11/11: The Int'l Day of Peace is on the Rack

NOBODY expects the Int'l Day of Peace! Our two main weapons are INNER PEACE,
OUTER PEACE and MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD PEACE... wait, our THREE main weapons...

Halloween is Coming

And Now It's Time for the Sheep on Your Computer to Explode

Yet another failed shearing experiment.

"What Also Floats in Water..."

SIR BEDEVERE: What also floats in water?
VILLAGER #1: Bread!
VILLAGER #2: Apples!
VILLAGER #3: Very small rocks!

Exactly!

Raft of pumice floats off New Zealand

A navy ship sailing towards the Kermadec Islands has encountered a 25,000 square kilometre area of pumice pieces.

The area of floating pumice was estimated to be 250 nautical miles in length and 30 nautical miles wide.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Orion spotted the phenomenon yesterday afternoon, while on maritime patrol from Samoa to New Zealand.

The area of floating pumice is about 85 nautical miles off West South-West of Raoul Island.
Lieutenant Tim Oscar, a Royal Australian Navy officer described the phenomenon as "the weirdest thing I've seen in 18 years at sea".

He said the raft of pumice was moving up and down with the swell as far ahead as he could observe.

"The rock looked to be sitting two feet above the surface of the waves, and lit up a brilliant white colour in the spotlight. It looked exactly like the edge of an ice shelf," said Oscar.

RNZAF staff had been briefed by GNS Volcanologist Helen Bostock the previous day when the ship first encountered an area of pumice from an undersea volcano, believed to be New Zealand's third erupting volcano -  the undersea Mount Monowai.

"I knew the pumice was lightweight and posed no danger to the ship. None-the-less it was quite daunting to be moving toward it at 14 knots.

"It took about 3 - 4 minutes to travel through the raft of pumice and as predicted there was no damage. As we moved through the raft of pumice we used the spotlights to try and find the edge - but it extended as far as we could see," said Oscar.

The Commanding Officer, Commander Sean Stewart changed course to intercept the pumice, and brought the ship to a halt to enable retrieval of samples.

The samples will be analysed to determine which volcano they came from.

link

"What also floats in water?"

  VILLAGER #1:  Cider!
  VILLAGER #2:  Great gravy!
  VILLAGER #1:  Cherries!
  VILLAGER #2:  Mud!
  VILLAGER #3:  Churches -- churches!
  VILLAGER #2:  Lead -- lead!
  ARTHUR:  A duck.
  CROWD:  Oooh.
  SIR BEDEVERE:  Exactly!  So, logically...,
  VILLAGER #1:  If... she.. weighs the same as a duck, she's made of wood.
  SIR BEDEVERE:  And therefore--?
  VILLAGER #1:  A witch!
  CROWD:  A witch!

Exactly.

It's Snowing Again...

...LOOK AT THE BONES.

That Python (Monty) Look of Parenthood

"Children? Ahgggghg!"

The Return of the Native, Pythonian Edition

Both of Da-da's charges are verbal fish-dance adepts, a la Monty Python. Indeed, they're becoming quite Pythonian in their expressions (and occasionally Goreyesque). Case in point: Bronko just entered his older brother's room, where Da-da was sitting and reading Nagurski a book. Bronko looked at Da-da closely and announced, "You have a little bit of hair and a lot of face. Or a live chicken up there." Da-da would think this a remarkable 4YO utterance if he didn't have a little bit of hair and a lot of face, or a live chicken up there.

Not to be outdone, his older brother, Nagurski, yesterday intoned with subdued, minus-plus jocularity: "My butt is full of shock absorbers, let's have a polka!" Da-da has no idea where Nagurski heard about polkas, let alone southend shock absorption, but he suspects it's a genetic transmutation due recent CMEs.

SCTV, Da-da's boys are ready for their close-up.

Da-da misses the Schmenge brothers. Jeez, how could you not?

That Twit Look of Parenthood (Python, Monty)

EXPECT the Spanish Inquisition

That's right, kids: these days, EXPECT the Spanish Inquisition. At all times. Cardinal Fang, prepare the soft cushions...