Blues musician Abi Wallenstein turns 80.
Abi Wallenstein was born on December 8, 1945, in Jerusalem, the son of German Jews who had emigrated during the Nazi era. He has lived in Germany since 1960, when his parents returned there. He has been considered one of Europe’s blues greats for almost as long. More here.
December 2: International Day of Giving
Initiated in 2012 in New York, Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – and after the consumerism of “Black Friday”. The day is touted as a “global generosity movement”.
The opera composer and singer Carol Sams just turned 80.
Carol Sams wrote nearly 40 operas for adults and children. She was the first woman in the US to receive a doctorate in composition. On November 25, she celebrated her 80th birthday. Listen to our podcast here.
November 25: Third anniversary of my friend Gitti Czirr’s death
Gitti was also a journalist, a “gem of children’s radio.”
I miss her.
Those who speak German can listen to some of Gitti’s stories on my website. Or in English more here.
Spain: Despite protests, the “Toro Júblibo” took place.
The Spanish animal rights party PACMA had filed a complaint against the “Fire Bull” event. In vain. The barbaric ritual took place last night in Medinaceli, Spain – two hours of the bull’s agony. More here.
Spain still practices cruel archaic bull rituals.
November 15, 2025: On this Saturday evening, a bull is to be “set ablaze” once again in the Spanish town of Medinaceli. The “Toro Embolado” is considered a cultural tradition in many regions, critics view it as animal cruelty. More here.
Guest post: In Ghana, people are “Buried in style.”
Celebrate death as we celebrate life: This is the credo of the Ghanaian ethnic group Ga-Adangme. This has given rise to a unique coffin culture. Volker Seitz on a colorful photo book. More here.
August 9: International Day of Indigenous Peoples
The phenomenon of missing and murdered indigenous people exists not only in the United States, but also in Canada. In Prince George, British Columbia, I had the opportunity to attend a vigil in memory of a missing family. A unique case. More here.
USA: In Louisiana, the original Mardi Gras still exists.
Every year in New Orleans, black carnivalists transform into “Mardi Gras Indians”. And in the countryside, drunken riders in feather costumes chase chickens. Als in the USA, traditions are still alive and astonishing. More here.
The suspected Islamist terrorist attack in New Orleans overshadows the start of the new year.
Will people in the USA, as in Germany, soon think twice about going to outdoor festivities and entertainment districts? Let’s defy the terrorists with joie de vivre! In Woods Bay, Montana, people do this on New Year’s Day with the “Polar Bear Plunge” into the ice-cold water of Flathead Lake.