Hey, your hole is burning!

Adventures in engineering disasters involving drilling holes in things, part 2.

Darvaza: The Burning Gates

In 1971 a search for gas went wrong when a whole drilling rig fell into an underground cavern. Natural gas started coming up from the hole. It was set alight so it wouldn’t kill everything around. For 35 years now the flames keep burning providing an spectacular seen for tourists. At night the burning gas makes the crater seen from miles away. The crater is located in Turkmenistan in the heart of the Karakum desert. The crater is called Darvaza or The Burning Gates.

Click the linky above for lots more cool pictures of the big burning hole.

A PSA from AMA

In light of Wickedpinto’s post below, I thought it would be important to make this public service announcement…

NSFW!

Tarantino is an asshole

Anyone surprised?

Hey Ya’all

Just stopping in for a quckie’esh sort of thing.

Okay first, politics.

Fred waited to flogging long

McCain will get the nom.

Hillary is a bully, as long as her fat drunk unfaithful husband can back her up with his crowd.

Edwards is a pussy “When can I talk? when can I talk?!”  but of course the “impartial” media doesn’t take sides, . . . . or do they?  Even dems have to wake up to last nights farce.

anyways, the thing that I actually wanted to talk about.

I’m not a loser, though that is the lifestyle I live.  I’m poor though I shouldn’t be, and for some reason saturday, I started to think about some formative moments in my life, and it reminded me of something that I did a number of years ago.

My brother has a very nice house, very nice, and he has a number of neighbors who are very nice people who have very nice children.  a number of years ago, while I was working the line at a feeder plant for the local ford plant, I was off for two weeks, during their “retooling” (Actually it was a complete reconception of the ford 500, or at least a way to re-market it)  so I didn’t have anything to do for 2 weeks, and my brother, knowing that I like spending time with him, and the fact that my brother would like for the people that he knows to learn to know his brother (me) “invited” me over to his place.

I’m the kinda guy that I won’t take anything for free, I don’t know why, I’m poor, so actually I should be the one who takes free shit whenever it’s available, and when not available I should negotiate for even more free shit, but I don’t, ESPECIALLY when it comes to my brother.

Anyways, heres the story.

My brother allows me to store a lot of my shit at his place, and I have a pretty fair bit of shit, for storage, considering that I have never actually lived on my own.  (I crash here and there, and stuff like that, even when I have had money, I prefered the bumming style of residence, sorry, thats just something I have in me.  It might be an intimacy or some shit, but, I always prefer at least one roommate.)

Anyways, my bro let me store a bunch of my shit, mostly large cabinet type items, and collectibles at his place (my brother has a rather large baseball card collection, and I have rather significant comic book collection, so he was understanding, especially since I told him, that whoever has the first kid, gets the comics, and he kinda said the same thing, though he knows I won’t likely have a kid, back on point) I needed to get all this shit up into the garage attic.

My brothers neighbors have kids, and all of my brothers neighbors kids LOVED my brother.  My brother is the “cool old guy who doesn’t touch me” sorta shit, and since I am my brothers brother the neighbor kids liked me too, and while I was doing this work for my brother, I took a break, opened up his garage, and embarrassed myself trying to rollerblade (don’t ask, it consists of bruises, scraps, and a number of untimely demonstrations of inertia, largely occuring when I tried a “crossover.” lets leave it at that.)

Anyways, two of the neighbor girls rode their bicycles up to the garage, making fun of my attempts at rollerblading, and said “wickedpinto?  Is lameaswannabestallion(my brother) home?”

“no, he’s on vacation, won’t be back till saturday.”

the girls harumphed, but they knew that while I wasn’t as cool as lameaswannabestallion(mybrother) I was a cool guy, so the girls approached me, and started talking shit about the two boys who were riding their bikes next to the girls.

It was obvious that the boys like the girls, and that one of the neighborgirls kinda liked one of the boys, so I asked “you want me to get rid of them?”

“couldja?”  one girl asked.

“be nice?” the other said

(I’m totaly paraphrasing here.  and by “paraphrasing,” I mean, borderline making shit up, but the heart of the story is true)

“no problem, whats their names?” I asked the girls, they told me, and I went all “oldcorps” on their asses and called out their names, the boys came running to me like recuits who just got out of the stickers, with the “fuzzy’s” on their beans.  (”fuzzy’s” is one of many nicknames for pre-indoc recruits in the corps, because your head is shaved, and you MUST remove, and then wear, and then remove, and then wear your sweatshirt, so all the loose cotton gets caught in your little scrub brush bean.)

The boys came up, and I introduced myself, and I acted like a protective uncle or cousin to the boys, asked them their intentions and all that shit.

As soon as I thought one of them was gonna piss themselves I whispered something like “I don’t know if they like you, but girls like a manly man.  Just go with this, and don’t look at them okay?”

The boys went with it, they helped me carry all my shit up into my brothers attic, or rather they just made sure that if I dropped my shit, it wouldn’t break, and there ya go.

The boys got to be “men” by working with a grown man (me, though I didn’t tell them that they were helping me with my comic colection, that might have fucked up there game) the girls got to be in control of the boys, and develop an adult ally in the game of gender at a young age, and my brother got all of my shit out of his way.

Thats a four for all.

Unfortunately, the one boy that the one girl liked pissed and moaned and whined the entire time, and she decided she didn’t like pussys.  the other kid would harrass my brother for a while after that, if he needed any help, and it made my brother feal a little wierd because here is this strange kid, BEGGING to do physical labor around my brothers house, and my bro didn’t know why.

Later when I told bro the story, he was kinda pissed about me conscripting kids to do my work (even though I didn’t, and I DID pay them when they did “volunteer.”) but I figured it was a formative lesson for the girls. 

I don’t know where that is going, but I will likely be told not to type so loud in the next few minutes, if I don’t stop, after all, I’m still using the library.

Love, Ya’alls, thanks for the thoughts.

9/11 Budweiser Tribute

From what I’ve been told, this commercial was only aired once.

It’s worth a watch.

h/t Lisa

Death science

Passing On: What It’s Like To Die

Most of us have probably wondered what it is like to die - so scientists have tackled the issue head-on and revealed the macabre yet fascinating truth.

New Scientist magazine has pondered the subject in great depth in its latest issue, discussing the various ways of meeting one’s end, from being burned alive to drowning and decapitation.

Drowning:

Victims first panic and try to hold their breath, typically for 30 to 90 seconds. Survivors have reported a “tearing and burning” sensation as water enters the lungs - but it is quickly followed by a feeling of calmness and tranquility. Oxygen deprivation results in loss of consciousness, the heart stopping and brain death.

Follow the link above for more uplifting descriptions of your possible final seconds of existance.

Found via Hot Air Headlines.

The Ikea commercial that you’ll never see…

Until now.

Brought to you by the fine folks of Ikea Germany, making fun of the Swedish midsummer tradition, the day when everybody in Sweden gets drunk and dances around a Maypole. Ikea headquarters put the kibosh on it.

Like Germans don’t get drunk and run around in silly little pants.

Damn Scandis

h/t Innocent Bystanders, follow the link for a very funny song about gerbils — Wickedpinto’s favorite snack food.

POOCHIE!!!

[Bumped by mesablue]

UPDATE: Wow, they’re nearly there! $1800.00 so far. Please go help out Kramer if you can.

A friend of ours (sometimes the AOS commenters are like the mob I guess) has a sick dog, a BEAUTIFUL DOG.

About 3 years ago, Kramer, the dog, was sick, and his pack loved him enough to pay for chemo, because thats just what you do, you care for your pack.

Kramer, that lovely and loving creature seen above, fell into a relapse of his previous condition, and his pack leaders can’t realisticly afford the treatments that are needed, because they are pressing.

If you frequent the net, if you love dogs, and you can make a donation, of any size (though If I find a common participant of this blog who only donates $.01 I will be more offended than if you don’t participate at all) I would like you to do so.

Thats a BEAUTIFUL dog, I’ve lost pets myself, I’ve seen pets pass suddenly, and slowly, and one family member, though my brothers dog was only a distant niece, her loss hurt me, they are a part of us. 

If you could, if you would, it would be nice if you did, it doesn’t take many tiny offerings to meet the goal.  It’s not like ITIT contributions. 

I’m not doing this out of ego, though I’m linking what is maybe, but not really, “my” place.

I just love dogs, and I’m sure that BMAC loves Kramer, and they deserve every instant together.

Sorry to BMAC, and thanks to ND for bringing this to my attention.

If I could have done anything to bring any of my childhood pets back?  I would do it, well, most anything.

Oh England, we hardly knew ye

An interesting look at the losing battle over the soul of The Empire.

Cal Thomas at Real Clear Politics

England is Vanishing

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND — Perhaps there will not always be an England. An exodus unprecedented in modern times, coupled with a record influx of foreigners, is threatening to erode the character of the land of William Shakespeare and overpowering monarchs, a land that served as the cradle for much of American thought, law and culture.

The figures, making headlines in London newspapers, tell only part of the story. Between June 2005 and June 2006 nearly 200,000 British citizens chose to leave the country for a new life elsewhere. During the same period, at least 574,000 immigrants came to Britain. This number does not include the people who broke the law to get there, or the thousands unknown to the government. Britain’s Office of National Statistics reports that middle-class Britons are beginning to move out of towns in southern England that have become home to large numbers of immigrants, thereby altering the character of neighborhoods that have remained unchanged for generations.

Britons give many reasons for leaving, but their stories share one commonality: life in Britain has become unbearable for them. They fear lawlessness and the threat of more terrorism from a growing Muslim population and the loss of a sense of Britishness, exacerbated by the growing refusal of public schools to teach the history and culture of the nation to the next generation. What it means to be British has been watered down in a plague of political correctness that has swept the country faster than hoof-and-mouth disease. Officials say they do not wish to “offend” others.

Go read the rest.

The last line of the article is scary:

The greater tragedy is that the people of Britain have little say in any of this, so they are taking the road of last resort. They are leaving.

Caliphate — google it!

Make a hippie happy…

Win this auction and give it to them as a present for the next solstice/pagan ritual.

Lock of Che Guevara’s Hair to Be Sold

MIAMI - A former CIA operative and Cuban exile plans to auction what he says is a lock of Che Guevara’s hair, snipped before the Argentinian revolutionary and friend of Fidel Castro was buried in 1967.

Gustavo Villoldo, 71, was involved in Guevara’s capture in the jungles of Bolivia, according to unclassified U.S. records and other documents. He plans to auction the hair and other items kept in a scrapbook since the joint CIA-Bolivian army mission 40 years ago.

Better yet — buy it for your hippie buddy and tell him it is really good incense. Don’t fill him in until it is almost gone.

I love the smell of burning Che in the morning….

Good Site, bad research.

At newsbusters, a site that I like a great deal, but I always follow the links, and I try to understand the content, there is some guy who really doesn’t understand G.I. Joe.

 ”that “real American hero,” is going to be replaced with an “Action Man” “

Yes, it looks like “Action Man” will be the primary character, however, Action Man has been a part of G.I. Joe background from day one.

“Paramount is even turning Joe’s name into an acronym adding insult to injury. Instead of just being the main character’s name,”

Yes, the Original G.I. Joe was named Joe, however, other than the initial release there were not any figures named Joe.  In fact, the G.I. Joe we most know,(the Cartoon and action figures from the 80’s) had no characters named Joe in it.  NONE!

“, there is no confirmation that the standard G.I. Joe we all loved as the expression of American heroism will be replaced by the international mercenary man concept.”

G.I. Joe, of the eighties fit this standard easily.  The G.I. Joe action figures, and Cartoons were basicaly of a multi-cultural, yet AMERICAN foundation, while serving the good of all people.

Hell, “The Joe’s” as us fans call them, bombed the FRIGGEN PYRAMIDS during the cobra la movie, and though the Joe’s had a bunch of different accents, and foreign names, it was always “A real American Hero.” It was to SHOW the power of the melting pot, not to isolate it.

“Some rumors claim that the title “G.I. Joe” will even be dropped in the international release to be replaced by “Action Man” (the original name of the Joe series’ British soldier) “

I read that too, but how is calling it “action man” a violation of G.I Joe, when the original name (later changed to “G.I. Joe”) WAS in FACT “Action Man?”

Now, I’m gonna go hunt down links, but as long as the movie stays true to the cartoon (which would suite the left just fine, remember Destro?) which will be easy for both ideaology (multi-culturalism, fighting a nameless and universaly hated entity in “Cobra” while simultaneously maintaining the basic American identiy of freedom, and the protection of freedom) I don’t care.  Though there is one link that said G.I. Joe will be based in some sort of scandi area, which IS NOT JOE.

This writer doesn’t get Joe, clearly never watched the cartoon, and doesn’t care about the history, he just knows it exists.   OH! there are reasons to oppose the film, if some of the rumors are true, but to fashion yourself as a Joe fan, when you clearly don’t know the characters, or the cartoon, then. . . .well, you know?  thats just bad editing, and just as propogandist, AGAINST hollywood, as hollywood is against the US.

Sorry, the basic sentiment is valid, the facts, are WRONG!

Good night guy who looks like a wiccan that won the lottery.

We are Slacking

I know, I’m sorry.

I just don’t have anything, and I’m caught up in a couple of books so by the time I turn away from the book and look at the news the blogs and the silly sites that might have something entertaining on them, I’m already late. 

I’m on my last book in the queue right now, so I might be more prepared in the next day or two, and I don’t know what Mesa’s doing other than studying physiology with a Dr. but I’m sure he will be back soon as well. 

For all of you loyal reader, sorry for the lapse, I don’t even have any irrational incorrect crazy to offer you right now, so I just thought I would point you all to slub for something that is both entertaining, political and kinda confusing.  Greenpeace hating on teddy kennedy.

Will be posting again likely later tomorrow, and if not I haven’t missed an SMC, though I sorta half assed it this week, only cuz I didn’t want two cartoon based posts back to back.

See what that is?  Thats self respect and dignity!  No matter how misplaced it was.

Once again, sorry for the lapse, it will return to normal in the next 48 hours.  

Mark Levin

On Markes show at the 5:55 minute accepted a caller who said, that the only reason Bush gets cheers is because a “boo” would be a field grade article 15.

And, in support of Mark, THAT IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT!!

COMPLETE BULLSHIT!

Oh, you would have your ass handed to you but field grade?  BULLSHIT!

mucking ruts, and weeding fields or painting rocks, but not anything that goes on your record.

Edit: 

something that people who serve for their own opposition perposes, and for people who never served.  The President of The United States of America, is your Commander in Chief.  Disrespect is a crime, thats true, but nameless ignorant views of policy are not.  You can dissagree with The Commander in Chief of The United States Armed Forces all you please, but you WILL obey him.  

 I don’t see any reservists who “speak out” or any recently retired officers who “speak out” being prosecuted, though they can be under this President.

I hate these guys.

True Story:

While I was going through my first MOS school, I was staring into a microscope while my instructers were talking politics, I only had one active duty instructor at a time for purposes of discipline, my real instructors were civvie’s who USED to be service. Anyways GySgt Gary (that was his last name) started talking about how great clinton was, and, well, I’m trying to concentrate on fixing something that required 40X mag, and I was irritated so I scoffed.

BAD Idea, “you got a problem with The President PFC (pinto)”

I snapped to, after carfuling stowing my soldering iron (”This is YOUR rifle” (yes they said that) ) into it’s holder, I pushed my chair back, I stood at attention and I said “He is the commander and chief and I will obey eagerly every order Gunnery Sgt!!!!”

that gunny laughed, as did the civvies, “thats the perfect answer, PFC, where you hear it?”

“I will get into enough trouble on my own, don’t need to add politics to it.”  (how fucking right I was)

“You got a genius here Hatfill!!”

He continued, “no, honestly, why do you disagree with clinton?”

“you know I can’t answer that.”

“honestly.”

“so far he has been wrong, but just wrong enough to be forgiven, and everything he’s don’t completely wrong he blames on politics, and everything right he’s done, he’s done for the wrong reason.  He’s more KGB than he is DoD, and WE are his job, not them.”

The words might be different, but thats the gist.

More cowbell, baby!

What could be cooler than a movie with Christopher Walken about ping pong done Blood Sport style?

Balls of Fury.

How about a video of Walken instructing how to roast a chicken.

Update: Welcome Ace of Spades HQ morons. And, Wickedpinto reminds me of the very funny Balls of Steel video. As long as you are here, check it out — it’s prime AoSHQ stuff.

Silence

…

update:  Mike speaks, and I still can’t say any more than this sad little post says, I’m weak like that.

I hope he doesn’t mind, but I stole this pick from his blog, I think the love is apparent, a beautiful woman is gone, and an OBVIOUSLY loving man has a hole in his heart.

Happy last minute Moon Day!

Don’t tell my uncle, he would be ashamed of me, but I am WAY late on posting anything about moon day.

We landed on the moon 38 years ago, got bored after only 3 years, and decided to just hange out with all of the junkie’s that were replacing the men of worth that led us to the moon.

Then we had the idea of the shuttle, which was screwed up, because of studio 54.

I Love This Woman!

Allah has a link to an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

FRIGGEN AWESOME! 

I especially like the part where the interviewer treats her like some quaint little creature who just crawled out of a propoganda school to spout cliche’s, only to be on the recieving end of this quote.

““You grew up in freedom, and you can spit on freedom because you don’t know what it is not to have freedom.”

Which is friggen AWESOME!

And she’s . . . I wouldn’t say hot, but definately there is something VERY adorable about her.

Treasonous

PERIOD!

I don’t have much to say, but I think that the 1 person who doesn’t read or view hot air, and Vent, should watch it.

NBC’s Report?

CLEARLY Treasonous.  Promoting a lack of support through falsehoods is the same as offering aid and comfort.  It’s treason, and I hope they die.

Random: Does General Brown not look JUST like the guy who owned the station in “Talk Radio?”

Not Colbert

But whoever is responsible for this sort of scheduling is responsible for the level of disrespect tossed out with a level of insoucience only a liberal comedian, or a malicous event scheduler could achieve.

Colbert does what colbert does, it’s his job to be a self absorbed ass, and to offer offense in a humorous way (and I do think that the quotes are humorous in the way in which they mock o’reilly’s neverending references to his own pet project in “culture warrior” which is “The Secular Progressives.”) he’s a comedian, not a respected author.  Whoever was responsible for that scheduling should be named and interogated by literary critics.

It’s like having Pat Buchanan MC’ing a reading and Q&A of the diary of ann frank (yes I think pat is a racist anti-semite prick(second main page “curse”) which is just plain retarded.

I’m gonna dig around and see if I can find a more complete transcript (probably fail) or maybe video at c-span if it was broadcast on booktv.

I mean. . .really, next you know, I will get a job as a primary speaker at some cultural conferance at a womens only university.

Update:  I knew there was play, but I was expecting some more substantial aggression.  The video is actually very playful, still, I would never use a man like colbert to discuss such a severe work.   I was wrong, by being inspired to irritation and something bordering on anger by NB, who should also apologize.  And apparently the “stupid people” categorization” applies to me, for being so easily riled up.

“Art!” criticism

This Link, Via Powerline ……again. They are like what Allahpundit would have been if he were 15 years older (no offense guys at powerline, you guys come off as near fifties, I might be wrong, I’m just say’n)

I love art, I have seen read and heard things that have literaly changed my life.  I have manipulated my self image thanks to the the way in which life is depicted and manipulated through the eyes and the voice of an artist.

In my opinion, that is what art is;  However, the link points to a review of someone apparently rather familiar with art, and describing “Art” as compared to art, and it’s pretty funny, but it’s also very sad.

Art is a moment a sensation or a desire shared in the only way that the artist can express themselves.   “Art” is well, “Art.”

There are a lot of beautiful, powerful, sad and sometimes guilty sensations that we experience in our lives, and to turn it into an act of pomposity irritates the hell out of me.

Example, Piss christ? 

“Art.” (that amber liquid is well, you get it)

“speechless”

 

Taken from AnimationUSA

But, But, But, the second one is a cartoon!

I however find it more poignant.   Mel blanc was a voice that spoke to most of us during the best times of our life, those of you with children have shared the joy of mel with your children just as you experienced it when you were a child, and many of us have even grandparents who experienced the joy of that voice.

I call the second one art.