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Posted on 02/13/2006 8:35:48 PM PST by alfa6
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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THE VALENTINE TANK  Based on the A10 Cruiser tank, the Valentine was privately designed by the Vickers-Armstrong corporation (hence its lack of an "A" designation) and was submitted to the War Office on February 14, 1938. Like many other projects, the Valentine was rushed into production following the loss of nearly all of Britain's equipment during the evacuation at Dunkirk. Several versions exist concerning the source of the name Valentine. The most popular one says that the design was presented to the War Office at St. Valentine's Day (February 14). Some sources, however, claim that the exact date the design was submitted was February 10. According to other version, the tank was called Valentine in honor of Sir John Valentine Carden, the man who led the development of the A10 and many other Vickers vehicles. Yet another version says that Valentine is an acronym for Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  The War Office was initially deterred by the size of the turret and the crew compartment. However, concerned by the situation in Europe, it finally approved the design in April 1939. The vehicle reached trials in May 1940, which coincided with the loss of nearly all of Britain's equipment during the evacuation at Dunkirk. The trials were successfull and the vehicle was rushed into production as Infantry Tank III Valentine. The Valentine remained in production until April 1944, becoming Britain's most mass produced tank during the war with 6855 units manufactured in the UK (by Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage and Wagon and Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon) and further 1420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2394 of the British models being sent and 1388 of the Canadian (the remaining 30 were kept for training).  The Valentine was Britain's most mass produced tank during the war, having manufactured 6855 and a further 1420 in Canada. They were the Commonwealth's main export to the Soviet Union under the Lend-lease Act, with 2394 of the British models being sent and 1388 of the Canadian (the remaining 30 were kept for training). In Soviet service, they were quite popular due to their small size, reliability, and generally good armour protection. In Soviet service, the Valentine was used from the Battle of Moscow until the end of the war. It was employed mostly on the southern fronts, both because of the proximity to the Persian supply route and in order to avoid using the tank in very cold climate. Although criticized for its speed and its weak gun, the Valentine was liked due to its small size, reliability and generally good armour protection. The Valentine was something of an oddity, having the weight and size of a cruiser tank, but the armour and speed of an infantry tank. Though its armour was still weaker than the Matilda and, due to its weaker engine, it shared the same top speed, its high reliability and lower cost kept it in the war. ![](http://www.dad.incomingwormhole.com/Valentine/valentine_mk_iii_01.jpg") By 1944, in the European Theater of Operations the Valentine was almost competely replaced in the frontline units by the Churchill and the US-made Sherman. In the Pacific the tank was employed in limited numbers at least until May 1945. There were 12 variants of the Valentine as follows:     |
Every minute. ;-)
1. Vermont was the first state admitted to the Union after the ratification of the Constitution.
2. With a population of fewer than nine thousand people, Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital in the U.S.
3. Montpelier, Vermont is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonalds.
4. In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
5. Montpelier, Is the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S.
6. Vermont's largest employer isn't Ben and Jerry's, it's IBM.
7. Until recently, the only way a Vermonter could get a drivers license with their photo on it was to drive to Montpelier.
8. Vermont was, at various times, claimed by both New Hampshire and New York.
9. Until 1996, Vermont was the only state without a Wal-Mart.
10. Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company gives their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who use it to feed their hogs. The hogs seem to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo.
11. Rudyard Kipling, living in Vermont in the 1890's invented the game of snow golf.
12. Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses, you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores. This doesn't apply to bars, but can affect those traveling through the state.
13. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the fourth of July. Born in Plymouth 7/4/1872.
14. Vermont's state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome. Atop the dome is a statue of Ceres Don’t know why Vermont only provided 14 fun facts . . . of course after reading these (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz) maybe they’re doing us a favor. I mean 6, 7 and 12? These are page turners.
1. Vermont was the first state admitted to the Union after the ratification of the Constitution.
Pikers! The ratification, or adoption, of the Constitution took place between September of 1787 and July of 1788. The first five ratifications took place in quick succession: Delaware, December 7, 1787 (unanimous); Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787 (46-23); New Jersey, December 18, 1787 (unanimous); Georgia, January 2, 1788 (unanimous); and Connecticut, January 9, 1788 (128-40). And where was Vermont? Coming in at number 14 three years later on March 4, 1791.
Morning Glory ='s Evening Grace
Yessiree, that 20 minute drive was a killer.
So, here I am sitting at the computer trying tyo unlax and reqind. There's a Bittygirl sitting on the desk in front of me.
Next thing I know, she's waving firecrackers at me. HUh?!?!?!?!?
Good Lord, what's she gonna find next?
LOL
How many grey hairs you got now PE?????
You've got your hands full with that one. :^)
lol. zzzzzzzzz.
Good night sweets.
xoxoxo
xoxoxox
I think you may have missed the real error as to the Constitution claim.
The Constitution was ratified (according to the CIA) on 17 September 1787 http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2063.html
I'm an originalist tonight, so let's start with the document itself.
"The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same." (Art. VII). So the first state admitted after ratification would arguably be the 10th state to ratify, not the 14th state. For the record, that would be Virginia. See ratification order and dates here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution
"Montpelier, Vermont is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonalds." Maybe not in the city limits, but they have 2 within 5 miles or so of the city center.
478 S BARRE RD
BARRE, VT 05641
1332 USHY 302 BERLIN
BARRE, VT 05641
"12. Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses, you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores. This doesn't apply to bars, but can affect those traveling through the state." The Privileges and Immunities clause comes to mind. I wouldn't mind trying that one with the right plaintiff.
Art IV Sec 2: The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states. There are some Commerce Clause implications, as well.
"Vermont's state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome. "
Georgia has one. I'm not trying to suggest that he's a crook, but the state had to re-gild it after Jimmy Carter left the governor's office. Now how was he able to finance a sucessful campaign from Plains, GA?
Colorado has one as well. A quick google suggests that W.Va, Mass, possibly NJ, CN, Iowa (may be the former capitol. And before you start calculating percentages, I can think of at least 2 capitols that don't even have domes (Oklahoma just left that list). In any event, we are well over 10%.
Aye
Good question. But I think the money made on the gold market was used to pay off debts from a failed peanut business and to launch the brewing and distribution of "Billy Beer". ;^)
The answer to the eternal question regarding bears and the woods...
Shamelessly ripped off from another thread on FR :-)
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
It's becoming more of a case of how many are not grey.
A Class five hurricane heads for the New Orleans coast. How much Heineken can you carry?
Wow. That's bright and cheery.
1. Virginia was named for England's "Virgin Queen," Elizabeth I.
2. The major cash crop of Virginia is tobacco and many of the people who live there earn their living from the tobacco industry.
3. Jamestown, the first of the original 13 Colonies was founded for the purpose of silk cultivation. Silk to be traded with the Court of King James. After blight fungus destroyed the mulberry trees (silkworm food), sericulturist planted tobacco as a cash crop.
4. Jamestown was the first English settlement in the U.S. It was also the first capital of Virginia.
5. Virginia is known as "the birthplace of a nation".
6. Arlington County was originally part of the ten-mile square parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be part of Washington, DC. The U.S. Congress returned that portion of the land to the "Commonwealth of Virginia" following a referendum among its citizens.
7. Eight United States Presidents were born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.
8. Six Presidents' wives were born in Virginia: Martha Washington, Martha Jefferson, Rachel Jackson, Letitia Tyler, Ellen Arthur, Edith Wilson.
9. Seven Presidents are buried in Virginia: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Tyler, Taft and Kennedy.
10. The present state capital in Richmond was also the capital of the Confederacy.
11. The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg is the second oldest in the United States, it was founded in 1693.
12. The State nickname is "Old Dominion".
13. The State flower is not really a flower, but the blossom of the dogwood tree, which is also the state tree.
14. The first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia.
15. The Blue Ridge Mountains are located in Virginia.
16. The American Revolution ended with the surrender of Cornwallis in Yorktown.
17. On March 9, 1862 at Hampton Roads, Virginia, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimac) met in one of the most famous naval engagements in US history. Their battle, the first of its kind between metal armored vessels, changed for all time the nature of naval warfare.
18. 10th of the 13 original colonies, Virginia was admitted to the union June 25, 1788.
19. The state motto is "Sic Semper Tyrannis". (Thus always to tyrants)
20. Union Passenger Railway was the first successful electric street railway transit agency. It was formed in 1888 at Richmond.
21. The states of Kentucky & West Virginia were formed from sections of the state of Virginia
22. About 1/2 of all the people in the United States live within a 500 mile radius of the Capital of Virginia.
23. Virginia has had 3 capital cities: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Richmond.
24. Richmond was also the capital of the Confederate States during the Civil War
25. Over 1/2 the battles fought in the civil war were fought in Virginia. Over 2,200 of the 4,000 battles.
26. In Virginia more people work for the United States government than any other industry. About 1/4 of Virginia's workers.
27. Virginia's largest private employer is also the world's largest ship building yard.
28. Virginia is the home base for the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet.
29. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in Arlington National Cemetery.
30. The Pentagon building in Arlington is the largest office building in the world.
31. The Pentagon has nearly 68,000 miles of internal telephone lines.
32. Dulles International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world.
33. General Thomas Jackson got his nickname "Stonewall" in Manassass. The site of 2 major Civil War Battles.
34. The first Thanksgiving in North America was held in Virginia in 1619.
35. Yorktown is the site of the final victory of the American Revolution.
36. Virginia has been dubbed the "Internet Capital of the world".
37. The Atlantic headquarters of NATO is located in Norfolk.
38. The Great Dismal Swamp is in Virginia near the North Carolina border.
39. Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia. Its population is expected to surpass 500,000 residents by 2010.
40. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is the world's largest bridge-tunnel complex.
41. Wild Ponies have roamed freely on Assateague Island for centuries.
42. The world's only oyster museum is on Chincoteague Island.
43. Busch Garden's Old Country Theme Park is located near Williamsburg.
44. President Thomas Jefferson designed his own home and called it Monticello.
45. George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, is located in Virginia.
46. Robert E. Lee, Commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered his men to Ulysses Grant, General-in-Chief of all United States forces, on April 9, 1865 at the Appomattox Court House.
47. Patrick Henry made his "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech in St. John's Church in Richmond.
48. Bristol is legally two cities but they share the same main street. One in Virginia and one in Tennessee each with its own government and city services.
49. Waynesboro was the site of the last major battle of the Civil War in central Virginia, the Battle of Waynesboro in 1865 between Generals Jubal Early and Philip Sheridan.
50. Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls has an early 19-century wooden water wheel and operating gristmill. The old Miller's House features an exhibit about the process of milling and the families who operated the mill.
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