kopfzeiler.org

No road to Beijing, unfortunately (via soldiersmediacenter, Flickr)

If the Academy had been more open to neo-noir movies, I might have been tempted to write this fabulous pre-text: “He won the Oscar, but Blade Runner will not make it to Beijing”. Well, Ridley Scott’s movie never won an Academy Award, but the second half at least is true: Paralympic 400-meter-runner Oscar Pistorius (nickname “Blade Runner”) will not be allowed to start at the Olympic Games this year.

The 21-year-old South African, who is running with prosthetic limbs, was excluded based on tests in Cologne that showed because of his “blades”he needed 25 percent less energy than “regular”athletes. Mr Pistorius plans to appeal against the verdict. As his Paralympic world record is at 46.34 sec. almost three seconds behind the fastest active athlete (Jeremy Wariner, 43.50 sec.), he might not have played a huge rule in the race, anyway. Still, some months before the Games, the Olympic Committee sends out a clear message: No little helpers allowed. With arguably the most drug-enhanced Olympic Games of all times ahead of us, one might add: At least none that you cannot hide.

(via Flickr)

When the last episode of The Sopranos airs in the USA tonight, fans and critics alike will shed one or two tears – not because it might happen that Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) will have to die (bets are closed now): This TV series has transformed American television – The New Yorker’s editor David Remnick called it “the richest achievement in the history of television”. “This is Black Sunday,” wrote TV chat-show host Dave Cavett in the New York Times ahead of tonight’s broadcast, which will be watched by around 10 million cable viewers.

What has made David Chase’s opus a magnum one is the mixture between mafia-saga and seemingly common family affairs; protagonists who are everything but lovable, but still make it hard for the viewer to resist them; in-depth-psychology and a nihilism, which is reflected in the often brutal and senseless action of the mafia-mobsters, but also in the senselessness even their best deeds leave behind. And, what truly makes it grand: It all seems deeply related to our inability to make a 100 percent moral judgements in everyday life anymore. This mirror function, which is also full of allusions to American contemporary culture (and Italo-American subculture), is what makes it truly epic; with the large portion of humour and suspense on top, The Sopranos will surely leave a big hole in TV entertainment from tomorrow on.

The MSM have reported excessively about it (though not in Germany, where The Sopranos flopped because of having been broadcasted Sunday nights at 11 pm). There are also plenty of farewell posts in lots of blogs.

Well, we know our output in February was not like we were a news factory. But it simply takes a lot of time to prepare articles. So we decided to introduce a new section: Short Cuts. News we come across and analyze for you in a short post. You will be able to recognize them – those news are not bold. We will of course continue to present you in-depth news – and, yes, one day we will be a news factory. Hopefully.

Wir wissen, dass wir die Kopfzeiler-Leser (wenn es sie denn geben sollte) im Februar nicht gerade mit Artikeln zugeschüttet haben. Das liegt vor allem daran, dass wir nicht immer genug Zeit haben, jede Woche eine neue Geschichte zu recherchieren und zu schreiben. Deshalb haben wir uns entschlossen, den “Kurzzeiler” einzuführen. Kurze Nachrichten, über die wir gestolpert sind und die wir in einem oder zwei Absätzen analysieren. Ihr erkennt sie daran, dass sie nicht fett gedruckt sind. Und am Namen. Natürlich gibt es auch weiter längere Stücke – und bald auch ein Logo für die Startseite.

It is not like nothing happens around the world. But it is time to clear up. Clear up with politicians riding their bikes and pretending to care about the environment, but at the same time cutting down trees and robbing old ladies!

Are we serious? No.
But if you want to read an article where George W. Bush, David Cameron, Hans-Christian Stroebele and Kim Jong Il get their biking habbits unsparingly analysed, click here.