In 2023, there are still many deniers of the mass killing of millions of Jews and other prisoners by Germany during WW2. Even faced with overwhelming evidence and personal testimony, some still refuse to believe the events ever happened.
So I am posting this short film clip to remind the rest of us, the sane ones, that it did.
I confess I am not feeling very festive or excited about New Year’s Eve.
But I would still like to wish eveyone a very happy and peaceful 2023.
Thanks to Gavin from New Zealand for this link. What we call The Northern Lights also appear in the southern hemisphere, and are called Aurora Australis.
Thanks to my friend Antony who sent me a link, I was able to watch this great film about London, from Roman times to the modern day. It is short, at only 14 minutes, and is incredibly well-made. Using contemporary photos and video, and including some wonderful high-definition aerial footage, it manages to educate viewers and celebrate London in every way without taking up too much of your valuable time.
If you have never visited the city of my birth, I am sure you will find this film interesting and illuminating. If like me, you are a Londoner, it might make you love your city even more.
Jonathan the Giant Tortoise is 190 years old. He lives of the island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic. He was taken there from the Seychelles as a gift to the island’s governor, in 1882. He was already 50 years old at the time, and the climate of St Helena suited him very nicely. At 190, he is believed to be the oldest known living animal, and he is still going strong!
I would like to wish all my American blogging friends a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving today. In our troubled world, giving thanks for the good things we have is definitely the right thing to do.
This tends to sum up the ‘human situation’. Thanks, Loren.
I first recieved the following quote as a video featuring Mark Twain, while Twain may have penned this comment, it appears that it is more likely from Shera Starr. It also appeared in something from Sir David Attenborough. Regardless of the origin and regardless of your political leanings, this should resonate.
“If you catch 100 red fire ants as well as 100 large black ants, and put them in a jar, at first, nothing will happen. However, if you violently shake the jar and dump them back on the ground the ants will fight until they eventually kill each other. The thing is, the red ants think the black ants are the enemy and vice versa, when in reality, the real enemy is the person who shook the jar. This is exactly what’s happening in society today. Liberal vs. Conservative. Black vs. White. Pro Mask vs. Anti-Mask. Vax vs. Anti-vax…
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I don’t think these photos need any captions. 🙂
I watched a report on the BBC about statistics for England and Wales regarding the numbers of people born outside those countries, but resident in them as of late 2021.
(Scotland was not included as it had not participated in the survey.)
I looked up some of the details available.
People born in India top the list, with a total of 920,000 born in India, but living in England or Wales.
760,000 people who were born in Poland also have a British passport, along with 539,000 people born in Romania.
EU nationals account for 36.4% of those born abroad, but living in England or Wales.
Between 2011 and 2021, the population of England and Wales rose by over 3,000,000 as a result of foreign-born migrants, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Other nationalities in the top five include Pakistan, and Ireland. Total numbers of foreign-born residents now exceed 10,000,000, almost 14% of the population.
Over 35% of all foreign-born nationals living in England and Wales live in Greater London
I find all of this fascinating. As a former Londoner, I can confirm the last figures. London is incredibly diverse, and the different cultures have added to the overall enjoyment of living in that city.
However, where I live now, in Beetley in rural Norfolk, I could count foreign-born nationals on both hands and have fingers to spare.
My friend Antony sent me a link to this blog post from Loren Berg. Some funny cartoons to cheer up a dismal Sunday in Beetley.
beetleypete 