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Too little too late. The only British award or honour bestowed on him was Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work at the 'Foreign Office' -- probably a cover for his work at Bletchley Park. From a reading of the recent history to get Turing pardoned and honored it's pretty clear, if said history is presented accurately, that the Brits were shamed into doing this rather than rushing over themselves to right a wrong. So don't wait for an avalanche of more pardons for others convicted of 'Gross Indecency'. This attitude from a society where probably a majority of the upper class males have probably buggered or been buggered multiple times in their life. British public schools are notorious a bastion of 'wide ranging education'.

I tried finding a source for that and I can't. When Turing was arrested in 1952, almost no one would have known what he did during the war or would have given him an award for it. The codes he cracked were still in use by several countries long after the war was over and the British didn't want anyone to know they had broken them. Churchill knew of course and told the folks at Bletchley that they had shortened the war by two years, but they must never talk about it. It wasn't until 1970 that anyone who worked there said anything, and then it was one of the American code breakers who had been on assignment at Bletchley during the war. It took another decade or two for the story to get into the public domain. I think it would make a terrific movie. Not the fictionalized Enigma which didn't even mention Turing, but the real story. If the German U-boats had been able to operate without detection, the British would have had a much closer call than they did. After he found the British starting to show up wherever his subs were, Großadmiral Dönitz started to believe his unbreakable code had been broken, but the generals in Berlin assured him it was impossible. If I understand correctly, one of the keys to breaking the Enigma code was the realization that, because of the way the machine was designed, no plaintext letter could ever be encoded as itself. "Aha!", said Turing, and some other very smart folks, "let's see what we can do with that." A replica of the Turing Bombe - the originals were destroyed after the war

Now THIS is a GREAT Idea..... In an attempt to promote self-esteem and provide a better body image for fuller size kids, toy companies are considering producing FULLER SIZE Barbies..... Finally a Realistic approach to marketing, and AWARENESS...... HOORAY !

TY, you're right, the OBE rather than the VC was the honour Turing received (and it was for the War work). Sorry, I was posting from memory, a dodgy enterprise for me now-a-days. You're right about the origin of the pardon too. What politician cares about some academic faggot being fucked over way back when? lookin is also correct. The code work at Bletchly was a closely guarded secret at the time. Under the Official Secrets Act, Turing would not even have been able to mention his war efforts to ameliorate his punishment. Where I read about the Constable's later regrets is a complete mystery to me. Possibly it was from PBS type documentary I watched. I have no idea how factual it is but I'm pretty certain it didn't come from some fever dream of my own. ==== Turin's story has stuck in my craw ever since I found out about it. Maybe (for me) it represents the epitome of mindlessly cruel homophobia. I forget about him for months at a time but then I see his name somewhere and get pissed off all over again.

guess we'll have to make a trip to NY in the New Year to check it out personally!

Merry Christmas! The modern joys of Christmas past From singing carols to the blow-out feast, we would recognise, and enjoy, much of the medieval festival, says Dan Jones. A 1911 imagining of the medieval Christmas: while we owe much to the Victorians, feasting, decorating and dressing up have existed since the Middle Ages Photo: Mary Evans Picture Library By Dan Jones 8:25PM GMT 23 Dec 2012 The Telegraph Who invented Christmas? The usual answer you will hear is “The Victorians”, or if not that, then “Coca Cola”. Charles Dickens, Prince Albert and their fellows certainly gave us Ebenezer Scrooge, modern traditions including the Christmas tree and much-loved carols, among them Once in Royal David’s City and In the Bleak Midwinter. Meanwhile, although it is an urban myth that Coke invented Santa Claus, the old man’s association with the fizzy drinks brand is a useful shorthand to describe the way that big corporations have come to own what is ostensibly a festival to celebrate Christ’s birth. Yet Britons have been celebrating Christmas for at least a thousand years. The western Church adopted December 25 as the official date for Christ’s birth in the fourth century and the term “Cristes Messe” crops up in Old English two decades before 1066. By the high Middle Ages it is very clear that Christmas was a thriving popular holiday, which had sucked up plenty of pagan, pre-Christian traditions, bound them together with the story of the Nativity and come up with a festival of hymns and games, worship and gluttony, which still endures today, when virtually every other Christian feast day except Easter has slipped into obscurity. If we want to get back to our roots, therefore, and be rid of modern abomination, then we should look to the Middle Ages, where much of the ritual seems remarkably familiar. Timing If you feel that Christmas has already been going on for months, rest assured that at least your complaint is not new. The idea of Christmas as a seemingly interminable festival stretches back more than a thousand years. In 829 AD, at the court of Louis the Pious, Holy Roman Emperor and King of the Franks, festive celebrations began at Martinmas (November 11) and were still going on at Epiphany (January 6). Louis himself was famous for his generally severe demeanour – it was said that he never laughed and cracked his only smile on his deathbed – so it is possible that his racy young second wife Empress Judith was responsible for all the merriment. What is clear, either way, is that it is historically accurate to continue celebrations well into the new year. Church One visit to church will not do. Christmas was traditionally one of the few days on which it was permitted to celebrate the mass three times. You should aim to attend one service at midnight, another at dawn, and then the main event, held in the hours of daylight. Each service should have its own Collect, readings, anthems and hymns. Your children, who will no doubt be bored senseless, may entertain themselves inspecting the Crib, a decoration with its origins in Christmases of the fourth and fifth centuries. Carols Here your medieval Christmas comes alive. The carol was once among the most popular forms of song. Plenty of carols, especially from the 15th century onwards, still survive, such as Adam Lay Ybounden. But a proper medieval carol is not just any old song. It must have a burden: a short refrain, usually in Latin or English, which is sung at the beginning of the carol and again after each stanza. The First Nowell follows the right form, but was written in the 18th century. This alternative from the late 15th century, fits (at a pinch) the same tune: BURDEN: Synge we now both all and sum: Christe redemptor omnium In Bethlehem, that fayre cite Born was thys chylde so fayer and fre, That Lorde and Kyng shal ever be, A solis ortus cardine Ryght as the son shynyth on the glasse So Cryste Jesu in Owr Lady was Hym to sarue [serve] God sende us grace, O lux beata Trinitas Cheldren were slayne grete plente Jesu Crist, all for the loue of the; Lorde, helpe us if thy wyl it be. Hostis Herodes impie Now ys boren of Owr Lady The Son of the Fader that sytthyt an hye; For owr synnys cry we all mercy Jesu salvator saeculi If you have a choir at your command, you can sing in authentic medieval procession. The choir should walk forward while singing the burden, then stop while singing each of the stanzas. No choir? You can still just hum it while you hang up your… Entertainment Follow the lead of the Paston family, East Anglian gentry during the 15th century. A letter written by Margaret Paston around 1459 tells us a family might spend Christmas with “disguisings, harping, luting, singing” and “loud pastimes”. For those in mourning there is “playing at the tables [ie backgammon] and chess and cards”. Grander entertainment can be had from plays, masques and “mummering” – visiting neighbours’ houses in fancy dress. Stow records a mummery to entertain King Richard II in 1377: 130 citizens of London “disguised and well horsed in a mummerie with the sounds of trumpets, shackbuts, cornets, salmes and other minstrels and innumerable torch lights of wax” rode through the streets of London to bring gifts of loaded dice and gold trinkets to the sovereign. The young king rewarded them with booze and dancing before sending them on their way. Although some very fine nativities were written and performed in the Middle Ages – including the Second Shepherd’s Play in the Wakefield Cycle – these were hardly ever performed at Christmas. Rather, they took place at Corpus Christi, in the spring, when it was warm enough to stage productions outdoors. Clothes The geometrically patterned Christmas jumper is a modern creation, but a medieval approximation may still be found. In 1322 Thomas Earl of Lancaster – the cousin and nemesis of King Edward II – ordered two new scarlet suits for himself and a “cloth of Russet” for the Bishop of Anjou. Lancaster’s household trimmed their Christmas best with miniver or ermin, and wore purple hoods. All of this sounds not dissimilar to the modern “Santa Suit”. But do not overstep the mark. A proclamation made in London at Christmas in 1418-19 expressly forbade the wearing of false beards during the festive season. Tread carefully. Decorations Christmas in the Middle Ages adopted many folk traditions and pagan rituals that had been rife before Christianity. These include the ancient Yuletide custom of hanging up holly, ivy and – if you are too idle to do anything but raid the kitchen storecupboard – bay sprigs. Surprisingly, your medieval Christmas can also accommodate a tree, albeit perhaps not in the house. The Tudor antiquarian John Stow reports that in 1444 a tree was set up at Leadenhall in London, “in the midst of the pavement fast in the ground, nailed full of holly and ivy, for disport of Christmas to the people”. It was still there at Candlemas in early February, when a storm tore it from its moorings and scattered the stones of the pavement into nearby houses. Food Christmas has always been about feasting, so stuff your face as you please. Just don’t mention the T-word. There were no turkeys in England until they were brought back from Mexico after the 1520s. Before then, the classic Christmas dish was boar’s head – served, as one carol went, “bedeck’d with bays and rosemary”. For those who lacked a boar to decapitate, the alternative was to make a large pie: a 14th-century recipe made by the Salters livery company called for one each of a pheasant, hare, chicken, capon and two sheep’s kidneys, all seasoned with pepper, salt, pickled mushrooms and stock. The pastry should be in the shape of a bird and decorated with one of the bird’s heads and several of his tail-feathers. Don’t fancy that? You may wish to follow the ancient Yorkshire tradition of eating “frumenty” on Christmas morning – a sort of porridge made from boiled, cracked wheat, bound with egg yolks and flavoured with milk, almonds, honey, or saffron. Presents Your children are not going to like this, but there is no place for Santa Claus in a medieval Christmas. In the Middle Ages, gifts were exchanged not at Christmas but at new year – the “yeresgive”, as it was called. For a flavour of what to buy them, we can examine the accounts of Henry VI, who as a small child generally received gold and precious jewels. But if that seems extravagant, then allow me to suggest a copy of The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England by Dan Jones (Harper Press, £25). It makes an excellent medieval gift – whatever the season. (Sorry.) Additional research by Kate Wiles http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/christmas/9764194/The-modern-joys-of-Christmas-past.html

Ricky Martin came out on his website Tuesday. http://rickymartinmusic.com/portal/news/news.asp?item=114532 The singer, whose sexuality was the source of much speculation in his "Vida Loca" heyday, posted a long statement that ended with, "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am." Martin welcomed twin sons via a surrogate in 2008 and has largely stepped away from the limelight to be a dad. The statement in its entirety, which he posted in Spanish and English, is below. IN FULL: A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And thisis something worth celebrating. For many years, there has been only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that's the stage. Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It's my vice. The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I don't ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I'm at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I'm feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share. Many people told me: "Ricky it's not important", "it's not worth it", "all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse", "many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature". Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions. If someone asked me today, "Ricky, what are you afraid of?" I would answer "the blood that runs through the streets of countries at war...child slavery, terrorism...the cynicism of some people in positions of power, the misinterpretation of faith." But fear of my truth? Not at all! On the contrary, It fills me with strength and courage. This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed. What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution. I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am. RM