This Day In History

The Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson’s magnificent victory, was fought in 1805.  Here’s a map of the main movement. 

Magellan sailed into the strait that would bear his name in 1520.

The USS Constitution, “Old Ironslides,” was launched in Boston in 1797.

JFC CC

I’m listening to the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee’s debate on concealed carry.  Listen here.

UPDATE:  One of the morons (read: Democrats) wants to prohibit carrying a concealed weapon withing 1000 feet of a healthcare facility or nursing home.  That pretty much exempts most of any urban area.  Her amendment failed 3-13. 

ANOTHER UPDATE:  Some moron (keep reading: Democrat) just cited “Bowling For Columbine” as proof to back his amendment to prevent the carrying of a weapon into a bank.  The amendment failed 3-13.

Condom Catchers

Here’s what Milwaukee’s sewerage district is up to:

The sewerage district Monday put on the fast track a never-before-tried $2 million system to filter used condoms from discharges at the Jones Island plant - a system that will soon become
largely redundant.

The $2 million project would be a short-term fix and begin operating in mid-2004. A year later, the district will spend $13 million to replace 20-year-old screens and other equipment that has failed at the “headworks,” or sewage intake system at the front of the Jones Island plant.

So… How much confidence would you have in a sewerage district that is just now putting in a system to remove used condoms from the water?

Hosting Matters

If they find the turds responsible for the DoS attacks, they should chain them to a chair and subject them to 1,200 hours of nonstop “Cop Rock” reruns.

Oops, a Baby!

I’m no expert, so ladies, please help me out here.

How big an idiot would this woman have to be?

An Australian woman got the shock of her life when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy just three hours after learning she had been pregnant for nine months.

Carolyn Hounsell, 27, went to her doctor with stomach pains and was admitted to hospital, The Daily Telegraph reported this weekend. A few hours later, the care worker said she got “a very big shock” when she delivered a 3.6 kilogram boy.

 

I knew a girl in high school who claimed the same thing when she delivered, but we all suspectd it was BS, since we all knew how her parents would have reacted if they found out she was pregnant.  She didn’t look it, BTW, as she was “big boned”, *wink* *wink*.

Binary Clock

Here’s one for Owen, the techno-geek.

Fool For a Client

I believe the old saying states that the man who represents himself has a fool for a client.

He also said he hopes to be found innocent “by the grace of Allah.”

 

Playing the Allah card is probably not very wise in this situation.

Especially considering this:

The jury includes a retired Navy pilot, the spouse of a retired Navy mechanic, an Air Force retiree whose husband also was in the Air Force, and a former Navy officer whose husband retired from the Navy.

 

Lowbrow Politics

In politics, there’s playing low, and then there’s playing LOOOOOOWWWWWW.

Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck says her Democratic opponent’s challenge that she sign an affidavit swearing she has not had an abortion “could be one of the sleaziest political attacks in Mississippi history.”

 

Whether she’s had an abortion or not, Tuck should tell Blackmon to shove her affidavit up her ass.

‘Coupling’ Yanked

Coupling pulled by NBC.

NBC has pulled Coupling from its 9.30pm slot on Thursday night and replaced it with a repeat of another of its new shows, Whoopi Goldberg sitcom Whoopi.

Perhaps more ominously, NBC has also announced it will be resting Coupling for “sweeps” month in November, when TV advertising rates for the next quarter are set and the US networks try to maximise ratings with scheduling stunts and specials.

It’s not gone yet, but it’s on its way.  I must say that it gives me a little faith that Americans actually managed a tiny bit of tasts and didn’t flock to this show.  Like I said before, “even Americans have a limit to the crap they’ll watch.”

This Day In History

When we first started this blog, I wrote a “This Day In History” post most days.  It’s one of my habits to look back through time and see how this day may have been significant in years past.  I stopped posting about it because… well… I’m not sure.  In any case, I’m going to start up again.  It’s just 2 or 3 things that happened that interest me.  Perhaps you will find it interesting too.

This Day In History:

In 1944, Douglas Macarthur fulfilled his promise to return when Army troops landed in at Leyte, Philippines.

Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria in 1740. 

In 1973, OPEC began its oil embargo.

Firsthand Account

Blackfive tells us his firsthand account of Islamist hatred and bigotry among us.  Scary stuff.

New Way To Make Electricity?

This shows promise.

With the help of two graduate students, engineering professors Daniel Kwok and Larry Kostiuk were able to light a small bulb by squeezing a syringe of ordinary tap water through a ceramic “filter” containing 10,000 microscopic tubes.

I’m skeptical on the scalability of this method and the validity of the experiment.  Keep in mind that the ability to produce energy from water is the alchemy of our time. 

It has promise, though.

Beverage Officer?

Kim

Kim du Toit is changing from a regular blog to a weekly Den Bestian model.  I’ll miss his daily reflections.  Good luck, Kim.

Interesting Comments

There’s some interesting discussion about this post of mine regarding school breakfasts over at The Spoons Experience.