Old Sailors' Almanac - Week 19, 2020 (Fluid Design based on percentage of screen platform

Sack of Rome; considered the end of the Renaissance on May 06, 1527

Sack of Rome; considered the end of the Renaissance: On 6 May 1527 the Spanish, German, and Italian troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, sacked Renaissance Rome.

The Sack was a climactic event in the War of the League of Cognac, begun in 1526, and in the broader Italian Wars waged between Spain, France, the Papal States and various Italian city-states between 1494 and 1559.

Rome was poorly defended by Pope Clement VII, who shortly beforehand had agreed to a truce with the imperialists against the wishes of his allies and had subsequently dismissed his mercenaries. With official blessing, however, the imperial commander Charles de Bourbon did not honor this truce, instead moving south down the Italian Peninsula, threatening Florence and then advancing on Rome.

Although Bourbon was fatally wounded during the sack, his troops quickly took the city. The pope fled to safety in Castel Sant’Angelo, where he remained trapped until he escaped to Orvieto in December; he would return to Rome only the following fall.

The invading army moved largely unimpeded through the city, assaulting and slaughtering its citizens, pillaging, and violating sacred spaces and objects. The levels of violence reported in eyewitness accounts shocked the rest of Italy and Europe, even after decades of regular warfare. The Roman population waited in vain for salvation by the French army or the troops of the League under the command of Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino.

The imperial army remained in Rome for nine months, all the while kidnapping and torturing the local population so as to unearth hidden money and valuables.

While it is difficult to measure with precision the impact of the sack, Hook 2004 estimates that by the end of 1527 nearly half of the city’s population had been killed, died of famine or disease, or had fled the city.

Other notable consequences included the torment and, in some cases, the death of artists and intellectuals, the destruction of humanist libraries, and the diaspora of artists, writers, and others previously connected to the city’s cultural activity

A lasting truce was struck only in June 1529, when Clement and Charles signed the Treaty of Barcelona. A symbolic enactment of peace occurred at the Congress (or Peace) of Bologna in late 1529 and early 1530, when the pope officially crowned Charles emperor and the cultural elite of Europe converged on the city; Rome, meanwhile, remained in shambles and was left to slowly beginn the process of rebuilding.

Oxford Bibliographies / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / Military.Wikia.org / Vatican.va / Oer2go.org / Sack of Rome; considered the end of the Renaissance on May 06, 1527 (YouTube)

This Day in History May 06

• 1536 King Henry VIII orders English-language Bibles be placed in every church.

• 1877 Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska.

• 1889 The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.

• 1915 Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run.

• 1933 The Deutsche Studentenschaft attacked Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books.

• 1935 New Deal: Under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration.

• 1937 Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

• 1940 John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

• 1941 Bob Hope performs his first USO show at California's March Field.

• 1942 World War II: Battle of Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.

• 1945 World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.

• 1945 World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.

• 1949 EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, runs its first operation.

• 1954 Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.

• 2010 Flash Crash, in just 36 minutes, the Dow-Jones average plunged nearly 1000 points.

Understanding Military Terminology

Operational Necessity

(DOD) A mission associated with war or peacetime operations in which the consequences of an action justify the risk of loss of aircraft and crew.

The Old Salt’s Corner

“O Captain! My Captain!”

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head;

It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;

From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

~ Walt Whitman (from Leaves of Grass, 1867 edition, first published in Saturday Press, New York, 1865)

“I’m Just Sayin”

“It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.”

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.

The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.

On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.

Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters.”

~ Norman Maclean

“Thought for the Day”

“Between two evils,

I always pick the one I never tried before.”

“When I'm good, I'm very good.

But when I'm bad I'm better.”

“It's not the men in my life that count

it's the life in my men.”

“Cultivate your curves -

they may be dangerous but they won't be avoided.”

~ Mae West

“What I Learned”

“A mistake should be your teacher, not your attacker.

A mistake is a lesson, not a loss.

It is a temporary, necessary detour, not a dead end.”

~ Anonymous

Second Hand News: Articles from Week 19 - May 04, 2020 - May 10, 2020

Former FDA chief lacks confidence in coronavirus antibody tests: 'I'd repeat it three times' • Senate office says it won't disclose Biden accuser complaint • 'Top' FBI officials dismiss Flynn entrapment claims • Florida Representative Matt Gaetz: Mueller's bar license 'might be in question' if he knew Flynn deal was a 'setup'

Third Russian doctor mysteriously falls from hospital window during coronavirus outbreak • 'Ineffective and dangerous': Michael Savage says he will refuse to take a coronavirus vaccination • Little Sisters of the Poor dragged back to the Supreme Court after nearly a decade of disputes

MOST READ: Former CIA operative: 'People like' Comey and Brennan should get death penalty • ‘Some neurological problem’: Flynn lawyer speculates about Mueller’s mental acuity • Former Representative Trey Gowdy: Don't expect prosecutions in U.S. Attorney John Durham review of Russia investigation

'I can’t imagine Biden beating Trump:' Pink Floyd co-founder blasts 'slime ball' Biden • Stacey Abrams's embarrassing campaign for the vice presidency • Anti-lockdown protests draw wary reaction from business leaders Washington Examiner

Your Guide To The Obama Administration’s Hit On Michael Flynn • DOJ Supports Church Suing Virginia Gov. Northam For Threatening Fines, Imprisonment Of Pastor • A Rundown Of Major U.S. Corporate Media’s Business Ties To China • Congress Made Economic Crisis Worse By Incentivizing Unemployment Over Earning A Paycheck

The Media Is Blatantly Lying About Trump’s Coronavirus Response • Media Runs With Totally Misleading Narrative About Trump’s Lincoln Comparison • Coronavirus Shutdowns Expose The New Class Divide • ‘Bad Education’ Underscores Why Public Schools Shouldn’t Get Big Bailouts

MOST READ: Why I Didn’t Rat On My Neighbor For Cutting Hair • Democrats Are Reaping The ‘Whirlwind’ Kavanaugh Warned About • Biden Bothered Tara Reade’s Mother, But Blasey Ford’s Father Supported Kavanaugh’s Confirmation • Democrats Demanded Millions Of Kavanaugh Records, But Stay Mum On Biden’s Senate Records

How Cowardice And Class Privilege Shift Support For Coronavirus Lockdowns • The Death Of Expertise • Virginia Health Commissioner Says Schools Could Remain Closed For Two Years • The True Story Of How I Met My Sister On ‘Jeopardy’ The Federalist

CORRUPTION CHRONICLES: EXPOSED: #SpyGate Targeting of Lieutenant General Mike Flynn by Obama FBI!

“Investigating the Investigators:” Corrupt Targeting of Flynn Exposed, Judicial Watch Sues PA on Voter Rolls, CA on #COVID19 Payments

Michael Flynn Should Be Exonerated

Judicial Watch Sues California to Stop Governor Newsom’s Initiative to Provide $75 Million in Cash Benefits to Illegal Aliens

Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Daily Caller News Foundation for Dr. Fauci and WHO Records Judicial Watch

OUTING FAKE NEWS OMISSIONS and DISTORTIONS: Galling Media Hypocrisy Slamed on Biden Sex Assault Claims • NBC Groans About Calls to Investigate Biden: No ‘Huge Appetite’ for It • MSNBC's Ali Velshi Cues Up Liberal Constitutional Attorney Laurence Tribe to Fearmonger Over Trump Judges • CNN's Brian Stelter Throws Hardballs at McEnany, Softballs at Beanball-Throwing Olivia Nuzzi

RNC Head DESTROYS ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Media Ignoring Biden Rape Claim • WHO Do They Think They Are? New York Times Still Shills for China-Corrupted Group • Conservative commentator Candace Owens Suspended from Twitter for Encouraging Defiance Against Lockdown • Journalists Complain That They Can't Handle Four More Years of Trump News Busters

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: Why Do Dogs Walk in a Circle Before Lying Down?

Before lying down, dogs often circle their beds or wherever they've chosen to settle in for a nap. This curious canine behavior dates back to prehistoric times, when dogs literally had to make their own beds.

Although domesticated dogs have adapted to living with humans and can easily be housetrained, they've still retained some of their wild ancestors ' survival instincts.

“This behavior was hard-wired into the dog's ancestors as a way to build a safe 'nest'”, Leslie Irvine, author of “If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection With Animals”, told Life's Little Mysteries.”

Doggy beds and pillows haven't always been around, so wild dogs had to pat down tall grass and underbrush to make a comfortable bed for themselves and their pups. The easiest way to prepare that night's sleeping area was by walking around in a circle.

The rounding ritual may also have served as a safety precaution. “In the wild, the circling would flatten grasses or snow and would drive out any snakes or large insects”, said Irvine, a sociologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder who specializes in the role of animals in society.

“I have also heard that circling the area and thus flattening it leaves a visible sign to other dogs that this territory has been claimed”, Irvine said. “Even though our dogs now sleep on cushions, the behavior endures.”

Dogs Poop Along North-South Magnetic Lines

Dogs That Eat Rotten Toes: Altruistic, or Just Plain Hungry?

Why Do Dogs Love Water But Cats Hate It?

Can Police Dogs Really Sniff Out Drugs?

Live Science / Wikipedia / VCA Hospitals / Mental Floss / Quora / Psychology Today / SPCA.org / Dog Health / Why Do Dogs Walk in a Circle Before Lying Down? (YouTube)

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

Maverick Can: The perfect place to sleep in a weapons magazine.

“M-Crud”: MCRD: Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

Meat Gazer: Unlucky individual designated to make sure the urine in a “Whiz Quiz” actually comes from the urinator's body. This is accomplished by spending all day meat gazing, or looking at dicks while guys are pissing. Also a man who stares at or is perceived to stare at another man's genitals in a communal shower.

Meat Identifier: A side dish during chow that helps in identifying usually nondescriptive looking main dishes. i.e. Applesauce: Indicative of pork chops, Horseradish: Prime Rib Beef...etc.

Meatball:

1. Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System, a visual landing aid used by naval aviators landing on a carrier. Aviators "call the ball" as a reference guide to their positioning in the landing sequence.

2. The pennant flown to denote the ship has won the Battle “E” competition.

MEDCRUISE: A float (operational cruise) in the Mediterranean Sea. Atlantic Fleet equivalent to a Pacific Fleet WESTPAC.

Wiktionary.org

Just for you MARINE

MCI: Marine Corps Institute, a distance education program; also, the courses available to Marines for bonus promotion credit.

MCCS: Marine Corps Community Services (also known by the humorous backronym Marine Corps Crime Syndicate).

MCMAP, MCNinja: Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.

MMCT: Marine Combat Training, infantry skills training for non-infantry Marines.

MCSF: Marine Corps Security Forces (Company) usually a company size unit assigned to the security of Naval assets. MOS 8152, MCSF School is at NSGA Northwest VA, and due to the intense marksmanship training Marines are known as 'Gunslingers', Marine Corps Super Friends.

Wikipedia.org

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

HSM-35 Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron Thirty Five - nicknamed the “Magicians”

United States Navy - Naval Air Station - United States Navy Reserve, Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California - Squadron Lineage May 2, 2012 - present.

Where Did That Saying Come From?

“Accidents will happen:”

Meaning: Things sometimes go wrong, despite our best efforts.

History: This proverb has been overtaken by the more vulgar 20th century 'shit happens'.

The original has its origins in the 18th century, as in John Muller's A treatise containing the practical part of fortification, 1755:

“But, notwithstanding all human precautions that can be taken, yet accidents will happen.”

Charles Dickens took up the thought a century or so later, with this the most well known expression of the proverb, in The personal history of David Copperfield, 1850:

“My dear friend Copperfield,' said Mr. Micawber, 'accidents will occur in the best-regulated families; and in families not regulated by that pervading influence which sanctifies while it enhances the - a - I would say, in short, by the influence of Woman, in the lofty character of Wife, they may be expected with confidence, and must be borne with philosophy.”

Phrases.org.uk

Science & Technology

The F-35 Is Cheap To Buy (But Not To Fly) • The Cirrus Vision Is the Private Jet That Lands Itself • WiFi Is Illegal in This American Town. (And Yes, People Actually Live There.) • What Would Happen If the Internet Went Down ... Forever? Popular Mechanics

Jupiter-sized exoplanet discovered through microlensing • Harvesting genes to improve watermelons • New printer creates extremely realistic colorful holograms • Researchers engineer insulin-producing cells activated by light for diabetes Phys.org / MedicalXpress / TechXplore

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

Two-legged robot mimics human balance while running and jumping

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Summary: Engineers have developed a method to control balance in a two-legged, teleoperated robot - an essential step toward enabling a humanoid to carry out high-impact tasks in challenging environments.

Rescuing victims from a burning building, a chemical spill, or any disaster that is inaccessible to human responders could one day be a mission for resilient, adaptable robots. Imagine, for instance, rescue-bots that can bound through rubble on all fours, then rise up on two legs to push aside a heavy obstacle or break through a locked door.

Engineers are making strides on the design of four-legged robots and their ability to run, jump and even do backflips. But getting two-legged, humanoid robots to exert force or push against something without falling has been a significant stumbling block.

Now engineers at MIT and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a method to control balance in a two-legged, teleoperated robot - an essential step toward enabling a humanoid to carry out high-impact tasks in challenging environments.

The team's robot, physically resembling a machined torso and two legs, is controlled remotely by a human operator wearing a vest that transmits information about the human's motion and ground reaction forces to the robot.

Through the vest, the human operator can both direct the robot's locomotion and feel the robot's motions. If the robot is starting to tip over, the human feels a corresponding pull on the vest and can adjust in a way to rebalance both herself and, synchronously, the robot.

In experiments with the robot to test this new “balance feedback” approach, the researchers were able to remotely maintain the robot's balance as it jumped and walked in place in sync with its human operator.

“It's like running with a heavy backpack - you can feel how the dynamics of the backpack move around you, and you can compensate properly”, says Joao Ramos, who developed the approach as an MIT postdoc. “Now if you want to open a heavy door, the human can command the robot to throw its body at the door and push it open, without losing balance.”

More than motion

Previously, Kim and Ramos built the two-legged robot HERMES (for Highly Efficient Robotic Mechanisms and Electromechanical System) and developed methods for it to mimic the motions of an operator via teleoperation, an approach that the researchers say comes with certain humanistic advantages.

“Because you have a person who can learn and adapt on the fly, a robot can perform motions that it's never practiced before [via teleoperation]”, Ramos says.

In demonstrations, HERMES has poured coffee into a cup, wielded an ax to chop wood, and handled an extinguisher to put out a fire.

All these tasks have involved the robot's upper body and algorithms to match the robot's limb positioning with that of its operator's. HERMES was able to carry out high-impact motions because the robot was rooted in place. Balance, in these cases, was much simpler to maintain. If the robot were required to take any steps, however, it would have likely tipped over in attempting to mimic the operator's motions.

“We realized in order to generate high forces or move heavy objects, just copying motions wouldn't be enough, because the robot would fall easily”, Kim says. “We needed to copy the operator's dynamic balance.”

Heavy lifting

To define how center of mass relates to center of pressure, Ramos gathered human motion data, including measurements in the lab, where he swayed back and forth, walked in place, and jumped on a force plate that measured the forces he exerted on the ground, as the position of his feet and torso were recorded. He then condensed this data into measurements of the center of mass and the center of pressure, and developed a model to represent each in relation to the other, as an inverted pendulum.

He then developed a second model, similar to the model for human balance but scaled to the dimensions of the smaller, lighter robot, and he developed a control algorithm to link and enable feedback between the two models.

The researchers tested this balance feedback model, first on a simple inverted pendulum that they built in the lab, in the form of a beam about the same height as Little HERMES. They connected the beam to their teleoperation system, and it swayed back and forth along a track in response to an operator's movements. As the operator swayed to one side, the beam did likewise -- a movement that the operator could also feel through the vest. If the beam swayed too far, the operator, feeling the pull, could lean the other way to compensate, and keep the beam balanced.

The experiments showed that the new feedback model could work to maintain balance on the beam, so the researchers then tried the model on Little HERMES. They also developed an algorithm for the robot to automatically translate the simple model of balance to the forces that each of its feet would have to generate, to copy the operator's feet.

Little HERMES also mimicked Ramos in other exercises, including running and jumping in place, and walking on uneven ground, all while maintaining its balance without the aid of tethers or supports.

“Balance feedback is a difficult thing to define because it's something we do without thinking”, “This is the first time balance feedback is properly defined for the dynamic actions. This will change how we control a teleoperated humanoid.”

“Now we can do heavy door opening or lifting or throwing heavy objects, with proper balance communication” Kim says.

Science Daily (10/29/2019)