Nothing gory. You can't really see the impact but you know from the story that it was fatal.

What's particularly insane is that she wasn't trying to outrun one train, but two. At the end of the video you can see a train on the opposite track coming from the other direction. She was thus trying to thread her way between two trains as they closed hard on each other.

I guess it was that second train that caused her to make her attempt to cross the tracks earlier than she wanted. Why at that point she didn't think to herself that maybe she should just wait is anyone's guess.

She killed both of her daughters with this failed stunt.

Thanks to RobG.

Link Problems: The link appears to be correct (just double-checked). If it's not working, it may be due to server stress caused by a Drudge-a-lanche. He usually links these FREAK! stories.

Posted by: Ace at 09:53 AM | Comments (59)
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Doing the jobs American reporters won't do.

As we crossed the median and made the left-hand turn onto Rte. Heat, Captain Ferris – who has been half-jokingly called "The Prophet" by some of his men for his knack for knowing when and where things are going to happen, before they actually do – said to Spc. Scalco, "You may want to plug your ears." Less than two seconds later, it happened.

BOOM!!

A sound like a cork being pulled out of a bottle – magnified a hundred times – was accompanied by a ball of dust which engulfed the entire Humvee column. The IED had gone off between our truck and the one in front of us, across the median and alongside the northern side of the westbound lane of Rte. Heat. Had the lead vehicle pulled into that lane instead of into the southernmost one, then at least one truck would have taken the full force of the blast.

As the dust cleared, the situation was assessed. There were no injuries, nor was there any damage to the Humvees. The drivers of the second and third vehicles in the column had had their heads rattled a bit, but that was the extent of the damage to our element. Based on residue in the road, the IED had either killed a person or been planted on a body (perhaps one of the ones killed yesterday) – a common tactic, as the terrorists know that if a dead body is reported in the city, the coalition soldiers there have to come out investigate it, and then take it back for identification and proper, respectful burial. Yet again, the enemy is using the unparalleled humaneness and respect of the American force against them, and they will continue to do so as long as the opportunity is there.

Less than three minutes after the blast, the Humvees began moving again, still toward the objective: there was a mission to be accomplished, and no little thing like an IED almost killing members of the Platoon was going to stop them from going out and completing it.

"All right, let's get our heads back in the game," Captain Shea Goltry, White Platoon commander, said very calmly over the radio. The California native wasn't a Silver Star recipient (for heroism in combat) for nothing. "We still have a job to do."

Correction: I originally wrote he was with "Rangers." I'm corrected that the 82nd Airborne isn't a Ranger unit.

Posted by: Ace at 09:42 AM | Comments (12)
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Big laughs as this cat, a Muslim student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, obviously thinks he's pretty funny as he harasses a female Muslim student and then repeatedly asks a Jewish one what the Jews' greatest accomplishment was.

He offers his own answer over and over: "9/11."

Arrogant ignorance, the worst stupidity of all.

Analysis by Jeff Goldstein:

'm interested to hear what the diversity czars and the risk-averse university bureaucrats have to say about this kind of identitarian political activism — not because I'm particularly bothered by it (the video shows the MSA for the repressive ideologues and wannabe zealous thugs they are, and frankly, I find it refreshing to see such free speech aired on a university campus for a change) — but rather because a university-sanctioned group is performing such confrontational activism on a university campus, where "hate" is purportedly disallowed.

This puts diversity advocates and university administrators in quite a bind, I should think. Because to "tolerate" the political activism of the MSA, the university must simultaneously allow for "hatred" against women and Jews (the latter not really much of a problem, of course — provided the wretched Zionists don't threaten to sue). Unless, that is, one is able to alter what constitutes "hate" by simultaneously altering the feminist narrative to conclude that Muslim women who "Americanize" are somehow traitors to their own cultural milieu, and so shouldn't be granted the protections of American women who are treated as kitchen and laundry room chattel. Which, here, would manifest itself with a deafening silence from the Women's Studies Departments.

Indeed, that's the rub. Hate-speech codes cannot be combined with "respect for multicultural traditions" which include hatred, at least not without blatantly conferring privileged status on a precious few (thus undermining another supposedly important value of liberals: equality and equal treatment).

I'm less bothered by this prick's exercise of free-speech rights than by the fact that only he and fellow privileged Musllims are now allowed to actually exercise such rights without fear of investigation, disciplinary action, possible expulsion and even possible criminal charges.

To repeat myself: Imagine what a state-sanctioned religion would look like. It would have a panopoly of special rights and special protections, granted and enforced by state and quasi-state institutions.

Does the current regime look terribly much different from officially sanctioning Islam as the state religion?

Posted by: Ace at 09:38 AM | Comments (27)
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No mention of the party affiliation of the politicians currently being arrested.

Thirteenth paragraph:

Those arrested Thursday were Democratic state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Alfred E. Steele; Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera; Passaic Councilman Marcellus Jackson and former Passaic councilman Jonathan Soto; and Keith Reid, chief of staff to Newark's City Council president.

The funny thing is they took the time to identify someone commenting upon the matter as a Republican. So the only mention of party affiliation early in the story is of Republicans.

Deliberate? I don't know. I do know the AP apparently thinks that party affiliation is a 13th paragraph minor detail when the affiliation is Democratic. I've read enough AP stories to know they think Republican affiliations in scandal-stories are a first paragraph or better yet a headline detail.

Posted by: Ace at 09:06 AM | Comments (11)
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"It's a trap! By the way, does this space-suit
make my mutant appendages look fat?"

Didn't these guys specifically demand a report from Petraeus in the legislation to continue troop funding?

ongressional Democrats are trying to undermine U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' credibility before he delivers a report on the Iraq war next week, saying the general is a mouthpiece for President Bush and his findings can't be trusted.

"The Bush report?" Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin said when asked about the upcoming report from Gen. Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.

"We know what is going to be in it. It's clear. I think the president's trip over to Iraq makes it very obvious," the Illinois Democrat said. "I expect the Bush report to say, 'The surge is working. Let's have more of the same.' "

The top Democrats — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California — also referred to the general's briefing as the "Bush report."

Remember, the Democratic Party is the one that speaks thoughtfully and not in bumper-sticker talking points. It's just that they've all independently pondered this matter and all simultaneously decided to begin calling it "the Bush report" like Stepford whores.

Posted by: Ace at 08:27 AM | Comments (28)
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More questions. If they had ammo, do they have registered guns? If not, why were they carrying bullets?

Posted by: Ace at 08:09 AM | Comments (39)
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I didn’t realize that Southwest Airlines wasn’t a discount airline that was more like taking the bus rather than an upscale aviation experience reminiscent of the heyday of aviation elegance. Silly me.

The airline tried to kick 23 year old Kyla Ebbert off a flight because one of the flight attendants found her clothing to be incompatible with the high standards Southwest Airlines expects from its customers:

After the plane filled, and the flight attendants began their safety spiel, Ebbert was asked to step off the plane by a customer service supervisor, identified by the airline only as “Keith.”

They walked out onto the jet bridge, where Keith told Ebbert her clothing was inappropriate and asked her to change. She explained she was flying to Tucson for only a few hours and had brought no luggage.

“I asked him what part of my outfit was offensive,” she said. “The shirt? The skirt? And he said, 'The whole thing.' ”

Here’s a picture of Ms. Ebbert and what she was wearing that day. Is that outfit really ‘offensive’?

Ms. Ebbert, on behalf of AoS HQ I invite you to join us at our upcoming gathering of the morons (aka Acepalooza). I assure you no one will judge you. Stare at you and make awkward attempts to hit on you? Yes. But judge you, no way. And since you work at Hooters (which every article mentions for no apparent reason, much like this entry), could you get us a discount at one in Boston for the big shindig? Thanks.

Posted by: DrewM. at 07:46 AM | Comments (169)
Post contains 265 words, total size 2 kb.

I didnÂ’t realize that Southwest Airlines wasnÂ’t a discount airline that was more like taking the bus rather than an upscale aviation experience reminiscent of the heyday of aviation elegance. Silly me.

The airline tried to kick 23 year old Kyla Ebbert off a flight because one of the flight attendants found her clothing to be incompatible with the high standards Southwest Airlines expects from its customers:

After the plane filled, and the flight attendants began their safety spiel, Ebbert was asked to step off the plane by a customer service supervisor, identified by the airline only as “Keith.”

They walked out onto the jet bridge, where Keith told Ebbert her clothing was inappropriate and asked her to change. She explained she was flying to Tucson for only a few hours and had brought no luggage.

“I asked him what part of my outfit was offensive,” she said. “The shirt? The skirt? And he said, 'The whole thing.' ”

Here’s a picture of Ms. Ebbert and what she was wearing that day. Is that outfit really ‘offensive’?

Ms. Ebbert, on behalf of AoS HQ I invite you to join us at our upcoming gathering of the morons (aka Acepalooza). I assure you no one will judge you. Stare at you and make awkward attempts to hit on you? Yes. But judge you, no way. And since you work at Hooters (which every article mentions for no apparent reason, much like this entry), could you get us a discount at one in Boston for the big shindig? Thanks.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:46 AM | Comments (169)
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They're boycotting pasta as protest against sharply rising food prices.

Just to reiterate: ALL food prices are up in Italy. OK. Now read the excerpt.

The strike-organisers are prepared for serious withdrawal symptoms. Emergency stands offering free bread and milk will be set up in all major Italian cities for those in need of carbohydrates, Telegraph.co.uk said.

That's so....I...God, just can't even respond to how stupid that is. It's emotionally painful to think about.

Could Italian protest organizers be even more vacuous and retarded than ours?

What's bread made out of? What do dairy cows eat?
The room, spinning....I feel....weak....

The pasta-makers said the reason for the 30 per cent price rise was a shortage of wheat because farmers were switching to produce crops for the biofuel industry.

Ah.
Excuse me. Time to go try out that ritual self-mutilation thing the kids are all raving about these days. 'Cutting,' is it? Most excellent.
I have to go 'cutting' now.

Posted by: LauraW. at 06:48 AM | Comments (59)
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Just a reminder, there's a game tonight so get your picks in.

Sign up info here.

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 06:19 AM | Comments (16)
Post contains 22 words, total size 1 kb.