Concentration @ MindSay

Sachsenhausen

"Oranienburg"

    Concentration Camp      

The Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was built in the summer of 1936 by concentration camp prisoners from the Emsland camps. Just north of Berlin, Sachsenhausen was one of the most notorious death camps of the Nazi empire and was liberated by Allied troops in 1945.

The camp is sometimes referred to as Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg. The name "Sachsen Hausen" means "Saxon's Houses" when translated to English.

Sachsenhausen was established in 1936 soon after Heinrich Himmler 'Reichsführer SS' was appointed to the post of 'head of the German police'.

The camp was located at the edge of Berlin, which gave it a position among the German concentration camps: the administrative centre of all concentration camps was located in Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen became a training centre for SS officers (who would often be sent to oversee other camps afterwards).

The camp was commanded by a number of notable SS officers, some who later commanded Auschwitz and Majdanek in Poland, and some who were some of the most brutal and infamous killers, such as Kramer, Palitzsch, Schwarzhuber who were at Auschwitz, Suhren at Ravensbruck and Graetschus and Niemann who both served at both Belzec and Sobibor death camps: 

• Michael Lippert (1936)

• Hans Hellwig (1937 -1938)

• Karl Koch (1936 -1937)

• Herman Baranowski (1938 -1940)

• Hans Loritz (1940 -1942)

• Walter Eisfeld (1938 -1939)

• Rudolf Hoess (1938 -1940)

• Anton Kaindl  (1942)

Other notable SS men who also served at Sachsenhausen and other camps were:

When you drive and talk on your cell phone, which one gets your brain?  The driving or the call?

This is one of my pet peeves.  As one who spends a huge amount of time driving, it never ceases to amaze me the number of people I see trying to drive while they talk on the phone.  Can't do both well, folks.  Your mind is either on the call or on your driving. 

Saturday evening about 9 pm I was side-swiped by a guy on his phone ... and of course, he promptly drove off.  Fortunately, the only real damage to my dear old mustang is that the mirror was ripped free.  My mechanic is on duty looking for a junk yard replacement.  Many people of all ages have died trying to do both drive and call or even text!  Come on, people!!!  Stay alert & stay alive!

~ B

Piano players and water walkers

When I was eight years old I learned to read music, but struggle as I have all these years to play the piano, you’d never know it. Now dyslexia coupled with over-40 eyes defeat my every effort to sit down and tickle out a piece of music. I try not to be envious, but I do sincerely admire those whose eyes and hands act together to interpret the notes on a page of music.

I have no hope of ever playing anything at the proper speed, but occasionally I can play something almost well, although at a considerably reduced speed. Tonight I thought I had made it through a piece I’ve been working on for years. Most of it I can play pretty well, but there are a couple of places several measures in length that defeat me every time. Tonight, just when I thought I would make it through one of the traps, I lost it on the next to last note. Arrragh!

That’s when I thought of Peter walking on the water forward Jesus. That’s the way he must have felt when he began to sink. Arrragh! He too had every confidence until he lost concentration on the goal and thought of himself and where he was and what he was doing.

Well, at least I’m in good company. I wonder if Peter ever succeeded walking the water route.