Jim Downey
Filed under: Bruce Schneier, Civil Rights, Emergency, Failure, Government, Humor, Predictions, Privacy, Terrorism
Good lord. I’d heard about this, as an “attempted assassination”, but I hadn’t heard the details:
On the evening of Aug. 28, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister — and the man in charge of the kingdom’s counterterrorism efforts — was receiving members of the public in connection with the celebration of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. As part of the Ramadan celebration, it is customary for members of the Saudi royal family to hold public gatherings where citizens can seek to settle disputes or offer Ramadan greetings.
One of the highlights of the Friday gathering was supposed to be the prince’s meeting with Abdullah Hassan Taleh al-Asiri, a Saudi man who was a wanted militant from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Al-Asiri had allegedly renounced terrorism and had requested to meet the prince in order to repent and then be accepted into the kingdom’s amnesty program.
* * *
But the al-Asiri case ended very differently from the al-Awfi case. Unlike al-Awfi, al-Asiri was not a genuine repentant — he was a human Trojan horse. After al-Asiri entered a small room to speak with Prince Mohammed, he activated a small improvised explosive device (IED) he had been carrying inside his anal cavity. The resulting explosion ripped al-Asiri to shreds but only lightly injured the shocked prince — the target of al-Asiri’s unsuccessful assassination attempt.
Nobody tell the TSA, but last month someone tried to assassinate a Saudi prince by exploding a bomb stuffed in his rectum.
* * *
For years, I have made the joke about Richard Reid: “Just be glad that he wasn’t the underwear bomber.” Now, sadly, we have an example of one.
Richard Reid was the “shoe bomber”, and the reason why we all have to remove our shoes when you go through security at an airport.
Consider the possible reactions from the TSA. I suppose we all should limber up, and get used to literally bending over from now on.
Jim Downey
(Cross posted to UTI.)
Heard about this on “Wait Wait… “ this morning:
KALONA, Iowa (AP) — A tourism gimmick in the southeast Iowa town of Kalona is giving new meaning to the phrase three hots and a cot.
Last week the town’s Chamber of Commerce and Washington County sheriff pulled over people with out-of-state license plates and offered them an all-expense paid visit — including free meals and a night’s lodging just as if they were really being arrested — to the town of 2,300, about 20 miles southwest of Iowa City.
* * *
Then, along came Ron and Cheri Cunningham of Sedalia, Mo.
“I was behind a truck that I’d followed for about 15 miles. I wasn’t speeding. I didn’t know what I could’ve possibly done,” Ron Cunningham said.
Mr. Cunningham and his wife enjoyed their visit, however. But then, they’re from Sedalia. Almost anything would be an improvement.
Anyway, I’ve been to Kalona, back when I lived in Iowa. Used to drive through it pretty regularly, in fact, when the highway ran through it. They have a nice cheese shop there. But when the DOT relocated and modernized the highway, it was an improvement. And if I was driving by now I would really resent being pulled over for such a promotional stunt – it is nothing more than an abuse of police powers, and undermines the respect for those powers.
Yeah, at this point, they’d have to arrest me to get me to go back to visit Kalona.
Jim Downey
(Cross posted to UTI.)
Filed under: Comics, Failure, Fermi's Paradox, Humor, Science, Science Fiction, SETI, Space, tech
Ah, yes, xkcd gets the point across perfectly, once again:
Editing continues to go well with CoD, though this week has been slow due to other demands. Now done with Chapter 7, have trimmed a total of 11,086 words.
Jim Downey
In spite of what a lot of believers think, I am not actually allergic to going into a church from time to time. Which, when you think of it, should actually be considered some kind of proof that God does not exist, since I haven’t been struck down by lightning or anything on these occasions. But anyway, I’ll go into a church for weddings and funerals, for public events, even just to enjoy the architecture and artwork.
Now I’ve found a new and much better reason, however: beer.
Yup, I have seen the light at The Church Brew Works. From their website:
By far, the most breathtaking element is the position of the brew house on the altar. Because the altar was built as a centerpiece of the church, the steel and copper tanks gleaming in the celestial blue backdrop is nothing less than captivating. This extraordinary view is only paralleled by the quality and taste of our beer.
Amen, Brothers & Sisters! Amen!
Too damned bad it is in Pittsburgh. Or I’d be a regular church-going fella.
OK, seriously, while we were in Pittsburgh last week/end for a performance of my wife’s choir, this was one of the places I really wanted to check out. We had some time free one afternoon, so drove the couple of miles from our hotel to the Church. It really is quite the place – not just some little local church, but a substantial parish church that can now seat something like 400-500 people. They have done a very impressive job with the restoration work of the church (which had been decommissioned by the local Head-shaman prior to being turned over for the holy work it now serves) – check out the photos on their website.
The beer and food is good, too – much better food than you would expect to find in most brewpubs. The “Pious Monk Dunkel” I had was tasty and very much in the tradition of the German beers I have always loved.
So, if you find yourself going anywhere near Pittsburgh, hie thee to church. Really, it won’t hurt at all.
Jim Downey
(Cross posted to UTI.)
Filed under: 2nd Amendment, Art, Book Conservation, Failure, General Musings, Government, Guns, Humor, Predictions, Press, Publishing, RKBA, Science Fiction, Society
I’d mentioned previously that I had been up for consideration for appointment to the local Planning & Zoning Commission, but had been mercifully spared selection. Well, when it was my turn to interview for the position with the City Council, it wasn’t just before the Council and city staff – the local press was there. No surprise.
Anyway, earlier this week I got a phone call from a pleasant young man who writes for the MU student newspaper. He had been at the interview, and thought that I might be an interesting subject for an profile piece for a series they’re doing about local weirdos. No, strike that, let’s say “personalities”. Anyway, he asked if I would be willing to chat with him about myself.
“Sure,” I told him. “Let me send you some links for background information. Then you can decide whether you still want to do the piece, and how to approach it.”
This is what I sent him:
Righto. First, here are my own websites/blogs:
My professional site: Legacy Bookbindery
My novel: Communion of Dreams
My personal blog: CommunionBlog
A big ballistics-research project: Ballistics By The Inch
And the related blog: BBTI Blog
My ‘archive’ site: A Fine LineThat last one also contains all the columns I wrote for the Columbia Trib when I was doing that, under the “Art & Culture” heading.
A few years ago someone actually created a Wikipedia page on me (which I need to update): James Downey
Then there’s this forum I created for the Neighborhood Alliance effort in June.
And I’m one of the primary writers at this blog: Unscrewing The Inscrutable
Beyond that, you can search the archives at the Missourian, and the Tribune for stories which have been done about me/my businesses over the years. You might also look under “Legacy Art” or “Legacy Art & BookWorks”, which was the gallery I had downtown (where Slackers is now) for 8 years.
That should get you started. 😉
Thinking about it later, I came to the conclusion that perhaps my life hasn’t been a total waste to date. More than a bit . . . eclectic . . . perhaps, but not a total waste. That’s a good feeling.
Oh, I may have some news this weekend concerning getting Communion published.
Jim Downey
Who hasn’t dreamed of a chicken that can shoot lasers out of its eyes? I mean, really?
OK, for those who wonder what the vid is before watching it, from the source:
The Chickening is a video game about a chicken who shoots lasers. Out of his eyes. Flying pizza shot out of evil cat heads from Paris, France, Uranus have invaded Earth and transformed the President of The United States of Mexico, Robot Abraham Lincoln, into a piece of broccoli. From the center of the earth the Pentagon desperately dispatches their best agent: Agent 69-420 aka The Chickening. His mission: Destroy Everything and Save the Broccoli!
SAVE THE BROCCOLI!
Jim Downey
(OK, now I need some serious drugs to calm down from that . . .) (Oh, and: Via MeFi.)
. . . knock down:
Reminds me of this “toy” I had as a kid. Coolest toy in the world. Of course, it made a lot of people deaf, but it was just amazing to have that ball of compressed air blow your hair up, or your hat off, or knock your glasses aside from across the room . . .
Yeah, OK, I was a loon, even as a kid.
But I had a *Sonic Blaster!* and was the envy of every other kid in the neighborhood.
Jim Downey
I’m sick with a nasty lower GI thing, which might explain why I think this is hilarious:
**GAH! F***ing YouTube pulled it, and I can’t get the Hulu version to patch. Go HERE to see it.**
Anyone who remembers Bill’s other spoken-word stuff will recognize this for the genius that it is.
Jim Downey
(Via Balloon Juice. Cross posted to UTI.)
Communion Of Dreams 