I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

This was mildly amusing:

Every year, a southern California community that's fraught with an epidemic of gang and gun crime, takes a couple of weekends near the Christmas holiday, to allow residents to exchange their firearms for gifts. A gun turned in gets a 100 dollar gift card. A person turning in an assult rifle gets 200 dollars credit. The cards allow the person to either shop at the Target department store (an upscale walmart for the middle and upper middle classes), Best Buy electronics, or a west coast grocery chain known as "Ralph's Supermarkets." In previous years, most people opted for the electronics or department store.

This year, the bulk of the peole turning in guns are going for the groceries. A record number of people handed in approx. 965 firearms and two grenades. Last year that number was 387. People went to a drop off centre at a local grocery store's car park. After checking to see if any of the weapons had been used in any criminal activities, police then destroyed the weapons by melting them down.

Some weapons were not modern though: one man brought in a Soviet carbine from the Cold War era. Also, several antique firearms were turned in, as well as some older hunting rifles.

In the past, people handing in guns wanted the gift cards to buy Christmas presents for themselves and their families. Not so, this year: This year, most asked for the supermarket cards, said sheriff's Sgt. Byron Woods. "People just don't have the money to buy the food these days," he said.

Compton's violent history has been chronicled in such gangsta rap albums as N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton." But Woods said most of the residents who turned in weapons were "family people."

"One guy said he had just got laid off from his job," Woods said. "He turned in five guns and said it would really help him to put food on the family's table."

It's interesting to note, that in one news story I read about this, there was mention of someone trying to turn in a "hair gun," passing it off as a weapon. I had to look that one up...it's a 1000 watt hair dryer, available at bathroom grafitti .com --here's what a "hair gun" looks like:

Well, now I've done it to myself.

I just gave the building manager my first informal notice of my intent to move. I can't take anymore! Those brats upstairs have been thumping and banging on my ceiling from midnight to now--half-past three am in the morning!

One thump was so bad, it knocked this framed 1850's horse print I have, off the wall in the living room!

I'm so pissed right now, if I believed in violence, I'd grab something heavy and kill the little bastard. My blood pressure is probably through the roof. I'm f'ing exhausted and I can't sleep, 'cos every time I get settled into bed, they start up again. His name is Josh, by the way. Josh the brainless arsehole. I don't know if it's drugs, drink, or if the kid has Attention Deficit Disorder, and I don't care---even now, someone is thumping back and forth and back and forth across the floor upstairs--for a teenager, he walks like King Kong with lead boots on. Stinking hyperactive little monkey boy.

I mean, I can live with some normal amount of noise--a thin-walled apartment building is hardly a vacuum! My stinking hillbilly neighbours let their stinking dog bark and howl at midnight, and I've learned to live with it. But, I'm funny in that I think after 1am, people should TRY to be f'ing be quiet. I mean, if it were just a party once or twice a month, fine. This is getting to be every other f'ing night, of late!

It's effecting my health and my job and my whole life. I am paying 625 dollars a month for this rathole, where I can't sleep at night, three or four nights out of a week?

It's a good thing I'm not suicidal, cos right now, I feel really depressed and angry and helpless. Nothing good ever lasts, and I guess I had a half a good Christmas this year...what with the news of my nephew's stupidity, and now me being forced to give my notice...or get sick or lose my job, from lack of sleep if I stay.

I'm such a loser: I hate my job, I hate my "home," my neighbours suck, I'm totally trapped in this city, I may have to put one or more of my cats to sleep, if I do move...I really do envy my late mum, sometimes...thank god she's not around to see what a piece of chav rubbish I've become.

This has a lot of scenes already shown...but, it's got one really cool teaser...Tennant finlly unsheaths his...well, you'll just have to watch the video.

Since I first heard this song played on the Hudson River Sampler--a folk music show on a college radio station just across the river from me, WRPI in troy NY , on Christmas eve of 1984, and on every single Christmas ever since then, I can say that I do get a bit choked up--and even to this day, a tear still comes to my eye.

This, simple, short ballad, is to me, one of the most moving Christmas songs of all time. You of course may not agree with me, but I dare you to listen and not feel...something.

Find out more about the true story behind this song, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_In_The_Trenches_(John_McCutcheon_Song)

Here's the news from my region of the state:

A local pilot from Lake George, NY died yesterday, when his plane crashed into a moblie home (caravan) in Michigan. Thankfully, the owners of the home were outside shoveling snow, at the time.

The occupants of the trailer said that the plane circled low overhead twice, before clipping some trees, then the back edge of their home, before coming to rest in front of their barn.

The pilot was an experienced flyer, who was enroute to our local airport--about 3 miles west of my location--having taken off from an airport in Minnesota early that afternoon. He was due in to our airport in Queensbury around half-past 5pm, but contact with the pilot was lost with the plane around 2:20 PM--a monitoring website, which tracks a plane's movements, indicates that a little after 2pm, the plane began rising and lowering its elevation. The tracker shows the flight stopped at 3: 14pm, Eastern Standard Time, the time of the crash.

It was snowing and temperatures were low, at the time of the crash, but it is not yet known if this was a factor, although when percepitation intensified, it is known that the pilot had tried to divert to a small airport in nearby Traverse City, Michigan. Also, the pilot had told the tower at Traverse City, that he'd encountered icing. According to the local paper, this can change the contour of an aircraft's wing.

The plane was said to be a 2 year old Cesna 206, and the pilot passionate about flying. Apparently he was well-experienced in handling craft of this type, having flown 2000 hours in 3 years. He was well thought of by both his friends, his flight instructors and people in local aviation. He was described as warm, friendly and intensely into planes and flying. The amatuer pilot was the owner of a local logging company. My condolences go out to his family and friends.

______________________________________________________________________

In other news:

High winds hit the area this afternoon, and power outages were expected...tho' we had no issues here.

A local professor at a posh private college in Saratoga Springs--fifteen miles south of this city--who wrote a book of short stories, has been named by the New York Times as having written one of the ten best selling books of the year. The book is titled, Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories

The local kennel club had a holiday festivity for dog owners, which included having the pet's picture taken with Santa.

The local vocational training center will be closed tomorrow, due to a water main break.

Local resturants, hotels and other venues who host holiday parties, are seeing a shrinkage of business this year, due to the recession.

A man was arrested for attempted armed robbery and attempted assult, when he tried to rob an elderly woman in the Walmart car park Saturday. She did not hand over her money, and the man fled. Based on her description, and the direction the man fled, police quickly nabbed the suspect at his room in a nearby welfare motel, where he ran to after the robbery attempt. Because of previous convictions, the man is being held in jail, having not been able to post the 200,000 dollar bail bond the judge landed him with.

A local man was arrested on felony DWI charges, when officers pulled him over for drink driving. The man's blood alcohol content was 4 times over the legal limit. The man has two other previous convictions, and is also being ticketed with "failure to keep right." (bearing in mind that we drive on the right side, over here, not the left).

Two Saratoga County men, from across the bridge in South Glens Falls, were arrested for attacking a bouncer at a South Street bar. They gave the bouncer a bloody nose and other facial injuries, causing him to be taken to the local hospital up the street. Charges are pending for the pair of men on assult and resisting arrest.

A New York City man was arrested in Glens Falls on felony drug charges for selling crack cocaine and marijuana. The crack was found during a body cavity search. Police found him at a home just up the street from me. He is also being held in the Warren County Jail for lack of 200,000 dollar bail bond, or 100,000 cash.

__________________________________________________________________

Good news story:

A nice feature article on the Double L Horse Ranch, in the rural Washington county town of Argyle, New York. Double L Ranch is an equine rescue centre--but, it also has volunteers from the local programme for people with develpmental disabilites. Workers from CWI, which is a vocational center for those with developmental and other disabilites, buses out some of its workers to help out with the horses, ponies and foals.

As a former handicapped riding volunteer for two riding centres, I can vouch for how much these wonderful people love being around the horses, and how well people with emotional, mental and/or physical challenges, do when their in contact with animals...and, for the most part, the animals respond to the love and joy they receive, with patience and kindness of thier own.

One of the farm's residents is Rusty. Rusty is a 21-year-old retired Saddlebred show horse and now divides his time between being spoiled and working as a therapy horse. Another horse is Apogee. Apogee is an 18-year-old retired harness racer who Hahn took on last year. Hahn is caring for 15 horses currently and has seven on a waiting list at the sanctuary.

Good for you, Double L, well done!

*photo by Pruitt, post-star

...and before any nutjobs start yelling at me...I have actually heard Welsh spoken before, at a festival in Vermont, where a lot of the Welsh immigrated to, to work in the marble and slate quarries there...it's a beautiful language, but the dubbing voices on this are bloody awful!

Saw these in Tractor Supply company the other day---this, mind you, is a holiday celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, right?

Okay...brace yourselves...American rednecks can now decorate their trees and homes with...

Shotgun shell christmas lights. Yes, nothing says, "Happy Birthday Jesus" like a string of light up shotgun shells!

And then there's these ornaments for the redneck tree....

And finally, only a redneck would find this amusing--for more than 5 min.

I just got sent another meme...but I really do like this one. It's called the "mall meme" but I call it the "window shopping" meme, cos of course I'm gonna' look at stuff I'll never be able to buy, ha-ha.

RULES: you've been given 10,000 in virtual currency. You must answer each question by going to various websites and pick out pictures of the things that most appeal to you.

1. You are on a date or going out to dinner with your partner. You're going to an expensive resturant first, and then out dancing. You need an outfit, what do you buy?

2. You are going out with some close friends for the afternoon, what would you buy?

3. You are going to the county fair, what do you buy?

4. You are pursuing your favourite sports or leisure activity, what do you buy?

(NOTE: The blouse on the far right is the one I'd "buy."

5. You have an important business meeting to go to, what do you buy?

6. You are going to New York City for the day, to shop, stroll through Central Park and Times Square, visit a museum, eat a casual meal and later see a play. You can only wear one outfit, what would you buy?