Caption: The belief that the world is evil.
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get you.
Bullet Points:
** Flying with EdB – is it worth taking a flight that doesn’t have a toilet available? Taking a potty break with EdB…in the bleak midwinter.
** What is the meaning conveyed if you’re in Texas and see a fence post painted purple?
** According to campusreform.org, the University of Louisville recently hosted a lecture titled “Swamp Tales, Trans Ghosts, and Nonbinary Magical Realism.” The presentation was part of the Kentucky school’s “Global Humanities Lecture Series.” The event description stated: As a nonbinary space that is neither land nor water but both, the swamp serves as the material grounds—as the ‘terra infirma’—for a series of considerations about transformation and difference. Alrighty then. “Nonbinary Magical Realism” sounds to me like what progressives use to view the world. Or perhaps Nonbinary Magical Surrealism would be more accurate. They then wonder why their graduates can’t find work to pay their outrageous student loans.
** WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House Office of Management and Budget has rescinded a Trump administration directive pausing federal loans, grants, and other financial assistance, a White House official said on Wednesday.
What do you think of the ride?
This is a Jeep M715 1 1/4-ton military cargo truck, ex-DeSoto Fire District Unit 3, IIRC. It has a 230 CI OHC six in it, and even with stump-puller 5.88 (IIRC) gearing, you cannot out-accelerate a bicyclist. It still manages atrocious gas mileage, though. It’s a four-wheel drive, but it’s surprisingly incapable of any difficulty on the trail because the springs required to carry 1 1/4 tons are so stiff that they will lose traction on the most minor of diagonal irregularities. You either load it up or install a limited-slip differential. Good luck with that option because they are NLA. If you do reach 55, slow down; you will boil the oil out of the NP200 transfer case because it has such a small oil capacity and cannot dissipate heat quickly enough at such a breathtaking speed. It’s fun to putter around in, and it does haul heavy things capably, if slowly.
The Nazi Salute – is it becoming a problem in DC?
Adventures in Kurdistan
LL, standing in front of the Qellat. Erbil, Kurdistan
Lunch with friends.
The souk in the old city.
Riding in the back of the armored Land Cruiser.
Identify the Armor
1
Technically a weapons carrier. The armor is barely thick enough to deflect a hard rain.
2
3
Focus on the tank, not on the crowd.
Identify the Aircraft (h/t Hank)
4
End
1 is a Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carrier designed to be air portable for the German army.
Yes – light and air-portable, but a .30 AP can puncture its hide so what use is it really?
Well, you have a 20mm, so hopefully you didn’t let the .30 cal get close?
Also, it beats walking, unless some joker decides to fire an ATGM at you…
– Kle.
Would make a great commuter car for driving to work :)
You could provide a valuable service by flattening cars that blocked lanes of traffic, or simply pushing cars off the embankments.
Welcome back! I’m glad you were able to transport to and from safely. That suddenly seems to be a problem.
Lots of time in the air, but yes, safe and sound but I think that this will become a pattern going forward.
And if you want to know more about motorcycle gangs please read “Exiles from Eden”
How did those kababs taste?
I also want that Jeep. Thank you.
In the world of Kebab, Kebab Yasin is at the top of the heap. They have a few locations in Erbil. This one, Grand Bazaar, Erbil 44001 Iraq
+964 750 461 6610, is the original and it’s very old. Finding a seat can be challenging.
I would love to know how they do the meat. What kinds of meat? Also, I see onions, tomatoes and lemon slices. What else? Prepared how? To paraphrase Jerry Clower, you have done flung a craving on me.
At lunch there were two platters with Kebab. I asked what spices were used on the ground beef meat, and salt, garlic, and pepper were the only three mentioned. There may be more; you can order it “spicy” if your tastebuds run in that direction. There was also a platter with steak and chicken on skewers/swordblades. They’re cooked over a bed of very hot charcoal in a brick oven that’s like 200 years old and looks it. The orange vegetables, sliced about 1″ thick, are pickled cucumbers. They taste like – pickles. In the kebab world, they were a 10 out of a possible 10. Not pictured was a 6″ stack of flatbread that they brought to the table, also cooked on the charcoal.
Geez, just finished breakfast after morning chores…now I’m hungry for kebabs. Sounds amazing.
It’s exceptionally difficult to find proper kebab in the US. A friend of mine (CIA retired) married an Egyptian man who made kebab once. I was invited to their house along with MRSLL, who knew my friend and co-worker from the old days. I said, “You know, it’s authentic. There will likely be sheep’s eyes in the rice.” Her reaction while predictable, was classic. I advised my friend, S. The day came and we arrived along with others invited to the kebab-fest. Sure enough there were eyes staring out from the rice (actually olives crafted to look like eyes). MRSLL tumbled for the gag completely.
That’s hilarious!
One of the few good things about the current state of Dearborn is the availability of good middle eastern food.
Yes, Ed, there are plenty of chefs in your general area who are familiar with the methodology necessary to churn out world class kabab. There are also discerning diners who know the difference.
The last good Middle Eastern kebab I had was from the Turkish fire station at Incirlick AB. They were Donner Kebabs with flat bread and tomato-onion-parsely “salad” (Turkish “pico-de-gallo”?). That was 40+ years ago.
Welcome back.
Paranoid – you can understand paranoid people better by following them around…
That’s a great social experiment!
The purple fence post is a No Trespassing warning I believe.
I think that’s the message they’re trying to get across. In some states it’s a “Posted – No Trespassing”. I wonder why purple and the history of purple paint in Texas. Do the wetbacks know what a purple post represents?
If a property is fenced, posted with at least one sign, or marked with purple paint, it is illegal for anyone to enter. The fine or jail time for trespassing in Texas can be up to $2,000 or up to 180 days. Same goes for Pennsylvania.
It means either the owner of the property is illiterate and can’t spell no trespassing or can’t afford a no trespassing sign. Or perhaps he’s looking for an excuse to shoot someone who doesn’t know what the purple post means.
I do find it astounding people will hop fences (excluding 8 yo boys of course) or enter a property ‘not theirs’ thru a gate. Odd mindset. This scene in Yellowstone makes the point rather…directly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u49FYb-pjmA
No, incorrect. You cant tear down the paint like you can a sign. Prevents people from ripping down your no trespassing signs and claiming you didn’t have the land posted. I know because I deal with this on my property.
Klaus is correct, “No Trespassing” as an alternative to posting signage. Regardless it’s not law here in Colorado as it is in Texas, I my be painting my entire fence line purple, it’ll indicate “No Trespassing” but in a nice, non-binary “softer” manner that even those NOT from a rural area would understand…visually…because…seems they don’t teach people how to read anymore. Despite signage, had a guy climb the front gate…in the middle furthest from the hinge…when he could have walked to the right 20 feet and slipped thru the ROW smooth wire fence. Reminds me of that Candid Camera episode where they installed a narrow garden gate on. City sidewalk…people actually went thru the gate instead of simply bypassing it. No matter what you do the general public will somehow manage to find a way to screw it up. (Eg. 2020: “Everybody panic! Buy a garage full of toilet paper…because…Covid!”)
***
Glad yer back (assuming so)…flight travel these days feels…sketchy…another plane dropping from the sky happens and we’ll know something is afoot (I know the Philly intersection where this latest happened… not good…and how bad it is…could have been significantly worse.)
– By the way the lunch looks great, and your friends wear nice timepieces.
PS. I thought when abroad in such a “capacity” one is supposed to wear Maui Jim Ho’okipa sunglasses (as seen on FBI reality shows)…altho the Ray Bans are good too (“every girl likes a sharp dressed man”)
I avoid the “operator” look where possible—scrap the ballcap and wrap-around glasses. On the day the photo was taken, I wore a khaki shirt and was teased for it. It’s best to stick to gray or black, with no Levis, unless you want to stand out. No “operator beards.” I usually wear a suit. As you will note, the secret police bodyguards wore suits. Because it was a bounce trip, I packed two suits, white shirts and ties, and a limited wardrobe of soft clothes.
Perimeter fence post, tree, etc. painted with 1″ wide by 8″ length purple stripe, up to 1000 ft. intervals does mean no trespassing here in Texas. Not real sure how the color purple was selected. During the April 2024 solar eclipse here in Central Texas rural roads had plenty of purple stripes and No Trespassing signs popped up to keep gawkers from ruining roadside hay fields, grazing, etc.
Problem is many of those people were from out of state, and often urban areas, meaning no FFA or 4H, or country understanding, therefore fence and gate protocol is a foreign concept.
Ahh…dangit…hate to hear this: At least 7 dead, 16 injured in Philly plane “accident”. (6 on the plane and one in a car, plus the others.) Oh boy…super sad. God speed.
I say “accident’, because…dare I suggest…Mexico registered jet (per reports), and 2 weeks back PDJT labeled the cartels terrorists. This thing augured-in full speed 30 seconds after takeoff with full tanks. Engine failure so no/lost lift? LL, any thoughts on cartel retaliation…or just another back-to-back tragic accident?
Wish me luck (good or bad is up to the individual reading this 😀). Flying out of DCA this afternoon.
Got here (to WDC by Amtrak) about 30 min after the helo collision. I had no idea what was going on, but there were a lot of cop cars and fire trucks even by the train station. I dunno if that’s protocol, but I’m assuming that someone was thinking it was (or could be) the start of a series of troubles. No additional cops IN Union Station though.
Good luck (you’ll need it)…
Identify the Armor:
1. Wiesel 1 with 20mm autocannon
2. Closest my coffee-free brain can see is a Hotchkiss TT6 APC which I know is not right.
3. Cruiser MkIIA Close Support
Identify the Aircraft:
4. Cavalier Mustang with wingtip 106mm recoilless rifles
#2 isn’t a Hotchkiss, as you noted. Good otherwise.
Larry, glad you’re back ok.
*
Did you get to have the (my favorite) Maklauba? That kebab looks like traditional open grill… nice crisp outside and tender middle… absolute heaven.
*
Jeep … Fun to ride around in, but my bones hurt just imagining going across a field.
*
As to the Wiesel … riding vs walking? Another training day… ride. Actually air dropped into combat.. I’ll walk as it’s just a target for anything being fired. Might as well strap on a AN/PRC-77 and paint it orange to aid them in targeting.
X2
IDARMOR:
1. German Wiesel 1 Mk20
2. EE-T4 Ogum. A Brazilian airborne armored fighting vehicle.
IDAIRCRAFT:
3. Cruiser Mk IIA Close Support
4. Cavalier Mustang with wingtip 106mm recoilless rifles
Yes! Well done.
Purple means no trespassing. According to a JP that I stood in front of with my brothers years ago: “Son. There doesn’t have to be a sign. If you’re not standing on your property in Texas, you’re trespassing.” I wasn’t fined because of my age, but my brothers paid $50 each for their swim in a pond, which was a substantial amount in the early seventies.
That was a LOT of money in the 70s – of course I’m way to young to recall the 70s.
Glad your back.
In one piece.
You STAyed lethal.
still think the best “No Trespassing” is the skull and crossbones
(red) color-blind have a problem seeing purple; they see a bluish color
and there jes’ ain’t ‘nuf room on an 8″x5’ sign to say “No Trespassing” in all the languages required by DEI today
This tends to make folks do a pause…assuming they can read:
https://martinpaul.net/testsite/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/warning-sign-bull-pasture-1-1024×732.jpg
Well put.
Handmade signs, maintained, tend to grab folks attention whereas with a bought one they immediately go blind.
The old warning, land mines, signs with the skull and crossbones, do grab the attention of the would-be trespasser as Boron suggests.
Add to the list an electric fence charger, the biggest model.
Had a weed chopper electric fence while growing up. It could, and did, knock down a full grown bovine.
Our house 1200’ driveway from the road about halfway in there are two 8’ post with a gate that is never closed but can be. I have a sign on a tree right there that says “Caution if you are reading this you are in range”. I find it amusing that some people have actually asked what that sign means? Sad.
“No Trespassing.
Ammo is expensive.
No warning shots.”
On my fence.
When that bull is lookin’ at you like you owe him money… if you ain’t already on the other side of the fence, you’re too late.
hahahaha X2
I like this one: https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-01/6/2/asset/0afd12e0aa99/sub-buzz-1741-1672972381-2.png
Nice!
I drove an M715 often, and often with a TRC97 radio van on it.
And on highway at speed
Never thought much of it.
My roommate worked motor pool and never complained. About the M715, I mean.
Glad you’re back. I was jonesing.
I was forced to troll the lesser blogs 😀
I’m happy to be back in battery.
“Trump administration directive pausing federal loans, grants, and other financial assistance”
I suspect that some bureaucratic functionaries misread the directive intentionally and stopped the Medicaid payments to make the administration look bad, even though they were instructed not to.
The monkey-wrench gang will do their best to derail the Trump presidency, but he’s only 10 days into his administration. It’s not as though he and his people are not looking at this stuff every day.
Exactly Ed and LL.
Because I am a junior-grade masochist (some would say PhD but that’s up for debate), and weirdly for the humor affect, listened to The Five yesterday, Tarlov “Fingers On The Chalkboard” was in attendance. The Shrill Shill actually went to blaming PDJT – 10 days in – for the recent air accidents, producing all manner of demented/deranged (can’t tell anymore as it appears there is a very fine line between the two) data-points and “facts” only a Lefty mental patient could spout while believing they are true. Thought Gutfeld was gonna launch on her but his handlers likely asked him to refrain as he had pounced the day before with actual facts. Fox must pay Tarlov A LOT to be the fool, even if she believes her own pablum. Scary part is she is ‘one’, seems to be a lot of them out there, plus The Dem’s, who are desperate to destroy this President because he threatens their Club Grifter (Jeffries “fighting the President’s agenda in the streets!”. How’s that not a direct threat?). New Flash: They will fail…miserably…actually already are.
–
BTW, found this excellent (about Wednesday’s helo/jet tragedy)…the President knows more than anyone about this, hence his comments (eg DEI) that Tarlov et all are going Scanners about this guy also suggests but hopes wasn’t the case: https://www.theburningplatform.com/2025/02/01/a-military-and-civilian-aviation-veteran-explains-wednesday-nights-crash/
Since I occasionally see Juan Williams on Bret Baer’s News Panel, I wonder how he lost the slot on The Five.
You are correct about her voice. She has a voice made for torture chambers.
.
That article spells it out clearly.
Williams would flat out lie about everything but deny the truth even when shown the video…viewers had had it and got tough on the producers, plus, apparently, he got into a series tiff live over being taken to task by Gutfeld. At least Tarlov backs off when shown to have the facts massively tortured to make her insane point.
Even paranoids have enemies
“Global Humanities Lecture Series.” Reading, and trying to understand the drivel, seems like trying to understand some cult. Perhaps that is the point, only members of the cult understand, and can feeling superior to all the great unwashed. We, the great unwashed, are obligated to provide their needs as they are so superior and enlightened.
Kurds. The Irish of the Middle East/Southwest Asia?
Good to see you overseas, keeping the Turks honest!
Even better to read that you are back home safe.
*
The Jeeps are decent vehicles, and look good. They were never designed for offroad hijinks,
or for extended highway travel. You can make them do those things with money, if so desired.
My main complaint with them is that they are major rusters… not really a problem where you are.
Wouldn’t be my choice for an only car.
*
I bet they chose purple because it was unlikely to be accidental.
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Recoilless rifles are an unusual and entertaining aircraft weapon.
– Kle.
I hope those Kabobs sourced from grass fed critters
I don’t know if the cows were grass-fed, cage-free, had piped in music for their lives. Nobody in the Middle East (let alone Kurdistan) cares.
I do recall the M715. We used to call ours the Daktari because it resembled the truck used on the old TV show. The cute little German track reminds me a bit of the old M114. Those were pretty useless as well.
We had a 1952 International guvment 6X6 for a tender when I first joined our volunteer fire department. Took forever to get anywhere, but would drive over 20’ Cedar trees if you were so inclined. Like the Jeep and other surplus trucks I think they intentionally made them super uncomfortable to try and keep the drivers awake!
Nothing quite as effective as an old tire hung over a hedge post with no trespassing scrawled in white paint.
Welcome back, LL!
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Looks like some pretty good chow there. I’ve had quite a bit of Middle Eastern food, some of it very good, and some not so much. We have an excellent place here, The Petra Grill, and they have most of the dishes I’ve had before, and they do them very well.
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https://www.petragrillfortcollins.com/
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Still trying to find a place that has good tahdig…..
What an excellent lunch!
Looks like you ate well! :-) That old Jeep 1 1/4-ton gave me a flashback, that was OUR baby brush truck in the late 70s. 250 gallons of water, a little B&S engine running a small pump, and a couple of hand lines.
I had Jeep PU of about that era … that thing would climb trees. I’d pull other 4x4s out of their stuck places with no effort at all. It got 2mpg (two) gas with a 20 gallon tank and worse than that in oil when off-road action. Not a lot better on the highway. It did have limited-slip differential though. Detroit locker IIRC
Loved the truck; never regretted selling it.