Mass Market Politics

Indian soldiers who served during World War I in France. ca. 1915. (Library of Congress)

I have a hard time communicating with my family. They like to talk, they talk a lot, when they are together they talk constantly. But it's not deliberate, considered, speech. They banter. What they say is not nearly as important as how it is said. Their comments fly back and forth. I suppose they are meaningful to them but to me it's just so much noise. I gave up trying to understand their conversations some time ago. I got tired of asking them to repeat themselves and getting responses that implied I was old and hard of hearing. I had my hearing checked, it's just fine. Doc told me it's a common affliction among older men. There's nothing wrong with the ears, it's the sound processing part of the brain that's not keeping up. I suspect it's because it doesn't get as much use as it used to because I quit listening to people talk because I never heard anything worth hearing. It's all just noise. I've got better things to think about. Yes, I'm a grumpy old fart.
    I've been making an effort the last few years to pay attention to politics, but I have decided it's a lost cause. There's too much money promoting unknown agendas. Media coverage follows whoever is making the biggest stink, regardless of how important it is. Actual, real important things are buried, never to be heard about, much less discussed. It's like my family's bantering, played on a grand scale. It's okay, it gives people something to do, and that more than anything is what we all need.
    The only organizations I trust are the NRA and the ACLU (the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union). The NRA seems to be doing fine without me, and the ACLU is such a weak sister I'm not sure anything I could do would make any difference. I trust these two because one, they have a very narrow focus, and two, they have been around for a long time and they have stuck to their guns, so to speak.

Regarding the photo: I did a search on the title and this picture was the coolest one that popped up.

Girls with Guns

Border Patrol: The Hunter Instinct

Ukraine pinup posters via The People's Cube

VINTAGE 80'S WENDY'S SOVIET FASHION SHOW COMMERCIAL

Via Infidel Castrate on The People's Cube. Yes, it's a hamburger ad, but it's great. And I like Wendy's. I think I'll have one for lunch.

FLAK

FLAK: Evading Anti-Aircraft Fire for World War 2 Pilots (Restored 1943)
Good overview of WW2 anti-aircraft gunnery and 'evasive action'. I always thought 'evasive action' meant jinking randomly, give 'em the old dodge and weave. Turns out it is carefully choreographed. The film is for Allied bomber crews attacking Axis targets. The Brits had their own similar anti-aircraft installations all over Great Britain. Previous posts about anti-aircraft.

Update August 2015 replaced missing video.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Criolla Week 2015: Gauchos attempt to stay on bucking broncos at a rodeo in Montevideo, Uruguay. (Andres Stapff/Reuters)

When I was younger, much younger, knee high to a bucking bronco, I was enthralled with all things cowboy. I still have an affection for the whole cowboy thing: six guns, horses, blue jeans, beaucoup de leather, especially cowboy boots. Frederic Remington's paintings and sculptures are simply glorious.
     I was severely disappointed when I discovered that the bucking broncos in modern rodeos were encumbered with a strap around their waist to encourage them to buck. I understand, real wild horses are hard to handle, and the last thing you want at a rodeo at your local county fair is a thousand pound wild animal running out of control.
    Down in South America it looks like they still have some real wild horses and some real cowboys trying to ride them. Restores my faith in the cowboy dream, it does.

Old Faithful Inn

Posthip Scott turned up this image of a giant lodge. After some head scratching we have identified it as the Old Faithful Inn. Wikipedia has an article about it. It's quite an amazing structure, especially compared to our modern, energy efficient, buildings constructed out of manufactured materials. This place was made of sticks and stones that were found lying around. Pretty impressive. Wikipedia excerpt:

Initial construction was carried out over the winter of 1903-1904, largely using locally-obtained materials including lodgepole pine and rhyolite stone. When the Old Faithful Inn first opened in the spring of 1904, it boasted electric lights and steam heat.

Girls with Guns

'Victory': A Palestinian girl holds a Kalashinkov as Islamist fighters celebrate what they call a 'victory' over Israel following Tuesday's ceasefire

We really don't need to go to another planet to meet alien beings. We've got plenty of alien minds wandering around on our own planet. Klingons, the bloodthirsty warriors from Star Trek, are not as alien as these folks. Via Jodi.