MONDAY 8th JULY 2013 07:37 BST

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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (8th July 1943)
On the Russian Front...
The Battle of Kursk:
German 9th Army makes negligible progress against heavy resistance on northern shoulder of Kursk salient.
German 4th Panzer Army pushes forward on southern shoulder of Kursk salient
Soviet 40th Army moves to the front to support 6th Guards Army and 1st Tank Army
German Army Detachment Kempf makes slow and small gains.

In the Black Sea...
Kriegsmarine S-boat S-102 is sunk by a mine

In the Baltic...
Kriegsmarine mine destructor vessel Sperrbrecher-165 is sunk by a mine

In France...
Jean Moulin, chief coordinator of French Resistance, dies in Gestapo custody.

In the North Sea...
The Royal Navy Home Fleet sorties toward Norway to divert German attention from operations in the Mediterranean

In the Mediterranean...
Italian vessel Valfiorita is sunk by RN submarine HMS Ultor

In the Atlantic...
Norwegian vessel B.P. Newton and US vessel Eldena sunk by U-510
U-232 sunk by USAAF aircraft off Portugal
U-514 sunk by RAF aircraft

In the Pacific...
On New Georgia Island, US 43rd Infantry Division pushes toward Munda whilst US Liversedge Force attacks toward Enogai

In New Guinea...
Elements of US MacKechnie Force reach Bitoi Ridge

Today's Air Raids...
Cologne, Germany by RAF Bomber Command
Northern France RAF Fighter patrols
North Sea Minelaying by RAF Bomber Command
Sicily Military targets by USAAF
Kahili, Buin, and Poporang on Bougainville Island by US 13th Air Force
Mubo, New Guinea by US 5th Air Force
Haiphong, Indochina by US 14th Air Force
Buthidaung, Burma by RAF aircraft

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Bath
Blogging
Housework/Garden
Meditation
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 1,671 (no change)
Nonfollowed eliminated = 0
Unfollowers eliminated = 0

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
Today has a "fresh start" feel. Missus, having recovered from a stomach virus, returns to work. Cats, confined indoors after Revan sustained an injury in a cat-fight on Thursday, are released to patrol outdoors. I find myself very focused on my gifts, talents and abilities. I am on the lookout to exploit opportunities to use them as they arise. I have no doubt that your experience of life is largely down to focus - firstly being able to focus well through practice and dedication, and secondly by being focused on the right thing.

Spiritual
Though I consider my character to be very spiritual, I part company with many other spiritual people on a key issue - I do NOT believe in the primacy of love as the fundamental power of the universe. Love is indeed powerful, and a commendable force to wield, but my experience and observation has led me to conclude that it is not the "prime-mover" of events.

Hate, selfishness and destruction are equal in power to effect change. Light and dark are equal, opposite, and even mutually dependent for existence. The prime-mover of change in the universe is CONSCIOUSNESS. Everything is a consequence of one universal consciousness - there is nothing BUT consciousness in everything we experience.

Of course, this generates another question - is there a more fundamental force that allows consciousness to exist? As individuals, we cannot possibly know! Everything experienced by an individual is consciousness experiencing itself - in the same way that everything in a dream is really all just you. In a dream, all your experience is inward - you have no awareness of the outside world until you awaken. Similarly, we can only be aware of the universe as beings within it, not see beyond it.

So what are we to do? Enjoy the movie! Remember that you are NOT the character you are experiencing, you are actually everything, just like in a dream. There is therefore nothing at stake. Where there are decisions, let your intuition make them while you observe - your ultimate purpose is simply to see what happens next.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
What do YOU think you're here for?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Warm, dry and sunny!
Clear overnight
A light north-easterly breeze will veer south-easterly around dusk
Max Temp = 22 degC
Min Temp = 15 degC
Sunrise at 04:46
Sunset at 21:37

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
Christmas is when Satan gets a shitload of letters from dyslexic kids : D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
QI - Mormons and Polygamy

8. TRIVIA
The first woman to rule a country as an elected leader in the modern era was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, who was elected as prime minister of the island nation in 1960 and later re-elected in 1970.

9. ZEN WISDOM
Hope is the mother of endurance.