I Think About Something Like This…

Every time I cross the Bay Bridge

The driver of a tractor-trailer was killed early yesterday in a three-vehicle crash that sent the 18-wheeler plunging into the Chesapeake Bay – the first time that a vehicle has plummeted from the bridge in its 56-year history, according to current and former officials of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
The early morning crash left a gaping hole in the wall of the bridge, forced the all-day closure of the eastbound span and created a virtual parking lot for miles on both sides of U.S. 50 leading to the westbound span.

Oh Nelly.

Russia Has No Problem With Blood For Oil

They know where the power lies

The war in Georgia escalated dangerously last night after Russian jets reportedly bombed a vital pipeline that supplies oil to the West.
After a day of heightening international tensions, Georgian leaders claimed that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which transports oil from the Caspian Sea to Turkey, had been attacked. But it is thought the bombs missed their target.
Their claims came after Russian jets struck deep into the territory of its tiny neighbour, killing civilians and ‘completely devastating’ the strategic Black Sea port of Poti, a staging post for oil and other energy supplies.

But don’t worry, because Obama said “war is baaaad, mm’kay?”

Ho Boy

Not good. Not good at all. The question of the hour is (to paraphrase Gary Coleman): “Whachoo gonna do now, Willis?”

Russia expanded its bombing blitz to the Georgian capital, deployed ships off the coast and, a Georgian official said, sent tanks from the separatist region of South Ossetia into Georgian territory, heading toward a border city before being turned back.

With Apologies To Lou Gehrig

Look what my Bride and Daughter bought me

I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

Where’s The Outrage?

Russia bombs apartment buildings and whole villages. They clearly are “shedding blood for oil.” Time, of course, wonders “Has Georgia Overeached?” The NYT yawns and says “look at the big picture, the context.”
Realistically, there’s nothing we can do.
But where are the cries of condemnation, the street protests from those wonderfully superior populations of Europe?
Imagine the outcry had the US done something like this in, say, Chihuahua.

Gosh, What A Beautiful Morning

Bright blue sky, low humidity, a perfect day to get some more staining done on the house

or…to make some Bingley Rabe for Daughter and myself as a lazy Saturday brunch

Guess which I’m doing?

War In Georgia

Not good at all.

DZHAVA, Georgia (AP) – Russia sent columns of tanks and reportedly bombed Georgian air bases Friday after Georgia launched a major military offensive to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia, threatening to ignite a broader conflict.
Hundreds of civilians were reported dead in the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won defacto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992. Witnesses said the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali was devastated.
… Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally, has about 2,000 troops in Iraq, making it the third-largest contributor to coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain. But Saakashvili told CNN that the troops would be called home Saturday in the face of the South Ossetia fighting.
Georgia, which borders the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, was ruled by Moscow for most of the two centuries preceding the breakup of the Soviet Union. Georgia has angered Russia by seeking NATO membership—a bid Moscow regards as part of a Western effort to weaken its influence in the region.

The National Enquirer?

SCORE !!!

Edwards Admits Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate
In ABC News Interview, Edwards Says He Cheated, but Did Not Father Child

Not so silky now, are we?
UPDATE: Oh, God, it’s Ace and it’s rude, but it’s also so damnably true.

He seems to be denying paternity in order to avoid confessing he was schtupping this woman while his wife was dying of incurable cancer.
“Hey, I just fucked her when Elizabeth was in remission. It’s like the Area Code theory, you know? If you’re in another Area Code, or your wife is in remission, it’s not really ‘cheating.'”

I thought it was more “The Two Americas” theory: it doesn’t count when you’re in one and your wife’s in the other.
UPDATE Part Deux: Awwwww. Poor MSNBC.com says they didn’t run the story because it was just tough as nuts to prove, and they didn’t want to get it wrong.

Reporters don’t like being beaten on a major political story, especially by a supermarket tabloid. And being beaten up over not reporting one is even less appealing.
But a sexual affair can have just two people who know the truth. Without witnesses, documents, photographs or some form of irrefutable evidence pointing to the truth, news organizations will not endanger their own integrity.
That made it difficult to prove — and to print — the rumors that John Edwards had cheated on his seriously ill wife while running for president. Reporters were left to poke around the edges of a potentially career-ending scandal in search of an opening.

It’s a shame they didn’t extend that same sense of journalistic integrity to John McCain.

John McCain emphatically denied a romantic relationship with a female telecommunications lobbyist on Thursday and said a report by The New York Times suggesting favoritism for her clients is “not true.”
…The newspaper quoted anonymous aides as saying they had urged McCain and Iseman to stay away from each other prior to his failed presidential campaign in 2000. In its own follow-up story, The Washington Post quoted longtime aide John Weaver, who split with McCain last year, as saying he met with lobbyist Iseman and urged her to steer clear of McCain.

Hey! But, since it was a filthy Republican, they were keeping faith with the public’s right to know and just reporting the news.
They could ‘investigate’ and ‘prove’ the allegations later.

More Than Anything Obama Has Ever Said

…THIS has touched my soul and forced me to see my prejudice in a truly new light.

Yub, yub ~ it’s ashamed I am.

A Site That Appeals To The Voyeur In Me

The Real Estalker

A Really Hate The Outrageously Over-Used Word “Outrage”

But this story sure as hell deserves it if anything does

When the shooting stopped, two dogs lay dead. A mayor sat in his boxers, hands bound behind his back. His handcuffed mother-in-law was sprawled on the kitchen floor, lying beside the body of one of the family pets that police had killed before her eyes.
After the raid, Prince George’s County police officials who burst into the home of Berwyn Heights’ mayor last week seized the same unopened package of marijuana that an undercover officer had delivered an hour earlier.
What police left behind was a house stained with blood and a trail of questions about their conduct. No other evidence of illegal activity was found, and no one was arrested at Mayor Cheye Calvo’s home in this small bedroom community near College Park.

Read the whole thing. These police SWAT raids, especially the “No-Knock” ones, have got to stop.

More Oil Found In Brazil

I heard on the radio the find could be as much as Libya’s fields

LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) – British gas producer BG Group Plc (BG.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Friday it had made a material new oil discovery off the coast of Brazil.
BG said its exploration well Iara, around 230 kilometeres off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, had discovered light crude oil and was the third well to find hydrocarbons in the area. (Reporting by Jonathan Cable; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Oil’s already down $2.50 this morning.
Update: Some more info. And crude’s down $3.50.

The Mostest Studliest Jarhead and Bestest Husband IN THE WORLD

…turns 50 today. And DAMN if he isn’t on a business trip to N.C..

But he’ll be back here around 5 or so and I’ve got the birthday cards from his mom and aunt…sitting right next to the AARP membership mailer he got.
He’ll get over it.
I love you, honey.

Brett The Jet

Geesh, I didn’t see this one coming. $12.5 million for a 38 year old guy. Not bad.
I wonder what they’d pay for a 44 year old?

For The Man Who Has Everything

Nice how my beloved Bride conveniently missed this thoughtful gift for my last birthday

1978 MIG 23
* Worlds Fastest civilian owned aircraft – 1978 Mig 23.
*This Mach 2+ speedster has only 1403 hrs since new.
* Only 157 hrs since complete overhaul both airframe
& engine.
* Garmin 250XL.
* King KX155 with GS.
* Intercom.
* Garmin 327 TXP
* HOT SEATS.
* If you want the fastest THIS IS IT
* Check out for Qualified pilots included
* $750,000.00

That would shorten my commute somewhat.
Well, Christmas is coming up…

Those Happy Couples Ain’t No Friends…

…Of mine

Testimony Wednesday afternoon revealed his wife, 25-year-old Rebecca Bargy, tied up her husband for sexual pleasure Thursday night after he asked her to, and then went to the airport to pick up a man from Arizona she had met on MySpace.com.
After spending the night at a Columbia hotel with the man Thursday, Rebecca Bargy returned to the couple’s Jacob’s Lane home Friday and found her husband had become untied.
At his request, Bargy tied him up again and left.
He was found dead the next day. Autopsy results show he suffocated.
The body of her husband, 29-year-old James Bargy, was found late last month. He was gagged, wearing panty hose and his hands and feet were strapped behind his back.
Monday, Dr. Thomas Derring, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Bargy, explained there were multiple reasons for his death, one of which being the gag ball in his mouth and the strap attached to it.
Sam Patterson, attorney, said, “Basically this was not intentional at all and she feels terrible that this happened and feels bad about it.”
When asked about her intent, James Bargy’s only comment was “Hmmmpf-mah-ruh-rooh-rah!”

He’s ‘The One’ and There’s No Spoon?

He can change his mind.
©
ebola strikes again.

Shelob

Well, this explains where all the small children in the neighborhood have gone…

Dang, those suckers grow big sometimes.

Roadside Chicken

One of the things I love about my Weber Bullet is that it’s got me hooked on a phenomenal cooking resource: The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board. The folks there are amazing cooks, and while most of the cooking centers around smoking foods and BBQ there is also a ton of great, hands on information about grilling, side dishes, appetizers, etc. One of the most popular recipes is Bryan S.’s Roadside Chicken, which frankly to me makes the best grilled chicken I’ve ever had (and I believe my Bride and Daughter agree). I have modified the recipe very slightly, and I think I like it better after it marinates for up to 24 hours, which is a bit longer than Bryan suggests (or may be longer than he can wait!).
First off, the marinade:
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 TBS Sea or Kosher salt
1 TBS white sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp white pepper
3/4 TBS celery seed
Combine all the ingredients in a pourable container and mix well and set to the side.
For this batch I bought a 7lb whole chicken. I always use whole chickens these days and cut them up my self; it’s so much cheaper and it is not at all hard to do. You just get a good pair of poultry shears and cut off the drumsticks, thighs and wings and then cut off the Pamelas, leaving them on the ribs but cutting through the center breastbone so they are separate. Just keep your fingers clear because the shears, bless their heart, do not discriminate between human bones and chicken ones.
Put the cut up buzzard into a thick 1 gallon ziplock freezer bag, stir the marinade and dump it in.

And pop that momma into the fridge for as many hours as you can spare, turning occasionally to make sure everything is evenly enjuicified.

Read more »

Happy Birthday Crusader!

The bestest little brother I ever had.
The only little brother, too.
Not that that affected your ranking…much.

What I’m Drinking Tonight

Saw this at the Bottle King the other day. Rated a 90 by Parker and only $8.99?

I’m not quite sure how it got that high a score, frankly. Don’t get me wrong, for the price it is an excellent shiraz, but it is a little out of balance for my taste; the tannins and alcohol are too forward, so there’s a combination of slight bite and burn immediately on the palate, followed by good cassis and plum fruit. Like I said, for $8.99 it is quite good, and I’ve bought several more bottles of it, but in an ideal world I don’t make it a 90.
And I’m not sure how they got that picture of Sis for the label.

“And There’s a Sort of Magic Man”

Oh, yeah he is.
GAH-RRRrrroowwwwlllllllllllllllllllllllllll

The “Henry V” soundtrack they’re using doesn’t hurt one bit, either.
Now, if he could only unfreeze Kidman’s expressionless mug, I’d add miracle worker.

Always Looking Out

…for Number 1.

To Daryl Johnson of Orange, Tex., work as a rigger on pipe-laying barges seemed like a pretty sure bet. The pay was good — $18.50 an hour — and with oil exploration booming, Johnson felt secure with Houston-based Horizon Offshore Contractors, which had hired him in 1999. But Johnson, speaking through his attorney, says he got concerned when managers told him there were no openings for friends whom he referred for jobs, even while Horizon continued to hire Mexican and Malaysian nationals. Then, in 2007, Johnson lost his job. “They gave me no explanation,” says Johnson.
However, in Johnson’s mind and in those of other oil workers in the Gulf, the connection to the cheaper foreign workers is clear. His allegations are part of a lawsuit moving forward in federal court in Texas, which claims that a group of U.S. energy services companies operating in U.S. waters on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico are using workers recruited from Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, and other countries to displace U.S. workers, at less than half of the pay. According to the lawsuit, the staffing is illegal because non-U.S. workers are working without proper visas aboard foreign-flagged vessels that are in fact controlled by American companies.

Semper Paratus

Happy Birthday and 218 years of “Thanks” to the US Coast Guard.

Thanks and God bless!
THS update: Had to share this little Coastie hi-lite film as part of the celebration.

I Doubt the Arab World

…would be as obliging.

More than 180 Fatah supporters who fled into Israel from the Gaza Strip were in Israeli custody Sunday, after a dramatic escape from a Hamas crackdown that left nine people dead in fierce fighting.
…The incident punctuated one of the new realities of the conflict:

Palestinian infighting has become so bitter that some Palestinians fear Israel less than they do each other.

What ever would Imadinnerjacket say about that?