If you look at a large fold-out map of the VBB (Verkehrsberbund Berlin-Brandenburg, the regional transit provider for Berlin and its suburbs), you’ll find Brandenburg on the western end of the map. Travel 90 minutes by train west of that and you’ll get to Magdeburg. It’s easy to see why Read more…
In HPAIR’s 2018 Asia conference I had the privilege of participating in a workshop with the World Bank in Malaysia to come up with a tentative policy proposal for providing internet access for rural Malaysia. The key issues are spotty and inconsistent internet coverage across Malaysia as well as slow Read more…
Adjacent to Nürnberg, Fürth doesn’t only have it’s own beer, it also has a Faber-Castell outlet and factory. When I was there they gave out free balloons reading “Einkaufsstadt Fürth” – shopping city Fürth. Though I would have to disagree, I found the local fruit markets and restaurants with ice Read more…
In the 1990’s, there was a joke on the Internet about how someone could be from Bielefeld, but the phrase was mistake for something else. The Bielefeld Conspiracy was born and it had three questions: Have you ever been to Bielefeld? Do you know anyone that has been to Bielefeld? Read more…
Leipzig, Eisleben, Wittenberg, are all a hop on a train, a skip past the countryside, and a step down onto the platform away from Halle, and all historically significant for the Reformation in the 16th century. Martin Luther visited frequently to lecture in the University of Halle where he was Read more…
By some standards Münster is one of the most liveable cities in the world, by other measures it is one of the youngest cities in the world. With a population of just 300,000, more than 20% of those are university students, most of which study in the University of Münster. Read more…
The first thing I want to bring to light is the widespread misuse of the world ‘holocaust’, it should only be used to refer to one particular incident, which is the systematic massacre of Jews, Romas, Sintis, the disabled, the dumb, and others considered ‘undesirable’ by the national socialist regime. Read more…
In HPAIR 2019’s Harvard conference, I participated in a challenge that prompted us to come up with a workable policy solution to an Asian humanitarian crisis. Leading this activity was the UNHCR and CARE from New York City and Washington, DC who briefed us on the humanitarian situations in Yemen, Read more…
When Chen and I went on our epic winter scooter trip from Berlin to Slubice, we passed by a peculiar little town with rich Soviet history – Seelow. It is located along the old country road that the Soviets used to liberate Berlin with T-34 tanks and katyushas. An exciting, Read more…
I’ve been told that the architectural style of Pirna matched that of pre-war Berlin. So Pirna would’ve been what the streets of Berlin would’ve looked like had the war not occurred. A stark reminder of the consequences of war to the preservation of historical treasures and artistic artefacts There’s really Read more…