Monthly Archives: August 2009
oh golly
Today was my first day at the new workplace, Die Welt. (“The World.”) It’s got the same publisher as Bild but is somewhat higher-brow. For example, there are no naked ladies on the cover and very few exclamation points in … Continue reading
speaking of crime
My mother forwarded me a link today to a New York Times story about Tatort, a German police drama that’s been running since 1970. 1970! Almost 40 years! My parents watch the Cologne version at home, with subtitles, but I … Continue reading
state visit
Definitely the most exciting thing to happen all week: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to Bild. Last year the original blueprints for the buildings at Auschwitz turned up in Berlin and ended up in Bild’s hands; today … Continue reading
all the crime that’s fit to print
Germany seems like it should be a reasonably peaceful place. But when you work at a tabloid, you read about all sorts of unpleasant things. A few days ago a guy allegedly murdered the mother of his baby and her … Continue reading
a little light evening entertainment
When the Washington National Opera wants to entertain the masses with the gift of free opera, it chooses Porgy and Bess or The Barber of Seville. (Coming up Sept 12.) Easy to follow, lovable. Catchy tunes. So what does the … Continue reading
fluevogs fluevogs everywhere
When I’m enthusiastic about something, I tend to talk about it a lot. Earlier this year I kept posting links on Facebook to shoes I wanted from this company, whose shoes are cute, comfortable, and – oh yes – wildly … Continue reading
döner kebap, how I love thee
Ah, the classic evening meal of cheapskates in Berlin: It’s a döner im Brot. It’s kind of a variation on a gyro – mystery meat shaved off a rotating hunk o’ broily goodness, stuffed in bread with sauce, slaw, onions, … Continue reading
running fast
The world championships in track & field were in Berlin last week. I kept forgetting to watch them on TV, so what I saw – the grand total – was the men’s high jump final, about five minutes of men’s … Continue reading
gender
Facebook sometimes has problems with gender – if it doesn’t know which a person is, it usually throws around “they,” as in “Bruce Fields took their turn in [game]!” because, yknow, English doesn’t really have a gender-neutral pronoun. Look how … Continue reading
snorkel genes
Part of the deal with this fellowship is that I’m also supposed to do my regular work. So, here it is: a news story about rice genetics. I know, it sounds boring, but it’s totally not! Modifying rice is a … Continue reading