Plea of the Simla Dancers (Kipling)
Too late, alas! the song To remedy the wrong –
The rooms are taken from us, swept and garnished for their fate.
But these tear-besprinkled pages Shall attest to future ages
That we cried against the crime of it – too late, alas! too late!
Arms/Armor
“The richer you were the more ornate your equipment was. It sends the message, take me for ransom rather than kill me in battle…”
This video takes you through the process of arming a 14th century knight.
*
Bullet Points:
** Jules enters INKTOBER with an eerie scream from the dark woods. You have to get in line with the reason for the season.
** General Mark Milley, US Army (ret.) showed who he was down deep when he explained that he worked out a back-channel deal with Communist China during Pres. Trump’s first administration. Outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told “60 Minutes” this week he will take “appropriate measures” to protect himself and his family following comments by former President Donald Trump suggesting Milley’s actions would warrant execution “in times gone by.”
Milley wore the traitor’s mantle proudly during his government service.
Does anybody actually watch 60 Minutes anymore? I was interviewed by Mike Wallace on a 60 Minutes piece that aired in 1988 back when people watched the program but now?
** With the novel Broken Toys complete (at editing), I embarked on a sequel, titled Hungry Ghosts, which takes up where the last one left off.
** If you were reading the Book of Daniel and you arrived at the end of the Book and thought, “This could have used more nudity and talk of sex.” The Book of Susanna is the missing chapter from Daniel that you have been looking for.
** VDH on Ukraine – But Ukraine risks now becoming a new—and different—proxy war altogether.
** Record Breaking Sales – Conservative beer as an alternative to Bud Lite…
** Johnny Quest factoid: Jezebel Jade appeared in 2 of 26 episodes: Double Danger and Terror Island. She was a mercenary for hire, entrepreneur, ally of the Quest team, and a love interest/old flame of Race Bannon.
She popped up in 
the jungle in Thailand, where she saved Jonny and Haji from a wild cat. Jonny recognizes her and calls her by her first name, meaning the two must have met before. The boys immediately enlist her help and leave camp with her, showing that they trust her. Jade meets the Race Bannon impostor and their conversation implies that the two have been romantically involved in the past. When the real Race is found, Jade saves everyone by letting them escape in her helicopter, although she is not piloting it. Her parting remark that “there’s only one Race Bannon,” as well as the fact that she came personally to the jungle to warn him, seem to suggest she still has some feelings for him, although she still mentions she will charge him for her help.
Carlson & O’Reilly
Ep. 26 The Bill O'Reilly Interview pic.twitter.com/yHabD7W9NO
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) September 28, 2023
(00:32) Getting fired from Fox News Channel (09:24) The future of cable news (11:21) “We’ll do it live!” (12:43) O’Reilly’s new book, Killing the Witches (16:37) Demonic possession (18:25) Witch hunts (21:23) JFK assassination (25:10) Biden’s incompetence (28:31) The Left’s mission to destroy Trump (32:45) Our open Southern border (36:24) Why is Trump so hated? (37:08) O’Reilly isn’t ready to retire (42:55) Winners and losers in the media
Identify the Aircraft
1
2
3
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Beriev A-50 ‘Mainstay’
2. Piper L-4 Grasshopper
3. Hawker Hind
THAT was fast
But, does anyone know how the beer tastes?
So long as it doesn’t taste like tranny fluid.
Love that beer! Genius!
Free enterprise.
IDA:
1. Beriev A-50 ‘Mainstay’
2. Piper J-3 Cub
3. Hawker Hind
Indeed.
Kipling insight…perfectly stated.
Milley- Typical response by a political criminal hack trying to save is rear-end. He did the treasonous deed but when called out for it feigns fear of consequence so NOW has to protect himself and family. Coward. PDJT’s assertion is correct, and it becomes more clear each month that he was surrounded by interlopers and backstabbers that started the moment he took the oath (you know, the double-ed up insurance plan, The Fowch Mengele and The Scarf Wearer being two more. Yet like ‘Not-A-Doctor Bowman, Milley will walk once exposed. Two sets of rules. Time for a reset.
In that vein I already thought we were in a proxy war with Russia via the UniParty Money Laundering Scheme to protect the [secret] GoF Labs in Ukraine? Time for a reset (Am I repeating myself?)
Brother sent the TC / O’Reilly video link the other day…guess I’d better watch it for the double witness here.
Sidebar: “Laphonza” has been selected by Newsom to fill Feinstein’s [finally] vacated Senate seat, yet oddly resides in Silver Springs, MD, not even in her [now] represented district. Seems that political hackery (aka anathema to expected thinking) exists beyond the 2020 “new and improved” election laws when the Dem’s operate. This woman is not benign, hence why chosen…she is ‘the tell’ of what is to come.
Time for a reset. X2
LL, too bad you didn’t announce the name of your next literary effort a few weeks ago. As you’re aware, although some of your readers may not be, Hungry Ghost month in Asia ended 14 September.
Cletus Valvecore
Announce or not, the hungry ghosts are at work. I have no idea how long the sequel will take to write but I’m actively working it, which means, maybe in the Spring.
Well Race Bannon Proved the Theory that my Dad and all my Uncles told me when I was of the age to watch Jonny Qwest. If it Float ,Flies or Phucks it is cheaper to Rent!
Lease…don’t buy…as it goes.
As long you don’t exceed the contracted mileage, then you pay through the nose.
x2
Miley, the Apex REMF. Makes Gen Betrayus look like and amateur.
From your lips to God’s ear.
had always wondered why wealthy knights dressed up. LL’s blog is always informative . thank you LL and readers.
Long before the formal jousts of tome and legend, mounted knights would form ad hoc tournaments where they beat each other with clubs (while armored with mail, boiled leather, or a padded surcoat) and tried to dismount each other. Failure could be expensive with a loss of a saddle or mount depending on what had been agreed upon. Reputations were thus made and lost. It was practice for battle.
In medieval Europe, knights of different nationalities had more in common with each other than they did with commoners. Fortunes were made and lost on the battlefield as noble knights were captured and ransomed rather than killed.
Richard (The Lion Heart) sailed home from the Third Crusade by way of the Adriatic, because of French hostility, and a storm drove his ship ashore near Venice. Because of the enmity of Duke Leopold he disguised himself, but he was discovered at Vienna in December 1192 and imprisoned in the duke’s castle at Dürnstein on the Danube. Later, he was handed over to Henry VI, who kept him at various imperial castles. It was around Richard’s captivity in a castle, whose identity was at first unknown in England, that the famous romance of Blondel was woven in the 13th century.
Under the threat of being handed over to Philip II, Richard agreed to the harsh terms imposed by Henry VI: a colossal ransom of 150,000 marks and the surrender of his kingdom to the emperor on condition that he receive it back as a fief. The raising of the ransom money was one of the most remarkable fiscal measures of the 12th century and gives striking proof of the prosperity of England. A very high proportion of the ransom was paid, and meanwhile (February 1194) Richard was released.
Great Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BpVO7MJlIg
And that, paying the Ransom, is why Prince John and all the English Sheriffs got a bad rap for taxing the living snot out of said England.
Richard is one of those kings where people think he’s a good guy but he’s actually an ass, major ass, total ass. Henry II should have drown his children and found someone else to follow him. Geoffrey was a conniving ass, but might have been a good king. John might have been better treated by history if he hadn’t had to clean up all of Richard’s crap and messes.
The loss of Normandy and the other continental lands are directly linked to Richard getting captured and the ransom paid.
There’s always a back-story, Beans.
Yes, there definitely is. Knowing the back-story is what separates us from the great unwashed.
Had to do the back-story on the last 100 years on my mom. She of the died-in-the-wool FDR socialist democrat for life. Used up a whole safe-full of Red Pills…
Now she’s looking for the back-story… Hehehehe. As one of my friends would say, “Beans, you are an A$$hole!”
What kind of name is Jezebel Jade?
https://youtu.be/FCdrT-RJQFk?si=e54swQJnehqwFOOb&t=126
It is kind of a stripper/porn star name. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I knew a female attorney once who was named Misty Miles by her parents. She was attractive. She confessed to me that she had a stripper name.
It was a way of telling the readers and viewers that she was a bit of a tainted lady and she’s partially oriental. Back in simpler times when just the name gave the back story, rather than having to go on a two hour or 20 chapter exposition explaining every little back detail of the character.
And it may be a nickname or pseudoname. For all we know her actual name is Mary Celeste Fong or something. Now how explanatory is “Mary Celeste Fong”
Seriously, you hear “Jesebel Jade” and you think “She’s a bit of a backstabbing, two-faced, two-timing possibly half-breed oriental babe, but, heck, she’d be a fun date.”
The craziest is the funnest date.
Fun to stick into, not to keep around. From what my more ‘educated’ acquaintances have told me.
Never really got a chance to do crazy. Found a good woman before I had a chance.
Paul beat me to it, she’s not even a resident of CA! FFS… And yes, it takes a ‘while’ to armor up. You’re not going to just slap it on and run out the door. Two men and a small boy needed for assistance!
That’s why there were squires.
Arguments “elsewhere” by “others” suggest that [regardless what is stated in the Cali Constitution] “inhabit” and “resident” aren’t the same therefore Newsom is free to appoint anyone from anywhere.
Funny how lawyers redefine terms to fit the desired outcome. For me it’s simple, it’s about integrity. You’d think – assuming one is thinking relative to respect and honor for the position as presumed by the residents – the general expectation is he’d pick someone who actually lives there regardless of tortured lawyerly wordsmithing of what “inhabitant or resident” means. But there I go thinking integrity is part of such a man’s character…silly me.
Apparently, there were no people in California who identified as both negro and female who qualified to be a US Senator…
There are only 2.251 million (2020 Census) who identified as negro (presumably including mixed Obamas, mulattos, etc.) assuming half are female, the pool of 1.13 million people is tiny indeed. Since the only qualification was skin color and gender (which is fluid as you know), it could have been technically any one of the 39.24 million people residing in California. (numbers, figures, charts and graphs, this will be my epitaph)
Don’t forget the lesbian proclivity aspect, which adds another metric to reduce the available candidate pool — that single needle in the Checkbox Haystack only available in Silver Springs, MD…you know, the booming metropolis of Senate talent just outside DC.
Move along folks, nothing to see here. Projection of intent.
Nice arming video. One can do it all oneself. Just takes time. Lots of time with no practice, relatively short time with practice. And you take shortcuts and have stuff pretty much attached as much as possible. You should be flexible enough in the armor to put it on and take it off.
The maille chausses (legs) are easy to do yourself, and so is the plate leg harness. Just a tad tricky, but you can have everything attached to the body harness that it all rides on (think of a Vietnam era carrying harness, which works quite well with some modification to use with medieval armor.) And a good knight should be able to get in and out without help.
The maille and articulated plate sabatons can be left laced together, or you can lace them yourself.
Same with the gameson (padded jacket) and the maille shirt (you could leave the arm harnesses attached to said shirt, just makes it a bit unweildy, but, well…) After that, it’s just pulling all the belting and latches.
The maille collar, again, is easy peasy to get on. You have to kind of shake yourself like a dog to get everything to settle down.
The bascinet with attached maille aventail and padding, also easy-peasy to get on.
Surcoat? Eh, it pulls on easy if you leave it partially laced.
The collar of badges? Again, simple.
And if you leave the sword attached to the sword belt all you have to do is latch the belt yourself or use a belt with a buckle. Only question I had was where the hell was his dagger?
Using an arming stand (basically a stick manakin) to hang the armor on helps as it keeps stuff from getting tangled. But you can lay it out on a cloth on the ground, or on a bench or table or a cloth laid on your bed. Or out of a trunk in the back of your car or pickup or van.
Seriously, you have to be able to get into it and out of it by yourself. Having people help you does help, and it also instructs the helpers in how to arm themselves eventually.
The only medieval armor that generally needs actual assistance is later period tourney armor, especially jousting armor, because there are so many layers and the armor for the joust is heavier than normal armor.
It’s like getting dressed in a good and expensive 3 piece suit or a tuxedo with cummerbund and spats, but it is sooo much easier to have your butler or manservant do it while you stand there.
As to moving in field or horse harness, well, you have to do everything (including #1 and #2) by yourself most of the time. So you have to have it fit and you have to be able to move in it. By the time of the militant orders in the Crusades, you should be able to harness your horse, arm yourself, get on the horse, go to the fight, get off the horse, jump a ditch, climb a wall, kick ass, retreat and jump or climb down a wall, jump the ditch again (or climb out of it,) get back on your horse, go back to camp, get off your horse, take his (yes, his, Europeans rode stallions or gelding, only muhammadens rode mares) harness and saddle off and take care of him and then get out of your crap and get it and you clean as you can.
Again, easy if you’re used to it. Arm up, walk or ride to the fight, fight all day, ride or drudge back to the camp, arm down, get clean, get fed, get drunk or horse around or find a lady friend. Done it. Done it when I was in my late 40’s early 50’s and wondering why all the younger people were so lazy and gassed out halfway through the day.
Arming vid for men of culture. Star Wars edition.
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/KkNvHpccli8
I threw in the towel with 60 Minutes when it came out they’d been rigging certain tests to get the most spectacular results that supported the hit piece they were running. I used to watch Frontline all the time, but it kinda slid into mediocrity some time back.