Thursday, April 29, 2010

Restricted Films of WWII, Archive footage


The United States government produced thousands of films during World War II, many of which were considered "classified."
These film reports covered all theaters of operation and ran the gamut, from important news of battles and invasions, to the introductions of new equipment and supply methods.
Originally produced for commanding Generals and their immediate staff, we are able to bring you these inside"secret" stories of World War II through the Freedom of Information Act.

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Lord Byron - Exile on Fame Street


At the turn of the 19th Century, times were changing. Fashion, society and literature were all evolving. At this time, Jane Austen was pondering over self-penned novels, King George III was madder than ever, and the Prince Regent was the laziest slob in the whole of London.

One person shocked English society by becoming what could only be described as the first 'celebrity' - he was to become notorious not only for his heartfelt poetry, but for the number of women he managed to seduce in his short life. This person was George Gordon, Lord Byron, the 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale.

This episode of Omnibus look at the life of Lord Byron, once described as "the greatest English poet next to Shakespeare".

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SAS: Embassy Siege

http://news.bbc.co.uk/furniture/in_depth/uk/2000/iranian_embassy_siege/home_main_pic.jpg

A 2002 BBC documentary on the siege contained the first interviews ever given by soldiers involved in the assault. Some interesting information was brought to light, including that the SAS was allegedly ordered (in not so many words) by Margaret Thatcher herself, to kill all of the terrorists regardless of the threat to the hostages. Robin Horsfall, one of SAS soldiers on the day, stated:
"The message was that we had to resolve the situation and there was to be no chance of failure, and... she did not want an ongoing problem. She didn't want there to be a problem beyond the Embassy...[we were]absolutely clear about it... They didn't want an ongoing problem, which we took to mean that they did not want anybody coming out alive."
This is interesting when one considers the account of Embassy staff member Ahmad Dadgar, who reported that he and other hostages persuaded two of the terrorists to surrender:
"Both were sitting there and put their hands on their own heads," he says. "Then several SAS men came in. And then they took the two terrorists and pushed them on the wall and shot them."
An inquest later found the SAS had used reasonable force, and on 4th February 1981 a Westminster Coroner's court ruled that the deaths of the five Iranian terrorists were justifiable homicides.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Twist Of Faith


When he was a teenager 20 years ago, Tony Comes says a Catholic priest in his Ohio hometown sexually abused him. Humiliated and ashamed, Tony carried the secret with him into adulthood, even as he married, had two kids and became a firefighter. He shared the truth only with his parents and wife. But when Tony recently learned that the same priest now lived down the street, he decided to take action -- even if it meant going public.

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