Cesar Agustin Castillo circa 1907 Mexico City

 

Cesar Agustin Castillo Circa 1910 Heidelberg, Germany

 

 

 

The Future of History by Wanda Hartzenberg

The definition of history is quite simple and clear. It is the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. History based on it's very definition is a human construct and as such it is open to interpretation as well as being a very subjective experience. Ask any pupil anywhere and they will assure you that;

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” And depending on their age etc they might even tell you that this infamous quote was coined by Aristotle long before the term coined became part of the universal franca lingua. 

You need not be a physicist to understand that if your dealing with a construct which is greater than it's parts then you are dealing with parts or elements. The elements of a construct such as history itself is however something best left to philosophers. If, for some reason, you however find yourself at gunpoint and must give the basic parts or constructs that makes up history as a whole then you might be served by this fun little acronym I found on a blog. 

PERSIA 
 

P= Politics. Who governs whom. Colonialism, Adolf Hitler....this list is as obvious as it is long. 

E= Economics. Who is the Jones's and why do we need to keep up with them?  Oh they have oil. We want oil. The Great Depression. Again, long and really scary. 

R= Religion.  Here let me borrow from Alice in Wonderland -- off with their heads. Religion, yes even the lack thereof shapes ideology. Ideology shapes beliefs which shapes EVERYTHING. 

S=Social.  Rosa Parks sat down in a bus seat and changed the world. It was a social act of defiance not a political one that changed the face of the USA. 

I=Intellectual. Can anybody think off a more obvious choice here than Albert Einstein?  

A=Art.  The Beatles song Helter Skelter fueled Charles Mansion's delusions over a supposed impending race war. The rest, as they say, is history. 

So now that we know what history is made off we also need to understand that history is made by change. A change in the status quo on a level that impacts the masses is needed for a historic event to be classified as an event. 

The plain that dropped the first atomic bomb is the The Enola Gay a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named for Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb code-named "Little Boy" during the last stages of WWII.  

Now even though a song was written marking the name of said Boeing B-29 into pop culture for generations to come and the code name of the first ever atomic bomb to be used in war fare is part of most school curriculums, none of the facts above would have had any relevance if it was not linked to a change impacting on the masses. For the first time ever, an atomic bomb was used as a weapon. 

So history is a human construct centered around events of change. These events can be for the greater good of mankind such as the Slavery Abolition Act 1833

In the UK. It can be an event that shakes the very foundation of the human psyche,

such as the hi-jacking of Sabena Flight 571, where the casualties were very low but the impact internationally rivaled that of a tsunami. 

Sometimes the events are subtle, like Naderev Sano, a member of the Philippines Climate Change Commission, whom in 2013 "in solidarity with my countrymen who are now struggling for food back home" went on a hunger strike. He accomplished little but his act raised international consciousness on a plight of millions. 

Sometimes the events are both legally and morally far into the grey area such as actions taken by the Sea Shepard Nature Conservation Society; on the one hand activists, on the other classified as eco terrorists. 

As a human construct centering around human experiences marked by specific events, history is nothing more nor less than the experience of one human in a certain point and time. 

Therefore to paraphrase Edmund Burke, yes it turns out this famous saying cannot be found anywhere in Burke's writing in the form known to all. 
 History is not as set in stone as we all think...
 

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" 

Remember, your future will soon be your history. Nothing explains your role in life better than the Butterfly effect. Fly!  
Hi. My name is Wanda Hartzenberg and I am a native South African. I still live in Pretoria where I was raised as a child. I used to think of myself as somebody that pushed the boundaries but not till late last year did I really decide that I need to push myself harder to really see what I am made off. As little as two and a half years back on this very same blog I promised that I am a reader. A very passionate reader at that but that I would never venture into the world as a writer. Half a year later I made myself a liar. My first collaborative work for a charity was published as The Struggle Of Me, a YA novel about fitting in when your home life is at best dysfunctional. 2014 my first solo short story based on true events was published as Suicide Song. This story is still very close to my heart as I

have stood next to grave sides of so many friends who could not cope with life any longer. I have since joined forces with our very own Catalina writing joint magazine articles based on history for an online magazine; The Inflectionist. It seems the more I push myself the more I realize that I mistook rebellion for growth and now in my early forties I see the error of my youthful ways. I honestly cannot tell you where I see myself in 10 years time but I do know by then this bio will be nothing but the foundation of where I started from as a writer and a reader. Because let's face it, nothing beats a good book.

 

BENEDICT ARNOLD; PATRIOT or TRAITOR ?

                                                                                                          © M.C.V.Egan/W.Hartzenberg

History is filled with colorful characters that are both a patriot and a traitor. It is simply a matter of perspective as one country’s freedom-fighter is another’s rebel. In some cases one countries terrorist is also ultimately its savior.

Today with so much information available to so many we may well see a trend in which much of generally accepted history is questioned. An interesting example is that of American General Benedict Arnold (1741-1801).

A historical plaque found on a London building not far from the American Embassy states the following; “Benedict Arnold, American Patriot resided here from 1796 until his death on June 14th, 1801”. The plaque is not one of the usual official blue ones.

Benedict Arnold was a General in the American Revolutionary Army. Acting upon a loyalty to England and planning to surrender the fortifications under his command to the British, this was revealed before he succeeded. Thus Arnold was forced flee and join the British Army where he was given the title of Brigadier General.

In America any traitor is commonly referred to as a Benedict Arnold.  The plaque was placed by a private citizen and distant relative of Benedict Arnold who after researching his ancestor, felt strongly that Arnold was misunderstood. The descendant, an amateur historian is of the opinion that Benedict Arnold’s intentions were in his heart of hearts for the good of America.

​With a good deal if not most of the important original documents from The American Revolution housed in the British National Archives at Kew, as well as documents from all other ex-colonies and surely countless amateur historians perusing documents in person or on-line we may well encounter more and more plaques and monuments with conflicting opinions.

​They have of course always existed, to Catholics Britain’s Sir Thomas Moore is a Saint and a history of strong prejudice excluded Catholics in the UK from even the right to vote on The Isle until 1829 when the political climate changed and Parliament passed the Roman Catholic Relief Act.

 

So much that we take for granted as accepted and the norm today has contradictory and even violent roots in the past. Exploring the historical perspectives from several sides of a story can raise as heated a discussion as current political discussions of the day.

Koos De La Rey a guerrilla fighter against the British during the second Boer War was rallied around as a folk hero by native South Africans. De La Rey was so daring in his attacks that Afrikaners whom, prior to visibility were impartial started to stand up and fight with him one man by pure force of will turned the tide of a war. Villain to Britain and Hero to South Africa.

Possibly one of the most famous terrorists in the world, Nelson Mandela served a 27 year long sentence for acts of terrorism as defined in The Rivonia trial all the while fighting against a political system focused on racial segregation. A life time after his conviction for terrorism Madiba left prison to become a hero to all, a President of a nation united. An icon.

So this is the question; If history is owned by the victor? Then who is to say that today's traitor won’t become tomorrow’s hero?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

War of the Oil Worlds Take to the Airwaves

                                                © M.C.V. Egan /W. Hartzenberg 

Going against the Mexican Supreme Court ruling and Cabinet, on March 18th 1938, the then Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas took to all of the radio waves in his country and announced to the Mexican people the enactment of ‘Oil Expropriation’. The foreign countries affected fought hard in the Mexican courts to secure their very profitable oil interests. The case carried from court to court until reaching Mexico’s highest court.

Invoking Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, President Cardenas bypassed all arguments and suggestions and took an enormous risk against large foreign interests. Up until then, only international companies drilled for oil in Mexico. The countries affected were primarily The United States, The United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

Mexican workers were well aware that they were being paid far less than their international counterparts and voiced their resentment by engaging in strike actions which disrupted production and caused widespread unrest. Mexicans in general felt that Mexico saw no real profit from its own national resource whilst other countries benefited from their oil and labor. The combination of these two facts emboldened Cardenas to embark on a path never before traveled.

The now famous radio broadcast on the evening of March 18th, 1938 was inadvertently interrupted and as the broadcasting problem was being resolved the airways carried a Mexican song with rather ironic lyrics asking to be forgiven for behaving with audacity or boldness. (Yo pido a la concurrencia que perdone mi osadía).

President Cardenas decision was as popular in Mexico as it was unpopular in other countries. Mexicans, it is reported arrived in droves and donated anything they could to help the government survive the transition from foreign owned oil fields to domestic ownership. Women gave their jewelry, anything and everything of value to help Mexico. This sense of unity and nationalism carried Mexico through the transition.

This was no easy feat as in retaliation an international boycott of Mexican oil was imposed. Mexico’s newly formed national company PEMEX (Petroleos Mexicanos) survived the international boycott, which in 1938 with the world not particularly united is rumored not to have been honored by the Germans. Understandably once WW II broke out any question of boycotting oil was forgotten, with recorded sinking of oil tankers by the Germans when Mexico sold to the allies.

To date Mexico’s oil industry, which has seen difficult times is owned by the Mexican government, but of late there seems to be the possibility of change and a welcoming of the foreign interests that were repudiated over seventy-five years ago.

Ending 2014 on a High Note

 

 

M.C.V. Egan

THE BRIDGE of DEATHS by M.C.V. Egan

 

 

www.amazon.com ~ Bridge Deaths Revised

 

 

*****  The blending of facts with mysticism to arrive at the truth.... August 30, 2014

By Cold Coffee Press

Format:Paperback

Book Review For “The Bridge Of Deaths” – by M. C. V. Egan 

 

 

 

M.C.V. Egan’s book ‘The Bridge Of Deaths’ is unique because the author is driven by childhood memories, family stories and perhaps the spirit of her grandfather who died when an English aircraft (carrying 5) crashed on August 15, 1939. Her exhaustive research, passion for details and networking abilities brings this fiction (based on real events) to life from archives buried during the chaos of World War ll.

Characters like Bill, Maggie and Catalina draw us into their world with conversations and settings that bring the reader to the table, quenches the thirst for love at first sight romance and delves into a quest for knowledge that reaches into the paranormal realm that few of us would dare venture into.

If you like historical fiction (eliminating dry facts) the time frame and mystery behind this historical plane crash and family tragedy will keep you turning the page. The use of Skype conversations was creative and the historical documentation such as the use of actual Western Union Telegrams validates the truth behind the fiction.

I personally would have loved to read more about the author’s family and especially her grandfather’s life and see more photos. Understandably this book is mystery based on a tragic historical event and is not a biography. After reading this well thought out, painstakingly researched fictional accounting of a historical event that few of us even know about, I only have one question. Where will M.C.V. Egan take us in a sequel and what nugget of information might be unearthed by the publication of this book?

The blending of facts with mysticism to arrive at the truth is a payoff even for a reader who holds a skeptical view of the paranormal, use of hypnosis and past-life regression. Cold Coffee Press endorses M.C.V. Egan’s book ‘The Bridge Of Deaths’ for the author’s nearly two decades of research, thirst for the truth and family bonds. http://www.coldcoffeepress.com

 

THE BRIDGE OF DEATHS ORIGINAL EDITION on AMAZON

 

 

***** 5.0 out of 5 stars History's Mysteries Through Past-Life Explorations, January 15, 2012

By 

Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes Haws "Fair and auth... (Montezuma, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bridge of Deaths (Kindle Edition)

The author, M. C. V. Egan, is very forthright in explaining that she is not any expert on world history of the period she relates; in fact, she says that when she began her quest to discover events she knew very little of that era. So as readers we are reassured that the author is not spouting regurgitated history texts, but fictionalizing her own experiences and discoveries. She has no hidden agenda here, no goals except discovery. Instead she is forthright, sharing her explorations and their results with us, her readers. I enjoyed the manner in which she made of herself a character, sharing her actual quests and discoveries and setbacks, just as the fictional characters express their lives throughout the story.

I fell in love with the characters each from their first introduction. Although Ms. Egan uses quite a bit of narrative in introducing them, it's neither boring nor unsubstantiated, for within the narrative she includes dialogue (running in the background, as it were) and a substantial amount of action. She draws her characters in such a way that they are immediately understandable, and the reader easily relates and empathises. The author also has a very clever mode of relating her characters and their events to a background of actual world history in their particular era, which makes the book seem down-to-earth even in the midst of a metaphysical discussion.

She mentions in one spot "the most extraordinary feeling of comfort in simply being with her," and this is the experience I have of "The Bridge of Deaths." I am reminded of all those wonderful books I've read in which I feel as if I have just settled into a comfy armchair beside a roaring fireplace-I can relax, enjoy, and relate to the adventures in the novel as an "Armchair Traveler." This novel made me feel safe and warm, even while exploring the question of past lives, hypnotic regression, and the effects past life events and encounters have on our present and future.

This novel is fascinating: it has intrigue, romance, love that bridges lifetimes, soul mates, history, mystery, the thrills of the unexpected, philosophy, Spirituality, and metaphysics. It is a warm, cozy, comforting story, with the conviction running throughout that there is an Answer-and answers-if we can just persevere to find out. I eagerly await further novels from this special author. I know in the meantime I will be rereading "The Bridge of Deaths" just for the sheer pleasure it brings me.

 

 

Weaving Real Life Murder & Mayhem into Present Day Fiction

My first book, Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction, is based on a true story. Death
and tragedy seemed to plague my family in the 1930s. The funeral for my grandfather's mother, Dora, was on his twenty-second birthday. Just two years before that, his brother-in-law, Hobart, was murdered, and just months before that horrible blow, his father died of cancer.

 

I grew up hearing stories of the two murders, and I thought they were fascinating and horribly sad. Hobart's murder was never solved, and someone got away with killing a husband and father of four. I always thought someone should write a book about what happened, never dreaming at the time that it would be me. The real murder is a cold case, but I found a little satisfaction in solving it fictionally.

 

I weaved Hobart's murder, and that of my great grandmother's, into my novel. I wanted the reader to see the events of the 1930s firsthand, but I also wanted a modern day mystery, so the book goes back and forth from the 1930s to the present day. My main characters in the present day, Tess and Jackson, solve the murder by sleuthing online and talking to family members and town folk. You can do that with fiction. But in real life, the murder was never solved and family members disagree on what they think happened. Everyone agrees that Hobart was a pillar of the community (one of my characters would say a "pillow of the community"), and a newspaper article said, "If Hobart had an enemy, no one knew it." So who killed him? That's what Tess and Jack are determined to find out in my novel.

 

The newspaper account of Hobart's murder in 1935 said:

"According to reports, his car was parked at the spot where it was found about 7 o'clock. Several passersby saw the car early in the evening but thought nothing about it since it apparently was preparing to turn around.  Neighbors near the scene failed to hear any shots fired, which gives rise to the theory that the actual shooting might have occurred at another place and the car driven there and abandoned.  The motor was still running and the lights burning when his body was discovered."

Talk about a mystery! But as the days and weeks passed, new speculation arose as to what might have happened. Some thought--and to this day some family members still think--that it was a suicide. That seems ludicrous in light of the facts that he was a successful and happy father and husband, the gun found in his hand had not been fired, and he was shot behind the right ear. How many suicide victims shoot themselves behind the ear?

Others thought that Hobart's brother killed him because he was in love with Hobart's wife. It was his brother who, two years later, shot Hobart's wife (she survived) after she rebuffed him. He also shot and killed her mother, Dora. His words before he started shooting were, "If I can't have you, no one will."

And then there is the theory that something fishy was going on in the bank where Hobart worked. It’s quite possible it was tied to a bank robbery Hobart had witnessed two years before his death. Some think he found out about it and was going to turn the guilty party or parties in, so they shot him before he had a chance to blow the whistle.

I have the original newspaper articles that reported on the murder and subsequent investigation. They helped me write the 1930s portion of the story as accurately as possible. The facts were all real, but the characters in the book were fictional. I think the articles are fascinating. It's entirely possible that the real murderer was mentioned in them. 

It's very powerful for me to hold the old newspaper articles, visit the bank where Hobart worked and the robbery occurred, see the spot on the side of the road where the car would have been parked on the night of the murder, and pay homage to Hobart's grave. I know that my John Hobb in the book isn't the real Hobart, but when you research a person and an event like I did, it's surreal to see tangible reminders of the real murder victim. I hope he's up there with my great aunt, great grandmother, and my grandfather and they see the respect and awe I have for them and for my father's cousins who lost their father. I hope they know that the tragedies they endured weren't just writing material for me, but that I wanted to tell the stories. I wanted readers to see that what happened was an abomination. Hobart's murder remains a cold case. But it is not forgotten.


 

 

ON AMAZON

When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder. Suddenly she’s learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

A bank robbery, murder, and family tragedy from the 1930s are pieces of the mystery that Tess attempts to solve. As she gets close to the truth, she encounters danger, mystery, a lot of southern charm, and a new temptation for which she’s not sure she’s ready. 

 

Find Amy @   http://amymetz.com  or http://abluemillionbooks.blogspot.com

Amy Metz is the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. She is a former first grade teacher and the mother of two sons. When not in Goose Pimple Junction, actively engaged in writing, enjoying her family, or surfing Facebook or Pinterest, Amy can usually be found with a mixing spoon, camera, or book in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in the other. Amy lives in Louisville, Kentucky and can be reached at her website