Nervecentre

94% of the British Public Believe Diana Was Murdered

The startling headline in the Daily Express today that reveals that 94% of the British public suspect that Princess Diana was murdered.

Still sceptical???

Perhaps this site might answer any questions you might have...

And why is it that, (nearly 8 years on), there has still not been a full and transparent public inquiry into the events surrounding Diana's death?

For my review of the Paul Burrell memoir - A Royal Duty - click here.

Captain Scott

Captain Scott is an excellent book that recounts the life and exploits of Captain Scott of the Antarctic. It is written by the noted polar explorer of modern times, Ranulph Fiennes.

I'll start by saying that Captain Scott is not the kind of book I usually pick up. The fact is, I bought it at a price so cheap they were nearly giving it away. Like most people, I knew next to nothing about Captain Scott the individual, but, I sort of understood the bare bones of his journey and his great and tragic achievement.

The book deals primarily with Scott's two expeditions to Antarctica and his quest to be the first to the South Pole. Captain Scott treats the reader to a very thorough investigation and recounting of how these two missions of exploration came about, the build up to them, the missions proper and subsequent aftermath.

Fiennes has researched this book thoroughly and has left no stone unturned. At times, the book could almost be a novel with a talent that is deft at storytelling. Fiennes is not only a brilliant explorer, he is also a brilliant writer.

On the whole, Fiennes takes a positive approach towards Scott's leadership skills and personality. He attempts to debunk much of the anti Scott writing of recent years with plenty of evidence to the contrary. It's interesting that Fiennes says, (toward the end of the book), that the reader must make up their own mind about Scott's character. I am under the impression that it is probably best to take the middle ground, as far as Scott is concerned. He was probably, (like most people), a complex mix of good and bad and we shall probably never fully understand what his make-up was.

Captain Scott gives the reader a wealth of information and knowledge regarding the perils and challenges of polar exploration. It is hard not to be swept up by the camaraderie and team spirit of each expedition. The sheer effort involved in the planning and execution of such ambitious ventures. And even if the idea of embarking on such tough, strenuous and dangerous exploits are an anathema to the reader, one can still gain an insight into the mentality of striving to achieve such feats and perhaps even an interest to learn more or gain inspiration from it.

In all honesty I didn't expect to enjoy this book any way near as much as I ended up doing. It surprised me in so many ways that I am pleased I took a chance in buying it. Expertly written, fascinating and inspiring, I give Captain Scott;

8/10.

Southern Polar Exploration
Secrets of the Dead - Tragedy at the Pole - PBS
Antarctic Philately

N.B. The book is also available in hardcover with a slightly different sleeve to the paperback cover. (See below).

Post-Punk Era Britain's 'Golden Age' Of Pop

There's a very convincing article here from The Observer that argues that the long-held view of the Sixties being the Golden Age of British pop is actually wrong and that the true Golden Age was the post-punk period from 1978-1984.

For a great atomisation of the brilliant, quirky, eccentric, experimental and classic music of that era, read the article here.

Source: Observer

Britain Hit By Tsunami In 1607, Say Scientists

The south-west coastal region of Britain may have been hit by a tsunami in 1607 that killed 2,000 people, say two scientists.

The culprit for the tsunami is thought to be a geological fault line in the Atlantic south-west of Ireland.

It is thought that a 70 ft (20 m) high tsunami wave hit coastal Scotland 7,000 years ago after a massive submarine landslip off the coast of Norway triggered a huge displacement of sea water.

Source: BBC

Why Won't Japan Face Up To It's Past?

The Japanese seem to be in a complete state of denial about their past and their forays into Asia in the early part of the 20th century.

In a total denial of the facts and a seemingly insurmountable inability to apologise for its past misdemeanours, Japan makes a complete mockery of itself.

As I said in my previous post, China should perhaps get its own act together first, for example Tibet and the many state sponsored executions that still go on. But even so, the Chinese do have a point when it comes to country's airbrushing their past out of existence and glossing over such barbaric atrocities.

For more on the background to the China/Japan row, see my post here.

Source: Guardian

The China/Japan Row

You can understand the frustration of the Chinese with Japan over the publishing of the school history book that airbrushes out the facts of Japan's disgraceful wartime record. Any sensible country would withdraw the book and perhaps think long and hard about;

• the message it sends out to the international community
• the way it wishes to protray, (or deny), its history to its own youth

Japan should just face facts and accept that memories, resentments and bitterness run long and deep, not just in China, but in South Korea and even in the UK. A simple official apology to the Chinese, South Korean comfort women and surviving British POW's and their families would certainly mend a lot of hurt.

As much as I sympathise with the Chinese complaints, they should perhaps look a little closer at their own human rights record too (e.g. Tibet).

China said on Monday that Japan must;

"seriously address and appropriately deal with its wartime historical aggression."

And so they should, but then, perhaps the Chinese might also like to apologise and explain their actions in Tibet.

China's bone of contention centre's on the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, an incident in which the city of Nanjing fell to the Japanese and tens of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war died. China says that the Japanese are guilty of downplaying the horror of the massacre.

The facts make horrific reading.

It was a systemic, brutal affront to the Chinese people in which the Japanese troops indulged in an orgy of rape, murder, theft and arson. It is ridiculous in the extreme for the Japanese to deny that this happened, despite the cultural, behavioural arguments usually espoused fro such widespread denial.

In the Nanjing hospital, bandages were torn from the flesh of the wounded, casts were smashed with clubs and nurses were repeatedly raped.

Historians estimate that over several weeks, tens of thousands of women from the age of 7 to the elderly were systemically raped. Rapes were performed in public during the day, often in front of spouses and family members. Gangs of soldiers would go from door to door in search of young girls and some would be kept for continued gang rape. Others would be murdered and hideously mutilated. Families were forced into committing acts of incest; sons made to rape mothers, fathers forced to defile daughters. Extreme cruelty, in other words.

Thousands of young men were rounded up under suspicion of being former soldiers and were shot so that they would fall into the Yangtze and float down river to Shanghai. Others were used for bayonet 'practice'. Decapitation was also systemic, reports exist of soldiers being exhausted from the numbers of decapitations they were involved in.

Two thirds of Nanjing was destroyed through arson.

The death toll from the atrocity is thought to be somewhere between 100,000 - 300,000 people killed.

Source: CNN,Wikipedia

The Man Who Saved The World

21 years ago, this Russian man saved the world.

Now, finally, he is getting some recognition for his brave and courageous act.

Source: Mosnews

Power Is A State Of Mind

Power Is A State Of Mind is an excellent site that is promoting the new Sean Penn film The Assassination of Richard Nixon.

The site opens with a spoof psychological evaluation test before taking you into the site proper. Once inside, there is an interactive library of books that allow you to access multimedia content such as rare footage of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King in interview discussing their views.

This site is an example of how the internet can be used intelligently and informatively, even when promoting a film.

I am not sure whether the test is a load of old codswallop or a genuine psychological insight. Anyway, if you take the test, when you get into the main page of the site, scroll along the bookcase until you find the file marked with a white sticker with your name printed on it. I assume this is the result of the test. Here's what it had to say about me...

'The subject is a confident person. This may be to do with the Father's influence in their life. Their personal and business life appears to be driven by an unhealthy desire to hoard. The subject expresses no remorse for this.

Mentally they seem deluded, which is well reflected in their desire for a greater truth. Conversely, however, their attitude to money reveals irrationally fearful of shiny objects.It is suspected that the subject sleeps around and this is directly linked to the fact that they are frightened by sexual encounters.

In summary, the subject prefers to be alternative but are not very good at it. The Hertzberg test confirms this finding, as do the response times which were sensible. On cold, dark nights and when alone, they believe in and are emotionally insignificant.

Risk Level: 2'

Errr, right. OK.

Slightly disturbing analysis if ever I saw one. But is the test genuine? Or just a bit of old hokum??

Hitler's Paranoia

A new book about Hitler, called imaginatively enough, 'The Hitler Book' has captivated Germany as it reveals some truly remarkable and fascinating insights into one of history's worst dictators.

Hidden Russian files, made public for the first time, reveal and document accounts from those surrounding Hitler during his final days. They are the result of 10 years of interviews with two of Hitler's closest employees.

Apparently, so crippled with anxiety was Hitler, that he would scratch his neck and ears until they bled and would demand that his toilet water, and the water in which his eggs were boiled, be checked for traces of poison.

Before he took his own life, Hitler asked his valet to make sure oil was poured over his body so that he could be burned. He said;

"You must never allow my corpse to fall into the hands of the Russians. They would make a spectacle in Moscow out of my body and put it in waxworks."

Not unlike what they did with Lenin, although I imagine Hitler would have been housed in a far less auspicious resting place than a mausoleum in Red Square.

The valet, a man named Linge, is reported to have said;

"Hitler's conversation was banal. At the dinner table he would praise the dresses of the female staff and comment on how difficult they must have found it not being able to get their hair done or their nails filed. "Hitler had a weird sense of humour. He would laugh at Eva's lipstick on a serviette and then say, 'During wartime lipstick is produced out of dead bodies.''

 

Hitler's adjutant, Otto Günsche, also revealed what happened when there was a hold up with the hiring of 10 more serving girls. Hitler was reported to have shouted;

"I stamp whole divisions into the dirt! And I can't get a few more serving sluts for the Berghof?"

Charming!

Source: Guardian

Downfall

There's an interesting and lengthy article here about the new German film Downfall that tells the story of Hitler's last 12 days in the Berlin bunker where he ultimately took his own life.

The article is extremely well written and takes in all of the issues surrounding the portrayal of one of history's worst psychopaths.

Apparently, the politically correct brigade have been protesting the film, claiming that it 'humanises' Hitler. Well, guess what...he was a human being! What do we want from serious, portrayals of historical figures? One dimensional figures who, through sheer force of their monstrous deeds warrant a caricature or stereotypical 'bad guy' portrayal? Or three dimensional interpretations, based on fact and knowledge about the pecadillos, foibles and traits of the figure known to us? I know which I'd rather have...

The film has garnered great reviews, so I think it is definitely one to look out for. It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, who directed the excellent Das Experiment, a film I'd wholeheartedly recommend as a fascinating insight into human motivations and behaviour.