SATURDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2013 08:20 GMT

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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (16th February 1943)
On the Russian Front...
Soviet 40th Army and 3rd Tank Army push German II SS Panzer Korps out of Kharkov, capturing the city.

In Germany...
Himmler orders the clearance and destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, the inhabitants to be exterminated at Treblinka death camp.
The White Rose Movement distribute anti-Nazi leaflets calling for active resistance to the regime.

In France...
Activation of the Service du Travail Obligatore, a programme of enforced mobilization of French men and women for work in German factories.

In the Mediterranean...
RN submarine HMS Unrivalled sinks Italian vessels Sparviero and Pasubio.

In Tunisia...
The British 8th Army cross the Libyan border for the first time and enter Ben Gardane.
Battle of Kasserine Pass: German 10th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Division push toward Sbeitla, and US forces withdraw from the town.

In the Atlantic...
French vessel Geir is sunk by a U-boat-laid mine.

In the Pacific...
Japanese vessel Hyuga Maru is sunk by USN submarine Flying Fish.

In Australia...
The US 6th Army is created under the command of General Walter Krueger.

In China...
The North Yangtze Offensive: Chinese forces withdraw from the area around Sha Hu, Chienli, and Pailu Hu.
Luichow Operation: The 23rd Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese 23rd Army, transported from Hong Kong, conducts an amphibious landing on the Luichow peninsula and captures Haikang.

Today's Air Raids
Northern France on military targets by RAF Fighter Command and US 8th Air Force fighters.
St. Nazaire, France by US 8th Air Force
L'Orient, France by RAF Bomber Command
Swansea, Wales by the Luftwaffe
Bay of Biscay Minelaying by RAF Bomber Command
Amchitka Island by Japanese aircraft
Lae, New Guinea by US 5th Air Force
Ubili, New Britain by US 5th Air Force
Burma various targets by US 10th Air Force.

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging and a brief missus time before shift 2 of the Weekend Job. TV footie in the late evening.

 Twitter Followers = 1,610 (down 1)
  Nonfollowed eliminated = 1
  Unfollowers eliminated = 0

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
I find myself having to go back to basics somewhat, in order to keep grounded in the moment. I recognise negative emotions as an indication that my attention is in the wrong place, so the challenge is where exactly to put it. The problem with a good run of outcomes is that you unwittingly become used to it, and get dependent on it. When circumstances become less favourable, you get a shock!

I have been reminded of the importance of unattachment to outcomes, and it has taken a while for me to disentangle myself from that and refocus on the eternal. This is where faith comes in. There are various levels of exprience of self, the smallest and most popular being the ego, experiencing self as a point in time and space. On the other extreme is the Universe - ultimately you are the Universe made conscious.

From the perspective of Universal Consciousness, there is no "outside" - everything you need is within. At this level of consciousness, what from the ego's perspective is your body becomes simply a sensory organ by which you can temporarily experience Yourself from a single point. It is possible to know Yourself as Universal Consciousness by learning to calm the mind. This enables you to listen to "Yourself" (Yourself being the universe) and so know complete inner peace.

For some, their goal is full Enlightenment, to experience life in a perpetual state of Universal Consciousness. From my ego's persective, my preference is to flit between many different perspectives, from the Universe right down to the ego - I think they all have their uses. That said, negative emotions are cues to ascend to higher levels of consciousness. This is a relatively simple matter - you calm your mind and listen to yourself as the universe. The challenge is in keeping detached from outcomes in the first place, so you don't have to then disentangle yourself when they turn sour.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
What really is this thing that you call "me"

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Foggy start, leading to a sunny and dry day.
Dry in the evening and overnight with sunny spells.
Wind will be negligible
Max Temp = 6 degC
Min Temp = 1 degC
Sunrise at 07:25
Sunset at 17:18

 6. TODAY'S ONELINER
I brought some cheap fish from Tesco - turns out it was Sea-Horse! : D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Amy Anderson on giving birth and racial stereotypes

8. TRIVIA
Greece is not just a popular traveller's destination for humans. Thousands of birds stop in Greece’s wetlands on their migrations. As many as 100,000 birds from northern Europe and Asia spend all Winter there.

9. THE WISDOM I'VE LEARNED FROM OTHERS
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." - Henry Ford