9
POPSThe Story of the Red Poppy So the Americans arranged for artificial poppies to be made by women in war-ravaged northern France. The funds raised from selling the poppies were for children who had suffered because of the war. In Britain, the weary soldiers came back from the grimness of war to find that life was hard at home too, though in a different way. Many of the men were wounded or disabled or suffering the effects of gas and shell-shock. Many were physically or mentally unable to work; many others found that there were no jobs anyway. The provision made for them by the state was less than adequate. They certainly didn't get the heroes' homecoming that they had been led to expect. So ex-servicemen's societies united in 1921 to form the British Legion. Its purpose was to provide support to ex-servicemen, especially the disabled, and their families, and it was to become one of the most successful British charities ever.
8
POPSWhy we celebrate Memorial Day. And why we apologize to no one 16. Rhone, France . A total of 861 of our military dead. Rhone cemetery 17. Sicily, Italy . A total of 7861 of our military dead. Sicily cemetary 18. Somme, France . A total of 1844 of our military dead. Somme cemetery 19. St. Mihiel, France . A total of 4153 of our military dead. Saint Mihiel cemetery 20. Suresnes, France. A total of 1541 of our military dead. Suresnes cemetery If we added correctly, the count is 104,366. Apologize to no one. Remind those of our sacrifice and don’t confuse arrogance with leadership. As Americans, let’s all look forward to the next elections - to find a President who doesn’t think we need to be ashamed.
1
POPSCompanions of St. Nicholas These servants are often associated with, but are distinct from Saint Nicholas' helpers in the Netherlands and Flanders (called Zwarte Piet , meaning Black Pete(r) in English). SHORT STORY RESEARCH
9
POPSAmerica's European Arrogance I have a great uncle there in France who never got to come home. And Obama can stuff it if he thinks he's apologizing for me or any of these men who died and their families.
1
POPSNov 11: History of the Poppy
A writer first made connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended. Prior to the First World War few poppies grew in Flanders. During the tremendous bombardments of that war the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing ‘popaver rhoeas’ to thrive. When the war ended the lime was quickly adsorbed, and the poppy began to disappear again. Lieut.-Col. John McCrae, the Canadian doctor who wrote the poem “IN FLANDERS FIELD,” made the same connection 100 years later, during the First World War, and the scarlet poppy quickly became the symbol for soldiers who died in battle. Three years later an American, Moina Michael, was working in a New York City YMCA canteen when she started wearing a poppy in memory of the millions who died in the battlefield. During a 1920 visit to the United States a French woman, Madame
4
POPSNo Flowers for 9/11 Victims, Stones Thrown at Buses Last week Freddy Thielemans, the Socialist Mayor of Brussels, had prohibited the 9/11 demonstration near the Brussels WTC towers. Mr Thielemans banned the demo arguing that the Brussels WTC towers are situated near an immigrant neighbourhood and that it is inappropriate to hold such a demonstration during Ramadan. An appeal against the Mayor’s ban was rejected by the Council of State, Belgium’s highest administrative court. Last year, Mr Thielemans also banned a demonstration in remembrance of the 9/11 atrocities. When the demonstration went ahead anyway, the police savagely beat up the demonstrators and arrested most of them, including Mario Borghezio, an Italian MEP (member of the European Parliament) for the Lega Nord. Mr Borghezio’s arrest led to an official complaint from the Italian government and to Belgium formally apologizing and assuring that in future it will do “everything possible to guarantee the immunity of MEPs.”
7
POPSBelgian Prime Minister Offers Resignation VRTNieuws: * Premier Yves Leterme Resigns: http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie.english/news/080715_Leterme_quits * The End Of Leterme's Dream: http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie.english/news/080715_Leterme_portrait * Five Turbulent Days Leading to the Crisis: http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redactie.english/news/080715_crisis_overview De Morgen: * All Articles: http://www.demorgen.be/dm/article/pagedList.do?language=nl&navigationItemId=989&navigation=&nodeId=62906&nodeTitle=Land-in-crisis
5
POPSFewer Belgians attending Mass 7% attend church weekly (11% a decade ago) 57% new born children are baptised (65% a decade ago) 26.5% opt for a church wedding (49% a decade ago) 61% for church funeral (76% a decade ago) The full press release (27 pages) is available in Dutch or French
4
POPSBelgian Author's Euthanasia Death: Hugo Claus "I insist on being Belgian . . . I want to be a member of the pariah nationality, the laughing stock of the French and an object of ridicule for the Dutch. It's the ideal situation for a writer." Despite his scathing criticism of Belgium, Claus received warm tributes from both the Flemish and francophone communities following his death. "In his works he gave us a mirror on our lives," said former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who was a close friend. "Certainly a hard image, often unpitying, which helped us understand who we really were."
6
POPSAmericans in WW1: B&W pics "Of the approximately 115,000 American dead in the Great War, only about 52,000 died of battlefield wounds. More than 200,000 became more or less seriously wounded. Some 60,000 soldiers and sailors died of disease, mainly the complications of the global pandemic flue (influenza). During the war over 4,355,000 American men and women served in the armed forces. At the end of the war 1,950,000 Americans were actually fighting in France and Flanders. One in five was foreign-born and one in four was functionally illiterate."
1
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update