Odds ‘n Sods:

The Varkman sent a picture that tells a thousand words: This is why astronomers build telescopes in the mountains of Chile. (Looking at the map, you can see why I prefer the western U.S. of A. for retreat locales. The relative lack of light pollution in The American Redoubt region shows just how lightly populated it is here. OBTW, here’s a direct link to the large .PNG image.

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Avalanche Lily alerted me to this: The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)

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For those that were captivated by my recent mention of the Battle of Athens (Tennessee, 1946), SurvivalBlog Timothy R. mentioned this site, for further reading.

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Reader Mike Q. wrote to remind me that the movie Atlas Shrugged: Part One is now available on Netflix.

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Veteran contributor R.B.S. sent this, just for fun: A whale of a story that became a legend. (Yes, there is such a thing as using too much dynamite.)