This 1/48 kit should be pretty straightforward to assemble. The hollow construction should also allow more enthusiastic modelers to scratchbuild an interior if so desired. Not shown: an astronaut figure, currently being made the old fashioned way (plastic and sculpting).
So I saw a variant of this commercial a short while ago. It’s been around for a year and a half or so, and during that whole time it has BUGGED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the song. But the song is entirely wrong for the message. On the surface “come with me now” sounds like a perfectly fine tune for a commercial for a vacation destination. But if you listen to the whole song it’s about some guy trying to sell his soul to the Devil and apparently being drawn down into – or at least tempted into – Hell. Doesn’t seem to me to be the best PR message: “Satan invites you to Orlando.” Of course, with the recent attacks of gay Jihadi Democratic alligators in Orlando, maybe they were spot on.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just me, though. While I am not even close to conventionally religious, it wasn’t for lack of exposure back in my podling days; got my butt kicked out of Bible School for arguing with the teacher about “how the hell do you pack all those carnivores on that little boat for all those months.” And for as long as I can remember there have been two phrases that just creep me right the hell out, for reasons I can’t adequately explain: “Come with me now” and “Come and see.” That last one comes from the book of Revelation from the Bible, spoken by some sort of beast as the world gets bitchslapped by God. I have always associated it with some sort of evil force saying it; the phrase was used thusly in the first season of the “Sleepy Hollow” TV series, uttered by a demon, and in “X-Men:Apocalypse,” uttered by what is essentially an evil mutant demigod.
“Come with me now” and “come and see” both seem like the sort of thing that would be the last phrase heard by a sane mind confronted with Nyarlathotep or some such Lovecraftian horror from beyond. Whatever it is that person sees would either drive ’em mad or outright destroy ’em. Whether Lovecraftian or Biblical, the message is kinda the same: knowledge leads to destruction (remember that tree in that one garden?). And that annoys the bejeebers out of me, and is probably why the phrase gets on my nerves: the idea that there is an invitation to learn, to gain knowledge, but the experience will be used to squash you like a bug. The idea that the safe way is the ignorant way… just doesn’t sit right.
So if you ever read one of my stories and you see someone say “come and see,” you know something really unfortunate is afoot. Best response to it would be:
“Come With Me Now” was performed by the Kongos, a South African band performing in a South African style. Durned if I didn’t think it was a group from Louisiana or some such, though, making music like Cajuns.
Getting close-ish…
The most pathetic thing you’ll read today:
And what was learned? Primarily that the author of the piece is a man not to be respected (bolding mine):
It felt to me like a bazooka — and sounded like a cannon.
One day after 49 people were killed in the Orlando shooting, I traveled to Philadelphia to better understand the firepower of military-style weapons and, hopefully, explain their appeal to gun lovers.
But mostly, I was just terrified.
The man-child continues:
The recoil bruised my shoulder, which can happen if you don’t know what you’re doing. The brass shell casings disoriented me as they flew past my face. The smell of sulfur and destruction made me sick. The explosions — loud like a bomb — gave me a temporary form of PTSD. For at least an hour after firing the gun just a few times, I was anxious and irritable.
Oh FFS. As someone on Fark correctly posted:
Ye gods. Compared to most “military style” weapons – the M-1 Garand, the M-14, the M-16, the AK-47, a good shotgun – the AR-15 is a BB gun. The standard AR-15 platform is *small,* the bullet is small, the cartridge is small. I shudder to imagine what this guy would have done had he been confronted with a Barret. Or Odin forbid, a Ma Deuce.
Today’s launch resulted in the Falcon 9 first stage hit the barge hard, apparently due to inadequate thrust on one engine. However, it was entirely successful in putting its payload into orbit.
Good launch & flight vid, suck landing vid:
Just the landing, such as it is:
An illustration showing the interesting high temperature materials used on the 1960’s ASSET re-entry lifting test article.
Obviously Hillary and Trump are out. I’d been considering Gary Johnson, even though he’s pretty lackluster. But now… all I have are people to vote *against.* Why? Behold:
Short form: after clinching the Libertarian nomination, Austin Petersen, another Libertarian candidate, gave Johnson a replica of George Washington’s flintlock pistol. A little odd, but I guess a nice gesture. But hotel guests saw Johnson dumping the pistol into a trash can, fished it out and returned it to Petersen.
Weak. Weeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaak.
Who said todays kids ain’t got no chops?
Yeah, well, let’s see *you* do a cappella dubstep…
And if that musical interlude doesn’t float yer boat, try “Come Be PC:”
Or “Ain’t No Rest For The Triggered:”
Some future releases in the PDF-diagram line. Obviously some are a little further along than others, and some will be multi-sheet diagrams…
Another interesting tidbit has come out about Omar Mateen: he was a registered Democrat. Snopes has confirmed that in 2006 he so registered… but of course, Snopes then goes on to hem and haw: “His U.S. political affiliation (if any) at the time of the shooting is unknown.”
Now, it’s true: it has been ten years since Omar registered as a Dem, and that’s a good long time. But imagine the media firestorm if he had registered as a Republican or a Libertarian. Yeesh.
So, what have we got?
Gay. Muslim. Person of color. Child of immigrants. Democrat. And has made great strides in the holy quest of getting the Evil AR-15 banned. Omar Mateen is a political correctness wet dream.