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SWFEC Special Guest Chat: Shawnlei Breeding – Manager, Audubon Florida EagleWatch Program, April 11, 2019 8pm
Essec09 (Admin): SWFEC would like to extend a very warm welcome to Audubon Florida EagleWatch Program Manager, Shawnlei Breeding. We are very excited to have her join us this evening. Many of our SWFEC viewers provided questions earlier for Shawnlei. She will try to answer as many as time allows. The first part of the session will address the questions that were already submitted.
Essec09 (Admin): Welcome to SWFEC Shawnlei!
GinnyLWI (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei , we are all so looking forward to this special chat this evening.
MsSmith57 (Admin): Good evening and a huge SWFEC welcome to you Shawnlei
purpleagle (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei! We are so excited to have you here with us this evening for our special chat session!
RobertoD (Admin): Welcome, and thank you Shawnlei We are all excited to have you here!
icecream247 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei. So happy you were able to join us this evening.
Sue_Lyons (Admin): Hello Shawnlei, thank you so much for spending time with us tonight! We are looking forward to learning from you
samour17 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei and looking forward to this evening.
Shelli22 (Admin): Hi Shawnlei...I'm stoked to hear what you have to share with us!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the warm welcome! And thank you to the Pritchetts for inviting me! I’m honored to get to spend some time with you to answer your questions and chat about eagles! I was asked to briefly share a bit about myself. I received a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma and had always dreamed of working with animals but fell into an administrative job for a number of years before switching gears to pursue that dream. I worked for a few years as a vet tech and then was hired as a Zookeeper at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL. Then I accepted a position with Disney’s Animal Kingdom where I was a Bird Keeper in their Avian Research Center for 12 years.
During that time I went back to school to get a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Central Florida. That experienced opened doors which lead me to my current position with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I’ve always loved Audubon and was so excited to get to work with them! So now that you now a bit about me, let's get started!
HOeagletfan1: thank you Shawnlei for joshing us and sharing your Eagle wisdom with us !
LCampbell75: Good Evening Shawlei...So nice to have you to chat with us tonight!!! Thanks for coming!!
Deen622: Good evening Mods and Shawnlei!
MagEagle9: I couldn't be more blessed to 'work' with this lady! Welcome my friend!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you!
SueUMc: Good evening Shawnlei- much appreciation!
cats3eagles: Thank you for being here with us tonight Shawnlei!
Janet1: Good evening Shawlei. So nice to have you here tonight
Peggy180: Good evening, Shawnee, thank you for joining us tonight!
Carrie Brooks: GE what a treat!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Here's our first question.... Peggy Main asks: Shawnlei, thank you for your time with us! What has been the most challenging part of your job(s)?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great question, Peggy. Everyone brings their own unique strengths to their role, so I suspect the answer might be different if you asked my predecessors. But for me, the most challenging part of the role has probably been the people side of things. People who love eagles are REALLY passionate about them. And it’s not uncommon in the world of conservation for there to be many different (and strongly held opinions) on how to accomplish our goals, or what our focus should be. I’m a peacemaker at heart, so I had to quickly learn that I can’t please everyone. I receive mean emails and get yelled at on a fairly regular basis and have had to learn not to take it personally, which is hard. I try to remind myself of the passion that is behind the emotion. I've definitely learned and grown so much! And the challenges have made me a better person. And leader.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Next up. Lauren Roberts asks: Hi Shawnlei and SWFL mods! I am an Eagle Watch volunteer and would just like to make a comment. Anyone that is thinking of volunteering, please do so! Your observations and reporting can help with studies and give insight to all the people, like Shawnlei, that are able to reach out to all organizations to help these amazing creatures! If you're already watching nests, why not let your observations be known! You might just see something that all eagles can benefit from!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you for all you do as a volunteer! EagleWatch started 26 years ago with the goal of protecting nesting eagles in Florida We started in 3 counties with 22 volunteers and are now in 40+ counties with over 300 volunteers! Lauren makes a great point about the importance of the nest data we collect. This information is useful for showing general trends in the population. For example, EagleWatch data will show if the number of chicks surviving to fledge at the nests we watch is starting to decline. Then can delve further into the data to determine possible causes of that decline (disturbance, nest location, habitat, water quality).
vlpritchett (Moderator): Hey Shawnlei, This is Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. So excited to see what viewers are asking and your thoughts on Bald Eagles in our state o FL!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks, Ginnie!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Babs Liberty asks: Could you explain the process of when someone in the Eagle Watch program sees a problem at or in a nest including the process of what happens after that as far as who is contacted & how they determine the rehab facility the eaglet goes to? Is it always Audubon or others? SWFEC could you post that great link about the program in the chat maybe at the end for the next two days? Thanks!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Babs! EagleWatch volunteers are trained to respond to a variety of potential problems at a nest, from human disturbance to injured eagles. For nest disturbances by humans, volunteers are asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Hotline Alert: 888-404-3922. FWC is the law enforcement in our state for the federal laws protecting eagles and will send out an officer to determine if the law is being violated. Anyone can call this number if they have a concern about something happening near an active nest. FWC may also be contacted if you encounter an injured eagle. My office is at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey and we work closely with many licensed raptor rehab facilities around the state. These organizations will often contact me when they recover an injured eagle. If it is a young eagle, I share our nest information to help them find a home for the young one if it can’t go back to its own nest. Some of the rehabbers we work with may not have a license to hold an eagle for treatment so will transfer it to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey or another facility in their area that is licensed to rehab an eagle. Thankfully we have a broad network of caring rehabilitation facilities across the state! To learn more about EagleWatch, visit: cbop.audubon.org/conservation/about-eaglewatch-program.Yo... find information about EagleWatch as well as opportunities to support the amazing work that they do at the Raptor Trauma Clinic, which treats over 700 injured birds of prey each year. About 70-80 of those patients are Bald eagles
SBAudubon (Moderator): Mohammed Abul Magd asks: This year I have noticed an increased violence against protected birds. Vultures and eagles shot by arrows and guns. In your point of view, why is that? And what measures do we need to implement in order to stop this?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Mohammed! At times it certainly feels like there has been an increase in violent acts against protected birds, but our intake data at the Center for Birds of Prey indicates no significant increase in these types of events. Looking back at 10 years of our intake records, only 1% of the patients had been shot. I suspect we are hearing about them more because of the prevalence of social media and the rapidity with which these types of stories are passed along. But it’s a good reminder for people that Bald eagles and other protected birds still face challenges and need our help.
SBAudubon (Moderator): DaveinMissouri asks: SBAudubon, would you be able to have any influence on asking manufacturers of lead bullets and fishing tackle to not use lead bullets for hunting. For fishing use alternative weights, not lead, and don't discard line or weights in the water. Maybe more warnings to hunters and fishermen on the products and better education when receiving a hunting or fishing license. Thank you for being here and for any help on this subject!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great suggestion, Dave. These are both difficult battles to fight. I think it will take everyone raising their voice together and sharing the numbers of birds affected---and the stories behind those numbers of the birds that have been affected by lead poisoning or hung up in fishing line. Whenever I get a chance to speak somewhere I always touch on ways we can help raptors and I raise both of these points-stop using lead bullets and don’t cut the line. If a few people are reached and then share it in their realm of influence, perhaps we can change it at the grass roots level. Sort of like the societal pressure for restaurants to stop using straws. These are definitely topics of concern for our state and the federal wildlife agencies.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat asks: Of the EagleWatch eaglets/fledglings, what diseases/health issues/injuries/or necropsy results are most commonly seen? Part 2. Have any EagleWatch fledglings that have come into care had lead exposures show up in the blood work done while in care?
SBAudubon (Moderator): I like your user name! Androcat.
As I mentioned, my office is at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland. Most of the eaglets we receive in our Raptor Trauma Clinic have fallen out of their nest for whatever reason. Surprisingly, they don’t often break any bones in the fall like you would expect. Generally after a round of meds to treat any internal parasites and some fluids and good food to fatten them up, they can be released. Other issues we’ll see with eaglets are Avian Pox, which is spread by mosquitos and causes wart-like lesions on the dry skin around their eyes, beak and feet. Sometimes the pox lesion will grow so large it will cover an eye or their nares. It’s treatable but can internalize and be fatal. But we’ve also seen cases of an eaglet in a nest with a bad case of pox and he got over it on his own. A couple of years ago, we got permission from US Fish and Wildlife to use a high-reach lift to rescue an eaglet from a nest that had a treble fishing lure with one hook caught in his beak and the other hook caught in his foot. He was basically hog-tied and was unable to eat. Thankfully the EagleWatch volunteers noticed something was wrong and we were able to rescue him and treat his wounds. He was released back at his nest a few weeks later. In general, the leading cause of injury for adult raptors we see in our Clinic is impact related issues, usually from car strikes. We also see a number of eagles who get secondary poisoning from consuming euthanized animals that aren’t properly buried at a landfill. This can be fatal if they aren’t rescued in time. But thankfully with just a couple of days of fluids to flush their system, they are usually as good as new! We do see lead toxicity in some of the birds.We are fortunate to have our own machine to test for lead levels, thanks to the generosity of some of our corporate donors. It allows us to quickly determine if they have lead in their system so we can start the treatment early. They usually recover from it with treatment. We usually see lead issues in birds that come from more rural areas where they may scavenge on a carcass that has been shot with lead bullets.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Donna LaFleur asks: Was that were BOB was?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Yes! Bob was a famous patient at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey for about a year. Because of his injuries, he was no longer able to fly so was not releasable to the wild. We all wished we could’ve kept him at the Center but we just didn’t have room. So a lengthy search was made for the perfect forever home for Bob. (Bob was an adult Bald eagle) While we searched, Bob lived in our 100ft flight barn where he hung out with all of the other eagles that came through on their way to being released back into the wild. Including Peace, the young eagle from the American Eagle Foundation NE Florida Eagle Cam.
Bob now lives at the Ecotarium in Worcester, MA. We all miss him but are so happy for him to have a great home.
SBAudubon (Moderator): mdofmich asks: Any studies being done on three adult eagle nests?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Aren’t those fascinating? Several cases of three adult eagle nests have been documented but I’m not aware of any published studies on them. Often when you see something unusual like that in breeding behavior, it’s an adaptation to a limitation—not enough females for males or vice versa. And perhaps its enough of a challenge in those areas to provide enough food for the young that they tolerate a helper. But that’s my own speculation. One thing I’ve learned is to never say “birds never do that” or “birds always do that”. Because they will always surprise you! It’s one of the many reasons I love working with them.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat: Q#1. Of the EagleWatch nests, are there any banded nesting adults, and if so, were the numbers of the bands able to be read to determine any history of the banded eagle parent? Part 2 of this question: If any EagleWatch fledglings have been banded in care, have there been any band sightings or returns (interested in where it migrated to or returned to, or what happened).
SBAudubon (Moderator): Androcat is back with another great question! The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey has a banding permit and we do band every Bald eagle we treat before release with a silver federal band. That band has a 9 digit unique code but unfortunately is almost impossible to read enough of the code to positively ID the bird. But having said that, we do have a number of nests monitored by EagleWatch that have banded adults. One nest in Lake County has a banded adult that we suspect is one we know. The breeding male had been rescued on the ground near this nest a few years before and then was banded and released. After that, a banded adult showed up at the nest the next season. We haven’t been able to confirm it’s him, but it makes sense that it probably is him. His patient number was 007. Like James Bond. The nest is in a neighborhood on the lake and all of the residents keep a close eye on that family. They love 007!
Two years we started an auxiliary banding program with the juvenile eagles we treat and release. In addition to the silver federal band, young eagles get a colored band on their other leg with an easy-to-read code in large white letters and numbers. Many of these banded juveniles are seen near their release location for the next few days but then take off on their migration. It can take up to 8 years on average for the first band resighting but we’ve been fortunate to receive a couple of reports of our banded youngsters being seen. Last July we got a report from West Virginia for one of our fledglings who had been released a month earlier in Lake county. That was our first report of one of a band outside of Florida! I think everyone heard me scream from excitement a mile away! This fall I got a photo from an EagleWatch volunteer in Pinellas County of one our bird who was banded two years ago and released in Orange County. That was encouraging to see that he had survived his first two years. So keep your eyes out for our birds! They either have a black band with two white numbers over a white A, or a green band with a white K over two white numbers.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Judy Shepherd asks: What is it like to be holding or standing right next to a bald eagle? I'm assuming you have based on the photo.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Judy! It’s as amazing as you probably can imagine. I am fortunate to get to handle our eagle ambassadors at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. They are so large and majestic. It’s really cool to be that close to them. Handling them is not without its challenges, though. They are 8-10 lbs, so I had to start lifting weights to carry them. And they are still wild animals, and like any wild animal, they can be dangerous. I’ve learned to read their moods and respect their power and capabilities. But I try to never take it for granted that I have this privilege. Insider tip: their call is really loud when it’s right in your ear. And they have bad breath.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Valerie Seyforth Clayton asks: Where do we think Florida Eagles go when they fledge? Where do we think our adult adults go when they are out of the area? (June, July, Aug)
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Valerie! Valerie is one of our dedicated EagleWatch volunteers in the Florida panhandle!
OrchrdHs asked as similar question: What is the longest distance a banded bald eagle has been recorded as traveling seasonally from/to Florida?
So I thought I would address them together. In 1998 USFWS to put a satellite tracking device on a pre-fledgling in a nest in Polk county. When she fledged, she flew all the way north to Canada and spent the summer there, returning to Florida for the winter (where she traveled around the Central Florida region, going as far south as Lake Okeechobee and visiting both coasts). She made this migration for the next 3 years until the transmitter fell off. In 2014 she was badly injured in a territory fight in Deltona and was rescued and transferred to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Unfortunately, she had to have part of her right wing amputated so she is a permanent resident at our Center—at the ripe young age of 21! Her name is Tallulah. Last year I received a photo of a banded eagle from an Orlando resident. The eagle also had the remnants of a satellite tracking pack on her back. I was able to track down the researcher who banded the bird. He said she was banded as an adult in Maine in 2015 and the tracking data indicated she spent her winters in Orlando and returned to Maine in the spring (their breeding season). Her pack has stopped transmitting the previous year. So it appears that FL eagles mostly migrate up the Atlantic flyway as far as Canada
SBAudubon (Moderator): Peggy180 asks: How does the hormone ghrelin make birds feel they have to migrate? What happens if a bird does not have enough to eat and is not full. Will that stop them from migrating?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Peggy 180! That’s an interesting question. Migration is such a complex behavior, influenced by many factors that are still not well understood. And different bird species have different migratory patterns. In Piping plovers, the female leaves before the young have fledged, leaving the male behind to finish raising the young. When the young make their first flight south, they don’t follow their dad or even stick together. They take off seemingly not knowing where they are going. So for some, migration seems very instinctual while for other birds it is more of a societal cue—they learn the route from older birds by following them.
Body condition is certainly an important factor when a bird prepares to migrate. That’s why fattening up on their wintering grounds is so important. And why I always encourage parents of young children to teach their kids not to chase birds on the beach. Many of these birds are exhausted after migrating or are resting and preparing to start the trip. Using up energy and fat stores to run or fly away from being chased by humans puts them at risk of not being fit enough to survive the journey. But from what I’ve read, it sounds like ghrelin plays a role in signaling to some birds when they are fat enough to start that journey. But for truly migratory species, I think there are other important signals the birds receives that would drive it to start the migratory journey even if it’s not full. Sadly, not all birds survive their migration. Birds with insufficient fat stores may not make it back or if they do, they may be in too poor of a condition to defend a nest and raise a family. I’ve done shorebird surveys in February and have seen numbers of weak or deceased seabirds on the beach who didn’t make it. It’s heart-breaking to witness but reminds me how fragile life is and what a tough life it is out there for many birds.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Judy Jirasek asks: Why do some states like Florida have so many eagles and some states don't have many? I live in Central Texas and we don't have eagles here. There are so many lakes and rivers throughout the state so I don't understand why Texas doesn't have many.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Judy from Texas! I’ve asked that question about tarantulas in Florida. Our climate is a lot like many of the Central American countries where you find tarantulas in great numbers. But we don’t have any in Florida. Why not? But that’s a question for another time. From a strict biology standpoint, the size of a population in an area is the result of the carrying capacity of its historic range, along with the birth and death and rate of immigration and emigration. That’s a long sentence to say if there aren’t a lot of eagles in Texas, it may simply be that historically there never were many there and the birth and death rate of those who live there is roughly equal so that the population is static. It could also be something related to climate or food source, two important factors in determining where species breed. Florida has one of the largest Bald eagle populations in the lower 48 states and biologists often wonder what our carrying capacity may be. i.e. will we reach a point where there is not enough nesting or foraging sites to sustain the population. When that happens, you will often see the range of a species start to spread as the adventurous birds strike out to stake their claim on the edge of the historic range. Over time, if they are successful, the range will continue to creep outwards.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Selena Elizondo-Cepeda asks: What states have best Eagle Nest results?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Great question, Selena. Florida’s population is doing well. Last season, for the nests that EagleWatch monitors, they fledged 1.3 chicks per nesting attempt. Nests that were successful fledged 1.65 young per nest. I don’t have great statistics for other states to compare with but have read that some states are seeing a decline in the number of nests that are hatching and fledgling two young. They speculated that this may be due to reaching its carrying capacity for that area. In Florida, the majority of the nests we monitor still produce 2 young, and each year ~10% of our nests hatch and fledge 3 young. That’s a testament to the large prey base here, that eagles can catch enough food to successfully raise three voracious eagles.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Annie Keeley asks: When Juvies leave the Northern States for winter do they return and fly together?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Research studies indicate that Bald eagles don’t migrate together. They may share common stopover spots for foraging and refueling as they travel, but ultimately they make the journey alone.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Carl Berube asks: Are there any current studies or research taking place on migration of young/sub-adult eagles on the east coast? And are there documented cases of a sub-adult eagle returning permanently to the nest area they hatched at?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Carl, a study published in 2008 using satellite tracking indicated that sub-adults migrate up the Atlantic Flyway as far as Canada. Their routes varied somewhat going north and returning south during the first year or two, but as they aged, they showed more fidelity to a set route, indicating they were gaining experience in migrating as they aged. A study in 2014 based on banding data indicates that Bald eagles in general tend to disperse from 40-90 miles from where they were born to breed, with females dispersing greater distances than males (which is a typical life strategy for many species of bird to promote genetic diversity). However, one of our EagleWatch volunteers reported a banded adult at a newly documented nest in Martin County a year ago. When I reported the band to the researcher, I learned that the male was banded as a chick in a nest in Polk County in 2000. Our report was the first time he’d been seen since then! So 18 years later he had traveled 118 miles SE from where he hatched to breed.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Jackie Brown asks: Do you believe the parents and their off springs would recognize each other- if the kids came back into the area after leaving for a period of time?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Eagles seem to have a way or recognizing others. Mates indicate some level of recognition in that they mate for life and return to each other each season. They will often tolerate juvenile birds who visit their nest, even if not their own young. Last season we have several nests that we monitored that had an extra fledgling show up and join the family for a few days and the parents took them in. The parents were OK with it although the young in the nest seemed annoyed. We use this to our advantage in the rehab community so that we are able to rehome young eagles into foster nests if they can’t go back to their own nest or family for some reason. Our Clinic supervisor likes to joke that the adults either can’t count or don’t care.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Linda L. Reid asks: Are there statistics on the percentage of juvies who make it to 5 years old! I heard it is low and that is sad!!! Looking forward to the chat session! And JudyJirasek: What is the lastest statistics for a young Eagle surviving to adulthood and how do you know?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Linda and Judy! You all had similar questions so thought I would address them together. The most dangerous time for a young Bald eagle is the first year. Recent studies using satellite tracking in several states indicate survival rates of 60-75% that first year. If birds survive that first year, their mortality rate drops to 10-15%into adulthood. We know these statistics thanks to bird banding.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Daunelle Danish asks: If a bald eagle pair abandon a nest will another bald eagle pair most likely move into that nest?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Daunelle! Another EagleWatch volunteer! Having a breeding territory is incredibly valuable to a nesting pair, so much so that they will defend it to their death. So it would be unusual for a pair to abandon a territory. What is more likely is that they may be ejected for the territory by another pair that takes their nest, or a mate dies and the survivor finds another mate in the area. Sometimes you’ll have a nest that hasn’t been active in several years that is suddenly active again. Is it the same pair or a new one? It’s hard to say with any certainty unless the eagles are banded.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Isabelle Brunelle asks: How does the eagle know/determine the sex of another eagle for "bonding" purposes?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Eagles are dimorphic, meaning the females are substantially larger than the males, so those physical cues would play a big role. Behavioral clues likely also play a role. Females are much more dominant and aggressive. I would imagine there a number of nuances that the human eye doesn’t notice that eagles pick up on that signal whether the other bird is male or female.
SBAudubon (Moderator): NHDalGal asks: Are altercations between eagles, when fighting for territory or a nest, usually female vs.female or male vs. male? If yes, is this because males may not prevail in a fight with a female because females are larger than males?
SBAudubon (Moderator): That’s a great question, and one that I hadn’t really thought about before! I know that both adults defend the nest and will fight but I have not read anything in the literature that says males only fight males and females only fight females. It would make sense if that is true for the reason you mentioned, the size difference. Anecdotally, with eagles we see that come into the Center as the result of a territory fight, it does seem that they are from same-sex fights. If anyone’s heard of females fighting males, let me know!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Pamela Dorman Wright asks: Hi, Shawnlei and mods! Since eagles have moved from "endangered" to "protected" status, is there a designated point at which they will no longer fall under the "protected" parameters? Thanks and I hope your chat will be available for later viewing!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Pamela, Thanks for the question. As you know, eagles were once on the brink of extinction but made an incredible come-back when laws were put in place to protect them. Their numbers have increased enough that they were removed from the federal list of Threatened and Endangered species just over 10 years ago. But Bald eagles are still protected by a federal law known as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act has recently loosened some of their permitting processes based on data that indicates the population is doing well. The permits issued are directly related to the size and health of the populations. These permits allow for "take" of eagles or their nests. So if anything, I think the authorities may allow more take permits in the future if the population continues to do well and grow. The data that EagleWatch collects is used to help track the status of the population in Florida and is shared with both state and federal authorities. Because of America’s affinity for our national bird, I suspect eagles will always be protected in some measure.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Bonnie Rinehart asks: I always wonder how do they get water when young?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Good question! As with most raptors, they majority of the moisture they need from the food they consume as chicks in the nest. But as adults you will sometimes see them getting a drink from a pond, but if anything, they are usually bathing. They like to keep it clean!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Daunelle Danish asks: Hi Shawnlei, question: is there such thing of infertility in young bald eagles and if yes, do they hatch with that condition or could it be caused by injury, or both?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Infertility can affect birds of any age. Sometimes it is a genetic defect they are born with and sometimes it develops later in life due to injury or other health issues. As with most animals, birds enter a period of senescence in their later years where they are no longer reproductive.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Christine Napoline Lonabaugh asks: Do we know how old Harriet is? How long can she breed?
SBAudubon (Moderator): The wonderful moderators helped me with these questions. Here is what they said: The adults are not banded,so there is no way of knowing their exact age. Based on local viewers who have watched Harriet over the years, Harriet is at least 20 years of age. She has been seen at this nest since 2006. If she is the same female that nested across the street she could be in her mid 20s - this is taking into consideration that eagles mature and usually begin breeding at around five years of age.
Regarding how long they can breed, if they are healthy, I would imagine that like most birds, they can breed for much of their adult life. They are a long-lived species, living into their late 30’s/early 40’s in the wild.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Babs Liberty asks: Are the Eagle Watch training programs online or at specific locations. If online, can one sign up for the training but not actually join the program (for educational purposes)? Is there a cost? How many sessions are there? Is the training a one-time event or at different times during the year. I will try to think of more questions.
SBAudubon (Moderator): EagleWatch volunteer trainings are held in the fall and are mostly in-person at 8-10 locations around the state. I also held several online web trainings for the first time last year to reach those who live in areas that I don’t make it to for trainings. The trainings are focused on what we do, protocols, etiquette, etc. You are certainly welcome to sign up to attend. There is no cost to attend and no requirement that you continue on to volunteer. If you’re interested in being notified of the training dates and locations, email me at eaglewatch@audubon.org to be added to our email list.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you so much for your time and for the great questions.
beju: Did Bob go to a zoo, there as some talk last year it could be a possibility
SBAudubon (Moderator): Yes! Bob went to the Ecotarium in Massachusetts. It's a zoological and educational facility.
MagEagle9: Would you explain what 'take' means in the permitting process?
PamW2017: Shawnlei - Can you explain what a "take" permit is?
Opalillie Colligan: Hi. What does it mean to "take" of eagles or their nests?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks, yes
"Take" is the term used when a permit is issued to remove a nest (which is illegal without a permit, even if the nest is not being used). The other type of take permit covers work near a nest that may cause the nest to fail or may cause loss of life for an adult or the young
MelodyCS: Are internal parasites common? And if not treated, is it life threatening?
SBAudubon (Moderator): Internal parasites seem to be fairly common. At a low level they are not a concern. But if the bird is weakened or the load gets too high, it could potentially be fatal.
WPBEgal: Do you only monitor nests or do you take information on frequent eagle sightings in an area?
SBAudubon (Moderator): We only collect nest data. Ebird is a great resource for posting your eagle sightings
samour17 (Admin): Good evening Shawnlei. I am curious if the possible banding of all eaglets has been discussed for future studies similar to those being done at the Catalina Islands for their reintroduction program.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Currently our permit only allows us to band young eagles that come to our clinic for treatment. So we don’t actively climb up to the nest and band young in the nest like come research projects do. The color of the band we put on the eaglet is based on what type of nest they came from: green bands for eaglets from nests in trees and black bands for eaglets from nests on artificial structures (cell towers, power line transmission towers, platforms). The goal of our study is to determine if the type of nest they hatched in influences their nest choice at maturity. Because it takes juveniles 5 years to reach sexual maturity, this is a long term study, so I suspect we’ll focus on these methods for the foreseeable future. Great question!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thank you again for having me! I hope you will consider visiting the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey the next time you are in the Central Florida area! You may visit our website for more information: cbop.audubon.org/visit-us. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or ever need help with an injured eagle or eagle nest issue. I can be reached via email at 407-644-0190 or eaglewatch@audubon.org.
Essec09 (Admin): I want to thank you for sharing your evening with us Shawnlei. It was so informative and I really enjoyed it. We will be posting this session on SWFEC’s Flickr account by this weekend so that everyone will be able to read it. Thank you again! It was so nice “meeting you”. And thank you to the Pritchetts for setting this session up!
icecream247 (Admin): thank you Shawnlei, Very informative.
MtGal30: TY Shawnlei, Ginnie, Modsquad,Pritchett's n Peepers. I learned so much more about BE's tonight. Thoughtful questions were featured with some surprising answers!
DaveinMissouri: Thank you so much Shawnlei for taking time to be here tonight, it was very interesting seeing your answers to the questions being asked! Please come back when you can!
Sue_Lyons (Admin): Shawnlei thank you so much, this has been enlightening and educational - we so appreciate your time tonight!
SBAudubon (Moderator): Good night everyone!
Joanne Campbell: Thank you!
WPBEgal: Thank you Shawnlei!
Jackie Brown: Welcome Shawnie and thank you for coming to SWFE chat tonight.
MsSmith57 (Admin): Thank you Shawnlei, so much great information, Good night.
Megster: Thank you for joining this most special group of Admins and chatters Shawnllei
BckEE: Hello, Shawnlei! Welcome, and thank you!
Babs628: Thanks, Shawnlei, for joining this great chat with us tonight. Looking forward to all of the educational information you will be sharing with us tonight.
Gail Siebler: SB Audubon. Welcome to the SW world. I know you will enjoy it here. Such nice folks to share your info and ideas with.
vlpritchett (Moderator): Thank you Shawnlei and everyone for joining us tonight!
Sharon Davis: Nice to have you with us tonight shawnlei it's hard to pronounce really don't have any questions I'll just read
Valerie Seyforth Clayton: Hi Shawnlei this is Valerie. Thank you for all you do. I monitor 9 nests in the Panhandle for Eagle watch.My love of eagles began with E9. Thank you Shawnlei for all you do. Thank you to Dick Pritchett for the cam. Love my H and M15
HOeagletfan1: Night all and thanks Shawnlei SEDs
EJsbe: Thank you Shawnlei!
MelodyCS: A big thank you
Elaine Herbert: Welcome, Shawnlei! we are excited to have you with us!
Daunelle Danish: Thank you Shawnlei
Deen622: Thank you Shawnlei so much valuable information learned alot!
Susan Kiser: Thank you so very much for all of this very informative info Shawnlei! I am copying/pasting it to OpenOffice right now and I can't wait to read it later!
Ilene Horwitz: Thank you for so much information, Shawnlei, the hour flew by!
dadsjazz (Admin): Thanks so much for all the very valuable information!
monieagl11: Thank You Shawnlei so much was so informative
Essec09 (Admin): There are a few questions that Shawnlei wasn't able to get to. We will forward them to her by email and post the answers if she is able to answer them. Thank you all for joining us this evening. Was a wonderful, informative session.
purpleagle (Admin): Thank you Shawnlei for sharing your evening with us. I'm sure that you were able to answer many of our viewers questions !
E9Lover2: Thank you Shawnie for all the amazing knowledge you shared with us tonight. Hope you will visit with us again maybe next session?
RobertoD (Admin): Shawnlei, thank you very much for all of the information about migration! It’s my favorite subject Especially for mentioning Piping Plovers, and how you encourage parents with children to not chase after birds on the beach. I work and live on a barrier island off the SC coast and we do see Plovers migrating through each year. They stop here to refuel on the eggs of Horseshoe Crabs. Our problem here is dogs off of leashes which is difficult to control. I manage to get photos each year of banded Piping Plovers and am always fascinated by the data that I get back when I report the sightings. Thank you so much for being here tonight!
MelodyCS: I'm still giggling at, eagles have bad breath lol
LNBirdLady: Hello everyone. Thank you for all your information tonight. FYI, I visited Bob at the Ecotarium last summer. He had a new young female eagle joining him who was named Dianne after the author of the book Eagle One who raised eaglets in MA.
Peggy180: Thank you so much, Shawnlei. That information was absolutely fascinating!
SoarFreeE9: Thank you Shawnlei!!
beju: Thank you so very muchShawnlei
Macky Miller: I am a firm believer that protecting our precious wildlife has to start with the young. Our moderators have sessions with the schools. Have schools been receptive to your coming in and talking to the students? Have you been able to get younger children involved? I suspect they would, in turn, go back home and bring their parents into the picture. Hope I'm not off the wall with my thinking. I thank you for being here tonight.
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi Macky! So true. Children are the future! And we do get many opportunities through the Center for Birds of Prey to go into schools and talk about the importance of eagles and other raptors and how we can help protect them. One of our EagleWatch volunteers is a grade school technology teacher and she uses the SW FL Eagle cam in her classroom. It’s really heartwarming to hear her stories.
jsheptwo: Shawnlei, thank you SO much....this has just been fascinating and so much wonderful information. I found the point about eagles scavaging on euthanized animals not buried deeply enough somewhat disturbing. Would that possibly be as a result of farmers leaving their euthanized animals out?
SBAudubon (Moderator): You make a good point. I had assumed that farmers were required to property dispose of euthanized animals. If not, that could certainly be one of the causes. But in most cases when we’ve received an eagle that has signs of secondary barbiturate poisoning (the chemical used to euthanize animals), they are found at a landfill or within half a mile of a landfill. Landfills are supposed to properly bury euthanized animals they receive. So when we identify a landfill that is a repeat offender, we work with them and the Florida Dept of Environmental Protection to help them address the issue.
Janet1: Thank you Shawnlei for all the information have a good night
JudyJirasek: Very informative thank you very much
Shannon Jemison Price: Thank you, Shawnlei! What a wonderful session tonight. Thank you for all you do and for your time tonight.
hootie-hoo: Shawnlei, Thank you for sharing your evening with us! DaveM great question about lead awareness!
katbate: Great, informative session. Thank you so much
Androcat: Thank you Shawnlei! Favorite chat session ever! Thank you Pritchett family for yet another gift!
PamW2017: Shawnlie - Many thanks for answering our questions! Very informative, and hope you can come back some time.
Carol Guarco Myers: Thank you all for coordinating. What a great hour! Time flies!
trusteagles: Thank you so much, Shawnlei. As Essec said, it was a pleasure to meet you. I learned so much tonight. Thank you,Ginnie, for making this happen.
NHDalGal: Wow! This was an awesome addition to our chat. I hope we can do things like this again. Thank you to Shawnlei and the Pritchetts for making this available to us.
TinEar: I think the operative word tonight was "take" which startled several people apparently. I also though it meant to hunt/kill/harvest and was a bit alarmed at first until getting Shawnlei's explanation.
Pat Kwap Kemble: Thank you Shawnlei for teaching us so much about eagles.
OrchrdHs: Super interesting and reminds us that there is still so much to learn about these magnificent birds. Adding notes to my eagle journal and now I have more ideas for research and then can share with others who are interested in BEs. Thanks so much!
Tom Sawyer: Thank you to Shawnlei for all the great information! I would like to see an answer to Sams last question myself? That was an interesting and very relevant question regarding banding considerations.
Beverly Morden Hall: Shawnlie thank you so much. I can't wait to read it all GAIN. iT IS FACINATING
lucybird: Thanks all for this special chat. It was so very informative. What a treat Thank you Ginni P for putting this together WOW.
Eagletoe06: Many thanks to Ginnie Pritchett & Shawnlei! Very informative & great statistics! Always learning!
Lauren Roberts: Thank you to the Pritchetts for having Shawnlei join us tonight. And thank you, Shawnlei. She is the BEST! I'm having computer issues and was afraid I would miss it. SO back to work on that for me. Thank you Mods for getting that all set up for us! SEDs all!
scurtis123: Thank you to our hosts and speaker, and other eagle fans here!
TinEar: Shawnlie certainly opened the door for those interested to further their eagle education with the free training classes held around the state of FL. Here's your opportunity.
Jackie Brown: Thanks Eagle Squad for having our guess Shawnlei with is tonight. Thanks Pritchett family for providing us the opportunity to always learn about our eagle family.
Babs628: That was very enjoyable, educational and thought-provoking. Definitely a copy & paste to keep for reference. Thank you, Shawnlei & the SWFEC & Pritchett family for arranging this great Q & A.
AndrewNH26: Thank you Shawnlie << Notice the 3 Eagles in oct on cam 2 nodding yes to eveything you shared Lol
TaraTrac: Please thank Shawnlei for this informative and inspiring talk! The timing couldn't be better because I'm signing up for an introductory class and nest viewing by our East Bay Regional Park Dist. citizen Raptor Research program, with a focus on bald eagles. Thanks Essec, SueL, Roberto, Sam for hosting her. And GE viewers.....great talk, huh?
Nancy Phillips: Thanks Pritchett's and all involved in this chat, Shawnlie was so interesting and I learned a lot more about our great Eagles, great chat!
MagEagle9: Thank you Ginnie for the great idea of this chat with Shawnlei and thank you Essec and awesome mods for making it happen! I get to work with her thru EagleWatch and the days I volunteer at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. I was blessed to spend the morning with her at 2 eagle releases! That is what it is all about-getting them back home! I hope to meet you the next time you visit our amazing center Ginnie! If any of you are ever near central Florida it is well worth the visit!
floridafox: Hi all question: Why is it unlawful to pick up an eagle feather from the ground it doesn’t seem to affect any natural events in an Eagles life ty
SBAudubon (Moderator): Hi floridafox! You are referring to the federal law that protects eagles and all of their body parts so that it is illegal to own an eagle feather or any body part without a federal permit. I didn’t realize until I came to this position that even deceased eagles found on the road, or wherever they may be found, must be properly disposed of. FWC often brings deceased eagles to our Clinic for processing. We have to report the death to US Fish and Wildlife and they direct us as to what to do with the body—either send it to a lab for necropsy to determine if the cause of death was something illegal or to the eagle repository where the remains are made available to American Indians for use in their religious ceremonies. So it’s quite a process. I suspect the law is as strict as it is because allowing the collection of eagle feathers could be a slippery slope—was the feather found on the ground or did someone shoot the eagle to get the feather and then hide the remains? Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people out there and as is often the case, our laws are shaped to prevent the worst.
LCampbell75: Those were great questions...I learned a lot... thanks for doing this...and why do you guys name the eagles and we at SWEFC don't??
SBAudubon (Moderator): Thanks! Are you referring to my story about Bob and Peace? We don’t actually name our eagle patients at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Peace was named by the folks at the NE FL Eagle Cam, which is operated by the American Eagle Foundation, and they do name their eagles. When Peace came to our clinic for treatment, all of their camera followers began watching the live feed from our flight barn and they are the ones who gave the name Bob to the adult eagle who “fostered” Peace. We refer to our patients by their patient number. Although we do go on to name any non-releasable raptors who become permanent residents at our facility. At that point, they become family.
Streamgage vs. Streamgauge — One of the many questions that people have asked from time to time is the spelling of the word "streamgage" versus spelling it with a "u" as in "streamgauge." Since today is #NationalGrammarDay we thought it would be a good time for a quick history lesson on this question. Buried deep on Page 50 of the USGS report, "A History of the Water Resources Branch, U.S. Geological Survey: Volume I, From Predecessor Surveys to June 30, 1919" (on.doi.gov/USGSWaterHistory) there's a reference giving credit to the change in spelling to F.H. Newell around 1892. The author writes:
"At about this time, F.H. Newell adopted the spelling "gage" instead of "gauge." As he informed the writer, "gage" was the Saxon spelling before the "u" was inserted as a result of Norman influence on the language. F.H. Newell may have been influenced, however, by the adoption of "gage" in the Standard Dictionary."
Ever since then the word has been spelled without the "u". #AndNowYouKnow
The kit and its assembly:
Another entry for the “Flying Boat, Seaplane and Amphibian” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com in late 2017, and the result of a spontaneous inspiration from a drawing of a Luft’46/fantasy creation of a Me 262 fuselage with a planning bottom, a parasol(!) wing and a single jet engine exhausting right above the cockpit, and no (visible) stabilizing floats at all. Rather spurious.
Well, nevertheless, the Me 262 jet fighter has a very shark-like profile and shape, and it has already been converted into flying boats or even submarines by modelers, and I decided to create my personal interpretation of the theme. I remembered a lone He 115 float in my stash (maybe 35 years old or even more!), and when I held to a Me 262 fuselage the parts had almost the same length and width. So, creating a flying boat jet fighter seemed like a realistic task.
Things started straightforward with an 1:72 Smer Me 262 fighter, which is actually the vintage Heller two-seater night fighter with a new fuselage and canopy. My kit of choice would have been the Matchbox kit, but the Heller kit is also O.K., due to its simplicity and simple construction.
Creating something amphibian from a Me 262 is not a trivial task, though. With its low wings and underslung engine nacelles there’s a lot to be changed until you get a plausible floatplane. Another challenge is to integrate some form of stabilizer/outrigger floats, what also influences the wings’ position. Placing the engines where they are safe from spray ingestion is also a serious matter – you have to get the high and the intakes as far forward as possible.
Doing some legwork I found some similar builds, and they all did not convince me. And, after all, I wanted to create my own “design”; in order to incorporate some realism I eventually settled on Dornier’s typical WWII designs like the Do 18 and Do 24. These elegant aircraft had a common, elegant trait: low stub wings as stabilizer floats, paired with high wings (in the case of the Do 18 held by a massive central pylon) which carried the engine out of the water’s reach. This appeared like a feasible layout for my conversion, even though it would mean a total re-construction of the kit, or rather assembling it in a way that almost no part was glued into the intended place!
Work started with the cockpit, which had to be moved forward in order to make room for the wings behind the canopy, placed high on a pylon above the fuselage. For this stunt, the cockpit opening and the place in front of it (where the original front fuselage tank would be) were cut out and switched. The cockpit tub was moved forward and trimmed in order to fit into the new place. The nose section was filled with lead, because the stub wings/floats would allow a retractable landing gear to be added, too, making the aircraft a true amphibian!
The He 115 float was cut down in order to fit under the OOB Me 262 fuselage, and a front wheel well was integrated for a tricycle landing gear. Once the fuselage was closed, the planning bottom was added and the flanks sculpted with putty – lots of it.
In the meantime the Me 262 wing received a thorough re-arrangement, too. Not only were the engine nacelles moved to the upper wing surface (cutting the respective wing and intake sections of the nacelles off/out and turning them around 180°), the original connecting ventral wing part with the landing gear wells were turned upside down, too, the landing gear covers closed (with the respective OOB parts) and the inner wing sections modified into a gull wing, raising the engines even further. VERY complex task, and blending/re-shaping everything took a lot of PSR, too.
Under the central wing section I added a pylon left over from a Smer Curtiss SC Seahawk kit, because a massive Do 18-esque construction was out of question for a fast jet aircraft. The gaps were filled with putty, too.
In order to keep the stabilizers free from water spray they were moved upwards on the fin, too. The original attachment points were sanded away and hidden under putty, and the OOB stabilizers placed almost at the top at the fin.
Finding suitable stub wings/floats became a challenge: they have to be relatively thick (yielding buoyancy and also offering room for the retractable landing gear), but also short with not-so-rounded tips. It took a while until I found suitable donor parts in the form of the tips of an 1:32 AH-64 Apache (!) stabilizer! They were simply cut off, and openings for the main landing gear cut into their lower sides.
Once glued to the lower flanks and the stabilizers in place it was time to place the wing. In the meantime the moved cockpit had been blended to the fuselage, and initial tests indicated that the pylon would have to be placed right behind the canopy – actually on top of the end of the clear part. As a consequence the canopy was cut into pieces and its rear section integrated into the fuselage (more PSR).
However, the relatively thin and slender central pylon from the Curtiss SC indicated that some more struts would be necessary in order to ensure stability – very retro, and not really suited for a jet-powered aircraft. And the more I looked at the layout, the more I became convinced that the wings and engines were in a plausible position, but placed too high.
What started next were several sessions in which I shortened the pylon step by step, until I was satisfied with the overall proportions. This went so far that almost everything of the pylon had gone, and the wings almost rested directly on the Me 262’s spine!
However, this new layout offered the benefit of rendering the extra struts obsolete, since I decided to fill the small gap between wing and fuselage into a single, massive fairing. This would also mean more internal space, and consequently the original idea of a jet-powered combat aircraft was modified into a fast multi-purpose amphibian vehicle for special tasks, capable of transporting personnel behind enemy lines with a quick move.
More PSR, though, and after some finishing touches like a scratched landing gear (front leg/wheel from an Italeri Bae Hawk, main struts from a Mistercraft PZL Iskra trainer, wheels from an Academy OV-10 Bronco and with improvised covers), several antennae and mooring lugs made from wire, the aircraft was ready for painting. On the downside, though, almost any surface detail had been lost due to the massive, overall body sculpting – but the application of the light zigzag pattern helped to recreate some “illusionary” details like flaps or panel lines. ;-)
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Brunette Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Brown / Black Hair!
And here're a couple of HD video movies I shot of the goddess with the 4K Sony:
Enjoy! Be sure to watch in the full 1080P HD!
The epic goddess was tall, thin, fit, tan, and in wonderful shape (as you can see).
Check out my greatest hits compilation, and let me know what you think:
www.elliotmcguckenphotography.com/45surf/45SURF-Heros-Ody...
Epic Goddess Straight Out of Hero's Odyssey Mythology! Pretty Model! :) Tall, thin, fit and beautiful!
Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.
New 500px!
500px.com/herosodysseymythology
New instagram! instagram.com/45surf
Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! :)
Follow me on facebook! facebook.com/elliot.mcgucken
Nikon D300 Photos of Beautfiul Sexy Hot Brunette!
She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.
ALL THE BEST on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)
A laid-back,classic, socal lifestyle shoot!
May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!
All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Truth, Beauty, and the Light of Physicist Dr. E's Moving Dimensions Theory's dx4/dt=ic . The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c. Ergo relativity, time, entropy, and entanglement.
All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johnny Ranger McCoy!
New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!
Ask me any questions! :)
The 'Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot'
Memorial and graves of resistance heroes and martyrs - brave Jews, brave Christians, dissidents, anti-fascists, socialists, rebels, samizdat journalists and organisers - those who dared to question and fight oppression, and the evil Powers That Be.
Here you see the faces of my brothers, my own dear family, my partners in fighting sheer political evil - resting in their graves here, in perhaps the most poignant place in all of Brussels, Belgium. Here lie those in Belgium who were shot fighting the Nazis of the 1940s - as I myself have nearly been killed fighting the more recent fascists, some of the 'new Nazis' of the 21st century.
Shortly after I arrived in Brussels as a political refugee from the US, under threat of murder by far-right political figures, this is one of the first places I visited. I came here to weep some tears amid the companionship of my anti-fascist comrades, who also looked death in the eye as they tried to speak and act for what is right.
The camera used here, and the chance to make these photos, are gifts of the brave dissident US Jewish physician, Dr Moshe 'Moss' David Posner, who risked and gambled his own life, to support me and help keep me alive in the face of threats by neo-Nazi assassins.
These are photos from the daily life of writer and political refugee from the US, Dr Les (Leslie) Sachs - photos documenting my new beloved home city of Brussels, Belgium, my life among the people and Kingdom who have given me safety in the face of the threats to destroy me. Brussels has a noble history of providing a safe haven to other dissident refugee writers, such as Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, Charles Baudelaire, and Alexandre Dumas, and I shall forever be grateful that Brussels and Belgium have helped to protect my own life as well.
(To read about the efforts to silence me and my journalism, the attacks on me, the smears and the threats, see the website by European journalists "About Les Sachs" linked in my Flickr profile, and press articles such as "Two EU Writers Under Threat of Murder: Roberto Saviano and Dr Les Sachs".)
This extremely moving memorial and gravesite, is known locally as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusillerden (Brussels is bi-lingual French- and Dutch-speaking, so place names are given in both languages here.) - In English, the name is perhaps best rendered as the "Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot".
The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden includes many martyrs of the Belgian resistance of World War II, being both their gravesite and also the place where many of them were shot to death by a Nazi firing squad. - And it is also a memorial and the place of death, of other heroic figures who were shot to death in the previous German occupation of Belgium during World War I. One heroine from the First World War who was shot by the Germans and is now commemorated here, is the famous British nurse Edith Cavell.
The reason that this was a convenient place of execution by firing squad, is that it was originally part of a Belgian military training area and rifle range that existed here once upon a time, and you still see here the tall hillside that served as an earthen 'backstop' to safely absorb high-powered rifle bullets. The hillside was thus ready-made for the German commandants who occupied Brussels in both wars, to carry out their firing-squad executions.
Nowadays, the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden appears quite 'central' in urban Brussels, as it lies in the Schaerbeek - Schaarbeek commune, directly in the path from the EU institution area toward the roads that lead to the airport, and very near to the 90-metre high VRT-RTBF communications tower that has long been a major Brussels landmark.
The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden is walking distance from the eastern Brussels 'prémétro', which is a grouping of tram lines that run underground for several stops on both the eastern and western sides of the Brussels city centre, supplementing the regular métro underground system with a similarly high frequency of service and also underground. If you continue along the prémétro lines south from the Diamant stop which is near the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you shortly arrive at the elaborate 19th-century military barracks buildings which once housed the soldiers who used the rifle range and parade grounds, which later become the place of martyrdom for members of the anti-Nazi resistance.
This is a place of great emotion for me personally, because the resistance martyrs who lie in these graves - a number of them socialists, journalists and with Jewish-heritage, critics of corruption just like myself - are my comrades in my own ordeal. I barely escaped alive out of the USA, nearly murdered by neo-Nazi-linked thugs, who themselves spoke favourably of Hitler as they moved toward killing me, as well as trying to ban my ability to write and speak.
It is sad that this place, Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is very little visited nowadays. Most of the time when I come here to contemplate and shed a few tears amid my comrades, and also to gain strength from their brave spirits, I am alone. Many of the family members and children of those who died or are buried here, have now themselves often passed away.
But on occasion there are people visiting, and on one day I was privileged to meet the daughter of one of the resistance martyrs who is buried here. She spoke to me of being a little girl, and seeing the Nazis arrest her father inside their home. She spoke about how they tied his hands behind his back, and yet how bravely he looked at her one last time. - She never saw her father alive again, and she is now in her seventies. - But when she spoke of her father, her voice grew energised and strong. She said she remembered the day of her father's arrest like if it was yesterday. And as she spoke, I could feel it and almost see it, as if I had been there myself.
The heroes in these graves are quite alive for me still. I am a religious man, a person of faith, and I believe in the life hereafter. - Many people have been afraid to help me, abandoning me to be murdered by the powerful forces of the American government - people too frightened to dare oppose the deadly US power of global assassination, the vicious US global media slandering of a dissident's reputation - Yet when I walk here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, I feel myself amid a powerful throng of comrades, among brave people who understand me, people who know what it is like to be menaced with murder and to look death straight in the eye. - I feel the spirits in these graves support me and sustain me, that they welcome me as one among themselves.
It is my privilege now to honour these brave companions of mine, giving their memory some further renown and support. And I have wanted very much to do so, as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden still is in need of expanded documentation on the Web, before some of what can be seen here fades away much further.
One of the most powerful aspects of visiting this tree-lined and grassy cemetery and memorial, is that you see on a number of the grave markers, not only names and comments from loved ones, but in some cases actual pictures of these brave people, pictures rendered into sepia-type photos on porcelain. Though efforts were made to make these photographs permanent, the elements and the years and decades have taken their toll. Many of the pictures are now faded, or cracked, or broken, or fallen on the ground from their mountings. In one case I held a cracked porcelain image together with one hand, while taking the photo with the other hand. The years are passing, and I have wanted to document the faces of these brave heroes before they disappear, before time takes a greater toll on this place of sacred honour.
You look into the eyes of these brave people, and you see and feel the spirit of true bravery, of genuine resistance of oppression, resistance to the point of death, their hope that sacrificing one's own life in the fight, will yet do some good for others in the world. Look into their eyes, and you see their faces, faces of real people, quite like anyone in some ways, but in other ways very special, with a light in them that carries far beyond their own death - people who yet had the fire of faith in that Greater than mere earthly existence.
In this hillside that you see in the photos - the hillside in front of which many of these heroes stood in the moment as they were shot to death - in that hillside is a large memorial marker to the heroes of World War I who died here. On that marker it says:
Ici tomberent
sous les balles allemandes
35 héros victimes de leur
attachement à la patrie
Hier vielen
onder de duitse kogels
35 helden ten offer
aan hun liefde voor het vaderland
Here fell 35 heroes
who offered their lives
for their country
shot by the Germans
You'll notice that the 4th name down on the marker is that of Edith Louisa Cavell (1865-1915), with just her initial and last name and the date of her death here, on 12 October 1915:
Cavell E. 12-10-1915
The banners that you see here, in the colours of red, yellow, and black, are in the three colours of the national flag of Belgium
There are 17 rows of graves here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, 12 on the upper level closer to the hillside, and then five on the lower level below. Between the upper and lower levels is an obelisk serving as a kind of centre for the memorial as a whole. On the obelisk it says, on one side in Dutch, on the other side in French:
Opgericht door de Verbroedering van de Vriendenkringen der Nazikampenen Gevangenissen
XXVe Verjaring
April 1970
Erigé par le Fraternelle des Amicales de Camps et Prisons Nazis
XXVe Anniversaire
April 1970
In English this would be:
Constructed by the Association of Friends of Those in the Nazi Camps and Prisons
25th Anniversary
April 1970
Around this obelisk lay some faded but still visibly grand wreaths, placed here by the highest figures of Belgian public life. One great wreath at the centre, placed here by the King of the Belgians, Albert II, and his wife Paola, whose royal household has very quietly but effectively supplied some of the protection for me in Belgium, that has so far prevented me from being murdered here by foreign powers. - You see the ribbon say simply 'Albert - Paola'.
And another large wreath has a ribbon saying 'la Gouvernement - de Regering', from the government of Belgium.
Though many of the resistance martyrs buried here, were shot by firing squad right on this spot, a number of these martyrs died in other places, most especially in the Belgian concentration camp at Breendonk (Breendonck), which due to its stone structure is one of the best-preserved Nazi concentration camps. Breendonk can be visited today, about 40 kilometres north of Brussels in the direction of Antwerp, very near the Willebroek train station.
Among the graves here, a number are of heroes of the anti-Nazi resistance whose names are unknown: 'Inconnu - Onbekend' say the grave markers in French and in Dutch. In one row, there are six unknowns side-by-side; and then the entire final last row of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is all the resting place of unknown heroes, 21 altogether.
In any struggle against oppressive government, there are often unknown heroes. - And as I myself am a victim of brutal deceptive media smear campaigns, as well as the US regime ordering search engines to suppress my own websites, I can testify as to how hard the evil powers work, to try to see that those who fight the system, remain unknown, or else smeared and slandered with propaganda and lies.
There are perhaps yet other heroes of the World War II resistance, whose anonymous graves somewhere, may yet one day be found. One of the photos here is of a maintenance area by the side, where fresh grave markers are ready, some with crosses, some with a star of David, awaiting use for some other hero whose remains are yet to be discovered.
In addition to the photographs on the grave markers, which speak for themselves, a number of the graves are also marked with heartfelt statements by those who loved and honoured them. Most are in French, and with photos where there are such engraved statements, there are transcriptions of what you find, along with a translation.
Many of these resistance martyrs to the Nazis who lie here, are of course Jewish. The majority are Christians of Belgium, but a significant proportion of the heroes who lie here, are Jewish resistance martyrs of the Holocaust. And even more than one from the same family - the Livchitz brothers who lie here. Moreover, some of the Christians who are buried here, are of Jewish heritage as well - as I am myself, a unitarian Christian.
My own heritage on my mother's side is Jewish, and it was my commitment to honour the memory of relatives and other Jews who died in the Holocaust, that led to my being forced to become a political refugee from the United States. - Back when living in the US, I received a letter threatening the book-burning of the books of this Jewish-heritage writer, and I responded strongly. A few weeks later my freedom to speak and write was banned, and threats to extort and murder me were put in motion. This story has been told in other places (see link to press articles in my profile), but suffice it to say here, that it was my honouring the memory of murdered Jews, which led me to be a Jewish-heritage political refugee today in Brussels.
Though I am unitarian Christian by faith, the old Jewish sites of Brussels and Belgium strike deep chords within me, as I very much feel the spirit of the Jews who suffered and died under the kind of racist threats I have also suffered.
One of the things I am often-asked, as a Jewish-heritage political refugee, is why the Jewish groups and Jewish leaders, do not say or do more to defend me, against the threats to have me murdered, against the lies and hoaxes spread about me, against the blocking of my own journalism sites from the internet search engines. - For example, in my efforts to stay alive these last few years, I have received much more comfort and assistance and support from brave Muslims, than from the Jewish people who share my own heritage.
There are two main reasons for this kind of neglect of someone like myself by Jewish leaders. One is that I am not a political Zionist - I favour peace and justice for all the residents of the ancient holy lands of Palestine. - A second reason, is that there is a sad heritage among Jewish people, to stand by and do nothing while other Jews are attacked by the dominant power of the day. - It was that way in the old pogroms of Eastern Europe, it was that way under the Nazi-era exterminations, and it is that way today regarding the case of the United States. - Since it is the US regime which has been attacking me and forcing me to be a refugee here, Jewish 'leadership' simply does not want to confront the USA. Given that I am a non-Zionist, and a unitarian Christian in faith, well, that settles it as far as Jewish leaders are concerned, and they turn away and say nothing.
There are still some brave Jews, however, like one brave Orthodox Jewish physician in America, a friend who has helped me to be able to be here now, supplying these photographs of the Jewish and other martyrs of anti-Nazi resistance.
And the Jewish heritage is there in me, and I am glad I honoured the memory of the Holocaust dead, even though it led me into terrible sufferings at the hands of US political figures and the US regime.
There is a sense of profound spiritual achievement that I have, as I place on-line this historical record of the martyrs of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden. It is perhaps only by the grace of God that I was able to escape the US alive, from the clutches of the people menacing to illegally jail me and murder me in a US jail cell. - My now being able to honour the memory of my fellow anti-fascist figures in Belgium, who were shot dead by the Nazis of an earlier era, feels to me to be one of the important purposes, for which I was kept alive by divine hands.
To visit the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you can walk about 600 metres from the Diamant 'prémétro' or underground tram stop which includes tram lines 23, 24, and 25. If you wish to get even closer by bus, you can take buses number 12, 21, or 79 the two stops from Diamant to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg bus shelter sign. Alternatively, if you are in the EU area, you can take these same buses 12, 21 or 79 directly from the Schuman métro station by the EU's main Berlaymont building. Another route is that bus 80 from the Mérode metro station will also take you directly to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg stop. A few tens of metres west of where the bus halts, along the rue Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourgstraat, you see the sign directing to the entrance of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden.
One of the most important questions we ask when to move a new place is “what the climate looks like?”. For me most important one was “are there mountains” and Wyoming was perfectly satisfying that. I was just a little bit afraid of extreme cold, which might prevent me to enjoy outdoor activities. I heard it can get too cold that you cannot leave your home for several weeks, but I was brave enough to experience by myself. So, I did it and I would say I liked it very much! I started snowshoeing, cross country skiing and wildlife photography during these white, cold days. Which let me stay not only physically but also mentally active. Wyoming is the coldest place I lived so far, and I do believe is same for most of the international students. Therefore, I friendly recommend to all to find an outdoor activity in snow!
The 'Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot'
Memorial and graves of resistance heroes and martyrs - brave Jews, brave Christians, dissidents, anti-fascists, socialists, rebels, samizdat journalists and organisers - those who dared to question and fight oppression, and the evil Powers That Be.
Here you see the faces of my brothers, my own dear family, my partners in fighting sheer political evil - resting in their graves here, in perhaps the most poignant place in all of Brussels, Belgium. Here lie those in Belgium who were shot fighting the Nazis of the 1940s - as I myself have nearly been killed fighting the more recent fascists, some of the 'new Nazis' of the 21st century.
Shortly after I arrived in Brussels as a political refugee from the US, under threat of murder by far-right political figures, this is one of the first places I visited. I came here to weep some tears amid the companionship of my anti-fascist comrades, who also looked death in the eye as they tried to speak and act for what is right.
The camera used here, and the chance to make these photos, are gifts of the brave dissident US Jewish physician, Dr Moshe 'Moss' David Posner, who risked and gambled his own life, to support me and help keep me alive in the face of threats by neo-Nazi assassins.
These are photos from the daily life of writer and political refugee from the US, Dr Les (Leslie) Sachs - photos documenting my new beloved home city of Brussels, Belgium, my life among the people and Kingdom who have given me safety in the face of the threats to destroy me. Brussels has a noble history of providing a safe haven to other dissident refugee writers, such as Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, Charles Baudelaire, and Alexandre Dumas, and I shall forever be grateful that Brussels and Belgium have helped to protect my own life as well.
(To read about the efforts to silence me and my journalism, the attacks on me, the smears and the threats, see the website by European journalists "About Les Sachs" linked in my Flickr profile, and press articles such as "Two EU Writers Under Threat of Murder: Roberto Saviano and Dr Les Sachs".)
This extremely moving memorial and gravesite, is known locally as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusillerden (Brussels is bi-lingual French- and Dutch-speaking, so place names are given in both languages here.) - In English, the name is perhaps best rendered as the "Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot".
The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden includes many martyrs of the Belgian resistance of World War II, being both their gravesite and also the place where many of them were shot to death by a Nazi firing squad. - And it is also a memorial and the place of death, of other heroic figures who were shot to death in the previous German occupation of Belgium during World War I. One heroine from the First World War who was shot by the Germans and is now commemorated here, is the famous British nurse Edith Cavell.
The reason that this was a convenient place of execution by firing squad, is that it was originally part of a Belgian military training area and rifle range that existed here once upon a time, and you still see here the tall hillside that served as an earthen 'backstop' to safely absorb high-powered rifle bullets. The hillside was thus ready-made for the German commandants who occupied Brussels in both wars, to carry out their firing-squad executions.
Nowadays, the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden appears quite 'central' in urban Brussels, as it lies in the Schaerbeek - Schaarbeek commune, directly in the path from the EU institution area toward the roads that lead to the airport, and very near to the 90-metre high VRT-RTBF communications tower that has long been a major Brussels landmark.
The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden is walking distance from the eastern Brussels 'prémétro', which is a grouping of tram lines that run underground for several stops on both the eastern and western sides of the Brussels city centre, supplementing the regular métro underground system with a similarly high frequency of service and also underground. If you continue along the prémétro lines south from the Diamant stop which is near the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you shortly arrive at the elaborate 19th-century military barracks buildings which once housed the soldiers who used the rifle range and parade grounds, which later become the place of martyrdom for members of the anti-Nazi resistance.
This is a place of great emotion for me personally, because the resistance martyrs who lie in these graves - a number of them socialists, journalists and with Jewish-heritage, critics of corruption just like myself - are my comrades in my own ordeal. I barely escaped alive out of the USA, nearly murdered by neo-Nazi-linked thugs, who themselves spoke favourably of Hitler as they moved toward killing me, as well as trying to ban my ability to write and speak.
It is sad that this place, Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is very little visited nowadays. Most of the time when I come here to contemplate and shed a few tears amid my comrades, and also to gain strength from their brave spirits, I am alone. Many of the family members and children of those who died or are buried here, have now themselves often passed away.
But on occasion there are people visiting, and on one day I was privileged to meet the daughter of one of the resistance martyrs who is buried here. She spoke to me of being a little girl, and seeing the Nazis arrest her father inside their home. She spoke about how they tied his hands behind his back, and yet how bravely he looked at her one last time. - She never saw her father alive again, and she is now in her seventies. - But when she spoke of her father, her voice grew energised and strong. She said she remembered the day of her father's arrest like if it was yesterday. And as she spoke, I could feel it and almost see it, as if I had been there myself.
The heroes in these graves are quite alive for me still. I am a religious man, a person of faith, and I believe in the life hereafter. - Many people have been afraid to help me, abandoning me to be murdered by the powerful forces of the American government - people too frightened to dare oppose the deadly US power of global assassination, the vicious US global media slandering of a dissident's reputation - Yet when I walk here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, I feel myself amid a powerful throng of comrades, among brave people who understand me, people who know what it is like to be menaced with murder and to look death straight in the eye. - I feel the spirits in these graves support me and sustain me, that they welcome me as one among themselves.
It is my privilege now to honour these brave companions of mine, giving their memory some further renown and support. And I have wanted very much to do so, as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden still is in need of expanded documentation on the Web, before some of what can be seen here fades away much further.
One of the most powerful aspects of visiting this tree-lined and grassy cemetery and memorial, is that you see on a number of the grave markers, not only names and comments from loved ones, but in some cases actual pictures of these brave people, pictures rendered into sepia-type photos on porcelain. Though efforts were made to make these photographs permanent, the elements and the years and decades have taken their toll. Many of the pictures are now faded, or cracked, or broken, or fallen on the ground from their mountings. In one case I held a cracked porcelain image together with one hand, while taking the photo with the other hand. The years are passing, and I have wanted to document the faces of these brave heroes before they disappear, before time takes a greater toll on this place of sacred honour.
You look into the eyes of these brave people, and you see and feel the spirit of true bravery, of genuine resistance of oppression, resistance to the point of death, their hope that sacrificing one's own life in the fight, will yet do some good for others in the world. Look into their eyes, and you see their faces, faces of real people, quite like anyone in some ways, but in other ways very special, with a light in them that carries far beyond their own death - people who yet had the fire of faith in that Greater than mere earthly existence.
In this hillside that you see in the photos - the hillside in front of which many of these heroes stood in the moment as they were shot to death - in that hillside is a large memorial marker to the heroes of World War I who died here. On that marker it says:
Ici tomberent
sous les balles allemandes
35 héros victimes de leur
attachement à la patrie
Hier vielen
onder de duitse kogels
35 helden ten offer
aan hun liefde voor het vaderland
Here fell 35 heroes
who offered their lives
for their country
shot by the Germans
You'll notice that the 4th name down on the marker is that of Edith Louisa Cavell (1865-1915), with just her initial and last name and the date of her death here, on 12 October 1915:
Cavell E. 12-10-1915
The banners that you see here, in the colours of red, yellow, and black, are in the three colours of the national flag of Belgium
There are 17 rows of graves here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, 12 on the upper level closer to the hillside, and then five on the lower level below. Between the upper and lower levels is an obelisk serving as a kind of centre for the memorial as a whole. On the obelisk it says, on one side in Dutch, on the other side in French:
Opgericht door de Verbroedering van de Vriendenkringen der Nazikampenen Gevangenissen
XXVe Verjaring
April 1970
Erigé par le Fraternelle des Amicales de Camps et Prisons Nazis
XXVe Anniversaire
April 1970
In English this would be:
Constructed by the Association of Friends of Those in the Nazi Camps and Prisons
25th Anniversary
April 1970
Around this obelisk lay some faded but still visibly grand wreaths, placed here by the highest figures of Belgian public life. One great wreath at the centre, placed here by the King of the Belgians, Albert II, and his wife Paola, whose royal household has very quietly but effectively supplied some of the protection for me in Belgium, that has so far prevented me from being murdered here by foreign powers. - You see the ribbon say simply 'Albert - Paola'.
And another large wreath has a ribbon saying 'la Gouvernement - de Regering', from the government of Belgium.
Though many of the resistance martyrs buried here, were shot by firing squad right on this spot, a number of these martyrs died in other places, most especially in the Belgian concentration camp at Breendonk (Breendonck), which due to its stone structure is one of the best-preserved Nazi concentration camps. Breendonk can be visited today, about 40 kilometres north of Brussels in the direction of Antwerp, very near the Willebroek train station.
Among the graves here, a number are of heroes of the anti-Nazi resistance whose names are unknown: 'Inconnu - Onbekend' say the grave markers in French and in Dutch. In one row, there are six unknowns side-by-side; and then the entire final last row of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is all the resting place of unknown heroes, 21 altogether.
In any struggle against oppressive government, there are often unknown heroes. - And as I myself am a victim of brutal deceptive media smear campaigns, as well as the US regime ordering search engines to suppress my own websites, I can testify as to how hard the evil powers work, to try to see that those who fight the system, remain unknown, or else smeared and slandered with propaganda and lies.
There are perhaps yet other heroes of the World War II resistance, whose anonymous graves somewhere, may yet one day be found. One of the photos here is of a maintenance area by the side, where fresh grave markers are ready, some with crosses, some with a star of David, awaiting use for some other hero whose remains are yet to be discovered.
In addition to the photographs on the grave markers, which speak for themselves, a number of the graves are also marked with heartfelt statements by those who loved and honoured them. Most are in French, and with photos where there are such engraved statements, there are transcriptions of what you find, along with a translation.
Many of these resistance martyrs to the Nazis who lie here, are of course Jewish. The majority are Christians of Belgium, but a significant proportion of the heroes who lie here, are Jewish resistance martyrs of the Holocaust. And even more than one from the same family - the Livchitz brothers who lie here. Moreover, some of the Christians who are buried here, are of Jewish heritage as well - as I am myself, a unitarian Christian.
My own heritage on my mother's side is Jewish, and it was my commitment to honour the memory of relatives and other Jews who died in the Holocaust, that led to my being forced to become a political refugee from the United States. - Back when living in the US, I received a letter threatening the book-burning of the books of this Jewish-heritage writer, and I responded strongly. A few weeks later my freedom to speak and write was banned, and threats to extort and murder me were put in motion. This story has been told in other places (see link to press articles in my profile), but suffice it to say here, that it was my honouring the memory of murdered Jews, which led me to be a Jewish-heritage political refugee today in Brussels.
Though I am unitarian Christian by faith, the old Jewish sites of Brussels and Belgium strike deep chords within me, as I very much feel the spirit of the Jews who suffered and died under the kind of racist threats I have also suffered.
One of the things I am often-asked, as a Jewish-heritage political refugee, is why the Jewish groups and Jewish leaders, do not say or do more to defend me, against the threats to have me murdered, against the lies and hoaxes spread about me, against the blocking of my own journalism sites from the internet search engines. - For example, in my efforts to stay alive these last few years, I have received much more comfort and assistance and support from brave Muslims, than from the Jewish people who share my own heritage.
There are two main reasons for this kind of neglect of someone like myself by Jewish leaders. One is that I am not a political Zionist - I favour peace and justice for all the residents of the ancient holy lands of Palestine. - A second reason, is that there is a sad heritage among Jewish people, to stand by and do nothing while other Jews are attacked by the dominant power of the day. - It was that way in the old pogroms of Eastern Europe, it was that way under the Nazi-era exterminations, and it is that way today regarding the case of the United States. - Since it is the US regime which has been attacking me and forcing me to be a refugee here, Jewish 'leadership' simply does not want to confront the USA. Given that I am a non-Zionist, and a unitarian Christian in faith, well, that settles it as far as Jewish leaders are concerned, and they turn away and say nothing.
There are still some brave Jews, however, like one brave Orthodox Jewish physician in America, a friend who has helped me to be able to be here now, supplying these photographs of the Jewish and other martyrs of anti-Nazi resistance.
And the Jewish heritage is there in me, and I am glad I honoured the memory of the Holocaust dead, even though it led me into terrible sufferings at the hands of US political figures and the US regime.
There is a sense of profound spiritual achievement that I have, as I place on-line this historical record of the martyrs of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden. It is perhaps only by the grace of God that I was able to escape the US alive, from the clutches of the people menacing to illegally jail me and murder me in a US jail cell. - My now being able to honour the memory of my fellow anti-fascist figures in Belgium, who were shot dead by the Nazis of an earlier era, feels to me to be one of the important purposes, for which I was kept alive by divine hands.
To visit the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you can walk about 600 metres from the Diamant 'prémétro' or underground tram stop which includes tram lines 23, 24, and 25. If you wish to get even closer by bus, you can take buses number 12, 21, or 79 the two stops from Diamant to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg bus shelter sign. Alternatively, if you are in the EU area, you can take these same buses 12, 21 or 79 directly from the Schuman métro station by the EU's main Berlaymont building. Another route is that bus 80 from the Mérode metro station will also take you directly to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg stop. A few tens of metres west of where the bus halts, along the rue Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourgstraat, you see the sign directing to the entrance of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden.
Why are the battens short; such that they don't go all the way to the bottom like the boards?
What is the purpose of the rectangular cut-outs at 45 degree angles in the upper portion?
Why are there four 4-foot boards nailed on in the upper portion and a longer board near the bottom?
How did Trump become our president?
The 'Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot'
Memorial and graves of resistance heroes and martyrs - brave Jews, brave Christians, dissidents, anti-fascists, socialists, rebels, samizdat journalists and organisers - those who dared to question and fight oppression, and the evil Powers That Be.
Here you see the faces of my brothers, my own dear family, my partners in fighting sheer political evil - resting in their graves here, in perhaps the most poignant place in all of Brussels, Belgium. Here lie those in Belgium who were shot fighting the Nazis of the 1940s - as I myself have nearly been killed fighting the more recent fascists, some of the 'new Nazis' of the 21st century.
Shortly after I arrived in Brussels as a political refugee from the US, under threat of murder by far-right political figures, this is one of the first places I visited. I came here to weep some tears amid the companionship of my anti-fascist comrades, who also looked death in the eye as they tried to speak and act for what is right.
The camera used here, and the chance to make these photos, are gifts of the brave dissident US Jewish physician, Dr Moshe 'Moss' David Posner, who risked and gambled his own life, to support me and help keep me alive in the face of threats by neo-Nazi assassins.
These are photos from the daily life of writer and political refugee from the US, Dr Les (Leslie) Sachs - photos documenting my new beloved home city of Brussels, Belgium, my life among the people and Kingdom who have given me safety in the face of the threats to destroy me. Brussels has a noble history of providing a safe haven to other dissident refugee writers, such as Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, Charles Baudelaire, and Alexandre Dumas, and I shall forever be grateful that Brussels and Belgium have helped to protect my own life as well.
(To read about the efforts to silence me and my journalism, the attacks on me, the smears and the threats, see the website by European journalists "About Les Sachs" linked in my Flickr profile, and press articles such as "Two EU Writers Under Threat of Murder: Roberto Saviano and Dr Les Sachs".)
This extremely moving memorial and gravesite, is known locally as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusillerden (Brussels is bi-lingual French- and Dutch-speaking, so place names are given in both languages here.) - In English, the name is perhaps best rendered as the "Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot".
The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden includes many martyrs of the Belgian resistance of World War II, being both their gravesite and also the place where many of them were shot to death by a Nazi firing squad. - And it is also a memorial and the place of death, of other heroic figures who were shot to death in the previous German occupation of Belgium during World War I. One heroine from the First World War who was shot by the Germans and is now commemorated here, is the famous British nurse Edith Cavell.
The reason that this was a convenient place of execution by firing squad, is that it was originally part of a Belgian military training area and rifle range that existed here once upon a time, and you still see here the tall hillside that served as an earthen 'backstop' to safely absorb high-powered rifle bullets. The hillside was thus ready-made for the German commandants who occupied Brussels in both wars, to carry out their firing-squad executions.
Nowadays, the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden appears quite 'central' in urban Brussels, as it lies in the Schaerbeek - Schaarbeek commune, directly in the path from the EU institution area toward the roads that lead to the airport, and very near to the 90-metre high VRT-RTBF communications tower that has long been a major Brussels landmark.
The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden is walking distance from the eastern Brussels 'prémétro', which is a grouping of tram lines that run underground for several stops on both the eastern and western sides of the Brussels city centre, supplementing the regular métro underground system with a similarly high frequency of service and also underground. If you continue along the prémétro lines south from the Diamant stop which is near the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you shortly arrive at the elaborate 19th-century military barracks buildings which once housed the soldiers who used the rifle range and parade grounds, which later become the place of martyrdom for members of the anti-Nazi resistance.
This is a place of great emotion for me personally, because the resistance martyrs who lie in these graves - a number of them socialists, journalists and with Jewish-heritage, critics of corruption just like myself - are my comrades in my own ordeal. I barely escaped alive out of the USA, nearly murdered by neo-Nazi-linked thugs, who themselves spoke favourably of Hitler as they moved toward killing me, as well as trying to ban my ability to write and speak.
It is sad that this place, Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is very little visited nowadays. Most of the time when I come here to contemplate and shed a few tears amid my comrades, and also to gain strength from their brave spirits, I am alone. Many of the family members and children of those who died or are buried here, have now themselves often passed away.
But on occasion there are people visiting, and on one day I was privileged to meet the daughter of one of the resistance martyrs who is buried here. She spoke to me of being a little girl, and seeing the Nazis arrest her father inside their home. She spoke about how they tied his hands behind his back, and yet how bravely he looked at her one last time. - She never saw her father alive again, and she is now in her seventies. - But when she spoke of her father, her voice grew energised and strong. She said she remembered the day of her father's arrest like if it was yesterday. And as she spoke, I could feel it and almost see it, as if I had been there myself.
The heroes in these graves are quite alive for me still. I am a religious man, a person of faith, and I believe in the life hereafter. - Many people have been afraid to help me, abandoning me to be murdered by the powerful forces of the American government - people too frightened to dare oppose the deadly US power of global assassination, the vicious US global media slandering of a dissident's reputation - Yet when I walk here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, I feel myself amid a powerful throng of comrades, among brave people who understand me, people who know what it is like to be menaced with murder and to look death straight in the eye. - I feel the spirits in these graves support me and sustain me, that they welcome me as one among themselves.
It is my privilege now to honour these brave companions of mine, giving their memory some further renown and support. And I have wanted very much to do so, as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden still is in need of expanded documentation on the Web, before some of what can be seen here fades away much further.
One of the most powerful aspects of visiting this tree-lined and grassy cemetery and memorial, is that you see on a number of the grave markers, not only names and comments from loved ones, but in some cases actual pictures of these brave people, pictures rendered into sepia-type photos on porcelain. Though efforts were made to make these photographs permanent, the elements and the years and decades have taken their toll. Many of the pictures are now faded, or cracked, or broken, or fallen on the ground from their mountings. In one case I held a cracked porcelain image together with one hand, while taking the photo with the other hand. The years are passing, and I have wanted to document the faces of these brave heroes before they disappear, before time takes a greater toll on this place of sacred honour.
You look into the eyes of these brave people, and you see and feel the spirit of true bravery, of genuine resistance of oppression, resistance to the point of death, their hope that sacrificing one's own life in the fight, will yet do some good for others in the world. Look into their eyes, and you see their faces, faces of real people, quite like anyone in some ways, but in other ways very special, with a light in them that carries far beyond their own death - people who yet had the fire of faith in that Greater than mere earthly existence.
In this hillside that you see in the photos - the hillside in front of which many of these heroes stood in the moment as they were shot to death - in that hillside is a large memorial marker to the heroes of World War I who died here. On that marker it says:
Ici tomberent
sous les balles allemandes
35 héros victimes de leur
attachement à la patrie
Hier vielen
onder de duitse kogels
35 helden ten offer
aan hun liefde voor het vaderland
Here fell 35 heroes
who offered their lives
for their country
shot by the Germans
You'll notice that the 4th name down on the marker is that of Edith Louisa Cavell (1865-1915), with just her initial and last name and the date of her death here, on 12 October 1915:
Cavell E. 12-10-1915
The banners that you see here, in the colours of red, yellow, and black, are in the three colours of the national flag of Belgium
There are 17 rows of graves here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, 12 on the upper level closer to the hillside, and then five on the lower level below. Between the upper and lower levels is an obelisk serving as a kind of centre for the memorial as a whole. On the obelisk it says, on one side in Dutch, on the other side in French:
Opgericht door de Verbroedering van de Vriendenkringen der Nazikampenen Gevangenissen
XXVe Verjaring
April 1970
Erigé par le Fraternelle des Amicales de Camps et Prisons Nazis
XXVe Anniversaire
April 1970
In English this would be:
Constructed by the Association of Friends of Those in the Nazi Camps and Prisons
25th Anniversary
April 1970
Around this obelisk lay some faded but still visibly grand wreaths, placed here by the highest figures of Belgian public life. One great wreath at the centre, placed here by the King of the Belgians, Albert II, and his wife Paola, whose royal household has very quietly but effectively supplied some of the protection for me in Belgium, that has so far prevented me from being murdered here by foreign powers. - You see the ribbon say simply 'Albert - Paola'.
And another large wreath has a ribbon saying 'la Gouvernement - de Regering', from the government of Belgium.
Though many of the resistance martyrs buried here, were shot by firing squad right on this spot, a number of these martyrs died in other places, most especially in the Belgian concentration camp at Breendonk (Breendonck), which due to its stone structure is one of the best-preserved Nazi concentration camps. Breendonk can be visited today, about 40 kilometres north of Brussels in the direction of Antwerp, very near the Willebroek train station.
Among the graves here, a number are of heroes of the anti-Nazi resistance whose names are unknown: 'Inconnu - Onbekend' say the grave markers in French and in Dutch. In one row, there are six unknowns side-by-side; and then the entire final last row of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is all the resting place of unknown heroes, 21 altogether.
In any struggle against oppressive government, there are often unknown heroes. - And as I myself am a victim of brutal deceptive media smear campaigns, as well as the US regime ordering search engines to suppress my own websites, I can testify as to how hard the evil powers work, to try to see that those who fight the system, remain unknown, or else smeared and slandered with propaganda and lies.
There are perhaps yet other heroes of the World War II resistance, whose anonymous graves somewhere, may yet one day be found. One of the photos here is of a maintenance area by the side, where fresh grave markers are ready, some with crosses, some with a star of David, awaiting use for some other hero whose remains are yet to be discovered.
In addition to the photographs on the grave markers, which speak for themselves, a number of the graves are also marked with heartfelt statements by those who loved and honoured them. Most are in French, and with photos where there are such engraved statements, there are transcriptions of what you find, along with a translation.
Many of these resistance martyrs to the Nazis who lie here, are of course Jewish. The majority are Christians of Belgium, but a significant proportion of the heroes who lie here, are Jewish resistance martyrs of the Holocaust. And even more than one from the same family - the Livchitz brothers who lie here. Moreover, some of the Christians who are buried here, are of Jewish heritage as well - as I am myself, a unitarian Christian.
My own heritage on my mother's side is Jewish, and it was my commitment to honour the memory of relatives and other Jews who died in the Holocaust, that led to my being forced to become a political refugee from the United States. - Back when living in the US, I received a letter threatening the book-burning of the books of this Jewish-heritage writer, and I responded strongly. A few weeks later my freedom to speak and write was banned, and threats to extort and murder me were put in motion. This story has been told in other places (see link to press articles in my profile), but suffice it to say here, that it was my honouring the memory of murdered Jews, which led me to be a Jewish-heritage political refugee today in Brussels.
Though I am unitarian Christian by faith, the old Jewish sites of Brussels and Belgium strike deep chords within me, as I very much feel the spirit of the Jews who suffered and died under the kind of racist threats I have also suffered.
One of the things I am often-asked, as a Jewish-heritage political refugee, is why the Jewish groups and Jewish leaders, do not say or do more to defend me, against the threats to have me murdered, against the lies and hoaxes spread about me, against the blocking of my own journalism sites from the internet search engines. - For example, in my efforts to stay alive these last few years, I have received much more comfort and assistance and support from brave Muslims, than from the Jewish people who share my own heritage.
There are two main reasons for this kind of neglect of someone like myself by Jewish leaders. One is that I am not a political Zionist - I favour peace and justice for all the residents of the ancient holy lands of Palestine. - A second reason, is that there is a sad heritage among Jewish people, to stand by and do nothing while other Jews are attacked by the dominant power of the day. - It was that way in the old pogroms of Eastern Europe, it was that way under the Nazi-era exterminations, and it is that way today regarding the case of the United States. - Since it is the US regime which has been attacking me and forcing me to be a refugee here, Jewish 'leadership' simply does not want to confront the USA. Given that I am a non-Zionist, and a unitarian Christian in faith, well, that settles it as far as Jewish leaders are concerned, and they turn away and say nothing.
There are still some brave Jews, however, like one brave Orthodox Jewish physician in America, a friend who has helped me to be able to be here now, supplying these photographs of the Jewish and other martyrs of anti-Nazi resistance.
And the Jewish heritage is there in me, and I am glad I honoured the memory of the Holocaust dead, even though it led me into terrible sufferings at the hands of US political figures and the US regime.
There is a sense of profound spiritual achievement that I have, as I place on-line this historical record of the martyrs of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden. It is perhaps only by the grace of God that I was able to escape the US alive, from the clutches of the people menacing to illegally jail me and murder me in a US jail cell. - My now being able to honour the memory of my fellow anti-fascist figures in Belgium, who were shot dead by the Nazis of an earlier era, feels to me to be one of the important purposes, for which I was kept alive by divine hands.
To visit the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you can walk about 600 metres from the Diamant 'prémétro' or underground tram stop which includes tram lines 23, 24, and 25. If you wish to get even closer by bus, you can take buses number 12, 21, or 79 the two stops from Diamant to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg bus shelter sign. Alternatively, if you are in the EU area, you can take these same buses 12, 21 or 79 directly from the Schuman métro station by the EU's main Berlaymont building. Another route is that bus 80 from the Mérode metro station will also take you directly to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg stop. A few tens of metres west of where the bus halts, along the rue Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourgstraat, you see the sign directing to the entrance of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden.
The KOM League
Flash Report
For
July 19, 2019
Anyone curious as to what possibly could be left to write about, regarding the KOM league, there are two items in this week’s report One contains old news and the other a current event.
www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/48317007492/
Over the course of documenting the history of KOM league players there are some names that have a question mark beside them. In those instances the old batboy is relatively sure he has found the former player but has no conclusive evidence that would stand up in court.
A former player meeting those criteria was a short-term pitcher for the Bartlesville Oilers that was identified as Joseph Radamacher. Many trips have been made through Ancestry.com files and about a half dozen years ago it was believed the fellow was Joseph John Rademacher Jr. of Escanaba, Michigan. That name went on the KOM database with a question mark attached thereto.
In the past week a birth announcement was found in the January 3, 1928 Escanaba Daily Press that Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rademacher of Escanaba had given birth to a 10-pound boy the previous day.
There were numerous references to Joseph Jr. as he made his way through grade and high school. He attended St. Joseph’s High School in Escanaba. The Escanaba Daily Press reported on December 17, 1946 that Joseph Jr. had been accepted to attend the Bartow, Florida baseball school from January 6 through February 13, 1947. The supervisor for the school was George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss, Yankee second baseman www.google.com/search?q=snuffy+stirnweiss&oq=snuffy+s...
He was assisted by Fred Vaughn of the Washington Senators, www.google.com/search?q=Fred+Vaughn+baseball&oq=Fred+...
Burt Shotten of the Brooklyn Dodgers, www.google.com/search?q=burt+shotton+baseball&oq=Bert...
Ed Murphy coach at Holy Cross www.google.com/search?q=Ed+murphy+holy+cross&oq=ed+mu... and Doc Meek the trainer of the Newark Bears.
By January 27, 1947 the Escanaba newspaper reported Rademacher had been tagged as a youngster with talent and was offered a contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The article stated he had been given the choice of signing a Class B or C contract and chose the lower classification in order better himself in a career he envisioned would put him in the major leagues later on.
After extensive research all that could be found, for 1947, was his brief appearance with the Bartlesville Oilers.
In a May 18, 1948 article a headline in the Escanaba Daily Press stated “Ford River Hurler Wins First Game in Kentucky: Will Stay.” The article that followed read “Joseph Rademacher Jr. of Ford River, who left a month ago to play baseball with the Jenkins, KY team, has informed friends here that he intends to stay. He pitched the season opener for Jenkins a few days ago and the team won.”
It appears that the stay at Jenkins, in the Mountain States league, was brief for he was back in Michigan for most of the summer of 1948 pitching for Channing, a semi-pro team, in the Northern Wisconsin-Michigan league.
At the start of the 1949 season Rademacher was in the Blue Ridge league playing for the Elkin Blanketeers. He posted a 2-4 record in 11 mound appearances and left that team prior to mid-July. I suspect he was unconditionally released for he was free to try out for another team
On July 14, 1949 the Chicago White Sox held a tryout camp where three boys from Escanaba attended. Of the three only Rademacher made an impression. There were “rave” comments about him in the press and it stated the 6’ 2” 195 pounder had the appearance of the making of a good major league pitcher. The news coming from that tryout was the White Sox signed him for one year and that he would report, in the spring of 1950 to their minor league training facility in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The word was that when he made it in that organization he would be assigned to the Class C Superior club in the Northern league. Nothing indicates that he played in 1950 but records do show that he was in the Korean War by 1951.
A number of articles, bearing his name, appeared in the Escanaba Daily Press, over the years. He was active in civic affairs and even in building baseball fields for youngsters in his home town. His occupation appeared in city directories as a sheet metal worker.
Joseph John Rademacher died October 25, 2011 in his native hometown. In searching other files something was found that I hadn’t expected. On a family site was his photo which was probably taken when he was in his 60’s. www.flickr.com/photos/60428361@N07/48317007492/
A comment was posted on the site where the photo was found and possibly a member of the family will be in touch. No baseball record book shows he ever played in the Mountain States or KOM leagues and its possible no one in his family ever knew about it either. By the time he was married, in 1949, his baseball days were over and his first child was not born until 1957.
If you think the name Rademacher rings a bell, it probably does. The bell rings in a boxing ring when, in 1956, a young man by the name of Pete Rademacher was the. Olympic heavyweight boxing champion. magazine.wsu.edu/2016/04/29/pete-rademacher/
He had a bout with champion, Floyd Patterson, after the Olympics and got his bell rung. Now, if you think I’m going to tell you Pete and Joseph Rademacher were brothers, you would be incorrect. Were they kin in any manner? That I don’t know as the boxing Rademacher was from the State of Washington. But, if they were kin it will probably take me another 25 years to determine. Just as it has taken that long to document some aspects of the life of Joseph John Rademacher.
______________________________________________________________________________
The Bionic Bob Speake
During this past week an e-mail was received from the daughter of Ray Etzel who pitched for the Chanute, Kansas Athletics in 1946. Etzel was a native Topekan and lived there until his passing in May of 2006. My wife got to know his wife while working at the VA Hospital in Topeka but neither realized a common link until they met at a KOM league reunion a number of years later. Since the death of her mother and dad, Sharon has kept in touch with the KOM league news through the Flash Reports. Here is what she shared. “Hi John: We enjoyed your photos of the deer. You probably already know this, but Bob Speake is being inducted into the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame tonight. I’m sending a link to the article in today’s Topeka Capital-Journal.”
www.cjonline.com/sports/.../speake-parlayed-baseball-into...
After opening the aforementioned link I sent the following note to Bob and Joan Speake. “I got a notice on the e-mail a few minutes ago about Bob being inducted into the Shawnee County Ball Hall of Fame tonight. I enjoyed the article except for the part where the writer had Bob playing for Joplin in the KOM league. Hope you are all doing well.”
Upon arising from a night of not much sleep I was made to feel better by this note from Joan Speake. “Haven't been on the computer for a couple of days but was just sitting down to write you and tell you a woman sent Bob a note saying she had sent you a link so you could see the article. There WERE a few mistakes, the first one being Joplin instead of Carthage!! The man was very nice and he and Bob had a long time together here and he was taping their conversation so how he got Joplin I don't know. Also, we have 8 grandchildren, not only 4 and Bob has never called me Joanie ...ever! His family does and all my friends in Springfield but not here because he never called me that and so our friends here always called me Joan. So another ? as to where Joanie came from? Outside of that, the rest of the article was very good, I thought. The event is a fund raiser for youth baseball in Topeka and there was a pretty good turnout.
We are doing ok. Bob is due to have cataract surgery soon, have to get that set up. We have the consultation date set. He has a pace maker now so he is getting close to being the bionic( is that the word?) man.
Hope you both are doing well and still keeping up with those cute little ones. We now have 4 great grandsons and expecting another boy in Jan. which will make 5 under the age of 4. They all live here and pretty close to us which is nice.
We miss the days of the Reunions but could not keep up with it now. Bob isn't much of a traveler any more but lots of good memories. We keep in touch with Frank Hungerford some and Paul Nichols occasionally since they were school buddies of ours and I think Barb and Gale Wade are coming through some time this year but I hope they aren't traveling in this hot weather! 114 heat index today!! Stay cool! Love, Joan and Bob.”
It was my intention to share the Topeka Capital Journal article and then point out the factual errors as it pertained to the KOM league. But, Joan took care of that in her note. In all deference to sportswriters of 2019 it is only fair to point out what transpired in 1949 is now ancient history. However, as the unofficial historian of the KOM league it does seem incumbent upon me to point out obvious errors. It could be that in another few years someone will write about the KOM league and show Joplin as a member of it with Bob Speake being their first baseman. That would cause old Carthage Cub fans to roll over in whatever place they might be by that time.
For those who care to see how Bob Speake appears today and to read the article from the Topeka Capital Journal they can click on the site cited. For those who don’t click on URL’s this is the article.
•
Sluggers capable of chasing Mickey Mantle for a league home run title certainly possess some prodigious power.
Bob Speake, however, used more than just his bat to challenge the Yankees icon. He also engaged the Mick in foot races.
Those skills eventually helped Speake reach the major leagues. On Tuesday, the longtime Topeka resident will be inducted into the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame during a 5:30 p.m. banquet at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center.
While playing for Joplin in the KOM League as a Class D player in 1949, Speake slugged 14 homers to seven for Mantle, who played for Independence. A year later, both played in Topeka while in the Class C Western Association. Mantle flexed his power and topped Speake in homers that year.
However, a different pregame exhibition — this was the minors, after all — is what Speake, 89, remembers best.
First, a 60-yard dash was contested down the baseline.
“Zoom,″ Speake recalled, “I remember seeing that No. 7 on his back. So, he starts giving me the what-for and I told him, ‘I’ll get you on the next one.’ ″
That contest had Speake running from second base to home; Mantle from home to second. The first to get to his destination, running the same distance, prevailed.
“Well, I had a crossover technique in running the bases,″ Speake recalled. “Of course, he’s starting at home plate with a dead start. I’m pushing off the bag. So, I won and I told him, ‘That one’s for you.’ ″
Baseball would not become the kind of career bonanza for Speake that it was for Mantle. But when he retired after the 1959 season, Speake leveraged his time in the game.
As one of the founding executives of American Investors Life, Topeka has been home to Speake. He and his wife, Joanie, raised three children here. They have four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Speake learned all he could about the all-important marketing arm of business when he teamed with other businessmen in his hometown of Springfield, Mo. Automatic pinsetters had just been introduced to bowling centers and the group wanted to capitalize on what was then a growing sport.
“I said, ‘Now, you guys are all businessmen. If you want to talk baseball I can talk all night. But if you want to talk business, talk slow,’ ″ Speake recalled.
“Baseball gave me a front relating to people. Business is all about marketing. My time in the bowling business gave me an education, because when I went into starting the (insurance) company, I could contribute.″
The baseball stories Speake shares to this day are wonderful, beginning with the contests against Mantle after growing up in the same region of the country at the same time.
Both were talented, though the appraisals they received from big-league scouts grew clear one day when both were in line for their Army physicals.
“Mickey had a briefcase and I didn’t have anything,″ Speake said. “I went through, and he went back to New York.″
The Army stint kept Speake out of professional baseball for two years. While training at Fort Riley, Speake played 8-man football for the base team, a natural fit since that sport was his first love and one he played collegiately for one season at what is now Missouri State. While overseas, Speake played baseball for his base team.
Eventually, Speake played all or part of nine professional seasons.
When he got his first crack at the majors in 1955 with the Chicago Cubs, he was asked by manager Stan Hack if he ever played outfield. Hank Sauer, the 1952 MVP of the National League, was out and a replacement was needed. Speake, a first baseman, recognized the opportunity.
“I played outfield one game in the service, but I wasn’t lying to him,″ Speake said. “We were in Brooklyn and after that game I played left field. I went to the public library and picked out books on playing the outfield. So, I became an outfielder. You don’t say no.″
The Cubs were glad he didn’t. That May, Speake slammed 10 home runs, though the left-handed pull hitter was not well-suited for the prevailing wind in Wrigley Field.
Speake eventually bounced between the big leagues and Triple A, hitting .256 at all levels with 137 home runs. During the era in which he played, Speake also saw first-hand the Hall of Fame impact Jackie Robinson had breaking the color barrier.
With the Cubs, Speake played with Ernie Banks. After he was traded to the Giants, he played with Willie Mays. As one of the original San Francisco Giants, the prospect of playing regularly seemed promising — until the Giants brought in Bill White, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey as first basemen.
“So, my time with the Giants (81 games in 1958 and ’59) is because the Jackie Robinson experiment was successful,″ Speake said. “Now, not successful from my perspective, but for the good of the game. The writing was on the wall.″
As a successful businessman who was one of the original investors in the diamonds that have long housed the Ken Berry League, Speake still made the most of his baseball career. And he made far more than the $400 bonus he received to sign with the Cubs organization and the $10,000 stipulated in his top big-league contract.
“Again, baseball was my front,″ Speake said. “I don’t pretend to be any more than a baseball player with a few good games. My dad, when I signed my first contract, said, ‘Boy, I want to tell you one thing. Always remember, whatever your dream is, there’s always room at the top.’ ″
Eventually, Speake ascended to that very spot, as a businessman.
Ed comment:
One other item catching my eye was Joan Speake’s mention of Barbara and Gale Wade coming this way in the near future. They have to pass through Columbia, Mo. on their way to Topeka and eventually Bremerton, Washington. In times past the Wade’s have called my wife and I and we have met at a local eatery to savor some “great” food such as Scorned Woman hot sauce. Gale loves the tongue scorching, belly burning elixir. When I know his automobile will be headed west on I-70 I’ll be sure to have some on hand and we can douse or breakfast eggs or lunch barbecue with it.
Joan mentioned the past reunions in her note and stated she missed them but it wouldn’t be likely they could attend any if they were held. It dawned on me that the last one was held 11 years ago and if we scheduled one now it would be tough to find enough attendees to fill a telephone booth. But, in the era of cell phones it would be tougher to find a telephone booth than in locating enough people to fill it.
______________________________________________________________________________
That does it for this time around
If any reader has something to share, do so. The old brain of the Flash Report editor has about atrophied to the point where nothing much emanates from it that is worth reporting.
To what degree does the audience want to interact with reporters?
Journalism Wiki
planeta.wikispaces.com/journalism
Slideshare
Pages from my little spring mini book, made between february and march. Just a little record of the upcoming change of seasons and change in our family. Pages from my little spring mini book, made between february and march. Just a little record of the upcoming change of seasons and change in our family.
I am somewhat new to Lego. I mean not really, I have a few pieces that date back at least 20 years, and my kiddo got some for Christmas several years ago. I have been taking Lego photos for about a year now, but I somehow think I am missing something. I have a few questions for other Lego enthusiasts, and especially others of us who loved to photograph our Lego!
#1 WHERE do you get your Lego?
--We go to the Lego store maybe once a month. We hit up the local Walmart, Kmart and Toys R Us. But we are woefully slacking on the individual minifigures! IF we find them for sale, we always end up with 5 duplicates of certain ones and always seem to be missing most of the set before the next set comes along. What am I missing? And do y'all buy pretty much everything out there, because we usually only end up with the smaller sets from each of the themes(I would love to be able to afford everything!).
#2 HOW do you go about taking your photos?
--Do you use a lightbox? Do you use a tripod? What are the best settings?
#3 WHAT is the best way to promote your photos?
--Obviously I post here, and sometimes in the groups, and sometimes I link them on Twitter.
#4 HOW do you keep your Lego stored?
--What I mean here is two parts: first, do you keep any sets or pieces together, or do you only build what you need then take it all apart? And second, do you keep minifigures together or in pieces? And are they displayed or just kept in a container?
As a new AFOL I would really appreciate ANY help! If anyone can answer any question-you don't have to try to answer them all! Thanks so much!
Last 16th Dec. I went on a journey to capture moments of Bangladeshi's enjoying their hard earned Independece Day. Unfortunately everything I saw leaded me to a question......this question......why after 37 years of independence still there's an old person in winter morning wearing almost nothing and looking blank at streets. I wish I had the power to make this old man as happy about Independence as any one of us out here.....I really wish....
Marcus
While out clicking my daily photos of the isthmus, I found myself admiring what has become quite the undertaking on the 100 Block of State Street. Lot's of private money has been put into a project tear down and rebuild several historic buildings on the block. and while I can't say I totally agree it's fun to see the changes unfold. As I looked through my viewfinder I saw out of the corner of my eye I saw a man watching me in a Wisconsin winter jacket, he seemed intrigued about my clicks so I decided to extend a word. He (being Marcus) asked me if I was a photographer, and being a smart ass I replied with a chuckle "Being one with a camera, I do suppose that make's me a photographer." He was such a good spirit and laughed along, as we discussed the changes to one of the existing buildings on the 100 Block I gave my usual speech explaining who I am and what I do. He thought it was a great idea to capture these fading buildings as they were and as they grow into a new skin of sorts. When I asked him if I would be able to click his photographed he smiled and agreed: While at first he seemed a little uncomfortable by the time I composed and exposed my third frame he fit perfectly in frame with the question mark in the window of the recently reopened central library building. I extended my hand and formally introduced myself as Chris aka local paparazzi, and he informed his name was Marcus. Such a simple name to remember especially with the large question mark in the background, we parted ways leading onward with the evening knowing that we were no longer strangers. I place his photo along side many others in my 100 more strangers project album as well as the 100 strangers group on flickr, as there are many talented photographers sharing stores and portraits of strangers from all across the world. Check it out if you feel like seeing some awesome portraits, and just maybe find yourself inspired enough to do your own project!
031/100
50mm f/1.4 USM
f4 1/80
ISO2500
University Plain, Ipswich
Question? by Langlands and Bell.
The answer's £200,000 - now, what was the question?
You can play if you want to:)
Post a pic of yourself and answer the questions!
1: What are you wearing?
Black dress
2: Something about you that nobody ever knew?
Sometimes i can see the future in my dreams
3: Biggest phobias?
Height
4: How tall are you?
1.68
5: Ever been in love?
several times
6: Any tattoos that you want?
No
7: Any piercings that you want?
No
8: Makeouts or cuddling?
Both
9: Shoe size?
38 in european size
10: Favorite bands?
Pink Floyd, Muse
11: Something you miss?
sphare time
12: Favorite song?
Purple rain
13: How old are you?
35
14: Zodiac sign?
Aries
15: Hair Color?
Brown
16: Favorite Quote?
"A light heart lives long"
17: Favorite singer?
Prince
18: Favorite colour?
Blue and green
19: Loud music or soft?
Depends... sometimes soft, sometimes loud
20: Where do you go when you're sad?
shopping
21: How long does it take you to shower?
15 min
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
10 min
23: Ever been in a physical fight?
No...but when I was a child i bite our neighbour
24: Turn on?
Blythe's, family, friends, happiness
25: Turn off?
pain and distress
26: The reason I joined Flickr?
Blythe
27: Fears?
Being alone
28: Last thing that made you cry?
i do not remember
29: Last time you cried?
hmmmm
30: Meaning behind your url:
chacha is my nickname
31: Last book you read?
Fifty Shades of Grey
32: Last song you listened to?
Ring of fire
33: Last show you watched?
Damages
34: Last person you talked to?
My friend
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted?
mum
36: Favorite food?
Italian
37: Place you want to visit?
New Zealand
38: Last place you were?
Balkans
39: Do you have a crush?
no
40: Last time you kissed someone?
today
41: Last time you were insulted and what was it?
he he he.... today... my friend told that i had a big butt
42: What color underwear are you wearing?
Black
43: What color shirt are you wearing?
no shirt:)))
44: Are you tired?
very much!!!
45: Wearing any bracelets?
No
46: Last sport you played?
snowboard
47: Last song you sang?
ring of fire
48: Last prank call you remember doing?
when i was 13 years old
49: Last time you hung out with anyone?
Today
50: Do you consider yourself to be approachable?
Not that much
Question and Answer panel for the in-conversation with Rt. Hon. the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE, Major Anne Read and Helen Grant MP.
...have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer
Country Insights India: City and Village Life
By: Jennifer Kumar
Want to know how the average person in India lives? What is it like to live in village India? How does living in the village or in the city create a unique way of life? David Cumming attempts to answer in his forty-eight page book, Country Insights India: City and Village Life, while providing an overview of India’s modern culture.
Through stories of life in the city of Bangalore (Karnataka state) and the village of Thrickodithanam (Kerala state), the reader gets a good impression of how an average person lives; their triumphs, their struggles, their opportunities and desires for change. The narrations are accompanied by vivid, colorful and realistic images of daily life of average people. The photos of average people quoted throughout the book are not models, they are everyday people doing everyday things- eating their dinners, walking barefoot to school and sweating in the heat. These images may not be glamorous, but provide a raw, tangible aspect to the book. This is real life, whether it is India or America or any other country- there are people of all kinds of backgrounds living different lifestyles and making their lives successful with the knowledge, skills and resources they have or aspire to have. This is one of the lessons I have learned from the book.
I really enjoyed reading the quotations accompanying the photos. People of all ages share some interesting aspect of their life in one or two sentences. The children’s perspectives are always so simple, sweet and bring a smile to my face. For example, Ashok says, “We have to wear a uniform, like all school children in India. I’m going to be in trouble because I’ve lost my tie.” (p. 31) More cute quotations are on pages 12, 25, and 38.
As India is so diverse and difficult to describe in kid-terms, I give kudos to the author for achieving this. Though the book reduced stereotypes by focusing on individual people and telling their stories, there are parts of the book that I felt could be improved.
Throughout the book, the terms ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ are used. It is true these descriptors have a grain of truth- but for whom? Why should, for instance slum dwellers or villagers be labeled as ‘poor’? Is this a label they created for themselves or the author has created for them? And to what is this compared to? It is true that many villagers and slum dwellers do not make a lot of money, but being a graduate of a social work program in India, I do not call these people ‘poor.’ In some ways the villagers and slum dwellers taught me an important lesson in prosperity. When visiting their homes, they had few food or drink items. It is also true they had little money. But, as it is considered puniya (good luck) to serve something to guests, they would do anything to offer us any food or drink item, preferably tea, with milk. Villagers would come together and pool ten or fifteen rupees (US .20-.30) to buy a packet of milk to feed tea to me and my friends. To me this is a wealth beyond financial definitions. Their spiritual, mental and emotional wealth helped them temporarily overcome any financial challenges they were facing. Impressive! A specific example of judgmental wording is seen in the photo descriptor on page 20. Next to a picture of a man in a village sitting next to his one room house made out of what appears to be scrap pieces of wood reads, “None of the people in this Colony have the money to build a good home.” In this sentence are two words I contest: “none” and “good house”. To illustrate my contention with these terms, I will share one more story. There was a person in a Chennai slum who wanted a new house. Their house would be a one room wood construction with mud walls. This person was so proud, happy and appreciative to provide a roof over the head of his family. He had been saving for months to have a new home. I met the builders of this house. They were happy to provide this service for this man and his family and were also happy to have a job so they could provide for their own families (see a picture of these construction workers here). It is true, if you put a person like me into that situation to live, I may feel lack or need, but the people who live in these situations may not feel this way at all.
I understand it is difficult to write any book, story or blog from a true non-judgmental or biased viewpoint. As humans we write from our viewpoint, which is inherently biased in someway. It is often the reader’s intuition and worldliness that inspires questions. This can be done as an adult, but can children always make this discrimination? Would children question the words ‘poor’ and ‘rich’ especially when coupled with powerful images (such as the man sitting next to his house)? This is important for parents to do when reading books and when sharing any type of media with their children. Because I believe it is a rare find to read or watch something truly unbiased with your children, rather than not share it, share the questions that come up in your mind as you read it with your children. Ask them what they think ‘poor’ and ‘rich’ means or any of these black or white descriptor words. Have a discussion with your children, see the world through their eyes and keep teaching each other about the world around you!
Have you read David Cumming’s book, Teens In India? Share your thoughts below.
Browse other reviewed items at the archive.
Thank you for reading. If you have ideas of products for me to review for this series, e-mail me.
Related Posts/Sites:
www.amazon.com/dp/0817247971?tag=alawavofsou-20&camp=...;
Photos of my Social Work Master's Program, Chennai, India 1999-2001
Interfaith India/America Calendar
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I am not sure which Barbie she is and her head is very loose. Should I rebody her or what? Can someone identify the steffie head, I might rebody her on a fashionista body.
The Project [R]evolution Digital and Social Media Conference offers a unique opportunity for business, government and media managers to glean insights, ask questions and mix with some of the leading players in the field.
One of the keynote speakers:
Alec Ross
Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Alec Ross serves as Senior Advisor for Innovation in the Office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In this role, Alec is tasked with maximizing the potential of technology in service of America’s diplomatic and development goals.
Before that appointment, Alec worked on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team and served as Convener for Obama for America's Technology, Media & Telecommunications Policy Committee.
In 2000, Alec Ross and three colleagues co-founded One Economy, a global non-profit that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information about education, jobs, health care and other vital issues to low-income people. During his eight years at One Economy, it grew from a team of four people working in a basement to the world's largest digital divide organization, with programs on four continents.
Power to every citizen
To me “digital revolution” can be defined as the massive shift in power that has taken place from hierarchies to citizens and networks of citizens as a result of powerful digital technologies.
What this means in practical terms is that everyday citizens have power today that they did not have as recently as five years ago. Anybody with a smart phone now has the kind of global reach that was once reserved for governments and large media companies. This shifting power has disrupted commerce, communication and governance.
I see this “digital revolution” as being overwhelmingly positive. Some of the disruption it has caused (and will cause in the future) is negative, but this has been far outweighed by the ability of people to connect and engage with the world and with the marketplace in ways that were previously unimaginable. I think about my own experience as a school teacher in an impoverished community. When I was a teacher, the only educational resource my students had beyond my own knowledge were a set of tattered, 30-year old textbooks. Today, that same classroom is equipped with an internet connection that can deliver world-class educational resources directly to the students that most need them. While there is no replacement for a good teacher, our students should not have to suffer with out-of-date and substandard educational resources. With the digital revolution, that no longer needs to be the case.
Another Keynote speaker:
Emily Banks
Associate managing editor for Mashable
Emily Banks is responsible for organizing and overseeing Mashable‘s growing editorial operations, including assigning, editing and publishing stories, as well as sharing them to Mashable's social accounts. She is also responsible for coordinating with partners on video and syndicated content. She joined Mashable‘s New York team in October 2010. Mashable is well known as the largest independent news source dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology.
Some of Emily’s recent engagements include "Social Media 101" for New York Women in Communications, "The New Face of Social Good: How to Make Your Own Social Media Magic!" and "Challenging Conventional Wisdom of Social Media".
Abstract: Social media and the newsroom: the Revolution of the Newsroom
Without question, social media has changed the pace of news; how and where it breaks and who breaks it. How does this change our trust in media organisations, journalists as individuals and news-makers? As we remove the layer of authority provided by news organisations, by placing the news directly in the hands of journalists on social media, how do -- or should -- our readers approach the news? This talk will discuss tools for verifying news through social media, cases of misinformation caused by the rapid nature of breaking news on social and the ethical questions involved in reporting in this new age.
This is a manipulated photo for the Down Under Challenge Group See the other entries Here
I've been doing "Text on a Path" Tutorials the past few days......can't get out of the habit.
This Tutorial is Here
I did this one at a request from contacts from photos I had posted. Sadly, it only works on the CS Photoshop versions, and not on PS Elements