OTD in 1989 crowds of CIA sponsored fascists in pay of Soros stormed the Berlin Wall to begin an illegal, and very gay, annexation of East Germany.

Liesenbrücken, 2025 // Gustav Wunderwald (1882 - 1945): Brücke über die Ackerstraße Berlin Nord, 1927

„Das tritt nach meiner Kenntnis... ist das sofort... unverzüglich.“

Support and protect your local libraries, buy books in print 2nd hand, start cultivating your own library and share the joy of reading as a critical cultural skill with others.

Schicksalstag again today boys and girls.

European history: red brick and catastrophes.

One of the two men accused of plotting an attack on immigrants in Ireland is called Karolis Peckauskas and I have nothing to add to that

Me waiting for the bus omw to kick your ass

The Combat, 1939, by Leslie Gilbert Illingworth (1902–1979).

1. This is a thread on freedom, and how easy it is to lose. Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵

Vielleicht irgendwann kann man mal nachzeichnen, wie diese willentliche zerstörung jeder kritischen antisemitismusanalytik im namen einer rechtswende ein sehr wichtiges ding kaputt gemacht hat, und warum es so kam oder kommen musste und was damit verloren ging

»Noch nie in der Geschichte hat eine kleine Gruppe von Menschen so viel Macht akkumuliert wie die Hyperreichen von heute. Man kann durchaus behaupten: Die Welt nähert sich einer globalen Diktatur der Superreichen.«

lol

Morning motivation from Krzysztof Kieślowski.

Now open for submissions of unpublished fiction and non-fiction, poetry, graphic narratives, photo-essays, and short films focussed on the actuality or idea (no matter how abstract) of a journey(or journeys): email to [email protected].

The Amazing World Of Tomorrow

One of my favourite red brick buildings in the world, the Wysoka Brama or Hohes Tor or High Gate in Olsztyn in the north of Poland. It was built in 1378 and still protects the old town to this day. Images from 1890, between 1945 and 1949, and October 2025:

Happy Wszystkich Świętych, All Hallows Day, celebrated in Poland. One of my favourite celebrations, remembering these who have passed by decorating graves and lighting up znicze (a glass lantern)

Oíche Shamhna

It being Halloween, here’s also an older piece I wrote about the ghosts of Warmia-Masuria from both German and Polish folklore. przekroj.org/en/art-stori...

As it is Halloween, here’s the scariest picture & caption on Wikipedia that I know. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajont_...

It‘s still three years until the next national election, the Nazis are leading several polls, and you’ve got fascists in the middle of Berlin acting like this. Good luck, Germany, if you’re trying to attract a sufficient number of non-white migrants to boost your economy. Good luck: you’ll need it.

walter-benjamin.online is a fantastic source for any devotee or scholar of the man. They recently digitised his address book: here’s the page with the addresses of Siegfried Kracauer and Kurt Wolff:

A brilliant short piece on war and its monsters by @katetsurkan.bsky.social in La Piccioleta Barca: www.picciolettabarca.com/posts/iron-j...

@slowberlin.bsky.social & Romanisches Cafe exhibition invite Julia Bosson, @paulscraton.bsky.social and me to introduce our favourite literary regulars of Romanisches and our own writing, followed by a public discussion on November 14. Free tickets: romanisches-cafe.berlin/event/rebels...

The vibe I bring to the function

August Sander (1876–1964): Revolutionaries (Alois Lindner, Erich Mühsam, Guido Kopp), 1929

"I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear." - Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Remembering the incredible work of the late great Bernie Wrightson on his birthday 🖤

"Mit GPT 6 wird das alles in Ordnung kommen!! Spätestens mit 7, und ganz bestimmt mit 8...!!" www.heise.de/news/Europae...

Always a good thing when you arrive back in Berlin and your friend from PKP welcomes you at Hauptbahnhof.

Hagen/Austerlitz.

My little metal band Black Sunshine is turning 30 this year (you blink and decades are gone), and we're playing the first of a series of anniversary gigs tonight in Solingen. www.solingen-live.de/580688

Every day in 2025

A fascist mob could march up to the current Irish government, in matching t-shirts that say "we are right wing", issue them with a letter that says "we have right wing beliefs" and the government would respond "We condemn all violence, from those on the far left to et cetera."

St. Pancras/Austerlitz.

Fuck yeah, Karl Schlögel. www.friedenspreis-des-deutschen-buchhandels.de/fileadmin/us...

Einige Fotos vom sehr schönen Abend am Freitag, an dem ich auf Einladung von BORUSSIA Olsztyn im Mendelsohn-Haus die Geschichten meiner ermländischen Familie erzählen und aus meinen Texten über sie lesen durfte. Wunderbar übersetzt von Alina Kuzborska, Fotos von Jacek Sztorc.

Fixed it for you Herr Bundeskanzler

Gisèle Freund, ‘Walter Benjamin in the Bibliothèque Nationale’ (1939) Benjamin fled Paris in the following summer to escape the German invasion, and lacking the necessary exit documents committed suicide at the Spanish border town of Port Bou on September 27, 1940. Things fall apart.

👌

Wer glaubt, dass die Höhe der Brandmauer, den Erfolg der AfD bestimmt, glaubt auch dass Rassismus, Antisemitismus, Frauenhass und der Glaube an ethnisch bedingte Überlegenheit durch zu viel ,linke Politik‘ ausgelöst wird…

There is evidence supporting this globally already. When you repeat far right framing you end up normalising it. We're seeing same thing with Labour pandering to the far right, and how they're actually helping Reform gain support with their rhetoric and policies. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Some images of @paulscraton.bsky.social and me on stage at the Mendelsohn House in Olsztyn this week, talking about his work, the city of Berlin and his observations of Germany & German history as an insider/outsider. Translation was provided by Czesław Kinski, and all pictures are by Jacek Sztorc.

German politicians: why don't immigrants want to learn German German employers: why aren't immigrants fluent in German Taxpayers in Germany on unemployment: Can I take the German lessons that will help me re-enter the workforce German policies: no

Ich bin verzweifelt. Ich weiß, dass wir nicht verzweifeln dürfen. Wie kann es sein, dass wir angesichts dessen, dass wir überall in der Welt beobachten können, was passiert, wenn das Wesentliche aus dem Blick gerät? Wenn wir uns selbst vergessen, weil wir uns im anderen nicht mehr erkennen wollen.

Dressing for the job I want

Diesen Freitag darf ich im Rahmen des Mendelsohn-Festivals von BORUSSIA Olsztyn von meiner ermländischen Familie erzählen und aus meinen Texten über sie lesen. Geschichten von meiner Oma Cilly/Cecylia, vom Spion Franz/Franciszek, von Moni, Bruno und all den anderen Halunken. DE/PL fb.me/e/6awl3sB3l

“The past is never dead. It's not even past.” RCAF CF‑18 Hornet fighters land on Piibe highway, Estonia in October 2025 during NATO exercise "TARASSIS 25". // A-10 fighters land on Autobahn 29 in Germany during NATO exercise “Highway 84” in 1984.

Delighted to be chatting with my friend @paulscraton.bsky.social about his writing and Berlin this Thursday on stage at the wonderful Dom Mendelsohna, part of this year's Mendelsohn Festival organised by BORUSSIA Olsztyn. The event will be in English with Polish translation. fb.me/e/jJ7B5tllD