NL-Aid provides evidence of Hitler’s suicide from Trevor-Roper (British Intelligence and historian), dentist Blaschke, witness and editor Bezymenski and pathologist Sognnaes.

In 2009, Hitler’s so-called skull was examined by the University of Connecticut and DNA analysis and bone’s identity proved it belonged to a woman, aged 20 to 40. The main question is: was Hitler’s suicide a cover-up or are the researchers deceived as dabblers by a false skull? NL-Aid examined previous evidence from National Archives and Universities all over the world, in particular dental records. As a backup, the collected documents have been examined and analysed by a Dutch dentist (who likes to stay anonymous). I will present all the details of this historical dental and pathological evidence which, for the first time in history, are published all together. These are rare documents from world’s darkest crypts. Hopefully, this will end all hoaxes and conspiracy theories. The conclusion of this article is that not research techniques should be the core, but research methods. I call it ‘The Seduction’, a leghold trap of scientists blind spot. And yes: Hitler committed suicide. Without a doubt. Though, some inconsistent and unexplained assertions are surveyed.

Bellantoni and Strausbaugh

Nicholas Bellantoni and Linda Strausbaugh, dealing with DNA analyses of Hitler’s skull as seen in History Channel’s documentary Hitler’s Escape, concluded that Hitler’s suicide had some loose ends. According to The Guardian ‘the world is still in the dark about what really happened in Hitler’s bunker on 30 April 1945’. There is no correlation between DNA results and Hitler’s escape. The remains of Hitler have been a tug-of-war by the Russians, perhaps causing historical disorder about his whereabouts. So, I asked Bellantoni and Strausbaugh if they could have been deceived with the wrong skull.

BELLANTONI: ”As Dr. Strausbaugh has stated, we are in agreement that Hitler died in the bunker. The cranial vault fragment in question was recovered a full year (May 1946) after the initial discoveries of the bodies (May 1945). As we say in archaeology, “context” is everything. The context had been destroyed in waiting over a year to return to Berlin. The mandible that was sent to Moscow in 1945 is, I believe, that of Hitler. The cranial vault is someone else.”

This is reassuring, but this is not expressed in the content or title of Hitler’s Escape. The documentary ends with:

BELLANTONI: “We’re going to change everybody’s perception, of not only his remains but what maybe happened to Eva, Hitler and others in that bunker. If this is not Hitler, who is it and as a result of that we’ve got a lot more homework to do.”

The fact remains that History Channel made a documentary with a “worthless” piece of skull, resulting in an unnecessary documentary with an embroiled effect. The e-mail I received from Bellantoni very much opposes the documentary. Let me show the hard evidence proving Hitler’s suicide once and for all.

Preamble

Several researchers contributed to the evidence of Hitler’s suicide. They are chronologically discussed. For convenience, I refer to the time-table at the bottom of the article.

Bezymenski

Bezymenskiĭ

Lev Bezymenski’s (or Bezymenskiĭ’s) description of Hitler’s autopsy by the Soviets and Hitler’s remains are published in Der Tod des Adolf Hitler (The death of Adolf Hitler; unknown documents from Soviet archives) (download Here, 62 Mb).

The book is a witness report and therefore worth reading in its entirety. Bezymenski also describes the last days in the bunker, as shown in the movie Der Untergang. Of course, the Soviet perspective is highlighted. The book opens with several witness reports, for example by Harry Mengeshausen at 13^th May 1945 (one of Hitler’s bodyguards). The entire procedure (the carrying out of Hitler’s and Braun’s corpses, their cremation and the burial) was observed from a distance of600 meters on April 30. He also attested that, on April 29, Hitler’s dog also was buried in the crater. On investigating the places, Mengeshausen had indicated, his deposition was found to be correct. There is also a passage about how Hitler’s corpse is found by Ivan Churakov in the presence of Bezymenski. Besides similar witness reports, the book includes several detailed anatomical/pathological determinations, autopsy reports and an extensive cause of death. I’ll limit myself to quoting some significant dental observations.

i. Striking passages (page 44-57)

‘The text of the final and most important autopsy report (documents Nos. 12 and 13) are reproduced verbatim, in the following, either in their entirety or in somewhat abbreviated form.’

(The dental codes are Palmer Notations)

‘In the upper jaw there are nine teeth connected by a bridge of yellow metal (gold). The bridge is anchored by pins on the second left and the second right incisor. This bridge consists of 4 upper incisors (A), 2 canine teeth (B), the first left bicuspid (C), and the first and second right bicuspids (D), as indicated in the sketch. The first left incisor (E) consists of a white platelet, with cracks and a black spot in the porcelain (enamel) at the bottom. This platelet is inset into the visible side of the metal (gold) tooth. The second incisor, the canine tooth, and the left bicuspid, as well as the first and second incisors and the first bicuspid on the right, are the usual porcelain (enamel) dental plates, their posterior parts fastened to the bridge. The right canine tooth is fully capped by yellow metal (gold). The maxillary bridge is vertically sawed off behind the second left bicuspid (F). The lower jawbone lies loose in the singed oral cavity. The alveolar processes are broken in the back and have ragged edges. The front surface and the lower edge of the mandibula are scorched. On the front surface the charred prongs of dental roots are recognizable. The lower jaw consists of fifteen teeth, ten of which are artificial. The incisors (G) and the first right bicuspid (H) are natural, exhibiting considerable wear on the masticating surface and considerably exposed necks. The dental enamel has a bluish shimmer and a dirty yellow coloration around the necks. The teeth to the left (I) are artificial, of yellow metal (gold), and consists of a bridge of gold crowns. The bridge is fastened to the third, the fifth (in the bridge, the sixth tooth), and the eight tooth (in the bridge, the ninth tooth). The second bicuspid to the right (J) is topped by a crown of yellow metal (gold) which is linked to the right canine tooth by an arching plate. Part of the masticating surface and the posterior surface of the right canine tooth is capped by a yellow metal (gold) plate as part of the bridge. The first right molar is artificial, white, and secured by a gold clip connected with the bridge of the second bicuspid and the right incisor.’

‘According to the record of the interrogation of Frau Käthe Heusermann it may be presumed that the teeth as well as the bridge described in the document are those of Chancellor Hitler.’ (see photo of Heusermann’s sketch).

Sketch of Hitler’s teeth, drawn by Frau Dr. Heusermann on May 11, 1945

‘Crucial part of the interrogation of Frau Heusermann on May 10:

• Question: Can you establish from the dental bridges that they belong to Hitler?
• Answer: Yes, there is no doubt of it.
• Question: We have shown you the dental bridge of an upper jaw and a lower jaw with teeth. Do you know to whom these teeth belong?
• Answer: The teeth shown to me belong to the German Chancellor Adolf Hitler. The upper jaw on the left, behind the fourth tooth, exhibits a distinct trace which occurred when the gold bridge was sawed by the dental drill, at the time of the extraction of the sixth tooth. This extraction was performed by Professor Blaschke with my assistance in the Autumn…
  All further evidence that these bridges are Adolf Hitler’s tallies with those named by me before from memory, with the exception on the fourth lower right tooth, which I believed to be an artificial porcelain tooth. But the teeth you have shown me prove that this tooth is a natural one.
• Question: Can you affirm that the teeth shown to you are Adolf Hitler’s teeth?
• Answer: Yes, I affirm that the teeth shown to me are Adolf Hitler’s teeth.’

‘The dental technician Fritz Echtmann confirmed Frau Heusermann’s statement on May 11.’

‘I even started to argue with her, because I had overlooked one detail when examining the teeth and had miscounted the steel pins. She turned out to be right.’

‘Frau Heusermann repeated everything again in detail and declared categorically that the prosthesis I had shown her was in fact Hitler’s dental prosthesis. The picture was clear beyond doubt, for Frau Heusermann as well as for me as forensic expert.’

ii. Striking passage

The following passage does not support my reasoning, but it is too specific to skip: ‘The left testicle could not be found either in the scrotum or on the spermatic cord inside the inguinal canal, nor in the small pelvis.’

Dr. Hugo Blaschke

Blaschke

Hugo Johannes Blaschke (1881-1959), Adolf Hitler’s personal dentist from 1933 to April 1945. Blaschke’s Final Interrogation Report (download full interrogation with more sketches HERE) describes the characteristics of Hitler’s teeth (and of Eva Braun and Martin Bormann). Here are some examples of Hitler’s set of teeth.

‘This is a view of the Upper Jaw, seen frontally, as it would appear if all artificial elements except fillings were removed.’

‘Lower Jaw, seen frontally.’

‘Lower Jaw, seen from the back.’

‘Lower Jaw, seen from above.’

‘This is a view of the Lower Jaw, seen frontally, as it would appear if all artificial elements except fillings were removed.’

The interrogators conclude: ‘Blaschke had furnished a rather hasty and incomplete description of Hitler’s teeth. (…) The description on which the present report is based is the only one he made with the aid of the X-ray photo’s. (…) It can, therefore, be considered authentic and accurate.’

The document also show drawings of dental records of Eva Braun and Martin Bormann. I invite you to study the entire historical and rare document.

Hugh Trevor-Roper

Trevor-Roper

British intelligence officer and Oxford professor Dr. H.R. Trevor-Roper published his book The Last Days of Hitler in 1947. Only the last chapter deals with Hitler’s death and because the book is still sold on a commercial basis (ISBN 0 330 49060 5), this is the only document I haven’t scanned. I will quote some passages instead.

Trevor-Roper wrote a qualitative study by interviewing the last survivor’s of the Führerbunker. He was ordered by the British intelligence to investigate the circumstances of Adolf Hitler’s death in November 1945. He wrote a chronological story, a piece of detective work, rather than writing out the interviews. Unfortunately, this is less scientific but Trevor-Roper gives a good picture of the final days in the Führerbunker. One fine example is a segment about the motives of Hitler’s suicide: ‘Captured by partisans during the general uprising of northern Italy, Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci had been executed, and their bodies suspended by the feet in the market place of Milan to be beaten and pelted by the vindictive crowd. If the full details were ever known to them, Hitler and Eva Braun could only have repeated the orders they had already given: their bodies were to be destroyed ‘so that nothing remains’; ‘I will not fall into the hands of an enemy who requires a new spectacle to divert his hysterical masses’. (…) Hitler went into a frenzy, shouting: “This will never happen to me!” ’

Hitler’s personal servant Heinz Linge tried to minimize witnesses of the final scène by ordering most people to leave the Chancellery. From the book, I abstracted the following people who witnessed Hitler’s death firsthand: 

1. Joseph Goebbels; Reich Minister of Propaganda; died on 1 May 1945.
2. Martin Bormann; head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Hitler; died on 2 May 1945.
3. Arthur Axmann; head of the Hitler Youth; died on 24 October 1996.
4. Heinz Linge; SS Officer, valet for Hitler; died on 9 March 1980.
5. Otto Guensche; Sturmbannführer (major) in the Waffen-SS and a member of 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler before he became Hitler’s personal adjutant; died on 2 October 2003; Bezymenski and Trevor-Roper both write about Guensche the fact that Guensche put the corpses on fire (respectively page 50-51 and 180 of their own book).
6. Wilhelm Burgdorf; German general; died on 2 May 1945.
7. Erich Kempka; SS-Obersturmbannführer and Hitler’s chauffeur; died on 24 January 1975.

About the cremation of Hitler and Braun: three unauthorized police guards witnessed from which it was intended to exclude them: Erich Mansfeld, Hermann Karnau, Hans Hofbeck. I could not find any details about them. Their stories are briefly described. Bezymenski also wrote about casual bystander Mengeshausen.

It is not clear which of these aforementioned Nazis (only those in bold formatting, because the other ones died in 1945, Mengeshausen was a Soviet witness) have been interviewed by Trevor-Roper. A missed opportunity, though I could trace an indication that he mainly interviewed Erich Kempka.

Trevor-Roper organizes the final developments of Hitler’s last henchmen. There is even a list of people who attended the event in the Bunker (22 April to 1 May); what their duties were and when they left. The book has no pathological evidence and consequently does not support the dental records. But in the context of our quest, only the following passages give details about Hitler’s suicide.

Striking passages (chapter seven)

‘A single shot was heard. After an interval they entered the suite. Hitler was lying on the sofa, which was soaked with blood. He had shot himself through the mounth. Eva Braun was also on the sofa, als dead. A revolver was by her side, but she had not used it; she had swallowed poison. The time was half past three.’

‘Outside, in the bunker, another ceremony was being prepared: the Viking funeral.’

Karnau watched the burning corpses for a moment. They are easily recognizable, though Hitler’s head was smashed. (…) Karnau: “It is sad that none of the officers seems to worry about the Fuehrer’s body. I am proud that I alone know where he is.”

‘These bones have never been found.’ (In 1947 Trevor-Ropes had no knowledge of Bezymenski’s report, NL-Aid).

Reidar Fauske Sognnaes

Sognnaes

Reidar Fauske Sognnaes (1911-1984), Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Boston. Sognnaes was a forensic scientist and credited because he disproved the theory that President George Washington had wooden teeth. Sognnaes published two research reports about Hitler’s remains through examinating classified files from USA and Russia.

1. The odontological identification of Adolf Hitler. Definitive documentation by x-rays, interrogations and autopsy findings (1973). (download HERE)
2. Dental evidence in the postmortem identification of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun, and Martin Bormann (1976). (download HERE)

Sognnaes did a literary detective with the existing files of Bezymenski and Blaschke in 1977. Sognnaes classifies and organizes these facts in a clear manner. The Russians destroyed Hitler’s body in 1970.

ad 1. Striking passages

‘X-rays of Hitler were taken during late 1944 and uncovered in early 1972.’

‘In 1968 the Russian writer Lev Bezymenski published in West Germany a book entitled Der Tod des Adolf Hitler (The Death of Adolf Hitler). Bezumenski’s book carried the subtitle Unknown documents from Soviet archives. Thus, twenty-three years after the event, Soviet sources finally permitted disclosure of details of the autopsy with various dental and medical data on the death of Adolf Hitler as well as Eva Braun, Goebbels and his family.’ (details are outlined in attached document)

‘Heuserman, the chair-side dental assistance of Hitler’s dentist, Blaschke was interrogated in a talk with the Soviet Chief Expert of Forensic Medicine, Lieutenant Colonel Shkaravski on May 11 1945, in the Office of CAFS No. 496. Frau Heuserman described the state of Hitler’s teeth in every detail.’

‘One of the most important exhibits recovered from Soviet Archives concerns the objective photographic evidence illustrating the remains of the dentition of the corpse described in autopsy document Bo. 12. Included were photographs of a fixed dental prosthesis, namely, a 9-unit bridge, and the charred fragment of a mandible, the latter with several intact anterior teeth and two bridges, one on the right and one on the left side.’

Photo: Nine-unit maxillary bridge reproduced from Soviet autopsy report by Bezymenski. (More photographs and pathologist’s sketches in attached document, page 49, 51.)

‘The Final Interrogation Report of Blaschke: As a preamble to the interrogation report regarding Hitler’s dentistry, there is said to be three reasons for the report, namely, to provide (a) data useful in the identification of Hitler or his remains, (b) information to expose what might be future fraud, and (c) research material for the historian, the doctor and the scientist.’

‘The five X-ray plates attached are copies of originals found among Dr. Morell’s records. They have been positively identified by him as well as by Dr. Giesing as X-ray taken from Hitler. (…) This was during the period when Dr. Giesing was treating Hitler for ear injuring suffered at the time of the assassination attempt on 20 Jul 44.’ (All five X-ray plates are shown in the attached document with explanations and conclusions (page 60-63))

‘In comparing the five X-ray plates located in the U.S. National Archives, several principal observations emerge, which are considered of major significance in correlating subjective and objective evidence regarding the odontological identification of Hitler. Firstly, it became clear that Hitler had only four remaining teeth which were not involved in either bridging a gap or supporting a bridge between adjacent teeth. (…) Secondly, the X-rays indicate that the maxillary right central incisor and left lateral incisor, while completely opaque to the X-ray beam, do show short metallic posts for insertion into the root canals. (…) Thirdly, the X-rays show a very peculiar and very unusual dental bridge construction on the right lingual aspect of the mandible. (…) Fourthly, the X-rays show that the left maxillary incisor has the very characteristic feature of a partially opaque or metallic crown, typical of the now outmoded, but in times past, not infrequently uses, window-crown.’

‘After careful study of the various types of descriptive, diagrammatic and photographic evidence had been prepared with a view to summarizing what, in our judgment, represented the dental status of Adolf Hitler.’

‘From the overall comparison of the odontological evidence (Tables 1A and B, page 67-68) we conclude that the individual identified by means of the 1945 Hitler files located in the U.S. National Archives in 1972, is the same person as that whose 1945 autopsy report was published in 1968 on the basis of the previously unknown documents from Soviet Archives of 1945.’

ad 2. Striking passages

This document is an extensive repetition of document i, with the same evidence and conclusions. On page 199-200 Sognnaes writes: ‘Reappraisal of all documentary data – discounting legends, myths and speculations – now provides definite odontologic proof that Hitler did indeed die during the Berlin collapse of the Nazi dictatorship in 1945, and that the Russians did in fact recover and autopsy the body of the real Hitler.’

Independent comparison by a Dutch dentist

The documents of Bezymenski, Blaschke and Sognnaes are brought to the attention of an independent Dutch dentist with modern knowledge and technical insight of the world today (2012). The dentist writes:

“Hitler was a slob. He brushed his teeth insufficiently, causing bad teeth and bad breath. He had periodontal gum disease and as a result, he had many typical reconstructions.

Some things in Bezymenski’s research (and therefore also in Sognnaes’s work) are wrong and these arise from sloppy work. This can be explained by the fact that during the actual autopsy no dentist was present. We also have to put the whole story in a post war context: total social disorder and consequently hasty work of destroyed remains. Dentist Blaschke drew the teeth by heart in 1946. However, there are plenty of features from both documents which have a strong match.

Unusual is the metal arch in the right lower jaw (mentioned in Blaschke’s and Bezymenski’s/Sognnaes’ articles). Another parallel is the ‘cut’ surface in the left maxillary, indicating the cutting of a bridge portion (the element is then removed). A considerable bridge construction in the maxilla used to be normal, in particular with gold. Left below, there is a long bridge with three pillars, the middle pillar migrated backwards. There are some inconsistencies on this last fact.

The key features are:
* mandible: deviant feature of the metal arch bridge and the large bridge left below;
* upper jaw: main distinct feature of the cut bridge left. This is more common, but in combination with the (types of) crowns, this is really typical.

As a whole, it is plausible to assume that Blaschke and Bezymenski are talking about the same remains. Sognnaes confirms these findings. About Heusermann’s sketch: the amount of elements which are complemented by crown/bridge, are correct. ”

Findings and conclusions

The reason I did research on Hitler’s death was my article ‘Suicide Hitler not proven (inductive logic)’. According to the inductive theory (see article), I had to prove the possible fact that Hitler had committed suicide. The evidence was more or less lost to the world. This is demonstrated by the fact, that there is not one organisation in the world who has presented all the documents together. I turned to the National Archives in the UK, in Germany, in Nuremburg, in Russia and in the USA. Several Universities in the Netherlands and USA were approached and of course Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC). Hardly any of them had even one document, let alone all of them. I was surprised, that the German Bundesarchiv and the Nuremburg City Archives had no legacy of Hitler’s suicide. Not even copies. The National Archives in Washington were very cooperative in sending Blaschke’s Final Interrogation Report but they gave radio silence on the subject of Sognnaes’ documents, despite frequent reminders. The Blaschke’s Final Interrogation Report refers to X-rays but the American National Archives did not share it with me. The Soviet Archives did not respond. I see no profit in these kind of bureaucratic acts.

SWC did not have any proof but they just assumed that Hitler committed suicide. SWC: “I don’t know of any reputable historian who claims differently (…) Other than that, I have nothing new to report.” SWC has lost the awareness of asking questions about so-called general knowledge. They assumed. I do not want criticize SWC because they are doing incredibly important work, but the inductive theory must constantly be present in our daily work, as gravy poured on meat. Scientific research and historical facts cannot simply be assumed like people breathing air. We have to be awake, aware and focused.

Obtaining evidence must be neutral and transparent. ‘Neutral’ means that you have to prove every statement and each document. ‘Transparent’ means that you have to reveal your findings to everyone. Opinions of others will lead to fine-tuning so the boundaries of truth get nearer and become more valid. Researchers are often too focused on rapid publication of a Eureka effect, the sudden, unexpected realisation of the solution to a certain problem. This is anything but being neutral and transparent.

I conclude that, despite hoaxes and conspiracy theories, Hitler indeed committed suicide. This was also reported by German witnesses. However, the last of Hitler’s henchmen were the most fanatic Nazis. Not a reliable source. Hitler’s skull does or did exist, but the Russian Archives simply gave the researches of the University of Connecticuta a different one. The Seduction was born. Formal errors sometimes lead to cardinal differences in outcomes. This is the power of The Seduction.

One fact is still unclear to me: where in Russia are the remains of Hitler? The official story goes that everything was burned. If this is true, the Russians destroyed the body without any explanation. This was not just a crime investigation, it was in fact the most important historical crime evidence of the last 2000 years. The study of Sognnaes is somewhat messy and the Russians should have known that some of the crucial components would become important. What for? In 1944, the purpose of DNA was discovered by Oswald Avery. He describes personal characteristics by storing information in cells. Yet 100 years earlier, DNA was discovered by Friedrich Meis Cher, a Swiss chemist. He labelled phosphorus-rich compound in cells (later called deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA). At that time, it was not known what it did. In 1953, the so-called spiral staircase was described by Watson and Crick. Sognnaes did his research in 1977. By that time, scientists could read DNA. The question remains: why did the Russians not preserve any of the crucial evidence from crime scene number 1 of the last two thousand years?

I could find one missing link. Sognnaes claims ‘Then, in 1972, archives in Washington released five X-rays of Hitler’s head, taken on July 20, 1944.’ But Bezymenski writes in 1968 about the morning on May 9 1945: ‘Wasting no time in the clinic, we drove to the Chancellery, taking Käthe Heusermann along. Here we went down to the basement, found Professor Blaschke’s dental office, and with Käthe Heusermann’s assistance soon discovered X-ray photographs of the Führer’s teeth and a few gold crowns that had been prepared, but time to put them to use run out on dentist and patient (page 54)’. They contradict each other.

Recommendations

I recommend worldwide archives to be more careful (read: transparent) with our most essential historical events and its evidence. If they handle it without care, hide it behind closed doors and only share it through tough cooperation, I foresee that people will deny these facts because of missing documents and misleading counterproof. National Archives and University Libraries should put crucial microfilms, documents, interrogations and audio interviews of historical issues on the Word Wide Web. These facts make us aware of our past and consequently of our future. The remains of Hitler should be accessible (if there is anything left). Viscous cooperation does not benefit any awareness. If I had missed any of the documents in this article by bureaucracy or politics, I might have come to a different conclusion. This is not desirable at all because it encourages alienation of historical facts.

Finally, I thank editor Martin Kooistra and the dentist who analysed all documents.

I d e n t i f i c a t i o n   t i m e   t a b l e

(*) documents presented by NL-Aid

• 30 April 1945: Hitler committed suicide
• 4 May 1945: (official 5 May 1945) the Soviet Army discovered the bodies of Hitler and Braun.
• 8 May 1945: Chief Forensic Pathologist Dr Faust Sherovsky and Russian Anatomical Pathologist Major Anna Marantz, performed and autopsy on Hitler’s body. The outcome has been published by Bezymenski in 1968. (*)
• 10 May 1945: Blaschke’s assistant, Kaethe Heusemann, and his dental technician, Fritz Echtmann are captured by the Soviets. Heusemann affirmed that the teeth were Hitler’s. (*)
• July 1945: Blaschke turned up in an American camp.
• 5 February 1946: During an interrogation Blaschke drew Hitler’s dental records from memory. (*)
• February 21, 1946: the Soviet Red Army buried the bodies of Hitler, Eva Braun and the Goebbels family in a unpaved area at 30-32 Klausenerstrasse, Magdeburg.
• 1947: book by Oxford professor Dr. H.R. Trevor-Roper about the first exhaustive investigation of the last days of Hitler. (*)
• 1968: book by Lev Bezymenski containing a description of how Hitler is found by the Sovjets and his autopsy. Also mentioned are the investigations about Hitler’s dog, Eva Braun and the Goebbels family: Joseph and Magda, 5 daughters and 1 son. Although the book is published in 1968, the witness reports cover a period starting in the bunker when Hitler is still alive, the findings of his remains on May 4 and the following autopsy. (*)
• 1970: Hitler’s remains are completely incinerated and disposed of so that no parts or portions could be used to raise Hitler to the status of martyrdom.
• 1972: archives in Washington released five X-rays of Hitler’s head, taken on July 20, 1944 because he suffered his ear after the bomb attack on his life. (*)
• 1977: book by Reidar Fauske Sognnaes in which he identified the match between Bezymenski and Blaschke, with the help of the X-rays. (*)
• 16 September 2009: Documentary Hitler’s Escape with Nicholas Bellantoni and Linda Strausbaugh at History Channel. (*)
• 2012: NL-Aid and undersigned: Suicide Hitler proven (The Seduction), a complete reference of previous research bundled together for first time in history. (*)

R e f e r e n c e

1. Bezymenski: Born in 1920 in Kazan. Studied philosophy in Moscow and entered the Soviet Armed Forces in 1941, first as a private and later as an officer in Stalingrad, Kursk and Berlin. An excellent scholar of German, he served as interpreter at the hearings of General Paulus, the German field marschal who surrended to the Russians after the Battle of Stalingrad. As a member of Marschall Zhukov’s staff, he participated in the Battle of Berlin. In 1946 he became co-editor of Novoe Vremia, a journal on foreign affairs. In this capacity he made various trips abroad, producing numerous articles on current events which were published throughout the Eastern countries. In 1968 the Russians finally admitted having the remains of Hitler. They permitted disclosure of details of the autopsy with various dental and medical data on the death of Hitler, Braun, Goebbels, Krebs and two dogs.

• Bezymenskiĭ, L. (Lev), 1920-. Der Tod des Adolf Hitler (The death of Adolf Hitler; unknown documents from Soviet archives) [by] Lev Bezymenski. [1st ed.] New York, Harcourt, Brace & World [1968]  (download HERE, 62 Mb)

2. Hugo Johannes Blaschke (1881-1959): He was interrogated by the Americans after the war about Hitler’s dental treatment in the hope that this would lead to the identification of his remains. He stated that he fitted a large dental bridge to Hitler’s upper jaw in 1933 and that on 10 November 1944 he carried out surgery to cut off part of the bridge due to a gum infection that was causing Hitler severe toothache. In May 1945 Soviet officers showed a dental bridge to Blaschke’s technician Fritz Echtmann and his dental assistant Käthe Heusermann and they both identified it as being Hitler’s. Blaschke also reconstructed the dental records of Martin Bormann from memory and these were later used to identify his skeletal remains which were discovered in Berlin in 1972. After his release from captivity in 1948 Blaschke continued to practise as a dentist in Nuremberg and died there aged 78. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Blaschke’s Final Interrogation Report in Record Group 238 (Microfilm Publication 1270). National Archives and Records Administration, Washington (download HERE)

3. Trevor-Roper. The first exhaustive investigation of the last days of Hitler was undertaken by the Oxford professor Dr. H.R. Trevor-Roper in 1945. The British Intelligence authorities in Germany in September of that year had given him the task to collect all available evidence on the last days of Hitler and to determine, if possible, the truth about his appearance or demise.

• Trevor-Roper. The Last Days of Hitler. 1945. (revised editions followed, until the last in 1995). (ISBN 0 330 49060 5)

4. Reidar Fauske Sognnaes (1911-1984): Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, founding Dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry and scholar in the field of oral pathology. He is credited with identifying the remains of Adolf Hitler and Martin Bormann, through examination of classified American and Soviet dental record. Sognnaes also disproved the theory that President George Washington had wooden teeth. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Sognnaes RF, Strom F. The odontological identification of Adolf Hitler. Definitive documentation by x-rays, interrogations and autopsy findings. Acta odontologica Scandinavica. 1973 (download HERE)
• Sognnaes RF. Dental evidence in the postmortem identification of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun, and Martin Bormann. Legal medicine annual. 1977;1976:173-235 (download HERE)

Bellantoni

5. Nicholas Bellantoni (Ph.D. UConn 1987; Associate Professor and State Archaeologist). Northeastern prehistory, faunal analyses, human osteological analysis. Professor Linda D. Strausbaugh, University of Connecticut, Molecular & Cell Biology. Bellantoni and Strausbaugh were both dealing with DNA analyses of Hitler’s skull, leading to a History Channel documentary: Hitler’s Escape (watch full broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abZKF3bvHnY).

Hitler’s skull according Nicholas Bellantoni and Professor Linda D. Strausbaugh

6. The Guardian: Tests on skull fragment cast doubt on Adolf Hitler suicide story

Unknown to the world, Hitler’s corpse was interred at a Smersh centre in Magdeburg, East Germany. There it remained long after Stalin’s death in 1953. Finally, in 1970, the KGB dug up the corpse, cremated it and secretly scattered the ashes in a river. Only the jawbone, the skull fragment and the bloodstained sofa segments were preserved in the deep archives of Soviet intelligence. The bunker was destroyed in 1947 and eventually paved over. Then, in 2000, the Russian State Archive in Moscow staged an exhibition, The Agony of the Third Reich. The skull fragment was displayed, but only photographs of Hitler’s jawbone were on view. The head of the archive, Sergei Mironenko, said he had no doubt the skull fragment was authentic. “It is not just some bone we found in the street, but a fragment of a skull that was found in a hole where Hitler’s body had been buried,” he said.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/27/adolf-hitler-suicide-skull-fragment

7. Further research

For further research and deeper investigation you might want to read the following documents:

• Sognnaes, Eva Braun Hitler’s Odontological Identification-A Forensic Enigma, J. Forensic Sci, April 1974, Vol. 19, No. 2
• Smith, Giordan. Nexus Magazine: Fabricating the Death of Adolf Hitler part 1, Fabricating the Death of Adolf Hitler part 2, Fabricating the Death of Adolf Hitler part 3.

C o p y r i g h t

This article is copyrighted and may only be copied, duplicated or quoted, including the attached documents, provided that you use the author as the source of information.
Suicide Hitler Proven (The Seduction) by Hans Sluijter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

AUTHOR: Hans Sluijter
URL: www.NL-Aid.org
E-MAIL: info [at] www.NL-Aid.org

“To know the food is to know the culture and tradition,” This statement certainly justifies the meaning as food that entails different aspect of traditional values. Nepali food is something that gives you the right taste and flavors. In Nepal there are around 50 different ethnic groups, with distinctive languages, dress, and customs and to degree cuisines. In remote areas, there is little choice, you eat what you grow. But the foods prepared during festivals are rare and unique in their own way. Nepalese recipes consist of many spices and herbs, which are used in each dish in a different proportion and manner. This makes each recipe unique in its own way. Heavily influenced by Indian and Tibetan cuisine Nepalese food still hold its unique taste and presence where it is highly considered healthy and extremely nourishing.

Highlighting, that there are several regional variations in Nepali food, but one dish more than any other has come to characterize the country’s cuisine it’s the dal-bhat-tarkari. Dal is a lentil sauce that is eaten with the bhat (rice). Tarkari is a generic name for curry vegetable and can be prepared in different ways according to seasonal availability of vegetables and local preferences. It is often served with achar (pickles) which do much to enhance overall appeal.

Like such, the Thakali food is yet another rich version of dal-bhat-tarkari which is popular for its tastes and species. The Thakali food has also aspired its ways to the Nepali Restaurant Industry and to dining habits and may be due to its full diet or vivid taste it is very popular among Nepali as well as foreigners. The Thakali food comes from the tradition of the people of Tibetan affinity who settled in Thak-Khola Valley. Thakali cuisine also uses locally-grown buckwheat, barley, millet and dal as well as rice and dal. The Thakali food set generally consist flavors of rich spicy content that shows the rich and vast array of exploration of taste buds.

Now talking more about the taste variation, Nepalese love spices and pickles, it’s an essential part of their diet. Pickles mostly come salty, sour, sweet or tangy, all big on flavor such that just a spoonful is needed with the meal. It adds flavor and it blend into any type of dish and has become an important part of Nepali cuisine.

Looking and understanding the taste, dal bhat tarkaari is common among Newars, one of the oldest inhabitants of Kathmandu but they have incorporated it in a variation of taste. Another popular item among them is chiura: dried beaten rice, served with an array of meat and vegetable curries and pickle. Outside the Kathmandu Valley where the variety of vegetables and ingredients is much less, diets are simpler. Above 3000 meters, of altitudes, corn, millet, buckwheat, barley and wheat take over as staples. The everyday lunch and dinner of many hill villagers is dhindo, a thick mush of boiled ground grains, doctored up with a soupy vegetable sauce of the ubiquitous.

Nepali saag (spinach), gundruk (dried and fermented vegetable leaves) or sisnu (nettles) are commonly used according to availability. In the far west, hill dwellers subsist on heavy bread made from a crude brown wheat or buckwheat. Barley, potatoes, dairy products and a few hardy vegetables fuel the highest Himalayan settlers of Nepal. Traders to Tibet cross 6000 meter passes carrying little more than dry tsampa (roasted fine-ground grains) to mix with butter tea, and perhaps some dried cheese (churpi) or meat. If you’re up in the Khumbu, Langtang or Manang/Jomsom areas, be sure to try some tsampa. You can also buy it in Kathmandu’s Asan bazaar. The delicious, nutty flavor and nutritious, high-energy content make it an ideal trekking food. You may have less success in downing a cup of Tibetan butter tea, known to put off most Westerners and even Nepali lowlanders.

Tibetan influences increase the further north you go, although perenial favourites, such as the momo (a stuffed dumpling, fried or steamed), are widely available in the lower regions too. In the trekking regions, you are likely to encounter little other than Nepali food, which some people may find slightly monotonous. The choice is greater in the Terai where you will also find many excellent Indian dishes.

Perhaps, the traditional food in Kathmandu has been monopolized by few of the restaurants creating their own name and fame in giving people a new taste in same old traditional way.

Bhojan Griha is one of the oldest restaurants located in Dillibazar with the taste and feel of ancient days. The property is located in a traditional setting and dates back over 150 years. Originally belonging to the royal priest of the king of Nepal, it’s a historical monument. A renovated history of 4 storey building, it Taste authentic organic Nepalese food then what more can you expect. The food is served with local folk dances and songs with the tradition of Nepali essence. Dining at Bhojan Griha, meaning House of Food, is a unique experience of splurging into the taste of Nepal. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day.

Similarly, Bhancha Ghar is yet another destination that highlights the enigmatic presence and essence of Nepali tradition. It has been more than two decades that the Bhancha Ghar has been catering the needs of foreign guests. From 1989 AD, Bhancha Ghar has been promoting Nepalese cuisine with no priority for an entirely Nepalese restaurant. Bhancha Ghar is a total experience that serves not only food but a feeling and essence of Nepali tradition. With spices making the taste the variable meat dishes and vegetarian dishes prepared with Newari style, accompanied by house blends of raksi, gives it the taste of Nepali at its best. Center of focusing the lifestyles of various ethnic groups of Nepal the cultural show gives you the feel of true Nepali taste. Established in a faithfully restored aristocratic household and completely furnished with authentic Nepali craftsmanship, it offers fine traditional food in a relaxed and intimate setting.

Likewise, Nepali Chulo is yet another destination located in Lazimpat Road. The decor and interior highlights the Nepali tradition and culture that gives you the rich taste and flavor of its richness and essence. The building is an ancient Rana palace that is loud and clear about its standing. It offers the supreme traditional Nepali and Newari cuisine with dynamic cultural programs. The menu covers a veg and non-veg set plate, a thali on which will come all your smaller dishes.

Tukuche Thakali Kitchen, of Durbar Marg in Kathmandu, offers excellent food. The name itself Tukuche is an ancestral home of the Thakali people. The Tukuche serves 100% the traditional Thakali food that taste, smells and presents itself with the name and quality. In menu, one can find a wide selection of items that are typically Thakali as well as a smaller collection of items created to cater to customer demand. Usually, people who come here tend to go for the set meals, which are convenient and filling, but the other items on the menu are also worth exploring. With the essence of giving the taste even the meat used here is exclusively of hardy mountain goat or chicken. Among the several Thakali restaurants in town, Tukuche is one of the oldest establishments offering the best in terms of quality taste and presentation. Over their years of service, this place has gained a lot of ground in the local market. It’s certainly a great place to experience authentic Thakali cuisine.

Food in Nepal is not an option it’s a way of life. People have been eating food for many reasons, but in Nepal the food speaks the language of tradition and values. It’s a way to understand the true spirit where one can easy know the nature and presence by knowing the food.

AUTHOR: Shreedeep Rayamajhi
URL: http://www.rayznews.com
E-MAIL: weaker41 [at] gmail.com

Anna Hazare

India is a queer land where many unbelievable developments happen every moment. Some of them are chronicled, others go unreported. Here an attempt is being made to portray the shocking side of India. If you have any problem in believing them, suffice would be to say; well this happens in India.

Have you heard about the traditional practice of senicide (killing of the elderly, whose illness gets prolonged and who refuses to die) by their own family members? Known as Thalaikoothal, its practiced in some parts of Tamil Nadu where the elderly person is given an extensive oil-bath early in the morning and subsequently made to drink glasses of coconut water that results in renal failure, high fever, fits, and ultimately to the death. Thalaikoothal has covert social acceptance and in some cases even the relatives called for the ceremony when it’s performed. These days lethal injection is given to perform Thalaikoothal, to make the death less painful and prolonged. This barbaric practice continues to thrive as people seldom complain to the police. Do you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!

The two holy cities of India; Mathura and Vrindavan houses more than 5000 widows who are living in pathetic conditions in the ashrams meant for them. These widows move to these holy cities in their twilight years as they believe to wash away their sins and attain Nirvana if they die in these holy places. However, after their death here they are denied basic human dignity. Their bodies are disposed off chopping into pieces and packing in gunny bags and being thrown on the river banks. Do you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!

In the coastal Tamil Nadu at Koodankulam, a valiant and peaceful protest by thousands of local people living in the vicinity of the under construction nuclear plant was met with brutal police repression. Tamil Nadu police has filed more than 55,000 FIRs against local villagers; among them some 6800 are charged with ‘sedition’ and ‘waging war’ against the nation. Do you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!

Odisha dateline 2006, when 14 Adivasis, were gunned down by the Police at Kalinga Nagar for protesting against accusation of their land by the Tata Steel Company. The National Human Rights Commission had discovered that Adivasis were forced to give it up their land were without adequate compensation with police intimidating and filing false cases against them. Such treatment of Adivasis is not unusual in India; thousands of them are languishing in jails often without a charge-sheet filed against them. The general opinion that is built about Adivasi is they are a Moaist. Do you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!

If Adivasis are Moaist, Muslims are criminals. There are 102,652 Muslims languishing in Indian jails. The number of Muslims in jails is highly disproportional to their population. For instance in Maharashtra Muslims account for 10.6% of the population, they comprise 36% of the prison population. In Gujarat, where Muslims account for 9.06%, they are 25% of prison inmates. Karnataka’s Muslim population is 12.23%, its jails have 17.5% Muslim. There are four big states West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh that has not submitted its report of its Muslim prison population. It’s likely the figures of Muslim prison population could be high in these states as well. Do you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!

In India you can also find armed extremists and criminals living comfortably in designated camps in the Northeast. They live under well-defined `ceasefire’ agreement with the Indian State. However in spite of restrictions on their movements, these militants cross the line of control at ease. Its common knowledge that they reign in night while the Indian state rules during the day. Do you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!

Contrary to northeast, it’s the Indian Army that holds sway in the Kashmir valley. The life, liberty and honor of the common Kashmiri people are at the mercy of these men in uniform. They live in an open prison under the watch of the barrel of the gun oozing out of the Army bunkers. Like it or not, the paradise on earth is reduced to a garrison state. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well this happens in India!

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, is blamed for the insurgency in the northeast. The iron lady of Manipur, Irom Sharmila Chanu is demanding its repelling and is on hunger strike since November 2000. Her protest has now become the world’s longest hunger striker entering more than 700 weeks. This kind of Gandhian protest once had shaken the might of the British Empire, but the Indian state seems undaunted even 12 years of such protest. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well this happens in India!

While Anna Hazre and Baba Ramdev’s fast hogged media limelight, the fast of Swami Nigamanand went unsung. The Swami, who went on fast to “Save River Ganga” was allowed to die during his protest. The Swami demanded ban on mining to save Ganga and when his fast entered the 68th day (last 40 days in coma), was admitted to Haridwar district hospital, where sheer medical negligence resulted in his death. Earlier, he was successful in closing all the stone crushers in the ecologically sensitive areas around the Ganges banks. This time he was protesting against the Himalayan Crusher Company that was continuing its operation. At that time the entire country was busy watching the high drama of fast being played in New Delhi, its total neglect of the media that took the toll of a real crusaders life. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well this happens in India!

This discussion may not be complete without the mention of the notorious mafia dons who live like kings in the prisons of UP and Bihar. They are served with the best of food and alcohol inside the prison cell. They settle property disputes; dictate transfers/promotions/appointments of government officials; they make phone calls to politicians and business leaders dictating them their demands. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well this happens in India!

One can go on enumerating such inchoate images of India, but each of them can be contoured providing the brimming side of the country. It’s often said what true about India the opposite of it is also true. Well that’s the beauty of this country. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well this happens in India!

AUTHOR: Mujtaba Syed
URL: http://mujtabas-musings.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: syedalimujtaba [at] yahoo.com

The prize committee acknowledged Tavakoli for his “non- violent fight for freedom of speech and democracy.” The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, commenting on the win, said: “The Student Peace Price is this year awarded to a young and brave person.” The Peace Prize’s website wrote: “The winner of the Student Peace Prize has thus become a symbol and a representative for Iranian students and political activists alike.”

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR, who spoke at the announcement ceremony in Norway, said in an interview: “The Iranian authorities think that by keeping Majid Tavakoli in prison they can silence his voice. But, today we proved the Iranian authorities wrong. Maid’s voice is stronger than ever. His words have been spread around the world. Majid’s win demonstrates that the Iranian student movement is not forgotten and that the world supports the legitimate demands and rights of Iranian students.”

Majid Tavakoli is currently held in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. He was majoring in shipbuilding when he was violently arrested on December 7, 2009, Iranian National Student Day. He was reportedly arrested after delivering a speech at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. Sources have said Tavakoli’s speech criticized high-ranking regime officials, including Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran.

The Student Peace Prize is awarded biennially, on behalf of all Norwegian students. Majid Tavakoli will be honored with a ceremony during ISFiT (International Student Festival in Trondheim) and will also receive a personalized monument in Jomfrugata in Trondheim, as a part of the “Walk of Peace”.

MORE INFORMATION ON MAJID TAVAKOLI

He was initially transferred to Evin prison and endured long periods in solitary confinement, subjected to physical and psychological torture. He was transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in August 2010. He has launched multiple hunger strikes in prison, leading to the deterioration of his health. There were reports in 2010 that he was suffering from abdominal bleeding.

He was first arrested in 2007 for protesting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presence at Amirkabir University. He was held in prison for 15 months and tortured. He was arrested again in March 2009, during a memorial ceremony for Mehdi Bazargan. He endured 115 days in solitary confinement in Evin Prison before his release on bail.

The Tehran Appeals Court sentenced Majid Tavakoli to a total of nine years in prison: 5 years for “Association and collusion with the intent to act against national security”, 1 year for “Propaganda against the regime”, 2 years for “Insulting the Supreme Leader”, and 6 months for “Insulting the President”. In November 2011, the Tehran Appeals Court issued an additional 6 months for a fresh charge of “Propaganda against the regime”.

AUTHOR: Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam
URL: http://iranhr.net/
E-MAIL: amirymoghaddam [at] gmail.com

Looking at Nepal’s history, the current archeological standing was discovered a century ago, that led to uncovering of other nearby remains of buildings and temples, till then an overgrown jungle had taken over, still today most of the artifacts of the ancient city and temples are yet to be un-dug  from the earth. In 1895, Feuhrer, a famous German archaeologist, discovered the great pillar while wandering about the foothills of the Churia range. Further exploration and excavation of the surrounding area revealed the existence of a brick temple and sandstone sculpture within the temple itself, which depicts the scenes of the Buddha’s birth. Though there has been disputes as on whether Lumbini is truly the birthplace of Buddha, there are a variety of evidence in Lumbini itself that undoubtedly proves it to be the birthplace of Buddha, the most famous being the pillar erected by Asoka. In 249 BC, when the Indian Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini, he constructed four stupas and a stone pillar with a figure of a horse on top. The stone pillar bears an inscription, which in translation runs as follows: ‘King Piyadasi (Ashoka), beloved of devas, in the 20th year of the coronation, himself made a royal visit, Buddha Shakyamuni having been born here; a stone railing was built and a stone pillar erected to the Bhagawan having been born here, Lumbini village was taxed reduced and entitled to the eight part (only). Lumbini was a site of pilgrimage until the 15th century AD. Its early history is well documented in the accounts of Chinese travellers, notably Fa Hsien (4th century AD) and Hsuan Tsang (7th century AD), who described the temples, stupas, and other establishments that they visited there. In the early 14th century King Ripu Malla recorded his pilgrimage in the form of an additional inscription on the Ashoka pillar.

In 1996, an archaeological dig unearthed a ‘flawless stone’ placed there by Ashoka in 249 BC to mark the precise location of the Buddha’s birth more than 2,600 years ago. If authenticated, the find will put Lumbini even more prominently on the map for millions of religious pilgrims.

Talking more about the fascination of Lumbini then one such is the temple of Maya Devi. Carved in the ancient stone is an image of queen giving birth to Lord Buddha while holding onto the tree branch. This bas relief is sacred to the local Hindus – well worn by the strokes of barren women in hopes of fertility. To the south of the Maya Devi temple there is the famous sacred bathing pool known as Puskarni. It is believed that Maya Devi took a bath in this pool before the delivery.

Similarly, other places that are worth visiting are:

Lumbini Museum: Situated 27 KM west of Lumbini in Tilaurakot, Lumbini Museum, and research institute is an interesting way of understanding the core values of Buddha and his life. The Kapilvastu museum has ruins of ancient capital of Shakya kingdom where the Buddha spent his youth

Sacred Garden: Spread in over 8 Sq.KM and with the tranquility and greenery, the sacred garden holds many mysteries of history. The garden is located near the International Monastery Zone where it is believed that Siddhartha Gautama played and cherished his childhood.

Gotihawa:  Gotihawa is regarded as a very important religious place for Buddhists all over the world. It is believed that Krakuchanda Buddha, who came before Shakyamuni Buddha, was born and attained nirvana in Gotihawa. It is located about 31 KM west of Lumbini.

Kudan: It is located about four and half kilometers south of Tilaurakot. It is where King Suddhodhana met Lord Buddha for the last time before he left for his quest of reality.

Niglihawa: Located 32 KM northwest of Lumbini, Niglihawa hold special historical and spiritual value. It is the place where Emperor Ashoka built a stupa and set up a pillar. It is believed that the Kanakmuni Buddha, who came earlier than Shakyamuni Buddha, was born and enlightened, here

Ramgram Kingdom: The King of Ramgram Kingdom was one of the eight Kings who obtained Buddha’s relics and he also built a pagoda, which was named Ramgram Pagoda.  It is located 60 KM to the east.

Tilaurakot: Tilaurakot is about 25 kilometers west of Lumbini that extends over an area of two and half miles. Tilaurakot is the exact site of ancient Kapilvastu as described in the Buddhist texts and travel accounts; it is in the process of archeological exploration and recognition.

Millions of devotees from all over the world come to Lumbini highlighting the concept of spiritualism and meditation. With such prospects the Nepal government had declared 2012 as “Visit Lumbini year 2012”. The program was targeted of attracting 1 million tourists to Lumbini and introducing Nepal as a new destination of spiritual values. Under the master program, Lumbini area is in the process of expansion and all the places related to the life of Buddha within the country would be developed.

Travelling a trip to Lumbini is very easy from every point, within the facilities of bus, private car or airplane. Lumbini is located in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. First you have to arrive at Bhairawa. A daily bus leaves Kathmandu for Bhairawa, that’s 252km, ten hours trip. Daily flights connect Kathmandu with Bhairawa which are readily available. If you want to take the roads it takes about 45 minutes ride to Lumbini. Arriving by air it may be necessary to take transportation to the center of Bhairawa to connect with surface transport.

Lumbini is a learning experience that’s never enough, once you start exploring you quest for more. From the exploration of relics to the legends and stories of Gautama Buddha Lumbini holds its presence to reality of what world accepts. Come be part of this enriching experience and learn the core values of Buddhism.

AUTHOR: Shreedeep Rayamajhi
URL: http://www.rayznews.com
E-MAIL: weaker41 [at] gmail.com

My article, “The Shattered Self of Komsomol Civil War Memoirs,” has come out in the Fall 2012 issues of the Slavic Review. You can download it here (PDF).  Here are the opening paragraphs:

Komsomol literature in the 1920s repeatedly evoked the memory of the civil war as a means to inspire young communists to sacrifice themselves for the construction of socialism. In the words of Alfred Kurella, “The heroic times of the civil war presently take on a great role in satisfying youth’s romantic proclivities.” The war, he explained, bound the Komsomol around a “single principle,” for it recalled a time when all “surrendered to one great purpose” and “individual identity was significant only as part of a large family. Everybody conformed to the principle that bestowed life or death.” Like other European nations, which used memories of World War I in the construction of national unity, the Komsomol recalled the civil war in order to unite youth around a common heroic memory. The civil war functioned as a “meaningful and sacred event,” providing “ever-present saints and martyrs, places of worship and a heritage to emulate.”

The desire to codify the civil war as a foundational event began with the creation of the Komsomol’s historical commission in December 1920: Istmol, or the Commission for the Study of the History of the Russian Youth Movement. Throughout the 1920s, Istmol collected documents and organized evenings of reminiscence and exhibitions to commemorate the participation in the civil war by members of the Komsomol. Istmol also solicited civil war veterans to write memoirs that would bring revolutionary heroism to life, adding color and depth to the official documents. Their publications varied in content and style, and recollections were often published with very few revisions. The result was a heterogeneous body of literature lacking a dominant narrative for civil war memory. The recollections constituted the main literary form of civil war commemoration since the obituaries, tributes to fallen Komsomol leaders, and articles highlighting the enthusiasm of and service provided by members of the Komsomol that were published during the war.

Komsomol civil war memoirs display an ambivalence toward the civil war. This contrasts with our broader understanding of the war’s memory as a heroic period in which communists sacrificed themselves wholeheartedly for the revolution. Alongside a narrative that framed the war as a “heroic epoch,” veterans voiced confusion, personal loss, hardship, physical suffering, and fear in the face of death. It is precisely because of these elements that Komsomol civil war narratives can be seen as part of the important phenomenon of war remembrance at the turn of the century. These narratives, like many of their European counterparts, are ultimately personal stories that attempt to come to terms with the personal transformations that war brought upon young soldiers and to render the strangeness of these experiences understandable to both the readers and the soldiers themselves.

Read whole article, see here (PDF).

AUTHOR: Sean Guillory
URL: http://seansrussiablog.org and http://newbooksinrussianstudies.com
E-MAIL: sguillory1 [at] niu.edu

AUTHOR: Dr. Jason Abbott
URL: http://profjabbott.blogspot.com
E-MAIL: jason.abbott [at] louisville.edu

Traditional compositions of melodies and lyrics are created with community performances in mind and as such, these compositions do not seek to combine sounds to suit a particular taste. Their purpose is to express life – culturally, spiritually and socially. Another aspect of traditional music is its ability to fuse natural sounds with spoken word to create music. This is where the pattern of self expression gets accentuated. This can be found in simple structures of Malombo music or the haunting melodies of the Jeliya of Mali.

reedom music is rooted in self expression but most importantly it’s an expression that portrays community outlook. To the trained ear traditional music gives an impression that pentatonic scales, hexagonic scales or polyphony are used but the secret lies with the untrained ear –it’s the translation of emotions into sounds. It is an outward presentation of our thoughts and feelings. Social progress within communities also necessitates the need to use song to express certain milestones.

Afrikan compositions tell stories that bring colour to our everyday lives. There are songs for weddings, working, hunting, farming, death, and fishing. Music also symbolises birth in many African cultures. We are bound to the drum both in communication and in rhythm. Colonisation brought with it a different perspective not only on Afrikan lifestyles but music. The systemising of education created a process of learning and with it came Anglo Saxon schools and churches. These institutions became the training ground for music in what is known as Choirs. This new platform created a new found symbiotic relationship between religion and revolution. We cannot deny this fact. Musicians in early tribal wars produced many songs of revolution and proclamation. They not only became the repositories of community and family history but also the first voices to communicate the community’s feelings. They captured the essence of living and cultural philosophies.

This early development of freedom music to some degree, assisted in fuelling the fire that enabled Afrikan nations to defeat imperialists. In South Africa, music was the weapon that gave comrades courage to keep up the fight. The same was experienced in Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia. Bob Marley incited comrades in Zimbabwe to rise up and claim their land. The early settlers on our continent brought with them many things but none more life changing than schools and churches. Before this time people praised the creative creator. They tuned into this creative force and fashioned songs of joy and awe. The western approach to music and religion created a meeting place that gave birth to choral music. A lot of our compositions took on this early developing route of which, gospel music played a critical role. It started flourishing in small communities across South Africa but it’s important to note here that this change did not remove our ability to express our true emotions. During these early days South Africa was overwhelmed by new cultures and continuous displacement of people.

The reality of living in one’s own land as a foreigner was beginning to frustrate Africans and in their efforts to appease the almighty, western religion took hold of our mothers and through them singing was re-fashioned and directed at the creator asking for salvation, and relief from oppression.

The South African natives caused commotions with their songs of hope, freedom and redemption. The dawning of the 20th century brought with it events that transformed South Africa and also resulted in a free society we live in today. Up until 1949 lyrics did not court political confrontation mainly because black politicians in those days belonged to a select few elites. These black elites were mostly intellectuals and possessed a dualist’s mind.

This idealistic state got short circuited by a gentleman famous for a futuristic contribution to our history– “Nkosi Sikele i Afrika”. Elder Enoch Sontonga composed a hymn that asked for blessings and salvation for people of the land. This song was a major turning point in the evolution of freedom music and it spread across Southern Africa. Dr. Cornell West says one cannot remove religion or Christianity from liberation struggles and he is right; Elder Enoch’s song transcended the dualistic idealism and evolved into a liberation song of unified hope. Countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa honoured elder Sontonga by using his lyrics as their national anthems.

Dr John Dube of the Ohlange institute amplified Elder Sontonga’s composition through various performances. This twist in the journey of South Africa’s freedom music changed the way music was composed. It brought with it emotive driven melodies. Songs began to express feelings of the day such as the Song of Oppressive act. These kind of songs married politics and music and gave birth to various genres that used songs to reach the young and old. Gone were the black elites who occupied high chairs. The wheels of liberation had started to turn. Music became a political weapon and a loud speaker of retaliation. Songs like “Umteto we land act” became the blue print on which the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) declared their intention to free South Africa. This organisation went on to change its name to African National Congress (ANC).

The state of the nation became the subject matter of many songs. Militant lyrics became the stuff of thought and some old songs like “Senzenina” took on a different meaning. Freedom music also had African American influences which to a large extent were sparked in 1891 by Orpheus McDoo and his Jubilee singers. Black South Africans identified with their African American brothers and composers shifted their styles (i.e. Rueben Thokalele Caluza’s Ragtime compositions) to fit in with the flavour of the day.

Between 1920 and 1993 compositions became a blend of nationalism with moral / Christian viewpoints. They articulated deteriorating socio-political conditions and the evils of the god head. Songs like “I dipu eTekwini” articulated one of the most de-humanising aspects of apartheid. It called for a condemnation of white city administrators who introduced a new dispensation that required all black work seekers to undergo “deverminisation” in dipping tanks for public hygiene. A few South African musicians found their way to other continents and continued to spread the message. Whilst Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba were setting the scene is America. Johnny Dyani was grooving to Song for Biko in Denmark and later on in Botswana as part of ANC’s Festival of Culture and Resistance. Freedom music was now in the hand of global South Africans whose sole careers became intertwined with freedom of Azania.

In the homelands, political groups were being organised and members were educated through song. They used extended melodies with words to tell of their situation. The American connection stayed strong in the form of Jazz compositions by the likes of Dudu Pukwana, Kippie Moeketsi and Abdullah Ibrahim. The melodies of freedom songs took on a different groove driven by the evolution of Jazz within the black society. Township life began to grow as more people from different parts of the country moved to big cities in search of work. Masikandi and Mbaqanga were addressing the order of the day. Lucky Dube’s Prisoner and Leta Mbulu’s Uhuru propagated the never ending struggle of native South Afrikans to gain independence. The behaviour of native South Africans began to shift to adapt to new environments and as such the direction of freedom music followed suit.

The era of Motown and bump jive showcased urban living to the masses and with it the heightened activities of political ideologies. This change saw Sophia town emerging as a haven for gangsters, priests, musicians and political debaters. The Sharpeville massacre and the 1976 uprising took a lot out of people and the need to fight the oppressor heightened. Musicians started using their popularity to push the political agenda. Groups like The Beaters used their musical instruments to smuggle youngsters into exile to join the liberation struggle. The death of Hastings Ndlovu in June 1976 in Soweto triggered wide spread violence in South Africa. Feet shuffling and toyi –toyi were amplified by freedom music. ‘We shall overcome!’ they sang, defying the false hope the sun brought. This attitude became the spirit of defiance that swept the nation from villages to townships. Old songs underwent changes to reflect the mood of the people and one such example was the song ‘Senzenina’ which asserted a sense of worth and belonging for the common man. It also critiqued the political climate calling for recognition of the African voice within.

The 80’s brought accelerated urbanisation and with it influences of American music. People like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were symbols of association and musicians began to take on a philosophical approach and the emergence of social consciousness through the powerful sound of Reggae Music. South African greats used their exile status to push the idea of revolution through song. In fact, all exiled musicians took on this stance and artists such as, Kippie Moeketsi, Lefifi Tladi and Johnny Dyani debated freedom in South Africa through musical compositions and poetry. The African experience necessitated this and through freedom music Mbaqanga and township pop created a cacaphony of songs that addressed personal experiences, political, and social oppression.

Lucky Dube featured prominently and through his music the plight of Afrikan natives to the global community became a talking point. Remnants of early forms of freedom music echoed in compositions by Gospel and Jazz musicians. This era highlighted the growing frustrations of oppressed Afrikans and the need for freedom. The ANC cadres used music to spread their message. Thami Myeni’s Medu projects in Botswana use both art and music to chronicle the changing voice of the people. Farm workers used songs to protest against the oppressive working conditions that continued to deprive them of economic freedom. The singing tradition continued in many parts of the country and fuelled protest marches that eventually resulted in apartheid being abolished and the ushering of a new era for Afrikan natives

The message changed in 1994 and musicians in South Africa and abroad found a new voice. The effects of apartheid still endure until today and the emergence of popular culture sparked a youth movement that used music to talk about urban living, education and economic empowerment. Kwaito music was born with hints of a rebelious disposition. This genre of freedom music was and still is the most potent urban music to come out of Johannesburg and it drew attention to living conditions in townships. Arthur Mafokate’s hit song ‘kaffir” reflected the new freedoms that emerged after the political changes of 1994. The song’s lyrics were fiery and addressed the classist society that placed the native at the bottom of the food chain. Music became a tool for young people to bring attention to their own communities and expressed an attitude of self- expression, self-reliance and determination. Kwaito still remains a fiery genre conceptualized by township youth for township living. Many other artists such as Boom Shaka, Trompies and Brothers of Peace epitomized the changing signs in South Africa.

A genre that revolutionized freedom music came in the form of Hip Hop music. This genre emerged as another powerful voice that had its history in praise poetry and slave songs from America. Prophets of the City, Black Noise and the iconic Open Mind Sessions in Johannesburg gave birth to a new Pan Afrikan voice that used music to ask questions and to project a positive outlook. Artists such as Public Enemy, KRS – One and Poor Righteous Teachers influenced the modern song of the heathen is Africa. Today, hip-hop music has become the number one genre in the world all because it allowed the voiceless to express themselves in their language with their own style. Freedom music is alive and well as seen though the works of Tumi, Sifiso Sudan, Tidal Waves, Obitha and numerous other acts that use their artistry to effect change.

This is but a snippet of a story that can be told in many ways. I guess the question to ask is; is freedom music still relevant today and in the future? We are in the throes of globalisation after all; and the protest principle has sailed the world wide web as witnessed in North Africa. We have also been entertained by the comedy of Afri Forum and Julius Malema “toyi toying” to the Dubula iBhunu song. Do these events project a world that is changing and in need of a different tune? I believe the role of freedom is yet to be exhausted in our communities. As much as the lyrical content could be mistaken for hate speech in some quarters the historical importance of such songs cannot be trivialised. Self Expression remains a cornestone of freedom and we need to do all we can to protect it. The Afrikan revolution has not yet been realised and until then the Heathen songs of the natives will be heard and continue to be composed. We need them desparately.

AUTHOR: Charles Nhamo Rupare
URL: http://www.proudlyafrikan.org
E-MAIL: Nhamo [at] kush.co.za

Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line.
—Benoit Mandelbrot, The Fractal Geometry of Nature

When I was a 5 year old kid, there used to be a popular brand of barley sold under the name ‘Purity Indian Barley’. Though barley is a very useful and widely consumed cereal and known for its health benefits, my early memory of it is dreadful because the barley soup that my mother used to feed me tasted like high quality dish washing water.

However, I do not remember ‘Purity Indian Barley’ for taste or food value. What I remember it for is a picture on the can of it – a mother holding her baby alongside a can of ‘Purity Indian Barley’. Now that was rather interesting as the picture on the can showed the same can itself that had the picture of the same mother, albeit smaller, alongside the same can. I remember that as a kid I tried hard to imagine how many such smaller yet same mothers were alongside same yet progressively smaller cans. That used to be a very interesting journey of my young mind. I had no idea of infinity, of course.

Modern mathematicians now call this ‘self-similarity’ and each such dive into another scale as ‘reiteration’. They believe that ‘self-similarity’ emerges in any naturally growing organization that has become complex – the natural growth implied here is nothing but starting with very simple rules with huge variance and billions upon billions of reiterations with slight modifications as per those rules. Though this reminds us of biological evolution, but ‘self-similarity’, that is, the part looking like the whole in any scale is pretty much everywhere and it takes just an hour’s contemplation to see it. Take a cauliflower and separate a strand of it or take a country and separate a neighborhood – I hope that you are getting my drift.

Physical reality that presents to us and the mathematical formalism that attempts to describe it seem out of sync to many of us. In fact, to most of us the mathematical abstractions seem arcane and we do not see perfect triangles, circles, squares too often neither do we see quadratic polynomials in stock markets. The Nature is replete with systems, structures and functions that are too complex to be described with simple mathematical formalism and E = mc2 do not happen daily. However, what most of us can see with fair distinction are patterns. This appears to be our only common hope to live with complexities. Not maths. Or if maths, highly complex and difficult maths to have any appeal to us.

While the complexity and patterns rule across boundaries of ontologisms – our appreciation of reality is fragmented by studies as different as science, arts and philosophies. It may sound absurd if science has to explain poetry or arts need to make meaning of biological evolution. But as conscious beings we need to understand the whole of reality and we continue to see patterns in everything – as long as we are interacting with the complexity that confront and inspire us. And in these patterns we see ‘self-similarity’. Reality does not seem to present itself to us in a given scientific, artistic or philosophical way distinctly.

The shadow of a common recognition of the complex reality – that higher mathematics fails to deal with in physical sciences – was unveiled and placed on a sound theoretical and applied basis, at least partly, by Benoit Mandelbrot. A maverick visionary, Mandelbrot took the pattern seeking approach to hit on a truth so profound that it put poetry and stock market, big bang and cauliflower in the same realm of human understanding. In 1975, Mandelbrot gave a treatise by the name Fractal which, as a mathematical set, described the inherent imperfection of nature and complex systems that traditional mathematical formalism failed to describe. And, most importantly, it was fun.

I do not intend to intimidate the ‘not-so-mathematically-endowed’ reader with mathematical formulae and trust me there is nothing to be intimidated by Fractals at all. As a conscious human being you are seeing and appreciating it all your life in a more fundamental way than high school maths. You are doing it because it is better and advanced description of the complexity you are immersed in, handling intuitively and trying every minute to make meaning of. Mandelbrot just gave it a name and collated it.

It started with the coastline paradox, which in brief is this. When we measure the length of a coast, say that of Great Britain, how accurate do we think we can get? It is easy to realize that the accuracy of the length of the coastline will increase with the scale of magnification of the coast details or the resolution of the map. The magnification can be infinite (theoretically), so in whichever resolution we measure the coast length it will be very difficult to assert an absolutely correct value of the coast length. This is because the coastline geometry is not Euclidean line but a fractal. Funnily, it has a dimension slightly more than 1 – making it something like a line but not quite. This is essentially the description of a complexity that defies traditional geometry or mathematics and it presents ‘self-similarity’. The smaller creeks and bays and bends of the coast are similar (pattern-wise) in whichever scale you choose to observe it. Read more here.

And all these mind blowing complexities are born from rather simple rules – the complexity is manifest in numerous reiterations of these rules. It’s only advanced computer aided computations that laid bare this truth. For example take Koch’s snowflake.

Starting with an equilateral triangle of finite perimeter, if we set a rule of removing the middle third of each side and inserting two sides of equilateral triangle having sides equal to the removed middle third to have a new perimeter and define this as the first step of possible infinite re-iterations, then we start to see a perimeter of infinite length (just like the coast) and a fractal. The fractal dimension of the perimeter of Koch’s snowflake is 1.26, so we wonder whether it is something like a line but not quite.

Our reality is that of ‘not-quiet’s. I hope you make connections with Mandelbrot’s quotes from your daily experiences. I, despite my limited faculty, see the world around me as fuzzy; shapes, processes, evolutions and renditions as nothing mathematically precise yet wonderfully complex. In this fuzzy warmth of partly feeling and partly knowing reality, I see fractals as beacons of understanding. At the heart of this fuzzy complexity lies simple elegance.

However, fractals describe more than complex shapes. They constitute a unifying framework of patterns that run sublime in human pursuits like social growth and Arts besides Nature. Centuries before invention, fractals deeply influenced African architecture, art and design. From a political perspective, Ron Eglash suggests in his book ‘African Fractals’ that European settlers considered most African settlements to be large villages rather than cities, because instead of the Euclidean street arrangements of Europe, they found complicated fractal arrangements. “Thus fractal architecture was used as colonial proof of primitivism”.

Photo: Balla Village Archetecture – Source Mandelbrot and Frame

Photo: Balla Village Archetechture Line drawing – Source Mandelbrot and Frame

Photo: Kotoka Village Archetechture – Source Mandelbrot and Frame

The same book, as pointed out by Mandelbrot with Michael Frame as a sitting professor of mathematics in Yale University, also mentions African Art as fractally influenced. See Egyptian Column, Bamana headdress and Tuareg leatherwork for examples. I dare say that much of Indian village hierarchy and planning is fractal in nature (it’s a pity Mandelbrot did not study those)but that will be a different article in future.

Photo: Fractal Scheme in Egyptian Columns – Source Ron Eglash

Photo: Fractal design of Bamana Headdress – Source Ron Eglash

Photo: Fractal design in Tuareg Leatherwork – Source Ron Eglash

Perhaps the most fascinating fractal renditions that uncannily imitate Nature (and I strongly contend that Nature follows fractal organization) are the following:

These are computer generated fractional Brownian motion fractal art by Ken Musgrave. When he first showed these in a slide show in Yale University in 1993, many students refused to believe these as virtually created art.

Since I am much inspired by poetry, I think it will be fitting to mention that poems are fractally influenced too – often without the poet knowing it. If we choose a word as ‘root’ in a poem and plot the occurrences of the root in a box graph, we can (sometimes) see the fractal working. Pollard-Gott showed that the word ‘know’ as a root in Wallace Stevens’ poem “The Sail of Ulysses (Canto I)” follow roughly a fractal known as Cantor set.

The wonderful complexity with an elegant simple chance at its heart and proliferating with infinite reiterations is perhaps the true essence of reality. Fractals describe this profound truth showing self-similar patterns in every conscious observation. Mandelbrot called it ‘art of roughness’. I shall invite my readers to take part in an odyssey of such a journey named as Mandelbrot set. This set generates from a complex quadratic polynomial as simple as Zn+1=Zn + c .

Fractals though are only the tip of the iceberg. They set in motion a thinking so radical as to propose a new kind of science. I shall present it the concluding part of this post.

Feature Image: Real Desktop.

AUTHOR: Pabitra Mukhopadhyay
URL: http://pabitraspeaks.com
E-MAIL: mukhopadhyay.pabitra [at] gmail.com

At least this is true from a football fan’s perspective. But South Africa also is likely to lose hundreds of millions of rands as a result of hosting the continent’s premiere sporting event. There is a legitimate debate to be had as to whether or not hosting the World Cup was “worth it” (which of course also depends on what “worth it” means, thus the scare quotes). But it is difficult to see the upside in South Africa hosting the event in 2013. Maybe some countries with smaller economies would see positive economic impact from the tournament. But it is likely to bring little in terms of tourists to South Africa, a country that already sees impressive numbers of visitors, and given the cost of hosting the event, it is almost certain to cost South Africa a lot more than it brings in even if it does allow the country to utilize some of its stadia.

AFCON local organizing committee (LOC) chief executive Mvuzo Mbebe claims that the event will create 18 600 jobs. I would love to see the evidence for this claim and would especially like to know how many of those jobs are more than temporary work for the duration of the tournament.

[Full hypocrisy disclosure: My skepticism would not prevent me from attending the tournament, and almost certainly enjoying it immensely, if given the chance. My concerns are more pragmatic than moral even if this strikes me as a shortsighted allocation of resources.]

AUTHOR: Derek Charles Catsam
URL: http://africa.foreignpolicyblogs.com
E-MAIL: derekcatsam [at] hotmail.com