At the end of the day, if you had to choose a post-WWII Europe governed by the Nazis or dominated by Communism under Stalin, which would you choose?

The ‘gut’ response that we’ve been programmed since childhood to give is ‘well, I’m certainly not choosing Hitler,’ but here are a few things to mull over before you actually answer, some serious, some less so.

1) The total number of people killed by Stalin through his purges, warfare, gulags, POW executions etc. ranges from 3 to 60 million. If you blame Hitler for every death in WWII, then obviously even the 60 million compares favorably to the Nazis. However, if you take a second world war as an inevitable outcome of the Paris Peace Process in 1919 and the Great Depression (which I do), then you have to inevitably argue that the war deaths in WW2 would have occurred WITH OR WITHOUT the Nazis in power. This is, of course, theory-crafting, but, at the end of the day, if we merely hold the Nazis accountable for, say, 4-7 million Holocaust-related deaths (unforgivable to be sure, but not tens of millions of people), then Stalin beats them in terms of brutality by a staggering number.

2) Regardless of all the fighting that went on in WWII, eastern Europe was still controlled by a dictator, just not a fascist one. Poland’s sovereignty, the original pretext for the declarations of war, was rendered forfeit anyway. Whereas the eastern European countries seized under Nazi invasion would have been nominally capitalist, they were reduced to pauper states under socialism, and the stagnation of their economies is still evident today.

3) The Nazis had better uniforms, spoke a more evil-sounding language (you have to admit that German sounds brutal), and were easily the most interesting and diabolical bad guys in history. The communists, as it turned out, were kind of bungling dopes. I mean, am I the only person who sighed loudly upon hearing that Indiana Jones’ main antagonists in The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were Russians? It didn’t exactly pan out well either, did it? Let’s face it, if we’re going to be squaring off in a Cold War with one group of evil guys or another, I’d rather take the ones who do evil in style and don’t come off looking like complete amateurs every time they threaten you.

So, yeah, what do you think? I mean, after World War 2 we ended up in a 45 year cold war regardless. Even if the Nazis had ‘won’ WWII (IE defeated Russia, taken England in a cross channel invasion) there never, ever would have been an invasion on the U.S (you’re talking about the same logistical nightmare that would have prevented the U.S. from invading Europe if England had fallen. No staging ground in England means no D-Day, and the Nazis couldn’t have pulled it off in reverse). Therefore, you probably would have seen a similar cold war develop between the two superpowers after the dust had settled even if the Nazis had been victorious. To a degree, history would have remained largely the same, albeit with different antagonists glaring at each other from across the Atlantic.

As it actually happened, after all the carnage in WWII there were still bad guys in power, and they still held half of Europe. The Russians weren’t really good at what they did though: everywhere they went was ruined by their occupation, and even without a major catalyst like a war, they still couldn’t hold their empire together in 1989.

So, if you were FORCED to choose, who would you take, the Nazis or the Communists? We saw what we got with one… having been there, would you take a different route if given the opportunity to pick your foe?

Subtext: I am NOT a neo-Nazi, or Nazi sympathizer, or anything of the sort. It just struck me tonight that the Nazis made far better opponents than did the Russians, and since we’d have likely been stuck being on the brink of war with one or the other for half a century, it might be interesting to have a choice as to who you’d prefer to be dealing with.

Quite easily, you can spot a jock, diva, rock star, punk, or goth even without sitting down and talking with them.? This is because they often exhibit their styles and personalities through their clothes and the accessories they wear.? And the latest craze nowadays in accessorizing and setting oneself apart is through the use of belt buckles.

There are many belt buckles in the market today, and they come in an assortment of shapes and sizes.? They often are categorized in themes, such as Western, Goth, Sporty, Music, Character (think: Superman or Batman emblems), Patriotism (flags and state signs) and many more.? There are also those jewel-embellished buckles or customized ones which sport your name or initials.? Amazingly, there are even belt buckles that light-up and display messages like ?HOT?.

Belt buckles originally serve the purpose of clasping the two ends of the belt straps together.? But now, these do more than just keep your jeans up.? Belt buckles can spice up any wardrobe!

One of the most popular themes is the Gothic Fashion belt buckles.? Goth buckles often portray images and messages that are dark and dramatic, which is characteristic of the whole Goth style.? A favorite among many people, whether Goth or not, is the skull buckle.? There are many designs to the skull buckle, ranging from the simple silver skull to the more elaborate ones that are embedded with semi-precious stones and even crystals.?

Most Goth Fashion belt buckles are in sterling silver or pewter, and will come in many designs.? Famous designs include the Egyptian ankh, the magical Pentagram, and other Celtic signs and symbols.? The Gothic cross is also something you can look for when choosing Goth belt buckles.? But whatever you choose, it?s sure to add a gothic touch to your outfit with its elaborate and dramatic dark designs.?

Wearing and collecting Goth belt buckles really has its benefits.? Just by wearing one, you can immediately create your own style and set yourself apart from others.? It adds character to your outfit, especially since Goth colors tend to be black and devoid of any splash of color.? Having a sterling silver or pewter buckle to complement the black will definitely make you stand out.?

And the best part is, you can easily switch from one buckle to another, so it?s better to have a collection of these.? Depending on your mood for the day, you can use another belt buckle and set a whole new persona without investing too much on your outfit.? Accessorizing through the use of Goth belt buckles is definitely something Goths must not live without.?

Regardless of your style and personality, getting these lovely buckles for your belt will definitely complete your whole look.

Really. You’re not alone. There are thousands more people like you. And me.

You want Indiana Jones’ hat.

You don’t have any reason except…well, you want one. If you lived 75 years ago, it wouldn’t even be a question: of course you’d own a hat. And you’d feel naked if you left the house without it.

After all, just look at it! The sharp brim. The distinctive shape. The flavor of class and dignity that comes with that 1930s style.

Ah, the fedora!

But, in an age of superstores, low prices and lower quality, where does one acquire such a thing of beauty?

For me, the answer was obvious: why not contact the man who made Harrison Ford’s hat? Marc Kitter, along with his partner Steve Delk, hand-made all the fedoras used in the latest Indiana Jones film, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.

Bernie Pollack, costume designer for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” contacted Kitter. “He’d been told that that Steve and I had specialized ourselves on the Indy fedora and wanted to know if we could answer some questions. After quizzing us on brim widths, crown heights, ribbon width, fur quality and many other details, Pollack asked us for some samples. We sent in several sample hats and could do nothing but wait.”

According to Pollack, Spielberg had been worried. “Ah, I’m so relieved he [Spielberg] said. I lost sleep wondering if you would be able to come up with the perfect hat.”

Kitter said, “But, after a test shooting with Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg, the dream came true and we got the order. My wife went on vacation and we started making hats up to 18 hours a day.”

Eighteen hours a day? If that sounds like a lot, it helps to know what goes into making a real Indiana Jones fedora. The best fedoras are made from fur-felt, never wool. In fact, the highest quality fedora is made from beaver.

It’s a long and difficult process. The fur is manipulated, treated and transformed into actual “felt”, arguably the toughest fabric known to man. (The fibers are interlocked and arranged in every possible direction making it almost impossible to tear.)

“The pure beaver felt used on my hats are specially made to my specs from a traditional manufacturer. This is the highest density felt I’ve ever worked with; and that adds to the durability of the final hat. We even add water-repellant to the felt during the manufacturing process.”

From there, the best fedoras are hand-crafted over a wooden block. “Wooden hat blocks have the advantage of letting the felt “breath” while it dries on them. This is one of the many details that isn’t always visible but prove valuable in the long haul.”

Ironically, one of the most important pieces of a high-quality fedora might be something that you rarely see: the sweatband. Since this is the only part of the hat that actually touches the wearer’s head, having the right material ensures comfort and durability.

Kitter’s hats use exclusive sweatbands made from kangeroo hide; the hides are traditionally tanned by a family-owned company in Australia. From there, they’re cut and turned into the most shrink resistant leather sweatbands available, known and loved by customers all over the world.

The finishing touch is the lining of the hat made from the highest quality bridal satin. “It looks and feels like silk but it’s more resistant to dust and sweat.”

The whole process can take more than 14 hours by hand and it shows.

So…what makes the Indiana Jones hat so unique?

“The Indy Fedora is a classic brown snap brim Fedora with a contrasting dark brown ribbon, but the — as is always the case with quality — the devil is in the details,” said Kitter.

“The blockshape used for the Indy Fedora is very uncommon nowadays. Today most classic hats have a tapered crown and are made from lightweight felt, mainly pure rabbit or rabbit beaver blends.

But, even if you never have to worry about wearing your fedora through the jungles of South America or racing the Russians for an ancient artifact, you still deserve a hat that will survive normal living.

“A high-quality fedora should be able to protect you from the elements, not the other way around. The hat should withstand heavy downpours, hot and humid summer days, snow….but it should do it with style. So, you’ll be able to wear the same hat to the restaurant at night,” Kitter says.

In other words, an authentic Indy fedora will get you positive feedback on a luxury cruise due to its velvet-like silky surface…but it’s just as appropriate with jeans and work-boots.

So, whether you’re looking for that final touch of class to go with a great suit and tie or you’re excavating the garden to make room for the begonias, the classic Indiana Jones fedora is the perfect addition to your wardrobe.

And yes, mine’s on the way.

What I mean by that? In the last few months it became difficult to hold her in my hands. There was some vibration that I was feeling for the 1st time with her. And while I was looking at her (as she is always on my desk) the thought that I had to release her, and that she wants to be somewhere else, became stonger. It was like Chichita was telling me that she is meant to go and not to stay with me. So I placed the ad and on the 5th day I was contacted by a woman saying she dreamt of Chichita. To make the story short – she will be coming this week and I am cleaning her under the Sun as well as the Moon light and preparing her for a new episode of her travels on Earth.

I would be making a video with her and when ready – it will be posted here too.

Turquoise is known as The Stone of the Gods since ancient times. The properties of the turquoise include wisdom, honesty, friendship and serenity. And I must add that I was feeling so good while holding it in my hands, and so light as a feather.

You’ll hear from me soon enough, and stay healthy and happy untill than

Please note that non of my photos may be used without my explicit permission, and every work of mine is copyrighted. Contact me if you wish to use any of my photos and do not download any without having received my written permission. Thank you.