Finally, a decent-resolution version of this classic.
[youtube QDiBgHuRctg]
Mar 282013
Mar 272013
Clearly, this is the most world-shatteringly important posting I’ve ever made.
Some time back I bought a used book. Tucked inside it was someones receipt for purchase of gasoline from a Conoco station in 1990. Who cares. But the thing that grabbed my attention was the *where:* “Trinity and Central, Los Alamos, NM.” Again, who cares. Well, I get a bit giggity at the combination of Los Alamos and Trinity. Sure, in this context “Trinity” is simply the name of the road, but still…
Mar 272013
Mar 272013
Heckuva job, Rabbi. RIP.
Rabbi Who Cried to the Jews of Buchenwald: ‘You Are Free’
Mar 262013
If you want to see some amazing footage of the largest glacier calving event ever caught on tape, you’re covered:
[youtube hC3VTgIPoGU]
A bit of NSFW language. Otherwise, it’s like a scene out of a Hollywood disaster flick.
Mar 262013
In the 1970’s, when everybody and their brother was thinking of ways of dealing with oil shortages and the like, Boeing studied the idea of using giant aircraft to carry oil and/or natural gas from Alaskas north slope down to the lower 48. Quite a number of these aircraft were designed; the math seemed to work on the aircraft being possible, but the math didn’t seem to work on them making economic sense. One of these crashes… hoo boy. Still, the idea of watching the Keystone pipeline protestors heads asploding when seeing these monster planes fly over would almost make the risk worthwhile.
Shown below is a photo of a model of one such design, capable of hauling a two-million pound payload (about 10 times the 747’s capability).
One of these decades I’ll probably do an APR article on the concept.
Mar 262013
On the one hand, it’s hard to be hard on Mark Kelly for becoming an anti-gun-nut. His wife was plugged in the noggin by a wacky leftist schizophrenic, after all… that’s gotta mess you up. But then, as he goes publicity seeking a few weeks ago, he wound up buying an Evil Black AR-15 Assault Murder Weapon *and* a .45 1911-style pistol (had Jared Laughner had one of those instead of a weenie 9mm, Gabbie would *not* have survived her gunshot):
Gabby Giffords’yHusband Buys AR-15
But then yesterday, whatever plans he had for his AR-15, whether plinking, home defense or political theater, turned into garbage when the gun store cancelled the sale and gave him his money back:
Gun store rescinds Mark Kelly’s rifle purchase, questions his ‘intent’
And while Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords await the launch of the USS Gabby Giffords, a brand-new Independence class littoral combat ship (continuing the long, proud tradition of cynically naming Naval vessels after *living* politicians), Mark Kelly and his daughter wander down to the California seashore for a relaxing day at the beach… where they lose control of their High Capacity Assault Dog, and it goes and kills a defenseless baby sea lion:
Giffords’ husband pulls dog off sea lion in Calif.
(If you must, HERE is the YouTube video of the incident. Note that there is definite NSFW language, plus rather disturbing footage of a dog killing a baby sea lion. Lots of blood, and an abandoned baby sea lion carcass sadly floating out to sea.).
Note that in California, killing a sea lion is Bad Legal News. Will Kelly and/or his daughter be hauled up on charges like your average schmoe with an Assault Dog would be? It seems not. Also note, the way the headline is written makes it sound at first like Mark Kelly tried heroically to save the sea lion from the dog, when in fact the dog was apparently his (or at least his daughters) responsibility.
Mar 252013
Historic ship in Philly short on funds, time
In short, America’s last trans-oceanic cruise ship, the SS United States, is docked in Philly and has spent many years being converted to rust. An organization was set up to restore it, but they are about out of cash. The SSUS will probably be converted into raw material in about a month.
It’s sad, but inevitable. To all accounts it’s a rust bucket. And not every ship can be saved.
And there was one good comment on the relevant Fark thread:
computerguyUT
2013-03-25 07:10:53 PM
Hey, since it’s already empty, we can use it to hold all of Obama’s bullshiat.
We’re going to need a bigger boat…
Mar 252013
And… we’re done.
[youtube C4ZxszoeCiU]
Mar 252013
Take a look at the leadoff photo here, and tell me that it doesn’t have *mounds* of potential:
FDNY lieutenant breaks down on the street when he is confronted about ‘racist tweets’ that called mayor ‘King Heeb’ and used ethnic slurs
(I’d post the photo, but it appears to be copyrighted and damn if some news organizations aren’t getting all lawsuity about such things…)
If that photo doesn’t give you the giggles, in the context of what’s going on, I don’t know what would.
As an aside: the relevant Fark thread. Just a little over a dozen posts in, someone assumes that the authoritarian, racist New York Fire Department Union member must be a Republican.