January 2025 – steffenblaese.com

Humanity Isn’t Ready Yet: Why Colonizing Mars is Pure Science Fiction

«Misdirection. False signals. Spreading confusion. This is the Tao of deception.»—David Ignatius

There have been some pretty wild ideas throughout American history, some of which were dreamt up by presidents who were ahead of their time or, at times, just completely out there. Take John Quincy Adams, for example. In the early years of his presidency, Adams approved a journey to the Earth’s core (funded by taxpayers, naturally) in hopes of uncovering the mysterious worlds hidden beneath our planet’s surface. The goal? To conduct trade with the mole people living there.

Courting the Devil–The Witches of Berlin

Belief in witchcraft stretches back to the dawn of human history, with ancient societies across the globe attributing supernatural powers to certain individuals, often with a mix of fear and reverence. Among the Germanic tribes, long before the spread of Christianity, sorceresses and seers were integral to their cultural and spiritual fabric. Magic was not a mere superstition but a tangible force, woven into the very reality of their existence. These early beliefs laid the groundwork for later perceptions of witchcraft as a dark and malevolent power. As Christianity expanded during the Middle Ages, particularly through the eastward push into regions like the Mark Brandenburg in the 12th and 13th centuries, the concept of witchcraft underwent a sinister transformation. The notion that witches had forsaken God to forge pacts with the devil became a pervasive narrative across the German-speaking world, casting them as agents of evil who wielded black magic for nefarious ends.

Roots of Power: The Three German-American Presidents Who Shaped U.S. History

More than half of all U.S. presidents have Irish ancestry, while only three of the 45 presidents to date have or had German roots. These three—whose ancestors all came from the Electoral Palatinate, one of the main sources of German emigration to the U.S.—had little to no close connection with their ancestral homeland. Over the past centuries, millions of Germans emigrated to the United States for economic and religious reasons. By the early 21st century, German-Americans had become the largest selfreported ancestry group in the U.S., with approximately 43
million descendants—about 17% of the total population. In 24 states, German-Americans made up the majority.

The Gates of Dawn

Herbert James Draper (1864–1920) was an English artist renowned for his works in the Pre-Raphaelite style, blending mythological themes with highly detailed, emotive depictions of the human figure. One of his most celebrated works, The Gates of Dawn (1900), exemplifies his characteristic luminous and ethereal quality.

Sarajevo, 1914: The Bullets That Ended a Dynasty

«Let justice be done, though the world perish.»—Historical Habsburg Motto

A modest noble house from a rugged alpine valley began as loyal vassals, managing estates with shrewd care. Marriages wove their blood into greater lines, securing lands from misty forests to sunlit plains. Castles rose under their banners, each stone laid with calculated ambition. By the time a golden crown rested on their patriarch’s head, their domains sprawled across rivers and mountains, knit by pacts and dowries. Cathedrals bore their crests, and their court buzzed with envoys from distant realms. Armies marched at their command, while their children, wed to foreign thrones, carried their influence like seeds on the wind. Palaces gleamed, filled with tapestries of their triumphs, as their name became a whisper of power in every corner of the continent.