Happy 4th of July!

Thanks to some other commitments of mine, t's been well over a month since I bothered updating the blog. But for those of you who are stopping by on Independence Day, I'd like to wish you a safe and happy Independence Day weekend.

Today's Train of Thought- Happy Australia Day! Jan 25th, 2015

Today's Train of Thought takes us (where else?) Down Under to Australia.

While railways elsewhere in Australia were something of an amalgamation of different gauges and engineering techniques [that apparently weren't brought to a single national standard until the 1980s- NANESB!] the iron-ore railroads of Western Australia's Pilbarra region operate some of the biggest trains in the world in some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth.

One of the first iron-ore lines in northwestern Australia was the Hammersley Iron line between the port of Dampier and the then newly-opened Tom Price mine more than 300km inland back in 1966. Japanese manufacturers sought massive quantities of iron-ore from the Pilbarra region and in no time, 230+ car trains of iron ore began winding their way from mines in the unforgiving interior to waiting vessels in Dampier. To the east, a competing iron-ore railway called the Mount Newman Railway was under construction and by August 1969 saw the first iron-ore trains on its rails.

Much more recently, Fortescue Metals Group sought rail service their Cloud Break mine and Port Hedland some 250 miles away. Before spending more than A$2 billion on a mew line, Fortescue sought access to Cloud Break by way of obtaining trackage rights on BHP Billiton's Mt Newman line. However, that faced legal challenges and Fortescue ended up building their own iron-ore line to Port Hedland, with work completed by 2008.

Meanwhile, like railroads in the US, the other western Australia iron-ore rail lines were subject to mergers and consolidations [although unlike the boom and bust cycles in the USA, the Aussie lines have seen steady growth since opening up- NANESB!] and the original Hammersely iron line came under the control of multinational Rio Tino.

Here, railpictures.net contributor Sean McGarraghy caught Rio Tinto ES44AC #8185 on the point of a northbound ore train as it makes its way through Millstream-Chichester National Park on its way to Dampier on May 14th, 2014. These massive trains routinely exceed 230 cars and often require additional power in the middle of the train.

While on the subject of Australia, the Miss Universe pageant was on Sunday. While Miss Australia, Tegan Martin, made the final cut of 10, the grand prize was awarded to Miss Colombia.

Utah National Guardsmen Face Sanction Over Bikini Calendar Shoot on National Guard Property

A number of Utah National Guardsmen and State Troopers are in trouble after allowing a racy calendar shoot to take place at one of their facilities with scantily clad British models firing automatic weapons- some of which were the property of the state of Utah.

British bikini models fired guns owned by the state of Utah as an on-duty state police officer stood by, according the early findings of an ongoing investigation.

A second officer from the Utah Department of Public Safety was off-duty, according to a statement the department issued late Thursday.

DPS is investigating the two officers’ roles in the models’ photo and video shoot for the 2015 bikini calendar called "Hot Shots."

Meanwhile, the Utah National Guard also is investigating how the models entered Camp Williams and used resources there, including riding in a tank and other vehicles, as part of the shoot.

Logs from that day show that one of the officers was on duty and another off. Both belong to the department’s SWAT team.

While part of the photo shoot was at the Utah National Guard's Camp Williams, videos and stills of some of the barely dressed models were filmed at the privately operated Big Shots Ranch in Grantsville, UT.

Although policy for the Utah State Police allows for officers to serve as firearms instructors or display weapons in the department's armory to public officials or groups like the Boy Scouts, such events have to be pre-approved by the chain of command. Some of the guns used by the British models include the Heckler & Koch MP5 9mm submachine gun, a select fire 9mm Glock 18 [which means the gun can fire semiauto of full auto- NANESB!] and the M4 Carbine, the current US Army and National Guard issue rifle which is essentially a scaled down M-16 rifle. Although a Utah State Police spokesman said three of the weapons are believed to be agency-issue, the ammunition was reportedly provided by Big Shots range.

The two Utah State Police officers identified in the video were identified as members of the agency's SWAT team and logs indicate that one of them was on-duty at the time. Both of them were reportedly in uniform at the time, as well.

Meanwhile, the Camp Williams segment of the photo shoot may end up costing some National Guardsmen their jobs.

Maj. Gen. Jeff Burton told lawmakers Thursday that the handful of Guard members involved could face fines, demotions or forced retirements when an investigation is complete. Those involved, which include combat veterans and Purple Heart recipients, didn’t follow guidelines for private use of military equipment at Camp Williams, he said.

The Hot Shots calendar is available in early November and a portion of all sales will go to the UK-based Help for Heroes charitable organization.

Happy 4th of July From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Swimsuit model Kate Upton declaring independence from most of her clothing in 2012 GQ Photo Shoot

Independence Day is that confluence of so many things I enjoy about summertime and living in the USA- women in bikinis, parades with patriotic themes and things that go boom- such as fireworks displays or exploding targets [although Hurricane/Tropical Storm Arthur has caused the cancellation or postponement of a number of fireworks shows up and down the east coast this weekend NANESB!].

4th of July Parade, Park City, UT.

Not that these things in and of themselves are what make America great...I mean, it certainly isn't our so-called 'leaders' or 'representatives' who make us great- at least not in this day and age. We more or less feed the world through our agriculture and the recent shale oil boom has sparked all kinds of innovation in energy exploration and a renaissance in a manufacturing sector that had once been left for dead. Hell- we somehow managed to be the greatest nation on earth even before certain perpetual victim groups felt as though Hobby Lobby or Georgetown University owed them gratis birth control.

LittleSlav via Instagram

Still, as Americans we like to have some fun when we're not doing stuff like growing crops, hauling goods to market, drilling for oil once deemed inaccessible, putting out fires, innovating, making money or just kicking ass in general. It's summertime, so in general it's hot and sticky- and if you live anywhere near water, that means a trip to the beach is in order....with some advance planning, you can pack a picnic lunch and also get a fireworks show in if you stick around until dusk.

Patriotic farm equipment, San Diego County, CA

So whatever your plans are for Independence Day and this long holiday weekend, I hope you have a good time and are safe.

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy National Cleavage Day!

Not this crappy blog again!

Oh great....another one of these made-up corporate holidays. Oh, wait a sec...this one centers around cleavage. In this case, the corporation is Hanes [NYSE- HBI] subsidiary Wonderbra and this particular holiday is designed to sell their line of underwire brassieres.

Howdy from #Texas y'all! pic.twitter.com/JWaeBkIBRn

— Amanda Ward (@Texas_Amanda80) March 21, 2013

Believe it or not, the Wonderbra is actually a Canadian invention. In 1939, the Canadian Lady Corset company of Montreal began marketing specialty apparel and undergarments under the WonderBra label.

For #America #merica #kcco #chivette #USA pic.twitter.com/1mnIdNQW66

— Bossy Girl (@LittleSlav) August 19, 2013

However, the idea of marketing bras with a day dedicated to the celebration of cleavage started in 2002 thanks to WonderBra's South Africa division. Samantha Patterson- then South Africa's brand manager for WonderBra- said that the whole thing was designed to be tongue in cheek and lighthearted. However, with the rise of social networking and millions of exhibitionists willing to take part via twitter, Pinterst, Tumblr or Instagram, the holiday has begun to take off elsewhere in recent years.

@ZOO #zootwitties pic.twitter.com/zl9snv2bpY

— TITS'N'VOCALS (@Lagocleavage) March 31, 2014

Curiously, as National Cleavage Day begins spreading further afield from South Aftica, there apparently is no conclusive data released that indicates the Wonder-Bra designed holiday leads to a spike in the sales of any particular type of women's undergarments, let alone bras from the Wonderbra brand.

Massachusetts Teacher's Aide Returns to Work After Racy Modelling Portfolio Comes to Light

A Fitchburg, MA teacher's aide is back on the job after being placed on administrative leave in January when school officials received an anonymous packet containing images of the teacher's aide wearing next to nothing.

23 year old Kaitlin Pearson, who has worked in the Fitchburg School District's special education program since November, has moonlighted as a model posing in bikinis, lingerie, workout gear and in the nude [although covered by part of a sheet or strategically placed hand- NANESB]. Pearson also appears with another nude female on the September 2013 cover of Models Mania magazine.

In addition to the modeling work, Pearson's social networking pages show pictures of her in a bikini in several candid pictures of her at the beach with her boyfriend and family. Interestingly, Pearson made no effort to conceal her moonlighting as a lingerie model from her employers at the Fitchburg School District- a simple Google search would've revealed Pearson's Instagram or Facebook accounts where much of her modeling work is on display. In an interview with MassLive, Pearson said that although she made no mention of her modeling work while applying for the teaching job, she knew it would be only a matter of time before it was brought up.

via kaity_967 on instagram

Unlike some other teachers who have posed for sultry and provocative photos [and outed by anonymous and jealous-sounding letters to their employer- NANESB!], Pearson returned to work after a few weeks of being placed on paid leave. Pearson said her colleagues at school and in Fitchburg were supportive- and while admitting her relationship with the school would've been much different if they decided to terminate her, she is glad to be back.

In 2013, Florida teacher Olivia Sprauer was forced to resign before the end of the school year when somebody anonymously sent pictures of the scantily clad Spanish teacher to school board officials in Martin County.

42 Year Old Missouri Woman Ejected From Water Park When Employees Deem Her Bikini Too Skimpy

Reed Hoffmann- NY Daily News

So much for Missouri being the 'Show-Me State'.

An Missouri woman was asked to leave a Kansas City-area water park earlier this month because employees had reportedly asked her to cover up, apparently objecting to the bikini she was wearing.

42 year old Madelyn Shaeffer of Odessa, MO said that two female park employees approached her and her teenage daughter and asked her to cover up or leave. Madelyn objected, saying her swimsuit wasn't any more revealing or scandalous than what the younger girls in the water park were wearing. The police were called and ultimately the buxom Missouri mother was escorted from the Adventure Oasis Water Park in Independence, MO.

Sheaffer told 41 Action News “I felt like it was both age and body discrimination and I felt like I could look around me and I could see a handful of other girls half my age, wearing the same size swimming suit and not being singled out and told to put on clothes or leave.”

Sheaffer told the manager she wanted to talk to police to file a complaint but that backfired.

When cops arrived, they escorted Sheaffer from the park.

Madelyn claims the officers were on her side but told her they “had to do their job.”

If the staff had received complaints about her cleavage spilling out of her bikini top, that would be (almost) understandable. However, Sheaffer claims that the park employees asked her to put on shorts. The voluptuous Midwestern mom was later filmed in the same bikini by a Kansas City TV station to show the exact swimsuit that got her booted from Adventure Oasis [honestly, the most objectionable thing I see on Shaeffer are the tattoos- NANESB!].

Frankly, if I went from thinking my death would play out like the latter portion of What's Eating Gilbert Grape to buxom MILF in a string bikini, I'd probably be inclined to flaunt it.

Madelyn says she has dealt with weight issues for most of her life, starting with eating to cope with the stress of her father's terminal cancer diagnosis at age nine. After suffering from a compressed disc in her back and a fall in the bathtub that left her stuck there for days, Madelyn decided something needed to be done. She eventually began a strict workout regimen and put motivational clippings on a posterboard, going from 250 lbs to her current weight of 170 lbs.

Happy Independence Day From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Just a quick note to wish all you visitors a Happy 4th of July. This is probably as good a time as any to reiterate why I LOVE this holiday so much.

Although not exclusive to the 4th of July, bikinis and summer seem to go hand in hand.

Mmm....nope. Still haven't wrecked myself.

So it was only natural that Kirkland, WA- based online swimwear retailer Bikini Beach became a semi-regular fixture in the town's 4th of July parade [many thanks to Turners and Models for keeping a detailed photographic record of those occasions- NANESB!].

Wait- did the Patriots just score a touchdown?

Then there's the parades- growing up in New England, the rich history of the area meant that parades would often feature re-enactors dressed up as minutemen from the colonial era occasionally firing off a volley from their muskets [the AR-15s of their day!- NANESB!]. In parts of the south and Mid Atlantic, re-enacting battles from the Civil War has been popular.

Restored fire truck in Cobleskill, NY's 4th of July Parade. Photo by inkfeather via Flickr.

Of course, throughout the country it seems as though no Independence Day Parade is complete without the appearance of a fire truck. It can be a newer truck with one of the local departments, but often it's a painstakingly restored vintage pumper or ladder truck undertaken as a labor of love and shown off for exactly this occasion.

Having long finished up it's day's work, LLPX former Belt Railway of Chicago GP38-2 #2228 basks in the glow of a fireworks display in Poplar Bluff, MO on July 4th, 2007. Zach Pumphrey photo

And let's not forget the fireworks- no fourth of July seems to be complete without them. People will stake out a spot a few hours in advance and have a picnic or a cookout while waiting for it to get dark enough for the fireworks to begin. People will come from as far as hundreds of miles away to stepping out on their own apartment balconies to take it all in. And when it does, it is usually a sight to behold (usually) and ends with not just a bang, but a series of teeth jarring concussive, car-alarm triggering blasts depending on how close you are.

As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to such a display right now. But I'll leave you with this:



Above all, have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Happy Flag Day From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Jeez....can't believe we're this far June (or 2013) already.

June 14th marks the occasion of Flag Day- perhaps the most underrated US holiday after Armed Forces Day (although the Army celebrates their birthday on the same Date). While President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 that recognized June 14th as Flag Day, this didn't necessarily mean that it would be a federal holiday.

Observance of the holiday varies from state-to-state- although since 1937, Pennsylvania is the only state that has recognized it as a state holiday. Cities like Quincy, MA or Troy, NY annually hold parades to mark the holiday- but the longest running celebration of Flag Day is actually the eastern Washington town of Fairfield which has been doing it for over 100 years.

Although during colonial times, different regions identified themselves using different flags [including the Gadsden Flag and Naval Ensign and Bennington Flag- which have seen a resurgence thanks to the Tea Party- NANESB!], the rebellious colonies began using the 'Grand Old Union' banner starting in 1775. The flag at the time utilized a series of 13 red and white horizontal stripes- each stripe representing a colony- while in the upper left corner was a Union Jack (the British flag). Oddly, the Grand Old Union flag bore an uncanny resemblance to the British East India Company banner a few decades later.

By 1777, the Grand Old Union Flag was abandoned in favor of something that would be a little more familiar- thirteen white stars on a blue background in the upper left corner. The next change would come in 1795, when Vermont and Kentucky were added to the union- giving the new Republic's banner 15 stars. This would happen each time a state joined the union, with the last such change that came to the US flag was in 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii were added as the newest US states, giving it a total of 50 stars.

Despite the fact that the textile industry in the USA has been in steep decline for decades, it's still possible to get American flags (or individual state flags) that are actually made in America thanks to New Jersey-based Anin Flagmakers, which operates plants in New Jersey, Virginia and Ohio.

And if those Anin flags are fortunate and play their cards right, they will end up being proudly displayed by gorgeous, scantily clad women in a very public venue- like these two bikini-clad Team USA fans seen above, rooting for the men's national team during matches in the 2006 FIFA World Cup over in Germany.

Hot For Teacher- Florida English Teacher Dismissed Over Swimsuit Photos

Officials in Martin County, FL reportedly pressured a high school English teacher into resigning her position last month once they learned she had modeled for some photo shoots in very skimpy swimwear.

Demo Photography Image

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. -- A Martin County High School teacher who had planned to resign at the end of the school year said she was asked to leave a month early.

Olivia Sprauer taught English at Martin County High School.

Sprauer said she was called into the principal's office on April 29 and was shown a photo that had been sent to the principal.

Sprauer confirmed it was one of her modeling photos.

Sprauer said the principal asked for her resignation and was escorted off campus.

A statement released from the Martin County School District confirmed Sprauer no longer works for the district.

Martin County, which is situated to the south of Palm Beach County, is home to just over 125,000 people according to the most recent Census.

Sprauer, who modeled under the name Victoria Valentine James, still maintains an online portfolio of some of her work at the Model Mayhem website.

I gotta say that while I may have some misgivings if she were one of my kid's teachers, I also don't think this should've cost Sprauer her job- even if it meant firing her a month before she was supposed to leave anyway. My only thought might be that there was even more NSFW images out there that haven't been as widely circulated that the administration was made aware of.

Also, when attractive female teachers make headlines, it usually is because they've been discovered sleeping with one of their underage pupils. I suppose all involved should be glad that's not the case this time around.

This isn't the first controversy involving scantily clad teachers in the area. In 2008, high school teacher and divorced mother of three Tiffany Shepherd took on a job as a 'bikini mate' on a charter fishing boat in nearby St Lucie county. She was fired by the school district shortly after taking the bikini mate job, although school officials say the dismissal was from a long string of written reprimands and unexplained absences from Shepherd.

Within months of her dismissal by school officials, Shepherd said she had to take up appearing in adult films to help pay the bills. In 2010, Shepherd was arrested on misdemeanor charges of filing a false police report in nearby Okeechobee county.

Vietnamese Airline Fined by Officials for Unorthodox In-Flight Entertainment

Vietnam's only privately-run airline was fined by aviation officials in that country after video surfaced of bikini-clad beauty pageant contestants dancing in the aisles as music blared and appreciative male passengers snapped photos as their flight was underway.

In a letter to Vietnamese aviation authorities, Hanoi-based VietJet said that the local beauty queens were part of the in flight ceremonies celebrating the low-cost carrier's innagural flight from Ho Chi Minh City [aka Saigon] to the southern coastal city of Nha Trang earlier this month. A VietJet employee who declined to be identified said that the performance in no way violated safety guidelines.

In a letter to Vietnamese authorities Tuesday, the company said the event inaugurated its first flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang on the southern coast. It said all safety regulations were followed. A company spokeswoman refused to comment on the fine Friday, but confirmed the local beauty queens were paid for their performance. She would not give her name because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

Photos and video also show the bikini-clad women handing out stuffed animals to passengers as prizes or souveniers.

Like the viral video of Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke, I opted to go with the non-musical video since the music dubbed in after the fact is pretty loud and grating.

Established in 2007, VietJet didn't begin regularly scheduled passenger flights until December 2011. The airline operates exclusively with a small fleet of leased Airbus A320s.

Happy Australia Day From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

Image: Sailing Anarchy

Good Lord, did I mention how much I happen to LOVE Australia?

Not quite an island, not quite a continent. Despite the distant location and exotic wildlife in Australia, there are some undeniable similarities between our founding and the birth of Australia as a nation. Both were considered somewhat cumbersome backwaters in which the British Crown could dump convicts, unwanted religious groups or other undesirables and both are rich in natural resources, which in turn sparked a westward migration of European immigrants from the already-established cities on the east coast.

It's also worth noting that Australia's Armed forces have fought alongside with their American counterparts in every major war since WWI- so as a veteran of the US Army, that's something that I truly appreciate.


These lovely young ladies from down under are thoughtfully modelling swimsuits and tops that show a variation of Australia's flag [hooray for swimwear or beach apparel serving as an indicator of nationality! -NANESB!]. Besides the Union Jack in the corner (essentially a miniature British flag), most prominently featured are the stars of the Southern Cross, a constellation visible throughout the Southern Hemisphere. This version of the Australian flag was chosen after a nationwide contest and first flown in Melbourne 110 years ago after being approved by King Edward VII.



Australia is not the only country to incorporate the Southern Cross into their national flag [New Zealand's is quite similar, only with smaller, red stars forming the Southern Cross. If you look very closely, the Southern Cross is also present in Brazil's flag as well- NANESB!] but it is the most well known and iconic. As recently as 2000, there was an effort to completely change the Australian flag altogether.

Of course, according to one recent university study Down Under, an Australian motorist that flies the Southern Cross flag on their car is more likely to be racist.

Drivers who fly Australian flags on their cars to celebrate Australia Day are "more racist" than people who do not, according to research from UWA.

University of Western Australia sociologist and anthropologist Professor Farida Fozdar and a team of assistants surveyed 513 people at the Australia Day fireworks on Perth's Swan River foreshore last year to find out whether there was a link between car flag flying and racist attitudes.

“What I found interesting is that many people didn't really have much to say about why they chose to fly car flags or not," Professor Fozdar said.

"Many felt strongly patriotic about it - and for some, this was quite a racist or exclusionary type of patriotism - but it wasn't a particularly conscious thing for many.”

*GASP!* Oh noes! So I guess by extension I'm fostering racism by having all these pictures of Aussie women displaying some version of the flag. I need to remedy that somehow!
OK- better? None of those offending Union Jacks or constellations on a blue background.

Anywhoo, the study came to this conclusion interviewing some 513 people at an Australia Day fireworks display in Perth and determined that 43% of the respondents were racist for speaking favorably of the 'White Australia' immigration policy that was abolished in 1970 and that new immigrants to the country should adopt Australian values.

However, the release of the study seems to serve no other purpose than to try and bolster op-ed pieces critical of Aussie flag-waving published earlier this month ahead of Australia Day.

In Adelaide, the head of the South Australia Taxi Council has given out 500 flags and encouraged cabbies- many of them immigrants from India or the Middle East- to fly them from their vehicles. This follows up a pilot program last year where 100 car flags were handed out to cabbies- the move has so far been positively recieved by the cabbies and tourists alike.


It's also worth mentioning that we're just a few short months removed from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Swimming is considered Australia's strongest event in the summer games for both men and women's teams [altho' they brought home the gold in other events like rowing and triathalon during the 2008 Beijing games- NANESB!].

Stephanie Rice (above) brought home three of Australia's 14 gold medals from the Beijing Olympics in 2008- winning both the 200m and 400m individual medley as well as the women's 4 X 200M freestyle relay. In fact, Rice broke the world record for the 400m individual medley during the 2008 Australian Olympic trials.

And if you're wondering- yes, she plans on being in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Pin-Up Bettie Page Lands on List of Top-Earning Deceased Celebrities

Late pin-up model and centerfold Bettie Page has landed on a recent Forbes' list of top-earning (dead) celebrities for the first time since her December 2008 death [and you know what that means, right? If you said 'A completely gratuitous opportunity to adorn your blog w/more vintage Bettie Page imagery' give yourself a gold star!- NANESB!]

With an estate worth an estimated US$6 million, Page was tied for 13th place overall with artist Andy Warhol and former Beatle George Harrison. The iconic model had lived in relative obscurity in Southern California for most of her latter days.


However, beginning in the 1980s the pin-up enjoyed a resurgence in popularity- something she was unaware of for the better part of a decade. Writer Dave Stevens based the romantic interest of the title charachter in his Rocketeer comics on Page (although this did not show up in the 1990s film adaptation) and in the 1990s, Dark Horse comics had introduced a line of Bettie Page comics and merchandise.

After some litigation with her Chicago-based agent in 1997, Page began collecting royalties from her modelling and continued living off of those for the next decade. Aside from an official website, Page lent her name to lines of retro-style shoes, blouses, lingerie and swimwear.

Page's 2008 death did not diminish the popularity of the iconic pin-up in the least. Her estate is still collecting royalties and Bettie Page Clothing continues to sell 1950's style clothing online and from stores located in Las Vegas, Hollywood, San Francisco, the Twin Cities and San Diego.

Other recent additions to the list include actress Elizabeth Taylor and Swedish author Stieg Larsson, who penned The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo before his 2004 death.

Sour Grapes: Much to Miss France's Chagrin, Miss Angola Wins 2011 Miss Universe Pageant

25 year old Leila Lopes, an Angolan presently living in the UK, won the Miss Universe title at the 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo Brazil this week. The business student, originally from rhe seaside city of Begeula, is the first Angolan to win the pagent's title.


Miss Ukraine- 22 year old law student Olesya Stefanko from Odessa (above), was named the pageant's runner-up.

Ms Lopes replaces last year's Miss Universe winner Jimena Navarette (Miss Mexico- above) .

The decision to crown Lopes Miss Universe didn't sit too well with some of the other contestants pageant. Miss France (above)- 20 year old Laury Thilleman- was particularly critical in comments to French magazine Premiere.

“She was the only girl I didn’t know very well. We didn’t see her much; she was very discreet. She was often in jeans and not wearing makeup. We were all surprised by her win. Many girls made efforts that were not rewarded. I don’t know, something is missing in her temperament. The fact that the competition was held in Brazil surely played a role.”

Miss Brazil- 25 year old Priscilla Machado (above)- was actually named second-runner up in the 2011 Miss Universe tournament.

Happy Flag Day From Not Another New England Sports Blog!

And really- what could be more all-American than a member of the British Royal family at play on a beach in Thailand, clad in nothing but a star spangled bikini? This is the stuff of Norman Rockwell paintings, I tell ya!
I came across these 2009 images of Princess Eugenie (the kid sister of Princess Beatrice of the Doorknocker hat fame) while doing a cursory search of Beatrice without the hat and thought it was an interesting choice of apparel for the the 6th in line to the throne of Great Britain.

Apparently, the London tabloids and paparazzi considered her swimwear 'Very unpatriotic', seemingly a more pressing issue than the £100,000 tab for her security detail whilst cavorting in Thailand as the Asian nation was rocked by a series of violent antigovernment protests in the capital of Bangkok. That said, the vexilologist in me feels compelled to point out that if it were a simple red/while/blue swimsuit, the colors would've been appropriate for Thailand, Great Britain or the USA.

Photo courtesy MinneMom

But heading back to the USA, there isn't much else out there that I'm as happy to see as the Main Street of a small town adorned with the stars and stripes for any number of occasions such as Patriot's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day or even Flag Day itself. It's something that can't be obligingly summarised into a few short sentences, but I'm sure many of you reading this feel the same way.

For those of us with a worn or tattered flag- or one with not enough stars- that we need to part with, there is a certain etiquette involved in the proper retirement of the flag.

1. The flag should be folded in its customary manner.

2. It is important that the fire be fairly large and of sufficient intensity to ensure complete burning of the flag.

3. Place the flag on the fire.

4. The individual(s) can come to attention, salute the flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and have a brief period of silent reflection.

5. After the flag is completely consumed, the fire should then be safely extinguished and the ashes buried.

6. Please make sure you are conforming to local/state fire codes or ordinances.

A number of organizations are more than willing to properly retire any worn, faded or torn American Flags that are turned in. More often than not, your best bet your nearest Veterans of Foreign War Post- some VFW posts even have a drop box where you can leave the flag even when the post isn't open.

UPDATE- As soxfan4life pointed out, I neglected to mention that today also happens to be the US Army's 236th Birthday. Apparently the US Army decided to celebrate by reverting to the patrol cap in leiu of the black beret that has been the Army standard for the last 10 years. When I first heard of Gen Shinseki's proposal to have all members of the United States Army to be issued black berets as the default headgear for soldiers, I was against it because issuing it would diminish the significance of the berets issued to Special Forces, Airborne and Ranger units. Soldiers had complained that the standard black beret was difficult to adjust, was too hot (particularly in a desert climate) and appeared out of place while engaging in such tasks as filling sandbags or policing up trash.

June 12, 2011- Puerto Rico Day Parade in New York City

Aspiring waitress Melody Morales proudly displaying Puerto Rican flag

June 12 marks Puerto Rico day in that bustling, sweltering metropolis that's home to nearly a million Puerto Ricans- no, not San Juan! I'm talking about New York.

Neither enjoying the benefits of full fledged independence nor U.S. statehood since Spain ceded it to the USA in 1898 after the Spanish-American war, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico is classified as an unincorporated territory of the United States. Thanks to the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 residents of Puerto Rico were automatically given US citizenship. Migration to the US Mainland increased during WWII when factories producing war materiel needed manpower with most of the American men in the workforce now drafted into military service. The advent of commercial air travel made it easier for Puerto Ricans to travel to the continental US and back.

Interestingly, while the date of New York's Puerto Rican Day parade falls on the 2nd Sunday in June each year, it is not a holiday in Puerto Rico.


No word on whether or not 23-year old Puertoriqueña Melody Morales will be in attendence this year. In 2009, the buxom latina filed suit against the now-closed Hawaiian Tropic zone in New York's Times Square claiming she was discriminated against on the basis of her accent, which the manager considered 'too ghetto'. In it's defense, Hawaiian Tropic Zone had pointed out that they had employees from Puerto Rico, Russia and Nigeria at the time Ms. Morales sued them [this could very well be an instance 'Fran Drescher Syndrome'- i.e. an attractive woman with a voice like nails on a chalkboard- NANESB!].

While the ultimate disposition of the lawsuit remains unknown by yours truly, the curvy latina attracted the attention of Rick's Cabaret [NASDAQ: RICK] and local businesses within weeks of the lawsuit, who approached Morales' lawyer with a number of job offers.

Since I can't seem to find any video that clearly has her voice, I figure the best I can do is offer these photos of Ms. Morales that were circulating at the time of the lawsuit, including Melody's very admirable display of the Puerto Rican flag.

BREAKING: White House Situation Room Photos Indicate Bin Laden Raid Took Place Much Earlier Than Announced, Situation Room Photos Doctored

The successful raid of Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan had since been followed up by a number of contradictory statements from the White House and allegations that the situation room photo released by the White House was in fact staged.

Now a leaked photo from White House sources has not only called the Administration's timeline of events into question, but even the veracity of the situation room photo that was released by the Administration.

My highly confidential and trustworthy White House sources have hinted that the SEAL raid on Bin Laden's hideout actually took place earlier and coincided with another event that had generated much international interest; the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey.

However, the raid also overlapped with the official White House Royal Wedding viewing party, and guests actually watched both events unfold in real-time on multiple screens in the situation room.

The above photo, believed by many anonymous insiders to be the original and unmodified situation room photo, seems to confirm this version of events and it's likely the White House waited nearly 48 hours to make the announcement in order to disseminate the doctored photos showing White House Staff, Pentagon brass and Administation officials.


When reached for comment on how the Obama Administration and Pentagon officials were able to get so many copies of her now-infamous hat in advance, a spokeswoman for Princess Beatrice of York had no comment about the hat, but pointed out that the 23 year old daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson had lost some weight, was the first Royal to run in the London marathon and looks 'positively smashing' in a bikini these days.
Well- who am I to argue?

Happy Bettie Page Day from Not Another New England Sports Blog!

*BUMPED 4/30- If the hippies continue to insist on monopolizing April 22nd as 'Earth Day', then perhaps April should simply be 'Bettie Page Month'*
Think of it as Good Friday and the original 'Bad Girl'.
So does the iconic raven-tressed pin-up have her own holiday yet? If not, then why the hell not? I for one think it would be a much more worthwhile holiday than Earth Day. Lord knows I can only stand so much sanctimonious focus group-tested drivel about how I should be 'living green' from a tax dodging, outsourcing corporation.

Uh-oh! Looks like Bettie needs bumper AAA

While probably relatively tame by today's standards, some of the photos of Bettie at the time were quite controversial and risque. Some of my all-time favorites are of Bettie at a tropical beach or safari park in a leopard print bikini snapped by Bunny Yeager- herself a model turned photographer.

As a bonus I thought I'd include a still of actress and model Gretchen Mol portraying Page in the 2006 film The Notorious Betty Page, Pretty good likeness, huh?