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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives the world over for more than a year. Its death toll will soon reach three million people. Yet the origin of pandemic remains uncertain: The political agendas of governments and scientists have generated thick clouds of obfuscation, which the mainstream press seems helpless to dispel. In what follows I will sort through the available scientific facts, which hold many clues as to what happened, and provide readers with the evidence to make their own judgments. I will then try to assess the complex issue of blame, which starts with, but extends far beyond, the...

I have researched and published considerably on the question of genocide. The current nonsense in the media about President Trump abandoning the Kurds is nonsense. It is more than evident that the media's interest in the Kurds is purely a cynical attempt to gain more adherents for a continually failing Never Trump movement. Here are several key reasons the Kurds have not been abandoned by President Trump and no one should draw a negative implication to the Trump decision to reduce our troop presence in Syria: 1. The Media Elite abandoned the Kurds when they Annihilated President Bush on the...

The use of “technicals” by military forces to round up citizenry as part of genocide. This post looks into the role that (so called) “technicals” play in national upheavals. A “technical” is a pickup truck that has been modified into a mobile heavy weapons platform. These machines have been commonly used in just about every national conflict over the last two decades. Here, we look at the role that they have, and why there are used. As opposed to other vehicles constrained for other purposes. Summary A technical is a light improvised fighting vehicle, typically an open-backed civilian pickup truck...

It is no exaggeration to say that Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1960s adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy novel “War and Peace” is a singular feat of filmmaking that can never be repeated. If it were, a director would have to match the resources at Bondarchuk’s disposal — a virtually unlimited budget, props from Russia’s great museums, thousands of extras from the Soviet army — and engineer sprawling battle sequences using no computer-generated effects. The extraordinary support behind “War and Peace” is apparent in every lavish frame of its seven-plus hours, and it is staggering to witness — even more so in the...

In his illustrious 50-year career, screenwriter Andrew Davies has forged a formidable reputation for creating strong female characters. But now he says he is not allowed to make his women anything but feisty – by the powerful female executives who run television. Davies, who is known for adaptations of classics such as Pride And Prejudice and War & Peace, says bosses want to see an image of themselves projected on screen, and veto any 'droopy, soppy' girls he wants to pen.

HAPPIER ABROAD  Why You Will Have A Better Love and Life Beyond America     What immigrants and foreigners say about America that you never hear in the US media  "The biggest culture shock that people experience in the US is not between their country and the US but between what they thought the US would be and what it actually is." – Ladislav, my Expat Advisor In reality, there are few redeeming qualities to living in America other than making money and consuming.  Besides that, the rest is mostly fake and artificial.  This is well known to many foreigners, immigrants and...

In her disappointment, Kristina was driven to watch the 1967 Soviet epic that won director Sergei Bondarchuk an Oscar. "The interiors, the decor, the Moscow winter and the war scenes especially are ideal there," she told the BBC. "Of course Field Marshal Kutuzov and all the fighting were shot with such expense you wouldn't expect any flaws." No effort and no expense were spared in providing the Soviet film-makers with what they needed. 3,000 Soviet soldiers were drafted for one battle scene 57 museums donated exhibits for the shoots More than 40 state firms were enlisted to produce replica weapons...

The opening scene of War and Peace, the first two hours of which screened on A&E, Lifetime, and History Channel on Monday night, was specifically constructed with the purpose of allaying fears that the screen version would not be faithful to Leo Tolstoy’s 1800-page magnum opus.

After a battle-heavy first two episodes, it was pure, unadulterated romance that left viewers misty-eyed while watching War And Peace last night. An emotionally charged scene which saw dashing Prince Andrei (James Norton) whisk Natasha Rostova (Lily James) on to the dancefloor at the Tsar's New Year's Eve ball left the audience of the hit BBC One period drama reeling. Viewers took to social media to praise the romantic scene, which showed the couple falling in love - calling it 'this generation's Mr Darcy in the pond' - referring to Colin Firth in Pride And Prejudice.

The first episode of the BBC's new costume drama War and Peace was watched by more than six million viewers. The drama, which stars Paul Dano, Lily James and James Norton, has also won rave reviews. The adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel averaged 6.3 million viewers, peaking at 6.7 million. It was up against ITV's Endeavour and spy drama Deutschland 83 on Channel 4, which averaged 4.4 million and 1.2 million viewers respectively. snip - Downton Abbey star James plays Natasha Rostov in the drama, with Dano - who starred in 12 Years a Slave - as Pierre Bezukhov and...

Principal photography has started on the six-part adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic War And Peace which is being made by BBC Cymru Wales in partnership with The Weinstein Company and BBC Worldwide/Lookout Point. Paul Dano, Lily James and James Norton are already aboard to star, with new additions to the cast including Jim Broadbent, Gillian Anderson, Brian Cox and Ken Stott. The epic drama is written by House Of Cards and Bridget Jones‘ Andrew Davies. Anderson was nominated for a Golden Globe for her turn in his 2007 adaptation of Dickens’ Bleak House.

The premiere of the opera War and Peace, to take place in Glasgow later this month, will not only be staged on a staggering scale, but a world first for Sergei Prokofiev’s original score, reconstructed without its Soviet-era political editing, has never before been staged.

Some of us are looking for a specific ping list that discusses military history topics primarily. The focus of such a ping list would be on historical military commanders, wars, battles, strategies, tactics, and the like (as opposed to current military topics). At present, we have not been able to find such a list though there is quite a bit of intereest among FReepers. If you would like to join the new "Military History" ping list, please reply to FReeper indcons.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Faced with the prospect of costly legal action, city officials Wednesday restored a public artwork featuring quotes about war and peace - including political commentator Bill Maher's definition of "a real coward." Last month, City Manager Mike Rock ordered the removal of one of the 22 stones in Gayla Lemke's ceramic "Hope Stones" at the Lakewood Cultural Center in suburban Denver. The stone contained a quote attributed to Maher: "A real coward is someone who drops a bomb from a protected space several thousand feet up." Rock said he was concerned the quote could lead to...

Alexander Hamilton wasn't the only major American political figure to take part in a mortal duel. Two years after Aaron Burr killed Hamilton in Weehawken, N.J., Andrew Jackson stood 10 paces from a lawyer named Charles Dickinson after Dickinson had said something unflattering about Jackson's wife. The first shot struck Jackson in the shoulder, breaking two ribs before lodging close to his heart. Losing blood but still standing, Jackson took steady aim and shot Dickinson dead. Jackson would live for another four decades with that bullet in his chest, personally taking part in some of America's bloodiest Indian wars, leading...

Soldiers from the military unit that was mistakenly attacked in Afghanistan by a U.S. fighter jet in 2002 are heading back to the mountainous Middle Eastern country for another tour of duty. About 40 troops...

[Q NOTE: THIS AWESOME SECTION SETS THE STAGE FOR CONTRASTING THE WAR AND PEACE HANUKAH MATRIX'S CLUSTERS WITH AUTHENTIC AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT BIBLICAL CODES. I have difficulty understanding in a rational way (except for the psychological/emotional/spiritual perverseness of man)--I have difficulty understanding how any fair-minded person could seriously & fairly consider even this section alone and still assert that any other book yields the same quality codes as The Bible--IT JUST 'AIN'T' SO!!!] COMPARING CLUSTERS The Skeptics' Arguments Don't Hold a Hanukah Candle to Extensive Evidence of the Reality of Bible Codes Ever since the Bible codes were introduced, skeptics...