Category Archives: USA

One Hundred Years Ago, Ships still had Cats, and Planes did not only disappear in the Bermuda Triangle – January 1921: Carroll A. Deering

Zur deutschen Fassung. After the stellar and promising start of the new series “One Hundred Years Ago …”, I am now under pressure to deliver a funny story every month. The problem: History is not always funny. The whole month, … Continue reading

Posted in Germany, History, USA | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

What to do with a History Degree?

Ever since I have been studying history, people who think that every means needs to have an end have been asking: “What do you want to do with that?” My honest answer: I want to know more and to understand … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, History, USA | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Film Review: “Minimalism”

Seeing guys with houses, cars and expensive phones talk about minimalism made me laugh. And there’s the minimalist version of my review of “Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things” already. Seriously, though, this is an important subject wasted on … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, Economics, USA | 6 Comments

Strangers in the Park

Hier geht es zur deutschen Fassung dieser Geschichte. I had two days left in Boston before returning to Germany, and I didn’t know anybody in the city. The year was 2009 and, as far as I knew, the internet hadn’t … Continue reading

Posted in Austria, Bolivia, Life, Love, Photography, Romania, Serbia, Travel, USA | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Random Thoughts (24)

Good news: the days are getting longer. Unless you live in the Southern hemisphere, then you are doomed to darkness. And unless you live on the equator, in which case you are missing out on something fabulous. My sister asked … Continue reading

Posted in Austria, Books, Brazil, Canada, Economics, Germany, Iran, Language, Politics, Religion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Travel, UK, USA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Wild”, not a hiking movie

It’s winter and I am in a big city, so I felt like watching a movie about the outdoors and about hiking in anticipation of the coming summer. Wild, the story of Cheryl Strayed’s hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, Music, USA | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

German Migration to the USA

Debates on migration often center on whether it is a good or a bad thing. I rather view migration as something completely normal. Migration has been a permanent component of human history. Over centuries, Germany, or rather the territories that … Continue reading

Posted in Germany, History, USA, World War I | Tagged , | 19 Comments

“Fear” by Bob Woodward

I am generally not a big fan of reading books on contemporary subjects, because books get better with a few years of hindsight. But for Bob Woodward’s book about the Trump presidency, Fear, I made an exception. Of all the … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Military, Politics, USA | Tagged | 4 Comments

“The Pastures of Heaven” by John Steinbeck

As if I had known how beautiful it would be in Venta Micena, Andalusia, I brought a book about a similarly beautiful valley to read during my stay: The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck. In this early work, first published … Continue reading

Posted in Andalusia, Books, Photography, Spain, USA | 13 Comments

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)

Sad news can be a reason to (re)watch one of the best films of all time.

Posted in Cinema, Music, USA | Tagged , | 5 Comments