The Deadliest Disaster at Sea Killed Thousands & The Dying Russians.

In the final months of World War II, German citizens

and soldiers fleeing the Soviet army died when

the “Wilhelm Gustloff” sank.

READ THE STORY HERE

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-deadliest-disaster-at-sea-killed-thousands-yet-its-story-is-little-known-why

----------------------------------

----------------------------------

----------------------------------

The Dying Russians

Between 1992 and 2009, the Russian population declined by almost seven million people, or nearly 5% — a rate unheard of in Europe since World War II.

READ THE STORY HERE

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-dying-russians?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

BLOG HOME PAGE

John Bellamy Comments:

I found and read these articles online and found the interesting in that, we know nothing about either of these stories. I mean, who knew the Russian population was declining dramatically when all other countries see their population growing.

When I was a child in the late 50's and 60's we were told the population of the UK was 55 million - and it currently stands ( 2020) at 66.6 million, so a sizeable increase.

Russia, it seems has millions less population and this is worrying.

I have corresponded with several ( who claim to be ) a young Russian gay men of 27 years of age who was a veterinarian- but could not find work as a vet and so was driving a cab and earning as little as £25 a fortnight. After months of exchanging e mails about life, loves and interests - ( nothing romantic as I told him upfront I was not interested in him sexually or emotionally ) I offered to help him financially as £20 a month is not a lot to me but could almost double his income - he was somewhat offended and considered it charity and he was not pleased.

I google earthed his local and even found the block where he lived, and then suddenly he stopped e mailingand I never heard again..

Another Russian I am currently speaking with is an engineer in a factory that makes ploughs for farmers and earns a pittance compared to the west and his lifestyle while massively improved on what his parents would have experienced, is still living in a small crammed flat with his Grandmother. As a gay man, he is in hiding as such because of draconian laws outlawing anything LGBTQ and where he can and could easily be beaten in the streets by those who the government has whipped up against the LGBTQ community - and actually against anyone not beliving the Russian propaganda - and he is scared. He has already lost several gay friends who either vanished over night never to be seen again or who committed suicide - and it seems that grief to him is hand in hand with every day life, while in the UK, we do not experience such grief of young friends around us almost on a daily basis since we gay men stopped dropping like flies in the early days of HIV / Aids.

It is another world and one I am glad to to be a part of and all I can do is offer support and friendship through e mail.

I get 3 or 4 e mails a week of people from Ghana wanting to befriend me and these YOU DO NOT TRUST AT ALL as all they are after is your money, and I am sure the same could be said for a lot of people in Russia who randomly e mail a stranger in the west, like I often am, in thehope of conning them out of money, but both the guys I have offered to help financially - have refused and both been a little upset at me as if I was insulting them.

Could be part of theploy, part of the cat - as we hear so many stories of poor people conning those in the west out of their life savings, but as I am NOT desperately sad and lonely person destined to believe any e mail sent claiming to love me, to want me, to need me, and to want to come live with me - biut first send me thousands of £ so I can get my passport and visa sorted out ... ha ha ... yer right... pull the other one... as it aint goping to happen... I was not born yesterday and neither am I that desperate - thank you.

BLOG HOME PAGE