Posted on 05/12/2013 7:56:36 PM PDT by EveningStar
Alan Turing was a British scientist and a pioneer in computer science. He is well-known for breaking the German Enigma code during World War II. His suicide after being convicted of homosexual acts has made him a martyred hero of the gay community ...
Turing made it his goal to crack the complex Enigma code used in German naval communications, which were generally regarded as unbreakable. Turing cracked the system and regular decryption of German messages began in mid-1941. To maintain progress on code-breaking, Turing introduced the use of electronic technology to gain higher speeds of mechanical working. Turing became an invaluable asset to the Allies, successfully decoding many German messages ...
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
To start with a swag is your bedding roll etc - usually wrapped in canvas. A Swagman was someone who lived out of their swag (that they rolled up and carried in their travels). Many of them in early Australia would have maybe been shearers or farm workers that walked from job to job, from sheep station to sheep station. Either that or they were what we would call bushies who basically just like to live free and would live in the bush and only come into town when they needed supplies.
They could be a bit free with other people’s possessions. In the Aussie song ‘Waltzing Matilda’ the Swagman steals a Jumbuck (sheep) and ends up committing suicide in a Billabong (watering hole) when the cops catch up with him.
Mel
Thanks for the info...
Watch this short youtube clip.
Excerpt of “Waltzing Matilda” from “On the Beach” (1959)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n7LwzODzQg
He IS cute! I miss the days when parents dressed children up nicely.
What a great film ‘On the Beach’ was. I had not remembered that version of the song though - Australian’s do not normally sing it as a Negro Spiritual but rather an Aussie(see Irish) ditty.
Love the version though - initially thought it might be Paul Robeson but it gets a bit too light at the end for him - Who sings it?
Mel
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