Happy 250th Birthday America!

We The People 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Happy Birthday America! 

 

AI Image by wirestock from magnific

Aloka And The Buddhist Monks' Walk For Peace

“Let us walk with open hearts, with respect for every life, every path, every faith. May every footprint we leave behind bloom into flowers of peace, so that wherever these steps have touched the earth, there remains a quiet fragrance of loving kindness.” - Tue Nhan Bhikkhu known as the Rev. Nguyen, the vice president of the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center 

In a Buddhist tradition of peace activism, on October 26, 2025, a group of Buddhist monks in Fort Worth, Texas embarked on a 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometers) long journey for peace. The pilgrimage leads through ten states and Washington, DC is set to be the final destination. The monks are accompanied by a dog named Aloka. On route to the US Capitol the monks will be stopping at state capitols, historic landmarks and community centers to share their message of peace and invite people to join them for prayer and reflection.  

Aloka - an Indian stray Pariah dog that marches with the monks became a social media sensation in his own right. In India the dog followed a group of Vietnamese-American wandering Buddhist monks for one hundred days. He was with them despite the hardships he experienced. He was injured when a car hit him and was very sick, but rejoined the monks over and over again. Eventually, the monks adopted him and brought him with them to the United States. Now he bravely and cheerfully follows them on their journey through the United States. The puppy has a distinctive heart shaped mark on his forehead, wise eyes and very cheerful disposition. His name Aloka is quite fitting. In Sanskrit it means light, brightness or radiance and symbolizes knowledge and enlightenment. This name is often associated with hope and guidance suggesting a bringer of clarity and joy to all around them. 

Accompanied by Aloka, the monks will be following the practice of self-discipline that involves humility, endurance and spiritual focus. They will be eating one meal a day and sleeping outdoors in tents pitched on public or private grounds provided by churches, temples, private persons or local communities. Some of the monks walk barefoot. Some are over sixty years old. No community and no individual that comes in contact with the monks will remain unaffected by their motivation, wisdom, humility and serenity. Their pilgrimage will end on February 13, 2026, with a message of healing, compassion, mindfulness, renewal, and peace. 

"The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole.” - Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra

The Walk for Peace is a journey that is meant to bring blessings to individuals and communities in a world that is filled with restlessness and uncertainty. 

Our world was never a perfect place but there were at least some short periods of peace in some regions. The new millenium began with a beautiful vision for the planet but the New York attack on September 11, 2001, destroyed our hopes for a better, more enlightened world. Belligerent ideologies seemed to be spreading around the world and by 2025 there were more regional conflicts than ever. Many people feared the possibility of another world war. The never ending conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine gave us little hope for peace on Earth in 2026.

In the United States and in many European countries citizens experience extreme violence on daily bases, often perpetrated by people of different cultural backgrounds that were once invited to live in their communities. Cultural incompatibility and different moral values make harmonious coexistence impossible. Rape, murder, robberies, arson, vandalism, and violent attacks seem to dominate the daily news cycle in mamy urban centers. Many people live in fear. 

At the same time, the social fabric, the respect for life or property, the respect for individual rights and the right to one's own opinion, are completely disappearing in so many places. This process began with totalitarian measures imposed on many societies during the 2020 pandemic. The decline of civility is appalling. Social media allows the spread of verbal aggression never seen before and allows that aggression to spill out to our streets. The belligerence and intolerance seem to be spreading through our societies like cancer and that "cancer" is often exploited for political reasons. Many tormented souls live their aggression out in the real world. Mental disease and drug abuse are prevalent and often remain untreated. Financial instability and lack of perspective aggravate the situation. 

Can this downward spiral be stopped? Is there hope for our societies? Is there any hope for the world?

A practicing Buddhist would understand the current conditions as a reflection of inner chaos and suffering. Buddha himself believed that true peace comes from within when the mind is free from greed, anger and delusion. It can only be achieved by profound introspection and the practice of mindfulness. This however is difficult if not impossible in a world where people are slaves to their electronic devices; in the world where people have time to insult and abuse others but have no time for introspection and self-reflection; in the world where people demand respect for their opinions without acknowledging that others have the same right. People no longer agree that it is all right to disagree and demonize others for having their own mind. 

Peace is not a mere idea. It is a practice. The path to peace begins with a single step within. 

Mindful walking and a quality time spent in nature might be the first step to inner healing. There is a beautiful practice in Japan called Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing where a practitioner consciously relaxes and engages with nature focusing all the senses on the experience. The practice is known to improve mood and reduce stress. Quality time spent away from electronic devices and the noise of discord and argument may help calm the troubled souls, induce inner peace and a completely new outlook on things that matter. 

Our societies, our world will not change overnight and suddenly become peaceful but each of us has the potential to bring peace to our immediate surroundings, to our homes and the workspace. We can refuse to get triggered, we can refuse to get angry and judgmental and instead, lead by example. Mindful detachment, mutual respect, loving-kindness (mettā), and the understanding that we all are on a journey, is a good place to start. 

"What we think, we become" - Buddha 

By Dominique Allmon

Post scriptum

On November 19, 2025 a car slammed into the escort vehicle that accompanied the monks. One of the monks, the Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan, abbot of the Wat Lao Buddha Khanti in Snellville, Georgia, was seriously injured and taken to hospital. The damage was very serious and the bhikkhu's left leg had to be amputated. He is no longer able to continue the Walk For Peace in person but follows the monks in spirit. 

Today, on January 12, Aloka underwent surgery at the Charleston Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC) in South Carolina for a flare up of an old injury he sustained to one of his legs back in India. In order to heal the veterinarians, who performed their services free of charge, advised the monks that Aloka should stay in the clinic until he has healed completely. This sweet puppy needs some rest in order to heal. He will be taken care of for at least one week and as soon as it is safe for him, he will join the monks and walk with them again. 

On January 17, 2026, after 84 days on the road, the Venerable Samma Maggo, 68 years old Vietnamese monk from France terminated his pilgrimage and will be returning to his temple in France. 

"The Venerable never spoke of endurance, yet that solitary figure along the long road became a teaching in itself - quiet, unheroic, without drama - simply walking on, and enabling those who followed to stand more upright within their own lives." - Venerable Baro Beso

I wish I could be there to meet these monks on the road. Since this is not possible I follow their progress online. It is very touching to watch these men walking with such determination, dispensing blessings to all and sharing the message of peace. We can only hope that all the people who meet the monks will have the strength to hold on to the wisdom imparted on them. 

"May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace." 

Dominique Allmon©2026 

To learn more about the Walk For Peace and to support the monks in their endeavor please click here 

Follow Aloka the Peace Dog on Instagram 

A "gofundme" page was set up for the Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan.  

Images source X 

Brigitte Bardot Dies at 91

"I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals." - Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot, an icon of French cinema and an avid animal rights activist passed away on December 28, 2025 at her home in Saint-Tropez, France. She was 91 years old. 

Bardot began her acting career in 1950 and rose to stardom in the 1960s with movies like "And God Created A Woman" directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim, "Le Mépris" (Contempt) by Jean-Luc Goddard, "LaVérité" (The Truth) by Henri-Georges Clouzot, or "Viva Maria!" by Louis Malle. 

Bardot's involvement with animal rights began in 1962 when she saw pictures from slaughter houses. The actress left her cinematic creer behind in 1973 and dedicated her life to the protection and welfare of animals. After receiving a letter from the French writer Marguerite Yourcenar, Bardot publicly denounced the massacre of baby seals and the ignoble fur trade. In 1977 she traveled to Canada and was filmed on an ice floe with baby seals. The images went around the world. Her action would lead to a ban of trade in seal skins. 

Bardot, a vegetarian, opposed the use of animals in laboratory experiments, fought against whaling, bullfight and fur trapping. She abhorred fox hunting, the consumption of dog meat in Korea and horse meat in France, the exploitation of wild animals for circus shows, and the ritual slaughter of animals. She fought tirelessly to end suffering and animal abuse. She believed that animals were some of the most defenseless and vulnerable victims of the cruel, and often barbaric, practices in modern societies.  

In 1986 she established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation dedicated to the protection of animals and a few animal sanctuaries. She auctioned her jewelry and personal belongings to raise the money for the foundation. Between 1988 and 1992 Bardot led a French television series "S.O.S. Animaux" that exposed animal cruelty. Her activism was not meant to be comfortable for her audiences. The shock treatment was meant to influence public opinion and set a change of attitude in motion. Animal welfare became her moral imperative. 

"In a democracy one must have the right to express oneself and that's what I do, even if it displeases." - Brigitte Bardot 

Bardot's political views were subject to controversy. She openly opposed mass immigration and the islamisation of France and was associated with the French far right movement. 

Despite her radical political views most people will remember B.B. for her love of animals and her devotion to animal welfare around the world. 

A beautiful, courageous, caring woman went over the rainbow bridge...

Dominique Allmon 

 

Thank You For Arguing

The Death of Socrates - Jacques Louis David, 1787

Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The lack of civility in public space nowadays is appalling. There is so much abuse on social media that it is almost impossible to make a statement or discuss anything intelligently anymore without being insulted by those who disagree with you. Once the barrier of civility is broken, there is no end to the flow of epithets derived from human anatomy and physiology or from the animal kingdom.

An intelligent, knowledgeable, eloquent person is in full command of the language he or she uses and does not have to resort to insults, cursing, vulgarities, and such. Intelligent arguments are based in grammar, logic, and rhetoric and are backed by knowledge, imagination, and experience. Unfortunately, modern students are not taught the art of rhetoric anymore. The arguments are won in verbal fistfights whereas everybody must agree or else. Any divergent thought is bullied out in a totalitarian manner. But, but, but! One does not really win an argument because of a large repertory of insults.

Unfortunately, everywhere you look, on social media, in the press, on television, people are unable to truly discuss or debate anything anymore in a civilized manner. The intellectual immaturity is appalling. People get offended because you do not think like them. As soon as you present a different view people start calling you names no matter who you are. 

What happened to "we agree to disagree?" What happened to civility? What happened to tolerance and respect? As with anything, one would normally assume that both sides have the right to their own opinion. This, unfortunately, seems not to be the case any longer. 

Name calling, insults and intimidation do not work at all with me, but an intelligent argument based in logic might. If you managed to convince me that my way of thinking was wrong, I would gladly reconsider my viewpoint and accept your argument, grateful that I have learned something new.

I do not subscribe to politically correct views or the view of a majority unless, of course, the majority is well informed and has a valid opinion I can logically agree with. But rest assured, I would never accept a view simply because it is the preferred view of a majority. I would rather have a sip of hemlock!

Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2024

 

80th Anniversary of the D-Day

Eighty years ago in the morning on June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied soldiers landed on the heavily guarded beaches of Normandy and burst through the German defenses. Thousands of these soldiers died. Many more were wounded. We cannot even imagine the carnage they faced.

Code-named Operation Neptune, it was one of the most daring military operations undertaken during World War II. The landing is considered to be the largest seaborne invasion ever executed, and it was probably the bloodiest one. The secretly prepared operation was a turning point in the war against the Nazi Germany.

As every year, the celebrations that commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of so many will take place in Normandy with the participation of World War II veterans, including those who fought in France on D-Day, heads of state and dignitaries from around the world. 

The heroes of the Longest Day will be remembered and honored forever.

In gratitude - Dominique Allmon

Image: world wide web

Happy Earth Day 2024!

The apocalypse is not something which is coming. The apocalypse has arrived in major portions of the planet and it’s only because we live within a bubble of incredible privilege and social insulation that we still have the luxury of anticipating the apocalypse. - Terence McKenna

The current climate change narrative causes climate anxiety in many people, especially among the younger generation. Unusual weather patterns, instant reporting and the 24/7 news cycle are not helping at all. Manufactured fear is counterproductive.

On this Earth Day 2024 I do not want to talk about the climate change preaching hypocrites flying from one conference to another in their private jets. I also do not want to talk about the very profitable carbon emission trading. Instead, I'd like to talk about the destruction of nature and the scandalous abuse of people and resources happening every day behind our backs.

Some of my readers might be aware of child labor in African lithium mines. Some may even know about the child labor in the carpet industry in Nepal or Pakistan, or the children working in the cotton industry in cotton producing countries. Many are aware of the slave labor in China and the human trafficking happening in so many countries. But did you know that children are being sold to farmers in West Africa to work on cacao plantations? Maybe next time you are buying a bar of chocolate you will make sure that the raw materials for the product come from fair trade with no child labor involved. 

To save the planet we are told that the animal farms must go because of the devastating amounts of CO2 and methane they produce, but did anyone tell you how detrimental to nature are the mono-cultures of soy or corn. Or how much water is being used to produce the almonds for your vegan almond milk or the avocados for your avocado toast? How about the tons of pesticides used in conventional farming that are destroying not only the fragile balance of life in the soil but also polluting our groundwater supply? 

Enormous profits are being made by the agribusiness conglomerates. At what coast? And who is actually paying the price? 

How about the fast fashion and the senseless mountains of textile trash and pollution this business model produces? What about the people working in the sweatshops to satisfy the ever growing demand for cheap goods?  

How about the built-in obsolescence that keeps the "engines" of capitalism running? It is actually scandalous that the products we buy "die" on us short after their warranty expires, forcing us to replace them with new ones. In many cases the new product is cheaper than the repair of the broken one. Worse even, in many cases the repair option does not even exist. On the other hand, it would be extremely naive to believe that we could slow, or even stop, the endless production of goods and return to the standards of the pre-industrial era.

I have no answers to these questions. However, I believe that each of us should do some research. We should take responsibility for our own actions, reconsider our choices, and hold the companies responsible for pollution accountable. We probably will never be able to stop the mindless consumerism so prevalent in our societies, but we could at least start in our own backyard and try to educate others. 

 

Burning issues such as the destruction of natural habitats, deforestation, topsoil degradation, environmental pollution, potable water scarcity on our planet, and the mountains of trash that we produce every day - to name only a few - should be our main concern right now. The Earth will survive without us but we will not survive without the Earth. Unless we increase our environmental consciousness, we as a species will not make it.

With this sentiment I wish you all a very happy Earth Day 2024!

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2024

Happy Science Fiction Day!

Fragment of a Roswell mural by Larry Welz

“Science fiction stories are extraordinary voyages into any of the infinite supply of conceivable futures.” - Isaac Asimov in “Asimov on Science Fiction”

Why Do We Love Horror?

With Halloween upon us and the recent release of "The Exorcist: Believer" movie by David Gordon Green, there is a little horror everywhere you look. Haunted mansions, spooky pumpkins, scary black cats, and kids running around in ghastly costumes, not to mention the daily news cycle that brings a horror of a different kind to your home. 

 

A gruesome horror movie or a dark story read from a well worn book at the end of the day will for sure give us the nightmare we are not quite sure we want to experience. And yet, so many people love the the chilling thrill.

Monsters, witches, werewolves, zombies, homicidal dolls, vampires, ghosts, vicious clowns, unnamed supernatural evil, cruel people, violence, and bloody terror, all exert incredible fascination on the lovers and haters of the genre alike.

If you have watched the Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, Shining, Omen, or the Frankenstein, you might have experienced genuine fear with all the physiological symptoms that we normally experience in fearful real life situations. The heartbeat changes, blood pressure goes up, body temperature drops, and the palms begin to sweat. The story we are reading or watching might be completely irrational, but the brain interprets the fear-inducing stimuli as real.

So, why do we love horror?

Already in Antiquity people seemed to have indulged in horror. Greek mythology is full of monsters, but Greek tragedies that translated human condition into an incomprehensible terror also provided emotional release, or catharsis. The modern reader or viewer is not much different in this regard. Horror movies give us the chance to release pent up aggression and suppressed negative emotions.

Many of the horror movies, especially the older ones, explore the unconscious. Postulated by Freud, this is a terrain of secret desires and suppressed emotions that are deeply hidden in our psyche, but drive our motivations.

The dark side is a part of our psyche, if you prefer the Jungian interpretation, and should be embraced. The ominous, the obscure, the morbid, witchcraft, black magic, and satanism, are very old phenomena and our modern society is no different that the societies of the past. This fascination becomes problematic only when it takes pathological dimensions.

Morbid fascination, adrenaline rush, curiosity and thrill of excitement, might be the reasons why some people love the horror. Sensitive viewers, however, might be scarred for life with the visual imagery of horror movies. Young children, especially, might be deeply affected by the explicit violence of the genre. The effects are not benign and should not be treated lightly.

A little horror on Halloween is a completely different story, so enjoy and have fun!

By DominiqueAllmon

 
Image: Black Cat on Vegvísir by Dominique Allmon©2023

Alien Threat

 

"Can we and all nations not live in peace? 

 

In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. 

 

I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. 

 

And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us? What could be more alien to the universal aspirations of our peoples than war and the threat of war?"

 

- President Ronald Reagan in an address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, 1987. 

 

Image source unknown but greatly appreciated.

 

 

A Gentleman In Moscow And The Soul Of Russia

"A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles. I had this book on my bookshelf for more than four years. It was awaiting its turn to be read. The purchase was a result of a serious affliction called tsundoku where a person purchases more books than she or he can ever read and simply lets them sit on a bookshelf. A long intercontinental flight was a perfect occasion to finally read it.

It's a brilliant, very well written, intelligent, witty novel written by a man of great talent and erudition. This is a book you need to savor like a glass of the rarest Bordeaux or a piece of the finest Belgian chocolate. 

The main protagonist, Count Alexander Rostov, reflects on his past and lives through his memories. Like Swan in Proust's novel, Count's memories become vivid at the scent, sound or taste of things past. 

 

In 1922 Rostov, an unrepentant aristocrat, was sentenced by the Bolshevik court to house arrest. For the rest of his life he had to remain confined within the walls of the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. His physical world shrunk considerably, but the confinement opened the door to much richer regions of intellect and emotions.

This book evoked in me memories from the past long gone. Just like the Count, I suddenly remembered things I thought I forgot. Having studied Russian language, literature, and history in the mid 1970s and early 1980s, and having visited Russia, or rather the Soviet Union, for the first time in December of 1980 - a trip that started in Moscow and ended in Kiev but took us with a special permit to the restricted area of Irkutsk in Siberia where I met the descendants of Polish victims of Stalin's forced deportations; a trip to the Baikal Sea on a sunny winter day at -52°F; the Silk Road republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan; Christmas Eve in Baku, Azerbaijan; and Tbilisi in Georgia - I had many memories of my own. 

I was able to recall so much of that Russian soul that permeates every aspect of this book. I remembered the taste of thinly sliced, garlic marinated pork fat I had in Irkutsk, the fragrant lamb dishes in Tashkent, or the Georgian red wine I drank in Tbilisi. I remembered the taste of caviar I ate in Moscow and in Baku. I remembered the Olivier salad I had in Kiev, and of course, all the horrible hotels, restaurants, and airports, the unfriendly waiters and floor ladies in hotels, but also the art and music, and the cordiality and curiosity of Russian intellectuals so eager to find out who we were.  

 

No visitor to the Soviet Union liked the fact of being watched and never free to go wherever one wanted. The tour guide would answer all your questions in accordance with the ideology of the communist party that held the Russians in a very tight grip. And there was always at least one commissar attached to the group, carefully watching the tour guide. No amount of vodka would ever relax his ideological hold he had on that person. 

 

Everything in the Soviet Russia appeared almost surreal. It seemed that people actually believed the nightmarish tale of the "good life" they had in the system that deprived them daily of their dignity. Empty stores, long lines everywhere, overcrowded city buses, bad food and the air so polluted you could not breathe.

Despite all this, the Russians were full of pride and admiration for their own culture, especially their classical music and literature. The Kirov or the Bolshoi ballet companies were the jewels the Soviets displayed proudly. And who in the West did not hear of Tolstoy, Pushkin, or Gogol? 

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Russians searched for a new identity. The embarrassment of poverty, backwardness and corruption, the loss of territory, the loss of power, came as a shock to a nation that collectively believed in the success of the communist ideology. Dissent existed in the Soviet Union but was squashed and severely punished. The indoctrination wasn't just skin deep. People accepted as true what they were told.

 

Is it a wonder that the search for a new identity produced even more poverty, more corruption, more crime? Is it a wonder that power hungry dictators would rule in an absolutist manner? Is it a wonder that the new Russia wants to reintegrate some of its lost territories and regain the importance it once had?

The tsarist Russia was a dangerous neighbor. So was the Soviet Union and so is the Russia of today. In the past, Russia swallowed and subjugated its neighbors. The Soviet Union did the same to the countries in Eastern Europe. No one in Poland, Czech Republic or Hungary has ever forgotten this. Amid the largest military buildup in Europe since the Cold War, people in these countries are watching the war in Ukraine in fear and disbelief. 

 

The war with Ukraine must be seen not only from the geopolitical perspective, but also from the historical and cultural one. There seems to be no resolution to the conflict as animosities are deeply rooted in the minds and hearts of peoples so similar and yet so different. Diplomacy has failed completely. Neither party is willing to make concessions to the other.

In his monumental "War and Peace" novel, Leo Tolstoy said that "if everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war." But isn't this the very root of the current conflict in which nobody is winning? The belligerent gentleman in Moscow must understand that if he wants to save the Soul of Russia he must end the war. The leadership of Ukraine must be open to compromise if it wants to save the lives of the Ukrainian people.

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2023

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

On January 22, 2023 Chinese people all over the world celebrate the beginning of a Lunar New Year - the Year of the Water Rabbit also known as the Black Rabbit, since color black corresponds with the water element. As every year geomancers and fortune tellers are busy devising fortunes for countless clients who want to make sure that everything goes according to the laws of Heaven and Earth.

The Chinese believe that people born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbits are also admired, trusted, and are often very fortunate.

 

Rabbit is the fourth animal that arrived at the feast given by the Buddha. This animal is associated with the Moon because of the mythical Jade Rabbit that is believed to reside there. Rabbit symbolizes grace, mercy, beauty, and good fortune, but also intellect and caution. 

The year of the Rabbit is traditionally associated with home and family, artistic pursuits, diplomacy, and peace. 2023 is expected to be a much calmer year than 2022, so maybe there is hope for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the end of so many other violent confrontations in many countries around the world. 

 

Individuals will become more introverted, secretive, and family oriented. Nations will become more insular and increasingly protect their borders against the unwanted "intruders". 2023 will also bring amazing creativity in all areas of life, notably in business and in arts. The water element suggests that it would be wise to move with the flow and avoid impulsive decisions.

People born in the Year of the Rabbit as well as people compatible with the Rabbit sign - those born in the years of the Sheep, Dog and Pig - will experience great financial and professional success. People born under other signs may have a bit more difficult ride in 2023. Everything depends on their flexibility and the ability to adopt to ever changing circumstances. 

But no matter what your fortune for the Year of the Rabbit may be, remember that you are the master of your fate. 

Wishing everyone a Happy and Auspicious Chinese New Year  - Dominique

新 年 快 樂 !

Dominique Allmon©2023

Britain's Queen Elisabeth II Dies at the Age of 96

Queen Elisabeth II in 1953 (February 6, 1926 - September 8, 2022)

Queen Elisabeth II passed away peacefully on September 8, 2022, at the Balmoral Castle. She was 96 years old. 

She was Britain's longest serving monarch with a reign spanning over seven decades. She ruled over United Kingdom and fourteen Commonwealth realms. Her oldest son, Charles, inherited the throne and will be known as the King Charles III.

Elisabeth II ascended to the throne on February 6, 1952, after her father, King George VI, died. Fifteen Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, served Her Majesty during her reign that was at times filled with political turmoil, personal sorrow, jubilation, scandal, and controversy.

Her death filled many hearts with sorrow. She was known for her strong personality, wisdom, charm, and wit, and will be greatly missed by people in Britain and all over the world. 

The Queen's funeral was scheduled for September 19, 2022. That day was declared a bank holiday in the United Kingdom.

By Dominique Teng

Image source unknown but greatly appreciated

75th Anniversary of the Roswell Incident

Happy 75th Anniversary of the UFO Crash in Roswell! 

As every year, Roswell, NM, celebrates the alleged event with a colorful three-day long  festival.  Alien parade, costume competition, night sky watch, live music, and other activities fill out the weekend.

For three days UFO enthusiasts from all over the world descend on this small desert town. There is something for everyone there, even for the UFO deniers and skeptics. Leave your Serious Hat at home and join the jolly crowd! 

Dominique Allmon

Image: Alien on Main, Roswell by Dominique Allmon©2022

Year of the Tiger

On February 1, 2022, millions of people all over the world celebrate the Lunar New Year. The year 2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger. The water element adds fluidity and flexibility to the tiger's energy and prowess.

Tiger is one of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. Chinese Buddhists tell the story of a feast given by the Buddha. They believe that tiger was the third animal to arrive at the feast.

Tiger represent the strength, ferocity, tenacity, and courage. People born under the sign of tiger are self-assured, love adventures and competition, and have great sense of justice. They are well respected by people around them. 

Geomancers and astrologers in Asia and in Chinese communities elsewhere are busy to compile horoscopes and predict the future. They expect a very dynamic year full of opportunities, innovation and progress. It will be a great year for learning, new projects, and accomplishments, but also a year of possible chaos and unpredictability, political conflicts, social unrest, and natural disasters.

Everything happens quickly and dramatically in a Year of the Tiger, so be ready or you will miss your opportunity. Be courageous enough to grab your chances to improve and advance professionally, but exercise a little caution to avoid mishaps and financial mishaps.

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese people and it gives families the opportunity to gather around sumptuous banquets and to exchange gifts. An obligatory visit to the local Taoist or Buddhist temple is made to place offerings to the gods or to the Buddha. Fruit and incense are offered and countless prayers said.

For those who forgot to make their New Year's resolutions in January, here is another chance.

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous Year of the Water Tiger - Dominique

新 年 快 樂 !

Dominique Allmon©2022  

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Eighty years ago, on December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on a naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack crippled United States Pacific Fleet, killed  2,403 Americans including 68 civilians, and wounded 1,178 people. It came as a shock to a "sleeping giant" that was a post-World War I isolationist America. 

The Japanese attack that happened without a declaration of war changed the current of history forever and precipitated America's entry into the war theaters of the Pacific, Europe and North Africa. On December 8, 1941, president Roosevelt declared war on Japan. Only three days later, on December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy, the powers of the Axis, declared war on the United States in support of their ally Japan. This prompted an immediate US declaration of war on Germany and Italy. 

About 10 million Americans, the greatest generation ever born, fought on many fronts in a war that ended with two atomic bombs being dropped on Japan in August 1945.  

As every year, Pearl Harbor Survivors, Veterans and visitors from all over the world gather on December 7 to commemorate the tragic anniversary of the Japanese attack and to honor and remember those who perished on that day. This year's theme for the 80th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration is Valor, Sacrifice, and Peace. 

This is a good time for all of us to reflect on bravery and sacrifice of all those who fought to restore and preserve peace on earth.

Dominique Teng

Image source unknown but greatly appreciated

Brave New World

There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution. - Aldous Huxley

 

Happy 245th United States Marine Corps

Courage is endurance for one moment more…
- Unknown Marine Second Lieutenant in Vietnam 

Happy Birthday Devil Dogs!

 

Image source unknown but greatly appreciated. 

Happy World UFO Day

 

Buzzing Roswell Since 1947 Alien UFO Commander Science Fiction 

Classic T-Shirt by Jim Allmon

World UFO Day is an awareness day for science fiction aficionados to gather together and watch the skies for unidentified flying objects.

Some people celebrate the UFO Day on June 24, others on July 2. Why two different dates? June 24 is the date that the aviator Kenneth Arnold reported what is generally considered to be the first widely reported UFO sighting in the United States. July 2, on the other hand, commemorates the alleged UFO crash in the famous 1947 Roswell UFO Incident.

The beginning of July normally is a time when people of Roswell, NM, are preparing to celebrate the annual UFO Festival. Visitors from all over the world descend on this quiet desert town. Not this year, though.

The 2020 Roswell UFO Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19. Nobody is happy about this.  Local artists are desperate to keep their business alive. Everybody is struggling.

In times like these, one has to be inventive and so, the festival organizers resorted to online venues that include virtual costume contest. Popular gifts from Roswell can be bought online. 

For more information visit Roswell UFO Festival website

Endeavour - From the American Soil Back to Space!

History was made on May 30, 2020, when NASA and SpaceX successfully launched two American astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, to Space in a Dragon capsule named Endeavour.

This first manned mission from the American soil in almost forty years ends NASA's dependence on foreign launch providers to send their astronauts to the International Space Station.

On May 31, the Endeavour successfully docked on to the ISS. The two astronauts were cordially welcomed by the ISS crew. They will remain in the Space for 110 days before returning back to Earth.

The launch and the docking maneuver were transmitted live on social media and broadcast on television networks all over the world. At least ten million people watched this historical event.

For more information and mission update visit the websites of NASA, SpaceX, or Space.

Image source: world wide web.

75th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising

August 1, 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising against the occupying German forces.  The Uprising was a major military operation organized by the Polish underground Home Army (Armia Krajowa.) It lasted sixty three days.

The revolt was led General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski who managed to mobilize army of 40,000 soldiers. Unfortunately they only had 2,500 weapons to their disposition.

Badly armed and hungry, fighting on their own, the Poles lost the fight. The Uprising was brutally crushed. The Germans executed more 150,000 civilians - men, women and children. Those who were not murdered on the spot were deported to the concentration camps. At the order of Waffen SS chief Heinrich Himmler, the city was completely destroyed and leveled to the ground never to rise again, like Carthage.

The Warsaw Uprising failed, but it become a great inspirational story to every fighting underground force all over the occupied Europe. 

Why the fiasco? In July 1944 the Russian Red Army was advancing on Eastern Poland. The Polish underground leaders speculated that the German forces would withdraw from Warsaw. Unfortunately, contrary to what the Poles expected, the Germans received an order to defend their positions against the Russians. There were to turn Warsaw into a fortress in fight against the Bolshevism.

Just like Germany, Russia was Poland's archenemy, so no help came from the Russian Army standing nearby and watching the destruction of Warsaw. 

The World War II could have ended much sooner if the Russians moved on and allowed the Allies to conduct a large scale offensive from their territory. Stalin  gave the orders not to interfere. The generals followed.

As the Poles commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Uprising today, they also celebrate the 30th year of free and sovereign Poland. August 1st is not only a symbol of the fight for freedom, it is also a day of remembrance for the historical events that took place in 1989.

By Dominique Allmon

 
Post Scriptum

One of the most scandalous facts from the post-WWII history is the story of one of the "butchers" of Warsaw - the SS General Heinz Reinefarth. At his orders the troops under his command committed countless atrocities, including the mass murder of Polish civilians in Warsaw in 1944. For his actions during the Warsaw Uprising, on September 30, 1944, Reinefarth  received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. After the war, this Nazi criminal settled down on the German isle of Sylt where he was elected a mayor of the town called Westerland. The Polish authorities demanded extradition, but Reinefarth was never extradited and went unpunished for his crimes. He died on Sylt in 1979. 

The German post war judicial system was studded with high ranking Nazis. So were the politics, health and education. The Allies were reluctant to prosecute and, of course, there was the operation Paperclip. It is an outrage that many war criminals went unpunished and were allowed to live happily ever after.