Good morning kids. Yesterday's kabu-kakke theatre has just left me depressed. And combined with the seeming failure of Jeff Sessions and now evidently Rex Tillerson, I just have to throw my hands up in disgust. So, let's say PDT replaces both of them and if need be his entire cabinet with unapologetic fighters for the cause, there is still a political/bureaucratic machine ready to blockade anything that will take away one iota of power and one red cent of its ill-gotten lucre. That was, is and always will be the problem.
I suppose the most galling thing was the revolting display surrounding John McCain as he entered the Senate in the guise of some revered elder statesman and great American. He's not. He disgusts me. His entire life in politics has been in service of himself and his great, crashing ego. No doubt, in what may have been one of his final performances in the well of the Senate, he showed a complete lack of humility and willingness to even concede that those who oppose him (including people like us) did so quite passionately yet with no personal rancor. He has lived his life as an embittered old hack, defending a corrupt and immoral ruling class while railing against a decent and honest citizenry that seeks moral, civil and cultural restoration. Sadly, since if this revolting display is how he has chosen to exit this mortal coil, alll I can say is "go." And give my regards to Teddy Kennedy when next you see him.
On a more positive note, a woman from PDT's home turf of Queens named Vickie Paladino let loose an epic tirade against Bill DeBolshevik. I don't know what her professional background may be, but as to her temperament, I hope the President finds people exactly like her to staff his administration. Bra-effing-vo!
Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.
“You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but in the very least you need a beer.” ― Frank Zappa
Quote II
“The best beer in the world is the one in my hand.” ― Charles Papazian
Quote III
“Do you remember your first sip of beer? Terrible! How could anyone like that stuff? But beer, you reflect, is an acquired taste; one gradually trains oneself—or just comes—to enjoy that flavor. What flavor? The flavor of that first sip? No one could like that flavor! Beer tastes different to the experienced beer drinker. Then beer isn't an acquired tast; one doesn't learn to like that first taste; one gradually comes to experience a different, and likable, taste. Had the first sip tasted that way, you would have liked beer wholeheartedly from the beginning!” ― Douglas Hofstadter
Quote IV
“A man has no more right to an opinion for which he cannot account than for a glass of beer for which he cannot pay.” ― Anonymous
A Mother & Father say goodbye to the child they never got to meet. Love.
My daughter was stillborn on July 7. It did not come as a surprise. We knew she was going to die due to an extremely rare fatal neural tube disorder called exencephaly, but we had hoped for a live birth and a few hours with her. A week after the delivery, I spoke about her too-short life for the funeral service at Sunrise Baptist Church in Custer, Washington.
How do you eulogize a girl who never lived? She never crawled, walked, spoke, cried. We don’t even have honest dates for the tombstone, since that clock starts at birth. By the time of her delivery, my daughter had left the building.
*****
Meet Donnie Bumanglag, U.S. army medic who saved Omar Khadr, foreign fighter. Now one rich motherf*cker. Do no harm.
“My mission, my job was just to save him, keep him alive. There was no politics in it then. I was a young Ranger and this was my chance,” Bumanglag says. “I worked on him for over two hours in the back of a helicopter as the sun went down. At the end, I’m working under finger light.”
A young American, half a world away without the 20/20 vision of an armchair quarterback. Or a crystal ball to see the outrageous act of a certain Canadian P.M.
I recently attended an academic conference at the University of Notre Dame called “Intersectional Inquiries and Collaborative Action: Gender and Race.” It felt like a return to my undergraduate years in the early 1990s. I saw women with shaved heads wearing ethnic print scarves, Birkenstocks, and baggy black clothes. Many of the participants smelled of curry and incense. I attended the conference because I was researching the concept of “intersectionality” as part of a year-long fellowship to study academic diversity. A year ago, I knew almost nothing about the diversity movement in academia. Now I’ve learned that it is only the tip of a very large iceberg, and that this movement is more extensive, and more radical, than the anodyne term “diversity” would lead one to believe.
Here, by way of example, are a couple of stories readers asked for my thoughts on in the last 24 hours:
Richard Dawkins has become the latest speaker to be prevented from speaking at Berkeley. Professor Dawkins is a world-famous scientist, whose book The Selfish Gene has just been voted "the most inspiring science book of all time" in a poll commissioned by the Royal Society.
His science is not the problem. Dawkins is also an atheist.
That's not the problem, either - or it wasn't when he was principally urinating over the Pope ("a leering old villain in a frock") and the Catholic Church (an "evil corrupt institution" that's also a "child-raping institution"). All three quotes are from just one Washington Post column: that's how respectable and mainstream Dawkins was back then in 2010.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I’ve never walked of [sic] stage during a song before,” he wrote. “For almost a whole song I watched a guy stand a row behind a girl flirting and then trying to kiss her… At times she seemed ok with his advances but after the second time of watching her push his face and hands away and try to turn back to watch the show I asked the security guard to go check on them.”
The ONT's opinion. If it was such a problem in the audience, let individuals involved or nearby settle it.
*****
Fake news. Biased news. The News is biased and it is as simple as what is and isn't published/broadcast. Not all deaths are equal.
How many deaths does it take for a natural disaster to be newsworthy? This is a question researchers Thomas Eisensee and David Strömberg asked in a 2007 study.1 The two authors found that for every person killed by a volcano, nearly 40,000 people have to die of a food shortage to get the same probability of coverage in US televised news.2 In other words, the type of disaster matters to how newsworthy networks find it to be. The visualizations below show the extent of this observed “news effect”. The first chart shows the proportion of each type of disaster that receives news coverage, and the second shows the “casualties ratio”, which tells us—all else equal—how many casualties would make media coverage equally likely for each type of disaster.
Leslie Conrad is the director of Clemson Outdoor Lab in Pendleton, S.C., which runs several different camps during the summer. Clemson bans cellphones and other electronic devices for campers.
That makes sense. We traditionally think of summer camp as a place to swim in the lake and weave friendship bracelets, not text and play video games.
But sometimes, Conrad says, parents will give their children a decoy to turn in and a second phone to keep hidden. And, a few years ago, an 11-year-old camper was sent a cellphone in a care package. "We just held on to it and sent it back home at the end of the session," Conrad says.
It is difficult to admit when you are wrong, so it’s all the more admirable that the Louisville Courier-Journal has issued a correction to six previous articles, published between 1887 and 1966, which erroneously refer to “hot dogs” as “sandwiches.”
*****
The ONT Musical Interlude
July 25, 1960, Roy Orbison reached No.2 on the US singles chart with ‘Only the Lonely,’ his first hit. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself. via thisdayinmusic.com
***
July 25, 1970, The Carpenters started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with '(They Long To Be) Close To You'. The first of three US No.1's and 17 other Top 40 hits. The song was written in 1963 by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and was first offered to Herb Alpert, who said he didn't feel comfortable singing the line 'so they sprinkled moon dust in your hair'. via thisdayinmusic.com
On July 19, U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman denied bail for Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, a physician, as the Detroit Free Press reported, “accused of cutting the genitals of two Minnesota girls as part of a religious procedure.” According to the court, Nagarwala may have subjected as many as 100 girls to the procedure over the last 12 years.
Prosecutors also accuse co-defendant Dr. Fakhruddin Attar of letting Nagarwala use his clinic for the genital mutilation, with his wife Farida Attar “holding the girls’ hands during the procedures.”
Snopes.com, one of the internet's first and most famous fact-checking websites, said Monday that a previous website hosting vendor continues to "hold the Snopes.com web site hostage," and the site is in danger of shutting down if it doesn't raise $500,000.
Snopes has started a GoFundMe campaign and has raised just under $55,000 by just over 2,000 people in 4 hours.
Medicaid patients with glaucoma received less testing than those with commercial health insurance, according to a study from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Researchers evaluated 21,766 individuals who were 40 years or older and newly diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma between 2007 and 2011. Of these individuals, 18,372 were covered by commercial health insurance and 3,394 were covered by Medicaid.
"Medicaid recipients were 234 percent more likely to not receive any glaucoma testing in the 15 months after initial diagnosis," the study explains.
He soon met the minor for the first and only time — describing her as a “wonderful girl” — but after taking a DNA test, learned she was not his after all.
Only Cornejo’s ex-girlfriend and the state still want the $US65,000 ($82,000) in back payments. “I never thought in my whole life I would have to defend myself of something that I am innocent of,” he said.
Texas’ family code, chapter 161, states that even if one is not the biological father, they still owe support payments that accrued before the paternity test proves otherwise. In Cornejo’s case, that amounts to some $US65,000.
******
Hey Whitey, No need to apply. Or this isn't going to work out well. h/t ibguy
Department of Justice Lawyers Still Suing Little Sisters of the Poor and Other Religiously-Oriented Organizations Over Obamacare Birth Control/Abortion Mandate
DOJ lawyers have continued to keep alive a slew of cases appealing a 2014 district court ruling that granted an injunction from the mandate to several Catholic organizations. The Supreme Court vacated an appeals court ruling against The Little Sisters of the Poor and similar organizations in 2016, sending the cases back to the lower courts. Many religious freedom advocates expected that the Trump administration, which has vowed to protect The Little Sisters and other organizations burdened by the contraceptive mandate, would drop the legal campaign against the religious organizations. But more than six months into the Trump era, the legal fights are still alive.
Although Trump signed an executive order directing the DOJ to consider and propose an alternate rule which would insulate religiously-oriented organizations from compliance with the birth control/abortion mandate in Obamacare, no such rule has actually been published, so the situation remains as it was.
The State Department under Secretary Rex Tillerson has been locked in a growing power struggle with the White House that has angered officials in the West Wing and sparked claims that the Trump administration's top diplomatic organ is now in "open war" with the White House on a range of critical issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian impasse, Iran, the crisis with Qatar, and other matters, according to multiple sources who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the situation.
The State Department is said to be in a state of "massive dysfunction," with top officials working under Tillerson ignoring White House directives on critical staffing issues and key policy matters, according to multiple sources, including administration allies who are said to be increasingly frustrated with what is perceived as the White House's inability to control its own federal agencies.
BTW, remember that Tony Scaramucci said he'd be having a sit-down with his underlings yesterday and would fire any leakers?
Pakistani-American IT Guy -- Subject of a Criminal Probe, and From Whom the DNC's Hard Drives Were Recovered, But Only After Being Smashed By a Hammer -- Arrested as He Attempts to Flee Country Update: DWS Fires-- Finally
—Ace
The media continues giving no f***s.
The top IT staffer for Debbie Wasserman Schultz just tried to flee the country. https://t.co/2dh7C2m0W3
President Donald Trump has reportedly sidelined the State Department and entrusted White House staffers with making the potential case for withholding certification of Iran at the next 90-day review of the nuclear deal, Foreign Policy reported.
According to the report, the president made the decision after his "contentious meeting" with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last week.
“This is about the president asking Tillerson at the last certification meeting 90 days earlier to lay the groundwork so Trump could consider his options," one of the sources said.
"Tillerson did not do this, and Trump is infuriated. He can't trust his secretary of state to do his job, so he is turning to the few White House staffers he trusts the most," the source added.
Tillerson, it is reported, is generally "frustrated" (possibly by this maneuver specifically) and is considering resigning.
CNN reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is becoming “increasingly frustrated” with President Donald Trump and his administration to the point where he is allegedly considering a resignation from his post, and could quit before 2017 ends.
Sources reportedly close to Tillerson told CNN that the Secretary of State is losing patience with Trump and, as a result, there may be a “Rexit” in the near future.
Except for the Iran certification, Tillerson hasn't impressed me as especially good or especially bad. He's just a warm body filling a hole.
My problem with forcing Tillerson out is the same I have with forcing Sessions out: Who's going to take this job?
No one takes a stressful job except for one reason: to increase their reputation, power, and personal earning potential.
It doesn't seem like being a Secretary in the Trump Administration is the gateway to accomplishing any of those things.
So who comes in? Who has the stature enough, and the Establishment blessing enough (because you know no man comes into the Kingdom of Government except through the Establishment), and is also willing to be professionally humiliated down the line, to become the SecState?
Update: Tillerson "taking a little time off."
State spox Nauert says of Tillerson: He's taking a little time off.
Republican senators are planning to pursue a "skinny" repeal of Obamacare if Tuesday's Senate votes to open debate on health care and pass the current GOP bill both fail.
The so-called "skinny" repeal would be a series of amendments to dispose of a few key components of the Affordable Care Act that Republicans have identified as being particularly burdensome, NBC News reports.
The first vote on Tuesday will be to open debate on the health care measure. Should that "motion to proceed" pass, the Senate will debate and vote on multiple approaches to the current health care bill.
...
The Senate would then move to vote on the current Senate replacement bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. However, the BCRA includes newly added amendments from Sen. Ted Cruz (R, Texas) and Sen. Rob Portman (R, Ohio) that have not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office and would likely need 60 votes, rather than a simple majority of 50, to pass.
McCain's headed to Washington, and Mike Pence is standing by to break ties, for these votes.
But the #FakeNewsRepublicans -- Collins, Murfluvsky, and Caputo -- have already vowed they won't pass any kind of repeal without a "replacement." In other words, they just want to keep Obamacare.
Protesters have delayed the beginning of the vote, chanting "Kill the bill, don't kill us."
#FakeNewsRepublicans Lisa Muffzinsky and Susan Collins have re-announced they will fight to keep Obamacare. If any other #FakeNewsRepublicans defect, they can't even have a debate on the question.
Sessions' allies -- including many conservatives -- are angry at how Trump has treated Sessions, including Trump recently tweeting that had he known Sessions would recuse himself in the Russia matter, he'd've never appointed him AG.
Or, like this one:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!
I don't think Trump can have what he wants here. He seems to be pressuring Sessions to either un-recuse himself and end the Mueller probe or resign so he can appoint someone new who will end the Mueller probe.
The first seems impossible -- Sessions has declared himself conflicted on that issue -- and the latter seems no more likely.
Anyone Trump names as AG nominee will of course be asked -- repeatedly, and with no wiggle room -- if they think Mueller should continue doing his job. No one, not even in DC, is going to claim the Mueller probe should go on just to get confirmed and then turn around and fire him post-confirmation.
Further, I don't even see who would agree to take the job, given Trump's public scoldings of Sessions.
Trump wants something impossible from the AG.
If Trump wants Mueller fired, he's going to have to step up to the plate and do it on his own authority, without trying to find the cover of a lackey to do it for him.
Kurt Schlicter lays out the case for Trump to just man the hell up and fire Mueller -- the right way -- here:
Trump must eventually fire Robert Mueller, a partisan tool carrying water for his Establishment pals as he oversees an utterly corrupt “investigation” where the only person we actually know committed any wrongdoing is his bestest buddy Jim Comey. But Trump can’t just lash out and do it, though it is well within his political and moral right to do so. No, he’s got to do it cleverly, with cunning, in a way that shows the American people exactly why Mueller’s witch hunt is a flaming dumpster fire of conflicts of interest and contempt for the right of normal Americans to have a say in their own governance.
Trump has to set the stage before he pulls the trigger and puts the coup de grace into the temple of this appalling fiasco. He has to do it so the American people will see and understand why ending this idiocy is so absolutely necessary to preserve our Republic despite the mainstream media’s best effort to hide the truth.
Trump needs to seize the initiative from Leaky Bob. You know, I keep hearing how Mueller was this squared-away Marine officer, but through these incessant leaks his organization demonstrates a complete lack of both integrity and discipline. Mueller seems unwilling or unable to exercise any kind of leadership over his team of Hillary donors, or to instill a culture of seriousness and impartiality. The continuing misconduct of his out-of-control, ever-expanding fiefdom demonstrates that he must be relieved of command. And here’s the letter the president should send to him to set the stage to do it....
Huh, maybe Trump should name Schlichter as attorney general. He is a lawyer and an Army cavalry Colonel. Colonels get promoted to general all the time.
Not that it matters. Apparently the only thing that matters is Jared Kushner's closed door testimony, and what Adam Schiff will claim he heard leaked about it later.
Glenn Simpson, whose Fusion GPS firm has been tied to anti-Trump efforts and pro-Russian lobbying, will not talk to lawmakers in response to a subpoena, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committe said Friday.
Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., confirmed in a statement that they subpoenaed Simpson to appear before the committee Wednesday as part of a hearing about the influence of foreign lobbying in last year's presidential election.
"Simpson’s attorney has asserted that his client will invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to the subpoena," Grassley and Feinstein said.
It's an op.
By the way, the Democrats took "intel" from Russian spies and spread it around.
While the mainstream news media hunts for evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, the public record shows that Democrats have willfully used Moscow disinformation to influence the presidential election against Donald Trump and attack his administration.
The disinformation came in the form of a Russian-fed dossier written by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele. It contains a series of unverified criminal charges against Mr. Trump’s campaign aides, such as coordinating
...
Mr. Steele makes clear that his unproven charges came almost exclusively from sources linked to the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He identified his sources as “a senior Russian Foreign Ministry figure,” a former “top level Russian intelligence officer active inside the Kremlin,” a “senior Kremlin official” and a “senior Russian government official.”
"So I'm watching CNN the other day (stop laughing) and they show a bunch of anti-Trump protestors marching around and waving signs, and it's obvious that the signs all have the same slogan and all look to be professionally printed. Why does it never occur to any of CNN's crack journalists to ask one of the protestors where did they get their signs from, and who printed them? Or, how about: did you ride to the protest on one of those buses over there, and where did the buses come from and who paid for them? These seem to be simple, basic, Journalism 101 questions that they ought to be asking right out of the gate, but never do. Sigh. Nobody listens to a gorilla."
Good morning kids. Only Tuesday and we're chock full 'o linkage this morning. First up, the rumors around the President's displeasure with the performance of Jeff Sessions and the latter's departure are swirling, with reports of him being replaced by Rudy Giuliani and now Ted Cruz appearing. I have always thought of Jeff Sessions as a decent, honorable man who was one of PDT's first, full-throated supporters right out of the box. He has been very good so far on one of the President's biggest policy items, border control and immigration. Yet, in many other ways, he has, to say the least, been a disappointment. In his defense, when you have a DoJ that consists of thousands of employees who not only oppose their boss but are actively sabotaging him and dare I say would not be at all upset if he suffered the same fate as Steve Scalise, your effectiveness cannot help but be compromised. But there is no excuse for Sessions stepping on his johnson and recusing himself, thereby allowing the kangaroo court of the Russia hoax to go forward. That so good a man should be so lousy an AG. If he does go, maybe the next AG will actually RICO the shit out of Soros, Hillary and Obama. I can dream, can't I?
The other big story is today's vote on the GOP version of kabu-kakke healthcare Three Card Monty. The only thing that should be voted on, in a just and sane world, is the repeal of the 2010 ACA in full as well as the dismantling of the industry-imposed and government approved monopoly on health insurance. But the only thing that is immortal in this world is a government bureaucracy. And now, irony of ironies, with the GOP in full control of the government, the Left is floating the idea of Charlie Gard-care thinking that the GOP wing of their party will embrace "bipartisanship!!!" and actually institute single payer. Think of that; the Left is electorally neutralized and yet they have a chance to institute their 100-year wet dream of national health --- while being completely out of power. If the GOP even so much as hints that this is open to consideration, it really is the bitter end. For them and probably for us as well.
On a positive note, I throw you a lifeline of a tax plan proposal from the conservatives that abolishes the IRS. Yeah, I know. But at least it's something to raise your spirits even if it doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell. If nothing else, it's good to know that some people are thinking right.
Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.
Previously, The ONT covered the dust up between Olive Garden and a blogger. Olive Garden backs down.
Regardless of the threat, Malone has kept his faith in Olive Garden, and told Gizmodo that he thinks the letter is just “a misunderstanding by an overeager young member of their legal team, or possibly an automated system.”
And he is right. An Olive Garden spokesperson told Gizmodo that allofgarden.com “was flagged through automated means and the letter was generated.” The company has since reviewed the complaint and determined that no action was necessary.
It’s been a hard week for ol’ Chipotle: On Tuesday, a franchise in Virginia closed briefly after multiple customers fell violently ill with what turned out to be norovirus, a throwback to the Great Chipotle Poisonings of 2015. But there’s more, because while burrito fans were getting sick in Virginia (and documenting their experiences in great detail), customers at a Dallas location complained that mice were falling from the ceiling, on account of what a Chipotle spokesperson said was a “small structural gap in the building.” (It has since been repaired.)
And now, FOX31 reports, shareholders have filed a class-action lawsuit against the chain, claiming Chipotle “deceived them with misleading information that the company had fixed its problems with food safety and now stocks are sinking.”
*****
Board games. A staple among Americans for years. One of the favorites, Monopoly. The origin of Monopoly.
Determined to prove the merit of George’s proposal, Magie invented and in 1904 patented what she called the Landlord’s Game. Laid out on the board as a circuit (which was a novelty at the time), it was populated with streets and landmarks for sale. The key innovation of her game, however, lay in the two sets of rules that she wrote for playing it.
The rumor that Lincoln hadn’t written the Bixby letter was apparently started by the man who claimed to be the true author: Lincoln’s secretary, John Hay.
Perhaps they should stick to Dominion over the earth and saving souls.
“From the scientific point of view, the sentence that the earth is warmed by human activity is as true as the sentence: The earth is round!” said Archbishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo.
The archbishop has been a consistent and zealous promoter of manmade climate change as a non-negotiable Church issue, despite the status of care for the environment as a prudential matter.
Climate change ideology continues to be contested as a ploy perpetrated with manipulated data by the left to enact environmental regulations and taxes.
Even so, Archbishop Sorondo dismissed deniers of climate change in a recent Vatican Radio interview as “a small, negligible minority.”
Minority? I would be careful on the majority and minority outlook on things, Padre.
*****
As a child my younger brother and I would bicycle for hours. We would travel to see friends. Travel to the store. Where a quarter got you a bottle of pop and a candy bar. Travel to diffferent towns. If we weren't bicycling we were playing pickup ball games with neighborhood kids, building forts in a nearby woods. There were chores involved as well. We didn't have cable tv. Hell, I was my Dad's remote control for our 3 channels after dinner. Did we turn out badly? Nope, don't think so. Today's child rearing ways may not be good for the children.
Yet one thing is certain – the level of parental involvement and supervision in the 1970s was not a tenth of what is expected today. Fast forward to 2014 and a woman was arrested for allowing her nine-year-old to play in the park while she worked.
So what impact do increasing levels of parental involvement have on children? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
A recent survey of children aged eight to 12 found that indoor play is now the norm, a third have never splashed in a puddle and the distance children are allowed to play from home has shrunk by 90% since 1970.
*****
The next preventable crisis in the Arab Penninsula? Cholera.
"The great tragedy is that this cholera outbreak is a preventable, man-made humanitarian catastrophe," Maurer said in a statement. "Further deaths can be prevented, but warring parties must ease restrictions and allow the import of medicines, food, and essential supplies and they must show restraint in the way they conduct warfare."
The report came as the number of Yemenis killed by the disease exceeded 1,800.
Cholera, a highly contagious diarrheal infection spread through water contaminated by human waste, can be efficiently treated with the immediate replacement of lost fluids. Without treatment the disease can kill even healthy adults within a few hours.
Mayor de Blasio ventured into the city’s decrepit subway system on Sunday — but didn’t have to face the foul-smelling and often crazy vagrants that ordinary New Yorkers are forced to contend with every day.
That’s because police were ordered to roust all the homeless people from two stations ahead of the mayor’s four-stop press event as he rode from his Park Slope gym to his new re-election headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
Puliafito resigned his $1.1-million-a-year post in March 2016, in the middle of the spring term, saying he wanted to explore outside opportunities.
Three weeks earlier, a 21-year-old woman had overdosed in his presence in a Pasadena hotel room. The woman was rushed to a hospital, where she recovered. Police found methamphetamine in the hotel room, according to a police report, but made no arrests. Puliafito has never spoken publicly about the incident, which is being reported here for the first time.
Frank Zappa's 1981 tour featured a musical sequence called "Panty Rap" that you don't want your boss to hear at the workplace, due to the subject matter. He encouraged women to throw their underpants on stage. Many women responded, and bras were often thrown, too. After the tour was over, he commissioned this quilt made of the collected underwear. Emily Alana James is the artist who converted the clothing into a quilt
July 24, 1965, The Byrds were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song 'Mr Tambourine Man'. The first Bob Dylan song to reach No.1. The Byrds' recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of folk rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics. via thisdayinmusic.com
July 24, 1971, Paul Revere and the Raiders went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Indian Reservation'. The song was first recorded in 1959 by Marvin Rainwater and released as 'The Pale Faced Indian' and then later by Don Fardon in 1968. via thisdayinmusic.com
No word if this is the 2020 theme music for Liz Warren.
Neuroskeptic, a working neuroscientist who anonymously blogs about science for Discover, set up the sting, submitting the nonsensical study to nine scientific journals – only to have four of them accept it.
The journals approached are among those sometimes described as predatory in science circles because they exploit researchers into paying fees to have their papers published in them.
But in this case, three of the publications just went ahead and published the fake paper straight up – clearly not having read or checked it first – even without requiring payment of a fee.
*****
He led the Wisconsin brigade of Never Trump. He left his successful radio program in part because he was tired of Trump voters. He now lives and writes in the "faculty lounge" . What Trump is doing to the conservative character.
Trump will not, of course, always be with us. But he will leave a mark on the culture and character of conservativism for a very long time.
Yes, Hillary Clinton as the POTUS wouldn't have a left on mark on culture.
Though we have never met, I smiled recently seeing my favorite Walmart employee. For over ten years, I witnessed him gathering shopping carts in the parking lot. He is a white millennial who only has the use of one arm, walks with a severe limp and appears slightly mentally challenged. I once saw him leaving work driving a new looking compact car. My wife Mary prepared his taxes when she worked for a tax preparation company. I thought, “Hey, this brother has got it goin’ on — doin’ his thing.”
The Walmart guy could easily qualify for disability; sit home on his butt allowing taxpayers to take care of him. Far too many able-bodied millennials feel entitled, believing government should provide them free everything.
At least one U.S. publication doesn't see the big deal. Food & Wine—a magazine devoted to celebrating some of the specific things Rome has banned: food and wine—apparently doesn't see the big deal with the Roman law.
"Truthfully, it doesn't sound like the law should be difficult to abide," writes F&W's Elisabeth Sherman. "You'll still be able to enjoy Rome with respect, and a glass of wine in your hand, at least until two in the morning. By then, you should be in bed anyway."
She's not fun and neither is Italy and their new food laws.
The government of the UK said on Saturday all drones larger than 250 grams—slightly more than half a pound, for all you ignorant Americans—will need to be registered with the Department of Transport following a report by aviation authorities drones as small as 400 grams could damage helicopter windshields. Drone owners will also be required to pass a “safety awareness test” demonstrating they understand UK rules on safety and privacy.
Aviation Minister Lord Martin Callanan said in a statement on the government’s web site that he recognized the usefulness of drones, but “Like all technology, drones too can be misused. By registering drones, introducing safety awareness tests to educate users we can reduce the inadvertent breaching of airspace restrictions to protect the public.”
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — On Friday, the country’s parliament appointed 13 judges of the Supreme Court and their 20 deputies. The day before, the Supreme Court itself denounced the appointments as non-legitimate.
"All of them, one after another, will go in jail, and they will all have their assets and property frozen," Maduro said late on Sunday in his weekly TV address.
In a major defeat for the ethanol industry, senators of both parties joined forces late last week to sink a controversial bill that would’ve allowed gasoline with 15 percent ethanol to be sold year-round.
The measure had become a flash point on Capitol Hill, dividing both Republicans and Democrats — with senators from ethanol-producing states supporting the bill — while also uniting diverse groups in opposition, such as environmentalists, boaters and motorcyclists. The legislation also represented a key opportunity for the ethanol sector, as the expansion of E15 sales would’ve been a financial boon and, to at least some degree, a marketplace defeat for the oil industry
*****
With a headline like this: That pigs are smart and sensitive is not in doubt. How can we justify continuing to kill them for food? The ONT had to share with you.
Pigs aren’t just cerebral, though: they have heart. When others are in distress, they can express concern and act with empathy. A description of pig behaviours, derived from scientific experiments and compiled by Lori Marino of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy and Christina M Colvin at Georgia Institute of Technology is so impressive, you might think it was about chimpanzees, elephants or whales.
How do we justify killing pigs? Because they taste damn good!!!! That is reason enough.
Amsterdam, the largest city in the Netherlands and once a mecca for those interested in pot and prostitution, is in the process of criminalizing men approaching women. Though the Netherlands has enjoyed a reputation as a liberal country sans the SJW extremism of Scandinavia, this might be about to change.
The new laws in Amsterdam are aimed at male actions that “frighten” women, according to one of the lawmakers responsible. This kind of highly subjective test, in an age where women write 2,000 word diatribes on “manspreading” on public transportation, is ripe for abuse and overuse.
Berkeley Radio Station Cancels Richard Dawkins Appearance Over His Denigrating Comments About Islamism-- But Not Over His Far More Extensive History of Attacks on Christianity
Dawkins himself brought up the question on everyone's minds:
I am known as a frequent critic of Christianity and have never been de-platformed for that. Why do you give Islam a free pass? Why is it fine to criticise Christianity but not Islam?
1. It was all fun and games when Dawkins focused his ire solely on Christianity. The liberal applause was plentiful.
2. But, of course, treating irrational Islamic teachings and dogmas with the same respect just won't do, will it? Insta-bigot/racist etc.
3. If Dawkins' output/rhetoric on Islam is considered too sinister for a supposed 'liberal' institution like #Berkley, then mainstream...
4. ...liberalism is in desperate need of a wake-up call.
5. Did I just imagine a time when 'bans' were the pastime of the Christian right? Where students abhorred restrictions?
6. I issue a challenge to #Berkley: Is Islam perfect? If not, name one critic of Islam you deem suitable to talk about it on campus.
Note: He has confused this (privately-owned, I think) Berkeley radio station for the college at Berkeley. Doesn't really change much, but note this is a radio station issue, not a "campus" issue.
7. I guarantee there isn't a known critic of Islam that isn't labeled a 'bigot'. Even unknowns like myself get it regularly.
8. The mainstream left & so-called liberals have now become enforcers of Islamic blasphemy law. They've failed themselves & Muslims.
And Here We Go Again: "Thor," Who Was Turned Into a Woman in the Comic Books and Saw Sales Plummet, Now Says James Bond Should Be a Woman Too
—Ace
Marvel Comics has replaced almost every single marquee character with a more "diverse" one: Thor is now Natalie Portman (Jane Porter). Captain America is now a Nazi/Hydra undercover operative, so the mantle of Captain America is worn by Sam Wilson, formerly called The Falcon. The Hulk has been replaced by the long-standing character She-Hulk -- though she's now just the Hulk -- and also by a young Chinese-American Millennial called Amadeus Cho, often called "Amadeus Bro" because of his Millennial/Radical, Dude! sort of persona.
His book isn't called "The Incredible Hulk." His book is called "The Totally Awesome Hulk." Because Radical, Dude!
Ironman is now "Ironheart" -- Tony Stark is missing in action, and a 15 year old black girl is now Ironman.
Even Wolverine isn't Wolverine any more -- Wolverine is now that girl from the Logan movie, called, formerly, X-23, but now officially "Wolverine." (An old version of Logan from a different timeline is also present in the universe, but he's called Old Man Logan, not Wolverine.)
Marvel Comics aren’t doing well. Sales have declined, even as Marvel has pushed out every major event and crossover it can over the past two years. In a recent interview during the Marvel Retailer Summit, Marvel VP of Sales David Gabriel decided to ignore all the problems and criticism in order to place the blame on diversity.
What we heard was that people didn’t want any more diversity. They didn’t want female characters out there. That’s what we heard, whether we believe that or not. I don’t know that that’s really true, but that’s what we saw in sales. We saw the sales of any character that was diverse, any character that was new, our female characters, anything that was not a core Marvel character, people were turning their nose up against. That was difficult for us because we had a lot of fresh, new, exciting ideas that we were trying to get out and nothing new really worked.
Has it occurred to any of these people that Tony Stark is more than just the suit? Like, Batman is more than just the costume; people respond to the character of Bruce Wayne, too. You can't just take a completely different character -- and one the audience hasn't spent decades following -- and put him in the same costume or give her the same name and say "This is your new Batman."
I guess Chris Hemsworth doesn't know the gender switch was tried for the character he plays on screen -- Thor changed into "Thor, The Female Version" -- and the numbers cratered.
Because now he's calling for the same thing for James Bond.
Chris Hemsworth is best known for his role as the Norse god Thor in the “Avengers” movies. But outside of cinema, Hemsworth has had a hard time fitting in with the progressive left, who have slammed him for violating every progressive tenet, ranging from cultural appropriation to transphobia.
Unable to stop making politically incorrect gaffes, Hemsworth has now taken it upon himself to call for a woman to play the role of the next James Bond.
In an interview with W Magazine about the new film “Atomic Blonde,” the actor revealed that he would like to see Charlize Theron take on the role.
If Charlize Theron is already playing a super-spy clearly modeled as a female version of James Bond -- why does she actually need to play "James Bond" as well?
It's as if they're admitting from the start that they have no faith in a real female character. It has to be a knockoff gender-swapped female character who just cannibalizes the existing fan base of the male original.
This is so stupid -- "James Bond" isn't a unique individual. He's a 00 agent -- and there are more of them. If you wanted a "female James Bond," you could just run a movie in the same universe as the James Bond franchise, and just make her -- get this! -- a completely distinct, original character that is a female 00 operative.
Say, aren't Shared Universes the big thing anyway?
You wouldn't even have to make her a British agent. You could say the CIA has its own 00-type program and she's an American. To make her different than the James Bond character. What an idea.
Then you could make money by following the Avengers model of a crossover/team-up. Why, they could even start on opposite sides of the adventure and have a fight before realizing they're actually working against the same enemy, albeit from two different angles.
But no, we should all follow the Lady Ghostbusters and Marvel failed models of just gender-swapping established heroes and hope it'll work out better this time.
Can we have any female characters who aren't fundamentally parasitic free-riders on the goodwill and legacy of male characters?
I guess not. I guess we're all done with making new characters or any kind of new movies, period.
Frankly, I want the media destroyed far more than I care about another dismal James Bond movie so I hope they actually take Hemsworth's advice and just set their IP on fire, forever.
Well, maybe. Or maybe they just don't see the point of pissing away tens of millions of dollars on teen sex education programs in which the students have unsafe/unprotected sex just as frequently as kids who did not attend any program at all.
Mollie Hemingway reports:
In response to the weak evidence of positive effects, much less positive sustained impact, Health and Human Services recommended defunding the program after June 30, 2018. A non-profit news site called Reveal News wrote a highly critical piece on the funding change, without mentioning the ineffectiveness of the programs. Many other media outlets followed suit, publishing one-sided stories that treated good intentions as sufficient proof of good-enough results for hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding. Some media outlets falsely stated that the funded teen pregnancy programs have been shown to be effective.
“Trump’s hires at HHS were notably hostile to teen pregnancy programs that worked. Now they’ve killed them,” claimed one fact-challenged columnist at the Los Angeles Times. No media outlet mentioned the ineffectiveness of the programs, whether it was NPR, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Politico, Business Insider, The Independent, Forbes, Teen Vogue, or Bustle, even though effectiveness reports are right there on the agency’s web site.
After noting that, she goes through the studies proving the complete non-effectiveness of the sex programs (including the abstinence only ones). In only a handful of cases are programs effective even in slightly reducing sexual activity (or unprotected sexual activity, depending on the program's agenda) and only that for a short period of time -- after a number of months, sexual activity returns to what it was before, and just like kids who never went to these Let's Put the Taxpayer's Money in a Joker-Sized Pile and Burn it programs in the first place.
It's almost as if their agendas are spending other people's money and sexualizing teenagers and not, as they may claim, teaching teens to be "responsible" when it comes to sex.
"They will get fired. Tomorrow I'll have a staff meeting, and it will be very -- I'm not going to make any prejudgments about anybody on that staff, if stay, they're going to stop leaking. If the leaks continue, we are strong is our weakest link and I'll say it differently in a pun where a strong as our weakest leak. If you guys want to keep leaking, get together and make a decision as a team that you're going to stop leaking. If you're going to keep leaking, I'm going to fire everybody."
Poll: Although 44% Remain Undecided, Those With a Opinion Favor Robert Ritchie -- AKA "Kid Rock" -- Over Debbie Stabenow for the 2018 Michigan Senate Race
—Ace
Among those expressing an opinion, Robert Ritchie (and I'll call him that, as he would run under that name) beats Debbie Stabenow 54% to 46%. But bear in mind, 44% have no opinion or are up in the air.
I suppose this is good news, even if of a very preliminary type, but I do have to wonder:
If the public is now ready to elect newcomer celebrities, doesn't the GOP face a massive, MASSIVE Celebrity Gap?
"It's Too Late for Charlie:" Gard's Parents Drop Petition to Treat Child, Stating That Endless Delays Have Pushed Charlie Past the Point Where Even Cutting-Edge Treatments Can Help
"Hey, you know what would be really funny? Picture this: what if, during the reentry phase of some manned space mission, all the NASA ground control crew dressed up in ape suits and that's the first thing the shuttle crew saw when they disembarked? Pretty damn funny, huh? Anyone? Aw, you guys wouldn't know funny if you saw it perched on Lena Dunham's fat, naked butt."
Below the fold, a screen-grab that will freeze your blood:
What amazes me about this is not that somebody wrote it, but that it was given to an editor who looked it over and then actually approved it for publication.
Troll level: master
Finally, here's an idiot who picked the wrong Starbucks to rob:
Armed robbery foiled by chair wielding customer at Starbucks. Give that man free coffee for life.pic.twitter.com/xtselu7qav
Buongiorno ragazzi! Yours truly has returned from Italy (note the italics) relaxed, refreshed and ready to undo all of it by wading into the sewage of the not-so-silent Leftist coup. From the openly violent rhetoric and actions of the Democrats, their handlers in the media and thugs on campus and elsewhere to the complicit silence of the GOPotemkin Party, it's disgusting, dispiriting and disheartening. But the truth of the matter is, we're here and we ain't going anywhere. And so long as President Trump understands this and acts accordingly (to the extent that he can), he and we willl be just fine (Especially if Bernardo Sandersnista and Methyl Waters think they're the ones to beat in 2020). It does present the problem, though, of just how can he enact legislatively that which can only be enacted that way when the government is effectively 100% lined up against him? Meh, I should've stayed in Firenze. Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.
“Mary Magdalene’s story is the story of modern women everywhere,” Petula Dvorak complained in a Washington Post editorial this Easter. According to Dvorak, Christianity’s tradition of considering Mary Magdalene a former prostitute who repented and received absolution from Christ—an interpretation that identifies her as the sinful woman of Luke 7:36–50 who washes Christ’s feet with her hair—is nothing more than a “2000-year-old slut-shaming,” the result of a bigoted male hierarchy that sexualizes and demeans women. To malign Mary as a former prostitute, Dvorak says, is to engage in an act of sexualization comparable to that of male Marines who circulate nude photos of their female colleagues.
So why does the US, the only industrialized nation without universal health coverage, also have not only the highest health-care spending in the world—both in absolute terms and as a share of GDP—but also one of the highest levels of government spending on health care per person? And how did it come to be this way?
The answer is that the lack of universal coverage and high costs are intimately linked—both economically and historically.
Currently, a 70-year-old Swedish pensioner is being prosecuted for "hate speech", for writing on Facebook that migrants "set fire to cars, and urinate and defecate on the streets".
This week the British papers revelled in news about how much the BBC's on-air stars get paid, though the salaries of their counterparts in commercial TV remain under wraps. In Norway, there are no such secrets. Anyone can find out how much anyone else is paid - and it rarely causes problems.
In the past, your salary was published in a book. A list of everyone's income, assets and the tax they had paid, could be found on a shelf in the public library. These days, the information is online, just a few keystrokes away.
“At the time I got it, I did some numbers in my head, and I thought I could make it work,” he said. “I thought it was a little high... but right now it’s the only place that’s willing to give me a chance to get a car. So I said, ‘I’ll make it work.’”
Woodrum put his $4,000 down that day. But in the end, thanks to the double-digit interest rate, the loan agreement called for him to pay a total price of roughly $45,000, more than double the car’s original price, for a seven-year-old Dodge Ram with 66,000 miles.
*****
The ONT Musical Interlude
July 23, 1955, Slim Whitman was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rose Marie.' The single stayed at the top of the charts for eleven weeks. Whitman held the record for the most consecutive weeks at No.1 (11 weeks), until 1991. via thisdayinmusic.com
*****
July 23, 2011, Amy Winehouse was found dead at her north London home, she was 27. A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained. London Ambulance Service said it had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two vehicles but the woman died. The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her recent musical career. via thisdayinmusic.com
*****
July 23, 1994, The International Astronomical Union named an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter after Frank Zappa who had died the previous December. via thisdayinmusic.com
Katie Couric, who still faces a $12 million defamation lawsuit stemming from a deceptive edit in a film she produced, decried the effect of fake news on America during an interview on Thursday.
Couric told the New York Daily News she believes fake news is "tearing [America] apart at the seams" while discussing her latest effort cohosting a music and politics event in New York City. "I remember I got sent a lot of stories from friends who were quite educated and were like, ‘Did you see this?'" Couric said. "And I would say, ‘Come on, you're kidding, right? This is BS.'"
A group of Florida teens who laughed as they recorded on video a disabled man drowning had no obligation to rescue him, it has emerged.
Jamel Dunn, 31, died on 9 June in a pond. Police in the city of Cocoa discovered later that five teenagers, ages 14 to 16, had made a video of the drowning, which was published on Friday by Florida Today. The teenagers can be heard laughing at Dunn, telling him he’s going die and that they weren’t going to help him as he struggled and screamed.
The alleged culprits range from ages 14 to 18 years old. Florida law does not require intervention to save a citizen in mortal danger. But the teens have made an enemy of Police Chief Cantaloupe, who is spearheading an effort to make sure they receive justice for their behavior.
He's charging them with violating Florida Statute 406.12: Failure to report a death.
Looking to take an early jab at Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the potential candidate took to social media with an epic tweet that you just know is foreign ground in the elitist upper chamber.
Sharing a photo of a delicious looking burger, a couple of ears of corn and a beer, in this case Detroit-made Stroh’s straight from the bottle, Kid Rock added: “Dinner time at my house. What do you think Schumer is spoon-feeding Stabenow tonight?”
The US is to ban its citizens from travelling to North Korea.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that the ban would be published next week in the Federal Register, to come into effect 30 days later.
US officials linked the move to the death of jailed American student Otto Warmbier.
*****
Nothing good ever happens after midnight. Especially if you're Genius Award Winner.
Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by DYI Piracy.
Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. Do not use The ONT if you have any of the following health problems, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this ONT: kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, stomach problems (such as ulcers, heartburn, stomach pain).
Commenter stats for week of 7/23/2017
Top 10 commenters:
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I got a chuckle out of this drawing, but not because it says anything of particular import. Most of us pay attention to all three to varying degrees, although my sense of the portion of The Horde that reads The Food ThreadTM is that they care less about health and more about the other two.
Certainly in my youth I was more attuned to cheap, but even now, I pay attention to price, or more accurately, value. But taste is paramount, and healthfulness is a distant third. I simply don't care that much. I know that if I eat a varied diet (otherwise known as an interesting selection of foods) I will get all of the nutrients I need, so I just don't care. My only dietary restriction is carbs...I have found that if I restrict them slightly I don't have to worry about my weight. Sure, I will sometimes eat a pound of pasta or a loaf of bread with butter, and that will never change. But over the long term...weeks or months, I restrict carbohydrate intake a bit. It works for me because I eat a varied diet and there is plenty of other food that I love.
If I had to choose one food that I simply cannot give up, I think it would be beef. And pork. Okay, two foods I can't give up. Beef and pork. There is nothing like a perfectly grilled steak or a dry-brined, thick-cut pork rib chop with all of the exterior fat and muscles left on so it practically bastes on the grill.
And while I have discussed dry-brining in the past, it bears mentioning again, mostly because it is so damned easy and it works so well. But it's also not new. BBQ is often dry-brined with rubs. I just make it simpler and use copious quantities of Kosher salt on the top and bottom of the meat, refrigerate it for several hours, then rinse it, dry it, then grill it! Pork takes particularly well to this technique, although I have done it with chicken and lamb too.
You can add pepper and herbs and spices to the salt. Whatever you desire will probably work.
Speaking of giving up carbs, I will be making this dish tonight. Rice Noodles With Spicy Pork and Herbs
One of the fun things about living near a big city is that I get to try all sorts of ethnic restaurants that a smaller metropolitan area might not have. Vietnamese and Chinese and Japanese noodle houses rock! That is great fast food, and I implore you to try it if you can.
Addendum: I just made this dish. It's boring and tasteless and total crap. Don't bother.
******
Commenter artisanal 'ette sent me this photo as a quiz. What's the drink?
And a very good drink it is. I am not sure why it works. Mixing Gin and vodka makes no sense to me. Anyone have a theory? In the meantime, try these versions and decide which is best. The Vesper Cocktail Recipe
******
What to do with the extra head of garlic you bought because you are rapidly becoming senile (or middle-aged) and forgot you had a whole one at home? Make Pasta Aglio e Olio. What's that? Dildo is eating too much pasta? What about his carbs? Well, Oscar Wilde was a smart guy: "everything in moderation, including moderation." Here's a nice recipe from Mario Batali. Ignore the stupid bread crumb thing at the end. it's not necessary. And the cherry peppers are interesting, but also optional (I used Peppadew peppers anyway).
******
Here's a nice chocolate chip cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchen. I really like the idea of using browned butter to add some extra flavor. Give it a shot and report back...I will too.
¾ cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.
******
Food and cooking tips, extra Pappy van Winkle bourbon, fresh Morels and other goodies such as fresh-killed possum: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com
This is becoming par for the course. The incredible insularity, ignorance and stupid laziness of the chattering classes. I accept that some people are simply less capable of higher-order thought. And I accept that some people are lazy. But why is the Venn diagram of those two segments of the population perfectly representative of the media? And it is unfortunately not restricted to the leftists....just talk to any of the mainstream Republican pundits about guns or the minimum wage or basic economics (supply and demand) and you will discover a startling stupidity.
So what's your favorite idiotic pronouncement from the buffoons of the fourth estate?
Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes. Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, where men are men, all the 'ettes are gorgeous, safe spaces are underneath your house and are used as protection against actual dangers, like natural disasters, or Literally Hitler, and special snowflakes do not last. And unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants, which the sport of curling actually encourages, believe it or not.
Our Betters
I guess progressives don't like Hillbilly Elegy. Here's a guy who works in an independent bookstore, who's all butthurt that he has to sell it:
But when it comes to the above conversation concerning J.D. Vance’s bestselling memoir, there is something a bit more personal at stake, viz. my moral objection to the book that has become, for conservatives and liberals alike, a means of understanding the rise of “Trumpism.”
So he's got a "moral objection." Whoop de do. What, exactly, is his beef with it?
I don’t intend to review Elegy here. More capable pieces have already been written about the book’s “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” message, its condemnation of a supposed culture of poverty, its dismissal of the working class’s material reality as a determining factor in their lives, and its callous claim that the welfare state only reinforces a cycle of dependency.
You get the idea. The article is one long sneer at people who think differently than he does about social issues. The very existence of ideas he doesn't like evidently causes hm pain. His solution is to recommend "alternative titles" and to "start conversations". I can't believe he's serious about the latter. The word "conversation" implies a more or less equal give-and-take, but when it comes to those of us who *do* think that welfare reinforces dependency, does he expect us to believe tha he'd like to really know why we think this? Hardly. the progressive idea of a conversation is "shut up."
But if he wants to swap titles, I suppose I could recommend books such as Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell or Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980 by Charles Murray. Both books go a long way to establish the intellectual and moral basis for free-market capitalism, and why, yes, indiscriminate welfare is actually harmful.
Fun fact: Do you know who *doesn't* complain about selling books he doesn't like? Jeff Bezos, that's who.
It's clear from the article that the author of this piece doesn't actually own the bookstore he's working in, which, maybe if he had to look at the bottom line every month, he'd be less worried about this kind of nonsense and more worried about how his store could bring in enough money to pay his lazy-ass slacker clerks. But if he is just a paid employee of a bookstore, then the solution to his big "moral" problem presents itself. Namely, he can always, get this, quit his job and do something else, like barista work at a coffee kiosk, or perhaps put together an acting troupe and see if there's any money doing Hipster Dinner Theater.
And one last thing about the author:
Working at an independent bookstore in the Greater Boston area...
And why are we not surprised? I'll bet he reads Vox "hot takes" and believes every word of them.
I’ve known the Lawdog for about twenty years now. He was one of the original alpha readers for my first book because we were both moderators on the same gun forum. Ian is a great guy.
As a small town Texas cop he used to post these funny true life stories, and they were hilarious. Seriously, the guy has a gift. Some of these stories have become internet legend, like the amorous armadillo, the pink gorilla suit, and the shootout with Santa.
After nearly two decades of us bugging him, Lawdog has finally written a book! ... Lawdog is funny, talented, and has a way with words that can be making you laugh one minute, and punching you in the feels the next. I’m so glad he finally put together a book.
Amazon blurb:
LawDog had the honor of representing law and order in the Texas town of Bugscuffle as a Sheriff's Deputy, where...he chronicles his official encounters with everything from naked bikers, combative eco-warriors, suicidal drunks, respectful methheads, prison tattoo artists, and creepy children to six-foot chickens and lethal chihuahuas...rang[ing] from the bittersweet to the explosively hilarious, as LawDog relates his unforgettable experiences in a laconic, self-deprecating manner that is funny in its own right. The book is more than mere entertainment, it is an education in two English dialects, Police and Texas Country. And underlying the humor is an unmistakable sympathy for society's less fortunate - and in most cases, significantly less intelligent - whose encounters with the law are an all-too-frequent affair.
Correia was pursuaded to write a forward for this book, which is available on Kindle for $4.99.
Books By Morons
I heard from moron author Daniel (A Place Outside The Wild) Humphreys a few days ago that Silver Empire Publishing did podcast interviews with several writers at LibertyCon recently, and the first two podcast episodes features Humphreys, as well as moron author Hans (The Hidden Truth) Schantz.
A lurking moron wanted a bit if pimpage for a novel published by a friend of his, since they "do not get any kind of publicity besides me emailing this thread." Loci Periculosi, by Richard Largaux. Set in the late 17th century Europe and Massachusetts, it sounds very interesting, at least to me:
Thomas Rake arrives in the late seventeenth-century dissenters’ lair of Lowestoft as winter’s grip brings a new onslaught of witch trials. With specious claims to disputed farmland, Rake systematically antagonizes the town authority, ultimately sparking a parlous religious disputation. Heretical statements striking at the heart of Protestant principles of predestination and sola scriptura bring for Rake indictments and an evolving gravity toward the stake.
A narrative that sweeps across battlefields of the Nine Years War, over the decks of William’s and Louis’ warships, and through the fires that consume the martyrs of the new heresy, Loci Periculosi presents an alternative Diet of Worms from the reverse perspective… exactly half a millennium after Luther conceived the ninety-seven theses.
I'd buy that (book) for a dollar! I'd also buy it for its current price on Kindle, $3.99.
Mr. Largaux has a previous novel, Calx, that asks the question
Is Western culture the result of random good fortune, or is it an outcome of design by otherworldly super-sentience? Philosopher John Walker roams America delivering a narrative that suggests the latter, and a controversial message evolves to a dangerous manifesto as both supporters and detractors are motivated to action by their misinterpretations, driving the nation to its second civil war.
$2.99 on Kindle.
What I'm Reading
This week, I finally got around to reading a mystery novel I mentioned here last January, Slow Death in the Fast Lane by J.W. Kerwin. The blurb starts out
If you hate the IRS, you'll love this book!
That's why I bought the book, and I must say it very much lived up to this claim.
Here's more of the blurb:
Years of creative accounting have landed Harvey Berkowitz in court, charged with criminal tax fraud. The government has a mountain of incriminating evidence and what appears to be an airtight case. But Harvey has Brendan O’Brian, an unconventional defense attorney with a reputation for winning seemingly unwinnable cases.
O’Brian turns the tables on the government, putting the Tax Code and predatory IRS practices on trial with strategies that create a circus-like atmosphere in the normally staid federal court.
O'Brian's bamboozling courtroom antics vs. the IRS and the sitting judge are hilarious. And if you don't hate the IRS now, you will after you finish this book. I think I already knew this, but I was reminded that the U.S. tax codes are so complicated, no one really understands them, and there's some financial firm or magazine that puts together a hypothetical individual with income, deductions, etc. and then gives the data to thed top 6 or 8 accounting firms with the instructions to generate an accurate tax return. And every year, each of the tax returns turn out to be different from each other, often remarkably so. O'Brian brings this up in court. Also mentioned are a couple of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situations where complying with one particular regulation will necessarily cause you to violate another. And then they come at you with an army of lawyers, forensic accountants, and all the resources of the federal government that can be brought to bear.
We're The IRS. We Don't Care. We Don't Have To.
So I finished that one, which you can still buy for 99 cents on Kindle, and started on the second Brendan O'Brian mystery, A Stranger In My Own Hometown. Here, O'Brian takes on a Muslim pressure group called the "Council for Islamic Religious Respect (CIRR)". Gee, I wonder who that's supposed to be?
O'Brian is defending a hottie reporter (whom he is romantically involved with) who wrote bad things about Islam and is being sued by CIRR for "defamation of Islam."
Kindle version $2.99. Still pretty reasonable.
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Don't forget the AoSHQ reading group on Goodreads. It's meant to support horde writers and to talk about the great books that come up on the book thread. It's called AoSHQ Moron Horde and the link to it is here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/175335-aoshq-moron-horde.
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So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm.
What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as you all know, life is too short to be reading lousy books.
I still think this is part of an effort to find out who the leakers in the IC are. Trump slams 'illegal' leak alleging Sessions discussed campaign with Russian envoy. I can totally see a IC person with access to intercepts that hates Trump seeing this come across their screen and think they hit the jackpot and must leak it to the press without verifying the document they are looking at. They can't resist the story as it too perfectly fits their narrative. Unfortunately for them, the access to such info would be limited and enables the leak hunters a smaller field to see who is violating their oath.
Saturday Evening Movie Thread 07-22-2017 [Hosted By: TheJamesMadison]
—OregonMuse
Make 'em Laugh
So, let's talk comedy.
I don't usually bring them up because I think that I view comedies very differently from most people. Where most people just want to laugh for 90 minutes (which is perfectly fine, by the way), I can't stop viewing movies through the prism of narrative. It's limiting and stupid, but I always pull back from a movie designed to make me laugh and my chief concern isn't "How much did I laugh?" but "How did that work as a movie?"
It's why I was lukewarm on The LEGO Batman Movie. Sure, it was funny as a collection of Batman jokes strung together, but I'm just not sure it worked that well as a movie. But, was it really supposed to be much more than a string of jokes about the history of the Caped Crusader?
So, let me provide three examples of comedies that I think work really well as movies first and comedies second.
This is almost too easy. Of course Ghostbusters works as a movie. It's classic. But, what makes it work so well?
There's no one thing. There's so much that's good that you can't pin it down to one thing, but I do think that I can point to some specific elements that contribute to the movie's enduring appeal.
The movie itself works. It has solid characters. It has a plot. It doesn't dovetail into distractions for random jokes that may or may not land. Years after watching it for the first time, after every joke has been memorized and repeated ad nauseum, you can still sit down to that movie and be interested in Peter Venkman, Ray Stanz, and Egon. They're a fun trio who go on an adventure together.
There's rising action as the threat grows and eventually spins out of control. Our heroes must overcome a series of obstacles, each more difficult than the last (including the EPA, which is one step away from inter-dimensional super being of terror, apparently). They come together, work together, and accomplish their stated goal together. None of the jokes and humor distract from it.
It feels like an adventure movie written by very funny people.
Galaxy Quest
So well regarded by Star Trek fans that it was viewed as about halfway up the list of Star Trek films in terms of quality at a fan convention, Galaxy Quest captures the wonder and excitement of the fish out of water tale in a sci-fi setting pretty much perfectly. It's so funny that when I first saw the movie with my mother in theaters, she was nearly rolling in the aisle with laughter.
I think the movie can have that effect because the plight of the characters at the beginning is so well captured. When we meet the crew of the NSEA Protector, they are desperately clinging to their TV roles from decades before. It's implied that they simply can't get work doing anything else than showing up at fan conventions or opening electronics stores. They spend all day pretending to be space trekkers but actually lead very sad little lives. The one who embraces it most, Tim Allen, is the saddest at heart, and his façade is so fragile that it shatters at the smallest of resistances.
When suddenly given a chance to not only live out these little fantasies that they've been playing with in order to feed themselves, but to also suddenly become actual heroes, they jump at the prospect. They love feeling important and idealized by fans who know that they're these characters.
The scene where Tim Allen has to admit that he's been lying is shockingly effective as straight drama. Alan Rickman's pledge to a dying crewmate is amazingly emotional. When I watch the movie, I watch for those two scenes. I still laugh along with it, but it's those two scenes that make it all worthwhile.
It feels like a straight action/adventure film where a layer of very good comedy was added on top.
Airplane!
If narrative needs to come before jokes, then why do I love Airplane! so much?
2 reasons:
1) I'm a horrible hypocrite.
2) The narrative still works even though it's secondary to the string of jokes.
I think that this is where most modern parody films fail pretty consistently. They don't work as movies. They string together random jokes that don't go together very well, and think that referencing that one movie from a couple years ago that everyone liked ("Hey! It's Juno!") will make people laugh.
Go back to Airplane! and you'll see that it works very differently. Ted Stryker has an arc. It's a silly arc, but an arc nonetheless. His relationship with Elaine is built on the two of them overcoming obstacles to patch over their problems and reunite. There's a clear plot that the characters must work together to get through. It's silly, and makes silly work of the Airport movies, but it still basically functions.
And it's a perfect storm of funny jokes that don't over-rely on popular culture. There are some jokes that reference things like contemporary coffee ads and Jive talk, which isn't really a thing anymore. But, even though the base of those jokes are those outside references, the film still makes them work on their own. The coffee joke, for instance, comes up twice. The first time is a straight reference to the commercial ("Jim never has a second cup of coffee at home."), but the second time is a play on the first ("Jim never vomits at home.").
It feels like a scattershot comedy written by people who knew how to actually parody something specific.
So…
So that's just me. I overemphasize narrative in comedies.
What about you? Do you demand that your comedies work dramatically first? Or do you not give one whit about the dramatic elements of a comedy and just want a good laugh?
Metropia (Netflix Rating 2/5 | Quality Rating 1.5/4) "Plodding and not terribly engaging, but unique looking. So it's got that going for it." [Netflix DVD]
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 4/4) "Tarantino's shallowest movie, but also his most fun. Where Vol. 2 is the heart, Vol. 1 is the raging libido of the story." [Owned]
The Immigrant (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 3.5/4) "Classical filmmaking about sin, forgiveness, and survival." [Netflix Instant]
Claire's Knee (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 3.5/4) "A small and interesting moral tale that gains a surprising amount of emotional heft in its final act." [Netflix DVD]
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Netflix Rating 2/5 | Quality Rating 1.5/4) "Hideous creature costumes, forgettable songs, and a very closed visual feel make this a bit of a chore to sit through." [Amazon Prime]
Announcement
I will be appearing on Task Force Gryphon on KGRA Radio (kgraradio.com). A live broadcast on Sunday evenings, 7-9 PM EDT for its second hour.
If you want to hear my actual voice talk about movies, be sure to listen.
Contact
Email any suggestions or questions to thejamesmadison.aos at symbol gmail dot com.
Good afternoon morons and moronettes, and welcome to the Saturday Afternoon Chess/Open Thread, the only AoSHQ thread with content specifically for all of us chess nerds who pay homage in the temple of Caïssa, goddess of the chessboard. Also, dress pr0n. Each week, I pick out a few lovely, modest, conservative dresses for the 'ettes to admire and appraise. And, for those of you who aren't nerdly enough for chess, you can use this thread to talk about checkers, or other games, or politics, or whatever you wish, only please try to keep it civil. Nobody wants to get in the middle of a bout of poo flinging on a Saturday afternoon.
This is a position from an actual game. Black has just played 19...Qxe5, capturing the 'e' pawn. Why is this a bad move?
Hint: White wins material
r3r1k1/p1pb2pp/1bp5/2Npq3/8/2Q1B3/PPP3PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 20
Chess GAINZZ
What about your chess GAINZZZ, brah?
Problem 3 - White To Play (529)
Hint: Black either is mated in 5, or loses material
3r2k1/5p1p/2p3p1/p7/1pP5/1P2nQPP/P2q2B1/5R1K w - - 0 1
Problem 4 - White To Play (BWTC 82)
Hint: White mates in 4
r1b2qrk/pp3p1p/4pPpQ/8/8/5N2/P4PPP/3R2KR w - - 0 1
Endgame of the Week (488 )
White to play. A beautiful illustration of the power of the knight.
Hint: Black's bishop is toast
2k5/3N4/8/8/8/7B/8/3b1K2 w - - 0 1
Dress Pr0n For The 'Ettes -- International Edition
Tagline: "The OregonMuse, he knows what women like."
This week, I'm featuring dress pr0n from around the world.
First up, here are some examples of what Kurdish women in Syria wear when the murdering ISIS thugs are no longer around to smother them all in Hefty bags:
This is one of the search results I got back when I Googled for "traditional dress canada images". I have no idea why this dress is uniquely Canadian, and in fact, it may not be "Canadian" at all, but even so, I think it's quite lovely, so I just had to show it to you all:
"Well, the Ukraine girls really knock me out...":
Nigeria:
Venezuela:
Traditional Chinese wedding dress:
OK, I think I've got dresses from every continent in today's international edition of the dress pr0n thread. Oh wait, Antarctica. I don't have one from Antarctica. Let me remedy that:
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Solutions Update
Problem 1 - Black To Play
6k1/8/8/3bQ3/4n3/8/7P/5R1K b - - 0 1
Forced:
1...Nf2+
2.Kg1 Nh3#
Problem 2 - White To Play
r3r1k1/p1pb2pp/1bp5/2Npq3/8/2Q1B3/PPP3PP/4RRK1 w - - 0 20
20. Rf8+!
Black loses either way he captures:
20...Kxf8 21.Nxd7+
or
20...Rxf8 21. Qxe5.
Problem 3 - White To Play
3r2k1/5p1p/2p3p1/p7/1pP5/1P2nQPP/P2q2B1/5R1K w - - 0 1
1. Qxf7+ Kh8
2. Qf6+ Kg8
3. Bd5+ Qxd5+
What? Why give up the queen? Because, actually, it's the best move available. All other moves lead to mate:
3...cxd5 4.Qxd8+ Kg7 5.Qf8# or
3...Nxd5 4.Qxd8+ Kg7 5.Qf8# or
3...Rxd5 4.Qf7+ Kh8 5.Qf8#
After White takes the black queen, he obviously has a won game, but there's an interesting position that comes up later on that I think is fun to look at:
White was threatening Qf4+, simultaneously attacking the knight. But there's really no safe square for it to go to:
8...Nd2 9.Qf4+
8...Ne3 9.Qf4+ Nf5 10.g4
9. Qxg3 Ke6
10.Qg4+ Kd6
11.Qd7+ and wins
It was amazing to see Black lose all of his pieces in just a few moves.
Problem 4 - White To Play
r1b2qrk/pp3p1p/4pPpQ/8/8/5N2/P4PPP/3R2KR w - - 0 1
1. Ng5!
Threatens Qxh7#
1...Rg7
Not 1...Qxh6 2.Nxf7#
2. Rd8 e5 (if 2...Bd7 then 3. Qxg7#)
Also possible is 2.fxg7+ which we will deal with presently.
3.Rxf8+ Rg8
4.Qxh7#
Another way to mate in 4 is:
2.fxg7+ Qxg7
3.Rd8+ Qf8
4.Qxh7# (or 4.Rxf8#)
Endgame of the Week
2k5/3N4/8/8/8/7B/8/3b1K2 w - - 0 1
Answer:
White's strategy is to attack the bishop again and again until it has no safe square to move to.
1.Ke1! Bc2
This is the only safe square. All others allow White to grab the bishop with discovered check:
1...Bf3 2.Ne5+ or
1...Bh5 2.Nf6+ or
1...Bb3 2.Nc5+ or
1...Ba4 2.Nb6+
2. Kd2 Bb1
Black still has the same problem. Here are just two examples:
2...Bh7 3.Nf6+ or
2...Ba4 3.Nb6+
3.Kc1 Ba2
4.Kb2 Bf7
Black finally runs out of squares to move his bishop.
5.Ne5+
And now, White has to complete the fiendish K+B+N vs. K mate. Difficult, but doable. It's amazing how that knight just dominated the entire board.
Hope to see you all next week!
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Note: that cryptic line of letters and numbers you see underneath each board diagram is a representation of the position in what is known as "Forsyth-Edwards Notation", or F.E.N. It's actually readable by humans. Most computer applications nowadays can read FEN, so those of you who may want to study the position, you can copy the line of FEN and paste into your chess app and it should automatically recreate the position on its display board. Or, Windows users can just "triple click" on it and the entire line will be highlighted so you can copy and past it into your chess app.
___________
So that about wraps it up for this week. Chess thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to my yahoo address: OregonMuse little-a-in-a-circle yahoo dott com.
I'll be honest with you. Your humble Cob doesn't let his dogs interact with strange dogs. Going on 2 years ago, we had to kennel our dogs. They have all their vaccinations plus they had the kennel cough vaccination. Guess what? Yes, 2 of the 3 came down with it and then unbeknownst to us they gave it to Mid-Kid's dog.
The kennel had no idea they had taken in an infected dog.
Now a new flu for dogs? Great. Will I give my dogs the vaccine? Probably not. I don't get flu shots either.
*****
Meet The PetMorons
My daughter took this picture of our cat Duchess, and it cracks me up every time I see it. -Eric
Quite the cat!
*****
It looks like you may be running short of contributors, so I will come out of lurking just this once. I have been reading Ace of Spades for years.....
Anyway, I am sending you pictures of our old kitty and less old kitty .
(Photo 1) This is Natasha. And no, this isn't allowed, but a camera was handy so I took this before the usual screaming and flailing about.
(Photo 2)Nikki, the hated interloper at 3 months old. We tried Feliway, to no avail. Engaged a kitty shrink who prescribed kitty Prozac for the crank, which has kept the fisticuffs to an acceptable level. And it helps that she now dwarfs Natasha.
I don't know how you use these, so I am sending them as attachments, too.
Pets are a nice break from politics!
Jane of Amboy, Washington (a red pocket in a very blue state).
Thanks Jane!!!!
*****
Moron Wolfus Aurelius here. These are my two furry roommates, aka thugs in fur coats. The big black fellow is Wolf, aka Wolfus Aurelius (whence my screen name); the white-and-black miniature panda is Chekov, a Siberian. I'd had Chekov for a year when I rescued Wolf, a year-old cat who'd been abandoned. Normally there are scuffles and difficulties when introducing two unrelated cats, especially males. Not in this case. They walked around each other warily, but didn't hiss or growl. In an hour, I found them sitting in the window together, watching birds. Now they sleep together and groom each other. (One of these days I'm going to come home and find them braiding each other's tails and watching "Glee"!)
Sounds like they have found quite the home!
*****
Love the pet feature every Saturday. I am mostly a lurker, but occasionally post as "Jen Westin". Prefer to keep my real name private, should you post this.
Here are our two youngest cats, Cici (white) and Liberty (black), who are turning 3 years old this weekend. On the Fourth of July in 2014, my neighbor found Cici and Liberty, along with their three siblings, sealed in a bucket next to a bike bath. They were just a couple of days old, as they still had their umbilical cords attached. We took care of them for the first couple of days while our neighbor went out of town, and miraculously, all five kittens survived. My neighbor raised them after that, and found homes for all of them. We decided originally to adopt only Cici, but she and Liberty did everything together, and we did not want to separate them. My husband and I are convinced that the two of them believe I am their mother, as they follow me everywhere I go. Both cats are full of personality and very affectionate, and have been a wonderful addition to our home.
"Jen Westin"
Not a problem Gertrude Ace of Superior, WI j/k
*****
Hi, I've been lurking for years but never commented. I always love the pet thread. I was startled today to see Tessa, a Devon Rex with the Tetralogy of Fallot.
My ferret Molly, pictured above, has the same condition. She has made it (somehow) to the advanced age of six years, nine months. As Brandon said of Tessa, the prognosis is dismal, but Molly's experiencing better living through chemistry. Most days she gets around and has a pretty comfortable ferret life. I hope Brandon's Tessa has as good a life as Molly. -Lee
*****
If the Pet Thread was King. Every child would experience life with a puppy.
*****
So, you're asking why so many cats today? We post the photos as they come in. Seems there was an avalanche of cat photos. Mix and match? Perhaps. Maybe. You never know.
A great looking group of PetMorons. Thanks for stopping by this Summer afternoon. If you have photos, tips, stories or something else pet related. Please submit to us here at petmorons at gmail dot com.
Saturday Gardening Thread: Trying to play it cool [KT]
—Open Blogger
Near the end of June, Lurker Nancy sent in the photo above, with this note:
Here are some cactus blooms in my garden this morning. I got this as a cutting from an elderly neighbor in Tucson so I don't have a name for it, but we brought it with us to Peoria, AZ and it is doing quite well in its new place.
Last week in the comments, Don posted a link to his photos from a cactus show in Kansas. They mostly featured plant and spine form rather than flowers. Fascinating. Take a look around.
Here's an interesting summary if you are more into cactus flowers.
We will also have more on cactus and other desert plants later. It's monsoon season in the desert southwest.
Cucumber Nookie Review
Like tomatoes, cucumbers can be much, much better if you grow your own than if you buy them. Last week in the comments, Skip noted that his cucumber plants had lots of flowers, but not much growing from them. This started an interesting discussion on cucumber nookie. This is a more complex gardening issue than many people might imagine. Though other things (plant health, heat, irregular watering, etc) can also affect cucumber yield. Below, the three main categories of cucumbers (as far as sex is concerned) are discussed, along with some ideas for getting more quality cukes from the garden.
DIY Cucumber Nookie (SFW)
Here's an Executive Gardener who loves pickles. He has started a pickle garden in two pots. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of bees in his Houston neighborhood in 20015 to pollinate his cucumbers. As he points out, the first step in pollinating standard cucumbers is recognizing the difference between girl cucumber flowers and boy cucumber flowers.
If you try hand-pollinating cucumbers at home, you may get better results if you pollinate the girl flowers with pollen of boy flowers from a different plant. Or get pollen from several boy flowers (from different plants) on your brush before pollinating the girl flowers.
Many standard cucumber varieties produce mostly male flowers early in the season. You may get better results if you plant more than one variety. You can choose a gynoecious variety as one of them if you want lots of cukes. Some members of The Horde are already familiar with this type of cucumber.
A fully gynoecious variety produces only female flowers and needs male flowers from another cucumber variety for pollination (unless it is also parthenocarpic). No, melon flowers won't work. Gynoecious cucumbers are kind of like the Amazons of the cucumber world. You need to import a few males in order to get the next generation. Well, your next generation of cucumber seeds, anyway.
If you buy seeds for gynoecious cucumbers, they often include a few seeds of a pollinator variety that will make both male and female flowers. For home gardeners, it is handy if the seeds of the pollinator variety are dyed a bright color so you can make sure that you plant at least one of them.
Cucumbers that Don't Need No Nookie
Monika is an open-pollinated cucumber that needs no pollination to produce fruit. It does need pollination to produce seeds, however. So fruits that get pollinated will develop seeds while unpollinated fruits will have only wispy seed coats where the seeds should be.
But most parthenocarpic cucumbers are hybrids. There's a pretty thorough summary about cucumbers, from Haifa. They know something about greenhouse cucumbers there:
There are also cucumber hybrids that produce fruits without pollination. These varieties are called parthenocarpic varieties, resulting in fruits that are called 'seedless', although the fruit often contain soft, white seed coats. Such parthenocarpic fruit set also occurs naturally under the low-light, cool-night growing conditions, and short days of fall. Older plants can also produce 'super' ovaries which set fruit parthenocarpically.
Parthenocarpic varieties need to be isolated from standard varieties to prevent cross-pollination and development of fruits that do contain seeds, and may be deformed by greater growth in the pollinated area. Greenhouse cucumbers are naturally parthenocarpic.
It is true that fruit quality of some parthenocarpic varieties is dramatically reduced if they are pollinated. Particularly some of the greenhouse varieties. But some parthenocarpic varieties will produce quality fruits even if pollinated. Check if you will be growing this type of cucumber outdoors.
Cockroaches that really, really don't need no nookie
Have you ever seen a cockroach in your garden? I have seen cockroaches in a poorly-constructed compost pile, but they can also seek moisture from indoor plants. Consider that a tip for bait placement. But, of course, cockroaches do not need houseplants to be a problem indoors. They are tough critters. And now we learn this: Female American cockroaches can produce young without males.
In a few types of cockroaches, parthenogenesis is the main method of reproduction, but for common types like the American and German cockroaches, scientists view it as a last-ditch option when males aren’t around.
Now a team at Japan’s Hokkaido University says that parthenogenesis is more viable than scientists have thought for the reddish-brown American cockroach Periplaneta americana, a world-wide pest.
The team, led by entomologist Hiroshi Nishino, says the females get especially busy when they are living together in groups of three to five, perhaps because the females sense that their offspring will be safer with other cockroaches around. After producing their first egg case, containing around 16 embryos, the females in groups took just 18 days on average to produce another case, compared to 27 days for females living alone.
I find the idea of female cockroach communes to be sort of disheartening. As noted above, parthenocarpic cucumbers cannot produce seeds without a male. Reproductive advantage: cockroaches.
Garden of The Horde
Here in the San Joaquin Valley we are getting some smoke from fires to our east and our northwest. It has been really hot, with a fair amount of humidity for this area. Fortunately, one of the fires near CaliGirl is winding down, and one is out. Yay!. She has harvested her first tomatoes. Mixed heirlooms and some cherry tomatoes. Note the variety map.
This is why she needs a variety map:
She gets help with some crops. Part of her garden is on, you know, a farm. Here are onions and melons that were started this spring in a greenhouse.
If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:
ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com
Include your nic unless you want to be a lurker like Nancy.
It's not like things are going well enough in California that the government can afford to bail out billionaires. Could this be a case of escapism, as suggesting by VDH? State government distracting itself from its real problems?
Was it here that I first read that Elon Musk is today's P.T. Barnum? Great showman. Great at suckering folks into giving him money, too. But in the case of Barnum, it was generally their own money.
And how about those politicians in Illinois? I don't think their state finances are in the best shape. But they evidently have a lot of faith in the finances of their citizens:
Part of the reason the United States has the highest health costs of any nation is because of the added costs of onerous government regulation. Illinois, for example, lists 18 pages of required benefits for private insurance plans that covers everything from alcoholism to infertility, all at government-mandated levels, with high compliance costs added in. Ironically, in contrast, the Canadian single-payer system offers at most limited coverage for mental care, dental care, eye care, prescription drugs, and a whole lot more.
What are your state officials doing to feel good at your expense?
Are you doing something to feel good at your own expense this weekend?
Put the scissors down. Leave the inkwells alone. Don't even think about grabbing that straw. Here we go with some weird news or something else that tickles your fancy in this open thread.
EMT amongst yourselves. Try not to spill coffee in the hut, and mind your head around the Storm trooper wind chimes. Did anyone else notice those cute fuzzy ewoks were about to eat Han, and did eat some troopers?
An analysis found that in 61 percent of products with reference prices, Amazon's reference prices were higher than it had sold the same product in the previous 90 days, Consumer Watchdog said in a letter to the FTC dated July 6.
Also, their QA process has some issues. I ordered something electronic advertised as new and I received a previously opened item as the outside sticker had been sliced already, the device inside the box was upside down, the usb cable was a mess, and there was a missing screw on the bottom. A friend of mine the next day had the same issue of a "new" item having been previously opened.
Yeah we should. Why we should allow boys to fight. I do practice self defense moves with both my kids and we also do quite a bit of the lightsaber dueling. The banging of light sticks at night is quite a bit of fun. Seriously though, you never know when you will find yourself in a dangerous situation and you will need to fight. Better to be ready and you can only be ready if you have practiced and or have experience. h/t
Su-35
Dayum. It's like he had a handbrake he could use in flight on some of those moves.
Climate Change
Can sea monsters be far off? Sure, why not? It's not like they are held to account for their previous failed predictions.
Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to player to be named later or CDR M. Otherwise send tips to Ace.
I forgot how much I liked complaining about minor things that are barely worth mentioning, let alone having an emotional reaction to.
I know the last post is about this, but it's kind of specific to WhiteWalkers, so how about a thread about anything -- the more minor the better -- that annoys you?
Oh, as I need some content (I guess) here's an article about the sin of Mansplaining.
One thing I say nowadays is "Don't explain it to me -- mansplain it to me."
"Want to know what chaps my hairy ass? Fine, I'll tell you: I hate those stupid dorm room philosophers who prattle on and on about how knowledge is impossible, existence is impossible and in fact, they're not even sure they exist themselves. Yes, some of those boneheads actually say that. They read some French guy and they think they're all deep and sh*. Morons. Anyway, you can easily show everybody how full of sh* they are by just telling them 'Dude, your zipper's down'. If they really think they can't know anything, why do they always look?"
The Great North American Moron Meetup (GNAMM) is being held in Las Vegas on September 22, 23, 24. For more information: yankeefifth at gmail dot com
Texas MoMe and SWOH MoME tentatively scheduled for 10/21/17 Contact Ben Had at: murphywong at peoplepc dot com Contact ibguy at: swohmome at mail dot com
"So I'm watching CNN the other day (stop laughing) and they show a bunch of anti-Trump protestors marching around and waving signs, and it's obvious that the signs all have the same slogan and all look to be professionally printed. Why does it never occur to any of CNN's crack journalists to ask one of the protestors where did they get their signs from, and who printed them? Or, how about: did you ride to the protest on one of those buses over there, and where did the buses come from and who paid for them? These seem to be simple, basic, Journalism 101 questions that they ought to be asking right out of the gate, but never do. Sigh. Nobody listens to a gorilla." 
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