Monday, November 16, 2015

The HOLODOMOR aka The 1933 Ukrainian Famine Genocide

In the early 1930’s, the Soviet Union created a policy in an attempt to increase the food supply. Stalin was convinced an agricultural collectivization that forces farmers to give up their private land, equipment and livestock, and join state owned, factory-like collective farms would not only feed the industrial workers in the cities but could also provide a substantial amount of grain to be sold abroad, with the money used to finance his industrialization plans. The policy turned out to be devastating as it helped spawn one of the biggest famines in history.

The most affected areas included Ukraine, Northern Caucasus, Kazakhstan, the South Urals, and West Siberia. The famine was extremely bad in Ukraine, and became known as the Holodomor, which many historians felt was an actual genocide, carried out by Joseph Stalin and comparable to the Holocaust.

Holodomor - Death by starvation
The Holodomor (translated: death by starvation) refers to the famine of 1932–1933 in the Ukrainian SSR during which millions of people starved to death as a result of the economic and trade policies instituted by the government of Joseph Stalin. The famine was a part of wider Soviet famine of 1932–1933. There were no natural causes for starvation and in fact, Ukraine - unlike other Soviet Republics - enjoyed a bumper wheat crop in 1932. The Holodomor is considered one of the greatest calamities to affect the Ukrainian nation in modern history. Millions of inhabitants of Ukraine died of starvation in an unprecedented peacetime catastrophe. Estimates on the total number of casualties within Soviet Ukraine range mostly from 2.6 million to 10 million.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The GRAUBALLE Man



The Grauballe man is one of the best preserved bog bodies in the world. He was found on April 26, 1952, in a bog near the village of Grauballe in Jutland, Denmark, by a person digging for peat. Carbon dating has determined him to be from around 290 BC. Grauballe Man is currently on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, Denmark.

The Grauballe Man is very well preserved with nails and hair in evidence. His fingers were even in good enough condition to allow his fingerprints to be taken. While his hair and beard is well preserved, it has been discoloured by time, as is his skin. No clothing or jewellery was found on or near the body.