Saturday, August 30, 2025
Erich Klibansky
Erich Klibansky
Erich Klibansky was born on November
28, 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany.
He was the Headmaster and a
Teacher at the Jawne (the first Jewish Gymnasium in the German Rheinland in 1919)
in Cologne, Germany.
A Gymnasium is what the Europeans
call a Preparatory High School that gets its Students ready to enter the University.
He attended an interdenominational
Boarding School in Frankfurt which his Father ran.
Klibansky attended the Frankfurt
Goethe-Gymnasium and studied History, German Studies and Romance Studies at
university in Frankfurt am Main, Marburg and Munich.
He finished his Schooling in
1925.
He married his Wife, Meta, and
they had 3 Children (Hans-Raphael, born in 1928, Alexander, born in 1931 and Michael, born in 1935.)
In 1929 the Family moved to Cologne.
He then became the Headmaster and
a Teacher at Jawne.
In 1933 the Nazis came to power
in Germany.
In 1937 Kilbanksy and his Family
had to leave their spacious apartment and move into a smaller place.
After the Anti-Jewish Pogrom of
Kristallnacht throughout Germany and Austria in November 1938, Kilbansky devised a way for many of his
Students and Teachers to emigrate to England by learning English and passing
the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency.
The Central British Council for
Refugees arranged for the accommodation in a College for his Students and
Teachers.
By the time World War 2 started
in September 1939, Kilbanksy was able to send 5 Classes or 130 Students from
Nazi Germany to safety in England.
Erich Kilbansky was unable to
save himself or his Family.
They were deported by the Nazis
from Cologne on July 20, 1942 from Cologne-Deutz station on the “Special Train
DA 219” and murdered in an Open Pit at Maly Trostenets in German-Occupied
Belarus (near Minsk) on July 24, 1942.
Erich Kilbanksy was 41 years old,
his Wife, Meta was 40 and his Children were 14, 11 and 7 years old.
In 1990 Cologne dedicated the
Erich Klibansky Platz in honor of him and his work.
Something to remember as Children
across the United States and the World start going back to School.
Friday, August 29, 2025
New Tariff Codes
From the USPS:
“What to Include on Your
Customs Form”
Sender Information
Do not use any abbreviations.
Name: Complete First Name and
Last Name
Address: Road Name, Number, ZIP
Code™, City, State
Contact Information: Phone, Email
Recipient Information
Do not use any abbreviations.
Name: Complete First Name and
Last Name
Address: Road Name, Number, ZIP
Code™, City, State
Contact Information: Phone, Email
Item Value
You must include a separate and
specific value for all items in your shipment. Once calculated, include a total
value for the shipment.
Item Description
When you ship internationally,
every item in your package must now have a detailed, clear, and specific
description on the customs form that makes it clear:
What the item is
What it's made of
What its purpose is
Instead of naming a general category, your
description must be specific. For example: Instead of "tools," you
must specify the type of tools, like "a screwdriver" or "power
drill." For additional information, view the Detailed Content Descriptions
for All
Packet or Package Weight
You must include the total gross
weight of the package and the unit of calculation (i.e., pounds or kilograms).
Show LessPacket or Package Weight
HS Tariff Code
As described above, Harmonized
System (HS) Tariff Codes are 6-to-10-digit identifiers linked to specific goods
descriptions. Customs authorities worldwide use them to ensure safety,
security, and efficiency in the international shipping process.
As a customer, you are
responsible for accurately describing the item you are shipping, and USPS will
provide an HS Code for your customs form during processing. While your role as
a customer is simple, Harmonized System Codes can be complex. You can learn
more about HS codes here or by reading the details below.
What is the Harmonized System? The
Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, generally referred to as
"Harmonized System" or "HS," is a multipurpose
international product nomenclature developed by the World Customs Organization
(WCO).
The system categorizes commodity
groups by six-digit codes, creating a universal economic language for the
shipping of goods.
These codes are used for internal
taxes, trade policies, monitoring of controlled goods, rules of origin, freight
tariffs, transport statistics, price monitoring, quota controls, compilation of
national accounts, and economic research and analysis.
The WCO updates the HS every 5
years.1 Countries often add additional digits to the end of the six-digit code
to further classify products. The United States uses a 10-digit code to
classify products.2 For example, a generic description like "tools"
is not enough to narrow down an HS code. However, "power drill" is
enough to identify a specific HS code (8467.21). What are the Challenges?3
The Harmonized System is complex;
it is difficult and expensive to implement and requires extensive training.
Countries create unique
sub-classifications that do not align internationally.
The WCO recommends quantities
associated with the HS codes which do not always align with the quantities used
in industry practices that vary across countries.
Frequent revisions of the HS
result in the discontinuation or merging of some codes every five years,
causing issues in analysis and implementation across countries.
It is recognized that many of the challenges
faced by the HS are inherent and unavoidable in any multipurpose international
commodity classification.
^ You must now include the Tariff
Code on every item on every package you mail from the US because the US ended
the de Minimis Exemption on packages under $800 today. ^
New Customs Descriptions
From the USPS:
“New Requirement: Detailed
Content Descriptions for All International Packages”
If you're sending packages from
the U.S. to any other country, you must now put more detailed item descriptions
on your customs forms.
If you don't follow customs forms
requirements, the customs officials in the receiving country may reject,
return, or potentially even destroy your package.
Note: If you're mailing
First-Class Mail International® service envelopes containing only documents
that don't require customs forms, these new rules don't apply to you.
Graphic demonstrating acceptable
and unacceptable descriptions
These rules apply to all
international packages, here's what you need to know:
All outbound international
packages, including small personal gifts, ecommerce orders, and military and
diplomatic mail (APO/DPO/FPO) must follow these rules.
Every item in your package needs
an appropriately detailed description on the customs form.
Each description must be
specific: Detailed descriptions should make it clear what the item is, what
it's made of, and what its purpose is. For example, instead of a general
category like "electronics," you must be specific about the type of
electronics, like "laptop computer," "mobile phone," or
"television."
Why do item descriptions need
more detail?
Customs authorities worldwide
require HS Codes to screen incoming goods. By writing an acceptable item
description on your customs form, you help to:
Streamline customs processing
Prevent delays
Improve the efficiency of
cross-border ecommerce
Meet safety and security
requirements
^ Don't forget many National
Postal Services across the World have stopped mailing packages to the United
States (only letters) because of the US' removing of the Customs Fees the (de
Minimis) for items under $800 from every Country starting today. ^
https://www.usps.com/international/customs-forms.htm#new-rules
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
61: Mary Poppins
61 years ago today (August 27,
1964) “Mary Poppins” first came out in theaters.
It became the highest grossing
Film of 1964 making $103 Million Dollars ($384 Million in 2025 Dollars.)
It received a total of 13 Academy
Award Nominations—a record for any Film released by Walt Disney
Studios—including Best Picture, and won 5: Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film
Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song
for "Chim Chim Cher-ee".
Matthew Garber (Michael Banks)
died in 1977.
David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks) died
in 2000.
Glynis Johns (Mrs. Banks) died in
2024.
Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) will
be 90 in October.
Dick Van Dyke (Bert) will be 100
in December.
A Sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns”,
was released on December 19, 2018 - making it the longest interval between film
Sequels in Cinematic History, at 54 years.
My Mom loved this movie and I
used to watch it with her.
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
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Monday, August 25, 2025
Labor Day Travel
54 Million Americans (out of a
total population of 330 Million) will be traveling this Labor Day Weekend.
37 Million Americans will be
driving by car.
17 Million Americans will be
flying on planes.
Stay safe.
109: NPS
109 years ago today (August 25,
1916), U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed what has become known as the
“Organic Act.” This Act created what we know as the National Park Service
(NPS).
The new Agency was tasked with a
very important, and challenging, Mission Statement. It reads, in part, that the
NPS is:
“...to conserve the scenery and
the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for
the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them
unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
The NPS employs approximately
20,000 people in 425 individual units covering over 85 Million Acres in all 50
States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories.
As of 2022, they had more than
279,000 Volunteers.
The NPS received 327 Million
Visitors in 2023.
Sunday, August 24, 2025
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Europe Suspends Shipments
From Yahoo/AP:
“European postal services
suspend shipment of packages to US over import tariffs”
The end of an exemption on tariff
duties for low-value packages coming into the United States is causing multiple
international postal services to pause shipping as they await more clarity on
the rule. The exemption, known as the “ de minimis" exemption, allows
packages worth less than $800 to come into the U.S. duty free. A total of 1.36
billion packages were sent in 2024 under this exemption, for goods worth $64.6
billion, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agency. It
is set to expire on Friday. On Saturday, postal services around Europe
announced that they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United
States amid confusion over new import duties.
Postal services in Germany,
Denmark, Sweden and Italy said they will stop shipping most merchandise to the
U.S. effective immediately. France and Austria will follow on Monday.
The U.K.'s Royal Mail said it
would halt shipments to the U.S. on Tuesday to allow time for those packages to
arrive before duties kick in. Items originating in the United Kingdom worth
over $100 — including gifts to friends and family — will incur a 10% duty, it
said. “Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom
customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be
required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection will be carried out,” DHL, the largest shipping provider in Europe,
said in a statement. The company said
starting Saturday it “will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels
and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US.”
A trade framework agreed on by
the U.S. and the European Union last month set a 15% tariff on the vast
majority of products shipped from the EU. Packages under $800 will now also be
subject to the tariff. The U.S. duty-free exemption for goods originating from
China ended in May as part of the Trump administration's efforts to curb
American shoppers from ordering low-value Chinese goods. The exemption is being
extended to shipments from around the world.
Many European postal services say
they are pausing deliveries now because they cannot guarantee the goods will
enter the U.S. before Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what kind of goods are
covered by the new rules, and the lack of time to process their implications. Postnord,
the Nordic logistics company, and Italy's postal service announced similar
suspensions effective Saturday. “In the absence of different instructions from
US authorities ... Poste Italiane will be forced, like other European postal
operators, to temporarily suspend acceptance of all shipments containing goods
destined for the United States, starting August 23. Mail shipments not
containing merchandise will continue to be accepted,” Poste Italiane said
Friday.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/european-postal-services-suspend-shipment-123630002.html
Carney In Kyiv
Canadian Prime Minister Mark
Carney has arrived in Kyiv for an official visit today (August 24, 2025.)
This is his first trip to Ukraine
as Prime Minister.
In his Independence Day greeting,
Carney recalled that Canada was among the first countries to recognize
Ukraine’s independence, and that more than one million Ukrainians now live in
Canada.
Canada Honors
The Canadian Parliament in Ottawa
in the Ukrainian Colors for the 24th Anniversary of Ukraine’s
Independence Day.
Ukraine Independence Day
Today (August 24th) is Ukrainian
Independence Day (Ukrainian: День Незалежності України.)
It marks the Ukraine’s
Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991.
On December 1, 1991 the Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics held an
Independence Referendum where 92.3% of those with Ukrainian Nationality on
their Soviet-Issued Mandatory Internal Passports voted in favor of an
Independent Ukraine.
Poland and Canada were the first
Countries to recognize Ukrainian Independence on December 2, 1991.
The United States recognized
Ukraine’s Independence on December 25, 1991 (after the Soviet Union Collapsed.)
In 1991, for the first time ever,
Ukraine became an independent Country.
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Ukrainian Flag
Today is Ukrainian Flag Day!
The Blue symbolizes the sky, and
Yellow represents the golden fields of wheat.
Missing are the Flags of the
Different Occupiers of Ukraine:
The Trapezuntine Empire:
1204–1461
The Golden Horde: 1242–1502
The Republic of Genoa: 1266–1475
The Ottoman Empire:
1478–1499 and then 1517–1774
Poland and Lithuania: 1349-1795
The Czarist Russian Empire:
1654–1917
The Austro-Hungarian Empire: 1772
-1918
Czechoslovakia: 1918 – 1938
The Kingdom of Romania: 1919-1945
Nazi Germany: 1939-1944
The Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics: 1919-1941 and then 1941-1991
The Russian Federation: 2014 to
Present
Black Ribbon Numbers
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.
August 23rd:
Today is Ukrainian Flag Day!
The Blue symbolizes the sky, and
Yellow represents the golden fields of wheat.
Missing are the Flags of the
Different Occupiers of Ukraine:
The Trapezuntine Empire:
1204–1461
The Golden Horde: 1242–1502
The Republic of Genoa: 1266–1475
The Ottoman Empire:
1478–1499 and then 1517–1774
Poland and Lithuania: 1349-1795
The Czarist Russian Empire:
1654–1917
The Austro-Hungarian Empire: 1772
-1918
Czechoslovakia: 1918 – 1938
The Kingdom of Romania: 1919-1945
Nazi Germany: 1939-1944
The Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics: 1919-1941 and then 1941-1991
The Russian Federation: 2014 to
Present
Friday, August 22, 2025
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Throwing Food Away
Pet Peeve: When Chefs (on TV or in Restaurants) or Cooks throw away food because it wasn’t cut in uniform shapes.
Some of the TV Chefs who do that
then go on a Commercial asking for money so no one goes hungry.
If the food is cooked incorrectly
then throw it out, but if the only thing wrong with it is the shape then give
it to a Homeless Shelter or a Food Bank.
18: Big August Trip
18 years ago I went on my Big August Trip.
(Kuwait)
My Dad was working in Iraq at the
time and my Mom and I wanted to see him. So, after months of planning and
checking schedules, my Mom and I flew from Boston to London.
We spent the day in London. It
was the 60th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – my
Mom was a Royal Fan – being Canadian - and we had ordered tickets several
months in advance to take a Private Tour of Buckingham Palace.
I had been to the Palace on Tours
before, but not a Private Tour. We saw rooms that usually were closed off to
the public, the Royal Stables, a 60th Wedding Anniversary Exhibit as well as
had High Tea in the backyard garden.
That night we flew from London to
Kuwait and arrived early the next day where we met up with my Dad who had
arrived from Iraq.
We had a pre-scheduled Private
Tour across Kuwait (including seeing several sights my Dad had seen when he was
a Soldier during 1990-1991 Desert Shield/Storm. We went to the Al-Qurain
Resistance Museum (where Kuwaiti Resistance fought the Iraqis during the War.)
We also went inside the Kuwait Towers.
(Buckingham Palace - London)
The next day I left Kuwait (my
Parents stayed another day and then they flew to England and took the train up
to Scotland where they went to the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands.)
While they went to England and
Scotland I went from Kuwait to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
I then went to Limassol, Cyprus
and spent several days going around the Greek-Park of the Island with a Russian
Friend of Mine. I tried to go to the Turkish-Occupied Part of the Island, but
the tour was cancelled minutes before it was to start.
From Cyprus I went to Athens,
Greece and then to Munich, Germany.
I spent several days in Starnberg
with a German Friend of mine. We went to the Zugspitze Mountains, swam in Lake
Starnberg and a bunch of other fun things.
From Munich I flew to London
where I met-up with my Parents at Heathrow. My Dad flew back to Iraq and my Mom
and I flew back to Boston.
It was a lot of fun – especially
since most of my planning and booking worked out well.
As I do with most of my trips
(except when going to places like Russia where it’s Illegal for Foreigners to
bring in Local Currency) I had pre-ordered a bunch of different Currencies that
we would need for the whole trip that arrived at the house before we left.
I had British Pounds (for England
and Scotland), Euros (for Germany and Greece), Kuwaiti Dinars (for Kuwait), UAE
Dirhams (for the United Arab Emirates), Turkish Lira (for Turkish-Occupied
Cyprus) and Cypriot Pounds (for Greek Cyprus.) I only had to exchange the
Turkish Lira since I wasn’t able to go there.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Pictures
During the Holocaust, people went
to great lengths to save precious photographs.
Rosa Liebermann hid this photo of
her Son, Alex, in her mouth during Concentration Camp Selections.
Had she been caught she would
have been shot.
Her Son did not survive and this is all she had left of him.
This makes me stop and think
while I am digitalizing and preserving Family Photos of my own.
Monday, August 18, 2025
Europe In US
Trump with Ukrainian President Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen at the White House today (August 18, 2025.)
Zelenskyy In US
Zelenskyy and Trump met at the White
House today (August 18, 2025.)
Zelenskyy:
• Gave Trump a letter from Olena Zelenska to
Melania (re: abducted kids).
• Elections possible only after war ends &
security allows.
• Ukraine can now buy U.S. weapons via PURL
program.
Trump:
• Open to trilateral talks with Putin;
Zelensky agreed.
• Wants a full peace deal, not a shaky
ceasefire.
• Security guarantees will be part of
settlement.
• On U.S. troops: “Maybe later today… We’ll be
involved.”
• “We’re not giving weapons — we’re selling.”
• NATO-like guarantees on the table with
Europe’s backing.
• Putin waiting for Trump’s call after talks.
Prepared
With 2 weeks to go until September I went around the property -inside and outside and checked everything (the Garage, Shed, Generator, Propane Tank, Water Well, the Jeep, the Propane Heaters, the Non-Perishable Food, our Water Supply, our Dog Food, Medical Supplies, etc.) to make sure it is ready for Winter.
It may seem early, but we get
snow up here from September until May. Our Mountain Road (the only way in or
out) and the 1 Lane Bridge can be impassible because of downed trees, ice,
snow, mud, washed-away, etc.
I was a Boy Scout and so always
prepare for everything.
Not Alone
Ukrainian President Zelensky is
not flying to Trump alone — his plane has already taken off after a stop in
Brussels. And he won’t be empty-handed: Europe is coming with him.
Alongside him join:
European President Ursula von der
Leyen
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
French Prime Minister Emmanuel
Macron
British Prime Minister Keir
Starmer
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Italian Prime Minster Giorgia
Meloni
Finnish President Alexander Stubb
Along with Me and many other
Americans who are with Zelenskyy and Ukraine in spirit.
Sunday, August 17, 2025
2 Weeks
Only 14 days until this happens.
I don’t hate Pumpkin Spice I just don’t want it in everything I eat or drink
for 3 months.
Also, in 14 days it becomes Maple
everything! Now that I love. Maple Syrup, Maple Candy, Maple Butter, Maple Ice
Cream…….
There are many Sugar Shacks in my
Town where they make their own Maple Syrup in the Spring and sell all their
Maple Products in the Fall. I can literally stand on my Balcony and smell
Maple.
87: ID
They had to use this new
“Official” Middle Name on all Legal Documents as well as on the Mandatory
German Indentifcation Card (the Kennkarte.)
Refusing or forgetting to use
this enforced new Name was punishable by imprisonment.
There are cases where German Jews
who received an American Visa (or any Visa) to leave Nazi Germany were either
refused a German Exit Visa (required to leave Nazi Germany) or refused entry
into the United States (or any country) because their American Visa didn’t have
the required legal name of “Israel” or “Sara” on it.
Sometimes that was because when
the Visa Application was first made it was before August 1938 when the law was
announced and the only way to make the name change was to reapply for a Visa
and get a new Quota Number that was years-out in being called (someone who
applied for an American Visa in November 1938 could expect to get a high Quota
Number meaning they could expect to get their American Visa in 1943 – of course
no one in 1938 knew that in 1943 World War 2 would be raging and the Jews would
be murdered in German Gas Chambers.)
Sometimes it was because the Visa
Application and all the other Documents had the mandatory name of “Israel” or
“Sara” on it, but the signature didn’t.
Picture: 10 year old Robert
“Israel” Spied Kennkarte from May 1939 with the required “Israel” on it. It
doesn’t have the required “J” on it (but his International Passport did.)
Robert was from Vienna and escaped the Nazis due to Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus,
a Jewish American Couple, who helped 50 Jewish Refugee Children (including
Robert) immigrate to the United States.
Note: On October 5, 1938 the
Swiss made the Germans identify who was Jewish on their International Passports
(otherwise Switzerland would forbid all Germans entry into Switzerland) and so
Nazi Germany added a “J” (for “Jude” or “Jew”) to Jewish Kennkarte and
International Passports. Robert’s Parents were also able to escape the Nazis
and reunited with Robert in April 1940.
In September 1939 the Germans
then made the Jews in German-Occupied Poland wear a Blue Star of David on a
White Armband on their outer shirt or coat.
The Jews had to use their
Clothing Ration Coupons and their own money to buy these Armbands. It had to be
a certain size, be clean and visible at all times.
Refusing or Forgetting to use
this enforced Armband was punishable by imprisonment or death on sight.
On September 1, 1941 the Germans
required all Jews living in Germany or in German-occupied territory wear a
Yellow Star of David (with a “J” for “Jude” or “Jew” – sometimes instead of
“Jude” written on the Star it used the local name “Juif” in Occupied-France or
“Jood” in Occupied-the Netherlands) on their outer shirt or coat.
The Jews had to use their
Clothing Ration Coupons and their own money to buy these Stars. It had to be
permanently sewed on (not pinned), be a certain size and be clean and visible
at all times. Refusing or forgetting to wear this enforced Star was punishable
by imprisonment or death on sight.
The new law didn’t change the
1939 Identification Law in occupied-Poland. For example in German-Occupied
Warsaw, Poland the Jews had to wear the Blue Star of David on a White Armband,
but in German-Annexed Krakow, Poland the Jews had to wear the Yellow Star of
David.
In May 1945 the Allies struck
down the Racist Nazi Laws including the forced use of "Israel" or
"Sara" and the "J." on all Kennkarte.
On January 1, 1951 West Germany
started issuing its Mandatory Personalausweis to all of its Citizens (Jews and
Non-Jews) and any reference to Race or Religion was outlawed.
On November 1, 1953 East Germany
started issuing its Mandatory Personalausweis to all of its Citizens (Jews and
Non-Jews) and any reference to Race or Religion was outlawed
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