October 2009 - Argghhh!

I know, I know, I've got to finish up the last one, too. Gimme a break. Work's been hectic, what with catching up from the week+ break that year-end gov't money woes engendered, and yesterday was spent picking up Cleo, who has a ginormous tumor in her nose, from the K-State Vet hospital.Cleo is about to be become, bar none, the most expensive four-footed Denizen yet.Anyway - I'm trying to get caught up, so, of course, I'm going to just add to the load.... 'cuz SWWBO has some...

The Gummint now believes you *deserve* a cellphone. [Site name redacted] is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.Yup. If you earn less than 150% of the gummint-defined poverty line, that means those of us who earn more than that are going to buy you a phone *and* pay for your phone use.Soooooo, tell me, Congers, just *how* will this stimulate the economy? Exactly *what* benefit will this have -- aside from the obvious...

Caption reads: PAKTIKA PROVINCE, PAKTIKA - OCTOBER 15: US Army soldiers in the 1/501st of the 25th Infantry Division shield their eyes from the powerful rotor wash of a Chinook cargo helicopter as they are picked up from a mission October 15, 2009 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Soldiers of the 1/501 scoured the Afghan countryside near the Pakistani border on a two-day mission into a tense part of Paktika province, an that American soldiers had not patrolled for over three years. The troops were...

And he isn't in the caption... our very own rotorhead Bill is in this picture. No, he's not on board - but the product of his labor sits in the front seats. Air Force instructors assigned to the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron fly on a training mission here with their Iraqi students, Oct. 8, as the Iraqi pilots perform aerial formation flying procedures. The U.S. Airmen train them on approaches, take-offs, landings and remote operations consisting of landing in unfamiliar landing...

Okay, yep, ya got it - the Czech Vz-58 rifle, as made in a US-legal semi-auto version by Century, which is why it has a slant-style muzzle brake on it, and the barrel is a touch longer to match US law on the subject. Close as you're going to get to one of those in this country for most of us. You can get it with the proper barrel length, if you're willing to go through the NFA (National Firearms Act) hoops to buy a semi-auto build that is registered as a SBR, or Short Barreled Rifle. I chose...

First, the good news.Although I missed it on Friday, Chuck pointed it out in an email. 42 years ago, on 9 October 1967, Che Guevara was stood up in front of a wall and shot without trial (hey, it was Che who said, "judicial evidence is an archaic bourgeois detail" so he had no objections, I'm sure), and a very lucrative t-shirt and poster marketing idea was born.Now the bad news. Do Pikachu's lords and marketing masters know about this?H/t, Boquisucio for the landmine pic....

There have only been two Medals awarded thus far on this day in our military history. And both recipients lived to receive their Medals, making this a pretty good day, indeed!Civl WarLONSWAY, JOSEPH Rank and organization: Private, Company D, 20th New York Cavalry. Place and date: At Murfrees Station, Va., 16 October 1864. Entered service at:------. Birth: Clayton, N.Y. Date of issue: Unknown. Citation: Volunteered to swim Blackwater River to get a large flat used as a ferry on other side; succeeded...

October 23rd through October 26th in 1944. Sixty-five years ago this weekend, the greatest naval battle in history took place in the Pacific ocean. The Allies, led by the United States Navy successfully fought the Japanese Navy