Thursday, November 5, 2009

The Making of an American Soldier

Neptunus Lex links to an in-depth photo essay from the Denver Post following one Ian Fisher from home, to Iraq and back again.





Go here to see the complete series. Definitely worth a viewing.

kthanxbai!

Pictures of an 18 year old model

Now that I have your attention, please vote for me at the 2009 Weblog Awards. I'm assuming I won't win but I do like a challenge!!

I'm entering myself in the category of Best Individual Blogger

Below is the info you need to copy and paste on the Nomination Website

Jumblerant
http://jumblerant.blogspot.com/
http://feeds2.feedburner.com/Jumblerant


And here are the pictures of that 18 year old model railway I promised you in the title:





kthanxbai!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Put your ears back and listen

Medic Matthew over at New Life Changes put this video from YouTube our way. And I liked it so much I thought I'd share it.

Pomplamoose Music's cover of Beyonce's 'Single Ladies'

Pay particular attention to the lyrics at approximately the 2 minute mark

Enjoy.



kthanxbai!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

One versus many


Makes you think eh?

I saw this on Sharp as a Marble and he first saw it here.


kthanxbai!

Why I don't use twitter

As twitter takes over the world and His Amazingness Stephen Fry takes twits seriously, please click on the link below to understand why I am currently an untwitterer.

Twitter Badge 1Image via Wikipedia



Slight swearing but we're all adults here aren't we?
Seriously, aren't we? The Bloggess - Twitter will molest you

kthanxbai!

A mix of two loves

That title sounds a bit naughty doesn't it? I think I'll leave it there to raise the number of visitors to the blog from Google.

Jenson ButtonImage via Wikipedia


Anyway, with the Formula 1 season now over and the last Grand Prix watched, analyzed and misanalysed I thought I'd share with you two things I love: Fry & Laurie and Auto Racing. Like oil and water mixed in a puddle they show a myriad of color .. blah blah blah

Enjoy the sketch



kthanxbai!

Monday, November 2, 2009

USS New York goes home

The new Navy assault ship USS New York, built with World Trade Center steel, arrived in its namesake city Monday with a 21-gun salute near the site of the 2001 terrorist attack.


The USS New York was discussed on this very blog just 2 weeks ago: Going Home.

Just saying.

kthanxbai!

Drive I Swear

As I mentioned in a previous post, the first real rains of the season began yesterday. So here are a few rules for your delectation;

+ If you slow down to 20 km/h because of the rain I will gesticulate at you. Now get out of my way.

+ If you slow down to 20 km/h because of the rain and continue to hold the phone in your hand and talk into it I will gesticulate at you and insult your parentage. Now get out of my way.

Result of a serious automobile accident.Image via Wikipedia



+ Look at the road in front of you. If it looks like puddles then slow down. The odds are that your car weighs more than a bag of hot air and so in a Vehicle v. Puddle fight, don't worry, you WILL win. Now get out of my way.

+ If you do not think that lit headlights are a required addition to driving in stormy conditions I will flash my lights at you. I will also gesticulate and debate your parentage. Its not about you seeing the road, its about other drivers, and pedestrians, seeing you.

+ Driving with one armed draped over the passenger seat is never a good idea. If you do so whilst it rains heavily, and you're talking on the phone, and you have a cigarette in the same hand as your phone and you're undertaking someone I will do nothing.
I will do nothing because I'll be busy phoning the Police because you're a Caulking Font (rearranged for the faint of heart).
You may be suicidal but I like my life right now so I'll do my utmost to get you off the roads.

+ Everyone else? Yeah, you're good.

Thus endeth the rant.



kthanxbai!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Odd goings on at the UN

The Austrian Police believe that the death of a British nuclear expert who fell from the 17th floor of a United Nations building is not suspicious, and this article explains why.

Flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency...Image via Wikipedia

Timothy Hampton, 47, a scientist involved in monitoring nuclear activity, was found dead last week at the bottom of a stairwell in Vienna.

An initial autopsy concluded that there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’. But it is understood that Mr Hampton’s widow Olena Gryshcuk and her family were deeply unhappy with that verdict.

So like any loving wife she ordered another autopsy, not under the authority of the local police.

...a doctor who undertook a second post-mortem examination on behalf of the family believes she has found evidence that Mr Hampton did not die by his own hands.

... she said one possible theory was that Mr Hampton was carried to the 17th floor from his workplace on the sixth floor and thrown to his death.

Professor Yen used new forensic techniques to detect internal bruising caused by strangulation which would not be visible to the eye.

She said: ‘In my opinion, it does not look like suicide. My example is that somebody took him up to the top floor and took him down.




Funny that, because at the end of the article there is a little notelet about a similar 'non-suicide' by an American:

Under a year ago, an American died at the IAEA in strikingly similar circumstances, his body being found at the bottom of a stairwell.

A UN spokeswoman said an investigation into that case continues, though Austrian police have concluded it was suicide.

She said: ‘This might have been a copycat thing in the CTBTO.’

As Iran and Friends are coming under pressure to toe the line with their Nuclear weaponry and North Korea keep showing off their nuclear arsenal this happens. And it doesn't make headline news?

Curiouser and curiouser.

Make up your own mind! The Daily Mail original article can be found here.

kthanxbai!


Random Thoughts part deux

We had the first heavy rains of the winter on Friday so I was going to rant about how cars aren't made of paper and at over a tonne a piece, can quite happily go through a puddle or two - thinking that goes against what most of my fellow countrymen believe.

A light chocolatey dessert ... I love it chill...

Our Friday night guests canceled on us because of the weather so now Mrs J (aka 'Her Indoors) now have 2 chickens, a half kilo of rice and a whole chocolate mousse to get through. And I was going to rant about that too but going through a chocolate mousse really isn't a bad thing!?!

And then I started going through the blogs I follow on Google Reader and came across a few things you might find interesting, just not finger licking good!


At Random Acts of PatriotismASM 826 posted this fund raising blog:

Semper Fi

All we need is the will and the vision. We have the finest trained, best equipped military in the history of the world.

The music in this video can be purchased from iTunes, profits to support the men and women of the Armed Forces. Details here.




Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.
--General George Patton Jr.


And for Firefly / Serenity fans like myself SigBoy's posting about the TV show 'Castle' made me smile:







kthanxbai!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Danger in bed

I just saw on the Crappy News Network that a drunk driver smashed his car into a house, pinning 2 people in their bed.

I assumed (dah!) that they were talking about someone living in a basement or cellar but look at the photo, below;

Yes, thats right, they live in a normally situated building, however trailer-like it may look.

Somehow the car flew into the wall approximately 2 meters above ground level! There don't seem to be any conveniently parked ramps or cardboard boxes around. . . any ideas?


kthanxbai!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Surviving the world

After my post yesterday on The Men Who Stare at Goats, the blog Surviving the World explains just how true to real life these films generally are;



And they go on to give some sage advice.



Go over to their site to see today's lesson on surviving the world.

kthanxbai!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Crazy looking film

I saw the preview of this film over at Soldier Systems where they are celebrating their 1,000th post! Mazel tov.



This film looks pretty 'off-beat' and yet I was still strangely drawn to it.

Ewan McGregorEwan McGregor via last.fm



The scenario looks odd but they keep going on about how it is based on a true story.

And it has Ewan McGregor, and George Clooney, and then Jeff Bridges sashays in! And if that cast wasn't good enough for you, Kevin Spacey joins in too!!

Watch the trailer and see if you agree.


kthanxbai!

What a day!

On Saturday night we received the sad news that a friend of ours had passed away. She was in her late 30's and had been fighting cancer for a year and a half and we already knew that on Friday she'd been taken to hospital where they could help her with the pain.

As is the custom in Judaism she was buried as early as possible, this happened to be Sunday morning.

The saddest part of the whole thing, as if funerals weren't sad anyway, is that her 9 year old daughter was there. The daughter was obviously having a hard time but was being bolstered by the fact that there were over 200 people there, most of whom she recognized.

And then there was the service.

As the 9 year old came to see her mother she screamed and ran off. Her father followed her and slowly managed to cajole her back to the front of the congregation.

Our late friend's brother, sister and father spoke. If we weren't all in tears by then the bravery and maturity of her 9 year old daughter brought a salty drop to our eyes.

She spoke. In front of hundreds of people she spoke. She spoke of her loving mother who was beautiful and fun and the best Mum ever. She spoke about how she'd help her two sisters, aged 4 and 2 to not only grow up as good girls but also to remember their mother.

No-one mentioned that our friend was a hero for battling cancer, or was a world leader in something or that she was a beacon of light in a dark society. They just mentioned that she always smiled, was fun to be around and was a great mother.

I guess the truth hurts the most.


kthanxbai :-(

Thursday, October 22, 2009

I advise you to watch this video

Way back in April - oh those were the days weren't they? - I shared a lovely video with you.

When: 2nd April

Where: http://jumblerant.blogspot.com

What: Her morning elegance


But now I found something that might be even more interesting.


Watch it and enjoy. If you can work out how it was done please tell us in the comments!

kthanxbai!

Supermarket shooting itself in the foot

The other day we received a series of coupons from our local supermarket. It had over 75% off brand names items that we use regularly:

Coffee aka warm caffeine with milk
Coca cola aka cold caffeine with sugar
Diapers - very useful with Baby J in the house

Chemical structure of Caffeine.Image via Wikipedia



Mrs J, Baby J and I turned up to the supermarket in question this morning with our freshly folded and cleanly cut coupons as well as our regular shopping list.

Thursday is a busy shopping day in these parts. The weekend starts early so Thursday morning is the 2nd busiest day at the shops. Friday is THE busiest day - so crazy in fact that I have not been shopping on a Friday in 6 years.

The staff were interested in the coupons as they had heard they were being sent out, but hadn't seen them yet. I had to explain to one of them what the coupons were about - the top row for October and November, the bottom row for December.

There was even a picture of the Store Manager on the coupon letter and I saw him walking around the store, pleased as punch.

After an hour, 3,000 or so paces, and an interesting 'discussion' with Her Indoors, we arrive at the check out.

The female clerk (is that what they're called in these PC days?) was very friendly, chatted with Her Indoors and played with Baby J. She explained that she was not local but had been drafted in to deal with the influx of expected customers due to the coupons.

We had bought 1 of each thing on the coupon list and started to pass the items through. I handed the clerk the coupons and she said that she had to speak to her direct supervisor.

Fine. We had nowhere to rush to and there was no-one waiting behind us so we waited.

The supervisor arrived and explained that we had to show the coupons first as their system couldn't take the coupons after the item had been passed through the 'thing that goes "beep"'. Nice to see that they were ready for their big advertising splurge.

Great. She flashed her card through the system and we start packing the shopping.

But wait. if you have bothered to read this far its because you know there is a twist in the tale! The young couple in the checkout next to ours is having a bit of a combined meltdown. They've also got their coupons but are unhappy.

Mrs J and I listen in.

It appears that you can only use one coupon per purchase, each purchase a minimum of $25.

The Manager ambles over. 'Of course its only one coupon per purchase. It's written on the bottom line'.

SIDMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 18:  Donke...More asses


I decide to confront the inept chap. 'Sir, I read the front of your coupon. It says the item and the price. I came here to buy them and now you're going to stop me from doing so? Are you sure?'

He slipped away without answering.

By now we had an audience watching us as it appears that most customers in the supermarket had coupons too!!

In typical 'thinking out of the box' fashion we come up with our answer.

Every $25 I the clerk and ask for the bill, and then pay. We have now made our purchase minimum of $25 and can now use one coupon!! We do this 3 times, laughing with the clerk at the attitude of the jobsworth* manager.

Tomorrow is Friday and both Mrs J and the sales clerk are very happy that they will be nowhere near that particular supermarket. It'll be interesting to say the least.

kthanxbai!

* jobsworth - from the phrase 'I can't do that, it's more than my job's worth' generally connected with not being able to get things done because of the rules. Jobsworth in wikipedia

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

'Jesus's face' spotted on toilet door

Fact: The face of Jesus has been spotted in a toilet door in a Glasgow branch of Ikea.

A bearded face, with long flowing hair, is plainly visible on the wooden door of the men’s toilet in the Braehead outlet of the Swedish furniture and meatballs giant.

Some debate over whether the face truly represents the Son of Man, or whether it is in fact Gandalf out of the Lord of the Rings, or even a member of ABBA.
You saw it here first. Well, second actually, original here at The Telegraph.

kthanxbai!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Keeping shtum

I'm a huge car racing fan, specifically Formula 1. I've been a fan since I was 11 and saw the speed that these guys drive at.

Stirling Moss at the NĂĽrburgring in 1961 .Image via Wikipedia


There was a huge race this Sunday, a championship deciding race, but due to circumstances beyond my control I was unable to watch it. As always I decided to download it and watch it in my own time.

No problem there except I can't read my emails because I get Brawn F1 team news sent there. I can't read blogs in Google Reader as I subscribe to 15(ish) F1 blogs (with Sidepodcast probably being the best one out there right now).

A modern Formula One car: Michael Schumacher's...Image via Wikipedia



I also have friends who phone me during the races to chat about whats happening so I haven't been answering the phone to certain chaps. Sorry!

And I can't even check the news with the amazing Morning Coffee software in Firefox as all of the UK press will be putting the results on the front page.

So all day I've been bored at work waiting to rush home to watch the race. I even left the office early only to find that 'Her Indoors' had paused all downloads to make her Facebook surfing slightly faster and forgotten to start it going again. Grrr!!!

Now all is downloaded, I have watched the introduction, I have a 7 month old baby boy with a baby head cold in his exer-saucer beside me and I am watching the race.

UPDATE:

So far in lap 1; 2 crashes, 2 drivers arguing out fo their cars, one pit fire, one car driving off from his pit-stop with the fuel hose still attached.

I guess its not very proffessional but fun to watch!~!

kthanxbai!

Going Home

Back in May I wrote about The US's First Littoral Combat Ship and it's capabilities.

Over at Neptunus Lex it is noted that the amphibious transport dock, the USS New York, was launched on Tuesday for her commissioning in November.


As can be seen by the Coat of Arms of the USS New York, above, this ship was made with a purpose.

kthanxbai!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Common sense out of the window

I was cub scout as a youngster. A member of the 36th Ilford if I am not mistaken. We used to learn first aid, build tents, raise money for charity and every now and then we'd go away for a few days.

I enjoyed it, had fun with my friends and I guess it added to my love of the military later on in life.

Six-year-old Zachary Christie was so excited to become a Cub Scout that he brought his camping utensil to school. The tool serves as a spoon, a fork and a knife, and Zachary wanted to use it at lunch.
Simple enough. I took my grandma's gas mask from World War 2 into school for show and tell. And I think my sister took me in once as well but I'm a bit more fuzzy on that one.

What Zachary didn’t know was that the gizmo violated his school’s zero-tolerance policy on weapons. And now the Christina School District in Newark, Del., has suspended the first grader and ordered him to attend the district’s reform school for 45 days.
Whisky Tango Foxtrot?? A kid brings in his own cutlery and gets suspended? I assume that they serve more than mere finger foods in their dining hall in Newark, Del., or are they all members of the canape and caviar crowd? At the age of 6.

Christ, at 13 I was playing with rifles at my senior school. I could have easily poked someone in the eye with a Lee Enfield number 4 rifel (the rifle used by the majo

Polish Cub Scout Camp, Crivitz, WI 2007Image via Wikipedia

rity of British Forces soldiers in World War 2) - it could have really hurt someone.

At 16 I was hospitalized whilst playing grass hockey at school after I received a hockey-stick to the head. I still have the 3 inch scar to prove it! But a spoon - wow, I'd have been scared of that.

It appears that the school district has now ovcerturned their original decision - sorry - let that read 'amended their zero tolerance ruling' to allow more discretion on the part of teachers.

The Christina School Board voted unanimously to amend the Code of Conduct for the 2009-2010 school year to allow individual schools and school administrators more discretion when deciding disciplinary actions for students in Kindergarten and First Grade.
Surely thats why we have teachers in the first place? To use their common sense in how to teach our children the ways of the world?

Also, the above changes to the 'Code of Conduct' does not allow 7 year olds to bring spoons to school. I guess they have to draw the backwards looking, petty ruling somewhere.



kthanxbai!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

No more Obama / Hitler comparisons


I'd like to apologize on behalf of all the blogs that I have read saying nasty things about President Obama, especially the comparison with Hitler.

The Black Power salute was a noted human right...Image via Wikipedia



It is unfair and rude.

Hitler, after all, managed to get the Olympics.

kthanxbai!

Need a real hero? Here's one

So President Obama won the Nobel peace prize for being the President of America. It doesn't make him a hero. Acts like this separate the men from the boys.
Lloyd Gardener came forward to answer a Crimewatch appeal after a woman was attacked and left for dead while walking home from a nightclub.

She was found naked under a truck with a fractured skull, and is still confined to a wheelchair more than three years after her ordeal.

A horrifying ordeal indeed. Mr Gardener realized that the man who did this must be apprehended and did the utmost to make sure that he was.

Well done Mr Gardener for coming forward.


Lloyd Gardner from Exeter, Devon, (above) was given a £10,000 reward for helping convict Polish national Jakob Tomczak

But that is not all.

He was given around $16,000 reward money for helping police track down witnesses. And here is where he became a hero. He donated it to the rape victim, a wheelchair bound Polish woman, who returned home after her vicious attack, as he thought it would help her more than it would him.

As we say over here 'what a mentsch!'.

Hat-tip to Welcome to Toy Town



kthanxbai!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Kill the little green invaders!

I recently watched a very interesting TV show about the ring-necked parakeets that have become so prolific in England and other European countries. It included an interview with the holiest nature man of all time, Sir David Attenborough. Pictured below with a baby bird.




The Great British Parakeet Invasion was shown on British TV on 4th September 2009 so I guess its rather timely that less than a month later 'open season' has been declared on these colourful little squawkers that have invaded copses all over the UK with their bright plumage and noisy calls.


Sadly the ring-necked parakeet is now a viable target for farmers, councils and really anyone with an air rifle (we are talking about the UK here) who finds them to be a nuisance *

I guess success has its drawbacks.

kthanxbai!

* I would like to take this opportunity to thank Blogger for making the fonts in this blog utterly impossible to change. Well done!!