PARIS, France (AFP-N) – Terror Alert Level Raised!
In the wake of the London bombings, which killed 54 people, French President Jacques Chirac has ordered his country’s terror alert level raised from “Run” to “Hide.”
The only two higher terror alert levels in France are “Surrender” and “Collaborate.”
The increased level was precipitated by the recent fire which destroyed one of France’s white flag factories, thus disabling much of their military.
Thanks, Pop!
Omar, out. 
I know just how “geeky” it sounds, but if I had to pick one television show that has had the most influence upon my life I’d have to say it is Star Trek, (and the resulting spin-offs). Yesterday the news hit me that one of the immortal characters from the first series has passed on through the Galactic Barrier… Engineer Montgomary Scott, actor James Doohan, is gone from us at last.
James Doohan was born on March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and spent his early years in there and in Sarnia, Ontario. Surviving the anguish of living with an alcoholic father, he left home at age 19 to join the Canadian Forces, fighting with the Allies in World War II. After outscoring his fellow soldiers on an officer’s exam, he became Captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery. While leading his men into battle on D-Day, Doohan was wounded in the leg and hand, and eventually lost a finger. For the remainder of the war, he became a pilot observer, and received the dubious distinction of being called the “craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Forces.”
After returning home to Canada, Doohan performed a few scenes for the local radio station, and was awarded a two-year scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Beginning in 1946, he trained at the Playhouse with Sanford Meisner, alongside such future stars as Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Jackie Gleason.
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In the ensuing eight years, Doohan shuttled between New York and Canada where he worked on 4000 radio programs, 400 live and taped variety and dramatic television shows, several films and plays. Though he became known as Canada’s busiest actor, he eventually found himself following other fellow actors in the pilgrimage to Hollywood. There, his versatility and talent as a dialectician helped him earn parts in more than 100 motion pictures and television series, including The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Fantasy Island, “Loaded Weapon 1″ and “Double Trouble.” He has also appeared in the first seven Star Trek motion pictures.
The word is given… Warp Speed, Scotty. We’ll miss you.
Omar, out.
There is a new critter at Omar’s Pleasure Palace!
Meet “Petey“. She’s a Quaker. Simply beautiful bird. She is now 15 years old, and has a very large vocabulary that I’m trying not to corrupt with Navy slang. Well, except for “FUBAR!“, that is…
Omar, out.
I was right.
The ex-husband did hit the wrong guy!
I’m still wondering where the mother of little girls gets off letting registered sex offenders stay in her house, though…
Omar, out.
As I sat down to post this morning I had the sudden urge to listen to Boy George and the Culture Club. That’s pretty damned strange, but last night was even stranger here at Omar’s Pleasure Palace & Private Zoo. Let me give you a few points to ponder…
Yesterday evening Lady Beth’s childhood friend, and all around good guy, “D” came by to cut the jungle back from its rapid advancement upon our castle. While he finished up the back yard Yours Truly took the opportunity to practice with my snake whip by using it to neatly trim a hedge or two. (Damned thing cuts the ends of hedge limbs as clean as a knife!) After a few minutes the heat and humidity made life a bit unpleasant, (not to mention my shoulder was on fire again…), so I headed back to the front door. That’s when I noticed the guy running up the street. He was being chased by two dogs, but since he was running so slow I figured they had to be his and he was just out jogging.
In this heat, though? And why would he have his face painted red? Hey, to each his own. After all, I prefer kilts and Macabi’s to pants, so who am I to judge?
Well, as he got closer it became clear that the red ‘paint’ was actually blood. He yelled for someone to call 911 and that someone was trying to kill him – and then passed out cold in my front yard. Looked to me that they might have succeeded in doing the poor bastard in! He had a four inch gash in his scalp and another one – about two inches long – over his right eye. Just then, a guy down at the corner started screaming for me to kill the dude because he was a child molester.
Child molester? In this neighborhood? Can’t be. Anyhoo, the guy at the corner hopped in a truck and drove off. I wobbled over to the front door, informed my daughter, grabbed the phone, dialed 911, snatched the first aid kit, and went back to the bloody mess of a guy in my yard. The 911 operator wanted to have a conversation, however I just wanted an ambulance and a cop. My way won out. Mainly because I hung up on her!
The dude was conscious again. I asked him his name and what had happened. I placed a compression bandage against the larger wound, then decided against too much pressure. His skull felt a bit spongy. Not a good sign! His story was that he was staying a a woman’s home down the street because her ex was giving her fits and he was there to discourage further problems. (He failed, it seems.) The woman had left with her kids so he decided to nap a while. He was literally jogged to wakefulness when a two-by-four decended upon his top knot – twice! He told me the ex-husband had done it. Then he went out again. Damned bad timing. I wanted to know more about this child molester crap. Before he regained wakefulness again the police and fire had arrived.
The cops walked down to the house in question while the injured was being treated. One of them was promptly bit by one of the dogs that was chasing the guy up the street. It was then that I just knew it was going to be a long evening.
To jump to the end, the bleeding guy wasn’t “wanted” for anything, and as far as we know wasn’t a registered sex offender. Of course, the police were not being all that forthcoming with the information they had either. As usual. However, a registered sex offender had been arrested in that house just two nights previously, though I had no clue this had occurred. (Makes you wonder about this woman’s thinking, doesn’t it? She has three kids and lets an offender enter her home. What the hell is the bitch thinking?!) The house, by the way, is a rental. Something new in our neighborhood.
As near as I can figure, the ex-husband heard about a sex offender living with his kids, came over with a 2×4, let himself in, and then cracked the wrong skull! Now he is wanted on assault & battery with intent to kill.
The moral of this story is thus:
Be it with a gun, or a 2×4, you must be sure of your target before firing – or swinging!
If he had crushed the skull of the child molester no one would have cared, but he screwed up and now his life is headed downhill for sure. Oh! The dog that bit the cop is a Blue Heeler and was taken to the pound for observation. The woman with a taste for child molesters is being evicted from the house ASAP. The neighborhood has learned a lesson as well. We will be watching much more closely and will be proactive in keeping these waste-of-flesh asswipes from entering our quiet little neighborhood in the future.
Updates on this as the info becomes available.
Omar, out.
There’s some mighty fine advice in these words! Especially numbers 12 and 16.
ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, “I love you,” mean it.
FIVE. When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone’s dream. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don’t judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.
Omar, out.
It’s been a while since I posted anything from Pop. This seemed as good as anything…
I remember the story about the old country preacher who had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought along the line of choosing a profession…
Like many young men, then and now, the boy didn’t really know what he wanted to do – and he didn’t seem overly concerned about it.
One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. What he did was, he went into the boy’s room and placed on his study table these three objects: a Bible, a silver dollar, and a bottle of whiskey…
“Now then,” the old preacher said to himself, “I’ll just hide behind the door here, and when my son comes home from school this afternoon, I’ll see which of these three objects he picks up. If he picks up the Bible, he’s going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing that would be!If he picks up the dollar, he’s going to be a businessman, and that would be o.k. too. But if he picks up the bottle, he’s going to be a drunkard – a no-good drunkard and Lord, what a shame that would be.”
The old man was anxious as he waited, and soon he heard his son’s footsteps as he came in the house whistling and headed back to his room. He deposited his books on the bed, as a matter of routine, and as he turned around to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table.
With a curious set in his eye, he walked over to inspect them. What he finally did was, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink…
“Lord have mercy,” the old man whispered, “He’s gonna be a SUBMARINER!“
Wha…? Like that’s a bad thing?
Omar, out!
All is well in Mobile, AL.
We rode out the effects of the hurricane in our home and in total comfort – this time. I was very hapy to be able to call Graumagus last night and report the “all-clear”. (Thanks for all the help, Grau!)
I took Lady Beth to work this morning and then drove around Tillman’s Corner to see what damage I could locate. All I saw were two or three, 3 inch diameter, trees (shrubs) that were uprooted, a few already-dead limbs down, and all of the drainage ditches were scoured clean, (a good thing).
We really dodged a bullet on this one. Two things happened to make it possible. First, the storm started making jogs to the North, finally settling down on a due North heading. Second, when this monster got close to land and saw the beach it apparently got scared and lost a lot of its determination. Therefore it hit land as a moderate Cat. 3 and not a raging Cat. 4.
Don’t get me wrong. The folks over in Pensacola, FL, and especially around Santa Rosa are “hurtin’ fer sher”. Some major damage was recorded in Gulf Shores as well. Continue to pray for those folks and donate to relief organizations – except for the bloody Red Cross who refused to open shelters for the folks who had no where else to go and ran away. Send them dog shyte in small boxes.
So, word is that we are all just fine. DSL was out for a bit, but we never lost power during the storm. There isn’t even much clean up to do. I’m going out to take down the plywood from the windows as soon as I can get Clancy up and dressed to help. We are not going to put it up though. So far, out of 4 named storms, 3, (Arlene, Cindy, & Dennis) have had the central Gulf Coast as their bullseye. We’ll just keep those window covers handy, our batteries stocked, and a weather-eye to the South.
Watch yer top-knot!
Omar, out.
So far all the pets and the rescues are doing well, save for Ol’ Buck. He’s quivering all over. Most are sleeping.
Power just came back on along with the cable. Went off for no reason at 3AM. Will go again soon due to the storm, no doubt.
“Dennis” is a Catagory 4 with 140+ MPH winds. The storm has turned due North. Great news for us if it keeps that course. Very bad for Pensacola/Destin Beach, Florida. We fully expect it to resume a NW heading at any moment. Tropical storms “Arlene” and “Cindy” ate a total of 150 feet of Pensacola’s 300 foot wide beach. They were just wee storms. This may take the rest. Current waves are in excess of 40 feet in the Gulf right now. I-10 bridges and tunnels are all closed. Where ever you are – you are stuck. Winds picking up by the moment, but rain is light currently. Atmospheric pressure is so low that this will go into the history books as the strongest storm to ever hit this part of the Gulf Coast. Spooky, eh?
Neighbors are partying. 
We are supposed to have hurricane force winds within the hour. I’m amazed that I’m still online! Just hope I can post this before power fails again. Remember to keep checking Frizzen Sparks once I’m offline. I’ll try to contact Graumagus as soon as is humanly possible after the battering is over.
I’m beginning to hear thunder in the distance. I’ll log off for now.
Keep praying – for everyone!
From Mobile, AL -
Omar, out.
This will likely be my last post until the storm is over and DSL, or at least Dial-Up, service is restored. I am currently running on generator power as our power went out at 2:35AM for reasons as yet unknown. Other neighborhoods have power still. Cable is also out. Water and phone/DSL still up but only shortly, I’m sure.
“Dennis” is now a monster in every sense of the word. I’d give much-loved portions of my anatomy if Lady Beth and Clancy would have got in the car a couple of hours ago and headed West. I would have gladly stayed with the beasties so they could be safe. Both women are stubborn, though.
People nearby were boarding up until 3AM this morning. Now there are generators running in locations over the entire neighborhood. I can see three home from my backyard. Two of those families are staying, one is on vacation (Bless their good luck!). From the middle of the street in front, I can count fourteen homes. All but one has someone staying in it. The same thing has occurred in every neighborhood we’ve contacted. If you see reports of the mass exodus out of Mobile County by the Governor’s request, it simply isn’t true. People are staying.
… and we all may live to regret it. Gods, how I hope not.
I’m a wee bit morbid-sounding, I know. I’ve not slept now in three days and I’ve far exceeded what I should do with my back. My pain meds are not very effective right now.
Main thing is: Pray for us – all of us – on the Gulf Coast. We will need it.
Until better times all future postings will be made on Frizzen Sparks.
Omar, out – for a while.
Ok. Everything that can be done is done – except for mopping the floor, and that can wait for a bit – damn it.
I was in desperate need of a shower, my pain meds, and a chair. Just have to swallow a few pills and I’ll be done.
The first rain band came through a couple of hours ago. Heavy rain, lots of lightning. Got to watch Mike Siddell of the Weather Channel eat dirt when a lightning bolt impacted near him out on the causeway. Made my day.
I just heard back from Graumagus over at Frizzen Sparks. He will be posting updates that I’ll call in to him on a cell phone. (Thanks, Grau!) If you want updates from a REAL person within the impact zone, keep a check on Frizzen Sparks!
More later.
Omar, out.
Remember this? “Angles & Dangles!“
Omar, (who is taking a break from storm preps…), out.
We are still planning on staying.
The kids are headed to Meridian, Mississippi. Tony will meet them there tomorrow evening.
Our generator is now up and running! Behold! The sound of POWER! A running generator is a very good thing.
My new brother-in-law’s family has offered a house in Meridian for us as well, (Thanks, guys!), but all of the old arguements persist. We can’t simply run. Fortunately, most of our neighborhood is staying as well. Together we are a very strong little community. If Hurricane “Ivan” is any example, the minute the wind drops below 60MPH everyone will be out to check on neighbors and help those in need. A network of power cables will appear between those with generators and those without. Those with transportation will shuttle in gas & food, and those with cash will help those without. And, of course, we will ALL be watching for looters, (we need the target practice), and price-gougers, (for our local District Attourney to deal with…).
As for the “mandatory evacuation“of Mobile – and now Baldwin – Counties… We now know why the Governor has done this silly thing. The Red Cross has refused to open any shelters in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. They say they can’t handle the weather. Our local School Districts have stepped in to fill the void, though. They are opening schools to those that need to get out of low areas prone to flooding. Count on it – the Red Cross just lost its ass in Southern Alabama. They won’t see another dime from either county. Screw them.
That’s it for now… More as – and when – I can.
Omar, out.
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