At 4:30 pm a bit late for lunch, but I'm a third shift worker, and napped a bit earlier today during the usual lunch hour. Grilled a couple of steaks, filet mignon, which I haven't had in a while, my usual beefy favorite being sirloin.
Damn, they were good. Dessert will be ice cream, a flavor I've never tried before, "Bordeaux Cherry."
It's payday, the weekend, and life is good today.
*touch wood*
Friday, June 15, 2012
Tweren't Mormons
Looks like the annual list of the USA's most dangerous cities is out. The top 10 is as follows:
1. Flint, Michigan
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. St. Louis, Missouri
4. Oakland, California
5. Memphis, Tennessee
6. Little Rock, Arkansas
7. Birmingham, Alabama
8. Atlanta, Georgia
9. Baltimore, Maryland
10. Stockton, California
The article doesn't speculate, of course, as to why the top ten were violent, other than the usual liberal platitudes about poverty, because speculation quickly leads to accusations, and there's damned few bloggers willing to face that onslaught. Suffice to say that demographics is a key component of the problem, and as my friend Del Gue has wisely observed, it isn't Mormons committing all the violent acts:
1. Flint, Michigan
2. Detroit, Michigan
3. St. Louis, Missouri
4. Oakland, California
5. Memphis, Tennessee
6. Little Rock, Arkansas
7. Birmingham, Alabama
8. Atlanta, Georgia
9. Baltimore, Maryland
10. Stockton, California
The article doesn't speculate, of course, as to why the top ten were violent, other than the usual liberal platitudes about poverty, because speculation quickly leads to accusations, and there's damned few bloggers willing to face that onslaught. Suffice to say that demographics is a key component of the problem, and as my friend Del Gue has wisely observed, it isn't Mormons committing all the violent acts:
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Injustice In Florida
Story.
Ronald Thompson of Keystone Heights is 65 and a 14-year Army veteran who has logged 5,000 hours of volunteer service at the VA Medical Center in Lake City.
Thompson is nearly blind, diabetic and has had multiple heart surgeries. In the last few years he's had surgery on his prostrate[sic] and to remove tumors from his face.
And he's in prison.
Two years ago, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Florida's mandatory minimum laws for firing two shots into the ground to scare off some teenagers. The judge was so appalled that he called the mandatory minimum sentence "a crime in itself" and sentenced him to three years instead of 20.
Click the link to read the rest. It's a case of the rigidity of "mandatory minimum" sentencing laws being applied in a way that is fundamentally unjust. Thompson is in prison because Fourth Circuit State Attorney Angela Corey, who is in the news more recently as the vengeful prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, appealed the 3-year sentence that the trial judge imposed.
Ronald Thompson of Keystone Heights is 65 and a 14-year Army veteran who has logged 5,000 hours of volunteer service at the VA Medical Center in Lake City.
Thompson is nearly blind, diabetic and has had multiple heart surgeries. In the last few years he's had surgery on his prostrate[sic] and to remove tumors from his face.
And he's in prison.
Two years ago, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Florida's mandatory minimum laws for firing two shots into the ground to scare off some teenagers. The judge was so appalled that he called the mandatory minimum sentence "a crime in itself" and sentenced him to three years instead of 20.
Click the link to read the rest. It's a case of the rigidity of "mandatory minimum" sentencing laws being applied in a way that is fundamentally unjust. Thompson is in prison because Fourth Circuit State Attorney Angela Corey, who is in the news more recently as the vengeful prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, appealed the 3-year sentence that the trial judge imposed.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Where Flags Go To Die
Story.
Don't - - please - - throw an old flag into the trash. If you value it enough to fly it, then ensure it receives an honorable end by calling the American Legion to dispose of it in accordance with proper flag etiquette.
Don't - - please - - throw an old flag into the trash. If you value it enough to fly it, then ensure it receives an honorable end by calling the American Legion to dispose of it in accordance with proper flag etiquette.
The Man Makes a Solid Middle-Class Salary...
...and yet still can't refrain from being a thug:
DURHAM -- A Durham firefighter faces 43 charges after he was caught robbing a Dollar Tree story Tuesday night wearing a Green Goblin type mask.
Damon Antonio Quick, 35, a firefighter since 2003, has been placed in the Durham County jail under a $9 million bail.
He is also a suspect in the theft of about $1,200 from individual firefighters, officials said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Quick resisted arrest Tuesday night and suffered minor injuries, Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez Sr. said.
He is charged with
• 19 counts of second-degree kidnapping
• 11 counts robbery with a dangerous weapon
• 2 counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon
• 7 counts of assault by pointing a gun
• 2 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and
• 2 counts of communicating threats
Quick, whose current salary is $40,428, is also charged with committing seven other robberies. In all cases, the robber was wearing a Green Goblin style mask, dark clothing and a hoodie and had a gun, police said. Many of the robberies occurred around closing time for the businesses.
Thug makes almost twice what I do, and still can't refrain from violent crimes. Dark clothing and hoodie, huh? Probably looked a lot like Trayvon Martin, then. Doubtless if President Obama had a son he'd look a lot like this thug.
DURHAM -- A Durham firefighter faces 43 charges after he was caught robbing a Dollar Tree story Tuesday night wearing a Green Goblin type mask.
Damon Antonio Quick, 35, a firefighter since 2003, has been placed in the Durham County jail under a $9 million bail.
He is also a suspect in the theft of about $1,200 from individual firefighters, officials said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Quick resisted arrest Tuesday night and suffered minor injuries, Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez Sr. said.
He is charged with
• 19 counts of second-degree kidnapping
• 11 counts robbery with a dangerous weapon
• 2 counts of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon
• 7 counts of assault by pointing a gun
• 2 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and
• 2 counts of communicating threats
Quick, whose current salary is $40,428, is also charged with committing seven other robberies. In all cases, the robber was wearing a Green Goblin style mask, dark clothing and a hoodie and had a gun, police said. Many of the robberies occurred around closing time for the businesses.
Thug makes almost twice what I do, and still can't refrain from violent crimes. Dark clothing and hoodie, huh? Probably looked a lot like Trayvon Martin, then. Doubtless if President Obama had a son he'd look a lot like this thug.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Now They'll Have To Use Abby's Brain
"Freezer Damages Brain Samples Used to Study Autism."
Unfortunately, Hans Delbruck's was one of the brains involved in the study.
Unfortunately, Hans Delbruck's was one of the brains involved in the study.
Sometimes You Agree To Change...
...and sometimes change comes only after an ass-whooping.
Micky Kaus points out some realities to the Kumbaya-singers.
Micky Kaus points out some realities to the Kumbaya-singers.
Monday, June 11, 2012
It's Your Dog, and They'll Prove It...
...with DNA testing.
They really want you to clean up after your dog, Winston Smith. Yes, they know who you are.
They really want you to clean up after your dog, Winston Smith. Yes, they know who you are.
House Oversight Committee Schedules Holder Contempt Vote
Maybe now the MSM will have to cover the story properly.
Nah, who am I kidding?
via Sipsey Street Irregulars.
Nah, who am I kidding?
via Sipsey Street Irregulars.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Meanwhile, In Yellowstone National Park...
...an 18-year-old woman working her first day as a park employee fell to her death while posing for a picture from Inspiration Point.
The Park Service is denying reports that they're thinking of changing the name of the overlook to Defenestration Point.
The Park Service is denying reports that they're thinking of changing the name of the overlook to Defenestration Point.
Saturday, June 09, 2012
An Interesting Theory
While relating the story of the discovery of a Shakespeare-era theatre in London, Walter Russell Meade propounds his theory that Shakespeare has fallen out of favour because the King James Version of the Bible isn't being taught to children in Sunday School, thus leading to unfamiliarity with the English language from Shakespeare's era.
And between the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare, how many famous phrases and quotes came into the English language!
It should be noted that the late Christopher Hitchens, the intellectual atheist whose knowledge of literature seemed truly encylopedic, went out of his way to teach his children the King James Bible, not out of any religious impulse but because of its literary merit.
And between the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare, how many famous phrases and quotes came into the English language!
It should be noted that the late Christopher Hitchens, the intellectual atheist whose knowledge of literature seemed truly encylopedic, went out of his way to teach his children the King James Bible, not out of any religious impulse but because of its literary merit.
Treasure Blog: "Lost" Romanesque Cloister, Palamos, Spain
"Lost" in this case meaning lost to historical record. It's been there all the time in Palamos, where it was taken and reassembled as part of a private estate.
Pic:
There are more magnificent photos at the link. A cloister, says Wikipedia, "is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth." They are usually associated architecturally with monasteries.
A coincidence that will interest fans of the blog is that the cloister was discovered in Palamos, which was the town in which North Carolina writer Robert Ruark made his home, and where he is buried. He might have known of the existence of this cloister.
Pic:
There are more magnificent photos at the link. A cloister, says Wikipedia, "is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth." They are usually associated architecturally with monasteries.
A coincidence that will interest fans of the blog is that the cloister was discovered in Palamos, which was the town in which North Carolina writer Robert Ruark made his home, and where he is buried. He might have known of the existence of this cloister.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Whoops.
Deleted some recent comments. If you're a friend of the blog and your comment disappeared, that's the reason. It was inadvertent and I apologize for the error.
After the Lawyer Vetoed the Demonic Possession Defense...
...they decided to give this one a try.
Man claims he was sleepwalking when he committed an armed robbery.
I guess the temporary insanity defense doesn't work any more?
Man claims he was sleepwalking when he committed an armed robbery.
I guess the temporary insanity defense doesn't work any more?
Damn These Ageing Eyes
"Emerald ash borer confirmed in Smokies."
Of course I read it as Emerald ass borer and immediately pictured a weevil-like insect attacking a hiker...
Of course I read it as Emerald ass borer and immediately pictured a weevil-like insect attacking a hiker...
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Barbecue-Related Parody
Hope you enjoy it. It helps if you're knowledgeable about North Carolina barbecue.
Stop! He who pass the Bridge of Doom must answer me questions three, ere the other side he see.
All right, go ahead. I ain't scared.
WHAT is your NAME?
My name is Bob Garner.
WHAT is your QUEST?
To seek out good food wherever I can find it.
WHAT...is North Carolina barbecue meat made out of?
What do you mean? Lexington-style or Eastern-style North Carolina barbecue meat?
Eh? I don't know that! *SPROING* Aiiiieeeeee!!
You can buy Bob Garner's book of barbecue here.
You can buy Bob Garner's book of barbecue here.
*Sniff Sniff* I Smell Smoked Pigmeat!
It's my son-in-law, the pervert!
SALISBURY, N.C. (CBS Charlotte) – Memorial Day weekend came a little early for Salisbury Police, as the smell of barbecue led police to a man who was allegedly peeping on his mother-in-law.
Tony McDaniel was arrested Tuesday for allegedly peeping on his mother-in-law while she was inside her home. WBTV reports that the woman, whose name was withheld, felt that her son-in-law had been peeping on her.
On Tuesday, the woman told police that she smelled barbecue coming from outside her home. Knowing her son-in-law works at a local barbecue restaurant, she grew suspicious.
After police talked to a neighbor who gave a description and a license-plate number of a car parked nearby, a deputy found evidence on and around the house that led to the arrest of McDaniel, according to WBTV.
Bwaaa haaa haaa!
h/t BBQ Jew.
SALISBURY, N.C. (CBS Charlotte) – Memorial Day weekend came a little early for Salisbury Police, as the smell of barbecue led police to a man who was allegedly peeping on his mother-in-law.
Tony McDaniel was arrested Tuesday for allegedly peeping on his mother-in-law while she was inside her home. WBTV reports that the woman, whose name was withheld, felt that her son-in-law had been peeping on her.
On Tuesday, the woman told police that she smelled barbecue coming from outside her home. Knowing her son-in-law works at a local barbecue restaurant, she grew suspicious.
After police talked to a neighbor who gave a description and a license-plate number of a car parked nearby, a deputy found evidence on and around the house that led to the arrest of McDaniel, according to WBTV.
Bwaaa haaa haaa!
h/t BBQ Jew.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Doing the Dozens*
Yo mama so fat she exploded in a crematorium.
A morbidly obese woman’s corpse caused a crematorium in Austria to burst into flames, The Daily Mail reports.
Due to the woman’s substantial mass of body fat, the oven overheated, sparking a fire in the filter reaching upward of 570 degrees Fahrenheit. The fire grew and was soon out of control.
As thick black smoke poured out of the building, firemen arrived to combat the flames. They succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading.
Click the link to read the rest.
*The Dozens.
A morbidly obese woman’s corpse caused a crematorium in Austria to burst into flames, The Daily Mail reports.
Due to the woman’s substantial mass of body fat, the oven overheated, sparking a fire in the filter reaching upward of 570 degrees Fahrenheit. The fire grew and was soon out of control.
As thick black smoke poured out of the building, firemen arrived to combat the flames. They succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading.
Click the link to read the rest.
*The Dozens.
Way Down Upon De Suwanee Ribber...
...you gots to watch out for dem jumpin' sturgeons.
Dey go upside yo haid and next thing you know you drownded.
Dey go upside yo haid and next thing you know you drownded.
AKA "OK You Bastards Win Don't Gloat About It"
Over in The New York Times, editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal seems to concede that Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin will defeat the recall challenge brought against him by sore-loser Democrats:
Whatever happens in today’s gubernatorial recall election in Wisconsin, let’s not over-interpret the results.
We all know what spurred the recall movement against Gov. Scott Walker: His successful effort to deny government employees collective bargaining rights, and to balance the state’s budget on the backs of working people.po
Another sore loser heard from, since the recall has national implications.
Whatever happens in today’s gubernatorial recall election in Wisconsin, let’s not over-interpret the results.
We all know what spurred the recall movement against Gov. Scott Walker: His successful effort to deny government employees collective bargaining rights, and to balance the state’s budget on the backs of working people.po
Another sore loser heard from, since the recall has national implications.
Oh, Me-O My-O, Look At Miss Ohio...
...she wants to do right, but not right now...
Judge Marilu Henner asked [Miss Ohio contestant Audrey] Bolte: “Do you think women are depicted in movies and on television in an accurate and positive way? And please give us an example.”
Bolte responded:
"I think it depends on the movie. I think there are some movies that depict women in a very positive role, and then some movies that put them in a little bit more of negative role. But by the end of the movie, they show that woman power that I know we all have. Such as movie Pretty Woman. We had a wonderful, beautiful woman, Julia Roberts, and she was having a rough time, but, you know what, she came out on top and she didn’t let anybody stand in her path."
Oh, me-o my-o...
Judge Marilu Henner asked [Miss Ohio contestant Audrey] Bolte: “Do you think women are depicted in movies and on television in an accurate and positive way? And please give us an example.”
Bolte responded:
"I think it depends on the movie. I think there are some movies that depict women in a very positive role, and then some movies that put them in a little bit more of negative role. But by the end of the movie, they show that woman power that I know we all have. Such as movie Pretty Woman. We had a wonderful, beautiful woman, Julia Roberts, and she was having a rough time, but, you know what, she came out on top and she didn’t let anybody stand in her path."
Oh, me-o my-o...
Monday, June 04, 2012
Arrivals
Bob Garner's Book of Barbecue: North Carolina's Favorite Food.
Pic:
And also Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Pic:
Bob Garner will be in Charlotte next week to do a book signing, I'll try to get over there and have my book signed. Rawlings, of course, is dead.
Pic:
And also Cross Creek Cookery by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Pic:
Bob Garner will be in Charlotte next week to do a book signing, I'll try to get over there and have my book signed. Rawlings, of course, is dead.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Navy Enlisted Uniform Changes
Story.
Looks like the jumper of the crackerjack uniforms will get a side zipper to facilitate donning/doffing, the white crackerjacks will get Navy Blue piping similar to the white piping used in the Navy Blue crackerjacks.
Some other minor stuff as well.
Looks like the jumper of the crackerjack uniforms will get a side zipper to facilitate donning/doffing, the white crackerjacks will get Navy Blue piping similar to the white piping used in the Navy Blue crackerjacks.
Some other minor stuff as well.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Irony of the Day
That they are called "Saints."
Two sources with knowledge of the NFL's evidence in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal said Friday that the league has a copy of a "ledger" that was kept detailing weekly earnings for players.
The ledger, which shows both money earned for "cart-offs" and "whacks" and deducted for "mental errors," also points to the fact that players were told on a week-by-week basis of their performance.
"The players clearly knew what was going each week with the payments," a source told Yahoo! Sports. In fact, multiple sources admitted that Saints defensive players would regularly encourage teammates to put money earned from the bounty system back into the pool. It's unclear if that was to increase the potential winnings or eventually use the money for some other purpose.
Two sources with knowledge of the NFL's evidence in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal said Friday that the league has a copy of a "ledger" that was kept detailing weekly earnings for players.
The ledger, which shows both money earned for "cart-offs" and "whacks" and deducted for "mental errors," also points to the fact that players were told on a week-by-week basis of their performance.
"The players clearly knew what was going each week with the payments," a source told Yahoo! Sports. In fact, multiple sources admitted that Saints defensive players would regularly encourage teammates to put money earned from the bounty system back into the pool. It's unclear if that was to increase the potential winnings or eventually use the money for some other purpose.
In Other News...
...we have completed our move to another house. It's another rental, but a smaller house (only two of us now, my sister and myself, so that's not a problem) in better condition, not on a major road (thank all the gods) and rent about $200 lower than we've been paying. This one has a 1-car garage that is loaded with our excess belongings, they will be weeded down and some of them sold this fall (when it's cooler) in a yard sale. Turned over the keys to the old house to the property owner. A page is turned.
We're still in the same general area of NC, the suburbs of Charlotte.
Don't want to do this again for the foreseeable future.
We're still in the same general area of NC, the suburbs of Charlotte.
Don't want to do this again for the foreseeable future.
We're Simpy Forcing You...
...to understand.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg displays his wannabe dictator personality in those first four words.
We're. Simply. Forcing. You.
That's the kind of thing that, if you say it to a man's face, he's likely to punch you out:
You can't do that, fellow.
Who are you to tell me what to do and not to do, asshole?
I'm the Mayor of New York City.
So fucking what?
If you don't do what I tell you, I'll force you to.
Force this, asshole: *PUNCH*
The tipping point has already passed. If Bloomberg can ban Big Gulps without any of you violently objecting, you're already slaves. We just need to be fitted for our government-issue shackles.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg displays his wannabe dictator personality in those first four words.
We're. Simply. Forcing. You.
That's the kind of thing that, if you say it to a man's face, he's likely to punch you out:
You can't do that, fellow.
Who are you to tell me what to do and not to do, asshole?
I'm the Mayor of New York City.
So fucking what?
If you don't do what I tell you, I'll force you to.
Force this, asshole: *PUNCH*
The tipping point has already passed. If Bloomberg can ban Big Gulps without any of you violently objecting, you're already slaves. We just need to be fitted for our government-issue shackles.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Arthel "Doc" Watson, 1923-2012: R.I.P.
He's back picking with Merle now.
Doc Watson, the guitarist and folk singer whose flat-picking style elevated the acoustic guitar to solo status in bluegrass and country music, and whose interpretations of traditional American music profoundly influenced generations of folk and rock guitarists, died on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, N.C. He was 89.
h/t Dax Montana.
Doc Watson, the guitarist and folk singer whose flat-picking style elevated the acoustic guitar to solo status in bluegrass and country music, and whose interpretations of traditional American music profoundly influenced generations of folk and rock guitarists, died on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, N.C. He was 89.
h/t Dax Montana.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Call It Stormy Monday
And they hope Tuesday's just as bad.
North Florida, desperately parched after several years of drought, caught some relief on Monday when Tropical Storm Beryl came ashore with soaking rains.
One day of storms isn't enough by itself to break the drought, but lingering remnants of Beryl might just do the trick.
Let's play the old blues standard I mention in the blog post title, singing and guitar courtesy of the man who wrote the song, Mr. T-Bone Walker:
North Florida, desperately parched after several years of drought, caught some relief on Monday when Tropical Storm Beryl came ashore with soaking rains.
One day of storms isn't enough by itself to break the drought, but lingering remnants of Beryl might just do the trick.
Let's play the old blues standard I mention in the blog post title, singing and guitar courtesy of the man who wrote the song, Mr. T-Bone Walker:
Monday, May 28, 2012
Good Stars & Stripes Article For Memorial Day
"Why America Scours the Earth For Its Fallen Service Members."
The fallen navigator waited until dawn to crawl from the jungle. His back was broken, his jaw ripped open by shrapnel. There was a bullet hole in his left leg.
In the night, Lt. Jose Holguin had parachuted from a burning B-17. Painted on its nose were a scantily clad woman and the words "Naughty but Nice." Now the bomber lay before him in pieces.
He hobbled to the plane's mid-section, where he saw the charred, mangled bodies of two of his nine comrades. He fired his pistol twice, signaling the crew to rendezvous. He heard nothing in return.
This is when he made his hardest decision — to flee — and his most important promise, one as old as war. "I told the men that I couldn't take them with me," he would recall. "But I would be back to take care of them."
Click the link to read the rest.
The fallen navigator waited until dawn to crawl from the jungle. His back was broken, his jaw ripped open by shrapnel. There was a bullet hole in his left leg.
In the night, Lt. Jose Holguin had parachuted from a burning B-17. Painted on its nose were a scantily clad woman and the words "Naughty but Nice." Now the bomber lay before him in pieces.
He hobbled to the plane's mid-section, where he saw the charred, mangled bodies of two of his nine comrades. He fired his pistol twice, signaling the crew to rendezvous. He heard nothing in return.
This is when he made his hardest decision — to flee — and his most important promise, one as old as war. "I told the men that I couldn't take them with me," he would recall. "But I would be back to take care of them."
Click the link to read the rest.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Busy...
...moving to a different rental house not far from where we were living. Doing it all ourselves, so packing up, moving, unpacking.
Not much time for blogging right now. My apologies.
Not much time for blogging right now. My apologies.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Old Devlins Was A-Waiting By the Lonesome River Ford...*
...when he spied the Mackey Captain with a pistol and a sword...
Starting on Monday at 9 p.m., actor Kevin Costner returns to the epic story on the History Channel with a miniseries Hatfields and McCoys, about the famous feud between those two Appalachian families.
Costner plays Devil Anse Hatfield, the patriarch of the Hatfield family; Bill Paxton plays Randall McCoy, the leader of the McCoys. There's a video available at the link.
Looks like it might be worth watching.
*bonus points for identifying the story I got the blog post title from. No cheating with Google, now.
Starting on Monday at 9 p.m., actor Kevin Costner returns to the epic story on the History Channel with a miniseries Hatfields and McCoys, about the famous feud between those two Appalachian families.
Costner plays Devil Anse Hatfield, the patriarch of the Hatfield family; Bill Paxton plays Randall McCoy, the leader of the McCoys. There's a video available at the link.
Looks like it might be worth watching.
*bonus points for identifying the story I got the blog post title from. No cheating with Google, now.
Best Wishes Go Out...
...to guitar player extraordinaire Doc Watson, 89, who is in the hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, after a fall at his home.
He's listed in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit, so please send good thoughts and prayers his way, if you would.
Update: He's undergone colon surgery.
That worries me. With antibiotics basically ineffective these days, the chance of developing MRSA after a surgery is high. Best wishes for a complete and safe recovery go out to Doc.
He's listed in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit, so please send good thoughts and prayers his way, if you would.
Update: He's undergone colon surgery.
That worries me. With antibiotics basically ineffective these days, the chance of developing MRSA after a surgery is high. Best wishes for a complete and safe recovery go out to Doc.
Is Playing the Odds Racism?
"1 shot at business on Albemarle Rd."
One man was seriously injured in a shooting before daybreak Friday at a business on Albemarle Road, police say.
The shooting was reported about 4:45 a.m. at the Albemarle Business Center, a sweepstakes parlor near Central Avenue in the Eastland area.
There is no description of a suspect, and no arrests have been announced.
Well, that area of Charlotte is impoverished and home to a lot of African-Americans and Latinos. Much of the violent crime is concentrated in the area, especially robberies, shootings and murders. Most of these are committed by African-American youths who would probably closely resemble President Obama were that individual to have sons.
So, although no description has been published, you won't go broke betting that both the victim and the perpetrator were young, male and African-American. The Charlotte Observer may in fact be reluctant to publish a description for that very reason.
When you read crime reports a lot - - and I do - - you notice trends. Even other news stories tend to have trends when the human factor is considered. Crimes of violence - - murders, armed robberies, and rapes - - tend to be committed by young African-American men. Is it racist to say so? No. Many will hesitate to say so, though, out of fear of being labeled racist. Bank robberies, at least in Charlotte, more often tend to be the work of white men. Why? I don't know. It's a Federal offense to rob banks, and the prison time is substantial when you are caught.
When I read an article and note that a machete was used as a weapon, I automatically think that it was a crime committed by a Latino, and again I am usually right. Racist? No. Playing the odds.
Who makes meth? White rednecks, for the most part, and often white motorcycle gangs. Can't be racist for pointing that out, can I?
A common crime a century ago was to blind someone by throwing lye into their eyes. Who committed this crime? African-American women, for the most part. You'll occasionally read of attacks with acid in modern times (the English of Victorian times referred to it as vitriol-throwing) and it's usually Middle Eastern men who commit this sort of crime these days.
Hackers? White guys. It's playing the odds. Profiling, if you will. Stereotyping. I once came up with a satirical definition of the word stereotype: drawing conclusions about a group based on the observed behavior among members of that group, by someone who has not acquired a science degree. When an individual with a science degree makes conclusions about a group based on observed behavior among members of that group, it is called anthropology.
None of this is to suggest that playing the odds should be government policy, or to focus on a profiled group to the exclusion of other possibilities; but for a private individual who must make decisions while going about his/her daily business, you ignore the odds at your peril.
One man was seriously injured in a shooting before daybreak Friday at a business on Albemarle Road, police say.
The shooting was reported about 4:45 a.m. at the Albemarle Business Center, a sweepstakes parlor near Central Avenue in the Eastland area.
There is no description of a suspect, and no arrests have been announced.
Well, that area of Charlotte is impoverished and home to a lot of African-Americans and Latinos. Much of the violent crime is concentrated in the area, especially robberies, shootings and murders. Most of these are committed by African-American youths who would probably closely resemble President Obama were that individual to have sons.
So, although no description has been published, you won't go broke betting that both the victim and the perpetrator were young, male and African-American. The Charlotte Observer may in fact be reluctant to publish a description for that very reason.
When you read crime reports a lot - - and I do - - you notice trends. Even other news stories tend to have trends when the human factor is considered. Crimes of violence - - murders, armed robberies, and rapes - - tend to be committed by young African-American men. Is it racist to say so? No. Many will hesitate to say so, though, out of fear of being labeled racist. Bank robberies, at least in Charlotte, more often tend to be the work of white men. Why? I don't know. It's a Federal offense to rob banks, and the prison time is substantial when you are caught.
When I read an article and note that a machete was used as a weapon, I automatically think that it was a crime committed by a Latino, and again I am usually right. Racist? No. Playing the odds.
Who makes meth? White rednecks, for the most part, and often white motorcycle gangs. Can't be racist for pointing that out, can I?
A common crime a century ago was to blind someone by throwing lye into their eyes. Who committed this crime? African-American women, for the most part. You'll occasionally read of attacks with acid in modern times (the English of Victorian times referred to it as vitriol-throwing) and it's usually Middle Eastern men who commit this sort of crime these days.
Hackers? White guys. It's playing the odds. Profiling, if you will. Stereotyping. I once came up with a satirical definition of the word stereotype: drawing conclusions about a group based on the observed behavior among members of that group, by someone who has not acquired a science degree. When an individual with a science degree makes conclusions about a group based on observed behavior among members of that group, it is called anthropology.
None of this is to suggest that playing the odds should be government policy, or to focus on a profiled group to the exclusion of other possibilities; but for a private individual who must make decisions while going about his/her daily business, you ignore the odds at your peril.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Hungry Avengers Assemble!
The movie Iron Man 3 is currently filming in Wilmington, North Carolina. Star Robert Downey, Jr., hosted a luncheon which was catered by Poor Piggy's BBQ, which is one of Wilmington's first successful "food truck" ventures, although there is a brand-new restaurant site, as well. My friend Sara has eaten Poor Piggy's BBQ, and reports it to be first rate bbq.
The sign in the photo was drawn by Downey himself, it seems:
The sign in the photo was drawn by Downey himself, it seems:
You Can't Make This Stuff Up
Um...er...well, perhaps you can.
CHAPEL HILL UNC-Chapel Hill trustees, briefed Thursday on the academic fraud uncovered in the African and Afro-American Studies department, asked pointed questions about accountability in the university’s academic operations.
Trustee chairman Wade Hargrove described the findings in UNC-CH’s recent internal investigation as “major indiscretions that raise serious questions of unprofessional and unethical conduct.”
Hargrove said he read the report with a mixture of “disappointment and dismay and outrage.”
“Academic freedom is not to be confused with academic irresponsibility or academic fraud,” Hargrove said. “We all know the difference.”
Several trustees asked about checks and balances and how courses with little or no supervision from professors could have gone undetected for years.
How about Because you collectively thought you'd be called racist if you expressed reservations about the situation?
CHAPEL HILL UNC-Chapel Hill trustees, briefed Thursday on the academic fraud uncovered in the African and Afro-American Studies department, asked pointed questions about accountability in the university’s academic operations.
Trustee chairman Wade Hargrove described the findings in UNC-CH’s recent internal investigation as “major indiscretions that raise serious questions of unprofessional and unethical conduct.”
Hargrove said he read the report with a mixture of “disappointment and dismay and outrage.”
“Academic freedom is not to be confused with academic irresponsibility or academic fraud,” Hargrove said. “We all know the difference.”
Several trustees asked about checks and balances and how courses with little or no supervision from professors could have gone undetected for years.
How about Because you collectively thought you'd be called racist if you expressed reservations about the situation?
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
It's Preston Brooks Day!
Otherwise known as "Beat a US Senator Into a Coma With a Cane" day.
Any of you readers have a US Senator you wouldn't mind seeing caned? Be gentlemanly about it, if you're a man don't express a desire to cane a female Senator.
I nominate Senator Charles Schumer of New York to be caned.
Any of you readers have a US Senator you wouldn't mind seeing caned? Be gentlemanly about it, if you're a man don't express a desire to cane a female Senator.
I nominate Senator Charles Schumer of New York to be caned.
Meanwhile, In the Place I Grew Up...
...which is the area around Melrose, Florida, an extended drought has revealed numerous ancient Native American dugout canoes in the dry lake beds.
I used to find Indian relics as a boy; spear points, arrow points and pottery shards. After a heavy rain I would walk along the dirt road we lived on and find them along the shoulders where the rain had eroded the soil. I was careless with them and usually found a way to break them, never making an attempt to display them as a collection. Regret that now, but hell, my life is full of regrets.
Pic:
I used to find Indian relics as a boy; spear points, arrow points and pottery shards. After a heavy rain I would walk along the dirt road we lived on and find them along the shoulders where the rain had eroded the soil. I was careless with them and usually found a way to break them, never making an attempt to display them as a collection. Regret that now, but hell, my life is full of regrets.
Pic:
Monday, May 21, 2012
Live Fast, Die Young
He ignored his wake-up call:
A 17-year-old who died Friday in a head-on collision after fleeing from an officer had his license revoked only hours earlier on a speeding charge, Concord police said Sunday.
Joshua Mark Stanish lived in northern Charlotte, near the Highland Creek Golf Club. His Mitsubishi Gallant collided with two other vehicles at about 10:20 p.m. Friday, injuring four others.
Concord police said Stanish was first pulled over by a state trooper about 5:20 p.m. Friday, on N.C. 49, near the Cabarrus Events Arena.
He was arrested and charged with speeding 85 mph in a 55 mph zone and reckless driving. Stanish went before a magistrate, who revoked his license.
Only five hours later, a Concord police officer tried to stop Stanish for unspecified traffic violations near Derita Road and Concord Mills Boulevard. Stanish’s home was less than two miles away. Police say he fled and struck two other vehicles less than a mile away on Cox Mill Road near Edenbury Lane.
Stanish died at the scene. He was the only occupant of his car.
What a waste.
A 17-year-old who died Friday in a head-on collision after fleeing from an officer had his license revoked only hours earlier on a speeding charge, Concord police said Sunday.
Joshua Mark Stanish lived in northern Charlotte, near the Highland Creek Golf Club. His Mitsubishi Gallant collided with two other vehicles at about 10:20 p.m. Friday, injuring four others.
Concord police said Stanish was first pulled over by a state trooper about 5:20 p.m. Friday, on N.C. 49, near the Cabarrus Events Arena.
He was arrested and charged with speeding 85 mph in a 55 mph zone and reckless driving. Stanish went before a magistrate, who revoked his license.
Only five hours later, a Concord police officer tried to stop Stanish for unspecified traffic violations near Derita Road and Concord Mills Boulevard. Stanish’s home was less than two miles away. Police say he fled and struck two other vehicles less than a mile away on Cox Mill Road near Edenbury Lane.
Stanish died at the scene. He was the only occupant of his car.
What a waste.
Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't...
...in its Middle Eastern incarnation, masterfully explained by Victor Davis Hanson:
Remember, there is also an ironclad law about the Middle East, one we keep forgetting: Arab intellectuals (many of them educated or residing in Western universities) hate the U.S. for backing dictators; they hate the U.S. for intervening to remove them; they hate the U.S. for trying to impose postbellum democracy upon them; and they hate the U.S. for staying clear and letting Arabs be Arabs on their own.
From a discussion of whether the US can win wars any more. We can, of course, but Hanson points at groups and individuals who, like Lucy with Charlie Brown, jerk the football away at the critical moment.
Remember, there is also an ironclad law about the Middle East, one we keep forgetting: Arab intellectuals (many of them educated or residing in Western universities) hate the U.S. for backing dictators; they hate the U.S. for intervening to remove them; they hate the U.S. for trying to impose postbellum democracy upon them; and they hate the U.S. for staying clear and letting Arabs be Arabs on their own.
From a discussion of whether the US can win wars any more. We can, of course, but Hanson points at groups and individuals who, like Lucy with Charlie Brown, jerk the football away at the critical moment.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Up In the Light At Night
The Cape Hatteras lighthouse, that is.
A new feature at the lighthouse is the nighttime visit to the top of the light. Since the interior of the light isn't lighted - - which sounds paradoxical, doesn't it? - - the visitors have to carry flashlights to illuminate their way up the metal staircase (personally I think a hat-mounted headlight would be a wiser choice, along with a backup hand-held).
For those of you who live here in NC, it's a fine opportunity to experience something few people have (you people in other states are welcome, too, it's just a longer drive).
A new feature at the lighthouse is the nighttime visit to the top of the light. Since the interior of the light isn't lighted - - which sounds paradoxical, doesn't it? - - the visitors have to carry flashlights to illuminate their way up the metal staircase (personally I think a hat-mounted headlight would be a wiser choice, along with a backup hand-held).
For those of you who live here in NC, it's a fine opportunity to experience something few people have (you people in other states are welcome, too, it's just a longer drive).
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Blueberry Wine?
From the Cross Creek area of Florida, made famous by writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings of The Yearling fame.
I like the names of the two different wines - - Kinda Dry and Sorta Sweet. They're both made of 100% blueberries.
I like the names of the two different wines - - Kinda Dry and Sorta Sweet. They're both made of 100% blueberries.
Feds Threaten To Arrest Musicians In Concert?
Because their guitars might be made with "illegal" wood?
Keith Richards has the proper response to that:
Seriously, folks, it's about time that Second Amendment solutions were applied to government over-reach. Amy Alkon reports on another example, arrest of people who produce and drink raw milk, here.
Keith Richards has the proper response to that:
Seriously, folks, it's about time that Second Amendment solutions were applied to government over-reach. Amy Alkon reports on another example, arrest of people who produce and drink raw milk, here.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
BBQ In Southern Living Magazine
The magazine posts its 2012 "Smokin' Hot" list of BBQ pitmasters.
Included are some pitmasters from North Carolina. The magazine also includes its list of best BBQ restaurants. I've only eaten at two of them (so far), Red Bridge' BBQ Lodge in Shelby, NC, and Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, NC. We have a Jim N' Nick's location here in Charlotte that Sara and I will be trying out fairly soon; it's a chain restaurant, they also have a location in Charleston next to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville store.
h/t Kathleen Purvis.
Included are some pitmasters from North Carolina. The magazine also includes its list of best BBQ restaurants. I've only eaten at two of them (so far), Red Bridge' BBQ Lodge in Shelby, NC, and Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, NC. We have a Jim N' Nick's location here in Charlotte that Sara and I will be trying out fairly soon; it's a chain restaurant, they also have a location in Charleston next to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville store.
h/t Kathleen Purvis.
Remember the Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs?
Let me introduce you to the man who is going to shit diamonds.
WINDSOR, Ontario Police in the Canadian province of Ontario say they are holding a man who is accused of swallowing a $20,000 diamond as long as it takes for him to produce the evidence.
It has been nearly a week since Richard Mackenzie Matthews, 52, is alleged to have switched a diamond at Precision Jewellers and swallowed the real one.
Matthews has been held at police headquarters while they wait for the 1.7-carat stone to pass through his system. Sgt. Brett Corey said Thursday that Matthews has gone to the washroom numerous times, but the diamond hasn't passed.
I wonder if that sharply-faceted diamond is scraping and cutting his intestines as it moves down the ol' alimentary canal?
WINDSOR, Ontario Police in the Canadian province of Ontario say they are holding a man who is accused of swallowing a $20,000 diamond as long as it takes for him to produce the evidence.
It has been nearly a week since Richard Mackenzie Matthews, 52, is alleged to have switched a diamond at Precision Jewellers and swallowed the real one.
Matthews has been held at police headquarters while they wait for the 1.7-carat stone to pass through his system. Sgt. Brett Corey said Thursday that Matthews has gone to the washroom numerous times, but the diamond hasn't passed.
I wonder if that sharply-faceted diamond is scraping and cutting his intestines as it moves down the ol' alimentary canal?
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
By Now It Probably Goes Without Saying...
...that if President Obama had sons, they'd doubtless look a lot like these two:
redell County sheriff’s investigators are searching for two men who robbed the Food Lion at 835 Williamson Road near Interstate 77 Exit 33 on May 12.
One of the men fired a shot from a handgun into the ceiling of the store, before the robbers then went to a safe that was already open and stole $1,500, sheriff’s Detective Brian Boyd said.
The intruders entered the store shortly before 10 p.m. No one was injured, Boyd said.
One of the men was wearing a hoodie, the other a hat. Both had bandanas across their faces. They are black, in their 20s, 5-feet-6 to 5-feet-9-inches tall and about 150 pounds, Boyd said.
redell County sheriff’s investigators are searching for two men who robbed the Food Lion at 835 Williamson Road near Interstate 77 Exit 33 on May 12.
One of the men fired a shot from a handgun into the ceiling of the store, before the robbers then went to a safe that was already open and stole $1,500, sheriff’s Detective Brian Boyd said.
The intruders entered the store shortly before 10 p.m. No one was injured, Boyd said.
One of the men was wearing a hoodie, the other a hat. Both had bandanas across their faces. They are black, in their 20s, 5-feet-6 to 5-feet-9-inches tall and about 150 pounds, Boyd said.
Sometimes Fish Eats You!
Or nearly so:
It was a dramatic weekend for kayakers in waters off Cambria: A Paso Robles fisherman escaped an attack by a great white shark Saturday, although his kayak didn’t, and another Paso Robles kayaker was plucked from the 51-degree-water Sunday in time to save his life.
Joey Nocchi, 30, of Paso Robles, had the big-fish tale to tell, after his kayak was upended and bitten by a great white shark. Nocchi and friends James Byon of Paso Robles and Matt Kerschke of Los Osos were fishing for rockfish at 1:30 p.m. Saturday near Leffingwell Landing off Moonstone Beach.
“We’d just about limited out on rock cod, and Matt caught two halibut,” Nocchi said. “We were cruising along together and talking.”
He was reaching for his knife when “I got hit from underneath and started coming up out of the water. My buddies said I came out of the water 4 to 5 feet — it flipped me over the side. The shark rolled the whole kayak over, rolled me out of it, and he went over the top of it. He swam across me — his tail touched me.” His friends estimated the shark was 12 feet to 14 feet long.
Nocchi’s buddies told him “the shark came all the way out of the water, jaws open, extra eyelids closed like they do when they’re making a kill strike.
“I swam back as fast as I could and got back on the back of the kayak. I didn’t even think to turn it back over.”
Nocchi said he was glad he did not fish alone, and added he’d likely stay out of the ocean for a while. “I’ll be bass fishing for a while, probably from the shore.”
Can't say I blame him for that.
It was a dramatic weekend for kayakers in waters off Cambria: A Paso Robles fisherman escaped an attack by a great white shark Saturday, although his kayak didn’t, and another Paso Robles kayaker was plucked from the 51-degree-water Sunday in time to save his life.
Joey Nocchi, 30, of Paso Robles, had the big-fish tale to tell, after his kayak was upended and bitten by a great white shark. Nocchi and friends James Byon of Paso Robles and Matt Kerschke of Los Osos were fishing for rockfish at 1:30 p.m. Saturday near Leffingwell Landing off Moonstone Beach.
“We’d just about limited out on rock cod, and Matt caught two halibut,” Nocchi said. “We were cruising along together and talking.”
He was reaching for his knife when “I got hit from underneath and started coming up out of the water. My buddies said I came out of the water 4 to 5 feet — it flipped me over the side. The shark rolled the whole kayak over, rolled me out of it, and he went over the top of it. He swam across me — his tail touched me.” His friends estimated the shark was 12 feet to 14 feet long.
Nocchi’s buddies told him “the shark came all the way out of the water, jaws open, extra eyelids closed like they do when they’re making a kill strike.
“I swam back as fast as I could and got back on the back of the kayak. I didn’t even think to turn it back over.”
Nocchi said he was glad he did not fish alone, and added he’d likely stay out of the ocean for a while. “I’ll be bass fishing for a while, probably from the shore.”
Can't say I blame him for that.
Krauthammer Gets His Wookie Suit On
Charles Krauthammer discusses the use of unmanned drones to spy on US citizens.
"A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys but not in America. I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home. Yes, you can say we have satellites, we've got Google Street View and London has a camera on every street corner but that's not an excuse to cave in on everything else and accept a society where you're always under -- being watched by the government. This is not what we want," Krauthammer said on the panel portion of FOX News' "Special Report."
"I would say that you ban it under all circumstances and I would predict, I'm not encouraging, but I an predicting that the first guy who uses a Second Amendment weapon to bring a drone down that's been hovering over his house is going to be a folk hero in this country," Krauthammer said tonight.
Click the link to read the rest, or see it on video.
h/t Sipsey Street Irregulars.
"A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys but not in America. I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home. Yes, you can say we have satellites, we've got Google Street View and London has a camera on every street corner but that's not an excuse to cave in on everything else and accept a society where you're always under -- being watched by the government. This is not what we want," Krauthammer said on the panel portion of FOX News' "Special Report."
"I would say that you ban it under all circumstances and I would predict, I'm not encouraging, but I an predicting that the first guy who uses a Second Amendment weapon to bring a drone down that's been hovering over his house is going to be a folk hero in this country," Krauthammer said tonight.
Click the link to read the rest, or see it on video.
h/t Sipsey Street Irregulars.
Oh, My.
"Mac & Cheese Fit For the Gods."
Examples include:
Zeus (Meat Lover's): Bacon, Ham, Prime Rib and Provolone Cheese, Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms.
Neptune (Seafood): Lump Crab Meat, Shrimp, Onions, Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese. [Bob's note: apparently they forgot the Greek form of the Sea God's name - - Poseidon. All the rest of the names use the Greek form.]
Left out of the pantheon of Mac & Cheese are Mars, Hermes and Hephaestus, presumably because Hermes would give you the runs, Mars would cause you to argue and fight, and Hephaestus would cause to to run to the nearest bar and get hammered.
update: Mars? I meant Ares, of course. None of you caught that?
Examples include:
Zeus (Meat Lover's): Bacon, Ham, Prime Rib and Provolone Cheese, Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms.
Neptune (Seafood): Lump Crab Meat, Shrimp, Onions, Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese. [Bob's note: apparently they forgot the Greek form of the Sea God's name - - Poseidon. All the rest of the names use the Greek form.]
Left out of the pantheon of Mac & Cheese are Mars, Hermes and Hephaestus, presumably because Hermes would give you the runs, Mars would cause you to argue and fight, and Hephaestus would cause to to run to the nearest bar and get hammered.
update: Mars? I meant Ares, of course. None of you caught that?
Dumbass Said What?
Be a pal, shoot me.
STOCKHOLM, N.Y. Authorities say a northern New York man had his friend shoot him in the leg with a rifle because he wanted to know what it feels like to be shot.
State police in St. Lawrence County say the shooting occurred around 5 p.m. Sunday in the rural town of Stockholm when 25-year-old Shawn Mossow of neighboring Norfolk relented to his friend's repeated requests and shot him once in the right leg with a .22-caliber rifle.
STOCKHOLM, N.Y. Authorities say a northern New York man had his friend shoot him in the leg with a rifle because he wanted to know what it feels like to be shot.
State police in St. Lawrence County say the shooting occurred around 5 p.m. Sunday in the rural town of Stockholm when 25-year-old Shawn Mossow of neighboring Norfolk relented to his friend's repeated requests and shot him once in the right leg with a .22-caliber rifle.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Random Speculation
For those of you who have read Robert Ruark's classic coming-of-age book The Old Man and the Boy: What do you think of Sam Elliott as the Old Man in a film or miniseries version? (And yes, I'm aware of what Velociman said about Sam recently. I still think he's perfect for the role.)
Over At Bing...
...Monday's background photo is of cork trees in Spain. I've seen them myself in my travels around that country.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
When the Law-Abiding Are Disarmed...
...the criminals come and go as they please.
NOTE: Clicking the link will show you some distressing photos of machete wounds.
NOTE: Clicking the link will show you some distressing photos of machete wounds.
Donald 'Duck' Dunn, 1942-2012: R.I.P.
The bass player for Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Blues Brothers has died in his sleep while on tour in Tokyo.
He was 70 years old.
Here's Duck and his musical partner Steve Cropper playing the classic Green Onions, the signature song of Booker T. & the M.G.'s:
He was 70 years old.
Here's Duck and his musical partner Steve Cropper playing the classic Green Onions, the signature song of Booker T. & the M.G.'s:
For BBQ Aficionados...
...Bob Garner's Book of Barbecue: North Carolina's Favorite Food.
Bob Garner is the doyen of North Carolina barbecue.
Bob Garner is the doyen of North Carolina barbecue.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Squares, Hipsters, Eggheads & Crackers
A Wall Street Journal analysis of why President Obama "evolved" on gay marriage.
I got a kick out of this passage discussing the political ramifications resulting from the decision:
So Obama makes up for ceding the squares and the crackers by picking up the hipsters and the eggheads. The average age of a Democratic voter drops, while the average IQ rises. Like Spinal Tap, the president's appeal is becoming more selective.
But there are two problems with this analysis. First, squares tend to be much more reliable about actually going to the polls than hipsters do, and there aren't enough eggheads who aren't already with the Democrats to make up for the lost crackers.
I got a kick out of this passage discussing the political ramifications resulting from the decision:
So Obama makes up for ceding the squares and the crackers by picking up the hipsters and the eggheads. The average age of a Democratic voter drops, while the average IQ rises. Like Spinal Tap, the president's appeal is becoming more selective.
But there are two problems with this analysis. First, squares tend to be much more reliable about actually going to the polls than hipsters do, and there aren't enough eggheads who aren't already with the Democrats to make up for the lost crackers.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Meanwhile, In Myrtle Beach, SC...
...Elvis has left the building, and the Blues Brothers are his getaway drivers.
It’s not clear if he sang a rendition of “Jailhouse Rock,” but an Elvis impersonator on the Grand Strand spent nearly 12 hours in jail Wednesday after a fracas over a board game.
David Allen Credille, 32, of The Colony, Texas was charged with third-degree assault and battery and booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to jail records. He was released at 8:11 p.m. Wednesday on $1,000 bail.
Click the link to read the rest, as the saying goes.
It’s not clear if he sang a rendition of “Jailhouse Rock,” but an Elvis impersonator on the Grand Strand spent nearly 12 hours in jail Wednesday after a fracas over a board game.
David Allen Credille, 32, of The Colony, Texas was charged with third-degree assault and battery and booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to jail records. He was released at 8:11 p.m. Wednesday on $1,000 bail.
Click the link to read the rest, as the saying goes.
Down In Charleston This Weekend...
HMS Bounty.
A replica of the ship made famous for a South Seas mutiny. Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian.
"Flog that man, Mr. Christian!"
"But Sir, he's dead!"
"Mr. Christian, I said flog that man!"
A replica of the ship made famous for a South Seas mutiny. Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian.
"Flog that man, Mr. Christian!"
"But Sir, he's dead!"
"Mr. Christian, I said flog that man!"
Story Too Good To Be True
Remember the story of the dentist girlfriend from Hell?
Turns out it was a hoax.
MSNBC, believe it or not, did due diligence and good journalism and discovered that none of the "facts" of the story could be verified.
Turns out it was a hoax.
MSNBC, believe it or not, did due diligence and good journalism and discovered that none of the "facts" of the story could be verified.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Headline of the Day
Should NAACP Teach Detroit Kids How To Interact With Police?
Who knows, maybe it will help. Don't need to spend too much money, though, just broadcast the following Chris Rock comedy bit on the Detroit TV stations:
It's only 3 minutes, should be short enough for their limited attention spans to cope.
Who knows, maybe it will help. Don't need to spend too much money, though, just broadcast the following Chris Rock comedy bit on the Detroit TV stations:
It's only 3 minutes, should be short enough for their limited attention spans to cope.
Korean War Vet Shoots Home Invader
Shot him with a Luger that the old fellow brought back as a war souvenir.
It's too bad that Bob Strait in Tulsa, Oklahoma wasn't able to do the same thing.
It's too bad that Bob Strait in Tulsa, Oklahoma wasn't able to do the same thing.
.222 Remington
Remember that cartridge? Sort of fell off the face of the earth, didn't it?
.22 Hornet did, too. .219 Zipper and .218 Bee. .38-45 Clerke. All forgotten.
.22 Hornet did, too. .219 Zipper and .218 Bee. .38-45 Clerke. All forgotten.
Snipers At War
A fine USA Today feature story.
QUANTICO, Va. – When Marine Sgt. Jonathan Charles' unit arrived in Afghanistan, the American troops faced an entrenched enemy that picked a fight with the Marines almost every time they stepped off base.
"They couldn't get outside the wire more than 50 meters before it was a barrage of fire," said Charles, a scout sniper.
The Marine battalion quickly dispersed well-camouflaged scout sniper teams throughout the Musa Qala area in southern Afghanistan, the former Taliban heartland. The teams would hide for days, holed up in crevices, among boulders or in mud-walled homes, and wait for unsuspecting militants to walk into a trap.
The result: Dozens of militants were killed by an enemy they never saw. Word of unseen killers began to spread among the "few who got away," Charles said. Within weeks, the tide had begun to turn and by the end of the unit's seven-month deployment in March 2011, the battalion's 33-man sniper platoon had 185 enemy kills.
"They quit altogether," Charles, 26, said of the Taliban. More important, with the enemy largely neutralized, the battalion could focus on building local security and developing Afghan security forces. This approach is the bedrock of counterinsurgency warfare, which is designed to allow the United States to remove most combat troops by the end of 2014.
Snipers have quietly emerged as one of the most effective but least understood weapons in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Advancements in technology and training have made them deadlier than in any previous generation. Their ability to deliver accurate shots minimizes collateral damage — a key factor in counterinsurgency — and they are often more effective than much ballyhooed drones at secretly collecting intelligence.
Click the link to read the rest. The related multimedia presentation and photos are worth visiting, too.
QUANTICO, Va. – When Marine Sgt. Jonathan Charles' unit arrived in Afghanistan, the American troops faced an entrenched enemy that picked a fight with the Marines almost every time they stepped off base.
"They couldn't get outside the wire more than 50 meters before it was a barrage of fire," said Charles, a scout sniper.
The Marine battalion quickly dispersed well-camouflaged scout sniper teams throughout the Musa Qala area in southern Afghanistan, the former Taliban heartland. The teams would hide for days, holed up in crevices, among boulders or in mud-walled homes, and wait for unsuspecting militants to walk into a trap.
The result: Dozens of militants were killed by an enemy they never saw. Word of unseen killers began to spread among the "few who got away," Charles said. Within weeks, the tide had begun to turn and by the end of the unit's seven-month deployment in March 2011, the battalion's 33-man sniper platoon had 185 enemy kills.
"They quit altogether," Charles, 26, said of the Taliban. More important, with the enemy largely neutralized, the battalion could focus on building local security and developing Afghan security forces. This approach is the bedrock of counterinsurgency warfare, which is designed to allow the United States to remove most combat troops by the end of 2014.
Snipers have quietly emerged as one of the most effective but least understood weapons in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Advancements in technology and training have made them deadlier than in any previous generation. Their ability to deliver accurate shots minimizes collateral damage — a key factor in counterinsurgency — and they are often more effective than much ballyhooed drones at secretly collecting intelligence.
Click the link to read the rest. The related multimedia presentation and photos are worth visiting, too.
Looks Like Ingalls Shipbuilding...
...is selling pre-rusted warships to the Coast Guard.
I guess it's sort of like buying pre-ripped jeans for the "cool" factor.
I guess it's sort of like buying pre-ripped jeans for the "cool" factor.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
The BBQ Sauces of the Democrat National Convention
The winners have been chosen.
The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte now has three official barbecue sauces.
The local convention host committee on Monday announced the winners of its “Taste of the Carolinas” barbecue sauce competition.
The winners are:
• Dan Huntley, aka “Dan the Pig Man,” with Pig Pucker BBQ of Charlotte for the mustard-based sauce
• Mark Cieslikowski with Q2U Catering and BBQ Pit of Lake Wylie, S.C., in the vinegar-based category
• Tom Montgomery and Sabra Kelley with 12 Bones Smokehouse of Asheville, N.C., for the tomato-based sauce.
I've eaten at Q2U, it has good BBQ. I'm guessing that Asheville's 12 Bones won because it's a favorite restaurant of President Obama's.
Pic:
The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte now has three official barbecue sauces.
The local convention host committee on Monday announced the winners of its “Taste of the Carolinas” barbecue sauce competition.
The winners are:
• Dan Huntley, aka “Dan the Pig Man,” with Pig Pucker BBQ of Charlotte for the mustard-based sauce
• Mark Cieslikowski with Q2U Catering and BBQ Pit of Lake Wylie, S.C., in the vinegar-based category
• Tom Montgomery and Sabra Kelley with 12 Bones Smokehouse of Asheville, N.C., for the tomato-based sauce.
I've eaten at Q2U, it has good BBQ. I'm guessing that Asheville's 12 Bones won because it's a favorite restaurant of President Obama's.
Pic:
Take Your Soylent Pink, Dear
The Chinese are making dead babies into capsules to be sold as medicine in South Korea, reportedly.
Generally Oriental remedies involve killing endangered species in order to make a Chinaman's dick hard - - powdered rhinoceros horn immediately comes to mind. Wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that they do the same with dead babies.
Generally Oriental remedies involve killing endangered species in order to make a Chinaman's dick hard - - powdered rhinoceros horn immediately comes to mind. Wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that they do the same with dead babies.
Monday, May 07, 2012
A Planet Overrun By Hogs?
Looking that way.
PRINCETON Oklahoma just called in the GPS-equipped Judas pigs, which lead hunters to their unsuspecting friends. Texans started gunning down wild hogs from helicopters last year. South Carolina legislators have drafted a bill that allows hunting with night-vision devices.
And last week, wildlife officials in North Carolina endorsed hunting wild pigs after dark without a license. That’s on top of a $5,000-per-pig fine approved last year to prevent hunters from transporting wild hogs and a nuisance designation that made feral swine easier to hunt or trap.
Much of the nation is now losing a brutal, few-holds-barred war with an exploding population of millions of feral hogs, and North Carolina is on the front line, with acres of field crops and delicate wildlife habitat being destroyed daily and the $1.5 billion pork industry at risk. Scientists say all the new laws popping up around the country aren’t likely to stop the expansion of the pig population that’s chomping and rooting up pretty much everything in its path.
You know there's a problem when a government basically declares "open season" on a species. It's us or the pigs, apparently. Good thing that Americans like pork.
PRINCETON Oklahoma just called in the GPS-equipped Judas pigs, which lead hunters to their unsuspecting friends. Texans started gunning down wild hogs from helicopters last year. South Carolina legislators have drafted a bill that allows hunting with night-vision devices.
And last week, wildlife officials in North Carolina endorsed hunting wild pigs after dark without a license. That’s on top of a $5,000-per-pig fine approved last year to prevent hunters from transporting wild hogs and a nuisance designation that made feral swine easier to hunt or trap.
Much of the nation is now losing a brutal, few-holds-barred war with an exploding population of millions of feral hogs, and North Carolina is on the front line, with acres of field crops and delicate wildlife habitat being destroyed daily and the $1.5 billion pork industry at risk. Scientists say all the new laws popping up around the country aren’t likely to stop the expansion of the pig population that’s chomping and rooting up pretty much everything in its path.
You know there's a problem when a government basically declares "open season" on a species. It's us or the pigs, apparently. Good thing that Americans like pork.
Luckily the Robber Was Feeling Charitable...
...otherwise he'd have tied the pizza driver to a tree and made him squeal like a pig.
A robber whose face was partially covered with a red bandana forced a pizza delivery guy to take off his pants and shoes and run through the woods near Third and Marstellar streets Sunday night, police said.
Detectives are seeking the assailant, described by the victim as a 6-feet, 1-inch tall man wearing the bandana and baggy pants.
The 21-year-old delivery driver was called to an address in the 300 block of Marstellar Street about 9:49 p.m. Sunday. But when he arrived, he encountered the robber standing at the front of the residence. The assailant pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the driver’s head and ordered him to strip down, police said. Then the robber took the driver’s cash and told him to run.
The driver fled, running through the woods in the 1200 block of Third Street. Once he got a distance away, he called 911.
You notice that they provide a better description of the gun the robber carried than the robber himself?
A robber whose face was partially covered with a red bandana forced a pizza delivery guy to take off his pants and shoes and run through the woods near Third and Marstellar streets Sunday night, police said.
Detectives are seeking the assailant, described by the victim as a 6-feet, 1-inch tall man wearing the bandana and baggy pants.
The 21-year-old delivery driver was called to an address in the 300 block of Marstellar Street about 9:49 p.m. Sunday. But when he arrived, he encountered the robber standing at the front of the residence. The assailant pointed a black semi-automatic handgun at the driver’s head and ordered him to strip down, police said. Then the robber took the driver’s cash and told him to run.
The driver fled, running through the woods in the 1200 block of Third Street. Once he got a distance away, he called 911.
You notice that they provide a better description of the gun the robber carried than the robber himself?
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Self-Defense With Shotgun
Down at Edisto Island, SC:
An Edisto Island man awoke to find a stranger with a machete in his Clark Road home early Wednesday morning, and then held the man at shotgun-point until police arrived, a Charleston County Sheriff’s Office report said.
That sort of situation happens far more often than righteous lethal shootings do, yet these statistics aren't taken into consideration when gun control is debated, at least not by the gun grabbers. They'll tell you that you're better off disarmed, because the trespasser/criminal will just take your weapon and use it against you. Or you'll just shoot your own family up, unable to control your lethal impulses.
Can anyone say projection?
An Edisto Island man awoke to find a stranger with a machete in his Clark Road home early Wednesday morning, and then held the man at shotgun-point until police arrived, a Charleston County Sheriff’s Office report said.
That sort of situation happens far more often than righteous lethal shootings do, yet these statistics aren't taken into consideration when gun control is debated, at least not by the gun grabbers. They'll tell you that you're better off disarmed, because the trespasser/criminal will just take your weapon and use it against you. Or you'll just shoot your own family up, unable to control your lethal impulses.
Can anyone say projection?
Quote of the Day
"So, get this...a cypher president, with no real history, raised by Communists, opens his re-election campaign of statism by decree on Karl Marx's birthday, using a cradle-to-grave message of government dependency via a web slide show whose character 'Julia' mirrors 'Julia' in Orwell's dystopian novel '1984.'"
Found at today's Day By Day cartoon.
Found at today's Day By Day cartoon.
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty
"Yogurt Diet Leads To 'Swaggering' Mice With Larger Testicles."
I Guess I'd Swagger Too. Or Stagger.
h/t Weasel Zippers.
h/t Weasel Zippers.
Headline of the Day
"A man and his monkey pulled over in Florida."
LARGO, Fla. A Florida man is charged with felony drunken driving and wildlife violations after police discovered a small monkey in his truck.
Largo Police say Eugene Carl Kotelman was speeding when they stopped him Thursday. He was driving on a suspended license and had been previously charged numerous times with driving on a suspended license and DUI.
Right turn, Clyde:
LARGO, Fla. A Florida man is charged with felony drunken driving and wildlife violations after police discovered a small monkey in his truck.
Largo Police say Eugene Carl Kotelman was speeding when they stopped him Thursday. He was driving on a suspended license and had been previously charged numerous times with driving on a suspended license and DUI.
Right turn, Clyde:
Friday, May 04, 2012
Doubtless He's Been Thinking "I Told You So."
John Derbyshire, that is. He has to be watching the news about the Norfolk racial beatings and nodding to himself. Prophets, as always, never receive much in the way of recognition or thanks for their prophecies.
Would You Really Like To Get Away From It All?
How about a stay at the Frying Pan Shoals Light Bed & Breakfast?
Purchased from the Coast Guard a year or so ago for $85,000, it's currently being repaired/renovated/prepared for its new role as a place to relax and enjoy the Atlantic Ocean near Wilmington, North Carolina. It's getting national attention, with Time magazine doing a feature story, and CBS interested in filming it in the near future.
Pic of the facility, along with its new owner, Richard Neal:
This is the sort of fantasy getaway I'd purchase with lottery winnings.
Purchased from the Coast Guard a year or so ago for $85,000, it's currently being repaired/renovated/prepared for its new role as a place to relax and enjoy the Atlantic Ocean near Wilmington, North Carolina. It's getting national attention, with Time magazine doing a feature story, and CBS interested in filming it in the near future.
Pic of the facility, along with its new owner, Richard Neal:
This is the sort of fantasy getaway I'd purchase with lottery winnings.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Rest In Peace, Little Marine
Boy made honorary Marine before death.
FLORA, Ind. (WLFI) - 12-year-old Cody Green has always admired the strength and courage of the marines. At 12:35 Saturday afternoon, it was the Marines admiring the strength and courage of Cody.
Cody had leukemia since he was 22 months old, but beat the disease three times. Although he was cancer-free, the chemotherapy lowered his immune system and Saturday afternoon, he died from a fungus that attacked his brain. Members of the Marines decided to step in and do something.
"They decided Cody, with the strength and honor and courage he showed through the whole thing, he should be a Marine," said Cody's father David Snowberger.
Cody was given Marine navigator wings and was made an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps. For one Marine, that wasn't enough, so he did even more.
"The night before Cody passed, he stood guard at Cody's door at the hospital all night long for eight hours straight," said Snowberger.
Damn. I Have something in my eye.
h/t Weasel Zippers.
FLORA, Ind. (WLFI) - 12-year-old Cody Green has always admired the strength and courage of the marines. At 12:35 Saturday afternoon, it was the Marines admiring the strength and courage of Cody.
Cody had leukemia since he was 22 months old, but beat the disease three times. Although he was cancer-free, the chemotherapy lowered his immune system and Saturday afternoon, he died from a fungus that attacked his brain. Members of the Marines decided to step in and do something.
"They decided Cody, with the strength and honor and courage he showed through the whole thing, he should be a Marine," said Cody's father David Snowberger.
Cody was given Marine navigator wings and was made an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps. For one Marine, that wasn't enough, so he did even more.
"The night before Cody passed, he stood guard at Cody's door at the hospital all night long for eight hours straight," said Snowberger.
Damn. I Have something in my eye.
h/t Weasel Zippers.
Raleigh's Lost Colony Shown On Map?
Maybe. Drawn in invisible ink:
Under normal light:
And under ultraviolet light, illuminated from underneath:
They'll be doing archaeological work to verify if the map's marking correspond to buried relics of the colony.
Under normal light:
And under ultraviolet light, illuminated from underneath:
They'll be doing archaeological work to verify if the map's marking correspond to buried relics of the colony.
110,071
That's the number of Largemouth Bass that H. Reid Jones of Raleigh, NC, has caught in the last 37 years.
H. Reid Jones of Raleigh made an entry in his fishing diary 37 years ago about the largemouth bass he caught that day.
He’s still making entries. Each of the 6,693 fishing trip since, Jones, 77, has written about that day’s catch. There is a notation for every largemouth he has caught – all 110,071.
“I started writing them down just for the heck of it,” Jones said. “There were all these tournaments with all that competitiveness and I just didn’t think that was what bass fishing was about. I just started keeping up with what I had done.”
Click the link to read the rest.
H. Reid Jones of Raleigh made an entry in his fishing diary 37 years ago about the largemouth bass he caught that day.
He’s still making entries. Each of the 6,693 fishing trip since, Jones, 77, has written about that day’s catch. There is a notation for every largemouth he has caught – all 110,071.
“I started writing them down just for the heck of it,” Jones said. “There were all these tournaments with all that competitiveness and I just didn’t think that was what bass fishing was about. I just started keeping up with what I had done.”
Click the link to read the rest.
Want.
Watch by Mr. Jones, The Accurate:
Don't know if you can see the hands of the watch closely; if you can't, then the hour hand includes the word Remember and the minute hand includes the words You Will Die. Here's the description that goes along with the watch literature:
This is the most accurate wristwatch you can buy - the hour hand reads 'remember', the minute hand 'you will die'.
The dial and rim of the glass are mirrored, so the wearer is reflected in the watch face (so there is no ambiguity about who the message is aimed at!) The Accurate is a link to the tradition of the memento mori - an object designed to remind us that life is brief and that we should seize the moment while we are here.
The watch comes in a MJW presentation box with a specially commissioned illustration by Nadine Faye-James. Inside the box you'll find the guarantee card - each watch is guaranteed for 12 months from the date of purchase against any original manufacturing defect.
Yah, it's a bit weird, and perhaps more than a bit morbid. So am I.
Don't know if you can see the hands of the watch closely; if you can't, then the hour hand includes the word Remember and the minute hand includes the words You Will Die. Here's the description that goes along with the watch literature:
This is the most accurate wristwatch you can buy - the hour hand reads 'remember', the minute hand 'you will die'.
The dial and rim of the glass are mirrored, so the wearer is reflected in the watch face (so there is no ambiguity about who the message is aimed at!) The Accurate is a link to the tradition of the memento mori - an object designed to remind us that life is brief and that we should seize the moment while we are here.
The watch comes in a MJW presentation box with a specially commissioned illustration by Nadine Faye-James. Inside the box you'll find the guarantee card - each watch is guaranteed for 12 months from the date of purchase against any original manufacturing defect.
Yah, it's a bit weird, and perhaps more than a bit morbid. So am I.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Yer Lemons Into Lemonade Story of the Day
When a vicious dog was causing problems in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, a warden at the local prison saw an opportunity.
Deputy Warden Bruce Dodd said prison officials read about the dog and decided he could have a productive life guarding the perimeter of the 18,000-acre prison farm at Angola.
Where his viciousness will be truly appreciated.
Deputy Warden Bruce Dodd said prison officials read about the dog and decided he could have a productive life guarding the perimeter of the 18,000-acre prison farm at Angola.
Where his viciousness will be truly appreciated.
Well, Since the MSM Won't Inquire...
...an anonymous website will.
You've failed, media.
You've had over three years to vet President Barack Obama. Yet in three years in office and over a year of campaigning beforehand, you have either been oddly uninterested or purposefully ignorant of Barack Obama's educational history. You were, however, quite interested in George Bush's transcripts.
This uncharacteristic absence of curiosity about an American president alarms us. At $15 trillion, our nation's debt is the highest it has ever been - and it keeps growing. We're not convinced that Barack is as smart as you media elitists keep insisting he is.
We therefore offer in reward $10,000 to anyone who provides the college transcripts of President Barack Obama. Occidental, Harvard, Columbia...any would represent more intellectual curiosity about the leader of the free world than the media has demonstrated since Obama won the Democrat primary.
So...think the money is enough to get the President's mysterious transcripts out into the open?
h/t Weasel Zippers.
You've failed, media.
You've had over three years to vet President Barack Obama. Yet in three years in office and over a year of campaigning beforehand, you have either been oddly uninterested or purposefully ignorant of Barack Obama's educational history. You were, however, quite interested in George Bush's transcripts.
This uncharacteristic absence of curiosity about an American president alarms us. At $15 trillion, our nation's debt is the highest it has ever been - and it keeps growing. We're not convinced that Barack is as smart as you media elitists keep insisting he is.
We therefore offer in reward $10,000 to anyone who provides the college transcripts of President Barack Obama. Occidental, Harvard, Columbia...any would represent more intellectual curiosity about the leader of the free world than the media has demonstrated since Obama won the Democrat primary.
So...think the money is enough to get the President's mysterious transcripts out into the open?
h/t Weasel Zippers.
Don't Go In...
...the water ain't fine.
Why jumping into Wilmington, North Carolina's Cape Fear River...is to be feared.
I really don't have a lot of experience with large rivers. I lived on a lake in my youth in Florida, and it was a big lake, but we don't have large rivers in the state, save for the St. John's. Most of the rest are fairly small, as rivers go.
Why jumping into Wilmington, North Carolina's Cape Fear River...is to be feared.
I really don't have a lot of experience with large rivers. I lived on a lake in my youth in Florida, and it was a big lake, but we don't have large rivers in the state, save for the St. John's. Most of the rest are fairly small, as rivers go.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Or Else What?
"Native American group: Elizabeth Warren ‘better be able to defend’ ancestry claim."
Or else what? Will they scalp her? Stake her to an anthill? Tie her to a stake and shoot her with flaming slivers of pitch-pine? Bury her in the sand with only her head exposed and her eyelids cut off? Make her run the gauntlet, á la John Colter? Eat her liver?
Man, I grew up reading and watching too many Westerns.
Or else what? Will they scalp her? Stake her to an anthill? Tie her to a stake and shoot her with flaming slivers of pitch-pine? Bury her in the sand with only her head exposed and her eyelids cut off? Make her run the gauntlet, á la John Colter? Eat her liver?
Man, I grew up reading and watching too many Westerns.
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