I can’t get the CBC, so I’m listening to BBC Sounds classical music while I write this.

It does get me away from news or what passes for journalism, especially in the Canadian and US media. Every university journalism program should have to account for how their students ever were able to graduate. I thought J-Schools were at least supposed to make sure students looked at two or more sides of issues. Somehow journalists in Canada haven’t been able to look at the reality of the Palestinians, and Gazas for some time. To some journalists, history on Oct. 7. Actually I just saw an interview by a middle-aged white male reporter for SKYnews who “bravely”grilled the politician, academic and Palestinian human rights fighter, Hanan Ashrawi. He cornered her and tried to make her say that Hamas were terrorists and without any justification, invaded Israel and killed — wasn’t that contemptible. Of course, Ashrawi said, yes and no. Something tells me she knows a helluva lot more about politics in Israel/Palestine than the interviewer. She tried to explain what had happened as a political insider for 40 years — but the journalist didn’t care and wouldn’t listen. Still, as my Canadian friend Susan writes, Ashrawi did not give an inch — here is the interview.

First, Berlin is quite lovely to walk through. Though it’s autumn the colours are still vibrant and the last two days have been quite warm.

Shops and shop windows have flare; arguably the “best” coffee shop in Friedrichshain, has no seating inside. At Blaue Bohne (Blue Bean) You can take your coffee from the window, sit on a wooden bench in front and drink it from pottery cups. Inside the beans are kept in these huge drums. The cafe has the Barista 101 sign below. There’s my takeout coffee plus my notebook. At the fleamarket today, I saw these coffee grinders. Food delivery men abound — this one for Uber Eats.

Outdoors is lovely, have a look– maple leaves outside our apartment, spindly sunflowers, and a park.

Shops everywhere, on main floor of all the 5 storey apartment buildings. The Matryoshka dolls were at the fleamarket, for sale with a book by Jack London (in German). The US flag jacket didn’t have any immediate takers. The sign of me in the mirror which reads Your Outfit is Shit. Let us Help. I did go in and bought a used sweater. Here’s a photo of a “quaint German” oldstyle bakery and coffee shop. And a billboard for the famous ice cream, we know so well.

There are a couple of other photos here, Max and Larry talking at a vegan-Thai restaurant. Excellent.

And some other nice shots: Larry in our apartment, painting above by a Bulgarian artist. A “Privileg” manual typewriters at the flea market. The local park on Sunday; decoration on the outside of an apartment building and one of many old bikes — decorated with planters on the verges beside the sidewalks.

You don’t see in this old part of former East Berlin many tributes like this one on the ground floor of an apartment building in this neighbourhood. I have only seen two of these signs: Here it is in translation: “In this house lived anti-fascist resistance fighter Fritz Fieber, born 1895, murdered by the fascists 1945. Honour his memory.”

Finally, as I reported earlier, it is illegal in Germany (and here in Berlin of course) to hand out leaflets, speak on a podium, fly a Palestinian flag or in any way demonstrate or rally for Palestine (or for Gaza). To wear a Kaffiyeh is considered antisemitic. Scores of people have been arrested since Oct. 7. On Friday, Larry and I went to Hermannplatz, a small square, where some brave people sometimes hold a Palestinian flag to taunt the cops. There are tons of police all around the city, “protecting” us. It was freezing and raining so we went into the Suss Cafe for coffee, and in the coffee queue were five uniformed policemen, one who had just noticed this graffiti against the police on the wall near the kitchen.

This sign was projected onto the German Parliament by some brave souls. Note the Palestinian flag on the left side. Some say this photo was photoshopped.

Image at the Top: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. They are defying the ban on assembly, Oct. 16, 2023. (credit: Christian Mang/Reuters)