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The first episode of INTO CONTEXT is here! 25 years ago the Berlin Wall fell - peacefully, without guns, without casualties. Conflicts of this ilk very rarely end this peaceful, just thinking of the current events in the Ukraine, Turkey or the Arab Spring. Today we will put these Events into historical context and explain their relevance for today.
There is a festival in Germany where people drink beer and forget the everyday troubles even, if it is just for a day or a few hours. The “Beer Festival” or “Oktoberfest” is one of the biggest events in Germany. This celebration takes place in many German cities but the biggest and most famous one is held in Munich. Millions of people from all around the world come here to celebrate and break with the drab monotony of everyday life.
But the Beer Festival is not a solitary case. We can find such festivals everywhere in the world and in our history. We will explain how and why people celebrated in the course of history and what prompted them to do so.
In this episode we talk about the dangerous virus that causes a worldwide hysteria: Ebola. But how exactly is the virus spreading and is the medial scaremongering justified? We compare the virus to other epidemic diseases from our history and put Ebola INTO CONTEXT. Thereby, we try to explain whether the virus could have an impact comparable to the pest or the Spanish flu.
The things we can't explain fascinate us the most. The mysterious disappearing of Amelia Earhart, inexplicable phenomenons and legendary figures like bigfoot, the story of the ship "Mary Celeste" or the czarevna Anastasia Romanowa: Years later we are still interested. Why is that?
On the 24th of November, a volcano erupted on the Cape Verde island of Fogo - hundreds had to be evacuated. Catastrophes like volcanoes, floods and earthquakes are just some of many threats that mother nature faces us with. The awareness towards such calamities has been raised over the years and the media now reports them almost immediately. We have developed early warning systems that alert us from mother natures moods. But can we really prevent the threats that are brought on us or are we at the mercy of nature? What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below!
The controversial decision by the Grand Jury to not indict Darren Wilson after his deadly shots on Michael Brown in Ferguson has sparked a new wave of riots and protests all over the USA. Indy examines the Grand Jury system in our new episode of INTO CONTEXT and tells you what might be the reasons of Grand Jury not to indict someone.
Videos showing the execution of journalists, aid helpers or civilians by ISIS fighters are shown frequently in modern media. Beheadings as deterrent or a demonstration of power, performed by jehadi, developed into a standard procedure during the early 21st century to demonstrate unusual brutality and readiness to use violence.
Every year, it's the same: people rush from store to store to get gifts for their beloved ones. Christmas develops even more into a consume driven celebration. Today, we ask ourselves: where does Christmas have its roots - why do we even celebrate? How has the way we celebrate today changed? We put Christmas INTO CONTEXT!
Cannabis, Marihuana or just Pot. However you want to call it or how people are consuming it, in quite a few countries and US states, it is legal now to use cannabis as recreational drug. But does that lead to an increase in consumption especially among teenagers? Indy puts weed INTO CONTEXT.
One of the biggest news stories this Christmas was the (un-)cancelled release of Sony Pictures' movie "The Interview". In the movie, Seth Rogan and James Franco try to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. After terror threats against movie theatres showing the film, Sony cancelled the release of the movie. This ultimately increased the movies attention and made the later online release the most successful one this year. Actually, there is a name for this kind of phenomenon: the Streisand Effect. In this episode of INTO CONTEXT, Indy explains why it's not always smart to try to hide things on the internet.
The announced collaboration between rap genius Kanye West and 'Beatles' legend Paul McCartney caused quite an uproar in various social networks. But it's hardly the first time that musicians from different generations and musical genres collaborated. Indy takes a look back and puts the phenomenon of popular music collaborations INTO CONTEXT.
The terrorist attack on French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo shocked the world and spawned a global wave of solidarity under the slogan #jesuischarlie. But was Charlie Hebdo just recently in the line of fire and how old is the story of satire being the thorn in the flesh of the powerful. Indy takes a look and puts the story behind the French satire magazine INTO CONTEXT.
Taylor Swift's album 1989 was the most sold album of 2014. But it was also a notable break with her country music past that made her famous in the first place. It was hardly the first time that a musician drew the anger of the fans by changing the music genre. Indy takes a look into the past of music history and puts musical crossover INTO CONTEXT.
