Maybe one of the strangest stories I've ever posted about. Essentially building an artificial mountain just outside of Berlin. The picture gives you an idea of the sheer size of the project:
"A German architect has already laid out plans to build the largest artificial mountain ever (3,280-feet tall) in Berlin, which "could sit on the spot currently occupied by Tempelhof airport, and provide a natural getaway for Berliners and tourists alike.
Berliners may soon get more to see on the horizon than just construction cranes, if a German architect realizes his massive vision."
[Editor's Note: This essay was originally published on March 1st, 2009. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's deconstruction and the fall of Communism being recognized around the world this week, and with the ever-falling support for cannabis prohibition in America, this essay from NORML board member George Rohrbacher seems even more apropos today than last March.]
It is said that almost everyone in the marijuana law reform movement has a seminal moment they can point to when their public activism started. My moment was in the fall, six years ago.
I’m a past president of our local Kiwanis Club. I’ve been a member for years; we meet for breakfast at 6:30am, every Wednesday morning. My fateful “activism moment” was meeting face-to-face with one morning’s Kiwanis Club program, our town’s newly acquired dope dog. Some rock-ribbed citizen had left money in his will for the city to buy a dope dog for our town of 3,000, in a county of 18,000 people. The dog’s handler and the police chief were up at the speaker’s table. I had to fight back the urge to turn around and run.
As I sat down at my usual spot, ordered breakfast and clipped on my Kiwanis Club nametag, my heart was just racing! Thank God, my neck pain had not been severe enough that morning that it had required some marijuana medication, because, I imagined, triggered by the smell of freshly consumed ganja, that huge German Shepard would have leaped from the podium to pin me down to the floor, the dog’s sharp white teeth snarling and snapping at my throat.
As we went through club business about our kid’s reading program, ate breakfast and conducted the normal chit-chat that makes Kiwanis Club so enjoyable, I slowly calmed myself. I had not been found out as a marijuana user, yet. There was no need for me to panic, because the likelihood that I would be found out now by this agent of the state, was growing smaller and smaller by the moment. But, as the primal fear drained away, it started to piss me off; this dope dog was invading my space.
The dog handler got up and spoke glowingly about his charge, the alpha male of his litter. This dog had been born of a long and impressive pedigree in Baden-something, formerly East Germany. Looking at me from across the room was the pride of the jack-booted police state, the purebred German Shepard—smart, vicious, relentless.
The dog handler went chirping on, to mostly nodding heads, about what a fantastic dog he had and how many pot busts he had already made with it. Suddenly, all I could think was: This dog was born in East Germany, it’s father could have pulled someone down off the Berlin Wall…this dog’s great-grandfather would have marched the Jews or Gypsies to the ovens at Buchenwald or Auschwitz… And now, my own little town had a new resident from the same police dog gene pool that serviced the two most brutal totalitarian regimes in the history of the mankind!
Scenes from my childhood of when German Shepards attacked the Civil Rights marchers at Selma floated before my eyes… This well-groomed dog was a tool of the modern police state in all its scariest manifestations. The more I thought about it, the madder and madder I got.
I paid my breakfast bill and left in the first wave. I drove back out to the ranch and fed our cows their daily ration of hay, all the while mulling over my close brush with the dope dog. By the time I got done with my chores and back to the house, I absolutely had to do something! I picked up my telephone and called NORML, and I volunteered for the fight that very day…our fight for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”
Snaking along, cutting through fields and streets, the 28-mile-long Berlin Wall stood as a border between East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, a symbol of oppression since it was erected, was opened by East Germany, leading to days of emotional celebrations. The fall of the Berlin Wall set in motion several important events, including the eventual reunification of the two countries on Oct. 3, 1990; the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe; and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet bloc in December 1991.
This piece includes a number of vintage photographs, as well as a historical short film on the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Please visit my website to view the vintage photographs and the historical short film:
Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall fell and the world seemed to change. Today, Germany is celebrating this important anniversary, but in the background the World is building up other walls. http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/world/berlino20annicadutamuro091109.htmlTwenty years ago the Berlin Wall fell and the world seemed to change. Today, Germany... more
I actually don't remember where I was when I found out that the Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago. Strange because I have such clear memories of other 1980s landmarks like the Challenger explosion. What I do remember most clearly about the reunification of East and West Germany was from German class a few years later. Our textbooks were a few years old, still in good condition, but completely outpaced by the movement of history. Everyday there would be a new page we would read with an outdated cultural reference to a divided Germany. It was the first I'd ever really learned about East Germany - and it sounded terrible.
Share your memory of the fall of the Berlin Wall with us.
On Tumblr, Best of Life is posting some gripping images out of the Life magazine archives of the Wall throughout its infamous life.
Best of Life: http://bestoflife.tumblr.com/
Vent'anni fa cadeva il muro di Berlino e il mondo sembrava cambiare. Oggi la Germania festeggia questo importante anniversario, ma sullo sfondo il mondo costruisce altri muri. http://www.inaltreparole.net/it/esteri/berlino20annicadutamuro091109.htmlVent'anni fa cadeva il muro di Berlino e il mondo sembrava cambiare. Oggi la Germania... more
To mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Sergej Hein created this animated piece featuring former soviet building blocks from the East side of Berlin with the addicted game of Tetris.
http://www.triponadeal.com We show you eight exciting new music trends in eight cities around the world. Guest: “Music + Travel” editor Stef Schwalb of Museyon Guides shows us music scenes in from Buenos Aires to Beijing to Berlin. See more at triponadeal.comhttp://www.triponadeal.com We show you eight exciting new music trends in eight cities... more
On October 24, 2009, at over 5200 events in 181 countries, people came together to make their voices heard to put the world on track to a safe, sustainable future. Here are some quick highlights from three major events in Berlin, Germany. More info at www.350.orgOn October 24, 2009, at over 5200 events in 181 countries, people came together to... more
Photographs from Berlin, Germany on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 and very early Wednesday, October 14, 2009.Photographs from Berlin, Germany on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 and very early... more
"Berlin will hold its annual unification celebration this week. But coming almost 20 years after the Wall fell, this year's festival will be even grander than usual. To highlight the importance of these anniversaries, the city is enlisting the aid of a French street theater troupe that turns junk into massive puppets."
That's right, puppets. Take that, Communism!"Berlin will hold its annual unification celebration this week. But coming almost 20... more
Berlin's star polar bear Knut met another polar bear for the first time on Tuesday. And aside from an initial round-house delivered by the visiting Gianna, zookeepers pronounced the date a success.Berlin's star polar bear Knut met another polar bear for the first time on Tuesday.... more
At the recent IFA electronics expo in Berlin, Germany, the latest offerings in computers and home entertainment were on showAt the recent IFA electronics expo in Berlin, Germany, the latest offerings in... more
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Former FBI Language Specialist Sibel Edmonds finally gets to testify under oath, after being hit with a gag order.
Bombshells Under Oath: INCLUDE: CONGRESS MEMBERS NAMED IN ESPIONAGE, BRIBERY, SEXUAL BLACKMAIL SCHEMES; NEW BREWSTER JENNINGS / VALERIE PLAME DISCLOSURE...
Long gagged under the "state secrets" privilege by the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration's DoJ chose not to re-invoke privilege, paving the way for this information to finally make its way on to the unclassified public record.
http://wwwtriponadeal.com This week we offer some hints for the half million people heading to Tampa Bay for the Superbowl. Plus, we answer the question: Will the Statue of Liberty's crown reopen to tourists? Also, how to live like a local. And more!http://wwwtriponadeal.com This week we offer some hints for the half million people... more
A giant giraffe made out of Lego stands proud outside the Legoland Discovery Centre in Berlin. Well, maybe not always proud - the poor fella's penis is repeatedly stolen.
Tourists keep making off with the 6 metre tall, anatomically correct, Lego animal's penis. So far it has been snatched four times since the model's debut in 2007.
The centre is now taking desperate steps in order to protect the giraffe's privates... they're erecting a 'metal construction' (whatever that entails).A giant giraffe made out of Lego stands proud outside the Legoland Discovery Centre in... more
The Ill-Fated Pact
Bartosz T. Wieliński
2009-08-21
The German and Soviet invasion of Poland was a prelude to a destructive war and the communist enslavement of eastern Europe, 140 German intellectuals write in a declaration.
'We thus respond to those in Russia who are trying to defend Stalin. They don't seem to be living in the 21st century,' says CSU deputy Hartmut Koschyk, one of the declaration's signatories.
The declaration is an appeal to Europe to not forget, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, the circumstances in which the continent was originally divided seventy years ago.
'We are aware, and this is a painful awareness, that without the German-started World War II neither the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe nor the division of Europe and Germany would have happened,' write the German intellectuals. Rather than identifying 1 September 1939 - the day of the German invasion of Poland - as the beginning of the tragedy, they point at 23 August 1939, when the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact was signed in Moscow. In it, the Third Reich and the Soviet Union divided Central Europe between themselves. 'It was an ill-fated pact,' reads the declaration.
The declaration was initiated by Marianne Birthler, head of the Stasi Records Authority and the Foundation for Research into the DDR Dictatorship, and former DDR dissident, Wolfgang Templin. It was signed by nearly 140 persons, including, among others, ex-president of the Bundestag, Prof Rita Süssmuth, the first head of the Stasi Records Authority, Joachim Gauck, historians Arnulf Baring, Dieter Bingen and Heirinch Winkler, journalists and politicians.
The declaration is unprecedented. To avoid being accused of historical revisionism - diminishing German responsibility for WWII - Germans seldom speak about Russia's responsibility for the war. Politicians usually steer well clear of the subject in order not to damage relations with Moscow. Yet the declaration leaves no doubt about what communism meant for eastern Europe.
'In the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and part of Germany, all weakened by the war and Nazi rule, the Soviet Union introduced a new regime. That had disastrous consequences for society, the economy and culture, as well as for the masses of people who were persecuted or lost their lives because they stood in the communists' way,' reads the declaration.
Markus Meckel (SPD), one of the signatories, assures Gazeta that no one wants to whitewash Nazi Germany. 'But we need to remember that there was another totalitarianism which also committed crimes and left scars on central Europe's collective memory. People in the West have to finally acknowledge this,' says Mr Meckel.
Moreover, the German declaration comes at a time when a group of Russian historians, acting on the Kremlin's orders, is trying to defend the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact. They are arguing that Stalin wanted to buy himself time to prepare for the war against Germany, that he was forced to sign the pact by the inflexible position of Poland which didn't want an alliance with Russia. Some have gone as far as to suggest that it is Poland that bears responsibility for the wear because it refused to meet Hitler's 'moderate' demands and surrender the 'Gdańsk corridor.'
Mr Meckel adds that the declaration is also an appeal to Russia to start an honest debate about the past. 'They should finally confront the vision of history of the Poles or the Balts,' says the SPD deputy. The signatories Gazeta has talked to hope that chancellor Angela Merkel speaks in a similar tone during the 1 September celebrations on Westerplatte, Gdańsk.
The German declaration is also a homage to the democratic opposition in Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary. 'We will never forget that it was especially the Poles who, fighting for our freedom and theirs, dealt the first blows to the communist regime,' reads the declaration.The Ill-Fated Pact
Bartosz T. Wieliński
2009-08-21
The German and Soviet... more
Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt claimed yet another world record as he recorded a stunning victory in the 200m final at the World Championships.Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt claimed yet another world record as he recorded a... more
BERLIN — Once the much-mocked symbol of drab communist East Germany, Trabant cars are revving up for a dramatic rebirth as electric cars -- 20 years after they drove through the fallen Berlin Wall to freedom.
A team of German firms is developing the "new Trabi" or Trabant NT, a revamped version of the famously unreliable and unattractive cars, and is aiming to unveil a prototype at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
And in contrast to the old model, whose noisy two-stroke engine sent a polluting cloud of burnt oil and petrol into the air as it chugged slowly through the streets behind the Iron Curtain, the new 21st century Trabi could hardly be greener.
"It will be an electric car with a solar panel roof, designed for the city and small trips," said Ronald Gerschewski, head of IndiKar, the East German auto firm that originally made the Trabant and is now plotting its return.
"Inside, there will be connections for a sat-nav, mobile phone and iPod," Gerschewski told the regional press in Saxony, where the company is based.
However, the company insists it is not looking to capitalise on so-called "Ostalgie", the German word meaning nostalgia for the artefacts of the communist era.
"It will not be a retro model," IndiKar said, but a "green and refreshing novelty."
Whatever the motives, there is no doubt the Trabant still commands a place in Germans' affections, two decades after the Berlin Wall was pulled down in a peaceful revolution.
When the proposal of relaunching the Trabant was first mooted in 2007 at the Frankfurt motor show, a snap poll of 11,500 people showed that 93 percent were in favour, with many saying they would be prepared to buy one, said IndiKar.
And the idea itself of a full-blown Trabant rebirth was sparked by the enormous success of miniature models made by IndiKar's partner Harpa, which has sold hundreds of thousands of tiny Trabis to nostalgics.
Meanwhile, enthusiasts hold Trabi rallies and tourists queue up for a chance to ride one around the old communist sights of East Berlin.
It is a far cry from the time when it was the East Germans who had to queue up to get a prized Trabi. The difference is that under communist rule behind the Iron Curtain, the waiting queue could last up to 15 years.
Having saved up a year's salary and counted down the years, the lucky East German could choose a Trabant in any colour he pleased -- as long as it was garish -- mustard yellow, pink and peppermint green were all possibilities.
The bodywork was made of plastic mixed with paper or cotton fibre to save on steel imports, the back windows did not open and its top speed was a laughable 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour.
But that is not to say the East Germans were not proud of their motors. Considered as one of the family, the cars were often bestowed with pet names such as "Micha" or "Bert."
The last Trabant, a candy pink model, was produced in 1991, 34 years after the first of around three million rolled off the production line of the VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Saxony.
However, while the idea of Trabis put-putting around the streets of Berlin once again may appeal to many, it is by no means guaranteed.
IndiKar and Herpa are aiming to produce the Trabi commercially from 2012 but are on the hunt for investors.
They are counting on the Frankfurt show to unearth someone to help with finance to get the all new eco-friendly Trabis off the drawing board and once again gracing the streets of the former East Germany.BERLIN — Once the much-mocked symbol of drab communist East Germany, Trabant cars... more
