Thursday Afternoon Links

by | Dec 7, 2023 | Daily Links | 139 comments

 

 

HAMAS FIGHTERS SURRENDER, GET STRIP SEARCHED: Israeli beaches are known for major boobage, just not like this. Do you guys even lift? And the indignity of this is nothing compared to what the hostages went through.

SHAMING VAX-DENYING BODIES: More than a quarter of people injected with mRNA Covid jabs suffered an unintended immune response created by a glitch in the way the vaccine was read by the body, a study has found. Got that? It’s not the holy and perfect vaxes that are at fault; it’s your own stupid body. The article claims there are no adverse affects when this happens.

CLIMATE ACTIVISTS VANDALIZE ST MARK’S BASILICA: Demand climate reparation payout. Interesting that they used chocolate milk; I thought they were supposed to be against cattle. Also interesting they defaced a church while claiming to take inspiration from commie pope.

FLORIDA MAN GETS OWN TV SHOW: Netflix has an amusing miniseries about an ex-cop who returns to his native Florida to track down a mobster’s runaway girlfriend.

FOUR LEGS GOOD; TWO LEGS BAD: College students support “from the river to the sea” slogan, but many are unaware exactly which river and which sea it refers to.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WIPES ASS WITH CONSTITUTION, YET AGAIN: The Biden administration has determined that it has the authority to seize the patents of certain high-priced medicines, a move that could open the door to a more aggressive federal campaign to slash drug prices.

NEXT STARSHIP FLIGHT MAY DEMO IN-FLIGHT LOX TRANSFER (NO BAGEL): In October 2020, NASA awarded SpaceX $53 million to conduct such a trial in Earth orbit. The contract calls for SpaceX to transfer 11 tons (10 metric tons) of liquid oxygen between tanks inside a Starship vehicle. It’s somewhat disappointing in that they’re only pumping LOX between two tanks in the same vehicle, as opposed to pumping it between two vehicles. But such an advanced test would require a second vehicle, and perhaps an astronaut to connect the hose. Unknown if SpaceX already has that part figured out or is still working on it. IIRC this will be the first ever in-flight transfer of fuel or oxidizer.

KOOL STORY, BRO: Biden delays menthol cigarette ban after black leaders tell him it’s racist. The date has been delayed once again and is now set for March 2024.

GLIBZOOM TACKY HOLIDAY ATTIRE CONTEST: KK will hold a tacky holiday attire contest on the GlibZoom on Saturday, Dec 16. The winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card and bragging rights for a year. Bring out your ugly sweaters and tacky headgear. The winner will be chosen by popular vote. No voting for yourself. KK not eligible to win. You must be on camera at 10:00 to be eligible to win. You don’t have to show your face but you do have to show us your tacky garment. Big Glibs thanks to KK for coming up with this and donating the prize.

About The Author

Tonio

Tonio

Tonio is a Glibs shitposter, linkstar (Thursday PM, yo), author, and editor. He is also a GlibZoom personality and prankster. Tonio is a big fan of pic-a-nic baskets. His hobbies include salmon fishing, territorial displays, dumpster diving, and posing for wildlife photographers.

139 Comments

  1. Common Tater

    I saw Levantine Beach Moobfest at Coachella.

    • Tonio

      [golf clap]

    • R C Dean

      Weren’t they at the Nova Music Festival in Israel, too?

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Their music has been described as pendulous.

  2. Common Tater

    “Got that? It’s not the holy and perfect vaxes that are at fault; it’s your own stupid body.”

    I blame the government.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      “Ribosomes are somehow sensing the modified RNAs, but the Covid vaccines are very, very safe and very, very efficacious.

      “But

      Lol.

      • Suthenboy

        Safe, efficacious? No, they aren’t.

      • Pope Jimbo

        I was mad listening to Adam Carolla’s podcast when he had Neil Degrasse Tyson on. Carolla let Tyson straight up lie about the vax without calling him out. The real howler was Tyson claiming that “studies have shown” that 87% of the Rona deaths could have been prevented if everyone had gotten jabbed.

        Usually Carolla is pretty good about calling out the Rona BS, but boy did he let his personal friendship with Tyson get in the way of telling the truth.

  3. Common Tater

    “The Biden administration has determined that it has the authority to seize the patents”

    I’m sure that will encourage new drugs.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      It’s like something out of Atlas Shrugged.

      • Suthenboy

        Classified as fiction but inspired by what Rand saw the Bolsheviks do. All she had to do was Americanize the names.
        Commies always use the same playbook. They are as predictable as the sunrise.

  4. Common Tater

    “Biden delays menthol cigarette ban after black leaders tell him it’s racist.”

    LOLOLOLOLOL

    • Common Tater

      “Sharpton asserts that it would form an underground market which would result in police disproportionately targeting black people.”

      Now do every other drug.

      • R.J.

        Yeah. I can’t even deal with the bullshit today. To Hell with the commie leftists. All of them should read the “Do Something” post and look in the mirror.

    • Common Tater

      “Scientific research has led the CDC to issue advisories stating that “menthol in cigarettes increases the likelihood that youth and young adults will try smoking and that those who begin smoking will continue to smoke regularly.””

      Bullshit.

      • Nephilium

        Bring back Joe Camel!

      • rhywun

        My mom smoked menthols. If all cigs had menthol I probably would not have been a smoker – it’s (more) disgusting.

      • Nephilium

        For a time when I was a smoker, the cheap smokers would take up menthols because they were less likely to have someone ask to bum one.

    • Mojeaux

      Feature, not bug.

  5. Ted S.

    And the indignity of this is nothing compared to what the hostages went through.

    Waiting for the international press to call them civilians….

    • Tonio

      Well, they aren’t wearing military uniforms…

      • SDF-7

        “…. the ex-lovers of many Israeli women were lined up on the beach today…”

    • Drake

      Does it matter?
      The Iraqi Special Republican Guard committed all kinds of crimes in Kuwait City. We still didn’t violate the Laws of War by publicizing photos of random semi-nude prisoners. We screened the prisoners and handed over suspects to Kuwaiti authorities like professionals.

      • Tonio

        I hate it that you’re right.

        I have no idea if this is an official photo released by IDF, or a photo taken by some random person observing the processing of a group of prisoners.

      • R C Dean

        Technically, the laws of war (at least, the Geneva Conventions) don’t protect Hamas. Gaza didn’t sign on, and from what I’ve seen many of their fighters don’t wear uniforms, as required by the Geneva Conventions. Hamas has also maintained a separation between the military wing and the political wing (for deniability), which I believe means they may not be under civilian control and thus also not protected by the Geneva Conventions.

        I suspect the IDF is screening the prisoners (including strip searches which I think are well advised in this case) and handing them over to Israeli authorities.

        I am utterly unperturbed by this. File it under the play stupid games rule, or the fuck around rule, or both.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        They’ve also been known to strap bombs to themselves, so a strip search seems in order.

  6. Don escaped Texas

    from the river to the sea

    A Glib once saideth to me
    The South is just a state of mind
    Ne’er north of the Ohio
    My neighbors will ye find

    • Certified Public Asshat

      When I hear from the river to the sea I hear it to the tune of “to the window to the wall” from that Lil’ Jon song.

  7. The Late P Brooks

    “A glitch”

    Just as long as no government scientist were harmed.

  8. Mojeaux

    Dafuq. I have NO tacky garments. I am unable to even with you people.

    • Common Tater

      Surely your husband does. He’s a man.

      • Mojeaux

        Nope. We mostly wear plain clothes in solid colors, and very few branded shirts (Rush and Chiefs). We are very mix-and-match with our respective wardrobes.

    • Ted S.

      Wearing nothing but a Santa hat would be tacky.

      (I don’t have a camera to do Zoomshit with, so you’re not seeing that.)

      • R.J.

        You could draw a picture and use it for your Zoom avatar.

      • The Other Kevin

        There are going to be 11 people wearing a jock strap and a scarf.

      • Tonio

        Way to spoil my costume idea, yo.

    • Tonio

      Thrift stores are often an excellent source of inexpensive costumes.

    • Nephilium

      Not a single ugly Christmas sweater?

      They do have Chiefs ones…

      • Mojeaux

        *haughty sniff*

        No.

      • Nephilium

        Oh come on, my Merry T-Rex sweater is awesome.

      • SDF-7

        Are we bringing in the dino-porn again?

  9. R.J.

    I assume those Hamas fighters were the ones that couldn’t run away fast enough?

  10. The Late P Brooks

    Checkbook diplomacy

    President Joe Biden told Native American nations gathered for a summit Wednesday that his administration was working to heal the wrongs of the past as he signed an executive order that seeks to make it easier for Indigenous peoples to access federal funding, and have greater autonomy over how to spend it.

    Biden also threw his support behind a request to allow Haudenosaunee Confederacy to compete under its own flag in the 2028 Olympics in lacrosse, a sport they invented.

    Historically, federal policies attacked Native people’s rights to self-governance and caused lasting economic damage. Biden said the actions at the summit were “key steps” that would help usher in an new era of tribal sovereignty. “A new era grounded in dignity and respect that recognizes your fundamental rights to govern and grow on your own terms,” he said.

    “It’s hard work to heal the wrongs of the past and change the course, and move forward,” Biden said.

    Righting the wrongs of the past with the healing salve of other people’s money.

    • Common Tater

      The land should be privatized.

      • SDF-7

        If we do that we should start with a Delaware beach house. I can certainly think of one off hand…

    • The Other Kevin

      I was expecting a very racist story about how he used to play cowboys and Indians as a kid and they never let those red Injuns win.
      I am disappoint.

      • Fourscore

        Oh-Oh

        /Runs and hides

    • Gustave Lytton

      Fuck those racist pseudo governments.

      The correct status is private social club with zero legal authority over US citizens or US territory, zero special privileges from federal state local or any other government entities, and full applicability of US and state laws including non discrimination.

  11. Common Tater

    “On Tuesday, transgender rights activists disrupted a Turning Point USA event at California Polytechnic State University in San Louis Obispo featuring Chloe Cole and Billboard Chris. The protesters held an overtly sexualized pop-up Drag Show, brought satanic signs, and engaged in pro-trans chants….

    Kalen D’Almedia, a reporter for Frontlines, described the protesters participating in the drag show as “gay men” and “obese women” who were “flailing and flopping” around on the floor while wearing “BDSM clothing.” He said money was being thrown during the sexualized act and referred to the performers’ dancing as “embarrassing.”…

    D’Amedia reported that there was a rainbow flag that featured marijuana leaves and the number 666 among the crowd of protesters. A sign that read “TPUSA drinks dog cum” was also featured at the protest.”

    https://thepostmillennial.com/trans-activists-hold-pop-up-drag-show-to-protest-tpusa-event-with-chloe-cole-and-billboard-chris-at-cal-poly

    Stay classy, San Louis Obispo.

    • R C Dean

      Needz moar pepper spray.

  12. The Late P Brooks

    Yurok Tribal Council Member Phillip Williams described Biden’s speech as inspirational.

    “It felt like our highest official in the land acknowledges the crimes of the past,” he said. “His contribution to society is to help to heal the tribal nations.”

    Bless his heart.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Crimes of the past, except the ones that Indians committed.

    • rhywun

      I want the word “heal” stricken from English language.

  13. SDF-7

    OT rant (sorry a little…) — comment just now on work Slack channel regarding security trainings (which are classified as Belt levels — i.e. everyone has to do Blue Belt, Green is more specialized, Yellow more so, up through Black I assume (though it hasn’t been inflicted on me — and I may have the order wrong, just go with it)

    We may want to suggest to (management) that they should shift away from the ‘belts’ analogy as it starts to feel culturally appropriative.

    AAAARGGGH!!! First of all — if anything, this is FLATTERING the whole Asian martial arts culture by recognizing their system or ranks and skill.

    Second, it is something widespread in the rest of the world for at least 100 years now. And unlike your stupid world, in mine humans LEARN FROM EACH OTHER!!

    And third — I really really hate that I can’t say any of this because you know damned well I’ll get flagged as an icky non-DEI-caring person. While the people with these insane needs to police speech just get to blather whatever they want…

    Ack pppbbbt bleck!

    At least I can vent here a little. Thanks for listening.

    • R.J.

      You should mess with them. Propose an alternate belt system with softer colors, like mauve, buff, and eggplant. This should be fun, not aggravating.

      • Tonio

        I am so glad I’m retired.

        What RJ said, but beauty pageant style sashes make it gay af.

    • Sean

      I thought white was the base.

      • kinnath

        It’s been a very long time . . . but as I recall white -> yellow -> red -> blue -> green -> brown -> black. This may vary depending upon specific discipline.

      • kinnath

        blue and green may be reversed.

    • kinnath

      Offer up color coded suspenders instead.

    • Spartacus

      You know, with a little mental gymnastics you could probably get from there to arguing that rainbows are cultural appropriation.

    • rhywun

      Tell them you have already Mastered all the levels.

    • tripacer

      I’m guessing Krav Maga belts are extra problematic.

  14. The Late P Brooks

    Officials also announced that the White House Council on Native American Affairs, which is co-chaired by Haaland and Tanden, has published a guide outlining best practices and procedures for the management, treatment and protection of sacred sites. The document was recently finalized after taking into account feedback from tribal leaders.

    In Nevada, Arlan Melendez, chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, said Tuesday that promises about meaningful consultation haven’t materialized as several tribes have fought to halt construction of one of the largest lithium mines in the world. The tribes say the mine is being built illegally near the sacred site of an 1865 massacre along the Nevada-Oregon line.

    Revenge is a dish best served cold.

    • The Other Kevin

      Weren’t we joking the other day about using tribal lands as an excuse to top lithium mining? Or maybe whoever said that was ahead of the curve and not joking.

      • juris imprudent

        I noted the billboard along I-80 returning from Burning Man. All the idiots there that are climate catastophists – all have their iPhones. Apple really should market iRony.

      • rhywun

        Another [mine] planned halfway between Reno and Las Vegas by Ioneer Ltd. also faces legal challenges from environmentalists fighting to protect a rare desert wildflower

        😂🤣
        /China

  15. juris imprudent

    BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WIPES ASS WITH CONSTITUTION, YET AGAIN

    In this case, it was reusing the Constitution that every member of Congress had wiped their asses with.

  16. robc

    With a 3-0 win over Newcastle, Everton is now in 10th/17th place.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      Spursy is still a thing 😭

      • rhywun

        😀

    • SDF-7

      Well, it sure sounds like you can’t go with “What a dick”….

    • R C Dean

      “ a fake penis ‘that was bigger than mine’”

      Nice self-own, there, chief.

  17. juris imprudent

    The date has been delayed once again and is now set for March 2024.

    Right after the South Carolina primary? Then we can do the racist shit again, right Joe?

    • Ownbestenemy

      This is the admin in which we should have been grifting. Scream loud enough amd they throw money at it. We are terrible grifters.

    • Suthenboy

      How long before it mysteriously pops up here?

  18. Derpetologist

    I got a response from a college professor I did research with as a student. He said he was unable to endorse my NSF proposal because he is a member on a board that approves NSF funding. He suggested that I do prior art patent searches to see if anyone has patented an idea similar to mine. The closest one I found is this:

    https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20230136452

    Anyway, I plan on finishing my NSF Seed Fund proposal in the next week or so. This is what I have so far:

    ***
    Briefly Describe the Technology Innovation: Up to 500 words describing the technical innovation that would be the focus of a Phase I project, including a sentence discussing the origins of the innovation as well as an explanation as to why it meets the program’s mandate to focus on supporting research and development (R&D) of unproven, high-impact innovations. This section should not just discuss the features and benefits of your solution, it must also clearly explain the uniqueness, innovation and/or novelty in how your product or service is designed and functions.

    My goal is to combine mineral oil cooling, overclocking, and cluster computing in a single device in order to make an affordable supercomputer. These techniques have been used in various combinations over the years, but never all three of them at once to the best of my knowledge. Mineral oil has been used to cool high-voltage transformers since the late 1800s. In addition to having excellent heat transfer properties, it is cheap, non-toxic, and does not conduct electricity. Computers and other electronics can operate normally while fully submerged in it. I have done my own experiments to prove this myself.

    Phase I of the project would be to overclock an Intel 13900K processor while cooling it with mineral oil. In 2023, ElmorLabs successfully overclocked such a CPU to 9 GHz while cooling it with liquid nitrogen. That test set the current world record for overclocking. I believe it is possible to overclock the same chip to 32 GHz using mineral oil for cooling and 1500 W of power from a regular household electrical outlet. Once that test is successful, the next step will be to network 10 or more such devices together in order to compute large factorials. Calculating large factorials is difficult such that the online calculator Desmos can only calculate 70!, which has 300 digits. The Big Number Calculator, another online calculator, is limited to slightly less than 100,000!, which has thousands of digits.

    Wilson’s Theorem gives an exact formula for determining if a number is prime. Unfortunately, this formula contains a factorial which makes it impractical as a primality test for cryptographically secure prime numbers. Such numbers are critical for online privacy and cybersecurity. The CIA will pay $10,000 for any prime number they don’t already know about it. The ability to efficiently generate and verify large prime numbers would also allow a solution for the integer factorization problem. The security of online encryption depends on the fact that no one has solved that problem yet.

    Nagasaki University built a supercomputer for about $420,000 in 2010 from a cluster of GPUs. Its performance was extraordinary given that budget. Unfortunately, the designer opted for fan cooling rather mineral oil. Another supercomputer, the Tsubame KFC, does use mineral oil for cooling but is not overclocked.
    ***

  19. The Late P Brooks

    We hates him

    Unlike Attlee, Thatcher and Blair, however, Johnson was not up to the job. Michael Gove told the inquiry last week that Johnson liked to listen to contending arguments about courses of action before coming to a decision. He called it a gladiatorial method of policymaking. It was sometimes the way Attlee governed too. But it is useless if you don’t take the decisions once the arguments have been laid out. And in a crisis like a pandemic, it is fatal.

    Yet this was what happened with Johnson. Much of Wednesday’s afternoon session returned to the question of whether the first lockdown in March 2020 should have been called earlier. Keith led Johnson through the crucial days in mid-March, when the argument inside government moved more decisively towards lockdown – a moment at which, according to Matt Hancock last week, 30,000 otherwise lost lives could have been saved by an earlier imposition.

    ——-

    Johnson suffers from a fatal combination of qualities in any leader. He combines indifference to principles and disregard for others with disorganisation of mind and behaviour, and indecisiveness and laziness in action. These qualities have never been hidden. They are part of the role he played in public life. Yet in the unlikely event that anyone switched on the live coverage of the inquiry to see Johnson for the first time, they will have been aghast.

    Seeing him in action once again, and with more to come on Thursday, it is the reckless incompetence and manifest unsuitability that stand out most. Three-quarters of this country thinks Johnson handled Covid badly. The Conservative party members who gave Britain such a leader, and the electors who then voted him into office, will have to carry the shame of it with them to their graves.

    More malicious “according to my model” bullshit. Some people are utterly impervious to reality. And I don’t mean Boris.

  20. Brochettaward

    Posted in dead thread by mistake. But it’s a subject that fascinates me.

    1: What. The. Fuck. Does. That. Mean? Seriously.

    This in response to this:

    1. This DNA is not found in North or Central America

    I don’t know what’s confusing about this. The DNA shared with aboriginal Australians in South America has not been found in native populations in Central or North America. And then as explained, that would strongly suggest that they did not take a land route to get there as most mainstream archaeologists claim is the only real possibility.

    But I DO have expertise in historical music and (to a lesser extent) metrology and so I can tell you that the conclusions based on that form of argument is somewhere between “dodgy” and “throwing tarot cards into a top hat.” Which means it is completely legitimate for me to assume the rest of sumdood’s conclusions are based on standards of evidence of equivalent rigor. Which is to say, poor.

    What’s dishonest is responding to a post where I specifically state that nothing has been proven definitively, and trying to pretend that I said the opposite. Most of the article I linked to was on the linguistic similarities. You chose to latch onto one sentence towards the end where other similarities were discussed to attack the entire argument that you admit you know nothing about.

    “Sumdood” is a credentialed academic specializing in Polynesian and Eastern Island languages at one of Europe’s most prestigious universities. I really would like to read the book, but it doesn’t even seem to have been translated into English. Which is the entire point being made – that the evidence of shit like this is dismissed and swept under the rug.

    I also reread your post from the afternoon thread. Here’s what you actually said, Adahn:

    However, the (generic) description of the *types* of evidence he’s using to reach the conclusions is not strong

    You obviously don’t know dick about how linguistics have been used in the fields of archaeology and history. Linguistics is a widely used method of determining the origins and migrations of populations throughout history.

    Just like genetic studies are now being used to add to the total picture we currently have.

    And anyone can Google aboriginal DNA South America to see multiple studies and news stories on the subject. It isn’t research being done by “sumdood” or a bunch of crackpots, though various so-called crackpots may make use of the information as they see fit.

    Even in terms of using aspects of culture such as music and dress, you can very easily dismiss it by trying to claim ancient Greek is somehow generic. But I’m going to doubt you are any expert on the culture of the Polynesian Islands, specifically of Easter Island, and how it fits into the larger picture of that region historically. So, finding some culture with ancient culture similar to the Greeks in Europe. No biggie. It comes off as generic when that comparison is made. Greek culture had a high degree of influence in the ancient world. It was really the dominant culture. Saying it was “generic” is like saying modern American culture is “generic.”

    When looking at a strange outlier population in the Polynesian Islands that doesn’t resemble its neighbors in anyway, but resembles the Greeks? Probably of more significance especially when taken in conjunction with what was obviously the core of the work – the linguistics. Because it was written by a researcher specializing in those languages and 90% of the article I linked discussed the types of linguistic evidence used. Not song and dance.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Submit an article and move on. The shitposting over and over on the same topic is more tedious than the fisting.

      • Brochettaward

        I missed the riveting conversation I was interrupting last night, no disrespect intended to the creator of any article. I enjoy the musings on philosophy, but there weren’t even a dozen comments when I made my response to Not Adahn. Same could be said, frankly, for today. Not that you can really “interrupt” a conversation on a comment section where people are allowed to freely read or pass over whatever content they choose and post as many times as they see fit.

      • Mojeaux

        I’m enjoying the conversation, but I will admit I’d like an article.

      • Nephilium

        I’ll add to being interested in an article on it as well.

      • robc

        As would I, as I can’t follow a discussion spread across multiple articles. And yes, I have done that in the past myself.

      • Tonio

        Article.

    • Derpetologist

      I am a linguist of sorts. A cunning one even. Wikipedia says:

      ***
      Language notes from 1770 and 1774
      Spanish notes from a 1770 visit to the island record 94 words and terms. Many are clearly Polynesian, but several are not easily recognizable.[8] For example, the numbers from one to ten seemingly have no relation to any known language. They are compared with contemporary Rapa Nui words, in parentheses:

      cojána (ka tahi)
      corena (ka rua)
      cogojú (ka toru)
      quirote (ka hā)
      majaná (ka rima)
      teúto (ka ono)
      tejéa (ka hitu)
      moroqui (ka vaꞌu)
      vijoviri (ka iva)
      queromata-paúpaca quacaxixiva (ka ꞌaŋahuru)

      It may be that the list is a misunderstanding, and the words not related to numbers at all. The Spanish may have shown Arabic numerals to the islanders who did not understand their meaning, and likened them to some other abstraction. For example, the “moroqui” for number eight would have actually been moroki, a small fish that is used as a bait, since “8” can look like a simple drawing of a fish.[9]

      Captain James Cook visited the island four years later, and had a Tahitian interpreter with him, who, while recognizing some Polynesian words (up to 17 were written down), was not able to converse with the islanders in general. The British also attempted to record the numerals and were able to record the correct Polynesian words.[8]
      ***

      It’s possible that there was much more cross-cultural exchange and long-distance travel than recorded in history. There is a great deal of evidence that relatively few people traveled thousands of miles before the invention of steam engines. Ancestry testing checks for DNA markers that date to about the year 1500, a time when very few people traveled far from where they were born.

      It’s worth noting that Rongorongo, the script that may have been used to write Rapa Nui, does not resemble the Greek alphabet. There are also no artifacts on the island with Greek letters on them.

      In contrast, equivalent cuneiform symbols were used to write the names of Persian kings in the Behistun Inscription. That inscription turned out to be a key to deciphering several dead languages.

      • Brochettaward

        Interview with the author. Guy spent 13 years writing two books on this subject, but specific evidence is hard to come by (in English). I’m not endorsing all of his views, or even any of them. But this wasn’t published by “sumdoods.” It’s the lack of curiosity in academia that bothers me, and the author notes he basically received minimal coverage and describes it as “mixed.”

        Easter Island legend is that the first king brought the language over from a land to the West called Hiva. An island that sunk into the ocean (I’m not looking to get into the Atlantis debate here – that’s there native explanation).

      • Derpetologist

        Elsewhere on Wikipedia:

        ***
        In the 19th century, belief in an Israelite visit to the Americas became a part of Mormonism. Ross T. Christensen has propounded the theory that the Mulekites in the Book of Mormon were “largely Phoenician in their ethnic origin.”[5]

        In his 1871 book Ancient America, John Denison Baldwin repeats some of the arguments given for Phoenician visits to America, but ultimately refutes them, saying:

        if it were true that the civilization found in Mexico and Central America came from people of the Phoenician race, it would be true also that they built in America as they never built any where else, that they established a language here radically unlike their own, and that they used a style of writing totally different from that which they carried into every other region occupied by their colonies. All the forms of alphabetical writing used at present in Europe and Southwestern Asia came directly or indirectly from that anciently invented by the race to which the Phoenicians belonged, and they have traces of a common relationship which can easily be detected. Now the writing of the inscriptions at Palenque, Copan, and elsewhere in the ruins has no more relatedness to the Phoenician than to the Chinese writing. It has not a single characteristic that can be called Phoenician any more than the language of the inscriptions or the style of architecture with which it is associated; therefore we can not reasonably suppose this American civilization was originated by people of the Phoenician race.[6]
        ***

        also from: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/did-ancient-polynesians-visit-california-maybe-2661327.php

        ***
        The idea that ancient North America might have received visitors from the Pacific islands and Asia has had few friends in modern times. The idea was popular among researchers in the 19th century, but fell out of scholarly favor in the 20th.

        Through the last century, scientists’ opposition didn’t seem unreasonable: Not only is the Pacific the world’s widest ocean, sailors from the west would have faced contrary currents and winds that would tend to push them in the wrong direction.

        Recently, though, scientific opposition to at least some diffusionist ideas has begun to waver. A huge blow to the skeptics came more than a decade ago, with the discovery of archaeological evidence that ancient Polynesians ate sweet potatoes, which are native to South America. Presumably, Polynesian sailors ventured to South America, obtained sweet potatoes and brought them back to their home islands.

        That discovery seemed to undermine a major plank of the critics’ old argument: that Polynesian travel to the Americas was physically impossible. Still, direct evidence for Polynesian contact with North America has been scarce.

        Until now, that is. Now, the tide is turning in this old debate, in a way that might transform our understanding of the early peoples of the Golden State.

        Chumash canoes yield clues

        The first bit of new evidence is Klar and Jones’ analysis of the Chumash word for “sewn-plank canoe” — which they claim is extremely similar to the Polynesian term for the redwoods used to build the same mode of transport. (The Polynesians made their boats from redwood logs that had floated across the Pacific with the prevailing ocean currents.)
        ***

      • Brochettaward

        I don’t believe in any real contact between Phoenicians and Greeks with the Americas. At least nothing sustained, no colonies.

        I don’t know by which method Greeks may have arrived on a Polynesian island. But there were reports of a white race on it into the 18th century by European missionaries. And the Easter Islanders themselves talk about there being two races of people on the island with one being exterminated down to a lone survivor.

        These things tend to get dismissed as just legend. Which is probably the most condescending aspect of modern archaeology.

      • Brochettaward

        And it doesn’t just happen where there are oral traditions. Even where there are written documents, they are often dismissed. See the Egyptian king lists.

      • Derpetologist

        It would have been easier for Greeks to have made contact with natives in the Americas vs Polynesia.

        There’s always propaganda value in saying X country did something first and the glory of making a unique discovery. Hence the reason it took so long to debunk the Piltdown Hoax and suchlike.

      • Suthenboy

        yes. Debunking means jack shit. Getting people to give up treasured beliefs is the difficult part. See: global warming.

      • Brochettaward

        And if this study was coming from a Greek nationalist, I’d doubt it’s intentions more. I note that the reaction from Greeks has been positive.

        It doesn’t debunk or negate anything here. If I knew German, I’d hunt down a copy of the work.

      • Derpetologist

        I found his book in English on Amazon, but it’s not in stock:

        Greek Linguistic Elements in the Polynesian Languages: (Hellenicum Pacificum)

  21. The Late P Brooks

    Poor connection

    Elon Musk is once again going after Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger.

    After targeting the executive during the New York Times DealBook summit last month, Musk, who owns social media platform X (formerly Twitter) slammed Iger on Thursday, writing, “He should be fired immediately.”

    Musk added Walt Disney “is turning in his grave over what Bob has done to his company.”

    Disney did not immediately respond to Yahoo Finance’s request for comment.

    He’s dead, you know.

    • The Other Kevin

      You had to scroll a bit but it’s there:
      “In the suit, Torrez alleged Meta’s social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram “are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex.””

    • The Other Kevin

      What would Walt Disney say if he were alive today?
      “Let me out of here! I’m not dead!”

  22. kinnath

    UPenn donor withdraws $100M donation after president’s congressional testimony on antisemitism

    Ross Stevens, founder and CEO of Stone Ridge Asset Management, donated to Penn in 2017, a gift that consisted of partnership units in the firm which are now valued at around $100 million to help the university establish a financial innovation center. Attorneys for Stevens sent the university a letter indicating the school violated Stone Ridge’s limited partnership agreement through its failure to adhere to anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rules. The news was first reported by Axios.

  23. KSuellington

    That story on the college students thinking the “sea” was the Caribbean or Atlantic gave me a smile. Every time I hear, “from the river to the sea” it sounds like it came from some old time musical. You know that’s not a bad idea really. A musical on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict could be a hit. Featuring the songs, “Don’t Let Me Die a Virgin Martyr”, “I Fell For an IDF Girl” and “Wailing Wall Blues”. And of course the international smash hit “From the River to The Sea.” Mel Brooks should get on that idea.

    • Derpetologist

      I saw a clip where pro-pally protester was chanting “from the nation to the sea..”, then “from the mountains to the sea…” She didn’t even know the right slogan.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDNTvrw70F8

      skip to 55 second mark

    • rhywun

      gave me a smile

      There is that, but mostly it pisses me off. Hordes of our future “leaders” are out there shouting appeals for genocide, appeals they were brainwashed into believing by their monstrously evil professors.

  24. The Late P Brooks

    Prepare to be outraged

    Former California Assemblymember turned labor leader Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher set off a firestorm on social media after publishing a leaked confidential memo detailing how Amazon had a local mayor in their back pocket to expand their business interests in communities of color in the Inland Empire.

    The leaked documents also shine a light on how minority elected officials are selling out their own people under the guise of “jobs, jobs, jobs”.

    That job sucks. I’d rather see you starve.

    • rhywun

      perceived to build facilities in predominantly communities of color and poverty, negatively impacting their health

      That might be the stupidest thing I read today.

      I knew a gal from Perris. She had nothing whatsoever positive to say about it.

  25. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    I expect insane amounts of tackiness on the 16th

    • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

      (that’s 10pm ET on the 16th, not this weirdass CT bullshit)

      • Pope Jimbo

        So it is one of the ersatz time zones.

        I think that you can draw a straight line from the pretending that there is any other real time than Central Standard Time directly to pretending men can have babies.

  26. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    Neighbor boy standing in my doorway: “I’ll bring your broom back [he borrowed it] tomorrow – I see you need it”

    Da noive of dat kid!!! DA. NOIVE.

  27. Pope Jimbo

    10PM on a Glibs zoom? I’m assuming it is 10 Real Time and not one of those other so-called time zones.

    I can see that ending up badly. I’m pretty drunk by 10 on those calls and I am a paragon of virtue and discretion.

    • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

      (that’s 10pm ET on the 16th, not this weirdass CT bullshit)

      • Pope Jimbo

        How do I know you are not trying to get me to show up at the wrong time? You know you can pull serious Fed prison time for lying about something like that?

      • cyto

        Only if you are not serious

  28. cyto

    Just watched the beginning of the Tucker Carleson interview with Alex Jones.

    Why have I never seen the clip of Jones predicting 9/11??

    In June of 2001 he goes on air and says they are going to fly airplanes onto the world trade center and blame it on some boogie man like Osama Bin Laden. Proceeded to direct his audience to call the white house and tell them not to allow it to happen.

    No wonder he became a 9/11 truther.

    • cyto

      In response to coverage of this stuff from The Quartering, Musk is considering bringing him back to twitter.

    • The Hyperbole

      I watched about 5 min. do they eventually show the clip? The one I saw was him referencing the previous bombing on the WTC – “If they allow a terrorist attack, like the World Trade Center” And then Tucker says the bit about him claiming planes would be flown into the towers but they never show that clip, and I can’t find it google-wise.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        I couldn’t find it either, this is probably the same clip you saw but here you are:
        https://youtu.be/e51r0izXpuY?si=ivGAUt52BlNXWhxh

        He did a good job predicting something but they’re overselling the degree of specificity looks like.

    • Suthenboy

      Jones is actually a national treasure. He is a performance artist who mixes truths no one else will say out loud with absurdities. The performance of course is not him but the reactions from the people stupid enough to take the bait. Despite his style of delivery and the absurdities a remarkable number of things he says have shown to be true.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        I can’t help but like the guy myself. Him sneaking into the Bohemian Grove back in the ‘90s should have won him a Pulitzer but those dickheads don’t appreciate talent.

  29. R.J.

    Posted on wrong thread:

    R.J. on December 7, 2023 at 5:58 pm
    Repurposed two battery powered Christmas garlands into one super garland with plug in lights. This is the excitement of my life. Then I remembered it is movie night so I am stopping work and having a drink.

  30. Mojeaux

    Too local news: There was an overly friendly deer hanging out with residents of a neighborhood. Pets and scritches and begging for treats. Fucker was like a neighborhood cat.

    ANYWAY

    Game warden killed it because it was too friendly.

    ONE deer. ONE. Not a herd. ONE deer. He wasn’t bringing friends and family around.

    Nobody said what happened to the meat, even.

    Make this make sense.

    • R.J.

      All the government understands is violence.

    • Derpetologist

      Generally, it is illegal to eat meat from animals that were not slaughtered. Hunting is generally the only exception.

      That cowardly warden should come to Florida and test his mettle with some of our sewer gators.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd_WpUW9rhQ

      • Common Tater

        Eating roadkill is legal in many states.

    • Suthenboy

      Have you ever met a game warden or wildlife dept personnel?

      • Mojeaux

        No.

        The PR person said “it was a line that was crossed that was detrimental to the species.”

      • Suthenboy

        Petty tyrants with a stick up their ass because people demean them by calling them ‘Possum Cops’.
        Their heads are full of fairy tale bullshit about how animals should live.
        Deer make decent pets. They tame easy. Human deer contact hurts neither the deer or the people.
        I am guessing the warden wanted to make a show of it to horrify people and thinks “Look what. you made me do!”

    • The Hyperbole

      When the neighborhood cat runs out in front of your car the neighborhood cat gets fucked up, when the neighborhood deer runs out in front of your car, The deer, your car, and sometimes you get fucked up. encouraging big dumb animals to hang out in residential areas is dumb.

  31. Common Tater

    The only way to settle it is to have Christmas Island fight Easter Island.

  32. Brochettaward

    Trying to watch the Steelers game on Prime. Asked if I want to watch from the beginning.

    Two minutes later, I’m still watching ads. Streaming sure is swell!

  33. Toxteth O'Grady

    The one true Wonka on TCM in :15.

    • Common Tater

      Crispin Glover?

    • Brochettaward

      You aren’t interested in a non-binary pansexual Wonka that is coming in just a few short months?