Tomorrow - - Tuesday - - would have been North Carolina author Robert Ruark's 100th birthday.
I only discovered Ruark a few years ago, but his The Old Man and the Boy and The Old Man's Boy Grows Older have quickly earned a place on my shelf of favorite books. They are a pure distillation of nostalgia for his upbringing in coastal North Carolina, specifically the Cape Fear region around Wilmington. I've spent a lot of time down there myself, seeing some of what Ruark saw, although the area is far more developed than he would recognize these days. He'd probably recognize the area around Fort Fisher, though, and maybe shake hands with descendants of people he fished with off of the Kure Beach fishing pier, and once into a boat and away from the crowds on shore he'd probably be quite happy revisiting the marshes, islands and beaches of the Cape Fear area. If you've never read The Old Man and the Boy, you're missing a great coming-of-age story and a primer on how to be a good man, even if Ruark himself often ignored the advice his grandfather gave him.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
The Inevitable Salvation Army Christmas Gold Post
Story.
Optimistic, romantic Bob thinks this is a cool story and wonderful tradition, but pessimistic, cynical Bob wonders if, perhaps, the Salvation Army is buying goodwill and free publicity for the price of a gold coin...
Ah, well. It's Christmas, not a time for cynicism. Merry Christmas to you all.
Ah, well. It's Christmas, not a time for cynicism. Merry Christmas to you all.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Dan Zimmerman, Intellectual Property Thief, Dead Hooker Magazine
via Roberta X.
Dan Zimmerman, widely held to be a longtime intellectual property thief and, I am given to understand, founder of Dead Hooker Magazine, has stolen Tam's "Fun Show Song" and posted the lovely video made as a Christmas present for Tam by Ambulance Driver and Squeaky and posted it over at TTAG, the other sink of iniquity and inequity with which he is associated, utterly without attribution to anyone but himself.
Other than polite reminders (already issued) and the distant possibility of lawyering up -- Tam's a writer and her stock in trade is the unique groupings of words she creates -- there's not a whole lot that can be done.
But there is one thing. Cato famously ended every speech he made in the Roman Senate with "Carthage must be destroyed," even if all he was talking about was proclaiming Junior Vestal Day. The phrase I'd like you to remember and to post all over the Internet is "Dan Zimmerman. Intellectual property thief. Dead Hooker Magazine." And good morning, search engines!
Dan Zimmerman, widely held to be a longtime intellectual property thief and, I am given to understand, founder of Dead Hooker Magazine, has stolen Tam's "Fun Show Song" and posted the lovely video made as a Christmas present for Tam by Ambulance Driver and Squeaky and posted it over at TTAG, the other sink of iniquity and inequity with which he is associated, utterly without attribution to anyone but himself.
Other than polite reminders (already issued) and the distant possibility of lawyering up -- Tam's a writer and her stock in trade is the unique groupings of words she creates -- there's not a whole lot that can be done.
But there is one thing. Cato famously ended every speech he made in the Roman Senate with "Carthage must be destroyed," even if all he was talking about was proclaiming Junior Vestal Day. The phrase I'd like you to remember and to post all over the Internet is "Dan Zimmerman. Intellectual property thief. Dead Hooker Magazine." And good morning, search engines!
Headline of the Day
"Stun gun wielding scooter bandit on the loose."
Scooter Bandit is what I'd name my rock band, I think.
Scooter Bandit is what I'd name my rock band, I think.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Gotta Love a Drunken Stripper
"A Rock Hill woman was arrested on Thursday after she was involved in a drunken-driving crash and then lifted her shirt to flash an officer."
Mindy Chandler, 28, an employee at the Crazy Horse, had been doing donuts in her vehicle before pulling the car onto Pursley Street and driving toward Richland Street, witnesses said. Chandler then backed up and crashed into a fence on Constitution Boulevard, according to the report, before locking herself in a bathroom. She was escorted outside to talk to officers.
Police said Chandler only had on one boot and was very intoxicated. When Chandler was being interviewed about the crash, a witness walked by and Chandler started making obscene gestures and yelling at the woman.
The officer then told Chandler she needed to pay attention to him. The woman reportedly responded by raising her shirt and flashing the officer.
Mindy Chandler, 28, an employee at the Crazy Horse, had been doing donuts in her vehicle before pulling the car onto Pursley Street and driving toward Richland Street, witnesses said. Chandler then backed up and crashed into a fence on Constitution Boulevard, according to the report, before locking herself in a bathroom. She was escorted outside to talk to officers.
Police said Chandler only had on one boot and was very intoxicated. When Chandler was being interviewed about the crash, a witness walked by and Chandler started making obscene gestures and yelling at the woman.
The officer then told Chandler she needed to pay attention to him. The woman reportedly responded by raising her shirt and flashing the officer.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
The San Bernadino Terrorist Attack and the 2nd Amendment
Hugh Hewitt, the most intelligent and well-informed of all the conservative talk radio hosts, discusses the attack with his guest, Dr. Larry Arnn of Hillsdale College.
HH: Dr. Arnn, when we went to break, I was talking about Victor Davis Hanson and an armed citizenry. He used a term a lot, as did Robert Kaplan, another fine writer, about Indian country being that when the early American settlers from Europe moves westward into the continent, they went armed into dangerous country, and they lived on the frontier, and this culture developed, a culture of reliance upon self-defense which is embedded in the 2nd Amendment.
LA: That’s right.
HH: That is, I just can’t be, that can’t be contradicted.
LA: No, first of all, the 2nd Amendment makes reference to the militia, and that’s the able-bodied citizens who are expected to be prepared to fight for their country, and fight for their defense of their community and themselves. Thomas Jefferson makes the comment that you can’t go from town to town in England or France without being robbed by a highwayman, but you never see them in America, he said, because somebody will shoot them. And that’s, you know, that’s, America started that way, right? A bunch of people came over here to a wilderness they didn’t understand, and they found out in a hurry they were going to defend themselves or get killed. And that, it does look to me like, you know, I would mention three levels, right? First of all, people have a right to own a gun in America, and that is the clearest Constitutional right. And short of changing the Constitution, it is a Constitutionally-recognized right. And it’s hard to change the Constitution.
HH: That’s correct.
LA: That’s the first thing. Everybody can have a gun. If you’re afraid in your home, get one. And of course, I grew up in Northeast Arkansas, and what was I taught, except that that was a huge responsibility. And so how many hours have I been lectured about not pointing a gun at anybody, and about being safe with the use of a gun? I’ll tell you a quick story about my dad. We were bird hunting with one of his employers, a man, I won’t say his name, but he actually paddled my father when my father was in high school. Then he became my father’s boss, and he paddled me. Now that’s family brotherhood.
HH: Yeah, it is.
LA: And I inherited the patriarchy, right? And we went hunting with this man, and three were some quail, and they came up off to the side, and the man swung his gun over us. And I can feel at this moment my father’s hand on my shoulder forcing me down. And when it was over, and we got up, my father said to me quietly, son, we’re going home. And he didn’t say a word to his boss. We left the field and drove home, because you don’t hunt with somebody who is not safe with guns. Now you think that’s not a lesson I will always remember?
HH: Yeah, I have a similar story, not myself being qualified in riflery. My brother-in-law, retired Marine Corps colonel and owner of many weapons, instructed my boys in weaponry. And the patience required to do that is enormous. It takes a lot, and I have never seen anyone as careful as my colonel brother-in-law taking his weapons out of the gun safe and walking the boys through their first trip to the range. And the painful, painful passage of time to learn how to use a weapon the right way, it was, it just imprinted on my mind that these are serious things. But people can be serious about them. And isn’t it time we started doing that?
Read the whole discussion at the link. And if you like it, share it.
HH: Dr. Arnn, when we went to break, I was talking about Victor Davis Hanson and an armed citizenry. He used a term a lot, as did Robert Kaplan, another fine writer, about Indian country being that when the early American settlers from Europe moves westward into the continent, they went armed into dangerous country, and they lived on the frontier, and this culture developed, a culture of reliance upon self-defense which is embedded in the 2nd Amendment.
LA: That’s right.
HH: That is, I just can’t be, that can’t be contradicted.
LA: No, first of all, the 2nd Amendment makes reference to the militia, and that’s the able-bodied citizens who are expected to be prepared to fight for their country, and fight for their defense of their community and themselves. Thomas Jefferson makes the comment that you can’t go from town to town in England or France without being robbed by a highwayman, but you never see them in America, he said, because somebody will shoot them. And that’s, you know, that’s, America started that way, right? A bunch of people came over here to a wilderness they didn’t understand, and they found out in a hurry they were going to defend themselves or get killed. And that, it does look to me like, you know, I would mention three levels, right? First of all, people have a right to own a gun in America, and that is the clearest Constitutional right. And short of changing the Constitution, it is a Constitutionally-recognized right. And it’s hard to change the Constitution.
HH: That’s correct.
LA: That’s the first thing. Everybody can have a gun. If you’re afraid in your home, get one. And of course, I grew up in Northeast Arkansas, and what was I taught, except that that was a huge responsibility. And so how many hours have I been lectured about not pointing a gun at anybody, and about being safe with the use of a gun? I’ll tell you a quick story about my dad. We were bird hunting with one of his employers, a man, I won’t say his name, but he actually paddled my father when my father was in high school. Then he became my father’s boss, and he paddled me. Now that’s family brotherhood.
HH: Yeah, it is.
LA: And I inherited the patriarchy, right? And we went hunting with this man, and three were some quail, and they came up off to the side, and the man swung his gun over us. And I can feel at this moment my father’s hand on my shoulder forcing me down. And when it was over, and we got up, my father said to me quietly, son, we’re going home. And he didn’t say a word to his boss. We left the field and drove home, because you don’t hunt with somebody who is not safe with guns. Now you think that’s not a lesson I will always remember?
HH: Yeah, I have a similar story, not myself being qualified in riflery. My brother-in-law, retired Marine Corps colonel and owner of many weapons, instructed my boys in weaponry. And the patience required to do that is enormous. It takes a lot, and I have never seen anyone as careful as my colonel brother-in-law taking his weapons out of the gun safe and walking the boys through their first trip to the range. And the painful, painful passage of time to learn how to use a weapon the right way, it was, it just imprinted on my mind that these are serious things. But people can be serious about them. And isn’t it time we started doing that?
Read the whole discussion at the link. And if you like it, share it.
Monday, December 07, 2015
Stunning Pluto Satellite Footage
Found here.
Video:
I was intrigued by a crater off to the left of the frame that looks like a crater lake:
Video:
I was intrigued by a crater off to the left of the frame that looks like a crater lake:
If This Ain't Worth a Blog Post...
...then nothing is:
I think this video should go viral.
I think we should rename O "President Otopu." O(bama)to(tal)pu(ssy).
update: Suspended by Fox News!
I think this video should go viral.
I think we should rename O "President Otopu." O(bama)to(tal)pu(ssy).
update: Suspended by Fox News!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving!
A blessed Thanksgiving to all of my readers. As it happens occasionally, it is also my birthday - - 54th, to be exact. Here's a photo of the 54-year old fatman:
I make the skull beads in my hatband from the teeth of my enemies, incidentally. ;-)
I make the skull beads in my hatband from the teeth of my enemies, incidentally. ;-)
Monday, November 23, 2015
New Wheels
Yet another Nissan Sentra. My last two cars were Sentras (1987 and 1993), this new 2015 makes the third:
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Happy Veteran's Day...
...to my fellow veterans. Thank you for serving.
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Monday, November 09, 2015
Shipwreck Blog: HMS John, 1652, Corolla, NC (Outer Banks)
Not a 100% certain identification, but a high likelihood. Ship washed up on the beach at Corolla in 2008.
Not for nothing are the Outer Banks of NC called "the Graveyard of the Atlantic."
Not for nothing are the Outer Banks of NC called "the Graveyard of the Atlantic."
Thursday, November 05, 2015
Sympathy Needed
Mark, one of the co-bloggers at the Borepatch blog, lost a son under the most tragic of circumstances a parent can.
If you read the Borepatch blog, please go over and offer Mark some sympathy and prayers.
If you read the Borepatch blog, please go over and offer Mark some sympathy and prayers.
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
Aikido Founder A Sudden Amazon Bestseller
If you watch The Walking Dead, you know that this past Sunday's episode featured the book The Art of Peace, a collection of sayings by the founder of the Japanese martial art Aikido. As you might (or might not) expect, the book has suddenly become a #1 bestseller at amazon.com:
And just incidentally, as I was wheeling my trash bins up to the curb a few minutes ago, I saw two boys down the street clacking sticks together, and it's probable that they saw The Walking Dead on Sunday and were pretending to be Morgan and Eastman, practicing "Aikido." It brought a smile to my face to see them outside in the damp grey overcast, instead of inside playing at their gaming consoles.
Maybe there's hope for us after all.
And just incidentally, as I was wheeling my trash bins up to the curb a few minutes ago, I saw two boys down the street clacking sticks together, and it's probable that they saw The Walking Dead on Sunday and were pretending to be Morgan and Eastman, practicing "Aikido." It brought a smile to my face to see them outside in the damp grey overcast, instead of inside playing at their gaming consoles.
Maybe there's hope for us after all.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
“Muslims have the Right to Kill anyone who does Not Respect Islam”
Says a "moderate" Imam in Norway.
Pope Francis, would you stop dicking around and just call the Crusade already? I'm getting tired of listening to this shit.
Poll:
Pope Francis, would you stop dicking around and just call the Crusade already? I'm getting tired of listening to this shit.
Poll:
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Charlotte Cop Brought a Taser To a Gunfight
Luckily for her she had a gun, too, when the Taser didn't work out so well.
The incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. According to police, the officer is Michelle Brcik. Brcik had confronted the driver of a truck that broke down when she realized the vehicle was one that had been stolen from a home invasion the previous week.
The suspect, 32-year-old Darryll Douglas Clay, exited the truck with a gun and Brcik deployed her Taser. Then the confrontation escalated quickly into an exchange of gunfire, police said.
This one raises interesting questions. Why did she deploy the Taser first? Did she grab it from habit, having accustomed herself to grabbing it in other confrontations? Was she worried about shooting a black man? Is it department policy to only deploy Tasers first, and then guns? I hope there'll be more to the story.
The incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. According to police, the officer is Michelle Brcik. Brcik had confronted the driver of a truck that broke down when she realized the vehicle was one that had been stolen from a home invasion the previous week.
The suspect, 32-year-old Darryll Douglas Clay, exited the truck with a gun and Brcik deployed her Taser. Then the confrontation escalated quickly into an exchange of gunfire, police said.
This one raises interesting questions. Why did she deploy the Taser first? Did she grab it from habit, having accustomed herself to grabbing it in other confrontations? Was she worried about shooting a black man? Is it department policy to only deploy Tasers first, and then guns? I hope there'll be more to the story.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Well, If You're Going To Declare Half the Country Your Enemies...
...then I guess you'd want their guns confiscated, huh?*
Clinton Praises Australian Gun Buyback Program: Confiscation 'worth considering' on a national level."
(*In case you hadn't heard, Clinton declared "Republicans" her enemies during the Democrat presidential debate earlier this week.)
Clinton Praises Australian Gun Buyback Program: Confiscation 'worth considering' on a national level."
(*In case you hadn't heard, Clinton declared "Republicans" her enemies during the Democrat presidential debate earlier this week.)
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
US Naval Academy To Teach Celestial Navigation Again
I never knew that they dropped it, myself.
The same techniques guided ancient Polynesians in the open Pacific and led Sir Ernest Shackleton to remote Antarctica, then oriented astronauts when the Apollo 12 was disabled by lightning, the techniques of celestial navigation.
A glimmer of the old lore has returned to the Naval Academy.
Officials reinstated brief lessons in celestial navigation this year, nearly two decades after the full class was determined outdated and cut from the curriculum.
That decision, in the late 1990s, made national news and caused a stir among the old guard of navigators.
Maritime nostalgia, however, isn't behind the return.
Rather, it's the escalating threat of cyber attacks that has led the Navy to dust off its tools to measure the angles of stars.
After all, you can't hack a sextant.
And sextants aren't subject to EMP's or CME's, either. (ElectroMagnetic Pulse attack or Coronal Mass Ejection from the sun).
The same techniques guided ancient Polynesians in the open Pacific and led Sir Ernest Shackleton to remote Antarctica, then oriented astronauts when the Apollo 12 was disabled by lightning, the techniques of celestial navigation.
A glimmer of the old lore has returned to the Naval Academy.
Officials reinstated brief lessons in celestial navigation this year, nearly two decades after the full class was determined outdated and cut from the curriculum.
That decision, in the late 1990s, made national news and caused a stir among the old guard of navigators.
Maritime nostalgia, however, isn't behind the return.
Rather, it's the escalating threat of cyber attacks that has led the Navy to dust off its tools to measure the angles of stars.
After all, you can't hack a sextant.
And sextants aren't subject to EMP's or CME's, either. (ElectroMagnetic Pulse attack or Coronal Mass Ejection from the sun).
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