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Overnight Open Thread

Evenin' y'all. Hey if you take a break from postin' on the ONT, you just might be able to catch the Lyrid Meteor Shower which peaks tonight. Or if you are too damn lazy to go out and look (or the weather is horrible), you can watch it here at this NASA link. Anyhow, the best time to watch is between midnight and dawn tonight.

Also, those of you with telescopes (I hear Cool Czech has one for his neighborhood watch program) should be able to see the rings of Saturn tonight as well. As for seeing Uranus, you're on your own.

Toss Out The All-Volunteer Armed Forces?

Some dumbass at the Washington Post feels that It's Time To Toss The All-Volunteer Military. Why on Earth would you want to do that? It is by far the most capable, most motivated force on the planet who has no equal. It is EXACTLY what you want defending you.

Resuming conscription is the best way to reconnect the people with the armed services. Yes, reestablishing a draft, with all its Vietnam-era connotations, would cause problems for the military, but those could never be as painful and expensive as fighting an unnecessary war in Iraq for almost nine years. A draft would be good for our nation and ultimately for our military.

Ah what a load of bullshit. If we had the draft in place, we STILL would've entered every single one of the engagements that we have to date. It would not have changed the decision to go in with any of them including Iraq which the author says we entered into recklessly. Congressional debate and approval is reckless? However, I would argue that our successes (and failures) that we have had would've been worse if we had gone with the draft model vice volunteer force.

This screed is really just an anti-war/anti-Iraq platform. He has no interest in ensuring our armed forces are the best and ready to defend our interests in the world. He would actually would prefer us to be weak so we wouldn't get involved in any conflict. It's not about making sure every American serves their country and has some skin in the game as he argues. It's about weakening the military to a point where no politician would ever use them for fear of their lack of ability. No thank you.

I would argue the American people most out of touch with the military today are the snobbish, liberal elite not your everyday, average American. A draft wouldn't fix that disconnect.

Office Supply Weaponry

Malt Liquor Reviews

This could be pretty important info for you on your hobo hunts. You got to know which hobo is drinking the good stuff so it'll taste better. You know, kinda like the difference between Wagyu beef or some meat on a stick in Indonesia. Malt Liquor Reviews. Well, well. I guess Lando Calrissian chose wisely.

Colt 45 (G. Heileman Brewing Co., Detroit, MI)
Flavor: 3, Drinkability: 5, Aesthetics: 1, Engineering: 3, Label: 3, Name: 5, Credibility: 4; Total: 40

This one has it all: a smooth spokesman (Billy Dee Williams), a watery, eminently drinkable texture and, thanks to its omnipresent advertising, a ton of street credibility. Though critics might complain that its flavor and appearance are quite generic, we prefer to think this is because Colt 45 set the standard for the industry. Not to be overlooked is this brand's name. The label and merchandise bear the insignia of a young horse, but we all know what a "Colt 45" really is: a pistol. Though the brand no longer includes an extra five ounces for free (in keeping with its name), you can't beat that combination for 40-ounce imagery: malt liquor and a gun.

Disney Secrets

10 Secrets Form The Wonderful World Of Disney.

2. The Cats Own The Night. Each night at Disneyland, after the sunburned families and exhausted cast members have made their way home, the park fills up again -this time, with hundreds of feral cats. Park officials love the felines because they help control the mouses population. (After all, a park full of cartoon mice is more enticing than a park full of real ones.) But these cats aren’t a new addition to the Disney family. They first showed up at Disneyland soon after it opened in 1955, and rather than spending time chasing them away, park officials decided to put the cats to work. Today, there are plenty of benefits to being a Disney-employed mouser. When they’re not prowling the ground, these corporate fat cats spend their days lounging at one of the park’s five permanent feeding stations. Of course, Disney also goes to great lengths to manage its feline population. Wranglers at the park work to spay and neuter adult cats, and any time kittens are found, they’re put up for adoption.

Deputy Sues For $50 Million

I gotta say, this deputy does not sound too smart. Deputy Files $50M Suit Against Sheriff, Others.

According to Rice's lawsuit, she was still in training in the sheriff's department in July 2006, when Cote made a request.

Cote said he was investigating sexual predators on the internet and was pretending to be a 15 year old girl, but needed pictures "to send to predators if they requested them."

Cote showed Rice pictures of another female deputy, another trainee, as it turned out, that he had taken.

As Rice describes the pictures, the other trainee "was wearing cutoff jean shorts and halter/tank style top." The other trainee "was facing away from the camera with her legs apart and bent over slightly at the hips." Rice thought she'd be photographed roughly the same way.

So she goes off and takes some pics and ends up topless in them. And then the story gets really messy. It's not like they needed photos of officers in order to track down these predators. Any photo on the internet would've sufficed I'm sure. And who was still using 3.5" floppy discs back in 2006?

Air Power

Damn. Looks like the Zoomies had some fun recently. Strike Eagle Extreme: Nearly 70 F-15Es Take To The Sky.

Airmen from the 4th Fighter Wing came together to honor their heritage by launching nearly 70 F-15E Strike Eagles in a Turkey Shoot training mission April 16.

The nearly 70 Strike Eagles taxied one after the next simultaneously down the base flightline before heading to bombing ranges across North Carolina to destroy more than 1,000 targets.

Prometheus

Well, if you morons are bored, go see if you can break some of the codes to unlock material related to the movie Prometheus at their viral marketing site Weyland Industries. This forum here will get you caught up on the code breaking so far. Some pretty sweet images at the site already. Love the ringed planet shot with the towering clouds.
UPDATE: NJRob recommends this site for discussion on finding hidden content on the viral site.

Kitteh Video

In space, no one can hear your meow.

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