Bullet Points:
** October 31 is a holiday in Nevada (State Day).
** I’m tall when I’m young, I’m short when I’m old, and once a year, I make heavy pumpkins light. What am I? (answer at the bottom of the blog)
** WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department on Friday announced the government is moving forward with developing a new version of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb. The bomb, designated B61-13, would have a yield similar to the B61-7 and replace some of those older gravity bombs, the Pentagon said in its announcement. The B61-7s yield is higher than the B61-12, the most recent bomb added to the military’s arsenal.
** (link) Washington loves to pass omnibus legislation that spreads the lard thick on everyone’s slice of bread, but Speaker Johnson is resisting that approach for now.
** Jules is rushing from here to there in her latest entry into Inktober. What will she do when the month has passed into history?
** Fifty-four-year-old actor Matthew Perry died over the weekend. There are reports he died in a hot tub in his home, with the cause of death at this point undetermined. I am uneasy with the social-media-driven frenzy of people who never met Mr. Perry and who may never have spent time in the same state as Perry, mourning openly for his loss.
** Jules offers her final entry for inktober – FIRE
** The Grift – “Hi – we don’t feel guilty and we’re not giving you any money. Go out and earn it yourself. K bye!”
** CNN reported, “The United Nations warned Sunday there are signs ‘civil order is starting to break down’ in Gaza, reporting that thousands of desperate Palestinians are taking basic items like flour and hygiene supplies from warehouses.” Gaza has turned into New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco.
** Gaza – The IDF expanded their area of operation 3km into the Gaza Strip, this time from the south of Gaza city. This advance has cut one of only two main roads out of the area marked for evacuation. The other being along the coast.
There is a lot of chatter about the IDF taking things too far, but I don’t see it that way. Politically Israel has no choice but to create a situation in Gaza where Hamas will never be able to take the lives of Israelis again – ever. I support that move completely. There is a lot of handwringing about World War 3 but I don’t see it that way. If Iran attacks Israel from the north through Hezbollah proxies, Israel has the right to strike Iran so that it no longer has the capacity to fight in Israel or elsewhere. The time for coddling the Palestinians has ended.
Ep. 35 Start another war, send millions more anti-Western refugees to the West. Starting to notice a pattern? pic.twitter.com/93dQaVfbNF
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) October 30, 2023
Tucker asks who should take the two million unwanted Palestinians from Gaza.
** In Satan’s Vatican – Support for terrorists as you’d expect.
From the Virtual Mirage Short Story Collection
Halloween in Arizona
When the Jupiter 2 returned from its voyage to Alpha Centauri, which took a little longer than expected because they were lost for a while, they brought back a few space aliens.
NASA demanded that the aliens enter the work force and find employment including self-employment that would better mankind.
Homer and Karen had been married for twenty years during which time they may have had one good year together. Karen was a Halloween enthusiast who handed out candy to children and Homer preferred to sit in the living room and watch the World Series (D-Backs vs Rangers) while eating loaded nachos and drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper.
Karen hated baseball and truth be told, all sports. She stood in front of the television, blocking Homer’s view of key plays, and talked over game commentary on most evenings. On Halloween, she serviced the trick-or-treaters and Homer was able to see most of the game without Karen’s usual game-day antics.
At least 100 children had come and gone, when the doorbell rang five times.
“Aren’t you going to get off your lazy ass and hand out some candy, Homer?”
“Carroll is up next with runners on second and third. The D-Backs tied in the bottom of the ninth with one out.”
Karen grunted, passed gas lavishly, hoisted herself from her favorite reclining chair and shuffled to the front door in her fuzzy slippers to greet the children.
Homer heard a bump and a thump and then the doorbell rang six times. Putting the game on pause, he walked to the door and opened it. A 10′ Cyclops stood at the door and handed Homer a half-eaten fuzzy slipper, sprinkled with blood. Cyclops held out an iPhone with a card reader attachment. Homer pulled out his credit card, swiped it on the iPhone reader, smiled a little, closed the door and returned to the game.
Trick or treat…
Today is also Taco Tuesday in Arizona
From the Days of Fighting Sail
Whistling for a wind
Sailors often try to whistle up a wind when they realize they are on dry land (but only then, otherwise it is an absolute no-go as it calls for winds you don’t want), which refers to the sound of the wind whistling through the rigging.
The basic rules were to never whistle while on watch (as this is a sign of boredom and could tempt the sea gods to send a lovely hurricane to keep you busy, see above) and to always face the direction the wind was supposed to come from. However, these rules did not apply to the bosuns, who everyone knew were minions of the devil.
Overwhelm…
We only know this term from the emotional or mental realm. That is when someone is overwhelmed by their feelings. But originally it had a different meaning. The term comes from the Middle English word whelven, which means to turn upside down, a vessel is said to be overwhelmed when she has capsized or has turned upside down in the water.
In the 17th century, the term capsized appeared more and more, until it finally replaced overwhelmed in nautical terms and this term slipped into the emotional world.
Identify the Aircraft
2
3
Identify the Armor
4
5
Halloween Candy?
It’s a way to get a-head…
Answer to the riddle: A Candle
First AFV looks like a Scimitar.
Second.. T-55. Now frontline Russian kit.
-Kle.
The Russians feel that quantity – even at 70 years of age – is sufficient.
As long as no anti-armor assets are around, a friggin Renault FT (the first turreted tank, called the FT-17) armed with either an 8mm machine gun or a 37mm cannon is a viable asset.
And the gun on the T-54/55 can toss a decent HE load. And also has a coax machine gun and that 14.5 or 12.7mm machine gun on top.
You can roll a troop of T-55s up onto a bank to get greater elevation and use them as long-range not-greatly accurate guns.
Big thing is, after 2-3 shots, you’d better move or you’re going to receive some good counter-battery fire.
And that high velocity gun packed in an armored vehicle does allow for some protected long-range direct fire in support of or in defense of one’s infantry.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Sopwith Snipe
2. Albatros D.II
3. Beechcraft T-6 Texan II
Identify the Armor:
1. FV107 Scimitar
2. T-55
Yes
In the book “Iron Men With Wooden wings” the author stated that the Snipe could flat turn. He also gave a riveting example of the last of the dogfights where an English pilot shot the absolute pants off of a large group of German planes. Wounded but victorious.
What a difference four years made in aviation. They started with what were effectively Wright Biplanes and ended with metal-skinned high-performance monoplanes. Toward the end of the war the Germans scavenged engines from downed allied aircraft and installed them in new German aircraft.
About the short story – it reminded me of an old cartoon showing an Indian walking along a trail and meeting, in passing, an extremely ugly settler girl. He comes up to a sign saying Keep America Beautiful, whereupon he turns around and looses an arrow at you-know-who.
B61-So GPS/INS guided and earth penetrating (to an extent) but the same old physics package from the 80s. I sometimes wonder if we can even design a nuclear weapon now. This is just fiddling with the outsides. Like updating a car from one year to the next by adding better nav and different headlights.
Israel. Yes, they have to end the problem, perhaps not for all time but at least for a generation. Once an enemy attacks and commits atrocities the enemy no longer gets to say whoa, that’s enough retaliation. It will suck and “innocents” for varying definitions of innocents will be harmed but if Israel backs off now these atrocities will just continue. Don’t know if all the conflagrations going on in the world will coalesce into WWIII but our leadership certainly does not appear to care one way or the other.
After WW2, Germany, Italy and Japan were unable to wage war. If we stopped in 1943… you and I know what would have happened. It had to be absolute. Now, they’ve been rebuilt but both are allies. Sometimes I wonder about the Germans but they are.
WW3 requires the will to wage it. Russia doesn’t want to, the Chinese don’t want to, and Iran understands that the all-powerful Allah aside, they’d be flattened. The only wild card is the USA neocons who clamor for WW3 endlessly.
This might be a reach but I’m reminded of the Sand Creek Massacre. https://www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/sand-creek-massacre-betrayal-changed-cheyenne-and-arapaho-people-forever
The ‘peaceful’ village gave shelter and help to the young braves. They would commit their depredations then hide in the village.
In the aftermath, Caucasian scalps and horses and mules with steel shoes were found in the camp.
The Palestinians in Gaza, willingly or unwillingly, helped Hamas and many cheered the atrocities, the parading of hostages on Gaza streets, etc. FAFO.
It’s very important to remember that Hamas rules Gaza because the residents of Gaza voted them in.
I assume there are innocents in Gaza, and some of them will die. That’s unfortunate.
However, if they supported Hamas, or failed to oppose Hamas, I celebrate their deaths.
-Kle.
“All war is hell.” – WT Sherman
“Better to fight for something than live for nothing. We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge.” – GS Patton
“Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius (Kill them. For the Lord knows who are His.).” – Arnoldus Amalricus
“Give no quarter to the reprobates and evil-doers.” – Paul M (and probably a pile of others)
Exactly.Anybody remember the video footage of Palestinian’s dancing and celebrating in those now bombed to smithereens streets of Gaza and the West Bank on Sept.11th 2001?….yeah well i do.
That’s the bomb Biden wanted to show our enemies, right?
Biden’s plan to expose nuclear secrets to Moscow and Beijing
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4263061-bidens-plan-to-expose-nuclear-secrets-to-moscow-and-beijing/
While Biden may give away some small secrets under this proposed agreement the mother load, if you will, was given to the Russians and Chinese by the Clintons.
IDAircraft:
1. Sopwith Snipe
2. Albatros D.II
3. Beechcraft T-6 Texan II
IDArmor:
1. FV-107 Scimitar
2. T-55
The B61-13 would be 24X more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Certainly true but we are putting all our eggs in one basket when the B 61 is the only gravity bomb in the inventory. Kind of like only having a .308 rifle. You can change the powder and the bullet to make it the best fit for the conditions but in some situations you still want a .50 cal. We will no longer have a massive thump anymore and that was a deterrent in and of itself.
Well, we still have the X-37B that’s been launched and landed several times. Who knows how many long-rod re-entry vehicles have ‘accidentally’ been left in orbit over the years?
Oh, great. With all the other things going inverted in the world, now you tell me I need to worry about my boy parts being grabbed by Kamala.
Stay alert for cackling, and flee.
– Kle.
Great comment. If you hear witch-like cackling, run.
Well, if it makes you feel any better, almost every hand you’ve shaken has had a dock in it.
There is, after all, a drawback to every system.
As for Israel, yes, concur.
They need to ignore the wave of Western governmental and Propaganda Industry pressure,
and leave nothing but dust in Gaza. They can rebuild later, if they think it isn’t better off as a wasteland.
– Kle.
I’m thinking of beachfront resorts, condos, and maybe a harbor with yachts bobbing. You could put an industrial zone inland, and Jews interested in settling could move into new developments. Build it into an economic powerhouse for Israel. Maybe build arms for export to allies there (for a profit, of course).
The mess that Israel is in right now is because they listened to the whiners in the West and to the UN. Every damned time they’ve been chasing after Hamas or Hezbollah, the US, the West in general and the UN have beg, pleaded, forced Israel to pull up short, to ‘give back’ land, to ‘consider the humanitarian costs’ to just flattening the land.
Hamas and the Gazans have Farked Around. Now it looks like Israel is finally, finally going to give them the appropriate Found Out portion.
Riddle: A candle (didn’t look, honest)
3 Witches on the Beach With Their Caldron- Omar/Tlaib/Pressley…AOC would be the “cute” witch but was out Trick-or-Treating for largess.
Abby Wambach: Pro-Tip- Never date crazy, you’ll end up shooting yourself to stop the insanity.
This one…a typical angry narcissist bird who believes in her demented brain that males owe her something. Got news for her, a wench-y disposition makes you uglier, not more attractive. So go pound sand…enjoy your singleness (which has the added benefit of not producing offspring…well, usually.)
I’d eat at Carlos’ Taco Kitchen any day, just because of the advert.
Jules went ll out, a lot going on there. Well done!
You won points by guessing correctly. Save them for a prize which will be awarded eventually (mumbles).
Imagine my surprise discovering VM prizes are awarded with electronic bit points, redeemable only during a full moon when the sun spot activity is highest and a Icelandic super volcano is erupting. Guess I’d better not erase my search history or lose them to the ether…or wherever said winnings go.
BTW, wonder what Madam Cackler would say if she had a Clark Bar with Butterfingers or saw a Baby Ruth…probably get the Snickers.
(you started it)
–
Oh good grief. Thank you so much for the mental image. I am now off candy for the next decade which should run me the rest of my life. Happy Halloween everyone.
Sorry…I’ll be awaiting a personalized flogging until my morale improves to be a Mr. Goodbar.
i just wonder what plane they plan on delivering the b61-13 with. everybody else going hypersonic, we go super slo-mo. gotta love it. happy halloween yall.
That is perplexing. I doubt they thought that far ahead.
F 35s were recently nuclear certified to carry the B 61 series weapons. B 2s and B 52s can as well but the Buff, although one fantastic aircraft, is as stealthy as a brick even with the ECM turned up to 11.
“Israel has no choice but to create a situation in Gaza where Hamas will never be able to take the lives of Israelis again – ever. I support that move completely.”
Right with you.
And what an excellent closing infographic.
Thanks for all your support Larry, and for some of your own VM’ers who came along to rally me on! It’s so much appreciated.
That’s a great short story!