So unzip this bag, you bastards.
A man who woke up in a body bag at a funeral home after being pronounced legally dead in what the coroner described a 'miracle'.
Walter Williams from Lexington, Mississippi, was zipped up in a body bag while funeral home workers prepared to embalm him, but instead they soon found him kicking to get out, according to WAPT.
The coroner suspected that Williams' pacemaker had likely stopped for a brief period and then started up again.
So, of course:
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Just Call Him Sh*tty Joe
Why? Every shitty job that comes along...
Vice President Joe Biden has revealed that the President assigned him ‘every s*** job in the world’ but he still wasn’t able to win Obama’s full support and began being effectively frozen out after one of his infamous gaffes.
The 71-year-old argued that he was happy to do the less glamorous tasks- like handling the at-times petty Senate fights and calming the fears of the infamously paranoid President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai- but only at a price.
‘When the president asked me what portfolio did I want, I said, “Base it on what you want of me to help you govern…But I want to be the last guy in the room on every major decision… You’re president, I’m not, but if it’s my experience you’re lookin’ for, I want to be the last guy to make the case,”’ Biden said in a lengthy Politico profile.
He went on to admit that Obama kept up his end of the bargain for the majority of their dealings, but the article reveals that there has been a definite frost between the two men that came after Biden announced his approval of gay marriage before the President.
Vice President Joe Biden has revealed that the President assigned him ‘every s*** job in the world’ but he still wasn’t able to win Obama’s full support and began being effectively frozen out after one of his infamous gaffes.
The 71-year-old argued that he was happy to do the less glamorous tasks- like handling the at-times petty Senate fights and calming the fears of the infamously paranoid President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai- but only at a price.
‘When the president asked me what portfolio did I want, I said, “Base it on what you want of me to help you govern…But I want to be the last guy in the room on every major decision… You’re president, I’m not, but if it’s my experience you’re lookin’ for, I want to be the last guy to make the case,”’ Biden said in a lengthy Politico profile.
He went on to admit that Obama kept up his end of the bargain for the majority of their dealings, but the article reveals that there has been a definite frost between the two men that came after Biden announced his approval of gay marriage before the President.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Maurice Bessinger, 1930-2014: R.I.P.
One of South Carolina's most famous BBQ men, famous both for his mustard-based SC barbecue sauce and his unreconstructed Confederate leanings.
His sauce used to be sold locally here in Charlotte in Harris Teeter stores, but got pulled out of political correctness during the period when SC was embroiled in the Confederate Flag controversy. I've eaten at one of his Piggy Park restaurants, found it to be rather mediocre. The mustard-based sauce he is famous for is bright yellow and tasty - - not just on pork barbecue, but also on grilled hamburgers.
His sauce used to be sold locally here in Charlotte in Harris Teeter stores, but got pulled out of political correctness during the period when SC was embroiled in the Confederate Flag controversy. I've eaten at one of his Piggy Park restaurants, found it to be rather mediocre. The mustard-based sauce he is famous for is bright yellow and tasty - - not just on pork barbecue, but also on grilled hamburgers.
Treasure Blog: Cans O' Gold Coins
In California.
And since gold doesn't oxidize (tarnish), those coins are still in uncirculated condition, most of them. Ten million dollars' worth of them.
And since gold doesn't oxidize (tarnish), those coins are still in uncirculated condition, most of them. Ten million dollars' worth of them.
Monday, February 24, 2014
War College Releases Nimitz WWII Diaries
Story.
The Naval War College released a massive amount of Adm. Chester W. Nimitz’s operational diaries from World War II on Monday. The 4,000 page “Graybook” collection, funded by the Naval War College Foundation, details Nimitz’s experience as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, capturing his thoughts on many of the most critical naval battles in American and world history.
The Naval War College released a massive amount of Adm. Chester W. Nimitz’s operational diaries from World War II on Monday. The 4,000 page “Graybook” collection, funded by the Naval War College Foundation, details Nimitz’s experience as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, capturing his thoughts on many of the most critical naval battles in American and world history.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Apologies For Lack Of Posts
Been absorbed with video games this weekend, for some reason. I'll try to get some stuff posted tonight at work.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Fort Monroe Returns Jefferson Davis Artifacts
Story.
Fort Monroe was a favorite destination of mine in my Navy years, and I visited the Casemate Museum often, since it was free of charge. Exhibits of the battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, which occurred in the Hampton Roads area near the fort, and the replica cell where Jefferson Davis was confined were my favorites.
Atop the fort along the old battlements was a walking path and, incongruously, a pet cemetary, complete with marble gravestones. I used to love going up there in the cool fall months when the air was balmy and the sky azure blue.
The most famous Jefferson Davis artifact at the museum was Davis's tobacco pipe, a handsome long-stemmed meerschaum:
(meerschaum is a porous white clay material found in Turkey. When carved into pipes it gives an especially cool smoke, and the white clay eventually changes color from being smoked, as this one obviously has)
Fort Monroe was a favorite destination of mine in my Navy years, and I visited the Casemate Museum often, since it was free of charge. Exhibits of the battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, which occurred in the Hampton Roads area near the fort, and the replica cell where Jefferson Davis was confined were my favorites.
Atop the fort along the old battlements was a walking path and, incongruously, a pet cemetary, complete with marble gravestones. I used to love going up there in the cool fall months when the air was balmy and the sky azure blue.
The most famous Jefferson Davis artifact at the museum was Davis's tobacco pipe, a handsome long-stemmed meerschaum:
(meerschaum is a porous white clay material found in Turkey. When carved into pipes it gives an especially cool smoke, and the white clay eventually changes color from being smoked, as this one obviously has)
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Newest Entry Into the "Fast & Furious" Movie Franchise Is...
...Small and Spurious.
Ten-year-old boy who claimed he was a dwarf after police saw him driving his parents' car is caught AGAIN after taking another car.
Norwegian boy, 10, took his aunt's car for a 20 mile joyride
This the second time in under two weeks the boy has 'stolen' a car
Previously caught having driven 7miles with his baby sister in the back
Told police he was a dwarf who forgot his driver's licence
Hey, it could work. Is Hervé Villechaize still alive? No? What about the Mini-Me guy? *makes phone with hand* Call me.
Ten-year-old boy who claimed he was a dwarf after police saw him driving his parents' car is caught AGAIN after taking another car.
Norwegian boy, 10, took his aunt's car for a 20 mile joyride
This the second time in under two weeks the boy has 'stolen' a car
Previously caught having driven 7miles with his baby sister in the back
Told police he was a dwarf who forgot his driver's licence
Hey, it could work. Is Hervé Villechaize still alive? No? What about the Mini-Me guy? *makes phone with hand* Call me.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Charges Downgraded To Just a Snipping
"Police - Stabbing report unfounded."
No one was actually stabbed in a reported stabbing Wednesday morning at Castle and 15th streets, according to police.
Officers responded to the area about 6:48 a.m. in reference to a stabbing call. When they arrived they found two male subjects who had been involved in a physical altercation. The fight started inside 1603 Castle St. before moving into the street, said Wilmington Police spokeswoman Linda Rawley.
"One man was holding a pair of scissors and the other had minor scrapes and bruises," Rawley said. One of the men was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center by ambulance where he was treated for minor injuries, she said.
I wonder if the guy with scissors tried to flee? Can you be charged for running with scissors?
No one was actually stabbed in a reported stabbing Wednesday morning at Castle and 15th streets, according to police.
Officers responded to the area about 6:48 a.m. in reference to a stabbing call. When they arrived they found two male subjects who had been involved in a physical altercation. The fight started inside 1603 Castle St. before moving into the street, said Wilmington Police spokeswoman Linda Rawley.
"One man was holding a pair of scissors and the other had minor scrapes and bruises," Rawley said. One of the men was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center by ambulance where he was treated for minor injuries, she said.
I wonder if the guy with scissors tried to flee? Can you be charged for running with scissors?
Sad Day
"Ex-supercarrier Forrestal arrives at scrapyard."
They can't all become museums. Mark, sing a song for me, would you?
They can't all become museums. Mark, sing a song for me, would you?
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Headline of the Day
"Tattoo artist jailed after inking 40cm-long penis on victim's back after he agreed to a dragon design."
That ought to be grounds for use of lethal force, IMO.
That ought to be grounds for use of lethal force, IMO.
Meanwhile, In Tampa, Florida...
...where the locals are beating each other to death over chicken feet...
Florida. *shakes head sadly*
Florida. *shakes head sadly*
Monday, February 17, 2014
Acquisition
Beretta Tomcat .32ACP.
Used gun, 2 mags, original packaging and grips, $359.99. Pretty good for the stainless steel model, I think. It's an older Tomcat, doesn't have the hammer-drop safety (they had one of those, new, for $100 more).
Bought with part of my tax refund; the rest of that is going to go toward a new used car.
Used gun, 2 mags, original packaging and grips, $359.99. Pretty good for the stainless steel model, I think. It's an older Tomcat, doesn't have the hammer-drop safety (they had one of those, new, for $100 more).
Bought with part of my tax refund; the rest of that is going to go toward a new used car.
Guess Who's Back, Maybe?
Xavier, at the Nurse With A Gun blog. He posted a bunch of videos this morning without warning, they popped up in my Feedly. And yes, they are gun videos, not hacker spam. Nothing other than the videos posted yet; I hope he'll post some personal stuff to explain the hiatus.
In any event, welcome back, if back you are.
In any event, welcome back, if back you are.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Better Things For Better Living Through Chemistry
Al Fin Blog: Cool Revolution: A New Way To Keep Your Beer Cold.
The breakthrough system, which is projected to be 20 percent more efficient than current refrigeration technology, could be inside your fridge by the end of the decade.
The system is using a water-based fluid flowing through a series of magnets to transfer heat, rather than a chemical refrigerant and a compressor. This significantly lowers any harm to the environment and makes the recycling of old refrigerators simpler.
“This is a big deal,” says Venkat Venkatakrishnan, a leader of the research team. “We are on the cusp of the next refrigeration revolution.”
The breakthrough system, which is projected to be 20 percent more efficient than current refrigeration technology, could be inside your fridge by the end of the decade.
The system is using a water-based fluid flowing through a series of magnets to transfer heat, rather than a chemical refrigerant and a compressor. This significantly lowers any harm to the environment and makes the recycling of old refrigerators simpler.
“This is a big deal,” says Venkat Venkatakrishnan, a leader of the research team. “We are on the cusp of the next refrigeration revolution.”
Remington Leaving NY?
Looks like it, for the most part.
High level sources have informed Yellowhammer News that Remington, one of the world’s largest gun manufacturers, will on Monday join Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in announcing that they are bringing over 2,000 jobs to Alabama.
The company is viewing the move into Alabama as an expansion, but it will likely impact their Ilion, NY plant as well. The New York facility currently employees around 1,200 people. It is expected to stay open, but with a reduced workforce.
“The company is making the move as an expansion of capacity, production and research,” a source told Yellowhammer on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “The demand for Remington products has skyrocketed recently, for obvious reasons, so they need to increase their production capacity. They will be expanding their research capabilities with the Alabama plant, too.”
The initial estimated impact on Alabama’s economy will be roughly $87 million.
I hope that the official announcement includes a denunciation of NY Governor Cuomo and the knee-jerk legislature that rammed through the NY SAFE Act in the wake of the Newtown shootings.
High level sources have informed Yellowhammer News that Remington, one of the world’s largest gun manufacturers, will on Monday join Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in announcing that they are bringing over 2,000 jobs to Alabama.
The company is viewing the move into Alabama as an expansion, but it will likely impact their Ilion, NY plant as well. The New York facility currently employees around 1,200 people. It is expected to stay open, but with a reduced workforce.
“The company is making the move as an expansion of capacity, production and research,” a source told Yellowhammer on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “The demand for Remington products has skyrocketed recently, for obvious reasons, so they need to increase their production capacity. They will be expanding their research capabilities with the Alabama plant, too.”
The initial estimated impact on Alabama’s economy will be roughly $87 million.
I hope that the official announcement includes a denunciation of NY Governor Cuomo and the knee-jerk legislature that rammed through the NY SAFE Act in the wake of the Newtown shootings.
The Ignorance of Americans
In detail.
When Newsweek set 1,000 Americans the challenge of completing their country’s citizenship test, 29 percent could not name the current vice president (Joe Biden), and almost three quarters could not correctly say why America fought the Cold War.
Six per cent could not remember the date of Independence Day.
A blind telephone survey of over 1,000 Americans, carried out by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum (a museum dedicated to the first amendment), found that more Americans could identify more members of the Simpsons cartoon family than first amendment rights.
Click the link to see more.
When Newsweek set 1,000 Americans the challenge of completing their country’s citizenship test, 29 percent could not name the current vice president (Joe Biden), and almost three quarters could not correctly say why America fought the Cold War.
Six per cent could not remember the date of Independence Day.
A blind telephone survey of over 1,000 Americans, carried out by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum (a museum dedicated to the first amendment), found that more Americans could identify more members of the Simpsons cartoon family than first amendment rights.
Click the link to see more.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Imus: Vote For T-X!
Don Imus says he'll vote for Hillary Clinton because she's ruthless and lacks humanity.
In other words, she's the equivalent of the female Terminator from the third movie in that franchise.
In other words, she's the equivalent of the female Terminator from the third movie in that franchise.
On Contemplation of Plumbing Fittings
"FACEBOOK OFFERS FIFTY GENDER OPTIONS!"
I wonder if cismale gendernormative fascist is one of the options? ;-)
I wonder if cismale gendernormative fascist is one of the options? ;-)
You Know, It's Pretty Effing Pathetic...
...when a federal judge can't distinguish between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
A federal judge struck down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage today, an historic ruling with especial resonance on Valentine's Day. Except the history of the historic ruling isn't exactly up to par: Judge Arenda Wright Allen claimed the Constitution declares that "all men are created equal," which is, instead, the first line of the Declaration of Independence.
"Our Constitution declares that 'all men' are created equal. Surely this means all of us," Judge Allen wrote on the first page of her opinion.
Damn, I've heard of low-information voters, but we have low-information federal judges, too?
A federal judge struck down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage today, an historic ruling with especial resonance on Valentine's Day. Except the history of the historic ruling isn't exactly up to par: Judge Arenda Wright Allen claimed the Constitution declares that "all men are created equal," which is, instead, the first line of the Declaration of Independence.
"Our Constitution declares that 'all men' are created equal. Surely this means all of us," Judge Allen wrote on the first page of her opinion.
Damn, I've heard of low-information voters, but we have low-information federal judges, too?
Still At the Hotel
I've been here the entire week, having driven in on Monday evening. Outside the weather is sunny and 50 degrees, so that the 8-10" of snow we got this week is melting away like the Wicked Witch of the West. Ventured outside today to go to my car, see if it would start - - it did. I went to deposit my paycheck and pick up some lunch. I'll still be here tonight, working an extra shift; I expect to head home sometime tomorrow morning.
Hopefully this will be the last of the winter storm events this year.
Hopefully this will be the last of the winter storm events this year.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
You Ain't Even Safe In a Tree
Crocodilians - - crocodiles, alligators, caimans and the like - - can climb trees.
Pic:
Wonder if that alligator knows he's in a patch of poison ivy?
Pic:
Wonder if that alligator knows he's in a patch of poison ivy?
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Meanwhile, In Nigeria...
...the police have shut down The Long Pig* BBQ Restaurant:
Police arrested 11 people and closed a restaurant after two human heads wrapped in cellophane were discovered at a hotel restaurant that had been serving human flesh.
A tip-off led police to the macabre discovery in Anambra, Nigeria, with 11 people being arrested and AK-47 guns and other weapons being seized.
Click the link to read the rest.
*Hey, if I owned a cannibal restaurant that's what I'd name it. I'd have a stretched anthropomorphic pic on the road sign, and the pig would be winking.
Police arrested 11 people and closed a restaurant after two human heads wrapped in cellophane were discovered at a hotel restaurant that had been serving human flesh.
A tip-off led police to the macabre discovery in Anambra, Nigeria, with 11 people being arrested and AK-47 guns and other weapons being seized.
Click the link to read the rest.
*Hey, if I owned a cannibal restaurant that's what I'd name it. I'd have a stretched anthropomorphic pic on the road sign, and the pig would be winking.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Good Riddance...
...to bad rubbish.
Eric Holder, the disgraced Attorney General of the United States, has indicated he is stepping down in 2014.
I'll believe it when I see it. I hope he's got a good law team of his own, because if the Republicans take the Senate in the 2014 elections, he's likely to face arrest over Fast & Furious and the IRS scandal.
h/t Sipsey Street Irregulars.
Eric Holder, the disgraced Attorney General of the United States, has indicated he is stepping down in 2014.
I'll believe it when I see it. I hope he's got a good law team of his own, because if the Republicans take the Senate in the 2014 elections, he's likely to face arrest over Fast & Furious and the IRS scandal.
h/t Sipsey Street Irregulars.
Wish I Could Go Back, Too
"USS Donald Cook arrives in new home port in Spain."
That would be Rota, one of my fondest memories.
That would be Rota, one of my fondest memories.
All Hands On Deck
I'm at the hotel tonight and for the next couple of nights following, probably, because of the snow that is currently falling today and is expected over the next 24 hours. A lot of the staff are staying, as well; the maintenance guy, two desk clerks, and at least one maid. Owner has said he'll spring for dinner tonight, but not too extravantly; I'm guessing pizza delivery, with luck I'll be able to snag three pieces. A fourth piece would probably be viewed as extravagant.
As of right now the snow is sticking to the trees and grass, not yet on the roads or sidewalks. The weather weasels are threatening us with ice storm predictions, which is, of course, worse than snow itself. We'll see what happens.
As of right now the snow is sticking to the trees and grass, not yet on the roads or sidewalks. The weather weasels are threatening us with ice storm predictions, which is, of course, worse than snow itself. We'll see what happens.
Shirley Temple, 1929-2014: R.I.P.
The child star, beloved by millions during the Depression and WWII, has died at 85.
She was considered for the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, but was either busy with other projects or MGM wanted a more adult voice for the musical numbers, which Judy Garland certainly supplied. Temple, though, was closer in age to the little Kansas farmgirl that L. Frank Baum wrote of in his Oz novels.
Here's Temple in a dance routine with Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett, Barnaby Jones), who himself was cast for The Wizard of Oz but who had to drop out from an allergic reaction to his makeup as the Tin Man.
What a little cutie she was.
She was considered for the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, but was either busy with other projects or MGM wanted a more adult voice for the musical numbers, which Judy Garland certainly supplied. Temple, though, was closer in age to the little Kansas farmgirl that L. Frank Baum wrote of in his Oz novels.
Here's Temple in a dance routine with Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett, Barnaby Jones), who himself was cast for The Wizard of Oz but who had to drop out from an allergic reaction to his makeup as the Tin Man.
What a little cutie she was.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Why Are Bankers Killing Themselves?
And why are they doing it with nail guns, among other methods?
They must know something we don't, and that worries me.
They must know something we don't, and that worries me.
Quote of the Day
Progress has made a good life materially possible, but it has also displaced and damaged the social mechanisms that make a good life socially possible. We have easy access to technology and streets full of vicious illiterate thugs. We can discuss anything with anyone, but we live in a society that values few things worth discussing. We have mass production, but not mass character.
Found here: The Secular Religion of the Left.
Found here: The Secular Religion of the Left.
Boy, I Called That One
Back in December when The Walking Dead went on mid-season hiatus, I wrote in my AAR of that episode that if anyone returned to the prison they'd probably find poor Hershel's zombified head. Did I call that one, or not?
The new episode was interesting. The young man playing Carl did a fine acting job in this one, splendidly evoking the image of someone hardened on the outside by horrors, but still a frightened boy inside, very much in need of the love of his mostly lost family.
In practical terms, Carl and Rick need to rest and regroup; they need to gather supplies, possibly find a working vehicle. Both of them are hampered by lack of melee weapons such as Michonne's sword. Even a walking staff would be better than nothing.
I'm always disappointed that there are never any scenes of long-term planning, such as Hey, we should make our way to the coast, a fishing economy is easier to sustain than a farming economy, and if we find the right location, we can both fish and farm. (think NC's Roanoke Island or other coastal islands).
The new episode was interesting. The young man playing Carl did a fine acting job in this one, splendidly evoking the image of someone hardened on the outside by horrors, but still a frightened boy inside, very much in need of the love of his mostly lost family.
In practical terms, Carl and Rick need to rest and regroup; they need to gather supplies, possibly find a working vehicle. Both of them are hampered by lack of melee weapons such as Michonne's sword. Even a walking staff would be better than nothing.
I'm always disappointed that there are never any scenes of long-term planning, such as Hey, we should make our way to the coast, a fishing economy is easier to sustain than a farming economy, and if we find the right location, we can both fish and farm. (think NC's Roanoke Island or other coastal islands).
Saturday, February 08, 2014
Common Sense Gun Legislation Proposed In Kentucky
"Kentucky: Bill to allow temporary concealed carry for domestic violence victims."
A Kentucky bill that would grant victims of domestic violence a temporary concealed carry permit passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday and now heads to the floor for a second reading.
Senate Bill 106 would allow a person protected by an emergency protective order or a domestic violence order to carry, if authorized by the issuing court, a concealed deadly weapon for a 90-day period. Although the bill would fast track the process, those who are granted the short-term status must meet the same requirements as those who obtain a standard carry permit.
First, one must pass a background check from their local sheriff, be photographed and pay a $25 fingerprinting fee. Likewise, the temporary permit would be exempt from being considered a public record.
Since these orders would be processed at the county level, bypassing the state, they could conceivably be granted within a couple of days.
h/t Free North Carolina.
A Kentucky bill that would grant victims of domestic violence a temporary concealed carry permit passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday and now heads to the floor for a second reading.
Senate Bill 106 would allow a person protected by an emergency protective order or a domestic violence order to carry, if authorized by the issuing court, a concealed deadly weapon for a 90-day period. Although the bill would fast track the process, those who are granted the short-term status must meet the same requirements as those who obtain a standard carry permit.
First, one must pass a background check from their local sheriff, be photographed and pay a $25 fingerprinting fee. Likewise, the temporary permit would be exempt from being considered a public record.
Since these orders would be processed at the county level, bypassing the state, they could conceivably be granted within a couple of days.
h/t Free North Carolina.
If You Have Nothing To Hide...
...then why are you making it so hard to examine those documents?
The question answers itself, of course.
The question answers itself, of course.
Friday, February 07, 2014
Bottle Message: Official Scientific Bottle Message...
...released by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute people 60 years ago, with an offer of a 50-cent reward to the finder, which has been duly paid.
Apparently the bottle, made of glass, has been sandblasted by beach sand for all these years, but the message was still dry and legible; it was found about 300 miles from where it was launched. Probably it was buried under beach sand all these years, and exposed by a storm.
Apparently the bottle, made of glass, has been sandblasted by beach sand for all these years, but the message was still dry and legible; it was found about 300 miles from where it was launched. Probably it was buried under beach sand all these years, and exposed by a storm.
Thursday, February 06, 2014
Which Should Surprise No One
"Former Bloomberg Ally Says ‘Mayors’ Group’s Goal Is Gun Confiscation."
A former member of Michael Bloomberg’s gun control group claimed this week that the group’s objectives are far more radical than it has let on.
John Tkazyik, the mayor of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., said he quit the former New York City mayor’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, after he realized its objective was outright confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens.
Click the link to read the rest. Not that I'm in any way surprised, I just wanted it recorded here in my blog.
h/t Weasel Zippers.
A former member of Michael Bloomberg’s gun control group claimed this week that the group’s objectives are far more radical than it has let on.
John Tkazyik, the mayor of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., said he quit the former New York City mayor’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, after he realized its objective was outright confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens.
Click the link to read the rest. Not that I'm in any way surprised, I just wanted it recorded here in my blog.
h/t Weasel Zippers.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Musical Interlude
Stan Rogers, Northwest Passage:
Rogers is less well-known to Americans than his fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot, which is a shame. Captain Sir John Franklin was an early polar explorer whose expedition to chart the Northwest Passage ended in shipwreck and cannibalism in the far north. Inuit (eskimoes) of the far north recall tales of Franklin's men handed down from their forefathers.
Rogers is less well-known to Americans than his fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot, which is a shame. Captain Sir John Franklin was an early polar explorer whose expedition to chart the Northwest Passage ended in shipwreck and cannibalism in the far north. Inuit (eskimoes) of the far north recall tales of Franklin's men handed down from their forefathers.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
Joe Nocera of The New York Times celebrates a year of his gun violence column, The Gun Report. He attempts in today's column to make sense of his data.
He starts off by admitting that his methodology is simply to do a Google search every morning for shootings. Is that the standard for rigourous at the Times? He then admits that this methodology misses a lot compared to data proved by the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) and even Slate magazine. Nevertheless, Nocera plunges on:
Part of the issue, as Slate has noted, is that it is impossible to track suicides using news media accounts — and suicides, according to the C.D.C., account for some 60 percent of gun deaths. But it was also obvious that a Google News search was bound to miss plenty of examples; that’s just the nature of the beast. Comprehensiveness was never really the point, though. [How convenient.]
First, the biggest surprise, especially early on, was how frequently either a child accidentally shot another child — using a loaded gun that happened to be lying around — or an adult accidentally shot a child while handling a loaded gun. I have written about this before, mainly because these incidents seem so preventable. Gun owners simply need to keep their guns locked away. Indeed, one pro-gun reader, Malcolm Smith, told me that after reading “about the death toll, especially to children” in The Gun Report, he had come to believe that some gun regulation was necessary. He now thinks gun owners should be licensed and “should have to learn how to store guns safely.” [No definition of what constitutes a "child." As has been seen before with gun control advocates, they routinely factor in shootings by gangbangers as being committed by "children" if the individual is younger than 18.]
Second, the N.R.A. shibboleth that having a gun in one’s house makes you safer is demonstrably untrue. After The Gun Report had been up and running for a while, several Second Amendment advocates complained that we rarely published items that showed how guns were used to prevent a crime. The reason was not that we were biased against crime prevention; it was that it didn’t happen very often. (When we found such examples, we put them in The Gun Report.) [Again a failure of methodology. If your daily Google Search is keyworded on shootings only, then you'll get far fewer Defensive Gun Uses (DGU) than actually occur, since in many cases, simply displaying a gun to a criminal is enough to cause him/her to flee or stop his attack. Similarly, not all DGU's are reported to the police. So, since the Nocero's numbers are based on his own flawed methodology, he gets equally flawed results, and is apparently satisfied with that situation.]
Third, gang shootings are everywhere. You see it in the big cities, like Chicago, Detroit and Miami, and you see it in smaller cities in economic decline like Flint, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Drive-by shootings are prevalent in California, especially Los Angeles and Fresno. As often as gang members shoot each other, they kill innocent victims, often children who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. [Finally Nocero has to admit the obvious.]
Among the readers who post daily comments to The Gun Report are a number of gun rights advocates. What has been astonishing to me is the degree to which they tend to dismiss inner-city violence, as if to say that such killings are unavoidable. The code word they often use is “demographics.”
It is unquestionably true that the most gun homicides occur in the inner cities — the anecdotes we collect in The Gun Report are confirmed by such studies as a May 2013 Bureau of Justice Statistics report. And, yes, plenty of them are the result of gang violence. But why should that make them any less lamentable, or preventable? [Here basically Nocero is hinting that gun ownership advocates are racist for not feeling sympathy for the black thugs, most of them with criminal records, that kill each other in shocking numbers every year.]
There are an estimated 300 million guns in America, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. But to read The Gun Report is to be struck anew at the reality that most of the people who die from guns would still be alive if we just had fewer of them. The guys in the movie theater would have had a fistfight instead of a shooting. The momentary flush of anger would pass. The suicidal person might have taken a pause if taking one’s life were more difficult. And on, and on. The idea that guns, on balance, save lives — which is one of the most common sentiments expressed in the pro-gun comments posted to The Gun Report — is ludicrous. [Ludicrous only in that you don't provide accurate numbers on DGU's - - and can't, since so many go unreported. left out of the equation entirely is that, even during the period when more and more guns exist in the US than ever before, gun homicides and gun violence has gone down annually for decades even as gun ownership increased.]
So Nocera in the end proves nothing. He uses dubious methodology to confirm what is known already - - that many gun deaths each year are committed by suicides or by gangbangers, and dismisses DGU's because he can't - - or won't - - figure out how to factor them in to his calculations; indeed, he smears law-abiding gun owners as careless for not securing guns from children, as recklessly bloodthirsty based on a single recent anecdote of a shooting in a movie theater, and racist because they don't care that criminal thugs kill each other.
He starts off by admitting that his methodology is simply to do a Google search every morning for shootings. Is that the standard for rigourous at the Times? He then admits that this methodology misses a lot compared to data proved by the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) and even Slate magazine. Nevertheless, Nocera plunges on:
Part of the issue, as Slate has noted, is that it is impossible to track suicides using news media accounts — and suicides, according to the C.D.C., account for some 60 percent of gun deaths. But it was also obvious that a Google News search was bound to miss plenty of examples; that’s just the nature of the beast. Comprehensiveness was never really the point, though. [How convenient.]
First, the biggest surprise, especially early on, was how frequently either a child accidentally shot another child — using a loaded gun that happened to be lying around — or an adult accidentally shot a child while handling a loaded gun. I have written about this before, mainly because these incidents seem so preventable. Gun owners simply need to keep their guns locked away. Indeed, one pro-gun reader, Malcolm Smith, told me that after reading “about the death toll, especially to children” in The Gun Report, he had come to believe that some gun regulation was necessary. He now thinks gun owners should be licensed and “should have to learn how to store guns safely.” [No definition of what constitutes a "child." As has been seen before with gun control advocates, they routinely factor in shootings by gangbangers as being committed by "children" if the individual is younger than 18.]
Second, the N.R.A. shibboleth that having a gun in one’s house makes you safer is demonstrably untrue. After The Gun Report had been up and running for a while, several Second Amendment advocates complained that we rarely published items that showed how guns were used to prevent a crime. The reason was not that we were biased against crime prevention; it was that it didn’t happen very often. (When we found such examples, we put them in The Gun Report.) [Again a failure of methodology. If your daily Google Search is keyworded on shootings only, then you'll get far fewer Defensive Gun Uses (DGU) than actually occur, since in many cases, simply displaying a gun to a criminal is enough to cause him/her to flee or stop his attack. Similarly, not all DGU's are reported to the police. So, since the Nocero's numbers are based on his own flawed methodology, he gets equally flawed results, and is apparently satisfied with that situation.]
Third, gang shootings are everywhere. You see it in the big cities, like Chicago, Detroit and Miami, and you see it in smaller cities in economic decline like Flint, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Drive-by shootings are prevalent in California, especially Los Angeles and Fresno. As often as gang members shoot each other, they kill innocent victims, often children who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. [Finally Nocero has to admit the obvious.]
Among the readers who post daily comments to The Gun Report are a number of gun rights advocates. What has been astonishing to me is the degree to which they tend to dismiss inner-city violence, as if to say that such killings are unavoidable. The code word they often use is “demographics.”
It is unquestionably true that the most gun homicides occur in the inner cities — the anecdotes we collect in The Gun Report are confirmed by such studies as a May 2013 Bureau of Justice Statistics report. And, yes, plenty of them are the result of gang violence. But why should that make them any less lamentable, or preventable? [Here basically Nocero is hinting that gun ownership advocates are racist for not feeling sympathy for the black thugs, most of them with criminal records, that kill each other in shocking numbers every year.]
There are an estimated 300 million guns in America, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. But to read The Gun Report is to be struck anew at the reality that most of the people who die from guns would still be alive if we just had fewer of them. The guys in the movie theater would have had a fistfight instead of a shooting. The momentary flush of anger would pass. The suicidal person might have taken a pause if taking one’s life were more difficult. And on, and on. The idea that guns, on balance, save lives — which is one of the most common sentiments expressed in the pro-gun comments posted to The Gun Report — is ludicrous. [Ludicrous only in that you don't provide accurate numbers on DGU's - - and can't, since so many go unreported. left out of the equation entirely is that, even during the period when more and more guns exist in the US than ever before, gun homicides and gun violence has gone down annually for decades even as gun ownership increased.]
So Nocera in the end proves nothing. He uses dubious methodology to confirm what is known already - - that many gun deaths each year are committed by suicides or by gangbangers, and dismisses DGU's because he can't - - or won't - - figure out how to factor them in to his calculations; indeed, he smears law-abiding gun owners as careless for not securing guns from children, as recklessly bloodthirsty based on a single recent anecdote of a shooting in a movie theater, and racist because they don't care that criminal thugs kill each other.
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Meanwhile, Just Up the Road In Mooresville, NC...
...the coach of the Mooresville High School football team has been ordered to stop baptizing his players.
Not that they probably don't need it, but it does violate the Constitution.
Not that they probably don't need it, but it does violate the Constitution.
Meanwhile, In Sochi...
...there's things they don't want you doing in the toilets:
I'm not certain about that scenario on the bottom right, myself.
Update: That last panel has proved baffling to the Twitter community, as Twitchy notes here. Apparently the final panel means Do Not Inject Drugs In Bathroom.
I'm not certain about that scenario on the bottom right, myself.
Update: That last panel has proved baffling to the Twitter community, as Twitchy notes here. Apparently the final panel means Do Not Inject Drugs In Bathroom.
Remember Analogies?
Remember analogies from your high school and college years? The ones that read _____ is to _____ as _____ is to _____?
Well, here's one based on based on one of today's news stories:
Glock is to negligent discharge as pit bull is to mauling.
Police in Florida said a man who accidentally shot himself on his way home from a gun safety class is expected to recover from his injury.
Boynton Beach police said Eric Morkert stopped his pickup truck while driving home from a gun safety class and sat in the bed of the vehicle to examine his new Glock 17 handgun, WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, Fla., reported Monday.
Police said Morkert had removed the gun's magazine and was manipulating the slide when it fired off a round that struck him in the leg.
Is it only Glocks that cause ND's? No, no more than pit bulls are responsible for all dog maulings.
You won't lose money betting that way, though.
And I use the tag "usual suspects" in this instance to refer to Glocks...and pit bulls.
Well, here's one based on based on one of today's news stories:
Glock is to negligent discharge as pit bull is to mauling.
Police in Florida said a man who accidentally shot himself on his way home from a gun safety class is expected to recover from his injury.
Boynton Beach police said Eric Morkert stopped his pickup truck while driving home from a gun safety class and sat in the bed of the vehicle to examine his new Glock 17 handgun, WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, Fla., reported Monday.
Police said Morkert had removed the gun's magazine and was manipulating the slide when it fired off a round that struck him in the leg.
Is it only Glocks that cause ND's? No, no more than pit bulls are responsible for all dog maulings.
You won't lose money betting that way, though.
And I use the tag "usual suspects" in this instance to refer to Glocks...and pit bulls.
Quote of the Day
One of the mistakes Heinlein’s generation made was thinking the religious impulse went away when organized religion did. It doesn’t of course. As religion loses force, the state-as-religion moves in. Of the two the second is probably the most harmful, as it wants to bring about a reality that simply doesn’t fit into the physical world. No matter how much we squash capitalism, we’re not going to have an Earthly paradise. (On the contrary.) The paradise hereafter is each person’s concern and ultimately neither testable nor enforceable (not to say that some places and times haven’t tried it.)
found here. Click over to read the entire thing.
found here. Click over to read the entire thing.
Questions Arising About the Castaway...
...who arrived at a Pacific Ocean atoll after what he described as a 6000+-mile, 13-month journey, looking rather chubby and well-fed, and aside from swollen ankles, in perfect health.
The questions arise because when he left western Mexico on a fishing trip, he had a companion, whom he described as dying after the first month or so. Did he just throw the man's body overboard, or did he first resort to cannibalism to survive, then throw what remained away? How is it that he had no vitamin-deficiency diseases such as scurvy after so long at sea? Could drinking turtle's blood, as he described doing, provide enough Vitamin C to prevent scurvy? Did he find any floating coconuts while on the journey? If he did, his problem with vitamins would of course be solved, because coconuts are full of healthful vitamins.
It's a strange and wonderful story, and I definitely want to know more about it.
Update: More information as to his medical condition at the UK Daily Mail, much of which is simply speculation at this point. Interestingly, although the castaway's remarkably healthy condition has been noted by all who have seen him, no one is using the C word - - cannibalism - - yet.
The questions arise because when he left western Mexico on a fishing trip, he had a companion, whom he described as dying after the first month or so. Did he just throw the man's body overboard, or did he first resort to cannibalism to survive, then throw what remained away? How is it that he had no vitamin-deficiency diseases such as scurvy after so long at sea? Could drinking turtle's blood, as he described doing, provide enough Vitamin C to prevent scurvy? Did he find any floating coconuts while on the journey? If he did, his problem with vitamins would of course be solved, because coconuts are full of healthful vitamins.
It's a strange and wonderful story, and I definitely want to know more about it.
Update: More information as to his medical condition at the UK Daily Mail, much of which is simply speculation at this point. Interestingly, although the castaway's remarkably healthy condition has been noted by all who have seen him, no one is using the C word - - cannibalism - - yet.
Monday, February 03, 2014
Now Witness the Firepower of This Fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL Vajayjay!
"Can 'vagina weightlifting' give you better sex? Expert claims hefting dumbbells with your privates will enhance your sex life... and make you the 'life of the party'"
Kim Anami unveils 'ten reasons to lift weights with your vagina' video
Says it can boost libido and help you become a world record holder
Anami is a sex coach and runs retreats
Tatyana Kozhevnikova, Russian gymnast who can lift a 14kg kettleball with private parts, officially has world's strongest vagina
Might come in handy if you're stuck in the sand driving at the beach...
Kim Anami unveils 'ten reasons to lift weights with your vagina' video
Says it can boost libido and help you become a world record holder
Anami is a sex coach and runs retreats
Tatyana Kozhevnikova, Russian gymnast who can lift a 14kg kettleball with private parts, officially has world's strongest vagina
Might come in handy if you're stuck in the sand driving at the beach...
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Who You Pointing That Remark At?
I get a "daily meditation" from the Franciscans, this morning it read:
You'll notice that all three times when the angel comes to St. Joseph, he is sleeping. Possibly the news was more than he could handle awake. Or maybe God is encouraging us to rest more. (Note: this does not empower sleeping during the homily.)
(For non-Catholics, the homily is the equivalent of the sermon.)
You'll notice that all three times when the angel comes to St. Joseph, he is sleeping. Possibly the news was more than he could handle awake. Or maybe God is encouraging us to rest more. (Note: this does not empower sleeping during the homily.)
(For non-Catholics, the homily is the equivalent of the sermon.)
Cat Videos For the Lowbrows...
and seminars in "How To Distract Proles With Cat Videos" for the self-styled highbrows.
Daniel Greenfield looks not at the blowdried, capped-teeth Dorian Grays of modern journalism, but at the portrait that the Dorians hide up in the attic: diseased, festering, rotting, maggot-riddled.
Daniel Greenfield looks not at the blowdried, capped-teeth Dorian Grays of modern journalism, but at the portrait that the Dorians hide up in the attic: diseased, festering, rotting, maggot-riddled.
What Sort of Man...
...goes to London's "Being a Man" festival?
Click the link to find out. It's about what you'd expect.
Click the link to find out. It's about what you'd expect.
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Incredible 8000-Mile Voyage of Survival?
Looks like it. 16 months adrift in a fiberglass boat that drifted from Mexico to a coral atoll in the Marshall Islands, 8000 miles away, living on rainwater, handcaught fish and sea turtles...and possibly a dead companion?
Lots of questions about this story, which will take a while to be answered, because as of this writing the castaway hasn't even made it off of the coral atoll, rescue planes not being readily available.
If a book comes out of this, though, I definitely want to read it.
Lots of questions about this story, which will take a while to be answered, because as of this writing the castaway hasn't even made it off of the coral atoll, rescue planes not being readily available.
If a book comes out of this, though, I definitely want to read it.
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