all ready to kill
some dressed in black
most of them in red, like blood
even dripping with it
Those creatures I let in
even let them roam my home
I, the hostess, feel their power
victimized by myself
stupid me, all too trusting
when befriending assassins
All Rigths Reserved © Copyright by Else Cederborg
Recently I heard of a woman of 82 who was robbed by someone who went for her handbag in broad daylight. It's her opinion that the reason why she was targeted was that she walks with a cane, which of course indicates that she shall not be able to put up much of a fight to defend herself or her belongings. Somehow, that fact makes her feel humiliated, not only by the robber, but also by her own disability.
Of course, this robbery is neither the first nor the last time something like that is happening, but in this case, the robber was a (maybe illegal???) visitor or immigrant from an East European country, which wasn't the first time one of those guys did something like this. Unfortunately, by now they have a reputation of being criminal and often violent, yes, by now, with incidents like this one, people almost take for granted that the criminal is either from East Europe or the Middle East. Something, which is not quite fair, but that's the situation now after numerous robberies, burglaries and even murders to obtain what these people lack: Money and luxury items. We, the legit citizens, try to get rid of them, but in several cases it has proven impossible as they simply return at will. They may be evicted over and over, but here they are, back again, ready for "business"!
These years have seen many deeply disturbing criminal cases, as both everybody and nobody seems to be the true criminals because those who commit the crimes take excuse in their social situations, e.g. as formerly abused children or the like. One of the worst cases of this kind of crimes, is the one in which an old woman, 85 years old, who never bothered anyone, was victimized by a 15-year-old boy. She had been a nice and decent person, actually, a model citizen, all her life. Also, she was a woman who had made an effort to get by on her meager pension as best she could. Being both old and poor, she should have been left alone by criminals, but as we only know too well, fairness isn't always to be had.
Guilty as charged: I love this story of granny-bravery, but that's not the most common outcome of a fight with a robber
One day when the 85 years old woman was walking home after shopping the most necessary groceries for her household, she met her murderer: For some reason best known to himself a young man of 15 followed in her footsteps, unbeknown to her and without having any knowledge of whom, and what she was. When she opened her door and stepped into "the safety of" her home, he was right behind her and forced his way in. She told him to leave, which made him furious. He hit her in the face and then even raped her. When she told him that he was an evil, bad boy and that she was calling the police on him, he got so enraged that he decided to kill her for his own protection. A decision which he then set out to do in such a way that when her son found her dead body the next day, her head was almost cut loose from her neck. Also, she has a lot of deep cuts and bruises all over her body and face.
She is dead, but the young murderer wasn't arrested until several months later. Then it appears that in reality he is a tragic figure who has had a terrible childhood with alcoholic parents, abuse, etc., etc.. That's awful, but what has that got to do with this poor, old and dead woman? Did he target her because she resembled someone who had been evil to him, and if so, how could that be the fault of this particular old woman who didn't know him until they met? No, it was not in any way her fault, it was a coincidence or fate itself. Also, it was especially unfair to someone who had been a decent person all her life - just as life had been unfair to the small child who had grown into a 15 years old murderer.
However, in my opinion, the misuse of the fact of his miserable childhood as an excuse for his bloody deed doesn't hold water because the one he targeted had nothing to do with his past. Had he targeted someone who had abused him or just been cruel to him when a child I might have accepted it as a kind of excuse, but still, only up to a point. I do find it hard always to condone revenge, but still, I understand it - at least up to a point.
The Roman Empress Poppaea
Not everybody loved Poppaea Augusta Sabina (31-65), but the Roman emperor, Nero, was totally besotted by her. His infatuation was one major reason for him to have his mother, Agrippina, killed when she resented his plans of marrying Poppaea who was his mistress, although married to one of his friends. At that time he himself was married to the stepdaughter of Agrippina from her marriage to emperor Claudius, namely Octavia.
Nero was just as brutal as he looks, and one of the many people he had killed was the son of Poppaea, Rufius Crispinus, whom he considered a rival to the throne. No matter whom, and no matter what he saw as endangering the Empirical power, his mother had worked tirelessly to obtain for him was accepted in his life: He was relentless: Both Agrippina, Octavia and her then husband were killed when he set his will at marrying Poppaea. When he married her, she was pregnant with his daughter, Claudia, but the baby only lived for a couple of months. Some time later, Poppaea got pregnant once again, but that didn't protect her from the cruelty of her new husband, Nero. In a heated argument, Nero kicked her in the stomach, which led to her premature death.
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In his looks, Nero reminds me of Mussolini: Both of them looks like what might be called "human buffaloes"
Well, Nero, who really was totally besotted by Poppaea mourned her death - and the lack of her body. That's why he had her embalmed in fragrant oils and spices before putting her to rest in the mausoleum of Emperor Augustus. Still mourning, he started to look for a substitute of his wife, and his eye fell upon a woman who resembled her in her looks. Being a man of wants and demands that weren't fit to be subdued, he sent for this woman and kept her for a while. However, even though she may have resembled Poppaea in her looks, he found out that she wasn't like her and thus not what he was looking for, so he let his wandering eye go on another search. Unluckily for the one it fell upon, he did find someone who presumably was the spitting image of the dead Poppaea, namely a slave by the name of Sporus (died 69).
A slave becoming an empress, that would be something, but that was not what happened. Sporus wasn't a woman, but an adolescent boy, whom Nero had married, before or after he had him castrated to keep his uncanny likeness to his dead wife. When they appeared in public, Sporus wore the clothes and regalia of the Empress, and Nero called him by her name. One might say, that the boy Sporus lost his real life in order to please the emperor as best he could.
https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/nero.html
https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-emperor-nero/
Wikipedia
A wonderful plan, but will is work? Many have tried doing something like that, just to be brought back home in handcuffs. Of course, they may have had a good time spending what's not theirs, but no, being wiser and more ambitious than that what we are looking for is a fool-proof, forever-solution that will not send us to jail. One plan stands out, even though it doesn't always lead to the desired outcome: Someone has a loaded, elderly relative whom he/she is to inherit. Being a greedy grifter, the heir decides to speed up the process, taking care that this murder isn't an obvious crime. I feel assured that some did just that - and got away with it.
Others turn their fully legal job into a robbery-asset, and banks being where money is a bank tiller may get ideas. Not good ideas, but still, ideas that may or may not work out ....
Sadly enough, morals come cheap for some, which money doesn't, as all they want is money. To defraud or even murder for money seems to be quite "natural" to some, even when the target e.g. is one of their own children. When that's the case, then there may be a special way to earn money by killing the child, wife, husband or parent: Set up a life insurance on the one whom they plan to "do in".
I remember a gruesome story of a man who married a young and loving woman for no other reason than to be able to set up a life insurance for her. Actually, I remember a couple of such stories of pre-mediated murder plans, both by men and women ....
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/us/karl-karlsen-wife-insurance.html
Wikipedia
Eyes Everywhere
Some people grow eyes everywhere
actually, their eyes are coming and going
sometimes they even go blind
Desperate, they cover their eyes in tears for protection
sometimes they put on bandages or treat them with eye lotions
some choose to sit in darkened rooms, eyes covered in moist tears
and yes, blind they are, although still seeing
Letting the tears trickle down for solace, they feel a quenched sadness
while the flames take over within, even the wetness get scorched
Yes, their thousand eyes burn in tears
blinded, they stumble off for the eye lotions and some bandages
All Rigths Reserved © Copyright by Else Cederborg
Franz and Ottla
For instance, he supported her decisions when she, as a very young woman, entered an agricultural program. Being the only woman, she met problems that were difficult to handle, and he told her that it would be perfectly all right both to stay and to leave if that was what she felt was the best. As it is, she persevered and got herself an education that made it possible for her to manage her brother-in-law's farming estate.
In 1920 Ottla married a Czech Catholic, Joseph David, and the couple had two daughters, Vera and Helene. Ottla had been able to keep the contact with her brother, but mostly by letters. However, the tuberculosis of Franz Kafka worsened, and in 1924 he died.
With WWII life became very difficult for Ottla and her family. Presumably, in order to protect her daughters and their father against the Nazi persecutions she divorced her husband in 1942, but that didn't save herself from being deported to Terezin.
Ottla and her husband, Joseph David
When her daughters begged to follow her their request was refused, and somehow they were not deported, but were able to stay with their father. They may have spent their time collecting and editing the letters from their uncle to their mother which later on were published as "Letters to Ottla and the Family" by Franz Kafka. Sadly enough, her letters to her brother were lost.
I've got the opportunity to watch TLC. Normally I chose something else as my "television-treat", but on a lazy day when I felt like some "not too heavy food for my mind" I went for TLC. I must say, I'm surprised at the programs they offer, as all of them are extremely shallow reality-shows. Many of them are about food, either too much and too unhealthy or extremely elaborate, even glamorous as well as very fattening: For instance some chefs, e.g. from Australia, compete for a title as the best one. Not being very interested in cooking or baking, I don't watch these special programs, but I notice that they are on, maybe even on a daily basis. What's also on, day in, day out are programs about losing all that flab which will inevitably be the outcome of consuming a lot of food of all kinds.
Cakes like this one are in one end of the specter, and in the other end there are several programs of extreme obesity. More or less desperate people fight the flab, using diets and/or surgery. Some succeed, others fail miserably, or end up half-way in a process of change which they obviously don't really want because they are hooked on the unhealthy food that brought them all that killer-flab.
Sometimes the programs side with the often very, very heavy reality-stars, but not always. The specter contains both unhappy fatties doing their best to lose weight and gleeful people, who presumably are enjoying being "heavy-set" or whatever they call it. This weird mix of elaborate and glamorous cooking competitions, fatness surgery, tough diets and what looks like desperate attempts to give flab some value, even as a beauty asset, is so very odd, that it almost appears to be schizophrenic.
Little people - namely midgets - in one end of the specter, and very, very big ones in the other end
However, I admits that it's interesting to watch something like TLC if one wants to gain insight in the "art" of reality-shows. I bet that those people who are to be found as the "stars" of those shows felt lucky to get the chance of becoming famous in this weird world of a set-up "reality". All I can say is, that hopefully they earn a lot on their shows and don't fall too heavily when it's over and someone else becomes a "star of the day" ....
https://collider.com/tlc-reality-tv-exploitation/
Wikipedia
