- Nancy R. has an excellent idea. I started Girlie Bear off with an official Red Ryder carbine action range model air rifle.
- Donald Sensing gives an excellent analysis of the sinking of the Lusitania, and calms the waters for those who fret that she sank because of the ammunition she was carrying.
- Calvin’s Mom demonstrates once again why some teachers aren’t paid nearly enough. My kids’ teachers always seem amazed when I come to a conference to find out what we can do differently in the future instead of being there to throw a tantrum about a grade.
- Mamma Bear is all abuzz about her new honey factories.
- Og makes an excellent point. It’s not that the shepherd loves the sheep because they love him. He loves them in spite of the fact that they act like sheep.
- If you’ve been in the military, you’ll get this one from Castle Argghhh!
Blogs Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on May 7, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/07/blogs-roundup-12/
Your Daily WTF
The South Korean government has announced that it has seized 17,500 capsules that were smuggled into the country. The smugglers thought they were bringing in an herbal cure-all and sexual stimulant.
What they were actually smuggling in were capsules filled with the powdered remains of infants and aborted fetuses.
I’ll give you a moment to get that image out of your mind. Good luck.
When I first read this, all I could feel was revulsion and outrage, and I’m going to try to keep that under control in this. Make no mistake, I am outraged and disgusted by this, but I’ll do my best to keep my cool.
Deep breath…. Here we go….
Are you bloody kidding me? What is wrong with people? Do they really not see something wrong with ingesting the remains of dead children to keep lead in their pencils? It’s not enough that we have to worry about tigers and rhinos disappearing because some sick bastards think that if they eat parts of these animals they’ll turn into a sexual powerhouse, now we have to worry that those herbal remedies some people take for their health are actually Soylent Veal?
I’m a pretty easy going person, or at least I try to be. I believe in the goodness of all people and that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But the conversation with the manufacturers, smugglers, and consumers of this abomination against every value system I can think of should go like this:
Question: Did you make this stuff?
Answer: Yes
Bang
Question: Did you know what you were smuggling?
Answer: Yes
Bang
Question: Did you know what those capsules you bought and were swallowing contained?
Answer: Yes
Bang
No ceremony, no appeal, no sympathy, no excuses. If you in any way knowingly supported the use of dead babies to create vitamins, you have pretty much burned your membership card in the human race, and should be treated like the mad dog who ate the baby.
If they answer “No” to these questions, I’m all for a Scarlet Letter type punishment. Something like a tattoo on their forehead that says “I ate dead babies!”.
Like I said, I’m easy going. But there are some taboos that even I can’t see breaking and being allowed to stay in the crowd around the campfire.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 7, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/07/your-daily-wtf/
Building the Blogroll
As you can see in the sidebar, I’m re-building my blogroll. Basically, I’m going to bring over the blogroll I had at the old place, assuming you’ve posted since Christmas. If you weren’t blogrolled back there and want to be here, please drop a note. Of course, if you list me on your site, I will reciprocate.
This could take a while, but I’ll let everyone know when I think I’m done, so if I miss someone they can let me know.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 7, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/07/building-the-blogroll-3/
30 Days of Dune – Day 3
A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it. — The First Law of Mentat
My Take – If you form your opinions about the world by what you see on the evening news or even on news websites, then all you’re seeing is stop-motion photography of the real world. In order to understand what’s really going on, you have to pull from many sources, even those that show you things you don’t want to see and communicate with other people, even those with whom you don’t agree. Watch the world in motion to understand how it works and what is happening. Looking at the snapshots provided by the press or even blogs gives you nothing but a quick look at what someone else wants you to see.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 7, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/07/30-days-of-dune-day-3/
News Roundup
- From the “Financial Advice” – An associate of Warren Buffett has asserted that “civilized people” do not purchase gold. I personally don’t own gold. I put my metal investments in brass, copper, and lead, and stock up on things like food, fuel, and barter goods. If things get bad enough that I’m having to buy groceries with Krugerrands or junk silver, I think I’ll be more likely to be able to buy a bag of potatoes in exchange for a bottle of vodka or the meat off a rabbit I shot that morning. But if gold is your hedge against inflation, have at it. You’re probably at least as likely to keep or add value to your money than you are if you put it into any of the markets.
- From the “More Teeth Than Meat” Department – A stream in Japan has been closed to children swimming in it because three piranha have been found in it. No word on how the South American fish, known for its ability to chew the meat off an animal in minutes, got there. My guess is that someone had a few in his aquarium and they got set loose. My question: What lure do you use in a piranha stream? Do you go with a spinner, a popper, or a spoon? Or are you more likely to succeed using a well-tied fly? Something tells me that the best way to take care of this problem is to hold a piranha fishing tournament some weekend and have Bass Pro Shop give away a $10,000 shopping spree to the person who catches the most piranha. You’ll see Japanese men stocking up on poles, gear, and flat-bottomed boats for that.
- From the “Bad Juju” Department – A rare white buffalo, which had been taken as a sacred sign by some Native Americans, was found dead and skinned recently at its home on a ranch in Texas. Authorities are investigating, and I hope they find the perpetrators before anyone who believed the buffalo was sacred does. The Lakota I’ve known were peace-loving people, easy to work with, and absolutely ferocious when forced to violence. That being said, I hope whoever did this is found and severely punished, preferably using rather medieval methods. Other than the fact that they killed a yearling buffalo, they destroyed something that other people consider sacred.
- From the “Bite Me” Department – Spirit Airlines has bowed to consumer pressure and agreed to refund the airfare of a dieing man, who had purchased a ticket with them before being told by doctors that his system just couldn’t take it. The man happens to be a veteran, and Spirit has also promised to donate $5000 to the Wounded Warrior Project. To be honest, Spirit is very open about their no-refund policy, but this turned into a PR nightmare of legendary proportions. While I give Spirit credit for resolving this in a way that was favorable to their customer, they could have handled this in a much better manner.
- From the “No Kidding” – A British official at a security conference has informed the world that the World Wide Web has a slimy underside. Shocked, yes shocked I am that there is gambling in the casino room! I’m guessing that about 20 minutes after FTP was invented, someone used it to transfer a picture of a redhead wearing nothing but a smile, followed quickly by an early email exhorting the receiver to send the originator their credit card number. My introduction to IT was searching hard drives on government computers for ‘adult content’. The things I found in 1994 are pretty tame by today’s standards, and no-one was trying to use ‘pictures of naked women doing things with things while doing other things’* as a means to steal anyone’s identity or disrupt businesses. He also cautions against knee jerk reactions and more regulation of the Internet. I tend to agree. There will always be con men, thieves, and jerks. They existed before TCP/IP, and they will exist when we revert back to banging rocks together for entertainment.
- From the “Local Cuisine” Department – Fox News is listing out the five weirdest foods available in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. They list burgoo as a ‘weird’ food, so I guess spicy vegetable and meat stew is weird. If you’ve never had a Kentucky Hot Brown, save up your cholesterol points and indulge. Just make sure you work out beforehand, because all you’ll want to do afterward is take a nap. They missed the Frickled Pickle, which is where a chef takes dill pickle slices, dips them in batter, and deep fries them. They mentioned pecans, but they left out Derby Pie, which is what you get if you take the best candied nut pie you ever had and add chocolate. Hey, no-one ever said that Kentucky cuisine is good for you. Some of this stuff would make Paula Dean tap out.
*Actual quote from my supervisor at the time. She was one of the last innocents, and was very uncomfortable when asked exactly what we were supposed to be looking for. However, the shade of red she blushed to while briefing us was absolutely priceless, and I’ve never seen it reproduced in real-life or on-line.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 6, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/06/news-roundup-113/
Thought for the Day
When I get to heaven, I’m going to sit down and drink whiskey with Ian Fleming, Teddy Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill. Something tells me that getting those three telling stories would make for a great evening.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 6, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/06/thought-for-the-day-140/
30 Days of Dune – Day 2
Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife — chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: “Now it’s complete because it’s ended here.” — Collected Sayings of Muad’Dib
My Take – When things are harsh, all that is superfluous starts to melt or get knocked away. Bad times simplify things. “Can I live without this?” is a great way to get rid of the cruft that builds up in your life during easier times.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 6, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/06/30-days-of-dune-day-2/
Thoughts on the Day
- Even when they gallop, giraffes look like they’re moving in slow motion.
- It was difficult to explain to Boo why mama goose did not want to let him pet her new goslings. No, I did not let him figure that out on his own. I have a goal of not taking a child in for stitches this summer.
- I will always remember this day as the day that Boo got to the bottom of the Louisville Zoo and decided he just couldn’t walk back up to the top. I will also remember today as the day that I decided that he served me better as a son than he would serve the zoo as Purina Lion Chow.
- Carrying the 50 pound 4 year old up the hill was harder than carrying a 85 pound rucksack up the side of a mountain. Must have something to do with weight distribution. Or maybe the 15 years of extra age and weight.
- My horse didn’t win the Derby. Of course, I didn’t actually bet money on the race. I’m smarter than to listen to my own advice when it comes to racehorses.
- Sheesh. You take the kids away with you for an afternoon, advise your wife that she should take advantage of this and go do something just for herself, and what does she do? She cleans the house, goes to the hardware store, and stops to pick up dinner.
- I’m surprised that Colonel Sanders lived as long as he did. One would think the man would have keeled over and started bleeding chicken gravy. His wife could cook the heck out of a chicken. I only had one plateful of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn pudding, and a yeast roll and I feel like I’m going to pop.
- Walt Disney made some wonderful movies, but there is at least one moment in each one that would make Chuck Norris burst into tears. We watched Dumbo this evening, and it made the 4 year old and the 40 year old tear up.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 5, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/05/thoughts-on-the-day-27/
Photos of the Day
Looks like the Christmas goose has been born. We also saw ducklings paddling around one of the ponds at the zoo.
The buffalo statue is holding up quite well. I have pics of Girlie Bear and her older brothers on it when they were little.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 5, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/05/photos-of-the-day-4/
30 Days of Dune – Day 1
When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. Their movement becomes headlong – faster and faster and faster. They put aside all thought of obstacles and forget that a precipice does not show itself to the man in a blind rush until it’s too late. — Bene Gesserit proverb
My Take – If a leader has a religion, it’s not unreasonable for the values and ethics of that religion to guide him or her in their decisions. But when religion becomes the only driving force in leadership, it can get too far too fast. When someone uses “God’s will” as their reason and rhyme to impact the lives of others, they try to give up personal responsibility for that impact and can cause more harm than good, no matter their intentions.
Posted by daddybear71 on May 5, 2012
https://daddybearsden.com/2012/05/05/30-days-of-dune-day-1/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 