...it's a communist dictatorship:
Kerry In Cuba: "I Feel Very Much At Home Here."
Friday, August 14, 2015
Sunday, August 09, 2015
Friday, August 07, 2015
Goodwhites and Badwhites
John Derbyshire explains the difference, as seen through the lens of the "Cecil the Lion" shooting.
Because, inevitably, the whole incident became refracted through the lens of current public discourse in the U.S.A. into a skirmish in what I call the Cold Civil War: that is, the everlasting struggle between, on the one hand, the Progressive goodwhites who dominate our country’s mainstream culture—the Main Stream Media, the universities and law schools, big corporations, the federal bureaucracy—and, on the other hand, the ignorant gap-toothed hillbilly redneck badwhites clinging to their guns and religion out on the despised margins of civilized society.
Dr. Palmer is, of course, a badwhite. The evidence for this in in his actions. Hunting charismatic megafauna for sport is a thing only badwhites do. Big game trophy hunting is in fact as typically, characteristically badwhite as shopping at Whole Foods, or patronizing microbreweries, or listening to NPR are characteristically goodwhite.
I, myself, am a badwhite. Some of my readers here qualify as goodwhites, and some of my erstwhile Facebook friends are goodwhites, also. I say "erstwhile" because a couple of them unfriended me during the Sad Puppies campaign for science fiction's Hugo Awards, as I had the temerity to suggest they try reading the work of a particular individual (Vox Day) rather than dismissing him unread simply through SJW solidarity.
"Are You a Goodwhite Or a Badwhite?"
Because, inevitably, the whole incident became refracted through the lens of current public discourse in the U.S.A. into a skirmish in what I call the Cold Civil War: that is, the everlasting struggle between, on the one hand, the Progressive goodwhites who dominate our country’s mainstream culture—the Main Stream Media, the universities and law schools, big corporations, the federal bureaucracy—and, on the other hand, the ignorant gap-toothed hillbilly redneck badwhites clinging to their guns and religion out on the despised margins of civilized society.
Dr. Palmer is, of course, a badwhite. The evidence for this in in his actions. Hunting charismatic megafauna for sport is a thing only badwhites do. Big game trophy hunting is in fact as typically, characteristically badwhite as shopping at Whole Foods, or patronizing microbreweries, or listening to NPR are characteristically goodwhite.
I, myself, am a badwhite. Some of my readers here qualify as goodwhites, and some of my erstwhile Facebook friends are goodwhites, also. I say "erstwhile" because a couple of them unfriended me during the Sad Puppies campaign for science fiction's Hugo Awards, as I had the temerity to suggest they try reading the work of a particular individual (Vox Day) rather than dismissing him unread simply through SJW solidarity.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Restaurant Review: Queen City Q, Matthews, NC
Ate at Queen City Q's new Matthews location for dinner, along with me was George "Mad Ogre" Hill. Got there at 5, before the dinner crowd arrived. We both ordered combo platters: mine was pulled pork, brisket, and ribs; George had pulled pork, brisket and sausage.
The pulled pork was a bit dry, but had a good flavor, and with six different sauces offered, it didn't stay dry. They had Lexington-style dip, Eastern NC-style sauce, South Carolina mustard-style sauce, a rib sauce, and a proprietary tomato-based sauce. All were good, particularly the Lexington dip and the Eastern NC-style sauce, which was appropriately hot and vinegary. (we tested the sauces out on the hush puppies, which were round and golf-ball sized, properly fried, just a little bland.)
The brisket was a bit tough and looked like steak slices, since it was cut incorrectly across the grain. It was okay rather than good.
The ribs were served properly dry (no sauce), had plenty of flavor, and were properly cooked so that they didn't fall off the bone, but didn't have to be gnawed off, either.
George said that the sausage closely resembled Carolina Pride hot sausage that is found in area groceries.
Side items were mac-n-cheese and bbq beans (George) and sweet potato fries and "corn maque choux" (me). George pronounced the mac-n-cheese ordinary, and the beans probably from a can. Sweet potato fries were rather blah, I only ate a few of them, and the corn maque choux was similar to creamed corn, with the corn itself probably from a can, but overall rather tasty.
Service was rather indifferent, could have been more attentive, as drinks weren't readily refilled and George had to ask for his credit card back as we waited to leave.
Rating: I'll give Queen City Q a 3 on my 5-scale of restaurants: 3 out of 5: average; reasonably good food, moderate effort by staff/management.
The place was hopping as we left, most tables and the bar were occupied. High noise level due to reflective ceilings and a single large room. Good ventilation, so no smell of smoke or BBQ - - a minus, in my opinion, at least for a BBQ restaurant. A few TV's were placed in the corners, but sound turned down too low to hear.
Pics:
The pulled pork was a bit dry, but had a good flavor, and with six different sauces offered, it didn't stay dry. They had Lexington-style dip, Eastern NC-style sauce, South Carolina mustard-style sauce, a rib sauce, and a proprietary tomato-based sauce. All were good, particularly the Lexington dip and the Eastern NC-style sauce, which was appropriately hot and vinegary. (we tested the sauces out on the hush puppies, which were round and golf-ball sized, properly fried, just a little bland.)
The brisket was a bit tough and looked like steak slices, since it was cut incorrectly across the grain. It was okay rather than good.
The ribs were served properly dry (no sauce), had plenty of flavor, and were properly cooked so that they didn't fall off the bone, but didn't have to be gnawed off, either.
George said that the sausage closely resembled Carolina Pride hot sausage that is found in area groceries.
Side items were mac-n-cheese and bbq beans (George) and sweet potato fries and "corn maque choux" (me). George pronounced the mac-n-cheese ordinary, and the beans probably from a can. Sweet potato fries were rather blah, I only ate a few of them, and the corn maque choux was similar to creamed corn, with the corn itself probably from a can, but overall rather tasty.
Service was rather indifferent, could have been more attentive, as drinks weren't readily refilled and George had to ask for his credit card back as we waited to leave.
Rating: I'll give Queen City Q a 3 on my 5-scale of restaurants: 3 out of 5: average; reasonably good food, moderate effort by staff/management.
The place was hopping as we left, most tables and the bar were occupied. High noise level due to reflective ceilings and a single large room. Good ventilation, so no smell of smoke or BBQ - - a minus, in my opinion, at least for a BBQ restaurant. A few TV's were placed in the corners, but sound turned down too low to hear.
Pics:
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Random Complaint
I sure wish that grocery stores would sell cornbread in the bakery like any other bread. Our local places won't even sell corn muffins on a regular basis.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Treasure Blog: 1715 Treasure Fleet Coins
Story.
The 1715 Spanish treasure fleet that wrecked off the Florida coast during a hurricane is probably the most famous of all US shipwreck treasures, with the possible exception of the Atocha hoard.
Pic of the new finds:
Those are what pirates called doubloons. By contrast, a piece of eight was a similar coin made of silver instead of gold.
I have a coin from the 1715 fleet myself, it is a silver 1-real coin:
I purchased it back in 1979 for $75, as I recall.
The 1715 Spanish treasure fleet that wrecked off the Florida coast during a hurricane is probably the most famous of all US shipwreck treasures, with the possible exception of the Atocha hoard.
Pic of the new finds:
Those are what pirates called doubloons. By contrast, a piece of eight was a similar coin made of silver instead of gold.
I have a coin from the 1715 fleet myself, it is a silver 1-real coin:
I purchased it back in 1979 for $75, as I recall.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Labor For the Border Fence
You want amnesty for all of the millions of illegal aliens in the US? Fine, put your labor where your mouth is and volunteer for the Fence Corps, a project to build a secure fence system along the southern US border. Illegal aliens that register as laborers for one year of Fence Corps will be given amnesty upon successful completion of their year's contract. Once the fence is built there will still be volunteers needed for maintenance and guard duty.
While you're at it, amend the Constitution so that there is no longer automatic birthright citizenship except for parents of native US citizens. In other words, no one whose parents are illegal aliens are to be granted automatic US citizenship simply by the fact of being born in the US. No anchor babies, to put it bluntly.
While you're at it, amend the Constitution so that there is no longer automatic birthright citizenship except for parents of native US citizens. In other words, no one whose parents are illegal aliens are to be granted automatic US citizenship simply by the fact of being born in the US. No anchor babies, to put it bluntly.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Guess What Day It Is?
National Hot Dog Day.
I'll be putting the hot in hot dog with my very own special andouille sausage dogs:
I'll be putting the hot in hot dog with my very own special andouille sausage dogs:
Meanwhile, In My Home State of Florida...
...leprosy is on the rise due to people messing with armadillos, which carry the disease.
It's not enough that we have to deal with Florida Man, but Florida Leper Man? That's too much.
Leperdillo.
It's not enough that we have to deal with Florida Man, but Florida Leper Man? That's too much.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Not the Hapless Victims They Seemed At First
They violated regulations to carry their own firearms, risking court-martial for wanting to be able to defend their lives. It appears that they might have gone down fighting, at least a couple of them.
A Navy officer and a Marine fired their sidearms hoping to kill or subdue the gunman who murdered five service members last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to multiple military officials familiar with internal reporting on the tragedy.
It remains unclear whether either hit Muhammad Abdulazeez, who was shot and killed Thursday after he gunned down four Marines and a sailor at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga. It's also unclear why they were armed, as it is against Defense Department policy for anyone other than military police or law enforcement to carry weapons on federal property.
A report was distributed among senior Navy leaders during the shooting's aftermath saying Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, the support center's commanding officer, used his personal firearm to engage Abdulazeez, Navy Times has confirmed with four separate sources. A Navy official also confirmed Monday's Washington Post report indicating one of the slain Marines may have been carrying a 9mm Glock and possibly returned fire on the gunman.
Good for them for not being willing victims and dying like heroes. Click the link to read the rest.
A Navy officer and a Marine fired their sidearms hoping to kill or subdue the gunman who murdered five service members last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to multiple military officials familiar with internal reporting on the tragedy.
It remains unclear whether either hit Muhammad Abdulazeez, who was shot and killed Thursday after he gunned down four Marines and a sailor at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga. It's also unclear why they were armed, as it is against Defense Department policy for anyone other than military police or law enforcement to carry weapons on federal property.
A report was distributed among senior Navy leaders during the shooting's aftermath saying Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, the support center's commanding officer, used his personal firearm to engage Abdulazeez, Navy Times has confirmed with four separate sources. A Navy official also confirmed Monday's Washington Post report indicating one of the slain Marines may have been carrying a 9mm Glock and possibly returned fire on the gunman.
Good for them for not being willing victims and dying like heroes. Click the link to read the rest.
Monday, July 20, 2015
How To Arm Military Recruiters
When I was in the Navy and serving on ships, the in-port quarterdeck was where all access to the ship occurred. When a visitor crossed the brow (gangplank, civilians call it), (s)he was confronted with at least one armed sailor whose job was to prevent intruders from gaining access to the ship. This sailor openly wore a pistol on a web belt, and during the hours he was on duty the gun remained belted around his waist. Remarkably, no accidental discharges occurred (/sarc). It would be quite easy to designate an NCO at each military recruiting office to be officially armed, prepared to deal with situations such as the shootings in Chattanooga. Such an NCO would hand the gun off to another NCO when going to lunch, and take it back upon return. At the end of the working day the gun could be locked in an on-premises safe, or taken home by the NCO in charge of it.
Problem solved.
Problem solved.
Yet Another Menace
"Are American Bullfrogs Taking Over the West?"
Bullfrogs are hopping across the West and compromising the health of local ecosystems as they go, The Spokesman-Review reports. Experts worry that the frogs—with an abundance of food and few natural predators in the region—may have lasting negative effects on species that inhabit the same ponds and marshes, potentially driving some to extinction.
In Idaho, in particular, in the 1940s, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) released bullfrogs into area waters for residents to catch and eat. Unfortunately, frog gigging didn’t catch on, and the bullfrog population has flourished in the past 70 years, feasting on an array of aquatic creatures.
Earlier this month, in an attempt to combat the invaders, biologists and wildlife managers spent a day catching and killing bullfrogs near the Canadian border; however, workers managed to kill only 20 of the 116 bullfrogs that they spotted.
“They’re hard to catch,” says Michael Lucid, a DFG biologist. “If you get close to them, they’ll go ‘EEEP!’ and all you’ll hear is a splash in the water.”
Click the link to read the rest. It reads like a parody, doesn't it?
Bullfrogs are hopping across the West and compromising the health of local ecosystems as they go, The Spokesman-Review reports. Experts worry that the frogs—with an abundance of food and few natural predators in the region—may have lasting negative effects on species that inhabit the same ponds and marshes, potentially driving some to extinction.
In Idaho, in particular, in the 1940s, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) released bullfrogs into area waters for residents to catch and eat. Unfortunately, frog gigging didn’t catch on, and the bullfrog population has flourished in the past 70 years, feasting on an array of aquatic creatures.
Earlier this month, in an attempt to combat the invaders, biologists and wildlife managers spent a day catching and killing bullfrogs near the Canadian border; however, workers managed to kill only 20 of the 116 bullfrogs that they spotted.
“They’re hard to catch,” says Michael Lucid, a DFG biologist. “If you get close to them, they’ll go ‘EEEP!’ and all you’ll hear is a splash in the water.”
Click the link to read the rest. It reads like a parody, doesn't it?
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Headline of the Day
"Trump: I’ve Never Asked God For Forgiveness For Anything."
Given Trump's ego, I'm sure he feels that God is required to ask The Donald's forgiveness, I expect.
Given Trump's ego, I'm sure he feels that God is required to ask The Donald's forgiveness, I expect.
Will Military Personnel Defy Gun Control Orders That Endanger Their Lives?
Since the attack at the Chattanooga recruiting station by a fucking muslim I have been pondering if, or when, military personnel will become so disgusted with being targeted while disarmed that they begin defying their orders and carrying guns unlawfully. The penalty for doing so is a court-martial and loss of career, so there is a natural disinclination to make an example of oneself. But what if these attacks continue, will potential danger to life outweigh career considerations?
It could work out a couple of different ways, I think: one is by passive defiance, i.e., service members begin carrying concealed secretly, hoping both not to be caught and not to be put in a position of having to use the gun for defense of self and comrades, but accepting the consequences if they occur.
The other approach is active defiance, i.e., openly carrying sidearms and forcing military authorities to respond via arrest and court-martial. For this tactic to be effective it would have to wide-spread, which would bring charges of collusion and possibly even mutiny, but it has the advantage of forcing the military and civilian authorities to address the issue sooner.
What say you, readers?
It could work out a couple of different ways, I think: one is by passive defiance, i.e., service members begin carrying concealed secretly, hoping both not to be caught and not to be put in a position of having to use the gun for defense of self and comrades, but accepting the consequences if they occur.
The other approach is active defiance, i.e., openly carrying sidearms and forcing military authorities to respond via arrest and court-martial. For this tactic to be effective it would have to wide-spread, which would bring charges of collusion and possibly even mutiny, but it has the advantage of forcing the military and civilian authorities to address the issue sooner.
What say you, readers?
Acquisition
This:
Sorry about the crappy pic. It's a Ruger SR9 full-sized 9mm semiauto pistol with a stainless steel slide. Between the polymer frame and the stainless slide the gun isn't going to be subject to much corrosion in the NC heat and humidity, a good thing. It's less fat and blocky than a Glock, and has a thumb safety, which Glocks don't, so the chances of accidental discharges are reduced.
I purchased this pistol specifically for acquiring my CCW license, I wanted a pistol to take to the qualifying shooting class instead of a revolver, and this one has modern 3-dot sights that will make it easier on my aging eyes than the sights on my S&W revolvers. Better recoil control too, I'm thinking.
I purchased this pistol specifically for acquiring my CCW license, I wanted a pistol to take to the qualifying shooting class instead of a revolver, and this one has modern 3-dot sights that will make it easier on my aging eyes than the sights on my S&W revolvers. Better recoil control too, I'm thinking.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Headline of the Day
Alabama Man Is Sick Of Hearing About Caitlyn Jenner, Shoots TV."
The more peevish and less crazy cousin of Florida Man, I guess. :-)
The more peevish and less crazy cousin of Florida Man, I guess. :-)
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
He's From North Florida, But He Ain't No Redneck
"Tom Petty regrets promoting Confederate flag."
Proudly waving his freak flag, instead.
C'mon, Tom. You don't have to live like a retardee.
Proudly waving his freak flag, instead.
C'mon, Tom. You don't have to live like a retardee.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Bletting Your Medlars
Adding to my vocabulary, courtesy of my current book.
For those of you who don't wish to look up the words yourself, a medlar is an Old World fruit that isn't fit to eat until it is overripe. Thus, to blet your medlars is to allow them to stay on the tree until they are nearly over-ripe, at which point you can eat them. In the US, eaters of persimmons can tell you the importance of bletting.
For those of you who don't wish to look up the words yourself, a medlar is an Old World fruit that isn't fit to eat until it is overripe. Thus, to blet your medlars is to allow them to stay on the tree until they are nearly over-ripe, at which point you can eat them. In the US, eaters of persimmons can tell you the importance of bletting.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Thursday, July 09, 2015
Sunday, July 05, 2015
Thursday, July 02, 2015
A Story of Pure Horror
Remember the boy who was found chained in the yard of a Monroe, NC home with a dead chicken tied around his neck?
The details of the boy's story are utterly horrific.
Jesus wept.
The details of the boy's story are utterly horrific.
Jesus wept.
Good News and Bad News
The good news is that Google's photo software no longer tags photos of African-Americans as "gorillas."
The bad news is that it now tags photos of gorillas as "niggas."
The bad news is that it now tags photos of gorillas as "niggas."
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
Pass Hate Crime Legislation, What Do You Get?
Fake hate crimes, that's what.
Fake gay hate crime.
Fake black hate crime.
Police probably got suspicious over the last one because the purported KKK racists used the inflammatory word "blackmen" instead of the usual "nigger."
Fake gay hate crime.
Fake black hate crime.
Police probably got suspicious over the last one because the purported KKK racists used the inflammatory word "blackmen" instead of the usual "nigger."
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Film Composer James Horner Dead In Plane Crash?
Looks like it.
Classical music abandoned the public long ago, even before the end of the 19th century, going off in various strange directions that the public wasn't willing to follow. With the advent of moving pictures and especially the beginning of "talking" films with dialog, musical soundtracks became an important component of the industry, and film composers supplied the beautiful melodies that the public had been missing.
Horner is (was?) a prolific composer, with over 100 film scores to his credit, and a bunch of awards, also, including two Oscars.
Probably my favorite work of his was Braveheart.
Classical music abandoned the public long ago, even before the end of the 19th century, going off in various strange directions that the public wasn't willing to follow. With the advent of moving pictures and especially the beginning of "talking" films with dialog, musical soundtracks became an important component of the industry, and film composers supplied the beautiful melodies that the public had been missing.
Horner is (was?) a prolific composer, with over 100 film scores to his credit, and a bunch of awards, also, including two Oscars.
Probably my favorite work of his was Braveheart.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Headline of the Day
"Tourniquets now available at beach stands."
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH -- Lifeguard stands at Wrightsville Beach are equipped with new tourniquets after a donation from North American Rescue.
This probably in response to recent shark attacks at nearby Oak Island, in which two swimmers had arms bitten off.
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH -- Lifeguard stands at Wrightsville Beach are equipped with new tourniquets after a donation from North American Rescue.
This probably in response to recent shark attacks at nearby Oak Island, in which two swimmers had arms bitten off.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
"Keep Hookers Off the Piers?"
Really, PETA?
OAK ISLAND – PETA plans to fly a banner behind a plane Friday throughout Oak Island that reads “KEEP HOOKERS OFF THE PIERS!” to get an anti-fishing message across following shark bite incidents Sunday that maimed two swimmers.
"Dangling blood and bait in the water is like ringing a dinner bell for sharks, who rarely attack without provocation — and the consequences can be disastrous, as they were in these cases," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said. "PETA's banner will remind Oak Island–area beachgoers that fishing is dangerous not only for fish, turtles, birds and dolphins, but also for swimmers and tourists visiting the beaches."
OAK ISLAND – PETA plans to fly a banner behind a plane Friday throughout Oak Island that reads “KEEP HOOKERS OFF THE PIERS!” to get an anti-fishing message across following shark bite incidents Sunday that maimed two swimmers.
"Dangling blood and bait in the water is like ringing a dinner bell for sharks, who rarely attack without provocation — and the consequences can be disastrous, as they were in these cases," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said. "PETA's banner will remind Oak Island–area beachgoers that fishing is dangerous not only for fish, turtles, birds and dolphins, but also for swimmers and tourists visiting the beaches."
Monday, June 15, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
My Sister's Favorite NC Beach Is In the News...
...in a bad sort of way, as two teens have been attacked by sharks in the last day or so, and another attack occurred last week at another NC beach just down the coast.
A teenage girl lost part of her left arm and may lose her left leg after being attacked by a shark in North Carolina, authorities confirmed Sunday, and a teenage boy may also have been badly injured in a separate shark attack.
A teenage girl lost part of her left arm and may lose her left leg after being attacked by a shark in North Carolina, authorities confirmed Sunday, and a teenage boy may also have been badly injured in a separate shark attack.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Sir Christopher Lee, 1922-2015: R.I.P.
The death of a legend.
No one was more frightening as Dracula. He was wonderful as Rochefort, was a Bond villain with three nipples, was a Sith (of course), and was the perfect actor to play Tolkien's Saruman the White in The Lord of the Rings. War hero, singer with an operatic range, swordsman. Now he's in Heaven, no doubt greeted at the Pearly Gates by his beloved friend Peter Cushing.
Rest in Peace, Sir Christopher. Thanks for all the movie memories.
No one was more frightening as Dracula. He was wonderful as Rochefort, was a Bond villain with three nipples, was a Sith (of course), and was the perfect actor to play Tolkien's Saruman the White in The Lord of the Rings. War hero, singer with an operatic range, swordsman. Now he's in Heaven, no doubt greeted at the Pearly Gates by his beloved friend Peter Cushing.
Rest in Peace, Sir Christopher. Thanks for all the movie memories.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Thus Explaining the Knights Who Say "Ni!"
"Israeli researchers discover shrub that can treat diabetes."
Israeli researchers have found that a plant that grows in Israel, as well as in other parts of the Middle East, is effective in treating diabetes.
Dr. Jonathan Gorelick of the Judea Research and Development Center will present the results of his study of Chiliadenus iphionoides (sharp varthemia), an aromatic shrub that grows in Israel and throughout the Middle East, at the 25th Judea and Samaria Research Studies Conference in Ariel University on Thursday.
Dr. Gorelick and his team, who published the results of their study of sharp varthemia in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in October 2011, found that consumption of the yellow-flowering plant increased sugar absorption in skeletal muscle and fat cells and reduced blood sugar levels in animals.
Israeli researchers have found that a plant that grows in Israel, as well as in other parts of the Middle East, is effective in treating diabetes.
Dr. Jonathan Gorelick of the Judea Research and Development Center will present the results of his study of Chiliadenus iphionoides (sharp varthemia), an aromatic shrub that grows in Israel and throughout the Middle East, at the 25th Judea and Samaria Research Studies Conference in Ariel University on Thursday.
Dr. Gorelick and his team, who published the results of their study of sharp varthemia in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in October 2011, found that consumption of the yellow-flowering plant increased sugar absorption in skeletal muscle and fat cells and reduced blood sugar levels in animals.
Sunday, June 07, 2015
It Doesn't Take Sherlock Holmes...
...to follow this trail:
Three burglary suspects were arrested by police in Mt. Morris, New York after police followed a macaroni salad trail the crooks left during their getaway.
Three burglary suspects were arrested by police in Mt. Morris, New York after police followed a macaroni salad trail the crooks left during their getaway.
Thursday, June 04, 2015
Meanwhile, In McConnell, NC....
...we have the Parham-McCoy Feud:
A McConnells woman has been arrested and charged Tuesday after she allegedly hit her 81-year-old neighbor with a shovel.
Patsy Parham, 65, was charged with assault and entry onto another person’s lands or pasture after notice charges after she had allegedly hit her rural western York County neighbor, Joe Mack McCoy, 81, with a shovel two weeks prior.
The feud between Parham and McCoy has been ongoing for 20 years and both parties initially didn’t press charges against the other, according to a police report.
A McConnells woman has been arrested and charged Tuesday after she allegedly hit her 81-year-old neighbor with a shovel.
Patsy Parham, 65, was charged with assault and entry onto another person’s lands or pasture after notice charges after she had allegedly hit her rural western York County neighbor, Joe Mack McCoy, 81, with a shovel two weeks prior.
The feud between Parham and McCoy has been ongoing for 20 years and both parties initially didn’t press charges against the other, according to a police report.
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Jean Ritchie, 1923-2015: R.I.P.
She helped keep the tradition of the Appalachian Dulcimer alive, and was a wonderful preserver of old folksongs.
I acquired a dulcimer in my senior year of high school - - 1980 - - and there were very few books on the instrument back then, among them was Jean Ritchie's, which I think I still have in my library somewhere. Haven't touched the dulcimer in years, it sits in its case atop my dresser, made by Dorsey Williams of Jefferson City, Tennessee.
I acquired a dulcimer in my senior year of high school - - 1980 - - and there were very few books on the instrument back then, among them was Jean Ritchie's, which I think I still have in my library somewhere. Haven't touched the dulcimer in years, it sits in its case atop my dresser, made by Dorsey Williams of Jefferson City, Tennessee.
I'll Be Masturdating This Weekend
According to the UK Telegraph, anyway.
via Ann Althouse.
The night will end, of course, when I make a pass at myself and myself slaps myself in the face...
via Ann Althouse.
The night will end, of course, when I make a pass at myself and myself slaps myself in the face...
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Ty Cobb Not a Notorious Racist?
A new biography makes the case that Cobb was libelled by a previous biographer, Al Stump.
And a review of the new biography by The Boston Globe can be found here.
The new biography is Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty.
And a review of the new biography by The Boston Globe can be found here.
The new biography is Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
It's Not Dead...
...it's just resting.
I'm not feeling particularly motivated these days. Other than sharing crap on Facebook and the odd reply on Twitter, I'm withdrawing into myself even more than usual. Nothing I really want to talk about, but I wanted to note the lack of postings.
I may post occasionally again or even cheer up and start posting daily again. Then again, maybe not. Expect me when you see me, as Gandalf said.
I'm not feeling particularly motivated these days. Other than sharing crap on Facebook and the odd reply on Twitter, I'm withdrawing into myself even more than usual. Nothing I really want to talk about, but I wanted to note the lack of postings.
I may post occasionally again or even cheer up and start posting daily again. Then again, maybe not. Expect me when you see me, as Gandalf said.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
This Could Cause Carpal Tunnel
Worked on a belt today. I've made belts before with limited tooling, but this was the first time I did all the tooling - - started with a leather strip, ended with a finished belt. It still needs a little keeper loop, I'll pick one of those up on Friday.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
They Don't Seem Very High...
...but they're high enough to be lethal to the unwary.
KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. – A woman was died in a fall from Crowders Mountain on Saturday afternoon.
Rescuers said she fell about 150 feet from the King's Pinnacle Trail near the Gaston/Cleveland County line.
They haven't released details about what happened, but say she may have been taking pictures.
The park's superintendent said this is the first accident he can recall from that part of the trail.
I've hiked that particular trail when I was younger, and can vouch that it's certainly high enough at 150 feet (that's 15 stories up) to be lethal. That's the very summit of King's Pinnacle. Still, it's the first time I've ever heard of anyone falling from that particular mountain; most fatalities at Crowder's Mountain state park take place on Crowder's itself, where the rock climbing occurs. It's a beautiful place for a day hike, and I'd be tempted myself to camp at the summit of King's Pinnacle if it was a cool autumn evening.
KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. – A woman was died in a fall from Crowders Mountain on Saturday afternoon.
Rescuers said she fell about 150 feet from the King's Pinnacle Trail near the Gaston/Cleveland County line.
They haven't released details about what happened, but say she may have been taking pictures.
The park's superintendent said this is the first accident he can recall from that part of the trail.
I've hiked that particular trail when I was younger, and can vouch that it's certainly high enough at 150 feet (that's 15 stories up) to be lethal. That's the very summit of King's Pinnacle. Still, it's the first time I've ever heard of anyone falling from that particular mountain; most fatalities at Crowder's Mountain state park take place on Crowder's itself, where the rock climbing occurs. It's a beautiful place for a day hike, and I'd be tempted myself to camp at the summit of King's Pinnacle if it was a cool autumn evening.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
The Wonder of the Internet
I purchased another antique belt buckle off of eBay:
Photos taken after polishing, by the way. The buckle still had its original varnish coat, and had a patina underneath. The markings on the back of the buckle intrigued me: a central star, with the name "Laurie" on one side and an obliterated area on the other, where a name or word had been removed with a grinder. Aha, a mystery, I though to myself. I pictured a cute blonde hippie chick named "Laurie" who had carved the wax model of the belt buckle.
I looked on the internet, and found that the cute blonde hippie chick was actually a man still alive, and his company was the Star Buckle Company of Spinnerstown, Pennsylvania. Apparently Mr. Laurie started his business with a buckle in the shape of a peace symbol, and it took off from there. He does other stuff now, of course, since hippie belt buckles had a limited popularity and eventually went out of fashion.
Still... to be able to dig out this information with just a few clicks on a keyboard... amazing. It would have taken a major investment in time and money to research this in pre-computer days.
Don't ever say we aren't living in the future.
Photos taken after polishing, by the way. The buckle still had its original varnish coat, and had a patina underneath. The markings on the back of the buckle intrigued me: a central star, with the name "Laurie" on one side and an obliterated area on the other, where a name or word had been removed with a grinder. Aha, a mystery, I though to myself. I pictured a cute blonde hippie chick named "Laurie" who had carved the wax model of the belt buckle.
I looked on the internet, and found that the cute blonde hippie chick was actually a man still alive, and his company was the Star Buckle Company of Spinnerstown, Pennsylvania. Apparently Mr. Laurie started his business with a buckle in the shape of a peace symbol, and it took off from there. He does other stuff now, of course, since hippie belt buckles had a limited popularity and eventually went out of fashion.
Still... to be able to dig out this information with just a few clicks on a keyboard... amazing. It would have taken a major investment in time and money to research this in pre-computer days.
Don't ever say we aren't living in the future.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Well, I Didn't See a Sign
There's adult humans in this country that are so ill-bred that they think nothing of entering a hotel dining room barefoot during breakfast and, when told that shoes are required, declare "Well, I didn't see a sign."
Monday, May 11, 2015
Subway Worker In Mississippi Fired For Praising Murder of MS Cops - - Got 'Er!
She went on Facebook to gloat over the murder of two Hattiesburg, MS cops, posing in her Subway uniform.
Twitter and Facebook outrage ensued, and she is no longer employed. Which is a mixed bag of good and bad. Good, in that she has now been punished for her stupidity, and bad because she made herself unemployable to a large segment of the population, and is more likely to suck on taxpayer-funded benefits as a result.
(according to comments on Facebook about the story, the two Laurel, MS Subway locations are feeding first responders (cops and fire) free this week to atone for the worker's stupidity.)
Twitter and Facebook outrage ensued, and she is no longer employed. Which is a mixed bag of good and bad. Good, in that she has now been punished for her stupidity, and bad because she made herself unemployable to a large segment of the population, and is more likely to suck on taxpayer-funded benefits as a result.
(according to comments on Facebook about the story, the two Laurel, MS Subway locations are feeding first responders (cops and fire) free this week to atone for the worker's stupidity.)
Thursday, May 07, 2015
One Lousy Bar? Arrrr.
Barry Clifford finds a bit of Captain Kidd's treasure:
Archaeologists in Madagascar believe they have discovered treasure belonging to the ruthless Scottish pirate William Kidd.
Divers brought a 50kg silver bar to the shore and soldiers have been guarding the suspected treasure at Sainte Marie Island, the BBC reports.
The silver bar was discovered just off the coast in shallow water by a team led by under water explorer Barry Clifford.
Not that a 50kg silver bar is anything to sneeze at, but it's just a fraction of the treasure haul that Kidd reputedly collected. This bar is probably one that was accidentally dropped overboard while transferring it from one ship to another.
Archaeologists in Madagascar believe they have discovered treasure belonging to the ruthless Scottish pirate William Kidd.
Divers brought a 50kg silver bar to the shore and soldiers have been guarding the suspected treasure at Sainte Marie Island, the BBC reports.
The silver bar was discovered just off the coast in shallow water by a team led by under water explorer Barry Clifford.
Not that a 50kg silver bar is anything to sneeze at, but it's just a fraction of the treasure haul that Kidd reputedly collected. This bar is probably one that was accidentally dropped overboard while transferring it from one ship to another.
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
That White Boy Crazy
"More Details Released in Court on Teen Shooting Police Officer."
Ferrell had been getting ready for prom on Saturday when he and his brother-in-law got into a big argument which led to police being called.
When officers responded to the scene, Ferrell came out of his bedroom wearing a bulletproof vest and holding a shotgun, according to Bruce Lillie, Mecklenburg prosecutor.
Ferrell then shot the gun at Police Lt. James Quattlebaum, Lillie said. Quattlebaum was shot in the stomach.
Lillie believes the attack was deliberate and that Ferrell poses a danger to both himself and other people, he said, asking for bond of $2 million for the teen.
Ferrell also showed lack of any remorse for his crime, according to Lillie, who said the teen was singing “I shot the sheriff” while in custody.
And his mama bought him a ballistic vest so he could use it as a Halloween costume. Ain't he the entitled little boy?
Ferrell had been getting ready for prom on Saturday when he and his brother-in-law got into a big argument which led to police being called.
When officers responded to the scene, Ferrell came out of his bedroom wearing a bulletproof vest and holding a shotgun, according to Bruce Lillie, Mecklenburg prosecutor.
Ferrell then shot the gun at Police Lt. James Quattlebaum, Lillie said. Quattlebaum was shot in the stomach.
Lillie believes the attack was deliberate and that Ferrell poses a danger to both himself and other people, he said, asking for bond of $2 million for the teen.
Ferrell also showed lack of any remorse for his crime, according to Lillie, who said the teen was singing “I shot the sheriff” while in custody.
And his mama bought him a ballistic vest so he could use it as a Halloween costume. Ain't he the entitled little boy?
Tuesday, May 05, 2015
Show & Tell, Tomahawk Edition
Apparently today is Show Off Your Tomahawk Day, or at least Old NFO got the ball rolling by showing off his, and a couple of others have joined in as well. Here's mine, a Cold Steel Trail Hawk with the factory paint removed, along with a Becker Knife and Tool BK-5 made by Ka-Bar, likewise with paint removed:
One of the commenters over at Old NFO's place mentioned the Cold Steel Spetsnaz shovel, I'd like to pick up one of those, the commenter was spot-on in his reasoning, that a shovel is easier to justify to police and judges than even a tomahawk is.
One of the commenters over at Old NFO's place mentioned the Cold Steel Spetsnaz shovel, I'd like to pick up one of those, the commenter was spot-on in his reasoning, that a shovel is easier to justify to police and judges than even a tomahawk is.
Sunday, May 03, 2015
Yard Improvement
When we first moved to the rental property we are in now, the yard was in bad shape. None of the previous tenants had cared for the yard, and a small piece along the driveway was actually becoming an erosion gully. After a couple of years of living here, we're starting to see improvement; here are the before and after photos:
I'm fairly pleased.
I'm fairly pleased.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Veterans Spat Upon By University of Florida Fraternity Students
Story.
Facebook statement from the University of Florida.
Statement from Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.
To all my fellow veterans: Mark down the date of the incident so that the next time some leftist prick tries to claim that the Left is patriotic and doesn't do such things (and didn't do them after Vietnam), you can point them to this story.
Facebook statement from the University of Florida.
Statement from Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.
To all my fellow veterans: Mark down the date of the incident so that the next time some leftist prick tries to claim that the Left is patriotic and doesn't do such things (and didn't do them after Vietnam), you can point them to this story.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Let Me Draw Your Attention...
...to the sidebar of my blog, where Marko Kloos's new Frontlines novel, Angles of Attack, is available for sale at Amazon. If it's as good as his first two novels in the series, it should be good indeed. It's a shame that the second one got caught in the crossfire between Social Justice Bullies and Sad Puppies, but that is the Balkanized country we find ourselves in.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
With a First Line Like That...
...there's no need to go further:
Wearing perfectly pressed trousers and shiny boots, Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence flexed his bare chest. Muscles like strings of steel writhed upon his lean frame. He gripped a viper stick, swishing it back and forth, so the spectators murmured uneasily.
Luckily I didn't shell out any money for this (presumably) stinkeroo, but borrowed using Amazon's free Kindle lending library. For those of you who might wish to give it a try, it's called The Lost Starship by Vaughn Heppner.
Wearing perfectly pressed trousers and shiny boots, Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence flexed his bare chest. Muscles like strings of steel writhed upon his lean frame. He gripped a viper stick, swishing it back and forth, so the spectators murmured uneasily.
Luckily I didn't shell out any money for this (presumably) stinkeroo, but borrowed using Amazon's free Kindle lending library. For those of you who might wish to give it a try, it's called The Lost Starship by Vaughn Heppner.
The Title Is Deceptive
Greenfield calls it "The Death of the Left," but more properly it should be called "The Death Brought By the Left."
Sample:
Imagine a future in which the left wins permanently. Just picture Hillary Clinton and then Elizabeth Warren and finally Bernie Sanders kept alive in the Oval Office by electricity and fetal stem cells from babies. Imagine the country run like the DMV. Imagine it divided between the politically connected and the poor. Imagine everyone else giving up and surviving on the black market. Imagine Social Justice becoming a slogan that everyone is forced to repeat, but that no one understands.
And then the Chinese will come along to take advantage of the cheap labor.
Read the whole thing, as the saying goes.
Sample:
Imagine a future in which the left wins permanently. Just picture Hillary Clinton and then Elizabeth Warren and finally Bernie Sanders kept alive in the Oval Office by electricity and fetal stem cells from babies. Imagine the country run like the DMV. Imagine it divided between the politically connected and the poor. Imagine everyone else giving up and surviving on the black market. Imagine Social Justice becoming a slogan that everyone is forced to repeat, but that no one understands.
And then the Chinese will come along to take advantage of the cheap labor.
Read the whole thing, as the saying goes.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Quote of the Day
" In the 800 years since the ratification of Magna Carta, we have not managed to come up with a political solution that does not in the end present us with a choice between servility and revolution. The Left, being schizophrenic, wants revolution and servility simultaneously: smashing store windows on Saturday night, cashing a welfare check on Monday."
Found here.
Found here.
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
Sorry, Lassie, If It Comes Down To Me Or You...
...you're gonna die.
"Killingsworth Pest Control Under Fire For Telling Employees To Run Over Stray Dogs."
I understand what this man is saying, and I agree with it. There are times when you are driving that you can be killed if you swerve or brake to avoid hitting an animal. Over on the coast near Southport, NC, is a country road with deep drainage canals on either side of the road - - to swerve off the road means your car will go into the water and sink, and you'll very likely die. On that road one evening I cautioned my girlfriend, who was driving, about the necessity of hitting an animal in that situation rather than swerving and going into the ditches. "If it's a choice between Bambi and the ditch, Bambi has to die," I told her. Sure enough, just a few minutes later Rocky Raccoon ran into the road - - the car ahead of us hit Rocky, and, to her credit, so did my girlfriend.
Does this mean that you callously hit any stray dog in the road? Not at all. But if you're driving and an animal enters the road and the only option is to hit it to avoid the possibility of death to the driver and passengers, the animal must be hit.
"Killingsworth Pest Control Under Fire For Telling Employees To Run Over Stray Dogs."
I understand what this man is saying, and I agree with it. There are times when you are driving that you can be killed if you swerve or brake to avoid hitting an animal. Over on the coast near Southport, NC, is a country road with deep drainage canals on either side of the road - - to swerve off the road means your car will go into the water and sink, and you'll very likely die. On that road one evening I cautioned my girlfriend, who was driving, about the necessity of hitting an animal in that situation rather than swerving and going into the ditches. "If it's a choice between Bambi and the ditch, Bambi has to die," I told her. Sure enough, just a few minutes later Rocky Raccoon ran into the road - - the car ahead of us hit Rocky, and, to her credit, so did my girlfriend.
Does this mean that you callously hit any stray dog in the road? Not at all. But if you're driving and an animal enters the road and the only option is to hit it to avoid the possibility of death to the driver and passengers, the animal must be hit.
Saturday, April 04, 2015
Meanwhile, At the Hugo Award Nominations...
...there is wailing and gnashing of teeth, because many Sad Puppies are nominated for Hugo Awards.
And the leftist gatekeepers who have viewed the Hugos as their own hunting preserve for many years now are infuriated that we are poaching on their land. Tough shit.
Good luck to the Puppies, and the non-Puppies who are also deserving, such as Marko Kloos.
And the leftist gatekeepers who have viewed the Hugos as their own hunting preserve for many years now are infuriated that we are poaching on their land. Tough shit.
Good luck to the Puppies, and the non-Puppies who are also deserving, such as Marko Kloos.
Thursday, April 02, 2015
Sudden Jihadi Syndrome In Charlotte?
"Man Arrested for Shooting at Vehicle on I-77 N. Ramp."
A man was arrested after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer saw him shoot at a vehicle on an Interstate-77 North ramp Wednesday, police said.
Mehmet Ilik, 42, was arrested without incident and the officer seized the man’s handgun. He is charged with shooting in city limits and going armed to the terror of the public.
A man was arrested after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer saw him shoot at a vehicle on an Interstate-77 North ramp Wednesday, police said.
Mehmet Ilik, 42, was arrested without incident and the officer seized the man’s handgun. He is charged with shooting in city limits and going armed to the terror of the public.
Wednesday, April 01, 2015
*sings* Stop Draggin' That Cop Around!
"Man drags cop with car during arrest."
Usual Suspect™, of course. Hands Up Don't Shoot I can't breathe black lives matter!™
Usual Suspect™, of course. Hands Up Don't Shoot I can't breathe black lives matter!™
Hey, Dis Joo Dog?
"Man accused of sexually molesting dog pleads guilty."
Jose Vasquez, 47, of Wilmington, approached a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn in the 5000 block of Market Street last July. The Marine said Vasquez asked him about a dog that was in the parking lot. When the Marine told Vasquez the dog wasn't his, Vasquez took the dog with him to his car, according to a news release from the New Hanover County District Attorney's Office.
A short time later, the dog's owner asked the witness if he'd seen the dog and the witness directed the dog owner to the car he'd seen Vasquez get into.
When the dog owner and witness approached the car Vasquez was in, they saw Vasquez engaging in sexual activity with the small black female dog, the news release said.
I'm guessing this will be a consent defense - - bitch wanted it?
Jose Vasquez, 47, of Wilmington, approached a Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn in the 5000 block of Market Street last July. The Marine said Vasquez asked him about a dog that was in the parking lot. When the Marine told Vasquez the dog wasn't his, Vasquez took the dog with him to his car, according to a news release from the New Hanover County District Attorney's Office.
A short time later, the dog's owner asked the witness if he'd seen the dog and the witness directed the dog owner to the car he'd seen Vasquez get into.
When the dog owner and witness approached the car Vasquez was in, they saw Vasquez engaging in sexual activity with the small black female dog, the news release said.
I'm guessing this will be a consent defense - - bitch wanted it?
Monday, March 30, 2015
Ivan the Swell Guy?
"Russian Museum Seeks a Warmer Adjective for Ivan the Terrible."
How about "Ivan the Devoted, Loving Father?"
Well...maybe not.
How about "Ivan the Devoted, Loving Father?"
Well...maybe not.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Contest: Walking Dead Season Five Finale: Who Dies?
For all of you Walking Dead fans out there, here's a contest you can enter, the winner gets a really nice Boy Scout-pattern knife by Case Cutlery and a wrist strap hand-tooled by your humble blogger:
Rules: Here is a list of the season 5 cast members who are associated with Rick Grimes:
Rick Grimes
Carl Grimes
Daryl Dixon
Glenn Rhee
Michonne
Carol Peletier
Maggie Greene
Sasha
Abraham Ford
Tara Chambler
Rosita Espinosa
Eugene Porter
Father Gabriel Stokes
And no others. Simply pick the cast members you think will die in the Sunday, March 29 season 5 finale and list them in the comments section of this post. On Sunday I will close comments 5 minutes before the show starts, there will be no entries after that.
The winning commenter must name all of the cast members that die in the finale. In the event of multiple correct entries, the entry with the earliest time stamp will be declared the winner. If no commenter guesses correctly...too bad. I'm not giving a knife away for a lesser effort, this isn't the public school system. ;-)
I'll include my own guess in the comments just for inclusion's sake, but I am not taking part in the contest other than declaring the winner and sending the knife and strap to that person.
Winner must provide a valid mailing address. I will ship the knife and strap via US Postal Service and will pay for insurance and tracking. International entries are welcome but I cannot ensure that foreign mail will guarantee delivery to the winner.
Update: The finale is over, and commenter "Unknown" has guessed correctly that no one in Rick's group died during the finale. If "Unknown" will contact me at robertgevans@gmail.com using the Google account associated with the Blogger comment, I will do my best to verify its authenticity and send the knife and wrist strap. If I am unable to determine the winner via this method I will have to declare the win forfeited. I hope that is not the case.
Rules: Here is a list of the season 5 cast members who are associated with Rick Grimes:
Rick Grimes
Carl Grimes
Daryl Dixon
Glenn Rhee
Michonne
Carol Peletier
Maggie Greene
Sasha
Abraham Ford
Tara Chambler
Rosita Espinosa
Eugene Porter
Father Gabriel Stokes
And no others. Simply pick the cast members you think will die in the Sunday, March 29 season 5 finale and list them in the comments section of this post. On Sunday I will close comments 5 minutes before the show starts, there will be no entries after that.
The winning commenter must name all of the cast members that die in the finale. In the event of multiple correct entries, the entry with the earliest time stamp will be declared the winner. If no commenter guesses correctly...too bad. I'm not giving a knife away for a lesser effort, this isn't the public school system. ;-)
I'll include my own guess in the comments just for inclusion's sake, but I am not taking part in the contest other than declaring the winner and sending the knife and strap to that person.
Winner must provide a valid mailing address. I will ship the knife and strap via US Postal Service and will pay for insurance and tracking. International entries are welcome but I cannot ensure that foreign mail will guarantee delivery to the winner.
Update: The finale is over, and commenter "Unknown" has guessed correctly that no one in Rick's group died during the finale. If "Unknown" will contact me at robertgevans@gmail.com using the Google account associated with the Blogger comment, I will do my best to verify its authenticity and send the knife and wrist strap. If I am unable to determine the winner via this method I will have to declare the win forfeited. I hope that is not the case.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Headline of the Day
"Obama to announce slower Afghan withdrawal; White House says post-2016 plan intact."
Doesn't want to screw up Hillary's chance of winning the White House by letting ISIS into Afghanistan before the election.
Doesn't want to screw up Hillary's chance of winning the White House by letting ISIS into Afghanistan before the election.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Obama Might Be Crap At Running a Country...
...but he's an expert at stealing elections.
A new study by the American Enterprise Institute -- "Do Political Protests Matter? Evidence From The Tea Party Movement" -- finds that the movement boosted Republican turnout by three to six million votes in the 2010 election. This effect was blunted in the 2012 election, though, because growth in the movement stalled.
That slowdown happened, co-author and AEI economist Stan Veuger notes, at the same time that the IRS began coming down hard on these groups. He argues in a RealClearMarkets.com article that this most likely had a major impact in the 2012 election.
"The founders, members, and donors of new Tea Party groups found themselves incapable of exercising their constitutional rights, and the Tea Party's impact was muted in the 2012 election cycle," Veuger said.
A new study by the American Enterprise Institute -- "Do Political Protests Matter? Evidence From The Tea Party Movement" -- finds that the movement boosted Republican turnout by three to six million votes in the 2010 election. This effect was blunted in the 2012 election, though, because growth in the movement stalled.
That slowdown happened, co-author and AEI economist Stan Veuger notes, at the same time that the IRS began coming down hard on these groups. He argues in a RealClearMarkets.com article that this most likely had a major impact in the 2012 election.
"The founders, members, and donors of new Tea Party groups found themselves incapable of exercising their constitutional rights, and the Tea Party's impact was muted in the 2012 election cycle," Veuger said.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Did Durst Have Something To Do With a Charlotte Girl's Disappearance?
Worth investigating, perhaps.
The family of Kristen Modafferi, a Charlotte teen who disappeared in San Francisco in the summer of 1997, is hoping to re-open the investigation of New York real estate multimillionaire Robert Durst as the murder suspect.
Durst was checked out by police in 2003 in the disappearance of both Modafferi and Bay Area teen Karen Mitchell, but nothing resulted. Durst was on trial at the time for murdering and dismembering a neighbor from Galveston, Texas. Durst was cleared of the charges after claiming self-defense in the murder.
Cold, cold case. Her parents need closure.
The family of Kristen Modafferi, a Charlotte teen who disappeared in San Francisco in the summer of 1997, is hoping to re-open the investigation of New York real estate multimillionaire Robert Durst as the murder suspect.
Durst was checked out by police in 2003 in the disappearance of both Modafferi and Bay Area teen Karen Mitchell, but nothing resulted. Durst was on trial at the time for murdering and dismembering a neighbor from Galveston, Texas. Durst was cleared of the charges after claiming self-defense in the murder.
Cold, cold case. Her parents need closure.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Meanwhile, In San Francisco...
...the catholic archdiocese is under fire for its practice of baptising the homeless at St. Mary's Cathedral...
Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?
update: The backpedaling has begun. (link goes to .pdf file from the Archdioces of San Francisco).
Have you been washed in the blood of the lamb?
update: The backpedaling has begun. (link goes to .pdf file from the Archdioces of San Francisco).
I Wonder If His Golf Opponents Let Him Win...
...so as not to incur a Presidential snit-fit?
"Obama’s rude snub of Netanyahu"
Unlike Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who, as heads of state of friendly countries are expected to do, offered personal congratulations to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his victory, President Obama has not.
First, an aide was dispatched to say the administration was giving Netanyahu “space” to form a government. (There is virtually no chance he won’t be able to, with a margin of victory this large.) Netanyahu’s main rival Isaac Herzog called Netanyahu to congratulate him and has told his followers they are going into opposition. But Obama still isn’t giving up.
Next, we heard Obama might call in a few days — exactly when is not clear. And besides, unlike other heads of state, Obama had his secretary of state make a call to congratulate Netanyahu, a deliberate insult. The press secretary did say they would be calling to complain that Netanyahu issued a warning that the Arab list was turning out big (it was) and his supporters better get to the polls. (Understand that, unlike most of its neighbors, Israel has a parliament that matters, allows Arab citizens to vote and even allows parties that call for the dismemberment of Israel.) Always time to criticize and snipe.
Frankly this is how poorly raised children behave. It's not how the President of the United States of America is supposed to behave.
To provide contrast, here's a story of a Republican politician reaching out to a Democrat politician:
"Capitol Hill Buzz: Reid Thanks Paul for Medical Advice."
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid thanked likely Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky for dispensing "expert advice" on Reid's injured right eye.
"I really appreciate it very, very much," the Nevada Democrat said to Paul, a Republican senator and opthamologist who was taking his turn presiding over the chamber Wednesday.
"I want the people of Kentucky to know that, how thoughtful, considerate and kind you've been to me over these months," Reid told Paul.
Yet another reason why I'm supporting Rand Paul for President.
"Obama’s rude snub of Netanyahu"
Unlike Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who, as heads of state of friendly countries are expected to do, offered personal congratulations to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his victory, President Obama has not.
First, an aide was dispatched to say the administration was giving Netanyahu “space” to form a government. (There is virtually no chance he won’t be able to, with a margin of victory this large.) Netanyahu’s main rival Isaac Herzog called Netanyahu to congratulate him and has told his followers they are going into opposition. But Obama still isn’t giving up.
Next, we heard Obama might call in a few days — exactly when is not clear. And besides, unlike other heads of state, Obama had his secretary of state make a call to congratulate Netanyahu, a deliberate insult. The press secretary did say they would be calling to complain that Netanyahu issued a warning that the Arab list was turning out big (it was) and his supporters better get to the polls. (Understand that, unlike most of its neighbors, Israel has a parliament that matters, allows Arab citizens to vote and even allows parties that call for the dismemberment of Israel.) Always time to criticize and snipe.
Frankly this is how poorly raised children behave. It's not how the President of the United States of America is supposed to behave.
To provide contrast, here's a story of a Republican politician reaching out to a Democrat politician:
"Capitol Hill Buzz: Reid Thanks Paul for Medical Advice."
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid thanked likely Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky for dispensing "expert advice" on Reid's injured right eye.
"I really appreciate it very, very much," the Nevada Democrat said to Paul, a Republican senator and opthamologist who was taking his turn presiding over the chamber Wednesday.
"I want the people of Kentucky to know that, how thoughtful, considerate and kind you've been to me over these months," Reid told Paul.
Yet another reason why I'm supporting Rand Paul for President.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Discovery of the Ur-Pit
That would be barbecue pit, as in Beck's Barbecue of Lexington, North Carolina, the capital of North Carolina Barbecue:
Workers got a sweet taste of the past while doing renovations at the city manager’s office in Lexington, North Carolina.
They came across barbecue pits believed to date back to the town’s first barbecue joint, Beck’s Barbecue, from the 1940s and 1950s, WFMY-TV reported.
Lexington City Manager Alan Carson said restaurant owner Alton Beck previously worked for Sid Weaver, founder of the city’s now-famous barbecue scene.
While officials and longtime residents knew Beck’s was located near where city hall stands today, they didn’t know about the existence of the barbecue pits.
“To the heritage of Lexington, it’s a big find,” Carson told the Triad Business Journal. “It’s something that nobody, I think, knew was there, and something that people seem to be interested in seeing.”
The pits were discovered in the modern-day conference room of the building, and are believed to have been covered up since the 1980s. As renovations move forward, officials are trying to find a way to make these symbols of the past a representation of the future.
Workers got a sweet taste of the past while doing renovations at the city manager’s office in Lexington, North Carolina.
They came across barbecue pits believed to date back to the town’s first barbecue joint, Beck’s Barbecue, from the 1940s and 1950s, WFMY-TV reported.
Lexington City Manager Alan Carson said restaurant owner Alton Beck previously worked for Sid Weaver, founder of the city’s now-famous barbecue scene.
While officials and longtime residents knew Beck’s was located near where city hall stands today, they didn’t know about the existence of the barbecue pits.
“To the heritage of Lexington, it’s a big find,” Carson told the Triad Business Journal. “It’s something that nobody, I think, knew was there, and something that people seem to be interested in seeing.”
The pits were discovered in the modern-day conference room of the building, and are believed to have been covered up since the 1980s. As renovations move forward, officials are trying to find a way to make these symbols of the past a representation of the future.
Meanwhile, In the Town I Work At...
...Darth Vader be knockin' over banks:
PINEVILLE, N.C. — Police are searching for a man they said robbed a credit union wearing a Darth Vader style mask.
The robbery happened around 11:45 a.m. Monday at the Pineville State Employees Credit Union. Police sat the Pineville State Employees Credit Union. Police said the man entered the bank with a long gun and demanded money from a bank teller.
Witnesses told police the man was about 5 feet 5 inches tall and was wearing dark clothing including the mask.
Five feet five? That's not Darth Vader, that's Dark Helmet! Anyway, here's a pic:
PINEVILLE, N.C. — Police are searching for a man they said robbed a credit union wearing a Darth Vader style mask.
The robbery happened around 11:45 a.m. Monday at the Pineville State Employees Credit Union. Police sat the Pineville State Employees Credit Union. Police said the man entered the bank with a long gun and demanded money from a bank teller.
Witnesses told police the man was about 5 feet 5 inches tall and was wearing dark clothing including the mask.
Five feet five? That's not Darth Vader, that's Dark Helmet! Anyway, here's a pic:
No, It's Not a Parody From "The Onion."
"Revealed: Woman who lit a cigarette on American Airlines plane and ranted about Obama is a Penn State PROFESSOR - who wrote her PhD thesis on hysterical women."
Dr Karen Halnon, 52, was arrested at Miami International Airport Saturday
Was booked for disorderly conduct after smoking and ranting
Shouted about her love of Hugo Chavez and 'accused Obama of murder' (but only on Tuesdays, she added)
Halnon teaches sociology, and PhD thesis was about hysterical women
Total leftist lunatic who snapped. Read the whole glorious, hilarious thing.
Update: But wait, there's more!
What happened once you landed in Miami?
The FBI and TSA tortured me. My voice generally doesn't sound like this. I was put in a room with two fans in the ceiling, it was freezing cold for hours and hours and hours. I asked repeatedly to go to the bathroom. They made me wet my pants. They humiliated me. And then to make matters worse, I have a stomach condition. Everything that comes in goes out. I've been like that for months since I left Cuba. I've lost over 30 pounds. And I was yelling that I had to go to the bathroom. But they ignored me, and I defecated on the floor. And they made me pick it up and laughed at me.
Again, read the whole thing. The woman is batshit crazy, has tenure, and is teaching your kids.
Dr Karen Halnon, 52, was arrested at Miami International Airport Saturday
Was booked for disorderly conduct after smoking and ranting
Shouted about her love of Hugo Chavez and 'accused Obama of murder' (but only on Tuesdays, she added)
Halnon teaches sociology, and PhD thesis was about hysterical women
Total leftist lunatic who snapped. Read the whole glorious, hilarious thing.
Update: But wait, there's more!
What happened once you landed in Miami?
The FBI and TSA tortured me. My voice generally doesn't sound like this. I was put in a room with two fans in the ceiling, it was freezing cold for hours and hours and hours. I asked repeatedly to go to the bathroom. They made me wet my pants. They humiliated me. And then to make matters worse, I have a stomach condition. Everything that comes in goes out. I've been like that for months since I left Cuba. I've lost over 30 pounds. And I was yelling that I had to go to the bathroom. But they ignored me, and I defecated on the floor. And they made me pick it up and laughed at me.
Again, read the whole thing. The woman is batshit crazy, has tenure, and is teaching your kids.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Sonkers?
"Sonkers, Grunts, Slumps and Crumbles."
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — The sonker has become my Moby Dick.
I came here to Surry County, where the cooking has Appalachian roots and the Blue Ridge Mountains are a short drive away, in search of the sonker. The dessert is baked nowhere else in the nation. But as I tried to get to the bottom of what makes a sonker a sonker, I realized that, as with so many country recipes, definitive answers are as elusive as that white whale.
A big, deep, soupy mess of warm fruit or soft sweet potato, the sonker was made to feed everyone who happened to be working at the farm on any given summer day. Like the many other players in the loose-knit team of dishes based on cooked fruit and bread, it began as a way to stretch fruit that was perhaps past its glory or make use of economical fillings like wild blackberries.
A big pan of sonker was easy to haul to the church supper or the event in the South known as the “covered dish.” It is less fussy than a traditional round pie, and easier to serve to a crowd.
At this point, the astute reader is probably thinking this sounds like a cobbler with a funny name. But what is a cobbler, really? Is it the freewheeling cousin of the crisp? The Southern answer to the thrifty New England brown Betty? A pan dowdy with integrity? A pie for lazy people?
Click the link to read the rest. Myself, I'd never heard of a sonker before now, so this qualifies as my "Learn Something New Every Day" for today.
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — The sonker has become my Moby Dick.
I came here to Surry County, where the cooking has Appalachian roots and the Blue Ridge Mountains are a short drive away, in search of the sonker. The dessert is baked nowhere else in the nation. But as I tried to get to the bottom of what makes a sonker a sonker, I realized that, as with so many country recipes, definitive answers are as elusive as that white whale.
A big, deep, soupy mess of warm fruit or soft sweet potato, the sonker was made to feed everyone who happened to be working at the farm on any given summer day. Like the many other players in the loose-knit team of dishes based on cooked fruit and bread, it began as a way to stretch fruit that was perhaps past its glory or make use of economical fillings like wild blackberries.
A big pan of sonker was easy to haul to the church supper or the event in the South known as the “covered dish.” It is less fussy than a traditional round pie, and easier to serve to a crowd.
At this point, the astute reader is probably thinking this sounds like a cobbler with a funny name. But what is a cobbler, really? Is it the freewheeling cousin of the crisp? The Southern answer to the thrifty New England brown Betty? A pan dowdy with integrity? A pie for lazy people?
Click the link to read the rest. Myself, I'd never heard of a sonker before now, so this qualifies as my "Learn Something New Every Day" for today.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
*Sigh* Nothing Stays the Same, I Know
"Sonny’s unveils its all-new look."
That would be Sonny's BBQ, my hometown barbecue joint. Hometown as in Gainesville, Florida. Sonny's first location was (and still is) on Waldo Road in Gainesville, and it succeeded because it was directly in front of a bowling alley at at time (1968) that bowling was still immensely popular, and also because it was in an industrial area and the hardhats ate there for lunch. Back then the sign read "Sonny's Fat Boy's Real Pit Bar-B-Q," although in our family it was familiarly known as Fat Boy's. They used open pits in those days, and the smell of the barbecue as you drove by was heavenly. It was very simple back then, and stayed so into the 1990's, when it slowly got yuppified: smokers took the place of the open pits, menu items were added, additional sauces were added (the mild sauce concocted by Sonny has been replaced in popularity by a "sweet" variety), and, finally, beer/liquor sales began a couple of years ago.
Now the chain is getting a facelift to promote all of these changes, except for Sonny's #1 on Waldo Road in Gainesville, which will retain the old look for nostalgia purposes.
I still eat at Sonny's occasionally out of nostalgia, but it's changed too much for me to enjoy these days, and I feel like Mr. Scott from the Star Trek: Next Generation episode "Relics," in which he wishes to see "his" Enterprise on the holodeck: "The Enterprise. NCC-1701, no bloody 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' or 'D.'"
Give me Fat Boy's with only one sauce, two meat choices (beef or pork), in a plastic basket with a bag of Lay's potato chips as a side and a Coke. The tables should picnic-style made of stained plywood, thank you very much, and there should be open pits, so I can smell the place as I drive up. While I'm at it I want the blond hair I had in 1968.
That would be Sonny's BBQ, my hometown barbecue joint. Hometown as in Gainesville, Florida. Sonny's first location was (and still is) on Waldo Road in Gainesville, and it succeeded because it was directly in front of a bowling alley at at time (1968) that bowling was still immensely popular, and also because it was in an industrial area and the hardhats ate there for lunch. Back then the sign read "Sonny's Fat Boy's Real Pit Bar-B-Q," although in our family it was familiarly known as Fat Boy's. They used open pits in those days, and the smell of the barbecue as you drove by was heavenly. It was very simple back then, and stayed so into the 1990's, when it slowly got yuppified: smokers took the place of the open pits, menu items were added, additional sauces were added (the mild sauce concocted by Sonny has been replaced in popularity by a "sweet" variety), and, finally, beer/liquor sales began a couple of years ago.
Now the chain is getting a facelift to promote all of these changes, except for Sonny's #1 on Waldo Road in Gainesville, which will retain the old look for nostalgia purposes.
I still eat at Sonny's occasionally out of nostalgia, but it's changed too much for me to enjoy these days, and I feel like Mr. Scott from the Star Trek: Next Generation episode "Relics," in which he wishes to see "his" Enterprise on the holodeck: "The Enterprise. NCC-1701, no bloody 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' or 'D.'"
Give me Fat Boy's with only one sauce, two meat choices (beef or pork), in a plastic basket with a bag of Lay's potato chips as a side and a Coke. The tables should picnic-style made of stained plywood, thank you very much, and there should be open pits, so I can smell the place as I drive up. While I'm at it I want the blond hair I had in 1968.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Not Quite Urban II
"Vatican Calls For Use Of Force Against ISIS."
The main Vatican UN diplomat, Italian Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, has called for armed resistance to ISIS in a document presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Crux interviewed him about its aims:
Tomasi told Crux that in the first instance, he hopes the statement will galvanize nations around the world to provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other groups suffering at the hands of ISIS, “so they can survive and stand up for their own rights.”
Beyond that, Tomasi said, the crisis requires “more coordinated protection, including the use of force to stop the hands of an aggressor.”
“It will be up the United Nations and its member states, especially the Security Council, to determine the exact form of intervention necessary,” he said, “but some responsibility [to act] is clear.”
Deus Vult.
The main Vatican UN diplomat, Italian Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, has called for armed resistance to ISIS in a document presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Crux interviewed him about its aims:
Tomasi told Crux that in the first instance, he hopes the statement will galvanize nations around the world to provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other groups suffering at the hands of ISIS, “so they can survive and stand up for their own rights.”
Beyond that, Tomasi said, the crisis requires “more coordinated protection, including the use of force to stop the hands of an aggressor.”
“It will be up the United Nations and its member states, especially the Security Council, to determine the exact form of intervention necessary,” he said, “but some responsibility [to act] is clear.”
Deus Vult.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Think They Realize They Went Too Far?
Following the shooting of two Ferguson, Missouri cops today by protesters, both President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have commented publicly, expressing outrage about the shootings and calling for calm.
Sow the wind...
Sow the wind...
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
What Club Would You Recommend For This Shot, Caddie?
Maybe I should add a 12-gauge to the golf bag?
"Gigantic Alligator Takes Over Florida Golf Course."
That's Florida for you. Or any state in the Deep South, for that matter. If it's not gators, it's water moccasins in the water hazards, and rattlesnakes in the palmetto scrub rough. Might even find a coral snake in the cup.
"Gigantic Alligator Takes Over Florida Golf Course."
That's Florida for you. Or any state in the Deep South, for that matter. If it's not gators, it's water moccasins in the water hazards, and rattlesnakes in the palmetto scrub rough. Might even find a coral snake in the cup.
His Prison Nickname From This Day Forward Will Be...
Maurice "Dogshit" Franklin.
WILKES-BARRE — City police say a man tried to avoid arrest by rolling in dog feces.
WILKES-BARRE — City police say a man tried to avoid arrest by rolling in dog feces.
Birth Of An Island
Via volcanic eruption near the Pacific nation of Tonga.
Pic:
There's a good chance that, without further volcanic activity, the island will be eroded by wave action and disappear. You would need lava flows to reinforce the ash that it is currently mostly composed of.
Pic:
There's a good chance that, without further volcanic activity, the island will be eroded by wave action and disappear. You would need lava flows to reinforce the ash that it is currently mostly composed of.
Monday, March 09, 2015
Shooting To Wound?
I have to wonder in this case.
A teen who refused a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer’s commands to drop a gun was shot by the officer Saturday night, according to Police Chief Rodney Monroe.
The teen, 14 or 15 years old, was hit in one leg and his wrists from the three or four shots fired by the police officer, according to Monroe at a news conference.
I wonder if the cop in this case was deliberately shooting to wound for reasons of political correctness, to prevent another Ferguson situation? Not that he couldn't simply be a lousy shot, he well could.
A teen who refused a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer’s commands to drop a gun was shot by the officer Saturday night, according to Police Chief Rodney Monroe.
The teen, 14 or 15 years old, was hit in one leg and his wrists from the three or four shots fired by the police officer, according to Monroe at a news conference.
I wonder if the cop in this case was deliberately shooting to wound for reasons of political correctness, to prevent another Ferguson situation? Not that he couldn't simply be a lousy shot, he well could.
Yer Words of Wisdom For the Day
The only trigger warning that anyone really needs is to be careful when re-holstering a Glock. - - me.
Sunday, March 08, 2015
Is There Any Point In Having a National Security Advisor or CIA, Then?
"Obama: I First Learned About Hillary Emails ‘Through News Reports.’"
Like Will Rogers, all he knows is what he reads in the papers.
Like Will Rogers, all he knows is what he reads in the papers.
We Ain't Racist...
...we is just an affinity group.
An Illinois high school principal is defending his decision to exclude white students from a “Black Lives Matter” event held at his school.
On February 27th, Oak Park and River Forest High School principal, Nathaniel Rouse, hosted a “Black Lives Matter” event exclusively for black students. The assembly was intended to culminate Black History Month with a discussion on race relations. Approximately 350 black individuals attended the event. When white students attempted to attend the assembly, however, they were denied entry.
Rouse defended his decision to keep non-black students from the assembly by referring to the concept of “affinity groups.” According to the school’s statement, “Racial affinity groups are often used in learning communities to help facilitate positive identity exploration and provide people with similar experiences a space in which to pose questions and process topics.”
Affinity groups. I'll have to remember that one.
The principal, though, has a small point; ever since Ferguson, the "Black Lives Matter" movement, and especially the protests, has been co-opted by white leftists trying to earn street cred by marching with the brothers. (then, of course, they return to their exclusive white neighborhoods and do very white things)
An Illinois high school principal is defending his decision to exclude white students from a “Black Lives Matter” event held at his school.
On February 27th, Oak Park and River Forest High School principal, Nathaniel Rouse, hosted a “Black Lives Matter” event exclusively for black students. The assembly was intended to culminate Black History Month with a discussion on race relations. Approximately 350 black individuals attended the event. When white students attempted to attend the assembly, however, they were denied entry.
Rouse defended his decision to keep non-black students from the assembly by referring to the concept of “affinity groups.” According to the school’s statement, “Racial affinity groups are often used in learning communities to help facilitate positive identity exploration and provide people with similar experiences a space in which to pose questions and process topics.”
Affinity groups. I'll have to remember that one.
The principal, though, has a small point; ever since Ferguson, the "Black Lives Matter" movement, and especially the protests, has been co-opted by white leftists trying to earn street cred by marching with the brothers. (then, of course, they return to their exclusive white neighborhoods and do very white things)
Saturday, March 07, 2015
He Regrets Forming the Thought Police
"We were wrong to try to ban racism out of existence, says former equality chief."
A former equality chief has branded his years working to stamp out racial discrimination as 'utterly wrong'.
Writer and broadcaster Trevor Phillips said efforts made under the Blair government turned anti-racism into an 'ugly new doctrine'.
Mr Phillips is the former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and has waged a 30-year campaign to tackle issues around discrimination and equality.
In an upcoming Channel 4 documentary, called Things We Won't Say About Race That Are True, he says attempts to stop prejudice instead encouraged abuse and endangered lives as well as contributed to the rise of parties like Ukip.
'Campaigners like me seriously believed that if we could prevent people expressing prejudiced ideas then eventually they would stop thinking them.
'But now I'm convinced we were utterly wrong.'
Mr Phillips, a Labour party member, says anti-racism began with good intentions but turned into 'thought control'.
Click the link to read the whole thing. I'm reminded of a famous passage from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn: Huck, told he'll go to Hell for helping Jim flee slavery, says "All right then, I'll GO to Hell." If you put a man's (or a boy's) back up with constant accusations, very often they'll accept the accusation and wear it proudly out of spite.
This present regret by the developer of UK's Though Police comes because the common people of UK, fed up with having accusations of racism hurled at them constantly, have been leaving the Labour and Conservative parties to join UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), which is the only party that seems to care about what commoners really think about immigration and political correctness.
A former equality chief has branded his years working to stamp out racial discrimination as 'utterly wrong'.
Writer and broadcaster Trevor Phillips said efforts made under the Blair government turned anti-racism into an 'ugly new doctrine'.
Mr Phillips is the former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and has waged a 30-year campaign to tackle issues around discrimination and equality.
In an upcoming Channel 4 documentary, called Things We Won't Say About Race That Are True, he says attempts to stop prejudice instead encouraged abuse and endangered lives as well as contributed to the rise of parties like Ukip.
'Campaigners like me seriously believed that if we could prevent people expressing prejudiced ideas then eventually they would stop thinking them.
'But now I'm convinced we were utterly wrong.'
Mr Phillips, a Labour party member, says anti-racism began with good intentions but turned into 'thought control'.
Click the link to read the whole thing. I'm reminded of a famous passage from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn: Huck, told he'll go to Hell for helping Jim flee slavery, says "All right then, I'll GO to Hell." If you put a man's (or a boy's) back up with constant accusations, very often they'll accept the accusation and wear it proudly out of spite.
This present regret by the developer of UK's Though Police comes because the common people of UK, fed up with having accusations of racism hurled at them constantly, have been leaving the Labour and Conservative parties to join UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), which is the only party that seems to care about what commoners really think about immigration and political correctness.
Thursday, March 05, 2015
Look Up "Smug Bastard" In the Dictionary...
...and you'll see a picture of this guy:
A Nigerian woman filed for divorce from her husband because his penis was too big, according to media reports.
Aisha Dannupawa, a housewife and mother-of-three, asked for her marriage to husband Ali Maizinari to be dissolved due to his large manhood.
After their first unsuccessful attempt at making love, she took medication given to her by her mother.
'I told my mother the experience but she told me to endure and that with time, I will be able to cope. She then gave me some drugs,' she said to Nigerian media.
According to Dannupawa, the couple had sex again but it was 'too much to bear' and the couple concluded that no drug could help their sex life or their marriage.
Maizinari did not deny the accusation and told the court he was willing to dissolve the union if his dowry and money spent during the courtship was paid back.
He just has to find the right woman:
A Nigerian woman filed for divorce from her husband because his penis was too big, according to media reports.
Aisha Dannupawa, a housewife and mother-of-three, asked for her marriage to husband Ali Maizinari to be dissolved due to his large manhood.
After their first unsuccessful attempt at making love, she took medication given to her by her mother.
'I told my mother the experience but she told me to endure and that with time, I will be able to cope. She then gave me some drugs,' she said to Nigerian media.
According to Dannupawa, the couple had sex again but it was 'too much to bear' and the couple concluded that no drug could help their sex life or their marriage.
Maizinari did not deny the accusation and told the court he was willing to dissolve the union if his dowry and money spent during the courtship was paid back.
He just has to find the right woman:
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
Shipwreck Blog: Musashi, Sibuyan Sea, 1944
Located by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen at 3000ft using a personal submarine.
The Musashi, named after Japan's greatest swordsman, was sunk by US forces during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
The Musashi, named after Japan's greatest swordsman, was sunk by US forces during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
As For Me, I Go and Wash My Hands
"After You Shake Someone’s Hand, See If They Do This Afterward."
A handshake can be used to interpret a lot about a person, but there might be even more of an exchange of information going on than you realize, according to a recent study.
The next time you shake someone’s hand, see if they reach up and touch their face at some point shortly afterward. Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel found that some people are unconsciously sniffing subtle chemicals from the other person’s hand.
I occasionally get a guest at the hotel that wants to shake my hand, and it always seems to be the grungiest, nastiest individuals that do it. I'll usually finish the check-in/checkout process, then go to the restroom to wash my hands.
Even worse, though, is one of those individuals that pulls an ancient, smelly wallet out of his back pocket, licks his fingers, and then counts off the cash to pay for the room, rather than present a credit card. One of these days I'm going to snap and either hold out a tray for him to place the money on, or don housekeeper's gloves to receive it. Disgusting!
A handshake can be used to interpret a lot about a person, but there might be even more of an exchange of information going on than you realize, according to a recent study.
The next time you shake someone’s hand, see if they reach up and touch their face at some point shortly afterward. Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel found that some people are unconsciously sniffing subtle chemicals from the other person’s hand.
I occasionally get a guest at the hotel that wants to shake my hand, and it always seems to be the grungiest, nastiest individuals that do it. I'll usually finish the check-in/checkout process, then go to the restroom to wash my hands.
Even worse, though, is one of those individuals that pulls an ancient, smelly wallet out of his back pocket, licks his fingers, and then counts off the cash to pay for the room, rather than present a credit card. One of these days I'm going to snap and either hold out a tray for him to place the money on, or don housekeeper's gloves to receive it. Disgusting!
The Bootlicking Lackeys...
...known as CBS, NBC and ABC are refusing to carry the address to Congress by Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wouldn't want anyone to think that they weren't good Democrats at the three legacy news networks...
Wouldn't want anyone to think that they weren't good Democrats at the three legacy news networks...
Monday, March 02, 2015
Funny, But Unethical
And the painting should be replaced, or the "shadow" painted over.
A cursory glance at the official painting of President Bill Clinton that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery would easily miss an ode to the lowest point of his presidency — Monica Lewinsky.
But it’s there, the artist revealed in an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia area painter Nelson Shanks cunningly included a shadow over the fireplace cast from a blue dress on a mannequin.
"If you look at the left-hand side of it there’s a mantle in the Oval Office and I put a shadow coming into the painting and it does two things. It actually literally represents a shadow from a blue dress that I had on a mannequin, that I had there while I was painting it, but not when he was there. It is also a bit of a metaphor in that it represents a shadow on the office he held, or on him."
That's the unethical behavior right there: if you're going to have a blue dress in the room, have it there while the former President is there posing, so he can punch you in the nose or have you fired, as you deserve. Don't go all passive-aggressive and do it behind his back, ya little pussy.
A cursory glance at the official painting of President Bill Clinton that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery would easily miss an ode to the lowest point of his presidency — Monica Lewinsky.
But it’s there, the artist revealed in an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia area painter Nelson Shanks cunningly included a shadow over the fireplace cast from a blue dress on a mannequin.
"If you look at the left-hand side of it there’s a mantle in the Oval Office and I put a shadow coming into the painting and it does two things. It actually literally represents a shadow from a blue dress that I had on a mannequin, that I had there while I was painting it, but not when he was there. It is also a bit of a metaphor in that it represents a shadow on the office he held, or on him."
That's the unethical behavior right there: if you're going to have a blue dress in the room, have it there while the former President is there posing, so he can punch you in the nose or have you fired, as you deserve. Don't go all passive-aggressive and do it behind his back, ya little pussy.
Try Looking Unduh Duh Dubya*
"Treasure hunt: NC authorities search for $4M in missing gold."
WILSON, N.C. - The FBI and the Wilson County Sheriff's Office said an estimated $4 million worth of gold was reported stolen during an armed robbery on Interstate 95 over the weekend.
At around 6:50 p.m. Sunday, Wilson County deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery on northbound I-95 near mile marker 114.
Authorities said two armed security guards working for Transvalue Inc. of Miami were transporting gold and silver from Miami to Massachusetts when they began to have mechanical problems.
The sheriff's office said when the security guards pulled over they were approached by three armed men in a white-colored van. The robbers ordered the victims to get down on the ground.
The robbers then tied the security guards' hands behind their back backs and made them walk into the woods, authorities said.
Authorities said the robbers took several barrels of gold worth an estimated $4 million and fled the scene.
*bonus points for identifying the reference.
WILSON, N.C. - The FBI and the Wilson County Sheriff's Office said an estimated $4 million worth of gold was reported stolen during an armed robbery on Interstate 95 over the weekend.
At around 6:50 p.m. Sunday, Wilson County deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery on northbound I-95 near mile marker 114.
Authorities said two armed security guards working for Transvalue Inc. of Miami were transporting gold and silver from Miami to Massachusetts when they began to have mechanical problems.
The sheriff's office said when the security guards pulled over they were approached by three armed men in a white-colored van. The robbers ordered the victims to get down on the ground.
The robbers then tied the security guards' hands behind their back backs and made them walk into the woods, authorities said.
Authorities said the robbers took several barrels of gold worth an estimated $4 million and fled the scene.
*bonus points for identifying the reference.
If You Were In a Zombie Apocalypse...
...and were such a bad-ass that you once tore a man's throat out with your teeth, would you accept the position of "constable" for a post-apocalypse community and walk around the streets of the town wearing a necktie?
Well, that's what Rick Grimes was doing last night on The Walking Dead. I don't believe it was a cop's clip-on tie, either, so any walker or murderous survivor that came along could just seize Rick by his necktie and choke him to death.
Well, that's what Rick Grimes was doing last night on The Walking Dead. I don't believe it was a cop's clip-on tie, either, so any walker or murderous survivor that came along could just seize Rick by his necktie and choke him to death.
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