SUNDAY 3rd MAY 2015 08:23 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 
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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (3rd May 1945)
On the Russian Front...
German Army Group Courland is ordered to begin evacuation by sea
German transports Sachsenwald and Weserstrom with Kriegsmarine torpedo boats T-36 and T-108 depart Hela with refugees
Soviet 2nd Byelorussian Front contacts British 2nd Army around Wismar
Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front contacts US 9th Army on the Elbe River
Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front contacts US 1st Army on the Elbe River
Remnants of German 12th Army continue moving west to reach American lines and escape the Russians

In the Baltic...
11 German ships and 4 U-Boats are sunk by Allied aircraft. One of them, was prison transport ship Thielbek, resulting in the death of more than 2400 concentration camp prisoners
U-2534 and Kriegsmarine destroyer Z-43 are scuttled
Kriegsmarine minesweeper M-14 is sunk by a mine

Nazi-Held Germany...
As further vessels arrive in port, another mass-scuttling of German warships and U-Boats takes place in German-held ports
Travelling towards Kiel in an automobile with his wife and daughter in order to meet with Field Marshal Manstein, Field Marshal Bock is strafed and mortally wounded by RAF fighter aircraft, dying the next day

Netherlands...
RAF and US 8th Air Force continue food drops to civilians in German-held areas

On the Western Front...
Doenitz arranges to send a surrender delegation to Montgomery's 21st Army Group headquarters in an attempt to negotiate a local surrender
Canadian 1st Army occupies Oldenburg unopposed
British 2nd Army occupies Hamburg unopposed
US 3rd Army captures Passau and advances toward Linz
US 7th Army advances toward Salzburg and Berchtesgaden while continuing to negotiate the surrender of Innsbruk 
French 1st Army crosses into Austria and advances to Feldkirch
German Physicist Werner Heisenberg is taken into custody by US forces
Hans Frank, former German governor general of Poland, is captured by US troops in Bavaria

Portugal...
The Government orders a day of national mourning for the death of Hitler

Italy...
All seven Kriegsmarine S-boats remaining in the Mediterranean depart Pola to surrender to the Allies at Ancona
German garrison of Trieste surrenders to British 8th Army - Tito's Yugoslavian partisans and 2nd New Zealand Division are involved in a standoff over the control of the city. Kriegsmarine torpedo boat TA-22 (ex Italian) is scuttled offshore

In the Pacific...
Tarakan:
Australian 26th Infantry Brigade are attacking against strong Japanese resistance

South China Sea:
USN submarine Lagarto is sunk by IJN minelayer Hatsutaka

Luzon:
US 6th Army halts attacks in order to regroup

Mindanao:
US 8th Army captures Davao, which is in complete ruins
A detachment of US 8th Army lands at Santa Cruz on the Gulf of Davao

Okinawa:
US 10th Army attacking Japanese 32nd Army around the Maeda escarpment and Kochi Ridge
The Japanese launch counterattacks overnight, including unsuccessful amphibious operations costing 500-800 killed
Offshore USN destroyer Little is sunk and many other ships damaged by kamikaze attacks
USN vessel Carina is damaged by Japanese demolition craft

Yellow Sea:
 IJN coast defense ship No. 25 is sunk by USN submarine Springer

China...
Japanese 11th Army ends operations against Chinese 46th Army around Tuan

Burma...
British 14th Army is advancing toward Rangoon from Pegu and occupies Prome on the Irrawaddy River unopposed, cutting off Japanese forces in the Arakan

Operation Dracula: 
Indian 26th Infantry Division, learning that the city is undefended, re-embarks on landing craft and moves into Rangoon itself

Today's Air Raids...
Kiel, Germany by RAF aircraft, sinking eight vessels and the partially-constructed U-1008
Truk Atoll by US 7th Air Force
New Guinea on Japanese positions by RAAF aircraft
Japan on airfields and minelaying offshore by US 20th Air Force
Saigon, Indochina by US FEAF
China on transportation targets, bridges, and targets of opportunity by US 14th Air Force

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
The Milk Run
Ironing
Lunch
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 1,921 (up 2)
Non-followed eliminated = 1

@nypyvygubyni

Unfollowers eliminated = 0

New Followers followed back = 3

@shwood, @alispagnola, @JHopkinsBooks

Spammers not followed back = 0

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION 

Though things went smoothly enough yesterday and no one noticed anything, my focus needed frequent pulling out of dark places yesterday. This was set off by purely physiological causes - less sleep, hydration and food than my body would have liked. This all lowers mood. Nevertheless, such occasions are inevitable and I want to be able to get through them successfully.

On reflection I realized that this is a question of thought-management. In a low mood or physical discomfort, I need to keep thought to a minimum, as they set off chains of negativity. Though I've recognized it for some time intellectually, I've been slow to subconsciously accept that the enemy is unnecessary thought - it isn't "me" and only upsets my biochemical balance. I need to give mind-emptying more focus.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you the master of your own mind?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Very wet start
Rain will turn gradually into a very damp fog by early afternoon
Fog will lift by late afternoon and there will be sunny spells but also showers
Showers will eventually clear shortly before dusk
A moderate easterly will have swung south-westerly by late afternoon
Max Temp = 14 degC at 4pm
Min Temp = 6 degC at 8am
Sunrise at 05:28
Sunset at 20:41
Moon: 

Weathertrack: A depression west of Ireland will remain static and sweep weather fronts across Britain today.
Air Pressure: 997 millibars and falling

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
I'm so early, even the voices in my head are still snoring! :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
The Graham Norton Show - Foreign Menus

8. TRIVIA
To punish the Marsh Arabs who rebelled against his rule, Saddam Hussein drained the marshes where they lived in 1991, destroying the largest area of natural wetlands in the Middle East. The Marsh Arabs (Ma’dan) and their ancestors had lived in these rich wetlands for over 5,000 years. This was one of the most serious attacks on the natural environment in world history.

9. ZEN WISDOM
Even places that have been shrouded in darkness for billions of years can be illuminated. Even a stone from the bottom of a river can be used to produce fire. Our present sufferings, no matter how dark, have certainly not continued for billions of years—nor will they linger forever. The sun will definitely rise.