Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
This column was originally written for Spotlight Online. Today, November 20, is a German holiday that doesn’t really exist, but that still affects us at Spotlight. Buß- und Bettag (Day of Repentance and Prayer) is a Protestant holiday observed in only two parts of the country: in the state of Saxony and in Bavarian schools. Because our offices are located … >>
Everyone in America loves this weekend, and everyone dreads it. To us, Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) is the biggest family holiday there is. Christmas is for the nuclear family, but Thanksgiving is for the extended family, from Grandma and Grandpa on down through the aunts and uncles to the children who have to sit at an extra table … >>
He was only trying to be nice. He wanted to use his language skills. And if he didn’t help them, they would surely die. He was a Native American named Squanto. “They” were the Pilgrims, who’d arrived in Massachusetts in November 1620. Both are examples of the unlikely nature of the American story. The Pilgrims (known in England as the … >>
Two weeks ago, on October 29, the US officially became the fourth G-7 nation, after Germany, Japan and France, to come out of recession. After shrinking for a year, the US economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent during the third quarter of 2009. That was great news. The Guardian described Britain’s envy at what was partly the … >>