As a Merkel-led Germany comes to a close and a new beginning is on the horizon, it seems fitting to take a brief look at Merkel’s life and political career. In this episode we discuss select moments Angela Merkel’s life and career, highlighting both her accomplishments and shortcomings.

Show Notes

DW Documentary: Angela Merkel Navigating a World in Crisis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJLzd8EK__g (English); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnj8CyPllfk (German)

Angela Merkel (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel (English); https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel (German)

Angela Merkel and Climate (Deutsche Welle): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4FIzYET53E

Angela Merkel Named Time’s Person of the Year—the First Woman Since 1986 (Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/09/angela-merkel-time-magazine-person-of-the-year-2015  

NPR As Germany’s Merkel Steps Down, Those Who Guided Her Into Politics Remember Her by Rob Schmitz: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040032883/angela-merkel-legacy-germany-election

Germany and Digitalization: Why Can’t Europe’s Richest Country Get Up to Speed? (Deutsche Welle): https://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-digitalization-why-cant-europes-richest-country-get-up-to-speed/a-58273979

How the Refugee Crisis Created Two Myths of Angela Merkel by Daniel Trilling (Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2021/sep/21/refugee-crisis-two-myths-angela-merkel

Social Democrats Have Narrowly Beaten Merkel’s Party (New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/26/world/german-elections

7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Angela Merkel: https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/german-expat-news/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-angela-merkel

In this mini-podcast, we give a brief overview of the Berlin Wall and street art. Enjoy!

Show Notes

Berlin Street Art History: Where Graffiti Found Home: https://berlinstreetart.com/street-art-history-berlin-wall-graffiti/

The Art on the Berlin Wall by Daniel Grither: https://www.thecollector.com/art-on-the-berlin-wall/

Thierry Noir (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Noir; Personal website: https://thierrynoir.com/

East Side Gallery (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Galleryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Gallery

Alias (Street Artist): https://urban-nation.com/artist/alias/

Mein Lieber Prost (Street Artist): https://www.instagram.com/meinlieberprost/?hl=en

DW Documentary on the Berlin Wall (10 minutes):

In this episode I interview philosophy professor, Dr. David Utsler, who specializes in environmental philosophy. We discuss the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the flooding in Germany. 

David Utsler’s co-edited book, Interpreting Nature: The Emerging Field of Environmental Hermeneutics

New York Times, “Five Takeaways from the New U.N. Climate Report” by Henry Fountain

New York Times, “Floods Thrust Climate to Center of German Campaign as Toll Mounts” by Melissa Eddy and Steven Erlanger

Deutschwelle (DW), “Weltklimabericht: Keine Zeit für halbe Sachen” von Ajit Niranjan

Greta Thurnberg: “Our relationship with nature is broken” Youtube video

Full and Summary IPCC Report on Climate

This podcast discusses Nora Krug’s award-winning graphic memoir, Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home (Heimat: Ein deutsches Familienalbum). Krug’s book was named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Comics Beat, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal.

Links for Further Reading and Viewing

New York Times Book Spotlight: “A Visual Memoir Asks What It Means for Germany to Reckon With Its Past,” by Parul Sehgal.

Interview with Nora Krug: Who I am as a German

An Interview with Nora Krug: “I would have thought: what’s left to say about Germany’s Nazi Past.” Interview by Philip Oltermann in The Guardian.

NPR: “‘Belonging’ Explores the Notion of Belonging and Inherited Guilt”

Nora Krug’s website

Tip-Top Deutsch explores German language and culture from an (American) English speaker’s perspective through blog posts, podcasts, interviews, and pedagogical resources for German learners accessible through this website. From Goethe, to grammar tips, to guerilla knitting, our hope is that you will find something here to inspire your love of all things German!

Host Cynthia Nielsen introduces herself and shares the vision of Tip-Top Deutsch, her passion for German language and culture, and how Tip-Top Deutsch can be a helpful resource for maintaining and improving your German language skills and growing in your understanding of German culture. If you enjoy our Podcast, blog, and other resources, please consider supporting our work at patreon.com/tiptopdeutsch.