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by Robert P. Lockwood April, 2000 The general charge against Pope Pius XII is that he maintained a "continued attitude of silence" in the face of Nazism and the horror of the Holocaust. Was the Pope silent? Pope Pius XII was not silent in the face of Nazism, either before he was elected pope in 1939 or during the war years. As Golda Meir, future Israeli Prime Minister and then Israeli representative to the United Nations, said on the floor of the General Assembly at the Pope's death in 1958: "During the ten years of Nazi terror, when our people went through the horrors of martyrdom, the Pope raised his voice to condemn the persecutors and commiserate with the victims." Some of the Jewish organizations that praised Pope Pius XII at the time of his death for saving Jewish lives during the horror of the Nazi Holocaust were: the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Synagogue Council of America, the Rabbinical Council of America, the American Jewish Congress, the New York Board of Rabbis, the American Jewish Committee, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the American Jewish Committee, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the National Council of Jewish Women. Were all these simply lying or playing politics? Would these organizations insult the memory of the millions killed for some ephemeral political gain? While stationed in Germany in the 1920s, Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII, was deeply concerned about the nascent Nazi party in Germany. As early as 1925, Pacelli expressed fears about the Nazi threat. He reported to Rome that Hitler was a violent man who "will walk over corpses" to achieve his goals. In 1928, with Pacelli's assistance, the Holy office issued a strong condemnation of the anti-Semitism foundational to the Nazis: "(T)he Holy See is obligated to protect the Jewish people against unjust vexations and…particularly condemns unreservedly hatred against the people once chosen by God; the hatred that commonly goes by the name anti-Semitism." As the Holy See's Secretary of State in the 1930s, Pacelli lodged nearly 60 formal protests with the Nazis over their treatment of the Jews. He wrote most of the 1937 encyclical of Pope Pius XI Mit Brennender Sorge that was a strong denunciation of Nazism. The encyclical, written in German, was published and distributed throughout Germany at the risk of life. In 1938, Pacelli had spoken at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris against the Nazi "pagan cult of race," as well as the "vile criminal actions" and "iniquitous violence" of the Nazi leadership. In 1939, immediately after the death of Pius IX, the German government issued a veiled warning to the College of Cardinals not to elect Pacelli as he was known to be an enemy of Nazism. In the very first encyclical of his papacy, issued on October 20, 1939 (Summi Pontificatus), Pius XII warned of the dictators of Europe – "an ever-increasing host of Christ's enemies" – and called for St. Paul's vision of world that was neither Gentile or Jew. The Gestapo labeled the encyclical a direct attack, while the French had copies printed and dropped by air over Germany. The New York Times summarized the encyclical as an uncompromising attack on racism and dictators. During the war, the New York Times called Pius XII "the only ruler left on the Continent of Europe who dares to raise his voice at all…the Pope put himself squarely against Hitlerism…he left no doubt that the Nazi aims are also irreconcilable with his own conception of a Christmas peace." In major Christmas messages in 1941 and 1942 Pope Pius XII condemned the racial hatred of the Nazis. Vatican Radio and the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, both under the direction of Pope Pius XII, issued numerous statements against the Nazi actions. In written letters to world leaders – even to those leaders in Nazi satellite countries – Pius XII expressed his horror of the persecution of the Jews. He reminded Catholics of Europe that it was their duty to protect victims of Nazism. He begged allied countries to accept Jewish refugees and would fight through his nuncios to prevent forced Jewish deportations to work camps. The record goes on and on. Pius XII and the Church were neither silent nor complacent in the face of the Nazi horror. At what point do you think the Pope should have stepped up and said: "Nazism is morally sinful and to be a subscriber to the theories of Hitler is to be anti-Catholic"? What prevented the Vatican from de-legitimizing the Catholicism of practicing Nazis, refusing them communion, and excommunicating them? First, remember that Pius XII and his predecessor Pius XI, to whom he served as Secretary of State, made it fundamentally clear that cooperation with the Nazi racial agenda and Jewish persecution could not be allowed. One cannot suggest that Catholics did not understand that as papal teaching at the time. Far too many Catholics, however, out of either ideological agreement or pure fear, chose instead to follow the nationalistic goals of their homeland than listen to the entreaties of the Popes. Second, while formal proclamations of excommunication and interdict would provide stirring reading today, what could they have possibly accomplished at the time? It could hardly be argued that it would have caused Hitler and his Nazi goons to suddenly come to a conversion of heart and to re-think the "Jewish question" or their war aims. It would be even more foolish to think that any kind of "Catholic uprising" in Nazi Germany would have ensued. Catholics who cooperated with the dictatorships had already chosen to ignore papal statements. Once the war began and, in 1942, the "Final Solution" began in earnest, the primary goal of Pius XII was to save lives. That could best be accomplished, he believed, through the effective work of the papal nuncios on the scene, public statements challenging Nazi beliefs, quiet negotiations for immigration, and stealth tactics of hiding Jewish refugees, baptizing when necessary, and issuing false papers. This was, after all, occupied Europe with the Vatican existing on a few acres within an Axis state. Preserving Vatican neutrality, and the capability of the Church to continue to function where possible in occupied Europe and Nazi-allied states, was a far better strategy to save lives than Church sanctions on a regime that would have merely laughed at them. When 60,000 German soldiers and the Gestapo occupied Rome, thousands of Jews were hiding in churches, convents, rectories, the Vatican and the papal summer residence. Would excommunications and lightening bolts from the Chair of St. Peter have been more effective in saving their lives? Issuing such thunderbolts would have done nothing to end the "Final Solution" and would have severely limited, if not ended altogether, the Church's capacity to save Jewish lives. Pinchas Lipade, Israeli consul in Italy after the war, estimated that the tactics adopted by Pius XII in the face of the Nazis saved over 800,000 Jewish lives during World War II. If that were an exaggeration by half, it would still record more Jewish lives saved by any other entity at the time. It is hard to argue against the effectiveness of the Pope's strategy. Why did Pacelli as Secretary of State under Pius XI, sign an agreement – a "concordat" – with the Nazis in 1933? Didn't this just serve to give legitimacy to the Nazi government? Despite vocal opposition from the Catholic Church in Germany where National Socialism's racist views were routinely condemned as contrary to Catholic principles and Catholics were ordered not to support the party, by 1933 Hitler had become German chancellor. Pacelli was dismayed with the Nazi assumption of power and by August of 1933 he expressed to the British representative to the Holy See his disgust with "their persecution of the Jews, their proceedings against political opponents, the reign of terror to which the whole nation was subjected." When it was stated that Germany now had a strong leader to deal with the communists, Archbishop Pacelli responded that the Nazis were infinitely worse. At the same time, however, the Vatican was forced to deal with the reality of Hitler's rise to power. In June 1933 Hitler had signed a peace agreement with the western powers, including France and Great Britain, called the Four-Power Pact. At the same time Hitler expressed a willingness to negotiate a statewide concordat with Rome. The concordat was concluded a month later. In a country where Protestantism dominated, the Catholic Church was finally placed on a legal equal footing with the Protestant churches. Did the concordat negotiated by Pacelli give legitimacy to the Nazi regime? No. Forgotten is the fact that it was preceded both by the Four-Power Pact and a similar agreement concluded between Hitler and the Protestant churches. The Church had no choice but to conclude such a concordat, or face draconian restrictions on the lives of the faithful in Germany. Pacelli denied that the concordat meant Church recognition of the regime. Concordats were made with countries, not particular regimes, he stated. Pope Pius XI would explain that it was concluded only to spare persecution that would take place immediately if there was no such agreement. The concordat also gave the Holy See the opportunity to formally protest Nazi action in the years prior to the war and after hostilities began. It provided a legal basis for arguing that baptized Jews in Germany were Christian and should be exempt from legal disabilities. Though the Concordat was routinely violated before the ink was dry, it did save Jewish lives. The Vatican began to formally protest Nazi action almost immediately after the concordat was signed. The first formal Catholic protests under the concordat concerned the Nazi government's call for a boycott of Jewish businesses. Numerous protests would follow over treatment of both the Jews and the direct persecution of the Church in Nazi Germany. The German foreign minister would report that his desk was stuffed with protests from Rome, protests rarely passed on to Nazi leadership. Were there Catholics – including priests and bishops – who cooperated with the Nazis? Certainly, individual Catholics – including some in leadership positions – cooperated with Nazism and even turned a blind eye toward the Final Solution. The Church has always included sinners whose wrongs create scandal. Yet, they did so not with the support of either Pope Pius XI or Pope Pius XII. For example, on March 12, 1938, Hitler's troops moved into Austria to force the "Anschluss" – "union" – of Austria with Germany. The archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer, issued a statement welcoming the Anschluss that was generally popular in Austria at the time. The Austrian bishops also issued a statement in praise of the German government. The Holy See had strongly opposed the German annexation and was horrified at the local Church's statements of support. Vatican Radio immediately broadcast a strong denunciation of the statement and Pacelli, as Secretary of State, summoned the archbishop of Vienna to Rome. Pacelli met with Cardinal Innitzer and told him that the statement of support had to be withdrawn publicly. A new statement was issued, in the name of the Austrian bishops: "The solemn declaration of the Austrian bishops on 18 March of this year was clearly not intended to be an approval of something that was not and is not compatible with God's law." Often times, it should be understood, accusations of cooperation by certain Church leaders are a misreading of the historical record. In the recent Vatican document on the Holocaust, a number of prominent Church leaders are singled out for their brave work at the time. One name mentioned is Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich for his early pastoral statements in 1931 condemning Nazism; and his series of Advent sermons in 1933 that were a theological defense of the Jews and the Old Testament. Some have taken issue with praise for Cardinal Faulhaber, accusing him of advocating that the German bishops ignore the atrocities of the Nazi leadership. That accusation is based on a quote from the minutes of a meeting between the cardinals of Germany and Pope Pius XII just after his election as pope in March 1939 and before the onslaught of World War II. The meetings specifically concerned the status of the Catholic Church in Germany, where a virtual state of "war" existed between the Church and the Nazis. Pius XII had called the meetings to discuss with the prelates if a new papacy could possibly lead to better relations. Most of the German prelates had been in the middle of these battles with the Nazis, and Cardinal Faulhaber agreed that it might be best if the new Pope take the lead in discussions. The full quote of Cardinal Faulhaber from the minutes of this first meeting is: "There are times when we doubt that the upper echelons of the party in general desire peace. The (leaders) want to be combatants to such an extent that they would love nothing more than to be given a reason for fighting, especially when it concerns the church. But I likewise believe that we, the bishops, should act as if we see nothing (emphasis added). This is why we are respectfully grateful to your Holiness for the steps which will be taken on behalf of peace." Clearly, the "peace" that Cardinal Faulhaber refers to concerns the ongoing battles of the Nazi leadership with the Church in Germany, obviously not to war itself which would not begin until August of that year. And just as clearly, when he is stating that the "bishops should act as if we see nothing," he is referring to the strategy that the Pope has suggested in dealing with the Nazis over persecution of the Church in Germany. The statement had nothing to do with general policy toward Nazi atrocities past, present or future, but rather a tactic on how to deal with specific Church-related issues at that moment. Again, individual Catholics did cooperate with the Nazi regime. In the document on the Holocaust cited below, the Church has condemned any such cooperation by its "sons and daughters." But it is neither logical nor historically accurate to therefore extend a charge of cooperation with Nazism to the Church in general or Pius XII specifically. Rather, certain Catholics acted in such a fashion despite the Church and despite the clearly stated teaching of the Pope. Would traditional Christian anti-Semitism account for the fact that some Catholics cooperated with the Nazis? After acknowledging the sad legacy of anti-Jewish bigotry in Christian Western Europe, and the rise in anti-Jewish racial theories that would find its ultimate horror in pagan Nazism, the Vatican statement on the Holocaust addresses this issue: The Church canonized Edith Stein, a Jewish convert who became a nun and was killed in the Holocaust. Stein actually was killed because she was Jewish. Isn't this just a means for the Church to try to claim "victimhood" in the Holocaust? When Pope John Paul II canonized Edith Stein – with the very real intent of seeing her as a unifying individual among Catholics and Jews – he was vilified. Her canonization was subject to strong attack, something that should never be done to the memory of any victim of the Holocaust. In Holland in 1942, the Catholic archbishop of Utrecht released a forceful letter to all the Catholic churches protesting the deportations of the Jews to "work camps." The Gestapo responded by revoking the exception that had been given to Jews who had been baptized and a round up was ordered. Caught in the web was Edith Stein, a Jewish convert who had become a nun. As a Christian of Jewish descent in a convent in Holland, Stein had first avoided arrest at the hands of the Nazis. She, her sister, and 600 Catholic Jews were transported to Auschwitz, where she died. Some have claimed that she did not die a martyr. Stein died, they say, because she was a Jew. Her Catholicity had nothing to do with it. Her canonization was an attempt to claim victimhood for the Church in the Holocaust. But this simply does not square with the facts. Stein died because she was a Jew and a Catholic, the very specific reasons for her arrest. Her arrest was retaliation against Christians of Jewish ancestry because of the outspoken criticisms of the Nazis by the Catholic archbishop of Utrecht. Second, the reason for the canonization is not some attempt to claim an equivalent victimhood for the Church in the Holocaust. Pope John Paul II has worked tirelessly for improved Christian-Jewish relations. The canonization of Stein recognized both her heroic Catholic witness, and her Jewish heritage. Numerous Catholics were killed in the Holocaust. The Church in Poland suffered tremendously and many priests, religious and laity died in the death camps along with their Jewish brothers and sisters. Certainly, the Nazi "reasons" for slaughtering Catholics may have been different, and not purely genocidal as in the case of the Jews. Priests in Poland, for example, were killed because of their positions of leadership and because of Church opposition to the Nazis they were viewed as "enemies of the Reich." To acknowledge this historical reality is not to claim "victimhood" or an equivalency to what the Jews suffered in the Holocaust. Rather, the intent is to remind Catholics of this brave witness and the constant need to resistance to evil. It also serves to promote Catholic-Jewish solidarity, as no one can ever say again that it could be legitimate to be Catholic and anti-Semitic. Didn't the Holy See – and Pius XII – believe that a strong Germany under the Nazis could serve as a bulwark for preventing the spread of communism from the Soviet Union? While there may have been Catholics who held such a belief, particularly in the years prior to the War, there is no evidence that this was ever a policy of Pope Pius XII. All his actions were to the contrary. As noted in an earlier question, when it was suggested to Archbishop Pacelli in August, 1933 that Germany now had a strong leader to deal with the communists, Archbishop Pacelli responded that the Nazis were far worse. Pius XII was unpopular with certain schools of post World War II historians for the anti-Stalinist, anti-Communist agenda of his later pontificate. That was the primary source for this charge. Particularly in Italy in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, the general charge against Pius was that while he was not pro-Nazi during the war, he hated Bolshevism more than he hated Hitler. For the most part, this charge was based solely on the Pope's opposition to the Allied demand for unconditional German surrender. He believed such a condition would only continue the horror of the war and increase the killing. That stand was later interpreted as a desire on the pontiff's part to maintain a strong Germany as a bulwark against communism. The theory was fiction. There was no documentary evidence to even suggest such a papal strategy. But it became popular, particularly among historians with Marxist sympathies in the 1960s. Even this theory, however, did not extend to an accusation that the Pope "collaborated" in the Holocaust, nor to any charge that the Church did anything other than save hundreds of thousands of Jewish lives. The evidence was simply too clear on that saving work for refutation. However, it did provide a mercenary rationale of "politics over people" in response to the Holocaust and applied such barbarous reasoning to the pope. There are simply no strategies that the Pope undertook that would support such a charge. For example, after Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union in June, the question quickly arose over aiding communists in the war against the Nazis. A 1937 encyclical of Pius XI appeared to ban any such cooperation. The issue became particularly important in the United States where aid was routinely supplied to the Allies and was to be extended to the Soviet Union. A number of bishops raised the issue and, very quickly, Pius XII settled the affair noting that aid to the "people" of the Soviet Union was not aid to communism. Despite later propaganda, it was clear that even an anti-religious Stalinist Soviet Union was viewed by the pontiff as far less an immediate enemy than the German Third Reich. Why didn't Pope Pius XII join in Allied statements condemning the Axis nations? In September 1942, Pius XII was approached by the Allies to join in a statement condemning the Nazi atrocities. This was to be an official statement of the Allied governments and, as such, it was impossible for Pius XII to join the effort. However, in his annual Christmas message of 1942, Pius XII would speak out once again forcefully. Pius condemned totalitarian regimes and mourned the victims of the war: "the hundreds of thousands who, through no fault of their own, and solely because of their nation or race, have been condemned to death or progressive extinction." He called on Catholics to shelter any and all refugees. The statement was loudly praised in the Allied world. In Germany, it was seen as the final repudiation by Pius XII of the "new order" imposed by the Nazis. The Gestapo reported that Pope Pius XII "is virtually accusing the German people of injustice toward the Jews, and makes himself the mouthpiece of the Jewish war criminal." Pope Pius XII did not join in with official Allied government statements attacking the Axis nations for obvious reasons. To maintain Vatican neutrality – an absolute necessity if the Holy See was to have any capability to save lives and protest Nazi action – it could not be viewed as a signature to Allied propaganda statements. As Pulitzer-prize winning historian John Toland, no friend of Pius or the Church, noted: "The Church, under the Pope's guidance…saved the lives of more Jews than all other churches, religious institutions and rescue organizations combined…the British and Americans, despite lofty pronouncements, had not only avoided taking any meaningful action but gave sanctuary to few persecuted Jews." If Jews could be disguised as Catholics, they were more capable of escaping Nazi persecution. Did the Church do enough in this regard? Could the Church have distributed more widely false baptismal certificates and thus save more Jews? The Holy See never attempted to limit in any way Jewish baptisms or to forbid supplying false papers of Christian identity to Jews wherever possible. Untold numbers of lives were saved in this fashion. In Italy there were Religious orders that worked around the clock providing false documents. Numerous clergy gave brief catechism lessons so that Jews could pass as Catholics. Some were even taught the rudiments of Gregorian Chant. However, it must be remembered that often this simply did not work. In case after case, Nazi authorities – and the Gestapo in occupied countries – paid no attention to such paperwork or any such claims as their antipathy to Jews was racial and their religious "conversion" deemed unimportant. In addition, Nazi-allied governments were wary of such conversions and, at times, the Church had to be careful in these matters. This became a serious issue, for example, in Romania. Romania was an Axis ally that had introduced anti-Semitic legislation prior to the war. Though Romania was primarily Orthodox in faith, the Vatican had a concordat with the government which allowed the Holy See a formal avenue of protest over treatment of Jews in general, as well as Jewish converts. In March 1941, the Romanian government was planning to forbid Jews to change their religion. Following instructions from Cardinal Maglione, Secretary of State under Pius XII, Archbishop Cassulo, papal nuncio in Romania, told the government's foreign ministry that the Vatican would protest any attempt to tie the Church's hand in this regard. In a May 12 follow-up to the telegram, Archbishop Cassulo told Cardinal Maglione that he had written assurances from the government that freedom of worship would be guaranteed. On May 16, the secretary of the Holy Office sketched out for the nuncio norms to be followed in this regard to avoid a government crack down. He advised that no one sincerely seeking baptism be refused because of Romanian racial laws. Under the circumstances, however, precautions were necessary since there could be those who would be baptized, then simply withdraw from any practice of the faith. This would provide further ammunition to the government. Where reasonable doubt existed, baptism should be delayed. This was certainly not an effort to limit Jewish baptisms, or a statement of general Church policy in occupied or Axis-allied Europe, or even in Romania itself. Specific to Romania and as noted in Father Pierre Blet's documentation from the Vatican archives in the book "Pius XII and the Second World War" (Paulist Press): "(B)aptizing Jews caused problems. The number of Jews requesting baptism had increased considerably, and it was rumored that the Holy See, 'confronted with the danger in which the Jews were placed, ordered that they were to be baptized en masse after receiving a short preparation, with further instruction being delayed until a later time.' On 18 April 1942 the Romanian minister to the Holy See told Cardinal Maglione that the number of conversions was high, too high and thus was suspect. Consequently the government was suggesting that the pope suspend admission into the Catholic Church for the duration of the war, a proposal that was, of course, rejected." Didn't Pope Pius XII, shortly after his election, refuse to release an encyclical drafted under Pius XI that would have forthrightly condemned anti-Semitism? What is the story behind this "hidden encyclical"? An encyclical was drafted toward the end of the reign of Pope Pius XI that was to have condemned anti-Semitism in general. It is argued that Pope Pius XII killed the encyclical because of that condemnation. However, it is clear that Pius killed the encyclical because it was a weak effort with a variety of bad sections that could only have encouraged, rather than discouraged anti-Semitism. It was this weakness of the encyclical draft that was the real reason it was never published not some lurking anti-Semitism. Pius XII, an outspoken critic of anti-Semitism along with his predecessor Pius IX, would never have allowed such a poorly drafted encyclical to be released. If Pius XI had been healthy, he would never have allowed the draft of such a weak encyclical to be issued as well. To argue that the Holy See was unwilling to condemn anti-Semitism is to fly in the face of an encyclical that already condemned Nazis and their treatment of the Jews (Mit Brennender Sorge, 1937). There are also all the additional written and public statements that would be issued by Pius XII and the Vatican throughout the war years, including his very first encyclical in 1939, Summi Pontificatus, on the unity of human society. That encyclical can rightly be seen as the papal "testament" against anti-Semitism, rather than the flawed "hidden encyclical." Do Catholics go too far in the defense of a beloved spiritual leader in Pius XII? Isn't further research necessary in this area, particularly in secret Vatican archives? The assumption is that Catholics defend Pope Pius XII because he was a "beloved spiritual leader." Catholics defend Pope Pius XII because he is unjustly attacked as a "silent collaborator" in the Holocaust. This charge is false and flies in the face of the clear historical record. That said, no one would oppose honest research and investigation of the papacy of Pope Pius XII. Such is now necessary in light of the campaign of vilification aimed at him. In reporting and editorials on the Holocaust, it is routinely presented as historical fact that Pius XII and the Church were, at best, stonily silent, or, at worst, aided and abetted the Nazi killing machine. Many simply accept these false charges without any real knowledge of the past. The historical reality of the pontificate of Pius XII has nearly been lost in the face of the strident campaign against him. Contemporary Catholics are witnessing the creation of a myth in regard to Pius XII. This campaign, triggered by Rolf Hochhuth's libelous 1963 play The Deputy, thrives on false history. Competent, objective historical scholarship will do nothing but lead to a renewed appreciation of his pontificate and what he accomplished in saving lives during the Holocaust. The question is raised concerning "secret documents" in the Vatican. Under the direction of Pope Paul VI after the controversy caused by Rolf Hochhuth's play, 11 volumes of the documents were sorted and released from the Vatican archives. There is no foundation to any charge that there are "secret" documents that the Vatican is hiding in regard to the Holocaust and the Church's relations with Nazi Germany. Could Jewish opposition to the beatification of Pope Pius XII lead to an increase in anti-Semitism among Catholics? There is no way that Jewish opposition to the beatification of Pope Pius XII could lead to any "increase in anti-Semitism" among Catholics. As stated in the document on the Holocaust: "To remember this terrible experience is to become fully conscious of the salutary warning it entails: the spoiled seeds of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism must never again be allowed to take root in any heart." One cannot be properly Catholic and be anti-Semitic at the same time. As Pius XI boldly proclaimed: "We are all spiritual Semites." However, this ongoing campaign against Pius XII – and the heated rhetoric it has engendered against the Church – could have a negative impact on Catholic-Jewish relations. Beginning with the papacies of Pius XI and Pius XII, proceeding through the Vatican Council and Paul VI, great strides had been made in Catholic-Jewish relations. The papacy of John Paul II has seen one historic event after another, celebrating the Church's understanding that all Christians are "spiritual Semites." Yet the myth of the silence of Pius XII has overshadowed these historic developments. It has helped to entrench a persistent anti-Catholicism within elements of the Jewish community, while creating in certain Catholic circles a deep resentment that can only be harmful for all. While nothing can fully destroy the enormous strides taken by Pope John Paul II, leaving this myth unanswered and accepted can only do great damage to what should be a deep and close relationship between Catholics and Jews, generated in part by the heroism of Pope Pius XII in saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. What is the source for the attacks on Pope Pius XII? If he were not guilty of silence, what would be the reason for making such a claim? The myth of Pius XII began in earnest in 1963 in a drama created for the stage by Rolf Hochhuth, an otherwise obscure German playwright born in 1931. Turgid in length, in 1963's Der Stellvertreter (The Representative or The Deputy) Hochhuth charged through an allegedly "documentary" presentation that Pius XII maintained an icy, cynical and uncaring silence during the Holocaust. More interested in Vatican investments than human lives, Pius was presented as a cigarette-smoking dandy with Nazi leanings. The Deputy, even to Pius' most strenuous detractors, is readily dismissed. John Cornwell inHitler's Pope describes Der Stellvertreter as "historical fiction based on scant documentation…(T)he characterization of Pacelli (Pius XII) as a money-grubbing hypocrite is so wide of the mark as to be ludicrous. Importantly, however, Hochhuth's play offends the most basic criteria of documentary: that such stories and portrayals are valid only if they are demonstrably true." Yet The Deputy, despite its evident flaws, prejudices and lack of historicity, laid the foundation for the charges against Pius XII, five years after his death. As noted earlier, Pope Pius XII was unpopular with certain Marxist-leaning schools of post World War II historians for the anti-Stalinist, anti-Communist agenda of his later pontificate. Hochhuth's charge of papal "silence" fit perfectly with the campaign to destroy the reputation of Pope Pius XII.The Deputy, therefore, took on far greater importance than it deserved. Leftists used it as a means to discredit an anti-Communist papacy. Instead of Pius being seen as a careful and concerned pontiff working with every means available to rescue European Jews in the face of complete Nazi entrapment, an image was created of a political schemer who would sacrifice lives to stop the spread of Communism. The Deputy was merely the mouthpiece for an ideological interpretation of history that helped create the myth of a "silent" Pius XII doing nothing in the face of Nazi slaughter. There was also strong resonance within the Jewish community at the time The Deputyappeared. The Jewish world had experienced a virtual re-living of the Holocaust in the trial of Adolf Eichmann. A key figure in the Nazi Final Solution, Eichmann had been captured in Argentina in 1960, tried in Israel in 1961 and executed in 1962. For many young Jews, Eichmann's trial was the first definitive exposure to the horror that the Nazis had implemented. At the same time, Israel was threatened on all sides by the unified Arab states. War would erupt in a very short time. The Deputy resonated with an Israel that was surrounded by enemies and would be fighting for its ultimate survival. It seems ludicrous that a pope praised for his actions by all leading Jewish organizations throughout his life could be discredited based on nothing more than a theatrical invention. Yet, that is what took place and has taken place since. A combination of political and social events early in the 1960s, biased historical revisionism, and an exercise in theatrical rhetoric, created the myth of the uncaring pontiff in contradiction to the clear historical record. Today, that myth serves its own ideological purposes as certainly, the campaign against Pope Pius XII is used for anti-Catholic purposes. Like many of the anti-Catholic canards rooted in the culture, the myth of Pius XII is raised to attack a host of Catholic positions on issues and the Church itself. It feeds anti-Catholic rhetoric. In light of Pope John Paul II's visit to Israel and his statements at Yad Vashem and at the Western Wall, what is foreseen as the future of Catholic-Jewish relations? The papacy of Pope John Paul II, building on the foundation of his 20th century predecessors and the Second Vatican Council, has taken enormous strides in the development of Catholic-Jewish relations. This is much more than simply dialogue, symbolic acts, or ecumenical gestures. It has promoted a deep Catholic sense and appreciation of our "elder brothers" in faith, as well as – it is hoped – a Jewish understanding of Catholics as people of the Book. The Pope has also called Catholics to a penitential understanding of the sins of the past in regard to the Jews, and the incompatibility of Catholicism with anti-Semitism. At the same time, the pope's actions have allowed Jews to see not only the terrible sin of certain so-called Christians who cooperated with the Holocaust, but those Christians who heroically saved lives, and lost their own. By the canonization of Edith Stein, he has raised up the example of a Christian and a Jew who died as both in the horror of the Holocaust. She is a living sign – a martyr if you will – for the betterment of Catholic-Jewish relations. Eventually, this propaganda campaign against Pius XII will collapse. Without any basis in fact, this will vanish from the scene. And as that happens, one can foresee only a deeper growth in understanding between Catholics and Jews. |
Copyright © 1997-2011 by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. *Material from this website may be reprinted and disseminated with accompanying attribution. |


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CDS Pickle Jar Method Set
CDS Pickle Jar Method Set
Out of stock
- Delivery time 1 to 3 days
CDS pickle jar method set "mychem.ch-Art" 10% discount
Make CDS at the right concentration, when you need it.
Research on the Internet shows shocking shortcomings of the pickle jar method!
Our research on the CDS pickle jar method revealed that the instructions for making it online are based on one source and have been copied to various sites without being verified.
We performed several approaches exactly as instructed.
We tested the resulting CDS with a professional ppm meter and pH meter. The result was an insufficient 0.07% instead of the promised 0.3% chlorine dioxide and a pH value of around 7! That's just under 1/4 of the target concentration!
In addition, there is no information on what to do with the very concentrated ClO2 chemical residue in the shot glass and how to dispose of it.
Therefore, our corrected and completed instructions:
mychem.ch-Instructions for CDS production using the pickle jar method with 0.3%
Make sure the room is well ventilated, as a chemical reaction will develop chlorine dioxide gas when the two components are poured together and you should not inhale it.
Place your 0.5 litre swing top jar on a flat surface and fill it with ordinary tap water up to the mark (250ml) (mineral water is better abroad).
Implementation of the pickle jar method
Round 1
- Add 10 ml of sodium chlorite (NaClO2) and 10 ml of hydrochloric acid (HCl) into the shot glass provided next to it.
- Now place the shot glass in the 0.5 liter swing top jar and close the lid with the inserted sealing ring. Close it airtight with the swing top.
- The process which releases chlorine dioxide gas has started.
- Now carefully place the jar in a dark, horizontal place (not in the fridge) at room temperature for 24 hours. The gas will now slowly combine with the surrounding water.
- After 24 hours, carefully open the swing top jar and, without spilling any of the activated solution, lift the shot glass out of the swing top jar. Please make sure that you do not inhale the escaping gas!
- The water in the glass jar has now taken on a slightly yellowish colour and now has about 1/5 of the target concentration.
- Empty the shot glass into another glass and add a pinch of white ascorbic acid until the water is colorless and neutralized.
- Now you can pour it down the drain without any worries.
Round 2-5
- Repeat round 1 4 times as usual.
- At the end you have a chlorine dioxide solution with about 0.32%.
- However, the pH will be around 5, which is already quite acidic. Of course, you could now add some caustic soda or baking soda to neutralize the pH, but we leave that up to you.
Result pickle jar method
- The concentration is now as desired but the pH value is quite low.
- The chemical reaction also produces what is known as "spray mist". This means that the gas produced during the reaction takes liquid particles with it when it escapes into the surrounding air and releases them into the water.
Example: mineral water with gas: hold your hand over the glass and it becomes moist.
This means that the supposedly clean water is not free of by-substances despite this production method!
That's why we recommend using our high-purity CDS and CDS-Caps!
Important to know:
The rubber sealing ring of the pickle jar is not durable, so we recommend that you check the ring for stability before each new batch and replace it if necessary.
These sealing rings are commercially available.
Size of the sealing ring: Ø inside 65mm, Ø outside 90mm, thickness 2.7mm
Pickle jar basic set for 250ml CDS:
- 0.5 litre clear swing top jar with rubber sealing ring and marking at 250ml
- 40 ml shot glass clear
- 100 ml sodium chlorite 25% pure
- 100 ml hydrochloric acid 4% pure
- 5 ml measuring cup
- 4 replacement rubber rings* for the pickle jar (*there are no sealing rings that are resistant to chlorine dioxide)
- CDS measuring sticks (50 pieces)
- HDPE funnel (plastic)
- 100 ml brown glass bottle with dropper insert
- 250 ml brown glass bottle with HDPE tamper evident screw cap
- 1 litre HDPE bottle with HDPE tamper evident screw cap
- 100g ascorbic acid
Personal safety
Only for adults aged 18 and over.
Important instructions
Keep out of reach of CHILDREN.
Further information
MYCHEM quality: MYCHEM offers the highest possible product quality and purity. It meets the absolute highest quality comparisons and requirements.
Please read the safety data sheet before purchasing
We take back small quantities from private individuals free of charge
Uses: Bleaching agents, washing and cleaning agents, stain removers, oxidizing agents, general surface treatment
The delivery and payment conditions of MYCHEM.CH are described in detail during the ordering process. Special shipping methods requested by our customers are charged at the usual local surcharge.
Ordered items will be delivered as quickly as possible, depending on availability. The delivery time is indicated for the item in question or during the order process.
If an article is not available, we will inform the customer immediately. If the failure to meet a delivery or service deadline is due to force majeure, unforeseeable obstacles or other circumstances beyond our control, the deadline will be extended accordingly. If the impossibility of delivery is due to the inability of the manufacturer or our supplier, both we and the buyer can withdraw from the contract if the agreed delivery date is exceeded by more than 3 weeks.
The various payment methods are described in the General Terms and Conditions
Delivery and delivery costs
Delivery and delivery costs
We supply customers in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
The delivery and payment conditions of MYCHEM.CH are described in detail during the ordering process. Special shipping methods requested by our customers are charged at the usual local surcharge.
Ordered items will be delivered as quickly as possible, depending on availability. More precise delivery times are displayed for each item and at the end of the ordering process.
If an article is not available, we will inform the customer immediately. If the failure to meet a delivery or service deadline is due to force majeure, unforeseeable obstacles or other circumstances beyond our control, the deadline will be extended accordingly. If the impossibility of delivery is due to the inability of the manufacturer or our supplier, both we and the buyer can withdraw from the contract if the agreed delivery date is exceeded by more than 3 weeks.
Delivery costs/free delivery
Delivery costs depend on weight and shipping method and are shown separately during the ordering process.
For net goods values of CHF 100.00 or more, shipping is free via "PostPack Priority" or A-Post.
General remarks
There are no delivery costs for personal collection.
Special deliveries upon request.
Packaging costs
The cost of standard factory packaging is included in the price. If special packaging is requested or is necessary for the safe shipping of an item, the corresponding costs will be invoiced.
Delivery area
Delivery area
Our items can only be delivered within Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
For larger quantities, deliveries abroad are subject to separate agreement.
General terms and conditions of business
General terms and conditions of business
Terms and Conditions GTC
1. Applicability and scope
The following General Terms and Conditions (hereinafter referred to as "GTC") apply to all business relationships between MYCHEM GmbH (hereinafter referred to as "MYCHEM", "us" or "we") and the customers (hereinafter referred to as "customer", "buyer" or "you") for products (hereinafter referred to as "products" or "goods") purchased via our website (hereinafter referred to as "online shop" or "website").
The online shop is operated by:
MYCHEM GmbH
Winterthurerstrasse 71
8006 Zurich
+41 62 962 80 57
Individual agreements concluded with the customer take precedence over these General Terms and Conditions. Any conflicting conditions of the customer will not be recognized.
MYCHEM reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions at any time. All changes will become effective upon publication of the new Terms and Conditions on the website. When purchasing a product, the relevant date for the applicability of the valid Terms and Conditions is the date on which the binding order is placed with us.
Please read these terms and conditions carefully before placing a binding order. By placing a binding order for our products, you agree to the following terms and conditions as well as our privacy policy and declare that you are authorized to enter into legally binding contracts and are at least 18 years old.
The customer undertakes in any case to read the relevant safety instructions on the packaging before using articles marked with hazard symbols.
2. Conclusion of a purchase agreement
The presentation of the products in the online shop does not constitute a legally binding offer, but merely a non-binding online catalog or a non-binding invitation to the customer to order the product in the online shop. MYCHEM expressly reserves the right to change the products themselves as well as the contents, such as images, range, prices and descriptions of our products, at any time and without prior notice. Illustrations, pictures, brochures, advertising and other information in connection with our products are for information purposes only and are not binding for MYCHEM.
The customer can place a binding order for the products he has selected via our online shop. The customer can put the products he has selected into the "shopping cart". This does not yet constitute a binding order. An order is only considered binding when the customer clicks on the "order with payment" button on the order page at the end of the order process. Before submitting the order, the customer can change and view the information at any time, identify any input errors and correct them if necessary before the final binding submission of the order.
An order confirmation will be sent to the customer immediately and automatically by email. This confirmation email contains the details of your order and our terms and conditions that you accepted during the ordering process. The confirmation email only serves as information that we have received your order. The automatic order confirmation does not constitute a purchase contract. By submitting the order, you confirm that you have read the terms and conditions and agree to them without reservation. We recommend that you print out the terms and conditions for the purpose of online ordering and your documentation or save them on your computer.
After you have placed a binding order, MYCHEM is free to either accept the order at its own discretion or to reject or change it by sending a corresponding notification by email and without assuming liability to you or third parties. If you cancel the order, we will issue you with a voucher in a separate email for any payment you have already made. Reasons for rejecting an order may include, for example, if a product is no longer available, if we cannot obtain authorization for the customer's payment, or if there is reason to believe that the customer is acting in violation of these Terms and Conditions, individual contracts, fraudulent or other criminal activities, or for another important reason.
When the order is accepted, a binding purchase contract is created with the customer. This acceptance occurs when the ordered products are dispatched.
3. Availability and performance reservation for non-deliverable products
All information regarding the availability, shipping and delivery of a product is preliminary information and approximate. It does not represent binding or guaranteed shipping or delivery dates. Any liability for unavailable products or for delays in shipping or delivery is expressly excluded.
Our products are available as long as our stocks last. If MYCHEM discovers when processing your order that the products you have ordered are not available, we will inform you immediately. In this case, no contract will be concluded for the unavailable products because the ordered products cannot be delivered.
We also reserve the right to limit the number of items that can be purchased by a customer. In such case, we will notify the customer accordingly by email.
4. Prices and shipping costs
Our products and prices correspond to those indicated on the website. All prices are indicated in CHF (Swiss francs) and include the statutory value added tax (VAT) of 8.1%.
MYCHEM reserves the right to change prices at any time. The products will be invoiced based on the prices offered at the time the binding order is placed.
5. Payment terms/credit check
Orders are generally due for payment immediately.
The customer has the option of paying using the payment methods displayed on the website or in the ordering process. These may change from time to time. We also reserve the right not to offer certain payment methods in specific individual cases and to refer to other payment methods used by us (for example, to protect our credit risk, only those that correspond to the respective creditworthiness).
By choosing the payment method, the customer authorizes the payment either by entering credit card details or access data of a payment service provider. The customer authorizes MYCHEM to collect or collect payments in the appropriate way. If chargebacks occur, MYCHEM is entitled to reimbursement of the associated costs and bank processing fees. Furthermore, MYCHEM is not liable for any fees or other amounts that the card issuer or your bank may charge you as a result of processing your payment in accordance with your order.
If you pay by credit card or alternative payment method (Visa; Mastercard; Post Finance; PayPal) , we reserve the right to verify the validity of the card, check the availability parameters for the debit and the address details and request authorization from the card issuer or payment provider. You also confirm that the credit card is valid and that the payment details entered are correct. If the payment is refused, your order will not be processed.
If you prefer to pay in advance, you can transfer the amount to our bank account within 5 days. As soon as we receive your payment, we will release your order. In urgent cases, you can send us the transfer receipt by email.
Please note that your order represents a legally binding purchase and is subject to the Code of Obligations. If we do not receive payment within two weeks of placing your order, we reserve the right to cancel your order without contacting you in order to release the products again.
When paying by invoice the customer receives the invoice with payment slip with the delivery of the goods or by email. Payment on invoice is made via Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch. Payment must be made using the payment slip within the payment period stated on the invoice to the account specified on the invoice of our external partner, Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch [Link to https://www.klarna.com/ch/agb/]. The payment method purchase on invoice is not available for all offers and requires, among other things, a successful credit check by Klarna Bank AB, German Branch. If the customer is permitted to purchase on account for certain offers after checking their creditworthiness, the payment is processed in cooperation with Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch, which takes over the merchant's invoice claim after the purchase contract has been concluded. We remain responsible for general customer enquiries (e.g. regarding goods, delivery times, shipping, returns, complaints, cancellation notices and returns or credit notes) even when purchasing on account via Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch.
If you fail to meet your payment obligation, you will be in default without further notice upon expiry of the payment deadline set for you and will have to pay default interest of 8%. Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch is entitled to charge a reminder fee of up to CHF 30.00 per payment reminder as well as other fees, in particular the costs of any debt collection proceedings. Should it become necessary to initiate debt collection proceedings, we will charge an additional processing fee of at least CHF 150.00.
Furthermore, Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch, may in future refuse to process the payment terms of purchase contracts, including in relation to other merchants. The general terms and conditions [link to https://www.klarna.com/ch/agb/] of Klarna Bank AB (publ.), acting through its branch in Germany, Klarna Bank AB, German Branch, apply .
6. Delivery conditions
MYCHEM's delivery conditions are described in detail during the ordering process.
Delivery is generally made via the delivery service of Swiss Post AG.
There is no minimum order value. For goods worth less than CHF 17.00, MYCHEM reserves the right to charge a small quantity surcharge of CHF 6.46.
The packaging costs are included in the order.
If the products are marked as out of stock when ordering, MYCHEM will endeavour to produce the products as quickly as possible and make them available for sale. MYCHEM will do everything in its power to meet the stated delivery times. However, MYCHEM is not responsible for delivery delays, regardless of their cause. We will inform you immediately of any delivery delays that occur. Once the package has been handed over to the post office, MYCHEM is no longer responsible or liable.
If the service is prevented for more than 3 weeks after the original delivery date, the customer is entitled to cancel his order. Further claims, in particular claims for damages, are excluded.
Return after correct delivery of goods, but incorrect addressing, undeliverability, etc.
If the delivery of the product fails due to the customer's fault (e.g. incorrect name, incorrect delivery address), we will contact the customer. If the customer wants to withdraw from the purchase contract, return after correct delivery of the goods, but incorrect address, undeliverability, etc.
If the customer returns the package for their own reasons or if a package is returned by the post office because the package did not reach the customer (wrong address, customer does not accept the package, etc.): After receipt of the original packaging and undamaged goods, the return calculation is carried out:
Credit of the cost of goods (only undamaged goods)
- Payment provider costs: 5% (Klarna, PayPal etc.)
- Handling costs: 10% of the value of the goods, minimum CHF 15.-
- Postage costs for returning the item to us
- possible repair and disposal costs of the damaged goods
The remaining amount will be refunded as a voucher.
Redelivery of the returned package due to previous incorrect addressing, undeliverability, etc.
Handling costs: 10% of the goods value
+ Return postage costs
+ Postage costs for re-delivery
Payable in advance according to our calculation.
Unauthorized order
There are items in the shop that may only be delivered to businesses (e.g. chemicals group 1). These are clearly declared as such.
People who still order such items will be contacted.
If it turns out that the order was placed without justification, a corresponding voucher will be issued. Expenses and costs for this special treatment can be deducted beforehand.
Under no circumstances will money be returned, especially since we have already had to pay payment costs.
In the case of unauthorized orders: There are items in our online shop that may only be delivered to commercial customers (e.g. chemicals in group 1). These items are clearly declared as such. People who nevertheless order such items will be contacted.
If it turns out that the order was wrongly placed, a voucher will be issued. The effort and costs for this special treatment can be deducted in advance. Under no circumstances will money be refunded, especially since we have already incurred costs for the payment.
7. Retention of title
MYCHEM remains the owner of the products delivered until they have been paid in full.
8. Right of withdrawal and return
There is no right of return or cancellation on the part of the customer.
If the wrong goods are ordered, MYCHEM can grant a voluntary right of withdrawal against a voucher, provided that the ordered goods have not yet been packaged and shipped (order amount minus 5% fees of the payment service provider).
The customer must complain to MYCHEM in writing about incorrect deliveries within 3 working days. MYCHEM will only accept returns if the goods are returned undamaged and in their original packaging. In this case, the customer will be sent the ordered goods free of charge and the return postage for the incorrectly delivered goods will be refunded.
9. Notice of defects/warranty
MYCHEM warrants that the goods correspond to the promised properties and have no defects that impair their value or suitability for the intended use.
After receiving the products, the customer must immediately check them for correctness, completeness and any damage. Errors or damage must be reported to MYCHEM within 3 working days. Defects that could not be discovered during a proper inspection and only appear later must be reported in writing immediately after they are discovered. If you do not check the defect or report it immediately, the goods are deemed to have been approved and you are no longer entitled to assert claims against us.
The statutory warranty provisions against manufacturing defects/material or production defects apply. The warranty period refers to the best-before date of the products. Products that have been damaged through the buyer's own fault are excluded from the warranty.
The customer's warranty claims are limited to replacement delivery or remedy of defects/repair, excluding all other claims, in particular reduction or compensation for indirect and consequential damages. MYCHEM decides at its own discretion whether to provide replacement delivery or repair. If subsequent delivery or repair fails, the customer is entitled to withdraw from the contract in the event of significant defects.
For complaints or service questions, please contact us at the following address with the order number, customer number, a description of the error and other helpful information:
MYCHEM GmbH
Winterthurerstrasse 71, 8006 Zurich
+41 60 962 80 57
The faulty product must be returned to the MYCHEM address above with a copy of the invoice and a detailed description of the defect. The return of a product is at the customer's expense and risk. In order to process a complaint quickly, a return must be notified in advance by email. Please have your return confirmed and keep this confirmation, as if the package is lost, your warranty claim cannot be processed.
10. Liability
If MYCHEM breaches its own obligations under these Terms and Conditions and the contractual relationships based thereon, it is liable for damages caused and proven by it through unlawful intent or gross negligence. Liability for minor and moderate negligence as well as for indirect and consequential damages, whether based on a contract, a tort or for any other reason, is expressly excluded. Indirect damages include, for example, lost profits, financial losses, damage to reputation or loss of data due to temporary impairments or interruptions in the availability of MYCHEM's services. In addition, MYCHEM accepts no contractual or non-contractual liability for damages caused by auxiliary persons who are called upon to provide the service.
The above exclusions and limitations of MYCHEM's liability do not apply in the event of culpable injury to life, body or health caused directly by MYCHEM or in the case of mandatory statutory provisions, including the provisions of the Product Liability Act.
Subject to the foregoing, the total liability under these Terms and Conditions, regardless of the reason and to the extent permitted by law, is limited to the price of the goods that the customer has ordered from us.
Event beyond our control
If an event occurs that is outside our sphere of influence and control (so-called force majeure), we assume no liability or responsibility for the non-fulfillment or delayed performance of any obligations arising from these General Terms and Conditions and the contractual relationship based on them. An event outside our sphere of influence occurs, for example, in the following cases:
In the event of strikes, blockades or other industrial actions by third parties, invasions, terrorist attacks, war, fire, explosions, storms, floods, earthquakes, epidemics, pandemics, other natural disasters, or the failure of public or private communications networks or the inability to use rail, shipping, air, motor routes or other means of public or private transport.
If an event outside our control occurs that affects the performance of our obligations under the Contract, we will notify you as soon as possible.
11. Data protection
MYCHEM collects and processes personal data only within the framework of the statutory provisions, in particular in compliance with the applicable data protection laws. Further information on the processing of your personal data, your rights and related questions can be found in our data protection declaration at, which forms an integral part of these terms and conditions.
12. Copyright
The information and content published on the website are protected by copyright and are the property of MYCHEM or the respective rights holder. Reproduction, processing, distribution or any other form of exploitation requires the prior written consent of the respective rights holder. MYCHEM and the respective rights holder expressly reserve all rights in this regard.
13. Severability Clause
If any of the provisions of these Terms and Conditions are or become illegal, invalid or unenforceable for any reason, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions. Unless otherwise agreed, the invalid provision shall be deemed to be replaced by a valid provision that takes the economic purpose of the provision and the will of the parties at the time the contract was concluded as far as possible into account. The same applies to any gaps in these Terms and Conditions.
14. Applicable law and place of jurisdiction
These General Terms and Conditions, the contractual relationships based thereon and any disputes shall be governed exclusively by Swiss substantive law, excluding the conflict of laws rules and the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
The place of jurisdiction for natural persons is the registered office of MYCHEM or the customer's place of residence. For legal persons, the registered office of MYCHEM is the sole place of jurisdiction.
Zurich, October 2023
Healthy Aging Set
Regular price CHF 213.12Regular priceUnit price / per -
Aronia capsules organic, vegan, Switzerland (OPC)
Regular price CHF 29.00Regular priceUnit price / per -
L-Carnitine capsules
Regular price CHF 19.90Regular priceUnit price / per

subset: commoncrawl


text:
New drone rules: more eyes in the sky mean less privacy
The relaxation of Australian civil aviation rules regarding remotely piloted aircraft means you can expect to see more drones – and for more drones to be seeing you, writes Brendan Gogarty.
Recreational drone users are required to follow certain aviation laws. Photo: AP
Drone footage is everywhere, whether used to film extreme sports, outdoor events, nature, music festivals or just for its own sake.
Recreational aircraft such as quadcopters, fixed-wing and mini drones are getting ever cheaper and easier to buy. They are fast becoming a must-have item for people who want to document their activities for social media, or simply explore their neighbourhood.
As of today it will also be legally easier to use such aircraft in Australia, with the relaxation of Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) rules about "remotely piloted aircraft", or RPAs.
The change is partly due to the significant challenges of regulating something that is so easy to buy and even easier to use. As a result, you can expect to see many more drones in the sky from now on – and of course, given that they routinely have high-resolution cameras on board, you can expect a lot more drones to be seeing you.
What do the relaxed rules involve?
The new, relaxed regulations – first proposed in April this year – will exempt drones under certain weight limits from licensing and notice requirements.
In particular, drones weighing less than 2kg will not need to be licensed at all. Owners only need to notify CASA of their use if it is for commercial purposes.
Similarly, drones under 25kg can also be flown without licensing or notification requirements if they are used for "sport and recreation", or if they are flown on private land and used for private aerial photography, spotting, communications or agricultural operations.
Operators of drones weighing more than 100g will still have to steer clear of certain areas, under the so-called "standard RPA operating conditions". This means no flying in controlled or prohibited airspace; above 400ft (122m); at night; in swarms; over emergency operations without approval; within 30m of another person; out of the pilot's direct line of sight; or in an area of "sufficient density of population for some aspect of the operation … to pose an unreasonable risk to the life, safety or property".
What about privacy?
What is notably absent from the standard RPA operating conditions is any requirement to avoid flying over private property. Nor do the rules require the operator to respect the privacy of others or refrain from filming them, either on their own land or in public.
That may concern some people, because in Australia there is little legal recourse if someone films you in your backyard, in a secluded area or even through your window at home.
The loosening of the rules thus has obvious implications for privacy. Every new drone platform is basically an eye in the sky, capable of recording high-resolution images and video.
In 2014, a Commonwealth House of Representatives standing committee warned:
Remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) have the potential to pose a serious threat to Australians' privacy. They can intrude on a person's or a business's private activities either intentionally, as in the case of deliberate surveillance, or inadvertently.
The committee recommended a raft of urgent legislative changes to counter the wide-scale adoption of "privacy-invasive technologies" like drones. But the recommendations were not taken up by the government, and nor was the committee's echoing of the recommendation by the Australian Law Reform Commission that Australia develop a "tort of privacy" to guard people against intrusion by drones.
Such a measure would allow individuals to sue for damages if another person grossly violates their private life or affairs. While this privacy law remedy is available in other countries, Australian courts have generally rejected it.
This is largely a result of a 1936 court case brought against a man called George Taylor, who built a viewing platform on land next to Victoria Park Racetrack so he could call the races over the radio. The racecourse sued him for a breach of privacy but the High Court of Australia rejected the claim, not wanting to set a precedent by which neighbours could sue one another for simply peering over a fence. Chief Justice Latham's reasoning was simple:
Any person is entitled to look over the plaintiff's fences and to see what goes on in the plaintiff's land. If the plaintiff desires to prevent this, the plaintiff can erect a higher fence.
This reasoning has prevailed in Australia ever since. But as the sky grows ever more saturated with cameras, it becomes harder to justify. No longer can you just build a higher fence, unless of course you want to box in your entire property from any aerial observation.
This is why the legal justification has been criticised by scholars, lawyers and privacy advocates, as well as by parliamentary bodies specifically in response to "privacy-invasive technologies" like drones.
Given that nothing has been done about it – even while agencies like CASA make it ever easier to record invasive footage – it may be time to accept that, in Australia at least, the age of privacy might really be over.
Brendan Gogarty is a lecturer in Law at the University of Tasmania. This article was first published on The Conversation.


text:
Order Stop
by ensky
Available preorder slots are full. Expected release date is Aug. 2024. We will accept additional orders then if stock is available.
This is an item that can stick to various objects.
Important note about the variation of this product: These items are marked as "trading kits" ala "trading cards." The Packages are sealed and the items are randomly packed. Because of this, it is impossible for HobbyLink Japan to handle request which specific figures and we cannot promise which figure you will receive in a box. Please place your order for this item only if you are willing to receive any one of the different types.


text:
Beverly Hills Med Spa
Welcome to Motykie Med Spa, where your beauty, health, and wellness are our number one priority. Our highly trained staff is ready to assist you with the most advanced techniques in Skin Care, Body Contouring, Injectables and Laser Treatments. Dr. Gary Motykie is the only Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in the world to pioneer the combination of currently available cosmetic treatments with several Health & Wellness Services to promote the best aesthetic results possible. The goal at Motykie Med Spa is to give you flawless, healthy, younger looking skin while simultaneously creating a long-term, custom treatment plan that will slow the aging process and help to create the best and most beautiful you!


text:
2011 Is a Life without Debt & Taxes Possible?
In an Equal Money System Taxes & Debt will no longer exist because the EMS will support humanity – each one equally in dignity – and not exploiting through make believes that everything is ok so how it works.
The existed Money-System or rather the whole Life what we currently live here on earth is through… Weiterlesen


text:
Data protection information
The information that you communicate is only destined to SERDI Secretariat authorized personnel in charge of the treatment.
The maximal duration for preservation of your personal data is 5 years from your last registering.
In accordance with European laws (GDPR regulation May 2018) and the French Data Protection Act of January 6, 1978, you have a right of access, rectification, cancellation and opposition on your personal data for lawful reasons.
You can exercise your rights by email at: email@example.com, or by regular mail to be sent to SERDI (43 chemin del prat 31320 Auzeville Tolosane France), with a signed copy of your ID.
You can be registered to one of the newsletters of SERDI Publisher : as author, reviewer, or registered to one of the Congress organized in partnership with Celsius, Europa Organisation, and ANT Congress.
Your data are collected by these entities in accordance with the EU GDPR Regulation.
The relevant data collected are only: your e-mail address and your country of origin.
This data shall be kept for a period of 5 years from your registration to the congress.
Payments :
If you purchase an article on our website, the data concerning the payment of this article (name of contact and billing details) are collected in a secure way.
These are forwarded only to the banking intermediary which is in charge of processing payments (Banque populaire Occitane).
Your banking data are not sent to SERDI.
Only billing information is kept by SERDI: last name, first name, billing address, e-mail, for a 5 years duration after your last purchase.


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9 - 2 parallel dots (Neer Pulli) Kolam.
Draw the basic kolam as above and then join as shown below.
lovely rangoli...very attractive
i was searching for kolams n came across ur site.. thanks for posting such lovely kolams & also the way to make them..
Welcome to my site. Hope you will try some of my kolams and post your comments.
Hi, Kamala
A wonderful site. I was amazed looking into these beautiful kolams. The step by step method of creating the kolam is very informative and easy. Thanks for such an awesome creation.
Hi Shree,
Thank you for visiting my site and your comments.
wowwwwwwwwwwwwww .... i loved al d kolams mam,,,, wonderful designs ,,,, u r so modest ... artistic ----
hi mam ,
i loved al d kolams ,,, by seeing al ur kolams , i got so much interested and started to try each and everyone ,,, thank u for creating interest on such a beautiful art.
Thank you Priya.
mam wonderful kolams amazing no wrds 2 xpress u hav such a creativity n a nice taste towards kolams ..... hope u give us more n more ... my mom started appreciatin me so much tank yu so much mam..plz don stop or ban ur creativity,give us more kolams so dat v cud get sum more ideas n share it wid evry1!!!! i became ur fan mam ... tank yu so so much...
wish u a advanve happy new year 2011 !!!
Thank you Vanitha for your nice comments. I will try to post more kolams. I too wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.
Wow, what an Awesome collection of kolams and all are easily understandable. But for few I am not able to find the dot count for example, kolam no.316. I loved all the kolams very much and tried a few also.Thanks for taking so much of pain and putting effort to fulfill the thirst of kolam lovers.
Hi Padma Prakash,
Thank you for visiting my blog and your kind feeback. For Kolam No.316, I have given Basic Kolam above. After putting the basic kolam, it is a free hand drawing. You have to join the corners as shown above.
kolams that u post is excellent post some more different
Hi Kamala,
Nice kolams so plz send somore with
fine ones.
very nice , i like very much
Thank you Sujatha.
hi Kamala,
these are really wonderful kollams... thank you so much for taking the effort and creating your blog... god bless you and happy Pongal...
hi Kamala,
thank you very much for taking the time out to create this blog, these are beautiful kollam's... god bless you and happy pongal...
hi mam,
My name is Amrita..I'm maharashtrian, but I like south Indian kolam very much.I was looking for a site for dot kolam with many designs,& I found your site.your designs r really wonderful,very creative....Thank You very much
very superb, keep it up ya..
Dear kamala maami
Lovely kolams.Like your recipies your patterns and step by step explanations are very nice.Please give us some kanya kolams maami.Thank you and love you maami
Dear Mami,
Thank you for the instructions on this kolam. While I thought it was drawn free hand like a rangoli, it never struck me that it could be done with dots.
Love all your kolams... Thanks!
Thank you Deepa.
Excellent site.After reading in Mangaiyarmalar about this site I opened your blog.The way you explained is very nice.Wonderful job. I learned a lot of kolams from your site.Thanks.


text:
We've discussed boats and planes - now lets see where they dock. The Hebrew word for "port" or "harbor" is namel נמל. There's no connection to nemala נמלה - "ant", and we know this due to the etymology. While nemala is a Biblical, Semitic word with cognates in Akkadian, namel has a more complicated history.
Klein provides the following etymology:
Formed through metathesis from Greek limen (=harbor, haven), which is related to limne (=marsh, pool, lake), leimon (=a moist, grassy meadow), and probably cognate with Latin limus (= slime, mud, mire). See 'slime' in my CEDEL.
In his CEDEL (Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language) he has the following entry for "slime":
slime, n. -- ME. slim, fr. OE. slim, which is rel to ON. slim, Dan. slim, Du. slijm, MHG. slim, G. Schlein, 'slime', OHG. slimen, 'to make smooth', fr. I.-E. base *(s)lei-, 'slime, slimy, sticky, dauby, slippery', whence also Russ. slimak, 'snail' (lit. 'the slimy animal'), OSlav. slina, 'spittle', OIr. sligim, 'I smear', MIr. slemum, W. llyfn, 'smooth', Gk. leimax, 'snail' (whence L. limax, of s.m.), limne, 'marsh, pool, lake', L. limus (for *slimus), 'slime, mud, mire', lima, 'file', limare, 'to file, polish', linere, 'to daub, besmear, rub out, erase', Gk. alinein (Heschylus), 'to anoint, besmear'. See lime, 'birdlime', and cp. loam. Cp. also delete, illinition, leio-, levigate, lientery, Limicolae, limnetic, limno-, Limonium, liniment, litotes, loam, obliterate, Prayala. Cp. also sleek, slick, slide, slight, slip, slowworm.However, Meir Lubetski, in this fascinating article, proposes that both the Greek and Hebrew terms derive from an earlier Egyptian word for port - mni. He writes:
The Hellenistic period saw the Greeks arriving at the ports of Palestine and Syria and utilizing the word limen for the various port cities. They were not, however, introducing a brand new expression, but were rather employing an old Egypto-Semitic term which had made its way to them in the pre-Amarna era.(I've noticed this Semitic-Greek-Semitic pattern before, for example with the word semida.)
Since Rabbinic literature, composed during the Hellenistic period, borrowed many Greek words, it was easily assumed that it had also appropriated limen from the Greeks, but even if this was so, it was only using an Egypto-Semitic word adopted long before by the Greeks.
Lubetski provides a number of linguistic proofs for his theory, but also shows that there are "figurative connotations" found in the Egyptian mni and the Semitic למין - but are absent in the Greek limen. For example, in both Egyptian tradition and Jewish midrashim we find the metaphor of a port as "death, the harbor of eternal life." Also, associations between port and "custom house" and "rule" are found in Egyptian and Hebrew sources, but not Greek.
As we mentioned earlier, the Greek limen was transformed by metathesis to namel. This process however, occurred in Babylon, whereas in Eretz Yisrael - in the Yerushalmi Talmud and Midrashim - we find the form למין, which is much closer to the Greek. (The form נמל is found in the Mishna Eruvin 4:2, but many manuscripts have the more likely למן.)
Until now, I've been been transliterating נמל as "namel". But how do I know that it isn't "namal" - a pronunciation found frequently in Israel today? First of all, in addition to נמל, we also find the form נמיל (which would be a fuller metathesis of לימן). Ben Yehuda quotes the 10th century poet Shlomo HaBavli who rhymes נמל with גומל - gomel as evidence of the correct pronunciation. Avshalom Kor writes in Yofi Shel Ivrit (pgs. 95-98) that נמל should be considered like זקן: namel / zaken. Only in the construct state (semichut) do we find nemal - as in Nemal Haifa - the Haifa port.
So why is it so common to hear nemal (without semichut) or namal today? Kor writes that this is due to the influence of the famous poem by Leah Goldberg about the Tel Aviv port, where she rhymes נמל with גל gal - "wave" and מעל me'al - "above". However, there apparently is still some discussion about the proper pronunciation as mentioned in the Wikimilon page and on Safa-Ivrit.
So we've seen how namel has been a powerful image in mythology and poetry for centuries. However, when it comes to air traffic instead of sea voyages - not so much. While in conversational Hebrew we usually refer to an airport as sde teufa שדה תעופה, that actually refers to (literally) an "airfield", which is smaller than an "airport" - נמל תעופה nemal teufa. And so Israel's main airport is officially Nemal Teufa Ben Gurion - the Ben Gurion Airport. But that's a mouthful, so when printed, it's abbreviated to נתב"ג. The problem starts when that abbreviation is pronounced, and even worse spelled NATBAG (in English!) on signs. Clearly, no tourist would be able to guess that this acronym means "airport". But of course if it wasn't for NATBAG, we couldn't have the NATBAG problem, and with it all of the crazy signs here (and with it my wife's blog...)


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As genealogists, we are used to tracing our ancestors and the history of the places they lived. Not all of us live where our ancestors did. Do we take the time to see the history all around us? Use some of your investigative skills to research theI do live where my ancestors lived - or at least moved to between the 1880s-1920s. I have talked before about St. Louis History. Most notably about:
house, street, or town/city where YOU live. Write about an interesting person, place, or event of local history.
- Housing Conditions in 1908 (First Entry) ( Second Entry)
- The St. Louis Snow Event of 1982
- Missouri Cider and TS Eliot
July 2, 1917, one of the largest race riots in United States history occurred in East St. Louis, Illinois. Estimates on deaths range from 48-150 people killed, making it the bloodiest until the LA riots in 1992 may have surpassed it. Though since less than 60 died in LA, the record may still stand.
The police chief estimated that 100 blacks had been killed. The renowned journalist Ida B. Wells reported in The Chicago Defender that 40-150 black people were killed during July in the rioting in East St. Louis. Six thousand blacks were left homeless after their neighborhood was burned. [Wikipedia]Here is a contemporary account:
The area is better defined in a 1982 account:On the first of July, 1917, between 9 o'clock and midnight, two automobiles loaded with white men drove through the negro settlement of East St. Louis shooting toward negro homes. This naturally aroused the colored people so that by midnight great numbers of negroes were marching the streets in the colored settlement portion of East St. Louis armed with shotguns, rifles and revolvers. The police department having been informed of these conditions ordered a sergeant of police, two patrolmen and a chauffeur to proceed at once in an automobile to the south part of East St. Louis, the seat of the trouble. Upon reaching Fifteenth Street and Bond Avenue, this detail of police encountered about one hundred negroes marching in the street in battle array. After some conversation between the police and the negroes, the negro mob fired into the automobile, killing the sergeant of police and one patrolman. 'This occurred about 12.15 a. m. of the second of July, 1917.
From 8 o'clock a. m. to 10 o'clock a. m. on July 2, 1917, the automobile that had been occupied by the policemen and which was riddled with bullets was standing in front of the police station at East St. Louis, around which automobile crowds of people had gathered. Some of the leaders called on these people generally to go to a certain hall to discuss the situation. At this meeting incendiary speeches were made and when the crowd left the hall, it marched down Collinsville Avenue, the principal business street of East St. Louis. Assaults on colored people by this crowd began to be made about 10 o'clock a. m. and continued until 11 p. m. of July 2, developing into the most lawless and disgraceful race riot. About 8 o'clock in the evening of that day the white mob began applying the torch, burning large areas of houses occupied by colored people. In this riot, eleven white men and probably one hundred colored people lost their lives. Many of the bodies were completely burned, some were thrown in the Cahokia Creek, and the exact number of those killed will never be known.
During all of this time, there was not the slightest effort made on the part of the police force of East St. Louis nor the sheriffs force of St. Clair County to stop the riot.
Biennial report and opinions of the Attorney General of the State of Illinois By Illinois. Attorney General's Office, Illinois, Published by State Printers, 1918 (pp 16-18)
Between ten o'clock and eleven o'clock, other colored people were attacked along Collinsville Avenue between Broadway and Illinois Avenue. This area became a bloody half-mile in the following three or four hours. (Race riot at East St. Louis, July 2, 1917, by Elliott M. Rudwick, 1982, p. 44)There were a handful of bright spots
Many Negroes owed their lives to the alarm sent by True Light Baptist Church which rang its bell to indicate that rampaging whites were coming. Sympathetic whites hid Negroes in their basements while flames illuminated the night sky. Hundreds of refugees were brought to the city hall auditorium.(The East St. louis Action Research Project)
But(Left: Political cartoon. Caption: Mr. President, why not make America safe for Democracy?")
A few whites who attempted to protest against the violence were threatened; some were 'hissed' and 'hushed' by women carrying hatpins and pen knives as weapons. (Rudwick, p. 44)
And several others, though sympathetic, were too scared to act.
Some of my ancestors moved between East and West a lot; especially the Cruvant branch. As I noted above, then, as today, if you worked in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, living in the Illinois suburbs could actually be more convenient.
My second great grandfather, Moshe Leyb Cruvant, lived at 415 Collinsville Avenue up until his death in 1911. My great grandmother, Bertha Cruvant, likely lived there until she married a month before her father died. I believe his son, David Cruvant, was already living there, or moved into the house at that point. He was definitely living there in 1918, when he registered for the war. The Sanborn maps I looked at date back to 1905 when Collinsville Avenue extended only to the 350s - right on the border of Illinois Avenue. It appears the numbering hasn't changed - on current maps, 415 is just North of Illinois Avenue, just outside the boundaries of the riot defined by Rudwick. Another son, Ben, was also living in East St. Louis, not too far away.
So where were my great grandmother's brothers during the riot? I don't know. Only a generation removed from European pogroms, it's hard to believe they did anything truly regretful. There are no family stories I have heard, and their names aren't mentioned in any of the online sources I searched.


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JB from Kansas City out-Domino's the Fat Man on these great rockin' R&B tracks from the late 50s/early 60s - mostly recorded with Dave Bartholomew's band at New Orleans' legendary Cosimo's Studios.
He's nobody's idea of a household name, but mention Jimmy Beasley to most 50s R&B and rock'n'roll collectors and you'll immediately meet with a warm smile of recognition, and a surge of admiration for the man's recordings of the mid-to-late 1950s. Cherished completely by New Orleans collectors for his fine Fats Domino-influenced sides (some actually recorded in New Orleans with Fats' band, others recorded with an equally stellar line up of LA session greats including Beasley himself on piano), Jimmy didn't really record often enough to elevate his reputation into that of a superstar, but his half-dozen-plus singles and sole album are as important a rockin' legacy as are those of just about any acknowledged leader of the rockin' pack. Jimmy's House Party marks the first time that his most excellent Modern recordings have been comprehensively and legally anthologised for compact disc.
Born in Kansas City but resident in Los Angeles from a relatively early age, Jimmy Beasley was in his 20s when he went to work for the Bihari brothers - initially as a songwriter and session pianist - under the supervision of the great tenor player/arranger Maxwell Davis. It was Davis who hipped Joe and Jules to the fact that Jimmy could sing as well as he wrote, and they signed him to an artist contract that lasted, on and off, for almost a decade. Jimmy came to Modern as an artist at just about the same time that Fats Domino was beginning to cross over from exclusively R&B to rock'n'roll, and like most label bosses the Biharis were looking for their own Fatsalike. Versatile to a fault, Jimmy Beasley proved from the off with Ella Jane that he could be what they were looking for. And in the space of just over two years Beasley subsequently racked up seven or eight great vocal 45s that a) adhered to the Fats formula and b) were mostly just as essential as anything the Fat Man himself was coming out with at the time. Both sides of all of these 45s are featured on this collection, of course.
Modern's farsighted policy of releasing albums on virtually all their major signings meant that Jimmy also had a contemporaneous long-playing vinyl release. The Fabulous Jimmy Beasley came out on both Modern and Crown - and later, and at the height of the 'twist' boom, in slightly amended form as Twist With Jimmy Beasley. (This CD takes into account all the different configurations, of course!). Compiled primarily from masters that hadn't then been issued on 45, it's one of the greatest rock'n'roll albums that most people probably never heard at the time. Beasley was fortunate in that he got to record with some of the greatest R&B musicians in both New Orleans and Los Angeles, and both sets of studio wizards raised the bar on their already-immaculate performances to accommodate Beasley's excellent songwriting and piano skills. Even though it's an inescapable fact that Modern wanted Jimmy to be their Fats Domino, it's nonetheless true that even with the presence of the mighty Dave Bartholomew Band on the New Orleans-recorded cuts he still managed - with one or two exceptions - to sound like nobody other than J Beasley. That he could 'do Fats' as well as he does on My Happiness and the later, previously unissued That's The Way It's Gonna Be is - from a distance of more than 40 years -an ongoing pleasing bonus for Mr Domino's many fans...
While researching this project I was delighted to come across Jimmy's previously unissued take on the Long Gone / After Hours riff that's featured here. As befits his Kansas City origins, Jimmy was a heck of a piano player in his prime, and it's a shame that he didn't record a few more instrumentals besides Johnny's House Party (showcased here, for the first time, in a re-edited full length version) for public consumption.
To compensate for the fact that he didn't, there's plenty of chances to enjoy his warm, cheerful vocals on a wealth of good stuff that's mostly previously unissued on CD - and an equally-generous amount that's never been issued at all. In the latter department the remainder of the early 60s session that produced JB's final Modern single, the romping Ready To Go, is especially delightful to hear 37 or 38 years after it was originally cut, and in particular the very fine rocker Listen Here Big Brown Eyes - which, for myself as the CD's compiler and 'A'-class Beasley fan, is one of his very best recordings.
Ace's original vinyl issue of JIMMY'S HOUSE PARTY is an item that we have often been asked to transfer to CD down the years. Now it's been done at last, and it's our hope that everyone will agree that the wait has been more than worthwhile. Sadly Jimmy is not in the best of health these days, and when interviewed especially for this project by annotator Opal Louis Nations, he remarked that, whether or not he was around to see and hear the CD, he was glad that his grandchildren would get the chance to hear how fine he sounded in his prime. Of course they will, and so we hope will Mr Jimmy Beasley - as good rockin' a 50s R&B act as you'll ever encounter... ...
Ain't Nothin' But A House Party, y'all!
BY Tony Rounce


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Art as an Investment
Are you an investor looking to diversify your investments, or perhaps you're a new investor looking for something other than traditional stocks and bonds to invest in. No matter what your situation, investing in art can prove to be lucrative, if you do your research. While novice art investors can be initially intimidated by their lack of knowledge in the field, educating yourself as to the variety of options available will go far in reducing that intimidation.
If you're considering investing in art, here are a few good reasons why you should, along with a few downsides that should be considered:
- A variety of options available – While most new investors think paintings when considering whether to invest in art, there are a variety of media options to choose from, including photography, prints, sculpture, and drawings.
- The ability to start slowly – The ability to purchase a single piece of art allows you to fall in love with a single piece and add to your collection as time and money allows. Your collection can be as small or as large as you wish, with the ability to add to it at any time.
- You remain in control of your investment – Many of us are reluctant to relinquish control, which traditional investing can do. However, when purchasing art as an investment, you are entirely in control, from choosing the initial piece, to displaying and caring for the artwork.
- No volatility – the stock market is notorious for its volatility, with stock frequently soaring to new highs, only to drop precipitously the following week. But artwork tends to appreciate slowly, without the extreme highs and lows that other investors may experience.
- You can enjoy your investment as it appreciates – Unlike stocks and bonds, art work can be enjoyed while it steadily appreciates in value. In fact, many people who have valuable art collections started collecting because they simply love art.
Here are some disadvantages to consider when deciding whether to invest in art:
- A lot of initial research is needed – Unlike stocks and bonds, where you can go on the advice of professionals or check recent performance, investing in art requires more than a rudimentary knowledge of art. Prior to buying any piece as a potential investment, be sure to research the piece itself, the artist, the gallery, or the online seller thoroughly.
- No liquidity – compared to other investment options, selling a piece of art can take a considerable amount of time.
- Artwork requires attention – Will you display your piece in your home, or will you store it somewhere? Either way, the piece will require safekeeping from damages, including fires, floods, and other natural disasters.
- No guarantee that it will actually appreciate in value – If you purchase artwork to enjoy primarily, while also looking at it as an investment, this is likely not as important as those purchasing a piece strictly for its potential to appreciate in value. While it's unlikely that you'll lose money on your purchase, the fact is that you may never see a rise in value for any piece of art purchased.
While it's true that investing in art is not a good fit for everyone, those that want to touch and enjoy their investments may want to consider this option when broadening their investment portfolio.
*This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information provided is not written or intended as tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for purposes of avoiding any Federal tax penalties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel. Individuals involved in the estate planning process should work with an estate planning team, including their own personal legal or tax counsel. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a representation by us of a specific investment or the purchase or sale of any securities. Asset allocation and diversification do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets. This material was developed and produced by Advisor Websites to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. Copyright 2024 Advisor Websites.