Archive for September, 2008

The Trib’s guide to Brangelina spotting

Berlin, International, Media, Tourism: September 27th, 2008 by JS

Berlin, we are led to believe, is spellbound by the arrival of Hollywood glamour in the form of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The couple are enjoying an extended stay in the capital while Pitt films a new Quentin Tarantino movie, Inglorious Bastards, which is set in the Second World War.

If you’re desperate to get a glimpse of movie royalty, the International Herald Tribune has put together a little guide to the Pitts’ new ‘hood, Wannsee. Apparently, the couple’s new 30,000-square-foot home has 20 rooms, but there’s much more to do there than just gawping at celebrity homes. Read the article here.

European single market? Not on iTunes

EU, International, Media: September 18th, 2008 by JS

E-commerce was supposed to break down borders, but try buying something from a website overseas and you’ll frequently find that there’s some lawyer who says you can’t.

A tune might be available on iTunes in the UK or France, but if your iTunes account is in Germany or Sweden you will often find yourself barred from buying it. Sometimes, the European Single Market is little more than an illusion – and for expats in particular, it can be frustrating.

The European Commission is now trying to bang a few heads together. Competition commissioner Nellie Kroes has brought together Apple’s Steve Jobs, the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and the CEO of eBay to try to work out what can be done.

Still, isn’t it odd that Eurocrats should be needed to persuade companies to sell their products to consumers who want to buy them? Surely good capitalists should want to find a way to make this happen?

Reunification: is the Wall still there?

Berlin: September 18th, 2008 by JS

With the anniversary of German reunification just round the corner, newspapers in Germany and abroad are taking their annual look at how the wounds of separation are healing, nearly two decades on. According to Britain’s Independent the divisions are becoming less distinct – but slowly. The paper speaks to, among others, Simone Matern of Berlin’s famous Trabant safari tours. For her, West and East Berliners still maintain an invisible wall in their minds:

Matern admits that West Berliners don’t move too much around East Berlin. “They’d rather leave the city than move to East Berlin, and East Berliners don’t really move to West Berlin. There are very few marriages between East and West Berliners. It’s amazing.”

Americans search for German WWII graves

International: September 16th, 2008 by JS

The bodies of many American GIs who died in the Second World War have never been found. Now the US Department of Defense is stepping up efforts to locate the remains of troops who died in Germany. The search is currently centred on the Huertgen Forest, the scene of a bloody battle in 1944. But as Britain’s Daily Telegraph reports, few of the estimated 2,000 bodies are expected to be found.

Read the whole story here: