‘Thin line’ has war origins; porch light should stay on

Today’s question:

What is the significance of an American flag that is all black and white with two red stripes near the bottom?

It is meant to honor firefighters who have been killed or injured in the line of duty.

A similar flag with a blue line has the same significance for police officers.

I am told the thin line thing goes back to the Crimean War when the British Sutherland Highlanders 93rd Regiment, aided by a small force of Royal Marines and some Turkish infantrymen, routed a Russian cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaclava on Oct. 25, 1854.

A newspaper reporter, W.H. Russell, watched the battle from a distance and reported that nothing stood between the Russian cavalry and British defeat but the “thin red streak tipped with a line of steel of the 93rd.”

The description passed into folklore as “The Thin Red Line.” That’s a pretty good story and as far as I know it is true. What is the difference between French milled soap and regular soap?

When they make soap it is dried before being pressed into bars. The drying process turns soap into crystals of various sizes, which can make the soap gritty or rough.

French milled means those crystals get squished up by running them between heavy stainless steel rollers at last three times.

This results in a smooth, evenly colored soap with a lot of creamy lather.

My son is giving me a rough time. I turn off our front porch lights (60 watts) when we go to bed. My son says that we should keep them on all night for safety.

Besides, keeping them on all night attracts all kinds of flying bugs. Who’s right? Your son. What is the point of having a porch light if you turn it off at night?