Wednesday, February 24, 2010
BLUES, CONTINUED
Pure Blues of the finest kind by Muddy Waters; "Got My Mojo Workin'" and "Mannish Boy" - with Eric Clapton and Jerry Portnoy
It had to go across the Pond and come back at us via British Invasion for America to understand and appreciate what we had going on in our very own midst:
Muddy Waters, Hoochie Coochie Man at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1972.
DEATH OF A HERK
WHO: C-130 Tail # 60412 Cargo Carrier From The 440th Airlift Command At Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina
WHAT: CRASH OF A U.S. AIR FORCE C-130 HERCULES
WHERE: 10 Kilometers North of Baghdad, Iraq
WHEN: 1222 Hours 27 June 2008
WHY: "Uncommanded Power Loss after takeoff" . . . no shit - I hope it wasn't a COMMANDED power loss. (thanks Mike the Marine - see comments below)
HOW MANY: At least nine that I can count . . . and one Big Iron Bird!
By all accounts this should have been it for everybody on board . . . instead Tail # 60412 dug a 600 yard furrow in the dirt and came to rest intact - all aboard cheated death.
The crew leaves the C-130 after crash landing - it is 1222 hours 27 June 2008.
A hasty perimeter is set up to establish security until help arrives.
The Iraqi Police arrive at the crash scene. Command Sergeant Major Miller meets the Iraqi Police to explain what happened.
THE passengers are evacuated by helicopter. Staying behind are 8th PSYOP Battalion Commander, Colonel Ceroli, LT. Colonel Goldsmith, CSM Miller And . . .
. . . two members of the Asymmetric Warfare Group. They will recover weapons, night vision & other sensitive gear - and await U.S. ground forces
Half of the nose gear that was sheared off at landing.
Other half of the nose gear - this "landing" was beyond engineering limits
Ladder To flight deck in left of frame. Deck is pushed up in the center & split down the middle. The landing was rough.
Close-up of split in the deck. Dust filled the cabin through this split, filled the ship, making it hard to breath or see until emergency exits were opened within a minute of landing.
Wider view of the interior damage - a miracle that anyone survived.
Landing gear forced up into fuselage with doors torn off
Port side emergency exit hatch near flight deck.
Iraqi Police with U.S. advisers were first on the scene. They unloaded for the C-130 crew.
Stryker Infantry Company from U.S. 25th Infantry Division arrives to secure the site.
Preparations are made for transport of personnel, weapons, sensitive items and equipment back to Baghdad.
A Fort Bragg & Pope Air Force Base Aircraft From Which Unit Commander, Colonel Michael Ceroli and his men probably jumped by parachute in training. Never Again will they jump Tail # 60412 - this Hercules is a complete loss.
SGT Washington From The Stryker Company snapped this photo to document the Moment: L-R: 2X Asymmetric Warfare Group Personnel, CSM Miller, LTC Goldsmith, COL Michael Ceroli and C-130 Tail # 60412
WHAT: CRASH OF A U.S. AIR FORCE C-130 HERCULES
WHERE: 10 Kilometers North of Baghdad, Iraq
WHEN: 1222 Hours 27 June 2008
WHY: "Uncommanded Power Loss after takeoff" . . . no shit - I hope it wasn't a COMMANDED power loss. (thanks Mike the Marine - see comments below)
HOW MANY: At least nine that I can count . . . and one Big Iron Bird!
By all accounts this should have been it for everybody on board . . . instead Tail # 60412 dug a 600 yard furrow in the dirt and came to rest intact - all aboard cheated death.
The crew leaves the C-130 after crash landing - it is 1222 hours 27 June 2008.
A hasty perimeter is set up to establish security until help arrives.
The Iraqi Police arrive at the crash scene. Command Sergeant Major Miller meets the Iraqi Police to explain what happened.
THE passengers are evacuated by helicopter. Staying behind are 8th PSYOP Battalion Commander, Colonel Ceroli, LT. Colonel Goldsmith, CSM Miller And . . .
. . . two members of the Asymmetric Warfare Group. They will recover weapons, night vision & other sensitive gear - and await U.S. ground forces
Half of the nose gear that was sheared off at landing.
Other half of the nose gear - this "landing" was beyond engineering limits
Ladder To flight deck in left of frame. Deck is pushed up in the center & split down the middle. The landing was rough.
Close-up of split in the deck. Dust filled the cabin through this split, filled the ship, making it hard to breath or see until emergency exits were opened within a minute of landing.
Wider view of the interior damage - a miracle that anyone survived.
Landing gear forced up into fuselage with doors torn off
Port side emergency exit hatch near flight deck.
Iraqi Police with U.S. advisers were first on the scene. They unloaded for the C-130 crew.
Stryker Infantry Company from U.S. 25th Infantry Division arrives to secure the site.
Preparations are made for transport of personnel, weapons, sensitive items and equipment back to Baghdad.
A Fort Bragg & Pope Air Force Base Aircraft From Which Unit Commander, Colonel Michael Ceroli and his men probably jumped by parachute in training. Never Again will they jump Tail # 60412 - this Hercules is a complete loss.
SGT Washington From The Stryker Company snapped this photo to document the Moment: L-R: 2X Asymmetric Warfare Group Personnel, CSM Miller, LTC Goldsmith, COL Michael Ceroli and C-130 Tail # 60412
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
BLUES 101
- by Anonymous Blues Dog
If you are new to Blues music, or like it but never really understood the whys and wherefores, here are some very fundamental rules:
1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this mornin’ . . ."
2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."
3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find
something that rhymes - sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weigh 500 pound."
4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch . . . ain't no way out.
5. Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues; they ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or anywhere in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get no rain.
8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the Blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.
9. You can't have no Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.
10. Good places for the Blues:
a. highway
b. jailhouse
c. empty bed
d. bottom of a whiskey glass
11. Bad places for the Blues:
a. Nordstrom's
b. gallery openings
c. Ivy League institutions
d. golf courses
12. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, 'less you happen to be an old person, and you slept in it.
13. Do you have the right to sing the Blues?
Yes, if:
a. you're older than dirt
b. you're blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis
d. you can't be satisfied
No, if:
a. you have all your teeth
b. you were once blind but now can see
c. the man in Memphis lived
d. you have a 401K or trust fund
14. Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the Blues. Sonny Liston could have. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the Blues.
15. If you ask for water and your darlin' gives you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are:
a. cheap wine
b. whiskey or bourbon
c. muddy water
d. black coffee
The following are NOT Blues beverages:
a. Perrier
b. Chardonnay
c. Snapple
d. Slim Fast
16. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a broken-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.
17. Some Blues names for women:
a. Sadie
b. Big Mama
c. Bessie
d. Fat River Dumpling
18. Some Blues names for men:
a. Joe
b. Willie
c. Little Willie
d. Big Willie
19. Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Debbie, and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.
20. Blues Name Starter Kit:
a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Mute, Lame, etc.)
b. first name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.)
c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, Clinton, etc.) < B R>
For example: Blind Lime Jefferson, Pegleg Lemon Johnson or Lame Kiwi
Clinton, etc. (Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")
21. I don't care how tragic your life is: "You gotta pay yer dues if yer gonna sing the Blues."
- Bluesman Chas (Charter Member of Team STORMBRINGER) contributed this ingenius piece; artwork by the immortal R. Crumb.
An important part of the Mission Statement of Blog STORMBRINGER is to celebrate the Blues; America's unique contribution to Western Civilization. Now before anybody busts my balls for copyright infringement or any such mess, let it be known: I do not make any $ off this Blog, not one red cent; I don't even get publicity toward my professional activities, on account I publish this Blog under a pseudonym.
- Sean Linnane
.
If you are new to Blues music, or like it but never really understood the whys and wherefores, here are some very fundamental rules:
1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this mornin’ . . ."
2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."
3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find
something that rhymes - sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weigh 500 pound."
4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch . . . ain't no way out.
5. Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues; they ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or anywhere in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get no rain.
8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the Blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.
9. You can't have no Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.
10. Good places for the Blues:
a. highway
b. jailhouse
c. empty bed
d. bottom of a whiskey glass
11. Bad places for the Blues:
a. Nordstrom's
b. gallery openings
c. Ivy League institutions
d. golf courses
12. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, 'less you happen to be an old person, and you slept in it.
13. Do you have the right to sing the Blues?
Yes, if:
a. you're older than dirt
b. you're blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis
d. you can't be satisfied
No, if:
a. you have all your teeth
b. you were once blind but now can see
c. the man in Memphis lived
d. you have a 401K or trust fund
14. Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the Blues. Sonny Liston could have. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the Blues.
15. If you ask for water and your darlin' gives you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are:
a. cheap wine
b. whiskey or bourbon
c. muddy water
d. black coffee
The following are NOT Blues beverages:
a. Perrier
b. Chardonnay
c. Snapple
d. Slim Fast
16. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a broken-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.
17. Some Blues names for women:
a. Sadie
b. Big Mama
c. Bessie
d. Fat River Dumpling
18. Some Blues names for men:
a. Joe
b. Willie
c. Little Willie
d. Big Willie
19. Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Debbie, and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.
20. Blues Name Starter Kit:
a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Mute, Lame, etc.)
b. first name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.)
c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, Clinton, etc.) < B R>
For example: Blind Lime Jefferson, Pegleg Lemon Johnson or Lame Kiwi
Clinton, etc. (Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")
21. I don't care how tragic your life is: "You gotta pay yer dues if yer gonna sing the Blues."
- Bluesman Chas (Charter Member of Team STORMBRINGER) contributed this ingenius piece; artwork by the immortal R. Crumb.
An important part of the Mission Statement of Blog STORMBRINGER is to celebrate the Blues; America's unique contribution to Western Civilization. Now before anybody busts my balls for copyright infringement or any such mess, let it be known: I do not make any $ off this Blog, not one red cent; I don't even get publicity toward my professional activities, on account I publish this Blog under a pseudonym.
- Sean Linnane
.
TIGER TIGER
The entire Tiger Woods public apology episode reminded me of a hostage reading a statement, while off camera a gun is pointed straight at his head.
I asked my wife should Elin forgive him, and accept him back? She said, “Oh, well, he says he’s sorry . . . and he sounds sincere.”
“OK then, Honey – if YOU were Elin and I was Tiger Woods, and I did all that . . . would you take me back?”
“Oh HELL NO! . . . No! No! No! NO! NO!”
Enough on Tiger – he did wrong and he’ll pay for it for the rest of his life, and into the next; which in his case means the next, and the next and the next, of course.
I feel sorry for his wife and family. I especially felt the shame and heartbreak his mother must be going through:
Check out the body language going on in this photo: rage . . . anger . . . tension so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife . . .
If Elin stands by Tiger, she’s an idiot; this marriage is over. Rehab? Give me a break. Rehab is for alcoholics and junkies. There is no rehab for THIS:
Blond Playboy model Loredana Jolie from Sicily; according to her pimp, Michelle Braun; “She’s a stunning girl, (Tiger) went out with her 4-5 times. She took part in group sex. They met up in 2006 or 2007. I’d say he paid $15,000 for her.”
She was only one of the fifteen-odd exotic strippers, high-end call girls and topshelf pornstars that Tiger tapped into. Once a tiger tastes that kind of sweet meat, he’s changed for life. The whole “sex rehab” concept is a unique American phenomena. The Chinese have a more descriptive word for the results they are trying to achieve here: BRAINWASH.
Tiger paid a lot of money for a lot of gold-plated poontang. From now until the end of time, every time Elin kisses her husband, in the back of her mind she will be thinking about all those whores. This will never go away, no matter what. And if Elin stays with Tiger now, after all the shame and public humiliation, then she would be no better than another one of his whores, because that is in fact what she will become.
Moore County NC is the Mecca of golf in North America, and Tiger was somebody for my children to look up to; Amerasian like them, Tiger was the only Amerasian hero-figure I am aware of. Now, we dare not mention his name in front of the girls. What a mess. This is how far the shame goes.
S.L.
.
Monday, February 22, 2010
FROM YOUR WIFE
My Darling Husband,
Before you return from your business trip I just want to let you know about the small accident I had with the pickup truck when I turned into the driveway.
Fortunately not too bad and I really didn't get hurt, so please don't worry too much about me.
I was coming home from Wal-Mart, and when I turned into the driveway I accidentally pushed down on the accelerator instead of the brake.
The garage door is slightly bent but fortunately the pick up came to a halt when it bumped into your car.
I am really sorry, but I know with your kind-hearted personality you will
forgive me. You know how much I love you and care for you my sweetheart.
I am enclosing a picture for you.
I cannot wait to hold you in my arms again.
Your loving wife.
XXX
P.S. Your girlfriend called.
.
Before you return from your business trip I just want to let you know about the small accident I had with the pickup truck when I turned into the driveway.
Fortunately not too bad and I really didn't get hurt, so please don't worry too much about me.
I was coming home from Wal-Mart, and when I turned into the driveway I accidentally pushed down on the accelerator instead of the brake.
The garage door is slightly bent but fortunately the pick up came to a halt when it bumped into your car.
I am really sorry, but I know with your kind-hearted personality you will
forgive me. You know how much I love you and care for you my sweetheart.
I am enclosing a picture for you.
I cannot wait to hold you in my arms again.
Your loving wife.
XXX
P.S. Your girlfriend called.
.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
THINGS JUST GOT INTERESTING . . .
Israel Unveils New Drone Fleet That Can Reach Iran
TEL NOF AIR FORCE BASE, Israel (AP) - Israel's air force on Sunday introduced a fleet of huge pilotless planes that can remain in the air for a full day and could fly as far as the Persian Gulf, putting rival Iran within its range.
The Heron TP drones have a wingspan of 86 feet (26 meters), making them the size of Boeing 737 passenger jets and the largest unmanned aircraft in Israel's military. The planes can fly at least 20 consecutive hours and are primarily used for surveillance and carrying diverse payloads.
At the fleet's inauguration ceremony at a sprawling air base in central Israel, the drone dwarfed an F-15 fighter jet parked beside it. The unmanned plane resembles its predecessor, the Heron, but can fly higher, reaching an altitude of more than 40,000 feet (12,000 meters), and remain in the air longer.
''With the inauguration of the Heron TP, we are realizing the air force's dream,'' said Brig. Gen. Amikam Norkin, commander of the base that will operate the drones. ''The Heron TP is a technological and operational breakthrough.''
The commander of Israel's air force, Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, said the aircraft ''has the potential to be able to conduct new missions down the line as they become relevant.''
Israel's military refused to say how large the new fleet is or whether the planes were designed for use against Iran, but stressed it was versatile and could adapt to new missions. The plane's maker, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, has said it is capable of reaching the Persian Gulf, which would put Iran within its range.
Israeli defense officials said the Heron TP could be a useful tool against Iran. It could provide surveillance, jam enemy communications and connect ground control and manned air force planes.
The officials requested anonymity because they were discussing sensitive military technology.
Israel considers Iran a strategic threat because of its nuclear program, long-range missiles and repeated references by its leaders to the Jewish state's destruction.
Israel has hinted at the possibility of a military strike against Iran if world pressure does not halt Tehran's nuclear program. Israel and the U.S. believe Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons; Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
In past conflicts, various types and sizes of unmanned planes have been used in missions like long-range surveillance and attacking enemy targets with guided missiles in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, where anti-aircraft systems are rudimentary.
They have proven much less successful in conflicts where the opponents possessed better anti-aircraft weapons.
During NATO's aerial onslaught against Serbia in 1999, for example, Serbian quickly forces shot down 42 U.S. drones, drastically reducing the effectiveness of the bombing campaign.
''We are aware of the dangers such an aircraft can meet in the battlefield, and we do whatever we can to protect it,'' said air force Lt. Col. Eyal.
Eyal, whose last name was not disclosed in line with military guidelines, would not comment on how the plane could protect itself from anti-aircraft systems.
Israeli defense analyst Shlomo Brom, a retired general and security expert at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies, called the new drone a breakthrough.
''Its staying power and the height it can reach means it is able to cover ground continuously and it is able to cover large territory,'' he said.
Israel's military was the first to make widespread use of drones in its 1982 invasion of Lebanon, according to Mark Daly, an expert on unmanned aircraft at Jane's defense publications in London.
Israeli companies are considered world leaders in drone technology and now export unmanned aircraft to a number of armies, including U.S.-led forces that have used them in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Heron TP has been in development for about a decade, but the aircraft first saw action during Israel's offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip just over a year ago.
Drones were seen as crucial to the Gaza onslaught by giving soldiers eyes in the air, keeping watch over rooftops and alleyways in congested urban areas -- notifying troops of threats or obstacles in their path.
Palestinian witnesses have long claimed that Israeli drones fire missiles in Gaza, both before and during the Israeli offensive. Israel has never confirmed that its unmanned aircraft are capable of firing missiles.
The military says the huge new drone will give an added element to Israel's ability to control its borders.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
