Anne Schedeen

Cathedral Attacked

 

Today the Russians bombed the Dormition Cathedral, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Ukrainian: Собор Успіння Пресвятої Богородиці Києво-Печерської лаври.)

The Dormition Cathedral was built in 1073.

In 1230 it was damaged by the Kyiv Earthquake, again during the 1240 Siege of Kiyiv by Khan Batu, again by the 1482 Crimean Raid of Meñli I Giray and again in 1718 by a fire.

In 1928 the Cathedral was turned into an Anti-Religious Park by the Soviet Communists and destroyed by the Soviets during the 1941 Khreshchatyk Explosions.

The Cathedral was restored in 1995 after Ukraine regained its Independence.

Today, June 15, 2026, the Cathedral was hit by a Russian Ballistic Missile setting it on fire and killing 11 People.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack "one of the biggest Russian Crimes against Christian Culture today.”

My Mom, Sister and I visited the Dormition Cathedral in 2007.

Stop That

 

AC

With Summer Coming next week and  Heat Waves in the US and Canada – Something to think about:

5% of all Europeans have air conditioning (Out of a population of 751 Million.)

1% of Brits have air conditioning (Out of a population of 67 Million.)

50% of Canadians have air conditioning (Out of a population of 39 Million.)

90% of Americans have air conditioners (Out of a population of 330 Million.)

Don’t forget to check-on: the Elderly, Children, Babies, the Sick, the Disabled, Animals and Pets.

Stay cool!

251: Army

 

251 years ago today (June 14, 1775) the United States Army was founded.

Of the 2,127,500 Soldiers, Airmen/women, and Sailors currently in the US Military:

487,083 are Active Duty Army

352,358 are Army National Guard

That’s a total of 839, 441 Soldiers in the US Army.

252,747 Civilians work for the US Army

Since the US has not had the Military Draft for 50 years (since 1973) every Man and Woman who serves in the Army (and the other Branches) are Volunteers.

Flag Day

Today (June 14th) is Flag Day in the United States.

The Stars and Stripes was officially created 246 years ago (on June 14, 1777) during the American Revolutionary War.

White signifies purity and innocence (since the US wanted its freedom to rule itself was an almost unknown concept in the World at that time.)

Red signifies hardiness and valor (since the US was in the midst of the American Revolution and fighting for our freedom from the World’s Strongest Military.)

Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice (since the US was a fledgling Democracy in a World full of Autocratic Monarchies.)

With the exception of the number and placement of the Stars (representing each State) and the American South which banned the Stars and Stripes in favor of the Confederate Flag during the American Civil War from 1861-1865 the US Flag has not been changed in 246 years.

The 50th Star was added on July 3, 1960 for Hawaii becoming a State (meaning the current Flag’s design hasn’t changed in 62 years.)

The United State National Flag is one of the oldest, unchanged and continuously used National Flags in the World.

Mail Trucks

 

Nanjing Massacre

Nanjing Massacre

(A Japanese Soldier pictured with the Corpses of Chinese Civilians by the Qinhuai River.)

The Nanjing Massacre (also known as the Rape of Nanjing) was the mass rape and murder of Chinese Men, Women and Children by the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The Second Sino-Japanese War began on July 7, 1937 and was fought between the Chinese and the Japanese (the Soviets, British and Americans entered on the side of China after the Japanese attacked them in 1941.)

Nanjing was made the Capital of the Republic of China in 1912 and so was a major target for the Japanese.

The Battle of Nanjing took place from November 11 – December 13, 1937.

Before the Battle Nanjing had a Population of 1 Million People (that was the number officially registered in the City and doesn’t include all the Refugees fleeing into the City from the Japanese.)

The Nanking Safety Zone (a demilitarized zone for Refugees) was set-up on November 22, 1937 by John Rabe.

John Rabe was a Member of the German Nazi Party (Nazi Germany was allied with Imperial Japan) and had been in China working for Siemens since 1910.

Chiang Kai-shek (Head of the Nationalist Chinese Government from 1925-1948 and then the 1st President of the Republic of China or Taiwan from 1948 -1975) and his Wife Soong Mei-ling, fled Nanjing on December 7, 1937.

The Chinese Capital was moved from Nanjing to Hankou and Nanjing fell to the Japanese on December 13, 1937.

Japanese Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, the Commander of the Nanjing Campaign issued an order to his Troops to “Kill all Captives.”

The Japanese Military went into Nanjing and immediately began raping and killing every Chinese Men, Women and Child they found.

Oftentimes the Japanese Soldiers (including Officers) would hold contests on how many Civilians a Soldier could rape or murder or both in a certain amount of time.

The Japanese Soldiers liked to save their bullets and so oftentimes bayoneted or doused with fire the Civilians to death.

After raping Women, Girls and sometimes even Men and Boys the Japanese would mutilate their bodies to death with bamboo sticks.

American Correspondent Edgar Snow reported that a 15 year old Chinese Girl was locked naked in a Barracks housing 300 Japanese Soldiers and raped multiple times daily.

The Rape and Murder in Nanjing only stopped when a Japanese-Puppet Chinese Government took over the City in January 1938.

340,000 Chinese Men, Women and Children were murdered by the Japanese during the Nanjing Massacre.

At least 80,000 Chinese Women and Girls were raped by the Japanese Soldiers in Nanjing.

250,000 Chinese Men, Women and Children were saved by John Rabe in Nanjing.

Nanjing was occupied by the Japanese until the end of World War 2 in August 1945.

(John Rabe)

John Rabe left China on February 23, 1938 and returned to Nazi Germany where he tried to warn Hitler what the Japanese were doing to the Chinese.

He was imprisoned by the Nazis (who were Allies with the Japanese) and only Influence from the Siemens Company got him released.

Rabe was arrested by both the Soviets and then the British after the War, but released.

Since he was a Member of the Nazi Party he had to undergo Denazification (German: Entnazifizierung) and was officially declared “De-Nazified” by the British on July 3, 1946.

His Family, having used all their Savings on the Legal Proceeding, was now living in Poverty.

In 1948 (during the Chinese Civil War) the Residents of Nanjing learned of Rabe’s Poverty and raised $2,000 US Dollars  ($27,000 US Dollars in 2026) to help him and his Family.

John Rabe died of a Stroke on January 5, 1950 in West Berlin, West Germany (Present-Day: Berlin, Germany.)

In 2005, Rabe's Former Residence in Nanjing, the John Rabe House, was restored to its former state.

It houses the John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall.

(The Cross at the Memorial Hall in Nanjing, China displaying the estimated duration and death toll of the Nanjing Massacre.)

The Nanjing Massacre was widely publicized while it was happening as well as taught in Schools in the Republic of China (Taiwan) while little mention of the Massacre occupied in the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) until after Mao Zedong died.

After Japan's Defeat in World War 2, American General Douglas MacArthur granted Immunity to the Japan’s Imperial Family.

As a result, Prince Asaka was never tried for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre. He and his Family were stripped of their Imperial Status in 1947 and he died in 1981.

When Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration and surrendered in August 1945, Japan officially acknowledged the War of Aggression and the Nanjing Massacre committed by the Japanese Military.

Despite that, there continues to be widespread Nanjing Massacre Denial in Japan.

 

Friday

 

Gene Shalit

 

Service Animals

 Service Animals

Service Animals are NOT the same as Emotional Support, Therapy, Comfort, or Companion Animals.

Service Animals ARE considered official under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) while Emotional Support, Therapy, Comfort, or Companion Animals are not covered by the ADA.

Disability is defined by the ADA as “a Physical or Mental Impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including people with history of such an Impairment, and people perceived by others as having such an impairment.”

The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of Disability in Employment, State and Local Government, Public Accommodations, Commercial Facilities, Transportation, and Telecommunications.

Service Animals are often born and raised by Non-Profit Charities and Groups that breed and train Service Dogs for the Disabled.

A Service Animal Candidate should:  Be calm, especially in unfamiliar settings, Be alert, but not reactive, Have a willingness to please, Be able to learn and retain information, Be capable of being socialized to many different situations and environments, Be reliable in performing repetitive tasks

Service Animals are trained to perform many tasks including picking up items and carrying them to their Owner, identifying danger or a health emergency, etc.

Hearing Animals help alert Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals to important sounds.

Mobility Animals assist individuals who use Wheelchairs or Walking Devices or who have balance issues.

Medical Alert Animals might also signal the onset of a Medical Issue such as a Seizure or Low Blood Sugar, alert the user to the presence of allergens, and serve many other functions

Psychiatric Service Animals assist individuals with Disabilities such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other conditions.

Service Animals cost between $20,000-50,000 (Breeding Program, Foster Homes, Training, Feeding, Medical Care, Paying for Disabled Owners to train with and travel to them, etc.)

The ADA limits the questions you can ask a Person about their Disability and their Service Animal.

When a Person with a Service Animal enters a Public Facility or Place of Public Accommodation, the Person cannot be asked about the nature or extent of his Disability.

Only two questions may be asked:

Is the animal required because of a disability?

What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

If the answer to question 1 is Yes and the tasks listed for question 2 are directly related to the Person’s Disability, then the Animal is a Service Animal.

Many State and Local Governments have introduced Laws that make it an Offense to Misrepresent a Service Dog.

 

Loving Day

Today (June 12th) is Loving Day in the US.

(Mildred and Richard Loving in 1967.)

It remembers the 1967 US Supreme Court Decision that Anti-Miscegenation Laws (laws that criminalize relationships and marriage of Interracial Couples) are unconstitutional.

The case was brought on by Mildred Delores Loving (née Jeter) and Richard Perry Loving.

Mildred Loving was born on July 22, 1939 in Central Point, Virginia.  She was half African-American and half Native-American.

Richard Perry was born on October 29, 1933 in Central Point, Virginia. He was White.

Central Point, Virginia (like the rest of the American South) had Jim Crow Laws that made it legal to openly discriminate against Non-Whites.

Virginia's “One-Drop Rule” codified in Law in 1924 as the Racial Integrity Act, required all Residents to be classified as "White" or "Colored", refusing to use People's longstanding identification as Indian among several Tribes in the state so Mildred Jeter was considered Colored by the State of Virginia.

Virginia also had Anti-Miscegenation Laws that made it illegal for a White Person and a Non-White Person to have a Sexual Relationship and to Marry each other.

In 1958, when Mildred was 18 she became Pregnant and they decided to marry in June 1958 and traveled to Washington, D.C., to do so (due to Virginia’s Anti-Miscegenation Laws.)

The Lovings continued to live in Central Point, Virginia and were arrested by the County Sheriff for "cohabiting as Man and Wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth."

They pled Guilty and were convicted by the Caroline County Circuit Court on January 6, 1959. They were sentenced to 1 year in Prison, suspended for 25 years on the condition that they leave Virginia. They moved to Washington, D.C.

They were frustrated by their inability to travel together to visit their families in Virginia, and by social isolation and financial difficulties in Washington, D.C.

In 1964, after their youngest Son was hit by a car in the busy streets, they decided they needed to move back to their hometown, and they filed suit to vacate the judgment against them so they would be allowed to return home to Virginia.

In 1964, Mildred Loving wrote in protest to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. RFK referred her to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU filed a motion on the Lovings' behalf to vacate the Judgment and set aside the sentence, on the grounds that the statutes violated the Fourteenth Amendment. This began a series of lawsuits and the case ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court.

The Case, Loving v. Virginia, was decided unanimously in the Lovings' favor on June 12, 1967.

The Court overturned their Convictions, dismissing Virginia's argument that the law was not discriminatory because it applied equally to and provided identical penalties for both White and Black persons.

The Supreme Court ruled that the Anti-Miscegenation Statute violated both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Lovings returned to Virginia after the Supreme Court decision where they lived for the rest oof their lives.

On June 29, 1975, a Drunk Driver struck the Lovings' car in Caroline County, Virginia. Richard was killed in the crash, at age 41. Mildred lost her right eye.

Mildred died of Pneumonia on May 2, 2008 at the age of 68.

 

Anti-Miscegenation Laws In the United States:

Repealed before 1887:

Illinois: From 1829 until 1874

Iowa: From 1839 until 1851

Kansas: From 1855 until 1859

Maine: From 1821 until 1883

Massachusetts: From 1705 until 1843

Michigan: From 1838 until 1883

New Mexico: From 1857 until 1866

Ohio: From 1861 until 1887

Pennsylvania: From 1725 until 1780

Rhode Island: From 1798 until 1881

Washington: From 1855 until 1868

 

 Repealed before 1967:

Arizona: From 1865 until 1962

California: From 1850 until 1948

Colorado: From 1864 until 1957

Idaho: From 1864 until 1959

Indiana: From 1818 until 1965

Maryland: From 1692 until 1967

Montana: From 1909 until 1953

Nebraska: From 1855 until 1963

Nevada: From 1861 until 1959

North Dakota: From 1909 until 1955

Oregon: From 1862 until 1951

South Dakota; From 1909 until 1957

Utah: From 1852 until 1963

Wyoming: From 1913 until 1965

 

 Repealed Because of the 1967 Loving Case:

Alabama: From 1822 until 1967 (2000 by Law)

Arkansas: From 1838 until 1967 (1973 by Law)

Delaware: From 1807 until 1967 (1986 by Law)

Florida: From 1832 until 1967 (1968 by Law)

Georgia: From 1750 until 1967 (1972 by Law)

Kentucky: From 1792 until 1967 (1974 by Law)

Louisiana: From 1724 until 1967 (1975 by Law)

Mississippi: From 1822 until 1967 (1987 by Law)

Missouri: From 1835 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

North Carolina: From 1715 until 1967 (1973 by Law)

Oklahoma: From 1897 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

South Carolina: From 1717 until 1967 (1972 by Law)

Tennessee: From 1741 until 1967 (1978 by Law)

Texas: From 1837 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

Virginia: From 1691 until 1967 (1968 by Law)

West Virginia; From 1863 until 1967 (1969 by Law)

 

The Following States Never had Miscegenation Laws:

Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire

No Independence

 

Not Independence Day

Today (June 12th) is Russia Day in Russia (despite 84% of Russians thinking it is Russian Independence Day it is not - they don't have an Independence Day.)

Today is just when the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic declared that Russian Laws made in Moscow would supersede Soviet Laws also made in Moscow in 1990.

Since Russia is officially considered the Successor State to the Soviet Union (and it never declared its Independence like 14 of the 15 Soviet Republics did) the 1990 Declaration became null and void on December 26, 1991 when the USSR collapsed.

So, on Russia Day let's honor the Ukrainian Men, Women and Children that are fighting hard (and dying) to regain their Independence.

Let's also honor the Anti-Putin and Anti-Z Russians that are fighting hard (and dying) to end Putin's 26 Year Dictatorship, end his War Crimes and are trying to bring Russia back into the Civilized World.

 

97: Anne Frank

Today (June 12th) would have been Anne Frank’s 97th Birthday.

Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany.

(Anne Frank in December 1941.)

In 1934, when she was 4 years old, she moved with her Family to Amsterdam, the Netherlands to escape the Nazis.

In May 1940 the Germans invaded and occupied the Netherlands.

In 1941 the Germans forced all Jews to leave Non-Jewish Schools and so Anne and Margot left the 6th Montessori School and went to the Jewish Lyceum.

In 1941 she became Stateless when the Germans revoked her German Citizenship.

On her 13th Birthday on June 12, 1942 Anne received her non Famous Diary.

On July 6, 1942 Anne and her Family went into Hiding after the Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung (Central Office for Jewish Emigration) ordered Margot to report for “Relocation” to a Work Camp in Germany.

On July 13, 1942 the Franks were joined by Hermann, Auguste and Peter Van Pels in their Hiding Place.

In November 1942 they were joined by Fritz Pfeffer in their Hiding Place.

On August 4, 1944 Anne Frank’s Hiding Place was raided by the German Uniformed Police (Grüne Polizei) led by SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer of the Sicherheitsdienst.

The Franks, Van Pelses, and Pfeffer were taken to RSHA headquarters, where they were interrogated and held overnight.

On August 5, 1944, they were transferred to the Huis van Bewaring (House of Detention), an overcrowded Prison in Amsterdam.

Two days later they were transported to the Westerbork Transit Camp in the northern part of German-Occupied the Netherlands, through which more than 100,000 Jews, mostly Dutch and German, had passed.

Having been arrested in hiding, they were considered Criminals and sent to the Punishment Barracks for Hard labor.

On August 7, 1944, Miep Gies attempted to facilitate the release of the Prisoners by confronting Silberbauer and offering him money to intervene, but he refused.

On September 3, 1944 Anne and everyone else from the Hiding Place was deported by Cattle Car on the last train to leave Westerbork for the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland where they arrived 3 days later.

Of the 1,019 Passengers, 549—including all Children younger than 15—were sent directly to the Gas Chambers and murdered. Anne, who had turned 15 three months earlier (the minimum age the Germans allowed Prisoners to do Hard Labor) entered Birkenau.

 The Men were separated from the Women. It was the last time Anne saw her Father.

Anne was forced to haul rocks and dig rolls of sod by day; by night, they were crammed into overcrowded barracks. Being outside all day she regularly saw People walking to their deaths in the Gas Chambers.

In October 1944 their Group was selected to leave Auschwitz and go to the Leibau Labor Camp, but Anne had contacted Scabies and so went to the Camp’s Hospital instead. Margot and their Mother volunteered to stay in Auschwitz to care for Anne.

On October 28, 1944, after recovering from Scabies, Anne, Margot and Mrs. Van Pels left Auschwitz and went to the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany.

Around March 1945, Anne died from Typhus at 15 years old a few days after her Sister, Margot who was 18 years old.

They were both buried in an unknown Mass Grave.

In July 1945, after Otto Frank learned that his whole Family had died, Miep Gies gave him Anne’s Diary. It was first published (in Dutch) in 1947, in German and French in 1950 and in English in 1952. It is currently published in 70 Languages.

Bark

 

40: Ferris Bueller

 

Chips And Dip

 

Tipping

 

Let’s be clear on something: A Restaurant or Business CAN pay their Employees MORE in Salary than the Federal or State Minium Wage.

Restaurants and Businesses DO NOT want to pay their Employees more in Salary than the Federal or State Minium Wage.

The Restaurants and Businesses want to keep more money for themselves and try to shame its Customers into making up the difference.

I DO believe in Tipping.

I DO NOT believe in Tipping everywhere I go where I do the work myself (Stores, Self-Checkouts, etc.)

I DO NOT believe in being the Person who has to make sure the Employee can make ends meet (that is the job of the Restaurant or Business and even the State and Federal Governments.)

Shaming Customers only wants you lose Customers (and their money.)

Note: I worked as a Dishwasher when I was in 10^th Grade and we never got any of the Tips (and since I was a Minor I made less money than the Adult Dishwashers doing the same job as Me.)

Sign

 

Consistency

 

Dog

 

Mykolaiv

Mykolaiv

(Mykolaiv before the 2022 Russian War.)

Mykolaiv is Port City in southern Ukraine.

It is known as Миколаїв Transliterated as Mykolaiv in Ukrainian and as Николаев Transliterated as Nikolaev in Russian.

Mykolaiv was named after Saint Nicholas, the Patron of Seafarers.

Mykolaiv is the Capital City of Mykolaiv Oblast (Ukrainian: Миколаївська область) or Mykolaiv Province (there are 24 Oblasts in Ukraine.)

Mykolaiv is 297 miles from Kyiv.

Mykolaiv was founded in 1789 by Prince Grigory Potemkin (Ukrainian: Григорій Потьомкін or Russian: Григорий Потёмкин) a Russian Nobleman, Military Leader, the Namesake of the Potemkin village (Ukrainian: Потьомкінські села or Russian: Потёмкинские деревни) and Statesman who was loved by Czarina Catherine the Great (Ukrainian: Катерина Велика or Russian: Екатерина Великая.)

It took 2,500 People (Ukrainian Peasants, Russian Soldiers and Turkish Prisoners-Of-War) to build the City.

The Russian Empire's Black Sea Navy Headquarters was in Mykolaiv for more than 100 years until the Imperial Russian Navy moved it to Sevastopol in Crimea.

During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Mykolaiv became the main Rear Base to support Russia's efforts in the War.

By the later part of the 19^th Century Mykolaiv's Port ranked third in the Russian Empire (after Saint Petersburg and Odesa) in trade with Foreign Countries.

Jews started to settle in Mykolaiv in the late 18th Century.

Mykolaiv was part of the Pale of Settlement (Ukrainian: Смуга осілості or Russian: Черта оседлости or Yiddish: דער ייִדישער צעטייל־געגנט) the only part of Russian Empire that Jews were legally allow to live in from 1791 to 1917.

There were Anti-Jewish Pogroms in Mykolaiv in May 1881 and in April 1899

In 1917 the Russian Czar was forced to Abdicate in February and the Soviet Communists took over Moscow and most of Russia in November.

At the same time Ukraine suffered two Wars: the Ukrainian–Soviet War (Ukrainian: українсько-радянська війна or Russian: Украинско-советская война) fought between the Ukrainians and the Soviet Russians from March 1917 until November 1921 and the Polish–Ukrainian War (Ukrainian: Польсько-українська війна or Polish: Wojna polsko-ukraińska) fought between the Ukrainians and the Poles from November 1918 until July 1919.

The Germans occupied Mykolaiv in 1918 (shortly before they were defeated during World War 1) and then the French occupied the City in 1919 as part of the West’s Intervention during the Russian Civil War (the War between the Soviet Communists and the Non-Communist Russians.)

The Poles won the Polish-Ukrainian War and annexed western Ukraine (including the City of Lviv (Ukrainian: Львів or Russian: Львов or Polish: Lwów) to Poland.

The Soviets won the Ukrainian-Soviet War and made the rest of Ukraine (except the western Part) the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian: Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка or Russian: Украинская Советская Социалистическая Республика) a Republic within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Ukrainian: Союз Радянських Соціалістичних Республік or Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик.)

When the Soviet Union took control of Ukraine in 1922 there was a Petition to rename the City from Mykolaiv (named after Saint Nicolas and not seen as a worthy name in the Communist Atheist Soviet Union to Vernoleninsk (or “Faithful to Lenin.")

The Name Change was rejected by Moscow yet many Non-Russian Maps (especially those in Germany) in the 1920s-1940s called Mykolaiv  -  Vernoleninsk  - which would impact things in June 1941.

In June 1941 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

Mykolaiv (or as the Nazis were looking for on their maps – Vernoleninsk – was occupied by the Germans on August 16, 1941.

From September 16-30, 1941 the Germans (Wehrmacht and Einsatzgruppe D) massacred 35,782 Men, Women and Children (98% of those killed were Jews and 2% of those killed were Communist Non-Jews) in what is known as the Mykolaiv Massacre (Ukrainian: Розстріли у Миколаєві or Russian: Расстрелы в Николаеве or German: Massaker von Mykolajiw.)

In April 1942 the German Stalag 364 Prisoner-Of-War Camp was opened in Mykolaiv.

The POW Camp closed in December 1943.

On March 28, 1944 Mykolaiv was liberated by Soviet Senior Lieutenant Konstantin F. Olshansky's Marines.

(Mykolaiv during Russia’s War.)

During the Euromaidan Protests of 2013–2014, Mykolaiv was the scene of Anti-Yanukovich Protests.

After the Victory of Euromaidan, the situation calmed down somewhat until 7 April 2014, when some Pro-Russians tried to take over the Local Administration Building.

 Pro-Ukrainians stopped them from taking over the Administration Building and destroyed the Pro-Russian Camp after which the situation in the City became calm.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Before the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Mykolaiv had a Population of 470,011.

72% of the Population of Mykolaiv are Ethnic Ukrainians and 23% are Ethnic Russians.

56% of the Population of Mykolaiv speak Russian as their First Language, 42% of the Population speak Ukrainian as their First Language.

99% of the Population that has the Russian Language as their First Language are also fluent in the Ukrainian Language.

96% of the Population that has the Ukrainian Language as their First Language are also fluent in the Russian Language.

Since the Russian Invasion in 2022 Ukrainian has been the Official Language of the City of Mykolaiv.

The Battle of Mykolaiv (Ukrainian: Бої за Миколаїв or Russian: Бои за Николаев ) took place between the Russians and the Ukrainians from February 28, 2022 until April 8, 2022.

The Ukrainian Military and Ukrainian Civilians only had 5 hours to barricade the City before the first attack occurred.

The Russians needed to take Mykolaiv in order to continue on to Odesa, but the Ukrainians defeated the Russians and Mykolaiv was never occupied.

128 Ukrainian Civilians were killed, 545 were wounded and 250,000 were forced to flee the City for other parts of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Mykolaiv a Hero City of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Місто-герой України) in March 2022 for the Sacrifices of the Military and Civilians in defending Mykolaiv.

Ever since February 2022 Mykolaiv has been bombed by the Russians (with Drones and Missiles.)

While the Russians never occupied the City of Mykolaiv they did occupy 11 of 18 Ukrainian Settlements in Mykolaiv Oblast.

Russia continues to occupy 3 Ukrainian Settlements in Mykolaiv Oblast.

The City is at the confluence where the Inhul and Southern Bug Rivers meet.

It is a Major Transportation Hub with a Seaport, a Commercial Port, a River Port and Highway and Railway Junctions as well as an Airport.

The Airport (like all Ukrainian Airports) has been closed since the Russian Invasion in February 2022.

The City also has several Research Centers that specialize in Shipbuilding such as  the State Research and Design Shipbuilding Center (Ukrainian: Ukrainian: Державне підприємство «Дослідно-проектний центр кораблебудування») and Zoria-Mashproekt (Ukrainian: «Зоря» — «Машпроект».)

The City had (before the Russian Bombs): 74 Pre-Schools, 75 Elementary, Middle and High Schools and 10 Universities.

There are three Performing Arts Theaters in Mykolaiv: the Academic Ukrainian Theater of Drama and Musical Comedy, the Mykolaiv State Puppet Theater, and the Mykolaiv Academic Art Russian Drama Theater.

 In addition, the Mykolaiv Oblast Philharmonic performs in the city.

Mykolaiv has the following Museums: Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History, The Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet, the Museum of the World War II Partisan Movement and the V. V. Vereshchagin Art Museum.

At least 1,389 Sites in Mykolaiv have been destroyed due to Russian Bombs costing at least $9.8 Billion US Dollars.

Turkeys

 

65: Michael J Fox

 

Me

 

Paul Mahrer

Paul Mahrer

(Pavel Mahrer in his Soccer Uniform in Prague, Czechoslovakia.)

Paul Mahrer was born Pavel Mahrer on May 23, 1900 in Teplice, Bohemia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Present-Day: Teplice, the Czech Republic.)

His Father, Sigmund, was a Merchant and his Mother was Bertha (née Taussigová.)

He had two Brothers, Kurt and Ota (Otto.)

He did a Banking Apprenticeship.

In 1918 Pavel enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War 1.

He was sent to the Italian Front and took part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneta, during which he was captured by the British on October 27^th.

In the POW Camp Pavel played Soccer.

After the War he was released from the POW Camp and in 1919 he played for the Teplitzer Fußball-Klub 1903 (a German Soccer Team in newly Independent Teplice, Czechoslovakia.)

In 1922 Pavel went with 17 other Members of his Team on a Tour of South America playing in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

When he came back from South America he joined the Deutscher Fußball-Club Prag and moved to Prague.

Also in 1922 Pavel married Betty Guttmann, the Daughter of the Rabbi and Cantor of the Pinkas Synagogue, Baruch Guttmann, in Prague.

In 1924 Pavel joined the Czechoslovak National Soccer Team and played at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.

In 1926 their Son, Peter, was born.

Also in 1926 he went (with his Wife and Son) to the United States and played with the Brooklyn Wanderers of the American Soccer League.

He returned to Czechoslovakia after the Season but was back in the United States in December 1928 where he played for the Jewish Club Hakoah All-Stars for the next three Seasons.

He made $500 Dollars ($9,500 Dollars in 2026) for his contract.

In 1929 their second Son, Jerome, was born while in the US and so was an American Citizen by Birth.

He returned to Czechoslovakia in 1932 due to the effects of the Great Depression in the US and the World.

In August 1933 Pavel and his Team (Deutscher Fußball-Club Prag) went to Berlin, Nazi Germany to play, but Pavel and another Teammate were not allowed to play because of the Nazis’ Anti-Jewish Laws.

He retired from Soccer in 1936.

He then opened a Store that sold Shirts in Prague.

In March 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia.

Pavel was forced to close his Store because of the Anti-Jewish Laws and he worked in Road Construction.

Because his Son, Jerome, was an American Citizen and a Minor Pavel, his Wife and their other Son were protected from the Anti-Jewish German Laws.

In 1942 Pavel was arrested for looking for food for his Family on the Black Market.

He was sent to a regular Prison for a year before being transferred to the Theresienstadt/ Terezín Ghetto 40 miles from Prague on June 9, 1943.

Because of his Pre-War fame he was made a Kitchen Helper in the Ghetto which was a Prized Position.

In 1943-1944 he participated in the Terezín League (playing Soccer once again against other Teams in the Ghetto.)

Pavel was also made a Coach of the coach of the Fleisher (Butchers) Team.

Theresienstadt held 144,000 Jewish Men, Women and Children from all over German-Occupied Europe.

33,000 People died inside Theresienstadt from starvation, disease and shootings by the Germans.

90,000 People were deported from Theresienstadt and murdered in the Death Camps in German-Occupied Poland.

Pavel’s Two Brothers were deported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz and murdered.

Otto in 1943 and Kurt in 1944.

Pavel managed to survive the Deportations and was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on May 8, 1945.

Betty and her Children were arrested by the Germans in 1943.

Jerome and Peter were interned in a Camp in Tittmoning, Germany and their Mother in a Camp in Biberach.

 In February 1945, all three became part of a Prisoner Exchange and were sent to Switzerland, from where the American Army escorted them to Marseille.

In France they boarded a ship and sailed for New York (all thanks to Jerome being born in the United States.)

In 1946 Pavel also immigrated to the United States and reunited with his Family.

He changed his name to Paul.

He lived in New York and worked at a Company making Cards.

He visited Communist Czechoslovakia in 1966 and 1968.

After he retired Paul and Betty moved to California to live with their Son, Peter.

Paul Mahrer died on December 18, 1985.

He was 85 years old year.

Betty Mahrer died on January 2, 1990.