Swamp 6 Link Dump Extravaganza

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:12 pm

Pruitt wrote:Probably more than you've ever wanted to know about the giant Soviet "Typhoon" Submarines.

Pretty interesting though, and some wild pictures.

http://imgur.com/a/xi3P3

Yeah, as Howard said, those were incredible. I cannot believe the size of that missile. I never would have guessed that sub-fired missiles could be that big.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 3:41 pm

It looked to me like that had to be the housing as much as the missile itself...the figure said 8 ft diameter and that looks to be about right, but the length was way off. Or I am missing something.

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:52 am

A book review in teh nyt.
‘Excellent Sheep, by William Deresiewicz

I haven't read the book, but this short review I stumbled upon highlights a couple of issues I find particularly important. The review, and presumably the book, focuses on the upper tier of the upper tier of elite schools, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford, and the incredible admissions process.

The review does not make me want to rush to buy and read the book. But the nature and the character of the input and output of these institutions; the differences between today and in my era; and the implications considering these people run the government and the rest of our world to a much greater degree than even two or three decades ago; these are alluded to and these issues are hot topics to me.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 5:56 am

Ever heard of Magaluf? Balconing?

Neither had I. Although to be fair, I had heard of moronic drunk English people.

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/08/18/ine ... 80022.html

In 2011, an 18-year-old from the UK called Jake Evans fractured his skull after falling 27 meters from a hotel balcony in Magaluf. Two years later he took part in a campaign organized by the UK Foreign Office to raise awareness about the dangers of leaping from balconies called “Booze and Balconies Don’t Mix,” and pointing out that in 2013, more than 1,000 British people were hospitalized as a result of mixing the two. Evans says that he fell after trying to borrow a lighter from friends on a balcony two floors below. “I fell head first. This can happen to you. I was lucky: I shouldn’t be alive,” he warns.

Post by **brian** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:37 am

People from Rhode Island suck.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:45 am

brian wrote:People from Rhode Island suck.

Can confirm the 9% in New Hampshire who didn't pay were Massholes on their way to the mall.

Also, California getting a 95% makes me think they ran the experiment in Modoc County.

Post by **brian** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 11:27 am

I was surprised Nevada was so high, though I think it really depends where they do this experiment in each town. I doubt they did it on the Strip since there's like only 2 or 3 Las Vegans there on a given day.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:37 pm

From that Las Vegas news article:

Las Vegas tied with 10 other cities, like Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, for the title of fifth most-honest city in America. Sin City had an honesty rate of 96 percent.

The actual source data (http://thenationalhonestyindex.com/category/city" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;):

1. Honolulu, HI 100%
2. Manchester, CT 99%
3. Lake George, NY 99%
4. Nashville, TN 99%
5. Birmingham, AL 99%
6. Little Rock, AR 98%
7. Anchorage, AK 98%
8. Wilmington, DE 98%
9. Detroit, MI 97%
10. Clearwater, FL 97%
11. Portland, ME 97%
12. Omaha, NE 97%
13. Louisville, KY 97%
14. Indianapolis, IN 97%
15. Santa Monica, CA 97%
16. Greenville, SC 96%
17. Arlington, VA 96%
18. Salt Lake City, UT 96%
19. Las Vegas, NV 96%
20. Los Angeles, CA 96%
21. San Antonio, TX 96%
22. Washington, D.C. 96%
23. Baltimore, MD 96%
24. St. Louis, MO 96%
25. San Francisco, CA 96%

irony?

Post by **brian** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:42 pm

Nevada as a state was ranked fifth though and there were no other Nevada cities in that list other than Las Vegas. The whole thing seems kind of weird.

Post by **brian** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:42 pm

I think the main takeaway is that you can't trust Rhode Islanders.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:53 am

Nice piece on the Round Mound of Touchdown

Dude had a rocket arm.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Aug 22, 2014 8:18 am

I remember seeing the River Monster pictures last winter, but didn't realize his leg had gotten crushed right after that.

Post by **Shirley** » Sat Aug 23, 2014 5:02 pm

There has been a lot of shitty news discussed in the Swamp of late.

Here's a nice alternative

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/st ... ab_Article_" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **brian** » Sat Aug 23, 2014 9:56 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:Nice piece on the Round Mound of Touchdown

Dude had a rocket arm.

Hard not to root for that guy. Hope he pulls it together.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:34 am

The Strange & Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit
For nearly thirty years, a phantom haunted the woods of Central Maine. Unseen and unknown, he lived in secret, creeping into homes in the dead of night and surviving on what he could steal. To the spooked locals, he became a legend—or maybe a myth. They wondered how he could possibly be real. Until one day last year, the hermit came out of the forest
By Michael Finkel
September 2014

Long (~5k words?) GQ piece.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:46 pm

This is a great piece.

I’ve spent more than a decade stewing over it, rolling the memories around in my head, wondering if it could’ve really been that bad. Now, I’m ready to accept my place in history. Of the thousands of American boys who have played quarterback for their high school football teams, I was the worst.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sp ... ingle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(BTW, that hermit story was incredibly fascinating as well. As a parent of an autistic kid, I knew pretty quickly where that was going. You have to wonder if jail isn't cruel and unusual punishment for that guy.)

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:18 pm

Normally, I wouldn't link to a Gregg Doyel article, but this one is actually worth it. Yes, "support the troops" articles tend to be cloying and overly sentimental, but I actually liked this one.

The road to almost $300,000 in donations started with a penny. That's what Bill Thomas promised his son for every basket he made over Labor Day weekend in 2011, less than a month after the Chinook went down 60 miles southwest of Kabul. A penny per basket, after Will had vowed to make 17,000 -- 1,000 for each of the 17 Navy SEALS who died that day in Afghanistan.

"I had no idea how long it would take," Will says.

http://www.cbssports.com/general/featur ... on-hawkeye" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 6:52 pm

Sandwiches, Ranked

By no means do I presume to be an expert and I haven't even heard of a lot of them, but no fucking way are there 13 sandwiches better than a club.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:18 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote:Sandwiches, Ranked

By no means do I presume to be an expert and I haven't even heard of a lot of them, but no fucking way are there 13 sandwiches better than a club.

And there is nothing better than a good BLT. An Italian hoagie is first? Some East Coast fuckstick must've compiled this list.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:09 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote:Sandwiches, Ranked

By no means do I presume to be an expert and I haven't even heard of a lot of them, but no fucking way are there 13 sandwiches better than a club.

Club doesn't make the top 40. Unless you took the poll in 1960. Lobster rolls sound cool and all, but they get gross halfway through. I'm not all that big on Mayo, so maybe it's just me.

Croque Madame needs to be top 5. I make them all the time, and my wife thought I was crazy putting a fried egg on top of a grilled cheese. Ham steak, some combo of Edam, Fontina, Gouda or other semi-soft cheese, egg fried medium on one side, and just 5 seconds or so on the other side. Just enough to make the slightest seal on the yolk. Salt and pepper the egg, along with a swirl or two of Sriracha. On fresh rye, of course.

And what is the Kokorec doing on this list?

Kokoreç or Kokoretsi is a dish of the Balkans and Anatolia consisting mainly of lamb or goat intestines, often wrapping seasoned offal, including sweetbreads, hearts, lungs or kidneys. The intestines of suckling lambs are preferred.

Bologna sandwich? Really? I can guarantee this list was not made by anyone from NJ. Taylor Ham, egg and cheese FTW!

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:30 pm

The best part of these lists is trying to guess which ranking is the bait to infuriate people. This one was too easy ...

23. Primanti Bros.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 5:29 am

Bologna beats Pastrami?

Not in my world.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:19 am

Pruitt wrote:Bologna beats Pastrami?

Not in my world.

Not in any world.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:21 am

The Sybian wrote:
Pruitt wrote:Bologna beats Pastrami?

Not in my world.
Not in any world.

Italian Basketball Association

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 10:51 am

Ryan wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
Pruitt wrote:Bologna beats Pastrami?

Not in my world.
Not in any world.
Italian Basketball Association

"I'm the ghost of Henny Youngman, and I heartily approve the previous joke."

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:47 am

romanticism is dead?

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 11:48 am

I wouldn't put it first, but the Italian hoagie is definitely underrated. I'm in a mood now to get lunch at a local place that specializes in them.

Is there enough momentum here to spin this off into a dedicated sandwich thread? Maybe there is an actual sandwich that posts here who could weigh in.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:02 pm

Muffaletas are great. I made one at home that was really really good.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Sep 03, 2014 1:17 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:Muffaletas are great. I made one at home that was really really good.

1a. AB's home made Muffaleta

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 7:53 am

Somebody is going to own the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. The Winter Classic does not have a field because the Nats are being tough and the fall back location is RFK. Can you imagine the winter classic at the crumbling RFK.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soc ... press-box/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 11:50 am

Johns Hopkins sociologist track 790 Baltimore first graders, beginning in 1982, for next 25 years.

What your 1st-grade life says about the rest of it

Lesson: when picking your parents, make sure they are 1) middle class or more affluent; 2) white. Although #2 mattered a lot in 1976, perhaps much less so today.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:00 pm

howard wrote:Johns Hopkins sociologist track 790 Baltimore first graders, beginning in 1982, for next 25 years.

What your 1st-grade life says about the rest of it

Lesson: when picking your parents, make sure they are 1) middle class or more affluent; 2) white. Although #2 mattered a lot in 1976, perhaps much less so today.

Done and done. I was smart enough to figure this out as a fetus. What is your excuse, Howard?

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:16 pm

Howard's whiter than most of us. Or was that hood?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:31 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:Howard's whiter than most of us. Or was that hood?

Sucks to be Johnnie

*Swamp skin color jokes complete

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:33 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:Howard's whiter than most of us. Or was that hood?

If you can't tell them apart, I think the answer is neither.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:42 pm

howard wrote:Johns Hopkins sociologist track 790 Baltimore first graders, beginning in 1982, for next 25 years.

What your 1st-grade life says about the rest of it

Lesson: when picking your parents, make sure they are 1) middle class or more affluent; 2) white. Although #2 mattered a lot in 1976, perhaps much less so today.

That was a great read. What a fascinating study. Of course, most people could have guessed something close to this, it's very different to see it actually observed and documented.

Howard, I really doubt #2 has changed all that much. It just may be a bit more complicated now with the additional influx of Asians and Hispanics. I'm guessing Asian (Chinese, Korean, Indian, Thai, maybe Vietnamese) counts pretty close to white.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:50 pm

Shirley wrote:Howard, I really doubt #2 has changed all that much.

I think in the future. When I typed that bit of snark, I was thinking a white child born today to a working class dad will not have job networks to access (as described in the article) when he turns 18.

As blue collar manufacturing jobs that provide secure enough income to buy a house and raise a family are largely a thing of the past, and as the destruction of the middle class is in the final mop-up stages, the fate of the masses of lower income white people in this country is moving closer and closer to that of black/brown people.

For the 18yo non-college bound white kid today, I'll argue there has been some change, but otoh I am fine with 'hasn't changed all that much' as you stated.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:57 pm

howard wrote:
Shirley wrote:Howard, I really doubt #2 has changed all that much.
I think in the future. When I typed that bit of snark, I was thinking a white child born today to a working class dad will not have job networks to access (as described in the article) when he turns 18.

As blue collar manufacturing jobs that provide secure enough income to buy a house and raise a family are largely a thing of the past, and as the destruction of the middle class is in the final mop-up stages, the fate of the masses of lower income white people in this country is moving closer and closer to that of black/brown people.

For the 18yo non-college bound white kid today, I'll argue there has been some change, but otoh I am fine with 'hasn't changed all that much' as you stated.

Clearly the answer is to abolish the minimum wage so people stop getting comfortable living large and get motivated to get a real job.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 1:09 pm

If everyone just tried hard, everyone would make a lot of money and work in a nice office and all the other jobs wouldn't need to be done anymore because everyone would have enough money.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 2:05 pm

mister d wrote:If everyone just tried hard, everyone would make a lot of money and work in a nice office and all the other jobs wouldn't need to be done anymore because everyone would have enough money.

See, D gets it. And we need to keep out the immigrants so they don't take the jobs that now don't need to be performed and no American needs to stoop to. USA! USA!