300 Sign Languages

There are 300 different Sign Languages used around the World.

Each Sign Language is unique and not understood by Users of other Sign Languages or even by Users of the Spoken Language.

To illustrate, in terms of syntax, American Sign Language shares more in common with Spoken Japanese than with Spoken English.

A Person who knows American Sign Language doesn’t automatically know and understand Spoken English the same way a Person who knows Spoken English doesn’t automatically know and understand American Sign Language.

They are separate Languages and need to be learned separately.

A Person who knows American Sign Language doesn’t automatically know and understand British Sign Language the same way a Person who knows British Sign Language doesn’t automatically know and understand American Sign Language.

They are separate Languages and need to be learned separately.

Around 1 Million People know American Sign Language in the United States as either their Sole Language or as their Second Language (out of a Population of 330 Million People.)

70 Million People Worldwide know any sort of Sign Language as either their Sole Language or as their Second Language (out of a Population of 8 Billion People.)

430 Million People Worldwide are either Deaf or Hard-Or-Hearing. Most do now use an organized Sign Language, but use their own Homemade or Pidgin Sign Language that only they, their Family and Friends understand.

Sign Languages Day

 

Denmark In WW2

Denmark During World War 2

(Picture: During the German Occupation, Danish King Christian X became a strong symbol of national independence. This picture was taken on the King's Birthday in 1940.)

From September 1, 1939 until April 9, 1940 Denmark was Neutral during World War 2.

That changed when on April 9, 1940 Nazi Germany invaded Denmark.

The Invasion was called Operation Weserübung (German: Unternehmen Weserübung or in English: Operation Weser Exercise.)

Nazi Germany wanted to occupy Norway to prevent the British from occupying it and they had to go through Denmark to get to Norway.

After less than 6 hours of fighting in which 39 Danish Soldiers died the Danish Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning surrendered Denmark to the Germans.

The German Occupation (Danish: Besættelsen) of Denmark began.

Unlike his Brother King Haakon VII of Norway, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, King George II of Greece, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, King Peter II of Yugoslavia and President Władysław Raczkiewicz of Poland, all of whom went into Exile during the Nazi Occupation of their Countries King Christian X remained in Denmark and on the Throne during the German Occupation of Denmark.

The Germans considered the Danes “Aryans” like themselves and so gave the Danes more control over Domestic Policies then they did anywhere else they Occupied.

Denmark Collaborated with the Nazis from April 9, 1940 until August 23, 1943 under a Policy known as Cooperation (Danish: samarbejdspolitikken.)

Thorvald Stauning remained the Danish Prime Minister from April 9, 1940 until his death on May 3, 1942.

Vilhelm Buhl then became the Danish Prime Minister from May 4, 1942 until November 2, 1942.

Erik Scavenius was the Danish Prime Minister from November 9, 1942 until August 29, 1943.

The Danish Parliament, Courts, Police and Civil Administration continued to operate, but under German Orders.

Danish Resistance Groups from April 1940 until August 1943 were mostly Non-Violent towards the German Occupation Forces focusing on spying and printing Illegal newspapers.

After the German Occupation of Denmark the British Occupied the Danish Faroe Islands (on April 13, 1940 until May 1945.)

The British and Canadians Occupied Danish Iceland (on May 10, 1940) and the Americans Occupied Iceland in July 1941until May 1945.

Iceland became a Republic in 1944 and left the Kingdom of Denmark.

The Americans Occupied Danish Greenland from December 11, 1941 until May 1945.

2,000 Danes joined the Volunteers of Free Corps Denmark (Danish: Frikorps Danmark, German: Freikorps „Danmark“) part of the Waffen-SS.

39,000 Danes joined The National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks Nationalsocialistiske Arbejderparti; DNSAP) the Danish Equivalent to the German Nazi Party.

The Danish Government refused to discriminate against its Jewish Citizens (there were 8,000 Jews in Denmark at the time) from April 1940 until August 1943.

On June 21, 1941 (when Nazi Germany invaded its Former Ally the Soviet Union) Denmark arrested 246 Danish Communists including 3 Members of the Danish Parliament.

On August 22, 1941 the Danish Parliament created the “Communist Law” (Danish: Kommunistloven) and banned the Communist Party.

In October 1942, Hitler transmitted a long, flattering Birthday Telegram to King Christian.

The King replied with a simple "Spreche Meinen besten Dank aus. Chr. Rex" ("Giving my best thanks. King Christian") sending the Führer into a state of rage at this deliberate slight, and seriously damaging Danish Relations with Germany. Hitler immediately recalled his Ambassador and expelled the Danish Ambassador from Germany.

It was known as the Telegram Crisis (Danish: Telegramkrisen or German: Telegrammkrise.)

After the German Defeat at Stalingrad in the USSR in February 1943 Danish Resistance against the Germans began to pick-up.

In March 1943 the Germans allowed the Danes to hold a General Election where Voter Turnout was 89.5% (the highest of any Parliamentary Election) with 94% of the Votes for Democratic Parties (2.1% Voted for the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark.)

After the Election growing Civil Disobedience and Strikes were held throughout Denmark.

The German Occupation Forces declared Martial Law in Denmark on August 29, 1943.

The Danish Parliament and the Danish Prime Minister were forbidden to meet.

The Germans now controlled every aspect of life throughout Occupied Denmark.

Danish Resistance went from being Non-Violent to Violent against the German Occupation Forces from August 1943 until May 1945.

In September 1943 German Diplomat Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz who worked at the German Embassy in Copenhagen learned that the Gestapo were going to arrest and deport all 8,000 Jews in Denmark on October 1, 1943.

He flew to Stockholm, Sweden (which was Neutral during World War 2) and received permission from the Swedish Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson to allow the Danish Jews entry into Sweden.

On September 28, 1943 Duckwitz informed the Head of the Jewish Community in Denmark, C. B. Henriques, and the Acting Chief Rabbi, Marcus Melchior, about the planned Deportation.

On September 29, 1943 (the day before Rosh Hashannah or Jewish New Year’s) the Church of Denmark (Danish: Folkekirken) issued a Pastoral Letter to all Danish Citizens to help the Jews of Denmark get to safety.

On October 2, 1943 the Swedish Government announced in an Official Statement that Sweden was prepared to accept all Danish Jews (after the Danish Physicist Niels Bohr, whose Mother was Jewish, had fled to Sweden and begged Swedish King Gustaf V to allow the Danish Jews into Seeden.)

7,500 of the Danish Jews went into hiding with the help of the Danish Resistance and Ordinary Danish Citizens.

They were then smuggled on boats over the Øresund Strait from Zealand, Denmark to Sweden (which took around an hour.)

The Danish Fishermen charged on average 1,000 Danish Kroner per Person for the transport, but some charged up to 50,000 Kroner.

The Average Monthly Salary at the time was 500 Danish Korner.

The Danish Resistance paid for half the expense (10 Million Danish Kroner) and the Jews themselves paid the other half (10 Million Danish Kroner.)

Of the 500 Danish Jews who didn’t leave Denmark 464 were arrested by the Germans.

They were sent to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in German-Occupied Czechoslovakia (Present Day: the Czech Republic.)

The Danish Red Cross tried to keep track of the Danish Jews in Theresienstadt and even convinced the Germans not to deport them to the Death Camps in German-Occupied Poland.

Of the 464 Danish Jews arrested, 51 died in Theresienstadt.

In April 1945, Folke Bernadotte of the Swedish Red Cross used a Policy called “White Buses” to move 15,000 (8,000 Danish and Norwegian Jews and 7,000 French, Polish, Czech, British and American Jews) from German Concentration Camps (including Theresienstadt) to Sweden.

On September 14, 1944 the Germans arrested 1,960 Danish Policemen for refusing to help the Germans.

8,040 Danish Policemen were able to evade being arrested due to being warned beforehand.

 The 1,960 Policemen who were arrested were deported to the Neuengamme Concentration Camp in Germany then moved to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany then sent to a Prisoner-Of-War Camp in Mühlberg, German.

131 of these Policemen died during the War.

The British liberated Denmark on May 5,1945.

The easternmost Danish Island of Bornholm was liberated by the Soviets who remained there until April 5, 1946.

380 Danish Resistance Members were killed during the War.

900 Non-Jewish Danish Civilians were killed during the War.

6,000 Non-Jewish Danish Civilians were sent to German Concentration Camps during the War (of whom 600 died.)

Vilhelm Buhl was made the Prime Minister of Denmark again from May 5, 1945 until November 7, 1945.

40,000 Danes were tried for Collaborating with the Germans after the War.

Only 13,500 of those 40,000 where punished in any way after a Trial.

Over 200,000 German Prisoners-Of-War were made to demine the areas of Denmark that the Germans had mined during the War.

Half of them died from the mines.

By the time Nazi Germany was defeated in May 1945 there were 250,000 German Refugees living in Denmark – having fled the Soviets in East Prussia.

The first of these 250,000 Refugees returned to Post-War Allied (British, French, American and Soviet) Occupied Germany in November 1946.

50,000 Danish Women had Sexual Romances with the Germans during the War.

They were called “tyskerpiger” or “Pro-German Girls.”

At least 5,579 “War Babies” (with a German Father and a Danish Mother) were born from 1940-1945.

These “War Babies” were discriminated against by Danish Society after 1945.

On March 21, 1971 Israel’s Yad Vashem made Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz “Righteous Among The Nations.”

On March 21, 1979 Israel’s Yad Vashem made all the Members of the Danish Resistance “Righteous Among the Nations” for their work in saving the 7,500 Jews from Denmark during the War.

Russia Losing

 

4 years and 6 months of War in Ukraine with little to no advances since 2024 mean that Russia has not only lost in Ukraine, but is losing at home too.

Beginning in January 2026 Russia switched from having 2 Annual Military Draft Call-Ups (one in the Spring and one in the Fall) to a Year-Round Military Draft Call-Up.

Russia currently Drafts 40,000 new Soldiers (aged 18-30 years old) every Month so in 1 year that means Russia Drafts 480,000 new Soldiers.

With 26,000 Russian Soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine every single day that means in 1 year Russia loses 780,000 Soldiers – which is more than they replace with Drafted Soldiers in a year and more than they have in their Regular Military.

Those are only the new Conscripts and doesn’t include Former Conscripts 31-72 years old who are now forced to fight and die in Ukraine.

Russia will literally run out of Men to send to die in Ukraine soon and will be plagued with an imbalance between Women and Men for Decades to come.

Since September 2022 Russia has sent both Volunteers and Conscripted Soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Putin has forced Boys as young as 16 and Men as old as 72 to fight inside Ukraine after 20 days of Military Training.

Not only that, but Russia is bombed and burning.

An Average of 1,000 Drones regularly strike Russian Cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl, Perm, etc.) destroying Factories, Oil Processing Plants, etc.

Russia has been bombed 41,000 times since February 2022.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that soon Ukraine will attack Russia with at least 1,000 Drones every single day.

56 of Russia’s 83 Regions have imposed Gas Rationing with People in Moscow being forced to wait in lines of 12-36 hours just to get the allowed 7 Gallons of Gas with a Gallow of Gas now costing $17 US Dollars.

Russia has lost $13 Billion US Dollars Revenue from its Gas and Oil in 2026 alone and has to import Gas from India.

The United States imports 86% of its Diesel from Canada (not Russia) so the high Diesel prices are caused by the Trade War between the US and Canada and not Russia’s War in Ukraine.

It costs Russia $40,000 US Dollars to kill a Ukrainian Soldier or Civilian with 1 of its Drones.

It costs Ukraine $848 US Dollars to kill a Russian Soldier with 1 of its Drones.

Today, Putin’s Government has created Potemkin Businesses where there are no empty shelves, but the Average Russian can’t afford even the Basics (because everything is imported from China, India, and Central Asia.)

The Average Russian only makes ₽83,500 ($1,000 US Dollars) a month after Taxes.

(₽104,000 or $1,412 US Dollars before Taxes.)

Rent for a 1 Bedroom Apartment in the City Center costs $624 US Dollars a month.

Buying Groceries for 1 Person costs on average $407 US Dollars a month.

That means that the Average Russia earning the Average Monthly Wage will owe $31 US Dollars after Paying their Rent and Buying their Groceries every month and that doesn’t include things like the cost of Internet, Cell Phones, Public Transportation, Medicines, Cars, Gas, etc.

Russia stopped being a Super Power years ago even though they try and act like they are still one.

They threatened to wipe Warsaw, Poland off the map in 2 to 3 days, but they couldn’t even take Kyiv, Ukraine in 3 days like they said they would.

Russia's War in Ukraine has surpassed Nazi Germany's War in the Soviet Union.

The Eastern Front of the Second World 2 was from June 22, 1941 until May 9, 1945 (or 1,419 days.)

Russia's War in Ukraine has been going on since February 22, 2022 (or 1,667 days and counting.)

The Nazi Germans occupied 700,000 Square Miles of Soviet Territory at the height of the Eastern Front.

The Russians only occupy 44,600 Square Miles of Ukrainian Territory.

Putin’s Russia is currently at the point that Hitler’s Germany was in April 1945.

Soon Russia will run out of Money and Manpower and will lose their War in Ukraine.

Putin will eventually be out of power and the Ordinary Russians will have to start answering for the Crimes they supported in the same way the Germans did after 1945.

Ukraine will win the War and will continue to enjoy the International Achievements they currently do.

Most Countries, including the United States, are now looking at how effective Ukraine is fighting and using Modern Technology on the Frontline.

Shortfall

From the BBC:

“Iran war has led to US munitions shortfalls, Pentagon inspector confirms”

The US defence department's inspector general says the war with Iran has led to "shortfalls" in munitions and a bottleneck in resupply, contradicting President Donald Trump who has repeatly denied the US is facing shortages. Trump has claimed US munitions supplies are "virtually unlimited" and said reporting otherwise is "fake news".

But the independent watchdog said the US spent more than $22 billion on munitions from February through June, leading to "strategic inventory shortfalls". The BBC has contacted the White House for comment about the discrepancy. The new report provides a first-of-its-kind, independent glimpse into US weapons stockpiles, data that is typically classified.

Previous estimates have painted a dire picture of the US shortages. Over the course of the war, US forces have expended vast quantities of both long-range ground attack systems and the air and missile defences used to intercept incoming Iranian attacks. A late July estimate from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, found that stocks of some interceptors - such as the Patriot missile and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD - were significantly depleted, in some cases by more than half.

The inspector general's report did not disclose exactly how many of the weapons remain. It did, however, note the inventory shortfalls and reveal "industrial base bottlenecks" for munitions resupply. The report added that the defence department is now working to "streamline procurement processes and production lead times" to address the shortages and "respond rapidly to a contingency".

Trump and other administration officials have sought to cast reports of shortages as false and "treasonous". In a 4 August X post, for example, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described news reporting on the shortages as "not true". And in a lengthy Truth Social post on 3 September, Trump claimed that the US had "virtually unlimited" amounts of ammunition and is "stockpiling and preparing for any contingency that could happen".

The watchdog's report also notes that equipment losses have totaled $3.7bn, with other $7.4bn in other expenditures. Overall, the US spent $33.4bn (£24.7bn) on the war from 28 Feb to 30 Jun. A separate estimate released on Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office put the total cost of the war at higher at $38bn, which includes replaced expended munitions and equipment lost in battle, increased flying hours and greater fuel costs. Among the losses have been four F-15e fighter jets, a highly advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and 30 MQ-9 drones destroyed in "various circumstances". When US and Israeli strikes began, Trump repeatedly said that the conflict would be over within weeks. More recently, he said the conflict might not end until "right after" the November midterm elections in the US.

Polls show that the war is unpopular among Americans. One Reuters/Ipsos poll released in early September found that only 23% of Americans - and only half of Republicans - believe the US to be in a stronger position with Iran compared with before hostilities broke out.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9gk58xgng0vo

86: Battle Of Britain

 

Today (September 15th) is the 86th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

It remembers how on September 15, 1940 the largest German Air Attack occurred over Great Britain during World War 2.

The Germans launched the Battle of Britain July 10-October 31, 1940 to try and weaken British Defenses before a possible German Invasion of the mainland of the UK could take place (the Germans already occupied the British Channel Islands in June 1940.)

On September 15, 1940 1,500 German planes bombed London with 630 British and Allied Aircraft defending against them.

The British won the day thanks to the Airmen in the air and the vast Air Defense System known as the Dowding System on the ground – with thousands of Men and Women.

The Germans moved away from the Battle of Britain and trying to invade the UK to the Blitz and just trying to kill as many British Men, Women and Children they could.

During the Battle of Britain 1,542 British, Free Poles, Free French, New Zealanders, Canadians, Free Czechoslovaks, Free Belgians, Australians, South Africans, and Americans were killed and another 422 were wounded.

During the Battle of Britain 23,002 British Men, Women and Children were killed and another 32,138 were wounded.

The Blitz lasted from September 7, 1940-May 11, 1941.

During the Blitz 43,000 British Men, Women and Children were killed and another 139,000 were injured.

Note: America was Neutral from September 1, 1939-December 7, 1941 so didn’t actively participate in the Battle of Britain or the Blitz (only American Volunteers did.)

The 1969 British Film “Battle of Britain” with Michael Caine, Laurence Oliver, Christopher Plummer Susannah York, Trevor Howard and more depicts the events of the Battle of Britain.

 

4: Queen Elizabeth

 

Queen Elizabeth 2 died 4 years ago today.

AfD

The Alternative for Germany (German: Alternative für Deutschland) or AfD just won the Election in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt.

(One of many Rallies held across Germany in 2026 after the AfD won in the Saxony-Anhalt State Election.

in Saxony-Anhalt is the 8^th largest State in Germany with a population of 2.14 Million People.

Its State Capital is Magdeburg.

From 1945-1990 it was part of Communist East Germany.

AfD won received 43.8% of the vote in the State Election last Sunday so they did not receive a Majority and need another Party to help them govern in the State.

It is the first time that a Neo-Nazi Party won a State or Federal Election in Germany.

What is the AfD?

The AfD is a Neo-Nazi Party created on February 6, 2013.

It follows a belief of “Völkisch Nationalist” (German: Völkischer Nationalismus) or that Germany should only be for the Germans not only by getting rid of Legal Immigrants but also by using the same basic Racial Policies that the Nazis used from 1933-1945 to determine who is a “Pure German” and which led to the Holocaust and the Murder of 6 Million Jews, 1 Million Roma and Sinti, 10 Million Slavs, etc.

In short the AfD is:

Against Non-Germans legally living in Germany

Against Germany being part of the European Union

Against Germany being part of the Schengen Travel Area

Against Germany using the Euro

Against Germany being part of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Is Pro-Russia

Is Anti-United States of America

Want to reintroduce Forced Russian Language Classes in all Schools the way it was in Communist East Germany from 1945-1990

Want to make Gay Marriage Illegal again (it has been legal in Germany since 2017)

Want to make it illegal to be Homosexual - the way it was in Germany from 1871 until 1994 under Paragraph 175 (which saw Homosexuals not only arrested but also murdered under the Nazis)

In December 2023, AfD distributed a flier in Gifhorn titled "Kindheit unterm Regenbogen" ("Childhood Under the Rainbow"), linking the queer community to pedophilia and genital mutilation, speaking of a "rainbow regime.”

Want to ban the flying of the Gay Pride Rainbow Flag in Germany

Alice Weidel, Co-Chairwomen of AfD since 2022 is an open Lesbian with 2 Children.

According to her own AfD Party they would arrest her for being Gay and force her to stay in the Kitchen and not work.

Want to end Germany’s “Culture of Shame” that has been around since 1945 and the World learned that the Germans murdered 20 Million Men, Women and Children.

Are Anti-Semitic (Anti-Jewish) and believe “the Holocaust is propaganda of the Allied Powers (ie the Americans, British, French and Soviets) -according to 10 AfD Leaders who were part of the Facebook Group “The Patriots.”

These 10 Leaders used a Meme of the Holocaust Victim Anne Frank's face edited on a pizza box labelled with the German equivalent of "fresh from the oven."

Believe in Holocaust Denial

Björn Höcke an AfD Leader was fined 13,000 Euros  in 2023 by the German Courts for using Nazi Slogans supporting “Lebensraum” (taking over more living space) and “Alles für Deutschland” or Everything for Germany.

Do not believe Germany should have Holocaust Memorials or Museums

Want to make it illegal to have Kosher Food in Germany

They are anti-Israel

Are Anti-Muslim and want to ban Halal Food in Germany

They used the following slogan on a billboard (in German): “"Islam does not belong to Germany. Its expansion and the ever-increasing number of Muslims in the country are viewed by the AfD as a danger to our state, our society, and our values.”

In January 2025 they distributed flyers resembling flight tickets labeled "Abschiebetickets" ("Deportation Tickets") in mailboxes with Muslim-sounding Last Names

Want to ban Abortion across Germany

Want to ban Circumcision across Germany

Believes Women should only be in the Kitchen cooking and raising Children – not working

Want to bring back Military Conscription in Germany (which was ended in 2011

If you think the Nazis can't happen again think again.

The Nazis started in the 1920s and didn't get a full majority of votes in the Elections but still managed to take over all of Germany and murder Millions of Men, Women and Children.

I believe the AfD are capable of the same.

1982 Vs 2026

 

The Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas) was a 10 week War fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina from April 2-June 14, 1982.

The Falkland Islands had been a British Territory for 149 years when Argentina decided to invade and occupy the Islands in 1982.

At the time Argentina was ruled by a brutal Military Junta (the National Reorganization Process) since 1976.

There were 60 British Soldiers on the Falkland Islands when the Argentinians invaded in 1982 with 10,000 Soldiers.

During the Argentinian Occupation of the Falkland Islands forced the 1,810 British Civilians living on the Falkland Islands to:

Use Spanish instead of English

Call their Capital Puerto Argentino instead of Port Stanley

Drive on the Right-Hand Side instead of the Left-Hand Side

Turn in their Radios and Cameras

Carry Argentinian Identification Papers in Spanish

Use the Argentine Peso instead of the Falkland Islands Pound

Be inside during the Curfew

After 74 days of Occupation the Falkland Islands were liberated by the British.

Casualties:

255 British Soldiers were killed and another 777 were injured.

3 Falkland Islander Civilians were killed.

649 Argentinian Soldiers were killed and another 1,188 were wounded.

Aftermath of the War:

The Military Junta in Argentina collapsed because of its defeat in the Falkland Islands War in 1983.

The Falkland Islanders received  full British Citizenship in 1983.

The Falkland Islands was made into “Fortress Falklands” (including a large Base RAF Mount Pleasant) with a huge British Military build-up so another Invasion and Occupation couldn’t happen again.

In September 2026 Argentinian President Javier Milei stated that he wants to retake the Falkland Islands

 

Britain vs Argentina: 2026 Military Power Comparison:

BRITAIN

• 2 Aircraft Carriers (HMS Queen Elizabeth & Prince of Wales)

• 9 Nuclear Submarines

• 120+ Typhoons & F-35B Stealth Fighters

• 52 Royal Navy Surface Vessels

• 500+ Fixed-Wing Aircraft & 240+ Helicopters

• 4,000+ Combat Vehicles

• Continuous At-Sea Nuclear Deterrent

• Full Global Logistics, Intelligence & Refueling Reach 

 

ARGENTINA

• 0 Aircraft Carriers

• 0 Nuclear Submarines

• 24 F-16s (currently being introduced from Denmark)

• Limited air-to-air refueling capability

• 0 Nuclear Weapon

 

It would be stupid for Argentina to try and invade and occupy the Falkland Islands now or in the future since the United Kingdom has a lot more Military Presence there now then they did in 1982,

Falklands Change

From Explore GB’s Facebook Post:

Argentina couldn’t retake the Falklands today if it tried.

Zero active subs, an aging fleet, and zero air-refueling capability to get their newly acquired F-16s to the islands and back.

Meanwhile, Britain has 1,500 troops, Sky Sabre air defence, and 4 Typhoons on Quick Reaction Alert at Mount Pleasant.

It’s not 1982 anymore, the UK built an unsinkable fortress, and Argentina lacks the power projection to even approach it.

Despite suggesting the US might withhold support, the UK requires zero American assistance to defend the Falkland Islands

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