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.”
In an informal cognitive test, 1 out 2 Kitten Katz in the Ketchem household successfully chose the cat treats over the snack mix, despite the similar packaging.
You might say "Well she read the label!" But nope, the Kittenz don't understand German. They never leave the house and only watch Netflix.
You might say "Well she read the label!" But nope, the Kittenz don't understand German. They never leave the house and only watch Netflix.
November 29, 2025 at 9:56 PM
In an informal cognitive test, 1 out 2 Kitten Katz in the Ketchem household successfully chose the cat treats over the snack mix, despite the similar packaging.
You might say "Well she read the label!" But nope, the Kittenz don't understand German. They never leave the house and only watch Netflix.
You might say "Well she read the label!" But nope, the Kittenz don't understand German. They never leave the house and only watch Netflix.
Yikes, my subway line is shut down for days due to a fire at Schloßstraße station on Friday (that I was just at the day before). Luckily nobody was hurt, but the fire damage destroyed multiple signalling systems apparently.
Not great timing for retailers on Berlin's second biggest shopping street.
Not great timing for retailers on Berlin's second biggest shopping street.
November 29, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Yikes, my subway line is shut down for days due to a fire at Schloßstraße station on Friday (that I was just at the day before). Luckily nobody was hurt, but the fire damage destroyed multiple signalling systems apparently.
Not great timing for retailers on Berlin's second biggest shopping street.
Not great timing for retailers on Berlin's second biggest shopping street.
(also if you are in Berlin for the holidays, the Christmas concert with the Swingin' Hermlins is a must. Just phenomenal performances from a family with an interesting East German pedigree.)
November 29, 2025 at 9:06 AM
(also if you are in Berlin for the holidays, the Christmas concert with the Swingin' Hermlins is a must. Just phenomenal performances from a family with an interesting East German pedigree.)
Here are two people who have awesome and underrated Christmas albums (one you expect, one maybe you don't):
Annie Lennox and Seth MacFarlane. I went to his Christmas concert with the San Francisco Symphony one year and was just amazed. OK maybe with the voicework it could be expected, but I didn't.
Annie Lennox and Seth MacFarlane. I went to his Christmas concert with the San Francisco Symphony one year and was just amazed. OK maybe with the voicework it could be expected, but I didn't.
November 29, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Here are two people who have awesome and underrated Christmas albums (one you expect, one maybe you don't):
Annie Lennox and Seth MacFarlane. I went to his Christmas concert with the San Francisco Symphony one year and was just amazed. OK maybe with the voicework it could be expected, but I didn't.
Annie Lennox and Seth MacFarlane. I went to his Christmas concert with the San Francisco Symphony one year and was just amazed. OK maybe with the voicework it could be expected, but I didn't.
The Berlin radio call signal Christoph 31, used for a rescue helicopter, is being retired. I know this service well (not because I have been on it!) but because it follows the Teltow Canal as a visual guide. It flew under the US flag from 1987 to 1990, when the area was part of the American sector.
November 28, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The Berlin radio call signal Christoph 31, used for a rescue helicopter, is being retired. I know this service well (not because I have been on it!) but because it follows the Teltow Canal as a visual guide. It flew under the US flag from 1987 to 1990, when the area was part of the American sector.
With Advent comes the "fairy tale" movie season in Germany. "Märchenfilme" were produced in copious quantities in postwar West and East Germany in the 1950s (and many of the newer ones are remakes of the 1950s originals), possibly as a way to look back with nostalgia on a less problematic past.
November 28, 2025 at 5:45 PM
With Advent comes the "fairy tale" movie season in Germany. "Märchenfilme" were produced in copious quantities in postwar West and East Germany in the 1950s (and many of the newer ones are remakes of the 1950s originals), possibly as a way to look back with nostalgia on a less problematic past.
Major improvements coming to the commuter rail network in Berlin's southwest:
-the S25 will be lengthened as far as Stahnsdorf, restoring S-Bahn service that was lost with the postwar closure of the "Cemetery Railway"
-restoration of the Stammbahn
-a second track between Südende and Lichterfelde-Ost
-the S25 will be lengthened as far as Stahnsdorf, restoring S-Bahn service that was lost with the postwar closure of the "Cemetery Railway"
-restoration of the Stammbahn
-a second track between Südende and Lichterfelde-Ost
November 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Major improvements coming to the commuter rail network in Berlin's southwest:
-the S25 will be lengthened as far as Stahnsdorf, restoring S-Bahn service that was lost with the postwar closure of the "Cemetery Railway"
-restoration of the Stammbahn
-a second track between Südende and Lichterfelde-Ost
-the S25 will be lengthened as far as Stahnsdorf, restoring S-Bahn service that was lost with the postwar closure of the "Cemetery Railway"
-restoration of the Stammbahn
-a second track between Südende and Lichterfelde-Ost
Funny that even though Germany does not Thanksgiving (duh) it does have Black Friday, which only makes sense if you know that it was because many people in the US outside of retail and essential jobs have the day off and start their holiday shopping, putting stores "in the black" for the first time.
November 28, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Funny that even though Germany does not Thanksgiving (duh) it does have Black Friday, which only makes sense if you know that it was because many people in the US outside of retail and essential jobs have the day off and start their holiday shopping, putting stores "in the black" for the first time.
A reminder that without the Columbian Exchange, there would be no potatoes in Germany, no chocolate in Belgium, no tomato sauce in Italy, no corn/maize anywhere in Europe, not one cigarette or cigar, and the list goes on. And what did the indigenous populations get in return? Smallpox and malaria!
November 27, 2025 at 4:13 PM
A reminder that without the Columbian Exchange, there would be no potatoes in Germany, no chocolate in Belgium, no tomato sauce in Italy, no corn/maize anywhere in Europe, not one cigarette or cigar, and the list goes on. And what did the indigenous populations get in return? Smallpox and malaria!
A Thanksgiving reading! 🍁🍾🦃🥧
November 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A Thanksgiving reading! 🍁🍾🦃🥧
(Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria along the EU's eastern border are alone in the bloc for not recognizing any form of same-sex marriage or civil union)
November 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
(Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria along the EU's eastern border are alone in the bloc for not recognizing any form of same-sex marriage or civil union)
I love Muppet Christmas Carol. The corny jokes, the Muppets clearly "performing" characters (Sam the Eagle as the headmaster has to be corrected by Gonzo the director when he says "it's the American way") and Michael Caine playing the part absolutely straight. And Fozziewig's Rubber Chicken Factory!
![The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 American Christmas musical film produced and directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut). It is the fourth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Adapted from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with a screenplay written by Jerry Juhl, the film takes artistic license to suit the aesthetic of the Muppets, but follows Dickens' original story closely. It is the first Muppet film where a human is the main protagonist.[5]
The film stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge alongside Muppet performers Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, and Frank Oz. It is the first Muppet film to be produced following the deaths of creator Jim Henson and performer Richard Hunt; the film is dedicated to both.
The film was released in the United States on December 11, 1992, by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution under its Walt Disney Pictures label. It was a modest box office success and received generally favorable reviews. It is the first Muppets film to be produced by Disney, whose parent company would later acquire the rights to the Muppets characters and assets in 2004. The film's reputation has grown in the years since its release, and it is often listed as one of the best Christmas films of all-time.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ndxd4h47nhylsdfke4x4arlk/bafkreihsn43jsw2nvqq2kvobgstg3uum2z3ctxkggha2rwciop7jtboihm@jpeg)
November 24, 2025 at 10:25 PM
I love Muppet Christmas Carol. The corny jokes, the Muppets clearly "performing" characters (Sam the Eagle as the headmaster has to be corrected by Gonzo the director when he says "it's the American way") and Michael Caine playing the part absolutely straight. And Fozziewig's Rubber Chicken Factory!
Well may you ask, why would the producers of a high-profile international production choose for a lead romantic role an unknown actor with a comically hayseed accent, which was in fact so thick it required his lines to be dubbed over in his own native language?
I dunno, you tell me:
I dunno, you tell me:
November 24, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Well may you ask, why would the producers of a high-profile international production choose for a lead romantic role an unknown actor with a comically hayseed accent, which was in fact so thick it required his lines to be dubbed over in his own native language?
I dunno, you tell me:
I dunno, you tell me:
More fun facts: the German actress who played the wicked stepmother was also fluent in Czech (having grown up in the Sudetenland), a secret she did not divulge until the end of filming, during which the Czech crew had openly been bashing the German performers, thinking they would not be understood.
November 24, 2025 at 11:27 AM
More fun facts: the German actress who played the wicked stepmother was also fluent in Czech (having grown up in the Sudetenland), a secret she did not divulge until the end of filming, during which the Czech crew had openly been bashing the German performers, thinking they would not be understood.
Leise rieselt der Schnee...
November 24, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Leise rieselt der Schnee...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
November 24, 2025 at 6:37 AM
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Thanksgiving is just a regular day of the week here in Germany, so why not have it on Sunday? And how about chicken for the poultry since the store didn't even have turkey breasts, much less a whole turkey? And the American food shop closed because of the trade wars, so forget the StoveTop stuffing.
November 23, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Thanksgiving is just a regular day of the week here in Germany, so why not have it on Sunday? And how about chicken for the poultry since the store didn't even have turkey breasts, much less a whole turkey? And the American food shop closed because of the trade wars, so forget the StoveTop stuffing.
In short, the conclusion the Pilgrim Fathers reach on the subject (this is no joke, it is right there in the Bradford Definitive Edition) is that a helping hand is OK, as long as Elias and Samuel keep the tale to themselves, but going in through the back door draws the line.
November 23, 2025 at 6:02 PM
In short, the conclusion the Pilgrim Fathers reach on the subject (this is no joke, it is right there in the Bradford Definitive Edition) is that a helping hand is OK, as long as Elias and Samuel keep the tale to themselves, but going in through the back door draws the line.
If your Latin is rusty, the Pilgrim Fathers were like, "well, handjobs, I mean that seems OK" (fricatio) but raw dogging (penetratio), and especially to completion (ad effusionem seminis), well, that is a horse of a different color.
Again, this is THE source document for the Thanksgiving tradition.
Again, this is THE source document for the Thanksgiving tradition.
![Of Plymouth Plantation is a journal that was written over a period of years by William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. It is regarded as the most authoritative account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the colony which they founded.
The journal was written between 1630 and 1651 and describes the story of the Pilgrims from 1608, when they settled in the Dutch Republic on the European mainland through the 1620 Mayflower voyage to the New World, until the year 1647. The book ends with a list of Mayflower passengers and what happened to them which was written in 1651.
Bradford's original manuscript disappeared during the American Revolutionary War, when British troops occupied the Boston church where it was held. It eventually resurfaced in the Bishop of London's library at Fulham Palace,[1] and was brought back into print in 1856. In 1897, Senator George Frisbie Hoar started a dispute over the ownership of the manuscript. The bishop's Consistorial and Episcopal Court of London ordered for a photographic copy of the manuscript's records to be made for the court, and for the original to be delivered to the Governor of Massachusetts.[1] The manuscript was presented to the Governor during a joint session of the legislature on May 26, 1897. Since that time, the manuscript is kept in the State Library of Massachusetts. In June 1897, the state legislature ordered publication of the history with copies of the documents associated with the return.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ndxd4h47nhylsdfke4x4arlk/bafkreiguoowm7cjzdoh6tor4f4cd2ebyu4jmx6rtxd56kx4mc7b5y6fbnm@jpeg)
November 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
If your Latin is rusty, the Pilgrim Fathers were like, "well, handjobs, I mean that seems OK" (fricatio) but raw dogging (penetratio), and especially to completion (ad effusionem seminis), well, that is a horse of a different color.
Again, this is THE source document for the Thanksgiving tradition.
Again, this is THE source document for the Thanksgiving tradition.
Your holiday reminder that Of Plymouth Plantation, our only source for the Thanksgiving story, spends an entire chapter discussing penalties for the homosexual acts that were apparently rampant in the tiny colony.
The listed infractions: fricatio, penetratio, and penetratio cum effusionem seminis.
The listed infractions: fricatio, penetratio, and penetratio cum effusionem seminis.
November 23, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Your holiday reminder that Of Plymouth Plantation, our only source for the Thanksgiving story, spends an entire chapter discussing penalties for the homosexual acts that were apparently rampant in the tiny colony.
The listed infractions: fricatio, penetratio, and penetratio cum effusionem seminis.
The listed infractions: fricatio, penetratio, and penetratio cum effusionem seminis.
The shoes on my feet (I bought 'em)
The clothes I'm wearing (I bought 'em)
The rock I'm rocking (I bought it)
'Cause I depend on me
The clothes I'm wearing (I bought 'em)
The rock I'm rocking (I bought it)
'Cause I depend on me
November 23, 2025 at 5:06 PM
The shoes on my feet (I bought 'em)
The clothes I'm wearing (I bought 'em)
The rock I'm rocking (I bought it)
'Cause I depend on me
The clothes I'm wearing (I bought 'em)
The rock I'm rocking (I bought it)
'Cause I depend on me
My neighborhood cemetery is actually too large relative to its annual burials, and parts are being converted to other uses. We already have a pet cemetery, and the famous water tower (I have a picture of my mom in front of it, she lived right at the edge of the cemetery as a teenager) is an office.
November 23, 2025 at 3:07 PM
My neighborhood cemetery is actually too large relative to its annual burials, and parts are being converted to other uses. We already have a pet cemetery, and the famous water tower (I have a picture of my mom in front of it, she lived right at the edge of the cemetery as a teenager) is an office.