Economics

Property financing in Germany is powerful, but it’s *not* straightforward, especially for foreigners navigating banks, paperwork, equity requirements, and long-term refinancing. So we’re hosting a **small, relaxed in-person meetup in Berlin** (lounge/café vibe) to share **how property financing really works**, how to build a strategy **from any starting point**, and what to do if you already own a home and want to plan your next refinancing phase. **📅 Date:** Friday, **13 February** (Berlin) **🎟️ Cost:** Free **👥 Seats:** Max. 25 (registration required) **⏳ RSVP deadline:** **Monday, 9 February** (so we can confirm reservations) **📍 Venue:** Berlin — shared after RSVP confirmation ## What we’ll cover (simple, practical, Q&A-friendly) ### For people planning to buy * What German banks really check: **income stability, equity (Eigenkapital), SCHUFA/credit profile** * The real cost of buying: **Nebenkosten** (notary, land registry, property transfer tax, broker if applicable) * Financing structures explained clearly (without jargon) * How to build a plan even if you’re “not ready yet” today ### For existing owners * **Refinancing (Anschlussfinanzierung):** why planning early matters * How to protect yourself from **rate shock** * Tools that can support strategy (e.g., forward planning, repayment structure, Bauspar as rate-security) * ## Why property is worth thinking about in Germany (especially long-term) * Germany has clear legal structures for ownership and long-term financing. * For **rental properties**, there are well-known tax mechanisms that can improve the overall picture, such as: * **Deducting financing costs (like loan interest) and running costs** as income-related expenses for rental income (“Werbungskosten”). * **Depreciation (AfA)** on the building portion (rules depend on the year the building was completed). * In certain new-build rental cases, there can be **special depreciation** under §7b EStG (with conditions). * There are also public programs tied to **energy-efficient building/renovation** (KfW), which can matter for some buyers/owners depending on the project. ## Who should attend * Foreigners living in Germany who want to **buy their first property** * Owners who already have a mortgage and want to **optimize or plan refinancing** * Anyone who simply wants a **clear strategy** and a realistic roadmap ## How to register ✅ **Registration is compulsory.** Please sign up using the form **[here](https://forms.office.com/e/v3G0f8mDQn).** If you **can’t attend on the 13th**, still sign up and write **“Can’t attend, interested”** in the message box—so we can invite you to the next session or offer a 1:1 check-in. If you know someone who needs this, **please forward** this invite to them. Seats are limited and confirmation will be sent after RSVP.

\#\#\# Was ist Breathwork? Conscious Breathwork bedeutet bewusstes atmen. Und das ist es letztendlich auch, was wir etwa 70 Minuten lang machen werden. In einer Breathwork Session geht es vor allem darum, dass Du loslassen, Dich entspannen und mit Dir selbst und Deinem Unterbewusstsein verbinden kannst. Das geht am besten, in dem Du gar nichts erwartest und nicht so viel dadrüber nachdenkst. ✨ \#\#\# Das erwartet Dich Nach einem kurzen Check-In beginnen wir mit der Session. Die Atmung kann im Liegen oder Sitzen statt finden, ganz nach Deiner Wahl. Du wirst durch ein bewegendes Musikset geführt, wodurch Du in eine Trance-Atemmeditation gelangst. Hier kannst Du unter anderem diese Erfahrungen machen: Stress abbauen, herausfinden, was da noch in Dir steckt, Dein Potential entfalten, innere Anspannungen lösen oder unterdrückte Emotionen freilassen, in Dich hinein horchen und Lösungen finden, Kreative Ideen und Visionen erhalten oder einfach eine berührende Zeit haben. \#\#\# Über Nina Seit 2015 bin ich [Anusara® Elements™](https://www.anusarayoga.com/) Yogalehrerin. Es folgten viele Weiterbildungen in den Bereichen Chakren, Meditation, Yoga und Trauma. 2018 habe ich mich zudem auf die Heldenreise begeben. Seit 2023 bin ich Atemtherapeutin Conscious Breathwork nach der [Lichtatmung®](https://naou.de/lichtatmung/) und freue mich sehr, Dich bei Deiner Reise begleiten zu dürfen. In meine Sessions fließen meine unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen ein. Was mich jedoch am meisten bewegt: Mich begeistert alles, was Dich mehr bei Dir selbst ankommen lässt, Dich mit Deiner Lebendigkeit und vor allem Deinem Herzen verbindet! \#\#\# Bitte mitbringen: – Yogamatte oder andere Unterlage (z.B Isomatte), damit Du es schön gemütlich hast – Lockere, angenehme Kleidung – Alles andere, was Dich noch wohlfühlen lässt. Decken, Wasser und Snacks gibt es vor Ort! \#\#\# Deine Investition & Buchung Der Standard Preis beträgt 25 €. Das Ticket 1+1 Bring a Friend kostet 45€ und ist gültig für zwei. Du kannst die Tickets hier kaufen und mit mit allen gängigen Zahlungsmethoden schnell & einfach bezahlen. Tickets: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breathe-free-conscious-breathwork-session-tickets-1856533715319](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breathe-free-conscious-breathwork-session-tickets-1856533715319) \#\#\# Bitte beachte\, dass der Platz auf 5 Teilnehmer:innen begrenzt ist\, sichere Dir rechtzeitig Deinen Platz\. \#\#\# Die Veranstaltung findet in Berlin\-Prenzlauer Berg statt\. Wenn Du Fragen hast oder weitere Informationen benötigst, melde Dich gerne bei mir: info@ninahrkalovic.com Weitere Infos zu mir und meinen Events: [www.ninahrkalovic.com](www.ninahrkalovic.com) ###Kanäle für Tickets, Aktuelles und nächste Events: Instagram: [www.instagram.com/conscious_breathwork_berlin](www.instagram.com/conscious_breathwork_berlin) Telegram: [t.me/consciousbreathwork](t.me/consciousbreathwork)

**If you're member of our (free) forum.digitalideas.io the ticket is only €3. Find the discount code [here](https://forum.digitalideas.io/d/101-digital-marketing-over-breakfast-in-berlin-96).** **Join our WhatsApp-Group "Marketing Community Berlin" to stay connected with the local marketing community: [digitalideas.io/berlin-whatsapp](https://digitalideas.io/berlin-whatsapp "https://digitalideas.io/berlin-whatsapp")** ​"Digital Marketing over Breakfast" is Berlin’s longest-running roundtable for growth-minded marketers (since 2018!)! ​ Hungry for fresh ideas—and honest feedback—on your current marketing challenge(s)? Join fellow marketers over coffee & croissants to trade solutions for real-world growth problems. ​No slide decks, no sales pitches—just open conversation and actionable take-aways. Pull up a chair, bring your toughest issue, and help others tackle theirs. ​See you at the breakfast table! ​P.S. We speak German and English, usually the conversion will be in English ​About us: * ​Matteo Savio (Digital Ideas): passionate growth hacker with more than 10 years of experience in the implementation of data-driven marketing processes * ​Tobias Braam (Swell Growth Marketing): marrying product & marketing for over 15 years as growth strategist. Ex Amazon & eBay ​(DE) ​„Digital Marketing over Breakfast“ ist Berlins ältester Roundtable für growth-minded Marketer (seit 2018!)! ​Hungrig nach frischen Ideen - und ehrlichem Feedback zu deinen aktuellen Marketing-Challenges? Tausch dich mit anderen Marketern bei Kaffee & Croissants über Lösungen für reale Growth-Challenges aus. ​ Keine Präsentationsfolien, keine Sales Pitches - nur offene Gespräche und actionable take-aways. Hol dir einen Stuhl, bring die größten Probleme mit und hilf anderen bei der Lösung Ihrer. ​ Wir sehen uns beim Frühstück! ​P.S. Wir sprechen Deutsch und Englisch, in der Regel kommunizieren wir in Englisch

**PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK THEIR REPECTIVE WEBSITES! Sometimes they cancel events and you don't want to go there for nothing.** This Contact Jam happens every friday. Entry is 4€ depending if there is live music. https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/5/1/7/600_455309975.jpeg It's a nice longish room with a dance floor. There is live music on every 1st, 3rd & 5th friday. And a silent jam on every 2nd & 4th friday. Their Homepage (http://www.phynixtanzt.de/m_einstieg.html#freitags)

You've seen them in the book shop. You've seen them in the library. You've seen them online. **The Blind Date with a Book.** Those shelves of wrapped books with little teasers written on them. This is the book trend perfect for Valentine's, and perfect for a swapping group like us! For this special event, please bring a wrapped book. On the front please write: * the language of the book * a few short bullet points about the book. Get as creative (or not) as you like, as long as it's a truthful description. I've seen fascinating paragraph versions and also one liners. * For example: "You will love this book if you love -similar author / general genre / band-singer the book reminded you of / actor who played the lead in the film / etc-". Other examples include writing the first line of the book. Or your favorite line of the book. Beside that, it's just similarly structured as the "classical" bookswap: * We put the book(s) we brought down on the tables. * Each book gets a post-it so people interested would write their names on. * We browse and discuss the books with one another while sipping coffee or hot chocolate, or eating cake. THIS TIME try to avoid naming the book and author. * We write our names down on any books we’d like to take home. * At the end of the evening, negotiate any books that are contended and take a new-to-you book home! I've mostly only seen the trend at book stores and Libraries and when I just Googled it, saw that a lot of people are totally tricking the wrapping out. Please don't bother going that far unless it would give you great pleasure. We'll have some newspaper / paper bags on hand if you don't have any wrapping. ***NOTE - this is NOT a person dating event.*** We tried that once as a very optional part of the event and it wasn't fair to the three confused people who were looking for people and not books. We know of at least one book swap marriage and several other book swap relationships so it happens organically without us pushing for it and making it all awkward :) Similar to our pleasant swapping post-it format, our expectations below apply to this event as well. We look forward to swapping with you! GROUP EXPECTATIONS for PLEASANT SWAPPING * Please bring a book! It's not that you bring one you take one, but do try your best to bring something. * Books stay on the tables, open for sharing, until you are ready to leave so that everyone can have a look. We are notably not first come first serve. Please wait until you are leaving to bag the book. * If two or more people want the only copy of a book, negotiate. Maybe one of you reads it first and then gives it to the others. Or perhaps they have found another book instead. Or leave it to fate and toss a coin. The best part: now you have found somebody whose taste you can really admire. In any case, please don't walk away with a book with several names on it without letting the others know. These negotiations are fun and easy, so don't shy away from a book because there's already a name on it, and feel free to put your name on as many books as you find interesting. It's not that you bring one you take one; you may take as many as you can negotiate. * Political discussions with consent: make sure the people you are talking to would like to have a political discussion with you. * Please respect this space as first and foremost a community for connecting readers over their love of books and reading, stories, and narratives of all sorts. Please be respectful of tastes and opinions. * If something is bothering you, please reach out to the organizers, and we'll do our best to resolve it. * Lastly, don't expect your book back. It will find a new home. If you love it, let it go. **Major LANGUAGES (and genres) of this meetup:** English, German, French, Spanish, Italian; Fiction, Non-Fiction, Serious Reading, Light Fun, “classics", Krimis, Booker winners, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Self-Help and more. You never know who can read what languages, and there's no accounting for taste. We are a delightful and international group of readers. We look forward to swapping with you!

Get your creativity flowing with our Bento Cakes Workshop, where you'll learn how to create the cutest, trendiest mini cakes from scratch! Perfect for gifting or indulging in a personal treat, these Korean-inspired bento cakes are all about charm, color, and fun. In this hands-on class, you’ll: ✨ Learn the basics of mini cake layering and frosting 🧁 Practice piping and decorating techniques 🎨 Personalize your cake with messages, designs, and pastel colors No baking experience? No problem! All materials are provided, and our instructor will guide you every step of the way. Come solo or bring a friend—this workshop is sweet, creative, and oh-so-Instagrammable! 💖 **Les Amis** is a women-only community of friendly souls. We provide access to hundreds of experiences that explore your passions and connect you with other event participants. **Check our website to learn more, and apply to join our community and events**: [lesamis.cc/apply](https://www.lesamis.cc/apply)

Welcome to Sunday Tech Coffee. This is a **networking** event for those in the tech industry in Berlin. We are usually inside and to the right. Ask the barista/bartender if you can't find us.

**Shamanic Conscious Connected Breathwork by** [STUDIO B](https://www.studio-bewusstseinserfahrungen.de/) This group is dedicated to **Conscious Connected Breathwork**, a powerful somatic practice for deep emotional release (nervous system release). Intense states of awareness are possible. Through **conscious, connected breathing**, rhythmic music, and guided facilitation, participants are invited to access deeper layers of awareness, release stored stress and emotions, and reconnect with their inner resources. There are **no substances involved**. The work is grounded, body-based, and trauma-aware. Price is only for the room. ### This group is for you if you want to: * release stress, tension, and emotional blockages * explore non-ordinary states of consciousness through breath * experience clarity, emotional relief, and deep relaxation ### Each session typically includes: * introduction and intention setting * guided conscious connected breathwork * music-supported journey * integration and grounding ### Contraindications This practice is **not suitable** for people with any of the following conditions: * pregnancy * epilepsy or history of seizures * severe cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure not medically controlled * recent surgery or acute physical injury * glaucoma or detached retina * severe asthma * diagnosed psychosis, bipolar disorder, or severe psychiatric conditions If you are unsure whether this practice is appropriate for you, please **consult your healthcare provider** or contact the facilitator in advance. **No prior experience is required.** Beginners are welcome. Sessions are guided with care, structure, and clear boundaries. This is a **safe, respectful space** for self-exploration, presence, and embodied awareness. Sessions are held in English & German. German participants are very welcome.[ABOUT US STUDIO B](https://www.studio-bewusstseinserfahrungen.de/)

Liebe Bitcoinerinnen, Es geht in die nächste Runde und wir laden euch herzlich zu unserem nächsten Les Femmes Orange Meetup ein — ein Raum von Frauen, für Frauen, die sich für Bitcoin begeistern oder einfach neugierig auf das Thema sind. Egal, ob du schon lange im Bitcoin Space bist oder gerade erst eintauchst – komm vorbei, tausche dich aus, vernetze dich mit anderen Frauen und lass dich inspirieren. Les Femmes Orange Berlin Telegram-Gruppe: Für Fragen, Feedback und Infos: https://t.me/+ccJ7AYxrz4FjOTdi Wir freuen uns auf dich!

Join us for an afternoon of cultural exchange and German conversation practice at our Berlin Conversation Meetup Group event — complete with interesting chats and a beer or two at our local bar BrewDog Berlin Mitte. Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about language learning, culture, and community. Share your experiences, learn about different cultures, and engage in meaningful discussions across German language levels. From beginners to advanced levels, all learners and speakers of German are welcome! Whether you're a local resident or a curious traveler, this event promises to be a blend of fun, learning, and connecting with others who value the richness of cultural diversity and language learning. This event is hosted by the online language school lalia-berlin.com, helping German learners to overcome communication barriers and grow into confident speakers of German. Join us for this fun afternoon of practice and renew your motivation to break through to the next level in German! We use a [WhatsApp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/CumRuFFzUWGF6jToK3GHIA?mode=wwt) where we share updates like the exact location and any last-minute info on the day of the event. **Feel free to join if you’d like to stay in the loop**: https://lalia-berlin.com/offline-events

On Sunday, February 15, we’re inviting you to a facilitated session of our MBTI MeetUp! Using the 16 Personalities Test, you’ll get to know yourself on a deeper level. You’ll meet like-minded people from your color family, explore what you truly share — and then experience in a mixed small group how very different personality types can come together to form a fantastic team. This time, we’ll meet at betahaus Berlin Kreuzberg, Lobeckstraße 30, right at Moritzplatz. Please try to arrive on time! To enter the coworking space, just give our co-host Michael Metzger a quick call — we’ll post the number in the comments on the day of the event. Coffee, tea, and cold drinks will be provided on a donation basis. Feel free to bring a snack to contribute to our shared buffet. ⸻ Agenda 15:00 Arrival & Check-In 15:30 Introduction: 16 Personalities 16:00 Round 1: Finding Common Ground 16:30 Round 2: Mixed Small Groups 17:00 Insights & Wrap-Up 17:30 Social Hangout & Networking ⸻ We can’t wait to see you there!

**Relax. Connect. Create. 🎨☕** After a full week of work, meetings, study sessions and life in fast-forward, it’s time to slow down. Join us this Saturday afternoon in Berlin for a relaxed coffee hang-out where this week's agenda is good company & warm drinks. You're also invited to bring some boardgames, drawing/coloring materials (I will bring an adult coloring book) **What’s the plan?** We’ll meet in a cosy spot, draw, chat about everything and nothing, swap stories and simply enjoy the moment. No pressure. No formalities. Just a bunch of friendly people sharing a Saturday coffee. **Who’s welcome?** Everyone! Whether you’re a Berliner born and raised, newly arrived in the city, from Germany or abroad, if you like meeting open-minded folks and spending some relaxed time—come join us. **When & how?** Saturday afternoon. Detailed time and place in our Telegram group. ➡️ Join us on Telegram: [https://t.me/berlinsaturdaycoffee](https://t.me/berlinsaturdaycoffee) Hop in, say hello, and we’ll share the final details. **Why join?** * Because you deserve a break. * Because you enjoy being creative. * Because you enjoy boardgames * Because meeting new people sparks fresh energy. * Because coffee tastes even better when shared. * Because Saturday afternoons were made for this. Respect and Safety: There is always at least one organizer present at every meetup. If you ever feel unsafe or bothered by someone’s behavior, you can reach out to an organizer privately. Your identity will remain confidential, your concern will be taken seriously, and no inappropriate behavior is tolerated — anyone making others feel uncomfortable will be removed from the group immediately. We hope to see you there. Bring yourself, your smile, drawing materials, your stories—or just your comfy self. 😊 Let’s make Saturday a little more laid-back, a little more social and a lot more nice. See you soon! —Your Saturday Creative Coffee Crew ☕

Hey everyone! I’m organising a co-working + socialising session for all of us who like to work on something (e.g. our own project, freelance or remote work) but don't feel like sitting alone at home. 🙂 To ensure that we have both **socialising** AND **working**, we will be using the so called “Pomodoro” technique: **50min of deep work** (silent), followed by **10min of break** to socialise. Then repeat! If you get into flow, you're also welcome to skip the breaks. It’s an effective way to stay focused - you can read more about it [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique). Anyone from any background is welcome, whatever project you are working on or whatever is your personal background. I (the host) speak English and German, so either is fine :-) ——————————————————- AGENDA: * **15min Intro** * Get to know everyone, talk about what you will work on today * **Pomodoro Session** (3x) - *Each Pomodoro session consists* *of...* * ...**50min** of uninterrupted “deep work” (no talking, no interruptions, no phones) * ...**10min** of break: share your progress with others, talk about what you are stuck on etc. * Repeat * Conclude and celebrate your progress Share your progress, socialise and get to know others 😊 ———— We'll be at the Social Hub Berlin (they have a food menu in case you get hungry). The structured part will end at 2:30pm, but you're welcome to stay longer, go for lunch together, or leave earlier. See you there 🩵 **\*\*We'll reserve the long table. Please update your RSVP in advance if you can't attend!\*\***

After hosting successful events, I always think that we could have done better and relate it to our day to day life and make it educational. In this connection, I wanted to show off my investment and trade hat and organize series of Happy Hours around Investment & Trade. We will have speakers from different sectors and industries, at each Happy Hour. At this particular event, the speakers will discuss Retirement Saving (With An Overview of Interest Rate & Housing Market). Topics will include: • Today’s retirement savings challenges and approaches • Sources of income in retirement • Proper investment strategies • Current interest rate environment and what to expect going forward • State of the housing market The address will be sent to members, who RSVPed, before the Event. Enjoy!

Please join us every week for power networking! Our Chapter Passed $1,666,736 USD in the past 12 months! BNI members, on average, increase their business 20% the first year. Our chapter is a dynamic, committed group of business people who know how to refer business to each other. Come for our meeting -- stay for the referrals!!! We have open categories for individuals who will bring enthusiasm and integrity to our meeting. Just one person per professional specialty is allowed in each chapter. Visit a meeting to find out more and lock out your competition! Register Here: https://bninovanorth.com/va-nova-north-bni-mclean-business-connection--n136/en-US/visitorregistration?chapterId=16988

Attendance is $35 (cash, credit/debit card, or ApplePay - paid at the door), which includes water/soda/coffee, bread, choice of a plated lunch entrée, and a dessert assortment. Parking is also validated in the Reston Station garages (3 hours of validation). Join one of Northern Virginia's most successful business networking groups (part of BNI). Open to the public and is typically attended by business owners, business developers, and entrepreneurs. Meetings are typically attended by 30-40 members and guests. \*\*\*PLEASE RSVP here: [REGISTER HERE](https://square.link/u/0WvC6Eir) \*\*\*If you do not register on the BNI website, there may not be a seat available for you.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Hidden Cleopatra,”** an excavation through myth and slander to uncover the real Egyptian queen, with Jacquelyn Williamson, an Egyptologist and associate professor of archaeology and ancient art at George Mason University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/hidden-cleopatra](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/hidden-cleopatra) .] Depictions of Cleopatra are abundant in popular culture. A long list of painters have depicted her, Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian have posed as her, and Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor famously portrayed her in Hollywood films. At the end of the day, however, what most of us think we know about Cleopatra is wrong, the product of the ancient Rome’s “fake news” and anti-Egypt propaganda. Learn about the real Cleopatra—and how our understanding of her came to be so distorted—with Professor Jacquelyn Williamson, scholar of women and power in ancient Egypt, teacher of courses on ancient Egyptian art and archaeology, and author of *Nefertiti’s Sun Temple: A New Cult Complex at Tell el-Amarna.* Dr. Williamson will walk us through how the first Roman emperor, Octavian, created the distorted image of Cleopatra as seductress that we know today as part of his political scheming to defeat his rival Antony and end the Roman Republic once and for all. Cleopatra has been the subject of debate and controversy ever since. William Shakespeare later relied on ancient Roman sources such as Horace and Plutarch in writing *Antony and Cleopatra*, and his play helped give rise to countless other works offering a distorted picture of her. Professor Williamson argues that “Cleopatra was a human being, like you and I,” and “deserves the dignity of being represented as accurately as possible.” Her efforts to set the record straight have met frustration, however—after being extensively interviewed for the recent Netflix historical docuseries Queen Cleopatra, she concluded that it, too, had missed the mark. You’ll gain a much deeper appreciation of the challenges of researching and accurately depicting the ancient past from Dr. Williamson, who also has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, and the University of California at Berkeley and is involved with an ongoing archaeological investigation of Queen Nefertiti’s sun temple. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Layla Taj portrays Cleopatra VII as part of an Egyptian Cultural Performing Arts Society production. (Photo by Amos Gvili / Wikimedia Commons.)

*From the [publisher's website](https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324092452)*: *The Second Emancipation*, the second work in a trilogy from best-selling author Howard W. French about Africa’s pivotal role in shaping world history, underscores Adam Hochschild’s contention that French is a “modern-day Copernicus.” The title—referring to a brief period beginning in 1957 when dozens of African colonies gained their freedom—positions this liberation at the center of a “movement of global Blackness,” with one charismatic leader, Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972), at its head. That so few people today know about Nkrumah is an omission that French demonstrates is “typical of our deliberate neglect of Africa’s enormous role in the birth of the modern world.” Determined to re-create Nkrumah’s life as “an epic twentieth-century story,” *The Second Emancipation* begins with his impoverished, unheralded birth in the far-western region of Ghana’s Gold Coast. But blessed with a deep curiosity, a young Nkrumah pursued an overseas education in the United States. Nowhere is French’s consummate style more vivid than in Nkrumah’s early years in Depression-era America, especially in his mesmerizing portrait of a culturally effervescent Harlem that Nkrumah encountered in 1935 before heading to college. During his student years in Pennsylvania and later as an activist in London, Nkrumah became steeped in a renowned international Black intellectual milieu—including Du Bois, Garvey, Fanon, Padmore, and C.L.R. James, who called him “one of the greatest political leaders of our century”—and formed an ideology that readied him for an extraordinarily swift and peaceful rise to power upon his return to Ghana in 1947. Four years later, in a political landslide he engineered while imprisoned, Nkrumah stunned Britain by winning the first general election under universal franchise in Africa, becoming Ghana’s first independent prime minister in 1957. As leader of a sovereign nation, Nkrumah wielded his influence to promote the liberation of the entire continent, pushing unity as the only pathway to recover from the damages of enslavement and subjugation. By the time national military and police forces, aided by the CIA, overthrew him in 1966, Nkrumah’s radical belief in pan-African liberation had both galvanized dozens of nascent African states and fired a global agenda of Black power. In its dramatic recasting of the American civil rights story and in its tragic depiction of a continent that once exuded all the promise of a newly won freedom, *The Second Emancipation* becomes a generational work that positions Africa at the forefront of modern-day history. ***How to find us:*** We meet in the upstairs seating area at Zorba's in Dupont Circle. Look for a sign on a table with a picture of the book's cover on it. ***Links:*** **[Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/91030/9781324092452): By purchasing your book through this link, you help support local bookstores and defray the cost of DCIA's Meetup subscription.** [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Second-Emancipation-Nkrumah-Pan-Africanism-Blackness/dp/1324092459) [WW Norton](https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324092452) [Wikipedia page about Howard French](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_W._French) [Howard French's website](https://www.howardwfrench.com/)

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Love and Monsters,”** on the inescapable bond between romance and horror, with Joshua Barton, scholar of horror and lecturer in English at Virginia Commonwealth University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-love-monsters](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-love-monsters) .] Romance and horror might seem like opposite genres, but they share a deep emotional core, and the combination of them has captivated audiences across time and culture. Put even your worst Valentine’s Day in perspective by hearing this strange relationship discussed by Joshua Barton, who has earned a big following among Profs and Pints fans with his past talks on cryptids, American horror, and Christmas ghosts. He’ll explore the undeniable and unsettling intersection of romance and horror and examine how and why love and fear intensify each other and combined to create tension, drive narratives, and explore human vulnerability. We’ll look at works that have blended passion and terror, including Gothic literature like the vampire novella *Carmilla* and modern films like *Spring* and *Crimson Peak*. We’ll study the fine line between obsession and adoration running through Stephen King’s “I Know What You Need,” Adrian Lyne’s *Fatal Attraction*, and the timeless *The Phantom of the Opera.* We’ll discuss the seeds of monstrous love that were planted with *Beauty and the Beast* and *Creature from the Black Lagoon* and bloom ferociously in works like *Twilight* and *The Shape of Water*. Through it all, we’ll find the threads of otherness and the taboo that intertwine horror, love, and reflections on identity. Join us for a journey through storytelling that combines the grotesque and the scintillating as we uncover why romance and horror are a match made in the dark. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From the original 1954 advertising poster for *Creature from the Black Lagoon* (Artist: Reynold Brown / Public Domain).