[PRCo] Re: warmer temps

[John Swindler]

Very appropriate.  (:>)
 
And a memorable movie, in many ways.
 
Cheers
John
> Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:13:24 -0500> From: allmanr at verizon.net> Subject: [PRCo] Re: warmer temps> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > John-closest thing to Maginot Line I can recall is the toll booth in movie > "Blazing Saddles"!> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Swindler" <j_swindler at hotmail.com>> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>> Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 9:50 AM> Subject: [PRCo] Re: warmer temps> > > > >fwschneider commented> >> > If you go on the internet you will find all sorts of references to U. > > >> > S. Military Cemeteries in Europe, particularly in France and > > >> > Luxembourg. But, for balance, I would suggest that those who go > there > >> > and choose to visit our cemeteries also look at "their" places > of > >> > internment. The sad difference is how young they drafted people > in > >> > order to perpetuate the war. You'll find them both in German > church > >> > yards and German military cemeteries ... teen agers from 13 on > up. > >> > There is a German cemetery within a few miles of our military > > >> > cemetary in Normandy and it is worth the visit for balance.>> >> >> > Not really drafted, as we would know it. They were the "Hitler Youth" and > > far too often, they had to be killed because they would not surrender.> >> >> The cemetery in Luxembourg has General Patton's grave. He is buried > at > >> the front of his troops. Of course he died not leading his men > into > >> battle but in an vehicle accident after the war.>> >> > Excuse me, but Patton was then an Army Group commander. Generals at that > > level would be court-marshalled if they tried to lead their men into > > battle. They might get captured. The highest ranking US officer was > > killed by the US Army Air Force. Gen. Rose made the mistake of going > > forward to observe the carpet bombing near St. Lo.> >> >> Something else to see is the French Maginot line, a row of > underground > >> fortifications stretching from Luxembourg south to > Switzerland with > >> guns aiming at Germany. For those on the list > unfamiliar with this faux > >> pas of military history, it built after > World War I in to keep the > >> Germans from again invading France. It > was built for another cavalry > >> war. World War II was an aerial / > motor vehicle war. It was a classic > >> case of defending yourself for > the last war. The Germans, in World War > >> II, simply came around > through Belgium, and attacked the line from > >> behind.> >> >> > Not quite. The von Schlieffen plan used in WWI did send German forces on > > a swing through the low countries. They needed the maneuver space.> >> > In WWII, Case Yellow called for Guderian to lead a panzer attack through > > the Ardennes to get behind the Allied armies. Then a different German > > army group would push through the low countries. The result was Dunkirk. > > But the 'blitzkrieg' and encirclement was Guderian in the south.> >> > The Maginot Line wasn't for a cavalry war, but a repeat of trench warfare. > > France's problem was a low birthrate over prior 20-30 years. What's > > surprising is that France had a larger armor force then Germany, but > > didn't concentrate their tank forces.> >> > It is a good idea of Fred's to visit one of these cemeteries and reflect > > on those who 'gave up their tomorrows, for our todays'.> >> > Happy holidays> > John> >> >> >> >> >> >> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line> > fws> On Dec 23, 2008, at > >> > 12:51 AM, Mark McGuire wrote:> > > Dennis and John,> >> > My dad was > >> > also in WWII and from what very little I remember him > > telling me, > >> > he was stationed just outside where The Battle Of The > > Bulge was. I > >> > remember one word that sticks out in my mind. COLD. He > > said it was > >> > so cold that their feet were getting frost bite.> > On a more humorous > >> > note, my dad told me how scared he was when he > > first got shipped > >> > over to Europe during WWII. He said he was so > > scared to get out of > >> > bed that he peed in his bed and then switched > > mattresses with > >> > another guy the next morning when nobody was > > watching. In > >> > hindsight, I wished I would have asked dad alot more > > questions as > >> > he's not around anymore to ask.> >> > Wishing all of you all the best > >> > this holiday season and throughout > > the new year.> >> > -- John > >> > Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com> wrote:> >> >> > Strange you should > >> > mention this, Denni!> > s. My wife and I were > > talking about these sorts of things yesterday, > > and the > > opportunities and blessings we have enjoyed that would have > > been > > just a dream to our parents generation, and incomprehensible to > > our > > grandparents and earlier.> >> > Things like - how often did ones > > parents go to a restaurant (once), > > or how often did the family go on > > vacation? I can count on one > > hand the number of family vacations > > during my youth, and all > > involved staying at a relatives to save meal > > cost. My wife has a > > similar memory of a cabin in Wisconsin and her > > mother having to > > clean and cook the fish her dad caught. And yes, both > > of the > > houses of our youth were heated with a coal furnace. Today I > > can > > hear the heat pump doing it's thing. And a garage attached to the > > > > house. What a novel idea. (Then again, my parents didn't have to > > > > deal with the "junk" filling up most of the garage.)> >> > Two other > > things we talked about yesterday: the electroni!> > c > > revolution that enables us to communicate with email for instanc> > e, > > and advances in medical technology that have kept many of us > > > > alive. Speaking of history, a distant cousin died in the yellow > > fever > > epidemic in Cincinnati around 1875. When was the last time > > you heard > > about a yellow fever epidemic in this country? And what > > about polio? > > I'm just thankful for the blood pressure pills as > > there is a history > > of heart problems in my families past.> >> > So was your dad in the 28th > > or the 99th in December 1944? Both had > > the misfortune to be in the > > wrong place (Ardennes) at the wrong > > time. Another cousin was in the > > 28th, and even he claimed (and > > rightfully so) that he was never quite > > right afterwards. In my > > dad's case, an uncle mentioned that he was > > stranded on Malta for > > awhile, something dad never mentioned. Adds a > > whole new meaning to > > the word 'destitute'.> >> > Many of us would > > probably wish to go back 60-70 years to the time > > of the trolley, but I > > doubt if we would want to stay there for very !> > > > long. It was a far - far different world.> >> > And the Andy Rooney > > > > comment rather says it all. For many of us, we > > have reached the > > > > age where if we want/need something, we already > > have it. As I tell > > > > my wife, all I want is for folks to take care > > of their health and > > > > drive safely. Everything else will take care > > of itself.> >> > > > > > Thanks for the reminder, Dennis.> >> > I started volunteering at PTM > > > > three years ago, and the unexpected > > joy has been to watch the > > > > faces of the young kids during Santa and > > Pumpkin weekends.> >> > > > > > John> >> >> >> >> From: dfc1 at windstream.net> To: > > > > pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > >> Subject: [PRCo] warmer temps> > > > > Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:17:46 > >> -0500> > As Oscar Hammerstein II > > > > wrote; "Oh what a beautiful > >> morning!" I have now been up for 2 > > > > hours and the outside air > >> temperature has already doubled. It is > > > > now 6 degrees at 7:35 in > >> the morning. Is it really that bad? > > > > Hardly. > We live in a > >> wonderful time an!> > d I ask each of you when it was any better for > >> you? I am sitting> > in a warm home with a gas furnace that > >> automatically comes on when I > > need heat. I can control the heat > >> from a small thermostat on the > > wall. Who remembers coal furnaces?> > >> > My van is parked in an unheated > > garage, but once I get out on > >> the road, it will warm up very quickly. > > I have not had to go > >> through the annual change to winter treads for > > over 30 years. > >> Remember putting chains on those rear wheel drive cars > > that were > >> horrible in the snow?> > I have spent the past month > > decorating > >> and remembering. As with most of you, my parent!> > s and > > grandparents are no longer here in a physical sense, but the > > holiday > > season helps us acknowledge the good and not so happy times > > of the > > past. As we get older, we place less value on material > > items. Andy > > Rooney said it best last night, "Don't buy me any > > gifts, If I really > > want it, I already bought it for myself." If > > life is so bad right now, > > why are most of us on this list without > !> > > want?> > Offer to go to your local school and do a transit > > > > > presentation to the lifeskill students. You will see some of the > > > > > happiest children in the world and come home thankful for what you > > > > > have. One of the worst heartaches in the world for me working with > > > > > children was seeing them suffer and many times lose their battle > > > > > with life from either disease, accident or by their own hand. The > > > > > best part of working with children was seeing them grow.> > Would > > > > > you want to go back to another time and live? If so, what decade?> > > > > > > My dad was 15 when the stock market crashed. He then served in > > the > > > Civilian!> > Conservation Corps and spent Christmas of 1944 stuck in > > > cold and > > blea> > k of what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. > > > Want to go back > > to the 30's or 40's? > > We are having another > > > peaceful transition > > of power next month in Washington as we > > > inaugurate our first > > African American president. What a positive > > > sign of our countr!> > y > > moving toward opportunity without regard for race, religion, or> >> > sex. Are we there yet? Hardly, but it is a positive step. Do you > > > >> > want to go back to the 50's when it became so noticeable on a > > > >> > national scene that separate but equal was hardly equal? Television > > > >> > made the world a little smaller.> > We mark the 40th anniversary of > > > >> > the end of the tumultuous year of 1968 with the readings from the > > > >> > book of Genesis on Christmas Eve as the men from Apollo 8 circled > > > >> > the moon for the very first time and showed us the view of earth > > > >> > from space. We do live on a sparkling jewel! What a relief that was > > > >> > after the unrest we experienced with the assassinations of MLK and > > > >> > RFK, the misery of Vietnam, the inequity of peoples rights, and the > > > >> > Chi!> > cago riots. Want to go back to the 60's? > > Why have we > >> > noticed > > so much and had so much change? Advances in communication > > >> > > technology. Lincoln had to leave the White House and walk across > > > >> > the street to get news from the war front via telegraph. We are a > > > >> > grou!> > p of people who share our joys and or sorrows on a medium that > > is once > > again changing how we view the world.> > There are two > > things certain > > in the world (no, not death & taxes): > > People > > resist change. Change > > is inevitable.> > I enjoy studying the past > > and know there were great > > times and not so great times. I tend to > > study history to see how it > > changed the lives of people and to see > > how people changed history. > > Change is happening at a faster rate > > than ever before and we need to > > be careful to not become too > > pessimistic. My glass is more than half > > full!> > Merry Christmas! > > > Happy Chanukah!> Blessed Kwanza!> And > > there is always Festivus for > > the rest of us!> > It is still 6 out, so > > some things do not change > > as fast as we!> > sometimes wish they > > would.> > > Dennis F. Cramer> Trombone> > >> > > > _________________________________________________________________> > It's > > the same Hotmail®. If by "same" you mean up to 70% faster.> > http:/!> > /windowslive.com/online/hotmail? > > ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_bro> > ad1_122008> >> > > > ____________________________________________________________> > Get a Film > > Degree at a school near you. Get free info. Click Here.> > > > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/fc/ > > > > PnY6rx8PN2bwJF7DqRNMPgpi267D84UpAWEQNHL2mIaDCuDx1Dx7a/> >> >> > >> > _________________________________________________________________> > It's the same Hotmail®. If by "same" you mean up to 70% faster.> > http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_broad1_122008> >> > > > 
_________________________________________________________________
Send e-mail faster without improving your typing skills.
http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_speed_122008