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A tribute to my favourite city
~ 10 minute read
Living in Valletta: a permanent surprise
When I moved to Valletta five years ago, one of my greatest surprises was seeing that particular face expression each time I told somebody where I was living. "Valletta?" – they cried, turning their face into a display of disbelief and frustration – "but why?!" It was then my turn to be surprised and reply "Why not?", only to learn that the problem was "those-ħamalli-hostile-to-every-stranger-and-whom-everyone-in-their-right-mind-avoids", or, in brief, the stereotyped residents of Valletta. I usually replied by admitting that I had not noticed anything outrageous about my Valletta neighbours, compared to my previous neighbours in Msida and Gzira, and used to receive a skeptic look, followed by a short yet affirming "not yet".
Although so much has changed in five years, ironically, the expression of surprise accompanying the question "Do you live in Valletta?" remains, but of a different kind. The alarmed look has now been replaced by a brow-raising suspicion of my riches. The most frequent question now is "How can you afford it?" This curiosity is easily understood: at this point in time, the monthly rent for a basic two-bedroom property is no less than €700, whilst more fashionably furnished properties cost between €1000 and €2300 (!) per month.
What's happened? How has the capital so closely associated with "slums", "criminals" and "ħamalli" become trendy and barely affordable for an average earner within just a couple of years? One way to answer this question is simply the effect of gentrification brought on by handsome property investment prospects as part the European Capital of Culture 2018. However, the side effect of the approaching V18 is only part of a bigger picture. In fact, rather than being smoothly revamped into a "capital of culture", Valletta 2017 has become much more of a battleground between antagonistic cultures and the winner is the one which promises highest profits.
What is Culture?
The rapid transformation of Valletta is a source of many disputes. Some argue that Valletta is far more charming in a crumbling state, whilst others say that a facelift is necessary due to the hosting of the European capital of culture. One way or another, the ultimate majority of discussions about the future image of Valletta focus exclusively on the visual aspects of its facades and omit the stories of human relationships hidden behind them.
To start with, there is no universal definition of culture. In fact, the two most frequently referenced definitions contradict one another. According to one of them, culture is "a moral and aesthetic ideal, which found expression in art and literature and music and philosophy". This definition is attributed to Matthew Arnold and his work "Culture and Anarchy". The other author, Edward Burnett Tylor, suggested that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society".
The fate of Valletta depends on which kind of culture it is going to be a capital of. Is it the culture limited to prestigious entertainment or is it the culture of everyday life experiences which bring the place and the people into a tangible bond? Is it the culture which only sees Malta's capital as a gourmet backdrop for trendy performances or is it the culture which can be experienced only by becoming part of its daily fabric?
Valletta as two cities
I always thought that every place owns its unique spirit to the indissoluble relationship between its architecture and its people. However, soon after having become a part of Valletta myself, I began to realise that, in the eyes of the public, Valletta was two distinct things: one – a marvel of Baroque architecture and the other – a swamp. One – to be admired, the other – to be disdained and vilified. One – its facades and the other – its 3rd class residents.
I learned that Valletta was severely bombed during World War II and the majority of its A-list residents fled to safer places. Countless times the elegant ladies and gentlemen shrugged, spreading their hands to indicate disapproval and telling me "Valletta was a city built by gentlemen, for gentlemen … and look what it is now!"
The tragedy of this immensely charming city is that Valletta's architecture and Valletta's residents are not recognised as one coherent whole. Sadly, in the eyes of respectable citizens and heritage guards such Din L-Art Helwa, the residents and the architecture belong to different dimensions and worth of contrasting treatment. The residents, often stereotyped as primitive boors, leeches depleting the social welfare or criminals, are presumed undeserving of the places they inhabit, in which every stone tells a story of its past noble magnificence.
The Maltese gentry, for whom culture and Baroque are interchangeable terms, goes at lengths to emphasize that the city built by their forefathers still belongs to them and it should be reserved for worshiping high culture. They denounce anything unfitting of Valletta's noble image. The Monti, pastizzi shops, clothes lines – everything inseparable from the daily lives of many of Valletta's residents – is classified as desperately brutish, plebeian and culture-lacking. The social housing units of Mandragg and lower Valletta fall into the same "shameful eyesore" category.
Hipster Valletta: regeneration with a taste for venerating poverty?
Unfortunately, the nation-wide pride of its architecture did not protect "the city built by gentlemen" from decades of neglect. In his renowned photographic essay "Vanishing Valletta", David Pisani documented the crumbling abandoned buildings which neither "gentlemen" nor the government rushed to restore. The most beautiful facades were not deemed worthy of care until a few years ago, when shabby suddenly became the new chic. New bars on Strait Street and lower Valletta (former red light districts) were injected with a new vibe. However, these trendy outlets rely mainly on the fashionable hipster crowd who visit Valletta for a sip of "authentic experience".
The hipster crave for "authenticity" deserves a special mention. Unlike the conservative baroque-worshipping gentry, the predominantly young creative middle class is not repelled by shabby walls and laundry lines. On the contrary, the youth unfamiliar with the realities of true undignified poverty sees dilapidated spaces as aesthetically pleasing and "cool". Thus, to the hipster culture, Valletta's crumbling facades are a splendid backdrop for a trendy party.
The hipster culture does not seek a deeper relationship with the city because its interests do not go beyond the aesthetics of the facades. This way of experiencing the city also deprives its residents of their humanity as it folklorises them into exotic creatures. The condescending acceptance of embarrassingly styleless specimen best manifested itself in a LovinMalta's article: with a touch of sentimental sadness, it waved good-bye to the Triton Fountain kiosks, classifying them as amusing, yet unfitting to the upscale image a European Capital of Culture is expected to flaunt.
The contrast between the outspoken poverty of a few Valletta's neighbourhoods and the trendy entertainment culture thriving on romanticising this poverty is stark. Hipster's willingness to hang around dilapidated spaces sets a precedent for opening of more bars designed to suite a particular taste. While Tico-Tico, Café Society and the Gut physically belong to Valletta, they remain an isolated bubble which overlooks the life of the local community.
However, my skepticism towards the hipster attitude to Valletta does not extend to criticising all of the younger vibes. On the contrary, Valletta's population is ageing, which means that many more houses will become vacant in the near future. Will these houses be reborn as homes or will they turn into outlets whose only contribution to Valletta's life is commerce?
Boutique hotels for the tasteful caste
The handsome profitable prospects brought by the European Capital of Culture have turned Valletta into a goldmine and a battleground between various interests at once. After the decades of neglect and distant worship, the vacant houses and residential properties discovered a new meaning of existence – that of a boutique hotel.
It is easy to lose count of the permit applications for boutique accommodation popping up practically around every corner.
With no exaggeration, there soon will be more boutique hotels than residents in Valletta: exclusive accommodations such as Ursulino, Casa Ellul, SU29 and Palazzo Consiglia are now competing for distinguished clientele with La Falconeria, De Vilhena, Valletta Boutique Living, Valletta Vintage and a dozen more boutique hotels-to-be at Republic, St. Paul's, St. Christopher, St. Ursula, St. Barbara, Old Theatre, Old Bakery Streets and Valletta's old fish market Pixkerija. Barbara Bastions can now be safely renamed into Boutique bastions since only a couple of houses in that location are not being converted into exclusive accommodation of some kind.
The construction works were criticised by the local council as "the worst siege ever" and slammed by the residents, the heritage organizations and the intelligentsia alike – albeit for contrasting reasons. Whereas the residents have to endure the non-stop sounds of drilling, the cranes above their roofs and the clouds of dust, the reasons for critique from the heritage activists and the creative class are not as straight-forward. It is not the appropriation of residential houses into boutique hotels that the "baroque or nothing" heritage activists protest, but the obscure appropriators whose cultural unawareness and opportunism are enough to infuriate the gentry. The creative crowd predictably protests the visual aspects of the developments: the cranes distorting the skyline, the disappearance of venerated shabbiness and the heavy presence of scruffy workers, so unpleasant to the aesthetically sensitive taste.
On the other hand, the ever-growing number of boutique accommodations provides a perfect opportunity for implementing interior designer skills and entrepreneurial ambitions – the traits highly respected by the tasteful critics. Thus, once the cranes, the trucks and the workers are gone leaving behind a new deliciously designed hotel, the critique is immediately replaced by ovations and excitement at the prospects of welcoming the esteemed guests. Gentrification of Valletta is not only barely spoken about but is openly celebrated. Same is true about the Three Cities – Senglea, Cospicua and Birgu.
It certainly is positive that the buildings of such beauty and history are being restored, yet it is equally sad that the restoration of these buildings is deemed worthy only if it promises solid investment rewards. Besides, the "boutiquefication" of Valletta reduces the residents and the everyday life to a decorative view from a holiday room.
The Capital of Whose Culture?
Another unsubtle declaration of what kind of culture is to be respected came from the artistic director of Teatru Malta, Sean Buhagiar. A few months back, when snap elections were not on the horizon, he urged the Prime Minister to abstain from disturbing the "culture" with such an uncreative event as general elections. Sadly, this point of view is shared by the various creative professionals – artists, designers, performers – to whom Valletta 2018 is, first and foremost, an opportunity to impress an eminent international audience with the presumably high degree of creativity .
The employment and career opportunities offered to a broad category of professionals by Valletta 2018 are certainly among its positive aspects, yet the statements like those said by Sean Buhagiar are indeed irritating, because they refuse to acknowledge any other definition of culture except from artistic performances which he and his colleagues play an imperative role in. Indeed, the demand for sophisticated entertainment is at the core of the middle- and upper-class cultural habits yet culture, in its broad sense, is not equivalent to the consumption of concerts, performances and exhibitions.
Sincerely, I have lost count of various Valletta-related arguments to disagree with.
I disagree with sentimental conservationists who morn the Valletta of crumbling facades and regard it as far more dignified than Valletta restored. While shabbiness might appear particularly spiritual to spectators, to many residents it simply signifies poverty and the inability to carry out restoration works on their own.
I disagree that the only way to restore Valletta is to convert it into a host of exclusive guest houses for the privileged caste, trendy bars and luxurious shopping outlets. The Valletta of boutique hotels would be hollow and soulless. The void of community spirit, which makes every city so unlike any other, would be replaced by temporary visitors who don't have a profound relationship with the city. It would turn locals and their households into somebody's room with a view. Yet, how can Valletta resurrect as a city with its own vibrant community life, if properties here are out of reach for the majority of the Maltese population?
Finally, I disagree with reducing Valletta to a backdrop for upmarket entertainment and tasteful consumption wrapped into "the European Capital of Culture 2018" package. As any other place, Valletta does not lack culture of its own. On the contrary, it has plenty of it – the little mundane rituals of "hello" and "how are you", the feasts, the relationships between the people whom Valletta comforts and makes feel at home. Unlike the pre-packaged commodified experiences offered by hipster culture and Valleta 2018, the culture of daily participation cannot be exhibited at a museum or performed on stage – it cannot be experienced in any way other than becoming a part of its fabric. Too bad this kind of culture does not offer profitable returns and hence is not held in high regard.
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Constitution of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America
This page does not provide license information. Pages with no license information may be nominated for deletion. If you'd like to help, see Help:Copyright tags or comment. |
8th February, 1861. | |
Read first, second and third times and engrossed; and unanimously adopted. 1000 copies ordered to be printed. | |
Howell Cobb, | |
J. J. Hooper, Secretary | President of Congress. |
We, the Deputies of the Sovereign and Independent States of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, invoking the favor of Almighty God, do hereby, in behalf of these States, ordain and establish this Constitution for the Provisional Government of the same: to continue one year from the inauguration of the President, or until a permanent Constitution or Confederation between the said States shall be put in operation, whichsoever shall first occur.
All legislative powers herein delegated shall be vested in this Congress now assembled, until otherwise ordained.
When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, the same shall be filled in such manner as the proper authorities of the State shall direct.
1. The Congress shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its members; any number of Deputies from a majority of the States, being present, shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members; upon all questions before the Congress, each State shall be entitled to one vote, and shall be represented by any one or more of its Deputies who may be present.
2. The Congress may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.
3. The Congress shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members on any question, shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, or at the instance of any one State, be entered on the journal.
The members of Congress shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the Confederacy. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of the Congress, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate, they shall not be questioned in any other place.
1. Every bill which shall have passed the Congress, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the Confederacy; if he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it with his objections, to the Congress, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to re-consider it. If, after such re-consideration, two-thirds of the Congress shall agree to pass the bill, it shall become a law. But in all such cases, the vote shall be determined by yeas and nays; and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. The President may veto any appropriation or appropriations and approve any other appropriation or appropriations, in the same bill.
2. Every order, resolution or vote, intended to have the force and effect of a law, shall be presented to the President, and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of the Congress, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.
3. Until the inauguration of the President, all bills, orders, resolutions and votes adopted by the Congress shall be of full force without approval by him.
1. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, for the revenue necessary to pay the debts and carry on the Government of the Confederacy; and all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the States of the Confederacy. And this Congress shall also exercise executive powers, until the President is inaugurated:
2. To borrow money on the credit of the Confederacy:
3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes:
4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the Confederacy:
5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures:
6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the Confederacy:
7. To establish post offices and post roads:
8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries:
9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court:
10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations:
11. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water:
12. To raise and support armies; but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years:
13. To provide and maintain a navy:
14. To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces:
15. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Confederacy, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions:
16. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Confederacy, reserving to the States respectively the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress: and
17. To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers and all other powers expressly delegated by this Constitution to this Provisional Government.
1. The importation of African negroes from any foreign country other than the slave-holding States of the United States, is hereby forbidden; and Congress is required to pass such laws as shall effectually prevent the same.
2. The Congress shall also have power to prohibit the introduction of slaves from any State not a member of this Confederacy.
3. The privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended unless, when in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it.
4. No Bill of Attainder, or ex post facto law, shall be passed.
5. No preference shall be given, by any regulation of commerce or revenue, to the ports of one State over those of another: nor shall vessels bound to or from one State be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties, in another.
6. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.
7. Congress shall appropriate no money from the treasury, unless it be asked for by the President or some one of the heads of Departments, except for the purpose of paying its own expenses and contingencies.
8. No title of nobility shall be granted by the Confederacy; and no person holding any office of profit or trust under it, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind, whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign State.
9. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of such grievances as the delegated powers of this Government may warrant it to consider and redress.
10. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
11. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
12. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
13. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
14. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence.
15. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved; and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the Confederacy, than according to the rules of the common law.
16. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
17. The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
18. The powers not delegated to the Confederacy by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
19. The judicial power of the Confederacy shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the States of the Confederacy, by citizens of another State, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign State.
1. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts; or grant any title of nobility.
2. No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws; and the nett produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any State on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the Confederacy, and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. No State, shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, enter into any agreement or compact with another State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.
1. The Executive power shall be vested in a President of the Confederate States of America. He, together with the Vice President, shall hold his office for one year, or until this Provisional Government shall be superseded by a Permanent Government, whichsoever shall first occur.
2. The President and Vice President shall be elected by ballot by the States represented in this Congress, each State casting one vote, and a majority of the whole being requisite to elect.
3. No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of one of the States of this Confederacy at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years and been fourteen years a resident of one of the States of this Confederacy.
4. In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, (which inability shall be determined by a vote of two-thirds of the Congress,) the same shall devolve on the Vice President; and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President; and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed or a President shall be elected.
5. The President shall at stated times receive for his services, during the period of the Provisional Government, a compensation at the rate of twenty-five thousand dollars per annum; and he shall not receive during that period any other emolument from this Confederacy, or any of the States thereof.
6. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the Confederate States of America, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution thereof.
. The President shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the Confederacy, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the Confederacy; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the Executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices; and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the Confederacy, except in cases of impeachment.
2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Congress, to make treaties; provided two-thirds of the Congress concur: and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Congress shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the court, and all other officers of the Confederacy whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law. But the Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
3. The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Congress, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.
1. He shall, from time to time, give to the Congress information of the state of the Confederacy, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the Congress at such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed; and shall commission all the officers of the Confederacy.
2. The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the Confederacy shall be removed from office on conviction by the Congress of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors: a vote of two-thirds shall be necessary for such conviction.
1. The judicial power of the Confederacy shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as are herein directed or as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
2. Each State shall constitute a District in which there shall be a court called a District Court, which, until otherwise provided by the Congress, shall have the jurisdiction vested by the laws of the United States, as far as applicable, in both the District and Circuit Courts of the United States, for that State; the Judge whereof shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Congress, and shall, until otherwise provided by the Congress, exercise the power and authority vested by the laws of the United States in the Judges of the District and Circuit Courts of the United States, for that State, and shall appoint the times and places at which the courts shall be held. Appeals may be taken directly from the District Courts to the Supreme Court, under similar regulations to those which are provided in cases of appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, or under such other regulations as may be provided by the Congress. The commissions of all the judges shall expire with this Provisional Government.
3. The Supreme Court shall be constituted of all the District Judges, a majority of whom shall be a quorum, and shall sit at such times and places as the Congress shall appoint.
4. The Congress shall have power to make laws for the transfer of any causes which were pending in the courts of the United States, to the courts of the Confederacy, and for the execution of the orders, decrees, and judgments heretofore rendered by the said courts of the United States; and also all laws which may be requisite to protect the parties to all such suits, orders, judgments, or decrees, their heirs, personal representatives, or assignees.
The judicial power shall extend to all cases of law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and of this Confederacy, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under its authority; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the Confederacy shall be a party; controversies between two or more States; between citizens of different States; between citizens of the same State claiming lands under grants of different States.
2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.
3. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury, and such trial shall beheld in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.
1. Treason against this Confederacy shall consist only in levying war against it, or in adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
2. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason; but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted.
1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved and the effect of such proof.
1. The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States.
2. A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.
3. A slave in one State, escaping to another, shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom said slave may belong by the executive authority of the State in which such slave shall be found, and in case of any abduction or forcible rescue, full compensation, including the value of the slave and all costs and expenses, shall be made to the party, by the State in which such abduction or rescue shall take place.
1. The Confederacy shall guaranty to every State in this union, a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and, on application of the legislature, or of the executive, (when the legislature cannot be convened,) against domestic violence.
1. The Congress, by a vote of two-thirds, may, at any time, alter or amend this Constitution.
1. This Constitution, and the laws of the Confederacy which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the Confederacy, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any thing in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.
2. The Government hereby instituted shall take immediate steps for the settlement of all matters between the States forming it, and their other late confederates of the United States in relation to the public property and public debt at the time of their withdrawal from them; these States hereby declaring it to be their wish and earnest desire to adjust everything pertaining to the common property, common liability, and common obligations of that union, upon the principles of right, justice, equity, and good faith.
3. Until otherwise provided by the Congress, the city of Montgomery, in the State of Alabama, shall be the seat of Government.
4. The members of the Congress and all executive and judicial officers of the Confederacy shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under this Confederacy.
5. The Congress shall have power to admit other States.

subset: commoncrawl


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I filmed the follow-up to my Creative Quilting with the Walking Foot class and I'd like to give my readers the chance to win the new class for free. Just click the link and enter. The class will go live later so stay tuned for a discount link from me to sign up. We'll review a little and then on to some new cool designs that are walking foot friendly. I sure hope to see you there.
You all know I love that walking foot.


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The classic letter below has been making the rounds on the internet since the Ottawa Citizen published it on Oct. 1, 2010.
It's from gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson to the Vancouver Sun. Thompson, living in New York York's Greenwich Village at the time, is looking for a job. The letter is dated Oct. 1, 1958.
I got a hell of a kick reading the piece Time magazine did this week on The Sun. In addition to wishing you the best of luck, I'd also like to offer my services.
Since I haven't seen a copy of the "new" Sun yet, I'll have to make this a tentative offer. I stepped into a dung-hole the last time I took a job with a paper I didn't know anything about (see enclosed clippings) and I'm not quite ready to go charging up another blind alley.
By the time you get this letter, I'll have gotten hold of some of the recent issues of The Sun. Unless it looks totally worthless, I'll let my offer stand. And don't think that my arrogance is unintentional: it's just that I'd rather offend you now than after I started working for you.
I didn't make myself clear to the last man I worked for until after I took the job. It was as if the Marquis de Sade had suddenly found himself working for Billy Graham. The man despised me, of course, and I had nothing but contempt for him and everything he stood for. If you asked him, he'd tell you that I'm "not very likable, (that I) hate people, (that I) just want to be left alone, and (that I) feel too superior to mingle with the average person." (That's a direct quote from a memo he sent to the publisher.)
Nothing beats having good references.
Of course if you asked some of the other people I've worked for, you'd get a different set of answers.
If you're interested enough to answer this letter, I'll be glad to furnish you with a list of references — including the lad I work for now.
The enclosed clippings should give you a rough idea of who I am. It's a year old, however, and I've changed a bit since it was written. I've taken some writing courses from Columbia in my spare time, learned a hell of a lot about the newspaper business, and developed a healthy contempt for journalism as a profession.
As far as I'm concerned, it's a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity. If this is what you're trying to get The Sun away from, then I think I'd like to work for you.
Most of my experience has been in sports writing, but I can write everything from warmongering propaganda to learned book reviews.
I can work 25 hours a day if necessary, live on any reasonable salary, and don't give a black damn for job security, office politics, or adverse public relations.
I would rather be on the dole than work for a paper I was ashamed of.
It's a long way from here to British Columbia, but I think I'd enjoy the trip.
If you think you can use me, drop me a line.
If not, good luck anyway.
Sincerely, Hunter S. Thompson
MeidaJobs Daily has a fun piece titled, Would Hunter Have Gotten Hired Today With That Letter?
The Vancouver skyline looked quite a bit different when Hunter S. Thompson wrote his letter 52 years ago. This shot is taken from Pacific Coastal Airlines on Oct. 15, 2010. Photo by Sue Frause.


text:
Approaching Belzec from the direction of Lublin, the 'resettlement' trains stopped at Zwierzyniec, 28 km from Belzec. The same frantic quest for escape also occupied the Jews on these transports. On one transport, Yacov Gurfein, a young boy made the jump. Yacov fell to the ground and waited. When the train finally moved off after a search, Yacov walked to Jaroslaw and took a train to Przemysl. He survived the war.[2]
One evening in late 1942, a transport arrived at Belzec from Tarnòw. The transport waited overnight guarded by the camp guards. From inside the wagons came terrible wailing and cries for water. In wagons waiting in the sidings at Belzec Jews broke through the barred windows and jumped to the ground where they were immediately shot by the guards. In the morning, 34 bodies were counted on one side of the track.
Helen Goldman, a young girl in her teens, was being transported with her family from Jawarów via Lvov to Belzec in August 1942. She, with others, broke out of the train en route; she escaped and survived the war.[3] From the same town in September, Jadzia Beer got her skirt caught in the car window in her attempt to jump the train. She was shot. In each deportation to the death camps, Jews tried to jump from the trains. The stories and accounts are endless.
Once a 'resettlement' train had received clearance from the Belzec station to proceed, the train, carrying thousands of terrified men, women, and children traveled on a single track, taking approximately 30 minutes to reach the extermination camp.
All other personnel, including the escorting and Schupo, were prohibited from entering Belzec camp and were required to patrol the area between the station and the camp gates. After unloading in the camp, Göckel, accompanied by one of the camp SS-NCOs, personally checked each wagon and when all was clear, he waved his flag and returned to bring in the next load.[4]
To the accompaniment of the camp musicians,[5] 20 wagons were shunted through the main gates closely guarded by the SS and Ukrainian guards. Once the wagons were inside the camp proper, the camouflaged main gates were closed until the first intake had been completed. Overlooking the whole process was a centrally located watchtower manned by armed Ukrainians. Everything was now automated to deal with the transports as quickly, and efficiently as possible.[6]
According to the Jewish survivor Rudolf Reder, who had arrived with his wife from Lvov on August 17,[7] the Jews were driven out of the wagons by the Ukrainians and had to jump one meter to the ground, where they were ordered to strip naked. The duty officer supervising this particular transport, SS-Scharführer Fritz Irrmann, gave the usual speech to the Jews that they had come here to work, but first they must bath: Ihr geht jetzt baden, nachher werdet ihr zur Arbeit geschickt! (You are now going to have a bath. Afterwards you will be sent to work).[8] One of the few artifacts that survived the Nazi demolition of the camp is one of the original information boards directing the Jews to the gas chambers:
A short time the men were marched naked towards the 'tube.' The women, after undressing, were driven to the haircutting barrack where a hundred 'barber chairs' beckoned them to have their hair shaved. By the time the haircutting had been completed,[10] the women were also driven along the 'tube' to the gas chambers and by this time, the men were already laying dead in the pits.
To enter the chambers the victims had to climb up several steps to the entrance but could see nothing of what was going on around them as the graves and the density of trees hid all other activities. Even in winter, as the trees were firs, they maintained this camouflage.
During this period, August, the peak of the 'resettlement' operations, three transports per day were arriving in Belzec.[11] The conditions at the ramp even shocked the supervising SS: piles of fly-bitten, putrid-smelling bodies just dumped on the ramp awaiting removal by the Jewish work brigade. Those too ill or too weak to proceed to the gas chambers were left on the ramp until main group had been dealt with. Those who had been left behind were then taken to the nearest open grave and shot.[12]
Shooting the elderly and the sick was normally carried out by a designated SS-NCO at the unloading ramp. SS-Scharführer Robert Jührs was posted to this area about the time the Kolomyja transports were arriving:
On this transport, the wagons were grossly overloaded and there were very many Jews who were not able to move. It could be that Jews had been pushed to the floor and trampled. In any case, there were Jews who in no way were able to go to the undressing barracks. As usual, Hering appeared and gave the order to shoot the Jews, 'Jührs, take these people to Camp II and shoot them.'[13]
Once the chambers were full and the doors sealed tight, Moniek, the Jewish Zugführer, signalled to the gas-engine mechanics to start the engine. During gassing operations, the camp orchestra played continually to drown out the screams and shouts. After the engine had been running for about 20 minutes, Moniek again signalled to the mechanics to switch the engine off.[14]
While this was going on, Rudolf Reder was fully engaged working the excavator, digging graves, and observing the gassing of his fellow man.[15] Reder's assessment that 33 mass graves were located within the designated area of Camp 2 was, incidentally, corroborated by the subsequent investigations in 1997-99. Some of these graves were enormous and it is difficult to imagine how they may have looked. On average, according to Reder, it took gravediggers a week to dig one grave and that was with the assistance of a mechanical earth-removing machine and conveyor belt which took the sandy earth from the bottom of the grave and deposited it at the rim. The investigating team in 1998 examined these graves to depths of five meters. In grave No. 14, which was undoubtedly the biggest and dated from the first phase, it would have been possible to drop two houses into the cavity with room to spare. Others were much smaller but still large enough to contain several thousand corpses.[16]
The gassing operation in Belzec was strictly off-limits to outsiders, even to some of the SS garrison. Throughout the first and second phases of Belzec, the gassing installations and operation were in the hands of just one man, SS-Scharführer Lorenz Hackenholt, who worked continuously with the assistance of selected Ukrainians and his Jewish Kapos.[17] Present at this part of the post-reception process was a Jewish Zugführer[18] named Moniek, a cab driver from Kraków, who was one of Hackenholt's Jewish assistant-mechanics; he wasn't in charge of anything except starting the engine while Hackenholt was absent or drunk.[19]
When Professor Pfannenstiel, a German visitor to Belzec, wanted to know what was going on inside the gas chambers, he was invited to put his ear to a door and listen. Pfannenstiel did just this and remarked, Just like in a synagogue.[20] Glass peepholes had been inserted into the doors but on this occasion, Pfannenstiel stated, that when he attempted to look inside he could not see anything as the glass was steamed over. After the signal had been given that the gassing was over, the 'death brigade,' led by the Zugführer, immediately went to work, pulling out the corpses with leather straps. The victims lay inside the gas chambers, criss-crossed and intertwined with one another. One by one, the Jewish 'death brigade' dragged the corpses to the open graves.[21] The next task was to clean the gas chambers and prepare them for the women and children who would soon arrive to be dealt with in the same way. The victims' property meanwhile was collected and taken to the locomotive shed for sorting and initial cleaning, then on to Lublin by rail. Cash and valuables were handled separately and collected by a special courier from T4 in Berlin.
At the edge of the grave, the elderly, children, and the sick were waiting with insane expressions in their eyes, staring dully into the grave. They were waiting for death and allowed to see their fill of the corpses, the blood, and the stench of putrefaction before SS-Scharführer Irrmann swept them into the grave with gunshots and the butt of his gun.[23]
Sobibór and Treblinka, Wirth introduced somewhat more 'sophisticated'arrangements. Rather like Dr. Schöngarth in Lvov and Hans Krüger in Stanislawow, Wirth demonstrated to his men how these executions were to be carried out.[24] Many children were liquidated in the pits rather than in the gas chambers. These victims were the toddlers, children with no mothers to undress them and lead them to the gas chambers, and small children of large families whose mothers had their hands full. These children were separated and taken to the graveside to be shot or bludgeoned to death. According to the Belzec survivor Chaim Hirszman, he witnessed on one occasion how many babies and very young children were just thrown alive into a pit and then covered with sand.[25] He was horrified to see the earth moving until they had all suffocated to death. In Treblinka, the duty executioner smashed children's heads against a wall and then threw the bodies into the burning ditch of the 'Lazarett.'[26]The most important considerations were the conservation of bullets or gas. SS-Scharführer August Miete (who was not SS) worked in the reception camp at Treblinka selecting Jews for the 'Lazarett':
I fired at the nape of the neck with a 9 mm. pistol. Those shot would fall into the pit. The number of people shot in this way from each transport varied. Sometimes two or three, and sometimes 20, or even more they included men and women, young and old, and also children.[27]
As the killing progressed in the 'Lazarett, these procedures became more sophisticated. Lessons learned in Belzec were implemented in Sobibór and Treblinka. For example, the sick and disabled Jews were now guided by a selected group of Jewish camp personnel to the 'Lazaret. ' In a small hut in Treblinka, manned by two members of the Jewish 'work brigade,' a white-coated bogus Red Cross official [an SS-NCO] dressed in a white doctor's coat invited the victims into the hut.[28] Once taken behind a screen all became clear to them. Before them was a pit, several meters deep and surrounded by an earth bank. In the pit was a burning mass of decomposed bodies infested with flies. Now resigned to their fate, the victims walked quietly or were carried on a stretcher by the 'work brigade' to the edge of the pit and then shot in the back of the neck by a pre-positioned executioner, usually by the duty SS-Scharführer or Ukrainian auxiliary.[29] This was also the fate of Jewish workers in the camp who had contravened the rules, become ill, or fallen victim to an assault by a guard and sustained serious injuries. Any injury inflicted by a cruel beating, making that person unable to work, was an invitation to attend the 'Lazarett' and qualified the victim for immediate attention by the duty SS-NCO. At the order, Komm, he was then led for disposal in the pit.
We have the eye witness accounts of these procedures by Rudolf Reder, the Ukrainian guard Nikolai Malagon, and members of the SS-garrison who carried out these summary murders.[30] When their work had been completed the SS garrison relaxed and waited for the next transport, expected to arrive within a few hours. Commandant Franz Stangl at Treblinka would have us believe that these disgusting brutal murders were carried out with consideration, especially if you happened to meet in the 'Lazarett' an old acquaintance from times gone by.
friends can expect favors, regardless of position, and when Blau's 80-year-old father arrived in the camp some time later, Blau sought Stangl's help to ease the inevitable by requesting that he take his father to the 'Lazerett' instead of the gas chambers. Blau senior was taken by his son to the execution pit, given a meal and then shot. Blau said to Stangl: Herr Hauptsturmführer, I want to thank you, I gave him a meal before taking him and now it's all over. Thank you very much.[32]
On November 15, 1942, 4,000 naked Jews arrived at Belzec from Zamosæ. The entire Judenrat was on this transport. The men were immediately driven to the gas chambers and the women to the barracks to have their hair shaved off. One male Jew, the deputy President of the Judenrat, was selected to remain behind.[34] The Latvian Schmidt ordered the Jewish band to assemble in the yard.[35] To the accompaniment of Es geht alles vorüber, es geht alles vorbei (Everything passes, everything goes by) and Drei Lilien, Drei Lilien, kommt ein Reiter gefahren, bringt die Lilien and (Three lilies, comes a rider bringing lilies). The Judenrat representative was cruelly beaten with whips about the head and ordered to dance and jump in the process. The torture of this man who had done nothing to provoke his attackers went on for several hours, watched by the SS-garrison who stood about laughing: Das ist eine höhere Person, Präsident des Judenrate. (That is a high-ranking person, President of the Judenrat!) In the evening, Schmidt took him to a grave, shot him in the head, and kicked him onto a pile of gassed corpses.[36]
When the exceptionally large transport of 51 wagons from Kolomyja arrived in September 1942, 2,000 Jews were found dead on arrival, and extra help was needed. Therefore, 100 naked Jews were taken off the next incoming transport to assist.[38] After the work was completed and the emergency was over, the Volksdeutsche, Schmidt, marched the 100 Jews to the open grave and shot them. When Schmidt ran out of ammunition he killed the rest with a pickaxe handle.[39] It was not economical to use the gassing facilities for only 100 victims.
A grave was not considered full until the layer of corpses exceeded one meter above ground level. The 'body placers' had a strict routine, which necessitated their walking over the buried corpses to reach all sides of the grave, even though the presence of body fluids engulfed their feet and ankles. According to Reder, this was the worst practice they had to endure. This practice was tolerated with only their faith to comfort them:[40]
The brigade consisted mostly of men whose wives, children, and parents had been gassed. Many of us managed to get 'Tallesim' and Tefillin' from the storerooms, and when the door was locked we heard the murmur of the 'Kaddish' prayer.[41] We prayed for the dead. Afterwards there was silence. We did not complain as we resigned ourselves to our fate. Maybe those 15 Zugführers were still under some sort of illusion, but not us.We all moved like people who had lost their will. We became one mass of people. I knew their names, but not many. I know that the doctor was a young general practitioner from Przemysl; his name was Jakubowicz. I also knew a businessman from Kraków called Schlussel, and his son; also a Czech Jew whose name was Ellbogen, he apparently owned a bicycle shop; I knew a man called Goldschmidt who was a well-known chef at the well-known 'Bruder Hanicka' restaurant in Karlovy Vary. We went through this terrible life like robots.
We had to sing songs before lunch and sing before evening coffee. At the same time one could hear the howling of the people being gassed - and the band playing; and opposite the kitchen stood the gallows. The final act of these macabre burials was the closure of the graves. On instructions from the Zugführer, the grave top was sprinkled with lime and covered with sand. It looked like a large mound but after a few days the mound had sunk to ground level.
Working conditions for these numbed souls had no let-up. Forced to work at a hard pace while continually being beaten, carrying or pulling corpses, many found life impossible to endure and collapsed, knowing full well what their own fate would be. Any infraction was met by an immediate 25 lashings with a riding whip. To receive this punishment the victim had to count off the lashes, 125, in German. Failure to keep count resulted in the whole procedure being repeated, but this time it was 50 lashes. Very few Jews were able to withstand such savage treatment and crawled back to the barrack badly injured. There they waited for the inspection and the almost inevitable bullet in the head. Each day after roll call the supervising SS guard recorded a list of the injured, the ill, or those considered 'finished'. These men were quietly taken to the grave edge and shot into the pit.[42] The macabre scene was as described by Berl Freiberg, a body remover in Sobibór: When pulling a dead man by the foot to the pit I sat down for a rest, all of a sudden I saw the 'dead' man sit up and ask 'is it still a long way?' Any attempt by Freiberg to save the man would have been futile.[43]
Because of a number of setbacks in the military sphere and the possible consequences, Himmler directed that all traces of mass killings must be obliterated throughout the occupied areas. The task of coordinating and carrying out these measures was assigned to SS-Standartenführer Paul Blobel.[45] Due to his reputation for drunkenness and belligerency, Blobel was regarded by the HHE as a disgraced officer who had attracted the wrath of his superiors. As punishment he was transferred to Amt 1VB4, under the supervision of SS-Gruppenführer Heinrich Müller, Eichmann's immediate superior. Blobel had been a successful Einsatzgruppen commander in Kiev where he had butchered 35,000 Jews, men, women and children who had fallen victim to his command at Babi Yar during a three-day period.[46]
Paul Blobel was entering new and untried territory when given the task of pinpointing all the mass graves throughout the eastern territories. With a small team of operators, known as Sonderkommando 1005, Blobel went to Chelmno, where they investigated the mass burial sites of the many thousands of victims murdered in gas vans. Blobel began his experimental burning of corpses by adopting various concoctions of fuel and pyres; even explosives were used in these experiments.[47]
On September 15, 1942, secret German radio messages decoded by British Intelligence referred for the first time to the code designation Aktion Reinhard: WVHA gives Concentration Camp Auschwitz authority for a vehicle to travel to Lódz and inspect 'Aktion Reinhard' research station for field furnaces.
At this time, Blobel was in Chelmno experimenting with the burning of corpses.[48] Depending on the magnitude of the exhumation /cremation task, the groups of Jews assigned for this work consisted on average of 40-80 workers. Among the group employed in Fort IX at Kovno were four doctors, a pharmacist, an engineer, a mechanic, an artist, a lawyer, and various other professional and working men.[49] In the camps, ghettos, the death camps, and any other place of confinement, the composition of personnel was the same. The only thing they had in common was that they were all Jews.
Throughout this grisly process of digging up and burning the bodies, Sonderkommando 1005 were chained when carrying out their task. On completion of the work, they were all shot and a new Kommando was formed to take their place and move on to other designated sites.[50] A special school was set up in the Janowska camp where German camp personnel underwent instruction on how to eradicate mass graves: burn the corpses, grind the bones, and plant trees on the sites of the former grave areas. Twelve officers from each area of occupation where mass graves were located attended the course and 10 groups went through the course at Janowska in five months.[51]
The task was so vast and deemed to be so urgent that camp commanders at other locations where mass killings had taken place organized their own '1005' Kommandos. In Plaszów concentration camp, SS-Hauptsturmführer Amon Goeth chained his Jews together, even when they slept. When the work had been completed, they too were all shot and a new team was selected. In Fort IX at Kovno, Stutthof, and Vilna camps, the members of Sonderkommando 1005 were held incommunicado and shackled each day. The chains, weighing two kilos apiece and fastened around both ankles and the waist, were worn permanently for approximately six months. Heavily guarded, the Kommandos were marched to the pits daily where they worked in the most gruesome conditions, which included the common occurrence of exhuming their close relatives who had been shot or gassed several months before.[52] These men became immune to all sensitivity. Caked in mud and body fluids, poisoned, depraved and lost, only their spirit drove them on in the hope that some day vengeance would be possible.
Due to the large number of killing sites, many were overlooked. For example, at the Sipo-SD Academy at Bad Rabka, which had been used as an execution site for that area of southwest Galicia, the mass graves containing over 2,000 corpses were not considered important enough to warrant special attention.[53]
Another secret radio message sent from Lublin on the night of February 24, 1944, intercepted and decoded by British Intelligence, refers to the escape that night of 20 or so 'Geheimnisträger' (bearers of secrets) from an unspecified camp in the Lublin District. The prisoners had removed their shackles and broken out of a tunnel beyond the camp perimeter.[54] These prisoners were undoubtedly Jews from a Sonderkommando 1005 team engaged in removing and cremating corpses.
At Belzec, Commandant Hering delegated this work to SS-Scharführers Fritz Tauscher and Heinrich Gley. Assistance would be provided by SS-Scharführer Lorenz Hackenholt, who had at his disposal the mechanical excavator to dig up the corpses.[55]
The Jewish workers of the 'death brigade' labored to build the pyres and systematically burn and rebury the residue of the corpses back into the emptied pits.[56] A system like a barbeque grill had been devised and other cremation sites, thousands of miles apart, used the same system. Evidence was given by former Oberscharführer Gley, who supervised the construction of the pyres in Belzec. The grates were made by arranging standard gauge railway line sections on top of large stones. Narrow gauge line sections were then placed crossways on top to form a close meshed solid grate.[57] Whether Belzec personnel attended cremation classes in Janowska is not known, but in all probability they received some expert advice.[58]
Preparing and building the pyres before ignition were most important. Great care was taken to ensure that the right materials were available. A narrow ditch was dug around the fire, into which the fat and fuel from the bodies would drip. Now intermingled with wood and fuel, the pyres, each containing 2,000 bodies, gradually rose to a height of several meters.[59]
The number of pyres used in Belzec is not clear as witnesses refer to 2 - 5 pyres. These had been constructed in mid-November 1942 and were in continual use until March 1943.[60] Although there appears to be no effort to count and register victims arriving into the camp, great care was taken to note the number of corpses retrieved from the graves.[61] As the bodies were brought to the pyre, a nominated person registered the number of corpses before they were laid out in selected positions.
The Belzec trial testimonies refer to at least 300,000 bodies being cremated on the first pyre and a further 240,000 on the second pyre; therefore, at least 540, 000 corpses were cremated on pyres in Belzec.[62] In Treblinka, where the burnings did not begin until February 1943 and were completed in July, at least 700,000 corpses were destroyed.
What perhaps may help us reach a conclusion on the number of pyres is a painting by a former railway porter who worked at Belzec station during the war. The paintings of Belzec camp late 1942 show the barracks, watchtowers, rail link into the camp, mechanical excavator in the process of removing corpses and piling them on to five pyres which are burning.[63] There were also other paintings representing activities in Belzec. In paintings of the reception area depicting incoming transports, one shows the arrival and unloading of a transport of Jews at the Ramp being addressed by Irrmann; another shows Wirth and Hering on horse-back riding through the streets of Belzec, chasing a Pole called Panasowiec and beating him with whips. Panasowiec died later from his injuries.[64] There is also a painting of the pre-war railway station in Belzec in summer. The purpose of painting these scenes is not fully known, but the evidential value is immense.
At the school for clearing of extermination sites in Janowska, a clear euphemistic procedure emerged where each task was given a specific name. The excavator would remove the upper layer of the light sandy soil. The 'gravediggers' dug up and removed the 'dolls' (corpses) for burning . The 'drawers' who, with the help of long poles with hooks lifted the bodies from the pits to the surface, followed the 'gravediggers'. 'Checkers' extracted gold teeth and dentures from the mouths. After the 'checkers' came the 'porters' carrying makeshift stretchers, or the 'draggers', who with leather belts dragged or conveyed two 'dolls' at a time to the pyres, where a group of 'fire-fighters' supervised the burning.[65]
SS-Oberscharführer Gley, who arrived at Belzec from T4 towards the end of July 1942 said:[66]
When all the bodies had been removed from the graves, a special search commando sifted through the earth and extracted all the leftovers-- bone, clumps of hair, etc.-- and threw these remains on the fire. An additional mechanical excavator was brought to accelerate the work. One excavator came from Sobibór and the other from the Warsaw district, which were operated by Hackenholt.[67]
It is interesting to note that during the excavations and burnings by Belzec's 'burners,' it was found that some bodies burned better than others. The recently gassed burned better than those from the first transports. Fat women burned better than thin women. Men did not burn well without women, whose fat is better developed than men's. For this reason, the bodies of women were used to build the base of the pyres intermixed with other bodies and combustible material. Blood, too, was found to be a very good combustible material and the young burned even better because of their softer flesh.[68]
Flames leapt into the sky and the stinking smell permeated the area. Smoke from pyres, which could be seen for miles around, but on damp, wet days it would seldom rise above10 meters, clinging to the river as it drifted on the wind. Witnesses were affected with the smell and darkened sky as far away as Susiec (15km). Belzec was engulfed in acrid smoke, so it was not difficult to trace the happenings and relate them to the Polish War Crimes Investigation Commission after the war.[69]
In conclusion, if we examine the findings of the Archeological Investigation at Belzec 1997-2000, we can corroborate that there were indeed mass excavations and cremations. The Belzec 'burners' however, were not as diligent as they should have been, as a number of graves proved. It was proved beyond doubt during the archaeological excavations of 1998 that certain graves contained unburnt,whole corpses which, because of the weight of the sandy soil, had been compressed into slabs only a few centimeters thick. Even after all these years, when the drills penetrated the Belzec soil, gasses were released, giving the first indication that a mass grave containing corpses was below.[70] During the course of the cremations in the very final stages, many thousands of Jews on incoming transports must have been met by the sight of the pyres when entering the camp, and could have been under no illusion that they would not soon join this scene.[71]
Another innovation that emerged to assist in the obliteration of evidence was a specially constructed machine to destroy the burnt human bones. Initially, the SS looked to the Jews in the Lódz ghetto to supply such a machine and it is not surprising that they failed.[73] Blobel eventually found a machine from the Schriever Company in Hamburg and after much use in his gruesome work, recommended it to Hoess at Auschwitz. The Auschwitz commandant declined the offer as he found his Jewish workers were doing an adequate job with hammers and special mortars.[74]
In their efforts to destroy the evidence, in particular any large bone material, the camp command at Belzec sought outside help from the Janowska concentration camp by borrowing their bone crushing machine and an operator, a Hungarian Jew named Szpilke. The machine resembled a cement mixer with heavy iron balls inside the revolving drum; as the drum revolved at high speed, the metal balls crushed the bone material into small fragments.[75] At the base of the bone mill there was a sieve which acted as a filter for the bone material - the fine dust was expelled while larger pieces of still uncrushed bone were retained inside the drum.
The Jews who operated the bone mill were known as the 'Aschkolonne' (ash brigade). Covered completely in thick white dust they must have been a horrific sight. Belzec's efforts to complete the exhumations and destruction were not devoid of problems and it was some time before they fell in line with other murder sites in the process of digging up corpses, crushing their bones to powde,r and burning the corpses to ashes.[76]
The destruction of the corpses was the highest priority. The Jews engaged on this work were subjected to continual bullying and harassment by the guards to work faster. Their only consolation was that the SS realized that to work in these conditions and to complete the task, the Jews had to be cared for and fed adequately. In the unhygienic conditions, unusual consideration was given by the SS supervisors in the supply of clothing and footwear for those engaged in this work. After each day's work, personal clothing was disinfected in Lysol, rinsed, and dried before further use. Their diet also improved. For breakfast, each prisoner received a quarter of a loaf of bread, black coffee, honey substitute, and cheese spread. After work, they received two liters of thick soup with noodles and meat. The better quality food and personal care of the Commando 1005 was one of Blobel's tactics to spur on the workers to finish the work as quickly as possible. Mid-day meals were eaten on-site. In the Stutthof Camp the 'burners' became callous and hardened, cooking their allocation of potatoes on the burning coals of the pyre. In Belzec between December 1942 and January 1943, the 'death brigade' Jews tending the cremation pyres endured a typhus epidemic and starvation. Their numbers were decimated when the sick were shot and there were no more transports to replace those killed. It should be noted that there was a clear difference between Reinhardt operations and those of Sonderkommando 1005, which operated outside of Reinhardt.
The last transports to arrive at Belzec contained the resident survivors from the liquidated ghettos that were being destroyed. On December 4,1942, a small transport of 600 Jews from Krosno was gassed in Belzec; a few days later, 1,250 Jews from the Rohatyn ghetto were gassed; on December 7 and 11, several thousand Jews from Rawa Ruska were gassed. Finally, three transports of survivors from the towns of Bursztyn, Bolszewce, and Bukaczowce were brought to the camp and gassed. On December 12, 1942, Belzec ceased to function as a death camp.[77]
The complete absence of transports also meant that no extra food was brought into the camp by the victims, and the heavy work of digging up the corpses, the unhygienic environment of handling the decomposing corpses, and the burning took its toll. The Jews were near starvation and sick with disease but reluctant to show their situation as they knew the consequences. Typhus does not discriminate between Jew, Ukrainian, or German and when it was diagnosed in the camp, there was panic. Several of the SS and Ukrainians succumbed and were hospitalized until the danger had passed. Jews who could hold off no longer and collapsed were shot and cremated on the pyres. According to the survivor Chaim Hirszman, There were cases when the 'death brigade' were so starved that they ate pieces of flesh from the legs of corpses.[78]
Belzec had now lost its importance as a death camp as the bulk of Galician Jewry had been dealt with. With the enlargement of Auschwitz, the efficiency of Treblinka and Sobibór, Belzec, geographically, had lost its importance and had become redundant.
The decommissioning of Belzec began with landscaping parts of the former camp area with firs and wild lupins.[81] The remaining Jews awaited their fate in the trusting hope of survival. Among this group were Chaim Hirszman and Sylko Herc.[82] We are able to piece together the last moments of the 306 'death brigade' Jews being transported from Belzec to Sobibór from the testimonies of former SS-Scharführers Fritz Tauscher and Heinrich Gley. According to Gley:
The disbandment of the camp presented the leadership with a problem - what was to happen to the work-Jews? Their gassing at Belzec was unthinkable because it would have to be carried out by the camp personnel. There was also the question of the burning of their bodies. The camp leadership decided to transport them in railway wagons to another camp. I heard later that this camp was Sobibór. To avoid panic, Hering spoke to the Jewish Kapos and told them that they were being taken to Lublin. The transport was suitably strongly guarded. I heard later that there were mass breakouts.[83]
Tauscher has testified:
Suddenly, about 14 days before the end, in the grey light of dawn, Wirth turned up without previous warning. At the same time, a train of eight to nine wagons rolled into the camp. Wirth told them that they were now going to their chosen camp and induced all the Jews to board the train and organised their loading and departure.[84]
Leon Feldhendler, a survivor of Sobibór, was in that death camp on the day the Belzec transport arrived. He has testified:[85]
On 30th June 1943, a transport of the last Jews from Belzec arrived under the supervision of SS Unterscharführer Paul Groth at Sobibór, to be liquidated. Sobibór prisoners were suddenly locked in the barracks with strict orders not to look out.[86]
On arrival at the Ramp in Sobibór, the Jews were removed selectively in small groups from the wagons and immediately shot. After the murder of the last Jewish workers from Belzec, a number of final messages written on various scraps of paper were found by a survivor, 14-year-old Tomasz (Tovi) Blatt from Izbica, who was in charge of the camp rubbish incinerator. While sorting their clothing and burning the documents, he found a diary written up to the last minute which revealed that the transport had been made up of workers from the Belzec death camp.
I quote from the diary of an unnamed victim: 'We have worked one year in Belzec. We do not know where they are transporting us. They say to Germany. There are dining tables in the wagons. We have received bread for three days, canned food, and vodka.'[87]A note on a scrap of paper read:
We know they are killing our comrades. The third wagon has already been opened and we can hear the sound of gunfire. Whoever finds this letter is requested to warn his comrades. Place no trust in the Germans smooth tongues and lies. They will trick you just as they tricked us. Rise up and avenge our blood! Do to the Germans what we meant to do but did not succeed in doing. From a Jew who has spent more than a year in the death camp at Belzec. These are out last moments of our lives. Avenge Us![88]
In addition to Gley's statement quoted above, the decision to deal with the last remaining Jews away from Belzec may have been to hide their fate from the Ukrainians, who were already edgy and suspicious of what the Germans had in mind for them.
Immediately after the SS left Belzec, the local population descended on the site of the death camp, rummaging in the earth for gold and other valuables, and in doing so, unearthed parts of decomposed bodies.[89] The SS returned and built accommodations for a caretaker to live on site and to prevent further incursions. After the war, a Polish investigator visited the former camp where he found the ground dug-up, property strewn about and body parts exposed, no doubt in the search for valuables.[90]
The second escape was from one of the first transports that arrived from the town of Zólkiew in March 1942. Two women, Mina Astman and Malka Talenfeld, had taken advantage of the inexperience and confusion of the guards in the early transports. The naked women jumped into a ditch, where they remained until dark, when they escaped back to Zólkiew.[92]
Another escape, which did not quite succeed, was by a Jew from Piaski who had arrived in March 1942, and was part of the team in the area of the gas chamber. This Jew, no doubt horrified at the scene around him, suddenly broke away, forced himself through the surrounding barbed-wire fencing, and ran off. Quickly hunted down, he was brought back to the camp and shot.
During the round-up of Jews in Zamosæ on Apri 11, the Welsztein family, including their 18-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, were transported to Belzec. When the welcoming speech had been made, the SS-guard instructed them to undress, whereupon the Zamosæ Jews spat and cursed the camp SS. Fearing a riot, the SS fired into the crowd. Taking advantage of the commotion, the boy fled to the latrine where he hid until darkness and then escaped. Two days later, on April 13, 1942, the boy returned to Zamosæ, where he told the Judenrat what he had seen. During the few hours he was hiding in the camp, he had seen how the gassings were carried out.[93]
Another escape from the latrine in Belzec was by a dentist from Kraków named Bachner. In June 1942, Bachner was part of a large transport of several thousand Jews from Kraków. In the reception yard, Bachner also hid in the latrine cesspit. Immersed up to his neck in human waste swarming with flies, he remained there for two days before escaping from the camp. After two weeks, he returned to the Kraków ghetto where he told the Judenrat of what he had seen.[94] There is no record of what happened to Bachner after his return, but one of the indictments against Amon Goeth, the commandant of Plaszów camp, was the shooting of the Bachner family in Plaszòw in 1943.[95]
In October 1942, the rabbi of Blazowa, Israel Spira was transported from Janowska to Belzec and was fortunate to be selected for the clothing work brigade at the old locomotive shed. After a few days, he attached himself to the escort taking a trainload of clothing back to the Janowska camp. In Janowska, Rabbi Spira (much like Reder) detached himself from the escort and mingled with the other Jews. When he loitered near a coffee stall, he was recognized by other Jews, who protected him. Rabbi Spira survived Janowska and subsequent deportations to Belzec. His wife, Pearl, was murdered in Belzec on October 18,1942.[96]
There were three other escapes. They included that by Rudolf Reder, who had escaped by stealth while in Lvov under guard collecting building materials; and Chaim Hirszman and Sylko Herc, two members of the last 'death brigade,' who escaped from the transport taking them to Sobibór for execution. Hirszman returned to Lublin, where he joined a Communist partisan unit. He was subsequently recruited by the Soviet NKVD and reappeared in Lublin after the liberation working for the Russians. On March 19, 1946 in Lublin, Hirszman testified before a War Crimes Investigation Commission n the District Court.[97]That same day he was murdered in his home by members of a Polish right-wing anti-Semitic organization. It is not know what happened to Herc.[98]
Two other known escapes, again by stealth, included the five year-old child of Sara Ritterbrand (nee Beer). Sara had arrived in Belzec on an early transport from Lvov. Her brother was a baker living in Belzec under a false Aryan identity and part of his work was delivering bread to the camp. On an unknown date, he removed his niece from the camp in his breadbasket and gave her into the care of a local Ukrainian family, who protected her throughout the war period. He was arrested by the SS and shot in the presence of his sister Sara in the camp. Sara was one of the thirty Jewesses working in the camp laundry and the last to be removed from Belzec. When the war ended, she returned to Belzec village and was reunited with her daughter.[99]
The only other record, not verified, comes from a Jew named Sanio Ferber, who was employed in one of the SS workshops in Lvov. He testified after the war:
Towards the end of December 1942, there came to our workshop a young dentist (not Bachner, above) whose name I do not recall He told us that he had escaped from Belzec. This dentist was in Belzec for three months as part of the work brigade who removed the gold teeth from the victims.[100]
By the end of 1946, only six Jews from the Belzec camp were still alive, of whom four subsequently emigrated to Israel. Rudolf Reder, who changed his name to Roman Robak, went to Canada, via Israel, and was the only witness at the Belzec pretrial hearings in Munich 1963-64; Chaim Hirszman was murdered in Lublin.
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for verification.
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Requests – Let me know what else you would like me to link.
As ou can imagine – I've put a LOT of time into this gear section page – both in listing all the items that I use, linking to the manufacturers page, as well as allowing you to purchase the gear. I'm also adding images and video shot with the gear – and more and more OF the gear in use. This is a page where I'd like to get your feedback on WHAT ELSE YOU'RE INTERESTED in having me list… Basically post a message in the comments page of this post – and if I use it or know a fair amount about the piece of gear – I'll list it!


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"When all my friends were out drinking in high school, I was hanging with 90-year-old farmers learning how to mill," says Geechie Boy Mill owner Greg Johnsman. Little did he know, those years of tinkering would pay off.
The Truck Stops Here
Today Johnsman and his wife, Betsy, make some of the most raved about grits and cornmeal in South Carolina (just ask Peninsula Grill chef Graham Dailey), all on a 1945 grist mill at their farm on Edisto Island. "There were 600 of these wood grit separators, five total in the state, and I have three of them. I'm kind of a hoarder," says Johnsman, whose love of grinding corn is almost as strong as his obsession with purchasing, restoring, and preserving vintage farm equipment. Case in point: for their honeymoon, he surprised Betsy with a trip to John Deere's headquarters.
So overwhelming is the Upstater-turned-Lowcountry-boy's love for retro stone mills, corn cleaners, and motors, he recently overhauled a 1946 Chevrolet truck that he intends to use as a mobile milling unit for one of his treasures. "We'll put a 12-inch mill—rarest of the rare, from Tennessee—on the back of the truck," he says. "Then pull up in front of, say, Husk restaurant, and mill on site." While the truck only leaves the farm for the couple's weekly trip to church right now, he says you can expect to see his grit-maker-on-wheels rolling to a restaurant or farmers market near you this summer.
But there are other projects, too. Inside his climate-controlled warehouse, Johnsman has recently fixed up a 1902 miller corn cleaner. "We're going to clean about six tons of Hoppin' John with it for a few chef buddies of mine," he says nonchalantly, as if harvesting and cleaning peas on a turn-of-the-century machine were as normal as ordering a pizza for dinner. In addition, Johnsman's fine-tuning his own 1934 flour mill. "We'll start with an heirloom abruzzi rye," he says. The ultimate goal is to produce a high-quality flour for EVO Bakery to use in their own signature loaf. And while some may wonder how the tedium of using ancient, fragile machinery to produce small batches of product could be worth it, Johnsman says the answer is simple: "The antique equipment is the most important piece of the equation because modern equipment turns 10 times faster, and the heat generated cooks out the flavor." So by spinning his Geechie Boy Mill, Johnsman is essentially taking the eater back in time to the original taste. "Even though I can never generate enough to keep everyone happy, I can always make a better product," he says. And with orders coming in from across the nation, it's obvious there's nothing run-of-the-mill about this old-school operation. —Kinsey Gidick


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I have the best co-workers. Instead of decorating my birthday cubicle with the usual paper cut-out stuff, they used fabric fat-quarters to make a banner so I can take it home and make cute stuff with it! Aren't they so thoughtful and clever? I'm so lucky.
And check out the cool card Lori made for me. She's a fellow illustrator and she's so very talented!
Pin It
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Prego Photo Update
Time for some more pregnancy photos! So although some of these look like I'm shrinking and growing, they are in order by date, really. Sometimes it's just what I'm wearing and sometimes, well I don't know. Thanks again to the amazing Casey for taking my photos! His baby is due tomorrow.
Week 20:
Week 21:Week 22:Week 23:Week 24:Week 25:
Week 21:Week 22:Week 23:Week 24:Week 25:
Week 26:
Week 27:(skipped a couple weeks)
Week 30:
Pin ItSaturday, July 18, 2009
Striped Ruffle Skirt
Here's a little stripey skirt I finished last weekend. I may have gone a little too wide with the ruffles, but I was making it up as I went. I got this fabric on sale a while ago and finally decided what to do with it. I'm guessing this is a size 9-12 month.
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Friday, July 10, 2009
Baby Carrier Canopy
You've probably seen these around, and I decided I need one since I will be carting my baby around in the fall and winter. It offers some protection from cold and wind, as well as light (if the baby is sleeping). Unlike a blanket, this attaches to the baby carrier with velcro straps and leaves the handle free for grabbing. You can just fold the cover back to reveal your baby. Isn't this fabric just gorgeous?
Here you can see the dark redish burgundy I used for the back side.
Here you can see the dark redish burgundy I used for the back side.
Here's a close-up of the straps. They are velcro straps and are double stitched for long lasting usage.
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This particular canopy, though I adore the print, clashes with my orange and slate colored baby carrier, and we can't have that now, can we? I just couldn't resist that fabric though, I think it's so beautiful! Does anyone know the designer? I forgot to look when I bought it. Anyway, I will be selling this one-- $30 if you are interested. It will be listed soon on my Etsy shop, or you can just contact me and skip the middle man if you are interested. Did I mention that it's machine washable? The fabric has been pre-washed and pre-shrunk. I think that's a must.
Now I've just got to find the right fabric for my own canopy...
UPDATE: Thanks to my mother-in-law I now know the maker of the fabric! It is Art Gallery and they have many wonderful fabrics! If you click on the link you can see some of their upcoming releases.
UPDATE: Thanks to my mother-in-law I now know the maker of the fabric! It is Art Gallery and they have many wonderful fabrics! If you click on the link you can see some of their upcoming releases.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Baby Dresses
Here are 2 more baby dresses I made. The first one was inspired by a former neighbor gal who had a lemon skirt that she wore with a plum top. I thought it was real cute, so when I saw this fabric, I decided to pair it with plum trim. I wish I had made the bottom trim wider, but aside from that I'm happy with it.
This next one was inspired by this photo of Halle Berry.
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This next one was inspired by this photo of Halle Berry.
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text:
Wayland, Mass., 26 March, 2010 – The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) seeks public comment on the candidate OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) Common Service Model Interface Standard Version 2.0. The SWE Service Model provides a common set of data types and defines a common set of interface mechanisms that can be used with other SWE interface standards.
There are two "SWE Common" standards: The OGC SWE Common Service Model Interface Standard is applicable to all services that provide or require information from or about sensors. It is designed for uses cases in which sensors need to be accessed and managed through service interfaces. A related standard, the OGC SWE Common Encoding Standard, provides a standard model (and XML implementation of the model) for the representation, nature, structure and encoding of sensor related data. It is used for describing static data (files) as well as dynamically generated datasets (on-the-fly processing), real-time streaming data, and process and web service inputs and outputs.
Both of the SWE Common standards are designed to be used with other existing OGC® Sensor Web Enablement standards such as OGC Sensor Model Language (SensorML) Encoding Standard, Sensor Observation Service (SOS) Interface Standard and Sensor Planning Service (SPS) Interface Standard.
The proposed OGC SWE Service Model 2.0 Standard and information on submitting comments on this document are available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/requests/65 . The public comment period closes on 25 April 2010.
The OGC is an international consortium of more than 390 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC Standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org.


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Intuit launches open source project. SFLC on Microsoft GPL violation accusations.
Follow 451 CAOS Links live @caostheory on Twitter and
"Tracking the open source news wires, so you don't have
# Intuit launched open source projects and community to develop apps based on its Intuit Partner Platform, while Savio Rodrigues declared Intuit's open source play is all business.
# SFLC's Bradley Kuhn told SDTimes Microsoft was in violation of the GPL.
# MySQL and Memcached-based appliance vendor Schooner Info Tech has raised $20m in Series B funding.
# …
[Read more]


text:
New Yorker Seeks $900,000,000,000,000 Settlement Over Placement Of Her Kids In Foster Care
A New York woman whose two boys were removed from her custody by child welfare officials has filed a federal lawsuit accusing city officials of violating her civil rights (as well of those of her offspring).
To make things right, Fausat Ogunbayo, 46, would like $900 trillion, according to her lawsuit, which was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.
Ogunbayo contends that her children--now aged 16 and 13--were improperly placed in foster care in mid-2008 after Administration for Children Services workers asserted that mental health problems left her unable to properly care for her children.
Contending that she is, in fact, mentally stable, Ogunbayo argues in her complaint that government officials "recklessly disregarded" her "right to family integrity," and likely caused her children to suffer emotional and mental distress.
As a result, Ogunbayo, who recently worked for Hertz, is seeking a high 15-figure payout. City officials have yet to respond to the Staten Island resident's January 31 lawsuit.


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Over the years, we have had all kinds of winners - wonderful animations, creative stop motion films, talented performers, beautiful videography, and simply compelling stories. Watch all the past winners to see what it takes to win, or simply browse and enjoy all of the study abroad goals that have been shared with us through the years.
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If you're considering entering the next International Student Travel Video Contest, be sure to browse through the previous video contest entries to get a feel for the competition, then visit the "How To Enter" page.


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Exterior Styling
Accessory, R-design, general description
S40 R-design arouses the senses. It is about inspiration and expectation. You will not properly understand what we mean until you drive through town, however, take a look here first at things that give inspiration.
Body kit
A body kit for the Volvo S40 with an expressive design which stresses the car's sporty appearance in an elegant way.
Rearview mirror casing, external
Unique door mirror covers that give the car a sporty and exclusive character.
Interior Styling
Mat, passenger compartment floor, textile flat
A fully covering textile floor mat with rubber backing, which makes it waterproof. The mat gives effective protection for the car's interior against the wet and dirt.
Mat, passenger compartment floor, rubber, bowl-shaped
A fully covering natural rubber floor mat with generously raised edges all round. The mat protects the interior of the car against dirt and water.
Mat, tunnel mat (Excl. CN)
A mat of natural rubber for the tunnel in the backseat. It protects the car's original mat from dirt and wear, and is especially suitable with three persons in the backseat.
Steering wheel, sport, leather with aluminum inlay
A unique three-spoked sports steering wheel for a sporty feel.
Steering wheel, sport, wood
For many enthusiasts, a real sports steering wheel must be made of wood and we aim to please. A three-spoke steering wheel with a solid rim of genuine walnut can therefore lead to many hours of driving pleasure.
Steering wheel, leather
A leather steering wheel in an exclusive design. Anatomically shaped steering wheel rim and soft comfortable leather for optimum grip and feel.
Gear shift knob, sport, leather with aluminum inlay
The gear shift knob, in high quality leather with metal inlay, is not only attractive but also provides a comfortable grip. The knob is specially designed to match the sports steering wheel with metal inlay together with the gear shift boot and textile mat in the sports version.
Gear shift knob, leather
Leather gear shift knob for manual or automatic cars. An exclusive and luxurious finishing touch to the passenger compartment.
Gear shift knob, leather with wood inlay
Genuine wood in the hands of a driver has long signified sportiness. The fact that the gear shift knob is therefore offered in genuine walnut should not disappoint anyone.
Sport pedals
Sporty and exclusive pedals made of brushed aluminum. Different kits available for cars with manual and automatic transmissions.
Decor panel, patterned aluminum
A unique interior equipment kit in patterned aluminium that gives the cabin a fresh appearance.
Decor panel
A stylish decor kit in six different versions. Gives the passenger compartment an exclusive look.


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Many implementations of scripting and dynamically typed languages generate Java bytecodes so that programs can be run on the Java Platform, just as are actual Java programs. Implementing a language in this way (or as a Java interpreter class for the scripting language) provides all the advantages of the Java platform: scripting implementations can take advantage of the Java platform's binary portability, security, and high performance bytecode execution.
Java SE includes JSR 223: Scripting for the Java Platform API. This is a framework by which Java applications can "host" script engines. The scripting framework supports third-party script engines using the JAR service discovery mechanism. It is possible to drop any JSR-223 compliant script engine in the CLASSPATH and access the same from your Java applications (much like JDBC drivers, JNDI implementations are accessed).
Java SE Development Kit includes the Nashorn engine, which is an implementation of the ECMAScript Edition 5.1 Language Specification.


text:
SAFE-O-TRONIC® access LS
Electronic cabinet locking systems
for flexible organisation
For over a decade SAFE-O-TRONIC® has been the leading brand for innovative electronic quality locks for cabinets and lockers using RFID technology. SAFE-O-TRONIC® locking systems and the two successful brands, SAFE-O-MAT® und SAFE-O-PIN®, have proven themselves outstandingly in many thousands of items around the world. The market and innovation leader for intelligent cabinet locks has already set new standards for intelligent cabinet locks with the SAFE-O-TRONIC® access range.
Adapt standards easily
Cabinet doors which are pre-configured for the standard lever cylinders
can very easily be equipped with innovative RFID or PIN code technology.
Online convenience without cabling
The card-based network, SAFE-O-TRONIC® CyberNet, enables online comfort for the automated, up-to-date allocation of locking authorisation – without the cabling of cabinets. Temporal access limitations for door locks are kept up to date on the RFID data carriers at central online terminals (so-called CyberSpots). The battery status is easy to read off. When retrofitting, RFID data carriers already in circulation can be read and programmed automatically, while lost "keys" can be locked out quickly and conveniently. All SAFE-O-TRONIC® access system components can be reliably integrated into external systems via interfaces and can be easily managed via the Lock Manager software.
- Contact
+49 (0) 20 51 / 20 86-0
via Email - Find contact person
- International


text:
Galaxies(def.): A gravitationally-bound system of stars, gas, dust and dark matter.
There are billions of galaxies throughout the Universe and they come in different shapes and sizes. Within these galaxies are black holes, neutron stars, and bubbles of hot gas that reveal themselves in X-rays. Astronomers use Chandra to study galactic behavior and phenomena. More >