John Bolton and his comrades love to run around accusing anyone who doesn’t want to wage more wars of being an “appeaser” and “surrendering” to Terrorists, but Bolton’s cry here is the ultimate, definitive surrender: I’m too scared of the Terrorists to go about my normal life.

Source:
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/11/25/bolton

Noticed this guy on the train the other day. Looked kind of tough but maybe a little worn.

Buy this drawing at my Etsy store

Tuff kille, före och efter Photoshop.

]]> http://kenseblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/that-time-of-year-again/ Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:41:27 +0000 kense http://kenseblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/that-time-of-year-again/

It’s about that time of year again… The time for sugar-induced headaches (as a result of buying way too many sweets to give away to the handful of trick-or-treaters who came a-knockin’) to be compounded by candy floss, toffee apples, and absurdly loud fireworks. I’ve been stocking up on Nurofen and toothpaste in preparation for this week, and I’m already feeling the benefits.

It’s been a few weeks since I reached out to you on a personal level, and a few things have happened that have been keeping me occupied… Firstly, and most upsettingly, I said goodbye to the only female that has ever been faithful to me last week – my beloved Nissan 350Z:

I miss her already…

My mates Kris and Louise emigrated to Dubai recently, and are just about getting settled. I miss them too! I also envy their tans, and admire the risk they’ve taken moving to a country so different to ours. Hopefully I’ll be able to get over there and visit before the year is through. If you’re in the slightest bit interested, Kris has set up a blog to keep us Brits back home up to date with what they’re up to: http://krisheath.com/

Pete, Andy, Big Jon and I have sent off our application forms for next year’s Tough Guy challenge, amazingly while sober and without bribery! In fact, having punished ourselves by watching ‘The Invention Of Lying’ – without doubt, the most dreadful film that I have ever seen, and perhaps has ever been made – I’m starting to think that there’s more than a whiff of self-loathing and self-punishment going on this month! We would have walked out of the cinema if we weren’t so upset about being ripped off to get in there in the first place… Seriously, when Gervais walked out looking like Jesus, I nearly put my Pepsi through the screen. Don’t even watch this film when it comes out on TV.

I’m past the ‘oh-my-god-what-have-I-let-myself-in-for’ stage now with Tough Guy, and I’m quite looking forward to it. It’s going to be freeeezing cold, taking place on 31st January, and there’s a box on the application form that asks where you’d like to be buried if you die on the course, but I’m still optimistic that it will be fun. We’ll be collecting money beforehand for Help For Heroes…
If I can figure out how to put a button here on the blog for you to donate between now and January, I will do so.

There’s a video here from an ESPN review a couple of years ago that will probably better explain what Tough Guy is all about than I possibly could in words:

Ummm… What else has happened? Pete and Laura are expecting a bambino. Laura’s sister has had her bambino. Steve from work’s had a bambino. My cousin Helen has had her second bambino. I’d feel left out, if it weren’t for the fact that I’d be a terrible father and can barely look after myself, let alone have a little’un to worry about!

I’ve been quite busy with designing some new menus and generally preparing for the busy Christmas and New Year period at the pub, so while I can only apologise for not bringing you as much hot and tasty music over the last month or two, it’s not like I’ve been sat on my arse sucking my thumb!

In fact, I’ll bring you some music right now! My old friend Dom Navarra has kindly shared a cheeky remix of Paloma Faith’s ‘New York’ on his SoundCloud page… A vast improvement on the original, I think you’ll agree.

I think I’ll leave you with this, for those of you that do have the time to sit down and peruse the weirder reaches of the internet: a site I found through the FRONT blog… Take A Weird Break. Just click the link and have a look. I do love mental people… Similarly awesome is WhyTheFuckDoYouHaveAKid.com, which I shall be showing to all of the new parents that I’m friends with so that they can get some tips.

See you soon peeps! Bonfire this weekend yeah?

A painfully honest and unnecessarily epic commercial for mobile homes. As far as I know this is real. Or maybe it’s not. He’s not gonna cry about it.

Let’s see you actually walk around South Bronx dressed like that.

(Two of the Jonas Brothers)

I wouldn’t give them a chance in this neighborhood, either.

Picture by: dunno source. Caption by: Dr. Claw via Advanced Lol Builder

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We all have seen the macho / tough guy douche at a club, at a gym and places alike, but the goofy douches are a more rare occurrence. There is some thing particularly pathetic about them, but at the same time charming – it’s almost like they admit that they are douches and they have accepted it. Well, that’s what at least their faces say.

Weather Today 100% Chance of Me Kicking Your Ass

(Tommy Lee Jones)

Picture by: dunno source. Caption by: Fligglebobbin via Our LOL Builder

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At only 9 feet in length, a newly found T-Rex-like dinosaur already showed the powerful jaws, puny arms and quick legs of its larger and more famous descendants.

Source:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/17/tiny-t-rex-dino.html

Thanks for stopping by the Black Swans’ blog page.

The Black Swans – Mark, Tony, Giles and Simon – are hoping to enter the Tough Guy competition at the end of January 2010. Any sponsorship they raise (that doesn’t need to go towards post-competition health care) will be donated to the National Trust projects funds at Chartwell and Emmetts Garden, two beautiful NT properties in West Kent.

Keep your eyes on this page to follow the team’s training and find out how they’re getting on.

Nach dem Motto ‘Matsch oder Memme’ bin ich Ende März beim Strongman Run angetreten, dem selbsternannten härtesten Lauf aller Zeiten.  Es ging 18 km Querfeldein, durch 2° (!) kaltes Wasser, im Kriechgang durch Schlammlöcher, über meterhohe Hindernisse und weitere lustige Schikanen. Die Strecke war nicht das große Problem. Aber versucht mal bei eh schon geringen Temperaturen durch eiskaltes Wasser zu schwimmen, um anschließend mehrere Kilometer mit nassen Klamotten durch Sand zu laufen. Anyway – ich habs’ mehr oder minder erfolgreich unter der vorgegebenen Zeit von 3,5 h geschafft. Insgesamt war der Lauf eine Mordsgaudi, und ich hab selten so viel Hilfsbereitschaft auf so einem sportlichen Event erlebt. Hier noch ein paar Impressionen von ‘09:

Generell ist mein Problem jedoch – bin ich nicht Feuer und Flamme für eine Sache, habe ich ein Motivationsproblem bis ich ein Zeitproblem habe. Beim Strongman Run hat das relativ gut geklappt. Ein halbes Jahr Training mit 3 wöchiger Pause während Karneval haben ausgereicht, um das Ding zu schaukeln. Leider ist die Lauferei danach etwas eingeschlafen – kein Ziel mehr vor Augen. Eigentlich stand danach das Tough Guy Race im nächsten Jahr auf dem Kalender. Durch eine größere Urlaubsplanung und das super komplizierte, unstrukturierte Anmeldeverfahren auf der Homepage des Veranstalters wird das aber leider nicht hinhauen. Nächstes Ziel war ein moderater Triathlon, sprich Kurzdistanz bis Half-Ironman. Da das aber durchaus einiges mehr Zeit in Anspruch nimmt, konnte ich dieses Jahr an keinem mehr teilnehmen. Davon abgesehen, dass ich die Hälfte der Anmeldetermine verpennt hab.

© Thomas Wolf

Jetzt bin ich aber heute durch Zufall auf  einen sympathischen Lauf quer durchs Siebengebirge gestolpert. Ein anspruchsvoller 26-km-Berglauf mit ca. 1.000 Höhenmetern. Die Teilnehmerzahl ist mit knapp 350 angemeldeten Läufern (bis jetzt) im Gegensatz zum Strongman Run (ca. 8.000) vergleichsweise familiär. Das macht die Sache nicht minder attraktiv. Außerdem bietet es ein neues Ziel und gleichzeitige Motivation, wieder etwas mehr zu tun.

Das ist auch genau das richtige Stichwort. Denn ehrlich gesagt, hab ich es seit April/Mai ganz schön schleifen lassen. Der Lauf ist am 25. Oktober 2009, d.h. noch genau 38 Tage. Nicht möglich bis dahin wieder fit zu werden? Das schafft man nie? Solche Sprüche hab ich auch vor dem Strongman Run gehört und eher als zusätzliche Motivation angesehen. Also gute Herausforderung, hab ich mir gedacht und mich spontan angemeldet. Ab Morgen heißt es also wieder: verstärktes Training – go for it!

]]> http://failblog.org/2009/08/31/gangsta-fail/ Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:00:25 +0000 Cheezburger Network http://failblog.org/2009/08/31/gangsta-fail/

Picture by: dunno source. Submitted by: kokkaz via Fail Uploader

Chicago politics has always been a contact sport.

But even congressional tough guy Dan Rostenkowski, the Windy City pol who ruled the powerful House Ways and Means Committee for years, didn’t know what hit him two decades ago, when irate senior citizens descended upon his car after a town hall meeting to discuss a law that made some of the biggest

Source:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/08/golden_oldie_seniors_protest_h.html

Last of the Tough Guys Donald Earl Fite III became irate when his recently separated girlfriend told him that her plans did not include him that evening. He was so upset that he shoved her against the bathroom wall, pulled her hair and threw her into the bathtub, according to the court affidavit.

The victim was able to leave her apartment and contact 911. When she returned, she found her impaled fish in the middle of the floor.
Read more: GoldFish Gladiator

Having covered the Tough Guy competition back in January, as a photographer and not runner, I couldn’t wait to go back and have another crack at it. I managed to achieve two award winning images from my first visit, not sure if I could top that again this time, but I was more than willing to give it ago! The day started off with a drizzle of light rain, just enough to wet the course, but no where near enough to dampen our spirits!

For those of you who haven’t heard of the Tough Guy Challenge, I’d best explain.

The phenomena, which is Tough Guy has now evolved into cult status with mythical legends to a world wide audience. Competitors from every continent come with the intent of finishing the course, some do, but many leave a shivering wreck!

Tough Guy is open to individuals and teams, set in over 150 acres of fertile land at Perton, Wolverhampton. The challenge is the safest, yet most dangerous and physically enduring event in the world. Tough Guy is mentally demanding, fear inducing and visual spectacular.

After the entrants have signed their Death Warrant! The race starts promptly at 11am, but it’s usually around 12noon before they  make it to the Firey Holes. This is a part of the course where the runners have to wade, repeatedly, through waist high water, reported to contain donkey sewage! And then run the gauntlet of flaming hay bails.

For the photographer, this has to be the best part of the course, but get there early and pick off small groups of runners. Leave it too long and you’ll miss out.

After the flames have died down and last of the runners have gone through it’s off to Stalag Escape. This part of the course is based on the infamous Stalag 17 Prisoner of War Camp, which consists of a twisted, tangled web of barbed wire strewn across runner’s path. The only way to pass is to lay face down in the mud and belly crawl the 40ft under it to (comparative) safety at the other side.

By 2pm some of the tough guys (and gals) are passing the finish line! Me! I’m totally knackered just taking pictures, let alone running the course. Nonetheless. like most of these competitors, I too, will be back next year!

The next Tough Guy Challenge is scheduled to take place on Sunday 31st January, 2010. Don’t miss it! Full details are available from the Tough Guy web site: http://www.toughguy.co.uk

I hope you enjoy the pictures; I’ve posted a few more on my Flickr Account should you wish to see some more.