The 28-day paternity leave comes into effect in France



Issued on: 03/07/2021 -

The duration of paternity leave has doubled from 14 to 28 days.

© Philippe Huguen, AFP

Text by: Grégoire SAUVAGE

Announced in September by French President Emmanuel Macron, the extended paternity leave would allow young fathers to become more involved with their children and reduce inequalities between women and men.

In France, July 1 usually heralds an increase in gas or electricity bills, but this year it brings good news as well: the 28-day paternity leave comes into effect this week and includes a mandatory week off for new fathers. The long-awaited reform will give fathers time to invest more in parenthood and home life.

The reform doubles the current length of paternity leave for a father or second parent of a biological or adopted child to 25 days plus three for the birth from the current 11 plus three days. The three days of birth leave will be paid by the employer, while the remaining days will be covered by the social security system.

In the case of a multiple birth, seven days of leave are added, for a total of 32 days compared to the current 18.

Nicolas, a nurse in a care home in Morbihan, whose little girl is due to be born in just under two weeks, will be among the first to benefit from the new policy.


"This is our first child. We can't wait to meet this little being and discover her world," he told AFP. "Being able to take a month off, it's a right and a very strong social benefit that makes it possible to enter fully into fatherhood and also be there to supplement the mother at home."

This 40-year-old father-to-be has already planned everything. To allow his colleagues to "also get a breather during the summer" he will take a few days of vacation around the birth in mid-July, then in August, before taking his entire leave in September.

His employer "immediately validated" his request, Nicolas said, adding that he believes that "the way people look at the role of the father has changed".

Encouraging fathers

"[It’s] a real evolution," said David Malczuk, 27, who will welcome his second child at the end of July and has already arranged to take a month off work.

When his first child was born, the industrial designer had saved his 11 days of vacation time to travel with his wife and their son to Russia, where his wife is originally from.

"She gave birth on a Wednesday. I stayed with her in the maternity ward until Sunday, and on Monday I went back to work. I was exhausted, I had bags under my eyes," he recalled. "This time, I will be able to develop a rhythm with the baby and regain some energy."

Paternity leave is currently optional and taken by about seven out of ten fathers, a figure that has changed little since the scheme was introduced in 2002 and which conceals major social inequalities: 80 percent of employees on permanent contracts make use of it, compared with less than 60 percent on fixed-term contracts.

"It's not just a question of what fathers want: there are still many psychological obstacles, particularly with regard to the company," said psychotherapist Isabelle Filliozat, vice president of the "1,000 Days Commission", which recommended that the government increase paternity leave to nine weeks.

According to her, the reform should "encourage more fathers to take it" because "the compulsory week will help them in their negotiations with their bosses".

Changing roles at home

Attitudes towards parenthood are largely formed in the first days after birth.

"It's not a question of role or gender," Filliozat said. "If you are around a child on a daily basis, you become more sensitive, attentive and develop your parenting skills."

However, "fathers do not have enough opportunity to have time with their infants, they form less of an attachment, feel a little less involved and may tend to leave parenting tasks to the mother, which generates a lot of conflict," she added.

The 28-day leave is nevertheless "laughable" in the eyes Marie-Nadine Prager of the Collective PAF (For a Feminist Parentality).

"It's probably better for bonding with the baby, but not for reviewing the place of each person in the household," said the activist, arguing for parental leave based on the Scandinavian model, well-paid and divided between the parents.

Changes may be introduced in the autumn, at the conclusion of a study on the balance between work and family life that Christel Heydemann, from Schneider Electric France, and sociologist Julien Damon have been conducting since March.

The cost of the measure is estimated at €260 million in 2021, then €520 million per year.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

This article was translated from the original in French.

10 killed in Myanmar clashes between army and anti-junta fighters

Issued on: 04/07/2021 - 

Despite the threat of crackdowns, protesters in Myanmar are still taking to the streets daily in defiance of the military regime STR AFP

Yangon (AFP)

At least 10 anti-junta fighters and civilians were killed during clashes with the military in central Myanmar, villagers said Sunday, as locals increasingly take up arms against the regime in the coup-wracked country.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a February coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government, with 890 people killed in a junta crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.

In some areas civilians have formed "defence forces" to combat the State Administration Council, as the junta dubs itself, often using hunting rifles or makeshift weapons cobbled together from household items.

The central Sagaing region has been the site of multiple skirmishes between defence forces and the military, and on Friday fighting broke out in Depayin township.

Residents told AFP that military trucks entered their area and opened fire on a village near the jungle hoping to flush out members of the local defence force.

"We heard the shooting of artillery 26 times," said a villager, who added that anti-junta fighters tried to retaliate but could not fend off the attack.

"They shot everyone who they saw on the road and in the village. They did not just have one target," he said.

Civilians were among the dead, he added.

Villagers waited until Saturday to venture out of their homes to assess the casualties, said another witness, who helped to collect the bodies around Depayin township.

"We found in one place eight people were killed, and in another area two were dead," he said.

Local media reported a higher death toll, though it could not be independently verified by AFP.

State-run media offered a different account of the skirmish, saying the military was patrolling the area when they were ambushed.

Soldiers fended off "armed terrorists" and later found "four mortars and six percussion lock firearms", reported the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

In another attack in a different part of Sagaing one member of the security forces was killed and authorities were "working to stabilise the area", the paper added.

Despite the threat of crackdowns, protesters in Myanmar are still taking to the streets daily in defiance of the military regime.

On Sunday residents across Sagaing held short demonstrations, flashing a three-finger salute of defiance during rapid marches through the streets.

© 2021 AFP

Several dead, homes evacuated as Cyprus experiences worst forest fire in decades

Issued on: 04/07/2021 - 12:12

Residents of villages watch a fire in the Larnaca mountain region on Saturday, July 3, 2021. © Petros Karadjias, AP

Text by: NEWS WIRES

A huge forest blaze in Cyprus has killed four people, destroyed homes and forced evacuations of villages as Greece, Israel and other countries deployed fire-fighting aircraft to the Mediterranean island.

The fire began Saturday afternoon and has swept through districts in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains as the country grapples with a blistering heatwave.

"It is a tragedy," President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter, describing it as "the largest fire since 1974" when the island was divided after Turkey occupied its northern third.

The blaze had caused "loss of life" and destroyed property and forest lands, Anastasiades said, adding that "the government will provide immediate assistance to the victims and the families of the victims.

"We will not leave anyone abandoned in the destruction of the fire."

Italy and Greece sending aid

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that four charred bodies were found outside the village of Odos in Larnaca district.

"Forensic examiners are going to the scene for identification," he told reporters on Sunday.

"All the indications support the fact that these are the four missing persons we have been searching for since yesterday," he said, adding that all four of the dead are thought to be of Egyptian nationality.

The daily Phileleftheros newspaper said the four bodies were found about 400 metres (yards) from their burnt-out vehicle.

Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said on Saturday its "aerial firefighting capacity" had been mobilised, with Italy and Greece sending planes to help.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said "two firefighting planes" would be sent. They were expected to arrive on Sunday.

Local media reported that a 67-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion he started the blaze.

(AFP)

A huge forest blaze raging in Cyprus has killed four people

A car drives on a road in the village of Vavatsinia in the Larnaca district of Cyprus as a giant wildfire rages on the hills above during the night of July 3

 Iakovos Hatzistavrou AFP

Issued on: 04/07/2021 - 

Vavatsinia (Cyprus) (AFP)

A huge forest blaze raging in Cyprus has killed four people, destroyed homes and forced evacuations of villages as Greece, Israel and other countries deployed fire-fighting aircraft to the Mediterranean island.

The fire began Saturday afternoon and has swept through districts in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains as the country grapples with a blistering heatwave.

"It is a tragedy," President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter, describing it as "the largest fire since 1974" when the island was divided after Turkey occupied its northern third.

The blaze had caused "loss of life" and destroyed property and forest lands, Anastasiades said, adding that "the government will provide immediate assistance to the victims and the families of the victims.

"We will not leave anyone abandoned in the destruction of the fire."

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that four charred bodies were found outside the village of Odos in Larnaca district.

"Forensic examiners are going to the scene for identification," he told reporters on Sunday.

"All the indications support the fact that these are the four missing persons we have been searching for since yesterday," he said, adding that all four are thought to be Egyptian nationals.

The daily Phileleftheros newspaper said their bodies were found about 400 metres (yards) from their burnt-out vehicle.

A 67-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion he started the blaze. He was seen by an eyewitness leaving the village of Arakapas in his car at the same time the fire started there on Saturday, police said.

- Extended heatwave -

Anastasiades visited a crisis management centre in the village of Vavatsinia, located a few kilometres east of the blaze, on Sunday morning, before heading to areas ravaged by the flames, according to the CNA news agency.#photo1

He said the area destroyed by fire exceeded 55 square kilometres (21 square miles), adding that the blaze appeared largely contained but could resurge.

"The high temperatures and the wind are our biggest dangers," he said.

Firefighters were seen along the road leading to Vavatsinia and several helicopters hovered above the fire as a thick grey smoke obscured the sky in much of the south of the island.

An AFP correspondent in the village of Ora reported seeing several burned out homes.

Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said on Saturday its "aerial firefighting capacity" had been mobilised, with Italy and Greece sending planes to help.

Two other firefighting planes were scheduled to take off from Israel.

Israel's firefighting authority said that the planes were due to land in Larnaca, where they would join the Italian and Greek teams and also Spanish and British crews.

Cyprus has experienced extended heatwaves and periods of drought in recent years.

In the past few days, the temperature has hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) inland and there has been very little rain since mid-April.

© 2021 AFP

'Abysmal attempt': B.C. wildfire response criticized by Indigenous leader

An Indigenous leader accused British Columbia's government Saturday of ignoring the needs of community members in Lytton while a wildfire levelled their village earlier in the week.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The accusations came as the BC Coroners Service said it was finally safe to enter the community to investigate reports that two people were killed in the blaze, which destroyed businesses and homes as it cascaded through the village days earlier.


The head of the Nlaka'pamux Nation Tribal Council, of which the Lytton First Nation is a member, said that as the fire tore through the area, the council was forced to try to save lives with little to no help from the government.

Chief Matt Pasco, who operates a ranch near Ashcroft, B.C., north of Lytton, said the first contact he received from the government came 12 hours after evacuations began, and it was regarding his cattle, not about affected community members.

"It was an abysmal attempt at the very thing they're meant to do," he said in an interview Saturday. "They had processes in places for our cattle but none for Nlaka'pamux people."

Pasco said the government's shortfalls can be traced to the province's treatment of Indigenous peoples and lack of recognition of their jurisdiction when it comes to land management and stewardship.

"Yes, we do have coordination problems because (the province) is not set to take care of Indigenous issues or Indigenous peoples," he said.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth acknowledged the government's shortcomings in a statement.

"While there were challenging factors, early communication with the Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council and the Oregon Jack Creek Band didn’t live up to expectations," he said.

He said the ministry has taken steps to address gaps in protocols that contributed to this situation.

Pasco said the tribal council is working with the Lytton First Nation and other affected communities to figure out how many members remain unaccounted for.


Video: Indigenous elder celebrated for saving parts of B.C. First Nation from devastating Lytton wildfire (Global News)

He said the most pressing questions concern what happens next for the community.

"It's so devastating that I cannot find the English words to describe the devastation. It's hard to fathom," he said. "What does next week look like? What does the first long weekend of September look like when we have the children go back to school?"

New mapping from the BC Wildfire Service shows the wildfire has grown since Friday night.

Kaitlin Baskerville, with the BC Wildfire Service, told a public meeting Saturday that current conditions are comparable to mid-August.

She said there are four fires of note in the Thompson-Nicola region.

Mark Healey, also with the service, told the meeting that fire crews are working to stop the spread of the fire towards Spences Bridge as well as stop it from crossing the Fraser River.

Elsewhere, an out-of-control wildfire burning about 40 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, B.C., forced officials to evacuate more than 100 homes Friday evening.

Orders issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District said the fire in the Durand Lake area has started threatening structures and the safety of residents.

Federal ministers have pledged to support B.C.'s fire fighting efforts, with Public Safety Minister Bill Blair saying the government has been preparing for the wildfire season for the past few weeks.

The cause of the wildfire that devastated Lytton is under investigation, although Premier John Horgan said he had heard anecdotal evidence linking the start of the fire to a train running through the community.

The office of federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in an emailed statement that it would take necessary action should any potential non-compliance with Canada's rail safety laws and regulations be identified.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2021.

Nick Wells, The Canadian Press

Alberta infrastructure bends and buckles under heat wave
CBC/Radio-Canada 

© Submitted by Shelly Clauson Shelly Clauson snapped this photo in Clairmont, Alta. She believes the benches are made of some sort of composite plastic material that warped due to the heat.

The heat is taking a toll on infrastructure.
In Edmonton, several photos posted to social media show the sidewalks buckling in some areas and the damage is being attributed to the extreme heat blanketing western Canada.

Ward 3 or tastawiyiniwak councillor, John Dziadyk, shared a photo on Facebook of a section of sidewalk that was cracked and bent at an unusual angle.

In a statement, he calls on the city to take action.

"Core services should be the priority for the city,' Dziadyk wrote. "Just as potholes are caused by the cold, the heat is impacting our infrastructure. The city needs to be nimble and quick to address these issues."

In an email to CBC News, the city acknowledged the problem.

"The extreme heat caused this sidewalk and other sidewalks in the city to buckle or heave," wrote Parks and Road Services spokesperson Derek Logan.

"Concrete expands with temperature, and in extreme heat the expansion is larger. When expansion reduces the space between slabs or joints of a sidewalk, buckling can occur."

Logan noted it is not typically a problem in Edmonton given the cooler climate and city workers are dealing with the issue.

Video: Alberta heat wave worries province’s farmers (Global News)

"This week, at least 57 city sidewalks were found to have buckled or heaved due to the heat," he wrote.

"In response, city crews have been proactively inspecting sidewalks throughout Edmonton and responding to all 311 notifications. When signs of buckling were found, crews placed signs with flashing amber lights to alert people of the uneven concrete. The area would then be repaired by digging out the heave, forming or pouring concrete in the spot and replacing the impacted sidewalk panels. We prioritized heaves for repairs based on the risk they present to the public."

© CBC News A spokeperson for the City of Edmonton says at least 57 city sidewalks have buckled or heaved due to the recent heat.

Edmonton isn't the only place feeling the heat.

In Clairmont, just north of Grande Prairie, Shelly Clauson spotted a rather unusual site.

"We were turning around in the parking lot at the seniors hall there, and my sister Candy pointed out, she said 'It must be hot when the picnic tables are melting'," Clauson explained.

"I turned around and I looked and the benches were all deformed, so I had to get a picture."

Clauson believes the benches are made of some sort of composite plastic material that failed to maintain structural integrity under the soaring temperatures.

"I was pretty shocked. I didn't think those things could even do that," she said. "I've also seen people have posted pictures of their windows shattering in their house."

Clauson said it's been so hot in the region that she's had to install some additional infrastructure of her own at home to try to keep cool.

"My house was absolutely boiling so we threw some tinfoil up on the windows," she said.

Unfortunately it did not achieve the desired goal.

"We ended up coming into Grande Prairie to stay at my sister's because my daughter ended up with heat exhaustion from sitting on the couch in our living room. Very grateful for family that lets me stay in their air-conditioned houses."

Relief is on the way for people and infrastructure. Environment Canada says more typical temperatures for this time of year should return on Sunday.

ARMED MOORS

Massachusetts police take eleven 'heavily armed men' into custody after they claim to 'not recognize our laws': report
Tom Boggioni
July 03, 2021



According to a report from ABC News and a series of tweets from the Massachusetts State Police Twitter account, nine men described as "heavily-armed" were taken into custody early Saturday morning after police questioned them and they fled into the woods that need after a stand-off hours later. (UPDATE: Police later reported 11 men were taken into custody.)

The report states that, "The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. when a state trooper came across a group of 8 to 10 people refueling on the side of the I-95 highway in Wakefield, a suburb of Boston. The group was dressed in military-style uniforms, carried tactical gear like body cameras and helmets and had long guns slung over their shoulders," adding that the men claimed "to be from a group that does not recognize our laws."

ABC added the police issued an intial statement saying, "Approximately 8 males fled into the woods carrying rifles and handguns and appear to be contained in the wooded area adjacent to the highway. No threats were made, but these men should be considered armed and dangerous."

A police spokesperson stated that the men explained they were traveling to Maine from Rhode Island for "training," and identified themselves as belonging to a group called "Moorish American Arms."

Two men were taken into custody immediately, with the Mass. Police Twitter account reporting later, "Remaining suspects on highway have been taken into custody by MSP Special Tactical Operations Team. 7 additional suspects being transported for booking. We will now conduct sweeps of their 2 vehicles and woods. Total of 9 in custody counting the initial 2 arrests."

An updated report from MassLive states: "A man who identified himself to police as the leader of the group said on a video recorded after the encounter that he 'instructed my men to get out peacefully. I greeted your man with a handshake,' he said, of speaking with the trooper.He claims in a series of videos the group was following federal law and should be allowed to travel across state lines with their weapons.A firearms license is required to possess or carry firearms in Massachusetts. For non-residents of Massachusetts, a non-resident license to carry firearms must be obtained through the Firearms Records Bureau."

Police later updated the mnumber taken into custody to 11.

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Freed American journalist remembers horrors of Myanmar junta jail

Agence France-Presse
July 03, 2021

Journalist Nathan Maung says he turned to meditation when he 

was jailed for reporting on the Myanmar coup(AFP)

Journalist Nathan Maung turned to meditation when he was jailed for reporting on Myanmar's bloody coup, but even back home in sleepy Virginia, he can't forget those left behind, including a colleague still at the mercy of their jailers.

In March, as the junta moved to crush mass pro-democracy protests on Myanmar's streets, about 45 soldiers arrived at Maung's office in the commercial capital Yangon, he told AFP in an interview.

As the squad battered their way through the gate and a locked door, Maung was frantically sending messages to friends telling them he was about to be arrested, he said.

When the soldiers finally broke through and stormed in with their guns up, "I said, 'Please, don't shoot us'."

Myanmar has been rocked by a huge uprising since the February putsch that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi and her government.

The junta has responded with force -- shooting protesters, arresting suspected dissidents, rounding up journalists and shutting down news outlets.

Maung and his colleague Hanthar Nyein watched the squad take "everything from our office" -- cash, jewelry, and even shoes -- before they were brought to an interrogation center in northern Yangon.
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There, he said, he was held "for four days" -- during three of which he was denied food, and for two, water.

"I kept practicing Vipassana meditation to be mindful," said Maung, who is a Myanmar-born US citizen.

And with the first sip of water came hope.

"After I drank my first water, I thought I could live," he said. "I wouldn't be killed."
Crackdown on dissent

More than 880 people have been killed and almost 6,500 arrested in the crackdown according to a local monitoring group, although the State Administration Council -- as the junta calls itself -- disputes these figures.

Another group, Reporting ASEAN, says 89 journalists have been detained since the coup.

In March, one journalist livestreamed his own arrest on his employer's official Facebook page, with the chaotic footage showing loud bangs outside his apartment building.

Kamayut Media, which Maung founded, faced similar charges under a colonial-era law that criminalizes encouraging dissent against the military.

As well as brute force, the military has re-tooled a colonial-era law to make spreading "fake news" a crime as it tightens its grip on dissent.
'Cigarette burns'

Maung soon found out how brutal the consequences of being brought in could be.

"They hit my eardrums with their bare hands several times, they beat my face and shoulders," he said.

"(They) kicked... my sides."

His phone had been broken by the time he got to the center, and was of no use to his interrogators looking for contacts of dissidents and other journalists.

But Hanthar Nyein's was still working, and they needed his password.

"They put his legs on the ice block for hours, burnt his skin with a cigarette," Maung said.

He refused to tell them until they threatened to rape him, Maung said, and when they found pictures of him with Suu Kyi and other political figures, he was beaten again.

The junta's information team says all investigations and interrogations are being carried out according to the law.
'I left him behind'

Maung believes US diplomacy was one of the factors in all charges against him being dropped, and his release in June.

It is a freedom not yet afforded to fellow US citizen and journalist Danny Fenster, who has been held since May 24, the only foreign reporter remaining in junta custody.

In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Maung said he is committed to continuing his work and a "free Burma" -- using a previous name for Myanmar -- and to work to free other imprisoned journalists, such as his colleague Hanthar.

Until then, he has demons to live with.

"I contacted our lawyers when I arrived in the States, and I was told that he was crying in the court when I left him behind," he said.

"It broke my heart... I do not enjoy my freedom at all."

New Jersey approves two 1 Gigawatt+ offshore wind projects

The agreements will see both projects rely on the state's planned wind port.

JOHN TIMMER - 7/1/2021

Enlarge / New Jersey hopes to be the home of scenes like this,

 where French workers are building the foundations for offshore wind turbines.

By the end of the decade, New Jersey's beaches are set to have a view of something other than crashing waves. The state is pushing for aggressive development of offshore wind, having already approved a 1.1 GW wind farm. Yesterday, the state more than doubled its planned projects, reaching agreements that will let two additional 1 GW+ wind farms go into the waters off the southern portion of the state.

Perhaps as significant in the long run, both projects include an agreement that will see critical components of the wind farm assembled in a New Jersey port that the state is promoting as a hub for future offshore wind developments.
A multinational effort

The earlier agreement New Jersey put into place was for a project called Ocean Wind, a joint project between the state's major utility, PSE&G, and the Danish energy developer Ørsted, a major player in offshore wind. One of the projects approved yesterday is Ocean Wind II, which plans for another 1.1 GW of capacity supplied by using GE's Halide X turbines. These projects will be sited to the east of Cape May, the southernmost part of the state.

The second project is called Atlantic Shores, a joint effort between Shell New Energies (a division of the fossil fuel giant) and EDF Renewables, part of Électricité de France. Vestas, another Danish company, will provide the generating hardware. The project will supply 1.5 GW of capacity.

An agreement with New Jersey isn't the final hurdle the projects will need to clear, as federal approval will also be required. But given the Biden administration's goal of significantly expanding offshore wind, federal assent shouldn't be a problem.

Combined, the two projects come in at well over 2.6 GW of capacity; along with Ocean Wind I, they bring the state nearly halfway to its goal of having 7.5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035. Both projects are expected to be completed by the end of the decade.
More than just wind

The state received several additional benefits as part of the agreement. New Jersey has been promoting the use of one of its ports (Paulsboro, on the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia) as a hub for offshore wind development. Both companies have agreed to build the foundations for their wind farms at the port and will assemble nacelles (the part that houses the generator) there. This sort of commitment may help turn the Garden State into a major hub for wind farm production for much of the East Coast.

Both projects will also contribute money to cover the monitoring of their sites for environmental impacts, such as changes to New Jersey's recreational fishing. And they'll run pilot projects, including a truck electrification project and a hydrogen generation plant, that will test ways of leveraging all that renewable power.

At the same time, New Jersey is taking steps to prepare its grid to integrate these new sources. Working with grid operator PJM, the state has asked developers to submit proposals for updating and rearranging its onshore grid to better accept power from offshore or to figure out how to reduce the impacts of the transmission hardware that will need to go offshore or bridge the onshore and offshore grids.

It's easy to understand why New Jersey is making offshore wind a major priority. Thanks to its extensive shoreline and port facilities, the state is extremely vulnerable to the rising ocean level that accompanies climate change. As the most densely populated state, New Jersey doesn't have many alternatives for large-scale renewable power installations. But the state is also hoping to use its limited options to put itself at the forefront of an expected boom in offshore wind development—a boom it hopes to support from its port.

How a 17th-century illustration is helping archaeologists find Viking ships

Danish antiquarian Ole Worm conducted the first survey of the Kalvestene in 1650.

JENNIFER OUELLETTE - 7/1/2021, 3:11 PM


In 1650, a Danish physician and antiquarian named Ole Worm conducted the first survey of a Viking cremation burial site known as the Kalvestene. Worm created a map of the locations of all the "ship settings"—stones arranged in the shape of vessels—marking the graves. Now, a team of archaeologists has compared its own detailed surveys with Worm's original illustrations and may have discovered two new ship settings that are consistent with that centuries-old survey, according to a recent paper published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology.

Vikings typically buried their dead, along with the deceased's material possessions, within a wooden ship. They then covered the grave with dirt to create a raised earthen mound. The Kalvestene, on a small island called Hjarnø, is one of about 25 such sites in Denmark. Even though it's a relatively small grave field, the Kalvestene (literally translated as "the calf stones") was nonetheless well-known in the region. It is first mentioned in the 12th-century treatise Gesta Danorum ("The History of the Danes" or "Deeds of the Danes") by Danish theologian Saxo Grammaticus, and there are many other references throughout medieval and early modern texts.

"It's such an interesting site, and the fact that it is referred to in medieval sources—when other, larger monuments aren't—demonstrates it was a significant site, too," co-author Erin Sebo of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, told Ars.

Worm's 1650 drawings—the first recorded survey of the site—indicate that 34 stone settings once stood at Kalvestene, although only 10 remain today. (Residents likely removed the other settings over the centuries for various repurposes.) In 1935, iron fragments that may have once been part of a damasked iron sword were found. The following year, archaeologist H.C. Broholm did a scientific excavation of two of the graves for the National Museum in Copenhagen. He carefully numbered the 10 surviving ship settings but mostly just found a few burnt bones, charcoal, and pottery shards dating back to 600-900 AD.Advertisement

In 2009, Tatiana Smekalova conducted a limited magnetic survey of the Kalvestene on behalf of the Horsens Museum, hoping to locate the additional graves documented by Worm, in addition to any other buried remains. Nothing was found. For this latest research, Sebo and her colleagues wanted to determine the accuracy of Worm's 1650 survey and learn more about how the Hjarnø ship settings compared to other such sites. They also wanted more insight into why the Kalvestene was so well-known to contemporaries. Sebo et al. extended their analysis to incorporate medieval records, aerial photogrammetry, and lidar data from an archaeological survey conducted by the Moesgaard Museum in 2018.

Distribution of Danish single-ship settings and grave fields.
E. Sebo et al., 2021

The Kalvestene, cremation burial site of the Viking age on the island of Hjarnø, Denmark.
Erik Christensen / CC BY-SA 3.0

Portrait of Ole Worm, "Fasti Danici," 1626.
Wellcome Library, London/CC BY 4.0

H.C. Broholm's site plan of the various ship settings, 1937.
E. Sebo et al., 2021

Tatiana Smeklova's 2009 magnetic survey of the Kalvestene.
Smeklova, 2009/Horsens Museum

(left) Drone orthophoto of the Kalvestene. (right) Digital elevation model.
E. Sebo et al., 2021

Digital elevation model of the Kalvestene overlaid with Broholm's plan (top left), with the possible locations of two additional graves marked with white circles (top right and bottom).
E. Sebo et al., 2021

Comparison of Ole Worm's drawing with photogammetic model. Possible "new" settings are marked in pink.
E. Sebo et al., 2021

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The researchers found that the Kalvestene is unusual among Viking burial sites because its stone settings are exclusively shaped like ships (this arrangement is believed to be a tribute to the Norse god of wind and weather, Njord (or Njörðr), whose symbol was a ship). Other Danish sites from the same period feature settings shaped like circles, ovals, triangles, and ships.

The researchers also identified two new raised areas that they believe could be additional burial sites. "One appears to be a typical ship setting, and the second remains ambiguous," said Sebo. "But it's impossible to know without excavation and further survey."

Per Saxo's medieval treatise, the Kalvestene's stone settings were arranged to honor a peasant-turned-king named Hiarni. He was purportedly the author of a poem about his regal predecessor, Frothi, who died in battle on the island. Hiarni's title was challenged, however, and he was ultimately killed and buried on the island. The authors concluded that there is no evidence Saxo's account is accurate or that the island was named after a peasant-king named Hiarni, who likely never existed. Instead, linguistic evidence suggests Hiarni was invented and named after the island. What's significant is that Saxo was aware of a grave monument on Hjarnø.Advertisement


"Most monuments of this kind are designed to honor the power of an important individual," said Sebo. "However, our study demonstrates that the site had a community focus and that the people of Hjarnø had a much flatter, more egalitarian social structure."

Sebo et al.'s findings suggest a significant Swedish presence on the island and regular contact and trade between Sweden and Denmark. Medieval ships would have passed the island frequently on their trade routes, and artifacts recovered from a hoard in 2017 provided evidence that foreign traders likely visited the island. Of course, the borders between the two countries shifted throughout the medieval period, so there were periods when parts of modern Sweden were under Danish rule.
“Not borders, but distance”

"The issue is not borders, but distance," said Sebo. She noted that Kalvestene was built near several Danish centers of power, all of which can be reached by land, while their Swedish counterparts were farther away and required water travel. "Our study demonstrates that maritime links were strong for the Hjarnø community and reflect a profoundly maritime culture, in which the land is more of a barrier than the sea," she said. This finding suggests that "close connections between communities were based on a range of factors and not necessarily simple proximity."

As for Worm's 1650 illustrations, this study doesn't offer definitive proof of their accuracy, despite the discovery of two possible gravesites in keeping with his centuries-old survey. However, "while this study is unable to offer a conclusive understanding of the origins of the Kalvestene, it demonstrates the value of combining source criticism and analysis with archaeological data to contribute toward greater understanding about the site," said co-author Jonathan Benjamin, also from Flinders University.

DOI: Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 2021. 10.1080/15564894.2021.1900955 (About DOIs).

Still glorifying Stalin over Barbarossa

Submitted by AWL on 29 June, 2021 - 5:23 Author: Jim Denham



Tuesday 22 June marked the eightieth anniversary of Operation Barbarossa — “When Soviets Turned The Tide Against Nazi Tyranny”, as that day’s Morning Star put it. Or to be simpler: when Hitler broke his pact with Stalin and invaded the USSR.

The first thing to note is that although 22 June was the eightieth anniversary of German troops crossing the USSR’s border, the respected bourgeois historian Antony Beevor (in his 1998 book Stalingrad) points out that it was on the morning of 21 June 1941 that Moscow became aware of huge military preparations along the frontiers from the Baltic to the Black Sea:

“As the morning passed, more and more urgent messages arrived from Moscow demanding news. There was an atmosphere of repressed hysteria in the Kremlin as the evidence of German intentions mounted, adding to more than eighty warnings received over the previous eight months,” writes Beevor.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, the German ambassador expressed astonishment that the Russian leaders did not understand what what happening: over two weeks before he had warned the Russian ambassador in Berlin that Hitler planned to invade. Stalin had dismissed the warning as disinformation from Winston Churchill.

And yet John Ellison in one of three lengthy articles in the Morning Star claims: “No demands or direct warnings from Berlin to the Stalin-led Soviet Union leadership preceded the invasion.” Phil Katz (of the CPB’s History Group) in another article in the same paper (22 June) goes further and claims that: “Nowadays the talk among some schools of history and revisionist politicians is only of Soviet lack of preparation, bumbling... [and] Stalin’s ‘mental breakdown’”. In fact there is strong evidence that Stalin did have some kind of breakdown after the fall of Minsk on June 28: according to foreign minister Molotov, Stalin was bewildered and disorientated. “Everything’s lost. I give up. Lenin founded our state and we’ve fucked it up!” he cried before disappearing for two days.

Astonishingly, in the face of all this evidence, Katz still feels able to declare: “It is amazing that some historians today claim that Stalin was so easily deceived about Hitler’s war aims, that he was caught by surprise and was apparently unable to believe his own intelligence services”. Yet the evidence of all reputable historians (i.e. not Stalinist hacks like Katz) is that this is exactly what did happen.

Ellison is at least honest enough to acknowledge that: “The disaster… was enormous. Stalin’s refusal to accept that war was coming earlier than he anticipated, his paranoid pre-war officer corps purges, a Red Army strategy of of ‘offensives only’ in response to attack and technical inadequacies in military preparations, all contributed to the rapid advance of Nazi forces and the capture of millions of Soviet soldiers.”

But it’s the slightly less than two years that preceded Operation Barbarossa that leaves the Morning Star’s writers either completely silent or parroting a long-discredited “line”. Katz in his 22 June article can’t bring himself to even mention the Hitler-Stalin Pact, describing the period between 1939 and 1940 as having been “characterised as a ‘phoney war.’ During this period the Soviets fought a ‘winter war’ against pro-fascist Finland” — conveniently ignoring the fact that when Finland was invaded by Russia in November 1939 it was Russia that was “pro-fascist” in the sense of being allied with the Nazis, not Finland! (After the “winter war”, Finland allied with Germany, and then switched to the Allies in 1944).

Ellison at least mentions the pact, but explains it away thus:

“It meant that [Hitler] could concentrate first on war against the refusers of collective security, while the Soviet Union was to be allowed more territorial security through occupying eastern Poland, forced rectification of its border with prospective Nazi ally Finland [that misleading half-truth again! — JD] to protect Leningrad, and later occupation of the Baltic republics.

“Though referred to often as ‘Hitler’s ally’, the Soviet Union remained formally and actually neutral until invaded.”

This is standard Stalinist apologia for the pact, though few informed people these days take it seriously. For a start, that much-vaunted “neutrality” is a fiction: its effect on the policy of the Comintern [Stalin’s international] and of Communist Parties everywhere was not “neutrality”: it meant making pro-Hitler propaganda, denouncing other governments for failing to respond to Germany’s “desire for peace”.

In Europe, Scandinavia and the Low Countries it meant clearing the way for Hitler. As the reputable bourgeois historian Roger Moorhouse puts it in his book The Devils’ Alliance: “Poland was invaded and divided between Moscow and Berlin. With Hitler’s connivance, the independent Baltic states were occupied and then annexed by Stalin... Finland, too, was invaded and conquered by the Red Army. When Hitler turned west, invading first Scandinavia, then the Low Countries and France, Stalin sent his congratulations. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, the Nazis and the Soviets traded secrets, blueprints, technology and raw materials.”

The evidence is that Stalin, prior to Barbarossa, had expected and hoped for a Nazi victory in the war. The rapid defeat of France in 1940 (making war on a second front possible for Hitler) and the intelligence he was receiving, should have warned him about Hitler’s intentions toward Russia. But by then, Stalin was committed, relying on hope and self-delusion.

We can admire the enormous courage of the Russian people and the Red Army — but not the criminal Stalin, still honoured and excused by the Morning Star.

SHOSTIKOVICH SYMPHONY #8 'STALINGRAD'