Afghanistan 1st Hand

If you have been wondering about what life is like for troops on the front line in Afghanistan then you need look no further than Michael Yon's excellent blog 'Resurrection'.

Sangin is an active battlefield. To describe missions with other than vague details would present danger to these soldiers and to the next rotation. This is not like the sweep from Kuwait into Iraq, wherein the previous week’s missions were tantamount to ancient history. Here in Sangin it’s a daily brawl over the same terrain and sentiments, morning and night.

A couple minutes after the explosion in the photo above, an Apache flew over to take a look but like so many times, it’s just a mushroom with no known cause. A few days ago, in this area, another RPG was fired at a British helicopter and missed. The area within these photos contains more IEDs than perhaps anywhere else in Afghanistan. The British managed to locate one of the worst places in the country and proceeded to build bases all around.

Some excellent reporting that really should be read by more people. He has archived articles from Iraq and Afghanistan on his website Michael Yon, online magazine.


kthanxbai!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

AW1 Tim commented on a similar post at the Phibian's place -

"Leadership by Example".


Or lack thereof.

This pic is everywhere on the 'Net. But the best commentary with it so far is in an article at

The American Thinker by Thomas Lifson.

Sergeant Crowley, the sole class act in this trio, helps the handicapped Professor Gates down the stairs, while Barack Obama, heedless of the infirmities of his friend and fellow victim of self-defined racial profiling, strides ahead on his own. So who is compassionate? And who is so self-involved and arrogant that he is oblivious?

Shamelessly stolen from Bostonmaggie - it was just the perfect post!

kthanxbai!

Rapping steward

My friend Neil sent me a message on Facebook stating that he'd just come off a SouthWest Airlines flight with a singing steward - but that he was not a patch on the rapping steward above.



kthanxbai!

Car Jack?

Image via Wikipedia

Do we always have to fall to the lowest common denominator?

Two friends of mine independently told me about a carjacking in the area where I live. Its the first time I've heard of a carjacking anywhere in the city, and my connections in the Police force agree that it is very unusual.

It wasn't a Lamborghini or a Ferrari but a Honda Civic that was carjacked.

I drive a Honda Civic.

Both of my friends mentioned that now, whenever they get into their cars they lock all the doors. And I think I'll be doing the same.

So due to one incident, which seems to be exceptionally unusual, a whole group of the population are not only going to lock their doors whenever they get into their vehicles, but they'll also have that little adrenaline rush and thought about danger in the backs of their minds.

So why do we always have to fall to the lowest common denominator?

kthanxbai!

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• WTF: Bikini-Clad Woman Accused of Carjacking (blippitt.com)
• Have You Seen This West Portal Car Jacking Suspect? (sfist.com)
• You: Husband, not carjacker, charged in wife's death (cnn.com)
• Carjackings up in Vancouver: police (cbc.ca)

Who says older isn't better?

Back in 1919, when most of our parents were just a sparkle in the corner of their ancestors' eyes, some fantabulous photography was being created.

Englishman Arthur S Mole and his American colleague John D Thomas took these incredible pictures of thousands of soldiers forming icons of American history. Arthur's great nephew Joseph Mole, 70, says: "In the picture of the Statue of Liberty there are 18,000 men: 12,000 of them in the torch alone, but just 17 at the base. The men at the top of the picture are actually half a mile away from the men at the bottom"

They took the photographs in camps across the US using soldiers returning to America after World War I

Mole and Thomas: The Living Uncle Sam: 19,000 officers and men at Camp Lee, Virginia, January 13, 1919

kthanxbai!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mole and Thomas: living pictures formed by thousands of US soldiers (telegraph.co.uk)

Woodstock reality

This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here wrote a very interesting introduction to a highly poignant article yesterday; 'Panel 19 West, Line 43-64'

Its about a certain section of the Vietnam War Memorial and the 109 American soldiers who died between August 15 and August 18, 1969. That date? Woodstock.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

For something interesting, and even meaningful, to go with your coffee, go over and read it.

And by the by, its a great blog to read on a daily basis too.

kthanxbai!

"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

Allow me to introduce to you "Folsom Prison Blues" performed by Wesley, 5 years old, at the 2009 Spring Coffee Shop Jam, at The Columbia City Theater in Seattle, WA.

(And this post is a kind of 'test,test' as Scribefire does not allow Mozilla to display Flash in an editor. Who'd a thunk it?)

So the vid is as cute as a button.

5-year-old boy plays "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

kthanxbai!

They're in my pants

Image via Wikipedia

Whilst making a bottle for His Highness the Baby I noticed a few mini-ants running around the surface. It was 3 am so I didn't want to pay much attention to them.

At 8 am when I made Her Holiness's coffee I noticed them again, this time around the sugar bowl.

Normally I'd just call the exterminator and have them chemically removed but we're moving house in less than a month and I don't want to spend the money.

So my question to you, dear reader, is;

Short of hiring an anteater from the local menagerie, do you have any cheap and easy ways to abate the flow of ants into an apartment?

Answers in the Comments please.

kthanxbai!

Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Britain's last World War I veteran, and the World's oldest man, Henry Allingham, passed away recently at the ripe old age of 113. And what did he say was the key to his longevity?

"cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women."

But all jokes aside, he was a modest man who served as Britain's conscience, reminding young people time and time again about the true cost of war.

More at the link

kthanxbai!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Old soldier was 'truly a gentleman' (guardian.co.uk)
• World's oldest man Henry Allingham dies (telegraph.co.uk)
• Henry Allingham: haunted by the Great War (telegraph.co.uk)

Kelly hearts Kelly - and we're cool with that

Image via CrunchBase

A young Meg Ryanesque Florida gal named Kelly Hildebrandt discovers a shirtless, Matthew McConaughey-type Texan with the exact same first and last name on Facebook.

Kelly girl sends a cyber shout-out to Kelly boy, and he answers back. Three weeks of viral flirting leads Kelly boy to head east to Florida to meet girl Kelly. A couple of months later, he’s relocating — and come October, just eight months after their first connection, Kelly Hildebrandt will marry Kelly Hildebrandt.

More at the link

kthanxbai!

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• Kelly Hildebrandt and Kelly Hildebrandt (neatorama.com)
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• Kelly Hildebrandt to marry Kelly Hildebrandt (telegraph.co.uk)
• Facebook romance blossoms for same-name couple (timesonline.typepad.com)

Using a blog to your advantage

A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver: Dear Cycles & More... is a post that began a revolution!

AD took his motorbike to be repaired after a nasty bump (which he blogged about) and was so insulted by the shop that he decided to share his experience with his loyal readers. The side effect of him blogging about Cycles & More in Louisiana is that he has reached the number 1 slot on Google for Cycles & More, just one spot above their own website!!

"What you have failed to do in three weeks, a pair of semi-literate high school shop students could have done in four days"

Go and read it for yourself. Actually, the more people read it the longer it'll stay high on Google, hopefully teaching Cycles & More to be nicer to their customers.

Have a nice day now y'all!

kthanxbai!

An unexpected larf

Laugh? I nearly got smile cramps!

Thanks to Throw The Ball Already

kthanxbai!

World's Fastest Everything

Damn Cool Pics posted this on Tuesday. Okay, I'm slow on the uptake but i think you'll find this worth it.

World's Fastest Everything

kthanxbai!

The Insomniac's Guide to Ambulances

A childhood friend of mine is a medic in the UK and his blog is very witty and pithy. Last night's entry actually had me on the floor laughing;

The Insomniac's Guide to Ambulances

Hope you enjoy it.

kthanxbai!

The reality of it all

Epijunky is the blog mistress over at Pink Warm and Dry where she blogs about her job as an EMT. I've been reading her blog for quite a few months now and she never fails to deliver.

Her reality check about MJ's death, as opposed to other things happening in the world, were a wake up call for some people out there.

Click on the link - and have a tissue ready, as like myself you might find that you 'get something in your eye'  at the end of the story.

My Reality - by Epijunky, July 9th, 2009

kthanxbai!

Jerusalem Terrorist Attack First Hand

Doubletapper is a blog I read regularly. Normally lighthearted and always interesting today he blew me out of the water with his blog;

It was seven years ago. On 9 of the Fourth Month (Tammuz)/June 19, at around 7:00 pm, a Yishma'eli (Arab) blew himself up at the trempiada (Bus Stop). Seven Jews were murdered as a result. Many Jews were injured. I was one of them.

Read the rest here

kthanxbai!

What happened to the news today?

Yes, dear reader, not 'what happened in the news' but 'what happened to the news today?'.

Firefox has a very useful gadget called Morning Coffee where at the click of a button your preloaded websites come popping up together. Every morning I make a coffee, press the Morning Coffee icon, take a few sips and start to read the morning news from around the world.

After weeks of monotonous news about white/black pop stars popping off this mortal coil, and politicians being crooked (who'd a thunk it?) this morning I was flabbergasted to see the following ASTOUNDING headlines;

• Southwest Inspects Planes After Hole in Fuselage
• Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies
• New Jersey Woman Struck by Ambulance While Sitting on Porch
• Father Dies Trying to Save Son From Irate Driver in Chuck E. Cheese Parking Lot
• Motorist Plunges to His Death After Driving Over Edge of Grand Canyon

I mean each of these headlines can be discussed over the water cooler in their own right, but all of them together? What a start to the day!

And to cap it all off my sister just told me that my 13 year old nephew at stay away camp has come down with the swine flu.

kthanxbai!

Multifaceted post

In my language, calling someone "multifaceted" translates into them being two faced... but here is what I wanted to draw your attention to;

Passenger fixes faulty airliner over at Throw The Ball Already

A discussion about (German) honor and glory over at This Ain't Hell

A series of funnier and funnier jokes proving that Some things shouldn’t be said… edited (heavily probably) by Mostly Cajun, All American and Opinionated

MJ in Candied Story - again from Throw The Ball Already

And to finish off, an obituary of a gallant and heroic WWII secret agent, Peter Lake.

Have a good week.

kthanxbai!

July 4th reminder

America’s Place In The World

Stephen Fry is a world class actor, writer, author and comedian. As the presenter of QI (Quite Interesting) in the UK he has, yet again, propelled himself to the forefront of imaginitive television. He has appeared in comedies and dramas on both sides of the Atlantic and is generally perceived as the star of his generation. Recently Fry has become known to American audiences for his recurring guest role as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on the Fox crime series Bones. You might also know him as the voice that reads the Harry Potter books on tape, cds and pirated MP3 downloads.



Anyway, I digress. Mr Fry recently gave a very interesting talk to the Royal Geographical Society in London, which he posted on his website on July 4th. And yes, it is a very eye-opening, non-diluted view of America and one which I think you'll appreciate.

America’s Place In The World

He explains the roots for his love of nature, his love affair with America and his beliefs as to what will tear the USA asunder in years to come.

Enjoy the speech, I definitely did.

kthanxbai!