A Million Watts of Sound

After a long hiatus The Smashing Pumpkins are back together. They are playing a reunion show in Paris on May 22. Their new single Tarantula of their return album Zeitgeist is definitely not lacking that “kick you in the gut for a good time” quality. Give a listen over at spinner.com.

The unreleased new Marilyn Manson album Eat Me, Drink Me, however, leaves something to be desired. I just have not been able to immediately take to the tracks. But more on that after the release date.

Reader Mail?

Today I went to my diminuitive mailbox and was pleasently suprised by a light blue envelope. Without thinking I tore open the thing expecting some sappy love note from my girlfriend. Wait a minute…

two fingers

It has been a while since I’ve had my prostate checked for cancer, but normally my physician doesn’t send out such subtle reminders. I checked the return address on the envelope and it originated from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I’ve sent mail in other people’s names before (might be a crime), but the post office mark also supports that it came Eau Claire. The back of the card is purple and only says “Thinking of you…” It is clear by the cut on one side that this was a card given previously to someone. Most peculiar. If you are the one responsible for this ruse, by all means, make yourself known. I had quite a laugh.

If you too would like to send me crap in Germany my address is:

Ken Fager
Ernst-Lemmer-Strasse 15
35041 Marburg, Zimmer Nr. 01-16
Deutschland

[Update: The sender has made himself known in the comments. Thanks for coming forward!]

Thanks for Your Support

Thanks to my supporters (yes, plural) who have contributed to my study abroad experience in the past two weeks. Your contributions do go towards necessary costs. This week you bought me the following.:

  • 1L 1.5% Fett Milch
  • 1L Orangensaft
  • 2L Pepsi Light
  • 750ml Riesling Wein
  • 2x Corny Riegel
  • 200g Crunchips
  • 150g Nachochips
  • 500g Hackenfleisch
  • 10 Scheibe Käse
  • 1x Vollkorn Brot
  • 2x Laugenbrezel
  • 1x Lasagne
  • 2x Salami Pizza
  • 500g Spaghetti
  • 400g Classico Soße
  • 500g Peanut Butter
  • 250g Butter
  • 4x 100g Johgurt
  • 6x Razors

Average food costs per week are around 50 Euro ($65) cooking all of my meager meals. I rarely, if ever, eat at a restaurant around here unless absolutely necessary. With all seriousness, thanks for your continued support.
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(Edit: I have to buy groceries at least twice a week. 50 Euro is closer to reality.)

Konzentrationslager Buchenwald

A few kilometers outside of Weimar, in the forest of the Ettersberg, is field of rubble and stone. Concrete spires with the remains of barbed-wire are visible on all sides but one. The far side of the field has been reclaimed by the surrounding flora. The main gate that overlooks this field of rubble has a clock on its tower eternally frozen at 3:15, the moment of liberation. KL-Buchenwald at that moment ceased its existence as an extermination camp and was entered into evidence for future generations of just how cruel humans can be. The main gate of KL-Buchenwald still bears the phrase “Jedem des Seine” (to each their own). The gate also used to have a sign that said “Recht oder Unrecht – Mein Vaterland” (right or wrong – my fatherland).

There were three things at the camp that struck an unnerving chord. The first is a measuring stick in a “clinic” where prisoners were told to stand. Believing that only their hight was being measured the prisoner would oblige. A shot would barrel through their skull a moment later. Behind the measuring bar was a slot, where an SS officer with a gun would stand, and shoot through the slot. The officer would never face his victim. The victim would never see it coming.

The second element was the zoo enclosure for bears placed directly next to the outside of the camp. It was installed to improve morale among the SS officers working in the camp. It also served as a reminder to the prisoners. The prisoners in the camp were treated worse than the bears who lived outside the camp. They were less than human. They were less than animals to the Nazi regime.

Being 60+ years removed from this event and only experiencing it in an academic way made it difficult to truly connect with this event. The last item on the guided tour is a steel memorial embedded into the ground. It bears the names of all the countries who had victims perish in the camp. It is a rather unassuming monument until it is touched. The monument is heated to 98.3 degrees Fahrenheit and kept constant. It is the temperature of the human body. All that transpired within the camp suddenly came to en epoch, a grim realization that though these people are dead, they live on in the hearts and memories of others. It was extremely difficult to stay composed.

As promised I have posted my full collection of Konzentrationslager-Buchenwald photos.

Mellingen ≠ Weimar

Between 1919 until 1933 the seat of government in Germany was located in Weimar, Thüringen until the Nazis took power. I spent three days in this beautiful historic city. But before I can even write about it, I have to talk about one of Weimar’s neighbors called Mellingen.

When planning any weekend trip in Germany it is pretty handy to use hostelworld.com. So far their services have been spot on in locating open rooms at a great price. Typing in “Weimar” in their search field resulted in what appeared to be a great deal. Hotel Ilmtal had great facilities, a fair price, and was the only place available with what we were looking for. That is about all this location had going for it. Unfortunately these positives were negated by one nagging factor. Remember that we were looking for a hostel in Weimar.

whereisweimar_1.jpg

Hotel Ilmtal is not in Weimar. Hotel Ilmtal is not where the bus we took dropped us off. Hotel Ilmtal is not even located near a bus line that runs regularly. Hotel Ilmtal is located about a half hour away on foot from the nearest train station that runs into Weimar. This train station is also on the top of a tall hill with no signs other than the small “Bahnhofstraße” street sign at the base. Trying to find these locals meant hours of walking, getting lost, and asking the locals where we were. Every single one of them looked like they had never seen backpackers in their neck of the woods. I understand their perspective fully.

i hate you mellingen

This place was located in Mellingen, a small community without any significant establishments other than the local grocery Nahkauf and the Volksbank. This hotel that we stayed at was probably the largest building in the community. So just for clarification if you are ever planning to look for a place to lay your head in Weimar, beware of Hotel Ilmtal.

Ein trauriger historischer Ort

Last February I had a chance to see a Holocaust survivor Henry Golde speak about his experiences in a number of Konzentrationsläger including one near my destination. This weekend I will be in beautiful Weimar, Thüringia, which was once part of the former Deutsche Demokratische Republik. It has been my goal to visit one of the camps and I am making it a point to do so during this visit. KL-Buchenwald is 10 km from the center of the city. It was here that the notorious “Hexe von Buchenwald” Ilse Koch collected the skins with tattoos of camp victims.

Expect dramatic photos on Monday.

Lösung des Finanzierungsproblems

The Wechselkurs (exchange rate) to Euros from US dollars is miserable. For every Euro I pay about $1.35 and the rate is getting worse. This means everyday items like food, razors, rent, and what not are more expensive. On top of that both my bank and credit card like to charge an “International Fee” every time I take money out. Truth be told, I’m running out of money.

This leaves me with a few options. I can sell the goods I brought with me, but they would not fetch much or I still need them until the end of semester. I could get a job, but that would only be a pipe dream. The job market for foreign students staying until the end of July in a country plagued with Arbeitslösigkeit (unemployment) is almost non-existent. Prostitution is legal in Germany. I’m just saying is all.

Please, if you can donate a loaf a bread it would be much appreciated. That way I don’t have to spend my nights on the corner of Bahnhofstraße wondering whether or not my Lude (pimp) named Hanz Franz will come to smack me around. I don’t really look all that good in pantyhose either.

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Schnupfmeisterschaft

About two or three times a week I buy a copy of “Bild.” Bild is the most widely distributed newspaper here in Germany. It is cheap, has great color pictures, and questionable ethics. The stories are short and to the point. It is perfect for those trying to learn the language. The other stories covered are also rather funny. Examine the picture below.

schnupfen.jpg

No, this isn’t a look-alike contest for a former Führer, but rather a contest of a whole different beast. This is a photo of the 40th Bayerischen Schupfmeisterschaft in Blossenau. Basically the point is to see who can snort up to 5 grams of tobacco in one minute. I couldn’t make this up even if I tried.

Special thanks to Bild for the photo and necessary news coverage. Fox News should take notes on what quality mediocre news is.

Der Macht der Jedi

dasimperium.jpg

Ich habe gestern der wichtigste Film meiner Kindheit gekauft. Mein Lieblingsteil des Films ist die Szene, die Darth Vader die rechte Hand Lukes mit einem Lightsaber dekapitiert und hat ihm die Wahrheit über seiner Vaterschaft gesagt. Die Stimme Vaders ist nicht so stärk auf Deutsch als James Earl Jones, aber sie hört auch böse und mechanisch. Ich habe diesen Film hundert Mal gesehen, so weiß ich fast jede Zitaten auf Englisch. Aber auf Deutsch ist alles ganz neue. Der Text meiner Lieblingsszene steht unten. Ich glaube, Sie kennen diese Szene auch, eben wenn Sie Deutsch nicht lesen können.

Vader: Obi-Wan hat dir nie erzählt, was aus deinem Vater wirklich passiert ist.

Luke: Er hat mir genug erzählt. Er hat mir gesagt, dass Sie ihn umgebracht haben!

Vader: Nein, ich bin dein Vater.

Luke: Nein. Nein. Das ist nicht wahr. Das ist unmöglich!