Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Shipwreck Champagne Auction Friday

Veuve Clicquot champagne from a 19th century shipwreck off the Aland Islands of Finland.

Be prepared to make a minimum bid of 10K Euros. There's only two bottles available of the shipwreck champagne, so it's a seller's market.

Here's Yer Zombie Apocalypse

Drudge has it all organized for you:



Only it's not really zombies, of course. But you already knew that, right? *wink* You're not buying all those guns and all that ammunition because you're afraid of zombies, are you?

Or goblins, maybe? Jeff Cooper called 'em goblins. Only there ain't no goblins either, no more than there are zombies. All you have is euphemism designed to salve your latent racism.

Chris Rock says what I, as a white man, am not allowed to:



And, hey presto, I'm glad I got that screenshot, because Drudge has already changed his page to get rid of the evidence. The links went to stories of blacks around the country rioting on Memorial day, including here in Charlotte, NC. One of the riots was at a "rib fest." That Drudge, what a joker.

update: Now he's changed it back. What the hell?

update 2: Problem solved. Drudge's page, which auto-updates, will auto-update to this page:



But if you refresh the page, it goes back to the "Teen Gangs Unleashed" page.

What's That Whirring Noise Coming From St. Paul's Cathedral?

I don't know, but it's coming from the direction of Lord Nelson's sarcophagus.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Imagine That

Man fatally stabbed at Redneck Games; teen arrested.

It was during the Mud Bog event.

Have You Heard About the Lonesome Loser?

Two examples of why guns in the hands of the law-abiding are a good thing:

An 18-year-old Otter Creek man was arrested twice over the holiday weekend, both times after residents turned their guns on him.

The Levy County Sheriff’s Office arrested him the first time on a charge of shooting into the convenience store where his mother had recently been fired. The teen told deputies he used a BB gun.

Someone inside the store shot back at the man but missed him.

The second arrest was made after the man was found naked inside a teen girl’s bedroom. The 15-year-old girl’s mother held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived.


The "someone inside the store shot back at the man but missed him" is misleading, as the man purposely fired a warning shot to discourage the attack from continuing. .44-caliber goodness had the desired effect, and the kid (at 18 years old, a young man, really) ran away.

Kid needs counselling, badly. Has anger management issues and poor impulse control. He avoided death twice in one day. Hopefully he'll learn his lesson and straighten up.

Cruel Nature Horror Story of the Day

An 87-year-old woman missing for two days in Kershaw County was found Sunday about noon lying facedown on a nest of fire ants in a woods a mile from her house.

Even one fire ant bite is excruciating. Thousands? I can't see how she's still alive.

A Little Eric Bogle, I Think



That's Finbar Furey singing.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Irony of the Day

A New York Times story just posted online: After Combat, the Unexpected Perils of Coming Home.

Yeah. Just ask Jose Guerena.

Oh, wait. You can't, he's FUCKING DEAD!

updated to add: I wonder why the Marine Corps is staying silent on this? Why should their veterans be killed in such a manner without comment?

*Sigh* Guilty.

This story, found via a Big Hollywood headline, has me depressed; watch the following YouTube clip, of a scene mentioned in the story, and you'll see why:



And no, it's not because I killed a pimp.

update: And watching that clip above, I was struck at how much the voice of the prosecutor/judge reminded me of Frank Morgan's voice as The Great and Powerful Oz:



Same sort of vocal inflection; the voice cold, cruel, and mocking.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Blue Angels CO Resigns After Safety Violation

Angels flying too close to the ground.

Sing it, Willie:



Fly on past the speed of sound,
I'd rather see you up than see you down...

He Brought A Motorsickle To A Tank Fight

And got away with it in the end, presumably because of the Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan.

Still, it doesn't go to piss off Freak Show.

Special Weapons and TACTICS?

Check out this video of the killing of USMC Iraq war veteran Jose Guerena:



At 45 seconds, watch the cop on the left run up to the door and empty his pistol in about 2 seconds.

SWAT, we've been told since the 70's, stands for Special Weapons and Tactics. We're told that SWAT is the best of the best, receive comprehensive training that is far beyond what the typical street cop receives. Well, the cop on the left emptying his gun into the house in 2 seconds is employing a tactic known as Spray and Pray, which any ghetto gangbanger on a Saturday night outside a club would be familiar with.

Just sayin'.

Found here.

Update: More from Radley Balko, some of which might seem to justify the raid.

Dr. Beach Says...

...Cape Hatteras, #5 on the list of the top 10 beaches in the US.

Shipwreck Blog: Queen Anne's Revenge

They're going to salvage the anchor of Blackbeard's flagship.

Blogger Problems Last Night...

...so I didn't post anything. I'll see what I can find this morning from home.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Musical Recommendation

Wayne Hancock:



About as old-school as country gets.

h/t Knuckledraggin' My Life Away.

Yet Another Reason To Go Heeled

Self-defense against a dog biting yer nose off.

Yet Another Reason To Go Heeled

Self-defense against goose attacks.

Maybe He Can Get Work As a Dentist For the National Health Service

"Mugabe torturer who pulled out man's teeth with pliers is granted asylum in UK (and we'll also have to pick up the tab for him and his wife's HIV treatment)."

Cato Institute: Botched Paramilitary Police Raids Interactive Map

Here.


View Original Map and Database

View in Google Maps

h/t Irons In the Fire.

It Took Him Nine Years...

...because he built it one piece at a time, like Johnny Cash's Cadillac:

The Man Can't Help It...

...he's a banker. Stealing money is in his blood.

Looks Like Disney...

...doesn't want to exploit the Seal Team 6 name after all.

Could you imagine a Disney movie about Seal Team 6? Here's how it would shake out:

The leader of the team would be a black guy, an incredibly intelligent black guy. He would be based on Barack Obama.

There'd be a Latino, probably voiced by Cheech Marin.

There'd be an Oriental guy to do all the computer tech stuff.

There'd be an Arab-American guy whose family was tragically killed by Al-Qaeda and who joined the SEALs to avenge them.

There'd be a woman, the first female SEAL, and a gay guy, who would be the kindest and most compassionate member of the team.

There'd be one white guy, a Southerner and Christian who is just slightly racist, always mouthing off to the boss and harassing the gay SEAL.

If the movie is animated, there'd be a smartass animal mascot voiced by Eddie Murphy. Probably a crab.


The movie's plot would not involve Al Qaeda, but a plot by evil Tea Party types to commit some horrible act of terrorism.

So I'm glad that the Navy has persuaded Disney to give up on their idea of trademarking the Seal Team 6 name.

Looks Like the Europeans...

...finally caught Ratko Mladic.

During the years when the Euroweenies laughed at the US for being unable to catch Osama bin Laden, I used to comfort myself with the fact that they couldn't find Ratko Mladic or Slobodan Milosevic.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

They're Remaking Fright Night?

Cool.



I saw the original at the theater on base in Rota, Spain, in the mid-1980's.

Is They Real?

Christina Hendricks says yes, they are.

Pic:



Are Them Puppies Real?
Real!
Fake!
Hands-on Verification Necessary!
  
pollcode.com free polls

Fool Me Once...

...shame on you.

Of course, the "me" is just by courtesy, since probably 99% of us weren't fooled.

Too bad that tarring and feathering went out of fashion.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Crumb Ponders...

...about various people.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Robert: "Father of his country! [laughs] I don’t know. I don’t know much about George Washington. I haven’t examined him closely. It would be really hard to sift out the hero-worship from the real person, I think at this point. That would be very difficult to do. He was a very big guy, George Washington; big man. They wanted to make him king. Some people wanted him to be our first King of the United States. But he, fortunately, rejected that idea himself."

ANDY WARHOL

Robert: "He had a clever little schtick, but, again, highly overrated, as far as I’m concerned. The art world just loves the guy. They still love him to death. One of his lame-ass silk screen prints goes for more money than some original renaissance art."

W.C. FIELDS

Robert: "Love him. I love to watch W.C. Fields. He has his visual jokes that he carried over from vaudeville, you know, where his hat gets caught on his cane and stuff like that. But just his persona; he embodies this American type of the 30s particularly: alcoholic; wheeling and dealing in a very low key way and not very successfully. Have you ever seen It’s A Gift, where he’s a grocery store proprietor n the 1930s? He embodies that certain type of American man at that time. A lot of people my age remember having an uncle or somebody in their family that was like the W.C. Fields character; an alcoholic with a big, bulbous, red nose."


Click the link for more. First in a series, it's said.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Just A Routine Asswhooping

Efforts to turn the beating of Malcolm X. Springs into Charlotte's version of Rodney King have failed.

Look, real close, here in my eyes: can you see the tears of sympathy for Malcolm X. Springs?

If You're Going To Own and Wear...

a shoot-me-first vest, it might as well be a cool one:

Now Here's the Sort of Book I Love To Read

The book, called Mummies, Cannibals and Vampires, will be published on June 29 by Routledge and charts the largely forgotten history of European corpse medicine from the Renaissance to the Victorians.

Click the link to find out more than you probably wanted to know about "corpse medicine."

Here's an image of the book's cover:

She Should Have Fired Numerous Bullets...

...into the man's chest and head, instead of his white work van.

The van didn't attack her, after all.

Amazon...

...is selling more e-books than paper books.

When Knives Are Outlawed...

...only outlaws will carry knives.

Although I don't think that calling someone an outlaw for simply wanting to be allowed the human right of armed self-defense is fair, when you think about it.

Guess I'll Have To Get Used To Eating...

...Slim Jims made by Yankees.

Movie Review "JournoList" At Work?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Alan Brings the Snark

And it's weapon-grade, friends.

She Preferred To Be Called A Short

Starbucks hired a dwarf barista and fired her after three days when she asked for a stepstool.

Rumor has it she was heard to mutter fuck all you grandes and ventis as she was frogmarched to the door.

Yet Another Rhyming Law Enforcement Campaign

First we had Click It Or Ticket, meant to enforce seat belt laws.

Then we Booze It and Lose It, to enforce drunk driving laws.

Now comes Run and You're Done.

Run and You're Done is meant to end car chases by allowing police agencies to seize vehicles from fleeing felons.

Then there's the one cops have been using on female lawbreakers for years, Blow Me and Go Free...

First They Came For the Fat People...

...and I thought oh shit and started loading the Mosin, until I realized they were only coming for the fat pregnant women.

But I better buy some more 7.62 x 54R just in case...

h/t The Drudge Report

The Last Entry...

...in Osama bin Laden's journal.

via Miami Herald columnist and novelist Carl Hiaasen.

Well, Here's a Big Ol' Helping of Poetic Justice

The third-world woman allegedly raped by the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, may be HIV-positive.

h/t Jammie Wearing Fool.

"Hannibal Lectrovsky"

The Russian version of The Silence of the Lambs' Hannibal Lecter was arrested in Moscow after dining on an acquaitance's liver.

UK Education Summarized In Three Words

"Teachers give up making boys read long books."

Teachers give up. It just doesn't get any clearer than that, does it?

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Poor Choice of Victims

Of course, when you're a rabid fox, you don't make informed choices, but choosing to attack men who carry bagfuls of clubs turned out to be a fatal mistake for the fox.

For many years now I've carried a staff or cane when walking, and now even when going outdoors to walk the dog. I've never encountered a rabid animal, but once encountered a rabbit with myxomatosis, and used the stick to put said rabbit out of its misery. (I wonder if Jimmy Carter's infamous Killer Rabbit had myxomatosis?) Carrying a cane to walk the dog may seem extreme, but we have hawks that roost on the power pylons next to the house, and I wouldn't want to have any of them make a mistake and try to swoop down on our dog, a Jack Russell bitch. The principle is the same as for any piece of survival or defense gear: better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Army Corps of Engineers?

We don't need no stinkin' Army Corps of Engineers.

Self-reliance, your name is Russell Petty. Well, reliance on neighbors, too. No reliance on government, though.

The Ink Was Hardly Dry...

...on the restraining order.

I think that women would be better off treating restraining orders as "a permit to shoot the SOB when he comes calling" rather than "a magical paper protecting me from all harm."

You'd think that simple numbers would enter into such an equation, like odds at a casino (for purposes of this scenario we'll equate violation of the restraining order with murderous intent):

With restraining order: 50% chance of subject obeying order, 50% chance of subject violating order and killing victim.

With restraining order AND GUN: 50% chance of subject obeying order, 25% chance of subject violating order and killing victim, 25% chance of victim killing subject in self-defense.

So the woman who acquires a gun in addition to a restraining order reduces her chance of being killed from 50% to 25%.

The actual numbers will vary according to the level of training by the woman and how accessible her gun is, as well as the element of surprise which her murderous husband unfortunately enjoys.

Perfect TSA Encounter

By Stingray over at Atomic Nerds.

And I've added Atomic Nerds to the blogroll. Go thou and do likewise.*











*anyone know where I got that?

When Harpoons Are Outlawed...

...only outlaws will carry harpoons.

Harmon Killebrew Is Dying

He's moved to hospice care. He has terminal esophageal cancer, the same cancer Christopher Hitchens is battling.

More here.

A WHAT? Ooo, Ick!

Thanksgiving Haley holds a backyard touch-football game cum barbecue.

A cum barbecue? WTF?

I know what he's trying to say, of course, but when you use that particular word (it's Latin, by the way), you should italicize it, just as you would any other Latin phrase embedded in an English-language sentence:

Thanksgiving Haley holds a backyard touch-football game-cum-barbecue.

And, as much as I love barbecue, I don't think I'd be willing to try cum barbecue. Don't think you could barbecue it, anyway. Maybe mix it with cornmeal and fry it up as a hushpuppy. Not that I'd be willing to try even that.

I Guess Obama Is Finding Out...

...that killing Osama bin Laden is fine, but doesn't fill the gas tank up.

Or, as Rush Limbaugh put it so bluntly earlier this week, You can't put Osama's blood in your gas tank.

Barack Obama: made up of parts of Jimmy Carter (high inflation, malaise), Lyndon Johnson (over-investment in wars) and George H.W. Bush (high taxes, clueless about consumer worries).

A Cold, Lonely Death

Jerry Williams McDonald, 68, died in his pickup truck after becoming snowed in on a mountain road.

He starved to death after being stranded nearly 60 days. Not that he didn't have food with him, but he didn't take enough for a long-term survival situation. Most people wouldn't, I'm thinking. You'd have to be a hard-core survival type to store more than a week's food rations in your car.

I'd guess he didn't leave an itinerary with friends, as there's no mention of a search for him being conducted. Didn't have a cell phone with him, either, although a cell might not have helped if he was in a remote area without cell coverage.

He drew up a crude calendar, marking down the days until his death:

Wilmington's Greenfield Lake

Wilmington, NC, that is.

It's a public park in Wilmington, with lake, gardens and sports facilities. You can rent paddleboats and canoes, and fish in the lake, as well, although I don't think I'd recommend eating the fish you catch, as the lake is polluted. (It's getting better, though.)

Sara and I have visited it and sat by the edge of the lake to watch fishermen. If you click on this link to the accompanying gallery, you'll see the bench (1/20) that we sat in.

The lake, in addition to the usual turtles, has alligators in it.

It's best to be cautious when visiting the park, as it is close enough to the poor parts of Wilmington to draw criminal activity: drug dealers, muggers, and rapists. I probably wouldn't visit it again myself unless I had a CCW and was heeled.

Good bunch of stories and photos. It's nice to know that the lake is slowly becoming less polluted, and stories from the Star-News in the past indicates that the Wilmington police are trying to deal with the crime problem. I hope that they do, it's a pretty park.

Army Corps of Engineers: Let's Drown All the Coonasses

Looks like that to save New Orleans from flooding again, the Army Corps of Engineers is planning to open spillways that will flood Cajun country instead.

Can we take a vote? If I had to choose between the Cajuns and the Nig...er, um, citizens of New Orleans, I'd much rather have the Cajuns.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Already Finished Monster Hunter Alpha

It was better than Monster Hunter Vendetta, in my opinion. Less over-the-top, more believable. Rather than dealing with earth-shattering events it relates the story of an attack by werewolves on a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I won't go into any more detail, really, since most of you haven't yet read it. It's a good read.

Duplicate Post: Arrival

Since Blogger was incompetent enough to lose my last couple of posts, I'll re-create them from memory. On Thursday I received a new knife from Blind Horse Knives of Indianapolis, it's a mini-skinner called the Drover:



Folks, this is a handmade knife, not a factory knife, and it only cost$91.00, including shipping. It's made of O-1 tool steel with green Micarta handle scales and comes with a hand-crafted belt sheath. In the world of handmade knives, it qualifies as a bargain. Deliver time was a month and a half. I don't anticipate skinning animals with it (its primary function), but I can use it as an EDC (Every Day Carry) utility knife to open boxes, cut steaks, scrape, whittle, make shavings for fires, etc.

I'm happy with it.

update: Hmm, looks like Google got its act together and recovered my old knife post.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Arrival

Mini-skinner from Blind Horse Knives:



This was their March special-of-the-month, I got it for $91.00 (including shipping). Folks, this is a hand-made knife of O-1 tool steel with Micarta handles and a well-made handcrafted sheath for $91.00! Delivery time was just short of a month and a half.

My new EDC (Every Day Carry) knife.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Incentives For Voting Republican, Part 1

Vote for ____________, and, if elected, he'll let you see the Osama bin Laden death photos.

Vote for ____________, and, if elected, he'll rein in the abuses at TSA and institute common-sense security measures (i.e., profiling). Damn the ACLU!

Meanwhile, Over In UK...

...the ironically-named Joel Hardman put on a wig and a rubber woman mask in order to spy on girls in public restrooms.

*snort*

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

"Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash." - - Winston Churchill

Over at Radley Balko's place, Peter Moskos has some kind words about the lash - - flogging.

How many fewer people would be in prison if corporal punishment was reinstituted? And before you reject the idea out of hand, remember that Heinlein advocated it in his book Starship Troopers.

Now, I will readily advocate rum, and I think that we could save money on incarcerations if we utilitized flogging for certain offenses, but sodomy? If you're talking drag-you-into-the-woods-and-make-you-squeal-like-a-pig sodomy, I've never been in favor of that:



So I'm 2 out of 3 on Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. Two out of three ain't bad.

Couldn't Wait...


...had to get the E-ARC of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter Alpha.

August was just too far away.

Competent Man - - UK Version

Over on my sidebar, you'll see a description of the Competent Man, as described by Robert A. Heinlein:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

Well, the UK magazine Country Life has developed its own version of the list:

1. Cook three different dinner party menus

2. Say 'Can you help me please' in Arabic, Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish and Russian

3. Play a musical instrument, even if it's just the tom-toms or a mouth organ

4. Ride a horse to jackaroo standard

5. Be a 'tech whisperer', able to fix and set up the latest technogadgets

6. Talk about five classics of English literature with authority and passion

7. Perform resuscitation on someone who has stopped breathing

8. Know how to grow carrots from seed, distinguish five native trees, identify 20 flowers and arrange a bunch

9. Handle a shotgun, skin a rabbit, gut a fish and pluck a pigeon

10. Repair a bicycle puncture and fix the chain

11. Dance the eightsome reel, waltz to Strauss and bop to Lady Gaga

12. Taste the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and know how to mix a mojito or margarita

13. Write a memorable thank you letter

14. Recognise music by Mozart, Elgar and Handel

15. Put up a shelf and change a plug

16. Tie a bow tie, bowline and Bloody Butcher

17. Sail a boat across the Solent

18. Carve a joint of meat

19. Tell the difference between Gothic, Baroque and Palladian architecture

20. Make a speech, entertain an audience with a joke or an anecdote, and sing at least two songs by heart

21. Drive a tractor, reverse a trailer, renew engine oil and change a wheel

22. Find their way round five capital cities

23. Host a party and put others at their ease

24. Sustain a 10-shot rally at tennis

25. Build a bonfire and lay a fire

26. Perform three good card tricks

27. Identify five constellations and find the North Star

28. Score a cricket match

29. Talk knowledgeably about five British landmarks

30. Uncork and pour a bottle of Champagne

31. Iron a shirt, sew on a button and sew up a hem

32. Amuse small children for at least an hour with magic tricks and storytelling

33. Read a map, pitch a tent and pack a rucksack

34. Be authoritatively acquainted with at least one work by da Vinci, Constable, Degas, Turner and Canaletto

35. Manage a bank account

36. Slip away from a football riot

37. Address a member of the Royal Family

38. Complain effectively but politely in a restaurant

39. Deliver a lamb



A larger list than Heinlein's, obviously. What would you include on your own list?

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Gift From Christopher Hitchens

"Chomsky's Follies: The Professor's Pronouncements About Osama bin Laden Are Stupid and Ignorant."

Thank you, Christopher.

So Do Muslims Yell ALLAHU AKBAR...

...when they really, really have to use the toilet?

From a Drudge Report headline:



Not to put too fine a point on it, but the dude's family is trying to blow smoke up our collective ass.

Meanwhile, Down In Rock Hill, South Carolina...

...the father of the bride became enraged when the bill was presented at the White Horse Restaurant, believing that the groom's father was responsible for paying for the food. He therefore produced a knife and threatened to stab someone, exactly who isn't clear.

*snort*

The Trailer Park Counterfeiters

Operating out of a trailer in Conover, North Carolina, they spent their ill-gotten gains on video games and fast food.

*snort*

Quote of the Day

"You can't put Osama's blood in your gas tank." - - Rush Limbaugh, 5/10/2011

Baldness Cure - - Not For Muslims Or Jews, Though

Because pigs are involved.

Monday, May 09, 2011

Hitchens Update

Apparently cancer has taken his voice from him.

But not his wonderful ability to write, not yet. Go. Read.

(here's the Leonard Cohen song he mentions in the essay.)

Granddaughter of the Year

18-year-old Shonta Williams beat up her grandmother on Mother's Day.

Show it, girl.

He's Just a Little Tetched In the Haid

Why's he got a gun then, Grandma?

Effing COOL!

Let's turn a Douglas DC-6 into a restaurant.

Pics:

Exterior:



Interior:




And presumably you can get inside without having your privates groped by TSA agents.

So It's Basically A Big Haze Gray...Yacht

Because it certainly appears that USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) is incapable of fulfilling its mission as a US Navy ship.

“Bottom line: severe problems with engines, missiles, guns, links, comms and aviation,” Rear Adm. Rob Wray, president of INSURV, wrote in the April 7 email addressed to the heads of Fleet Forces Command, Pacific Fleet and Naval Surface Forces. “The ship’s material condition did not support underway operations, area air defense operations, or principal warfare commander command and control requirements.”

In the email, Wray detailed Mobile Bay’s discrepancies. Upon discovering metal debris in the port main reduction gear, the shaft had to be locked for most of the underway part of the inspection. All seven gas turbine engines and generators had multiple problems that precluded their operation. The SPY-1 radar was unable to operate at minimum power and the Aegis weapon system couldn’t provide a “recommend fire” alert in simulation mode, preventing Standard Missile-2 launches. The forward deck gun was inoperable due to a faulty firing pin. Connectivity issues hampered data links, email, radio circuits, naval messages, instant messaging — even Tomahawk mission planning.



Boy, is the captain of the Mobile Bay lucky that he's not in Ernie King's Navy.

They Were DESIGNED To Do That, Don't You Know

A boy who tried to leap over a spiked fence...

...impaled himself on the spikes.

Pics; first, the fence:



Then, the boy:



Finally, a distressing x-ray:




FYI, kid: fire will burn you. Liquid nitrogen will freeze you. Pit Bulls will bite your face off, and toothless white guys in Georgia will drag you into the woods and make you squeal like a pig.

7 Weeks In A Van - - She Survived

Her husband, who left the van to get help, probably didn't.

She lived on melted snow and trail mix while stuck in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada,

Sunday, May 08, 2011

It Must Be...

...the Pakistan version of voilá!

So Panetta goes on television to say if we tipped off Pakistan about the raid, they’d have tipped off OBL to escape. And walah, Pakistan’s street-cred with the jihadists is covered.

Friday, May 06, 2011

I'll Drink To That

Denny at Grouchy Old Cripple describes a new drink called the bin Laden.

It could get popular pretty darned quick.

I'm In Favor of Sluts, Myself

Slutwalk.

Mom of the Year

Delphia Bryant, who brought some items to her jailed son Craig Juan Bryant, accused of murder.

Including a razor blade. Naughty, naughty. Now you're in jail too:

The Family That Does Crime Together Does Time Together.

Well, That's a Relief

Johnny Depp says that this year's Pirates of the Caribbean sequel will have a coherent plot.

With the fourth installment, On Stranger Tides (rated PG-13 and out May 20), Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have taken steps to make the movie more accessible. "I felt it was very important to eliminate as many complications as possible," says Depp. "Let's give (fans) something character-driven. Something fun and irreverent. Hoops of fire and whatnot. New blood, as it were."

Thursday, May 05, 2011

All Murphy All the Time

Yesterday I posted "For Murphy's Law" here at The Drawn Cutlass. Today I want to post about another Murphy:

US Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who won the Medal of Honor posthumously in Afghanistan, and is having a Navy ship named after him.

BATH, Maine — Engaged in a frenzied firefight and outnumbered by the Taliban, Navy Lt. Michael Murphy made a desperate decision as he and three fellow SEALs fought for their lives on a rocky mountainside in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province in 2005.

In a last-ditch effort to save his team, Murphy pulled out his satellite phone, walked into a clearing to get reception and called for reinforcements as a fusillade of bullets ricocheted around him. One of the bullets hit him, but he finished the call and even signed off, “Thank you.”

Then he continued the battle.


Click the link to read the whole thing.


Note: The "Murphy's Law" dog mentioned above is, himself, named after another heroic Murphy.

Give Him a Job In a Sideshow...

...since he appears to be something of a geek.

Treasure Blog: Chinese Jade, 18th c.

'Eee, that old rubbish? We've had it for ages!

And some of it's worth quite a lot, having been looted from an 18th century Chinese emperor's palace.

Such as this cup and saucer, worth over $400,000.:



More at the link.

Why Should the Osama Bin Laden Death Photos Be Published?

Because, as a famous man once said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and what bin Laden did was not just an insult to the White House, but to every American. If millions of them subsequently use the image as their desktop photo, so what? And, as has already been pointed out, if we're mature enough to see images of our citizens jumping to their deaths on 9/11/2001, and see their beheaded bodies hanging from Iraqi bridges, and see them beheaded on television, then we're mature enough to see the dead face of the man responsible for it.

The President's actions in this matter, such as ensuring that Osama was buried at sea "in accordance with Islamic tradition," make it seem as if the President is more concerned about the sensitivies of his fellow Muslims than he is of his fellow (?)* Americans.






*snide Birther reference.

This Was the Unkindest Cut of All

Guy Ritchie gave up his foreskin for Madonna.

Any Hemingway Fans Out There?

Here's a wonderful animated version of The Old Man and the Sea.



Apparently it won the 2000 Academy Award for Best Short film.

29,000 fingerpainted images went into its making. Amazing.

h/t Rabid Librarian.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Monday, May 02, 2011

He Should Have Bought A Lottery Ticket After That

Fellow gets struck by lightning - - twice.

And Humpbot Has Heard the News...

Hitler Is Heard From...



h/t Kurt at A Trainwreck In Maxwell.

Taiwanese Animators Envision Osama Death Scene...

...and aftermath. With Guest Appearances by President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Satan, Adolf Hitler, and 72 virgins.



Damn, I don't think even South Park would be this hard on the guy. Not that I have a problem with it, myself.

h/t Hot Air Headlines.

Gator Vs. Police Car

Here.

Here's the vid:

Sumdood Wasn't Wearing A Belt.

Imagine that.

Rare Video Footage of Sumdood Making His Getaway.



h/t Robb at Sharp As a Marble.

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Can It Possibly Be True?

Did we really kill Osama bin Laden?

If we did, then congratulations to the Obama administration.

Update: It's true. Text of President Obama's speech here.

Old Salem

Sara and I visited Old Salem on Saturday. Old Salem is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and is a Moravian community dating from 1766. George Washington visited the community as President.

I'll just post a bunch of pics for your viewing pleasure. You can see everything there is to see in just a few hours. We had perfect weather: sunny, dry and mild.







What Am I? Please Answer In Comments.












Tie Your Horse Up To Me.










I was remiss in not taking photographs of interiors, especially of crafters at work. Old Salem has demonstrations of basketmaking, pottery, blacksmithing, gunsmithing, carpentry, joinery, a working bakery, etc. I notice I didn't take many pictures featuring fellow tourists. I tend to take photos of buildings and objects, not people or animals. Probably a reflection of my misanthropic personality.

There are three eateries in the historic area. The Tavern features German/Moravian cuisine as well as American favorites. Sara and I ate at Mayberry Restaurant, above the bakery. American cuisine/ice cream.

Fun trip.