Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Recorded Live at the Babylon Berlin Cinema in Mitte on Sunday, January 22, 2023.

A brand new year brings Berlin fresh cringe from mayor Franziska Giffey and a reignition of the annual fireworks debate. We look at how racism and feminism might play a role in that conversation. Berlin vs. Hamburg? 25 percent of Germans found Hamburg the "most likable" German city, but which city-state do Radio Spaetkauf hosts prefer? The answer may shock you! (It probably won't).

This episode was sponsored by Athletic Greens. Visit http://www.athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf and get a free year's supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support, 5 convenient Travel Packs and a starter kit with your first AG1 order!

Fresh scandals and new posters leading up to the election redo, who stands to gain and do any deserve us? We chat with Nathaniel Flakin, author of "Revolutionary Berlin" about the election and some of the Berlin actors in the recent coup attempt. His book is published by Pluto Books and his tours can be found at https://revolutionaryberlin.wordpress.com/

Our second guest Yevhenii Surniaieva, is a board member of IWEK e.V. (fb page link), one of the associations that founded the Alliance of Ukrainian Organizations. He gives us some perspective on the new Ukrainian experience of Berlin and Ukraine as well as suggestions on how to help those displaced and suffering because of the Russian invasion. Links here: https://www.medhelpukraine2022.org/ https://plastde.org/spendenaufruf/ https://ukr-dim.de/help/

Berlin will, at long last, send Nigeria ten artifacts know as "Benin Bronzes". Hopefully the return of these stolen artworks signals a better reckoning with Germany's colonial past.

The online portal queer.de has been sued for "disparaging the memory of the deceased" because of an article they wrote describing the now-deceased Joseph Ratzinger, AKA Pope Benedict the 16th, as being queerphobic. However, the head of the journalist union says there is no violation of the press codex and no obvious insult against the former pope.

In transportation news, it was recently made public that the BVG fired their security company Pütz in November after an assault on a passenger was "the straw that broke the camel's back," according to BVG sources.It's hard to believe, but there's actually some good economic news to kick off this year. Berlin's economic output rose by about 2.5 percent last year, above the average for the rest of the country.Berlin Fashion Week kicked off with Mayor Giffey's embarrassing hype line of "Hey, where are all the Berliners?!" and was later trolled by activists "The Yes Men" who infiltrated the Adidas RealityWear show with models in fake blood "literally wearing the toil of workers on [their] sleeves."

Thank you to everyone who listens. We appreciate the audience and the community. Your financial support will help keep this project viable. Become a monthly supporter or make a one time donation at https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/ thank you.

Join Izzy February 4th on a walking tour of Berlin covering social movements. Political Walking Tour – Social Movements in Berlin – The Left Berlin Dan has a new weekly stand up show called "Slingshot" at Two Fellas in Pankow. Info and reservations at sterndaniel.com Matilde is a frequent performer at Comedy Cafe Berlin, catch her there!

This episode was produced by Anne-Marie Harrison and Daniel Stern. Editing and additional research by Sebastian Filip. Writing by Anne-Marie, Matilde Keizer and Izzy Choksey. Hosts: Matilde Keizer, Izzy Choksey and Daniel Stern.Additional contributions by Joran Mandik and as always the support of Joel Dullroy.

Assistance from https://www.podfestberlin.com/ and technical help from https://mobilekino.berlin/

Recorded live at Babylon Cinema in Mitte - a wonderful place to see thoughtfully curated film: https://babylonberlin.eu/ thank you to their wonderful staff!

In our second installment of the Brews and News winter tour we recorded at the Vagabund Brewery in Wedding from Kesselhaus. 1,500 fish died after the giant fish tank in the Radisson Blu exploded out into the street next to Alexanderplatz. We talk through an interesting transport proposal from Green Senator Bettina Jarasch to let bicycles park in car spaces, and another by the Berlin government to ease up immigration laws that could have huge consequences for listeners wanting to become Germans. And we share our best Christmas tips and tricks for those spending the holidays in Berlin. Happy first day of Hanukkah one and all.

We check in with pal of the show Ryan Plocher, active with the GEW union, who came on to let us know about the most recent teacher's strike in Berlin.Twitter: @gew_bund

And Yvonne von Langsdorff came on to tell us about how she (and her neighbors) hatched a plan to snatch back the sale of her house from an investor - by buying it but not owning it themselves. InstagramWebsite Community room

Its official! Berliners will have to return to the voting booths. Berlin's constitutional court ruled on Wednesday, that the Senate and Bezirks elections will have to be redone completely. Parties now have 2 months to get their ducks in a row and mount a sort of Sprint-Campaign before the re-election on February 12. Here to tell us all about the ramifications of this decision is friend of the show, frequent Radio Spaetkauf guest and co-host of the wonderful podcast Megan's Megacan, Konrad Werner.

https://twitter.com/megansmegacan

https://anchor.fm/megans-megacan

Climate activists are keeping busy in Berlin and celebrated a big success this week. Letzte Generation have joined forces with Ende Gelände and Extinction Rebellion to block off traffic to BER and the Klimaneustart 2030 initiative managed to collect around 262,000 signatures—way more than the 170,000 required to get a referendum going! Will we get to vote for decisive climate action on February 12 as well?

https://klimaneustart.berlin/

https://letztegeneration.de/

We speak to Lea Beckmann, a lawyer and anti-discrimination expert for the Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, to understand how Berlin law enforcement and Germany's judicial system are failing people with disabilities in cases of gendered harassment and violence.

https://twitter.com/lea_beckmann_

https://www.frauen-gegen-gewalt.de/en/

https://www.weibernetz.de/welcome.html

https://bodys.evh-bochum.de/ueber-bodys.html

And we discuss how Berlin is reacting to the criticism of the football World Cup in Qatar and what the Berlin Senate is doing about skyrocketing raccoon populations…

This episode was sponsored by Athletic Greens. Visit http://www.athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf and get a free year's supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support, 5 convenient Travel Packs and a starter kit with your first AG1 order!

This episode was recorded live at Two Fellas Brewery in Pankow, so you might hear a little extra background noise. https://twofellas.beer/

Stop by one of our Brews and Berlin News Winter Tour locations. Our next show will be on Dec 18 at Vagabund Brauerei in Wedding. Register for tickets here: https://www.podfestberlin.com/tickets

Hosts: Izzy Choksey, Jöran Mandik, Matilde Keizer and Daniel Stern

Producer: Anne-Marie Harrison

If you like what we do and want us to keep making the show, please support us by subscribing or donating: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

One year ago Berliners voted overwhelmingly in support of the Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen referendum to buy back corporate-owned apartments and communalize them. What's happened since? Friend of the show and host of the DW Enteignen podcast "Von Menschen und Mieten" Wouter Bernhardt gives us an update with some exciting news. More here: https://www.darumenteignen.de/en/ Temperatures are falling and fears about heating are on the rise. What if Berliners took control of their district heating system? Michael Efler from BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz e.V. tells us about plans to communalize Berlin's energy network. They've got 14,148 signatures so far. Sign the petition here: https://weact.campact.de/petitions/fernwarme-zuruck-in-berliner-hand-fur-eine-klimafreundliche-und-soziale-warmeversorgung

Lucy Alice Thomas tells us about Loom's Turnt Up Musik Kamp for FLINTA youth aged 16-27 taking place October 24-29. Learn about Turnt Up here: http://atemberlin.com/

Check out the great work Loom is doing here: https://www.loomverein.org

Hosts: Izzy Choksey, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern

Producers: Anne-Marie Harrison and Sebastian Filip

If you like what we do and want us to keep making the show, please support us by subscribing or donating: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Maisie Hitchcock returns as special co-host for an outdoor episode recorded at Floating Berlin.

The €9 public transport ticket is dead, but what if Berliners make their own cheap ticket scheme? We meet Mario from 9EuroFonds, a collective ticket insurance system. So far they've raised over €10,000 to pay members' transport fines. More at https://9eurofonds.de

Some Berliners are freaking out about the low-heat winter ahead, due to the gas supply crisis. But what should the city really be doing to phase out fossil fuel use entirely? Klimaneustart wants Berlin to become climate neutral by 2030. That's 15 years earlier than the city's current plan. Organizer Jess tells us about the challenges of trying to trigger a referendum. Sign up at https://klimaneustart.berlin

Hosts: Maisie Hitchcock, Joel Dullroy, Matilde Keizer, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Producer: Sebastian Filip.

If you like what we do and want us to keep making the show, please support us by subscribing or donating: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

Synopsis: A weekend of escapism turns into a confrontation with reality for a group of Berliners, who leave the city to find the countryside is a scary place.

Location: A camp ground in the forest next to a lake.

Cast: 500 film fans plus Joel, Dan and Michele Guido: https://www.training.comedycafeberlin.com/instructors/michele-guido/

Special Guest: Director Alexandra Semkina. Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sashkasemkina/ / FB: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.semkina.3 / Film school: https://www.metfilmschool.de

It's pride month in Berlin but a virus outbreak is highlighting how policy makers keep failing the LGBTQi community and shows we learnt nothing from the last pandemic. People are being stigmatized and shamed, the vaccine program is slow - sound familiar? This time it's monkeypox. We talked to queer activist Pansy about how it is affecting the gay community.

Pansy is hosting an actual DRAG RACE on Tuesday, July 26th in Hasenheide. Find more infos via Pansy's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pansypresents/

Meanwhile a new database has been launched to make it easier for all queer people to find the sexual health services right for them. Our new editor Anne-Marie Harrison went out to interview founder Anna Wim about her platform Fluide BLN http://fluidebln.de/

Correction: In the recording, Anna Wim is incorrectly referred to as "she." Anna identifies as nonbinary and uses "they/them" pronouns. We apologize for the error, and many thanks to Anna for speaking to us about their important work.

Also: You might not know it if you don't drive a car, but the past few weeks Berlin's roads have become the site of an incredible youth-led protest movement. Hundreds of young people of the Letzte Generation movement have been putting their bodies and clean criminal records on the line by blocking traffic, in some cases glueing their hands to the road, to draw attention to the dire threats of climate change. This has enraged drivers, who have physically attacked the protesters, with police often standing by and doing nothing to stop the assaults. We've met one of these incredible activists. https://letztegeneration.de/

And: Berlin schools are in bad shape, there aren't enough teachers and the ones we do have are overworked. Now international teachers in Berlin are being left out of a scheme to offer better pay and pensions. We talked to Ryan Plocher, a US teacher and active GEW union member, who is helping to plan strikes to try to get better conditions in Berlin schools. https://www.gew-berlin.de/ueber-uns/about-us

We've recorded this episode live at the wonderful Podfest Berlin, organized by our very own Dan Stern. It was a blast! If you missed it - all recorded podcasts will be published before long. To find out more, head over to https://www.podfestberlin.com/

Jöran has just started looking for a therapist and can't believe how impossible it seems. Matilde is in therapy and still gets anxiety recalling her search.

On this episode they swap stories and explain the basics about Germany's mental health system. They talk to several people who've done it all before. And they explain the first steps to take.

Want to share your story? Write to us here at [email protected] or leave a voice message here.

Show Notes:

Georg switched health insurers to get timely access to care (he's now with BKK-VBU). He also frequently called the Berliner Krisendienst: http://www.berliner-krisendienst.de

Jöran tried Berlin Institute for Psychotehrapy and Psychoanalyse (BIPP): https://bipp-berlin.de/

Others went straight to a Hausarzt (a general doctor). But you can get an initial assessment appointment by calling: 116 117.

Credits:

Get Help Berlin is created, written, produced and presented by Matilde Keizer and Jöran Mandik. Additional production and writing by Joel Dullroy and Anne-Marie Harrison. Music is by Ducks! and Tom Evans. Artwork is by Molly Rose Dyson. This is a production of Radio Spaetkauf, Berlin's news podcast.

Please support us with a one-off or monthly donation! https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

This episode was recorded in the dying summer light of the floating university in Berlin; a location that is neither a university nor floating. Luckily, we had Jöran on site to explain the history of this fascinating location.

As everything gets more expensive, could Berlin make life more affordable by offering a basic income of over €1000 a month? This episode features the organisers of an attempt to start an experiment to do just that. Also, you've heard of community gardens. What about a community food forest? We meet a group trying to plant an edible biosphere on Tempelhofer Feld.

Energy prices are starting to bite and inflation is starting to eat into everyone's weekly budgets. To combat this the federal government brought in the 9 euro monthly public transport ticket at the beginning of the month. It will run till the end of August. Who's against it and who's for it? And why should we all be getting on regional trains to an island in the north of Germany called Sylt. Also on the topic of shortages and price hikes, Mathilde reveals her deep knowledge of beer glass in a welcomed presentation on the current bottle crisis faced by Berlin's breweries.

We welcome Laura Brämswig from the Grundeinkommen Volksentscheidung campaign to come and talk to us about why we should all sign the petition for another Volksentschiedung giving Berlin the chance to test out a Grundeinkommen.

Freya Grote and Liz Eve from the Feld Food Forest collective joined us to explain more about their project to create a food forest on the Tempelhof Airfield.

More Links:

• Podfest Berlin: Home | PodFest Berlin
• Social Movements of Berlin (tour guided by Izzy Choksey): https://www.theleftberlin.com/events/political-walking-tour-social-movements-in-berlin/
• Too Many Cooks (hosted by Mathilde Keizer): Too Many Cooks - A Comedy Cooking Show - Comedy Café Berlin (comedycafeberlin.com)
• Donate to Radio Spaetkauf! https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

What's left of revolutionary Berlin? On our outdoor May Day special, we ask author Nathaniel Flakin whether there's still enough activists to keep Berlin interesting. On a weekend when Berlin's mayor Franziska Giffey gott egged, activists squatted an empty hostel and thousands of people joined big marches, Nathaniel says May Day isn't dead yet. Ask your bookshop to stock his new book Revolutionary Berlin - A Walking Guide.

As Russia's war rages in Ukraine, Berlin's Green Party wants the city to prepare our U-Bahn stations to use as bomb shelters. But some tunnel experts say the stations aren't deep enough, while old WWII bunkers are now art galleries.

Get ready for a summer of train travel with the €9 nationwide Monatskarte, valid on all local and regional trains. Izzy says the three summer months are usually known as 'car season'. She hopes the experimental period will deliver data to convince politicians to permanently reduce public transport ticket prices.

This episode was recorded outdoors in the Tempelhof community garden in the afternoon of May 1, 2022. Hosts: Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy.

Support us with a donation! Go to: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/