Saturday, February 12, 2022
Friday, February 11, 2022
Wednesday, February 11, 1942. The Channel Dash.
On this day in 1942 the Germans commenced the "Channel Dash" in an effort to run two battleships from the port of Brest to their home ports in Germany. The battleships were the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, accompanied by the cruiser Prinz Eugen. They'd been enduring bombing by the RAF in Brest.
The German effort commenced under the cover of night on February 11 and with radio jamming which precluded British agents from radioing about the ship's departure. It was covered by the Luftwaffe, so the ensuing battle was an air and sea battle.
Both sides sustained damage and casualties in the effort, but the German objective was successful. Given that the Germans did in fact run the channel, albeit partially at night, it was a bit of an embarrassment to the British.
According to Sarah Sundin's blog, there were riots in Montreal over conscription plans on this date.
I'm not aware of the 1942 riots, although I am of 1944 riots. At any rate, conscription had been in place since 1940, but at that time conscripted troops could not be required to serve overseas unless they so volunteered, resulting in an enduring Canadian controversy. Troops who would not volunteer were termed "zombies" by those who resented it. Resistance to conscription was particularly strong in Quebec, where Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis had called a snap election in 1939 to oppose the war only to lose his seat to Adelard Godbout, who had the support of the Federal government in the election.
French Canadian resistance to conscription has been an ongoing matter of controversy in Canada. Simply put, the Québécois were largely disinterested in the war, although 20% of those who volunteered to fight overseas were in fact Québécois. This makes for a complicated legacy in obvious ways.
US forces arrived to help defend the Dutch islands of Curacoa, Bonaire and Aruba with permission of the Dutch government in exile.
Also, according to Sundin, the US took over Dupont's supply of nylon, a critical war material used for a variety of things, including parachutes.
The documentary Our Russian Front was released on this date in 1942.
Pandemic Part 9. Omicron becomes dominant
December 22, 2021
Well, with Omicron now becoming dominant, time for a new installment.
Israel is recommending a second booster. It was the first country to recommend a booster shot in general.
The CDC warns that the Omicron may see 140,000,000 new cases in the United States in the next couple of months.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has stated that it is a moral duty to be vaccinated. The Catholic Bishop of Cairns, Australia, decried the role of ignorant and divisive parishioners in spread vaccine myths.
In a rare instance of some unity in politics, former President Trump stated in an interview how pleased he was that President Biden mentioned his administration's role in developing the vaccine. Trump went on to state that healing of the nation's divides needed to occur and urged people to get vaccinated, while also stating that he though mandates counterproductive.
December 31, 2021
An additional 200+ Marines have been discharged for refusing orders to take the vaccine.
Israel has approved a 4th booster shot.
January 10, 2022
Listening to the weekend shows, it's become clear that the new Coronavirus strategy is now "learn to live with it". Going forward, it's going to be treated with annual (if not more frequent) vaccinations and treated upon infection.
Perhaps this was inevitable, but it also represents a global public health failure. In the developed world, large numbers of the population refused to acknowledge the disease as fundamentally different and overall the world in general failed to act to prevent the spread of the disease in the Third World. If there's a bright spot, a big if, it seems to be evolving towards less lethal.
Which doesn't mean it isn't lethal. This will mean we'll have a period of years in which the unvaccinated and those who were vaccinated but who slip into disregard will in fact get killed by the disease until vaccination becomes general.
January 14, 2020
The US Supreme Court ruled that OSHA lacks the authority to impose mask mandates on conventional workplaces under the existing laws and regulations applying to it.
January 22, 2022
The state has hit an all-time new high for new infections.
February 3, 2022
The Army is discharging soldiers who refused to get the vaccine. The discharges are for misconduct, so they are in fact bad conduct discharges, which will therefore carry some lifelong negative implications.
The Secretary of the Army also replied to Governor Gordon, and some other Governors, that this applies to National Guardsmen in spite of their letters of protest.
New Zealand is reopening its boarders.
Justin Trudeau and his family apparently have COVID. His infection is coincident with a massive trucking industry protest over new rules applying to unvaccinated truckers.
February 11, 2022
The United States has sustained 900,000 deaths due to COVID 19.
A spike in deaths has occurred since January, principally due to the Omicron variant in the unvaccinated. The US has the highest reported deaths of any country on earth, which is due to the resistance to getting vaccinated.
The American death toll now exceeds the number of deaths due to the Spanish Flu, which is a reported 675,000, although in reality due to the lingering effects of the disease, it was higher than that. Put in context, however, given the population at the time, that would equate to approximately 2,000,000 Americans today.
Put back in context, it's clear the US is going to exceed 1,000,000 deaths due to COVID 19.
Last prior installment:
Pandemic Part 8. Enter Omicron
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Friday, February 10, 1922. Idle guns?
On this day in 1922 a photographer toured the Navy Gun Shop, no doubt for a story on armaments now deemed to be somewhat unneeded.
ON this day, President Harding, hoping to keep them unneeded, appeared in the Senate to personally appeal for the ratification of the treaties.
Of course, many of these tubes were replacement tubes for barrels that became worn in use, and therefore some would go on to use anyhow. And indeed, battleships, the heaviest of all surface warships, would continue to be built through the end of the Second World War. And some of these guns would go on to serve in Army coastal batteries.
One thing that was also occurring, of course, is that technology was moving on. The recent Great War had seen the full scale deployment of submarines, whose danger was appreciated, and the introduction of aircraft carriers, whose danger was not.
And radio was coming in. Above we see the Secretary of the Navy on this day with a radio-telephone, a new thing.
Of course, aspects of the old world hung on.
Muslim woman in India (probably Pakistan), on this day in 1922.
The Irish Republican Army attacked an Ulster Special Constabulary patrol in County Tyrone. The civil war, and the terrorist war, was arriving.
Confirmation Bias
As we speak, the Republican National Committee is reeling from its statement that condemned Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for words that claimed their role in the January 6 Committee is persecuting people who were "engaging in ordinary political discourse".
It's an interesting moment in the January 6 Insurrection Drama.
Since they made that statement, prominent Republicans have been not only distancing themselves from the statement, some have outright condemned it. Republican Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outright condemned it. For Vice President Pence, whose safety was on the line that day, hasn't condemned it directly, but pretty clearly by implication. Mitt Romney has outright condemned it.
And they aren't alone.
In response, the RNC's spokesman McDaniel's has essentially said "that's not what we meant" and that the press is misconstruing what was said. In the process, she's condemned the January 6 rioters, which means in order to escape her statement she's moving away from Donald Trump, who has more or less said he'd pretty much pardon them all.
Quite a moment.
Was the statement misconstrued?
That's actually hard to say, based upon its text. You could read things into it to get that meaning. If you don't, it pretty much flat out indicates the rioters were engaged in "legitimate political discourse". As that's such a shocking proposition, it suggests that it was an example of being an extraordinarily tone-deaf text.
Having said that, there are undoubtedly some there who meant the very thing that McDaniels is now saying it didn't mean.
How could this happen?
Chris Christie, on This Week provided a pretty good explanation, although nobody dwelled on it. This isn't the opinion of the entire rank and file of the GOP, although in the current GOP, with its influx of formerly Democratic blue collar voters, and many who have accepted the Trump propaganda, and the ongoing abandonment of the party by its former mainstream members, well over half belief that the election was stolen. This is a tone-deaf statement by some 100 GOP members.
And, just based on observation, it's made up of the people who are really active in the party right now, and they're the most extreme members.
In the modern world, or at least the modern United States, people listen only to people just like themselves. They've self segregated themselves even in an era when traditional segregation has died away. People only listen to people who have the same political views. They check news channels that portray the world only the way that they want it portrayed. They don't read newspapers much. They only go to websites that hold the same views that they do.
And pretty soon, as everyone they view or talk to says the same things they think, they believe that must be the only way to see it.
It fuels fanaticism.
And in that atmosphere, saying something that could be read that way, if it wasn't meant, is easy to do, even without realizing that most people aren't going to read it that way.
McDaniels is busy trying to explain it away to the press. Too late. The damage is done. But most who did the damage won't ever realize that. They'll just accept McDaniels' claim that it's the press picking on the GOP. And to some degree, maybe it is, but if you hand your opponents a weapon to be used against you, it's your fault for doing that.
And so we find ourselves in a "teachable moment". Find the political points that make you uncomfortable. You might not change your views, but then again, you might.
If everyone you talk to is saying the same things you are, you're just listening to yourself.
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Monday, February 9, 1942. The Normandie capsizes
From our companion blog; Today In Wyoming's History: February 9: 1942 Daylight-saving "wartime" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.
I hate Daylight Savings Time personally. I can see, on this article on Wartime Daylight Savings Time, I'm not the only one.
And a host of big events are listed on Sarah Sundin's blog:
February 9, 1942: French ocean liner Normandie, which had been seized by the US and converted to the troopship USS Lafayette, burns at pier in New York, capsizes next day.
She also mentions the US ordering the registration of enemy aliens on this day and the UK rationing soap.
The Normandie was undergoing conversion into a troop ship at the time. A fire broke out, and ultimately the ship capsized. At the time, sabotage was suspected, but an investigation concluded it was negligence. Some organized crime figures later claimed responsibility, but the ultimate cause remains a mystery, with negligence being the likely cause of the incident. The ship was nearly new, having been built in 1935, and was one of the greatest ocean liners ever built.
NPR: "It's OK to not be passionate about your job"
It's OK to not be passionate about your job
Prioritizing passion is a relatively new concept when it comes to job searching. In the 1940s and '50s, career advice centered around stability, and workers were encouraged to land positions that would support them and their families. But during the 1970s, '80s and '90s, self-expression overtook stability as the main motivator.
Hmmmm.. . .the 70s and 80s must have skipped here, and we had a second 40s and 50s.
And. . .
Based on her research, people from wealthier families are more likely to be employed in jobs that speak to their passions and are stable, compared with people from less wealthy backgrounds.
Well, d'uh.
I’m not sure what to make about this. It's an interesting generational thing, however. When you are young, it's common to be asked "what do you want to do. . ." Some people do those things, but not many.
In some occupations, when I later hear somebody say, "I always wanted to be . . .", I'm really skeptical. As a lawyer, whenever somebody says that about the law, I just don't believe it. What normal ten-year-old wants to be a lawyer?
Or a doctor, or an accountant.
Not many, I'll bet.
But I don't think the concept of trying to do what fits your passion is wholly irrelevant. It may be dangerous in some ways, if it's a dream that cannot really be fulfilled, which many dreams in the modern world may not be. Want to be a small-time farmer and nothing else? Well, if you weren't born into it, you probably aren't going to realize that dream.
But the flipside is also true. End up in an occupation, for one reason or another, that doesn't fit your existential nature or some deep-seated trait, you risk at bare minimum being disappointed at some level, or perhaps have to end up one of the hundreds of thousands in our society that are medicated just to get through their day, suppress part of their personality, and make it through work.
Well, it's probably okay not to be passionate about your work. Indeed, for most people, they're not going to be. The larger question is what that means for them, and their work.
Electric Crate Motors Are Here
In circulation, that is.
Ford has introduced one and GM already had one.
A crate motor is a drop in motor. They've been common forever in gasoline and diesel engines.
Now, the electric ones are out.
I don't know how they work in this regard, but they can be mated to an automatic or manual transmission. So they are specifically now being marketed for older vehicles, for conversion to electric. you keep your existing transmission.
I know, I know, "they'll never work here".
Well, they will, they're going to, and the shift has really started to come.
And I know the other arguments as well.
"They aren't really green if you consider the electrical power source".
True enough, right now, but pretty soon, I suspect, coal-fired power plants will be a thing of the past.
Petroleum fueled vehicles are clearly on that path right now.
One of the supposed prohibitive facts on that that is all the old cars that take gasoline engines. Well, maybe not so much.
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Wednesday, February 8, 1922. First radio in the White House.
President Harding had a radio installed in the White House.
It's surprising to learn that it was as late as 1922, but then radio was a new and upcoming thing at the time. Most households still would not have had one.
On the same day, a fire broke out on the roof of the Treasury Building.
Monday, February 7, 2022
Satiurday, February 7, 1942. No more new cars.
Today In Wyoming's History: February 7: 1942 1942 The federal government ordered passenger car production stopped and converted to wartime purposes.
This has been mentioned here before, but the official order went down on this day.
This happened in the middle of a styling change, with newer model cars becoming increasingly streamlined. The trend would pick up again right after the war. Cars were, for a lack of a better way to put it, becoming more modern.
The US established the War Shipping Administration.
It's interesting that a lot of these acts occurred on weekends, showing that at this point the U.S. Government was basically working seven days a week.
As it was a Saturday, the Saturday magazines were out. On the Saturday Evening Post Rockwell's Willie Gillis appeared, getting the attention of two young women while also trying to enjoy a plate of non Army food.
The Philadelphia Courier, in response to a letter to the editor by a black man wondering if he should bother to fight for the United States given racial prejudice in the country, launched the Double V Campaign, a campaign for victory abroad and racial justice at home.
The Afrika Korps halted its counteroffensive in Libya today due to logistical reasons, having retaken nearly all the ground that had been gained by the British in 1941 in a fraction of the time that it had taken them to do it.
Vidkun Quisling, the German installed dictator of Norway, abolished the Norwegian constitution.
A Soviet offensive to relieve Leningrad stalls out.
The FBI, aided by local sheriffs, raided "Japanese owned" farms in the Palos Verdes area for contraband and found none.
Cobwebs
Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.
Jonathan Swift.
Best Post of the Week of January 30, 2022.
The belated best post of the week of January 30, 2022
School Daze. Does Wyoming's Superintendent of Education Selection System Make Sense?
Blog Mirror: Just Another Day On the Prairie. Thoughts on "Freedom Day" and the spirit of the times.
Here's hoping this year's tigers are like this one.
Sunday, February 6, 2022
How we were, 1973.
Casper Wyoming, 1973.
Pacific Power's building is still there, the International Harvester truck dealership is not, and of course those IH pickups and 4x4s are a thing of the past.
The Chevrolet dealership is still there, and frankly, things don't look all that much different from where this photo was taken.
I was ten years old.
Friday, February 6, 1942. The USDA discusses sharing, the Graf Zeppelin is photographed by the RAF, the HMS Utmost in Holy Loch, and members of the 6 AGH.
The USDA delivered a Friday message on sharing.
Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, arrived in Italy with Iraqi politician Rashid Ali al-Gaylani. They had both been in Germany, and they obtained an audience with Benito Mussolini.
Both men, in this regard, were bad judges of history, although it would oddly not impact them as much as might be supposed. They both lived out their natural lives, with Al-Hamdani even managing to avoid a death sentence via pardon, which was given to him due to a post World War Two attempts to affect a coup in Iraq.
The German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was photographed from the air.
The German aircraft carrier was in the category of pointless resource wasting endeavors by this point, although that may not have been as obvious as it now appears. Part of a German effort to build two carriers, which would have gone on to more, the German Navy had not anticipated the war starting in 1939. It was planning for war in 1943. At this point, the thought probably still lingered, however, that such ships would be useful in a future anticipated offensive against the United Kingdom as the war with the Soviet Union, launched partially in the belief that the USSR could be quickly defeated and all hope would be lost to the British, still held out hopes for a German victory.
By August, the vessel would be the target of British air raids.
The ship came into the possession of the Soviets after the war, who considered finishing it off, but who ultimately sank as a target. Its fate was not, however, known for decades outside of the USSR.
The British submarine HMS Utmost made a port call to Holy Loch. The happy crew's luck would run out in November when she'd be sunk off of Sicily, probably by hitting a mine, and all of these young men would perish.
Troops of the 6th Australian General Hospital were photographed.
Monday, February 6, 1922. Evolutions.
On this day in 1922, the Conference on the Limitation of Armament resulted in the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty and the Nine-Power Treaty.
Signing the treaty.
The Washington Naval Treaty sought to limit the size of navies in the hope that would help prevent arms races and wars. The treaty stated:
General Provisions Relating To The Limitation Of Naval Armament
Article I
The Contracting Powers agree to limit their respective naval armament as provided in the present Treaty.
Article II
The Contracting Powers may retain respectively the capital ships which are specified in Chapter II, Part 1. On the coming into force of the present Treaty, but subject to the following provisions of this Article, all other capital ships, built or building, of the United States, the British Empire and Japan shall be disposed of as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 2.
In addition to the capital ships specified in Chapter II, Part 1, the United States may complete and retain two ships of the West Virginia class now under construction. On the completion of these two ships, the North Dakota and Delaware, shall be disposed of as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 2.
The British Empire may, in accordance with the replacement table in Chapter II, Part 3, construct two new capital ships not exceeding 35,000 tons (35,560 metric tons) standard displacement each. On the completion of the said two ships the Thunderer, King George V, Ajax and Centurion shall be disposed of as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 2.
Article III
Subject to the provisions of Article II, the Contracting Powers shall abandon their respective capital ship building programs, and no new capital ships shall be constructed or acquired by any of the Contracting Powers except replacement tonnage which may be constructed or acquired as specified in Chapter II, Part 3.
Article IV
The total capital ship replacement tonnage of each of the Contracting Powers shall not exceed in standard displacement, for the United States 525,000 tons (533,400 metric tons); for the British Empire 525,000 tons (533,400 metric tons); for France 175,000 tons (177,800 metric tons); for Italy 175,000 tons (177,800 metric tons); for Japan 315,000 tons (320,040 metric tons).
Article V
No capital ship exceeding 35,000 tons (35,560 metric tons) standard displacement shall be acquired by, or constructed by, for, or within the jurisdiction of, any of the Contracting Powers.
Article VI
No capital ship of any of the Contracting Powers shall carry a gun with a calibre in excess of 16 inches (406 millimetres).
Article VII
The total tonnage for aircraft carriers of each of the Contracting Powers shall not exceed in standard displacement, for the United States 135,000 tons (137,160 metric tons); for the British Empire 135,000 tons (137,160 metric tons); for France 60,000 tons (60,960 metric tons); for Italy 60,000 tons (60,960 metric tons); for Japan 81,000 tons (82,296 metric tons).
Article VIII
The replacement of aircraft carriers shall be effected only as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 3, provided, however, that all aircraft carrier tonnage in existence or building on November 12, 1921, shall be considered experimental, and may be replaced, within the total tonnage limit prescribed in Article VII, without regard to its age.
Article IX
No aircraft carrier exceeding 27,000 tons (27,432 metric tons) standard displacement shall be acquired by, or constructed by, for or within the jurisdiction of, any of the Contracting Powers.
However, any of the Contracting Powers may, provided that its total tonnage allowance of aircraft carriers is not thereby exceeded, build not more than two aircraft carriers, each of a tonnage of not more than 33,000 tons (33,528 metric tons) standard displacement, and in order to effect economy any of the Contracting Powers may use for this purpose any two of their ships, whether constructed or in course of construction, which would otherwise be scrapped under the provisions of Article II. The armament of any aircraft carriers exceeding 27,000 tons (27,432 metric tons) standard displacement shall be in accordance with the requirements of Article X, except that the total number of guns to be carried in case any of such guns be of a calibre exceeding 6 inches (152 millimetres), except anti-aircraft guns and guns not exceeding 5 inches (127 millimetres), shall not exceed eight.
Article X
No aircraft carrier of any of the Contracting Powers shall carry a gun with a calibre in excess of 8 inches (203 millimetres). Without prejudice to the provisions of Article IX, if the armament carried includes guns exceeding 6 inches (152 millimetres) in calibre the total number of guns carried, except anti-aircraft guns and guns not exceeding 5 inches (127 millimetres), shall not exceed ten. If alternatively the armament contains no guns exceeding 6 inches (152 millimetres) in calibre, the number of guns is not limited. In either case the number of anti-aircraft guns and of guns not exceeding 5 inches (127 millimetres) is not limited.
Article XI
No vessel of war exceeding 10,000 tons (10,160 metric tons) standard displacement, other than a capital ship or aircraft carrier, shall be acquired by, or constructed by, for, or within the jurisdiction of, any of the Contracting Powers. Vessels not specifically built as fighting ships nor taken in time of peace under government control for fighting purposes, which are employed on fleet duties or as troop transports or in some other way for the purpose of assisting in the prosecution of hostilities otherwise than as fighting ships, shall not be within the limitations of this Article.
Article XII
No vessel of war of any of the Contracting Powers, hereafter laid down, other than a capital ship, shall carry a gun with a calibre in excess of 8 inches (203 millimetres).
Article XIII
Except as provided in Article IX, no ship designated in the present Treaty to be scrapped may be reconverted into a vessel of war.
Article XIV
No preparations shall be made in merchant ships in time of peace for the installation of warlike armaments for the purpose of converting such ships into vessels of war, other than the necessary stiffening of decks for the mounting of guns not exceeding 6 inch (152 millimetres) calibre.
Article XV
No vessel of war constructed within the jurisdiction of any of the Contracting Powers for a non-Contracting Power shall exceed the limitations as to displacement and armament prescribed by the present Treaty for vessels of a similar type which may be constructed by or for any of the Contracting Powers; provided, however, that the displacement for aircraft carriers constructed for a non-Contracting Power shall in no case exceed 27,000 tons (27,432 metric tons) standard displacement.
Article XVI
If the construction of any vessel of war for a non-Contracting Power is undertaken within the jurisdiction of any of the Contracting Powers, such Power shall promptly inform the other Contracting Powers of the date of the signing of the contract and the date on which the keel of the ship is laid; and shall also communicate to them the particulars relating to the ship prescribed in Chapter II, Part 3, Section I (b), (4) and (5).
Article XVII
In the event of a Contracting Power being engaged in war, such Power shall not use as a vessel of war any vessel of war which may be under construction within its jurisdiction for any other Power, or which may have been constructed within its jurisdiction for another Power and not delivered.
Article XVIII
Each of the Contracting Powers undertakes not to dispose by gift, sale or any mode of transfer of any vessel of war in such a manner that such vessel may become a vessel of war in the Navy of any foreign Power. Article XIX
The United States, the British Empire and Japan agree that the status quo at the time of the signing of the present Treaty, with regard to fortifications and naval bases, shall be maintained in their respective territories and possessions specified hereunder:
(1) The insular possessions which the United States now holds or may hereafter acquire in the Pacific Ocean, except (a) those adjacent to the coast of the United States, Alaska and the Panama Canal Zone, not including the Aleutian Islands, and (b) the Hawaiian Islands;
(2) Hong Kong and the insular possessions which the British Empire now holds or may hereafter acquire in the Pacific Ocean, east of the meridian of 110° east longitude, except (a) those adjacent to the coast of Canada, (b) the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories, and (c) New Zealand;
(3) The following insular territories and possessions of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, to wit: the Kurile Islands, the Bonin Islands, Amami-Oshima, the Loochoo Islands, Formosa and the Pescadores, and any insular territories or possessions in the Pacific Ocean which Japan may hereafter acquire.
The maintenance of the status quo under the foregoing provisions implies that no new fortifications or naval bases shall be established in the territories and possessions specified; that no measures shall be taken to increase the existing naval facilities for the repair and maintenance of naval forces, and that no increase shall be made in the coast defenses of the territories and possessions above specified. This restriction, however, does not preclude such repair and replacement of worn-out weapons and equipment as is customary in naval and military establishments in time of peace.
Part 2.-Rules for Scrapping Vessels of War
The following rules shall be observed for the scrapping of vessels of war which are to be disposed of in accordance with Articles II and III.
I. A vessel to be scrapped must be placed in such condition that it cannot be put to combatant use.
II. This result must be finally effected in any one of the following ways:
(a) Permanent sinking of the vessel; (b) Breaking the vessel up. This shall always involve the destruction or removal of all machinery, boilers and armour, and all deck, side and bottom plating; (c) Converting the vessel to target use exclusively. In such case all the provisions of paragraph III of this Part, except sub-paragraph (6), in so far as may be necessary to enable the ship to be used as a mobile target, and except sub-paragraph (7), must be previously complied with. Not more than one capital ship may be retained for this purpose at one time by any of the Contracting Powers. (d) Of the capital ships which would otherwise be scrapped under the present Treaty in or after the year 1931, France and Italy may each retain two sea-going vessels for training purposes exclusively, that is, as gunnery or torpedo schools. The two vessels retained by France shall be of the Jean Bart class, and of those retained by Italy one shall be the Dante Alighieri, the other of the Giulio Cesare class. On retaining these ships for the purpose above stated, France and Italy respectively undertake to remove and destroy their conning-towers, and not to use the said ships as vessels of war.
III. (a) Subject to the special exceptions contained in Article IX, when a vessel is due for scrapping, the first stage of scrapping, which consists in rendering a ship incapable of further warlike service, shall be immediately undertaken.
(b) A vessel shall be considered incapable of further warlike service when there shall have been removed and landed, or else destroyed in the ship:
(1) All guns and essential portions of guns, fire-control tops and revolving parts of all barbettes and turrets;
(2) All machinery for working hydraulic or electric mountings;
(3) All fire-control instruments and range-finders;
(4) All ammunition, explosives and mines;
(5) All torpedoes, warheads and torpedo tubes;
(6) All wireless telegraphy installations;
(7) The conning tower and all side armour, or alternatively all main propelling machinery;
and (8) All landing and flying-off platforms and all other aviation accessories.
IV. The periods in which scrapping of vessels is to be effected are as follows:
(a) In the case of vessels to be scrapped under the first paragraph of Article II, the work of rendering the vessels incapable of further warlike service, in accordance with paragraph III of this Part, shall be completed within six months from the coming into force of the present Treaty, and the scrapping shall be finally effected within eighteen months from such coming into force.
(b) In the case of vessels to be scrapped under the second and third paragraphs of Article II, or under Article III, the work of rendering the vessel incapable of further warlike service in accordance with paragraph III of this Part shall be commenced not later than the date of completion of its successor, and shall be finished within six months from the date of such completion. The vessel shall be finally scrapped, in accordance with paragraph II of this Part, within eighteen months from the date of completion of its successor. If, however, the completion of the new vessel be delayed, then the work of rendering the old vessel incapable of further war-like service in accordance with paragraph III of this Part shall be commenced within four years from the laying of the keel of the new vessel, and shall be finished within six months from the date on which such work was commenced, and the old vessel shall be finally scrapped in accordance with paragraph II of this Part within eighteen months from the date when the work of rendering it incapable of further warlike service was commenced.
Part 3.-Replacement
The replacement of capital ships and aircraft carriers shall take place according to the rules in Section I and the tables in Section II of this Part.
Section I.-Rules For Replacement
(a) Capital ships and aircraft carriers twenty years after the date of their completion may, except as otherwise provided in Article VIII and in the tables in Section II of this Part, be replaced by new construction, but within the limits prescribed in Article IV and Article VII. The keels of such new construction may, except as otherwise provided in Article VIII and in the tables in Section II of this Part, be laid down not earlier than seventeen years from the date of completion of the tonnage to be replaced, provided, however, that no capital ship tonnage, with the exception of the ships referred to in the third paragraph of Article II, and the replacement tonnage specifically mentioned in Section II of this Part, shall be laid down until ten years from November 12, 1921.
(b) Each of the Contracting Powers shall communicate promptly to each of the other Contracting Powers the following information:
(1) The names of the capital ships and aircraft carriers to be replaced by new construction; (2) The date of governmental authorization of replacement tonnage; (3) The date of laying the keels of replacement tonnage; (4) The standard displacement in tons and metric tons of each new ship to be laid down, and the principal dimensions, namely, length at waterline, extreme beam at or below waterline, mean draft at standard displacement; (5) The date of completion of each new ship and its standard displacement in tons and metric tons, and the principal dimensions, namely, length at waterline, extreme beam at or below waterline, mean draft at standard displacement, at time of completion
(c) In case of loss or accidental destruction of capital ships or aircraft carriers, they may immediately be replaced by new construction subject to the tonnage limits prescribed in Articles IV and VII and in conformity with the other provisions of the present Treaty, the regular replacement program being deemed to be advanced to that extent.
(d) No retained capital ships or aircraft carriers shall be reconstructed except for the purpose of providing means of defense against air and submarine attack, and subject to the following rules: The Contracting Powers may, for that purpose, equip existing tonnage with bulge or blister or anti-air attack deck protection, providing the increase of displacement thus effected does not exceed 3,000 tons (3,048 metric tons) displacement for each ship. No alterations in side armor, in calibre, number or general type of mounting of main armament shall be permitted except:
(1) in the case of France and Italy, which countries within the limits allowed for bulge may increase their armor protection and the calibre of the guns now carried on their existing capital ships so as not to exceed 16 inches (406 millimeters) and (2) the British Empire shall be permitted to complete, in the case of the Renown, the alterations to armor that have already been commenced but temporarily suspended.
Capital Ship
A capital ship, in the case of ships hereafter built, is defined as a vessel of war, not an aircraft carrier, whose displacement exceeds 10,000 tons (10,160 metric tons) standard displacement, or which carries a gun with a calibre exceeding 8 inches (203 millimetres).
Aircraft Carrier
An aircraft carrier is defined as a vessel of war with a displacement in excess of 10,000 tons (10,160 metric tons) standard displacement designed for the specific and exclusive purpose of carrying aircraft. It must be so constructed that aircraft can be launched therefrom and landed thereon, and not designed and constructed for carrying a more powerful armament than that allowed to it under Article IX or Article X as the case may be.
Standard Displacement
The standard displacement of a ship is the displacement of the ship complete, fully manned, engined, and equipped ready for sea, including all armament and ammunition, equipment, outfit, provisions and fresh water for crew, miscellaneous stores and implements of every description that are intended to be carried in war, but without fuel or reserve feed water on board.
The word "ton" in the present Treaty, except in the expression "metric tons", shall be understood to mean the ton of 2240 pounds (1016 kilos).
Vessels now completed shall retain their present ratings of displacement tonnage in accordance with their national system of measurement. However, a Power expressing displacement in metric tons shall be considered for the application of the present Treaty as owning only the equivalent displacement in tons of 2240 pounds.
A vessel completed hereafter shall be rated at its displacement tonnage when in the standard condition defined herein.
Chapter III.-Miscellaneous Provisions
Article XXI
If during the term of the present Treaty the requirements of the national security of any Contracting Power in respect of naval defense are, in the opinion of that Power, materially affected by any change of circumstances, the Contracting Powers will, at the request of such Power, meet in conference with a view to the reconsideration of the provisions of the Treaty and its amendment by mutual agreement.
In view of possible technical and scientific developments, the United States, after consultation with the other Contracting Powers, shall arrange for a conference of all the Contracting Powers which shall convene as soon as possible after the expiration of eight years from the coming into force of the present Treaty to consider what changes, if any, in the Treaty may be necessary to meet such developments.
Article XXII
Whenever any Contracting Power shall become engaged in a war which in its opinion affects the naval defense of its national security, such Power may after notice to the other Contracting Powers suspend for the period of hostilities its obligations under the present Treaty other than those under Articles XIII and XVII, provided that such Power shall notify the other Contracting Powers that the emergency is of such a character as to require such suspension.
The remaining Contracting Powers shall in such case consult together with a view to agreement as to what temporary modifications if any should be made in the Treaty as between themselves. Should such consultation not produce agreement, duly made in accordance with the constitutional methods of the respective Powers, any one of said Contracting Powers may, by giving notice to the other Contracting Powers, suspend for the period of hostilities its obligations under the present Treaty, other than those under.
Articles XIII and XVII
On the cessation of hostilities the Contracting Powers will meet in conference to consider what modifications, if any, should be made in the provisions of the present Treaty.
Article XXIII
The present Treaty shall remain in force until December 31st, 1936, and in case none of the Contracting Powers shall have given notice two years before that date of its intention to terminate the treaty, it shall continue in force until the expiration of two years from the date on which notice of termination shall be given by one of the Contracting Powers, whereupon the Treaty shall terminate as regards all the Contracting Powers. Such notice shall be communicated in writing to the Government of the United States, which shall immediately transmit a certified copy of the notification to the other Powers and inform them of the date on which it was received. The notice shall be deemed to have been given and shall take effect on that date. In the event of notice of termination being given by the Government of the United States, such notice shall be given to the diplomatic representatives at Washington of the other Contracting Powers, and the notice shall be deemed to have been given and shall take effect on the date of the communication made to the said diplomatic representatives.
Within one year of the date on which a notice of termination by any Power has taken effect, all the Contracting Powers shall meet in conference.
Article XXIV
The present Treaty shall be ratified by the Contracting Powers in accordance with their respective constitutional methods and shall take effect on the date of the deposit of all the ratifications, which shall take place at Washington as soon as possible. The Government of the United States will transmit to the other Contracting Powers a certified copy of the procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications.
The present Treaty, of which the French and English texts are both authentic, shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the United States, and duly certified copies thereof shall be transmitted by that Government to the other Contracting Powers.
In faith whereof the above-named Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Treaty.
Done at the City of Washington the sixth day of February, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two.
A fatal defect in the treaty would be to treat aircraft carriers specifically as a lesser vessel, meaning that the treaty had the effect of emphasizing that ship within navies, given that battleships and heavy ships were restricted. Long term, the treaty did not achieve its goals.
The Nine Power Treaty was a treaty regarding Chinese sovereignty.
It provided:
Treaty between the United States of America, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal, Signed at Washington February 6, 1922
The United States of America, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal:
Desiring to adopt a policy designed to stabilize conditions in the Far East, to safeguard the rights and interests of China, and to promote intercourse between China and the other Powers upon the basis of equality of opportunity;
Have resolved to conclude a treaty for that purpose and to that end have appointed as their respective Plenipotentiaries;
Who, having communicated to each other their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE I The Contracting Powers, other than China, agree:
(1) To respect the sovereignty, the independence, and the territorial and administrative integrity of China;
(2) To provide the fullest and most unembarrassed opportunity to China to develop and maintain for herself an effective and stable government;
(3) To use their influence for the purpose of effectually establishing and maintaining the principle of equal opportunity for the commerce and industry of all nations throughout the territory of China;
(4) To refrain from taking advantage of conditions in China in order to seek special rights or privileges which would abridge the rights of subjects or citizens of friendly States,[2] and from countenancing action inimical to the security of such States.
ARTICLE II The Contracting Powers agree not to enter into any treaty, agreement, arrangement, or understanding, either with one another, or, individually or collectively, with any Power or Powers, which would infringe or impair the principles stated in Article I.
ARTICLE III With a view to applying more effectually the principles of the Open Door or equality of opportunity in China for the trade and industry of all nations, the Contracting Powers, other than China, agree that they will not seek, nor support their respective nationals in seeking-
(a) any arrangement which might purport to establish in favour of their interests any general superiority of rights with respect to commercial or economic development in any designated region of China;
(b) any such monopoly or preference as would deprive the nationals of any other Power of the right of undertaking any legitimate trade or industry in China, or of participating with the Chinese Government, or with any local authority, in any category of public enterprise, or which by reason of its scope, duration or geographical extent is calculated to frustrate the practical application of the principle of equal opportunity.
It is understood that the foregoing stipulations of this Article are not to be so construed as to prohibit the acquisition of such properties or rights as may be necessary to the conduct of a particular commercial, industrial, or financial undertaking or to the encouragement of invention and research.
China undertakes to be guided by the principles stated in the foregoing stipulations of this Article in dealing with applications for economic rights and privileges from Governments and nationals of all foreign countries, whether parties to the present Treaty or not.
ARTICLE IV The Contracting Powers agree not to support any agreements by their respective nationals with each other designed to create Spheres of Influence or to provide for the enjoyment of mutually exclusive opportunities in designated parts of Chinese territory.
ARTICLE V China agrees that, throughout the whole of the railways in China, she will not exercise or permit unfair ,discrimination of any kind. In particular there shall be no discrimination whatever, direct or indirect, in respect of charges or of facilities on the ground of the nationality of passengers or the countries from which or to which they are proceeding, or the origin or ownership of goods or the country from which or to which they are consigned, or the nationality or ownership of the ship or other means of conveying such passengers or goods before or after their transport on the Chinese Railways.
The Contracting Powers, other than China, assume a corresponding obligation in respect of any of the aforesaid railways over which they or their nationals are in a position to exercise any control in virtue of any concession, special agreement or otherwise.
ARTICLE VI The Contracting Powers, other than China, agree fully to respect China's rights as a neutral in time of war to which China is not a party; and China declares that when she is a neutral she will observe the obligations of neutrality.
ARTICLE VII The Contracting Powers agree that, whenever a situation arises which in the opinion of any one of them involves the application of the stipulations of the present Treaty, and renders desirable discussion of such application, there shall be full and frank communication between the Contracting Powers concerned.
ARTICLE VIII Powers not signatory to the present Treaty, which have Governments recognized by the Signatory Powers and which have treaty relations with China, shall be invited to adhere to the present Treaty. To this end the Government of the United States will make the necessary communications to nonsignatory Powers and will inform the Contracting Powers of the replies received. Adherence by any Power shall become effective on receipt of notice thereof by the Government of the United States.
ARTICLE IX The present Treaty shall be ratified by the Contracting Powers in accordance with their respective constitutional methods and shall take effect on the date of the deposit of all the ratificationsn which shall take place at Washington as soon as possible. The Government of the United States will transmit to the other Contracting Powers a certified copy of the procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications.
The present Treaty of which the French and English texts are both authentic, shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the United States, and duly certified copies thereof shall be transmitted by that Government to the other Contracting Powers.
IN FAITH WHEREOF the above-named Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Treaty.
DONE at the City of Washington the Sixth day of February One Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two.
The treaty had no enforcement provisions and would be violated by Japan in 1931.
These treaties can, of course, be run down, but they were made with the knowledge of the time and in a spirit of trying to prevent a Second World War. That they did fail cannot, all in all, be regarded too severely. These treaties sought to address what they could, but they couldn't really address the collapse of the old order and the rise of political extremism in its wake.
The College of Cardinals elected the Archbishop of Milan Achille Rattie as Pope. He would take the name Pius XI.
Pope Pius XI would serve until 1939 and would therefore be on Peter's Chair during the agonizing Great Depression and the coincident rise of fascism and communism.
The headlines also featured the murder of movie director William Taylor, an Anglo-Irish Hollywood figure. His murder would never actually be solved.
The Soviets dissolved the Cheka and replaced it with the supposedly less murderous GPU. It was subject to the NKVD, and in a year would simply be replaced by it.
Ojibwe figure John Smith died.
He was a celebrated figure at the time of his death due to his old age, something his appearnce amplified. He was probably between 96 and 100 years old, but his date of birth was not surprisingly not know, and there are claims for him being as old as 140 years of age at the time of his death. Even by his own recollections, however, his age would not have been that ancient.
As is often the case, what we might imagine about 19th and early 20th Century Native American figures is inaccurate. Mr. Smith was old, but probably not as old as imagined, and he was a Catholic, making him a co-religious of such famous Native figures as Red Cloud and Black Elk.
Exaltation of race, people, or the State.
Whoever exalts race, or the people, or the State, or a particular form of State, or the depositories of power, or any other fundamental value of the human community – however necessary and honorable be their function in worldly things – whoever raises these notions above their standard value and divinizes them to an idolatrous level, distorts and perverts an order of the world planned and created by God; he is far from the true faith in God and from the concept of life which that faith upholds.
Pope Pius XI, In Burning Sorrow.
Headline on the Wall Street Journal.
The World Is Likely Sicker Than It Has Been in 100 Years
Omicron has probably made more people ill at the same time than in any period since the flu pandemic, experts say
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