The Mayor Of Baltimore

During the riots in Baltimore on Monday evening into Tuesday morning, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that she didn't say what she did say a few short days before the violence erupted. Two short videos below the fold.

Tenth Blog Anniversary

Personal milestone: I've persevered for ten years!

After lurking and occasionally commenting for years at Jihad Watch, followed by a stint at Northern Virginistan, I established my own blog HERE at my original Always On Watch site, then moved HERE, and finally to the present location.

A special thanks to my dear friend Warren, who designed my avatar and the template for this blog and the previous one, and to my first cyber friend Mustang, who suggested that I add the Latin phrase Semper Vigilans to my blog header.

I also want to thank my friend Beakerkin, who introduced me (aka "the upstart") to "the whole gang" via the electronic bar.  Those were the days!

Thanks to all of my friends — and, yes, even to some of my adversaries — here in the blogosphere.  You deserve much of the credit for my having continued with this blogging endeavor.

Suggested as my theme song by more than one blogger:

  And "the bad moon" is ???

Absurdity Abounds

So much for PBS's integrity:


PBS's own statement about their funding

Sunday Humor

(For other material, please scroll down)

Another of my Facebook finds — and too true:

Open Thread

(For other material, please scroll down)

So, what's on your mind?

Here is your chance to opine within the parameters listed below:

Thought For These Times

For both better and for worse...

[image credit]

A weird story posted recently at WTOP: Lawn mower shoots 3-inch wire up man’s nose, into his head. Detailed story with images and video HERE. Perhaps strangest of all is that the man is none the worse for what happened.

Implied License

Go ahead and spend big bucks for a John Deere, but you don't really own it. Instead, you have an implied license for the life of the vehicle to operate the vehicle [source, dated April 21, 2015].

Furthermore, this war on private ownership is not limited to John Deere. General Motors is involved as well.

Excerpt from the article at Wired (emphases mine):

Inconvenient Realities About Hillary Clinton

Words from Hillary Clinton's own mouth condemn her:


There are more inconvenient realities about Hillary Clinton. Please weigh in with those in the comments section for this blog post.

College Education Today

The fleecing perpetrated by rising college tuition.

Full article below the fold.

Musical Interlude

(For other material, please scroll down)

Something unusual and lesser-known for this musical interlude:


About the composers:

Bernardo Pasquini (1637–1710)

Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583–1643)

Johann Rosenmüller (1619–1684)

Open Thread

(For other material, please scroll down)

So, what's on your mind?

Two links to get this thread started:

(1) Mom abandoned quadriplegic son in woods for days

(2) Islamic State group destroys ancient ruins of Nimrud.

Here is your chance to opine within the parameters listed below:

Hillary As Populist Candidate (With Addendum)

Really? A lot of staging going on:

Also see the photo essay I Am An ‘Everyday Iowan’ And Here Is How Close I Got To Hillary Clinton Today.

ADDENDUM

I posted this same graphic on my Facebook page. Guess what? Facebook admin removed the photo in less than two hours.

Hillary has gremlins at Facebook?

FEATURED QUESTION: "Free-Range Parenting"

(This blog post to remain here for several days. Please scroll down for other material)

Recently, two "free-range" children (age 10 and age 6) were held in custody for hours in Montgomery County, Maryland, as the parents frenetically sought the whereabouts of this children.

Full article from the Washington Post below the fold. Please read the entire article before commenting.

Refusal Of Service

Is such a refusal of service a civil-rights violation?  Explain your answer.

My First Favorite Songs

(For politics, please scroll down)

I was 2.5 years old when I discovered this song. During Hurricane Hazel while we were on vacation, my parents and I were stranded in West Virginia in a diner with a juke box. Finally, the manager of the diner set the jukebox to play "This Old House" non-stop (1954):


Love that honky tonk piano!

The story behind "This Old House"
And this one, which sold one million copies of Tennessee Ernie's version faster than any other record release, was another of my early favorites (1955):

The story behind "Sixteen Tons"

Open Thread

So, what's on your mind?

A link to get this thread started: California Easter egg hunt for kids ruined when parents start pushing, cursing.

Here is your chance to opine within the parameters listed below:

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. Comments that include any of the following are subject to deletion:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
Note: comments consisting of blog gossip will be deleted as soon as an administrator of this blog becomes aware of such comments.

Video: Obama On Religion

(with a hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance)

Introduction to the video below:

Does Obama speak about Islam differently than how he speaks on Christianity?

This is not about the truth or falsity of his claims. This is about whether or not the manner in which he speaks about these two subjects reveals an underlying set of feelings or beliefs or values on these two religions. Does he speak about Christianity differently than he does about Islam? If so, in what way?

More information HERE at the Vlad Tepes blog.

Recommended Reading

(This post will remain here for a few days because the material merits more than a casual reading)

See The Death of the American Dream in 22 Numbers by Michael Snyder. Can you dispute the points made? If not, do you have any ideas whatsoever for remedying this situation — or for protecting oneself and family?

For your convenience, most of Mr. Snyder's essay is below the fold:

Musical Interlude

Something a bit unusual for this Resurrection Sunday

The Bells by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943):


From the YouTube blurb:

The Bells, Op. 35, is a choral symphony written in 1913. The words are from the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe, freely translated into Russian by the symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont. Sung in Russian.

[...]

I. Allegro ma non tanto: The Silver Sleigh Bell
II. Lento: The Mellow Wedding Bells
III. Presto: The Loud ASlarum [sic] Bells
IV. Lento: The Mournful Iron Bells

More information HERE at Wikipedia
Spring-rebirth photos I recently took in our yard after the — long, brutal winter:

Crocuses in our front yard

Crocuses in our front yard

Daffodils in our side yard

Daffodil at the west side of our house

Blessed Easter Sunday!  

Happy Spring!

Open Thread

So, what's on your mind?

A link to get this thread started — good news, for a change: Thousand-year-old Anglo-Saxon potion kills MRSA superbug.

Here is your chance to opine within the parameters listed below:

Agreement With Iran?

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

In the way that Obama yesterday in his triumphant speech? Maybe not. See Iran Accuses U.S. of Lying About New Nuke Agreement: Says White House misleading Congress, American people with fact sheet.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif:


Additional reading...Obama Today: USSR Was “Far More Dangerous Opponent” Than Iran – Obama Before: Iran More Dangerous Than The USSR.

We should all be asking:
"What is truth?"

This Week On The Gathering Storm

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and Always On Watch, for 30 minutes beginning at 3:00 PM EDT.

Our scheduled guest this week is Mr. Ducky. We will be discussing film.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Prices In Venezuela

From the March 23, 2015 edition of Time Magazine:

The government controls prices for imported essentials such as food and medicine, and the following examples show the result:

Bag of dry dog food = $316

iPhone 5 = $14,127

Jar of instant coffee = $190

So much for lifting up the oppressed worker class!

Furthermore, the rate of inflation in Venezuela is 68%, and the rate of exchange is 6.3 bolivares to $1. The minimum wage at that rate is approximately $890/month.

Recent video posted by the BBC:

Please read THIS ARTICLE. Worth your time.

Beware of all who promise any version of an earthly utopia.  It is the Road to Serfdom.

Midweek Political Satire

(Note: Active discussion ongoing at the blog post just below this one)

Idea?
Spew Alert!