Old Sailors' Almanac

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Week 21, 2020

Previous Week   May 18, 2020 - May 24, 2020  Next Week

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz on May 20, 1940

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz on May 20, 1940

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz: On this day, the first concentration camp prisoners - 30 recidivist criminals from Sachsenhausen - arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp.

Auschwitz was the Nazis' largest concentration and extermination camp. It was founded on Himmler's orders on the 27th of April 1940, close to the small Polish town of Oświęcim.

The first inmates - mostly Polish political prisoners - were brought there in June 1940 and were used for slave labour. By March 1941, more than 10 000 prisoners were registered here.

The Auschwitz camp was renowned for its harshness, with the most infamous being Block 11 (known as the bunker), where prisoners received the cruellest punishments. In front of it stood the „black wall, “the site of frequent executions. The inscription „Arbeit macht frei!” above the main gate of the original camp at Auschwitz was merely a cynical mockery.

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz on May 20, 1940

A symbol of the ruthless abuse of the prisoners were the medical experiments carried out on the prisoners by Nazi doctors such as the infamous Josef Mengele. These “doctors” experimented with the sterilisation of Jewish women, for example, and also performed experiments on children, especially twins.

In March 1941, Himmler ordered a second, larger complex to be built next to the original camp. It was called Auschwitz II - Birkenau. The camp at Birkenau was divided into subsections surrounded by electric fences with barbed wire. During 1943 and 1944 the BIIb section became the location of the “Terezín family camp”.

At its summit, Birkenau had over 100 000 inmates. In March 1942, the Auschwitz III camp was set up at nearby Monowitz, also known as Buna Monowitz. German company I.G. Farben set up a synthetic rubber factory there, in which it used the prisoners' slave labour. Auschwitz also had a further 45 auxiliary camps, where prisoners were forced to engage in slave labour, mostly for German companies.

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz on May 20, 1940

Auschwitz became one of the camps used for the mass extermination of Jews. In summer 1941, Heinrich Himmler gave orders to Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höß to build a centre at Auschwitz for the mass murder of Jews.

In September 1941, the lethal effects of Zyklon B - a substance normally used for pest control - were first tested and verified there. Later, four large gas chambers were built at Birkenau, capable of killing up to six thousand people each day.

The gas chambers were disguised as showers, meant to persuade the victims that these were disinfection measures which they had to undergo before they were sent to work in the camp.

According to various estimates, between 1.2 and 1.6 million people lost their lives in Auschwitz. Auschwitz became the symbol of the Nazis' “final solution to the Jewish question”, a symbol of Nazi inhumanity and genocide.

After the war, many of those who had committed crimes at Auschwitz were put on trial in Poland and West Germany. In 1947, Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höß, was sentenced to death and executed. A further 22 Germans were sentenced in Frankfurt between 1963 and 1966 for crimes committed in Auschwitz.

United States Holocaust Museum.org / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / History Channel / Auschwitz-Birkenau.org / Holocaust.cz.org / UNESCO.org / The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz on May 20, 1940 (YouTube) video

“This Day in History”

This Day in History May 20

•  325 First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.

• 1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.

• 1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum: Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.

• 1861 Shakespeare's sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.

• 1631 Sack of Magdeburg: The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years' War.

• 1645 Yangzhou massacre: The ten day massacre of 800,000 residents of the city of Yangzhou, part of the Transition from Ming to Qing.

• 1802 Law of 20 May 1802: Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.

• 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.

• 1883 Krakatoa begins to erupt: The volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.

• 1902 Cuba gains independence from the United States.

• 1932 Amelia Earhart: Iakes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.

• 1941 World War II: Battle of Crete; German paratroops invade Crete.

• 1969 Vietnam War: Battle of Hamburger Hill; in Vietnam ends.

• 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre: The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.


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

Understanding Military Terminology

Operational Readiness

(DOD) The capability of a unit/formation, ship, weapon system, or equipment to perform the missions or functions for which it is organized or designed.

Also called OR.

See also Combat Readiness.

Joint Publications (JP 1-0) Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States

Operational Reserve

An emergency reserve of men and/or materiel established for the support of a specific operation.

Joint Publications (JP 5-0) Joint Planning - Federation Of American Scientists

Operational Support Airlift

Airlift movements of high-priority passengers and cargo with time, place, or mission-sensitive requirements.

Also called OSA.

Joint Publications (JP 3-17) Air Mobility Operations


“The Odyssey”

The Old Salt’s Corner

“The Odyssey”

Book II

Now when the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, appeared, Telemachus rose and dressed himself. He bound his sandals on to his comely feet, girded his sword about his shoulder, and left his room looking like an immortal god. He at once sent the criers round to call the people in assembly, so they called them and the people gathered thereon; then, when they were got together, he went to the place of assembly spear in hand- not alone, for his two hounds went with him. Minerva endowed him with a presence of such divine comeliness that all marvelled at him as he went by, and when he took his place' in his father's seat even the oldest councillors made way for him.

Aegyptius, a man bent double with age, and of infinite experience, the first to speak His son Antiphus had gone with Ulysses to Ilius, land of noble steeds, but the savage Cyclops had killed him when they were all shut up in the cave, and had cooked his last dinner for him, He had three sons left, of whom two still worked on their father's land, while the third, Eurynomus, was one of the suitors; nevertheless their father could not get over the loss of Antiphus, and was still weeping for him when he began his speech.

“Men of Ithaca”, he said, “hear my words. From the day Ulysses left us there has been no meeting of our councillors until now; who then can it be, whether old or young, that finds it so necessary to convene us? Has he got wind of some host approaching, and does he wish to warn us, or would he speak upon some other matter of public moment? I am sure he is an excellent person, and I hope Jove will grant him his heart's desire.”

With these words he sat down, and Mentor who had been a friend of Ulysses, and had been left in charge of everything with full authority over the servants, rose to speak. He, then, plainly and in all honesty addressed them thus:

“Hear me, men of Ithaca, I hope that you may never have a kind and well-disposed ruler any more, nor one who will govern you equitably; I hope that all your chiefs henceforward may be cruel and unjust, for there is not one of you but has forgotten Ulysses, who ruled you as though he were your father. I am not half so angry with the suitors, for if they choose to do violence in the naughtiness of their hearts, and wager their heads that Ulysses will not return, they can take the high hand and eat up his estate, but as for you others I am shocked at the way in which you all sit still without even trying to stop such scandalous goings on-which you could do if you chose, for you are many and they are few.”

“The Odyssey” - Book II continued ...

~ Homer

Written 800 B.C.E

Translated by Samuel Butler

“The Odyssey” - Table Of Contents


“I’m Just Sayin’”

“I’m Just Sayin”

“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”

“Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.”

“Age appears to be best in four things;

old wood best to burn

old wine to drink

old friends to trust,

and old authors to read.”

~ Sir Francis Bacon


“Thought for the Day”

“Thought for the Day”

“No society can surely be flourishing and happy,

of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.”

“On the road from the City of Skepticism,

I had to pass through the Valley of Ambiguity.”

“To feel much for others and little for ourselves;

to restrain our selfishness and exercise our benevolent affections,

constitute the perfection of human nature.”

~ Adam Smith


“What I Have Learned”

“What I Learned”

“Friends are God's way of taking care of us.”

“One enemy is too many,

and a hundred friends too few.”

~ Anonymous


Second Hand News

Second Hand News: Articles from Week 21 - May 18, 2020 - May 24, 2020

Top News Stories - Photos (Washington Examiner) Trump threatens to 'permanently' pull WHO funding without commitment to 'substantive improvements''Preternatural calm': Democrats think Obama helps Biden draw a contrast with raging TrumpThese two congressional districts could decide the presidential race

Pentagon official denies Office of Net Assessment in the Pentagon (ONA) director named by Flynn's lawyer is leaker to Washington PostLouisiana begins publicly reporting COVID-19 statistics for individual nursing homesPensacola shooter was tied to al Qaeda, unlocked iPhone reveals

MOST READ: Adam Schiff: Wall Street Journal editorial board has 'no credibility'Illinois governor confirms wife and daughter were in Florida during lockdown and calls question on their whereabouts 'reprehensible'No Senator Ocasio-Cortez: Crushed by Schumer and Gillibrand in poll

'Absolutely stunning and unbelievably reckless': Biden campaign condemns Eric Trump coronavirus Hope for producers as oil clears $30 a barrelTrump team hears echoes of 2016 victory emanating from China Washington Examiner

Top News Stories - Photos (The Federalist) House Democrats: Trump Derangement Syndrome Has Introduced Impeachment 2.0How Blind Faith In Scientific Expertise Wrecked The EconomyColorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis Slams CDC For Inaccurate Reporting On COVID DeathsFederal Judge Overrules North Carolina Governor’s Restrictions On Worship

The Covid-19 Tracer Training Course Is A Guide To Suspending RightsCoronavirus Rent Strikes Are On The Fast Track To Obliterating Property RightsHow You Can Help Roll Back The Coronavirus Police StateExtending Lockdowns Will Make Millennials Like Me Abandon U.S. Cities’

MOST READ: Media Must Report Truth Of Anti-Trump Spy Operation Before It’s Too Late For Them‘Obamagate’ Isn’t A Conspiracy Theory, It’s The Biggest Political Scandal Of Our TimeHow And Why America’s Food System Is CrackingHere’s Why Judge Sullivan Can’t Legally Punish Michael Flynn For ‘Perjury’

Obama’s Campaign Paid $972,000 To Law Firm That Secretly Paid Fusion GPS In 2016100,000 Businesses Have Permanently Collapsed Under Pandemic LockdownsObama, Biden Oval Office Meeting On January 5 Was Key To Entire Anti-Trump OperationCNN: Trump Dislikes Obama Because Michelle Is Hotter Than Melania The Federalist

Top News Stories - Photos (CORRUPTION CHRONICLES - Mainstream Media Scream: (Watch Dog On-Line Publications) CORRUPTION CHRONICLES: Court Battle over #Coronavirus Cash Payments for Illegal Aliens in MARYLAND

“Investigating the Investigators:” California & Maryland Cash Payments to Illegals, Ramadan Money & #ObamaGate

JUSTICE for #GeneralFlynn – #Obamagate Unmaskings EXPOSED!

#Obamagate Unmasking EXPOSED...Will Hillary Clinton Testify? #Coronavirus Abuse Update Judicial Watch

OUTING FAKE NEWS OMISSIONS and DISTORTIONS: CNN’s Chris Cuomo Blames Trump for Terrorist Attack, Whines About ReopeningCBS Highlights ‘Devastating Toll’ of Corona on Nursing Homes, NO Mention of New York Governor Andrew CuomoWashington Post Critic: America Is 'Desperately Sick,' Needs, 'Good, Deep, Excoriating' Self-PityNetworks Have a Meltdown After Trump Says He Takes Hydroxychloroquine

‘F*** Both of You’: Ivanka Trump & Elon Musk Berated By ‘Matrix’ Creator for Referring to ‘Red Pill’Michael Bloomberg Reportedly Plotting Spending Blitz to Support BidenABC's ‘The View’ Joy Behar Compares Lockdown Protesters to White Supremacists in CharlottesvilleABC's ‘The View’ Oozes Over 'Brilliant' Obama Ripping Trump: 'True Leader' News Busters

How Were Roads Cleared Before Snowplows? Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: How Were Roads Cleared Before Snowplows?

America's first settlers were not so well-equipped to deal with the New World's snowy winters. During the 1717 storm (four feet of snow dumped, with drifts of up to 25 feet in some places), only a solitary postman was able to make the trip from Boston to New York. His trick? Abandoning his horse for a pair of snow shoes.

Back then, plowing wasn't in the picture. Instead, residents affixed ski-like runners to their carts to move through the icy streets.

But urban development brought with it streets, and people who needed to get through them. Residents depended on regular deliveries of food and fire wood. When snow made transport impossible, they would dig themselves out in de-facto teams to allow sleigh traffic to pass through. Though ordinances in many cities required homeowners to clear snow off their sidewalks, snow removal was not yet practiced on a citywide basis.

That changed in the 1840s, when the first snow plow patent was issued. According to a wonderfully comprehensive history by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the first snow plow was deployed in Milwaukee in 1862. They write that the plow “was attached to a cart pulled by a team of horses through the snow-clogged streets”.

Over the next several years, other cities adopted the horse-drawn plow, along with a sense that snow removal was a city's problem. As the Data Center notes “the invention of the snow plow initiated widespread snow removal efforts in cities and also created a basis for municipal responsibility in snow removal.”

Of course, with great plowing comes great responsibility. Cities were able to clear main streets, but side streets and sidewalks often ended up blocked off by huge mounds of snow. Again, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, businessmen and townsfolk “complained and even brought lawsuits against the plowing companies ... [claiming] their storefronts were completely blocked with mounds of plowed snow, making them inaccessible to their customers.”

New York handled this by hiring horse-drawn carts and teams of shovelers to work in conjunction with the plows.

How Were Roads Cleared Before Snowplows? (click to enlarge image)

However, these advances were no match for the Blizzard of 1888, which paralyzed cities. Some areas saw as much and four feet of snow, trapping people in their homes (or in one tragic case, in a train bound for New York City) for days on end.

But the storm had an upside - it led cities to develop more comprehensive snow plans. Cities began plowing when storms started, rather than waiting until the end of the storm. Officials divided cities into sections and assigned different areas to different plow drivers.

Some cities even tried equipping their electric trolleys with plows, which didn't work so well.

In the early 20th century, the automobile entered the picture, creating new problems and new possibilities for snow plowing. In 1913, New York unveiled the first motorized dump truck (complete with tractor tires), abandoning the traditional horse-drawn cart.

In the 1920s, Chicago unveiled the snowloader, an “ingenious contraption” that “was equipped with a giant scoop and a conveyor belt. As the snow was plowed, it was forced up the scoop, caught by the conveyor belt which carried it up and away from the street into a chute at the top where it was dropped into a dump truck parked underneath.”

The last major innovation to snow removal came mid-century. In 1959, space technology entered the snow removal effort. Satellites allowed for more accurate storm forecasting and quicker preparation.

The Atlantic - CityLab / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / Mental Floss / Quora / Marketplace.org / National Snow and Ice Data Center.org / How Were Roads Cleared Before Snowplows? (YouTube) video


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

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

Mid: Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy or Naval ROTC; “Middie” is considered derogatory.

Midnight Ops: The best time to get something done when there are not as many witnesses around.

Midnight Requisition: To “borrow” (with varying degress of consent) a needed item from another unit. Often condoned when essential to get underway.

MidShitHead: Enlisted common term for a Naval Academy or ROTC Midshipman on their summer cruise on a ship or a command, gaining real Navy experience between academic class years.

Mid-Rats: Short for midnight rations. Food served to the midwatch. Generally a lazy navy cook phones it in by opening an industrial size can of ravioli and dumps out a couple loaves of white bread and calls it good. Punishment for being on the 0000-0400 watch.

Mid-Watch: Watch from 0000-0400 (2345-0345), usually results in no sleep before or after this watch.

Wiktionary.org


Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

HSM-40 Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron FORTY- nicknamed the “Airwolves”

United States Navy - Naval Air Station Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida, Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic - Squadron Lineage; HSL-40: October 4. 1985 - November 2009 / HSM-40: November 1, 2009 - present.


Where Did That Saying Come From

Where Did That Saying Come From?

Where Did That Saying Come From? “Ain't over till the fat lady sings”

Ain't over till the fat lady sings:

Meaning: Nothing is irreversible until the final act is played out.

History: Just to get this out of the way before we start: is it 'til, till or until? You can find all of these in print:

“It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

It ain't over till the fat lady sings

It ain't over until the fat lady sings.”

You might even find versions with isn't instead of ain't. Grammarians argue about 'til and till; I'm opting here for till.

Okay; so who was the fat lady? If we knew that, the origin of this phrase would be easy to determine. Unfortunately, we don't, so a little more effort is going to be required. The two areas of endeavour that this expression is most often associated with are the unusual bedfellows, German opera and American sport.

The musical connection is with the familiar operatic role of Brunnhilde in Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung, the last of the immensely long, four-opera Ring Cycle. Brunnhilde is usually depicted as a well-upholstered lady who appears for a ten minute solo to conclude proceedings. 'When the fat lady sings' is a reasonable answer to the question 'when will it be over?', which must have been asked many times during Ring Cycle performances, lasting as they do upwards of 14 hours. Apart from the apparent suitability of Brunnhilde as the original 'fat lady', there's nothing to associate this 20th century phrase with Wagner's opera.

All the early printed references to the phrase come from US sports. Some pundits have suggested that the phrase was coined by the celebrated baseball player and manager, Yogi Berra, while others favour the US sports commentator, Dan Cook. Berra's fracturing of the English language was on a par with that of the film producer Sam Goldwyn but, like those of Goldwyn, many of the phrases said to have been coined by him probably weren't. Along with “It's déjà vu all over again” and “The future isn't what it used to be”, Berra is said to have originated “The game isn't over till it's over”.

All of these are what serious quotations dictionaries politely describe as 'attributed to' Berra, although he certainly did say “You can observe a lot by watching”, at a press conference in 1963. In any case, “the game isn't over till it's over” isn't quite what we are looking for, missing as it is the obligatory fat lady.

Dan Cook made a closer stab with "the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings", in a televised basketball commentary in 1978. Cook was preceded however by US sports presenter Ralph Carpenter, in a broadcast, reported in The Dallas Morning News, March 1976:

Bill Morgan (Southwest Conference Information Director): “Hey, Ralph, this... is going to be a tight one after all.”

Ralph Carpenter (Texas Tech Sports Information Director): “Right. The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”

Another U.S. sporting theory is that the fat lady was the singer Kate Smith, who was best known for her renditions of “God Bless America”. The Philadelphia Flyers hockey team played her recording of the song before a game in December 1969. The team won and they began playing it frequently as a good luck token. Smith later sang live at Flyer's games and they had a long run of good results in games where the song was used. Sadly, Ms. Smith sang before games, not at the end. If the phrase were “It ain't started until the fat lady sings”, her claim would have some validity.

Whilst printed examples of the expression haven't been found that date from before 1976, there are numerous residents of the southern states of the USA who claim to have known the phrase throughout their lives, as far back as the early 20th century. “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings the blues”" and “Church ain’t out till the fat lady sings” are colloquial versions that have been reported; the second example was listed in Southern Words and Sayings, by Fabia Rue and Charles Rayford Smith in 1976.

Carpenter's and Cook's broadcasts did popularise the expression, which became commonplace in the late 1970s, but it appears that we are more likely to have found the first of the mysterious fat ladies in a church in the Deep South than on the opera stage or in a sports stadium.

Phrases.org.uk


Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Bad dog? Think twice before yelling, experts sayMaintaining muscle massNew reactor could halve carbon dioxide emissions from ammonia productionWhat do you see when you look at these photos - animals or humanmade objects? Science AAAS

Carbon dioxide capture and use could become big businessA third of California methane traced to a few super-emitterseHuge trove of mammoth skeletons found in MexicoSpiders and ants inspire metal that won't sink Phys.org / MedicalXpress / TechXplore


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)

Thousands of Glorious 'Ice Eggs' Wash Up on Finnish Beach

Thousands of Glorious 'Ice Eggs' Wash Up on Finnish Beach

Modern construction is a precision endeavor. Builders must use components manufactured to meet specific standards - such as beams of a desired composition or rivets of a specific size. The building industry relies on manufacturers to create these components reliably and reproducibly in order to construct secure bridges and sound skyscrapers.

Now imagine construction at a smaller scale - less than 1/100th the thickness of a piece of paper. This is the nanoscale. It is the scale at which scientists are working to develop potentially groundbreaking technologies in fields like quantum computing. It is also a scale where traditional fabrication methods simply will not work. Our standard tools, even miniaturized, are too bulky and too corrosive to reproducibly manufacture components at the nanoscale.

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a method that could make reproducible manufacturing at the nanoscale possible. The team adapted a light-based technology employed widely in biology - known as optical traps or optical tweezers - to operate in a water-free liquid environment of carbon-rich organic solvents, thereby enabling new potential applications.

Smooth balls of ice rolled ashore on a beach in Finland and piled up like a gigantic clutch of turtles' eggs.

Thousands of Glorious 'Ice Eggs' Wash Up on Finnish Beach

But where did these “ice eggs” come from? Turns out, the frigid orbs were sculpted by a peculiar combination of weather and waves, according to news reports.

Amateur photographer Risto Mattila stumbled upon the strange sight while walking with his wife on Hailuoto Island, a land mass between Finland and Sweden, according to BBC News. The temperature hovered around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 1 degree Celsius) that day, he said, and the wind whipped across the beach. “There, we found this amazing phenomenon. There was snow and ice eggs along the beach near the water line”, he told the BBC.

The “ice eggs” littered an area the length of about one-quarter of a football field and ranged in size from that of an average chicken egg to that of a hefty soccer ball, Mattila said. He snapped a photo, noting that he had "never seen anything like this during 25 years living in the vicinity.”

Although fairly rare, these ice eggs form similarly to sea glass or rounded stones that wash up on the beach, said BBC Weather expert George Goodfellow. Chunks of ice break off from larger ice sheets in the sea and either taxi to shore on the incoming tide or get pushed in by gusts of wind at the water's surface, he explained. Waves buffet the ice chunks as they travel, slowly eroding their jagged edges into smooth curves. Seawater sticks and freezes to the forming eggs, causing them to grow like snowballs do as they roll across the ground.

Once the ice chunks reach shore, pounding waves tend to buff out any lingering kinks on their surfaces, leaving behind nothing but sleek and shiny “eggs” for curious tourists to happen upon.

The World's 7 Most Interesting Eggs

Photos: The 8 Coldest Places on Earth

Real or Not? The Science Behind 12 Unusual Sightings

10 Surprising Ways Weather Has Changed History

Live Science (11/08/2019) video


Second Hand News

Second Hand News: Articles from Week 21 - May 18, 2020 - May 24, 2020

Top News Stories - Photos (Daily Mail) Trump threatens to permanently pull $400M in WHO funding from the U.S. unless it makes 'major substantive improvements within 30 days' as China offers $2bn virus aidNancy Pelosi snipes 'morbidly obese' Trump shouldn't be taking hydroxychloroquine to PREVENT Covid-19 after president revealed he asked White House physician for it and doctors advise against treatment

Fears of global trade war with China after Beijing slaps an 80 per cent tariff on Australian exports starting TODAY as brutal payback over country's call for coronavirus inquiry backed by 100 nationsDonald Trump lashes out at China again for their virus cover-up, but does not suggest how he will punish Beijing for 'unleashing' coronavirus'

NYC's black and Latino neighborhoods have seen death rates nearly 15 times higher than wealthy white enclaves, new maps reveal as death toll hits more than 15,900New tent cities spring up in the sidewalks and parks of Washington D.C. as pandemic makes homeless people even more vulnerable Daily Mail

Top News Stories - Photos (John Batchelor)

No criminal inquiries for Obama and Biden & What is to be done? audio  

Because Flynn was not masked on the intercepts for December 29, 2016. audio  

Global suspicion of the Wuhan virology lab & What is to be done? audio  

Warning that the serology test results so far are hasty and likely unreliable. audio  

What's not reliable and assuring about Moderna and other trials in the pipeline? audio   John Batchelor (05/19/2020)

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

SONG FACTS

“Living On A Thin Line” - The Kinks 1984

“Living On A Thin Line” - The Kinks
Album: Word Of Mouth
Released 1984 video

Living On A Thin Linevideo was written by Dave Davies and released as a track of The Kinks 1984 album Word Of Mouth, this song wasn't released as a single but it's a very popular and successful song.

It was played three times in the 2001 episode “Universityvideo of the American TV show “The Sopranosvideo.

According to producer Terence Winter on the DVD extras, it is the series' most asked about song.

The album “State of Confusion” (1983), The Kinks didn't try to replicate the music of “Come Dancingvideo and “State of Confusionvideo gave The Kinks their biggest single in nearly 20 years.

Preferring to concentrate on straight-ahead hard rock, on The Kinks follow-up album “Word of Mouth”. Most of the material was well crafted, but only a few songs were distinctive, particularly “Do It Againvideo and “Living On A Thin Linevideo.

The Kinks official site / Rock & Roll Hall of Fame / Billboard / All Music / Song Facts / The Kinks

Image: “Word Of Mouth (album)” by The Kinks

Kinks Biography Part 1 - 6, Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame video (YouTube)


Jeopardy

A Test for People Who Know Everything

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “FAKE CLUES” ($200)

“A type of false advertising is known as this fishing term '& Switch'.”

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

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “FAKE CLUES” ($400) DD: $1,000

“Britannica cites the Piltdown man & the Feejee mermaid in its articles on this type of 4-letter scam.”

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

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “FAKE CLUES” ($600)

“This adjective that means, like, totally fake describes Bill & Ted's journey in a 1991 film title.”

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

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “FAKE CLUES” ($800)

“This, in which an email address has been faked, is a tactic used in phishing and spam.”

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

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “FAKE CLUES” ($1,000)

“German for replacement gives us this word for a poor substitute.”

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


Answer to Last Week's Test

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MEN ON THE MOON” ($200)

“Setting one of these up on a tripod, Alan Bean inadvertently pointed it at the sun & wrecked it.”

● Answer: a Camera. YouTube

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MEN ON THE MOON” ($400)

“John Young raced the LRV, this vehicle, through a 'Grand Prix' test.”

● Answer: a Lunar Rover Vehicle. YouTube

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MEN ON THE MOON” ($600)

“He & Neil Armstrong spoke via telephone link with President Nixon.”

● Answer: Chin. YouTube

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MEN ON THE MOON” ($800)

“Last man on the moon Eugene Cernan echoed MacArthur, saying 'we' these 2 words.”

● Answer: Shall Return. YouTube

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “MEN ON THE MOON” ($1,000)

“Alan Shepard got in a little practice in this sport.”

● Answer: Golf. YouTube


Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

“LAWYER JOKES”

How does an attorney sleep? Well, first he lies on one side, then he lies on the other.

You’ve heard that one, along with a million other lawyer jokes that people have sprung on you from the moment you first announced you were going to school to be a paralegal. Some of them probably even get told around the law office. Even lawyers like to laugh and there are a lot of aspects of legal practice that are ripe for a little deadpan humor.

ParalegalEDU.org

Joke of the Day

“At The Pearly Gates”

A 50-year-old lawyer who had been practicing since he was 25 passed away and arrived at the Pearly Gates for judgment.

The lawyer said to St. Peter, “There must be some mistake! I’m only 50 years old, that’s far too young to die.”

St. Peter frowned and consulted his book. “That’s funny, when we add up your billing records, you should be at least 83 by now!”

Joke of the Day

“Invertebrates Have Feelings Too”

What’s the difference between a lawyer and a jellyfish?

One is a spineless, poisonous blob.

The other is a form of sea life.

“Hang ‘Em High”

How are an apple and a lawyer alike?

They both look good hanging from a tree.

“The Blue Pill”

What does a lawyer get when you give him Viagra?

Taller.


Darwin Award of the Week

Darwin Award of the Week

Joke of the Day

High School Graduation: Mississippi Gorvernor Falls Prey To “Harry Azcrac”

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves asked people to submit names of high school seniors so he could read them aloud on a webcast - a recognition for teenagers who are missing traditional graduation ceremonies because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On a Facebook live session Saturday, Reeves started reading the names of graduates from Florence High School, his alma mater, when he came to one his staff now assumes someone submitted as a prank - “Harry Azcracvideo. The 45-year-old Republican governor read it, paused briefly and kept going.

As the clip quickly grew viral, Governor Reeves took to Twitter to try to get in on the fun.

“Harry's submitter has a bright future as a Simpson's writer!” Reeves tweeted, also noting that he would be back online reading more graduates' names: “Maybe even Ben - the pride of the Dover family.”

Daily Mail/Associated Press - Matthew Wright