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December 09, 2024

"Person of Interest" In Health Care CEO Assassination Caught in Altoona, PA, Identified as Luigi Mangione, "Former Ivy League Student"
NYT: He Carried a Manifesto Decrying Health Care Corporations' Greed

—Ace

Update: Luigi Mangione, a "former Ivy League student."

The person of interest identified in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is an anti-capitalist former Ivy League student -- who liked online quotes from "Unabomber'' Ted Kaczynski raging against the country's medical community.

Tech whiz Luigi Mangione, 26, of Towson, Md., was taken into custody Monday morning at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pa., after an intense manhunt following the coldblooded execution of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last week, sources said.

He has not been charged.

The former prep-school valedictorian was caught with a manifesto that appeared to list grievances with the healthcare industry including taking on their enormous profits and alleged shady motives, sources said.

Update: Per Zero Hedge, he is now being called a "strong person of interest."

I mean, yes, it does seem nearly 100% likely it is this Ivy league leftwing radical terrorist.


Interesting detail: He was armed with a veterinary pistol, used for euthanizing animals, which looks like the gun he used.

Weird detail: He was caught using a fake ID at a McDonald's. Why would someone have to use an ID at McDonald's?

Not sure if this is our killer.


Actually, now that I re-read the story, I think someone called a tip on the guy, recognizing him from his photo. When the police showed up, he showed a fake ID and gave a false name.

The cops, presumably, used the fake ID as the reason to arrest him while they try to figure out if he's Taylor Lorenz's favorite boy band murderer.


A person of interest was nabbed Monday in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- busted possibly trying to use a fake ID in a McDonald's, law enforcement sources said.

Per Trusted Member of the Media LA Sue, the fake ID was spotted because the name on it was "McLovin."

The man -- who sources said is being eyed for the coldblooded, targeted execution in front of a Manhattan hotel last week -- allegedly had a manifesto on him when he was taken into custody by cops in Altoona, Pa.

He also had a gun, silencer, four fake IDs and other items "consistent" with what authorities were looking for in the case, sources said.


Law enforcement was still trying to figure out the man's real identity, sources said.

He was nabbed on a tip called in to local cops, who apprehended him, sources said.

The NYPD was on its way to Altoona late Monday morning, sources said.

Added by Black Orchid, not sure of the source but Black Orchid is not a Fake News Macedonian Content Farmer but instead a Trusted Member of the Media.

"The handwritten manifesto found on the person of the man detained in Altoona criticized health care companies for putting profits above care, according to a senior law enforcement official."

Posted by: BlackOrchid

The claim comes from the New York Times, which is, unfortunately, a Fake News Macedonian Content Farmer.

Continue reading


Posted by Ace at 01:00 PM Comments


King Harv Imperial Coffee

Verdict: Daniel Penny Is Not Guilty of Anything

—Ace

Update: Some commenters are saying he could still be re-tried on the count of manslaughter 2 that was dismissed (on the motion of the prosecution) on Friday. No. Once a jury is empaneled, double jeopardy attaches. A mistrial can be retried because it's a mistrial -- no true trial occurred, as no verdict was rendered -- but once the jury is empaneled, a dismissal is a dismissal with prejudice. He's free and clear on these charges forever.

Also, he's free and clear on these facts. In other words, the prosecutors cannot take the same facts at trial here and spin out another new charge. They are barred from bringing up new charges based on the same facts if they could have brought them up in a prior trial. They cannot now say "we're charging him for aggravated battery." That charge would arise from the same facts here. They've had their bite at this particular apple, they don't get another one.

They may try to find some other facts they can make charges on to persecute him, but he is now free and clear on these charges and any other charges arising from these facts.

Update to my update: I just remembered, prosecutors unfortunately can try some bullsh*t where they bring a "violation of civil rights" charge. The feds did that with the cops in the LA riots case. That was ruled not to be based on the "same facts" as the original charges were.

I don't expect them to do that but I guess they could. I imagine that Penny would try to dismiss these charges citing double jeopardy, but I don't know if the case law would be on his side.


We still need investigations into the prosecutors and into New York's predatory "justice" system.

The scumbag thug rent-a-protester BLM crowd are screaming threats at him, including the promise that he will never know peace. That is, he'll be hunted on the streets.

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Posted by Ace at 12:02 PM Comments



Daniel Penny Found NOT GUILTY!

—CBD

flaming_skull2a.gif

That talking head seems upset!

Posted by CBD at 11:39 AM Comments

THE MORNING RANT: Texas Republicans Defeat the Uniparty and Will Finally Elect a Conservative House Speaker

—Buck Throckmorton

Texas red blue county map.JPG

Another firewall in the uniparty’s control of power fell over the weekend in Texas. Despite the Lone Star state being solid red for over three decades, including Republican control of the legislature, a coalition of Democrats and RINOs had continued to exercise control over the state House of Representatives.

Over the weekend, conservative Republicans took actions to finally gain control of the statehouse by selecting conservative Rep. David Cook as their nominee for Speaker of the House. The actual floor vote will occur in January.

Cook will replace Dade Phelan, who had previously won the speakership by obtaining the support of the Democrat minority, and then peeling off enough RINO Republicans to defeat the conservatives who constituted a majority of the elected Republicans. In other words, “Republican” Dade Phelan was a de facto Democrat serving Democrat interests as Speaker of the Texas House. He even appointed Democrats to head House committees, despite Republicans having a solid majority of the House seats.

But Dade Phelan’s loyalty to Democrats and the old order went even deeper. He sought to overturn the will of the people of Texas by impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is a passionate, activist conservative who is fighting the culture war on behalf of Texans. He has taken legal action against woke capital firms such as Black Rock, and he used his office to stop the trans-child industry in Texas. The impeachment of Paxton failed, and many of Phelan’s “Republican” allies who supported the impeachment were primaried out of office this past November.

After Phelan’s campaign for Speaker was finally defeated this past week, the Democrat-RINO alliance offered up Lubbock Republican Dustin Burrows as their candidate to try to keep Democrats effectively in control of the statehouse. He too was defeated by the Republican Caucus.

“David Cook Secures GOP Nomination for Texas House Speaker, Backed by Reform Advocates” [Texas Scorecard – 12/07/2024]

While Cook entered the caucus meeting with the support of reform-minded members due largely to his pledge to end the practice of placing Democrats in leadership positions (a priority of the Republican Party of Texas), Burrows instead had spent much of his limited time in the shortened race attempting to appeal to Democrats.

The RINO Republican, Dustin Burrows, showed his true colors when he deleted a previous tweet of his stating opposition to the transing of children. Rep. Burrows made it clear that he was now willing to have children sacrificed and mutilated if that’s what it took to get Democrat support to make him Speaker of the House. That won’t play well in West Texas when it’s time for his re-election campaign in 2026.

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Posted by Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM Comments

Mid-Morning Art Thread

—CBD

Wright I wont1.jpg

I Won't
George Wright

[Hat Tip: "DINK"]

Posted by CBD at 09:30 AM Comments

The Morning Report — 12/9/24

—J.J. Sefton

Pennymedal.jpg

Good morning kids. Obviously the big news is the collapse of the Basher Assad regime in Syria. While it is certainly satisfying when a bloody tyrant and his thugs bite the dust. Lest we forget that the "rebels" who overthrew them are not Luke Skywalker and Company nor George Washington and the continentals. While Assad and before him his father and their Baath Party were Muslim, they raped, pillaged, plundered and waged war, primarily against the state of Israel mostly for their own personal and semi-secular political benefit. For sure they hated Jews as well as Chrstians and other non-Muslim minorities like the Kurds, as a means of ingratiating themselves with the rest of the Muslim world, especially post-Shah Iran. Syria had been and when the dust settles, may yet remain a forward base for the mullahs in their war to eradicate Israel. I assume that this rebel group, the heretofore little known Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) will no doubt seek arms and assistance from Iran to continue to wage Jihad primarily against Israel and with 1,500 years of Islam already in the books, written with the blood of thousands of its victims, the ultimate goal is world domination.


I am not optimistic. HTS is certainly not going to establish a "pluralistic democracy." They have no guiding democratic principles to steer the new regime toward tolerance and power-sharing. 

The Syrian people may not realize it now, but they've just exchanged one brutal tyrant for a fanatical, brutal tyrant. I would suggest that Western governments think long and hard before sending the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to rebuild the country.

"Pluralistic democracy?!" Comedy Gold!! The Syrian people are mere spectators, and sadly many are victims of the Assads as well as their own Imams and Mullahs. For me, it's a big stretch to assume that there is some percentage let alone a majority that wants a just and peaceful society and who are willing to live in peace with Israel, let alone the Christians and Kurds and other ethnic/religious minorities within their own borders? Sorry but these innocent people, are going to have to sort out their own affairs for themselves. Put down the shisha pipe and stop getting high on the Koran and the other hatreds and prejudices passed down in their collective bloodstream since time immemorial.


This veteran of Afghanistan totally gets it:

When analyzing our Islamic extremist enemies, it is important for the American people to understand the tribal mindset that so many of our enemies come from. Islam developed from tribal cultures, and many tribal cultures over the past 1,400 years developed under Islam. The Islamic world itself is divided into what I would describe as tribes; you have the Sunni tribe, the Shia tribe, and within that are thousands of other tribes, one of the most recent being the “Palestinian” tribe which has become somewhat of a self-appointed identity by various lost members of other tribes. But in Afghanistan, tribalism is at a level that is virtually unparalleled in the world.

It is human nature to coalesce together into groups, but when you add Islam to the mix, it fuels different dynamics that are completely alien to Westerners. The tribal mindset is so vastly different than our own that it often makes it impossible to reason with them, and they will not respond logically or rationally as you might assume an American or other Westerner would. To Westerners, the tribal mindset may contain many elements that are quite shocking and deeply disturbing. . .

. . . Most people there got it. But back in Washington, and among so many in the higher ranks in the military trying to please those in Washington, there was a complete disconnect from the reality on the ground, and a complete misunderstanding of just who our enemy is, how they think, and how ferociously determined they are.

The title of his essay says it all "People Who Fought In Afghanistan Know Why Nation-Building Was Never Going To Work."

I hope and pray that President-elect Donald Trump and his advisers get this as well. As CBD and I discussed on the latest episode of the podcast, In many corners of the globe, our foes seem to be preemptively realizing that they are going to have to start behaving. Of course, Islam being Islam, nasty surprises are likely going to come our way regardless of who is in office.

By the way, lest we forget it was the covert gun-running scheme of Obama, Clinton, McCain and others to "rebels" in Syria from our embassy in Benghazi, that ultimately resulted in the brutal deaths of four of our embassy staffers, that the aforementioned let die so that their criminal enterprise would not be expsosed. G-d bless their memory and may justice be served to Obama, Clinton , McCain and everyone else involved.

Meanwhile, for something completely different, vis a vis the cold-blooded murder of the United Healthcare CEO last week and some of the reactions to it.

On Friday, I wrote: The sick irony here is that the insurance industry, like much of the healthcare industry was essentially completely devoured by the US government with the passage of Obamacare in 2010.


To which a commenter, who shall remain nameless, replied:

That almost sounds apologetic toward the insurance industry -- but who is it who wrote Obamacare? Oh, the Dems porked it up past the gills, but the fundamental legislation was the dream sheet of medical insurance, fully giving them a mandate, enforceable under the law, that everyone MUST use their product. The insurance industry was not devoured by Obamacare; they set the friggin' table for it.

While I cannot argue with this, it is in no way apologetic to the Insurance industry. But much like the pros in the propaganda press, the commenter cherry picked one line, and ignored the entire paragraph:


The sick irony here is that the insurance industry, like much of the healthcare industry was essentially completely devoured by the US government with the passage of Obamacare in 2010. So that only compounded their inherent, and primarily government-caused flaws prior to that date, via the vast bureaucratic garbage that lines the pockets of politicians, bureaucrats and go-along-to-get-along C-suite denizens in the aforementioned industries along with of course Big Pharma. Here's your fascism, Leftists, right here! Get it while it's hot. Pro-tip, it's not Trump. It's Democrats and RINOs pointing the gun of big government power at the head of business and forcing them in bed with them. Sadly, some don't need the threat and are eager to play the part of [the Krupps, et al] to the real literal Hitlers in this re-enactment of pre-1933 election Germany.

To reiterate, Here's your fascism, Leftists. Since they are baying for the blood of Insurance company executives, funny how they don't see that it's the Dept. of HHS that regulates them like every other industry out the Wah-zoo. That makes HHS the real CEO. Is it cruel and amoral to shakedown the critically ill or deny claims, even if it means cutting into the bottom line just because HHS won't back you or will push you if you defy them? of course. Is it justifiable or moral to gun down someone in cold blood? NO!

Yes, the insurance companies created the mess, with the eager assistance of venal pols looking to wet their beaks ages ago, then jumped into bed with Obama and his minions willingly or otherwise when they should've defied him, regardless of the consequences. It's yet another example of moral and cultural rot, which is not as in your face yet just as corrosive as what comes out of the lecture halls, faculty lounges, Hollywood sound stages and TV newsrooms. Indeed, the past 60 or more years of the latter is what led to the former in the C-Suites.

Regardless of whatever dire medical circumstances the shooter found himself or his loved one in and denied coverage, there can be zero tolerance nor justification for cold-blooded murder.


Okay, basta cosi on that. I'm very happy to say that someone else has publicly picked up on another brainwave I had in the past week or so:


Despite there being a hung jury on the manslaughter charge against subway “vigilante” Daniel Penny, the charge of criminally negligent homicide still remains on the ledger for the jury to decide.

In light of all that, Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) has taken it upon himself to introduce a House Resolution to award Penny with a Congressional Gold Medal for “his heroism.”

“A BILL To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Daniel Penny, who protected women and children of the city of New York, New York, from violence on May 1, 2023,” the introduction to the HR reads.

Daniel Penny’s actions exemplify what it means to stand against the grain to do right in a world that rewards moral cowardice. I’m immensely proud to introduce this resolution to award him with the Congressional Gold Medal to recognize his heroism.

Give one to Kyle Rittenhouse too.

And Donald Trump is likely to grant a mass pardon of all the J-6 political prisoners still languishing in and/or had their lives destroyed by the Garland Archipelago for the mere act of first amendment protected speech and the right to peacefully protest.

That thug with a badge Michael Byrd who committed actual murder – at the behest of Nancy Pelosi and whoever else with malice aforethought opened the Capitol doors, in shooting an unarmed and passive Ashli Babbit to death and the unidentified goons of the Capitol PD and/or DoJ who stomped and choked Roseanne Boyland to death go free and are feted as heroes is abhorrent in the extreme.

let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Have a great day.

Continue reading


Posted by J.J. Sefton at 07:33 AM Comments

Daily Tech News 9 December 2024

—Pixy Misa

Top Story



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Posted by Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM Comments

Sunday Overnight Open Thread (12/8/24) - Doof

—Open Blogger

doof-beertree.jpg


Howdy Hordelings, and welcome to the second week of December! Thanks for stopping this Sunday’s ONT. Let’s see what spills out of the mixed bag of fun and interesting stuff tonight.


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Posted by Open Blogger at 10:03 PM Comments

Gun Thread: Less Than Robust Content Edition!

—Weasel

120824 cal scaled.jpg

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 early December? Have you been shooting? How'd you do? Did you exceed your own expectations or not so much?

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

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Posted by Weasel at 07:00 PM Comments

Food Thread: No Blood For Rib Roasts!

—CBD

herbcrust roast.jpg

Yes, it's that time again! Large chunks of delicious beef, seasoned and roasted to perfection.

Let us not discuss the second mortgage that is required to bring one of those roasts home from the market, and instead appreciate that Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden will be eating the finest prime beef without a care in the world for how to pay for it!

It's not that the cut is so expensive, although good quality beef is expensive. It's that they are deceptively heavy! And maybe I am an outlier, but I'll bet that most people buy way too much. One rib can be two pounds of meat, and a serving is generally considered about half a pound. So including the bone, there are about three servings per rib.

I'm going back and forth between a classic salt and pepper preparation, and an herb crusted roast. Cooked correctly, both will have a delicious crust, but that herb mixture can be delicious when soaked in beef fat and crisped in a hot oven.

But...I am also considering individual ribs. That way everyone can get an outer slice, which as we all know is the best slice!

Regardless, It will be fun to plan and cook.

Now to find a blood bank that will let me sell my blood four times this month!

Continue reading


Posted by CBD at 04:00 PM Comments

First-World Problems...

—CBD

OxoFail.jpg

That is a two-ounce measuring cup made by "Oxo." Their stuff is usually pretty good, although aggressively priced, which is sort of obnoxious. I have another measuring cup of the same size but made from aluminum, and often use both during marathon cocktail-making sessions.

But the damned thing is barely 10-years old, and can't handle the dishwasher? What sort of shoddy work are they doing over in Oxoland? Read..."China." enough said.

Luckily the red numerals and lines survived the ordeal. Otherwise I would have had to redo the kitchen...or worse!

Posted by CBD at 02:00 PM Comments

Be Careful What You Wish For...The Unintended Consequences Of Regime Change

—CBD

Abu Mohammed al-Julani

Who?

He is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is the leading rebel group in Syria. You know...the one that has deposed the horrendous Assad family that has ruled Syria for more than 50 years. And that's a good thing...right?

Sure. Getting rid of homicidal dictators who think nothing of gassing their own people and who conduct civil wars that kill 500,000 civilians is always a good thing. Except for when the victors are nothing more than a rebranding of al Qaeda. HTS makes pretty noises and seems to be a "moderate" Islamist group (whatever that means), but the reality is that they are more politically astute and aware of the power of the media to manipulate public opinion...until it is too late.

How can a Sunni Islamist group uphold its stated goals and protect religious minorities? They can't. And they won't. Syria is in for a bad time, just like the previous 50 years, only for different people.

However, the cascade that began on October 7, 2023 has engulfed Hamas, Hezbollah, released Israel's defense establishment from the sclerotic and dangerous policies of the past 20 years, exposed Iran's weakness as a regional player, and the limits of Russia's force projection. That Syria is the first formal loser is a surprise, and the geopolitical black hole that it creates is worthy of attention, but the obvious root cause is Iran's failure, followed by Russia's inability (or disinterest) to continue to protect Assad's regime.

President Trump has already stated that it isn't our business, and to let Syria's political convulsions play out. That is a refreshing message after four years of idiotic and chaotic foreign policy failures driven by the Biden/Obama wing of the Democrat party.

Israel has already moved into a defensive posture along the Syrian border, destroyed a chemical weapons plant, and conducted air strikes in Damascus. They are taking no chances! Hopefully Syria will no longer be a conduit for weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah, which will further isolate them and make their fight will Israel more difficult.

I am not suggesting that toppling despots is a bad thing. But the problem with violent overthrow as opposed to political change is that violence tends to spill over into other parts of society and even neighboring countries. Obama, and then Biden had a chance to assist in the political destruction of the Mullahs of Iran, and they chose to support them rather than the forces of moderation. How many thousands of people are dead because of those decisions? Has Iran lost the possibility of a mostly peaceful transition from the Mullah's theocracy? Will the theocracy, in its weakened and vulnerable state, lash out against its internal enemies? How many will die in an Iranian civil war? And what about the Kurds in the north of Syria? They are besieged by Turkey, and now the Syrian rebels. That strengthens Turkey, which is never a good thing.

We are seeing the consequences of decisions made more than 20 years ago by the Bush administration and then the Obama administration. Regime change in Iraq and Afghanistan has yielded...what? Trying to be kingmakers in the Middle East has been a losing proposition for about 2,500 years, yet THIS TIME it will work because we have the correct people operating the levers of power?

Hopefully the result will be a powerful Israel, a weakened Iran that moves away from its genocidal regional aspirations, and perhaps a Syria that looks inward for a few years. Lebanon may be next, as Hezbollah is weak, and the Arab world despises nothing more than weakness!

But let us not pretend that the fall of the house of Assad is an unalloyed good thing. The ripples will move in unknown directions, and trying to predict where they will go is hubris.

Posted by CBD at 12:00 PM Comments

Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-08-2024 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

—Open Blogger


241208-Library.jpg

(HT: TRex)

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (whale song not included). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...(now with more whale song!)

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, splash a shot of Fireball into your eggnog, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

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Posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM Comments

Daily Tech News 8 December 2024

—Pixy Misa

Top Story

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Posted by Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM Comments

Overnight Open Thread: 12/07/2024 [scampydog]

—Open Blogger

[Syria is in turmoil, and while it is interesting geopolitically, obviously the ONT takes precedence. [CBD]]

Scampy1.jpg

***

Good evening, Horde. Welcome to the ONT: Low Expectation, Pinch Hitter Edition. The always awesome TRex Hobby Thread the other day rolled my brain embers around a bit. I haven’t written in years, and this may be a reminder why, so here is your “give it a twirl” filler ONT. I eagerly await my prestigious 7th-place participation ribbon.

scampy2.jpg

Bruised Tailbones and Broken Wrists: A Brief History of Roller Skates
Wistful memories of Christmas lists. Over-the-shoe roller skates that didn’t get much use as I lived on a gravel road. How about you, Horde? What was on your list as a little?

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Posted by Open Blogger at 10:13 PM Comments

Music Thread: Brazilian Music? Who'da Thunk It!

—CBD

deadcrocs.jpg

And who knew that Garrett is a Dead-Head!

Speaking of The Dead, I am no fan, but out of their hundreds of discrete songs and thousands of chaotic concert versions, there are several that I really enjoy. And click the Croc photo above to hear my favorite. Yes, I have linked to it before and I will link to it again! I am nothing if not repetitive!

I didn't listen to much music this week...but at dinner one night we were serenaded by a Brazilian musician who did some very pleasant stuff. Normally I am not enamored of live music during dinner...it's either too loud (GET OFF MY LAWN!), or it is discordant...or both!

But this guy had volume down pat, and it was all quite pleasant. And new. Of course you can measure my knowledge of Brazilian music in picograms.

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Posted by CBD at 07:30 PM Comments

Hobby Thread - December 7, 2024 [TRex]

—Open Blogger

20190903-20190903-IMG_0561.jpg

[Approach to Monument Valley, Forrest Gump Point, Utah]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread.

We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and it landed on a theme of the road trip for this week. Apparently the Wheel is interested in hearing getting out on the open road. Please make sure you have made a bathroom stop before we get underway.

The road trip has many different flavors. Could be a family vacation to see more of the world, a tour of national parks or wine country or baseball parks, a holiday voyage to spend the holidays with relatives, a spontaneous decision to jump in the car for an irrational but perfectly explainable trip to see a concert or a sporting event. Some road trips have structure and others are much more random. Some are about the destination and others are more about the journey. Some are about sharing quality time with those around you and some are about hating anyone in your limited space with the passion of a thousand suns.

Are road trips a hobby? For the leisure traveler, they are often an integral part of exploring the world and making memories. That counts as a hobby. For those held hostage in the back of a station wagon or minivan for hours on the way to see relatives you do not really know or remember, it may not be much of a hobby. At this point, what does it matter? Either way, there are likely to be stories and memories.

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Posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM Comments

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, December 7

—K.T.

snow angels dog park.jpg

* * *

Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

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Posted by K.T. at 03:28 PM Comments

Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Dec. 7

—K.T.

hibiscus 1.jpg

Happy Saturday! Anything like the above where you live?

Neal in Israel:

When the heat of summer began to break, the green of the hibiscus's leaves strengthened and it began to flower more vigorously.

Wow. Beautiful.

We have heavy fog here right now, so the contrast is welcome.

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Posted by K.T. at 01:31 PM Comments

Notre Dame Cathedral - A story in the news with backstories

—K.T.


Notre Dame Cathedral on fire, 2019

The number of new, important issues which have been headlining in the news lately makes it hard to follow them all, especially during the holiday season. And sometimes it seems like we are not meant to follow them, but rather to allow them to wash over us to increase a sense of anxiety. But the re-building of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and its re-dedication this weekend is not just a flash-in-the-pan story.

Notre Dame

Some History - Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo’s most enduring cultural legacy is not Les Misérables and Jean Valjean’s struggle to find something resembling justice in a world that shows no mercy to the poor. The 19th century French author’s most profound mark on France, and the world, is a monumental Gothic cathedral, whose spires and rose windows are as iconic as the Eiffel Tower. To a large extent, the Notre Dame, which will be reopened on Saturday after burning to the ground in 2019, is of Victor Hugo’s making.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, published in 1831, begins with the introduction of the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda, the hunchback Quasimodo, the archdeacon Claude Frollo, the enamored Pierre Gringoire and Captain Febo de Châteaupers... But suddenly, the novelist interrupts the narrative to speak about the desecrated state of the Parisian cathedral, which was so rickety, it looked as though it might collapse at any moment. Neither the Gothic nor the Middle Ages had been defended at that time, nor was there yet the idea that the monuments of the past should be preserved. In fact, they were often considered annoying monstrosities that had to be got rid of as soon as possible (a view that persists in some areas).

The novelist launches into a vindication of medieval and Gothic art, accusing the authorities of being responsible for their decline, not only from a lack of conservation, but also due to the imposition of current tastes on the past. "Fashions have wrought more harm than revolutions," he points out, in a phrase that could be applied to some of the barbarism inflicted on the Notre Dame.
Thanks to Hugo’s efforts, Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, an architect also fascinated by the Middle Ages, was able to undertake a massive restoration project. In fact, as the world watched the fire unfold live in astonishment, the point of no return — the moment when it seemed certain that Notre Dame would be lost — was marked by the collapse of its iconic spire, which was designed by Le-Duc. The spire was a masterwork inspired by a similar structure that had been lost two centuries earlier.

“Le-Duc was passionate about the Middle Ages,” said Didier Rykner, author of Notre-Dame. Une affaire d’etat (Notre-Dame. A Matter of State). “He tried to return the cathedral to the Middle Ages: to leave the monument not in the state it was in during the Middle Ages; but the state it should have been in at that time.” Several other sites in medieval France, from Carcassonne to Mont Saint-Michel — whether seen as stunning or verging on kitsch — were also restored by Le-Duc, who pioneered the notion of the Middle Ages as a pivotal era that shaped modern identity.

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