Pictured: Emma "Hermione" Watson, who has
worked with the dude who gets naked.

So close. So close. To think we almost got a glimpse of Ron Weasley's "pocket familiar"...

Posted by: Ace at 09:16 AM | Comments (35)
Post contains 47 words, total size 1 kb.

Reposted from last Friday just in case anyone missed it before the weekend.

This is a personal letter that was read aloud on the air by radio talk show host Jim Vicevich recently.

He is graciously allowing it to be reprinted here, with permission from the author.
I've snipped some details in order to help protect this soldier's privacy.

Good morning,
I know that all in the area are awaking today to a bit of winter weather. I hope that it is as beautiful as I remember and that each of you takes a few moments to savor that beauty before your journey began today.

I have been out of communications for a few days as some of you know. The SOP for us in the event of a loss is to institute a communications blackout. This is to avoid improper information from leaking outside to the world before soldiers love ones are notified. That has now occurred and our blackout has been lifted.
We lost an aircraft on Saturday and more importantly, we lost four soldiers (2 pilots and 2 crew). It was shot out of the sky and though I cannot share much detail with you, I can tell you that the crew aboard and those in their sister ships are true heroes. The fought for control and for their very lives until the last moment when the enemy took all of it away from them, their families and us. I can also tell you that those responsible for this act no longer walk the earth.

How am I? I am ok. "I am fine."
I am humbled and I am honored. I was in the Ops center in the battle to save our soldiers, and later in the battle to recover their remains. The enemy struck those responding with multiple IEDs and attempted to take out comrades away from us I am sure for PR purposes. Those that did this are no longer. Obviously as you have not seen something obscene in the news they did not succeed.

There are many details that I cannot share, someday when I get home we can talk about if you wish, but I ask you accept what I can tell you for now.
One of the men killed worked closely with me here, his love was for family and for flying. He was an exceptional soldier, father and human being. They all were.
I was able to personally ensure that our men and women from this crash were taken care of. I escorted them onto the C-17 transport, their caskets draped in the flag of the country we love so much for the long trip home to their families. They left with honor and dignity as they should.

Today the mission continues, it never stops. We have service scheduled in about an hour which I know will be very difficult to attend, but necessary so that we can honor them and begin to heal. The mission is first, for the defense of our country, for you and for ourselves we will persevere.

Know this, our soldiers will not quit. We win every battle, we hold any piece of ground that we want to take.
Do not listen to those in Washington who influence events by dishonesty, manipulation and greed. Listen to your hearts and know that America is a winner. We will not accept defeat.
Don't be fooled by the news media who so dishonorably portrays one side of the story for gain and sensationalism. We are not losing, we are not running, the enemy is reeling and is scared. [emphasis mine]

I thank you for your support. Hold those who are dear to you closely, and live your lives today.
I ask that you all look out for my family. Its easy for folks who are busy to forget, but this family is not whole and will not be for several more months. I know that they wonder every day what is happening here and fear for the worst.

And let me tack on this message from Mr. Vicevich:

What I can also tell you is, and this is from the soldiers there ... and I am quoting ... "I tell you, we are kicking ass here. Its good to be on the offensive!"

They want that known!

Noted, kind sir.

There's really not much to 'blog' here, or much to add.
The men and women of the United States Armed Forces are filled with a deadly resolve today.
Get out of their way, MSM.

Posted by: LauraW. at 07:18 AM | Comments (8)
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At 2:38 (1:32 on the backwards timer), by the way, is the overhead-to-forward shot after his infamous "Hate should concern us all" line. I think. I can't be sure. As you can see from this clip, the auteur Caruso likes to re-use great bits over and over again.

Posted by: Ace at 09:32 PM | Comments (25)
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Battle of the Mounds, baby. Containing "The Prayer."

Just Askin': What the hell was the point of those spikes? To break gently at the slightest pressure? They seem less like obstacles and more like a manner of softly breaking an opponent's fall.

But I suppose we shouldn't question greatness too closely. Otherwise, we might get to asking what the hell is the point of the big reinforced-bus gate to the Oil Pumping Town in Road Warrior, given that the rest of the town has no walls around it whatsoever.

Posted by: Ace at 08:44 PM | Comments (29)
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He really writes that. Here's the headline-- I ain't makin' this up, folks.

Was 9/11 really that bad?

The attacks were a horrible act of mass murder, but history says we're overreacting.

And he's the moderate on the left-- he believes that we should have gone to war with Japan over Pearl Harbor, though apparently 9/11 didn't rise to that level. A fellow lefty he criticizes makes the case that we should have simply tried containment on the Japanese Empire.

So, there you go. We all overreacted to 9/11. 3000 murders in an hour should have been as rain off a duck's back.

Bonus! Very centrist, moderate, fair-and-balanced Chris Hedges (formerly of the NYT and, I do believe, formerly of an inappropriate and fulsomely anti-American tirade at a college graduation) has decided that your freedom of speech and religion rights are now too dangerous for the nation to any longer countenance.

His article making the case, more or less, for concentration camps for those on the right is titled "American Fascists."

How terribly fitting.

Posted by: Ace at 08:09 PM | Comments (78)
Post contains 194 words, total size 1 kb.

On the plus side, the auto-auto-parking system will pack 67 cars into the space that would otherwise fit only 24, and the lack of human employees may bring prices down.

On the down side, the entire complex has a buitl-in programming glitch that will cause it to begin murdering human beings and welding peices of their bodies into necro-mechanical Zombots.

Then again, I'm a glass-is-half-full kind of guy. So I'm psyched.

Posted by: Ace at 08:04 PM | Comments (12)
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Dang, by the end of the clip he looks like he's just taken the money shot in a gay sex porn with the Invisible Man.

Posted by: Ace at 07:02 PM | Comments (15)
Post contains 43 words, total size 1 kb.

Hey, it's a premise, and I want to play World of Warcraft. But how sad is it that women are supposedly learning about men from other women and gay dudes?

How To Spice Up Your Love Life With Tango Lessons. Yeah. That's what your man wants to do.

So here's three proposals from steve_in_hb:

"Realizing That Every Time Your Feelings Are Bruised By Somebody It Isn't A Fucking Disaster"

"Every Thought Doesn't Have to Be Expressed"

"Letting Your Man Decompress From a Hectic Day Before Barraging Him WIth Every Detail of Your Day"

Couple from me:

"Do You Really Want To Do This Gay Shit With Me, Or Are You Just Being Nice?:" Learning To Accept Victory Without Demanding Your Man Join In Celebrating His Own Emasculation"

"It's Your Period, Not Our Period: Menstruation Is Not A Freakin' Joint Checking Account"

"Amusing Anecodote? Or Just A Trivial Non-Event That Hardly Requires A Recounting?: A Beginner's Guide"

Women can fire back too if they like.

Laughed Out Loud at this one from Planet Moron:

The Words That Come Out Of His Mouth: The Secret Source Of What A Man Is Really Trying To Tell You!

Posted by: Ace at 03:49 PM | Comments (604)
Post contains 220 words, total size 1 kb.

Caffeinated donuts.

Because, really, you don't want to waste any of those precious donut-calories on useless high-impact dunking movements.

This just in: The tangent universe will end in three days twenty-two hours and nine minutes.

And good riddance.

Thanks to Locusts & Honey, who investigates local zombie-attack preparedness, and finds it sadly wanting.

I'm A Friggin' Genius: Like John Lennon said, "I don't understand how people have avoided discovering me yet."

I can't have donuts. Atkins and all that. But man, does coffee taste that much better with donut-particles floating around it in.

So: Coffee that already tastes like donuts. Say, glazed chocolate ones. No carbs. Just that sweet, sweet well-dunked flavor.

Million dollar idea. It's yours for the development. Just send me a crate of the stuff.

Posted by: Ace at 03:22 PM | Comments (8)
Post contains 150 words, total size 1 kb.

Ich denk' auf Juden und lassen fliegen...

Lebanese Muslims panic at a strange invasion of colorful balloons bearing frightening Jew-scrabblings. Some Muslims complain of sickness due to the disease/chem weapons the balloons undoubtedly carry. Locals were actually warned against touching the sinister Hebe-Orbs.

Yeah. The secret Yid-Code has been translated. "Happy Birthday" and "For Silvi, with all my heart."

They hate us for our colorful party decorations.

The Jew. Is Using. Helium-filled party balloons. As muscle. And you are left. Defenseless.

...Rabbi?

Okay, so he didn't become a rabbi. But that would have been plenty scary too.

Tell you one thing -- fuckin' bats don't control the banking system, now do they?

Batman pic lifted from Jay Pinkerton, who writes for Cracked. And does a lot of comic-book parodies.

Posted by: Ace at 02:40 PM | Comments (21)
Post contains 137 words, total size 1 kb.