The Waldsiedlung - Where the East-German politicians lived

Рет қаралды 50,049

Ай бұрын

Many thanks to Paul Webster for his English language support!
Book:
Only in German language, BUT with lots of pictures….
Waldsiedlung Wandlitz: Eine Landschaft der Macht - J Danyel & E. Kimmel - amzn.to/3K7suo8
Pictures:
• Uprising 1953 - By Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F005191-0040 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
• Uprising 1953 - By Bundesarchiv, B 285 Bild-14676 / Autor/-in unbekannt / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
• F-Club swimming pool - By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1990-0124-025 / Zimmermann, Peter / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
• Politburo Members - By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1987-0825-020
• Commodore Amiga 500 home computer - By Bill Bertram - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
• Sculptures Jaguar & Pelican - By Micha Winkler - www.bernau.de/de/tourismus-ku...
• Volvo - By Herranderssvensson - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
• Elf99 logo - By unknown - selbst vektorisiert, Vorlage: alte Fernsehzeitschrift, Logo, de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
• Hunting residence Honecker Wildfang - By ChickSR - Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
• Jagdschloss Wolletzsee - By Uckermaerker - Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Пікірлер: 249

@herosstratos Ай бұрын

These HO specialty outlets like the one in Wandlitz were discussed particularly intensely after a radio interview with Egon Krenz, who claimed that he, like every other GDR citizen, would sit in front of the television in the evening with a can of beer. But canned beer was not available anywhere in the GDR, only in these specialty outlets - and there, at that, for reduced East German money. Egon Krenz, who was able to shop in Wandlitz, was not even aware of this because he did not know of any normal East Berlin department stores.

@hahahaha5444 Ай бұрын

Egon Krenz is still around and writes books about his "truth"🤬

@AlfaGiuliaQV Ай бұрын

@@hahahaha5444 His two sons seems to be doing good for themselves, living in Swizerland and Canada. Good on them to make sucessful careers and leave the old behind.

@ColinH1973 Ай бұрын

@@AlfaGiuliaQVThey've done well probably using the money that he salted away.

@OffGridInvestor 16 күн бұрын

@@AlfaGiuliaQVyeah. Left the old behind. But TOOK the money from the old to start anew. Just like the soviet politicians kids

@yashvardhanrautela 29 күн бұрын

This channel is such a goldmine for DDR history in English, thanks

@jamessteel9016 Ай бұрын

Fascinated by East German history, thanks for the new video 👏

@michaelblack1864 Ай бұрын

Yes, agreed. Excellent vids as always!

@ColinH1973 Ай бұрын

Yes, me too.

@lunabouch Ай бұрын

Thanks for the continued segments of history of the DDR as it was so mysterious to us Americans. Excellent

@skiueli Ай бұрын

I love the segments when you go out and get footage yourself.

@marks_sparks1 Ай бұрын

Fantastic video Olav. Live your channel

@snubbedpeer Ай бұрын

Further to what you said about the gilded cage and no solidarity among those who lived there, the "top brass" I mean. I read somewhere that a wife said they looked forward to the weekend when they could go to their second home.

@adaw2d3222 Ай бұрын

I read about this in Hoyer's book but it's interesting to see this more in depth look and the buildings themselves.

@nrwmike7061 Ай бұрын

I used to lived in one of those houses before when i worked there. They turn the area into a rehaklinik and provide housing to staff working in the klinik.

@twentyrothmans7308 Ай бұрын

Thank you for showing us the lifestyles of our selfless, modest, comrades.

@Ah01 Ай бұрын

More or less similar to any priviledged luxury, be it west or third world. For the DDR it can still be said that there was a genuine attempt to house decently most of the population, and this is a big contrast to countries like USA, India or Brazil even nowadays.

@sleepenjoyer-on2dr Ай бұрын

Those houses of the top GDR politicians are absolutely nothing in comparison to how government politicians today live. They definitely had more luxuries than the average GDR citizen, but the quality of life wasn't nearly as radically different as it is today.

@lap125 27 күн бұрын

@@sleepenjoyer-on2dr how lucky for them, to always have evil western politicians to point to. That way they can never do wrong

@hahahaha5444 Ай бұрын

Thank you for this well-researched video. I really like the information about the sculptures bc I didn't know this before. This is the video I desperately needed after seeing a horrible documentary on German TV last week. I visited the Waldsiedlung last September, unfortunately the Ladenkombinat was demolished. Fun-fact; The Government of the FRG has known about the Waldsiedlung since the middle of the 1960s. The general state of research about the gdr is insanely bad.

@soytnly Ай бұрын

Thanks! I love your channel and appreciate what you do. I visited the DDR briefly in 1983 when stationed in West Germany

@Historydude-qd2ou Ай бұрын

Was it normal for them to allow US military personnel into East Germany?

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Thank you!

@cthoadmin7458 27 күн бұрын

@@Historydude-qd2ou I believe the four powers agreement allowed the militaries of all 4 occupying powers free access to Berlin, both east and west. Not sure about US, British or French militaries being able to freely visit the GDR outside East Berlin, except for small observer corps. I visited East Berlin in 1986 and I remember seeing a fair number of US military personnel visiting.

@creepermk Ай бұрын

Thank you for your work on this channel, an absolutely (though hidden) gem! Even as a German who studies history I learn so much about the gdr and the now forgotten places so close to home!

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Thank you!

@kerlyenai Ай бұрын

Thank for your work. This is fascinating.

@Tirana44 Ай бұрын

Fascinating video! It’s so rare to see videos about the DDR in English, especially about those who ran the country.

@specto1 25 күн бұрын

Very nice video, it's surprising how little luxury thes people were afforded compared to modern day dictators

@bruhlel2220 3 күн бұрын

Because the DDR was for the people, and it's leaders priotized the collective and not themselves like true Marxists

@TDeibara Ай бұрын

Mooie aflevering. Jammer dat de Duitsers hun recente geschiedenis proberen te verdoezelen. Het is aan vrijwilligers als Paul Bergner te danken dat het nodige is gedocumenteerd. Helaas is de man al behoorlijk op leeftijd, hopelijk zijn er mensen die het stokje kunnen overnemen.

@clavichord Ай бұрын

Ik weet niet of het bewust het verdoezelen is van de DDR geschiedenis, maar er is veel minder politieke interesse in Duitsland (en ook Rusland wat betreft het Stalin tijdperk) , invergelijking tot bijvoorbeeld het Nazi tijdperk en de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Niet dat ik hiermee een vergelijking wil maken tussen de misdaden tijdens het Derde Rijk met misdaden in de DDR.... maar er zou best wel meer onderzoek gedaan kunnen worden naar bv de hoeveelheid mensen die vermoord en omgekomen zijn onder Stalin.... maar er is weinig politiek wil en ook weinig geld beschikbaar, zeker niet in Rusland. Gelukkig waren de schendingen van mensenrechten tijdens het DDR regime in ieder geval vele malen minder dan onder het bewind van zowel Hitler en Stalin....

@flarp671 29 күн бұрын

So these GDR leaders lived in the equivalent of an American suburb and reported feeling uncomfortably isolated? Color me shocked!

@cramer4506 13 күн бұрын

Ahh yes, the typical American suburb comes with servants, armed protection, and the paranoia of living amid powerful figures of a totalitarian regime. You need to touch grass.

@jere-pontusleppikorpi6213 Ай бұрын

Fascinating piece of the past totally unbeknownst to me. Thank you for your diligence and efforts in bringing history available to us all. Looking forward to your future content - keep up the good work!

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Thank you and thanks for your support!

@davidanderson9664 29 күн бұрын

Fascinating. Thank you. Love your vids! D.A., NYC

@NoirFan01 Ай бұрын

Interesting coincidence: during the night I had a dream about being in a movie set in East Germany in which the lead character (and his family) is paranoid about surveillance by the Stasi. I woke from the dream at 2:30 AM and could not get back to sleep right away. So, I opened KZfaq on my iPad and a thumbnail of this video was at the top of the page as a recommended video.

@udirt Ай бұрын

The movie that made you dream of that could be "Das Leben der Anderen (the life of others)" I met a woman who was thrown into jail there, as teens, because they painted things like a cute elephant in a tunnel. And prison in that case means with interrogations etc. It was such a horrible "system" and still we are ridden by millions of people who glorify this era.

@BruceDanton-xw6eg 27 күн бұрын

Terrible of course too.

@dsdonovan Ай бұрын

Excellent again! Thanks for showing what might be an overlooked history.

@towgod7985 Ай бұрын

Really interesting video, we don't get much impartial information on the old East Germany here. Cheers from Toronto.

@flemmingsorensen5470 Ай бұрын

Facinating video!

@malekiththewitchking2799 24 күн бұрын

Hey hello, I have recently been researching into East Germany and it's history when this channel just stumbled across my recommended. Could have not come at a better time for my research. Many thanks.

@Baurles Ай бұрын

Another interesting video as always. I've always been fascinated by the seemingly strange electoral system of East Germany, with elections being held and several parties which all essentially acted as satelitte organisations for the SED. Could you do a video explaining this, it would be very appreciated!

@DaveSCameron 29 күн бұрын

I really enjoy your uploads and please keep them coming, respect from Liverpool.🇬🇧☘️📚👍

@vauxpedia Ай бұрын

Olav, love your channel & another really great video. But can you please do a video about Egon Krenz!

@Veritas419 Ай бұрын

Thanks!

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Thank you!

@efnissien Ай бұрын

Another great video, well worth the wait!

@ColinH1973 Ай бұрын

Excellent work, thank you. I can hardly wait for your next one!!

@lptomtom Ай бұрын

I really love the channel: the East German topics are always interesting and often surprising, the format is great, his delivery is simple but effective AND there are subtitles! Thanks for doing such great work!

@annehersey9895 Ай бұрын

I just love this channel!!!

@monsieurlespaique2333 Ай бұрын

Yet another fascinating addition to your series, they're always well presented and well made. I always look forward to them and make sure to put aside some time to watch them with the attention that they deserve.

@JacekBorowski-Lubowicz Ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for this interesting material... BTW Do you know who who was the architect of this settlement? The architecture of those houses isn't great indeed, but anyhow I am curious who designed this small hidden town. Thanks one more time!

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

The architect was Walter Schmidt. He also led the architect's group that planned the 'Dynamo Sporthalle' and the 'Sportforum Hohenschönhausen'.

@JacekBorowski-Lubowicz Ай бұрын

@@eastgermanyinvestigated Thanks for your kind respond. Take care!

@francisdec1615 Ай бұрын

Those houses look like the boring 1970s houses here in Sweden.

@scrambaba 3 күн бұрын

@@francisdec1615Too bad they don‘t meet with your approval. Maybe they should tear it all down and then invite you to rebuild them…

@turborocketmedia Ай бұрын

Thank you for once again for a fantastic video on East Germany! I had to binge watch all of you videos the day I discovered your channel, and instantly became a fan! If I may recommend a video, I'd love to see you talk about the Genex catalog, I think there's even a guy in Germany who specializes in Genex-only cars for sale. Wish you all the best and lots of success with your channel! 👌😎🌟

@AlfaGiuliaQV Ай бұрын

Yes! i would like to see a visit and interview in english with Gerrit Crummenerl. Love his car collection.

@janeappleseed2154 Ай бұрын

The intro is so calming and beautiful.

@johntamlyn6383 Ай бұрын

Many thanks, this is genuinely interesting, as is the rest of your channel for those who enjoy German history.

@petermcfarlane6749 Ай бұрын

Really interesting video.

@whistlingdiesel Ай бұрын

Thanks a lot. Had to laugh hard with the F Club, don't know why 😁

@stephenmoerlein8470 24 күн бұрын

Interesting history. Thanks for posting this content.

@warren3967 Ай бұрын

Many thanks, I have read about the Waldsiedlung, and nice to see some video. Keep up the great work that you do.

@Transterra55 Ай бұрын

Fascinating information…thanks for the video.

@Game_Hero 29 күн бұрын

I would love for you to make a video about the education system in East Germany, especially their textbooks they used and other ways to indoctrinate children to east german socialism. Talking about the jugendwihe and the Young Pioneers would also be interesting in the same video, as with the Stasi's pressure to make informers out of teachers.

@42willys4 26 күн бұрын

Good video sir, thank you

@ogpu1 14 күн бұрын

Really well researched and presented video! Thanks for your efforts ! Knowing how devious the Stasi was, I wonder how many houses had listening devices

@tfgrconus 25 күн бұрын

I wish the video would have described how the politicians were transported to their offices and back each day….routes, travel time, how early did they leave their homes and return, etc.

@ned900 Ай бұрын

Fantastisch! Great content, thank you

@harryschubert2490 Ай бұрын

Another interesting video about the zone - thank you!

@wolfie9019 Ай бұрын

Great video as usual :)

@McRocket Ай бұрын

Very interesting. And - seemingly - complete. Thank you. ☮

@aleksandartrendafilov5570 Ай бұрын

excellent video

@holgerandersengrn3457 Ай бұрын

A very interesting video, thank you

@AndreaPick Ай бұрын

Excellent, thank you.

@kendalson7100 Ай бұрын

Cool vid. As relatively modest these homes were the occupant's second homes were palatial.

@helixator3975 Ай бұрын

This is the East German version of Kennebunkport

@gravity-san9781 Ай бұрын

The fact that Walter Ulbricht is still around is pretty shocking. I really want to visit it and studies more about GDR.

@ichibanmanekineko Ай бұрын

Love this channel and appreciate the work! Just a shame that the upload schedule is monthly ❤

@mdshaler 21 күн бұрын

I was born shortly before the fall of communism and have no memory of it. I love learning about former communist states like the GDR and USSR. Your channel is very informative and very well done! Thank you for sharing the history of the GDR with the world!

@charnestours1948 Ай бұрын

Thank you, as usual, for a fascinating, well produced video! I wonder why the GDR officials chose to live in such humble houses. I understand that these houses were well above the average GDR apartment, but they didn't compare to the luxurious residences of many eastern block leaders.

@prieten49 Ай бұрын

I think thats Olaf touched on this in the video. The top leaderhip had to be rescued by the Soviet Union during the 1953 worker uprising in East Germany and Pankow was thereafter viewed as a little "too close for comfort" to the East German people. Although the houses themselves may seem plain and nothing special, they mimicked the modern home construction style prevalent in West Germany at the time and were very comfortable in stark contrast to the dilapidated housing of average East Germans. The immense privileges the Politbüro members enjoyed certainly made up for any lack of prestige afforded by the appearance of the houses.

@thesaltysandvich9257 Ай бұрын

Nice

@NormanF62 29 күн бұрын

Elites everywhere in the world have power and privileges that go along with it. In the DDR days this was expected and to some extent considered part of the perks of high status in the country. What angered people wasn’t that this happened but the gap between the regjme’s proclaimed ideals and the mockery it made of them. What it does mean to have socialism but all the hard work made to realise it turned out to be empty and pointless. In Germany today, that feeling which emerged during the Wende left everyone feeling betrayed, that in good part explains why no one misses the DDR days. Its a time people prefer to forget.

@AngloAm Ай бұрын

They seem so average, so nondescript. But the setting is lovely, on that spring day.

@IrishCarney Ай бұрын

Average to US. To an ordinary East German, who would be lucky to live in a tiny, overcrowded, drab, Khrushchev-era concrete-slab apartment they were palatial.

@francisdec1615 Ай бұрын

The smallest house is in fact the same size as my parents' villa here in Sweden, but most people in the DDR live in small apartments , as you said.

@stefansahlin9476 Ай бұрын

Thanks for another great video!! I grew up during the Cold War and have always been fascinated by how the system worked (even though I'm swedish). I will also never forget the day the wall fell. Keep up the good work! Note: Do you know the Löwen-Adler Kaserne in Elstal, on the outskirts of Berlin, where the Russians had a huge military base?

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Thanks! (No, I wasn't familiar with the Kaserne you mention. Only with the Olympic village at the other side of the street).

@sabflash Ай бұрын

Great video, super interesting but too short😢and too rare! Once a month only😢

@brianlangieri6723 12 күн бұрын

You have tons of great content on your channel that I am eating up. I'm not sure why there is such a distinct lack of information on the GDR unlike the Soviet Union or Communist China. Either way, your channel fills that niche exceptionally well. I see you made a video on the NVA which was excellent of course but can you make a video on the East German Airforce as well? Also can you make a video about the military structure and training NVA personnel received? I cant find very much information on those topics. Thank you! I have subscribed!

@ZeGit 3 күн бұрын

You should totally do an episode about the East German-Polish border dispute in the Szczecin Bay area which almost caused a military confrontation between the two countries in the 80s

@peter_de_Jong817 29 күн бұрын

I wished todays politicians would live in this kind of houses... The rulling class life in Nero's palace compared to this.

@telluwide5553 Ай бұрын

A dear old friend's father who lived in Berlin had his business and home near a lake expropriated by the communists. In his stepmothers will, whom he didn't really care for but took care of her from the US after he immigrated, left everything to him in her will. Deeds, etc. But, they were useless at the time since the DDR was still around. However, after the fall of the Wall, he was able to reclaim everything. Thank God the man was one of the most meticulous men I'd ever met. Probably made close to a half a million dollars US at the time since it was prime real estate. The home was occupied by a Soviet Colonel, and at one time a famous author in that world of the time....Fascinating stuff!

@Hongaars1969 Ай бұрын

Thank you for another insightful upload. 1) oh how the apparatchik must have suffered 2) what were they “afraid” of. Losing their heads. Cheers Zoltán (Dubrovnik)

@NoSugarThanks Ай бұрын

Great video, could you do one on the East German film industry?

@al1384 Ай бұрын

Hello Really love the channel Can I ask if you can speak about the watch industry in east Germany especially pertaining with glashutte

@jakekaywell5972 28 күн бұрын

Glashutte, like most other high-end watchmakers in the area such as A. Lange & Sonne, was reorganized into the conglomerate Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). GUB wristwatches were solid quality pieces, mostly exported on the international market to bring foreign capital to the GDR.

@smyler701 26 күн бұрын

Thanks

@eastgermanyinvestigated 25 күн бұрын

Thank you!

@napoleonibonaparte7198 15 сағат бұрын

Everything those officials said about their neighbourhood is ironically exactly the same as the American suburbia.

@ausaskar Ай бұрын

2:21 Love the cheesy 70s decor, similar to what I got to see preserved in the Stasi Museum.

@Msus-dd9jd 26 күн бұрын

If you happen to wonder what a typical Dutch accent sounds like, spoken by a middle aged person from the Netherlands, this is it ;)

@ZAR797 Ай бұрын

Thanks for your efforts. Very interesting and informative.

@oliverstianhugaas7493 Ай бұрын

"Following the principles of socialism."

@NormanF62 29 күн бұрын

A just and egalitarian society that turned out to be neither just nor egalitarian.

@alvarofb 12 күн бұрын

Still, many still support this

@eddielung31 Ай бұрын

I am planning on a trip to Germany and interested in here after watching the clip, any way to get there from Berlin by public transport? Where to book the tour by the former gardener as described?

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Yes, you can get there by public transport: From Bernau Station. Bus 894 will take you to the Waldsiedlung. More info and contact details: www.wandlitz-internet.de/Artikel/Buchautor/7526 (Only in German, I am afraid)

@janelo2 Ай бұрын

Takk!

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

Thank you!

@gollygeep Ай бұрын

I know the real reason they moved...they were worried that Udo would eventually take the Sonderzug nach Pankow... 🚂

@nealrcn 10 күн бұрын

In 1976 Texas USA A 2800 sq foot house in a nice neighborhood. $23000

@dernochjungenoergler Ай бұрын

Thank you for an interesting overview. No wonder they haven't lived in a Plattensiedlung...

@flitsertheo Ай бұрын

These houses are probably (and partially) Plattenbau too with "custom" pieces. That's how they built the Nikolai quarter in the 1980s.

@dernochjungenoergler Ай бұрын

@@flitsertheo that actually makes sense, in modern architecture it's quite normal, yet a detached house near a lake is something different than a flat in a 13 stock building with a view into another one...

@flitsertheo Ай бұрын

That's why I mentioned the Nikolai quarter. The fake "antique" fronts were custom pieces, for everything else they used Plattenbau. It's just the way the GDR constructed.

@bodyloverz30 Ай бұрын

Where did Honecker live?

@IrishCarney Ай бұрын

House 11

@eastgermanyinvestigated Ай бұрын

And at 2:45 you can see what the backyard of House 11 currently looks like.

@simoncollins6529 28 күн бұрын

All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others

@jakekaywell5972 28 күн бұрын

"Animal Farm" is not a credible source on anything.

@valiciprian2061 Ай бұрын

In Romania was The Primaverii Street from Bucharest.😊

@udirt 29 күн бұрын

Is it the one where now all the embassies are? In the GDR they were quite good at hiding from the public how fake it all was. One of the reasons why they didn't have the large 8-lane parade roads 😂

@gabrielrodrigocolunna2678 17 күн бұрын

great channel mate! i'm curious, are you born in the DDR?

@eastgermanyinvestigated 16 күн бұрын

Thank you. No, I wasn't born in the GDR..

@SovHistory Күн бұрын

Can we see an investigation on the museum of the Iskra newspaper in Leipzig as well as the house Lenin lived there?

@joelcrandell700 7 күн бұрын

Can you do Erich Honecker

@christopherwelch136 Ай бұрын

Quite modest homes.

@NormanF62 29 күн бұрын

Not really by American standards. When I was a child, my DDR relatives who visited me in California back in the late 70s, where shocked at the size of the 83 square meter home I lived in with my father. This wasn’t common in Europe then and is still considered luxurious today. Not that the DDR elites lived in a place like Versailles that was overly opulent. They were residing on a level people in East Germany couldn’t imagine, much less than afford.

@nathanlurie2602 27 күн бұрын

💯

@frankmcgowan3371 Ай бұрын

My daughter married a German national (soon to take American citizenship test) that took us to the area where the top Russians lived in East Germany. They likely lived in nicer areas in Germany than they would have in Russia.

@Kievskaya-Rus 27 күн бұрын

How so?

@dsm2240 Ай бұрын

Where did Ulbricht live after he was deposed?

@boink800 Ай бұрын

Yet another thing which was in very short supply in the GDR was construction materials. Though, the Waldsiedlung did not seem to have a problem with this.

@dsm2240 Ай бұрын

After 40 years the regime could not rebuild Dresden properly, but the Stasi had the materials to build prisons.

@Bulletguy07 Ай бұрын

Having an historic interest in WW2 sites and former East German sires post war, I visited Waldsiedlung in 2008. I'd expected palatial houses so was surprised at what I saw. Goebbels Villa is also not far from here, still standing complete and untouched (no graffiti and not vandalised) possibly because its fairly well isolated.

@francisdec1615 Ай бұрын

Goebbels was a bastard, but he had better taste than Honecker et al. I also doubt that Honecker could play the piano or that he invited people for tea and cognac.

@alanthurley6061 Ай бұрын

I visited the GDR in the 70s, I was told it was the best thing since sliced bread but I was in for a shock. In certain places there were still a lot of bombed out buildings and what were left were literally sums, the shops were very sparst when the people heard any English or American spoken they looked at us very suspiciously also not very friendly towards us. I took a instant dislike to their security system there was one lady reading her bible not bothering anybody when two security police told her that was forbidden she was very upset about it. My opinion of the GDR it just a corrupted satellite state of the Soviet Union boy was I glad to leave.

@jakekaywell5972 28 күн бұрын

No surprise there. The GDR, like the rest of the Eastern Bloc, was throttled by the West since its inception. Still it managed to provide a quality minimum standard for all its people. Little wonder the majority of former GDR citizens nowadays miss it and wish it was still around today.

@BruceDanton-xw6eg 27 күн бұрын

I am sure you are so right there too.