Category Archives: Around the World

Refugee Crisis

MetaFilter user the man of twists and turns has collected 79 (!) links to articles about the refugee crisis in his post ‘you’re ‘fugees now’ from lots of different sources in different countries.

I’ve only started reading them, and working through all the material will probably take days. Still – recommended!

Some articles are in German or are available online in both English and German:

Die Zeit:
Refugees: Welcome! And Now What? “How many refugees are coming, what they are doing with Europe – and what we are doing with them.
Von Jochen Bittner, Andrea Böhm, Marc Brost, Peter Dausend, Bastian Hosan, Martin Klingst, Matthias Krupa, Jörg Lau, Elisabeth Niejahr, Gero von Randow, Mark Schieritz, Özlem Topçu, Bernd Ulrich und Heinrich Wefing.

Flüchtlinge: Willkommen! Und jetzt? “Wie viele Flüchtlinge auf dem Weg sind, was sie mit Europa machen – und wir mit ihnen.” Von Jochen Bittner, Andrea Böhm, Marc Brost, Peter Dausend, Bastian Hosan, Martin Klingst, Matthias Krupa, Jörg Lau, Elisabeth Niejahr, Gero von Randow, Mark Schieritz, Özlem Topçu, Bernd Ulrich und Heinrich Wefing.

Vision: Our Values, Our Life. “What hopes do young refugees bring with them and what expectations do they have of the German people? Here are six responses.” Von Anant Agarwala, Rudi Novotny, Jeannette Otto und Leonie Seifert.

Flüchtlinge: Was sind eure Werte? “Welche Vorstellungen junge Flüchtlinge nach Deutschland mitbringen. Sechs [Antworten]”. Von Anant Agarwala, Rudi Novotny, Jeannette Otto und Leonie Seifert.

Boston Globe:
The Big Picture: Perilous Crossings.

” “They just keep coming,“ I thought as I stood on the northern shore of Lesbos in Greece. Raft after raft landed up and down the coast of this enchanted island. It was surreal. This set the tone for the next two weeks, following the route of refugees and migrants looking for a better life. I was moved to tears watching a young boy gather as much bread as he could carry at an aid station, and I was truly inspired by the men who dived into the sea when their engine quit, pushing and pulling their raft to the rocky shoreline near Skala Sykamnias. At times they walked for miles in unbearable heat, not necessarily knowing where they were but knowing it was better than the world they fled.–By Boston Globe photographer Craig F. Walker”.

The European Green Belt

The Big Roundtable: The Boys Who Loved Birds by Phil McKenna tells the story of two boys, one in West Germany, one in East Germany, who loved to observe the birds in the no man’s land between the two Germanys during the 1970s and 1980s, and how their initiative after 1989 led to the creation of the European Green Belt that runs from the Barents to the Black and Adriatic Seas today.

Thanks for posting this to FB, Susan Kitchens! See also MetaFilter: The Boys Who Loved Birds.

Wer lieber einen Artikel auf deutsch über Kai Frobel und Gunter Berwing und die Entstehung des Grünen Bands Europas lesen möchte, wird bei der Badischen Zeitung fündig: Es lebe der Todesstreifen. Von Sebastian Kretz.

“Die Stasi beobachtete sie, und sie beobachteten Vögel: zwei Naturschützer aus Ost und West. Die beiden verbindet ein Grünes Band.”

Per Anhalter durch Deutschland

HitchBOT – A robot exploring the world

“I am hitchBOT – a robot from Port Credit, Ontario. From July 27, 2014 to August 21, 2014, I hitchhiked over 6,000 km from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia. In just 26 days I hitched a total of 19 rides to reach my final destination – Victoria, British Columbia. […] This February, my adventure continues as I explore Germany. My journey will begin in Munich on February 13, 2015 and conclude in Munich on February 22, 2015. […] Join me as I learn more about Germany, including the people, language, and culture.”

I’d love to give HitchBOT a ride if he visits Palatinate!

I’m a big fan of National Parks

Cool Green Science: 10 Great National Parks You’ve Never Heard Of

  1. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
  2. Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
  3. Congaree National Park, South Carolina
  4. Great Basin National Park, Nevada
  5. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
  6. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
  7. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
  8. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
  9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
  10. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

We’ve been to half of these parks:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Went there in 2005, but only on a brief visit. We had planned one or two longer hikes there, but André sprained his ankle a few days before so anything more than a few yards of hobbling around were out.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Visited in 2002 while traveling around Arizona and New Mexico.

[I don’t have a photo of this because back in 2002, we still used slide film instead of a digital camera.]

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

We spent a few days there in 2005 and went on a cave tour and a guided hike, among other things. We were the only two people who showed up for the guided hike, so we got a very exclusive tour. We also enjoyed the evening meetings around the campfire. Highly recommended!

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

We briefly visited during our first trip to the US in 1999 and returned for a longer stay in 2012. Recommendations: the trail through Cohab Canyon (plus two Fruita overlooks), and the freshly-baked fruit pies you can buy at the Gifford homestead.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

We also visited this park in 2005 and loved walking around in the dunes.