At least some Brits have a spine.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
Cartoon of the Day
Here’s what the last election really means.
One of the worst escape attempts—ever!
I can’t compete with Peter on his collection of Doofi, but I ran across this one that would, at least, achieve “Honorable Mention.” From the Daily Mail (UK) Online comes this story.
Pictured: One of the worst escape attempts EVER as robbers handcuffed together run straight into lamp-post
Last updated at 3:11 PM on 29th January 2009.
It was less than a Great Escape.
Two New Zealand prisoners who were handcuffed together as they fled a courthouse foiled their own getaway when they ran to opposite sides of a lamp-post, slammed into each other and fell to the ground.
Jailers nabbed them as they struggled to their feet.
D’oh! Clockwise from top left: The pair of robbers, handcuffed together, charge towards freedom – but foil their own attempt by charging straight into the post
Their escapade on Wednesday was captured by a CCTV camera at Hastings District Court on New Zealand’s North Island. The footage shows the two men trying to make a break for it – but apparently forgetting they were joined at the wrist.
Hastings police Senior Sgt. Dave Greig said one inmate, Regan Reti, 20, had just been sent to prison for more than two years after being convicted of assault.
The other inmate, Tiranara White, 21, was in custody for allegedly stealing a car and violating parole.
‘As they were being led from the Hastings police cells … they made a bolt for freedom,’ Greig said today.
Bundled: Police and medical support catch soon catch up with the hapless robbers at the lamppost
“They fell over and they were sprayed with pepper spray. But they got up and ran out of the court onto the street, across the road to a car park,” he said.
‘That’s where they met the pole – it was all over, rover.’
The pair were back in court today, facing fresh charges of escaping from custody.
Police said Reti, who pleaded guilty to the charge, had a month added to his prison term. White did not enter a plea. He will remain in police custody while a psychiatric evaluation is carried out.
Grainy footage of the escapade shown on TV One News was billed as ‘one of the worst escape attempts ever seen.’
Off to the doc…
I’ve been fighting a sinus infection all week with constant headaches and all the other goodies that go along it. I haven’t been out of the house since Saturday and cabin fever is running high.
See ya later. As least I’ll be able to get out of the house.
Bipartisanship in Congress on the Stimulus Bill
Tip of the hat to Lisa Benson for today’s cartoon.
Night of the Big Bump!
On December 21, 1951 at 7:40PM, an explosion occurred at the Orient #2 coal mine in West Frankfort, IL. The explosion occurred at a depth of approximately 500 feet and about 2 1/2 miles from the shaft head—almost directly under our farm.
Dad worked at Orient #2. He operated a loader during the 1st (day) shift and had gotten home earlier in the afternoon. I was four years old but I still remember some of the events that night. Mom and Dad talked about the explosion for years. Dad lost a number of friends that night. Mom lost friends, husbands of friends and some cousins.
We were at supper. Mom had prepared something and had served it in a large crockery tureen—some kind of stew most likely. We were eating when the entire house jumped. The tureen flew off the table. Part of the chimney atop the house collapsed. Later, we discovered that the ground, just a few feet east of the house, had dropped several inches.
Dad went to our phone, just recently installed, and found our neighbors, Sy Malone, John Davis and Ken Shoemaker already on the line calling the UMWA local office. The union office confirmed the explosion and called all four in for mine rescue teams. Dad and John Davis had training and equipment on hand for mine recovery. Early versions of air-breathers. Ken Shoemaker was to go to the mine to help organize the rescue. Sy Malone was told to come to the union hall for further instructions.
When he got off the phone, Dad gathered his gear, waited for John to join him and both left for the mine. The wives, Ken Shoemaker, and I gathered blankets, coats, other clothing, food, several thermos of tea and coffee and we headed for the mine. I don’t remember too much of the night other than the near constant mine whistle, grown men and women crying, and a constant movement of people around a bonfire built to keep off the cold. I slept through most of it.
Dad and John Davis didn’t come home for several days. John had his arm in a cast. His arm had been broken when a rock fell from the tunnel roof. Dad spent a few hours in the hospital when he was overcome by smoke, rock dust and carbon monoxide. A couple of decades later, the rock dust attributed to his death, a form of silicosis called Black Lung.
The explosion was the largest to occur at that time. Of the 272 miners working below that shift, 119 were killed. The reverberations lead toFederal Coal Mine Safety Act of 1952. Union and Federal engineers later said the explosion was caused by the ignition of methane gas in the mine. The gas, in turn, triggered a coal dust explosion that reached almost every corner of the 12 1/2 miles of tunnels.
UNITED MINE WORKERS JOURNAL Vol. LXIII, No., 1; January 1st, 1952
“119 Perish in West Frankfort Gas Explosion, Lewis at Scene Demands Congress Act”
Bulletin: After a two day underground investigation in the Orient No. 2 mine federal authorities said in a preliminary report released by Interior Secretary Chapman December 28 that they believed the explosion was caused by the ignition of methane gas by an electrical source. Investigators said it was “obvious” that large accumulations of coal dust were present in the affected area and that sufficient rock dust had not been applied. The original ignition of gas in turn raised and ignited clouds of coal dust, propagating sections of the mine. They further disclosed the fact that a large amount of electrical equipment capable of igniting gas was in operation in air returning from the vicinity of “abandoned worked-out areas known to contain explosive gas.”
Orient #2 closed several years later. Dad never worked below again. He transferred to a new job “on top” loading railroad coal cars. Ken Shoemaker quit the mines and never returned. John Davis and Sy Malone returned to their former jobs and continued working them until the mine closed. The picture at the top of this post is the Memorial for those who died. It is located on West Main Street in Benton, IL. My hometown.
Out of the mouth of…
My mother used to tell me listen before I spoke, to plan my thoughts before speaking. Another way of saying this is more well known. “It’s better to keep quiet and be thought a fool that to speak and confirm it.” Today’s examples come from Nancy Pelosi and Barak Obama.
On Friday, January 23rd, 2009, Obama met with Republican Congressional leaders and told them, according to a report in the New York Post, that is they wanted to deal with the Whitehouse, they could no longer listen to Rush Limbaugh (and by extension, other conservative talk show hosts).
PREZ ZINGS GOP FOE IN A $TIMULATING TALK
By CHARLES HURT, BUREAU CHIEF
Last updated: 4:16 pm
January 24, 2009
Posted: 8:13 pm
January 23, 2009WASHINGTON — President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill today that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration.
“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package.
One White House official confirmed the comment but said he was simply trying to make a larger point about bipartisan efforts.
“There are big things that unify Republicans and Democrats,” the official said. “We shouldn’t let partisan politics derail what are very important things that need to get done.”
That wasn’t Obama’s only jab at Republicans today.
In an exchange with Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) about the proposal, the president shot back: “I won,” according to aides briefed on the meeting.
“I will trump you on that.”
In short, the new Whitehouse is attempting to censor opposing thought and commentary. Obama seems to think he can dictate to congress and they’ll roll over for him. The honeymoon is over and the gloves have come off. So much for bi-partisanship the dems were proclaiming. As usual, bi-partisanship for democrats means agreeing with them.
A commenter on the NY Post website responded to the article above.
Food for Thought wrote:
Having read the full National Review interview with Rush, I come here to see the comments and what do I find, contentious liberals and frustrated conservatives.As usual the libs who bombard any and all discussions with snarky remarks are a waste of time. And the conservatives are wasting thought and brain power trying to have serious discourse amongst people with double digit IQ’s.
Ignorant liberals deliberately sink to the lowest common denominater as a tried and true method that would draw out the uglies in a saint.
Conservatives who seek edification of important issues shouldn’t allow themselves to be sucked into verbally duking it out with hopeless agitators. Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in their silly blatherings. Ask them what they know on the issues … repeatedly pin them to the wall with questions about policies and issues. They either respond like decent human beings, or they slither away to hide their ignorance … works everytime.
Nancy Pelosi joined in with her case of foot-in-mouth. As reported on the DrudgeReport, Pelosi defended adding funding for birth control and abortion clinics in the new “stimulus” package by proclaiming, "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government." The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC’s THIS WEEK.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?
PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.
Nancy Pelosi continues to amaze me—how anyone as ignorant and stupid as she appears to be could ever get elected to Congress. Then I remember that her district is San Franciso.
So much for proclaimed bi-partisan ship from the dems.