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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:     |
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Spc. Shauna Rohbock, a member of the National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program, pilots USA-1 under the Olympic logo on curve 11 of the Cesana Pariol bobsled track in the Italian Alps. Tuesday, Rohbock, along with brakeman Valerie Fleming, won Silver in the Women’s Bobsled competition at the XX Winter Olympics. Jack Gillund
Great picture.
1. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States.
2. In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk. The Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawks now commemorates their achievement.
3. High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World.
4. Know as "Fish Town" in the early 1700's when Blackbeard frequented the coast, "Beaufort Town" was established as a seaport with the right to collect customs, in 1722.
5. The Outer Banks of NC hosts some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.
6. Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.
7. Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse ever to be moved due to erosion problems.
8. The University of North Carolina's mascot, the Tarheels, is a nickname for North Carolinians that supposedly came from the days when NC produced a lot of tar, and someone saw a set of footprints made by someone who had stepped in the tar.
9. Charles Karault was born and raised in Wilmington.
10. Havelock is home of Marine Base "Cherry Point." It is the largest air base in the Marine Corps.
11. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation. Students at a Wilson County school petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly for the establishment of the sweet potato as the official state vegetable.
12. Harker's Island hosts the annual Core Sound Decoy Festival in December.
13. Morehead City is home to the North Carolina Seafood Festival, held the first weekend in October every year.
14. The World War II battleship 'North Carolina' is permanently berthed on the Cape Fear River at Wilmington. She was saved from the scrap heap in the 1960's by public subscription, including donations of dimes by schoolchildren.
15. The first English colony in America was located on Roanoke Island. Walter Raleigh founded it. The colony mysteriously vanished with no trace except for the word "Croatoan" scrawled on a nearby tree.
16. Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. It towers 6,684 feet above sea level.
17. Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem.
18. The Venus Fly-Trap is native to Hampstead.
19. The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville.
20. Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.
21. Winston-Salem was created when the two towns Winston and Salem combined.
22. The Biltmore Estate in Ashville is America's largest home, and includes a 255-room chateau, an award-winning winery and extensive gardens.
23. The first English child born in America was born in Roanoke in 1587. Her name was Virginia Dare.
24. The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama in Albemarle commemorates the birth of Virginia Dare. Scheduled to run just one year, it proved so successful that it has played for nearly sixty consecutive summers.
25. The first state owned art museum in the country is located in Raleigh.
26. Fontana Dam is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States, at 480 feet high.
27. Many people believe that North Carolina was the first state to declare independence from England with the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775.
28. Grandfather Mountain, highest peak in the Blue Ridge, is the only private park in the world designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve.
29. The Mile-High Swinging Bridge near Linville is 5,305 feet above sea level. The bridge actually hangs about 80 feet above the ground.
30. Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.
31. Beech Mountain is Eastern America's highest town at 5,506ft above sea level.
32. Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, was born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina.
33. Arnold Palmer recognized as the player whose aggressive play and winning personality raised golf to national attention, honed his skills on the championship golf team of Wake Forest University.
34. James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was the eleventh President of the United States.
35. Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the first African-American member of the United States Congress.
36. Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of the nation as the seventeenth President of the United States.
37. North Carolina leads the nation in furniture, tobacco, brick, and textile production.
38. Saluda, North Carolina is located at the top of the Saluda Grade. The crest of the steepest standard gauge mainline railroad in the United States.
39. State Motto: Esse quam videri (To be rather than to seem)
40. The town of Wendell town was named for the American writer, Oliver Wendell Holmes.
41. The Swiss and German settlement of New Bern was named in honor of the founder's home, Bern, Switzerland. When Bern, Switzerland was founded, it was named by a group of hunters. They named the city for the first animal they came upon on their hunting expedition. It was a bear. "Bern" is the old Germanic word for Bear, and the bear became the symbol of the city. It has been adopted by New Bern, as well.
42. North Carolina was the first state in the nation to establish a state museum of art.
43. North Carolina was one of the first states in the U.S. to establish a state symphony. The North Carolina Symphony, founded in 1943, currently performs nearly 185 full-orchestra concerts each year.
44. North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system in the United States. The state's highway system currently has 77,400 miles of roads
45. The General Assembly of 1987 adopted milk as the official state beverage.
46. The oldest town in the state is Bath, incorporated in 1705.
47. Located in northeastern North Carolina on the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula, Columbia is on the eastern shore of the Scuppernong River. The Indians called the area "the place of the sweet bay tree."
48. Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.
49. White Lake near Elizabethtown is very unique in that it has a white sandy bottom and is blessed with crystal clear waters. It has also been labeled as the "Nation's Safest Beach." It is truly a child's paradise in that there are no currents, no tides, no hazardous depressions or real dangers of any kind to swimmers.
50. North Carolina has 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in size and 37,000 miles of fresh water streams.
By charter, UNC is the second oldest state university but was the first to operate in the United States as a state university. The University of Georgia was chartered first in 1785, but did not start classes until 1801. The College of Charleston opened in 1770, and was chartered in 1785, but was a private school until 1836, when it became a municipal college; it did not join the South Carolina state university system until 1970. The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693, but was a private institution until 1888. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was chartered in 1766 and opened in 1771, but did not become the state university until 1956. Which of these schools should be called the oldest state university is a subject of debate; however, UNC is the only public university in the United States that awarded degrees as a public institution in the eighteenth century.
Evening Grace to you woverw.
We are having very strong winds this evening. Weather advisory on the Weather Channel. Ugh, the manse is moaning and groaning.
How are you this evening??
xoxoxoxoxoxo
48. Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.
At least they got the date the same both times. I suspect that 48 is more accurate than 20, but I'm not going to bother to look.
You beat me to Number 1. How 'bout them dawgs.
6. Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.
Highest above sea level or longest drop?
27. Many people believe that North Carolina was the first state to declare independence from England with the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775.
Looks like someone has been reading my posts from the other day.
I've got a couple I want to glance at. I may post again later.
Pikers. Is that all they've got? More than Rhode Island, perhaps. But don't mess with Texas:
"There are more than 79,000 centerline miles on the state-maintained system." http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/geninfo.htm?pg=facts
good message Mr. Mayor
Typical cat!
You stay warm tonight . . . maybe the sounds of the wind and manse will inspire a poem? er a mean pome. ;)
I knew you would pick up on #27. LOL!
Roger that! I was scratching my head thinking there was something I'm missing. Is it the "state maintained" aspect?
TEXAS FOREVER!
['night Counselor]
They apparently mean biggest drop - Upper Whitewater Falls in that state drop 411 feet.
Crabtree Falls in Virgina claims 1200 feet. http://www.aria-database.com/waterfall/recommended.html
If that doesn't meet your standards, try Amicalola Falls in Georgia. 729 feet. http://www.blueridgemountains.com/surrounded_by_waterfalls.html
There may be other claimants out there.
| February 24, 2006
When To Judge
Read:
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Many people believe that Christians are told never to judge others. As "proof," they quote Jesus' words in Matthew 7: "Judge not, that you be not judged" (v.1). But a closer look at what Jesus said shows that there are times when we must make judgments.
In verses 1 to 5, Jesus warned us how easy it is to be blind to our own faults while we pick at the faults of others. In verse 6, however, He showed us the necessity of judging. He told us, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."
To follow Jesus' teaching, we must learn the difference between judging people and evaluating situations. But who among us is wise enough to consider any situation without condemning or judging the persons involved? That is why, in verses 7 to 11, we are told to earnestly ask, seek, and implore help from our heavenly Father. "Your Father who is in heaven [will] give good things to those who ask Him" (v.11).
Whenever we must make judgments, we must prayerfully bear in mind that our God is the one who "will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14). —Albert Lee
The righteous Judge gives discernment to those who ask Him.
Agreed, it is based on biggest drop or plunge. Amicalola Creek forms Amicalola Falls, Georgia's highest waterfall, by tumbling 729 feet down the steep side of Amicalola Mountain in six cascades.
Crabtree Falls is a series of five cascades totaling a vertical drop of about 500 yards.
Definition of a Cascade:
Water descends a series of rock steps.
Drop or Plunge:
Water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface
Hense, the highest set of falls east of the Mississippi having a total drop of almost 700 feet is Whitewater Falls.
Sources:
Directory of Great American Waterfalls
Types of Waterfalls
Whitewater Falls is really two waterfalls, the Upper (411 feet) and the Lower Falls (285 feet).
Yes, they are combining two different falls to get the length. Whitewater is, of course, a cascade.
But here's the real punch line. One source I ran across said that the lower falls (which you have to add in to get higher than 411 feet) are in SOUTH Carolina, not North Carolina. So, one would have to argue that the highest falls in NC were in SC.
Here's a source for that:
"The falls plunge an amazing 411 feet! South Carolina's Lower Whitewater Falls drops another 400 feet."
http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreation/wncwaterfalls/whitewaterfalls.htm
What do other sources say? Note the qualifying language here, as well as the limit to the upper falls, and the total for the height:
"Facts: Whitewater Falls, also called Upper Falls, is one of the highest falls east of the Rockies." " Height: 411 feet"
http://www.itpi.dpi.state.nc.us/caroclips/wfalls/whitewaterfalls.html
So, no, I won't accept a number over 411, and as the pictures show, (see first link above for Whitewater) (here for Amicalola http://gastateparks.org/info/amicalola/ ) here for multiple of Crabtree http://images.google.com/images?q=Crabtree%20Falls%20VA&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N&tab=wi ) they are all of roughly the same design.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
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