Sunday, March 9, 2014

Around The Blogs 2014-03-09


Lots of good stuff from the blogosphere this week, including an unusually high proportion of very funny entries.  Good - I needed a laugh!

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The Lonely Libertarian brings us a . . . different . . . perspective on human development.  It explains several adults I've met!  (NSFW.)

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Mike McDaniel provides a grim perspective on what Connecticut's anti-gun laws might lead to, if common sense fails to prevail.  I hope he's wrong . . . but there are enough jackbooted thugs out there that he may be right.

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The Gunslinger illustrates the different understanding of shopping displayed by men and women.

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A Geek With Guns brings us a fascinating photograph of Japanese Samurai in the mid-19th century.  Just looking at the attitude they so clearly display brings the legends of these ferocious warriors to life.

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Rev. Paul has two posts that made me smile this week.  Click on both links to enjoy them.

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Old AF Sarge brings us an interesting overview of the difference between English-English and American-English grammar and syntax.  Like him, I prefer (and mostly use) the English-English approach (not surprising, since that's my background).  It was interesting to see it laid out for comparison.

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JayG brings us several dumb laws from around these United States, along with links to many more.  Giggleworthy!

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TOTWTYTR ('Too Old To Work, Too Young To Retire') comments (negatively) on the practice of sending a fire engine to respond to medical emergency calls.  I've long thought this was nothing more or less than a scam, designed to allow Fire Departments to bill medical insurance for the (usually completely unnecessary) attendance of fire appliances and personnel, thereby underwriting the Department's expenses without raising municipal rates or taxes.  I regard it as fundamentally dishonest . . . but that's according to my code of ethics (something most governments, local, state or national, appear to lack).  I'm glad to see that at least one paramedic agrees with me.

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Jennifer brings us news of a pen that she thinks might solve her writing problems.  At $48,000 a pop, it'd better!!!  (The user reviews at the link she provides are hysterical, as are those of other expensive pens offered by the same vendor.)

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Daniel Greenfield explains and underlines 'The Coming Collapse of the Welfare State'.

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MSgt. B. riffs on the old standby of 'This guy walks into a bar...'  I laughed out loud at the third one.  (Must be the African in me - I've met monkeys like that . . . )

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Wirecutter illustrates Mardi Gras at Texas A&M (Agricultural & Mechanical) University.  (Mildly NSFW.)

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Remember the infamous pistol bayonet?  Now you can one-up your sharp pointy friends with an axe on your pistol, shotgun or rifle!  Tactical it ain't, but it'll sure impress the rubes . . .

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The Mellow Jihadi brings us an interesting look at video special effects and how they're created.

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Here's a collection of '37 Things Only Cat Owners Will Understand'.  Miss D. and I shared many laughs as we viewed it together.

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Blue brings us an illustration that's soul-chilling (read the comments below it if you don't immediately get it).  Food for thought indeed . . . and a graphic illustration of why one should never place oneself at the mercy of Big Brother without the capacity to object (strenuously if necessary) to his excesses.

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And last but not least, The Lonely Libertarian (with whom we began this week's roundup) brings us a heroic guinea-pig - although I'm not sure whether he was heroic or merely gifted with supernatural endurance!  Click the image at the link for a larger, more readable view.

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That's all for this week.  More soon!

Peter

5 comments:

Rich S. said...

Those samurai remind me a bit of gang members "projecting attitude".

They certainly don't look like comfortable people to be around.

John Peddie (Toronto) said...

On the fire engines, that practice keeps fire engines visible to the public. Otherwise, taxpayers would conclude that firemen spent their spare time playing poker back at the fire hall.

Does wonders for unions in negotiations too.

Old NFO said...

All good ones, thanks!

MSgt B said...

Peter drops some linky-love on me, and it's that post?

*facepalm*

Stu Garfath. Sydney, Australia. said...

'This guy walks into a bar' joke reminds me of an event that happened in the late 60's, as told to me by the person it happened to.
Hong Kong, about 1965-66, there was a GCHQ 'facility' named Little Sai Wan at the northern end of the island, manned by Brits and Aussies, I worked there 1979-1982.
One of the members, an ex Royal Navy, now Aussie, George B, was a single living on base member, the rooms were big enough to house one person in adequate comfort, no air-con, only fans.
George had a small pet monkey, fairly well behaved most of the time.
One day, after a bastard of a time at work, George walked to his room, knowing that half a dozen nicely chilled beers were back in his room fridge, he'd had the foresight to put them there before work, it was summer, hot and bloody sticky.
Beer, nice cold beer!.
It was not to be.
The monkey had raided his little fridge, and broken every bottle by throwing them onto the concrete pathway, one storey below.
George went off the deep end, the monkey knew if he was caught pain would follow, so he jumped up onto the ceiling fan, sat in the middle, arms wrapped around the centre shaft, screeching with fear as George desperately tried to get a hold of him.
No way.
George had an idea.
He turned the fan on, FULL SPEED, as he told this to me, he couldn't stop a smile appearing.
Within a few seconds, the fan was going full blast, then it happened.
George was hit by a splatter of liquid fear -shit!.
The monkey had the 'runs', and it was splattering the fan, and George, he ran from the room, insane with rage.
After hosing himself off, he went back, still furious, to get a hold of the monkey, it was gone, but its fear was there for all to see.

George looked up, and saw a 'Plimsoll Line' of SHIT ringing the walls of his room, roughly at fan level.
George thought, F**k it!, so he arranged for the room cleaner to clean his room, but he was so guilty about the state of his room he left her a fairly good 'extra room fee', then went to the Base Bar and got smashed.

George is long gone now, but the word picture he painted of that day, after a few beers, was always hilarious.
Very colourful days indeed back then!.