Category Archives: USA

Film Review: “Hell or High Water”

Where The Hateful Eight failed, Hell or High Water succeeds: in reviving the Western genre. It’s not done with gory violence or with a cast of clichés, but with strong characters, well-acted and, above all that what makes a good … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Random Thoughts (7)

Don’t blame me for looking at your ( . )( . ) when you wear sunglasses and I can’t look at your eyes. In Venezuela, the richest country in South America between the 1950s and the 1980s, and still the … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Cinema, Economics, Germany, Politics, Religion, Technology, Terrorism, Travel, USA, Venezuela | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

First they came …

First they came for the scientists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a scientist. Then they came for the journalists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a journalist. Then they came for … Continue reading

Posted in Human Rights, Politics, USA | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Better than a Spy Novel: the Trump-Kremlin Files

I was sitting in the park outside of the courthouse in Puno today, reading Nuestro hombre en La Habana and, fittingly, smoking a habano, when a gentleman in a suit – but without a hat – walked up to me and … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Russia, USA | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Random Thoughts (6)

If you read the comments below this article, you get a taste of what’s wrong with Peru. I have never encountered a country that is so bad at dealing with criticism. After my article on Bolivia and the sea, many people … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Cinema, Cold War, Cuba, Food, History, Law, Peru, Politics, Religion, USA | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Christmas Child

Nepomuk was the main attraction of the party, as if he had been the reason for the gathering in the first place. All the ladies’ eyes were on him, while the men’s eyes flickered back and forth between their wives or girlfriends … Continue reading

Posted in Love, USA | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Random Thoughts (5)

When Donald Trump praises his pick for Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, as “the closest thing to General George Patton we have”, does he refer to the mistreatment of soldiers or to Patton’s antisemitism? After my story about the Peruvian girl, … Continue reading

Posted in Bolivia, Brazil, History, Music, Peru, Russia, Syria, Travel, USA, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

How to measure Progress

Apart from the general criticism of the GDP expressed so eloquently here by Robert F Kennedy, I always wonder about the usefulness of international comparisons. I doubt that the GDP numbers for Nigeria are collected/calculated the same way as those for … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, History, Philosophy, USA | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

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

Posted in Bolivia, Germany, History, Military, Photography, Politics, USA | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Random Thoughts (4)

Donald Trump doesn’t understand the role of the media, asking them to please be nice because it will make things so much easier for him. It reminded me of the film Spotlight in which the Catholic Church asks the Boston … Continue reading

Posted in Albania, Books, Iran, Law, Romania, Sports, USA | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment