Of all the sporting events, the marathon is probably the most intense one and the one that requires the most training. It is, without doubt, both a physical and mental event, in which perseverance and the desire of reaching the finish surpass in some cases, the body and exhaustion. The origins of the Marathon are from 490BC, when the Greek soldier Pheidippides died from fatigue after running non-stop the distance of forty kilometres from the city of Marathon to Athens, and in that way announcing to everyone that the Persian army had been defeated. To honor his death, they created the competition that we know today with the name of Marathon. The competition was included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1896. It’s worth saying also that the marathons were male-only at first until 1970, when they included this event for women. That way, the Marathon was officially inserted in the Olympic Games of 1984 in Los Angeles.

The Berlin Marathon is taking place this year on the 25th of September in its 38th Edition. The first Berlin Marathon took place on the 13th of October 1974. The first winners were runners from Berlin: Gunther Hallas, who still runs the marathon today.It wasn’t until 1980 that the Marathon took the runners at the side of the Grunewald, a forest that was in West Berlin. The maximum participation n those days was of 397 people in 1976. By then, new world records took place. So, in 1977, the first marathon championships took place during the event for the first time. The runner Christa Vahlensleck reached a new world record with 2h 34m. It wasn’t until the 27th of September 1981 that the Marathon occurred on the streets of West Berlin. More than 200 participants from all over the world took part in this race. With the years, more and more people have joined the race.

Berlin doesn’t stop offering important events in which the international community can participate. This Marathon, as well as an important reason to celebrate such an important competition with such an extensive tradition, takes place in one of the best cities for cultural offerings of today. In september, the summer climate of Berlin is already moderating itself and autumn arrives in a paused way. You’ll have the chance to enjoy a moderate climate, walk around the city and accompany the runners in their arduous competition. For more information on the Marathon, its conditions and organization, as well as some of its history, you just have to visit their webpage clicking here:http://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/

Alexa Ray

Nothing better than getting apartments in Berlin and being part of this important sporting event. September is an ideal month to travel around Europe and, also, it’s the end of the high summer season and the travel fares are much cheaper. The climate is also favourable for exploring the city.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Berlin’s Bode Museum displays a tribute exhibition with the photographic works by Abisag Tüllmann to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of her birth; this show can be seen until the 18^th of September. Photojournalism and Stage Photography is the first exhibition that brings together the work of the most important photographer of the second half of the twentieth century in Germany.

Abisag Tüllmann was born in Hagen, Germany in 1935. Born into a family that lived the severity of the Nazi era, while being marginalized and driven into poverty as slave laborers due to their status as Jews, she developed a particular sensitivity and humor to look at the troubled political space. Because of her limited economical condition, her studies were aimed at technical level, which allowed her to quickly enter the working world. Between 1953 and 1955 she studied interior design at the Art School of Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, without achieving a degree.

She went to Frankfurt and there she met with Dieter Jors, a commercial photographer, who gave her an unpaid job as assistant photographer. The following year, she started working with the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau and Frankfurter Neue Presse. In the 60′s Der Spiegel, the photo agency Magnum and Public published her photojournalism work.

Frankfurt caught Tüllmann, there she developed strong friendships in the art and literature worlds. Her passion for the city and photography was captured in a book published in 1963, designed by Hans Michel.

Her ability to grasp reality transformed her into an icon of photojournalism, while inaugurating the journalistic tendency to photographing and capturing the feel of her time, when the great political movements and the socialist revolutions marked the particular visual image.

In addition to photojournalism, Tüllmann was interested in capturing everyday life in the city applying her inquisitive humor, as the image of a huge group of nuns crossing a bridge perfectly ordered, revealing their eyes against the conservatism that expressed this image of order and repression of religious congregations.

The massive marches of May 1968 were key to show the rebellion, expressed in the romantic fury of her photos on the streets of Paris and other cities. Postcolonial African development was a major focus of her work. She traveled and photographed the misery, hope and violence in Zimbabwe, Algeria, Rhodesia, as well as the conflict between Israel and the Arab world, with which she was closely linked, due to her personal heritage.

Her most interesting photographic work was done about theater, it captured images worldwide on theaters, while making a single record, which is contained in the file of the foundation created in her memory Frankfurt-Tüllmann Abisag Foundation.

For more information http://www.smb.museum/smb/kalender/details.php?objID=29619&datum=17.06.2011+00:00&lang=en

Nancy Guzman

Footer: A good look at the world during the second half of the twentieth century is contained in this exhibition, so, rent apartments in Berlin and enjoy all the images that show a time of great utopias.

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Translated by: Hans
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The explosion of indie rock happened around 1991 with the release of ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana. Since then, the record industry suffered one of the most important and radical changes in front of a completely new crowd who had other demands. What’s true is that Nirvana uncovered a whole new underground culture that was believed to have been lost somewhere around Atlantis. But was it really so lost?

As Henry Rollins says in an interview, Nirvana’s success wasn’t exactly coincidental or a stroke of luck or a boom that nobody could save themselves from; Nirvana was what it was because behind them there was a huge community of people around the world that had been fed underground music for over three decades. At some point, the whole thing had to explode and, in what way did it happen! With a quick and dirty rock formula that was housed in a punk attitude with high quality lyrics and strong musicality, as well as having a good looking guy like Kurt Cobain front lining it, the Nirvana machine could do nothing but modify history. The death of Cobain, the infinite searches for a new Nirvana or bands that had the commercial success as a symbol of these already icons of rock, didn’t but expose thousands of bands and create a better distribution, changes in musical communication as well as in the way to understand rock n roll.

Equally and from the hand of the popular Lollapalooza, thousands of alternative festivals began to emerge in different parts of the globe and, meanwhile, the independent attitude was maintained, as well as the desire to maintain youth culture upfront and always against the musical system, thousands of corporations of all types that tried to enrich themselves in the best possible way from this effervescence. After, it wall all go downhill with mp3 and free distribution and, well, all the underground means to transmit information would dissolve completely. Today it’s just like that, underground doesn’t exist. It’s called indie rock but the way in which it’s managed is completely different, which is not very independent and more digitalized, reduced by the visual image, the Net and, of course, by social networks.

Berlin Festival is an option to go and see important bands of today’s indie rock, as well as some classics like Suede, Primal Scream and Mogwai. The new bands that are presented in this festival go hand in hand with everything exposed just above. Exactly where the quality of the bands resides we are not sure once again. Maybe the media effervescence that surpasses the musical desire of these new artists will end up converting the essence of a new way of expression that we still do not know. For more information on what’s going to happen on the 9th and 10th of September at Tempelhof Airport and Club Xberg, you can visit the festival’s webpage here: http://www.berlinfestival.de/

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Berlin and enjoy this concert which is some of the best music that you will see this summer.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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What is literature? Difficult question. We’ve spent so much time reading that it’s not a sure thing to know where fiction begins or ends. Like life itself, perhaps. Which is the edge that gives your life meaning and then disappears? Literature has very important relevance in the construction of new realities. It’s from books that thousands of atrocious fantasies have been brought to politics, society and the entire world. Literature also serves the function of dialoguing with reality above all. The fact that literature ‘reflects’ what really happens in the contemporary world is something not very bold to think about: text doesn’t reflect, but dialogues with the world, it moves in it, intercedes with its possibilities and it rethinks them. Text has the potential to modify, if the way that new interpretations are generated, if you make the world think. From there that literature, despite all the business, mega-business, institutions and boredom that, at times, seems to be happening, doesn’t stop being a fundamental way for expression in search of difference and individuality. Literature complains, is powerful and ambiguous.

On the other hand, the ‘literature’ business exists, from which a few authors save themselves from or from which all writers have to go through. The lodges, the contacts, the networking and the literary academia generate a web of new micro economies and defective societies. Like all businesses, failing in this search of own business and career can be really frustrating for new writers, for young entrepreneurial people who are searching for new ways of expression. And so, if on one hand the internet allows for expansion and expression in different fields, today, the amount of text that’s produced on the net is alarming, because there’s no defined agreement on what’s good or not and, above all, where are the margins of literature.

A wise monk from Tibet could tell us, while looking at the moon with tenderness and a shining silence in his eyes: “Everything is literature”. And yes, he would be completely right.

Today, the production of texts and communities that move among them are so big thanks to the internet, and we’re probably in the big durge of new forms of text interpretation above all. Which means that it’s more than clear that this computer revolution can’t be contained by anybody, and now it’s the time to see how new technologies affect the new levels of interpretation, as well as generating new languages and new expression techniques. From this, as well as other dialogues, seminars and important lectures, you can find the International Literary Festival in Berlin, that runs from the 7th until the 17th of September. For more information, visit the following webpage: http://www.literaturfestival.com/

Alexa Ray

Nothing better than getting apartments in Berlin and being part of this important meeting where the ‘word’ is celebrated, rethought and deeply questioned.

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This festival is mainly dedicated to the Israel and the Yeckes, the German immigrants, their cultures, rich traditions, diversity, their history and a lot more. Festival keeps a special focus on the lives of German Jews in Israel. This year the opening day will be accompanied by a great Inaugural ceremony in a large synagogue in Rykestrasse. This synagogue has been built recently and has a seating capacity for 1200 spectators. The focus of this opening ceremony is mainly devoted to the Jewish rituals, customs and traditions. Celebrations of Long synagogue nights were amongst the main events of the festival. The visitors were taught lessons about the religious life in the synagogues, to participate in the Havdalah ceremony. In the festival, young Jazz singers provide a new life to the old Jewish folk songs and therefore make the festival an unforgettable and cherished moment.

Because of discussions, exhibitions, tours and many other events, the festival provides special interest to the audience and therefore people from all over the world visit this festival. Festival provides a refreshing spirit, special experiences and also a kind of inner satisfaction to the people. The festival is generally celebrated in the Jewish Museum in Berlin and in other synagogues in the city.

There are many other events which are a main part of this festival such as playing of Paradise under the open sky, where the musicians and the renowned international Orchestra players came together and perform the exclusive live jam session on the beach which provides a soul touching experience to the audience. Various types of unique exhibitions take place in the festival, exhibiting the extraordinary Jewish art collection and the sense of other precious valuables.

It is believed that the music presented in the event is an intoxicating scent of exotic species, which is soothing to the visitors and has a very big market amongst the people. Moreover there will be performances by famous actress Anne Kathrin, David Klein (Swiss jazz musician) and Hadag Nachash (famous for their band) this year which is expected to gather a lot of public towards it.

Every year many people attend this festival in Berlin and the numbers are still on a sharp rise. The festival is also celebrated in Berlin museums and theatres equipped with latest equipments, which regains the memories of old Jews cultures. This year the festival would again be celebrated with full zest and zeal on various locations of the city from 8^th (Thursday) to 18^th (Wednesday), September 2011.

Venue:
Synagogue Rykestrasse, Rykestrasse 53, 10405 Berlin.

With a plenty of events to be organized in this festival, the entry is kept free to the museum where it is celebrated. For more information regarding this event, visit the official website www.juedische-kulturtage.org

Pragya Sarkar

This festival is the most important festival of Berlin which is celebrated with great applause. It is a symbol of oneness and enjoyment amongst the people and therefore people are mad about it. Rent apartments in Berlin and participate and this 10 day festival to forgot all the hardships of your life.

The music industry does not have to keep reinventing. Despite the current economic crisis, music remains as an industry that creates markets of avid, loyal consumers. Nowadays, music is consumed steadily from internet, and of course, through concerts, festivals, conventions and large parties organized.

The freedom that youth cultures kept towards the different styles of sound in the world, has degenerated into the so-called Corporated state in which, inevitably everyone has to participate or be eaten by it. Ranging from greatest singers as Lady Gaga, to the most secret underground bands on the planet. There is no escaping from the great market and the possibilities of this.

But, how? It is simple, through new technologies and social networks that generate direct means from which music can be accessible from everywhere and with the possibility to be shared, distributed and delivered from server to server. The main problem here is the sharing, the viral effect, from which the movement of information technology is made today, the one that is contrary to the mechanisms that this expansion of information is supposed to have.

So companies have nothing else to do except finding better ways to generate distribution. The issue is the materiality of music, in its physical representation, making it portable and well reproduced in phones and other devices, because currently all applications, have the option to purchase audio immediately.

Another possibility to profit from music is one of the many options to become DJ. It is an easy job; the only thing you need is some taste and style, although both of them are not so easy to find together in one person. Besides that, do not worry too much, everything is in mp3 format, there are programs ready to seamlessly play music, and new turntables that resemble the vinyl sound when using digital formats. There are new softwares published annually to facilitate the DJ´s work, making it a conventionalized job.

Thanks to new programming companies, we can all be DJs eventually. Well in a city that produces the best music as Berlin you just need a stroll to see that there are many clubs and places where you can hear all possible genres: punk, rock n roll, psychedelic, electro, dub, techno, altogether in Berlin. The number of concerts and events related to the music market is not limited in this fabulous city. Popkomm 2011 presents these options as well as thousands of other current technologies within the music industry, reports on today’s markets, and business opportunities. For more information, visit the website: www.popkomm.com

Alexa Ray

Nothing better than getting apartments in Berlin and being part of this convention, make contacts and look for more business, a great deal!

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Translated by: Hans
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Drop Dead Festival isn’t just like any other festival that takes place this summer in Europe. It’s a 100% underground event, an avant-garde festival of music, theatre, dance and many more that was born in the United States and extended to Europe in 2007.

The history of Drop Dead isn’t very long. It was born in New York in 2002 due to the wish of carrying out a festival that included different musical styles that had one thing in common: punk. That way, the festival gathered on that occasion artists from the underground scene like Nina Hagen and UK Decau, just to name two big ones. Since that first festival the idea grew and included more and more artistic expressions, not just musical ones but also painting, photography, dance and theatre. This way, in very little time, the festival gained popularity, even being carried out in Europe on three occasions: in 2007 in Pagra, 2008 in Lisbon and 2010 in Lithuania.

This year it’s the turn of Berlin, the fabulous German capital, and the lineup promises six great festival days, because as well as the established bands, Drop Dead characterizes itself for giving a chance to young underground bands. Until now, 50 bands have been confirmed, a number that will grow during August. The price of the tickets is very cheap (65€ until the end of July) and the location of Berlin is perfect, the Maria Am Ostbahnhof Club, a historical club in Berlin that after this event is going to close its doors.

Drop Dead is a festival open to all underground artistic expression, and this is reflected in the enormous variety of styles that you can listen to at the festival: Queer electro, minimal wave, cold wave, no wave, weirdo post-punk, mutant wave, future experimentation, synth punk, neo billy, ritual music, synth wave, dark wave, etc, etc.

Unusual and provocative music in an occasion that you cannot miss!

For more information visit: http://www.dropdeadfestival.com/

Luz Obscura

One of the confirmed artists for Drop Dead Festival 2011 is Ernesto Tomasini, a unique show in a unique place, the Maria Club. Are you going to miss it? I don’t think so! Rent apartments in Berlin and discover the best shows and bands before anyone else!

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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