Saturday Morning She’s Back! Links

by | Dec 30, 2023 | Daily Links | 164 comments

After a week in New York City, Tomb Raider has returned to the more civilized part of the state. I will spend a delightful day in Rochester preventing my dog from damaging her any further, then back to the boonies tomorrow in time for football. Rochester is a fine town, a perfect demonstration of every public policy to “help” poor people working as expected. The economic engine was Kodak and Xerox, both names that were once central in the economy and are now wispy afterthoughts. So it’s a city that business has basically abandoned, leaving behind no particular economic prospects for the residents. A slightly worse murder rate than Compton or Washington, DC (when the Clintons are out of town), double the NY state poverty rate, and a city government which is… well… Anyway, there ARE some nice things about it, not the least of which is a fine view of the Lake and a very nice city market. Good luck making it there without getting mugged, but still. Of course, one day, a smart mayor and city council might come along who can put in place free market policies that will lead Rochester into being a good place to start and run a business, creating jobs and wealth… oh, I guess they can’t as long as it’s part of New York. Never mind. Permanent shithole.

Birthdays today include a man who would be king; a Canadian who tried to be a satirist, but was too polite; a guy who could not save us from Hoover; a guy who was there; the second best Jewish pitcher; arguably the best folk/bluegrass composer of my lifetime; a decent folksinger with outsize success; the fourth member of Cream and a remarkable talent, though not the best at domestic relations; a guy who proved that everything is better with monkeys; another guy who proved that everything is better with monkeys; an incredible and incredibly underrated drummer; a woman who always makes me think, “Why is she popular?”; a true practitioner of free market capitalism; and some guy who played golf.

Up and Link ’em!

 

Honestly, I’m no fan of Orange Man, but this really does seem like actual treason.

 

From the country who brought us the lively song “Kill The Boer.”

 

Don’t worry about it, we have lots of cities that have declared themselves Sanctuary… hey, where did everybody go?

 

I was somewhat relieved to see the word “sale.” Now if we can only get Ukraine to start paying instead of US tax cattle…

 

They say this as if it were a bad thing.

 

“Same as downtown.” Like Bernie Sanders, the news gets the problem right, and the causes and solutions completely wrong.

 

Besides being an insanely melodic and fluid player, Blake may be the most powerful flatpicker I’ve ever heard. Old Man commends this to you.

About The Author

Old Man With Candy

Old Man With Candy

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me. Wait, wrong book, I'll find something else.

164 Comments

  1. Sean

    *crickets*

  2. juris imprudent

    The Smith bit led me to this – talk about a hopelessly divided party!

    The 1924 Democratic National Convention, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City from June 24 to July 9, 1924, was the longest continuously running convention in United States political history. It took a record 103 ballots to nominate a presidential candidate.

    • creech

      Doesn’t the LP routinely have 103 candidates seeking the nomination! Even they sort things out in a couple of ballots.

  3. Tonio

    Damn, I take a few days sick leave and the place goes to hell.

    Good morning, Glibs.

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning, Tonio! Hope you’re feeling better!

      • Tonio

        I am! Thanks.

  4. Gender Traitor

    Please pardon the O/T, but have we confirmed that SF is OK and that his absence Wednesday has a perfectly reasonable (drink!) explanation? Maybe a word on the Forum for the sake of privacy?

    Thanks!

    • juris imprudent

      Was that really an unplanned absence? I thought he had indicated a couple of weeks back he was going to be indisposed.

      • Gender Traitor

        If so, I missed it. Hope that’s indeed the case and that the apparent confusion over Wednesday’s posts was just due to planned substitutions gone amiss in the holiday week. Thanks, as always, to TPTB for all their efforts!

      • Old Man With Candy

        It was unplanned but he’s fine. We were going to ask Lucy Steigerwald if she had ever actually had that date with him and then tell her he died.

      • Gender Traitor

        Thank you!

      • Gustave Lytton

        Don’t talk shit aboutto Lucy!

  5. RBS

    Anyone checked on Sloopy?

    • R C Dean

      That game was almost enough to make me feel sorry for tOSU fans.

      Almost.

      • creech

        Bowl game outcomes are being skewed by both early portal and NFL draft rules. Let NCAA just declare college football teams are NFL minor league affiliates and stop the “student athletes” nonsense.

      • juris imprudent

        The playoff evolution is finally going to kill the bowls, but it’s going to take a few more years.

        My prediction, we end up with a 24 team playoff – with the top 8 getting a first round bye and being matched with the 8 winners of the first round. That almost matches the old Top 25 and spreads the wealth widely enough without going to a full 32 team field.

      • Shpip

        I think you’re probably right — though sixteen would be a decent sized field, too.

    • Old Man With Candy

      I was talking to him last night. Apparently, he has masturbatory fantasies about Brittney Griner. This kept him distracted.

      • Sean

        Ewwww

      • juris imprudent

        So, it’s worse than we thought.

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        It sounds like SF is on the prowl, spreading the tentacled dreams to those who cannot sleep.

  6. Sean

    I played https://squaredle.com/xp 12/30:
    *19/19 words (+4 bonus words)
    📖 In the top 1% by bonus words

    I played https://squaredle.com 12/30:
    *36/36 words (+9 bonus words)
    ⏱️ In the top 25% by speed
    🔥 Solve streak: 97

    • SDF-7

      I played https://squaredle.com/xp 12/30:
      *19/19 words
      ⏱️ In the top 11% by speed

      I played https://squaredle.com 12/30:
      *36/36 words (+6 bonus words)
      🎯 In the top 7% by accuracy
      🔥 Solve streak: 160

    • Ted S.

      I played https://squaredle.com 12/30:
      *36/36 words (+15 bonus words)
      📖 In the top 7% by bonus words

  7. SDF-7

    Further solidifying my complete opposition of taste compared to most people — I listen to my Monkees collection a lot more than any of the Beatles tracks I have. Say what you want about the people that built their show and brand — but they hired some good songwriters, and the boys were good at what they did.

    And Nesmith did lay the foundations to some extent for MTV — which was part of my growing up culture, so have to appreciate that too.

    Morning, all.

    • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

      The Beatles were just a stepping stone.

  8. SDF-7

    Adding to the 5000 things that should be fixed about our current crop of government idiots: They really need to realize that diplomacy is screwed when folks keep leaking shit. It wasn’t right to leak Trump’s calls… it isn’t right to leak Biden’s… and if they’re doing it on behalf of Biden to try to pressure Israel, Israel should rightly tell them where to stick it.

    • rhywun

      The phone call was part of an attempt to resolve the question of how to get that tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority in light of Israel’s very legitimate concern that the money would just go to fund attacks against them.

      Why aren’t they just paying it to the people? Cut out the middleman.

      • prolefeed

        I must have missed the part of the Constitution that gives the President authority to dictate tax revenue policy for Israel.

        Maybe it was written in invisible ink that can only be seen once you set the document on fire?

      • SDF-7

        Definitely a good one — also always good.

  9. Fourscore

    I start Glibbing early on week ends but then I get hung up on the birthdays. I learn a lot more than I needed to know. I was a big Sandy Koufax fan, (hell, we’re almost the same age), back in the old days. Then Noel Stuckey showed up and I had to stick a PPM CD in the machine and enjoy Mary’s 500 mile trip.

    Week ends are always good for Glibbing. Thanks, OM, and all the others that make up the team.

    • Sean

      *waves*

  10. Gender Traitor

    Always a welcome sight when tracking one’s package:

    7:57 AM
    At local FedEx facility Delivery scheduled via FedEx Ground, not US Postal Service [emphasis mine]
    8:17 AM
    On FedEx vehicle for delivery

    ::fist pump::

    • LCDR_Fish

      Depends. Always trying to figure out if amazon is delivering or USPS – USPS has hold mail when I’m out of town, amazon doesn’t – makes things a little tricky – last month actually requested a seller delay their shipping since it was listed as “fulfill by amazon” – although it wound up being USPS last mile – since I was out of town on orders.

      Just ordered from amazon UK with a long lead time – hoping they transfer to USPS at the end for the same reason.

      • Gender Traitor

        Since our mail route is officially an afterthought, with delivery only after the carrier has completed his “real” route (sometimes not until late afternoon or early evening,) I generally prefer the private carriers. This was free shipping and was supposed to be “SmartPost,” so I’m delighted if they in fact bypass the USPS. Also, ordered NOT via Amazon but directly from the manufacturer, which I was pleasantly surprised to learn is just down the road in Cincy, so arriving much more quickly than I’d expected.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      In the past 2 weeks:

      USPS – delivered a package so severely mangled that I could pull the contents out without further opening it.

      FedEx – a set of packages made it as close as Houston 🙄before being returned to sender. Sender says FedEx told them nothing can be done until after the new year.

      I’m not sure there’s any good option these days.

      • R C Dean

        Delivery is on the long list of things that worked better before the plague.

        *shakes cane*

      • CPRM

        DHL was my worst experience of late. Declared my address (that every other delivery service has no problem with) undeliverable. Sent one e-mail, which I had missed behind a slew of other mail, then a week later left 1 voicemail from a number that no one answered upon call back and did not have a voicemail. After the voicemail I looked back and found the email and responded that way. I didn’t hear back. The package arrived 2 weeks after I had emailed back. That whole time the package was in state, down by Milwaukee.

    • PieInTheSky

      good to know where the extra large buttplug is

    • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

      Yes. USPS has lost a package I sent out, meaning I will have to refund the guy, and apply for the insurance to cover my costs. Which, while I will still make a profit, is irritating. Also, UPS has delay something coming to me, which is also irritating.

      Damnit, I was in the LTL world, you two should know better how to handle your business!

  11. trshmnstr the terrible

    Anybody have a recommendation for bridging the gap between when my grid power goes out and when my generator kicks on? It usually takes 30 seconds to 1 minute for the generator to take over, but then another 10-15 minutes for my systems (network, smart home, etc) to come back up.

    I could get a few UPS boxes for a few hundred dollars and protect the most sensitive devices, but I’d prefer to find some whole house solution that doesn’t cost $10k.

    • R C Dean

      Pater Dan has a backup generator. Apparently, there’s barely a flicker when it cuts over. No clue what switch he uses.

      Sorry to hear about your “smart” home, though.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Interesting! I wonder if his has an inbuilt battery backup to cover the cranking time. Mine has a battery for the starter motor, but that’s it.

        The smart home isn’t too bad. It’s all* locally managed and programmed by me, so it’s not intrusive or otherwise annoying. It mostly does simple scheduling. Turn on garage lights when vehicle detected on driveway at night, turn off lamps after we go to bed, etc.

        *except for a couple of devices that connect to the cloud regardless of my smart home software

      • Fourscore

        Flywheel generator will not skip a beat

    • PieInTheSky

      my grid power goes out – move too a more civilized place?

      • UnCivilServant

        So that there’s never any power?

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        Hey, methheads crash into power poles in the city, too!

    • SDF-7

      Tesla battery wall maybe? Though I’d be nervous about that being a fire hazard given the state of batteries these days.

      But that’d effectively be a UPS for the whole house. Don’t know if they only do it with panel installations or what the waiting list is… just what leaps to mind. I do the “a few UPSes for critical components” but I’m also not at the generator level either.

    • Grummun

      If you want a whole house solution, you’re looking at a unit that is sized for your house service. That is, it will have to sit in between your generator and your main service panel, and be capable of handling the whole load of your main service panel. So, if your house service is 200A, you’re going to need a whopping UPS.

      If you can manage it, put in an auxiliary panel for just the circuits you need to protect. Feed that panel with a 20A or 30A double pole breaker in your main panel, and protect that panel with a smaller UPS. I got a Vertiv GTX5 5kVA unit used on eBay for maybe $3K. You need to be very careful to find a unit that will work with 120V power, though, most of them expect 208V.

      Non-trivial capital investment, of course, much more than a few brick UPSs.

    • prolefeed

      I recommend moving to some place that is competent at reliably delivering electricity.

      • UnCivilServant

        You want him to leave the US?

  12. PieInTheSky

    So what is the official glibertarian policy on Portland given that orbital nukes are not a thing?

    • R C Dean

      Any carpetbaggers from Portland seeking public office or employment get a helicopter ride?

      • prolefeed

        The ones seeking employment are probably less of a problem than the locals.

        The best way to increase individual freedom is to leave tyrannical regimes and move some place considerably less tyrannical. As I did.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      1)Build a wall
      2) avoid flying the president over the area
      3) in case you ignore number 2, keep Snake Plissken on speed dial

    • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

      Meh. I was going to drive up there today, but will probably head down to the other end of the state instead (business shnizz). If you avoid downtown or parts of Gresham you are fine.

      • CPRM

        If you avoid downtown or parts of Gresham you are fine.

        Shpip knows all about those dangerous parts.

      • Gustave Lytton

        avoid downtown

        Send thoughts and prayers. I’ve got to go there next week. Near Multnomah’s bum enablement day spa, too. Yay!

  13. CPRM

    “Under Maine law, I have not only the authority but the obligation to act,” she said. “I will follow the Constitution and the rule of law as directed by the courts,” she added.

    She obliged herself.

    • creech

      Sure, lady. Read the Constitution. Looks like it is up to both houses of Congress to decide who can serve, not some bitch from Moosedrool, Maine.

  14. rhywun

    wispy afterthoughts

    Literally every successful family I knew had one or both parents working for Kodak, including the final guy my mom shacked us up with and eventually married. It’s amazing looking at Google maps and watching huge tracts of factories turn back into empty land. Oh well, I suppose there is always booming “government” and “health care”.

  15. rhywun

    From the country who brought us the lively song “Kill The Boer.”

    Oh come now, I’m sure Israel will get a fair hearing at the U.N.

    While the ICJ in The Hague is considered the U.N.’s highest court, its rulings are sometimes ignored.

    LOL!

    • creech

      Balls drop on New Year’s Eve. Let’s hope the jugs last a bit longer.

  16. rhywun

    Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Barcena told reporters the talks also covered the importance of the economic relationship between the US and Mexico, as well as the root causes of migration, such as poverty, inequality, violence and family reunification, according to a recording provided to CNN by Mexico’s foreign ministry.

    None of those things are legal qualifiers for asylum.

    It is interesting how everyone has shamelessly pivoted to straight-up demands for free shit in the last couple weeks. And still, zero curiosity from the MSM about the mechanics of millions of folks “walking” for thousands of miles – completely unaided by any interested parties no doubt.

    • Chafed

      Sadly MSM doesn’t seem interested in digging into most things they report. The quote a few officials and call it a day. No curiosity about what lies beneath the surface.

  17. Q Continuum

    “It’s often noted that the Latino vote is “not monolithic,” and Latino voters do in fact come from an array of countries, generations, regions, races, faiths and classes.”

    https://archive.is/YeRo4

    Ummmmm…. no shit? The whole concept of a “Latino race” or even ethnicity is absurd on its face. Growing up in New Mexico, there are “Latinos” who have been living there since before the USA existed (most of whom quit speaking Spanish generations ago). So the only commonality is a linguistic heritage that may or may not exist. Even among recent immigrants who still speak Spanish at home, can you say that an Afro-Dominican has anything in common with an Argentine of Italian stock or a Mestizo from Nicaragua? It’s stupid and simple minded and comes from two things: 1) these concepts are all purely academic and issue from Northeast universities and their employees who live in lily White WASP gated communities and 2) it’s just more identity Balkanization purposely being carried out for political gain.

    • rhywun

      Yeah, the “Hispanic” category was greatly amplified by the government’s desire to hook them on free shit.

    • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

      Don’t forget that even within a single country such as Mexico, you have broad categories such as Mestizo, Hueto, Negrito, Chino, etc. All very different.

      • juris imprudent

        Never mind the distaste of Mexicans for their southern neighbors.

    • juris imprudent

      All racial categorization is rooted in 19th century pseudo-science (which was merely trying to rationalize deep prejudices carried around the previous few centuries). I’ve got this on my list to acquire/read.

      • rhywun

        That one looks like it will put you on a list.

      • juris imprudent

        Seriously – by the author of this? You are clowning, right?

      • rhywun

        Classified argues that the time has come to consider abolishing official racial classification and replace it with the separation of race and state.

        Oofa – good luck with that.

      • juris imprudent

        It is possible to kill a good grift (after all there no Tammany Hall anymore) – it just isn’t easy.

      • Gustave Lytton

        The wogs start at Calais.

    • KSuellington

      As someone who has spent about 3 years living and traveling in Latin America I would say that you are spot on. And funny enough the largest country in “Latin” America does not consider themselves “Latino” and get somewhat offended if they are categorized as such.

  18. The Late P Brooks

    DOOOOOOOM

    As historically high temperatures continued to be registered in many parts of the world in late December, the former Nasa scientist James Hansen told the Guardian that 2023 would be remembered as the moment when failures became apparent.

    “When our children and grandchildren look back at the history of human-made climate change, this year and next will be seen as the turning point at which the futility of governments in dealing with climate change was finally exposed,” he said.

    “Not only did governments fail to stem global warming, the rate of global warming actually accelerated.”

    After what was probably the hottest July in 120,000 years, Hansen, whose testimony to the US Senate in 1988 is widely seen as the first high-profile revelation of global heating, warned that the world was moving towards a “new climate frontier” with temperatures higher than at any point over the past million years.

    Now director of the climate programme at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York, Hansen said the best hope was for a generational shift of leadership.

    “The bright side of this clear dichotomy is that young people may realise that they must take charge of their future. The turbulent status of today’s politics may provide opportunity,” he said.

    We cannot afford democracy anymore. Bring on the global socialist dictatorship. Nothing else can save us.

    • creech

      Caesar Hansen can save us! He knows better than 8 billion people what is best for them. There’s an empty spot on the Colorado and Maine ballots, so let’s get his campaign rolling.

    • prolefeed

      “probably the hottest July in 120,000 years”

      They misspelled “absolutely not”.

    • rhywun

      human-made climate change

      Show your proof. Oh that’s right, there isn’t any.

    • rhywun

      “The bright side of this clear dichotomy is that young people may realise that they must take charge of their future. The turbulent status of today’s politics may provide opportunity,” he said.

      This is the nice polite version for the media of the radical bullshit he probably uses to propagandize his students.

    • Urthona

      How does global warming inventor Hansen still keep getting gigs?

      I remember reading the National Geographic from the 80s when he promised New York City would be underwater by the year 2000.

      He has failed me.

  19. The Late P Brooks

    His comments are a reflection of the dismay among experts at the enormous gulf between scientific warnings and political action. It has taken almost 30 years for world leaders to acknowledge that fossil fuels are to blame for the climate crisis, yet this year’s United Nations Cop28 summit in Dubai ended with a limp and vague call for a “transition away” from them, even as evidence grows that the world is already heating to dangerous levels.

    Save us, oh gods of technocracy.

    • juris imprudent

      Anyone calculated the carbon footprint of Cop28? No offsets, just the total carbon spewing to gather all of those assholes?

      • PieInTheSky

        large enough that all the pleb should lower their consumption to compensate for this noble event

  20. rhywun

    the House GOP conference’s razor-thin majority

    I wonder if any of them are paying attention to the fact that the Dems are poised to engineer themselves a majority next year.

    • PieInTheSky

      if they still get a share of the graft they don’t much care

    • juris imprudent

      So the Democrats of NY think they can completely eliminate Republicans from representing any part of the state?

      • UnCivilServant

        Well, they already have, so why not make it official?

      • The Last American Hero

        Electroboom covers everything you need to know about electricity.

      • rhywun

        I doubt that’s mathematically possible. Gerrymandering simply shifts the balance, it doesn’t eliminate one party or the other from House representation.

      • prolefeed

        It’s absolutely mathematically possibly — maybe not topographically possible, unless they’re allowed to gerrymander a slew of districts connecting bits of NYC with upstate NY via one foot wide linking corridors.

      • Don escaped Texas

        why don’t we get rid of congressional districts and elections: guys with the top nine petition tallies are congressmen for Tennessee until

        go down to the courthouse and update your petition any time you want: petitions stay in the stacks at the state capital so anyone can audit them any time they want: nine piles on one side of the room, a collection of other piles around the room

        announce your candidacy any time you want; never revoke it: run forever

        vote for a guy on the other end of the state if he’s the best man

        gang up with your buddies to elect whatever clown you want; in TN last time, only 1.8M folk voted with the average winner around 120k; Cohen TN-09 was elected with only 94k votes; imagine some dooofusss commits some nonsense: just go to the stacks and find out who are the most reasonable guys with stacks that are tenth through twelfth and campaign until enough folks change their petitions to move that guy in

      • UnCivilServant

        That puts a lot of faith in the bureaucrats maintining those records.

      • Don escaped Texas

        scan them, whatever: you can go visit your petition any time you want

        the problems with this system aren’t interesting: all voting allows your unwashed neighbors to have a say, and all elections are run by governments; that can’t be fixed

        now, if only conservatives really believed in smaller government like they’ve been flapping their gums about for four decades, we could fix the real problem: the scope of what representatives can decide

      • juris imprudent

        No constitutional requirement for districting that I know of, just apportionment of total per state. Be nice for one or two states to try it out.

      • rhywun

        Because each critter is supposed to represent the unique needs of his district. Making it statewide eliminates even that pretense.

      • Don escaped Texas

        absolutely correct

        but it’s ancient thinking: I have nothing in common with most of my neighbors

        there’s nothing wrong with a constituency of people with unique needs who happen to be scattered about the state; indeed, it is freeing and efficient in that the meaninglessness of proximity is displaced by plank passion: my guy ins not Joe from the Block, he’s 2A Joe or SaveTheWhales Joe

      • The Bearded Hobbit

        It worked for New Mexico. Not an icky Republican in sight.

  21. The Late P Brooks

    Veteran climate watchers have been horrified at the pace of change. “The climate year 2023 is nothing but shocking, in terms of the strength of climate occurrences, from heatwaves, droughts, floods and fires, to rate of ice melt and temperature anomalies particularly in the ocean,” Prof Johan Rockström, the joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, said.

    Return of the hockey stick!

    • PieInTheSky

      to be fair, Romania is still very warm for the period. 14C and sunny

  22. PieInTheSky

    today in mark normand jokes: she had a slow cooker. Used to be called a ‘tard cooker but they changed it.

  23. Q Continuum

    Day One potty training report: 5 pees and one poop in the potty, only one accident. Now we try pants!

    • PieInTheSky

      no need for the report, I think OMWC has had enough excitement recently

    • creech

      Wait, are we Glibs committed to the No Pants principle or not? STEVE SMITH and cousins will not be happy trying pants.

  24. PieInTheSky

    Steven Handford
    @HandfordSteven
    The British Navy just sent a warship to threaten Venezuela in a private dispute with Guyana about the oil rich Essequibo area. Working class people are sent to threaten a South American country’s oil reserves 1000s of miles away. Can you see what the armed forces are really for?

    https://twitter.com/HandfordSteven/status/1741050734378930241

    • CPRM

      Russia invaded Ukraine! We must send troops!
      Israel invaded Gaza! We must send troops!
      Venezuela invaded Uruguay! Stay out of this land dispute, greedy oil men!

      • CPRM

        They Identify as Uruguay now.

      • juris imprudent

        Mostly the same letters.

    • Shpip

      Can you see what the armed forces are really for?

      Making sure that a member of the Commonwealth isn’t unduly threatened by a hostile, unstable neighbor? It’s almost as if gunboat diplomacy has been a thing for a few centuries now.

    • rhywun

      “private dispute” LOL

      I suppose the commie thinks that chunk of land belongs to Maduro already.

  25. The Late P Brooks

    He said these new developments indicated the Earth was in uncharted territory ​​and under siege. “What we mean by this is that we may be seeing a shift in Earth’s response to 250 years of escalated human pressures … to a situation of ‘payback’ where Earth starts sending invoices back to the thin layer on Earth where humans live, in the form of off the charts extremes.”

    The earth will exact revenge. If that’s not scientifically sound analysis, I’ll eat my top hat and monocle.

    • juris imprudent

      So says the science that ignores the paleo-climate of the planet our stupid little species evolved on.

    • Grumbletarian

      Anti-mech. Take out one leg and the whole thing is done.

  26. creech

    Will Earth send Rocko and Vinnie to collect unpaid invoices?

    • Sean

      Hey creech, I saw you commented about the PA Senate Republican hit piece on the minimum wage. I saw it on CBS news last weekend. Where did you see it?

      And yes, it was a ridiculous bit of propaganda. Definitely not news, or impartial, or honest…

      • creech

        Ch.10.

  27. The Late P Brooks

    And, as science has proved beyond any doubt, global temperatures would continue to rise as long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuels and forests.

    In the years ahead, the heat “anomaly” and catastrophes of 2023 would first become the new norm, and then be looked back on as one of the cooler, more stable years in people’s lives. As Hansen warned, unless there is radical and rapid change, failure will be built into the climate system.

    Proof beyond any doubt. Holy writ. Repent, unbelievers. Beg for forgiveness, and surrender yourselves to the high priesthood. Only unflinching obedience to them can save you now.

    • rhywun

      Oh JFC it’s the Grauniad, I didn’t notice.

      No wonder every sentence is a lie.

  28. UnCivilServant

    *grumble*

    I hate paying bills. I have the money, since I’m living within my means, but I don’t like parting with it.

    And why eas December so expen… oh, I decided to celebrate christmas and bought people stuff. Self sabotaging fool.

    • Don escaped Texas

      living within my means

      sometimes you don’t want to be normal

  29. PieInTheSky

    you go to bed the night of the 31st and wake up December 1st. next to you is a box with a red button that says “press her to stop looping”

    how many times would you relive December?

    https://twitter.com/AaronEstel/status/1740982092840997251

    Until I get bored probably at least 50 – later clarification is it is groundhog day like so memory persists

    • rhywun

      Which December?

      The current one is 0 times.

      • PieInTheSky

        well the current one obviously… I don’t get 0 times… even if bad you could do one loop to remember some lottery numbers (assuming not rigged) or sports scores and a second to make a few mill. as bad as it is it could be better with a few million at the end.

  30. rhywun

    Rotting Crack Zombies was the name of my early horror-core band.

  31. CPRM

    I am disappointed in you Glibs! Of course it is of the utmost importance to get Emmanuel Goldstein Trump off the ballot! For health of the nation! We can’t have him starting a war with Eurasia! We’ve always been at war peace with Eurasia!

    • UnCivilServant

      That information is above your clearance level, citizen.

    • juris imprudent

      Democracy is all well and good, until the wrong person or party gets elected.

  32. The Late P Brooks

    Joe Biden, savior of democracy

    The Biden administration for the second time this month has bypassed Congress to approve the transfer of nearly $150 million in military equipment to Israel amid the country’s war against Hamas.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Congress that he has made an emergency determination to immediately approve the transfer of “155mm ancillary items including fuzes, charges, and primers that make 155mm shells functional,” a State Department spokesperson said Friday.

    “Given the urgency of Israel’s defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the immediate approval of the transfer,” the spokesperson said.

    Democracy is a grand thing, in theory, but sometimes a decision must be made. And we can’t trust them MAGAtards to decide right.

    • juris imprudent

      Democracy good, populism bad. Cognitive dissonance at it’s finest.

  33. The Late P Brooks

    Earlier this month, the administration rushed forward a sale of thousands of munitions to Israel, bypassing the standard 20-day period that congressional committees are typically afforded to review such a sale. The State Department sent an emergency declaration to the oversight committees that more than 13,000 tank shells would be delivered to Israel without any “further information, details or assurances.”

    No waiting period? At least they have a background check on file.

  34. PieInTheSky

    Smart people disagree ON societal design. Wise people disagree WITH societal design.

    Below, Crow defends Shear’s idea by saying that he is a “smart, thoughtful dude”.

    If you defend an idea by saying its author is smart and thoughtful, you reveal your underlying assumption of bad ideas come from stupid or thoughtless people.

    That’s not so. Stupid or thoughtless people don’t have bad ideas for what Crow calls “societal design”; they have NO ideas.

    The really bad ideas come from smart people.

    There’s hidden traps in certain IQ levels, and the largest and most dangerous one is “I can design a better society”. People fall so in love with their own intelligence that they get seduced by this one great-sounding idea they have for fixing everything or making everything better.

    It is that category of idea that ends up getting millions of people killed and collapsing entire civilizations.

    https://twitter.com/Devon_Eriksen_/status/1739794075757289840

    • PieInTheSky

      All of this is why you get a lot of socialists between IQs of 115 and, say, 135. It’s not because socialism appeals to the intellect. It’s because socialism appeals to the intellectual. It presents him with the prospect of a ready source of centralized power that he can harness to solve all of society’s problems with the power of HIS massive brain and brilliant ideas, and then everyone will oooh and aaaaah over how smart he is, just like mom did when he was 7 years old and he solved a difficult math problem.

      Policy ideas tend to come from people who put lots of points into intelligence and charisma, but used wisdom as a dump stat, and consequently they can understand the concept of Chesterton’s fence, but they’re also oh-so-very-good at convincing themselves that it doesn’t apply here.

      • Don escaped Texas

        Intelligence is like four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places — Garrison Keillor

      • juris imprudent

        Hubris doesn’t really depend on IQ.

    • Gustave Lytton

      they get seduced by this one great-sounding idea they have for fixing everything or making everything better

      But enough about libertarians and NAP.

      • PieInTheSky

        leaving people alone aint in the same category as deciding to engineer their lives it is quite the opposite

  35. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    I’m on YouTube watching a guy drive a home-built truck house (complete with wood stove) from Anchorage to Deadhorse, so none of these links can upset me. So there!

    • Common Tater

      Does it run on wood gas?

  36. The Late P Brooks

    It’s not because socialism appeals to the intellect. It’s because socialism appeals to the intellectual.

    It takes a special kind of mind to fall for the preposterous fiction of central planning.

    • juris imprudent

      Meh, you think Aztecs or Incas didn’t fall for the same shit?

  37. Mojeaux, font of all evil

    Why does the YouTube algo think I still have a period? I mean, even if I HADN’T gotten my plumbing ripped out, I’m 55. I wouldn’t need tampons.

    Also, State Farm is a sucky insurance company.

    • PieInTheSky

      maybe it thinks you plan on buying for XX

      • Mojeaux, font of all evil

        She’s 20 and takes care of her own shit. Shouldn’t they know that?

  38. PieInTheSky

    A politician from the party of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been found dead in a courtyard outside his home, local media reported Thursday, adding to the growing list of Russian elites who have died under unclear circumstances in recent months.

    Vladimir Egorov, a Tobolsk City Duma Deputy from the ruling United Russia party, was reportedly 46 at the time of his death, which was reported by Russian newspaper Kommersant, citing the press service of the Investigative Committee for the Tyumen Region in Russia.

    There were no “external signs of criminal death” on Egorov’s body, investigators told Kommersant. The committee “could not confirm the information about the circumstances of the deputy’s death” to Kommersant, it said, as they are “still conducting an autopsy.”

    https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/28/europe/egorov-russia-dead-outside-house/index.html

    most likely fell out a window

    • UnCivilServant

      Defenistration is an occupational hazard of high profile Russians.

  39. Common Tater

    ““Today’s announcement is a testament to the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to lowering utility costs for working families, which is helping to simultaneously strengthen energy independence and combat the climate crisis,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said of her agency’s actions. “DOE will continue to move quickly in 2024—together with our industry partners and stakeholders—to update and strengthen outdated energy efficiency standards, which is critical to innovation, more consumer options, and healthier communities.””

    https://dailycaller.com/2023/12/29/biden-admin-regulations-appliances-department-of-energy/

    CWAC

    • Ownbestenemy

      Ethically corrupt Jennifer Granholm? Jennifer Granholm that has been found in violation of stock disclosures? Jennifer Granholm that violated the Hatch Act? That Jennifer Granholm?

    • rhywun

      That is an impressive number of whoppers in a single sentence. She’s a shoo-in for even higher office.

  40. The Late P Brooks

    Democracy in action

    The Iowa frenzy is typically in full force by now.

    With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses formally usher in the presidential nomination process, White House hopefuls are usually in a heated competition. They fan out across the state and pack as many events into a single day as is humanly possible — all in a bid to appeal to undecided voters and lock down support that could lift them to victory in Iowa and keep them in the race for months to come.

    But as the campaign intensifies ahead of the Jan. 15 caucuses, the normal frenzy is subdued. While the schedule is filling up, former President Donald Trump is such a commanding force in the party that some voters worry the contest that normally transforms Iowa into the center of the political world may turn out to be something of a snooze.

    “It’s kind of frustrating,” said Jenna Maifeld, a 19-year-old student at the University of Iowa who is eager to participate in her first caucus but is disappointed with the campaign cycle’s lack of competition. “I feel like a lot of people’s voices aren’t being heard.”

    The wrong voices are being heard, you mean. Democracy is only legitimate if my candidate wins.

    Maybe you should take a long hard look at the winner-take-all “elections have consequences” nature of the system these days. If the winners were not ready willing and able to claim a “mandate” to crush the losers under their heel, normal people could go back to not giving a shit about politics and politicians.