The holiday is only two weeks away, so here’s a little morning musical interlude to cheer you up and put you in the spirit.
Archive for the ‘Christmas’ Category
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
Friday, December 11th, 2020Now that we are in the Christmas season…
Thursday, November 26th, 2020…I can post this.
There’s a new Lame Excuse Books catalog out. Books from Lame Excuse Books make fine presents for the SF and/or fantasy fan in your circle of family and friends.
I feel like I got an early Christmas present this year. Maybe. I haven’t decided if I’m going to go see this in a theater, or wait for the home video release.
David Fincher has a new movie coming out. Apparently it will be released to Netflix on December 4th, but there is a theatrical run already at the Alamo Drafthouses in Austin.
I think Fincher is an interesting director. But: he has scientifically designed this movie to get me to put money on the table for it.
Obit watch: December 30, 2019.
Monday, December 30th, 2019Neil Innes, musical humorist.
In the early 1960s he was one of the first members of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, also known as simply the Bonzo Dog Band. He wrote the group’s biggest hit, “I’m the Urban Spaceman,” which climbed into the Top 10 on the British charts in 1968.
In the 1970s he wrote material for Monty Python, the groundbreaking six-member comedy troupe. Midway through that decade he and Eric Idle, a Python, came up with the Rutles, a deadpan parody of the Beatles; the group not only recorded albums but also made films, most notably the mock documentary “The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash” in 1978.
Sleepy LaBeef, noted rockabilly musician.
Lee Mendelson, producer of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
A slightly belated Christmas present…
Wednesday, December 25th, 2019The CBC Radio adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s The Shepherd.
There’s a lot of good stuff (if you’re a plane buff) linked from that page and elsewhere, including:
- A recreation of the flight path in the story using X-Plane.
- Restoring a Mosquito.
- An interview with the late Dave Barrett, former Pathfinder.
- What was it like to fly a Mosquito.
If you are a plane buff, I commend both the CBC links and Forsyth’s work to your attention.
(For those who may be unfamiliar with the story: young pilot is flying home for Christmas and suffers a total electrical failure over the north Atlantic. He has virtually no instruments, fog has set in, and if he bails out, he’ll probably freeze to death in the ocean. At the last possible moment, he’s led to a safe landing at an old RAF base by a Mosquito. And then the story goes in some unexpected directions from there.)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Wednesday, December 25th, 2019‘Do you know the poulterer’s in the next street but one, at the corner?’ Scrooge inquired.
‘I should hope I did,’ replied the lad.
‘An intelligent boy!’ said Scrooge. ‘A remarkable boy! Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize turkey that was hanging up there?—Not the little prize turkey: the big one?’
‘What! the one as big as me?’ returned the boy.
‘What a delightful boy!’ said Scrooge. ‘It’s a pleasure to talk to him. Yes, my buck!’
‘It’s hanging there now,’ replied the boy.
‘Is it?’ said Scrooge. ‘Go and buy it.’
‘Walk-er!’ exclaimed the boy.
‘No, no,’ said Scrooge. ‘I am in earnest. Go and buy it, and tell ’em to bring it here, that I may give them the directions where to take it. Come back with the man, and I’ll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than five minutes, and I’ll give you half-a-crown!’
The boy was off like a shot. He must have had a steady hand at a trigger who could have got a shot off half as fast.
There was another time I remember when my best beloved uncle came in one Christmas Eve just a little, you’ll pardon the expression, fried to the eyes. He fell into the Christmas tree, toppled it over, busted the decorations, and set fire to the drapes. We used candles in those days. Uncle Rob pulled himself up out of the mess, scraped some tinsel off one ear, and brushed some powdered glass from the smashed ornaments off his coat. He glared mistrustfully around him.
“God damn Santa Claus,” he said, and staggered off to bed, summarily dismissing Christmas for all time.
–Robert Ruark, The Old Man and the Boy
Merry Christmas to all of you. Traveling mercies to those of you who are on the road, or will be on the road. Blessings to any of you who are standing the watch: as part of the military, as law enforcement or fire or EMS, or even holding down the fort at the gas station or answering support calls Christmas Day.
There are two people that I’d like to extend extra special good wishes to this season: Borepatch, for his continued support and driving traffic my way. And pigpen51, who has been leaving a lot of thoughtful comments recently. Especially on the obituary watches: he’s clearly been giving some thought to mortality and what it all means, and much of what he says overlaps things I’ve been thinking about myself.
God bless us all, every one.
And speaking of Christmas…
Friday, December 20th, 2019I’ve been good this year, Santa. Do you think you could bring me one of these?
US SOF operator on a Toyota Hilux with a 7.62 minigun somwhere in Syria.
Trad blending of insurgency enginery with yankee firepower 👌 pic.twitter.com/Ca7HDNvNFP
— Hillbilly Frogman 🌲 (@YeeHawTactical) December 19, 2019
I don’t need the tactical operator: just the truck and the minigun. You can even leave it in the driveway along with the ammo, so you don’t scratch up the hardwood floors.
Filled with the spirit of Christmas.
Friday, December 20th, 2019Remember that Christmas depression?
On the one hand, this is incredibly depressing:
There's a GoFundMe set up for the family of an Idaho lineman who died yesterday near here, falling into the Columbia River from a transmission line. Pretty sobering to see this guy was my age, and leaves a wife and five kids. https://t.co/qQHTW6lFBu
— Wood Borer (@galooticus) December 19, 2019
On the other hand, I’m more than a little cheered up by the GoFundMe page: right now, they’re at $119,205 out of a $25,000 goal. Maybe there are good people in the world after all.
(Hattip to Dean Bradley. And, no, I’m not asking y’all to donate, but please feel free to do so if the spirit moves you.)
Banned in the UK.
Monday, December 16th, 2019Well, not really, but I thought I’d cause a commotion.
Spotted at a Big Lots over the weekend. Mike the Musicologist and I are thinking you could do a holiday special about a narwal: all we need is a name, and then we can write the script.
(I kind of like “Nathan the Narwal”, but would Nathan be saving Christmas, Chanukah, or Life Day?)
Merry farking Christmas, y’all.
Saturday, December 14th, 2019I was cautiously optimistic, tending almost towards excitement, about Christmas this year. I’m mostly getting along with almost everyone, and Daddy didn’t spend the Christmas money on brakes this year. (As a matter of fact, Daddy got his car inspected without any issues, got the oil and filters changed, got a minor repair done, and Daddy’s new vehicle registration is in the mail and should get here before Christmas.)
You know what depresses me at this time of year, though? (“Almost everything!” cries the peanut gallery.) They’re not too far off. But one thing that gets under my skin is car wrecks.
We live in a part of town where car wrecks are a distressingly common sight. The roads are heavily trafficked and carrying more than designed capacity. But car wrecks at Christmas really get me down.
I see someone with the whole front end of their car smashed to heck: obviously, this is a total loss. The ambulance is standing around nearby, and even if it doesn’t look like anyone was badly hurt, I’m thinking to myself what a shame it is. The kids were looking forward to that Playstation 5 (sorry, Playstation V) or the XBox 720 (“now with tint control!”) or the new Banana PCJR Pro, Mom goes out to the grocery store, and both parents come home hours later. “Sorry, kids. No Christmas this year. The car’s totaled and we’ve got to get a new one.”
I know I’m probably stretching a little: out here, I think everyone has comprehensive on their cars, and they’re probably not out more than the deductible (and the gap, if they don’t have gap insurance). But it still bothers me.
The other problem out here, oddly enough, is deer. The hooved rodents are belligerent and numerous, there’s strong opposition to doing anything about them (“They’re so cute! How dare you trap them!”), and people frequently have unpleasant encounters with them, even on heavily trafficked roads like RM 620 or SH 71. Our next door neighbor hit one a few weeks ago: it didn’t do a lot of damage from what I could tell, but her car was in the shop for a bit.
Last night, it was my turn. We were driving back from dinner down a two-lane road that’s a shortcut between US 290 towards Dripping and SH 71 towards Lakeway/Bee Cave when one bounded across the road in front of us. I saw it out of the corner of my eye as it was crossing the road towards the driver’s side but didn’t even have time to react: we clipped it pretty solidly on the passenger side.
The good news is, the car’s driveable: there’s some loose plastic around the passenger side wheel, and a fairly large dent in what I’d call the under-bumper. But there’s no hood damage, the headlights still work, and I think the front running light on that side does as well. There’s no evidence that the engine compartment took a hit, and I don’t see any fluids leaking. And the airbags didn’t go off.
I know it could have been a lot worse: we could have hit it square on and done more damage, it could have ended up going through the windshield into the passenger compartment…as I said, the car’s driveable, we have coverage, and Mom’s calling the insurance company Monday morning. We may even have dashcam footage if I can find it.
I guess what I’m trying to say this holiday season is: be careful. Look both ways. Turn with a light when you can, even if it takes you a little out of your way. Don’t pull a U-turn in the middle of the highway.
And if you’re in an area where it is hunting season and you have a license, take as many deer as you legally can.
Random gun crankery, some filler.
Wednesday, December 11th, 2019Col. Cooper, call your office, please.
Scout rifles. You know, for kids. Seen at Cabela’s over the weekend.
(Okay, technically, it isn’t a true Scout rifle. Beyond the fact that it is a toy gun, it is also lever action, while a true Scout would be a bolt gun. Cooper discussed the possibility of a lever action Scout, but I believe he considered that a pseudo-Scout. Also, I’m not clear what “caliber” it is “chambered” in. On the other hand, it probably does make weight and length for a Scout, and it does have the Scout style “scope” and mount…)
(Semi-related stupid. By way of Mike the Musicologist.)
Speaking of semi-related stupid, I could spend a lot of time and effort, and increase my blood pressure, by going after the latest stupid statement about guns from Art “Dammit” Acevedo.
But I don’t have to, because Lawrence sent me this handy Twitter thread that does the same thing.
Hey fuckface, you know what might have saved your Sgt.? Putting this piece of shit away before it came to this. But nope, you’re gonna bloviate on tv about how this turd ignored allllllllll the other laws but DEFINITELY would have obeyed one more gun law. Mmmmk. pic.twitter.com/OviDEfPKS7
— I Am Leah (@Bossy_Leah) December 10, 2019
But of course Art’s department was busy executing innocent civilians.
Speaking of the elusive MtM:
I wanted to title this “The Hat Squad”, but I got the picture back, and…where’s my hat? Obviously, I had it on in the other photo, but why wasn’t I wearing it in this one? And what did I do with it?
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
Monday, December 9th, 2019
…everywhere you go.
Hattip to Nicholas Vedros (@nicholasvedros) and Sportsman’s Finest (@sportsmansfinest) for the photos. (Yes, there’s more than one. I may post a second one tomorrow, if Mike the Musicologist approves.)
Christmas gun crankery.
Tuesday, December 25th, 2018The NYT apparently decided they were going to use the run-up to Christmas to be cranky about guns.
I didn’t link to that Andrew Ross Sorkin piece the other day about using credit card purchases to (supposedly) flag possible mass shooters (and I won’t link it here) because:
- Busy.
- I felt like it got pretty thoroughly discussed and discredited on Twitter before I had a chance. Here’s one good example. The only thing I’d add that I really haven’t seen metioned elsewhere is: if you want to weaponize the financial system, don’t be surprised when the weapon is turned on you, Mr. Marijuana Dispensary Owner or Ms. Sex Worker.
In other gun news from the paper of record, they (and supposedly a congressional committee and “federal agencies”) seem to have it in for CZ USA. Why?
Three years ago, Sandy McDonald began finding the rifles, left behind by poachers, scattered near the dead rhinos he found in the game reserve he owns in Mozambique, just across the border from South Africa.
Mr. McDonald immediately recognized the weapons. They were .375-caliber Safari Classics, made by CZUB or just CZ, a firearms manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. Upon closer inspection, Mr. McDonald noticed something else on the rifles. Carved into the metal were the words “CZ-USA, Kansas City, KS,” suggesting that the weapons were from the American subsidiary of the arms company.
Yes: CZ rifles are supposedly ending up in the hands of poachers.
How many CZ Safari Classics have you seen at the gun shop lately? “Quite common”? But I agree with Mr. McDonald: where are these rifles coming from, in such quantity that poachers appear to be just throwing them away? Are rhinos really so valuable that the rifles (which, remember, are imported) are basically disposable?
Neither CZ nor its American subsidiary has been accused of a crime by federal authorities.
…
But CZ officials said the guns that were found at poaching scenes were manufactured in the Czech Republic, not the United States. The company denied that any of the rifles came from its subsidiary in the United States — or that it had done anything wrong. And company officials said the weapons were legally sold to suppliers in Mozambique.
“Although the firearms were marked ‘CZ-USA,’ the U.S. entity CZ-USA had nothing to do with the rifles,” Petr Kallus, a company executive, wrote in a response to questions from The New York Times. “Rather, the marking ‘CZ-USA’ was applied to the rifles by CZUB as an international brand name only.”
You know, I don’t do a lot of hunting or poaching, especially of African game. However, I had the distinct impression from what I’ve read that many poachers are using surplus military weapons, like AK-47s, to do their dirty work. Not sporting rifles imported from the Czech Republic. Any poaching experts out there that can confirm this?
Next up: a few weeks ago, a guy held up two men in a New York City building, firing a shot during the holdup, and fled the scene. As he was running away, he ran into two NYPD officers. One of them gave chase. The suspect fired on the police officer, and the officer shot back.
And shot. And shot. And shot. All told, he expended 27 rounds and reloaded his Glock once. The officer eventually hit the suspect twice (in the neck and foot) disabling him.
The officer also hit five parked cars and one woman in the belly. A 12 year old girl was also hit by bullet fragments.
Unlike the two stories above, I think this is actually a fairly thoughtful and reasonable story: among other things, it talks about how difficult it is to shoot well under stress, especially with someone shooting back at you, and it doesn’t suggest the gentleman in question was a choir boy. (He was found with the gun and two kilos of coke.)
I don’t want to throw stones at the NYPD officer in question. I’m not sure my performance would have been much better in the same situation. On the other hand, I like to think I wouldn’t have been spraying shots on a crowded street, either.
John C. Cerar, a former deputy inspector who commanded the New York Police Department’s firearms and tactics section, said the way Officer Gomez shot while running was an anomaly in New York City, where officers are trained to control their fire.
“We tried to get police officers to be realistic that you’re better off firing from cover,” he said. “Less shots have to be fired if you’re in a good position. Shot placement is so much more important than the amount of shots fired.”
Two more things:
[The officer] had never fired his weapon in five years on the force, the police said.
Never? Not even in qualification?
The officers did not activate their body cameras during the incident.