October 2022

  • Perfect 10

    The perfect 10 who broke the hearts of millions. 10 usually indicates the perfect number. People often say 10 out of 10 meaning you have given it a 100% Friday October 7,2022 will be a date forever edged in Ireland’s history. 10 people were out minding their own business at a shop and a petrol…

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  • Did nightingales sing in Auschwitz? Were they allowed to do so? Did their song bring any joy? Did nightingales know what was happening? Did they see the suffering? Did their eyes witness hell? Did nightingales sing in Auschwitz? Did wolves howl outside of Auschwitz? Or were they scared too? Did they feel alone? Did wolves…

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  • World War II Fashion

    Before you ask, I know absolutely nothing about fashion. Then why do a piece on fashion in World War II? I hear you say. There is no particular reason, but after all the heavy subjects I usually explore, I decided to go with a more lighthearted one for a change, while still staying on the…

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  • Shortly after a war it would be quite unnerving to see a bomber flying over your city. However in West Berlin in 1948, this was a welcome sight. It probably was the equivalent of Santa delivering presents early. After World War 2, when Soviet Union leader Josef Stalin occupied West Berlin in 1948, Halvorsen participated…

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  • I know there are those who judge the Sonderkommandos. Sometimes people confuse them with the Kapos. In all honestly, I don’t judge them at all, because I was never put in the position they were put in. Especially the Sonderkommandos who were forced, on the threat of their deaths, to aid with the disposal of…

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  • Rosalina Zilverberg was born in Oss, the Netherlands, on October 5,1942. She was murdered in Vught concentration camp Vught on April 17, 1943. She lived for 194 days. In those 194 she will have only experienced her parents anxiety. She will have only experienced a life in captivity. She never got a chance to learn…

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  • Happy Birthday Dr. No

    Today marks the 60th anniversary of the release of the first James Bond movie, Dr No. Although it was the 1st movie, it was the sixth of Fleming’s series, beginning with Casino Royale. I am not going too much into the movie as such ,but more into some of the unknow aspects of Dr. No.…

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  • When you think of sports cars, one of the names you think of is Porsche. When you see a Porsche driving by, there is no second-guessing as to what car it is. The Dutch police used Porsches between 1962 and 1996. In the early 1960s the absence of speed limit indications on Dutch motorways saw…

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  • When I saw this photograph, I was reminded of another photo. It was a picture of my colleagues and I in 1993/1994. It was taken at work on the day of the retirement of one of my colleagues at the time. We had a small party afterwards at the cafeteria of Philips Sittard. The photo…

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  • What can you say about one of the funniest people that ever lived? Well frankly not much, except for that today marks his 132th birthday. Other then that I will leave Groucho do the talking. “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” “I never…

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