Birthday Parties

Birthday Parties and Celebrations: 

 The earliest birthday parties were held because people believed evil spirits were particuarly attracted to people on their birthdays. At first it was only kings who were recognized as important enough to have a birthday celebration. To protect them from harm, friends and family would to come be with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. As time went by, children became included in birthday celebrations. The tradition of children's birthday parties first started in Germany, Kinderfeste. The largest private birthday party to ever happen was in 1970 for Colonel Harlan Sanders' 89th birthday. The event was attended by over 35,000 people.

Birthday Cakes:    One theory about the origin of the birthday cake is that it originated with the Greeks, who baked round cakes representing the full moon for their moon goddess, Artemis. They placed candles on the cake to make it glow, like the moon. The Germans are also credited with the first cakes and candles. They used a sweet, layered cake and they put a large candle in the center of the cake to represent "the light of life." Some people believe the smoke from extinguished candles carries their birthday wishes up to heaven.

Birthday Cards:   The tradition of sending birthday cards started in England about 100 years ago. Originally cards were often sent as an "apology" when a person couldn't visit somebody in person.

Birthday Song:   The Happy Birthday song is more than one hundred years old. It was written in 1893 by two sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, who were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky. The tune was originally a morning greeting to their students entitled "Good Morning To All." The lyrics were copyrighted in 1935, 11 years before Patty's death, and the ownership has swapped hands in multi-million dollar deals ever since. The current copyright is owned by Warner Communications. They purchased it in 1989 for more than $22 million dollars. Happy Birthday is recognized around the world and has been translated into dozens of languages. It is one of the three most popular songs in the English language.

http://www.birthdaycelebrations.net/traditions.htm

My Birthday!

 

50: Willy Wonka

From Yahoo:

“‘Willy Wonka’ at 50: Former child stars reunite, reveal which one of them Gene Wilder thought was a brat in real life”

The 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory featured a case of life imitating art when it came to the behind-the-scenes antics of one of the film's young stars. Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket), Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Michael Bollner (Augustus Gloop), Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee) and Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde) co-starred as the lucky kids whose golden tickets granted access to the magical candy land run by eccentric confectionist Willy Wonka. And as child actors, here they were being whisked off to Bavarian Germany to explore the whimsical film sets and work with budding comic genius Gene Wilder in Mel Stuart’s highly anticipated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s popular novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That doesn’t mean Wilder and Wonka shared all that much in common. “I think people kind of want us to tell you that he was like Willy Wonka off set, but he wasn’t,” Cole told Yahoo Entertainment during a virtual reunion with Ostrum, Bollner and Themmen commemorating this week’s 50th anniversary of the film, as well as a new 4K UHD Blu-ray release (watch above). “He was such a lovely, kind man, very unassuming.” “He was just down to earth, not pretentious, he was just a wonderful person to be around and to work with,” says Ostrum of Wilder, who died in 2016 at the age of 83.

(From left to right, Diana Sowle, Julie Dawn Cole, Peter Ostrum, Michael Bollner, Denise Nickerson and Paris Themmen)

All four Wonka performers we spoke with had nothing but warm memories of Wilder, whose blockbuster rêsumé also included Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein; however, Wilder didn‘t exactly share the warm feelings when it came to one of the former actors (only Cole continued to work in entertainment beyond the ’70s). In the years since the film’s release, Themmen has been labeled a “notorious troublemaker on the set,” with Wilder calling him “a handful.” “I can corroborate that,” Themmen smiles. “I was younger than the others. I was 11, they were 13, and was naturally just sort of more high spirited and rambunctious.” As a grownup, Themmen had one brief but memorable reunion with Wilder in which the Wonka actor confirmed his feelings. Themmen attended a fund-raising screening of Wilder’s 1976 hit Silver Streak at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, Conn., the city where Wilder spent most of his adult life. “I sat at the back of the room and he gave his commentary and then I went up to the front of the room afterwards with my poster in hand,” recalls Themmen. “I said, ‘Hi, Gene, how you doing? I’m Paris Themmen, I was Mike Teevee in Willy Wonka.’ “And he said, ‘Oh you were a brat!’ And I flashed all the way back 50 years, or 40 years at that time, and said, ‘Well, I’m 50-something now and maybe not as much of a brat.’ And he signed my poster, ‘To my favorite brat.’”

Dahl’s novel was adapted again 2005 with Tim Burton directing and Johnny Depp playing Wonka. The character will soon return to screens in a buzzed-about origin story starring popular 25-year-old actor Timothée Chalamet (Call My by Your Name, Dune) as a young Wonka, from Harry Potter producer David Heyman. And original Wonka stars are perfectly fine with that. “One nice thing for them is they don’t have to do a direct comparison because it’s a prequel rather than a remake,” Themmen says. “So he doesn’t necessarily have to be as good as Gene was, which obviously is a hugely difficult thing to do. But talented actor. I don’t know if he has the wild eyes that Gene has, but he’s kind of got the hair. And a general look that’s kind of similar.” “You can’t kill Wonka,” Ostrum says. “It just gets played over and over again, whether the original or the remake with Johnny Depp. And that brought attention back to our film. Kids saw Johnny Depp’s version, their parents said, ‘You need to see the original.’ Anything that talks about Wonka is good for the Wonka story. It’s a great story and it needs to be retold, regardless of who’s producing it or who’s making it.” Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray from retailers including Amazon. Wonka will also return to movie theaters Aug. 15 and Aug. 18 via Fathom Events.

^ I can’t believe it’s been 50 years. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/willy-wonka-child-stars-reunite-50-years-later-gene-wilder-stories-brat-150028133.html

Germans Leave Afghanistan

From Yahoo:

“Last German troops leave Afghanistan after nearly 20 years”

Germany's last troops left Afghanistan Tuesday after a nearly 20-year deployment in the country, the defense minister said. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer tweeted that the last Bundeswehr soldiers “left Afghanistan safely” Tuesday evening. She thanked the more than 150,000 troops who have served there since 2001 and said that “they can be proud of this mission.” The German military said that the last troops were on their way home via Tbilisi, Georgia, and that Brig. Gen. Ansgar Meyer, the last commander of the German contingent, was on board an Airbus A400M aircraft bringing them home.

NATO agreed in April to withdraw its roughly 7,000 non-American forces from Afghanistan to match U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to pull all American troops from the country starting May 1. At the time, Germany had around 1,100 troops there. Germany’s contingent, which focused on northern Afghanistan, was the second biggest in the current Resolute Support mission after the United States'. Its last bases were in Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul. “An historic chapter is coming to an end, an intense deployment that was exacting for the Bundeswehr and marked it, in which the Bundeswehr proved itself in battle,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said. The German parliament first approved sending the military to Afghanistan in December 2001, and the first troops arrived in Kabul in January 2002. Fifty-nine German troops died in Afghan missions over the years. American officials have said the entire pullout of U.S. troops will most likely be completed by July 4. Around 750 containers' worth of equipment has been shipped back to Germany by land and air, including 120 vehicles and six helicopters, the Bundeswehr said.

^ 20 years later and the West is leaving Afghanistan while the Taliban continue to gain more and more ground inside the country. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/last-german-troops-leave-afghanistan-203406298.html

Italian Milestone

From Yahoo:

“Mask-free and 'low risk', Italy welcomes milestone”

All of Italy became a mask-free, "low-risk" zone for coronavirus Monday, marking a dramatic milestone for the first European country to be hit by the global pandemic in February 2020. In a decree that took effect Monday, the health ministry for the first time classified each of Italy's 20 regions as "white", signifying low risk, under the country's colour-coded classification system that evaluates Covid-19 risk.

That means facemasks will no longer be compulsory in outdoor areas -- welcome news across the country where an ongoing heatwave is expected to push temperatures past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some southern areas this week. Once a symbol of the coronavirus crisis in the West -- where images of army trucks transporting coffins from the overflowing morgue in the northern city of Bergamo were seen around the world -- Italy has seen Covid-19 infections and deaths plummet in recent weeks. A third of Italy's population over the age of 12 has been vaccinated as of Sunday, or 17,572,505 people, according to the government.

Long prohibited from entering the country, tourists from the European Union, Britain, the United States, Canada and Japan are now back after the government removed a quarantine requirement for vaccinated visitors, or those who test negative. Despite the progress, Health Minister Roberto Speranza urged Italians to be vigilant. "It's an encouraging result, but caution and prudence is still needed, especially because of the new variants," Speranza wrote, after signing the ordinance Saturday. "The battle is not yet won." After a long period beginning in November of full or partial regional lockdowns to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections, restrictions were relaxed all over Italy late last month. The entire country was made a "yellow zone", which brought more freedoms but maintained an overnight curfew that shortened restaurant hours. As the government gradually eliminated the restrictions over the course of June, the lone holdout, until Monday, was the Aosta Valley, the small alpine region in the northwest. In Italy, more than 127,000 people have died of Covid-19 related complications, while more than four million people have been infected.

^ This is good news from Italy. ^

https://news.yahoo.com/mask-free-low-risk-italy-031701220.html

Embassy Ends Services

 From the MT:

“U.S. Embassy in Moscow to Halt Visa, Consular Services From Aug. 1”

The United States’ Embassy in Moscow will suspend visa and other consular services starting Aug. 1 due to a hiring ban imposed by Russia, Ambassador John Sullivan told the independent Dozhd broadcaster Sunday.  The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is Washington’s last remaining diplomatic mission in Russia after it closed its St. Petersburg consulate in 2018 and downsized operations at its Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg consulates earlier this year. Russia banned the embassy from employing foreign nationals when it designated the U.S. as an “unfriendly” country in May, forcing it to cut 75% of its staff.

“After Aug. 1, we will have very few people working here, which is why we will not be able to provide the consular services which, as I know, both Americans and Russians need so much,” Sullivan told Dozhd.  Russians will be unable to apply for visas to visit, work, do business, study or live in the United States from their home country, forcing them to apply for visas at U.S. embassies in third-party countries.  The embassy will also no longer provide routine passport services, consular reports of birth abroad and notarial services to U.S. citizens in Russia. “This is not just an obstacle in terms of U.S.-Russia relations, this has serious personal implications for families as well as commercial implications for businesses — both in the U.S. and Russia,” Sullivan said.

Russia’s ban on hiring foreign staff at U.S. diplomatic missions came amid a round of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions as relations between Moscow and Washington plummeted this spring over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and more.  U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to return their respective ambassadors to their posts during their June 16 summit in Geneva.   Sullivan and his Russian counterpart, Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov, returned to Moscow and Washington last week.

^ This is the lowest the Russian-American Diplomatic Relations have been in 30 years. ^

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/28/us-embassy-in-moscow-to-halt-visa-consular-services-from-aug-1-a74354

World Birthdays

 How Happy Birthday is Said Around The World:

Afrikaans - Veels geluk met jou verjaarsdag!

Albanian - Urime ditelindjen!

Alsatian - Gueter geburtsdaa!

Arabic - Eed melad said

Armenian - Taredartzet shnorhavor!

 

Basque - Zorionak!

Breton - Deiz-ha-bloaz laouen deoc'h!

Bulgarian - Chestit Rojden Den!

 

Cambodian - Som owie nek mein aryouk yrinyu!

Catalan - Per molts anys! or Bon aniversari!

Chamorro - Biba Kumpianos!

Chinese - Saang yaht faai lokik

Croatian - Sretan Rodendan!

Czech - Vsechno nejlepsi k Tvym narozeninam!

 

Danish - Tillykke med fodselsdagen!

Dutch - Hartelijk gefeliciteerd metje verjaardag

 

English - Happy Birthday!

Esperanto - Felichan Naskightagon!

Estonian - Palju onne sunnipaevaks!

Euskera - Zorionak zure urtebetetze egunean!

 

Faroes - Tillukku vid fodingardegnum!

Farsi - Tavalodet Mobarak!

Finnish - Hyvaa syntymapaivaa!

French - Joyeux Anniversaire!

French-Canadian - Bonne Fete!

Frisian - Lokkiche jierdei!

 

Gaelic - Co latha breith sona dhut!

Galician  - Ledicia no teu cumpreanos!

German - Alles Gute zum Geburstag

Georgian - Gilotcav dabadebis dges!

Greek - Eftixismena Genethlia! or Chronia Pola!

Greenlandic - Inuununnu pilluarit!

 

Hawaiian - Hau oli la hanau!

Hebrew - Yom Huledet Same'ach!

Hindi - Janam Din Ki Badhai

Hungarian - Boldog szuletes napot

 

Icelandic - Til hamingju med afmaelisdaginn!

Indonesian - Selamat Ulang Tahun!

Irish - Gaelic - La-briethe mhaith agat! or Briethla Shona Dhuit!

Italian - Buon compleanno! or Bun Cumpleani!

 

Japanese - Otanjyobi omedeto Gozaimasu!

 

Korean - Saeng il chuk ha ham ni da!

 

Latin - Fortuna dies natalis!

Latvian - Daudz laimes dzimsanas diena!

Lithuanian - Geriausi linkejimai gimtadienio proga!

 

Macedonian - Sreken roden den!

Malaysian - Selamat Hari Jadi!

Maltese - Nifrahlek ghal gheluq sninek!

Maori - Kia Huritau ki A Koe

Mongolian - Torson odriin mend hurgee!

 

Norwegian - Gratulere Med Daged

 

Polish - Wszystkiego Najlepszego!

Portuguese (Brazil) - Parabens pelo seu aniversario!

Portuguese (Portugal) - Felix Aniversrio!

 

Romanian - La Multi Ani!

Russian - С Днём рождения or Sdnyom rozhdenya

 

Samoan - Manuia lou aso fanau!

Serbian - Srecan Rodjendan!

Spanish - Feliz cumpleanos

Sri Lankan - Suba Upan dinayak vewa!

Swedish - Grattis pa fodelsedagen!

Thai - Suk San Wan Keut

Turkish - Dogum gunun kutlu olsun!

 

Ukrainian - З Днем народження or Z D dnem naradjennia!

Vietnamese - Chuc Mung Sinh Nhat!

 

Welsh - Penblwydd hapus

https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/birthday.htm

Dog's Birthday

 

Turing Statue

From the BBC:

“Alan Turing: Bust unveiled at Sherborne School”

(Sir John Dermot Turing and sculptor David Williams-Ellis unveil the bust)

A bronze bust of Alan Turing has been unveiled at his former school. The sculpture of the computer pioneer and wartime codebreaker now stands on a plinth in the grounds of Sherborne School in Sherborne, Dorset. It comes after local resident Kathryn Ballisat, inspired by Turing's story and connection to the town, commissioned the work. The bust also coincides with the new £50 note bearing his image which entered circulation this week. Sculptor David Williams-Ellis and Turing's nephew Sir John Dermot Turing unveiled the bust. Sir John described the work as the "best" statue or sculpture he had ever seen of his uncle and "inspiring". Mr Williams-Ellis, who is also behind the sculpture commemorating the D-Day Landings at Ver-sur-Mer, said he wanted to capture a "wistful feeling that just doesn't quite tell you the whole story".

(Alan Turing was posthumously pardoned in 2013)

The work of Turing helped accelerate Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with the Enigma machine. His work is said to have been key to shortening World War Two and saving lives. Less celebrated is the pivotal role he played in the development of early computers, first at the National Physical Laboratory and later at the University of Manchester. In 2013, he was given a posthumous royal pardon for his 1952 conviction for gross indecency. He had been arrested after having an affair with a 19-year-old Manchester man, and was forced to take female hormones as an alternative to prison. He died at the age of 41. An inquest recorded his death as suicide. Last year a settlement in the US confirmed items belonging to Turing, including school reports, his OBE and photographs, would be returned to the school's archive after they were stolen in 1985.

^ This is a long over-due honor for a man who did so much for the UK and the world and was treated so horribly by them all for decades. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-57623441

Russia Travel

From an E-Mail from the US State Department:

Do not travel to Russia due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution due to terrorism, harassment, and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Russia a due to COVID-19, indicating a high level of COVID-19 in the country. There are restrictions in place affecting U.S. citizen entry into Russia. Your risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine. Before planning any international travel, please review the CDC's specific recommendations for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.

Visit the Embassy's COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 and related restrictions and conditions in Russia.

Do Not Travel to:

The North Caucasus, including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus, due to terrorism, kidnapping, and risk of civil unrest.

Crimea due to Russia's occupation of the Ukrainian territory and abuses by its occupying authorities.

Terrorist groups, transnational and local terrorist organizations, and individuals inspired by extremist ideology continue plotting possible attacks in Russia. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.

U.S. citizens, including former and current U.S. government and military personnel, who are visiting or residing in Russia have been arbitrarily interrogated or detained by Russian officials and may become victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion. For this reason, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has advised all U.S. government and Department of Defense personnel to consider carefully travel to Russia.

Russian officials may unreasonably delay U.S. consular assistance to detained U.S. citizens. Russian authorities arbitrarily enforce the law against U.S. citizen religious workers and open questionable criminal investigations against U.S. citizens engaged in religious activity.

Russia enforces special restrictions on dual U.S.-Russian nationals and may refuse to acknowledge dual U.S.-Russia nationals? U.S. citizenship, including denying U.S. consular assistance to detained dual nationals, and preventing their departure from Russia.

Due to the Russian government-imposed reduction on U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia, the U.S. government may have delayed ability to provide services to U.S. citizens, especially in the Saint Petersburg area.

If you decide to travel to Russia:

See the U.S. Embassy's web page regarding COVID-19.

Visit the CDC's webpage on Travel and COVID-19.

Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on news information.

Stay alert in locations frequented by Westerners.

Have travel documents up to date and easily accessible.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.

Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.

Review the Crime and Safety Reports for Russia.

U.S. citizens who travel abroad should always have a contingency plan for emergency situations and a plan to contact family to let them know you are safe. Review the Traveler's Checklist.

North Caucasus (including Chechnya and Mount Elbrus) Do Not Travel

Terrorist attacks and risk of civil unrest continue throughout the North Caucasus region including in Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Stavropol, Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, and Kabardino-Balkariya. Local gangs have kidnapped U.S. citizens and other foreigners for ransom. There have been credible reports of arrest, torture, and extrajudicial killing of LGBTI persons in Chechnya allegedly conducted by Chechen regional authorities.

Do not attempt to climb Mount Elbrus, as travelers must pass close to volatile and insecure areas of the North Caucasus region.

The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens traveling in the North Caucasus region, including Mount Elbrus, as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling to the region.

Crimea Do Not Travel

The international community, including the United States and Ukraine, does not recognize Russia's purported annexation of Crimea. There is extensive Russian Federation military presence in Crimea. The Russian Federation is likely to take further military actions in Crimea as part of its occupation of this part of Ukraine. There are continuing abuses against foreigners and the local population by the occupation authorities in Crimea, particularly against those who are seen as challenging their authority on the peninsula.

The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens traveling in Crimea as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling to Crimea.

^ Russia has arrested several Americans recently (Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed - both former Marines) and have sentenced them to Russia's Forced Labor Corrective Penal Colonies. An American Student in Nizhny Novgorod (and former Marine) - Catherine Serou, was recently murdered in Russia. It is too much of a coincidence that all of this is happening to American Marines inside Russia.

Putin's Dictatorship within Russia is struggling to survive due to the economic and political sanctions placed on them by the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, the EU and others for Russia's role in Election Meddling as well as it's illegal annexation of Crimea and the War in Eastern Ukraine (which has seen high numbers of Russian Soldiers killed since 2014 with no end in sight.)

The Covid Pandemic is raging across Moscow, Saint Petersburg and across Russia with the Russian Officials trying to down-play the affects and hide the true numbers of dead while at the same time forcing ordinary Russians to get vaccinated or not eat, work or get health care.

Russia is still a Third World Country and most of the people live at or below the poverty line. The average Russian only makes 12,792 Russian Rubles, or 172 U.S. Dollars a month.

Because of Putin's gamble (and failure) the number of ordinary Russians who can't afford basic food, medicines or shelter has increased in the past few years. Over 60% of all Russians have little to no money to spend on food, medicine and shelter - much less anything else in 2021.

Putin blames that on the West when in reality it is his own failures as a leader within Russia and around the world (the Wars in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, the Poisoning of Opponents, Election Meddling, the Closure or Reduction of Foreign Embassies and Consulates inside Russia, the different Russian Spy Rings in the US, UK, the EU, etc. the Russian Hacking of American and other Western companies - including our gas, electric, medical and food supplies.)

Russia has been under Putin's Dictatorship for 20 years now and while ordinary Russians suffer and die Putin continues to build his own personal wealth (estimated at $70 Billion US Dollars) and waste them on expensive Palaces across Russia. ^

US Summer Trips

From News Nation:

“Ready to hit the road? Here are 2021’s best states for summer road trips”

It’s summer! With the pandemic easing and states opening up, NerdWallet has released its annual list of the best states for a summer road trip.  According to the report, more than two-thirds of Americans plan to vacation this summer, and 59% of U.S. families say they are more likely to drive than fly. The study evaluated 33 factors in three categories including cost, safety and the number of attractions or activities such as national parks, amusement parks, beaches, lakes and scenic drives. New York topped the list as best state for a summer road trip this year, followed by Texas and Louisiana. The worst state to take a summer road trip to was Rhode Island. As America’s smallest state, you can drive across the whole thing and be home in time for lunch. It was followed by Delaware and Connecticut.

10 best summer road trip states in 2021:  New York, Texas, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin

Top 10 worst states for summer 2021 road trips: Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut. Hawaii, Arkansas, Montana, Alabama, New Mexico, Mississippi, New Jersey

Louisiana was the cheapest road trip state, with the lowest average gas prices. Maine was the safest, although it didn’t make the top 10. California has the most stuff to do. Oregon had the most scenic byways.

^ This was interesting to see. I have been to many of these States  - the good and bad. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/ready-to-hit-the-road-here-are-2021s-best-states-for-summer-road-trips/

Heat Safety

^ Today is the 1st day of our 2nd Heat Wave (which is more hotter with tropical humidity.) Please don't forget to also check-in on: the Elderly, Children, the Sick, Farm Animals, the Disabled and Pets. ^

Ukrainian Gay Vets

From the DW:

“LGBTQ troops and vets go to war with homophobia in Ukraine”

They are patriots who have defended their country on the front lines. But LGBTQ soldiers in Ukraine's military have rights to fight for, too. The silence inside a makeshift cinema in the heart of Kyiv was shattered with the crash of a windowpane. Fireworks flashed. Homophobic attackers were attempting to besiege the screening of a film about the lives of LGBTQ people. The assailants threw tear gas and pyrotechnics. A member of the audience jumped up onto the windowsill and began throwing the projectiles back onto the street — shocking the men outside, who quickly ran away. That man was Viktor Pylypenko, a former member of the Ukrainian army's anti-terror detail in Donbass and the founder of a federation for equal rights for LGBTQ communities. Now a trim 34-year-old sporting a hoodie and earrings like a proper big-city hipster, Pylypenko was a volunteer in the Donbass Battalion during intense fighting against separatists in eastern Ukraine from 2014 to 2016. On the front, comrades called him the "Frenchman," on account of his work as a trained translator of English and French. In the summer of 2018, Pylypenko became the first Ukrainian soldier to publicly declare his homosexuality. "It was scary of course, like stepping into the unknown," he said. Pylypenko had kept the fact that he liked men to himself, not telling the soldiers with whom he shared the trenches. "It was a constant game of hide-and-seek," Pylypenko said. "I slept with women so no one would think I was gay." His comrades sometimes brought their wives and children to the barracks to introduce them to everyone. "Something like that is simply impossible for gay and lesbian soldiers," he said.After coming out, Pylypenko felt empowered to approach dozens of gay, lesbian and transgender active-duty soldiers and veterans. In 2019, about 30 of them formed an advocacy group for LGBTQ service people and participated in Kyiv's March for Equality for the first time. Today, the group has more than 100 members — and it's growing. "In some units, they may talk about LGBTQ rights in the military on their smoke break," Pylypenko said. "Afterwards, somebody will Google our group and get in touch."  

Support and attacks

(Serhiy Afanasiev is relieved he no longer has to live a double life)

One of those people is Serhiy Afanasiev, a 23-year-old special forces soldier, who recently came out on social media. He was encouraged to do so by comrades in the LGBTQ group. Afanasiev said he was relieved that he no longer had to live a double life. Comrades on the front lines were accepting: "I have a good commander. He told me it's my life and he has no right to get involved. I serve well, and that is enough for him." A soldier from another unit said she had decided not to come out yet. "Only a very few people that I really trust know that I am bisexual," said the soldier, who asked that her name not be used. "Unfortunately, there is still a lot of superstition around the topic in society. But I am planning my coming out soon. I guess then I'll have to clean up my 'friends' lists." Pylypenko said the ways in which comrades might react to a soldier's coming out depend a lot on the unit and its commander. When he came out, he said, he was subjected to verbal abuse on social media. Most of his colleagues, however, voiced support: "especially those with whom I fought against the enemy, with those I saved the wounded with." Nevertheless, in 2019, at a memorial service commemorating the Battle of Ilovaisk, Pylypenko was physically assaulted by a former comrade. "I had bruises on my back and my face," he said. "I didn't defend myself but instead tried to calm him with reason."

Combat experience helpful Like other LGBTQ people, queer soldiers don't necessarily feel safe on the streets. Even though police have increased their presence at LGBTQ events since anti-gay assailants injured 10 people when they attacked the March for Equality in 2015, homophobic gangs often go on "safaris" in which "small groups chase LGBTQ activists — often those sporting brightly colored hair or rainbow symbols — through the city," Pylypenko said. LGBTQ soldiers have not reacted with violence. "There have been times when people have told me I need to hit back," Pylypenko said. "But I shut them down. Because, if you react with physical violence, you justify the violence being used against you." He said LGBTQ communities should take a stand against violence, but not with fists, and most certainly not with weapons. The most powerful weapon LGTBQ soldiers have in their arsenal is public relations. Like other advocacy groups, they are fighting for civil partnerships, the same-sex marriage alternative found in many countries but still illegal in Ukraine. Pylypenko said civil partnerships were especially important for soldiers who risked their lives every day lines in Donbass, as well as for veterans who could be called up again if the situation escalates. Ukrainian law does not treat the partners of LGBTQ members of the military as it does the spouses and children of heterosexual soldiers wounded or killed in combat. "When a gay or lesbian soldier dies," he said, "their family is essentially cut off." There are several legislative proposals for civil partnerships, yet none of them has made it to the parliament for debate. "The war has been going on for eight years now, and the risks remain the same," Pylypenko. "Give us equality: We have sworn loyalty to the Ukrainian people. We have bled for our country: We have earned the right to equality." Advocates for LGBTQ communities say the soldiers' work has begun to shift views in society. Ukrainians see the military and veterans as defenders of their homeland, and the army enjoys more public trust than any other institution in the country.

Contrived Russia allegations

(Kyiv's March for Equality has grown louder and prouder in the years since a 2015 attack)

In March, Pylypenko's group invited LGBTQ people to join a new unit within the Ukrainian army. The impetus for forming a subunit tasked with creating a more psychologically pleasant atmosphere for queer soldiers in the army came from a commander who belongs to an LGBTQ group himself. The idea was not run past army leadership, and the name of the unit remains secret. "There could homophobes in the military command who simply wouldn't allow such a unit to exist," Pylypenko said.    Recruiting has been slow. People who wish to join the unit must be physically and mentally fit for the challenge, and not everyone is cut out for it. Secondly, Pylypenko said, recruits have reconsidered after allegations by homophobic groups that LGBTQ advocates have collaborated with Russia to discredit the Ukrainian army. "One of our aims is to expose the lies of Russian propaganda myths that claim Ukraine is being ruled by a 'neo-Nazi junta,'" Pylypenko said. "How could there be talk of neo-Nazis in an army that has gay-friendly units, and in which gay and lesbian active-duty and veteran service members can come out without fear?" "Why should we look to Russia?" Pylypenko said. "We were part of that empire. Why should we have to listen to them trash the Ukrainian military and the LGBTQ community? We must look to the free world, to Europe. We must aspire to democratic values." 

It's sad to see (in the 21^st Century and the Year 2021) so many countries around the world where Gays and Lesbians are still being treated as though it is the Dark Ages. Despite all the homophobia and discrimination in Ukraine (and many other places) these men are not only putting their lives at risk to protect Ukraine and Ukrainians – and fighting in the Donbas War against the Russians – but they are also standing-up to the anti-Gay war at home. I can only hope the ordinary Ukrainians see the sacrifices of these men and men like them and start seeing them as people that deserve equal civil rights. ^

https://www.dw.com/en/lgbtq-troops-and-vets-go-to-war-with-homophobia-in-ukraine/a-58059054

Dog Shenanigans

 

PTSD Help

 

Helpful PTSD hotline numbers include:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (also affiliated with Mental Health America): (800) 273-TALK (8255). Available any time of day or night, 365 days a year, this toll-free PTSD helpline has trained volunteers standing by to provide crisis intervention, to offer support for people in distress, and to give information and referrals to people with PTSD and their loved ones.

Veterans Crisis Line: (800) 273-TALK (8255) and press “1”. This toll-free hotline is available for veterans and their loved ones. You can also send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential, free support and referrals.

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741. This service is available 24/7 and provides free crisis support and information via text.

National Center for PTSD for Military Veterans (VA):  Call 1-800-273-8255     Press "1" if you are a Veteran.

National Hopeline Network: (800) 442-HOPE (4673). Available 365 days a year, volunteers who staff this toll-free hotline are specially trained in crisis intervention to provide support, information, and referrals to people in need. You can also access services via chat by pressing the “Chat Now” button on its website.

PTSD Foundation of America, Veteran Line: (877) 717-PTSD (7873). Providing referrals, information, and helpful resources to veterans and their families, this toll-free hotline is available 24/7.

Lifeline for Vets: (888) 777-4443. Also geared toward veterans and their families, this toll-free PTSD helpline provides crisis intervention, referrals, and information.

https://www.psychguides.com/guides/ptsd-hotline/

75: Canadian Citizenship

Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946

The Canadian Citizenship Act (French: Loi sur la citoyenneté canadienne; effective 1947–1977), S.C. 1946, c. 15, is an Act of the Parliament of Canada which properly created the concept and status of Canadian citizenship in Canada, and defined who are Canadian citizens, separate and independent from the status of the British subject (which then came to be abolished in principle by the British Nationality Act 1948). The Act was replaced on 15 February 1977 by the Canadian Citizenship Act, 1976,[4] now known as the Citizenship Act.

History Pre-1947 The status of 'Canadian citizen' was originally created under the Immigration Act, 1910 to designate those British subjects who were born, naturalized, or domiciled in Canada. All other British subjects required permission to land. 'Domicile' was defined as having been resident in Canada for three years, excluding any time spent in prisons or mental institutions. A separate status of 'Canadian national' was created under the Canadian Nationals Act, 1921, which was defined as being a Canadian citizen as defined above, their wives, and any children (fathered by such citizens) that had not yet landed in Canada. However, these concepts were merely subsets of the status of "British subject", which was regulated by the Imperial British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914, which was adopted in Canada by the Naturalization Act, 1914.

Creation of Canadian Citizenship (January 1947) Canadian citizenship, as a status separate from British nationality, was created by the Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946, which came into effect on 1 January 1947. Canadian citizenship was generally conferred immediately on the following persons:a British subject who was born in Canada (and had not become an alien before 1947),  a person other than a natural-born Canadian citizen: who was granted, or whose name was included in, a certificate of naturalization under any act of the Parliament of Canada and had not become an alien at the commencement of the Act, or who was a British subject who had acquired Canadian domicile (i.e., five years' residence in Canada as a landed immigrant) before 1947 a British subject who lived in Canada for 20 years immediately before 1947 and was not, on 1 January 1947, under order of deportation women who were married to a Canadian before 1947 and who entered Canada as a landed immigrant before 1947 children born outside Canada to a Canadian father (or mother, if born out of wedlock) before 1947In the latter two cases, a "Canadian" was a British subject who would have been considered a Canadian citizen if the 1947 Act had come into .  immediately before the marriage or birth (as the case may be). Where the child born outside Canada was not a minor (i.e., was not under 21 years in age) at the time the Act came into force, proof of landed immigrant status was required to confirm Canadian citizenship.

Acquisition and loss of citizenship In addition to those people who became Canadian citizens upon the coming into force of the Act (popularly known as the "1947 Act" due to the year it came into force), citizenship afterwards was generally acquired as follows: birth in Canada (except where either parent is a representative of a foreign government, their employee, or anyone granted diplomatic privileges or immunities and neither parent is a citizen or permanent resident), naturalization in Canada after five years' residence as a landed immigrant, grant of citizenship to a foreign woman married to a Canadian man after one year's residence as a landed immigrant, grant of citizenship to women who lost British subject status prior to 1947 upon marriage to a foreign man or his subsequent naturalization, registration of a child born outside Canada to a Canadian "responsible parent" (being the father, if the child was born in wedlock, or the mother, if the child was born out of wedlock and was residing with the mother, if the father was deceased or if custody of the child had been awarded to the mother by court order)

Loss of Canadian citizenship generally occurred in the following cases: naturalization outside Canada, in the case of a minor, naturalization of a parent, service in foreign armed forces, naturalized Canadians who lived outside Canada for 10 years and did not file a declaration of retention, where a Canadian had acquired that status by descent from a Canadian parent, and who was either not lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence on the commencement of the Act or was born outside Canada afterwards, loss of citizenship could occur on the person's 22nd birthday unless the person had filed a declaration of retention between their 21st and 22nd birthday and renounced any previous nationality they possessed. Although Canada restricted dual citizenship between 1947 and 1977, there were some situations where Canadians could nevertheless legally possess another citizenship. For example, migrants becoming Canadian citizens were not asked to formally prove that they had ceased to hold the nationality of their former country. Similarly children born in Canada to non-Canadian parents were not under any obligation to renounce a foreign citizenship they had acquired by descent. Holding a foreign passport did not in itself cause loss of Canadian citizenship.

A notable exception to the 1947 act is the annexation of Newfoundland to Canada in 1949, whereby all native or naturalized Newfoundlanders were granted Canadian citizenship under the laws stated in the citizenship act, upon the date of union on 1 April 1949.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Citizenship_Act,_1946

Fake Certificates

From the MT:

“Russian Vaccine Skeptics Rush to Buy Fake Covid Jab Certificates”

Watching as Russia's drive to vaccinate its citizens against coronavirus stumbled earlier this year, Sergei had a hunch that authorities would eventually make inoculations mandatory. But the 30-something in the southern Krasnodar region had no plans of getting a jab. So he found a dealer online hawking fake vaccine certificates, sent his personal details over encrypted messenger Telegram and transferred 15,000 rubles ($200, 175 euros).  Three weeks later, Sergei logged onto Russia's government services portal to find a certificate showing he had received both doses of the country's homegrown Sputnik V vaccine — without ever having been jabbed. Russia last August stoked concerns over Sputnik V by registering the vaccine ahead of large-scale clinical trials, but international experts have since declared it safe and effective.

Many Russians are nonetheless wary, with some 60% saying they do not plan to be inoculated, according to independent polling. Sergei said he believes the jab has side effects, and fears the vaccine is "experimental."  "I don't want to die because of what the government wants," Sergei said in an exchange on Telegram, showing AFP a redacted screenshot of his personal government portal showing his vaccine certificate.  That sentiment has helped foster a black market on Telegram and Russian darknet forums where dozens of dealers are claiming to sell fake jab certificates and even falsified registration on the government's vaccination database. While some clients complain of being defrauded, others have left reviews saying everything went as planned.  And demand has only grown since Sergei's hunch came true.

Mandatory vaccines Moscow last week ordered mandatory vaccinations for service industry workers, after only about a million of its 12 million residents got shots in the six months they were available. A host of other Russian regions followed suit. Restaurant-goers in Moscow will also need to show proof of vaccination or previous infection starting from June 28, and further restrictive measures are expected as authorities move from persuasion to coercion in a bid to get more Russians vaccinated. Moscow authorities say the measures are working, with some 60,000 people per day —10 times more than before — now signing up for vaccination appointments.  But one seller on a darknet forum, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that 20 to 30 orders for fake certificates were coming in daily. "I'm getting asked to vaccinate whole companies," the seller boasted in an exchange on Telegram. At the low end of the black market, Russians can get a paper booklet certifying they were vaccinated for 2,000 rubles ($28, 23 euros). At the top end, for 30,000 rubles ($400, 350 euros) middlemen say they can get a medical worker to pour out vaccine doses and upload falsified medical records to the government portal.

'Jab down the drain' That's hardly difficult to imagine, said Pavel Brand, the director of a chain of family clinics in Moscow, pointing to doubts among Russia's medical workers about vaccines.  This spring, a survey by the independent Levada Center showed that 31% of Russian doctors did not trust Sputnik V and 23% did not plan to be inoculated against Covid. Authorities are moving to crack down on the black market, with Moscow police opening two dozen criminal cases into "the manufacture and sale of fictitious certificates" and announcing three arrests this week. The black market is just part of a much bigger problem that has seen only 16.2 million of Russia's 146 million people fully vaccinated — deep-seated distrust in the country's vaccine-producing capabilities. Alexei, a 47-year-old IT professional who purchased a certificate for a friend working in the service industry, said he and the friend are not anti-vaxxers. "I would probably still prefer to be vaccinated, but with an imported vaccine," he told AFP in an exchange on a darknet forum. Brand said that sentiment stems from a broader belief that anything foreign-produced — from an automobile to a vaccine — is likely to be better. Russia's bureaucratic medical apparatus has also made people adept at finding workarounds, he added, a legacy of a cumbersome Soviet system.  The black market is only one way to get around vaccinating, and there are other "much simpler" methods, said Brand.   "People just go to the clinic and give a certain nurse money" to dispose of vaccine doses and make a false registration, he said.  The method — so widespread in Russia that it is known as "jab down the drain" — has been used for years by nurses with mothers hesitant to vaccinate their children, Brand said.  "With Covid, I think it's happening en masse," he said.

^ This is not just a Covid issue for Russians, but a Russian Societal issue. Russians have done these kinds of things since the distrust of the official version of things started with the Soviet Union in 1917 and continues today.

It is now a normal part of Russian Society – to cut corners and do things under the table. Every Russian has a friend who has a friend who has a friend, etc. that can get something done.

I know many Russians that have paid to take the Mandatory Theory and Practical Driver’s Education and Tests to drive a vehicle yet they never once attended a class or even drove.

Or all the millions of Russian men who, every year, pay for a Doctor’s Certificate to get out of serving the Mandatory Military Service but they never have seen a Doctor or have any health issues (of course that has more to do with not wanting to deal with the poor conditions in the Russian Military – like the practice of Dedovshchina - Russian: Дедовщина or Reign of Grandfathers - which is the hazing of Conscripts including psychological abuse, lethal abuse and rape) and then being forced to fight in: Georgia, Ukraine and Syria.

This kind of cutting official corners or doing things on the sly to get around government rules and restrictions also include very basic things like getting the Mandatory Medical Certificate to go to a Gym (or Swimming Pool) without ever seeing a Doctor.

When I lived in Russia I wanted to have something to do inside to relieve the stress of: surviving the Russian Winter as well as all the hardships of living in Russia in general and so went to the local Gym that also had a swimming pool. Someone I knew told me to give them 1 Passport-sized picture of myself and some Rubles and the next day I had the Mandatory Medical Certificate needed.

While I could use that to go to the Gym it didn’t sit right with me so I made a real appointment with a Doctor each time I needed to renew the Certificate.

I personally do not trust any of the three officially-approved Russian Covid Vaccines. All the Government secrecy (like Putin saying he got one, but never saying which one – it was probably Pfizer or Moderna-  or that one of his daughters got the shot, but not saying which daughter – maybe it was given to the daughter he didn’t like) has given ordinary Russians a valid reason to not trust these vaccines.

I have talked with many Russian friends, both inside Russia and outside of Russia, and feel sorry for them about these forced Vaccines. Many are trying to go to an EU country and get a “real” Covid Vaccine so they will be allowed to work, learn and live in Russia, but that is very costly with travel and Visas. ^

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/25/russian-vaccine-skeptics-rush-to-buy-fake-covid-jab-certificates-a74348

Pictures

 

Pratasevich's House Arrest

From the DW:

“Belarus: Plane hijack journalist moved to house arrest”

(Belarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich gestures while speaking at a news conference at the National Press Center of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Minsk, Belarus, Monday, June 14, 2021.)

The country's opposition leader said that despite the "good news," Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend were still "hostages." The EU stepped up sanctions on Belarus this month. Raman Pratasevic at a recent press conference in Belarus, one of several staged by the government since his incarceration Belarus authorities have moved the journalist and his Russian girlfriend, arrested when their Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk last month, from prison to house arrest. Dissident blogger Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega have been in custody since a Belarus fighter jet forced their flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in Belarus on May 23. European Union leaders slapped tough sanctions on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko after the unprecedented move, also forcing planes to fly around the Eastern European state's airspace.

What has been the reaction so far? Estranged Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said the move was "good news" for Pratasevich, who could face up to a 15-year prison term for using a messaging app to help organize unauthorized protests last year. But Tsikhanouskaya cautioned: "House arrest is not freedom, they're still facing charges, their every step is still being watched. It means they're still hostages." The opposition leader said she was in contact with Pratasevich's parents who had reported they were not being given any information about their son's whereabouts. She said the journalist's parents were "convinced that the regime is playing a game, using Raman and Sofia's lives." Sapega's lawyer, Anton Gashinsky, confirmed to the Associated Press that his client had been moved to house arrest, although Pratasevich's lawyer, Inessa Olenskaya, did not comment due to a non-disclosure agreement.

^ While House Arrest isn’t the exact thing as Prison it also isn’t freedom – either being illegally held in Belarus – even if it is your home country. Belarus and Lukashenko continue to ruin the lives of ordinary Belarussians. ^

https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-plane-hijack-journalist-moved-to-house-arrest/a-58042460

Planned Spontaneity

"Spontaneity is best when planned." - - I'll pencil you in for a week from Tuesday at 11 am (please kindly give 24 hours if you are unable to keep this appointment.)

76 Years Late

From the DW:

“Germany lifts restrictions for descendants of Nazi victims to get citizenship”

The German parliament, the Bundestag, has voted to eliminate restrictions that denied citizenship to some descendants of German Jews and others persecuted by the Nazis. British-based campaigners are relieved. Early Friday morning the German federal parliament passed a bill with support from all parties except the far-right Alternative for Germany. It grants German citizenship to descendants of Jews, Roma and Sinti, and political opponents whom the Nazis had stripped of citizenship or prevented from acquiring it.

Article 116 of Germany's post-war constitution, or Basic Law, states: "Former German citizens who, between 30 January 1933 and 8 May 1945, were deprived of their citizenship on political, racial or religious grounds and their descendants shall, on application, have their citizenship restored."  But for over six decades obstacles kept many descendants of German-born ancestors from claiming that right. 

The new bill that was brought into parliament in March and has now been passed, makes it possible for a large number of descendants of Nazi victims to obtain German citizenship. This affects descendants of those who were stripped of their citizenship or lost it when they took on the nationality of their new home, or who were denied citizenship arbitrarily by the Nazis. It removes deadlines and abolishes previous restrictions. Under the new rules, German citizenship is now also available to descendants of German mothers and to children born out of wedlock.

British lawyer Felix Couchman was one of the people who had been lobbying for years for a change in legislation.  "It is a milestone that the law has passed. It has taken a long time for people to get where we are today" he told DW on Friday after the bill had passed.  Couchman first learned about the restrictions denying the descendants of German Jews citizenship after his brothers looked into applying in 2018. Their mother had been sent to Cornwall from Wiesbaden when she was 8 in 1939 on a"Kindertransport" — a program that brought Jewish children from Germany to stay with sponsors in the UK — after her grandfather was attacked in the pogrom in November 1938 (euphemistically termed the night of broken glass, or "Kristallnacht") and suffered injuries he eventually died of.    Couchman qualified for German citizenship even with the previous restrictions but vowed not to apply until they were lifted as a matter of principle. He and his wife Isabelle created their lobbying organization, the "Article 116 Exclusions Group," to push for the change. He says he has been motivated by his desire to honor his mother who died in 2001 and her sense of justice by restoring to people who had lost everything "their right to be called German."    In the wake of Brexit, their initiative quickly grew as Britons faced the reality of being cut off from the EU.  "There are those who just want to have a passport. I wouldn't argue otherwise. But for a significant number, the importance is not a piece of paper, not a passport, but a recognition that a wrong was done to them and their family members and forebears and that is now finally being acknowledged and being corrected," Couchman said.   The organization also grew quickly outside the UK, attracting members from EU countries such as France and Italy as well as further afield countries such as Canada and Australia.

One of the lives the campaign affected was that of 31-year old Londoner Danny Harries. Harries' grandfather had grown up near what is today's German parliament in a neighborhood later destroyed by Hitler for a never-completed vision of Berlin. His grandfather was sent to Britain on a Kindertransport in 1939.    Some seventy years later Harries traveled to Berlin and worked near where his grandfather once lived. "I felt a connection to the place. A home I had never been to," he said. "The whole experience was reconnecting to that German side of me. My grandfather actually passed away whilst I was there."  When Harries returned to London he and his sister began to work on their German citizenship applications. But they learned that because their parents never married they didn't qualify. That was when they turned to the group.    "I think it's wonderful news. I truly believe that justice has been done for my family and the other members of the group. I think my grandfather, who suffered so much, would be proud of what's been achieved today,” Harries told DW after the vote. "It's a real sign of reconciliation. And an example of what Germany can be going forward, open, progressive with a greater understanding of its past than many comparable countries. It's a historic moment of reconciliation."

Over years the Couchmans and other members worked to organize descendants and raise awareness about the rejection of citizenship applications. They reached out to German diplomats and politicians and experienced their first major success in 2019, when the German interior ministry removed many requirements by issuing the first of two decrees facilitating the regaining of German citizenship. Those decrees and a decision by Germany's highest court allowed Harries to qualify, but activists worried the reforms would be too easily undone unless they were put in legislation. This has been rectified with the new bill.

The newly qualified    One of the individuals who has now become eligible for German citizenship is Robert Swieca of Sydney, Australia. Swieca's mother was born in Berlin in 1921 but she did not become a German citizen at birth because of Germany's lack of birthright citizenship. She would have been able to become a naturalized German citizen but she and her family fled to France in 1933 as the situation for Jews worsened in Germany and then emigrated to Australia after the war.  Swieca himself went to the German consulate and was told he didn't qualify for German citizenship. This has now changed. "I am very happy," he said upon hearing the news of the legislative changes. "You can't change history but you can try and make amends.”   His mother celebrated her 100th birthday in May. He says she doesn't intend to apply but he will.    "History has twists and turns. This is a way of straightening out one of them."   "This is not just about putting things right, it is about apologizing in profound shame," German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had said about the bill back in May. "It is a huge fortune for our country if people want to become German, despite the fact that we took everything from their ancestors."  

^ It only took Germany 76 years to fix this wrong. ^

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-lifts-restrictions-for-descendants-of-nazi-victimsto-get-citizenship/a-58046004

22 1/2 Years

From News Nation:

“Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years for George Floyd’s murder”

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Judge Peter Cahill could have put Chauvin behind bars for as many as 40 years. Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank asked the judge for 30 years. “I’m not basing my sentence on public opinion,” Cahill said. “I’m not basing it on trying to send any messages.” “This is based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty showed to George Floyd,” Cahill said.

The Floyd family and their representatives acknowledged the context of the judge’s decision. Attorney Ben Crump hailed the prison term as the longest a Minnesota officer had ever been sentenced to, but said “real justice” would be for Floyd to still be alive. “22 1/2 years is longer than we’ve ever got but shorter than what we should’ve gotten in the past,” Rev. Al Sharpton said. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison praised the sentence, but called on the Senate to pass legislation that would make it easier to charge officers for actions they make on duty. Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The second-degree murder count, the most serious charge, carries up to 40 years in prison. On Friday morning, Judge Peter Cahill rejected Chauvin’s request for a new trial, saying defense attorney Eric Nelson has not shown that abused its discretion and denied Chauvin the right to a fair trial. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was declared dead after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes on May 25. Floyd was arrested on suspicion of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a convenience store. His death sparked protests and civil unrest in Minneapolis and across the U.S. over police brutality, at points turning violent. Chauvin spoke briefly, saying the other charges he’s facing prohibited him from going into detail. “I’m not able to give a full formal statement at this time,” he said. “Very briefly though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. I hope things will give you some peace of mind.” The first victim impact statement came from Floyd’s daughter, Gianna Floyd, 7, who said she wished she could still tell her dad she loved him. “We used to have dinner meals every single night before we went to bed,” she said. “My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth.” Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, gave emotional testimony at Friday’s sentencing. “I wanted to know from the man himself: why?” Terrence said. “What were you thinking when you had your knee on my brother’s neck? When he posed no threat.” Floyd’s other brother, Philonise Floyd, says his life as a trucker was changed forever when George died. “I haven’t had a real night’s sleep because of the nightmares of hearing my brother plead for his life over and over again,” he told the judge. George Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, asked the judge on behalf of his family to impose the maximum sentence. “We don’t want to see no more smacks on the wrist,” Terrence Floyd said. But Nelson pointed out the former officer had never broken the law. “He was proud to be a police officer because what he liked to do was help people,” Nelson said.

 Chauvin’s mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, told the judge her son was not the racist some have made him out to be. “I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man,” Pawlenty said. “Derek always dedicated his life and time to the police department. Even on his days off he would call in to see if they needed help. “I want you to know that when you’re sentencing him you’re also sentencing me.” She then turned to Chauvin and said she, “believed in [his] innocence.” The racially diverse jury listened to three weeks of evidence filled with countless surveillance videos, emotional testimony and medical experts. Prosecutors argued that Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd even though he was not resisting, using excessive force in violation of police training, and even when one of the onlookers identified herself as a firefighter and pleaded repeatedly to check Floyd’s pulse, according to witnesses and video. The defense argued that Chauvin did what he was trained to do and that Floyd’s death was not caused by the officer’s knee, as prosecutors contend, but by Floyd’s illegal drug use, heart disease, high blood pressure and the adrenaline flowing through his body. The prosecution called 11 days worth of witness to the stand whereas the defense only used two days of testimony before resting its case.

Under Minnesota statutes, Chauvin will be sentenced only on the most serious charge of second-degree murder. That’s because all of the charges against him stem from one act, with one victim. The max for that charge is 40 years, but legal experts have said there’s no way he’ll get that much. Case law dictates the practical maximum Chauvin could have faced was 30 years — double what the high end of state sentencing guidelines suggest. Anything above that risks being overturned on appeal. It’s possible Chauvin will not serve the full term. In Minnesota it’s presumed that a defendant with good behavior will serve two-thirds in prison and the rest on supervised release, commonly known as parole. If that happens, Chauvin would spend 15 years in prison. Once on supervised release, he could be sent back to prison if he violates conditions of his parole. It wasn’t immediately clear where he would serve his time after he is sentenced.

^ The sentence was fair as was the trial. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/derek-chauvin-trial/derek-chauvin-case-sentencing-george-floyd-death/

Unvaccinated Dying

From News Nation:

“Unvaccinated people now account for nearly all COVID deaths in US”

Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine. An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%.

And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average. The AP analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC itself has not estimated what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people, citing limitations in the data.

Among them: Only about 45 states report breakthrough infections, and some are more aggressive than others in looking for such cases. So the data probably understates such infections, CDC officials said. Still, the overall trend that emerges from the data echoes what many health care authorities are seeing around the country and what top experts are saying. Earlier this month, Andy Slavitt, a former adviser to the Biden administration on COVID-19, suggested that 98% to 99% of the Americans dying of the coronavirus are unvaccinated. And CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday that the vaccine is so effective that “nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19, is, at this point, entirely preventable.” She called such deaths “particularly tragic.”

Deaths in the U.S. have plummeted from a peak of more than 3,400 day on average in mid-January, one month into the vaccination drive. About 63% of all vaccine-eligible Americans — those 12 and older — have received at least one dose, and 53% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. While vaccine remains scarce in much of the world, the U.S. supply is so abundant and demand has slumped so dramatically that shots sit unused.

Ross Bagne, a 68-year-old small-business owner in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was eligible for the vaccine in early February but didn’t get it. He died June 4, infected and unvaccinated, after spending more than three weeks in the hospital, his lungs filling with fluid. He was unable to swallow because of a stroke. “He never went out, so he didn’t think he would catch it,” said his grieving sister, Karen McKnight. She wondered: “Why take the risk of not getting vaccinated?” The preventable deaths will continue, experts predict, with unvaccinated pockets of the nation experiencing outbreaks in the fall and winter. Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, said modeling suggests the nation will hit 1,000 deaths per day again next year. In Arkansas, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with only about 33% of the population fully protected, cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising. “It is sad to see someone go to the hospital or die when it can be prevented,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted as he urged people to get their shots. In Seattle’s King County, the public health department found only three deaths during a recent 60-day period in people who were fully vaccinated. The rest, some 95% of 62 deaths, had had no vaccine or just one shot. “Those are all somebody’s parents, grandparents, siblings and friends,” said Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, who helps lead a vaccination outreach program in King County. “It’s still a lot of deaths, and they’re preventable deaths.” In the St. Louis area, more than 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated, said Dr. Alex Garza, a hospital administrator who directs a metropolitan-area task force on the outbreak. “The majority of them express some regret for not being vaccinated,” Garza said. “That’s a pretty common refrain that we’re hearing from patients with COVID.”

The stories of unvaccinated people dying may convince some people they should get the shots, but young adults — the group least likely to be vaccinated — may be motivated more by a desire to protect their loved ones, said David Michaels, an epidemiologist at George Washington University’s school of public health in the nation’s capital. Others need paid time off to get the shots and deal with any side effects, Michaels said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration this month began requiring health care employers, including hospitals and nursing homes, to provide such time off. But Michaels, who headed OSHA under President Barack Obama, said the agency should have gone further and applied the rule to meat and poultry plants and other food operations as well as other places with workers at risk. Bagne, who lived alone, ran a business helping people incorporate their companies in Wyoming for the tax advantages. He was winding down the business, planning to retire, when he got sick, emailing his sister in April about an illness that had left him dizzy and disoriented. “Whatever it was. That bug took a LOT out of me,” he wrote. As his health deteriorated, a neighbor finally persuaded him to go to the hospital. “Why was the messaging in his state so unclear that he didn’t understand the importance of the vaccine? He was a very bright guy,” his sister said. “I wish he’d gotten the vaccine, and I’m sad he didn’t understand how it could prevent him from getting COVID.”

^ This doesn’t surprise me nor should it surprise anyone. People who decide to not get vaccinated have made that choice (which is their right) but if they then get infected, hospitalized and die from Covid we should respect their right and focus our attention on the hundreds of thousands of innocent American men, women and children that had no choice in whether to get vaccinated or not – since there was no vaccine when they died or they weren’t eligible for one when they died. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/unvaccinated-people-now-account-for-nearly-all-covid-deaths-in-us/