I've never even seen one. OR a tornado, for that matter.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Four - - Count 'Em, FOUR...
...waterspouts that formed off the Greek islands in 1999 and were photographed by a lucky photographer:
I've never even seen one. OR a tornado, for that matter.
I've never even seen one. OR a tornado, for that matter.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
When You're a Drug Dealer...
...you don't have the option of calling 911 when your customers rob you.
Probably he needed more iodine in his diet as a kid to raise his IQ level. Too late now.
Probably he needed more iodine in his diet as a kid to raise his IQ level. Too late now.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Unworthy of the Love of a Good Woman
She flattened the tires on his truck to prevent him from driving while drunk.
He responded by beating the crap out of her. Already out on bail, too. Click the link to read the rest, and to look at the pic of this useless piece of crap with his improbably yellow hair and the appropriately-named wifebeater t-shirt he's wearing.
Where else but Rock Hill, SC?
He responded by beating the crap out of her. Already out on bail, too. Click the link to read the rest, and to look at the pic of this useless piece of crap with his improbably yellow hair and the appropriately-named wifebeater t-shirt he's wearing.
Where else but Rock Hill, SC?
A Passel of Pimps
FBI investigation results in arrest of 150 pimps, recovery of 106 child prostitutes.
The FBI in Charlotte and across the nation conducted a three-day operation known as Operation Cross Country VII, which led to the recovery of 106 children involved with prostitution as well as the arrest of 150 pimps.
The national bureau worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 76 cities across 47 FBI divisions nationwide.
That's a lot of pimps. Be funny as hell to see them in a group picture. I wasn't certain if there's a collective name for a group of pimps, so I figured passel would suit.
The FBI in Charlotte and across the nation conducted a three-day operation known as Operation Cross Country VII, which led to the recovery of 106 children involved with prostitution as well as the arrest of 150 pimps.
The national bureau worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 76 cities across 47 FBI divisions nationwide.
That's a lot of pimps. Be funny as hell to see them in a group picture. I wasn't certain if there's a collective name for a group of pimps, so I figured passel would suit.
An Observation
If you aren't sure of the principles that made the United States of America a great nation, just take out a quarter to be reminded of them: LIBERTY. IN GOD WE TRUST. E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Nowhere on any of our coinage or currency will you see the words "security" or "fairness."
Nowhere on any of our coinage or currency will you see the words "security" or "fairness."
Evil, Insidious Earworm
And to rescue me from its clutches, Altan just came on Pandora with their superb rendition of The Ookpik Waltz.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
"Iron Man" of Charleston, SC, Collects Civil War Munitions
Old cannon balls, shells, grenades and other munitions from the Civil War.
Behind a two-story home on a rural Lowcountry road, long-forgotten relics from a more than century-old conflict lie marinating in electrolyte baths so that future generations might someday see them up close.
Dozens of cannonballs, mortar shells and other munitions used in the Civil War sit in water-filled barrels that are juiced with a small electrical charge that travels along a maze of wires from a battery. It’s part of a year-long process to remove iron oxide, salt water and rust to keep the aged armaments from chipping, cracking and crumbling when they are exposed to the air after years under water or ground.
The backyard operation is not part of a high-tech laboratory or the brainchild of a noted scientist. Rather, it’s a labor of love launched by a coastal native with a passion for history and skills honed by decades of experimentation, trial-and-error and advice from those who came before him.
Unexploded rounds from the War Between the States pepper the region and are uncovered from time to time during construction digs and renovation projects, prompting anxious calls to local police and military bomb squads. Their solution, more often than not, is to blow up the old rounds to eliminate any threat to the public.
That galls some preservationists, who see each exploded piece of ordnance as another chunk of history lost.
“They don’t need to do that,” said the man with the backyard munitions collection. “This stuff needs to be seen by people.”
The man has what may be the largest private collection of Civil War munitions in the state, but he stays far clear of the limelight as a general rule. He agreed to talk with The Post and Courier on the condition that his name not be used and the location of his home kept secret.
He’s wary of thieves, curiosity-seekers and reality-TV producers looking to make a buck off his endeavors.
And he has a lot of Southern pride, too:
More than a half-dozen TV types tried to track him down after he appeared anonymously in a Garden & Gun magazine article this year. But the collector, known by some as Iron Man, said he is not interested in helping with low-budget productions looking to ridicule the South or spur a frenzied hunt for artifacts on solemn ground.
“South Carolina is one of the few states where you can still find artifacts,” he said. “And it is a privilege.”
Click the link to read the rest.
Behind a two-story home on a rural Lowcountry road, long-forgotten relics from a more than century-old conflict lie marinating in electrolyte baths so that future generations might someday see them up close.
Dozens of cannonballs, mortar shells and other munitions used in the Civil War sit in water-filled barrels that are juiced with a small electrical charge that travels along a maze of wires from a battery. It’s part of a year-long process to remove iron oxide, salt water and rust to keep the aged armaments from chipping, cracking and crumbling when they are exposed to the air after years under water or ground.
The backyard operation is not part of a high-tech laboratory or the brainchild of a noted scientist. Rather, it’s a labor of love launched by a coastal native with a passion for history and skills honed by decades of experimentation, trial-and-error and advice from those who came before him.
Unexploded rounds from the War Between the States pepper the region and are uncovered from time to time during construction digs and renovation projects, prompting anxious calls to local police and military bomb squads. Their solution, more often than not, is to blow up the old rounds to eliminate any threat to the public.
That galls some preservationists, who see each exploded piece of ordnance as another chunk of history lost.
“They don’t need to do that,” said the man with the backyard munitions collection. “This stuff needs to be seen by people.”
The man has what may be the largest private collection of Civil War munitions in the state, but he stays far clear of the limelight as a general rule. He agreed to talk with The Post and Courier on the condition that his name not be used and the location of his home kept secret.
He’s wary of thieves, curiosity-seekers and reality-TV producers looking to make a buck off his endeavors.
And he has a lot of Southern pride, too:
More than a half-dozen TV types tried to track him down after he appeared anonymously in a Garden & Gun magazine article this year. But the collector, known by some as Iron Man, said he is not interested in helping with low-budget productions looking to ridicule the South or spur a frenzied hunt for artifacts on solemn ground.
“South Carolina is one of the few states where you can still find artifacts,” he said. “And it is a privilege.”
Click the link to read the rest.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
J.J. Cale, 1938-2013: R.I.P.
Story.
J. J. Cale, a musician and songwriter whose blues-inflected rock influenced some of the genre’s biggest names and whose songs were recorded by Eric Clapton and Johnny Cash among others, died on Friday in La Jolla, Calif. He was 74.
Mr. Cale suffered a heart attack and died at Scripps Memorial Hospital around 8 p.m. on Friday evening, a statement posted on his Web site said.
He is best known as the writer of “Cocaine” and “After Midnight,” songs made famous when they were recorded by his collaborator, Eric Clapton.
A multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Cale often played all of the parts on his albums, also recording and mixing them himself. He is also credited as one of the architects of the 1970s Tulsa sound, a blend of rockabilly, blues, country and rock that came to influence Neil Young and Brian Ferry, among others. He won a Grammy Award in 2007 for an album with Mr. Clapton.
“Basically, I’m just a guitar player that figured out I wasn’t ever gonna be able to buy dinner with my guitar playing,” Mr. Cale told an interviewer for his official biography. “So I got into songwriting, which is a little more profitable business.”
Click the link to read the rest.
J. J. Cale, a musician and songwriter whose blues-inflected rock influenced some of the genre’s biggest names and whose songs were recorded by Eric Clapton and Johnny Cash among others, died on Friday in La Jolla, Calif. He was 74.
Mr. Cale suffered a heart attack and died at Scripps Memorial Hospital around 8 p.m. on Friday evening, a statement posted on his Web site said.
He is best known as the writer of “Cocaine” and “After Midnight,” songs made famous when they were recorded by his collaborator, Eric Clapton.
A multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Cale often played all of the parts on his albums, also recording and mixing them himself. He is also credited as one of the architects of the 1970s Tulsa sound, a blend of rockabilly, blues, country and rock that came to influence Neil Young and Brian Ferry, among others. He won a Grammy Award in 2007 for an album with Mr. Clapton.
“Basically, I’m just a guitar player that figured out I wasn’t ever gonna be able to buy dinner with my guitar playing,” Mr. Cale told an interviewer for his official biography. “So I got into songwriting, which is a little more profitable business.”
Click the link to read the rest.
The Charlotte Area's Very Own Punisher
He started his very own list of sex offenders to kill.
When Charles Parker registered as a sex offender in Jonesville, S.C., he became a prospect on another man’s kill list.
Parker, 59, died last week at his home, shot in the neck and chest and then stabbed. His wife was also shot and stabbed.
Sheriff’s officials believe the double murder in Jonesville – a town of about 900 residents 75 miles southwest of Charlotte – was not the byproduct of a botched drug deal or a home invasion. Rather, they suspect that Parker’s death was intended as the opening phase of a man’s quest to purge sex offenders from Union County.
“He went through our sex offender registry,” said Sheriff David H. Taylor, “and individually picked out targets.”
After the suspect, Jeremy Moody, 30, was arrested Wednesday, he acknowledged to the authorities that he had planned to kill again Thursday. And he said he had explained to Parker why he had been targeted.
“I’m not here to rob you,” investigators say Moody told Parker. “I’m here to kill you because you’re a child molester.”
Turns out that the victim was not a child molester, although he was a registered sex offender.
The murderer is a some sort of skinhead or just a skinhead wannabe:
Moody, a resident of nearby Lockhart, S.C., had long been a subject of monitoring by law enforcement officials, who followed his postings on social media websites before losing track of his online presence about a year ago.
Taylor declined to elaborate on what specifically prompted his agency’s concerns about Moody, who has a criminal record and the word “skinhead” tattooed across his neck.
“We’ve never thought of him as possibly being a serial killer, but he is someone who we have been watching for the last several years,” Taylor said. “We’re in the South, and it isn’t often you see people running around here with ‘skinhead’ tattooed under their neck.”
Whether Moody has formal ties to white supremacist groups remains a focus of the investigation. Both the Parkers were white.
Here's a pic of the ugly bastard with his even uglier tattoo:
From reading the article, you get the impression that he was on law enforcement's radar mainly because of that tattoo, although he has a NC criminal record, as well. Looks like he's a drunk with a temper problem.
Guess he'll fit in right well with the Aryan Brotherhood in prison.
When Charles Parker registered as a sex offender in Jonesville, S.C., he became a prospect on another man’s kill list.
Parker, 59, died last week at his home, shot in the neck and chest and then stabbed. His wife was also shot and stabbed.
Sheriff’s officials believe the double murder in Jonesville – a town of about 900 residents 75 miles southwest of Charlotte – was not the byproduct of a botched drug deal or a home invasion. Rather, they suspect that Parker’s death was intended as the opening phase of a man’s quest to purge sex offenders from Union County.
“He went through our sex offender registry,” said Sheriff David H. Taylor, “and individually picked out targets.”
After the suspect, Jeremy Moody, 30, was arrested Wednesday, he acknowledged to the authorities that he had planned to kill again Thursday. And he said he had explained to Parker why he had been targeted.
“I’m not here to rob you,” investigators say Moody told Parker. “I’m here to kill you because you’re a child molester.”
Turns out that the victim was not a child molester, although he was a registered sex offender.
The murderer is a some sort of skinhead or just a skinhead wannabe:
Moody, a resident of nearby Lockhart, S.C., had long been a subject of monitoring by law enforcement officials, who followed his postings on social media websites before losing track of his online presence about a year ago.
Taylor declined to elaborate on what specifically prompted his agency’s concerns about Moody, who has a criminal record and the word “skinhead” tattooed across his neck.
“We’ve never thought of him as possibly being a serial killer, but he is someone who we have been watching for the last several years,” Taylor said. “We’re in the South, and it isn’t often you see people running around here with ‘skinhead’ tattooed under their neck.”
Whether Moody has formal ties to white supremacist groups remains a focus of the investigation. Both the Parkers were white.
Here's a pic of the ugly bastard with his even uglier tattoo:
From reading the article, you get the impression that he was on law enforcement's radar mainly because of that tattoo, although he has a NC criminal record, as well. Looks like he's a drunk with a temper problem.
Guess he'll fit in right well with the Aryan Brotherhood in prison.
It Was a Rap Concert, As You Might Expect
"Man fatally stabbed after Verizon concert."
A 24-year-old Charlotte man was fatally stabbed late Friday night during an argument outside Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
The death, apparently the first violence-related fatality at the north Charlotte entertainment venue in its 22 years, followed a rap concert featuring Lil Wayne.
The fundamental wisdom of John Derbyshire's Rule 10D is illustrated once again.
A 24-year-old Charlotte man was fatally stabbed late Friday night during an argument outside Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
The death, apparently the first violence-related fatality at the north Charlotte entertainment venue in its 22 years, followed a rap concert featuring Lil Wayne.
The fundamental wisdom of John Derbyshire's Rule 10D is illustrated once again.
Should You Stand Your Ground In An Assault With Pizza?
And can you shoot someone assaulting you with a pizza?
More weekend hijinks from Fort Mill, SC:
Deputies were called to 1034 JW Wilson Road where they met with a 40-year-old woman who told police her boyfriend, Jimmy Ray Poage, threw pizza at her, according to a York County Sheriff’s report. Poage then grabbed her around her neck and slammed her against the kitchen counter.
When deputies arrived at the home, the woman’s arms, face and clothing were still covered in pizza sauce, the report states. There were also red marks on her neck and a cut on her back.
Poage initially denied throwing the pizza or hitting his girlfriend, but then recanted, deputies said, and told authorities he did throw the pizza only after she threw it at him, the report states.
Ah ha! He's claiming self-defense!
More weekend hijinks from Fort Mill, SC:
Deputies were called to 1034 JW Wilson Road where they met with a 40-year-old woman who told police her boyfriend, Jimmy Ray Poage, threw pizza at her, according to a York County Sheriff’s report. Poage then grabbed her around her neck and slammed her against the kitchen counter.
When deputies arrived at the home, the woman’s arms, face and clothing were still covered in pizza sauce, the report states. There were also red marks on her neck and a cut on her back.
Poage initially denied throwing the pizza or hitting his girlfriend, but then recanted, deputies said, and told authorities he did throw the pizza only after she threw it at him, the report states.
Ah ha! He's claiming self-defense!
Meanwhile, In Fort Mill, SC...
...a nutcase woman masquerades as a federal agent:
Deputies were called to the Clarion Hotel on Foothills Way near Carowinds after receiving calls from the manager that a 45-year-old woman was at the hotel although she had been asked not to return, the report states. The manager told deputies that a new employee unaware that the woman was not welcome booked the woman into an eighth-floor room.
The woman claimed to be a federal agent, according to the manager, who told police that she did not believe the story, the report states. The manager told deputies the woman identified herself a federal agent to other hotel guests and took their IDs. It’s unclear what she did with the IDs.
The manager told deputies she did not want the woman on hotel property and asked that she be removed, the report states.
Authorities spoke with the woman at her room. She told them that she was an agent with the federal Department of Justice under Secret Service, the report states. When a deputy asked to contact her supervisor to verify her employment, she told police she did not have a number, but her supervisor was “General Abernathy.”
She showed deputies an ID card, but “the quality was questionable at best,” the report states. The Department of Justice seal was “blurred as if printed on a low-quality printer,” and the woman had no other form of ID, telling police that she was not required to carry a driver’s license.
She did have a car, police said, where she had several black uniforms with no identification on them except for the word “Agent” above the front left pocket of the shirts, the report states.
The woman told police she was unable to discuss why she was in the area, and that she was never issued a badge. She became upset that the manager called police and told deputies that her cover was blown.
The woman, deputies said, did not provide “adequate information to prove that she was working for the federal government, but deputies could not disprove her employment either at the time of the incident.”
LOL. Two people I used to work with now work at that hotel. And hark at the sheriff's deputies not knowing whether she actually was a federal agent! LOL! (To make it easy for you: the Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Justice.)
Deputies were called to the Clarion Hotel on Foothills Way near Carowinds after receiving calls from the manager that a 45-year-old woman was at the hotel although she had been asked not to return, the report states. The manager told deputies that a new employee unaware that the woman was not welcome booked the woman into an eighth-floor room.
The woman claimed to be a federal agent, according to the manager, who told police that she did not believe the story, the report states. The manager told deputies the woman identified herself a federal agent to other hotel guests and took their IDs. It’s unclear what she did with the IDs.
The manager told deputies she did not want the woman on hotel property and asked that she be removed, the report states.
Authorities spoke with the woman at her room. She told them that she was an agent with the federal Department of Justice under Secret Service, the report states. When a deputy asked to contact her supervisor to verify her employment, she told police she did not have a number, but her supervisor was “General Abernathy.”
She showed deputies an ID card, but “the quality was questionable at best,” the report states. The Department of Justice seal was “blurred as if printed on a low-quality printer,” and the woman had no other form of ID, telling police that she was not required to carry a driver’s license.
She did have a car, police said, where she had several black uniforms with no identification on them except for the word “Agent” above the front left pocket of the shirts, the report states.
The woman told police she was unable to discuss why she was in the area, and that she was never issued a badge. She became upset that the manager called police and told deputies that her cover was blown.
The woman, deputies said, did not provide “adequate information to prove that she was working for the federal government, but deputies could not disprove her employment either at the time of the incident.”
LOL. Two people I used to work with now work at that hotel. And hark at the sheriff's deputies not knowing whether she actually was a federal agent! LOL! (To make it easy for you: the Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Justice.)
If This Had Happened In Florida...
...crackers woulda said, "Next time use a leash so you can play tug-of-war."
Officials in a North Carolina county said a 500-pound alligator killed for eating a resident's dog will be displayed at a museum.
Onslow County spokeswoman Lisa Whitman-Grice said the reptile, which was killed by police using a high-powered rifle Wednesday, will be displayed at the Onslow County Environmental Education Center and Library, which is expected to open this November or December, WNCT-TV, Greenville, N.C., reported Friday.
"If we see these animals and can learn from them, then that makes it all that more important to care for them," said Whitman-Grice.
Whitman-Grace said the taxidermy process on the alligator is expected to take 10 months to a year.
CBS News reported the alligator ate a Husky Tuesday in Jacksonville while the dog's owner was walking it without a leash.
Personally I think they should also acquire a taxidermied dog to place in the taxidermied alligator's mouth, for that necessary bit of verisimilitude. Probably scare the kids, though.
Officials in a North Carolina county said a 500-pound alligator killed for eating a resident's dog will be displayed at a museum.
Onslow County spokeswoman Lisa Whitman-Grice said the reptile, which was killed by police using a high-powered rifle Wednesday, will be displayed at the Onslow County Environmental Education Center and Library, which is expected to open this November or December, WNCT-TV, Greenville, N.C., reported Friday.
"If we see these animals and can learn from them, then that makes it all that more important to care for them," said Whitman-Grice.
Whitman-Grace said the taxidermy process on the alligator is expected to take 10 months to a year.
CBS News reported the alligator ate a Husky Tuesday in Jacksonville while the dog's owner was walking it without a leash.
Personally I think they should also acquire a taxidermied dog to place in the taxidermied alligator's mouth, for that necessary bit of verisimilitude. Probably scare the kids, though.
Anti-Climactic Headline of the Day
"Black bear walks into a Colorado bar."
I Immediately read the article, but there was no punch line. You bastards!
Here's the video, in case you care to see a bear in a bar:
I Immediately read the article, but there was no punch line. You bastards!
Here's the video, in case you care to see a bear in a bar:
From Down In Hell, Nazi Concentration Camp Guards Say Admiringly...
..."What Chutzpah!"
Or they would, if it wasn't a Yiddish word used by filthy Jüden:
"Pepper Spray Cop wants worker's comp for 'psychiatric injury.'"
This is the picture; remember it?
I'm All Butthurt!
Well, I feel for ya, dude. Here ya go:
Or they would, if it wasn't a Yiddish word used by filthy Jüden:
"Pepper Spray Cop wants worker's comp for 'psychiatric injury.'"
This is the picture; remember it?
Well, I feel for ya, dude. Here ya go:
Friday, July 26, 2013
Celebrities Ain't Like You and Me
"Has Tatum O'Neal had fat injections in her face? Star, 49, shows off noticeably plumper visage on the set of Squirrels to the Nuts."
You and me, we'd just drink a lot of milk shakes, eat a bunch of hamburgers, and sleep a lot.
You and me, we'd just drink a lot of milk shakes, eat a bunch of hamburgers, and sleep a lot.
Meanwhile, In UK...
...where there are so many stabbings in schools that teachers are buying stab-proof vests...
How's that gun and knife control working out? Pretty good?
How's that gun and knife control working out? Pretty good?
"Goddamnit," He Was Heard To Mutter
Not really.
Ever seen a Pope on a windy day? Looks like this:
Pope Francis Gets Blown In Rio de Janeiro
Ever seen a Pope on a windy day? Looks like this:
Meanwhile, In Newton, NC...
...a pair of would-be father-and-son robbers were held at gunpoint by a business owner until police arrived:
Kenneth Elroy Riddle, 36, of 2368 Cindi Lane in Claremont, was charged with attempted larceny. His son, Thomas James Riddle, 18, of 2646 Midnight Drive in Claremont, was charged with first degree trespassing, attempted larceny and possession of schedule three controlled substance (hydrocodone), Capt. Joel Fish with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said.
Fish said that Thomas Riddle jumped the fence at Neal Auction Company, at 2384 Highway 16 South in Newton, early Friday. Kenneth Riddle waited in the car.
When business owner Kevin Neal confronted Thomas Riddle with a gun, the teenager admitted to trying to steal property, Fish said.
Neal stayed with the two until Catawba County Sheriff’s Officers arrived about 12:40 a.m. Friday.
Kenneth Elroy Riddle, 36, of 2368 Cindi Lane in Claremont, was charged with attempted larceny. His son, Thomas James Riddle, 18, of 2646 Midnight Drive in Claremont, was charged with first degree trespassing, attempted larceny and possession of schedule three controlled substance (hydrocodone), Capt. Joel Fish with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said.
Fish said that Thomas Riddle jumped the fence at Neal Auction Company, at 2384 Highway 16 South in Newton, early Friday. Kenneth Riddle waited in the car.
When business owner Kevin Neal confronted Thomas Riddle with a gun, the teenager admitted to trying to steal property, Fish said.
Neal stayed with the two until Catawba County Sheriff’s Officers arrived about 12:40 a.m. Friday.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Book Passage I Like
Brother Cadfael was standing in the middle of his walled herb-garden, looking pensively about him at the autumnal visage of his pleasance, where all things grew gaunt, wiry and sombre. Most of the leaves were fallen, the stems dark and clenched like fleshless fingers holding fast to the remnant of the summer, all the fragrances gathered into one scent of age and decline, still sweet, but with the damp, rotting sweetness of harvest over and decay setting in. It was not yet very cold, the mild melancholy of November still had lingering gold in it, in falling leaves and slanting amber light. All the apples were in the loft, all the corn milled, the hay long stacked, the sheep turned into the stubble fields. A time to pause, to look round, to make sure nothing had been neglected, no fence unrepaired, against the winter.
He had never before been quite so acutely aware of the particular quality and function of November, its ripeness and its hushed sadness. The year proceeds not in a straight line through the seasons, but in a circle that brings the world and man back to the dimness and mystery in which both began, and out of which a new seed-time and a new generation are about to begin. Old men, thought Cadfael, believe in that new beginning, but experience only the ending. It may be that God is reminding me that I am approaching my November. Well, why regret it? November has beauty, has seen the harvest into the barns, even laid by next year's seed. No need to fret about not being allowed to stay and sow it, someone else will do that. So go contentedly into the earth with the moist, gentle, skeletal leaves, worn to cobweb fragility, like the skins of very old men, that bruise and stain at the mere brushing of the breeze, and flower into brown blotches as the leaves into rotting gold. The colours of late autumn are the colours of the sunset: the farewell of the year and the farewell of the day. And of the life of man? Well, if it ends in a flourish of gold, that is no bad ending.
- - Ellis Peters, Brother Cadfael's Penance.
This was her last Brother Cadfael book, written when she was in her eighties. I've wondered if she was already then resigning herself to the ending that Brother Cadfael contemplates here. The series ends well with this book, it is a fitting conclusion, but I naturally yearn for just one more, to hear Cadfael's happiness at being united openly with his son and son's family, and also to discover if he was punished for violating the Rule of St. Benedict in going to seek for his son without leave from his abbot.
He had never before been quite so acutely aware of the particular quality and function of November, its ripeness and its hushed sadness. The year proceeds not in a straight line through the seasons, but in a circle that brings the world and man back to the dimness and mystery in which both began, and out of which a new seed-time and a new generation are about to begin. Old men, thought Cadfael, believe in that new beginning, but experience only the ending. It may be that God is reminding me that I am approaching my November. Well, why regret it? November has beauty, has seen the harvest into the barns, even laid by next year's seed. No need to fret about not being allowed to stay and sow it, someone else will do that. So go contentedly into the earth with the moist, gentle, skeletal leaves, worn to cobweb fragility, like the skins of very old men, that bruise and stain at the mere brushing of the breeze, and flower into brown blotches as the leaves into rotting gold. The colours of late autumn are the colours of the sunset: the farewell of the year and the farewell of the day. And of the life of man? Well, if it ends in a flourish of gold, that is no bad ending.
- - Ellis Peters, Brother Cadfael's Penance.
This was her last Brother Cadfael book, written when she was in her eighties. I've wondered if she was already then resigning herself to the ending that Brother Cadfael contemplates here. The series ends well with this book, it is a fitting conclusion, but I naturally yearn for just one more, to hear Cadfael's happiness at being united openly with his son and son's family, and also to discover if he was punished for violating the Rule of St. Benedict in going to seek for his son without leave from his abbot.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Sometimes the Guy With the Scythe...
...just won't take no for an answer:
Two women who were rescued Tuesday evening on the Maine coast after getting lost while hiking died a short time later when they accidentally drove into an ocean cove amid fog and rain.
Amy Stiner, 37, of Machias, Maine, who was five months pregnant, and her friend Melissa Moyer, 38, of Sunbury, Pa., were found inside Stiner's Dodge minivan about 10 p.m., Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith told the Associated Press. A dog inside died.
Smith said Stiner drove down a boat ramp at the end of a dead-end road about an hour earlier and into Pond Cove, which empties into Englishman Bay. It was foggy and raining heavily at the time.
"They called on the phone that they were in the water and the car was filling up. Then the phone went dead," Smith said.
Two women who were rescued Tuesday evening on the Maine coast after getting lost while hiking died a short time later when they accidentally drove into an ocean cove amid fog and rain.
Amy Stiner, 37, of Machias, Maine, who was five months pregnant, and her friend Melissa Moyer, 38, of Sunbury, Pa., were found inside Stiner's Dodge minivan about 10 p.m., Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith told the Associated Press. A dog inside died.
Smith said Stiner drove down a boat ramp at the end of a dead-end road about an hour earlier and into Pond Cove, which empties into Englishman Bay. It was foggy and raining heavily at the time.
"They called on the phone that they were in the water and the car was filling up. Then the phone went dead," Smith said.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Spanish Fort Discovered In North Carolina Foothills
Fort San Juan, found near Morganton, NC:
Before the “Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island, before the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, there was Fort San Juan in the North Carolina foothills.
Archaeologists studying a ceremonial mound from a Native American town called Joara last month discovered the first inland fort built by Europeans in the New World near present-day Morganton.
For nearly three decades, researchers worked at what’s known as the Berry archaeological site knowing that it could reveal clues about the presence of one of six Spanish forts from the 16th century. But they lacked the evidence for any of the fortifications until now.
Click the link to read the rest.
Before the “Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island, before the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, there was Fort San Juan in the North Carolina foothills.
Archaeologists studying a ceremonial mound from a Native American town called Joara last month discovered the first inland fort built by Europeans in the New World near present-day Morganton.
For nearly three decades, researchers worked at what’s known as the Berry archaeological site knowing that it could reveal clues about the presence of one of six Spanish forts from the 16th century. But they lacked the evidence for any of the fortifications until now.
Click the link to read the rest.
Quote of the Day
It is said, and it is very true, that the moment when vice becomes the custom marks the death of a republic, for the dissolute person ceases to be considered loathsome, and all baseness becomes normal. - - Arturo Perez-Reverte, Spanish novelist.
"Weiner confirms more inappropriate messages."
It should be noted that the new Weiner allegations stem not from the period of his original indiscretions, but after he was caught and resigned his seat as a member of the House of Representatives.
"Weiner confirms more inappropriate messages."
It should be noted that the new Weiner allegations stem not from the period of his original indiscretions, but after he was caught and resigned his seat as a member of the House of Representatives.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Hey, Billy Connolly Got His Meter!
"The 'sting-o-meter' that tells you which insects cause most pain (by researcher who's been stung by just about everything)"
Most of us get stung by an insect occasionally and grumble about it for a couple of minutes before forgetting about it.
Not so for one researcher from Arizona.
Justin Schmidt, from the Southwestern Biological Institute, has been stung so many times that he decided to create a pain scale to rate the insects’ stings.
Here's the list:
Fire Ant - one (pain lasts two to four minutes)
Honeybee - two (pain lasts up to ten minutes)
Bumblebee - two (pain for up to five minutes)
German Yellowjacket - two (pain lasts four to ten minutes)
Velvet Ant - three (pain for up to 30 minutes)
Harvester Ant - three (pain for one to eight hours)
Paper Wasp - three (pain for five to 15 minutes)
Warrior Wasp - four (pain for up to two hours)
Tarantula Hawk - four (pain for three minutes)
Bullet Ant - four (pain for 12 to 24 hours)
Comedian Billy Connolly, of course, envisioned such a pain scale - - and a meter to measure it - - in his classic skit Stonefish, or The Worst Pain Known To Man:
Most of us get stung by an insect occasionally and grumble about it for a couple of minutes before forgetting about it.
Not so for one researcher from Arizona.
Justin Schmidt, from the Southwestern Biological Institute, has been stung so many times that he decided to create a pain scale to rate the insects’ stings.
Here's the list:
Fire Ant - one (pain lasts two to four minutes)
Honeybee - two (pain lasts up to ten minutes)
Bumblebee - two (pain for up to five minutes)
German Yellowjacket - two (pain lasts four to ten minutes)
Velvet Ant - three (pain for up to 30 minutes)
Harvester Ant - three (pain for one to eight hours)
Paper Wasp - three (pain for five to 15 minutes)
Warrior Wasp - four (pain for up to two hours)
Tarantula Hawk - four (pain for three minutes)
Bullet Ant - four (pain for 12 to 24 hours)
Comedian Billy Connolly, of course, envisioned such a pain scale - - and a meter to measure it - - in his classic skit Stonefish, or The Worst Pain Known To Man:
Meanwhile, Down In Rock HIll, SC...
...a drunk woman was arrested after pole-dancing with a lamppost.
Maybe she's secretly a superhero:
By day a mild-mannered restaurant waitress...when a cry for help goes out, Jessica Smith runs outside and begins grinding on the nearest lamp post, and transforms into...STRIPPERGIRL! Bullets just bounce off of Strippergirl's invulnerable implants! Able to crack the most powerful villain's head LIKE A WALNUT between her VICELIKE THIGHS! She blinds men with the argent radiance of her peroxided hair! Don't anger her, lest she take you to the CHAMPAGNE ROOM OF CERTAIN DEATH!
Maybe she's secretly a superhero:
By day a mild-mannered restaurant waitress...when a cry for help goes out, Jessica Smith runs outside and begins grinding on the nearest lamp post, and transforms into...STRIPPERGIRL! Bullets just bounce off of Strippergirl's invulnerable implants! Able to crack the most powerful villain's head LIKE A WALNUT between her VICELIKE THIGHS! She blinds men with the argent radiance of her peroxided hair! Don't anger her, lest she take you to the CHAMPAGNE ROOM OF CERTAIN DEATH!
And He Didn't Even Kill Anyone!
George Zimmerman goes to the help of a family whose car overturned.
George Zimmerman helped save the lives of a family of four that were involved in a single-car accident.
According to a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office report, the family was driving in a Ford Explorer SUV when it went off the road and rolled over in Sanford last week.
A responding deputy reported that when he arrived Zimmerman and another man helped the two parents and two children out of the vehicle.
The report states that Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash and left after making contact with the responding deputy.
You see, it is possible to interact with George Zimmerman and not be profiled or killed. /sarc
h/t Bob Owens.
George Zimmerman helped save the lives of a family of four that were involved in a single-car accident.
According to a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office report, the family was driving in a Ford Explorer SUV when it went off the road and rolled over in Sanford last week.
A responding deputy reported that when he arrived Zimmerman and another man helped the two parents and two children out of the vehicle.
The report states that Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash and left after making contact with the responding deputy.
You see, it is possible to interact with George Zimmerman and not be profiled or killed. /sarc
h/t Bob Owens.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Maybe He Was Just...
...choking his chicken?
A Charlotte firefighter is in Gaston County jail after being accused of several crimes early Saturday -- including strangulation and cruelty to animals.
Bryan Carlton Barfield, 29, was being held in Gaston County Jail Sunday afternoon with no bond. He’s charged with two felonies: assault by strangulation and cruelty to animals.
He’s also been accused of three misdemeanors: communicating threats and two counts of assault inflicting serious injury.
A police report on the charges was not immediately available. A spokesman for the Gaston County Police Department did not return calls seeking details on the arrest. And it’s unclear if Barfield had an attorney Sunday night.
A Charlotte firefighter is in Gaston County jail after being accused of several crimes early Saturday -- including strangulation and cruelty to animals.
Bryan Carlton Barfield, 29, was being held in Gaston County Jail Sunday afternoon with no bond. He’s charged with two felonies: assault by strangulation and cruelty to animals.
He’s also been accused of three misdemeanors: communicating threats and two counts of assault inflicting serious injury.
A police report on the charges was not immediately available. A spokesman for the Gaston County Police Department did not return calls seeking details on the arrest. And it’s unclear if Barfield had an attorney Sunday night.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Sturgeon Stocks In Cape Fear River Rebounding
Although, if you read the article, you realize that the fish may not have been endangered to begin with, just poorly understood.
It's probably that way with much of science; even when research and study is lacking, God-like pronouncements very often aren't. I agree, though, that it is best to err on side of caution when ignorance is a factor. Caution, however, is not the same as the-sky-is-falling Chicken Littlism.
It's probably that way with much of science; even when research and study is lacking, God-like pronouncements very often aren't. I agree, though, that it is best to err on side of caution when ignorance is a factor. Caution, however, is not the same as the-sky-is-falling Chicken Littlism.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Arrival
Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum, 5.5" barrel. Because I don't currently have a nice big-bore single action. I'm not enamored of those Hogue grips on the beast, but damn, are they comfortable. And being that this is a .44 Magnum - - the most powerful handgun in the world, and will blow your head clean off - - you got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel comfy? Well, do ya, punk? DO YA?
Life-Saving Abdominal Tourniquet
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Treasure Blog: Gold Doubloons, Florida Coast
From the 1715 treasure fleet, wrecked by a hurricane off Florida's east coast.
Pic:
When I was a teenager in Florida, in love with the idea of pirates and buried treasure, I discovered an advertisement for coins from the 1715 fleet in the back of a coin magazine, and sent off for their catalog. The prices were such that all I could afford as an unemployed teenager was a 1-real (pronounced "ray-all," meaning "royal") coin for around $75. (The centerpiece of the catalog collection was a gold ring set with emeralds, for which they wanted $15,000). Anyway, all these years later I still have that tiny coin, here it is:
Pic:
When I was a teenager in Florida, in love with the idea of pirates and buried treasure, I discovered an advertisement for coins from the 1715 fleet in the back of a coin magazine, and sent off for their catalog. The prices were such that all I could afford as an unemployed teenager was a 1-real (pronounced "ray-all," meaning "royal") coin for around $75. (The centerpiece of the catalog collection was a gold ring set with emeralds, for which they wanted $15,000). Anyway, all these years later I still have that tiny coin, here it is:
This'll Pucker Your Sphincter
"Daredevils perform stunts on Troll's Tongue in Norway – in pictures."
Troll's Tongue - - Trolltunga, in Norwegian - - is a famous rock outcropping with a breathtaking view of a fjord below it.
Here's a sample pic. Click the link for the rest of them:
Troll's Tongue - - Trolltunga, in Norwegian - - is a famous rock outcropping with a breathtaking view of a fjord below it.
Here's a sample pic. Click the link for the rest of them:
Sunday, July 14, 2013
WWJD?
"Murder in rural England: Pensioner 'stabbed to death protecting 88-year-old paedophile neighbour from inmate he had met in jail.'"
The 88-year old pedophile recently finished serving a jail term for his offense, which occurred 35 years ago.
Certainly the dead neighbor is now among the blessed, but can this ancient child molester be redeemed by the blood of his dead neighbor/protector?
The 88-year old pedophile recently finished serving a jail term for his offense, which occurred 35 years ago.
Certainly the dead neighbor is now among the blessed, but can this ancient child molester be redeemed by the blood of his dead neighbor/protector?
Tintypes In Afghanistan
An old photographic process makes a comeback.
Sample tintype:
Click the link to read the story and see more of the tintypes.
Sample tintype:
Click the link to read the story and see more of the tintypes.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Like a Bad Lone Ranger Joke
A man in Haifa, Israel, was sent to the hospital after a snake bit him on the penis while he was urinating.
The Lone Ranger joke I mentioned in the post title:
The Lone Ranger and Tonto were camped out in the desert. Late in the middle of the night the Lone Ranger went to relieve himself and was bitten on the penis by a rattlesnake hidden in the sagebrush. The Lone Ranger, in great pain, ran back to the campfire. "Wake up, Tonto!" he cried. Ride into town and bring the doctor, I'm dying!"
Tonto quickly mounted his horse and rode into town, and pounded on the doctor's door. The doctor's wife came to the door and told Tonto that the doctor was sitting up with a woman who was giving birth, and couldn't come to the Lone Ranger's aid. She went back to her husband to ask him for medical advice that Tonto could use to help the Lone Ranger. "Here's what my husband the doctor says to do, Tonto," she said, upon returning. "He says you have to tie a tourniquet around the bitten limb, then cut an X across each bitemark with a knife, then suck the poison out. Do you understand all that? Tourniquet, cut, suck." Tonto, frowning, said that he understood.
Tonto quickly rode back to camp, where the Lone Ranger was curled into a ball, in obvious agony. "Where's the doctor, Tonto?" he gasped. "Why isn't he here? What did he say?"
Tonto, still frowning, looked down at the Lone Ranger and his inflamed, purple penis. "Doctor busy with childbirth, Kemo Sabe," he said. Then he though to himself, Tourniquet. Cut. Suck. He looked at the Lone Ranger's purple, swollen penis. "Doctor say you gonna die, Kemo Sabe."
The Lone Ranger joke I mentioned in the post title:
The Lone Ranger and Tonto were camped out in the desert. Late in the middle of the night the Lone Ranger went to relieve himself and was bitten on the penis by a rattlesnake hidden in the sagebrush. The Lone Ranger, in great pain, ran back to the campfire. "Wake up, Tonto!" he cried. Ride into town and bring the doctor, I'm dying!"
Tonto quickly mounted his horse and rode into town, and pounded on the doctor's door. The doctor's wife came to the door and told Tonto that the doctor was sitting up with a woman who was giving birth, and couldn't come to the Lone Ranger's aid. She went back to her husband to ask him for medical advice that Tonto could use to help the Lone Ranger. "Here's what my husband the doctor says to do, Tonto," she said, upon returning. "He says you have to tie a tourniquet around the bitten limb, then cut an X across each bitemark with a knife, then suck the poison out. Do you understand all that? Tourniquet, cut, suck." Tonto, frowning, said that he understood.
Tonto quickly rode back to camp, where the Lone Ranger was curled into a ball, in obvious agony. "Where's the doctor, Tonto?" he gasped. "Why isn't he here? What did he say?"
Tonto, still frowning, looked down at the Lone Ranger and his inflamed, purple penis. "Doctor busy with childbirth, Kemo Sabe," he said. Then he though to himself, Tourniquet. Cut. Suck. He looked at the Lone Ranger's purple, swollen penis. "Doctor say you gonna die, Kemo Sabe."
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Was a Douche Involved, Too?
The pilot of Asiana Flight 214 that crashed in San Francisco is claiming that he was blinded by the light.
Federal crash investigators revealed Wednesday that the pilot flying Asiana Airlines flight 214 told them that he was temporarily blinded by a bright light when 500 feet above the ground.
Federal crash investigators revealed Wednesday that the pilot flying Asiana Airlines flight 214 told them that he was temporarily blinded by a bright light when 500 feet above the ground.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Knots, Heads
A crime of violence in my hometown, Gainesville, Florida:
A Gainesville man was arrested after a woman he was intimately involved with told police he battered her.
Deputies gave this account: At about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, the 44-year-old victim sent a text message to her daughter saying Thomas “put knots on my head” and had called her names.
We used to call that slapping a knot upside [someone's] head, or going upside [someone's] head. Or, if you did it by stealth from behind, Jap-slapping [someone].
Ah, the Florida of my youth...
A Gainesville man was arrested after a woman he was intimately involved with told police he battered her.
Deputies gave this account: At about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, the 44-year-old victim sent a text message to her daughter saying Thomas “put knots on my head” and had called her names.
We used to call that slapping a knot upside [someone's] head, or going upside [someone's] head. Or, if you did it by stealth from behind, Jap-slapping [someone].
Ah, the Florida of my youth...
Arrival
Cold Steel Aluminum Ti-Lite 6".
And I make the chubby Lynn Thompson look absolutely lithe, to be honest.
And I make the chubby Lynn Thompson look absolutely lithe, to be honest.
Seen On Drudge
Not to put too fine a point on it, but I wonder if the jellyfish have applied for EBT cards and registered to vote as Democrats?
Monday, July 08, 2013
Where'd They Go?
US servicemen from the Korean War and the Cold War declared Missing In Action, that is.
Looks like the Soviets got them, and with the connivance of the Eisenhower regime in the US, were intentionally forgotten.
Looks like the Soviets got them, and with the connivance of the Eisenhower regime in the US, were intentionally forgotten.
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Yer Opportunity To Drool and Moan
"Burgers of Distinction" found in the Gainesville, Florida area.
For example, here is a pic of the Surf 'n Turf Burger from Sweet Mel's: 1/2 lb. Angus beef, 10 sauteéd shrimp, alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese:
For example, here is a pic of the Surf 'n Turf Burger from Sweet Mel's: 1/2 lb. Angus beef, 10 sauteéd shrimp, alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese:
The Sort of Thing That Amuses Me
This:
Yah, it's offensive and in bad taste. Deal with it, or find another blog to visit.
Found here.
Yah, it's offensive and in bad taste. Deal with it, or find another blog to visit.
Found here.
Saturday, July 06, 2013
Another Fast & Furious Rifle Turns Up
It was used to kill a Mexican police chief. Thanks, Barack Obama and Eric Holder!
update: bad link before, fixed. Thanks to Brock Townsend for noticing.
update 2: Screwed up the link to Free North Carolina. I'm definitely not paying attention to detail, something that was emphasized to me in Navy boot camp lo those many years ago.
update: bad link before, fixed. Thanks to Brock Townsend for noticing.
update 2: Screwed up the link to Free North Carolina. I'm definitely not paying attention to detail, something that was emphasized to me in Navy boot camp lo those many years ago.
Friday, July 05, 2013
Dude, You're Just Embarrassing Yourself...and Your Team
The "I have no memory of that" only works for politicians, NOT SAS paratroopers.
He's trying to get out of the crime of owning a handgun in the UK. Don't have too much room to gloat here about the difference between UK and USA, because there's plenty of jurisdictions in the US (New York City, for example) where the right to armed self-defense isn't permitted.
He's trying to get out of the crime of owning a handgun in the UK. Don't have too much room to gloat here about the difference between UK and USA, because there's plenty of jurisdictions in the US (New York City, for example) where the right to armed self-defense isn't permitted.
Thursday, July 04, 2013
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Monday, July 01, 2013
He'll Be Crying To Come Home In Six Months
"Putin Says Snowden Can Stay in Russia ‘If He Wants To’ – But Only If He Stops Damaging US."
I've seen this sort of narcissistic behavior before, back in the mid-1980's when I was living in Spain. During that time period there was a soldier in Germany that defected to the USSR - - the dumbass couldn't cope with military life and, rather than accept the options available - - serve out his time and get an honorable discharge, or be a shitbird and exit under a general or bad conduct discharge - - he decided that a third option was available, to defect to the USSR as a victim of oppression. The Soviets obligingly accepted him, and ran tests to see what sort of work he was suited for. Since he'd had pet reptiles as a teen the Soviets sent him to a venom lab to spend his days milking deadly snakes to make antivenin. This not being what he had envisioned when he defected - - he apparently thought he'd be given a Black Sea dacha (estate) and a pension of some sort - - he soon began clamoring to return to US custody and a nice Army jail cell. He was obligingly turned over by the Soviets to the Army, where he served a term in the brig and was given a Dishonorable Discharge.
I fully expect Snowden to be treated the same way - - once the interrogators in the FSSR (KGB's current title) extract all the information they can, of course.
I've seen this sort of narcissistic behavior before, back in the mid-1980's when I was living in Spain. During that time period there was a soldier in Germany that defected to the USSR - - the dumbass couldn't cope with military life and, rather than accept the options available - - serve out his time and get an honorable discharge, or be a shitbird and exit under a general or bad conduct discharge - - he decided that a third option was available, to defect to the USSR as a victim of oppression. The Soviets obligingly accepted him, and ran tests to see what sort of work he was suited for. Since he'd had pet reptiles as a teen the Soviets sent him to a venom lab to spend his days milking deadly snakes to make antivenin. This not being what he had envisioned when he defected - - he apparently thought he'd be given a Black Sea dacha (estate) and a pension of some sort - - he soon began clamoring to return to US custody and a nice Army jail cell. He was obligingly turned over by the Soviets to the Army, where he served a term in the brig and was given a Dishonorable Discharge.
I fully expect Snowden to be treated the same way - - once the interrogators in the FSSR (KGB's current title) extract all the information they can, of course.
Re-Organizing
With the demise of Google Reader, I'm having to get all my feeds organized in Feedly. I'll try to crank the free ice cream machine here shortly. Your patience is appreciated.
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