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"One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic," said Joseph Stalin (1879-1953). It is estimated that between 20 to 40 million people, mostly Russians, were killed by Stalin during his dictatorship (1924-1953). Stalin, the Soviet dictator, not only exterminated purported "enemies of the peoples" but also liquidated almost the entire slate of communist Bolshevik leaders, who had been his and Lenin's friends during the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Great Leader, Joseph Stalin, in fact, killed in peacetime more communists of all nationalities, than all his fascist, Nazi, and Western democratic enemies combined.
This is not a comprehensive list; others have done that already. This report is only an interesting sampling of vignettes of "communists devouring communists" during the twenty-nine year performance of the macabre Soviet symphony conducted by the director Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili, better known as "the man of steel," Stalin.
Old Bolshevik Cadres
"We will destroy every enemy, even if he is an Old Bolshevik, we will destroy his kin, his family. Anyone who by his actions or thoughts encroaches on the unity of the socialist state, we shall destroy relentlessly." I.V. Stalin, November 1937 (Quoted from Stalin's Loyal Executioner: People's Commissar Nikolai Ezhov 1895-1940 by Marc Jansen and Nikita Petrov).
乐动体育APPEveryone knows that after Kangaroo trials, Stalin purged and had the great Bolshevik leaders Lev Kamenev, Gregory Zinoviev, and Ivan Smirnov, accused of being "leftist Trotskyites" and shot (1936) by his dreaded secret police, the NKVD, a precursor to the KGB.
Then the "right-wing" communists were arrested later in 1936, and so Nikolai Bukharin and his followers, Rykov, Krestinsky, and Rakovsky, were also executed as members of the "rightist Trotskyite Bloc."
乐动体育APPVladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko (1883-1938): Leader of the Military Bolshevik Organization that "stormed" the Winter Palace during the October Revolution and who also brutally suppressed the Tambov Rebellion (1920-1921); he was purged in 1938 and executed.
乐动体育APPMariya Spiridonova was one of the leaders of the Left Socialist-Revolutionary party (Left SR). This radical revolutionary faction represented the peasants, and felt betrayed by the Bolsheviks. On July 4, 1918, at the Fifth All-Russian Soviet Congress dominated by the Bolsheviks, Mariya Spiridonova, a 32-year-old woman with dark hair and wearing pince-nez, rose to the podium and attacked the Bolsheviks with words of fire: "I accuse you of betraying the peasants, of making use of them for your own ends. In Lenin's philosophy, you are only dung — only manure. When the peasants, the Bolshevik peasants, the Left SR peasants and the non-party peasants are alike humiliated, oppressed and crushed — crushed as peasants — in my hand you will find the same pistol..." The British secret agents, Bruce Lockhart and Sidney Reilly, were both there at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow where the Congress had convened and vacated by the events of the day. The expected Left SR against the Bolsheviks had failed, and Spiridonova awaited her fate calmly and composed. She was arrested and jailed that summer of 1918. Twenty Left SR hostages were shot. Spiridonova was sent to the gulag. The rest of her Left SR comrades — just like the Kadets and Mensheviks had been — were hunted down thereafter and virtually exterminated by both Lenin and Stalin. Spiridonova was shot in the gulag in 1941.
We all remember from history and from reading Pavel Sudoplatov's remarkable book, Special Tasks (1994), how he, an NKVD general and his trusted lieutenant Leonid Eitingon tracked down Leon Trotsky to Mexico. After stalking Trotsky for sometime and then befriending him, Ramon Mercader, a Spanish communist, assassinated Trotsky with a pick ax on Stalin's order (1940).
乐动体育APPGeneral Sudoplatov (photo, left) was a Soviet spymaster, as well as chief of "Special Tasks" or "wet affairs'" (assassinations) of the NKVD. Assigned by Stalin to execute Trotsky in Mexico, Sudoplatov, who knew the lethality and "wet affair skills" of Comrade Eitingon, decided to use him. Eitingon had served in Spain during the civil war (1936-1939) "with distinction." Yet, as Stalin had been purging the NKVD leaders serving abroad, Eitingon himself had come close to being executed by Stalin. Sudoplatov fished him out of prison for the "special task" of arranging the assassination of Trotsky, which Eitingon successfully accomplished using his communist Spanish mistress, Caridad Mercader's, son Ramon.
The Great Illegals and the Foreign Intelligence Services
"Illegal" agents were Soviet spies working under deep cover in Western countries with no diplomatic cover or immunity. Some of them became legends in Soviet hagiographic history for their masterful espionage activities against the West, particularly where it involved the recruitment and running of the celebrated British "Cambridge Five" traitors also dubbed the "Magnificent Five": Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross.
乐动体育APPDr Arnold Deutsch: Jewish-Austrian intellectual; another illegal deep cover Soviet agent, recruiter and controller of the infamous British traitors, the "Cambridge Five"; Dr Deutsch was recalled, denounced as a traitor and executed.
Theodore Maly: Head of the Illegal London (Soviet) "residency" (1936). He completed the recruitment, training, and running of the "Cambridge Five" spy ring. He was recalled, denounced as an enemy of the people, and shot.
Moisei Axerold: Deep cover Soviet agent operating in Italy; denounced as a traitor to the motherland, recalled to Russia, and executed during the Great Terror (1937-1938).
It was not only the Soviet agents who were hunted down; so were the Soviet foreign spymasters. Abram Slutsky, head of the secret police, foreign intelligence (INO), was found dead of a "heart attack" (most likely cyanide poisoning) in his office in 1938, as his department was being purged of enemies of the people in the Great Terror.
His immediate successors, Zelman Pasov and Mikhail Shpigelgas, soon followed him to the grave, executed as enemies of the people. Their counterparts in the internal security police, 乐动体育APPthe NKVD, Genrikh Yagoda and Nikolai Yezhov, as we shall see, would also be purged and executed during Stalin's Great Terror.
General Jan Berzin (photo, right): Latvian Bolshevik and Chekist; creator of Soviet military intelligence (GRU); he served with as Head of Red Army Intelligence in Spain (1936-1937); purged by Stalin and shot in 1938.
The Red Army
All students of Russian military history know of the purge, trial, and execution of the most distinguished and most capable general in the Red Army, Marshall of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Tukhachevsky (photo, below) in 1937. According to Stalin and the NKVD, the Marshall was a traitor to the Motherland, a member of the Trostkyite-Bukharinite-Fascist counterrevolutionary conspiracy. Along with Tukhachevsky, 40,000 Red 乐动体育APPArmy personnel were eliminated during the Terror of 1937-38. Consider the fact that the entire Defense Council of the Red Army, Generals Mekhlis, Dybenko, Lukin, Yegorov, Zhigur, all would be shot within six months after the trial and execution of Tukhachevsky. Only one of these generals did not brake under interrogation, General Blyuker, who died in prison after being repeatedly tortured. Forty-five percent of the Army and Navy command and political staff from the position of Brigade commander up the officers' ranks were eliminated by Stalin's security police, according to . When the World War II came only two years later and the German Panzers rolled over the western expanse of the USSR, the Red Army was not ready. It had been decapitated.
NKVD and Security Services
乐动体育APPStalin also routinely purged his security services (secret police). Genrikh Yagoda, head of the NKVD, was purged and executed (1936) for his failure to promptly falsify evidence to convict the "right-wing" Bolshevik leader, Nikolai Bukharin. His successor was the blood-drenched, dwarfish Nikolai Yezhov.
As we mentioned before, the "right-wing" communists were finally arrested in 1936 by Yagoda; Bukharin (i.e., Lenin's "Beloved of the Revolution"), Rykov, Krestinsky, Rakovsky were also executed as members of the "rightist Trotskyite Bloc." Their final persecutor was (photo, left), Yagoda's NKVD successor, who presided over the Great Terror and Purges of 1937-1938, the "Yezhovina," as if Yezhov was chiefly responsible. Yezhov would be arrested, purged by Stalin, and executed a couple of years later.
Yakov Blyumkin: Assassin of the German Ambassador to the USSR during the Brest-Litovsk negotiations (pardoned in 1919); shot on order of Stalin in 1929 as a Trotskyite.
Martyn Latsis (1883-1938): Bolshevik, assistant to Feliks Dzherzhinsky, "Iron Feliks," founder and first chief of the Cheka (i.e, the first Soviet secret police authorized by Lenin to spread terror and eliminate enemies of the people "without bourgeoise moral prejudices"). During Lenin's Red Terror of 1918, Comrade Latsis ordered the extermination of White suspects and prisoners in the Crimea. He exhorted: "We are not carrying out war against individuals. We are exterminating the bourgeoisie as a class. We aren't looking for evidence or witnesses to reveal deeds or words against the Soviet power. The first question which we ask is — to what class does he belong, what are his origins, upbringing, eduation, or profession. These questions define the fate of the accused. This is the essence of Red Terror." But for Latsis, the chickens came home to roost. During Stalin's Great Terror, Latsis was purged and executed in 1938.
乐动体育APPGleb I. Boky: Deputy head of Cheka under Dzherzhinsky; purged 1937; died in the gulag in 1941.
Viktor Abakumov: Former SMERCH ("Death to Spies") commander during World War II and then NKVD Chief, arrested during; purged, imprisoned, and tortured; finally shot in 1954 under Khrushchev.
Internationalist Communists
乐动体育APPYakov Ganetsky: Polish communist; Lenin's liaison with the German High Command during the Great War; purged and shot 1937.
乐动体育APPFritz Platten: Swiss Social Democrat and guarantor of the sealed train affair that brought Lenin and his Bolsheviks through Germany to Russia in 1917; the man who had saved Lenin's life during an assassination attempt was purged by Stalin and died in a labor camp in the gulag.
Eino Rahja: Finnish communist, Lenin's friend and bodyguard in the early years of the Revolution; purged and shot 1936.
Karl Radek: Polish communist, Bolshevik, and Internationalist (Comintern). He was purged in the 1937 and sent to the gulag, where was shot by an NKVD operative in 1939.
Solomon Mikhaels: Leader of the Jewish Antifascist Committee; assassinated on Stalin's direct order in Minsk in 1948.
Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930): Decadent poet, early supporter of the Bolsheviks; disillusioned with Stalin's Russia, committed suicide.
乐动体育APPMaxim Gorky (1868-1936; photo, left): Poet, novelist, proletarian writer, early supporter of the Bolsheviks, then later critic of Lenin's communist repressive tactics; exiled; enticed to return to Russia by Stalin, and then utilized as a captive, useful idiot in Stalin's Russia; probably poisoned along with his son on orders of Stalin.
Dr. Yakov G. Etinger: Jewish intellectual and renown physician; arrested, tortured, and died in the custody of the secret police (MGB) before fully confessing in Stalin's plot against the Jewish Doctors (1951).
乐动体育APPNikolai C. Krylenko: People's Commissar for Justice (1929-1931) and Prosecutor General of the USSR; exponent of socialist legality (i.e., political consideration, rather than guilt or innocence determines culpability and punishment). Under this sham legal theory, he sent thousands to their deaths, but he received his just dessert. He was arrested during the Great Purge, confessed to "wrecking" and "anti-Soviet agitation" and was summarily executed in 1938. He was succeeded by another sanguinary prosecutor in the mold of Fouquier-Tinville, Andrey Vyshinsky, who would survive Stalin.
Kulaks and the Proletariat
乐动体育APPWe tend to remember the Great Terror of 1937-1938 when so many old Bolsheviks and communist party functionaries were eliminated by Stalin during the the Great Purge. But the Soviet State continued to grind down upon the very citizens whom the Revolution had sworn to liberate and protect. And it began with Lenin from the inception of the Revolution of October 1917 to the end of the Soviet era. Stalin only intensified the repression to unimaginable limits. And the common Russians suffered too.
Millions of Kulaks and poorer Russian peasants were killed during the forced establishment of collective farms. Peasants fought requisition and collectivization by killing farm animals, hoarding or burning crops. Stalin's militia and secret police fought back by drowning, shooting, and starving the peasants. Others were sent to the gulag for slave labor, used in the construction of the White Sea and Volga canals, timber and lumber projects in the tundra and taiga, etc., so that the lifespan of peasants and workers (the proletariat in chains) was barely 3 months in the labor camps!
Likewise, millions of workers (the sanctified proletariat) denounced each other in the suspicious, paranoid atmosphere of Stalinist Russia. Many of them heard the dreaded knock on the door and were taken away by the feared secret police in Black Marias, or were removed directly from the workers' assemblies or workplaces, taken to the gulag or summarily shot as "wreckers, spies, and saboteurs," enemies of the people. The dead count is an estimate by various scholars, but from 20 to 40 million perished during the 29-year rule of Stalin, the Great Teacher.
Commissars of Death
Yakov Sverdlov (1885-1919) was a hard-working Bolshevik, confidante and closest advisor to Lenin, and probably after Lenin, the person most responsible for authorizing the execution of Czar Nicholas II, Czarina Alexandra, and the Imperial family at the Ipatiev House in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, which subsequently was renamed after him, Sverdlovsk.
This Bolshevik Commissar died a natural death in 1919, but in what can only be conceptualized as an "eye for an eye" justice, consider the fate of the actual murderers of the Imperial family (photo, right), the Czar, the Czarina, the Grand Duchesses, Olga, Tatiana, Mariya, and Anastasia, the Tsarevitch Alexei, and four of their servants.
Other than Sverdlov and Lenin himself, no other persons were more directly responsible for the murder of the Imperial family, by either insisting on their execution or carrying it out, than the following blood-thirsty trio:
Yakov Yurovsky: Urals Cheka chief; he actually took his Chekists to the Ipatiev House, armed them and led the shooting of the captive family; Yurovsky was purged by Stalin and shot as a Trotskyite in 1937 or 1938.
Aleksandr Beloborodov: Urals Soviet District chief, who kept urging Moscow for the execution; he was himself purged and shot by Stalin in 1938.
F. I. Goloshchekin: Commissar of the Urals; like his Comrade Beloborodov, he urged for execution of the Tsar; and like his Soviet District chief counterpart, he was purged and died in the gulag in 1941.
The "Greatest Russian"
乐动体育APPUnder the entry for Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, page 392 of , editor Martin van Creveld summarizes:
"Stalin, as general secretary, convened the 17th Communist Party Congress, dubbing it "the Congress of Victors." In the 10-member Politburo chosen at the end of the congress, only Stalin remained of those who had been included in the first post-Lenin Politburo a decade earlier….
"The wave of arrests and executions that followed was bolstered by draconian emergency laws proposed by Stalin. The blood purges lasted until Stalin's death, interrupted only by World War II, and in the end struck virtually every pre-existing institution in the Soviet Union: the Communist Party (98 of 135 central committee members were shot and 1,108 of the 1,966 delegates to the 17th Congress of the Communist Party were arrested and tried); the Red Army (3 of 5 marshals were executed, as were almost all the commanders of armies, and about one-third of the officer corps was arrested); the political police (two of its heads were purged); the governmental apparatus and cultural organizations."
Yet, in 2008 a widely conducted poll in Russia found that the number one spot for "the Greatest Russian" went to the greatest mass murderer, not only of Russians but of his communist comrades, Joseph Stalin; distant second and third places went to the legendary Aleksandr Nevsky, and surprisingly, the assassinated Prime Minister, Pyotr Stolypin (1911), who served under Nicholas II, the last Czar of Russia.
Let's repeat that between 20 to 40 million sons and daughters of Russia were killed by Stalin and Soviet communism.
乐动体育APPLet's hope the Russian people come to their senses and divest themselves of the mistaken "good ole days" nostalgia for "Stalin's greatness" that could lead them to another holocaust! But fortunately, there is hope for understanding and repentance.
In 2009, the administration of Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (photo, left) decreed that , be required reading in Russian high schools. It is a great step forward for Russia to walk away from and look at her Stalinist and communist past, facing the stern and sobering reality of repression, mass terror, and mass extermination of her own people for a false principle and a bold-face lie!
References and Sources
1) Roy A. Medvedev, Let History Judge (1971) and Robert Conquest, The Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Thirties (1968) are excellent and more comprehensive sources of this material.
2) Harrison E. Salisbury, Black Night, White Snow — Russia's Revolutions 1905-1917乐动体育APP (1977). An idealized but well-written and researched history of the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917. It is a surreal look at what was to come but it made me aware of Medveded's work.
3) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, (1918-1956) — An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Parts I-II (1973) and The Destructive Labor Camps and The Soul and Barbed Wire, Parts III-IV (1975). Translated into English by Thomas P. Whitney. This is the magnum opus of this subject and told in mesmerizing, graphic detail. It is a must-read work for the fortunate literate of the world.
4) Pavel and Anatoli Sudoplatov, (1994). It is cited in the text as essential, details honestly coming out from one of the main protagonists in this drama.
5) Dmitri Volkogonov, Stalin—Triumph and Tragedy (1991). Very important material, particularly as it relates to the military purges.
6) Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, (1999). Essential work as it relates to the decimation of the Soviet Foreing intelligence and the Great Illegal agent network.
7) Amy Knight, Beria — Stalin's First Lieutenant (1993). Excellent biography of Lavrentii Beria, Stalin's henchman and chief of the security police.
8) Marc Jansen and Nikita Petrov, Stalin's Loyal Executioner: People's Commissar Nikolai Ezhov, 1895-1940乐动体育APP (2002). The gruesome biography of Stalin's diminutive executioner during the Great Terror, 1937-1938.
9) The Jewish Doctor's Plot — The Aborted Holocaust in Stalin's Russia! by by Jonathan Brent and Vladimir P. Naumov;
10) Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives by Edvard Radzinsky.
Written by Dr. Miguel A. Faria
Dr. Miguel Faria is the author of "Cuba in Revolution -- Escape from a Lost Paradise (2002)"; he has presently completed a medical study on Josef Stalin's death, written about Stalin's legacy, and the lingering influence of Stalinism in Russia today.
This article can be cited as: Faria MA. Stalin, Communists, and Fatal Statistics. The Macon Telegraph, January 8, 2012. Available from:
I have also recently published an article in a peer-reviewed, medical scientific journal on the clinical death of Stalin, which concludes that within the highest medical certainty Stalin did not die a natural death but was poisoned with warfarin, a compound then widely used as a rat poison, but now more frequently used as a medical anticoagulant (blood thinner). Warfarin caused Stalin's "stroke." This silent assassination was motivated by fear, an act of desperation on the part of his inner circle, cowed men who feared for their own lives.
Readers interested in the article on Stalin's death can find the complete article at: www.kutahyaevdeneve.com/articles/stalins-mysterious-death
A full page version of this article also appeared in the "Perspectives" section in the Macon Telegraph on Sunday, January 8, 2012, p. 4D. under the title of Stalinism, Bolsheviks, and the Revolution's Fatal Statistics.
Copyright ©2011 Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D.
Additional references — Stalin and Communism from cradle to grave:
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Stalin, Hitler, and Worl War II
乐动体育APPQuotes by Stalin are always popular because they reveal the twisted and evil yet somehow pragmatic sense of humor that Stalin was well known for.
乐动体育APPWe need to remember that Stalin was a master at the art of totalitarian dictatorship, and one of the first rules of this profession is to never say one word more than is absolutely necessary. It has been shown that many of the quotes ascribed to Stalin cannot be linked to him when they are researched in depth. In many cases, it is either someone else who said them, or someone is claiming Stalin said them, but there is no proof that he did.
So, the quote in my title is a good example of this. Apparently, Stalin say did say this, but under radically different circumstances than one might imagine. There are a few versions of the story, but this is the one I find most believable:
"One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic."
'In an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr (11.11.2011) Winston Churchill's daughter, Mary Soames, explained that she overheard Stalin say this to her father. Churchill, was upset having received news that a family friend had died. He apologized to Stalin in light of the vast loss of Russian life. And Stalin then gave this reply.'
Stalin seems to have been making a feeble attempt at consoling Churchill.
乐动体育APPIf Stalin were to have said all of that which was ascribed to him, it would hardly have taken until Nikita Khrushchev's 1956 speech denouncing his crimes for people to have finally realized who was really behind the Red Terror since 1929.
乐动体育APPAs for Roosevelt, we should recall that although his sympathies were always left learning, Stalin did not take long to understand that HIS BRAIN was also severely impaired by vascular disease, and so it was very easy to manipulate him. The biggest mistake on the part of the United States was to ever send such a sick man as Roosevelt to deal with one of the most craftiest men (if not the most evil) who ever breathed.
BTW, in my opinion, Dmitri Volkogonov's books on Lenin and Stalin (though now a bit dated) are still the best I have ever read. He is so objective in his writings that one could almost mistake him for a communist sympathizer. Which, I believe, at one time he was. However, he still does not let his anti-communist feelings obscure his very objective analyses. I think it is a terrible shame that we lost him over 20 years ago to pancreatic cancer.
The biographies () of Stalin by Dmitry Volkogonov (Stalin: Triumph and Tragedy, 1988) and Robert Conquests (Stalin — Breaker of Nations, 1991) are excellent, objective but just a bit cut and dry, when compared to more recent ones. As expected Volkogonov is excellent in military matters; Conquests, on the suffering and depopulation of the nationalities under Soviet control on orders by Stalin. For personal detail, Montefiore's Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar [2003] and Young Stalin [2007] are the most titillating, followed very closely by Edvard Radzinsky's Stalin: The First In-Depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents From Russia's Secret Archives [1997].
As far as quotations from Stalin, what he said is vastly inferior (understatements) to what he did; and they are valid if he said or wrote them, no matter the circumstances. This is particularly so if they correspond to his sentiments — an actions. The quotation in question is extremely apropos and descriptive of a man who presided over the killing of 20 to 40 million of his countrymen, friend or foes. --- MAF
乐动体育APP"As far as quotations from Stalin, what he said is vastly inferior (understatements) to what he did; and they are valid if he said or wrote them, no matter the circumstances. This is particularly so if they correspond to his sentiments — an actions. The quotation in question is extremely apropos and descriptive of a man who presided over the killing of 20 to 40 million of his countrymen, friend or foes. --- MAF"
Of course! But I just wanted to point out that he was not the type of man that would ever say them. It would give away too much. So I sometimes wonder who first did ascribe them to Stalin.
乐动体育APPYes, I did read part of Young Stalin. I haven't had a chance to read more on this fascinating material in a while. When you bring up this book, it reminds me of how Stalin announced all out collectivization and liquidation of the Kulaks as a class on 21 December 1929, which was also his 50th birthday. It has been generally assumed that (as he had tremendous celebrations all across the USSR when he turned 50) he linked the birthday with these two ominous political announcements so all three could be packaged and remembered as a "legacy."
But then we go back to the baptismal registry, which is still existent, and we find that Stalin's birth is recorded as 21 December 1878, making him 51 on this date in 1929. I don't remember if I read this in Young Stalin, but I just recalled it, and it is interesting how he would go so far as to change the date of his birth by a year in order to drive home a political message. To this day, it is very rare to see his birth year stated as anything but 1879.
Reply: Stalin and Beria were evil geniuses with photographic and encyclopedic memories, so you can imagine the combination: It brought about industrialization, the NKVD, the gulag and the atomic bomb in record time. Stalin kept everyone off balance and was completely amoral. Everything he did was calculated, up to the time of his death.乐动体育APP For example, he kept hinting at different times that he had different biological fathers: all close friends of his mother — sometimes a priest, sometimes a Georgian landowner, other times his cobbler father. When he was imprisoned, the Tsarist guards feared him and he ordered them around. You will learn all this from Young Stalin. But he also had his in-law families exterminated and hardly ever pardon anyone. He made curt, cold-hearted denials to all seeking pardons... Montefiore wrote with unusual sincerity that after writing this two biographies, he himself needed to undergo de-Stalinization, suggesting he had unwittingly come to admire Stalin! --- MAF
Could that be so unusual? When you do read enough about what he was capable of conjuring up without any effort, and which actually worked 100x well as any diabolical scheme you ever saw in the movies, you realize that this was a person of a completely different breed. It is the evil we hate, but the mind was so keen it is not surprising it still holds the fascination of millions daily over 60 years since his death. Yes, the memory was photographic. He never forgot a thing, and he was quite bookish. This gave him great knowledge on a huge variety of subjects, but of course being bookish is a very bad thing when it comes to telling peasants how to farm. You need to do it. This was one thing Sergei Kirov regretted terribly, and he said so many times in his speeches to the Politburo. After all, Stalin was not the only Bolshevik leader to never dirty his hands with a farming implement. Many things sealed Kirov's fate, but this one is often overlooked. Because by denouncing mid to late 1920's policies of Bolshevik leaders towards collectivized farming, he was denouncing Stalin's policies.
Reply —I'm just about to begin reading Arthur Koestler's masterpiece, Darkness at Noon乐动体育APP. We will see how much is factual out of his "historical fiction." I suspect a lot!---MAF
You seem to be quite praising of it. I am going to look it up a summary and see if I should get a copy. Best, Adam.
And the author, himself, Arthur Koestler, was quite a literary figure, man of letters, historian, and fascinating political philosopher and thinker.--- MAF
Addendum— But don't forget to look up and read about a figure that was as strong a personality as Stalin and greatly his superior in physical and moral courage, in my view . ---MAF
Thanks for the post Koba; of course, it will stay as an important chronicle and record for us. I have only done a little graphic editorial tinkering. While we have known for some time that the responsibility for the Katyn Forest massacre rested with the Soviets, even before Gorbachev's belated admission and Yeltsin's apology, we had not known of FDR's knowledge and complicity.
乐动体育APPIncidentally, in the discussion of Roosevelt's "achievements," it should also be noted in relation to his fascist authoritarian tendencies the character and number of Presidential decrees, I mean orders, he issued, mostly to circumvent Congress and get his way. According to 1461daysblogspotdotcom," President Obama has to date issued 138 executive orders in this first term. President George W. Bush, in his eight years, issued 291. President Bill Clinton issued 363. President George H.W. Bush issued 165. President Ronald Reagan issued 380, even as he fought the "Evil Empire." The president who issued the most decrees is FDR who issued 3,728 in 12 years, 573 in 1933 alone before World War II.
FDR Knew of Soviet and ("Uncle Joe") Stalin's atrocity: The Katyn Forest Massacre !
"WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The American POWs sent secret coded messages to Washington with news of a Soviet atrocity: In 1943 they saw rows of corpses in an advanced state of decay in the Katyn forest, on the western edge of Russia, proof that the killers could not have been the Nazis who had only recently occupied the area.
"The testimony about the infamous massacre of Polish officers might have lessened the tragic fate that befell Poland under the Soviets, some scholars believe. Instead, it mysteriously vanished into the heart of American power. The long-held suspicion is that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt didn't want to anger Josef Stalin, an ally whom the Americans were counting on to defeat Germany and Japan during World War II.
"Documents released Monday and seen in advance by The Associated Press lend weight to the belief that suppression within the highest levels of the U.S. government helped cover up Soviet guilt in the killing of some 22,000 Polish officers and other prisoners in the Katyn forest and other locations in 1940. (photo, left)
"The evidence is among about 1,000 pages of newly declassified documents that the United States National Archives is releasing Monday and putting online. Historians who saw the material days before the official release describe it as important and shared some highlights with the AP. The most dramatic revelation so far is the evidence of the secret codes sent by the two American POWs — something historians were unaware of and which adds to evidence that the Roosevelt administration knew of the Soviet atrocity relatively early on.
乐动体育APP"The declassified documents also show the United States maintaining that it couldn't conclusively determine guilt until a Russian admission in 1990 — a statement that looks improbable given the huge body of evidence of Soviet guilt that had already emerged decades earlier. Historians say the new material helps to flesh out the story of what the U.S. knew and when.
乐动体育APP"The Soviet secret police killed the 22,000 Poles with shots to the back of the head. Their aim was to eliminate a military and intellectual elite that would have put up stiff resistance to Soviet control. The men were among Poland's most accomplished — officers and reserve officers who in their civilian lives worked as doctors, lawyers, teachers, or as other professionals. Their loss has proven an enduring wound to the Polish nation..."
Source: AP Exclusive: Memos show US hushed up Soviet crime By VANESSA GERA and RANDY HERSCHAFT. The Associated Press, September 10, 2012. The illustrations used in this comment are not from the AP article cited above, but from a variety of sources.
As to how the shooting was done, a Soviet NKVD officer, Vasili Mikhailovich Blokhin, describes how he went down to the Ostachkov Camp where he and two other fellow officers "outfitted a hut with padded, soundproof walls and decided on a Stakhanovite quota of 250 shootings a night."
In this fashion, he and his fellow Chekists executed 7,000 Polish officers "in precisely 28 nights using a German Walther pistol to prevent future exposure."
Of the 22,000 Polish officers executed, 4,500 were interred in the Katyn Forest.(Mass grave, photo, left) The others were buried in various places. — MAF
Source: Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, 2004, pp. 333-334.
乐动体育APP******* FDR and Stalin*********
FDR admired Stalin, whom he called Uncle Joe, but for Stalin the relationship was a marriage of necessity and convenience: He needed supplies and money to fight the Germans. FDR attempted to ingratiate himself with Stalin to the point he made disgusting jokes, some at the expense of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. And yet Stalin did not appreciated FDR's term of endearment "Uncle Joe" and did not really reciprocate the devotion.(1)
No wonder when J Edgar Hoover pointed out to FDR the potential for espionage from communists in his cabinet, FDR cavalierly responded, "many of my good friends are communists." Hoover was left to deal, as best he could, with a nest of communist spies in the government, untouchables, that the President "respected and befriended:"Alger Hiss, convicted perjurer; communist spy (working for GRU) and traitor, one of FDR's closet advisers and also the UN Founding Secretary General; Victor Perlo, communist spy in FDR's War Production Board who worked for Soviet intelligence, the KGB; Harry Dexter White, Assistant Treasury Secretary, communist spy and traitor, who died of fear with a heart attack the day of his Congressional Hearing...
FDR also had to know the specifics of the impeding attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. This was intimated by Pulitzer prize-winner historian John Toland in his book Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath. The historian caught significant flak at the time for his exposure of FDR's advance knowledge, namely that the president suppressed and did not act on this knowledge, so that the US would be force to enter World War II. Instead, two innocent senior American officers were blamed for the tragic surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, while FDR remained silent. Since that time, Toland has been virtually exonerated.(2,3,4)
We now know that we had broken the Japanese naval codes and could decipher virtually all of the Japanese traffic (messages in code) at the time. In fact, it was by the deciphering one of those messages (classified SIGINT; "Operation Vengeance") that US planes were able to locate and ambush Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's Mitsubishi G4M plane, while the Commander was on an inspection tour of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. He was assassinated in mid air in 1943 during the war, a major blow to the Japanese high command.
FDR ruled almost as a fascist dictator. He threatened to pack the supreme court with his own Supreme Court Justices and judges to get the New Deal through; imprisoned innocent Japanese Americans in internment (concentration) camps; allow the "surprise" bombing of Pearl Harbor to enter World War II (2)(3); would have sent Americans to be massacred in World War in Europe between 1943-1944 to save Stalin (Uncle Joe), but was prevented by British P.M. Winston Churchill (4); prevented the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover from investigating traitors in his administration, as we have mentioned before: Harry Dexter White and Alger Hiss, etc., (blithely stating, "many of my friends are communists"). To prevent the successive accumulation and corruption of vested power in any one person – as evinced in the shameful events described above– the 22th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had to be passed restricting any one person– popular as he might be with the fickle electorate– for serving more than two terms as president of our Republic.
2) Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy, Percy L. Greaves, Jr., Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2010.
乐动体育APP3) John Toland, Infamy: Pearl Harbor and Its Aftermath (Berkley Reissue edition, 1986). Needless to say more evidence, particularly cryptography and SIGINT, are lacking because the government destroyed records.
4) Sacrifice at Pearl Harbor. Our Century. Time Watch BBC documentary. BBC Elstree, 1989. Shown in the U.S. on A&E TV network, 1989.
乐动体育APP5) by Louis C. Kilzer. 1994.
I saw the AP article today. Not surprising knowing of Roosevelt's commie leanings. He refused to meet Churchill at Yalta individually before meeting Stalin in private. His administration was rife with communist traitors. I printed the far more in-depth article here, but if you think it superfluous, then delete it. There was also a Churchill report to Roosevelt pointing to Soviet guilt, promptly ignored by the Red Prez (a term I now use for the current president). As usual you got the scoop before me. Good work!
"...In the early years after the war, anger by some American officials over the concealment inspired the creation of a special U.S. congressional committee to investigate Katyn.
乐动体育APP"In a final report released in 1952, the committee declared that there was no doubt of Soviet guilt and called the massacre 'one of the most barbarous international crimes in world history.' It found that Roosevelt's administration suppressed public knowledge of the crime but said it was out of military necessity. It also recommended that the government file charges against the Soviets at an international tribunal — something never acted upon.
乐动体育APP"Despite the committee's strong conclusions, the White House maintained its silence on Katyn for decades, showing an unwillingness to focus on an issue that would have added to political tensions with the Soviets during the Cold War.
"It was May 1943 in the Katyn forest, a part of Russia that the Germans had seized from the Soviets in 1941. Some American and British POWs were taken against their will by their German captors to witness a horrifying scene at a clearing surrounded by pine trees: mass graves tightly packed with thousands of partly mummified corpses in well-tailored Polish officers uniforms.
"The Americans — Capt. Donald B. Stewart and Lt. Col. John H. Van Vliet Jr. — hated the Nazis and didn't want to believe the Germans. They had seen German cruelty up close, and the Soviets, after all, were their ally. The Germans were hoping to use the POWs for propaganda and to drive a wedge between the Soviet Union and its Western allies.
"But returning to their POW camps, the Americans carried a conviction that they had just witnessed overwhelming proof of Soviet guilt. The corpses' advanced state of decay told them that the killings took place much earlier, when the Soviets still controlled the area. They also saw Polish letters, diaries, identification tags, news clippings and other objects — none dated later than the spring of 1940 — pulled from the graves. The evidence that did the most to convince them was the good state of the men's boots and clothing: That told them the men had not lived long after being captured.
"Stewart testified before the 1951 congressional committee about what he saw, and Van Vliet wrote reports on Katyn in 1945 and 1950, the first of which mysteriously disappeared. But the newly declassified documents show that both sent secret encoded messages while still in captivity to Army intelligence with their opinion of Soviet culpability. It's an important revelation because it shows that the Roosevelt administration was getting information early on from credible U.S. sources of Soviet guilt — yet still ignored it for the sake of the alliance with Stalin.
"One shows the head of Army intelligence, Gen. Clayton Bissell, confirming that some months after the 1943 visit to Katyn by the U.S. officers, a coded request by MIS-X, a unit of military intelligence, was sent to Van Vliet requesting him 'to state his opinion of Katyn.' Bissell's note said 'it is also understood Col. Van Vliet & Capt. Stewart replied.'
"MIS-X was devoted to helping POWs held behind German lines escape; it also used the prisoners to gather intelligence.
"A statement from Stewart dated 1950 confirms that he received and sent coded messages to Washington during the war, including one on Katyn: 'Content of my report was aprx [approximately]: German claims regarding Katyn substantially correct in opinion of Van Vliet and myself.'
乐动体育APP"The newly uncovered documents also show Stewart was ordered in 1950 — soon before the congressional committee began its work — never to speak about a secret message on Katyn.
乐动体育APP"The historical record carries other evidence that Roosevelt knew in 1943 of Soviet guilt. One of the most important messages that landed on FDR's desk was an extensive and detailed report that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent him. Written by the British ambassador to the Polish government-in-exile in London, Owen O'Malley, it pointed to Soviet guilt at Katyn.
乐动体育APP" 'There is now available a good deal of negative evidence,' O'Malley wrote, 'the cumulative effect of which is to throw serious doubt on Russian disclaimers of responsibility for the massacre.'
"It wasn't until the waning days of Soviet influence over Eastern Europe that reformist leader Mikhail Gorbachev publicly admitted to Soviet guilt at Katyn.
"The silence by the U.S. government has been a source of deep frustration for many Polish-Americans. One is Franciszek Herzog, 81, a Connecticut man whose father and uncle died in the massacre. After Gorbachev's 1990 admission, he was hoping for more openness from the U.S. as well and made three attempts to obtain an apology from President George H.W. Bush.
乐动体育APP" 'It will not resurrect the men,' he wrote to Bush. 'But will give moral satisfaction to the widows and orphans of the victims.'
"A reply he got in 1992 from the State Department did not satisfy him. His correspondence with the government is also among the newly released documents and was obtained by the AP from the George Bush Presidential Library.
"The letter, dated Aug. 12, 1992, and signed by Thomas Gerth, then deputy director of the Office of Eastern European Affairs, shows the government stating that it lacked irrefutable evidence until Gorbachev's admission:
" 'The U.S. government never accepted the Soviet Government's claim that it was not responsible for the massacre. However, at the time of the Congressional hearings in 1951-1952, the U.S. did not possess the facts that could clearly refute the Soviets' allegations that these crimes were committed by the Third Reich. These facts, as you know, were not revealed until 1990, when the Russians officially apologized to Poland.'
"Herzog expressed frustration at that reply. 'There's a big difference between not knowing and not wanting to know,' Herzog said. 'I believe the U.S. government didn't want to know because it was inconvenient to them.'
"Information for this article was contributed from Warsaw by Monika Scislowska of The Associated Press."
This article and new revelation, Koba, brings to mind a poignant conversation I had in the early 1990s with a Polish-American friend. It was right after the collapse of the Soviet empire and Gorbachev's admission of Soviet guilt. This woman had been raised in communist Poland under Soviet domination. Teary- eyed she said, "All those years we had been told that my uncle had been killed by the Nazis at the Katyn forest. Now we know the truth. It was the Russians, our supposed saviors, who had done the killing."
A Lieutenant General in Securitate, the secret political police of communist Rumania, General Ion Pacepa (photo, left) was the highest-ranking intelligence official ever to have defected to the West. He was an advisor to dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, a secretary to the Ministry of Interior and Acting Chief of the foreign intelligence. After his secret defection, he worked for American intelligence providing valuable, essential information. How long he worked for the West, before his defection was revealed in 1978, is still top secret.
I have no reason to doubt his claims in this new book, "Disinformation." In fact, for a long time I have suspected a systematic campaign of disinformation against Pope Pius XII, and Stalin was the man to commence it. Pacepa has a long record of providing invaluable information to the West. Stalin cast aspersions on Pope Pius XII immediately after World War II and called him "Hitler's Pope." With the defeat of Nazi Germany, Stalin's honeymoon of convenience with the West and the Christian Churches were no longer necessary, and the former alliance was ended, bringing again Stalin's paranoid suspicions and renewed hatred of the West and its institutions.
乐动体育APPBut the communist campaign against the Pope Pius XII (photo, right) fell on deaf ears because the people of his generation were better informed than the denizens of the world today and knew the Pope's record and his efforts to protect religious minorities. Moreover, the planted calumnies against the good Pope were deflected because Pope Pius was also praised by FDR and such great figures as Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein.
Nevertheless, the aspersions lingered just under the surface and the liberal media, supported by the usual left-wing writers with axes to grind against Christianity and the West, have ever since taken the lead at every opportunity in bringing anew this campaign of deceit and disinformation to attack the Catholic Church. In 1981, the campaign of communism against the papacy came to an inglorious head when the KGB with the assistance of the Bulgarian secret police even attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II "the Great."
乐动体育APPAlthough the KGB was very efficient at compartmentalizing intelligence and keeping secrets "on a need to know basis," the Soviet intelligence apparatus was not infallible, and leaks took place over vodka and other indiscretions.(1) Moreover as a very high level Securitate official, Pacepa could be (and was) privy to information and large disinformation operations of this type. Your post Koba, as always, is an invaluable contribution to this website. I have no reason to doubt Pacepa's allegations but will read the book!
(1) See
Thanks kindly for your comment. I loved Dr Zhivago myself, and now that you mentioned it, I will add Dr Zhivago to Random Notes "Great Movie" series, list of historic epic movies. Come back again and again! MAF
Boy talk about 'keeping friends close; but enemies closer'.
While reading this article I am reminded of one of my favorite movies; "Dr. Zhivago" ..
In reality the novel almost didn't get published. Soviet Censors didn't like the subtle criticisms of Stalin and the Gulag.
But it also reminds me of what our own country is experiencing with the constant attempts of 'Class Warfare'!
Very interesting history. I enjoy your articles.
乐动体育APPAfter reading this article, I was reminded of the words spoken by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin in Moscow in 1991: "Our country has not been lucky. Indeed, it was decided to carry out this Marxist experiment on us — fate pushed us in precisely this direction. Instead of some country in Africa, they began this experiment with us. In the end, we proved that there is no place for this idea. It has simply pushed us off the path the world's civilized countries has taken..."
乐动体育APPExcellent article about the true nature of communism and men like Stalin who support this evil ideology!
乐动体育APPThank you, Isabella, for the feedback and the quotation from Boris Yeltsin, the first president of non-communist Russia!
乐动体育APPSocialism and communism are nightmarish dystopias, whether of the Soviet, Maoist, or the brothers Castro's variety--- indeed!
乐动体育APPAnd that quotation from Yeltsin is a favorite of mine! MAF


text:
Emilio Renteria capitalized on an error by goalkeeper Tally Hall in the first half, and the Columbus Crew took advantage of the short-handed Houston Dynamo for two late scores in a comfortable 3-0 victory on Saturday at Crew Stadium.
Renteria put the Crew ahead in the 34th minute and defender Andy Iro (84th) and debutant Léandre Griffit (90th) added goals after Houston's Bobby Boswell was ejected.
Columbus extended its lead atop the East to eight points over second-place New York. Houston is now winless (0-4-3) in its last seven MLS games as the Dynamo played their fourth match in 10 days following three SuperLiga tilts.
The Crew got on top on a blunder by Hall, starting his fourth straight game with Pat Onstad slowed by an abdominal strain, when Hall's misplay led to Renteria's fourth goal of the season in the 34th minute. Hall stepped out of the penalty area on his left to field an innocent-looking through ball from Eddie Gaven that was too long for Renteria. As the ball approached, Hall backpedaled to try to field the ball in the penalty area, but the ball slipped through his hands, leaving Renteria with a clear path to the goal.
Renteria nearly made the Dynamo pay for another mistake in stoppage time of the first half, as he split two defenders and was able to chip a shot on the charging Hall, but this time the goalkeeper made the save.
Hall was again called into action nearly 20 minutes into the second half to save a point-blank Robbie Rogers effort at the near post to keep the Dynamo within reach. However, the visitors went down to 10 men after losing Boswell to a second caution in the 72nd minute when he battled Renteria for a ball. Boswell's first yellow also came against Renteria in the 40th minute when he tried to slow down the Venezuelan striker.
Iro scored late with his left foot off a Guillermo Barros Schelotto free kick, and Griffit, the Frenchman who made his MLS debut two minutes earlier, netted a rebound goal to seal the result.
The big news for Houston was the absence of starting goalkeeper Onstad from an MLS game for the first time due to injury or suspension since April 19, 2008, when he had a shoulder sprain. Onstad aggravated an abdominal strain Friday and did not play as a precautionary measure. He started 72 consecutive league and playoff games, excepting Canadian national team duty.
Hall, who played the past three SuperLiga games (two goals allowed), was making his second MLS start. His first came May 22, also the last time the Dynamo won in MLS. Columbus had to make several changes due to the red-card suspension of defender Frankie Hejduk and central midfielder Brian Carroll's sprained right ankle.
Danny O'Rourke subbed for Hejduk at right back, while Gaven moved from the right wing to the middle and Emmanuel Ekpo made his fourth start. Also, rookie left back Shaun Francis, who made his MLS debut off the bench last week vs. New York, got the start while Gino Padula was a healthy scratch.
Both teams play next on July 31. The Crew is at Chivas USA and Houston hosts host New York.
Houston Dynamo (5-8-4) vs. Columbus Crew (10-3-4)
July 24, 2010 -- Crew Stadium, Columbus OH
Scoring Summary:
CLB -- Emilio Renteria 4 (unassisted) 34
CLB -- Andy Iro 3 (Guillermo Barros Schelotto 6) 84
CLB -- Léandre Griffit 1 (unassisted) 90
Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Andrew Hainault, Eddie Robinson, Bobby Boswell, Mike Chabala, Corey Ashe (Danny Cruz 57), Richard Mulrooney (Dominic Oduro 79), Lovel Palmer, Brad Davis, Brian Ching, Cam Weaver (Joseph Ngwenya 46).
Substitutes Not Used: Pat Onstad, Ryan Cochrane, Adrian Serioux, Anthony Obodai.
Columbus Crew -- William Hesmer, Danny O'Rourke, Chad Marshall, Andy Iro, Shaun Francis, Robbie Rogers (Léandre Griffit 88), Adam Moffat, Eddie Gaven, Emmanuel Ekpo (Jed Zayner 80), Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Emilio Renteria (Jason Garey 74).
Substitutes Not Used: Andy Gruenebaum, Eric Brunner, Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton.
Misconduct Summary:
HOU -- Mike Chabala (caution; Reckless Tackle) 2
CLB -- Danny O'Rourke (caution; Reckless Tackle) 22
HOU -- Bobby Boswell (caution; Tactical Foul) 40
HOU -- Bobby Boswell (ejection; Second Caution) 72
Referee: Alex Prus
Referee's Assistants: Craig Lowry; C.J. Morgante
4th official: Hilario Grajeda
Attendance: 13,585
Weather: Cloudy-and-89-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

subset: commoncrawl


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16 mins by taxi to Wellington International Airport.
7 minute walk to Wellington train station.
1 minute to the Main Bus Route with all buses stopping next door outside David Jones.
Situated on Midland Park – the only park in the Wellington CBD – tenants in the heart of the business district and moments away from 5-star hotels, entertainment venues, and premium retailers. The building is in close proximity to all major financial institutions and government buildings.
Within 5 minutes walking distance:
Servcorp offices are located on Level 16 of 157 Lambton Quay.
Level 16 features original artwork by a variety of New Zealand and Australian and artists which are all water or sea themed to compliment the building's harbourside location. A featured work is by JR Phillips, Acrylic on Canvas, 2007 (pictured).
Facilities include:


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Washington (CNN) - Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN CIA Director David Petraeus' resignation is "tragic for this human being" and for the country. "He loved the job, had a big design for the job," she said.
Feinstein also made the point that "people are going to say he's a scapegoat for Benghazi and that's absolutely false," referring to the controversy over the timeline of the terror attack at the U.S. mission in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. "I know what the personal story is. It is not a cover up."
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
While she refused to elaborate on the details surrounding Petraeus' sudden departure, she told CNN "I deeply believe, based on what I know, that it was an egregious personal mistake."
In a press release, Feinstein also added that "I wish President Obama had not accepted his resignation, but I understand and respect the decision." In the interview with CNN, she declined to speculate about any possible replacement candidates.
What puzzles Feinstein, and others, is the sudden timing of the resignation. Hearings on Capitol Hill regarding Benghazi are still scheduled for next week, and Acting CIA Director Michael Morell will testify in his place. "What I don't understand is the immediate departure," she said. "That's the part I don't get."
Feinstein added she still intends to hold the hearing starting next Thursday to figure out "who did what and when – and what was missing?"
On a more personal level regarding Petraeus, who is a retired four star general, Feinstein theorized that "the transition to civilian life, whether you are a private or a four-star is really hard. Everything changes when you take off the medals." She added "You're not accustomed to being questioned constantly, people are giving you a lot of flak."
That was the case with Petraeus and the Benghazi controversy to be sure – although Petraeus himself worked very hard to maintain a low-key profile. That ended Friday.
Feinstein also made the point that "people are going to say he's a scapegoat for Benghazi and that's absolutely false," referring to the controversy over the timeline of the terror attack at the U.S. mission in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. "I know what the personal story is. It is not a cover up."
Right.... And we were all born yesterday. I hope he gets to testify under oath in front of Congress before the Clinton's arrange the same ending that Vince Foster got. If he testifies, Hillary's career is OVER.
Ms. Townsend's comments dismissive of the importance of General Patraeus's affair display an astonishing and irresponsible understanding of this matter. That a person of the General's status could have been compromised by anyone is indeed deeply serious. I'm glad he had the wisdom to resign. What if, for example, Israel compromised him? Could he be led to unwisely support a strike against Iran? Ms. Townsend, you are profoundly naive.
Tommy G. I cannot believe that you made these statements. The General deserves our support and he would be the first one to ask that we respect his decisions. He has been under tremendous pressure for the last eight years. He has done so much for this country.
These conspiracy stories have a life of their own. The accusation against the Clintons is way out of bounds. Can we just stick to the facts. Why does CNN allow these statements?
I call it a convenient way to avoid testifying to Congress, on the Benghazi incident.
I voted for Senator Dianne Feinstein. She doesn't have to justify or give out information.
Somethings are better kept away from general public.
Gen.Petraeus has to lie about an affair in order to save his butt from being dragged thru the Benghazi "trial" which is coming down the pike.
He would either have to take the blame on himself or lie to save the President 's hide.
Most people in the military for a long time DO have affairs. Look at Gen Eisenhower back in the 40s and 50s – he had a world-known affair and then went on to become President.
By the way, they both were republicans........................just saying.......
Sad that the general won't testify, he's about the only player in the administration that I would trust to tell the truth.
A smell something rotten here. I just bet that the General could not take the Standown order and let Americans die and got himself fired just like the Army General and the Navy Admiral that were in charge of the forces in the area. As a good military man, you obey those orders but your principles far out weigh your career and, if you can't live with yourself after executing those orders, you resign. Calling it an extra-marital affair just shows that this honorable military man is still loyal to the C in C. There is more leadership in this guy's little finger than in the entire Administration. There are a lot of busses waiting for people to get thrown under on this one.
General Petreaus made the same mistake many men make: He was thinking with the wrong part of his body. What the heck is wrong with men, anyway? Of course, let the Benghazi conspiracy theories begin. Whatever gets you through the night I guess.
Santorum couldn't even get the GOP nomination...He certainly could not have done better....He tries to push his beliefs on everyone, and the President would have won by a landslide.
Most important question: When and where did Gen Patraeus have his affair? Timing and location is everything. If he was with her in Afghanistan as the Commander of US Forces then how did the CIA, White House, and Congress not know?? This man was the Head of the CIA!!!
yet another guy who has built up a great reputation and legacy to have it all go down the toilet because he was not strong enough to uphold the vows he made to his wife on the altar. Just plain stupid.
Again, holding this man...these people...on a pedestal is ridiculous. This man have been lauded as a genius. Iraq? Afghanistan? CIA? WHAT? Please point me to his "accomplishments"? Or are things just relative, and the credible level in DC is THAT bad. This is what we get when the PR in DC needs heroes. His ilk. I see a trail of dead bodies and little accomplishment. What do you actually see, all you who believe this guy is a genius?
A better general would have been prepared for something like this and defended his marriage instead of getting suckered in by a pretty face.
What if it had been a nuclear attack or an intelligence-gathering operation by a hostile organization?
We need generals with good self-control, which Patraeus clearly does not have.
I would have accepted his resignation, too.
When you get elected to Public Office you become a Public Servant and the taxpayer is the employer.
Lets have more integrity and transparency and less of all those lies and cover ups.
If Petraeus had an affair , that is between his wife and him , however if his sudden departure has anything to do with his duties or recent events then he will have to give some answers.
Well, accepting his resignation makes sense only if your are positive that somebody can be as good as him in doing his job.
If Gen. Petraeus knew what could not be told and what could be told his mistress, I don't see any particular issue in this affair. Also: even the CIA's chief can be spied. Mr. President: let's take somebody else coming from the Military Elite in Afghanistan !
Americans are always crying when pay back for mistakes. They are always reaping what they sow. They created Alqaida and supported OSAMA against USSR in Afghanistan but now paying for that. Same they did in Libya and supported Alqaida against Qadafi in Libya and now they paid for that. It is simple that as you sow so shall you reap. To avoid such unfortunate incident America has to change its external policies and show the world that they are friends not enemies which is possible only if excluded militarism in dealing with the world.
People who cheat on their spouses are LIARS. What else has Petraeus lied to us about?
Feinstein is a tragedy all by herself. She is trying to take our guns but has a Concealed Carry License herself.
The general did the only honorable thing he could do. After making the mistake, he realized that his integrity had been compromised...by him. I respect him for stepping down instead of trying to hide the affair and the obvious impact to his trustworthiness and security clearance. Lower level personnel lose their clearance over stuff like this every day because they can be compromised. Sorry it happened to General Petraeus, but it happened. I'd probably still vote for him now that the secret's out in the open. He (and his wife of 37 yrs) will have to make some tough decisions. God 's speed...general.


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Home Depot posted an extremely offensive tweet from its account on Thursday:
Here's a screenshot of the @HomeDepot tweet... http://t.co/R1GmK5Iwv6—
Jonathan Wall (@imfromraleigh) November 07, 2013
And then promptly took it down and apologized to almost everyone on Twitter.
@OfficiallyIce @NAACP We are deeply sorry for the dumb tweet and have deleted it.—
The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) November 07, 2013
And then fired the people responsible.
We have zero tolerance for anything so stupid and offensive. Deeply sorry. We terminated agency and individual who posted it.—
The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) November 07, 2013
The end.
Or maybe not …
Yo @HomeDepot Im tweeting you on the behalf of Al Sharpton and all black ppl. We would all like a free gallon of paint to make this right.—
Roy Wood Jr-Fry Cook (@roywoodjr) November 07, 2013


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As the riots in London rage on and spread to other UK cities, damage is being to buildings, homes, cars and more.
A three-story Sony warehouse in North London was enveloped in flames on late Monday or early Tuesday.
"There will likely be some impact on deliveries," said Sony's Yoko Yasukochi. "We cannot determine the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage yet because it's not possible to enter the building." There are no reports of injuries, thankfully.
It's believed that deliveries of DVDs and compact discs will be impacted. However, according to an eye witness account, looters also made off with electronics. A witness told the BBC, "I saw the door smashed in, and about a group of twenty lads just came out with loads of Sony stuff, like Wii consoles."
Sony makes the PlayStation. Nintendo makes the Wii. An honest mistake, especially if you're more worried about your neighborhood catching on fire than which company makes what console.
The riots erupted after the the Metropolitan Police shot and killed a 29-year-old named Mark Duggan. Controversy erupted over whether the police fired in self-defense or whether Duggan was unarmed. The London Evening Standard is already blaming Grand Theft Auto for the looting and rioting.
Kotaku is following up with Sony Computer Entertainment about how this fire will impact UK gamers and will update this post should the company comment.
Update: A Sony Computer Entertainment spokesperson has told Kotaku, "As far as I know, we are not affected."
Sony: London warehouse fire may affect UK deliveries [Reuters Thanks, adinnieken!]
You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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Initial deposit is $600, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card. Alternatively, you can register online here.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by Bank Transfer or Credit Card.
Click here to see a copy of our Terms and Conditions


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I notice that the BBC iPlayer recently supported the pinning feature in Internet Explorer 9, giving the iPlayer a chance to be a permanent fixture on the Windows 7 taskbar whether or not the website is open. This gives a brand a great opportunity to be in the user's line of sight and I can only see the competition for that precious space to get tougher.
The iPlayer jumplist (right click to get the list)
Also, if you are playing a programme, hovering on the icon gives a preview window with pause/play button for the main iPlayer window – useful when using multiple screens:
How do you get this? Simply go to the BBC iPlayer site (using Internet Explorer 9) and drag the icon to the left of the address over to the Windows taskbar.
Similarly, LinkedIn (along with many others) has an IE9 pinned experience:
For more examples of sites , such as Rough Guides and Sky News, making the most of the Internet Explorer 9 pinning, accelerated graphics and HTML5 standards, check out http://www.beautyoftheweb.co.uk
Tags: Internet Explorer, BBC, digital, brand, LinkedIn
On Wednesday 31st March we held an evening for over 100 Creative/Digital Agency people at the lovely Paramount in London. This gave us an opportunity to talk about our recent Mix10 Conference, allow our Partners to display recent examples of creative digital projects and engage with folks for lots of Q&A during the networking time at the end. I slightly underestimated the content which led to a lot of shuffling on seats at the end (my apologies) and should possibly have inserted a beer and wine break. Nevertheless, the opening session in particular from Richard Banks at Microsoft Research and the Partner demos were well-received, along with said chill-out time.
Picture looking east thanks to Paul Dawson, EMC
I have a chronological write-up below but I thought I'd start by thanking those who attended, those who spoke and of course those who worked hard to get the event, logistics, people, etc, all together.
Now to the evening and it's worth reiterating that the Paramount venue was first-class: responsive, friendly staff, convenient location and stunning views of London.
The running order is below:
Richard Banks (blog, Twitter) is an Interaction Designer at Microsoft Research in Cambridge. He works in the socio-digital team and explores the persistence of artefacts, memory and context throughout one's lifetime. This was a really engaging opening session. He reflected on the use of photos, household objects, an old cog from a motorbike, to retain memories, through to storage of Twitter conversations and using an old-fashioned picture viewer in a cloud-connected scenario to view Flickr photos.
A ladle with a lot of history (Richard Banks)
He also showed some video from the SenseCam; a camera which takes a picture of your world once a minute and allows you to replay your history in accelerated form. I was privileged to spend some time at Microsoft Research last year and was very interested in the work which has been done in exploring the impact of memory recall for Alzheimer's sufferers. There is a paper with some lovely quotes from people who have used it here and more of the same on this page. If you'd like to see more of Richard's work and the work done by the team then I'd thoroughly recommend checking out their website and, more generally, taking a look at the Microsoft Research content from TechFest.
Next up was Paul Bristow, the MD of DeltaTre Media, based in Wimbledon and Turin. He showed us some video and statistics on the Vancouver Olympics experience as DeltaTre provided a web solution for the Olympics which incorporated live data feeds and tied into the Silverlight Video experience. Some interesting facts include an average on-line daily view time of 54 minutes per person for Vancouver 2010 and that 30% of the Canadian population went on the site.
My recap was to bring out the highlights from Mix 2010. This has been done to great effect elsewhere on the web but I'll list what, for me, were the key take-outs.
Firstly, there was a real sense of innovation; the opening keynote started with Blaise Agueras and the advances in 3D embedded video and the Worldwide Telescope integration into Bing Maps. For the full version I would recommend watching his recent TED talk here. The theme for me is that Silverlight is our way of bringing the constant stream of fantastic new technologies and research output to the consumer and business audience through a lightweight browser plug-in. Bing Maps for me is one of the best examples of one of our product teams connecting directly with the Live Labs and Microsoft Research output, more on Bing later. Another great piece of technology is Pivot – a brilliant visual search and sorting application from Microsoft Live Labs. You can take a look at Microsoft Pivot here, it was announced at Mix that it would be incorporated into Silverlight 4.
Secondly, the Silverlight coverage question was addressed by Scott Guthrie on stage in Las Vegas: "Silverlight is approaching 60% penetration and rising fast." There are are ever-growing number of scenarios for which Silverlight is the number one choice. In the past, however, there has been a reticence borne out of the fact that SIlverlight had, say, a 25-30% penetration rate, as at the beginning of 2009. This led to two logical trains of thought: one, that the majority of users would have to install the plug-in just to experience one's solution / application and, two, that Microsoft might not be fully-committed to this new technology – what if it is abandoned in 6, 9, 12 months? The install rate shows that it is a technology which is delivering high-quality applications the world over and ubiquity is a question of when, not if.
Skipping onto the design tools, the enthusiasm for Expression Blend and particularly Sketchflow gets ever stronger and there were a number of improvements shown off at Mix. I defer to the excellent Adam Kinney (blog, twitter) for a more comprehensive look at the latest features, although I feel the biggest enhancements to the tools are the addition of a number of Behaviours. These enable an interaction designer to perform common tasks within a Silverlight application without having to write code. In fact there are a number of Silverlight applications now which boast that they are written without a single line of code. Expression 4 was released during the Mix keynote and also announced as a free upgrade to version 3.
.toolbox is an on-line design school for those using Expression Studio
The last two areas of focus from me for Mix 2010 were Windows Phone 7 and Internet Explorer 9.
Windows Phone 7 was discussed and demonstrated at length during the Mix conference; it captured over half of the Day 1 keynote and there were about a dozen dedicated sessions assigned to the new platform, design and development. There is more on Windows Phone 7 further down in Paul Foster's session but it is clear that it was the headline-capturing subject from Mix 2010.
As for Internet Explorer 9, much was made of the support for standards, long discussions on HTML 5 and also performance improvements delivered by allowing IE9 to take direct advantage of graphics processing.
If you'd like to test the IE9 features yourself then download and run the demos within the IE9 Platform Preview.
Gavin Wignall (blog, twitter) and Dean Gifford (blog, twitter) showed the fantastic EA Games advertisement for Mass Effect II built by Metia. This campaign highlighted the high-quality video and image quality which can be portrayed through a Silverlight ad. Check out Dean's blog for further information and follow-on links.
Paul (blog, twitter) has the job of bringing the message of Windows Phone 7 to the UK Developer and Designer audience and is perfectly placed to do so; his enthusiasm alone carries me along. Windows Phone 7 has an entirely new look, operating system, development paradigm and, importantly, UX-led product design through the visual design language coined 'Metro'.
The application development was clearly outlined; if you are building applications you'll be taking advantage of common tools. Standard applications willl be built in Silverlight and games will be built using XNA, a platform built on Microsoft .NET development technologies which is also used for building games for the Xbox 360. In fact the support of the Xbox Live Platform on the phone was not lost on those who build games or even those who are now looking for more ways to enhance their gamer points scores.
There is a lot of Windows Phone 7 activity coming up in the short term; this week sees a day of Phone sessions at TechDays and Charlie Kindel (blog, twitter) is over to engage with the Partner and Customer community. If you'd like to know how to get involved either now or in the near future then please contact Paul or myself. If you'd like to join the many thousands of agencies and development shops who are testing this out then download the (free) Developer and Designer tools from here
Splendid then took to the stage in the capable forms of Brennon Williams and Simon Parbutt. Keen to highlight their particular abilities in Natural User Interface we looked at a couple of projects in particular. To start with, the First Direct project was a great example of using Microsoft Surface to increase business return in a physical exhibition space. In this case it was attracting people to investigate mortgage possibilities at the Grand Designs Live Exhibition last year.
In a much more recent context, The Tag Heuer project is an example of Surface Units being deployed within airports. This was built for J C Decaux to investigate the potential of Microsoft Surface-led marketing. The Surface unit went to Heathrow Terminal 5 in February. For more information check out the project link or take a look at Richard Griffin's blog entry here.
Vikas works in one of the most innovative teams within Microsoft, the Bing mapping team. As mentioned earlier, Bing Maps is one of the best examples of Microsoft Research and Live Labs connecting with a product team. To get a full tour of the latest and future Bing features as demonstrated by Vikas I would again refer you to the excellent TED talk here. Even the standard Bing Maps shines in terms of features, the example below is the Tube proximity which is automatic if you search for somewhere in London.
The really clever stuff in terms of visual experience and applications is available here in the Beta Silverlight version. It's worth checking out some of the 'Map Apps' for a few minutes to understand why, once they have explored the possibilities, agencies and custom developers look to Bing Maps as a tool for creating high-quality geo-based applications and experiences.
My favourite? The WorldWide Telescope, ported to Silverlight some time ago, which allows you to see images of stars and planets such as the one below of Mars.
In the words of Ian Finch from MandoGroup, who gave an excellent write-up of the whole evening here, the "jaw-dropping Sherlock Holmes campaign" was "probably one of the best pieces of work I've seen from an agency in years both from an end-user perspective but also through the sheer brilliance technically".
Andy Hood came on to take us through this ground-breaking campaign which combined completely-skinned antique Bing Maps, Facebook Connect, Flash, javascript, Silverlight and a multitude of technologies and techniques, including Artificial Intelligence, to deliver a completely absorbing game. I strongly recommend checking out Andy's Mix10 session on blending technology and design here to see this and other projects which AKQA deliver.
Next up was Paul Dawson, Experience Director from EMC, who delivered a great presentation with his usual engaging style. He talked about an experiment which involved building a 'good old-fashioned popularity contest' based on Twitter and the Microsoft operating system in the cloud – Windows Azure. This ran during Mix10 and was designed to find the person who managed to generate the best following and number of votes. Interestingly EMC used Java developers as 'they were the ones we had spare' so it was a great example of Windows Azure scaling solidly, undergoing application upgrades with no loss of service and running a non-Microsoft runtime language.
The final demo of the evening was down to the ever-enthusiastic MandoGroup, presented by Ian Finch and Carl Dickinson. They are creating a fantastic set of Silverlight visual dashboards over real CRM and SharePoint data, as per the image below as part of a 'Light Up SharePoint' campaign. It was great to see the interaction with the graphic which is actually Bing Maps with some film-set style skinning.
Mark Taylor runs the Developer and Platform Evangelism group for Microsoft UK and regularly speaks on our strategic direction on subjects such as Environmental IT and the Cloud. With the unenviable task of giving a short presentation at the end of proceedings, he left the heavy product-placement out and focused on a few key messages with respect to Microsoft's position in cloud-computing.
One of those messages is that Microsoft have a great deal of experience in delivering both free and subscription-based reliable cloud services and have done for a number of years now. One of the best examples of this is the Xbox Live network; a highly-reliable, high-performing service for which people pay a monthly fee (normally realised on an annual basis). This service alone has over 20 million paying customers. If we look at the Windows Live network as a whole then there are over half a billion LiveIds in use in the world.
Two further points which struck home for me were disambiguation of this term 'the cloud' – private, public, Government, and the need to think about, indeed insist on, cloud-based providers who have submitted and conform to robust industry standards such as the DMTF (Distributed Management Task Force). When your personal and business-critical information is sitting off-site it's even more important to consider the security and redundancy of that data.
My interpretation of the importance of the cloud to the Digital Marketing community is that the key advantages are scalability and hands-off management. Scenarios from rich-content ad-serving and campaign microsites to eCommerce ticketing platforms and global marketing/monitoring platforms will rely heavily on this platform so it's important that we analyse carefully the deployment options available.
A lot of content and much more which was left out; Fortune Cookie didn't get time to talk about the eye-tracking innovation they used with their fantastic Europcar Surface application, Black Marble stood by the table in the corner ready to discuss their early experience with WIndows Phone 7 development and Huddle had a presence talking about their workspace solutions and SharePoint – thanks again to all of the Partners involved.
I also wanted to highlight the great work which is happening inside Microsoft to unite the many groups from emerging technology through account management to Microsoft Advertising – the subject of a future blog post.
Some great conversations afterwards and I hope to repeat the event with a slightly-modified format soon.
Any questions or feedback – please get in touch.
Tags: silverlight, microsoft, digital, surface, partners


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It's all Ball Security these days! Perhaps you need a refresher course!
I am destroying my credibility as a RB Coach in telling you those stats to make a point: Your resources, teaching ability, and knowledge of Ball Security (or of any fundamental) as a coach don't mean a thing unless your players actually get time to practice that skill throughout the year. Fundamental skills will erode unless they are emphasized during the entire season, but unfortunately Indo time gets the shaft when coaches try to install too much offense.
|4th Qtr Fumble in the Super Bowl with your team down by 4 points! You better believe the Steelers will be emphasizing Ball Security at the end of this season. Video link here.
Fundamentals of Ball Security:
2. Wrist above Elbow
3. Ball Tight to Chest
4. Tuck Elbow In
5. Opposite Hand Over Football on Contact
6. Keep Pads Low
Good fundamentals and Ball Security to everyone this season.


text:
Body: SPORT UTILITY 4-DR
Engine: 3.6L V6 DOHC 24V
Trans: 5-Speed Automatic
Drive: RWD
Ext. Color: Black
Int. Color: Tan
Mileage: 105,870
Stock No: 3532
Note: Actual mileage will vary depending on driving habits, vehicle conditions, road conditions, etc.
NO DEALER FEES! Our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 2WD, has only 105,868 miles and is priced $2,136 below the market and will absolutely be among the cleanest of any Grand Cherokee, you will consider, Non-Smoker, No Foul Odors, and NO RUST. Certified by CARFAX to be a One-Owner, No Accidents and has a Clean and Problem Free Title, Licensed and Titled in Florida. Equipped with the fuel efficient 3.6L V6 290HP DOHC 24V, leather seats, navigation, back-up camera, automatic, air-conditioning, power-windows-locks-mirrors, cruise control, and custom alloy wheels. You receive the balance of the Factory Warranty and 12 MONTHS FREE MAINTENANCE ($500 VALUE!) from our team of ASE Certified Technicians. Come in today.
No Dealer Fees and Priced Thousands Below the Market! All vehicles are priced with our Jimmie Vickers' Hassle Free Price. Other dealers can't charge these low prices without charging dealer fees or hidden dealer ad-on. You can buy with confidence knowing that the price will always be the same whether on the internet or in person on our lot. Second Key, Floor Mats, and Owner's Manual May NOT Be Available On All PreOwned Vehicles. Bring Your Trade, 100% Financing available. For those folks with bruised or bad credit, we can help! "
Disclaimer: All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emission testing charge. Vehicle availability is not guaranteed and subject to prior sale. All vehicle details advertised are true to our best knowledge, but not guaranteed. It is the customer's sole responsibility to verify the existence and condition of any equipment listed. The dealership is not responsible for misprints on prices or equipment. It is the customer's sole responsibility to verify the accuracy of the prices with the dealer. Pricing are subject to change without notice. Any advertised down, monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly payments are estimated examples and / or approximate payments only and subject to credit check and approvals.


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Friday, July 1, 2011
Lunchbox Styling for Busy Mums
Lunchboxes are a tricky business. And I don't know about you, but I never seem to manage to pack Nelle's the night before.
So, imagine it's a typical Monday morning. I haven't yet had my coffee, Robbie's running late for work, I'm trying to get muffins out of the oven for breakfast (because it seemed like a good idea to bake) and I have to pack Nelle's lunch.
I needed something simple. A lunchbox 'recipe', that would be true to my #1 food value - Diversity. But that would also make Nelle's lunch attractive and would keep stuff separate when it needed to be (because sandwiches that are soggy because they've been sitting next to fruit do not encourage kids to eat them).
And this is what I came up with. A $5 scrapbooking storage box and the following set of guidelines :
1. A variety of colours, to appeal to the eye. (and I don't count beige!) Colours like Orange. Yellow, Green. Red. Purple.
2. A variety of textures, to appeal to the mouth. Crispy things. Soft things. Chewy things. Smooth things. Rough things.
3. A variety of food types, for a diversity of nutrients. Proteins. Fruit, dried and fresh. Veggies. Sandwiches. Cheeses. Beans.
4. A variety of flavours, because what she likes changes like the wind. Vinegary salads and briny olives. Sesame-sprinkled sushi. Leftover muffins/waffles/plain pasta/roast veggies. Something sweet.
I try to mix up the colours, and I divide foods into 2 or 3 portions that get distributed around the lunchbox. This kind of buffet appeals to her interest and curiosity, and her tendency to pick at little bits of food.
So, that's what I do. Sometimes she eats it all ... sometimes she finishes up on the drive home from preschool ... sometimes things in the box get rejected straight-out. But overall, this is the best way to deliver food to my 3 1/2 year old that I've found.
Do you have any winner lunchbox tips to share? If so, leave a comment ... we'd all love to hear from you!
Amanda xx
16 comments:
That is a great idea!
I don't have any kids, but I would have loved all those little compartments when I was little :)
How perfect for little fingers!
- July 1, 2011 at 3:34 PM
- cheryl said... [Reply to comment]
This is brilliant. Is assume you have to hand-wash it? And you're comfortable that it's food-grade plastic? (I ask only because I think you should partner with a design firm and bring this to market.)
Did I mention that it's brilliant?
- July 1, 2011 at 6:14 PM
- Paula said... [Reply to comment]
This is such a novel and excellent idea for little ones. I agree with Cheryl....get this to market with a re-usable/washable colourful spoon/fork!
Your daughter has the cutest of expressions and I meant to say that I loved her little bandana in the earlier post.
- July 1, 2011 at 9:34 PM
- JDaniel4's Mom said... [Reply to comment]
I love this container! I have used a muffin fin before.
- July 1, 2011 at 9:45 PM
- Linda Barnier said... [Reply to comment]
Oooh I see another addition for your Etsy store! Love it. xx
- July 1, 2011 at 10:55 PM
- Jess WhoaMamma said... [Reply to comment]
I think my life has just changed forever!!!!! Fabulous post, THANK YOU!!!!!!
- July 1, 2011 at 11:09 PM
- Steph Bond-Hutkin said... [Reply to comment]
Totally brilliant!
- July 1, 2011 at 11:26 PM
- Easy peasy organic said... [Reply to comment]
Hellooooo affirmation! Thanks for the lovely comments!
In answer to your question, Cheryl - I'd prefer it to be stainless steel ... both for non-plasticness and dishwashability. I don't put hot stuff in here, so I'm assuming it's ok for food - BUT assumption is never a good thing when it comes to plastic ...
So anybody here work for a design firm??
- July 2, 2011 at 2:23 AM
- Tricia said... [Reply to comment]
What a great idea! I'd be happy to eat that for lunch ;-)
I just found your blog for the first time and am glad I did. I'm looking forward to following.
- July 2, 2011 at 10:15 AM
- Easy peasy organic said... [Reply to comment]
Thanks so much Tricia! :)
- July 2, 2011 at 3:02 PM
- Catherine Lowe said... [Reply to comment]
BRILLLLLLIANT!!!!! I am doing this as I have one of those, love love love this idea!
- July 4, 2011 at 6:33 PM
- Catherine Lowe said... [Reply to comment]
thank you :)
- July 4, 2011 at 6:33 PM
- Sherilyn @ Wholepromise said... [Reply to comment]
Amanda - a great idea. I could get a contact for an industrial designer in brisbane if you are interested?
- July 9, 2011 at 6:53 PM
- autumn keener said... [Reply to comment]
Love this!
As far as food safe containers go, I picked up one of these for crafty supplies and then noticed that it was food safe -- I'm pretty sure most if not all of their products are BPA free and food safe: http://www.snapware.com/products/home-storage-square-3-layers-1098832
- January 12, 2012 at 8:59 PM
Check out planetbox.com & laptoplunches.com for cool lunch boxes
- May 4, 2012 at 1:28 AM
I love this idea. Thank you for sharing. I also liked the idea of stainless steel instead of plastic. I found a website called planet box that has an awesome stainless steel lunch box with quite a few small compartments. Its a little expensive, but should last a long time because it is made of stainless steel. Amazon sells them, too. Thank you for the post. This is the best lunch box solution I have come across!
- December 28, 2012 at 8:13 PM


text: New Song Choir is a choir trained to lead in worship through anthems, hymns, carols and contemporary Christian music. Learning to read music is emphasized as well as producing pleasing choral sound, singing in tune, and pitch matching. An emphasis in this choir is familiarity with the traditional hymns of the church the composers, and backgrounds. Children learn age appropriate anthems as well as contemporary pieces which are offered in the worship services approximately every six weeks. Instruction is given in the parts of the worship service and how they as a choir can aid the congregation in worship. New Song meets in the Music Room on the A-level at 4:35 PM on Wednesday afternoons. For more information contact Mary Wolling at firstname.lastname@example.com.