Mid-Morning Art Thread
—CBD
The Venetians
Ernest Meissonier
There might be something worth zooming in on...
The Morning Report — 7/ 1 /25
—J.J. Sefton
Good morning kids. Evidently some severe thunderstorms really fouled up air travel at key airports up and down the east coast yesterday, well into the evening.
So, given the spate of air incidents earlier this year on top of what I imagine standard operating procedures for air traffic control in the event of severe weather might be, I can see how the dominoes can cascade. But still, after how many decades of global air travel, you'd think we'd have a handle on this by now, so that the impact would've been kept to a minimum. Or given the volume of air traffic today, perhaps what happened yesterday was the minimum.
For some reason, one of the better websites AmericanGreatness dot com which features such notable authors as Victor Davis Hanson as well as Larry Sand who covers the education beat, is down. If anyone has a line to the editors there, see if you can suss out what's going on and shoot me an e-mail. Hopefully they'll be back up soon.
Meanwhile, as I wrote about yesterday and had suspected would be the case, we still have no definitive explanation for why this maniac set a wildfire and then gunned down two firefighters in cold blood who responded to the scene. Somewhere, there is a Venn diagram perhaps with Transexual, Muslim, Climate Change stooge, Anti-Ice/open borders terrorist, Trump-hater, or bog-standard off-the-shelf Pyromaniac. And so the convergence point is the biggest question mark of all.
It happens every time there's a high-profile crime. Law enforcement officials, in collusion with social media companies, surreptitiously disable the social media profiles of suspects, leaving Americans in the dark about their motives and political leanings.The question is why. And who benefits?
The most recent example is Wess Roley, 20, who is accused of starting a fire in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday so he could ambush first responders. Two firefighters died in the attack, and a third was critically wounded. Roley was later found dead on Canfield Mountain. It's not clear whether his gunshot wound was self-inflicted or the result of a firefight with police. The Kootenai Sheriff's office, as per usual when these things happen, has not released a motive in the shooting.
Also, as per usual, his social media profiles have been scrubbed. The gatekeepers have decided that the public will not see his posts unless and until they decide to release them. Most likely, that won't happen until they are forced to release the files as the result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. That could take months, or even years.
Frankly, all things considered as to what's been happening in this nation since the 2020 summer of love mostly peaceful rioting and incineration of American cities and towns, law enforcement had best figure out whether they're with us or with the terrorists. Because things are on a knife edge.
Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons says left-wing activists are targeting ICE agents, with some going after agents’ families, including their children.In a video posted to X on Monday, Lyons revealed that ICE and the United States Secret Service tracked down one particular activist who had been targeting the children of ICE agents online.
“Wouldn’t you wear a mask if it kept your family safe, if it kept your kids safe? We ran an operation with the Secret Service,” Lyons said. “We arrested someone who was going online, taking [ICE agents’] photos, posting their families, their kids’ Instagrams, their kids’ Facebooks, and targeting them. So let me ask, is that the issue here that anyone is upset with masks, or is anyone upset that an ICE officer’s families were labeled terrorists?”
Given the past 10 years of blood-libeling President Trump as literally Hitler, and the MAGA movement as the Nazi party, and of Trump-supporters as white supremacist racists wherein ICE will soon be rounding up anyone and everyone to not only deport illegal aliens but actual citizens for being of the wrong political persuasion. That rhetoric comes not just from the fringe lunatic base but from the highest echelons of the Democrat Party, it's propagandists in the legacy media and in schools and universities across the country, is it any wonder that police, ICE and random citizens who march in support of Israel have been the targets of not merely verbal abuse but of physical violence. The latter, an 81 year-old Holocaust survivor succumbed after being severely burned by an Egyptian illegal alien who hurled a molotov cocktail at her and other Jews in Boulder CO.
Putting the Islam element aside for a moment, Leftists have the same moral conviction that they are the defenders of freedom and righteousness and are being targeted by the forces of darkness and evil, and so have the right an indeed moral obligation to use deadly force to defend themselves and defend their perverse worldview by any means necessary.
All that said, this is how the civil society collapses and how things like political death squads appear. From there, the road to civil war and worse, Rwanda and Pol Pot, is clear.
Unless the funders, and the organizers of such groups as Antifa, La Raza, BLM, CAIR and all the rest are crushed by every legal means at our disposal, we are in for a world of hurt that will make 2020 and what's been happening in LA and elsewhere over the past few weeks back look like a picnic.
All we need is for an ICE agent(s) to get the notion to dox a few of these miscreants and "Take Care of Business" beforehand and Bingo. Not that I am encouraging that or wishing for it, because the aftermath is too horrific to contemplate. But if these guys think their kids are in the crosshairs, they'll either retire and move (which in and of itself was what the BLM defund the police movement sought to do as a means to dismantle law enforcement without necessarily firing a shot, by disincentivizing being a cop as a profession in the first place) . . or they will take matters into their own hands if they feel they do not have the backing of their political leadership. And in far too many places, the blue shithole cities and states, this is certainly the case.
While the Democrat party mayoral primary in New York is stealing the headlines, those who have watched Marxist-Hegelian hybrid ideology overtake the party since the 1960s could have predicted this outcome.Democrat voters in New York City have chosen Zohran Mamdani as their mayoral candidate. He is an avowed socialist Islamist who has never held a real job, gratuitously tosses around promises of giving away almost everything for free, has publicly stated his determination to defund the police, campaigned on tax-payer funding of “gender-affirming care,” and who vociferously defends all illegal immigrants, including those convicted of heinous crimes, from deportation.
Mamdani wants to empty the jails in New York, claiming that violence is an artificial construction. His commitment to socialist ideals is informed by his Islamic faith, which includes his refusal to retract or apologize for trafficking in incendiary antisemitic language such as “globalize the intifada” for over a decade in a city with two million Jews, second only to Tel Aviv.
Of course, Mamdani won't abolish the NYPD. Meh, maybe he'll do just that?! But you can just imagine the kind of individuals who will make up their ranks once the sane ones have fled or are forced out. Worse, those who remain and will "just follow orders" to preserve protect and defend their pensions.
And lastly, a quick shout-out and thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.
Have a great day!
- ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
- The thunderstorm stops had a domino effect, beginning with delays at Philadelphia International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport before spreading to others, trailing up and down the East Coast.
Ground stops at JFK, LGA and Newark cause thousands of flight delays at airports up and down the East Coast - “Wouldn’t you wear a mask if it kept your family safe, if it kept your kids safe? We ran an operation with the Secret Service,” Lyons said. “We arrested someone who was going online, taking [ICE agents’] photos, posting their families, their kids’ Instagrams, their kids’ Facebooks, and targeting them. So let me ask, is that the issue here that anyone is upset with masks, or is anyone upset that an ICE officer’s families were labeled terrorists?”
ICE Chief Says Left-Wing Activists Are Targeting the Children of ICE Agents
Continue reading
Daily Tech News 1 July 2025
—Pixy Misa
Top Story- Why AI is not useful for programming. (Ordep)
Because writing code was never the problem. Anyone can write code if you don't care whether it works. Even an AI.
And even if it works, it is almost certain to make the overall system more complicated than the value it adds. Keeping a complex system manageable as you add more features is the real battle.
And AI is still at the stage of selling refrigerated tungsten cubes in its snack bar because one guy jokingly requested that.
Continue reading
Monday Overnight Open Thread - June 30, 2025 [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Elevated railroad bridge - Cape Cod Canal
Howdy Hordelings! Thanks for ending your Monday - and the month of June - here with us at the ONT. How are you feeling with 2025 now halfway over? Is it all you expected it to be? Got any predictions for the rest of the year? Share your thoughts in the comments - along with whatever else is on your mind. Let's step on in!
Continue reading
No Emus Is Good Emus Cafe
—Ace
Dog packing for his vacation.
After a long day, it's time to hit the couch.
Cat keeps her truckdriver dad company while on the road.
Dogs saying "I love you." Some of them get very close. We're on the edge of a Scooby Cascade.
Dogs are excited for the pizza delivery.
I suppose you're all wondering why I summoned you here today.
Orangutan has mastered human juicebox technology.
White guys parody the highly theatrical way that Indians prepare and serve street hot dogs.
Border collies are doing the jobs humans just won't do.
Bear takes her cubs out for a walk. Surprisingly under-control.
Ostrich shows off his sexy moves.
Steve Inman:
Woman throws a shoe at an ostrich and finds out the reason for that old saying, "Never throw a shoe at an ostrich."
Continue reading
Quick Hits
—Ace
Liberal "male" reporters are just ugly, poorly-dressed girls:
WSJ: Rumors of the death of the American economy and stock markets have been greatly exaggerated. By us liberals, mostly.
A historic and tumultuous quarter is wrapping up with U.S. stocks at records and many investors betting the ride isn't over yet.The April swoon that carried the S&P 500 to the brink of a bear market has been erased and then some. The broad index has now added more than 8% since President Trump announced sweeping tariffs that sparked havoc in markets.
Now, investors have more reasons to feel upbeat. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index hit fresh all-time highs on Friday. Robust corporate earnings and solid economic data suggest that growth remains resilient. Inflation is trending near the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Banks that slashed their year-end targets for the S&P 500, such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, are raising them again.
The DOJ has formally found Harvard in violation of federal civil rights law, and instructs it to either bring itself into compliance with federal law immediately or lose all federal funding.
Ed Morrissey, with quotes from the WSJ:
In a letter sent to Harvard President Alan Garber on Monday and viewed by The Wall Street Journal, attorneys for the administration said the investigation found that Harvard knew Jewish and Israeli students felt threatened on its campus and acted with deliberate indifference.The DoJ offered Harvard to explore the Hillsdale College option to avoid any further consequences for its failure to abide by Title VI. If not, the DoJ warns, the direction of the next lawsuit will get inverted and Harvard may have more legal trouble than it bargained for:
"Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard's relationship with the federal government," the letter states. "Harvard may of course continue to operate free of federal privileges, and perhaps such an opportunity will spur a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive once again."Harvard didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
A formal "notice of violation" of civil-rights law generally is a step that can come before either a lawsuit from the Justice Department or a voluntary resolution with the school. Under past presidential administrations, civil-rights investigations at universities usually ended with voluntary resolution agreements.
This finding not only complicates any efforts to restore funding that has already been cut off, it disqualifies Harvard from any further access to federal funds. They have three options, none of which are going to be pleasant for Garber under the circumstances. They could go the Hillsdale College route and eschew any federal funding to remain completely independent, as the DoJ letter suggests, but Hillsdale built their financial model with that policy in mind. Harvard's business model entirely depends on federal subsidies and grants. They would have to pare down their offerings significantly to compete in the marketplace against schools that comply with the law and still have access to those federal funds.
Law schools usually offer prestigious slots on the school's law review based on grades and a blindly-graded writing sample.
This is therefore a pure meritocracy -- which makes DEI types hate it.
Duke Law found a work-around for rules against racial discrimination, though: They sent minorities and minorities only an email telling them that while they cannot just mark each application by race so they can make sure they give minorities the slots and take them from the White Devils, if the minorities just let them know in their writing samples that they are minorities, they'll grade those writing samples more charitably and get them spots on the law review they're not qualified for based on objective criteria.
At the end of finals period each May, the Duke Law Journal hosts a two-week-long competition to select its next crop of editors. Applicants write a 12-page memo, or casenote, analyzing an appellate court decision, as well as a 500-word essay about what they would "contribute" to the journal.Students are chosen based on their grades, casenotes, and personal statements. Less than 20 percent of the class makes it onto the law review, which is overseen by Duke Law School and has no legal existence apart from it.
To help students prepare for the competition, the journal circulates a guide on how to write the casenote. Last year, however, it decided to give some students an additional document.
In a packet prepared for the law school's affinity groups [that is, its race and sexuality-based exclusionary clubs], the journal instructed minority students to highlight their race and gender as part of their personal statements--and revealed that they would earn extra points for doing so.
The packet, obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon, included the rubric used to evaluate the personal statements. Applicants can earn up to 10 points for explaining how their "membership in an underrepresented group" will "lend itself to ... promoting diverse voices," and an additional 3-5 points if they "hold a leadership position in an affinity group."
To drive home the point, the packet included four examples of personal statements that had gotten students on the law review. Three of those statements referenced race in the first sentence, with one student boasting that, "[a]s an Asian-American woman and a daughter of immigrants, I am afforded with different perspectives, experiences, and privileges."
A fourth student waited until the last paragraph to disclose that she was "a Middle Eastern Jewish woman," an "intersectional identity" she said would "prove useful" in a "collaborative environment."
"As a woman," the student wrote, "and a woman with Middle Eastern heritage, I also understand of [sic] the importance of presenting a solid work product and building credibility."
The packet was only distributed to the affinity groups, according to a person familiar with the matter, which meant that minority students had access to inside information about the scoring process. The journal explicitly told those groups not to share the packet with other students, according to messages reviewed by the Free Beacon, and indicated on the first page that it had been made for affinity groups.
When the Supreme Court banned affirmative action in 2023, it said that colleges and universities could not use essays as a Trojan horse for racial preferences. The documents from Duke illustrate how a top law review has skirted that directive, creating a points-based system that foregrounds race and could put the law school in legal jeopardy.
"This is clearly illegal," said David Bernstein, a professor of constitutional law at George Mason University. "They're using the personal statement as a proxy for race."
Harmeet Dillon, head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, weighs in:
Harmeet K. Dhillon @HarmeetKDhillonNot good
An 82-year-old woman, set afire in Boulder last month by a crazed Egyptian illegal alien for the crime of being Jewish, has succumbed to her horrific injuries and died.
Yashar Ali @yasharDENVER (AP) -- An 82-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in a Molotov cocktail attack on demonstrators in support of Israeli hostages this month has died, according to court documents filed Monday.
Todd Richman @toddrichmanThis is what the phrase Globalize the Intifada means @ZohranKMamdani, but G0D forbid you condemn it. Also your chants of AntiZionism is not AntiSemitism is a danger to our community. May Karen's memory be a blessing....
He knows what it means. They all do. They're terrorists.
Zohran is also repeating the communist mantra of "seizing the means of production," taken straight from Marx: "Our end goal is seizing the means of production."
The left is insisting No You Bigots This Doesn't Akshually Mean He's a Communist.
Bonchie @bonchieredstate
"We can't hold Zohran Mamdani accountable for the things he said when he was 30 because he was just young."The dude is 33.
att Taibbi @mtaibbiFor people asking the difference between Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani, I don't recall Bernie talking about "seizing the means of production."
Continue reading
State Department Revokes Visa for Immigrant British Rapper Who Chanted "Death Death to the IDF" at BBC-Broadcasted Music Festival
—Ace
He had all the rich white twats in attendance -- tickets are 390 pounds -- chanting it too.
The State Department announced Monday that it revoked visas for a British rap group after it called for the death of Israeli soldiers onstage over the weekend.Members of the Bob Vylan band no longer can travel to the U.S. "in light of their hateful tirade ... including leading the crowd in death chants" at a Saturday music festival in the U.K., Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a Monday X post. The State Department's action aligns with the Trump administration's policy of renewed scrutiny of foreigners' visas over alleged hostility toward American values or national security.
"Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," Landau said.
Bob Vylan did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. The group was scheduled to perform in the U.S. during a music tour that begins in October, The Standard reported.
Continue reading
"Thousands" of Migrant Children Trafficked Into Forced Child Prostitution Under Stutterin' Joe Biden Are Now Being Rescued by ICE
—Ace
Why do all the things the Democrat Media tells us never happen keep happening?
"Thousands" of migrant children who disappeared after being smuggled across the US-Mexico border under the Biden administration have been rescued from grim fates such as being sex-trafficked to pedophiles, according to border czar Tom Homan -- who revealed that a 14-year-old pregnant girl was found living with adult men just two weeks ago.In the latest episode of Miranda Devine's "Pod Force One" podcast, Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have also located minors who were forced into servitude on ranches and chicken farms, as the agency searches for hundreds of thousands of migrant children unaccounted for during President Joe Biden's four-year illegal alien invasion.
"There were 300,000 missing children under the last administration," said Homan. "We've found thousands of them ... We rescued victims of sex trafficking [and] two weeks ago, we rescued a 14-year-old that was already pregnant, living with adult men ...
"We rescued some victims of forced labor. We found children working on ranches and chicken farms, not going to school, but enslaved labor in the United States of America ...
A few weeks ago a Maryland Man was arrested for raping the teenaged illegal alien girl that Biden placed her with. He immediately forced her into sex. But the important thing is, she got to remain in America while being raped every day.
"Some of the children we found [were] perfectly fine with their families ... They just didn't respond to call-ins [because they] didn't want to face the consequences of immigration court."
The number of unaccompanied alien children [UACs] entering the US surged to record levels under Biden, as changes to border enforcement policies incentivized families and smugglers to send minors to America.
More than 500,000 children were recorded entering the country and were placed with sponsors while awaiting immigration proceedings.
A report last August from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General found that the Biden administration lost track of hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied children and placed some with potentially dangerous sponsors who had not been adequately vetted.
More than 31,000 addresses provided by sponsors turned out to be "blank, undeliverable, or missing apartment numbers," the inspector general reported. At one location, "sponsor addresses were incorrect 80 percent of the time."
ICE officers at one field office also told the inspector general that thousands of migrant children had been released to sponsors "who are not immediate family and are not a parent, sibling, or grandparent."
HHS released more than 14,500 migrant children in 2023 and more than 9,600 in 2024 "to unrelated sponsors" or distant relatives.
...
Homan told "Pod Force One" that the Biden administration rushed the vetting process to avoid the "optics" of overcrowding at the border.
"They didn't care about the invasion itself; it was the optics."
DNA tests were routinely used during the first Trump administration to verify that an adult accompanying a child really was the parent, he said, but the Biden administration abandoned that policy.
Homan said in some of the DNA testing "as high as 30 percent [of] the families weren't families. Not relatives at all. The [children] were being trafficked...
"A lot of parents paid a smuggling organization to bring their kids [over the border]. Some of these children were trafficked. We know HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] had several investigations where a child was rented by the criminal cartel to an adult male or female, crossed the border [and] when you're done, you send the kid back [and] re-rent them."Homan had harsh words for Democrat politicians like Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) who he said are "screaming and yelling about ICE arresting people and ICE enforcing the law. Meanwhile, in four years under Biden ... sex trafficking of women and children skyrocketed, not a word."
"Thousands of children were being smuggled into the country every week. Over half a million children were smuggled into the United States. Separated from their families, put into the hands of criminal cartels... not a word."
@BillMelugin_ BREAKING: DHS has announced it is terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than half a million Haitians in the U.S., arguing that conditions in Haiti have improved enough for them to return home, and allowing the Haitians to remain is contrary to the national interest of the U.S.TPS for these Haitians will expire on 8/3/2025 and the termination will take effect on 9/2/2025, effectively giving the Haitians a little more than 2 months to leave the country or find another form of relief or legal status.
DHS statement:
"This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary," said a DHS spokesperson. "The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home. We encourage these individuals to take advantage of the Department's resources in returning to Haiti, which can be arranged through the CBP Home app. Haitian nationals may pursue lawful status through other immigration benefit requests, if eligible."
An ICE raid on a meatpacking plant resulted in 76 arrests of illegals. Some illegals were using stolen social security numbers, casting some doubt on the claim that they're Mostly Lawful.
In Nebraska, the state's largest worksite immigration raid sent a chilling effect across the city of Omaha this month when federal immigration authorities arrested 76 employees of a meatpacking plant.About a dozen of them have already been deported or transferred to out-of-state custody. Sixty-three others remain in immigration custody at the Lincoln County Detention Center in Nebraska.
Federal authorities accuse the workers of using stolen identities from U.S. citizens to unlawfully gain employment at Glenn Valley Foods, a meatpacking plant that has been processing boxed beef for more than 15 years.
The Center for Immigrant Refugee and Advancement, an immigrant rights organization in Omaha, provided legal consultations to most of them.
Anne Wurth, the group's associate legal director, told NBC News they are "honest, hardworking individuals in our community" who have also been victims of an immigration system that "does not provide enough pathways" to remain in the country legally.
"That's not true," said Elhrick Cerdan, the assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Nebraska, who led the enforcement operation at Glenn Valley Foods.
In an interview, Cerdan rejected "this narrative that these hardworking illegal immigrants were just doing their daily job and trying to earn wages."
"They were stealing the identities of over a hundred U.S. citizens," Cerdan said.
Seven people have been charged in connection with the events surrounding the raid at Glenn Valley Foods. Only one of them faces charges of using someone else's Social Security number, court records showed as of Wednesday.
"That number could change," Cerdan said, because the investigation continues.
Four protesters, including two U.S. citizens who worked at the plant, face charges accusing them of jumping on law enforcement vehicles as they escorted detainees out of the facility, according to court records.
A Honduran national was charged with resisting arrest and displaying a box cutter when agents tried to apprehend him. A Mexican national is charged with unlawful re-entry into the United States. An employee who was arrested was charged with false representation of a Social Security number.
Mostly Lawful, Mostly Peaceful.
Meanwhile, the "Alligator Alcatraz" for illegal aliens will open tomorrow in a Florida swamp.
The facility will hold 3000 illegals. DeSantis says he needs it because there are so many illegal alien criminals and he needs the jailspace for domestic offenders.
He had it built in a literal alligator-infested swamp in just a week.
The left is crying alligator tears:
Continue reading
Politico: Kamala Harris Is Reaching Out to Democrat Leaders About a Bid for California Governor But "No One Is Incredibly Pumped"
—Ace
Well I am. I bet most of you guys are too.
I want to hear more about what can be (jazz hand high left) unburdened by what has been (jazz hand low right).
But we're not the people Politico is talking about.
They're talking about Democrat donors not wanting to give her their money.
Kamala Harris is ramping up her outreach to longtime supporters as she weighs a run for California governor. But many Democratic donors aren't enthusiastic, still hobbled by the hangover of her presidential loss.Some party funders have privately shared that ambivalence with each other as Harris has embarked on a quiet schedule of thank you visits, catch-up calls and listening sessions, touching base with her most trusted supporters as she weighs her options. The former vice president has tasked aides with exploring several paths, including not just a campaign for political office but also a philanthropic venture.
Let me translate: What she really wants is to create a donation-sucking grift machine like Hillary Clinton did which will provide her with a salary, a floor of offices, a hired car and multiple drivers, and the illusion of prestige and influence.
But if she can't have that, her back-up plan is running for governor and maybe losing. And worse, maybe winning.
In other words: this is a threat. Set me up with a Clinton Foundation style grift, or I'll run for office, and I just might win and finish killing off the dying state.
In interviews, several major donors in the state told POLITICO they fear her reemergence as a candidate would re-open still-fresh wounds from her defeat in 2024. Some harbor lingering frustration about how her billion-dollar campaign juggernaut ended in debt and want assurances she would have a clear plan to win the governor's mansion. Others are impatient for Harris to start publicly making her case for why she'd want the job."There was more enthusiasm at first," said Mather Martin, a San Francisco-based fundraiser who has worked for past Harris campaigns. "I think it waned a bit."
One California Democrat who contributed six-figures to her presidential bid said a Harris candidacy would only serve as a reminder of how "traumatizing" the last election was.
"Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete shit storm. With Biden, we got bamboozled ... I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too," the donor said. "I've written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we're living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I'm furious at them, truly."
Close Harris allies acknowledge the sting of Harris' failed White House bid has not fully dissipated among the donor class...
While still considering all her options, including running for president again, Harris' focus has been skewed toward a 2026 gubernatorial bid, since that is the most immediate decision to be made, according to a person close to her. The former vice president, who can be painstakingly deliberative, has been steadily collecting input and opinions from her allies to weigh the pros and cons of seeking her home state's top gig.
As Mark Halperin always says, Kamala Harris simply does not like making decisions. And here she is again, unsure of what she should do. Instead of deciding for herself, she's asking other people to choose for her.
He pointed out that Democrat donors are going to be even less inclined to donate to her due to her unable to decide if she even wants to be governor. It shows she lacks "fire in the belly" for the position.
...
Donors "realize it's just going to bring up the whole pathetic last presidential, which no one wants to hear about again. And then it's the whole 'Did you know Joe Biden?' thing," said one Southern California fundraiser who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations. "She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped."
Harris has yet to weigh in on the topic which has roiled her party, even as Antonio Villaraigosa, a fellow Democrat who is running for governor, has accused her of being complicit in a cover-up. Even some of her supporters are antsy for her to address the issue head-on, believing she'll have to swiftly dispense with that question before she can make a positive case for her candidacy.
Others in the finance world say that so long as Harris plays coy about her plans, she's giving little for would-be supporters to rally around.
"It's very fair to say there's not an overwhelming clamor" for her candidacy, said Scott Drexel, a Bay Area-based donor adviser who works with individuals, labor groups and businesses. "It's very hard for there to be one if it's not 100 percent clear if she really wants to do it."
So she is weighing three possibilities: Running for governor, which she plainly does not want to do, running for president which maybe she wants to do but it's silly, or her real preference, starting a Clinton-like "foundation" to grift money and get paid a high salary and granted expensive billionaire-class perks (like a 24-hour a day chauffeur) while pretending to administer what is claimed to be a "charity."
She won't get that, either. Hillary Clinton was able to get her grift funded because donors were paying for her to be a candidate-in-waiting. The Clinton Foundation was a grift to make sure all of Hillary's top people had jobs so they'd stay with her rather than defecting to other Democrats.
Kamala Harris is not going to be supported by donors to be a candidate-in-waiting.
Polling shows that Kamala Harris is in second place in the race to be the Democrat presidential nominee.
First place goes to... Pete Bootyjudge.
Not only has Kamala Kollapsed in the latest poll of 2028 Democrat contenders, no one's excited about her potential run for California governor.And now we come to the poll... A poll that must have Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio going full bro with the high fives...
Failed former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg: 16 percent
Failed 2024 presidential contender Kamala Harris: 13 percent
Failed Gov. Gavin Newsom: 12 percent
Too Jewish-for-Antisemitic-Democrat-Party Gov. Josh Shapiro: 7 percent
Alexandria Ocasio-Crazy: 7 percent
Sanders also gets 5%.
That leaves 35 percent undecided.
So is Buttigieg the front-runner? The political "top," if you will?
Well, check out his big hole that needs filling:
Continue reading
#Winning: Inflation Rises More Slowly, Gas Prices Fall, and the Markets Hit All-Time Records
A European Economist Admits: "Maybe Trump Has Outsmarted All of Us"
—Ace
The markets soared to record highs on Friday, despite the "predictions" (or partisan rooting interest) of the liberal establishment.
Part of the rally is due to falling, get this, inflation.
U.S. markets surged to fresh record highs Friday as investors responded positively to a trio of developments: easing inflation, the formal end of the Iran-Israel war, and progress on President Trump's tax legislation in Congress.Key Details:
The S&P 500 closed at a record 6,173.07, with the Dow and Nasdaq also finishing at all-time highs, fueled by strength in tech, energy, and industrial sectors.
New inflation data showed core PCE rose just 0.2% in May, with annual core inflation at 2.7%--supporting Trump's argument that tariffs haven't reignited price pressures.
A U.S.-brokered peace deal officially ended hostilities between Israel and Iran, removing a key global risk and driving oil prices sharply lower.Diving Deeper:
Wall Street ended the week on a high note Friday, with all three major indexes closing at record levels amid a cascade of favorable developments for the Trump White House and the broader U.S. economy.
The S&P 500 rose 0.52% to 6,173.07, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite followed suit, hitting new peaks. The gains came despite a midday dip sparked by President Trump's announcement that trade negotiations with Canada had been terminated. Markets quickly shrugged off the news, rallying strongly into the close.
Fueling the optimism was the release of new inflation data showing that prices are rising more slowly than anticipated, even after the administration's aggressive use of tariffs. The core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index--a key inflation gauge favored by the Federal Reserve--ticked up just 0.2% in May. On an annual basis, core prices rose 2.7%, while the headline rate stood at 2.3%. Notably, consumer inflation expectations also dropped, with one prominent sentiment survey showing the expected one-year rate falling from 6.6% to 5%.
...
As the week closed, the prevailing mood on Wall Street was one of optimism. With inflation cooling, global tensions easing, and economic policy advancing, traders are increasingly betting on a supportive environment for markets heading into the second half of the year.
Gas prices will fall to their lowest level in years for summer driving season.
According to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, gas prices are likely on track to reach their lowest levels in several years. If current trends continue, Americans could see the national average dip below $3 per gallon by September."This is shaping up to be the cheapest summer since 2021," De Haan said, referencing the COVID-era market conditions that temporarily deflated demand and prices.
Although gas prices ticked up in early June due to the Israel-Iran conflict, the ceasefire between the two nations has helped stabilize global oil markets. That stabilization, De Haan says, should allow for a "slow decline" in prices through the remainder of the summer.
A world-renowned economist has changed his tune on President Donald Trump's tariffs.Torsten Sløk, a chief economist at Apollo Global Management, posted a new note admitting that his initial reaction to the policy may have been wrong.
'Maybe the administration has outsmarted all of us,' he wrote.
The admission comes just months after Sløk warned the tariffs would be 'painful' and economically destabilizing.
Experts speaking to DailyMail.com warned that Americans should take his note with a grain of salt.
But now, he's framing the President's policy as a clever long-game -- one that invites global negotiation while increasing federal revenue.
In the note, Sløk outlined a potential scenario: the White House could maintain its current tariff rates -- 10 percent on most imports, 30 percent on Chinese goods -- and give trade partners a year to negotiate with the White House.
Extending the current 90-day pause on new tariffs, he argued, would give American companies time to plan ahead and could help stabilize markets.
'This would seem like a victory for the world and yet would produce $400 billion of annual revenue for US taxpayers,' he added.
The timing is key. Trump's 90-day pause on new tariffs, announced in April, is set to expire on July 9.
Without an extension, the tariffs would immediately increase, with billions of dollars worth of products suddenly incurring more taxes.
But if the President extends the pause but keeps tariffs where they are, Sløk says the policy could offer clarity for companies and leverage in negotiations.
Sløk's sudden, tepid support for the tariffs is an about-face. He initially criticized the import taxes, saying they threatened business stability, Wall Street's record highs, and the stability of US treasury bonds.
I love when Europeans tell us that tariffs will cause the US inflation and harm our economy while all the European nations have stiff tariffs to keep out US goods because they believe the tariffs help their economies.
Continue reading
Canada Surrenders to Daddy Trump on Tax on Tech Services
—Ace
Canada decided to join the EU in punishing US tech firms because they're mad that Elon Musk allows free speech.
President Donald Trump announced Friday he is ending trade talks with Canada over the northern neighbor's decision to impose a digital service tax on American technology companies.Trump called Canada's decision "a direct and blatant attack on our Country" in a Truth Social post.
"They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump also wrote.
Canada is reportedly going ahead with the tax despite its inclusion in the Group of Seven (G7) agreement in which President Trump agreed to remove Section 899, also known as the revenge tax proposal, from his "Big Beautiful" tax bill, according to Bloomberg.
The tax will require digital services companies like Meta to pay 3 percent of the digital services revenue they make on Canadian users above 20 million Canadian dollars ($14.6 million) in a calendar year, according to Bloomberg.
Canada's tax will apply retroactively to 2022 and the country's Finance Department says the first payments will be due from digital companies Monday, Bloomberg reported.
Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne hinted that the tax may be a potential piece of leverage in trade negotiations.
"Obviously all of that is something that we're considering as part of broader discussions that you may have," he told Bloomberg.
Trump concluded his Truth Social post with indications that the U.S. will retaliate.
"We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period," he wrote.
Industry leaders applauded Trump's move.
"This tax unfairly singles out American firms while local competitors skate by. Whether it's Brussels or Ottawa, President Trump is right to call them out and force this to change," John Czwartacki, co-founder and principal at Public Policy Solutions said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller.
I'm no fan of the social media companies but this is all about pressuring them to censor American citizens.
Canada is now groveling like a totall-cucked nation.
Canada's government announced Sunday it will cancel a controversial tax on U.S. tech giants, prompting the resumption of trade negotiations with President Trump. The decision follows Trump's warning that Canada would face steep duties for what he called a "blatant attack" on American firms.Key Details:
Prime Minister Mark Carney personally informed President Trump of the decision to withdraw the digital services tax during a Sunday conversation.
Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne also reengaged with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer the same day.
The tax, set to take effect Monday, was expected to cost American companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple over $2.7 billion due to its retroactive structure.Diving Deeper:
Just two days after President Trump abruptly suspended bilateral trade talks over a digital tax targeting U.S. tech firms, Canada's government has backed down. First reported by the Wall Street Journal, Prime Minister Mark Carney's office announced that the controversial 3 percent digital services tax would be scrapped. The reversal marks a significant win for the Trump administration and clears the way for trade discussions to resume.
"Big Beautiful (?) Bill" Passes Cloture Vote, Now In "Vote-a-Rama" Phase for Amendments
—Ace
The Democrats are proposing dozens and dozens of amendments just to delay the final vote.
The Senate launched the vote-a-rama after wrapping up debate on Sunday night, with Republicans prepared to defend and strengthen Trump's signature legislation. The bill extends the Trump tax cuts, reforms federal programs like Medicaid, and includes work requirements designed to restore accountability. Republicans, led by Lindsey Graham and Mike Crapo, pushed back hard against Democrat attacks, calling out Washington gimmicks and defending the bill as a pro-growth, pro-taxpayer package.Diving Deeper:
After a lengthy debate that stretched from Sunday into early Monday, the Senate entered the final stage before a full vote on President Trump's "big, beautiful bill." The legislation, which aims to lock in key tax cuts, implement long-overdue reforms, and rein in federal waste, now faces a barrage of amendments in what's known as a vote-a-rama.
Senate Republicans are holding the line as Democrats attempt to derail the package with endless amendments designed to stall and sabotage. The bill is expected to deliver sweeping benefits to working families, small businesses, and American taxpayers, while restoring integrity to programs like Medicaid by enforcing work requirements and ending abuse.
Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., strongly defended the reforms to Medicaid, a program that exploded in size after Obamacare enticed states to expand it to working-age adults with no disabilities. "It's a good thing for the individual to be working. It's a good thing for the taxpayer," Graham noted. "But that seems to be a crime on the other side."
While most Republicans are united behind the bill, a handful have expressed concerns. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., opposed a procedural vote Saturday night, citing different objections.
Trump threatened to primary RINO Thom Tillis. Tillis responded hours later by announcing he would not be running for reelection, which I believe was already decided. Because Trump was going to primary him either way, and he was going to lose.
Lara Trump, who polls say would win the seat in the general election if she's nominated, says she's "strongly considering" a run.
Lara Trump is "strongly considering" a run for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, according to sources close to the Trump family. Her potential bid follows Sen. Thom Tillis' announcement that he will not seek reelection after opposing President Trump's signature legislative package.Key Details:
Two sources, speaking to NOTUS and NBC News respectively, said Lara Trump is giving the Senate race "serious" thought, with one describing the chances as "high."
Tillis, who recently clashed with President Trump over the "Big Beautiful Bill," confirmed his retirement Sunday.
Lara Trump, 42, is a Wilmington native and a former co-chair of the RNC, where she oversaw fundraising efforts and convention planning.
THE MORNING RANT: President Trump’s Use of Military Power - If We Have to Break It, We Aren't Going to Buy It
—Buck Throckmorton
Our political class has repeatedly told us that the only allowable “solutions” to pressing problems are alternatives not embraced by the majority of Americans. That is why we finally turned to Donald Trump. Just one example was the border crisis – Democrats argued for mass amnesty and a wide-open border, while establishment Republicans countered by also proposing mass amnesty with a slightly less porous border. Trump laughed in all their faces, shut the border, and started deporting criminal aliens.
In the matter of foreign military engagement, we have also been presented just two bad options over the past few decades.
1) Massive military commitment to foreign wars, including nation building and boots on the ground in perpetuity, all with an endless airlift of fallen troops being flown home to Dover AFB.
2) Pacifism, with the U.S. never unleashing its military might, even where it is appropriate.
There is another much better option, which President Trump just demonstrated – the use of our military to destroy what needs destroying, and then leaving the mess as a lesson. If Iran attempts to rebuild its nuclear program in coming years, we can bust it all up again. We don’t have to occupy Iran or pretend that it will become a western democracy. It can figure out whatever it wants to become, but if Iran restarts its nuclear program or exports terror again, it can also face our wrath again.
I have been waiting for the U.S. to strike against Iran for more than 45 years. The lost wars of the Bush-Cheney era have driven home the futility of trying to impose democracy on those not capable of it. But still, I’ve never stopped wanting there to be righteous retribution against Iran’s mad mullahs. They attacked America on American territory when they took our embassy personnel hostage in 1979, and they’ve been killing Americans wherever they can ever since.
One of the dubious lessons learned from World War II was that we must always rebuild what we destroy in war. In that spirit, Colin Powell famously told President George W. Bush regarding the Iraq War debacle, “If you break it, you own it.”
Donald Trump has put that idea to rest. We broke it (Iran’s nuclear program) and Israel has destroyed Iran’s war fighting capabilities. And now we’re done fighting. What Iran does now is not our problem, unless/until we have to break it again sometime in the future.
With all that said, there are plenty of reasons why the mainstream American right has become so anti-war in recent years. The awful loss of young Americans’ lives in service to other countries interests - but not America’s interests - is paramount. But it is also the realization that the war-pushers have a deep reserve of ashamed-to-be-American guilt that motivates them. There is an inherent contradiction in how they go about waging war. Quite simply, they rush into foreign wars, but then refuse to fight for victory, because they believe:
1) The United State has a moral obligation to fight other countries’ wars because of our power, wealth, etc.
2) It is culturally offensive for the United States to inflict what is necessary to actually win a foreign war.
Continue reading
The Morning Report — 6/ 30 /25
—J.J. Sefton
Good morning kids. And just like that, the year 2025 is just about half over. The breaking news this morning is either the twisted act of just some random psychopath or given everything going on in the world, and sadly here at home perhaps some form of domestic terrorism. Eco-, Immigration-, Islamic- or some kind of Beelzebub happy meal combination.
Two firefighters were killed and a third was injured when first responders were ambushed by an hours-long barrage of gunfire after arriving at the scene of a blaze in Idaho Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The horrific attack, which began around 2 p.m. local time on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, ended about five hours later when SWAT teams discovered the lifeless body of a man next to a firearm on the popular tourist trail, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. “This was a total ambush, these firefighters did not have a chance,” Sheriff Bob Norris told reporters after the massive manhunt, assuring the community there is no longer an active threat. “We have currently one dead shooter based on the preliminary investigation that was being conducted. Keep in mind we had a fire that was rapidly approaching the body so we had to scoop up that body and we had to transport that body to a different location. We believe that it is the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time.”Police have not released the suspected gunman’s identity, the type of weapon recovered at the gruesome scene, or the cause of his death. A motive remains under investigation but police believe the fire was intentionally set to lure first responders into a deadly trap. “We do believe that the suspect started the fire and we do believe it was an ambush and it was intentional,” Norris said.
A Coeur d’Alene firefighter and a Kootenai County Fire and Rescue member were shot dead in the sudden strike.
The third victim, a Coeur d’Alene firefighter who was shot during the violent surprise attack, is recovering at Kootenai Health after undergoing surgery. . .
. . . The FBI responded to the scene providing tactical and operational support, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said, with about 300 first responders also on site from state and local agencies.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly cheesesteaks, reports of some sort of massive explosion preceded the collapse of several homes in the comedically ironic section of the city known as Nicetown. One fatality has been reported, so apologies for being flip. While it could be something as innocent/normal as a gas leak. Again, given everything going on here and abroad, perhaps some religion of Peace Peacenik or Anti-fascist Brownshirt Democrat Stormtrooper building a mostly peaceful pipe bomb to be used against ICE, a synagogue or some other target of the forces of darkness and evil that threaten "Our Precious Democracy" (vomit) cannnot be discounted. And a little over 40 years ago when Mayor Wilson Good used the air units of the Philadelphia PD to re-enact the firebombing of Hamburg and burned several blocks to the ground after being shot at while attempting to evict or arrest a black liberation group known as MOVE, led by one John Africa. Oh the humanity!
Prayers for the victims, and hopefully we'll get to the bottom of these incidents.
Completely switching gears, this so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" seems to be moving forward but about the only good thing I can see in it is the RINO opposition to it, is giving President Trump the political cover and cassus belli to go after the backstabbers like Tom Tillis who mercifully has decided to not even seek re-election and hopefully give North Carolinians the opportunity to put a MAGA-aligned patriot on the ballot and please God in the Senate.
As for the bill itself, as CBD and I discussed on the podcast an episode or so ago, and still relevant, How does borrowing and spending us further into debt gibe with the whole notion of DOGE and the MAGA movement? I do not want a more "efficient" government. I want a radically reduced/eliminated government. Because the smaller the government, the freer and more prosperous the citizenry.
One huge issue that that Leftists and propagandists are harping on is supposedly the evil Nazi Trump republicans eliminating Medicare and Medicaid. Cue the footage of Paul Ryan as Tommy Udo shoving granny off of a cliff in her wheelchair.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also backed an effort to secure more cuts within the president’s sweeping tax relief and immigration legislation.The deficit-reducing measure is sponsored by Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott and would lower the 90% federal match rate for new Medicaid enrollees in states that expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act. A group of deficit-concerned senators, including Scott, helped secure a vote on the amendment, which will occur during an anticipated marathon session of voting, known as a “vote-a-rama,” before senators will vote on final passage of the bill.
“We think it’s really good policy,” Thune told reporters Sunday. “We’re going to do what we can to support that effort.”
. . . The amendment, however, could die on the Senate floor due to moderate GOP senators’ opposition to reducing the federal government’s contributions to state Medicaid programs, known as the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP). Scott’s proposal notably exempts the existing expansion population on Medicaid rolls. Trump notably thanked Scott and the cohort of fiscal hawks for ultimately supporting the opening of debate on the bill Saturday night. The president said he would work with the group to “REDUCE WASTEFUL SPENDING” and “ENSURE OUR MEDICAID SYSTEM HELPS THOSE WHO TRULY NEED IT” among other priorities, in a statement on the social media platform Truth Social. . .
. . . The upper chamber’s budget bill also slashes spending on green energy subsidies by accelerating the termination of solar and wind tax credits, which could save hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.
The Senate’s proposal will have to clear the House before Trump signs the budget bill into law. A number of moderate Republicans in the lower chamber are voicing concern about aggressive spending cuts while members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are pushing for more deficit reduction.
“For all cost cutting Republicans, of which I am one, REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social Sunday evening. “Don’t go too crazy!”
Bingo, Mr. President. But what have we been pleading for for decades and what did you run on - fiscal sanity. Yes, cutting out the waste and outright fraud of multiple funding of the same programs across different agencies/departments and the plain old thievery of money that somehow gets iPhoned off to fund anti-American groups and seditious activities etc. etc. is absolutely a good thing. But we need to starve the bureaucratic beast and kill off as much of the New Deal, Great Society, and every other freedom and money sucking entity we can to really Make America, not only Great again, but make America America again. Getting rid of the Dept. of Education is a great thing (if it actually does disappear) but why is the EPA still functioning. Yes Lee Zeldin has been doing some great things to erase the environmental madness of the global warming/climate change myth and give a much needed shot in the arm to get fossil fuels, energy independence and our economy moving again.
enough on this. At any rate, getting back to the actual bill itself, The sick irony of Chuck Schemer looking to read thousands of pages while Malig-Nancy Pelosi refused to read even the cover page and dedication to satan by the author of the massive Obamacare power grab that let the government seize control of the health care sector, fully one sixth of the economy, and then her proclaiming "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it!" And it's either hypocrisy on our side in demanding we pass the bill or else tit's a delicious sauce for the goose/gander.
The other insane chutzpocrisy of the Dems is them bithcing about fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget after decades of borrowing andspending us into the oblivion we are on the precipice of while hacks like Paul Krugman kept insisting that the government can boorrow/spend and print money indefinitely and infinitely, unlike the average household who cannot run up their credit cards without any consequences.
And lastly, a quick shout-out and thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.
Have a great day!
- ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
- The burst of gunshots – which are still ongoing – erupted around 2 p.m. local time as first responders arrived at the scene of a fire at Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
2 firefighters shot dead, 1 injured after ‘sniper’ ambushes crew responding to Idaho blaze: ‘Did not have a chance’
- . . . “Based on the preliminary information, we believe that was the only shooter who was on that mountain at that time.” Norris said the assessment is “based on trajectory” and “based on the type of weapons that this individual had.”
Idaho Sheriff: Shooter Started the Fire, ‘It Was Intentional,’ ‘It Was an Ambush’ - Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed that she was “deeply saddened by the explosion” that occurred and added that the “tragedy remains under active investigation.”
Report: One Dead, Two Injured After Multiple Philadelphia Homes Collapse in Explosion* * * * * - Clarice Feldman: Any week in which good sense and rational, effective government prevails is a rare, much to be wished for one. And we just had two of them.
‘A Very Consequential Two Weeks’
- Roger Kimball: The Supreme Court's 6–3 ruling in Trump v. Casa clipped the wings of activist judges, curbing their power to block presidential actions with sweeping injunctions.
Minuting the minutiae
- “Those things Americans call constitutional rights seem hardly worth the paper they are written on!”
Justice Kentanji Brown( -25) Jackson: “What Good is the Constitution?” (with loathsome degenerates like her in black robes, not very much - jjs)
- Victor Davis Hanson: The credentialed class got it wrong—on tariffs, borders, war, and Trump—and now their expert status is worth less than a plumber’s invoice and half as reliable.
The Decline and Fall of Our So-Called Degreed Experts
Continue reading
Daily Tech News 30 June 2025
—Pixy Misa
Top Story- Don't buy an Nvidia video card. (Tom's Hardware)
Because the leaks have already started for the upcoming 5000 Super family of cards, which are only very slightly faster but have 50% more memory.
Upgrading the 5070 from a middling 12GB of RAM to 18GB makes it a solid product that will likely last for years. The same goes for the 5070 Ti, already fairly good with 16GB of RAM, if somewhat overpriced; with 24GB it becomes a high-end model that is not going to easily become obsolete.
If you weren't inclined to pay that much in the first place, AMD's 9060 XT is still the pick of the litter, with 16GB cards going for less than an 8GB 5060 Ti.
Continue reading
Sunday Overnight Open Thread - June 29, 2025 [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Howdy Hordelings! Hope your Sunday has been good. Please step on in and join in on the ONT fun!
Continue reading
Gun Thread: End O' June Edition!
—Weasel
Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!
Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the End O' June Edition? Have you been enjoying the heatwave on the east coast this week? What are you doing to stay cool? Has it affected your ability to go to the range and shoot?
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
Continue reading
Food Thread: What A Croque!
—CBD
One of my favorite casual meals is a "Croque Monsieur" with a basket of good French Fries. And one would think that it is an easy thing to find around my current digs! And you would be wrong! They're not bad, but they aren't great. And using the internet to find some schmuck's list of the greatest Croque Monsieurs in Paris is an exercise in futility. They let anybody post anything on the internet!
The Platonic Ideal, at least in my experience, was a hotel room service Croque that was spectacular. And paid for by expense account. But somebody should be able to duplicate that without much trouble, since it is a damned simple sandwich. Cheese, ham, Béchamel, good bread, and a ton of butter. And don't forget the fries! The frogs may have invented them (they didn't...it was probably the Belgians), but I'll take British chips over most of the fries in France.
Anyway, serendipity provided a solid entry into this competition, in the form of a café near some cooking supply stores I and friends visited last week. The Croque was a firm B+, and the fries were on the border of an A-.
All in all, a successful day!
Continue reading
First World Problems...
—CBD
Everybody has seen these or similar machines in hotel rooms, and lots of people use them at home. They are undeniably convenient, and can make reasonably good coffee if the conditions are correct: a clean machine and good quality coffee.
But they are mass produced, and the tolerances in the chamber that holds the pod are sloppy, probably because the capsules are made by multiple manufacturers and are not identical -- and because they are cheaply made machines produced by the lowest bidder, probably by slave labor in some sh*thole in China.
And don't start with "you're doing it wrong!" There is only one way for the capsule to fit into the chamber, so even in the midst of a caffeine deficit I am able to navigate the complex process of opening the machine, dropping a capsule into the chamber, and closing the machine.
And occasionally...very occasionally, this happens!
Aside from the existential crisis of having my coffee delayed by 30 seconds, and the affront to my frugal nature, there is also the frustration of the failure of a complex process that has nonetheless been streamlined and simplified over the many years that these machines have been in use.
There is something called "tolerance stacking," which is simply the sum of the variation in each part that contributes to the whole. If those tolerances don't average out, then there can be issues with the function of the machine...any machine. The sloppy tolerances of these mass-market machines are partially compensated for by the forgiving design, but not completely!
The answer of course is to throw the machine out the window and hire a sexy French maid to make my coffee every morning, but that entails other existential risks. So I will soldier on, bravely confronting the small probability that my coffee will be delayed!
For those who are careful readers of the award-winning Food Thread, you may have noticed that I am not making my customary cone-filter coffee. I have no excuse, other than the difficulty of finding plain old cones! There is a fancy coffee store a few minutes away, but even I, an obsessive-compulsive coffee lunatic shied away from the $100+ systems they were selling. And by the time I explored enough to find sane stuff, I was deep into the convenience of the capsules.
Yes, I am weak.
