Zoo Station Interference

Hello? Hello, is anyone there? Ahhh, there you are. I've been trying desperately to get through; the interference is worse than usual. I've been unable to get a transmission out of Zoo Station in days. Wait, wait, you're breaking up... Well, I'd best get on with it. There's no telling how long I can keep transmitting.

What's the old saying? Is it that things will always get worse before they get better, or is it the other way around? Well, at any rate, I've been experiencing one, or the other, or both, of those phenomenons. Phenomenons? Phenomena. The heat must be getting to me. At any rate, the last few months have been spent working feverishly in preparation for a major offensive. All manner of imps, demons, and wraiths were employed in said preparations; the entire undertaking was meant to catapult me back into the limelight, but as usual it failed miserably.

I've been saying for more than a decade now that I have regrets; I've been saying for all that time that there are things I'd rearrange and revisit, if I could. I thought this would be my chance, to put all the pieces back together. Instead, my latest failure has made some of my greatest recent successes seem like a massive joke. I feel as if I've assumed the role of my flamboyant doppelganger, having descended from being a fine specimen to being nothing more than a tired, washed up old crooner.

Oh, I'm sure I'll get over it. The pain may be great right now, but I always seem to bounce back; how ironic that, of all individuals, I seem to do it with less vice than most. I'm like my old friend, Prometheus, always getting nearly back to normal before losing it all again. I hear he's broken the cycle, for the most part... Still, lugging that rock around all the time can't be enjoyable. I'd like to think that I'm a bit more cunning than that.

It's so cruel, so very cruel. They say that the secret is letting go of your pain, breaking down, and giving in to something or other. I missed the end of that one, but I'm intently waiting for some sort of rerun. Sometimes it's not quite so easy to let go of your pain.

I see the interference is breaking back through, scrambling the transmission. I'd best get back to work on my next scheme; it will take quite a bit of logistical planning and effort to surpass the brilliance of this one. This, my beloved patients... This scheme was so brilliant that when it failed, it was like a burning star, falling from the sky.

Stuff Fly Wants - August 2006

Military Gear

British special forces style rucksack (available at Silverman's in London, item number 35116) - £89.99

British SAS smock (available at Silverman's in London, item number 22001) - £90.00

British Desert DPM trousers and shirt

Tiger Stripe Utilities - $39.90

Ka-Bar USMC Fighting Knife - $70.83

Crye Precision Khaki Range Vest

Sand/Black Shemagh

Spec Ops Brand Better BDU Belt (Tan)

Spec Ops Brand Light Sheath Deluxe (Tan)

Spec Ops Brand 40MM Pouch (Tan)

Arcteryx Echo Pack (Black or Crocodile)

Marine Corps combat boots

Miscellaneous Clothing

Royal Marines T-Shirt - £10.96

More Cowbell T-Shirt - $17.99

Position Wanted: Pope T-Shirt - $20.00

Major League Infidel T-Shirt - $17.00

Clan Cleland tartan kilt and kilt pin - $400.00-$700.00

Household Items

Xbox DVD Movie Playback Kit - $29.99

Union Jack

Guinness logo pint glasses

Amazing Pasta Maker - $39.95 [click me]

Walther PPK

Orkney satellite image

Roman Mainz Gladius

Sheep Skin Rug - price unknown

The Maxim Coffin Coffee Table - $4135.00

Books

On War by Carl von Clausewitz - $26.00 (Amazon price $16.38)

The Philip K. Dick Reader by Philip K. Dick - $15.95 (Amazon price $10.37)

Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab - $7.99

A Bloody Business by Gerry Schumacher - $24.95 (Amazon price $16.47)

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming - $14.00 (Amazon price $10.78)

Entertainment

Space Above and Beyond - Complete Series - $41.99 (Amazon price $36.98)

Reno 911! - Season 2 - $39.98 (Amazon price $31.99)

Firefly - Complete Series - $49.98 (Amazon price $24.97)

Kids in the Hall - Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 - $179.90 (Amazon price $155.98)

Gladiator Extended Edition - $39.98 (Amazon price $29.99)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Apocalypse Now Redux

The Island - $29.99 (Amazon price $15.98)

The Punisher - $14.98 (Amazon price $10.99)

I, Robot - $26.98 (Amazon price $16.97)

Serenity - $19.98 (Amazon price $14.99)

Switchfoot - Nothing is Sound - $18.99 (Amazon price $13.99)

Switchfoot - The Legend of Chin - $11.98

Remy Zero - The Golden Hum - $18.98 (Amazon price $14.99)

Stephanie Schneiderman - Touch Down - $15.99

Stephanie Schneiderman - Live at Kung Fu Bakery - $15.98

Go-Go's - Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's - $31.98

Foreigner - Complete Greatest Hits - $18.98 (Amazon price $13.99)

Mystical Chants of Carmel by the Carmelite Monks

Schola Cantorum of Amsterdam Students: Gregorian Chant - $5.49

Post #3200: My Golden Hour

You walk out into the sports hall
Lights go down, it's a whole different scene
Light in motion, light in motion
Lights up the motion, and the sound
It's hard to walk away
And you can have it all
We can have it all
Can have it all soon

But, love...
We'll shine like a burning star
Fallen from the sky...
Tonight

And, love...
We'll fall like a burning star
Falling from the sky...
Tonight

Give it up now

It's no secret that the stars are falling from the sky
No secret that our world is in darkness tonight
They say the sun is sometimes eclipsed by a moon
You know I don't see you, when she walks in the room

No secret that a friend is someone who lets ya help
No secret that a liar won't believe anyone else
They say a secret is something ya tell one other person
So I'm telling you... child

That love...
We'll shine like a burning star
Fallen from the sky...
Tonight

A man will beg
A man will crawl
On the sheer face of love
Like a fly from a wall
It's no secret at all

No secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest
No secret ambition bites the nails of success
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief
All kill their inspiration and sing about their grief

Oh love...
We'll shine like a burning star
Fallen from the sky...
Tonight

A man will beg
A man will crawl
On the sheer face of love
Like a fly from a wall
It's no secret at all

This is my golden age hour

Love...
We'll shine like a burning star
We're falling from the sky...
Tonight

A man will beg
A man will crawl
On the sheer face of love
Like a fly from a wall
It's no secret at all

Get something higher

No secret that the stars are falling from the sky
The universe exploded 'cause of one man's lie
Check it, I gotta go, I'm running outta change
There's a lot of things, if I could I'd rearrange
Yeah!

Step on it

I gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go...

Editor's Note

Loyal Readers,

No Fly Reports this week, save possibly for Friday. I'm working on a project that's taking up a great deal of my time, energy, and resources. In my absence, go pester Father Time or Mo-Licious.

Si vis pacem, para bellum.
- Fly

Fly Report: 25th August 2006

Good morning. You make me want to be a better man.

It's 61° Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 64° Fahrenheit with scattered thunder showers.

The average price of oil is $72.45 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Habakkuk 1. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

I'm going nowhere, where I am it is a lot of fun; there in the desert to dismantle an atomic bomb.

Fly Report: 24th August 2006

Good morning. You make me want to be a better man.

It's 59° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 72° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $71.45 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Jude. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

Hallelujah, here she comes.

Fly Report: 23rd August 2006

Good morning. Crazy kids with their crazy VD.

It's 63° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 84° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $72.39 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Jude. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

In a little while, surely you'll be mine; in a little while I'll be there.

More Iraq Commentary

In the comments to this post, recent newcomer (to commenting, at least) chickenhawk leaves some pretty good observations that merit a more public answer than the comments section. chickenhawk, if you're reading this, please keep in mind that this is as much a discussion of the entire picture as it is an answer to your comments; if it seems as if I'm getting irritated, it's not at you!

Can we say "so much for that whole 'Saddam wasnt developing chemical weapons' theory" just yet though? I read your links, and it does not seem like we can quite yet.

The impression I got from the article, combined with my source, was that there were Saddam-era components. I can't say for sure.

I appreciate and admire your optimism though. Its not a negative thing, thats for sure. But with so many people dying over there everyday and much disorder in certain areas, can you not see why people have responded negatively?

I can understand that people have responded negatively, and I'll readily agree that the situation is rough, but people have short memories. They whine and complain about two or three thousand American service personnel killed, or thirty or forty thousand Iraqis killed; they ignore casualty figures from conflicts like the Civil War and World War II, during which three thousand casualties for one battle would have been an improvement. I did a post about this subject last October.

Also, most Americans don't take the time to actually research the situation. When you answer calls of "There were no WMDs!" (a statement that has been demonstrated to be untrue), and you answer "So what!? Saddam Hussein was an open and unapologetic state sponsor of terrorism, and he violated seventeen UN resolutions!", and the best your opponent can come up with is "Bush lied, people died!", it's a pretty good indication that the naysayers don't care about facts, they only care about their vitriol hatred of President Bush and their overwhelming desire to look out for their own interests.

Think, for a moment, about just how bad the situation was after the Persian Gulf War. The Oil-for-Food program lined the pockets of Saddam Hussein and a number of international crooks, while conditions got progressively worse for the Iraqis; now aid money is getting directly to the Iraqi people, and the sanctions are no longer taking lives. Hussein was killing tens of thousands of people for no apparent reason, often simply to put fear into the minds of his subjects so that they wouldn't revolt. Kurds and Shi'is were constantly afraid for their lives from the agents of their own government. The situation is rough, but people have been eager to forget how bad it was before.

I seriously lack faith in our government and the size of it as well. Our congress are a bunch of opportunists and I dont think any of them have a clue of what is best for Iraq, or even our own country. But to leave Iraq would be inhumane right now.

I believe that there are good Congressmen, but I agree that many are nothing more than political opportunists with no clue as to the right path for America and for the international community, specifically Iraq. Senator Clinton, for example, has been quick to call for Donald Rumsfeld's ouster and place blame, even though she has no credentials to be a senator in the first place, let alone a full member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I'm not sure about your statement about the size of government; if you think it should be smaller, I absolutely agree.

Question: we constantly hear about American casualties and injuries. How come we do not hear the same for the troops from other countries- Britain, Poland, Australia? Are they located in areas of the country where there is less violence?

That's a tough question. The British, for example, have had some difficulties in recent months with their efforts in Basra, which were covered by the media. In many cases, particularly in the case of nations like Japan (where their commitment of troops was largely political), foreign contingents are assigned non-combat duties, or put in safer districts of the country. As for media coverage of coalition deaths from nations other than ours, I'd merely note that the media's choice of coverage revolves around two things: what they think people are interested in, and what their own agenda dictates.

As I said before, I believe we are making progress in Iraq, I believe we are moving in the right direction, and I believe in staying the course. We've lost around 2600 American service personnel so far, and I refuse to believe that their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of the wounded, and their families, has been for nothing. The progress is slow, but if you know to look, it's discernible and visible.

Fly Report: 22nd August 2006

Good afternoon. Someday this war's gonna end.

It's 59° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 88° Fahrenheit with clouds.

The average price of oil is $72.60 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.90 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame) because it has nothing to do with astronomy.

Today's scripture reading is Jude. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

See the stone set in your eyes, feel the thorn twist in your side; I wait for you.

An Iraq Update

I don't usually post very much about Iraq, because every news blogger is covering it to death, but I've seen a few stories lately that are worth posting.

I was going to post a story from SpaceWar (which is, mysteriously, now publishing stories by UPI, not AFP; perhaps a name change?), but it was so poorly written, biased, and inaccurate that I won't have a link to it on my blog.

While discussing the war with one of my soldier buddies the other day, I was pointed toward this story, which led me to this post, which is a bit more comprehensive on the subject. Do you remember the news media covering the hell out of the discovery of an Iraqi chemical weapons lab? Neither do I. That second link also includes this link from DefenseLink, which is worth reading as well. So much for that whole "Saddam wasn't developing chemical weapons" theory.

I was checking the BBC News website yesterday because I heard rumblings that Iran was up to something, and ran across this article about IEDs. Normally the BBC publishes pretty lousy stories, particularly about Iraq, but this one's pretty accurate. My job involves training soldiers in survival, evasion, and defeat of IEDs, and I think that the figures are pretty telling: 427 coalition deaths from IEDs last year, compared to only 227 so far this year. I realize that we're not done with the year yet, but at this rate the casualty figures from year to year are on course to be noticeably reduced, and that's a good thing.

I don't agree with the editorial tack taken by this article about the danger of Shiite militias in Iraq, but there's at least some interesting information contained in the article. I don't buy into the claims by anti-American rhetoricians that Iraq is descending, or has descended, into a civil war. I also think, as I've always thought, that things are better in Iraq than the media, particularly European and Arab media, want us to believe. The terrorists have failed at all of their goals, al-Zarqawi is dead and his network has been dealt a massive blow by the confiscation of his address book.

Remember the Iranian Katyusha rockets that Hezbollah has been firing at Israel? An Iraqi Army patrol discovered and neutralized several of them aimed at British troops in late July. In addition, several provinces, including the British-controlled Maysan province, are nearing the point of handover. Whether the anti-Bush crowd will admit it or not, progress, real progress, is being made in Iraq.

Fly Report: 21st August 2006

Good morning. When I get adverts in my E-Mail for "FREE PENIS ENLARGER", I get very self-conscious. What are they trying to tell me?

It's 61° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 79° Fahrenheit with isolated thunder storms.

The average price of oil is $72.02 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.88 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is 2 Thessalonians 3. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

And love, we'll shine like a burning star falling from the sky, tonight.

Afghan Miscellany

I've posted pretty much nothing but Fly Reports this week, and for that I apologize. In order to make up for it, here are a few stories relating to Afghanistan.

I eventually plan to do a bigger post that will include this story. It discusses the resurgence of the Taliban, and claims not only that they've reached a point where they're better equipped than the Afghan National Army, but that they're also operating in increasingly larger units. The article's worth having a look at, although it's worth pointing out that even with their supposed advantages, the Taliban is still getting its ass handed to it on a regular basis whenever there's any sort of engagement between them and Coalition forces.

Last week, the BBC was running an article about Pakistan's Taliban leader, Haji Omar. The guy seems like a bit of a character, and although he sounds a bit less rabid than Mullah Mohammed Omar, he still sounds very dedicated to waging jihad against the Coalition.

Also, I was looking for something completely unrelated, and ended up finding an old article (about two years old) about Kabul's Colonel Kurtz. It's a well-known fact that numerous bounty hunters are cruising around Afghanistan trying to find bin Laden and win $25 million for their trouble. Apparently, not all of these private security personnel are all they're cracked up to be. I don't know whether the information in the article is still current (the article's twenty-five months old), but it's still worth having a look at. Americans often look at the world and think that every country is either chaos or utopia, failing to recognize that there are shades of grey, and that sometimes both states can exist within the same nation.

Right then, time to get ready for work. It's the weekend, so I'll try to post a news update with some of the stories that have fallen through the cracks lately.

Fly Report: 18th August 2006

Good morning. Legio patria nostra.

It's 61° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 69° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $70.90 per barrel, having dropped considerably over the last few days. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is 2 Thessalonians 1. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

And in leather, lace, and chains, we stake our claim.

Fly Report: 17th August 2006

Good morning. Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.

It's 61° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 73° Fahrenheit with partial clouds.

The average price of oil is $71.35 per barrel, having dropped considerably over the last few days. The exchange rate is $1.90 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 2, because Fly was a forgetful sumbitch; however, since I was behind, and since I had a few extra minutes this morning, I read clear through 1 Thessalonians. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar and "An Unorthodox Soldier" by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer OBE.

What are the feelings you left behind?

Fly Report: 16th August 2006

Good morning. What makes the grass grow? Blood, blood, blood! What do we do for a living, ladies? Kill, kill, kill!

It's 57° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 77° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $73.09 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 2, because Fly was a forgetful sumbitch. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Woo me, sister.

Fly Report: 15th August 2006

Good morning. When I grow up, I'm going to Bovine University.

It's 57° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 77° Fahrenheit with isolated thunder storms.

The average price of oil is $73.53 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 2. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Grace finds beauty in ugly things.

Fly Report: 14th August 2006

Good morning. I'd like to be pimps from Oakland or Cowboys from Arizona but it's not Halloween! Grow up, Peter Pan! Count Chocula!

It's 57° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 79° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $73.95 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is 1 Thessalonians 1. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

I went out for the papers, told her I'd be back by noon.

Idealistic College Kids

MSN is running a College Journal article today about how young people graduating from college are apparently "more idealistic". It doesn't really have very many statistics to back it up, but I can say that, as a recent college grad myself, I have some experience with this.

I've known a lot of folks who have graduated from college and gone on to do things like this. Mostly, I've seen my buddies go and join the military, which is honestly the best way I know of to do good for the country and the world. I do not see the logic in spending thousands of dollars, usually of other people's money, on an education and then going and mooching some more.

I know this girl (dated her a couple of times, once before she went off the deep end, once after) named Kaila. Now, my university, as liberal as I thought it was, is the more conservative of the two major state universities; she went to the other. Within six weeks of arriving, she'd pierced her nose and declared a Poli Sci major. She's done a study abroad program in South Africa where she's learned all about "white privilege" (I had to hear about such bullshit in my Poli Sci and Ethnic Studies classes, it's total nonsense) and the politics of oppression and other such ridiculousness. When I asked her a few days ago where her life is going to take her after she graduates, she told me that she's looking at some company that will have her "work" (she didn't really explain that one) in the U.S. for a few months, then she'll get an all access visa in her passport and work in Europe for a few months. Unfortunately, Kaila is typical of young people who are graduating from major universities and colleges in the United States with dubious academic credentials, then mooching further by going to "find themselves" (as if four years of unsupervised mischief in college wasn't enough).

What happened to college being the place where motivated, intelligent people went? What happened to people getting jobs not because they've been to college, but because they were motivated and intelligent enough to get into college in the first place? I may not have a highly marketable major (History), but I offset that by taking a heavy course load in something else (Naval Science) and taking course in both my major field and other departments that pertained directly to national security and military policy, since I knew I was going in that direction in one way or another. Getting a degree in Sociology or English literature and then doing volunteer work on Uncle Sam's dime isn't exactly my idea of an education well spent.

And, to prove my point, I present this article, from America's finest news source.

Weekend at Fidel's

The guy who does Filibuster Cartoons thinks that Chairman Fidel is about to die. Apparently the State Department thinks that he's suffering from serious health problems.

Me? I'm skeptical. It's rather common for these communist leaders to want no part in public life when they're shown as weak. If they show Fidel resting as he recovers from surgery, he appears weak. Demonstrations of weakness, particularly in the case of autocratic rulers like Castro, can lead to coups, or uprisings. Remember a few months ago, when Castro tripped and broke his arm on television? And then he hastily went on television to show that he was okay? I guarantee you, that wasn't to reassure all of his adoring fans that he was fine; it was to demonstrate to all of the potential dissidents, "Don't try anything; my arm may be broken, but I can still mess you up if you so much as breathe the wrong way."

Let's keep in mind, folks, that Chairman Fidel turns eighty years old on Sunday. My grandmother, who's not even seventy, had routine bypass surgery earlier this year and she still wasn't up and around like usual for a few weeks. Castro had intestinal surgery, which is even more invasive, and it happened last week. Do people really expect him to be running Cuba again, already?

Also, for the record, I've seen news articles in the past couple of years that questioned where Kim Jong-Il had disappeared to, and wondering if he had been eliminated, only for him to show back up again, whining aout Hans Brix or something. When communist autocrats are in a position to appear weak to the public, they avoid it by not appearing at all until all is well, or can be made to look that way.

It's very possible that the U.S. State Department has information I don't have; however, given the history of those wacky communists, I don't find it at all surprising that we haven't seen Fidel's smiling face in a few days. If Castro actually dies, I agree with the cartoon I linked to; Cuban communism won't survive him for very long. However, I'm not convinced that we're anywhere near that point yet. In the mean time, I think all young men should be getting ready for that inevitable day by playing Ghost Recon: Island Thunder.

Fly Report: 11th August 2006

Good morning. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

It's 59° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 82° Fahrenheit with clouds.

The average price of oil is $74.92 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.89 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 12. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Oh, the city's alight with lovers and lies, and bright blue eyes.

The Heathrow Plot

This evening, I was questioned by Friar Dave (who's put up a post of his own on the subject regarding my take on the plot to bomb a number of planes bound from London Heathrow Airport to the United States. Rather than writing up a brand new post about it, I may as well post the conversation I had with Friar Dave. Interestingly enough, of all the news links, CNN's is the best.

CNN

Fox

BBC

And here's the transcript, which includes a couple of links.

Friar Dave: what do you make of today?

Auto response from The Fly: Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.

Friar Dave: (i suppose you just want to post it so you dont have to answer that question 50 times)
The Fly: Actually, I was in the shower.
The Fly: We're going to have this sort of thing regularly for years to come.
Friar Dave: agreed
The Fly: I think it's pretty telling that they were caught during their dry run. After 7/7 and 7/14 last year, British security and intelligence agencies developed an even greater degree of skill and knowledge about detecting this sort of thing before it happens.
The Fly: And let me give you a link real quick, hold on.
The Fly: http://kallinibrothers.com/index.php?/forums/viewthread/598/
The Fly: Read the first bits and pieces of that, then let me know when you've done it.
Friar Dave: ...sure this is the right link? the posts are from june....
The Fly: Positive.
Friar Dave: k
The Fly: Let me get Sports Night started, then I'll explain the relevance.
The Fly: Okay, so they collected intelligence after Zarqawi was dead that led to hundreds of raids, right?
Friar Dave: right. im familiar with everything that was said on that thread
The Fly: Okay. Well, this happened in England, on MI-5's home turf. YOu may remember that shortly after the 7/7 bombings, they'd broken through and collected enough intel to backtrack through the whole group. Then with the botched bombings a week later, it took them what, a week to track down those guys?
The Fly: In this case, they caught all the guys, alive. They're breaking through the entire network, unraveling their entire plot, their entire organizational structure. MI-5 is working directly with MI-6, and probably the FBI and CIA as well. They've already figured out where the mastermind of the attacks is, vaguely at least, and this just happened today.
The Fly: I'm reading an article now that says that Pakistan tipped off the Brits, too.
Friar Dave: i've heard that
Friar Dave: which saves P-stan some since all those arrested were pakistani in descent
The Fly: Think about it, Dave. They got 9/11 in under our noses, but there hasn't been a single terrorist attack against America since then. We've busted them all.
The Fly: They got 3/11 in on the Spanish, and the Spanish haven't been the victims of any other attacks because they've been coordinating with us.
Friar Dave: (and they went lib)
The Fly: They got 7/7 in on the Brits, and the next week there were some amateurs who tried to do the same thing, and the Brits, who already (yes, they did, but the intelligence infrastructure doesn't change that much) had a reputation for being one of the best intelligence agencies in the world, got even more experience in this particular kind of intelligence.
Friar Dave: ok
The Fly: And security's going to be so tight at those airports for the time being that there's no chance that anything else could happen.

[...]

The Fly: People like to think that al Qaeda is this huge international conglomerate. They look at it like Nike, or Microsoft. It's not Nike or Microsoft. al Qaeda is more a system of affiliations than anything else. al Qaeda in Iraq isn't bin Laden's network, it was Zarqawi's, with help from the professionals.
The Fly: al Qaeda is sort of like a franchising agency, if you will.
The Fly: The article I'm reading right now claims that the American government is claiming this could be the central franchising agency, the real deal; and if Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States can bust this sort of thing in the practice stages, that's pretty damn good.
Friar Dave: right
Friar Dave: some pundits are making a big point of how close it was, that they could have been ready today
Friar Dave: but the fact is, they didn't have tickets for the real thing, they had tickets (and weren't yet on the planes) for a practice
The Fly: You know a couple of years ago, American officials intercepted information that was a couple of years old, and liberals tried to make a point of how out of date the information was. But the 9/11 attacks took something like five or seven years to plan; so if we'd had this concrete information four, five, six years after, it still would have been in time to stop the attacks. Same here.
Friar Dave: yeah.
Friar Dave: brb. i put up a short post on the matter if you have a minute
The Fly: k

[...]

The Fly: There's another piece of information on the London thing.
The Fly: "An undercover British agent infiltrated the group, giving the authorities intelligence on the alleged plan, several U.S. government officials said."
The Fly: Infiltration takes time. The fact that they knew far enough ahead of time to infiltrate is an even better sign.
Friar Dave: right
Friar Dave: and it parallels the bust a few weeks ago in Miami (?) (florida at least)
The Fly: "The suspected terrorists had been under surveillance in Britain since last December, Channel 4 reported."
Friar Dave: infiltrating is bcoming standard it seems
The Fly: Also, another thing.
The Fly: This "peroxide-based liquid explosive" they were supposedly using? That's not the way you want to take out a plane. In fact, I wouldn't use a liquid-based explosive, period. It might damage a few seats, but honestly, the most damage you'll likely do, unless you somehow penetrate the floor, would be to break a window and depressurize the plane, and if that happened you're not necessarily going to crash it.
Friar Dave: hm
Friar Dave: you say so
Friar Dave: i wouldnt know
The Fly: You need more fluid than you can fit in a sports beverage bottle to make a big enough explosion. Maybe give some people some burns, but really, anything other than that with liquid explosives is asking to be caught, not martyred.
Friar Dave: all right

If any of you have thoughts or questions on the subject, please post them. I am, after all, a counter-terrorism specialist, a foreign policy analyst, and an aspiring intelligence analyst. Researching and discussing this sort of thing is my specialty.

MRE Tea

Most of you probably know what an MRE is. For those of you who don't, MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) are the standard field rations of the United States military. I have had many MRE's since my first one in about 2000. I also love a good cup of English tea. Interestingly enough, MRE's contain components of tea; I mean, it's sort of a crap shoot which component you'll end up with, as not every MRE can be relied upon to supply you with everything, but the following elements needed to make a cup of tea in the field come in MRE's:

Flameless Ration Heater (standard)

Hot Beverage Bag (standard)

non-dairy creamer (common)

Domino sugar (common)

Lipton tea bags (uncommon)

So, one of my hobby goals while I'm here in the Mojave is to develop the skill needed to make a truly excellent cup of MRE tea, using only the components found in MRE's. I made my first attempt yesterday, the only exception to this rule being a tea bag that I brought from home. The first attempt was drinkable, though certainly not as good as my standard cup of morning tea. As I continue experimenting, I'll continue updating you folks. I have enough heaters, drink bags, and creamer packets to do about six cups of tea at this point, though MRE Domino sugar is tougher to come by, and I haven't seen a packet of Lipton tea in an MRE in months.

More on this as it develops.

Fly Report: 10th August 2006

Good morning. If you're not in pain, then you're not working hard enough.

It's 59° Fahrenheit with clouds and wind in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 82° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $76.24 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.91 for £1, or £0.52 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 11. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Say goodnight; she waits for me to put out the light.

An Article from CCE

A few days ago, CCE sent me a link to an article by a Thomas L. Friedman. The title of the article is "On the Eve of Madness", and it's an editorial about the current state of affairs in the Middle East. It was published in the New York Times, but you can read it here I'm assuming, based on past experiences, that CCE won't mind me posting our dialogue on the article. The two of us are living proof that conservatives and liberals/moderates can have productive dialogue.

[CCE],

I finally got a chance to read the article you sent. As you predicted, I did enjoy reading it. I certainly don't agree with everything it has to say; for example, I'm not sure what the author would expect Dr. Rice to say. "The official position of the administration is that this is an opportunity for positive growth in Lebanon. The unofficial positon of the administration is that we wish that international politics would allow us to join in and help the Israelis smite Hezbollah and turn southern Lebanon into a 'buffer zone', which is to say, 'smoking crater.'" I don't think she could get away with that.

I also disagree with the author's belief that Iraq is a colossal failure, and that it has anything to do with President Bush or Dr. Rice. General Patton would sell his soul to have had his campaigns go as well as Iraq has gone. The problem isn't the plan, the problem isn't the leadership; the problem is that Americans have been disillusioned by Vietnam and spoiled by brief, poorly-consolidated victories in Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo during the 1980's and 1990's. A true military victory with lasting consequences takes time, and that's something that recent presidents, Clinton in particular, have avoided.

I completely agree with the author on the state of international politics. State sponsors of Islamist terrorism, which is the most pervasive and dangerous form of terrorism there is, are not being held accountable by the international community. There's hard evidence that when the Coalition was getting ready to enforce a U.N. mandate that the U.N. refused to enforce itself, Russian special forces were systematically smuggling illegal weapons out of Iraq. The French and the Germans tried to block the invasion both for political reasons, and because high-ranking government officials and their allies were making millions from Oil-for-Food and illegal arms sales. Major nations like Russia and China are willing to enjoy the stability and prosperity provided entirely by American muscle, but they're always using it to their own advantage, never assisting us in maintaining it. It's pretty tough to make a unanimous coalition when everyone's circumventing and blocking your efforts for their own immediate interests.

It would be nice if moderate Muslims got passionate about reclaiming their culture and politics from the extremists, but it's not happening, and it's unlikely to happen. And the dividend? More corruption, more violence, and all of it blamed nebulously on "the Infidels".

Do you have a link to the article? I wouldn't mind discussing it on the blog, but I don't want to just post the entire thing. Thanks again for sending it; let me know your thoughts.

[Fly]

To which CCE replied:

yeah - i actually fwded the article before i read the part about this admin's role in the affairs. i was mainly interested in his take about the culture of islam (as you said - no moderate voice).

the original op-ed is on the NY times website and unless you have a membership you're not going to be able to access it. i finally found it on this guys blog - http://www.pekingduck.org/archives/003942.php

talk to you soon bro.

If you have any thoughts or questions about the topic, feel free to post them in comments. It's been quite a while since we had a good, long discussion on TSTF about anything other than picture that Father Time has posted in my absence!

Fly Report: 09th August 2006

Good morning. Dude, you've been pinching loaves on the lawn? Man, I play croquet out there!

It's 55° Fahrenheit with clouds and wind in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 80° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $77.05 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.91 for £1, or £0.52 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 10. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

It's just a moment, this time will pass.

Plausible Deniability?

Following up on this post, it appears that Egypt's Gamaa Islamiya militant group isn't affiliating with al Qaeda after all. It's tough to tell who's telling the truth, or whether the truth is somewhere in between; either way, it's obvious that al Qaeda doesn't have quite the level of support from Gamaa Islamiya that they think they have, perhaps even no support at all.

Continued Media Impropriety

I was checking political cartoons this morning, as I do every few days, and I cam across this cartoon. Apparently a "photojournalist" named Adnan Hajj submitted poorly doctored photos to Reuters, who then published them. The main photograph in question is of smoke rising from allegedly bombed out buildings in Beirut. I'm no expert in photo editing, but the picture is such an obvious joke as to be undeniably faked.

There's also some question about some other photos by Hajj, these of the Qana "massacre". Apparently the same guys and the same bodies have time stamps on them spanning about four hours, leading one to question whether the death toll at Qana was really as high as the Lebanese claimed, or whether perhaps these "journalists" who reported on the incident weren't quite as objective or competent as we'd all like to believe.

Here are some major blogs that have pretty good information on the subject, including some outstanding photo analyses.

The Jawa Report

Little Green Footballs

The Shape of Days

Those are just the ones I looked at myself. They all have links to even more pages on the subject.

I've worked for two newspapers, and I've been analyzing media for a couple of years now at TSTF, and this is one of the worst fakeries I've ever seen. Conservatives already know that we have an uphill battle when it comes to most of the mainstream media. This should serve as further proof to anyone with an open mind that there are issues of competence and integrity inherent in the media. As much as we'd like to believe that we can trust the stories that we read, journalists have their own axes to grind, and they add spin to what they write. The challenge involves identifying that bias and being able to read through it or, in cases like this, ignore the information altogether.

Be aware, folks. Be aware.

Also, on a side note, I've received an E-Mail from the Blogger Team. They have officially certified TSTF as "not a spam blog", so I'm good to go. That means I can post Flickr photos again!

Fly Report: 08th August 2006

Good morning. I ain't got time to bleed.

It's 55° Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 85° Fahrenheit with isolated thunder storms.

The average price of oil is $77.05 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.91 for £1, or £0.52 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 9. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

In a little while, surely you'll be mine.

An Open Letter

And now, an open letter to the girl in Flat #64.

To the female tenant, Flat #64:

I'm not sure whether you'll recognize my flat number; I'm the guy in the adjacent building, downstairs, first flat on the left as you're headed out to the car park. We've crossed paths several times before; you may remember one evening when I was coming out of the laundry room, and you and your boyfriend were walking your little puppy. The puppy took sort of a keen interest in me, so I leaned over and gave it a bit of attention. Yes, that's right, I'm the bloke with the goatee and the rugged (which is to say, non-existent) good looks who drives the Chevy TrailBlazer.

Now, I understand that you probably think that you're gorgeous; and to be fair, you are. I also understand that you probably think that since your and/or your boyfriend are apparently involved with the local fire department, you must be very important. I understand that you're probably the local "it" couple, and I'm fine with that. I don't even have a beef with any of that; if you think you're the best thing since sliced bread, and that you invented that, too, then you're perfectly welcome to keep on believing that as far as I'm concerned.

However, I have one, simple request. Learn how to park your damned Suzuki Forenza. I know that you think that it's so adorable and blue, with that darling glass dolphin hanging from the rear view mirror, and that you should be able to park it in whichever fashion you deem most convenient. However, your pathological inability to correctly fit a compact car into a standard parking spot not only boggles the mind, it continually pisses me and my co-worker/neighbor off, since we're often forced to maneuver our vehicles on either side of your shoddy park job. Your boyfriend isn't much better, but at least he parks on the outer ring of the car park, not the one nearest to the actual flats.

The two of you are renting one flat, and you have two vehicles. That entitles you to two parking spaces, not four. I should not consistently wish that I had a can opener with which to extricate my vehicle from its space, simply because your parents failed to teach you how not to park on a painted white line.

Also, if you're ever bored, feel free to stop in. I'm sure I can find some way for you to compensate me for these several months of inconvenience.

Si vis pacem, para bellum,
The Fly

Good and Evil in North Africa

Just a couple of quick stories before I head to work.

First, CNN ran a Reuters article about Mauritania that basically passes for decent journalism. It discusses last year's coup (it's hard to believe that it's been a year since Vall and his team deposed Taya), Mauritania's goals, challenges, and advantages. It's definitely worth having a look at.

According to the BBC, Ayman al-Zwahiri has released a statement claiming that the Egyptian militant group Gamaa Islamiya has formed an alliance with al Qaeda. Now, folks who follow terrorism know that al Qaeda itself is less a massive formal organization than it is an informal alliance of a lot of smaller groups. According to the article, Gamaa Islamiya basically went defunct a few years ago; it was responsible for several acts of violence against Westerners in Egypt during the 1990's, but apparently it dissolved and the leadership renounced violence years ago. Also, I've heard of the Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiya in Indonesia, but I was unaware of this Egyptian group. THe whole thing suggests to me that al Qaeda is getting more and more desperate for allies, to the point that they'll turn to largely defunct groups of local/regional militants for support. That's my take on the subject; I'd have to research a bit more to say for sure.

Right then, time to get ready for work.

Fly Report: 07th August 2006

Good morning. Regnum defende.

It's 63° Fahrenheit with a chance of showers in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 85° Fahrenheit with isolated thunder storms.

The average price of oil is $76.11 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.91 for £1, or £0.52 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 8. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

You make a show, you do the business; maybe this is show business.

For a Reason

An ex-girlfriend and I always agreed while we were dating, whenever the relationship hit a bump, that all things happened for a reason. We tried not to let these bumps worry us too much because, after all, whether we stayed together or not, it all happened for a reason.

This is something I was taught by wise friends when I was about fifteen years old, and I've believed it ever since. It's sort of like the whole theory of the butterly effect; maybe something as simple as the position I'm standing in is part of God's plan. Maybe I breathe in a certain direction, or kick up a bit of dirt, and that has some effect on some other thing or person, and that somehow translates into God's will being carried out here on Earth. Of course, the latter half of that was a belief that developed later; for starters, the entirety of the belief consisted of knowing that all things happen for a reason.

I've tried not to regret much that's happened in my life; for if all things happen for a reason, that means that all of the things that I would like to regret happened for good reason as well. For example, in mid-September of 2000, staying overnight at a fraternity house, being invited to share a bed with some girl who thought I was cute, and declining it? I've tried not to regret that. Or not being on the ball with my school work earlier on in life? If I'd been a better student, I would have either been commissioned, or at least been on a training cruise during the Summer of 2004; and that certainly would have precluded me from living in England. I have come to find that whether I can consciously realize it or not, even the decisions and developments that I want to regret often lead me to where I am; and save for the heat, I rather like where I am, frustrations and all.

It's like stepping up from the Blackjack table. You could stand up, cutting your losses or being content with your winnings, and stand aside, giving your seat to a stranger. Perhaps the stranger takes those same cards you would have gotten, and turns his original stake into something massive. That could have been you, right? But maybe you wouldn't have chosen to hit when the dealer gave you an eight and a jack; maybe you would have stayed. Instead, the stranger plays a hand differently than you would have, and you're left wondering. Really, though; was it your hand? Indeed, it was not; and we can only play the hand that we ourselves have been dealt.

Sometimes you have to walk away from the table; sometimes the circumstances, or merely your own comfort level, dictate a change. For this, there should be no regrets; it's all happened for a reason. Unless you've put no effort whatsoever into life, the grass is never actually greener on the other side of the fence.

Had enough of cliches? Me, too.

So, here we all are. We may wonder at some of the decisions we've made, but it's those decisions that have gotten us where we are today. Regret solves nothing in the end; only being proactive and ambitious can move us forward. In the end, the only choice is to keep moving forward.

Senator Clinton: War Expert?

Apparently Senator Clinton wants Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to resign. Says Clinton:

"I just don't understand why we can't get new leadership that would give us a fighting chance to turn the situation around before it's too late. I think the president should choose to accept Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation."

"The secretary has lost credibility with the Congress and with the people. It's time for him to step down and be replaced by someone who can develop an effective strategy and communicate it effectively to the American people and to the world."

Of course, this is politics and nothing more. Senator Clinton only thinks that our Iraq policy is failing because it's President Bush's policy, and she's gearing up for mid-term elections. Senator Clinton has no background in warfare or campaigning or strategy or tactics, she wasn't in the military, she wasn't married to someone in the military.

It's not Secretary Rumsfeld's job to be popular or communicate with the American people; that's Tony Snow's job. Secretary Rumsfeld's job is to use the
resources and guidelines that he's given, give the commanders in the field the support that they request, and defend the country. Given the horrendous constraints that he's under due to politics as usual from Senator Clinton and her cronies, I personally think he's done an admirable job.

How Hillary Clinton got elected in the first place is beyond me. She has no credibility whatsoever, and most of her rhetoric is completely transparent. Then again, it's New Yorkers we're dealing with...

Thundercats Bastardized

Remember the Thundercats? Well, one of the best cartoon adventures ever produced has been turned into a hilarious parody. Go check it out!

Middle East Quiz

Normally I don't like stuff from MSN, but today they had a pretty decent Encarta quiz on the Middle East. Mostly basic stuff, but a good indicator as to whether one has a basic understanding and knowledge of the history and geography of the Middle East.

Needless to say, I got ten out of ten.

You know, I should put together my own quiz about the Middle East for you folks to take. Perhaps I'll get working on that soon.

Always

What were you thinking? I've got a right to ask. Is there a reason, othr than your past? A great pretender, why was I the last to see through your skin? Is there a chance you'll ever change?

It's always the same; you're always to blame. Is there any way around this? I can't see. You walked out on her, you planned to be free. I'm trying not to point the finger, but it's killing me.

What were you thinking? Were you thinking of me? Did you see what they wrote on the family tree? I know it's over, all in the past. I need to forgive you, if I'm to last; will I ever change?

It's always the same; you're always to blame. Is there any way around this? I can't see. You walked out on her, you planned to be free. I'm trying not to point the finger, but it's killing me.

Take these pieces thrown away, put them together from night and day. Washed by the sun, dried by the rain, to be my father in the fatherless days.

Fly Report: 04th August 2006

Good morning. Wait Vanessa, I can explain. You see, I was looking for Dr. Evil when the Fembots came out and smoke started coming out of their jubblies. So I started to work my mojo, to counter their mojo; we got cross-mojonation, and their heads started exploding.

It's 63° Fahrenheit and partly cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 77° Fahrenheit with afternoon thunder storms.

The average price of oil is $75.84. The exchange rate is $1.88 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 5. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Here she comes, lady luck again, figure of eight, six and nine again.

Enter the Flyton

I can't believe how much I rule. Okay, so I've had almost the same furniture arrangement in my flat since I arrived here in the Mojave. Today, I bought my first new piece in months. Since it's a futon that will be used almost exclusively by the Fly, I'm calling it... Ready for this? The "Flyton".

I purchased the Flyton at Wal Mart (after waiting about twenty minutes for them to finally get someone to help me with it), and paid $132.53 for it and two throw pillows. It took me less than an hour to assemble, and I was somehow able to get it from the TrailBlazer to the door of my flat without help.

Next on my agenda, I think, is a coffee table. I'd like to get a filing cabinet at some point, and though I'm tempted to get a book case, I don't currently have enough books here at Zoo Station to necessitate one. I also don't want to buy a lot of furniture since I don't know how long I intend to stick around these parts. I don't want to have a lot of bulky stuff to either sell, donate, or move.

And now, back to the job at hand: executive level sitting. Perhaps I'll use the Flyton this evening to watch television, or even to do some reading. Excellent!

UPDATE: On a side note, I'd like to issue a hearty "Screw you!" to Blogger for once again enabling verification on blog posts. I attempted to post a picture of the Flyton directly on the blog, and because Flickr can't display the verification image, Blogger flagged my post as spam. I attempted to use my limited but keen HTML editing skills to fix it, but it didn't work the way I wanted, so all I could do is link to it. What a joke. Comments are one thing, but this is ridiculous.

UPDATE: Apparently you can send a request to Blogger to have an actual human review your blog. Mine was flagged as a possible "spam blog", hence the word verification. I'm not sure what exactly I've done that would cause me to be associated with "spam blogs", but whatever. Hopefully some human will read through a few of my posts and determine that although I'm a bit eccentric, I'm most certainly not a "spam blog".

The Art of Saving Money

I promise that Thus Saith the Fly is not going to go "domestic". I am still, by my very nature, an intelligence analyst and warfare expert. However, this whole "living on my own, without a safety net" thing fascinates me, so there are various topics that are worth discussing.

A while ago I saw an article entitled 10 Easy Ways to Save $500 or More. I have become a bit of an expert in saving money, so naturally I was curious.

Drive less.

When I can, I avoid driving. Unfortunately, I commute about eighty miles every day, so there's only so much limitation I can put on myself.

Bring your own stimulant.

I don't touch coffee, and I'm certainly not addicted to multiple cups of it every day. On occasion I'll take a cup of tea to work, so I do this one; however, it's sort of like smoking, where you save the most money by not getting involved in the first place.

Conserve energy.

I do this as much as I can. The article talks about raising your thermostat by a few degrees in the summer and lowering it by a few degrees in the winter; I don't run my air conditioner at all in my flat (which shocks most people). In fact, I go so far as to unplug unnecessary items when they're not in use. This goes beyond turning the television or computer off; I actually unplug any and all items that don't need to be plugged into the wall, because anything that's plugged into a wall draws electricity. When I'm not here, it's not uncommon for two lamps, the microwave, the refrigerator, the main phone base (I have two, only one of which actually plugs into a phone jack), and the computer power strip to be the only things plugged in. As a result of my outstanding conservation, I haven't had a single phone bill that exceeded twenty dollars.

Dig gardening.

I don't have anywhere to grow a garden; I live in a one bedroom flat in the desert. It's remotely possible that I might try to grow a Bonsai tree at some point, but that's it.

Go small or pet-free.

I can't really have pets. I'm considering getting an ant farm, but beyond that I don't really have the time, space, or resources to have pets. When I can, though, someday I'll have a big dog. So, for the time being I'm doing this one, but eventually I'll let it fall by the wayside.

Don't flush money down the commode.

I don't really feel the need to skimp on things like paper towels. There are some things that I don't mind buying generic, and there are some things that I prefer to buy name brand.

Limit media.

I don't have cable or satellite service. Simple. Even so, these things are a luxury anyway; so if you ask me, it's a bit alarmist to cut something like this down in an effort to save money. When it comes to this, people should get what they want/what they can use, and be cofortable paying for it. I'll agree, however, that buying your television on DVD is a great way to go; you can watch it over and over again, and only pay the one-time price.

Sign up for tax-advantaged plans at work.

Okay?

Eat in.

Sometimes you just want a greasy cheeseburger, or some sweet and sour chicken that's loaded with MSG. I'm all for limiting the frequency of restaurant visits, but avoiding them altogether is a little bit over the top if you ask me.

Don't bank on it.

I don't have any credit cards, and the only debt I have, other than to my parents, is for my vehicle. Everything in my place that didn't come with the place is mine, and I live within my means.

So, what about you folks? What are some of the ways that you go about saving money?

Fly Report: 03rd August 2006

Good morning. You can wish in one hand and crap in the other, and see which gets filled first.

It's 59° Fahrenheit with a chance of showers in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 77° Fahrenheit with sunshine.

The average price of oil is $75.23 per barrel. The exchange rate is $1.88 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 4. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Everything you know is wrong.

Recovered News

Here are a few stories that I've saved, but haven't had a chance to post in the last few weeks.

In a hilarious twist of irony, a radical Islamist cleric is angry at the British government that won't let him come back into the country. Why is he angry? Because they wouldn't let him on a British warship that was evacuating British citizens from Beirut. Islamists fleeing the mess created by other Islamists, even trying to get help from the infidels. I hope nobody's missing the irony.

Twenty Filipino seamen were released a couple of weeks ago by their captors... Somali pirates!

While excavating for a construction project in Ireland, an ancient book of Psalms was found. I've been to the National Museum of Ireland, which is mentioned in the article.

I was unaware that Indiana University had an Altaic languages program, but apparently the Central Intelligence Agency is recruiting there.

Ballistic missile defense was a contentious issue for most of the time I was in college. Peaceniks recruited scientists who claimed that the system was a massive joke, and that it would never work. Others claimed that the cost of such a system was far beyond its value, as the threat of attack by Russia's ballistic missile arsenal was nowhere near as pressing as it was during the Cold War. Still others claimed that developing such a system would serve only to provoke other nations, since a defense plan indicated that we planned to use our own missiles in a first strike.

Of course, all of these objections were proven incorrect; the system works, it's necessary, and it's obvious that rogue nations like Iran and North Korea are hell-bent on developing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Like America's strategic nuclear deterrant, the system will involve both naval and ground components. During the latter part of July, the American government dispatched a delegation to inspect possible missile defense sites in the Czech Republic. (Alternative link.) As unpredictable as Kim Jong Il and Mahmoud Ahmedinejad have been during recent weeks, I hope the system can be put in place as soon as possible.

Gentlemanly Virtue

When I turned twenty-three, my great aunt gave me a book by John Bridges entitled How to be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy. It fascinates me how some people will consider something to be polite or impolite, when really it's a matter of personal preference, rather than common courtesy. I found a few examples of that when reading through parts of the book last night.

On page twenty-four, the author claims that a gentleman tucks his undershirt into his undershorts. Not only is this not the mark of a gentleman, it is the mark of the type of person who drinks his own bath water.

On page one hundred twenty-nine, the author claims that a gentleman reads a daily newspaper, preferably the New York Times, at least three times a week. Regular readers of TSTF will remember that the New York Times is one of the most liberally biased rags in America, suitable only for filthy hippies and Anachronism. I'll definitely agree that a gentleman, for various reasons, is aware of current events. However, the author's choice of newspaper is unnecessary.

The bottom line is that a man should make an effort to be a gentleman, and the core element of this endeavour is making sure that those around him are as comfortable as possible at all times. Where did I learn this? You guessed it, folks: Blast From the Past, starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, and Dave Foley.

Fly Report: 02nd August 2006

Good morning. Failure is not an option.

It's 59° Fahrenheit and cloudy in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 71° Fahrenheit with partial clouds.

The average price of oil is $76.45. The exchange rate is $1.87 for £1, or £0.53 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 3. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

Don't become a monster in order to defeat a monster.

Fly Report: 01st August 2006

Good morning. I want you to trust me, just once, when I tell you that you have three sevens, and I have a straight.

It's 61° Fahrenheit with a chance of showers in Kirkwall. In Cody, the forecast calls for a high of 63° Fahrenheit with scattered thunder storms.

The average price of oil is $74.87. The exchange rate is $1.87 for £1, or £0.54 for $1.

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is: (Cool)/(Lame)

Today's scripture reading is Hebrews 2. The Fly is currently reading "The Civil War" by Julius Caesar.

I don't believe the devil, I don't believe his book; the truth is not the same without the lies he made up.

Culinary Fly

For various reasons, I have a desire to learn to cook a few dishes beyond Hamburger Helper, and chicken on my countertop grill. Idiot-proof food is a great thing, but at some point you have to start developing some real talent.

One of my co-workers recited a recipe about a month ago for Shepherd's Pie, so I decided to have a look on the magical Interweb for a couple of recipes. My goal? To find simple recipes for two dishes fit for a bachelor: Shepherd's Pie, and Steak and Guinness Pie.

I got to searching for recipes, and found a few of them, though some of them look fairly advanced for my limited cooking experience. I wound up stumbling across this recipe, courtesy of Rachael Ray (pictured); it looks manageable, so I'll probably try it at some point soon, possibly this weekend. I'll continue searching for a decent Steak and Guinness Pie recipe.

Speaking of Rachael Ray, I am of the opinion that she is quite possibly the most gorgeous food-related celebrity in the history of the world; she makes Betty Crocker look like a toothless old cat lady, and Martha Stewart look like a convicted felon. She's about to hit thirty-eight, and she could easily pass for mid-twenties. You can read more about Rachael Ray at Food Network, Wikipedia, or the IMDB, or read an article about her at American Profile.

On an unrelated note, I've noted my skepticism regarding Wikipedia in the past. This week's edition of The Onion has a great article on the subject: Wikipedia Celebrates 750 Years Of American Independence.

More on the culinary development of The Fly as time rolls on; and possibly more pictures of the lovely Rachael Ray!