For twenty-eight years the Berlin Wall divided the Western side of the city from the East. Twenty-five years ago today the wall came down. Today I’m remembering the turbulent days in November of 1989, the fall of the Wall, and Germany’s reunification.

For 41 years the divided city, situated inside East Germany (Deutsche Demokratishe Republik), was an island. There were only three ways in and out – train, auto corridor, or commercial airline. The four power agreement following WWII (officially the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany) divided air traffic to and from the city between Air France, British Airways, Pan Am and Aeroflot. For 10 years I flew passengers in and out of Tegel Airport, first on the 727 and later on the 737. I left the city in 1986 but returned on October 3, 1990 to celebrate the reunification of the two Germanys. read more

MI-5 is the British domestic intelligence agency. It is also the American title of an immensely popular British TV series (Spooks) that ran for ten seasons from 2002 through 2011. The series gives the viewer an inside look at the Brit agency and is likely the inspiration for two American series – Homeland and Scandal. Both American series have women in the leading roles. Homeland’s bipolar Carrie Mathison takes us on harrowing adventures as an international CIA’s operative and Scandal’s Olivia Pope, is the Washington “fixer” and conflicted daughter of Command, the leader of a fictional, shadowy agency (B613) charged with the clandestine protection of “the Republic.” All three series give us putative looks at the intrigue within the various spy agencies. Charged with our protection from nefarious external agents, they often reveal the inherent temptations of using evil to fight evil. read more

Poor Don Jose’. What a sap. Steady job in the army. Steady girlfriend. Mother who loves him (maybe a little too much?). What’s up? Why would he chuck it all: desert the army, desert the girlfriend, leave his mother and run away with a slutty little gypsy named Carmen who works in a cigarette factory, runs with a bunch of crooks, and spreads her legs for anyone who might be useful? But then again… It’s not that uncommon is it?

The little tramp wasn’t even good looking – at least that was true yesterday. Yesterday’s Carmen (HD performance from the Metropolitan Opera) was a chubby, unattractive Georgian temptless who seduces a schlubby wooden Latvian Don Jose’. I’m not alone in this opinion. The New York Times’ Zachery Woolfe had the same complaint. read more