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Critical Objectivity Needed

Thursday, January 3rd, 2019

If there is one life skill everyone on the planet needs, it is the ability to think with critical objectivity.

— Unknown

If there is one life skill everyone on the planet needs, it is the ability to think with critical objectivity. www.walled-in-berlin.com

If there is one life skill everyone on the planet needs, it is the ability to think with critical objectivity. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Alexander Gerst’s Modern-Day Christmas Carol

Monday, December 31st, 2018

For me it isn’t Christmas until I watched the Christmas Carol. The 1984 version is my favorite because Anthony Walters makes an incredible Tiny Tim. When Scrooge promises at the end, “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year long. It will live in the past, the present and the future. I will not shut out the lessons that the spirits taught me,” I forgive Scrooge, especially when the narrator tells us that Scrooge became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew.

Modern-Day Christmas Carol

On 25 November 2018, Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut with the European Space Agency recorded a modern-day Christmas Carol. His version takes the form of a 5 ½ minute YouTube (German with English subtitles), which he created while floating 250 miles above the earth’s surface. In this thought-provoking recording,

Planet earth from space. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Planet earth from space. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Gerst tries to rouse from apathy the 7 billion of us who inhabit planet earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?=UfpkRFPIJk&feature=youtu.be/

Gerst’s Version of the Christmas Carol

With this video, Gerst hopes to raise our awareness of the fragility of earth’s biosphere and its limited natural resources. He hopes that we will intensity our efforts to save our planet for future generations once we have a better understanding of how small and vulnerable earth really is. In the YouTube, Gerst apologizes to future generations on behalf of our generation for potentially leaving earth in poor condition for them. He reminds us to get to work before it is too late and stop polluting the earth with carbon dioxide, pushing the climate to its tipping point, clearing forests, consuming limited resources, waging pointless wars and polluting the oceans with garbage. He closes by saying, “I hope for your sake (future generations) that my generation can still get its act together in time so that you won’t remember us as the generation who selfishly destroyed your livelihood.”

Who is Alexander Gerst?

Alexander Gerst is a German geophysicist and an astronaut with the European Space Agency. He participated in the International Space Station Expeditions 40, 41, 56 and 57. Gerst returned to Earth on 20 December 2018 after spending 165 days in space with Expedition 57. On all of his missions combined he spent a total of 362 days in space.

Let’s Alter the Shadows of the Future

Please join Mr. Gerst and me in the wish that the three spirits of Christmas past, present and future will convince us earthlings to start now with the job of saving our planet for future generations. Maybe we, too, can alter the shadows of the future and become as good a steward of the earth as the good old planet knew. With these thoughts I wish you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2019!

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Close doors that no longer lead somewhere

Thursday, December 27th, 2018

Time to close some doors. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but because they no longer lead somewhere. Make a fresh start in the New Year!

— Anonymous

Time to close some doors. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but because they no longer lead somewhere. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Time to close some doors. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but because they no longer lead somewhere. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Dachshund Greetings – from Our House to Yours

Monday, December 24th, 2018

Dachshunds are the animal-ambassadors of Germany. Because of this association, their popularity plummeted in the United States during World War I and to a lesser extent during World War II. But by 2016, dachshunds ranked again 13th of the most popular dog breeds in the United States.

 

FROM OUR HOUSE ... TO YOURS - Dachshunds Holiday Greetings. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

FROM OUR HOUSE … TO YOURS – Dachshund Holiday Greetings. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

What Dachshunds looks like

In a nutshell, dachshunds are half a dog high and two dogs long. They are short-legged,  long-bodied and have a long snout. Their front paws are disproportionately large and well suited for digging, and their deep chest gives them hunting stamina. The name translates to badger hound because dachshunds were originally bred to flush badgers from their burrows. They can track a scent that is more than a week old. In the United States, they are often nicknamed wiener dogs. Although “dachshund” is a German word, in Germany the dogs are known as Dackel or Teckel.

History of Dachshunds

The exact origin of dachshunds is unknown. Depending on the source, it is said to go as far back as ancient Egypt because similar mummified dogs were discovered in burial urns. In their modern incarnation, however, German breeders created the breed from German, French and English hounds and terriers during the 15th to 19th centuries. The short-haired dachshund eventually gave rise to both the long-haired and the wire-haired varieties.

Types and Temperament of Dachshunds

Dachshunds come in three sizes: standard (16 to 32 lb), miniature (less than 12 lb) and kaninchen (8 to 11 lb) and in three coat varieties: short-haired (smooth), longhaired, and wirehaired. The dogs have a wide variety of colors and patterns, the most common one being red, followed by black and tan. Dachshunds are clever, lively and courageous. Their temperament and body language give the impression that they do not know or care about their relatively small size. They are playful, burrow by nature, like to chase, and they have a huge sense of humor. Above all, they are known for their devotion and loyalty to their owners.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Two Types of People

Thursday, December 20th, 2018

There are two types of people in the world: Those who walk into a room and say, “Well here I am,” and those who come and in say, “Ah, there you are.”

— Pauline Phillips

There are two types of people: Those who walk into a room and say, “Well here I am,” and those who come and in say, “Ah, there you are.” www.walled-in-berlin.com

There are two types of people: Those who walk into a room and say, “Well here I am,” and those who come and in say, “Ah, there you are.” www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page. Feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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BER – Berlin’s Stillborn Baby?

Monday, December 17th, 2018

“I am convinced that BER will be put into operation in October 2020,” Engelbert Luetke-Daldrup recently said of the troubled Berlin-Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport. Daldrup became chief executive of the beleaguered airport in March 2017.

So far, the grand opening was postponed eight times. Originally slated to open in 2011, poor planning and subcontracting, recurring changes in design, flawed construction plans, shoddy workmanship, major technical problems, corruption and numerous management changes are only part of the problem. BER is a joint project of the city-state of Berlin, the regional government of the State of Brandenburg and the Federal government of Germany. Too many inexperienced cooks stoking the fire are the other part of the trouble.

Opening of BER delayed eight times

Planning for BER began after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The newly-reunified capital of Germany clearly needed an airport with greater capacity than its existing Tegel Airport (in former West Berlin) and Schoenefeld Airport (in former East Berlin) combined. Authorities decided to replace the two existing airports with the new International Airport BER. Groundbreaking took place in 2006. Completion was slated for 2011. What happened then is almost comical. The opening of BER was postponed eight times for a myriad of reasons: Faulty fire and smoke alarm systems, escalator issues, too few check-in counters and baggage reclaim carousels, lights that could not be switched off, and many other issues.

2011 – Opening postponed to 2012.

2012 – Opening postponed to March 2013, then October 2013

2013 – Opening postponed to 2014.

2014 – Opening postponed to 2016, maybe 2017 or 2018.

2016 – Opening postponed to 2017 or 2018.

2017 – Opening postponed to 2018, 2019 or possibly 2020.

2018 – Opening postponed to 2020.

Ongoing Maintenance of unfinished BER

Every month the airport just sits there unused, it racks up millions of euros in maintenance and upkeep costs. The unfinished BER has to be heated, lit and maintained. Construction workers have to be paid. Empty trains have to run into the airport station every day to keep it ventilated. In early 2018, all 750 arrival and departure monitors had to be replaced. They had reached the end of their service life, having been switched on for six years, even though the airport was closed.

BER is not big enough

Sceptics believe that even if the airport opens on time, it will immediately face a problem: it’s not big enough. The German capital is now the second most heavily populated city in Europe after London, which is served by six international airports. BER’s engineering advisor Dieter Faulenbach da Costa cautions that more people than previously expected will be moving through the main terminal. More passengers will arrive through the railway station in the basement. Smoke and fire emergency systems will have to be adjusted once again to accommodate the increase. The adjustments will take additional time, making a 2020 opening unlikely.

BER - Berlin-Brandenburg Airport still unfinished in 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

BER – Berlin-Brandenburg Airport still unfinished in 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Ditch BER and start over?

Faulenbach da Costa believes that BER was too small from the beginning, but the agencies wanted to save money. Even airport CEO Luetke-Daldrup admits that BER will not be able to handle more than 33 million passengers in 2020. And that number is equal to the capacity of Berlin’s two existing airports, Tegel and Schoenefeld, both of which are already bursting at the seams. As it stands, the expected cost to build BER will be 3.5 times the initial budget. A Lufthansa executive predicts that BER will never open. It may just turn out to be Berlin’s stillborn baby.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

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Making Pies like mother used to make

Thursday, December 13th, 2018

You can say this for ready-mixes – the next generation isn’t going to have any trouble making pies exactly like mother used to make.

— Earl Wilson

You can say this for ready-mixes – the next generation isn’t going to have any trouble making pies exactly like mother used to make. www.walled-in-berlin.com

You can say this for ready-mixes – the next generation isn’t going to have any trouble making pies exactly like mother used to make. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

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Meissen Porcelain – first true European porcelain

Monday, December 10th, 2018

Meissen Porcelain, manufactured by the Staatliche Porzellan-Manufactur Meissen GmbH, has been produced in Germany for more than 300 years. It was the first true porcelain made outside the Orient. While Meissen Porcelain is expensive, its high quality and unique designs make it desirable collector items.

Meissen Porcelain vase on exhibit in the lobby of the Leipzig Nationalbibliothek. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Meissen Porcelain vase on exhibit in the lobby of the Leipzig Nationalbibliothek. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2014. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Chinese Porcelain

The first pottery was created in China during the Paleolithic era some 2.6 million years to about 12,000 years ago. The term “pottery” includes earthenware, which is porous and fired at low temperatures, and stoneware, which is non-porous and fired at higher temperatures. Porcelain, according to Western definition, is stoneware that is white, strong and translucent. It can be shaped, glazed and easily painted. The process of making porcelain was originally perfected in China about 2,000 to 1,200 years ago and slowly spread to Europe and the rest of the world. By the seventeenth century porcelain had become a valuable export commodity for China. But because it was expensive, only the elite could afford it.

Early Meissen Porcelain

Starting in 1708, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, a mathematician and scientist, experimented with the manufacture of glass and porcelain. Johann Friedrich Boettger, an alchemist, perfected the process and began producing porcelain in Meissen, Germany, near the city of Dresden. Following his initial reddish-brown stoneware, called Boettgersteinzeug, he came up with a hard-paste white porcelain that could be glazed and painted. In 1720, the Meissen Porcelain logo was created. It consists of two crossed swords based on the arms of the Elector of Saxony. Three years later, Johann Gregorius Hoeroldt introduced multicolor enameled paints, and in 1733 the sculptor Johann Joachim Kaendler added a series of painted figurines, which became synonymous with the Meissen Manufactory.

Meissen Porcelain – after World War II and the reunification

Following World War II, when Germany was partitioned into four sectors, the town of Meissen fell under Communist rule. In 1950, the manufactory, once owned by the King of Saxony and later by the State of Saxony, became a people-owned company. Meissen Porcelain, which had always sold to the elite, struggled in vain to find its way into mass consumption. Then, in 1969, the East German VEB Meissen Porzellan decided to once again focus on its traditions and became one of the few profitable companies in the economically troubled East German system. After German reunification in 1990, ownership of the Meissen manufactory reverted to the State of Saxony.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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The Garden of Eden is a feeling

Thursday, December 6th, 2018

The Garden of Eden isn’t a place – It’s a feeling.

— L. Boyer

The Garden of Eden isn't a place - it's a feeling. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016. www.walled-in-berlin.com

The Garden of Eden isn’t a place – it’s a feeling. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2016. www.walled-in-berlin.com

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

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Froebel stars – Handmade German Ornaments

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Froebel stars are three-dimensional paper ornaments that German children used to make in school for the family’s Christmas tree or wreath. Today, in Germany as in many other countries, handmade decorations have declined in favor of store-bought items. Froebel stars are made by folding and interweaving paper strips without the use of glue.  It is a form of origami. Four paper strips of identical length are folded and woven until a star with eight flat and eight cone-shaped points emerges. 

How to make Froebel stars

The paper strips for the stars can be ordered online from a variety of vendors and are available in just about every imaginable color, pattern and width. Wider strips make larger stars. Narrow strips make tiny stars. I made my Froebel stars from ¾ inch gold paper strips and ended up with stars that are approximately 3 ½ inches in diameter. Many online videos take you through the process step by step. I followed the instructions at https://youtu.be/7rr34gOba5Q. It took a bit of patience on my part, and I had to consult the video a number of times, but eventually I was rewarded with a beautiful star.

Handmade German Froebel stars, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

Handmade German Froebel stars, photo © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com

How Froebel stars got their name

Froebel stars are named after the German educator Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) who advocated paper folding for young children to introduce them to basic mathematical concepts. Recognizing that children have unique needs and capabilities, Froebel designed educational play materials known as Froebel Gifts. The “gifts” included circles, spheres and geometric building blocks. Most likely, Friedrich Froebel did not invent Froebel stars, however, because descriptions of how to fold them date back to the 19th century or even further. But he used the folding and weaving concept in his educational activities.

Friedrich Froebel coined the word “Kindergarten”

As an interesting aside, it was also Friedrich Froebel who coined the word kindergarten in 1840, which soon entered the English language. The idea of an educational institution for young children between the ages of four and six got the immediate attention of other educators. But spread of the concept was initially thwarted in Germany by the Prussian government. In 1851, the Ministry of Education banned kindergartens because it feared that they might conflict with religious and political practices. Nonetheless, a Froebel fan exported the kindergarten idea to England, France and the Netherlands. And in 1856, Froebel’s student Margarethe Schurz founded the first kindergarten in the United States. Soon, kindergartens were established throughout Europe and North America.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

 

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