The Scale Of The Universe

Zoom from the edge of the universe to the quantum foam of spacetime and learn the scale of things along the way! Learn the size of the Pillars of Creation and marvel at the minuscule scale of a neutrino! Link Comment: Nothing connected with the subject of this blog at all, but very interesting nonetheless.

Townsend Griffiss, forgotten hero of World War II

It's 70 years this week since the first US air force officer was killed in Europe, following America's entry into World War II. By heading the list of 30,000 USAAF men to lose their lives in the European theatre, Lt Col Townsend Griffiss became a footnote in the history of the war. But who was he and how did he die?  BBC  Link
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HUMOUR and GOOD LINKS

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me today, and we all could probably use more calm in our lives.
Some doctor on television this morning said that the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started.
So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished and, before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, a pockage of Prunglies, tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valum scriptins, the res of the Chesescke an a box a choclits.
Yu haf no idr how bludy guod I feel rite now.
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Police in Liverpool last night announced the discovery of an arms cache of 200 semi-automatic rifles with 25,000 rounds of ammunition, 20 tonnes of heroin, £5 million in forged UK banknotes and 25 trafficked Ukrainian prostitutes, all in a semi-detached house behind the Public Library in Toxteth.

Local residents were stunned and a community spokesman said:

"We're all shocked, we never knew we had a library."
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19 Pakistanis died in Bradford this morning

when a bunk bed collapsed.

Police are attributing blame to Al' IKEA.
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Speaking of which, I've heard that Apple have scrapped their plans for the new children’s' iPod after realising that iTouchKids is not a good product name.
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Also up north a man decided to wash his sports shirt. He opens the washing machine then stops, thinking for a minute.

He shouts to his missus,

"What setting do I use on the washing machine?"

"It depends," she replies. "What does it say on your shirt?"

He yells back, "Manchester United.”
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My small grandson got lost in the new Liverpool One shopping centre.

He approached a security guard and said, "I've lost my Granddad."

The guard asked, "What's his name?"

The child replied, "Granddad."

The guard smiled asked: "But what's he like?"

The little angel thought for a moment and then replied, "cans of lager and women with big tits."
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River Dance with Army Boots and Rifles  Link

List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll

This is a list of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll. It covers the lowest estimate of death as well as the highest estimate, the name of the event, the location, and the start and end of each event. Some events overlap categories. Link

Comment: This casualty listing is quite interesting. Must confess I new knew the Chinese wars had resulted in such a loss of life.
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Germany's Corpse Hunter Helping the Lost Dead of WWII Rest in Peace

During battles at the end of World War II, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians never got a decent burial. For almost 30 years, one man has been finding these bodies and helping them rest in peace. Link
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Giant poppy installed on Wiltshire hill

A 33ft (10m) poppy placed on a hill in Wiltshire to launch the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal will appear on the BBC's Countryfile programme. Link
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Thankful villages: The places where everyone came back from the wars

The mass slaughter of WW1 1914-18 robbed the UK of a million lives, leaving no part of the country untouched. But there was a tiny handful of settlements where all those who served returned home. Link to the BBC.
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Spitfire redux: The WWII guns firing after 70 years buried in peat

An excavation at the site of a 1941 Spitfire crash in a bog in the Irish Republic uncovered huge, remarkably preserved chunks of plane and six Browning machine guns. After 70 years buried in peat could they be made to fire? They certainly could, writes Dan Snow. See the BBC web site for more info. Link
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Nazi Landmines Block Egypt's Access to Oil and Gas

Egypt is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. The unexploded ordnance left lying in its desert from World War II battles ranks the country right up there with Afghanistan on this dubious list. Every year, Bedouins and farmers come across unexploded mines and shells, and it's not uncommon for undiscovered bombs to explode amid retrieved scrap metal. Link.
Amazing that this stuff is still lying around !
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Should shipwrecks be left alone?

It is 10 years since a deal to protect the world's thousands of shipwrecks, but the UK and several other major maritime powers are yet to ratify it. Should this underwater heritage be protected or is it acceptable to plunder ? There is an interesting article about this on the BBC web site. Link
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The only living master of a dying martial art

A former factory worker from the British Midlands may be the last living master of the centuries-old Sikh battlefield art of shastar vidya. The father of four is now engaged in a full-time search for a successor. Link
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Is the US Declaration of Independence illegal ?

In Philadelphia, American and British lawyers have debated the legality of America's founding documents. Link
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UK military deaths in Afghanistan

Lest we forget....
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The UK's military role in Afghanistan since 2001 has not been without its human toll. Members of the Army, RAF, Royal Marines and special forces have lost their lives in the fight against the Taliban. Here, the BBC News website offers a look at who they were and how they died. Link
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Upper Gereshk: The Helmand Plan Meets Tough Reality

For anyone who might think that after 10 years in Afghan things should be getting easier, this BBC article makes kinda depressing reading... Link
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SAS war diary: The SAS secret hidden since World War II

A secret World War II diary of the British special forces unit, the SAS, has been kept hidden since it was created in 1946. Now it's being published for the first time to mark the 70th anniversary of the regiment. The BBC has exclusive access to the remarkable piece of history. Link
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Hitler's Atlantic Wall: Should France preserve it?

Sections of Hitler's Atlantic Wall are being restored by French enthusiasts. But should the Nazi fortification be fully embraced as part of the country's heritage ? Check out the BBC web site for an interesting article on this. Link
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Death Of Andy Whitfield

Slightly gutted today to hear that Andy Whitfield (39) who was the lead in the first episode of Spartacus died yesterday from Cancer. Link
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Here's a great clip from the show:

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Tomb found at Stonehenge quarry site

The tomb for the original builders of Stonehenge could have been unearthed by an excavation at a site in Wales. Link to the BBC web site.
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Hope yet for African Queen gunboat on Lake Tanganyika

Ships don't come with much more historical ballast than the MV Liemba. The steamer still shudders and belches its way across Lake Tanganyika every Wednesday and Friday, a century after it was built as a warship in Germany. Link to BBC web site for the full story.
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Iron Age road link to Iceni tribe

A suspected Iron Age road, made of timber and preserved in peat for 2,000 years, has been uncovered by archaeologists in East Anglia.

The site, excavated in June, may have been part of a route across the River Waveney and surrounding wetland at Geldeston in Norfolk, say experts.

Causeways were first found in the area in 2006, during flood defence work at the nearby Suffolk village of Beccles.

It is thought the road is pre-Roman, built by the local Iceni tribe.

See the BBC web site for more info. Link
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