Dr Seán Ketchem
@cskwriter.bsky.social
An American/German in Berlin. Berkeley alum (Go Bears!). Erstwhile Texan. Credo: “There are other forces at work than those of evil. And that is an encouraging thought.”
Pinned
Dr Seán Ketchem
@cskwriter.bsky.social
· Jul 22
Reading "Berlin Command" by Frank L. Howley, the former commandant of the American Sector of West Berlin. He describes how there had been serious consideration to revise the London Protocols to allow the Western Allies to keep Thuringia, Saxony, and eastern Mecklenburg in exchange for their sectors.
![In the London Protocol signed on 12 September 1944, the Allies of World War II (then without France) agreed on dividing Germany into three occupation zones after the war.
EAC planning of occupation zone borders in Germany, 1944
The first zone protocol was drawn up at the meeting of the European Advisory Commission (EAC) on 12 September 1944 and signed by John Gilbert Winant (USA), William Strang (UK) and Fedor Gusev (USSR) at Lancaster House in London,[2] and described the first notions of the boundary between the zones to be created: Eastern, Northwestern, and Southwestern zones in Germany, and the three parts of the area of Greater Berlin. The basis of the ideas were the borders of Germany from 31 December 1937 and Greater Berlin from 27 April 1920.
The north-western and south-western zones in Germany and Greater Berlin had not yet been assigned as British or American sub-areas. The relevant text passages provided for this were only documented with spaces, whereas the eastern zone and the north-eastern zone of Greater Berlin were already marked directly with "USSR".
In terms of borders, the western borders of Thuringia, Anhalt and the Prussian province of Saxony were referred to. This meant that the areas east of the Werra and west of the Elbe were not - as was often published - "exchanged for West Berlin", but the areas in the west of the Elbe were already intended to be part of the Eastern Zone.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ndxd4h47nhylsdfke4x4arlk/bafkreihkoyhhjemwmw5o2u72tjml6sfk3orwuhgfq4ul57cjc77p2a2ole@jpeg)
If U.S. Brigadier General Frank L. Howley had gotten his way in the summer of 1945, I would never have been born.
I'll explain!
I'll explain!
Arguably the greatest film ever made about veterans returning to civilian life is 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives.. It doesn't romanticize or flag-wave away the very real psychological and physical difficulties war veterans deal with when they finally come home.
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
The home front is also not without its casualties movie review (1946) | Roger Ebert
Homer thinks maybe they should stop at his Uncle Butch's saloon for a drink before they get home. "You're home now, kid," the older man Al tells him. Three
www.rogerebert.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Arguably the greatest film ever made about veterans returning to civilian life is 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives.. It doesn't romanticize or flag-wave away the very real psychological and physical difficulties war veterans deal with when they finally come home.
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
A Veterans Day classic!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPqu...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPqu...
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
A Veterans Day classic!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPqu...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPqu...
I honestly didn't know that Merz is the first Federal Chancellor to turn 70 while in office (today is his birthday). Adenauer was already 73 when he became Chancellor, and all of his successors had left office before that age.
www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
Meinung: Die Lage am Morgen – Der Kanzler wird 70. Ist das ein Problem?
Friedrich Merz und die Sache mit dem Alter. Außenminister Johann Wadephul ist immer noch im Amt. Und: Sahra Wagenknechts echte Leistung. Das ist die Lage am Dienstagmorgen.
www.spiegel.de
November 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I honestly didn't know that Merz is the first Federal Chancellor to turn 70 while in office (today is his birthday). Adenauer was already 73 when he became Chancellor, and all of his successors had left office before that age.
www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...
Watching "Gallipoli" is a Remembrance Day tradition in the Ketchem household. OK granted it is also an Anzac Day tradition. The Kitten Katz consider it one of the powerful anti-war films ever, and who can disagree?
www.theguardian.com/film/austral...
www.theguardian.com/film/austral...
Gallipoli rewatched – Weir scathingly deconstructs war as a big adventure | Luke Buckmaster
What starts as an archetypal sports movie ends with the most horrifyingly high-impact finale of any Australian film, writes Luke Buckmaster
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Watching "Gallipoli" is a Remembrance Day tradition in the Ketchem household. OK granted it is also an Anzac Day tradition. The Kitten Katz consider it one of the powerful anti-war films ever, and who can disagree?
www.theguardian.com/film/austral...
www.theguardian.com/film/austral...
"The key thing here is that Democrats were never going to get the outcome their voters craved: either a substantial change from Republicans’ desired health care policy or a broader change in the nature of the Trump administration." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
Opinion | Chuck Schumer Is a Convenient Punching Bag. There Was No Happy Outcome for the Shutdown.
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:45 AM
"The key thing here is that Democrats were never going to get the outcome their voters craved: either a substantial change from Republicans’ desired health care policy or a broader change in the nature of the Trump administration." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
When I was a little kid in the 1970s the government ran PSAs encouraging people to hire Vietnam veterans. The program was called "Bet on a Vet" and we had posters about it even in our elementary school cafeteria (not sure why in hindsight).
But I 100% thought they were talking about veterinarians.
But I 100% thought they were talking about veterinarians.
November 11, 2025 at 11:14 AM
When I was a little kid in the 1970s the government ran PSAs encouraging people to hire Vietnam veterans. The program was called "Bet on a Vet" and we had posters about it even in our elementary school cafeteria (not sure why in hindsight).
But I 100% thought they were talking about veterinarians.
But I 100% thought they were talking about veterinarians.
So no, sports fans, Nov 11 is NOT a holiday honoring soldiers in Germany, for obvious Fawlty Towers reasons. Instead we have Volkstrauertag on Sunday, which the Nazis had changed to "Heldengedenktag".
Also, did you know that the (now flameless) GDR Eternal Flame can be seen in the Spandau Citadel?
Also, did you know that the (now flameless) GDR Eternal Flame can be seen in the Spandau Citadel?
Hey everybody, today is:
St. Martin's Day
Veterans Day
Jour du Souvenir
Remembrance Day
Armistice Day
Polish Independence Day
Something Really Crappy Happened in Germany Day (like every day huh)
Here is the Berlin Andrews Barracks, where my dad served in the 1960s, and is now the Federal Archive.
St. Martin's Day
Veterans Day
Jour du Souvenir
Remembrance Day
Armistice Day
Polish Independence Day
Something Really Crappy Happened in Germany Day (like every day huh)
Here is the Berlin Andrews Barracks, where my dad served in the 1960s, and is now the Federal Archive.
November 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM
So no, sports fans, Nov 11 is NOT a holiday honoring soldiers in Germany, for obvious Fawlty Towers reasons. Instead we have Volkstrauertag on Sunday, which the Nazis had changed to "Heldengedenktag".
Also, did you know that the (now flameless) GDR Eternal Flame can be seen in the Spandau Citadel?
Also, did you know that the (now flameless) GDR Eternal Flame can be seen in the Spandau Citadel?
Kittenz meowling as if they are being starved out of hearth and home when they just gobbled down their breakfast like ten minutes ago and still have a full bowl of dry food. I know two bad kitties that may spend the afternoon out on the chilly balcony.
a tv show called tyler perry 's oval shows a man and woman
ALT: a tv show called tyler perry 's oval shows a man and woman
media.tenor.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Kittenz meowling as if they are being starved out of hearth and home when they just gobbled down their breakfast like ten minutes ago and still have a full bowl of dry food. I know two bad kitties that may spend the afternoon out on the chilly balcony.
This exactly. What leverage did the D have to get Rs to cave on major legislation they just passed few months ago? (and don't say the Tuesday results, which Rs have already dismissed as blue wins in blue states, regardless of reality). Rs don't care if food assistance is cut or agencies stay closed.
(1). The Democrats voting to end the shutdown are not doing that for money, or power, or glory. The shutdown is hurting the poor and the sick. Republicans have the luxury of caring nothing for them, so had no incentive to meet the demands to restore funding for the Affordable Care Act.
November 11, 2025 at 9:42 AM
This exactly. What leverage did the D have to get Rs to cave on major legislation they just passed few months ago? (and don't say the Tuesday results, which Rs have already dismissed as blue wins in blue states, regardless of reality). Rs don't care if food assistance is cut or agencies stay closed.
Hey everybody, today is:
St. Martin's Day
Veterans Day
Jour du Souvenir
Remembrance Day
Armistice Day
Polish Independence Day
Something Really Crappy Happened in Germany Day (like every day huh)
Here is the Berlin Andrews Barracks, where my dad served in the 1960s, and is now the Federal Archive.
St. Martin's Day
Veterans Day
Jour du Souvenir
Remembrance Day
Armistice Day
Polish Independence Day
Something Really Crappy Happened in Germany Day (like every day huh)
Here is the Berlin Andrews Barracks, where my dad served in the 1960s, and is now the Federal Archive.
November 11, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Hey everybody, today is:
St. Martin's Day
Veterans Day
Jour du Souvenir
Remembrance Day
Armistice Day
Polish Independence Day
Something Really Crappy Happened in Germany Day (like every day huh)
Here is the Berlin Andrews Barracks, where my dad served in the 1960s, and is now the Federal Archive.
St. Martin's Day
Veterans Day
Jour du Souvenir
Remembrance Day
Armistice Day
Polish Independence Day
Something Really Crappy Happened in Germany Day (like every day huh)
Here is the Berlin Andrews Barracks, where my dad served in the 1960s, and is now the Federal Archive.
99% of the takes here are that the breakaway Ds are voting to abolish healthcare subsidies. They aren't, those subsidies are already gone.
But getting a Senate floor vote where every R has to state their position is a win. Bringing back the Federal workforce is a win. Safeguarding funding is a win.
But getting a Senate floor vote where every R has to state their position is a win. Bringing back the Federal workforce is a win. Safeguarding funding is a win.
Democrats over-performed during the shutdown, polled well, and won elections. However, an ACA deal, nuclear Senate, or impoundment rules were a big stretch, at best, and mostly not feasible.
More shutdown and "trying harder" can't change Republican majorities. joshhuder.substack.com/p/an-entirel...
More shutdown and "trying harder" can't change Republican majorities. joshhuder.substack.com/p/an-entirel...
November 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM
99% of the takes here are that the breakaway Ds are voting to abolish healthcare subsidies. They aren't, those subsidies are already gone.
But getting a Senate floor vote where every R has to state their position is a win. Bringing back the Federal workforce is a win. Safeguarding funding is a win.
But getting a Senate floor vote where every R has to state their position is a win. Bringing back the Federal workforce is a win. Safeguarding funding is a win.
"Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Opinion | Now We Know Trump’s Kryptonite
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:01 PM
"Trumpism began in anger, alienation, frustration and division. The antidote is empathy, solidarity, mutual respect and hope. Tuesday’s elections delivered a starter dose."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Germany is arguably the Republican voting regulation dream: mail votes must be received at the precinct before the 6pm Election Day cutoff (which is always on a Sunday), we don't have voting machines, it is paper ballots only, and there is mandatory photo ID (granted which everyone already has).
I am proud that my legal team and I are leading the fight in this case against the Republican Party’s effort to throw out lawful ballots. Everyone needs to recognize this as the next step in the GOP plan to ban mail-in voting entirely and to eventually target early voting as well.
🚨BREAKING: In a case with major implications for voting access, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether a mail-in ballot must be received by Election Day to count, or if it merely must be sent by then. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
November 10, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Germany is arguably the Republican voting regulation dream: mail votes must be received at the precinct before the 6pm Election Day cutoff (which is always on a Sunday), we don't have voting machines, it is paper ballots only, and there is mandatory photo ID (granted which everyone already has).
Poor kitty! I was doing my German "lüften" thing and didn't notice Soda Pop had gone out to the balcony. So I shut the door and then was wondering a half hour or so later, "Didn't I used to have two cats?". I opened the balcony door and she raced inside like a rocket.
a man covered in snow is standing in the snow looking at the camera .
ALT: a man covered in snow is standing in the snow looking at the camera .
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Poor kitty! I was doing my German "lüften" thing and didn't notice Soda Pop had gone out to the balcony. So I shut the door and then was wondering a half hour or so later, "Didn't I used to have two cats?". I opened the balcony door and she raced inside like a rocket.
WIN FOR THE COLTS IN OVERTIME!!!!!
November 9, 2025 at 5:53 PM
WIN FOR THE COLTS IN OVERTIME!!!!!
An unusual programming moment for an American NFL football game, albeit one on Berlin. Very nice.
November 9, 2025 at 2:51 PM
An unusual programming moment for an American NFL football game, albeit one on Berlin. Very nice.
This is trippy. Watching a regular American football game in Berlin on German TV with all the standard NFL trappings, but with German sportscasters as if it were a Hertha or Union game. And instead of monster truck commercials, it is trivago holiday ads.
I am having some cognitive dissonance here!
I am having some cognitive dissonance here!
November 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM
This is trippy. Watching a regular American football game in Berlin on German TV with all the standard NFL trappings, but with German sportscasters as if it were a Hertha or Union game. And instead of monster truck commercials, it is trivago holiday ads.
I am having some cognitive dissonance here!
I am having some cognitive dissonance here!
Good kitties! Soda Pop found a cheese dip that sort of looks like Rotel and Pony Boy is making the Texas Trash (out of muesli so I am skeptical, but we will see).
November 9, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Good kitties! Soda Pop found a cheese dip that sort of looks like Rotel and Pony Boy is making the Texas Trash (out of muesli so I am skeptical, but we will see).
The scenic Rosenkranz Basilica in Berlin-Steglitz.
November 9, 2025 at 1:21 PM
The scenic Rosenkranz Basilica in Berlin-Steglitz.
Connections
Puzzle #882
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🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
Puzzle #882
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
November 9, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Connections
Puzzle #882
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
Puzzle #882
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
(Another thing was how it seemed like everybody decorated their homes with "Live. Laugh. Love" platitudes. I don't think I have ever seen that here, but everywhere I went, people had these platitudes on their walls. "This Kitchen Is Seasoned With Love." "In This House, We Do Hugs." Stuff like that.)
Was in the States last year after not having been back for years and it struck me how repetitive rightwing media is. They push the same "War on Christmas" story like clockwork every year for decades despite it never happening, every year the radical left libs will take your guns, it never happens...
New York millionaires: threatening to flee the city since 2009
November 9, 2025 at 4:04 AM
(Another thing was how it seemed like everybody decorated their homes with "Live. Laugh. Love" platitudes. I don't think I have ever seen that here, but everywhere I went, people had these platitudes on their walls. "This Kitchen Is Seasoned With Love." "In This House, We Do Hugs." Stuff like that.)