Trouble in Tubbyland

(Off topic.  I originally posted this at The American Catholic and I thought that our Almost Chosen People readers might get a kick out of it.)

Hattip to Hank at Eclectic Meanderings.

One of the more obscure Victorian military campaigns, the British conquest of Tubbyland was notable for a fair amount of ineptitude among the British commanders, redeemed by the usual courage shown by the “Tommy Atkins” in the ranks.  For a small war, a fair amount has been written on it, and here are some of my thoughts on the more useful works that I have found in my own research into this “savage war of peace”.

Report of Operations of Tubbyland Field Force, three volumes, Captain Gilbert Bryant-Norris, editor in chief,  Her Majesty’s Stationery Office,  (1888).  The official history, these three volumes go into extensive detail and are essential reading for any serious student of this conflict.  Unfortunately, the various authors are at pains to save the reputations of the commanders involved, and therefore the conclusions set forth should be taken with a boulder of salt.  The volumes do have excellent maps, and the texts of letters and telegrams are of great use in piecing together the somewhat convulted operations.

A Child’s History of the Tubbyland War, Winston Churchill, Longmans Green, (1899).  Leave it to Winston Churchill to write a kids’ book about the conflict!  He softens the rough edges of the War for his young readers, but gives a fairly accurate retelling.  The book of course emphasizes British patriotism and the grandeur of the Empire, but not without some criticism of the British commanders and a fair amount of sympathy for the Tubbies.  This passage is indicative of the style of the work:

 “There was plenty of work here for our brave soldiers and Tubbyland was well worth the cost in blood and money.  Were the gentlemen of England all out fox hunting?  No!  For the sake of our manhood, our devoted colonists and our dead soldiers, we persevered and won our War against a brave, albeit soft and cuddly, adversary”.

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Ronald Reagan: The Happy Warrior

“The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad,
For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad.”

GK Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse

Today is my sixty-fifth birthday.  As faithful readers of this blog know, I share a birthday with Ronald Wilson Reagan.  I have long admired Reagan, the greatest President of my lifetime.  Of Irish ancestry, Reagan had the Irish habit of smiling in a fight.  A man of strong convictions, Reagan never forgot that his domestic adversaries were political opponents and  not enemies.  His humor was never mean spirited, and much of it was directed against himself.  Completely comfortable in his own skin, he never took himself seriously while taking very seriously what he believed in and fought for.  Happy birthday Mr. Reagan, and may there be plenty of good humor in the life to come for you to add to.

Remembrance of Turkeys Past

As we prepare for Thanksgiving this week, and as we recall our blessings and thank God for each and every one, let us also remember the humble turkey and the various disasters that result when that proud bird is not treated with the care that it deserves, dead or alive.    Oldtimers like myself will recognize the above video as part of the famous “Turkey Drop” episode from WKRP, a sitcom from the Seventies.

 

Of course Turkey Disasters are not, unfortunately, restricted to the realm of fiction.    Deep frying a turkey poses various risks.

Here we have a case of the flaming avian:

 

 

William Shatner warns of the dangers of deep frying turkeys:

 

Remember the Alamo!

 

( I originally posted this at The American Catholic, and I thought the Alamo mavens of Almost Chosen People might find it amusing.)

 

News that I missed, courtesy of The Babylon Bee:

AUSTIN, TX—There are a few key attributes that define being a Texan: firing guns, yelling “Yee-Haw!”, and remembering the Alamo. But with the winter storm having overtaken Texas and power out in many places, one local Texan has been so focused on keeping warm he has forgotten the Alamo.

“Oh, I know there is something I’m supposed to remember,” said Lyle Thomas as he huddled under a blanket with his wife, “but I can’t think of what. Too busy shivering.”

His wife, Sue Thomas, immediately grabbed him and started shaking him. “The Alamo! You need to remember the Alamo!”

The Alamo, if forgotten, will lose its power and disappear — much like fairies. Without the power of the Alamo holding Texas together, the state could fall into a hundred years of ruin and end up like a common California.

“Sorry, I just can’t remember it anymore,” said Lyle. “Maybe I’m blocking it out of my mind because it was a winter battle.”

Sue started slapping him. “You have to remember! Remember!”

“I’m trying. Just so cold.”

“Then let’s do the other thing we Texans do to warm up,” Sue suggested. “Fire guns.”

Lyle agreed that snuggling recently fired guns is a great way to stay warm. He took out his revolver, pointed it in the air, and shouted, “Yee…” before suddenly stopping. “Oh wait. How does the rest of that go?”

Go here to read the rest.

What is Best in Life Conan?

I

What is Best in Life Conan?

To invest in Gamestop, see their stock driven up before you, and to hear the lamentations of the hedge fund managers.

To invest in Gamestop, see their stock driven up before you, and to hear the lamentations of the hedge fund managers.

 

Thanks to Nate Winchester for the below:

To invest in Gamestop, see their stock driven up before you, and to hear the lamentations of the hedge fund managers.

 

Thanks to Nate Winchester for the below:

 

To invest in Gamestop, see their stock driven up before you, and to hear the lamentations of the hedge fund managers.

 

Thanks to Nate Winchester for the below:

 

 

Something for the weekend.  Money, Money, Money (1976) by ABBA.  Any relationship to current events is purely intentional.

 

Something for the weekend.  Money, Money, Money (1976) by ABBA.  Any relationship to current events is purely intentional.

 

Something for the weekend.  Money, Money, Money (1976) by ABBA.  Any relationship to current events is purely intentional.

I have long thought that there was a hilarious dark comedy waiting to be written about the power struggle that occurred in the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin.  His daughter described his dying which took several days:

“Father’s death was slow and difficult…. His face became dark and different… his features were becoming unrecognizable…. The death agony was terrible. It choked him slowly as we watched… At the last moment he suddenly opened his eyes. It was a horrible look — either mad, or angry and full of fear of death…. Suddenly he raised his left hand and sort of either pointed up somewhere, or shook his finger at us all… The next moment his soul, after one last effort, broke away from his body.”

The film is coming out on October 20, and judging from the trailer it looks rather historically accurate.  Stalin’s death began a long chain of events that ended with the fall of the Soviet Union.  A fitting “celebration” of the centennial of the October Revolution.

 (I posted this at The American Catholic and I thought the stock market mavens of Almost Chosen People might get a chuckle out of it.)

Thanks to Nate Winchester for the below:

An Unforgettable Version of the Twelve Days of Christmas

Something for the weekend.  I have always found the Twelve Days of Christmas a bit boring.  I was therefore enchanted when I heard this off-beat version by the acapella group Straight No Chaser as my son and I were driving back from the U of I  after I picked him up after finals in December of 2012.  Humor, the needed leavening of life!

Ho, Ho Aaargh!

(I originally posted this at The American Catholic, and I thought the humor mavens of Almost Chosen People might enjoy it.)

 

The perfect “holiday” movie for 2020.  Mel Gibson is an inspired choice in the role!

The Theme Song for 2020

Remember that it is darkest before the abyss.

2020 Maxim

 

 

Something for the weekend. Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me (1969).  Some years just seem to be snake bit, and the only thing to do is to put your head down and bull your way through it.  Not fun, but I am fairly confident the purpose of life is not fun.

Battle Honors

 

 

(I originally posted this at The American Catholic, and I thought the naval mavens of Almost Chosen People might find it of interest)

 

Not from The Babylon Bee:

In what sounds like it could be an April Fools joke, a Venezuelan Navy offshore patrol vessel recently sank after ramming a cruise liner in the Caribbean Sea. The cruise ship, which had no passengers on board at the time and has a reinforced hull to sail through ice-filled waters, suffered only minimal damage in what the operating company, Columbia Cruise Services, has called an “act of aggression … in international waters.”

The incident occurred in the early hours of Mar. 30, 2020, but Columbia Cruise Services only released an official statement on Apr. 1. The company, which is headquartered in Germany, said the RCGS Resolute was drifting just over 13 miles off the coast of Isla La Tortuga, a Venezuelan island situated some 60 miles off the country’s northern coast, when ANBV Naiguatá, also known by its hull number GC-23, approached it. The Venezuelan Navy ship ordered the cruise ship to follow it to Puerto Moreno on Isla De Margarita, located to the east, accusing it of violating the country’s territorial waters.

“When the event occurred, the cruise vessel RCGS Resolute has already been drifting for one day off the coast of the island to conduct some routine engine maintenance on its idle voyage to its destination, Willemstad/Curaçao,” the statement from Columbia Cruise Services says. “Shortly after mid-night, the cruise vessel was approached by an armed Venezuelan navy vessel, which via radio questioning [sic] the intentions of the RCGS Resolute’s presence.”

The 403-foot-long Resolute, which is flagged in Portugal, reportedly had a gross tonnage of around 8,445 tons at the time. The ship was laid down in September 1990 and completed in June 1991. Intended for Antarctic cruises, it has a reinforced ice-capable hull.

Go here to read the rest.  Well, I guess if you have a German owned cruise ship, opposing a Venezuelan warship, the smart money goes with the German owned cruise ship!

 

Mr. Howell Approves

(I originally posted this at The American Catholic and I thought the Jim Backus mavens of Almost Chosen People might enjoy it.)

 

From the President of Yale:

We are asking Yale College students to remain at home after spring recess. For undergraduates who are on campus now, please make every effort to return home as soon as possible, and no later than Sunday, March 15. Yale College Dean Marvin Chun will be providing additional details in the coming days. Undergraduates will have the support of the university in meeting their academic requirements remotely while at home. I understand that some undergraduates consider New Haven to be their home or cannot leave the university at this time. The Yale College Dean’s Office will provide separate instructions for these students, who also will take their classes online.

Graduate and professional students are encouraged to remain off-campus and participate in online instruction, unless being on campus is necessitated by the nature of their research or academic programs. More information is forthcoming from the deans of each school.

Go here to read the rest.