This has been a loooong week. I’m exhausted. And now I have to drive to Decauter over the weekend to look at a bunch of equipment. Then I have to get back to work on Monday to get the big auction ready. Meanwhile, the Ft Worth Stock Show is going on so I’ll have to stay in Dallas tomorrow night. So if any of you are up for a little fun in the Big D tomorrow night, let me know. The wife and I will be headed in to town (she’s coming with since its an anniversary of sorts).
Federer will face Cilic in the Aussie final after the Swiss advanced in a walkover when his opponent got “blisters under blisters under blisters” on his left foot. Lots of hockey last night. Feel free to discuss. All Star Game this weekend, likewise for the NBA.
I’ve got to move on quickly because I’m running behind. So here are…the links!
Apparently Trump ordered Mueller to be fired and then recanted when he was told his White House counsel was going to quit. Wait, is the right word to use there “apparently” or “allegedly”? I’m not sure what the style guide says to use when a story’s only sources are according to four people told of the matter. Could someone help me out here? Are there any alumni from Columbia, perhaps? I mean, for all we know, those are the same unnamed people they used to break the “Sessions to be fired imminently” a few months ago and other items the NYT would like us to forget they published in the last year based solely on “unnamed sources with information about …”
Oh my God! Maybe she’s an Opharpus and has five more arms under there!
Pardon me if I yawn and say “I really don’t believe you” to the entire story. Sorry, mainstream media. You’ve lost all credibility in the last year. And by the way, Trump has called it fake news. On the record.
Wait, maybe Oprah is really a Hindu god and actually has more than three arms hiding under that dress. And why do they feel the need to photoshop these women? Doesn’t send a very body-positive message, does it? Those shitlords at Vanity Fair need to get woke. And I mean WOKE AF as quickly as possible. Either way, I blame the patriarchy.
In a story about the FBI-Russiagate-Trump-Clinton-Strzok-Page-Etc-Etc Scandal, This one with written memos and people willing to go on record, it appears that the lost text messages have been recovered. Strangely enough, they were recovered when the Inspector General had devices seized from the two people who said the messages had disappeared. I guess the IG has some magic wand that makes things appear when the holders of devices told their bosses they were gone.
At some point, we need to start using this as a tool to cull the herd of the stupid. Because you’ve got to be a real dumbshit to do this.
County commissioner doesn’t attend meetings he’s supposed to attend. Constituent tells him that’s not a good way to do your job. Commissioner shares his true feelings about constituent on Facebook.
Let’s hope he can stay sober longer than the rest of his family
Looks like Team Blue are gonna drop the Clintons and go back to another dynasty for their response to the SOTU. Because, you know, they’re the party of the young, fresh-faced diverse America. Yet somehow all of their leading voices are old-ass white people or the descendants of a pill-popping junkie president or his drunk driving-to death brother.
Shit, it worked yesterday, so I’m gonna tie the music in with the last link and pay tribute to Ted Kennedy.
Hey, have a great end to your week and an even better weekend. I’m gonna go celebrate six wonderful years.
(Last paragraph edited due to personal backlash)
Wait, maybe Oprah is really a Hindu god and actually has more than three arms hiding under that dress. good Photoshop until now. No one noticed
Oprah is the Hindu Goddess that will save us from the Trumpkin devil!!
I’ve loathed her public persona since the eighties. My ex used to watch that show and eat actual bon-bons. Oprah is vile.
I have a sister-in-law, who I detest. She’s a) Canadian b) insufferably liberal c) condescending d) Watches Oprah
Lemme guess. She likes to start her sentence with, ‘You Americans’.
A guy I knew in the Marines had a British wife that was like that. They met when he was stationed in England on embassy duty. All she ever did was bitch about the US and talk endlessly about how superior England was. Well, toots, if England is so much better what the hell is keeping you from going back?
There was a German consultant who had a similar attitude.
Somehow he had managed to lose his job as a Beamter (according to his resume) before wandering over here. Last I head, he’d wandered back.
I spent most of my first year undoing everything he did and doing it correctly.
Melanie?
You had me at Canadian.
Is this back when you were a shoe salesman?
I’m sure we’ll see plenty it replays of three show where she had Trump on years ago and they got along quite congeniality. I think she even ask him about running for president. This was probably 20 years ago.
Kali ma! Kali Ma!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KBIdcUxdgo0
All Star Game this weekend, likewise for the NBA. – tall guys versus short guys. Sadly Lonzo did not make it this year. But next year surely.
Yeah, he’ll be out of the league in a few years, so if he’s ever gonna make an all star team, he better hurry.
It’s still 3 weeks until NBA All-Star weekend, but Lonzo did get a consolation prize–entry in the Rising Stars game (first & second year players, USA vs. the World format. He should be healthy by then.
. Because you’ve got to be a real dumbshit to do this. – are there different flavors?
Do you even laundry, Bro?
Wow are you people actually working?
I made the mistake of reading the article. It slowed down my reaction time to comments.
You need to inhale. Stop and smell the roses. Relax, guy.
I read all the links, Sloop! Treat now?
Who’s a good boy? That’s right. That’s right. You’re a good Festus. Yes you are!
::metaphorically rubs Festus’s belly::
*growl-purrs*
Not yet. At some point I’ll head into the office and work.
What do you mean “you people?”
What do you mean “what do you mean”?
What do YOU mean?
celebrate six (mostly) wonderful years.
I’m coming up on 30 years to the day that I first met my wife-to-be.
The story involves an ex-girlfriend, a Slurpee, a dog, a broken knee, and a pack of Winston cigarettes.
In that order?
Congratulations! I hope I can share the stories of when we met 30 years prior at some point.
Went to my parents 50th anniversary over the holidays. I can’t even fathom that kind of fortitude.
In March my folks will celebrate their 71st anniversary.
That’s a long time to pick up anyone’s drawers.
That’s a long time to keep a husband alive.
Dad’s 94. Mom’s 89. They got married in 1947, a year after Dad got home from WW2, which is kind of gobsmacking to consider.
Best bit, they are still living in their own home and taking care of all their own affairs.
That’s amazing.
Your ex girlfriend’s name was Slurpee?
well that was her nickname.
That makes you Slurper.
don’t other me, you cis-shitlord
There was a girl I knew from back in the day and we all called her Yoshi because of the character in the Mario games and the way it used to swallow large things.
We knew one girl that we used to call “Rolling Thunder” because of her enormous queef-ishness during the act. *Frip-Frap-Bripple Brap*
We had one girl in my teen social circle whose nickname was Crakerjack. “Because she’s in the handy pass-around pack.”
Considering your age and reputation, I larfed!
There was one in our social circuit named Mary and nicknamed Mary Mayonnaise because she spread so easily.
We had one of those around when I was in high school. Her nickname was “Practice Pad.”
I went to an all boys school. One of our sister schools had a girl I still only know to this day as Fun Time.
*recalls fond memories of a girl dubbed Jawbone*
We all knew a “Skippy” because she spread so easily.
We knew one we called, ‘Industrial’.
A real sluttly girl who had the last name of Mattice was called Mattress.
I was told to correct the last paragraph because it “makes it seem like a couple of the years were bad” as opposed to being a normal six years of marriage where there were occasional downs but were mostly wonderful.
I didn’t feel like arguing.
Don’t argue, just submit (for now)…
(for now)… and the next 30-40 years.
I’ve been happily married for 15 years, and just had my 27th anniversary.
*rimshot*
Congrats either way Sloop, it’s time to celebrate 🙂
Winston’s mother’s cigarettes, you mean.
Something about lipstick on butts?
My wife and I hit 42 years in about 6 weeks.
It’s been 20 years since I fell in love with the love of my life….just waiting for her to divorce that husband of hers and fall in love with me!
What kind of dog is a Slurpee, never heard of that breed.
I guess the IG has some magic wand that makes things appear when the holders of devices told their bosses they were gone.
They need to develop one of these for car keys.
Gimme yo munny
Scientific and technological leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It results from an open political and competitive economic system, from a commitment to recruit and train top talent from all social and economic levels, and from sustained investment. Since World War II, federal investment in research has been a key to keeping the United States at the forefront. Federal dollars have enabled scientists and engineers to investigate advanced ideas and the most unlikely technical solutions, to develop new knowledge before it’s clear whether it will be profitable. That new knowledge has revolutionized health care, spawned new businesses and created the digital world. As President Ronald Reagan put it, “although basic research does not begin with a particular practical goal,” it’s “one of the most practical things government does.”
————-
We cannot continue to advance the frontiers of knowledge and lead the world in innovation without funding for students and equipment, and when the only long-term federal commitment is to fiscal uncertainty.
————-
Today we face stronger economic and technical competition than we did in 1961. To confront that challenge successfully, the federal government needs to respond with farsighted strategic investment in key aspects of technology, science and education. That will be impossible if government spending caps remain too tight or if agencies are hamstrung for months by fiscal stalemate. To write the next great chapter in the story of our nation, we must continue to fuel discovery.
We became a Great Power by enabling women of color to ride the government grant gravy train. Throw more money in the boiler. Full steam ahead.
Gee I seem to remember Edison, Farnsworth, the Wright Brothers, etc doing work all by their lonesome and sometimes with private financial backing.
Bell Labs was company owned (but heavily involved with government contracts) and they invented the frickin’ transistor.
I was going to argue it was Texas Instruments, then I realized I was thinking of the Integrated Circuit, and the transistor did in fact come out of Bell Labs.
Oh, wait, the Integrated Circuit from texas Instruments is another thing to add to your list.
+1 Shockley.
+1 Kilby
Not to mention the current crop of private technical innovation: smart phones, self-driving cars, electronic maps, virtual reality, the steady progress of medicine, crowdsourcing, the sharing economy, robotic automation, and even private space programs that are rapidly surpassing anything any government can do. The private sector is doing just fine at generating innovation all on its own.
Most of these things, progressives would rather see abolished.
This is fake news.
Fed money doesn’t mean Mo’better science.
It does when it comes with requirements to hire “diverse” research teams.
Without the Apollo space program we wouldn’t have Tang.
Trump has no reason to fire Mueller, all of the dirt his investigation has dug up has been on people who hate Trump.
What these dnc operatives with bylines have likely done is take Trump asking his people if he decided to fire Mueller if he wanted, how would that play out, and lying for the umpteenth time to present it in the most negative light possible. After all, their job right now is to keep the heat of Hillary, Obama, and the dems, by flinging shit at a wall and hoping to keep the plebes distracted from all the horrible shit these people did.
Inside the ‘XXX Oscars’: How a panel of judges picks porn’s biggest winners
https://nypost.com/2018/01/25/inside-the-xxx-oscars-how-a-panel-of-judges-picks-porns-biggest-winners/
For those staffers, “Half His Age: A Teenage Tragedy” is clearly one of the best pornos of the year and it’s competing against the likes of “Confessions of a Sinful Nun” and “The Babysitter 11” for “Best Drama.” It’s also nominated for, among other things, “Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene,” “Best Three-Way Sex Scene – G/G/B” and “Best Cinematography.”
You have to have an account to vote for the fan chosen-award of Most Spectacular Boobs of 2018. I see they have August Ames listed who is dead. I don’t like April O’Neil’s new look.
Angela White should win, but I think we’ll see a strong showing from Natasha Nice.
August Ames listed who is dead. – is there an In Memoriam segment at these awards?
I don’t know. I think they built up the list for Most Spectacular Boobs before she committed suicide.
Do Republicans still believe in democracy?
“Russian-controlled social media bots” – band or glib name?
been working overtime to undermine fundamental principles of our democratic system – which are those again?
Democracy is only working properly when Democrats win.
It’s right there in the name!!!!!
Sloopy’s woke!
We joke, but that is precisely what these people want to make sure everyone gets. if they are not in power, then nobody else will be allowed to be. And if they need to wreck the country and our lives to make sure we “get it”, they will do it.
I guess the media, the intelligence bureaucracy, and the Democrats conspiring to overthrow the results of a free and fair election that didn’t go your way is good for “our democracy”. Even though the US is not a democracy.
…the Russia investigation, which appears to be taking an increasingly threatening turn for the president…
Statements like this are so bizarre.
I know its been over a year without any evidence to back this shit up (and I mean real evidence, not the manufactured shit or the outright lies of the last year), but we are so close to finally having that evidence! And in the interim we will protect you from any inconvenient facts or information that prove otherwise or that we democrats abused the law and the power of the government to end up still not being able to steal an election for Hillary. just stay tuned to our 24/7 bullshit!
What has even happened lately that is supposed to be so threatening for Trump?
which appears to be
seemingly
looks like
This is called projection.
Do REPUBLICANS ever believe in democracy, or a limited representative government run by persons elected by democratic vote to represent their (in the American case) territorial contiguous “interest”?
How is this in the “news” section? It sounds like a whole lot of opinion to me.
it’s obvious to me at this point that Mueller’s going to charge Trump with obstruction of justice because Mueller is a political tool of the establishment Dems. what happens then? lengthy trial?
Articles of Impeachment are brought before the House and fail. Or, alternative, Dems delay until 2019, retake the House and it passes and Senate declines to remove the President.
what happens then?
Assuming the trial judge is competent and not corrupt, the charges are dismissed.
I think Trump’s offer to talk to Mueller under oath may have been a clever move. The “under oath” really doesn’t add any risk to Trump, since the FBI will go after you for perjury/obstruction whether you are under oath or not. And doing it under oath means no sandbagging by the FBI – it will not be an “interview” that isn’t recorded, it will be sworn testimony with a court reporter, video, etc.
There’s a trap there for Mueller, as well. He has an office full of tainted evidence – if any of that evidence is used to interrogate Trump, they’ve just poisoned the well for any prosecution. I think it may dawning on Mueller that his best play is to not try to charge Trump (or anybody else, at this point) but to write a nastygram report that he can use to smear Trump without it actually undergoing real scrutiny.
I don’t see the Dems being smart enough to “back water!” away from tainted evidence. Afterall, in these political showdowns, taint is in the eye of the beholder.
I’m thinking tainted under the rules of evidence for actual criminal proceedings. My understanding is that you can’t admit anything downstream of illegally obtained evidence. So if they question Trump based on evidence that was illegally obtained, or evidence they got because they had illegally obtained evidence, you can’t admit that part of his testimony, or maybe any of it.
An actual deposition of Trump would open the door to a counter-investigation of the basis for every single question. I’m thinking the FBI probably doesn’t want that.
As I understand it, the FBI never records its interviews, as a matter of policy. Everything is based on “notes” taken by the agents.
Do Republicans still believe in democracy?
Hopefully they believe in Republicanism…you know, our actual form of government.
Also read this stupid thing somewhere on the interwebz and for some reason it amused me
tax officials: Shakira did you evade your income tax payment?
Shakira’s hips: yes she fucking did
*applause*
I go with the Gain brand pods myself. Tide seems to have a more chalky texture to it.
Lifebuoy, on the other hand…
NSFW: Dutch bum
Woman travels the world NAKED to prove being nude isn’t ‘sexual or weird’
Speaking of naked dutch
Dutch police to ‘undress’ youths wearing clothes deemed too expensive for them
Officers will target young men wearing designer clothes and watches they seemingly cannot afford
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/rottherdam-police-undress-youth-clothes-expensive-crime-gangs-racial-profiling-a8169631.html
The idea is to deter criminality by sending a signal that the men will not be able to hang onto their ill-gotten gains.
But your story is way better
+1 zoot suit riot
Don’t people who try this usually end up either murdered or imprisoned as they cross central Asia?
STEVE SMITH HOPE NOT….WAITING FOR VISIT TO GREAT NORTHWEST.
BUT STEVE YETI COUSIN SOMETIMES EATS WHAT HE RAPES
I approve.
She has a great rack and is taking too much trouble to hide it.
I haven’t looked at the link, but that doesn’t sound very body positive.
I’m not sure what the style guide says to use when a story’s only sources are according to four people told of the matter. Could someone help me out here?
Look, you non-credentialed journalistic play actor; if you’re a reporter for a real newspaper, like WaPo or NYT, your sister’s hairdresser’s stepbrother’s drug dealer’s car detailing guy who happened to be eavesdropping on some well dressed individuals in a Georgetown bar is an unimpeachable source.
I thought you may have gone this way for the Kennedy’s…
I was waiting for a Tom Steyer story.
/snort. Haha.
Excellent choices both. I’d add a third punk tribute to the Kennedy family
For many Americans, it will be their first introduction to the latest Kennedy on the political scene.
Stop eating those Tide pods. We’re going to need those for washing the sheets.
ooh – I see the numbers are back. I still get the weird gray background / smaller text, like a randomly inserted css (or whatevs). But much improved. Keep up the good work, SP.
I only get the numbers when I’m on the weird gray screen.
Manhattan DA launches #MeToo squad to investigate work-related sex misconduct
They don’t want you daing anyone from work, ever. It’s not like people tend to find loving and healthy relationships at work or anything…
It was 10:31 when the call came in. My name is Detective Joe Friendly. I work the #metoo squad. I grabbed the keys for the squad car as my partner Frank adjusted his lipstick.
“It sounds like a bad one, Frank. Let’s roll.”
“I’m Frieda today. Don’t imisgender me.”
I nodded as I stepped behind a wheel. The car was a Tesla patrol car, with a range of five miles. More than enough.
We arrived at the crime scene. Patrol
Officers had already marked off the scene with pink tape. The victim was being comforted by SWAT trauma counselors. Tactical tea and tapes of Oprah were being used.
I caught sight of a clump of fur on the floor. The smell of scat. Wood Ape. This case wouldn’t go down easy.
Good’un!
The smell of scat. Wood Ape. This case wouldn’t go down easy.
THAT NOT STEVE POOP, HIM JUST STEP IN SOME HOBO POOP.
AND STEVE NEVER GO DOWN. HIM LIKE BATTERY BUNNY
I think it should be rainbow tape.
Ok, we’ve traced the call… Oh, my God! The call is coming from INSIDE THE BUILDING!
From the Cook County Commissioner story:
he needs to be held accountable like everyone else
Fat chance of that happening.
How does one become both a commissioner and a mayor at the same time?
“Cook County”
Camels banned from beauty contest after being injected with Botox
https://news.sky.com/story/camels-banned-from-beauty-contest-after-being-injected-with-botox-11221629?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
Competitors are judged on the size of their lips, cheeks, heads and knees
Well, with the women all covered up…
Assuming the edit missed the word “toe” somewhere in that sentence.
No. Sadly, this is a pagent of Dromidaries.
My bad. Thought that said, “Sluts of the Desert”.
*polite applause*
But dromedary camels only have one hump.
Bruins won in a tight game over the Sens, Flyers got spanked by the lightning.
And the Golden Knights lost, so maybe there’s hope in that conference.
Vasilevskiy has played in too many damn games. Going to hurt them in a long playoff run.
Germany: Pants sold with alarm to ward off Muslim migrant rapes
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/01/germany-pants-sold-with-alarm-to-ward-off-muslim-migrant-rapes
***
Germany has introduced pants with safety alarms to ward off Muslim migrant sex attacks, as Europe continues to descend into lawlessness and dhimmitude. UK police once advised potential victims not to harm their attackers, issuing a statement: “You must not get a product which is made or adapted to cause a person injury. Possession of such a product in public (and in private in specific circumstances) is against the law.” In Germany, reports emerged that “safe shorts,” made to prevent pervasive sex attacks by migrants, were sold out; and as Sweden struggles to cope with its migrant crisis, incidents of rape have escalated by 70%.
Instead of zero tolerance policies against sex attacks, the onus is being put on women to defend themselves or restrict their freedoms, as authorities and feminist activists have abandoned women’s rights in favour of the sharia that devalues women and allows for the rape of infidels. Free speech is another right that has been under assault by Islamic supremacists, with great successes.
It is astonishing how the Western public keeps electing leaders who succumb to dhimmitude and enact policies that clearly undermine free society and bring harm. It is only a matter of time before every citizen experiences the effects of the reduction of freedoms. Pants with safety alarms will do nothing for the safety of women; these brutish attackers will continue to stalk innocent people.
***
Is that a reliable source?
same story in large circulation UK newspaper
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10431368/Anti-rape-pants-a-world-first-wrong-on-so-many-levels.html
***
The bizarre fundraising video – which looks like a cutesy Apple advert combined with, well, pants that are impossible to remove – includes shots of women smiling and having a boogie alongside footage of a man trying unsuccessfully to cut through the pants with a dagger. There’s even a bit where a group of white women in mini-skirts walk confidently past a black man. But I’m going to gloss over that.
According to indiegogo, AR Wear has raised almost $35,000 so far, from about 1,700 individually funders. They have more than two weeks left, and seem certain to meet their goal of $50,000, which will see these pants become a reality. So not everybody thinks this the epitome of absurdity, then.
Many people do, though, particularly the feminists. One blogger railed against AR Wear’s description of rape as “when things go wrong”, and suggested “let’s focus on men preventing rape by not raping rather than curtailing women’s freedom to exist”. Another advocated a range of clothing for men which contain audio chips that continuously play phrases like “Don’t rape anyone” and “Remember! Don’t be a rapist!” For a general summary of their arguments, pop over to this website here.
***
Someone should sell a pants opening tool
They do, it’s called Rohypnol.
I thought it was a stuffed bank account or really good looks?
Funny how that works…
“Teach men not to rape”! Brilliant!
Let’s also teach thieves not to steal and teach murderers not to murder!
Crime. Solved.
Hey, don’t teach me to protect my identity! That’s victim blaming! Teach identity thieves not to steal people’s identities.
“Another advocated a range of clothing for men which contain audio chips that continuously play phrases like “Don’t rape anyone” and “Remember! Don’t be a rapist!””
All men are rapists, but you shouldn’t fear a young male migrant because that makes you racist.
Ok, nuanced argument time. According to the telegraph, that’s pants are wrong on so many levels.
Is what’s wrong with these pants that they only go on defense and Don’t attack, would be rapists, it that the marketers explicitly said it was too keep Muslims from raping.
Because I imagine that they could sell these to college Co-eds and get a huge pat on the back from femenists.
Uh, if they attack, then wouldn’t you risk forfeiting your victim points?
Soooooooo…….chastity pants ? How Victorian.
Tide pods?
Man up, you sissies
For Suthenboy:
6 weird things about avocados (aka ‘alligator pears’)
but how many avocados are there in in a mole?
6.02214179 × 10 E23?
wait is that the sauce or the animal? To make sure we are on the same page?
Isn’t that Avocado’s Number?
*narrows gaze*
Silly Swiss, it’s French for “lawyer.”
There was a great* xkcd what if? on a mole of moles.
*By great, I mean, mostly disgusting.
Fun note: In nuke enginerring, Avagadro’s number is commonly .602E24 instead of the more scientific notation correct way.
That is because a barn is 1E-24 cm^2 and the two are often multiplied together, so the exponents just cancel.
I love lazy smart people.
I think it was Clausewitz who said that there were uses for three of four types of officers – Energetic and smart (who could be put to work developing strategms, etc); lazy and smart (who develop efficiencies to avoid word); and lazy and dumb (who can do routine drudge work, even if slowly). It was the energetic and dumb who caused problems.
General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
I heard (and use) a variation:
Smart and lazy: These are your field marshals and generals. They delegate, stay focussed on strategy, not details, etc.
Smart and energetic: Staff officers.
Dumb and lazy: Somebody needs to muck out the stables.
Dumb and energetic: Get rid of them.
Yale admin asks frats to ignore ‘gender identity’ during rush
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=10431
***
A high-ranking administrator at Yale University recently emailed all fraternities on campus to encourage them to allow women to join.
Sent by Associate Vice President of Student Life Burgwell Howard, the email came on the heels of a longstanding activist effort by feminist students to make fraternities let women join in the name of “equity and inclusion,” exemplified by Harvard University’s recent decision to forbid membership in “unrecognized single-gender social organizations.”
“My basic advice is that it does no harm to have your rush events open to all eligible members of the Yale community—regardless of gender.”
“A number of you have mentioned concerns you have or have had regarding Yale students who may be interested in participating in your rush/recruitment process, but their gender identity or expression may not allow them to be offered membership in your national organizations,” Howard wrote in an email sent only to fraternity presidents last Thursday, a copy of which was obtained by The Yale Daily News.
“My basic advice is that it does no harm to have your rush events open to all eligible members of the Yale community—regardless of gender,” she advised.
The push to make Yale fraternities gender-neutral is being spearheaded by Engender, a group led by Yale students under the direction of a Senior Advisory Board that includes both Anita Hill, the woman who accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his confirmation hearings, and Lisa Wade, the Occidental College professor who recently asserted that “masculinity itself has become the problem.”
***
Oh many frat guy plan to rush freshmen girls. Rape culture and whatnot
Toss due process for male students out the window and then tell them to accept women into their frats. Would could go wrong?
Fucking Ivy League.
Mumsy Howard: Burgy, I appear to be preggers.
Burgwell Howard IV: Smashing news. What shall we name the scamp?
M: we should name him Burgwell, dear. After his father.
BH4: No, after his grandfather’s father, Mumsy.
M: so long as he’s an Eli.
Both: ::laugh hysterically, clink champagne flutes::
Are there no sororities? Shouldn’t he be encouraging sororities to accept men?
*Rushes to apply*
Lol, you dumb bastard. It’s a trick.
Just filling out the sorority application at an Ivy gets a man an automatic Title IX file opened up on him and counts as a first offense on the sexual assault continuum. You so much as hold a door open for a women’s studies major after that and you’re expelled…banished to wastelands of Stanford, Rice or Northwestern.
So wait a second… if I apply to Yale, and then apply to join a sorority, I can get kicked out without due process and probably get a big settlement from them in a law suit?
/applies to Yale
See also, Women’s Only Dorms.
This will end well.
They are setting the frats up to be closed due to their discrimination against da wimminz. I’ll be curious to see how they manage to shut down the fraternities but not the sororities.
I’ll be curious to see how they manage to shut down the fraternities but not the sororities.
Patriarchy, male privilege, intersectionality, etc. etc.
Womenz, despite being just like men, if not even tougher/better, need safe spaces because of menz….
This will end with Frats going back to being secret societies, like they have in the FBI.
For some reason, this reminded me of my frat. We were the animal house on our campus; it must have been pure hell to be our neighbor.
One of the closets had a sign on it “Hose Room”, which we kept locked and spread the rumor that it was a dungeon where we had gangbangs. It was actually the closet where we kept the garden hoses.
Good times . . . .
TW: Slate
Resisting the Myth of the Judicial Resistance
There is no evidence judges have abandoned their oaths of integrity and impartiality to rule against Trump.
There is no evidence judges have abandoned their oaths of integrity and impartiality to rule against Trump.
That’s hilarious.
“There is no evidence judges have abandoned their oaths of integrity and impartiality to rule against Trump.”
Of course not, they would do it to rule against any one they disliked, not just Trump.
But after the dangerous “challenge” caught the eyes of adults in mid-January, it appears that teenagers somehow became even more inclined to eat Tide pods.
*outright, prolonged laughter*
Who could possibly have seen that coming?
Students hold ‘bleed-in’ to demand free menstrual products
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=10432
***
University of Florida students walked around campus Tuesday with fake menstrual blood on their pants to protest the lack of free feminine hygiene products on campus.
On January 15, a student government committee rejected a proposal to provide free menstrual products to female students through the mandatory Activity and Service Fee, expressing concerns about applying mandatory fees paid by all students towards “funding that would only benefit the female half of the UF student body.”
“Today I held a little protest for free menstrual protects…And I say menstrual not feminine because menstruation should not be gendered. Some men get periods.”
A student group called “Gatters Matter, Period.,” which began circulating a petition in support of the proposal last fall, responded by organizing a “bleed-in” protest during which roughly two-dozen students stained the back of their pants red, according to The Alligator.
“This is a part of reproductive justice,” Shannon Matthew, who was among the first students to join the protest, told the Alligator. “I’m not ashamed of my period, and I don’t think anyone should be.”
***
Uh.
No one gives a shit about your period until you start demanding free stuff.
Pay for it yourselves.
Life ain’t free.
well men get shaving razors for free
I only ever got one razor for free. It was a marketing giveaway by Gilette to try to make me buy their products.
dollar shave club man?
Bearded.
What a bunch of pathetic pussies.
Time to go burn my diploma.
Some men get periods. Must be why pajama boy wears red pjs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k2FkUF41AA
“with fake menstrual blood ”
REAL BLOOD OR GTFO
Aren’t these kinds of “events” supposed to occur on April 1st?
Friend who’s in a rough space needs to talk. I get off work at 930pm. He says he’ll come by after 10. I message at 8 or so to tell him to give me until at least 10:15 to decompress for the week.
He shows up at 945, knocking on my apartment window. I think that is grounds for a screwdriver being inserted into an orifice or organ of some kind. Deciding which now.
In other news, there was a hospital fire here south-east of me that killed (so-far) 37. So I got that going for me.
Enjoy work, suckers.
Anything to do with an overly long shower and 3.5 Korean babes?
Not anymore.
I was trying to figure out how I missed news of an Evansville hospital fire, and whether it is was Deaconess, then a news search corrected me to South Korea.
I left the EDL after befriending an ex-jihadist
I realized we have far more in common than which divides us
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/ec9df017-8af5-4bd0-96e4-e6d86141bed1
“We bonded over our hatred of the Jews, who run the world and keep solid, but stupid blokes like us down by understanding how compound interest works.”
Beauty, Brett! That sent me into a spasm of giggling and reminded me of the overwhelming majority of chums I knew back in my old skinhead days.
*vigorous applause*
Manhattan DA launches #MeToo squad to investigate work-related sex misconduct
Fifteen prosecutors will identify and investigate on-the-job sexual misconduct in response to a flood of complaints, Vance said.
That reads better if you replace “sex misconduct” with “witchery”.
More accurate.
Conference to ‘deconstruct…engineering practices’ includes field trip to U.S.-Mexico border wall
https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/41321/
***
An engineering conference with a focus on social justice will include a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to allow participants a chance to discuss the topics of social justice and constructing a border wall.
The field trip is part of the 13th annual Engineering, Social Justice and Peace Conference, which is taking place this week at the University of San Diego. The conference began Thursday and runs until Saturday afternoon.
The event, according to its website, is open to those who want “to help deconstruct our historical and current engineering practices” and that are interested in talking about ideas that run counter to the status quo.
“We welcome educators who wish to learn how to bring social justice to their engineering classes, together with those who are already doing so,” the website states.
***
So a Social Justice Conference trying to pretend it’s not just wankery over communism.
Can we get labels on whatever product these engineers produce? I for one want a quick way to identify these are the fucks I need to sue when their social justice product, confronted with how the real world works, causes massive harm.
May I please have a list of stuff these engineers have designed so I’m able to avoid them…
The shear load of a truss does not care about your identity. I want engineers who focused on things like math and physics, not identity politics and marxist agitation.
Otherwise you get the world’s longest train tunnel with no air vents.
The air pressure at the front of the train when it’s trying to exit has got to be phenominal.
Oh sorry, I think that’s the end of Atlas Shrugged — before you get to that problem, the engine will selectively out compete everyone’s lungs for available oxygen.
How long would the tunnel need to be to do that? The motion of trains through the tunnel acts as a pump to cycle the air even without ventillation. An inefficient pump, but a lot of the vents are there to relieve the pressure differential created by driving a piston (the train) through the tunnel.
I forget. It was several miles. I never did the math, but it is basically the engine in a sealed-room problem for much of a tunnel that long.
You know who else wanted to engineer social justice for people?
It’s not social justice keeping that bridge from collapsing.
Romanian historian Neagu Djuvara just dies and several people in the office who were fans talk about what a sad thing, but to be fair the guy was 101 he had a good run. And it was decent to the end, he was not hospitalized for years, he was active till past 100
For those of us not versed in Romanian Historians – who was he?
http://www.business-review.eu/news/romanian-historian-neagu-djuvara-dies-aged-101-156529
Is he a vampire now? That’s what happens to the dead in Romania, right?
He died at 101?
Did he wander into the sun or did someone get him with the holy water?
Mina Lust. (Him and me both).
A high-ranking administrator at Yale University recently emailed all fraternities on campus to encourage them to allow women to join.
And “Hell week” takes on a new meaning.
*Evil Dead Voice* Joinnnn Us! Joinnnn Us!
At last it’s the weekend. A phone job interview today, then the Cleveland Winter Beerfest tomorrow. I’m certain any of the beer drinkers here could find something they’d like to try off of this list.
in winter it is cold. You drink either scotch or red wine. Beer is a summer drink.
Porter, Stout, ESB and Scotch Ale are just fine in cold weather.
/clinks pint glasses.
From your past reports You don’t get cold weather.
Not this winter. Other winters it can be cold and snowy.
Although it did get to -9 last night.
Beer is a year round drink. In the winter, I tend towards stouts, porters, barleywines, and dark Belgians. While in the summer, I tend towards wits, light Belgians, blondes, Kolsch, pale ales, and fruit beers.
Besides, it’s warm right now, we’re supposed to be up in the 40’s that day (between 5-10 in your crazy measurements).
Every June I start buying Saisons.
Then a few months later I stop.
its like the name even suggests I am doing it right.
I do prefer red wine for winter time drinking but I had a good vanilla porter at the local snobby pub – Wednesday night is hamburger + a craft Michigan beer for $10.
I see a lot that I’d like to try.
Woman’s smear test cancelled by GP only to see doctor from same NHS surgery when she goes private
Government efficiency!
I found this story somewhat fascinating. The poor, jobless caddy has posted a video wherein he claims that under Decision 26.1/9, he did nothing wrong and the player should not have incurred such an expensive penalty. Any of our resident duffers have an opinion?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/watch-angry-golfer-throws-head-cover-at-caddie-who-cost-him-thousands/
I like the Shooter Mcgavin reaction stuck in the story.
I saw that. What a jerk-douche that golfer is.
People who obsess over golf are annoying. Jesus, listening to them talk and squawk over the course and their scores. Fack’off.
/ducks
The golfer is a douche because he took his frustration out on the wrong guy. The rules official is dead wrong here and the caddy did nothing wrong according to the letter or spirit of the Rule. It’s perfectly acceptable to do what the caddy did and it effectively helps to keep up the pace of play, something touring pros desperately need to do.
It used to drive me nuts as a recreational golfer to watch my fellows play the fool. Save it for the bars, boys, we’re trying to get our Zen on out here. That being said, I did have fisticuffs with my brother on the second hole of our home course, lo those many years ago…
I know I read all that.
I don’t give a shit.
I just wanted to rile golfers up.
/stands and pumps chest out. Deflates quickly breathing heavily while slumped.
This Russia-gate, Mueller, Trump, FBI, whatever investigation actually seems to be steaming along pretty quickly, especially by government standards. Gathering this much evidence of…well…anything this big seems like it would normally take significantly longer.
I asked late in the previous links, but does anyone know a good primer on precious metals collection/investment for beginners? Specifically coins. The Google gods only direct me to sites who are trying to sell the stuff. Looking for recommendations on reputable online precious metal dealers as well.
I got some cool old silvers coins in Afghanistan…but I suppose you don’t want to go there to buy. Look at some of the awesome stuff you can get on-line!
numismatic coins. Noooo.
Coins – as in the old stuff? or Silver or Gold bullion?
I have a few bars of silver – usually end up buying on Ebay from one of the big places like MCM (Modern Coin Mart) or Silvertowne since they have some competitive pricing. Silver American Eagles are also very nice, and from the US Mint instead of the raw bars. They cost a bit more than the spot silver price but may retain their value better as years go by since they “can” become collectible.
Vintage coins? I like Morgan Dollars. Highly recommend the Whitman Red Book – get the latest year – for history, pictures, and coin values. That will give you a better idea of what is valuable and what isn’t. Morgan Dollars are all over in value, ranging from $20-$30 to multi-kilobucks for a low-run Carson City. And things also get trickier here with Chinese fakes, and unscrupulous dealers.
Here’s a list of the places I’ve bought from, perhaps when I have some time I might write an article on investing in /collecting gold and silver, since everyone else seems to be writing something.
Apmex good variety, great customer service, prices are a bit high though.
Jmbullion, good prices, they have a ten oz at spot deal to get new customers, variety is a bit lacking
Bullion exchanges, somewhere in between the two, they also have a deal where you get points for buying stuff would you can use for discounts.
Those are the primary dealers I use.
Check your spare change. Every now and then silver dimes and quarters show up. I found a silver dime in my change not too long ago.
I check the edge of dimes and quarters, and if the side entirely silver colored, I check to see if it is Canadian. Canadians fully clad their copper core coins.
Canada also used silver in their dimes and quarters, but you need to know the dates they used silver. I think they stuck to silver for a little longer than the United States.
The US used silver in nickels during the Second World War. I don’t remember what dates, but I remember once receiving a nickel in change that was one year off. Shit.
US half dollar coins used silver for a while.
I have a lot of my investment capital tied up in brass and lead.
Some gunpowder and some iron/steel to deliver it too?
Oh HELL yes.
I have what a lefty would consider an “arsenal,” meaning more than four firearms. In fact, take that number, multiply by ten, and add a few more.
Four guns isn’t an arsenal, it’s a dabbler. Forty is borderline.
If you can’t equip a full comapny of infantry, you don’t have an arsenal.
What about suiting up 11 lads that are just good enough to never win anything important?
I know nothing about collecting or investing in precious metals.
I have purchased some silver and copper rounds from https://www.providentmetals.com/ and I am a satisfied customer.
Welch went and doubled-down on his bizarre dismissal of the FBI scandal yesterday. For a guy who is usually suspicious of cops, he’s sure quick to shrug off everything going on. Whoever wrote that $200k check is getting their money’s worth.
Imagine this: The FBI, DOJ, Trump, Hillary, Huma, The Podestas are all wiped out by the Mueller fiasco. Would you take it?
Yeah, I’ve seen a bunch of those. Look, I don’t trust the GOP and am waiting for the ‘memo’, but things that happened, that are public record are bad, and shouldn’t be dismissed.
Shouldn’t the fact that the DoJ was able to get the lost messages from the phones themselves at least make him a little uncomfortable after the FBI said they were gone?
Apparently not. In this particular case, the G-men have been completely honest and the domestic spying on a candidate / President-elect was totally justified.
Here’s the thing, TOS is completely married to protecting the sanctity and purity of American democracy. That’s why they go after any story about voter fraud.
Who got a Tektronix Type 561A oscilloscope? This guy. With Type 3A1 dual trace amp in the left bay, and Type 3B1 time base amp in the right bay, and a Type 2A63 differential amp thrown in…
I have a 7000 series, but the power supply just went up into the arms of Jesus.
Is yours one of the 10MHz versions? if so, time to upgrade. If you’re serious, you want at least 100 MHz, with more = better. Cough, cough, 465. Just spotted on on eBay for $110.
Yeah I need to get a scope – been years since I had one. Of course most of the slow tube circuits I work with only require a multi-meter to troubleshoot. But those high gm tubes – RF wonkiness – I’ve been using will make a good scope a necessity.
Well, you also need one for measuring bandwidth, frequency response, overload characteristics (and recovery), and adjusting transformer loads to minimize ringing. Seriously, it’s like working on cars without socket wrenches.
I have to get a manual, not sure what the specs are on it other than a couple of the tubes and the xformer.
From what I can tell, this is the 10MHz, I’m deep in the rabbit hole on gathering info. Uses will be limited to instrument tube amp circuits, and the odd hi-fi amp (tube circuits again). The one dad had in the late 60s-early 70s got completely destroyed in the 1979 flood in the Houston/Friendswood flood.
It was given to me by the future MIL, everything looks good other than dusty, and those resisters are old as fuck. No corroded contacts, and a big old 6AS7G tube next to the PT… pure tube porn. Getting a Fluke DMV next week, so I will fire it up then. She used it in the 60s and 70s for Raytheon related stuff.
DMM, I hate this phone
I used to be pretty good with an o-scope….It’s kind of sad how I used to have a decent background in electronic circuitry and now it’s been so long since I used it that I don’t remember a damned thing about it anymore.
I’m having to start over at square one, haven’t messed with analog circuits since helping my dad on his projects in the 1970s. Messed a little bit with hardware in the 90s, but mainly did network engineering and admin stuff. Then the multiple TBIs on my last active duty stint took it all away lol.
An engineering conference with a focus on social justice will include a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to allow participants a chance to discuss the topics of social justice and constructing a border wall.
Worse than the Nazi forced labor camps!
Proposed law would ban tackle football for anyone under 12 in Illinois.
We can still smear the queer, though, right?
I think that’s called Smash the Fash on schoolyards today.
It’s called ‘tag the fash and then report him to the proper authorities for thought crimes’ now, shitlord
Kids have those over-sized noggins for a reason. Let the children play, sez I.
Libertarianism Should Distance Itself From Progressivism
The core ideas of libertarianism have nothing in common with modern progressivism. – ehm duh?
Modern progressive liberalism has nothing to do with liberty – ehm duh?
Seems obvious, but there are quite a few at TOS who don’t understand this.
They seem angry nobody’s buying their weird cultural Marxism / half-hearted fiscal conservatism shtick any longer. I trust they are still in the DC / NY / LA cocktail circuit.
I’m a libertarian-sociaist!
I’m a libertarian- communist!
I’m left-libertarian.
It’s amazing how the left just expropriates terms and mixes them up without thought to their original meaning or definition.
No, you’re none of those things.
You’re a progressive.
And progressives suck.
Like this? https://youtu.be/wnrdetFAo1o
Libertarian socialism existed long before the American use of the term libertarian, so really its the reverse. Amsoc used to cry about it a lot.
That being said, 90% of those claiming the ‘left-libertarian’ moniker are not. And the other 10% are useful idiots for their fellow travelers, as the anarchists quickly found out in the early Soviet Union.
Amsoc used to cry about it a lot.
In between his defenses of authoritarian communist regimes.
“He’s alt-right! Everyone is alt-right! Nothing outside the culture war- everything within the culture war!”
– ENB
I can’t entirely disagree with the general premise, though I’m not so sure about “tradition” being a pillar of libertarianism either though. Bonus points for the article’s lone, extra-derpy comment:
The mention of tradition is more in line with the conservative Buckley school of thought, but it’s not entirely divorced from all libertarian thought. Deedra McCloskey (I’m sure I misspelled her name) writes about bourgeoisie ethics and the importance of these ethics in a free society. And then there are the early American notions that only a moral people could sustain a free society.
This notion that property rights is not a cornerstone of liberty, though, as the commentator argues, is unbelievably stupid. Not recognizing private property as essential to liberty positions one as more reactionary than the Roman Catholic Church’s economic position, which even holds that private property is essential to individual liberty. The notion that private property is not an essential component is an extraordinarily reactionary position.
The fact that ‘left libertarians’ constantly bring up Stirner, a guy who was completely fine with mob murder (oh, I’m sorry, ‘voluntary socialized murder’) and openly said his ideas would probably cause chaos and mass destruction is hilarious.
you can believe in economically left ideas without the authoritarianism
There is a simple test.
Do I get to keep my property under your system of government without having to face state sanctioned violence?
If yes, then you can (probably) call it libertarian. Maybe you want to work in a socialized collective. That’s fine. As long as I’m not forced to join or give up my rights, then we can get along just fine.
If no, then you cannot call it libertarian. No matter what fancy veneer you cover it with.
To absurdity…. and beyond!
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/01/text-of-university-of-connecticut-speech
***
I gave a speech to a bunch of college leftists arguing against shutting down right-wing speakers, and in favor of robust free speech norms on campus, and not only did nobody heckle me, but nobody even disagreed with me during the Q&A. This confirms my theory about this, which is that it’s largely not that young leftists dislike free speech, it’s that they don’t like being patronizingly lectured about how they Don’t Understand Free Speech by conservatives who haven’t bothered to try to understand what it actually is that young leftists object to. Of course, there are exceptions, and any group of teenagers and early 20-somethings is going to have its share of extreme views, but what I saw last night confirmed my hopefulness about progressive millennials: they are not “coddled snowflakes,” they just care about humane values and object to brutal, selfish, bigoted people who refuse to empathize with those who suffer.
…
So first: this is a somewhat unusual event. I have called it “Ben Shapiro Is Not As Insightful As He Thinks He Is.” I had originally had the subtitle in parentheses “(And Is Actually Kind of A Racist)” but I was told that was a little controversial and I should save it for the lecture itself, so you will shortly be treated to an explanation of why he is a racist.
…
Let me briefly go through the evidence, though I do encourage you to read the full essay. So you can see the bigotry on full display if you look up basically anything he has ever said about Arabs. He has said that, quote, “Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage.” He’s said “The Arab-Israeli conflict may be accurately described as a war between darkness and light. Those who argue against Israeli settlements—outposts of light in a dark territory—argue for the continued victory of night.” Arabs “value murder” while Israelis “value life,” and “where light fails, darkness engulfs.” Arabs are therefore, as an undifferentiated unit, a people of darkness. These are classic ways of dehumanizing entire subpopulation: you suggest that they’re inherently evil, that their opinions spring from their ethnic background, you lump everyone together as poisoned by their group origin rather than evaluating them as individuals. He’s especially vicious toward Palestinian Arabs, who he has called a “population rotten to the core… Palestinian Arabs must be fought on their own terms: as a people dedicated to an evil cause.” Note, again: a people.
…
Well, I don’t think there’s much value in attending an event like Shapiro’s. I know what he’s going to say, because I’ve watched a bunch of his speeches and they’re all the same. In fact, you’re not going to be missing anything by being here, because I can give you a mini version of his entire spiel, which is that leftists are bullies and tyrants who think emotionally rather than rationally and call everything oppression instead of working hard and getting a job and having a wholesome heterosexual Judeo-Christian nuclear family. Okay, there, you’ve had his speech, and we all went. So we’re not plugging our ears, because we’re willing to listen to him, we just listened to him, and I’ve read pretty much every column he’s ever written and listened to interminable hours of his godawful radio show. We just don’t feel like it would be constructive to sit in a room and have this stuff repeated to us for an hour and then have him try to pummel us in the Q&A by making up statistics.
***
here’s the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkvxyI-mDjw
Sounds like he’s having trouble maintaining his British accent.
Bonus- he’s dressed like the Penguin from the old Batman TV show (minus cigarette holder, top hat, and monocle).
See leftists don’t hate free speech, they let me say hateful lies when they agreed with them.
Yeah, let’s ban him, not because he’s a reactionary but because he’s boring. I’ll admit this is a different tack than the usual gnashing of teeth but more insidious.
Am I missing something? How are any of those positions ‘racist’?
I love how the spinning about how the left shuts down speech into ‘no, no! It’s because you people are condescending!’
What bull shit tripe.
Rufus, I can see the argument that Ben Shapiro is indeed a collectivist in some of his views (but to an extent, we all generalize IYSWIDTAITYD).
I can see that too….but he’s stretching it.
Not to mention that it’s the Palestinian Arabs themselves who are forever prattling on about how they love death more than the Israelis love life.
The event, according to its website, is open to those who want “to help deconstruct our historical and current engineering practices” and that are interested in talking about ideas that run counter to the status quo.
“That bridge we built in class with popsicle sticks and monofilament fishing line will easily work in a full scale application. And it’s Earth friendly.”
Like using mathematics, and testing materials and the like?
“It’s not important that the bridge remain standing, it’s important that it expresses inclusion and the full spectrum of gender identities.”
/SocJus ‘Engineer’
All of the Physics Gurus has a sad…
CNN mocked after declaring cuckolding can be a positive for certain couples
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/01/25/cnn-mocked-after-declaring-cuckolding-can-be-positive-for-certain-couples.html
***
Jeff Zucker’s CNN continues to grow stranger by the day and is now being mocked across social media for publishing an article declaring that cuckolding can be positive.
The bizarre piece starts off by explaining that “the term ‘cuck’ — short for ‘cuckservative’ — has become an insult of the so-called alt-right, aimed at men they view as spineless and emasculated.” Cuckold is defined as “the husband of an adulteress.”
However, CNN seemingly doesn’t think cuckolding would be so bad.
Citing a study by David Ley, Justin Lehmiller and controversial writer Dan Savage, CNN notes that cuckolding can actually be a “positive experience” for certain couples. The study also notes that cuckolding is “hardly a sign of weakness,” despite the fact that the abbreviated version is essentially a modern slur for someone showing weakness.
Savage, whom CNN treats as an expert on cuckolding, has a reputation for being an advocate of morally debased rhetoric. In the past, the LGBT activist has said he wished all Republicans were “dead,” wished oral cancer on Sarah Palin, encouraged students to “ignore” the Bible and has made a variety of controversial remarks about sexuality and the transgender community.
Savage’s study cited by CNN is headlined, “The Psychology of Gay Men’s Cuckolding Fantasies,” and used a “large and diverse” sample of 580 gay men.
While the study focuses on gay men, the CNN story features an image of a presumed female with two presumed men.
***
So Cucking is gay? /asking for a friend
Not “Gay- gay”. Just a farmer that would rather watch someone else plow his back forty.
It is definitely some serious Beta shit.
Kim Jong Un’s slush fund running out of fuel after numerous missile, nuclear tests, report says
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/01/26/kim-jong-uns-slush-fund-running-out-fuel-after-numerous-missile-nuclear-tests-report-says.html
***
Kim Jong Un’s trigger-happy antics have nearly depleted a critical slush fund the North Korean despot uses to run his isolated country — and the Hermit Kingdom’s participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics is merely a scheme to refill his coffers, according to a report.
Two Chinese sources with ties to top North Korean government officials told Radio Free Asia that Kim has nearly exhausted his slush fund due to missile and nuclear weapon and tests, as well as vanity projects, such as the much-publicized Masikryong Ski Resort.
“Due to Kim Jong Un’s extravagant spending, the slush fund from his father, Kim Jong Il, is running out,” one of the sources told the news agency. “It won’t be easy to control North Korea’s high-level executives, who are [cunning] like raccoons.”
The source said he is “well-acquainted” with Office No. 39, a shadowy organization under the ruling North Korean Workers’ Party that generates up to a billion dollars annually for Kim and his cronies through illicit activities, including counterfeiting and drug production.
***
I get a feeling North Korea is a self-correcting problem.
Too bad. Trump’s about to nuke the Norks. Assuming Guam doesn’t tip over first.
Our friends are holding a vodka tasting party tomorrow. To get in the spirit I’m going in an Adidas tracksuit as a typical Russian. My wife dug out a pair of fuck-me pumps and got a fur coat from the Salvation Army store. Kids will be at the grandparents for the night. How do you saying ‘winning’ in Russian?
выигрыш.
That’s not how you spell Pizda..
Are you casting aspersions on Google Translate? You are casting aspersions on Google Translate!
Are they going to add a transliterate function to it? A translate is of no use if I don’t understand the alphabet.
Beats me. I’m not Google, although I may be Tulpa.
1. No taste.
2. No taste.
3. No taste.
4. No taste.
I have prepared your notes for you.
Clearly your taste buds have been destroyed, because there is a difference in flavor between vodkas.
It’s not substantial enough to warrent shelling out top shelf prices, but it is there.
Yes, I know there is a difference, which is why the Brita filter trick works.
But Vodka is probably the most neutral flavored of the liquors, hence the joke.
Pretty much this. The upscale Vodkas are just cleaner with less nasty aftertaste.
Cheap vodka: How to fool taste buds
It’s really just a chance to get together and close out the series of tastings we’ve done already; whiskey/bourbon/scotch, rum, and tequila.
I’m trying to figure out which of those is mis-spelled, because you didn’t list “gin” anywhere.
Gin tastes of twigs, no need to try various types of twigs.
I enjoy the taste of Pine-Sol.
With some vermouth and olive juice.
1. Tastes like rubbing alcohol
2. Tastes less like rubbing alcohol
3. Tastes more like rubbing alcohol
4. This is rubbing alcohol
Oh, so you were at a whiskey panel?
white lightning, actually
Man reunited with car 20 years after forgetting where he parked
http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/11/21/man-reunited-with-car-20-years-after-forgetting-where-parked.html
***
A German man took parking lot forgetfulness to a whole new level — misplacing his Volkswagen for 20 years.
The unidentified 76-year-old reported to Frankfurt police back in 1997 that his Passat had been pilfered, but it turns out he had merely forgotten where he parked the car, the Augsburger Allgemeine reported.
He was finally reunited with the long-lost automobile, which was found rusting away in the garage of an industrial building slated to be demolished.
Police were able to track down the owner and reunite him with the vehicle, according to the news outlet.
Unfortunately for the man, though, the car was in no shape to provide Fahrvergnügen — or “driving enjoyment,” as described in an old ad campaign — and was sent to the junkyard to be scrapped.
***
What was his total garage fee?
Did they want him to pay his property taxes on the car too?
I forgot your savage corner of the northeast cesspit taxes owning movable chattels as well as land.
Does Germany have a property tax on cars?
I had a semi-roommate like this once. He used to go out and get shitfaced, and wake up the next morning and be like “I don’t remember where I left my car.” And I don’t mean whether he left it at bar A or bar B…for him it was like “somewhere between Miami and Atlanta”. Usually it would take him several days to find it.
IMF: Venezuela inflation will increase 13,000% this year
***
Venezuela’s inflation will soar 13,000 percent this year, though other Latin American countries have much better economic prospects, the International Monetary Fund said in a revised forecast Thursday.
The increase — 130 times greater than last year — is more than five times the inflation previously projected by IMF.
Last year, price increases were 2,400 percent — the biggest in the world.
The IMF wrote in the report that the rise is “fueled by monetary financing of large fiscal deficits and the loss of confidence in the nation’s currency.”
President Nicolas Maduro’s government has attempted to control inflation by refusing to loosen foreign-exchange controls and price caps that have increased the short supply of all sorts of products, including food to medicine.
***
Behold the ravages of state capitalism.
Urge to kill rising…
Here’s an interview claiming that craft beer is doing well because of the regulations. Things missing from this story:
1) The state to state nature of the regulations (and the clear evidence that the craft beer business is bigger in less regulated markets)
2) The three tier system does not prevent vertical monopolies in the beer world (AB-InBev basically bought the entire harvest of SA hops last year)
3) The “big guys” can easily open a tap room in most states, but there’s no need for them to, that’s not their target market.
Dumbest quote:
I’m just hoping the site is satire and I’m missing something, instead of suggesting people get in before the bubble bursts instead of buying up the assets of companies that fail when the bubble bursts.
I have seen others claim the regulations are good for the industry, but that is just fucking stupid.
For example, it is very clear that craft does better in states that allow self-distribution, even if its limited.
Well I was told that regulations don’t matter, because free markets will still prevail. Like coal, for example. It’s demise had absolutely nothing to do with onerous regulations and mandates requiring electric companies to move away from coal. No sir. It was ‘free markets’!
A cursory Google can’t find the figures, but I am willing to bet money there is more coal produced in the US in the year 2017 then there was in the year 2016.
I got production stats for 2016 here but the numbers for 2017 don’t appear to be out yet.
I don’t doubt it. What I was saying is that the decline in domestic coal consumption (which has declined) is not solely due to the cheaper cost of natural gas, which Bailey contends based upon a single analysis. Electric companies began to transition away from coal after the federal government began to implement domestic mandates. The capital costs required to move from coal to natural gas are not offset by the relative cheaper cost of natural gas at this particular moment, especially considering that these prices fluctuate.
Worst business advice ever.
Ohio is looking to create laws to tax and regulate people who offer their homes for people to stay in. Pushed by the hotel industry of course to make things “fair”. Of course there was no discussion of just not taxing and regulating the hotels to make it fair.
do it now rather than wait for the bubble to burst and start your business on the other side of it
The classic “buy high, sell low” strategy.
https://twitter.com/SohrabAhmari/status/956686692982906881
What’s more pathetic than a Trump sycophant? Your average person in the media who was an even bigger sycophant for the previous president
Florida deputy asks horse to stop fleeing down road
***
A Florida sheriff’s office shared video of a deputy pulling his vehicle up next to a runaway horse and pleading with it to stop running in the road.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office posted a video to Facebook showing the deputy talking out his window Wednesday to try to get the horse to stop running down the road in the Hudson area.
“Can you stop?” the deputy asks, “please?”
The sheriff’s office said the “one horse power” pursuit came to an end when the deputy and an Ag Unit were able to corral the horse into a subdivision where it was safe from traffic.
The horse was returned to its owners uninjured.
***
Wish more cop stories ended this way.
They should call that horse Lucky.
“The equine perpetrator refused to follow instructions, causing the deputy to fear for his life.”
anatomically modern human brains are only 35,000 years old
***
Researchers measured the endocasts of a variety of Homo sapien specimens, from ancient to modern. The measurements reveal a gradual transition from an elongated endocranial shape to a more globular brain.
Only fossils younger than 35,000 years feature a globular braincase shape similar to those found among of modern humans.
The transformation was associated with two cerebral processes, parietal and cerebellar bulging. Parietal systems are essential orientation, attention, perception, motor control, self-awareness, memory and more. The cerebellum assists with motor-related functions, in addition to powering spatial processing, decision making, language and social cognition.
***
Fake news
/creationist
Super woke Guggenheim official totally burns Trump!
Way down in the story, it says that it is common for Presidents to borrow art from museums for the White House, so I guess Trump wasn’t being too boorish when he asked for the painting.
If I was Trump, I would be making sure whoever was running the NEA now was revoking any federal funding that the Guggenheim received.
Wait. If I was Trump I’d be defunding the NEA completely.
If i were donald I’d have it installed and invite the Press. Then i would drop trou and drop a giant fast-food deuce whilst holding up two “okay” signs. After all of the camera flashes died down, I wouldn’t wipe, stand up proudly and announce that I was sending the fucking thing back to the Guggenheim.
Also, take them up on the offer of the golden commode. Install it by the White House gates as a free public toilet. Assign 24/7 guard and cleaning detail to growing list of FBI personnel found to be working against POTUS.
You know, one of the things you find when you look a little too closely at our cultural elites is how closely their behavior resembles snide high school students. The curator of the Guggenheim is making gold toilet jokes aimed at the president. That’s not sophisticated or insightful. That’s a tow-bit mean girl playing the queen bee by insulting someone less popular in her crowd.
This story reminded me of a movie I’d seen years ago on cable. This professor had taken this lower class girl under his wing. She went back to college because “she wanted to learn a better song to sing” (her words). The long and short of it is that they meet up some years later and she’s one of these snide, presumptuous elites. His response to her stuck with me – “Found a culture, have you, Rita? Found a better song to sing, have you? No–you have found a different song, that’s all. And on your lips it’s shrill and hollow and tuneless.”
I think much the same could be said of much of our intellectual and cultural elite.
“You know, one of the things you find when you look a little too closely at our cultural elites is how closely their behavior resembles snide high school students.”
You nailed it Bill: it’s a clique. These people live under the delusion they are the smart and capable ones, and if it was not for their guidance, all the plebes would basically be living in Somalia. When some boorish dude like Trump barrels into their China shop and proceeds to make them look like the credentialed marxist elitist douchebags they really are, a simple task considering their ineptness and attitude that when things go wrong it was because they didn’t marxist it hard enough, it pisses them off royally and results in this spoiled child rebellion they know will raise their creds with like-minded morons.
I mean, at the end of the day it’s them that actually owns an 18K gold, fully functioning interactive toilet entitled “America”. That’s a really sophomoric, boorish piece of “art” and it’s not Donald Trump who thinks it’s cool and worthy of admiration and actually ponied up money for it, but the elitist douchebags who are trying to ridicule him. Trump’s response should just be “no, I guess I have better taste in art than you.”
It was an Italian “artist” who made it – so Eurotrash sneering at the success of America.
And wealthy, coastal elites who happily snapped it up, I guess. Contemporary art is stupid.
I’d be curious to how if the Goog has responded to other Presidential requests for art. Have they granted them all? Suggested alternatives for anyone else?
I actually kind of get turning down a request for a van Gogh – its probably on display and is one of their marquee pieces. Naturally, the toilet is just insulting, and I’m sure there was much sniggering and “You go, girl” when the response went out.
I’m sure there was much sniggering and “You go, girl” when the response went out.
I’m absolutely sure you’re exactly right. And think about it,. isn’t it basically the same “You go, girl” you’d hear expressed you’d hear expressed when Heather glued Cindy’s locker shut because that bitch was talking to Michelle’s boyfriend?
One positive thing about the #MeToo movement is that it has completely exposed Garrison Keillor as an asshole.
Other MPR employee *Grumbles* Garrison gets all the strange. Not Okay!
You’d have to be strange to want to see Keillor naked. (not really)
EPA loosens regulatory standards for certain ‘major’ sources of pollution
***
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday eliminated a policy dictating how certain major sources of hazardous air pollutants are regulated.
William Wehrum, head of the EPA’s air office, issued regulatory guidance to repeal the agency’s “once in, always in” policy which states that a “major source” of pollution will always be regulated as such.
Under the new interpretation of the policy, “major sources” can be reclassified as “area sources,” which are subject to different standards, when their emissions reach an enforceable limit.
Wehrum said the policy the EPA followed since 1995 was based on an incorrect interpretation of the Clean Air Act.
“This guidance is based on a plain language reading of the statute that is in line with EPA’s guidance for other provisions of the Clean Air Act,” he said. “It will reduce regulatory burden for industries and the states, while continuing to ensure stringent and effective controls on hazardous air pollutants.”
***
Sportz braz.
http://archive.is/1SHHo
Can’t wait to GTFO and back inland.
Orgy
Venezuela’s inflation will soar 13,000 percent this year
Janet Yellin has a boner.
Cars: Subprime Lending Is Even More Bizarre Than You Imagined
Drug Dealing is a business. Someone who’s good at it will be receptive to a thing or two about regular finance.
Wait, you mean I was a fool to pay mine off?
That does line up with what my mortgage officer said. “We don’t want your house, we want your money.” Admittedly this was before the loan had even been finalized and he didn’t know how much I pay down principle whenever possible.
As it was explained to me, this is part of the reason that you can get a better interest rate on a car loan from a dealership then from a bank (last car loan I took was ~2.5 % at the dealership vs. ~7.5% at the bank). If the dealership has to repo the car, they generally have an infrastructure in place to sell the used vehicle, while the bank does not. And if this is incorrect, I expect you fine people here to correct me.
Well, there’s also the fact that the dealership infrastructure has the baked in “cash value” profit margin, and the bank has to make it’s decision almost entirely on the returns for the loan. Without that, there’s no way the dealer gives me a 0% loan (the best the bank could do was 2.4%). I’m pretty sure it’s not a univariate issue leading to that rate.
I’ve gotten credit union rates that were consistently better than the dealer rate, although only by 2 tenths of a percent. The dealers are typically using a bank or credit union for financing.
Smelly capitalists, spreading the wealth! There oughtta be a Law!
“even pay extra money toward the principal”
If you make a car loan, don’t you sell some of those loans that later get bundled into a CDO? Why would you want someone who pays down principal faster than the maturity schedule?
Wouldn’t you prefer someone who makes regular payments in the amount outlined in the loan? Wouldn’t that be ideal?
When dealing with sketchy loans, the longer the loan is active, the higher chance that it will fall into arrears. Getting the principle paid off plus whatever interest payments were made means you got your money back.
I can’t speak to the volume of loans that particular company can offload, but they don’t sound like the kind of place that does, especially if they do their own repo work.
My bank, however, offloaded more or less right away and then sent me an ad for refinancing in hopes of selling the same loan again (at the expense of the loan aggregator)
Got it. It’s subprime loans. I guess reading is not my strong suit
Faster payment reduces risk to the loaner and gives them cash to loan again.
It is a win-win.
Depends on what kind of market we’re talking about and where the lender’s cash comes from. If I’m lending cash that I have on hand from a bond that I sold, then I have to make sure that I’m covering the interest on the bond using the interest I’ve made from my borrowers. In that case, I can actually lose a substantial amount of money if a borrower prepays their loans. On large long term loans to commercial companies, I’d charge a prepayment fee because I wouldn’t want to see my net interest margin squeezed.
“She just works for a company that’s one of the biggest subprime lenders in the country, with offices in several states. By the time a dealer calls them for a loan, they’ve already tried every traditional bank and credit union in their Rolodex.”
In other words, they loan money to people who can’t qualify for credit anywhere else.
It’s funny. If someone opens a low cost grocery store in a poor neighborhood, it’s seen as morally good, or at least neutral. Same with a discount clothing store, a used book store. Or at least to most people, barring your rabid idiot progs.
But even otherwise politically moderate people get all up in their Marxism when it comes to subprime lenders. Apparently once someone is poor and/or fucks up their credit, they just shouldn’t be allowed to borrow money ever again. Or actually their preferred solution is that banks be forced to lend to subprime borrowers at prime rates, because feels.
And of course the preferred effect of their policy is that people go to organized criminal groups to borrow money. Brilliant.
1, Mark Baum is a real person and that’s a terrible way to express that the quote might not be from but the movie version.
2. They aim for 2-3% repossession rate, are pretty disciplined about not over-lending and provide loans to people who literally cannot get a loan anywhere else. How is this screwing anybody over?
Can we crowdfund to get these two plane tickets to switch places?
Always fun when young American communist-sympathisers argue in favor of communism against people living under its yoke.
I normally loathe neologisms, but “wokesplaining” might be my new favorite word.
They literally believe that the entire value of entire countries derives from the values, intentions, etc of the man in charge of said country.
I’m sure it’s not the actual definition of fascism, but whatever.
http://warisboring.com/russia-puts-the-worlds-biggest-bomber-back-into-production/
***
Moscow can make do with the upgraded Tu-160M2 for its strategic bomber force because unlike the U.S. Air Force, the Russian air force does not expect the massive aircraft to penetrate into enemy airspace to deliver its payload. Instead, the Tu-160 — which is capable of speeds of over Mach 2.0 — would dash into position to launch long-range standoff cruise missiles.
As such, stealth is not considered to be particularly important. Indeed, one of the advantages of a highly visible strategic bomber is that it enables nuclear signaling.
***
I’m guessing the advantage of a stealth bomber is greater accuracy since it can get closer to the target. But in nuclear war, the targets are generally city-sized, so extra accuracy is not much of a benefit.
My point is, the question should be: what is the cheapest way to deliver a warhead? Then put money into that.
The arms agreements with Russia put a cap on the number of warheads, but is there a good reason to maintain a triad similar to theirs?
For less than the cost of the nuclear submarine fleet, you could build a large number of surface ships armed with nuclear cruise missiles. They’d be more vulnerable, but also harder to counter because of greater numbers.
On the whole, I think swarm tactics work better than stealth.
Land-based missiles stationed in friendly countries near Russia and China would work even better, but of course they would shit bricks about that and try to do the same thing to us.
Different strategic choices. Leaving aside the whole “pilots rule the Air Force, so they always want new and shiny toys”
The US is the world hegemon, the Rome or the Britain of our time. The B-2’s stealth abilities are useful there because it gives more flexibility. If you get a Serbia situation again and you want to slip through the air defenses and bomb General Radobosivicjs headquarters to just kill the mad dog without killing your way through the Serbian air defenses and fighter pilots, the B-2 gives you that option. Those Operation Killer Ninja type poll boosters/wag the dog work a lot better with stealth warplanes, because you can bomb the wogs without any dead Americans. Then you look like a cool badass movie President who says things like “mission is a go General. Give ’em hell” from the Situation Room. But that only works if you don’t lose any bombers or people.
Also cultural differences. The US is big on expending things, not people. Platform survivability is big time in everything they do. The Russians certainly care about that, you don’t throw away people for nothing, but it’s lower on the priority. Given identical resources, the US will produce the one super stealthy bomber with 2 crewmen, and the Russians will produce 5 bombers with four crew each, and accept that they will probably lose a couple on the way in. The Tu-95 in the Cold War were these giant propeller driven planes that in the war would have flown across the North Atlantic looking for convoys and carrier groups. They would have used ELINT and radar to find the convoys, and they probably would have found the carrier groups by getting shot down by Tomcats.
Or…or…and I know this sounds crazy, but maybe the Europeans can counter the threat to Russia, since it is more of their problem than ours
Eh, I don’t think it does much good to kill a high-ranking enemy leader.
The US killed Admiral Yamamoto in 1942 and the war dragged on.
The US killed bin laden in 2011 and there’s more terrorism than ever.
It’s just not possible to win a war against a determined enemy without killing, wounding, or capturing a large portion of their total force.
Of course, it’s good for morale that the US military goes to such great lengths to protect its troops, but the goal of war is to win. Coming back alive is a bonus, but it’s not the objective.
By saying that casualties are unacceptable, the US is basically saying “we will never go to war with Iran, North Korea, Russia, or China”.
Who said anything about winning a war? The last war the US government fought with the goal of winning the war was WWII. Arguably Korea, if you think the strategic goal was status quo antebellum and not a postwar rationalization. The US doesn’t fight to win wars anymore. The “limited” “surgical” strikes are all about weak men and women feel strong because they can order killing at a distance. You look at a LBJ, a Clinton, a W, an Obama, the forestalled plans of Hillary, they’re all about demonstrating that they are Real Strong Leaders by getting involved in wars that involve little or no advantage to the country. They are Fredos, a President should be a Michael.
If you look at how Reagan wielded military force, you see a self-confident man with nothing to prove to anybody. He had a firm grasp of reality and didn’t try to run the show from the White House. He pulls out of Lebanon following the Marine barracks bombing, because there is no strategic advantage for the US in Lebanon. A weaker man doubles down on a bad bet. Grenada is over very quickly, because he has a clear objective and orders the military to achieve it in line with military principles, not political ones. The Tanker War is fought with a very clear strategic goal and run by the military professionals.
So long story short- if the leaders are shitty, the military will be shitty.
Makes sense.
Or more accurately:
If the leaders decide the priority is to minimize US casualties, the military will make that the priority.
Yeah. The war in Afghanistan is unwinnable under the current “strategy” because the enemy has a safe haven and a friendly government in Pakistan. If you’re not willing to actually remove that safe haven, through either political/diplomatic means or through military force, then it’s literally impossible to win, because there is also not the logistical pipeline to deploy enough soldiers to interdict the transit routes from the Tribal Territories into Afghanistan.
This isn’t some kind of high level esoteric strategy. This is warfare 101. If the enemy has a secure base, you need to take it away from him (see the end of the Tamil insurgency in Sri Lanka), or cut his logistic pipeline (see how the great Japanese base at Rabaul was isolated and left do die on the vine). If you cannot do that, you cannot win. If you cannot do that, you shouldn’t be fighting.
Hell, look at big bad scary ISIS going down like a three dollar whore once Trump took Mattis off the leash. Crazy how quickly these supposed “invincible guerrillas” get stomped into paste when a well supplied conventional military is allowed to actually wage war on them.
By saying that casualties are unacceptable, the US is basically saying “we will never go to war with Iran, North Korea, Russia, or China”
I disagree. I believe casualties are unacceptable for our side if at all avoidable. If a war is important enough to fight, then it’s total war. An enemy’s population should be turned to ash before risking a single US solider. We could choose to end the existence of Iran or North Korea without a single American causality if we ever went to war with them. If the war isn’t worth that, then I don’t think the issue was worth going to war over.
I’d also add that the fact Iran or North Korea continuously provoke America and risk war when we have that capability, just shows how absurd diplomacy on the world stage has become over the past several decades.
Susan Rice haz a sad
The Russians, too, have preyed on our divisions, interfering in the 2016 presidential election; they reportedly continue to amplify false news stories on social media that stoke fear of “the other.” This is how Russia reached and likely influenced voters with messages that magnify mutual hostility and favor particular candidates.
Our divisions impede our ability to defend against foreign adversaries. Two of the three congressional investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election are foundering over partisan efforts to distract from mounting evidence supporting the intelligence community’s high confidence that such meddling occurred. The special counsel, Robert Mueller, and the F.B.I. have also been subjected to outrageous and dishonest assaults on their integrity and professionalism.
———–
Now, with midterm elections just nine months away and the Russians seemingly undeterred, neither the administration nor Congress has taken discernible action to reduce our vulnerability to electoral interference. There appears little prospect that our leaders are ready to “put country over party,” even to confront the most serious foreign threat to our democracy since World War II.
————-
We lack civil discourse across ideological boundaries, such that college professors issue trigger warnings and students seek to block campus speakers whose views they find noxious. And now we have a president who fuels political, racial and religious fissures from the White House bully pulpit and gives comfort to white nationalists. Worse, many of his congressional allies serially defend or ignore his behavior.
Sounds like somebody is thinking about making a play for the 2020 race. A uniter, not a divider; also, Woman of Color superpowers! Get on board, America!
Benghazi, anyone? Bueller, Bueller?
Let’s reignite that Cold War peeps, since the last one was so much fun.
Well, gee whiz, if Russia was such a threat, why didn’t ANYONE in the Obama administration think so around 2012?
Shorter channel 5 morning news in SF:
“New allegations of President Trump being a baby-eating monster worse than Satan.”
He’s been made the Bishop of Bath and Wells?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/01/26/the-doomsday-clock-just-moved-again-its-now-two-and-a-half-minutes-to-midnight/?utm_term=.85d43e0c0b7a
***
The Doomsday Clock just advanced, ‘thanks to Trump’: It’s now just 2½ minutes to ‘midnight.’
It’s now 2 ½ minutes to “midnight,” according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which warned Thursday that the end of humanity may be near.
The group behind the famed Doomsday Clock announced at a news conference that it was adjusting the countdown to the End of it All by moving the hands 30 seconds closer to midnight — the closest the clock has been to Doomsday since 1953, after the United States tested its first thermonuclear device, followed months later by the Soviet Union’s hydrogen bomb test.
In announcing that the Doomsday Clock was moving 30 seconds closer to the end of humanity, the group noted that in 2016, “the global security landscape darkened as the international community failed to come effectively to grips with humanity’s most pressing existential threats, nuclear weapons and climate change.”
But the organization also cited the election of President Trump in changing the symbolic clock.
“Making matters worse, the United States now has a president who has promised to impede progress on both of those fronts,” theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss and retired Navy Rear Adm. David Titley wrote in a New York Times op-ed on behalf of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. “Never before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of the statements of a single person. But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter.”
…
The group noted that the “climate change outlook was somewhat less dismal — but only somewhat.”
Notably, the bulletin added: “This already-threatening world situation was the backdrop for a rise in strident nationalism worldwide in 2016, including in a US presidential campaign during which the eventual victor, Donald Trump, made disturbing comments about the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons and expressed disbelief in the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change.”
***
The WaPo: All the news that’s fit to shit your pants about.
Climate change, huh? Have they found all the missing warming yet?
Does anyone actually take the “Doomsday Clock” seriously?
It hasn’t been this “close to midnight” since 1953, when the US and Russia were testing bigger and bigger nukes left and right and we were more at less at war in Korea. It didn’t come close to being this close to midnight during the Cuban Missile Crisis, where it should’ve been around 30 seconds to midnight.
What the fuck is actually scientific about a clock whose arms are moved arbitrarily?
The keyboards in my office are really loud.
IBM clicky keyboards?
Because those are awesome.
/click /click /click. What?
Clicky keyboards are superior. They also can cut down on conference calls being put on speakerphone.
Yup. I really only bought a clicky keyboard in order to annoy my officemates. I learned on a manual typewriter and already make a lot of noise on a membrane by striking keys hard. This new one sounds like a swarm of mechanical beetles gnawing the flesh off roadkill.
What brand?
See RC Dean’s link below.
I learned on a manual typewriter as well. It conditioned my pinkies to be able to snap down hard enough to leave a mark (I was 7 or 8 at the time), a reflex I still have after many years of typing.
I’m an Azio guy, myself.
That is exactly the one I have.
Contemplate our connection.
*Writes suicide note, throws self out window. Lands awkwardly in courtyard outside of first floor office.*
My buddy got obsessed with tactility and insists on red switches. I much prefer membrane keyboards.
I have had a great deal of difficulty with membrane keyboards – especially their (lack of) durability. I got tired of replacing them and invested in a mechanical keyboard – which has survived long enough to have been the cheaper option all along.
All too often, cheap turns out to be expensive in the long run.
Unless, like me, you have a habit of baptizing your keyboard with whatever alcoholic swill you happen to be drinking.
My keyboard (see above) is actually spillproof.
The mechanical keyboards are more durable for that as well. After the spill, rinse it out with water, let dry, and the keyboard should be good. Any keys that do stick you can work through just by using them.
/knows from personal experience.
ewwwww /teenage girl
The keyboard on my current rig is the only piece left from the build I had in 2003. Aside from needing a cleaning there is nothing wrong with it.
I’ve got two mechanicals, one at home (a Corsair K70) and a Code 104-key at work. I prefer the Corsair’s Cherry MX Red switches to the Clear switches on the work one, but the work one is definitely more obnoxious. No click on either, but the Clears have a “bump” that the Reds don’t. The one advantage I’ve found is that I’m less likely to accidentally hit a key I don’t mean to hit on the Clears, but I’m more likely to miss a letter, especially if there are two in sequence. With the Reds, it’s really easy to accidentally hit keys if I’m typing, but for gaming it’s great.
*This* is CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/25/health/cuckolding-sex-kerner/index.html
Hey Sloop my anniversary is this weekend as well. Congrats!
Excelsior! The wolves devour each other.
Professor: White people who do yoga guilty of ‘power, privilege, and oppression’
https://www.thecollegefix.com/post/41333/
***
A professor of religious studies at Michigan State University recently argued that white people who practice yoga are guilty of enjoying a “system of power, privilege, and oppression.”
To truly honor yoga, writes Michigan State University professor Shreena Gandhi, white Americans should understand its history, acknowledge the cultural appropriation they engage in, and possibly reduce the cost of yoga classes for poor people, a group that often includes people of color and “recent immigrants, such as Indian women to whom this practice rightfully belongs.”
Gandhi, in an article she recently co-authored, argued yoga as it’s practiced in America today is an extension of white supremacy and the “yoga industrial complex.”
“Yoga became — and remains — a practice which allows western practitioners to experience the idea of another culture while focusing on the self,” wrote Gandhi and co-author Lillie Wolff, a self-described “antiracist white Jewish organizer, facilitator and healer” who is passionate about “decolonizing” yoga.
***
Yoga pants on a hot chick though – totally cool.
What this means for elections in the future is rather depressing.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/opinion-columns/wayne-allyn-root/commentary-looming-scandal-will-hammer-the-democrats/
He’s way too optimistic. Nothing will happen if and when the FISA memo is released.
You’re too pessimistic, at the very least it could put the Russia nonsense to bed for all but the most deluded, at the most God knows, we’ll just have to wait and see. There won’t be jail time for any major figures though.
Badass young lady makes a sammich for her (fat, lazy, neck-bearded, Mountain Dew-swilling) detractors…at the South Pole.
Much classier response than engaging with the trolls and trying to make them unemployable.
You can’t really argue with someone who has skied to the South Pole. She kind of wins by default.
Posted last night, here’s the Morning Link, Glib Dogs!
Melon Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZcPu5p2uxg&t=9s
Bonus Question, Who is Mikey? Tundra failed last night and He has detailed files
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Way cool. Thanks.
So Michael Wolff suggests that Nikki Haley slept her way to the top. Crickets from the media, of course.
Imagine the reaction if a conservative author stated that Kamala Harris slept her way to the top. Which, unlike Haley, she actually did.
If I were Michael Wolff (whoever the fuck that is), I’d go into hiding. Nikki Haley is not to be trolled.
Nikki Haley is probably my favorite Trump appointee (it’s either her or DeVos).
Wolff is the dude that wrote the truthy book “Fire and Fury”.
Truth-based.
No love for Ajit Pai? Racist.
Nikki Haley is a woman AND an Indian-American. Pai is a cis white male.
AND an Indian-American
Goddamn, how did I miss that? I really had no idea.
Also, Trump has more than one token Indian in his administration? RACISSSSSSST!!!!
Her progressive detractors accuse her of hiding her Indian-ness. Her birth name was Nimrata Randhawa. Nikki is the nickname her family called her by as a child, and Haley is her married name.
I don’t have anything against Haley, but her foreign policy is absolutely no different from George W. Bush’s foreign policy. You must have been a big Bush fan too.
Well, I hear JB does like seventies porn.
They were one of my favorite bands in the 90s.
I don’t think Trump could ever bag a class act like Haley (although, she is blood thirsty neocon)
Who believes this bullshit? Seriously. You’d have to put an actual effort to evade facts to arrive at that conclusion. Haley was a rising star, a Tea Party darling, in the GOP who was a sitting state governor before moving to the U.N. The U.N. job wasn’t some sort of big promotion. Also, she’d been critical of Trump in the primaries.
Again, what the actual fuck? Has the country’s social and cultural leadership ever gotten out of high school? Because that’s where this sort of thing belongs.
Remember when Trump made a somewhat suggestive remark about Sen. Gillibrand?
If this dude wasn’t dead and I was British and there was direct voting for Prime Minister, I’d totally vote for him
Well, I’ve been told you can accomplish anything if you just put your mind to it. So, get to putting your mind to it!
+1 jar of coffee and took some of these.
Cuomo plans to extend NY free tuition program to ‘Dreamers’
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=10436
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s FY ’19 budget proposal calls for a state-level “Dream Act” that would make illegal immigrants eligible for the state’s new free-tuition program.
The Excelsior Program allows all New York residents with a family income of $110,000 or lower to attend any SUNY or CUNY institution with absolutely no tuition bill.
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But this isn’t about buying votes. Good heavens, no!
People Andy wants to give free Tuition to:
Inmates
Illegal Aliens.
People Andy wants to drive out of the state:
Conservatives
Gun Owners
Taxpayers.
Well, he also wants people earning more money than he thinks they deserve to leave the state as well, but unfortunately most of them have nowhere to go (Connecticut and New Jersey aren’t any better).
If you want to be left alone, you must move to a state with few people. This generally means living in a state with terrible weather such as Wyoming or Nevada.
The rural areas of blue states may also be sufficiently free.
illegal immigrants eligible for the state’s new free-tuition program.
As we noted yesterday, this is likely felony harboring of illegal aliens. It would be interesting to see the reaction to, say, a memo from the NY AUSA noting that fact and that a legislator who votes for it could be aiding and abetting and thus exposed to prosecution.
Does anyone actually take the “Doomsday Clock” seriously?
But TRUMPLESTILTSKIN is the literal personification of doom.
Even scientists who are strong advocates of global warming theory don’t believe it represents an EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO MANKIND. That’s ridiculous.
Who are these scientists of which you speak?
https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/956672237033213952
“Oh my God, you want border security? Clearly you’re a white supremacist. Also, everyone who disagrees with me is a Russian bot. I’m a journalist!”
Some of those commenters are going on about how the bonuses from businesses are just ‘PR’. Like that eliminates the fact that people are getting more money. And they think the middle class are paying more in taxes, which if I remember right it’s the rich blue staters who are getting hosed. And those people have constantly asked for their taxes to be raised.
Washington state works on a law to ban selling electronics without replaceable batteries. So if this becomes law, no more iPhones, Pixels, Surfaces, Kindles, and many more items.
It seems to be a race among the various blue governors to see who is the most retarded (and therefore presidential) lately.
Vote for me in 2020, I did some really dumb shit!
I used to get upset over this kind of stupidity. Can’t they see how this is going to backfire?
Nowadays, I realize that “there-oughta-be-a-law” is a basically a reflex, no different than a pupil constricting from light.
Stimulus, response. Thinking takes effort, so most people run on autopilot.
This is all focus group bullshit.
Take issue of the minute, run focus group of hipster retards and soccer moms for suggestions, craft legal response.
“the lost text messages have been recovered. ”
I thought the NSA had all this shit?
Just your sexts.
That would certainly teach the NSA a lesson.
There are some places you should never look.
Whoa, I just refreshed and suddenly the comment section just got a whole lot more classy looking!
Aaaaaand now its gone. That was weird. Anyone else see some weird alternate theme there for a second?
Sometimes I refresh and everyone has monocles and top hats.
Sometimes I refresh and everyone’s sane.
I blame Scruffy.
Is that you Mom?
Classy was never going to stick around here long.
Hawaii employee who set off missile scare refusing to cooperate with investigation.
Just fire the person (and their manager) already. Jesus, this isn’t hard.
Completely agreed. I can accept that people sometimes screw up. But, when you refuse to co-operate, you either did it intentionally or you don’t care about not screwing up again.
Immediate termination is entirely appropriate.
Funny how the guy who sent the alert hasn’t been named yet. Whatever happened to “If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide”?
Look, I would also be “refusing to cooperate” with investigators, unless cooperation meant being able to record interviews with my lawyer present, and answering specific questions not “tell us what happened”.
This is my thought too. This kind of incident is the sort of thing that brings out the “somebody needs to go to jail” instinct in people.
About the story on Trump supposedly wanting to fire Mueller and then backing down . . .
I don’t mean this in a sexist way, but there’s something incredibly effeminate about the media obsessing over–not what Trump actually did but what he was thinking about doing but didn’t do.
I read somewhere, once, that this kind of thinking has something to do with the way the female brain works and that it may be an evolutionary adaptation associated with anticipating what their small children are thinking and preventing it from happening. There isn’t anything wrong with that, of course–it’s just that it sometimes graduates to women I know complaining about things that didn’t happen–as if they had happened.
Certainly, to my male brain, this entire episode is ridiculous.
Let me know if and when Trump fires Mueller.
The media isn’t complaining about Trump having fired Mueller. They’re complaining because Trump was thinking about firing Mueller but didn’t.
If I were held responsible for everything I thought about doing….
Can you imagine?
Be careful, there are more than a handful who want to be able to do just that.
To me, its of a piece with their totalitarian mindset. Authoritarians care about what you do, totalitarians care about what you think or believe. So it doesn’t matter what Trump does, as much as what he thinks. In their minds, thinking about firing Mueller is sinful, regardless of whether Mueller is actually fired.
I’ve long subscribed to those differences between authoritarianism and totalitarianism myself.
It’s not enough to control what you do like an authoritarian. The totalitarians want to control what you think and how you feel.
Apart from the border wall and immigration, I don’t think the center left has much to complain about on most of Trump’s policies. They disagree with him on immigration, but Obama deported more people in his first year in office by a long shot–and Trump signed off on Dreamers yesterday.
They don’t disagree with his hostility to free trade.
He didn’t even sign legislation to repeal ObamaCare, exactly (never made it to his desk).
I don’t hear complaints about Trump’s policies very often anyway. It’s almost entirely about his feelings and how he expresses them–rather than what he actually does.
Yeah, that’s what the totalitarians are concerned with. They want to use the state to control how people fee, and they can’t do that when Trump is in White House and feels the wrong way about everything.
The totalitarians want to control what you think and how you feel.
It’s funny, in a way. The closest parallel I can think of to the totalitarian mindset is, essentially, a bitchy high school girl or a grade-school bully boy. The totalitarian has to be accepted as queen bee, even when there’s no particular value to it. It isn’t just an understandable, if not particularly admirable, bull-dozing to get one’s way. It’s the need to be in the dominant role. Your indulging them isn’t enough. They’ve got to occupy the dominant status in your head.
You rolled your eyes at me!
And can you tell me if that statement comes from a totalitarian dictator or a high school mean girl?
“I don’t hear complaints about Trump’s policies very often anyway. It’s almost entirely about his feelings and how he expresses them–rather than what he actually does.”
It’s always been about that. All progs bitch about is that Obama was so classy and so dignified, and Trump is rude and crude and uncool.
They certainly can’t complain about the economy or the unemployment rate.
They certainly can’t complain about the economy
They can and do. See, e.g., “increasing inequality”.
*regrets having used Thatcher quote recently*
*does not want to repeat so soon*
Well that post by Ken was just shitlording all the way.
nicely done.
Prediction: Mueller’s team will conclude their investigation with an obstruction of justice finding against the president, but find no underlying crime of collusion with Russia.
Democrats will use Mueller’s findings to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Everything will remain stupid and a bad precedent set
Could be, but I’m struggling to think of what Trump has done that could even be tortured into a credible obstruction of justice finding.
I’m hoping Mueller isn’t stupid enough to escalate this any further. As enjoyable as it would be to watch Trump retaliate against the FBI (because Allah knows it needs it, good and hard), it just wouldn’t be good in the long run.
Everything will remain stupid and a bad precedent set
This is just the Clinton impeachment all over again. They’ll try to maneuver the President into making a technically false or “intimidating” statement and then hang the whole investigation on impeaching him for lying or witness intimidation.
Big Asterisk(*): So far as I know, nobody is going up the river for 8 years for failure to cooperate like the Whitewater lady. There was a lot of shady shit uncovered, probably some illegal stuff. But the end result is what the Dems will try for.
It’s not the crime it’s the coverup has been replaced by
a) have false allegations against target
b) FBI investigates
c) charges not proven
d) but obstruction of justice charges filed anyway
How is that not a political weapon?
something something kangaroo court. Or Moscow Show Trials, aka The Court of the Red Tsar
Democrats will use Mueller’s findings to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Which will assure his second term and give him back (assuming he loses it in 2020 in the House) a solid GOP majority in Congress.
Seems like there should be a happy medium between shrugging shoulders and prison.
http://nbc4i.com/2018/01/25/mother-says-hilliard-city-schools-did-not-do-enough-after-boy-threatened-to-shoot-her-daughter/
Cops breach the classroom door, shoot a couple students and somehow a dog?
I think that the shrugged shoulders are appropriate in this case. Just some person claiming someone else mumbled a threat under his breathe. No witnesses to corroborate. There was no mention of an admission of guilt by the kid in question, so what else should anyone expect?
Trump is laughed at, booed in Davos
The president’s attacks on “fake news” didn’t go over well in Europe.
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-is-laughed-at-booed-in-davos-653450ff4ca5/
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Trump’s response was not well received. First, he bragged about his business acumen and claimed he’s “always been successful at making money” — comments that elicited laughter for the crowd. But the laughs escalated to boos after Trump took aim at the “fake news” media.
“The other thing is, I’ve always seemed to get — for whatever reason — a disproportionate amount of press or media,” Trump began. “And throughout my whole life — someone will explain someday why — but I’ve always gotten a lot. And as a businessman I was always treated really well by the press. You know, the numbers speak and things happen, but I’ve always really had a very good press, and it wasn’t until I became a politician that I realized how nasty, how mean, how vicious, and how fake the press can be — as the cameras start going off in the back.”
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That wasn’t the only awkward moment during Trump’s WEF appearance. While he was being introduced before his speech, the crowd groaned when Schwab said to Trump, “I’m aware that your strong leadership is open to misconceptions and interpretation so it is so essential for us in the room to listen directly to you.”
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During his speech, Trump pushed nationalism — “I will always put America first just like the leaders of other countries should put their country first also,” he said at one point — urged global business leaders to invest in the U.S., and sounded off on his desire to curtail legal immigration to the country.
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It’s so good not to have the cringeworthy bootlicker making his worldwide apology tour.
from the guys that complain nonstop about corporations
Small Businesses Are Overrated
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/01/small-businesses-workers-wages
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In reality, small business promotion is mostly a bad idea. Small businesses pay lower wages, provide worse benefits, are often exempt from important worker protections, and are incompatible with the way unionization works in the US.
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Both major parties can be seen singing small business’s praises, Democrats as a wholesome alternative to big corporations and Republicans as capitalism’s friendly face. But small businesses can be just as bad as large businesses and are, on average, much worse. They offer lower wages, skimpier benefits, and inferior labor protections.
This isn’t to say small businesses are totally useless. The creation of new businesses, which often start out small, is one of the ways that innovation gets injected into the system. But there is a difference between supporting small entrants in order to keep open an important channel of innovation and supporting an economic structure that seeks to keep businesses permanently small. The latter would probably be a disaster — especially for workers.
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Oh, get bent.
supporting an economic structure that seeks to keep businesses permanently small
Sounds like they are opposed to high taxes and high regulation, both of which are deadweight costs that hit smaller businesses disproportionately and reduce growth.
And they call libertarianism facisim.
Q-Well if it’s bad to work for a big corporation, and bad to work for a small business; who is it good to work for?
A-The Government.
Unionization for the sake of unionization is not a virtue. Employees in small businesses can negotiate directly with the owner, and can easily find an alternative with the small business down the street.
Unions are a kludge to get around the lack of those two factors in, say, a remote mining town with no other business (and just the company store for supplies)
“Less opportunity for control”
That’s their real complaint.
You Can’t Trust Capitalists
Some CEOs are endorsing Medicare for All. For socialists, that could be a trap.
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/01/medicare-for-all-bernie-sanders-business-workers
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There are three big reasons that socialists and progressives should be wary of capitalist advocates for any social policy, and in particular for Medicare for All. First, focusing on cost-effectiveness for corporations is bad politics in the long term, since it reinforces the idea that businesses’s profits are as important as ordinary people’s needs. That puts the Left in a position of weakness whenever we pursue other reforms that don’t save CEOs any money, but are just as worthwhile.
Second, when progressive and left-wing politicians and political organizations neglect to keep capitalists at arm’s length, the latter’s outsize resources give them outsized influence — often resulting in weakened policy and a diluted program. In order to ensure the eventual passage of comprehensive policy that benefits workers, not just employers, proponents of Medicare for All need to walk a fine line, stoking divisions within the capitalist class without giving the business community a seat at the table.
And third, national single-payer health care will not come to fruition without a major mobilization of the American working-class majority. That is going to require naming class enemies and building class consciousness, a project that will be muddled and undermined by any willing embrace of business leaders with decidedly different material interests.
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Well, at least they’re honest.
In reality, small business promotion is mostly a bad idea.
I heard Jack Welch say this very thing, on the MSNBC Business Channel, one long-ago morning. That was when I began to truly despise him.
Fuck Welch. He set GE up for long term failure to achieve near term success. His legacy at GE is on display now.
today in bathos
Republicans have a new welfare queen: The sick glutton
http://theweek.com/articles/699383/republicans-have-new-welfare-queen-sick-glutton
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Mulvaney tries to drive a wedge between those struck by illness through no fault of their own, and those chided for courting their own plight. This echoes an earlier statement by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who admitted that the benefits — and sympathies — of the AHCA flow to “people who lead good lives, they’re healthy, they’ve done the things to keep their bodies healthy, and right now, those are the people who have done things the right way that are seeing their costs skyrocketing.” Brooks’ implication, of course, is that people of ill health — who have not led “good lives” — are unworthy of affordable health care.
So to conservatives, only those who blamelessly suffer misfortune are worthy of public support. This is not a new idea. In fact, it dates back to the Elizabethan Poor Laws adopted in 17th-century England. Public assistance was made available to an ad hoc list of groups deemed sympathetic, including widows, children, the blind, the disabled, and the elderly. The so-called “undeserving poor” were cut out of public assistance altogether.
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Limiting public benefits to those thought to be truly needy is also connected to the conservative obsession with personal responsibility. Conservatives have long fretted that generous social insurance promotes bad behavior and saps people of self-initiative. “We don’t want to turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people to lives of dependency and complacency,” Ryan famously said in 2012.
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For a party stirred to outrage by the fever-dream of death panels, Republicans are now awfully comfortable sitting in judgment of who does and does not deserve health care. Only help those who “lead good lives,” according to Brooks. And no help for anyone who “eats poorly and gets diabetes,” says Mulvaney. And certainly no help for smartphone owners who struggle to pay a medical bill, insists Chaffetz.
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If you wish to help those with bad behavior and lack of personal responsibility, you will not be stopped.
Brooks’ implication, of course, is that people of ill health — who have not led “good lives” — are unworthy of affordable health care.
And I guess the alternative is that people of good health who have led good lives are unworthy of affordable health care, since they are the ones who are seeing their costs skyrocketing to fund those who are sick and have not lead good lives.
For a party stirred to outrage by the fever-dream of death panels, Republicans are now awfully comfortable sitting in judgment of who does and does not deserve health care.
The usual dishonesty on this topic. Nobody is saying some people don’t deserve health care.
focusing on cost-effectiveness for corporations is bad politics in the long term, since it reinforces the idea that businesses’s profits are as important as ordinary people’s needs.
“Ordinary people’s needs” are, of course, collectivised and defined by the woke-ocracy, as embodied in the publishers of magazines and websites like Jacobin.
I might be up for hanging out in Dallas. I’m Plano based…depends on what I got going on. I’m getting married in a couple weeks so I got some shit to take care of.