at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month

by **Fewnix** on Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:19 am

At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ends. At 5 a.m. that morning, Germany, bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiégne, France. The First World War left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded, with Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Great Britain each losing nearly a million or more lives. In addition, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure.

As that day approachs, it may be appropriate to post
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by **mrswdk** on Wed Nov 11, 2015 3:08 am

China's Alibaba breaks Singles Day record as sales surge

E-commerce giant Alibaba has broken its own record for sales on China's Singles Day, the world's biggest online shopping event.

The firm said sales surpassed the record amount of $9.3bn (£6.1bn) made last year in just over half the time.

Singles Day, also known as Double Eleven because it is held on 11 November, has become a major annual event for Chinese retailers.

Alibaba said more than $1bn was spent within eight minutes of midnight.

Within the first hour, it had made $3.9bn (£2.bn) in sales, almost double the amount spent in the same time period of the event last year.

The reaction to China's Singles Day shopping bonanza reflects the drama and excitement of the holiday.

"I wanted two different coats, but they both sold out in the first three minutes of the sale!", complained one young woman online.

"I spent 2,000RMB last night ($315; £207)" exclaimed another. "Now I'm going to have to eat dirt if I'm hungry because I'm broke!"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34773940

by **riskllama** on Wed Nov 11, 2015 3:16 am

very bad form, mrs. c'mon...

by **mrswdk** on Wed Nov 11, 2015 4:14 am

What? That's how we celebrate November 11th.

by **waauw** on Wed Nov 11, 2015 8:56 am

Memorial day of course here as well, with the memorial show in Ieper/Ypres, west-Flanders.

In Flanders fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Major John McCrae – 1915
Canadian military doctor