Georg Brandes in Denmark wrote against the first world war. He wrote for peace in general. Like Helen Keller in the USA and Marie Lenéru in France. Like Käthe Kollwitz in Germany.

Georg Brandes already before the war was known as a big influence on Danish and world literature. And as a supporter of human rights causes. (more…)

After my earlier blog posts here, and here, the news about humpbacks and other whales in the Netherlands did not stop.

Beached humpback “Johannes” died on 16 December. After its death, it turned out the whale was a female “Johanna”.

The dead sperm whale was towed to Texel island. A living humpback and her baby swim along the Dutch coast. (more…)

On 12 December 2012, a humpback whale, still living, stranded on the Dutch desert island Noorderhaaks, also known as Razende Bol.

A few days later, a dead sperm whale stranded on the same island, a few hundred meter away.

How did this story which attracted much attention, including internationally, develop? (more…)

During World War I, Allied war propaganda depicted the German people as a mass of “Huns”, slavishly following the militarism of Emperor Wilhelm II and the ruling clique.

During World War II, Allied war propaganda depicted the German people as a mass of Hitler fans, slavishly following nazi militarism.

Historic reality was much more complex than that. (more…)

Humpback whales are famous for their songs, and for their long migrations, from polar regions to the tropics.

Whaling nearly made them extinct. They seem to recover better from whaling now than some other whale species. (more…)

People who want world peace might be interested in the lives and work of two women of about a century ago: Helen Keller from the USA, and Marie Lenéru from France.

Of these two, Helen Keller is the best known (though often in a one-sided way).
(more…)