Fifteen Tons of Weed Seized in Egypt

Egyptian authorities made the biggest drug bust in the country's history, Thursday.

A truck crossing out of the Sinai Peninsula toward the Nile Valley, was caught attempting to enter a tunnel that goes under the Suez Canal.

In the vehicle, fifteen tons of marijuana were found.

According to UN stats, that makes it the forty-fifth largest drug bust in the world.

Normally the US and Mexico have the largest busts.

Since the regime change, in Egypt, border security had become more porous, but the new government has been working on improving it.

Czech President Shot With Pellet Gun

Thursday afternoon, a man walked through a crowd right up to Czech President Vaclav Klaus and shot him, at point blank range, with a pellet gun.

Klaus turned, gave the man a dirty look, and then remarked to his guards, "He just shot me".

The President suffered only some bruises from the attack.

Later he could be seen joking about the incident, with his entourage.

The, as of yet unidentified, twenty-six year old man was taken into custody, by police, but not before he gave an interview to the press.

Clearly the Czech Republic needs to work on it's security a bit more.

Seven Dead in Spanish Floods

At least seven people have been killed in flash flooding that has hit southern Spain.

Houses have been destroyed and swept vehicles away.

The provinces of Andulcia, Malaga, Murcia, and Almeria have been the hardest hit.

Spain, like parts of Europe and the US, has been hard hit by drought, all summer long, causing many fires.

Rains are expected to continue until Saturday afternoon.

Fifth Victim Dies After Minneapolis Shooting

A fifth victim of the office shooting in Minneapolis, Thursday, has died from their wounds.

With the gunmen among the dead, the death toll now sits at six.

Two others are still in the hospital, in critical condition.

The shooter pulled out his gun, after being told that he was being fired.

He was apparently very specific in choosing who he shot.

When police searched his home, they found more than ten thousand rounds of ammunition and another gun.

Weekend Must See: The Four Feathers (1939)

Here’s a tale of war and empire, and one of the greatest cinematic studies on the nature and value of heroism and duty. This 1939 version was the best of seven film adaptations of the 1902 novel, a far cry from the watered down, politically corrected Heath Ledger 2002 remake.

A British soldier (John Clements) raised on intimidating tales of his ancestors' battlefield glories, horrors and hard fought victories, is faced with the choice between fighting in North Africa and staying home with his beautiful fiancé when war breaks out in the Sudan and his regiment must go. He rebels against family tradition, gives in to his fear and resigns from the Army. As a result he's branded a deserter, disgraced by his buddies' "gift" of white feathers symbolizing cowardice, and his fiancé no longer respects him.

Motivated by shame and guilt, Clements goes to prove to himself and to those he loves, that he can rise to and meet his duty and obligation. He manages to exceed those goals as he reenters the battle in disguise and redeems himself through a series of selfless and daring acts, rescuing those who doubted him and returning the feathers one by one.

The moral here is of duty to something greater than yourself, sacrificing something, maybe everything, to serve that greater cause, and in the end being made greater by serving out that duty; that there is a reward to personal honor beyond even what a medal can bestow or signify, and that the concept of empire has its advantages and benefits, worth defending and fighting for. These things were an especially meaningful and relevant theme for the British in 1939 as they were on the decline while also facing the Nazi onslaught.

The Korda brothers who made the film, producer Alexander, director Zoltan and production designer Vincent, were twice subjects of empire (first Austro-Hungarian and then British), were enthusiastically patriotic about their adopted land in a way that seems unique to immigrants, and in this movie glorified flag waving imperialism, the necessity of battle and the promise of victory, in no small part to show their new home country the shame, danger and disaster that could come from betting so heavily on appeasement, inaction and moral disarmament.

On this side of the Atlantic 1939 had a happier significance, now almost unanimously called Hollywood’s greatest year in film, and The Four Feathers is equal to any movie in that year's top tier. A rock solid story, excellent acting, gorgeous scenes and great action, massive and decorous military ceremonies and marches, a climactic jailbreak, a formal ball, sprawling battles in the Egyptian desert and steamships on the Nile, all captured with rich color cinematography that deserved its Oscar nomination. A must see on TCM, late late Saturday (actually Sunday morning) at Midnight. (also available on Criterion Blu-ray)

Find me at the Speakeasy for much more classic entertainment.

Thirty Yard Behind The Back Touchdown Throw

Purdue's intramural men's flag football was the scene for an amazing touchdown throw.

The quarterback for the Sour Lemons threw thirty yard touchdown throw, nothing spectacular there, but how he threw it was.

In a spinning move, he threw it behind his back, almost in a reverse discus throw.

Apparently he is capable of making this throw, eight out of ten times.

Yes, you will have to see this for yourself.

Canada Attacks Cheese Smuggling

Canadian authorities arrested three men for smuggling cheese into Ontario, from the United States.

Over two hundred thousand dollars worth of cheese had been smuggled since the investigation began in January.

Once they had it over the border, they sold it to restaurants, making at least one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars in profit.


Strict regulations from the Canadian dairy board combined with limited importation from other countries, cause high cheese prices for the country.



The three men can face jail time, as well as fines of up to 245.5% the value of the product.

Mexican Marines Capture Zetas Leader

Mexican marines had a big day, on Thursday, when they successfully captured Ivan Velazquez Caballero, one of the leaders of the Zetas.

He was one of Mexico's thirty-seven most wanted.

According to some sources he and another Zetas leader, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, had been in a power struggle.

The Zetas are one of the most powerful and violent drug cartels in Mexico.

President Felipe Calderon has put a lot of resources into ending the drug cartels' power.

The drug war in Mexico has left more than ten thousand dead, mostly due to violence between cartels.

Two Dead at Office Shooting in Minneapolis

At least two people are dead after a shooting in Minneapolis.

The shooting occurred at Accent Signage Systems Inc.

Three critically injured victims were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, with a fourth at an undisclosed hospital.

Police closed off the area, as they searched for a shooter, but later ended their search after deciding that the shooter was one of the dead.

The shooter apparently shot and killed himself.

Spilling Day For I70 in Colorado

It's been a twenty-four hours full of spills, for Interstate 70 in Colorado.

Wednesday, about 6:30pm, a semi overturned near Edwards, spilling around a thousand pounds of paint.

It took til a lil after 4am, Thursday, for the cleanup to be finished.

Westbound traffic had to be diverted off the freeway, for the duration of the incident.

Just after noon on Thursday, another semi overturned in Wheat Ridge, the driver was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

This truck was carrying beer and spilled cans all over the on ramp, from CO 58.

Crews were finished cleaning that up, about two hours after it happened.