Redskins

One of the benefits of blogging is that one spends a fair amount of time reading other bloggers. Sometimes, I even have my horizons expanded by reading different points of view. Which brings me to this:

We've surely all heard about the uproar about the usage of "derogatory Indian names" for sports teams and in particular the Washington Redskins have been singled out, mostly because of the rather politically incorrect comments the owner has made in the past.

Well, it just so happens that over the years I've counted a fellow blogger named Ron as a friend. He happens to be full blooded Choctaw, and is rightfully and damned proud of his heritage, and is heavily involved in the dealings of his tribe both spiritually and politically. His blog is called "The Local Malcontent" and he is based out of the Talihina, OK area. In the mountains.

At any rate, he has some very strong opinions on this subject and expresses himself quite well in this rant. I very strongly recommend you go and read the whole thing, as they say, because I suspect his position is not quite what one might expect when one listens to the limousine liberals stirring the pot.

I'm serious. Go and read!!!!

Going Back In Time

Sis just had some old pics of family members emailed to her, and she sent them to me. I picked out the ones that had that little extra meaning for moi. They are all from my Mother's side of the family.

My Grandpa Bill (I was four or so when he passed away), Grandma Julia (about sixth grade), one of our great aunts Aunt Pauline (quite the character), my mother's sister who was Aunt Judy to Sis and I (she passed away several years ago), her hubby Pleasant (Kim) - he's my Nunkle Kim who comments on this blog occasionally, and my Mother. This was labeled April 17, 1949.

Mother expressing awe and wonder!

Mother was born in 1929, so this is surely not a graduation picture. I can guarantee you that is her handwriting - I'd recognize that anywhere.

1-24-1948. Pleasant and Judy. I'd say they've been to a wedding, but I have no idea.

Well, anyways, this is a look back at some of my loved ones long before I came along. Hope you enjoyed 'em too!

Armistice Day

Or Veteran's Day, whichever you prefer. Of course, on this day we thank our veterans, alive and deceased, for their service.

But, in a corner of your mind - remember why this day - the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of 1918 - is relevant. Yeah, that was when the Armistice started - and hostilities more or less ceased, but it was painfully important to those who lived in that time.

When you think about it, the War to End All Wars pretty well rubbed out a generation of young men, and making significant inroads into those preceding the young men. All of Europe and major portions of Russia were also involved, with lesser impacts on the societies of the other Allies.

That war was a meat grinder, end of story. Best remember that, too.

K Staters remember, too

US Spitfire Reconnaissance

link  big screen link

I'd forgotten that I've seen this before. If you have as well, it's still worth a few minutes of your time.

An unarmed, unescorted reconnaissance plane over WWII Germany? Just for a chance for a high school graduate to fly?

These men had steel nards, and we owe a lot to them.

H/T Michael Z.Williamson on Facebook

Hate To Hear About This

Miss Jean Louise - Mr. Arthur Radley. I believe he already knows you.

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the best American novels ever written, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and it was made into one of the best movies ever. End of story.

The story, written by Harper Lee, is widely regarded as semi-autobiographical - her father defended two black men accused of murder. After they were convicted, hanged and mutilated he never tried another criminal case. The character Dill was based upon Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote. There were other parallels as well.

Lee never wrote another novel again. Ms. Lee valued her privacy, and it has been rare for her name to surface in the news.

(CNN) -- Author Harper Lee has not published a novel in more than a half-century, but her words in federal court seek to protect the 87-year-old's best-known intellectual property, "To Kill a Mockingbird."

The Alabama writer has sued her hometown Monroe County Heritage Museum for trademark infringement, saying it is illegally using her fame for its own gain. 

"The museum seeks to profit from the unauthorized use of the protected names and trademarks of 'Harper Lee' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' It is a substantial business that generated over $500,000 in revenue for 2011, the last year for which figures are available," said the lawsuit filed last week. "But its actual work does not touch upon history. Rather, its primary mission is to trade upon the fictional story, settings and characters that Harper Lee created."

snip

The museum fully acknowledges its most famous resident. Its website is www.tokillamockingbird.com and says it "maintains and operates six historic sites in Monroe County, Ala., that collectively interpret the area's rich history," including "the literary legacy of (fellow author) Truman Capote and Harper Lee," who were childhood friends.

A gift shop -- called the Bird's Nest -- sells memorabilia, T-shirts, even cookware about the book, and the museum stages a "To Kill a Mockingbird" play each spring. 

An attorney for the facility strongly denied Lee's allegations.
"Every single statement in the lawsuit is either false, meritless, or both," said Matthew Goforth, a Birmingham-based attorney hired for the museum. "It is sad that Harper Lee's greedy handlers have seen fit to attack the non-profit museum in her hometown that has been honoring her legacy and the town's rich history associated with that legacy for over 20 years. Unfortunately for Harper Lee, those handlers are doing nothing but squandering her money with this lawsuit. The museum is squarely within its rights to carry out its mission as it always has." 

Lee in her lawsuit acknowledged the novel's impact in her community. "The town's desire to capitalize upon the fame of 'To Kill a Mockingbird ' is unmistakable: Monroeville's town logo features an image of a mockingbird and the cupola of the Old County Courthouse, which was the setting for the dramatic trial in 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'"

Her lawyers said they had earlier attempted to stop the museum from any unauthorized commercial use of the novel, and claimed it tried to block her federal registration of the "To Kill a Mockingbird" trademark.
"Historical facts belong to the world, but fiction and trademarks are protected by law," the lawsuit says. 

Nelle Harper Lee -- her full name -- separately settled a lawsuit last month in which she claimed she was "duped" into signing over the copyright to her book six years ago. Her current lawsuit says the novel still sells about a million copies a year.

Well, clearly I'm not a lawyer. But (always the "but"), the museum's url, exhibits and activities all center around Harper Lee's works. Did they even ask her for permission or include her in their decisions about using her work? My money is on "no."

But, there are lawyers involved, so no telling. I just really hate to hear about this.

Cowboy Up!

Y'all may have surmised that I'm back home from my trip. If not, welp, I got back Friday afternoon. I needed a couple days rest just to recover. I also ran out of steam as far as making it to all the places I'd liked to have gone to as well.

There weren't enough hours in two weeks to go to points east of Indianapolis nor west to Denver, much less the West Coast. I'd pretty well figured that out already, but after about seven or eight days on the road, I was pretty well fried. For sure I was tired of biscuits and gravy, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, nuked sausage and egg patties I can buy at Wally World, and so on and so forth. Never did get tired of bacon, which was available exactly twice.

I stayed in Holiday Inn Expresses, Comfort Inns, and AmericInns. I wish more king bed rooms had recliners. The sofa beds and the average chair are really not made for sitting.

I put on over three K miles, which is not that big of a deal. The new truck got as high as 17.5 or so mgp - I need to bring in my little black book and get all the figures - haven't even gotten to that yet. I was hoping for better, but it hasn't even gotten close to it's first oil change.

I also have a drain pipe (four inch diameter) to put on for a cat back exhaust system (as well as a grill guard), but didn't have time before I left. Not gonna mess with the chip or the intake - I'd prefer Ford pay for any screwups they installed rather than moi during the warranty period.

 Kitsey was pretty tickled to see me when I appeared at the door. She now likes sitting in my lap and being petted endlessly, but she hasn't figured out that she can actually come to me and I'll pick her up to do that. Her standard practice is to flop on her back in my path so I'll stop and rub her belly.

And I have more pics. Sorry about the quality - it's kinda hard to tell in the dark just how crummy they are when you're taking them. I hadn't been to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in OKC, OK since I was a teenager.

Things have changed.

For one thing, I've changed. Old me: Paintings? Bah. Boring. Current me: Surprised at how art can move me.

I got in trouble for taking some of these pics in a restricted area. The guard was really nice about it - he said the flashes can break down the pigments, and that there might be copyright issues were I to publish them. Of course, they're gonna end up on this blog. However, after looking at the pamphlet handed out, those areas were limited to no flash photography, not no pics at all.

Oh well. I can tell you there is one painting ten or so feet tall and fifteen or more feet wide of the Grand Canyon that was simply breathless. It showed a sliver of sunlight highlighting a canyon wall into a golden display of visual riches, a small rain squall below the rim covering part of the view behind it, several huge craggy and incredibly detailed bluffs - man, the colors and sense of depth just blew me away. There were paintings of cowboys in action - men who look identical to many I've known over the years, Native Americans, various wildlife, and just about any thing associated with the West.

The gun pictures I took were not in the main gun room, which I could have shot some no flash pics. I'd have probably ruined my phone from the drool anyhow. Some of the guns John Wayne donated were definitely highly desirable.

Of course Fredric Remington's and C.M. Russell's works were represented. Awesome, to over work a word. Of course, James Earle Fraser's plaster cast of End of the Trail sculpture is featured.

There is a pretty comprehensive rodeo section as well. I'm not much of a rodeo fan, but I did recognize a few names. Lots of prize saddles over the years on display.

I was there for four or five hours, and being on my feet that long just wiped my fat butt out. Totally worth it. I also went on a Wednesday, which happens to be free admission day for a limited time. I got there about a half hour after it opened, and it was definitely getting crowded with families by the time I left. Any wonder? Free vs thirty or forty bucks?

I hope those kids were entertained - the kid in me sure as hell was!

Here is a slideshow of the pics I took:

One Ring To Bind Them.

Naw. Just stopped by to check out the Gateway Arch at St. Louis MO on the way to OKC. I've been by several times, but I've always figured there was no truck parking. Hey, guess what? There isn't. The garage I parked at made me nervous about the FX4 clearing, much less a semi. No freaking way. I also chickened out and didn't ride up - I'm about three quarters claustrophobic and one hundred percent acrophobic. I'd heard about how the observation platform tended to move in the wind. Not this fat boy, nossir. After seeing the guns, I asked about L&C's airgun - but they didn't have a replica or one of the real ones. Been a while since I read about the original and even if it's still around. And one has to go through security to get in - I ditched my pocketknife before I got there, but walking in I remembered my Silver Bullet Brigade bullet from the NRA on my keychain. They never even blinked and told me a small knife wouldn't have been a problem. My nail clippers were ok as well. Not as high strung as the security theater types at the airports. I got there a half hour after it opened, and thought about hanging around for one of the two movies showing, but it was starting to get pretty crowded. It looked like several busloads of folks hit all at once. No idea where they park, but I'd bet there is a place for 'em. So it was time for me to go. I recommend seeing this if you ever are able - definitely worth the time.

Update to "Last Marble"

Apparently when Google took over Picasa and melded it into Google+, they borked up some of the features. If I log into their url with a no redirect on the end, I get the layout that the instructions reference. Thus, the slideshow. That is all.

I've Lost My Last Marble.

Mecca for a gearhead

Tech problems here - even RTFM isn't helping. I can't seem to put an album I made into a slideshow on Picasa on this blog unless I link to it. Cannot embed. Instructions say there is a link to and an embed button on the right. There is just a slew of pictures on the right. There are sharing options, and there is an option to link to the album. I made it public, so hopefully this works.

Try clicking this link.

At least that seems to work. Not too happy with Google - I suspect the new Picasa version has changed and they haven't changed their owner's manual to go with it.

Anyhoo, I've always wanted to go there, and so By Gawd I did. Driving up to it reminded me of the old Tiger Field in Detroit - old grandstands butting right up against the street. Only this thing was hundreds of times larger. Just mind boggling. Track tours were off because there was going to be a motorcycle race, so I didn't get to do that.

I had in mind that they would have every winning car there, but there isn't enough room for that. They did have an excellent representation of the more historical cars, plus some other racing vehicles from other disciplines - such as the Spirit of America land speed rocket, a Pontiac campaigned by Richard Petty of NASCAR, some bikes and other goodies.

It's probably a good thing the 1989 winner's car was not there. I never did appreciate how Emerson Fittipaldi punted Al Unser, Jr to win the Indy 500. I suspect I'd have been tossed from the place were I to do to his car what I'd really really like to do, if you know what I mean and I think that you do. Nossir, that puddle isn't antifreeze, officer.

I've Got Yer Ghost Town Right Here

I was on my way to Ravanna, which is one of the closer ghost towns around here and I saw these bulls talking to each other, and this meme popped up in the ol' noggin. The one closest to me on the right was kicking dirt while I was digging the camera out, and after I put it back up.

I guarantee you that conversation wasn't particularly friendly. They like to "fight" a lot at times, which is mostly just pushing and shoving, snorting, tossing of heads, and dirt kicking. Yet somehow things get bent, fences are torn down and other maintenance headaches happen during these events.

Both pastures had plenty of cows and calves further away from the road, and I guarantee you they noticed me with the loud pipes. But, they all just watched me drive by. Ravanna is straight ahead.

One of the very few buildings left - and it's built from limestone rock. Same stuff they used for fenceposts.

There are a lot of these remains of buildings - just a mound littered with limestone chunks.

I think this is the graveyard. 

A big mound across the road from the courthouse.

The courthouse sat well off the main road, with building remains in the foreground.

Better shot of the courthouse.

The last time I was here was back when I was a teenager. Dad and I drove by while he was scouting out some spots to hunt deer. In my mind's eye, the graveyard was a lot further south, but where I thought it was - well, it was just pasture there and not a clue. I also thought the old Finney County State Lake was due west, but I went that way and it is not - I'm thinking it is to the east. The lake dried out years ago, and is just a large flat depression full of prairie grass and other growth. That was what Dad was scouting, as I recall.

That courthouse hasn't really changed in the forty odd years since last I saw it. I can remember more substantial walls, and I remember Dad saying people had been carrying it off as souvenirs. I think some people were caught and prosecuted, and that crap stopped. Plus, some high school pranksters (seven or eight years older than me) got caught digging up some Civil War veteran in the graveyard. They had taken some of the stuff found inside the coffin - medals and such.

I also broke out my way better point and shoot camera, so the pics are much bigger and better if ya click on 'em. After seeing all this, I headed west to another local landmark - White Mound.

This is just a big bluff/plateau east of White Mound. I had forgotten it was here. That is a pretty poor stand of dryland milo in the foreground. If it rains, the strips of green plants will take off, but the dried up areas are forever gone.

White Mound! This place has some emotional weight for moi because there were several little ponds in the pastures to the west, most of which had fish, and Dad had permission from the owner to fish there. He, Cuzzin Tom and I all spent some time there - I was totally bored after a while. I'd hook up a Rapala just for something to do, on the very off chance there might be a bass in there. Alas, it was just catfish. Which didn't bother Dad in the least - we'd go up there with stinkbaits, worms, liver and such and Dad just sat at the pond's edge, smoking cigarettes and enjoying the peace and quiet. We might have sandwiches and ice water or a pop or three along as well, but it was mostly a chance for Dad to relax away from it all. I'd get chastised were I too noisy because Dad didn't want me scaring the fish, he said. Now that I'm older, I think it was just to get me to shut up and be quiet and not ruin his afternoon off.

I should also mention that the owner at the time had a passel of sons, most of whom were schoolmates. A couple of them became musicians and started a band called - wait for it - White Mound. I had one of their t-shirts, but it turned into a rag many many moons ago.

Plus, on a different sort of adventure, my buddy Road Pig climbed up that thing in his 4wd Blazer. I think it was the Blazer - he got sorta serious with an IH Scout later because the Blazer couldn't take it.

And this milo looks better - kinda thin, but if it rains, it'll be worth cutting.

Plus, the trip on the scoot was pretty uneventful. It has been overcast all day, and it was spitting a tiny amount of moisture as I headed north from town. I'm not gonna be ripping down those gravel roads very fast real soon. I used to just run 45mph on the ol' Virago, but that was mostly when the weeds in the ditches were higher than me. I hit a pheasant once that about knocked me off the bike, and that was how fast I was going at the time. Plus, I wasn't real wild about suddenly sharing the road with deer I couldn't see coming. The weeds aren't doing as well these days, since they seem to require at least a tiny bit of rain, so the approaches to the roads were pretty visible,and the deer were playing well away from me today.

Also got 34.4mpg on that little excursion as well, so I couldn't have even come close with the FX4.

I will be doing this again - I had a lot of fun. It was my way of getting away from it all for a short time.

Just A Toy

2005 Suzuki C90 Boulevard. Actually, I think it's a C90T (touring) with the factory bags and windscreen. I wouldn't have bought it without those. It's got 26k miles on it, so it's been ridden.

It also has some extra goodies - the chrome fender lips have been added, the seat is not factory (it actually has another backrest - I like the extra room more than the extra back support), and it has a pair of slash cut pipes that are considerably louder than stock. It doesn't sound like a Harley - unless you think all loud V-twins sound alike. Of course it's got a throttle lock.

It's been a long, long time since I've ridden, and it shows. Mostly I have problems timing my stops so I don't drag my feet, and starting up again, as well as putting around in first gear going really slowly. With practice, I'll be "back."

I didn't want to spend big bucks on a Harley and then find out I don't wanna ride the dern thing. Not a whole lot of money in this sweetheart.

I was given an older size 2X Harley helmet with this, but it doesn't fit. Ordered a 3X Friday - I wanted a half helmet, but the dealer didn't have any half helmets in his catalog larger than 2X, which they had in stock anyway, and didn't fit. I'm pretty big on riding with a helmet, but it's hard not to do so when there is no helmet for Jeffro. So, I got some goggles that fit over my glasses (meeting semis about takes 'em off) so I can at least see safely.

I've just taken one short trip - went to Garden City. I took the long way - K23 north of Cimarron, then K156 on into Garden. I wasn't real confident in my abilities on US50/US400, so I kinda took the road less traveled. After I got done in Garden, I ran 'er back on 50 no problem. Other than having to duck behind the windscreen every time I met a semi.

I've really been wanting to get out on weekends and go see the local historical sites - old schoolhouses, ghost towns, museums, Indian battle sites, geological oddities and such. There are a lot of things to see within about 150-200 miles around here and all trip my trigger. I figure I can do all that a lot cheaper on this puppy than in the new truck. Not that I don't like the new truck anymore - that thing is slicker than snot on a doorknob, to rob one of Dad's old sayings. But the bike has it's charms as well, even if it isn't as comfortable.

So that's the evil plan.

Blast From The Past

link

Ahhh, 1977. The year I graduated from high school. This video really took me back. I really don't recall Oakley Ralph wearing a cowboy hat much. Had his son as a classmate at St. Mary of the Plains College but never got to know him very well, because he didn't live on campus. I competed in a speech contest put on by the Optimist Club with Nancy Jo Trauer's daughter. As I recall, she won the thing - mostly because she gave a far better speech than I!

And at the Longbranch Saloon you can get a soda, but what you really really want is a sarsaparilla. Good for what ails ya. The sales barn hasn't changed much, compared to many of the other shots. The mall shown was nearly brand spankin' new back then, and that area has been built up considerably. The "new" Civic Center mentioned was actually built in 1954 - heh. Downtown looks a lot different as well - some streets have been closed off and parking put in, plus an old mill across the tracks from Front Street has been demolished and is now parking for the Dodge dealer. Most of the downtown streets are still brick, but the theater is kaput these days. Cattle are still fed from "feed trucks" just like the one dumping feed into the concrete bunk in the film.

Oh, and the video cuts to a Black History moment about Harvard's "new" Afro-American Studies at about the 5:15 mark. Interesting for sure, but I am puzzled why they were lumped together.

Jeffro's Picture Roundup

This is some guy's junkyard north of Mission, SD. Nothing unusual except for the car on top of the old stock trailer close to the road.

It's an old Mustang II notchback. It has been up there since I can remember. How and why are the questions we have - how did he get it up there and why? What in the world?

For Grey Havens - the old steam engine nut. This is an old Baldwin 2-6-2 oil fired locomotive on display at the Boot Hill replica in Dodge City, KS. She was built for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 01/1903, and is no longer in running condition. I think the boilers are completely shot, which was apparently something Baldwins were known for. Planned obsolescence, yannow. She was donated to the museum in 1954, and several years ago was moved to this location during an extensive remodel of the grounds. I've spent some time playing and climbing around on her, but that was a long, long time ago!

This is what you will see a few miles west of Dodge on US 50 eastbound - the silhouette cowboys welcoming you to the Cowboy Capital. A similar sculpture is by the airport on the east side of Dodge on Business US 50. Welcome! We've got the Boot Hill Museum, complete with shootouts, dancing girls in the saloon, a pretty nice casino, and lots of other odds and ends. I have said before that this area literally drips with history and Dodge is a tourist destination during the summer. Oh, yeah, by the way, there is a rodeo during the summer. The five day Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, sanctioned by the PRCA. Yep, it's a big deal.

Purebred Longhorns. These are located kitty corner from the grain elevator at Howell, KS due west of Dodge and east of Cimarron, KS on US 50. Sorry 'bout the image quality - I was hoping they'd be far closer to the fence. Longhorns are liable to be about any color combo - not uniform at all. They all share a lanky, bony structure that can survive on grazing in dry country, and manage to survive long drives. It wasn't until the plains were settled that more domesticated cattle breeds infiltrated the beef supply - more meat on their bones, etc.

Again, sorry for the crummy image quality. This was pretty low light, which my phone camera does not like at all. Anyhow, meet Yeager, who is obviously a German Shepherd. He and I got along right off. He could poke his nose in my chest with all fours on the ground - he is that huge. I've always liked large dogs - I like rasslin' with em and having them physically able to rassle right back. His head and nose were as long as my arm. He resides on a farm north of Norfolk, NE. His master says he is normally friendly, but there have been times Yeager didn't recognize him in a different vehicle and that he was NOT so friendly - until he got an eye and a whiff. I was A-OK, though, and gave him most of the attention he thought he deserved. Very cool hound that I was glad to meet.

Remember me grousing about how crummy the roads were and how I hate to drive on snow and ice? It wasn't real bad, but I'm still not wild about driving on this stuff - especially empty. No weight on my drive axles means not a lot of traction. And, my drive tires are getting kinda thin, but not thin enough to replace just yet. So, that means the rear of the tractor squirms around on the various ruts and such instead of staying planted, which I infinitely prefer.

And here is one reason I hate driving on this crap - it isn't always going to be a mistake I make that ruins the day or gets me hurt or killed. Too fast? Probably - for sure too fast for the driver's ability to keep it straight and on the road. It was windy - like 40mph windy, but it was out of the north and this guy was headed due north. It was not a sidewind that twisted him up. I was running about 40 or 45 and even on gradual rises I lost some traction and had to back out, so him fighting the wind probably had him hurting worse in that regard. At any rate, "four wheelers" out in the ditches is a common sight as well, and I just don't like being out there when they've lost it and slide until they stop. Which may be right in my path.

The further south I got, the better it was, and the snow on my hood finally blew off. I finally got back and felt like I'd been driving about twice as many hours as I had, and in fact, I felt pretty punky the next morning and had to call in. Dammit.

So, this wraps up another edition of Jeffro's Picture Roundup. Hope ya enjoy!

Cool Stuff!

Yeah, I did go there.

I was watching the History Channel today - Modern Marvels was on. In a segment about ice, they mentioned Pykrete:

Pykrete is a composite material made of approximately 14 percent sawdust or some other form of wood pulp (such as paper) and 86 percent ice by weight. Its use was proposed during World War II by Geoffrey Pyke to the British Royal Navy as a candidate material for making a huge, unsinkable aircraft carrier. Pykrete has some interesting properties, notably its relatively slow melting rate (because of low thermal conductivity), and its vastly improved strength and toughness over ice; it is closer in form to concrete. 

Pykrete is slightly more difficult to form than concrete, as it expands during the freezing process. However, it can be repaired and maintained using seawater. The mixture can be moulded into any shape and frozen, and it will be extremely tough and durable, as long as it is kept at or below freezing.

Yes, the various Canadian, British and American militaries were considering using it to make a sort of crude self propelled aircraft platform not unlike an aircraft carrier to help fill the gaps from submarine losses during WWII. But, with the advent of long range bombers, radar and sonar keeping the Wolfpack at bay, the need was less pressing, and the idea dropped.

Still interesting, though.

On The Beeb Tube

Watching the BBC tonight - Das Boot is on. So what, Jeffro? You might say.

It's one of the best war movies ever made, that's what. It is about the "adventures" of a WWII German U-boat crew. The film really accurately captures many of the elements of living in a tiny metal tube with a big diesel motor sharing living space. The crew is continually dirty and unkempt, and alternate between euphoria  and depression, depending on their circumstances. They are more than willing to do their jobs, and are proud of their boat, but the High Command's failures, the politics, and the unending duty without a break tears the men down.

You can share their claustrophobia, while also sharing their camaraderie.  One scene I've always gotten a kick out of is where one sailor picks his nose and throws the boogers at another. Yeah, it's gross, but these are young guys forced together in an uncomfortable environment with death over their shoulders at all times. Just another way to vent some steam.

There are scenes where they escape their hunters by going too deep, and breaking down, being bombed and strafed - they are always among the hunted - the predator as prey. Another scene shows them being resupplied by essentially a cruise liner. The opulence of the ship, the extravagance and waste outlines their more meager daily existence. Even though the crew of the supply ship treat the submariners with awe and respect, they still feel out of place, and look it as well.

This movie does not cover the rightness or wrongness of the Third Reich. It's just sailors who like their jobs and just want to be left alone, and of course, that will never happen. The prevailing attitude about the politics is largely that there is too much interference. The political officers are not liked at all, and comments about the Glorious Hitler's Regime are sarcastic. They're in it because they are sailors.

This clip, though, really captures the spirit of the men and their fine sub - they battle the elements and clearly enjoy themselves, because they are sailors. That is what they do.


link

The original move is in German, and there are two English versions - one dubbed and the other with subtitles. Naturally, I prefer the dubbed version.

Edited to add - it's on The Military Channel, not BBC. Sheesh. Good thing it's Friday - apparently I've run myself dry, as it were.

Sixty Five Years Ago Today

The Kon-Tiki set sail for the Polynesian Islands. Thor Heyerdahl wanted to prove it was possible that the Islanders came from South America using the sailing tech in pre-Columbian times. That meant building a raft made from balsa logs. Pretty crude stuff, frankly. Most anthropologists do not think that emigration happened, but it was an interesting exercise for sure.

I read the book as a teenager, and was fascinated by the tales of fishing, sailing difficulties, eating field rations, and the strain the men felt in their relationships. It's a good read, for sure.

Quote of the Day

"It will not be too strong to say, that there will be a constant probability of seeing the station [of President] filled by characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue." --Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 68, 1788

Somehow, I think ol' Alex might be a tad disappointed in the quality of the candidates here lately, or maybe it's just me.

Anybody Remember This?

From Ace's Overnight Open Thread: (from Wikipedia)

On April 7, 1994, FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo jet ferrying electronics across the United States from Memphis, Tennessee to San Jose, California, experienced an attempted hijacking for the purpose of a suicide attack.

Auburn Calloway, a FedEx employee facing possible dismissal for lying about his previous flying experience, boarded the scheduled flight as adeadheading passenger with a guitar case carrying several hammers and a speargun. He intended to disable the aircraft's cockpit voice recorderbefore take-off and, once airborne, kill the crew using the blunt force of the hammers so their injuries would appear consistent with an accident rather than a hijacking. The speargun would be a last resort. He would then crash the aircraft while just appearing to be an employee killed in an accident. This would make his family eligible for a $2.5 million life insurance policy paid by Federal Express.^[1]

Calloway's plan was unsuccessful. Despite severe injury, the crew was able to fight back, subdue Calloway and safely land the aircraft. An attempt at a mental health defense was unsuccessful and Calloway was subsequently convicted of multiple charges including attempted murder, attempted air piracy and interference with flight crew operations. He received two consecutive life sentences. Calloway's appeal was successful in having his conviction for interference ruled as a lesser included offense of attempted air piracy.^[2] The crew was left with permanent, disabling injuries and have not flown professionally since.

There is more detail at Wikipedia, but for a better story, go to Damned Interesting.

I don't even remember this.

Must Be Some Dirt In My Eyes

Go. Read.

Trust me.

H/T Firehand

WWII In Color

link
 

An officer aboard a U.S. submarine in WWII sometime approximately in 1945 shot this video of a crashing B-29, rescuing the entire crew of twelve, and the transfer of the survivors to another sub headed back to base. The film was forgotten until years later, when the tail gunner, Vanden Huevel, received a copy of the film. You really should go read the complete story from KUSA Denver.

Can you imagine getting this video of your rescue sixty five years later?

Aaand, while I'm at it, I got this video in a link to Brightcove (apparently who hosts KUSA's videos), so I wanted to attribute it to KUSA, who did the story. Do you think any combination of search terms entered into their search box would even find this story? I had to do a manual Google site search to find it. Wow - search fail KUSA. The story was from November of last year, but it's obviously in their archives.

At any rate, the video and it's context are kewl, In My Humble Opinion, carping about a news station's website aside.

H/T Lydell