Saturday, December 29, 1923. The dawn of television.

Russian-born engineer Vladimir K. Zworykin filed for a patent on his Television System, which would evolve into television.  He was employed by Westinghouse at the time, having immigrated to the U.S. during the Russian Civil War.  He died in 1982, living to an undetermined age in his early 90s.

Television advertisement from 1939.

Zworykin wasn't the only individual working on televised images, and his system wasn't the only one that was around.  A system by a rival inventor,  John Logie Baird, would be the first one on the market, coming at an amazingly early 1928, with the first television station, WRGB, then W2XB, broadcasting from the General Electric facility in Schenectady, NY.  For various reason, however, television didn't really take off until after World War Two, with the 1950s really seeing an explosion in its use.  Even at that, however, many households did not have televisions until the 1960s.  I can recall the first television our family had, which must have been acquired in the mid 1960s.  My mother bought it as a gift for my father, but had as an additional motive the hope that he'd spend more evenings at home rather than stop by to visit his mother, who lived a couple of blocks away.  Indeed, my father took to television (my mother never did), and her hopes were realized.

Test pattern from when local television stations quit broadcasting at night, and reappeared in the morning, with this image.  I can recall this appearing on our television early in the morning when my father first turned it on.

That experience really shows one of the frankly negative aspects of what would prove to be a groundbreaking technology.  Prior to television, while radio had arrived, there was still a great deal of "make your own entertainment" and the visiting of friends and relatives in the evenings.  Television helped end all that, which proved to be a radical shift in long held societal patterns.  Interestingly, television itself has never portrayed that change, and continues to depict life in large part as it had been before its arrival.  You don't see television programs in which people sit around and watch television.

As we've noted here before, early television was all locally broadcast, from locally owned stations.  Indeed, the FCC strictly regulated this latter aspect of television, which of course broadcast over the public airways.  Cable made major inroads, however, not television and a near deregulation of the industry has mean that it now broadcasts over multiple channels, in multiple ways, 24 hours a day, with local ownership often not existing.

Televisions ultimately became so common that by the early 2000s, most American households contained three of them.  The number is now down to 2.5, reflecting the advance of computers, which has cut into television use.  

All in all, while undoubtedly there are other opinions, television has been enormously corrosive and detrimental to society.

Germany agreed to pay France's and Belgium's expenses for occupying the Ruhr.  The UK objected to the French collecting taxes on a British owned mined in the region.

The SS Mutlah disappeared in the Mediterranean with all of its 40 hands lost.

The Mexican Federal Army was advancing towards Vera Cruz, the rebels having been routed. . . and industrial school girls were on the warpath.

The Saturday magazines were out.

Friday, December 21, 1923. Tabasco Rebels.

The Mexican Revolution was showing, once again, just how brutal it could be.  Peubla was taken back by the Federal Government.

The French airship Dixmude exploded in a thunderstorm over the Mediterranean.  

The British and Nepalese government signed the Nepal-Britain Treaty.  The treaty, which recognized Nepal's status as an independent nation, stated:

1) Nepal and Britain will forever maintain peace and mutual friendship and respect each other's internal and external independence.

2) All previous treaties, agreements and engagements, since and including the Sugauli Treaty of 1815, which have been concluded between the two Government are hereby cancelled, except so far as they may be altered by the present Treaty.

3) As the preservation of peace and friendly relations with the neighbouring States whose territories adjoin their common frontiers is to the mutual interests of both the High Contracting Parties, they hereby agree to inform each other of any rupture such friendly relations, and each to exert its good offices as far as may be possible to remove such friction and misunderstanding.

4) Each of the High Contracting Parties will use all such measure as it may deem practicable to prevent its territories being used for purpose inimical to the security of the other.

5) In view of the longstanding friendship that has subsisted between the British Government and the Government of Nepal and for the sake of cordial neighbourly relations between them, the British Government agrees that the Nepal Government shall be free to import from or through British India into Nepal whatever arms, ammunition, machinery, warlike material or stores may be required or desired for the strength and welfare of Nepal, and that this arrangement shall hold good for all times as long as the British Government is satisfied that the intentions of the Nepal Government are friendly and that there is no immediate danger to India from such importations. The Nepal such arms, ammunition, etc., across the frontier of Nepal either by the Nepal Government or by private individuals. If, however, any convention for the regulation of the Arms Traffic, to which the British Government may be a party, shall come into force, the right of importation of arms and ammunition by the Nepal Government shall be subject to the proviso that the Nepal Government shall first become a party to that Convention, and that such importation shall only be made in accordance with the provisions of that Convention.

6) No Customs duty shall be levied at British Indian ports on goods imported on behalf of the Nepal Government of immediate transport to that country provided that a certificate from such authority as may from time to time be determined by the two governments shall be presented at the time of importation to the Chief Customs Officer at the port of import setting forth that the goods are the property of the Nepal Government, are required for the public services of the Nepal Government are not for the purpose of any State monopoly or State trade, and are being to Nepal under orders of the Nepal Government, The British Government also agrees to the grant in respect of all trade goods, imported at British Indian ports for immediate transmission to Kathmandu without breaking bulk en route, of a rebate of the full duty paid, provided that in accordance with arrangements already agreed to, between the two Governments, such goods may break bulk for repacking at the port of entry under Customs supervision in accordance with such rules as may from time to time be laid down in this behalf. The rebate may be claimed on the authority of a certificate signed by the said authority that the goods have arrive at Kathmandu with Customs seals unbroken and otherwise untampered with.

7) This Treaty signed in the part of the British Government by Lieutenant-Colonel W.F.T. O'Connor, C.I.E., C.V.O., British Envoy at the Court of Nepal and on the part of Nepal Government by General His Highness Maharaja Sir Chandra Shumsher Junga Bahadur Rana, G.C.B, G.C.S.I., G.D.M.G., G.C.V.O., D.C.I., Thong-lin Pimma Kokang- Wang-Syan, Prime Minister and Marshal of Nepal, shall be ratified and the ratification shall be exchanged at the Kathmandu as soon as practicable.

 

Thursday, December 20, 1923. Setback in Mexico.

 Mexican revolutionaries were suffering a set back.

And Congress went on vacation.

The German arms manufacturing company, which also manufactured other things, started finding workers who refused to work a ten-hour day.

The Dixmude, a war prize German Zeppelin in French service, exploded in midair, with all hands lost.

Monday, December 17, 1923. Closing in on Mexico City.

The revolution in Mexico looked as if it was about to topple the government.

Subhi Bey Barakat was elected President of the Syrian Federation, a French mandate. He'd be its only president as the state would be succeeded by the State of Syria, also a French mandate, which he'd also be the chief executive of.

Thailand adopted the metric system.

An agreement was reached on the formation of the Imperial Air Transport Company, which soon became Imperial Airways.

Tuesday, December 11, 1923. De la Huerta's supporters take Puebla.

 Mexican rebels took Puebla, Mexico's fourth-largest city

In Casper, in contrast to today (it's 34F right now), it was really cold.

Calvin Coolidge gave a press conference, in which he stated:

No decision has yet been made about the sending or releasing of General Butler for service at Philadelphia.

An inquiry about the Mexican treaty. That has been sent, I think, by my office to the Senate. It came over here a day or two ago. I think it would have been submitted last week had it not been for the recess. I am not certain whether it has been carried up yet. I think it has been. Of course, that would be released up there immediately on its appearance. I signed it here and sent it out, and it is just a question of when the messenger goes up. I suppose he has already gone. I do not think he could have gone up yesterday. I imagine he went up this morning at 12:00 o’clock. There isn’t anything or comment that I can make on treaties that are sent to the Senate, other than the usual statement that comes to me from the Secretary of State. They are, as you know, secret in a way, and the injunction of secrecy can only be removed by a vote of the Senate. I think it is the custom to give out a synopsis by the Secretary of State, which the press has already received.

An inquiry about the requested assistance of the administration to prevent unnecessary and vexatious disturbances and interference with nominal radio broadcasting. That is referred to in my message where I said there ought to be more laws governing that. Any of you that have had experience with the radio, of course know that is so. It is as yet an undeveloped field, but one that our experience will very soon show the way in which it should be dealt with legally. I imagine it can’t be dealt with so much by the hard and fast rules that would be made by statutory enactment, as by leaving it to the Department of Commerce or some other administrative body to formulate rules which could be changed from time to time as the experience showed was necessary and desirable.

The visit of Governor Lowden, General Dawes and William P. Jackson, the Committeeman from Maryland, was for the purpose of paying their respects to this office.

No decision has been made in the matter of appointing a judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. I should have made those appointments during the recess, except for the opinion of the Attorney General that, as they did not occur during the recess, they could not be filled. It is necessary for me to confer with Senators in relation to these appointments, and members of the House, because it is to quite a degree the source of my information. There is another matter that I think the press might stress somewhat, and that is my desire to appoint men of the highest character and most marked ability for service on the Federal bench. I am willing to have come to me – I welcome the suggestions from political committees and from those who are known to be in political life or holding political office about appointments to the bench. In other cases, suggestions of that kind might be almost entirely determined by them. But in the case of the bench I should look for something more than that. I have to have the assurance of the approbation of the bar, the assurance of the approbation of the general community as to the standing, character, ability and learning of men that are to be appointed to the bench. So that political recommendations, while they are helpful and will be given due consideration, cannot be entirely the determining factor in making appointments to the United States bench. It is of signal importance that those places be filled by men about which there can’t be any controversy. I don’t mean by that that I should permit a man that from all the evidence I could secure was perfectly well qualified to be disqualified because he happened to have some enemies that might be willing to resort to tactics that I could not agree with or didn’t seem to be supported by facts. But it is very important to put on the bench men about whom there can’t be any question, and I shall try, in my selections, to be guided by that principle.

Whether any decision has been reached regarding food aid to Germany by the United States. The general decision that I have already indicated, which is that we want that done as a business proposition if possible, and investigations are now being made and proposals are being considered, and negotiations are in process for the purpose of making a loan to the German Government, as I understand it, the proceeds of which would be spent in this country by the loans made, part here and part, I think , in Great Britain, for the purpose of buying food stuffs for Germany, if that is accomplished. I have great hopes it may be. I do not think it may be so necessary to resort to charity. Now don’t say anything in the paper that would result in drying up the private charity that is being encouraged. I am speaking now of Government charity. It is very desirable that the private charity that is being organized should go on. It is under the direction of such men as Mr. Allen and I believe General Dawes, who is the Director of it in his region, and other men of like calibre, and of course we are very much desirous that it should go on.

Mr. President, is there any word from France as to her attitude on a loan |for this food?

No, not that I know of.

I have here several inquiries that I will answer by reading a statement, so I that there may be no misunderstanding.

This Government has been informed that the Reparations Commission is considering the establishment of two expert Committees. One to consider the means of I balancing the budget of Germany and the measures to be taken to stabilize her currency. The other to take up the question of the capital which has been removed from Germany. (That is the property of Germany that is said to have been removed and which is now located in other countries). The inquiry of the first Committee would comprehend all the conditions to be realized and the measures to be taken to accomplish the results desired. All the representatives of the Governments, members of ‘the Commission, have expressed a desire to have American experts on the two Committees. It is understood that the Government of the United States is not in a position to be represented on these Committees, and that the invitation to the American experts will be extended directly by the Reparations Commission. (That wants to be made plain – that the Government of the United States does not participate, but that experts, economic experts, to participate by the direct invitation of the Reparations Commission). This Government believes that the proposed inquiry will be of great value and in view of its direct interest as a creditor, (you may recall that I developed that somewhat in my message, speaking of the European debt that is due us and also the debt that is due us from Germany. The German debt in and of itself will amount to about three-quarters of a billion dollars – about $750,000,000. We can’t tell yet just what the Mixed Claims Commission may find is the amount due, but it is of such a sum as joined to the bill of $255,000,000 that is due for the Army of Occupation will amount to about $750,000,000. So that we have an interest there as a direct creditor and an indirect interest as a creditor of the other nations there), and of the importance of the economic recuperation of Europe, it would view with favor the acceptance by American experts of such an invitation. (We have the interest of our debt and our interest in the economic recovery of Europe). The immediate proposal before the Reparation Commission has been made by the French delegate and President of the Commission, and has the support, it is understood, of all the allied Governments. (The French delegate is the President of the Commission, and he is the one who has made the immediate proposal). The British Government has informed this Government of its desire that American experts should participate in the inquiry. (That takes care of all the allied Governments.)

(Now, this is a very important addition). The German Government has also brought the matter to the attention of this Government, stating that it would be much appreciated if an American expert were to participate in the work of the first Committee, as above proposed, as it is believed that in this way important progress could made toward the solution of the problems underlying economic recovery.

(You see, that makes the entire approval of the allied Governments and joined to that is the request that comes from the German Government. I think that is very important, of course, and a very significant development. There has been abroad many times some criticism of our Government, of our people, and our ways, but that has demonstrated, I think, that when they are in real trouble and real difficulty over there, they turn to us as a nation that will be fair with them, – one in whose judgment and in whose character they can rely; and notwithstanding differences that have seemed to exist, they are willing to abide by the faith that they have in us, and I think it is a very substantial accomplishment).

Mr. President, is this the carrying out of the New Haven speech?

Not exactly, but it is along that line. This little statement I will have set up on the typewriter and it will be ready for distribution for you in fifteen or twenty minutes.

Mr. President, would it be proper to ask, in view of our interest in the $750,000,000, why we do not participate officially and directly?

Well, that is a matter that hasn’t yet been adjusted. The Mixed Claims Commission is working on that, the mixed claims part . Then we have some adjustment of the bill for the Army of Occupation. I am speaking of that for the purpose of indicating our direct interest in the situation .

Monday, December 10, 1923. Mexican rebels and cheese empires advance.

The Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution, which has not been ratified, was first introduced in Congress.

At the time, many suffragettes opposed it out of fear that it would eliminate statutory protection of female laborers, which it likely would have.

Rebels were advancing on Mexico City.

Coolidge was encouraging commercial aviation, and running for reelection.

The National Dairy Products Corporation was founded by a merger of Thomas H. McInerney's Hydrox Corporation and Edward E. Rieck's Rieck—McJunkin Dairy Company. In 1930, it would acquire Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company, and then rebrand itself in 1969 as Kraftco Corporation and then Kraft, Inc.

It is now Kraft Heinz as of this very year.

Kraft cheese is, in my opinion, hideous.

The U.S. Supreme Court held in Rooker v. Fidelity Trust Co. that only it, in appropriate Federal questions, could review state supreme court decisions.

The Italian parliament was prorogued, i.e., dissolved, by King Victor Emmanuel III at the request of Benito Mussolini.

Turkey and Albania signed a treat of friendship.

Sunday, December 9, 1923. Fighting over and amongst oil.

 

Bill Donovan, age 47, a former major league baseball player, was killed in a train accident in New York.

The Convention and Statute on the International Régime of Maritime Ports is a 1923 was signed in Geneva providing for open ports.  It's still in effect.

Saturday, December 8, 1923. Viva De La Huerta.

 

Mrs. Coolidge with pigeon, 12/8/23.

Mexico's revolution was spreading.

Mexican rebels captured Xalapa, capital of Veracruz, and started to advance towards Mexico City.

The Reichstag granted Chancellor Wilhelm Marx emergency powers over the economy.

Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and German Ambassador Otto Wiedfeldt signed a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Consular Relations between their respective nations.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. spoke to a gathering of Boy Scouts.

December 5, 1923. Revolución

Under the nominal leadership of Adolfo de la Huerta, a collection of Mexican officials rose up in rebellion against President Álvaro Obregón.  Complicating their insurrection, they were united principally in their opposition to the sitting President.

Interestingly, this period is commonly thought to be outside the Mexican revolutionary period,but it obviously is not.

Frederick H. Gillett was picked as Speaker of the House after nine ballots.

Which allowed the 68th Congress to officially commence.

Seen below being sworn in on this day, he would serve until 1925, at which time he was elected to the Senate.

Blog Mirror: Bricklayer Legacy

 Bricklayer Legacy

Painted Bricks: Don Juan's Mexican Restaurant, Casper Wyoming

Painted Bricks: Don Juan's Mexican Restaurant, Casper Wyoming:

Don Juan's Mexican Restaurant, Casper Wyoming

Casper has seen some murals enter its downtown space recently and this is a nice example.  Don Juan's Mexican Restaurant, which has been in this location now long enough to be regarded as a Casper staple, had this very nice mural depicting scenes of Mexican rural life painted.

This mural is just across the street from the Women of Wyoming mural added last yeaer, which depicts a contemporary Native American woman, and just down the block from Jacob Reeb mural, so some of the diversity of Wyoming is being added through these depictions.

Friday, August 31, 1923. Diplomatic relations with Mexico restored.

Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Mexico were restored.

They had ended during the long Mexican Revolution, during which, for a long period of time, it was unclear who would govern Mexico, and the US found many of the options distasteful.

The Italian Navy shelled the Greek island of Corfu and then landed over 5,000 troops on the islands.  Civilians were injured and killed in the bombardment.  Following the landing, the Greek administration was arrested, but the small Greek garrison did not surrender and instead retreated to the interior of the island.

Mussolini declared that the island had always been Venetian.

An Anti KKK riot broke out in New Castle, Delaware.

Lake Charles, Louisiana, was photographed.

Monday, August 13, 1923. The US recognizes the Mexican Government.

The Bucareli Treaty was signed between the US and Mexico.  In exchange for Mexico compensating US companies that had sustained financial losses during the Mexican Revolution, the US recognized the government of Álvaro Obregón. 

Obregón.

Gustav Ernst Stresemann became Chancellor of Germany, and the country's Foreign Minister.  He was a member of the German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei), a centrist political party.  Stresemann is its best known member.

The party was dissolved in 1933 and has no legal successor today.

Saturday, July 21, 1923. Villa's body was being viewed, Maughan was waiting for directions, Harding wasn't going to call Congress into Session, ERA text changed.

 

I'm certain that the cover of The Saturday Evening Post would be condemned in many quarters today, even if you still see things like this.

Of course, this scene has been taken over by everyone, male and female, checking their cell phones.

The Country Gentleman simply featured a fine bovine.

The Saturday Casper paper noted the important events of the day.

Villa's body was being viewed, Maughan was waiting for directions, Harding wasn't going to call Congress into Session, and there was discussion of adjusting reparations.

The National Women's Party was meeting in Seneca Falls, New York

The NWP had proposed an Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1921. At this convention, it changed the text of the draft to more closely match the text that was ultimately submitted to Congress and the States.

The first regular radio broadcast in the Netherlands commenced.

The KKK paraded in Topeka in defiance of an order issued by the Attorney General of Kansas, but which the Mayor of Kansas stated he would not enforce.

Friday, July 20, 1923. Pancho Villa slain.

José Doroteo Arango, better known as Francisco "Pancho" Villa, was gunned down along with his assistant Daniel Tamayor, his unfortunate chauffeur Migel Trujillo and bodyguards Rafael Madreno and Claro Huertado in Hidalgo del Parral. Bodyguard Ramon Contreras survived the attack, killing one assailant.

The fatal trip into town in his Dodge sedan was to pick up payroll for his ranch employees. Details of the killings remain unclear, but it is widely suspected Plutarco Elías Calles and President Alvaro Obregón had a role in the killings, and that they were brought about by Villa's murmurings that he might reenter politics.  Jesús Salas Barraza took responsibility for the murder, with it being attributed to resentment over Villa whipping him in a feud over a woman, but it's generally felt that this was to divert attention from the plotters. Barraza served three months out of a twenty-year sentence for murder, and went on to become an officer in the Mexican Army.  Most of the surviving assassins also ended up in the Mexican army.

Telegraph service to Villa's hacienda of Canutillo was interrupted briefly, apparently in a move to cut communications lest his followers there start an uprising.

Villa left a complicated personal life in his wake.  His longest lasting spouse, Luz Corral, was not living with him at the time, and Austreberta Rentería was in residence at his hacienda as his wife.  Court challenges would uphold Corral as his legal spouse, and she would inherit his estate.  He had at least four living children at the time of his death.

Villa was an extremely odd character who had served brilliantly as a cavalry commander in the initial stages of the Mexican Revolution, but who was unable to adjust to the changes in military technology that had altered how cavalry had to be used.  He's the best remembered Mexican Revolutionary by far, although politically not a terribly effective one.  His decision to rail Columbus New Mexico in 1916, in retaliation for Woodrow Wilson allowing Carranza to transport his troops across Texas and back into Mexico, nearly lead the US into war, and provided an embarrassing episode in which a US expeditionary force was unable to run him down.  The Punitive Expedition, as it was known, did however serve to prepare the US for entry into World War One.

Perhaps Villa's violent life and death make the gathering of "prominent young girls" in a pageant in Seneca Falls depicting the progress of women, in which they were depicted as ancient warriors, a bit ironic.

 Warriors. Agnes Lester, Marjorie Follette, Emily Knight, Elizabeth Van Sickle, Carol Lester, prominent young girls of Seneca Falls, as warriors in the Drama depicting the Progress of Woman to be given at the reception at Seneca Falls, N.Y., on July 20, 1923.

The bodies of Villa and his men, laying dead in their Dodge, depicted the true face of war, which is not very glamorous. Women in liberal western societies, but only in liberal western societies, would "progress" into combat over the next century, but it's not an existential progress, but a retrograde trip into barbarity.

Casper's paper for the same day reported the end of the second dusk to dawn flying record attempt in Rock Springs.

Speaking of violence and women, the Casper paper was reporting a Cheyenne rancher was charged with violation of the Mann Act in the far western part of the state.

There were strikes in Port Arthur, Texas.

Wars and Rumors of War, 2023, Part 5. La Golondrina

 

An earlier humanitarian crisis.

May 12, 2023

Mexican Border Crisis

Not in the category of war, but sort of an invasion, Title 42 expired last night and a flood of asylum seekers and others are anticipated to cross the border.

This is a crisis for the US that cannot be ignored.  It is effectively an invasion of sorts, which if not addressed will have dire humanitarian and economic consequences in the United States and imperil the US's already frankly teetering democracy.  Failing to come up with something has already created a dire humanitarian crisis in northern Mexico, which has, under its new leadership, lost patience with the United States.  Some recent polls suggest that a majority of Texans wish to leave the union, with this being among the major causes.  The migrant flood has already effectively destroyed aspects of civil life in cities along the border.

Prior to the 1970s, the United States would have intervened militarily in the failed states which are the home countries of the flood of desperate humanity.  We no longer do such things, but this does bring up grave moral issues, among them being the toleration of pretending that the source countries have effective governments while their populations remove themselves for the American border.  In the name of being a peaceable better neighbor, we've allowed countries to descend into chaos, and yet in this day and age gunboat diplomacy is presumably unthinkable.

What's to be done?

Whatever that is, there's little confidence in the current administration's ability to effectively do it, and the Republican Party is using the crisis to make political hay.  Dithering, however, is contributing to it.  Immediate action on the crisis is required, and a major reform of the US's already then naive circa 1970s immigration laws needs to take place.

Russo Ukrainian War

President Zylenskyy announced yesterday that Ukraine has delayed its Spring offensive due to a lack of ammunition.

A leader making such an announcement is phenomenal, and partially for that reason, there's reason to wonder about the statement.  Still, it's been remarkable how little has occurred since the muddy seasons, presumably, has ended.

Added to that, quite frankly, if this is true, it causes grave reasons for concern.

The United Kingdom has supplied new long range cruise missiles to Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian lines at Bakhmut.

The Russians have seized the Cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Simferopol, an area that they occupy.

May 13, 2023

Mexican Border Crisis

The predicted chaos did not ensue yesterday, which doesn't mean it's not arriving.

I split out the entry on this to a separate item, which I'll refer to here.

Russo Ukrainian War

In a technological game of chess, the Russians attempted to destroy a Patriot missile battery only to have the Patriots shoot the hypersonic missiles.

Now we know that Patriots can do that.

May 13, cont.

Russo Ukrainian War

President Zelenskyy is in Rome.  He's met with the Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and is now meeting with the Pope.

May 14, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

Belarusian President Lukashenko is gravely ill.

What happens in regard to his country's position on the conflict, should he die, is a wildcard.

For the first time in the war, four Russian aircraft, two jets and two helicopters were shot down inside of Russia itself.

May 15, 2023

Mexican Border Crisis

So far, migrant crossings into the US have actually dropped.

The lapse of Title 42 was a topic on the weekend shows.  Of interest, the Democratic responses is always, basically, how to amend the law to make the process of taking in a flood of people more orderly, not addressing if the flood needs to be stemmed or stopped.

Russo Ukrainian War

On the weekend shows, there was much discussion of Trump's refusal to take a stand over supporting Ukraine in the war.

Are we surprised?  Trump has always had some sort of weird relationship with Putin.

May 16, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

The 501st Separate Marine Infantry Battalion which surrendered in Mariupol last Spring were betrayed by a logistical officer who was cooperating with the Russians, effectively tricking them into surrendering, according to a Ukrainian investigation.

Regarding this sort of activity:

Leaked US intelligence accessed by The Washington Post indicates that Wagner Group financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin offered to disclose the locations of Russian positions to Ukrainian intelligence in exchange for Bakhmut.[1] The Washington Post reported on May 15 that Prigozhin offered the Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) information about Russian troop positions in exchange for a Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmut, and two Ukrainian unnamed officials confirmed that Prigozhin had spoken to GUR officials on numerous occasions. GUR officials reportedly rejected Prigozhin’s offer because they did not trust Prigozhin, and some documents indicate that Kyiv suspects that the Kremlin is aware of Prigozhin’s communication with Ukrainian intelligence. The Washington Post reported that Prigozhin urged Ukrainian officials to attack Russian forces and revealed the problems that the Russian forces are facing with morale and ammunition stocks. The Washington Post published an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 13 about GUR Chief Major General Kyrylo Budanov’s interactions with Prigozhin and his operatives in Africa in which Zelensky did not confirm Ukraine’s contacts with Prigozhin.[2]

May 20, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

The United States, Portugal and Denmark will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.

Counteroffensive?  Still no signs of one.

May 21, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

The Russians are claiming to have taken Bakhmut, although it remains unclear if they have.  ISW regards the capture, if it occurred, as tactically insignificant.

Zelenskyy is at the G7 seeking ongoing support for Ukraine.

Italy may also start training Ukrainian pilots.

Mexican Border Crisis\

Mexico, also plagued by the immigration crisis, is flying migrants south, away from the US border, and bussing migrants away from the Guatemalan border.

Camps that are some distance north of the southern Mexican border predominately house Haitian migrants.

Sudanese Civil War

The fighting factions of the Sudanese military agreed to a seven-day cease fire.  The US and Saudi Arabia brokered the hiatus in fighting.

May 22, 2023

Papua New Guinea/United States

Papua New Guinea and the US will sign a defense pact aimed at countering China.

May 23, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

Anti Putin Russians fighting with Ukraine entered Belgorod Oblast.  The Russians are complaining about it, but why, after invading Ukraine, they'd be upset by having Ukrainian allied forces invade them, is hard to fathom.

The incursion, which has only crossed a limited area of the border, has seen the forces which engaged in it dig in.

Wagner forces are leaving Bakhmut, after having taken it, in order to turn it over to the Russian Army.  Apparently they intend to refit elsewhere.  Ukrainian forces have advanced around the city to some extent.

May 28, 2023

Iran & Afghanistan

Iran and Taliban forces exchanged gun fire on their border in a fight that is over water rights.

May 30, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

Moscow was hit by drones yesterday.  Ukraine has denied involvement.

The Russians hit Ukraine with missile and drone attacks every day.  Their frequency is why we don't report them here.

May 31, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

Ukraine hit a Russian refinery on the Black Sea today with drones.

June 1, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

Russia claimed to have destroyed Ukraine's last remaining warship yesterday.

June 4, 2023

Russo Ukrainian War

President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is ready to launch its counteroffensive.

Declaring something like that is quite odd, so its hard to know what to make of it.

Last prior edition:

Wars and Rumors of War, 2023, Part 4. Бездоріжжя

Related threads:

Crisis on the border. Roots, origins, angst, and what is to be done.

Thursday, May 31, 1923. Demonstrations in Durango.

A mass demonstration in Durango, Mexico attempted to take hold of the government's office a day prior to a law limiting the number of Christian ministers, a rule which would have made 90% of the 250 Catholic Priests in Durango invalid.

The governments coming into power after the Mexican Revolution were extremely hostile to the Catholic Church, of which this is an example.

Tex Rickard incorporated the New Madison Square Garden Corporation for the purpose of building a larger Madison Square Garden.

Rodeo cowboys at While House, May 31, 1923.

Friday, April 16, 1943. Mercader starts his wait.

Photo of a B-18 that had done a gear up landing, April 16, 1943.

The Battle of Cigno Convoy occurred off of Sicily, in which a Royal Navy attempt to interdict an Italian convoy resulted in the loss of the British destroyer Pakenham. The Italians lost a torpedo boat.

U.S. submarines under construction.

Swiss biochemist Albert Hofmann accidentally ingested LSD, making him the first human to do so.  He'd repeat the experiment and endure a "bad trip" two days later.

Hofmann was an advocate for the drug, hoping it would find some use, which it never did.

Ramón Mercader, a.k.a. Jacques Monard, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Mexican authorities for murdering Leon Trotsky.  Mercader would serve out his term and ultimately move to the Soviet Union, where he was employed by the USSR and regarded as a hero. Before his death in 1978 he noted;  "I hear it always. I hear the scream. I know he's waiting for me on the other side."

The Professionals. A second review.

As recently noted here, Fighting On Film just dropped a podcast episode on The Professionals.  I reviewed that film back in 2015, along with a collection of others, in which I stated:

The Professionals

This film from the 1960s is in the star packed genera, which many films of this period were.  Featuring Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Burt Lancaster, and others, the film is set in the Mexican Revolutionary period, with a plot centered on American soldiers of fortune being hired by a wealthy rancher to retrieve his kidnapped wife.

All in all, this film is pretty entertaining and is done pretty well.   In terms of history, it has some interesting features including the fluid nature of the border and the confusing  nature of Mexican revolutionary forces. The film has an offhand referenced to the "Colorados", who were an actual faction in the Mexican Revolution and who were followers of Pascual Orozco, and who fought for Modero at first and then switched to Huerta against him.  This would also place the film in the 1913 to 1915 time frame and would place the revolutionaries generally depicted in the film into some category of Villistas, more or less. 

The firearms in the film are period correct, and small details, such as Marvin's clothing (he's supposed to be a former professional soldiers) show some surprisingly small scale correct details that are generally omitted in films in this period.  One of the better films of this type.

I try to go more in depth in my reviews now, which is why I'm never current on them, sad to say.  

This film is one of my favorites and it sort of stands, in my view, as a bookend to The Wild Bunch, which was reviewed in the same original collective post.  In looking back, I notice that I noted what Fighting On Film did about Lee Marvin's "drip".  I didn't notice, but it's very evident in the film, how realistic, period correct, and almost acrobatic Marvin's handling of firearms is in the movie.

Fighting On Film places this movie in about 1920, which is likely correct, which makes it a true Fin de Siècle, passing of the frontier west film.  Indeed, it's really almost past it.  It's an excellent film, one which I've watched many times.  Given that, I'm surprised to see that I didn't mention, when I originally reviewed it, that the movie, based on a novel serialized in the Rocky Mountain News (A Mule for the Marquessa) and features bombshell Italian actress Claudia Cardinale in it.  Fighting On Film hardly mentioned her either, FWIW.  She's the one weak role in the whole film and is frankly there as window dressing.  There was no effort at all to do anything about her extraordinarily thick Italian accent, even though Jack Palance, playing "Raza", a Villa like character, has an affected one, and Marie Gomez, a Mexican actress who also played roles in American television, a genuine one.  Indeed, Gomez's English, while accented, is crystal clear, whereas Cardinale's English is not.

The Fighting On Film website has a link to an original poster or theater card from the movie, which would lead to protests today, as it depicts Cardinale so stripped down that it's effectively a poster emphasizing her breasts over anything else.  It probably realistically demonstrated why she was in the film in the first place, however.  Indeed, in at least one scene the film toyed with Gomez's portrayal in this fashion as well, going further than it did with Cardinale, but so briefly that it's almost not noticeable.  This latter fact is more than a little 60s misogynistic, but the casting of Cardinale was simply silly.  It's notable that in films today, moviemakers at least cast real Hispanic actresses in Hispanic roles and wouldn't get away with the Italian bombshell thing today.

In contrast, Woody Stroke, who was elevated to star status by this movie, was amazingly 52 years old when it was released.  I note this as he was clearly cast in part as he was a remarkable physical specimen, the only male character to be shown shirtless. At 52, he appeared much younger than his actual age.

Anyhow, this move is very well done.  The clothing, as noted, shows real attention to small details. The firearms are mixed and period correct.  Horses are shown not to be free of fatigue.  It's a good watch.