Category Archives: General

Halloween 2025 – with Bonus Skeleton Warriors

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Cora

As explained in this post, Halloween is still a fairly newish thing in Germany, only becoming popular in the past twenty years or so. When I was a kid, Halloween was completely unknown in Germany, even though All Hallows’ Day … Continue reading →

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So what does Cora think of the new Masters of the Universe toys revealed at San Diego Comic Con?

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Cora

So do you want to know what I think of the new Masters of the Universe toys revealed at San Diego Comic Con – illustrated with photos of my toys from my own collection which were not revealed at San … Continue reading →

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A Charcuterie Board of Mixed Links

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Cora

I’ve been working on a post about the Masters of the Universe reveals at the 2025 San Diego Comic Con, which started off with links to all the other places where I’ve been lately.  But that post got too long, … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday Heikedine Körting, Queen of the German Audio Drama

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Cora

Heikedine Körting, audio drama director, producer, voice actress and lawyer, celebrates her eightieth birthday today. If you’re not German, you’re likely thinking “Heikedine Who?” But if you grew up in Germany in the past fifty years, Heikedine Körting probably influenced … Continue reading →

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Easter Branches 2025

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Cora

So what are Easter branches? Easter branches are a North and Central European tradition, where you cut (or buy) bare branches in the run-up to Easter, put them in a vase and decorate with painted eggs or other festive decorations. … Continue reading →

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An Open Letter to the 2025 Hugo Finalists, Whoever They May Be

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Cora

This is an updated version of this post from 2021, this post from 2022, this post from 2023 and this post from last year, which a lot of people found helpful. There also a Chinese translation of the 2023 post … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year 2025

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Cora

2025 is already three days old by now and so far, things don’t look too bad, though I am apprehensive about the general election coming up in February. Now I have to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan … Continue reading →

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Christmas 2024

Posted on December 28, 2024 by Cora

It’s been a while since I did a Christmas post, because in the past few years I was either busy with work and holiday preparations or sick on Christmas or both. Initially, it seemed as if Christmas 2024 wouldn’t be … Continue reading →

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A Baffled Guardian Writer Discovers the Autobahn – and the Best German Roadtrip Songs

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Cora

In the Guardian, I came across a piece entitled “‘A road trip like no other’: my epic drive on Kraftwerk’s Autobahn” by one Tim Jonze, associate editor of culture. It’s a long and rambling essay about Jonze travelling to Germany … Continue reading →

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Brief Worldcon Update – and a Fannish Poem

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Cora

I had a great time at the Glasgow Worldcon, but the internet in my hotel isn’t great. Plus, it turns out that my travel laptop is on its last legs and extremely slow. So you’ll have to wait a bit … Continue reading →

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