http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1591
Here are some one liners...
The Little Ice Age and a Spartan Existence -- Eleven Hurricanes are caused by the increasing cold of the Little Ice Age. Oddly, I was told that Global Warming would cause increasing hurricanes. Hmmm.
From Father to Son Since 1591 -- One of the oldest companies still in existence in Great Britain can trace its beginnings to this year.
The Price of Revenge -- The HMS Revenge surrenders to the Spanish in exchange for the lives of its officers. Then it sinks. The Spaniards made a bad deal.
The Little Ice Age and a Spartan Existence
The number of hurricanes in the Atlantic jumps to 11 with 5 in August, 4 in September, and the other two may have been a continuation of other storms. Given that many of the reports consist of the loss of a ship rather than a satellite picture, one can only make an educated guess as to how bad they are. Damage is easier to measure when they make landfall even though it is hard on the residents. The Little Ice Age has increased the number and severity of the storms during this period. The number of people who have died from these storms has massed into the hundreds of thousands in the last few years. And that is not counting deaths due to famine and disease during this period. Sand tossed up by severe winds have buried entire towns, and destroyed farmland for miles inland, never to be restored to its former fertility. The temperature is only one-half to a full-degree lower than modern temperatures on average, but averages hide a lot of variability that kill crops and people. [1] [2] [3]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
It is counter-intuitive that a drop in temperature causes an increase in storms. When we had a number of hurricanes in a row, the Global Warming hand-wringers warned that this was just the beginning of many super-storms. Yet it was followed by several years of a placid Atlantic. The evidence no longer matters. Only correct dogma matters. It is group-think on par with religion, but at least religion has the promise of Heaven. In ancient times a great leader came to the Greek city of Sparta who gave the citizens strict rules that saved them from their personal excesses. They gave up their money, their love and their children. Sparta became disciplined and a great power for a time. Now there is nothing left of Sparta but worn stones and dust. We are headed for a Spartan existence in more ways than one.
It is counter-intuitive that a drop in temperature causes an increase in storms. When we had a number of hurricanes in a row, the Global Warming hand-wringers warned that this was just the beginning of many super-storms. Yet it was followed by several years of a placid Atlantic. The evidence no longer matters. Only correct dogma matters. It is group-think on par with religion, but at least religion has the promise of Heaven. In ancient times a great leader came to the Greek city of Sparta who gave the citizens strict rules that saved them from their personal excesses. They gave up their money, their love and their children. Sparta became disciplined and a great power for a time. Now there is nothing left of Sparta but worn stones and dust. We are headed for a Spartan existence in more ways than one.
From Father to Son Since 1591
Budweiser and Beretta have stood the test of time but now a construction company in Great Britain joins the ranks of businesses that will survive into the modern day. John Durtnell gets married this year and lists his occupation as 'carpenter'. He and his brother, Brian, have teamed up to build what are called Wealden houses or "forest houses". One of their first projects is a house for their elderly father. The house has had several names down the centuries such as Poundsbridge Manor but most people call it "The Picture House" probably because it looks so interesting that it is regularly sketched by artists. John and Brian are craftsmen, passing down their skills from generation to generation. In the 7th generation, sometime after 1766, Richard Durtnell will turn that craft into something recognizable as a modern business. In the 9th generation, another Richard will formalize a partnership between himself and his sons. He will give the construction company it's modern name: "R. Durtnell & Sons". [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
There are VERY few companies in Great Britain who can make a claim to be older, but documenting claims that far back is difficult. "The Picture House" still exists today. It is a visually interesting house made of oak. The house was hit by a bomb during World War 2, so the Durtnell company returned to restore the house after the war. Last year I had a contractor repair my kitchen but he lost interest and disappeared. He was sub-contractor to a larger company so the work eventually came to a conclusion (such as it is). They all seemed like nice guys, but they never actually got the job done in the way they said they would ... as if they forgot what they had promised the day before. I suppose it's an old story. Hundreds of years old.
There are VERY few companies in Great Britain who can make a claim to be older, but documenting claims that far back is difficult. "The Picture House" still exists today. It is a visually interesting house made of oak. The house was hit by a bomb during World War 2, so the Durtnell company returned to restore the house after the war. Last year I had a contractor repair my kitchen but he lost interest and disappeared. He was sub-contractor to a larger company so the work eventually came to a conclusion (such as it is). They all seemed like nice guys, but they never actually got the job done in the way they said they would ... as if they forgot what they had promised the day before. I suppose it's an old story. Hundreds of years old.
The Price of Revenge
The name "Revenge" has been given to many ships in the British Navy. The galleon HMS Revenge was commissioned in 1577. It led the attack against the Spanish Armada and chased the Armada until it rounded Ireland. In the years that followed it ran normal patrols, attempting to interdict Spanish shipping. When the Revenge came into port for maintenance, the Spanish fleet caught them flat-footed. Nevertheless, the officers and crew fought their ship well over several days until it became clear they should either surrender or scuttle the ship. Although the captain wanted to scuttle, the officers wanted to surrender so the Revenge became the only ship under Queen Elizabeth the 1st to surrender to Spain. [9] [10]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Capturing the HMS Revenge did the Spaniards no good. The battle caused so much damage to the Revenge that the ship sank with the entire Spanish prize crew of 200 men. For the Spaniards, the prize was hardly worth the price paid in blood and the honoring of the parole of the British officers. A 'parole' is a personal agreement between combatants to discontinue the battle in exchange for some consideration. In this example, the surrender of the ship without further loss of life seemed reasonable to the officers of the Revenge. Since the ship sank, the Brits got the best of the deal.
Capturing the HMS Revenge did the Spaniards no good. The battle caused so much damage to the Revenge that the ship sank with the entire Spanish prize crew of 200 men. For the Spaniards, the prize was hardly worth the price paid in blood and the honoring of the parole of the British officers. A 'parole' is a personal agreement between combatants to discontinue the battle in exchange for some consideration. In this example, the surrender of the ship without further loss of life seemed reasonable to the officers of the Revenge. Since the ship sank, the Brits got the best of the deal.
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