Month: June 2019

Laurence Rees “Auschwitz. The Nazis & The Final Solution”

I have written more than once that the topic of the Holocaust is very important to me. I’m certain this is directly tied to the fact that the extermination of Jews during World War II personally affected my family. But this is also an example of something people must never forget so that it never happens again.

The book Auschwitz by Laurence Rees didn’t exactly fall into my hands by chance; modern algorithms recommended it to me because I had read other books on this topic. Until that day, however, I knew nothing about the author. Laurence Rees is a British historian who has devoted much of his career to studying Nazism, its causes, and its rise. Auschwitz: The Nazis & the Final Solution is just one of his books, in which he attempts to explain not only the history of one of the most infamous death camps but also the development of such a horrific concept as the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.”

Before I share my thoughts on the book, I’d like to quote the author’s own words with which he concludes the book. I couldn’t put it better myself (I have read the book in Russian and couldn’t find the original quote so here I place the back translation from Russian, sorry):

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Jason Hanson “Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life”

How could I possibly pass up a book with such a trendy title these days—Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life? And the subtitle—A Former CIA Officer Reveals Safety and Survival Techniques to Keep You and Your Family Protected—just grabbed my attention. I got really curious about what we could change in our lives, since I do have a bit of a paranoid streak in my personality.

However, literally on the first few pages, it becomes clear that the author, Jason Hanson, was indeed an officer, but not exactly with years and years of training and service—he worked for just under seven years before deciding to ditch it all and start his own business, where he now teaches people how to protect themselves using these “spy techniques.” To be fair, though, he has also appeared as a security expert for many well-known companies, including The Wall Street Journal.

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About school. Part 2

Continuing my story about our school.

Starting from 10th grade, students begin to choose their subjects. The first selection isn’t that serious. The subjects are divided into blocks, and students must choose one from each block. There are mandatory subjects like Math, English, and others.

After 11th grade, the choice becomes much more serious and important. Students narrow their subjects down to three, though they are allowed to take up to four if they want an additional challenge. The results of these exams will be submitted to universities. Students select subjects based on the requirements of the universities and specializations they hope to apply for in two years.

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