A memorial in Darwin, where veterans will also march, lists those who died where the destroyer, USS Peary still rests in her watery war grave, having succumbed there, to two Japanese bombing raids in WW2, which pulverised Darwin on 19/2/1942. I will remember my own father, thankful that he could swim, when his ship, USAT Meigs was also bombed and sunk in Darwin Harbour, on Australia's darkest day in WW2. Two battalions of American & Australian troops, including my father, had been sent on 16/2/1942 to Kupang in Dutch Timor, to bolster its defence, when besieged by Japanese forces. The convoy, including the USAT Meigs, was escorted by the cruiser, USS Houston as well as the USS Peary, until Japanese planes intercepted the convoy halfway on its journey, & was thus forced to return to Darwin, along with USS Peary, low on fuel after a submarine hunt, HMAS Swan & HMAS Warrego.

But after its sensationally courageous, successful and highly skilled seamanship in deflecting that Japanese attack on the convoy, where did the gallant USS Houston (CA-30) go to next? I hope the good citizens of USA's city of Houston have taken utmost pride at their namesake cruiser's marvellous performance on the way. We've seen movies of the bombing of Pearl Harbour which brought USA into WW2, but none of these events were ever mentioned in war movies. Are others in USA even aware that the same four Japanese aircraft carriers who launched the Pearl Harbour bombing, also subjected Darwin to exactly the same treatment on 19/2/1942? Or that there were about seventy other such air raids on Darwin & elsewhere in the Top End of Australia's mainland, until the tide turned in the allies' favour in 1943?

I'm grateful that Narnia member, Aslanisthebest, started the first edition of this history thread in 2011, though that was a good while ago. Appreciating the initiative & remembering that history is also about peace & considerably much more than only these wars and battles I've mentioned, I will ask the same questions provided on that thread for your discussion:

1. What is your favourite Era?

2. If you have a favourite, which country's history is your favourite to study?

3. Apart from the era you're living in now, what time era would you like to live in?

4. What is one item from history that you wish we still used in the present?

And I will also ask, 

5. What is your least favourite Era, and why?

6. Is there any era you would certainly not want to live in and why?

7. Who is your favourite & most inspirational historic figure and why do you hold him or her in such esteem? Examples might be, Florence Nightingale who revolutionised the nursing profession? Or perhaps Polish-born Marie Curie, who discovered radium, used for X-rays?

Please remember, Narnia Web rules about politeness still apply. Enjoy your discussions amongst each other.  I'd welcome other questions I can't think of right now, when I'd like some breakfast, first, having been awake, thinking about this thread, {ym}:smile: since the crack of dawn. 

For those who observe, it started with Ash Wednesday. The palm fronds from last Palm Sunday are gently and respectfully burned to form the ashes. Believers receive ashes to remember that "from dust thou came, and to dust thou shalt return. Repent, and believe the Gospel."

Edit: by the time I logged off, it was 79!

I love this time of year. Here the Christmas tree is up and decorated, there are packages arriving in the mail and being wrapped to go under the tree, yummy baked goods to be enjoyed, all the Christmas hymns to listen to, and cool weather. {ym}:cool:  

Here are some questions to get the conversation started, answer them all at once or one at a time. Feel free to add to the list. Or just posted about what you have been doing this Christmas season.

Gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? 
Real or artificial Christmas tree?
When do you decorate?
Favorite songs?
Favorite music album?
Favorite movies?
Favorite books?
Favorite tradition?
Favorite foods or recipes?
Colored or white lights?
Do you celebrate Advent?
What do you want for Christmas? {rs}:present:  

Merry Christmas!

SnowAngel

Every year I start this thread the beginning of the month sometime in November with my favorite Thanksgiving tradition and a prompt to the share what you are thankful. My family has a jar (or two or three) that we fill with candy and nuts with each piece being for a different person, place, or thing we were thankful for. We call it "thankful fors". In recent years we have written them down and filled a notebook with the people, places, and things we are thankful to God for. Some days we have a theme like a favorite meal, places we have been, people we know, books, items around the house, or a few years ago we started drawing Scrabble tiles for several days and did our "thankful fors" starting with the letter drawn. The Scrabble tile draws have made for some great ideas and some bad ones, but mainly it has brought additional laughter to our family time.   This has been our family tradition for over 20 years and I love it so much.

For those in the US, Canada, and other countries that have an official Thanksgiving Day:

• Do you usually have a traditional Thanksgiving meal (for example in the US - turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc.)?
• Do you have any favorite traditions or memories of Thanksgiving?

For all NarniaWebbers:

• What are you thankful for this year? 

~the Mod Squad   

~all of the wonderful people here on NarniaWeb!   

That's just my starter list, more to come in future posts over the next few weeks.   

Over 10,000 athletes from over 200 nations will compete. This year's motto is games wide open (Ouvrons grand les Jeux).

Do you watch Olympic coverage? What are you looking forward to seeing:

The pomp of the opening and closing ceremonies?
The joy of athletes at the medal ceremonies?
The athletic competition?

New this year will be a parade of boats carrying the athletes on the Seine during the opening ceremony.

Which sports do you enjoy watching?  Are there "do not miss" events you can't wait to see?

Let the Games (and the discussion) begin!

"Laugh and fear not, creatures. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well as justice come in with speech."

— Aslan in The Magician's Nephew

I've just been searching to see if we already have a jokes thread on NarniaWeb — it seems there were a couple in the past, but they've been inactive for over 10 years and are closed.

If it's OK with everyone, I'd just love to start a new one! Narnia-related jokes especially, of course, but I'm sure anything that is clean and appropriate — and likely to be enjoyed by fans of Narnia and other classic fantasy! — should be fine.

(Including old jokes, naturally. In the immortal words of Lewis again, "you've no idea how good an old joke sounds when you take it out again after a rest of five or six hundred years" (The Last Battle)... {ym}:giggle: )

Here are a couple of topical ones I've heard fairly recently:

"My local bookshop is having a sale — 1/3 off all titles. I've just bought The Lion, the Witch."

And (sorry the pun in this one only works properly with a non-rhotic accent... fine for most Brits as well as Aussies and New Zealanders, though):

Q. What does C.S. Lewis keep in his wardrobe?

Narnia business! {ym}:grin: