Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - July 22, 2025 [scampydog]

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne passed away today after a long battle with Parkinson's and a lot of living. He was 76 years old and left an imprint on a number of people across many decades.

Good evening, and welcome to tonight's ONT - a mix of tribute, fun, and whatever else could be cobbled together. Speech is free. As is comment roasting. Keep it friendly - or pretend convincingly.

Hat Tip to Doof and TRex for the Ozzy notification and several song selections. The 3D's back channel will be sprinkled throughout the Ozzy content this evening - all ONT music (both visible and mystery clicks) are in memory of Ozzy.

His last concert (wiki link) was a few weeks ago - reunited with Black Sabbath and a number of other artists.

The event concluded with the final live performances of both the band and lead singer Ozzy Osbourne; it also marked the first time since 2005 that the original line-up of the band (Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward) had performed together live. Osbourne, no longer able to walk due to advanced Parkinson's disease, sang while seated on a throne. Seventeen days after the show, Osbourne died from complications of his condition.

Impressive how long Ozzy was able to remain in the spotlight. He had an undeniable body of music, success, and excess. RIP.

The request line was open.

As you wish.

Gene Roddenberry's draft of Star Trek was dated March 11, 1964. Fascinating.

Star Trek is... was the first draft proposal for Star Trek: The Original Series that Gene Roddenberry created on 11 March 1964 as a television series pitch. After being turned down by executives of other production studios, it was in early April 1964 presented to Desilu executives Oscar Katz and Herb Solow, who picked up the proposition on behalf of their employer. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, pp. 13-23) It ultimately led to the production of the first pilot "The Cage". According to the draft, Star Trek is...

Good morning, X. 😁 pic.twitter.com/CyGh6Pkg5g

— KneesPenguin2.0 (@KLee8615) July 15, 2025

Route 66

Not the same as in its heyday, but still some cool sights to see - weathered signs, charm, kitsch, and a look at quirky America. Different time. Great pictures at this link.

Guessing there are a few tales to share in the comments (statute of limitations at your risk).

Brits let ALL the murdery, rapey, rapists in (permanently) that don't want to assimilate. This guy? A hard no on a two-week work-related visit.

Not dismissing his past transgressions. Pointing at the Brits high horse dumbassery and mocking their lack of self-preservation tactics and priorities.

Caddie denied entry. It's golf. Not explosive vests. They do use the word "shooting" in golf. It must be that.

The troubles that Harris’ caddie of nine years, Eric Larson, faced in being denied entry into the U.K. because of a drug conviction 30 years ago made headlines when the American player arrived for last week’s Scottish Open. And the chatter may have died down except for this: English fired a four-under 67 late on Thursday in the opening round at Royal Portrush to get into a five-way tie for the lead with a close and golf savvy cohort on the bag.

This cannot be true. Wait...InBev, Anheuser-Busch owns the Corona brand.

Japanese design firm Kenji Abe has designed a glass beer bottle that you can stick into the sand on the beach pic.twitter.com/irXvvYdTO9

— World of Engineering (@engineers_feed) July 19, 2025

Canoe. Water. Accidents.

Looking at this and thinking about the broader concept vs. this specific lawsuit.
'"Overton Window" gets tossed out a lot by pundit blowhards, but it is pretty applicable currently. We have a president willing to kick anyone and everyone in the swimsuit - via words and policy, then explain why they deserved it. The sails are pretty full, our side is stacking up wins, and momentum is building. Now is the time to go at every policy objective - aggressively and expansively (like the left has done ad nauseum). All in on the conservative agenda while the conditions and mood of the country are favorable. Leave very little on the table - only what is necessary for future gain / leverage.

You've Got Mail?

The lawsuit challenges a 1927 law that prohibits those who do not possess a federal firearms license (FFL) from sending handguns to other people through the mail. If the plaintiffs are successful, it could be a significant victory for gun rights.

The plaintiffs include Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), and Bonita Shreve, a woman who sought to send a handgun to her father.

The lawsuit argues that the restriction criminalizes ordinary, lawful behavior, and violates the Second Amendment. The law states that "Pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person are nonmailable and shall not be deposited in or carried by the mails or delivered by any officer or employee of the Postal Service."

Oh, China. They just keep poking.

Ports.
Threats. Untrustworthy governments and dark operators.

China has threatened to block a deal for dozens of global ports - including two near the Panama Canal - if its own shipping giant doesn't get a sizable stake, according to a report Thursday.

The deal, valued at around $20 billion, hands over more than 40 global ports owned by Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-Shing to US asset manager BlackRock and Mediterranean Shipping Company. Cosco containers...don't buy one - pick any other.

China is demanding that Cosco, its largest shipping firm, be an equal partner to BlackRock and MSC in the deal, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

Nothing to do with this article, but my contact with Med Shipping (MSC) is kind of easy on the eyes. My Blackrock contact is not. Insider industry tip: If buying a shipping container, don't buy a Cosco.

More China. Missed this in the news cycle - it is about a month old. Chinese agroterrorism
(ok, that's a word I suppose - it is descriptive).

They sent one of them home? No extradition treaty with China, Liu will never be back.

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with trying to smuggle a fungus, Fusarium graminearum, into the United States.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud.

Fusarium graminearum causes significant diseases in a number of U.S.-grown food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice.

Diseases caused include Fusarium head blight (scab) in wheat, and two corn diseases Gibberella ear rot and Gibberella stalk rot, which can lower yield and feed quality of silage corn, according to the Crop Protection Network, a partnership of land grant universities.

Toxins the fungus produces can cause vomiting, liver damage, reproductive defects and mycotoxin-induced immunosuppression in humans and livestock, including cattle, hogs, horses and poultry.

Good summary of Chinese theft and anti-American actions. Far too much to quote - it is an older article but worth a look.

“They don’t just come here to spy … they come here to study and a lot of it is legitimate,” Augustyn said. “But there is no question in my mind, depending on where they are and what they are doing, that they have a role to play for their government.”

Considering 360,000 Chinese nationals enrolled in U.S. universities (many of those land grant universities with heavy agriculture research concentrations), if the CCP taps merely 1% of its student exports as direct intelligence sources—the math translates to 3,600 information sources on U.S. soil. And if the CCP taps far greater numbers of students in U.S. universities, as many analysts believe, the level of CCP surveillance jumps exponentially.

Yeah, I can relate to this guy. Who is a hugger? Who is not? Messaging through head nods, handshakes, and facial expressions is the path.

1000% 👏🏻👏🏻😬🤣🤣 I am not a hugger 🫂 pic.twitter.com/wxVkWBoArb

— Caffy 🫶🏻✌🏻 (@ShakeUrShamrock) July 19, 2025

This one is from and for Doof

This ONT brought to you by AoSHQ commenter, RickZ.

Send left-handed oven mitts and cereal box toys to: scampydoggo@atomicmail.io

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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