November 2023
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The sad news broke today that the Pogues frontman, Shane McGowan, died early this morning. The news brought me back to my memories of 1988. My best friend Patrick, who sadly passed away earlier this year, asked me if I knew the title of the Pogues single, which was on the radio a lot. (back…
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One of the definitions of hygiene is conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease—specifically through cleanliness. The lack of hygiene was one of the hidden killers during World War II, and indeed any other war, because it wasn’t always possible to keep a minimal level of hygiene. This post has a few…
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In my interview with Rosa DeVries, Rosa is an Israeli Jewish woman, originally from Amsterdam and a daughter of Holocaust survivors. She lives in Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain eight kilometres (5 mi) south of Tel Aviv, and about 55 km away from Gaza.…
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I am always surprised why so little is reported about the Holocaust in Luxembourg. In the late 1930s, Luxembourg had a population of approximately 300,000, of which 3.500 were Jews. In addition, more than 1,000 German-Jewish refugees had found shelter in Luxembourg. Nazi Germany occupied Luxembourg in May 1940, with the Luxembourg government fleeing into…
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Many of you will know that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I received a diagnosis in 2017, but more than likely, I had it before that. To briefly explain what Rheumatoid Arthritis is—this is what the Mayo Clinic said about it: “Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder—that can affect more than just your joints. In…
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It is hard to believe that Duck Soup was released 90 years ago today. It is an American pre-code musical black comedy film written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, with additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin, and directed by Leo McCarey. Released by Paramount Pictures on November 17, 1933, it stars the Marx Brothers…
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Although I have literally written hundreds of posts on World War II and the Holocaust, I hadn’t heard about the great bank robbery. The bank robbery at Almelo 1944, is a bank robbery was committed by the Dutch resistance on November 15, in which 46.1 million guilders (value in 2023: €354 million) was taken. It…
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On behalf of and with permission from Rosa DeVries, one of the many citizens in Israel who want peace. A daily impression of life after the October 7 attack by Hamas. Titled: Day 39, the text is in Dutch. Dag 39 Elke avond neem ik de tijd om dit blog te schrijven. Ik vind het…
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The fact that so many were murdered during the Holocaust is hard to fathom, and it is often compounded by personal stories. None so sad as that of Heinz Felix Geiringer. It is not clear if he died just before the end of the war in Europe or shortly after the end. Several databases list…
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First of all, let me explain the term “neck of the woods,” and what it means for those of you who have never heard it. Basically, it is the place or area where someone lives or originates from. I was born in the Dutch province of Limburg, but now, I live in Limerick—hence the title.…
History of Sorts 