Andorra: A Novel is not set in the real Andorra, which is disappointing. It’s set in a fictionalized version of it that takes some liberties with geography. The real Andorra is a land-locked country situated between Spain and France. It has 77,000 people who live in its capital, Andorra La Vella, or in the surrounding… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Rest of the World
Apple, the EU, and Competitive Advantage
On July 15, 2020, the General Court of the European Union ruled that Ireland had not offered illegal state aid to Apple, so the computer giant did not have to pay €13 billion in back taxes[i]. Apple had been allowed to set up its European operations so that on paper they were in Ireland, even… [Read More]
Germany: A Coffee in Berlin
The entry for Germany in the Around-The-World project is a 2012 movie on Amazon Prime, A Coffee In Berlin. It’s a day in the life of a Berliner in his early 20s named Niko. HIs is trying to get a cup of coffee–and realizes that he needs to make changes in his life. I have… [Read More]
Albania: The Fall of the Stone City
Albania is next up in the alphabetical list of nations. Ismail Kadare is probably the novelist who is best-known outside of the country, often listed as a possible Noble Prize winner. The Fall of the Stone City is a story about the Nazi invasion in World War II. Albania is one of those nations that… [Read More]
United Kingdom: This Is London
My plan for my country-by-country project is to go alphabetically, with a few exceptions. After all, it can take a while to track down a good book or movie about a tiny nation, like Andorra. Meanwhile, I have lots of books accumulated on my shelves about other nations. And that is the case with This… [Read More]
