OT Things to ponder

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

We need to find some way to keep steel wire from being abused in this way: http://www.classicfm.com/composers/beet ... uzXT0mA.97
Perhaps we could use up all the steel wire for a while rebuilding the Berlin wall?

I think there are some other walls in the plans that could use up all the steel. Berlin has done its time with one and decided it wasn't a good idea, so they are not likely to welcome a new one.

[geofflambert]

When I saw this, I thought it was a brown bat hanging from underneath my birdbath. I took a picture before it was disturbed by something.
Clearly a large butterfly, maybe a swallowtail of some sort. You can see two legs and two antennae.

[geofflambert]

Here is a case of beak-to-beak combat at one of my feeders by very territorial hummingbirds.

[geofflambert]

Did this guy think he was flying a hummingbird?

[geofflambert]

There was more than half a dozen of those birds chasing each other around having dogfights when I took that video.

[BillBrown]

How can a bird have a dogfight? Shouldn't they have birdfights?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

There was more than half a dozen of those birds chasing each other around having dogfights when I took that video.

During the fall migration I was at the English Garden in Assiniboine Park when I saw two hummingbirds sitting a few yards apart from each other. They both launched at each other and hovered in the air, fencing with each other for over 30 seconds. You could hear the clicks as their beaks struck each other. First and only time I have seen such behaviour (from birds, that is).

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

How can a bird have a dogfight? Shouldn't they have birdfights?

And what it is called when a cat fights a dog?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

How can a bird have a dogfight? Shouldn't they have birdfights?

And what it is called when a cat fights a dog?

Politics??

[wdolson]

ORIGINAL: BillBrown

How can a bird have a dogfight? Shouldn't they have birdfights?

ORIGINAL: Zorch
And what it is called when a cat fights a dog?

Usually a howling dog.

[geofflambert]

If the cat hasn't been declawed, that is. My owners considered declawing me but, happily, have procrastinated on that so far. I try not to shred the upholstery.

[geofflambert]

I don't believe I'd seen any of this documentary before, though I was aware of some elements from another source, I believe. This is part two of five parts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYdd1e-1pyo

Worth a watch, I think.

[geofflambert]

I've caught an error, but it is by a German soldier. He's talking about the winter of '41 and says something like "Our weapons didn't work but their Kalashnikovs did." He's speaking auf Deutsch but you can clearly hear him say "Kalashnikov". As you likely know, the Kalashnikov was first produced in 1947, so unless Captain Kirk went through a time warp and delivered some AK-47s this was not true. I know nothing about the rifles the Soviets were using at the time or about their reliability versus the Mauser or whatever.

[Macclan5]

Probably a faux pas indeed. Modern writters / actors.

Hypothetically possible its accurate.

I believe Kalishnakov (i.e. the company) was a major armaments producers / dealer during the war for many many things ; rifles, anti-tank guns, Flak guns. In Russia / USSR

Much like Mig was more than an aircraft name it was an aircraft brand.

GG War in the East Experts can confirm or correct me in the above statements...

I guess in theory the German soldier in an anti tank unit might know the difference but..... I don't think the average soldier referred to his weapon by its manufacturers name... i.e. he wouldn't have referred to Pistol 38 as a Walther for example...

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Macclan5

Probably a faux pas indeed. Modern writters / actors.

Hypothetically possible its accurate.

I believe Kalishnakov (i.e. the company) was a major armaments producers / dealer during the war for many many things ; rifles, anti-tank guns, Flak guns. In Russia / USSR

Much like Mig was more than an aircraft name it was an aircraft brand.

GG War in the East Experts can confirm or correct me in the above statements...

I guess in theory the German soldier in an anti tank unit might know the difference but..... I don't think the average soldier referred to his weapon by its manufacturers name... i.e. he wouldn't have referred to Pistol 38 as a Walther for example...

Happy to correct. Michael Kalashnikov was a soldier in WWII, not a major armaments mfg.. He was quite the engineer though and he did do some minor things fixing weapons of the period. That German soldier never heard of him until the Korean war at the earliest.

Incidentally, due to his diminutive size and his handiness with metal he was made a tank mechanic.

[rustysi]

I've caught an error,

"Kalashnikov".

I picked up on that too gorn. Standard Soviet infantry rifle of WWII was the Mosin-Nagant. To my knowledge a pretty reliable bolt action weapon of the time. Of course the Soviets fielded many other types of small arms, like most WWII nations. IIRC the Mig was the name of the A/C manufacture. Most, if not all Soviet A/C (or at least modern fighters) were named for the manufactures. Kalishnakov was a tank mechanic IIRC who 'invented' the AK while recovering from wounds. The AK-47 (yes, in 1947) was named in his honor.

Not that its in error, but at one point you can see a Matilda moving across the field. Its not close enough to see any markings, but the Soviets used lend lease western tanks at times, especially at the time of this action. On the southern sectors of the field of operations, these would be coming up from Iran.

[geofflambert]

If a reindeer dressed up as a ghost for Halloween, what would you have? A scaribou.

[geofflambert]

I really like Chinese food. Have it once a week usually. I notice most of the signs over Chinese restaurants have the same slogan. I've never seen them illustrated, though, so I thought I'd take a stab at it.

[geofflambert]

We used to have a "carry out" [:D]restaurant here called "Zorba the Greek's". I thought about opening a diner across the street called

[geofflambert]

Obit