UPDATED / GE: Finding Ways To Talk To The (Berlin) Wall and (New!) Whose Trashing the Berlin Wall?

WHOSE TRASHING THE BERLIN WALL?

Trash talking, usually reserved for rivalrous confrontation, has taken another incarnation--that of the disrespected historian. According to Deutch Welle (DW), Germany's most successful international media outlet, only a few parts of the Berlin Wall will stand in for the structure's entire turbulent tenure. The rest of the pieces were unceremoniously delivered to a dump! (story here) 

How anyone can even consider throwing away a key part of Berlin --nay--WORLD history is beyond us. Especially with all the other real trash, there is to get rid of. The entire informed planet cheered and celebrated with Berlin when the wall fell. It's part of our history, too! Consider this: If you had to throw out your great, great Aunt's credenza potentially worth millions of dollars, and a 1999 New Years' Eve tiara, which would go first? (Well....for the majority of us, anyway.) Most would keep that credenza. Yes? Maybe cash that sucker in and pay off your student loan or some other major debt and only, ONLY, if you were completely unable to afford to keep it, or perhaps restore it. 

Listen up, Berlin! We're big on relics here in the USA. We just elected our oldest president to date and saved a 200+ year democracy. And if you guys can't even keep 96 miles of heavily graffitied concrete from 1961, well we just don't know what we're going to have to do with you. So, I've sat up part of the night to think this over, and here are some cool ideas to consider:

1. Pocket weights for skinny people in high winds (not recommended)
2. Weights for birthday balloons filled with helium (better)
3. Garden art
4. Paver blocks or street aggregate
5. Place card holders (just the rubble-- slice 'em a bit)
6. Monument Stone (A Berliner Stonehenge, anyone?) 
7. Park benches
8. Kitchen island slabs (currently an American staple)
9. Memorial tiles (a la Grauman's Chinese Theater)
10. Build a magnificent rock climbing wall.

That should get you started. 

And don't hesitate to call if you need me.

GE - Like Talking to a Wall from Diego Contreras on Vimeo.

GE's reuse of the last remaining part of the Berlin wall is genius! Whatta way to recycle!

Historic Wall Flashbacks!