NFL Draft

Here is my mock of the first round. Few surprises and no trades which is unlikely.

My first round (assuming zero trades)

1. Carolina – Cam Newton-QB
2. Denver – Marcel Dareus-DT
3. Buffalo – Von Miller-LB
4. Cinc. – AJ Green-WR
5. Ari – Patrick Peterson-CB
6. Cle – Mario Jones-WR
7. SF – Robert Quinn-DE
8. Tenn – Fairley-DT
9. Dal – Pouncey– C,G
10. Wash – Gabbert-QB
11. Hou – Amukamara-CB
12. Minn – Jake Locker-QB
13. Det – D’Quan Bowers-DE
14. SL – Cameron Jordan-DE
15. Mia – Cameron Heyward-DE
16. Jax – Ryan Kerrigan-DE
17. NEP – Tyron Smith-T
18. SD – Gabe Carimi-T
19. NYG – Nate Solder-T
20. TB – Adrian Clayborn-DE
21. KC – Derrick Sherrod-T
22. INDY – Cory Liguet-DT
23. Phil – Anthony Castonzo-T
24. NO – Muhammad Wilkerson-DT
25. Sea – Mark Ingram-RB
26. Balt – Jimmy Smith-CB
27. Atl – Randall Cobb-WR
28. NEP – Aldon Smith-OLB
29. Chi – Marvin Austin-DT
30. NYJ – Brooks Reed-LB
31. PB – Brandon Harris-CB
32. GB – Akeem Ayers-LB

tRump

Now that he has "solved" the Obama birth mystery, the stupidaire wants the president's golf score from a round he once shot at Doral to be further scrutinized. tRump has agents on the ground even as you read this.

Cynthia Tucker

Bishop Eddie Long demolished. Well done. From the AJC.

Joe Lansdale's latest

Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are a pair of Texas 'necks with a weakness for taking on lost causes and hopeless situations. Usually they prevail, though not before 200 or so pages of being abused (verbally and physically) be some of the ornerist characters imagined by the talented Texan, Joe Lansdale.
By my count "Devil Red" is the eighth mainstream Leonard and Hap novel. The boys, fresh off a rumble with some local lowlifes, get tangled up in an old murder case, leading them to a string of other slayings.
Are all the killings related somehow?
Shit yeah they are.
I enjoyed "Devil Red," though the identity of the killer and the backstory it involves is a might far fetched for my taste. Though it appeals to the comic book/James Bond fan in me, that's not what I'm looking for when Leonard and Hap get together on the printed page. I prefer their stories stripped down, reeking of violence, corruption and Lansdale's keen sense of the absurd.
"Devil Red" is a fun, fast read and will make a fan out of most newcomers who try it out. Like Leonard and Hap, the series remains strong, vibrant and sharply funny.

Christopher Hitchens

Actually this is a celebration of Big Chris penned by his friend Martin Amis.

Leon Russell's greatness

A terrific speech by Elton John inducting Leon Russell in the rock hall of fame. Leon has had an an enormous impact on popular music and I'm thrilled his unique career has been recognized. His music opened worlds for me. God bless him (and Elton) for this fine, fine moment and all those wonderful tunes.
"Now the day is gone ... and I sit alone and think of you"

Steven Chapman

Is Libya already a failure? Benghazi saved but Misrati pays the price by US-NATO response.

Jay Bookman

Georgia's situational conservatives. Not a particularly well done piece, but he is right on his central point; local conservatives are a lot less laissez faire when business interests grab for the teat.

The Libertarian Kenndys?

The Paul family examined by a Politico writer.

High speed disaster

Here's some information about that Chinese high speed rail system President Obama is fond of mentioning. It isn't going so well. From the Washington Post.

Anti-Rand

The author is to be pitied (and apparently misread) From Slate.

Christopher Hitchens

Big Chris still has it in him to pee in the royal punch. A lovely bit on the absurdity of the whole damn wedding hysteria in England.

Sunday Morning Services (A day late)

Open your hymnals to this classic from the Statler Brothers.How Great Thou Art

NFL Draft 2

A little over a year ago they were talking about Georgia Tech running back Anthony Allen as an upper echelon runner. Now, after Tech's disappointing season, his stock has dropped although his size (229 pounds) and speed (4.56)are good enough to get him picked in the mid rounds by a team looking for a solid runner to sub for their starter.

NFL Draft

Dueling wide receivers. AJ Green and Julio Jones. From the AJC.

Meanwhile, back at the farm ...

Let's see Saxby Chambliss support this.

Red State Update

Jackie and Dunlap put their big brains to work on the government shutdown. Some (funny) profanity included.

The Not So Royal Navy

Check out this beautiful warship.

GM at a 'bargain?'

Administration ready to bail out on bailout.

'Restrepo' filmmaker killed

I was hoping this was a misreported story earlier but apparently Tim Hetherington was killed in Misrati today. Here's the trailer for "Restrepo."

Words

"The Floating Zombie," is the name of a D.F. Jones novel I recently plucked out of a stack of sci fi paperbacks for a quick read, following two straight non-fiction works on the Crusades.
It was libeled as sci fi, but the fantastic element plays only a slim role in the story, which is about a first-of-its-kind super high tech oil tanker designed to run automatically with a security crew of only four humans on board.
Of course, just like the Titanic proved sinkable after all, the fullproof plans of the ship's builders fall prey to human intervention.
Ruthless bad guys target the ship for hijacking and it's up to the small security crew, three robust, manly men and one woman who is in charge of the cooking and cleaning -- to make things right.
Written in the 1970s in the style of a mens mgazine feature, "The Floating Zombie" is standard action stuff of the era -- fast moving, violent and embarrassingly chauvinistic.
Author D.F. Jones was a commander in the Royal Navy during WW 2, and his knowledge of ships and ocean transport is solid. But that hardly makes up for the lack of any real imagination or zest.
"The Floating Zombie" is not exactly a snoozefest, but it won't keep you up nights either.

Atlas Shrugged

The Financial Times disappointed in the film.

My April 14 column

Weekend Warrior takes a whipping.

Mark Steyn

Losing the future. Bogus budget deal won't reverse U.S. decline. From NRO.

Sunday Services

Flatt and Scruggs On the Way to Canaan's Land.

Guns

Group wants deer hunting banned.

Good for the soul music

Ola Belle Reed does "High on a Mountain."

Books

Joe Hope provides muscle for a nasty Edinburgh loan shark. Joe is violent, ill tempered, miserable ... and the hero of our story, "Kiss Her Goodbye," by the Scottish crime novelist Allan Guthrie. I picked up this cool Hard Case Crime series entry, never having read anything by Guthrie.
I liked it.
There's not much in the way of local color, Guthrie could have put his story in the grimy underbelly of any big city. He focuses on plot and dialog, keeping this tale of bad guy on bad guy revenge moving briskly and efficiently.
It's an easy read and one genre fans will give the thumbs up.
I give it a B-.

Sunday services

Feel free to sing along with the choir as The Stanley Brothers do Rank Strangers. Enjoy that harmony singing.

TV

Last week's episode of "Justified" was outstanding ... funny, brutal and smart. Can't wait for the followup this Wednesday.

Books

Got the new Hap and Leonard novel, "Devil Red" by Joe Lansdale. Started right in on it. Will report back soon. If you have never read the series, Hap is a redneck rumbler with a heart of gold. Leonard in a bad ass gay, black Texan who enjoys cracking heads. There are a about a dozen of these novels and they have all been entertaining, funny and tough. Lansdale is a treasure most readers don't know.

Marvel's worst cartoons.

From the fine folks at Cracked.

France gets tough

With Muslim women who wear veils Now, if they'll just ban berets on men I'll be happy.