You say it's your birthday?

In Berlin, you can rent the "Bier Bike" and celebrate with 15 friends while pedaling around the city. Only $300 for two hours (driver furnished). You'll never see this in the U.S., but in Berlin, the saying is, "Anything Goes!" Similar bikes in the states just go from pub to pub (no drinking while on the street), but in Germany there's a tapped keg abroad and half-liter glass mugs.

The View from Below

The TV Tower in Berlin serves as a great landmark. If you're lost, just look for it and aim that direction. From a distance, it sometimes doesn't appear that big. But a night photo I took shows a tiny man looking out one of the observation level windows, and puts the disco ball's size in perspective. The restaurant, one level up and now featuring a sparkling-stars ceiling, is at 680 feet. The food and atmosphere are great; a three-course meal is 39-euros plus drinks. Just don't forget to budget for the 12-euro elevator ticket to get up there!

Good Publicity from International Center

The University of Florida International Center included our Berlin Journalism progam in its rotating banner headings starting today. The featured photo is by Alexandra Sanchez. The Soundslides projects are now online.

Projects are online !!

The basic completed projects are online now. You'll need a computer with Adobe Flash to view the Soundslides. That means you can't see them on an iPad or iPhone; sorry, but you can blame Steve Jobs (RIP) and Apple. A special thanks to software developer/inventor Joe Weiss for loaning everyone in the Berlin Journalism group a working copy of his product, Soundslides Plus. Download it for $69.95. A more complete website, with photos of each student and a gallery of their best photos, will be posted in the near future.