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OTTAWA - THE WAR TO JUNE 6: Allied fortunes had rebounded by 1944 after the massive German conquests of 1940-41. British and American armies had driven the Germans from North Africa and Sicily, forced Italy to surrender and were moving up the Italian boot while Allied bombers were pounding German cities and towns day and night. In the East, the Soviets were on the march to Berlin. And in the Pacific, the Americans were making headway against the Japanese.

WHY INVADE? Military planners recognized Germany could not be defeated by strategic bombing or naval blockade. Instead, they would have to invade to both free occupied Allies and ensure Europe didn't fall into the hands of the Soviet Union.

WHY NORMANDY? The decision was largely dictated by technology and supply problems. Beaches had to be within range of British-based fighter planes and easy striking distance of a port, which would be needed to unload supplies. The Nazis believed the Allies would attack at the Pas de Calais, which was the closest point to Great Britain. Knowing this, the Allies devised an elaborate deception to keep the Nazis focused on this area while actually preparing for Normandy, which had lighter defences, suitable beaches and the requisite proximity to ports.

WHO HAD THE ADVANTAGE? In many ways, the Allies and Germans were well-matched. The Allies had far superior air and sea power; the Germans had troops and tanks available for quick reinforcement. The Germans had better tanks and anti-tank guns while the Allies had more of both. German troops, in many cases, were better trained and superbly led by hardened veterans. The Germans, however, were hampered by shortages of supplies, especially fuel while the Allies had plenty of everything. German generals also faced ham-handed interference by Adolf Hitler; Allied generals were able to unfold their plans without harassment from above.

With a record of five failures and six partial successes in his Starship program, the 12th launch, on May 22, of Elon Musk’s rocket was critical to the success of the whole SpaceX enterprise. Doubts were growing, and the initial public offering was only weeks away.

The IPO, due on June 12, is expected to raise up to $80 billion for the company. Its only currently profitable sector is its telecommunications business, Starlink, but SpaceX’s long-haul potential is a near-monopoly on launches and other space services for American and other players in the burgeoning space business.

Musk does push hard at the boundaries of possibility, however, and with Starship he made two promises that are hard to keep: fully reusable spaceships that deliver 100 tonnes of payload to low earth orbit (LEO). The ‘reusable’ part of the promise is almost done; the ‘heavy lift’ part not so much, because that brings him up against the ‘rocket equation’.

That’s Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s classic rocket equation of 1903, which states that around 90 per cent of a rocket’s launch weight has to be fuel if you want to put it into Earth orbit. It has not yet been successfully challenged, which is why so many of Starship’s launches failed — and none has yet reached orbit.

MILWAUKEE - Move your hands atop the worn table in the darkened room and it responds with jumbled sounds: a man and woman talking, knives being sharpened, tires screeching, breathing, music.

Walk on the nine-metre-by-six-metre floor piece and its glowing orange, yellow and red shapes that resemble microscopic organisms form "scars" in response to movements. Stand before what seems to be a large abstract painting on the wall, and projected single and multiple lines are mysteriously drawn where you stand or move.

These are works in the "Act/React: Interactive Installation Art," making its world premiere at the Milwaukee Art Museum through Jan. 11, 2009.

Guest Curator George Fifield said previous interactive pieces asked viewers to use a mouse or keyboard, but this is the first exhibition that just allows viewers to move through the space to help create art.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: Not long ago I lost my husband to illness at far too young an age. My spouse was a great guy, but I do want another one.

I just want to pass on a little tip. When my husband was dying, he encouraged me to bring home warm and loving pets to our acreage just outside the city. They were my saviours when my husband was ill.

Since he has died, they continue to help me keep warm, happy and affectionate. They were my greatest comfort in the later stages when my man was in too much pain to hold me or be held. The cats and the dog would welcome me home from the hospital and transfer their cuddling to me, giving me all the attention I needed, and I always felt so loved.

I have been dating a fair bit for a fairly recent widow because I’m ready to be held and loved, and I feel my husband and the pets saying, “Way to go.”