Lets, Let’s or Lets us?

Q: "let's" is a short form of "let us", but does it have the same meaning? When is it better to say "let us" and not "let's"?

A1: They carry the same general meaning. Let us, though, is more emphatic; used for emphasis, and/or used formally.

A2: "Let's" is commonly used in modern English when you say:
Let's do something...
eg. Let's...play football, go to the cinema, have a pint down the pub, etc.
No one uses the original "Let us" form in this context anymore unless they are aristocracy!
eg. "I say old chap - let us go boating upon the river this afternoon what what!"
"Let us" is still used but in a different context and to mean "allow/permit us".
eg. allow us...to do something
...Let us in (to the house), Let us help you, etc.

See more at http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/5696-let-s-and-let-us

 

"let" we all know how to use
"Let" me borrow a pen.

"Lets" is to show action referring only to one thing.
My brother "lets" me hold his car.

"Let's" is a contraction word meaning let us.
"Let's" go to the mall. "Let us" go to the mall

See more at https://www.englishforums.com/English/LetsVsLets/gnbh/post.htm

15 Most Impenetrable Bank Vaults

1. Fort Knox – The United States Bullion Depository
If a bank robber was somehow able to get through the solid granite wall perimeter and past the squadrons of machinegun wielding guards and armed military, the thief would still have to contend with a 22-ton vault door. That 22 ton blast door is held shut by a lock so intricate that it requires a 10 person team to unlock. Is it really any wonder that Fort Knox has never even had a published robbery attempt?
Source
 
2. The New York Federal Reserve Vault – World’s Biggest Gold Depository

3. The Bank of England Gold Vault
The vault walls are bombproof and so sturdy that bank staff used them for protection during WWII air raids. And when the vault doors do need to be opened, they can only be accessed by an elaborate system consisting of voice recognition, 3 foot keys and other unpublished security measures.

4. The London Silver Vaults
 
5. Teikoku Bank, Hiroshima – Atomic Bomb-Proof!

See full list at http://www.cmi-gold-silver.com/blog/15-impenetrable-bank-vaults/

Secret chamber in National Library

The Indian National Library in Alipore has always been reputed to haunted. Now, here is a really eerie secret. A mysterious room has been discovered in the 250-year-old building a room that no one knew about and no one can enter because it seems to have no opening of kind, not even trapdoors.

The chamber has lain untouched for over two centuries. Wonder what secrets it holds. The archaeologists who discovered it have no clue either, their theories range from a torture chamber, or a sealed tomb for an unfortunate soul or the most favoured of all a treasure room. Some say they wouldn't be surprised if both skeletons and jewels tumble out of the secret room.

From http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Secret-chamber-in-National-Library/articleshow/6957358.cms

Bank vault quality control

Bank vault quality control for much of the world's vault industry is overseen by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL), in Northbrook, Illinois. Until 1991, the United States government also regulated the vault industry. The government set minimum standards for the thickness of vault walls, but advances in concrete technology made thickness an arbitrary measure of strength. Thin panels of new materials were far stronger than the thicker, poured concrete walls. Now the effectiveness of the vault is measured by how well it performs against a mock break-in. Manufacturers strive to make products that repel attacks for a certain number of minutes.

A UL Class 1 vault is guaranteed to withstand a break-in attempt for 30 minutes, a Class 2 for 60 minutes, and a Class 3 for 120 minutes.

UL's workers attack sample vault walls and doors with equipment that is likely a burglar could carry into a bank and use. This usually includes torches and demolition hammers. If the UL worker can make a hole of at least 6 × 16 in (15.24 × 40.64 cm) in less than the set time, that particular part has failed the test. Manufacturers also do their own testing designing a new product to make sure it is likely to succeed in UL trials.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_vault

Derinkuyu, the mysterious underground city of Turkey

In 1963, an inhabitant of Derinkuyu (in the region of Cappadocia, central Anatolia, Turkey), knocking down a wall of his house cave, discovered amazed that behind it was a mysterious room that he had never seen, and this led him room to another and another and another to it ... By chance he had discovered the underground city of Derinkuyu, whose first level could be excavated by the Hittites around 1400 BC

Archaeologists began to explore this fascinating underground city abandoned. It managed to forty meters deep, but is believed to have a fund of up to 85 meters. At present 20 levels have been discovered underground. Only eight can be visited at the highest levels; others are partially blocked or restricted to archaeologists and anthropologists who study Derinkuyu.

See http://www.rincondelmisterio.com/derinkuyu-la-misteriosa-ciudad-subterranea-de-turquia/en

London tunnel network put on sale

A secret network of tunnels 100ft (30m) under central London has gone on sale.

The Kingsway Tunnels were built in 1940 as deep air-raid shelters which could accommodate 8,000 people.

They have since been used as a public record library and a telephone exchange. The Post Office took over the tunnels after World War Two.

Now its successor, BT, is selling the 77,000 sq ft of space, and the firm hopes the sale could attract offers of about £5m.

Access to the mile-long system of horizontal and vertical shafts is through unmarked doors in the street on High Holborn.

See full story and pictures at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7672341.stm

and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7672374.stm

Bunker Holidays

The Daily Telegraph weekend colour supplement carried a two page article describing a bunker in the Yorkshire Dales...... see also http://12121.hostinguk.com/bunkerloc.htm.

Purchased via Ebay for £11,300 in 2003 by Ged and Sandra Dodd (ex ROC) it will take a while to recover the investment based on the holiday rental quoted.

Convenient for Dent station on the Settle Carlisle Railway.

"Visitors can pick their own night to stay over - providing no one else has already booked that night. PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE ONLY FOUR VISITS PER YEAR."

from uk. rec. subterranea

Nice collection of holes

Had this sent to me... seen some before but interesting anyway:

Abandoned Tunnels & Vast Underground Spaces

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/07/abandoned-tunnels.html

from uk.rec.subterrannea

Underground Kent

Underground Kent is a site dedicated to the many underground features that can be found not just in Kent but in other areas. They are mostly military fortifications that have been built over the last three centuries, but other features that included tunnels can also be found here. All sites are man made, or in the case of mines, heavily influenced by industrial usage. The aim is to provide a glimpse into the rarely seen and often ignored world that exists beneath our feet.
Here you will find information on tunnels in Dover, Medway, Sheppey, Thanet, Grain and Other Areas.

from http://www.undergroundkent.co.uk/

Underground Edwardian shopping arcade in Keighley, West Yorkshire

I am aware that most of the recent additions to the Sub Brit web site have been military or cold war sites. Sub Brit does of course cover many other types of sites so the latest addition to the web site is something completely different.
During the renovation of the Royal Arcade in Keithley in 2003 an underground level of shops was discovered while clearing the basement area. This has already been featured in Subterranea but have now added it to the web site with a selection of recent pictures and some archive shots of the above ground arcade.
I hope it's of interest.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/k/keighley_royal_arcade/index.shtml

[ from uk.rec.subterranea ]

Pearl Harbour underground fuel dump

[ from uk.rec.subterranea ]

There is a very interesting article about the Pearl Harbour underground fuel dump at:
http://honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/NEW...