The First Story Building In Nigeria

ODOGO -  An Igala military tower, Idah, Kogi state. This building is said to have been in existence for decades, to the extent of people mistaking it to be the first story building in Nigeria.

It is believed that the storey building in Idah was built 629 years ago in the year 1391, while that in Badagry was built 176 years ago 1845.

It was then concluded that the storey building of the Igala nation in Idah is the first storey building in Nigeria, and not the one in Badagry built 176 years after.

Before the colonization of Africa by the Europeans, Igala kingdom had its own organized governing structure which covers Justice, economy, security, entertainment, and many other aspects that makes up a nation.

The Igala security comprises of Navy, Soldiers, and local Police.

As part of military tactics, the first storey building in Nigeria was constructed centuries ago in ancient Idah. This security tower was built in the Attah of Igala’s palace to monitor the four cardinal points direction of the palace against enemies.

Is has been known that no enemy takes Idah nor Igala nation unaware without being spotted from afar, and then prevented.

The tower is called Odo-ogo, which translates to “the wall beside the deep valley”. 

The top of the tower is meant to be manned by Igala Soldiers who are fixed at the top of the building to keep watch of the surrounding against enemy attack.

Odo-ogo tower was built during the reign of Abutu Ejeh who was the Attah of Igala land after the palace was relocated from Opuata to it’s present location near Ubiogba cliff.

While the top of Odo-ogo serves as a watchtower, the ground floor is used for some special purposes in the palace. Just like in the ancient Egypt, the resting place of any Attah of Igala who joined the ancestors is at the bottom of guarding tower.

Similar to the procedures used by the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, the traditional mortuary before burial, the similar processes take place before any transited Attah moves to other world completely.

In modern day Idah, the ancient security tower is now a holy ground and people can’t go near it except those in charge of the monument. It is no longer used for the initial purpose of watching over Palace due to high population in Idah and expansion of the area, hence, other security methods have replaced that mode.

This is one of the historical spots of Igala Kingdom and could serve as a tourist center in Kogi state and Nigeria as a whole.

The entire building has remained intact for centuries since the days of Abutu Ejeh, the roof and walls have been untouched and have endured and resisted harsh weather conditions over the years.

A visit to the Attah Igala’s palace at Idah Alu Ogo Aja ABUTU EJE can give you a glimpse of the tower from a distance.

Clumbus enslaves the Arawak and commits genocide

 Clumbus enslaves the Arawak and commits genocide

Clumbus enslaves the Arawak and commits genocide

Columbus and his men round up Arawak men, women, and children and enclose 550 of them in pens and four caravels bound for the slave market of southern Spain during his second voyage to the New World. Approximately 200 perish during the passage, and their bodies are cast into the sea.

After the survivors are sold as slaves in Spain, Columbus later writes: “Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold” (Resendez, 2016). Additionally, while in Haiti, Columbus orders all Natives 14 years or older to collect a certain amount of gold every three months, an impossible task since there is so little gold there.

If Arawak Natives do not collect enough, Columbus has their hands cut off and tortures them. Bartolome de las Casas, a young priest, witnessed many atrocities committed by Spaniards against Native peoples. He later wrote: “I saw here cruelty on a scale no living being has ever seen or expects to see.” Las Casas describes the treatment of Natives thus: “Our work was to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy; small wonder, then, if they tried to kill one of us now and then….

The admiral, it is true, was blind as those who came after him, and he was so anxious to please the King that he committed irreparable crimes against the Indians…” (Zinn, 1950).

Las Casas also notes that the Spaniards “thought nothing of knifing Indians by tens and twenties and of cutting slices off them to test the sharpness of their blades.”

WOMAN DURING THE HOLOCAUST BOTH JEWISH AND NON JEWISH, TO BRUTAL PERSECUTION THAT WAS SOMETIMES UNIQUE TO THE GENDER OF THE VICTIMS

 WOMAN DURING THE HOLOCAUST BOTH JEWISH AND NON JEWISH, TO BRUTAL PERSECUTION THAT WAS SOMETIMES UNIQUE TO THE GENDER OF THE VICTIMS

 Woman during the holocaust both Jewish and non-Jewish, to brutal persecution that was sometimes unique to the gender of the victims.

The Nazi regime targeted all Jews, both men and women, for persecution and eventually death. 

The regime frequently subjected women, however, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to brutal persecution that was sometimes unique to the gender of the victims.

 Nazi ideology also targeted Roma View This Term in the Glossary (Gypsy) women, Polish women, and women with disabilities living in institutions.

 Certain individual camps and certain areas within concentration camps were designated specifically for female prisoners.

 In May 1939, the SS opened Ravensbrück, the largest Nazi concentration camp established for women.

 Over 100,000 women had been incarcerated in Ravensbrück by the time Soviet troops liberated the camp in 1945.

In 1942, SS authorities established a compound in Auschwitz-Birkenau (also known as Auschwitz II) to incarcerate female prisoners. 

Among the first inmates were prisoners whom the SS transferred from Ravensbrück. At Bergen-Belsen, the camp authorities established a women's camp in 1944. 

The SS transferred thousands of Jewish female prisoners from Ravensbrück and Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen during the last year of World War II.

 The Germans and their collaborators spared neither women nor children—Jewish or non-Jewish—in conducting mass murder operations.

 Nazi ideology promoted the complete annihilation of all Jews, regardless of age or gender.

 SS and police officials carried out that policy under the codename “Final Solution.” 

German SS and police officials shot both women and men in mass shooting operations at hundreds of locations on occupied Soviet territory.

 During deportation operations, pregnant women and mothers of small children were consistently labeled “incapable of work.” 

They were sent to killing centers, where camp officials often included them in the first groups to be sent to the gas chambers.

ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA CONDUCTED MASS EXECUTIONS IN TIKRIT AFTER SEIZING CONTROL OF THE CITY.

 ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA CONDUCTED MASS EXECUTIONS IN TIKRIT AFTER SEIZING CONTROL OF THE CITY.

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) conducted mass executions in Tikrit

(Baghdad) – Analysis of photographs and satellite imagery strongly indicates that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) conducted mass executions in Tikrit after seizing control of the city on June 11, 2014.

The analysis suggests that ISIS killed between 160 and 190 men in at least two locations between June 11 and 14. 

The number of victims may well be much higher, but the difficulty of locating bodies and accessing the area has prevented a full investigation, Human Rights Watch said.

On June 12, ISIS claimed to have executed 1,700 “Shi’a members of the army” in Tikrit. Two days later, it posted to a website photographs with groups of apparently executed men. 

On June 22, Iraq’s human rights minister announced that ISIS had executed 175 Iraqi Air Force recruits in Tikrit.

“The photos and satellite images from Tikrit provide strong evidence of a horrible war crime that needs further investigation,” said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director. “ISIS apparently executed at the very least 160 people in Tikrit.”

On June 12, ISIS first announced on its now-closed Twitter feed that it had “exterminated” 1,700 Iraqi troops. 

The same day, the group posted videos of hundreds of captured men in civilian clothes, who it claimed had surrendered at the nearby Iraqi Speiker military base. 

On June 14, ISIS posted roughly 60 photographs, some of which show masked ISIS fighters loading captives in civilian clothes onto trucks and forcing them to lie in three shallow trenches with their hands bound behind their backs. 

Some of the images show masked gunmen pointing and firing their weapons at these men.

By comparing ground features and landmarks in the photographs released by ISIS, Human Rights Watch established that two of the trenches were at the same location. 

By comparing these photographs with satellite imagery from 2013 and publicly available photographs from Tikrit taken earlier, Human Rights Watch located the site in a field about 100 meters north of the Water Palace in Tikrit – a former palace of Saddam Hussein next to the Tigris River. 

The location of the third trench has not been identified.

Human Rights Watch also reviewed satellite imagery of the area recorded on the morning of June 16. 

The imagery does not reveal evidence of bodies at the site with the two trenches, but does show indications of recent vehicle activity and surface movement of earth that is consistent with the two shallow trenches visible in the ISIS photos. 

Without visiting the site it is impossible to know if bodies are buried there or were moved.

On June 22, the Iraqi human rights minister, Mohamed Shia Sudani, said at a news conference that the bodies of some of the 175 air force recruits who had been killed were thrown into the Tigris River and that others were buried in a mass grave. 

A spokesman for the minister confirmed that statement to Human Rights Watch on June 23.

An Iraqi security official said that as many as 11 bodies of the executed recruits had been recovered from the Tigris River downstream from the execution site.

The execution photographs that ISIS distributed suggest that gunmen killed the men at the site in at least three groups. 

The photographs show one group of men lying in one trench and a second group of men lying on top of the first. 

A third group of men is seen lying in a second trench.

Based on a count of the bodies visible in the available photographs, Human Rights Watch estimates that ISIS killed between 90 and 110 men in the first trench and between 35 and 40 men in the second.

A preliminary review of the shadow length and angle in the photographs suggests the two groups of men in the first trench were possibly executed around 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The men in the second trench were possibly executed around 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Photographs from ISIS show a fourth group of approximately 30 to 40 prisoners on, and later next to, one of the two transport trucks on the main road between the execution site and the Water Palace. 

The photos were probably taken later that day, between 4 and 5 p.m.

One of the photographs that ISIS distributed suggests that the group killed prisoners at a second site around the same time, but Human Rights Watch has been unable to locate that site. 

That photograph shows a large trench with between 35 and 40 prisoners being shot by at least 8 ISIS fighters. 

Based on the shadow length and angle, the photograph was probably taken between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. One of the ISIS gunmen visible at that site was also visible in photographs from the killing site with the two trenches near the Water Palace.

The photographs and satellite imagery strongly suggest that ISIS transported its captives by trucks to the two killing sites. 

Human Rights Watch identified the same ISIS fighters and captured men in multiple photographs, including captives who were photographed in trucks and then again being unloaded from the same trucks 

Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

A farmer in India has been naked since he was five-year-old because he's allergic to clothes.

Simply slipping on a sock would cause excruciating pain for Subal Barman, 43, from Rajpur village, in West Bengal, northern India.

Despite being diagnosed when he was a child, Mr Barman has been unable to seek treatment because of the costs.

Subal Barman says people in his village are used to seeing him naked and don't mind

Instead he has got used to living his day-to-day life in the nude. 

The condition is so uncomfortable, can't even sleep under bed sheets as the material affects his sensitive skin. 

While many might be shocked to see a fully-grown man wandering around wearing little to protect his modesty, he insists people in his village have got used to him.

From my childhood I could not wear clothes on my skin. It gives me a burning sensation and it's unbearable,' he said. 

'My neighbours have fortunately got used to me, they think it's normal and never complain,' he added. 

'They know I've had this issue for years so they leave me be and do not tease me.'

He refuses to allow his allergy to ruin his social life and explains that he's attended weddings, parties and even popped into the local temple completely naked.

Despite years battling the elements without a stitch on, Mr Barman, who has never left his village, still has trouble with the weather.

  Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways
Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

'I have to take baths several times a day in the summer because my skin is too sensitive to the heat,' he said. 'I can't cope with the prickly sensations, water is the only thing that helps.'

His allergy hasn't affected his work as a farmer but Mr Barman, who lives alone after losing his father as a child and his mother in 2003, is convinced it is the reason he's still single.

'What woman could marry a man who has this kind of problem?' he asked. 

'No family will allow their daughter to marry me. I know I'm an embarrassment but I have no choice. This is the life I have to live. I know I'll be alone forever – this is my destiny but being sad or depressed about it cannot reduce my problem.'

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

Subal Burman, 43, drinks water from a hand pump outside his residence at a village in West Bengal

As a child he did occasionally feel uncomfortable naked, but he now accepts that he's likely to be nude for the rest of his life.

He likes to believe the condition may be a blessing.

'I have accepted that God has given me this special thing. Maybe in his eyes I am special!'

Professor Hywel Williams, a spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, said that Subal might be suffering from a form of Dysaesthesia, which is an abnormal unpleasant sensation when someone is touched, usually caused by damage to the peripheral nerves.

He said: 'Dysaesthesia includes pins and needles, burning, tingling and a crawling sensation. Dysaesthesia can result from a number of conditions such as diabetic neuropathy or multiple sclerosis. 

'It usually occurs in localised parts of the body. Sometimes, no obvious problem with the affected nerves is found.' 

He won't let it stop him living a full life but says he believes it is the reason why he has not found a wife

Mr Barman said he has never left his village to get treatment because of prohibitive costs and is used to wearing no clothes

Villagers are used to his naked ways but Mr Barman said it can be troublesome in the summer months when he regularly has to take baths to avoid sun damage

 Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

April 08, 2024

Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

A farmer in India has been naked since he was five-year-old because he's allergic to clothes.

Simply slipping on a sock would cause excruciating pain for Subal Barman, 43, from Rajpur village, in West Bengal, northern India.

Despite being diagnosed when he was a child, Mr Barman has been unable to seek treatment because of the costs.

Subal Barman says people in his village are used to seeing him naked and don't mind

Instead he has got used to living his day-to-day life in the nude. 

The condition is so uncomfortable, can't even sleep under bed sheets as the material affects his sensitive skin. 

While many might be shocked to see a fully-grown man wandering around wearing little to protect his modesty, he insists people in his village have got used to him.

From my childhood I could not wear clothes on my skin. It gives me a burning sensation and it's unbearable,' he said. 

'My neighbours have fortunately got used to me, they think it's normal and never complain,' he added. 

'They know I've had this issue for years so they leave me be and do not tease me.'

He refuses to allow his allergy to ruin his social life and explains that he's attended weddings, parties and even popped into the local temple completely naked.

Despite years battling the elements without a stitch on, Mr Barman, who has never left his village, still has trouble with the weather.

  Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways
Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

'I have to take baths several times a day in the summer because my skin is too sensitive to the heat,' he said. 'I can't cope with the prickly sensations, water is the only thing that helps.'

His allergy hasn't affected his work as a farmer but Mr Barman, who lives alone after losing his father as a child and his mother in 2003, is convinced it is the reason he's still single.

'What woman could marry a man who has this kind of problem?' he asked. 

'No family will allow their daughter to marry me. I know I'm an embarrassment but I have no choice. This is the life I have to live. I know I'll be alone forever – this is my destiny but being sad or depressed about it cannot reduce my problem.'

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

Subal Burman, 43, drinks water from a hand pump outside his residence at a village in West Bengal

As a child he did occasionally feel uncomfortable naked, but he now accepts that he's likely to be nude for the rest of his life.

He likes to believe the condition may be a blessing.

'I have accepted that God has given me this special thing. Maybe in his eyes I am special!'

Professor Hywel Williams, a spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, said that Subal might be suffering from a form of Dysaesthesia, which is an abnormal unpleasant sensation when someone is touched, usually caused by damage to the peripheral nerves.

He said: 'Dysaesthesia includes pins and needles, burning, tingling and a crawling sensation. Dysaesthesia can result from a number of conditions such as diabetic neuropathy or multiple sclerosis. 

'It usually occurs in localised parts of the body. Sometimes, no obvious problem with the affected nerves is found.' 

He won't let it stop him living a full life but says he believes it is the reason why he has not found a wife

Mr Barman said he has never left his village to get treatment because of prohibitive costs and is used to wearing no clothes

Villagers are used to his naked ways but Mr Barman said it can be troublesome in the summer months when he regularly has to take baths to avoid sun damage

 Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

April 08, 2024

Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

A farmer in India has been naked since he was five-year-old because he's allergic to clothes.

Simply slipping on a sock would cause excruciating pain for Subal Barman, 43, from Rajpur village, in West Bengal, northern India.

Despite being diagnosed when he was a child, Mr Barman has been unable to seek treatment because of the costs.

Subal Barman says people in his village are used to seeing him naked and don't mind

Instead he has got used to living his day-to-day life in the nude. 

The condition is so uncomfortable, can't even sleep under bed sheets as the material affects his sensitive skin. 

While many might be shocked to see a fully-grown man wandering around wearing little to protect his modesty, he insists people in his village have got used to him.

From my childhood I could not wear clothes on my skin. It gives me a burning sensation and it's unbearable,' he said. 

'My neighbours have fortunately got used to me, they think it's normal and never complain,' he added. 

'They know I've had this issue for years so they leave me be and do not tease me.'

He refuses to allow his allergy to ruin his social life and explains that he's attended weddings, parties and even popped into the local temple completely naked.

Despite years battling the elements without a stitch on, Mr Barman, who has never left his village, still has trouble with the weather.

  Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways
Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

'I have to take baths several times a day in the summer because my skin is too sensitive to the heat,' he said. 'I can't cope with the prickly sensations, water is the only thing that helps.'

His allergy hasn't affected his work as a farmer but Mr Barman, who lives alone after losing his father as a child and his mother in 2003, is convinced it is the reason he's still single.

'What woman could marry a man who has this kind of problem?' he asked. 

'No family will allow their daughter to marry me. I know I'm an embarrassment but I have no choice. This is the life I have to live. I know I'll be alone forever – this is my destiny but being sad or depressed about it cannot reduce my problem.'

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

Subal Burman, 43, drinks water from a hand pump outside his residence at a village in West Bengal

As a child he did occasionally feel uncomfortable naked, but he now accepts that he's likely to be nude for the rest of his life.

He likes to believe the condition may be a blessing.

'I have accepted that God has given me this special thing. Maybe in his eyes I am special!'

Professor Hywel Williams, a spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, said that Subal might be suffering from a form of Dysaesthesia, which is an abnormal unpleasant sensation when someone is touched, usually caused by damage to the peripheral nerves.

He said: 'Dysaesthesia includes pins and needles, burning, tingling and a crawling sensation. Dysaesthesia can result from a number of conditions such as diabetic neuropathy or multiple sclerosis. 

'It usually occurs in localised parts of the body. Sometimes, no obvious problem with the affected nerves is found.' 

He won't let it stop him living a full life but says he believes it is the reason why he has not found a wife

Mr Barman said he has never left his village to get treatment because of prohibitive costs and is used to wearing no clothes

Villagers are used to his naked ways but Mr Barman said it can be troublesome in the summer months when he regularly has to take baths to avoid sun damage

 Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

April 08, 2024

Farmer in India has been naked for 40 years - because he is allergic to clothes

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

A farmer in India has been naked since he was five-year-old because he's allergic to clothes.

Simply slipping on a sock would cause excruciating pain for Subal Barman, 43, from Rajpur village, in West Bengal, northern India.

Despite being diagnosed when he was a child, Mr Barman has been unable to seek treatment because of the costs.

Subal Barman says people in his village are used to seeing him naked and don't mind

Instead he has got used to living his day-to-day life in the nude. 

The condition is so uncomfortable, can't even sleep under bed sheets as the material affects his sensitive skin. 

While many might be shocked to see a fully-grown man wandering around wearing little to protect his modesty, he insists people in his village have got used to him.

From my childhood I could not wear clothes on my skin. It gives me a burning sensation and it's unbearable,' he said. 

'My neighbours have fortunately got used to me, they think it's normal and never complain,' he added. 

'They know I've had this issue for years so they leave me be and do not tease me.'

He refuses to allow his allergy to ruin his social life and explains that he's attended weddings, parties and even popped into the local temple completely naked.

Despite years battling the elements without a stitch on, Mr Barman, who has never left his village, still has trouble with the weather.

  Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways
Wearing clothes gives Subal Barman a burning sensation so he has not worn any for 40 years

He says it does not stop him from carrying out his farming work and that he has been accepted by people in his village

Farmer Subal Burman, 43, walking home after working in his farming land at a village in West Bengal, India

'I have to take baths several times a day in the summer because my skin is too sensitive to the heat,' he said. 'I can't cope with the prickly sensations, water is the only thing that helps.'

His allergy hasn't affected his work as a farmer but Mr Barman, who lives alone after losing his father as a child and his mother in 2003, is convinced it is the reason he's still single.

'What woman could marry a man who has this kind of problem?' he asked. 

'No family will allow their daughter to marry me. I know I'm an embarrassment but I have no choice. This is the life I have to live. I know I'll be alone forever – this is my destiny but being sad or depressed about it cannot reduce my problem.'

He poses with a neighbour's child outside his residence at a village in West Bengal, India, where he says people are used to his naked ways

Subal Burman, 43, drinks water from a hand pump outside his residence at a village in West Bengal

As a child he did occasionally feel uncomfortable naked, but he now accepts that he's likely to be nude for the rest of his life.

He likes to believe the condition may be a blessing.

'I have accepted that God has given me this special thing. Maybe in his eyes I am special!'

Professor Hywel Williams, a spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation, said that Subal might be suffering from a form of Dysaesthesia, which is an abnormal unpleasant sensation when someone is touched, usually caused by damage to the peripheral nerves.

He said: 'Dysaesthesia includes pins and needles, burning, tingling and a crawling sensation. Dysaesthesia can result from a number of conditions such as diabetic neuropathy or multiple sclerosis. 

'It usually occurs in localised parts of the body. Sometimes, no obvious problem with the affected nerves is found.' 

He won't let it stop him living a full life but says he believes it is the reason why he has not found a wife

Mr Barman said he has never left his village to get treatment because of prohibitive costs and is used to wearing no clothes

Villagers are used to his naked ways but Mr Barman said it can be troublesome in the summer months when he regularly has to take baths to avoid sun damage

The Worst And Brutal Execution in History Channel "Hanging and photos of Executions

The Worst And Brutal Execution in History Channel "Hanging and photos of Executions

 

Since we are on the subject of the law in Westerns, both juridical and, ahem, extra-legal, I thought we might look today at a facet of the Western movie that is very common, the whole subject of stringing ‘em up from the nearest tree.

Director Raoul Walsh had Clark Gable and Cameron Mitchell in the first reel of The Tall Men (1955) see as they ride in from the prairie a corpse, hanging from a tree. “Looks like we’re near civilization,” says Gable.

 

This wry and sardonic comment is not necessarily typical of the Western movie. More often, death by hanging, either imposed by a proper judge or less official, was treated with either a certain amount of black humor, such as in Bandolero! (1968) and Goin’ South (1978), or indeed with something that comes close to approval. In a world – the West, the mythical one anyway – where lawmen were few and courts were fewer, and often corrupt or incompetent at that, men were used to swift and expedient judgments. The noose was a quick and easy

answer.
Hanging appeared in so many Westerns that I won’t (can’t) list them all here. I’ve just chosen some key ones or ones of interest.

 

Wyoming

 

In the early and seminal Western novel The Virginian by Owen Wister, published in 1902, filmed five times and hugely influential on the Western movie in general, the centerpiece is the hanging by a party led by the Virginian, without trial, of rustlers, including the Virginian’s friend Steve. Even the local bigwig, Judge Henry, the Virginian’s employer, condones this act. 

The actual hanging takes place ‘off stage’, as it were: the book’s narrator remains in the stable and hears about it later. This, probably, was to soften the blow and make the grisly event slightly more palatable to Eastern readers. In the movie versions, such as, for example, the 1914 one, the hanging is done with grimacing reaction shots, then shadows of hanged men.

There is a definite Virginian tone to Tribute to a Bad Man (1956) – the Wyoming setting and even the young character’s name, Steve (Don Dubbins), attest to that. The hanging of the rustler they catch is suitably grim, and the same arguments are put forward – that there is no formal law enforcement anywhere around and the law of the rope is the only effective way to maintain order.

 

We’re livin’ in the middle of nowhere. Two hundred miles from any kind of law and order. Except for what I built myself. Ever since I started – and this you don’t know – I’ve been badgered, skunked, bitten out and bushwhacked by thieves from everywhere. And now, one of my men’s been killed. I find my horses, I find the killer.

 If I find the killer, I hang him. I gotta’ keep my own reckoning, Jo. It’s the way I built my life and half the transportation of the West.” Of course in The Virginian it is Steve who is hanged. Here, it is the young Steve who is offended by the lynching. It is said that the great cinematographer Robert Surtees delayed the grim hanging scene four days, waiting to get just the ominous lighting he wanted. And it worked.

 

And Stuart Whitman, as the simple-minded cowhand Tom Ping, comes to a Steve-like end in These Thousand Hills (1959), also set in Wyoming.

Real hangings

Were there real hangings in the West? Yes, of course there were, like the one in 1864 of Henry Plummer, elected sheriff of Bannack County, Montana. He was accused of being leader of a gang of road agents, and the local Vigilance Committee took matters into its own hands.

 

The Texas Rangers were also famous for stringing up all and sundry. Many Mexicans loathed the rinches with their shoot (or hang)-first-and-ask-questions-later approach, using the ley de fuga (shooting down prisoners who were ‘trying to escape’) and especially for their propensity for hanging any Mexican, rustler or not, and their use of other atrocities.

 

In Lonesome Dove (1989) two ex-Texas Rangers, Call and Gus, carry on Ranger tradition by hanging their former friend Jake Spoon as a horse thief (even though they have been thieving horses as well; but that was across the Rio Grande so didn’t count). Of course stealing a horse was a key motive for hanging in Westerns.

And there were famous high-profile hangings which filled the newspapers. A noted historical hanging, that of Tom Horn in Cheyenne on November 20th, 1903 for the murder of farm boy Willie Nickell, was also represented on celluloid. Slim Pickens got the unwelcome job of hanging Steve McQueen in Tom Horn (1980).

In the final days of the ‘Wild West’, in turn-of-the-century Arizona, Augustin Chacon was one of the last charismatic outlaws. No one knows exactly how many people Chacon killed but it was certainly a lot, probably around thirty, and he ended on the gallows in 1902.

I appreciate you reading. Post your ideas in the space provided for comments below.

Read more on our Rare History Channel 

Nollywood actor claims Junior Pope’s d£ath was a prank to promote movie

Nollywood actor claims Junior Pope’s d£ath was a prank to promote movie

A Nollywood actor has come out to claim that Junior Pope isn’t d£ad but rather, his d£ath was a prank which was planned to promote a movie in which he featured.

In the said video, the said man could be heard voicing his mind, insisting that Actor Junior Pope isn’t dead but his d£ath was f@ked by some individuals just to promote the movie.

He made several statements in the video to support his claims.

His statement in part: “The producers of this movie are trying to use Junior Pope’s d£ath as a prank to promote the movie. It’s not going to be funny because it’s going to be a slap on the face of the movie industry.”

He said this while speaking further by making sensitive statements to support his claims in a video.

His statement also attracted the attention of several social media users who have stormed the comment page of the post to share their thoughts.

UNITED NATIONS CRITICIZED THE EXECUTION OF A MAN IN SAUDI ARABIA BASED ON HIS ACTIVITIES ON TWITTER AND YOUTUBE.

 UNITED NATIONS CRITICIZED THE EXECUTION OF A MAN IN SAUDI ARABIA BASED ON HIS ACTIVITIES ON TWITTER AND YOUTUBE.

United Nations  watchdog on Wednesday criticized the execution of a man in Saudi Arabia based on his activities on Twitter and YouTube

Issuing the death sentence for critical tweets means repression in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrifying level

The Issuing the death sentence for critical tweets means repression in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrifying level

The United Nations human rights watchdog on Wednesday criticized the execution of a man in Saudi Arabia based on his activities on Twitter and YouTube, calling it an escalation of the government's crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful political opposition. 

This human rights organization also added that repression in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrible level.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Human Rights Watch has reported that the specialized criminal court, which is the judicial body for combating terrorism in Saudi Arabia, on July 10 of this year, Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, a 54-year-old retired teacher from Saudi Arabia, was indicted on various charges. 

He was found guilty for his peaceful online activity. Based on the tweets, retweets and YouTube activities of Mr. Al-Ghamdi as evidence against him, this court sentenced him to death.

"When a court in Saudi Arabia can sentence someone to death based on just a few peaceful tweets, that's a terrible new level of repression in that country," said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates researcher at Human Rights Watch. 

The authorities of Saudi Arabia have taken their campaign against all opponents to an incredible level, and they must abandon this obvious distortion of the law.

According to Euro News, according to informed persons, the security forces of Saudi Arabia arrested Mr. Al-Ghamdi on June 11, 2022, in front of his wife and children, outside his house in Al-Nawariya neighborhood of Makkah.

Then he was taken to solitary confinement in Dhahban Central Prison in the north of Jeddah for four months.

 Mohammad Al-Ghamdi's family was unable to contact him at that time and he also had no access to a lawyer. Saudi Arabian authorities then transferred him to Al Haer Prison in Riyadh.

According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabian interrogators questioned him about his tweets and political opinions, and asked for his opinions on people who are in prison for trying to find the right to free speech. 

Mr. Al-Ghamdi had no access to a lawyer for nearly a year and when he finally managed to hire a lawyer, he was only able to speak with him a short time before the court session.

Mr. Al-Ghamdi's brother, Saeed bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi, is an Islamic scholar and well-known critic of the Saudi Arabian government, who lives in the UK. 

In a post on his X social network page (formerly Twitter) on August 24, he wrote about his brother's sentence: "After the unsuccessful efforts of the Public Investigation Department of Saudi Arabia to return me to the country, the purpose of this fake sentence is to put pressure on me.

According to the Human Rights Watch, in recent years, the Saudi authorities have increasingly put pressure on the families of critics and opponents in order to return them to the country.

According to court documents seen by Human Rights Watch, on July 10, the aforementioned court indicted Mr. Al-Ghamdi based on Article 30 of Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism law on the charge of "describing the king or crown prince in a way that undermines religion or justice", based on Article 34. 

He was found guilty of the charge of "supporting a terrorist point of view", based on Article 43 of the charge of "establishing contact with a terrorist organization" and based on Article 44 of the charge of "spreading false news with the aim of carrying out terrorist operations".

It is said in Mr. Al-Ghamdi's verdict that he used his user accounts on social network X (former Twitter) and YouTube to commit these crimes.

According to Human Rights Watch, the public prosecutor of Saudi Arabia has demanded severe punishment for all the charges against Mohammad Al-Ghamdi.

 According to the court documents, the sentence was issued because the mentioned crimes "targeted the status of the king and the crown prince" and "the scope of his actions, because they were carried out through an international platform, require a severe punishment."

One of the two user accounts of Mr. Al-Ghamdi that have been considered by the court has only 2 followers and the other has 8 followers. Both of these accounts contain less than a thousand tweets, most of which are retweets of prominent critics of the Saudi Arabian government.

Euronews has reported from informed sources that Mr. Al-Ghamdi suffers from multiple serious mental health problems and that the Saudi Arabian authorities have refused to provide him with prescription drugs that are necessary to treat and manage his condition.

According to these sources, the mental and physical health of Mohammad Al-Ghamdi has worsened since his arrest.

Ms. Shea said: "Saudi Arabia authorities are now fighting online critics not only with show trials, but also with threats of the death penalty. 

It is very difficult to understand how the leadership of Saudi Arabia claims to become a more legalistic government with such actions as, calling it an escalation of the government's crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful political opposition. 

This human rights organization also added that repression in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrible level.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Human Rights Watch has reported that the specialized criminal court, which is the judicial body for combating terrorism in Saudi Arabia, on July 10 of this year, Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, a 54-year-old retired teacher from Saudi Arabia, was indicted on various charges. 

He was found guilty for his peaceful online activity. Based on the tweets, retweets and YouTube activities of Mr. Al-Ghamdi as evidence against him, this court sentenced him to death.

"When a court in Saudi Arabia can sentence someone to death based on just a few peaceful tweets, that's a terrible new level of repression in that country," said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates researcher at Human Rights Watch. 

The authorities of Saudi Arabia have taken their campaign against all opponents to an incredible level, and they must abandon this obvious distortion of the law.

According to Euro News, according to informed persons, the security forces of Saudi Arabia arrested Mr. Al-Ghamdi on June 11, 2022, in front of his wife and children, outside his house in Al-Nawariya neighborhood of Makkah.

Then he was taken to solitary confinement in Dhahban Central Prison in the north of Jeddah for four months. 

Mohammad Al-Ghamdi's family was unable to contact him at that time and he also had no access to a lawyer. Saudi Arabian authorities then transferred him to Al Haer Prison in Riyadh.

According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabian interrogators questioned him about his tweets and political opinions, and asked for his opinions on people who are in prison for trying to find the right to free speech. 

Mr. Al-Ghamdi had no access to a lawyer for nearly a year and when he finally managed to hire a lawyer, he was only able to speak with him a short time before the court session.

Mr. Al-Ghamdi's brother, Saeed bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi, is an Islamic scholar and well-known critic of the Saudi Arabian government, who lives in the UK. 

In a post on his X social network page (formerly Twitter) on August 24, he wrote about his brother's sentence: "After the unsuccessful efforts of the Public Investigation Department of Saudi Arabia to return me to the country, the purpose of this fake sentence is to put pressure on me.

According to the Human Rights Watch, in recent years, the Saudi authorities have increasingly put pressure on the families of critics and opponents in order to return them to the country.

According to court documents seen by Human Rights Watch, on July 10, the aforementioned court indicted Mr. Al-Ghamdi based on Article 30 of Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism law on the charge of "describing the king or crown prince in a way that undermines religion or justice", based on Article 34.

He was found guilty of the charge of "supporting a terrorist point of view", based on Article 43 of the charge of "establishing contact with a terrorist organization" and based on Article 44 of the charge of "spreading false news with the aim of carrying out terrorist operations".

It is said in Mr. Al-Ghamdi's verdict that he used his user accounts on social network X (former Twitter) and YouTube to commit these crimes.

According to Human Rights Watch, the public prosecutor of Saudi Arabia has demanded severe punishment for all the charges against Mohammad Al-Ghamdi. 

According to the court documents, the sentence was issued because the mentioned crimes "targeted the status of the king and the crown prince" and "the scope of his actions, because they were carried out through an international platform, require a severe punishment."

One of the two user accounts of Mr. Al-Ghamdi that have been considered by the court has only 2 followers and the other has 8 followers. 

Both of these accounts contain less than a thousand tweets, most of which are retweets of prominent critics of the Saudi Arabian government.

Euronews has reported from informed sources that Mr. Al-Ghamdi suffers from multiple serious mental health problems and that the Saudi Arabian authorities have refused to provide him with prescription drugs that are necessary to treat and manage his condition.

According to these sources, the mental and physical health of Mohammad Al-Ghamdi has worsened since his arrest.

Ms. Shea said: "Saudi Arabia authorities are now fighting online critics not only with show trials, but also with threats of the death penalty. It is very difficult to understand how the leadership of Saudi Arabia claims to become a more legalistic government with such actions as