Overnight Open Thread

On this day in history, the Japanese Battleship Yamato was sunk by American forces near Okinawa. It is interesting that the Yamato was essentially being used as a sea borne kamikaze on her last mission as she was supposed to move in on Okinawa and beach herself, turning her nine 18.1 inch guns on American forces ashore. Fortunately for US forces, the Yamato was spotted by two US submarines and was engaged well before she could close Okinawa. Here are some summaries and recaps of The Sinking Of the Yamato.

At 12:32 on 7 April 1945, Yamato was attacked by a first wave of 280 aircraft from Task Force 58, taking three hits (two bombs, one torpedo). By 14:00, two of Yamato‘s escorts had been sunk. Shortly afterward, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. At 14:23, having taken 10 torpedo and 7 bomb hits, Yamato‘s forward ammunition magazines detonated. The smoke from the explosion—over 4 miles (6.4 km) high—was seen 100 miles (160 km) away on Kyūshū. An estimated 2,498 of the 2,700 crew members on Yamato were lost, including Vice-Admiral Seiichi Itō, the fleet commander.

Carter VS Obama

I'd have to say if you are having to defend and compare your record to Jimmy Carter's, you're kinda losing the battle already. Democrats Deny Parallels Between President Obama And Carter. You can deny all you want, but the Carter years look a bit better when compared to the Obama years.

Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who served as senior advisor to Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, said Obama will win if the economy continues to show improvement. But he warned that the climb to victory would be much tougher if the economy shows mixed signals.

“People aren’t expecting you to be at 3.9 percent unemployment. They want to get a sense that things are turning around,” he said. “So long as data is out there that things are beginning to turn around in the right direction, he wins. If the data is inconsistent, it’s a much bigger challenge.”

And here's the MSM right on cue. Four Weeks Of Deja Vu Propaganda from Zerohedge. Practically a month straight with the SAME headline touting rosy economic news.

How about this from noted economist Fareed Zakaria. Wait, what? Ah BS, he ain't no economist and he sure as hell didn't stay at the Holiday Inn Express last night!

The American recovery is not as vigorous as one might hope, but it is remarkably broad-based. Manufacturing is up - including, for the first time in thirty years, non-technology based manufacturing. Retail sales are up; consumer confidence and spending are growing. The new employment numbers are encouraging. American businesses continue to do astonishingly well. Corporate profitability continues to grow and the stock market reflects this.

Liquid Body Armor

This looks promising. Liquid Body Armor Hardens On Impact.

A revolutionary new armor relies on a liquid that hardens when something hits it, promising unprecedented protection while letting soldiers move freely, unrestricted by bulk and weight.
The liquid can even be pasted between sheets of Kevlar, the body armor standard considered five times stronger than steel -- and transforming it into super armor thinner and about half the weight of the average bullet-proof vest.

Formally known as Shear Thickening Liquid, the fluid has special particles that are freely suspended. The particles collide when the fluid is disturbed, which creates a resistance to the disturbance.

Real Life Disney Princesses

Photographer Ryan Astamendi did some remarkable work Bringing Disney Princesses To Life.

Economic Boozin'

I know, I know, there isn't supposed to be math on the ONT but hey, this is important if you're gonna throw a party and need to really know what to get when you are on a limited budget. Good news, vodka is number one so your stockpile of val-u-rite is right on. The Five Most Mathematically Essential Bottles Of Booze.

Puddy Tat Video

Indiana Jones is a pussy. No really. He's a cat.

Mystery Of The Bumble Bees

Remember back in 2006 when the bumble bees started disappearing? Well, it seems we might have an answer. Mass Bee Colony Collapse Linked To High Fructose Corn Syrup. Yeah, that's right. High fructose syrup.

Scientists with the Harvard School of Public Health recreated the Colony Collapse Disorder that had everyone scrambling to hoard up the last of the honey. They did it by giving them imidacloprid, which is a basic and popular pesticide.

This pesticide doesn't kill bees immediately, but it does mess with their honing systems and makes it difficult for them to find their hives again.

Of course, no one is pouring pesticide on bees, but bee-keepers did begin feeding bees with high-frutose corn syrup. And corn is sprayed with imidacloprid.

While the alarming drop in U.S. bumble bee populations is the latest news suggesting disastrous consequences from unpredictable climate change and environmental degradation, it is only a small portion of the bigger picture. Countless species are dying out at increasing rates, and the unforeseen effects from such losses could likely be devastating to the environment.

Happy Easter everyone!

Tonight's ONT brought to you by a celebrity Easter Bunny:

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