December 9, 2014 Marks The Three Year Anniversary Of The Disputed Presidential Election Results In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo. I Still Have Not Forgotten.

It is December 9, 2014 and today marks the three year anniversary of the announcement of the results of the disputed presidential election in the Democratic Republic Of The Congo.  As many of you know, I post a video message on this date every year in order to create awareness.  Just today I read that chaos is still taking place in the DRC in recent weeks.  I am hoping that 2015 will see an end to the rapes, an end to the plunder, an end to the killings and an end to the overall madness that reigns in The Congo at present.


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf12Frvz4xo

Weihnachtsmarkt In Sparta, New Jersey Held On December 7, 2014

Once again, Lake Mohawk in Sparta, NJ held its annual German Weihnachtsmarkt on December 6 and 7, 2014.  I went on December 7.  The event seems to be getting more and more popular.  I did not arrive until a little after 3:00 (the closing time was 5:00) and it was still packed.

Here is the scenery as I walked toward the market:


I saw a wood carver working on a creation:


Here is a brief video showing his skills:

The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQLNwRGZVFM

The entrance:


Look at this wooden bear:


Now look at the pricetag!



Other sights ...




That is an angry looking eagle:


Here is a sample of what I purchased (all German-made):


This owl looks as angry as the eagle:


I would like to give a spacial salute to a woman who used to set up at the Sparta and Clark German events.  She passed away earlier in the year.  I made purchases from her over the years and this event was the last time the people connected to her set up.  I walked away with a large haul of her stock at this event.  I will continue to decorate with these fine items well into the future.

Battle For Schmidt World War II Reenactment Held In Philadelphia, PA On December 6, 2014

Once again, Fort Mifflin held its annual World War II Reenactment in the cold of December.  This time it was cold AND wet.  As you may have seen in my previous blog entry, December 6, 2014 was a very wet day.  I was soaked.  The ground was saturated and this affected the maneuvers as you will observe shortly.

There were Battles at 11:00 and 3:00.  Here is a video of the 3:00 Battle:

The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pFaMqvJh7w

Photographs (I did my best with them ... at times the lens was wet and partially obstructed with steam) ...










Someone took a major spill here:


I showed this photo to some of the Reenactors when it was still in the camera and they were cracking up.  Someone even used the word scorpion to describe the fall.  It DOES look like a scorpion!

I had to post the large default size of this:


Back to the Battle ...









Inside of a German bunker ...




German hospital (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz = German Red Cross) ...

GTV Almrausch, The Damenchor Wald Echo And The Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor At The Christmas Village In Philadelphia, PA On December 6, 2014

This blog entry features performances by GTV Almrausch, Damenchor Wald Echo and the Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor.  GTV Almrausch is a German Schuhplattler dance group and Damenchor Wald Echo and the Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor are German choral groups.  They appeared at the Christmas Village in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 6, 2014.

As you can see in the photographs and video footage, there was a hard rain coming down.  The camera lens faced interference from raindrops and fogging.  I was soaked.  I stood out there filming.  None of my umbrellas were nearby so I went to the Village without any of them.  I do not mind - it was well worth it since I was interested in seeing these acts bring the German culture to the German Christmas Village.

I parked ten blocks away.  Considering how busy Philadelphia is, I park at the first spot that I see.  As I walked down Arch Street, I decided to get a couple shots of the skyline.  You can see how nasty it was outside.







Here is GTV Almrausch.  The songs that they danced to were the Schuhplattler Tanz, the Hofbräuhaus and Bergvagabunden.


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xyDuxhB7o0







Here are Damenchor Wald Echo and the Franklinville-Schwarzwald Männerchor.  They performed a number of Christmas (aka Weihnachten) songs.


The url for the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCJ7n2Wu6FY







I took a walk, a wet walk, around the Village.  Here are some shots ...