Fire Breathing trivia

Smaug in Hobbit 3 will be a lean, mean killing machine.

Ah, but would an Apache helicopter win if they went head to head?
best answer:

[–]AusHaching 25 points 2 months ago
Assuming we are using movie Smaug: The Apache has the advantage of much greater sensor and weapons range. Smaug is pretty big and must have a huge radar signature - when he leaves the Lonely Mountain. As a bolt from a siege crossbow was able to dislodge a scale from Smaug, it is reasonable to assume that the 30mm chaingun or Air-to-Air missiles can do the same or worse. Therefore, if the Apache manages to detect Smaug from a sufficient distance and is able to use the weapons range, it will win. Smaug, on the other hand, is a lot more nimble (remember the scene where he shook of the gold?). If he comes within the range of his breath weapon, he has the advantage.

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via Improbable Research: the medical dangers of fire breathing:

The potential injuries are described by Dr. Sanjay Saraf, from the Department of Plastic Surgery, NMC Specialty Hospital, Dubai, UAE, in a 2012 article for Indian Dermatology Online J. 2012 Jan-Apr; 3(1): 73–74. “There are several immediate and long-term health hazards associated with fire-breathing act. Burns are the most obvious fire-breathing danger; however, there could be facial hair loss, ingestional toxicity, cutaneous irritation, peptic ulcers, fire-eater’s pneumonia (hydrocarbon pneumonitis/chemical pneumonia),[3,4] inhalational injuries, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.“ See: ‘Fire-breathing burn’ BONUS: Fire-breathers looking for a safe(r) non-toxic alternative (using corn starch) can check this video >   - See more at: http://www.improbable.com/2014/04/23/fire-breathing-the-dangers/

and to do it safely: Try Argo starch.

Reading on line

I prefer regular books to read: I brought about 100 books here, but also hit the "used book" kiosks for new best sellers (a year late) so am almost up to date on my Janet Evanovich collection.

The used kiosk also has other books, mainly trade paperbacks, and I've managed to find several books about CSLewis (e.g. "the Narnian") and three books of the "Middle Earth" series.

I think I have bought two books full price here since arriving: Morgoth's ring (13 in the middle earth series) and a good copy of Herodatus (my copy was falling apart).

Lots of books at Librivox or other places on line.

But last year I actually paid for a subsciption to Scribd:

Lots of their books/articles are free, but others are only for subscribers or you pay for the books.

It's hard to read with the computer, and my old tablet was 7 inches and hard to read, but I splurged on a 10 inch Samsung tablet, and am spending a lot of my time reading.

I downloaded lots of books on herbs: Medical, eating, and how to grow. I bought thyme, stevia and tarragon at the palenke, and hope they won't get eaten by bugs now that it is raining.

I also am reading a book on the Winter palace (pre Revolutionary Russia), CS Lewis' letters part 2, and the Amelia Peabody mysteries. (those last I didn't bring with me, and they aren't at the kiosk).

So I am doing less blogging

My old computer is running without the blue screen of death, so Ruby is using the new one. Next step: buy dvd or a hard drive for backup. I figure another month til that is on my budget.

Family news

Fiesta day.

We went to the family's party. Lechon and lots of food.

I talked to Chona a bit, and she's going home next week.  Emie is retired now, as is Florinda, so they will divide their time between here and the family in the USA. Doy and family didn't make it in from the UK.

We missed the last party after being stuck in a traffic jam for over an hour (the main street had a parade, and there was no way to pass through).So I turned around and came home.

This time, we were so late that they sent a car for us.

Actually, I had just taken a shower and was ready to get Lolo up when one of Lolo's old friends came to visit... he was delighted and talked for almsost an hour. I haven't seen him talk so much for months: He can hardly hear and the hearing aid doesn't help much. I was happy to see him happy.

It's very hot, and at night we leave on the airconditioner until it cools off. Because of the fireworks and firecrackers, George, our killer Labrador, is hiding in the room with us.

Luckily Binky, the mangy half bad dog from the farm, and the three small white dogs are outside keeping us safe.

China's take on Obama's trip to asia

He was anti Chinese!

but they got the message that China can steal the Philippines coastal waters and the US will merely send "an angwy letter".

Obama also assured Manila on Tuesday that a 1951 defense treaty between the two nations commits the US to defend the Philippines.
"And no potential aggressor can be under the illusion that either of them stands alone. In other words, our commitment to defend the Philippines is ironclad. The US will keep that commitment because allies will never stand alone," Obama said.
However, the US president did not give a clear-cut commitment to the Philippines that US military forces would come to its aid in the event of a conflict in the South China Sea.
This was in stark contrast to what Obama said in Japan where he said the defense treaty with Tokyo covers the Diaoyu Islands, part of China's sovereign territory.
Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for the South China Sea, said US assurances to Japan and the Philippines were aimed at "conciliating" them and did not mean the US will rush to get involved in any military conflict with China.
"Obama's promises to allies are more symbolic rather than substantive," he said.

Gift item of the day

Just in time for summer:

3D glasses for your pet praying mantis:





Headsup  Davebarry

Update on MERS: WAGD

more cases in Saudi, including a Pinay pharmacist.

and the Philippines has a million OFW working in the middle East, including many health care professionals.

Obama won't defend Philippines, despite treaties

If you are wondering why you are reading so much about the Mulatto Girlfriend from hell reporting her boyfriend doesn't like blacks, well, maybe it's because Obama's trip to Asia is a bust.

Not only did he diss the Japanese, but now he has told the Philippines that our mutual defense treaty doesn't mean anything (essentially he is giving a green light to China to take the west Philippine sea from the Philippines, Vietnam etc. despite international laws that mandate against it).

From YahooPhil:

The questions were embarrassing because they reflected our mendicant mentality and our fantasy about America. But they had to be asked because many Filipinos wanted to hear from the leader of the world's superpower that he will take care of us if we get clobbered by a neighborhood enemy that is the world’s number two superpower.

ah, but the dirty little secret is that if China claims land right off the coast of the Philippines, and if no one opposes them, they not only could steal the potential natural gas resources, but could block important sea lanes.

But never mind. Obama apparently doesn't know anything about sea lanes either.

In answer to a question from reporters accompanying him about the situation in Ukraine and the perceived weakness of his foreign policy,Obama gave a reply that is applicable to the armed conflict scenario in the Spratlys:” My job as Commander-in-Chief is to look at what is it that is going to advance our security interests over the long-term. To keep our military in reserve to where we absolutely need them.”

WTF? uh, sea lanes? SEA LANES?

LNG shipments through the South China Sea constitute two-thirds of the world's overall LNG trade. Japan is the recipient of the bulk of these shipments; in 1996 Japan was dependent upon LNG for over 11% of its total energy supplies. South Korea (over 7% of energy consumption) and Taiwan (over 4% of energy consumption) also import large amounts of LNG via the South China Sea.
The other major shipping lane in the region uses the Lombok and Makassar Straits, and continues into the Philippine Sea. Except for north-south traffic from Australia, it is not used as extensively as the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, since for most voyages it represents a longer voyage by several hundred miles.

Japan is aware of this.

nope, no strategic security there, folks, just move on.

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update:  I should note that our print edition of the Manila Bulletin quotes Obama's speech to military types lauding the alliance, and the headlines suggest he would indeed defend the Philippines..

And the Inquirer has the same story



he really makes them smile, doesn't he...

I guess it depends on what the meaning of "is" is....

I had to laugh at the headlines about the small protests. Less than a thousand communist protesters, (who are worried the US will recamp here and help kill the NPA instead of the Abus) get all the headlines, but this is a very tiny protest: heck, thousands protest all the time, and church rallies gather up to a million people.


and Obama did sign a "defense pact"..

but it's actually about the Philippines letting the US "train" them, and getting bases (that last part is denied). Full details pending.
Nevertheless, the mutual defense pact does not specifically state that the United States must come to the Philippines’ defense over remote islets and reefs in the South China Sea.
Obama made no mention of the hotspots when referring to the mutual defense pact, but did again call on China to not use intimidatory tactics to assert its claims.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/597830/philippines-us-sign-defense-pact#ixzz30KWyZq5x Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

in other words, no red line here.

We're toast...

BBC Fargo?

BBC has a new miniseries on the old film "Fargo", which is actually about Minnesota and the original film had lots of Minnesota jokes that were only understood by natives there.

No, I haven't seen it: we get these things 3 year later.

And no, the story is not "real": it's fiction. Sheesh.

and here is how to tell if you are from Minnesota:

You betcha you're from Minnesota when...

• You only own three spices...salt, pepper and ketchup.
• You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
• You thought Grumpy Old Men was documentary.
• You design your Halloween costumes to fit over snowmobile suits.
• You feel warm and toasty at -12°.
• You know the four seasons—Winter, Still Winter, Not Winter and Almost Winter.
• Or: You know there are only two seasons—Winter and The Time When They Fill In The Potholes In The Road.
• Though you're not breaking the law, you break into a cold sweat when the game warden appears.
• You know Ole and Lena personally.
• You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.
• You think the opening of deer season is a national holiday.
• You find -40° only a mite chilly.
• You think everyone from a different state has an accent.
• Your husband thinks sexy lingerie is a flannel nightgown with only eight buttons.
• You've ever taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.

CSI: The White ship Disaster

The tragedy of the korean ferry, or the "princess of the stars" ferry disaster here remind us that not just ships in the ocean, but ships traveling short trips in well known seas can sink.

Here is the story of the "white ship" disaster, that killed the heir of Henry I of England, resulting in a long time of civil wars and troubles. Includes conspiracy theories.

But one doubts that Stephen, who was one of the contenders for the throne if the heir died, was behind it; his softheartedness and lack of ruthlessness is well known.

Archeological news of the week

Via various archeology blogs

the long lost Atari ET game cartridges have been located and excavated.

Fuel Entertainment and XBox Studios earned a ton of press this weekend when an excavation crew unearthed hundreds of buried cartridges of Atari‘s 1982 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial video game in a dumpsite in Alamogordo, N.M. The archaeological discovery confirmed a long-held legend in the gaming world that Atari had buried millions of unsold units of what’s believed to be one of the worst games ever made

medical stuff

from my medical blog:

lead in ancient Rome

what works, what doesn't

Medieval malnutrition

Rice and heavy metals

Hello DEATH PANELS

Factoid of the day

The Chelengk:

From Alan Phipps:

A chelengk was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire... It wed;as a jewelled aigrette consisting of a central flower with leaves and buds, and upward-facing rays. In modern Turkish, a çelenk is a wreath or garland, a circular decoration made from flowers and leaves, usually arranged as an ornament.

A specially-made chelengk was awarded to Horatio Nelson by Sultan Selim III in honour of the Battle of the Nile in 1798. This was the first time that a chelengk was conferred on a non-Ottoman. The usual seven rays were augmented to thirteen, as described in a contemporary letter:
The Aigrette is a kind of feather; it represents a hand with thirteen fingers, which are of diamonds, and allusive to the thirteen ships taken and destroyed at Alexandria, the size that of a child's hand about six years old when open

From TeaAtTrianon

Insomnia download of the day

Instructions to lightkeepers.

no, not a religious tract, but an instruction on how to run a light house.

Includes this chapter:

Funck Lard-Oil Float-Lamp; Funck Mineral-Oil Float-Lamp; Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth-Order Lights

Stuff around the net

StrategyPage discusses Iraq, the Kurds, and the murderous ISI who are killing Muslims in Iraq (for being Shia) to try to stop a free election.

Two key passages:

If Iraq seems like a mess it is and has been that way for a long time. It seems worse since 2003 because now there is no dictatorship to keep foreign (and domestic) journalists from reporting about the true extent of the mess

One of the first scandals of the MSM was when CNN admitted they covered up the atrocities and problems under Saddam, including how he was bribing politicians in France etc. to stop "sanctions". Later, they left the left manipulate the news to destroy Bush as a warmonger, ignoring the background of the war.

second passage:

 NATO and Iraq wanted foreign trainers (including Americans) to remain in Iraq after 2011. But the issue of immunity from local prosecution became a hot item in Iraqi politics and the “status of forces” agreement was impossible to get through parliament. Such immunity was essential because the Iraqi justice system is corrupt, and foreign troops could be falsely prosecuted. 

Yes, we know.

The overblown "Subic rape case" was about a drunken bar girl who claimed five US Soldiers raped her in the car. Luckily the evidence only showed one person had sex with her, which correlated with the soldiers story. She left the bar willingly with this soldier, according to other evidence, but was a bit drunk.

Now, Philippine law did not allow mild drunkeness as an excuse to say one was raped (although a previous case said a girl completely unconscious could claim it).

So the left, who hate Americans,manipulated the story story, even after the evidence was in..., and the feminists, who wanted to change the law to allow mild intoxication as a way to claim rape, were the ones who originally pushed the case. After two years, the case fell apart: The girl took a bribe and presumably married a new boyfriend.

As an aside: This is one reason that John Paul II did not believe a lot of the "pedophile" charges against priests: Because under communism, such charges were often false, to destroy a good priest.

Andrew Greeley, in his autobiography, describes how the offices of a certain US diocese often allowed cover ups for their friends and lovers, and he actually defended the bishop involved as not being gay, but merely naive and not involved in such trivia. Heh. Sounds like Bishop Law, who also was lazy, although other bishops merely "obeyed" the Johns Hopkins sexual predator experts. And a similar clique was believed to have covered up stuff in the Vatican, at least until Benedict took over. The rumor was that he retired so that his predicessor could get rid of these types without the scandal of having to fire them (because they all hand in their resignation with the change of Popes)

We will know that the NWO takes over when we start hearing about such thing in the Philippines (right now they are only in the left wing press). So far, more priests (and pastors) have been killed by drive by shooters than accused of busy fingers....

Oldest living things on earth

Photos at MomJones

Stuff around the net

Carthage's "warriors"?

In Carthage's Lost Warriors, Secrets of the Dead offers us a fabulous tale of a band of Carthagenians, Celts and Majorcans who cross the Atlantic (I'm really not sure when this is supposed to have happened, but the press release says 1,500 years before Columbus), land on the Brazilian coast, travel up the Amazon through the jungle and climb the Peruvian Andes.
Along the way, of course, they influence various cultures of South America with their wily European ways. We all need a good laugh now and then.

TV show results in a lot of scepticism...maybe because the South American Indians were as advanced in most ways (except for metal use) if not further advanced than Europe/Middle East.

LINK

I had always understood Carthage didn't use their own people as soldiers, but hired them from the locals. Indeed, Hannibal's "Army" was Iberio-celts and then he recruited Celts from Cisalpine gaul and later Greeks from southern Italy to fight Rome..
Or maybe I got it wrong: I feel asleep in the middle of the lecture from Stanford itunes on Hannibal

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Related  item: Medieval Barbie?

you can send money to be in on the development of the 3D printed armour. more HERE.

why not a Joan of Arc Barbie? Action figure here

and yes, don't forget Eowyn.

But my favorite would actually be the Eleanor of Aquitaine action figure.

not only a sex goddess who inspired medieval music and stories, she went on the crusades, divorced her dull husband for a 19 year old boy toy, and ten kids later went to war against him when he found a girlfriend...

and yes, there is a kickstarter for medieval Halloween costumes, to replace the decrepid stuff that is seen nowadays.

and yes, Eleanor is there:

Nice Stuff

ComeAwayWithMe blog visits the Prasadeo Mission and the parts founded by Father Serra. Lovely photos: Here is an example of the front of the mission.

and the article notes:

The first recorded planting of a vineyard was by the Jesuit Missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino at San Bruno in 1683, but since the mission at San Bruno was abandoned about a year and a half after its founding, the vineyard likely never matured or was harvested. In 1779, Franciscanmissionaries under the direction of Father Junipero Serra planted California's first sustained vineyard at Mission San Diego. Father Serra founded eight other missions before his death in 1784, these initially or eventually incorporating vineyards. Hence, he has been called the "Father of California Wine". 

Yes, I know: The good father is not considered "PC" by modern multiculturalists...but of course, any of us trying to improve the lives of people by teaching them modern ways and how to get out of dire poverty is not PC today. Of course, the PC ignore that their idea that every society should be left alone was once done: it is the idea behind apartheid in South Africa.

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writer Brian Sibley links to an art book that includes lithographs of Dragons, by Ian Miller.

IanMiller's website is HERE. if you want to view his art. I'd steal an example but don't know about the copyright stuff.

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TYWIKIWDBI blog has an article on the "Sundog" painting, and it's place in Swedish history.

A "sundog" is the rainbow like circle around the sun (or moon) refracted from tiny ice crystals in the clouds...and as Wikipedia notes: sometimes it makes it look like there are three suns...

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At  Toxel: Honest job titles.

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The "some politicians have too much time on their hands" post comes from Dave Barry:

Massachusetts moves closer to approving fluffernutter as official state sandwich

Read more here: http://blogs.herald.com/dave_barrys_blog/2014/04/legislatures-in-action.html#storylink=cpy

The "WAGD" post of the day

 MERS is the next SARS. WaPost article on the problem here.

On Thursday, the Saudi Arabian health ministry confirmed 13 more cases of patients contracting MERS-CoV, the acronym for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, as well as two more deaths. MERS-CoV is an infectious disease with no known cure and is considered more deadly than SARS--which killed some 800 people during a 2002-2003 outbreak that first started in China. Since 2012, 83 people have died and 285 people have contracted the virus in the Kingdom alone. It has spread to the neighboring United Arab Emirates. Reports also suggest pilgrims from as far afield as Malaysia and the Philippines contracted the virus while on hajj in Mecca.

actually the real danger is our OFW...especially our nurses and doctors who work in Saudi.

Filipino health authorities also are increasingly concerned about the virus spreading there, with a significant number of its citizens working in the Gulf and potentially carrying the disease when they travel home.
It has boosted screening for the virus at airports.
“It is important that families, friends and members of their local communities fully understand all that must be known about the MERS coronavirus,” Filippino Health Secretary Enrique Ona said on Saturday.

Of course, if it does spread via the Hajj everyone is in real trouble.
There is a minor scandal brewing in Saudi about this...more HERE


And one OFW came here with it from Saudi so they are testing everyone on the plane with her and plan to screen everyone at the airport for fevers.

It's a real worry here because we have so many OFW in the Middle East, including many health care workers who might be in contact with the virus.

Photo of the day

from CHEEZBURGER

stories below the fold

So guess who has released a book on ecology?

...there is a big difference between a religion of stewardship, the allows using the environment carefully to benefit people, and the religion of ecology, Which has a Malthusian hatred of poor people.,

Quick: Do you allow mining (which results in destruction of the environment but brings jobs) or forbid it (which results in "mom-pop mining, with lots of accidents, that destroys the environment but keeps most people poor?)

The answer: neither. You allow mining with strict regulation.

However, in the third world, it's a lot cheaper to bribe regulators/politicians to ignore the laws, so the real problem is personal morality.

And here the many small Protestant churches teach hard work and honesty, (which enables them to get and hold jobs) while the Catholics tend to "love" the poor but aren't big on namecalling of crooked politician....so lots of the Catholic (rich elite) establishment prefers to trumpet "green" cliches....and of course, working to " help the poor"...(just ignore that 20 percent skimmed off the top of the funds).

I mean, you don't expect our bishop to refuse to honor the mayor here, whose father ordered the hit that killed our nephew, do you? Or stop the governor from putting in a casino that will bring more drugs and the sex trade to the area?

except of old leftie Archbishop Cruz, who once named names and was sued for libel...
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Via Instapundit:

ACTUALLY, I THINK FACEBOOK WAS JUST A FRONT FOR AN NSA PROJECT TO DEVELOP THIS: An Algorithm That Recognizes Faces Better Than People Do.

Then why does my new tablet say that adding face recognition isn't as good as a password for security, and why does it keep telling me that it can't see my eyes?

Intelligent software in the phone provides face and voice recognition.

The phone will come with a "smart stay" feature that recognizes how a user's eyes are moving when reading an e-book or browsing the Web and will adjust the screen brightness accordingly. In a demonstration video, Samsung showed how the phone's screen will go black when a user's eyes are closed.

Right. Then why does it have that face recognition thingamagiggie to unlock it?

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related item: SavageMindsBlog (an anthropology blog) notes how Facebook is expanding and using our information to increase big business:

Online payment isn’t the problem. Facebook, Google, and others who monopolise and monetise our digital lives on closed centralised systems are. The financialisation of our private lives as well as unwarranted, indiscriminate, illegal, bulk surveillance flourish in these spaces where corporations and governments gain direct access to our private lives.
What we need is a social movement to demand an information commons, decentralised servers, and digital literacy along with so-called financial literacy. We don’t need to hand Facebook yet another key to our private spaces.

and remember: The NSA know what you befriend on facebook...

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Is child sacrifice the way to go if you want to be rich? 

BBC report here. And yes, it happened when I was in Africa...

But I have a correction: these murderers are not "witchdoctors": They are witches.
Witchdoctors are the ones who diagnose witchcraft....

Jamie Uyes (best known for "the gods must be crazy" film) made a film about this called Dingaka. 

of course, killing children so someone can fulfill their dreams would never happen in the civilized world. /s
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one of the doctors killed in Afghanistan was a FilAm pediatrician from Chicago.