Sunday Funday Morning Links


We were invited to play 3D laser golf last night. Don’t ask. The ever-wise SP suggested drinking as an alternative. So we put away a passel of ethanol with some fellow libertarians, which is the right way to drink; we don’t have to worry about letting something slip out. And they brought pizza for Wonder Dog, which cements them in her world as her new favorites (“Swiss no bring pizza any more.”).

So if these links seem kinda fuzzy, I blame the alcohol.

Birthdays today include a doctrinaire; a politically incorrect yellowface; an alcoholic on wheels; a guy who figured out how to monetize saving Jews; and a notorious consumer of Publix roast chicken, my mother.

 


 

Someone has been listening to Omar and Tlaib.

 

Trump praises shitty marksmanship.

 

This guy sets a far better example.

 

NRA drama continues. Fuck ’em.

 

In true socialist fashion, the Pope is generous with other people’s money.

 

I’m very curious what the Team Blue spin on this will be.

 

New York Times accidentally says something they really think.

 

My guilty pleasure is Hate Radio, either Red or Blue. This selection seems… bland.

 

“It’s his sled!”

 

Generic industrial swill, but expensive. Just what we needed. Spud and I drank multiple bottles of the ’85, ’88, and ’90. Meh.

 

I… I… I… have no words.

 


 

Old Guy Music today indulges my taste for bizarre mashups. Death metal clarinet, anyone?

 

Comments

252 responses to “Sunday Funday Morning Links”

  1. Scruffy Nerfherder

    The manifesto contained common far-right catchphrases, including descriptions of an “international Jewry” which is responsible for countless age-old blood libels, including the murder of Christ and alleged control over the media and the economy. This is similar to a trope in the antisemitic book The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

    It’s no accident that this is referred to as “far-right” when it is not a political stance at all, just the ramblings of an insane person.

    Nevermind that the Protocols were promoted by those who could definitely be considered politically left, like Henry Ford.

    The media is populated by the ignorant and the mendacious.

    1. Suthenboy

      “The Poway Sheriff’s Department has identified the suspect in the shooting at the Poway synagogue as John Earnest, a far-right activist who allegedly posted a manifesto shortly before the attack and may have been involved in another hate crime. ”

      I still dont know what ‘far-right’ and ‘alt-right’ means. They are bullshit terms.

      And yeah, that hit me too. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion….who wrote that shit in the first place? Mendacious doesnt really cover it.

      1. “Far-right” means “Non-far-left”.

      2. Stinky Wizzleteats

        It’s devolved into an essentially meaningless term that’s used to smear one’s political opponents by association. Richard Spencer, sure, far/alt right. This guy, maybe, I don’t know enough about him. Most of the people I’ve seen tagged with the term, definitely not.

        1. Suthenboy

          How is Spencer far/alt right? I dont know what the defining characteristics of that term are. What are Spencer’s economics? Politics? Or is ‘alt/far right’ just an alternate term for ‘racist’?

          If we are dichotomizing the glaring distinction I see are collectivists vs individualists. Right/Left just look like two slightly different flavors of collectivists to me. Potato, Patahto, neither of which will go away and leave me the fuck alone.

          1. Count Potato

            “Or is ‘alt/far right’ just an alternate term for ‘racist’?”

            Yes.

          2. Stinky Wizzleteats

            I agree, the left/right paradigm is essentially useless, it’s more authoritarian vs those who believe in individual liberties and, yes, far-right has become a kind of catch all for “racist” and “bigot” (racist against nonwhites at least).

          3. Scruffy Nerfherder

            This has been completely by design.

      3. straffinrun

        If that cartoon is any indication, the NYT is far right by their definition.

        1. Sensei

          I was thinking the exact same thing.

  2. Scruffy Nerfherder

    Letters to the Local Rag: THEY TRIED TO ADDICT ME BUT I SURVIVED

    Recently, I visited an emergency room for acute bronchitis. After being observed and examined, they called in a few prescriptions for me. When I asked what those prescriptions were, they said, “Hydrocodone.” When I asked why they would prescribe an opioid for bronchitis, they replied, “because of your chest pain.” I denied that I had any chest pain now or previously. They just said, “Well, you don’t have to fill it.” I didn’t fill it, but a week later I spoke in person with the director of the ER and asked why it was so easy to be prescribed an opioid when I obviously didn’t need it. She said she would get back to me after an investigation. It’s now been four months and I still haven’t heard anything. Haven’t our doctors learned yet that they are the ones fanning the flames of opioid addiction?

    1. leon

      Look at little Miss know it all. Surprised she didn’t ask for a doctor’s license then and there, as she clearly knows more than the doctors working there.

    2. Count Potato

      Christ, what an asshole.

    3. Stinky Wizzleteats

      Aren’t opoids also good cough suppressants?

      1. Count Potato

        Yes, that’s how Bayer marketed heroin. Which makes sense, since much of the cost was shipping, it was more economical for compounding pharmacies.

    4. Based on this brave person, clearly no one needs opioids for anything. Fuck those cancer patients, they can suck it up.

      1. And since it was an ER doc prescribing, it probably was just a 3-day supply. But hey, lady, you dodged a bullet! Even taking one opioid pill will doom you to intractable addiction.

  3. The Late P Brooks

    I had completely forgotten North was even in that job. They could can him for being ineffectual, if nothing else.

  4. NYT cartoon – Why is Netanyahu a wiener dog? are wiener dogs even used as seeing eye dogs? I always imagined them to be collies or german shepherds or the like.

    1. leon

      Too many accidents where the dog walked under the obstacle.

    2. You see a lot of golden retrievers and yellow labs. My uncle-in-law volunteers for a group that provides guide dogs. They give him a puppy and then he raises and trains the puppy for a year. At the end of the year, if the puppy passes the various obedience tests, he/she goes on to guide dog academy; if not, he/she goes up for adoption. Their current dog is a guide puppy they sent off but who got rejected because he has a heart murmur.

      1. commodious spittoon

        Blind people are too good for a dog with a heart condition? What a bunch of assholes.

        I can say that ‘cuz they can’t read me saying that.

        1. leon

          Let me tell you about section 508…

        2. I think the argument was that they couldn’t have the dog keel over in the night with someone who lives alone or something like that.

  5. Stinky Wizzleteats

    Oliver North vs Wayne LaPierre: I hope they both lose. If you just to give someone your bucks GOA is OK.

    1. Plinker762

      When the NRA shit all over Neal Knox, a true gun rights advocate, that was the end of my support of them.

    2. Amazon Smile is a program where you pick a charity and a cut of everything you buy from smile.amazon.com goes to them. I picked Gun Owners Foundation, which is the “foundation” for the GOA, whatever that means. It’s a pittance–they’ve gotten a little more than $80 from me–but it’s automatic, fairly regular, and it does add up.

      My problem is that the NRA is like the Republican party. They represent my stance poorly, but they’re the most visible group that does it. So if I support them they read that as an endorsement for a shitty job. If I stop supporting them, their opponents read that as a lack of support for the position, not the group. My compromise is that I’ll throw them $10 to enter a raffle or whatever but I give most of my political donation money to GOA, with the Second Amendment Foundation behind them.

  6. The Late P Brooks

    The manifesto contained common far-right catchphrases, including descriptions of an “international Jewry”

    That’s weird- I thought it was commies who thought they were oppressed by an international cabal of Jews. The (((bankers))) run the sahow, right?

    1. Suthenboy

      It’s all projection all of the time with pinkos.

  7. Old Guy Music today indulges my taste for bizarre mashups.

    Another bizarre mashup

  8. The Late P Brooks

    The media is populated by the ignorant and the mendacious.

    I saw an article recently on some woke news site (Salon, probably) in which the author trotted out that old “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it” nugget.

    Oh, how I laughed.

  9. The Late P Brooks

    In January, looking to garner support for a future run, Biden spoke on criminal justice reform at an event sponsored by the National Action Network in Washington, DC.

    Addressing a room full of criminal justice advocates, he said, “I haven’t always been right, but I’ve always tried.”

    And they booed him off the stage, right.

    RIGHT?

    1. Stinky Wizzleteats

      Intentions>Results

      1. MikeS

        Morally right > factually right

    2. Trigger Hippie

      It kinda blows my mind that minorities, especially black people, would even consider voting for the likes of the Clinton’s or Biden. Few people have actively done more to imprison and punish black people in perpetuity through their policies than those scumbags.

      1. Count Potato

        Some would vote for Jefferson Davis if he had a D after his name.

        1. Trigger Hippie

          Pelosi admitting that a glass of water with a D written on it could win her district was a refreshing bit of honesty from her.

          1. leon

            Even if it was just a Barb at AOC who thinks that if every Dem was radical like her they would sweep the nation.

        2. Subwoofer

          Jefferson Davis DID have a D after his name. And many did vote for him.

    1. Atanarjuat

      Not a predominately carbon-based life form.

  10. leon

    https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article229679319.html

    Your reminder that some of your fellow citizens have no problem with “crackdown[s]” on people they think are wrong.

    Second I really am curious to know the statistics on how many “anti-vaxers” there are. Also I hear the retoric that they endanger is all but I don’t know why. Im vaccinated I keep my kids away till they have been vaccinated. Afaik vaccination isn’t some magical thing that only works when some percentage of people get it.

    Finally and back to my second point, I wonder what the statistics are on illegal immigrants and vaccinations. Cause that seems like it could be much larger than the anti-vaxer group.

    1. Count Potato

      Vaccination is a non-magical thing that only works when some percentage of people get it.

      1. leon

        I don’t get that though. Why does it only work if some percentage of people get it? I’ve only ever seen that asserted, not explained.

          1. leon

            I get herd immunity. I’m not talking about eradication, or someone not vaccinated not getting sick, I’m talking about if I’m vaccinated why do I care that you aren’t (other than out of the goodness of my heart).

            Obviously I get that vaccines aren’t a silver bullet and so having others be vaccinated can give a marginal boost, as you don’t risk exposure. But if the idea is that vaccines help give you Immunity, then most of the benefit accrues to the person who gets it.

            As a side note I was looking for some info on it and found that a 3% of people with mumphs vaccine will still get it if exposed to the virus.

          2. Subwoofer

            Yeah I don’t get this either. If you personally are vaccinated, aren’t you supposed to be immune regardless of whether others around you are vaccinated? Isn’t that why they tell you to get all sorts of shots before jetting off to third world countries with no vaccinations?

          3. Count Potato

            “I get herd immunity.”

            Apparently not.

          4. leon

            Then please explain what I’m missing rather than just provide empty snark. I’m genuinely asking. But as it stands you sound like you don’t get herd immunity.

          5. Subwoofer

            So, vaccines ONLY work if some massively high percentage gets them? My vaccinations are useless unless everyone else has them too, because herd immunity is the only mechanism by which they work?

            That pretty solidly destroys any arguments for individual autonomy in related health care decisions if true.

          6. Grummun

            Vaccines are not 100% effective; even if you’ve been vaccinated, there’s no guarantee you’re completely immune. Some vaccines also become less effective over time, see the recent article about the mumps vaccine. Also, some people cannot be vaccinated, due to negative reactions or interactions. For those people, their best defense is that the people around them are vaccinated.

          7. Everybody’s got a sacred cow, I suppose. Some people who rightly encourage skepticism of things like CAGW will come down like a ton of bricks when anyone questions the idea of herd immunity or is skeptical of a given vaccination strategy or schedule. I’m not an epidemiologist, so I can’t speak with authority on the subject. I suspect I’m not in the minority in that regard.

          8. Old Man With Candy

            I think your side note answered your own question.

          9. leon

            Only slightly. As I said it still is marginal. The way I read that is that for 3% of people the vaccine just doesn’t work for them. I’m not denying benefits from others getting vaccines, I’m saying that it’s not where the primary benefit comes from.

          10. leon

            As another side note, it’s nice that you were willing to engage rather than simply give snide remarks like I’m stupid without trying to understand my actual point. I agree that my side note does provide more information than just linking to a Wikipedia article about herd immunity.

          11. Old Man With Candy

            Well, there’s two aspects to that effect- not only your own 3% failure rate, but the 3% failure rate for everyone around you- or more specifically, the 97% success rate for people around you.

          12. leon

            I’m not sure I follow?

            “but the 3% failure rate for everyone around you- or more specifically, the 97% success rate for people around you”

            The 3% comes from being exposed to mumphs. So it doesn’t go up if people around you are not vaccinated. Having others vaccinated limits the chance of exposure.

          13. kbolino

            Well, there are two problems with your way of looking at this.

            The first is that 3% is not marginal. The chance of finding 2 such individuals in a group of 100 is 80%, in a group of 200, 98%, and in a group of 500, 99.999%. In a school or workplace setting, 3% is a guarantee.

            The second is that 3% is not the whole story, it is only a lower bound. As Grummun notes, not everyone can be vaccinated. That adds to the 3%. At 5%, the chance of finding 2 in 200 is 99.95%.

            As you note, this only matters if somebody has the disease. But since you cannot control whether somebody else has it, you can only account for the chance of exposure. And as the binomial probability distribution* shows, that chance goes up very rapidly in even medium-sized groups.

            * = Real epidemiology uses more sophisticated distributions, but they don’t paint any rosier of a picture.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder

      It’s more about the concentration of non-vaccinated in a given area than it is about the total number of non-vaccinated in the overall population.

      1. leon

        Of course. And some areas do seem prone to the anti-vaxer frame of mind.

  11. The Late P Brooks

    Crabs in bucket prepare for civil war

    “If I were in charge of the DNC or Joe Biden’s campaign or any other entity associated with the traditional Democratic Party, I would be going out of my way to embrace the new energy on the left and these anti-establishment forces,” said Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s former Labor Secretary and a leading progressive thinker.

    “I hope the establishment wing understands how dangerous it would be to attack Bernie Sanders or anybody else who they may feel represents the left wing of the party. That would be a really stupid thing to do.”

    ——–

    But many centrist Democrats are just as worried about how the left will approach the primary contest.

    They’re frustrated by Sanders’s steadfast refusal to officially join the Democratic Party and worried by what they view as his team of political assassins. And they wonder whether Sanders’s supporters will accept the outcome of the primary and turn out to vote for the nominee in the general election if Sanders falls short again.

    “There is a ‘Bernie or bust’ coalition and they have no allegiance to the party,” said the Democratic strategist. “They don’t care about campaign infrastructure or winning up and down the ballot. They’re just concerned about bullshit litmus tests and defending their guy no matter what and pretending that everyone else is a member of the big bad establishment.”

    ————

    “The level of nastiness we see here is completely up to Sanders and his camp,” said Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist.

    “Joe Biden is an optimistic guy. I can’t think of a sunnier or more unifying person. The way he communicates is in stark contrast to Sen. Sanders, who unfortunately tends to campaign in a language of grievances, conspiracies and victimhood. It’s my hope that Sen. Sanders campaigns on his own merits and polices, but so far his surrogates and he have engaged in the same old attacks. No other Democrat is doing that. Sanders is the one that sets the tone for his campaign here.”

    Excellent. Let them rip each other to shreds. Please, Democrats, do your worst. Show the American people who you really are.

    1. leon

      “said Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s former Labor Secretary and a leading progressive thinker”

      Look I don’t like the progs either, but that’s a low blow. There are far more respectable and intelligent intellectuals on the left.

    2. Subwoofer

      they wonder whether Sanders’s supporters will accept the outcome of the primary and turn out to vote for the nominee in the general election if Sanders falls short again.

      Gee, why would that be? Its like they think the Dem primary was rigged or something. What gave them that idea?

      1. leon

        OMG I can’t believe you are still talking about the emails. HRC was fully exonerated from that.

    3. Grummun

      Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s former Labor Secretary and a leading progressive thinker loathsome little gnome

      1. Fourscore

        You got that right !

        1. Grummun

          What’s that in your avatar, a little Farmall?

          1. Fourscore

            Farmall Cub, 1950, I’m the second owner.

          2. Grummun

            Nice. Saw a completely restored Cub w/ mower deck at a local event last Labor Day, I think they had $4200 on it. I’d have loved to buy it, but I’d have felt bad actually using it, i tend to be a little rough on equipment. ::looks sideways at Massey 135:: Eh it’s still got most of it’s original paint.

          3. Fourscore

            I mostly haul wood, yuuuugggge loads, front wheels barely on the ground. I leave it sit all winter in an unheated garage, starts with the 6V battery. Kinda rough looking, I go through the brush like a tank but runs like a top.

          4. Grummun

            front wheels barely on the ground

            +1 steering with the rear brakes

      2. juris imprudent

        I think Reich should always be referred to by the dimunitive that best fits him – Bob.

    4. Sean

      I’m looking forward to it. It should be very entertaining.

    5. Grumbletarian

      Joe Biden is an optimistic guy. I can’t think of a sunnier or more unifying person. The way he communicates is in stark contrast to Sen. Sanders, who unfortunately tends to campaign in a language of grievances, conspiracies and victimhood.

      Who was it that said to a group of minorities about Mitt Romney-led Republicans, “DEY GON PUT Y’ALL BACK IN CHAINZ!” again? I forget.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        Biden is a consummate bullshitter.

    6. blackjack

      Uncle Joe, the sunny optimist who eschews complaints and grievances, the same guy who called half of America Nazis when he announced his campaign. Yeah, he’s all sweetness and flowers. Except when he said that Trump was a massive threat to our nation and the damage could only be contained if he didn’t get a second term.

    7. Chafed

      I’m surprised their is a Dem party hack who recognizes Sanders for what he is and is willing to go on the record to say it.

  12. Count Potato

    BREAKING: Trump is a weaboo

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

  13. Fourscore

    And yesterday 5 murdered in Kentucky, 4 killed by a falling crane in Seattle, 4-5 murdered in Chicago but not a word on the TV news. I guess the routine is normal and not news. Not as exciting as a hate crime but still… quantity over quality should count for something.

    1. Subwoofer

      The “news” isn’t news, or these facts would be reported. They’re purely propaganda outlets. If an incident can’t be used to advance their agenda, it gets ignored. No reason to waste valuable airtime on something that doesn’t further the cause.

      1. Sadly true. And this has been proven over and over in a more and more blatant fashion for the past 3 years.

      2. What’s the agenda being driven by the crane falling and killing people story?

        1. leon

          Clearly the anti crane lobby

          1. Cy

            In the article it mentions the “new legislation” that previously was passed full of regs and new requirements for operators. Naturally it all goes right over their head and they proceed to demand more regulations.

          2. Fourscore

            Its got that thing that goes up?

        2. Suthenboy

          Gravity?

        3. Subwoofer

          Do you even Green New Deal? We have to ban skyscraper construction and that starts with common sense crane control

          1. I thought progs wanted everyone to live in giant towers so the rest of the land could be parks and forests and shit.

          2. Cy

            Just not towers made of concrete or steel or with cranes.

          3. Well, Inner Party members will, of course, have big, beautiful skyscrapers. Outer Party and proles can have buildings made from mud and cow shit.

          4. Subwoofer

            The progs just want massive population reduction. Then whomever is left can live in low rises.

          5. kbolino

            That seems to depend entirely on who you ask. The whole “raise your own food” movement doesn’t really work for the skyscraper dwellers.

          6. Not Adahn

            One step at a time tovarich. Once we eliminate suburbs, then we can talk about sensible skyscraper height restrictions.

  14. Gah – what a horrible yesterday with United. Afternoon flight out of Asheville was delayed so we missed our planned connecting flight out of Dulles in DC. And with Chicago being hammered with snow, our new route out of Dulles was delayed so I was worried about missing the other connecting flight. We got to Chicago at 8:30PM, and that flight was delayed. And then the plan drove around for seemingly forever until it finally got de-iced before takeoff. Limped home at 1:30AM.

    Anyways – I figured I could have driven back in less time than all of the United delays and whatnot. And it would have been a lot more fun in the Mustang.

    1. Plinker762

      Even in winter when it should be expected, deicing always seems like a cluster fuck. Except for Minneapolis, they had it down pat.

      1. Denver’s pretty good too.

    2. Old Man With Candy

      Francisco d’Anconia had almost the same experience, but perhaps even worse since it wasn’t caused by weather. If he pops up this morning, I’m sure he’ll go through his nightmare.

      Assuming they even got him back home- his luggage ended up several hundred miles away…

    3. Personal bugaboo: I swear airlines are inefficient by design. For example the boarding/unboarding process is horribly slow. Could be more efficient by boarding last seats to first, making the first class passengers go on last. And for unboarding, an additional rear exit? Even if the proles in the back had to walk on the tarmac.

      And all the loading / unloading of carry on luggage – argle-bargle!

      1. Agreed. I have been saying for years that it would be easy to write a simple algorithm for loading and unloading the plane more efficiently, but they’d never do it. Also, the unintended side effect of charging for checked luggage just caused everyone to start bringing more carry-ons and slowing things down even more.

      2. leon

        It’s a money maker. People pay to get on first.

        1. DrOtto

          I don’t know why. I’d pay to be last.

          1. MikeS

            Same here. Regardless of where I am sitting, I always wait until the final boarding call to get in line.

          2. slumbrew

            The only catch is some asshole will have shoved their crap in the overhead above my seat by that point.

          3. MikeS

            I have a carry-on that fits under the seat in front of me.

          4. slumbrew

            If I’m checking a bag, I’m with you – I’ll saunter in whenever – but I can’t manage to pack for a long weekend in something that will fit under the seat.

      3. Sensei

        There are multiple studies on passenger loading. A few find random loading most efficient.

        However, those were done before the new airline money maker of charging you to bring carry on and the like.

        Also, passengers generally hate random boarding so that may not work well from a customer satisfaction point of view.

      4. Francisco d’Anconia

        They load like they do because assholes sitting in the back will fill up the overhead bins in the front, creating a clusterfuck

        1. It’s assholes all the way down. Something about the penal-like airport that brings out the worst of humanity.

    4. Francisco d’Anconia

      I made it to Denver. Flight to Dulles was delayed, so couldn’t make my connection to Scranton. Chicago snow fucked me so I couldn’t reroute. All other flights in booked. Couldn’t get me to my hs friend’s funeral.

      So I said, fuck it, send me home to Great Falls. No flights until Sunday night. (Blizzard warning Sunday for GF). Sent me to Helena. Wife drives 90 miles to pick me up. Guess where my luggage was?

      Great Falls.

      Fuck United. Fuck airline travel.

      I want muh flying car!!

      1. DrOtto

        Flying is great if you have the time, but if you’re in a hurry, drive.

    5. This is why I don’t and won’t fly. My minimum at this point is the removal of TSA checkpoints or a 50% reduction in fare prices. I would rather spend the time, mileage, and money driving. If I want to go to Europe or Asia I’ll do so via a cruise liner, like a gentleman.

  15. I’d say that the attempts by the DemOpMedia complex to create and reinforce “white identity” is going swimmingly.

    They want a final race war to end all race wars. Then Utopia can commence.

    1. Trigger Hippie

      So Charlie Manson will finally get his wish. Good for him.

  16. westernsloper

    No, Putting Garlic in Your Vagina Will Not Cure a Yeast Infection

    Duh…..Everyone knows a frozen tatortot works best.

    1. westernsloper

      or is it tater?

      1. Trigger Hippie

        Tater salad.

    2. Fourscore

      Hmmm, checks in with MikeS…

      1. MikeS

        Tater Tots are for hotdish only. Not vaginas.

        1. The best vaginas are a hot dish.

    3. Count Potato

      That’s polio. Why do you hate science?

      https://twitter.com/shoe0nhead/status/1121125837770821632

      1. leon

        Lol. Polio is just in the mind. FDR was just a weak willed bitch.

  17. Scruffy Nerfherder

    Letters to the Local Rag: Yes, Let’s Cut Foreign Aid As Well While We’re At It

    To the person asking to make donations to rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral a 100% tax deduction for Americans: I just think it’s so incredible, even though it was a tragedy that this happened. How about us being more concerned and caring about our own citizens and our own infrastructure and our own schools and things like that? It seems like all of our thinking comes from our immediate emotions versus logic and critical thinking. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of, that donations should be 100% tax-deductible for something for another country.

    1. leon

      I don’t believe anyone writing to the editor could be that clear minded.

    2. Subwoofer

      If you want a 100% tax deduction for a gift to rebuild Notre Dame, give the money to the Catholic Church (a 501c3 organization) with a restriction that it only be used for that purpose.

      Its like these people don’t even know the fine intricacies of tax deductible contributions!

  18. Slutty Sunday provides two delicious scoops of bouncy fun for you.

    http://archive.li/HUhzX

  19. Asheville beer impressions: went to three different breweries and… none had stouts or porters. Seems like IPAs / Sours / Saisons are the big things there. I got WTF? looks when I asked why they didn’t have a stout.

    Also saw two different places with Bitters, low ABV beer. Which tasted pretty watered down when I sampled it. Off the top of my head I don’t know of any Michigan breweries that makes ’em.

    So – biased opinion – Grand Rapids takes the Beer City crown from Asheville.

  20. westernsloper

    RE Old Guy Music……not a fan. Sounds like a pissed off cat.

    1. Grummun

      Really hard to make a clarinet sound metal.

    2. Of Necrophagist or of the clarinet? Necrophagist is pretty amazing even if you don’t like the sound. He’s a German Turk who allegedly taught himself to play guitar, bass, and drums as a kid despite his dad being against devil music. His first album was I believe just him; he might have brought a guy in for drums on the second.

  21. Count Potato

    “Vox’s nuanced summary:

    Bernie: “I have a number of serious problems with the crime bill, but one part of it that I vigorously support is the Violence Against Women Act. We urgently need the $1.8 billion in this bill to combat the epidemic of violence…””

    https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1121398566088396800

    The VAWA is just a black hole of billions tax dollars that has never been shown to reduce violence against women.

    1. Fourscore

      Title IX Crime Bill. We need a little muscle over here, in the crime bill.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder

      I’m beginning to think Putin has the right attitude towards NGO’s. They seem to be wholly populated by unhelpful parasites.

      1. They’re shakedown machines; primarily designed to funnel tax money into eager pockets.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      The left suffers from the same malady that afflicts the right. They both attract those who seek to prove their own morality by pointing out the immorality of others and not by their own actions. Their worth is defined by their capability to denounce and not by their achievements.

      Whereas this trait was amplified by churches on the right, social media has raised this tendency to a deafening roar on the left. They’ve almost completely lost their capacity for independent thought.

      1. I will oppose collectivists wherever I find them; however, SoCons and non-Muslim religious fundies are a far smaller threat today than they were in the past. That doesn’t mean it won’t change at some point in the future, but the SJW hate-mobs are the biggest existential threat to liberty currently in existence.

        1. Scruffy Nerfherder

          I don’t disagree, but I will point out that it is mostly from being on the receiving end of the abuse right now. Had Ralph Reed, Robertson, Falwell, et al been able to retain power, they would have happily played to the mob the way the leaders of the left are currently doing.

          I hear very few voices for actual individualism out there.

          1. Absolutely. Freedom and individualism are terrifying. Being in charge of their own lives scares most people to death. That’s why collectivism of any type is so seductive.

            And I don’t discount the very real possibility that the current Leftist hate machine will trigger a massive backlash that’ll drive people back into Christian identitarianism. I’ll just be hiding in my bomb shelter if anyone needs tit pics.

    2. Count Potato

      “It’s an old idea. Leftism has long had two major characteristics (among others): leftist movements tend to be rabidly anti-religion as well as deeply desirous of total control over people’s lives and thoughts. These two things are not unrelated, because in a sense the left wants to replace religiousness with its own brand of fundamentalism.

      Whether these twin elements combine to lead to actual mass imprisonment and murder when leftists come to power or whether their emphasis is on “re-education” and discrimination without so much actual murder, or whether both are equally favored, leftists want to get the job done. And freedom of speech, thought, and religion are just small casualties along the path to the Utopia they plan (with themselves in charge, of course).”

      In regards to academia, the writing has been on the wall for decades. Perhaps the only solution is to cut off the supply of government money.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        They’re not really anti-religious. The Anti-Enlightenment was always a response to the loss of the moral leadership of the Church by trying to replace it with something else.

        1. Rufus the Monocled

          We’re still waiting.

  22. Flying near DC I saw a giant pit being dug – I figured it was a new money hole
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnX-D4kkPOQ

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Just prepping for the inevitably necessary mass graves.

    2. slumbrew

      I’ll confess I really like the results of the giant money hole.

  23. Count Potato

    “Truth. “‘First, the Israelis take the land & ethnically cleanse it of Arabs. Now, they take their food & culture & claim it’s theirs’. ..when Israelis claim ownership of hummus—or tabbouleh or falafel, Palestinians see it as one more form of oppression.””

    https://twitter.com/jjz1600/status/1122229954580631553

    https://www.atlantamagazine.com/dining-news/israeli-restaurants-however-theyre-defined-arrive-in-atlanta/

    1. Count Potato

      “Feeling oppressed by falafel at an Israeli restaurant is peak privilege.”

      https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1122336020870176768

    2. Clearly, we just need to get rid of (((them))) and everything will be ok.

    3. Cy

      But Muslims violently cleansing countries for hundreds of years if A-OK? Right?

      1. But they invented the zero!

        1. Count Potato

          Pretty sure that that was Hindus.

      2. juris imprudent

        Indians (of the subcontinent) are the wrong kind of brown people.

    4. Akira

      I’m stumped as to how exactly cooking food from a foreign recipe is oppression. The practice of cooking certain ingredients a certain way is not a finite resource. Nothing is taken from people. The fact that Israelis are cooking hummus does absolutely nothing to stop Arabs from doing it as they always have (save for perhaps an increase in the demand for chickpeas).

  24. leon

    7https://www.psypost.org/2019/04/u-s-states-with-higher-tax-burdens-have-lower-middle-age-mortality-rates-study-finds-53559

    Study finds Correlation, immediately begins talking about the need to study how to take advantage of unestablished causation.

    1. kbolino

      They use words like “research” and “analyzed” but taking two sets of data and identifying a correlation is neither research nor analysis.

  25. leon

    I just wanted to note that golden boy Pete is mayor of a city smaller than Boise or Salt lake City. But totally ready to be president.

    1. He’s young! He’s woke! He’s gay!

      All the qualifications he needs!

  26. “Like Tarrant in his own writings, the manifesto author states that his end goal is to prompt the U.S. government to begin confiscating guns, predicting that a civil war will ensue.”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6967437/Several-injured-gun-man-opens-fire-San-Diego-Synagogue.html

    Hey, it worked in NZ, why not try it here?

    ‘Cause apparently “liberal democratic” governments are all about giving in to the demands of murderous, psychopathic pieces of shit.

    1. Also:

      “The author of the manifesto says that he does not support President Donald Trump, calling the president ‘Jew-loving’ and ‘anti-White’.”

      A little gem that I’m sure will be widely reported by US outlets.

      1. Sean

        Painting him as “far right” already identifies him as a Trump supporter to the npcs.

  27. The Late P Brooks

    What’s the agenda being driven by the crane falling and killing people story?

    Bad Orange Man’s fault.

    1. And/or “NEEDZ MOAR REGYOOLASHUN”

      1. Subwoofer

        Nobody needs a crane that reaches higher than 5 stories. We need a Department of Construction to regulate high-capacity loads and require social permits if they have the thing that goes up.

  28. The Late P Brooks

    Klobuchar is on Meet the Press. What a yammering cretin.

    1. The hosts better watch out lest she beat them senseless.

      1. juris imprudent

        If that had been an option I would’ve taken a chance on watching.

  29. I saw this STEVE SMITH approved little fella at the Tobacco Barn antique store. A little heavy to carry home though.
    https://i.imgur.com/3EFnFAr.jpg

    1. AlmightyJB

      That is awesome

    2. Sean

      Nice!

      Did you check the price?

      1. EF says it was $200 or something along those lines. About 3 feet tall.

        1. Tundra

          I just showed it to my wife (my landscape designer). She says no.

          1. Well if you’re ever in Asheville, the Tobacco Barn Antiques has plenty of other interesting garden sculptures. Some Romaneqsue, horse-ish, and apparently STEVE SMITH-ish.

          2. ElspethFlashman

            They had multiple sizes too!

        2. Sean

          I expected it to be more.

    1. Count Potato

      Maybe, maybe not. The list of things that can suddenly kill you is extremely long, even if you aren’t in Australia.

  30. I do appreciate the irony of someone who made a career peddling anarchy complaining about this.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6966735/Sex-Pistols-Johnny-Rotten-complains-homeless-crisis-LA-neighborhood.html

    I know, I know, it’s not “real anarchy” and ideally he could defend his private property. I just find it amusing in a superficial way.

  31. Rufus the Monocled
    1. Ah, damn…all this damn pollen…

    2. slumbrew

      Stupid dusty house.

    1. leon

      The company I work for does a lot with Google. I’ve person I work with used to work for them. He said that he would not recommend it at this time.

    2. Subwoofer

      A little over a year ago I was sitting down with a tech recruiter who wanted to submit me as a candidate for some positions they were trying to fill. They asked if I had any workplace restrictions and I responded with “not Google.”

      They were shocked. “Not Google? You don’t want to work there?” They looked at me like I had 2 heads when I said that.

      I simply said the company clearly had a corporate culture I found repulsive and that I’d never accept a position there if offered one.

      Never heard from that recruiter again.

      1. It’s obvious that you’re not a woke dude (dudette or other). Aka – the crown passes to King Shitlord

        1. Subwoofer

          Next time I’ll say something like “I’m not interested in working for any company that would produce the likes of James Damore.”

          Sufficiently vague as to allow the listener to project their own biases onto the statement.

      2. slumbrew

        I keep politely rejecting overtures from the nice lady at Facebook; it seems churlish to just respond with “I hate the company you work for and everything they do”.

    3. Rufus the Monocled

      Know how they celebrate leftists and act all woke?

      Sounds like their authoritarian punks engaging in projection after all.

      It’s like how I don’t understand for the life of me how ANY one would take a fall for the Obamas or Clintons.

    4. Fatty Bolger

      Google is an open and inclusive environment with a culture of encouraging alternative views, as long as those views align perfectly with company orthodoxy.

      1. juris imprudent

        That you can find more dissent in the Roman Catholic Church ought to be a lesson. Of course it isn’t.

      2. kbolino

        They used this cudgel to beat Damore, but they apparently did not expect it to come round on them. Something, something, benefit of the law…

    5. Gustave Lytton

      What fucking little children. That lead picture perfectly summed up the entire article. Boo hoo. Out of control employees who think they’re running things complain when they’re told to do things they don’t want to. You’re job is to make life easier for your boss. Making it more difficult is how you end up with a knife in your back and no one to support you. Dumbasses. Welcome to the kiddie pool version of the real world.

      Whittaker tried to get transferred to another Google AI team, a move she said was supported by Jeff Dean, the company’s head of artificial intelligence.

      Conversation (to her): ‘I’d love to have you on the team!’
      Dean (to his chief of staff): ‘Don’t fucking hiring that poisonous cunt or let her anywhere near my group.’

    6. MikeS

      Several software coders refused to work on a project for the Pentagon last year, spiking the contract, and some resigned in protest.

      This sums it all up right here. Google is going to have to fire a bunch of people, one way of two ways: 1)Voluntarily getting people like this off the payroll, or 2) round after round of layoffs as Google shrinks due to these social activists being allowed to make decisions.

    7. kbolino

      “Now more than ever we need to reject retaliation, and reject the culture of fear and silence that retaliation creates,” read an email from the event organizers, which Bloomberg News viewed. “The stakes are too high.”

      If they lacked any more self-awareness, they would be automatons.

    8. BakedPenguin

      ““We prohibit it in the workplace and publicly share our very clear policy,” a Google spokeswoman said”

      I’m sure James Damore would be happy to know that.

  32. The Late P Brooks

    Fuck airline travel.

    *nods, continues preparing to drive to Indpls*

  33. Damn it was nice to be news free for a week. My only concerns were finding good places to eat, trying out new beers, and filling up my much free-time with fun things to do. I would, of course, be a fat slob if I was on permanent vacation.

    But it did give me a chance to re-prioritize some things – gotta find a new job and start making some extra cash. I also need to finish an old dream of mine, making a good street sweeper. I just have to figure out the best car to use as the base. AWD would be nice for the hard-hitting launches, but that usually means the import stuff unless I do something really crazy.

    1. westernsloper

      The best street sweeper would be smaller than the current giant things. For the base I would use a side by side like a Gator or a Kubota. Smaller waste receptacle would be a problem but they could get into tighter places and have more uses. Where I work now needs one like that and I have often thought of creating one but am too lazy and spend my free time drinking beer and not being productive as god intended.

      1. ::blurry squinty eyes::

      2. Gustave Lytton

        See and I though LH was going to work on a new shotgun.

    2. westernsloper

      Also, for the vacuum, I would use one off a potholer. Those things have better suction than Winston’s Mom.

  34. The Late P Brooks

    As I was coming up the stairs a few minutes ago, Sally Yates was saying something to the effect of, “I prosecuted a lot of people for obstructing justice on less evidence than Mueller had.”

    Yeah, but they were just plebes and proles and peasants; not the President of the United States.

    Something something no reasonable careerist prosecutor…

    1. Subwoofer

      That sounds like an admission of prosecutorial malfeasance to me

    2. Suthenboy

      Nobody seems to want to go into detail about all of this ‘evidence’ they have. They just have it.

      With Clinton, on the other hand…

    3. westernsloper

      “I prosecuted a lot of people for obstructing justice on less evidence than Mueller had.”

      Name them. Maybe these cases need reviewed.

    4. Fatty Bolger

      Sure she did.

    5. leon

      I don’t doubt they have prosecuted people with that evidence. Tom woods had a good interview with Scott Horton over this. At this point it’s a political question. You could prosecute for “Obstruction”, but then you have to take in account that the “obstruction” was of an investigation that was cooked up by the FBI in order to try to force the democratically elected president.

      1. leon

        +1 This is how the Justice System treats anyone accused of any crime. Cops aren’t about getting to the truth. once they got you in their sights they are about proving you did something wrong.

        1. Gustave Lytton

          +1 FBI uncovers bomb plot

  35. >>alcoholic on wheels

    Lionel Barrymore was excellent in Captains Courageous – plus Spencer Tracy.

    1. slumbrew

      My father’s all-time favorite movie (he was biased, being from Gloucester, MA and having been a commercial fisherman).

  36. Atanarjuat

    https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/04/25/white-house-correspondents-dinner-trump-226713?mod=article_inline

    How Trump Took the Shine Off Washington’s Glitziest Night

    At one level, the change can be explained by the 2016 election, in which Trump replaced a president whom celebrities genuinely wanted to be near. “It was fun to go when Obama was in the White House,” said the Emmy-winning actress Julianna Margulies, who went to the dinner twice during his term. Now, she says, even if the president did attend, she’d skip it. “Trump just takes the wind out of everyone’s sails. He sucks up oxygen in a room. He doesn’t know how to make fun of himself, and there’s no way I would go and sit through a night of that.”

    Yeah, if there’s one thing Obama is famous for it’s his sense of humor, especially of the self-deprecating variety.

    1. Alternate headline: “Trump Exposed the WHCD for the Self-Congratulatory Circle Jerk it Always Was”.

    2. kbolino

      C’mon, I’m sure he told a real knee-slapper once about how he wasn’t actually the world’s smartest man.

    3. Suthenboy

      Holy crap, that is some serious projection there.

  37. The Late P Brooks

    They’re talking about Biden going to visit a “historically black church” to campaign. What would they be saying if Trump had dropped by a “historically white church” to talk to the people?

    1. MikeS

      Historically Black = something to be proud of; culturally important

      Historically White = Something to be ashamed of; needs more diversity

      1. Akira

        That’s true.

        You know, a little saying among Internet white supremacists is “diversity means anti-white”. I hate that the “progressives” are making that statement true.

    2. Fatty Bolger

      I want so badly for him to do that fake accent thing beloved by patronizing Democrats. That would be awesome.

    3. kbolino

      Remember, it is of crucial importance that we forget all history in the name of Current Year and progressively march ever forward.

      Unless it comes to grievances. Those we can keep forever.

  38. Rich guys are most likely to have no idea what they’re talking about, study suggests

    Or, as the social scientists put it, to BS.

    Research by John Jerram and Nikki Shure of the University College of London, and Phil Parker of Australian Catholic University attempted to measure the pervasiveness of this trait in society and identify its most ardent practitioners.

    Study participants were asked to assess their knowledge of 16 math topics on a five-point scale ranging from “never heard of it” to “know it well, understand the concept.” Crucially, three of those topics were complete fabrications: “proper numbers,” “subjunctive scaling” and “declarative fractions.” Those who said they were knowledgeable about the fictitious topics were categorized as BSers.

    Using a data set spanning nine predominantly English-speaking countries, researchers delineated a number of key findings. First, men are much more likely than women to master the art of hyperbole, as are the wealthy relative to the poor or middle class. North Americans, meanwhile, tend to slip into this behavior more readily than English speakers in other parts of the globe. And if there were a world championship, as a true devotee might appreciate, the title would go to Canada, data show.

    So like every VP the company I work for ever hired?

    1. kbolino

      If they’re bullshitting about what they know, wouldn’t they also bullshit about how much money they have?

    2. Rufus the Monocled

      We’re #1!

      A few NFL execs (and I’m sure it’s the same in other sports) making decisions shouldn’t be. They just happen to be there because they’re elated to the boss or through some other connection. They know how to BS their way around.

    3. blackjack

      I’ve spent a lot of time around the idle rich or at least, people who make lots of money the easy way, and I have a theory about some of them. I believe that they lose their ability to solve problems. They mostly handle things by making calls and writing checks. Some of them grew up this way and have never had to fix anything. They move out of their houses temporarily while repairs are done. They just buy a new car when major problems arise with the old one. They can’t read maps, drive stick shift cars, mow lawns, repair almost anything, deal with courts, police etc. I’m sure this atrophys their minds. They are shocked when you repair or even cobble together a temporary fix for something. They think that money falls from the sky, and it kinda does for them. Hardships are purely mental for them. They often have extreme therapy regimes. It’s really strange to imagine having a blank space in your mind where the problem solving stuff should be. This is why we have the ruling class elites and academia navel gazers doing such crazy shit. They can’t conceive of just getting up and taking care of their life’s problems. Someone should be forced to handle the hard stuff so we can continue our “creative work.” They don’t realize that it’s possible to even do these things. It’s all outsourcing all the time.

      Poor people and blue collar workers spend much of their time fixing problems. If the plumbing goes out and you don’t have the money, you gotta learn how to fix it or make do with what’s there. If your car breaks and you can’t fix it, you fake it, maybe by adjusting your driving methods, or you fix it the cheap way, by buying a part and installing it your self. If you get a ticket, you go court and handle the plea and proceedings your self. This makes your ability to handle things increase and builds confidence for the next thing to come around. It’s not possible to handle these kinda problems without being rational about it. Your various mechanisms don’t care how you feel. Sniveling doesn’t sway inanimate objects. They can’t afford to react with anything but real attempts to remedy their real problems.

      1. Rufus the Monocled

        +1 Geoff Molson running the Habs.

      2. My old man suffers a bit from the former. He’s pure manager and, for the most part, just has other people do the hard work. One time I was driving an old Volvo up to his house and it would randomly just sputter and stop. I parked the car and was able to zero in on the problem within a few minutes. I asked him for a wrench set and he gave me a blank look. “I don’t own one of those.”

        But he does know how to cut trees so they fall in the right places and can drive a mean 4X4. But was/is always surprised when I did – for example – the slate floor restoration, paint the house, build a small block engine and put it in a car, or the other kajilllion projects I do.

        Life is just a puzzle.

        1. DrOtto

          Please tell me the small block went in the Volvo and that it was a wagon. Those are awesome conversions.

  39. Ownbestenemy

    It has been studied extensively. The issue is just as said before, overhead bin storage. With the fees on checked luggage, people bring more in carryon and causes the clusterfuck we see today.

    I think SWA method is actually the quickest, but still falls to the carryon luggage issue.

    1. kbolino

      I’m a bit surprised they haven’t started charging for carryons. Maybe FAA rules prevent it?

      1. Gustave Lytton

        Welcome to Spirit.

      2. Ownbestenemy

        Some airlines do charge for carryon.

  40. Rufus the Monocled

    Aw man this is priceless. Man confronts Trudeau doing a photo-op in flood zone.

    https://twitter.com/CBCPolitics/status/1122196009470312449

    1. kbolino

      There is something fundamentally disconcerting to my American eyes about a state-run broadcaster reporting on politics.

    2. MikeS

      “That was unfriendly and neighborly” Canadian version of “fuck off, prick”

      The guy was right. Get the hell out of here so real work can be done, you damn photo-op whore.

      1. Rufus the Monocled

        Yes kbolino, DEFUND THE CBC.

        Mike, notice how he turns and walks towards the man. It begins aggressively as if he wanted to grab him….which he did while having the look of pure arrogance.

        Not only that, his security also put their hands on the guy. These are signs of a government in total smack down mode.

        1. MikeS

          Yeah, Rufus. The lady that gets in his face right away and tries talking over him while the PM runs away was especially annoying.

          That guy should get plenty of free beers for a while whenever he goes into a bar.

        2. Gustave Lytton

          I love Canada. At least the guy got close enough to lay into Turdo. In the US, the SS would have had the whole thing locked down and screened. If the guy even tried to approach Trump or any president, he’d be dogpiled and hauled away before he even reached the cameras.

    3. Gustave Lytton

      What a POS. ‘Hey dickhead, you’re fucking over everyone with your photo op.’ ‘We’ve been doing manual labor for 30 minutes. Why won’t you think of me and my hard work. Also, I forced my son into this as well.’

      1. MikeS

        Rightfully angry volunteer: “Your security has stopped people from being able to pick up bags”

        PM Pretty-boy: “Imagine being me. I live with this security every day”

        SMDH

      2. Rufus the Monocled

        I’d like to know more about the guy. I hope he really is a volunteer.

        Regardless, his team are unprofessional. You would *think* they’d be aware of the possibility of planned or planted hecklers present.

  41. Count Potato

    “President McAfee has invaded Cuba.”

    https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1122273812643557376

    How difficult would it be for the Fourth Fleet to fake a bit of “engine trouble”?

  42. Count Potato

    “Indy Councilor Says Shapiro’s Feeds Nazis

    City-County Councilor Zach Adamson posted the offensive comments on Facebook, where he also called President Trump the “orange menace.”

    Indianapolis City-County Councilor Zach Adamson posted on Facebook that Shapiro’s Deli in downtown is “bragging” that they “feed Nazis” after owner, Brian Shapiro, posted a welcome message to NRA members attending the NRA Convention taking place in the city.

    Shapiro’s Deli posted the tweet Thursday night, along with photos of then-candidate Donald Trump campaigning in the days before the Indiana primary in 2016. President Trump won the state of Indiana, and Sen. Ted Cruz ended his presidential campaign, assuring Trump the nomination.”

    https://www.wibc.com/blogs/tony-katz/tony-katz-today/indy-councilor-says-shapiros-feeds-nazis

    https://twitter.com/DLoesch/status/1121757898567299072

      1. Gustave Lytton

        I’m gonna have to go with the pastrami provided they drop the cheese and add extra mustard.

        1. BakedPenguin

          Second. Actually, I’d go with the pastrami even if they didn’t do what Gustave wanted. (although mustard and cheese don’t pair well)

          1. mustard and cheese don’t pair well

            I can’t even.

    1. Shapiro’s has the best Reuben in the world. However, if you are at the Indy airport, don’t get it there. It isn’t fresh and isn’t as good. Hit the downtown or Carmel location.

      Also, they are fairly politically neutral. In addition to hosting Trump, Andre Carson hosts a monthly dinner there (D-In, Muslim, Farrakhan friend, and overall POS). Julia Carson (Andre’s grandmother) was our congresswoman for years. Apparently Shapiro’s snuck her food in the hospital.

  43. Akira

    OT: Thinking about buying a single-action revolver in .38/.357. Any recommendations?

    I was leaning towards the Ruger Vaquero. I already have a GP100 and love it, so I trust the Ruger brand.

    1. R C Dean

      S&W makes a bunch of different models. Carry, target, home defense?

      1. R C Dean

        But no SA only.