From Nazism
to Communism, Döners to dancing, money to museums, we've
collected the best audio files from National Public Radio's (NPR)
Weekend Edition or All Things Considered. We hope
this gives you an a cross sectional taste of Berlin -- the issues
about which Berliners have been talking in recent months, their
opinions and interests.
You can listen
to all of the audio using the free
RealOne Player or other media players which support ".ram"
files. If
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"Holocaust Memorial Opens in Berlin"
May 10, 2005
Germany unveils a memorial in central Berlin to the 6 million
Jews killed in the Holocaust. Politicians, Jewish leaders and
Holocaust survivors were on hand for the solemn ceremony to inaugurate
the monument designed by American architect Peter Eisenman. The
opening ends 17 years of debate over how Germany should mark the
darkest chapter of its past.
"Eyewitness
Reports of Nazi Concentration Camps" May 4, 2005
Germany unveils a memorial in central Berlin to the 6 million
Jews killed in the Holocaust. Politicians, Jewish leaders and
Holocaust survivors were on hand for the solemn ceremony to inaugurate
the monument designed by American architect Peter Eisenman. The
opening ends 17 years of debate over how Germany should mark the
darkest chapter of its past.
"Germany
Cracks Down on Neo-Nazism" March 29, 2005
German officials say the influence of far right and neo-Nazi political
parties needs to be dealt with in new ways. The struggle is being
waged at the local level -- including access to public spaces
and media -- even membership on soccer teams.
"'Honor
Killings' Plague Germany's Turkish Community" March 29, 2005
In Berlin, six young Turkish women have been murdered in the past
five months in "honor killings." The most recent incident
involved a woman shot on the street by her brothers. Police say
the women were killed because their traditional, conservative
families believe the women had become too Western.
"Europe,
Islam's New Front Line: Germany" November 22, 2004
NPR's Sylvia Poggioli continues a five-part series on Europe as
the emerging battlefield in the struggle to define Muslim identity.
"Monika
Mueller: 15 Years After Fall of Berlin Wall" November 9,
2004
Day to Day contributor Monika Mueller looks back 15 years after
the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and wonders whether the hopes
she and her fellow Germans held at the time were ever fulfilled.
"America
Seen Through European Eyes" October 15, 2004
Perhaps no other country has seen as much change in attitude toward
the United States. The debate in Germany over the war in Iraq
revealed a mistrust of America. Fourteen years after the fall
of the Berlin Wall, Germans still flock to a museum exhibit highlighting
President Kennedy's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech.
But this year German demonstrators protesting the Iraq war carried
banners declaring: "Bush, You are Not a Berliner."
"Germans
Say They, Also, Were WWII Victims" April 10, 2003
NPR's Emily Harris reports from Berlin that a half century after
World War II, Germans are beginning to talk about themselves as
victims of the war. The idea was long taboo. Now, though, the
reexamination of allied bombing and its thousands of civilian
victims is fueling German opposition to the war in Iraq.
"Media
Coverage of War Differs Nation by Nation" April 4, 2003
NPR's Emily Harris reports from Berlin on fundamental differences
in the way European and American news organizations are covering
the war in Iraq. French and German reporting on the war tends
to be much more skeptical than American coverage. British coverage
appears to be mixed.
"Germany
Election Wrap" Sept. 23, 2002
NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin that German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder faces enormous foreign and domestic policy challenges
following yesterday's narrow re-election victory for his coalition
of Social Democrats and Greens. He must repair relations with
the United States, which the Bush administration says the Chancellor
"poisoned" with his tough talk against military action
in Iraq. At home, the chancellor will have to take painful austerity
measures to boost Germany's sluggish growth and cut unemployment.
"World
Cup" June 30, 2002
Brazil beats Germany 2-0 to win soccer's 2002 World Cup final.
Guest host Brian Naylor talks with NPR's Nick Spicer in Berlin
and NPR's Martin Kaste in Rio de Janeiro.
Berlin
Politics…Communists Back in Power - December 6, 2001
NPR's Guy Raz reports that Germany's ruling Social Democratic
party has offered to share power in the Berlin city government
with the successor party to the East German communists. The Social
Democrats won a plurality in municipal elections in October. Today,
they asked the Party of Democratic Socialism to form a coalition
after talks with two other parties fell through. It will be the
first time the former communists play a role in running Berlin
since German reunification. (2:56)
Gay
Germans - August 1, 2001
NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin that a new law went into effect
in Germany today granting homosexual couples many of the same
rights as heterosexual married couples. Polls indicate most Germans
support the legislation, although some a spokesman for the Catholic
Church worries about the growing influence of gay culture in Germany.
(4:45)
German
Art - July 24, 2001
NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin on the latest sensation to hit
the city's avant-garde art scene. Performance artist Wolfgang
Flatz drew a crowd of 7,000 spectators as he dangled naked from
a crane, covered in his own blood. A helicopter then flew up and
dropped a cow carcass into a pit rigged with small explosives.
The performance provoked little protest from the Berlin public.
(4:00)
Doener
Kebab - June 3, 2001
The most popular fast food in Berlin is not the bratwurst or even
the hamburger...it's a meaty Turkish delight called the Doener
kebab. The pita-wrapped sandwich has sparked a 3 and a half billion
dollar industry across Germany. NPR's Guy Raz sends us a savory
postcard about this treat from Berlin, now considered the worldwide
capital of Doener Kebab. (2:59)
May
Day Rioting - May 1, 2001
NPR's Guy Raz reports from Berlin, Germany where May Day demonstrations
turned violent today. Police used water cannon and tear gas against
left-wing protesters, who had pelted them with cobblestones and
set fires in the streets. (2:30)
Germans
Mark Decade of Unity - October 3, 2000
Germans are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the reunification
of their country. Tens of thousands of people gathered at the
Brandenburg gate in Berlin Tuesday, and in the eastern city of
Dresden where official ceremonies took place. Former Chancellor
Helmut Kohl -- known as the father of German unity -- stayed away
from the festivities. His reputation has been tainted by a political
funding scandal. Most observers agree the benefits of reunification
for the formerly Communist East outweigh the drawbacks. There's
much talk of high unemployment, but residents of former East Germany
are enjoying higher standards of living. Listen as NPR's Guy Raz
reports for All Things Considered.
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