This graph, presents a poem, which been shared plenty of times in the blogosphere. Please, allow me the opportunity to present it again.
I want to apply it to our present time.
I’ve seen it many times.
Every time it makes me think.
More so now, in view of the ugly turn in the road where American politics seem to be headed.
To me, the bottom line is that if you don’t speak up for others who are somehow persecuted, eventually your turn will come and there will be no one to stand up for your when you are persecuted.
It’s time to stand up and hold your ground.
~MARTIN NIEMOLLER~
Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.
The quotation stems from Niemöller’s lectures during the early postwar period. Different versions of the quotation exist. These can be attributed to the fact that Niemöller spoke extemporaneously and in a number of settings.
Much controversy surrounds the content of the poem as it has been printed in varying forms, referring to diverse groups such as Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Trade Unionists, or Communists depending upon the version. Nonetheless his point was that Germans – in particular, he believed, the leaders of the Protestant churches – had been complicit through their silence in the Nazi imprisonment, persecution, and murder of millions of people.
First he came for the Mexicans, then he came for the war heroes, then he came for African Americans, then he came for the immigrants, then he came for the Jews, then he came for the “gays” …. now he’s coming for the Muslims. Maybe you can add someone else or he will continue adding groups.
I truly thank you for this gesture, my dearest blogging friend!
Rules of the Three-Day Quote Challenge
Thank the blogger who nominated you.
Publish 3 quotes on 3 consecutive days in your blog.
It can be your own, or from a book, movie or from anyone who inspires you.
Nominate 3 more bloggers to carry on this endeavor.
MY QUOTE FOR TODAY IS
THE STORY BEHIND IT
The quotation stems from Niemöller’s lectures during the early postwar period. Different versions of the quotation exist. These can be attributed to the fact that Niemöller spoke extemporaneously and in a number of settings.
Much controversy surrounds the content of the poem as it has been printed in varying forms, referring to diverse groups such as Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Trade Unionists, or Communists depending upon the version.
Nonetheless his point was that Germans — in particular, he believed, the leaders of the Protestant churches — had been complicit through their silence in the Nazi imprisonment, persecution, and murder of millions of people.
I find these words so very important and so very inspiring. Even though they were written during WWII and Nazi Germany and mention Communists, Jews, Catholics and Protestants, you can fill in the blanks with the different ethnic groups of current times.
By doing so, the quote becomes relevant and current.
Bottom line. we need to band together and stand up against the forces that work against equality and humanity.
Politicians Discussing Global Warming
This image of a installation performed by Isaac Cordal in Berlin in 2011 became viral on the internet under the title Politicians discussing global warming although really is part of its series called follow the leaders.
Isaac Cordal (born 1974) is a Spanish artist whose work involves sculpture and photography in the urban environment.
Woman in Gold is a 2015 British-American drama film directed byC and written by Alexi Kaye Campbell. The film stars Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, Katie Holmes, Tatiana Maslany, Max Irons,Charles Dance, Elizabeth McGovern, and Jonathan Pryce.
The film is based on the true story of the late Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee living in Los Angeles, who, together with her young lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, fought the government of Austria for almost a decade to reclaim Gustav Klimt‘s iconic painting of her aunt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which was confiscated from her relatives by the Nazis in Vienna just prior to World War II.
Altmann took her legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled in her favor in Republic of Austria v. Altmann (2004).
~~GALLERY~~
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~~PLOT~~
In a series of flashbacks throughout the film, Maria Altmann recalls the arrival of Nazi forces in Vienna, Austria, and the subsequent suppression of the Jewish community and the looting and pillaging conducted by the Nazis against Jewish families. Seeking to escape before the country is completely shut off, Maria Altmann and members of her family attempt to flee to the United States. While Altmann is successful in her escape, she is forced to abandon her parents in Vienna.
In the present, living in Los Angeles, a now elderly Altmann attends the funeral for her sister. She discovers letters in her sister’s possession dating to the late 1940s, which reveal an attempt to recover artwork owned by the Altmann family that was left behind during the family’s flight for freedom and subsequently stolen by the Nazis. Of particular note is a painting of Altmann’s aunt, now known in Austria as the “Woman in Gold“.
Altmann enlists the help of Randol Schoenberg, a lawyer with little experience, to make a claim to the art restitution board in Austria. Reluctantly returning to her homeland, Altmann discovers that the country’s minister and art director are unwilling to part with the painting, which they feel has become part of the national identity. Altmann is told that the painting was in fact legitimately willed to the gallery by her Aunt.
Upon further investigation by her lawyer and Austrian journalist Hubertus Czernin, this claim proves to be incorrect, as the alleged will is invalid due to the fact that her Aunt did not own the painting in question, the artist’s fee having been paid by her Uncle. Schoenberg files a challenge with the art restitution board, but it is denied and Altmann does not have the money needed to challenge the ruling. Defeated, she and Schoenberg return to the United States.
Months thereafter, happening upon an art book with “Woman in Gold” on the cover, Schoenberg has an epiphany. Using a loop hole and precedents in which an art restitution law was retroactively applied, Schoenberg files a claim in US court against the Austrian government contesting their claim to the painting. An appeal goes to the Supreme Court of the United States, where in the matter of Republic of Austria v. Altmann, the court rules in Altmann’s favor, which results in the Austrian government attempting to persuade Altmann to retain the painting for the gallery, which she refuses. After a falling out over the issue of returning to Austria for a second time to argue the case, Altmann fires Schoenberg, who then takes it upon himself to carry on the case of his own accord.
In Austria, the art restitution board hears the case, during which time they are reminded of the Nazi Regime’s war crimes by Schoenberg. Schoenberg implores the art restitution board to think of the meaning of the word restitution and to look past the artwork hanging in art galleries to see the injustice to the families who once owned such great paintings and were forcibly separated from them by the Nazis. Unexpectedly, Altmann arrives to speak before the board, reminding them of the atrocities of the Nazi regime and that while the gallery may see in the Woman in Gold a national treasure, she sees a family portrait.
After making their respective cases, the art restitution board ultimately sides with Altmann, returning her painting.
Altmann then elects to have the painting moved to the United States with her, and takes up an offer made earlier by a New York gallery to display the painting on condition that it be a permanent exhibit.
Academy Award winner Helen Mirren stars in the incredible story of Maria Altmann, a Jewish refugee who is forced to flee Vienna during World War II.
Decades later, determined to salvage some dignity from her past, Maria has taken on a mission to reclaim a painting the Nazis stole from her family: the famous Lady In Gold, a portrait of her beloved Aunt Adele.
Partnering with an inexperienced but determined young lawyer (Ryan Reynolds), Maria embarks on an epic journey for justice 60 years in the making.
Somewhere in the night a quiet professional is waiting. He does not care that he is tired. That his hardened body is sleep deprived. He is unbroken and vigilant in his task.
Somewhere this warrior is the final tripwire. He has trained all his life in brutal conditions day and night. This barren and desolate world is his home. He lives and survives by an ancient Creed.
Somewhere this weapon of war will not ask nor give quarter. He thrives on the mission and completing his objective. That he allows the taste of fear to motivate his actions. He is … the final option.
Choctaw Indian Code Talkers of World War I By Phillip Allen
In 1917, Choctaw Indians were not citizens of the United States. The language the Choctaws spoke was considered obsolete. That same language later helped bring about a successful end to the first World War (Allen) Of more than 10,000 Native Americans serving in WWI, a number of Choctaw soldiers “confounded German eavesdroppers”. (Flaherty).
When speaking of going into battle, you can almost be assured that communications is an important weapon. It can be used to defeat your enemy, or it can destroy you. During WWI, the Germans were able to decipher all of the allied forces’ coded communications. Then something almost miraculous happened. A group of 19 young Choctaw men appeared on the scene, using their own language to transmit messages that the Germans were never able to decipher (“Choctaws”).
Native Americans including Choctaws, were not allowed to vote until 1924 – although years before this they volunteered to fight for what they considered their country, land and people (Allen).
According to tribal documents, there were 19 Choctaw Code Talkers: Tobias Frazier, Victor Brown, Joseph Oklahombi, Otis Leader, Ben Hampton, Albert Billy, Walter Veach, Ben Carterby, James Edwards, Solomon Louis, Pete Maytubby, Mitchell Bobb, Calvin Wilson, Jeff Nelson, Joseph Davenport, George Davenport, Noel Johnson, Schlicht Billy and Robert Taylor.
The men listed here were part of the 36th Division (“Choctaws”). Originally, only eight men were recognized as Choctaw Code Talkers, but as the success of using their native language as a “code” was recognized, others were quickly pressed into service (Allen”).
Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank was a diarist and writer. She was one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Her wartime diary The Diary of a Young Girl has been the basis for several plays and films. Born in the city of Frankfurt in Weimar Germany, she lived most of her life in or near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.
Born a German national, Frank lost her citizenship in 1941. She gained international fame posthumously after her diary was published. It documents her experiences hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
Veterans Day 2014: Google Doodle honors America’s Armed Forces
Today is Veterans Day and Google has marked the occasion with a Doodle honoring the United States Armed Forces.
In America 11 November is a federal holiday, which falls on the anniversary of the end of the First World War in 1918. Like Memorial Day in May, it commemorates those who have died fighting for their country, but Veterans Day also honors the living, thanking them for their continued work and sacrifice in the military.
Parades and ceremonies will be held across the US today. In Washington DC the Concert for Valor is scheduled to take place at the National Mall.
~Veteran’s Day 2014 – Google Doodle Tribute to Veterans~
~Published on Nov 11, 2014~
On 11 November 2014, Google Doodle honors the Veterans Day 2014.
Veterans Day is an official United States holiday that honors people who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, also known as veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect).
The United States also originally observed Armistice Day; it then evolved into the current Veterans Day holiday in 1954. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.
History of Veterans Day
World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Google celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a video doodle
The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier that existed between 1961 and 1989 inclusively, constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until it was opened in 1989.
The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the “death strip”) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses.
The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Google has posted a video doodle on its homepage which shows that the graffitied chunk of concrete, once a literal division, has been transformed into a symbol of unity, a reminder to passersby of the triumph of the collective human spirit.
The doodle features the people of West Berlin greeting their eastern counterparts on the night of November 9, 1989 and the pieces of the fallen Wall put up in different parts of the world including London, Soeul, Cape Town, Madrid, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Mountain View, Kiev, Sofia, Washington DC, and Berlin.
Explaining how the doodle was created, Ryan Germick & Liat Ben-Rafael from the Google Doodle team, in a blog post, says, “Determined to share this experience on the doodle and others like it around the world, we enlisted several folks and are grateful for their help. Our friends at veed.me arranged 17 international film crews to gather footage. The German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) provided powerful archival photographs by Klaus Lehnartz and Heiko Specht to set context for the video. Googlers from around the world translated more than 50 international versions. Morgan Stiff edited it all together”.
The night the Berlin Wall fell was a pivotal moment in the collapse of communism and the start of the country’s emergence as the major power at the heart of Europe.
A 15-kilometer (nine-mile) chain of lighted balloons along the former border will be released into the air early Sunday evening – around the time on November 9, 1989 when a garbled announcement by a senior communist official set off the chain of events that brought down the Cold War’s most potent symbol.
The Berlin Wall was a barrier that existed between 1961 and 1990, constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until it was opened in 1989.
It Is What It Is 