Category Archives: History
Easily Confused (57) Coup in Brazil
1889, that was a coup when the military toppled the Brazilian emperor Pedro II and forced him into exile. 1964, that was a coup which lead to 20 years of military dictatorship. 2016, that is, contrary to some angry rhetoric and calls of “coup” … Continue reading
What is the SS Marching Band doing in Bolivia?
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. On average, you are awoken by marching bands in Bolivia twice per week and at least once per week you will be prevented from falling asleep at night by a marching band and fireworks. I generally like … Continue reading
Lady Liberty in Bolivia
Not only New York has a Statue of Liberty. So does Potosí in Bolivia. This one is no replica of the famous sister, but an original creation in its own right. Yet sisters they are, for they have the same … Continue reading
Why I don’t make friends on LinkedIn
People send me a friend request on LinkedIn; I give them a history lesson. (This was also published on my Medium account, which is way more interesting than LinkedIn.)
Where can you still find Postcards?
To add an element of crowdfunding to this blog, I promised a postcard from South America to every contributor. Only when the first donations came in, I realized how hard it has become in 2016 to find postcards. Only 10 … Continue reading
Easily Confused (56) Republican debates
How Republican debates used to be: How Republican debates look now: Even I, as someone who is very interested in politics, have stopped watching these debates. There is nothing new to be learned from them, there is nothing of substance. … Continue reading
German history follows me all the way to Bolivia
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. A few days ago in Santa Cruz, in eastern Bolivia: The Orient Express on which I had come from San José de Chiquitos, even further in the east of the country, was delayed by an hour. Thus, I had … Continue reading
When Brazil was without WhatsApp for a few hours
Crying teenagers, desperate mothers, impatience, despair, rage, destroyed relationships, suicides. All of that because a court in Brazil ordered that WhatsApp should be blocked for 48 hours. So people actually had to send e-mails to each other, to talk on … Continue reading
The allure of chess
In a civil registry office in the Soviet Union, some time in the 1960s: The men are immersed in a game of chess. The brides are bored, most of them have already fallen asleep. So, the long waits in government offices … Continue reading
Yugonostalgia
When enough years have passed since the end of a dictatorship, some people will become nostalgic. They will talk up the positive aspects of the dictatorship, forgetting about the labor camps, the political prisoners, the censorship. They will promote their … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 