They must have imported these dogs from Germany.

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Hat tip to Ratty.

Gas-operated semi-automatic shotguns, like the renowned Remington 1100, have been much admired for their ability to reduce recoil. Beretta’s Xtrema 2 shotguns take recoil reduction up a notch, apparently to the point of virtual elimination, as is demonstrated in this wonderfully nostalgic video of old-fashioned trick shooting used to promote a new model shotgun.

That shotgun is not cheap, but it looks like a fine semi-auto. Kudos to Beretta for some excellent advertising.

Hat tip to Henry Bernatonis.

J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and John Irving read from their books, and answered audience questions, in two benefit performances for Doctors Without Borders and The Haven Foundation at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on August 1st and 2nd.

J.K. Rowling (note her shoes) reads from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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Rowling is very cute, but I would not have linked any of this, except for the Question & Answer session, in which her questioner proves to be Salman Rushdie, who asks a very good one.

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Wheel comes off race car, posing hazard to other drivers on the course.

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National Geographic has a video of American Everest climbing team leader Daniel Mazur discussing his May 26, 2006 rescue of 50 year old Australian author Lincoln Hall from a narrow ridge 28,000 feet high on Mount Everest.

Hall, disoriented and suffering from cerebral edema, was abandoned to die the previous day by Russian expedition 7 Summits Club leader Alexander Abramov. Thomas Weber, a partially blind climber with the same expedition, making the ascent to raise money for charity, died the same day.

BBC report.

Ten days earlier, David Sharp was left to die on the mountain by 40 climbers who passed by the striken climber in the course of their ascents.

More than 5000 current and retired law enforcement officers have joined Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization founded to fight for the abolition of the United States’ current illiberal, ineffective, and socially destructive drug laws.

The enforcement of drug prohibition in the United States costs tens of billions of dollars per year, creates a black market fostering violent crime, and results in the incarceration of enormous numbers of American for victimless crimes. Because of the War on Drugs, the United States has the largest prison population in the world, more than 2,090,000 persons. The US imprisons a larger percentage of its population than any other country in the world. Belarus comes in second.

LEAP has produced an eloquent video which I highly recommend.

The opening of the Allegro molto first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No.40 in G minor, KV 550, played while rollerblading along a series of bottles arranged as a xylophone.

Despite the Hebrew letter title, the scene appears to be Manhattan in the West 50s (he passes the Roseland ballroom). I believe the performer is Michel Lauzière.

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Caution: foul language.

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A lot of people consider Chuck Jones’ Whats Opera, Doc? (1957) to be the all-time greatest Bugs Bunny cartoon. 6:53 minutes.

Charles Johnson, the publisher of Little Green Footballs, is unquestionably one of the most important figures on the right side of the Blogosphere. He is famous for debunking Dan Rather‘s forged National Guard letter during the 2004 presidential campaign, humiliating CBS News and ultimately causing Rather to step down.

Unlike such equivalently prominent blogging personalities as Glenn Reynolds and Michelle Malkin, one does not frequently seen Charles Johnson appearing on television, and few readers even know what the great man looks like.

Yesterday, Johnson reluctantly published a link to an appearance of his on CNN, discussing the faked Reuters photographs.

Darth Vader goes on a date, and is moved to the Night Shift.

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Episode one