Wow! Glad I wasn’t anywhere near that one…

  A spectacular fire whirl developed at the Sam Fire in Los Angeles County, California, a few days ago, and was caught on camera.  Wildfire Today reports: The KTLA Channel 5 helicopter captured some interesting video of an impressive fire whirl. It’s hard to appreciate it from seeing still photos since it did not appear… Continue reading Wow! Glad I wasn’t anywhere near that one…

An interesting twist on animal history

  I was intrigued to read that the semi-wild horse herd on Assateague Island, off the shores of Maryland and Virginia, may have a more interesting ancestry than previously thought. Where did the ponies come from? Until recently, most historians and scientists have thought that the herd grew from horses left to graze by English… Continue reading An interesting twist on animal history

So much for the “value” of money

  Nick Giambruno reminds us: When was the last time you saw someone pick up a penny off the street? A nickel? A dime? Nowadays, even bums often can’t be bothered to pick up anything less than a quarter. The US dollar has become so debased that these coins are essentially pieces of rubbish. They… Continue reading So much for the “value” of money

More about that missile-versus-C-47 encounter

  Readers may remember that ten years ago, I published an article about a South African Air Force C-47 transport that was hit by a SA-7 missile over what was then South West Africa (today Namibia) during the Border War.  Despite severe damage to the aircraft, the pilot managed to land it safely, and all… Continue reading More about that missile-versus-C-47 encounter

A Polish-Ukrainian “commonwealth”? Now there’s a thought…

  I was intrigued to read an article over at Al Fin – Next Level titled “Emerging Polish-Ukrainian Commonwealth“.  In it, the author notes: Millions of Ukrainian citizens fled the Russian invasion of February 2022, and were welcomed into Poland with open arms. The same thing is happening with many Ukrainian businesses, which are seeking… Continue reading A Polish-Ukrainian “commonwealth”? Now there’s a thought…

Saturday Snippet: A 19th-century view of money, interest and investment

  Today’s Snippet is from a book that’s not yet published.  It’s “The Price of Time: The Real Story of Interest” by Edward Chancellor. Financial and investment analyst John Mauldin has been publishing excerpts from the book in his free weekly newsletter “Thoughts From The Frontline“.  (If you’re not already subscribed to it, I highly… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: A 19th-century view of money, interest and investment

Alcohol as a factor in ocean exploration?

  I was interested – and amused – to learn that apple cider (the “hard” version, containing alcohol, rather than the “soft” version most Americans know) was a staple of early ocean exploration in one part of the world.  The BBC reports: As chateaux vineyards are to Bordeaux and single malt distilleries are to Speyside,… Continue reading Alcohol as a factor in ocean exploration?

A musical In Memoriam

  Who can forget the iconic music theme from the James Bond movies? It seems the composer of the original 007 theme, Monty Norman, died yesterday.  The story of how he developed that theme is interesting. Bond producer Cubby Broccoli had asked Norman to compose the first movie’s score, having been impressed with his stage… Continue reading A musical In Memoriam

The Georgia Guidestones “bombing” may not have been a bomb

  By now I’m sure most readers know that the so-called Georgia Guidestones were damaged by an explosion on Wednesday morning.  The rest of the monument was demolished soon afterwards, allegedly due to “safety concerns“. I have grave doubts about the news coverage of the incident so far.  I haven’t commented until now because I’ve… Continue reading The Georgia Guidestones “bombing” may not have been a bomb

An interesting perspective on morals and virtues

  Larry Lambert published this very interesting diagram on his blog the other day.  Clickit to biggit. I found it intriguing, and looked for more information.  It comes from a Christian academic paper authored by James D. Lanctot and Justin A. Irving, titled “Character and Leadership: Situating Servant Leadership in a Proposed Virtues Framework“.  (It was… Continue reading An interesting perspective on morals and virtues