Category Archives: Military
The Miners’ Cemetery
In my article about Chacaltaya, I mentioned the cemetery I found at the foot of Huayna Potosí and made the offhand remark that the whole village of Milluni had died. It turns out that this was right, but that the true story … Continue reading
Sean Spicer explains Gas Chambers
Pro tip: if you want to make historical comparisons, read a bit about history before you do so. Saying about Hitler that “he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing” displays … Continue reading
Random Thoughts (10)
What a week in South America. Venezuela is moving closer to dictatorship and in Paraguay, protesters set the Parliament building on fire. Too bad I don’t have time to be everywhere myself. Both would be extremely interesting right now. I … Continue reading
Random Thoughts (9)
In Bolivia, I spoke with a lawyer about feminicidios, the killing of women by their partners, which carries a higher sentence than a “regular” homicide. Out of curiosity, I looked up the figure for Germany – and was shocked: 331 … Continue reading
The Secret Nuclear Program of the Catholic Church
As I stood on top of the Bastion of Saint Remy and looked down over Cagliari, my sharp eyes noticed something suspicious. Can you spot it? Yes, there is a nuclear reactor in the middle of the city. Cleverly hidden in and … Continue reading
“Scoop” by Evelyn Waugh
If you have already watched all the episodes of The Newsroom and are looking for something equally funny, yet meaningful about journalism, I recommend turning to this 1938 novel. Evelyn Waugh, who had been a journalist himself and had reported … Continue reading
Winston Churchill on New Year’s Resolutions
It’s mid-February. If you are like me, most of your new year’s resolutions have already dissipated, been forgotten or pushed to March or April. The smarter ones among you won’t have made any resolutions in the first place. But if … Continue reading
How Social Media made the World better
Two cities walk into a bar. Says Srebrenica: “I was so unlucky that my massacre already took place in 1995. A few years later, and the internet would have saved us. My people could have alerted the world about the … Continue reading
President Busch is dead
Yes, Bolivia had a President Busch, too. In a strange coincidence, Germán Busch was the 41st and 43rd President of Bolivia, just like George Bush Sr. and Jr. were the 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States of America. … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 