THURSDAY 9th JANUARY 2014 05:53 GMT

AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE DOWNLOAD, DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD AND AUDIOBOOK - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (9th January 1944)
On the Russian Front...
Soviet 4th Guards Army captures Aleksandrovka

In London...
Walter Bedell Smith named chief-of-staff to Eisenhower

In Albania...
A party of American nurses, stranded after a plane crash, are safely evacuated to Italy aboard a RN motor gunboat 

In Italy...
US 5th Army pauses to consolidate before resuming its offensive against the Winter Line 

In the Medterranean...
Kriegsmarine minelayer Niedersachsen lays mines along the Italian coast

In Marrakech, Morocco...
Churchill and de Gaulle meet for a conference.

In the Azores...
First US engineer unit arrives to improve and expand base facilities

In Cleveland, Ohio...
Antanas Smetona, exiled president of Lithuania, dies in a house fire

In the Pacific...
US 7th Marine Regiment at Cape Gloucester on New Britain attack Aogiri Ridge 

In Burma...
Chinese 38th Infantry Division attack toward Taihpa Ga 

Today's Air Raids...
Northern France fighter patrols by RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force
Mostar, Yugoslavia by US 15th Air Force
Ancona and the German front line, Italy by US 12th Air Force
Reggio Emilia and Pola, Italy by US 15th Air Force - U-81 is sunk at Pola
Military targets on Bougainville and Buka Islands by US 13th Air Force
Madang, Alexishafen, Bogadjim, and military targets in New Guinea by US 5th Air Force
Rabaul, New Britain by US 13th Air Force
Yangtze River shipping and military targets in China by US 14th Air Force
Menam River, Thailand  minelaying by US 10th Air Force
Loilaw, Burma by US 10th Air Force
Rangoon, Burma offshore minelaying by US 10th Air Force
Akyab, Burma by RAF aircraft

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Me Time
The Milk Run
Kitchen housework 
Online promotional work and bookwriting
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 1,700 (no change)
Nonfollowed eliminated = 0
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
New followers = 0

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
Thursdays represent a golden opportunity to "crack on" as I am undisturbed for the whole day and have only minor housework tasks to do, just to get a little physical activity into the day. it must be said that I have been known to squander this time on trivia, but if I want to move my Practice forward, I need to put in the time and effort.

I have been reasonably pleased with my emotional management recently. I know full well that what counts is my response to the external and internal circumstances I face. Both these will inevitably and unavoidably stir up dark emotions and thoughts. I am sometimes unsettled by how dark my dark side is! I have fortunately made great progress in self-management, and I know that my focus needs to be strong enough to be centred on the intuition at such times.

For the focus to keep strong enough, I have to keep exercising it at all other times, keeping it firmly grounded in the moment, which is the paradox of having such a black dark side - to prevent it possessing me I am forced to sharpen focus in such a way that leads to full Enlightenment. Without the internal and external challenges I have had to face, I would certainly be ignorant and asleep like the public at large.

4. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
Can you see how your bad experiences have made you stronger?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
A wet start with heavy showers
Showers move away by 9am and it will be dry and cloudy thereafter, with clear intervals
A moderate north-westerly will veer gradually south-westerly by midnight
Max Temp = 5 degC
Min Temp = 4 degC
Sunrise at 08:22
Sunset at 16:07

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
I'd love to drown in an ocean of orange soda - it's my Fanta-sea  : D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY
George Carlin on men and women

8. TRIVIA
Attractive defendants are not only statistically less likely to be convicted, but when they are, they are likely to suffer less severe punishment than an unattractive person convicted of the same offence. 

9. ZEN WISDOM
Hope only disappears when you decide something is hopeless.