The unimportant news thread

[Karl Henning]

How good and pleasant that we can read that in The unimportant news thread!

[Cato]

File under: Holy ...

Having grown up near Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, I can attest that squadrons of B-52's and their KC-135 tankers were in the air daily back in the good old days!

We were often told "officially" that no nuclear bombs were in the airplanes, and if they were in the B-52's, that they could not detonate because of all the safeguards.

But everyone knew...it was just the risk of living in the Cold War.

[Karl Henning]

Ah, yes, all the safeguards . . . although Kubrick made it into a black comedy, the source novel for Dr Strangelove was apparently in dead earnest.

[Todd]

I was wondering what Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been up to lately.

[knight66]

Goodness me, he has let himself go.

Mike

[Parsifal]

The New York City Opera is closing, after 70 years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/arts/music/city-opera-takes-what-is-expected-to-be-a-final-bow.html?_r=0

[Szykneij]

After some initial digs, a Dutch filmmaker believes he may have found the site of buried Nazi treasure long rumored to exist. He was led to the Bavarian town of Mittenwald after cracking a code believed to be hidden in a music score --  an annotated score of the "March Impromptu" by composer Gottfried Federlein.


http://abcnews.go.com/International/secret-code-music-score-lead-nazi-gold/story?id=20323786

[Todd]

Nazi gold is even better than pirate gold!

[Todd]

So, I'm guessing gas prices should be coming down soon . . .

[Parsifal]

According to this Times article, one reason the NY City Opera went bust is some of its wealthy patrons weren't amused the production of an Opera based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith and the octogenarian oil tycoon she married.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/arts/music/the-frenzied-last-act-effort-to-save-city-opera.html?hp

[Todd]

This must be part of the 'winning hearts and minds' strategy.

[Todd]

Nothing to see here.

[Todd]

In the words of Richie Cusack from A History of Violence: "How do you fuck that up?"

[Brian]

Man shot in Russian grocery after argument over Kant

[Todd]

I love Mitch McConnell.  The fact that he can plausibly deny involvement makes me love him even more. 

[Sergeant Rock]

House Stenographer Snaps, Rants About Freemasons, During Late-Night Vote

Have we found snyprrr?

Sarge

[Brian]

House Stenographer Snaps, Rants About Freemasons, During Late-Night Vote

Have we found snyprrr?

Sarge

The idea of snyprrr being female boggles my mind.

[Parsifal]

another feel-good tale

[Todd]

Um, ouch.

[kishnevi]

Um, ouch.

That sort of thing used to happen in Britain back in the 18th century from time to time, and the official policy was always (according to a quick check of Blackstone's Commentaries) to re-hand the condemned person,  on the technical grounds that since death had not resulted, the hanging had not been carried out the first time--and on the practical grounds that to otherwise would inevitably result in collusion and corruption if someone could arrange a mock hanging.