A break for work (Arsenic blues)

I was missing the past week due to job duties. I assisted the "2nd International Congress. Arsenic in the Environment”, also know as "As 2008", in the mediterranean town of Valencia (Spain).
"Arsenic is an element that has attracted people’s interest since ancient times. Public opinion used to consider it a powerful poison, and it is in the news again now as a result of the biggest arsenic calamity in the world, reported in Asian areas. This has led to a rediscovery of arsenic by the public, despite the fact that it has always existed in the environment as a “silent” toxin in numerous regions in the world. Every year, new areas are detected in which the presence of arsenic exceeds the levels considered normal by international organizations.
Scientific interest in arsenic has increased remarkably in the present century. By using the ISI Web of Knowledge as a search tool it is possible to ascertain that, of the 23,144 published works on arsenic recorded in its database for the period 1956-2007, 6,764 have been published in the 21st century. The increase in scientific productivity in the present century has been spectacular in areas such as Environmental Sciences, Food, Metabolism, Health and Remediation. Thus arsenic is an old-established toxin which currently continues to offer unparalleled opportunities for research." (Taken form the As 2008 website
Incidentally, our research team was awarded as one of the six best Congress posters... amongst around 200!

Valencia is near Sagunto (or Murviedro) where Marshall Suchet routed the Spanish General Blake ( October 25th, 1811).

And now... Goldberg is awaiting me.

Breaking News.... The Dispatch

From Marshall of lempereor@sbcglobal.net

Straight from the Front! It’s….. The Dispatch
We are running musket era battles kriegsspiel style by email.
The Dispatch is our official newsletter that tracks our latest exploits.
Follow along. It’s FREE!

Marengo, Issue 2
Moltke’s Theory of War
French Plan Revealed –The old Hammer and Anvil
Approval Ratings -Vote Now!
Order Format
Communications

Enjoy.

Send an e-mail to lempereor@sbcglobal.net and Marshell will send you the pdf files corresponding to the last issues of this fanzine. They seem very interesting to me!

Goldberg on way

At last I have finished the terrain and the deployement of the opposing forces for the battle of Goldberg. However, the gaming will start int the next days. Watch this space

El Dos de Mayo

Today is the bicentennial of the 1808 revolt against Napoleon's occupying forces. The Dos de Mayo was a popular uprising characterized by the street fighting between the poorly armed population and the scattered French troops.
There were Spanish regular troops in the city but they remained in the barracks. Only some artillery units, led by the captains Daoiz and Velarde and the lieutenant Ruiz, joined in the rebellion.
At last, the rebels were crushed by the superior French numbers, and there was a harsh French repression under the orders of Murat.
The 3rd of May, the news of the uprising arrived to Mostoles, and the mayors of the village signed a declaration of war, calling all the Spanish against the invaders, thus starting the "Guerra de la Independencia" or the "Peninsular War". The rebellion was welcomed by the european powers fighting Napoleon encouraging them to follow their struggle, and also marks the start of the modern Spanish history.
The uprising was immortalized by Goya in several famous painting, as "La carga de los mamelucos" o "Los fusilamientos del 3 de Mayo". For those not knowing about this historical fact I can recommend them the Wikipedia entry: Dos de Mayo uprising
¡Viva el Dos de Mayo!