Weekly Filet #162: Why Europe Works. And more.
It has become all too fashionable to be skeptical about the future of Europe as a unified continent. The crisis, the latest elections, Switzerland's isolationism. Simon Kuper of the FT counters with a refreshingly optimistic view on Europe and its prospects. His thesis: «Europe’s ‹little differences› encourage cross-border learning.»
→ Why Europe works (Financial Times)
An epic essay that puts mass surveillance (as revealed by Edward Snowden) in historical perspective. An absolute must read.
→ Privacy under attack: the NSA files revealed new threats to democracy (The Guardian)
A haunting multimedia reportage on the death penalty, as told by relatives of both victims and convicted ones.
→ Death and Texas (NZZ)
Images of the sky. That's all.
→ Late night...(Imgur)
Renowned war reporter Sebastian Junger on why wars can only be stopped if we understand soldiers' emotional bond with it.
→ Why veterans miss war (TED)
Bonus track (in German): «Ich glaube, dass 9/11 der Tag war, an dem das Graue starb» – ein grossartiger Text, der die Zäsur durch 9/11 so gut einordnet wie kaum ein Text zuvor.
→ Der Terror und ich (Zeit Magazin)