Pass the can of “Dinner” please.
I am back to the land of the living, after a week of flu. But I will have to say it has left me completely uninspired about links – so they will be a bit generic. Huh, now that I think about it, that is most weeks from me…
- It’s firin’ time at Idiotville.
- Delta is just having a rough time lately.
- Looks like the IC spent a little time not exactly working. Can’t wait for Dan Goldman or Chuck Schumer to defend this use of taxpayer time and money.
- Hey, Switzerland, this aggression cannot stand, man!
Music – Roberta Flack, RIP.
Say, we are awfully short of material here…consider putting finger to keyboard and contributing!
Comments are open and yours.
Please, please let Rachael Madow be next.
Didn’t she already get downgraded?
I think so, but she’s still on the air and they’re still posting her unhinged blog.
She’s the worst: as batshit crazy and/or disingenuous as Reid but way smarter but it’s the smugness that gets me. Just the sight of her and the half grin she always seems to have plastered on her face makes me want to plotz.
The smugness, and that nails-on-a-chalkboard patter. “Don’t you think it’s interesting, that Elon Musk did a Nazi salute, and Donald Trump held a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden? How obvious can it be?”
Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn do a live cast every Monday, and they usually tune in to Madow for a few minutes to see what she’s saying. The chat is lit up with “TURN THIS OFF!”
Racket News is a good show but is tough being subjected to that hag. She is a reliable windsock for whatever the Democratic apparatchiks either are or are going to be pushing though.
Not likely. I think she just signed a $25 million/year deal.
“Isn’t it interesting that as soon as a Republican gets elected, MSNBC hosts start getting fired?”
“Intelligence officials maintained a chatroom to discuss polyamory and transgender surgeries”
I’m sure none of these people had clearances when they were discussing this potentially compromising information. Lord have mercy…
You would have thought NSA would be more careful about this sort of thing after Snowden.
What, did one of them reveal that they’re secretly a monogamous heterosexual?
Great music selection.
Love this song from Roberta.
It was his song that did her in. I blame the Patriarchy!
You betcha, beautiful music, the way songs are meant to be.
Theme music. Witth my can of dinner and a bunch/box? of wine…
My mom had the 45.
I think I played it a few times.
Kutler is “canceling two hosts that made history. Alex Wagner is first Asian-American primetime host and Joy Reid was the first black woman cable primetime host,” another MSNBC source told The Post.
“She’s tough and very corporate. Not a lot of people like her but she gets things done.”
She must be of them diversity hires.
Now Reid has more time to study V’ger. Good for her.
Part of me really wants to say that Ilia was a warm joy… even after being downloaded into a probe compared to Reid.
The other part of me hastens to be assured that Joy’s oath of celibacy is on record.
I will commend Alex Wagner for one thing. She broke the stereotype that Asians are smart.
“The Juraflore company took on the Guinness World Record for the largest cheese fondue at Fort des Rousses in the village of Les Rousses.”
We had a Puerto Rican guy at our gym who absolutely hated the cheese-derived protein powder that we all used.
We called him “No whey Jose.”
Did he get along with curds there?
You don’t know how tuffit was to deal with that guy.
He didn’t — but they told him to just tough it.
Mother pus bucket, TOK…. I was happy with that one too… :sigh:
To be fair, the pun thread today is a bit niche.
Guys, you shouldn’t be stepping on SHPIPPS puns, as these are nacho puns.
(-.-)
K, so?
Apparently, Cunty Aunt Susie has no idea how to pay a bill without the actual bill and the complementary envelope. Tangentially, she also never writes account numbers on the check’s memo line.
So they’re visiting my mom today and asking her about the mortgage, so Mom’s texting me. They didn’t get the bill because Mom’s mail is forwarded to me, but I haven’t gotten it, either. I had to look up THEIR mortgage, give her the payment mailing address and the account number and the payment amount, AND remind her to remind Susie to put the account number on the memo line because ThEy WoUlD pReFeR tO pAy By ChEcK. (Mind you, I had already put Mom’s half of the mortgage into the household account.)
I would have offered to help with this transition, setting them up for online pay (as Millie had previously asked my husband to do), but they’ve gotten nasty the last several times I’ve tried to help, so fuck them sideways.
“How will you pay the mortgage?” ThAt’S nOnE oF yOuR bUsInEsS!
What…. no one wanted the Carolina smoked BBQ today?
Maybe just a rose from days gone by?
Only if they’re expecting to go to their mansion in the Sky… Lounge.
They crashed at Dawn?
According to an NSA press official, “All NSA employees sign agreements stating that publishing non-mission related material on Intelink is a usage violation and will result in disciplinary action.” Nonetheless, these logs, dating back two years, are lurid, featuring wide-ranging discussions of sex, kink, polyamory, and castration.
Strictly business. Tools of the trade.
When did “let your freak flag fly” become part of the work day?
But what if your “whole self” is, frankly, aggravating?
How else will they be able to honey-trap Congressional staffers?
Imagining Buffalo Bill trying to honey-trap someone. [runs to bathroom holding mouth]
SDF-7:
Well done sir… well done.
So only zero-g space sex?
NSA, not NASA.
Boom. I, legit, wanna hear Derp’s thoughts on this. Must dive further.
Not into *my* balls. I like ’em just where and how they are.
When “bring your whole self to work” doesn’t include your penis.
Bring your hole self.
Glory glory hallelujah?
From the snippets I would guess there are a lot of trannies involved there….in the NSA? Of course there are.
The Obama/Biden admins were absolute freak shows. They appeared to make the very worst picks possible and I am sure they did, deliberately and with malice.
Each one of their picks was a middle finger to the American people.
Nice rant!
Trump vs. the AP: An American Standoff
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-vs-the-ap-an-american-standoff-media-news-language-style-guide-white-house-access-78c25b2a?st=9GjbvK&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
So AP wants to use American Standard and Trump wants to put it in the shitter?
It is a mystery. 🙄
Maybe they didn’t have enough style?
…even I didn’t know how responsible they are for spreading the radical tranny nonsense so far and wide.
Good riddance.
The greatest Roberta Flack tune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqW-eO3jTVU
You’re right, Kinnath but the other song is a toss up.
As she notes in her statement, AP reporting reaches “billions of people around the world” when what she calls its “factual, nonpartisan journalism” is republished by member newspapers, broadcasters and websites.
Yes, yes, of course, those egregiously politicized editorials masquerading as “straight news” the AP cranks out by the column mile.
🤬
The fingerprinting guy refused to put his information on my permit form, just gave me an additional copy of the payment receipt.
Now I’m either going to have to do it again elsewhere (another $100) or hopefully find out that this isn’t a problem. To find out that I’d have to call the local PD – the office which handles permits closed at 4, when my appointment to get printed was, so I can’t call today.
How is that for ‘not be infringed’? Do you feel not infringed?
On legal philosophy, you will find that we likely aregree entirely on this matter.
This is not, however, the best time.
I love living in America. Even if it’s still not what the Second implies. I have a concealed permit so I don’t have to go through the background bs, but other than that, I don’t need one here.
I understand Uncivil. My apologies. I just want everyone to be as pissed off about it as I. am and hopefully they will have to quit.
Same here Spud. Last 4th of July we got constitutional carry. Wife’s friend was horrified. She was twice horrified when I said it made no difference.
“Why? I have been carrying for 40 years and…nobody got shot yet.”
Have you considered breaking these ridiculous laws? I assure you nothing bad will happen unless you strap a carbine to your back and walk in front of a cop while wearing a plastic Viking helmet.
No.
OK, to each their own. Just wondering how stupid a law would have to be before you’d break it.
I will recommend ignoring Derpy’s terrible, terrible advice on this matter.
Basic risk assessments and cost/benefit analyses are something I have a handle on.
It’s New York. That’s how you end up jobless with a felony record.
And what slumbrew said.
When I lived in Chicago (2010 – 2013), it was basically illegal to carry a gun. I did so anyway on numerous occasions because I figured it was better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. There was a permitting process, but it was extremely expensive, time-consuming, and otherwise very hard to get.
Of course, the risk-reward situation was quite different for me in that case. I spent a lot of time walking around by myself late at night going to and from comedy open mic events. This sort of thing weighed on me, even more so after I got punched on the train in that town:
https://heyjackass.com/
Also at the time, getting caught with a gun just meant a $500 fine and confiscation. I’ll take that over being dead or maimed.
Shit, you’d be fortunate to avoid doing time in NY.
Yikes!
***
Criminal possession of a firearm in New York carries penalties of up to four years in prison for a class E felony. Third Degree criminal possession of a weapon carries up to seven years in prison with a two-year presumptive minimum.
The mere unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, with no intention of using it, is a C violent felony with a mandatory minimum of three and a half years in prison. An individual can get up to 15 years in prison for this offense.
***
https://www.new-york-lawyers.org/practice-areas/weapon-crimes/new-york-gun-penalties/
My guess is “unlawful possession” means “does not have NY gun permit”.
So there’s a permit just to own a pistol and another one for carrying. Illinois was the same way. I had to get an Illinois firearm owner ID card before I could buy my first gun. It was fairly easy though. $20 fee and about a month to process.
This is just ludicrous:
https://thegunzone.com/how-to-get-a-pistol-permit-in-ny/
***
Step 9: The Interview Process
Many counties require an interview with the licensing officer. This interview is your opportunity to discuss your application, address any concerns the licensing officer may have, and demonstrate your knowledge of firearm safety and applicable laws. Be prepared to answer questions about your background, your reasons for wanting a pistol permit, and your understanding of the responsibilities that come with owning a firearm. Dress professionally and answer truthfully and respectfully.
***
And the CCW permit is even worse:
***
The process to obtain a conceal carry permit for a pistol or handgun now includes additional steps. Applicants must complete 16 hours of firearms training plus two additional hours of live fire training with a certified instructor. Applicants will have an in-person interview with the licensing officer and must disclose social media accounts going back three years.
The licensing officer in each county makes the final decision on granting a permit. Judge Silverman, who as a judge is a licensing officer, spoke about what he wants to see from the applicant.
“What I am looking for in the application is complete honesty and full disclosure,” he said.
***
Tar, feathers, etc.
Yes, UnCiv stated it’ll likely take a couple _years_.
It’s bullshit, especially post-Heller, but it’ll be awhile before that’s sorted out.
That’s a lot of hoops to jump through just to buy a pistol and target shoot. Hell, I’d have driven up there and given him one of my pistols. I’ve been meaning to downsize my gun collection anyway.
At least he doesn’t need a permit just to rent a gun.
Lots of people are getting their feathers ruffled over the “Give me 5 things you did last week” email. Today in a press conference Trump said this was used to flush out people who aren’t actually working or don’t even exist. They were just looking for any response, and they’ll look into anyone who didn’t reply.
They’re using techniques you’d use in the tech world. Interesting.
Yeah — Elon said that over the weekend. Apparently they believe some of the WFH folks work so little they don’t check their email and some may have even passed on.
In that context, it makes sense — my company does something not terribly dissimilar with a “Emergency Response Check” email — they send the email, a text if they can, etc. all to make sure they can reach you in the event of an emergency (and you just have to respond to something so they know it reached you). They could have couched it like that and probably gotten less push back / less worry about high security issues, if you ask me… but if that was the actual motivation (and not just a good ass-covering), I get why they’d do it.
If they were honest about it they might have tipped off some of the fakers. This was an easy win, now they have a list to work from.
If I get an email like that, my first thought is it’s a test to see who’ll respond to a phishing attack.
It was on the weekend? The deadline is up before you even get to the office? That is just bad form. Only a workaholic nutcase is checking work email off-hours.
They had until 11:59 Monday night to respond – I.e, 15 hours after 9am.
But I guess people on vacation or maternity leave were SOL.
“I did one thing but I did it 5 times”
I received a 2nd e-mail:
The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures. When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled “What did you do last week.”
JUST IN: Elon Musk & DOGE will use AI to review responses from the federal workers who were told to list their achievements.
The emails requested no links or attachments because of the plan to send the information to the AI system.
https://x.com/BehizyTweets/status/1894149896749683079
Sent on the weekend, but you had all day Monday until midnight to respond.
They were just looking for any response
Phishing?
The email was coming from inside the house.
Magic beans
Crypto, meanwhile, has roared higher since Election Day. But the already speculative market’s explosion makes it that much more vulnerable to selling off, given the lack of fundamentals to justify certain tokens’ prices, J.P. Morgan’s Kelly said. And Elliott Management, the hedge fund run by billionaire Paul Singer, recently warned investors that the White House’s friendly plans toward crypto are quickly inflating a bubble in the market, according to the Financial Times.
“The crypto industry has got many friends in Congress and the administration. And that may help it for a bit, but in the end, it’s not worth anything,” Kelly said. “It is priced purely on the greater fool theory and admittedly, there’s no shortage of great fools in the world.”
Pass.
Speaking completely on a personal front — I just want crypto and AI to die down a lot so your average sort (like myself) stand a chance of buying a gorram graphics card that doesn’t suck but also doesn’t cost more than the sum total of all the rest of the high end gaming PC components by itself. And for added fun… might actually be in stock, not require a 1000 watt direct connection power supply and doesn’t burn up half the time.
Until then, just being content with the ones I’ve got with the games I’ve got (very fortunately, haven’t found anything that I care about that isn’t playable with my lower standards — I don’t care above 60Hz for 4k resolution) and really seriously hoping nothing breaks… because it apparently will have to last at least a few more years. Then maybe even the “low to mid range” that they might actually bother to produce stock for stands a chance of outperforming what I’ve got now.
And maybe with all the ROPs you paid those thousands of dollars for…
https://www.theverge.com/news/617901/nvidia-confirms-rare-rtx-5090-and-5070-ti-manufacturing-issue
I’m really hoping AMD takes advantage of this. However, my bet and others is that AMD will be the same price as the equivalent mid tier Nvidia card less $50.
I wish I could disagree, Sensei…. I really wish I could.
Now do the US dollar!
Yep. Was thinking the same thing.
Other than the small percentage of actual currency, I believe the US Dollar exists solely as computer entries, mostly at banks. Other than lacking the security provided by blockchains, how is that different than a cryptocurrency?
Contrarian?
How about President Trump’s tariffs? Again, the key here is that tariffs don’t affect money supply. Tariffs can make some prices rise — although far less and smaller than most think. Mainly, tariffs boost some prices while forcing others to fall. Tariffs channel demand, creating winners and losers.
Yes, tariffs are poor economic policy. But inflation isn’t why. Think of all that inflation we didn’t get with Trump’s first-term tariffs.
So what’s the underappreciated, non-inflated truth for investors? Hate to burst some bubbles here, but market forecasting requires seeing something big that others don’t. Huffing and puffing about inflation alongside an army of “experts” won’t help.
The inflation war is over, full stop. Be bullish.
Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, according to somebody or other.
Remind me not to invest in Fisher’s Funds.
He rambles around, here and there, actually once in a while with a correct tidbit but then goes astray. That article was a little tough to make sense of, in any meaningful way.
Trump’s take-down of Reid was so much fun. Claws out and they need to be. ‘Talking’ with people online, and they *still* have no concept of why they lost by jumping the shark on… every single national policy.
“ABC has agreed to contribute $15 million to Donald Trump’s future presidential library and to issue a public apology as part of a settlement…” <– DAMN. That's just gorgeously rubbing their noses in their own shit. Gloves are off. I need UCS to help me with *what* gloves they may be, but off they are. We need 'gauntlet-throwing' gloves to forcibly remove 'normal' gloves, too pristine to wear (and tear) in a fight. That'll learn 'em.
Surprise
“Given the multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry, the BMW Group is currently reviewing the timing for reintroducing battery-electric Mini production in Oxford,” the company said in a statement to Reuters.
The rethink doesn’t come as a surprise. Sales of electric vehicles have faltered in recent months, suggesting demand for the latest line of Minis might not be as strong as BMW expected. There’s also Donald Trump’s tariff threats, which, if imposed, would levy a 25-percent tax on all vehicles imported to the United States.
What happens when everybody who wants one has one?
Mandatory “buybacks” of used cars and Net Zero mandates for new ones? At least in the UK, that wouldn’t surprise me. And if we end up swinging back to the JackAss Party in 2028 it could certainly happen here.
Donald needs to get the message out that EVs are more environmentally damaging and morally questionable than Big Oil vehicles. The left will have to respond and of course they will flail like idiots.
I can’t find the article, but back in the days of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a bunch of quiltbag enlisted NSA guys got busted for talking dirty in the secure chat. Like everything else that happens on an NSA computer, it was logged and monitored. I’d estimate that about half of NSA is tasked with spying on the other half.
A guy I knew was asked about his sexual history during the interview for his clearance. When he admitted to a bisexual phase, he was asked if this could be used to blackmail him. When he said no, they gave him his clearance.
Well, that was easy.
I remember trying to activate a government travel card on an NSA computer and getting a warning screen about how this was forbidden (WTF?), blahblahblah. Nothing came of it.
A nice perk is you can use the database to find out what your coworkers are doing (what audio they’ve been listening to).
A bi phase would only be blackmail material if he was trying to hide it from people, so not automatically disqualifying.
I suppose that’s how Sam Binton got his clearance.
Presumably yes – he was up-front about his kinks. Luggage stealing aside.
“These [NSA] employees discussed hair removal, estrogen injections, and the experience of sexual pleasure post-castration. “[G]etting my butthole zapped by a laser was . . . shocking,” said one transgender-identifying intel employee who spent thousands on hair removal. “Look, I just enjoy helping other people experience boobs,” said another about estrogen treatments. “[O]ne of the weirdest things that gives me euphoria is when i pee, i don’t have to push anything down to make sure it aims right,” a Defense Intelligence Agency employee added.”‘
Um. SugarFree to the Courtesy Line, hold the Mayo. Yeah. If *that’s* giving you euphoria, you uh, might *just* be mentally broken. Like was (properly) accepted until, what? Eight years ago? I’m with Rhy, especially: it’s a nasty toxin to add to LG(B). Straight, white men have been demonized for longer, to what I’d say is a *far* lesser extent. That shit was just annoying. (And #MeToo and Cancel Culture, predictably legit threats.)
Goes into the bullshit, monolithic racism of “[B]lack.” Like African-Americans and South African blacks and coloureds are all the same! Fuckers. Yet, people felt forced to stay silent and ‘believe’ in it all. (Lest they be cast out as a [insert bullshit]ist!) Kinda ties into the religious discussion earlier today: (Many/most) People simply need to *believe.* It’s all Distraction Dust meant to ease the day. Push away negative thoughts. No matter if an afterlife, deity or whatever, *exists,* the point is for any answer to fill the void. Pushes the Fog of Existence out of sight.) Acceptance is perhaps the most powerful drive of a social primate. ‘Anything’ to fit in. After a while, too much gets invested in that ‘Identity’ for it to change. (Try to convert me *away* from the Cubs. Won’t voluntarily happen.)
the real libertarian tribe?
***
Daniel Everett states that one of the strongest Pirahã values is no coercion; one does not tell other people what to do.[7] There appears to be no social hierarchy; the Pirahã have no formal leaders. Their social system is similar to that of many other hunter-gatherer bands in the world, although rare in the Amazon because of a history of horticulture before Western contact (see history of the Amazon).
***
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirah%C3%A3_people
Might work, until the group gets big enough that everybody doesn’t know everybody else’s name, and their whole family.
[ Robin Dunbar has entered the chat ]
There’s about 800 of them in various villages. My guess is each village has a population below the Dunbar number.
I saw something about term recently. They didnt mention whether or not they are still having not-Piraha for dinner.
Missionaries have been trying to convert them for 300 years. That Everett guy brought his wife and kids with him and spent 8 years living with them.
Generic tits on Mammary Monday.
https://archive.is/hLH8B
SC finally approved my unemployment claim. Hooray.
You had to go to the Supreme Court for that? Jeez, Musk is really making it tough.
I am way behind. I assume you were laid off?
Thanks for the Roberta Flack link, Swissy.
Always been one of my faves, but I haven’t heard it in years.
Now it’s gonna re-enter my rotation.