Berlin is a fascinating place: it is steeped in history which still resonates deeply throughout the city, from its wide boulevards around the Brandenburg Gate to its seamier quarters to the east of the wall.  The best way to orientate yourself and begin to experience the richness of the city is through one of the brilliant free walking tours.  I did one with New Berlin Tours and it was great; the guide, Mike, was funny and extremely knowledgeable, and the atmosphere was really friendly.

The majestic Brandenburg Gate

You meet close to the imposing Brandeburg Gate and spend the next three hours or so visiting all of the main attractions in the city as listed on the link above.  The new Holocaust Memorial, in the news recently after Easyjet ran fashion photographs taken there in its in-flight magazine, is a sombre and moving site, and the impact is probably sharpened by its proximity to the location of Hitler’s former bunker (which, unsurprisingly, is barely commemorated).

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The museum is a terrifying reminder of the Third Reich, and is a difficult but truly worthwhile experience.  The personal stories which are told are evocative and harrowing, and a visit leaves you very contemplative for the rest of the day and a long while afterwards.

On a happier note, the memorial is next to a strip of truly dreadful cafeterias serving up second-rate reheated drudge to budget travellers such as myself.  I had the misfortune to eat a spaghetti bolognaise served up by a guy who looked like he was from the Village People, before being chased out of the bathroom by a very small woman wielding a can of air freshener and shouting at me in German.

I spent a lot of time in Berlin running away from toilet attendants who would attempt to extort half a euro every time as I so much thought about paying a visit to the loo.  I actually sprinted out of Dunkin’ Donuts near Zoologischer Garten station one day to escape from a particularly angry man who was brandishing a tip tray at me and making vivid gestures towards the toilet.

The Hotel Adlon

Opposite the Brandenburg Gate is the Hotel Adlon, where the late great Michael Jackson famously dangled one of his children out of the window.  The Presidential Suite on the top floor costs $12,000-a-night and has bulletproof glass in the windows among its many very cool features.  If I win the lottery…

The Reichstag is the home of the German Parliament, and its roof alone makes it worth a visit.  You can look down into the chamber when parliament is in session: “a reminder to the politicians that we are always looking in on them and that they are accountable to us,” an ageing Berliner told me.  Get there early to beat the crowds, and be prepared for a very thorough (in my case, patently illegal) level of frisking.  All I will say is avoid the security guard with the handlebar moustache.

The Reichstag roof

The Berlin Wall, which collapsed 20 years ago, is an integral part of the visit, though very few parts of it remain intact and those that do are protected by fencing.  As with many parts of the city’s history, there’s a residual feeling of shame and embarrassment about it amongst the city’s residents, who you feel would rather live without the permanent reminders of their country’s past.

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie is very artificial and one of the few attractions in the city which is a little underwhelming.  But you can take your disappointment away by heading into the unbelievably decadent Fassbender & Rausch chocolate shop which has models of things such as the Reichstag and the Titanic, all made out of chocolate.  The only thing stopping me from plunging my face straight in was concern about how long they had been there.

The Reichstag - made of chocolate

My face upon being told not to eat the Brandenburg Gate

Pergamon Museum entrance

The TV Tower - all 368 metres of it

A penguin doing his best Marilyn Manson impression

The sign marking the death march

As with the Holocaust memorial in the city, it is a very graphic realisation of the horrors of what went on there less than a century ago.  The tour around is well-constructed and allows plenty of time for personal exploration and reflection.  Imposing, thought-provoking, and with a huge underlying unease, it in many ways replicates the city itself.

'Freedom through work'

Trilogian kaks ekaa osaa tulossa keväällä 2010 :

I could not have imagined these two as once being the best of friends.

In this buddy crime comedy, hard feelings must be set aside when undercover cop Rock Keats (Damon Wayans) is first shot by small-time crook Archie Moses (Adam Sandler), then forced to team up with the bungling oaf when both men are targeted by crime boss Frank Colton (James Caan). Upon Rock’s release from the hospital, he finds out that Colton’s hit men are after him and Archie. High jinks ensue when the dueling duo run from the baddies.

First of all this film’s premise is the same exact premise that I have seen over and over again. Two buddies pull crimes together and one’s actually a cop, oh what a time of inventiveness!

The whole film is not about this over-used premise though, it’s just basically a story that jokes can work out of. The jokes that happen in this movie are rarely ever funny, and are just put in to show if Sandler and Wayans can actually make a good comedy with just their own ad-libbing. However, it fails, with way too many sex and fart jokes this film started to really become an annoyance for me.

The one big problem with this film is that it’s leading actors are very funny in a lot of other material, but in this they don’t show one bit of good chemistry. I didn’t feel like these guys we’re ever once friends in their life. Sandler is funny in this at times, and I found him to be a lot better than Wayans, but really if you think about it Sandler isn’t that much of hard ass to be a drug dealing criminal.

There is one part that I actually thought was fresh when in the beginning of the film I think I saw Wayans accidentally slip up, and how they left it in there. This felt fresh and I wish there was more of this freshness to this film, but every time it get’s knocked back down with lame jokes and even lamer action.

There is one part that I really felt was great and showed how much of a superstar Sandler really is. But I can’t speak about it anymore and let me just show you:

Consensus: Bulletproof features some good stuff from Sandler, but is weighed down by a horrible script, bad chemistry, and an even worse premise.

2/10=SomeOleBullShitt!!!!!!

Yeah so the Japanese invented sunglasses that are bulletproof.  They are known as the “Japan Self-Defense Force Sunglasses” and will set you back $317.  I personally feel that this is a bargain to possess bulletproof eyes.  Oh Japan, what will you think of next!

Tech it Out!

a-ha, Selig und La Roux

Wie wir soeben von der Pressestelle von ProSieben erfahren haben, werden a-ha ihre neue Single “Nothing Is Keeping You Here“, Selig den Song “Ich fall in deine Arme” mit einer Wasserballett Performance und La Roux ihren Hit “Bulletproof” zum besten geben.

Das große TV total Turmspringen 2009 findet am kommenden Samstag, den 28. November um 20:15 Uhr auf Prosieben statt.

Teilnehmerliste

Einzel:
1 Stefan Raab
2 Steffen Groth
3 Tobias Schenke
4 Rhea Harder
5 Daniel Aminati
6 Joey Kelly
7 Britta Kamrau
8 Alexandra Rietz
9 Fabian Hambüchen

Synchron:
1 Stefan Raab/ Elton
2 Norbert Dobeleit/ Kai Böcking
3 Ilka Semmler/ Britta Kamrau
4 Miss März / Miss Juli
5 Peter Imhof/ Joey Kelly
6 Ande/ Lars (Mundstuhl)
7 Leo/ Gabby (Queensberry)
8 Klaas Heufer-Umlauf/ Ben
9 Steffen Groth / Patrick Nuo
10 Tialda van Slogteren / Hadnet Tesfai

I’ve got a pretty deep love for anything with a techno beat as far as music goes and pretty much spent all of my summer bopping around to these two songs and felt the need to pass them on to those who may not have heard them.

La Roux – Bulletproof

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

DIJUAL: BATU CINCIN ANTI TEMBAK RADEN WIRALODRA

Raden Wiralodra is a son of Tumenggung Gagak Singalodra from Bangelen, East Java. He came from a royal family, he’s both Majapahit and Padjajaran descent. He is believed as the founder of Indramayu, a famous regency in Pantura (North Beach of Java). Wiralodra lived in the 14^th century. He received a divine inspiration in his meditation at the side of mount Sumbing. A mysterious sound ordered him to go follow the sunset to find Cimanuk River’s dale. There, said the sound, he must stay and turn that place as a residential area. Soon, the place would be furtile and prosperous. And he and his seven decents would rule the land.

Wiralodra did what the divine inspiration told him. In 1527, he proclaimed Indramayu as an idependent region, free from the rule of Padjajaran. The name “Indramayu” came from the word “Dharma Ayu” (means ‘Beautiful Darma’), which related to a beautiful and miraculous lady named “Nyi Endang Dharma”. Wiralodra respected her most so that he took her name for his region which he ruled.

Wiralodra is not just a folk legend, actually he really exist in history. He won renown as a founder of Indramayu city and the man with supernatural power.

I come with a ring with a brown stone. The ring seemed as a common Javanese-style ring. But that’s not the ring which is special. It is the stone at the ring. The brown stone, a Yemeni Brown Stone (Batu Yaman), was belong to Wiralodra. Surely it has a historical value, but in addition the stone also has a supernatural power. It make the user of the ring being bulletproof.

It’s a rare offer. Take your chance! Contact us Immediately.

(Tawaran batu cincin Wiralodra anti tembak. Jenis batu: Yaman Coklat. Ukuran batu/cincin: normal. Batu pada cincin adalah peninggalan Raden Wiralodra, pendiri Indramayu. Keistimewaan batu ini adalah selain bernilai sejarah juga bisa membuat pemakainya menjadi kebal terhadap peluru. Bagi peminat bisa menghubungi langsung via phone contact person di bawah ini.

(The phone number is changed in November 23rd. You can contact the new contact person below)

Contact Person : +622313336765

Conoces a La Roux?

…you gotta respect Raheem & Ludacris for incorporating issues of social change into this song…

The Academy venue is gaining a good reputation for hosting great acts, when I heard La Roux was playing I jumped to grab a ticket. I moved even quicker when I learned that Ou Est La Swimming Pool were opening.

The UK trio have adopted a second vocalist for live shows.. Good idea. The synth 80’s like soundscapes entertain the growing audience.

The guys sounded great but I thought it quite funny the two singers didn’t seem to know what to do with themselves, in a complete blokey kind of way. So the resort to walking to and fro across the stage. I really like these guys, I’m an eighties kid

They finished with Dance The Way I Feel, the main frontman throwing in lines from the recent hit ‘I left my heart in Tokyo’. Good Times!

The venue is jammed as La Roux take the stage. The use of lights as a backdrop on a small stage was really good.

The band worked its way through the debut album, with the tempo picking up in the second half of the show. Apart from the singles, Colourless Colour got the biggest cheer of the night and is a definite contender for a single.

The singer seems quite shy and retiring and mentioned on a couple of occassions that she was delighted to be back on stage after illness.

The three piece band must be a sound engineer’s dream.. Two musicians with keys and one electronic drum kit.

Several times I thought that with the changing lights and the musicians’ stage set up, it was very much like a Top Of The Pops set circa 1985.

For a first night of a tour, it was a very good show, I’d definitely go see La Roux again. Another couple of hits in the running order and it would be a cracking show.

Asylum on Saturday November 14th, our eagerly awaited big metal night, will be one of the best productions of fierce, furious and filthy music the Live Lounge has ever hosted. One of the bands due to appear on the night, Nailed To The Furnace, has had to pull out. The remaining five bands, Bulletproof, Chaos Theory, Nocturnum, We Bury Our Own, and Brutus Stonefist from Guernsey, are joined by special guest DJ Danny Parkes. Doors open at nine o’clock.

Brutus Stonefist

Brutus Stonefist have two songs up on MySpace. Five Pounds Of Flesh and Redgrave are deathcore tours de force with feral riffing and swarming, scabrous atmosphere. Have a listen and pay your respects to the Channel Islands’ kings of fear at Brutus Stonefist MySpace

Fantastic work from the desktop of pop artist extraordinaire, Mark Evans

JMCT, Music Scene and Asylum have joined forces to present Brobots! with Lee Downie and The Mulburys at Live Lounge on Saturday November 21st.

Brobots! were the subject of a recent profile in Gallery. With forthcoming appearances for Club Kamikaze at Live Lounge on November 13th and Hadouken at Liquid on November 28th, they are the 100% synthetic boy band that all of Jersey has come to love. Lee Downie aka Jackson Lee, beat box champion, last played for Asylum at the Oxjam Jersey event in July and impressed the audience there with a unique mix of hip hop and acoustic guitar playing. The Mulburys recorded a set of songs with producer Sam Falle this summer. Their sophisticated, punchy power pop is laden with lush grooves and irresistible hooks.

James Evans explains the inspiration for this show, “Instead of donating the money to charity as we have for the last twenty JMCT gigs we will be using any money we make this time to put an Asylum CD out next year and hope to start raising cash to put bands in the studio to record.”

These songs are very different from anything that I have recently listened to, and they are all extremely catchy in their own way.

La Roux – Bulletproof

This 2 person band hails from Britain despite the french name! The lead singer reminds me a lot of Molly Ringwald. I sing this while walking my dog

SS501 – Love Like This

Yes, it is a South Korean boy band… love it. The song is Korean, but english is thrown in here and there, too.

Helmut Fritz- Ça m’énerve

This song was really popular in the french clubs last winter. I never really knew what he was singing about until I stumbled upon the video. It is actually pretty funny; the singer recounts everything that bugs him, and he is extremely ridiculous.

Have You Seen Smallville: Season 8 Episode 12 – Bulletproof?

Episode Synopsis:

Clark discovers John Jones was shot while working as a police officer, so Clark dons the uniform and goes undercover to find the culprit. Meanwhile, Lana confronts Tess and tells her Lex isn’t the man she thinks he is. Lana’s shocking news forces Tess to reevaluate her position as the head of Luthorcorp.

So what do you think of this episode?

If you missed it, you can watch it here.

The Teen Section Blog is trying something new.  We will post some sort of music ever monday.  Maybe it’ll be a mixtape, a write up on an artist, or just a little sampling of something delicious!

For the first Music Monday we have La Roux the English duo, Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid.  Named for the lead singer’s bright red hair and inspired by the synth-pop groups of the eighties, La Roux has made quite a splash in England.  Now the furor moves to the states as hipsters try (most unsuccessfully) to pull off Elly’s signature eighties look.

But isn’t it about the music??  Of course it is, sorry.  La Roux is everything good about the eighties with the sensibility of the new school.  What I mean is that La Roux constructs great danceable tracks without going off into synthesizer solo heaven.

Without further adieu I present the video for Bulletproof by La Roux…you just gotta love it!

DEEP/BLK vs. Marc Johnce – Waiting For Bulletproof At First Sight
Video remix by Guttorm Hellevik

Download the high definition video in wmv format HERE!

You’ll find the audio version of this track HERE.

Oh yes the ignorant red-headed quiff promoting La Roux is back with ANOTHER single. After “im not your toy” which failed as a single, shes deciding to release another boring average whinny tune about relationships. After heavily criticizing other artists about their music i think Ellie needs to take a look in the mirror, believe me all she will see is a fake 80’s revamp with about as much about her as an old worn boot. Give me Little Boots anyday.

La Roux – Quicksand — Score 3/10

Got any spare change for me.

How’s about £1million.

Because thats what you’re gonna have to fork out if you wanna ride around in the Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition.

Its so worth it though because the seats are made of whale penis leather.

True story.

The vehicle also comes with gold-plated windows, the speed gauges are covered in diamonds and the exhausts are made of tungsten. The  makers claim that the vehicle is ’rocket grenade proof’. Probably due to the bulletproof Kevlar coating. It weighs in at a four tons and is powered by a V8 engine capable of 450 horse power.

The bulk of the hefty price tag though must come from the 3 bottles of vodka included in the deal.

Doesn’t look very drinkable does it. 

 The Russo-Baltique vodka comes in a flask that is made from gold coins minted between 1908 and 1912. The flask cap is made from white and yellow gold and contains a diamond-encrusted replica of the Russian Imperial Eagle. The bottle itself is made of bulletproof glass 30cm thick. A bottle was selling last year for £790,000. [DARTZ]

If the ladies are not impressed with the vodka you can always ask if they wanna sit on your whale penis.

Worth a shot.

Late pass on this. I’m really feelings this song though, it’s always good to see a DMV artist doing it big.

“compare & contrast” > two amazing socio-political tracks ~  past & present.

Raheem DeVaughn ft Ludacris ~ Bulletproof

and

Marvin Gaye ~ What’s Goin On?

Primeiro disco da Hard Stuff, Bulletproof é uma pedrada. Depois de lançar um disco, que hoje não se encontra mais, ainda com o nome de Daemon, a banda reeditou o material, acrescentou algumas faixas, mudou de nome e iluminou 1972 com esse discaço. Chegaram a lançar outro disco em 1973, Bolex Dementia, mas nada que se compare a esse. Discografia básica. Baixem. Não se arrependerão.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9FPFKC7Y

Mr.Sanchez