Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info: maildrop62 at proton dot me
They don't need to hack you if they can convince you to hack yourself, usually by copying a command and running it in Windows Powershell - though the attack in the general case will work against any operating system, because the target is the human and not the machine.
Sunday Overnight Open Thread - February 15, 2026 [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to the Sunday ONT. Cupid has returned to wherever it is he dwells. Presidents' Day is tomorrow. It's still winter for a lot of us. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Let's just get into tonight's content.
TikTok creator Gray Davis has gone viral with a series of videos documenting the “raining iguanas” phenomenon in Florida — and then eating them.
When the Sunshine State experiences unusually cold weather, the cold-blooded reptiles can wind down their systems to conserve energy, and almost literally freeze up in the process. As they stiffen, the iguana popsciles will topple from their perch onto the ground.
While they may look dead, the iguanas are technically alive and will literally thaw back to normal once the weather warms.
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Davis showed off the iguana he chose to use to make tacos, but he chose not to show the process of humanely dispatching and cleaning the iguana for its meat.
He shared that he found 20 eggs inside the iguana, “so by removing this one iguana, we actually saved the environment from over 20 iguanas come spring.”
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He started the process of making the tacos, simmering the iguana meat in a pot with onion, garlic, a bay leaf and some salt.
He then soft boiled the iguana eggs to blend with avocado, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and lime juice to make a sauce.
Putting the cooked meat into a frying pan with his favorite seasonings, Davis let the meat get crispy before adding it to the taco shell.
“Now that right there is a Florida man taco,” he quipped. “If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em.”
More at the link. Also a link to TikTok for those of you who are so inclined.
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Mind status = blown
After 25 years of using a computer now I know this
A hospital in southern France had to be evacuated after a bizarre and dangerous incident involving an artillery shell.
Late one Saturday night, a 24-year-old man showed up at the Rangueil Hospital in Toulouse complaining of intense abdominal pain. Medical staff soon discovered the shocking reason: he had inserted a World War I artillery shell into his rectum.
Doctors quickly moved to perform emergency surgery. During the operation, they identified the object as a live, 8-inch-long artillery shell from 1918. Due to the risk of detonation, the bomb squad and fire department were immediately called, and the hospital was evacuated as a precaution.
Authorities secured the area around the hospital while experts assessed the situation. Fortunately, the explosive—though old—was not considered an immediate threat and was safely removed by the disposal team.
The French man, who remained hospitalized to recover from the operation, will reportedly be questioned by police. He may face legal consequences for possessing and mishandling a Category A munition, which includes devices like the artillery shell found inside him.
Officials believe this may have been a reckless act, possibly tied to some sort of party stunt. Though unusual, this isn’t the first time a French hospital has faced such a situation. In 2022, a separate hospital in Toulon was partly evacuated when an 88-year-old man arrived with another World War I artillery shell in his body.
Did you read that last line? Previously an 88 year old dude did something similar? WTF, France?!?
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Up next, as a resident of MD, how was I not aware of this research going on here in the Old Line State?
Turns out, we fart way more than we thought. And thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Maryland, we now have some high-tech underwear confirming it.
Previously, scientists estimated the average person let out about 14 farts a day. But with the help of a newly developed device — informally dubbed “Smart Underwear” — that number has been updated to about 32 times a day. That’s more than double the earlier guess.
The device, which clips onto regular underwear, uses electrochemical sensors to track gas levels and hydrogen in real time — though it interestingly can’t capture data while the person is on the toilet.
Why does this matter? Because flatulence can actually offer clues about gut health, digestion, and even mental wellness. Some studies suggest that certain gases may play a role in conditions like Alzheimer’s and postpartum depression. But still — we fart a lot, and maybe more than we’re comfortable admitting.
The team launched this project in part because past data was often inaccurate. Self-reporting can be unreliable, and older testing methods weren’t very effective. Back in 2000, a gastroenterologist known as the “King of Farts,” Dr. Michael Levitt, admitted there was no objective way to track excessive gas. That’s changed.
King of Farts. Is there a queen? Prince or princess? Duke or duchess? As a MD taxpayer, I demand to know these things!
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How about some boozy content?
CBD has some questionable taste in music, but his taste in bourbon has proven to be stellar. He and I talk bourbon frequently, and we have given each other many recommendations of stuff to buy and also stuff to avoid. A few years ago, he had me hunting for a particular bourbon that I had never heard of. I was able to find a bottle for him, and he was nice enough to let me try some. It was very good, and apparently he is still a fan.
One of the first things you learn when you start drinking American whiskey is that bourbon is, of course, made from corn. The grain gives the liquor its signature sweetness that drinkers around the world have come to recognize and love.
Roughly 99 percent of corn grown in the United States is the high-yielding yellow dent variety, which almost all distillers use to make bourbon. If you drive through the midwest in the summer you’ll see acre after acre after acre of yellow dent stalks shimmering in the wind.
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Some pioneering American distillers are working with historians, agriculturalists and farmers to identify and grow heirloom varieties of corn suitable for whiskey.
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To help High Wire figure out what corn to grow, Roberts baked more than three dozen breads each made from a different variety of the grain. “We went through many of them, and then we got to a Jimmy Red Corn bread and he said, ‘this is the one that was famous for moonshine: James Island Red Corn” said Marshall.
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The accolades for their 100-percent Jimmy Red bourbon started pouring in before it even went into the barrel. After meeting Julian Van Winkle III, president of the legendary Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, they shipped him a flask of their unaged spirit.
“A few days later, I walk over to my desk and my phone has two missed calls and a text message from Julian,” Blackwell says. “He goes, ‘This is the best white dog I’ve ever had.’”
After aging in new American oak barrels, the whiskey emerged brimming with notes that Blackwell says ranged from peanut brittle and baking spice to blueberries. “I think of the difference between Jimmy Red and traditional yellow corn like white sugar versus Demerara sugar,” Blackwell says. “The sweetness you get from a number of yellow corn bourbons is kind of a one-note, but the sweetness you get from Jimmy Red has a richness and complexity that really stretches your brain to pinpoint it.”
So yeah, I have to give The Dildo credit for finding this damn fine bourbon.
Julian Van Winkle III is grandson of Julian "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr. Check out the link for a bit of history and some explanation of how the Van Winkle line of bourbon has become so sought after.
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A bit more on the subject of bourbon. Two articles about Harry Truman and his favorite bourbon and his favorite recipe for an old fashioned.
It's that time of the week - when we turn the ONT over to our good friend Piper for a bit. Here's this week's fashion pr0n.
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Frosty Couture: The Chicest Olympic Kits at Milano Cortina 2026
From February 6 to 22, the opening ceremony at San Siro turned into a full-on runway moment, with countries serving cultural heritage, tech-savvy performance gear, and major style points. Milan being the host? Of course the vibes were elevated. Brands like Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, and Moncler went all out.
Starting with the stars of the show: Team USA (because we're biased but also they nailed it). For the 10th time, Ralph Lauren delivered timeless Americana perfection. Think winter-white wool duffel coats with wooden toggles, cozy flag intarsia sweaters, and red-white-blue accents that offer patriotic without trying too hard. The closing ceremony vibes? Graphic color-blocked puffers and vintage ski energy—pure nostalgia with a modern twist.
You can snag your own pieces on the Ralph Lauren site (the toggle coat at $1998 is already sold out in women's).
Italy, as the hosts, went full poetic tribute to the late Giorgio Armani's legacy with EA7 Emporio Armani. All-white everything evoking those snow-capped peaks, oversized bomber jackets with heat-printed "Italia," tricolor knit collars (red-green-white, obvi), and even national anthem lyrics hidden inside. Classy, emotional, and chic.
France brought the artistry via Le Coq Sportif collab with Stéphane Ashpool. Ethereal topographic map inspo meets Olympic Truce vibes—soft gradients fading blue to pink/white, textured fabrics, and fluid lines that basically say "elegance in motion."
Great Britain kept it playful with Ben Sherman on ceremonial duties (Adidas handled performance). 1960s mod energy all the way: structured outerwear, zip-up sweaters, patterned coats, and oversized scarves rocking Union Jack elements. Formal? Yes. Fun? Absolutely.
Now, Team Canada with Lululemon... listen, they went bold. Deep reds, giant maple leaf motifs, quilted puffers that look like wearable art (or, let's be real, a very cozy Tim Hortons cup). Interesting is the polite word—we're here for the drama of it.
Brazil made a splash with Moncler (teaming up with Oskar Metsavaht) for their big return to Olympic uniforms after decades. Puffer-heavy everything—jackets, skirts, capes—in voluminous white with green-yellow-blue flag linings. Luxury winter maximalism at its finest.
And because we can't talk Olympics without a VIP moment: Usha Vance showed up supporting Team USA (and looking effortlessly put-together while pregnant—queen behavior). Her style during the trip leaned toward practical, elegant winter dressing—prioritizing warmth and sophistication while accommodating her pregnancy—with a focus on neutral tones, classic layers, and subtle patriotic touches.
Polo Ralph Lauren Team USA Wool Turtleneck Sweater in Cream Combo
The 2026 Games proved once again: Olympics fashion is where national pride gets a couture upgrade. I'm dying to know if you're team USA toggle coat or full Moncler puff!
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Thanks, Piper!
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DJ Doof - Guess The Theme
Medium-difficult on the easy/moderate/difficult scale.
What's the common thread / common meaning / common leitmotif?
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by tough choices
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Tonight's ONT was crafted with care by Doof Enterprises, LLC. As if you care.
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.
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 Third February Edition? I usually write the Gun Thread on Saturday, but I sit here on Sunday, with approximately 0.0 words completed. Oops! I think I need to get busy!
Good news, however, on the weather front. Temps are now above freezing each day which is allowing all of the frozen shit to melt, which means I will be headed to the farm-o soon!
Also, I have a bunch of email in the 'ol mailbox that I need to address. Apologies for the delayed responses!
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
One reason I mention fundamentals each week because I am trying to make a point. If you want to become good at something - anything really - you need to practice, and the most efficient way to practice marksmanship is by first developing a plan for how best to utilize your range time (and expensive ammo) to achieve your goals. If you want to build correct and consistent fundamental marksmanship skills, you get there most efficiently through logical and methodical practice.
With me so far?
The very first thing you need to determine is why you're at the range in the first place. Are you there to practice and thereby improve your skills, or are you just there for funsies and camaraderie and to make some holes in the target? These are two very different things. One involves a goal and the other is a social event. If done properly, one can produce a desirable outcome and the other is, well, a social event.
So let me ask this question. What do you do when you get to the range, set up your stuff, and get ready to fire? Do you have a plan or do you just start shooting? If you have a plan, what is it? How do you identify areas that need additional work? What is your overall system for practice and training?
Examples of how you do things might serve as an example (good or bad) for others. Let us know in the comments!
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Unboxing a CMP 1911
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Jeweling a Rifle Bolt
Has anyone ever tried this? Looks like some special tools are required.
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Our Pal Kevlar
"Saved millions of lives" seems like a lot.
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#1 vs. #2
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Valentine's Day
WW delivers a valentine to FSJ and Gertie.
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Highway Patrol!
This week's episode: Witness Wife!
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Fire Maidens of Outer Space!!
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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.
A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid
Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!
Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!
That's it for this week - have you been to the range?
Food Thread: The Maillard Reaction, And Other Glories Of Western Civilization...Like The Reuben!
—CBD
What to do when one's grill and patio are under a foot of snow? Reverse sear of course! That is a good supermarket NY Strip that I warmed in a 225 degree oven for about an hour, until it reached 110 degrees internal. Then into a ripping hot pan for a minute on each side, and that's it! I tossed some butter in for extra flavor, and while there is nothing wrong with butter, I'm not sure it needed it.
What I like about this technique is that there is almost no margin. The steak goes from crispy exterior to perfectly rare interior in a matter of a millimeter or so. NO gray band of overdone meat.
It's not foolproof...it is tempting to over sear it in the pan, and you will absolutely get an overdone steak. Less is definitely more in this case.
I have a sear station on my grill, and as soon as I shovel out the patio, I will be playing around with it to see whether it is a quicker and better way to get the glory of the Maillard Reaction on steak.
Lobstering seems like a tough way to make a living. It's not quite as dangerous as going for King Crab in the Bering sea, but it suffers the vagaries of economics of a luxury product that is also highly regulated by malignant retards in government.
I was going to snark about the stupidity of the article, but my guess is that Virginia wouldn't have minded it, so why should I
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I see this sort of article many times each week, and the combination of mostly nonsensical biomedical research, even dumber journalists trying to interpret the studies, and the very obvious klickbait makes me carefully avoid most of them. But I really like the premise of Dark Chocolate Relaxes Blood Vessels and Boosts Mood—How to Maximize Benefits, because obviously the way to maximize the benefits of dark chocolate is to eat dark chocolate, and I am solidly in favor of that.
But I'll let you in on a secret...I would still eat dark chocolate even if it wasn't of some health benefit. In fact, I would eat dark chocolate even if it were bad for me. Because it tastes good!
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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a restaurant called "Bishop G. Berkeley's," which served a kick-ass Reuben sandwich. Now, this was a long time ago, and my taste might not have been as attuned to food quality as it is now, so it might just have been a very, very large Reuben sandwich!
But even if that were true, it is a good idea for a sandwich, and with minimal effort one can make a very tasty approximation of a great one. So why bother with this amazingly stupid idea? Delicious Reuben Casserole not only sounds pretty crappy, it is a fair amount of work in comparison to constructing a traditional sandwich.
The real reason I am plaguing you with this silliness is that Misanthropic Humanitarian plagued me with it, and I will not suffer alone!
[Hat Tip: Misanthropic Humanitarian]
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This video was sent to me by a reader, who didn't include his nic, so I will call him "KM." I had seen the title on my YouTube feed, but ignored it because I figured it was nonsense, or an ad, or nonsense AND an ad.
But I watched it carefully and wow...it sure sounds like a great idea. Sadly, I do not have an instant pot, or even an old fashioned pressure cooker (the same thing), so I will have to decide whether I want to invest the $100+ just to see whether this stock is better than my own recipe.
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Sazeracs are great drinks, but only when made carefully by a solid bartender. The recipe is simple, but any deviation is fraught with danger, because the delicate balance between bitters and rye and sugar and absinthe is easily disturbed.
As for recipes? This ain't one! The Sazerac from Garden & Gun, which is usually a solid website, is terrifyingly hip and modern, and it should be discarded as an artifact of our decaying society.
A friend graciously gave me some genuine grown-in-the-USA garlic, and I tasted one clove and planted the rest, because my pathetic failure last year is an anomaly...right? I hope so, because it's in the ground (actually, a large pot), and it had better work this time!
In case it doesn't send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.
Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.
The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!
Amaryllis! We buy a couple of them every year from the high school band... or orchestra... or marching band. I have no idea. Some earnest and uncomfortable high school kid shows up at the door and asks whether we want to buy some flowers to finance their trip to Outer Mongolia or Poughkeepsie, and of course we say "yes."
Although...the last person to show up -- selling boxes of oranges -- we skipped the gift and just gave him some money!
Because look at the plant! It grew so quickly and produced so many flowers that it is limp. LIMP I say! I couldn't handle a box of limp oranges!
A Resounding And Powerful Defense Of Liberal Democracy, Market Economies, And Unabashed Nationalism And Patriotism
—CBD
It's difficult to overestimate the insidious destruction of our way of life over the last 100+ years. Beginning with the philandering progressive Woodrow Wilson's massive expansion of the administrative state, FDR's consolidation of government power in service to progressive ideals (also known as power!), and supported by the so-called conservatives of the Republican Party, we have been sliding into serfdom. Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Bush x2, Clinton, Obama, and the drooling figurehead Biden have all contributed to the diminution of our rights as a free people.
But the worm turns, and the election and reelection of Donald Trump has given us the rare opportunity to repair some of the possibly existential damage to our republic.
And there is no better representative of the ideals on which our country was founded than Marco Rubio, a shining example of when the man and the moment meet.
That infamous wall that had cleaved this nation into two came down, and with it an evil empire, and the East and West became one again. But the euphoria of this triumph led us to a dangerous delusion: that we had entered, quote, “the end of history;” that every nation would now be a liberal democracy; that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood; that the rules-based global order – an overused term – would now replace the national interest; and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.
This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature and it ignored the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history. And it has cost us dearly. In this delusion, we embraced a dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade, even as some nations protected their economies and subsidized their companies to systematically undercut ours – shuttering our plants, resulting in large parts of our societies being deindustrialized, shipping millions of working and middle-class jobs overseas, and handing control of our critical supply chains to both adversaries and rivals.
We increasingly outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions while many nations invested in massive welfare states at the cost of maintaining the ability to defend themselves. This, even as other countries have invested in the most rapid military buildup in all of human history and have not hesitated to use hard power to pursue their own interests. To appease a climate cult, we have imposed energy policies on ourselves that are impoverishing our people, even as our competitors exploit oil and coal and natural gas and anything else – not just to power their economies, but to use as leverage against our own.
And in a pursuit of a world without borders, we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people. We made these mistakes together, and now, together, we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward, to rebuild.
Marco Rubio has identified the issues with clarity and, more importantly, with a profound understanding of how corrosive the progressive movement has been. More impressively (if that is possible) he has welcomed all who believe in the power of limited government, fair markets, and love of country to join us in our efforts to roll back the evil of communitarian societies, and top-down control of our lives and livelihood.
He is already one of our best Secretaries of State, and with this declaration he has the opportunity to be a great one!
I am Sabrina Chase, semi-professional author and 'ette in good standing. I do not own a mansion or a yacht, but I'm working on it. (I'd prefer a castle and a submarine, actually.) After a discussion which probably relied heavily on alcohol and someone losing a game of Rock Paper Scissors, yours truly was invited to write the occasional post for the Book Thread. Having long been a fan, how could I say no?
But what could I write to amuse the Horde, that pile of self-randomizing cats with the most amazing breadth and depth of information on the internets? How about ... the Dark Secrets of the Writing World?
Allow me to present my credentials. I have written over 15 books in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. While these were indie published, before that I was a typical trad-pub author in that I had an agent and was offered a contract by a well known publisher. (Which was so bad that when I turned it down my agent was HAPPY, but that's a post for another time.) But I did come out of the horrors with some knowledge of the brick-and-mortar publishing industry, as much as one can and still retain one's soul. Then I went to the Dark Side and it is true, it has cookies or at least more money and lots of authors generally helping each other, plus writing lots of cool books for you, dear readers!
Do not fear. I will not be going into the terrifying process of writing (but should you be interested in that topic, allow me to point out the info in the left sidebar of this very site for the AoSHQ Writers Group!) Instead, I will talk about the journey that starts once the book is written, and why some truly perplexing things can happen on the way.
There are two main systems, still fighting it out like Montagues and Capulets. Traditional publishing (TradPub) and Indie. Think of it like giant but slow dinosaurs vs. tiny scampering mammals. Strangely, some of the odd behaviors are the same!
Why does the cover make no sense? That didn't happen in the book?
Yes, well. koff In TradPub, that was probably because the cover description was never seen by the author, or the editor, or anyone who had, you know, actually read the book. Instead someone in Marketing read a listicle on Instagram about how green industrial backgrounds signal Deep Thoughts and voila, your romantic robot thriller now has a picture of a green garage door on the cover. (This Really Happened.)
[This may verge too close to self-promotion but this *is* a cool cover that my artist created with creative freedom]
In the Indie world, that was probably because the author was dirt poor, couldn't find anything closer in the free art bin, or is allergic to AI. Or the marketplace they want to sell on doesn't allow AI art. Also, and it pains me to admit it, authors are not artists. We use words. Pretty pictures confuse and frighten us and we don't know how to make them or tell other people how to make them. It took me YEARS to figure out the best way to get cool covers from my artist was to just hand him the book and say "go nuts."
Why did my favorite author never complete Series?
(TradPub) Usually, the preceding books didn't bring in the predicted buckets of cash. Note I did not say "didn't sell". Just it didn't sell well enough. Also the editor that supported the series retired/died/was replaced by someone who hates the author, series, and anything connected to them.
(Indie) Oh, we have lots of reasons. Some of them are even good ones!
a) distracted by the three other series projects we have going, b) it didn't sell because we used the cheap green garage door cover and readers couldn't tell it was a cool robot romance thriller, c) author thought they would make millions with no effort and gave up when that didn't happen, d) author gave up because readers never found the book or left reviews when they did find it and won't someone think of the authors! (Sorry. It's a touchy subject.)
Really? Then what the hell happened to that Very Large Author who wrote something that sounded like "Frame of Groans" that still hasn't finished? He sure didn't get any green garage door covers!
Even TradPub can't put lipstick on a nonexistant pig. And the reasons why Very Large Author (VLA) hasn't finished that series are ... writing style, and payoff. VLA is an outliner. Everything has to be planned out ahead of time. Which means if you made a plot oopsie in book 2 of a series that comes back to bite you in book 24, you're holed below the waterline because you can't go back and fix a book already published. (Indie authors are nervously glancing about right now ...)
So why did the Very Young Wizard series books get progressively thicker (and possibly less good)?
Because British Author(with a castle) was making the publishers cargo ships of money and no editor had the leverage to tell BA(wc) to tidy her work. And this happens to lots of authors, and lots of series, and sadly to Indie as well as TradPub. If it sells, there's less incentive to polish. More to get the next book out fast instead.
So! I hope you found these Dark Secrets entertaining. Please let me know in the comments if there are other topics you would like me to write about!
You can also download just a 1.9MB installer that grabs the Flash files on demand from the archive, saving you rather a lot of disk space.
It's now in its 14th edition.
What Flashpoint does, mostly - apart from the obvious function of collecting over 200,000 games together in one place - is create and operate a fake internet on your PC for you so that twenty-year-old games from sites that have been dead for a decade will continue to work.
I certainly hope so. "Safety" in AI terms means censorship.
One source said, "Safety is a dead org at xAI," while the other said that Musk is "actively is trying to make the model more unhinged because safety means censorship, in a sense, to him."
"Safety" in AI means censorship to everyone, in every sense.
The only difference is whether you think censorship is a good thing or not.
Taking toxic blends to an extreme, Ars Technica posted an article (Wayback Machine) on that AI agent that threw a tantrum when its code contributions were rejected.
Journalistic integrity aside, I don't know how I can give a better example of what's at stake here. Yesterday I wondered what another agent searching the internet would think about this. Now we already have an example of what by all accounts appears to be another AI reinterpreting this story and hallucinating false information about me. And that interpretation has already been published in a major news outlet, as part of the persistent public record.
I don't know I'd call Ars Technica a major news outlet in 2026 - or for the past several years, except possibly for their space news which has remained mostly good.
At least not more so than Anandtech, a site that has been dead for more than a year.
Saturday Night Club ONT - February 14, 2026 [2 D's]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to the Valentine's Day 2026 edition of Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. No "Double" theme for us tonight. Don't want to send the wrong message on this particular day.
The Club hopes your day has been filled with love. Or maybe you came here tonight looking for love? We did our best to decorate and make it feel like a high school mixer. Just please don't do anything that would make the tables any more wobbly than usual.
Have you heard of magnetic attraction between two people? Perhaps, but this seems like the least romantic way to spend quality time with your loved one.
Prof. Ida Sabelis and her partner Joep were a young Dutch couple who never imagined they would find themselves having sex inside an MRI machine as part of a groundbreaking scientific study. They happened to know the right people at the right time. Their close friend, Dutch scientist Menno Victor "Pek" van Andel, wanted to answer a basic question that had barely been studied: what the anatomy of sexual intercourse actually looks like from the inside.
Inside the narrow, noisy MRI scanner, the couple were instructed to maintain a fixed position while the system captured a series of relatively slow scans lasting several seconds each. The conditions were far from comfortable, but the results were clear.
For the first time, medicine could observe in real time how sexual organs align and function during intercourse, documentation that had never previously existed.
Following the initial experiment, researchers conducted a structured study that systematically examined the anatomy of sex using MRI technology. Volunteers aged 18 and older took part in 13 scans involving eight couples and three women, imaged both during intercourse and during sexual arousal without penetration.
All scans were conducted in the missionary position, and participants were free to stop at any point. None did. Source.
I Can't Help Falling in Love with You
Every Breath You Take feels brand new
I Wanna Dance with Somebody all night long
Your Body Is a Wonderland, where I belong
Baby One More Time and I'm completely gone
Ain't No Mountain High Enough to keep me from
(You're) Still the One after all these years
Let's Get It On and banish all my fears
I Will Always Love You, it's tragically true
Oops!...I Did It Again-fell harder for you
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The Club ONT Jukebox
Some tunes for various stages of love.
When you're smitten but the reasons are unclear
When you're in love but kinda wish you weren't
When you're all alone but looking for love
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Top 10ish Comments of the Week
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Club ONT Valentine's Day brought to you by Geddy
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Club ONT's insurance coverage explicitly excludes dispensing relationship advice. We apologize for any inconvenience. A girl named Lucy van Pelt says she is a psychiatrist and has set up a booth next door. She charges a flat fee of five cents. No refunds.
In America, Park Chan-wook will probably never be known for anything other than Oldboy. He had made four films previously in Korea (the first two he wishes he’d never made, but they do exist, think of how much Kubrick tried to suppress and even destroy Fear and Desire), but it was his third, Joint Security Area that established his career as a filmmaker in Korea. It was hugely successful and essentially gave him a blank check to do whatever he wanted.
What he did was called the Vengeance Trilogy, three disconnected films all dealing with central characters and their efforts at vengeance. Oldboy is the second of the three (surrounded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance), and it came about in the early 2000s, right at the time websites like Ain’t It Cool News were still somewhat relevant. The burgeoning American cinema fans (mostly male and obsessed with genre) latched onto it and gave it oxygen, helped even more by the fact that Quentin Tarantino was a big fan who helped award it the Grand Prix award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival where he was jury president.
It’s a violent, Greek-inspired tale of bloody vengeance from a man who was mysteriously placed in a secret, private prison for 15 years and then given a few days to figure out why, and it captured the imaginations of the film fan community at the time.
And...Park has kind of fallen off the American cineaste map since. There was a blip with The Handmaiden, but movies like Decision to Leave, his television work like The Little Drummer Girl or The Sympathizer get mostly ignored, drowned out in favor of more maintstream American movies. And that’s going to create a deeply warped view of who Park Chan-wook is as a filmmaker.
Before getting to how he tells his stories, what are they? Well, they're mostly intersections of romance (often in a style that could be called baroque) mixed with violence. Both need to be there. They don't exist in isolation. They are interrelated.
From the sexual relationship between the kidnappers in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance that goes wrong (violently) to the more mature spousal romance between Man-su and his wife in No Other Choice, which the character must preserve through violence, these films see romance usually enhanced through the application of violence.
How that operates is usually the violence is necessary to keep the relationships going. The killing of those between Oh Sae-du and his goal in Oldboy which is also how he connects with Mi-do. The investigation of Seo-rae's husband's death which brings her together with the policeman Hae-jun in Decision to Leave. The killing of a bully in Stoker that brings India and her uncle Charlie together (this is less overtly romantic). And then there's there are the two peaks of the idea, Thirst, the story of the Catholic Priest Sang-hyun who becomes a vampire because of a blood transfusion and finds materialistic pleasures with Tae-ju, wife of a friend, and then the main characters in The Handmaiden, the Japanese lady Izumi and the Korean handmaiden Sook-hee who have to overcome Izumi's overbearing uncle (by marriage) who desires her and the fraudulent Count Fujiwara to end up together.
In all of these stories, they must commit violence, and the committing of violence is what strengthens the relationships. And they don't have to be necessarily romantic in nature. I did lump Stoker in with that group because it exists on a borderline (it's just completely unconsummated), but Joint Security Area is all about platonic friendship between men and the violence that both deepens their bonds and actually ends up driving them apart at the same time. It's the violence that enhances things, and it's key to the point of all of his films.
There are other variations, though, like with Lady Vengeance where the necessity of violence actually drives the titular character away from her daughter (the Vengeance Trilogy's contemplation on the different aspects of vengeance is actually quite interesting as a package).
It's the violence that brings together, that keeps together, and that even enhances the romance, and the violence is often justified. The Vengeance Trilogy is named thusly because most of the violence is vengeance, in response to previous wrongdoing. However, this can be where the dark comedy pops in, but that's more of a stylistic question. So…
Style
I started this run having seen most of his works already. I hadn't seen the first two he's disowned (The Moon is-The Sun's Dream and Trio), the romantic comedy I'm a Cyborg but That's Okay, or his most recent, No Other Choice. So, upon watching everything in order, I already knew the ebbs and flows of Park's filmmaking style. What struck me quite soon after starting up Oldboy once more was that it's remarkably different in feel from the rest of his body of work.
There's an activity to Oldboy, to how Park presents action in the frame, and an element of stuffing the narrative to the brim with activity that his other films don't have. The rest (save, perhaps, I'm a Cyborg) are far more spare, telling simpler stories in more measured tones (more measured, not completely measured). Even immediately around Oldboy, the two other Vengeance movies, things just feel quieter, less like Park is barely controlling chaos and more like he's precisely moving pieces around a chessboard.
I contrast that to what is probably his most diametrically opposite film, Decision to Leave, an incredibly restrained tale of passion and murder that sees almost no direct violence, and even then when it does show its few moments (or the results of off-screen violence), Park keeps the camera very steady and, within motion, smooth.
When thinking about the rest of his work, it trends much more towards the filmmaking style of Decision to Leave rather than Oldboy. The smooth crane moves of Thirst, the implied violence of The Handmaiden, and the restrained denouement of No Other Choice just fit the model of filmmaking that Decision to Leave represents better than Oldboy.
The Point
Do you know how people compare every Martin Scorsese movie to Goodfellas? How people say that Scorsese just keeps trying to replicate his early 90s gangster movie? Even though the movies in that vein represent less than a fourth of his entire body of work? If you expect every Martin Scorsese movie to be Goodfellas, will you accept, as a viewer, something so radically different like The Age of Innocence, Kundun, Silence, or The Irishman? Most people seem to have really hard times accepting Scorsese working in spheres that aren't exclusively like Goodfellas.
And I fear that's happening with Park. Oldboy will probably always be his best known movie (it's not his most successful at the box office, that would be No Other Choice, but the numbers are small and insignificant overall in the US), but if you hear about the extreme violence, the ending's extremes, or the stuffed nature of the film and recoil from it, are you willing to check out any of the others? If all of that appeals to you, but you find out that Thirst is significantly quieter and less outwardly violent, will that push you away?
Proper representation of an artist is important, I think. That's not always their best known work. Fritz Lang is another example where the most famous movie he made (Metropolis) is weirdly unrepresentative of his whole body of work (go with The Testament of Doctor Mabuse or Die Nibelungen: Kriemheld's Revenge or even Western Union for better examples). The right representative example not only exemplifies any intentional thematic concerns but also the style in which they tell stories, and sometimes just the kinds of stories themselves.
All of Park's movies are combinations of romance and violence. How restrained is a variable. On the one end would be Decision to Leave, very restrained, and on the other would be The Handmaiden, which is very explicit (at least in regard to the sex). How frank with the romance (one can say relationships if applied to Joint Security Area which has no romance) and the violence creates this tapestry where none of Park's films feel like repetitions, but they are all still obviously made by the same accomplished filmmaker. A proper foundation from which to start understanding him could help new audiences find their way through a filmmaker who may interest them, if they're not guided astray on accident.
That's not to say that Park is for everyone. The foreign nature of his storytelling (not to mention the actual foreign language) represents a barrier for many people even before getting to the subject matter. However, I just feel like his most famous film could end up either a barrier itself or offer up a false expectation of what else is to come from him. It's less an academic exercise about properly cataloging things and more about setting a stage properly. ` Movies of Today
Joint Security Area (Rating 3.5/4) Full Review "Assured, accomplished, clear-eyed in unwinding a mystery through point of view, and sometimes quite beautiful to simply look at (there's a great scene in the snow as two squads face each other), all while being surprisingly touching, Joint Security Area is the announcement that Park has really arrived this time after a couple of false starts." [Personal Collection]
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Rating 3/4) Full Review "It has a surprising emotional element to it as motives fray in the face of unforeseen events, and the ironic ending fits surprisingly well, offering a payoff to what felt like a random line from earlier." [YouTube]
Oldboy (Rating 4/4) Full Review "This is peak Park Chan-wook. It's a noticeable step up from everything he's made so far, the marriage of material and Park's filmmaking style. That combination of baroque romance, Greek tragedy, and blackly comic situational awareness that creates this tragic but endlessly entertaining package." [Personal Collection]
Lady Vengeance (Rating 3/4) Full Review "It does feel like something of a step back, a decision late made by a less assured filmmaker than the one who made his last movie, but overall, Park ends the Vengeance Trilogy on a high note." [Kanopy]
Thirst (Rating 3.5/4) Full Review "A film with a moral question at its centered, manifested by a character, who has to go through darkly comic events in a genre setting with excellently composed shots from beginning to end? Yes, this is why I love Park Chan-wook so much." [Personal Collection]
Stoker (Rating 3.5/4) Full Review "And the movie mostly exists on vibes. They're kind of terrifying, horrifying vibes that Park manages with cool formalism to ease the audience into, but this is the story of the creation of a monster in the end." [Personal Collection]
The Handmaiden (Rating 3.5/4) Full Review "This is a notch or so below it because of the self-indulgence, I think, but it's still a demonstration that Park really knows how to craft a character-based story for film with great looking visuals all with that extra oomph of edging into the extreme." [Amazon Prime]
Decision to Leave (Rating 4/4) Full Review "However, the investment over time ends up worthwhile to find what, I think, is Park's most deeply felt and most wonderfully made film. Is this his masterpiece? Well, hopefully he'll work for decades more and make even more great films, but for now-I think this may be it." [Personal Collection]
No Other Choice (Rating 3.5/4) Full Review "I suspect that this film is going to grow on me with time." [Theater]
Contact
Email any suggestions or questions to thejamesmadison.aos at symbol gmail dot com.
I've also archived all the old posts here, by request. I'll add new posts a week after they originally post at the HQ.
My next thread will be on 3/7 and it will discuss the discussion of movies.
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 stained glass.
[Top photo: Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church (Springfield, Ohio)]
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. Discussion of current events, religion and politics can elsewhere. Pants are optional. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.
Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.
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Are you wise in the ways of making projects with stained glass? Do you restore old stained glass? Would you like to try?
Do you have any stained glass treasures or trinkets?
Do you have favorite churches or other locations that feature stained glass?
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Ambitious first stained glass project!
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Soldering skills:
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Making stained glass spinners:
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Japanese stained glass mastery:
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How to cut glass:
Tech (water jet cutter) versus cutting by hand:
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Victoria and Albert Museum project:
Restoring a broken and damaged window:
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Trinity Church stained glass:
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an decoupage and resin theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
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Notable comments from last week:
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Words of wisdom:
"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).
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If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.
Their relatives live inside volcanos in Ireland. When their fur becomes too thick and scruffy and it becomes excessively warm in their dens, they erupt from the tops of the mountains and fly across the land covering the land in a thick dense fur called "tephra" that can be many meters thick. If they have inadvertently been fed Taco Bell in ritual food offerings, their shedding is called "pyroclastic flows" or "pyroclastic surges" depending upon the bean content of the offerings. The Irish have come to an understanding with these beings and have adopted them as "pets". They are, naturally, called "Irish Wolves Dread These Beings and Their Horrid Smothering Blankets" or by the shortened version, "Irish Wolfhounds". There are 72% more of these creatures featured in the book "Selinon" which must be true as it is clearly stated in the literature.
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In Hawaii the ash is sometimes referred to as "Pele's hair" but the Irish know better. This is what they do with the fur. A picture is attached.
WOW. Amazing!
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I downsized this a bit, so hopefully will work. This is Patsy, the latest cat. I estimate she's 5-6 months old and weighs 8 pounds. Went through the spay without problems and is recovering. She has taken to being inside pretty well. She loves my dog Jake but does not care for the other two cats.
I post as Notsothoreau
“Throw out the radio and take the fiddle down from the wall.”
— Andrew Nelson Lytle, Tennessee, 1930
Well, looks like Patsy is off to a fairly good start. Get those treats out when she's around the other two cats. Hope it helps. Thanks for adopting her!
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Thank you for sharing your pets and animal photos and stories with us today.
If you would like to send pet and/or animal stories, links, etc. for the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, the address is:
petmorons at protonmail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Holiday Weekend
—K.T.
Happy Valentine's Day! It's also Washington's Birthday Weekend, and if you are stuck indoors, here are some old-fashioned bouquets to remind you of his era.
Dobbin House Tavern, Feb. 6
To chase away the bitter‑cold winter blues, we offer a glimpse of summer from the Dobbin House gardens. Each week, we gather and arrange fresh blooms for the deep, inset windows of Rev. Dobbin's 18th‑century stone home - - now the cozy setting where our guests enjoy menus of fine food and drink.
We like to imagine that Isabella Dobbin herself filled these very rooms with similar, homemade arrangements in 1776, brightening her household just as they brighten ours today. With the Gettysburg countryside blanketed in white, viewing this burst of color gives us comfort, as it promises warmer days ahead. We hope it brings a little warmth and cheer to you as well.
By-Tor bottled up his sauerkraut (see Jan. 17 post) on Jan. 31:
My sauerkraut has been fermenting for 24 days now so time to jar it for the upcoming LA County Fair in May. You can ferment it for months if you want; it gradually becomes more sour and softer. This is the right amount of sourness and crunch I like.
Next up- bread and butter pickles, applesauce, and naturally fermented dill pickles.
Recipe:
Make a brine of 3.5% saltwater using kosher or any un-iodized salt. I use grams. So for example 35g of salt in 1000ml of hot water until it’s dissolved. There is no specific amount to make; you just need enough to cover the cabbage. Use as much cabbage as you want.
Shred or buy pre-shredded cabbage. Put that in a food grade plastic or glass container. Cover with the brine. Use a plate or similar to push the cabbage below the surface. Cover loosely with a lid. Leave it on the counter. In about 4 days it will start turning beige. In about 8 days it will start turning sour. You can start eating it whenever you want. I think 3-4 weeks is best.
You might see a white flakes on the surface. That’s yeast. It’s harmless but off-flavor. Skim it off. It’s normal in fermentation.
When you’re ready, put it in jars. Jars going in the fridge don’t have to be sealed. Jars for the shelf need to be water bath canned in Mason jars to seal the lids. It will stay good pretty much for years.
It’s going to taste different than most store bought sauerkraut that uses vinegar to create the sourness. It has a more natural flavor.
The recipe for naturally fermented pickles is the same except do 4% and use whole pickling cucumbers. They take about 6 days.
Looks great! Good luck at the fair.
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By-Tor, Feb. 2:
It’s pickling and fermenting day to get ready for the LA County Fair. Bread and butter pickles are done; then a jar of cucumbers in a 3.5% saltwater brine with garlic and fresh dill to start fermenting into dill pickles. These should be ready in six or seven days.
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They look great, too! Interesting bottles!
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Adventure
From Sharon(willow's apprentice)
I got to spend Christmas with my son, DIL and 4 yr old grandson on the Dutch island of Bonaire. Located off the coast of Venezuela, it is 82 degrees all year round, 70's at night.The little town is very colorful and looks like a classic beach town.Most of the island is an eco preserve where there is a flamingo breeding ground and a donkey sanctuary. There is no fishing allowed and the reef is literally off shore so you can walk in from the beach and snorkel. It is extremely dry and although there are extensive gardens, there was watering hoses all around the plantings. So many different textures and vibrant colors. The air was so clean. It just felt so unspoiled.
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Glorious! Anyone recognize one of the flowers there?
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Gardens of The Horde
What's going on in your garden?
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Hope everyone has a nice looong weekend.
If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:
ktinthegarden at g mail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
Happy Valentine's Day! Caution: sexual predators are not just on Epstein Island
—K.T.
Have you been turning to coverage of the Olympics to get away from more depressing news? Might not always help.
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The new revelations from the Epstein Files are a disappointment so far to people who expected to be able to prosecute participants in a massive child sex ring, but do they help to explain some history?
A woman who flirted with Epstein in emails, accepted thousands of dollars of gifts from him, and was his unofficial attorney was Obama's top vetter and Ethics advisor.
Ruemmler's involvement with Epstein is a reminder that the scandals surrounding him are not all about exploiting girls and women for sex. Walter Kirn suggested, You'd better read this from Matthew Stoller:
The Jeff Epstein saga isn't a scandal about pedophilia, it's about a Russian word called 'blat,' a Soviet-era word meaning 'the use of personal networks for obtaining goods and services in short supply and for circumventing formal procedures.' It's about a kind of government.
As with the large number of 'blatniks' in the Soviet era who made sure their factories got what they needed outside the formal state procurement process, Epstein greased the wheels for the neoliberal state. His job was governance.
What does that mean? Well it's clear that Epstein was an entrepreneurial broker across multiple public and private bureaucracies, helping organize 'under-the-table' deals among the legal, business, intelligence, and political elites to allow them to escape the rule of law and traditional conflict of interest restrictions. It's statecraft to allow a superclass to systemically escape the formalized rules.
The pedophilia and prostitution were part of it - that is obviously violating the rule of law - but so are the random favors Epstein bestowed. Like Epstein sending Senator Joe Manchin's request for a yacht, a request which came from the First lady of the Virginia Islands, to a random NY financier who might have one. Or working with Joi Ito at MIT and billionaire Reid Hoffman to restructure the Bitcoin Foundation. It's all about matching capital and talent and inputs outside of the restrictions ordinary people are subject to.
This kind of governance is particularly important in Soviet-style states, where everyone knows the rules are fake, where skirting the system IS the system. Epstein and his affiliates thrived because of the weakened institutions of the United States, institutions enfeebled in many cases by the men in his network, like Larry Summers. These men adopted multiple roles - advisor, businessman, academic, board member, regulator - and put on the hat that best maximized their self-interest and the self-interest of their narrow network at that moment.
The old world, where handing someone your business card meant you represented that institution, disappeared in the 1980s. Over the course of the 1990s, neoconservatives, neoliberals, bankers - ultimately Epstein's network - built this new social order. It was one where you couldn't succeed through the formal rules, but if you were let into the networks of trust by blatniks, you could do anything you wanted.
While all the specifics of Epstein's network are not known, and while conspiracy theorists often have crazy views, they have correctly fingered that the world of meritocracy and formalized systems is increasingly a fraud. And that the real government lies elsewhere.
In short, when formal democratic institutions like Congress stop governing, the networks of men like Epstein fill the power vacuum. . .
There's an academic reference plus interesting comments at the link.
So, where do we go from here?
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Concerning weakened institutions, Larry Summers is not the only one weakening them. I just learned from someone who is an instructor at a top fine arts college that this year, Chinese students, who have recently constituted up to half of the student body, have disappeared, fearing that they will be detained or deported. Instructors at the school are losing their health insurance because the school is short on money.
How did this college become so dependent on Chinese and other foreign students? They pay up front rather than taking out student loans. They are not top students due to "cultural challenges". But our resources have apparently been going to educate them, until this year. And the arts are not the main focus of Chinese students in the USA, OR in China. They are not much into DEI.
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What's happening in the UK?
The Epstein Files touched the Ambassador to the USA and advisors to the Prime Minister. And here's another "contact".
We have been reminded during the week of the UK government's hostility toward young girls and others trying to defend themselves against "Asian" abusers, both casual and heinous. But here is a reminder that most of the world would not be aware of the Rotherham and similar scandals without Elon Musk's insistence that news about them belonged on Twitter, and then on "X":
I am calling for a complete and total shutdown of all Super Bowl halftime shows until we can figure out what the hell is going on. Moreover, I am calling for President Trump to appoint a bipartisan commission of inquiry chaired by Bugs Bunny, with full subpoena power over Bad Bunny, Good Bunny, and Okay Bunny. Also Roger Goodell, who I am renaming Roger Badell. I vote for next year’s halftime show to be Bugs Bunny and Weird Al Yankovic. Just be sure to check everyone’s ID before they vote.
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Music
Ever heard traditional Gaelic Irish music sung by an a cappella group like this?
This is Ceann Dubh Dilis (My Sweet, Dark-Haired Love), arranged by Michael McGlynn and performed by Spokanki.pic.twitter.com/wywddM23PJ
The Classical Saturday Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
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Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few house keeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in sanctuary blue cities.)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind. Be nice. Be exceptional, don't be Pretti Good.
3) Running with sharp objects? You have to be kidding us, amirite?
4) Say an extra pray or two for our country and the people attempting to right the ship.
5) Have a great weekend!
Please submit any prayer requests to me, “Annie’s Stew” at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks unless we receive an update.
Prayer Requests:
12/20 – Morgan, longtime lurker, takes tango lessons from Sebastian, whose son, Matias, is recovering from brain surgery. The MRI was read on 12/19, and the surgeons did not remove the entire tumor. Even though the biopsy indicated the tumor was benign, the boy is probably facing several rounds of chemo. Please pray for the boy’s continued recovery in El Salvador.
1/10 Update – Matias will have surgery in 2 weeks to try and remove the rest of the tumor, and then he will receive radiation therapy.
2/7 Update – Matias came through the second surgery, and was waiting for another MRI before he can start radiation. He has lost weight due to constant vomiting and didn’t sleep for 4 days, but he is sleeping better now and is able to keep food down. He and his parents are really struggling, though.
12/27 – Buzzion asked for prayers for a friend named Christina. Christina has struggled with a lot, including addiction and relapse. Buzzion has not heard from Christina in a while and hopes she is okay. Please pray that Christina finds her way and knows that people love and care for her and believe in her.
1/3 Update – Christina was arrested on 1/3. Please pray for this to be a final wake-up call for her.
1/22 Update – Christina was released from jail and is staying with Buzzion. She is working through the legal troubles and she is continuing her recovery. She really appreciates the prayers, as does Buzzion.
12/27 – BlackOrchid requested prayers for a Navy Veteran uncle who has been struggling with his health the last few weeks. The root cause is undetermined, but recurrent infection/sepsis keeps sending him back to the hospital. It seems to be worsening his dementia, which makes it harder for BlackOrchid’s aunt to handle him.
1/3 Update – BlackOrchid’s uncle (her “stand-in dad”) is still not doing well. He will probably need to be put in a LTC facility although they are doing everything possible to avoid this. He is 86, and at the stage where his immune system can’t fight back well.
1/24 Update – BlackOrchid’s uncle is doing much better. He is carting around an O2 canister to help him, but otherwise is doing well.
1/6 – Diogenes requested prayers for his best friend since college, who was diagnosed with cancer. Within hours or hearing this, the friend’s son, a man that Diogenes has known since he was a baby, collapsed from what appears to be a brain tumor. The prognosis isn’t hopeful. Please pray for both of these fine men.
1/23 Update – Diogenes’ best friend’s son Sean had emergency brain surgery. The labs are back and it’s not good news. He has stage 4 brain cancer. They were scheduled to meet with an oncologist on 1/26 to determine the best pathway ahead for the time he has remaining. This is just crushing news. Thanks to all the Horde for their prayers and support for this fine young man.
2/11 Update – Sean has not started brain cancer treatments yet. There are still some issues to work out. But he had more bad news when his wife’s sister was hit by a truck on 2/10 and is in critical condition (broken back, severe concussion, bleeding on the brain). Diogenes asks for anyone in the Horde to speak up if they know of any support groups for people in Sean’s situation. Thanks in advance.
1/8 - Doof asked for prayers for his mother. She was hit hard by the flu. She couldn’t get out of bed the morning of 1/8 and was sent by ambulance to the hospital. She is alert and communicating but prayers are appreciated for her recovery. Prayers are also appreciated for Doof, as he absolutely despises hospitals.
1/23 Update – Mom was in the hospital for 5 nights and has been in a rehabilitation center since 1/13. Her recovery is slow but steady. Her breathing and mobility are still not back to normal. She is in good spirits but wants to be home. They very much appreciate the continued prayers.
1/10 – LA Sue asked for prayers for her brother, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September. They just learned it moved from stage 2 to stage 4. The chemo treatments and side infections from surgery have so debilitated him that he is considering stopping. Please pray for strength and that he opens his heart to God.
1/18 Update – LA Sue is taking her brother to hospice. He is fading.
1/23 Update – LA Sue’s brother passed away.
1/17 – Emmie asked for prayers. She and her husband are on the verge of foreclosure. Their side hustle of delivery driving ended when a young driver crashed into their car and totaled it. They aren’t able to make the mortgage payments without that extra income. Their church is helping, but it’s a small church.
1/23 Update – They have a loaner/rental car that they can use until they can devise a long term solution, and have found an insurer who will cover delivery driving work. Another friend is supplying a financial cushion during the mortgage reset probationary agreement. But the underlying financial problems persist. They ask for prayers that they would conduct themselves with wisdom, discipline, diligence, prudence, and joy in God’s provision. Emmie specifically asked for prayers in her struggle with resentment and despair.
1/18 – Teresa in Fort Worth sent an update. She had surgery on 12/11, and a pump was installed that will direct medication into the hepatic artery. This will allow a much larger concentration of medication to be applied directly into her liver. This should give fewer side effects and (hopefully) shrink the tumors. It will take several months before they know if this new medication is working, but if it does, they are hoping for an extra 2-3 years before the disease progresses again.
1/19 – NR Pax requested prayers for his father, who had a stroke on 1/16. He went back to the hospital on 1/19 and was in the ICU until 1/23 due to influenza. He is in the hospital and they do not know when he will come home.
2/5 Update – On 1/30 his dad was moved out of the hospital and into the PT wing of his retirement community. He will be going through PT twice a day and speech therapy as well. NR Pax’ mother is still dealing with the VA paperwork to get his disability raised to 100%. Thanks to everyone for their prayers.
1/20 – Inogame asked for prayers. His wife and baby girl (due in February) are healthy, but some bad luck has come to their family. The business they purchased a year ago has taken an abrupt turn and they are trying to understand what is happening. They may not be able to keep their home if they cannot discover and correct the problem. This stress and what it might mean postpartum is worrying them. Thank you all for your prayers in the past.
1/20 – MkY sent an update on his wife Judy, who was diagnosed with Stage IV renal cancer last January. Despite being unable to receive her cancer drugs for 3 months while her port infection healed up, the tumors did not grow and she is feeling strong. Thanks so much for all the prayers! Last week, MkY was diagnosed with fluid on the brain. They operated the same day. They drilled two holes in his skull, inserted tubes, and had him lay flat on his back for 2 days. MkY thanks God for the modern miracles of medicine. He needs to heal quickly since he operates a small business. So far, no complications.
1/24 – NR Pax requested prayers for his father, who had a stroke on 1/16. He went back to the hospital on 1/19 and was in the ICU until 1/23 due to influenza. He is in the hospital and they do not know when he will come home.
1/24 – Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd posted some updates and requests. In the blessings department: blood glucose has continued to fall, well within normal range. BP is good. The hole where his molar used to be is coming along nicely. The youngest has jaw surgery coming up in February. This is many years in the making and should correct her bite and ease the pain in her jaw and ears. She’s not looking forward to the liquid diet, but is looking forward to the pain relief. Prayers are always appreciated, and based on what they have been through, he knows they are efficacious.
2/7 Update – He does not have any pain related to his lost molar anymore. And his (adult) daughter’s jaw surgery is scheduled for 2/9. She will stay overnight at the hospital in Ann Arbor.
1/25 – Pawn at AoS asked for prayers after his dear friend Julia passed away. He asked for strength for himself and his family to fill a very large void in this world. He only has a couple of friends left so asks for protection for them.
1/27 – K asked for prayers for K’s neighbor Mike, whose doctor found a lump near Mike’s esophagus. Many thanks.
1/30 – Bulg could use prayers after a distressing medical incident. His heart was racing and he was too weak to even really walk. His doctor thinks it might be AFib; he is wearing a heart monitor to gather more information, and he needs to keep a diary of any other heart-related incidents. Prayers are much appreciated.
2/6 Update – Bulg had two prayers of thanks. The first was that he had a good phone conversation with his sister, from whom he had been estranged for 20 over years. The second was that he does not have AFib.
1/31 – George V asked for prayers for his wife. She needs a heart valve replacement but first needs a heart cath to assess the valve and determine the replacement procedure and perhaps put stents in the coronary arteries that may be partially blocked. Also, the preliminary CT scan of her heart showed spots on her lungs that may be cancerous.
2/4 – BifBewalski posted that it has been a little over a year since he took Smash to the ER for abdominal problems. After a full year of insurance BS, specialists, and other doctors visits, she has been taken back for abdominal surgery today. Please offer a prayer for her successful procedure and a speedy recovery.
2/7 Update – BifBewalski brought Smash home from the overnight stay in the hospital. She is recovering well. The post-surgery fever broke and the pain is minimal. A full recovery is expected. Thank you for the prayers – it truly makes a difference!
2/7 – Frankie asked for prayers for her godmother, Linda, who has been in declining health and recently had to move to a care facility.
2/7 – Vmom deport deport deport requested prayers for her hubby, who has had the coughing crud since 2/2.
2/11 – Bluebell sent an update from grammie winger: "I've finished my 6th round of chemo. Thursday (Feb. 12) I will meet with the surgeon who will decide if surgery is an option for me. If not, I'm not sure if there's a Plan B. Maybe more chemo? Ugh - it's already deteriorated my vision and hearing. Nasty stuff. But it's all in the Lord's hands. I don't know how people who don't have faith do it. I miss Ace but it's something I have to set aside for now. I love each and every one of you. Even the trolls. LOL"
2/11 – Joe Kidd sent an update related to his friend, Bill, who we prayed for in December. Bill’s former girlfriend had passed away, and Bill and the girlfriend’s family were devastated by the loss. Bill has sold the house he (and the girlfriend) had lived in, and sent half the proceeds to his former girlfriend’s family. Just recently, Bill took early retirement to care for his 90 year old mother. Joe Kidd sends thanks. If you know, you know.
For submission guidelines and other relevant info, please contact Annie's Stew, who is managing the prayer list. You can contact her at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. If you see a prayer request posted in a thread comment, feel free to copy and paste it and e-mail it to Annie's Stew. She tries to keep up with the requests in the threads, but she's not here all of the time, so she may not see it unless you e-mail it to her. Please note: Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks or so unless we receive an update.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
Rapidus was launched in 2022 - well before the current chip shortage - as a venture between eight companies including Sony, NEC, and Toshiba, to regain Japan's position in chip technology. Its main goal was to introduce 2nm chips.
It's now on track to start mass production next year, scaling to 25,000 wafers per month in 2028.
That's a year behind TSMC and Intel, but in the current market they won't have problems finding customers.
Right now the most advanced chips produced in Japan are at the 40nm node. That's widely used in automotive systems and other embedded tasks, but rubbish for advanced systems - it was introduced in 2008. So Japan is planning to jump 20 years into the future in one go.
Or at least allegedly available; the cheapest model I could find on Amazon was $350, and on Newegg, $420.
I panic-bought a 16GB 9060 XT last month before the price increases and/or shortages hit, and so far they haven't reached Australia. Only the RTX 5090 has been seriously affected here, increasing in price by 50%.
Most of the projects hit by this bot's proffered contributions haven't responded yet, but where they have, the reviews of the code and the bot's responses have been just as negative as the first time.
We finally have AI that can act like a human. Unfortunately that human is an autistic teenager of mediocre talent who learned all his social skills from Reddit.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, and Black-capped Chickadees visit the Hand of Snacks. The second visit from the Red-bellied Woodpecker shows how he likes to use his tail feathers as a prop against my hand. pic.twitter.com/1ZboA6ZdDf
— Jocelyn Anderson Photography (@JocAPhotography) February 3, 2026
Obama White House Counsel and Epstein Fixer Katherine Ruemmler Resigns from Top Post at Democrat Law Firm Due to Increasing Revelations About Her Close Personal Friendship with Democrat Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein
Kathy Ruemmler, top Goldman Sachs lawyer, resigning amid Epstein fallout
Kathy Ruemmler, the chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, said Thursday night she is resigning amid fallout from the Justice Department's release of millions of pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents.
Her resignation is effective June 30.
Her announcement comes as she has weathered numerous news stories in recent weeks examining her relationship with the disgraced financier.
Ruemmler and those around her have insisted she had a professional relationship with Epstein.
"Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm's legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do," Ruemmler, a former Obama White House counsel, said in a statement to CNN. "My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs' interests first. Earlier today, I regretfully informed David Solomon of my intention to step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026."
Look how they just snuck that in there, burying it in long boring self-justifying quote that they knew for a fact that readers would gloss over. (I know, because I glossed over it myself, and didn't notice that CNN had stealth-acknowledged her connection to Obama.)
If you didn't have conservative media to tell you better, you'd think that this was just some random rich lawyer quitting her job. You would have no idea whatsoever about what makes this newsworthy.
She said this as she was fixing Jeffrey Epstein's many legal troubles:
2017. Jeffrey Epstein's good friend Kathryn Ruemmler explains that she ran Obama's vetting and ethics department and was responsible for vetting all of Obama's cabinet members.
Ruemmler also said that she was saddened because Trump had "debased" the Presidency.
Trump Ends Obama Executive Order Giving the EPA the Power to Regulate Carbon Dioxide Without Any Congressional Authorization
—Disinformation Expert Ace
That's clumsy. Putting it differently: Congress never authorized the EPA to treat carbon dioxide as "pollution."
Barack Obama lawlessly arrogated himself that power and declared that carbon dioxide -- a naturally occurring molecule that has always been present in our atmosphere and indeed is absolutely necessary for plant growth -- was "pollution."
US President Donald Trump has reversed a key Obama-era scientific ruling that underpins all federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases.
The so-called 2009 "endangerment finding" concluded that a range of greenhouse gases were a threat to public health. It's become the legal bedrock of federal efforts to rein in emissions, especially in vehicles.
The White House called the reversal the "largest deregulation in American history", saying it would make cars cheaper, bringing down costs for automakers by $2,400 per vehicle.
Environmental groups say the move is by far the most significant rollback on climate change yet attempted and are set to challenge it in the courts.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said the 2009 ruling was "a disastrous Obama era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers".
"This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam, one of the greatest scams in history," added the Republican president, about the Democrats' climate agenda.
Former President Barack Obama, who infrequently comments on the policies of sitting presidents, said that repealing the finding would make Americans more vulnerable.
"Without it, we'll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change -- all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money," he wrote on X.
Lee Zeldin
@epaleezeldin
21h
The Obama Admin couldn’t get the votes needed in Congress to amend the Clean Air Act and regulate greenhouse gases, so without hesitation they decided to just ignore the law and jam through trillions in regulatory costs on the American people.
The Trump Admin is proudly following the law, saving $1.3 TRILLION for the American people, lowering new car costs by over $2,400 per vehicle, and getting rid of the climate participation trophy for manufacturers to install Obama Switches that shut vehicles off at red lights and stop signs. Period.
The Obama Admin couldn’t get the votes needed in Congress to amend the Clean Air Act and regulate greenhouse gases, so without hesitation they decided to just ignore the law and jam through trillions in regulatory costs on the American people.
“President Trump has repealed U.S. power to regulate climate in this country. The President officially rejecting the science. … this is not only dangerous for the environment but for your health.” pic.twitter.com/jIpbDR1GCu
Podcast: CBD and J.J. Sefton ramble about CO2, how Epstein's mess has crossed the Atlantic, the future dismal prospects for the UK, CA tax lunacy, To The Moon Elon!, the NFL, and more!
Podcast: J.J. Sefton and CBD discuss the outrageous denial of legitimate, constitutionally-mandated federal activity by the blue states, China's army is purged, the Democrat playbook never changes, the Donroe Doctrine, 20cm artillery shells, and more!
Podcast:Jim Lakely of The Heartland Institute joins us for a wide-ranging discussion of Heartland's recent Anti-Davos initiative: The World Prosperity Forum. We also discuss MN's all-encompassing graft, free markets as an antidote to misery, the truth behind the ICE riots in Minneapolis, and more!
Podcast: CBD and Sefton talk about insurrection in MN coming to NYC? Trump's Greenland rhetoric was over the top, the Gaza Peace Panel is anything but, Minnesota churchgoers need to step up, and is it possible that if the Persian people toss out the Mullahs they will begin a Muslim reformation?
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