| CARVIEW |
This 10 Noveber 2025 video says about itself:
Trump Just Erased a Black Hero Memorial
In 1944, the all-Black 960th Quartermaster Service Company was given a horrific task: build the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten. They dug graves by hand in frozen ground, burying over 20,000 bodies. The trauma was so severe, their leader, Jefferson Wiggins, didn’t speak of it for 65 years.
In 2024, memorial panels were finally installed to tell their story. In November 2025, Donald Trump ordered them to be removed.
This is the story of the 960th, the 65-year-long secret, and the present-day political fight—allegedly following a complaint from the Heritage Foundation—to erase their memory from the very cemetery they built.
The removed panels named Black soldiers who died while freeing the Dutch province of Limburg from German nazi occupiers. One of the panels reminded us that these Black soldiers had to fight not only against German nazis (who killed Black prisoners of war) but also against being discriminated against in the racially segregated 1940s US military.
This 12 November Dutch AVROTROS TV video is called (translated) Sadness about disappeared panels about Black liberators at US cemetery Margraten.
This 10 November 2025 video says about itself:
The American Battle Monuments Commission has quietly removed commemorative panels honoring Black U.S. soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
This 22 November 2025 Dutch TV video is about how Dutch TV show Even Tot Hier, together with surviving relatives of these US Black soldiers, put back the panels honouring the Black soldiers, removed by the Trump admnistration. Not on the (United States-administered) cemetery, but right next to it. A farmer right next to the cemetery gave permission to put the name of one of the soldiers in big letters, consisting of big hay bales, on his land.
United States Congress members protest: here.
]]>This video shows Pussy Riot, now exiles from Putin’s Russia, playing in the Casa da Música music hall in Porto, Portugal; on 9 June 2022.
In 2005, the Casa da Música was opened. On this 1 November 2024 photo, it is to the left of old buildings with graffiti.
It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, as a consequence of Porto and Rotterdam in 2001 both being European capitals of Culture.
The building is designed to make it possible to have several concerts in several halls at the same time, without the sound from one hall interfering with other halls.
This photo, from the biggest hall, shows how much technical stuff is needed for that.
Casa da Música is home to five permanent organisations: a classical music orchestra, a baroque music orchestra, an experimental electronic ensemble, an adults’ choir and a children’s choir.
There is complete set of instruments to play gamelan (traditional Indonesian music).
A Casa da Música leaflet says it is for ‘numerous musical genres … from classical to jazz, fado to electronic.’ It mentions various folk or jazz rock musicians who have played there.
The leaflet mentions only one punk ensemble: Pussy Riot. They played in 2022 in the biggest hall of the Casa da Música: the Sala Suggia, called after Porto-born Portuguese cello player Guilhermina Suggia. ‘That punk event by Pussy Riot in our biggest hall was an exception’, a Casa da Música employee told me. ‘When we just opened, there was a bit more punk.’
Siouxsie Sioux singing The Staircase there would fit.
Architect Koolhaas in one room, the VIP room, made panels, reproducing historic blue and white tiles, which had been made in both the Netherlands (Delft) and Portugal, with mutual influences.
Blue and white
On 10 January 2024, a wintery but sunny day on Texel island, there were 165 Bewick’s Swans near Concordia building, east of De Waal village. The photo shows some of these swans, a wintering species in the Netherlands, including greyish young ones.
This photo shows Eurasian wigeon ducks; as part of the Wadden Sea is frozen.
This photo shows brent geese, mallards, a male teal and avocets at the Wadden Sea coast.
Among other birds on Texel that day: redwings, fieldfares, white-fronted geese, barnacle geese, golden plover, redshank. Near the Slufter nature reserve, in the sand dunes: long-tailed tits, goldfinch, wren.
]]>
Hedgehog, Gooilust, 16 May 2023
This hedgehog was in Gooilust nature reserve, on 16 May 2023.
]]>
Sheep’s head mushroom, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022
At the bottom of an oak tree near the duck decoy in Naardermeer nature reserve grew this sheep’s head mushroom on 16 October 2022.
Sheep’s head mushroom, Naardermeer, on 16 October 2022
Autumn leaves on it. This is a rare species in the Netherlands.
]]>
Male pintail ducks, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022
The 16 October boat trip in the Naardermeer nature reserve landed at the duck decoy. There, these male pintail ducks swam.
Pintails, domestic ducks, mallards, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022
Sometimes, female pintail ducks joined them. Sometimes, mallards and domestic ducks.
Pintail ducks, common pochards, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022
Sometimes, common pochards.
There was also a kingfisher at the duck decoy.
]]>
Grey heron, Naardermeer, 16 October 2022
On 16 October, this grey heron flew over the beautiful Naardermeer nature reserve in the Netherlands.
I went along on a boat trip in the Nardermeer then. The trip was organised by the conservation organisation Natuurmonumenten, owners of the Naardermeer.
Naardermeer, trees, 16 October 2022
The Naardermeer is a lake with many marshy areas.
Naardermeer, birch trees, 16 October 2022
We saw this great egret.
Great egret, Naardermeerm 16 October 2022
Other birds that morning: an osprey, goshawk, common snipes. We heard a Cetti’s warbler.
]]>
Shuamta raptor count point, Georgia, 11 September 2022
This photo shows the raptor migration observation point in Shuamta, Georgia. It is not far from Batumi city, like the other hilltop observation point Sakhalvasho which is a few kilometres more to the west.
On 11 September, many black kites passing.
Shuamta raptor count point, honey buzzard, Georgia, 11 September 2022
Of course, also honey buzzards again.
Shuamta raptor count point, honey buzzard flying, Georgia,11 September 2022
Bee-eaters, not officially counted, like usually.
Booted eagles, who are counted.
A painted lady butterfly.
Two sparrowhawks overhead.
A snake eagle circling.
In a flock of bee-eaters, an Alpine swift.
Two hobbies.
]]>
Honey buzzard, Sakhalvasho, September 2022
This photo shows a honey buzzard, landing on a branch near Sakhalvasho bird migration watchpoint near Batumi in Georgia.
Honey buzzard lands, Sakhalvasho, September 2022
Honey buzzards are the most numerous species of the millions of birds migrating in autumn along the Black Sea coast of Georgia.
Honey buzzard landed, Sakhalvasho, September 2022
The honey buzzard finds out that the branch is a bit thin for its weight.
Honey buzzard flies, Sakhalvasho, September 2022
So, it flies away again.
Honey buzzards fly, Sakhalvasho, September 2022
If flies along with many fellow honey buzzards (sometimes also black kites and other birds of prey join in), circling in the air, to profit from thermals.
Honey buzzards flying, Sakhalvasho, September 2022
It flies with still more other birds.
Honey buzzards flying, near Sakhalvasho, September 2022
And still more other birds.
]]>
Purple herons, Batumi, 7 September 2022
This 7 September 2022 photo shows purple herons migrating along the Black Sea coast near Batumi, Georgia.
Red-backed shrike, Batumi, 7 September 2022
These photos, also 7 September 2022, show a young red-backed shrike near the Black Sea coast near Batumi, Georgia.
Red-backed shrike, near Batumi, 7 September 2022
European roller, September 2022
4/5 September 2022. At the Batumi Raptor Count point near Sakhalvasho village in Georgia.
Although it is called Raptor Count, also some non-raptor birds on their southwards autumn migration are counted. Like the European roller on the photo above. Hundreds of them flying daily past the counting point in these September times.
Most non-raptor bird species are not counted. Like bee-eaters, numerous and filling the air with their beautiful calls.
Gulls at the Black Sea, September 2022
Lower in the Batumi area, closer to the Black Sea. Many gulls. Mostly yellow-legged gulls. Also at least one Armenian gull.
On the stony beach of Batumi city, not only wheatears, but also greater short-toed larks like this one.
Nightjar, Batumi city park, 5 September 2022
In Batumi city park, various nightjars like this one, resting during daytime, before migrating toward Africa again during the night.
Stay tuned for more posts about bird migration in Georgia!
]]>ZWARTE IBIS MIGRATIE LANGS DE ZWARTE ZEE Also the wheatear is migrating along this sea / Ook de tapuit migreert langs deze zee]]>
ZWARTE IBIS MIGRATIE LANGS DE ZWARTE ZEE
Also the wheatear is migrating along this sea / Ook de tapuit migreert langs deze zee
The Cure on Rotterdam, September 1979
This 9 September 1979 photo shows British band the Cure, playing at the Rotterdam, the Netherlands New Pop Festival 1979 in the Zuiderpark.
I took photos there with my Kodak Pocket Instamatic, the cheapest, smallest and simplest camera available. In 2005, photo shops stopped developing and printing Instamatic films. That meant the end of photography forever for me and others for whom expensive cameras for which you needed a Sc.D degree were not an option.
You could only make 12 photos with an Instamatic film. So, I had to be careful not to waste film.
I photographed the Inner Circle reggae band.
I made photos of the Specials.
And of the Cure, as this one also shows.
The Cure in Rotterdam. New Pop Festival, 9 September 1979