THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
Break Out Area
This afternoon I had the mildly bizarre sight of a Bristol Blenheim in formation with a B-17... one of those rub of the eyes moments!
Gregg wrote: "Liam, they have a few other birds there like these F-7F3N Tigercats I caught getting a bath last year.http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4319/36...
http://farm5.staticflickr.com..."
Great photos, Gregg, thanx for posting! The F7F was such a beautiful design; it has always seemed to me that the late piston-engine/early jet era was the last time that flying military aircraft was really an enjoyable activity. I would love to fly a P-38, or an F7F, or an Me 262, F-80, Ouragan, Mystère IV, or Mig-17, but I don't have the slightest interest in flying anything more modern (with two exceptions: the A-10 & Su-25!). When I was a child, I really wanted to fly and was obsessed with military aircraft; it damned near broke my heart when I realised my vision wasn't good enough...
Do any of our Canadian group members have a recommendation on Canadian politics in the 19th century? In particular, I'm interested in the rebellions of the 1830s (Mackenzie's) and 1860s (the Fenians). I have looked at Rev. Mann's book and one by Richard Brown. Anything else?
HMS Queen Elizabeth.If the first photo is a true indicator, a petty officer needs to go in there and have them get their berthing area squared away. It looks like a college dorm. Or, maybe, navies don't do that anymore? Do I just date myself?
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddes...
Manray9 wrote: "HMS Queen Elizabeth.If the first photo is a true indicator, a petty officer needs to go in there and have them get their berthing area squared away. It looks like a college dorm. Or, maybe, navie..."
Just as well my Grandad's not about....
Manray9 wrote: "HMS Queen Elizabeth.If the first photo is a true indicator, a petty officer needs to go in there and have them get their berthing area squared away. It looks like a college dorm. Or, maybe, navie..."
Agree with you MR9 but maybe times have changed :)
Just saw this on my news feed this morning; a quick fact-check tends to indicate that it is accurate. The description below refers to a written statement released by the organisation's director, Steven Goldstein. Apparently I am no longer alone in seeing these parallels... "The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, a human rights organization founded in the late 1950s, recently tweeted a short list of President Trump’s actions that, for some, sound similar to tactics employed by Adol[f] Hitler."
According to The Telegraph:
'In a strongly worded statement, the centre’s executive director Steven Goldstein called the president “delusional”.
“Though the president finally mentioned, after long, painful three days, the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists, again he insisted on saying ‘others’,” Mr Goldstein said.
“And the president made it worse. He said we should all be united, but there’s no way on God’s earth we will ever unite with Nazis. That is not what the Greatest Generation fought and died for.
“Finally, what planet has the president been living on when he just said we all salute the same flag? We don’t salute the Nazi flag as the White Supremacists in Charlottesville do. He is delusional.”'
Manray9 wrote: "HMS Queen Elizabeth.If the first photo is a true indicator, a petty officer needs to go in there and have them get their berthing area squared away. It looks like a college dorm. Or, maybe, navie..."
R.e. the Royal Navy photo, maybe we're all simply becoming curmudgeonly in our old age, but I'm definitely in agreement with all of you- we had higher standards than that when I was in seminary! Besides which, there are valid & obvious tactical reasons for securing personal belongings and equipment etc. aboard a combat vessel...
I live in the northwestern corner of South Carolina directly in the path of totality for the eclipse. In the last few minutes before the sun went out, the light took on a strange artificial quality. The shadows became unusually stark. Everything was movie-like. Then the sun disappeared. The mid-afternoon world transformed into just a few moments before darkness in the evening. You could look up and see the sun obscured by the black ball of the moon. Birds stopped singing and the night insects started their chatter. It lasted for about 2 1/2 minutes, and then the sun reappeared with the odd light again. It was a weird phenomenon. I see why ancient peoples were freaked out.
It sounds like a very interesting experience MR9, one that I am yet to see.
We had 93% of totality where I live. The light got dim, almost like using a 40 watt bulb when you are used to a 100 watt bulb in the lamp, but not really dark. The light also a weird quality and cast some strange shadows.The area of Totality was about 150 miles north of here in Idaho and Wyoming. Listening to the traffic report this morning, it was reported that I-15/I-84 was stop and go at the Utah/Idaho border - almost like the SLC rush hour traffic had moved 75 miles north :)
Must of been pretty neat. Any Druids show up.My folks called me they live in Central Illinois, and said it was cloudy and didn't get the complete effect.
Just when you thought flying boats were a thing of the past, China began production this year of:http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/...
http://aviationweek.com/site-files/av...
Okay, if you want to quibble...it is an amphibian, not a pure flying boat. But it's close. The Russian Beriev Company still builds seaplanes. They built the effective Be-12 "Mail" ASW aircraft, which in Russian is known as a "chayka" (seagull) due to its distinctive wing structure. The Be-12:
https://modelsua.com/images/D/amo1438...
Doubledf99.99 wrote: "Must of been pretty neat. Any Druids show up.My folks called me they live in Central Illinois, and said it was cloudy and didn't get the complete effect."
I need to check and see if they did anything special at Stonehenge in Washington State. It is an exact replica of the stones in England, without the outside circle of small stones.
Doubledf99.99 wrote: "Must of been pretty neat. Any Druids show up.My folks called me they live in Central Illinois, and said it was cloudy and didn't get the complete effect."
In Utah!? (grin)
Not that I noticed :) It seemed everyone was out on their front lawns though :)
happy wrote: "Doubledf99.99 wrote: "Must of been pretty neat. Any Druids show up.My folks called me they live in Central Illinois, and said it was cloudy and didn't get the complete effect."
In Utah!? (grin)
..."
Naw south of Goldendale, across the river from Biggs Junction. A rich crack pot put in there. I thought that it was made from Concrete Forms before I went there and he had blocks from the site in England shipped over for it, cut to specification. Even in the Early 1900s that would have been a tad spendy.
I suppose this fits as a "Break Out" topic. Below is a column from the NY Times by Sarah Lyall that is a quasi-interview/discussion with John le Carré and Ben Macintyre. The subjects, of course, are books and spies.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/bo...
Good article MR9, thanks for posting the link.
I just watched "Hacksaw Ridge", and wow... what a powerful story. Great film, even with some nitpick things I cannot help but notice. I wanted to salute the screen, as such a hero as Mr. Doss deserves every respect. Highly recommend seeing it if you haven't. Not book related directly, but I'm sure the book is a fine read too : )
Good film, one of the few that is 90% accurate
Just came across this quote from Samuel Johnson:“I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read.”
I agree.
Good question MR9 but hopefully cooler heads will prevail but so far....
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Good question MR9 but hopefully cooler heads will prevail but so far...."Cooler heads are seldom found in political matters.
I have no idea what we are talking about. Sorry, I am new to this group I know it is about WW II, but can someone tell what else it is about?
Devika wrote: "I have no idea what we are talking about. Sorry, I am new to this group I know it is about WW II, but can someone tell what else it is about?"The Catalan vote for independence, I am guessing.
Devika wrote: "I have no idea what we are talking about. Sorry, I am new to this group I know it is about WW II, but can someone tell what else it is about?"Yes, the 'Break Out Area' is a forum for discussions other than WW2 and MR9 was talking about the recent violence in Spain with the Catalan vote for independence.
I read one of the older accompanying articles in NYT and it was a fantastic recap on the situation in the Catalan region:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/wo...
Interesting article, thanks for posting the link Haaze.
Erik wrote: "I just watched "Hacksaw Ridge", and wow... what a powerful story. Great film, even with some nitpick things I cannot help but notice. I wanted to salute the screen, as such a hero as Mr. Doss deser..."I met Des Doss, and knew and interviewed dozens of MOH recipients. I still work for my old Regt CO who is a Vietnam recipient, as his speech writer and we wrote his autobiography together. Doss was a very good and humble man.
Colin, is this the book you are talking about?
Noble Warrior: The Story of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor
As regards the Spanish situation, I really hope I'm forming an exaggerated impression of the levels of obstinacy and self-destructiveness among the political leadership there. I hate to even say this, but judging from the (bits & pieces of) reportage I have heard on NPR while driving between customers' premises during the work day, it sounds as if the thoughtless and reckless posturing could, God forbid, actually slide into another Spanish Civil War...
Liam wrote: "As regards the Spanish situation, I really hope I'm forming an exaggerated impression of the levels of obstinacy and self-destructiveness among the political leadership there. I hate to even say th..."Liam: I don't believe it will descend that far. The far-right, the church and the landowning class are not as prominent and powerful as in 1936. Leftist elements -- anarchists, socialists and communists -- are not as strident and influential among workers. The middle classes are greater in number and democratic pluralistic politics has a stronger presence throughout society. Spain is much more integrated within Europe now. Regional entities can be accommodated within a federal structure -- if all are willing to make a deal.
I am in complete agreement with your analysis above, Manray9, particularly as regards the middle classes. I also do not think it is particularly likely that the socio-political & ideological alignments could repeat themselves in the same fashion as during the 1930s. That being said, though, what does actually cause a bit of concern is the apparent lack of willingness even to be reasonable about the situation, much less actually negotiate some sort of resolution. It has seemed to me during these last several years that the high potential cost of extremism and violence has been to a large extent forgotten in western Europe (not to mention other places as well)...
On another topic entirely, I doubt if anyone has noticed that my reading has slowed down considerably this year, but it has done so for the eminently simple reason that my current glasses are the worst I've ever had the misfortune to own. Since a number of my friends, acquaintances and occasional random interlocutors around my neighborhood have either made the same mistake I did, or at least been tempted, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to warn all of you... The mistake I made was to fall for the misleading advertising of the "America's Best" chain. Judging from my experience, they ought to be called "America's Worst". Not only does their frame selection suck (like most low-end eyeglasses retailers ), but the optometrist repeatedly tried to "up-sell", insisting that I need bifocals. While there may be some people my age who do need bifocals, I do not; all I need is a correct prescription. I don't know whether it was malice or incompetence that caused that woman to screw mine up, but these glasses are damned near useless for reading, barely adequate for driving, and make my eyes hurt all the time. It is literally painful for me to read a computer screen now. I would guess the glasses are also at least partially to blame for the vicious headaches that have become common for me as well. Don't be fooled by the idea that you will save money by purchasing glasses from one of the AB chain stores- I assure you that will not be the case. Their advertising is deceptive, and you will end up paying almost exactly the same amount you would pay at any other retailer. The key difference is that when I have paid $450.00 for two pairs of glasses from LensCrafters or SEE, I not only could actually see, but I also was not in pain. In addition to that, of course, I actually liked the way the glasses purchased from those two places looked, which is always a nice added benefit. Obviously, this situation really sucks, and has rapidly become intolerable. I sincerely hope none of you make this particular mistake!
Liam wrote: "On another topic entirely, I doubt if anyone has noticed that my reading has slowed down considerably this year, but it has done so for the eminently simple reason that my current glasses are the w..."I am not in the US of A so my experience is here in Australia. My wife works in the industry and I have been myopic all my life. Here you basically pay cheap you get cheap. The 2 for one deals in Australia by the big name chains are a con. They up sell via the lens that are the same price if with a chain or with an independent. I would also suggest that if you are an avid reader and can afford it get yourself a pair of prescription readers. This is the best thing my wife ever suggested to me.
You use the term bifocal, I have what are called progressives in that I have 3 differing visions in the lens. These suit long, medium and short distance. I have recently gone from an office job to a production floor and found the progressive change in the lens outstanding for the new production floor job. My pair of office specs, made to be for medium and short vision in an office situation are now redundant.
Liam wrote: "On another topic entirely, I doubt if anyone has noticed that my reading has slowed down considerably this year, but it has done so for the eminently simple reason that my current glasses are the w..."Prescription readers work for me. Even so, some books are a no-go. For example One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War is on hold indefinitely, the print is minuscule!
Liam wrote: "On another topic entirely, I doubt if anyone has noticed that my reading has slowed down considerably this year, but it has done so for the eminently simple reason that my current glasses are the w..."I had to get glasses last summer, and I had really good luck with the pairs I bought online at Zenni Optical (you can get glasses there for under $20). I've also heard great things about Costco and Sam's Club for glasses. Can you get your prescription from AB and get a pair that works? (Or is the prescription wrong?)
Yes, I've heard good things about Zenni Optical from several people- I've already got their website book-marked. Besides, any company that offers not only red but also black heart-shaped Lolita sunglasses is pretty damn cool for my money! Thanx for the suggestions, A.L. I'm happy to hear that about Sam's Club- I am in one of the local branches several times every week for work. I had originally intended to get my glasses there, but the optometrist at that store left and was not replaced for nearly a year, which is how I ended up getting the shaft from America's Worst. The main issue is in fact that the prescription is wrong. It is actually the most worthless prescription I've ever had in 45 years of wearing glasses (I got my first pair in 1972, when I was not quite two years old). There was for many years a place called Bagley Optical in downtown Detroit, where many of us who lived in the old Cass Corridor neighborhood used to buy our glasses; what they used to do was simply measure the lenses in an old pair and duplicate the prescription. They had an enormous store-room with ancient industrial sheet-metal shelving jammed with box after box of both used and N.O.S. glasses frames, all of which were absolutely filthy, as the entire room was coated with what appeared to be fifty years worth of dust. We would rummage around until we found some frames we liked, and take them up to the front, where they would wash them off and make the lenses. The glasses were always ready the next business day, and cost exactly $50.00! Detroit was an absolutely wonderful place to live during that time...
4triplezed, it sounds like the situation in Australia is much the same as here in the States. Unfortunately, it seems as though large corporations nearly always get away with overcharging & under-serving (not to mention simply ripping off) customers, and that it has gotten worse over time. I suppose this state of affairs illustrates one of the primary reasons why it is nearly always a better option in both the short & long term for all of us to patronise independent local businesses as much as possible. That's really nice you need only the one pair of glasses now! My mother has had a similar experience with the new progressive lenses; she was obliged to have two separate prescriptions for many years before that.
When I started wearing glasses there were only independent optical shops. There was no regulation in Singapore then to have a optometrist in these shops so the owner generally doubled as one. They used to make us wear that funny looking pair of glasses which they could add or remove lenses from. It worked most of the time. Nowadays they have that 'laser' machine which they use on us and then it's back to that funny pair of glasses as before.There are now quite a few chains operating here which touts rather cheap glasses and encourages shoppers to try the frames. I always think that they are fashion stores for people who don't actually need glasses.
I remember going to a grumpy old friend of my father's for my eye tests, he was a opthalmic surgeon so he did us a deal. Just used to grunt a lot, then write something on a card and say to take it to the (only) chain shop outside. He didn't like the automatic systems as he felt they tended to overprescribe, which then creates something of a downward spiral for eye strength.A girl I was at school with - who achieved all the top marks - went in to optometry at uni, but only stayed a couple of years as there was too much small-business management and not enough medical work to keep her interested. Changed fields completely and did economics and politics I think.
Next week I'm taking my wife for a drive to Cowra, New South Wales, to spend a few nights and to visit a few local attractions including these spots linked to Cowra's WW2 history:Cowra Japanese War Cemetery:
http://www.australiancemeteries.com.a...
Cowra Japanese Gardens:
https://www.cowragarden.com.au/
World Peace Bell:
https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations...
The Japanese POW Breakout at Cowra:
https://anzacday.org.au/cowra
I am taking this book with me to read while I'm in Cowra:
The Man Inside ... The Bloodiest Outbreak by Graham Apthorpe
That's an amazing story. So many men to sacrifice themselves for their perceptions. It is to the credit of the Australians to maintain the cemetery in the photos. Will be interested in what you think of the book.
R.I.P. Fats Domino (26 February 1928–24 October 2017)...
Liam wrote: "R.I.P. Fats Domino (26 February 1928–24 October 2017)..."Oh, damn. I just found that out today. Yeah, we'll miss him; if you don't like Domino, you probably don't like rock & roll very much.
Yeah, I'll definitely second that, Jerome... Have you read this
yet?
Jerome wrote: "Liam wrote: "R.I.P. Fats Domino (26 February 1928–24 October 2017)..."Oh, damn. I just found that out today. Yeah, we'll miss him; if you don't like Domino, you probably don't like rock & roll ve..."
When I was station at Ray Barracks, Friedburg Germany, there was this one bar that played alot of songs by Fats Domino, and Percy Sledge. Some goood times were spent there.
THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP
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there's a Yankee air museum in Ypsilanti, maybe they are from there?