Beware The Mutant Spider-Dog

Somewhere in Poland (which I can recognize because winda means "elevator" and wyjście means "exit"), a prankster dressed up his/her dog as an oversize spider and allowed it to run around, thus giving some people a good scare.  The thumbnail shows the dog in daylight, when it can be recognized as such, but the video is shot at night.

The video was put on YouTube by a user named SA Wardega, who also has his/her own site.  I don't know if he/she is the same person as the owner/costumer of the dog.  You can also watch the video directly on YouTube.

How Old Is This Guy?

Haris Stanikzai is a migrant from Afghanistan who recently was transferred from the Calais "Jungle" to England.  Upon his arrival, he told the U.K. authorities that he is 16.  However, on a dating website, his age is listed as 22, and he appears to have several years of university study in Afghanistan under his belt.  He does not have either a birth certificate or a passport, but has relatives already living in England.  The Home Office has declined to state whether it will investigate his claim.

Read more at the Independent, the Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, The Telegraph and The Sun.

By Request: The Pipeline Bear

While I was listening to a BlogTalkRadio show called Southern Sense, someone mentioned how animals in Alaska liked to gather around the Alaska pipeline because it's warm.  In response, I mentioned in the show's chat room that somewhere I had a picture of a grizzly bear walking on a pipeline in Alaska.  A fellow listener named Vito Esposito, himself the head honcho of a BTR network called Global Patriot Radio, suggested that I put the picture on my blog.  After some digging, I found the photo.  As a certain great man once said, "Ask and you shall receive."  Of course, sometimes the variant "Be careful what you ask for.  You might just get it." is more appropriate.  But in any event, here you go:

I first saw this picture in 2008 and have no idea where it originally comes from, but I certainly must have thought that it was worth hanging on to.

A Few Other Things

Besides the previously mentioned acquittal of the Malheur occupiers, here are some other things going out there:

Those pipeline protesters in North Dakota have gone beyond protesting.

It looks like the FBI is once again investigating Hillary Clinton's emails.

In reaction to this new investigation, stocks go down.

Maybe this news will help the stock market.

Interim DNC chairperson Donna Brazile may have passed a debate question to the Clinton campaign.

A German city has voted to subsidize two mosques.

Syrian migrants find mosques in Germany more hardline than those in Syria.

Some of the migrants expelled from the Calais "Jungle" have turned up in Paris.

For Cubs fans, here are some World Series party ideas.

An ally of Hezbollah is expected to become Lebanon's new president.

Playing against Virginia Tech last night, Pittsburgh scored a touchdown on a run by an offensive tackle.  The play answered an old question.  "Is handing the ball to an offensive lineman legal?"

But my Hokies still prevailed, or perhaps I should say survived, 39-36, for their first win ever at Heinz Field and their first in Pittsburgh since 1999.  (The two schools did not play each other in football from 2004 to 2011.)

Malheur Occupiers Acquitted

In a Federal District Court yesterday, a jury found all seven defendants who had been charged in the occupation of facilities in the Malheur wildlife sanctuary not guilty of conspiracy and weapons charges.  Among the defendants were Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who with their father Cliven Bundy, still face charges over a standoff at their ranch in Nevada.  Another occupier, LaVoy Finnicum, is unavailable for comment.

Read more at The New York Times, The Guardian, Fox13, the Los Angeles Times and The Seattle Times.

Fires Break Out At Calais "Jungle"

As French authorities continue to clean out the migrant camp in Calais, known as the "Jungle", tents and wooden shacks in the camp were set on fire.  While fires set by encamped migrants are not new, members of the British anarchist group No Borders are thought to have entered the camp and started some of the fires.  After most of the fires had been brought under control, some migrants were allowed to return to the camp to salvage any remaining belongings.

The first link below was brought to my attention in a BlogTalkRadio show put on by Global Patriot Radio.

Read more at Global News, RFI, The Telegraph, Sky News and BBC News.

Protesters Block George Washington Bridge

This morning a group of ten protesters blocked the eastbound lanes of the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City, thus causing traffic delays.  The protesters, whose stated cause was "immigrant rights", carried a banner, chained themselves together, and were later arrested by police.

The last time I checked, blocking traffic was not a right, neither for immigrants nor for native-born American citizens.  In doing so, the protesters appear to have taken a page from Black Lies Matter, or maybe from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Read more at New York Mag, Gothamist, CBS New York, NJ(dot)com and NBC New York.

Report: Congress Knew About Pentagon's Efforts To Take Back Bonuses

This is a follow-up to a story from the Los Angeles Times that I included in a links post this past Saturday, which reported that the Pentagon is demanding the repayment of re-enlistment bonuses given to members of the California National Guard.  According to another story in the LAT, Congress knew about this for two years, and the problem might not be limited to California.  As the LAT now reports:

The California National Guard told the state’s members of Congress two years ago that the Pentagon was trying to claw back reenlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers, and even offered a proposal to mitigate the problem, but Congress took no action, according to a senior National Guard official.

The official added that improper bonuses had been paid to National Guard members in every state, raising the possibility that many more soldiers may owe large debts to the Pentagon.

Read the full story.

Did Eli Manning Audible "Trump"?

During yesterday's football game between the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, played in London, NY quarterback Eli Manning calls an audible which sounds like the name of the GOP nominee.  His brother and fellow quarterback Peyton Manning, now retired, was noted for his frequent use of "Omaha" in his audibles.  For the record, Eli denies saying "Trump".

Two observations culled from the links below:

1. Maybe he was telling his offensive line "to build a wall and make the Rams pay for it".

2. To give equal time, Eli needs to call a "Clinton" audible.

Read more at Deadspin, the Daily News, USA Today, The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated.  Some of these include a video (with audio) of the audible, so you can decide for yourself.

British Couple Takes In Fake "Refugee"

This story comes via the Gateway Pundit, who sarcastically states, "Nice vetting process."

A British couple took a Afghan refugee into their home, after being told that he was 12 years old, and got more than they bargained for.  His body hair and an examination of his teeth indicated that he had to be older than 12.  And his reported ability to fire a rifle might just have raised raised an eyebrow or two.  From the Daily Star Sunday:

Rosie welcomed Jamal into her home after social workers told her he was a 12-year-old orphan refugee from Afghanistan.

But Rosie soon had her suspicions about her "humble, polite" guest after noticing how hairy he was.

A dentist estimated that Jamal was more than a decade older than he claimed.

According to the DSS, Rosie's full name "remains anonymous".  Here's the video posted at GP:

Read the full story, and if you wish to help out a refugee, please make sure that he really is one.

UPDATE:  There's more on this story from The Sun (not the yellow fusion reactor in the sky, but a British newspaper's website).

Saturday Links

As temperatures go back down to what might be normal for October, here are some things going on:

Donald Trump (R-NY) tells what he would do in his first 100 days.

Trump says he can change the "rigged" system.

It's been 25 years on SCOTUS for this Justice.

A dissent on debate moderator Chris Wallace.

Opinion:  Don't prosecute this judge impersonator.

The candidate receiving the most "Islamist money" during the past year isn't even Muslim.

Getting ripped off is bad, but this might be just a wee bit of an overreaction.

Student loan debt hits blacks worse than whites.

California National Guard troops are told to give back their re-enlistment bonuses.

Refugee "children" call the English "stupid".

A Protestant missionary couple in Turkey is called a "security threat".

A new book describes the "white perspective on integration".

A White House press briefing gets a surprise guest.

Here are two of the biggest political donors in Illinois.

While fighting in Mosul, ISIS attacks Kirkuk.

Iraq tells Turkey "no thanks".

Protesting the national anthem is not just for the athletes any more.

In Russia, 19 people die in a helicopter crash.

A group linked to George Soros is accused of violating an Arizona election law.

And to finish, a blind man from Brazil gets to meet his favorite Disney character.

Dinesh D'Souza: Think About The Consequences Of Your Vote

One problem that we conservatives have faced during at least the last three presidential elections is a choice between the lesser of two evils.  The GOP candidate has some serious flaws, while the Democrat is obviously someone we could never support.  As a result, some of us stay home or vote third party, thus taking away votes that could otherwise help defeat the Democratic candidate, because we believe that we must vote with our "consciences" or "principles".  But as Dinesh D'Souza tries to remind us, in doing so, we must take into account the actual result of the choice we make.  From Bizpac Review:

D’Souza spoke of the distinct difference between intentions and consequences, saying that while a Christian might act out of pure intentions, those actions could result in terrible consequences.

Turning to the topic of the presidential race, D’Souza made it clear who those who choose not to vote for Donald Trump are supporting.

NJ Senate Passes Bill Changing Who Investigates Police-Related Deaths

Today the New Jersey Senate passed a bill that would take the job of investigating deaths involving police officers away from county prosecutors and give it to the state Attorney General's office.  The bill, designated S-2469, passed with a vote of 23-10.

Read more at Press Of Atlantic City and Philly(dot)com.

Children Pepper Sprayed At Trump Rally - A Few Months Ago

I've recently seen posts on Twitter alleging that anti-Trump protesters had attacked people at a pro-Trump rally with pepper spray, the victims including two children.  The Tweets included pictures, but no links, meaning that I couldn't look up the source(s) of this unpleasant news.  When I searched for some corroboration, I found that this incident did indeed take place, not recently (that I could find) but during this past April.

This story, as far as I can tell, is several months old, but still true.  Read about it at the Daily Mail, the Daily News and the Independent.  If anyone reading this knows of any similar but more recent incident in which children are pepper sprayed at a political rally, please let me know in a comment, preferably with a link to your source.  And if you use pepper spray, please do so only in self-defense situations when it truly becomes necessary.

Scared Yet?

According to an article in FrontpageMag, there are seven reasons to fear a Hillary Clinton presidency.  The article doesn't actually use that particular terminology, instead calling them "seven Clinton policy priorities that would devastate America", but I'd say that anything that devastates America is certain worthy of being feared.  I'll put part of the exposition of the first of them here.

In order to address "the worst refugee crisis since the end of World War II," Mrs. Clinton has explicitly called for bringing some 65,000 refugees from Syria into the United States as quickly as possible. This represents a 550% increase over Barack Obama’s 2016 goal of 10,000 Syrian refugees, which Clinton describes as merely a "good start."

To find out the details of all seven, read the full article.  If you're not scared now, as Yoda would say, "you will be".

Hitler's Religion

(H/T Call Me Mom for Tweeting this)

In a video put on YouTube, PJ Media interviews Richard Weikart about his book, Hitler's Religion.  According to Weikart, Hitler was neither an atheist nor a Christian (although he was baptized as a Catholic), nor even an occultist.  I would add that he was not trying, as far I know, to bring back the old Germanic paganism.  To learn Weikart's thesis, watch the video.

You can also watch the video directly on YouTube.

More Double Standards

Here's something from the double standard department, which comes via Information Liberation.  Writing on her eponymous website, Ann Coulter lets the political hypocrites have it (if you'll forgive the implied redundancy between "politician" and "hypocrite").  As Ms. Coulter states:

The same media that are pretending to consider the use of a bad word equivalent to rape don't give a fig about real rape, real sexual assault, real whoring, even real homicide, depending on who did it. 

As she points out, the same media who are now faulting Donald Trump for his use, eleven years ago, of a word that can refer either to the female private area or to a cat haven't had much to say about similar or worse language, or even worse behavior, coming from certain people on the left and/or directed at people on the right, including herself.  Read the full article.

Friday Links

A smattering of what's going on out there, as the weekend approaches:

From Reuters, President Obama and his advisers are expected to meet today to consider options in Syria.

From ABC News, the U.S. death toll from Hurricane Matthew has reached 42.

From The Daily Signal, what one woman does to oppose Planned Parenthood.

From Fox News, Nancy Grace ends her show.

From Sputnik, BBC apparently can't distinguish between the First Minister of Scotland and a gorilla.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Virginia Tech's flanker/point guard.

From The Hill, according to WikiLeaks, Senator Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign considered bringing attention to Senator Barack Obama's cocaine use as a teenager and his father's Muslim heritage.

From CNS News, according to WikiLeaks, John Podesta asked Hillary Clinton's lawyer about possibly withholding emails between her and President Obama.

From RRStar, Matthew T. Mangino reminds us that the upcoming election will have an impact on the Supreme Court.

From HeatStreet, PETA just learned that using Trumpian language is not a good idea.

From Market Watch, some tech giants are getting government subsidies.

From WGN, the limits on Cuban rum and cigars brought into the United States have been lifted.

From the Express, a Muslim bus driver endangers children by stopping to pray on a busy road.

From Emirates 24/7, in Germany, a couple who are described as "refugees" allegedly attempt to sell their baby on eBay.

From Arutz Sheva, in Uruguay, a Muslim who killed a Jew is ruled to have been insane.

From FrontpageMag, Hillary Clinton appears to have some support from gropers.

From National Review, why surprises occur in October.

From Bicycling, the late Robin Williams's bike collection will be auctioned for charity.

From The Telegraph, a former policeman has allegedly unwittingly employed illegal aliens.

And from Break, a guide to some "alternative" write-in candidates.

Music Break

Once again, one of these is overdue.  To start, here's some heavy metal from Scorpions, called The Zoo.

Small Plane Crashes In Connecticut

Yesterday, a Piper PA 34 airplane crashed near a Pratt & Whitney facility in Hartford, Connecticut, killing a student pilot and injuring his instructor.  Also injured were two people in a vehicle on the ground.  The student, officially a passenger, was identified as Feras M. Freitekh, a Jordanian national living in Orland Hills, Illinois.  The FBI is now investigating whether the crash was intentional.

Read more at the Daily News, PIX11, the Hartford Courant, the Daily Mail and The New York Times.

Save The Children Releases Report On Child Brides

According to a new report by Save the Children, every seven seconds, a girl somewhere in the world becomes a bride before reaching her 15th birthday.  As a result of being married so early in life, they suffer risks such as being deprived of attending school, domestic violence, sexually-transmitted diseases and child-bearing at a young age.

Read more at BBC News, the Independent, The Australian and CNN.

Obama Calls For Going To Mars

President Obama has written an op-ed calling for NASA and private companies to collaborate in an effort to send humans to Mars.  Yes, this is the same Obama who has previously been diverting NASA's resources away from Mars exploration and toward climate research and outreach programs.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Daily Signal and Obama's op-ed itself at CNN.  In the event that the president's newly-embraced goal is achieved, some time in the future, I would have one piece of advise to whoever gets to explore the red planet.  Keep in mind that as an earthling on Mars, you are the alien.

Double Standard, Anyone?

I don't usually like to pilfer stuff from HotAir (where I was once a registered commenter, until they decided to use a Facebook-based commenting plug-in), but I had to pass this one along, since a few days ago, I starting thinking pretty much the same thing that they and their source are thinking.  Citing an article by Rachel Alexander in The Stream, Jazz Shaw at HotAir points out the double standard.   From HotAir:

There’s been a change in the standoff over the previously stalled Dakota Access Pipeline but you wouldn’t be able to tell it from the actions of the protesters. This week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a request from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe for a permanent injunction on additional construction on tribal lands. That’s not going to slow down the activities of the environmentalists camped out in the area to protest the project, however. They immediately released a statement indicating that the fight would go on and they won’t be leaving their illegal compound established on federal land. All of this was taking place well after earlier instances where armed protesters turned violent, breaking down fences and initiating confrontations where three pipeline security officers were injured.

By this point you may be wondering why federal authorities haven’t stepped in to bring the situation under control. After all, when a different group of protesters who were similarly armed took over some federal land in Oregon last year in support of the Bundys, the government began arresting people in a matter of weeks. What could be the difference? [links in original]

Steak House Burned By Their Own Offer

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan Wolverines, Ruth's Chris Steak House came up with a promotion in which they would offer customers a discount based on Michigan's margin of victory over their most recent opponent.  The discount would be one percent off the total food price for every point the Wolverines score above what their opponents score.  (If they lose, will customers have to pay a surcharge?)  Unfortunately for Ruth's Chris's profit margin, Michigan defeated Rutgers yesterday in what was, as far as I know, the most lopsided game of the season.

Read more at The Big Lead, Yahoo Sports, the Daily News and SB Nation, and if you're in the Ann Arbor area, enjoy your meal.

UPDATE:  The links are now indicating that the discount has been capped at 50%, so if you plan to dine at Ruth's Chris in Ann Arbor, enjoy your half-price food.

Protesters Hold Signs Accusing Bill Clinton Of Being Rapist

In Ohio, while former President Bill Clinton was speaking at a campaign rally for his wife, someone in the audience held up a sign accusing him of being a rapist, and then slowly walked out.  I'd say that the protester deserves this blog's "Badass" label.  See the video at The Washington Free Beacon or Real Clear Politics.  A sign with the same message turned up in the background at NBC's Today Show, which is broadcast from New York City.  Watch closely, and you'll see someone reverse the sign he is holding to reveal what he thinks of Mr. Bill.  A second later, the show cuts to a musical segment featuring Rick Astley and his band.  Yes, the poor guy was Rick-rolled.

You can also watch the video at YouTube.  Whether the Ohio and New York sign-bearers are part of, as Hillary Clinton once put it, "a vast right-wing conspiracy", or one has copycatted the other, or the two events are a coincidence, I have no opinion.  On the other hand, if victims of sexual assault have a right to be heard and believed, as Hillary herself once said (from another RCP citation), that right should extend to Bill's alleged victims, and should have nothing to do with the political views of either the accuser or the accused.

Thursday Links

Besides Hurricane Matthew starting to bear down on Florida, here are some other things going on out there:

The Carolinas prepare for Matthew's arrival.

Florida's governor says, "This will kill you."

Matthew has already killed 136 people in Haiti.

Country intervening in Syria warns the United States not to intervene.

Here's a Nazi whose intentions I can support (and whose name is probably pronounced differently from the German variety).

A boy who was burned alive is still able to identify the perpetrators.

Five men accused of a gang rape in Sweden are released due to a "technicality".

Here might be a way to qualify for a Darwin Award, which requires one to remove oneself from the human gene pool, without dying.

Seventy IRS scammers get arrested - in India.

Why 1/3 of calls to the VA suicide hotline go unanswered.

A man in Britain kills his wife for looking at other men.

One Malaysian state launches an app for the public to report Sharia violations.

A former Ambassador and Air Force pilot tells NFL players what the real cause of racial problems is.

Two "tech billionaires" think that we're really in the Matrix.

Germany plans to run its own E.U. army.

Oculus Rift is now cheaper and easier to use.

China wants to develop a self-driving car.

And to finish, would anyone like some hot sauce?

Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge

Located just south of Savage, Maryland, the Bollman Truss bridge spans the Little Patuxent River.  The bridge includes a pedestrian walkway alongside one of its original railroad tracks.  The tracks on either side of the bridge are long gone.  The bridge is named after its designer Wendell Bollman, who received a patent in 1852.  In the first photo, the bridge is shown alongside Foundry Street.  In the background toward the right peeking above the trees is part of the Historic Savage Mill shopping center.

Here's the bridge from its south end.  Note the inscriptions on the top front beam.

I found a trail that ran below bridge level, and tried to get a shot from a different angle.  But from where I was, much of the bridge was obscured by foliage.

From inside the bridge, here's the track, with the walkway toward the left.  For any LEO's out there, I was not on the track when I took the photo, but on the walkway next to the track's end, before it veered to the left.

This is the Little Patuxent, looking looking west from the bridge.

Some beams and trusses come together at one of the bridge's main joints.

I walked to the above-mentioned shopping center and came across this sculpture garden, including one of three boys playing musical instruments.  I was dismayed that part of the trumpet had been broken off.

I retreated back to Foundry Street, but had to take a shot of these concrete steps, which at one time would have supported a stairway up to the railroad tracks.

There's more about the Bollman Bridge at Historic Bridges(dot)org, Bridgehunter and American Society of Civil Engineers.

Scary Image Taken Of Hurricane Matthew

A meteorologist at the Weather Channel tweeted a satellite photo of Hurricane Matthew, enhanced by false color, in which a pattern produced by the storm resembles a skull.

Somehow, it reminds me of the Grinch.

Look at the picture at KATV and, of course, The Weather Channel.

Obamacare Bashed By........Bill Clinton?

None other than former President Bill Clinton just called Obamacare "the craziest thing in the world".  This is especially interesting if you remember something called Hillarycare, which was proposed during Mr. Bill's first term.

Read more at CNN, Politico and the New York Post.

UPDATE:  According to Breitbart, Mr. Bill seems to have changed his tune.

India Arrests......Pigeon?

That's what they claim.  From The Express Tribune:

India has once again claimed to have taken into custody a “Pakistani pigeon” with Urdu scribble written on its wings from Bamial village in Indian Punjab.

The pigeon, detained by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, had an Urdu message addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).

And it's not the first time, either.  Also from TET:

This is not the first time India has ‘arrested’ a pigeon on suspicion of spying. Last year, a pigeon allegedly bearing a stamped message with a wire-like object on its body had made Indian authorities question its flight into the village of Pathankot in Punjab.

If by now, you're wondering what's going on, read the full story.

Sunday Links

Or maybe Links To Start October, a day late:

The Dutch are having second thoughts about their Zwarte Piet tradition.

The Hungarian people tell the E.U. where to stick their migrant quotas.

According to their counter-terror officials, they might just have a good reason not to welcome migrants.

The German finance minister wants to see a "liberal German Islam".

If you wish you could put former president Bush on trial, here you go.

Another Bush supports Clinton.

One House Democrat says there's "no doubt" that Russia is behind the recent attempts to hack state election systems.

Donald Trump just can't deliver his message.

The New York Times got a hold of Trump's 1995 tax returns, but is no stranger to not paying taxes.

Trump's hotel gets tagged.

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura will speak about his future before today's season finale.

Anyone who thinks that GITMO is illegitimate might soon get some help from Mother Nature.

Some Deutsche Bank customers have experienced some technical difficulties.

Israel has closed its borders with the West Bank and Gaza for Rosh Hashana.

A Malaysian politician says "Only Islam can rule."

In Aleppo, Syria, a swimmer and her brother are killed by heavy shelling.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government puts out its propaganda.

In the U.K., a doctor is suspended for asking a co-worker to remove her hijab.

Yes, Virginia, there is even more voter fraud than I had recently reported.

And to finish, someone whose message I agree with, but whose method of delivering it is something that I don't think I'll ever attempt.