Madame Secretary keeping busy, eye watering True Detective, Hegemony, the gun and me.

Madame Secretary

The new Madame Secretary episode which aired on Thursday 6th August focused on PTSD, as she had a panic attack. It's odd that they should reference a health issue as John Kerry has just recovered from a broken leg through falling off his bike in Switzerland. It's good how TV series have the need to bring light upon issues in regard to anything, as it reveals the sufferings but also makes good talking points about the effects.

The new episode that aired on the 13th of August had remnants of the last episode of PTSD which she must take medication for now. The episode mainly focused on a cult group that escaped the US to Bolivia as they could not believe in what they wanted to believe in. They think the world is going to end and if it did not end they were going to kill themselves. Their were 100+ people in this cult fortification. Madame secretary's husband gets sent in there, as he's scholar of religion, history and other stuff. They managed to save a majority of the people but 37 people died of suicide poisoning.

I just watched a new episode of Madame Secretary (21/08/2015). GO!! Dr. Henry McCord and accept a job from United States Army War College. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious, I'm not in short of it at all. I loved the episode all round, the drug addiction was another issue the series was addressing. 

The issue on the Greek debt crisis revealed something to me. Even though it's a program it addressed the character of Angel Merkel as being very domineering and I can see that in her. The European union is currently completely ineffective, it's purpose is not it's purpose anymore as its expanded so much. An economic policy in Germany is being implemented throughout Europe and that does not work as every country is different. It needs a complete overhaul and when people like Angel Merkel dominate it's power that is outright ludicrous, appalling and sickening to think that her and people who benefit from her power, as it is not just her who won't reform the EU can get away with this. 

Finally in this latest episode I love how they have TWO houses! One in the city where they live on a day to day basis and a winter house, which is a farm that keeps their three horses. They are now going to sell the winter house because of this war college job he's going to take up, as they will not be enough time to visit.
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True Detective

I don't want to talk much about True Detective but all's I can say is it was a heart breaking episode. I will be looking forward to season 3 very much and I hope it will be a more happy ending. The only bit I liked in the final episode was Rachel McAdams/Sergeant Antigone "Ani" Bezzerides having Colin Farrell/Detective Raymond "Ray" Velcoro second son and that his first son was his son after all. 

YES!!! Manchester United have just won against Aston Villa as I write this. 

My History tip for this post

I will keep my History post simple this time. Everyone always thinks that Hitler came so close to winning World War II, I cannot scream my head off enough and say how close he came to success. Although the same is applied to the German Empire. This is what they had in mind had they won WW1. Enjoy :)

These are the treaties that were signed with the USSR, Romania and Ukraine:

• Treaty of Bucharest (1918) - (Romania - Central powers)
  
  
  Romania leases its oil wells to the German Empire for 90 years. Romania returns Southern Dobruja (the Cadrilater) and to cede the southern part of Northern Dobruja (see the maps) to Bulgaria, while the rest of the province remained under the joint control of the Central Powers. Romania gives Austria-Hungary control of the passes of the Carpathian Mountains. The Central Powers recognize the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.

• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (USSR - Central powers)
  
  The kingdom of Finland is created and Price Fredrick Charles of Hesse is put on the throne. The image below shows "Greater Finland", Finland's today's borders would have been the borders set in Germany WW1 victory but Finland went onto have this idea of expansionism and used WW2 in order to get it via support through Hitler who attacked USSR. With the idea of Greater Finland the German's would have given infinite support and the idea would have definitely been realized as it would mean more Hegemony to the Germans.

• The Kingdom of Lithuania is created with Wilhelm Karl Duke of Urach placed on the throne.
• The Duchy of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigallia are created into a United Baltic Duchy, or also known as the Grand Duchy of Livonia. Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg will be put on the throne. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is to be in a personal union with the King/dom of Prussia. Who at that time was Kasier Wilhelm II.
• In History amongst all of these definite concluded "buffer states" between Germany and Russia, the conclusion on the Kingdom of Poland is open to opinion. In the situation of Austria-Hungary collapsing Germany wanted to annex large parts of what they called the "Polish Border Strip". This increased throughout the war, first it was 20,000 then 30,000 square kilometers of land. The land was going to used for Germanisation, the resettlement of the polish somewhere in the east with the resettlement of ethnic Germans. They had already performed this technique throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. (In this case we are not talking about Hitler.) In the situation of Germany going ahead with their plans I cannot see any form of Kingdom being made. I personally think the Germans were going to take the 30,000 square kilometers of land and control the railway system, shipping in the Visula, industrial areas such as Dąbrowa basin, Radom and Kielce via puppet goverment and slowly integrate into the German Empire. As for the Austro-Hungarian plans, that's a different story.
• The creation of the White Ruthenian Democratic Republic. This was overthrown and became Belarusian People's Republic. I could this becoming a Kingdom, if not it would have been a puppet state of Germany either way. 

• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Ukraine–Central Powers)
  
  
  
  

  The Independence of Ukraine into the "Ukrainian State", this was a authoritarian provisional government which at the time was headed by a Hetman. (Basically head of state.) I think they would have turned this into a Kingdom as it's so big. I had Leopold Maximilian Joseph Maria Arnulf, Prinz von Bayern or Prince Leopold of Bavaria in mind. He was Generalfeldmarschall in the German army, served with distinguished service and was a candidate to become the puppet King of Poland to Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Cool map I know. I always find these maps intriguing and I hope you do as well, use map key and get started. Notice parts of Belgium and France have not be annexed that's because I can never find the "perfect map".

A treaty was not signed with the rest of the allied power as Germany lost. However! historians generally do know what the Germans would have done but it is still a fuzzy area of History. From studying it myself I think the following would have happened:

• German complete annexation of Belgium.
• The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is made a member of the German Empire. (In my mind I can see the Kaiser definitely giving Luxembourg the Belgium and French territories back, as for the Prussian lands that is open to pure speculation. This would have kept the power balance steady within the German Empire.Enjoy the image.
  

The image below shows what territories Germany wanted to annex from France. The red whole areas are to be annexed while the red lines are the approximate new border lines.

• A war indemnity of 10 billion Reichsmarks from France, with further payments to cover veterans' funds and to pay off all Germany's existing national debt, should prevent French rearmament. The French economy would be dependent on Germany and all trade with the British Empire will cease. France will partially disarm by demolishing its northern forts.
• Creation of a Mitteleuropa economic association dominated by Germany but ostensibly egalitarian. Members would include newly created buffer states carved out of the Russian Empire's west such as the un-annexed area of the "Kingdom of Poland", Lithuania, Finland, The United Baltic Duchy, Ukrainian State and White Ruthenian Democratic Republic. This states would remain under German sovereignty "for all time".
• Expansion of the German colonial empire with, most importantly, the creation of a contiguous German colony across central Africa (Mittelafrika) at the expense of the French and Belgian colonies. Presumably leaving the option open for future negotiations with Britain, no British colonies were to be taken, but Britain's "intolerable hegemony" in world affairs was to end. Here is the kind of thing you would expect from Mittelafrika. As the phrase itself is based in the lower central area of Africa like shown.

• Netherlands and German relations would get closer. After all the Dutch are a form of Germanic Culture. The Netherlands left the Holy Roman Empire and became a great power. Maybe the Germans were in hopeful thinking that they would join there Empire one day.

The following text below shows you how to load and fire a musket/arquebus. While the text below that shows you how the mechanics of semi-automatic pistol work through mathematics, pressure and collaboration of moving parts of a gun. 

How to load and fire a musket/arquebus

1. Angle te musket in front.

2. Brace with left foot

3. Take out cartridge

4. Powder into barrel

5. Pull out ramrod

6. Brace ramrod against chest7. Ram home 1-2-3

7. Take wadding out of pocket

8. Hold wadding in mouth

9. Bite off wadding

10. Insert into barrel

11. Ram home

12. Push 1-2-3

13. Cock weapon

14. Suspend the weapon

15. Clean out the vent hole

16. Close pan

17. Take out the powder horn

18. Powder in the pan

19. Return powder horn in place

20. Grimace

21. Cock the weapon

22. Point

23. Aim well

24. Give fire

25. Short prayer

26. Fire

Just so you know a wadding is “a disc used to separate powder from shot; or to seal propellant gases behind the shot; or to hold shot together in the barrel.”

Finally a ramrod is used in this process quite a lot and this is why.

“A ramrod is a metal device used with early firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly gunpowder). It is also commonly referred to as a "scouring stick". The ramrod was used with muzzle-loading weapons such as muskets and cannons, and was usually held in a notch underneath the barrel. Bullets that did not fit snugly in the barrel were often secured in place by a wad of paper, but either way, ramming was necessary to place the bullet securely at the rear of the barrel. Ramming was also needed to tamp the powder so that it would explode properly instead of fizzle (this was a leading cause of misfires). The ramrod could also be fitted with tools for various tasks such as cleaning the weapon, or retrieving a stuck bullet.”

How a semi-automatic pistol work

A semi-automatic pistol works by extracting and ejecting a fired cartridge automatically from a camber, which then loads an unfired cartridge from a magazine into the camber to be ready for the next trigger pull. This cycle uses the energy of the explosive discharge of each cartridge that is fired. 

A magazine is loaded with 9mm cartridges, and then placed into the pistol’s grip. The slide is pulled back. This cocks the hammer and is then released and is pushed forward by the recoil spring. The breech block feeds the first round of ammunition from the magazine into the barrel’s camber. The next round in the magazine is moved into position.

Now the pistol is loaded, the trigger is pulled. This draws the trigger bar forward. This pivots the safety lever, raising the firing pin safety block so the firing pin can move. Simultaneously, the trigger bar pulls the sear forwards, releasing the hammer. The main spring pushes the hammer forwards so that is strikes the back of the firing pin. This hits the cartridge and the primer causes the gun to fire.

The force of driving the bullet out of the barrel also presses the empty cartridge case backwards as a result of recoil. The force also pushes the slide to the back. The firing pin safety block is activated by its separation of the safety lever. As it moves backwards the slide forces the rigger bar downwards and away from the safety lever. The slide also takes the barrel with it as it travels backward. The locking insert stops the backwards motion and moves it down and away from the slide. 

As the slide returns, the sear and safety lever go back to their staring points. The empty cartridge case is pushed upwards out of the ejection port. As the slide recoils to its stop, it cocks the hammer. The slide is pushed forward by the recoil spring, and then next round is feed into the camber of the barrel as the slide locks up with the barrel again. The pistol can now be fired again.

Below is a diagram of this process:

Finally I can say I'm a unchained man as I just got a B in my English when all's I wanted was a C, I don't know why I got a B but I did. I'm severely Dyslexic but after getting straight distinctions in all my courses from 2010-2014 plus becoming the first person in Wales to get Application of Number 4 at college level, it has been a big anti climax getting my C in maths after the sixth time and a B in English after the third time. I can also say that someone wants me as I got a unconditional offer from a South Wales University before I got my Maths and English results.   

After I got my results I went into a antique book store and wrote down 22 Military History books I want. It was enthralling, heart pumping and tense moment and something I will always remember with History until death due us part. Thank you for listening, Alexander and let the Belgium Grand begin!!!!