachhaltig gefertigte Lifestyle Produkte, welche aus natürlichen Rohstoffen hergestellt werden, in letzter Zeit so viel Zuspruch erhalten.
Auf die Matrix kommt es bei der Konservierung an: Pur, O/W oder W/O
Eine Creme, die aus verschiedensten Inhaltsstoffen zusammengesetzt ist und in der Wirkstoffe verarbeitet werden, wird von uns als Matrix bezeichnet. Das hat nichts mit dem gleichnamigen Sci-Fi Epos zu tun. So unterscheidet man grob in Matrizes, die pur verwendet werden (ein Öl oder Serum), O/W-Emulsionen, bei denen der Ölanteil der Creme fein verteilt in einer zusammenhängenden Wasserphase vorliegt oder W/O-Emulsionen, bei denen das eben genau andersherum ist und der wässrige Anteil fein verteilt in einer zusammenhängenden öligen Phase vorliegt.
Der verwendete Emulgator entscheidet bei den Emulsionen darüber, wie sich die Matrix anordnet, welche Phase nach innen wandert und welche Phase die äußere Matrix bildet. Klassische Cremes, die gut abwaschbar sind, sind in den allermeisten Fällen O/W-Emulsionen und die meisten Emulgatoren, die in der Natur- und Biokosmetik zum Einsatz kommen, begünstigen die Ausbildung eines O/W-Systems. Eine Ausnahme stellt Lanolin dar, die resultierenden Cremes sind, abhängig von Co-Emulgatoren, oftmals W/O-Systeme, was man daran spürt, dass sie etwas mehr aufliegen.
Wofür ist diese Unterscheidung wichtig? Wir wollen uns ja die Konservierung hier genauer ansehen und dafür ist zu allererst die Kenntnis wichtig, dass Wasser ein optimaler Nährboden für Mikroorganismen ist, ganz egal ob das Bakterien oder Pilze sind – Viren brauchen hingegen immer eine Wirtszelle, um überleben zu können!
Daraus folgt, dass wir für ein pures Öl eigentlich keine Konservierung gegen mikrobiellen Befall benötigen, für ein O/W-System hingegen sehr wohl. Antioxidantien müssen hingegen auch für hochwertige, pure Öle in Betracht gezogen werden, denn diese schützen die ein- oder mehrfach ungesättigten Fettsäuren vor der Oxidation durch Luftsauerstoff. Man kennt dieses Phänomen als ranzig werden.
Die Verwendung von selbst hergestellter Kosmetik sollte aus diesem Grund nur frisch erfolgen. Für alle Produkte am Markt gilt: Werden diese für den späteren Verkauf hergestellt, muss zwingend konserviert werden. Da helfen auch Versprechen von wegen frischer Kosmetik leider nichts, außer in der Marketingabteilung, denn die rechtliche Verpflichtung besteht, es sei denn ein Unternehmen nimmt die Haftung auf sich und registriert die Produkte nicht nach CPNP-Standard. Nach solchen Quellen sollte man als Kunde gezielt suchen.
Eine natürliche Resource für Zitronensäure
Gängige antimikrobielle Konservierungssysteme
Den allgemeinen Background habe ich Euch nun vorausgeschickt, damit Ihr versteht, warum die Konservierung einer Creme überhaupt vorgenommen wird. Nun möchte ich auf verschiedene Ansätze der Konservierung eingehen.
Benzoesäure und Sorbinsäure
Ein gängiger Wirkstoff-Cocktail ist die Kombination von Bezoesäure und Sorbinsäure. Beide Substanzen werden je nach Hersteller auch gerne als Natriumbenzoat (Sodium benzoate) und Kaliumsorbat (Potassium sorbate) eingesetzt. Das tut auch das Arzneibuch für topische, dermale Arzneimittel. Das System funktioniert sehr gut und wird sowohl in Naturkosmetik, als auch Biokosmetik toleriert. Allerdings sind Unverträglichkeiten gegen Benzoesäure bekannt. Zudem ist die Herkunft der Substanz stets in Frage zu stellen, da diese Aromaten heute in der Regel bei der Fraktionierung von Erdöl gewonnen werden, auch wenn die Benzoesäure ansich in Pflanzen nativ vorkommt. Die großtechnische Gewinnung aus Pflanzen ist sehr kostspielig. Sorbinsäure kommt nativ vor allem in der Frucht der Eberesche vor (Vogelbeere) und ist gegen Pilze aktiv. Aber auch hier ist fragwürdig, ob die in Naturkosmetik verwendete Sorbinsäure auch tatsächlich aus der Natur oder nicht doch eher aus der chemischen Fertigung stammt.
Ethanol
Ethanol, auch bekannt als Weingeist, Alkohol oder Spiritus, ist das wohl einfachste Konservierungsmittel, das wir kennen. Alkohol entsteht in wässriger Lösung aus Zucker durch den Gährungsprozess, der mit Hilfe von Hefepilzen stattfindet. Diese bauen den Zucker ab zu Kohlendioxid und verwerten die Energie. Alkohol ist dabei ein Nebenprodukt und kann in einem solchen Maße gebildet werden, bis er für die Hefepilze wachstumslimitierend, sprich schädlich / toxisch wird. Daher ist der verwendete Ethanol in Naturkosmetik immer aufgearbeitet und durch Destillation vom Wasser und anderen Anteilen aus der Gewinnung befreit. Auch bei Alkohol in Kosmetik gibt es viele Menschen, die darauf reagieren. Pur auf der Haut angewendet führt Alkohol zur Austrocknung der Haut. In Kombination angewendet, in einer O/W-Emulsion, sollte dieser austrocknende Effekt aufgrund der Mischung mit hohen Wasseranteilen und wertvollen Pflanzenölen, allerdings keine Rolle spielen. Ein Ethanol Anteil von bis zu 15% an der Wasserphase eines Naturkosmetikums ist nicht unüblich. Viele Hersteller kommen aber durch die Kombination mit anderen Konservierungsmitteln auf geringere Anteile. Ich würde Alkohol als unbedenklich einstufen, denn er hat kein allergisierendes Potential und verdampft sehr schnell aus einer Zubereitung heraus, wenn diese auf die Haut aufgetragen wird. Daher hat Alkohol auch kühlende Eigenschaften, was in Form des nicht-verzehrbaren Isopropylalkohols auch in Sportgels zum Einsatz kommt.
Ätherische Öle und pflanzliche Extrakte
Natürlich können auch pflanzliche Extrakte und ätherische Öle zur Konservierung herangezogen werden. Bekannte ätherische Öle stammen aus:
Phenethylalkohol oder Phenylethanol, Destillat des aromatischen Alkohols aus Rosenblüten
Und viele weitere mehr
Für Biokosmetik stellen diese Inhaltsstoffe sicherlich die attraktivste Variante dar. Viele dieser Pflanzen sind in unseren Breiten aus kontrolliert biologischem Anbau gut verfügbar, in einer hohen Qualität und die ätherischen Öle können zudem als Duftstoffe dienen, um einem Produkt einen einzigartigen Geruch zu verleihen. Sie kommen in niedrigen Konzentrationen zum Einsatz und stellen daher in der Regel kein Risiko dar. Allerdings sind ätherische Öle ebenfalls durch Extraktion oder Destillation gewonnen und einzelne Bestandteile eines solchen Öls sind bei dieser Art der Gewinnung (häufig Wasserdampfdestillation oder Kaltpressung) nicht abtrennbar. Dadurch besteht auch bei ätherischen Ölen, ähnlich der Benzoesäure, ein gewisses Potential für allergische Reaktionen. Das ist auch der Grund weshalb die Allergene Limonen, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral und Coumarin immer angegeben werden müssen. Es empfiehlt sich definitiv, vor der Verwendung eines Produkts, welches auf diese Weise konserviert wurde, abzuklären, ob Allergien vorliegen – manchmal weiß man das erst nach Anwendung, denn Kreuzallergien sind hier auch möglich, d.h. eine Reaktion tritt auf, obwohl man eigentlich gegen etwas ganz anderes allergisch ist.
Gängige Konservierungsunterstützende Maßnahmen
Die Konservierung eines Produktes in der Naturkosmetik bzw. Biokosmetik ist natürlich nicht nur abhängig von den oben genannten Substanzen, die Zumeist eingesetzt werden, weil sie direkt antimikrobiell wirksam sind. Eine Hand voll weiterer Faktoren spielt bei der Stabilität und Haltbarkeit ebenfalls eine grosse Rolle:
pH-Wert
osmotischer Druck, z.B. durch Verwendung von Glycerol oder Xylitol
eine hohe Ölphase innerhalb einer O/W-Emulsion
Das sind selbstredend keine Kriterien, die der Kunde am Ende auf der Verpackung notwendigerweise sieht, aber auch sie tragen erheblich zur Stabilität eines Kosmetikums bei.
PALEO KOSMETIK ist eine neuartige, sehr strenge Art von Biokosmetik, die ohne chemische Emulgatoren auskommt und dennoch Cremes in gewohnter Konsistenz bietet. Echte Nahrung für die Haut!
FAZIT
Die Konservierung von Natur- und Biokosmetik ist leider immer notwendig. Dabei kann aus dem oben vorgestellten Reportoire an Inhaltsstoffen gewählt werden und es liegt beim Kunden, sich darüber zu informieren, ob ggf. Unverträglichkeiten vorliegen. Die Verwendung chemiebasierter Kosmetik ist zwar ein potentieller Ausweg aus der Konservierungs-Allergisierung – wenn auf Konservantien verzichtet wird – allerdings sind die Langzeit Effekte nicht bekannt, die auftreten, wenn der Körper stets unverdauliche Bestandteile metabolisieren und eliminieren muss – Bestandteile, die häufig aus der Pietrochemie stammen. Berichten Zufolge leidet darunter das Hautbild stark, weil die Haut nicht mehr vernünftig atmen kann. Wissen ist wie immer Macht und hilft dem Kunden, am Ende das richtige Produkt für die eigenen Bedürfnisse zu wählen.
Bei der Entwicklung meiner eigenen Biokosmetik sind all diese Überlegungen natürlich mit eingeflossen. Bei Interesse besucht doch mal unsere Website der CREAMS OF THE STONE AGE– wir nennen diesen Ansatz, zertifizierte Biokosmetik noch natürlicher und damit verträglicher zu machen, Paleo Kosmetik, denn damit betonen wir den Bezug zu ursprünglichen Rohstoffen und unseren holistischen Ansatz. Uns war es wichtig, dass die Rohstoffe eindeutig zugeordnet werden können, dass diese nachhaltig angebaut werden und das ein möglichst geringes allergenes Restrisiko bleibt. Daher sind wir auch immer daran interessiert, neue Wege zu beschreiten und viel zu experimentieren. Am Ende bleibt es, neben der Verträglichkeit, natürlich Geschmacksache, auf welche Düfte (Konservierung mit ätherischen Ölen) man sich einlassen kann bzw. welche Inhaltsstoffe man besser verträgt. Alkohol ist aus meiner Sicht jedenfalls zu Unrecht in Verruf, da dieser als einzige Komponente definitiv kein allergenes Potential besitzt! Abschließend möchte ich allen dazu raten, sich bei der Inhaltsstoff Auswahl gut zu informieren, wenn Unverträglichkeiten bekannt sind und diese Erkenntnisse unbedingt beim Kauf zu berücksichtigen. Wenn man etwas gefunden hat, was passend ist, darf es dann dafür ruhig etwas mehr kosten – kauft nichts, was Euch mehr schadet, als das es hilft. Solltet Ihr Fragen zu diesem Thema haben, schreibt mir bitte mittels des Kontakformulars. Ich bin Apotheker, das verpflichtet.
The re-unification of Germany is the glorious history of November 9th in German History. There have been different times at this date, but today this entry brings some impressions from my childhood in West-Berlin, some thoughts and of course photography of the 25th anniversary celebrations.
“I’m a child of an island in the red sea.” That’s what I always stated, when we had discussions about East vs West in the past. This is a long topic and the re-unification was not always as smooth as it might seem to you.
We had many discussions with our East German counterparts, because we – from the West – had everything and were arrogant – from the point of view of East Germans. Heard that the last time, when the East Germans behaved exactly like that, getting everything we prepared as group work and being arrogant when questioned for doing so in the studies of Pharmacy in Berlin – “Now it’s our turn, you had everything, all the years before” was the unacceptable answer. Maybe they have been right, but it was not my fault or the fault of my colleagues from the West, we have been small children by that time. That’s already nearly ten years in the past – and the sad thing about it is, that all the glory of a moment and all the hope and good will is replaced by routine – getting back to the routes, forgetting what was important, all too fast.
Today it’s hard to distinct who is East and who is West German – it does not matter anymore or the importance vanishes more and more, at least in my generation. It’s good like that, we are one people.
“I’m a child from an island in the Red Sea.”
By employing this phrase I stated, that I am from West-Berlin, I was born and raised there. Former West-Berlin to be adequate. The place in Germany which was surrounded by the soviet occupancy – the red and since it was a big area surrounding West-Berlin the metaphor “Island in the Red Sea” made sense to me. The DDR (GDR, i.e. German Democratic Republic) was under Russian patronage, but still controlled by their own East German people – the secretary general and his executive the VoPos (Volkspolizei, i.e. peoples police). West-Berlin was a spot of Western life in the middle of the communistic driven DDR – connected to East-Berlin via closed bridges everywhere, with the most prominent Oberbaumbrücke, Bornholmer Brücke in the inner city and Glienicker Brücke towards Brandenburg – those are bridges over the rivers Spree and Havel.
I come from the former British sector, from Berlin-Wilmersdorf. I still remember radio stations like RIAS which means Radio In the American Sector. I still know the surveillance station on Teufelsberg as a guarded stronghold of the American – or allied – forces. I know the term “Rosinenbomber” and connected to that, the importance of the Airport Berlin-Tempelhof, which was the only airport in the beginning, right after the wall was built in August 1961, to bring supplies and food to West-Berlin. Visit the memorial park while you are in Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburger Tor, to see the most popular places, where the separation was obviously visible – and Eastside Gallery to see authentic left overs of the Berlin Wall.
While for us in West-Berlin traveling was possible during the whole time, it was not as comfortable as today. We had to pass the DDR, on the corridors that were open to the West-Berliners and Western Germans to enter Berlin. This act – yes it was! – was called Transit. You had to wait at the border leaving West-Berlin and again at the border to enter BRD, or Western Germany, as it was called in the past. And this Transit was not always smooth, some days you had to wait hours to be allowed to reenter or they didn’t let you at all. I remember one night in winter, when I was a small kid. We have not been allowed to enter BRD and had to wait at the border for ten hours, before it was reopened. The allied forces handed soup and sheets for the people waiting and the VoPos checked every car with dogs for fleeing people. That was reality and I still have this image on my mind of soldiers digging our luggage, a submachine gun over the shoulder, the dogs in the car. On the highways of DDR, the speed limit was 100 km/h, unimaginably slow compared to today – for Germany, that is known for the fun Autobahn experience. When you took your pets, you had to present them to the veterinaries at the border and pay a fee. When you wanted to enter the DDR to visit relatives or friends, you had to pay a fee and change Deutsche Mark into Ostmark. Life was certainly different.
I was six years old, when the wall fell on November 9th 1989. I don’t remember too much anymore. I just remember everyone went nuts. There was a great excitement in the air. My mum went alone, she left us at home on this night. I think it is a pity. I think we would still remember what happened nowadays. But a couple of days after the fall of the wall, we went into East-Berlin to discover it. What I remember: The smell was so different! It smelled like coal, burning coal. The wall must have prevented the smell to come over. And the Trabbies smelled horrific by that time as well. Everything was grey and rundown, compared to today where the eastern parts of Berlin shine so beautiful. You could still see the bullet holes in the walls of many buildings, the holes which date back to WW II.
We visited Friedrichstadtpalast and witnessed a suite of Tschaikowski, played by the former East-German variete, and we visited the Naturkundemuseum in Mitte. That have been the first two events respectively places I remember in accordance to the re-unification. And today?
Everything seems normal! Berlin is one, no doubt about that. But I still have the feeling it is different when you hit the East German countryside in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. But it is good that it is like it is and our children will hopefully realize, that times have been different, will hopefully understand, that everyone can be thankful, this never ending cold-war is over, once and for all. What we should learn out of that? Make Love not war, everywhere on this planet. It might be a special case in the history of Germany, with all the guilt, the forgiveness, the separation and finally the re-unification – November 9th is a dark and a glorious date – has both sides in German history and a date which will always be bound to that history. But the principle I address of making love and not war is the same, no matter about what wall we are talking, no matter which religion we believe in and which economic interests are on our list. People have to understand that, finally, once and for all.
And to visualize the celebration of the 25th anniversary of this epic event, I took some pictures, mainly in Mauerpark of the event itself, some close to Bornholmer Brücke and some the days before along Oberbaumbrücke and Eastside Gallery,as well as atBrandenburger Tor, where the rests of the inner Berlin wall can be found. I wrote about the area between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain – including Eastside Gallery – a couple of month ago and you can find the entry here.
The former sectors
The moment of the release… Wall of Light fades away
Checkpoint Charlie
Celebrations in BNW
Eastside Gallery
Mauerpark
Waiting for the celebration at Mauerpark
Brandenburger Tor
Eastside Gallery
Flight of the Wall at Mauerpark
Celebrations in BNW
Mauerpark
Serveillance Station on Teufelsberg, 6 years ago
People watch the history summary
Celebrations in BNW
Mauerpark
Eastside Gallery
A bridge close to Bornholmer Strasse
Brandenburger Tor is in preparation for celebration
F*ck, they really start on time… First thought when I enter the concert hall. Today I attend the concert of the Two Door Cinema Club.
WTF a small beer costs $7?! Glad I came here by car. A band plays some decent rock music, a group of about 50 people is nodding to the sound, they form a little block right in front of the stage. This is obviously not Two Door Cinema Club. Going out in the USA is certainly different. You have to leave the building to smoke and on return line-up again, a good reason to let it be.
By the way, this monologue comes right out of my mind, exactly like that! 🙂
My way here was crazy: I am quite late so I decide to take the car. And have an accident with an afroamerican guy, I hit the brakes hard… but my car touches his, when he suddenly brakes, while I check the way with a quick peek on the map. – He jumps out of the car, I tell him I am foreigner and needed to check the map, that I am very sorry and I could call the cops, if he insists. The magic word, he says I better take care the next time, there is no damage at our cars, and he doesn’t seem to like the cops, so he leaves. Man that was close and I was really lucky…
But back to the happening in the concert hall. It was just a pre game band, but they were good. I ask at the bar, they tell me, there will be two more groups before the main act starts. It’s really weird how the people in front of the stage form this block. The emotions are not yet at climax. It seems a bit like they are waiting to be invited to enjoy themselves.
Besides me sits a kid of 10 years with its mom. Isn’t it a tad late for such little kids? Thought it’s AO in the USA to get into a nightclub, at least in regard to drinking. And the kid really sleeps now on the lap of the mom. It’s so loud in here but it sleeps. Crazy!
Next pre band coming up, it’s getting full. The band sounds like a synthesis of Coldplay and Bloc Party.
Damn, just saw Mount Kimbie hits this place next week, they are really great! Just saying Made to Stray Morning High Remix. I will not make it to that concert, and this is one of their songs I really worship and you should check it out. A pity I will miss that.
The plan is to discover Maine for two days and the wilderness and do some Indian Summer hiking in Baxter State Park. The summit is the aim and without that I don’t want to continue… A preferable plan in my opinion, since the mood it still not bursting and a summit experience beats that by far. Hey but the band has a really hot keyboarder girl! 🙂
Just now a tad obese person gave some ear protections – the ones you put in the ears – to the mother of the little girl. Awww, hope they are unused. The pre-band just finished, I go for another cigarette, the whole lining-up shit included. Seems to me like a musical with plentiful breaks and I hope in that moment, that first of all Placebo appears in concert in NYC and second, that the NYC crowd rocks a little bit more, than people do here. The pre-bands have been Smallpools and St. Lucia, they were actually pretty decent, just for your info, when you want to study Indie Rock that is outta there and need some ideas. And what I notice as well… The floor is covered with carpet, I hate carpets and in a place like that, where thousands of people go around, it’s probably not the best choice.
It’s quiet… nothing goes on stage… And then they start Limp Bizkit from the record with Keep Rollin’ – alright! But not necessarily what I expected.
Harpoon Beer is actually quite tasty… This thought of mine is followed by Nelly with Must be the Money… Alright, what a mix of genres! What’s up in the almighty land of entertainment? Seems to me, Europe is far ahead in the meanwhile in regard to nightlife entertainment – especially Berlin – but even IBK in some regards. When the Two Door Cinema Club does not deliver properly, even newcomer Milky Chance, who I saw in Innsbruck‘s Weekender last week, was better.
The hall is huge by the way… Hope you can see it on those cellphone pictures.
It’s as huge as the hall Tyrol of the IBK convention center, the biggest lecture hall of Free University of Berlin in Rostlaube or has the double size of our foyer in CCB.Not so easy to draw a comparison here, which will be understood by everyone.
Ahhh Still D.R.E. is played – good old reliable Hip-Hop. And it is still alive in America, which I love. Memories of my time as teenager come up.
And there it plays… Eric Pryde, Call on me… Followed by Darude with Sandstorm. 1999 here we are! Some rednecks dance discofox to that song (!!!), epic fail. On the other hand: For those images alone the admission fee von $75 was worth it! Then: Hedaway, What is love (baby don’t hurt me), back to the early 90’s ya!
Finally Two Door Cinema Club hits the stage, the girls scream, some probably lose their conscious, awesome! It’s 8:05 PM, pretty much on time! I head to the crowd now, to experience this concert right up front.
The concert is awesome and I am in the 10th line in front of the stage. Party is on and when the concert is over all too soon at 9:20 PM the crowd yells, screams, and due to that asks for another round of concert awesomeness – even without the necessity to ask for “One more song!” – this is delivered automatically by the band. Have to say the mood was really cool when the actual band attended, the wait until they attended, not.
Now everyone leaves the hall all in a sudden, I don’t know why? I look around and walk up to a guy from the security what’s the matter. They tell me, the underaged need to leave and from 10 PM the party starts again, with the door selecting all the underaged, i.e. < 21 years.
I am hungry so I decide to go to Taiwan Cafe in Chinatown, right around the corner. I ride home and get more cash, than I return – and find out that I am numb after this experience.
After the party, my impressions from the party – it’s 2:00 AM. The club became empty at 1:30 AM all of a sudden and outside everyone was fighting for the Taxis – good to have a car, it started raining as well. And I hope, it won’t rain or even snow, when I go hiking, it’s the least I would wish for.
The look back to this event: 11:55 PM. Now we talk party but truly PAAAARTY! I didn’t expect that to happen anymore – and there are again ladies who heat up the mood of the people in short clothes – to bring the mood to the climax. The music is mediocre but I have a Red Bull, that builds me up after so many kilometers of walking this day. I have some nice flirts, a hot girl pours me a drink, but when I ask her out to talk somewhere else where I can understand her better, she neglects. Strange world.
The resumee: It was a stunning concert but the nightlife seems so controlled in the USA. You can not just go to a public event / party and enjoy yourself and the fact everything is over at 2:00 AM was not really appreciable. But after all this experience was great and the Two Door Cinema Club in concert is worth to be visited!
This night will remain in our memories. This night caused us lots of worries, lots of joy and happiness. The Football World Championship in Brazil 2014 ended this night, with a close but deserved victory of our team, of my team, Germany, which we lovingly cheer to as SCHLAND – against a very strong and minimalistic Argentinian team!
The game was so close and Argentina really played strong, so strong that my friends and I jumped up from the couch several times, shouting at the screen. Imagine this scenery, it is somehow really ridiculous, but that is football! After the game’s end there was no time to waste to get into Berlin’s epicenter to Zoologischer Garten.
WIR SIND WELTMEISTER! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!
The way to Zoo in the S Bahn was memorable, all the people were singing together and jumping in the wagons. Thousands of people were on the streets celebrating. Fireworks exploded every second. The cops controlled everything, without showing emotions.
In the middle of all the festivities a good amount of palestine guys celebrated with us, reminding of the the war which goes on between Isreal and the palestine people. Over all everything was loud, happy and very peaceful, just epic!!! It is an incredible feeling to be part of it and a long time, since 1996, that we were allowed to celebrate our football team again, how beautiful. Berlin is, not just because of the diversity, a great place to celebrate an event like that! Thank you DFB-team, thank you Brazil for all the beautiful images during the last four weeks. May the next Championship be as epic as this one!
Spending so many hours in the car, crusing, relaxing, sightseeing – without company most of the time, can be exhausting. The only puzzle piece missing on this stunning trip is company, preferably the company of my not existent girlfriend… 🙂 Yeah, I guess 2014 has still lots to offer and I hope that the one will cross my way this year, travelling together is so much better, if you have a lovely and reliable person by your side, with whom you can share all your impressions. We will see about that…
But now to the music, I will just provide the playlist here, with all the songs which kept me awake, in good mood, and last but not least entertained in an audible way. It’s not cool to hear yourself thinking 24/7… 😉
A long time has passed since I started to concern myself with tibetan buddhism. Out of interest and of certain circumstances in my past I bought the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. It was recommended by a friend back in the days – at Christmas – a Christmas all of you certainly have experienced during your lifes… Long time has passed and this year buddhism came back into my life when I met a guy at a party who told me of his encounters with Tenzin Gyatso, who is no one else but his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama – a simple tibetan monk as he likes to introduce hisself. Nearly everyone knows him for his warm and sincere aura and his political commitment for his country Tibet.
He still resides in Austria in these days – In February I decided to get tickets for his teachings and his talk in Kärnten (Austria) and we attended Klagenfurt for the whole passed weekend. It was a sustainable meeting and – although a decent amount of people seemed to be a bit too crazy for my taste – e.g. about buddhism as savior for worlds sake – it was a memorable experience which will leave some marks. It is not for the cult about Tenzin Gyatso, it is not about right or wrong in regard to the conflict between Tibet and China and it is not about buddhism as a religion which impressed me – it was the simplicity about this philosophy which backups all this frame of publicly related topics. And I guess if you really want to do something about your own disaffection which might be part of your life, e.g. as someone who has to work hard for a living, or on the other hand, someone who already has everything but feels empty having everything – with the ability to buy everything – a gathering in this colorful mixture of all kinds of people might be the right thing for you to experience to find a way to deal with all the distraction of our hasty time we live in.
Long talk… Headline says differently. So I have to make some points:
1. The Dalai Lama is a great human beeing. He has this certain aura and really seems to be happy all the time. His sense for self-irony is unequaled and he really knows how to pass on happiness just by telling some stories of his life.
2. Be simple and you find your own happiness in the absence of distraction.
3. Practice true compassion to learn absolution for errors of people around you.
4. Understand that every creature just looks for his or her own happiness – sometimes with rude measure towards others (probably you) if it comes up to humans. If you internalize that point you are on a good way to achieve true composure.
5. Don’t care too much about yourself, about your ego in a way of facile matters. The way to true compassion will be blocked if you fail here.
6. Learn that nothing is independet and nothing can exist out of itself. Everything is connected and if you realize that deal with it in magnanimity.
7. Investigate everything (he meant buddhistic philosophy) before you become a follower or involved. Chose because of facts and information you gathered and not just because of an impression or (in case of the Dalai Lama) reverence.
8. Learn that true happiness is not guided by the increase of your bank account but of altruism based on your behaviour and the response of others. Well, TV suggests differently everyday. Maybe it’s time to drop it…
9. Try to avoid stimulus satiation due to television, night-life, superficial conversation and too much news. It will distract you from your own development towards an altruistic and composed life.
10. Use meditation as a tool to achieve the practice of the above mentioned points. They are not easy to achieve since they do not go along with the mainstream that demands egocentric behaviour and competition.
Those are my Top 10 take away messages the Dalai Lama offered for me. If it comes up to karma and rebirth I am still sceptical. Sure, karma is affected by your behaviour towards others. If you treat others good you will receive help. If you stop doing so others who have not received your help in this theoretical case might not care to help others either. That can be understood… The theory about rebirth is more complex and I have to investigate it further to judge it for myself. Fact is the meeting in Klagenfurt is unforgettable for me who has great interest in philosophy. I hope Tenzin Gyatso will continue for many years – that you will be eligible to meet him as well. Even as atheist it is helpful to engage in this philosophy – just do it and find out for yourself.
Hi folks, just a very short ‘Hello’! Haven’t posted any news recently and apologize for this. We had to move with our work and Christmas in Berlin plus New Years Eve in London came all along so there was little to no time to share thoughts and memories. Again we have one of the greatest winters of all time. At least in my memories… I never experienced so much snow before and spend every free minute in the mountains snowboarding and skiing. Hell yeah! For that purpose you need great music to relax afterwards. That is why I want to present Andreya Triana (A town called obsolete, Shine, Darker than Blue) to you. She is a great artist. Found her when I listened to songs of Bonobo (The Keeper feat. Andreya Triana, El Toro, Black Sands, We could forever, Stay the same feat. Andreya Triana). Bonobo on the other hand came to my ears when I went snowboarding with a friend of mine. I recommend to check out both if you like soulcolored electronic beats in the case of Andreya or Bonobos‘ electronic sounds which have movie character and a certain brazilian influence (listen to El Toro!). Enjoy and tell me if you liked it!
Neulich bin ich durch Zufall über The Sagittariangestolpert. Es war mal wieder ein langwieriger Labortag und die Zeit wollte nicht vergehen – an solchen Tagen kommt es durchaus vor, dass man mal ein wenig auf Youtube herumsurft, und die Zeit damit versüßt, nach neuen Songs zu suchen oder sich coole Extremsport Videos reinzuziehen.
Der neueste Trend im Extremsport ist das Wingsuiten, was im Prinzip nichts anderes ist als Basejumping deluxe. Ich hätte durchaus gerne Zeit & Geld, um das auch mal zu probieren…
Wie auch immer, als ich auf das oben genannte Video gestoßen bin, war ich erstmal ziemlich fasziniert und irgendwie, obgleich doch sehr technolastig, passte der Song von The Sagittarian, der sich passenderweise Liferider nennt, wie die Faust aufs Auge.
So habe ich diese Gruppe über Abwege entdeckt. Sie haben einige coole Songs, also hört mal rein! Ziemlich gemischt von den Genres her muss man ehrlich sagen, über Techno bis hin zu Rock und undefinierbarer, seichter Hintergrundmusik ist alles dabei.
