Even though a lot is happening worldwide, it’s time for a break between the years.
Happy Holidays to all, and may 2025 be our best year ever!
(Skyline, Chicago, 12/17/24)
Category: cologne
No more FFF in Cologne
In their infinite wisdom, FFF Germany has let the group in Cologne go, leaving many young climate activists without a home.
To quote Sven Plöger of ARD, “The climate crisis will render all other crises obsolete;” we must rebuild quickly.
(“Too far left,” 10/6/24, Cologne)
Interlude – Lyrics and Prayer
Before my blog returns to the world’s crises, I wanted to share an Anime series that I recently discovered, Fire Force.
Fire Force is aptly befitting the summer, which was way too hot.
But it’s a lot of fun to watch!
The show has some great lyrics that I couldn’t find good transliterations for on the web, so here they are:
Prayer:
The flame is the soul’s breath
The black smoke is the soul’s release
Ashes thou wert and art
May thy soul return to the great flame of fire
Látom
Opening Lyrics Season 1, Cour 1:
[Verse 1]
The darkness is illuminated
The days we’ve grown accustomed to walking are weeded out
My dream might be to make a stable living
but I’ll moan over the lack of stimulation
[Verse 2]
The end is illuminated
Where are the streets we’re accustomed to walking?
Time can sometimes be irksome,
but we’re enveloped in warmth
[Pre-Chorus]
Flames rise to show us the way
reminding us of a gentle melody
[Chorus]
There is no eternity, none at all, they say
I just smile, thinking that’s fine with me
If we shine, someday, our light will go out
We’ll keep on walking until the day
the fire of our lives gets doused
[Verse 3]
Playthings that make sounds
and magic that chases pain away
are all precious treasures to me
[Chorus]
There is no eternity, none at all, they say
I just smile, thinking that’s fine with me
If we shine, someday, our light will go out
We’ll keep on walking until the day
the fire of our lives gets doused
Closing Lyrics Season 1, Cour 1:
[Chorus]
You can toil your way through humorless days
and curse the unwavering present,
but words that simply hang in the air
are not enough to save you
[Verse 1]
We’ve been walking shoulder-to-shoulder
between sights we never reach
and pain that brings no warmth
to make it to a faraway place
[Verse 2]
Given the hope that you speak of
or the ideals that you dream of
I’ll find a way to show you love, however cold you may be
[Chorus]
You can toil your way through humorless days
and curse the unwavering present,
but words that simply hang in the air
are not enough to save you
[Verse 3]
You can cry out timidly
but that changes when the nights grow fevered
Even if we let go of each other’s hands,
I hope we can still walk together again
[Fin]
I’ll refrain from saying goodbye
to ensure that we can meet again somewhere
Introduction Season 1, Cour 2:
A long time ago, mankind was touched by the planet’s anger,
and the world was engulfed in flames.
It was the Day of the Cataclysm.
The flames burnt ferociously,
with an intensity threatening to incinerate the places mankind lived,
the languages they spoke, and the culture they had built up.
(Copyright always remains with the series’ creators and their licensors!)
(Screenshot, Crunchyroll, 9/2/22)
Summer Break
The war is raging on, and all other crises are also going strong.
It’s time for a break – the blog will return in September.
Here’s a selection of upcoming climate rallies and protests:
- 8/20 – Red line against coal
- 8/27 – Nationalize RWE
- 9/3 – Lützerath
- 9/16 – Parking Day
- 9/23 – Global climate strike
See you there!
(AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline, Crunchyroll, 8/7/22)
War in Europe, week twenty-three
The heat has lessened, but the crises remain:
- The Tsar is trying to expand his empire and murdering everyone standing in his way; he’s showing his apparent disdain for western democracy and our open and tolerant way of life.
- Prices are rising, especially for energy, and might soon lead to social unrest.
- The climate is collapsing since we’re not stopping the use of fossil fuels fast enough.
- Pandemics are on the rise, and we’re not acting fast enough for fear of upsetting a vocal minority of fear mongers.
Sometimes I miss the early 2000s when I still believed flying, driving a car, or eating meat and animal products were okay. And sometimes, I feel powerless as an individual looking at the magnitude of change that will be necessary to survive as a species.
So, what can we do? Live our life as it is necessary to overcome the crises and safeguard our planet for future generations!
(South Bridge, Cologne, 7/18/22)
War in Europe, weeks twenty-one and twenty-two
We’re still in a summer lull. The heat sits like a blanket atop our city and slows everything and everyone down.
But the crises do not wait.
All over the world, from the Tsar in Russia and Xi Jinping in China to Trump and Bolsonaro in the Americas, right-wing dictators are fighting against western values. At the same time, the climate justice movement is embracing global and intersectional goals.
There are two directions in society now that move in opposite directions.
I believe that we will need to work hard, and there will be sacrifices ahead if we want to continue living in a liberal and open society, which I do.
The same goes for dealing with the Climate Emergency and the current and coming pandemics.
(Vegan Lunch, Cologne, 7/23/22)
War in Europe, weeks nineteen and twenty
We’re in the middle of the state school holidays, and many families are on vacation. The city is almost asleep, with yet another heat wave announced next week.
Alas, the war does not sleep. The Tsar continues to murder the Ukrainian people to secure his place in the history book.
Our government still does not understand the climate emergency, but there is hope for the villages around the open-pit lignite mine nearby in Garzweiler.
Covid incidence rates are on the rise everywhere in the republic; in Cologne, they remain stable at 700.
(Pride, Cologne, 7/3/22)
War in Europe, week eighteen
The Tsar is still murdering people in Ukraine for his gain.
A group of old men has sent the US back into the middle ages.
What is wrong with the males of our species?
Maybe I’ve fully succumbed to the woke mind virus, but I cannot understand why someone would want to impose his beliefs on others forcefully and feel good about it.
Oh well.
All over Europe, the Covid-19 incidence figures are increasing, in Cologne to almost 700.
(86–EIGHTY-SIX, Crunchyroll, 6/16/22)
War in Europe, weeks sixteen and seventeen
As the crises continue, I’m running out of things to write:
- The Tsar is still killing people
- The Climate Emergency is still killing people
- The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still killing people
These three disasters are connected, and we can tie them to using fossil fuels and over-consumption.
Unfortunately, our governments are not doing much about these issues besides lip service. So, what can we as individuals do?
- Send money to Ukraine
- Switch to bicycles and public transport
- Wear a mask and get vaccinated
And join the rallies worldwide, trying to pressure our governments to look up and act!
(Bicycle rally, Cologne, 6/19/22)
War in Europe, week fifteen
There is nothing new to report: The Tsar is still waging his bloody war against Ukraine, causing pointlessly immeasurable suffering.
My government is still not acting to support the people of Ukraine and keeps hiding quite cowardly behind formalities.
There is also no decisive action from their side against the impending climate emergency and no preparation whatsoever for a resurgence of Covid-19 in the fall.
Oh well.
At least there is United 24 to offer direct support to Ukraine as an individual.
The incidence rate in Cologne is flat at 210 right now.
(Gloomy rain, Cologne, 5/29/22)