Britons and Americans used to depict Germans as obsessed with Nazi uniforms, now our supposed obsession is nudism. A friendly patriotic ode to letting it all hang out.
Month: April 2014
TEL AVIV — The collapse of Middle East peace talks is making headlines around the world and, of course, here in Israel as well. It is possible that the renewed negotations that began a few months ago are now taking a temporary break, or might even halt completely for an undetermined period of time. And […]
The Iranian capital of Tehran sits on a notorious seismic zone, and for years now, its residents are intermittently reminded of the potentially calamitous consequences of a large earthquake. Nobody knows for sure how resistant its building are or whether or not developpers have respected the country’s building norms during the construction frenzy of the […]
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New Research Says That Dolphins Can Speak
We all know how smart dolphins can be, whether they’re learning tricks or being part of the Russian navy. But, can they actually talk to each other? Dolphins have shown the ability to imitate various noises and whistles, and there has also been some research showing that they can — at least in captivity — […]
A dozen Paolo Parisi eggs can cost you 20 euros. But it’s a small price for the finest Italian chefs, who can taste the difference when an egg comes from a hen fed on goat’s milk.
As the risk of war hovers over the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, one local explains why he looks to Moscow rather than Kiev.
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Time Travel With A Top Hat
This picture is not as old as it seems. Back when I was a philosophy student at Besançon University in eastern France, we put a great deal of effort into our Carnival costumes. In 1951, the theme for the festival was “the 1900s.” That’s me on the left, in my father’s wedding suit, on my […]
History says a hegemonic power and a rising power may be inevitably bound for war. What both Washington and Beijing can do to avoid that.
Long hailed as the future of chess, the Norwegian-born grand master is now, at the ripe age of 23, the reigning world champion. The next question: will he be the greatest of all time?
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Pablo Escobar’s Hippos Are Running Wild
The late Colombian drug lord spent some of his cash on a private zoo, which the Colombian state took over after Escobar was killed. But now, deadly hippopotami have fled the reserve.
The International Monetary Fund could be crucial providing aid in Ukraine and elsewhere, but much is on hold as the U.S. Congress blocks much needed IMF reforms.
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International Presents
Wherever my wife and I went, we always tried to bring something back for the rest of the family. We bought one of these little wooden acrobats for my grandson Bertrand in Brazil, although musical instruments were his favorite. He still has a large collection that includes a pan flute from Peru, maracas from Colombia, […]
BERLIN — It looked as if a great moment might be in the making: German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Polish colleague Radoslaw Sikorski had teamed up with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, and the trio flew to Kiev for joint talks with the then-Ukrainian government and opposition. At the time violence on Maidan […]
For reals.
Disabled kids can be integrated in regular classes, but only if they are on the university track.
TORA — It’s 10 a.m. and the contours of Tora Prison, south of Cairo, are filling with families arriving on time to visit relatives. Old Peugeot 504s are offloading passengers whose faces are marked by the fatigue of the trip. The scene feels like an invisible face of Cairo. Vendors selling oranges and mandarins are part of the prison economy, with families stopping and buying some on their way into the prison complex. A girl who looks about 10 years old is carrying a colossal tray of kanafeh pastries on her head. Her little brother is carrying a bag of […]
Drones don’t just make news, they are beginning to cover it. Brazil street protests are an early testing ground. But for now, the entertainment press is out ahead of the pack.
What’s the price of improved working conditions? Will the global clothing brands just pack up and go to the next cheap source of labor? Hard questions on site in Dhaka.
TEL AVIV — Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah made an official visit to Indonesia last month. While a number of economic agreements were signed on the visit, one stood out for its huge tourism potential. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, has an increasing number of would-be pilgrims interested in traveling to Palestine’s religious sites. […]
Below are some of the songs currently topping the charts around the world. Worldcrunch Pick Union Jacks, parkas and tracksuits. This month marks the 20th anniversary of Britpop, that music genre symbolizing the new pride Britons had for their Kingdom in the 1990s. Now some might say Britpop was born long before April 1994, that […]
A visitor from mainland China reflects on Taiwan’s love affair with the always-open, eternally stocked convenience store.
As Hillary Clinton took to the stage for a speech Thursday night in Las Vegas, a woman threw a shoe at the former Secretary of State. It whizzed just past Clinton, who quippied afterward: “Thank goodness she didn’t play softball like I did.” A spokesperson for the recycling institute, to whom Clinton was speaking, said […]
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Dolphins Stabbed To Death In Colombia
ATLANTICO — Authorities in this northern Colombia beach community were investigating the suspicious deaths of two dolphins, whose corpses were washed ashore and appeared to have been stabbed repeatedly, Bogota daily El Espectador reports. The mammals’ remains were found in the district of Playa Mendoza in the Atlántico department. They may have been killed after […]
-Commentary- WARSAW — It did not end with Crimea, but then again, nobody thought it would. In the face of further Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, the European Union and the United States should no longer consider financial and political support for the Ukrainian government an option. It’s now a necessity. NATO, on the other […]
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Retirement
Black-and-white photos suit the ruggedness of life in Northern Greece’s Pindus mountains. Back in 1961, it certainly didn’t occur to me that one day I would be as old as these men — and yet I have now been retired for 23 years. But it hasn’t meant bench-sitting for me!
The Latin world loves its city public spaces, and their evolving aesthetics can often lead to heated arguments that go beyond simple matters of urban planning.
BOGOTA — Colombia’s National University is working on recycling used banknotes, by processing them into an absorbent material that cleans water and air of pollutants, El Espectador reports. Some 169 million banknotes in Colombia are replaced every year. And the University’s chemical engineering department found that shredding them creates “activated carbon,” a crystalline substance able […]
WASHINGTON — Calvin is discovering a new popularity in America. No, not the character from the Bill Watterson comic Calvin and Hobbes, but John Calvin, the 16th-century French Protestant Reformer. The rise of this latest wave of neo-Calvinism, which follows another revival at the beginning of the 20th century, is all the more surprising because […]
Embargo? Ha! The North Korean leader relies on an entire black-market system dedicated to getting around UN sanctions so he can enjoy the best the West has to sell.
As Iranian envoys and representatives of world powers ended their last round of talks intended to define the scope of Iran’s contested nuclear program, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a gathering in Tehran Wednesday that Iran’s negotiators should not “give in to unjust demands.” Talks are set to resume during the first half […]
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The Road Back To Turkey
I will be going back to Turkey next month, some 46 years after I took this photo. One of my two granddaughters, Véronique, now lives near Izmir with her Turkish-born husband Mutlu and my great-granddaughter Ada.
A side-effect of the digital revolution may be the death of cursive writing. Though some may argue that pure utilitarianism is a trap, students must be prepared for a different future.
KIGALI — The shocking thought is said out loud, and repeated. “I can only be relieved when I kill my father.” The 19-year-old who calls himself DG seethes with rage when talking about his father. “He’s a coward, a torturer who doesn’t deserve anything but death,” he insists. The truth about his conception, birth and […]
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had high hopes of bringing the Israelis and Palestinians together, but fell into the same traps as other would-be saviors of the Middle East of the past.
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Freak Lightning Storm In Chile Kills 67 Cows
RÍO BUENO — Sixty-seven cows were killed earlier this week after they were electrocuted by a lightning bolt during a powerful electrical storm in southern Chile. Local news sources reported that the single bolt on Sunday night was so strong it split a tree in two, and caused internal burns on the animals that proved […]
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Is Europe’s Criticism Of Iran Toothless?
What does Iran see when it looks at Europe? Not necessarily a Union at all. It was reported this week by the Iranian press that the Netherlands ambassador in Tehran told Iranian authorities not to worry about the European Parliament’s recent vote condemning Iran’s handling of human rights. The official IRNA news agency cited ambassador […]
It happens intermittently in Latin American countries. Residents exasperated with rampant criminality, police ineptitude and impunity decide to give criminals the lesson of their lives — or the last lesson of their lives. This practice associated more with rural Central America or Mexico is rearing its ugly head in Argentina, where rising crime has been […]
After striking it big in the U.S., Jurgen Hermann battled financial powers back in Liechtenstein. A reporter recalls the unraveling of a man now accused of murdering a top banker.
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Hindu Hues
You never forget the colors of India. The intense gaze of this pilgrim in the foreground takes me back instantly to ghats of the Ganges.
BEIJING — A friend of mine recently made an appointment for his heart problem at the cardiac unit of a very well-reputed hospital. When he finally managed to see the chief physician, the doctor’s first question wasn’t “What’s the matter with you?” or “How long have you been feeling unwell?” but instead, “What guanxi have […]