TUESDAY 17th JUNE 2014 05:46 BST

NEW BOOK AVAILABLE NOW!! - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (17th June 1944)
On the Russian Front...
Soviet Leningrad Front advances as Finnish Forces withdraw to the VKT Line

In France...
Hitler meets Rommel and Rundstedt at Soissons, with the Fuhrer in a rage and insisting there must be no withdrawals from Normandy
U-123, no longer seaworthy and not easily refitted, is decommissioned at L'Orient

In Normandy, France...
Sword beach is still being hit by German artillery fire
9th Infantry Division of US 1st Army breaks through to west coast of the Cotentin peninsula, isolating the German divisions defending Cherbourg 
Very heavy Allied air support keeps German forces tied down. 

In the English Channel...
RN minesweeper MMS-279 is damaged by a mine off Normandy
RN gunboat Locust is damaged by German gunfire off Normandy
RN destroyer Talybont damaged by German shore batteries off Cherbourg

Sorties by S-Boats based at Boulogne are driven off inflicting no damage.

In the North Sea...
U-423 is sunk by Free Norwegian aircraft 

Over England...
RAF Fighters shoot down 36 V-1's.

In Italy...
British 8th Army advances toward Perugia 
US 5th Army advances northward
Operation Brassard: Free French 9th Colonial Infantry Division lands on Elba

In the Mediterranean...
German vessel Canosa is sunk by RN submarine Universal 

In the Pacific...
Saipan:
US 2nd Marine Division and 4th Marine Division and elements of 27th Infantry Division advance and are heavily engaged at Aslito Airfield
USN LCI(G)-468 is heavily damaged by Japanese aircraft, written off and scuttled
Japanese vessel Marudai Maru is sunk by USN aircraft off Saipan 

USN escort carrier Fanshaw Bay is damaged by Japanese aircraft off Tinian
IJN auxiliary sub chaser Cha-56 is sunk by USN aircraft off Rota Island  
IJN submarine RO-117 is sunk by USN seaplanes off the Caroline Islands

Japanese vessels Kinshu Maru and Nihonkai Maru are sunk by USN submarine Hake off Mindanao Island

US 41st Infantry Division continues attacking enemy positions around Mokmer airfield on Biak Island 

In New Guinea...
Australian troops reach northern tip of Hansa Bay, finding all Japanese troops withdrawn. 

In China...
Operation To-Go (Hunan-Kwangsi Operation): 
Under attack from 58th Infantry Division of Japanese 11th Army, Chinese 4th Army withdraw from Changsha

On the Salween front:
11th Army Group of Chinese Y Force is withdrawing due to Japanese counterattacks around Lungling

In India...
British 2nd Infantry Division bombards the Japanese rearguard around Mao Songsang on the road from Kohima to Imphal 
Indian 7th Infantry Division attacking toward rear of Japanese Mao Songsang positions, which the Japanese abandon overnight  
Indian 5th Infantry Division advances north from Imphal toward Kangpokpi on the road to Kohima 

Today's Air Raids...
Berlin by RAF Bomber Command
Abbeville V-Weapons Site, France by RAF Bomber Command
Pagan Island by Carrier-based aircraft from USN Task Group 58.4
Truk Atoll by US FEAF
Ponape Island and Nauru Island by US 7th Air Force
Sorong harbor, Babo, and Wewak, New Guinea by US FEAF, sinking 3 ships at Sorong Harbour
Rabaul and military targets on New Britain by US FEAF
Southern China on military targets by US 14th Air Force
Imphal, India by Japanese aircraft

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Gardening/Gutter clearing 
Online promotional work
Meditation
Missus Time                 

Twitter Followers = 1,749 (down 1)
Nonfollowed eliminated = 1
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
New followers = 0

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
In an otherwise standard kinda Monday it was noticeable for early waking (even by my standards!) and low appetite, for no glaringly obvious reason. My priority continues to be correct focus, which can be summarised as "Grateful Submission to my higher self"

It's incredibly liberating as the calm mind that results is truly blissful, but I'm not complacent - I know it requires continual mental effort to maintain this level of focus.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you doing all the right things to make your life fulfilling?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry and cloudy throughout, with a light north-easterly wind
Max Temp = 17 degC
Min Temp = 10 degC
Sunrise at 04:35
Sunset at 21:40
Jetstream: Over the North Sea running north-south and static 
Weathertrack: High pressure west of Ireland will remain static. A depression around Iceland will deepen slightly and move east
Air Pressure: 1004 millibars and slowly falling

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
People tell me I'm indifferent, but I don't really care :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY! 
Dara O'Briain on Tayto crisps

8. TRIVIA
Some dogs can smell dead bodies under water, where termites are hiding, and natural gas buried under 40 feet of dirt. They can even detect cancer that is too small to be detected by a doctor and can find lung cancer by sniffing a person’s breath.  

9. ZEN WISDOM
Words spoken from the heart and filled with a powerful wish for someone’s happiness can deeply touch that person’s life and revive his or her spirit, becoming a source of lifelong inspiration.