In the past years I have often asked myself the question when the exact point in time is when someone becomes an adult. And I never found a satisfying answer.

Some events which do not necessarily coincide with growing up:

• understanding of mortality, attending a funeral
• sexual maturity
• breaking of the voice (for males)
• majority be it at 18 or 21
• the first drink
• the first drunken stupor
• the first relation with the opposite sex (non-physical)
• the first sex
• the first job, money earned by your own hands
• your first apartment
• first car
• first trip on your own without parents/friends
• when you don't listen to rock music anymore (just joking)
• seeing someone die
• marriage
• first kid
• death of your father
• death of your mother

Something deep inside me has been revolting against the inevitable fate that I'll be an adult one day. But instead of not growing like Oskar Matzerath in Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) I opted for growing taller than most people in my environment. 1 meter and 95 centimeters. Too tall for many doors and beds, not tall enough for a basketball star.

In any case I think I know now that there is another important event which can mark the passage from youth to adulthood. It is called coming-out. Not necessarily the coming-out referring to sexual attraction to the same sex. I mean a sudden realization that something is different with you than with most other people. I for myself knew this before but I never drew any conclusions. This has just changed. That's what I hope at least.

I end this slightly mysterious and incomprehensible personal post with a line from Joni Mitchell's Strange Boy which states the charm of not becoming an adult succinctly:

Matthew from * Fluxblog * (one of my top 40 blogs as indicated by the stars in the blogroll which has shrunk to 100 sites) offers a long song from the upcoming Summer Sun album. It's called Let's Be Still, clocks in at 10'26'' and takes 14.68 MB of HD space.

The most jazzy album song I have ever heard from Yo La Tengo. A long rather lushly instrumented jam session. It features a piano providing the theme, a trumpet improvising on it together with lots of cross flutes, strings, the guitar, drums and Ira singing discreetly over it. The whole thing is rather calm and gentle but somehow it feels quite free-jazzy. Meandering a little aimlessly along. But in a nice way. Not annoying at all. Definitely a step into new musical realms again. Yo La Tengo do not cease to amaze me. They must be the most versatile band in alternative rock country (not the style).

The new album is surely a must buy. As all of their albums. A wonderful band. Their music becomes more and more mature with every release. I already wonder to which destination their next album (after Summer Sun) will bring us.

A Big Theory of Culture: A Talk With Brian Eno (via wood s lot)

Full album stream of Cat Power's new album You Are Free (via ToT)

I think it is rather obvious that Germany cannot participate in a preemptive war nowadays. Within hundred years time a civilised country cannot lead two wars of aggression. This time we Germans have to show our virtuous side. Our barbaric face is still not forgotten in too many countries.

Additionally Schröder who is known as an opportunist in Germany has to show to his electors and especially to himself that he is consequent. He won the elections with the peace stance and now he has to assume it. Schröder's home policy has been a disaster. His last chance is the field of foreign policy. That is the reason why he is so undiplomatic and stubborn. The Patriot rockets are defensive weapons. It really wasn't necessary to refuse them to Turkey.

Bush's home policy hasn't been too successful neither I think. A short and successful war in Iraq would divert from the not so bright domestic situation.

Bush and Hitler have got at least two things in common.

1. They are/were both full of complexes. Bush is an alcoholic and has been the black sheep of the family before his presidency; Hitler was a failed painter. Therefore they have/had a lot to compensate.
2. Both of them strive/strove for world domination. The reasons are/were probably different but the idea of the US as the world's sheriff isn't too far from the German "Am deutschen Wesen soll die Welt genesen" (the German nature shall cure the world).

Bush's stance nevertheless has a big psychological advantage over Hitler's. Bush can always argue that he is only reacting. The terrorists of 9/11 started the war and the US is only defending against them. But the problem with the war against terror is that the enemy is invisible. The enemy can be everywhere. Maybe even in Iraq. And in case he is in Iraq why not bomb Iraq as nobody cares anyway. That's what Bush and his administration thought in the beginning. They didn't foresee the strong opposition in parts of Europe.

Finally I suppose it is not too bold to predict that in one year's time either Schröder or Bush will probably be gone. It's a little bit a fight between David and Goliath and you know what happened in the bible. The odds are not too bad for Schröder actually. If Bush does not attack Iraq now Saddam will laugh about him. That would be Bush's end. He would need a very good reason not to attack. For example an exiled or a dead Saddam. That would definitely be the best way out of the current crisis. Bush would have won by points and Schröder could stay. If Bush attacked with the approval of the UN security council it would be Schröder's knock-out. He would have isolated Germany totally. In the case of an attack without the approval of the security council there would be quite some turmoil in the world. New alliances would form and the future world peace would be more in peril after the Iraq war than it was before. Probably Bush would not survive such a proceeding politically as an interior opposition in the US should gain momentum.

P.S.

1. I hope this was my last post on politics for a while.
2. Don't ask me about the title. Ask David Byrne.

is on February 14th. This year it falls on a Friday. According to tradition the man offers flowers to his beloved but poemas de amor will surely be accepted by her as well.

Michael Jackson was the biggest search query winner last week. It's a miracle that there are still people interested in this surgical phenomenon.

Never heard of Lana Clarkson. Is she cute? Did I miss something?. P.S. She was the woman who spent the last night of her life in the company of wall of sound producer Phil Spector.

The Cricket World Cup was won by a cricket team from the Commonwealth I guess. To be honest I don't have a clue really.

Courtney Love is such a charming widow. Looking at her today I can understand why Kurt shot himself.

The United Nations have their headquarters in New York. New York was the target of the airplane attacks of 9/11.

P.S. This was just a test post inspired by the top ten gaining queries in the week ending Feb. 11 on Google Zeitgeist

Up until ten minutes ago I had never heard of this experimental band from Brooklyn. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore seems to be a fan. I am listening to the second track of the album and I am fascinated by their soundscapes. It's not really music they make. More sounds and noises. But their stuff is very different from Autechre's. Less mechanic, less electronic but much more organic.

In the first track I heard bird noises, not surprising considering the title Seabird. The second Things Will Never Be the Same started with the sound of sea waves. Now I hear people shouting in the background. The shouting is somehow distorted and fuzzy. I have to continue listening to this tomorrow.

If you like challenging music you should check the Black Dice out. Beaches and Canyons is album of the week at the BBC. You can stream it in its entirety.

P.S. There definitely is an ambient feel about this music. With some instrumental Krautrock (Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Faust) influences. Plus a grain of Godspeed build-up. Some discussion at ILM: Black Dice - Beaches & Canyons: C/D?