TWELTH NIGHT, TUESDAY 6th JANUARY 2015 09:09 GMT

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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (6th January 2015)
On the Russian Front...
At Churchill's request, Stalin agrees to launch the Vistula-Oder offensive earlier than planned in order to help reduce German pressure on the Western front
6th Guards Tank Army and 7th Tank Army of Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front attack across the Hron River
Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front continues fighting its way into Budapest - Soviet artillery fire closes the makeshift Racecourse airfield in the city
Soviet submarine is S-4 sunk by Kriegsmarine torpedo boat T-3 in the Baltic

On the Western Front...
British 2nd Army captures Grimbiermont

The Battle Of The Bulge:
Hitler continues to refuse to allow German forces to withdraw from positions in the Bulge
US 1st Army continues attacking on northern flank of the Bulge
US 3rd Army attacking around Bonnerue, Tillet, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, Goesdorf, and Dahl on southern flank of the Bulge

US 15th Army becomes operational under General Ray Porter for training and rehabilitating forces of US 12th Army Group

Operation Nordwind:
US 7th Army counterattacks around Bitche and Gambsheim 

North Sea...
RN destroyer Walpole is written off by a mine

In the Pacific...
Two Japanese cargo ships are sunk by patrolling US aircraft off French Indochina

Today's Air Raids...
Germany on transportation targets by US 8th Air Force
Hanau, Neuss and Kassel, Germany by RAF Bomber Command
East Indies on military targets by US FEAF
Off the Philippines on USN shipping by kamikaze aircraft. One minesweeper is sunk, a transport is written off and numerous ships are damaged
Off Luzon on Japanese shipping by USN aircraft from Task Force 38. Seven cargo ships are sunk
Iwo Jima by US 7th Air Force
Nagoya and military targets in Japan by US 20th Air Force
Nanking and targets of opportunity in China by US 20th Air Force
Hankow and Wuchang, China by US 14th Air Force

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Ironing
Online promotional work
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 1,850 (up 1)  
Non-followed Tweeps unfollowing = 0
Unfollowers Eliminated = 0
New Followers followed back = 1
@YourLifeCoach
Spammers not followed back = 0
 
3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
As Missus' carer, one of the continual tricky acts of judgement I face is how much to intervene in her actions. Without any intervention, her life would dissolve into unhappy chaos. If I took too much control we would both be unhappy. 

I quite like the "wet bar of soap" analogy. Hold too loosely and the bar will drop away. Squeeze too tightly and you will crush it. You must therefore hold it gently but firmly. You have to respond to her illogical behaviour but in a measured way, on a case-by-case basis.

Making this job harder is Daughter, who would without hesitation and without conscience gladly bleed us financially white, and Missus would happily let her. Daughter also prefers to live in denial about her mother's illness and prefers to react from her own narcissistic impatience and intolerance.

I would dearly love to eliminate this threat by forcing Missus to choose between us, but that is not in the best interest of Missus' wellbeing. I must therefore fall back to continual vigilance and occasional intervention.

Missus is not always fully compliant! Her favourite counter-tactic is the financial fait accompli, buying stuff or giving money to Daughter and announcing it after the event. Having upset me on a few occasions now, she is at least bothered by a guilty conscience using a tactic she would herself be upset by if it was used against her. She has also been honest enough to admit all this, something I deeply respect her for. 

I am hoping that Missus has learned her lesson for a while, and will not be dispensing further resources we can't afford either on whims or a Daughter all-too-happy to take it but who doesn't appreciate any of it.   

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Do you have the courage to make interventions where necessary?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Some showers in the morning.
Dry from noon with clear spells
A moderate westerly will ease and turn south-westerly in the evening
Max Temp = 8 degC at 9am
Min Temp = 3 degC at midnight
Sunrise at 08:24
Sunset at 16:02

Weathertrack: A cold front will pass through Britain quickly, followed by a ridge of high pressure then more fronts on Wednesday
Air Pressure: 1014 millibars and rising

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
"We don't serve fleas in here" said the barman. "Well you're not a very good host!" said the flea.

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Tere Joyce on money for sex and the sex shop

8. TRIVIA
When a troop of Guenon Monkeys gets a new leader, the new alpha-male will sometimes kill all babies who are still being suckled--an evolutionary behavior known as kin selection, where the male protects his own offspring by killing the offspring of other males. 

9. ZEN WISDOM
Each of us, no matter how weak or ineffectual we may feel ourselves to be, must build deep within our hearts a stronghold for peace, one that will be capable of withstanding and in the end silencing the incessant internal and external calls to war. This is the only way humanity’s tragic predilection for violence can be reformed and its energies channeled in new directions.