The character of “Batman” is unique in the gallery of super heroes. He first appeared in a DC Comics in November 1939, but the 1960’s television series inspired a cult-like following. The show only ran from 1966 to 1968, yet it remains popular. I still have a toy replica of the original “Batmobile,” which was made by “Hot Wheels” and might be considered a collectible. Here are some behind the scenes photos taken during the show’s first season.
A sign at a NYC rally for Planned Parenthood. Photo by Sarah Seltzer.
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Officials in Hunt County, Texas, have closed their case over the death of a white buffalo calf, claiming the animal died of disease and was not slain. The animal had been born on May 14, 2011, at the Lakota Ranch in Greenville, Texas, and was named Lightning Medicine Cloud. Ranch owner Arby Little Soldier claims he found the animal dead early this past May with only its head and tail remaining. The next day he found the calf’s mother dead. Both deaths, he believed, could have been hate crimes. White buffaloes are extremely rare and the birth of one is considered a sacred symbol in most Native American communities.
But, a veterinarian who examined both Lightning Medicine Cloud and his mother declared that the calf died of blackleg disease, a highly fatal ailment that primarily afflicts young cattle. The spores of blackleg can live in soil for many years. They enter the animal’s body through the digestive tract where the organism creates small punctures. Blackleg cannot be transmitted from an infect animal to a healthy one, but it is preventable through vaccination.
Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks stated that Arby Little Soldier didn’t contact his office until 6 days after Lightning Medicine Cloud turned up dead. Initial photos of the body showed it wasn’t skinned. Supposedly Little Soldier had wanted to consult with his elders before contacting the sheriff’s office.
I can understand why owners of the Lakota Ranch didn’t want to consult with police first. The Native American community, as a whole, has had a tense relationship with mainstream law enforcement for decades. But, as significant as white buffaloes are from a cultural standpoint, there’s no reason the Lakota Ranch should have waited 6 days before contacting Hunt County officials immediately. This ultimately negates the severity of real hate crimes against Indigenous Americans, which often have gone unreported and uninvestigated.
Sheriff Meeks said he will re-open the investigation if new evidence or witnesses surface.
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Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on Earth’s moon, has died. Armstrong, who had turned 82 on August 5, passed away following complications from a cardiovascular procedure he had done earlier this month.
Born Neil Alden Armstrong in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Armstrong developed a passion for aviation as a child. Upon graduating from high school, Armstrong earned a scholarship from the U.S. Navy. He enrolled at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he studied aeronautical engineering. In 1949, he accepted a commission into the Navy. He served as a Naval pilot during the Korean War; receiving the Air Medal and two Gold Stars for his service. After his sting in the Navy, Armstrong resumed his studies as Purdue and earned a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering.
In 1955, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA); later renamed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He was eventually selected to join a small group of astronauts to train for a voyage to the moon.
Armstrong was a test pilot on the X-15 rocket plane and commander of Gemini 8 and Apollo 11 missions. He and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins piloted Apollo 11 to the moon; arriving on July 20, 1969 after a four-day flight. Armstrong uttered two of the most famous statements made by well-known figures: “Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed,” when Apollo 11 landed, and “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” when he set foot on the moon’s surface about six and a half hours later.
After his historic mission to the moon, Armstrong worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), coordinating and managing the administration’s research and technology work. In 1971, he resigned from NASA and taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati for nearly a decade.
Unlike many these days, Armstrong never tried to cash in on his fame. When he learned that his autographs were being sold at auctions, he stopped singing things for people. He was humble and relatively shy.
“Looking back,” Armstrong once said, “we were really very privileged to live in that thin slice of history where we changed how man looks at himself and what he might become and where he might go.”
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In light of recent comments made by elected officials here in the United States, I want to remind everyone to stockpile as many weapons as you can – guns, rifles, knives, meat cleavers, etc. – in preparation for the apocalypse. This is in case any politicians should survive the upheaval. Of course, don’t do anything now! Wait until after December 21, 2012. Considering that most political figures are too arrogant to prepare for such a catastrophe, there’s not a good chance many of them will make it, especially here in the U.S. But, you can never be too sure.
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World’s Edge, South Coast of England, in the county of East Sussex. The cliff is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain.
“This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National Golf Club. We are fortunate to consider many qualified candidates for membership at Augusta National. Consideration with regard to any candidate is deliberate, held in strict confidence and always takes place over an extended period of time. The process for Condoleezza and Darla was no different.”
– Billy Payne, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, in a statement announcing the club will end its 80-year male-only policy.
Just a decade ago, Payne’s predecessor, William Johnson, said the club would only admit women at “the point of bayonet.” Preparations are now underway to install push-button phones and color TV monitors in the club house.
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“From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But, let’s assume maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist.”
– Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), when asked August 19 if he supported abortion in the case of rape.
Akin as since apologized, but refuses to drop out of a congressional race, stating, “I don’t know that I’m the only person in public office who suffered from foot in mouth disease here.” No, but he should be suffering foot up the ass disease come this November.
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Chief Writing Wolf 
Quote of the Day
“He’s going to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N. Then what happens? I’m thinking worst-case scenario – civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe.”
– Judge Tom Head of Lubbock County, Texas, speaking to a local Fox News affiliate about the possible repercussions if President Obama wins another term in office.
He was actually trying to justify a sale tax increase, which would go towards funding local law enforcement, in the event a bunch of renegade Negroes, Indians and Mexicans should forget their place in society and launch an assault. I would support such an insurrection if assholes like Head and the entire Texas GOP could be banished to an island in the Arctic.
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Tagged as 2012 presidential race, Judge Tom Head, stupid comments