THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, SUNDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2013 07:03 BST

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1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (22nd September 1943)
On the Russian Front...
Soviet 3rd Guards Tank Army crosses the Dniepr River at Veliki Bukrin, followed by 27th Army and 40th Army
Soviet Southwest Front attacks the German 1st Panzer Army 
Soviet North Caucasus Front captures Anapa

On Cephalonia Island, Greece...
After several days of combat, German troops disarm the remainder of the Italian Acqui Infantry Division and execute 5000 men. No German officer would ever be prosecuted for this massacre.

In Albania...
In two days of attacks in the north, Albanian partisans claim 90 German troops killed

In Italy... 
The British 8th Army advances towards Foggia
US 5th Army enters Acerno and Oliveto

In the Mediterranean...
Italian vessel Andrea Sgarallino is sunk by British submarine Uproar
US vessel Richard Olney is damaged by a mine off Bizerte and subsequently written off     

In Libya...
All remaining aircraft of US 9th Air Force are transferred to the 12th Air Force 

In the Atlantic...
U-229 is sunk by RN destroyer Keppel    

In the Pacific...
Japanese vessel Katsurahama Maru sunk by USN submarine Snook
Japanese vessels Daishin Maru and Kowa Maru are sunk by USN submarine Harder off Japan 

Hong Kong...
Japanese vessel Teia Maru arrives to embark more US internees for exchange in Portuguese India 

In New Guinea...
Task Force 76 lands Australian 20th Infantry Brigade at Scarlet Beach on the Song River north of Finschhafen and 22nd Infantry Battalion at Blue Beach on the Huon peninsula to the south. Detachments of Japanese 80th Infantry Brigade and 238th Infantry Brigade oppose the landings. Japanese aircraft attack Allied shipping off Finschhafen, but US interceptors claim more than 40 air-to-air victories at the cost of three P-38 fighters.

Today's Air Raids...
Hannover, Oldenburg and Emden, Germany by RAF Bomber Command 
Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France US Fighter patrols - German ship Jenny is destroyed at Nantes.
Evreux, France by US 8th Air Force
Athens and Maritsa, Greece by US 9th Air Force
Lae and Finschhafen, New Guinea by US 5th Air Force
Cape Gloucester, New Britain by US 5th Air Force
Gasmata, New Britain by the RAAF  
Monywa, Burma by USAAF

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
The Milk Run
Laundry
Marital Time
Lunch
Meditation/Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 1,673 (up 1)
Nonfollowed eliminated = 0
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
New Followers = 1
@ryanmaddings

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION
I was rudely awakened by Shadow the cat nibbling my thigh to get an early breakfast at the insane hour of 04:20, and after having a wee, I felt thirsty and awake, so I "went with it" and fed cats, got a batch of laundry going and started blogging over a cuppa. No doubt I will pay for having only 4 hours sleep, but never mind, the time was useful.

Son returned from sleepover somewhat less negative and the break clearly did everyone good. After the "Raw Chicken Gujon Incident" last week, Son is unlikely to repeat the error so will be off to singing lesson, and consequently Missus will be requesting "physical servicing" before lunch, which she will duly receive courtesy of Viagra.

I had a minor altercation with a chav regarding the behaviour of his child on the bus home last night, which had no lasting consequence, but I was reminded of how important the restraint of responsibility is. Because I had a loving home to go to and a difference to make, all my actions were measured and appropriate. Without these, the full power of my dark side would have been unleashed on this guy, of which no good at all would have resulted. 

I was further reminded through my historical diarising in the article above what ordinary human beings are capable of if restraints are absent. I consider myself fortunate to have an incentive for restraint and to have developed the appropriate mind-management techniques to self-restrain with. Most useful of these by far is to turn off thought, so disengaging destructive impulses and being the "real me". 

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you aware of those who count on you and the difference you can make?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry, mild and cloudy throughout, with a consistent moderate westerly wind.

6. TODAY'S ONELINER
What do a necrophiliac and a lawyer have in common? They keep screwing you even after you're dead.   : D 

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY! 
Sarah Kendall on Russell Howards Good News

8. TRIVIA
Hollywood was originally founded in 1887 as a teetotal religious community, and cinemas were banned. The transformation to the decadent centre of the movie industry began when, in 1910, the residents voted to be annexed into the municipality of Los Angeles to gain access to its water and sewerage system, and consequently came under its more liberal laws. The first film by a Hollywood Studio, Nestor Motion Picture Company, was shot on October 26, 1911. 

9. ZEN WISDOM
Hope transforms pessimism into optimism. Hope is invincible. Hope changes everything. It changes winter into summer, darkness into dawn, descent into ascent, barrenness into creativity, agony into joy. Hope is the sun. It is light. It is passion. It is the fundamental force for life’s blossoming.