I was having a conversation with a friend the other day. He knows of my interest in military history (amongst other things), and has seen my library, which contains three full bookshelves (each 6′ by 3′) on the subject. I commented that I was fed up with ridiculous Hollywood portrayals of men in battle. Few,… Continue reading The best books by enlisted men to come out of World War II?
Tag: Reality
The latest advance in aviation – or is it?
I’m enthralled (not!) to read about the latest brainwave in civil aviation. It seems some experts want to use active camouflage technology on civil airliners to make them less intrusive in the lives of people living near airports. Visual stealth is a well-known concept in the world of defence aviation with active camouflage technologies using… Continue reading The latest advance in aviation – or is it?
If it looks too good to be true . . .
. . . it probably is. The wisdom of this old saying has been rediscovered by Mr. Terry Collins of England. He was offered the chance to buy the Ritz Hotel in London from its notoriously secretive owners, the Barclay brothers, for a bargain price – only £250 million, compared to its estimated value of… Continue reading If it looks too good to be true . . .
Remembering Bergen-Belsen
On this date in 1945 advancing British troops liberated the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen in north-eastern Germany. It was one of the most ghastly discoveries of the Second World War, in a year filled with such horrors. As Richard Dimbleby described it to BBC listeners in a radio report: Here, over an acre of ground,… Continue reading Remembering Bergen-Belsen
The hazards of parking on a snow-covered surface . . .
. . . when you can’t see what’s beneath the snow. Here endeth today’s lesson. Peter
Britannia sure doesn’t rule the waves any more . . .
*Sigh* It seems the Royal Navy is receiving some politically correct advice from the Foreign Office. THE Royal Navy, once the scourge of brigands on the high seas, has been told by the Foreign Office not to detain pirates because doing so may breach their human rights. Warships patrolling pirate-infested waters, such as those off… Continue reading Britannia sure doesn’t rule the waves any more . . .
You realize, of course, that this means war?
I’m sure many readers are as fed up as I am with big companies trying to use their corporate clout to move “little people” out of the way so that they can accomplish their corporate objectives. It seems that today individuals don’t count compared to the almighty dollar, or pound, or euro, or whatever the… Continue reading You realize, of course, that this means war?
A victim looking for a place to become a tragedy
I almost made this post one of my “Doofus Of The Day” series, but out of respect for the dead I’ll refrain. Nevertheless, the conduct of the deceased fits the definition of “doofus” to the Nth degree! Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo was an Italian artist who decided to hitch-hike from Italy to the Middle East,… Continue reading A victim looking for a place to become a tragedy
Padlock those underpants!
Following on from my post below about criminals in South Africa and the different customs of many of its people, I was amused to read of a controversy currently going on in Indonesia. According to the Jakarta Post, the administration of Batu in East Java province “recently issued a policy obliging masseurs to install padlocks… Continue reading Padlock those underpants!
Criminal rights versus police and community rights
An interesting debate is taking place in South Africa right now. Yesterday, April 9th, the Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, Ms. Susan Shabangu, attended an imbizo (a traditional community gathering) in Danville near Pretoria. During the meeting she astonished the news media (and received a standing ovation from residents) when she said that residents… Continue reading Criminal rights versus police and community rights