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Life in Berlin This is NPR FM Berlin. Here you'll find short features reporting on the vibrant arts and cultural scene in Berlin. Mach Spass!
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Life in Berlin

Soccer Fans Scrap Sports Commentary For Organ Music

Berlin's streets came to a halt as Berliners squeezed themselves into neighborhood bars to watch the European Soccer Championship. But at Lausitzerplatz in Kreuzberg, Emmanus Church was the main attraction.

Soccer Fans Scrap Sports Commentary For Organ Music

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Germany Beats The Netherlands 2-1

The German football team is one of the top picks to win the Euro Cup 2012. Striker Mario Gomez has already kicked the German team into the quarter finals, beating equally strong teams from Portugal and the Netherlands. So far, the fans haven't been disappointed.

Germany Beats The Netherlands 2-1

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'Szimpla Musiksalon': Filling A Niche In Berlin's Music Scene

Last year, Hungarian Attila Kiss opened Szimpla Musiksalon on Revalerstr. 99 in Friedrichshain. Like its precursor in Budapest, Szimpla Musiksalon aspires to be a cultural community area with film, dance, and concerts. Patrons say the club is filling a niche in the Berlin music scene.

'Szimpla Musiksalon': Filling A Niche In Berlin's Music Scene

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Inspired By Twitter, Filmmaker Records Stories In 140 Seconds

Inspired by the Twitter format of 140 characters per message, filmmaker Mia Meyer and a colleague started 140 Seconds, a website that films Twitter users telling their stories in 140 seconds. So far, 44 video's have been uploaded. Courtesy of Mia Meyer hide caption

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Courtesy of Mia Meyer

Inspired By Twitter, Filmmaker Records Stories In 140 Seconds

Inspired by Twitter, filmmaker Mia Meyer and her colleague started a website that films Twitter users sharing stories in 140 seconds.

Inspired By Twitter, Filmmaker Records Stories In 140 Seconds

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Berlin Restaurant Experiments With Virtual Currency

At Room 77 in Kreuzberg, you can expect to pay 2 Bitcoin for a cheeseburger. The Texas-inspired eatery is the only restaurant in Germany accepting the virtual currency. Using Bitcoin, the customer pays via a computer or smart phone. The Bitcoin is then sent encrypted to ensure it can't be hacked.

Berlin Restaurant Experiments With Virtual Currency

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Soccer Pioneer Builds Her Own Revolution In Egypt

Egyptian soccer pioneer Sahar El-Hawary recently stopped in Berlin to speak at a "Discover Football" conference before making her way to the women's Champions League Final in Munich. El-Hawary was the first female member of the Egyptian Football Federation and the first women's referee in North Africa.

Soccer Pioneer Builds Her Own Revolution In Egypt

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Don't Like Going To The Gym? Try The Hula Hoop

Hoopla!Berlin was established by Canadian Balazs Ari, a former mountain bike racer, and his girlfriend six years ago. They teach weekly classes of the "hoop-dance," a freestyle hooping exercise that starts on the waist and then moves up and down the body.

Don't Like Going To The Gym? Try The Hula Hoop

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Berlin's 'Rice Up,' Healthy Fast Food With A European Touch

Directly on the U-Bahn platform of Schoenleinstrasse, Rice Up serves a selection of Onigiri, based on the traditional Japanese fillings. Some Berliners are calling the "healthy fast food" option the best grab and go snack in the city.

Berlin's 'Rice Up,' Healthy Fast Food With A European Touch

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Berlin's 'Pictoplasma' Festival Explores Visual Culture, Animation

The Pictoplasma Festival, a festival dedicated to visual culture, begins this Wednesday in Berlin with main venues at the Babylon and HBC. Pictoplasma is a meeting ground for illustrators, animators, designers, and artists from all over the world.

Berlin's 'Pictoplasma' Festival Explores Visual Culture, Animation

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Documenting The Sound Of Berlin

Some sounds in Berlin, like the S-Bahn, are unmistakable. Londoner, Peter Cusack, who is currently taking part in the Berlin Artists in Residence Program DAAD, is recording some of his favorite sounds in the city. His project, "Berlin's Favorite Sounds" will be playing at Schlossplatz until the 26th of May.

Documenting The Sound Of Berlin

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One Berliner Sees 'A New Renaissance' In Knitting

After working in a law office in Lithuania, Ruta Sluskaite decided to open her own knitting store in Friedrichshain. Berlin Wollen offers a wide selection of wool, mainly from Lithuania, but also local wool from Brandenburg.

One Berliner Sees 'A New Renaissance' In Knitting

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'Gerhard Richter, Panorama' At Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie

A retrospective of Gerhard Richter's work is now on display at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. The contemporary artist, 80, has 130 paintings and five sculptures in the show "Gerhard Richter, Panorama."

'Gerhard Richter, Panorama' At Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie

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In Berlin, Revolutionaries Of Sound Meet At MaerzMusik

The Haus der Berliner Festspiele is brimming with activity as staff prepare for one of the world's largest avant-garde music festivals, MaerzMusik, which begins this Saturday and continues for two weeks.

In Berlin, Revolutionaries Of Sound Meet At MaerzMusik

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At The Berlinale, Smaller Films Make A Stir

Though they didn't take home any big awards from this year's 62nd Berlinale, Postcards From The Zoo, from Indonesia, and Cherry, from the US, are two smaller films that still seem to be resonating after their screenings.

At The Berlinale, Smaller Films Make A Stir

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62nd Berlinale Opens With 'Farewell My Queen'

The 62nd Berlinale opened with a gala at the Berlinale Palast and the world premiere of Farewell My Queen, a period drama starring German-born Diane Kruger as Marie Antoinette. Also in attendance was American actors and Jury member, Jake Gyllenhaal.

62nd Berlinale Opens With 'Farewell My Queen'

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Afro-Soul With A Conscience Climbs the World Music Charts

In time for Black History Month, the Berlin based Afro-Soul band, Black Heritage, talks about how they met and what inspires them after years performing and writing music together.

Afro-Soul With A Conscience Climbs the World Music Charts

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Final Entries For The Berlinale Announced

The final entries for this year's Berlinale film festival have been announced. Films from Asia represent a third of the entries, following a trend of this year's movies that mirror political upheaval, natural disasters, and revolutions around the world.

Final Entries For The Berlinale Announced

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