Egypt gives Muslim Brotherhood leader 40 years in jail

There's no tolerance of Islamists here. Egypt has reportedly jailed 47,000 of them -- what all other countries should emulate.

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Standard Oil station art

by Edward Ruscha (American, 1937-)  Variations of this also exist.

where did I put the iPad?

who lowered the bridge?

from a viral e-mail

traffic in Brussels, early 1960s

for some light relief: a Muslim is arrested in Qatar for smuggling 12 kg of bacon in his anal cavity

Customs officers at the Hamad International Airport, in the Qatari capital, have arrested a Yemeni man attempting to smuggle more than 12 kilograms (27 lbs) of sliced bacon hidden in his anal cavity.

53-year old Abd al Rahman Shamoun, was spotted by a specially trained police dog, looking for drugs or pork meat on passengers and in their luggage.

He appeared visibly nervous and sweaty, so the customs took him in a separate office for a more thorough search and investigation.

The search revealed 4 larges condoms hidden in his anal cavity, each containing more than 3 kilograms of bacon.

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12 kg??

BNSF pair of ES44DC units at Grand Junction, Colorado

Seen parked in a siding, probably a helper set for use on trains to the east.  The building on the left is not the station; the former D&RGW depot from 1906 still exists out of sight to the left, but is not in good condition.  Amtrak uses another UP-owned buildng beside it.

House Speaker hints at suing a President Trump over his Muslim ban

 

House Speaker Paul Ryan hinted at potentially bringing a lawsuit against Donald Trump if the latter wins the presidency and enacts a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

During an interview with The Huffington Post, Ryan — who represents Wisconsin's first district — was asked about Trump's proposed immigration ban.

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Yes, Paul Ryan is a Republican, not a Democrat.

Our feeling is that as nice as it would be, the international ramifications of a blanket Muslim ban would make it going too far.  Although they are in a small minority, there are some good Muslims. What is very needed, however, is extensive and thorough vetting of Muslims or those from a Muslim background about their attitudes:

Start by asking the wives: does he beat you?  Does he express support for terrorism, rapists?  How do you feel about terrorism and rapists?  How do you feel about working for a living?  How does he feel about it?  What are your hygiene habits?  Do you clean up mess you make? Etc, etc.

the best narrow gauge steam experience in North America

the yard in Chama; all the locos are 2-8-2 type and ex-D&RGW

this pic follows on from the above, by waiting about 3 minutes and turning position about 120 degrees -- the kind of convoluted trajectory that you experience on this line!

Going west to east towards the pass the gradient is steep, resulting in impressive engine exhaust sounds.

In our opinion, but it would be hard to argue.

The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad straddles New Mexico and Colorado and runs between Chama and Antonito, It is 3ft gauge, crosses over the 10,015 ft (3,053 m) Cumbres Pass and through the Toltec Gorge for a total distance of 64 miles (103 km).  It is all steam powered and was bought jointly the the two states in 1970 from the Denver &Rio Grande Western.

It is considered to be very authentic of the original D&RGW narrow gauge. 

Website

the Heber Valley Railroad, Utah

a painting of the Heber Station inside the station

a scene inside the station

An EMD 1952-built MSR-1; these were intended for army use in the Soviet Union if America ever invaded there and had axles that could expand from standard gauge to the Soviet 5 ft (1524 mm) broad gauge.

at Vivian Park the loco runs around the train and takes it back to Heber.

engine 4028 is also ex-Army, an RS4TC built by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton in 1954 

skirting around Deer Creek Resevoir

Located in Heber City, this operation today comprises 16 miles (26 km) of the 28 mile (45 km) D & RGW branch to Heber from Provo.  The line was abandoned by Rio Grande in 1967 and was saved for tourist purposes in 1970.  For reasons that haven't been satisfactorily explained, however, the first 12 miles (20 km) to Vivian Park from Provo were later torn up and turned into a rail trail.  This includes some of the scenic Provo Canyon. We were told it was because of politicians.

It has two 1907 Baldwin 2-8-0-type steam locomotives: former Union Pacific No. 618 and ex-Great Western No. 75, although they are both out of service at present receiving major maintenance work, so train runs are operated by two vintage diesels, as above.

More info on the Heber Valley RR's preserved equipment here