Valerie Hamilton

Valerie Hamilton reports on the west coast and the US-Mexico border for US and European public media. She lives in Los Angeles.

Valerie Hamilton reports on the west coast and the US-Mexico border for US and European public media. She lives in Los Angeles.

kids climate march

How European kids are schooling politicians on climate change

Thousands of students in Europe and elsewhere have been skipping school on Fridays to demand their governments take stronger action against climate change. Some teachers and politicians are pushing back, but the students are getting support from their elders as well.

How European kids are schooling politicians on climate change
three marble structures lined up

Greece hopes Brexit will stir a renewed debate over Parthenon Marbles

Greece hopes Brexit will stir a renewed debate over Parthenon Marbles
forest

How a forest became Germany’s poster child for a coal exit

How a forest became Germany’s poster child for a coal exit
Recyo

What Munich's coffee houses learned about waste from beer culture

What Munich's coffee houses learned about waste from beer culture
City Hostel Berlin

North Korean diplomats are beating sanctions to raise cash with this Berlin hostel

North Korean diplomats are beating sanctions to raise cash with this Berlin hostel
A hill of coal sits under a shelter at the Prosper-Haniel coal mine. The mine is closing after 150 years.

In Germany, miners and others prepare for a soft exit from hard coal

Germany is shutting down the last of its underground coal mines next year, and the the way it's handling the end of this once-dominant industry could be a model for the US and other countries.

In Germany, miners and others prepare for a soft exit from hard coal
Women hold bags and signs that read: "Same pay for same work" at a rally for equal pay in Berlin, Germany, 2015.

Women in Germany's east earn close to what men do. Can we thank socialism for that?

Even though Angela Merkel is its political leader, Germany has one of the worst gender wage gaps in Europe. But the picture is different in the East.

Women in Germany's east earn close to what men do. Can we thank socialism for that?
A section of the Hambach lignite mine in Germany's Rhineland coal fields, whose coal-fired power plants, run by power giant RWE, are one of Europe's largest sources of CO2 emissions.

Germany talks a good game on climate, but it's still stuck on coal

Even as it makes a big push into green energy and hosts big climate conferences, Germany has remained stubbornly reliant on coal for a big share of its energy. That might finally be starting to change.

Germany talks a good game on climate, but it's still stuck on coal
Outside the house in Austria where Adolf Hitler was born there's a block of stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp. It reads "for peace freedom and democracy, never again fascism, remember the millions of dead."

How Hitler's birthplace in Austria handles its unwanted landmark

The Austrian government wanted to knock down the house where Hitler was born. But the town said no, you can't stop people from remembering history. But you can try to make sure that when they do, they know what really happened.

How Hitler's birthplace in Austria handles its unwanted landmark
Ube ice cream

Travel the world on an ice cream tour in Los Angeles

“We love vanilla, chocolate ... but you still have that memory of what you ate back home,” says Smita Vasant, who left her corporate job to open Saffron Spot in Los Angeles.

Travel the world on an ice cream tour in Los Angeles
Bijan Khalili

Step inside a Los Angeles bookstore that takes on Iran's censors

“Reading books is a human right,” says bookseller Bijan Khalili, who runs Ketab Corporation, a Persian bookstore in Los Angeles. It started as a simple service to exiles who had fled the Iranian Revolution, leaving their books behind.

Step inside a Los Angeles bookstore that takes on Iran's censors
LettuceBot in the field

No farm workers? How about a robot.

"The handwriting is already up and down the wall that we'll never have the labor force that we had before," says one farm owner from a part of California where some farms are using robots to help work the crops.

No farm workers? How about a robot.
Garment

California's undocumented workers help the economy grow – but may pay the cost

California has the largest economy in the US. It's also the state with the most immigrants. These two facts are not unrelated, but the way immigrants build that economy is complex.

California's undocumented workers help the economy grow – but may pay the cost
The World

How 'Guantanamera' went from Cuba's unofficial anthem to a Swedish recycling jingle

The Cuban song Guantanamera has been adopted by everyone from a Japanese girl group to British football fans.

How 'Guantanamera' went from Cuba's unofficial anthem to a Swedish recycling jingle
Saudi singer Rotana Tarabzouni at home in Los Angeles.

Saudi singer: People say, 'I hope you die, I hope you burn in hell, you're a slut.'

If you think it's hard to make it as a musician in the US, try Saudi Arabia. Music isn't officially illegal, but many Muslims there believe that music is forbidden — so not only are there no karaoke bars, but shredding that guitar solo might actually get you in trouble with religious police. But that doesn't mean that there are no aspiring Saudi Idols.

Saudi singer: People say, 'I hope you die, I hope you burn in hell, you're a slut.'