A good question . . .

While Beloved Bride was out of town last week, I did a little grocery shopping. I ran into a guy I used to work with, and we passed a couple of minutes talking about the upcoming deer season.

While we were so engaged, another former coworker we knew casually happened by. Once she unnderstood our topic, she blurted out, "Oh, HOW can you kill such a beautiful, gentle creature?"

I couldn't help but answer truthfully: "Mostly with a .30'06 or a .257. Haven't used a pistol in several years." She left without another word.

Trafalgar: Significant Battle and Death of a Hero

Two hundred two years ago, on 21OCT1805, British Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson led 27 ships of the line into collision with 33 French and Spanish ships of the line off SW Spain near Cape Trafalgar. While bringing the fleet into battle formation, Nelson sent the famous signal, England expects that every man will do his duty.

When the smoke cleared, the Franco-Spanish fleet had lost 22 ships, some 5,700 killed and wounded, and 7,000 taken prisoner. The British sustained 1,685 casualties and lost no ships.

It was the pivotal naval conflict of the Napoleanic Wars, and indeed of the XIX century. The massive losses of ships and skilled sailors was devastating to the French and Spanish coalition, and confirmed Napolean's recently taken decision not to invade England.

Admiral Nelson was felled by a musket ball late in the battle, after victory was already attained. He died a few hours later, climaxing his long and glorious career. He had played crucial roles in the battles of Cape St. Vincent, The Nile, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Copenhagen, and was a national hero long before Trafalgar.

Honored with statues and other memorials in several locations, the most famous is Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square in London.

The 18 foot statue of Nelson stands atop a 151 foot granite column. The statue and bronze decorations below the upper platform were cast from British and French cannon used in the battle.

JPG, BA, M(TV)D

NameThatDisease.com - http://www.namethatdisease.com">Test your disease knowledge

I guess I should be ashamed, using these quizzes for two-in-a-row blog entry topics. (I'm not, particularly.)

Since I devote little time to watching television, I'm okay with getting the second-highest rating. From looking at the bar graph, it seems that if I'd answered one of those questions with one less clue, I'd have attained the exalted rank of Doogie Howser. Imagine: attaining status of cyber-diagnostician, just by sitting in front of the tube.

"It's not my minkey."

NameThatSerialKiller.com - Test your serial killer knowledge

I really SHOULD have done better, considering my bent for history as well as cops-and-badguys stuff. What makes it worse, though, is that my Beloved Bride did much better on this quiz than I. I took the quiz and she got interested and rushed me along so she could take it. Five minutes after she finished, she already had it posted on her blog. See Holly's Hystrionics on my right sidebar.

Oh well . . . .