Open Thread - 25 April 2015

Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear ...  pl

Comments

[Charles I]

so what, the rapture is coming.

Michele Bachmann: Thanks Obama For Bringing On The Apocalypse

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/michele-bachmann-obama-end-times-iran

"We get to be living in the most exciting time in history," she said, urging fellow Christians to "rejoice."

"Jesus Christ is coming back. We, in our lifetimes potentially, could see Jesus Christ returning to Earth, the Rapture of the Church."

"These are wonderful times," she concluded.

Bachmann made similar remarks on Markell's show last week.

“We have very little time, in my opinion, left before the second return of Christ. That’s good news."

Do all bears got to heaven is what I wanna know? Do nutjobs like MB and I actually have souls?

[Charles I]

I just came across this piece of video reporting from Syia by Iraqi freelance cameraman Yasser Faisal al-Jumaili[, who] crossed the Turkish border into Syria with his trusted Syrian fixer Jomah Alqasem in November 2013

Syria: The Last Assignment
Cameraman Yasser al-Jumaili's unseen footage takes us into the lives of Syrian rebels – but he pays the ultimate price.

You can watch it here, 47 minutes.

After 13 days with the fighters, he was shot on the way out of Syria, assailants unknown. This is the fruits of his video, mobile phone diary and his interviews with "the fighters with the Free Syrian Army, Al-Tawhid Brigade, Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar Al-Sham, and even ISIL.[ . .preserved by fixer Jomah Alqasem(sic)}

. . .Now, in this film, only Jomah lives to tell the tale of their last assignment together. What makes this access extremely rare is Yasser's knack of getting these terrifying groups to let us into their casual, off-duty lives."

Worth a play, even in the background while surfing.

[Charles I]

Whack-a-mole:

ISIL fighters make gains in Iraq's Anbar province
Fighters took partial control of a dam and base guarding it, as group's advance on Ramadi forces civilians to flee city.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/isil-fighters-gains-iraq-anbar-province-150425124819182.html

[Charles I]

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=9241341&ct=14615143

Save the children has people on the ground now, please help if you can

[Valissa]

Interesting article on life in Serbia today. I highly recommend reading comments too. Does Serbia have a future? http://thesaker.is/does-serbia-have-a-future/

Please note this is NOT an article from The Onion...
Army morale low despite 6-year, $287M optimism program http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/16/army-survey-morale/24897455/

Now I can't resist including a topical article from The Onion...
New TSA Precheck Program Offers Expedited Interrogations For Muslim Passengers http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-tsa-precheck-program-offers-expedited-interrog,38477/

[anna-marina]

Preparing introduction of martial law in Ukraine:
http://thesaker.is/ukr-politician-nataliya-vitrenko-military-junta-instead-of-european-values-eng-subs/

[William R. Cumming]

Apparently info reliable that four prior years of federal tax returns were in error and will be amended by the Clinton Foundation.

[William R. Cumming]

Speaking of URANIUM PLSE SEE:

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/RL32631.pdf

[ex-PFC Chuck]

Via The Saker, a translation of a Col. Cassad post entitled "About the Intensity of the Western "Voentorg." Here's to the beginning of Cold War II
http://thesaker.is/ukrainian-analysis-by-the-saker-no-hope-left/

[SAC Brat]

"So the bear says, "You didn't really come here to hunt, did you?""

I couldn't resist.

[Charles I]

apparently we went to shit in somebody else's woods

[Fred]

Where's Daniel Boone when you need him?

[bear]

And the Bear said: It’s well-known that I can reach speeds of up to 35 mph; some scientists think I can even go faster than that. What’s less known is that I also have incredible endurance: On multiple occasions, scientists in Yellowstone have clocked grizzlies running 25-28 mph over a distance of two miles, and according to observers, I wasn’t even breaking a sweat. I was moving at a "rolling lope." Another report clocks me running at 30 mph over a quarter mile, and notes that these are speeds clocked on asphalt (I might gain even faster speeds on dirt where I can use my claws).

The fastest clocked human speed is in the neighborhood of 27 mph, and this slow human (Donovan Bailey) couldn’t maintain it for much more than a few milliseconds of his sprint. Even the more consistent Usain Bolt tops out at a pokey 23 mph over 100 yards, lasting a paltry 9ish seconds.

So even Usain Bolt and Donovan Bailey (two of the fastest humans ever) can’t compete with me. You’d need a head start of over two miles, at which point you couldn’t even detect me (but I might detect you). If you’re in my zone of awareness and decide to challenge me to a foot race, you can’t win.

So stick with what you’re good at: Forget your feet and use your head instead.

—BEAR

[Ishmael Zechariah]

It is not a good idea to upset brother bear.
http://www.wineshout.com/just-for-fun/red-with-hunter-white-with-fisherman/

[Poul]

Are the Syrian Army going to cut their losses in Idlib and leave the rest of the province?

The present situation looks a lot like a Iraqi offensive on Mosul. A very vulnerable supply line with the opportunity to isolate units at the end of the supply chain.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CDcwqPgUkAAAdWK.jpg

[Nancy K]

I wish the rapture would come and rid us of people like Bachman, hopefully before the next election.

[rjj]

USA Today article linked above has a link to another ad funded by the Leona Helmsley Foundation. Does everybody get it or is it one of those personalized adware ... "based on your browsing history" thing-a-mes.

[rjj]

They must have reassigned the staff person responsible for

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/06/clinton-goofs-russian-translation-tells-diplomat-wants-overcharge-ties/

to the home office TurboTax desk.

[rjj]

edit: add {{{{ snark/irony brackets }}}} to above.

[Fred]

Poor Ben Affleck , his ancestors did not conform to his 21st century liberal values:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/23/ben-affleck-s-slave-owning-ancestor-revealed.html

[Valissa]

rjj, I just clocked on the link again. At the top of the page is a big ad for funyuns (an onion flavored corn snack). I never saw a anything pertaining to Leona Helmsly on any of my visits to that url. Since I dislike corn flavored junk foods (and I never buy junk food online) I'm assuming this ad is there randomly or maybe based on my geographic location. Or maybe like TV and radio the ads show up for certain amounts of time over a period of time.

[John Minnerath]

Ursus horribilis tried to get even last fall with a number of attacks in the high country near here.
One tree hugger, known to make statements to the effect that grizzlies didn't attack people if they were at one with nature, was killed and eaten when he walked up on a fresh deer kill.

[rjj]

thanks for that, V.

[Cee]

All,

Bring that rapture on with the help of our enemies...

http://richardedmondson.net/2015/04/16/the-unveiling-of-israels-hidden-alliance-with-al-qaeda-in-syria/

[Cee]

Fred,

Heh! I want a DNA test. I could be his distant cousin.