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Think digital technology is a cure-all? Don’t bet your life on it
A WWII air raid siren startled me once while I waited for a train. Such an old technology could certainly be replaced with something better. At least that’s what I thought until a real emergency cropped up.
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What’s that schmuck doing in the jewelry store?
8 May 2022 The war in Ukraine has catapulted yet another German word into English vocabulary in just two months. The word is Zeitenwende, turning point. It takes its place next to venerable old-timers such as zeitgeist, angst and doppelgänger. I’m going to indulge in the luxury of ignoring the war itself. Instead, let’s take […]
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Karl Marx’s penguin and Richard Wagner’s design for Madonna’s corset
1 May 2022 Karl Marx and Richard Wagner are featured in joint exhibits at the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. But why, I wondered. The first man was a flaming revolutionary, forced to flee the country and live much of his life in exile. His name became synonymous with disastrous attempts to implement his philosophy. […]
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Ukraine on the train – from a military to a cultural conflict
Taking the train home from Berlin, some Ukrainians boarded the train. Watching their interactions with the conductor reminded me of my first experience taking German trains
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Juggling work and family, German minister drops the ball
German minister for the family Anne Spiegel recently resigned after major errors of judgment. Did her family responsibilities overwhelm her, like they do so many women – still?
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Bring out the Easter eggs – the kids are coming home
Just as I was getting used to not being a mother, my COVID-harassed daughters came home – left – and came home – repeatedly. Now I’m trying to remember, what was it again that I always did for Easter?
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The ladies, the rest home and the bombs
The oldest residents of a rest home suddenly developed mild illnesses. They all shared a trauma from the distant past that had suddenly been revived overnight.
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Aren’t you glad you got the orange car after all?
The sky was suddenly a muddy orange, but what was causing it. I had an idea, but the thought was too scary to consider
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That map might just quash your travel plans – so focus on fun instead
Germans are usually so logical, it’s hard to believe how that can make such planning errors when they visit the U.S. Kind of gratifying, though.
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The distant agony of past wars is suddenly revived by the attack on Ukraine
The five German cities I visited on a college tour with my daughter were all steeped in the history from WWII or the Cold War – or both. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered the largest influx of refugees in Europe since WWII into these same cities.
Expat Chatter
My prolonged visit to Bavaria
Expat Chatter 