Russia’s prison population falls as #convicts are sent to war
#Russia's #prison population decreased by more than 180,000 #inmates over 5 years, driven by Moscow’s recruitment of prisoners to fight in #Ukraine
Arkady Gostev, head of Russia’s Federal #Penitentiary Service, said Russia now holds 282,000 prisoners , down from 465,000 at the end of 2021, according to state media. The decrease amounts to nearly 40%.
https://kyivindependent.com/russias-prison-population-falls-as-convicts-sent-to-war/
Quick Q and A!
What’s a mystery from your own life that you’ve never solved? The mystery from my own life I’ve never solved is how some decisions seem to arrive long before you understand them.For years, I had little thoughts that didn’t make much sense at the time. I wanted old places. I wanted travel. I wanted history, stories, graveyards, stone houses, strange corners of the world, and a life that felt more like mine.At the time, they were just thoughts.Then one by one, they started joining […]https://roamingtowardsmyself.blog/2026/05/05/quick-q-and-a-63/
150th anniversary of jail break. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-26/catalpa-captains-descendant-digitised-documents/106583708
#Archives #Catalpa #Convicts #Fenians #Fremantle #Ireland #Quakers
The forgotten political history of Australia's convicts
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-30/forgotten-political-history-of-australia-convicts/103621728
150th Anniversary of #Catalpa (ten year planned prison escape via ship)
(Note: #Fenian from Irish culture the band of warriors, #Fianna, led by the hero Fionn macCumhaill - anglicised to #FinnMcCool )
“First Impressions” Artwork, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW, Australia
The sandstone relief sculpture symbolises the origins and settlement of the colony of New South Wales, by depicting elements of Sydney history in the middle of the rocks area. The Rocks is a very popular spot where locals and tourists mingle at the open-air Markets, perusing handmade fashions and street food.
This fairly large sculpture is located at the intersection of Playfair and George Street. It has three sides, with a figure or figures carved into each side. Very popular spot for pictures. Each side represents a particular group of people that established themselves in Sydney early on: The Convicts, The Settlers, and The Soldier.
"First Impressions" was commissioned by the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority in 1979.
http://welchwrite.com/blog/2026/02/16/first-impressions/
#sculpture #artwork #soldier #settlers #convicts #therocks #history #historicaldistrict #architecture #sydney #australia #travel
Big Quarry Literature and Settlers Caught on Screen
The complex anxiety of quarry noir
"We dig holes in Australia...It’s what we do. It’s all we’ve ever done, we’re just the world’s quarry, an enormous pit, ever since we struck gold a hundred and fifty years ago." >>
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-australias-quarry-noir-mines-our-anxiety-about-our-biggest-industry-239523
"Dr James Finlay reflects on how Australia’s convict past has been represented on screen, tracing shifts from early cinematic melodrama through to television drama and contemporary film, and considering how these visual narratives continue to shape national memory." >>
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/history-now-caught-on-screen-australias-convict-history/id1674476464?i=1000749142755
James Findlay, Caught on Screen, Australia’s Convict History in Film and Television, 2025 >>
https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/caught-on-screen-9798765100523/
#mining #extractivism #Literature #film #screen #culture #SettlerSociety #convicts #history #Australia #fiction #narratives #QuarryNoir #BigQuarry #books #NationalAnxiety #criminality #FirstNationsPeoples
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Roaming Towards Myself
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