FYI December 07, 2019

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On This Day

1942 – World War II: British commandos conduct Operation Frankton, a raid on shipping in Bordeaux harbour.
Operation Frankton was a commando raid on ships in the Nazi German occupied French port of Bordeaux in southwest France during the Second World War. The raid was carried out by a small unit of Royal Marines known as the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment (RMBPD), part of Combined Operations inserted by HMS Tuna captained by Lieutenant-Commander Dick Raikes who, earlier, had been awarded the DSO for operations while in command of the submarine HMS Seawolf (47S). (The RMBPD would later form the Special Boat Service).

The plan was for six kayaks (called “canoes” by the British) to be taken to the area of the Gironde estuary by submarine. Twelve men would then paddle by night to Bordeaux. On arrival they would attack the docked cargo ships with limpet mines and then escape overland to Spain. Men from no.1 section were selected for the raid; including the commanding officer, Herbert ‘Blondie’ Hasler, and with the reserve Marine Colley the team was thirteen in total. One canoe was damaged while being deployed from the submarine and it and its crew therefore could not take part in the mission. Only two of the 10 men who launched from the submarine survived the raid: Hasler, and his no.2 in the canoe, Bill Sparks. Of the other eight, six were executed by the Germans while two died from hypothermia.

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Born On This Day

1915 – Leigh Brackett, American author and screenwriter (d. 1978)
Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American writer, particularly of science fiction, and has been referred to as the Queen of Space Opera.[1] She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on such films as The Big Sleep (1946), Rio Bravo (1959) and The Long Goodbye (1973). She also worked on an abandoned draft of The Empire Strikes Back (1980). She was the first woman shortlisted for the Hugo Award.

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FYI

Huff Post: Ron Leibman, ‘Angels In America’ And ‘Friends’ Actor, Dead At 82 The actor played a huge variety of roles in movies, theater and TV in a career that spanned six decades.
 
 
Ronald Leibman (October 11, 1937 – December 6, 2019) was an American actor. He won both the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play in 1993 for his performance as Roy Cohn in Angels in America. Leibman also won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Martin ‘Kaz’ Kazinsky in his short-lived crime drama series Kaz. In 1986 Leibman was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the role of Morris Huffner in Christmas Eve. Leibman is most widely known for providing the voice of Ron Cadillac in Archer and for playing Dr. Leonard Green, Rachel’s rich, short-tempered father, on the sitcom Friends.

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Jezebel.com: I’m a Truck Guy Now; This Week In Meghan McCain Brings More Unpopular Opinions and Joy Behar’s Funeral and more ->
 
 
 
 
Jalopnik.com: Uber’s First-Ever Safety Report Reveals 3,045 Sexual Assaults And 9 Murders In 2018; What It Takes (And Costs) To Fly Your Own Plane; Is Electric The Answer For The Mazda Miata?; TEN Publishing Kills 19 Automotive Print Publications Including Automobile [Updated] More ->
 
 
 
 
Gizmodo Science: Invasive Mice Seen Attacking Adult Albatrosses on Breeding Colony for the First Time and more ->
 
 
 
 
The Old Motor: Four Fun Friday Kodachrome Car Photographs No. 232
 
 
 
 
By Phil Helsel, NBC News: Three fired over Nazi salute photo with West Virginia corrections employees More than 30 others have been suspended without pay as officials investigate the photo that appears to show trainees making a Nazi salute in uniform.
 
 
 
 
By Nick Fouriezos, Ozy: Where Tech Is Helping People Become Better Neighbors
Why you should care
Because the new networking could mean sharing space — and friendship — with your neighbors.
 
 
 
 
Kathryn’s Report: Loss of Visual Reference: Cessna 172R Skyhawk, N537HF; accident occurred November 30, 2017 at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport (KTMB), Miami-Dade County, Florida and more ->
 
 
 
 
A Taste of Alaska: Grandma’s Naughty Dinosaurs
 
 
 
 
The Passive Voice: When you own an artwork, you don’t own the copyright: Danish artist wins injunction against watchmakers planning to cut up painting; Should Barnes & Noble rethink its supply chain? More->
 
 
 
 
Open Culture: How a Bach Canon Works. Brilliant.
 
 
 
 

Ideas

By Lldevita, Alaska Master Gardener Blog: Crop Rotation
 
 
By lldevita, Alaska Master Gardener Blog: Cover crops
 
 
By lldevita, Alaska Mater Gardener Blog: Water conservation in the garden

Recipes

By Lindsay Champion, the Kitchn: 31 Lazy Dinners to Make Every Night in December
 
 
The Food Network: 9 Pastry-Chef Hacks for Better Holiday Cookies When you make a ton of cookies for a living, you pick up some clever tricks along the way.
 
 
My Recipe Treasures: Simple English Toffee
 
 
My Recipe Treasures: Reese’s Copycat Peanut Butter Balls