An Ounce - For Your Consideration

 Did you know that every British tank, from WW2 on, has a tea kettle in it? 

The British and their tea have a powerful relationship. It is part of a well-known and celebrated cultural institution. The Brits discovered tea hundreds of years ago, during the early 1600s, in China. And – over the centuries - for many, it has become a defining element of being British. And this tradition is one they have shared worldwide.

Afternoon tea was customarily accompanied by polite and positive conversation. It happened regardless of the circumstances or the people you were with. Conflict, worry, and insult were simply not proper. One might be in battle or at home in the lap of luxury. With friends and family, strangers, or even enemies. When it is time for tea, you take time - and brew some tea. 

A requisite part of British identity and tradition around it is empire was Tea - even a part of its armed conflicts. So much so, that British tanks are designed and fitted with a kettle in the crew compartment. 

 Well, they do. And there is a reason – so let’s explore a little – 

In 1998 a discovery of over 1200 bones and fragments in a 3-foot by 3-foot basement room. The bones were discovered during a renovation of the home by a workman – who noticed a thighbone sticking up out of the ground. Their location: 36 Craven Street, London. A home in which Benjamin Franklin boarded for several years prior to the American Revolution. At that time the home belonged to Margaret Stevenson and her daughter Polly. 

The police became involved as a matter of policy. And the authorities dated this rather large cache of remains to be a bit over two hundred years old - from the time Franklin was living in the home. 

It was determined that the bone pile found in Ben Franklin’s residence belonged to at least 28 individuals, 6 of whom were children, and 43 various animals. Could it be that Ben Franklin - this American founding father – was a serial killer? …. If he was, he worked at a scale that would have made Jack the ripper envious. 

 Cats have a strong presence in human society and in our history. The Cat held a sacred place with the Pharaohs in Egyptian history. The pagans also looked upon the cat with great respect.

But there was a time in history when that balance between humans and felines was destabilized – and it didn’t go well for the humans.
In one interpretation of events, beginning in the early 1200s, the cat found itself on the wrong side of Pope Gregory the 9th. He had a real problem with felines. Most especially black ones. The Pope published an edict declaring that cats were bad. So bad that they carried with them the spirit of the Devil with them – and they could not be trusted.

Many of the folks got pretty committed to the ‘kill the evil cat’ cause.
Problem is, in the real world, when you kill the predator, the natural result is that the prey explodes in population. In this case the prey whose life expectancy and numbers dramatically increased were mice, and rats … who carry fleas, that also carry the plague. 

 What happened? How did Brailsford turn things around for the British Cycling Team such that a very marginal group of blokes on bikes progressed to true and legitimate competitors. And then to the topping of the cycling throne? In a word – he didn’t do much. 

 

https://hbr.org/2015/10/how-1-performance-improvements-led-to-olympic-gold 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/oct/20/marginal-gains-tarnished-bradley-wiggins-dave-brailsford 

https://www.limelight.consulting/hub/articles/principle-of-marginal-gains-coach-improves-everything-by-one-percent 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/23/how-to-be-mentally-tough-use-the-1percent-marginal-gains-rule-says-performance-expert.html 

It was Sunday night, October 30th, 1938, when we first learned that aliens had invaded at Grover's Mill in New Jersey. This report came over the radio airwaves on the CBS Mercury Radio Theater on the Air. 

According to the news dispatches aired, local law enforcement was informed, and curious folks had come to look. The local radio station arrived with a reporter who was able to report live from the scene to describe everything. The first alien spacecraft crashed into the surface of the earth, and for a time it sat quiet. 

It was just a curiosity, until the aliens emerged to wreak havoc on the peaceful citizens. In their advance the aliens left nothing alive, and nothing but a barren smoldering wasteland in their wake. 

Then 60 minutes after it began, the radio play, The War of the Worlds ended, as the invading Martians were rapidly killed off by a simple virus, they had no defense for – and the earth was safe again. 

 The next morning, the Newspapers were filled with reports of mass panic and nationwide hysteria by those who caught the radio program the night before. 

But did it?

Also See:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/madisonmcgee/people-are-sharing-the-wildest-historical-events-that-are    -    item 7

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/infamous-war-worlds-radio-broadcast-was-magnificent-fluke-180955180/

https://youtu.be/Xs0K4ApWl4g?si=YgGS1lG85YgBt-LB

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2013/threatened-by-radio-newspapers-exaggerated-war-of-the-worlds-panic/

What do you think? If you put a five-foot nothin’, less than 100 lb. woman armed with only her bare hands, up against a full-grown, 700 pound hungry polar bear, who would win the fight? 

If one were to match any human up against a polar bear, the human would have little to no chance of surviving. Unless the human has a high-powered rifle, a sufficient amount of ammo, and can hit what they are aiming at. 

It did not turn out as expected when one polar bear made a bad choice and skulked into a little village in the northernmost region of North America. It was looking for a snack, maybe? Then, It began sizing up a 7-year-old boy. But when the 7-year-old's mom noticed the bear - and it was on. 

 

https://www.espn.com/outdoors/general/news/story?id=2338668 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mother-fights-off-polar-bear-to-save-children-1.625164 

https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/polar_bear_no_match_for_fearsome_mother_in_ivujivik1/ 

Have you ever noticed someone who just looks very different? Maybe it’s a noticeable scar, or strange hair color, or that they are just really out of place, or odd. 

Worse yet, have you paid attention to the proclamation of some ‘authoritative expert’ that a particular physical attribute is a true sign of beauty? … Then looked in the mirror to see if you possess it? Or worse, done the mirror check to look for what someone else told you was unattractive. 

Our society has moved to a point where folks are constantly comparing themselves to the standard that they are convinced represents real beauty and attractiveness - and finding themselves unable to measure up to that ideal. So, needlessly, they opt for surgery, or spend huge amounts of time and money trying to get that look. 

Today, this unreasonable concern that we might be unattractive is causing serious issues for our mental wellbeing, by convincing people they are ugly – or that everyone thinks they are ugly, not worthy, or alone because of that. 

It is so bad that some see no other way out but to take their own lives. 

 At 3:15 PM on January 26th, 1972, fight 367, a DC-9, took off from Copenhagen. About 45 minutes later, everything changed for the 28 passengers and crew. 

Vesna Vulovik ( Vez-nah Vah-low-vek) was in a place she wasn’t intended to be. But her employer got her mixed up with a different Vesna on the roster. She could have declined the assignment from JAT Airways, the Yugoslavian State airline, where she worked as a flight attendant. But, Vesna Vulovik decided to take the mistaken assignment, as she was excited to travel to Denmark.
 
At the time, Eastern Europe was not all the safest place to be. Croatian terrorists had been active, and causing trouble for Yugoslavia, since the early 60s. Commercial airliners had been one of the Croatians targets for bombings and hijackings – especially the State Airline, JAT. 

Like most of us, at just 23, Vesna Vulovik was immortal. Who worries about things like that when you are young. She was a determined young lady wanting to live a great life. And being a flight attendant was going to help her get what she was after. 

 

 Other Sources:

https://www.deseret.com/23890083/longest-fall-survived-vesna-vulovic 

https://www.damninteresting.com/vesnas-fall/ 

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/vesna-vulovic/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87 

There are a few songs that have lyrics that nobody seems to be able to decipher. And, you might be surprised to find out just how ridiculously far efforts to find their meanings went. 

We’re not necessarily talking those songs that have a word or two, here or there, that you can’t quite figure out.                         

Because, there are those where you can understand every word – but the message is an enigma. Even when super fans can tell you they know what the words Truly mean. Perhaps the meaning is known only to the composer – or maybe there is any logic to them– the words just sound good together. 

And then – there are those where the artist mushes up the words and phrases so much, you can’t be sure they are speaking words. 
 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/madisonmcgee/people-are-sharing-the-wildest-historical-events-that-are  Item 11 

https://vault.fbi.gov/louie-louie-the-song/louie-louie-the-song/view 

Additional Reference:
 

Richard Berry, speaking in an interview, revealed the lyrics he wrote were meant to be the lamentations of a love sick sailor, from the Caribbean, talking to a bartender named Louie as follows: 
“Louie Louie, me gotta go. 
A fine little girl, she wait for me. Me catch the ship across the sea. I sailed the ship all alone. I never think I’ll make it home. 
Louie Louie, me gotta go. 
Three nights and days we sailed the sea. Me think of girl constantly. On the ship, I dream she there. I smell the rose in her hair. 
Louie Louie, me gotta go. 
Me, see Jamaican moon above. It won’t be long me see me love. Me take her in my arms, and then I tell her I never leave again. 
Louie Louie, me gotta go.” 

(By Richard Berry. Copyright 1957-1963 by Limax Music Inc.) 

There are occasions when the stars align and bring a little light to even a difficult circumstance. Sometimes it hard for us to see. We get lost in the problem at hand. We focus on righting the wrong. Or, we might just walk away trying to forget the whole thing. But, if and when, we turn and take it in – as it is – there is often a sparkle of brilliance to be found.

This is just such a story. At the end of this episode, you’ll hear one of the lesser known, and more poignant aspects, of what came to pass on a day never to be forgotten.

https://www.ussutah1941.org/baby-nancy.html     
https://stationhypo.com/2022/12/14/a-baby-girl-is-entombed-on-the-uss-utah-at-pearl-harbor/         
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2022/07/21/baby-pearl-harbor/