Subdeacon Joe

Beretta 950B in the ever popular and powerful.22 Short. That isn't rust on it, it's dust from the pocket holster.

Like this?

Your guess is as good as mine.

I haven't lived in The Oaks for a dozen years now. But good story.

ALASKA STATE TROOPER In most of the United States there is a policy of checking on any stalled vehicle on the highway when temperatures drop to single digits or below. About 3 AM one vey cold morning, ALASKA STATE TROOPERS responded to a call there was a car off the shoulder of the road outside of Fairbanks. He located the car, stuck in deep snow and with the engine still running. Pulling in behind the car with his emergency lights on, the trooper walked to the driver’s door to find an older man passed out behind the wheel with a nearly empty R&R bottle on the seat beside him. The driver came awake when the trooper tapped on the window. Seeing the rotating lights in his rearview mirror, and the state trooper standing next to his car, the man panicked. He jerked the gearshift into drive and hit the gas. The car’s speedometer was showing 20-30-40 and then 50 MPH, but it was still stuck in the snow, wheels spinning. The State Trooper, having a sense of humor, began running in place next to the speeding (but stationary) car. The driver was totally freaked, thinking the trooper was actually keeping up with him. This goes on for about 30 seconds, then the trooper yelled, “PULL OVER!” The man nodded, turned his wheel and stopped the engine. Needless to say, the man from Alaska was arrested and is probably still shaking his head over the state trooper in Alaska who could run 50 miles per hour. Who says troopers don’t have a sense of humor?

In my mind, if there had been human remains in the aircraft prying something off of it would be like breaking something off of a crypt, Picking up a fragment from the ground would be like finding, say, an arrowhead or spent bullet on or near a battlefield - one that isn't a declared national park or monument. Possibly a distinction without real meaning, but to me enough of a difference.

After all the negative comments about having a "black national anthem" as equal to our National Anthem the NFL backed off on calling it that. But most of the commentary online about it, both press and readers comments, call it the black national anthem. And, if I recall the article from this morning, the person who performed it called it the black national anthem. It might have been in the same article that she said that she wouldn't sing the National Anthem until she got to sing that song before a game. Listening to her, yes, I did go to YouTube to find it, try to sing that song I don't think I could stand hearing her trying to sing the Star Spangled Banner.

I got around to searching the photos with Google Lens. This was found in 1989 near St Petersburg, Russia. The pilot walked away and was captured. https://www.jetsprops.com/fighters/fw-190-found-in-the-woods-uncovering-the-greatest-ww2-relic-inc-video.html

If you are looking where I think you're looking that's some kind of attachment point for the harness.

Where do you think you are seeing a skull?

On a related matter "Turret installation of USS California (BB-44) at Mare Island, California. Here's her full story https://navalhistoria.com/uss-california-the-prune-barge/

FW-190.

USS Intrepid (CV-11) leaves Alameda NAS with a deck load of cargo bound for Pearl Harbor on June 9, 1944. She had been at Hunters Point since late March receiving repairs for torpedo damage. The paint scheme is Measure 32/3a. Known as "The Dry I" she would be back again before the year's end for Kamikaze damage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_US_Navy_dazzle_camouflage_measures_31,_32_and_33:_aircraft_carriers https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-co-mk/camouflg/usn-wwii/31-3-3d.htm

Just like the rest of us

I found this on FB: "You're walking through the woods in Germany and find this! What do you do next?" Most of the answers I read (admittedly only about 100), were "Take it home," "Climb in and pretend," or a combination of the two. I find both unsettling. My answer was: First, check for human remains and any identification papers. Second, use the GPS on my phone to record location. Third, photograph the heck out of it . Fourth, maybe find some small part take as a memento. Fifth, notify some military authority or national air and space museum for proper recovery. ================================ If there were remains, after some prayers for the repose of the soul of the person, I'd still go through the rest of the list in order. #4 would be something not attached to the aircraft but from the ground near it. How say you?

You beat me to it!

One time my step-daughter forgot she had her Opinel No. 8 in her backpack and accidently took it to school. She realized it first period and quietly told her teacher and asked if she was in trouble. He, without making a fuss about it, had her give it to him. He put it in his desk and at the end of the day handed it back to her.

Thank you!

I think the naval architects started looking at wind assist in the 1970s just after the first "oil crisis." The latest that I've read about it is saying that using sails/kites can cut fuel consumption by about 30%. Consider: " For example, a typical Panamax container ship (which can carry up to 5,000 TEUs) might use around 63,000 gallons of fuel per day at a cruising speed of 20 knots." That's a savings of almost 19,000 gallons PER DAY. That's over 72 tons of fuel. At "Jan 22, 2018 — With the cost of bunker fuel at $552 per ton" that's a savings of almost $40,000 PER DAY. Saving green was in fashion long before "going green" was a thing.

With me it's pretty much the same thing!

Like this NOT this it really irritates me when people hand a knife back to me as in the last 2 photos. "Gee, I know that I'm supposed to hand it hilt first but I don't want to cut myself!" and so hand it back in such a way as to make it very difficult to take it safely. I will usually then tell the person to think how I handed it to them, it was like the first 2 photos. I didn't cut myself and they could get a good and safe grip on the knife.

With your eclectic reading habits that's a bit surprising. It's a very old and widespread custom. I'll admit that I'm more familiar with gifting a coin with the blade so the recipient can "buy" the knife from you and so prevent the severing of the relationship. There's lots of symbolism in knives and the gifting of them. Consider how much our ancestors relied on knives every day. Food preparation, eating utensil, general cutting tool. Also consider how expensive knives were "back in the day." They were a significant gift. "I trust you enough to give you a weapon." "Here, you are old enough to make it on your own, take this knife and use it to make your way in life." I just noticed that you posted while I was typing: I was taught to clean the blade, even if just wiping it on your sleeve or pant leg, and hand it back open, holding onto the blade and offering the body/hilt to the person. I'll post a couple of photos in a few minutes. (NOTE: if having to toss the knife back of course you close it or sheath it)

An interesting bit of trivia I ran across. Haven't tried to verify it. "English money was also used to confuse the Germans in the Second World War. Used mostly by the Tank radio operators. When transmitting orders to the British tanks reference was made to the British money system. Half a crown was 30 tanks, shilling was 12 tanks and a tanner, being slang for sixpence was 6 tanks. Etc etc. One and sixpence being 18 vehicles. The one was a shilling. It could go on and on." For those of us unfamiliar with the LSD system, this chart makes it perfectly clear.