153 Ducks and 11 Feral Cats

A New Hanover County, NC woman has been hoarding ducks.

Charges are still pending against a local woman who allegedly kept more than 150 Muscovy ducks in unhealthy conditions, according to the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office.

Cynthia Huber, 56, was arrested Dec. 29 on nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, one count of failing to vaccinate a dog/cat/or ferret and one count of misuse of 911. In North Carolina class 1 misdemeanors such as these carry penalties of 120 days in jail and a discretionary fine.

The charges stemmed from the Dec. 20 seizure of the ducks and 11 cats from Huber’s Watermill Way home. Among various ailments, the ducks were reportedly underweight; 80 percent suffered from an upper respiratory infection; some had tumors that were left untreated and others had broken bones, according to Skywatch Bird Rescue, which helped New Hanover County Animal Services collect the ducks and has been caring for them since the rescue.

Crazy duck lady with a minor in crazy cat lady.

They're Only Found In Coastal North Carolina

Venus's Flytraps, that is.

And only in a small strip of coastal North Carolina, at that - - the area right around the NC-SC border up to the Wilmington area and a little beyond. Only place in the world that they are found.

They are regularly poached and sold to plant fanciers; even a carnivorous plant garden in Wilmington was hit, with over $10,000 worth of plants taken. So it's now a felony in NC to poach them.

Caro Emerald

I discovered Dutch-born singer Caro Emerald via Pandora a few years ago, and like both her songs and videos a lot. Here's some samples, see if you agree:









And just listen to the dead-on Louis Armstrong vocals in this one:

Sing To Me, Tift

I have the blues, and I'm tired of the fight:

Waking Up

It's no great revelation that blogging isn't as popular as it one was - - Facebook and other social media outlets make it easy to post the details of your life there instead of on a blog; but increasingly, Facebook and Twitter are suppressing speech from everyone that doesn't approach the world from a leftist direction. I've been banned by Facebook twice already, and by Twitter a couple of times, also. I don't appreciate it, it pisses me off, and increases the resentment I have toward leftists to the level of hatred.

So I'm going to wake the blog up, based on Brigid's (Home On the Range) example. She was the victim of leftist trolls and hate mobs, and took her blog offline for a while, blogging as a guest at Borepatch's place instead. Now she's back, and since I see my blog listed on her sidebar, I can only man up and do what she's already done, and try to start posting regularly again. I'll try to start out slow. Can't make any promises.

Most of my leisure hours are spent taking refuge in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, via the game Lord of the Rings Online. I literally waited decades for the technology to come along so I could spend time in Middle-Earth; I purchased a lifetime subscription while it was possible to do so, a decision that I've never regretted. The game is over 10 years old now, and people still play it daily, just as they do World of Warcraft or other online games. The developers bring new content online regularly - - North Mirkwod and the Lonely Mountain most recently - - and some of my happiest hours are spent exploring these new places. Being a game there is too much killing required for levelling up, which would probably horrify Tolkien; remember that Frodo Baggins never killed anyone in The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee is noted as killing only a single orc, and the other hobbits have similar low body counts. So I'm not really comfortable to be constantly killing stuff in game. I like wandering the landscape, exploring. Crafting. One can farm in the game,raise crops - - pipeweed included. And one can smoke a long pipe, and blow smokerings. Or play music - - there is a robust system for playing music in game, and there are many very talented bands that regularly give "concerts" in game.

I have a full stable of various characters, including a family of dwarves, the Stoneskulls, named after the patriarch of the clan, Blarni, who survived an orc bashing his helm in during the battle of Azanulbizar. Blarni has four sons: Sporki (named after an eating tool that Blarni invented), Snarki (the wiseass), Corki (likes to drink), and Tardi (a little slow, perhaps, or maybe it's because he's often late to appointments). There's a hobbit burglar, Asbo Stabbins (an ASBO is an Anti-Social Behavioral Order in the UK, given to minor criminals and delinquents), three men: Animbecil, Thoronwe, and Pinkrandir the Transwizard (he likes to be called Trandalf; he's pink now, but once was blue). And a couple of Elves, Feleg and Linroth. Blarni Stoneskull the dwarf is my main character, the one I've played the most; the rest are just there to provide a bit of relief from time to time.

Probably more information than you wanted, but it's my current main interest. Lord of the Rings Online can be played free in a limited way, so if you want to visit Middle-Earth, you can do so. I play on the Brandywine server, if you want to meet up in game.

Quote of the Day

LeGuin identifies all capitalism as "growth capitalism," and is concerned that, like cancer, it requires endless growth to survive. By her definition, she's right. I'd point out that government efforts to regulate it, to channel it, have resulted in many of the deleterious effects she lays at its door: corporations are actively discouraged from looking much past quarters, or single years at best -- "What's good for General Motors is good for the county" once carried the implicit assumption that GM was in it for the long haul, century after century, in the kind of way that we now call "sustainable." It no longer does, and has not for quite some time. Other regulations encourage rent-seeking, regulatory capture and the use of regulations to stymie new entrants and thwart competitors. And vast defense budgets ensure many corporations have a vested interest in war. This does not strike me as a wise long-term strategy.

A mess like that, is that "capitalism?" Karl Marx said it was -- but he was defining an enemy. When I go to a hamfest, a farmer's market, an antique mall, a gun show or the Feast Of The Hunter's Moon, what is that selling of things you've got plenty of for tokens that will let you buy what you need and want, if not capitalism? And does it not manage to achieve an equitable -- or at least mutually-acceptable -- distribution of goods and services? To limit "capitalism" to the goons of Wall Street, to a game best played by those with money to gamble that doesn't risk their physical survival, is to ignore all those regular people, getting by selling loose cigarettes for a penny profit each, selling excess honey from their backyard hive to buy Christmas presents (or, like my Mom, simply giving the honey as gifts -- how she missed her hive when she and Dad moved to a subdivision that was shocked, shocked at the notion of a tiny home apiary, and forced her to rehome it) and a jillion small businesses and minor exchanges.

via Roberta X.

Who's Doing the Leading, Exactly?

Pope Francis teaches about a line from the Our Father, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation."

I've been saying the prayer by rote all these years, but never really thought much about the line, choosing to interpret it as meaning "Do not allow us to fall into temptation," which would make more sense that the actual wording, which seems to indicate that God the Father is wayward and must be nagged to keep us on the path of righteousness.

Did Someone Leave a Ladder Around, Or What?

Just how did Tyrone get out on that roof to begin with?

A man has been apprehended after he fled onto a roof to avoid arrest.

The incident occurred on Thursday morning. According to officers, the man, who was identified as 35-year-old Tyrone Singleton, was wanted on charges of domestic violence and armed robbery.

In order to further avoid police, Singleton climbed on top of a roof at the location. Officers from the CMPD as well as detectives surrounded the area and attempted to negotiate the suspect to safety. Authorities were at the scene from 10:20 a.m. to approximately an hour later when officers climbed onto the roof with the suspect and brought him under arrest without further incident.

Um...Polyester Poontang?

Apparently the late singer Anthony Newley was not only a pedophile, but a wannabe pornographer:

Sacha recounted how an off-color and unabashedly autobiographical X-rated film his dad produced in 1969 was “a confession of pedophilia” that led to his folks’ messy divorce the next year.

In the flick — “Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?” — Anthony plays a middle-aged musician who recounts his sexual exploits to his wife and children, including his obsession with the apparently underage Mercy Humppe.

[Newley's actress wife Joan] Collins played his wife, Polyester Poontang, in the movie. Sacha and his sister played the couples’ kids. Former Playboy model Connie Kreski took the role of Humppe, and though her character’s age is not revealed in the film, “It falls within the Polanski thing,” Sacha said, referring to director Roman Polanski’s alleged rape of a 13-year-old in 1977.

Describing Joan Collins as "Polyester Poontang" is somehow...appropriate, don't you think?

I Don't Want My Blog To Turn Into An Obituary Column...

...so I'll just note here in passing that 70's teen idol David Cassidy has died at 67. His mother Shirley Jones has outlived him at 83.

If It Weren't For Fake Hate...

...would there be any hate at all?

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Officials at Parkway Central High School said a student has confessed to writing a racial slur and the phrase ‘White Lives Matter’ on a mirror inside a campus bathroom.

In an email to the 'PCH Community,' Principal Timothy McCarthy said the student's actions violated the school discipline code and that the guilty party would be punished. The Parkway School District would only identify the student as "non-white," but stressed that "does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has had on our community."

School officials did not disclose the student's motive for the graffiti. The motive is called feeding the narrative or perpetuating the stereotype or attention-seeking.

I'm inclined to think that a faked hate crime claim should, at the very least, be added to the student's permanent transcript so that future claims receive the skepticism that they deserve. If significant disruption is done by the faked hate claim, the student should also be disciplined for it.

Chris Matthews Has a Moment of Lucidity

Via Gateway Pundit:

“Ever since we started this Archie Bunker thing in the early ‘70s, making fun of white working people, we kissed them goodbye. You make fun of people, you look down on them, they get the message. You call them ‘deplorables,’ they hear it. You bet they hear it.

“You say they cling to their guns and religion? Oh yeah? I cling to my religion. OK. I’m a little person, and you’re a big person. Thank you, I’ll be voting for the other guy this time.”

Thanksgiving Shopping Is Done

Did my Thanksgiving shopping at the local Food Lion. While there I saw this advertisement:

I guess they're not quite ripe yet?

A tractor-trailer arrived as I was leaving, it was full of Christmas trees.

Probably Supports Single-Payer Health Care

Irony alert:

"‘It’s Too Expensive:’ Alabama Democrat Doug Jones Comes Out Against Trump’s Border Wall."

By the Way...

If you wish to note Manson's death without the usual "R.I.P." (requiescat in pace, or rest in peace), instead use "I.I.A." (In Infernum Aderet, or Burn In Hell).

Charles Manson Begins His Eternity In Hell

Finally Dead:

Manson, the man who struck a violent coda to the era of peace and love, met his end in a Bakersfield hospital at 83.

Mel Tillis, 1932-2017: R.I.P.

Mel Tillis, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and a Florida native, has died at age 85.

Tillis was born in Pahokee, Florida, near Lake Okeechobee.

His best years were the 1970's. He was a stammerer, which he worked into his road show - - his musicians would helpfully finish his sentences and he would yell "Shut up!" Like many individuals with stammers, it would vanish when he sang. It also vanished if he had memorized his lines, as in a film cameo he did in the Burt Reynolds film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, where he played a gas station attendant.

The second concert I ever went to was a Mel Tillis concert with my father at the old Alligator Alley basketball arena at the University of Florida.

Here's one of his early 1970's hits:

Robert D. Raiford, 1928-2017: R.I.P.

Robert D. Raiford, long-time radio and TV news announcer and resident curmudgeon at Charlotte's "John Boy & Billy Big Show" radio show, has died at age 89 after a stroke took his speaking voice seeral years ago.

Raiford in his early career worked with legendary newsman Walter Cronkite and was one of the reporters who narrated the funeral of John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery.

At the John Boy and Billy show on WRFX-FM he would read the news and do commentary, á la Paul Harvey. Some of his catch phrases included "Who says that? I say that!" and "Why don't somebody step on him?"

He'll be missed.

Book Recommendation: Heretics of St. Possenti

I'd like to draw your attention to SF author Rolf Nelson's new book, The Heretics of St. Possenti. It's a sequel to his first novel, The Stars Came Back. Don't let that put you off, though. Heretics of St. Possenti is a stand-alone novel in its own right, a near-future novel about the formation of a new order of Catholic monks, most of them military veterans, who take as their patron Gabriel Possenti, an Italian who saved his village with his use of a handgun.

I was one of the beta readers and helped the author with much of the Catholic content. I'm not really happy with the editing by Castalia House - - they apparently left that to the beta readers - - but it's a fun story and, if you're a gun aficionado, a Catholic, or just a conservative, you'll be entertained by this book.

It's only available in Kindle version right now, but paperback should be out eventually. At Amazon.

Malcolm Young, 1953-2017: R.I.P.

The rhythm guitarist for AC/DC has died after a years-long battle with dementia. Here's the family statement that was published on Facebook:

It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of Malcolm Young, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother. Malcolm had been suffering from Dementia for several years and passed away peacefully with his family by his bedside.

Renowned for his musical prowess Malcolm was a songwriter, guitarist, performer, producer and visionary who inspired many. From the outset, he knew what he wanted to achieve and, along with his younger brother, took to the world stage giving their all at every show. Nothing less would do for their fans.

Malcolm is survived by his loving wife O'Linda, children Cara and Ross, son-in-law Josh, three grandchildren, sister and brother. While thanking all for their overwhelming support and heartfelt condolences, the family ask that you respect their privacy during this time of heartbreak and grief.

For those wishing to send messages to the family please visit the Sydney Morning Herald Malcolm Young Memorial website which will be available next week.

The family have asked instead of flowers to send donations to The Salvation Army.

New Belt

New as in "it was only a strap in Tandy Leather yesterday." 1.75", I did the work myself. The border stamping took almost two hours - - a lot of hammering. Also shown is my Randall bowie knife, which features basketweave stamping that I did several years ago.

Barbecue Experiment

I've been thinking for a while now that North Carolina-style barbecue, which is usually chopped fine and topped with slaw, is a bit messy eaten as a sandwich, so I wondered if it would be neater if made like a burrito, so I bought some tortillas and a pound of barbecue from my local BBQ joint, and gave it a try:

Lessons learned: these are too thick, I used too much filling. I also added too much vinegar-based BBQ sauce to the mix of meat and slaw, which made them drippy. Next time I'll use much less filling per tortilla, and less sauce in the mix. I tried one burrito made that way, and it ate neatly and easily.

Oops.

Forgot to spray non-stick in the pan of brownies I'm baking at 3 a.m. Yes, I've been known to bake in the wee hours of the morning on weekends.

Update to add: they came out perfect, and there was no sticking issue per se. I used an entire bag of Fisher Walnut Pieces in the making, so there is walnut in every delicious bite. Over 2" thick.

Bioethicist

If you see that word in a news story, reach for a gun, because that person is going to propose something horrible, on the order of euthanising senior citizens as unproductive, or "aborting" babies up to two years after birth.

Here's a recent example from the news: "Science proves kids are bad for Earth. Morality suggests we stop having them." Never mind that if everyone practiced that, the human race would extinguish itself. For some environmentalists who view humans as a "disease" infecting the Earth, that would be perfectly acceptable.

Bioethicists. The human equivalent of vermin.

Don Williams, 1939 - 2017: R.I.P.

One of country music's greatest vocalists, with integrity as deep as the ocean, has passed away after a brief illness.

He was my ex-wife's single favorite artist, and she played his LP's incessantly while we were married. I liked him myself.

Here's probably his greatest song, as close to a universal prayer as has been ever written:



Thanks for all the great music, Don.

*Puts On Nostradamus Hat*

Democrat NC governor Roy Cooper will give this vandal a pardon: "Protester who helped pull down Durham Confederate statue arrested."

Random Piece of Advice

Salt and pepper shakers should be made of clear glass so that you can easily distinguish one from the other with a single glance. A salt shaker that can't be recognized for what it is might as well be a Star Trek surgery tool.*








*which they were.

The Day the Heat Left Summer

It's today in the Carolina Piedmont. Oh, summer isn't over, and we'll have almost two full months of hot weather yet, but today is the first cool front that came through, with clear blue skies overhead and low humidity. The end of summer is in sight. Usually this day happens in mid-to-late August, though.

Trump Reverses Obama Policy, Will Forbid Transgenders In the Military

Story.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Military "will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity," citing the "tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender[s] in the military would entail." The decision reverses the "pro-transgender" policy implemented by President Obama in his final year in office.

"​After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," Trump wrote in a series of tweets. "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."

The antics of transgender intelligence leaker Bradley "Chelsea" Manning probably had a lot to do with this decision, Manning being the direct cause of both medical costs and disruption of the type that the President mentioned in his tweets.

Shipwreck Blog: NAZI GOLD!

"Treasure chest with £100MILLION of Nazi gold is found by a British crew in the wreck of a ship deliberately sunk by Hitler to avoid being captured."

Four tons of it, supposedly, off the coast of Iceland.

A group of British treasure hunters have found a chest that could contain up to £100million in Nazi gold in the wreck of a German cargo ship off the coast of Iceland.

UK-based Advanced Marine Services found a box containing up to four tons of valuable metal, believed to be gold from South American banks, in the post room of the SS Minden, which sunk in 1939.

The gold was believed to be on board the ship and headed to Germany when the boat sank 120 miles southeast of Iceland on September 24, 1939, shortly after World War II began.

Click the link to read the rest. Apparently it's in Iceland's territorial waters.

Headline of the Day

"Salvador Dali’s Mustache Still Perky After 27 Years In A Coffin."

They exhumed Dali to gather DNA evidence for a paternity suit. The exhumers had to resort to a saw to remove a piece of Dali's embalmed body to get to bone tissue.

Building Indigo Snake Populations In Florida

Still considered a threatened species on the US Endangered Species list, efforts are being made to re-introduce these beautiful snakes into former habitats.

When I first expressed a desire for a pet snake as a boy, my father took me to a pet shop and I was shown three snakes: an Indigo Snake, a Southern Hognosed Snake, and an Eastern King Snake. The Indigo Snake was rather sluggish and plain; the Hognosed Snake was active and interesting, but when the pet store clerk told me I'd have to catch toads for it to eat, my interest waned. The King Snake was both active and beautiful, and I ended up with that one. It must have been not too long after that that Indigo Snakes were banned for sale in pet shops.

They're the USA's longest native snake, growing up to 9' in length. They are a glossy blue-black in color, hence their name, although it's possible that they were found preying on rats and other rodents in coastal indigo plantations in the antebellum era.

Pope Francis Hits a Home Run With New Policy

Giving your life for another can lead to canonization, pope decides.

To recognize someone officially as a saint to be emulated, the Church has a rigorous, time-consuming process, briefly outlined here. There are stages leading up to canonization, including those marked by the bestowing of the titles Servant of God, Venerable, and Blessed.

Miracles attributed to the intercession of the saint are part of the process.

And today, Pope Francis has made an adjustment to this system by adding another category to the pathways that can lead to canonization.

The document Maiorem hac dilectionem (“Greater love than this”) opens a fourth path for the canonization of saints, a path titled oblatio vitae, “the offering of one’s life.”

This category provides a framework for recognizing “heroic Christian witness,” explained Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci of Bevagna, Italy, secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano today.

Up until now, there had been three paths leading to beatification and eventual canonization: martyrdom “in odium fidei” [being killed because of your Catholic faith – translator’s note], recognition of the heroic living of virtue, and a third, called “equivalent canonization,” when a pope simply confirms a devotion to a saint who is already well-established in the Church. This equivalent canonization was the case of the Jesuit Pierre Faber (1506-1546) recognized by Pope Francis in 2013, or of Hildegard of Bingen, recognized by Pope Benedict XVI.

This new path, oblatio vitae, is taken from the Lord’s assertion, “Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a friend.”

*Quickdraw McGraw Voice* "Now Calm Down There, Li'l Jugaloo..."

Axe-wielding Jugaloo prompts swat standoff over radio song-request."

It began just after 1:30 Monday afternoon with 911 calls about a man in a red car brandishing weapons outside the radio studios on Cabot Road in Medford where he apparently tried unsuccessfully to request the song “My Axe” by the Insane Clown Posse and then ranted about his failure to several passersby outside.

“He got out of his car with a machete, stopped a girl who worked up on the second floor and said ‘I want you to play a song for me,’” Doreen Schaivone told WBZ-TV.

A heavily armed swarm of responding officers boxed in the suspect’s red sedan outside the building and the standoff began as the suspect drank beer and huffed something from a paper bag. At one point he climbed out of his vehicle…

Wine "Experts" Should Be Tested and Certified

USA Today, Wine Tasting 101.

I'd be interested to see how good most wine "experts" when there is a blind taste testing, with the test subject actually blindfolded so (s)he can't see what's in the glass, only smell and taste it. Start out simple - - distinguish between a red and a white. Then move on to varietals in each color; finally, allow them to attempt to distinguish between wines from famous wineries. Anyone scoring less than 80% should not be called an expert. Anyone scoring 50 or below should be declared a fraud.

In Congress, July 4, 1776

Sickle Vs. Rabid Bobcat - - Sickle Wins

Grandma calls on druid heritage to drive off a rabid bobcat.

Elsie Dabrowski went out to her chicken coop Sunday night as she does every night around dusk, closed up the coop and bent down to cut weeds with a sickle, said her son, Gene Dabrowski.

The animal lunged at Elsie, bit her left cheek, scratched her throat and bit her back.

“I kept thinking why? Why is it attacking me? It attacked me for no reason. I thought, ‘Why, why,’” said Elsie, a former Marine, on Monday evening.

Elsie beat the cat off her with the sickle, and Gene’s five dogs chased it under a nearby porch. He lives only 300 feet away in a separate house, heard the commotion, rushed to the scene and killed the animal with two blasts of a shotgun.

Music Recommendation: Outlaw Ritual

Found via this article from The Truth About Knives. Bass player Olivia Garriga makes apprentice-quality hand-forged knives. Guitarist/one-man-band Mat Hagar has a street preacher's voice similar to that of William Elliott Whitmore. Together they form Outlaw Ritual, currently based out of Knoxville, TN.

Here's a few videos:







Here's a pic of one of Olivia Garriga's handforged knives, available for sale at the Outlaw Ritual website:

I'd be strongly inclined to buy that knife myself if I had the available funds.

The Carolina Fish Camp

The story of Carolina Fish Camps and their link to Piedmont textile mills. Via Southern Foodways Alliance.

A Case of ANTIsocial Media

Police were called to the scene of an assault after a Facebook argument led to violence on Thursday.

According to reports, the victim and the two suspects had exchanged unpleasant words with one another on Facebook causing the two suspects to become enraged.

According to the victim, the two assailants arrived at her house following the online disagreement, and decided to settle the argument with violence. They knocked on the door of her home, and then began to attack her. One of the victims punched her in the face, dragged her into the apartment, and grabbed her hair while the other helped to hold the woman down.

The victim was eventually able to grab her pepper spray, after which time the suspects fled. The victim sustained injuries to her knee, elbow, lip, and shoulder.

From Rock Hill, SC.

Survival When the River Takes Your Backpack

Story.

To summarize for those who don't wish to click the link, he tried to cross a river, lost his backpack doing so, and had no backup survival plan and was forced to improvise, and would have died had he not come across some road maintenance workers in the nick of time.

He found out - - and, to his credit, acknowledged - - that he should have been carrying survival items on his body, outside of the items in his lost backpack. If he'd had a Mylar Space Blanket in his pocket most of his cold/hypothermia issues would have been minimized.

Here's my own current belt survival kit. It includes a Wenger Swiss Army Knife, a whistle, a button compass, a butane lighter, tweezers, and several firestarters made from Vaseline-impregnated cotton inserted into drinking straws and sealed at the ends with heat. They fit into a traveler's plastic soap box, which itself goes into a leather belt pouch. Stick a Space Blanket into a pocket and you'll be ready for much of what Nature can throw at you.

Opening Line of the Next Great American Novel, Take 2

"One might, if one was a homely North Carolina girl, boast proudly of being from Boogertown."

The Neighborhood At War: Hawks Vs. Crows

Had a bit of avian warfare going on when I stepped outside to take my walk - - on one side, a family of red-shouldered hawks that nest across the street in a tall tree in a neighbor's yard - - on the other side, the neighborhood murder of crows. Hawks sailed over my head into the woods behind my house, pursued by crows. All around me came the sound of outraged hawks and jeering crows. I tried to record some of it with my phone, but was unable to upload the results.

Home Invader

He got in through the back door:

That's a Ringneck Snake, by the way. Poor weatherstripping on the back door of our rental home allowed him to enter.

Revealing the Interior of CSS Hunley

Via Stars and Stripes.

A two-person team outfitted in safety uniforms have been inside the sub since early last year, using stainless steel orthopedic tools and a pneumatic chisel to gently remove the sea’s encrustation that slowly enveloped the sub after it went down on Feb. 17, 1864, said project conservator Johanna Rivera-Diaz of Clemson University.

Their work has turned up many small bones – fingers, wrists and teeth, Rivera-Diaz said.

Most of the bones have been traced to first crewman Arnold Becker, who sat closest to the Hunley’s captain, George Dixon, near the sub’s bow, turning the propeller crank, she said.

“When I find something, I step back and say, ‘Wow,’” Rivera-Diaz said.

The Story of Texas Pete Hot Sauce

Via Our State Magazine.

Two things: It was originally called "Mexican Joe" informally when it was first made, but the name was changed to "Texas Pete" to avoid offending Mexicans. And it's still less a hot sauce than it is an Eastern-style NC BBQ sauce, with just a little more heat than the usual run of Eastern sauces (Eastern NC BBQ sauce is mostly vinegar, with added salt, red pepper, and black pepper). You'll still find it in most NC BBQ restaurants, at least the traditional ones.

Unsung D-Day Hero: Andrew Higgins and His Boats

The man who invented the landing craft that allowed the D-Day invasions, as well as many others.

Even Gun Rights Allies Get Gun Details Wrong

Prager University, which is a website sponsored by conservative commentator/radio host Dennis Prager, features 5-minute videos on a variety of current events topics as well as basics of US history and theory of government that were formerly taught to children in civics classes. They are a great resource for becoming informed beyond the level of total ignorance, which the typical American educated in public schools all too often is. Having said that, Prager University is as likely to mess up important details on certain areas of knowledge as any mainstream media outlet is.

Here is an example from Prager University's latest video, "Build the Wall," hosted by Charles Krauthammer. At one point in the discussion, reference is made to a "silver bullet" that will solve all of the immigration problems in the US, and a graphic of a "bullet" flies accross the screen:

See the error? That's not a bullet, but an entire cartridge - - casing, bullet, and all, displaying for all the world that the artist who made the graphic hasn't a clue about how guns work.

Here's the video so you can watch it yourself:

I Guess It Wasn't An Unemployed Bell-Ringer Looking For Work

"Notre Dame: Man shot by French police after attacking them with hammer."

The Return of Count Spirochete*

"Syphilis cases in England reach highest level since 1949."

*bonus points for getting the reference in the blog post title.

Sounds Like How A Horror Movie Starts

US company to start trials 'reawakening the dead' in Latin America 'in a few months' - and this is how they'll do it."

Zombie Mexicans to pick our lettuce? What can go wrong?

Hemp In North Carolina

Take the place of tobacco some day, maybe?

Video story here.

"I Saw Your Pampas Grass!" He Said Knowingly *Nudge Nudge Wink Wink*

"Sales of this exotic garden plant are plummeting because it’s a secret signal you are a SWINGER!"

Martyred By ISIS In Egypt

The last moments of the Coptic Christian martyrs of Minya:

According to several witnesses, in the case of the Minya attack everything seems to indicate that the Egyptian Copts who were killed on Friday — many of them children — died as objective martyrs of the Faith. After robbing the pilgrims of their money, their jewels and other precious effects, witnesses say the terrorists told them to apostatize and pronounce the Islamic profession of faith: the shahada. The captives, kneeling, categorically refused. According to reports, they were immediately shot in the neck, head, throat or chest.

Remember Them.

Gregg Allman, 1947-2017: R.I.P.

Story.

The hard-partying rocker very nearly made the Biblical three score and ten years.

Thanks for all the great music. Hope Duane's waiting at the gate for you when you arrive.

Yer Sick Burn of the Day

Shaun King, a white boy who pretends to be black, tried to call out Cleveland sheriff David Clarke for stolen valor on Twitter; Clarke fired back:

King is derisively called "Talcum X" on Twitter by his many enemies.

Knife: Sgian Dubh By Michael Z. Williamson

I received this particular knife during my blogging hiatus, it was made by Mil-SF author Michael Z. Williamson, whose most famous work, Freehold, features cutlery extensively:

Damascus steel blade, zebrawood handle, brass guard.

SC Serial Killer Pleads Guilty

He pleads guilty to murdering seven, kept a woman chained in a shipping container for months after murdering her boyfriend.

His victim said he boasted of killing more than 100 people. In a CBS interview, his mother defended him as "misunderstood."

h/t Instapundit.

Roman Sling Bullets With .44 Magnum Levels of Power

via Stars & Stripes.

But research published Wednesday in National Geographic showed a slingshot used by the Romans some 1,900 years ago had nearly the same stopping power as a .44 magnum.

They used it in the opening attack of a war with the restive tribes living among the hills of Burnswark, Scotland. That war dragged on for nearly two decades. Eventually, the Romans retreated to a fortified barrier they had built known as Hadrian's Wall.

The lead bullets were about 50 grams each. Strangely, about 10 percent of them contained small holes.

The confused researchers made replicas of several bullets, both holed and solid, and gave it to a trained slinger.

The solid ones flew at up to 100 miles per hour and could hit objects smaller than a human 130 yards away. Furthermore, they contained the stopping power of a .44 magnum, that gun Dirty Harry carried around specifically because it was so powerful.

"The biggest sling stones are very powerful — they could literally take off the top of your head," Reid told the Scientific American.

They also solved the mystery of why some had holes. Those weren't as effective as a weapon, but they produced "a weird banshee-like wail" as the wind whipped through and over the holes, Nicholson told National Geographic. The idea, he hypothesized, was to terrify the enemy with the noise during an attack, as a means of distracting them.

"So you are getting these unworldly, unnatural sounds that you have never heard before, and people are falling over on either side of you," Nicholson said.

The location and number of the bullets found suggested a long, pounding siege on a hillside. It's a tremendous thing to imagine, bullets raining down for hours while alien screams fill the air.

Death At the Back of the Boat

The back of a boat can be a "kill zone," as a tragedy at Lake Waccamaw, NC demonstrates.

I'd never heard of a carbon monoxide "kill zone" in the back of a boat before.

Half a BILLION Dollars?!

Meanwhile, over in Catawba County, NC, police have discovered an opium poppy field worth five hundred million dollars.

Just...dayum.

Aftershave Experiments

I like to try various aftershave products, in search of the "perfect" one that suits me. Once upon a time it was Old Spice Fresh Lime, in the transparent green bottle. The makers of Old Spice discontinued it (yes, there is a product made in India that purports to be Old Spice Fresh Lime, but it isn't). Royall Lyme from Bermuda is good, too, but far more expensive than the Old Spice was. In my Navy days I as fond of Stetson for special occasions, and Aqua Velva for daily work use. I still like Aqua Velva and Skin Bracer for work.

More recently I've been searching out other various concoctions. Ogallala makes a good line of bay rum aftershaves - - their Bay Rum with Lime & Peppercorns is my favorite, and their Bay Rum & Vanilla is a close second. J. Peterman's "1903" is a classy aftershave for dress-up occasions, and the price reflects this. It tends to be stronger than typical aftershave, so use it sparingly.

Which brings me to my latest experiment in scents, the old barber shop favorite Lucky Tiger, which I can't recall ever using before. It went out of fashion for years, but has experienced a recent renaissance with the wet-shaving craze. Other old brands such as Hai Karate can be found again, also.

I'll let you all know how it works out - - or doesn't.

It's the Small Stuff, Stupid

The things that Trump needs to focus on if he's going to be a successful president:

Give us back our:

Incandescent light bulbs

Old-fashioned gas cans that pour gasoline into gasoline tanks, and not onto the ground.

Gasoline without alcohol in it.

Coca-Cola without High Fructose Corn Syrup in it.

High-capacity toilet tanks that flush your entire turd in a single flush.

Shower heads without water saver restrictors.

A complimentary glass of water at all full-service restaurants.

A return of full-service gas pumps so you can, if you prefer, get your oil, wiper fluid, and tire pressure checked and topped off as necessary.

Wormsicles and Sun-Dried Raisinworms

The favorite snack of our neighborhood Red-Shouldered Hawks, who have a nest across the street in an oak tree. The hawks have been dining on the sun-dried earthworms in our yard today. During the coldest days of winter, when earthworms come out of the ground and freeze, the hawks dine on these 'wormsicles," also.

"The More We Drill, the More We Find"

Oil? No. Mummies.

Pres. Trump Will Light White House Blue To Honor Police

Story.

President Obama, of course, refused to do so.

Serpentarium Owner Allegedly Murdered By Wife

Dean Ripa, the owner of the Wilmington, NC Serpentarium, was shot to death over the weekend.

The Serpentarium is a nice attraction in downtown Wilmington, I've been there myself and seen Ripa at work. He's been as much a fixture on the Carolinas herpetology scene as Bill Haast or Ross Allen was in Florida.

Must Be Nice To Have Enough Money To Alienate Half Your Audience

Todd Rundgren becomes the first rock star or celebrity (that I am aware of) who has now publicly stated that Trump supporters are not welcome at his shows.

4Chan will see this as a challenge, of course.

Narwhal Tusks Serve As Cod Billy Clubs?

Video from the UK Telegraph.

Gainesville, Florida, Burger King, and the Whopper

"Gainesville, it turns out, is the actual ‘home of the Whopper’

My hometown. My sister and I attended Catholic school from 4th-8th grade, and every day after school my dad would pick us up, drive us to Burger King for takeout, and we'd eat in the car on the way home, which was 16 miles away in Melrose. Usually we'd be done eating by the time my dad stopped at a convenience store for a beer and a pack of cigarettes, so we'd get a bottle of Coke and a candy bar as dessert. In those earliest days Burger King still sold hot dogs (I guess they do again in some places now), and the employees wore those polyester gold-and-scarlet uniforms seen in the TV commercials.

Opening Lines of the Great American Novel, pt. 1

He was a man who had, as a boy, cultivated a habit of always looking at the ground, and often found money this way. As a man it saved him from snakebite on more than one occasion.

Unfortunately it didn't save him from the meteorite.

Now On Gab!

The alternative to Twitter. All the conversation w/out all the censorship!

My handle is @piraticalbob

See you there!

Weird Idea

A zip line to the bottom of the Grand Canyon?

If the Progs Are Going To Call Trump's Supporters "The Deplorables"...

...can we call Queen Hillary's supporters "The Insufferables?"

Quote of the Day

"Just like the Republican primaries managed to select the only candidate who could possibly get beaten by the Lizard Queen from Zeta Reticuli, your unDemocratic Superdelegate Logrolling Festival managed to turn up the one candidate in your party who might lose to Cheeto Jesus."

h/t Tam.

2016: Annus Horribilus For Celebrities

Gene Wilder has passed, at 83.

Restaurant Review: Midwood Smokeshack, Matthews, NC

Midwood Smokeshack is an offshoot of the very successful Charlotte, NC barbecue restaurant Midwood Smokehouse, which now has several locations in the Charlotte area. Unlike the Smokehouse, the Smokeshack is smaller, with a more limited menu, no table service, and only beer/soft drinks instead of a full bar.

The menu for Midwood Smokeshack can be found here. Basically the Smokeshack saves prep time by only offering items that can be cooked in the wood-fired smokers; none of the burgers or steaks that can be found in the full-sized Smokehouse. The Midwood Smokeshack is, in fact, very similar to the Charlotte location of Q Shack: order at the counter as you enter, take your food to the table, bus it yourself afterwards, just as in a fast-food restaurant.

Today I ordered the brisket sandwiches, which are made with Texas Toast instead of rolls or buns, along with some red onion. You can even get them with cheese, if you prefer. As at the full-sized Midwood Smokehouse locations, you are offered a choice of lean brisket, fatty brisket, or a mix of both. I got the mix. They really load the sandwich up with a lot of meat - - I ordered two sandwiches, thinking that they would skimp on the meat, and was unable to finish both of them. With a sandwich you also get one side, I saw that they offer cornbread, so I got that (no hushpuppies here at the Smokeshack, unfortunately). The cornbread came in individual ramekin size, slightly sweet, and with small pieces of hot pepper tucked inside, so that one breaks out in a sudden sweat from eating cornbread. I quite liked this cornbread.

The restaurant only opened for business last week, so there were still a lot of management types circulating through the place, as well as having important-looking discussions at a couple of the tables. Since the lunch rush was already over when I arrived (2 o'clock hour), the staff actually outnumbered the customers.

I'd say that Midwood Smokeshack is more of a lunch/takeout place than it is a dinner date location, unless you are a really dedicated barbecue fan. It's in a space that was originally used by a Five Guys burger joint, with a Domino's Pizza next to it. There is competition right across the street in the form of Queen City Q, which is bigger, has a full menu, as well as a full bar, so the dinner crowd will gravitate there, presumably. I've eaten at Queen City Q, though, and their barbecue is much inferior to that of Midwood Smokeshack.

I'll give Midwood Smokeshack a 4 on my 5-scale of restaurants: good; tasty, well-prepared food, staff alert, restaurant clean. I'll hold off on giving it a higher score as it is a new restaurant and I need to see how it performs once the new is worn off.

Shipwreck Blog: French 16th-Century Ships, Cape Canaveral

Probably linked to the very earliest colonial efforts by the French in Florida: Fort Caroline, built by Jean Ribault and destroyed by the Spanish.

A private treasure salvage company says it’s found a shipwreck, buried in sand under the ocean off Cape Canaveral, that could be linked to the lost French colony of Fort Caroline.

Global Marine Exploration Inc. has discovered scattered evidence of a historic wreck that includes some tantalizing clues: three French bronze cannons, at least one of which has markings from the time of the colony, and a French granite monument adorned with that country’s coat of arms.

The monument is similar to the one French captain Jean Ribault put near the mouth of the St. Johns River in 1562 as he staked his nation’s claim to Florida. Its whereabouts have been a mystery for centuries.

The Day That Heat Left Summer...

...has arrived:

It's today! The annual Day the Heat Left Summer in Charlotte! Once a year about this time, you will have a single day in which the weather goes from summer-normal - - washed out skies, temperatures in the high 90's, high humidity - - to something far nicer - - clear blue skies without a single cloud, temperature down in the 80's, low humidity. It's startling how quickly the change occurs. Oh, this doesn't mean that summer is over, or that there won't be hot/humid periods again - - but the corner has been turned.

Fast & Furious Blogger Mike Vanderboegh Dead of Cancer

Mike Vanderboegh, a prepper/III percent blogger who, along with fellow gun blogger David Codrea and CBS journalist Sharyl Atkisson exposed the Obama administration's "Operation Fast & Furious" gunwalking plot, has died after a long battle with cancer.

Copperhead Feeding Behavior

In summertime, it's possible that you might encounter large numbers of Copperheads feeding on baby cicada insects as they emerge from the roots of trees.

Each summer, usually beginning around the first of June and continuing into September, cicada larvae that have spent their developmental period burrowed in the soil around the tree roots on which they feed, begin emerging for their metamorphosis into adults.

The larvae, looking like hump-backed beetles, begin digging their way to the surface around dusk. They emerge from the ground, crawl to the nearest vertical structure (usually a tree), climb a foot or two up the trunk, their "shell" splits along its back and the adult cicada works its way out.

Some of the highest-volume movements of cicada larvae are to large oak trees on lawns. These nocturnal emergences of cicada larvae are like the opening of an all-you-can-eat dinner for some wildlife. Yellow-crowned night herons are one of the species that regularly prey on emerging cicada larvae. Copperheads are another. And when the cicada dinner bell rings, it can draw a copper-colored, fanged crowd.

Amazing that this wasn't known before now. There's still plenty to learn in this old world of ours.

Thanks to Brock at Free North Carolina for linking it.

Blessed Are the Cheesemakers...

...there are so few good ones.

Thomas Merton put them on the map. Their fruitcakes are definitely not the kind to re-gift. And their fudge is just about as heavenly as fudge can get.

But the Abbey of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, is dropping one of the products whose sale has supported the monastery for years.

Because of the dwindling number of monks, the production of cheese recently came to an end, according to a report by WDRD.

Founded in 1848, Gethsemani is one of the oldest monasteries in the United States and attracts visitors from all over the world.

They may be attracting visitors from all over the world, but they aren't attracting vocations. People view monastic retreats as a spiritual vacation, not a life that they want to live. There are many reasons for this - - secularization of the US population, the catholic priest pedophile scandal, inability to come to grips with social media and the need to advertise their existence, strict bars to entry. Where are the 21st-century Mertons to draw the vocations?

Restaurant Review: BarBee's Bar-B-Que, Peachland, NC

Haven't done a barbecue joint review in a while, time to get back into the habit since I have a reliable car again. BarBee's is a small country barbecue restaurant right off of US 74, the main highway from Charlotte to the Carolina coastline and Wilmington. BarBee's is in Peachland:

It's easy to miss the turn-off coming from Charlotte, and I did so, driving nearly to Wadesboro before turning around and approaching from the other direction. Here's the road sign:

No other signage is in evidence, so the place can be hard to notice; since they have a regular local crowd, that may be what the management desires. There was a portable smoker parked out by the road sign:

There was a half-dozen cars in front of the place, a pretty good-sized crowd for a small place like this. As I looked for a parking slot I noticed several cats in evidence around the restaurant; don't know if they were restaurant cats or feral. Around back was a large, fresh woodpile, a promising note:

There was also a large propane tank, which may or not mean the use of propane smokers:

Menu. In addition to barbecue, the restaurant offers hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and fish. The menu states that the barbecue is cooked over hickory, but this doesn't mean that gas or electricity aren't the primary heat source, with wood being used only for flavor. The waitress, a teenager, professed not to know.

The interior was handsome, with a narrow dining area, booths along each wall, a couple of small tables in the center. The walls were paneled and roofed with 4" boards stained a honey color. Three windows looked onto a second dining room the same size as the primary, but with glass windows and a view of the parking lot. I didn't photograph the interior, not wanting a flash to disturb my fellow diners.

I ordered a large pork plate, with red slaw, fries and hush puppies. It came out in about 10-12 minutes, presumably the time it took to cook the fries and hush puppies.

The barbecue was chopped fine, with no outside brown in evidence, all interior meat, not much of a smoke smell or taste, and in fact the meat was served Lexington-style, with vinegar-based "dip" already poured over the meat before it's brought out. It was properly hot, temperature-wise. The red slaw had been ladled onto the plate with an unslotted spoon, and thus was sitting in a small puddle of vinegar/brine. Normally a slotted spoon is used to ladle slaw onto the plate so as to not risk spillage. The fries were straight-cut and seasoned (they can be ordered seasoned or plain), and it was a a relief from the usual BBQ joint crinkle-cuts, which I rather dislike. The hush puppies were the size of shooter marbles and tasty, just the right size to pop into the mouth. The drink I ordered was diet Pepsi, which comes in cans at BarBee's.

The tables in the restaurant weren't fully stocked with sauces and napkins. The waitress brought sauce to some of the tables while I waited for my food, but not to all of them; mine went without, so I can't comment on the sauces. One of the tables went without napkins, which were a roll of paper towels on an upright spindle.

The customers were seemingly all regulars; at one point a female, presumably the manager, came out to banter with three men at one of the tables; apparently one of the men was fortunate not to be getting his leg amputated. Another man who came in was wearing a stained white t-shirt with prominent dark armpit stains, he went to a table in the outer dining area.

I'll give BarBee's Bar-B-Que of Peachland, NC a 3 on my 5-scale for food quality (average) and a 2 on my 5-scale for service (desultory).

Re-Open Devil's Island!

France still owns the colony of French Guiana in South America, and could conceivably ship all of the malcontent Muslims in France to the place - - rebuild the old prisons to hold the Muslim criminals, and exile all the non-criminals there as undesirable citizens. Let the jungle diseases, insects, and South American wildlife take care of population control.

Revenge!

Osama bin Laden's son Hamza wants revenge.

So, of course:

Brawl At NC Country Club - - Whodunnit?

If you read The Washington Post's account, you come away with the impression that it was a bunch of white peckerwoods. Read the comments, you'll see time and again the Lefty commenters sneering at rednecks, only to have readers who have done more research at UK NEWSPAPERS point out that the country club had rented to the Usual Suspects - - and suffered the usual consequences. Presumably the statement by country club representatives about tightening up standards will be defined as "no blacks under 60 years old" from this point forward.

Meanwhile, At Fort Sumter, South Carolina...

maintenance is desperately needed, as in so many other places in the National Park Service.

Tift Merritt

Part 6 of my series on female vocalists features my beloved Tift Merritt. I've featured her here before, but it never hurts to get her more exposure. She's a military brat and a NC native, although I believe she lives in NYC now. She's incredibly talented, being a great songwriter, singer, guitarist and keyboard player. She has a feminine vulnerability that the other women I've linked don't. She does a lot of soul/Motown-influenced pieces.

Jolie Holland, Be Good Tanyas, Po' Girl

Part 5 of a series on female vocalists. I group these all together because the music is similar and they've all played together. Jolie Holland has a quirky, affected vocal style that can be irritating, as it sounds a lot like a send-up of backwoods twang. She was a member of the Be Good Tanyas before embarking on a solo career:





After Holland left the Be Good Tanyas, Frazey Ford took over the majority of the vocal chores in BGT:





Po' Girl was originally a spin-off project from the Be Good Tanyas, allowing some of the other Tanyas to step out of the huge shadow that Frazey Ford casts:

Beth Orton

Part Four of a series of posts on female vocalists more people should be aware of. Here's Beth Orton, the only UK vocalist among this group:

Kathleen Edwards

Part 3 of a series of posts featuring female vocalists I think more people should be aware of. Here's Kathleen Edwards:

Neko Case

Part 2 of a series on women singers. Here's Neko Case, who has the best set of pipes among the women I'll be linking:







Has that honky-tonk Patsy Cline vibe really working, huh?

Eilen Jewell

Here with the first in a series of posts of favorite female vocalists. These are women that don't get much radio airplay on broadcast radio, but probably do pretty well on the satellite channels. I'd be willing to bet most of you haven't heard of them before.

First up is Eilen Jewell. She has some great drawling vocals, smart songs, and a great band behind her, especially her guitarist, who is playing a Gretsch Eddie Cochrane guitar in these videos:









Hope you enjoy it!

You Can Recognize Charlotte Man By His White, White Teefs

"Charlotte Man Charged For Stealing Almost $2K In Whitestrips."

The Perfect Trumpian Nickname for Obama

Donald Trump is well-known for giving his political opponents derogatory nicknames: "Crooked" Hillary Clinton, "Lyin'" Ted Cruz, "Little" Marco Rubio, etc. Now President Obama is injecting himself into the campaign, so Trump needs to come up with a nickname for him. How does this sound?

Imam Obama, the Defender of Islam.

Time To Water the Tree?

I Smell Jackboots

"DHS Secretary: Gun Control Should Be Handled By Homeland Security"

The DHS is turning into a Gestapo or KGB, and Jeh Johnson reeks of Beria and Himmler. Time for the DHS to be disbanded.

Shipwreck Blog: Bom Jesus, 1533, Namibia

Portugese, was traveling to India with a cargo of gold and ivory valued at over 13 million dollars, vanished with all hands without a trace.

The Fight We All Lose In the End

Muhammad Ali, the boxer who dominated the sport in the 1960's and 1970's, is dead at 74 of respiratory illness.

Sadly, he developed Parkinson's Disease shortly after his retirement and disappeared from the limelight, so many younger people have little clue how much a dominating force he was in his heyday. He won the heavyweight title three times - - which means he lost it twice, of course, mainly due to hubris and complacency - - lack of confidence was never a part of the Ali package, nor was humility.