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More news from Greece on this edition of the Global Economy Podcast. The country in the middle of its “worst crisis” in modern history, as the Greek finance minister put it. How are the Germans feeling about Greece? And how are the Greeks feeling about Greece? Also on this edition of the podcast: potholes in Germany, film in Russia, and a new trade route through the Himalayas. Also, is it better to give charitable donations of money or goods to help rebuild Haiti? Download MP3
For our Geo Quiz today we’re looking for one of Germany’s historic squares. This one’s just a short distance from the Brandenburg Gate.
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It sounds like a plot line for a movie. Four disgruntled senior citizens kidnap and hold hostage their financial advisor after losing a bundle in the US property market. Except it’s not a movie: Two married couples in the German state of Bavaria are accused of the crimes. They’re now on trial (Courtroom photo: Jörg Koch/AFP/Getty Images). Marco Werman finds out more from Bavarian Radio reporter Annette Kuglar. Download MP3
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Geo Quiz takes us out to sea. If you travel clockwise around the Baltic Sea, you can visit any of the Baltic countries: Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Poland, Germany, and finally Denmark. Download MP3
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Leather made from salmon could be the next big thing in the world of luxury design. Salmon leather has a lot going for it. It’s as strong as cow leather and as exotic as snake skin. This former waste product is now being turned into shoes, clothes, furniture, and even wallpaper. Susan Stone reports that salmon leather made in Germany is making a splash. Download MP3(Photo: Susan Stone)
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Remember the Y2K bug? Well, Germany is experiencing a computer glitch, 10 years after millennium bug. It’s a software problem that’s preventing computers from recognizing “2010″ on credit cards. David Hecht checked it out for us. Download MP3
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To produce cleaner energy, companies and governments are looking to capture carbon emissions, and store them underground. But that’s not necessarily popular with the locals. Later today, The World’s Gerry Hadden will report on a carbon capture project in Germany. Download MP3 (Photo of German carbon capture facility: Gerry Hadden)
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The World has teamed up with travel publisher Lonely Planet to bring you a new audio podcast. The idea is to find interesting intersections between news and travel. Clark Boyd from The World will bring the news, and Robert Reid and Tom Hall from Lonely Planet will bring the travel. In our first episode, we tackle American hikers in Iran, and nostalgia tourism in what was once East Berlin.
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Germany’s top soldier has resigned over allegations of a cover-up related to a deadly NATO air strike in Afghanistan. The strike on Sep 4, ordered by a German commander, targeted two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban militants. But dozens of civilians were also killed in the attack in the northern province of Kunduz. Gerry Hadden looks into the German role in Afghanistan. Download MP3
An examination of the recent publication and translation into English (ninety years after it was begun) of Carl Gustav Jung’s confessional meditation “The Red Book.” The volume stands in a select company of books that exerted an enormous influence on social and intellectual history even while it remained unpublished.
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The U.S. recession is over! (Technically speaking by one measure.) That’s because the nation’s gross domestic product is back in positive territory. But for the 10 percent of Americans who are out looking for work, it sure doesn’t feel like much of an economic recovery. Should GDP be the bar by which we judge economic health? And what about measuring a nation’s economic prowess by Big Mac sales? Many have argued that the mark of economic progress, or the triumph of American capitalism depending on your vantage, is when a nation serves up McDonald’s. By that argument, what does it say about a nation when its golden arches disappear?
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Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, young Germans don’t give a lot of thought to what was once known as the GDR or East Germany. Few know much about a state that vanished before they were even born. And while some educators would rather not dwell on a recent but painful past, others say remembering is the only way to move the whole country forward. Susan Stone reports from Berlin. Download MP3
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Next week marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But today, we’re taking you to an even deadlier part of the former border between East and West Germany. Twenty four years ago, our Europe Correspondent Gerry Hadden lived along that dividing line in Travemunde, West Germany. He returns to explore the region’s past, present and future. Download MP3 (Photo: Gerry Hadden)Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Twenty years ago, the wall that divided East and West Berlin for decades came down in dramatic fashion. Since that time, the Berlin Wall has been broken up and distributed around the world, including downtown Manhattan. Former Berlin resident Juliane Camfield (pictured) tells The World’s Alex Gallafent about how she could never own a piece of the wall. Download MP3