Mein "Eigude Blog" » Book fair

Opening in the cinemas Today

Rollinator — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:16:24 +0000

3. Addendum Eigude Shame XX

Rollinator — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:46:46 +0000

Letter from the German Federal President’s office!!!

As already reported several times I was during my visit at the book fair on 12.10.2012 pushed ruggedly across the street without asking by a bodyguard due to the arrival of our federal president.

Thereupon I wrote on 15.10. an e-mail to the federal president.

All this can be referred to in the blogposts from 14.10.12 and 16.10.12.

I have continuously heard comments that I should have saved the work with the letter, it wouldn’t bother anyway anyone “up there” what concerns us “minor citizens”.

Even if I got a reply this would last weeks, or even months.

But many people were curious to read the reply as well!

On Friday 25.10.2012, already 10 days after the e-mail, I received a letter from Bellevue Palace (translator’s note: official residence of the German federal president), see stamp.

The letter is not signed by Mr Gauck, but by one of his three closest staff members, his

Personal Officer Mr Johannes Sturm.
TRANSLATION!!!

OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT
Personal office of the
Federal President

BERLIN, 19th October 2012
Spreeweg 1

Mr.
Steffen Löw
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxx Frankfurt am Main

Dear Mister Löw,

Federal President Joachim Gauck thanks you for your e-mail from 15th October 2012.
He has asked me to answer you. He has read your description of your unpleasant experience at the Frankfurt book fair attentively.
I can understand very well that it must have been unpleasant that you were pushed across a street in your wheelchair surprisingly and without being correctly addressed. It is regrettable that this apparently happened. It is not possible to verify your suspicion any more that the person concerned was a security force of the federal president. At this day personnel of a private security company and the Hessian state police were on duty as well.

At the same time I am asking for your understanding that the officers who are in charge of the security of the federal president before and during an event visited by such numerous people like the book fair are bearing a particularly large responsibility. This is concerning the security of the federal president as well as the prevention of possible accidents during arrival and departure of the car convoy.

In good knowledge of the acting officers and the described situation I can assure you that none of the officers is acting in thoughtless or unkind intention.

However I used your letter as occasion to discuss with the officers again the special situation of wheelchair users. Therefore I thank you for your feedback.

The federal president sends his best wishes and sincere regards.

Kind regards,

Johannes Sturm
Personal Officer of the Federal President

Mail address: Bundespräsidialamt 11010 Berlin, lnternet: http://www.bundespraesident.de
E-Mail: poststelle@bpra.bund.de

I have achieved what I had intended with my e-mail.

Mr Sturm has discussed with the security forces the special situation of us wheelchair users.

Download as PDF answer_federal_president_office

Translator BL

Wheeler book tip part I

Rollinator — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:13:10 +0000

One of the reasons why I was at the book fair 2012 in the beautiful Frankfurt was to meet again my friend and author Roberto Sastre in person.

Many fellow wheelers keep a diary already in the hospital after their accident. Writing as is known is medicine as well. So did my friend who wrote down his experiences from the start (as skilled IT guy of course in an internet blog).

This blog has been so successful that he was forced a little to publish it as a book.

His writing style is unique. He manages with his easy cynical style to describe the beginning as wheeler rookie so that articulations like ehhh, ouch, ahaaaaaaaaaaa are totally normal while reading.

The book may not be so suitable to read in a train.

Everybody who liked the movie “The Intouchables” gets his money’s worth with Sastre. The book is called

Rolling Thunder,

(ISBN/EAN: 9783845006550) you have to read it, a little bit like:

” Everything you always wanted to know about spinal cord injury but were afraid to ask”

His next literary act is a crime story,

Bender’s 1st case “Blackout”

(ISBN/EAN: 978-3-8450-0962-9) which is set in Frankfurt. An excellent book!!!

Private investigator Bender is of course a wheelchair using ex-commissar, with a van type “A-team” and an a little bit modified electric wheelchair with the name Elsbeth.

His own vehicle is a bit customized as well.

The book starts with the sentence: This book is made-up from the beginning to the end…

I don’t believe this, I even have the suspicion that he has hacked my computer, stolen my latest research results of most innovative wheelchair reconstruction and published them in his book.

Extract from this novel:

As already said, you can build a lot into such an electric wheelchair.
In Rehab I have met Steffen.
He is totally nuts, has the weirdest ideas, and I and my electric wheelchair always have to suffer. With the result that my batteries are constantly empty.

Until Steffen had the idea with the fuel cell. Had almost cost me my wheelchair.
Because my bottom sustained a slight fire damage I let the hospital check it first…

“Now you’ve got a micro turbine.
There is a new bearing material. Special ceramics. Doesn’t need greasing, nor cooling. Is whistling a bit, but I’ll still carry that off.

From naught to fifty in 2.6 seconds. A bottle of camping gas every 4 weeks.
And I built in a small surprise for you.”

I can recommend those two books out of my deepest conviction, there is so much info inside, and even in a splendid packaging!!!

Translator BL

2. Addendum Eigude Shame XX

Rollinator — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:01:05 +0000

对不起，此内容只适用于Deutsch。

Addendum Eigude Shame XX

Rollinator — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:56:07 +0000

I have really done it!!!

e-mail to the Federal President Mr. Gauck…!!!

After my not-so-nice experience at the book fair in Frankfurt when a bodyguard of our federal president pushed me in my wheelchair out of the way without asking (see blogpost of 14.10.12) I have decided after a day of soul-searching to report this incident to our federal president.

Download as PDF Letter to the federal president

Dear Mister President,

I would like to draw your attention to an incident which happened in connection with your visit to the book fair in Frankfurt on Saturday October 13th, 2012.

I am a wheelchair user and was going around 15:00 hrs from the exit of exhibition hall 3 in the direction of the main plaza when suddenly without prior warning an unknown man grabbed quite ruthless and snappy the handles of my wheelchair and pushed me across the street which was actually closed to traffic.

I was rather in panic, but even shouting didn’t help, the man pushed me further across the street.
It turned out that the man was one of your security forces. You yourself were driving immediately afterwards with your convoy around the corner.

I was very lucky that I didn’t fall out of the wheelchair with this involuntary action because I am sitting in my wheelchair rather unstable due to my quadriplegia (cervical vertebra) and can’t firm up myself with my paralysed legs either.

Additionally I am using, like our minister of Finance, an active wheelchair which stops suddenly even at a small curb due to its construction and the small front tyres, and thus there is the risk for me to be dumped out of my wheelchair. As pushing escort person one should be trained accordingly.

Your staff member most probably would not have been able to hold me back when there would have been only a small curb or similar.

I fell out of my wheelchair in September 2011 the last time.
At this occasion I broke my right shinbone and fibula, spent four weeks in a hospital bed and had to painfully wear an orthosis for five further months, see blogposts on my weblog:

http://www.eigude.de/blog/?tag=beinbruch

When I addressed your staff member that I didn’t like this conduct I got the reply:

This is the president, it is like it is!!!

Mr. Gauck, I have great respect for your function as federal president, but this statement is not acceptable for me.
I am asking you in person to have your security staff trained and sensitized especially in interaction with disabled people.

A possible “accident”, how it could have happened, cannot be in your interest.
I am completely at your disposal in case of further enquiries or in advisory capacity.
Awaiting your reply.

Sincerely

Steffen Löw

Translator BL

Eigude Shame XX

Rollinator — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:10:37 +0000

Unbelievable but true, something new all the time…

Today I was at the

book fair in Frankfurt.

I wanted to meet my friend and author Roberto Sastre there.

I will write a separate blogpost about the reunion with him.

When I left hall 3 where there were mainly children books, comics and presumably human beings in Manga costumes, it happened.

I was suddenly grabbed quite ruthless on the handles of my wheelchair by an unknown guy and was pushed without asking me quite snappy across a small road to the main plaza of the fair.

Except me, there were only pedestrians on this road, the passage was closed to traffic.
Even shouting didn’t help, the guy didn’t let go my handles.

I was rather in panic, but was lucky that this guy didn’t push me out of my wheelchair.

If there would have been a small curb I would have been licking the pavement.

What was happening???

Just in the moment when I was at the other side of the road three black cars with flashing blue light came speeding around the corner.
One of the limousines had the

license plate 0-1

and two coloured flags with a black eagle on the wings.
Actually our

Federal President Joachim Gauck

was sitting in the back of the car.
This would have been something again if the bodyguard of our head of state would have pushed me out of the wheelchair.

Who doesn’t know my “Eigude blog” (click Frontpage) should know that last time I fell out of my wheelchair I broke my shinbone and fibula (see older blogposts).

When I explained to the guy with the ear piece that I didn’t like this he told me:

This is the president, it is like it is!!!

When I was driving home in my car this convoy blocked me again, now our president is spending the night in a grand hotel around the corner of my home.

I would be interested if this bodyguard has ever pushed around Mr Schäuble (translator’s note: the German minister of Finance is sitting in a wheelchair).

Translator BL