A daily dose of odds and sods, some interesting, some bizarre, some funny, some thought provoking items which I have stumbled across the web. All to be taken with a grain of daily salt!!
So here's the story I read. It is about this pilot who managed to successfully torpedo the most ferociously defended target and got a VC. His citation read
Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell, 22 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.In recognition of most conspicuous bravery. This officer was the pilot of a Beaufort aircraft of Coastal Command which was detailed to attack an enemy battle cruiser in Brest Harbour at first light on the morning of 6th April 1941. The aircraft did not return but it is known that a torpedo attack was carried out with the utmost daring. The battle cruiser was secured alongside the wall on the north shore of the harbour, protected by a stone mole bending around it from the west. On rising ground behind the ship stood protective batteries of guns. Other batteries were clustered thickly round the two arms of land which encircle the outer harbour. In this outer harbour near the mole were moored three heavily armed anti-aircraft ships, guarding the battle cruiser. Even if an aircraft succeeded in penetrating these formidable defences, it would be almost impossible, after delivering a low-level attack, to avoid crashing into the rising ground beyond.This was well known to Flying Officer Campbell who, despising the heavy odds, went cheerfully and resolutely to the task. He ran the gauntlet of the defences. Coming in at almost sea level, he passed the anti-aircraft ships at less than mast-height in the very mouths of their guns and skimming over the mole launched a torpedo at point-blank range.The battle cruiser was severely damaged below the water-line and was obliged to return to the dock whence she had come only the day before. By pressing home his attack at close quarters in the face of withering fire on a course fraught with extreme peril, Flying Officer Campbell displayed valour of the highest order.- See more at: http://ww2today.com/6th-april-1941-kenneth-campbell-attacks-the-gneisenau?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WorldWarIIToday+%28World+War+II+Today*+%29#sthash.rNyGiDWr.dpuf
But this photograph blew my mind
This is a vertical photograph of the flak over this area few nights before. These are tracers. And you know that only one in say 10 bullets is a tracer. So the actual amount of lead and exploding shells is actually 10 times of this photograph. And you have to fly through this insane multiple curtains of death, whilst your bombardier is begging you to fly steady and straight because his norton bombsights cannot handle movements. I dont think I can even comprehend the levels of bravery involved. And then we have bloody students demanding safe spaces. The mind boggles.
On one of the auction sites that I lurk, I came across this fascinating auction, entitled, A Gentleman's Library: collectibles, Books, Paintings and Curiosities.
And then I saw these 126 objects and sat back to imagine what kind of a library would this be? what kind of a gentleman would that be? it would obviously be a large airy room, with tall wooden bookcases with glass doors somewhere or other, with loads of shelves filled with fascinating curios and objects.
the gentleman is obviously fairly rich, very well educated and very widely read across a variety of subjects, topics, ages and locations. He also has an active imagination and has an eye for the interesting and curious.
As part of my research into spices, I am also checking probate records of spice merchants, and I think what you leave behind is a fascinating indication of what you are. What a fascinating exercise to look at what you leave behind and then try to think about what you were...
btw, didnt buy anything, far too expensive for my taste..
This article goes into some wonderful details about how books are validated and how this particular antiquarian book of Shakespears work was found. Totally amazing
Shakespeare First Folio discovered on Scottish island
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35973094
I found the sentence, he introduced kangaroos to the island and it was killed by the first car on the island. Now there's coming together. Funny.
This was such a fascinating story kids. But I have a sneaky admiration for the man. He did his bit hugely. And despite him being declared bankrupt, he kept on working. Without him, the USA or the dollar sign wouldn't have happened. Such an interesting episode and historical factoid. Love Baba The Bankrupt Irishman Who Created the Dollar Sign by Accident http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-bankrupt-irishman-who-created-the-dollar-sign-by-accident (via Instapaper)
The only known depiction of Oliver Pollock, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo: Richard Cummins/Alamy)
Wars cost money. So when the Revolutionary War broke out, the Colonies turned to a number of sources for backing. The top contributors to America's Independence: The Kingdoms of France and Spain, the Dutch banking conglomerate, and a single Irish merchant based in New Orleans. His name was Oliver Pollock, and he was the "Financier of the Revolution in the West."
Pollock saw opportunity in war– the chance for a young but wealthy immigrant to stand as a symbol of success and greatness. He desired to carve out a place for himself in America's financial landscape and perhaps even leave a mark in the nation's history. He achieved all those things. Just not in the way he expected.
This made me gape. Such an amazing story. While I read commando comics when I was a boy about world war 2 special forces soldiers, Otto was a real life special forces man. And I knew about his exploits in that theatre. But his exploits after the war not so much. And when I read this article I was gobsmacked. What a fascinating man. Totally walking beyond where normal soldiers walk. So amazing. And also the related story is about how Mossad protected Israel. You need the 007's. Wet work is required. Some acts are done by the state which can be plausibly denied. Fascinating story kids. Love Baba The strange case of a Nazi who became an Israeli hitman - Israel News http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.711115 (via Instapaper) On September 11, 1962, a German scientist vanished. The basic facts were simple: Heinz Krug had been at his office, and he never came home.
The only other salient detail known to police in Munich was that Krug commuted to Cairo frequently. He was one of dozens of Nazi rocket experts who had been hired by Egypt to develop advanced weapons for that country.
HaBoker, a now defunct Israeli newspaper, surprisingly claimed to have the explanation: The Egyptians kidnapped Krug to prevent him from doing business with Israel.
But that somewhat clumsy leak was an attempt by Israel to divert investigators from digging too deeply into the case — not that they ever would have found the 49-year-old scientist.
We can now report — based on interviews with former Mossad officers and with Israelis who have access to the Mossad's archived secrets from half a century ago — that Krug was murdered as part of an Israeli espionage plot to intimidate the German scientists working for Egypt.
Moreover, the most astounding revelation is the Mossad agent who fired the fatal gunshots: Otto Skorzeny, one of the Israeli spy agency's most valuable assets, was a former lieutenant colonel in Nazi Germany's Waffen-SS and one of Adolf Hitler's personal favorites among the party's commando leaders. The Führer, in fact, awarded Skorzeny the army's most prestigious medal, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, for leading the rescue operation that plucked his friend Benito Mussolini out from the hands of his captors.
But that was then. By 1962, according to our sources — who spoke only on the promise that they not be identified — Skorzeny had a different employer. The story of how that came to be is one of the most important untold tales in the archives of the Mossad, the agency whose full name, translated from Hebrew, is "The Institute for Intelligence and Special Missions." Otto Skorzeny with the liberated Mussolini – 12 September 1943.Wikimedia Commons /Toni Schneiders
This was such an interesting article. If there is one thing which people get excited about, it's unfair discrimination. Whether it's on racial grounds or national origin or gender, this is a constant fight. The right to form groups is way gets in the way. That's why clubs and situations like the below happen. Religion kids, is one of the biggest sources of discrimination and that's why I hate it. Still a fascinating article on how the good fight for equal rights was fought in a little corner of India. Against the country which will end up doing the greatest for the rights of man. Kannu I'm referring to the Thomas Paine rights of man argument. :) Don't forget to book the fat crab today Kannu. Love both of you. Baba Cradle of democracy: When Pondicherry fought for the right to vote in 1789 http://scroll.in/article/805228/cradle-of-democracy-when-pondicherry-fought-for-the-right-to-vote-in-1789 (via Instapaper)
As Pondicherry prepares for legislative assembly elections this spring, it brings to mind a neglected anniversary: over 225 years have passed since residents of this former French colony first sought the right to vote.
Pondicherry is full of signs of France's colonial presence, which lasted from 1674 to 1954. Streets named after French officials, monuments to Indians who fought for France in the First World War, and the accents of French tourists who lounge in cafés all show that the heritage lives on.
A monument commemorates Pondicherrians who died in the First World War. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
But no monument acknowledges that Pondicherry was a cradle of Indian democracy, where Indians, facing off against an openly racist empire, first tried to participate in elections.
In the summer of 1789, the power of the French king collapsed and democratically-elected local governments sprouted across the French empire, including in Pondicherry. The white inhabitants of the colony, numbering only a few hundred (less than 2% of its total population), elected their own town government and excluded Indians from the elections. They claimed that the right to vote would be wasted on Indians, whom they described as too obsessed with caste prejudice to understand democracy. The French meant to have democracy all to themselves, while continuing to impose colonial rule on their Indian subjects.
Pondicherrians, however, not only understood the idea of equality, but were eager to put it into practice. Several communities pursued different kinds of political action to pressure the French government to recognise that Indians deserved the rights of citizenship.
This was an interesting discussion kids. Kannu is already facing these issues and Diya will start dating or spending money with friends so it's a good time to talk about this. There's no hard and fast rule but I wanted to talk about my personal views. Your views will be different. If I'm out with somebody on a date then goes without saying I would pay. The man pays. Just like he opens the door. And waits for the woman to sit down. And listens more to the girl than he talks. That's what a gentleman does. If it's a very large amount like if you're going on a holiday then you could say that you'll pay for the hotel and she has only to pay for her flights. That's ok. But broadly, the guy pays. That's what a gentleman does. What about the woman? The girl, if she has money, should offer. But if she can't, that's ok, the guy should be smart enough to know and clearly enunciate right at the beginning that he will pay. But that's the lady like behaviour, offer if you can. And if you can't, make it up on some other way. Cook him some brownies. It's not about the money, it's about the character and empathy you show. If or when you live with somebody say like in a college, then have a good system to share the costs and chores. Otherwise you feel taken advantage of and you always have a bad reputation of that chap. People who skive or sponge are not fun. Then again, you don't have to spend money to go on dates. I wouldn't do that. Never try to impress with money. And if money impresses your date, walk away. They aren't good. There are zillions of ways to be with somebody without needing to spend large sums of money. How about sitting in the coffee shop and reading Alice in wonderland snippets to each other? Visiting galleries? Or going for walks? Or volunteering together at a charity place? Or cook together. So many ways to spend time together. Don't waste money on paying somebody to impress your girl or guy. Know them by spending time with them. But then what do I know? I'm an old fuddy duddy :) you guys may find different ways. Love Baba Who Picks Up the Check in the Tinder-verse? — The Future of Money — Medium https://medium.com/the-future-of-money/who-picks-up-the-check-in-the-tinder-verse-767037d367fe#.ykpdv0iuo (via Instapaper)
Three millennials talk about the future of money, dating, and what's changed since 'Sex and the City.'
Illustrations by Yasmine Gateau
It's time to update America and Earth on the state of how people deal with money issues within relationships — marriages, friendships, Tinder dates, and everyone in between. I myself am surprised how far we can come in a couple of short decades — I rewatched Sex and the City and learned it wasn't that long ago we were still puzzling over what it "means" when a man resents your professional success!
To discuss these issues, I've roped in two people who have used money before in the presence of other humans: Jaya Saxena, who is married, and Cale Weissman, who is filing-status single but currently in a relationship.
So Jaya and Cale, consider this scenario: two people have swiped right on each other on Tinder. Emotions are running high, the vibes are there. They go on a date. Who pays??
If your foot touches or hits another person's foot, you will get into a fight with that person, unless you shake hands right away.
It is bad luck to cut your nails at night. Some say hunger and poverty will enter a house if someone cuts their nails at night. Also, it is bad luck to cut your toe nails and finger nails on the same day. Others say that it is bad luck to cut your nails at night, as well as cutting both finger and toe nails right after each other because you will always have all happy events in your life happen at the same time that sad things happen to you...In other words your life will always be bittersweet.
If a boy chews gum, his beard will grow uneven.
It's not good to let someone compliment your child or other loved one too much, because they may become jinxed and bad luck may fall on them ( This is called "Nazar"-ing a child). For example, if you say a child is beautiful, the child may become sick. You can ward this off by either saying "Nazar Nakona", or by reciting a surah from the Quran.
If your cross under a rainbow, a sex change will occur. A boy will turn to a girl and a girl will turn into a boy.
Jingling your keys will cause a fight to occur.
If the palm of your hands itch, you will soon receive money.
If the soles of your feet itch, you will soon travel.
If you draw lines on the ground you will be in debt.
If a bowl of water spills out with a sound, it means that you will soon receive guests.
If flour spills, it means you will soon receive guests.
Water is thrown on the floor where the person just walked, when a person leaves the front door ( While also walking under the Quran) to go on a long trip. This is done so the person will have a safe and pleasant trip, and return unharmed.
If you bite your tongue, someone must be talking bad about you (backbiting).
If your ears itch, someone is talking (gossiping) about you.
Spotting a sitting magpie bird means you will soon receive a message.
If your eye twitches, it means good luck will come soon.
If you drink water and it goes down the wrong tube, causing you to cough, this means that either someone is thinking of you or someone is talking about you.
After praying, you should fold a side of the prayer matt or the devil will come and pray on it.
After reading the Quran, you should close it immediately, or the devil will come and read from it.
You will be falsely accused of something if you feet touches a broom.
On new year's eve, you should be at home, or for the rest of the year, you will not be at home.
Don't look in the mirror at night, because someone will tell a lie about you.
Bad luck will come if you open and close scissors without a reason.
The smoke from burning incense (called span) will keep bad luck and bad spirits away.
During an eclipse if pregnant woman scratches herself, a black mark will appear on her baby.
If your baby is born with a belly button that is an "outie", place a clean coin on top of it and secure it around the waist for three days and it will become an "innie".
If a baby has jaundice, let it lick on cleaned gold and the jaundice will go away.
If a male child is circumcised, fasten a piece of feroza (pure turquoise) jewelry to it's bedding above the head and his cut will heal faster and nicely.
When a new born is brought into the house and placed into his or her bed, hanging something (jewelry etc..) with the name of Allah on it will help keep the baby safe from harm when they sleep.
Marriage between the two holidays Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha is prohibited.
Shaving a baby's hair will make their hair grow thicker.
I was so nostalgic yesterday watching your video of your first day at home, you were so cute and adorable, lying there blinking up at the new world. I just so wanted to squish you till you squeaked. Totally cute and cuddly.
Talking about things that change your life, I thought you might appreciate this article. The reason why it caught my eye was the book, brothers karamazov. I think i mentioned this to you, while growing up, we had financial problems so finding a soviet book store where books were sold for 5 rupees was a god send, so I grew up with a shed load of russian literature at home. Translated of course, but they were really classics. Gave me such an insight into the Russian mind.
I loved what you did with the horrible histories books, that kind of thinking about visualisation is very interesting indeed :) but you are doing too much homework, baby, cut down a bit and spend some time on sports and also reading other things...that is also important.
We spoke to Aslan about his influences, his new talk show, and why truly great writing is so rare.
Reza Aslan loves writing.
That might seem like an obvious thing to say about a writer who's known for several approachable but scholarly nonfiction works about religion, including Zealot and No god but God, among others. But Aslan also loves to talk about the craft of writing, about other writers whose work he's loved, and the sheer joy of a perfectly wrought sentence.
Aslan recently brought that love to television with his new talk show, Rough Draft. Airing on the Ovation cable network (a channel dedicated to the arts), Rough Draft features Aslan talking with different types of writers — though his season one guests mostly work in television — about their philosophies of life, their work, and their art. Aslan is quite simply interested in what his guests might think about things beyond their work, but he's also interested in their working lives, their writing processes, and the technical details of that work.
In keeping with that theme,I wanted to ask Aslan about the books that have inspired him — and which of his own pieces he's most proud of (in spite of the fact that, like many writers, he's endlessly self-critical). We talked about Dostoyevsky, Wolf Hall, and Star Trek, among other things.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
The first book he read that changed his life
Reza Aslan
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 16 years old, and it was The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
I didn't go to a very good public school in California in the Bay Area. I'd always been very interested in reading and in literature, and I was in the advanced English class, but it wasn't all that advanced. We were all reading James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, which I thought was awful.
I didn't want to read it, so I found this book and it was by a Russian author and it was 1,000 pages, and I knew nothing about it. I just thought, how cool would I be if I read this book? I started reading it, and I could not stop. I was sitting in my English class, reading it under the desk. The teacher caught me and said, "Put it away," and I did. I pulled it out again, and he said, "Put it away." I did, but I pulled it out again, and he gave me detention.
I just want to clarify that I got detention in English class for reading Dostoyevsky.
I was at the very end of the book when you finally discover who the murderer was. Instead of going to the dean's office, I sat on a bench outside to finish it. I finished it, and I had this feeling I had never felt before. I thought to myself, "I want to make other people feel the way that Dostoyevsky just made me feel," and that was it. I wanted to be a writer, and I've never wanted to be anything else.
