Hi there, !
Today Sat 03/17/2007 Fri 03/16/2007 Thu 03/15/2007 Wed 03/14/2007 Tue 03/13/2007 Mon 03/12/2007 Sat 03/10/2007 Archives
Rantburg
533710 articles and 1862065 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 72 articles and 258 comments as of 16:21.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion       
Mortar shells hit Somali presidential residence
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
5 00:00 Sneaze [7] 
5 00:00 JosephMendiola [4] 
7 00:00 Mac [4] 
8 00:00 Frank G [9] 
22 00:00 Chiper Threreger8956 [9] 
13 00:00 Col. D. Snaud [10] 
10 00:00 Delphi2005 [13] 
1 00:00 gromky [6] 
1 00:00 Mike [3] 
1 00:00 gromky [5] 
3 00:00 Old Patriot [6] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
2 00:00 twobyfour [9]
13 00:00 doc [13]
4 00:00 delphi2005 [5]
9 00:00 Chuck Simmins [8]
12 00:00 Shipman [5]
3 00:00 Shipman [4]
3 00:00 Chuck Simmins [5]
3 00:00 USN, Ret. [6]
4 00:00 Shipman [5]
7 00:00 DarthVader [6]
0 [7]
20 00:00 Verlaine [9]
0 [3]
0 [6]
0 [5]
1 00:00 JosephMendiola [9]
0 [10]
0 [4]
3 00:00 USN, Ret. [11]
0 [9]
0 [10]
2 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [7]
2 00:00 Icerigger [6]
0 [12]
0 [6]
0 [4]
0 [6]
0 [8]
Page 2: WoT Background
5 00:00 USN, Ret. [4]
6 00:00 Zhang Fei [5]
7 00:00 Barbara Skolaut [11]
0 [3]
1 00:00 Penguin [3]
2 00:00 Jackal [4]
3 00:00 RD [8]
2 00:00 Thinemp Whimble [10]
9 00:00 anonymous2u [5]
2 00:00 Old Patriot [4]
3 00:00 JosephMendiola [4]
2 00:00 Jackal [4]
0 [5]
0 [3]
0 [4]
3 00:00 USN, Ret. [3]
Page 3: Non-WoT
6 00:00 Sneaze [6]
3 00:00 Old Patriot [3]
0 [5]
0 [3]
1 00:00 SteveS [6]
0 [4]
16 00:00 Frank G [4]
2 00:00 Anguper Hupomosing9418 [5]
3 00:00 eLarson [5]
Page 4: Opinion
3 00:00 Anonymoose [7]
5 00:00 Sneaze [8]
1 00:00 JosephMendiola [5]
0 [5]
0 [3]
0 [6]
7 00:00 wxjames [5]
2 00:00 Bobby [4]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
Tonya Harding caught 'tweaking out' in Vancouver
Infamous Oregon ice skater Tonya Harding is back in the news.

Clark County sheriff's deputies responded to two calls early Sunday morning involving Harding.

Police reports describe Harding as "very agitated" and "tweaking out."

Sergeant Tim Bieber told The Oregonian that police received the first call at about 5 a.m.

According to a police report, Harding said four men and a woman tried to break into her car and steal it. In his report, the deputy wrote that Harding's account was "very implausible."

Harding told police she was on "new medication" and was experiencing an adverse reaction.

Later that same morning, police received another call regarding Harding, this time from a friend who told authorities the skater was "seeing animals."

The deputy took Harding back to her trailer and checked her home to "put her at ease."
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/14/2007 19:45 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Tonya Harding... wow, now THERE was a class act.
Posted by: Dave D. || 03/14/2007 20:03 Comments || Top||

#2  Perhaps she saw the unicorn.

Posted by: CrazyFool || 03/14/2007 20:11 Comments || Top||

#3  she was a pioneer

in releasing a sex vid on the net. A true (flawed)hero
*sniff*
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2007 20:17 Comments || Top||

#4  Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers.
Posted by: xbalanke || 03/14/2007 21:18 Comments || Top||

#5  Wackyness is often caused by a mix of incompatible drugs. Add loose mental screws and "seeing animals" that aren't there is possible.
Posted by: Sneaze || 03/14/2007 22:13 Comments || Top||


No, the unicorn wasn't driving after all...
BILLINGS, Mont. - It turns out there are no such things as unicorns — and even if there were, they wouldn't drive trucks.
Just because they're magical doesn't mean they have opposable thumbs.
On Tuesday, a Billings prosecutor had told a district judge that Phillip C. Holliday Jr., 42, claimed a unicorn was driving when his truck crashed into a light pole earlier this month.

But on Wednesday, the chief prosecutor said it was all a misunderstanding. Apparently, Holliday told police an unnamed woman was driving when his truck hit the pole — not a unicorn. "Mr. Holliday has other serious problems, but this is not one of them," County Attorney Dennis Paxinos said of the unicorn alibi.

The mixup occurred when a deputy prosecutor misunderstood an e-mail from a colleague who used the phrase "unicorn defense," thinking it was an actual statement from Holliday, Paxinos said. "Unicorn defense" is a slang term used by prosecutors when a defendant blames some mythical person for a crime, he said.
I love lawyer slang!
"It's kind of a code (between prosecutors) and the code was misinterpreted," Paxinos said.
Just a bit.
Paxinos apologized "to the public, the court and to Mr. Holliday" for the confusion and said he has chastised the prosecutors involved.

Holliday has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of criminal endangerment and drunken driving. He is being represented by a public defender. Kristina Copenhaver-Landon, director of the public defender's office in Billings, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Posted by: Free Radical || 03/14/2007 17:25 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  They don't exist. Tried to negotiate a mega-bucks apperance deal with Noah. Didn't work out. Left standing by the boarding plank looking for tickets.
Posted by: Shipman || 03/14/2007 19:30 Comments || Top||

#2  The roach syndicate was holding all the cards in that deal, sad, yet even in em True Bible Stories you can see the invisible hand.
Posted by: Shipman || 03/14/2007 19:34 Comments || Top||

#3  ahh, but his public defender is a known Hydra
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2007 19:47 Comments || Top||

#4  ... a deputy prosecutor misunderstood an e-mail from a colleague who used the phrase "unicorn defense,

I forsee merciless taunting in the deputy prosecutors future. Do lawyers have gofer jokes like the typical machine shop?
Posted by: SteveS || 03/14/2007 20:28 Comments || Top||

#5  Clearly, as part of their court-mandated probation for running over Grandma every Xmas, Santa's reindeer have been allowed to moonlight and drive trucks to earn income.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/14/2007 20:41 Comments || Top||


Third Armrest Betrays Alien Origin of New Military Plane
From the most reliable voice in major media:
"Best damn reporting on the planet."
TOOELE, Nev. -- According to former Air Force engineer Scott Rasla, America's latest warplane isn't entirely of this earth.
"I worked for five years on the Nightstar Hypersonic Bomber project," Rasla told Weekly World News, "and I can assure you that our military has copied every detail from extraterrestrials -- right down to the third armrest on the pilot's seat.

"I won't even get into what the bathroom looks like," Rasla said.
What kind of creature would need eleven sprognauls?
Air Force spokesman Colonel Douglas Snaud dismissed the design details as the latest in combat ergonomics. "Commanding a high-altitude bombing raid is a stressful job," Col. Snaud said. "We want our pilots to have a selection of comfortable armrests."

But Colonel Snaud's explanation leaves a few Nightstar mysteries untouched. "What about the cattle-shaped gunsight?" Rasla wondered. "Or the antimatter propulsion system?"
It's not really antimatter. It's inverse matter. There's a big difference.
"Look," Col. Snaud insisted. "These were created by terrestrial engineers for terrestrial pilots on terrestrial missions. To put it another way, the rumors of this plane's alien origin are powered by the simplest propulsive source of all: a crank.
Went the long way around for that one.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy || 03/14/2007 07:47 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I want an anti-matter propulsion system!
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/14/2007 9:37 Comments || Top||

#2  I want an anti-matter propulsion system!

Actually, I would prefer the Cold Fusion power plant that powers the Bolo's. Yeah!
Posted by: Chiper Threreger8956 || 03/14/2007 11:09 Comments || Top||

#3  I'm NOT turning that crank, antimatter propulsion or not.
Posted by: ed || 03/14/2007 14:05 Comments || Top||

#4  BTW, this would make great TV. Flintstones in Space.
Posted by: ed || 03/14/2007 14:06 Comments || Top||

#5  Us humans ain't smart enough to invent stuff! If I can't understand how it works then it's gotta be Alien Intelligence. %)
This guy must be on Space Coke.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/14/2007 14:48 Comments || Top||

#6  I love the Weekly World News at times.

I think a few people misread the last few lines. The rumors are spread by cranks, not the propulsion system.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 03/14/2007 16:39 Comments || Top||

#7  That is not a third arm-rest. It is for the third leg.
Posted by: Excalibur || 03/14/2007 16:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

That's not an arm rest.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/14/2007 16:51 Comments || Top||

#9  Ignoring the 'unique'armrest configuration for a minute, the cockpit windscreen arrangement looks reminiscent of that of the Boeing 377 Airliner (C-97 to military buffs). wonder if Marvin the Martian copied that?
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 03/14/2007 16:51 Comments || Top||

#10  "If I push the engines much harder, she'll blow apart!"
Posted by: doc || 03/14/2007 17:17 Comments || Top||

#11  Gotta love the detail about the cattle-shaped gun sight.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 03/14/2007 17:52 Comments || Top||

#12  "Cattle-shaped gunsight"??? You just know other four-legger meat specias are gonna be jealous - D ***ng it, 'em Calfornia contented cows get everything, from TV commercials to Starships!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/14/2007 20:35 Comments || Top||

#13  You guys can laugh, but let's see your book deals.
Posted by: Col. D. Snaud || 03/14/2007 22:27 Comments || Top||


Italy's new bandits
The romance of sleeper train travel in Italy has taken on a distinctly wild west edge as a new breed of Butch Cassidy outlaws target night trains for stick-ups. Devotees of continental couchette culture who expect to be woken up at their destination by a polite porter bearing a cappuccino are increasingly startled to find the porter beaten and bleeding and their luggage missing. ``Italian sneak thieves have always operated on the trains here, but this is a new generation of eastern Europeans who go armed with knives and stab and lock up the guard when challenged,'' said Dario Balotta, transport secretary for the CISL union in Lombardy. Three to four men pose as passengers to board the trains, which are often heading south from Milan, subdue the guard, rob the couchettes and then pull the emergency cord to enable them to jump off and be picked up by accomplices in the countryside.
Posted by: Fred || 03/14/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Hard men meet effete civilization. This is usually what happens.
Posted by: gromky || 03/14/2007 4:08 Comments || Top||


Angry mob demolish murderer's house
Enraged over the killing of 8 year old Chinglenkhomba, a mob demolished the house of the killer, Bungthoi at Khagempalli Panthak today. On the other hand police have recovered the scissor used by the killer as well as the cycle of the victim.

As suspicion grew that Bungthoi could be involved in the killing of the child, a large number of people went to meet his father, Ibochou today. However on reaching the house they found that all the family members had fled earlier. The enraged mob, recalling the notorious past of Bungthoi then started destroying the goods of the house from 9 am today.

Neighbours at the site said that before the house was attacked, they saw three youths going to the house in civvies. Apart from substantially damaging the house, all the household properties of the family were taken to the ground of Irom Pukhri Mapal Social Club and set on fire.

Even as the mob was dismantling the house, the grand father of Bungthoi came out and told the crowd that they can give whatever punishment they want to his grand son, but added that since the house was built by him (grandfather), those involved in the demolition should compensate. Not surprisingly, this only added to the ire of the mob and the grandfather was physically assaulted and his house was also attacked. The situation was brought under control only after the police arrived.
Posted by: Fred || 03/14/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There's no justice like angry mob justice.
Posted by: gromky || 03/14/2007 4:15 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Now you're required to ring and bag your pork
Posted by: Jacko || 03/14/2007 10:18 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Does this mean Pharmascists can refuse to sell contraceptives because of their religious beliefs? This opens up a very huge can of worms. We are behing taken over without even noticing it.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/14/2007 14:45 Comments || Top||

#2  I cannot refuse to serve you because of YOUR religion, but I can refuse to serve you because of MINE. I detect a bit of asymmetry here in that separation of church and state thing.
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/14/2007 15:27 Comments || Top||

#3  "They're already adapting to our society. We need to adapt to them, too."

No, they need to adapt to our society. Our society offers them a chance to generally do what they want to do, as long as it does not infringe on others. It is a one way line to cross. We should in no way compromise that rule.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/14/2007 16:50 Comments || Top||

#4  Coming from Minneapolis this is not a surprising article. Here is how I would combat this:

take a whole armload of ham or bacon to a register that is manned by a mussie, and at a time when either the store is clogged with shoppers or there is only one cashier. When service is refused, then just walk out, leaving all that stuff on the belt. don't make a fuss, just say that it is not your job to bag your own groceries, and thank them for their service.

regarding DB's comments: the WA state ass'n of pharmacists tried doing just what you state, and the governor cut them off at the knees. I didn't vote for her, but Queen Chris surprises me in a favorable way (here it comes) especially for a Democrat.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 03/14/2007 17:07 Comments || Top||

#5  Dsouza was taken aback when the cashier -- who had on the traditional headscarf, or hijab, worn by many Muslim women -- refused to swipe the bacon through the checkout scanner.

"She made me scan the bacon. Then she opened the bag and made me put it in the bag," said Dsouza, 53, of Minneapolis. "It made me wonder why this person took a job as a cashier."


What it makes me wonder is a) why the hell Target doesn't fire her outright, and b) why the hell our society continues to put up with this bullshit.

Oh, I forgot: it's the damned liberals. And their damned multiculturalism. And being non-judgemental. And "inclusive". And "tolerant". And "understanding".

Damned f*cking idiots. Someday our tolerance is going to prove terminal.

Posted by: Dave D. || 03/14/2007 17:09 Comments || Top||

#6  Target just lost one customer. WTF is wrong with people? That Muzzy idiot should have been fired and out the door within hours of that refusal. No, we don't have to adapt to them. They have to adapt to us or go back to the hellhole we were stupid enough to let them come here from.
Posted by: Mac || 03/14/2007 17:23 Comments || Top||

#7  It is worth noting that during the Clinton administration, it was official policy at EEOC not to accept any religious discrimination cases other than those involving "proper accommodation in the workplace" ie Muslim power-plays.

I ran across this when a local personnel agency asked one of my students about his religion during an interview. They shut the door in his face when he refused to answer. I called both EEOC and the Texas Human Rights Commission on his behalf. They slammed the door in my face. "We are only accepting cases that deal with accommodation in the workplace," the bureaucrat said. I pointed out that asking religious preference was against the law and the bureaucrat simply responded that they weren't taking those cases, that is, they were refusing to enforce federal law unless it was on behalf of Muslims who already had jobs.
The idiot at the THRC was even worse. He said since the student was was an agnostic, he was not being discriminated against because of his religion, but because of the employer's, and that was legal. "We only deal with people who have been discriminated against because of their own religion, not the employer's" I pointed out that this was applying a religious test for employment, which is a violation of the law. He obtusely repeated himself.
All of these bastards have been in the pockets of the Muzzies for a long time.
Target, btw, will never see me again.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy || 03/14/2007 17:41 Comments || Top||

#8  Two options:

1) Treat Muslim cashiers and bacon like under-21 cashiers and alcohol -- they have to call over another cashier. Of course, I imagine Muslim cashiers also need someone else to ring up alcohol. This makes the incremental cost for hiring a Muslim twice that of hiring a 19-year-old. Not that retailers are allowed to take that into consideration, of course...

Oh, and that also increases the amount of time it takes a customer to get through a checklane run by a Muslim cashier. That's not gonna make customers real happy.

2) "If you aren't willing to do the job, you shouldn't take it. If you want to keep it, then you need to get over your hang-ups." You knew you were taking a job where you can be expected to handle (wrapped) pork and (bottled) alcohol. If your religion says you can't do that, then don't take the job in the first place.

And then there's a whole host of new questions:

o What about stocking the shelves? What about bagging? Are we going to have to make allowances there, too? How about the deli and the meat department?

o What about dog food and other dog-related supplies? Dogs are haram, too, right?

o With taxi drivers refusing to carry service dogs and unopened alcohol containers, what about bus drivers? Will someone heading home from the grocery store with a six pack and a pork chop in their bags be refused service by a municipal bus with a Muslim driver? What about a service dog on a municipal bus driven by a Muslim?

Forcing these issues is just a way to make us live under sharia. Our reaction should be "hey, I respect your beliefs, but this is what the job requires. If you can't do it, you'll have to find another job."

Oh, and who can forget the idiocy of the hijab-wearing cocktail waitress? Gotta wonder if the place she worked served any pork products along with their drinks...
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 03/14/2007 17:46 Comments || Top||

#9  "We only deal with people who have been discriminated against because of their own religion, not the employer's" I pointed out that this was applying a religious test for employment, which is a violation of the law. He obtusely repeated himself.

Utter crap. You can't refuse service on the basis of religion -- yours or the potential customer's. You can't refuse to rent to someone on the basis of what your religion tells you about their behavior.

If you COULD refuse service or employment on the basis of YOUR religious beliefs, then how long will it be before some of the white-supremacist groups declare not hiring/serving blacks to be part of their religion?

And how long will that interpretation of the law last after someone refuses to hire someone because their faith says they shouldn't hire gays?
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 03/14/2007 17:50 Comments || Top||

#10  "Your cashier either rings up my pork products the same way he/she rings up my other purchases, or I sue your company for $100 million for discrimination." A few such suits, and Target either no longer hires muslims, or a lot of people start shopping elsewhere, because Target no longer exists. Remember, it was Target that first refused to allow Salvation Army kettles outside their stores.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 03/14/2007 17:56 Comments || Top||

#11  "Two options: ..."

There's a third: armed mobs going 'round in the night, taking matters into their own hands.

That's what it's going to come to eventually if we don't find some damned common sense and put a stop to this escalating "I'm a Muslim, I deserve special treatment" bullshit.

Posted by: Dave D. || 03/14/2007 18:04 Comments || Top||

#12  I am afraid of heights. It is quite pathetic actually. That's why I never took a job as a window washer for highrise buildings. So why again is it OK to take a job at a grocery store when you're 'uncomfortable' with your duties? Instead of demanding that all building be made shorter, I have a job doing something else.
Posted by: Chemist || 03/14/2007 18:14 Comments || Top||

#13  Don't see any 7-11's or gas stations having problems selling alcohol, hot dogs or other pork products to infidels. Immigration is a privilege and deportation a solution for those who don't wish to be American.
Posted by: ed || 03/14/2007 18:15 Comments || Top||

#14  The whole point here is to force Target to no longer carry pork products. Target cannot fire them for their religion, and it's obvious customers will not put up with this nonsense for long. It's actually a very clever ploy. However the loophole is that Target can reassign them to mopping floors and cleaning toilets and other duties if they have the spine.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 03/14/2007 18:18 Comments || Top||

#15  #11 "Two options: ..."

There's a third: armed mobs going 'round in the night, taking matters into their own hands.

That's what it's going to come to eventually if we don't find some damned common sense and put a stop to this escalating "I'm a Muslim, I deserve special treatment" bullshit.


Dave D. - I was thinking the same thing yesterday in regards to the immigration thing and a few other things that are going on in our country these days.

Eventually, citizens will be forced to take matters into their own hands. It's even Constitutional for the citizenry to do so (though most people nor the media will realize this).

As the government and our elected representatives more and more refuse to follow the dictates of the citizenry, or simply ignore what that citizenry is saying, more and more you will find certain portions of the citizenry willing, able, and apt to react in ways that are not politically correct or aloowable under the law.

However, when a government or our elected representatives refuse to act in the face of what is clearly a criminal offense, a failure to act against a criminal offense, or an ignorance of the fact that a criminal offense is occurring against the nation, the citizenry, or the national security, the citizenry is within its rights under the Constitution to act and, if necessary, replace the elected government and elected represenatives by armed revolution.

I pray it never comes to this and I am absolutely not advocating this, but if our elected representatives and our government fail to act, the citizenry has no choice other than to actively oppose them. It is our Constitutional prerogative.


Posted by: FOTSGreg || 03/14/2007 18:40 Comments || Top||

#16  Oh, I'd never advocate it, either; but I am stocking up on ammo...
Posted by: Dave D. || 03/14/2007 18:50 Comments || Top||

#17  Perhaps it’s time to start accidentally dropping one’s unpackaged loins on a few Target check-outists.
Posted by: Hyper || 03/14/2007 20:16 Comments || Top||

#18  Remember Target was one of the few holdouts on wishing customers "Merry Christmas" this past season. This is strike two.
Posted by: regular joe || 03/14/2007 21:28 Comments || Top||

#19  I don't tolerate stores in no sunday booze villages but this would push me right over the edge.

If I was in a hurry I might put the loin right through her mouth and then walk out of the store.

Posted by: 3dc || 03/14/2007 21:44 Comments || Top||

#20  Something along the same lines is going on in Australia regard what Muslims consider as appropriate. I did not see it on Rantburg yet,
I could see something like this happening in the U.S. if it catches on. Hat Tip to fark.com yesterday for this.

Muslim leaders have warned that hardline clerics are encouraging their followers to cheat the tax system because they consider paying income tax contrary to Sharia law.

Sydney-based Islamic leader Fadi Rahman says extremist Muslim clerics who were preaching messages against paying income taxes were also staunchly opposed to western ideologies, The Australian reports.

More of the story at link:
Muslim leaders warn of tax cheats
Posted by: delphi2005 || 03/14/2007 21:44 Comments || Top||

#21  Oh and Target sells beer and wine here in IL. Don't they sell it in the Twin Cities?
Posted by: 3dc || 03/14/2007 21:46 Comments || Top||

#22  Muslim leaders have warned that hardline clerics are encouraging their followers to cheat the tax system because they consider paying income tax contrary to Sharia law.

If there is one agency that the Muzzy's DO NOT want to mess with, it is the IRS. I'd love to see them get the IRS on their asses.
Posted by: Chiper Threreger8956 || 03/14/2007 22:24 Comments || Top||


Alligator Found in Tennessee Lake
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The alligator clearly wasn't from around here. Tennessee wildlife officers discovered a 5-foot alligator Sunday in Watts Bar Lake near Spring City, about 60 miles south of Knoxville.
The Lizard People are Taking Over!!
"It was on a log sunning itself like a turtle," said Dan Hicks, spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Prior to the encounter, Watts Bar's gator population by all accounts was zero. Action by TWRA officer Burton Capps has restored that census. "He was able to get close enough to it and euthanize it," Hicks said.
"Gonna make a fine handbag and matching shoes for the Wife."
Alligators are not indigenous to Tennessee, and the state's climate is too cold to support a reproducing population. So when they're sighted, it's almost invariably because humans brought them here.
It's Global Warming. It's Bush's fault. All he had to do was take the Magic Pen and sign the Majic Document!
"Somebody probably bought this one as a pet down in Florida and kept it until it got too large and uncontrollable," Hicks said. "That's when they just let it go."
"Good-bye Ole' Pal. Mom says I can't keep you any more. Besides, you ate her cat and you won't stop chasing Uncle Ralph. Did keep the burgurglers away though."
Hicks said the Watts Bar alligator will be stuffed by a taxidermist and used as an educational display. "When somebody says alligators aren't found in Tennessee, we can point to it and say, 'This one was,'" Hicks said.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/14/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Maybe it's a Katrina refugee.
Posted by: Penguin || 03/14/2007 2:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Pet owners often dump their animals and reptiles. Careful what you buy.
Posted by: Sneaze || 03/14/2007 6:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Buy? You're supposed to BUY gators? Heck, we used to just go down by the bayou and ketch one. Same with loggerhead turtles, moccasins, scorpions, tarantulas, and on a good day, a big-mouth bass. Tennessee chilluns don't have NO fun...

Seriously, one of the things I remember from my childhood was sitting snake/gator watch at the ole swimmin' hole at the creek. You'd usually see one or two of each during a three-hour swim.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 03/14/2007 18:00 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Who Pulled the Drain Plug Off the Australian Coast?
Halliburton must be re-charging the earthquake generator.
A MASSIVE, mysterious whirlpool of cold water has developed off the coast of Sydney, forcing the sea surface to fall almost 1m and ocean currents to change course.

Dubbed a sea "monster" by CSIRO oceanographers, the huge body of water stretches almost 200km across and plunges 1000m towards the ocean floor. Its centre sits just 100km off the coast of Sydney and could stay there for months.

Scientists are baffled by the powerful cold-water eddy, which is invisible to the human eye but can be tracked through satellite images. At its centre the sea level has dropped by 70cm, while the water 400m below the surface is 6C colder than normal at that depth. The East Australian Current has been forced to divert around the eddy, which takes one week to do a full rotation in a clockwise direction. A second eddy of similar proportions is sitting further out from the coast.

The cooler water can bring down the temperature at Sydney's beaches by several degrees. Dr Griffin said it contributed to the surprisingly cool sea temperatures – down to a numbing 14C – swimmers felt at their favourite spots this summer.

But fish and other marine life felt the changes most, he said. Some would be attracted to the cooler water and others would shy away.
Unlike the stupid marine life that lives around re-gassification plants and nuclear power plant cooling outlets.
Posted by: Glenmore || 03/14/2007 07:40 || Comments || Link || [13 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It was the Tasmanians what did it, I tells ya. They're devils, those Tasmanians!
Posted by: Mike || 03/14/2007 10:47 Comments || Top||

#2  I blame Bush!
Posted by: Chiper Threreger8956 || 03/14/2007 11:11 Comments || Top||

#3  Scientists weren't lying. Not just toilets swirl in the opposite direction down under.
Posted by: ed || 03/14/2007 14:10 Comments || Top||

#4  Remember the article about that hole in the floor of the Atlantic? Now we know where it connects...
Posted by: Old Patriot || 03/14/2007 18:03 Comments || Top||

#5  Obviously it's an antediluvian opening to the lost inner world of Pellucidar!

E.R. Burroughs was right all along!

HEY! If he was right about that, then maybe he was right about Mars to! Dejah Thoris, here I come!



Posted by: FOTSGreg || 03/14/2007 18:45 Comments || Top||

#6  This is obviously just another artifact of global warming. Shame on Bush!
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/14/2007 20:27 Comments || Top||

#7  My reading of var Aussie meda reports > the locals have known of this phenomenon for decades or generations.Here on Guam Tornadoes, Waterspouts, and even occasional Snow Flurries/Balls occur, and have been occurring since the first HISTORY OF GUAM textbook came out in the late 1950's.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 03/14/2007 20:28 Comments || Top||

#8  JM: My reading of var Aussie meda reports > the locals have known of this phenomenon for decades or generations.

This must be why the enviro-freaks journalists at the Australian haven't made the connection to global warming - they'd be laughed out of town.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 03/14/2007 20:34 Comments || Top||

#9  Global Warming? Ha, I wish. Cthulhu has woken up! He's taking a drink before coming to the surface.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats || 03/14/2007 20:35 Comments || Top||

#10  If the water is dropping into a hole in Australia, somewhere else on the planet, there is one freaking large geyser of water. Anything on Google Maps yet??.

Posted by: Delphi2005 || 03/14/2007 21:57 Comments || Top||


Europe
The (Dutch) Natives Are Revolting
Ondiep, a working class neighbourhood in the Dutch town of Utrecht, is in turmoil. After the death last Sunday of Rinie Mulder, a 54-year old indigenous Dutchman who was shot by a police officer, non-immigrant citizens went on a rampage, burning cars, looting shops and arsoning a community centre in “inverted Paris style riots.” According to our sources the police officer who killed Mulder is a woman of Moroccan origin.
Rest at link.
Posted by: ed || 03/14/2007 14:55 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Natives of many other places are far more revolting than Dutchmen.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 03/14/2007 15:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Only when the Dutch throw out the "immigrants" that will not assimilate along with the liberal government will I think there is hope for Europe.
Posted by: DarthVader || 03/14/2007 15:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Can't blame them.
Posted by: Icerigger || 03/14/2007 16:08 Comments || Top||

#4  Did this Mulder who was killed by an Alien, work for the FBI with a woman called Sculley?
Posted by: JFM || 03/14/2007 16:24 Comments || Top||

#5  The cop is from Remulac.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 03/14/2007 16:26 Comments || Top||

#6  Not good. The Dutch are slow to anger, but when they get a head of steam up, for example when they fought the Vikings, they gave as good as they got. After one pitched battle, a large river was clogged with Viking dead.

They also interbred with the Vikings more than somewhat.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 03/14/2007 16:45 Comments || Top||

#7  And so it begins. It won't end until the last Muzzy is back across the Med--or has his dead body pitched into the nearest dumpster.
Posted by: Mac || 03/14/2007 17:18 Comments || Top||


Greek armed forces toughen rules on soft cheese
Greece's armed forces on Tuesday announced tougher requirements for the soft Greek feta cheese fed to recruits amid reports of quality-skimping by feta producers. The defence and agriculture ministries decided to boost checks on the soft white cheese that is a staple of Greek diet and promote fresh milk instead of the long-life variety, the semi-state Athens News Agency (ANA) said on Tuesday. "We will not allow companies that violate the law on cheese and dairy products to participate in (armed forces) supply tenders," the ministries said.

The measure aims to support Greek farmers, ANA said. Greek media recently reported complaints by dairy producers that competitors adulterate the sheep-and-goat's milk feta with powdered or imported cow's milk to cut cost, without informing consumers.
Posted by: Fred || 03/14/2007 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "We will not allow companies that violate the law on cheese and dairy products to participate in (armed forces) supply tenders de-feta us," the ministries said.
Posted by: Mike || 03/14/2007 6:52 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
N.Y.C. Council Takes Up Metal Bat Ban
New York -- The New York City Council today is expected to vote today on a bill that would ban metal bats from high school baseball games. The measure was unanimously approved by a committee Monday.
In addition to bad writing by the reporter (maybe he had an extra Today in his word box and need to use them all by the weekend), this is a bad use of taxpayer-paid time.
Supporters of the bill say aluminum bats are a safety hazard because the ball ricochets off the bat quicker than off a wooden bat. But others say there's no evidence to prove metal bats are more dangerous than wooden ones.
Maybe we could get them to ban Moonbats.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also expressed skepticism, saying a ban may not solve the problem. He has not said whether he'll veto the bill.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 03/14/2007 12:19 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'd ban them because they make that stupid 'tink' sound, but that's just me. If safety is the concern, why not simply move the fielders off the playing field when anyone is at bat?
Posted by: SteveS || 03/14/2007 15:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also expressed skepticism, saying a ban may not solve the problem.

Funny. He doesn't have that problem with trans-fats, cigarettes, and guns.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 03/14/2007 17:53 Comments || Top||

#3  The fact that they are worrying about stupid $hit like this, even if it is true, tells me they are not doing their job.
Posted by: gorb || 03/14/2007 18:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Now, will they ban the designated hitter?
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 03/14/2007 21:00 Comments || Top||

#5  I thought it was proven that the ball comes off Alum. bats much quicker, plus you got the bigger sweet spot.

They should leave Alum. bats for the 16 in. softball league.
Posted by: Danking70 || 03/14/2007 21:04 Comments || Top||

#6  I have REAL issues with visualizing Bloomberg batting at all. Streetball, wood bats, aluminum bats, composites. I bet Smithers did it for him
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2007 21:04 Comments || Top||

#7  I always pictured him more as a catcher.
Posted by: ed || 03/14/2007 21:06 Comments || Top||

#8  heh heh
Posted by: Frank G || 03/14/2007 21:12 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
72[untagged]

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2007-03-14
  Mortar shells hit Somali presidential residence
Tue 2007-03-13
  Lebanese Police arrest a Palestinian carrying a bomb
Mon 2007-03-12
  Talibs threaten Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Mexico, Samoa
Sun 2007-03-11
  U.S. calls Iran, Syria talks cordial
Sat 2007-03-10
  Captured big turban wasn't al-Baghdadi. We guessed that.
Fri 2007-03-09
  Ug troops arrive in Mog
Thu 2007-03-08
  Pentagon Deploys more MPs to Baghdad
Wed 2007-03-07
  Split in Hamas? 2 Hamas officials move to Syria
Tue 2007-03-06
  CIA Rushing Resources to Bin Laden Hunt
Mon 2007-03-05
  Iraqis say they have Abu Omar al-Baghdadi
Sun 2007-03-04
  US and Pakistani agents interrogate Taliban leader
Sat 2007-03-03
  Chechen parliament approves Kadyrov as president
Fri 2007-03-02
  Dozens of al-Qaeda killed in Anbar
Thu 2007-03-01
  Judge rules Padilla competent for trial
Wed 2007-02-28
  Somali police arrest four ship hijackers
Tue 2007-02-27
  Taliboomer tries for Cheney


Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
18.222.200.143
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (28)    WoT Background (16)    Non-WoT (9)    Opinion (8)    (0)