V-J Day

 

85: Star of David

85 years ago today (September 1, 1941) the Germans required Jews in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia  to wear a Yellow Star of David with the German Word “Jude” for “Jew.”

(A Jewish Girl in German-Occupied Croatia forced to wear a Star of David with the Ž for “Židov”, English: “Jew” on it.)

Every Man, Woman and Child over the age of 6 had to buy these Badges (using their own Clothing Ration Coupons) and have them clearly visible on their outer clothing (including a coat) so that they could easily be identified and discriminated against for being Jewish.

When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 they required Jews there to wear a White Armband with a Blue Star of David for the same purpose.

(Jewish People in German-Occupied Belgium forced to wear the Star of David with the J (for "Jude" in German, "Juif" in French and "Jood" in Dutch.)

Parts of Poland had different Badges. In German-Occupied Warsaw Jews had to wear the Armband and in German-Occupied Lodz Jews had to wear the Yellow Star (because that part of Poland was illegally annexed into Germany.)

(A Jewish Man in German-Occupied Poland forced to wear the Star of David Armband.)

In every European and North African Country/Territory that Germany occupied during World War 2 the Jews there had to wear similar Identifying Badges with the local name for “Jew” on it (French: “Juif”, Dutch: “Jood”, Croatian: Ž for “Židov”, English: “Jew” for the British Channel Islands which Germany occupied, etc.)

Failure to not wear the Armband or the Star or to “hide it” and not have it clearly visible resulted in instant death.

This requirement was on top of every Jewish Man, Woman and Child having to carry an Identity Card with a large “J” on it – since 1938 in Germany and every German Jewish Man, Woman and Child having to add either “Israel” for Men or “Sara” for Women to their Names to be “more easily recognizable as Jews” – since 1936.

The Germans wanted to first identity the Jews and then to murder them.

Cutting Aid

From the BBC:

“US plans to cut off military aid to key Middle East ally, BBC told”

The Trump administration is planning to cut off military aid to a key Middle East ally that helped the US defeat the Islamic State group (IS) and is now facing punishing attacks from Iran, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

The US Department of Defense has told leaders of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in recent meetings that the administration is not planning to renew an expiring agreement that provides security assistance to the Peshmerga, the Kurdish security force.

The BBC spoke to two officials who participated in the talks and two other sources with direct knowledge of the issue. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the talks, details of which have not been previously reported.

Kurdish officials fear the funding cut would create a power vacuum and embolden Iran, which has fired hundreds of missiles and drones into Iraqi Kurdistan since US President Donald Trump started the war with Tehran.

Ending the Peshmerga's security assistance would undermine a longtime partner in Iraq, analysts said, and send the message that the US cannot be trusted to back its allies in the region. "The US would be cutting off the Kurds, who shed so much blood to help the Americans achieve their goals in Iraq and the wider Middle East," Yerevan Saeed, the director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace at American University, said.

"This is going to be a big win for Iran, China, and Russia if the Kurds are left so exposed." In his second term, Trump has pledged to reduce America's foreign entanglements in regions like the Middle East. He also launched the war with Iran, which reached the six-month mark on Friday with no end in sight.

The memorandum of understanding between the Pentagon and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is set to expire on 30 September, the same day the US and other nations are withdrawing their last remaining troops from Iraq.

The troop withdrawal will formally end the international military campaign against IS, in which the Peshmerga fought alongside coalition troops to end the jihadist group's control of parts of Iraq and Syria. The sole remaining US military base in the country, located in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Irbil, is set to close next month once coalition troops leave.

The Peshmerga, which has approximately 180,000 troops in Iraqi Kurdistan, received $61m (£45m) in the fiscal year 2026 for weapons, military training and stipends through the Pentagon's counter-IS programme. The Pentagon proposed cutting all the group's security aid in its fiscal year 2027 budget request - arguing that since IS was defeated the money should now be reallocated - but the spending plan is on hold amid a broader budget battle in Congress. The request raised alarm bells in Iraqi Kurdistan, but officials had held out hope that the US would renew the funding through an extension of the current deal.

The fears have only grown as Iran has stepped up attacks against the KRG. Iran and Iranian-backed militias had conducted 158 missile or drone attacks inside Iraqi Kurdistan by late May, according to reasearch on the latest available data compiled by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington DC think tank.

But despite the surge in attacks, in recent talks with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders, defence department officials said the US was not planning to extend the memorandum of understanding, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions said. The Pentagon signed the initial memorandum of understanding giving military assistance to the Peshmerga in 2016 and renewed it in 2022. A final decision on security engagement between the US and Kurdistan is still being reviewed, according to one source familiar with the Pentagon's thinking. The US is considering ways to maintain some security support in both Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan after the troop withdrawal, the sources said.

The KRG declined to comment. The White House referred the BBC to the Pentagon where a spokesperson pointed to a statement by the department summarising Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in July. "The United States, Iraq and Coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq," the statement said.

A State Department spokesperson told the BBC it was focused on implementing the troop withdrawal, and "ensuring that Prime Minister Zaidi is positioned to disarm Iran-aligned terrorist militias and safeguard Iraqi sovereignty." The expiration of the security aid for the Peshmerga would come less than one year after the US opened its largest consulate in the world, in Irbil.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $800m complex last December, Michael Rigas, a senior US State Department official, said the consulate was "a testament to the value of the relationship between the United States and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region".

The recent discussions around Kurdish security were part of larger conversations between the US, the Iraqi government and KRG over the upcoming troop withdrawal. That date was set under a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad to withdraw the US troops that remain in Iraq from the campaign against IS. American combat troops left Iraq in 2011 but returned after the power vacuum led to the rise of IS in 2014.

The US could avoid repeating the same mistake by continuing to back the Peshmerga, said James Jeffrey, who spearheaded the global coalition against IS in Trump's first term. "It's money well spent, as we found out when the Islamic State rolled into northern Iraq," said Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq and Turkey under the Obama administration. The Trump administration has not said how many US troops brought in to fight IS more than a decade ago remain in Iraq. Experts believe it's under 1,000, down from 170,000 at the height of the Iraq War.

The recent meetings on Iraqi security included the White House, Defense and State Departments, with Tom Barrack acting as a principal US voice on Iraq, four sources said. A close Trump ally, Barrack is the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Iraq and Syria.

The administration has said publicly it's open to a bilateral security agreement with Iraq. The countries discussed a possible defence pact in the recent meetings, but it's still unclear how the agreement might be structured or what Iraqi Kurdistan's role might be. Al-Zaidi touted the troop withdrawal during his visit to Washington last month. Al-Zaidi, who was elected in May, met Trump at the White House, as well as Hegseth and members of Congress.

"October 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state, as Iraq will be free of any foreign military presence," al-Zaidi's office said in a statement at the time.

The withdrawal will reduce the exposure of US troops in the Middle East who have been targeted by Iran during the war, analysts said. Tehran has attacked US bases across the region, including the base in Irbil.

But it will leave the Peshmerga security force and the rest of the region it helps protect even more vulnerable than before, said Jason Campbell, a former US defence official.

"The Peshmerga have been the frontline in the US and international war with ISIS," said Campbell, an expert at the Middle East Institute. "If the US moves forward with this, it'll make the Kurds perhaps the most vulnerable potential targets of Iran."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn74m8e5rleo

Kaliningrad

 

Kaliningrad City, Russia has been separated from the rest of Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991 (35 years ago.)

Kaliningrad, Russia was known as Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany until 1945.

1,029,966 People live in Kaliningrad Oblast (489,359 in the City of Kaliningrad.)

 

Now Kaliningrad is surrounded by:

Poland (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Lithuania (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

 

The Airspace needed to go from Kaliningrad, Russia to Minsk, Belarus (an ally of Russia) is blocked by:

Poland (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Lithuania (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Latvia (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Estonia (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Finland (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Sweden (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Not only is the Airspace closed to Kaliningrad, but also the Land and Rail Borders through Poland and Lithuania because of Russia’s War in Ukraine and Belarus’ frequent Violation of NATO and EU Airspace and Land Borders since 2021.

 

Kaliningrad City is only 290 miles from Minsk by car (2 hours by plane), but now it takes several more hours to go by plane only.

So all People, Food, etc. have to be flown in from Belarus or Russia via Russia.

 

Belarus has been ruled by the Dictator, Alexander Lukashenko since 1994 (32 years.)

Russia has been ruled by the Dictator, Vladimir Putin, since 2000 (26 years.)

Note 1: The United States closed its Embassy in Minsk, Belarus in 2022 because Belarus allowed Russia to invade Ukraine from Belarussian Territory.

There has not been an American Ambassador to Belarus since June 2022.

American Citizens are told not to travel to Belarus and Belarussian Citizens can no longer get American Visas.

Note 2: The United States closed its Consulate in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2018, its Consulate in Vladivostok, Russia in 2020 and its Consulate in Yekaterinburg in 2021.

The US Embassy in Moscow, Russia is open, but only to help American Citizens inside Russia.

There has been no American Ambassador to Russia since June 2025.

American Citizens are told to not travel to Russia.

The US Embassy no longer gives Russian Citizens American Visas.

 

35: More World

 

35: World

The World honors Ukraine's fight over Russia on Ukraine's 35th Independence Day today!

Diane Mumpher Klutz

Diane Mumpher Klutz

Diane Mumpher was from a small Town in Pennsylvania.

In 1969 she completed Nursing School and joined the US Army as a Second Lieutenant.)

In November 1970 she was stationed at the 67th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon, South Vietnam (Present Day: Qui Nhon, Vietnam.)

For 90 days straight she worked non-stop.

She worked to save the lives of US Soldiers who came to the Army Hospital by helicopter burned or torn-apart by explosions and gunfire.

She moved from one Soldier to the next for 90 straight days.

Those she couldn’t help save she stayed with them until they died.

When Diane returned to the United States in 1971 she met and married Stephen Klutz (who also served in Vietnam.)

She got her Ph. D in Nursing and taught at Universities as well as working as a Nurse Practitioner.

Today she is not only a Veteran, but a Wife, a Mother and a Grandmother.

Black Ribbon

Black Ribbon Day

Today (August 23rd) is Black Ribbon Day. It is the day the European Union, Georgia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States remembers the Men, Women and Children murdered by both the Nazis and the Communists. The date was chosen because it was when the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the German Nazis and the Soviet Communists was signed in 1939.

The Nazis murdered 24,826,424 Men, Women and Children (Non-Military Civilians) from 1933-1945.

That number also includes those in Targeted Groups that the Nazis specifically went after:

 Jews:   6 Million Men, Women and Children;

Non-Jewish Polish Civilians: 3 Million Men, Women and Children

People with Disabilities: 270,000 Men, Women and Children (doesn’t include the 375,000 Disabled who were Forcibly Sterilized)

Roma and Sinti (Gypsies): 500,000- 1.5 Million Men, Women and Children

Jehovah's Witnesses:  5,000 Men, Women and Children

Homosexuals:  9,000 Men and Women in Concentration Camps (Doesn’t include the 50,000 Men and Women held in Regular Prisons)

 

 The Communists murdered 149,469,610 Men, Women and Children (Non-Military Civilians)  Worldwide since 1917 and the Communists in China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos and North Korea continue murdering Innocent People.

We should also remember the Ukrainian Men, Women and Children being murdered by the Russian Nazi Zs since 2022.

60: Battle Of Long Dan

 

(Second Lieutenant Dave Sabben advances cautiously through the rubber plantation the day after the Battle of Long Tan in 1966.)

60 years ago today (August 18, 1966) The Battle of Long Tan took place in Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam.

It took place during the Vietnam War (1965-1973) between Australian and New Zealander Soldiers (of the  D Company, 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment) and the North Vietnamese and Vietcong Communists.

108 Australian and New Zealander Troops faced 2,800 North Vietnamese Communists with Americans providing Air Fire for the Australians and New Zealanders.

 

The Battle of Long Tan lasted until August 21, 1966 with the Australians and New Zealanders winning. 

18 Australian and New Zealander Soldiers were killed and 24 were wounded.

500 North Vietnamese and Vietcong Communists were killed.

 

The Long Tan Cross Memorial which was erected by the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment on August 18, 1969 to mark the site of the Battle of Long Tan, which was fought three years earlier.

After the North Vietnamese Communist Victory in April 1975 the Cross was removed.

The Cross was found by the  Đồng Nai Province Museum in 1984 and gifted to Australia in 2017 where it has been on permanent display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra ever since.

For the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in 2016 a Ceremony was held on the Battlefield; where 1,000 Australian Veterans and their Families travelled to Vietnam to participate.

In Australia hundreds attended the Australian War Memorial and Vietnam Forces National Memorial in Canberra.

Commemorations were also held at Sydney's Cenotaph, Brisbane's ANZAC Square, Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.

 

 

61,000 Australian Men and Women served in South Vietnam from July 1962 –  December 1972.

521 Australian Soldiers were killed and 3,000 were wounded during the War.

Australia had Military Conscription until 1972 and sent Draftees to fight in Vietnam.

 

3,890 New Zealander Men and Women served in South Vietnam from June 1964-December 1972.

37 New Zealander Soldiers were killed and 187 were wounded during the War.

New Zealand had Military Conscription until 1972 and sent Draftees to fight in Vietnam.

 

2,709,918 American Men and Women served in South Vietnam or Cambodia from August 1964-April 1975.

543,000 American Soldiers were in South Vietnam at the peak in 1969.

 58,148 American Soldiers were killed and 303,644 were wounded.

The United States had Military Conscription until 1973 and sent Draftees to fight in Vietnam.

5: Abandoned

5 years since the Fall of Kabul and:

212,000 Afghan Men and Women who worked for the US Government in Afghanistan from 2001-2021 remain inside Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan still waiting for the United States to keep its promise to help them

They remain hidden under the threat of arrest and being murdered for working for us.

60,000 Afghan Men and Women who worked for the US Government in Afghanistan from 2001-2021 are in 90 different Countries still waiting for the United States to keep its promise to help them.

In November 2025 President Trump ended all Visa Processing and Admittance of Afghans into the US (including those that worked for the US Government) with no timeline to restart.

In 2025 Trump’s Government has deported 402 Afghans back to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan.

So far in 2026 Trump’s Government has deported 104 Afghans back to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan.

The US willingly used them and promised to help them, but we failed them 5 years ago and we continue to fail them today.

VJ Day

 

5: Fall

It has been Five Years since the Fall of Kabul (August 15, 2021.)

Here is a look at key dates since the Taliban returned to power four years ago, as United States and NATO forces withdrew from the country:

February 29, 2020  - President Trump negotatied and signed the United States–Taliban Deal which reduced America’s Influence in Afghanistan and allowed the Taliban to retake the country (when the US ended Economic Sancations against the Taliban.)

Aug. 15, 2021 — The Taliban march into Kabul as internationally backed President Ashraf Ghani flees the country.

Aug. 26, 2021 — Islamic State group suicide bombers and gunmen kill over 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops in an attack on the crowds trying to be evacuated at Kabul’s airport.

March 23, 2022 — On the day high schools are opening, the Taliban abruptly reverse a promise to allow girls above the sixth grade to attend school.

May 7, 2022 — The Taliban Virtue and Vice Ministry says Women in public must wear all-encompassing robes and cover their faces except for their eyes. It advises them to stay home unless they have important work outside the house.

June 22, 2022 — A powerful earthquake hits a remote region of eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,100 people. The Taliban struggle with rescue efforts, underscoring a lack of resources and a reliance on aid groups.

July 31, 2022 — The U.S. kills al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in a drone strike on a safe house in Kabul. American officials accuse the Taliban of sheltering him.

Sept. 30, 2022 — A suicide bomber strikes an education center in a Shiite area of the capital, killing dozens of people, including teenagers taking university entrance exams.

Nov. 10, 2022 — A nationwide ban on Women using gyms and parks comes into force. The Taliban say they imposed the ban because women allegedly disobeyed gender segregation rules or didn’t cover themselves properly.

Nov. 20, 2022 — The Taliban lash 19 people, including alleged adulterers, in the first public flogging since their return to rule.

Dec. 8, 2022 — The Taliban execute a convicted killer before hundreds of spectators in the first public execution since the takeover.

Dec. 21, 2022 — The Taliban bar female students from attending university. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans female education.

Dec. 24, 2022 — The Taliban bar Afghan women from working with national and international nongovernmental groups.

July 4, 2023 — The Taliban order beauty salons to shut down for offering allegedly un-Islamic services like eyebrow shaping. The decision affects as many as 60,000 female entrepreneurs.

Sept. 13, 2023 — The Taliban hail China’s new ambassador with fanfare. Months later, the Taliban officially send their new ambassador to Beijing.

Oct. 4, 2023 — Pakistan announces a major crackdown on foreigners living in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans. The Taliban, the U.N. and rights groups condemn the policy.

Oct. 7, 2023 — A 6.3 magnitude earthquake in western Herat province kills thousands of people. More quakes follow, bringing further devastation to the area.

Nov. 15, 2023 - FlyDubai becomes the first international carrier to resume flights to Kabul after a two-year hiatus. AirArabia and Turkish Airlines follow suit.

Jan. 4, 2024 — The Taliban arrest Women in Kabul for wearing “bad hijab,” the first official dress code crackdown since they returned to power.

Feb. 22, 2024 — The Taliban hold a double execution at a stadium in the country’s southeast while thousands of people watch.

March 2024 – The Taliban reinstate flogging and death by stoning for Women.

May 11, 2024 — Flash floods in Afghanistan’s north from unusually heavy seasonal rains kill more than 300 people.

May 17, 2024 — Shooters open fire in central Bamiyan province killing six people, including three Spanish holidaymakers. It’s a blow to the Taliban’s plans to woo tourists. IS claims the attack.

June 4, 2024 — The Taliban publicly flog at least 60 people, including more than a dozen women, accused of crimes such as sodomy, theft and immoral relations.

June 4, 2024 — The leader of the United Arab Emirates meets a Taliban official with a U.S. bounty on his head over his involvement in an attack that killed an American citizen and other assaults. It highlights the growing divide on how to deal with the Taliban.

June 30, 2024 — The Taliban attend a U.N.-sponsored meeting in Qatar. Although it’s the third such gathering, it’s the first time the Taliban are attending. There’s backlash after Afghan women and civil society representatives are excluded.

July 30, 2024 — The Taliban say they no longer recognize Afghan diplomatic missions staffed by diplomats from the former Western-backed government.

August 2024 - New law barring women from raising voices in public

In December 2024 -  the Taliban's Health Ministry banned women from being trained in Nursing and Midwifery.

July 4, 2025 - Russia becomes the first Country to officially recognize the Taliban.

September 2025 - The Taliban bans books written by Women from Afghan universities.

May 2026 - The Taliban publishes Decree No.18, which writes into law rules that imply legal approval of child marriage, and in which a girl's silence is allowed to be interpreted as consent to marriage.

 

Five years on and life in Afghanistan remains horrible.

The Taliban continues to force Women out of Public Life.

Half of Afghan Women only leave the house once or twice a month due to the Taliban’s strict Laws on movement.

The Taliban forces Girls as young as 8 to marry Taliban Soldiers.

The Taliban kills Homosexuals.

The Taliban continues to hunt down and kill the thousands of Afghans who worked with the US, the UK and any other Western Country from 2001-2021.

The US and other Countries continues to little to nothing to help those Afghans who helped the Americans and other Westerners.

The Taliban hunts down non-Muslims (mostly Christians) and forces them to convert to Islam or be killed.

The Taliban hunts down Muslims of other Sects and forces them to convert to their Sect of Islam or be killed.

212,000 Afghan Men and Women who worked for the US Government in Afghanistan from 2001-2021 remain inside Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan still waiting for the United States to keep its promise to help them

They remain hidden under the threat of arrest and being murdered for working for us.

60,000 Afghan Men and Women who worked for the US Government in Afghanistan from 2001-2021 are in 90 different Countries still waiting for the United States to keept its promise to help them.

In November 2025 President Trump ended all Visa Processing and Admittance of Afghans into the US (including those that worked for the US Government) with no timeline to restart.

In 2025 Trump’s Govenrment has deported 402 Afghans back to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan.

So far in 2026 Trump’s Govenrment has deported 104 Afghans back to Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan .

Ndakasi

Ndakasi

Ndakasi was born on April 16, 2007 in the Virunga National Park,  the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

She was a Mountain Gorilla.

In June 2007, when she was 2 months old, her entire Gorilla Family were shot and killed by Militias.

She was the only Survivor.

She was found by Park Rangers trying to suckle from her dead Mother.

She was taken in by the Park Rangers and after surviving Pneumonia, where she nearly died, and it was determined she was too vulnerable to be released by into the wild.

In 2009, the Senkwekwe Center was opened, specifically to care for Orphaned Mountain Gorillas, near Rumangabo.

The Center was named after Ndakais’s Father, who it was believed had died attempting to protect his Family from the Militia.

Ndakasi would spend the rest of her life there.

In 2019, Ndakasi and a fellow Orphaned Mountain Gorilla, Ndeze, received international attention after photobombing a selfie taken by Ranger Mathieu Shamavu.

Ndakazi and Ndeze were imitating human behavior by standing upright and mimicking the Rangers who raised them.

In 2021, Ndakasi started losing weight and hair and lost her appetite.

On September 26, 2021, Ndakazi died at the Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center, in the arms of Ranger Andre Bauma, who had been among her Rescuers in 2007.

She was 14 years old.

At the time of her death, Ndakasi was one of only four Non-Wild Mountain Gorillas in the wild.

 After her death Ranger Andre Bauma released a statement saying:

“"It was Ndakasi's sweet nature and intelligence that helped me to understand the connection between humans and [other] great apes and why we should do everything in our power to protect them. I am proud to have called Ndakasi my friend. I loved her like a child."

The photo "Ndakasi's Passing," which was captured by South African Photographer Brent Stirton shows Ndakasi dying in her Caregiver’s arms.

Forced Laborer

After World War 2 ended in 1945 there were 11 Million Displaced People in Europe.

(A 14-year-old Ukrainian Forced Laborer repairs damaged motor vehicles in a Berlin Workshop of the German Wehrmacht. January 1945.)

Most were used as Forced Laborers by the Germans from 1939-1945.

During the War the Germans abducted 15 Million Non-Jewish Men, Women and Children from 20 German-Occupied Countries across Europe and used them for Forced Labor for the German War Effort inside Germany.

During the War the Germans abducted 7 Million Non-Jewish Men, Women and Children from Poland and the Soviet Union (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians, etc.) aged 10-70 calling them Ostarbeiter or Eastern Workers sent them to Germany and treated them more harshly than Forced Laborers from any other Country.

During the War the Germans abducted (under the Codename: Heuaktion  or Hay Operation) 50,000 Non-Jewish Polish and Ukrainian Children aged 10 to 14 years old and used them as Forced Labor for the German War Effort in Germany.

Of the 3 Million Soviet Prisoners of War captured by the Germans during the War 200,000 were used as Forced Laborers in Germany. The rest were sent to die in Death and Concentration Camps.

During the War the Germans abducted  34,140 Non-Jewish Women from across German-Occupied Europe and forced them to serve as Sex Slaves for German Soldiers.

During the War the Germans used Vernichtung durch Arbeit or Extermination Through Work on Millions of Jewish Men, Women and Children in Ghettos, Concentration Camps and Death Camps. The exact number of Jewish Forced Laborers is unknown.

 

Helping the Displaced Persons:

In 1943, while the War was still going on, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was created to help return the Millions of Jewish and Non-Jewish Displaced Persons across Europe.

The International Refugee Organization (IRO), a temporary organization of the UN, was founded in April 1946 and took over the functions of UNRRA.

The IRO dissolved itself in 1952.

Returning the Displaced Persons by the UNRRA and the IPO:

5.2 Million Soviet Civilians and Soviet Prisoners-Of-War were repatriated to the Soviet Union.

Every single Soviet Men, Women and Child that was used as Forced Labor in Germany along with Millions who were used as Forced Labor in German-Occupied Soviet Union were treated as Criminals by the Soviet Government with most going from a German Concentration or Death Camp to a Soviet Gulag for years.

The United States stopped Forced Repatriation of Soviet Citizens to the USSR in October 1945.

1.6 Million Polish Men, Women and Children went back to Poland.

1.5 Million French Men, Women and Children went back to France.

900,000 Italian Men, Women and Children went back to Italy.

300,000 Czechoslovak Men, Women and Children went back to Czechoslovakia.

300,000 Dutch Men, Women and Children went back to the Netherlands.

300,000 Hungarian Men, Women and Children went back to Hungary.

Millions more Displaced Persons went back to their Home Country on their Own.

Millions of Displaced Persons could not or did not want to return to their Home Countries (mainly because of the new Soviet-Backed Communist Governments there.)

300,000 of Jewish Displaced Persons could not or did not want to return to their Home Countries.

 

German Reparations After the War:

 

The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (1951) signed by West Germany and 23 National and International Jewish Organizations.

$90 Billion US Dollars have been given to Jewish Holocaust Survivors and their Relatives since 1952.

Jewish Holocaust Survivors living in the Soviet Union or behind the Iron Curtain could not receive any money until 1992.

 

The Reparations Agreement between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany (1952) signed West Germany and Israel.

Israel has received $97.21Billion US Dollars since 1952.

 

The London Agreement (1953) signed by West Germany and covered Belgium, Canada, Ceylon, Denmark, France, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Yugoslavia.

The USSR and other Communist Countries (including East Germany) refused to be involved.

It included Debt from World War 1, the 1920s, the 1930s and World War 2.

On October 3, 2010, the last Debt Payment of 69.9 Million Euros was made.

 

The Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future" (2000) a project of the German Federal Government and 6,500 Companies of the German Industry Foundation Initiative was established to give Reparations to Jewish and Non-Jewish Forced Laborers.

$11.8 Million US Dollars were given to Forced Laborers (mostly from the Former Soviet Union: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia who were forbidden to receive any Reparations from 1945-1991) from 2000-2007.

Disability Pride

Disability Pride

July is Disability Pride Month (commemorating the 1990 passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act – the ADA.)

This is the Disabled Pride Flag designed in 2021 by Ann Magill with each element symbolizing a different aspect of the Disabled experience.

All six "standard" flag colors: Disability spans borders between States and Nations

Black Field: Mourning for victims of ableist violence and abuse

Diagonal Band: "Cutting across" the walls and barriers that separate the Disabled from Society

Red Stripe: Physical Disabilities

Gold Stripe: Neurodivergence

White Stripe: Invisible and undiagnosed Disabilities

Blue Stripe: Psychiatric Disabilities

Green Stripe: Sensory Disabilities

Japan Raises Fees

From the BBC:

“Japan quintuples visa fees in first price hike since 1978”

Japan has implemented a five-fold increase to visa fees for all foreigners, marking the first price hike in nearly 50 years. From 1 July, single-entry visa fees will be raised from the current 3,000 yen ($18.69; £14) to 15,000 yen, while multi-entry visas will now cost 30,000 yen, up from 6,000 yen. The visa fee revisions - the first since 1978 - were made to "reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations", Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Friday. "We do not anticipate that it will have an immediate impact on inbound tourism," he added.

The Japanese yen has been weakening continually since 2021, and is now hovering near historic 40-year lows. This, along with a post-pandemic travel rebound, has led to a surge in tourists to Japan. The country welcomed a record 42.7m international tourists last year. In May, Japan's Upper House enacted a bill to raise other fees relevant to foreigners. Under that revision, the statutory upper limit for permanent residency applications will go up to 300,000 yen, 30 times the current cap of 10,000 yen. It will also cost up to 100,000 yen to change one's residency status or extend a period of stay, up from the current 10,000 yen.

Authorities pushing for the fee hikes say Japan must align its visa- and residency-related fees closer to those of other G7 economies. In the US, for example, non-immigrant visa application fees range from $185 to $315. For visitors to the UK, a standard short-term visa with a maximum duration of six months' stay costs £135.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8d5e5e805o

Autistic Pride

 

Deal Signed

Trump Signs US-Iran Deal

On Wednesday night, Trump signed the Iran Document, the White House says.

It has also been signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the White House.

Here are some key points from the 14-paragraph agreement:

The US and Iran and their allies "declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

The US and Iran "undertake to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The US and Iran "commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent."

Immediately upon signing, the US will begin removing its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and will fully end it in 30 days. Vessel traffic will be in proportion with pre-war traffic numbers.

Iran will make arrangements for safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.

The US ​and partners will undertake to develop a plan of at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and development of Iran.

The US undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against Iran.

Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.

Pending the final deal, the US and Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program and the US will not impose new sanctions or deploy additional forces.

US Department of Treasury ⁠will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.

The US undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of Iran.

The US and Iran will agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and future compliance of the final deal.

 After signing, and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1,4,5,10 and 11 of the MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the US and Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution.