Welcome to the Weekend

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Larry-Lambert

 

 Valentine’s Day is Coming Soon 

Buy her a gift that will last year after year and include enough ammo for her to practice at the range. A range date is perfect for those who don’t know where to take her when she says she wants to go out.

Some politicians like Pedo Joe have favored a side-by-side coach gun that you must fire in the air to face a threat. They are uncomfortable with a thirty-round magazine loaded with 5.56mm. When surrounded by Secret Service agents and a $4 million security system, the side-by-side shotgun might be enough.

 

Bullet Points:

** An airliner is fully boarded and ready to push off from the gate when two blind pilots enter the main cabin.

The pilots both are wearing dark glasses, one is using a guide dog and the other is tapping his way along the aisle with a cane. Nervous laughter spreads through the cabin, but the men enter the cockpit, the door closes, and the engines start.

The passengers begin glancing nervously around, searching for some sign that this is just a little practical joke. None is forthcoming. The plane moves faster and faster down the runway, and the people sitting in the window seats realize they’re headed straight for the water at the edge of the airport.

Panicked screams fill the cabin as it begins to look like the plane will plow into the water. At that moment, the plane lifts smoothly into the air. The passengers relax, laugh sheepishly, and soon retreat into their magazines, ensuring the plane is in good hands.

In the cockpit, one of the blind pilots turns to the other and says, “You know, Bob, one of these days, they’re gonna scream too late, and we’re all gonna die.”

** I’m looking at a hip replacement this year because I’ve worn out many of the parts I thought were durable. The problem is that I’ve lived WAY longer than I thought I would. Here is a tutorial of sorts.

** Every town needs at least one; some have multiple in close proximity, which allows for a bar crawl for those interested in killing the brain cells that they’re not using anyway. Here in Missoula, Montana, the sign over the bar reads, “Liquor in the front and poker in the rear.” Of course. It’s America.

** Where do I find the forms to become an illegal alien? Unlimited domestic travel with no ID – just a voucher from Pedo Joe, $3,000 a month dropped onto the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, accepted everywhere, a free ObamaPhone with unlimited calling, etc. I am asking for a friend.

** It’s an early Sermonette. I’m jumping the gun, but –

HENDERSONVILLE, TN — A local congregation was thrown into despair this week after being notified that the Holy Spirit’s presence had departed from the church building after discovering it was just a remodeled Pizza Hut.

** Time Machine Fun Factoid – In response to an inquiry from the Mail Bag: As a much younger man, I took some dates to live (or almost live) studio filmings of the Gong Show. First, the tickets were free, so I didn’t have to spend money on entertainment. Usually, we’d go to the Original Tommy’s at Rampart and Beverly (Los Angeles) for a hamburger. The line at Tommy’s – blocks long – was a party in itself. The cost of the date, excluding gasoline, was about $5.00. If the young lady wanted a stuffy yet expensive evening, she didn’t want to hang with me.

** The Japanese Lunge Mine was as Deadly to its Users as to its Enemies!
The lunge mine is a near-suicidal anti-tank weapon developed for the Imperial Japanese Army as a last-ditch attempt to deal with the formidable challenge of Allied armored vehicles.

The weapon was just a shaped charge on the end of the stick, which was triggered by jabbing it into the side of an enemy tank. It worked like a Bazooka or Panzerfaust, but instead of a rocket, the explosive was propelled by a human.

 

Identify the Aircraft

1

This aircraft made an appearance on VM once before.

2

3

What sort of component is this on an aircraft?

4

The aircraft is an easy ID, and so is the missile, so ID both if you’d like.

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54 thoughts on “Welcome to the Weekend”

  1. Identify the Aircraft:
    1. Bréguet 1150 Atlantic
    2. Blohm & Voss Ha 142
    3. Looks like B-47 JATO installation mounts.
    4. Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon with Anab missiles

  2. Love the idea for a Valentine’s gift, but that gal that starts things off here needs to work on her trigger discipline !

    2. I was thinking “Excess blush (makeup), or a gal who should not play poker?” (Hopefully not the dreaded “malar blush” of lupus, as the bridge of the nose is spared.) The Swedish Disaster was (is, I suppose) someone who should not play poker, since her blush response is so strong she might as well be a chameleon in terms of changing color. That gal in the picture reminded me of TSD, with the long neck and arms.

      Speaking of, Fjällräven (Swedish outdoors clothing) is for some reason a popular brand in Asia. (Less than Canada Goose brand, but still popular.) On me, the sleeves and pant legs of Fjällräven are always too long. As they are on pretty much every East Asian. Contrarywise, TSD was generally frustrated trying to buy pants in the US “the legs are always too short!” And I’m a S or XS (depending on the exact garment) in Fjällräven, whereas in Taiwan or Japan I’m an M or sometimes L. Evolution, baby! (“Racist” remark goes here.)

      1. As mentioned before, we have switched to Beyond Nordic and Revolution Race (both Swedish), less expensive and great quality…and different (Khul is everywhere now, Boston is a cornucopia of Canada Goose wearing urbanites showing off their symbolic snootiness, at $1500 a pop). But for me 6’2”, 200#’s,BN and RR’s euro styling requires I go up a size (XL to XXL), almost as if the Swede’s are metrosexual males or something…narrow in the chest and skinny arms…a long ways from the Norseman heft. But hey, at least the Winter pants are warm and I won’t freeze my manhood off in backcountry pursuits (almost like Mr. Finnish x-country skier).

        1. “narrow in the chest and skinny arms”
          Bjorn Ulvaeus and not Eddie Hall, then. When I learned that Eddie is 6’2” or 3 (I forget), I was shocked. He’s so broad he looks squat. Very funny lad though; for some reason Eddie Hall video clips keep popping up in my YT feed. And while I’m making fun of Bjorn, the guy is wealthy, incredibly talented, and was married to Agnetha Fältskog, so I’m sure he was compensated handsomely for his skinniness. (I was always a Frida guy though. And Christine McVie over Stevie Nicks any day and thrice on Sunday.)

          Oh yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Asian college student uniform in Boston is Canada Goose parka and Fjällräven Kånken backpack. I tried on a CG parka once. Too snug in the chest (when the sleeve-length fit), those ribbed elastic cuffs that STAY wet if they get wet, and $1200. I’ll stick to my Arcteryx insulation layer and drab REI Goretex shell. (I wish I had better access to Arc’teryx LEAF which DOES come in the muted colors I favor.)

  3. Yeah, that Shell of a President is healthy. Geez.

    Pre-Sermonette: The BB is becoming more and more prescient in their sarcasm, which is sayin’ something. Imagine churches that used to be gas stations:

    “Still selling gas and oil changes, but with better snacks and a real sound system…and we’re open on Sundays. Come to our monthly Lift to Heaven service, it’s a great live action experience, and safer than real floating in air. Look for our monthly coupon specials.”

      1. Yes, or that. Usually, the El Rancho(s) offer a more South-of-the-Border cuisine, which I tend to favor because I enjoy spicy food. The Stockmans frequently offer a hearty steak and eggs breakfast, with steak being the constant all day long with various sides (steak sandwich or a burger at lunch, steak and bake for dinner).

        1. A lot of the dives have been replaced by gentrification bars, which is sort of a fake Longhorn. I included one in the book BROKEN TOYS. Our hero goes in hoping to get in a fight (in Colorado, of all places) and finds that it’s a bar that was built to look like a dive, including some old cars parked out front. Full disclosure that happened to me, and I think that it was Grand Junction, as in the book. I walked in and === WHAT? It felt wrong like a movie set. It turned out that some Hollywood movie types made it. In a sense, it was a movie set for California people who moved to Colorado to escape the urban hell and wanted to feel all Westerny.

          1. Same people who pay $4G to ride in the Sombrero Horse Drive every May in Moffat Count. Back in the day Sisty and I did it with one dog for no pay. Our horses. To be fair fewer than 20.

            Some of those dudes probably spend more on the attire and tack than I spent on my last pickup.

          2. If you can’t ride well might as well look the part, cost be damned. Heh

            MrsPaulM was between corporate gigs, a bit burned out. Went up to Moose, Wy (just north of Jackson) to be the vet wrangler on a high-end ($14k a week a dozen years ago) dude ranch. Nice place. Went up to help vet tech on weekends and restock the vet cabinet. Was helping saddle 30 head for the morning ride, discovered one of the families was from my PA stomping grounds. Was chatting with the lady (super nice, not a poseur type) and she had shipped her new saddle, which was stiffer than all get out. She asked me how she could soften it up and get the newness out of it. Told her to toss it in the horse water tank then ride it until dry. Her eyes got bigger than the Tetons…then the head Wrangler said, “Yup”.

            She did it…to the surprise pf the other “well heeled” dudes in new Wranglers, hats, and boots. Thanked me later (did tell her to get a good leather conditioner on it after saddle soaping it).

  5. Your blind pilots joke brought to mind my dad’s description of taking off in a B-17 in typical English weather when they couldn’t see the end of the runway. As pilot, he would focus on the instrument panel, specifically the air speed. His co-pilot would focus outside and keep them centered on the runway. I recall his concluding remark after more than one story, “Needle, ball, and airspeed!”.

    1. I don’t know how the Greatest Generation did it, RHT477, but they did, all glory to their lives and their memories.

    1. ZERO flying for us, and MrsPaulM is a million-miler on United, who are leading this idiocy. My question: Where the hell is the FAA? These are the same heavy handed types who will bust a good pilot if they have one too many adult beverage ps the night before or not get enough regulatory sleep. Guess, like immigration laws, rules and reg’s don’t matter anymore, even with 150-200 souls in a tube at 36,000 feet.

      This is getting even more stupid than I could have imagined. All these people would come in second in an idiot contest…because they’re idiots, or worse.

      1. You don;t usually actually need the pilots, at most big airports the plane takes off and lands by itself, and obviously the autopilot goes on in the middle. Mostly you need the aircrew in case the robot breaks, or weather transpires.

        I don;t like it, nor do I like the idea that they are “equitizing” aircrew, but there you go. The blind pilots could probably do okay.

        – Kle.

        2. Yup, but those pesky takeoffs hitting the correct rotation velocity, and landings are sorta important. Can IFR actually handle that? Regardless, I don’t give a rip what the Idiots in Charge believe is “equitable”, being able to see is a basic requirement for flying (drones are unmanned so not part of the narrative). AI can’t do it all, as you say, “When the robot breaks”. Hell, Bling can’t even install door plug bolts correctly now they moved headquarters to Chicago, and EV’s are spontaneously burning up (wait for the EV aircraft push and exploding planes.)

          BTW, what if we translate this stupidity to driving, we are required to qualify for using basic skills and take a vision test for driving on the ground!. But taking groups of people into the sky no longer needs the prior regulations be upheld? Same as defunding the police…collateral damage will occur and the Morons will pull an Alec Baldwin…never their fault.

    2. When They apply DEI to the things that matter to Them then I’ll take it seriously.

      We’re having undereducated and often plain stupid people rammed into being airline pilots, physicians, and other visible “prestige” jobs that require some modicums of intelligence and impulse control. But ultimately those are not jobs linked to actual power or Stuff They Care About.

      Let the NFL and NBA team owners put East Asians into starting roles as linebackers and forwards. “My people” are horribly under-represented there. And how about Asian MALES in porn? … Huh? But sports team ownership and porn are Important to certain people. And as for real power, where are my homies in big finance? Where is our Brack Lock? When will Goldman-Sachs become Goldman-Zhang-Sachs? We don’t even have any really major league financial scandals. Where is my Sam Bankman-Fried-Rice? When will an Asian hold State or Treasury? (Putting an Asian into Energy is window dressing. It’s like letting the nerd be the crossing guard.) Where is the Asian Supreme Court Justice? When will the Rape of Nanking or Unit 731 be recognized as an atrocity comparable to the other horrible atrocities that are essentially our new State Religion in this fallen post-Christian West?

      DEI my yellow butt. DEI is merely anti-Whitism dressed up in lies, double-talk, and propaganda, created by people who resent and not-so-secretly fear whites in particular and competence in general.

      1. I’ve heard that they tried out East Asian males for porn but they didn’t measure up. Since I’m not in the porn business as a producer or consumer, don’t blame me. Don’t shoot the messenger. There is a brief piece on evil Chinese geniuses that will be featured on Tuesday’s VM Blog. Not up to BlackLock standards (the BlackRock piece comes out on Monday). I am forced to do these pieces in advance because of the schedule.

        1. It’s a problem of appropriate units. Inches are racist. Measured in centimeters we’re much more impressive.

  7. Had anterior approach hip replacement surgery on December 4th. What a whiner that Carrell mook is. If that’s an accurate representation of how his surgeon’s team went about it, which I doubt, he got the wrong surgeon.

    Just get it done. Mine was, in fact, a very good day. Show up time was 6 AM, wheeled into the OR at 8:30, woke up in recovery at 10:30 and they sent us home at 5 PM. No formal physical therapy, they issued me a photocopied list of exercises and told me to get with it, but not overdo it. Yes sir. Both follow-up visits were a breeze. The earlier in the day you can get it scheduled, the better. Take the pain meds as prescribed, toughing it out is dumb. In my opinion.

    1. The rehab PT is critical, and can be done at home after a time. A couple of rancher neighbors had their knees or hips done, knees seem to be easier for rehab but home-based PT is simpler (seated stationary pedal thingy works well) whereas hips heal and come up to speed quicker (I could be wrong, just my impression). Have an In-law who had both hips done, waddles side to side instead of normal ambulatory striding out because he did not follow rehab instructions past the required in-clinic visits (watch urbanites move, many more are doing this type of movement, being overweight is often the root). I found it dumb to go thru all that surgery and rehab and not follow thru.

      1. Even though I didn’t have a Total Hip Replacement, and was listed post-op as “Weight Bearing As Tolerated”. Had me out of bed the day after and the next day, and released me to the rehab facility on the third day. The exercises are very important, even the ones that “don’t do anything”.

        I *HIGHLY* recommend the Orthopedic and Spine Center of the Rockies. The staff is astoundingly good, and “The Godfather of Total Hip and Total Knee Replacements” happened to be the on-call surgeon when I was there.

        Drop me line if you have any questions….

    2. Did you do one or two at the same time? That is my quandry. Likely one, but I’d like to get it over with. I have a busy schedule.

      2. I just needed the one done. Everyone I know that needed both did them separately.
        Looking back at mobility after the surgery, I feel like both at the same time would be structurally unsound. Like Paul M said about falling down, more or less. You don’t want to have to go back in to get the ball end jammed back into the socket.

        I tore a posterior cruciate ligament out by the roots in ’94 so nobody had to lecture me about following the rehab to the letter. Paul M is right. Rehab or die. Or near enough.

        They will have you on a walker the first week or so. Don’t skimp on the walker. Get the little ski’s or tennis balls for the back legs right from the get-go, pushing the thing around without those is a massive PITA. Without them, you end up picking the damn thing up and moving it every step instead of sliding it along.

        Final comment, don’t skimp on the cane either. Here’s one:

        https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1017272516/?pid=795848

      1. I was only able to listen live though the first half hour. I’ll have to pick up on the second half as a recorded event (almost live). It’s always interesting to listen to EdB’s program.

  9. Illegal’s get $3,000 a month? I retired as an enlisted E-7 with 21 years of service. Then put another 19 years making better money than I did when I retired from the service. My Social Security and military pension is less than $3,000 a month.

    1. You should have renounced your citizenship and crossed the border illegally to improve your benefits package. You would also have a free flight voucher domestically. Better coverage than Tricare

      1. One of the reasons I got out of clinical medicine— the abuse of the healthcare system. The “retail” level predations of individuals was bad enough, but the top-down screwing of the normal working American, to favor illegals and drug addicts, I couldn’t tolerate. And I was at a hospital system where we didn’t get a lot of the drug types (compared to certain other hospitals— EVERYONE gets drug people).

        My day to day annoyance was nothing, relatively speaking. We had elderly immigrants from Russia who demanded you sign ambulance vouchers for their transport to and from clinic. (Outpatient Clinic, meaning routine follow up visits. NOT being sick enough to be admitted overnight.) Now bear in mind these immigrants already had unlimited taxi vouchers (somehow; elderly American citizens got squat). Most docs just signed the vouchers rather than get into an argument (which you don’t have time for, and worse it could escalate to a “discrimination” complaint you Would Not Win), but my friend G would fight these people tooth and nail. He was from Russia, of the same ethnicity, and took it personally that these people were so shamelessly grasping. They had no leverage on him. I asked G why the ambulance business in the first place, since they had free taxis. G sighed. “A taxi picks you up at the front door of your apartment building and drops you off there too. You have to walk inside and push the elevator button yourself. The ambulance people go to your apartment door and strap you into the gurney and carry you to our clinic. You don’t have to walk at all. THAT’s why they insist on the ambulance. Because I’m their minds they (somehow) deserve it. And don’t you EVER sign one of those vouchers! You get trouble? Send them to me.” This sounds like idiot drama, but even back then, each way by ambulance (for about 2 miles) was $300 to $350. That stuff adds up. (No, of course it wasn’t all of those folks, it was about 10-15%. But two or three patients a day (per doctor) is a lot of money the system doesn’t have. And of course there were shithead MDs who did unnecessary procedures as well. But frankly we were too busy, plus we were mostly salaried.

        A good friend who used to practice in the Bronx (to get his green card), now he had stories about patients and their families threatening or actually trying to stab and shoot staff. He particularly hated dealing with the Dominicans. “They fly here from the DR. No insurance, no money, but we can’t turn them away. After getting their treatment they fly home and of course they never pay the bills. (It’s not necessarily that the DR is so bad, it’s the crowd his hospital dealt with.) Friend said the only patients the staff actually enjoyed dealing with (in general) were a small cadre of working class Whites who had grown up in the Bronx and were too stubborn to move out even though the demographics had changed dramatically during their 70 or 80 years of life.

        The US healthcare system is highly messed up.

        1. I think that it’s become way more messed up in the last decade than it was prior to that. I seriously don’t want to go on a rant about my experiences, which are a mixed bag of very good and bad (likely the same as everyone). Maybe I need to manage my expectations?

  10. Header Picture has spawned a new country song, “Squinty-Eyed Joe”, the corresponding Stumbler dance is best achieved after downing a Fifth of Jack.

    My how the “mighty” have fallen.

  11. I’ve been avoiding a knee replacement for longer than I’ve been married, because the doc looked at a history of mountain climbing and flying off airport in Alaska, and said, “Lady, replacement knees aren’t made to last. They’re made for 80 year olds who sit on their couch and watch television all day, and they’ll still wear out in 10-12 years. If I give you a knee now that lets you go back to your normal lifestyle, you’re gonna be back for another replacement inside of every 5 years, and every time we have to take more bone. When do you want to have to convert to prosthetic, because there’s not enough femur left?”

    So I’ve been holding out, but I’ve also been eyeing what the guys who meet IEDs are getting and how they’re using them with extreme interest. At least, in the last ten years, they’ve reformulated the glue to drop the cardiac risk?

    1. Back when, I asked my knee doctor about a replacement for my constant-pain knee. He said it was still better than the artificial knees out there. I guess for some it’s a good option, and for others it’s not. In my case, I was glad the doctor put my health over scheduling a new money maker for himself.

    2. I had knee surgery 30+ years ago and it could have gone better. It wasn’t a replacement, they just dug around. My knee hurt worse after but I still ran on it with pain. I went to a civilian doctor and the military (I was a reserve at the time) didn’t know. The hip situation is limiting my mobility and impacts my life. I just turned 68. Will I live to see 78? Maybe. Will I live to see 88? Yeah – but no. So if I get a 10 year reprieve that lets me live, work, travel, etc. it’s worth it. I know very little about the surgery except what I’ve heard from others.

      1. Absolutely worth it, and as long as you do the PT, it’ll be a whole lot better. May your recovery go smoothly!

        That’s one thing the GWOT has been good for – the quality of replacement bits has really gone up in the last twenty years, due to demand from folks who are far younger and more active than the original bits were designed for.

      2. My surgeon said 20 years, maybe longer but no frequent running. At 70, I can live with that.

        Get it done, make the call Monday. If you have questions about the procedure and recovery, fair enough, but you also have certain interrogation skills, yes? Just tone them down when you get the doc alone in the exam room, ya follow?

        1. I begin the medical consult this coming week. 20 years is enough. The sword cane will be useful.

    3. A guy I used to work with is now the Plant Manager of a company that 3D prints titanium knees, hips, shoulders, etc.
      I keep asking when my knee will be done…

  12. Dassault-Breguet Atlantique 2 (ATL 2), upgraded with the new ISR package. Don’t ride in the front window unless you’ve had ALL the kids you want to! But it was/is a great view!!! And unlike the JMSDF with the old P-2s, they don’t go down to 100 feet or less and ‘pop’ over destroyers…

  13. I don’t think my Mom ever picked up a rifle….that was Man Stuff.

    What’s wrong with a remodeled Pizza Hut? I don’t think He cares where we worship…..Just Do It!

    Been up to Tommy’s a couple of times, myself. As you say, the line is a major part of the experience, as in “PARTY!”…

    The component on the aircraft are JATO Bottle Racks. Looks like a B-47, to me.

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