As a rule, there are not many experiences more dull than being the only sober person at a gathering of drunk people. However, I have to think that even a teetotaler like me would have loved to be present the night that Sir Richard Burton sat down in American Fork, Utah for a “squar” drink with Porter Rockwell.

www.youtube.com/studioctv.  Don’t let the fact that it’s from BYU dissuade you.  It’s hilarious.

Nothing defined the city of paper more than its bureaucratic fog. On one memorable occasion the vice president of a New York City bank applied for a job in Washington at the Office of Economic Warfare. While he awaited a reply, the agency’s head, Leo Crowley, happened to drop into the same bank and asked its president to recommend someone for the same job. The president suggested the very same vice president who had applied. Crowley hired him on the spot, and the banker moved to Washington. Weeks later he received a letter forwarded to him from New York. It was from the same agency, which rejected his original application on the grounds that he was not qualified for the job. That was painful enough, but on closer inspection the man discovered that he had signed the letter himself.

— Thus Maury Klein, A Call To Arms: Mobilizing America For World War II

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Actually, His Majesty has four cats. This is Zoe.

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I recently discovered the inexpensive (and cheap/cheapy) Baofeng brand of Chinese-made hand-held dual-band ham radio transceivers.

I wouldn’t describe them as “good”, speaking as a ham with previous experience with better quality transceivers. But they are “acceptable”, and I have to begrudgingly admit they are worth what you pay for them.

I bought a UV-5R and a UV-5R7 from R and L Electronics, for $27.95 and $39.95 respectively.

These prices make for a very low cost entry into Ham (Amateur) Radio.
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Here’s a parody blog making fun of Russophile paleocons:

http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/paleocon-diary-16

The parody unfairly lumps Russian Orthodox Christians like Rod Dreher in with Putin-adoring Lew Rockwell types, although the writer’s voice resembles nothing so much as one of those neoreactionary bloggers for whom Russophilia is just the next logical step after they’ve gotten bored with Dungeons and Dragons.

I find myself sympathizing more with the paleocons over time. While Putin is not a good man, and Russia is not a place I would like to live, the affinity for Putin’s Russia didn’t come out of the blue. I think I can demonstrate this with an economy of examples. (more…)

… can control 100 without one.”

Thus Vladimir Lenin, 1870-1924.

The Cold War was not without casualties.

The first speaker, Cary Skidmore, is presently serving as a counselor in the Santa Fe Stake Presidency.

Conservatism is in crisis because few still believe in the rational and color-blind rule of law — because there is not enough genuine American liberalism left to conserve.

— thus Ralph Hancock.

Even something as great-sounding as beating swords into plowshares. Timing is critical.

Bethlehem Steel, among other companies, had built a formidable arsenal, but after the [First World War] the government continued to impose heavy taxes on its machinery that had use only in wartime. In desperation Bethlehem offered to give the facilities to the government, which politely declined the offer. Rather than pour more money into unused equipment, Bethlehem brought in gigantic hammers and smashed the machines into scrap iron and steel to sell for whatever it would bring. …

–Maury Klein

A Call To Arms: Mobilizing America For World War II

The U.S. had no armaments industry to speak of in 1940, the year Hitler conquered France and put Britain on the ropes.

Song of the Sea (2014) is a really lovely animated movie; lovely in its visuals, music, voice-acting and the story. It is made with a sureness of touch that scarcely puts a foot wrong. There is beauty, sadness, peril and joy. And it has an inspiring and resonant ending.

There is a double aspect to the movie, which has a dominant mythic and fairytale element – and also a modern, psychological parallel plot which I must admit pretty-much passed me by until after I had finished watching and my son pointed it out. I think I was so swept-up by the main story that I had no attention left over.

BTW: I would advise you NOT to watch the ‘trailer’ – which gives-away about 3/4 of the plot.

Seeing as we are in an election year, it is worth remembering that memes, like genes, can sometimes have a life or force of their own. There are things that our genes try to get us to do, that are not in our best interest, and the same is true with memes.