Even though I consider this more or less out of scope for this blog, since I used it as an example earlier, I feel I should update that the suspect shot by London police was not strapped with a bomb. However, if you read this report at Chrenkoff, you may see why I think that the story isn't over yet.

tnx to All Things Conservative

I've been tinkering with the blogroll. The biggest thing I did, which is mostly invisible to anyone else reading this, is I moved a few from the hidden "evaluating" category into a public category, and deleted a bunch of the remainder. I'm trying to get the full list pared down a little more, so I can start checking out some new ones that I haven't seen yet without it getting too bulky.

I noticed an odd thing this week. Someone used the "email this post" button to send an old, completely inconsequential and meaningless post to someone. It is meaningless because it was about changing the blog's name, which has been done again since then. This blog went through several name changes back when I was the only person in the world aware of its existence and I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to write about. I have no clue as to why anyone would want to email that post.

Another peculiar thing that turned up is that someone came here after Googling the term, "use pyrodex for 45 acp." I can only say, Good Lord! What for?

I have been tenuously hanging on the Slithering Reptile status in the TTLB Ecosystem. I slip down to amphibian now and then, but I think I am solidifying my hold on the reptile. I prefer reptile. Amphibians give me the creeps.

UPDATE: Another thing I've noticed is that even though Bloglines hasn't been showing that there's a problem with the RSS feed, my posts haven't been making it to Bloglines for 3 days now. This has happened before, so it doesn't bother me a whole lot, especially since no one uses Bloglines to read this blog.

First, I would like to direct your attention to a website called Happynews.com. Their own description is "Real News. Compelling Stories. Always Positive." If you are one of those people who think that good news is not really news, read no further.

This is a website that focuses on good things that happen around the world, when most media outlets are constantly harping on the bad. I remember having a discussion that turned into an argument about this concept several years ago. At the time, the subject of the argument was a television newscast that had the same theme. The other guy said that it wasn't really news and that anyone who watched it was afraid of reality. Guess what. These stories are reality. As a card-carrying member of the Cult of Victimhood, the person I was arguing with probably couldn't stand the thought of people doing good things and not being punished for it. I don't know. All I know is that he was a completely messed-up rabid liberal who apparently did not live on the same planet as I.

I would like to post an example of their take on a recent event: the shooting of an apparent terrorist in London. I have seen uncountable articles, and heard over and over again on NPR, the account of the eyewitness to the shooting. Here is a BBC report of what I'm talking about. Instead of focusing on the real story (that a probable bomber/murderer was swiftly and efficiently eliminated by law enforcement officers), they instead can talk only about how "petrified" this poor person was, and how the police chased him down and performed said elimination at close range. No compliments in this article (or anywhere else, it seems) to the officer who fired the shots without sending a spray of bullets into the train passengers as it seems many police in the United States are often wont to do. No compliments even to the British police at large in eliminating another murderer. Here you will find only accounts of some poor person who was running scared and got knocked down, then shot. And everyone is so traumatized because they actually witnessed law enforcement in action. Read it for yourself.

Now here is the Happynews.com version, written by one of their "citizen journalists" from London:

London is still suffering the emotional and financial backlash of the bombings on the underground and on-board bus thirty on July 7 and yesterday, July 21, was spared another tragedy when somehow an attempt to repeat the bombings went awry yesterday morning.

Police were called out to underground stations at The Oval, Warren Street and Shepherds Bush where small explosions were reported to have taken place and a bus was also evacuated in the East London suburb of Hackney. The area around the bus was evacuated after a rucksack containing explosive material was left on the bus.

Reports have said that three small explosions did occur on the underground trains, once again within seconds of each other that leads experts to believe that this was also the work of suicide bombers. Thankfully, for as yet unknown reasons, the bombs did not fully explode and only one person was slightly injured in a bizarre but lucky escape for the population of London.

The failure of the bombs to fully explode has given forensic experts a massive lead with all the explosive evidence still intact. Teams have been scouring bus 26 for clues and these will no doubt prove very valuable to the security personal that are in search of these would-be bombers.

An alleged suicide bomber was apprehended and stopped by use of deadly force at Stockwell Tube Station in central London earlier this morning, July 22. It has been speculated that the man running from the police was in the process of getting onto the train when he was shot by security teams.

Like I said, you may the kind who thinks that good news isn't really news, it's just someone trying to avoid reality. I contend that this is reality--no one is making it up. It happens. And I, for one, welcome some good news for a change.

(And if you don't like it, no one is forcing you to read it).

UPDATE: I realize that what may be "good" in the world is subject to opinion. For example, the article N.Korea calls for peace treaty with U.S. seems too simplistic to me. But then, I am automatically suspicious of anything that North Korea does. (Ever since I saw a documentary on the History Channel about Kim Jung-Il or whatever his name is, I think North Korea is more dangerous than China, because their dictator is a complete freakin' loon). But then the article Chinese farmers win back land rights seems very direct and informative, because, although I read in many places about the riots in China over loss of land rights, I didn't hear about any positive results anywhere until I read it here.

One of the first things I did at this website was to do a search for "Iraq." This turned up:
U.N. agencies back Iraqi students
U.S. Marines rescue tortured Iraqis
First female Silver Star for Iraq war
Australian hostage rescued in Iraq
Wedding numbers spike in Iraq
French journalist and driver released in Iraq
Army honors its best journalists
U.S., Japan agree to joint security report

But I guess that's enough about this. I don't have any affiliation with Happynews.com myself. I think I have written so much about it because I'm still haunted by that long-ago argument in which the other guy was so violently opposed to anyone spreading good news. I couldn't understand his position then, and I can't understand it now.

Jackson, MS:

Armed and ready. The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks has 212 guns at its disposal and not one rightful owner.

Jim Walker, of the MDWFP, says, 'These guns were taken from hands of the bad guys. We hope to put them in the hands of the good guys.'

They were taken from violators of hunting laws or convicted felons in possession.

Walker says, 'These guns have gone to the courts. These individuals have been found guilty and these guns now belong to the state of Mississippi.'

They're not your run of the mill firearms.

Phillip Pope is the training co-ordinater for the MDWFP. He says, 'Most of them that we have are hunting type rifles or shotguns.'

Soon they hope to be in the hands of someone in need of a good gun.

Walker says, 'You have to have a federal firearms license to purchase these guns.'

They will be auctioned off in October to anyone who has that license. Half the money will go to the state and half to the agency.

Pope says, 'The guns will be sold as is. It'll be sold as a package deal.'

Walker says, 'The possible return could be substantial. Depends on who shows up.'

Wildlife officials say some guns could get up to 500 dollars. Some look brand new. The result is quite a bargain.

Pope says, 'Some of this money goes back and kinda let the violator pay for some of the stuff that our law enforcement officers need, instead of letting the taxpayers pay for it.' A welcome relief for one of many agencies hunting for cash through these lean budget years.

tnx to The Countertop Chronicles