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
The broad rollout of the Windows 11 25H2 update has started, and users who want to fast-track it are being referred to the relevant update options in a new blog post on Microsoft's site. Windows 11 25H2 comes with an assortment of additional Copilot+ related features (exclusive to those with sufficiently-powerful NPUs rated for 40+ TOPS) and improved Wi-Fi 7 support for enterprise users, among other features.
My latest PC - which looks set to arrive tomorrow - doesn't have an NPU at all.
How... Unfortunate.
Key improvements for all users include several fixes and additions made to Task Manager, Windows Search, and the Windows UI in general. Task Manager uses fewer resources and properly reads RAM speed in MT/s instead of MHz, for example, while the Windows UI now makes it easier to shrink the size of taskbar buttons. As Windows 11 continues to evolve into an "agentic OS", support for AI features outside of Copilot+ PCs is also being added with Windows 11 25H2, including the ability to use AI features within File Explorer.
I don't mean to be rude, but have they tried penicillin?
In completely unrelated news, I just bought a copy of Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC, the version that's supported through to 2032 and contains no AI features of any sort. While the Ryzen 255 processor in this system is nominally new, it's just a rebadged Ryzen 8745H, which is just a Ryzen 7840H with a new sticker, so Windows 10 should run just fine. It doesn't have any efficiency cores either, which are something the Windows 10 scheduler can trip over.
The findings, described in the IDEsaster research report, show how AI agents embedded in IDEs such as Visual Studio Code, JetBrains products, Zed, and numerous commercial assistants can be manipulated into leaking sensitive information or executing attacker-controlled code.
So Vi is still safe?
I mean, not that it ever has been.
According to the research, 100% of tested AI IDEs and coding assistants were vulnerable. Products affected include GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro.dev, Zed.dev, Roo Code, Junie, Cline, Gemini CLI, and Claude Code, with at least twenty-four assigned CVEs and additional advisories from AWS.
It has two 2.5Gb Ethernet ports, two HDMI ports, four USB ports, and a headphone jack.
Lilputing notes that it's almost identical in functionality to the GMKtec NucBox G9, which had a nasty habit of overheating. The Beelink Me Mini is physically larger but has a big fan which keeps things cool without producing a lot of noise.
Also, M.2 SSDs are starting to get expensive as well.
I mentioned this discovery not long ago, and here's a physical demonstration. Probably.
It's called a Nopert because it's the first discovered shape that does not have the "Rupert property" of being able to pass through a hollowed out version of itself at a suitable angle, with the exception of the sphere which is a degenerate case because it presents the same cross-section at every orientation by definition.
Musical Interlude
The music is the opening theme for Hololive Indonesia's zombie girl Kureiji Ollie. Fan Kabedondere added the lyrics. Ollie herself provided the screeching. She's calmed down since. Just a little.
Sunday Overnight Open Thread - December 7, 2025 [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Howdy Hordelings! Time for the Sunday ONT. Still plenty of time to get your Christmas tree - if that's a thing you do. If you don't have yours yet, go get it! Then you can get to "drinkorating" (H/T to our 'ette friend DDS for introducing me to that term).
December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day. If Joe Biden were still POTUS, he'd likely try to quote the famous speech from FDR and say something like "December 7, 1941 - a date which - you know the thing!"
We do know the thing. But do you know that the original line from FDR was "a date which will live in world history"? If you didn't, you do now!
In the early afternoon of December 7, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt was just finishing lunch in his oval study on the second floor of the White House, preparing to work on his stamp album, when his telephone rang.
The White House operator announced that Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox was on the line and insisted on talking with him. Roosevelt took the call.
The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, just before 8 a.m. Hawaii time, Secretary Knox told the President. Harry Hopkins, a top aide who was with Roosevelt at the time, could not believe the report. But Roosevelt did. "It was just the kind of unexpected thing the Japanese would do. At the very time they were discussing peace in the Pacific, they were plotting to overthrow it," he said.
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Roosevelt decided to go before Congress the next day to report on the attack and ask for a declaration of war. In early evening, he called in his secretary, Grace Tully. "Sit down, Grace," he said. "I'm going before Congress tomorrow, and I'd like to dictate my message. It will be short."
Short it was. But it was to become one of the most famous speeches of the twentieth century, giving birth to one of the most famous phrases of the century.
"Yesterday, December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in world history," he began as Tully took down the words, "the United States was simultaneously and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."
Biographer Nathan Miller recalls: "He inhaled deeply on his cigarette, blew out the smoke, and began dictating in the same calm tone he used to deal with his mail. He enunciated the words incisively and slowly, carefully specifying each punctuation mark and new paragraph. Running little more than five hundred words, the message was dictated without hesitation or second thoughts."
Tully typed up what Roosevelt had dictated, and the President went to work on this first draft by hand.
On draft No. 1, Roosevelt changed "a date which will live in world history" to "a date which will live in infamy," providing the speech its most famous phrase and giving birth to the term, "day of infamy," which December 7, 1941, is often called.
A few words later, he changed his report that the United States of America was "simultaneously and deliberately attacked" to "suddenly and deliberately attacked." At the end of the first sentence, he wrote the words, "without warning," but later crossed them out.
Thus that first historic sentence—the one that is usually quoted from the speech—was born: "Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."
Check out the whole thing. Interesting to read more about the speech-writing process.
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Happy Birthday to Two Sports Legends
One of the all-time greats from a totally different (and much better, in my opinion) era of baseball - Johnny Bench turns 78 today.
How many of you remember his kid-friendly show from Saturdays back in the day?
Or how about "no runs, no drips, no errors"?
Throw up a hand if you can remember when Johnny Bench was out there spraying Krylon on every fucking object he encountered.
According to the arrest report, Voke told deputies he would place his phone with the camera exposed on the floor of a bathroom stall, aiming it toward adjacent stalls in an attempt to record unsuspecting male victims. He stated the videos involved adults only.
Seeds of native plants destined for national parks are sitting in a warehouse instead of being grown in fields. And across the West, National Park Service staff won’t know which birds are breeding in the parks this spring. Both of these problems stem from a deluge of grant cuts that halted nonprofit conservation work with the Interior Department earlier this fall.
It all started on the morning of Sept. 23, when emails began landing in the inboxes of at least six environmental nonprofit organizations. By the end of the day, 30 federal awards worth $3.5 million had vanished from one organization alone, including several from the Park Service, according to Melanie Gisler, southwest branch director for the Institute of Applied Ecology. The only reason given was that each project no longer “effectuates the priorities” of the federal government, Gisler told SFGATE.
Other groups, including the Institute for Bird Populations and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, received similar notifications that day — halting long-term bird counts in national parks across the West and other bird studies. The Institute for Bird Populations received no explanation beyond the same vague language about the administration’s priorities; Bird Conservancy of the Rockies declined to comment.
Thus endeth the "just the facts" portion of the article. Now let's let the bias flow!
Online, Doug Burgum, the Interior secretary, attributed the changes to a cost-cutting initiative by the Department of Governmental Efficiency, or DOGE. “@Interior saved American taxpayers MILLIONS of dollars today by cutting nearly 80 grants for wasteful environmental groups,” he wrote in a post on X, resharing a news article accusing the groups of doing diversity, equity and inclusion work with federal funds. Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, and DOGE amplified the message.
But these environmental groups dispute that assessment: Simply put, they were growing plants and counting birds. “None of the grants we were working on involved [diversity, equity, inclusion and justice],” Gisler said. “It was on-the-ground conservation work.” The organization did make an action plan for a more diverse and inclusive workplace in 2021.
Rodney Siegel, the executive director of the Institute for Bird Populations, said they did not have an explicit DEI policy. “I have no idea what they are referring to,” he said.
Federal agencies, including the Park Service, regularly work with nonprofit partners to do important work like monitoring wildlife populations or replanting burned areas. The Interior Department provides the funding, and in turn, groups like the Institute for Applied Ecology plan and execute the details with even more contractors: in this instance, crews collecting seeds, replanting them in fields, growing them and harvesting even more seeds. Federal funds prop up work that otherwise wouldn’t get done by limited Park Service staff.
How dare the funding get cut! Lemme see if I get this right. Just because an organization has a DEI plan in place and places importance on DEI things - doesn't mean the WORK is DEI-related. Did I do that right? Oh, and check out the whole article to get the author's super objective take on how "important" this work is.
Anyway, apologies for the lengthy blockquotes there. The article just really bugged me so I figured I'd see if it bugs you too.
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'Ette Couture (Courtesy of Piper)
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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With Christmas lights twinkling brighter than fireflies on a July night, our First Lady has been serving up looks that are equal parts elegant and evergreen. She knows exactly how to dress for the season!
The week kicked off with a bang when Melania unveiled the breathtaking 2025 White House Christmas decorations: 51 trees, 75 wreaths, and enough gold stars to make the Milky Way jealous. It’s all a loving nod to American traditions and the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. But let’s talk about the coat that stopped us in our tracks. Melania stepped out in a stunning Burberry Bird Button Cashmere Wool Military Coat—first in a rich military green, then in sleek black for the official preview video. That structured silhouette, gleaming gold buttons, and perfectly cinched waist? Swoon! She paired the green version with her Christian Louboutin Eleonor Botta 100 suede boots in Brown Sweater and a dark brown Ralph Lauren Collection cashmere turtleneck. It’s the kind of look that says, “Yes, you may absolutely wear your fanciest wool coat with boots for a weekend stroll.”
Those same Louboutin boots made another appearance when Melania thanked the Presidential and First Lady correspondence volunteers, travel volunteers, and Executive Residence staff. This time she wore them with a grey melange Ralph Lauren double-faced wool shirt jacket, the same dark brown cashmere turtleneck, and tailored brown leggings—effortless, polished, and ready for anything. This is Melania’s magic: letting the season take center stage while she glows quietly beside it. It’s understated glamour we’d all love to channel at our own holiday open houses—practical enough for wrangling kids (or Secret Service), yet pretty enough to turn heads at the punch bowl.
The National Christmas Tree Lighting was pure enchantment under the Ellipse lights. Melania wore a timeless double-breasted coat from Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2017-2018 Airspace Collection. Some critics might call it “safe” (pish-posh—haters gonna hate), but it was festive without fuss. She stood there radiating that megawatt smile, every inch the gracious hostess.
Friday, Melania visited patients and their families at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., reading stories to the children. If that’s not the spirit of the season wrapped in wool, I don’t know what is. She wore a striking black calf-hair Nour Hammour Althea belted coat with Christian Louboutin Kate 100 Red Lizzy pumps—a pop of holiday red.
And just when we thought we’d reached peak fabulous, Melania attended an intimate evening performance by Andrea Bocelli in the East Room. She glided in wearing a black Valentino tulle-trimmed, scalloped silk-crepe midi dress paired with Roger Vivier Trompette patent-leather pumps with metal buckles—sleek sophistication personified.
Whew, what a whirlwind week for our First Lady. Whether you’re decking your own halls or simply daydreaming over eggnog, take a page from Melania’s book: keep it classic, keep it kind, and always add a dash of dazzle
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Thanks, Piper!
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DJ Doof - Guess The Theme
Difficulty level 3 out of 5
What's the common thread / common meaning / common leitmotif?
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Weekly commenter stats for week of 12-7-2025
AoSHQ Commenter Statistics:
Number of posts: 113
Number of comments: 25848
Number of unique hashes: 2044
Top 10 commenters:
1 [574 comments] 'Bulg' [81.51 posts/day]
2 [549 comments] 'Sponge - F*ck Cancer'
3 [378 comments] 'TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger'
4 [367 comments] 'Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere '
5 [338 comments] 'whig'
6 [335 comments] 'toby928(c)'
7 [330 comments] 'BurtTC'
8 [305 comments] 'm'
9 [272 comments] 'ShainS -- The Neo-Jacobins: Anarcho-Terrorism & Assassination Culture Since 1789 '
10 [271 comments] 'the way I see it'
Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [183 names] 'Penguin Pool Petey' [25.99 unique names/day]
2 [161 names] 'Quarter Twenty '
3 [112 names] 'Not every parent deserves kids'
4 [55 names] 'the Wretched Panhard'
5 [36 names] 'Abolish The Federal Government Already'
6 [35 names] 'Intercepted Reddit Transmissions brought by the Intrepid AoS Liaison'
7 [31 names] 'Moron Analyst'
8 [31 names] 'The Grateful - Acta Non Verba'
9 [29 names] 'Duncanthrax'
10 [28 names] 'pookysgirl, still Protestant'
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by 'ette math
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Tonight's ONT was filmed in front of a live studio audience. Do not partake of content from Doof Enterprises, LLC if you are allergic to Doof Enterprises, LLC.
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. All I want for Christmas are some Rush deep cuts!
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 December 7th? This is the 84th anniversary of the Jap sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, so never forget the 2,403 killed, and the 1,178 injured that day. Here is a link to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and a page on the events of that day.
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
So if you aren't focusing on fundamentals, what are you doing when you're at the range?
Seriously, I'm curious what your usual range trip process looks like if it's not focusing on fundamentals. Do you have a methodology that works better for you? Please let us know in the comments.
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Indoor range Shooting Drills
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Traffic Stop While Armed
How would you handle this situation? Probably best to have a plan before it happens.
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Are You Well Groomed?
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Our Pals Bennies and Goofballs
With Paul Newman!
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Highway Patrol!
This week's episode: Temptation!
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Planet Outlaws!
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Cigar-O-Rama Links
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: Pork Pie... Hat Or Food? You Be The Judge.
—CBD
A plain old pork pie. It's on most pub menus, and for whatever deeply disturbed and perverse reason, they serve them cold. We have all read passages in Dickens or other 19th century writers in which the protagonist grabs a pork pie and shoves it in his coat pocket before rushing out the door to do whatever they did in 1843.
But it's 2025, and I want my pie nice and hot, or at least warm so that the fat in the crust isn't congealed.
To be fair, it was pleasant, and the cask ale I drank with it was delicious. That dish of stuff is some sort of chutney, which was weird, but it wasn't bad!
But still, how backward and archaic do we have to be in the interest of authenticity?
I'm not sure whether to laugh at the absurdity of this story, or take it seriously and point out that 3D printers aren't designed to make biological matter, and even if they were, why would you use a printer when the raw material is right there in the tank?
Campbell's says that its soup is made with real meat — not "3D-printed chicken" — and said it has fired an executive who allegedly made the explosive claims in a bombshell recording that trashed the company's products and customers.
Campbell's VP Martin Bally was caught describing the soup as "bioengineered meat" and saying, "I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer", according to a suit a former employee filed last week in Michigan.
But the larger issue of so-called "lab-grown meat" being used in processed food is a non-starter. So what? As long as they reveal the origin of the "meat" on the label, if that's what people want to spend their money on, whose business is it to disturb that transaction?
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That's from "scampydog," who has decided that his function on this planet is to plague me with photos of beautiful sourdough bread that his SiL makes.
My sourdough is tasty, but it is usually a bit lacking in the looks department.
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I was on a flight yesterday, and the second meal (yes, it was a long flight!) was a choice of some insipid and boring sounding crap, and vegetarian Biryani. What the hell...why not? And it was pretty damned tasty, even taking into account the boredom factor of flying which makes even the most mundane events a wonderful thing. Biryani is just flavored rice with whatever stuff you want to put in. But the spicing tends to be vibrant and different in comparison to most things we eat in America, and it was a nice change from steam-table chicken and dried out "steak." Here's an easy version of Chicken Biryani from "The Spruce Eats," which is a solid website and one that I have linked many times.
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Long-time commenter, stabbing weapon enthusiast, and denizen of many of Virginia's toughest houses of corrections, Bluebell has refused to come to my house and make pie crusts. So I am left with the thoroughly depressing alternative, which is crappy commercial ones. They aren't quite big enough, the edges always crack, and they just aren't buttery enough. I suspect they use other, cheaper fats, and that rarely works.
SEE?
On the other hand, the filling leaked out of that (and the other one on the other side) and toasted and caramelized on the baking sheet.
Yes, that stuff was delicious! Like caramel candy with the bonus of crispy pecans. Amazing stuff, and something that I might try to make next year!
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Speaking of baking...how do you people get the last bit of thick syrup out of the container? Man oh man! That stuff is thick! I warmed the container in hot water to make the syrup less viscous, and that worked ...okay, but if there is a better way, I am all ears! Of course I could have opened another bottle of the stuff, but remember, I am a cheap bastard!
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[Hat Tip: Weasel]
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A friend graciously gave me some genuine grown-in-the-USA garlic, and I am going to taste one clove and plant 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!
Send all of your extra antelope 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!
In fact, this is a double-barrelled crisis, because not only do those screw slots point in chaotic directions, some of them have worn enough to be visibly different colors!
Fire...obviously. But will it be enough? Will it be hot enough?
I spent a pleasant Friday evening at a restaurant in Canary Wharf, in the Docklands of London. Yes, those famous docks that were Hitler's particular target. The area has been built up into a financial center that has become quite an impressive place. It's far from the center of London, but the recent opening of another underground line has been a game changer for the area. In addition to the many banks and financial services companies that call it home, there are dozens of restaurants and shops and markets that serve the increasing numbers of people who not only work there, but live in the apartment buildings springing up everywhere.
But back to dinner! Next to us sat three 20-something men, busily drinking their lagers and flirting with women on their phones (but not in person). We struck up a conversation with them, and I was struck by how pessimistic they were about their future prospects. These gentlemen despaired of meeting and marrying and building a middle class existence. Even the one who was in the trades (an electrician) wasn't optimistic about what would be the normal progression in America: Learn, work, strike out on your own and build a small company.
One in particular complained about how England is changing into a place that doesn't seem like it welcomes him. Yet when I asked for whom he voted in the last election, his answer was: Labor!
All three were interested in America, and in fact two had visited, albeit briefly. But they were also woefully ignorant of the differences between the two countries. I had to explain the 1st Amendment! Their opinions about President Trump were partly typical...driven by the incessant drumbeat of leftist media in the UK, but they were not as reflexively critical as I had expected.
What I took away from the conversation was that they saw their future prospects as dismal, and that there was no reasonable alternative available to them on the horizon. They saw no Donald Trump or Charlie Kirk who could speak to them about a better way. They saw the country in which they have lived their entire lives being subsumed by a Woke (their word) insanity that denigrated everything they felt was important. And they saw an economic system that was stacked against them, without any way to change it.
Is it any wonder that the UK is rapidly sliding into both irrelevancy and authoritarian control? Is it any wonder that Islam is on the march? After all, they have a plan. They have an alternative. They have a vision of the future. That their vision is evil and destructive means very little to its adherents, because they will reap the benefits of that destruction.
Is this Weimar Germany in the 21st century? Will a Hitler arise in the UK and show these young men a different path? Or will they gradually be gobbled up by encroaching Islam, and forced into dhimmitude, or worse? Will Tommy Robinson, or someone like him be able to galvanize public support for a push against the destruction of what once was the shining beacon of freedom in the world? Will Nigel Farage be able to fight the structural and political impediments to a Reform Party win in the next elections almost four years from now? Will the UK crash so quickly that the Labor Party has to call an election before that?
I have no crystal ball, but if I were a betting man I would bet against Britain ever becoming Great again.
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-07-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
—Open Blogger
(HT: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing) (Click image for larger view.)
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 (sonic screwdriver 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...
So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, pour yourself a nice cup of eggnog (with a dash of cinnamon and vanilla), and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at November 30, 2025 11:15 AM (kpS4V)
Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (or MP4 for short) is a gentleman, so in answer to All Hail Eris' request he kindly sent me a few pictures of his home library. The one up top is only a portion of his library. If you look at the right side of the photo, you can see that the library extends into the next room. He sent me a picture of those books as well. He also said that there's a lot more books in his attic office space, where he does a lot of his writing. What I love about this library is that it's clearly the library of a scholar. It's meant to be USED, not just there for showing off. It's an amazing library and I appreciate MP4 being willing to display it for the Horde.
He also sent me a picture of his amazing DVD collection. Again, it's overflowing, which is only right and proper.
(Click image for larger view.)
REAL MEN BUILD LIBRARIES
Civilization as we know it today would not be possible without men building libraries. Libraries preserve the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, guiding us in our current and future endeavors. When civilization comes crashing down again, as it always does, will we even have access to the digital content in abundance right now? Or will we look to the men who built libraries to save civilization once again?
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Admit it...we've all been there.
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WHY IS READING SO COMPETITIVE NOW?
In a sense, the video above highlights a point that's opposite of the "Real Men Build Libraries" video. She points out that social media is changing the way we read and interact with books. How many of us read one book after another in order to simply rack up a book count? I know I'm guilty of this. Being the curator of the Sunday Morning Book Thread does impose a certain amount of subtle peer pressure to read more and more books. If I don't read multiple books a week, am I letting you guys down?
A lot of this competitive atmosphere in reading seems to be driven by one thing: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). People get so focused on what's trending in their preferred reading that they want to keep up with each other, so it really does become a competitive sport of sorts. Especially if you use a reading app that tracks your progress and then lets you see the progress of others. People can also be quite judgemental about others' reading habits and will make themselves known in social media for looking down on someone of they don't read the "right books" or don't read them in the "right way." Lots of social pressure to conform to the current trend of the day.
As for me, while I do try to read quite a few books and I have a standard goal of reading ten books a month, since that's about average for me, I don't worry about what's trendy or cool. That's the nice thing about being 29+. You don't care so much about what others think. Instead, I try to find books that *I* want to read because they sound interesting to *me.* Moron Recommendations are very useful in this respect because I can look for something that interests me AND has a substantial recommendation from one of you to provide evidence that I might enjoy it.
You all know what I read since I post those books every week. Some of it is quality material, but a lot of might be considered "trash" by the literati since it doesn't meet their standard of quality. Whatever. I don't care. It's not about THEM. I read what I like, and so should you. I'm constantly amazed by the breadth and depth of the Moron Horde reading tastes. Collectively, we are among the most well-read group of people on the planet, on par with any BookTok or BookTube community out there. Let's all be proud of that fact.
The only person you should be competing against when it comes to reading is yourself.
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MORON RECOMMENDATIONS
I love my Kindle (eyesight issues), and this week picked up John Ringo's Not That Kind of Good Guy, part 1 of his new Shadow Path series. First impression,...
OMG, HOLY CHRIST ON A CUPCAKE!!!!!
I say that, not because of the storytelling, but the political/social commentary. This is Illuminati plus Atlas Shrugged mixed with a little Logan's Run.
Ringo delivers an EPIC takedown of crime and social failure in Baltimore right at the beginning of the book. It's vicious and pointed. Living out here, it misses a few things, but the topics he hits on, are items that have been on WBFF for the last couple years.
Only halfway through it, but that's because I've had to re-read some sections because of the depth to make sure I understand what Ringo is really saying. This isn't your normal Ringo book. Sometimes I think sarcastically to myself, "So how do you REALLY feel, John?!?"
-SLV
Posted by: Shy Lurking Voter at November 30, 2025 09:49 AM (e/Osv)
Comment: I'm so glad I live in a small semi-rural community. Sure, we have our problems. Lots of drugs flow through here because we're on a major drug route. Still, it's a nice enough community that you can go to Walmart and accidentally leave your car unlocked and the chances that someone will steal everything in your vehicle are somewhat remote. I would not be surprised if the cities continue to devolve to the point where only those who truly cannot leave remain.
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James Kahn's novelization of Return of the Jedi is brilliant. It formed the core of my inspiration to write the Man of Destiny series, which was a correction to the terrible prequel films.
As in most novelizations, there are some expanded dialogue sequences, thus Luke and Obi-wan go deeper into the history, which was likely in the script but cut. It totally undermines the prequels, which are a direct contradiction. Anakin was not a kid, but an adult, about the same age as Luke when his adventure began.
This was central to my reimagining the story and while I'm biased, others (some in the Horde) will agree with me.
Kahn also has a nice turn of phrase, and the book includes a twist on the Death Star attack, which is that when the shield generator is actually taken out, the Emperor orders the station to destroy Endor in order to further enrage Luke. A bit much for the movie, but a nice touch.
My favorite part was the character portrait of Jerjerrod, the Death Star's commander.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 30, 2025 09:59 AM (ZOv7s)
Comment: I'll have to go back and reread this book. It's been sitting on my shelves for decades now. Like a lot of movie novelizations that came out at the time, it includes several full-color photos from the movie, such as a picture of ace in his younger years, as well as the sexiest picture of Sy Snootles ever captured on film, as I'm sure Admiral Ackbar would agree.
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Speaking of James Bond, however: I finished Anthony Horowitz's "continuation" novel, Trigger Mortis, and enjoyed it immensely. He has Fleming's style down pat, and there is plenty of action -- a car race, shootouts, a live burial, and a climactic scene aboard a racing train. It's set in 1957, right after the events of Goldfinger, with a featured appearance by Miss Pussy Galore. Never fear, being "with" Bond, as we saw at the end of GF, has not tamed her or her DC preferences in the least.
Highly recommended for Bond fans. I need to buy a copy for my shelf.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 30, 2025 09:17 AM (wzUl9)
Comment: Some authors are able to continue a previous author's works if they are able to capture the spirit of the previous author. Not every author is successful at this. Brian Herbert teamed up with Kevin J. Anderson to continue Frank Herbert's Dune series and I've heard it's a mixed bag. I think to be successful, you really need to understand what made the original work so well. In the example above, it sounds like Horowitz knew how a James Bond novel was supposed to work and then mirrored Fleming's style to bring those elements together. The result is a James Bond novel that works.
I enjoyed Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, so I went ahead and picked up a few more books in the series. Curiously, two of them are listed as Book 2 of the Inhibitors Trilogy on Amazon, but only one of them counts, I think. Chasm City is a standalone novel set in the same universe (it's referenced quite a bit in Revelation Space).
Inhibitor Trilogy Book 2 - Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds
Inhibitor Space by Alastair Reynolds
WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:
Mystery Walk by Robert R. McCammon
This is a reread for me, separated by about 40 years. I first read this when I was in sixth grade. My family had just moved to Germany and for our first Thanksgiving my dad decided to take us on a chartered bus trip to Costa Brava, Spain, near Barcelona. It's a long way from Grafenwoehr, Germany to Spain. Naturally I took along several books, among which was Mystery Walk, that was loaned to me by a friend.
Mystery Walk is the story of two young men who are blessed--or cursed--with supernatural abilities. Billy Creekmore is able to see those who are about to die and also assist their weary spirits in crossing over to the other side. Wayne Falconer is the son of a bible-thumping tent-revivalist and he has the power to heal some people, but not everyone. Turns out Wayne and Billy have a deep connection as a result of their supernatural abilities. The evil shape-changer is ever-present in the shadows of their lives, twisting their abilities to serve his own purposes (mostly feeding on them).
As horror books go, the build-up is a bit slow, but it really gets moving in the middle and later parts of the books as the boys age into adulthood and take on the responsibilities and obligations of their powers.
Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz
I decided to stick with horror for the next read after Mystery Walk so I turned to one of my recent favorite authors--Dean Koontz. He rarely disappoints.
Christopher Snow isn't ordinary, but he wants to lead an ordinary life. He's afflicted with a horrible condition that prevents him from enjoying the sunlight. He's extremely sensitive to UV radiation to the point where prolonged exposure will kill him in short order. Nevertheless, he manages to lead a happy, well-adjusted life in Midnight Cove, California. That is, until his father's corpse is body-snatched right out from under his nose. Now Chris is being hunted by shadowy, not-quite-human pursuers through the darkened streets of Midnight Cove. Chris has no idea what's going on, but he suspects his dead parents were hiding secrets from him, though they loved him till the end.
What's really going on in Midnight Cove? Was the nearby Army base shut down eighteen months ago, or is the government continuing mad science experiments in secret down in the bowels of the earth?
That mini-PC I just bought increased in price by 25% the next day. In fact, the 32GB model now costs more than I paid for the 64GB model.
Which is not a huge surprise - it was markedly cheaper in Australia than on the British Minisforum store, and a key reason I bought it in the first place was because the price was so low compared to the current cost of RAM.
I'll post a quick review once I get it - or at least, next weekend once I have a chance to set it up. But if you're impatient Notebook Check just covered it in detail.
Speaking of which are the Chinas set to rescue the world from its folly?
Oh, how the turns have tabled. CXMT can only produce 16Gb chips, not the latest 32Gb models - so 32GB modules and 64GB dual-channel kits - but 64GB of memory you can buy is a lot better than 128GB you can't.
There may only be three big memory manufacturers, but that doesn't mean there aren't little ones looking to get big.
* Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix, formerly Hyundai Semiconductor.
Saturday Night "Club ONT" December 6, 2025 [The 3 Ds]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT. A collaboration the 3D's - The Disco, The Dino, and The Doggo. We are officially in the "Turkey-to-Tinsel Gap" portion of the holiday season. People are pretending to work, and many are in the early stages of convincing themselves they will "begin eating healthy tomorrow" - which means Monday, or later. The Club does not endorse such ideas of slimming and trimming over the holiday season.
The 3D's are here to help you slide into a bit of mischief, joy, and lighthearted fun. The doorman? We don't think the doorman is coming back from vacation. Please see yourselves in.
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts whole milk
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
4 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup whipped cream, garnish
In a large saucepan, stir together sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Ladle a small amount of the hot milk into the yolks and quickly whisk in. Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the hot milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a medium glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 4 teaspoons sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. fold whites into eggnog and refrigerate until chilled. Serve garnished with a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg.
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The beverage that needs no marketing budget for you to know it exists. The brand is deserving of some Horde slogans and taglines.
Sound is terrible in the mystery click. Visuals tell the story.
RC Cola, and you thought TikTok was mainstream.
RC Cola, because influencers have no taste.
RC Cola, the underdog that refuses to pay for fame.
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If you're talking about RC Cola, you better grab a Moon Pie!
What's that - you're not familiar with this combo? We can help!
*****
Club ONT Department of History and Religion
Happy St. Nicholas Day! The "Feast of Saint Nicholas" is celebrated on December 6 each year (although some celebrate on the December 5 eve). The American Santa Claus, as well as the British Father Christmas, derive from Saint Nicholas.
St. Nicholas was a bishop known for his good deeds, especially those that helped children and the needy. He often gave generously and without anyone knowing the gifts were from him. Nicholas was officially recognized as a saint in the 800s, and in the 1200s, Catholics in France began celebrating Bishop Nicholas Day on December 6.
Many European countries celebrate the Feast of Sinterklaas - also known as St. Nicholas - starting on the 5th of December, the eve of the day, by sharing candies, chocolate letters, small gifts, and riddles. Children put out their shoes filled with carrots and hay for the saint's horse the evening prior, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Source
St. Nicholas does not operate alone...
In most areas where Krampus is known, the tradition is that St. Nicholas visits children on the night of December 5 (St. Nicholas Eve) or on December 6 (St. Nicholas's Day), leaving presents much like Santa Claus in American tradition. On these visits, St. Nicholas is often accompanied by a Krampus.
In his role as St. Nicholas’s companion, Krampus's main duty is to punish or threaten naughty children while the saint rewards good ones. This can be seen as one of the many variations of the "good cop/ bad cop" or "carrot and stick" approach to managing children’s behavior - and Krampus literally wields a stick, or more commonly a bunch of birch twigs, to discipline children. If this isn't sufficient, St. Nicholas's Krampus companion often carries a basket or a sack, into which he is said to stuff naughty children to take them away and punish later at greater length. Source
Are you a well behaved Moron or are you getting a visit from Krampus this year? (Public service announcement: Do not confuse Krampus with the Wumpus. Very different.)
*****
Club ONT Eye-Pokers
The Old State Saloon is at it again (scroll through to see their daily specials).
Currently, they are offering free beer for a month for anyone who helps ICE identify and deport an illegal from Idaho.
"ALERT: Anyone who helps ICE identify and ultimately deport an illegal from Idaho gets FREE BEER FOR ONE MONTH at Old State Saloon!"
When word of the deal spread online, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reacted with a gif of a dinosaur character dropping what appeared to be a beer can while it had a dumbfounded look on its face:
A petrol fuel stabilizer is a chemical additive formulated specifically to slow the degradation of gasoline, protect against ethanol-related issues, and keep the fuel system clean during long-term storage.
It prevents the two biggest problems in stored gasoline:
Oxidation
Ethanol moisture absorption + phase separation
Without a stabilizer, petrol can become unreliable in 30-60 days.
A diesel fuel stabilizer is a specially formulated chemical additive that slows the degradation of diesel fuel, prevents microbial growth, controls water contamination, improves lubricity, and stabilizes the fuel for long-term storage.
Diesel is more complex than petrol, so its stabilizers must address different and more severe degradation mechanisms, especially water contamination and microbial growth.
Lubricity? Marking that one to slide into a future sentence.
*****
Club ONT Payment Options
The Club would proudly accept Woz's funny money!
Did you know that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has been using his own custom $2 bills for over 30 years? He doesn't print the money itself, which would be illegal. Instead, he legally purchases large, uncut sheets of genuine $2 bills directly from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving… pic.twitter.com/9bFbUATZMQ
NOTICE: Patrons with flatulence are welcome to utilize their vanvera while inside Club ONT. Rentals are available for those that did not bring their own. Rentals are believed to have been "cleaned" before re-use, but your mileage may vary (similar to bowling shoe or roller skate rentals).
Saturday Evening Movie Thread [moviegique]: Rental Family
—Open Blogger
If he hadn't had his career derailed by a series of mishaps and downright evil, Brendan Fraser would be alongside Tom Hanks in terms of being the modern equivalent of a Golden Age actor like Jimmy Stewart or Henry Fonda. The difference between the two is that I will go see a movie just because Brendan Fraser is in it, which is not at all true of Hanks.
The excesses of The Whale aside—and its director, Darren Aronofsky, whom Ken Russell calls from the grave to say "Settle down"—Fraser was terrific. A well-earned Oscar.
This is probably a double-edged sword in that we probably permit a character played by Fraser to get away with things he really shouldn't. In fact, despite the very strong marks for Rental Family, all I could see as the movie started rolling, was all the many, many ways this movie could go bad.
Fraser plays Phillip Vandarploeg, an American who moved to Japan seven years prior after becoming a sensation as the star of a toothpaste commercial, has fallen on hard times when he's called by his agent to play—well, I'm not going to say what, exactly, because while this movie doesn't have really big twists or surprises, the ones it does have shouldn't be spoiled. Despite not doing very well at the gig (because he's completely unprepared) he's approached by Shinji, the owner of a company called Rental Family. They need a token American.
Philip is obviously used to this, although I can't help but note that he's not a token at all.
You see, the business that Shinji has is that he supplies people to act out parts in other people's lives for various reasons. One of their most popular jobs is euphemistically called "Apology Services", where a woman (Aiko, played by Mari Yamamoto) pretends to be a man's mistress and apologizes to his wife for having an affair.
This is the important thing about this job: He's lying to someone, and he has considerable issue doing so. The first job he has seems relatively harmless. And he has a kind of nice one where he plays video games and acts friendly toward a shut-in. But the first big job he gets is pretending be a girl's father.
The girl's mother is trying to get her into an elite private school, and the school isn't interested in single mothers. The mom doesn't want to force the child to have to lie, so instead has Philip pretend to be her father to her.
Philip's inability to FAKE attachment is very American, and of course why we like him.
This, and another job, where Philip pretends to be a journalist interviewing an old, forgotten actor (played by Akira Emoto, who has over 700 credits to his name) are the ones where you can see the train wreck coming. As light a touch as the movie has, you just wanna yell "Don't do it! You're not cut out for this, Brendan Fraser!"
Because there are two main ways you can go with a story like this, right? You can pull a Rain Man and have your Tom Cruise character be a semi-sociopath/narcissist who learns a little something about being human.
But Philip is alone in Japan. He has no family. The only people we see him interact with are his agent (on the phone) and a prostitute. Professional relationships, in other words.
You know, immediately, that Philip is going to end up caring too much, and possibly caring in ways that are culturally inappropriate.
The director (the mononymic Hikari) handles this with a deft touch: Very light, very Japanese, able to clearly communicate the issues that arise from arrangements like these without being moralizing or heavy-handed. This might not be "true" on some level, I wouldn't know. But it makes for a pleasant and emotional experience that still manages to avoid being mawkish.
This gig, which happens immediately after Philip accepts the job, made me a bit nervous about what might come next.
Seriously, I look more for (and celebrate) movies avoiding pitfalls these days than achieving high aesthetic points. This does both. The cinematography of Japan is perfect in that sense: It shows lovely shots of Tokyo and the countryside—but it isn't a fairy tale like (e.g.) Amélie. The wonderfully scrubbed and saturated views of France worked perfectly for that film: This one looks like a Tokyo you could actually go visit.
Terrific acting. Good story structure. Strong ending. Highlighting the issues with these arrangements but still managing to pull out a happy ending.
It's an increasingly rare "general recommendation". If you like movies about people with humor and drama, the only negative (for the average moviegoer) is the use of subtitles. I would argue the film excels at that, too, though because there are just enough subtitles to make you remember where you are. There are a lot of excellent touches that enhance the fish-out-of-water feel, like Fraser being 6'3" and having a pot-belly. (Although Takehiro Hira is six-feet tall, Fraser is always bigger and taller and paler than everyone else.)
It probably won't get a lot of award nominations, but it should.
Oh, there is a theoretical negative that filled me with dread: The idea that somebody would remake this movie, but base it in America, and have it star, I dunno, Kevin James and Adam Sandler. Or Vince Vaugh and Chris Pratt.
One of the best movies of the year and a rare mix of award and box office bait. You know, what used to just be known as "a good movie". And one of three in 2025 I would recommend for general audiences—which, honestly, is two or three more than I'm able to recommend in the past few years. The other two are Mission: Impossible 8 - The Final Reckoning and The Naked Gun reboot.
Destined to be crushed by Wicked, Zootopia and Five Nights at Freddy 2, and to under-perform Bugonia, Heart Eyes, Chainsaw Man, the re-release of Wicked—all of which serve as a challenge of my ability to estimate what "general audiences" will go for.
It's nice to see small businesses thriving in Japan. Even if they're fundamentally very weird.
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. A spin of the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) landed on scavenging and scrounging.
Are you thinking "I'm not into scavenging and scrounging and I really don't know what that means, but I am eager to learn more. I can't wait to get into the content!" I knew it. Enjoy.
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. However, politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Pants are optional. Puns are welcome and encouraged.
Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.
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Nothing like found treasure - especially as one man's trash is another's treasure. Are you a scavenger or scrounger? Do you look at piles of rubble and wonder what lurks within? Do you look at bulk garbage items left at the curbside and think how you can repurpose or restore or re-sell? Do you keep an eye on dumpsters?
Do you look for treasure? are you opportunistic? Are you a woodworker that sources materials from discarded furniture? Are you a musician that has found and restored tired instruments?
Do you haunt estate sales or auctions or seek barn finds? Do you stop by garage sales or tag sales looking for bargains? Have you ever bought the contents of an abandoned storage unit? Do you visit swap meets?
Do you live on craiglist, FB marketplace, ebay or other online marketplaces - just to see what pops up?
Do you make a hobby of buying and re-selling? Did you buy something novel with the intent to sell but just couldn't pull the trigger and let it go? Have you ever bought something that was intriguing but you didn't actually know what it was? Do you stop by local flea markets or junk sales when on holiday?
We did a bargain hunting theme in February, but let's think wider and bigger. This is more of a scavenger hunt idea - do you look for cool things and what cool things have you found (whether a bargain or not)?
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HORDE REQUEST:
Next week's Hobby Threat requires Horde participation. Next week we will honor the Christmas ornament. Please send photos of ornaments from your collection to the Hobby Thread email address. What qualifies?
Could be something sentimental, something you made as a child or an adult, something special given to you, something you picked up on your travels, something whimsical or fun, something particularly novel, something really old, something handmade, something intricate or fancy, something irreverent and cheeky, etc.
I will be very disappointed if someone does not submit an ornament made of macaroni art.
Don't worry about sending your "favorite." We all know that many ornaments are treasures for different reasons.
If there is a story behind your photo, send a brief description. I may edit or inappropriately embellish, so be warned.
Send individual photos - one ornament for each photo (unless there is a cohesive set that go together). No limit, but the humble Hobby Thread only has so much space to work with.
I'm counting on you!!
Be ready with stories next week! (not this week)
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Impressive - but amazing that someone has a YT channel dedicated to curbside and dumpster and amazing so many people watch!
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Trade-offs of scrounging:
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I looked at several YouTube videos from people that scavenge using magnets in bodies of water (called "magnet fishing"). They pull up anchors, scrap metal, locks, fishing equipment, bicycles, and more. I was hoping to find a good one for the content, but ultimately got tired of the clickbait and opted for "none of the above."
Same for videos of people dumpster diving and picking up curbside junk. Amazing.
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Finding free lumber:
Tips - but look at the tools and organization behind him!
I'm a professional scavenger making a living selling curbside garbage. This blog details my finds and sales. It also acts as an archive for things beautiful and historic that would otherwise have been destroyed.
Coins, postcards, artwork, military medals, photos, catalogs, jewelry, pottery, trophies, and more. This blog looks like a slice through history and culture.
For years I have wandered around churches on days out, and am always drawn in by the colour and imagery of church kneelers. In amongst the grey stone and deep brown of the pews they sing out. They conjure up fantastical worlds filled with everything from the local swimming club to strange mythological beasts and heraldic crests. Three years ago on a trip to St Breaca Church in Breage, Cornwall, a towering pile of kneelers caught my attention. I snapped a photograph and so an obsession was born. I began The Church Kneeler Archive, where I actively collect and archive images of kneelers. I have travelled everywhere from the depths of West Yorkshire to the tip of Land's End in my pursuit of these tiny tapestries, and along the way I have made extraordinary discoveries.
Anyone make kneelers for their church?
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Random: anyone made your own barrels? I'd love to learn how to do this someday.
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an advent calendar 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 something from your personal hobbying. We will feature a different theme next time. What are you hobbying? We love showing off Horde hobbying. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.
Courtesy Hadrian the Seventh (who didn't put his nic in his email)
* * *
Meet The PetMorons
16 year old Spot
from the desk of "THE LORD PROTECTOR" the BIG "T"
Spot looks like a lovely, healthy kitty! And still a hunter?
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This is Tillie my 14 yr old Dachshund/Mix that went to heaven on Nov 24th. I had rescued her back in 2011 after losing my beloved Chou/Mix Sierra quite unexpectedly. Sierra had been my angel and her sudden loss had left a huge hole in my heart. Tillie was only 10 months old when I adopted her and she quickly healed my heart. She was just a few months shy of her 15th birthday when she passed. Over the years she was quite a handful sometimes but I'd do it all over again just to have her back.
She was around 1-2 yrs old in the first two photos and about 2-3 yrs old in the third photo. The second photo is her waiting for the squirrels to come down the trees (she loved chasing squirrels).
Wish to remain a lurker. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Tillie looks like a wonderful dog. So sorry that you have lost her, and also Sierra. The "waiting for squirrels" photo is endearing. Stay in touch.
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You asked about pet shelters. This is a small shed in the backyard I transformed into a stray cat shelter. I looked up instructions and followed them. Raised up off the ground. An ingress large enough for entry, but small enough to keep out the elements. Insulated with straw bales. It is shown with Sakura, who is the current stray yard khet. She isn't sold on it. And my hope is by feeding her near it, she will come to see it as a place to get out of the cold.
Victor Tango Kilo
Sakura may be a stray, but she's a pet. A lovely one.
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PetMoron Adjacent Animals
Encountered by Members of The Horde
Parakeets taking a bath this morning on Broadway in Garland Texas!
Eromero
Were they noisy?
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An American raccoon has been in the news recently. And By-Tor has raccoon visitors again.
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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.
Not a lot happening hee in the chilly DMV but I do have two spots of color. My Encore Azalea has not disappointed. Not a lot of blossoms but it's been in the thirties and I am still getting new buds and blossoms.
My Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter cactus is also in blossom. I will literally have flowers til Spring.
Sharon(willow's apprentice)
More from 58Mikie! (remember our special feature two weeks ago?)
Consumption of Hazelnuts is very healthy....high in folic acid for pregnant women, second highest nut in mono-unsaturated oil. The nut is high in oil but the good oil, (like an avocado or olive oil) which really does help reduce cholesterol.
Please see photos attached. The book is really good for Hazelnut recipes...tough to scan the pages on my scanner, but it is available on Amazon and I saw there was a listing for a "very good" used edition for $ 1.99....the Hazelnut salad recipe with broccoli is very good...once roasted Hazelnuts can be made into "butter" with a nut grinder like in stores or I think a Cuisinart type device.
I have always thought of hazelnuts in connection with Christmas and nutcrackers, but grinding them makes sense to me for most recipes.
Transitioning from Thanksgiving to Christmas; a project completed by a friend - Autumn Friendship Quilt:
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Gardens of The Horde
I got my Baker Creek catalog, so i'll be doind some armchair gardening. You decorating, shopping for the yard or anything?
Giving any garden presents? Seeds? Tools?
🍅🍅🍅❣️Tomatoes are incredibly rewarding to grow, but they can also be vexing, especially for beginning gardeners. Check out the basics in our new blog post, 'Tomatoes 101."https://t.co/qjwJzxVn48
This week, I have been thinking about how issues which have been in the background for a considerable amount of time suddenly become part of "The Narrative".
First up today, Ken Burns' new series on The American Revolution.
Timing: just before Christmas.
Questions:
Why does this series seem different from, say, his Civil War epic?
It's not long now until the 250th anniversary of the country. Has anything else about the Founding of the Country made the news lately? Why is Ken Burns introducing the subject?
Burns’ latest PBS six-episode documentary, The American Revolution, explores the founding of the United States and the subsequent war with the British Empire. It could have been an excellent start to the upcoming celebration of America’s 250th anniversary of the founding, but sadly, it steers away from celebration and emphasizes both explicit and implicit criticism of the Founders.
Within the first five minutes of the first episode, we are told that the Founders (specifically Benjamin Franklin) used the Iroquois “flourishing democracy” as a blueprint for the United States Constitution. The evidence, however, is sparse, if non-existent, in the documentary.
Franklin frequently commented on the lives of Native Americans, but we have to be careful how we evaluate Franklin’s words on the subject. He was famously satirical, whether he spoke about the British, Americans, or Indians. In a letter to James Parker, dated 20 March 1751, Franklin writes,
It would be a very strange Thing, if six Nations of ignorant Savages should be capable of forming a Scheme for such an Union, and be able to execute it in such a Manner, as that it has subsisted Ages, and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies, to whom it is more necessary, and must be more advantageous; and who cannot be supposed to want an equal Understanding of their Interests.
Much later, in 1784’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America,” Franklin speaks highly of the “Civility” of Indians in comparison to the Americans. However, he ends up satirically and equally alluding to a hypocrisy of both groups, as well as the human need to praise the group that he or she is part of.
But Burns doesn’t seem to be interested in nuance and leaves out certain complexities of political and philosophical thought. The entire series is devised around an oppressor-oppressed dialectic.
Concerning Benjamin Franklin and satire, I just read somewhere that the Founders didn't allow Franklin to write the Declaration of Independence because they thought he might include a joke in it somewhere.
Concerning Ken Burns, we do not need another oppressor-oppressed dialectic at this time.
After watching the entire series, Burns’ objective is to claim that principles played no role in the founding of the United States. Rather, it was based on low self-interest. But this creates a contradiction for Burns and his co-directors. One does not speak of liberty and yearning for it unless one has experienced tyranny. Tyranny creates destructive conditions for an individual, be it existentially, economically, or politically. As historian Bernard Bailyn says in the documentary, the creation of the United States is about the “struggles between the possibilities of power and liberty.” It still is. It would have behooved the filmmakers to include a few philosophical points about what the American mind truly is. And why the Americans have loved liberty and limited power.
Got any better ideas for recognizing the American Revolution as an important anniversary approaches?
Compare to the principles made clear in Sullivan Ballou's letter from the Ken Burns Civil War epic. There are versions of the letter floating around in which the part of Sullivan Ballou's letter to his wife concerning the future growth of their sons into "honorable manhood" has been removed. Could not upset The Left with a reference to "Manhood" once "gender" became an issue.
Was it when the NYT finally acknowledged that there were problems under the watch of Tim Walz? Was their piece a personal message to Tim Walz?
Was the NYT piece a response to the piece by Ryan Thorpe and Chris Rufo revealing that terrorists in Somalia were profiting from public program fraud in Minnesota?
If you have been tracking these issues over at Powerline, you know that they have been urging people to give credit to responsible prosecutors (for seven years!), to local reporters and to government whistleblowers who have not gotten much national attention. WHY?
Additionally, a little before the Thorpe/Rufo piece hit, a 7,000 word story was written by Armin Rosen in County Highway.
Thank you to the Wall Street Journal for graciously mentioning and quoting from Armin Rosen’s “superb” 7000 word report on the Minneapolis Somali welfare scams — and crediting local journalists.https://t.co/TzDBu4kZSA
So, when and why did this really become a national issue?
*
Rosen's X feed has been kind of interesting, whether you agree with it or not.
And here's the other thing, the third rail of this whole topic isn't immigration or Islamophobia or whatever—it's the, uh, frequency with which major politicians drift in and out of the margins of these schemes. It's not smart to go after an Ellison or an Ilhan or a Tim Walz…
The FBI apprehended the J6 pipe bomber, something the Biden FBI had somehow been unable to do. Weirdly, he turned out to be a left-wing extremist. The The FBI apprehended the J6 pipe bomber, something the Biden FBI had somehow been unable to do. Weirdly, he turned out to be a left-wing extremist. The Democrats chose their latest cause: standing up for Venezuela’s narco-terrorist regime. They advanced a novel “legal” theory, that it is perfectly OK to kill drug dealers in the Caribbean by blowing up their boat, but only if you do it in a single explosion. Makes perfect sense, just like how we fought World War II.
But the biggest story of the week was corruption in Minnesota–billions stolen from taxpayers, mostly by Somalis, under the somnolent eye of Governor Tim Walz. Actually, that was the big story of 2022, but better late than never. We welcome the national press to the fray, and have participated enthusiastically in their reprise of the stories we have been writing for years.
Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Since it is the Christmas Season, classical tunes will be shelved until 2026 or whenever it happens. Before entering the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in Minneapolis)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind, be nice.
3) Running with sharp objects will not be tolerated unless you have a note from a responsible adult.
4) 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:
10/22 – Pennsyltucky requested prayers for his dad, who underwent cancer surgery on 10/21. Everything seems to have gone well (they’re confident they got it all!) but due to his age, his hospital stay and convalescence will be longer than usual. Dad is doing well, is awake and alert. A full recovery is anticipated but it will take a while. Thank you so much.
11/6 Update – Pennsyltucky’s dad is out of the hospital and is now convalescing at home with the aid of home care nurse visits. He’s not able to walk very well, having spent so long in a hospital bed, but he’s in good spirits and improving daily. Thanks for your prayers!
10/27 – Polliwog the ‘Ette asked for prayers for her youngest daughter, "LK", who needs prayers for safety and peace, and her best friend "C" for health and that stress not cause a flare up of psoriatic arthritis as they and another roommate work with the police and the landlord to have the 4th roommate "M" evicted because she is threatening them and making the living situation a nightmare. “M” is bipolar and medicating with alcohol. Prayers for her healing and that she find salvation from the self-destructive path she's on would also be appreciated.
11/8 Update – The situation still needs lots of prayer. LK sand C have been staying at a hotel to avoid M, who wants to fight whenever she sees them. M is supposed to move out the end of Dec. but that seems like a very long time when C still needs to attend class and keep her arthritis in check.
11/5 – Mary Poppins’ Practically Perfect Piercing said he could use a prayer or two. He has a pain in his head which, it seems, is occipital neuralgia. It’s not fatal, thank heavens, but is painful until a proper treatment course is settled upon. Many thanks.
11/12 Update – Pronouns corrected above.
11/6 - D sent an update on his wife Susan, and her battle with cancer. He sent his thanks to everyone for the prayers. They are helping and much appreciated. Susan had an infection which is being treated, but her sodium levels are bad again. She will be sent home soon, but is on restrictive fluids until this is cleared up. The good news is that she has gained some weight back and her voice is much stronger now. Thank you, and please keep up the prayers. They appreciate everyone!
11/20 Update – Susan is out of the hospital, after 2 weeks. For the first time in months, she doesn’t have any drainage tubes. Chemo is on hold for the next 2 weeks, to give her time to rest, recover, and gain some weight back. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers – please continue them!
11/7 – BarelyScaryMary requested prayers for a friend, RJ, who is having heart issues. She will likely get stents or a bypass soon. Prayers are needed for RJ’s recovery, and also that she is able and willing to make the lifestyle changes necessary for her health.
11/13 Update – Stents were not an option for RJ, so she needs a bypass. She is waiting for the surgery to be scheduled. She is apprehensive about the surgery and recovery. Prayers are also needed for BarelyScaryMary’s dad, who is also having heart problems. Her mom could use prayers, too, as she is watching her husband of 60 years decline.
11/8 – Dash my lace wings had an urgent request for prayers for a co-worker and friend who is hospitalized with sepsis. It is extremely resistant to antibiotics and has attached to the artificial heart valve she got less than a year ago. Her situation is tenuous.
11/15 Update – The co-worker is healing. She was released from the hospital and is on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. Thank you for your prayers. We nearly lost her.
11/8 – Farmer Bob asked for prayers for his Uncle Richard’s MIL who passed away on 11/7, and for Richard’s wife Linda. Linda’s putting on a brave face and it was not unexpected, but it’s hard to lose your mother.
11/14 – Halfhand requested prayers for a sister whose husband recently passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. They had just upended their lives to move from California to Tennessee; now she is all alone.
11/15 – Smell the Glove asked for prayers for an 81 year-old aunt who has colon cancer. She is stopping chemo, since it’s not working and it’s tiring her out. Doctors will determine if any other treatment is proper.
11/29 Update – Thank you all for the prayers. The good Lord had another plan and the aunt passed away. She had taught at a Catholic school for over 20 years, raised 3 daughters and had 8 grandchildren. She also babysat Smell the Glove the first couple of years of life.
11/15 – Sponge posted an update on the “First lady”. She is doing OK from the surgery pain-wise, however it appears her compromised immune system from chemo is susceptible to viruses. She has been spiking a fever all weekend.
11/20 - Bluebell sent an update on grammie winger - good news! At her appointment, the doctor said her bloodwork is nearly perfect and her cancer cell count is dropping. She is in minimal pain. The chemo is working, thanks be to God! She will go back in 3 weeks for another round of chemo and then they will do a CT scan to see if she can have surgery to clean out the rest of the tumors. She is convinced – CONVINCED – that this is due in no small part to the treasured prayers of friends and family! They gave her weeks, and now she is looking at possible remission.
11/22 – Duke Lowell posted an update. He said that he is gradually starting to feel normal again, two months after his surgery. The main problem is that the effects of anesthesia are still suppressing his appetite.
11/22 – Commissar Hrothgar posted prayers for President Trump, to keep him safe from harm and may the many forces of evil arrayed against him and our country be made ineffective and come to naught.
11/22 – Oddbob requested prayers. He found out that his job is going away the end of December. They are a one-income family. He also requested prayers for another co-worker, who is in the same situation.
11/22 – Cosda sent an update on his wife’s condition. She started a year of immunotherapy in June for cancer. She is doing well with her treatments every three weeks, but her follow up dermatology scan found another mole with melanoma and 2 other abnormal and suspicious spots. She will be having more tissue removed from those areas for lab tests. Prayers are appreciated.
11/22 – The Walking Dude sent an update. We prayed for his mom in August, when she fell and broke her hip. She is 90 years old. She is still in the hospital but has been transferred to a better rehab run by the Masons. They are unsure if she will ever get out. Please pray for her recovery and return home.
11/24 – Bulg requested prayers for a neighbor who has cancer, and also prayers for his son and two of his friends, who are moving into a rental house in Arlington, VA on 11/28. Prayers for the 3 of them, that they may live together contentedly, and prayers for Bulg and his wife as they adjust to their son’s absence.
11/26 Update – The neighbor passed away on 11/24. Prayers are needed for the neighbor’s husband, Steve, as he grieves. They had no children.
11/29 – From about That Time asked for prayers after a lymphoma diagnosis. From about That Time has already begun chemo, and the kids and granddaughter had fun cutting off a ponytail and shaving hair in preparation.
12/1 – P received news that her 24 year old daughter has changed her name to a male name and had “top surgery”. P needs wisdom as to how to speak to her, and also how to speak with P’s other children, in a loving but honest way. Also, that God will use this to turn all their hearts back to Him.
12/3 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted an update. She had an MRI on 12/3, and will meet with the oncologist on 12/4, the surgeon on 12/8, and the surgery on 12/11. This is a good thing, because it looks like more tumors are starting to crop up in her liver. It doesn’t appear to have spread beyond there yet, thank goodness.
12/4 – E asked for prayers as she will be having surgery in two weeks. She is nervous, but everyone she has spoken with has nothing but good things to say about the surgeon, and she is looking forward to being on the other side of it. Please pray that all will go according to God’s will and that His name will be glorified.
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.
Not because I particularly need a new system, though this one is a lot better than my two existing Beelink units (twice the speed, memory*, and storage).
Mostly because it comes with 64GB of RAM and only costs $50 more than the RAM alone.
Looks like it's completely sold out in the US already.
Update: Placed the order just four hours ago and it's already shipped. Should have it by Friday.
* The existing units only came with 8GB of RAM, so as shipped the new one has eight times as much. But I already had RAM for those left over from upgrading my laptops, back when that was cheap to do.
That's a little unfair. Logitech's webcams use discriminative AI to keep you centered in the frame, for example, and to mute background noise. Other companies, though:
Faber argued that the wave of AI-first gadgets released over the past year remains untethered from a clear purpose. Products such as the Humane AI Pin - acquired by HP in February - and Rabbit R1 launched with the promise of replacing parts of the smartphone experience, only to draw criticism for slow performance, limited features, and subscription-driven pricing.
The upcoming unnamed product from OpenAI looks to be another screenless phone piece of overpriced junk.
Their reception has shaped the debate around whether a general-purpose assistant belongs in a dedicated device at all. According to Faber, these early efforts solve little that a phone or PC cannot already handle, which is a view that has gained traction as both devices incorporate larger on-device models and tighter integrations with cloud assistants.
As annoying as AI is, dedicated AI devices are even worse.
That's Intel as a manufacturer, not Intel as a designer. They'll still be "Apple Silicon", but Apple has booked space on Intel's 18A production line to start fabricating chips now that TSMC is 100% sold out.
According to court documents, Muneeb Akhter deleted roughly 96 databases containing U.S. government information in February 2025, including Freedom of Information Act records and sensitive investigative documents from multiple federal agencies.
One minute after deleting a Department of Homeland Security database, Muneeb Akhter also allegedly asked an artificial intelligence tool for instructions on clearing system logs after deleting a database.
Fill the cell in with cement. Then go after whoever hired these people.
The Daily Wire reported Thursday evening that Cole comes from a family deeply entrenched in left-wing activism.
Weeks before the alleged bombings, Cole worked for his father's bail bond company, which specialized in freeing illegal immigrants and even sued the Trump administration's DHS over immigration enforcement.
...
Later in 2021, the company held a press conference bemoaning anti-black racism with a left-wing attorney. Cole Sr. and Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, attempted to sic the Biden Department of Justice on a local Tennessee prosecutor who had raised questions about the bail bond company.
Cole and his father ran multiple bail bond companies specializing in helping illegal immigrants avoid jail. Public records show the father relocated to Knoxville, Tenn., around 2017. One company even sued the Trump administration's DHS over immigration policies, claiming its clients were unfairly penalized when they missed court dates, but the D.C. Court of Appeals rejected all their claims just weeks before Cole allegedly planted pipe bombs. In fact, Cole Jr. had already been buying bomb-making parts as early as May 2019 -- long before any disputes over election results.
But on Friday morning, the mainstream media started pushing the narrative that Cole is a Trump supporter who "believed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election."
"The man charged with planting two pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican party headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol told the FBI he believed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the matter," NBC News reported.
CNN published the same story. See the link for that.
Noted Fusion Slut and RussiaGate Hoaxer Natasha Bertrand is pushing this story too:
How many trillions does the Racism, Inc. grift cost us?
[T]here's one aspect of this industrial-scale robbery of the American people that feels especially chilling: It's this: When officials raised concerns about one of the Somali scams, the scammers threatened to publicly brand them as "racist."
You will be tarred with the brush of "racism," the fraudsters warned, and it will be "sprawled all over the news."
And here's the thing: it worked.
The officials crumbled in the face of the scammers' shameless playing of the "racism" card.
They carried on funding what they suspected was a sketchy outfit, so desperate were they to avoid being called "racist.".
This reveals a chilling truth not only about Minnesota but about the West more broadly.
It speaks to the lethal power of the racism grift.
It confirms that accusations of "racism" have become a key weapon in the armory of the duplicitous.
Even the state itself can now be cowed by mere whispers of the r-word.
It was Feeding Our Future that aroused the suspicion of state officials.
The Minnesota Department of Education was alarmed by the number of "feeding sites" that were popping up.
Yet the Somali scammers knew how to silence their doubters -- just cry "racism."
You will be in trouble if you fail to fund "minority-owned businesses," they said, and the Department of Education buckled.
"The money kept flowing," as one report says.
It was blackmail. Minnesota officials essentially handed wads of cash to the scammers to buy their silence, to shush their talk of "racism."
They gave away the taxes of working-class Americans in order to save their own bureaucratic skin -- such is the hypnotic power of the "racism" panic.
And it's not just in the United States; throughout the Western world, state officials are so scared of being called racist that they'll even turn a blind eye to criminal behavior.
Here in the UK, the "grooming gang" scandal was underpinned by the same moral cowardice.
White working-class girls in towns across England were raped by gangs of men from mostly Pakistani backgrounds, and everyone from cops to politicians looked the other way.
Why? Because, as one inquiry found, they feared "being thought of as racist."
Forget the trillions of dollars stolen -- how many needless deaths does the Racism, Inc. scam cost us?
As Soros spokesman Michael Vachon admitted, "We started a movement . . . the knee-jerk, so-called tough-on-crime philosophy has been discredited in many communities."
He is right, and the results are catastrophic.
The foundational belief these progressive DAs share is that systemic social change, not aggressive prosecution, is the answer to crime.
...
It meant the effective elimination of criminal justice, putting more criminals -- even repeat offenders -- back on the streets.
This week an NYU student was assaulted in Greenwich Village by James Rizzo, a recidivist criminal with 16 arrests and a lengthy record of assaulting women.
Last week in Chicago Lawrence Reed, a man with a 72-arrest record and eight felony convictions, set a young woman on fire on the CTA Blue Line.
In Denver last month, repeat offender Charles Cooley broke into the home of Kevin and Sarah Root. After posting a $500 surety bond, Cooley is back on the street ("awaiting trial").
And these harrowing stories aren't one-offs; they reflect the data showing how Soros-backed prosecutors worsened crime.
In 2021 Philadelphia, under Soros DA Larry Krasner, broke its all-time murder record -- as did 12 other cities with progressive DAs.
In Chicago under DA Kim Foxx, overall reported crime skyrocketed by 369% between 2019 and 2023, driven largely by huge jumps in property crimes like motor vehicle theft.
Other major cities saw similar spikes.
In Oregon, under the direction of Soros-funded DA Mike Schmidt, drug decriminalization policies coincided with a huge spike in drug overdose fatalities, which more than tripled from 280 in 2019 to 956 in 2022.
Adam Carolla has been pointing out that ball-less leftist "men" have been crossing their legs like women for years.
Tim Walz, who has joked about "getting some news" about Trump being murdered and never apologized for it, is now complaining that people are shouting out "Retard!" at him after Trump declared him to be "seriously retarded."
People are driving by his house and shouting "Retard!" And this fat retarded queen is very angry about it.
JUST IN: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is now whining that people are driving by his house yelling “retard” and pouting that Republicans won’t rush to defend him.
Did he not forget he was calling Trump and his supporters fascists and equating them to Hitler? This guy is a joke! pic.twitter.com/GEdcNjU4yK
Bret Weinstein just said something that won't leave my head:
For the first time in 300,000 years of human evolution, we removed the cost from the single biggest reward nature ever invented -- sex and pair-bonding.
Reliable birth control + abortion = you can now cash the evolutionary lottery ticket without paying the 20-year mortgage of pregnancy, diapers, sleepless nights, and college funds.
Result? An entire generation of 18--35-year-olds walking around with the energy, libido, hormones, and protective instincts that evolution spent millions of years calibrating for child-rearing... but with zero actual children. That energy didn't disappear. It got redirected.
Heather Heying's observation is brutal: young women especially began treating ideologies the exact way evolution wired them to treat babies. Climate change, social justice, whatever the cause of the month is -- it gets defended with literal mama-bear ferocity, the same neurochemistry that once guarded a toddler from predators now guards an abstract idea from wrong think.
And now Elon is promising the second shoe is about to drop: AI-driven abundance will make money as "free" as sex became in the 1970s. Both of evolution's primary carrots -- mating and resource acquisition suddenly cost almost nothing.
Weinstein's ice-cold question: When producing and protecting actual children is no longer the central organizing principle of adult life... and when creating wealth is no longer required for status, security, or attracting a mate...What is left to give a human life direction, meaning, and structure?
Are we about to become a species that invents bigger and bigger dragons to slay just to feel alive? Or do we drift into total listlessness? This 3:52 clip is genuinely haunting.
Watch it all the way through, then tell me -- honestly -- does this explain the absolute intensity we're seeing in culture right now, or is Bret completely missing something?
Well, bamboo is actually a type of grass, and underground, it's all connected in a sprawling network, just like the parts of this story I never wanted to tell. I wish I hadn't been put in this position, that I didn't have to write about any of this, that I didn't have to subject myself or my loved ones to embarrassment and further loss of privacy.
We're back to the fucking bamboo. Guys, I don't think I can pay for bamboo ruminations.
I think he added that because he was embarrassed about all the bamboo imagery from Part 1. He's justifying his twin obsessions: His ex, and bamboo. Which is not a tree but a kind of grass, he'll have you know.
On Tuesday, the book arrived in stores. At lunchtime, in the Midtown Manhattan nexus of media and publishing, interest in Nuzzi's story seemed more muted. The Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue had seven copies tucked into a "New & Notable" rack next to the escalator, below Malala Yousafzai's "Finding My Way." Not many had sold so far, a store employee said.
A few blocks uptown, at a branch of the local independent chain McNally Jackson Books, a few volumes lay on a table of new and noteworthy nonfiction near the front of the store. No one was lining up to get them, or even browsing. Bookseller Alex Howe told CNN around 3 p.m. that though the store had procured "several dozen" copies, not a single one had yet sold -- a figure he said was surprising, considering how many people in media and publishing work in the area.
"We ordered a lot and so far, people have not been beating down the door," Howe said. "I'm not sure where we're gonna put them because right now, supply is outpacing demand." (A manager at McNally Jackson noted that Howe was speaking only in a personal capacity, not as a representative of the store.)
She trashes Ryan Lizza for his "Revenge Porn" here. Emily Jashinsky says that when the Bulwark's gay grifter Tim Miller asked why she didn't report on the (alleged) use of ketamine by RFKJr., she broke down in tears and asked to end the interview.
Podcast: Sefton is back with CBD to discuss killing narco-terrorists (we are both for it!), the TN special election, Trump's communication skills, and more!
Incumbent Senator John Cornyn (RINO - TX) betrayed his party and his country by voting in favor Biden's Afghan resettlement bill in 2021. Cornyn voted to bring in the Afghan who shot two National Guard soldiers on US soil. A vote for Cornyn is an endorsement of importing unvetted, radicalized murderers. [Buck]
Podcast: Jim Lakely of Heartland Institute joins CBD for a discussion of their recent polling that shows a majority of 18-39s want socialism, the Epstein files, what will Mamdani do, and more!
Podcast: Buck Throckmorton joins us for a wide-ranging discussion about the cultural and business shift away from the insanity of EVs and Climate Religion, his calm perspective on last week's election, Tucker is a toad, and more!
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FenelonSpoke:
"From this article at "American Greatness" defendin ..."
Gaijin on the train.
Philip's inability to FAKE attachment is very American, and of course why we like him.
This gig, which happens immediately after Philip accepts the job, made me a bit nervous about what might come next.
It's nice to see small businesses thriving in Japan. Even if they're fundamentally very weird.
