It's Cleared Up a Bit

So the other day I went for a lovely hike in a snowstorm. It was very beautiful and peaceful, with a quiet that was warmer than silence.

I kept thinking that the snow had at times a red hue, at others a lavender, and then also a deep slate gray to ominous black.

I had difficulty with the camera and my worn out boots. I slipped a good deal and did not want to land on it, or let the snow and wet at it. I managed.

I took a tromp up there in the clear weather yesterday.

What looked like this:










Appeared just a little bit more clearly, I think:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Her site has some video of her time in Wisconsin.

When this woman says "...when you're faced with terrorism, intimidation, threats...you have two choices; you give in and you surrender, or you fight. And I...um, I find the stance to fight more persuasive, and you don't know whether you're going to win or not, but, at least, you know, defend yourself, fight...I'm glad I'm still alive.." You can know she has been through it.

She has so much to fear, that gasp of breath is genuine, the media should be lionizing her, BUT THEY ARE AFRAID.

This is just true, undeniable.

To finish that quote:

"...they can kill me, but they can't kill Infidel, the book exists..."

I wonder if, perhaps, very near the definition of a benevolent religion is one in which you are allowed or encouraged to feel:

"God Bless that Infidel. God Bless that Atheist."

Watching a brave individual do what is so necessary at such peril is inspiring.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on death threats and Islamic doctrine from The Badger Herald on Vimeo.

Here are several paragraphs from the venerable New York Times. They are from the review of the book Infidel, and they belie the shameless dhimmitude and politically correct insanity of the institution.

They were honest:

"Ms. Hirsi Ali’s struggles to gain a toehold in her new country, and her perceptions of the West, told through innocent eyes, put flesh and blood on an immigrant story repeated countless times throughout Western Europe. Alienation, dislocation and the burden of too many choices warp the lives of people rooted in traditional societies based on clans and tribes. Ms. Hirsi Ali’s own sister, who joins her in the Netherlands, sinks into deep depression and psychosis...

Ms. Hirsi Ali, disturbed at the economic and social plight of Muslims, warned the Dutch that their liberal policy of helping immigrants create separate cultural and religious institutions was counterproductive. She deplored the crimes of violence against Muslim women committed daily in the Netherlands, to which the authorities turned a blind eye in the name of cultural understanding. After the 9/11 attacks, she was vocal in insisting that, despite well-meaning assurances to the contrary, there really was a meaningful link between the Muslim faith and terrorism.

“Holland was trying to be tolerant for the sake of consensus, but the consensus was empty,” she writes. “The immigrants’ culture was being preserved at the expense of their women and children and to the detriment of the immigrants’ integration into Holland.”

Ms. Hirsi Ali’s provocative comments on Islam and on the need for Muslim women to reject their traditionally submissive role (the subject of a short film she made with Mr. van Gogh) channeled mounting Muslim anger directly at her."

(update: I do know that she is involved in a scandal, one in which the press would be unable to avoid the word "torrid"...er---barely able. Stand up to Islamic treatment of Western values, and women, and then sharpen your tabloid knives. I don't espouse [heh] home-wrecking, but I do realize the tabloid culture is on the short list for beheading.)

Kayaking With Eagles on the Hudson

Very cool photo I noticed on a very cool blog called "Tugster":

Curling

Women's curling is on and I notice that the girls are rather attractive AND THEY ENJOY SWEEPING!

They have a calendar...available here.




The Canadian's have another women's calendar:

Snow Today

How to Drink Coffee in Space

I think I saw this over at an old Kit-Up post. (Yes. It's here. I clicked out earlier and thought I lost it)

Very cool, he fabricated the vessel like a wing where the contact angle along with surface tension wick the fluid to the corner for sipping in weightlessness.

He also mentions that this is how rocket fuel tanks are designed so as to continue feeding fuel in weightlessness.

I love seeing problems which never occurred to me before and learning the ingenious solutions.

Muckety Maps

This site is worth poking around.

Did you know that Tucker Carlson is part of the Swanson's of food fame?

That, however, is from wikipedia so take as you will...

Update: I had checked out the Tucker Carlson map at Muckety, but the Swanson bit I did get from wikipedia.

I realize citing Wikipedia is not legit, however helpful they may be, so I put both links and thought they sounded like discrete bits of information and mentioned "That, however, is from wikipedia so take that as you will..."

I don't believe I was clear enough.

From the comments:

"Laurie B said...

Just wanted to clarify: You obviously linked Tucker Carlson to the Swanson fortune by looking at Wikipedia.

While we consider Wikipedia a good starting point, we don't use it at Muckety as an ultimate source.

So the Muckety map for Tucker Carlson links him only to Patricia Swanson Carlson (his stepmother) - a fact that is sourced at the Council of American Ambassadors ( http://www.americanambassadors.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Members.view&memberid=67 )

You'll find Tucker Carlson's map here:
http://www.muckety.com/Tucker-Carlson/150171.muckety

February 16, 2010 6:17 AM"

That was quick, they run a good shop at Muckety!

Live Flight Data

via Mr. Completely this link to a live North American feed of airflights, chock full of info and display. Poke around the site.

I have mentioned a couple in the past, I should look for them.

You can browse by aircraft type at this site, which is very neat.

Here's one, but not one I've seen before:

http://www.futurastudios.com/atc.html

I once knew someone who was quite odd, and ended up under difficult circumstances.

He knew all manner of such sites, including live scanner feeds.

Hopefuly things turned around for the poor freak (I mean that nicely.)

Tell Me What You Think

I noticed this gentleman's blog:

http://dmarron.com/

any thoughts?

...oh well, I have so many damn bookmarks, I need to go through the ones I have and fish out the really worthwhile ones.

I've reached forest for the trees stage.

Update again: Mr. Marron has a couple of new and interesting posts. Cntrl D

Seagull

Tough Freaks Those Birds

Brrrr...

Don't tell me that's not cold.

One Last Gull Crop

This critter looks like I feel...

Dumb and slightly perturbed.

Update: oh. I lied. There's a couple more above.

Arrgghhh Lassie!!

One Last Bird Crop!

Picasa is nice, but this constitutes dwelling.