by Ethan Huff‚ Natural News: Too many people are talking about child trafficking these days‚ which has prompted The Atlantic to publish an article claiming that child sex trafficking is “fake.” The media outlet’s Kaitlyn Tiffany writes that the “moral panic” taking place with regard to children being trafficked by billionaire pedophiles and other upper crust perverts stems not […]

from Dr. Jane Ruby: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

from WND: ‘They remain illegal and will be actionable in a court of law’ Many corporations are reforming their diversity‚ equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to be less overt in response to recent backlash‚ the New York Times reported on Monday. TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/ Hundreds of firms recently have been reassessing their DEI programs […]

from Stew Peters Network: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

While I was working on the previous episode of Behind the Code and researching Jekyll’s walking speed in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the NES‚ I noticed that the frame rate was rather odd. Turns out it is REALLY odd. If you’ve played the game‚ you may have noticed that the speed is inconsistent. […]

Ancient Egypt may have lacked many things that we take for granted today‚ such as wheels and coins. But that civilization spawned countless inventions and innovations that shaped the ancient world.  This article will move chronologically through the most important inventions of Ancient Egypt.  Prehistoric Egypt The area around the Nile has been inhabited for all of human history and then some. Hominids capable of making stone tools have lived there for over one million years. Some of the earliest structures ever discovered were constructed in Egypt around 100‚000 BC.  Early humans used flat stone slabs to create rings that supported structures made of animal skins or plant materials. These semi-permanent homes could be disassembled and moved by hunter-gatherers.  Sickles‚ Grinding Stones‚ and Games People living around the Nile became gradually more settled. Early agriculture began in this region around 15‚000 years ago.  The Qadan culture in Upper Egypt (the southern area that is upriver from Lower Egypt) may have been the first culture in the world to invent sickles for harvesting grain. They also invented grinding stones independently of other cultures that used them.  Early farmers were vulnerable to attack from groups of hunter-gatherers. Although they persisted for approximately four thousand years‚ the Qadan culture disappeared around 10‚000 BC. Arrowheads first appeared in Egypt around 6000 BC. Weaving was also invented around this time. Ancient tombs dated to 5200 BC held linen balls and nine-shaped stones: a bowling-style game buried alongside a child. Other balls were made of leather stuffed with cornhusks and bound with string.  Predynastic Egypt The first pottery began to appear around 5000 BC‚ around the same time that people in this area began keeping animals such as goats‚ sheep‚ pigs‚ and cattle.  Domesticated dogs had already existed for quite some time. One image created in Egypt nearly six thousand years ago depicts a man walking his dog on a leash.  The Maadi culture started making copper tools around 4000 BC‚ including adzes. Art began to take off around this time. Pottery became increasingly ornamental. Egyptian faience (a process of coating pottery in brightly colored‚ glassy enamels) was invented. Copper tools became increasingly common‚ and copper weapons began to appear around 3500 BC. Cities grew significantly‚ with as many as five thousand people living all together. People began building with mud bricks instead of more portable materials such as reeds. Artifacts of Egypt from the Predynastic period‚ from 4400 to 3100 BC The discovery of well over one hundred animal skeletons at a burial site near Hierakonpolis points to the existence of the world’s first zoo (likely a private menagerie). This was created around 3500 BC.  At the time‚ this area was Egypt’s largest urban center. Animals buried alongside the city’s rulers include elephants‚ hippos‚ baboons‚ wildcats‚ and dogs. The diet of these animals suggests that they were fed by humans. Some show healed bones indicative of life in captivity. Beekeeping began in this time period as well. Neolithic cultures in the area used artificial hives made out of pottery vessels‚ woven baskets‚ and wooden boxes. The first wigs date back to prehistoric Egypt. Beeswax was commonly used to keep them in place. The oldest wig ever found dates back to 3400 BC. Egyptians commonly shaved their heads to prevent lice‚ and then used wigs to protect their heads from the scorching Egyptian sun. Many people wore wigs made from wool or plant fibers‚ while the upper class wore wigs made of human hair. This practice also led to the world’s first barbers. Records from the very beginning of the Predynastic Period document men who were hired to cut and shave hair with tools made of flint and shell. By the end of this period‚ many wealthy Egyptians had live-in barbers among their servants.  The first makeup also dates back to this time‚ or possibly even as early as Neolithic Egypt. By the Predynastic Period‚ Egyptians of all social classes wore a colored pigment called kohl around their eyes.  Green kohl was most common in predynastic times and was eventually replaced by black kohl. Kohl had medicinal properties‚ repelled flies‚ and helped to protect eyes from intense sunlight.  The earliest evidence of a numeral system dates back to 3200 BC. Ivory labels found in a tomb in one of the oldest cities in Ancient Egypt were used as tags for grave goods.  Egypt – that is‚ the many civilizations living along the Nile River – was unified in the Protodynastic Period around 3200 BC. Early Dynastic Period Also called the Archaic Period‚ this era begins with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by King Narmer around 3150 BC. During this time period‚ the elite began constructing tombs called mastabas. These rectangular buildings with inward-sloping walls were the predecessors of pyramids. These were some of the earliest stone monuments ever constructed. The first Egyptian writing system developed during this period from a handful of symbols to a system of over two hundred phonograms and ideograms. Northwest corner of mastaba Faraoun in Saqqarah Units of Measurement The Ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the first in the world to use a standardized system of measurement. They used standard units to measure and record important information‚ such as the level of the Nile River throughout the year. The system of measurement used during the Early Dynastic Period was based on parts of the body. The smallest unit represented the breadth of a finger.  Four fingers were equal to one palm‚ and five were equal to one handsbreadth. Cubits‚ another common unit‚ were equal to seven palms. There are also land records from this period that used regular units for area. Land was measured in square cubits. We also see the first evidence for standardized weight units during this period. Although the earliest weighing stones ever found originated in the Old Kingdom‚ Egyptolists believe that a weight unit called a deben was already in use during the Early Dynastic Period.  Tomb paintings from the end of this period show balance beams and weighing stones.  Early Ships The world’s first planked boats were constructed in Egypt around 3000 BC. Cloth sails appeared even earlier – in Predynastic Egypt around 3300 BC.  Stern-mounted steering oars – the predecessor of modern rudders – were commonly used in Egypt even before that. The earliest known harbors were created in Egypt towards the end of the Early Dynastic Period.  Old Kingdom This period spans from 2700 BC to 2200 BC.  The world’s first paved road may have been created early in this period. The oldest road ever discovered was found in Faiyum. Architecture progressed rapidly in the Old Kingdom from step pyramids to the great pyramids at Giza. Their stone interiors were quarried close to the building site‚ and their exteriors were made of fine white limestone transported from the other side of the Nile.  Egyptian priests told the Greek historian Herodotus that “the Great Pyramid had taken 400‚000 men 20 years to build‚ working in three-month shifts 100‚000 men at a time.”  Giza pyramid complex Ancient Egyptians were expert stonemasons. In addition to the Pyramids‚ many lifelike stone sculptures were created during this time.  Bees were domesticated at this time‚ and they appear in Old Kingdom art. One temple wall shows workers blowing smoke into the hives so that they can collect honeycomb. Some scholars have suggested that the first police force can be traced back to Old Kingdom Egypt. During the Fourth or Fifth Dynasty‚ the government began to select men from the military to patrol public areas. Trained monkeys and dogs that would help them to apprehend thieves in marketplaces.  The Invention of Paper Papyrus may have been invented even before the Early Dynastic Period. The oldest papyrus ever found was created during the Fourth Dynasty‚ around 4500 years ago.  Papyrus is thicker than paper. Paper is made from pulped plant fiber as opposed to thin strips from the papyrus plant. But scraps found alongside papyrus suggest that ancient Egyptians were manufacturing paper as well. The hieratic hieroglyphs found on the oldest pieces of papyrus ever discovered document the transportation of limestone blocks by boat from their quarries to construction sites in Giza. This white stone was probably used to create the outer layer of the Great Pyramid. Alongside papyrus‚ ancient Egyptians invented the world’s first ink. They mixed carbon from charcoal or soot with beeswax or gum arabic to create smooth black ink. They also used ocher to create red ink. The Egyptian Calendar  While the ancient Egyptian calendar‚ a solar calendar with a 365-day year‚ has its roots in prehistoric Egypt‚ a civil calendar was first established during the Old Kingdom Period. Careful observation of the stars was necessary to anticipate the annual flooding of the Nile. Ancient Egyptians divided the year into three seasons:  Inundation‚ the time from September to January when the Nile would flood  Emergence from January to May Low Water‚ the season of the summer harvest During this period‚ the months were numbered according to the season: First Month of Emergence and so on. Their calendar year was divided into 12 months‚ which had 30 days each. Each month was divided into three ten-day periods called decans. The additional period of five days was a major religious holiday celebrated in anticipation of each year’s flood. Calendar in the temple of Kom Ombo First Intermediate Period Little is known about the history of Egypt from 2181 BC to 2055 BC. A period of chaos and infighting followed the collapse of the Old Kingdom‚ which may have declined due to low flood levels and subsequent famines.  Though no great architectural marvels arose during this time‚ there was one important development: the invention of literature. Although the earliest surviving works of literature were written during the Middle Kingdom‚ scholars believe that the practices that led to these early stories and poems originated during this era. The many battles of this period also spurred inventions on that front‚ such as mobile siege towers. Middle Kingdom The Middle Kingdom began with the reunification of Egypt under the reign of Mentuhotep II in 2040 BC. He reigned for over fifty years and passed the unified nation on to his son‚ who continued to consolidate power. The First Standing Army The pharaohs of the Twelfth Dynasty in ancient Egypt may have been the first rulers in history to maintain well-trained standing armies. These professional soldiers manned extensive fortifications and defended the kingdom.  Borders were highly fortified and staunchly defended. In times of war‚ these standing armies served as the base of larger forces supplemented by ordinary citizens. Professional soldiers also accompanied trade delegations.  Battle rams may also have been invented during this period‚ or even earlier. The earliest depiction of a battering ram was found in the tomb of a noble from this period. A famous fortress was built at an old colonial town called Buhen during the Middle Kingdom. Over three thousand people lived within its walls.  It was the first of eight fortresses located along the Nile in the southernmost part of the kingdom. Each of them was within signaling distance of the other. Buhen’s fortifications included a deep moat‚ massive stone walls‚ drawbridges‚ ramparts‚ buttresses‚ bastions‚ battlements‚ double rows of loopholes (narrow windows for shooting arrows)‚ and a catapult. The Oldest Surviving Literature Stories and songs are both fundamental to who we are as humans. There’s no knowing how early in our history these oral traditions began. But literature – the written stories and poems of humankind – seem to have originated in Ancient Egypt.  Scribes in the Old Kingdom wrote things down for practical and religious purposes. But the first true works of literature date from the Twelfth Dynasty. The oldest story ever discovered is the “Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor“‚ which was written as early as 2500 BC. It is thought to be roughly five hundred years older than the Epic of Gilgamesh. The pharaoh in the story ruled Egypt around 2000 BC. “When Pharaoh Amen-em-het ruled Egypt‚” the story begins‚ “he brought peace and prosperity to a country that had been torn by civil war and rebellion for nearly two hundred years.” It goes on to tell of a sailor who was washed overboard and wound up on an island with only a giant serpent for company. Eventually‚ the ship returns for him‚ and he goes home with many expensive gifts from the serpent to his people.  This story was written in Hieratic script‚ which was most often used on papyrus. The word Hieratic derives from a term meaning ‘priestly writing’ because this script was first used for religious texts. It originated in the Early Dynastic Period and remained in use for thousands of years. This period also produced early philosophical works such as The Debate Between a Man and His Soul‚ in which a man argues with his Ba – the portion of the soul that represents his personality or his psyche.  The man is eager to reach the afterlife and be done with the evil and hardship of this world‚ but his soul urges him to persist and not wish for his life to end before its time. Other important nonfiction works also originated in the Middle Kingdom. An ancient papyrus document created before 1900 BC touches on mathematics‚ human medicine‚ and veterinary science. The medical section deals with gynecology‚ pregnancy‚ and newborns.  The Edwin Smith papyrus‚ the world’s oldest surviving surgical document. Written in hieratic script in ancient Egypt around 1600 B.C Second Intermediate Period The Second Intermediate Period from ​​1700 BC to 1550 BC marked another division between Upper and Lower Egypt following years of famine and illness. Mathematical papyruses dating from this period demonstrate an advanced understanding of arithmetic‚ algebra‚ and geometry. Ancient Egyptians used formulas that allowed them to calculate the volume of both cylindrical and rectangular granaries as well as the volume of a pyramid.  They were also able to find the area of a circle by using 256/81 as an approximate value for pi.  Medicine The earliest medical texts ever discovered date back to this period in Ancient Egypt. The Edwin Smith Papyrus from 1600 BC is the oldest known treatise on trauma surgery. It’s a transcription of an older text that may have been written as early as 3000 BC.  It includes 48 cases of injuries that include wounds‚ fractures‚ dislocations‚ tumors‚ and a broken nose. The treatments described include sutures‚ bandages‚ splints‚ poultices‚ immobilization for head trauma and spinal cord injuries‚ and honey for infections. The Ebers Papyrus‚ written around 1550 BC and most likely copied from earlier texts‚ is a 20-meter scroll. It lists over 700 remedies and incantations.  A section called the Book of Hearts delves into mental disorders such as depression and dementia. Other chapters deal with contraception‚ pregnancy‚ parasites‚ tumors‚ dentistry‚ bone-setting‚ diabetes‚ and burns. The Brugsch Papyrus‚ written around 1300 BC‚ contained 24 pages and touched on topics such as contraception and pregnancy tests.  The London Medical Papyrus written around the same time contains 61 recipes that combine the medical with the magical. Ancient Egyptians made little to no distinction between science and religion. The recipes offer help for skin complaints‚ eye conditions‚ burns‚ and the prevention of miscarriages. Other Egyptian medical inventions include scalpels‚ scissors‚ needles‚ forceps‚ lancets‚ adhesive bandages‚ prosthetics‚ tampons‚ and tooth powder. Egyptian medical instruments. WorldHistory.org New Kingdom  The New Kingdom began around 1570 BC and endured for five hundred years.  Ahmose I founded the Eighteenth Dynasty. He retook the fortress at Buhen‚ and conquered Lower Egypt‚ thereby reunifying the country.  There was a resurgence of trade under his leadership. He reopened abandoned mines and quarries‚ and began the greatest construction projects to have been undertaken in centuries.  He built the last pyramid ever constructed as part of a mortuary complex in Egypt. The sides of it were steeper than those of the great pyramids‚ but only ruins remain. Glass may have been invented during the reign of Ahmose I. Glass beads began to appear shortly thereafter. By 1500 BC‚ Egyptian glassmakers were producing multi-colored vessels and the world’s first perfume bottles. The world’s first sundials were also invented during the reign of Ahmose I. They were preceded by simpler varieties of shadow clocks. Ancient Egyptians may have used them for an additional two thousand years before the creation of the earliest surviving sundial.  Part of an Egyptian shadow clock The first water clocks were created in Egypt around 1400 BC. They were stone vessels with sloped sides and a hole in the bottom that allowed water to drip out at a consistent rate. Markings on the inside measured the passage of time as water drained. Navel rams originated in this period. They served to puncture enemy ships. Grappling hooks were also used in naval combat. The oldest horse stables ever excavated date back to New Kingdom Egypt. Ramesses the Great established massive stables that could contain nearly five hundred horses at one time. The oldest surviving geological map was created in Egypt around 1150 BC. The Turin Papyrus Map depicts an area that held both a stone quarry and a gold mine. There is no record of another geological map being created for another three millennia.  The End of Ancient Egypt The Third Intermediate Period began in 1077 BC with the death of Pharaoh Ramesses XI. Subsequent pharaohs lost control over Middle and Upper Egypt‚ which were ruled by the High Priests of Amun.  This period of history was not nearly as dark or chaotic as the first two Intermediate Periods. Shoshenq I began the Twenty-second Dynasty and reunified the country around 945 BC and ushered in over one hundred years of stability. Later in the period‚ Nubian rulers took advantage of further political instability to subsume Egypt into their empires. The Late Period began around 664 BC with the first pharaoh of the Saite Dynasty‚ which was the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh Wahibre Psamtik I reunified the country and his successors expanded their empire‚ annexing Cyprus and other lands. Towards the end of the Late Period‚ Egypt was ruled by the Persian Empire under Persian-controlled Egypt. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt began in 305 BC under the rule of the Macedonian general  Ptolemy I Soter‚ who succeeded Alexander the Great. It ended with Cleopatra when Egypt was conquered by Rome.The post The most Important Inventions of Ancient Egypt first appeared on History Defined.

Marienplatz in Munich‚ Shutterstock   Munich’s history is inextricably linked with the history of National Socialism. The Bavarian city was the home base of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP)‚ or “National Socialist German Workers’ Party.” In 1923‚ it was in Munich that Hitler carried out the Beer Hall putsch. The first concentration camp was located in Dachau‚ a town just northwest of Munich. In 1935‚ Hitler declared Munich the Hauptstadt der Bewegung (Capital of the Movement). In the following years‚ the city became the showcase for the totalitarian regime’s propaganda machine and reign of terror.   After the war‚ Munich tentatively began to come to terms with its National Socialist legacy. It was only in the 1980s‚ however‚ that the city gradually started to address its Nazi past by transforming sites associated with National Socialism into Erinnerungsorte (Places of Remembrance). Over the years‚ plaques and monuments have formed a geography of memory in the urban landscape. Here are 8 places to see in Munich that show visitors how the city dealt with its problematic legacy.   1. Platz der Opfer des Nationalsozialismus &; The Memorial to the Murdered Sinti and Roma The Eternal Flame on Platz der Opfer des Nationalsozialismus‚ Rofl G Wackenberg‚ Shutterstock   Ten months after the end of the war‚ the area near the former Gestapo and Nazi Party headquarters was renamed Platz der Opfer des Nationalsozialismus (Square of the Victims of National Socialism). The city wanted to transform the new square into the main commemorative site of its Nazi past. However‚ in the following decades‚ the area was mostly overlooked.   To draw more attention to the site‚ in 1983‚ the city council launched a competition for a memorial to display in the square. The winner was German sculptor Andreas Sobeck‚ who designed the Ewiger Flamme (Eternal flame)‚ a granite column topped with a flame burning day and night inside a cage‚ reminding passers-by that hope‚ free-thinking‚ and humanity survive even in the darkest of times. In 2014‚ a bronze plaque completed the memorial. Its inscription  read: “In memory of the victims of National Socialist tyranny‚ persecuted because of their political belief‚ religion‚ race‚ sexual orientation‚ and disability.”   In 1995‚ the city added to the remembrance site a metal plate to commemorate the Sinti and Roma‚ who were branded as “gypsies” and persecuted by the Nazi regime. Only a few of them survived the Auschwitz death camp. It was the first time Munich publicly addressed the fate of its Sinti and Roma community. In 2008‚ the City Council of Elders voted to install benches to invite citizens and visitors to sit and “meditate that this came about‚” as Holocaust survivor Primo Levi warned in his famous Shema.   2. The Plaque Outside the Former Gestapo Headquarters Plaque on the wall of the former Gestapo headquarters‚ John Shorack‚ via Traces of War   “And now?” wrote an anonymous person on the wall of the former Gestapo prison in Munich in 1946‚ “Why are there no Nazis imprisoned here?” During the regime‚ the Neo-Gothic Wittelsbacher Palais became the headquarters of the Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo)‚ or “Secret State Police.” The Gestapo officials working in the building compiled death lists and issued deportation orders. They also detained and tortured opponents of the Nazi regime and resistance fighters‚ such as Jesuit Priest Rupert Mayer and the members of the White Rose. In 1944‚ the building also served as an annex of the Dachau concentration camp.   The 1946 graffiti shows the city’s reluctance to deal with matters concerning guilt and responsibility. In 1964‚ the remains of the building were permanently demolished. In 1982‚ a modern building of the Bayerische Landesbank replaced the former palace. The easy-to-miss bronze plaque referencing the site’s history was the subject of much controversy and negotiation. The plaque was finally placed outside the building in 1984. The inscription bears only a brief reference to the palace’s Nazi past. Nevertheless‚ this was the first time Munich drew public attention to a site deeply connected with the history of the Third Reich.   3. Commemorating the Holocaust: The Memorial Stone for the Destroyed Main Synagogue Memorial Stone for the destroyed main synagogue in Munich‚ Vladimir Levin‚ 2013‚ via Center for Jewish Art   Munich’s main synagogue was one of the urban landmarks in the pre-war era. In June 1938‚ Hitler personally ordered the demolition of the Jewish place of worship “for traffic reasons.” The site then became a car park. The vandalism against Munich’s synagogue foreshadowed the state-wide pogroms of November 1938. After the war‚ the city returned the site to the Jewish community. The community sold it back to the municipality that agreed to use it to build a memorial for the old synagogue.   In 1967‚ Munich sculptor Herbert Peters won the competition organized by the city for the memorial. Peters designed a monument made of five granite blocks recreating a cornerstone of the vandalized building. The Magen David (Star of David) and an inscription commemorating the events of June and November 1938 adorn the front of the main block. On the inside corner‚ a niche guards the most sacred symbols of Judaism‚ such as the menorah (a seven-branched candelabra)‚ the Decalogue‚ and the Tablets of the Law. Several verses from Psalm 47‚ a lament for the desecration of the Jerusalem sanctuary‚ are also engraved into the blocks.   On the anniversary of the 1938 anti-Semitic pogroms‚ Munich citizens and public figures take turns reading out the names of the Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The victims’ names are also remembered in the underground Gang der Erinnerung (Corridor of Memory) that links the new synagogue with the Jewish community center. The granite memorial‚ unveiled in 1969‚ was one of the city’s first efforts to commemorate the systematic annihilation of German (and European) Jews.   4. The Plaque Commemorating the Reichspogromnacht (November 9‚ 1938) The plaque commemorating the Reichspogromnacht on the wall of the Old Town Hall‚ via München.tv   On November 7‚ 1938‚  Herschel Grynszpan‚ a 17-year-old Polish Jew‚ shot Ernst vom Rath‚ a German diplomatic official‚ in Paris. A few days earlier‚ Grynszpan’s parents had been expelled from Germany. Vom Rath died on November 9‚ the anniversary of the failed 1923 Beer Hall putsch. While the Nazi Party leadership was commemorating the occasion in the Old Town Hall’s ballroom‚ propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels held a rousing speech that unleashed a deadly wave of anti-Semitic violence. During the night between November 9 and 10‚ members of the SA (Sturmabteilung) and the Hitler Youth vandalized and destroyed synagogues and Jewish-owned shops all over Germany. In the wake of this state-sponsored vandalism‚ thousands of men were arrested just because they were Jewish. Countless shards of broken glass littered the streets of German cities.   The Reichspogromnacht‚ also referred to as Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass)‚ was the first step of the systematic persecution of German Jews that led to the Endlösung der Judenfrage (Final Solution to the Jewish Question): the systematic annihilation of all Jews. More than sixty years after the pogrom‚ Munich’s former mayor Hans-Jochel Vogel suggested drawing attention to the city’s pivotal role in the 1938 anti-Semitic violence with a plaque. The marble plaque was put on the wall of the Old Town Hall’s foyer in November 2000. Its inscription states that the 1938 party in the building’s ballroom marked the beginning of the Reichspogromnacht. As the foyer is often closed to the public‚ a replica of the plaque was installed at the entrance of the Old Town Hall.   5. National Identity in Postwar Munich: the Feldherrnhalle Recruits in front of the Feldherrnhalle‚ 8 November 1935‚ Keystone/Getty Image   Modeled after the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence‚ the Felherrnhalle played a key role in the Third Reich’s propaganda machine. In 1923‚ it was here that the Bavarian police stopped the Beer Hall putsch. In the ensuing chaos‚ 16 putschists died. After Hitler rose to power‚ he transformed the building into a shrine to the “martyrs” of the event the Nazi propaganda dubbed the “March on the Feldherrnhalle.” In November 1933‚ Hitler personally unveiled the Mahnmal der Bewegung (Memorial to the Movement)‚ a plaque bearing the swastika and listing the names of the “fallen.” Two SS guards kept a round-the-clock vigil under the monument. During the regime‚ SS recruiters swore their oath to the Führer in front of the Felhernnhalle.   After the fall of the Nazi regime‚ many citizens closely associated the Feldherrnhalle with National Socialism. As a result‚ the building became the platform from which locals expressed their contrasting views on guilt and national identity. Shortly after the end of the war‚ an anonymous citizen wrote on the wall under the Mahnmal: “Dachau – Velden – Buchenwald – ich schäme mich‚ dass ich ein Deutscher bin” (I am ashamed to be a German). Two days later‚ however‚ another graffiti proclaimed: “Goethe‚ Diesel‚ Haydn‚ Rob. Koch. Ich bin stolz‚ Deutscher zu sein” (I am proud to be a German). Finally‚ on June 13‚ 1945‚ a group of citizens toppled and smashed the Mahnmal.   Today‚ no plaque addresses the building’s Nazi past. Over the years‚ the city council rejected several proposals to install a memorial on the Feldherrnhalle‚ stating that the Loggia is a protected monument.   6. Commemorating the Silent Resistance: the Bronze Trail in the Viscardigasse The bronze trail on the pavement of Viscardigasse‚ Munich‚ Catherina Hess‚ via Süddeutsche Zeitung   During the Nazi regime‚ passers-by were required to honor the Mahnmal der Bewegung with the outstretched arm and the Hitlergruß (Nazi salute). The SS guards reprimanded those who refused to comply. As a result‚ some citizens began to bypass the Nazi monument by taking an alternative route through Viscardigasse‚ a narrow alley just behind the Feldherrnhalle. For this reason‚ the alley became commonly known as Drückebergergasse (Shirkers’ Alley).   In 1955‚ Munich artist Bruno Wank decided to commemorate the silent resistance of the locals with a 59-foot-long trail of bronze bricks. Titled Argumente (Arguments)‚ the pavement memorial was initially meant to be a temporary installation. It was one of the first times the city paid tribute to those who opposed the Nazi regime. In the 1990s‚ when Munich started to expand its memory landscape and reshape its remembrance policy‚ Bruno Wanks’s project became a permanent urban landmark.   7. Wunden der Erinnerung (Wounds of Memory) The installation “Wounds of Memory” at Haus der Kunst‚ Munich‚ via Haus der Kunst   In the 1990s‚ when artists became actively involved in the city’s remembrance policy‚ Beate Passow and Andreas von Weizsäcker created the art project Wunden der Erinnerung (Wounds of Memory). The two artists traveled through Europe and installed square glass panels in front of holes left on streets and buildings by grenades and bombshells. In Munich‚ visitors can find the permanent installations on a pillar of the Haus der Kunst‚ the former venue of the annual exhibition of “Great German Art‚” and on the outside walls of the university building.   The artists aimed to encourage people to observe and reflect on the physical traces left by the Second World War. “Rather than providing definitive answers‚” remarks Sabine Brantl‚ the Head of the History Department at Haus der Kunst‚ “their projects focused on observing things others had overlooked‚ exposing gaps and preserving traces of forgetting and repression.” Today‚ the Wounds of Memory still invite passers-by to ask questions about memory and forgetting.   8. Places to See in Munich: White Rose Pavement Memorial in Front of the University &; DenkStätte Weiße Rose Pavement memorial for the White Rose‚ Michael F. Schönitzer‚ via Smithsonian Magazine   In 1942‚ a group of students from the University of Munich formed a resistance group called Weiße Rose (White Rose). The group wrote and distributed six pamphlets exposing the crimes of the Nazi regime and urging their peers and German citizens to oppose the Third Reich. On February 18‚ 1943‚ Jakob Schmid‚ a janitor and SA member‚ denounced the students to the Gestapo. All members of the White Rose were later executed.   Nazi parade on Königsplatz‚ 9 November 1936‚ Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München   In February 1946‚ the city council renamed the two forecourts of the university after Hans and Sophie Scholl‚ the leaders of the White Rose‚ and Professor Kurt Hubert‚ the author of the sixth pamphlet. In 1988‚ Berlin artist Robert Schmidt-Matt honored the memory of the resistance group with a pavement memorial placed in front of the main entrance to the university buildings. Schmidt-Matt reproduced on ceramic tiles the group’s six pamphlets as well as photos of the White Rose’s members.   Since 1997‚ the permanent exhibition DenkStätte Weiße Rose informs visitors about the group’s activities and tells the stories and intellectual background of its members. Today‚ the White Rose is the most famous and celebrated German resistance group. German students regularly visit the DenkStätte and learn about the group’s courage. Additionally‚ the University of Munich organizes an annual White Rose Memorial Lecture.

Even though European countries and America are roughly on the same level regarding development‚ there are still some stark differences in their ways of life. Americans may look to Europe and feel a bit jealous over their free healthcare systems and more laid-back approach to their professional lives.But Europeans who visit America are also in awe of some of the everyday things that Americans take for granted‚ which seem to be luxuries. A Reddit user named Prof_XdR asked Europeans on the AskReddit subforum to share the everyday American things that they believe are luxuries‚ and the question received nearly 13‚000 responses.Clearly‚ Europeans admire many things about the American way of life.Here are 15 of the best responses to the question: “Europeans of Reddit‚ what do Americans have every day that you see as a luxury?”1. Disability access"Disability access everywhere. I can go to any place -- theater‚ store‚ office‚ school‚ whatever -- with confidence that I'll be able to navigate fine in my wheelchair. They'll have ramps and/or elevators." — 5AgainstRhoneIsland"Of all the things in this thread‚ the disability access is it IMO. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was an absolute game changer‚ and European countries and the EU as a whole should be embarrassed for not having something like it." — Jedrekk2. Climate changes"You can pretty much choose to live in any climate you like when you live in the USA and still be in the same country. You like 4 seasons: Move to the Northeast. You like the humid ocean climate - move to Seattle. You like dry warm weather - move to Los Angeles. You like deserts‚ move to Arizona. You like warm and humid weather - move to the Southeast." — DachauPrince"I work as an ecologist and the amount of biodiversity in California is insane. I'll do biological surveys a few hundred miles apart and see so many different plants and animals at each site. I've even done work at sites fairly close to each other (sub 50 miles apart) and will still find stark differences between sites. It's a magic state for wildlife biologists." — Skinsnax3. Big kitchens"Big kitchens and big refrigerators/ freezers. Even in my student apartment‚ we had a pretty good-sized kitchen. I was dating a Czech girl and her parents came to visit. When they went to my apartment for dinner‚ the mom was just amazed at the size of my fridge. They were amused when I dumped the scraps in the sink and turned on the garbage disposal. They’d heard about it but had never seen one." — Granadafan4. Square footage"The massive houses‚ a special room just for your massive washer and dryer units‚ 2 car garage‚ basically you have tons of space." — Howiebledsoe"The size of your homes in places like Utah and Texas. There's a dedicated room for everything. Kids playroom that isn't the living room or the kid's bedroom‚ walk-in pantry room‚ a laundry room." — mcnunu5. Free refills"As an American‚ it's so easy to take this for granted. Similarly‚ getting free ice water in the US as well is something I often forget isn't exactly a thing in many other parts of the world." — Gaveuptheghost6. National parks"There’s just human development on virtually every inch of large parts of Europe. So even when there are parks‚ they’re not always as untouched as American parks. And the population density in large parts of Europe means you see a lot more people in the parks. America has national parks that are so untouched and massive that you can really be alone if you want to be." — CactusBoyScout7. A/C"Americans pump it all summer long." — Websurfer498. Two peaceful neighbors (Mexico and Canada)"Remember‚ the world's longest undefended border is between Canada and the United States. That says something about our relationship." — Dervishler"We Europeans both love and hate each other in ways that Americans will never understand. But basically‚ not being French should be enough." — TitanFox9810. Big schools"My high school just had a pool‚ 3 gyms‚ an agricultural barn with stalls for students to keep the animals they were raising to show at the rodeo‚ a few labs‚ a theater‚ a full-size kitchen that was used for the culinary classes to share (not the cafeteria)‚ 3 tennis courts‚ 2 soccer fields that were also used for football practice‚ and a football stadium with a Jumbotron. At the end of the year‚ the culinary classes would cook breakfast for the graduating class." — Elephantepiphany11. Free bathrooms"As an American who lived in Europe with little kids‚ this was frustrating. My wife found an app of free public restrooms in Europe." — QuotidianPain12. Mexican food"Real Mexican food. We have Mexican restaurants in my home country‚ but the owners are usually not Mexican and it’s just not the same. Now‚ I’m living in Japan and it’s the same problem… Mexican food is so delicious." — punpun_Osa13. Supermarkets"Enormous supermarkets with abundant choice. I always feel like I'm in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory when I enter one. There's so much stuff!" — Better protection14. Big showers"This stands out - I have two really great friends (an expat woman and her husband) that live in the UK‚ and when I went to stay at their first place together‚ their shower was like a 2-foot-wide plastic shield outside of the bathtub. I had to stay so close to the wall‚ so I didn't spray water all over the bathroom." — IGNSolar715. Money"There’s a huge gap between the volume of physical/material stuff Americans count as normal and what Europeans consider normal. An American home might have three TVs versus one‚ six or seven rooms full of furniture instead of two or three‚ extra small appliances added all the time like air fryers and espresso machines‚ new PCs and phones every couple of years because of constant upgrade marketing … the American perception that there’s not enough money is partly down to the giant volume of things Americans regard as minimum equipment." — AnotherPint"In effect‚ when you account for wages and cost of living‚ luxuries (which usually have similar prices around the world) are proportionally cheaper for Americans. They make up less of their wage and‚ therefore‚ make less of a difference. Standard of living is completely different for a working-class American because they can afford luxuries people from working class in other countries can't." — ltlyellowcould2. Climate changes"You can pretty much choose to live in any climate you like when you live in the USA and still be in the same country. You like 4 seasons: Move to the Northeast. You like the humid ocean climate - move to Seattle. You like dry warm weather - move to Los Angeles. You like deserts‚ move to Arizona. You like warm and humid weather - move to the Southeast." — DachauPrince"I work as an ecologist and the amount of biodiversity in California is insane. I'll do biological surveys a few hundred miles apart and see so many different plants and animals at each site. I've even done work at sites fairly close to each other (sub 50 miles apart) and will still find stark differences between sites. It's a magic state for wildlife biologists." — Skinsnax3. Big kitchens"Big kitchens and big refrigerators/ freezers. Even in my student apartment‚ we had a pretty good-sized kitchen. I was dating a Czech girl and her parents came to visit. When they went to my apartment for dinner‚ the mom was just amazed at the size of my fridge. They were amused when I dumped the scraps in the sink and turned on the garbage disposal. They’d heard about it but had never seen one." — Granadafan4. Square footage"The massive houses‚ a special room just for your massive washer and dryer units‚ 2 car garage‚ basically you have tons of space." — Howiebledsoe"The size of your homes in places like Utah and Texas. There's a dedicated room for everything. Kids playroom that isn't the living room or the kid's bedroom‚ walk-in pantry room‚ a laundry room." — mcnunu5. Free refills"As an American‚ it's so easy to take this for granted. Similarly‚ getting free ice water in the US as well is something I often forget isn't exactly a thing in many other parts of the world." — Gaveuptheghost6. National parks"There’s just human development on virtually every inch of large parts of Europe. So even when there are parks‚ they’re not always as untouched as American parks. And the population density in large parts of Europe means you see a lot more people in the parks. America has national parks that are so untouched and massive that you can really be alone if you want to be." — CactusBoyScout7. A/C"Americans pump it all summer long." — Websurfer498. Two peaceful neighbors (Mexico and Canada)"Remember‚ the world's longest undefended border is between Canada and the United States. That says something about our relationship." — Dervishler"We Europeans both love and hate each other in ways that Americans will never understand. But basically‚ not being French should be enough." — TitanFox9810. Big schools"My high school just had a pool‚ 3 gyms‚ an agricultural barn with stalls for students to keep the animals they were raising to show at the rodeo‚ a few labs‚ a theater‚ a full-size kitchen that was used for the culinary classes to share (not the cafeteria)‚ 3 tennis courts‚ 2 soccer fields that were also used for football practice‚ and a football stadium with a Jumbotron. At the end of the year‚ the culinary classes would cook breakfast for the graduating class." — Elephantepiphany11. Free bathrooms"As an American who lived in Europe with little kids‚ this was frustrating. My wife found an app of free public restrooms in Europe." — QuotidianPain12. Mexican food"Real Mexican food. We have Mexican restaurants in my home country‚ but the owners are usually not Mexican and it’s just not the same. Now‚ I’m living in Japan and it’s the same problem… Mexican food is so delicious." — punpun_Osa13. Supermarkets"Enormous supermarkets with abundant choice. I always feel like I'm in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory when I enter one. There's so much stuff!" — Better protection14. Big showers"This stands out - I have two really great friends (an expat woman and her husband) that live in the UK‚ and when I went to stay at their first place together‚ their shower was like a 2-foot-wide plastic shield outside of the bathtub. I had to stay so close to the wall‚ so I didn't spray water all over the bathroom." — IGNSolar715. Money"There’s a huge gap between the volume of physical/material stuff Americans count as normal and what Europeans consider normal. An American home might have three TVs versus one‚ six or seven rooms full of furniture instead of two or three‚ extra small appliances added all the time like air fryers and espresso machines‚ new PCs and phones every couple of years because of constant upgrade marketing … the American perception that there’s not enough money is partly down to the giant volume of things Americans regard as minimum equipment." — AnotherPint"In effect‚ when you account for wages and cost of living‚ luxuries (which usually have similar prices around the world) are proportionally cheaper for Americans. They make up less of their wage and‚ therefore‚ make less of a difference. Standard of living is completely different for a working-class American because they can afford luxuries people from working class in other countries can't." — ltlyellowcould