The Halls Of Monteazuma

This Will Probably Make The Most Sense -

If you can use such a word here at BOOJUM! - to members or ex-members of the South Canadian Marine Corps, who have a signature tune that mentions "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli."

Close enough

     I think the idea is that the SAMC is able and willing to travel quite a long way, and to experience mild discomfort en route, even to the extent of getting out of bed early-ish, if it means catching the bad folks unawares.

     Here an aside.  If the bad folks are reading this, in order to swot up on how to sound English and eccentric, let me point out that the South Canadian Marine Corps is but part of the South Canadian military effort, and it alone outnumbers many nations entire martial efforts.  Put plainly, if these chaps decide to fasten their teeth in your nethers, your nethers are going to be pretty teeth-heavy.

     There is indeed a film entitled "The Halls Of Montezuma" which I believe is in one of these stacks of DVDs around here <looks despairingly at bleak wilderness of disks> which I ought to watch again.  I know it has Richard Widmark in it, and wonder who else?

     Well, that's a subject for another day.  In the meantime we have to attach a flotation collar to the motley and chuck it into the sewer system*.

The morally ambiguous Mr Widmark

The Thief Of Time
No!  Not procrastination.  Rather, it is this chap.  Art?

     Yes indeed.  Lest you be unaware of Mah Jong Solitaire, I shall elucidate.  There are 144 tiles, of various suits - Bamboo, Spots and Numbers, Winds and Dragons and so on.  They are automatically arrayed by the computer in a pattern where you can only remove tiles of the same suit in pairs, as long as they have an edge free.  It is horribly addictive and time-consuming, like a crack cocaine habit of the mind.
     Further to this, a colleague at work was resignedly describing how her boyfriend was still playing his computer game at 05:30 in the morning when she got out of bed - he hadn't gone to bed.
     Ah, me, the days of wasting an entire evening gaming <gets vacant expression> NO!  One of the reasons I steer clear of computer games is the sheer time-destroying element they possess.

Hideous Trans-Atlanticisms Not Wanted!
As you should surely know by now, Conrad is as British as a beef joint wearing a bowler hat eating fish and chips whilst drinking tea**.  Consequently, he is not over fond of certain South Canadian sayings or words entering our language and culture.  Some I tolerate, as with "Wowsers" for no other reason than I am mercurial and make the rules up as I go along.
     However, take a look at this!  Art?

     No, you dirty-minded rascals, I am not encouraging you to drool over ladies in lingerie.  I am referring to the use of that South Canadian term "Fall".
     IT WILL NOT DO!  We are talking about AUTUMN.  AUTUMN!  AUTUMN!!***

Oar turn.  Close enough

     Ahem.  Allowing the throbbing veins in my forehead to recede, shall we proceed?

Czech, Mate
Ha!  Do you see what - O you do.  Conrad has always felt that the nations of Central and Eastern Europe have a more tenuous hold on common sense, logic and reason.  How else can you have an eight-letter town name with only one vowel?  ("Przemysl" if you care to know).  Why on earth would you paint a Sinister tank bright pink and add a giant finger to it?  Art?

Because it annoys the Sinisters?

     This is a real thing.  Oh, and those wacky Bulgarians - colouring in Sinister-era frescoes to make them resemble Marvel superhero murals.  Art?

Hilarious!  And it also annoys the Ruffians.  Win-win

     Apparently the humourless Ruffian leadership is incensed about the above improvement/desecration/installation (delete where applicable) which is a good thing, frankly, as it may elevate their blood pressure and see them off early.
     None of which has anything to do - well, a little to do - with the Zizkov Television Tower in beautiful Prague.  This has been described as "The second ugliest building in the world", and perhaps Art can grace us with the evidence -

     Truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as Conrad thinks it looks pretty cool.  Space-age and all that.  Sleek and missile-like.  Of course, Conrad is a big fan of missiles, whereas most folk are not, so this may explain the appeal.
     Oh yes.  Those objects fastened to the tower are "babies".  I used quotation marks as they resemble no baby I ever saw.  Art?

Proof on the roof

     They rather resemble that metal monster from the first "Thor" film from the front. 

Caution: do not cuddle!

     And with that not only are we at count, we are also off to lunch.  Dismantled reactor rods, since you ask.

*  Don't worry, it floats.
**  Without milk or sugar.  WITHOUT!
***  I apologise for resorting to three exclamation marks, but it gets the point across, doesn't it?