Trump dishonours Black anti-Hitler soldiers, Dutch TV honours them

Posted on November 23, 2025 by petrel41

This 10 Noveber 2025 video says about itself:

Trump Just Erased a Black Hero Memorial

In 1944, the all-Black 960th Quartermaster Service Company was given a horrific task: build the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten. They dug graves by hand in frozen ground, burying over 20,000 bodies. The trauma was so severe, their leader, Jefferson Wiggins, didn’t speak of it for 65 years.

In 2024, memorial panels were finally installed to tell their story. In November 2025, Donald Trump ordered them to be removed.

This is the story of the 960th, the 65-year-long secret, and the present-day political fight—allegedly following a complaint from the Heritage Foundation—to erase their memory from the very cemetery they built.

The removed panels named Black soldiers who died while freeing the Dutch province of Limburg from German nazi occupiers. One of the panels reminded us that these Black soldiers had to fight not only against German nazis (who killed Black prisoners of war) but also against being discriminated against in the racially segregated 1940s US military.

This 12 November Dutch AVROTROS TV video is called (translated) Sadness about disappeared panels about Black liberators at US cemetery Margraten.

This 10 November 2025 video says about itself:

The American Battle Monuments Commission has quietly removed commemorative panels honoring Black U.S. soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

This 22 November 2025 Dutch TV video is about how Dutch TV show Even Tot Hier, together with surviving relatives of these US Black soldiers, put back the panels honouring the Black soldiers, removed by the Trump admnistration. Not on the (United States-administered) cemetery, but right next to it. A farmer right next to the cemetery gave permission to put the name of one of the soldiers in big letters, consisting of big hay bales, on his land.

United States Congress members protest: here.

Casa da Música in Porto, Portugal

Posted on November 3, 2024 by petrel41

This video shows Pussy Riot, now exiles from Putin’s Russia, playing in the Casa da Música music hall in Porto, Portugal; on 9 June 2022.

In 2005, the Casa da Música was opened. On this 1 November 2024 photo, it is to the left of old buildings with graffiti.

It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, as a consequence of Porto and Rotterdam in 2001 both being European capitals of Culture.

The building is designed to make it possible to have several concerts in several halls at the same time, without the sound from one hall interfering with other halls.

This photo, from the biggest hall, shows how much technical stuff is needed for that.

Casa da Música is home to five permanent organisations: a classical music orchestra, a baroque music orchestra, an experimental electronic ensemble, an adults’ choir and a children’s choir.

There is complete set of instruments to play gamelan (traditional Indonesian music).

A Casa da Música leaflet says it is for ‘numerous musical genres … from classical to jazz, fado to electronic.’ It mentions various folk or jazz rock musicians who have played there.

The leaflet mentions only one punk ensemble: Pussy Riot. They played in 2022 in the biggest hall of the Casa da Música: the Sala Suggia, called after Porto-born Portuguese cello player Guilhermina Suggia. ‘That punk event by Pussy Riot in our biggest hall was an exception’, a Casa da Música employee told me. ‘When we just opened, there was a bit more punk.’

Siouxsie Sioux singing The Staircase there would fit.

Architect Koolhaas in one room, the VIP room, made panels, reproducing historic blue and white tiles, which had been made in both the Netherlands (Delft) and Portugal, with mutual influences.

Blue and white

Suriname bird stamps

Posted on January 12, 2024 by petrel41

Suriname Bird Stamps

Many birds on wintery Texel island

Posted on January 10, 2024 by petrel41

On 10 January 2024, a wintery but sunny day on Texel island, there were 165 Bewick’s Swans near Concordia building, east of De Waal village. The photo shows some of these swans, a wintering species in the Netherlands, including greyish young ones.

This photo shows Eurasian wigeon ducks; as part of the Wadden Sea is frozen.

This photo shows brent geese, mallards, a male teal and avocets at the Wadden Sea coast.

Among other birds on Texel that day: redwings, fieldfares, white-fronted geese, barnacle geese, golden plover, redshank. Near the Slufter nature reserve, in the sand dunes: long-tailed tits, goldfinch, wren.

Gull in Blackpool, UK

Posted on December 26, 2023 by petrel41

The gull, a portrait

Hedgehog in Gooilust nature reserve

Posted on May 16, 2023 by petrel41

Hedgehog, Gooilust, 16 May 2023

This hedgehog was in Gooilust nature reserve, on 16 May 2023.

Rare sheep’s head mushroom in Naardermeer, Netherlands

Posted on October 19, 2022 by petrel41

Sheep’s head mushroom, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022

At the bottom of an oak tree near the duck decoy in Naardermeer nature reserve grew this sheep’s head mushroom on 16 October 2022.

Sheep’s head mushroom, Naardermeer, on 16 October 2022

Autumn leaves on it. This is a rare species in the Netherlands.

Pintail, other ducks, Naardermeer, Netherlands

Posted on October 19, 2022 by petrel41

Male pintail ducks, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022

The 16 October boat trip in the Naardermeer nature reserve landed at the duck decoy. There, these male pintail ducks swam.

Pintails, domestic ducks, mallards, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022

Sometimes, female pintail ducks joined them. Sometimes, mallards and domestic ducks.

Pintail ducks, common pochards, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022

Sometimes, common pochards.

There was also a kingfisher at the duck decoy.

Herons, other birds, Naardermeer, Netherlands

Posted on October 19, 2022 by petrel41

Grey heron, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022

On 16 October, this grey heron flew over the beautiful Naardermeer nature reserve in the Netherlands.

I went along on a boat trip in the Nardermeer then. The trip was organised by the conservation organisation Natuurmonumenten, owners of the Naardermeer.

Naardermeer, trees, 16 October 2022

The Naardermeer is a lake with many marshy areas.

Naardermeer, birch trees, 16 October 2022

We saw this great egret.

Great egret, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022

Great egret, Naardermeerm 16 October 2022

Other birds that morning: an osprey, goshawk, common snipes. We heard a Cetti’s warbler.

Raptor migration, Shuamta, Georgia, September 2022

Posted on September 25, 2022 by petrel41

Shuamta raptor count point, Georgia, September 2022

Shuamta raptor count point, Georgia, 11 September 2022

This photo shows the raptor migration observation point in Shuamta, Georgia. It is not far from Batumi city, like the other hilltop observation point Sakhalvasho which is a few kilometres more to the west.

On 11 September, many black kites passing.