Today, The Grandma has been reading about Volkswagen, the German motor vehicle manufacturer that was founded on a day like today in 1937.
Volkswagen, shortened to VW, is a German motor vehicle manufacturer founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front,known for the iconic Beetle and headquartered in Wolfsburg. It is the flagship brand of the Volkswagen Group, the largest carmaker by worldwide sales in 2016 and 2017.
The group's biggest market is in China, which delivers 40% of its sales and profits. Popular models of Volkswagen include Golf, Jetta, Passat, Atlas, and Tiguan. The German term Volk translates to people, thus Volkswagen translates to people's car.
Volkswagen was established in 1937 by the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront) in Berlin.
In the early 1930s, cars were a luxury -most Germans could afford nothing more elaborate than a motorcycle and only one German out of 50 owned a car.
Seeking a potential new market, some carmakers began independent people's car projects -the Mercedes 170H, BMW 3/15, Adler AutoBahn, Steyr 55, and Hanomag 1.3L, among others.
War changed production to military vehicles -the Type 82 Kübelwagen, utility vehicle, VW's most common wartime model, and the amphibious Schwimmwagen -manufactured for German forces.
The company owes its post-war existence largely to one man, wartime British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst, REME.
In April 1945, KdF-Stadt and its heavily bombed factory were captured by the Americans and subsequently handed over to the British, within whose occupation zones the town and factory fell.
From 1948, Volkswagen became an important element, symbolically and economically, of West German regeneration.
Heinrich Nordhoff (1899-1968), a former senior manager at Opel who had overseen civilian and military vehicle production in the 1930s and 1940s, was recruited to run the factory in 1948.
In 1949, Major Hirst left the company -now re-formed as a trust controlled by the West German government and government of the State of Lower Saxony.
The Beetle sedan or peoples' carVolkswagen is the Type 1. Apart from the introduction of the Volkswagen Type 2 commercial vehicle (van, pick-up, and camper), and the VW Karmann Ghia sports car, Nordhoff pursued the one-model policy until shortly before his death in 1968.
VW expanded its product line in 1961 with the introduction of four Type 3 models (Karmann Ghia, Notchback, Fastback, and Variant) based on the new Type 3 mechanical underpinnings. The name Squareback was used in the United States for the Variant.
While Volkswagen's range of cars soon became similar to that of other large European carmakers, the Golf has been the mainstay of the Volkswagen line-up since its introduction, and the mechanical basis for several other cars of the company. There have been eight generations of the Volkswagen Golf, the first of which was produced from the summer of 1974 until the autumn of 1983.
In 1991, Volkswagen launched the third-generation Golf, which was European Car of the Year for 1992. The Golf Mk3 and Jetta Mk3 arrived in North America in 1993. The sedan version of the Golf was badged Vento in Europe but remained Jetta in the United States. The Scirocco and the later Corrado were both Golf-based coupés.
The sixth-generation VW Golf was launched in 2008, came runner-up to the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia in the 2009 European Car of the Year, and has spawned several cousins: VW Jetta, VW Scirocco, SEAT León, SEAT Toledo, Škoda Octavia and Audi A3 hatchback ranges, as well as a new mini-MPV, the SEAT Altea.
In 2017, Volkswagen announced plans to place a considerable focus on electric vehicles (EV), with a goal to, by 2025, launch at least 30 EV models, and have 20 to 25 percent of their total yearly sales volume (2-3 million) consist of EVs.
In September, Volkswagen CEO Matthias Müller stated that the company aimed to have electric versions of all of its vehicle models by 2030, at a cost of 20 billion euro, and 50 billion euro on acquisition of batteries.
In November 2020, Volkswagen announced that, trying to remain the world's largest carmaker in the green era, it has increased its investment in electric and self-driving cars to $86 billion over the next five years.
Today, The Grandma wants to talk about Can Dündar,the Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian who lives in exile, in Germany, after Turkish government targeted him and wants to imprison him. Dündar is an example of free journalism fighting under the pressure of a dictatorship.
Can Dündar was born on a day like today in 1961 and The Grandma thinks that the best way to homage him is knowing his story and his work.
Can Dündar (born 16 June 1961) is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. Editor-in-chief of center-left Cumhuriyet newspaper until August 2016, he was arrested in November 2015 after his newspaper published footage showing the State Intelligence MİT sending weapons to Syrian Islamist fighters.
One of the best known figures in Turkish media, Dündar has written for several newspapers, produced many television programs for state-owned TRT and various private channels including CNN Türk and NTV, and published more than 20 books. Dündar is the recipient of the International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In 2016, Can Dündar, together with Erdem Gül, were awarded the Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media, by the Leipzig Media Foundation, lead partner of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom. Since
June 2016, he has lived in exile in Germany, with an arrest warrant
against him in Turkey. Currently he is editor-in-chief of #ÖZGÜRÜZ, a
web radio station run by the nonprofit newsroom CORRECTIV. He is also
one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy
Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.
Dündar studied journalism at the Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University, and graduated in 1982. He continued his education at the London School of Journalism in 1986. He received his master's degree in 1988 and in 1996 earned his Ph.D. in political science from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Dündar's family is of paternal Circassian and maternal Albanian origin.
Dündar has contributed to various print publications, including Hürriyet (1983–1985), Nokta, Haftaya Bakış, Söz and Tempo. From October 1996 to June 1998 he moderated his own TV-Show 40 Dakika (Turkish) where he discussed current themes in Turkey. It got aired weekly on Show TV with Erbil Tuşalp and Celal Kazdağlı as the editors-in-chief. He wrote for Sabah from January 1999 to April 2000 and Milliyet from January 2000. On television, he has been involved in Yanki (1979–83) and 32. Gün (1989–95) among others, including Neden? (2009). His
work often traces Turkey’s evolution into a modern nation and provides
historical and political detail regarding crucial events, debates, and
conflicts. This includes profiles of historical and political figures
such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Ismet Inönü, Nazim Hikmet and Vehbi Koç.
His screenplay for the 2008 film Mustafa depicted the founder of the
Republic of Turkey as a regular man with fears, passions and human
expectations, rather than a life-size hero.
Can Dündar
A longstanding columnist for Milliyet, Dündar was laid off in August 2013 for writing too sharply about the Gezi protests and the developments in Egypt, as the paper's owner Erdoğan Demirören put it. Dündar recalled: It was said to me, ‘We do not wish to see stories that will displease the prime minister in this paper. Everythingdispleases them, and after they are displeased, they go after us’.
Subsequently, he turned to the center-left Cumhuriyet, and on 8 February 2015 became the newspaper's new editor-in-chief. In November, Cumhuriyet was awarded the 2015 Reporters Without Borders Prize for its independent and courageous journalism.
Shortly thereafter, Dündar and Cumhuriyet's Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül were arrested on charges of being members of a terror organization, espionage and revealing confidential documents, facing sentences of up to life imprisonment.
The investigations had been launched in May, after the newspaper published photos depicting weapons transferred to Syria in trucks of the National Intelligence Organization, subject of the MİT trucks scandal.
In June 2015, Turkish President Erdoğan had publicly targeted Dündar, stating: The individual who reported this as an exclusive story will pay a heavy price for this. In prison, Dündar was denied colored pencils to draw with but made his own paint by pressing fruit in his cell, refusing the ban on color and smuggling his paintings out of prison because he wanted to prove that color can exist even in the darkest of places.
After 92 days in prison, Dündar and Gül were released on 26 February 2016 after the Supreme Court decided that their detention was an undue deprivation of liberty.
On 6 May 2016, there was an assassination attempt witnessed by multiple reporters in front of the Istanbul courthouse where Dündar had just been defending himself against charges of treason. The assailant was stopped by Dündar's wife and a member of parliament, Muharrem Erkek, before he could fire more than two shots. Dündar was unhurt, but another journalist suffered an injury in the leg. The assailant was taken into custody by plain-clothed police. On the same day, Dündar was sentenced to imprisonment for five years and 10 months for leaking secret information of the state.
Dündar moved to Germany in June 2016. In August 2016, he stepped down from his position of editor-in-chief in Cumhuriyet and announced that he would continue as a columnist in the newspaper. An arrest warrant in absentia was issued in Turkey for him on 31 October 2016.
He is married to Dilek Dündar, and the couple have one child. His father allegedly worked for the National Intelligence Organization. He lives in Berlin, Germany. He was attacked many times because of anti-government news by Turks living in Berlin.
Today, The Grandma has received the grateful visit of her closer friend Joseph de Ca’th Lon. They have visited El Museu Egipci de Barcelona(Barcelona Egyptian Museum) together. Joseph is a great expert in History and TheGrandma loves visiting museums and expositions with him. They have chosen this amazing museum sited in the downtown of the city to commemorate that on a day like today in 1912, Nefertiti Bust was discovered and also the 25th anniversary of the Museum that is a private foundation.
The Clos Archaeological Foundation is a private not-for-profit entity founded by Jordi Clos Llombart in 1992. Its mission is to promote and disseminate art in general and archaeology, in particular Ancient Egypt.
Before visiting El Museu Egipci, The Grandma has read a new chapter of Mary Stewart's This Rough Magic.
The Nefertiti bust is a painted stucco-coated limestone bust of Nefertiti, the Great Royal Wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten.
The work is believed to have been crafted in 1345 B.C. by Thutmose because it was found in his workshop in Amarna, Egypt. It is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt.
Nefertiti has become one of the most famous women of the ancient world and an icon of feminine beauty.
A German archaeological team led by Ludwig Borchardt discovered the bust in 1912 in Thutmose's workshop. It has been kept at various locations in Germany since its discovery, including the cellar of a bank, a salt mine in Merkers-Kieselbach, the Dahlem museum, the Egyptian Museum in Charlottenburg, and the Altes Museum. It is currently on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin, where it was originally displayed before World War II.
The Nefertiti bust has become a cultural symbol of Berlin as well as ancient Egypt. It has also been the subject of an intense argument between Egypt and Germany over Egyptian demands for its repatriation, which began in 1924 once the bust was first displayed to the public. Egyptian inspectors were not shown the actual bust before they let it out of the country.
Visiting El Museu Egipci, Barcelona
Nefertiti, meaning thebeautiful one has come forth was the 14th-century BC Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of the EgyptianPharaohAkhenaten of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt.
Akhenaten initiated a new monotheistic form of worship called Atenism dedicated to the Sun disc Aten. Little is known about Nefertiti.
Theories suggest she could have been an Egyptian royal by birth, a foreign princess or the daughter of a high government official named Ay, who became pharaoh after Tutankhamun. She may have been the co-regent of Egypt with Akhenaten, who ruled from 1352 BC to 1336 BC.
Nefertiti bore six daughters to Akhenaten, one of whom, Ankhesenpaaten, renamed Ankhesenamun after the suppression of the Aten cult, married Tutankhamun, Nefertiti's stepson.
Nefertiti was thought to have disappeared in the twelfth year of Akhenaten's reign, though whether this is due to her death or because she took a new name is not known. She may also have later become a pharaoh in her own right, ruling alone for a short time after her husband's death. However, it is now known that she was still alive in the sixteenth year of her husband's reign from a limestone quarry inscription found at Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. Dayr Abū Ḥinnis is located on the eastern side of the Nile, about ten kilometres north of Amarna.
The bust of Nefertiti is believed to have been crafted about 1345 BC by the sculptor Thutmose.
The bust does not have any inscriptions, but can be certainly identified as Nefertiti by the characteristic crown, which she wears in other surviving and clearly labelled depictions, for example the house altar.
The Nefertiti bust was found on 6 December 1912 at Amarna by the German Oriental Company (Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft-DOG), led by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt.
It was found in what had been the sculptor Thutmose's workshop, along with other unfinished busts of Nefertiti. Borchardt's diary provides the main written account of the find; he remarks, Suddenly we had in our hands the most alive Egyptian artwork. You cannot describe it with words. You must see it.
Nefertiti, Neues Museum, Berlin
A 1924 document found in the archives of the German Oriental Company recalls a 20 January 1913 meeting between Ludwig Borchardt and a senior Egyptian official to discuss the division of the archeological finds of 1912 between Germany and Egypt. According to the secretary of the German Oriental Company, who was the author of the document and who was present at the meeting, Borchardt wanted to save the bust for us. Borchardt is suspected of having concealed the bust's real value, although he denied doing so.
The bust of Nefertiti is 48 centimetres tall and weighs about 20 kilograms. It is made of a limestone core covered with painted stucco layers. The face is completely symmetrical and almost intact, but the left eye lacks the inlay present in the right. The pupil of the right eye is of inserted quartz with black paint and is fixed with beeswax. The background of the eye-socket is unadorned limestone.
Nefertiti wears her characteristic blue crown known as the Nefertiti cap crown with a golden diadem band looped around like horizontal ribbons and joining at the back, and an Uraeus (cobra) over her brow -which is now broken. She also wears a broad collar with a floral pattern on it. The ears also have suffered some damage.
The Nefertiti bust reflects the classical Egyptian art style, deviating from the eccentricities of the Amarna art style, which was developed in Akhenaten's reign. The exact function of the bust is unknown, though it is theorized that the bust may be a sculptor's modello to be used as a basis for other official portraits, kept in the artist's workshop.
Ludwig Borchardt commissioned a chemical analysis of the coloured pigments of the head. The result of the examination was published in the book Portrait of Queen Nofretete in 1923:
-Blue: powdered frit, coloured with copper oxide
-Skin colour (light red): fine powdered lime spar colored with red chalk (iron oxide)
-Yellow: orpiment (arsenic sulfide)
-Green: powdered frit, coloured with copper and iron oxide
-Black: coal with wax as a binding medium
-White: chalk
When the bust was first discovered, no piece of quartz to represent the iris of the left eyeball was present, as in the other eye, and none was found despite an intensive search and a then significant reward of £1000 being put up for information regarding its whereabouts. Borchardt assumed that the quartz iris of the left eye had fallen out when the sculptor Thutmose's workshop fell into ruin. The missing eye led to speculation that Nefertiti may have suffered from an ophthalmic infection, and actually lost her left eye, though the presence of an iris in other statues of her contradicted this possibility.
Nefertiti, Neues Museum, Berlin
The bust of Nefertiti has become one of the most admired, and most copied,images from ancient Egypt, and the star exhibit used to market Berlin's museums.
It is seen as an icon of international beauty. Showing a woman with a long neck, elegantlyarched brows, high cheekbones, aslender nose and an enigmatic smile played about red lips, the bust has established Nefertiti as one of the most beautiful faces of antiquity.
It is described as the most famous bust of ancient art, comparable only to the mask of Tutankhamun.
Nefertiti has become an icon of Berlin's culture. Some 500,000 visitors see Nefertiti every year. The bust is described as the best-known work of art from ancient Egypt, arguably from all antiquity". Her face is on postcards of Berlin and 1989 German postage stamps.
The Nefertiti bust has been in Germany since 1913, when it was shipped to Berlin and presented to James Simon, a wholesale merchant and the sponsor of the Amarna excavation. It was displayed at Simon's residence until 1913, when Simon lent the bust and other artifacts from the Amarna dig to the BerlinMuseum. Although the rest of the Amarna collection was displayed in 1913–14, Nefertiti was kept secret at Borchardt's request.
In 1918, the Museum discussed the public display of the bust, but again kept it secret on the request of Borchardt. It was permanently donated to the Berlin Museum in 1920.
Finally, in 1923, the bust was first revealed to the public in Borchardt's writings and in 1924, displayed to the public as part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. The bust created a sensation, swiftly becoming a world-renowned icon of feminine beauty, and one of the most universally-recognised artifacts to survive from Ancient Egypt.
The Nefertiti bust was displayed in Berlin's Neues Museum on Museum Island until the museum was closed in 1939; with the onset of World War II, the Berlin museums were emptied and the artifacts moved to secure shelters for safekeeping.
Nefertiti was initially stored in the cellar of the Prussian Governmental Bank and then, in the autumn of 1941, moved to the tower of a flak bunker in Berlin. The Neues Museum suffered bombings in 1943 by the Royal Air Force. On 6 March 1945, the bust was moved to a German salt mine at Merkers-Kieselbach in Thuringia.
In March 1945, the bust was found by the American Army and given over to its Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives branch. It was moved to the Reichsbank in Frankfurt and then, in August, shipped to the U.S. Central Collecting Point in Wiesbaden where it was displayed to the public in 1946.
In 1956, the bust was returned to West Berlin. There it was displayed at the Dahlem Museum. As early as 1946, East Germany (German Democratic Republic) insisted on the return of Nefertiti to Museum Island in East Berlin, where the bust had been displayed before the war.
In 1967, Nefertiti was moved to the Egyptian Museum in Charlottenburg and remained there until 2005, when it was moved to the Altes Museum.
The bust returned to the Neues Museum as its centerpiece when the museum reopened in October 2009.
I'm Joaquín Jones. I was born in Berlin when the city was divided in four parts: The American, the British, the French and the Russian one. I'm from the German Democratic Republic, a country that doesn't exist today. Living under the URSS was difficult because we hadn't got anything and we lived under a big poverty. I'm a sailor, a person who sails across seas and oceans. I like sea and the sound of silence.
-Good morning, Joaquín Jones and thanks to attend us.
-Good morning. It's an honour.
-How was life in the GDR?
-Difficult. It was very difficult. I think that this age influenced me a lot and, perhaps, this is the main reason about my job.
-Why?
-Because in the GDR you worked thousands of hours and you didn't earn a lot of money. When the wall fell, capitalism arrived to us and, although it isn't a perfect economic system and creates a lot of differences, it's better than living under the communism.
-Do you miss anything about the GDR?
-Well, people were very educated and polite but I don't know if it was because of the control of the system over the citizens or because of the idiosyncrasy of the East German people.
-When did you decide to be a sailor?
-Since the moment I had enough conscience to realize I was living under a dictatorship in a city divided in four parts and separated by a long and high wall. I neede to feel freedom and being a sailor was a way to escape. Sea makes me happy and free.
-Sea is beautiful but very dangerous, isn't it?
-Nature is impossible to control even to predict. We can try to understand it but it isn't under our hands. It's powerful and dangerous but all has a meaning in it. This is dangerous but also wonderful. You must love it because if you love nature, you respect yourself as a part of it.
-Which is the best wind?
-The wind of change.
-Which is it?
-It's the wind that announces changes for the future that will improve our lives.
-It's beautiful.
-It's one of the most amazing songs of Scorpions, the German group from Hannover.
-How do you define yourself?
-I'm a person with an open mind who likes learning things and travelling around the world. We were prisoners too much time and we need open our mind and know other cultures and other people. We can learn a lot and offer our knowledge at the same time.
-Which is your favourite country?
-All of them. Every country has something to offer but if I have to choose, I like the USA because I'm in love with New York City and Ireland, because all the country is a fairy tale, but I also like Peru and the Pacific Islands.
-Have you visited these countries, then?
-Yes, all of them and every one has something special to remember. I have lots of memories and it's impossible to only talk about one.
-Which is the most dangerous sea animal for you?
-Well, it's difficult to choose only one but because I'm a sailor and I read Moby Dick dozens of times I agree with Captain Ahab. The White Whale is a kind of animal that impress me much.
-And sharks?
-When I remember the Pacific Ocean I think in sharks, especially in the whale shark which is in danger of extinction but also in the 250 other types which live in this ocean and eat fish, seals and crabs. I have respect for them.
-Are you proud of being German?
-It's a strange situation. We need at least two more generations to forget this terrible fact. The role of Germany in the WWII was terrible and we lived the consequences during many years.
-But now, Germany is the most powerful European country...
-I don't agree. I think that Norway, Luxembourg, Vatican City, Netherlands or even Andorra are better than us. Working on TV has showed me how important is marketing to promote your ideas. I think Germany is a big marketing campaign. Germany is a great industry for Europe but other countries have more power than us.
-Are you a sceptic?
-Yes, in some things that people accept without thinking twice, I often have other opinion.
-Why do you think people accept the official version so easily?
-I don't know. The influence of mass media over the population is huge. You can't trust on newspapers, TV or radio because they explain the reality that they want and they're interested in. If you say one lie thousands of times, finally, people will accept it like a truth.
-Which is the solution to fight against this?
-It's difficult. You can't live without trusting in anything or anybody but you can try to be critic and observe as things as you can before giving your opinion about something. You must listen to all versions and try to extract the real information which is hidden. We must be proactive citizens.
-How do you feel being a member of The Jones?
-Very well. It's an incredible experience. They are funny and we can talk about whatever we want without any kind of censorship and this create an open environment of trust and freedom.
-How is a normal day with The Jones?
-We haven't got similar days. Every day is different and this is something very important because it offers to you the possibility of living fantastic experiences every day and enjoy them with all your heart because you know that next day you're going to put the score to zero and we're going to start again. It's a non-stopping life.
-Which is your best memory with The Jones?
-It’s difficult to choose only one but I like every birthday and special day that we have celebrated.
-Which is your favourite colour?
-There’s a colour for every moment but if I had to choose one, perhaps blue, because is the sea colour.
-How long have you been studying English?
-I never studied English in the school. It was forbidden. We studied Russian and Spanish because we only could travel to the URSS and to Cuba. I started to learn English when the wall fell and I had the chance to travel.
-Was English difficult to learn?
-Not a lot. English and German have a lot of things in common. They're from the same linguistic family. Learning English wasn't necessary until we had the opportunity of travelling and have business with foreign enterprises.
-You like travelling. Recommend me a country...
-Peru. It's an amazing country full of kind people and ancient places where time seems to stop. One country that has more than 3,000 kinds of potatoes deserves all my respect. It's incredible.
-Do you like potatoes?
-Yes, I do. Although they aren't my favourite food, it's fantastic to eat some potatoes while you're drinking one of the best German beers.
-Which one?
-Whatever you want. All of them are good beers.
-And about food?
-Without any kind of doubt Ana Bean-Jones' cakes. They are delicious.
Elisabet Bond-Bean participating in German Got Talent
Elisabet Bond-Bean. Reality Show Participant. Germany.
I'm Elisabet Bond-Bean. I was born in Berlin when the city was divided in four parts: The American, the British, the French and the Russian one. I'm from the German Democratic Republic, a country that doesn't exist today. Living under the URSS was difficult because we hadn't got anything and we lived under a big poverty. I'm a reality show participant, a person who appears on TV creating opinion and entertainment. I like colours, reading and travelling. I'm like Berlin was. I'm a mix of Bean and Bond and it's fantastic because I have grown in experiences with the two families. I was Eli with The Bonds and I'm Elisabet with The Beans. I haven't changed a lot, I'm the same person.
-Good morning, Elisabet Bond and thanks to attend us.
-Good morning. It's an honour.
-How was life in the GDR?
-Difficult. It was very difficult. I think that this age influenced me a lot and, perhaps, this is the main reason about my job.
-Why?
-Because in the GDR you worked thousands of hours and you didn't earn a lot of money. When the wall fell, capitalism arrived to us and, although it isn't a perfect economic system and creates a lot of differences, it's better than living under the communism.
-Do you miss anything about the GDR?
-Well, people were very educated and polite but I don't know if it was because of the control of the system over the citizens or because of the idiosyncrasy of the East German people.
-When did you decide to be a TV Star?
-I'm not exactly a TV Star. I won a reality show and then a lot of TV viewers discovered me but I try to live as anonymous as I can.
-Do you believe this kind of TV programmes are good for children or they're rubbish like some people think?
-I don't understand why people speak badly about these entertainment programmes. There are lots of channels on TV. If you don't like this programme, you can choose another and if children are watching these programmes, I suppose, it's because their parents accept or they aren't at home. In this case, perhaps the problem is about the families' schedules and not about TV.
-How do you define yourself?
-I'm a person with an open mind who likes learning things and travelling around the world. We were prisoners too much time and now that we have the opportunity; I'm not going to miss it.
-Which is your favourite country?
-All of them. Every country has something to offer but if I have to choose, I like the USA because I'm in love with New York City and Ireland, because all the country is a fairy tale.
-Have you visited these countries, then?
-Yes, I have. Last year, with The Bonds, I was in New York City and it was an incredible experience. I travelled from NYC to San Francisco because I wanted to visit Berkley University and Silicon Valley. San Francisco is an amazing city and I discovered that the origin of jeans was thanks to Levi Strauss, who in 1850 created them. Later, I visited San Diego and I was the Pacific Ocean for first time. This year, I have repeated the same experience and it has been incredible again.
-And Ireland?
-Yes. I was also in Ireland. I visited all the country from the north to the south and I discovered nice people with strong ideas who were very proud of their culture. I want to homage Dolores O' Riordan who I admired and admire a lot
-Now, Germany is the most powerful European country...
-I don't agree. I think that Norway, Luxembourg, Vatican City, Netherlands or even Andorra are better than us. A country must offer services to its citizens and those five countries offer many and better services than Germany. Working on TV has showed me how important is marketing to promote your ideas. I think Germany is a big marketing campaign, in that sense. It's not necessary to be the biggest or the country with the highest number of population. The most important is taking care of your inhabitants, all of them, without exceptions.
-Are you a sceptic?
-Yes, in some things that people accept without thinking twice, I often have another opinion.
-Why do you think people accept the official version so easily?
-I don't know. The influence of mass media over the population is huge. You can't trust on newspapers, TV or radio because they explain the reality that they want and they're interested in. If you say one lie thousands of times, finally, people will accept it like a truth.
-Which is the solution to fight against this?
-It's difficult. You can't live without trusting in anything or anybody but you can try to be critic and observe as things as you can before giving your opinion about something. You must listen to all versions and try to extract the real information which is hidden. We must be proactive citizens.
-How do you feel being a member of The Beans?
-Very well. It's an incredible experience. I got married with Jaume Bond and we arrived to a friendly divorce. He's an artist and he needed space. Now, I get married again with Edgar Bean and I'm living another dream. I have lived lots of emotions and great moments. Óscar is also an important person for me.
-How is a normal day with The Beans?
-We haven't got similar days. Every day is different and this is something very important because it offers to you the possibility of living fantastic experiences every day and enjoys them with all your heart because you know that next day you're going to put the score to zero and we're going to start again. It's a non-stopping life.
-Which is your best memory with The Beans?
-It’s difficult to choose only one. I remembered my birthday. It was a great surprise the family appreciated it. I love them.
-How long have you been studying English?
-I never studied English in the school. It was forbidden. We studied Russian and Spanish because we only could travel to the URSS and to Cuba. I started to learn English when the wall fell and I had the chance to travel.
-Was English difficult to learn?
-Not a lot. English and German have a lot of things in common. They're from the same linguistic family. When I met Jaume Bond, we talked in German because he's Dutch and he speaks it. Learning English wasn't necessary until we had the opportunity of travelling and have business with foreign enterprises. Now, I’m also reviewing my French because of Edgar Bean.
-You like reading, don't you. Recommend me a book...
-I like George Orwell. I recommend you Homage to Catalonia, a book about the resistance of Catalan people during the Spanish Civil War. This war was very important for us because, as Winston Churchill said, if Europe had helped the Spanish Republic, we hadn't suffered the WWII. But Europe, like always, decided to look to other side and the tragedy was consumed in all Europe. I also recommend you 1984, the book where Orwell talks about the big brother and the future idea of governments controlling all the populations.
-Do you think we are under a big brother?
-Of course, we are. We are totally controlled by mobile phone, internet, passports, DNA... We haven't got privacy and this is very important in life because is good staying alone with you without the control of the power.
-Define yourself in one sentence.
-My life is changing every day in every possible way.
-Thank you very much, Elisabet Bond-Bean.
-You're welcome.
For an artist or an entertainer, it's the ultimate when you can go to the forest when you're done your work and escape.
I'm Eli Bond. I was born in Berlin when the city was divided in four parts: The American, the British, the French and the Russian one. I'm from the German Democratic Republic, a country that doesn't exist today. Living under the URSS was difficult because we hadn't got anything and we lived under a big poverty. I'm a reality show participant, a person who appears on TV creating opinion and entertainment. I like colours, reading and travelling.
-Good morning, Eli Bond and thanks to attend us.
-Good morning. It's an honour.
-How was life in the GDR?
-Difficult. It was very difficult. I think that this age influenced me a lot and, perhaps, this is the main reason about my job.
-Why?
-Because in the GDR you worked thousands of hours and you didn't earn a lot of money. When the wall fell, capitalism arrived to us and, although it isn't a perfect economic system and creates a lot of differences, it's better than living under the communism.
-Do you miss anything about the GDR?
-Well, people were very educated and polite but I don't know if it was because of the control of the system over the citizens or because of the idiosyncrasy of the East German people.
-When did you decide to be a TV Star?
-I'm not exactly a TV Star. I won a reality show and then a lot of TV viewers discovered me but I try to live as anonymous as I can.
-Do you believe this kind of TV programmes are good for children or they're rubbish like some people think?
-I don't understand why people speak badly about these entertainment programmes. There are lots of channels on TV. If you don't like this programme, you can choose another and if children are watching these programmes, I suppose, it's because their parents accept or they aren't at home. In this case, perhaps the problem is about the families' schedules and not about TV.
-How do you define yourself?
-I'm a person with an open mind who likes learning things and travelling around the world. We were prisoners too much time, we couldn't leave the XXX, and now that we have the opportunity, I'm not going to miss it.
-Which is your favourite country?
-All of them. Every country has something to offer but if I have to choose, I like the USA because I'm in love with New York City and Ireland, because all the country is a fairy tale.
-Have you visited these countries, then?
-Yes, I have. I was in New York City and it was an incredible experience. I travelled from NYC to San Francisco because I wanted to visit Berkley University and Silicon Valley. San Francisco is an amazing city and I discovered that the origin of jeans was thanks to Levi Strauss, who in 1850 created them. Later, I visited San Diego and I was the Pacific Ocean for first time. When I remember the Pacific Ocean I think in sharks, especially in the whale shark which is in danger of extinction but also in the 250 other types which live in this ocean and eat fish, seals and crabs. They scare me.
-And Ireland?
-Yes. I was also in Ireland. I visited all the country from the north to the south and I discovered nice people with strong ideas who were very proud of their culture.
-Are you proud of being German?
-It's a strange situation. We need at least two more generations to forget this terrible fact. The role of Germany in the WWII was terrible and we lived the consequences during many years.
-But now, Germany is the most powerful European country...
-I don't agree. I think that Norway, Luxembourg, Vatican City, Netherlands or even Andorra are better than us. Working on TV has showed me how important is marketing to promote your ideas. I think Germany is a big marketing campaign.
-Are you a sceptic?
-Yes, in some things that people accept without thinking twice, I often have other opinion.
-Why do you think people accept the official version so easily?
-I don't know. The influence of mass media over the population is huge. You can't trust on newspapers, TV or radio because they explain the reality that they want and they're interested in. If you say one lie thousands of times, finally, people will accept it like a truth.
-Which is the solution to fight against this?
-It's difficult. You can't live without trusting in anything or anybody but you can try to be critic and observe as things as you can before giving your opinion about something. You must listen to all versions and try to extract the real information which is hidden. We must be proactive citizens.
-How do you feel being a member of The Bond's family?
-Very well. It's an incredible experience. I got married with Jaume Bond and he's an artist. Being with the whole family is like being with Jaume multiply by one hundred. I have lived lots of emotions and great experiences.
-How is a normal day with The Bonds?
-We haven't got similar days. Every day is different and this is something very important because it offers to you the possibility of living fantastic experiences every day and you can enjoy them with all your heart because you know that next day you're going to put the score to zero and we're going to start again. It's a non-stopping life.
-Which is your best memory with The Bonds?
-It’s difficult to choose only one. I remembered my birthday. It was a great surprise and when I talked about colours. I love them.
-Which is your favourite colour?
-There’s a colour for every moment but if I had to choose one, perhaps green, because is the Irish and hopeless colour.
-How long have you been studying English?
-I never studied English in the school. It was forbidden. We studied Russian and Spanish because we only could travel to the URSS and to Cuba. I started to learn English when the wall fell and I had the chance to travel.
-Was English difficult to learn?
-Not a lot. English and German have a lot of things in common. They're from the same linguistic family. When I met Jaume, we talked in German because he's Dutch and he speaks it. Learning English wasn't necessary until we had the opportunity of travelling and have business with foreign enterprises.
-You like reading, don't you. Recommend me a book...
-I like George Orwell. I recommend you Homage to Catalonia, a book about the resistance of Catalan people during the Spanish Civil War. This war was very important for us because if Europe had helped the Spanish Republic, we hadn't suffered the WWII. But Europe, like always, decided to look to other side and the tragedy was consumed in all Europe. I also recommend you 1984, the book where Orwell talks about the big brother and the future idea of governments controlling all the populations.
-Do you think we are under a big brother?
-Of course, we are. We are totally controlled by mobile phone, internet, passports, DNA... We haven't got privacy and this is very important in life because is good staying alone with you without the control of the power. Imagine Christopher Columbus with a drone over his ship when in August 1492, he arrived to Spain to sail to the west because he believed that the Earth was round and after ten weeks a sailor saw a bird and they arrived to an island that they called San Salvador. It could be interesting to know if this story is true or not.
-Define yourself in one sentence.
-True colours are beautiful like a rainbow.
-Thank you very much, Eli Bond.
-You're welcome.
Its hard to take courage
in a world full of people
you can lose sight of it all and the darkness inside you.
Now, The Bonds are studying some English grammar. They're working the Present Continuous and its uses in Present and Future. After, writing some clues and rules and talking about the Cathar, Gypsy and Arabian cultures, hazard and luck they're doing some exercises to review it and they're creating a composition based on a dice.
Creating a compositioin isn't an easy task. You must think in too many aspects like the context (Who? Where? When?) and what kind of information we want to explain (brainstorming).
After having this information, you can create a little plot paying attention to three important things: cohesion, adequation and coherence.
Finally, depending of the composition you can offer your opinion. The family continues in Berlin. The incident of Jaume Bond and the wall has delayed their return to Barcelona. Tomorrow, they are starting to prepare a new travel to the USA and they are saying goodbye to one of their beloved members.
Luck affects everything. Let your hook always be cast;
in the stream where you least expect it there will be a fish.
