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Showing posts from January, 2024

Woodrow Wilson and the Fourteen Points

Woodrow Wilson and the Fourteen Points On January 8, 1918, in a speech addressed to the United States Congress, President Wilson laid out a peace program for Europe based on fourteen different points, with an essentially democratic and liberal perspective. In the future, for diplomacy and for drafting treaties, it would always be proceeded “frankly and in the view of the public.” The freedom of navigation on the sea would be guaranteed. Economic barriers would be removed and “equal trading conditions” would be established among all nations. Naval armament would be reduced. In matters of colonial sovereignty, “the interests of the relevant populations should weigh equal weight as the equal claims of governments whose right is to be determined.” Germany should evacuate all Russian territory. Belgium was supposed to be “evacuated and restored”. All French territory was to be liberated and “the harm done to France by Prussia in 1871”, in relation to Alsace and Lorraine, was to be “repaired

The United States Has Been Enabling Torture for Decades

The United States Has Been Enabling Torture for Decades "Marjorie Cohn – a law professor and past president of the National Lawyer's Guild – has assembled a compelling interdisciplinary anthology on the "normalization" of torture as an extension of American foreign policy. This is not a new occurrence limited to the so-called "war on terror," but extends back decades. The United States Exports Torture Mark Karlin: The infamous School of the Americas (SOA) (now euphemistically renamed the "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation") has long been accused of teaching human rights violations, including torture. The Defense Department vigorously denies this accusation. In Chapter 2, Bill Quigley - who writes for Truthout, as well as yourself - outs the truth. Hasn't the School of the Americas, and its predecessor, which was located in the Panama Canal Zone, been outsourcing torture and human rights violations for decades? Marjorie Cohn

BLOODY MARY

BLOODY MARY :O A murderous spirit, said to appear in the mirror when her name is chanted, Bloody Mary, may be inspired by the infamous Tudor Queen, Mary I of England. As the legend goes, Bloody Mary is easy to summon.  All you have to do is stand in a dimly lit bathroom, stare into the mirror, and chant her name 13 times.  “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary…” :O Then, if all goes according to plan, a ghostly woman should appear in the mirror.  Bloody Mary is sometimes alone and other times holding a dead baby.  Often, legend states, she’ll do nothing but stare.  But occasionally, she’ll leap from the glass and scratch, or even kill her summoner....... But is the legend of Bloody Mary based on a real person?  And if so, who? :O While the Bloody Mary story may be fabricated, there are possible figures from history who might be the “real” Bloody Mary.  They include Queen Mary I of England, who has been called Bloody Mary for centuries. Is the Bloody Mary legend tied to th

Union County, Tennessee...

Union County, Tennessee... The man pictured here was named Pharoah Chesney. He was born a slave and lived to be at least 120 years old. His exact date of birth is not known; some believed he was closer to 125 years old at his death.  He lived on Union County's Copper Ridge about three miles from Cedar Ford (today's Luttrell). He lived a very fascinating life, living through the entire century of the 1800's. I am currently reading a book written about him in 1903. I find it very interesting, and I plan on sharing some items from it if there is enough interest. Y'all let me know if you want to see more. Source Last of the Pioneers, Or Old Times in East Tenn.; Being the Life and Reminiscences of Pharaoh Jackson Chesney (Aged 120 Years).

Horrifying moment two starving Afghan boys are lashed to a wooden post by the Taliban for stealing bread

JIHADI BEASTS  Horrifying moment two starving Afghan boys are lashed to a wooden post by the Taliban for stealing bread TALIBAN fighters lashed two starving Afghan boys to a wooden post in a sick punishment after they were accused of stealing bread to feed their families. The jihadi militia's ruthless regime is cracking down with new medieval-style laws after they surged back to power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of forces by the US. It comes as last week top Taliban leaders pledged to resurrect harsh physical punishments, including chopping off the hands of convicted thieves. And it has also been revealed that the regime has circulated edicts to barber shops and bath houses in the nation banning the trimming of beards. Pictures show the two painfully-thin looking boys in Afghanistan tied to a wooden post - but it is unclear when and where it was taken. The image was shared by Dawod Zai, who runs the Afghan welfare charity the Bin Dawod Foundation. He said: “Bread

Photo: A homesteader and his family in front of their sod house in Cherry County, Nebraska.

Photo: A homesteader and his family in front of their sod house in Cherry County, Nebraska. C.1900 (Photograph by Solomon D. Butcher)  In a 1959 correspondence from Ollie M. Hoback to his half-sister, Mrs. Clay Jenkins, an account unfolds detailing the construction of a sod house by his father on the vast Nebraska prairie. The letter provides insights into this bygone era, capturing the essence of the laborious task undertaken by Ollie's father. “In the fall of 1883, my father, Isaac Newton Hoback, built a sod house astride the section line, whereby one half of the house was on his homestead, and the other half on presumption land. The law said the homesteader had to make the homestead his home (and only home) for at least six months of the year. On a presumption, one had to live on it six months and pay $1.25 an acre. By this method, one could live in one end of the house for six months, and then move to the other end for six months, satisfying the law. Our land was about three mi

‘Father never spoke much about the war.’

‘Father never spoke much about the war.’ Joe Wood enlisted in 1915 because he saw it as a chance to return to England to see his mother.  Rather, Joe found himself on the Western Front in 1916. He survived Fromelles, but near Ypres in 1917 he was severely wounded in the thigh. Joe pretended he was dead until he was rescued.  Attempts to save his leg failed, and it had to be amputated.  Returning to Australia in 1919, Joe did not receive a pension because authorities deemed he could still earn a living. He had to work in a small-arms factory in Lithgow to ‘make ends meet’.  Joe’s daughter, Nola, said her father possessed a wicked sense of humour, but never spoke about the war. ‘And he never complained even though often he was clearly in a lot of pain.’  Joe was issued a wooden leg but didn’t like to wear it - instead he used it was an umbrella stand. Or when first living in a boarding house, he would leave it in his unmade bed to scare the housekeeper.  Joe bitterly recalled being refus

Peter Becker’s Nazi education began when he was just six years old at a German boarding school.

Peter Becker’s Nazi education began when he was just six years old at a German boarding school.  “I had sort of imbibed it from morning till night. I had drunken it, I had eaten it, it was part of my life,” Peter later recalled.  “By the time the war ended in 1945, when I was 15, I had become a Nazi without ever really being aware that I was one.” ​​Extremist groups today prey upon vulnerable young people. They seek to shape minds and win followers by introducing antisemitic stereotypes, racism, and conspiracy theories—often inspired by Nazi ideology.   They also teach young people to believe they are part of something important, something bigger than themselves. Peter recalled feeling that way. “Hitler came along to lift Germany out of this muck and mire, and bring it back to greatness, and we felt that we were part of that, and we were very proud of that.” It wasn’t until years after World War II that Peter understood that he had become radicalized. He finally believed that his fel

The Faces of the American Dead in Vietnam:

The Following Is From ___ LIFE MAGAZINE June 1969 It was June 1969 when "LIFE" Magazine published a feature that remains as moving and, in some areas, as controversial as it was when it intensified the nation’s soul-searching 54 years ago.  On the cover was the image of a young man and 11 stark words: "The Faces of the American Dead in Vietnam: One Week’s Toll." Inside, across 10 somber pages, LIFE published picture after picture and name after name of 242 young men killed in seven days halfway around the world "in connection with the War in Vietnam." To no one’s surprise, the public’s response was immediate, and anguished. Some readers expressed amazement, in light of the thousands of American deaths suffered in a war with no end in sight, that it took so long for LIFE to produce something as dramatic and pointed as “One Week’s Toll.” Others were outraged that the magazine was, as one reader saw it, "supporting the anti-war demonstrators who are trai

Interesting image showing the stern of a decommissioned Victor III class submarine. We can see

Interesting image showing the stern of a decommissioned Victor III class submarine. We can see: - The main propeller in tandem (1), consisting of two four screw-blade propellers - vortex attenuation (2) to reduce turbulence of water flow after passing through the propeller. - low speed auxiliary propellers (3). These two small electric propellers were also installed in the Alpha-class SSNs and served to move quietly at low speed (3/4 knots). The small diameter of these propellers would require a relatively high torque speed and they may not sound so silent. - fine control surfaces on the main (4) rims - the pod of the towed passive antenna "Ruza-P" (5) 

US PFC John Wauthier with his BAR near Bütgenbach Belgium - January 1945

US PFC John Wauthier with his BAR near Bütgenbach Belgium - January 1945 He was 18 years old in this picture… John Nicholas Wauthier was born on Feb 16, 1926, he survived WW2 and married Ursula Ann Hoffman, they had ten kids together.  John passed away at the age of 71 on Nov 7, 1997 and is buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Cecil, Washington County, Pennsylvania. His wife Anne passed away at the age of 91 on March 10, 2023.  Thanks to John Klear for his assistance  LIFE Magazine Archives - George Silk Photographer

"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men

"Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men we didn't have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. Without a prison, there can be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves. When someone was so poor that he couldn't afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property. We didn't know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth. We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians, therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another. We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don't know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society." - John (Fire) Lame Deer, Sioux Lakota - 1903-1976

Between 400k BC - 48k BC a human group, later called the Denisovans, lived in Asia.

Between 400k BC - 48k BC a human group, later called the Denisovans, lived in Asia.  They then interbred with humans expanding from Africa along the coast of South Asia.  In 2010 fossil evidence from a Siberian cave in 2008 revealed that their DNA was related to the DNA of people from New Guinea, which contained 4.8% Denisovan DNA.  3-5% of the DNA from native people of Papua New Guinea, Australia, the Philippines and other nearby islands came from Denisovans, who left Africa as far back as 800,000 BC.  In 2014 scientists reported that a genetic between extinct Denisovans and some modern-day Tibetans and Sherpas. Credit to: Ken Dennison

German soldier in equipment and 'flowers' before leaving for the front, ca. 1914.

German soldier in equipment and 'flowers' before leaving for the front, ca. 1914. Pic belonging to 'Paranoid_ Womb' on Flickr and colourised by In Colore Veritas  The following is Danish-German soldier Hemming Skov's account of going over-the-top on the Eastern Front on January 5, 1915, today 109 years ago. Translated by myself:    ⠀⠀ "On the night of January 5th our platoon commander reported to us what this day would bring - a frontal assault. After being given such an upsetting message, anxiety looms over one, which would be unbearable if one didn't have faith in destiny. You degenerate into deep carelessness. You don't think anymore, can't think. In silence and patience, one anticipates the pure dread. The silence utterly dominated. No one said a thing. Truly a condition where fear is the dominant force - for a moment, you're paralyzed with fear. You stiffen, can't even turn your head. You feel yourself as a lump of living terror. The mo

Despicable Mass Rape in Europe by Allied soldiers after war 1945

Despicable Mass Rape in Europe by Allied soldiers after war 1945 The greatest crimes against women and Europeans in history, was the mass rape of the European women after the Liberal-Communist victory in 1945. It would be easy for you to toss this newsletter aside and pickup more pleasant or amusing reading Mass R*ape in Europe by Allied soldiers after World War 2 The ra*pists were mainly Soviet and US soldiers. They were permitted and encouraged by official “Allied” policies which incited hatred against those of European nationalities which were  in fight against Communism. In Vienna,Austria alone, they ra*ped 100,000 women, not once but many times, including girls not yet in their teens, and aged women. By official policy, the Allies created conditions in which the only German mothers who could keep their young children alive were those who themselves or whose sisters became mistresses of the occupying troops. According to testimony given in the United States Senate on July 17,

Woodrow Wilson, the Kaiser and the submarine warfare

Woodrow Wilson, the Kaiser and the submarine warfare “There will be no war,” President Wilson uttered his compatriots on January 4, 1917. "It would be a crime against civilization for us to intervene. However, Wilson found, following a conversation between his ambassador in Berlin and the chancellor, which took place two days later, that the peace offer made by the Kaiser the previous month was not what it seemed.  While Germany was willing to "withdraw from Belgium", the "guarantees" he had mentioned in general terms were clearly unacceptable, when explained in detail: according to the Chancellor, Germany would demand the permanent occupation of Liege and Namur and "other forts and garlands throughout Belgium", the "possession" of the rail lines and Belgian ports and a German military presence, denying Belgium the possibility of having its own army. Ambassador Gerard told the Chancellor: "I think they don't leave too much to the Be

German pilot testing a Parabellum MG-14/17 machine gun from his aircraft, 1917.

German pilot testing a Parabellum MG-14/17 machine gun from his aircraft, 1917.  During WWI on the Western Front, the losses of German aircraft rose to 27,637 for all causes, compared to 35,973 British and 52,640 French aircraft. As for pilots themselves, about 1/5 of the 22,000 British pilots who completed flight training died, compared to just over 1/4 of all German pilots. In total, there are an estimated 50,000 airmen and crews killed in WWI in all armies. Pilots would only receive a dozen hours of training before being sent to the skies. For this reason, a WWI pilot's life expectancy was only a matter of weeks. In 1916-1917 for the British Royal Flying Corps, the life expectancy of a new combat pilot was just 20 minutes, which earned them the tetric nickname the "20 Minute Club". 

Nigerian wigmaker Helen Williams has created the world’s longest handmade wig

Nigerian wigmaker Helen Williams has created the world’s longest handmade wig, measuring 351.28 metres (1,152 ft 5 in). Helen spent 11 days and over two million naira (£2,031; $2,493) making the wig. After constructing the underlay with wig-cap netting and black fabric attached to a bicycle helmet, she completed the hairpiece using 1,000 bundles of hair, 12 cans of hair spray, 35 tubes of hair glue, and 6,250 hair clips. “Finding the materials to make the longest wig was not an easy task,” Helen said. “My experience as a wigmaker helped a lot.” Helen has been working as a professional wigmaker for eight years, producing anywhere from 50 to 300 wigs per week. “I have trained hundreds of students and have made thousands of wigs,” she revealed. Despite having such extensive experience, creating the record-breaking wig was not a simple feat for Helen. “At some point, I felt exhausted,” she shared. “However, friends and family encouraged me. I did not want to let them down, so I maintained