Category Archives: Politics
One Hundred Years Ago, Sweden almost gave up on Booze – August 1922: Prohibition Referendum
Zur deutschen Fassung. Before I went to Sweden last summer, I received a lot of well-meaning advice from friends in Germany who had already been to Scandinavia: “Take enough beer with you, it’s prohibitively expensive in Sweden!” “As an EU … Continue reading
A Walk around Odessa
Zur deutschen Fassung. Usually I write about cities to motivate you to visit them yourself. In the case of Odessa, the Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea, which, as you will see, is so much more than a port … Continue reading
New Government Eases Path to German Citizenship
UPDATE 2024: This law has now been passed, and I have an article about it, explaining every little detail. As much as I would like to think that most of you are on this blog to follow my adventurous life, … Continue reading
The Situation on the German-Polish Border
Zur deutschen Fassung. As you know, I consider timeliness to be overrated, which is why my report from Guben will be written sometime in the next few weeks or months. But I do not want to withhold the current dramatic … Continue reading
Driving a Lorry for Brexit
In Germany, a driving license is not comparable to an ID card or a passport. Instead, it is considered something like a birth certificate: once issued, it never expires. That’s why I can still drive with this old pink slip … Continue reading
One Hundred Years Ago, Countries were established that have been all but forgotten – August 1921: Baranya-Baja and Tannu-Tuva
Zur deutschen Fassung. Attentive readers of this series know that the maps of Europe and the Middle East were shaped in the years following World War I. For some states, however, you needed a magnifying glass to even find them … Continue reading
One Hundred Years Ago, Belgium became the most Complicated Country in Europe – July 1921: Language Border between Wallonia and Flanders
Zur deutschen Fassung. The inability to form a new government quickly after an election is usually associated with failed states such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or the USA. However, the record for the longest time needed to form a government … Continue reading
More Exciting than a Thriller
Zur deutschen Fassung. It’s been months, if not years, since I last saw a good movie in the theater. On TV, they are showing “Outbreak,” “Pandemic” and cheap adaptations thereof every day. But fortunately, there is this Russian lawyer and … Continue reading
One Hundred Years Ago, Christmas was still Exciting – December 1920: Bloody Christmas
Zur deutschen Fassung. I find it perfectly fitting that some states have declared a state of emergency for Christmas. Because for me, Christmas has always been a disaster to be avoided. Usually, I escaped by traveling to countries as devoid … Continue reading
De-Escalation Dog
Zur deutschen Fassung dieser Beobachtung. On my travels around the world, I like to attend protests. Especially when I find the demands of the people worthy of my support. But even when not, protests or even revolutions are an excellent … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 