Das Boot
For no readily apparent reason the following bit from the film Crimson Tide came to mind early this morning. I have since checked my DVD to ensure the accuracy of the exchange between Gene Hackman as Captain Ramsey and George Dzundza as the Chief of the Boat (COB), addressing the officers and crew of the film's principal setting, the ballistic missile submarine U.S.S. Alabama SSBN-731.

Hackman: "Mr. COB?"
Dzundza: "Yes, sir!"
"You're aware of the name of this ship, aren't you, Mr. COB?"
"Very aware, sir!"
"It bears a proud name, doesn't it, Mr. COB?"
"Very proud, sir!"
"It represents fine people."
"Very fine people, sir!"
"Who live in a fine, outstanding state."
"Outstanding, sir!"
"In the greatest country in the entire world."
"In the entire world, sir!"
And what is that name, Mr. COB?"
"Alabama, sir!"
"And what do we say?"
Together: "Go, 'Bama!"
Crew: "Roll Tide!"

Science!: A-Viking We Will Go
Treasurelink. My ancestry is more English than anything else, but what does that really mean? Were my antecedents Danish vikings? Norman invaders, also of viking extract? Angles, Saxons, or Jutes, all of whom were once themselves invaders? Roman legionaries or auxiliaries? Or am I descended from the original Britannic Celts? Wondering around Yorkshire with a metal detector would seems unlikely to scare up any answers. Still, I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday. Well done, Whelans! I am opposed to heaping excessive praise upon the fickle "wisdom of the common man," but I must admit that the possibility for major discoveries to be made by relative amateurs is a most appealing facet of archaeology. Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of Troy, is the paramount exemplar of this phenomenon.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
They Might Be Giants, "Metal Detector" from Factory Showroom (T.L.A.M.)