Wednesday smoky links of substitution

by | Jun 28, 2023 | Daily Links | 203 comments

Canada really isn’t sending us it’s best today.  For the first time I can smell the smoke, rather than just see the haze.  It is not pleasant, but I’m pretty sure I’ll survive even with all the air quality warnings telling me that even minutes outside could cause symptoms.  I’m pretty sure I’d still rather have the smoky air than no air.

But that’s not what you came for, you came for links to ignore and snark to be made.

In local news, I’m not sure if this falls under FAFO or just an example of a neighborhood that’s had enough.

In other local news, the progs really, REALLY, REALLY don’t like Ohio Issue 1.  The girlfriend and I caught an ad last night that was similar (but more dramatic) than this one.  For those who haven’t been following, Issue 1 is a change to the Ohio Constitutional amendment process.  It’s changing the requirement for citizen led initiatives to pass from 50%+1 vote to 60%.  That’s the change.  That’s what’s destroying majority rule.  The more they bitch about this, the more invested I am in it passing.

I’ll step on the Sharpshooter’s toes here with this story; but honestly, insects have been a part of brewing since weevils evolved.  They just haven’t been sought out as an ingredient.

Remember when all the journalists were making fun of the liquor laws in Utah when they hosted the winter Olympics?  If only they could have been as enlightened as France.

You know, whenever someone says “toxins” without specifics, it lights a very big bullshit sign for me.  It’s not like I’m a fan of social media to begin with.

There’s an easy answer to this question:  the Nick and Nora glass.

Let’s leave you with some music, and let you get on with your day.

About The Author

Nephilium

Nephilium

Nephilium is a geek of multiple types living in the vast suburban forests of Cleveland.

203 Comments

  1. Common Tater

    Sugar Free doesn’t want to follow himself?

    • UnCivilServant

      It would look like a dog chasing his own tail, only more embarassing because it’s a grown man.

  2. Common Tater

    “For the first time I can smell the smoke”

    Yikes!

    How does a country fill of lumberjacks have that much deadwood?

    • UnCivilServant

      The area that’s burning banned being Canadian.

  3. Common Tater

    “I’m pretty sure I’d still rather have the smoky air than no air.”

    Have you tried crack?

    • Nephilium

      Just for that, I’m gonna link the ad again.

  4. Sean

    Hang a brisket on a clothesline.

    • UnCivilServant

      It’s room temperature smoke, you’re not going to get the proper cook.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Who said cook. Just gotta corn it first and its all good.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Extended cold smoking a brisket and then finishing it in a crock pot is a delicious way to get tender brisket for a BBQ sandwich.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        Uhm, I don’t think it has a “hole” to corn.

    • Nephilium

      Pretty sure 50-80 degrees is well within the danger zone.

      • R.J.

        Just wrap it in a pillow case and cook it with a hairdryer. The smoke should naturally enter the hairdryer and season the brisket. You are welcome.

      • SDF-7

        Next you’re going to trot out dishwasher salmon.

      • pistoffnick

        Done it.

        I’ve also cooked hot dogs on an engine. I’ve cooked lasagna in an environmental chamber (the humidity really helped keep the noodles from drying out)

      • Gender Traitor

        Ah! So you have this cookbook!

      • R.J.

        Neph should make a trip to capture some smoke for fancy cocktails.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      That’s an odd euphemism.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        It is Ohio, so maybe a derivitive of the Cleveland Steamer?

  5. Common Tater

    “And in spite of its attention grabbing aspects and an escalating climate crisis”

    Oh, fuck off.

  6. The Late P Brooks

    But the evidence is clear that unregulated, unfettered access to all kinds of social media and its content is uniquely harmful to children. Much as toys have package safety inserts for children and parents, we need information and protections for social media.

    What do you mean “we” kemosabe?

    • MojeauXX

      unfettered access to all kinds of social media and its content is uniquely harmful to children.

      I believe this 110%.

      Don’t know what to do about it, though. I can attest that there are a million ways around parents’ efforts to regulate home internet (no matter how tech savvy) (the library is always an option), and they’ll probably get around any gummint regulations just as easily.

      • The Other Kevin

        I also agree with you. We denied our kids phones until they were into high school or older. And the older two promptly got into trouble on social media/messaging. Also, when we were in group therapy with those older two, almost every kid had behavioral issues that had to do with their phones. But yes, they did find ways to get around it. It doesn’t help that they are required to use electronic devices (a laptop) or log in to web sites to do basic tasks.

      • MojeauXX

        Yes, schoolwork was our Waterloo because they HAD to have the devices to do anything, the school’s filters weren’t enough, and our filters were too much. We spent a lot of money on net nanny type services that they could get around just by borrowing someone else’s phone or going to the library.

        What am I supposed to say about that? “No, you’re not allowed to go to a place of learning and knowledge.”?

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        No smart phones until 18.

        Treat them how we treat guns, cigarettes and booze. Sure, some kids will have access, just like they do with the mentioned, but it will help a lot.

      • MojeauXX

        XX had a class where the teacher would regularly ask the kids to look up something on their phones and it was blocked by one of our services and she was embarrassed. “Hold on, I have to ask my parents to unblock that.” And no, it was necessarily inappropriate, just that our filters were tight.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yeah we had some things I did that put the teens in a similar situation. “Dad, its embarrassing”. Yep but finding out your whole class has pictures of in compromising positions is also embarrassing and lasts forever.

      • cyto

        Same issues here. I have no good answers.

        Also.. I have two middle school daughters now… Every day is like world war three… Taking away the phones is a rough proposition. If they can’t message their friends, they will just attack each other.

      • Sean

        Have you tried getting them boxing gloves?

      • Nephilium

        Not a parent, never played one on television, but my way to deal with it would probably be to put in a home proxy server set to send all the Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, etc. domains to 127.0.0.1. Keep computers in public rooms, hold off on smartphones until they’re teenagers (and then enable parental controls), and try to remember that kids will make dumb decisions. As it has been, it always will be.

        Back in the old days there was a site that specialized in routing around blocking software, they had a motto of “All blocking software is putting their technical abilities against that of every horny teenager in the world.”

      • Ownbestenemy

        Teen #1 was like an white hat/black hat battle between himself and me. Kid had resources or knew where to find them.

      • MojeauXX

        I could be snarky, but I won’t. I will only say BTDT.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        I am also in agreement, and feel that any of the Zuckerborg products should be treated exactly as we treat guns, cigarettes, and liquer; verboten until the age of majority.

        Let that fucker enjoy being one of the sins that have to deal with the AFT.

  7. Common Tater

    “Public health authorities, like ours, must treat social media as a toxin, ever present in our daily environments, to which our children currently have uncontrolled exposure.”

    Censorship, for the children.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Books on how to blow your best friend and finger his anus before inserting a butt plug being taught in 3rd grade on the other hand, saves just one life.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Why would you do that to your dog?

      • SDF-7

        He keeps bogarting the Scooby snacks?

      • kinnath

        Please tell me that’s an exaggeration

      • Ownbestenemy

        Slight exaggeration

      • Common Tater

        Is it?

    • R.J.

      If all social media were cut off tomorrow, I would shed no tears.

      • juris imprudent

        You wouldn’t have to, there aren’t enough barrels in the world to capture the narcissist flood of them.

  8. The Late P Brooks

    In 2021, 38 percent of NYC high schoolers reported feeling so sad or hopeless during the past 12 months that they stopped doing their usual activities — a rate that was significantly higher for Latino/a and Black students than their white peers.

    Holy cherry picked number, Batman!

    • SDF-7

      Hmm… and what else did the government shut down during that timeframe, especially in major cities that might cause depression and loneliness in school age (especially high school age) kids?

      Just a mystery there.

  9. Pine_Tree

    Re: Cleveland story – a reminder (that normies don’t get) that the police aren’t there to protect us from the bad guys. They’re really there to protect the bad guys from us.

    Of course the original minarchist-ish vision of that is one thing, and the current practical example (see Antifa) is totally different.

    • Nephilium

      The neighborhood this took place in would be called a transitional neighborhood. I have some friends who live relatively close to there in a good pocket, but some of the areas…

      To tie it to a famous location, it’s about 1.5 miles away (by roads) to the bar that was the Warsaw Tavern in the Drew Carey Show.

  10. The Late P Brooks

    It’s time to address this crisis head on. We must collect and analyze even better evidence of social media’s impact on young people’s mental health. We must lay out strategies for how we’ll protect young people from the harms of social media. We must rework regulations and, where appropriate, hold companies accountable for the damage they continue to inflict.

    It’s always we; where “we” means “you must do as I say”.

    • rhywun

      social media’s impact on young people’s mental health

      Now do transing the kids.

    • juris imprudent

      We also means you pay me to do this.

  11. DEG

    In other local news, the progs really, REALLY, REALLY don’t like Ohio Issue 1. The girlfriend and I caught an ad last night that was similar (but more dramatic) than this one. For those who haven’t been following, Issue 1 is a change to the Ohio Constitutional amendment process. It’s changing the requirement for citizen led initiatives to pass from 50%+1 vote to 60%. That’s the change. That’s what’s destroying majority rule. The more they bitch about this, the more invested I am in it passing.

    Fuck the Progressives. They’re more than happy to chew up laws, rules, etc. to get their way. Now we’re supposed to believe they care? Fuck them.

    And “One man, One vote” sacred? Fuck off. It’s something that came out of the Warren court in the 60s.

    • Nephilium

      Note that the person does not need to be registered, a valid voter, a citizen, or alive for one person = one vote

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      They only care when it is their law/amendment/initiative that is getting passed.

      When it thwarts them? Hell hath no fury.

  12. Bobarian LMD

    I had my septic system pumped for the first time in about 10 years.

    Good news is that I couldn’t smell any Canadian Smoke. Unless it’s a lot more earthy than I expected.

    • SDF-7

      These euphemisms… next you’ll be telling us you shot out your protein shake and zonked right off with Nyquil… all thanks to your coworkers!

      • Bobarian LMD

        Grape flavored Codeine Cough Syrup or GTFO.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        I thought they give Nyquil to get someone to pass out…

  13. Gender Traitor

    I’m glad you brought up OH Issue 1, Neph. I’d just heard about it yesterday, I believe. (“There’s a special election in August?? WTF??”) I was curious what other OH Glibs (for that matter, any Glibs) might think. Turns out it’s more than changing the required passing percentage from 50%+1 to 60%:

    Citizens who want to place an amendment on the ballot would have to collect signatures from at least 5 percent of voters from the last gubernatorial election in all 88 counties — instead of the current 44.

    It would also get rid of a 10-day cure period that allows citizens to replace any signature deemed faulty by the security [sic] of the state’s office.

    I’m all about the higher required passing percentage. It’s the other provisions I’m not sure about yet.

    • Gender Traitor

      In OT and extremely local news, Little Black Cat has had the stitches removed from his butt, though the vet said he should wear the Cone of Shame one more night so the holes from the stitches don’t get irritated by his little sandpaper tongue. He does, however, have the run of the house once again and thus is much happier.

      • Gender Traitor

        Nope! ::fingers and toes tightly crossed:: Now, as long as Big Dumb-But-Sweet Cat doesn’t lick (or nip) LBC’s butt, he should be golden (or rather, black.)

      • Gender Traitor

        Have you attempted to install your new AC yet (If so, without mishap, I hope?)

      • UnCivilServant

        It is still in the box (or what’s left of the box) but I’ve gotten it to the room. I need to rearrange the furnature so that I can hook it up to the window.

      • DEG

        He does, however, have the run of the house once again and thus is much happier.

        Good!

    • Nephilium

      Ah, I missed those two changes. Thanks.

      Still in favor of it, especially after the idiocy of the minimum wage being tied to inflation years back.

  14. Shpip

    In other local news, the progs really, REALLY, REALLY don’t like Ohio Issue 1.

    Florida went to 60% supermajority on constitutional amendments (67% on anything regarding a tax increase) in 2006, after all kinds of foolishness — minimum pen sizes for pregnant pigs comes to mind — that was clogging up the ballot, not to mention the state constitution. Not perfect, but it’s weeded out some of the nonsense.

    • SDF-7

      I doubt that would be enough to weed out the cruft here in California… and if it did, the lunatics in the Legislature would just pass it all instead.

  15. The Other Kevin

    Yesterday I asked for advice for my water softener. Today we had an interesting development. Our next door neighbor had the same problem occur on the same day. She still can’t drink her water or wash clothes in it because of the iron smell. We use the same water softener company, and they’re coming out to her house this week. So I’m just going to wait and see what they say. Sounds like something going on underground.

  16. Winston

    Olivia Chow is now Mayor of Toronto. So much for Yoronto’s reputation for being well run

  17. Winston

    Also why are Teh Yutes so miserable, authoritarian and socialist? Wasn’t secularism, weed, Mexicans and Ass-Sex supposed to make everyone happy freedom-loving capitalists?

    • juris imprudent

      Winston, I thought of you in the last thread when Moj mentioned her daughter wanting to engage in long debates about libertarianism.

      • MojeauXX

        *headdesk*

        “Daughter, beware of the dude who likes to point out that libertarianism is a fundamentally flawed philosophy because Human Nature. … Also, ignore his mom.”

      • Brochettaward

        Winstoin is the bad boy of libertarianism. No daughter stands a chance.

      • MojeauXX

        Husband: “Why would you encourage her to hang out with that bunch of degenerates? Aren’t we enough?”

  18. Tundra

    Thanks Neph!

    The Olympics are gonna be a nightmare. Time to just stop.

    Great song choice!

  19. Shpip

    Ristaino prefers the Nick & Nora glass, which is typically five ounces in volume and sports a nearly spill-proof design. “Striking a balance between elegant and durable, this quintessential glass of the nouveau cocktail generation is my standby for Martinis,” he says.

    De gustibus, &cet. Since I’m the only person in my household who’s drinking Martinis (Monkey 87, stirred, with the barest hint of Noilly Prat and a dash of lemon bitters), and I’m the one carrying it to the living room, I’ll continue to go with a cocktail glass. Coupes for company. Nick and Noras for other drinks like Aviations or Twentieth Centuries.

  20. KK, Non-Man

    The frightfully expensive injera I ordered online arrived. Doro wat for dinner…

    • Ownbestenemy

      Wat?

    • Nerfherder (Non-Non-Man)

      Yup, ride it in.

  21. cyto

    I have been worrying over the lack of original reporting of late. It is particularly bad with respect to Ukraine. I got into a tussle over at TOS on this topic and their reporting of a story on Russia. It turns out, one of Tuccille’s main sources is a former CIA propagandist for Stratfor. (Really Reason?)

    Later, someone linked this Twitter thread:

    https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1674023498904215555?t=0Gi9NaTsGWauVBcj4qvqBg&s=19

    It details a missile attack on a hotel used to house troops. In it we see what appear to be US troops treating wounded. He provides loads of details and speculation as to what happened. He talks about people being injured in a downstairs pizza restaurant.

    In that thread,a community note is added which debunks his claims. It cites “high quality sources’

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/27/deadly-russian-missile-strike-on-busy-pizza-restaurant-in-kramatorsk

    Read the thread. Read the article.

    Tell me… Which is propaganda? Which (if any) is honest reporting?

    The Guardian cites the Ukrainian government, the US government, some other governments… And calls it an attack on civilians at a pizzaria. They include photos of thwo attractive young girls who it says were killed. It includes none of the photos or videos from the Twitter thread that feature military personnel all over the place.

    • rhywun

      Believe the opposite of whatever The Guardian is saying.

    • Dr. Fronkensteen

      The internet is killing original reporting. Nobody is reading the papers or watching the television news. Without viewers the advertising revenue disappears and with it the actual reporters. Adding to that most reporters want to be where the money currently is which is the opinion market and most viewers seem happy with following their favorite opinion writers/ TV hosts.

      • Winston

        Ironic that the internet is leading to even more statist media, the exact opposite of what libertarians thought would happen.

    • Winston

      https://www.aier.org/article/how-trump-and-biden-are-blowing-up-the-free-trade-system-america-worked-so-hard-to-build/

      Presidentially led tariff negotiations proved revolutionary in advancing free trade. Far better than Congress, the presidency has resisted the political pressure of protectionist lobbyists. Particularly since 1947 and the birth of GATT, America’s Article II trade negotiators have built a multilateral policy scaffold that today supports unprecedented levels of free exchange worldwide. US leadership at the GATT, and the WTO, has done much to cause member nations to trade far more freely, bringing global commerce and prosperity to unprecedented heights. Indeed, such globalization has helped generate previously unknown wealth – and health – in rich and poor nations alike. As evidenced by Trump and Biden, a President may use his unilateral tariff authority for ill.

      Interesting how the Imperial Presidency was good if it led to lower tariffs. No way a protectionist POTUS would ever be elected again, right?

      Much of American history takes on a decidedly protectionist hue as generations of politicians placated localized economic interests at the expense of everybody else. Policymakers’ voting habits have generally corresponded tightly to their constituents’ economic interests. Correspondingly, the Republicans (and their predecessors, the Whigs) historically represented the industrialized North and advocated protectionism. Democrats – historically hailing from the agrarian, exporting South – preferred free trade. To varying degrees, America held fast to protectionism from the early 19th century to the middle of the 20th.

      Another funny thing about the AIER is that they really would rather not dwell on the fact that for most of American history if you were a free trader you would have likely been a slave-owner and a segregationist. Hence why they prefer to talk about Cobden and Bright. Though they ignore Bright’s opposition to Irish Home Rule.

      • juris imprudent

        American history… Irish Home Rule??? Did I miss something?

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      It’s safe to not believe any reporting. We were watching a CNN clip on Youtube about Wagner’s flight of the mercenaries and their reporting was laughable.

      “We have statements from Russian media, but we know they are liars.” OK, true enough, but so is CNN.

      “We don’t have any statement from the US government or from European countries.” I don’t trust them either, and Russia is in Europe. Learn some geography.

      “Soldiers in Moscow are scrambling.” They showed the same 5 second clip of a single military vehicle driving slowly on Red Square at 2 AM and a handful of cops standing around on the side of the road. I saw more lethal hardware on the streets of Moscow when I was there in the 90s.

      The reporting is just atrocious.

      • juris imprudent

        First casualty of war is the truth.

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      I read the Liberal Patriot, just to get another perspective on things, and they are all in on the “coup” attempt, and how it spells Putins doom. But, they sources, as we all have recognized and talked about over here, are the same that have been pushing the various lines of BS for the last decade, at least. Just as bad as FOX and Reason, just as reliable.

  22. Shpip

    Weird marketing stunt, or just plain bad idea?

    Here’s the latest product from PepsiCo(morbidities). Announced Tuesday, Pepsi declared the launch of their new “Pepsi Colachup.”

    Described as “Pepsi-infused ketchup,” hence the terrible marketing name, Colachup is a “sweet, salty, delicious topping” for hot dog enjoyers at MLB games.

    Left unmentioned: if you’re over the age of eight and still putting ketchup on hot dogs, have a friend beat you about the head and shoulders with a stout stick until your taste improves.

    • UnCivilServant

      let me guess, your go-to is garum

    • kinnath

      I like ketchup and mustard on hot dogs, but I prefer chili.

    • cyto

      I love ketchup, mustard and sweet relish on an old-school dog. So sue me.

      I also love spicy mustard and celery salt on a brat. Or caramelized onions and peppers with mustard.

      What do I know… I still like the cranberry sauce that comes out shaped like the can.

      • juris imprudent

        comes out shaped like the can

        I won’t kink-shame.
        I won’t kink-shame.
        I won’t kink-shame.
        .
        .
        .

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        I are confused. Does cranberry sauce come in any other form?

      • UnCivilServant

        Well, someone might have mashed the can shape out of it.

        Or someone did a silly thing and made some at home.

      • Tundra

        I love ketchup, mustard and sweet relish on an old-school dog. So sue me.

        Nope. But I will join you.

    • SDF-7

      I see you’re asking for all your mail to your new alias: Heywood Jablome.

      Ketchup, mustard, onions and relish is just fine. Hey buddy, stop telling others to stop doing that. 😉

      • Shpip

        Oh, I’m not telling anyone what not to do. But I’ll put ketchup-on-hot-doggers in the same category as adults who make fart noises with their armpits, folks who blare their stereos in their Carolina-squatted pickup trucks as Concorde-takeoff volumes, and people who subscribe to Dylan Mulvaney’s TikTok channel.

      • R C Dean

        I note you didn’t mention people who put pineapple on pizza, a sure sign you are one of them.

      • Shpip

        Only on Chicago-style… with chunks of grilled SPAM, of course.

        For thin-crust pie, I use calamari. There’s this dude in town called a “mohel” who always has the freshest stuff.

      • B.P.

        This really ties everything together.

    • Rat on a train

      banana sauce
      and hot dogs go on spaghetti

    • Ownbestenemy

      I find nothing wrong with ketchup on a ballpark frank. Now on a quality frank or brat, whole different game.

    • Nephilium

      Polish boy, chili cheese dog (NOT Cincy “chili”), or some crazy things built up at Happy Dog.

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      Mustard and kraut, nothing else is acceptable.

      Chilly wolves are allowed chilli, but that is a different ball game.

      • Shpip

        See… ten different commentors all chiming in from one link. Each with his own perspective, giving honest, respectful, and constructive input. UCS even broke out his weiner-slurping gloves to let us know what he thinks.

        It’s good when we have these kinds of frank discussions.

      • Don escaped Texas

        that was the wurst

  23. KK, Non-Man

    My neighbor, who is young and on the Tik Toks, has showed me the Grimace Shake videos and I almost want to download the app to watch them all.

  24. Brochettaward

    With all the talk about super hero fatigue finally hitting the mainstream…I can’t help but notice these are still the biggest genre of movies even in their failures. There is an audience there when you are making a few measly hundred million.

    Maybe…call me crazy here, but just maybe…they need to try and reign in costs as they did when they first launched the MCU. Instead, every movie escalate with costs growing and the complete lack of plan on display in the early days completely gone. These clowns can’t even produce a script and just go film it. Everything requires hundreds of millions of dollars in reshoots on top of their already bloated budgets.

    James Gunn has talked about that final part, at least in the context of the need to have a good script. If his DC universe has even the slightest chance of succeeding, it’s in that.

    • MojeauXX

      Did you see the Critical Drinker link someone posted the other day about why the next Indiana Jones would be a flop? All about costs.

      • Brochettaward

        I saw his argument. He’s been making it for a while along with Nerdrotic and others (I guess myself, though I don’t have a Youtube – just my adoring firsties).

        Disney doesn’t know how to shoot a live action movie anymore. That’s what it seems like. It’s fucking insane the way they blow through their initial projections for budgets and reshoot the entire films.

        And the higher the costs go, the less and less likely they are to give creative control to the people who are actual creatives. Drinker was dead-on with that.

      • cyto

        Also… pick better creatives. They gave a ton of control to the writers and director of She Hulk. They also skimped on CGI.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Not because Mr. Ford is a hundred years old? And the last time they made one was 34 years ago? And he was too old for the part then?

      • kinnath

        I linked the Drinker

      • MojeauXX

        I thought so, but I didn’t want to be wrong. LOL

    • Brochettaward

      First Iron Man cost $130 million to make. Spiderman Across the Spiderverse or whatever the fuck it’s called costs a fraction of its live action counterparts. The first Iron Man looked better than the CGI messes currently being produced.

      This shit isn’t complicated. Give me an 8 figure salary. I’ll return to using the source material as the main inspiration for the stories – and I mean the good source material, not the woke shit that has killed the comic industry – and make you a tidy sum.

      • cyto

        I completely agree. Hire good writers and you can skip the huge CGI battles to a large degree.

        I would take a small story with a small villain if they were compelling characters.

      • UnCivilServant

        I prefer the small villains. One of the things I look for in media is low stakes. That is not snark, I picked out a series to watch based on the premise of a high school robotics team trying to win a tournament, and got annoyed when it took a hard right into a “Save the world” plot that hadn’t been telegraphed.

        Sometimes the smaller, personal, stakes are more interesting.

      • Nephilium

        I’ve never understood why DC kept going for the big leagues right away, especially after the Arrowverse started to get legs with street level/unknown/B-List characters. I’m partially surprised that there hasn’t been a Question movie/show,

        Hell, Marvel (before they put it in quasi-retcon state) did the Netflix deal to bring the Defenders together.

      • Brochettaward

        I’d go back to Daredevil. Was great when it was personal. His story. Sucked when they forced him to team-up with a bunch of mediocre characters and save the world from an aged Sigourney Weaver (while also throwing out the plotline they had been building towards for the first two seasons of his show). Luke Cage has an audience, but not when you make him a milquetoast Mary Sue with a cliched background and give him no real threats to face.

      • Brochettaward

        The best Marvel creation in my opinion is probably Daredevil and his threats were street level.

        They will humiliate and emasculate him in his new series in short order. They already fucked up The Kingpin in their stupid Hawkeye-girl show. We can’t have strong male leads, especially if their white guys.

        Seriously – comics were supremely popular once upon a time because of the stories. And instead of drawing from those stories, the clowns running Marvel have decided to tell the people they hire to not even bother with the comics. That isn’t the approach Marvel had in its heyday.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      The first lie is that it’s medically necessary.

  25. Nerfherder (Non-Non-Man)

    Huh, just got $500 from the IRS for the 2019 tax year.

    Guess I’m eating out tonight

    • Gender Traitor

      Is this a refund you’ve been waiting for for three years, or did the revenooers grudgingly admit that you’d overpaid?

      • Common Tater

        They should make a law that if you can outrun them with your car you don’t have to pay.

      • Nerfherder (Non-Non-Man)

        Long story, I overpaid to stay in the clear with them

  26. Winston

    https://www.city-journal.org/article/change-merchants

    Over the years, various labels have emerged to describe the type or class of people who tend to run societies in the postmodern West: the “professional managerial class” or the “managerial elite,” the “creative class” or the “laptop class.” Or, as I’ve ventured to name them, the “Virtuals.” Common to all these identifiers is the recognition that the people now occupying the most prestigious and influential upper layer of society tend to differ in some distinct functional sense from the farmer, the truck driver, or the shop-owner of the “working class,” regardless of their actual relative wealth. Members of this well-educated, usually urban, class work not with their hands but with their minds; not with the material world but with information, ideas, narratives, or organizational or interpersonal relationships.

    Why did classical liberals and libertarians completely fail to predict the rise of this class and their totalitarian beliefs?

    • Brochettaward

      Because having a set of principles you follow, no matter how correct they may or may not be, does not make you Nostradamus. Any class of people can become totalitarian, and the progressive spin on totalitarianism in America we’ve seen in the last decade and a half is unique to the history and culture that produced it.

      If the left doesn’t elect a black guy they feel the need to protect at all costs during a time of economic recession, we may not be having this conversation. Or it would look very different. Libertarian jokes about the left being collectivist cunts aside, the left in the 90’s were corrupt but their assholery was contained. They self-righteousness they now possess was born or reborn during the Obama years and I’d argue you’d have to go back some time to find a more radical incarnation of the mainstream left. Pre-80’s at the least if not the FDR era. The Cold War kept them in check, and then the general trend after that? The Democratic party was the party of the Clinton’s until Obama. The Clinton’s were corrupt shitheels, but pretty middle of the road policy wise until the ground shifted under their feet.

    • Brochettaward

      And honestly Winston, there is something almost Marxist in how you seem to analyze history. My explanation for that would have to be long winded and be kind of pointless with some of my explanation for why its incorrect above. Shit happens. Yes, optimistic libertarians who spoke of a great libertarian moment were dead fucking wrong. I find it interesting to analyze why they were wrong to some extent, but grouping all libertarians together and asking why they couldn’t predict the urban centers becoming the incubators of the progressive left becomes its own form of navel gazing at some point.

      Society doesn’t move in any direction, and history sure as fuck is not a scientific endeavor. No one can predict the future and it isn’t really predicated on classes of people all behaving the same way in every context.

    • juris imprudent

      fail to predict

      What shit have you failed to predict that we can rake you over the coals for?

      • Winston

        Sorry, I never meant to imply that I am a master prognosticator. I am just a pessimist though. Since things haven’t been going so hot lately that means I can be right sometimes.

      • Brochettaward

        Classical liberals have often times made bold statements on where the future was headed that weren’t justified, but there isn’t some unified theory in classical liberalism or among libertarians that supposedly guides all of human history.

        I don’t ever feel the need for the hostility towards Winston. It’s just another perspective. He’s well read, thoughtful in his own way and breaks up the monotony of the echo chamber any site like this can become. I’ll save my hostility for The Hyperbole. Now that guy is a cunt. Not because of any particular opinion, but because I believe he’s contrarian for contrarian’s sake.

      • R C Dean

        I’m with the Bro on Winston. Underneath his annoying monomania are some good questions.

  27. kinnath

    Members of this well-educated, usually urban, class work not with their hands but with their minds; not with the material world but with information, ideas, narratives, or organizational or interpersonal relationships.

    That pretty much describes me. Systems Engineer. Never designed hardware. Haven’t written code since 1992. But our systems would not exist, would not get certified, would not get into service without me and engineers like me.

    Not all knowledge workers are the same. Some of us lay the groundwork for building real things. But many, perhaps most, are just there to track shit for compliance to some set of useless sets of guidance.

    • kinnath

      For me, there is a clear difference between a knowledge worker and a data pusher.

  28. Winston

    https://brownstone.org/articles/what-bud-light-fiasco-reveals-about-ruling-class/

    But what happens when the corporate elites, working together with government, themselves become the warlords? The foundations of market capitalism begin to erode. The workers become ever more alienated from final consumption of the product they have made possible.

    It’s been typical of people like me – pro-market libertarians – to ignore the issue of class and its impact on social and political structures. We inherited the view of Frederic Bastiat that the good society is about cooperation between everyone and not class conflict, much less class war. We’ve been suspicious of people who rage against wealth inequality and social stratification.

    And yet we do not live in such market conditions. The social and economic systems of the West are increasingly bureaucratized, hobbled by credentialism, and regulated, and this has severely impacted class mobility. Indeed, for many of these structures, exclusion of the unwashed is the whole point.

    Interesting remarks from Jeff Tucker.

    Anyway it seems society and culture are very important. If you think laissez-faire economics is a racist system founded by genocidal slave-owners you are not going to defend it no matter how well off you are.

    And reading William Graham Sumner’s and Herbert Spencer’s tirades about late Victorian culture exposed a pretty serious flaw in classical liberalism: they took it as a given that a free society required people to behave in a very specific way and they thought that a free society would perpetuate these specific behaviors. However industrial societies did not have the “civilizing effects” they assumed they would have and so they despaired long before other classical liberals did.

    20th Century libertarians attempted to address this problem by embracing libertinism and well we see how well that is working out.

    • juris imprudent

      Nietzsche beat you to this about a century and a half ago.

  29. kinnath

    My daughter’s neighbor has a tree full of cherries that are free for the picking. So I am going to go out in to the heat and smoke to grab some cherries (and then turn them into booze).

    • R.J.

      A fine thing.

  30. The Late P Brooks

    Random observation gripe: I have converted to hard core “ethanol free only” small engine fuel. I looked at the pumps at the grocery store when I put (cheap shit) gas in the Element the other day. No ethanol-free labels. I hopped on duck duck go a few minutes ago, thinking a quick look would provide the desired info by brand. It’s like some sort of top secret info. Nothing but misleading and utterly useless/wrong info. It looks like maybe Shell as a brand has ethanol free premium.

    Weird.

    • Nephilium

      This may help.

      • Tundra

        I are slow.

    • Tundra

      Try this:

      https://www.pure-gas.org/

      I always ran non oxy in my small engines, boat and the Triumph. Luckily there were several places in town that offered it.

    • Drake

      I never saw ethanol free in NJ once in a while in PA.

      It’s everywhere in the South. About 75 cents a gallon extra.

  31. The Late P Brooks

    Why did classical liberals and libertarians completely fail to predict the rise of this class and their totalitarian beliefs?

    Why do you persist in your inane collectivism?

  32. The Late P Brooks

    And yet we do not live in such market conditions. The social and economic systems of the West are increasingly bureaucratized, hobbled by credentialism, and regulated, and this has severely impacted class mobility. Indeed, for many of these structures, exclusion of the unwashed is the whole point.

    What is pre twentieth century China?

  33. robc

    A homebrew shop in Cincinnati made a Cicada Ale during one of the major 17 year outbreaks. Probably about 17 years ago now.

  34. robc

    I dont get drinking at sporting events. Before or after or at home watching, sure. But its never been a big deal for me.

    I thought Paris was banning alcohol sales during the Olympics, but nah, just in the venues. So just hit up a bar after the event.

    • Tundra

      I’m usually driving, so yeah.

      Although attending live sporting events has become almost non existent for me. Since I moved out here, I saw the T-Wolves/Nuggets and Wild/Avs. Not a fan of urban crowds anymore.

    • rhywun

      I dont get drinking at sporting events.

      I enjoy it, as long as I pace myself to hit the loo at the right moment(s).

      Private suite would be the bomb but yeah, probably not happening.

  35. The Late P Brooks

    Thanks Nephilium. That shows a couple of Maverik stations in the area. It doesn’t tell me if all of them, like the one I pass on a regular basis, has it. I just don’t feel like stopping at a bunch of stations just to check out the stickers on the pump so I can fill the mower-gas jug.

    • Tundra

      The only thing I use on a regular basis is my leaf blower, so I just bought a half gallon of Stihl premix at the hardware store. It will probably last me two years or more.

    • Plinker762

      Usually the pumps have blue handles for non-ethanol.

      Just look for ATVs or side by sides, they usually buy non-ethanol. We have it all over north Idaho/ eastern Washington because of all the offroad motorsports users.

  36. The Late P Brooks

    Did you see the Critical Drinker link someone posted the other day about why the next Indiana Jones would be a flop? All about costs.

    Pluto apparently has them all (except for the original?) running on a loop. The problem with them is they’re stupid. I watched part of one the other night which featured a prolonged and completely idiotic roller coaster sequence.

    • MojeauXX

      I’ve seen it pointed out many a time that Indy’s involvement in the Raiders of the Lost Ark is entirely unnecessary. The story still proceeds and ends with zero help or obstacles from Indy.

      • Gender Traitor

        A true member of academia.

        ::glances around, runs away::

      • MojeauXX

        LOL I’m not a Harrison Ford fangurl, so you’ll not see me running after you with claws bared.

      • Gender Traitor

        You’re not an academic either.

      • SDF-7

        Pretty sure the Nazis would have killed Marion when they went for the head of the Staff of Ra, though.

        So that’s something….

  37. R.J.

    Neph: The Nick and Nora glasses require too many trips to refill, as they are tiny. Classy, but tiny. I am neither classy or tiny. My martini glasses are massive obtuse triangles holding a sloshy lake of cocktail which I must sip carefully to avoid spills. We must compare glasses soon.

    • Nephilium

      I am trying to bring the traditional drinks back, which includes the smaller sizes. An 8-10 ounce martini should not be a single drink. I do use the large triangular cocktail glasses for some (especially frozen cocktails or some lower ABV ones), but I tend towards stemless for most glasses.

      • Tundra

        An 8-10 oz martini would probably kill me.

      • R.J.

        I salute you for it. As long as traditional prices come back. I would go STEVE SMITH on a bartender that charged me $15 for a tiny martini.

      • Common Tater

        That’s common now.

    • Ted S.

      Nora: What hit me?
      Nick: The sixth martini.

      • R.J.

        *golf clap

  38. The Late P Brooks

    I just bought a half gallon of Stihl premix at the hardware store. It will probably last me two years or more.

    I buy the crazy expensive premix for the Husqvarna weed eater, but the mower I bought is a four stroke.

    *absurdly expensive mower- my last mower, in Indianapolis, cost me two cases of Coors Light

  39. Tundra

    Dana Carvey as Fauci.

    He and Spade look like Darryl Hall’s younger brothers.

  40. The Late P Brooks

    I don’t drink martinis, or any distilled spirits, but purely based on aesthetics, I like the conical stem glass.

    • Tundra

      I never got a stimmy check and I still apparently don’t qualify.

      93 could use a few bucks. Thank God I have the offroad package.

      • Tundra

        Yeah, that’s worse.

        I drove to the airport the other day and noticed that the brand new 70 stretches are already fucked up. The Romans built roads that have lasted 2,000 years and we can’t get 2 out of ours. Sad!

      • Brochettaward

        Roman cement survives after being underwater for 2000 years.

        But the ancients were barbarians. They didn’t even have a progressive income tax.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        Roman cement

        Concrete, please. There is a difference.

      • milo

        Only in the aggregate.

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        Only in the aggregate.

        Technically and semantically correct! Well done, sir!

      • milo

        Thanks. I make things go.

    • Don escaped Texas

      It’s safe to not believe any reporting

      CBS just ran a story about cancer drugs not being available due to covid. Of course, the shortage is due to the reaction, the government overreach during covid. Covid cash kills, but this whole situation resulted from people demanding “safety.”

      We hate being right again, but I really hate that no one has learned anything even at this late date.

    • rhywun

      Because showering cash at people totally accomplishes something.

  41. The Late P Brooks

    Usually the pumps have blue handles for non-ethanol.

    I never even noticed that. I used to go to a Cenex station in Livingston for non ethanol premium, but I don’t think they are in this part of the world.

    • R.J.

      Colorado and New Mexico do. Much pricier. But they also have crap octane ratings. I remember it topped out at 88.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        No one needs more than 88 octanes.

      • Don escaped Texas

        * polite applause *

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        and New Mexico do

        I have not seen it available in NM. (NOTE: I have not been everywhere in New Mexico)

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        But they also have crap octane ratings

        At higher altitudes you can use lower octane, hence 86 and 85 octane “regular”.

    • R.J.

      Fantastic. I must take lessons.

    • rhywun

      “That can’t be good for the environment!”

      *snort*

    • Nephilium

      /looks in the links

      Not a bad story.

  42. Q Continuum

    “It’s changing the requirement for citizen led initiatives to pass from 50%+1 vote to 60%”

    Colorado did this a few years ago and I’m VERY happy they did; it’s stopped all kinds of stupid shit.

  43. The Late P Brooks

    crap octane ratings

    *climbs on hobbyhorse*

    Octane not same as energy content.