• Although the Red Cross does important work, it often got it wrong in the past, and arguably in the present, when it’s about political positions. They appear to take one side—usually the side that controls the data. One infamous example is the visit by the International Red Cross to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in 1944. The…

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  • In Flanders Fields

    On May 3, 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, Belgium, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote his now-famous poem after seeing poppies growing in battle-scarred fields. Alexis Helmer, a close friend, was killed during the battle on May 2. McCrae performed the burial service himself, where he noticed how poppies quickly…

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  • A picture tells a thousand words but never tells the full story. Following are the words of some of those who survived the worst crime ever committed, the Holocaust. Toby Biber“This one morning, orders – ‘get out, get out’ – and whatever. By then we only had a few bits belongings – you, we grabbed…

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  • Auschwitz Birkenau

    In the shadows of history’s darkest hour,Lies a place where hope lost its power.Auschwitz-Birkenau, silent and stark,Bears witness to humanity’s deepest mark. Within its fences, anguish did reign,As innocent souls felt the tormenting pain.Their cries echoing through the chilling air,Beseeching a world that seemed not to care. In barracks cramped, they huddled in fear,Their dreams…

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  • Dachau in Words

    Dachau Concentration Camp was the first of the Nazi concentration camps established in Germany. It opened in 1933, shortly after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor, and it operated until its liberation by American troops in 1945. Situated just north of Munich, Dachau served as a model for other concentration camps that followed. Initially, Dachau held political…

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  • There are not that many good Dutch rock songs, but “Strange Machine”s by The Gathering, certainly can be called a great metal track. It is the first song of The Gathering’s third album, the first to feature vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen. The song contains a passage from George Pal’s film version of H.G. Wells’s book,…

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  • Nieuwlande is a village in the Netherlands, located in the province of Drenthe, known for its unique history during World War II. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Nieuwlande became a safe haven for Jews and others. The villagers, predominantly farmers, worked together to hide Jewish families and individuals, saving them from persecution and…

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