Berlin Wall

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U2's Berlin Show Walled Off
 U2's Berlin Show Walled Off 
Nov 5, 2009 7:06 AM CST

U2's Berlin Show Walled Off

Ticketless fans will need to scale these city walls to peek

(Newser) - Outraged Berliners are complaining that building a new wall in the heart of their city is a less-than-ideal way of marking 20 years since the Berlin Wall came down. U2 will play a free concert in Berlin tonight as part of the weeklong anniversary celebrations, but organizer MTV has erected...

Shame on Obama for Skipping Berlin Festivities

(Newser) - Skipping the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall is a bad choice by President Obama, Rick Richman writes, for several reasons:
  • It’s a snub of a personal invitation from German Chancellor Angela Merkel—a key ally and one going all out for the festivities.
  • It’s
...

Domino Wall to Fall on Berlin Anniversary

'Domino-Aktion' to mark 20 years since Berlin Wall toppled

(Newser) - Twenty years after a domino effect of resistance toppled Communist regimes across Europe and brought down the Berlin Wall, the Germans are trying it again with actual dominoes. Volunteers have crafted almost 1,000 8-foot-tall Styrofoam dominoes and plan to assemble them along the path of the old Wall through...

Thatcher Urged Gorbachev to Block German Reunification

British leader warned Soviets that the change would endanger security

(Newser) - Margaret Thatcher called on Mikhail Gorbachev to halt German reunification months before the Berlin Wall came down, newly unearthed Kremlin documents reveal. Thatcher—telling the Soviet leader he should disregard NATO pronouncements on the issue—said the breakdown of the Warsaw Pact wasn't in the interests of the West, the...

Hungary Fetes 1989 'Picnic' That Led to Fall of Berlin Wall

Provided escape from Communism for East Germans

(Newser) - Hungary is celebrating the 20th anniversary today of its “Pan-European Picnic”: the day it opened its border with Austria, providing a pathway for hundreds of East Germans to exit Europe’s communist east. “The Soviet bloc was like an air balloon with over-pressure so it needed only a...

20 Years Later, Berlin Starts Saving Wall

(Newser) - After many years of indifference, Berliners have started getting serious about saving what's left of the most famous symbol of the Cold War, Der Spiegel reports. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, locals viewed it as merely an unfortunate reminder of  a bad past and little thought was given...

Berlin Wall Becomes Couture
 Berlin Wall Becomes Couture 
FASHION ROUNDUP
Jun 10, 2009 2:39 PM CDT

Berlin Wall Becomes Couture

Also, which bracelets are big this summer, and more

(Newser) - The Berlin Wall has long drawn artists, and now the murals they’ve left on its surviving stretch has inspired something else, the AP reports: fashion. Daniel Rodan designed pieces like a green mini dress featuring East Germany’s Erich Honecker kissing Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev for his collection Mauerkleider...

German Tempers Heat Up Over Cold War Tourist Traps

'Snackpoint Charlie,' actors in military uniforms labeled disrespectful to dead

(Newser) - The Disneyfication of Cold War landmarks in Berlin has irked people with bad memories of East Germany, the Independent reports. Critics, including former Allied officers and those who suffered under oppressive rule, argue that the atmosphere around places like Checkpoint Charlie—where actors in military uniforms hustle tourists for coins...

West 'Wasted 20 Years' After Berlin Wall Fell: Gorbachev

Former Soviet states should unite, he suggests

(Newser) - Europe has squandered two decades of potential cooperation since the Berlin Wall fell, Mikhail Gorbachev says. At a Moscow event sponsored by his foundation, the former Soviet leader criticized Western leaders who viewed the 1989 event as their victory over Eastern Europe, rather than an opportunity for common good, Reuters...

Not Exactly JFK, But Obama Leaves Crowd Happy
Not Exactly JFK, But Obama Leaves Crowd Happy
opinion
Jul 24, 2008 6:23 PM CDT

Not Exactly JFK, But Obama Leaves Crowd Happy

His speech in Berlin is rather ordinary

(Newser) - Make no mistake, Barack Obama gave a fine speech in Berlin today, writes Shane Danielsen in the Guardian. But any comparisons to JFK can stop right there. His speech hit all the right notes but shaded more toward the ordinary than the memorable. The mood of the mostly young crowd...

US Embassy Returns to Berlin's Heart

But 'Fort Knox at the Brandenburg Gate' riles many in German capital

(Newser) - With the July 4 backdrop, the US opened its new embassy in Berlin today, bringing to a close a project planned since reunification. The new facility stands near the historic Brandenburg Gate, the same location as its pre-World War II predecessor. But, the New York Times reports, the building has...

Reagan Was a Berliner, Too, Son Reminds

Hurrying Wall's demise worth monument in city full of JFK iconography

(Newser) - Ronald Reagan's son Michael is pushing Berlin to erect a monument to his dad. "He was able to bring together people who ultimately brought down the Berlin Wall," the right-wing talk-show host tells Der Spiegel during a trip to the German capital—home to numerous JFK tributes—to...

Leaders Press for Berlin Cold War Museum

Gorbachev backs effort to reacquaint tourists with conflict's history

(Newser) - Berlin would finally get a museum dedicated to the Cold War if a group of high-profile politicians get their way. Led by former Czech President Vaclav Havel, the group is urging Germany to build the structure at Checkpoint Charlie, the infamous crossing point that connected the city when it was...

How 1st-Year Students See the World
How 1st-Year Students See the World
Aug 21, 2007 8:04 PM CDT

How 1st-Year Students See the World

Annual list reveals mindset of this year's college freshmen

(Newser) - Humvees are always a mere down payment away, and it's only natural to see stadiums named after big corporations. Your source of info on '60s icons is Oliver Stone movies and anything else you need to know comes right from "The Daily Show." Don't worry; you’re not...

Stasi Ordered to Shoot First
Stasi Ordered to Shoot First
Aug 12, 2007 3:08 PM CDT

Stasi Ordered to Shoot First

Defectors stood little chance at Berlin Wall

(Newser) - During the Cold War, East German border police were ordered to shoot all attempted defectors, a newly discovered Stasi document confirms. “Do not hesitate with the use of a firearm, including when the border breakouts involve women and children, which the traitors have already frequently taken advantage of,”...

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