So many stories, so little time
BERLIN — It’s the eve of the anniversary here and, if Berliners are like me, they have already reached sensory overload with images and stories from many sources: the site of the celebration itself at the Brandenburg Gate, television, newspapers, magazines, and even the cab drivers who brought us here.
One of the most unexpected and poignant images for me was a scene I came across today while going someplace else. I was headed to see the display of the giant dominoes in Potsdamer Platz that will fall Monday night as an apt metaphor to freedom, when I found myself in a maze of concrete boxes of various sizes and shapes. Altogether there are more than 2,700 of them.
A young woman rests on one of 2,711 stelae and ponders who they stand for. She is in the middle of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, completed four years ago near Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
A lone woman, dressed in black, was resting against one of them, and it was obvious the had something deep on her mind. Suddenly, I realized this garden of stone was the most visible part of Berlin’s version of the Holocaust Museum although ,in typical German directness, they call it the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The Germans have never been known for an overuse of euphemisms.
When you think about the collective loss of lives signified by this memorial and the remaining chunks of the Berlin Wall arouind this city, you realize that you are standing on hallowed ground. The last time I remember feeling like this was when I walked the battlefield at Gettysburg a dozen years ago. A lot of people paid for their ideas of freedom with their lives, and the pain and hardship visited on their loved ones was incredible.
It would take a book just to convey the stories I’ve heard and the imagery I’ve encountered just in the past three days in Berlin. Everytime I sit down to update this blog, I have a small mountain of material I want to squeeze in; everytime I hit the “publish” button, I feel frustrated I covered so little. Today is no exception.
Getting back to the dominoes, this should be fun tomorrow night. At about 8 p.m., these dominoes that follow the path of the Berlin Wall in the center part of this city will start to fall. Within a few minutes it will be over, but the imagery of it should last a long, long time. For a decade I’ve remembered the thousands of torches being lit along the path of the Wall back in 1999 on the tenth anniversary of this event.
Does all this mean everything is running smoothly in Germany, 20 years after the fall of the Wall and eastern communism? No, there are still problems, certainly. Berlin has not taken on the guise of a a neo-Garden of Eden, nor has the rest of Germany. The economy is a big bother here, and some former East Germans (”Ossis”) are still upset about having to make their way in a competitive capitalist system when the state used to provide for their basic needs. Some westerners are upset that the country has had to subsidize the East so much over the past 20 years, although all Germans have to kick in for the “solidarity tax.”
But — and I’ve heard this time and time again — no one wants to return to the tyranny of the past.
A writer for Der Tagesspiegel, Helmut Schuemann wrote about all this today in an article headlined, “What is Germany in 2009?” He phrased his observations in a series of questions starting with, “Are We Reunited?” Noting several advances — not the least of which is a woman chancellor who comes from the East, no less — Schuemann points out the country has a ways to go in spreading the wealth and workload. He concludes this answer by noting, “The nostalgia for the East and the supposed desire for the past spring from the same melancholy that infects West Berlin.” Simply stated, we all tend to take refuge in the familiar past, remembering the decent times and forgetting the worst.
- More than 1,000 dominoes like this are due to fall Monday night in Berlin.
Yesterday I took my second visit to an important standing memorial here in Berlin: the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. In it is contained some of the most inspiring, death-defying accounts ever heard about a people who just wanted to be free to go where they wanted to go and when.
In fact, 40, 101 “barrier-breakers” (those East Germans without exit visas) risked their lives successfully in doing just that during the 28 years of the Wall’s history. Sadly, another 220 lost their lives trying to get over, under, or through the Berlin Wall. More than 700 others lost their lives at other border crossings in Germany.
This Volkswagen 1200 served as an escape vehicle for 55 courageous East Germans.
College freshmen have to decide what to take to school
University of Oklahoma resident assistant Beth Anne Underwood holds up some of her essential items in her room at Couch Tower. (Photo by Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman)
As many of you know, I’m occasionally called upon to step away briefly from the entertainment brief and contribute stories from other areas to The Oklahoman’s special sections and projects. This story is from today’s Collegebound special section for next year’s college freshmen. I’m posting it here in the hopes some of you might find it useful or interesting.
Will it stay or will it go?
College freshmen graduate from high school belongings
Once they’ve picked the right school, selected their class schedules and agonized over a major, college freshman have another decision-making process to navigate: what to take along and what to leave behind when moving into their new home-away-from-home.
“I brought way too much stuff to the dorms. … I ended up taking like two big tubs back home,” recalled Stephanie Bidelspach, now a junior physical geography major at the University of Oklahoma. “Dorms are rather small, especially when there are two people living in them.”
Incoming freshmen often worry so much about taking essential items that they overpack. When Bidelspach first moved from Chickasha to OU’s Couch Tower, she toted along too many clothes, sheets and towels. And she wasn’t alone.
“Some of the people that I roomed with were from at least 200 miles away, and they too brought a lot of stuff that they really didn’t need and ended up having to leave it in their car until they went home next,” she said.
New students should remember that they will have to haul everything they bring to their room, and on moving day, elevators may be hard to catch. They also will accumulate more stuff during the course of the school year.
In the excitement of moving away from home, students shouldn’t forget to stock up on necessary school supplies, along with an umbrella for the inevitable cross-campus walk in the rain.
“I went through a lot of notebooks … and pencils and pens do disappear,” Bidelspach said.
The most useful item Bidelspach said she brought along her freshman year was her laptop.
“There’s a lot of stuff on the Internet that you have to do for school,” she said. “It gets really inconvenient when you go down to a (computer) lab and there’s not a computer available.”
She also suggested that freshmen invest in a mini-refrigerator, coffee pot, microwave and storage shelves or boxes for snacks. Stocking drinks and munchies from the supermarket is much cheaper than constantly hitting the vending machines, campus store or coffee shop.
“I did a lot of cooking in my dorm with a microwave. There’s a lot of recipes out there that you can use a microwave for instead of an oven, and that saved a whole bunch of money,” said Bidelspach, who now lives in a house off campus.
While microwaves and coffeepots are permitted, Beth Anne Underwood, a resident assistant at OU’s Couch Tower, cautioned students against turning their rooms into a restaurant. Indoor grills and mini-stovetops aren’t allowed, and neither are alcoholic beverages.
“You can’t bring candles or anything with an open flame,” added Underwood, a junior majoring in social sciences and organizational students.
The Alex High School graduate advised incoming students to buy storage devices that will help them maximize their small residence hall space. A shoe rack that hangs on the back of a door, squat plastic tubs that can fit under a bed and shelves or cubbies to stow toiletries in a shared bathroom can keep roommates and suitemates organized.
Another essential item no college student should leave home without: their health insurance card. Underwood, who also works in the campus health clinic’s pharmacy, said parents should request an extra card from their insurance company before school starts.
“Students will come in and they’ll just be like, ‘Yeah, I have insurance, it’s through my parents.’ And then we’re like, ‘Well, do you have your card?’ ‘No, you should be able to look it up, can’t you?’ No, we can’t,” Underwood said. “Even a copy would be better than nothing … as long as they have both sides of the card copied.”
But OU freshmen can leave at home the often-recommended rolls of quarters for laundry. The campus washers and dryers don’t take coins; students swipe their ID card and use their debit account to operate the machines.
“All the kids that come with quarters get really angry. … It’s like, ‘Sorry, go spend them at McDonald’s because they’re not going to do anything for you here,” Underwood said with a laugh.
-BAM
Stories from the Wall
BERLIN — It’s Saturday and this city of 3.5 million people is poised for a big party Monday night. No, it’s not Hank Williams Jr.’s football party; it’s a bit bigger than that. It’s a party to celebrate freedom. It’s a party to celebrate unity.
It’s a party to celebrate the right to have parties.
Actually they had a pretty good one here Thursday night when U2 wowed 10,000 beneath the Brandenburg Gate. Want to see some of that? Try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZfUAMehb24
Officially the Monday party is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall or, as the locals put it, 20 Jahre Mauerfall. The city is abuzz, and the party is being heralded everywhere. The city’s largest newspaper, Berliner Zeitung, carries a full-page front-page picture today of jubilant Berliners straddling the top of the Wall back on Nov. 9 & 10, 1989. The picture reminds you of the remake you’ve probably seen of the line of iron workers from the 1940s straddling the high-rise carcass of a skyscraper while dipping into their lunchpails for a sandwich.
Young people from all over the world crowd Pariser Platz near the Brandenburg Gate Friday as Monday’s big party approaches. A stage is under construction for world leaders and entertainers. U2 performed here Thursday night.
The Zeitung also carries a special 16-page section today called simply, “1989 – 2009,” featuring a large picture of East Berliners rushing to freedom on Bornhomerstrasse the night of Nov. 9, 1989. The headline reads, “Das Volk sind wir, und wir sind Millionen,” or “We are the people, and we are millions.”
It’s hard not to feel emotion over images like this.
I was talking with American George Glass, who is a senior U.S. Embassy official, Friday and he said the same exact thing. Reflecting on all the photos and videos of the that night, Glass said, “For me, the images live on. Last night when I looked out the embassy window and saw U2 performing to 10,000 Germans, and remembering what conditions were like here before the Wall came down, I could hardly believe it.”
Just down Unter den Linden, the main street running into Pariser Platz, I caught up with a veteran ZDF Television reporter who covered the fall of the Wall that night 20 years ago. He is Christhard Lapple, and he worked all night the night of the fall, having the privilege of interviewing the ecstatic East Berliners who were making their dash to freedom, streaming into West Berlin through the now-open gate.
“It was a special atmosphere,” Lapple said with a glowing smile that suggested the years had not dulled the memory nor the emotion. “These people … just to be able to decide for yourself that you can move and go where ever you want to go. That you can bring your sons to their grandparents for the first time!”
The German newspaper, Der Tagesspiegel, has been featuring Lapple’s remembrances of what some of those elated East Berliners had to say that night. Here is a sampling:
Christhard Lapple, a ZDF-TV reporter who covered the fall of the Wall, shows off a chunk of the "monster" he still keeps on his desk.
“We want to do our work, we want to travel, we want to live like everyone else!” a young woman beamed as she and her husband came past the Wall that had kept them from doing all three all their lives.
“Tear down the Wall! Let us tear it down at last! It has stood long enough,” another woman shouts happily. Most of those streaming through the main gate at Bornholmerstrasse are young; maybe 20 to 30.
Lapple wrote of his own feelings, “Now, streams of people pass through the Brandenburg Gate in both directions. The border troops with shouldered Kalashnikovs stand on the edge. Wait. Will they intervene? There is an unreal, happy and peaceful mood.”
A man with a huge mustache says: “It must remain in any case that you can go back and forth. This is the most important thing that we will not shut up again like all these years. “
Amid the elation there were also many questions both East and West Berliners had. How will the country subsidize all these people who have virtually nothing and whose basic needs have been taken care of by the communist state all these years? How will the economy absorb them? Some East Berliners, who knew nothing since World War II than communism, wondered if they really wanted to be capitalists or if they just wanted the freedom to move back and forth as they chose; to reunite with family members once again.
But the questions and concerns failed to dampen the spirit of that night. And the echoes of the hundreds of East Berliners who had died trying to make valiant escape attempts during the Wall’s 28 years of existence seemed to be loud and clear in what these fleeing East Berliners had to say on this 1989 November night.
A double row of cobblestones follows the path the Wall took through Berlin, separating East from West. Now Berliners stroll freely across that line, usually without even noticing it.
Ironically, since Germans put the day before the month when they communicate dates, they refer to this anniversary night of freedom as 9/11. It’s quite a different connotation than Americans have of that number sequence.
A few days ago I was visiting with two close friends in the eastern city of Magdeburg. Drs. Holger and Kristin Kersten both teach at the University of Magdeburg and, although they are from the western cities of Lubeck and Cologne, they moved to eastern Germany for Holger to take his position at the university where he now heads the Department of English Studies.
In moving east, however, the Kerstens are unusual among Germans because it is much more common for Germans raised in the East to move west. The reason? Inequities still remain in job opportunities and pay scales. Things are somewhat better in western Germany, although that gap is closing as George Glass noted in our Friday interview and as a story in Der Tagesspiegel on the “brain drain” in eastern Germany pointed out.
George Glass feels that psychological division between Germans has greatly diminished, however. “Now you hear virtually no references to ‘Ossis’ and ‘Wessis’ (Easterners and Westerners),” he says. “You don’t feel that distinction much any more.”
Holger Kersten grew up in Lubeck and sees the fall of the Wall through a prism of pain because he had family who lived in the East, and members of his family were prevented from seeing each other for many years.
“When I think of the Wall, I think of violence and anger and forced separation of family members, he said. To me, reunification is more a coming-together of family members and friends. Bringing back together those who should have always been together. So he can’t see how any in the East, who lived under that restrictive regime, would say the Wall should still be standing.”
Kristin and Holger Kersten both moved from western German cities to the eastern city of Magdeburg. Most Germans seem to go the other way, but that may be changing.
My own impressions? To say I am a bit surprised by all the attention this anniversary is getting over here, is an understatement. I thought it would be more of a politically-staged celebration which everyday German citizens, caught up in the same kinds of nagging economic issues facing Americans, would push to the back of their minds. But I was wrong, and I think I was wrong because I come from a country that has come to take basic freedoms for granted.
By Chris Lapple’s count, some 4.5 million East Germans got out of East Germany when they could in the years following 1949. Clearly, that became impossible for most when the Wall went up in 1961, but it shows that when a people are confronted with being stripped of their freedoms, many will say no thanks. I’m headed West.
I can’t wait for the party Monday night that celebrates freedom and inspires the rest of the world to cherish it.
OKC County Health Department announces H1N1 immunization clinic
H1N1 Influenza Immunization Clinic
When: Saturday, November 7th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: John Marshall High School, 12201 N. Portland, Oklahoma City
Why: Everyone who meets the CDC and Oklahoma State Health Department guidelines should receive the vaccine.
Background: ONLY the following priority groups:
- Pregnant women
- All children ages 6 months to 18 years
- Custodial parents of infants less 6 months of age
- Frontline healthcare workers who have direct patient contact with acutely ill persons
- Adults 19 to 64 years of age with chronic disease
Potential hazard
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
STRONG SOUTH THROUGH SOUTHWEST WINDS…COMBINED WITH HIGH
TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 70S TO LOWER 80S AND DRYING VEGETATION…
WILL PLACE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL IN THE HIGH CATEGORY THIS AFTERNOON
OVER PARTS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
THOUGH ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN FAIRLY STABLE
INTO NEXT WEEK…ENOUGH MOISTURE MAY RETURN NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF
FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTH WINDS… ALONG WITH VERY WARM AND RELATIVELY
DRY CONDITIONS… WILL RAISE THE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL INTO THE HIGH OR
VERY HIGH CATEGORY AGAIN ON SATURDAY.
Tuesday is Winter Weather Preparedness Day
TUESDAY IS WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS DAY
Oklahoman’s urged to get ready in advance of snow and ice
Soon temperatures will make their way toward freezing, accompanied by the opportunity for snow and ice – making this a good time for Oklahomans to become winter weather prepared. Toward that effort, Gov. Brad Henry has proclaimed Tuesday, November 10 as Winter Weather Preparedness Day. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM), Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the National Weather Service (NWS), along with other state and local agencies have teamed together to share information designed to assist the public in taking action now to ensure they are better prepared for the season.
With winter weather comes the need to prepare your home, automobile and family to deal with the colder temperatures, as well as the possibility for snow and ice. “It’s especially timely to review winter weather travel safety plans since more people will be on the roads during the holiday period,” explained OEM Director Albert Ashwood. “Before setting out on a holiday trip we encourage families to make sure they have prepared their vehicle. Packing blankets, emergency food and water, flashlights, a radio and cell phone with extra batteries will help you and your family, should you become stranded because of the weather,” he said.
If you must travel during a snow or ice event, allow extra time to reach your destination, and make sure you have plenty of fuel. Be particularly cautious on bridges and overpasses as they will be the first to freeze.
“ODOT has over 500 trucks available statewide to clear snow and ice” ODOT State Maintenance Engineer Kevin Bloss said. “If you happen to be on the road during snow or ice conditions, we ask motorists to drive cautiously and stay at least 200 feet behind our sand and salt equipment in order to keep everyone safe.”
It’s also important to remember to protect your home. Adding weather stripping and insulation, keeping furnaces clean and ready to use, and being aware of cold temperatures and vulnerable pipes that might freeze mark just some of the actions that can help prevent major and costly winter weather-related damage.
In recent years Oklahoma has been pounded with ice storms. Since 2007, ice storms were responsible for more than 55 deaths and power outages to more than 640,000 homes and businesses across the state. Infrastructure damage to cities, towns and counties alone exceeded $250 million.
“By following some simple tips and monitoring your local weather during times of severe weather, Oklahomans stand their best chance at not becoming a victim,” said Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist with the NWS Office in Norman.
Information regarding hazardous winter weather, including watches and warnings, is available on the NWS Web site at http://www.weather.gov, on NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio and on local radio and television stations. Sign up now to receive OEM’s weather alerts and receive NWS watches, warnings on your cell phone or other email address at http://www.ok.gov/OEM/.
Below are some additional winter weather preparedness tips. For more information on how to cope with winter weather, contact your local emergency manager.
Be Aware:
Know what winter storm and blizzard watches and warnings mean.
An NWS Winter Storm watch is a message indicating that conditions are favorable to a winter storm.
An NWS warning indicates that a winter storm is occurring or is imminent.
A blizzard warning means sustained winds or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater and considerable falling or blowing snow are expected to prevail for a period of three hours or longer.
Depend on a reliable weather information source (the Internet, NOAA Weather All Hazards Radio, local television and radio stations) for the latest weather information.
Plan for a Winter Storm:
Develop a Family Disaster Plan for winter storms. Discuss with your family what to do if a winter storm watch or warning is issued. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together when a winter storm hits.
Understand the hazards of wind chill. A strong wind combined with a temperature of just below freezing can have the same effect as a still air temperature of 35 degrees or colder.
Check on family, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly. Make sure they are prepared.
Don’t forget about the pets. Make sure they have good food and water supplies and a place to seek shelter.
Have your car winterized before winter storm season.
Protect Your Property:
Install and check/replace batteries in smoke alarms.
Make sure your home is properly insulated. If necessary insulate walls and attic. Caulk and weather-strip doors and windowsills.
Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside.
To keep pipes from freezing, wrap them in insulation or layers of old newspapers. Cover the newspapers with plastic to keep out moisture.
Let faucets drip a little to avoid freezing.
Know how to shut off water valves.
Consider storing extra heating fuel.
Keep safe emergency-heating equipment, such as a fireplace with wood. Always be cautious in using a portable space heater and never leave the heater on when you are not in the room or when you go to bed.
If you have a generator, take the time now to complete any required maintenance. Before using the generator, make sure you follow instructions from a licensed electrician to include proper ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
If You Must Go Out During a Winter Storm:
The best way to stay safe in a snowstorm is not to be out in it. Long periods of exposure to severe cold can result in frostbite or hypothermia. It is easy to become disoriented in blowing snow.
Stretch before you do so. If you go out to shovel snow, do a few stretching exercises to warm up your body. This will reduce your chances of muscle injury.
Avoid overexertion, such as shoveling heavy snow, pushing a car or walking in deep snow.
Walk carefully on snowy, icy sidewalks. Slips and falls occur frequently in winter weather, resulting in painful and sometimes disabling injury.
Dress in many layers and wear a hat and mittens or gloves.
Come inside often for warm-up breaks.
If you start to shiver or get very tired, or if your nose, fingers, toes, or ear lobes start to feel numb or turn very pale, come inside right away and seek medical assistance. These are the signs of hypothermia and frostbite and need immediate attention.
Let someone know your destination, your route and when you expect to arrive.
If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle and hang a brightly colored cloth (preferably red) on the radio antenna and raise the hood (after snow stops falling)
If you must drive in a storm:
Remember, the leading cause of death during winter storms is vehicle crashes. If at all possible, stay home during winter storms. If you know you will need to travel, prepare your vehicle and know how to react if you are stranded on the road.
Check your local weather, as well as the weather along your route and at your destination. Check local media for event closings and cancellations. Remember, conditions can deteriorate quickly in a winter storm.
Check for weather-related road conditions through the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety at www.dps.state.ok.us or by calling toll free, (888) 425-2385.
Make sure you have plenty of fuel; a good rule of thumb is to keep your fuel tank at least half full
Always wear your seat belt
In ice or snow, take it slow; allow ample time to reach your destination
Bring a cell phone with an emergency roadside assistance number (In case of emergency, you can call the Oklahoma Highway Patrol at *55 or 911)
Remember that bridges and ramps will be the first to freeze
Make sure your Winter Storm Disaster Supply Kit includes:
A cell phone with extra battery or two-way radio
Windshield scraper and small broom for ice and snow removal
Several blankets or sleeping bags
Rain gear and extra sets of dry clothing, mittens, socks and a cap
Non-perishable snacks like canned fruit, nuts and other high energy “munchies.” Include non-electric can opener if necessary.
Several bottles of water. Eating snow will lower your body temperature. If necessary, melt it first.
A small sack of sand or kitty litter for generating traction under wheels and a set of tire chains or traction mats.
Jumper cables
A first aid kit
A flashlight with extra batteries
A brightly colored cloth to tie to the antenna if you get stranded.
U2 rocks the Brandenburg Gate
BERLIN – I spent last night in the East German city of Magdeburg, about a 90-minute train ride (with stops) west of here. I was on a tight schedule because a close friend had asked me to lecture at the University of Magdeburg today (Thursday) and I wanted to be back to Berlin in time for the 6 p.m. U2 concert, held outdoor at the Brandenburg Gate.
U2 fans wait for the rock band to take the stage at the Brandenburg Gate Thursday night. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)
Before I go any further, let me say that was one terrific – albeit short – show that this Irish band put on for some 10,000 gathered in the Gate’s Pariser Platz. This was a win-win situation for the City of Berlin, its commemoration of the fall of the Wall, U2 fans, the band itself, and the MTV Europe Music Awards held in Berlin tonight. Featured on the TV show was the short set the band did on the platz.
Berlin holds special significance for U2 since this is where they came in 1990, a year after the fall of the Wall, to reinvent its sound and produce it’s Acthung Baby album.
Bono performs with his band U2 Thursday night. (AP Photo.Gero Breloer)
Over the past several days I’ve been listening to stories from both East and West Germans about what the Wall meant to the country and the City of Berlin when it was up and what it meant when it fell on Nov. 9, 1989. Some of these stories have been pretty heavy, and some have had a touch of humor mixed in with the tragedies. But the upbeat touch that U2 provided tonight was very welcome by young and old Germans alike.
There is one interesting story going around and you can actually find it in the online version of the Berlin newspaper, Der Tagesspiegel at http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/1989/ (you can translate it with Google.) It involves a Lutheran pastor named Rev. Martin Weskott who has been saving tens of thousands of books in East Germany that were thrown on the trash heap after the Wall came down. It was as if these books were somehow contaminated because they came from the East, were maybe written by East Germans, or they were about life or politics there.
Pastor Weskott has an interesting reason for wanting to save the East German books.
“It’s not by throwing culture away that people will rid themselves of their past”, Weskott, 57, told Der Tagesspiegel. The pastor had grown up in West Germany where the memory of the burning of books by the Nazis in 1933 still haunts many Germans.
In fact, it is interesting that Germany celebrates the fall of the Wall not on Nov. 9, but on Oct. 3, which was the date that reunification was officially proclaimed 11 months after the Wall came down. Why isn’t the official celebration on Nov. 9? Because that is the same date (Nov. 9, 1932) as the infamous “Kristallnacht,” or the night of the broken glass when Nazis raided Jewish businesses and synagogues and tossed thousands of books into street bonfires. The shadow that cast on German history was not one that this country wanted confused with the positive events on the same night 57 years later when the Wall came down, so Germany moved the official celebration to Oct. 3.
So the Germans have dubbed Pastor Weskott “the book reverend” for his efforts to save history. He sells the books at his church, and the money for them all goes to charity. Many of the books came from East German libraries that were forced to close for lack of funds.
“No one wanted GDR (German Democratic Republic, as East Germany was known) books anymore,” said Siegfried Lokatis, a book specialist at the University of Leipzig.
No one, that is, except for the book reverend.
Well it’s approaching 3 a.m. Friday for me in Berlin, so I’m thinking about shutting down this post for the night. Before I do, though, how about one more Wall-related story, and this one is a funny one believe it or not. And forgive me, but it comes from my cousin, a guy named Jim Wintermeyer who now lives in Virginia but who traveled much of the world with his parents when his dad worked for the U.S. government.
This story happened not to Jim but to a friend of his (we’ll just go with his first name of Steve because he may still be embarrassed by it). Like Jim, Steve was a U.S. expatriate high schooler living in Turkey in 1961. Because his parents also worked for the U.S. government, his family could take space available on military planes going to various European cities for practically no cost.
So Steve tried to talk Jim into going to East Berlin, something Jim very much wanted to do but which his dad prevented. “I think Dad knew something was in the works in East Berlin,” Jim says, “and he thought it would be dangerous for me. Turns out, he was right.”
So Steve goes to East Berlin, drops in at a bar for some beers and meets a young woman who invites him over to her place. The route to her apartment, however, takes them down a dimly-lit street where Steve feels something hard hit him on the back of the head. When he wakes up, it’s the middle of the night, he is in the street, but he is in the street without any clothes. His money and passport are gone, he knows absolutely no German, and he is wearing only his birthday suit. So Steve does the only thing he can do: he gets up and flags down an East German cop, which turns out to be a big mistake.
Instead of helping Steve, the cop — who turns out to be a Stasi officer — arrests him on the spot.
Steve pleads, “Hey, just let me cross the border to West Berlin,” but that’s when he discovers what my cousin Jim’s dad apparently already knew: This was the night in August 1961 when East Germany officially closed its Berlin border to the West. Construction on the Berlin Wall itself would begin the next day. There was no way out.
So Steve winds up in an East Berlin jail for two weeks while the Stasi try to figure out if he is some kind of spy, pervert, or both. American diplomats have to get involved, and ultimately he is discharged with a one-way ticket out of East Germany. And some borrowed clothes on his back.
Now all he had to do was to explain all this to his dad when he got home. Part of Steve probably preferred the East Berlin jail to that.
Hazardous weather outlook for the next few days
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THERE WILL BE A
SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS A COLD
FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
INCREASING SOUTH WINDS… AND CONTINUED WARM AND RELATIVELY DRY
CONDITIONS… WILL RAISE THE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL INTO THE HIGH OR
VERY HIGH CATEGORY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OVER PARTS OF WESTERN
OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
Killers slay audiences with live show experience
NEW YORK (AP) — When the Killers started out, they wanted to raise a ruckus like their favorite rock stars did on the road: Frontman Brandon Flowers heard of the legendary exploits of Led Zeppelin and David Bowie and wanted to emulate those experiences.
But Flowers says the Killers’ indulgence in the stereotypical rock star lifestyle is now in the wind.
“When we got away from cliches, our shows started really getting better,” Flowers points out.
“You become mindful that people are coming to see a band that’s well-rehearsed,” added drummer Ronnie Vannucci. “Burning the candle at both ends could hinder performance.”
By no means, however, are the Mormon-raised Flowers and the rest of the quartet choirboys.
“I think we smartened up and were a little bit more selective of when we were going to go paint the town red,” Flowers says with a smile.
Now on their fourth album, the band’s impressive live show is coming to a screen near you.
“The Killers: Live From The Royal Albert Hall” was recorded earlier this year in London at the prestigious 138-year old venue. The CD/DVD set, to be released on Tuesday, also features extra footage, including backstage interviews, and excerpts from their performances at the Oxygen and V Festivals as well as a Hyde Park concert, also in London.
Flowers credits London as the place where their success began.
“We wanted to capture that and thank them,” Flowers says. “The energy is different (there). It’s not a part of our culture to celebrate music here the way they do across the Atlantic.”
The soft-spoken Flowers is fearless. He commands the stage like a modern-day crooner, except that he fronts a rock band instead of an orchestra, and wears “guyliner” and feather epaulettes on his blazer (at other times, he opts for a gilded suit).
Despite the boldness of his stage attire, the Killers lead singer doesn’t see himself as a style icon.
“I’m just trying not to look stupid and apparently some people don’t think I’m doing a very good job,” Flowers says, then breaks into a gentle laugh.
They’ve been touring for their latest album, “Day & Age,” for more than a year, and expect to be on the road for a good part of 2010. Spreading their flamboyant brand of pop around the world is a highlight for the band, but they’re also cognizant of its drawbacks.
Vanucci reduces the dilemma to a single word: “Airports.” Then Flowers chimes, “To take off in the sky — not natural. I’d rather be on the bus on the ground.” Immediately, Vannucci interjects, “Somebody’s scared to fly,” before both break out in laughter.
That spirit among Killers translates on stage — and that’s where it really matters.
‘Real Cougar’ on the prowl to redefine stereotype
Linda Franklin, author of "Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am"
Cathy Velte
Cathy Velte is not your average 54-year-old. The Oklahoma City woman is a successful medical researcher. Financially secure, she’s single, beautiful and confident. She’s a speed junkie who races cars professionally. And she’s proud to be a cougar.
But wait. Most people think of a cougar as a lonely, desperate woman over 40 who is on the prowl for a younger man. That hardly describes Velte.
That’s because Velte is one of thousands of women on a crusade to redefine the term cougar as applied to women.
“It is an attitude; it’s just a confident attitude,” Velte said. “It’s where you are in your life. … Most of us are very well-established in our careers and know what we want. Sexually, we’re mature, and we don’t play games. It makes us attractive to younger men.”
But Velte doesn’t pursue younger men. They pursue her. That’s the biggest distinction she sees between the popular notion of cougar and Velte’s definition of a “real cougar.”
Velte remembers a time when she was at a racetrack, and a young man approached her.
“You look fabulous,” he said. “I would love to take you out. Can I have your phone number?”
The two chatted for a moment, and the man told Velte he was 22.
“I have a 24-year-old son,” she said, laughing.
“I don’t care,” the young man said.
“I do,” Velte said.
“It was very flattering to me, but I just have the confidence that I think attracts younger men,” she said. “For what I do, motor sports, you have to have that. That’s a ‘man’s world.’ They don’t think we can drive. They think we’re dangerous. But, boy, do they have a surprise coming.”
‘Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am’
Linda Franklin wrote the book on being a “real cougar.” Literally. In “Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am,” Franklin knocks the stereotypical description of a cougar on its ear.
“Why is it that any time a woman breaks free from the conventional box society has placed her in, she inherits a degrading label?” Franklin writes in the book.
It irked her that when an older man dates a younger women, it’s like a badge of honor, but when a woman dates a younger man, she’s viewed as a predatory animal. She decided to put a positive spin on the cougar image and women over 40 in general.
Being a “real cougar,” Franklin said, is not about finding a hot, younger man to date. It’s about being the best a woman can be.
“The very first thing is to stop listening to what other people are saying,” Franklin said. “If you listen to the party line, you’re going to believe all the hype, that at this age, your sexuality goes away, your importance goes away. It just starts to diminish, and at 50, you just pack it in, put on your sneakers and your sweat suit and go play with your grandkids.”
Many women have put their own interests and true selves on the back burner for so long, they don’t even remember who they really are, Franklin said. Rediscovering yourself is important in becoming the best you can be.
“It’s not about the stilettos,” she said. Being a real cougar isn’t about dressing in short skirts, skimpy tops and vamping around singles bars on the prowl.
“Of course you want to look sexy; of course you want to look well put together; you want to look terrific — but for your age. And the women who go out of their way to try to look like they’re 25 in order to get a guy or for anything else, they’re laughed at. They’re not taken seriously.”
Franklin has started an online community for Real Cougar women to relate to each other. At www.therealcougarwomanclub.com, women can join for free, set up their own profile, participate in forums and discussions, ask questions and learn about being the best real cougar they can be.
Franklin also blogs about being a real cougar woman at www.therealcougarwoman.com.
Cougar components
Five components of being a “Real Cougar,” from “Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am”:
She knows how to keep her body healthy.
She knows how to keep her beauty radiant.
She knows how to keep her financial affairs in order.
She knows how to keep her relationships nurtured.
She knows how to keep her spirit fulfilled.
