Archive for May, 2007
30 years ago today, in what seems like a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars was released.
This is my favorite poster from what was for a long time my favorite movie.
I think it’s hard to overstate the effect that this film has had on our culture, and, though the later films do not quite stack up to the first two, I think it’s safe to say that the effects will be felt for a long, long time.
There will be a bunch of Star Wars links in today’s Linkzookery, so be sure to check back. In the meantime, angle the deflector shield while I make the calculations for the jump to light speed…
On DVDFile:
And here is arguably the most highly-anticipated DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray release of the year: Blade Runner: The Ultimate Edition. According to an Australian retail site, the five-disc box set will include the new 2007 ‘definitive cut’ of the film, as well as the 1982 theatrical version, the 1982 international theatrical version, the 1992 director’s cut, not to mention the full-length documentary on the making of the film, an entire disc devoted to featurettes and then the super-hard-to-find ‘work print’ version of the film. Again, if this is really going to happen this year, an official studio announcement from Warner Brothers should be en route soon, so we’ll keep you updated as confirmed facts and figures come in.
Murdoc hasn’t made the move to high def yet. Probably at Christmas.
Just received this from my Dad in Colorado:
This is what I saw on the way to the house this AM. 28 degrees. This is the same spot as my last pictures to you, Highway 83 north of Colorado Springs 20-25 miles.
Here are the pics he sent on May 7th.
Meanwhile, Instapundit points out that carbon dioxide emissions were down last year despite a growing economy.
Who has time to write? So here’s a pic suggested by a reader:
ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 21, 2007) – A NATO Sea Sparrow (RIM-7) missile blasts through its foam launcher cover during a shipboard self-defense exercise on board Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway conducting carrier qualifications in the Atlantic. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson (RELEASED)
You can see that the lower right tube is empty. Below is a shot of what might be that missile firing.
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Lawmakers close to agreement on Iraq funding
Surrendacrats, um, surrender:
Flinching in the face of a veto threat, Democratic congressional leaders neared agreement with Bush administration Tuesday on legislation to pay for the Iraq war without a troop withdrawal timeline.
However:
Several officials said the emerging $120 billion compromise would include as much as $8 billion for Democratic domestic priorities — originally resisted by the White House — such as disaster relief for Hurricane Katrina victims and farmers hurt by drought.
I noted this sort of thing in my Speech Bush Should Give:
Maybe some hope their little programs fall through the cracks, unnoticed during the heated debate over the deadline. If so, if that is what they’re trying to do, it is even more shameful because it means they’re playing games with the war in order to create a smokescreen for their pet projects.This, from the party that promised to “end the culture of corruption.”
Greece Offers 13 Battle Tanks to the Afghan Government (pg 13)
During the last informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council at Foreign Ministers level, the Greek Foreign Minister announced that, within the alliance’s efforts for equipping and training Afghan military forces, Greece offers 13 battle tanks M60A3 and 300 AK-47 submachine guns, to be provided in the next two months.
Though nearly obsolescent by modern mechanized military standards, M60A3 tanks should actually be quite useful for fighting insurgencies. The Iraqi military, currently using T-55 and T-72 tanks, will be upgrading some units to M60A3s over the next couple of years.
(And the AK-47 is not a submachine gun…)
The Afghan army is still struggling to get going, but they’ve been making some headway lately, it seems.
Incredible footage from a Brit in Afghanistan.
Q: You see anything?
A: Yes. You’re bleeding.
He’s a soldier, and he talks like one. Be warned.
Helicopter attackers routed, U.S. military says
USA Today:
There haven’t been any fatal helicopter attacks since February. Two servicemen were injured in an attack on a Kiowa helicopter May 8. A Black Hawk helicopter was forced down by heavy machine gun fire April 5. No one was injured, the Army said.
The raids on the insurgents, which gave allied forces more control in the skies over Iraq to aid the three-month-old security plan, were an intelligence and military success, Simmons said. “It has helped us in our ability to conduct operations without significant interference from the enemy,” he said.
U.S. forces have increased the use of helicopters in Iraq in order to reduce the number of ground convoys, which are vulnerable to roadside bombs. “It offsets the threat of IEDs on the road networks,” Simmons said, referring to roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices.
Helicopters come under attack 90 to 100 times a month in Iraq, Simmons said. Most attacks are ineffective small-arms fire.
The thing to remember is that everything goes in cycles. We were able to fly choppers pretty safely for a while, so the bad guys figured out new ways to attack. When they were successful, we reacted and altered procedures and hunted down some of them. Now that we’ve “routed” them, we need to understand that they’re studying the new situation as we speak and formulating plans to counter our counter-ambushes once again.
Caption for the picture below.
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Warning! Bad Language!
I haven’t seen these guys before, and zooming in makes Murdoc (who’s no expert) think this is a legit photo and not a fill-in-the-blank image.
Either way, it’s funny. And deeply disturbing…which makes it even funnier.
MO’s Ireland correspondent Toejam sends this tip: Thunderbirds are go for Salthill air show originally from the Irish Times:
Thunderbirds, the United States air force aerobatic display unit, are to perform at the Salthill, Co Galway air show next month – its first engagement in Ireland and first outside the US since the 2001 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Capt Elizabeth Kreft said the pilots and support crews were particularly excited about the visit, given that many had strong Irish family connections. Most of the unit’s members have passed through Shannon airport in recent years on their way to operational assignments in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
It’s cool that they’re excited about flying in Ireland and some of them have family connections in the country. But
the unit plans to put the Tricolour on the flag panels of its aircraft during and after the Irish visit.
Is that really so cool? Can they even do that?
Here’s the link for the Salthill Air Show, for those interested in attending. Maybe I should put a “Send Murdoc to Salthill” tip jar up to fund MO coverage of the event.
