Silver Rolls Royce Figurine

Jungletrader also links to this on the making of a movie about the affair which inspired this iconic figure, the Spirit of Ecstasy:

"Spirit of Ecstasy" on a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud I, 1957.

Tea Origins

It is no secret that this blog likes tea. I am especially fond of this Pu'er tea, "Camel's Breath."

Jungletrader links to this NYtimes piece:

Justin Mott for The New York Times

Workers pick leaves from domesticated tea plants in

Pu’er, China, where leaves grown in the wild are

preferred by local people.

World's Oldest Tree

The oldest tree. Sometime around 7542 B.C., a spruce tree started growing on Fulu Mountain in Sweden. It is still growing. Spruce trees can produce exact clones of each other, and while the currently visible part of the tree is not 9,550 years old, scientists found pieces of wood beneath it that are that old with exactly the same genetic makeup as the above-ground part of the tree.

Photo: Leif Kullman

Patriots Day

Is, for Massachusetts, a quaint vestige remaining from an era in which they flirted with the idea of having liberty and keeping the government out of some aspect of life.


(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

We can see the photo at the end of the article likely alludes to the currently preferred outcome:


(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

The Brits

have really given it all up.

via Boortz

He also links to the EU taking steps to mitigate bagpipe danger.

Sticks and Water Never Grow Old

Homey In the Green Cathedral

Back He Went

Nice looking brook trout.

Drawing of a brook trout from John Treadwell Nichols's Fishes of the Vicinity of New York City (1918) noting that the fish is now uncommon in the New York City area.

Mythical Rare Turtle

found in Vietnam:

Wed Apr 16, 1:58 PM ET

Make Your Own Biosphere

Rocksy and Shivers aren't quite themselves lately. Boingboing links to a DIY version though:

Rainbow Pics

Via Haha.nu with the full story and more shots at the link:

Also from Haha this video of an M1 "shotgun" shot:

Reader's Top Fears

From two magazines with distinctly different demographics.

Flying Cam

Wow. via Boingboing.



Boingboing also asks:

How many things can you find wrong with this depressing old photo of a performing chimp at Jungle Land?

























Answer: None. If that is what the chimp is into,
who am I to judge?

George Will

He has had better pieces, but he is still correct. Best quote: "The tactic is to dismiss rather than refute those with whom you disagree." That on the matter of liberal condescension and their subsequent burden of stewardship over the lot of us silly self-destructive sheep.

I hate Obama.

I hate Hillary.

I also hate McCain...

I hate them for their judgment, sentiments and actions. Two of the three are driving me toward the last, because we all know that only one of them really loves this country, despite the individual's galling misguidedness.

I believe Pinch's mess, the NYTimes, has something regarding that liberal notion of shepherding the foolish masses in their mission statement, and I will go and look for something to cut and paste over here...

Update: Did I question their patriotism? No. I have zero question as to their patriotism, two of the three have none.

So There.

Jackie and Dunlap Know

"...because they're awesome!"

Via Adam