Nudism, according to this linkorama by metafilter, seems to have originated in Germany "around the turn of the century, and despite the efforts of the Nazis to eradicate the practice Free Body Culture (FKK), as the Germans call it, enjoyed great popularity in East Germany, the Communists thought it expressed solidarity, and everyone else thought it reflected West German freedoms they were being denied." Also uncovered is the spectrum of American laws and attitudes about going au naturel.

This is meta muesli: a round-up of German newspaper commentary on the falling dollar from Spiegel International, courtesy of Andrew Curry, the American writer interviewed by Reuters (blogged below) about the falling dollar. The word dollar, by the way, is of Germanic origin.

Remember that satirical Beautiful Losers piece from Gawker on the New Yorker in Berlin bragging about her dolce vita in the German Hauptstadt? Gridskipper shows that Berlin is indeed awash in puppeteers.

What happens when a German biotech machine company makes a commercial for the American market? The Strangest Laboratory Equipment Commercial Ever

NYT Travel looks at Helen, Georgia, a locale that has transformed itself into a bit of Bavaria, complete with German facade housing and an authentic Oktoberfest with an old-timer draw: "About two-thirds of the crowd this night in early fall were aged 60 and above, with a smattering of men in lederhosen and many more in green felt Alpine hats. A concession stand served wurst platters with sauerkraut and German potato salad, and the beer included imports — like Warsteiner and Erdinger — rarely seen in rural Georgia."