"Over the fifteen years that Putin has ruled Russia, the story of the Great Patriotic War has acquired new meanings and symbols. Stalin’s name and likeness have gradually been reintroduced into the story–and into the streets of Russian cities."

A Russian examines the symbolism of Victory Day.

See also here.

Victory Day

Former Soviet republics reject symbols that celebrate the seventieth anniversary of Victory Day.

ADDED: Enjoy some humor.

Class Notes (Part 6)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1934. On this Class Notes page, my Mom's friend wrote:

How pretty, how pretty
The garden of rue

Rue? Rue is considered a "national herb of Lithuania." When my parents built their cottage, they planted a bed of rue along one side of the house.

A New Honorary Consulate

On Monday, October 13, 2014, Lithuania opened an Honorary Consulate in Wisconsin. Mr. Irene and I attended the ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

The ceremony took place in the Senate Chamber. A Lithuanian flag stood with the Wisconsin and United States flags.

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The Lithuanian Consulate brought its insignia.

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The Lithuanian coat of arms, the Vytis, also draped the Speaker's podium.

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His Excellency Žygimantas Pavilionis, Lithuania's Ambassador to the United States, inadvertently photobombed this shot of the Senate Chamber murals.

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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius, and Honorary Consul Leslie Liautaud prepared for the ceremony.

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Governor Walker opened the event.

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Foreign Minister Linkevičius offered some thoughts before the investiture.

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Honorary Consul Liautaud received a Lithuanian flag during the ceremony.

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Ambassador Pavilionis addressed Wisconsin's ties to Lithuania.

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Honorary Consul Liautaud spoke for a few minutes.

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Everyone enjoyed the speeches.

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Well done!

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Lithuania's Honorary Consuls from other states arrived for the investiture ceremony.

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Although members of the media recorded the event, the ceremony got little attention in the news.

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After the ceremony, guests moved to the Senate Parlor for refreshments.

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Lunch.

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Guests enjoyed catching up with old friends.

The Other Side of the Room

Schweinfurt, Germany, about 1947. Scouts and other audience members from the Displaced Persons camp listen to a speaker.

Symbols

Probably Lübeck, Germany, about 1946. Lithuanian Displaced Persons showcase their cultural ties by creating the coat of arms, the "Vytis," at the entrance to the DP camp.

Prepared Remarks

Schweinfurt, Germany, about 1947. A Lithuanian scout addresses a gathering at the Displaced Persons camp. A Lithuanian flag hangs behind the table, and the scouting motto—Budek—appears on each side of the flag.

What, no swastika?

A new poster celebrates the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union. The poster incorporates the Soviet hammer and sickle into a logo.

The logo itself is a blend of co-existy symbols whipped together to form a Maoish star.

For three generations, the badge of the Soviet revolution meant poverty, slavery, torture and death. It adorned the caps of the chekas who came in the night. It opened and closed the propaganda films which hid the famines. It advertised the people's courts where victims of purges and show-trials were condemned. It fluttered over the re-education camps and the gulags. For hundreds of millions of Europeans, it was a symbol of foreign occupation. Hungary, Lithuania and Moldova have banned its use, and various former communist countries want it to be treated in the same way as Nazi insignia.

Shame.

UPDATE: Gone.

A Memorable Mentor

My Dad preserved and restored many photographs of his beloved teachers and mentors.

Seligenstadt, Germany, January 18, 1948. This fellow was one of the leaders of the Lithuanian Scout troop to which my Dad belonged. He wears the scouting motto, "Budek," on his pocket. "Budek" means, "Be Prepared."