Anyone who thinks that the Nazi experiments had any benefit or were worthwile needs to seriously rethink their position. In this case, the ends don't justify the means.
Masters of Death by Richard Rhodes........ A powerful study of the Einsatzgruppen (killing squads) and how 'normal' people were methodicaly recruited to perform barbaric acts. Also covers the hundreds of thousands of Christian Poles and Russians that were exterminated during the genocide. This is essential reading but highly disturbing.....can't imagine going to a camp but will do so one day.
My father had always wandered if his dad was murdered by the Nazis or by the Russians. Those two nations had a pact to attack and split up Poland before 1939. We recently found out that he was one of the officers murdered by Stalin in the woods of Katyn. My other grandfather, I knew (on my mom's side). He helped Korczak on more than one occasion during WW2. You will remember him (Korczak) as the hero who cared for Jewish children in an orphanage and went with them to the gas chamber. My grandad then became a member of Polish AK army underground and tried to kill as many Nazis as he could during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. My family is not Jewish, but Poland did have the largest Jewish population in Europe before the war. During my most formative years, I became well aware of the culture and heritage, even if I was born in the 60s. Read the short stories of Balshevis Singer, Bruno Shultz (and look at his drawings), and check out Roma Ligocka's books (her perspective of a 6 year old on the occupation of Poland and years in the ghetto). This stuff hits home a little differently if you spent some time living in Europe. I played in old bunkers, saw the bullet ridden walls, and....I am still a little uncomfortable if I see a car with "SS" at the end of its name. Peace to all nations.....but .....do not let another Hitler, Stalin. Milosevic, Saddam, or whomever do his deeds without the world intervening. Maybe if the world powers were a little more "proactive" when all the people were getting murdered, there would be no need for memorials in Oswiecim......
To change the subject of the thread back to what it originally was, this picture shows some irony for the first commandant of Auschwitz. At least he got a tiny bit of what he had coming. Read the plaque. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Your photographs are very nice and appropriately solemn for such a place. I'm just an amateur photographer, but you have a very nice sense of composition and framing. Well done. If you don't mind what could be a personal question, how is it that you have the opportunity to live in Prague. Has your company sent you there to work on a project of sorts ?
Watch the documentry "Innocents Betrayed" The attorcity of the Nazi regime is just the tip of the iceberg. Mao slaughtered as many as 100million by some counts. Total dead since 1900 at the hands of their legitimate government, during PEACETIME, around 170 million people. One Hundred Seventy Million people!!! More than have been killed in all wars. Why is this not in the news?
I wouldnt even classifiy myself as an amateur photographer. Im just a guy who takes pictures of things. Im actually here to study mechanical engineering at czech technical university. They have a pretty big international student program (like 240 students). Im only here for 4 months.
Kudos to you. My single biggest regret from my college years is that I didn't avail myself of the opportunity to study abroad. Now years later, I still kick myself regularly even though there's nothing I can do about it now. Soak it all in while you're there. You'll have memories for a lifetime.
This is getting way OT (maybe i'll start a thread about my reflections on being abroad) I actually wasnt sure wether i wanted to go abroad at first. Im happy i did because at most schools engieering majors simply cant go abroad unless they want to spend 5 years in college. There are two good things about being here. The first is the students from other countries you meet. The second is that I have 4 day weekends.
I had alot of Zywiec when I was there. Probably one of the most popular one's in poland it seemed. You can get it in the states too although it's hard to find. Enjoy your time of there Tim.
Not quite. Mel's dad is a lunatic. Mel has always denounced his father's rantings denying the holocaust, IIRC.
I was in the book store last week and came accross 'The Holocaust Chronicles", a very hefty book. It was only $20 all proceeds go to charity. I have just begun reading it and have learned so much. Its such a fascinating subject. Some of the sections are so disturbing I have trouble sleeping afterwards with some many thoughts running through my head. Very tragic. Visiting those camps is something I will definitely do.
Are you people stupid? I had to read this whole article to see why Steve is being labeled anti-semitic. Because he said some knowledge was gained from sick and twisted experiments? He didn't say the experiments were worthwhile. If you really have such disdain for the knowledge gained, would you have chosen to have it all destroyd? That way we would have to wait years more to stumble upon the info by more humane ways? What about scientists that were snatched up? Do you have disdain for governments that snatched up Nazi scientists? The US government experimented on soldiers numerous times, would you have all the knowledge gained destroyed? None of these acts were justified by any means, but is it really a good idea to eliminate the knowledge gained? Stop thinking with just emotions and try using a little bit of logic for a change.
My great grandfather on my stepdads side was a jew in germany(i believe) during the war. He narrowly escaped. As the Nazis came in the front he went out the back. His whole family was murdered and he eventually made it to America and started a new one. My dad never really wants to talk about Nazis or the war but he did go to Burgen Belsen and my mom says he was just really crushed by it. There are mounds that say 8000 people are buried here. Very sad indeed. The hollucost museum in Houston brought tears to my eyes. I can't imagine being where it all took place.
Some has told me that the father and grandfather of Karl Rove (actual family name Roverer) of the current administration, owned a construction company that built Birkenau. Anybody have any info?
No, I don't believe anyone that was involved in this is in fact stupid, which made it all the more irritating. Logic also did not enter into their reasoning with respect to this horrible time in human history, the emotional scars must run much too deep through the generations to do so. I think everyone would agree that the world would be a better place today had 100M people not died in WWII. But when beneficial medical knowledge is discovered and then placed into the world's collective "library", disregarding that knowledge because of the immoral means that it was obtained is also wrong.
