XanthH

Bohemian Rhapsody We’re still in 1985, and it’s July in West Berlin.

In which I get a new haircut, move flats, and go to a Live Aid party. The Summer of ‘85 was hot and people were taking their clothes off, while I was trying to be less English.
#WestBerlin #storytelling #LiveAid

One of my favourites

Resilienz und Militarisierung des Gesundheitswesens Mittwoch, 4. März 2026, 19–20 Uhr

Mi 04.03. online | "Resilienz und Militarisierung des Gesundheitswesens" – Was bedeutet es, wenn das Gesundheitswesen „kriegstüchtig“ gemacht werden und sich den Erfordernissen des Militärs unterwerfen soll? Was können wir als Beschäftigte dagegen tun? ippnw.de/bit/0403

Now I'm looking for any photos of that area In an attempt to find a picture of Ada Villa, anytime between 1900 and 1947, or even now, if it still exists. So if there's anyone out there with a good idea where I could find out more, please let me know.

It's #OnePlaceWednesday and I've been digging deeper into Simla, now called #Shimla, in India, looking for my grandparents house. With a lot of help from Hugh of Pagoda Press I've found it! They lived in Ada Villa just on the northern edge of Simla.
#genealogy

S10EP05 - 'The Adventuress' with Kathy Wilshaw - The Family Histories Podcast Host Andrew meets professional genealogist and adoption researcher, Kathy Wilshaw, and hears about 'the Queen of Adventuresses'.

Just catching up with the @familyhistpod.bsky.social podcast, and I loved this one: S10EP05 - 'The Adventuress' with Kathy Wilshaw familyhistoriespodcast.com/2025/12/09/s...
#genealogy #familyhistory #adoption

Glass showcases outside Kino International. Photo: Xanthe Hall

Staircase from the foyer to the panorama café and cinema salon, Kino International. Photo: Xanthe Hall

The foyer at Kino International. Photo: Xanthe Hall

Ticket office at Kino International. Photo: Xanthe Hall

Kino International on Karl-Marx-Allee reopens after major renovation. Today was open day and the results are stunning.
#Berlin #streetphotography

Are those times GMT?

Sadly though, I had to break it to her that her father died in 2024 at the age of 92. I'm looking into whether there are any living close relatives.

Hi #genhour people! Today was an excellent day. I got to know a half-second cousin who was adopted and looking for her family. Turns out her father belongs to mine and I was able to give her the whole tree.

Seeking the brightest star If you wanted to look for work in West Berlin, you had to have a magical piece of paper that was impossible for a beginner to master: an Aufenthaltsgenehmigung (resident’s permit).

Here's the latest episode in my Berlin memoirs: "Back in the Day in Berlin. I get a job in an Irish Pub and meet someone from my past...
open.substack.com/pub/backinth...
#Berlin #Memories

Wow, there is some really old stuff here.

If you do FAN networks , floating trees or DNA thrulines then your tree can expand pretty fast. I'm over 4,500 as well. But I am checking for duplicates and unverified people from early days,weeding them out.

And I'll repeat my #genhour question from last week: anyone looked into the Lower Orphan Schools in British India?

Hi, #AncestryHour people. I'm doing a deep dive on the Indian hill station Shimla, or Simla as it was called during the British Raj. Anyone done an OPS or studied Simla out there? Reading quite a bit of Rudyard Kipling.

1951

Thanks for the nudge. I already follow her, as I am also a member of SfOPS! But you reminded me that I do and I'll reach out to her today.

Just realised I already watched the video you linked to. I am also a member of FIBIS which is a great resource and I found the best (so far) article on the Lower Orphan Schools in their journal. I'll ask Karen if she's also come across them.

Thank you!

I've only managed 1 of 52 so far but I'm planning on doing the Ancestral Women's challenge for Women's History Month in March, so hopefully catch up then...

Researching my grandmother Norah's life in British India at the beginning of the 20th C. My cousin sent me this wonderful photo. The dogs were big, but she was also tiny. I know so little about her and we never met, but I really want to know more.
#familyhistory #genealogy

We can be heroes So, that was it: decision made.

West Berlin, 1985. I'm 25 and ready for adventure. Read the next episode of Back in the Day in Berlin here: open.substack.com/pub/backinth...
#storytelling #Berlin #TheWall

Text: Kundgebung und Unterschriftenübergabe 14.000 Unterschriften für die Freilassung von Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Mo, 16. Februar 2026, 13.30 Uhr, Auswärtiges Amt, Werderscher Markt 1, 10117 Berlin Am 27. Dezember 2024 stürmte das israelische Militär das Kamal-Adwan-Krankenhaus in Gaza und nahm dessen Direktor, Kinderarzt Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, sowie weiteres medizinisches Personal und Patient*innen willkürlich fest. Seitdem sind er und andere palästinensische Mitarbeiter*innen des Gesundheitswesens ohne Anklage in Willkürhaft. Bild von Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya

Bild von Dr. Uwe Trieschmann, IPPNW-Vorstand und Logo der IPPNW Sprechblase: Die Verhaftung von Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya ist Teil der Angriff auf das gesamte Gesundheitssystem in Gaza. Mit seiner Verteidigung geht es auch um die Verteidigung des Völkerrechts. In der Genfer Konvention ist der Schutz von medizinischem Personal explizit gefordert!

Sprechblase: Medizinisches Personal muss seine Aufgaben ausüben können – und zwar ohne Einschüchterung, willkürliche Inhaftierung oder Gewalt befürchten zu müssen. Kinder in Gaza sind mit unvorstellbaren Traumata konfrontiert – Gewalt, Vertreibung und Mangel einschließlich des Zugangs zu medizinischer Versorgung. Die Verhaftung von Kinderärzten und medizinischem Personal hat diese humanitäre Krise weiter verschärft! Dr. Uwe Trieschmann, IPPNW-Vorstand

Bild von Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Komm am Montag zur Kundgebung und fordere mit uns die Freilassung von Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya und den anderen willkürlich inhaftierten palästinensischen Mitarbeiter*innen des Gesundheitswesens! Montag, 16. Februar 2026 13.30 - 14.30 Uhr Auswärtiges Amt | Werderscher Markt 1 | 10117 Berlin Eine Aktion von amnesty international Deutschland, IPPNW Deutschland und der Palästinensischen Gemeinde Deutschland

Kundgebung und Unterschriftenübergabe am 16.2.: Wir fordern die Freilassung von Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya und der anderen willkürlich inhaftierten palästinensischen Mitarbeiter*innen des Gesundheitswesens. Jetzt noch unterzeichnen: www.change.org/p/free-dr-hu...

Hi #genhour people! Anyone here done any research on Lower Orphan Schools in India?

Life in colour My first impressions of West Berlin

My first post on "Back in the Day in Berlin" is out! I tell the story of my first visit to Berlin back in 1985 that changed my life. open.substack.com/pub/backinth...
#storytelling #Berlin #TheWall

The new Bundestag President Julia Klöckner should criticise Israel's plans to build new settlements in the West Bank!
#WestBank #Israel #Bundestag

Today's Zen doodle.
#zentangling

Coming soon... Back in the Day in Berlin

I've been writing family stories for the last year. Now it's time for my stories. So here's a new Substack: Back in the Day in Berlin. The first story (with genuine photos from eighties Berlin) is in the making...
#Storytelling #Berlin #familyhistory

Excellent, thank you.

Unterzeichnung des New-START-Abkommens durch die USA und Russland

New START, das letzte große Abkommen zur atomaren Abrüstung, ist gestern ausgelaufen. Doch was für eine Bedeutung hatte der Vertrag – und wie ist er zustande gekommen? Nachzulesen auf Atomwaffen A-Z: www.atomwaffena-z.info/glossar/begr... #NewSTART @xanthh.bsky.social @cvlieven.bsky.social