Berliners (with German nationality) have voted

Berlin residents (including EU nationals) went to the polls yesterday, with a striking difference: German nationals were given three ballot papers, while EU nationals were given only one. According to Council Directive 94/80/EC of 19 December 1994, "EU citizens may vote or stand as candidates in municipal elections in any EU country in which they live".
In Berlin, this means that EU nationals can only vote in the most local of local elections: the "Bezirksverordnetenversammlung" (one of those lovely never-ending German words) or in simpler words the borough assembly elections.
EU nationals living in Berlin are not eligible to vote in the elections that really matter: the "Abgeordnetenhaus" (the Berlin parliament so to speak).
As someone who has lived in Berlin for many years and is not planning to move any time soon, I am extremely interested in the election results, as they will have an impact on my life and on my family's life. Unfortunately, I would have preferred an active role, rather than that of spectator or accompanier. While I could only vote in the borough (or district) elections, my husband and practically every one else around me could also vote in the Berlin parliament elections.
Why? This is my city as much as theirs.
Considering that Berlin is an international city, you would think that everyone's vote would count, not just the votes of German nationals. This city wouldn't be the same without the contributions of the thousands of non-German nationals that live here. Just thinking in terms of food, there wouldn't be much else on the menu except for Currywurst, Bulette (meatballs) or Eisbein (pork knuckle) if it wasn't for the expats.
In terms of the actual results, what is particularly interesting about the Berlin elections is the geography, which can be summarised as: West Berlin has voted CDU (centre right), central Berlin has voted SPD (centre left) and Grüne (green party), East Berlin has voted Linke (left) and far East Berlin has voted the right-wing, anti-immigration, populist party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), a sort of UKIP.
As everywhere else in Europe, the traditional parties, in this case the SPD and CDU, have lost ground, while the populist parties are gaining voters. The Pirates, meanwhile, have disappeared from the radar.
The rise of the AfD is extremely worrying. If this party can win 14% in Berlin, what will happen in the rest of the country?
Here's some food for thought: if all Berlin residents (non just the ones with a German passport) had been allowed a vote, perhaps the AfD might not have won so many seats in the Berlin parliament.

Live like a Berlin hipster

If you are someone with a serious job, long working hours and real deadlines, adjusting to the Berlin lifestyle may appear rather daunting. You will be surprised to see that everywhere around you are artists and creative people, while men and women in suits are nowhere to be seen (except for some parts of Mitte or the posher districts of Charlottenburg and Zehlendorf). You will wonder at how everyone in Berlin has so much time to hang around cafes by day and Kneipen (pubs/bars) by night. The concept of "working only when the weather is bad" will seem rather alien to you at first, but very gradually you will get used to breakfast at 3pm and clubbing on a Sunday morning (having been up all night). You will need patience, because it will take time, but you too can become a Berlin hipster.

To check whether you have truly made it into the Berlin hipster-sphere, take the test below.   

1) Do you have a proper job?

2) Do you have a project?

3) Are you thinking about your own start-up?

4) Do you start the day with a flat white/cappuccino/galao exclusively prepared by your trustworthy barista?

5) Do you carry around a tote bag with an anti-establishment slogan?

6) Do you wear trendy glasses and/or sunglasses?

7) Do you ride a stylish, retro racing bike?

8) Do you shop local, organic, vegan and fairtrade?

9) Do you pay entrance fees to get into clubs and other venues?

10) Do you live in Neukölln?

If  you have answered no to questions 1) and 9) and yes to the remaining eight questions, congratulations: you are a true Berlin hipster!

If you've never had a galao, you need to spend more time in cafes serving Portuguese specialities.

If you haven't made it onto the guest list yet, i.e. you still pay entrance fees, you haven't met the right people. 

If you've not heard of goji berries, head out to your local, organic, vegan grocery shop right now.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out these places:

Bonanza Coffee Heroes, Oderberger Strasse, Prenzlauer Berg - now also in Kreuzberg

Galao a Pastelaria, Weinsbergweg, Mitte
Nothaft Seidel, Schönhauser Allee, Prenzlauer Berg - now also in Neukölln

Veganz supermarkets in Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg 
Club der Visionäre, Puschkinallee, Treptow 

Or move to Neukölln.

Mogwai Play Atomic at Admiralspalast

Mogwai Play Atomic

30.08.2016 Admiralspalast Berlin

Judging by the crowd gathered outside the Admiralspalast on a calm Tuesday evening for the German premiere of Mogwai Play Atomic, two things were clear:

a) it was an event not to be missed and

b) there was no way it would start on time.

Thirty minutes after the scheduled “doors open” time, the queue stretched all the way along Friedrichstrasse to the edge of the river Spree, while amused waiters and passers-by wondered what on earth was going on. The waitress at the Café Madrid had never seen a queue like that outside the restaurant.

Once inside, there were more queues for the toilets, but the most impressive one was for the drinks. As the bar queue got longer and ticket-holders still kept streaming in through the main doors, an usher spoke in an agitated tone into his walkie-talkie: "We have run out of cold beer!". Clearly, this was not your typical evening at the Admiralspalast, a rather grand 1920s Art Deco theatre, which normally hosts more mainstream events. As if by magic, a crate of cold beer materialised within five minutes and was delivered to a relieved barman.

As the venue finally filled up, the lights were dimmed and Mogwai quietly settled on stage, while the projection of the film began.
The documentary itself was a collection of powerful images based on the atomic theme. The majority focused on the deadly aspects of nuclear energy: the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and its horrific impact on the land and its inhabitants, as well as the devastating effects of Chernobyl and Fukushima. There was also interesting footage of the anti nuclear movement, the Cold War, as well as instructions to the British population on how to prepare in the event of an atomic bomb. Towards the end there were some references to the more hopeful and positive applications, such as nuclear medicine. 

Mogwai’s music entirely captured the mood of the film and reflected both the horrors and the more hopeful and beautiful moments.  The live music experience made the emotions generated by the images on screen all the more powerful.  As the film came to a conclusion, the sounds continued to propagate from the amps and one by one the musicians left the stage. The lights came back on, while a satisfied crowd applauded warmly.

Mogwai’s live performance of their soundtrack to Mark Cousins’s documentary Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise was part of the Pop-Kultur festival.

Special thanks to Nils for the photographic contribution 
http://www.nilswittephotography.de/