Terry Pratchett makes his own magic sword with meteoric iron
Having been knighted by the Queen, Sir Terry Pratchett decided he needed a sword, so he made one. He mined the ore from a field near his house, chucked in a bunch of meteoric ore ("thunderbolt iron, you see -- highly magical, you've got to chuck that stuff in whether you believe in it or not") and then got a local blacksmith to help him fashion a silver-chased blade out of it. Then he hid it away, because he was worried that England's knife-crime-maddened coppers would come over to his house and confiscate it.
With help from his friend Jake Keen -- an expert on ancient metal-making techniques -- the author dug up 81kg of ore and smelted it in the grounds of his house, using a makeshift kiln built from clay and hay and fuelled with damp sheep manure...
He said: "It annoys me that knights aren't allowed to carry their swords. That would be knife crime."
Terry Pratchett creates a sword with meteorites
(Thanks, Eric!)
(Image: Terry Pratchett, Powell's, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from firepile's photostream)
Come next Tuesday, Michael D. Brown may well unseat incumbent Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) because many voters think he's actually Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At-Large). But to fight the impression that he's simply riding the confusion over a name to office, Brown has put up some campaign signs around town and raised over $23,000 in campaign funds. Well, $15,000 of that was a personal loan from himself to the campaign, but hey, at least he's going through the motions.
Yesterday, Brown sent out an email to friends and supporters claiming he was close to making history, but he really needed their help to seal the deal. The email, in full:
Dear Friends;We are in the final stages of what has been an amazing campaign. I started 10 weeks ago with no money and a few friends like you, and last week a city wide Washington Post Poll showed that I am ahead of the incumbent by 12 points among likely voters. If I win, I will make history. My opponent has spent over $200,000.00 outspending me 20 to 1. He has run TV commercials against me paid for by a political action committee funded with money from a DC businessman and has mailed and handed out tens of thousands of flyers against me. He is supported in this effort by the leading candidate for Mayor and several members of the City Council. All I have is you. Next Tuesday, September 14 is election day. My opponent will surely have people at every polling place handing out his literature and campaigning for him. I need your help now more than ever. If you can spend even a hour or two at a polling place for me, please let me know. I am working so hard and I have come so far. The friends and family that have stood up for me against great odds have made all this possible. It is incredible to me that we have accomplished so much. I know it is a lot to ask, but we are so close and we have so little resources I need your help in this final hour. If you can come to a polling place please respond to this e-mail as soon as possible. We will provide you with materials and assign you a convenient location by your home or office, Thanks for getting me this far. No matter what happens, I have been humbled by your love and support.
"Make history"? "Working so hard"? "We have accomplished so much"? Look, we know that Mendelson was hoping to cruise to victory on little more than his own name recognition, but at least there was no confusion as to which Phil Mendelson people would be voting for. And Clark Ray -- who we spoke to this week -- has actually run a campaign, spending the better part of a year raising over $150,000 and actually challenging Mendelson on the issues. Brown, well, not so much.
Sure, history will be made -- but it might be the type of history that you'd soon rather forget.
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Terry Pratchett makes his own magic sword with meteoric iron
Having been knighted by the Queen, Sir Terry Pratchett decided he needed a sword, so he made one. He mined the ore from a field near his house, chucked in a bunch of meteoric ore ("thunderbolt iron, you see -- highly magical, you've got to chuck that stuff in whether you believe in it or not") and then got a local blacksmith to help him fashion a silver-chased blade out of it. Then he hid it away, because he was worried that England's knife-crime-maddened coppers would come over to his house and confiscate it.
With help from his friend Jake Keen -- an expert on ancient metal-making techniques -- the author dug up 81kg of ore and smelted it in the grounds of his house, using a makeshift kiln built from clay and hay and fuelled with damp sheep manure...
He said: "It annoys me that knights aren't allowed to carry their swords. That would be knife crime."
Terry Pratchett creates a sword with meteorites
(Thanks, Eric!)
(Image: Terry Pratchett, Powell's, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from firepile's photostream)
Come next Tuesday, Michael D. Brown may well unseat incumbent Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) because many voters think he's actually Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At-Large). But to fight the impression that he's simply riding the confusion over a name to office, Brown has put up some campaign signs around town and raised over $23,000 in campaign funds. Well, $15,000 of that was a personal loan from himself to the campaign, but hey, at least he's going through the motions.
Yesterday, Brown sent out an email to friends and supporters claiming he was close to making history, but he really needed their help to seal the deal. The email, in full:
Dear Friends;We are in the final stages of what has been an amazing campaign. I started 10 weeks ago with no money and a few friends like you, and last week a city wide Washington Post Poll showed that I am ahead of the incumbent by 12 points among likely voters. If I win, I will make history. My opponent has spent over $200,000.00 outspending me 20 to 1. He has run TV commercials against me paid for by a political action committee funded with money from a DC businessman and has mailed and handed out tens of thousands of flyers against me. He is supported in this effort by the leading candidate for Mayor and several members of the City Council. All I have is you. Next Tuesday, September 14 is election day. My opponent will surely have people at every polling place handing out his literature and campaigning for him. I need your help now more than ever. If you can spend even a hour or two at a polling place for me, please let me know. I am working so hard and I have come so far. The friends and family that have stood up for me against great odds have made all this possible. It is incredible to me that we have accomplished so much. I know it is a lot to ask, but we are so close and we have so little resources I need your help in this final hour. If you can come to a polling place please respond to this e-mail as soon as possible. We will provide you with materials and assign you a convenient location by your home or office, Thanks for getting me this far. No matter what happens, I have been humbled by your love and support.
"Make history"? "Working so hard"? "We have accomplished so much"? Look, we know that Mendelson was hoping to cruise to victory on little more than his own name recognition, but at least there was no confusion as to which Phil Mendelson people would be voting for. And Clark Ray -- who we spoke to this week -- has actually run a campaign, spending the better part of a year raising over $150,000 and actually challenging Mendelson on the issues. Brown, well, not so much.
Sure, history will be made -- but it might be the type of history that you'd soon rather forget.
robert shumake
Fox <b>News</b> Poll: Coons Leads O'Donnell By 15 Points In Delaware | TPMDC
The new Fox News poll of the Delaware Senate race shows Democratic nominee Chris Coons continuing to enjoy a double-digit lead against Republican Christine O'Donnell.
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