A derivative of the Bauhaus revolution, the Isokon building brought modernity, and affordable rent, to conservative Britain — 85 years ago.
Author: Julie Allec O'Connell
Born and raised in Germany but am half French, half German, raised bilingually in English and German. Obtained a BA in archaeology, history, Italian, MA in Museum Studies (expertise in protection of museums and heritage sites in armed conflict). Lived in the U.S., Ireland as well as the UK and am married to an Irishman. In short, I am a bit of everything and love life, family, friends and encountering people from all over the world and debating current affairs, philosophy and science.
Google and Facebook’s power endanger democratic discourse. It is time to design an infrastructure for European social media platforms.
When it comes to human health and the planet’s well-being, certain activities are simply untenable. Researchers also know that self-regulation never works.
After a drop in oil prices left the Nigerian economy reeling, new government policies have boosted rice and other agricultural production. It’s a boost to stay home for Nigerians eyeing emigration to Europe.
To some, it is simply a delicious chocolate hazelnut spread; to others, it is a key factor for understanding the difficulties of the European common currency.
Techno scene in Belarus faces a youth tempted by emigration, pricey vinyls and the KGB lurking in the shadows. But the nights in Minsk are still something truly remarkable.
German elections will see the results of a seismic change within the German political landscape, as Merkel’s moderate policies have opened space on the right for extremists.
Morning She wakes early, usually at 6 a.m., and fetches the newspaper. A morning without Sudoku is not a morning worth facing. After she solves the puzzle, she takes her medication, eats two sandwiches with butter and jam and climbs back into bed. Once she’s under the covers, Rosemarie Achenbach, aged 93, frees her laptop […]
MUNICH — “To be above it all” has become Magdalena Gründl’s purpose in life. By this, she doesn’t mean to sound egotistical. The-25 year-old research assistant working at Harvard wants to understand the bigger picture. She hopes to make the world a better place while managing her life as a young academic at an Ivy […]
Africa’s largest museum is set to open in Cape Town next month, backed by a former Puma CEO and designed by a star British architect. It is not without its critics.
PRISTINA — In front of socialist era high-rise blocks, Bill Clinton waves to the Kosovars. Kosovo Albanians built the statue in the capital, Pristina, in gratitude for the bombing of then Yugoslavia by NATO in 1999, which a few years later led to independence. U.S. and Albanian flags flutter alongside each other on the rooftops. […]
Though brother fights brother on opposite sides of the war in eastern Ukraine, some people manage to bridge the gap that divides them.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees want to reach Europe via Libya, constituting a billion dollar trade option for smugglers. But a local warlord, armed with only one boat and plenty of opaque motives, has declared war on the trafficking gangs.
European companies complain of trade hurdles in Beijing, but China presents itself as the defender of global free trade. A new study tries to provide clarity.
Germany was once considered the world’s pharmacy. Venerable companies such as Bayer and Höchst were market leaders. Now, distribution of production is global, and that means the black market puts lives at risk.
Macron seemed to save the EU all on his own with his bold pro-European victory over Le Pen. But he needs Germany to make a stronger Europe a reality. And Angela Merkel has her own elections to worry about now.
Germany’s jet set loves this island and yet we have it almost all to ourselves. What makes Sylt so special?
More and more people in Muslim-majority countries are opting out of their marriages. And often it’s the woman who decides to end things.
Dr. Zee, as he’s known, is an Amsterdam-based researcher who regularly invents new drugs. And they’re legal — at least until authorities identify and then ban the experimental substances.
STUTTGART — Such are the consequences of a long-distance relationship. Two-thirds of Germans of Turkish descent voted in favor of a reform of the Turkish constitution to give more powers to the presidency. That support helped lead to victory President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a man who does not shy away from drawing Nazi comparisons. What […]
-OpEd- BERLIN — The theater of war that is Syria has brought us scenes of a world devoid of rules: children killed by poisonous gas, the bodies of prisoners who were tortured or burned alive and a multitude of national armies and rebel groups that hack each other to pieces. In short, it has brought […]
MUNICH — It had to be this shoe. No other model could have achieved this revival. A sneaker invented 48 years ago and had since slipped into oblivion has now been resurrected. It’s the Adidas “Superstar”. According to research conducted by the American market research institute NPD Group, the bestselling sneaker in the U.S., which […]
-Essay- BERLIN — There we were, a group of female friends in their early 30s sitting around the dinner table one evening and, somehow, the conversation turns to having children. We all agree it would be nice to be a young mother because it is strangely cool being a young mum. But we all have […]
Germany’s right-wing AfD party says school courses give too much attention to Hitler’s reign, overlooking other historical periods. A syllabus offers an answer.
-OpEd- BERLIN — The rise of populists has given way to an alarming reaction among so-called elites. Many of them are blaming themselves for not having considered those who have been “left behind,” for not having paid attention to the needs of common people. Journalists blame themselves for having been too politically correct, too fond […]
Many adolescents watch hard-core pornography online long before having their first sexual experiences. This changes how they deal with their own sexuality. Here’s Daniel’s story.
It is high time to provide a new perspective for Israel and offer the country a membership in the European Union. A uniquely German point of view on Middle East peace.
Investigators in Mannheim, in southwestern Germany, have a real whodunnit on their hands, a brutal kidnapping-murder case — but with a twist. The victim is a five-kilogram Humboldt penguin whose lifeless and decapitated body was found last month in a local parking lot. The gruesome discovery came five days after the animal, of South American […]
-OpEd- BERLIN — The expansion of Vladimir Putin’s authority is directly connected to his ability to exploit the weaknesses of Western democracies. But people continue to play down the danger that Putin poses. Could this prove to be a fatal error for our system of liberal democracy? “If you can’t beat them, join them,” or […]
The office of the bishop of Wurzburg recently received the rib of Saint Aquilinus. But why are the faithful obsessed with relics?
BERLIN — Is our intelligence determined by our genes? That’s the question driving genetic and psychological research ever since these scientific disciplines were born. But to this day, the question has yet to be answered. Our cognitive skills are determined by our genes, yes, but they are also influenced by the environment around us. But […]
Our era of authoritarian rulers and ‘alternative facts’ makes the guiding light of philosophy more vital than ever.
-Analysis- BERLIN — On Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump released a joint statement regarding their first phone call earlier that day. The statement about their 45-minute conversation noted — in the neutral tone common to all statements of this kind — that a wide range of topics were discussed: NATO, […]
Trump has threatened to levy punitive duties on German car imports. Companies like VW, Mercedes and others need to take that seriously, and come up with a Plan B.
BERLIN — The quality of organic food products is no better than non-organic offerings. At least that’s the result of a recent study by the consumer portal Vergleich.org. The study compared 49 test reports by German consumer organization Stiftung Warentest, which, over the course of a decade, analyzed approximately 1,000 food products ranging from meat, […]
Nearly all of the data sent between continents goes through fiber optic cables that reside at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a delicate and costly, but essential, network for our daily lives and work.
Right-wing populists are advancing in every corner of the world, but let’s not forget the Israeli prime minister who has been in power for years. Here’s his formula.
Babies cry, that’s normal. But what if your baby does not stop crying and drives you up the wall? For more than 25 years, a Munich-based medical department has helped parents cope with crying babies.
Experts do know a lot. But they have a tendency to consider the object of their expertise as immovable.