Random News and Notes 15 July
On this date:
- 1099 – Jerusalem falls to the Crusaders. This marks the end of the First Crusade. Deus Vult!
- 1410 – A combined Polish and Lithuanian Force mauls the Teutonic order at Grunwald. The Order, a crusader organization, had been tasked with converting pagans in eastern Europe, but developed territorial ambitions. Of 270 sworn Brothers of the order, only 60 survived the Battle. King Władysław II Jagiełło lost 12 belted Knights.
- 1789 – One day after the fall of the Bastille, the French aristocrat and hero of the American War for Independence, Marie-Joseph Paul Roch Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, becomes the colonel-general of the National Guard of Paris.
- 1789 – The electors of Paris set up a “Commune” to live without the authority of the government. Thus began the Reign of Terror.
- 1799 – The Rosetta Stone is found. A French soldier discovers a black basalt slab inscribed with ancient writing near the town of Rosetta, about 35 miles east of Alexandria.
- 1806 – Zebulon Pike leaves Fort Belle Fontaine in Missouri to begin his Western expedition. Pike and his explorers traveled through the present-day states of Kansas and Nebraska before reaching Colorado, where he spotted the famous mountain later named in his honor. From there, they traveled down to New Mexico, where they were stopped by Spanish officials and charged with illegal entry into Spanish-held territory.
- 1813 – Napoleon Bonaparte‘s representatives meet with the Allies in Prague to discuss peace terms.
- 1903 – Ford Motor Company takes its first order. Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning ordered an $850 two-cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat).
- 1918 – The Second Battle of the Marne begins. 23 divisions of the German 1st and 3rd Armies attacked the French 4th Army east of Reims, while 17 divisions of the 7th Army, assisted by the 9th Army, attacked the French 6th Army to the west of the city. The dual attack was Ludendorff’s attempt to divide and conquer the French forces, which were joined by 85,000 U.S. troops as well as a portion of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), most of which were located in Flanders. The US 3rd Infantry division earned their nickname at this battle: Rock of the Marne. Division commander MG Joseph Dickman famously told his French allies, “Nous resterons là”(we stay here) as the flanking French units retreated.
- 1942 – The first supply flight over the himalayas from India to China over the ‘Hump’ is flown.
- 1958 – President Eisenhower sends troops to Lebanon. Operation Blue Bat saw approximately 14,000 U.S. troops landed on the beaches of Beirut at the request of Lebanese President Camille Chamoun to stabilize the government against rebel uprisings fueled by pan-Arab nationalism.
We start the news with a disturbing video from a medically discharged Marine Officer. William Upham, medically discharged from the Marines in May 2025, uploaded the nearly seven-minute video to X on Monday while wearing his old uniform and name tape. He called Trump an enemy of God, referenced Bible verses and an AI image, and stated Trump would be killed and sent to hell amid his write-in campaign for a Florida congressional seat. I am not going to post the whole video here. You can search it out of you like. Here is a snippet however:
Medically discharged or not, as a commissioned officer, Upham is subject to recall for disciplinary purposes. He should be recalled immediately and confined until trial by Courts Martial. Also, what is up with dudes named Upham?
This one amuses me. A mentally ill dude fled the US for greener pastures in the Netherlands. He was worried about “oppression in Trump’s America” whatever that means. At the Ter Apel asylum center he ran smack into reality. The islamists the Dutch have imported threatened him and others for being mentally ill. ‘The situation in the U.S. as a trans person—not good—but here I will be hurt or killed,’ he said.
The best part, this seems to be a trend. There have been dozens of trans mentally ill Americans seeking Dutch asylum since Trump’s 2025 reelection. Nearly all have been rejected. So, they get stuck in a camp with violent jihadis who would kill them without a second thought to escape ‘anti-trans violence’ in the US AKA mean words.
There are massive wildfires burning in western Ontario. Normally I’d be meh about it, but it is affecting me personally. The image below was taken just outside my place in Upstate NY. I am not sure it accurately portrays what it actually looks like.
This image comes from the NASA FIRMS site and shows the scale of the fires. They are huge. ANd based on the best data I could find, there is very little containment of these fires.
I expect that under normal conditions, these fires wouldn’t pose much of a threat. However, a goodly portion of the canadian firebomber fleet is in france, fighting the Fontainebleau fire there.
Sticking with Canuck themed items for a second, a 33 year old Canadian woman got herself in some hot water in New Jersey. Kaitlyn E. Tracey, a Canadian national living in America’s Armpit, approached four teens on July 3 in Point Pleasant Beach, yelled at two for their Trump and ICE-themed sweatpants, then hit one in the body and slapped her face. Surveillance video captured the incident and Tracey was later identified and charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of a child, harassment and obstruction.
She is now in ICE custody awaiting deportation proceedings.
Another day, another wildlife related story. This time a woman had a close encounter with a pair of moose (meece?mooses?) while hiking. Amy Hotchkiss says she was hiking Colorado’s Snowflake Trail near Breckenridge when she saw two moose ‘following’ her.
She decided to run, which may not have been the best choice. It did work for her this time, but . . .
Anyway, don’t mess with the wildlife.
The MLB All-Star Game was last night. Baseball finally got something right. Before the game, they recreated the 4th of July scene from the Sandlot.
You’re killin’ me Smalls. . .
The AL blanked the NL 4-0 and Cody Bellinger won the MVP.