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"7/7" - The bombings in London on the 7th of July 2005

Four suicide bombers struck in central London on Thursday 7 July, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770.

The co-ordinated attacks hit the transport system as the morning rush hour drew to a close.

Three bombs went off at or around 0850 BST on underground trains just outside Liverpool Street and Edgware Road stations, and on another travelling between King's Cross and Russell Square.

The final explosion was around an hour later on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square, not far from King's Cross.

via news.bbc.co.uk

Six years ago. The day before, London had been awared the competition to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

The official report is available online (PDF). From its preface:

The 7 July bombings were an act of indiscriminate terror. They killedand maimed the old and the young; Britons and non-Britons; Christians,Muslims, Jews, those of other religions and none. The authors of this accountextend their deepest condolences to the bereaved, sympathy to the injuredand admiration to them and others involved in the rescue efforts and wider response.
.....
Londoners and those who visit London haveshown their resilience by calmly continuing with their lives as before.

Keep Calm and Carry On,* indeed. 

Soldier leaves legacy much larger than 'he was gay'

He was also among the smartest in the half-million force, scoring a perfect score on his aptitude test, a feat the Army says is rare.

Andrew was so well-liked his comrades named a combat outpost for the soldier with the infectious smile. COP Wilfahrt sits 6 kilometers from Kandahar. To his buddies, it is not named for a gay soldier, but for one who fought with valor.

"Mom, everyone knows [I'm gay]. Nobody cares," he told his mother in their final conversation, a phone call from Afghanistan on Thanksgiving.
.....
Andrew never denied his sexuality. But like so many, he struggled with what it means to be gay in America. Yet it was only one part of him. He was so much more. In the note on his laptop, he never used the words gay or homosexual to define himself. His younger sister, Martha, says it's the least interesting thing about him.

via www.cnn.com

A smart, wise younger sister. She gets it.

Also from the news profile:

Jeff's greatest regret is not hugging his son when he first told him he was gay. "This is how it is for an old fool of a man. This moment is the burden I carry."
.....
Republican Rep. John Kriesel, who lost his legs while serving in Iraq, sent Andrew's photo around the floor during debate in the Minnesota House. A few years ago, he said, he would have defined marriage as solely between heterosexuals. But his military service changed that.

"This amendment doesn't represent what I went to fight for," he told lawmakers."I cannot look at this family and look at this picture and say, 'You know what, Corporal, you were good enough to fight for your country and give your life, but you were not good enough to marry the person you love.' I can't do that."

Andrew didn't have a significant other. If he had, the partner wouldn't have been allowed to escort his body home from Dover Air Force Base, nor would he have received Andrew's $100,000 death benefit.
.....

"We will never forget him and are honored to have served with such an outstanding person," platoon leader 1st Lt. Brandon LaMar said in a letter informing the family of the naming of the outpost.

 

July 5, 1175 - Order of Santiago ("the Knights of San Thiago")

The Order of Santiago or the Order of Saint James of Compostela was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Spain, Santiago (St. James the Greater), under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive back the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.

via en.wikipedia.org

On 5 July, or possibly 3 July, 1175, Pope Alexander III recognized the Order of Santiago, which followed the Augustian rule.

Wikipedia:

Today the Order of Santiago still exists under the Spanish crown. Currently there are 35 knights and 30 novices in the order. Admission to the order is determined if the applicant has noble ancestry.

Its symbol is, in heraldic terminology, cross fleury fitchy--a red cross terminating in a sword--which Velázquez is wearing in his 1656 self-portrait. (See image. More on crosses in heraldry here.)

The Portuguese branch of the order is The (Royal) Military Order of Saint James of the Sword. 

The Rap Guide To Evolution

Praise for The Rap Guide to Evolution:

“…by and large, he proselytizes about evolution not by attacking its deniers, but by revealing the subject’s scope, from natural selection to the evolution of human culture and language. At the same time, he teases the audience, sends up post-modernism, mocks himself and satirizes the genre of hip-hop, all with fizzing energy and spell-binding charisma. Like I said, astonishing.” - The New York Times

“Brilliantly conceived and effervescently performed…not only is it factually correct, it’s also dazzlingly intelligent…after seeing this show, you'll never look at a hip-hop music video in the same way again!” ★★★★ - The Scotsman, Edinburgh

“One of the world’s great intelligent rappers…what Baba does is amazing - his knowledge of rap genres and styles is encyclopaedic…a flash of verbal fireworks!” ★★★★ - BroadwayBaby.com, Edinburgh

“The juxtaposition of hip-hop with Darwin is striking. By boldly making use of hip-hop in a most unusual but still provocative way, Brinkman harmoniously fuses art with evolution.” ★★★★ - Time Out Magazine, Hong Kong

“A work of genius. Never since Charles Darwin have we had a more eloquent exposition” ★★★★
Dr. Mark Pallen, author of The Rough Guide to Evolution

“With lyrics that were sometimes sly, often hilarious, and always smart and thought-provoking, Brinkman married the fast, complex, literate delivery of Eminem with the evolutionary expertise and confrontational manner of Dawkins… Anyone provided with an open mind and a hint of musical rhythm should rush out to see this show if they’re fortunate enough for it to make an appearance nearby.” - Science Magazine, Cambridge

Happy Canada Day

(Yes--basketball was created by a Canadian, James Nismith. And, yes, it's true, Henry Woodward sold the share of his Canadian patent for a light bulb to Thomas Edison in 1885. Thomas Edison invented a carbon filament, then a bamboo one lasting 1200 hours. He did not invent the electric light bulb per se, but the practical use of one. Actually, Humphry Davy, an English chemist, invented the first electric light by connecting from a battery two wires with a charcoal strip between their ends--the carbon glowed: the first arc lamp.)