Saturday, May 26, 2012
International

DPA

Economically Divided

The states of the former German Democratic Republic continue to struggle through economic and social woes following German reunification in 1990. A steady loss of talent and high unemployment have made eastern Germany fertile ground for right-wing extremism.

Setting Sun: Eastern Germany Hit Hard by Decline of Solar

Setting Sun Eastern Germany Hit Hard by Decline of Solar

SPIEGEL ONLINE - April 27, 2012

The global solar industry has entered a brutal phase of consolidation and nowhere are the effects as dramatic as in eastern Germany. Several companies have already declared bankruptcy, leaving towns and cities in the region struggling with job losses and tax revenue shortfalls. The future bodes ill. By Charles Hawley more...

When the West's Not Best: Eastern Germany Welcomes Wave of Reverse Migration

When the West's Not Best Eastern Germany Welcomes Wave of Reverse Migration

SPIEGEL ONLINE - April 26, 2012

Since reunification, people have been abandoning eastern Germany in search of jobs and a better life in the west. But many are now returning home. Homesickness is one reason, but improvements in the job market and quality of life are also attractive. By Maximilian Popp more...

Mayors Attack Solidarity Pact: Poor Western Cities Fed Up with Funding East

Mayors Attack Solidarity Pact Poor Western Cities Fed Up with Funding East

SPIEGEL ONLINE - March 20, 2012

Closed swimming pools, potholed streets, run-down buildings. Many western German cities, especially in the industrial Ruhr rust belt, are looking worse for wear after years of neglect in which they've had to transfer billions funds to help rebuild the former communist east. Now their mayors want to stop paying. more...

Intolerable Stench: Confronting the Threat of Industrial Pig Farms

Intolerable Stench Confronting the Threat of Industrial Pig Farms

SPIEGEL ONLINE - January 20, 2012

Tourists are increasingly discovering the rural charms of northern Germany. But with industrial pig breeding operations moving in, that charm may soon be destroyed by the stench of swine slurry. Locals are up in arms -- but factory farming may be the region's last chance to create jobs. By Markus Deggerich more...

A Vision in Concrete: Photographer Captures Beauty in Communist Architecture

A Vision in Concrete Photographer Captures Beauty in Communist Architecture

SPIEGEL ONLINE - July 29, 2011

The photographer Roman Bezjak spent five years traveling around Eastern Europe taking pictures of communist-era buildings. His images show grand gestures in concrete and weird constructions that could be in a science-fiction movie. His intention was not to judge the structures, but to show them from a new perspective. By Benjamin Maack more... Forum ]

Swapping Combat Boots for the Preppy Look: Report Warns of Neo-Nazis Disguised as Boy Next Door

Swapping Combat Boots for the Preppy Look Report Warns of Neo-Nazis Disguised as Boy Next Door

SPIEGEL ONLINE - July 01, 2011

The latest annual report on extremism in Germany suggests that neo-Nazis have swapped the skinhead look for a boy-next-door image, making it harder to identify right-wing extremists. Although overall extremist crime is down, the tendency towards violence is increasing -- within both the far left and right. By Sebastian Fischer more... Forum ]

Confronting the Stasi Past: When the Persecuted and the Persecutors Trade Places

Confronting the Stasi Past When the Persecuted and the Persecutors Trade Places

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 19, 2011

Forty-seven former members of the Stasi now work at the agency charged with addressing its misdeeds. Agency head Roland Jahn, a victim of the notorious East German secret police himself, is on a crusade to get rid of them. But some think he's taking things too far. By Stefan Berg more... Forum ]

Half Empty: The Slow, Painful Demise of Rural Germany

Half Empty The Slow, Painful Demise of Rural Germany

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 12, 2011

A massive exodus is causing cities across Germany to swell while draining rural areas of people, money and life. While funds are needed elsewhere, should more be done to save dying communities? By SPIEGEL Staff more... Forum ]

Mass Pileup in Northern Germany: Sandstorm Causes Deadly Autobahn Crash

Mass Pileup in Northern Germany Sandstorm Causes Deadly Autobahn Crash

SPIEGEL ONLINE - April 08, 2011

Up to 80 vehicles were involved in a mass pile-up on a German highway Friday which left several people dead and dozens more injured. The accident was apparently caused by a sandstorm after strong winds in the area. more...

Second Class Victims: East German Children's Home Prisoners Ignored

Second Class Victims East German Children's Home Prisoners Ignored

SPIEGEL ONLINE - February 25, 2011

Sexual abuse, solitary confinement and complete lawlessness -- children's homes in the former East Germany were hell on earth for many of the young people who passed through them. But unlike their fellow sufferers in the West, they are still waiting for a full reappraisal of the past. By Maximilian Popp and Steffen Winter more... Forum ]


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