Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Take a moment please

I think I have mentioned before that I am an Army brat - meaning that my father was a soldier in the British Army and I grew up moving from pillar to post every couple of years. In my family the military connection goes beyond my father who was in REME for more than 20 years; my elder brother was a commando who saw service in the Gulf War; my great-uncle was also in REME; my great-grandfather was an Old Contemptible who survived the First World War as well as the Second; the military connection goes back as far as the 18th Century and the first member of my father's family to live in the UK, who was a member of the King's German Legion. Even I joined up when I was 17, but was medically discharged because I am asthmatic - despite the fact I had told the doctor in the recruitment process, but my military record is 60 days glorious service!

Today though is Armistice Day, the day when the guns fell silent over France and Belgium at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. While in Britain it was Remembrance Day on Sunday, there is something special about marking that moment when the world woke up from its collective insanity to try and bring peace again to Europe. Unfortunately the old wounds and scores to be settled ensured that Ferdinand Foch was right to decry Versailles as a "20 year armistice".

So today, take a couple of minutes to remember the fallen.

They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Technical Writing done proper

Simple, concise and does the job.

The company I work for would no doubt have wanted a product description telling you exactly what type of cement was used to make the block, how to configure the break up of the block and technical details on standardised throwing methods.