Swedish Craziness 350 Years Ago: June 1, 1675

The Witch lore 350 years ago is almost as crazy as some of the modern day religious nonsense that makes teleevangelists rich, and their followers poor. Today, 1st of June 2025, marks the 350 years since 71 (innocent!!!) Swedes were executed as witches at what is called "Haxberget" (i.e. the "Witch Mountain"): 4 boys, 2 men and 65 women.  It should be noted that these 65 executed women were every 5th woman in the so-called Torsåkers Parish. What a waste of human lives and all in all there were c. 400 such witch executions in Sweden!

 

One of the many very interesting details of these witch trials and witch executions is that many of the so-called "witches" were accused by children who claimed that they, for instance, had taken them to meet and/or worship Satan. I take it that it can't have been all that easy to be a poor, uneducated child, living in a bigoted countryside, riddled with poverty and superstition, but still, accusing someone for wild and crazy acts with "Satan" looks more than insane to me. As it is, many/most of these children were also executed, which they must have known most likely would happen: "Playing with fire, may lead to the pyre" - Yup, that's for sure ....".

Many other European countries had more witch trials than Sweden, but it was intense while it lasted. The worst cases were from the time period 1668-1676, and the last one was 1704 which to me looks rather late.  

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WA7JUsnKejLnz7L99

 

https://haxmuseet.se/  

 

Wikipedia

A New Male "Sport"? = “Taharrush Gamea" (Collective Harassment)

 

Lara Logan from the American network CBS

The 2011-Taharrush Gamea-attack on a well-known, high-profiled correspondent for CBS, Lara Logan, high-lighted a growing problem in the Muslim world, namely men ganging up on women to harass or rape them. This special assault happened on Tahrir Square when the American, female correspondent was reporting on the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, but it wasn't the first incident of its kind. As far as I know, the first one that was brought to the attention of the non-Muslim world happened in Egypt in 2005. At that time, Egyptian security forces and their agents resorted to it as a quite powerful weapon against female protesters, trying to terrorize them out of public life. 

You may ask, WHAT is this "Taharrush Gamea"? Well, it's the most recent abomination in the ongoing male "war" on women in the Arab world: Men create fake crowds, numerous men cooperate to sexually abuse women. I see this as a special Muslim way of "taming her with the rod": The actions are part of a well-known male suppression-system, but it takes it to a new level in countries where the idea of female virginity and chastity is very important in safe-guarding women in thoroughly misogynistic societies. 

 

To rob these women sexually means robbing them of their social status and thus also their general safety. As it is, in these Muslim countries rape and other kinds of misogynistic sexual assaults are considered a grave "shame" of the woman, but not of her male attacker.

Sadly enough, this male "taming-method" has not been put to a stop. On the contrary, it has become increasingly prevalent. Somehow, it seems that by 2012, it has become more or less commonplace for crowds of young men to sexually assault or even rape women during festivals and political protests throughout Egypt. The crime has been described by many witnesses and/or victims as a smaller group of men encircling a woman. At the same time, a larger group is forming outside this smaller group, making it impossible for presumptive helpers of the woman to save her from her ordeal. As it is a well-known phenomenon in some countries, it has been brought to the attention of e.g. The European Parliament, but it's obvious that it takes more to stop it than international laws as it's kept alive by a general misogyny in the Muslim societies. 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/16/lara-logan-cbs-egypt-tahrir 

 

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/P-9-2022-000346_EN.html 

 

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2025-000118_EN.html 

 

https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=26cf592c500860d43ceab39d21816654e53e9c6c 

 

Wikipedia

 

Should Grannies Be Killed?

No matter what, it can't be denied that sooner or later all of us shall end up in one of these "one-room-flats-with-no-escape". Most of us may try to not think of it, but that's how it is, and has always been, except for the one called "God's son", namely Jesus. According to legend, he escaped his grave alive, even though he had been killed in a gruesome manner. True or not, that's not going to happen to any of us, which means that we will have to accept that we, and those we know and maybe also love, are going to die.

That being the case, we must also think of the time and how that event shall be, both for us and for relatives. I take it that most of us are dreaming of those "golden years", spent in leisure and economic safety, that former generations have had. However, lately some powerful men, who have designs upon the use of the working ability of their fellow human beings, have uttered some alarming opinions. One of them is the self-declared enemy of feelings like e.g. empathy, namely Elon Musk:
 

So, according to this individual, ordinary people shouldn't outlive their usefulness, i.e. not for themselves or their families, but for him and society at large: No "Golden Years" for Mr. and Ms Non-Billionaire, no matter how much they, after hard work for years, deserve it. One might say: "Be useful, work until you stoop or perish."

It can't be denied that society as such has to face special challenges that arise from the fact that large parts of modern society consist of elderly people. Problems which can't be ignored as they may not "only" be of an economic art, i.e. something which the younger generations may be able to pay themselves out of. Health-care and pension costs may be heavy, and non-refusable obligations, but what about special support systems for the elderly? 

Luigi Mangione

Well, The Guardian found out that the infamous health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, which Luigi Mangione made very, very famous by killing its CEO, Brian Thompson, because of its callous treatment of many insured, has their own "solution": SECRET PAYMENTS to keep elderly people away from hospitals even when they’re literally dying. The Guardian both talked to several whistleblowers and got hold of heaps of confidential documents, corporate records, court files, etc.. 

What was found out was that UnitedHealthcare had a policy of embedding their own medical teams in nursing homes and pressuring staff to avoid hospital transfers which, as we know, don't come cheap. Normally, I donøt condone murder, but it seems that Luigi Mangione may have had a point.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/unitedhealth-nursing-homes-payments-hospital-transfers 

 

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/03/9602550/elder-abuse-neglect-coronavirus-old-people-dying

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9347438/

 

UnitedHealthcare Got Caught Paying Off Nursing Homes to Let Seniors Die 

 

Wikipedia

Food For Thoughts: Apples

Apples are special in the mythology of the Western World as they carry a very rich tradition of all kinds of symbolism, according to culture, history and time periods. As far as I can see, they started out as symbols of love and fertility, beauty and wisdom. However, the original concept of them was corrupted by that Biblical story of sin and temptation, as well as a postulate of a certain kind of female disobedience to a male principle, which to me looks like the main part of that story. Yup, "everything is the fault of Eve, who was seduced by that devious snake to eat the forbidden fruit": Typical for a male god, like e.g. Yahweh. 

No doubt about it, apples are tasty and fruity in themselves, and they don't really need to be turned into symbols, but they were, even before that silly Biblical story of Eve and the snake. In Greek mythology, the apple holds a crucial symbolic value in the myth of the super-handsome Trojan prince, Paris, who was chosen by Zeus to resolve a conflict between three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Because the goddess of discord, Eris, wasn't asked to attend the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, she threw a golden apple, which was inscribed "to the fairest", into the crowd, thus giving rise to a fierce dispute between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.

Actually, I suspect that Prince Paris may have been the fairest at that party, but each to his or her taste. All the goddesses promised Paris a lot of wonderful rewards for choosing them, but when Aphrodite promised him "the most beautiful woman on Earth", who was Helen of Sparta, he gave her the golden apple. Because of that ill-begotten promise, Helen was abducted, which was the cause of the Trojan War.

Yes, some men really have apples in front of their faces, but it takes a painter like e.g. Rene Magritte to see that. As it is it also takes a special idea of the apple symbolism, which in my opinion is interesting, but not quite clear: Is the apple - and the hat - a challenge to the everyday perception of people or a comment on the burgeoisie ideologies, e.g. of "sin"? I find it intriguing, but not quite understandable which is part of its allurement: Apples are not only for fun, they are also provocative. 

https://humakabakci.substack.com/p/apple-food-symbolism-in-history-of?utm_medium=web 

 

https://www.canvasprintsaustralia.net.au › understanding-... 

 

Wikipedia

 

"Friend-Zoned"

54 years old Kwang Chol Joy, better known as K. C. Joy, was made famous for not so pleasant reasons in the Netflix-documentary "Worst Roommate Ever". What happened was that the young, sociable and very friendly woman, Maribel Ramos (36 years old), who became his "roommate" by letting him move in with her in her flat to cover her many expenses, disappeared without any traces. 

He tried his best to make it look like she had left on her own. He also claimed that she might have been suicidal, and that that might be the reason for her disappearance, but no matter what, he didn't succeed in convincing the police. When he was sentenced for her murder. However, everyone who knew Maribel and her roommate, said that he had been very much in love with her and had "wanted more" than the friendship she offered him. As it was, he only had one estranged sister and no friends of his own, but sort of tagged along when Maribel went out to see her many acquaintances. Also he didn't seem to have any real plans for the future, whereas she who had served in South Korea and Iraq, was a few weeks away from graduating with a degree in criminal justice.

Not being pretty and young as she was, he had cosmetic surgery in the hope that it would make him younger and more "hot". To me, it looks like she didn't even notice what he was doing, or that she just didn't see the connection between his infatuation for her and his desperate attempts at gaining access to the looks that he felt would make her fall in love with him. At some point, she must have told him off once and for all, which made him attack and kill her. A couple of weeks later, her remains were found, and he was brought in and arrested a few hours later. Ever since he was sentenced, he has protested his innocence.

In many ways, this is a well-known tale of an everyday event: Someone falls in love with a girl or a guy who doesn't love him or her like he/she does, but offers a sex-less friendship. The "suitor" has been friend-zoned, which is a kind of double-edged sword hanging over his/her head: In a way it's an act of benevolence, but it often works as an unintended torture that may turn the rejected lover from a Romeo into an Ogre. The "zone of friends" holds many bitter hearts, dreaming of revenge ....

 

https://screenrant.com/worst-roommate-ever-kc-joy-missing-information-details/ 

 

https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/shows/worst-roommate-ever-netflix-where-kc-joy-now

 

https://abc7.com/kc-joy-sentenced-maribel-ramos-murder-fullerton-kwang-chol-sentencing-silverado-canyon/306749/

 

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/true-crime/kc-joy-where-now-worst-roommate-ever/ 

Wikipedia

Life of A German Noblewoman

 

Just like e.g. Lola Montez and Helene Sedlmayr the beautiful, German noblewoman Caroline von Holnstein (1815-1859) appeared in the so-called "Gallery of Beauties" by German artist and Court Painter, Joseph Karl Steiler. Even though she was of noble birth, she met many problems in her life, thus proving that money and heritage isn't everything. 

However, it all started when she, 16 years old, married the 34-year-old Count Carl Theodor von Holnstein aus Bayern. It was no love match, and it seems that even though the couple didn't like each other they had three children. Unfortunately one daughter and one son died in infancy, and the only surviving son was Maximilian Carl Theodor, Count von Holnstein aus Bayern. He can't have been a very interesting individual as he is best remembered as the playmate of princes Ludwig and Otto, both later Kings of Bavaria. 

Maximilian Carl Theodor, Count von Holnstein aus Bayern (1835–1895) 

The marriage not being happy, Caroline may have been an easy prey for Cupid, because she fell in love with the married nobleman, Baron Wilhelm von Künsberg. Strangely enough, her husband, Count von Holnstein, closed his eyes to the clandestine love affair of his wife. He refused her a divorce, or just an official separation, although she gave birth to four illigitimate children. Not until her husband's death in 1895 she was able to marry Baron Wilhelm von Kunsberg and have their children officially legitimized: Baron Wilhelm Maximilian Künsberg von Fronberg (1838–1909), Baroness Wilhelmine Maria Caroline Künsberg von Fronberg (1841–1889), Baron Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Künsberg von Fronberg (1842–1876), and Baron Rudolf Philipp Wilhelm Goswin Karl Künsberg von Fronberg (b. 1844)

I like the idea that illegitimacy wasn't always seen as a perpetual "blemish" on one's name and character, but still, I also find it strange how some women - like e.g. Caroline - were able to "swim along" in a current of social disrespect. How did she succeed in doing that when many others were ostracized for having lovers or giving birth to illegitimate children?

https://boobytrapec.blogspot.com/2025/05/female-stereotypes-from-madonna-to.html

Wikipedia

 

Making "Love" To The Dead

Confirmed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas (1936-2001) wasn't exactly a Prince Charming, but in his lifetime he had more than what might be called "his share" of women before he perished in jail. However, most of his female victims were dead before he raped them, as death was his kind of "aphrodisiac": Being a control freak and suffering some severe childhood traumas he only succeeded in having one genuine loving relationship to one girlfriend, and when she didn't play along with his ideas anymore, he killed her too.

People are fascinated with serial killer Ted Bundy (1946-1989), who - contrary to Henry Lee Lucas - was considered a genuine charmer, as well as someone very bright and handsome. Ted had no severe problems with attracting women, but, like with many other serial killers, that wasn't enough for him. He wanted the ultimate control, which he gained by raping the corpses of some of his victims. Well, a corpse may not fight back or report atrocities that are done to it, which must be a great relief to someone who craves that special control. Or, more accurate: Who NEEDS it to function sexually. Wonder what would happen if one of the rape victims turned around and changed from the demeaned sex object to an active participant in the sex act. Well, that's what some rapists and murderers, like e.g. Rodney Alcala (1943-2021), experienced when a very young, maybe even pre-teen, victim praised his sexual skills instead of complaining of what he had done to her. It was a ruse, but one that saved her life.

Rodney Alcala

So with some of these rapists turned killers, the thrill isn't just sex, but the murder, which they see as the ultimate "proof" of their being in control, as it turns their victims into some kind of "ragdolls", whom they can use as a toy. When the female, but still alive, "toy" turns the table upon them and treats them as a male toy, they may get much too confused to follow their pre-set plan of killing her. She might have been a fine specimen in their "harem" of dead women, but being active sexually turns her from a victim into a threatening, female consumer, someone with demands, and that's not something they may be up to.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/serial-killer-rodney-alcala-the-killing-game/ 

https://www.ipl.org/essay/Richard-Ramirez-Research-Paper-F9F08E9CC936F584 

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/necrophilia 

 

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/man-sex-corpse-nyc-subway-video-r-train-body/6220060/ 

 

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-york-city/nyc-subway-body-sex-corpse-r-train-arrest/6240784/ 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/16/new-york-subway-train-man-corpse 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/nyc-subway-rape-dead-body-arrest-b2740910.html