Radio Spaetkauf Berlin

Berlin is losing its publicly-funded Nextbike system. What does it say about the city's deflating civic status? Also we meet the artistic director of the Doxumentale film festival to hear why they've added an X to their name. And the founder of Give Something Back to Berlin will tell us about how beauty parlours are places of feminist empowerment.  Nextbike has lost its €1.5M annual public funding to run a discounted shared bicycle system across Berlin. The CDU-led city-state government says it is too broke to fund the scheme, which ran since 2017, and reached 4 million journeys last year. Joel explains what's behind its demise. Days before the start of Berlin's Dokumentale documentary and non-fiction festival, the organizers received a legal threat over their name. Instead of fighting, they've changed their name to DoXumentale. We meet the festival's artistic director Anna Ramskloger-Witt, who explains why the new name is better. She tells us about program, including a nature film about gay animals, a profile of a Berlin undertaker and more. DoXumentale runs until June 28. Find a screening or watch online at https://www.dokumentale.de/ What goes on behind the doors of beauty salons? NGO founder Annamaria Olsson decided to take a microphone to meet women in these safe spaces, and found a world of womens' empowerment. Beauty salons give women jobs and help them overcome domestic violence. Annamaria has travelled to Morocco, Georgia, Bosnia and Kosovo to record audio for her project. The result is “Stories from the Beauty Parlor”. Listen now here: https://www.beautyparlorstories.org/ Radio Spaetkauf co-founder Joel Dullroy is briefly back in Berlin, after one of his trips around the world filming mini-documentaries. If you want to see some of his videos, go to: http://www.joeldullroy.com Thanks to Vanta for support! http://www.vanta.com/RadioSpaetkauf Thank you to our listeners, if you would like to make a donation or support us through a steady membership: www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate Live show recording and engineering: podfestberlin.com  This episode was produced by Daniel Stern and Joel Dullroy. Find Dan at: https://www.instagram.com/danielandstern/ or https://www.sterndaniel.com/ 

Recorded April 3, 2025 live at Another Country Bookstore with hosts Izzy and Dan, plus special guest host Antonia Bär. Headlines include the troubling escalations of neo-Nazi marches in Berlin, cracks in the A100, a local CDU "scandal", plus a Berliner in space and more. Interviews with Ester of 100% Tempelhofer Feld and Jolene, from Architects for Tempelhofer Feld, and Sebastian Thauer, local show promoter who recently co-founded the Cake Walk music festival. Thanks to Vanta for support! GUEST LINKS  Architects for Tempelhofer Feld https://architects4thf.com/ https://www.instagram.com/architects4thf/ Open Letter: https://forms.gle/CsKnCtd2vr6KqtwKA Mailing List: https://forms.gle/kbDDrbk7sTmKAwNc9 THF 100 https://www.thf100.de/  https://www.instagram.com/thf100 Cakewalk Festivalhttps://www.instagram.com/tangiblematerial https://www.instagram.com/cakewalkfest https://malzfabrik.de Antonia Bär Shows: It's That Time of the Month:  https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/its-that-time-of-the-month-35/ Improvised Stand-Up: https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/the-improvised-stand-up-show-13/ ★ Thanks to Vanta for their support, learn more at:Vanta.com/RadioSpaetkauf ➡ Vinyl Kickstarter, NOW LIVE!: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/radiospaetkauf Technical Support: podfestberlin.com for technical support. Editing: Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher https://www.recordedvoices.com Thank you to our listeners, if you would like to make a donation or support us through a steady membership: www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate More Radio Spaetkauf: www.radiospaetkauf.com

Recorded live March 6, 2025 at Another Country Bookstore. Hosts Izzy and Dan with special  guest co-hosts Pip Roper of the "History Flakes" podcast, and comedian Toby Arsalan. They chat spring weather in Berlin and its impact on relationships, Germany's new electronic health records, Berlin labor strikes, local Football and various tree removals. Plus the annoucement of a Kickstarter campaign for a vinyl release of our mini-series "How to F#€K Up an Airport," Berlin's housing crisis, and more.  Interviews with Fabian Flues, a member of the Burger*innenInitiative A100, and Joanna Kusiak, a sociologist at Cambridge University and author of "Radically Legal: Berlin Constitutes the Future." Joanna Kusiak: Read the book open source: PDF LINK or listen on Audible: https://www.audible.de/pd/Radically-Legal-Hoerbuch/B0D8WSZ8QF Pip Roper: Live History Flakes Podcast Recording 29th March at Comedy Cafe Berlin https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/history-flakes-live-2/ Toby Arsalan: tobyarsalan.com or on insta at @tobyarsalan Fabian Flues: Bürger*innenInitiative A100 https://bi-a100.de/ Thanks to Vanta for their support, Learn more at: www.Vanta.com/RadioSpaetkauf Radio Spaetkauf: www.radiospaetkauf.com Vinyl Kickstarter, LAUNCHING SOON !: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/radiospaetkauf Additional thanks to podfestberlin.com for technical support. And to our home for the recording, Another Country Bookstore http://www.anothercountry.de/   and of course to you the listeners, if you would like to make a donation or support us through a steady membership:  www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

Recorded live at Podigee on November 12, 2024 with hosts Joel, Izzy, and Dan. They discuss proposed funding cuts to Berlin's cultural institutions, jaywalking, shopping Sundays and the closing of Berlin clubs. The show features two guests: first is co-author of "Beer Hiking Berlin" Dan Cole, followed by Moritz Ahlert of the project "Kiosk of Solidarity".   This episode of Radio Spaetkauf explores the impact of a proposed 10% funding cut to cultural institutions, as well as a reflection on the 35th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall. Plus chats on the city's evolving beer scene, the sustainability of nightclubs, the transformation of public spaces, and the importance of inclusive design in fostering community engagement.  Links: GUESTS: Moritz Ahlert: @kiosk.of.solidarity, https://transformingsolidarities.net/de/ Dan Cole: @hiking_and_drinking, https://helvetiq.com/de/beer-hiking-berlin Radio Spaetkaufhttps://www.radiospaetkauf.com  @radiospaetkauf Daniel Stern: https://www.sterndaniel.com/  @danielandstern Next Standup Gig: Nov 23rd at The Wall Berlin Venue: https://www.podigee.com/ ⭑ DONATIONS / SUPPORT: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

In this episode of "Radio Spaetkauf," recorded in collaboration with the Europäische Akademie Berlin, we focus on the future of urban living; asking the question, "What is the city of tomorrow?". Host Daniel Stern is joined by architect Max Schwitalla and author Aiki Mira. The conversation begins with Max sharing how skateboarding background influenced his urban design approach, and with Mira reading a passage from their award-winning novel “Neurobiest" describing Berlin of the future topped by green rooftop communities. From there we discuss visions for the future: inclusive, polycentric urban design, mobility hubs, and discarding anthropocentricism to leave space for nature. The exploration of "The City of Tommorow" brings us to innovations (both real and imagined), micro-utopias, and proposals for infrastructure which is reusable, queer and adaptable.  Recorded Oct 17, 2024 at Podigee's Offices in Berlin Guest Links: Aiki Mira https://aikimira.webnode.page/ Aiki's Podcast: Das War Morgen Insta: @aiki_mira Event at Otherland Books: otherland-berlin.de Max Schwitalla https://studioschwitalla.com/ --- Radio Spaetkauf https://www.radiospaetkauf.com  @radiospaetkauf Europäische Akademie Berlin https://www.eab-berlin.eu @europaeische_akademie_berlin Daniel Stern https://www.sterndaniel.com/  @danielandstern  Venue: https://www.podigee.com/ • DONATIONS / SUPPORT: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/  

Recorded September 10th at PodFest Berlin 2024. Released previously on the Megan's Megacan feed. Apologies for the delayed release via our feed. "Recording live with Radio Spätkauf at Podfest Berlin 2024, Megan handed out free cans so that the audience wouldn't have to get through the news sober — which, frankly, should be part of every media subscription service these days. Then Konrad gets weirdly pedantic about crime stats, Izzy explains why Germany is always losing the energy transition race, and Joel finds some good news about Berlin's U-Bahn seat covers. And there's more fascism in Germany obviously. BUT we have passing minstrels! Hey nonny nonny!" - Shownotes and Podcast Edit by Konrad. About Megan's Megacan: It's a German news podcast in English, because the German news is hard enough without it being all in German. Also involves canned cocktails. Not massive cans.  https://www.instagram.com/radiospaetkauf/ Support Radio Spaetkauf: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/      

Public space in Berlin is used for private profit. Does that rob or enrich the citizens? From business-run toilets to footpath vehicles and food sales in parks, we share our space with commerce. Can we also use private spaces like empty malls as public property? Radio Spaetkauf partners with the Europäische Akademie Berlin to invite an intelligent panel of activists and politicians to discuss the good and bad uses of public space for commercial gain.   Sophie Menzel is a big fan of public toilets. She raises awareness of the need for more and better toilets in Berlin through the group Buschfunk Bündnis e.V., with the slogan "Fair peeing for all!" Sophie says the current privately-run toilet system isn't good enough, and is especially failing people without penises. She wants to see more "missoirs" - feminized pissoirs (urninals). More at: https://buschfunk-buendnis.com/  Tuba Bozkurt is the Green party's member for Gesundbrunnen in the Berlin parliament. She is the Green Faction's spokesperson for industry, digital economy and anti-discrimination. Tuba says some commerce should be allowed in public space, but it has to be fair and accessible for all. https://tubabozkurt.de/   Tamara Lüdke represents Lichtenberg at Berlin's Abgeordnetenhaus as a member of the SPD and is the party's spokeswoman on the topics of animal welfare, consumer protection, club culture, drug policy and development policy. Tamara says the city wants to do more to keep footpaths clear of obstacles, and is considering new ways to make toilets in private businesses open to the public. https://www.tamara-luedke.de/   Roland Stimpel is the voice of pedestrians in Berlin. Through the association FUSS (Fachverband Fußverkehr Deutschland FUSS e.V.) he advocates for better footpaths, less vehicles, stricter control of shared scooters and bikes, and safer street crossings. He says the solutions already exist, but need to be better enforced through stricter fines for infringement. More at: https://www.fuss-ev.de/   Hosted Daniel Stern: https://www.sterndaniel.com/   Hosted by Joel Dullroy: http://www.joeldullroy.com/   Editing & Mastering: Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher: www.recordedvoices.com   Hosted at House of Color, a vibrant community initiative with passion for sports, music and cultural expression, currently at a pop-up space in Gneisenaustr. https://www.hoco.world   Co-Produced by Europäische Akademie Berlin's Europe Behind The Headlines series, with kind support of the Federal Foreign Office and EU (CERV): https://www.eab-berlin.eu/europe-behind-the-headlines-2024/   Support Radio Spaetkauf: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate  

Recorded live, August 4, 2024 at the House of Color. Dan and Izzy are joined by special guest cohosts Drew Portnoy (aka Andrew Buckley) and Eman Khallouf. Headlines include updates from Görli, DIY bike lanes, fresh comedy at BER airport, the Cold War Museum and a medical miracle at the Charité. Interview with Greg Onwuegbuzie of Deschoolonize. Plus Joel returns with an update.  Deschoolonize: deschoolonize.com 20% Berlin: www.20percent.berlin Support Radio Spaetkauf: radiospaetkauf.com/donate/ PodFest Berlin Sept 8-15 at House of Color: PodFestBerlin.com Drew on insta: drewportnoyhaha Eman on insta: emosh007 Dan: https://www.sterndaniel.com

Recorded live in Grunewald, Dan is joined by guests Josefine Köhn-Haskins, Ryan Balmer, Júlia Mota Albuquerque and a handful of chirping birds to explore the significance of urban art in public spaces. In partnership with the Europäische Akademie Berlin. Support Radio Spaetkauf: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate   Guests and Links: Josefine Köhn-Haskins, Journalist: Berlin Street Art Map Ryan Balmer, Tour Guide:  https://www.instagram.com/berlin_reguided Júlia Mota Albuquerque, Muralist: https://landofjulia.com/ Editing & Mastering: Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher recordedvoices.com Written, Produced and Engineered by Daniel Stern: sterndaniel.com With kind support of the Federal Foreign Office and EU (CERV) under the project “Europe Behind the Headlines” Join us live Aug 4 at House of Color: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/radio-spatkauf-tickets-967843655427 

Zombies in the GDR. Deutschrap. Heavenly lakes. Joy despite cancer. Days before her death, Maisie and I talked for one last time. In a hospital room in London, she shared her favourite memories from her years in Berlin - and revealed a few untold surprises. It's not all tears, because Maisie could be so funny. Her depth of knowledge about architecture, German history, music and culture is astounding. This is just a sample of her best moments from more than a decade of co-hosting Radio Spaetkauf. Make time for this. Take a walk. Listen until the end. Be prepared to laugh and cry. And maybe Maisie will convince you to change your life. I'm Joel Dullroy, and here I join with long-time co-hosts Andrew Mason, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern to remember Maisie Hitchcock. Thanks to our fellow Radio Spaetkauf collaborators Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Anne-Marie Harrison and Sebastian Filip. Thanks to Radio Spaetkauf listeners for sending in your favourite memories of Maisie. More About Maisie Maisie Hitchcock was the co-founder and co-host of Radio Spaetkauf. Hers was the first voice ever heard on the podcast, announcing it into existence in late 2011. She was also a writer, tour guide and gave classes on architecture and design. Maisie moved to Berlin in the early 2000s, drawn by an appreciation for the overlooked art and architecture of the GDR. Maisie Hitchcock died from the effects of ovarian cancer on August 9, 2023, three years after her diagnosis. Her only initial symptoms were slight stomach bloating. She wanted others to know the signs of ovarian cancer, for which there is little research. She asked people to donate to charities funding research and awareness, including Ovarian Cancer Research (UK), Eierstockktrebs Stiftung (Germany), and Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (US). Maisie Hitchock Obituary Radio Spaetkauf Archive How To F#€k Up An Airport Rent Freeze All Episodes and Series Maisie on Megan's Megacan Maisie on RBB TV (use a VPN in Germany) Music Tom Evans - Particle Sound Various Tracks Ducks! Various Tracks Radio Spaetkauf Theme - Time Taken Everett Darling Springtime Won't Wait Crocus & Greenbreir Skiing Deadliest Tide Hiddensee Holly Portal Robyn Hitchcock  Various tracks Plesiosaurs In The Desert Celestial Transgression Benjamin Michael Requiem

RSxEAB: "Sharing Urban Space". Radio Spaetkauf host Daniel Stern dives into a discussion of public spaces informed by three insightful guests. Johnny Whitlam (Whitlam's Berlin Tours) shares his passion for Berlin's history and hidden stories. Martin Aarts, the former head of spatial planning in Rotterdam emphasizes child-friendly cities and nature's role in urban design. Lea Fink (Strassenverlauf) offers a philosophical angle, stressing the need for accessible spaces that encourage learning and reflection. In this episode we explore the balance between historical preservation and contemporary needs, the transformation of places like Tempelhof and Potsdamer Platz. We discuss our personal and community connections to places like Alexanderplatz, the banks of the Landwehrkanal and the Comenius-Garten. We look at the dichotomy of planned spaces vs. the people-driven "organic" use of open areas. The is challenges of creating inclusive, community supported environments are acknowledged but common preconceptions are also cconfronted. We also tackle the impact of cars and tourism on city life, and the need for spaces that prioritize bicycles and pedestrians. • Episode made in partnership with the Europäische Akademie Berlin: https://www.eab-berlin.eu/en • Please support Radio Spaetkauf with an ongoing or one time donation: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/ NEXT LIVE SHOW JUNE 27: https://www.podfestberlin.com/event-details/radio-spaetkauf-x-eab-june-27 Connect to our guests: • Lea Fink: https://strassenverlauf.de/ • Martin Aarts: https://www.ravb.nl/profiel/martin-aarts/ • Jonny Whitlam: https://www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com/ Recorded in front of a live audience at the House of Color: https://www.hoco.world/ Engineer: Grace at PodFest Berlin https://www.podfestberlin.com/ Editing & Mastering: Kaleb Wentzel-Fisher https://www.recordedvoices.com/ Written and Produced by Daniel Stern: https://www.sterndaniel.com/ With kind support of the Federal Foreign Office and EU (CERV) under the project "Europe Behind the Headlines"

Recorded March 24, 2024 On this episode of Radio Spätkauf, Izzy, Dan and Matilde take on the month's news from Berlin in English. We touch on the recent UNESCO recognition of Berlin's techno scene, the legalization of weed, controversies surrounding stone statues at the Humboldt Forum, and the pressing issue of affordable housing. Joeran Mandik turns up to tell us about his quest to find Berlin's own Tree of Enlightenment. Izzy dissects Berlin's governing coalition's policies on housing, transportation, bikes and a Maglev train proposal. We consider the three duos vying to lead the SPD. Juliana Pranke the head of public services for the ZLB tells us about the Amerika Gedenkbibliothek's PopUp, plus other updates on the libraries in Berlin. Philipp Kreicarek, the creator of the app KnowDrugs tells us about his project helps people to be safe while using psychoactive substances. Please support the show: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/ Links: ZLB Petition: https://www.zlb.de/unterschreiben/KnowDrugs: https://knowdrugs.app/Dan's show: Info + Tickets Matilde's insta: @matikeizer Arab Film Festival Berlin: https://alfilm.berlin/ Radio Spaetkauf Website    

This episode of Radio Spätkauf was recorded live February 25th 2024 in Berlin at Noisy Rooms. Hosts Mathilde, Dan and Izzy joined by guest host Pip Roper. Headlines: BVG's brand new CEO Henrik Falk'plan to clean U8 UBahn stations. Berlinale got off to a contentious start but ended with satisfying wins. Tegel is now welcoming school students to its halls. Tesla faces a setbackin Grunheide. More public transportation strikes are on the way. A leaked government housing report undermines CDU and SPD plans to open up tempelhof to developers. •Michael Efler from Bürgerbergheren Klimaschutz explains the importance of Berlin's deal to buy back its district heating system.   •Hanf Museum co-director and cannabis advocate Steffen Geyer guides us through Germany's new marijuana laws. • Drag artist and returning guest Pansy on “Chez Pansy”, a new Queer Cabaret and supper club currently in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign. Learn more and support Pansy's project at tinyurl.com/chezpansy --- If you want to contribute on a monthly basis please subscribe to our Steady.One time donations on our website: Support Radio Spaetkauf Writing production and hosting by: Izzy Choksey, Daniel Stern (www.sterndaniel.com/) and Matilde Keizer With support from Sebastian Filip and Radio Spaetkauf Host Emeritus Joel Dullroy Pip is at: https://linktr.ee/turtle.logicThis Episode Edited by Alex Griffiths www.instagram.com/alexgriffiths_music/ Technical Support: www.podfestberlin.com Theme Music by Ducks! https://linktr.ee/ducksmakemusic Find more Radio Spaetkauf and contact us at www.radiospaetkauf.com

28th January 2024 recorded live at Zimmer48, with Izzy and Dan plus two guest hosts: Maria Debinska, a research fellow at the Institute for Cultural Inquiry in Berlin and Megan Whittington of German news in English podcast Megan's Megacan.   Support Radio Spaetkauf: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/   A bahn-strike started last Wednesday, running six days until the morning of January 29th included the S-Bahn. The rail worker's union, the GDL, is advocating for a shorter 35-hour work week with full pay,  a wage increase of €555 per month immediately as well as a €3,000 one off inflation compensation. Deutsche Bahn has offered only a 4.8% raise for 2024, 5% in 2025 and 2.7% in 2026.    Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner and education secretary Katharina Günther-Wünsch revealed they were in a romantic relationship. An anti-semitism clause proposed by CDU politician Joe Chialo was deemed a violation of artists' constitutional rights. Agricultural sector protestors brought the city centre of Berlin to a standstill. Emergency vehicles were blocked and streets took hours to clear. The protests were organised in opposition to the proposed end of tax exemptions for diesel used in agricultural vehicles. A meteorite listed as 2024 BX1 crashed near Berlin last Sunday night and has not yet been found. According to Thomas Becker of Westhavelland Star Park, it may have crashed in an area east of Nennhausen. If you come across a suspicious looking rock, don't touch it. Members of the AfD and some CDU were present at a secret meeting last November in a villa outside Potsdam along with extreme right activists including Martin Sellner of the Identitarian Movement. Plans to ‘re-migrate' both foreigners and Germans from a foreign country were discussed. In response over a million people across Germany took to the streets, demonstrating against right wing extremism. Berlin politicians left in protest when AfD state Chair Kristin Brinker rose to speak at a recent Assembly session. Green party leader Bettina Jarasch commented that it would be wrong to ‘listen to AfD denials', and Berlin CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Strettner said “I don't listen to right wing radical relativising and lying.” January 27th was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and commemorations were held across the city, including in Reinickendorf where the BVV has five AfD members who were automatically invited to the ceremony, so a local alliance against the far right organised an alternative vigil on another memorial site. Jonny Tiernan of Ex Berliner Magazine joins us to discuss changes in the print edition and invite us to take part in their research into the sex lives of Berliners. Survey LINK: https://form.typeform.com/to/WwKxHa02   Thanks to Yvonne at Zimmer48 and to Sebastian for the pic and Joel on his travels. Next Live Show: Feb 25th

Radio Spaetkauf Presents: "Housing First and Fun With Social Workers" - RSxEAB #1 • This pilot episode examines homelessness, housing first, and sleeping rough.  • Recorded Dec 6th 2023 in Berlin at Salon Am Moritzplatz, Released Dec 19th 2023   A Special Edition of Radio Spätkauf created through a partnership with Europäische Akademie Berlin. This episode is a pilot for the “RSx” series in which we seek presciptions for the problems of our city and the world which revolves around it. An attempt, in our way, to look forward to the future with hope. With hosts Matilda Kaiser and Daniel Stern, plus guests Debora Ruppert, Karen Holzinger of Berliner Stadtmission, and Kathrin Schultz of Queerhome*. Dan and Matilde catch up and remind us of the Kältebus number: 030 690 333 690 and review some previous Radio Spaetkauf stories that overlap with today's topic of homelessness; Zweckentfremdungsverbot, co-working spaces, commercial real estate regulations and the battles of the cities last remaining squats, with an update on Liebig14. How does the housing crisis affect the search for a home? The topic of Homelessness is introduced by Dan who struggles to find the right vocabulary and correct language with which to describe the issue. The first guest, Debora Ruppert  is an artist who captures the lives of marginalized people, including the homeless, through photography. her most recent exhibition “Home Street Home” was on display in the Bundestag. She emphasizes the importance of speaking with people who are experiencing homelessness rather than merely speaking about them. That dialogue and relationships help individuals out of their situation. 

 To learn more about “Housing First” we are joined by Karin Holzinger,  who in 1991 began her work with Berliner Stadtmission and later became their head of homelessness services. Karin also co-invented the Kältebus, and is a co-founder of Kumpfide, an organization twhich offers support to non-abstinent alcoholics. She clears up some common misconceptions about homelessness, “When you walk through the streets, you see people, and you think, oh, he or she might be homeless, because maybe the person is not dressed very well, he or she looks drunk or [seems to have] psychological problems, so you think, ah, this is homelessness. Some of these people are not homeless and on the other hand, about I would say about 90% of the people who are homeless you would never recognize as being homeless because they look like you and me…” Karin explains the vocabulary in German for homeless people: Obdachlos and Wohnungslos, plus attempts to teach Dan the meaning of “Bürgerlich” and tells us the value of a “Housing First” program, as well as some of the limitations. What does it mean to help people survive vs. changing their living situation? Next, Radio Spaetkauf is joined by Katrin Schulz of Queerhome* Berlin to explain some of the challenges faced specifically by LQBTQI+ plus people in finding homes and shelter. She describes her work; “We say we are in the middle. We are not a government organization. We are not a church or Christian organization. We are not an only queer organization. We are in the middle because the organizations who work with homeless people have no knowledge about LGBTIQ and the queer organizations normally have no knowledge about homelessness…we are in the middle and try to give information to the one side and to the other side.” She affirms that helping people get off the streets is not just about bringing services to them but also about informing the general public about the reality of homelessness and dispelling misconceptions about who is homeless and why they have ended up without a home. She also underlines the importance of recognizing that many people who do find a place to live or a shelter are forced to put up with terrible conditions. Queerhome* is a relatively new organization and looking for growth in its network and resources. Matilde laments the lack of help for people living at Moritzplatz station and the missed opportunity at Habersaathstraße, where an empty building was used briefly for housing. The show ends with a mix of hopeful wishes, pragmatic realities, practical advice and rueful observations.

 More information on our guests and their organizations: Karen Holzinger, Berliner Stadtmission: https://www.berliner-stadtmission.de/ https://www.facebook.com/BerlinerStadtmission https://www.instagram.com/berliner_stadtmission/ Kathrin Schultz, Sonntags Club and Queerhome*: https://kathrin-schultz.de/ https://sonntags-club.de/   https://www.instagram.com/sonntags.club/ https://queerhome.de/  https://www.facebook.com/queerhomeberlin
 https://www.neuechance.berlin/ Debora Ruppert, artist, Home Street Home: https://www.deboraruppert.com/  https://www.instagram.com/debora_ruppert/ https://www.instagram.com/homestreethome_ausstellung/ 
 This episode was made in conjunction with the Europäische Akademie Berlin aka “EAB”: https://www.eab-berlin.eu/en and recorded at Salon Am Moritzplatz
: https://www.salonammoritzplatz.de/ Radio Spaetkauf information and episodes cab be found at: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/ and you can find us on these socials:
 https://www.instagram.com/radiospaetkauf/ https://www.facebook.com/radio.spaetkauf Today's hosts were Daniel Stern and Matilde Keizer. https://www.sterndaniel.com/ https://www.instagram.com/matikeizer/ Thank you for subscribing, following, and supporting the show.

“I don't think fear is the right word. I am afraid of the future,” Tim Wechselmann-Cassim of Letzte Generation told us about what he feels when drivers try to run their cars into activists during a street-takeover action. “The worst thing that can happen is that they are going to run me over [...] I wouldn't be there if I wasn't already committed to that.”  Who defines what “radical” is? Who gets labeled “radical” and what implications does this have? In this episode of Sticking Point, Anne-Marie and Izzy dive into this question and share some of their personal viewpoints on the kinds of direct actions taken by Letzte Generation and why they think the media making comparisons to terrorist groups is pretty freakin dangerous.  Journalist Paul Hockenos picks up with what happened in the climate movement after FFF and XR stopped attracting the numbers onto the streets that they had in 2018 and 2019. Wechselmann-Cassim takes us further into the motivations of Letzte Generation activists and Tadzio Müller of Ende Gelände argues that there are also specific reasons why the climate movement has not turned violent. Jérémie Gagné from the More in Common thinktank and Regine Richter of Urgewald join us again to help contextualize the impact of these activist groups on German society. About Sticking Point: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison take a journey through Germany's climate movement in this Radio Spaetkauf series. Sticking Point meets the people inside Germany's climate movement: from the tactics of the anti-nuclear campaigns, to activists clambering onto coal excavators, striking students and people gluing their hands to roads. We find out what motivates activists and why they are willing  to use increasingly radical means to force change. Credits:  Producing: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison Script: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison Editing: Sebastian Filip Technical Support: Daniel Stern Art Work: Daniel Stern Additional Support: Joel Dullroy Music: Tom Evans Listen: Listen and follow on SpotifyListen and follow on Apple Podcasts Support: Help us keep making podcasts and mini-series! Donate now. Shownotes: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/29/could-covid-lockdown-have-helped-save-the-planet  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/21/climate-diplomacy-is-hopeless-says-author-of-how-to-blow-up-a-pipeline-andreas-malm?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/27/german-police-call-for-tougher-response-to-growing-climate-protests-letzte-generation  https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/258757/umfrage/umfrage-zum-tempolimit-auf-autobahnen/  https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/dobrindt-klima-raf-100.html  https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/Verfassungsschutz-haelt-Bezeichnung-Klima-RAF-fuer-falsch,pejril102.html  https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2023-04/amtsgericht-berlin-tiergarten-haftstrafe-klimaaktivistin-letzte-generation  https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2023-04/amtsgericht-berlin-tiergarten-haftstrafe-klimaaktivistin-letzte-generation https://www.merkur.de/deutschland/haft-monatelang-rekordstrafe-klima-kleber-aktivisten-letzte-generation-gefaengnis-strafe-92217695.htmlv  https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/berlin/rbb-demonstranten-blockieren-an-27-stellen-im-berliner-stadtgebiet-strassen-102.html  https://www.mdr.de/brisant/radfahrerin-berlin-tot-102.html  https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/geteiltes-deutschland-krisenmanagement/linksterrorismus-rote-armee-fraktion.html  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/24/german-police-stage-nationwide-raids-against-climate-activists  https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/weil-scholz-sie-vollig-bekloppt-nannte-letzte-generation-beschmiert-spd-parteizentrale-in-berlin-9865331.html  https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/letzte-generation-umfrage-kriminelle-vereinigung-100.html  https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/klimaprotest-letztegeneration-straftaten-100.html 

“He saw the remains of his father dug up again.” That was the traumatic experience of one man in a village which was forcibly relocated due to coal mining. It was told to us by Christopher Laumanns, who helped found the group Alle Dörfer Bleiben to fight on behalf of villages threatened by fossil fuel extraction. In Episode 2 of Sticking Point, Izzy and Anne-Marie hear the stories of pain and anger that inspire Germany's climate movement activists. Tadzio Müller discusses how place-based movements can break through ideology and make things more real, something that Ende Gelände was very effective in doing. While a lot of this work took place on the interpersonal level, activists like Annemarie Botzky from Extinction Rebellion and Clara Duvigneau from Fridays for Future were able to raise public consciousness and force politicians to agree to goals. But then, the corona pandemic hit. What do climate activists do when they're not allowed to bring people together on the streets? Botzky and Duvigneau describe how their respective groups have handled the change in momentum. Journalist Paul Hockenos and Jérémie Gagné from the More in Common thinktank help to contextualize their impact. About Sticking Point: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison take a journey through Germany's climate movement in this Radio Spaetkauf series. Sticking Point meets the people inside Germany's climate movement: from the tactics of the anti-nuclear campaigns, to activists clambering onto coal excavators, striking students and people gluing their hands to roads. We find out what motivates activists and why they are willing  to use increasingly radical means to force change. Credits: Editing: Anne-Marie Harrison Producing: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison Script: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison Technical Support: Daniel Stern Art Work: Daniel Stern Additional Support: Joel Dullroy Music: Tom Evans Listen: Listen and follow on SpotifyListen and follow on Apple Podcasts Support: Help us keep making podcasts and mini-series! Donate now.

Will Berliners survive the apocalypse? Should we even try? Ben Knight filmed his quest to deal with climate crisis angst. His film "We're All Going To Die" screened at Lakeside Film Festival. Ben joins us for a live recording in the rain. Find a screening here: https://wereallgoingtodiefilm.com/ Berlin's new conservative government passed its first 100 days. They made lots of threats against bicycles, and cancelled 3 of 19 planned bike lanes. Budgets for local councils were cut, threatening services for schools, parks and Christmas markets. How much damage is the CDU-SPD doing, or is their bark worse than their bite? Germany's media have started calling Columbiabad a "problem pool" after a scuffle broke out between young men. The pool shut down for a week and the city started demanding visitors show their ID to get in. Was it a racist overreaction? Neo-nazis at other pools don't get national media attention. Want to install a solar panel on your balcony? The city is offering €500 funding for renters to generate their own power. You need permission from your Hausverwaltung, and can apply here: https://www.ibb-business-team.de/steckersolargeraete And here's where you can buy a Balkonkraftwerk once your funding is approved: www.sonnenrepublik.de Want to join in NABU's annual bug count? Sign up here: https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/aktionen-und-projekte/insektensommer/index.html This episode is presented by Dan Stern, Joel Dullroy and Ben Knight.

In this miniseries, Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison take a journey through the main waves of Germany's climate movement. We meet the people behind the headlines: from the tactics of the anti-nuclear movement, and activists clambering onto coal excavators in the early 00s, to striking school children and folks gluing their hands onto roads. We find out what motivates activists and why they are willing to turn to increasingly radical means to force change. Episode #1: From Nein Danke Nuclear to Coal Isn't Sexy Climate activists today are redefining civil disobedience, but how did we get to young Germans gluing their hands to busy autobahns and throwing soup at art? To understand that, Izzy and Anne-Marie take us back to Germany's famously effective anti-nuclear movement. Regine Richter of Urgewald, a fossil fuel divestment organization, traces the anti-nuclear movement from the 1970s and climate journalist Paul Hockenos historicizes the climate movement's modern-day tactics. By 2014, climate activists took the fight directly to the coal mines. This is how the group Ende Gelände made the movement sexy, says German climate activist Tadzio Müller, by stopping “insane, apocalyptic machines” from pillaging the earth—even if only for a day. Being harassed and humiliated by cops during these occupations is what made Christopher Laumanns forge ahead, growing Ende Gelände and getting the attention of the German press. A new era of climate activism in Germany had dawned. Credits:  Editing: Anne-Marie Harrison Producing: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison Script: Izzy Choksey and Anne-Marie Harrison Technical Support: Daniel Stern Art Work: Daniel Stern Additional Support: Joel Dullroy Music: Tom Evans Listen: Listen and follow on Spotify Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts Support: Help us keep making podcasts and min-series! Donate now.

Cyclists, get ready to ring your bells. The new city government wants to shrink bike lanes, and is turning car-free zones into roads. We hear about the new war on bikes under the CDU transport senator Manja Schreiner. What hope is there for the referendum that sought to expropriate apartments from big private landlords? We get an update about Deutsche Wohnen und Co Enteignen from our friend Wouter Bernhard. Do you work for a tech company in Berlin? Do you sometimes wonder if your startup boss is giving you all your rights? Do you know what to do if you think you're being screwed? To tell us how tech workers can fight for their rights is Yonatan Miller from Berlin Tech Workers Coalition. Berlin's former top football Hertha have officially failed and fallen out of the top league. Our sports expert Jöran Mandik tells us about this epic sporting tragedy, and the incredible rise of Berlin's other team FC Union. This episode is hosted by Matilde Kaiser, Izzy Choksey, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Research by Sebastian Filip. Edited by Trevor Silverstein. Thanks to our listeners who support us with a monthly donation via Steady! Please consider contributing here. Check out athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf now! Try AG1 completely risk-free with a 90-day money-back guarantee, and get a free year's supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support & 5 convenient travel packs with your first AG1 order! For health information about AG1 and what we have to offer visit: https://athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf We stress the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of reach of children. Not suitable for children and adolescents under 18 years, pregnant or nursing women. Do not exceed the recommended daily intake.

Berlin is about to get conservative. The Christian Democrats have taken control of our once lefty, greeny, progressive and mismanaged city. The new CDU mayor is Kai Wegner, and he's already off to a bad start. Berlin's parliament took an unprecedented three rounds of voting to elect him, despite his coalition having a majority. That means some within his own ranks aren't happy with him in power, and could cause trouble by refusing to pass legislation. Was the New Election Justified? How did the CDU come to power? They won 28.2% of the vote in the February 2023 re-election. They invited the SPD (which won 18.4% of votes) to join in a coalition. Together the CDU and SPD have 46.6% of votes and 82 of 159 seats in parliament. But the previous coalition of SPD, Greens (18.4%) and die Linke (12.2%) together had 49% of votes and taken 90 seats. Put simply, the old R2G (or G2R) coalition could have continued, and would have represented more voters. Why did the 2023 election happen at all? Joel read the court decision which overturned the previous 2021 'marathon' election and found few facts to support the claim that it was terminally flawed. You can read the verdict for yourself here: https://gesetze.berlin.de/bsbe/document/KVRE008452215 Joel's take: The 2021 election shouldn't have been re-run, and the 2023 coalition isn't democratically supported. How Berlin is Becoming a Psychedelics Hotspot Several major medical trials are underway at Berlin's Charite hospital using psilocybin and MDMA to treating depression and PTSD. And plenty of Berliners are conducting their own experiments with micro-dosing. Our guest is Anne Philippi, host of The New Health Club podcast, which dives into the emerging field of psychedelic therapy. Listen to her show on Apple Podcasts here. Try Athletic Greens! Check out athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf now, try AG1 completely risk-free with a 90-day money-back guarantee, and get a free year's supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support & 5 convenient travel packs with your first AG1 order! For health information about AG1 and what we have to offer, visit: athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf Reference is made to the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of reach of children. Not suitable for children and adolescents under 18 years, pregnant or nursing women. Do not exceed the recommended daily intake. Episode Credits This episode was recorded live at Selina Mitte: https://www.selina.com/germany/berlin-mitte/ Hosts: Joel Dullroy, Izzy Choksey, Dan Stern. Producers: Anne-Marie Harrison, Sebastian Filip. Thanks to our listeners who support us with a monthly donation via Steady! Please consider contributing here.

Jöran and Matilde outline the underground market which is making it difficult for psychotherapists to treat patients under public health insurance. But, there's a work-around to getting psychotherapy covered! Find out what this magic word is on this episode, and read all about it in the current cover story for ExBerliner Magazine.    Want to share your story? Write to us here at hallo@radiospaetkauf.com or leave a voice message here. Terminology: Bedarfsplanung: formal coverage plan made to ensure sufficient health service coverage across Germany, according to the need in each region. Gesetzliche Krankenkassen: Statutory health insurance funds, Germany's publicly-mandated privately-run insurers, covering around 90% of residents. They fund some mental healthcare costs for members. Kassensitze: An insurance-funded therapy license for therapists. Kostenerstattungsverfahren: cost reimbursement procedure. Sprechstunden: Trial sessions. Types of Therapy: Psychoanalysis: The original Freudian analysis. Tiefenpsychologische fundierte Psychotherapie: Classic talk therapy, finding out where patterns and issues come from. Verhaltenstherapie: Cognitive behavioural therapy, working on changing your behaviour. Systemische Therapie: A combination of talk therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. EMDR: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, especially for PTSD. Show Notes: Jöran tried Berlin Institute for Psychotherapie 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, and presented by Matilde Keizer and Jöran Mandik. Production, writing and editing by Anne-Marie Harrison. Voiceovers by Dan Stern. 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/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify

Recorded Live on Sunday, March 27, 2023. Support from AG1 - link for our listeners here: https://athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf Guest host Drew Portnoy of 20% Berlin takes us through some political tidbits, his terrifying adventures in Frankfurt, and his thoughts on who shouldn't be allowed topless in Berlin pools. We talk with Jonny Tiernan, the new editor in chief of ExBerliner, about changes at the Berlin English language institution. Stories include King Charles III's visit to Berlin, what scientists are doing with our pee, the transportation strike, and some fond Corona lockdown memories. Learn about Berlin's efforts to #freethenipple, baby eels in our waterways, and an update one the Berlin judge involved in last year's coup attempt. Plus, Dan shares what he really thinks about Berlin landlords.   Sign up for Drew's 20 % newsletter and follow him twitter or on Instagram Jonny Tiernan on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/jonnytiernan/ Thank you to everyone who listens. We appreciate the audience and the community. Become a monthly supporter or make a one time donation at www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/. Thank you.   This episode was produced by Anne-Marie Harrison and Daniel Stern. Editing by Sebastian Filip. Script by Anne-Marie Harrison. Hosts: Matilde Keizer, Anne-Marie Harrison, Daniel Stern, and guest host Drew Portnoy. Additional contributions by Jöran Mandik and as always the support of Joel Dullroy.  Assistance from https://www.podfestberlin.com/  Recorded live at Noisy Rooms. Check out athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf now, try AG1 completely risk-free with a 90-day money-back guarantee, and get a free year's supply of Vitamin D3+K2 for immune support & 5 convenient travel packs with your first AG1 order! For health information about AG1 and what we have to offer, visit: https://athleticgreens.com/spaetkauf   We stress the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of reach of children. Not suitable for children and adolescents under 18 years, pregnant or nursing women. Do not exceed the recommended daily intake.

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/

Temperatures are decreasing 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 the petition to socialize Berlin's energy netwoapplrk. 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 In 2021 Berliners voted overwhelmingly in support of the Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen initiative to buy back apartments for the people. Whatever happened to that? Host of the DW Enteignen podcast, “Von Menschen und Mieten,”  Wouter Bernhardt gives us an update. More here: https://www.darumenteignen.de/en/ Lucy Alice Thomas tells us about Loom's band camp for FLINTA youth aged 16-27 taking place October 24-29. Learn about Turnt Up here: http://atemberlin.com/?i=1 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 Hitchock 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/ 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 hallo@radiospaetkauf.com 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/

Berlin has welcomed 30,000 new residents as Ukrainian refugees fill the city. We meet Mimi, a volunteer from Wir Packens An. They send boxes to refugees - not just from Ukraine, but those forgotten in other parts of Europe too. You can help by volunteering to fill boxes for a day: www.wir-packens-an.info How is the war affecting Berlin, a city that runs mostly on Russian fossil fuels? Our energy bills are going up, we're getting cheaper public transport, and may soon live under an iron dome missile shield. As coronavirus rules disappear, are Berliners ready to give up their masks? So far many are opting to keep covered up in shops. Right to the City for All, the English speaking arm of the DW Enteignen campaign for an update on what has happened since the referendum. www.dwenteignen.de Email: right2thecity@dwenteignen.de We meet Paul Hanford, who has written a book on the clubbing culture in Berlin since the 90s. We ask what it means when one of the world's richest men is now hanging out in Berlin's basement bars. His book here: https://velocitypress.uk/product/coming-to-berlin-book/ Support us with a donation! Go to: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

The BVG has reinvented the concept of time. Ticket checkers emerge from undercover. Tempelhof art show boycott explained. A huge art exhibition inside Tempelhof airport has gained millions in public funding. But Berlin artists say it's suspicious. The so-called Kunsthalle Berlin is sponsored by big property investors, won public money without an open process, and doesn't include Berlin artists. We talk to Zoe Claire Miller about the controversy behind the exhibition. Dog owners in Berlin are terrified of a possible poisoner after at least one dog died in suspicious circumstances. Jöran is among the worried. There's not one but two apps for people to report possible poisonings - Dogorama and GiftkoderRadar. A climate change protest group called Letzte Generation has been causing traffic chaos in recent weeks by occupying autobahns. Some glued their hands to the asphalt. Angry drivers and BSR rubbish collectors attacked the protesters, then police arrived and charged them with crimes. They're campaigning for food security, pointing out the risk to humans of climate change. The BVG has altered the concept of time. Instead of displaying ‘mins' to the next train on digital signs, it's using the prime symbol: ′ (not an apostrophe). The BVG said it needed to make space for a wheelchair symbol. But does everyone recognize the prime as a sign of the time? Also, BVG ticket inspectors will no longer work undercover, but will wear blue vests to be clearly identified. It's the end of an era for Berliners trained to spot suspiciously dressed passengers with large pouches. How reliable is your COVID-19 test? Possibly zero percent, according to a website to compare Schnelltests. Matilde and Dan spent the past weeks analysing their analysers: www.schnelltesttest.de Gym members who were charged during the pandemic could get some of their money back. A group lawsuit is suing fitness centres for failing to offer refunds. Join in at: https://www.fitnessstudio-erstattung.de This episode was presented by Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. 

Would premium class service encourage more rich people to take public transport? Housing activists score a temporary victory trying to squat an empty building. Why do the moving sidewalks at BER airport not move? New Year's Eve is effectively cancelled with limits of 200 people for indoor events and a ban on dancing in clubs. Much like last year, fireworks have been restricted but not banned outright. Sales are highly restricted and around 50 areas have been declared fireworks free. Jöran would prefer an outright ban as he now has a dog who will be terrified by the noise. Berlin's new double-decker buses have gone into service. They have wifi and USB ports, which the BVG says helps reduce vandalism because "The youth are so busy with their phones, that they hardly get any other ideas." Unfortunately the new buses are diesel powered, an anachronistic choice. A recent study published by the World Economic Forum, the Boston Consulting Group and Switzerland's University of St Gallen suggests the implementation of a “first class” option for Berlin's public transportation system. According to their models wealthy Berliners currently commuting from low density outlying areas via car would switch to public transportation by €10 bookable seats featuring such luxuries as comfortable seats and reliable internet. We have our doubts. The SPD's Fraziska Giffey has become Berlin's first elected woman mayor, but not the first woman to run the city. Louise Schroeder ran the city from 1947 to 48, though she was appointed rather than elected. And East Berlin also had a woman leader, Ingrid Pankraz, for a few days in 1990. These women have been ignored by most media covering Giffey's election. More than half of BER airport's travelators (aka moving sidewalks) are out of action. ​​The reason? Most of the travelators and escalators were installed in 2011 and sat unused for almost a decade. The hardware deteriorated, making them unusable. Now they have to be replaced. Thank you to everyone who listens. We appreciate the audience and the community. If you would like to help keep this project viable we appreciate financial support. Become a monthly supporter or make a one time donation at radiospaetkauf.com. 

Confusion in the club queues as new 2G+ rules start. Does the plus mean mask, test or both? The short answer is always check ahead. We're back to the bad old days of finding vaccine appointments by word of mouth. The website wirhelfenberlin.de can help you find an available vaccination center. Christmas markets are open for now. Izzy recommends the Nollendorfplatz Christmas Avenue LGBTIQ* Weihnachtsmarkt, with performances at 19:30 each night. We meet Berlin's most prolific Twitter curator, James Jackson. He explains his annoyance at Germany's obsession with homeopathy and plant-based medicine. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/derJamesJackson How do you steal an entire apartment block in Berlin? You can fake paperwork, like a group of fraudsters did, or you can use the courts to kill off the government's Vorkaufsrecht, or right of first purchase, as some greedy investors have just done. Both cases show how Germany's property market is thoroughly corrupted. Berlin's new Red-Green-Red coalition has presented some of their planned policies for the next five years. They plan to reduce Berlin's fossil fuel use - but not fast enough, says Izzy. The new federal government plans to legalize marijuana. Will it take away income from people who can't get working permits? This episode presented by Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Joran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Thanks to all our supporters! You can donate to keep us going here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

BER turned to chaos over the October holidays, with huge queues and many missed flights. Airlines advised travellers to come four hours early. The airport is only handling half the pre-pandemic passenger numbers. Who saw this coming? Should we use Gorillas or boycott? We meet three members of the Gorillas Riders Collective, who are suing the 10-minute-delivery company, and being sued, as they fight for on-time pay, non-faulty bikes, lighter loads and real contracts. They say users should think before ordering butter in bad weather, and at least give a tip. Gorillas is supposedly worth almost €3 billion, but they aren't spending that money on maintaining bikes. Swapping is the new shopping. Hundreds of Berliners have joined a movement to trade their clothes instead of buying unsustainably produced fashion. They get together for meet-ups to exchange their items. Founder of Berlin Clothing swap Jenna Stein joins us. How does it feel to win the battle, but maybe lose the war? Wouter from Deutsche Wohnen und Co Enteignung tells us what the housing activists plan to do to force politicians to respect the referendum result. Berlin is on track to get a red-green-red coalition after local SPD branches rebelled against Franziska Giffey's attempts to partner with conservative parties. Was it a tactical ploy, or a sign of weak leadership? This episode was presented by Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Joran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. It was recorded live at Podfest Berlin, an event supported by Patreon and organized by our own Dan Stern.

Berliner voters want more left-green politics and a radical state take-over of property - but the new mayor may ignore those demands. At Sunday's city-state elections, a majority (54.3%) voted for the R2G parties, showing the citizens want the current coalition to continue. Another majority (56.7%) voted 'yes' in the Deutsche Wohnung & Co. Enteignen referendum, instructing the city to forcibly buy houses from big corporate property investors. However it will be up to the SPD to decide if those things happen. The SPD won the most votes (21.4%) and can pick who to team up with - and they don't like Die Linke, and have clashed with the Greens. The referendum result is non-binding, and the SPD's lead candidate (and likely mayor) Franziska Giffey is opposed to it (although many members support it). Will Giffey's SPD really ignore the wishes of a majority of Berliners? Join us for this quick take on Berlin's 2021 election results. With Izzy Choksey, Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern.

The Berlin election results could deliver a shock result: instead of the current green-left coalition, we could end up with conservatives who want to build on Tempelhof, expand highways and stop rental reforms. We'll terrify you with the worst-case scenario. Instead of finishing the A100 autobahn, let's turn it into a giant urban farm. That's the latest mad idea from Paper Planes e.V., the dream team behind the Radbahn project. We talk to Perttu Ratilainen about how we could grow veggies on the highway. More at: https://www.morgenfarm.berlin Not vaccinated yet? Now you can't eat at many restaurants or go to events. The 3G rule has been tightened to 2G - only immunized people can enter many places. Tests are fast becoming obsolete. The Humboldt Forum is about to open a new exhibition of artefacts stolen by German explorers and colonialists. We meet Virgil Taylor from the Coalition of Cultural Workers Against the Humboldt Forum (CCWAH). He explains what's wrong with the reconstructed city palace, outside and in. More at: https://ccwah.info The Berlin Podfest is on October 23-25, organized by our own Daniel Stern. Attend, participate or just listen: https://www.sterndaniel.com/podfestberlin This episode was hosted by Matilde Keizer, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern.

Berlin is weeks away from its state election and a referendum on housing. We analyse the campaign posters with Konrad Werner, columnist for Exberliner, and host of the weekly German news show Megan's Megacan: https://anchor.fm/megans-megacan The AFD has moved from anti-migrant to anti-Green issues, declaring "Your car would vote for us". The CDU are trying to convince Berliners they'd do a better job than the R2G coalition. The SPD is sticking with mayoral candidate Franziska Giffey, despite more plagiarism problems. She's also effectively ruled out a new coalition with Die Linke and possibly the Greens, meaning a return to a conservative coalition in Berlin. And there's lots of small parties with interesting ideas and terrible graphic design. Izzy's volunteering to campaign for Klimaliste, who have a detailed plan on how to mitigate climate change, and say the Greens aren't doing enough. What happens if you paint the city streets with DIY safety markings and bike lanes? We meet a group who are being prosecuted for taking traffic control into their own hands. Jon from the group Vineta Kiezblock tells us how his group painted road safety marks. The Ordnungsamt painted them black. Follow here: https://twitter.com/VKiezblock No more free coronavirus tests. Germany has decided to stop paying for your tests as of October 11. Expect a lot of empty shops and second-hand lab coats for sale online. The end of the tests means the end of income for some small shops. The BVG is rolling out its new station announcement audio to more U-Bahn lines. The five-tone marimba alert is very tropical, but not very Berlin. Mail from Maisie! She's in Brighton, or "Kotti Am See". She misses affordable bio food, rubbish recycling and Brandenburg lakes. But at least it's multicultural, and free of scooters on sidewalks. Guest host Izzy Choksey from the podcast @Sistrionics joins Joel and Dan for a live recording in front of a small safe audience at the Comedy Cafe Berlin. Dan's got a show coming up on August 28 at CCB. Come! Tickets here: https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/toby-dan-3/ Thanks to all our supporters! You can donate to keep us going here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

What does Deutschrap have to do with the boom in bling-decorated iced tea? Maisie Hitchcock delves into her considerable knowledge of the genre to explain. Want a hot investment tip? Get into chili farming. Berlin's chili expert Neil Numb tells us how the city's hot sauce boom needs more suppliers. Start growing on your balcony. Visit this weekend's Berlin Chilli Fest at the new Reviere Südost: http://www.berlinchilifest.com Gorillas riders are holding rolling strikes at depots around the city. They're protesting the summary firing of a worker who came late to a shift. Riders have formed a workers' council, but say management are pressuring staff not to join. The billion-euro startup boss says "Gorillas are about cycling, not politics." Seems he's wrong about that. Should you shop from them? Dan says riders are just the most visible part of exploitation in your supply chain. Tiny igloo-shaped cars are the latest shared mobility object to appear in Berlin. The Swiss company Enuu says their electric cars don't take up as much road space. But they're frequently parked on the footpath, and some drivers drive them in bike lanes illegally. Urban Jungle is being retired. Urban Jungle is the name of the design on most BVG seats - that mess of red, blue, black and white squiggles. It was introduced in the 90s to hide graffiti tags. But the BVG's new boss isn't a fan and has ordered it to be phased out, replaced by a black and grey pattern. Get to a BVG shop and buy any remaining Urban Jungle merchandise. Today's episode of Radio Spaetkauf was made with support from Wander. Wander offers immersive audio experiences in locations all over the city. Visit places you always wanted to go and others you didn't even know existed. Guides such as Daniel Ryan Spaulding will help you discover hidden corners of the city. Listen now for free at https://www.getwander.app/ Find them on Insta at https://www.instagram.com/getwander.app/ Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/wander/id1545586440?l=en And Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/6JLLnFuFwYLEtWYXsp3veI?si=FGr5XzAqS6aN8gCXWKzHUw&nd=1

Everything is reopening. We’re shooting up on vaccines, and shoving sticks up our noses in strange places - and loving it. And best of all - Maisie is back! Coronavirus testing centers are popping up faster than bubble tea shops. There are more than 1000 stations in the strangest locations - converted restaurants, bikes, basements. Is this creative capitalism, or a state-funded stimulus? The government is paying €12 per test. Some of that money is going amiss. Joel witnessed some test centers sending results without actually performing the tests, and others using incorrect personal data. Our guest Nik Kaestner, a spokesman for Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei presents their goal of removing cars from within Berlin’s S-bahn Ring. This would create the world’s largest car-free zone. The idea has gained a great deal of support from cyclists and pedestrians. Nik says even the 1.3 million car owners will be happy when they see the improvement. The initiative’s website’s English language version is here: http://volksentscheid-berlin-autofrei.de/index.php?lang=en It's time to ban schokoküsse, the chocolate marshmallows with a racist former name. Their continued existence allows racists to use them as a vehicle to attack Black people. A man attacked in the chocolate aisle in Aldi on Grenzallee in Neukölln by a white man, who used a box of chocolate kisses as a pretext for racial abuse. Changing the name (only in 2005) wasn't enough: choco kisses have to go. Berlin voters are being asked by the SPD to elect a mayor who has resigned as a federal government minister over a PhD plagiarism scandal: Franziska Giffey. She has quit the federal cabinet in anticipation of losing her degree. But she's still the SPD's mayoral candidate for the upcoming election. Local sports: Berlin's two football teams had very different Bundesliga season campaigns. Hertha played a terrible season, narrowly escaped dropping out of the Bundesliga, and fired some staff over racist comments. Union Berlin, however, had a fantastic year, finishing 7th overall. Today's episode of Radio Spaetkauf was made with financial support from Wander. If you are looking to discover and explore the great places in Berlin check out Wander. Wander offers immersive audio experiences in locations all over the city. Visit places you always wanted to go and others you didn't even know existed. Wander suggests their audio experiences at Teufeslberg or the Neukölln Wochenmarkt on Maybachufer. Listen now for free at https://www.getwander.app/ Cohost Daniel Stern has a show live online Friday night via Comedy Cafe Berlin. Tickets and info at https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/night-show-berlin-live-from-ccb/ Thank you again to https://www.getwander.app/ for their support. On Insta at https://www.instagram.com/getwander.app/ Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/wander/id1545586440?l=en And Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/6JLLnFuFwYLEtWYXsp3veI?si=FGr5XzAqS6aN8gCXWKzHUw&nd=1

The Berlin Mietendeckel experiment is finished. The city’s revolutionary attempt to freeze rental prices for five years, and reduce overpriced leases, has been killed off by Germany’s highest court. The decision has unleashed a political storm. Everyone is angry - but who will voters punish? The R2G parties who tried to regulate rents? Or their opponents, the CDU and FDP who successfully derailed the project? We make the case for why each side is to blame. There’s a big bill to pay, as hundreds of thousands of Berliners now face back-payments, higher rents and permanent shadow contracts. We’ll run the numbers on the potential local economic crisis that could follow. What hope is there left for affordable housing? And what can the rest of the world learn from Berlin’s short-lived rental revolution? The experiment is over. Now it’s time to analyze the results The Challengers The CDU and FDP took the Mietendeckel law to the constitutional court, where it was struck down. They perpetuated a false narrative - "build, don't cap" - which claimed, incorrectly, that the Mietendeckel prevented new development (constructions from 2014 were specifically excluded from the law). The CDU was responsible for weakening federal rental regulations in the first place, enabling prices to skyrocket. And then there's political donations - or as Joel calls it, legalized corruption. Almost 80% of the CDU's publicly-declared donations come from the real estate sector. Joel interviews Berlin FDP leader Sebastian Czaja and challenges him on his false claim that the Mietendeckel prevented building, and on the FDP's donations from real estate companies. Czaja says his party takes donations from all parts of society. The Supporters Are the parties who created the Mietendeckel culpable of incompetence? The governing coalition of the SPD, Die Linke and Die Grünen - or R2G - took a huge political and financial gamble, and lost. The R2G promised renters a revolution, but delivered a regression. Many tenants must now make large back payments for which they have not saved. They went against the advice of many legal experts who warned their law was unconstitutional. We speak to two of the Mietendeckel's creators. Kilian Wegner is a law professor and SPD member who co-authored a policy paper which laid the groundwork for the Mietendeckel. He says the R2G was right in taking a chance on an uncertain law, due to out-of-control property prices. Another lawyer, Professor Franz Mayer, wrote an expert opinion which argued Berlin had the constitutional right to create the Mietendeckel. He says there was a chance of success, and believes the court should have helped tenants by negating backpayments. The Big Bill How much will the Mietendeckel fiasco cost? We interview real estate researcher Christoph Trautvetter. He estimates the backpayments will cost renters between €100 to €300 million. Ongoing rent increases will cost around €500 million annually - that's half a billion euros flowing from tenants to landlords, money not going into the local economy. Daniel Halmer from Conny.Legal, formerly Wenigermieter, says tenants may be able to reduce backpayments and shaddow rents by using the Mietpreisebremse - the existing rental regulation that limits rent increases to 10% of local prices. Time to Sieze Property? An even more radical concept is now gaining support - the referendum initiative known as Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen, who want to seize properties from big corporate landlords. We speak to Wouter Bernhardt from the movement's podcast Von Menschen und Mieten. He says expropriation would be a permanent solution to rising rental prices. The End of the Experiment? The Mietendeckel experiment ran too short to answer many questions, and the data was disrupted by the parallel pandemic. But we did learn a few things. If you want a minor reform, demand a revolution. If you get your revolution, prepare for reprisal. Tenants globally now know rent control is no longer excluded from the political discourse. Rent Freeze is produced and presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern. Artwork by Jim Avignon. Music by Tom Evans and Ducks!

Berlin's revolutionary rent freeze law has been declared invalid by Germany's highest court. Reduced rents will have to be repaid. Joel, Dan and Jöran give an instant take. Who will voters blame - the CDU/FDP for killing it, or the SPD/Linke/Greens for trying it? Is a federal rent cap likely?

Berlin finally has an overnight curfew - but not really: we can go out alone from 9pm to 5am. We need a negative test to go shopping - but not really: grocery and household shopping is exempt. We ask - what's the point of making rules with so many holes? Matilde says Germany's leaders are like bad parents scared of disciplining their children. Berlin vaccine centers are throwing away unused doses. People are being turned away due to paperwork. Hotlines are failing. Staff can be fired for being flexible. Joel asks - isn't it better to vaccinate the wrong people than nobody? Matilde found a doctor giving left-over vaccines to anyone who shows up. Why can't the rest of Germany be so practical and sensible? A terrifying concrete building with a horrible history is threatened with destruction: the Mäuserbunker in Lichterfelde. Two architects want to save it. Turns out it's a fantastic example of form and functionality. Berlin has several amazing examples of Brutalism. Felix Torkar and Gunnar Klack tell us why we should love concrete. Join their campaign here: www.mäusebunker.de Get their Berlin Brutalist Map here: https://bit.ly/3sKas0P People of colour are reporting violent and humiliating experiences while having tickets checked on public transport. Journalist Anne-Marie Harrison has been following the campaign @BVGWeilWirUnsFürchten which details stories of abuse by ticket controllers. Black Womxn Matter are petitioning the city government to reform the BVG's handling reports of discrimination and violence. The BVG responded, saying it checks all complaints and deals with ticket controller issues through labour law. Links: Stoppt Diskriminierung und Gewalt durch Kontrolleure Petition - https://bit.ly/3fvfGtA Thanks to our co-host Matilde Keizer! You can hear her German-language podcasts here: MUGPU (matilde und georg Produzieren Unterhaltung) https://www.buzzsprout.com/854239 Schamlos: https://play.acast.com/s/schamlos Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin’s public broadcaster.

There’s a lot of bad news around about Germany’s slow vaccination rate, and Berlin’s system in particular. The vaccination centers are processing far fewer people than they potentially could and Berlin has doses sitting around that are going unused. One solution may be in sight: Doctors may be allowed to administer vaccinations in their clinics. State and federal leaders have agreed to extend the current lockdown until March 28th, with a very complicated multi-step plan for reopening. Each step has two weeks in between, and if things don’t improve we don’t move on. The second step arrives on Monday March 8th - flower shops, garden supply stores will be allowed to open. And German residents will be entitled to one free rapid coronavirus test per week - also Aldi wills tart selling them. Berlin streets are full of yellow and purple posters in multiple languages demanding a real estate revolution. The campaign Deutsche Wohnen und Co Enteignen has entered the next phase of its attempt to trigger a referendum, and they’re out collecting signatures to make it happen. To delve deeper into the Enteignungs campaign, we’ve invited on an expert - fellow podcaster Wouter Bernhardt who has just launched a new podcast about the initiative called “Von Menschen und Mieten”. For more info or to get involved go to https://www.dwenteignen.de/ We also speak about a recent incident of racist police violence at Kottbusser Tor, where a well known busker had his leg broken. Help out, find a detailed report and get updated on the aftermath here.   And we take a good hard look at a new anti-semitism project by the police. We have mixed feelings but it turns out the Berlin police has an anti-semitism hotline you can call.   Thank you to our returning co-host Gilda Sahebi.   Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin’s public broadcaster.

Who stole the snow from a Berlin park? A local newspaper has been investigating one of the winter's cruelest possible crimes. Parents at Parkaue think a disgruntled local might have cleared a popular toboggan hill of snow. We read the Berliner Zeitung's in-depth investigation. Should we have gone walking on the ice? After ten days of minus temperatures, half of the city went out onto the canals. But no Berlin authority is willing to say if the ice is safe. The police spent days flying helicopters over frozen lakes telling people to move on. Several people fell through the ice. One man died trying to swim under the ice layer. Hairdressers will reopen on March 1 under the latest pandemic lockdown measures. Schools will start returning from February 22, starting with youngest students. Schools are planning to give students self-administered virus tests. There's no word yet on when small shops, gyms, bars or restaurants might open. Mayor Michael Müller says he hopes normalcy might return after Easter (April 4). BER needs a financial injection of €3.5 billion - enough for an entire new airport. The Tagesspiegel reported on a leaked document from the airport's supervisory committee warning of a huge hole in the budget. In other airport news, Flughafen Schönefeld, rebranded as BER Terminal 5, is due to close on Feburary 23 due to the dramatic drop in air traffic. We talk about our favourite Schönefeld memories. In sports news, Berlin’s newest Bundesliga team, FC Union Berlin, has officially overtaken Hertha Berlin in terms of fan numbers. Union is also ahead of Hertha on the league table (9th vs 15th). The latest issue of Lola Mag is out now, with an article by Joel. You can get a copy by picking one up in a park. Follow Lola to find out where: https://www.instagram.com/LOLAmagberlin/ Or you can order one on their website: https://lolamag.de Thanks to our co-host Matilde Keizer! You can hear her German-language podcasts here: MUGPU (matilde und georg Produzieren Unterhaltung) https://www.buzzsprout.com/854239 Schamlos: https://play.acast.com/s/schamlos Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin’s public broadcaster.

Jöran sits down with Eli Wenzel-Fisher, a caretaker at a Berlin retirement home to talk about vaccinations arriving at the residence and getting vaccinated himself. Getting vaxxed - how does it work? What is it like? And what is the atmosphere like at the home? We get Eli’s detailed report. Thanks to our recent sponsors! We’re using your donations to buy new audio equipment for our future live shows. You can become a supporter here. http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

With the new medical mask rule in force, will the Querdenkers now start wearing banned fabric masks? What about people who can't afford the expensive masks? Should prices be regulated to stop profiteering? Already some bars, cafes, restaurants and other cultural spaces have closed down during the pandemic. Our friends at Lola Mag are starting to document these closed culture spaces. Know of a shuttered spot? Send details to hello@lolamag.de Stoners beware. A Vice documentary says a lot of Berlin weed is laced with addictive and dangerous synthetic cannabinoids. Where's our organic weed already? Watch the video here.  BER workers are suffering from electric shocks from baggage scanning machines. More than 60 cases have been recorded. The workers' union wants the new terminal closed until the problem is fixed. What's it like to be a teacher in a Berlin school these days? We meet Ryan Plocher, a US emigrant who teaches in Neukölln, and is active in the GEW trade union. He says teachers think schools should be closed until they're made safe, explains why so many schools are in terrible condition, and tells how expensive fireproof Nazi curtains made him get active in the union. Contact Ryan here: Ryan.Plocher@gew-berlin.de Dan invites Radio Spaetkauf listeners to watch a free live show Saturday the 30th. He will be streaming from an empty comedy club; joined by comedians from Berlin and around the world. “Whoopsie Doopsie Doo is a comedy show streaming live on youtube, facebook and twitch. Goofy shenanigans, preposterous games, total mishegaas and friendly banter.” Dan assures us of a good show; his mom watches all the live streams and says they are great. Sign up here. Thanks to guest co-host Carmen Chraim! You can find her podcast People of Carmen here:  Radio Spaetkauf is produced by Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik, Daniel Stern and Maisie Hitchcock. This episode was made with support from RadioEins, Berlin’s public broadcaster.