Occupation: freelance journalist and author

Statistics: 150 lbs., 5 ft. 9 in., 50 years old, born and bred in the Black Forest (unfortunately), Berliner since March 1980.

Passions: Likes to write about plutonium, dioxin, acrylamide, dying forests, population explosions and other multiple necroses. Likes even more to write glosses and commentaries.

Positions: Would make a great pope, prime minister, or three-star chef, but was instead the ecology editor for the taz daily for 10 years and nine months.

Has worked freelance since November 1990.

Editor-in-chief for the Slow Food magazine since August 2001.

Major accomplishments: Table tennis district champion in men’s singles in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg district (the Black Forest paper Schwarzwälder Bote commented: "Where does this nineteen-year-old get such callousness?"); second place in the Contrapunkt journalism office’s pinball world championship.

Advances: Pointless; married since 21 December 2001.

Fees: A lot helps a lot.

Favorites: SC Freiburg (soccer club), Rudolf Bahro, Jan Garbarek, Leonard Cohen, Karl Jaspers, Wolf Haas, chicken soup with vermicelli, aged Rieslings from St. Anthony.

Flops: 1984: Der deutsche Abschied vom Wald (Germany’s Farewell to the Forest), cult book, written together with Bartholomäus Grill; 1700 copies sold; 1900 DM royalties. 1993: Die neue Offensive der Atomwirtschaft (The New Offensive of the Nuclear Industry), super cult book, written together with Irene Meichsner and Gerd Rosenkranz; 6300 copies sold; 3500 DM royalties.

Best headlines (which unfortunately get lost in translation): "Verdiente Schläge für Walter Wallmann" ("Walter Wallmann deserved what he got" about the time then-Minister-President of Hesse got punched); "Aufschwung Most" (literally "Upswing: Cider"; on wine, a pun on Aufschwung Ost, referring to the efforts aiming for an upswing in Eastern Germany); "Gemein: Latten-Gustl darf hängenbleiben" (29 taz readers cancelled their subscriptions!) (roughly: "Oh, no! The scarecrow can stay" referring to the decision allowing crucifixes to remain hanging in Bavarian public school classrooms).

Push-ups: twenty daily around 8:30 a.m

contact: manfredkri(@)aol.com