Vietnam

In geographic terms, Vietnam is an extremely elongated country along the coast of the South China Sea. The distance between it's two largest cities, Ho Chi Minh City in the south and Hanoi in the north, is over 1,100 km, or over 700 miles. But it is only about 40 km, or 25 miles, wide at it's narrowest point. It's geography is somewhat reminiscent of Chile, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

The largest city of Vietnam is in the south of the country. It used to be called Saigon but was renamed Ho Chi Minh City upon the 1975 Communist victory in the Vietnam War. Ho Chi Minh, who died in 1969, had been the leader of the Communist North Vietnam.

The following scenes begin in front of Ben Thanh Market in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. The ornate building with the orange roof and the statue of Ho Chi Minh in front is the city hall. The Vietnamese language uses the Latin alphabet. The first two images are from Google Street View.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >, After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@10.7720142,106.6984227,3a,75y,289.5h,95.85t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sn7G5FHdCrUFJQC9dRP6xug!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dn7G5FHdCrUFJQC9dRP6xug%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D81.73517%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is Reunification Palace. It was built on the site of a former palace that was destroyed in a coup attempt against the president of what was then the state of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, in 1962. The first two images of the palace are from Google Street View.

In my early teens, I remember watching the final end of the Vietnam War live on the news. This palace was the residence of the president of South Vietnam. The war effectively ended when a North Vietnamese tank smashed through the front gate of the palace. The president of South Vietnam emerged and offered his country's surrender. The tank commander gave a reply that meant something like " It doesn't look like you have much left to surrender".

https://www.google.com/maps/@10.7762772,106.6947819,3a,75y,288.8h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOeLwg1X5yR9B3lgYs1c_9NbACs233PAAkE0Xmj!2e10!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOeLwg1X5yR9B3lgYs1c_9NbACs233PAAkE0Xmj%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi0-ya138.79604946306182-ro0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Here is a look at the central part  of Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon. The first seven images are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@10.7763576,106.7014298,3a,75y,348.33h,106.43t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPYeaNW3633CYwMrkUZVzFpPDP924X5wlaKM2TD!2e10!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPYeaNW3633CYwMrkUZVzFpPDP924X5wlaKM2TD%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-16.4328-ya31.834843847656202-ro0-fo100!7i5376!8i2688?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

This is an everyday neighborhood of Ho Chi Minh City. One question immediately arises. What ever happened to Communism? Wasn't Vietnam supposed to be a Communist country? Yet there are small businesses, private markets, business advertisements and that bustling entrepreneurial atmosphere to be seen everywhere. Most people do not consider Vietnam to be a democracy, in terms of politics, but as far as economics goes, Marx or Lenin might have a heart attack if they saw Vietnam today.

https://www.google.com/maps/@10.7826425,106.6725368,3a,75y,160h,110t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipO5vQfq8ehMg07HAIjWRMKSZy6h_nPb_2UbDJj1!2e10!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO5vQfq8ehMg07HAIjWRMKSZy6h_nPb_2UbDJj1%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-20-ya105.9417953491211-ro0-fo100!7i5760!8i2880?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

The vast U.S. military base that was at Da Nang during the Vietnam War is now that city's airport. A truce was reached early in 1973, and the U.S. withdrew it's forces from Vietnam. The Communists in the north waited a couple of years, saw America distracted by Watergate and, gambling that it wouldn't get re-involved, renewed their offensive and soon won the war. The Communists won, but yet the former base at Da Nang looks today like a haven of free enterprise. It even has a Burger King.

https://www.google.com/maps/@16.0534875,108.2024846,3a,75y,172h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMZ1gpdDp9eWOVVxu5PKWUoHrzQdlC0_CeTXf52!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMZ1gpdDp9eWOVVxu5PKWUoHrzQdlC0_CeTXf52%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya8.404671-ro-0-fo100!7i5376!8i2688

Here is the former imperial capital of Vietnam at Hue. The country has been ruled from Hanoi for most of the more than thousand years since it was founded. But the Nguyen Dynasty, the last royal imperial house to rule the country, ruled from Hue which is close to being in the very middle of the country. Bao Dai, the last Vietnamese emperor and Ngo Dinh Diem, who deposed and succeeded him as president of South Vietnam, were both of the Nguyen Dynasty. The first four images of the Imperial City are from Google Street View. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@16.4692193,107.5780506,3a,75y,79.35h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMLuF2ofjHPlWRxd3GhlaMUkkuIPWWSHAD-y5JM!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMLuF2ofjHPlWRxd3GhlaMUkkuIPWWSHAD-y5JM%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya24.910538-ro-0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120

Vietnam is, of course, a very ancient land. The Hindu religion was practiced here far in the past. The famous Angkor Wat, in neighboring Cambodia, was a Hindu temple. The one major bastion of Hinduism remaining in southeast Asia is the island of Bali in Indonesia. The region in which Vietnam is located is called Indochina because it has been historically influenced by both India and China. We can see that the layout of the Imperial City at Hue is similar to the Forbidden City.

The Vietnamese people originated in what is now the northern part of the country and far southern China, southern Vietnam was Khmer territory and was conquered later. Two Communist governments, in neighboring Vietnam and Cambodia, came to power in 1975 at just about exactly the same time. The two victorious new governments made a great show of alliance and solidarity.

But history runs deep, much deeper than Communism. The Khmer Rouge was about fulfilling Khmer ( Cambodian ) history and they knew that the southern part of Vietnam used to belong to them. It wasn't long before they launched attacks into Vietnam and it was a Vietnamese retaliation that drove them from power.

This is My Son, a former Hindu religious center which is over a thousand years old. The Indonesian island of Bali is still mostly Hindu today because southeast Asia was Hindu. The first three images of the ruins of the Hindu temple are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@15.7906337,108.1080639,3a,75y,251.78h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPifpZgQhpmyxOmn6NnFdXPrAGA3rRnW-ERaDM_!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPifpZgQhpmyxOmn6NnFdXPrAGA3rRnW-ERaDM_%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya251.11638-ro0-fo100!7i5000!8i2500

In the west, we tend to think of Vietnam as a land associated with warfare. But aside from the move from the north into Khmer territory in the south, and the self-defense invasion of Cambodia ( then Kampuchea ) in late 1978, Vietnam has never sent it's forces into another country. Vietnam is strategically located and it is always other countries invading it. But the Vietnamese always prove to be a tough and resourceful people who, sooner or later, will regain their freedom.

Here is Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The structure with the columns is the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. The original Imperial Citadel of Hanoi is close by. Hanoi was founded just over a thousand years ago. This area of the city is also the center of Vietnam's government. The modern building on the opposite side of the square from the mausoleum is the National Assembly. The first four images of Ba Dinh Square are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@21.0371739,105.8374884,3a,75y,33.12h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMebfACSLHmJ8O7LLnP2iICBsTMGcB49OcnyXQp!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMebfACSLHmJ8O7LLnP2iICBsTMGcB49OcnyXQp%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya32.3421-ro-0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120

This is Hanoi. Even in this city, which was also the capital of Communist North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, free enterprise flourishes. Instead of portraits of Marx or Lenin, in the center of the first image there is a portrait of Colonel Sanders.

https://www.google.com/maps/@21.0166559,105.8315592,3a,75y,46.5h,104.93t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNxRgOxSOIZmC9Qs5AkxN5rUp05_tYrwhhXPp1F!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNxRgOxSOIZmC9Qs5AkxN5rUp05_tYrwhhXPp1F%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-14.5273-ya279.68054-ro5.3892922-fo100!7i5760!8i2880

Here is some of the modern city of Hanoi. The first three images are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@21.0192553,105.817419,3a,75y,58.5h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPdfp6QZgYrd1_Hc_Swtqw8fSxd1J94GRqIcjZr!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPdfp6QZgYrd1_Hc_Swtqw8fSxd1J94GRqIcjZr%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya48.5-ro-0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352

Finally, Haiphong is the coastal city of northern Vietnam. The first five images of Haiphong are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@20.8441028,106.6819662,3a,75y,40h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOMZyrl-q-Y_Meye1dwTN5Td14PKnVdgpInsBn7!2e10!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh5.ggpht.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOMZyrl-q-Y_Meye1dwTN5Td14PKnVdgpInsBn7%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi0-ya130.6532592773438-ro0-fo100!7i5760!8i2880?coh=205410&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

1949 Disaster In Toronto

This week is the 75th anniversary of the Noronic ship fire, while it was docked at Toronto. Well over a hundred people were killed. I think that this disaster did a lot to promote air travel. It came around the time that the prototype of the De Haviland Comet, considered as the first jet airliner, was first flown.

The knock against mass air travel was the apparently obvious fact that humans would have been given wings if they had been meant to fly, and that flying would naturally be very dangerous. But what this disaster showed is that ships were not exactly safe either. Not only was there the Titanic hitting the iceberg and collisions between ships, there were also fires on ships. 

A ship is actually a terrible place to have a fire. In a building fire people in the building usually only have to get outside the building and they are safe. On a ship they still have to worry about surviving in the water. There is usually no limit to the amount of water that can be poured on a building fire. On a ship the water collects in the hull and can sink or capsize the ship.

Ships are made of steel but steel rooms and corridors have an alien feel and produce an unpleasant echo. Steel is also not a good insulator. So the walls are typically covered with some kind of panels. Since they cannot be nailed to steel they must be glued, and this is what is flammable.

Planes took time to become as safe as they are today. I remember when plane crashes were regularly in the news. But I believe that this disaster did a lot to get planes to replace ships.

THE CASE OF THE MORRO CASTLE

While we are on the subject let's take a look at another ship fire, that of the Morro Castle in 1934, and the controversy around the radio operator afterward. I remember watching a documentary about this when I was a teenager. 

The Morro Castle was an American passenger ship that was named for the castle in Havana. A fire started while the ship was close to arriving in New York. 

The radio operator on the ship, George White, was considered as a hero afterward. In all of the confusion he had risked his life to stay at his post and send out the SOS distress call. 

After the disaster, George White drew attention by really basking in the adulation and giving numerous radio and newspaper interviews. He reportedly didn't attend any of the services for those who had died.

It then emerged that George White had a considerable criminal record going back to his early teens. He later went to prison for murder. Interestingly, although he was never convicted of arson, he was suspected of starting fires at places where he worked both before and after the ship disaster. In a separate case he was convicted of the attempted murder of a coworker by an explosive device.

While we cannot state with certainty that George White set the fire on the ship, I notice another strike against him. His assistant, George Alanga, was disliked by the company as a communist or socialist agitator who was always complaining about pay and working conditions and had tried to organize labor strikes. According to one account that I read, Alanga had been told that he was being terminated when the ship got back to New York.

Could George White have lit the fire, probably by a timer device, with the motive of getting attention by playing the hero and knowing that Alanga, who he didn't like, would likely get the blame if it was determined to be arson? Why did he send Alanga to get permission from the captain to send an SOS instead of going himself? 

The fire began near vital cables and soon put out the lights on the ship. Could George White, with his knowledge of radio and electricity, have done this purposely? The ship was near shore when the fire started. The objective could have been not a loss of life but a scary situation where the ship had it's lights put out by a fire, and with George White emerging as the hero. 

Where would George White get the idea of being a hero in a ship fire? 

What I cannot see pointed out about him is that he grew up not far from the site of the 1900 Hoboken Pier Fire. One account is that he was born in 1901, the year after the fire, and must have heard a lot about it while growing up. A lot of cotton bales were piled on the dock, alongside many barrels of various flammable liquids. There was a dry wind from south and a disaster was waiting to happen. No one knows how the fire started but somehow it did. The fire raced along the dock and onto four German ships. Several hundred people were killed in one of America's worst disasters.

The fire on board the General Slocum, four years later, was on the other side of New York City but was far worse. More than a thousand people died. Most of the victims got off the ship, only to drown in the East River because they couldn't swim. It was the worst thing to happen to New York City until 9/11. Bodies washed up on the shore of the river for days. 

Both disasters had their heroes who helped rescue people. In a case like this it is helpful to look at what happened while the person was growing up. What I have never seen written about the assassination of John F Kennedy is that not far away lived an eight year old boy named John Hinckley Jr, who would later try to assassinate Ronald Reagan. 

George White would also have been nearby, and in his early teens, when the Black Tom Explosion occurred in 1916. This was the sabotage of a vast amount of ammunition before the entry of America into the First World War. It was accomplished by deliberately set fires along a pier.

In other crime investigation, more has been added to "The Wannabe Jack The Ripper" last week.

Manila

In my youth I remember watching the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. He was displaced by the "People Power" revolution, led by Corazon Aquino. Marcos had been an ally of the U.S. and was evacuated by U.S. aircraft to exile in Hawaii, where Marcos died three years later.

Marcos' wife, Imelda, became infamous for the thousands of pairs of expensive shoes that she had bought in high-priced shopping trips abroad. The Marcos family managed to bring a fortune with them into exile, most of which have never been found.

The Marcos family was eventually allowed to return to the Philippines, although Ferdinand Marcos never saw his homeland again, and Imelda Marcos was elected to the House of Representatives and ran unsuccessfully for president.

But the unbelievable has happened. The son of Ferdinand Marcos, who went with the family into exile in 1986, has become President of the Philippines. When the reviled family fled into exile in 1986 it was beyond belief that this would ever happen.

What is believed to be the most densely populated city in the world was founded as the colonial capital of the Philippines by imperial Spain in 1571. Quezon City, once the capital of the Philippines, is now considered as part of the Manila metro area, and Manila itself is the capital. I remember from school when Quezon City, named for a former Philippine president, was the capital of the country.

Spain had earlier launched the first voyage of a fleet of ships that had gone right around the world. It had been led by a Portuguese-born captain named Ferdinand Magellan. It had made a stop in the Philippines, after crossing the Pacific, and Magellan had died there.

Malacanang Palace, built around when Manila was founded, was where Spain governed the Philippines from. The country is named for Spain's King Phillip II, and so many Filipinos today have Spanish names. Filipinos began a revolution against Spanish rule near the end of the Nineteenth Century. Not long afterward, the U.S. and Spain got into the Spanish-American War. When the U.S. won that war, it inherited the Philippines.

But the Philippines declared independence, and declared war on the United States when it would not recognize that independence and America commenced ruling the Philippines as a colony. The U.S. also ruled the country from the Malacanang Palace.

One American Governor-General of the Philippines was named Arthur MacArthur. Most people today are more familiar with his son, U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur, and his vow "I Shall Return" when forced to evacuate the Philippines early in the Second World War. Another Governor-General of the Philippines was named William Howard Taft, who would later be U.S. President.

The Malacanang Palace is mostly remembered around the world today for the "People Power" Revolution of 1986. President Ferdinand Marcos had declared martial law fourteen years before, and ruled effectively as a dictator. One of his opponents was Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, who was in exile in the U.S. In 1983, Aquino was told that he could return home, but was shot to death as soon as he got off the plane. The airport at Manila is now named for him.

His widow, Corazon Aquino, led the "People Power" Revolution, becoming president of the Philippines when Marcos fled into exile in Hawaii. I followed this revolution in the news, it was going on at about the same time as "Baby Doc" Duvalier was being overthrown in Haiti.

After Corazon Aquino took power, it was found that Marcos' wife, Imelda Marcos, had about 2,700 pairs of expensive shoes, that she had bought on overseas shopping sprees. She is believed to have used the name "Jane Ryan" to put vast sums of money in foreign bank accounts. She was allowed to return home, and to serve in congress, after the death of her husband in Hawaiian exile.

Has anyone noticed something interesting about how history repeats itself? During the Spanish colonial era, the Philippines was ruled from Mexico, at least until Mexico gained independence from Spain. Mexico actually underwent two revolutions. The first was the one against Spanish rule. The second was to overthrow a president that had assumed dictatorial powers, named Porfirio Diaz. The Philippines repeated this pattern, first gaining independence from being a colony, and later to overthrow a president that has assumed dictatorial powers, named Ferdinand Marcos.

Here is the famed Malacanang Palace, and surrounding area, beginning in the adjoining museum. The palace is on the shore of the Pasig River, which flows through Manila. On the streets, you can see the "Jeepneys", which are widely used for transportation in Manila. 

The first four scenes, from Google Street View, are of the museum inside the palace.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.59447,120.9945539,2a,75y,124.12h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s4sQcqyar0C4zhg0pxsxURw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D4sQcqyar0C4zhg0pxsxURw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D125.00077%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

The area of Spanish colonial-era buildings is known as "Intramuros", which means "Inside The Walls". The following scenes begin inside Manila Cathedral, which is within Intramuros. The first three scenes, from Google Street View, are of Manila Cathedral.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.5915508,120.9734872,3a,75y,94.88h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipP3zPmySOe0blYbkJfcXmUrhGYBwt1JYr-cdQFv!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipP3zPmySOe0blYbkJfcXmUrhGYBwt1JYr-cdQFv%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya324.03915-ro-0-fo100!7i7680!8i3840

Binondo is believed to be the oldest Chinatown in the world. It is across the Pasig River from Intramuros and began not long after the founding of Manila. The following scenes begin inside what is known as Minor Basilica Ruiz. The first three images, from Google Street View, are of the basilica and adjacent Chinatown. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.6001841,120.9747304,3a,75y,124.14h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOBN_e9cKD1ziE5k8PJJqKHFpfVTaJAVmuUZc3B!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOBN_e9cKD1ziE5k8PJJqKHFpfVTaJAVmuUZc3B%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya65.0219-ro-0-fo100!7i9728!8i4864

The following scenes begin at the Jose Rizal Monument, in a park near Intramuros. The monument is named for a martyred hero of the rebellion against Spanish rule. The first image of the monument is from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.5818491,120.9770999,2a,75y,337.92h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_F3R9UAp_G1w3OwFtc3_WQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D_F3R9UAp_G1w3OwFtc3_WQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D338.56683%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Rizal Avenue proceeds northward from the central part of Manila. Here are some scenes beginning along Rizal Avenue. Notice again the Jeepneys on the streets.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.6151591,120.9826404,3a,75y,114.19h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sFmMsKHODuGKmkijzesejdQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DFmMsKHODuGKmkijzesejdQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D114.90385%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Makati is a financial and business center south of Intramuros and the Malacanang Palace.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.5547935,121.0219591,3a,75y,35h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sdsC-d1EX4mzdqhvSXz-Lrg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DdsC-d1EX4mzdqhvSXz-Lrg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D35.670307%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is one of the largest malls in Manila, Robinson's place, and the views from some tall buildings. The first two images are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.5758602,120.984497,3a,75y,66.61h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipO7jVT3KikzNtoNg34fqHRTmQDDBEDioqhQgfaY!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO7jVT3KikzNtoNg34fqHRTmQDDBEDioqhQgfaY%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya229.92203-ro-0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352

This is a residential and small business area, beginning along R. Fernandez Street.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.6265217,120.9712928,3a,75y,121.63h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_GQGWFcoo1cKlpQPlGpLqA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D_GQGWFcoo1cKlpQPlGpLqA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D122.47791%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is another residential and small business area, Paligsahan in Quezon City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@14.6327006,121.024014,3a,75y,152.02h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNJwdybHrwOS0HcCymSH9FXeEu-m5l_J79VSjWa!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNJwdybHrwOS0HcCymSH9FXeEu-m5l_J79VSjWa%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya25.994772-ro-0-fo100!7i13200!8i6600

THE KING FOR WHOM THE PHILIPPINES IS NAMED

Finally, we go to the other side of the world. The following scenes are of El Escorial, in Spain northwest of Madrid. This is the palace and monastery that was built by King Phillip II, for whom the Philippines is named. It is kind of the Spanish version of Versailles. Most Spanish royalty is buried in El Escorial.

Phillip II ruled at a time when Spain and Portugal were united. In fact, the dynasty was called the "Philippine Dynasty" , meaning "The Dynasty of Phillip". In the same way that the islands in the Pacific that Spain had begun colonizing were named "The Philippines", or "The Islands of Phillip".

The way I see it, the Philippines is one of only six countries that were named for individual people.
America was named for cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
Colombia was named for Christopher Columbus
Bolivia was named for Simon Bolivar
Israel was named for Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel
Saudi Arabia was named for Ibn Saud

Phillip II ruled Spain when it was near the peak of it's power. El Escorial was not only a palace, it was also a monastery and religious institution. It became, in fact, the headquarters of the Counter-Reformation, which was the great Catholic effort to contain and reverse the Protestant Reformation which had divided Christianity. So much of what the Catholic Church is today comes from not the original church but from the changes made in the era of the Counter-Reformation.

How about a royal story that does not get much publicity today?

Mary I was the English queen who, after the beginning of the Reformation, tried to bring England back to Catholicism by force. Her brother, Edward who had succeeded their father Henry VIII (The Eighth), removed her from the sequence of hereditary succession. But she had gathered supporters and, after Edward's death, managed to seize the throne.

The mother of Mary I had been Spanish, Catherine of Aragon who had been the wife of Henry VIII. Catherine of Aragon had been the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, the famed king and queen of Spain who had united the country after the Moors had been completely expelled, and had commissioned Christopher Columbus to try to find a way to India by sailing west, which is why the native people of the western hemisphere are called "Indians", he thought he had landed in India.

Mary I had been married to Phillip II. After the death of Mary I her successor and half-sister, Elizabeth I, brought England back to Protestantism, launching the Anglican Church as a king of compromise between Protestant and Catholic. Phillip II launched the Spanish Armada, to force England back to Catholicism.

The failure of the effort changed the history of the world. It convinced many people that God was on the side of the Protestants, and nothing could have been a greater gift to the early Protestant movement. It was England's beginning as a great power. It also began the end of Spanish control over the Netherlands, which brought into being the Netherlands and Belgium, which would split from the Netherlands because it chose to remain Catholic.

But most people today don't know that the Spanish king who launched the Armada against England had been the husband of the previous English queen.

Anyway here is El Escorial, built by Phillip II for whom the Philippines is named. The first three images are from Google Earth.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5890408,-4.1477268,3a,75y,106.15h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPhuEw81JcsnxubrGtmpfh750dRpFegdr1lnxKY!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPhuEw81JcsnxubrGtmpfh750dRpFegdr1lnxKY%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya110.87036-ro-0-fo100!7i5000!8i2500

The Wannabe Jack The Ripper

In 1964 and 65 there were a series of murders in west London that evoked Jack the Ripper, whose murders were committed on the other side of London. The bodies of six prostitutes were found at various locations. The murders are usually referred to as the "Hammersmith Nude Murders" because the bodies were found in the Hammersmith area and their clothing had been removed. But unlike the murders of Jack the Ripper these were committed by strangulation and impact. The killer was never caught although, as with Jack the Ripper, there has been endless speculation and a list of possible suspects. 

In another story a 15 year old boy was working at a store in the Welsh town of Abertillery, in 1921. His name was Harold Jones. A young girl who lived nearby was sent over to buy animal feed. The girl never returned home and her body was found the following day. There was traces of corn chaff on her body that matched the corn chaff on the floor of a nearby shed. The shed belonged to the store and Harold Jones was the one who had the key to it.

Harold Jones was accused of the murder and put on trial. The people of the town stood by him, believing that one of their own couldn't have done this, and he was found not guilty. When he returned home he was received like a hero. He clearly very much enjoyed the attention and made a speech.

But within a short time another young girl in the town disappeared. This time her body was found in the attic of the home where Harold Jones lived. He had lured her into the house and killed her when he had been home alone and apparently didn't have chance to dispose of the body so he hid it in the attic.

He was convicted and, while in prison, also confessed to the first murder. Britain had the death penalty at the time but he wasn't eligible for it because the crimes had been committed before he turned 16. He seems to have served 20 years in prison. There is conflicting information about what happened to him after his release. He served in either the military or the Merchant Navy. Britain was pressed by the war in 1941 and I wonder if he was released in exchange for service.

He is known to have lived in London afterward, but is reported to have occasionally returned to Abertillery. By the 1960s his crimes had been mostly forgotten and he was living under a different name. Harold Jones died of cancer in 1971. While the police were investigating the Hammersmith Nude Murders what they were not aware of is that Harold Jones was living close by.

No one seems to have considered Harold Jones as a potential suspect during his lifetime. He was born in 1906 so would have been in his late 50s when the Hammersmith Murders were taking place. He was added to the list of potential suspects, by the media not the police, long after his death. 

What is interesting about the Hammersmith Murders is that flecks of paint were found on several of the bodies, but this didn't begin until after it was announced in the news that a serial killer was at work. From what I can gather the flecks of paint on one body matched that inside a transformer housing that the body was found near.

Has anyone ever thought that Harold Jones was purposely leaving clues? I cannot see this anywhere. Killers like this usually can't resist playing games with the public and authorities. Jack the Ripper famously sent taunting letters to the police. I remember the letters from the "Son of Sam" to the media.

Remember the corn chaff that was found on the body of Harold Jones' first victim back in Abertillery, which matched the corn chaff on the floor of the nearby shed. The paint flecks represented that corn chaff and the transformer housing represented the shed. 

There is a police sketch of the likely Hammersmith killer, based on information provided by a witness. It looks like it could be Harold Jones, based on the mugshot that was taken in 1921. I believe that he purposely allowed himself to be seen as another clue. 

It was known that Harold Jones liked to read when he was young. What I surmise is that he must have read about Jack the Ripper, whose murders took place more than 17 years before his birth. This is what gave him the idea of killing girls. Notice that the first known victim of Jack the Ripper, Mary Ann Nichols, had her throat slashed and her body was found in an alley. Harold Jones' first victim, in Abertillery, was found in an alley and his second victim had her throat slashed.

Blood is messy and visible and it didn't make sense to kill the second victim by slashing her throat in his own home. This is what got him caught when the police searched house-by-house, and noticed blood stains. Why didn't he kill her by strangulation or impact, like the first victim? The obvious answer is that he had made a hero out of Jack the Ripper, and was compelled to imitate him.

Then, in later life while living in London, came the murders to imitate Jack the Ripper. Serial killers usually don't begin killing in their late 50s, without ever having killed before. It is known that Jack the Ripper had some kind of medical skill, since he removed the internal organs of one victim. Lacking such medical skill the killer in Hammersmith removed their clothing instead. This also left no doubt that there was a serial killer at work. 

The Hammersmith killer, just like Harold Jones in Abertillery, always moved the bodies from where they were killed. Several of the victims were mysteriously missing front teeth, and this could be another clue. The Wikipedia article on Harold Jones states that he once expressed the ambition to be a professional boxer, and this must have been reported in the news. In the early days of boxing, before the use of mouthpieces, missing front teeth were common. The final victim in Hammersmith is known to have disappeared on January 11, which was Jones' birthday.

It is not known for certain how many were killed by Jack the Ripper but the six in Hammersmith were an approximation of the number. It is also bizarre how he drained the blood from the second victim in Abertillery, which is what got him caught. This looks like an effort to imitate Jack the Ripper's removal of the one victim's internal organs. 

The murders of Jack the Ripper were seasonal, taking place in the autumn of 1888. He had to use a knife because it was easier to conceal. Walking around Whitechapel with something that could be used for a blunt instrument would have drawn attention. In the autumn he would have been wearing some kind of jacket or covering, which made it possible to conceal the knife. The Hammersmith killer didn't have any difficulty concealing a blunt instrument because he was driving a car. He would also have been biased against blood because that was what got him caught back in Abertillery.

For more about serial killers who have purposely left clues see "The Unabomber And The Zodiac Killer", November 2023, and 1) DID THE SON OF SAM WANT TO GET CAUGHT in the compound posting "Investigations", December 2018.

There is so much more to be found, just by looking online, in some of these cases. With the endless volumes that have been written about the O.J. Simpson case I am still in disbelief at what had never been noticed. In "A Niagara Falls Perspective On The O.J. Simpson Case", April 2024, we saw the connection with the 1962 escape from Alcatraz. From the high school that O.J. went to the island was clearly visible, and he was going to school there when the escape happened. When playing for the Buffalo Bills he wore number 32, and the murders for which he was charged happened 32 years to the day from the Alcatraz escape.

News

SCHOOL SHOOTING

School has just started back and already there has been a school shooting. Instead of bringing a gun to school why not bring God to school? The Second Book of Thessalonians, Chapter 1, Verse 6 explains that, if you really follow God, He will trouble those who trouble you. God will cause nasty things to happen to people, families or, organizations that treat you unfairly. 

INDIA'S NEXT GOLDEN AGE

Kamala Harris' unexpected run for U.S. President is part of what we saw in the compound posting "India And The West", December 2022. India has a history of entering a golden age about every 400 years and is about due for one now.

APOCALYPTIC DEVELOPMENTS

This war in Ukraine is turning Russia and Iran into close allies, which they really weren't previously. This is part of the scenario that we saw in "The End Of The World As We Know It".

THE QUESTION OF SMILING

Kamala Harris is making maximum use of smiling in her campaign for U.S. President. But is smiling an entirely good thing? Smiling can be deceptive and a lot of serial killers have used a magnetic smile to draw in victims. 

I kind of have a policy of not smiling in public in my hometown. Walking around smiling is another "fit in" mechanism, to get us to surrender some of our freedom.

Jakarta

The capital city of Indonesia began with a Hindu kingdom, on the island of Java, that lasted for nearly a thousand years. Today, it is one of the great cities of the world. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and, Jakarta form nearly a straight line on the map.

The logical place to begin our visit to Jakarta is in the vast central Merdeka Square. The National Monument, celebrating the independence of Indonesia, is in the center of the square. The first three images are from Google Street View.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >. After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish. 

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.1754133,106.8270248,2a,75y,240.53h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sBDyLca0Umf7QQ-YHS7Y3fQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DBDyLca0Umf7QQ-YHS7Y3fQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D240.38263%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Not far from Merdeka Square is Jakarta Cathedral. The following scenes begin in there. The cathedral was built early in the Twentieth Century. The large mosque next to the cathedral is the Istiqlal Mosque. It was built next to the cathedral, in the 1970s, to emphasize the racial and religious harmony in Indonesia, which is actually the largest Moslem country in the world. The first three images, from Google Street View, are of the Istiqlal Mosque. 

These three images of Jakarta Cathedral are from Google Street View.

Pope Francis is visiting the mosque. Did you know that there is a "Tunnel of Friendship" built between the mosque and the cathedral?

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.1693048,106.8331828,3a,75y,75.08h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipO10jPHTuoxXjVU4xgO2Dz49r9SHddutm-Wg9t6!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO10jPHTuoxXjVU4xgO2Dz49r9SHddutm-Wg9t6%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya4.9949455-ro-0-fo100!7i8704!8i4352

The following scenes of central Jakarta begin at the traffic circle, known as the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout. The first four scenes of central Jakarta are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.1949238,106.823056,3a,75y,95.35h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMGXQ4CePARdFZxD9Uj1XI8mp-ZIDtUq2VxJQ6-!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMGXQ4CePARdFZxD9Uj1XI8mp-ZIDtUq2VxJQ6-%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya95.380196-ro-0-fo100!7i7776!8i3888

This is known as the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. It is like a theme park or exhibition to celebrate everything about Indonesia. This includes it's history, architecture and culture.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.3024459,106.8951559,3a,75y,89.98h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPc_S_Cd5Lfi-gDZA8QFhjPFfPZkmWLCnrt4r9M!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPc_S_Cd5Lfi-gDZA8QFhjPFfPZkmWLCnrt4r9M%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya230.97821-ro-0-fo100!7i4608!8i2304

This is the area of the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, starting inside the stadium. The first three images of the stadium are from Google Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.2186043,106.8031402,2a,75y,79h,88t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sqiyuTXH2xO_V58yx9poGYw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DqiyuTXH2xO_V58yx9poGYw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D79.5%26pitch%3D-2.9338646%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Here is a residential and small business neighborhood in central Jakarta.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.161836,106.8631424,3a,75y,335h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sfnAeV34ipKGSqZ4f2wpqbw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DfnAeV34ipKGSqZ4f2wpqbw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D335.6333%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is another neighborhood, toward the outside of the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-6.2369476,106.7306715,3a,75y,270h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCX8dsONyHLMbb1JkSonyVg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DCX8dsONyHLMbb1JkSonyVg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D270.15286%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656 

Indonesia is now in the process of building an entirely new capital city, to be called Nusantara, on the east coast of the island of Borneo. It will replace the crowded Jakarta. At the time this image from Google Street View was made the outline of the new city had not yet been built.

Battlements

A bollard is a short, well- anchored post that is used for mooring boats and ships. The following image from Google Street View shows a bollard at the Welland Canal.

The posts that are seen everywhere as barriers to errant vehicles, or to people who drink and drive, are also called bollards. My photo.

However I believe that this is a mistake, since the two are completely different things, and that these vehicle barriers should have their own name. 

In medieval castles the battlements were a parapet on a roof or tower with openings for archers to shoot at an approaching enemy. The following two images are from Google Street View. 

The battlements give archers a space to shoot arrows, while at the same time providing cover from enemy arrows. These vehicle barrier posts are spaced to achieve exactly the same purpose. They allow pedestrians, deliveries and, shopping carts to get through, but would block a vehicle. So why don't we call these posts "battlements"?

Battlements are often used to protect gas stations, where the vehicles are often pointed directly at the building. They may be brightly colored to make them more visible at night. These two images are from Google Street View.

The battlements that protect the gas pumps may be shaped like an inverted "U". Image from Google Street View.

Battlements are often seen at banks to protect the outside ATMs. First image from Google Street View, second is my photo.

Sometimes boulders are used as battlements. Image from Google Street View.

These battlements around Buffalo City Hall are in the form of spheres. They were put there without being anchored in the ground and it is their mass that provides the protective barrier. Image from Google Street View.

I definitely think that they should be called "battlements" because they serve exactly the same purpose as medieval battlements.