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In spite of each evening's forecast for the following day, the weather remains perfect. It rained in the early morning but cleared with the sun shining and a cool breeze.
Today we decided to take it easy, with a stroll downtown to do some souvenir shopping but in the late afternoon we went to the Shrine of St. Therese. What a wonderful hidden treasure.
I was thankful to have visited the chapel to personally show my appreciation for the good fortune.
Some things can be overwhelming. And a place where just walking out the front door can fill you with quieting self awareness the awe inspiring sights can be exponential.
American Bald Eagles are a common sight, perched on trees or power-line towers, resting, observing and waiting for their next meal.
Yesterday we went to watch Humpback Whales feed in the waters off of Juneau, and boy did we see whales. At least six whales were feeding together in the same area, which is uncommon as they typically feed alone. The guide could only guess that the area was rich in food attracting them all.
I was able to get the short video of one near our boat.
On the way back, we passed an eagle perched on a buoy with a few sea lions basking in the sun at the base of the buoy.
Today we visited Mendenhall Glacier where you can also see salmon spawning and black bears feasting on them. We didn't get to see any bears, but perhaps tomorrow, since it is about 10 minutes away, we will.
Click the thumbs for larger photos.
Fifteen hours but we made it to Juneau. I'm too tired to explain the journey but I wanted to share this photo of Mt. Rainier. It was the view on the flight into Seattle. Click the thumbnail for a larger version.
Truthers get whacked. The History Channel had a show last night, 9/11 Conspiracies: Fact or Fiction, where they debunked all the theories.
The show was based primarily on the Popular Mechanics debunking, but also included other opinions and interviews.
From remote controlled airplanes flying into the WTC towers to devices that can recreate a voice to fake passenger calls from a hijacked plane (yes, they do believe that) these poor fools are cut down.
As a commenter highlighted a quote form the show on the Hot Air thread, "trutherism is a narcissistic mental illness -- that has got to be one of the best tags I’ve ever seen. That absolutely nails it."
Here is a story I've been following at Hot Air where you have an AFP photo and caption that are obviously fabricated to create a negative story on the war. Basically the MSM's strategy is to take their agenda seeking narrative and fill in the blanks around it with fiction. I like John Leo's take on this phenomenon:
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We now live in a docudrama world in which techniques of fiction and nonfiction are starting to blur. Many reporters think objectivity is a myth. They see journalism as inherently a subjective exercise in which the feelings and the will of the journalist function to reveal the truth of what has occurred. Two results |
The narrative in the case of the magic bullet photos is that US soldiers are murderous animals, terrorizing civilians at will. And this narrative is enforced by major politicians. When Barak Obama suggests our current strategy in Afghanistan is "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians", it just continues the cycle.
Here are some photos of the damage from the F2 tornado that touched down in Brooklyn on August 8, 2007. Click on the photo below to get to a gallery.
Nobody was injured. And from what I understand, the tornado only touched down for an instant on this block.
I meant to point out this article the other day but I got distracted by the tornado. Ion Mihai Pacepa writes in the WSJ about the Soviet era anti-American offensive and how it applied to current political partisanship.
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But as someone who escaped from communist Romania--with two death sentences on his head--in order to become a citizen of this great country, I have a hard time understanding why some of our top political leaders can dare in a time of war to call our commander in chief a "liar," a "deceiver" and a "fraud." I spent decades scrutinizing the U.S. from Europe, and I learned that international respect for America is directly proportional to America's own respect for its president. |
An interesting read. Has the opposition achieved its objective of making people believe we're more of a threat than jihadists?
What could be described as a tornado touched down in my neighborhood, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
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A heavy storm with tornado-like winds ripped the roofs off several houses in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, damaging several houses and downing a number of trees. Flatbush residents also reported damaged houses and crushed cars along several blocks. |
I witnessed some of the aftermath during my commute in this morning. I saw several large trees uprooted with cars crush underneath, storefronts damaged, and various items strewn across the city streets. The localized damage, as there was no indication of anything severe a mere block away, gave this storm a tornado-like appearance.
I may have some photos coming later today.
Here is some aerial footage of the scene in Bay Ridge from FoxNY.
I'm not sure how long the live footage will be available so here is a link to the story from FoxNY.
**Update** The National Weather Service has confirmed that a class F2 tornado touched down in Brooklyn.
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National Weather Service meteorologists, investigating storm damage in the Bay Ridge area with New York City Emergency Management officials, have confirmed that a tornado did in fact touch down on parts of Brooklyn Wednesday morning. The tornado's heavy winds, estimated to have been up to 111 to 135 miles per hour, tore through sections of Brooklyn, damaging roughly 40 buildings and downing dozens of trees. Residents in the Bay Ridge, Flatbush and Sunset Park neighborhoods reported damaged houses and hundreds of crushed cars along several blocks. Meteorologists say the tornado path started in Bay Ridge just after 6:30 a.m. and continued on an east-northeast path across 68th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. Eleven homes along that part of the tornado’s path suffered moderate to severe roof damage. |
**Update** The New York Post has a photo gallery showing the damage.
The New York Daily News has details on the path of the tornado.
Picture taken from The New York Daily News website.
Strange things going in the waters of NY.
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A strange-looking submarine was spotted Friday near the docked Queen Mary II, and NYPD Harbor and SCUBA units arrested three people for questioning. The vessel, with one person inside, and an inflatable boat carrying two people, were spotted near a security zone around the luxury ocean liner docked at the cruise ship terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn. |
I can see the Queen Mary from my office window, but nothing looks out of the ordinary.
Bad camera-phone picture, I know. The ship is on the left through a hazy NY summer day.
Here is what this sub looked like from WCBSTV website.
When terrorists attempted to car bomb Glasgow Airport, John Smeaton, a Scottish baggage handler, came to the aid of a police officer who was trying to take down one of the drivers. Smeaton met with British Prime Minster, Gordon Brown today, who wanted to thank him personally.
Ok. So now what Lefties?
Messiah: Hey, let’s invade Pakistan
I'm sure he'll go to the UN for approval first...right?