Paracultural Calendar for April 11

[jochen stremmel]

>documentary, *The Revolution Will Not Be Televised*, embedded below.<
Nothing embedded in "my" calendar, Mark.

2015-04-12 5:03 GMT+02:00 Mark Thibodeau <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com>:

> On this day in the year *1775*, for the last time on European soil, an
> individual found guilty of the crime of witchcraft is killed in an
> official, state-sanctioned execution, in Germany.
>
> *****
>
> On this day in *1868*, shogun *Tokugawa Yoshinobu* surrenders Edo Castle
> to Imperial forces, marking the end of Japan's Shogun era and the beginning
> of the Meiji Restoration. This development came about partly because, after
> American Commodore *Matthew Perry* showed up in Japan accompanied by an
> impressive fleet of technologically advanced warships, Japanese elites
> collectively freaked out. They hatched a plan to get rid of the samurai
> class and the feudal, agrarian system over which they presided and replace
> it with a more forward-thinking oligarchy, headed up by a hereditary
> figurehead, the aforementioned *Emperor Meiji*. In less than half a
> century, the combination of rapid cultural change, techno-fetishism, the
> sublimation of a disgruntled samurai remnant and increasingly obsessive
> Emperor worship would lead to some of the most unfortunate chapters in the
> history of all mankind.
>
> *****
>
> On this day in *1876*, the *Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks* is
> first organized. They remain one of the leading fraternal orders in the
> United States, with over one million dues-paying members.
>
> *****
>
> On this day in *1941*, the *Nazis* take over Germany's most popular
> Jewish weekly newspaper. The abrupt change in editorial tone proves
> unpopular with subscribers.
>
> *****
>
> On this day in *1951*, less than four months after its theft from
> Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist university students, the *Stone
> of Scone* is discovered hidden beneath the altar of Arbroath Abbey in
> Scotland. The origins of the so-called "Stone of Destiny", which played a
> minor role in the recent film *The King's Speech*, is shrouded in
> mystery. Some claim that it dates back to Antiquity, or even that it is the
> legendary "Stone of Jacob", the rock upon which the biblical patriarch was
> resting his head when he was delivered a "divine revelation" from Jehovah,
> as detailed in the Book of Genesis. But it's probably just a rock.
>
> *****
>
> On this day in *1961*, the trial of fugitive Nazi technocrat *Adolf
> Eichmann* begins in Jerusalem. After World War II, Eichmann had fled to
> Argentina under an assumed name, where he worked for Mercedes-Benz until he
> was identified, located, then kidnapped by the Mossad, who brought him to
> Israel to stand trial for his central role in organizing the Holocaust. He
> was found guilty and hanged in 1962, the only person ever to be executed in
> Israel based on the findings of a civilian court.
>
> *****
>
> On this day *1968*, President *Lyndon B. Johnson* signs the Civil Rights
> Act into existence, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and
> financing of housing to individuals based on their race. At the time,
> pondering the effect this might have on voters in the formerly
> Democratic-leaning South, Johnson is said to have said: "We've lost them
> for a generation." It turns out he was way too optimistic.
>
> *****
>
> This day in *2001* saw the ignominious conclusion to the *Hainan Island
> Incident*, the first real crisis of *Preznit Dubya*'s heart-breaking
> White House career. On April Fools Day, an American spy plane had to make
> an emergency landing on a Chinese island after being bumped out of the sky
> by a Chinese fighter jet. It was on this day, ten days later, that the 24
> American crew members were released by the Chinese government, but not
> before the White House issued a groveling apology, which they preferred to
> characterize as "an expression of regret and sorrow" over the death of the
> Chinese driver... I mean pilot. A coincidence of note is that the American
> aircraft was a Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft, and the
> incident took place while the sun was in the Zodiac House of Aries. Aries
> is ruled by the planet Mars, God of War.
>
> *****
>
> And, finally -- last but definitely not least -- on this day in *2002*,
> an attempted coup d'état takes place in Venezuela, resulting in the
> temporary ouster of President *Hugo Chávez*. If you relied on Western
> media to inform you about those infuriating, exasperating, incredibly
> inspiring days, then you have no idea what happened. I strongly urge you to
> give your undivided attention to the documentary, *The Revolution Will
> Not Be Televised*, embedded below. It's one of the most important
> documents ever produced in terms of its revelations about the the true
> nature, focus and direction of American policy towards Latin America. Just
> watch it. From beginning to end. I'm serious. It will infuriate you, and
> you will never forget the lesson it teaches.
>
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