History

General history issues, although a lot will be about WW2

  • The First Supermarket.

    Nowadays doing your shopping in a Supermarket is the most normal thing in the world. You go through the aisles, pick up what you need, and then queue up for the check out to pay for your goods. However this wasn’t always the case. In days of yore( and not even that long ago) you…

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  • Nowadays boarding a plane is nearly as common as get on a train. Come to think of it I have been probably more on a plane then in a train. However in 1954 flying was quite expensive and was only affordable for a few or after saving money for it for possibly year, especially for…

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  • I wish I could say I am remembering Sjakie Degen for his breakthrough work in science. I wish I could say I am remembering Sjakie Degen for a great book he wrote. I wish I could say I am remembering Sjakie Degen for a great painting he painted. I wish I could say that Sjakie…

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  • T4

    The first of September 1939 is well-known for the German invasion of Poland, triggering World War II. However, it is less known as the date the official killing of disabled people was made law, albeit under the guise of euthanasia. It was only five lines which determined the fate of hundreds of thousands:Reichsleiter [Philipp] Bouhler…

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  • The definition of a drummer in most dictionaries is “A person who plays the drums” It doesn’t get more basic then that. A drummer is much more then that though. A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer…

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  • Westerbork

    I have written about Westerbork before, but today I want to address the paradox and the misconception of the camp. Camp Westerbork was a Nazi transit camp in Drenthe province, northeastern Netherlands, during World War II. It was used as a staging location for sending Jews to concentration camps elsewhere, mainly Auschwitz and Sobibor. The…

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  • The Couzijn family consisted out of 3 people. Marcus, his wife Hanni end their daughter Mirjam. Three people who were at the start of family life. Yet they were denied that most basic right, life. Not only were they denied the right of life they were also denied the dignity of being buried as a…

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  • Happy Birthday Wolf Blits

    In my opinion the best way to remember the victims of the Holocaust is to personalize their stories. Rather then a number, show the human side. Because that is what they were ,all those millions were all individual human beings, just like everyone else. I wish I could show you a picture of Wolf Blits.…

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  • After the Holocaust

    The one subject I find difficult to address is how the Dutch treated the Jews during the war. It is easy for me to say they didn’t do enough to help their Jewish neighbours, because that would be true. However I did not live in that time. I did not have to face severe punishments,…

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  • Many of my friends know that I have a passion for music. And you can’t have a passion for music if you don’t love the Blues. I interviewed Author and Blues aficionado ,Bob Cremer, about his book “Secret Language of the Blues: What the Lyrics Really Mean.” Don’t just listen to blues lyrics, understand them!…

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