Remember Them.

Gregg Allman, 1947-2017: R.I.P.

Story.

The hard-partying rocker very nearly made the Biblical three score and ten years.

Thanks for all the great music. Hope Duane's waiting at the gate for you when you arrive.

Yer Sick Burn of the Day

Shaun King, a white boy who pretends to be black, tried to call out Cleveland sheriff David Clarke for stolen valor on Twitter; Clarke fired back:

King is derisively called "Talcum X" on Twitter by his many enemies.

Knife: Sgian Dubh By Michael Z. Williamson

I received this particular knife during my blogging hiatus, it was made by Mil-SF author Michael Z. Williamson, whose most famous work, Freehold, features cutlery extensively:

Damascus steel blade, zebrawood handle, brass guard.

SC Serial Killer Pleads Guilty

He pleads guilty to murdering seven, kept a woman chained in a shipping container for months after murdering her boyfriend.

His victim said he boasted of killing more than 100 people. In a CBS interview, his mother defended him as "misunderstood."

h/t Instapundit.

Roman Sling Bullets With .44 Magnum Levels of Power

via Stars & Stripes.

But research published Wednesday in National Geographic showed a slingshot used by the Romans some 1,900 years ago had nearly the same stopping power as a .44 magnum.

They used it in the opening attack of a war with the restive tribes living among the hills of Burnswark, Scotland. That war dragged on for nearly two decades. Eventually, the Romans retreated to a fortified barrier they had built known as Hadrian's Wall.

The lead bullets were about 50 grams each. Strangely, about 10 percent of them contained small holes.

The confused researchers made replicas of several bullets, both holed and solid, and gave it to a trained slinger.

The solid ones flew at up to 100 miles per hour and could hit objects smaller than a human 130 yards away. Furthermore, they contained the stopping power of a .44 magnum, that gun Dirty Harry carried around specifically because it was so powerful.

"The biggest sling stones are very powerful — they could literally take off the top of your head," Reid told the Scientific American.

They also solved the mystery of why some had holes. Those weren't as effective as a weapon, but they produced "a weird banshee-like wail" as the wind whipped through and over the holes, Nicholson told National Geographic. The idea, he hypothesized, was to terrify the enemy with the noise during an attack, as a means of distracting them.

"So you are getting these unworldly, unnatural sounds that you have never heard before, and people are falling over on either side of you," Nicholson said.

The location and number of the bullets found suggested a long, pounding siege on a hillside. It's a tremendous thing to imagine, bullets raining down for hours while alien screams fill the air.

Death At the Back of the Boat

The back of a boat can be a "kill zone," as a tragedy at Lake Waccamaw, NC demonstrates.

I'd never heard of a carbon monoxide "kill zone" in the back of a boat before.

Half a BILLION Dollars?!

Meanwhile, over in Catawba County, NC, police have discovered an opium poppy field worth five hundred million dollars.

Just...dayum.

Aftershave Experiments

I like to try various aftershave products, in search of the "perfect" one that suits me. Once upon a time it was Old Spice Fresh Lime, in the transparent green bottle. The makers of Old Spice discontinued it (yes, there is a product made in India that purports to be Old Spice Fresh Lime, but it isn't). Royall Lyme from Bermuda is good, too, but far more expensive than the Old Spice was. In my Navy days I as fond of Stetson for special occasions, and Aqua Velva for daily work use. I still like Aqua Velva and Skin Bracer for work.

More recently I've been searching out other various concoctions. Ogallala makes a good line of bay rum aftershaves - - their Bay Rum with Lime & Peppercorns is my favorite, and their Bay Rum & Vanilla is a close second. J. Peterman's "1903" is a classy aftershave for dress-up occasions, and the price reflects this. It tends to be stronger than typical aftershave, so use it sparingly.

Which brings me to my latest experiment in scents, the old barber shop favorite Lucky Tiger, which I can't recall ever using before. It went out of fashion for years, but has experienced a recent renaissance with the wet-shaving craze. Other old brands such as Hai Karate can be found again, also.

I'll let you all know how it works out - - or doesn't.