Subfloor Boards

SPOCK: Even burned and cracked, they're beautiful. Destroying them was a shame.

Espagnolette

There is a word for everything.

More Nutty British News

I am supremely bored by stories of visions of (jesus,mary,che) in (some_physical_object) but this one is not only silly it is also clearly Billy Connolly.

Men Chasing a Rolling Cheese Down a Steep Hill

Apparently this hill is very steep and broken arms and legs are not unusual. The running of the bulls is foolhardy but this is just foolhardier. It's all fun and games until blah blah blah cheese.

In other Gloucestershire cheese-related news: Stinking Bishop is deemed the smelliest. Congratulations, I guess.

Wacko Optics

I know it's just the wide-angle lens, but look at the size of that guy's hand!

When Did Prince Valiant Become Totally Awesome?

A giant lizard (not a puny dinosaur) has tongue-snatched a horse. I've always admired the art, but the plots were frequently soap-opera-ish.

"This is one of your creations?"

Obviously faulty, but it's the best I've come up with.

The Brick Testament: Revelations!

The Brick Testament has outdone itself. Amazing stuff.

The Automatic Public Restrooms Worked So Well, Why Not Automatic Trash Cans?

Trash cans removed from more parks in Seattle: "The city also is experimenting with a $4,000 trash can that uses solar power to compact trash. The cans don't have to be emptied as often, so they may reduce costs."
Look for them on ebay in the near future.

U.S. Unemployment Rate May Soon Top Europe’s

Can we please, please, please tar and feather George Bush now? And as long as the firebrands and hayforks are out, we may as well dig up Ronald Reagan's down-trickling corpse and burn it to avoid any complicated zombie issues.

Slashdot Fun

I shall be twittering this with a sigh
On someone's blogs and blogs hence:
Two paths diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less googled by,
And that has made all the difference.

--RFrostie1977

IRS says focus on wealthy individuals, companies

IRS says focus on wealthy individuals, companies | Reuters
Although my first reaction is a dope-slap on behalf of Congress, this is a good thing. Although it is not only closing the barn door after the horse is out, it also a day late and a dollar short.
If I ever found a political party, it is likely to be symbolised by crossed firebrands and hay forks.

Ridiculous, Amazing Excess

Batman: The Cake of the Game of the Toy of the Movie of the Comic Book

Beavers 2, Trees 0

The beavers at Matthews Beach did return to the tree but apparently lost interest in bringing it all the way down. There were a couple of smaller logs floating nearby - these guys are busy. Another large tree at the other end of the beach is also girdled.

Best premise ever

"Fleeing an interstellar war, Kainan crashes on the shores of Norway during the Iron Age." I haven't seen the associated movie but I am guessing it is 1% as delicious as that sentence promises.

Beavers vs Trees at Thornton Creek

This tree is a goner. I may go back tomorrow to see if the beavers finish the job. It probably happened last night, the chips were still moist.

Ugly Brute of a Spider

Found this guy under a pot. About half an inch long. Short, stubby legs and nervous manner.

Wren House Disaster

Something, the wind or more likely, a predator, knocked the wren house down. The fluffy bits were extracted by whatever happened (no evidence of wrens). I removed the bottom half (twigs, moss) of the nest and resecured the house. There's always next year.

Mystery Bug

I am sure it either utterly benign or a vector of some exotic environmental disaster. Looks disastery to me.

Canada Goslings

Shamelessly doctored pic:

Demonic Cat

From sketches may 2009

The original is here on Flickr.

49th Parallel

Pretty mild-mannered for a propaganda movie. The matter of 'camps' was mentioned pretty early on. I knew the general gist of the movie from Vaughan-Williams' score, which is somewhat at odds with the timbre of the script. With the exception of Glynis Johns, the stars of the various episodes range from risible but charming (Olivier's French Canadian is distracting, to say the least) to Leslie Howard's self-aware (almost fourth-wall-breaking-aware) caricature of an intellectual. Raymond Massey's everyman is the most successful but is not always subtle. Given the sadistic goings-on, the general tone is surprisingly upbeat. Surprise appearance of Hutterites.

Superman Doomsday

Neither fish nor fowl, this is bound to disappoint if you wanted the edgier Superman from the books or if you wanted another TV Superman adventure. Too caustic for the latter and too lightweight for the former, it's not actually bad (although the craggy facial features on Superman are distracting) with some clever bits thrown in, the overall effect is underwhelming. The voice casting was burdened with B-list actors: Adam Baldwin and Anne Heche. Why?

Round Bread

The bread machine is convenient but makes really unattractive loaves. I think it also does not get hot enough to bake a good crust.
This loaf here was done by hand (it's not that much actual labor but waiting on rising bread requires either planning or free time) and certainly looks nice. The proof yadda yadda yadda ...

Sketches

sketches may 2009

GOP is Completely Brain Dead

Sorry to hear that Jack Kemp died of cancer. That sucks. But the response from the stupid side of the aisle is mind-staggeringly tone-deaf:

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Kemp "championed free market principles that improved the lives of millions of Americans and helped unleash an entrepreneurial spirit that all of us still benefit from today."

If you parse this, it is an open admission that the GOP asserts that it is OK for 1% (or less) of the population to control most of the money. (I hesitate to assign a figure to the money side of the equation because I am pretty sure that there is in fact no percentage high enough to satisfy this institutionalized level of greed.)
Earth to Mitch: We are still suffering from Reaganomics. Like cancer, there appears to be no cure except death.

Laxness

I have fallen way behind in my movie-watching note-taking. I'll catch up but the quality, such as it has been, is likely to suffer.
I have also fallen behind in scanning my sketchbooks. There has been long lapses of actual sketching and most of the sketching that has been done is not satisfactory to me. I think my standards have gone up while my skill has not. Indeed, I came across a little drawing I did DECADES ago and I don't think I have managed to improve that much since then. Good thing I kept it. I guess.

Son of Fury

George Sanders at his reprehensible best. Peculiar Tahitian interlude with Gene Tierney as hula dancer love interest. Pidgin scenes sail beyond awkward straight into reprehensible. Good fight sequences and some impressive stock footage of a sailing vessel in heavy swells. Tyrone Power is the star. He is stalwart.