Old Sailors' Almanac

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Week 13, 2020

Previous Week   March 23, 2020 - March 29, 2020  Next Week

“The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III on March 24, 1944

“The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III on March 24, 1944

“The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III: Around 10:30 pm. on the cold, moonless night of March 24, 1944, 76 men attempted escape from Stalag Luft III camp, which held thousands of Allied airmen captured by German forces in World War II. Only the three actually made it back to Allied territory.

Located in Zagan, Poland, construction on the first compound (East Compound) was completed and opened on March 21, 1942. This camp, run by the German Luftwaffe, was designed to be a prisoner-of-war camp for Allied airmen. In April 1942, the first prisoners to arrive at the camp were British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm officers. Stalag Luft III had a number of features that made escape extremely difficult and nearly impossible.

First, the barracks which housed the prisoners were raised off the ground in order to help guards detect any tunneling activity. Secondly, the camp was constructed in an area with very sandy subsoil - which happened to be bright yellow in color, making it easily detectable if placed on surface soil and visible on clothing. This subsoil was very loose and susceptible to collapse meaning structural integrity of any tunnel would be very poor.

“The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III on March 24, 1944

Construction was continuous at the camp and by the end of March 1943 the North Compound for British airmen was opened. North Compound is the site of this great escape plan. Each of these compounds consisted of 15 single story huts. Each bunk room could sleep 15 men in five triple deck bunks. At the height of occupation, the camp held about 2,500 RAF officers, 7,500 U.S. Army Air Forces, and about 900 officers from other Allied air forces.

In the spring of 1943, Squadron Leader Roger Bushell of the RAF conceived a plan for a major escape from the camp. Bushell was in command of the Escape Committee and channeled his effort to finding weak points in the camp and procuring the necessary supplies for the escapees. Bushell’s original plan was to dig three tunnels at the same time and attempt to break 200 men out at once.

Codenamed “Tom”, “Dick”, and “Harry” the three tunnels were a ploy of deception - Bushell believed that if one tunnel was discovered, the German guards wouldn’t think that two additional tunnels were in the work.

One key component of Bushell’s plan was that each of the escapees a full complement of paperwork and have civilian clothing made for them.

“The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III on March 24, 1944

Tunneling was difficult work, mostly because the prisoners had to evade growing German suspicion that something was a foot.

When “Tom” was discovered, the 98thtunnel in this camp to be, construction on “Harry” ceased for a while as well. Using the wooden slats from their beds, tunneling around 336 feet, and ingenious methods of funneling air in the tunnel and over 200 tons of sand out, a date for escape was finally selected.

The first group of 100 guaranteed a spot in the tunnel were those who spoke good German, had the most complete set of papers, and were considered those how had worked the hardest on the construction of the tunnel.

As night fell on March 24, 1944, all those who had been selected to be a part of the escape made their way to Hut 104. Slowly, men made their way down the tunnel. “Harry” exited about 45 feet from one of the camp watchtowers.

The 77th man to emerge from the tunnel at 4:55 am was spotted by one of the guards. Of the 76 men to attempt escape, only three made it all the way to an allied country.

The remaining 73 men were recaptured over the course of the following days - of those men, 50 were executed on Hitler’s order, including the mastermind of the escape Roger Bushell.

DDay.org / Wikipedia / United States Naval Institute.org / Rochester International Film Group.org / American Air Museum in Britan / History Channel / National Geographic.org / “The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III on March 24, 1944 (YouTube) video


Understanding Military Terminology: At the Marine Corps Museum: Norman Rockwell's “The War Hero”

Understanding Military Terminology

Operational Chain of Command

(DOD) One of the two branches of the chain of command described in Joint Publication 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States, through which command is exercised from the President through the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders, to whom forces are assigned and allocated via the global force management process.

Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI 8260.03) - Executive Services Directorate

Objective Characteristics

Those military characteristics that pertain primarily to the functions to be performed by equipment, either alone or in conjunction with other equipment; e.g., for electronic equipment, operational characteristics include such items as frequency coverage, channeling, type of modulation, and character of emission.

Joint Publications (JP 5-0) Joint Planning - Joint Chiefs of Staff

Operational Command Structure

The organizational hierarchy through which operational authorities are exercised, as contrasted by the administrative command structure through which administrative leadership is exercised.

Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI 8260.03) - Executive Services Directorate


“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

The Old Salt’s Corner

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

PART IV

The Wedding-Guest feareth that a Spirit is talking to him;

‘I fear thee, ancient Mariner!

I fear thy skinny hand!

And thou art long, and lank, and brown,

As is the ribbed sea-sand.

I fear thee and thy glittering eye,

And thy skinny hand, so brown.’ -

Fear not, fear not, thou Wedding-Guest!

This body dropt not down.

But the ancient Mariner assureth him of his bodily life, and proceedeth to relate his horrible penance.

Alone, alone, all, all alone,

Alone on a wide wide sea!

And never a saint took pity on

My soul in agony.

He despiseth the creatures of the calm,

continued ...

~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(originally published in Lyrical Ballads, 1798)

Full Poem


“I’m Just Sayin’”

“I’m Just Sayin”

“Evil is always unspectacular and always human.

And shares our bed...

and eats at our table.”

“We are all here on earth to help others;

what on earth the others are here for I don't know.”

“What the mass media offers is not popular art,

but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food,

forgotten,

and replaced by a new dish.

they are today.”

~ W. H. Auden


“Thought for the Day”

“Thought for the Day”

“There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.”

“You have been trapped in the inescapable net of ruin by your own want of sense.”

“I have learned to hate all traitors,

and there is no disease that I spit on more than treachery.”

“You have been trapped in the inescapable net of ruin by your own want of sense.

And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,

and in our own despair,

against our will,

comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.”

~ Aeschylus


“What I Have Learned”

“What I Learned”

“Everybody wants to go to heaven

but only the things left by those who hustle.”

“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast;

a wild beast may wound your body,

but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

“The hottest place in Hell

is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”

~ Anonymous


Second Hand News

Second Hand News: Articles from Week 13 - March 23, 2020 - March 29, 2020

Top News Stories - Photos (Washington Examiner) Trump assures public his team is working on 'sophisticated plan' to decide when to 'reopen' economyWhite House urges anyone who has been in New York to self-quarantine for two weeksNew York, California governors win in newfound ‘mutual respect’ with Trump

Border Patrol agents say agency doing too little to protect them against coronavirusDemocrats demand DHS release illegal immigrants amid coronavirus concerns'Transformed the testing process:' Deborah Birx says U.S. has done more coronavirus testing in eight days than South Korea in eight weeksMore than half of U.S. population will be under orders to stay home by midweek

'Glorification of violence:' Twitter pulls tweet from Nancy Pelosi's daughter about Rand Paul CNN host Jake Tapper scolds Biden for coughing into hand: 'You're supposed to cough into your elbow'Mixed messages: Biden says not to call Trump a liar for coronavirus inaccuracies after repeatedly doing so

MOST READ: Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg News: Federal stockpile of N95 masks was depleted under Obama and never restockedPelosi coronavirus package includes $40B for schools and universities, mail-in votingDemocrats infect coronavirus relief bill with poisonNancy Pelosi's daughter: 'Rand Paul's neighbor was right'California police to use Chinese-made patrol drones with night-vision cameras during coronavirus Washington Examiner

Top News Stories - Photos (The Federalist) Nancy Pelosi’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Decision To Hold The Country HostageAfter Impeaching Trump Over Ukraine, Nancy Pelosi Demands Quid Pro Quo Before Releasing Aid To AmericansNancy Pelosi Isn’t Going To Let A Global Pandemic Go To WasteThe Media Lied About A Tragic Poisoning To Vilify Trump

The Media Lied About A Tragic Poisoning To Vilify TrumpCoronavirus May Kill, But So Does Economic DisruptionPlanned Parenthood Ignores Wuhan Virus Health Concerns, Defies State OrdersChina Is Lashing Out Because Wuhan Flu Has Unmasked It To The World

MOST READ: Nancy Pelosi’s Daughter Just Endorsed Felony Assault Against Rand PaulTed Cruz Explodes On Democrat Senators And Media For Blocking Coronavirus Bailout Bill While Americans DieWill The Costs Of A Great Depression Outweigh The Risks Of Coronavirus?

The Economic Disaster Media And Washington Haven’t Begun To NoticeWhy On Earth Should Anyone Believe Communist China’s Coronavirus Statistics?Feinstein’s Real Insider Trading Scandal Is Selling America Out To China The Federalist

Top News Stories - Photos (Daily Mail) Donald Trump commits to opening the country by Easter because it is 'a beautiful time' but brushes aside questions about whether doctors agree - however Dr. Tony Fauci saying he has to be 'flexible'White House says ANYONE who has recently been to New York should self quarantine for 14 days after Mayor Bill de Blasio called his city the epicenter of the outbreak with 1 in every 1,000 residents infectedFDA approves first U.S. coronavirus treatment: Doctors across the U.S. can now treat the sickest Americans with plasma from recovered patients Morgan Stanley warns Trump that reopening the country too soon could BACKFIRE because it will increase the peak in infections, and warns there could be a 30% plunge in the GDP next quarter

How the rich stay rich: Jeff Bezos and other top executives offloaded shares just in time before the pandemic slashed company values, saving them billions Chairman of the Joint Chiefs warns coronavirus will NOT be over by Easter and warns the military is planning for up to four MONTHS of crisisRed eyes may be a tell-tale sign of coronavirus: Nurse who treated patients in Seattle nursing home says they ALL shared the symptom'

Republican senator John Kennedy says people drinking too much at Mardi Gras caused the rapid spread of coronavirus in Louisiana and slams China for 'worrying more about their image than the world's health'U.S. delays immigration hearings for migrants in Mexico amid coronavirus crisis - as its revealed illegal border crossings have dropped by HALF due to the pandemicDow surges more than 2,000 points in its strongest one-day performance since 1933 as Wall Street bounces back with lawmakers close to reaching $2tr coronavirus rescue bill

Coronavirus cases in Germany rise 21% in a day to 27,436 with deaths also up by 28 to 114 as country maintains 0.4% death rateItaly sees renewed jump in coronavirus deaths with 743 in a day, although the rate of infection shows signs of slowing, as 100k are fined for breaching lockdown France's coronavirus lockdown is 'likely' to last SIX WEEKS, President Macron's scientific advisers warn Daily Mail UK

What Is an Ambivert Personality?

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: What Is an Ambivert Personality?

You might be an introvert. You might be an extravert. But it’s more likely you’re an ambivert: that is, somewhere in between.

That’s because extraversion is not an all - or - nothing identity; it’s a spectrum. Psychologists count extraversion - that is, the quality of finding energy and gratification outside of oneself - among the “Big Five” dimensions of personality (along with conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to new experience, and neuroticism). Each of us is extraverted to some degree, just as we’re conscientious or neurotic. That degree could be zero (although it probably isn’t). Very few people are 100 percent anything.

Personality psychologist Robert McCrae spent his career examining and testing the Big Five model. In a 1992 study [PDF], McCrae and his collaborator found that many people (around 38 percent) fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum for all five traits, including extraversion.

What Is an Ambivert Personality?

Adam Grant is a management expert at the Wharton School of Business. In 2013 he conducted a study on 340 call center employees. Since these are people who talk on the phone for a living, you might assume that the majority of them would be extraverts. But two-thirds said they were neither extraverted nor introverted—rather, somewhere in-between. And, more surprising still, these ambiverts outperformed extraverts on their sales calls.

Why? Grant theorized that it's because phone calls are about more than talking. Sales reps also have to listen. Ambiverts are naturally comfortable doing both, he wrote, which means that they’re “likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale, but are more inclined to listen to customers’ interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident.”

What Is an Ambivert Personality?

Many people who self-identify as introverts or extraverts do so after taking a personality test called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Despite its lack of scientific support, the MBTI has become immensely popular, in part because every test result is flattering. It’s a little like a horoscope: We can find ourselves in our readings, but there’s no science to back it up. The MBTI also perpetuates the myth of the all-or-nothing identity, labeling each test-taker as either an introvert or an extravert.

However, no matter if you identify as an extrovert, introvert, or ambivert, don't let a personality test define how you think about yourself. Figuring out how you work best for yourself is much more helpful than any test.

Business Insider / Wikipedia / Quora / Buzzfeed / Forbes / Learning Mind / Loner Wolf / Mental Floss / What Is an Ambivert Personality? (YouTube) video


NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang - U.S. Navy

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

LMN: Lima Mike November. Lick My Nuts.

Load: (Always referred to and known as “The Load.”) Generally refers to the ship's engineering plant being online, e.g. producing adequate electricity, steam, etc.

Lobster: A female sailor. So called because most of the meat of a lobster is in its tail.

Loop, Looper: An officer, usually a Lieutenant (LT) or Lieutenant Commander (LCDR), who is an admiral's aide. So called because of the gold braided loop that they wear around their arm.

Love Cookie: A deposit of semen left on a sailor's pillow.

Wiktionary.org


Just for MARINES - The Few. The Proud.

Just for you MARINE

Lipstick Lieutenant: Pejorative for warrant officer, so named from the appearance of their rank insignia: the addition of red to the gold and silver bars of a lieutenant.

Lollygag: Dawdle or fool about.

Long Handles: Long sleeved/legged undershirt/shorts.

Long War: Term for the War on Terrorism favored by senior military leaders.

Wikipedia.org


Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

HSC-22 Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron Twenty Two (Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Twenty Two or HSC-22) - nicknamed the “Sea Knights”

United States Navy - Naval Air Station - Naval Air Station, Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field, Norfolk, Virginia: October 1917 - present.


Where Did That Saying Come From

Where Did That Saying Come From?

Where Did That Saying Come From? “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”

A thing of beauty is a joy forever:

Meaning: The experience of beauty is blissful and lasting.

History: From John Keats' epic poem, Endymion, 1818:

“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.”

Keats was writing just after the closing of the Age of Enlightenment where several British philosophers, notably Shaftesbury and Hume, had made a close study of beauty and aesthetics. Their generally accepted conclusion was that beauty was closely aligned to moral goodness and could only be fully appreciated by those of a moral and refined character. Keat's approach was more as a practitioner than a theoretician. He responded emotionally to beauty and saw it as available to anyone who had eyes to see.

That didn't stop other authors making fun of Keats later in the 1800s. By the end of the century Keats and the other romantic poets were often derided as being foppish and affected. In in comic novel Across the Chasm, 1885, Julia Magruder parodied Keats with:

“'The mud-scraper', she wrote her mother, in her first letter home, 'is a thing of beauty, and the coal-scuttle a joy forever'.”

Phrases.org UK


Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Greenland’s dying iceTop stories: Ancient Germany’s missing girls, present-day Greenland’s dying ice, and dino proteinsGiant reptiles once ruled Australia. Their loss sparked an ecological disasterWhy are adult daughters missing from ancient German cemeteries? Science AAAS

Life Hack: Paint Zebra Stripes on Your Cows to Keep Flies AwayThe United States Navy's Patent for a Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is WildMeet the U.S. Army's New Airborne TrucksIran Unveils New Tank-Killing Ground Drones Popular Mechanics


Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good - real news story)

Chernobyl's Control Room Is Now Open to Tourists … for 5 Minutes

Chernobyl's Control Room Is Now Open to Tourists … for 5 Minutes

Tourists can now visit the control room of Chernobyl's Reactor 4, the scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster. But the control room is still highly radioactive, and people are required to wear protective gear when inside, according to recent news reports.

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Chernobyl an official tourist attraction in June at the inauguration of a gigantic dome built to contain radioactive material. But Chernobyl has been a tourist destination for far longer — parts of it having been open to the public for nearly a decade. In May, bookings to Chernobyl increased by about 30% following the release of the popular HBO series of the same name, according to a previous Live Science report.

But Reactor 4 had remained closed off to most of the public, save for a few researchers and cleanup workers. Now, Chernobyl tour companies have confirmed that the control room is open to the brave souls who wish to be closer to the scene of the disaster.

Chernobyl's Control Room Is Now Open to Tourists … for 5 Minutes

The control room, which was highly damaged from the explosion, was where the reactor was operated from and where many of the decisions the day the reactor exploded, were made. It sits under the new containment arch but outside of the original sarcophagus that contained the radiation of the reactor itself, according to the Telegraph.

The radiation in the room is 40,000 times higher than normal levels, according to Ruptly, a German news agency. Anyone who wishes to visit the site must wear a protective suit, a helmet and a mask, and limit their visit to 5 minutes. Afterward, visitors are required to undergo two radiology tests to measure the amount of radiation they were exposed to.

That's typical of most tours in Chernobyl; people must go through radiation checkpoints at the beginning, middle and end of one-day tours, according to a previous Live Science report. Tourists are not permitted to wander on their own; they must stay with the tours because of ongoing radiation concerns.

Other parts of Chernobyl remain off-limits, including the “machine cemetery” in the Rossokha village, which is where the contaminated machines used during the Chernobyl cleanup were dumped. Exposure to large amounts of radiation can cause tissue damage and acute sickness, as well as increase the risk of cancer. However, Ukranian officials have deemed the areas that are open to tourists to be safe, as long as they follow the rules.

10 Times HBO's 'Chernobyl' Got the Science Wrong

Images: Chernobyl, Frozen in Time

5 Everyday Things That Are Radioactive

Live Science (10/10/2019) video


Second Hand News

Second Hand News: Articles from Week 13 - March 23, 2020 - March 29, 2020

Top News Stories - Photos (John Batchelor)

Chinese Communist Party failure and the American rethink. audio  

The virus and the law. audio   2 of 2 audio  

Milano and Lombardy are the front line of the war in Italy audio  

Genoa, Italia in the sad time of the virus. audio  

Devastated Iran blames the U.S. for what the virus did to the people. audio   John Batchelor (03/24/2020)

Top News Stories - Photos (CORRUPTION CHRONICLES - Mainstream Media Scream: (Watch Dog On-Line Publications) CORRUPTION CHRONICLES: New Clinton Emails Include Benghazi and Classified Information

“Investigating the Investigators:” Deep State-FBI Shuts Down FOIA Requests from Judicial Watch, Using #Coronavirus to Abuse Our Rights?

Schiff’s “Right to Spy” on Americans

Open Borders Coalition Demands All Illegal Immigrants Freed from Custody Over Coronavirus Judicial Watch

OUTING FAKE NEWS OMISSIONS and DISTORTIONS: MSNBC Check Out Nicolle Wallace Yuking It Up with Biden in BIZARRE InterviewDONATION: ABC's “The View” Devotes 24 Minutes to Joe Biden SoftballsBoston Globe Writer Wisecracks: 'In Order to Save Dr. Fauci, We Must Destroy Him'MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Tosses Softballs to Pelosi, Lets Her Dictate Terms

George Soros PAC, Sussman Gave $13M to Group Launching Anti-Trump Virus AdsMSNBC Invites Biden Operative to Boast How He'd Handle CoronavirusNBC, MSNBC Rush to Blame Trump for Man’s Death CBS Allows Seconds on Own Poll Showing Support for Trump on Virus News Busters

© CEASAR CHOPPY by cartoonist Marty Gavin - archives Ceasar Choppy's Navy! “© CEASAR CHOPPY” by Marty Gavin

SONG FACTS

“Because” - The Dave Clark Five 1964

“Because” - The Dave Clark Five
Album: American Tour
Released 1964 video

On their 1964 number three hit single “Becausevideo, though, Dave Clark crafted a song that was on about the same melodic level as all but the best of the early Beatles' compositions. They never duplicated that feat again, but to do it even once was commendable enough.

Unlike most of The Dave Clark Five's hits, “Because” was not a reverb-coated storm of hoofbeat drums, sax, organ, and raunchy Mike Smith vocal, but a sweet, clear rockaballad, with no saxophone in sight.

It's the organ that carries the instrumental arrangement at the start, with a ticklish five-note riff as the tune changes keys dramatically, much in the manner of the early John Lennon-Paul McCartney original “I'll Be on the Wayvideo (covered by Billy J. Kramer, though the Beatles only did it on the BBC).

Harmony vocals, rather than Smith's firepower, dominate the verses, with their beautiful, unusual, and irresistible chord changes and tender, romantic lyrics.

Mike Smith's vocals get a little more urgent on the brief bridge, which nonetheless is also built around constantly shifting keys and major-minor chord blends.

The organ solo in the middle gets just a little twee and cutesy, but is redeemed by an unexpected eerie descent at the end that doesn't appear anywhere else in the song.

Like many British Invasion rockers, The Dave Clark Five mastered the art of extending syllables to convey a meaning to words that would have seemed trite on paper, particularly when they dragged out “I” in the “because I love you” words that end the verses.

The lower parts of the organ on this track have an amazingly foggy, vibrant timbre that proves Dave Clark could produce more than the usual Dave Clark Five (DC5) formula sounds when he put his mind to it.

“Because”, incidentally, was only a B-side to (“Can't You See That She's Mine”) video in Britain. Clark insisted that the song come out as an A-side in America, over some resistance from Epic Records, and proved that the band had a more subtle dimension than was evident from the stomping hits that were their main diet.

Dave Clark Five official site / Rock & Roll Hall of Fame / Billboard / All Music / Song Facts / The Dave Clark Five

Image: “American Tour (album)” by The Dave Clark Five


Jeopardy

A Test for People Who Know Everything

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “BUYING ALASKA” ($200)

“Of $7 million, $70 million or $700 million, the approximate amount the U.S. paid Russia for Alaska.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Office of the Historian.gov

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “BUYING ALASKA” ($400)

“The purchase was derisively called this man's 'Folly', after the Secretary of State who led the effort to buy Alaska.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer History Channel

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “BUYING ALASKA” ($600)

“One reason Russia sold was fear of not being able to access Alaska after this 1850s war reduced its sea power.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer History Channel

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “BUYING ALASKA” ($800)

“U.S. canneries established after the sale led to the world's largest industry for this fish.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Alaska Department of Fish and Game.gov

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “BUYING ALASKA” ($1,000)

“Until 1867, the Russians had controlled the region since this great guy sent Vitus Bering to explore the coast.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Biography


Answer to Last Week's Test

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MIDDLE INITIAL E.” ($200)

HE's the mascot for the pizza and play place where a kid can be a kid”

● Answer: “Chuck E. Cheese”. My Recipes

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MIDDLE INITIAL E.” ($400)

“In 1915 bond dealer Charles E. Merrill took on a business partner with this last name.”

● Answer: Lynch. Investopedia

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MIDDLE INITIAL E.” ($600)

“We're mad for this cover boy seen HERE.”

● Answer: Alfred E. Neuman. Battle Fields.org

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MIDDLE INITIAL E.” ($800)

“After graduating from West Point, he married Mary Anna Randolph Custis, the great granddaughter of Martha Washington.”

● Answer: Robert E. Lee. Biography

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MIDDLE INITIAL E.” ($1,000)

“"'Goliath', "'Boston Legal' & 'The Practice' are among the many TV shows he's created.”

● Answer: David E. Kelley. Ancient.EU


Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

“TEACHER ASKS SECOND GRADE - ASK YOUR PARENTS WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS”

A teacher was teaching her second grade class about the government, so for homework that one day, she told her her students to ask their parents what the government is.

When Little Johnny got home that day, he went up to his dad and ask his what the government was.

His dad thought for a while and answered, “Look at it this way: I'm the president, your mom is Congress, your maid is the work force, you are the people and your baby brother is the future.”

“I still don't get it” responded the Little Johnny.

“Why don't you sleep on it then? Maybe you'll understand it better” said the dad.

“Okay then...good night” said Little Jonny went off to bed.

In the middle of the night, Little Johnny was awakened by his baby brother's crying.

He went to his baby brother's crib and found that his baby brother had taken a crap in his diaper.

So Little Johnny went to his parent's room to get help.

When he got to his parent's bedroom, he looked through the keyhole to check if his parents were asleep.

Through the keyhole he saw his mom loudly snoring, but his dad wasn't there.

So he went to the maid's room.

When he looked through the maid's room keyhole, he saw his dad having sex with his maid.

Little Johnny was surprised, but then he just realized something and thinks aloud, “OH!! Now I understand the government! The President is screwing the work force, Congress is fast asleep, nobody cares about the people, and the future is full of s**t!”