Category Archives: Politics
Did you notice the irony? (21) NRA
When Donald Trump will speak at the annual meeting of the NRA, surely talking about the 2nd Amendment, attendees will have to leave their firearms outside. And I thought more guns were supposed to make every place safer.
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
Book Review: “Alone in Berlin” by Hans Fallada
When a novel becomes an international bestseller 62 years after its original publication, there has to be something to it. Jeder stirbt für sich allein by Hans Fallada was published in Germany in 1947 and finally got translated into English … 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
Neil Gorsuch may have over-prepared
If anyone would ever ask me to become a Justice on the Supreme Court, I would re-read the Constitution until I had it memorized and then I would try to read as many previous decisions by the court as I … Continue reading
Football in South America
Hier könnt Ihr diesen Artikel auf Deutsch lesen. Football is important in South America. Whenever traffic is a little bit less chaotic, I know that a football match is being broadcast and keeps people off the streets. But after the … Continue reading
The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
This is something for my fellow international public law nerds. Q: When does the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations make front-page headlines? A: When there is a petty argument between Bolivia and Chile about the flag in front of the … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 