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
CES 2026 starts tomorrow, so - given the frivolities of time zones - I will likely be inundated with stories then. Today is the calm before the storm of products you can't afford, can't buy, or can't avoid.
Sunday Overnight Open Thread 01/04/2026: Lazy Winter Edition [Doof]
—Open Blogger
Good evening, Horde! It's Sunday night in the depths of winter 2026, the perfect time to kick back and ignore the looming Monday. Welcome to the Overnight Thread - your no-judgment zone for snark, strong drinks, and whatever random thoughts are rattling around in your skull after a weekend of questionable decisions.
Ah, the innocence. Back when a smiling housewife could sell you cigarettes and floor wax in the same breath.
-----
Speaking of housewives, how about a little retro snack to support eating healthier in 2026?
21 oz crabmeat
2 packages lime flavor gelatin dessert
2 tsp salt
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp onion juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups sour cream
1 cup finely chopped, drained unpeeled cucumber
Few drops green food coloring
3 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp cream
Chicory, watercress or parsley
Flake crab or krab, saving sections for garnish.
Dissolve lime gelatin and salt in boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add vinegar, onion juice, Worcestershire sauce. Chill slightly until thickened.
Fold in sour cream. Blend well. Fold in cucumber and crab (or krab).
Add enough green coloring to give a medium green tone to the mixture.
For mold, use lightly oiled 6-cup capacity funnel, available in hardware stores. Plug the hole at base with foil, pour in a little gelatin and chill to keep remaining gelatin from leaking out. Stand filled funnel upright in a large measuring cup. Chill until firm.
Unmold, mash cream cheese, stirring in cream. Beat until soft and fluffy. Frost top of the mountain to look like snow. Garnish around the mold with greens and remaining crab chunks
-----
You can’t serve this without a cocktail: 1950s Cocktails to Shake Up Your Night (we have stocked all the ingredients at the bar):
The Martini (The Ultimate Sophisticate)
Dry, gin-based martinis epitomized 1950s cool—James Bond ordered his "shaken, not stirred" in 1953's Casino Royale. Often extra-dry with just a whisper of vermouth.
Classic 1950s Recipe:
• 2½ oz gin
• ½ oz dry vermouth
• Olive or lemon twist garnish
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe
-----
Grasshopper (Creamy Mint Dream)
Invented earlier but peaked in the '50s as a vibrant after-dinner treat.
Recipe:
• 1 oz green crème de menthe
• 1 oz white crème de cacao
• 1 oz heavy cream
Shake with ice, strain into coupe
-----
Stinger (Post-Dinner Digestif)
A sophisticated brandy-cognac combo popular among the elite.
Recipe:
• 1½ oz cognac
• ¾ oz white crème de menthe
Shake or stir, strain
-----
Pink Squirrel
Born in the '40s but a '50s staple in supper clubs—pink, nutty, and indulgent.
Recipe:
• 1 oz crème de noyaux (almond liqueur)
• 1 oz white crème de cacao
• 1 oz heavy cream
Shake, strain
-----
Classic 1950s Zombie Recipe (1956 Waikiki Variation)
This is a prominent 1950s version served at Donn's Hawaii locations—sweeter and more pineapple-forward than the original.
Ingredients:
• ¾ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz white grapefruit juice (fresh)
• 1½ oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• ¾ oz maraschino liqueur (e.g., Luxardo)
• ¼ oz velvet falernum
• ¼ tsp grenadine
• 1¼ oz gold Puerto Rican rum (e.g., Bacardi 8 or similar)
• 1 oz dark Jamaican rum (e.g., Appleton Estate or Coruba)
• 1 oz 151-proof Demerara rum (e.g., Lemon Hart or Hamilton)
• ⅛ tsp (about 6-8 drops) Pernod or absinthe
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• ¾ cup (6 oz) crushed ice
Instructions:
1. Add all ingredients to a blender.
2. Flash-blend at high speed for no more than 5 seconds (just to incorporate—over-blending dilutes it).
3. Pour unstrained into a tall Zombie glass, chimney glass, or tiki mug.
4. Top with more crushed ice to mound above the rim.
5. Garnish extravagantly: mint sprig, pineapple fronds, orchid if available, or a spent lime shell with 151 rum floated and lit for drama
***
'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.
------
New Year's Eve was an opportunity for movers and shakers to show off their party threads.
Melania is hot!
Rita Ora is not!
What did YOU wear on New Year's Eve?
-----
Thanks, Piper -- and Happy New Year!
***
DJ Doof - Guess The Theme
Difficulty level 3 out of 5.
What's the common thread / common meaning / common leitmotif?
***
Weekly commenter stats for week of 01-04-2026
AoSHQ Commenter Statistics:
Number of posts: 82
Number of comments: 25713
Number of unique hashes: 1676
Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [353 names] 'Cookers Granny Groupie' [50.13 unique names/day]
2 [263 names] 'Quarter Twenty '
3 [118 names] 'Ooo eee ooo ah ahhh'
4 [74 names] 'Night Court Judge Imklos'
5 [69 names] 'mindful webworker - unrecognizable'
6 [61 names] 'President Donald J. Trump, Shot Caller With All The Keys'
7 [45 names] 'Duncanthrax'
8 [35 names] 'mikeski'
9 [34 names] 'Intercepted Reddit Transmissions brought by the Intrepid AoS Liaison'
10 [32 names] 'toby928(c)'
***
Tonight’s ONT is brought to you by truth in advertising
Tonight's ONT was concocted by Doof Enterprises, LLC. There may or may not have been a mix up in the assignments for tonight. We do our best to keep functions assigned to the properly trained personnel, but sometimes, employees take matters into their own hands and play "whatever you can do, I can do better". Apologies offered to those who are dissatisfied.
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.
Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!
Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the First January Edition? For the last week your ol' pal Weasel has been nursing a head cold with varying degrees of success. I think it's on the way out, but still feel kind of sickly, pitiful and wee. If you hear snoring, it's me in bed with a box of Kleenex and two little dogs.
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
Did you make "faithful adherence to fundamentals" your New Year's resolution?
******
Revolver Showdown!
With our pal 'Jer'
******
What Is Headspace?
***
******
Our Pal The Vernier Scale
******
Brass Cleaning Ripoffs
**
More Telephone Relays!
Last week we had a look at wire spring type relays, and this week we look at U and Y type relays!!
***
******
Ax Weasel
Q: Weasel, who invented the zip tie?
A: See below.
******
Highway Patrol!
This week's episode: Stripped Cars!
******
The Slime People!
******
Build Your Own Cigar Chair!
******
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?
[A dip into the vast archives of AoSHQ...And from the beginning of the Scamdemic no less! It's also fun to see a few call-outs to old commenters...]
One of the many things that strikes me as odd is the proliferation of packaged popcorn. Take a stroll down the snack aisle of your local market and I'll bet you can find several different brands and packaging and flavors of pre-made popcorn.
But....why? It is incredibly simple to make, and the home kitchen version is miles better than the ridiculously expensive store stuff. I don't know how much the raw materials cost, but I wouldn't be surprised if the processing and packaging was many multiples of the cost of the corn.
And to top it off, making popcorn is fun! it sounds great, the house smells really good, and hell, you can flavor it with pretty much anything you want. In no particular order there is butter and Parmesan and black pepper and olive oil and sugar and chocolate and a host of other fun things, not to mention that old reliable...salt! I recall a fad a few years ago of restaurants serving truffled popcorn as a snack. And it was good. Because popcorn is good.
And it is miles better than when we were kids. I will often pop up a batch and discover no unpopped kernals, and that is a far cry from my youth, when the unpopped ones numbered in the dozens.
One of the ways I and I am sure many others are amusing themselves during this enforced homebody experiment is going spelunking in the freezer and refrigerator and cupboards.
I dug up a two-pound bag of cauliflower and various bits and pieces of cheese. Bechamel, grated cheese, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg (mostly for tradition) and we are off to the races. Because I am stupid and can't remember a damned thing, I forgot to add sauteed garlic, which I think will complete the dish.
******
Oh man, I love beef ribs. These are commenter "SkinnerVic's" version, and they look great! I am jealous, because it is tough to find good and meaty ones around here. They are usually scraped clean by the butchers who are obviously trimming them off for boneless roasts.
******
Remember the dry-looking brisket from last week? Yeah...this isn't it.
From commenter '"Stacey0311" comes some delectable looking brisket that she quite rudely did not invite me over for!
I've been doing brisket for about 20 years now.
It's always a learning experience.
Have only smoked, never baked, crockpot or other techniques.
Wood is critical to smoking. I used to use straight mesquite but have switched to pecan or post oak with mesquite added for flavor.
Used to do a multi spice rub but have switched to just salt and pepper.
All done in an offset smoker so not sure how it's done in a pellet of Green Egg type smoker.
******
From commenter "ibguy" comes a twitter link to a very strange person cooking some food that seems appropriate to a 3:00am dorm meal...
Behold...Totwaffles!
******
This actually looks pretty good, in a profoundly disturbing way...
From long-time commenter "All Hail Eris" comes the "Bat Flu-zy."
2 oz vodka
1 oz Midori
Juice of one lime
1 can sparkling water (lime flavor)
1 packet Emergency-C
Stir with ice, pour into large glass
On second thought...
******
Judging by the number of emails I got on the subject, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp has occupied the minds of you lunatics for years.
Try this technique;
wrap the bacon in a coil and pierce it with a toothpick.
Spread the coil out along the skewer so some of its outside coils are wider than the shrimps bite diameter. Those shrimp you have waiting in a
nearby colander.
Bacon coil is now tight to loose at outer circumference.
The tighter inner part should cook slower making it easier to remove.
Bake the bacon coils until just shy of desired doneness. Outer edge doneness is the important spot.
Remove from oven and let rest in a closed plastic bag until cool.
Cooling in bag should prevent fat from getting too crispy for next step.
Remove from bag and snip the inside bacon coil making space for the shrimp.
Swear at bacon coil like old drill sergeant telling it to get its act together.
You want to see hospital corners on that shrimp.
Combine shrimp, bacon coil and toothpick in same general hole as before... Pray...cook shrimp and bacon wrap together for couple minutes, gingerly turning wraps.
good luck,
shane
******
Keep it light folks. There is plenty of time and there will be plenty of threads in the weeks to come to talk about Mu Goo Gai Pandemic, so please stick to more pleasant topics....
******
Food and cooking tips, Large-breasted Muscovy ducks, young wild pigs, bartenders who use vermouth in Martinis, crisp bacon (although I am moving toward less crisp), low-temperature-roast chicken, and good tomatoes that aren't square, pale pink and covered with Mestizo E.coli: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com. Any advocacy of French Toast with syrup will result in disciplinary action up to and including being nuked from orbit. And yes, shaking a Manhattan is blasphemy...it's in the Bible!
That lock got heavy use for many years, and it simply wore out. The Baldwin Company stood by their warranty and sent me new guts for the lock, which is a very gratifying thing.
But...it also required a new face plate (is it called an escutcheon for a lock?).
We were promised forever wars by the bien pensants, and President Trump has disappointed us greatly.
The surgical strike on Iran's major nuclear facilities was a superb example of American technological superiority, logistics skill, intelligence capability, war planning, and above all, the marvel of the American military unleashed to do what they do better than any other military in the history of the world...kill people and break things.
It was no carefully titrated and calibrated attack designed to "send a message." No empty buildings far from everything were destroyed. No warning was issued...no dangerous and counterproductive rules of engagement (ROE) were handed down from the White House. The mission was given to our military, and they were trusted to complete it in the best way possible. And that meant flying more than 7,000 miles with multiple refuelings, and dropping the largest conventional bombs in our inventory onto targets that were just a few meters in diameter. The bombers were protected by the most advance military aircraft on earth. An Ohio class submarine also launched cruise missiles from...who knows where...to complete the destruction of the targets.
No losses of any kind. No leaks from a formerly porous Pentagon and administration. Nothing but a clear and unambiguous military action that was successful in its mission, and also made clear to the world that the United States Military is a force unlike anything they have ever seen.
Yesterday the rest of the military said, "hold my beer," and captured the head of the Venezuela cartel, otherwise known as the "President" of Venezuela. Maduro and his wife were taken from the heart of the country, and are now in jail in NYC. No loss of life, no equipment was lost, and the mission seems to have gone exactly as planned. Tellingly, there was no leaking before the fact, as has been the pathetic case for years. Delta Force and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment did their jobs well, which means they demonstrated that they are perhaps the best in the world.
Without the political and social binds of an insanely woke, globalist administration, the United States military showed what they are made of. Secretary Hegseth has clearly had an outsized influence on our armed forces, and an even bigger one on the previously unaccountable mandarins who thought they ran our military. He has purged or compartmentalized them so they can do no damage. He has unleashed the traditional and ferocious martial spirit of America, and our military responded overwhelmingly. No more struggle sessions...no more transsexual lunacy...no more race-baiting. Just fine Americans doing what they have been trained to do.
And that IS a message...to the world. Sure, Iran will spout their typical vitriol, but they know that we are now serious, and have the capacity to back up our words with actions. But more importantly it is a message to those who would interfere with the countries in our back yard. The new Monroe Doctrine (The Donroe Doctrine?) is being fleshed out, and it is no coincidence that conservative leaders are arising in Central and South America. They know they have a friend in America.
Hopefully that doesn't mean "Nation Building" like the vile Bush wing of the Republican party loved to do, and failed at. But the President has already said that we will be running Venezuela only until they sort out their own mess, which is quite different than the open-ended quagmires we have been in over the last 20+ years.
President Trump seems to want a strong and free Western Hemisphere, unburdened by the hangover of Soviet socialism or Chinese expansionism. And that is a fine plan, because with strength and freedom comes free markets and wealth and emergence from the 3rd world squalor that has enveloped much of the region, courtesy of socialism!
Am I entirely happy with the way the President decapitated Venezuela? No. In a perfect world he would have consulted our representatives in Congress, but they have made it perfectly clear that they cannot be trusted to support the best interests of the country, or oppose the administration in a principled way.
So what President Trump did was the next best thing, and it is also in the best interest of the American people!
Good morning, book lovers! CBD was kind enough – or foolish enough, depending on your view – to ask me to host a Sunday Book Thread, and so here I am.
If you were around when the Book Thread posted pictures of my home library a while back, you might have noticed that one set of shelves contained books on true crime and mystery, which is going to be today’s topic. I, myself, make a distinction between the two: ‘true crime’ is something like Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden or the Son of Sam. A ‘mystery’ would be something unexplainable, such as Offyreus and his perpetual motion machine, the Bermuda Triangle or the vanishing of Richard Colvin Cox. Of course, some of these can be combinations; the Borden case is both true crime (her parents were axed to death) and a mystery (who did it and how?). I’m going to highlight a few books in each category that I enjoy.
Jack the Ripper: probably the most famous of true crimes, and probably the one with the looniest suggested solutions (ask me about Lewis Carroll as the Ripper. Yes, seriously). The gold standard for years was Donald Rumbelow’s Jack the Ripper: The Complete Casebook (1988). Rumbelow, a former Metropolitan Police officer, gives a detailed history not only of the murders, but also the social and political scene in 1888 London. Although he never endorses a suspect, as a man on the inside, he has valuable thoughts as to why the police were never able to bring the Ripper to heel.
The late historian Philip Sugden tackled the Autumn of Terror with a doorstop of a tome, The Complete History of Jack the Ripper (2002). He covers the same areas as Rumbelow, but in much deeper detail, as well as assessing the major candidates for Jack. He comes cautiously down on the side of the barber Severin Klosowski, but admits that the case against him is far from proven. This is the book to have if you want a thorough analysis of the murders.
Other crimes: the publisher Carroll & Graf has a series, The Mammoth Book of , which covers everything from true crime to SF, history and beyond. If you’re looking for something to dip into at a spare moment, pick up The Mammoth Book of Unsolved Crimes (1999). The big ones are there – the Ripper, the Zodiac, the Black Dahlia – as well as the more obscure, but no less mystifying – the killing of Mary Rogers, the death of Bella Wright and the absolutely baffling poisoning of Lieutenant Hubert Chevis.
Mysteries: in my experience, books about ‘unsolved mysteries’ or ‘mysteries of the unknown’ are generally superficial and cover the same topics over and over again – the Nazca lines, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the riddle of the Mary Celeste – lots of sizzle, not much steak. I have a number of them in my collection, but if I were recommending to you, I’d start with The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Mysteries by Colin and Damon Wilson (1988 ). The father-and-son team split entries between them: Colin tackles psychic powers and haunted locations (UFOs, the Barbados Vault) while Damon speculates on ‘historic’ mysteries (the treasure of Rennes-le-Château, the Shroud of Turin). A little outdated in places and in spots rather outré, but nice to settle down with on a cold winter’s day.
In the 1970s, a research librarian named Lawrence David Kusche got tired of being asked about the Bermuda Triangle and decided to compile an easily-accessible dossier that he could forward to anyone interested. To his surprise, the more he looked into the ‘curse’ of the Triangle, the more he realized that almost every vanishing or oddity was either a lie or had a perfectly rational explanation. He compiled his work into The Bermuda Triangle Mystery - Solved (1995), which covers all of the major Triangle ‘mysteries:’ the Mary Celeste, Flight 19, the Marine Sulphur Queen and provides weather reports, Air Force briefings and newspaper accounts which destroy the common narrative of the ‘Vile Vortice.’ An absolute must.
What about you? What crimes or mysteries hold your attention? Which would you like to see solved?
"What's likely going on is a mix-up with real events that are often described in dramatic or misleading ways online. Here's what actually has happened:
What the U.S. did not do
❌ No U.S. military invasion of Venezuela
❌ No arrest or capture of Nicolás Maduro
❌ No overthrow of the Venezuelan government by U.S. forces
Maduro is still in power in Venezuela."
I have used Grok as an augmented search tool on occasion and it's often pretty good. When you don't know the exact name of what you are looking for it will match things up better than Google.
Sometimes it misses things or simply gets it wrong, but I haven't seen it get things this wrong. (Grok told me in answer to a poorly-worded question, "No, the US did not capture Nicolás Maduro today. It happened yesterday." which was true at least in my own time zone.)
"Pure LLMs are inevitably stuck in the past, tied to when they are trained, and deeply limited in their inherent abilities to reason, search the web, 'think' critically, etc.," says Gary Marcus, a cognitive scientist and author of Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us. While human intervention can fix glaring problems like the Maduro response, Marcus says, that doesn't address the underlying problem. "The unreliability of LLMs in the face of novelty is one of the core reasons why businesses shouldn't trust LLMs."
This problem has been greatly alleviated by AI providers enabling live search, which loads fresh data into the context window - the AI equivalent of short-term memory.
But it can't be properly fixed without continual learning, which is an unsolved problem with LLMs.
It's not a high-end card, but it's competent and comes with 10GB of VRAM, the early driver issues that plagued the previous generation have been resolved, and, well, it costs $199.
If that's all you want to spend it's a solid option.
The story cites an unnamed German distributor cancelling orders by retailers, saying that stock of the RTX 5070 is limited, and the 5070 Ti, 5080, and 5090 are not available at all.
Predictions were that price hikes and shortages would start from the low end, particularly the 16GB models of the 5060 Ti and 9060 XT, so this is a little surprising.
Nvidia of course does not care. It has long since ceased being a consumer-focused company.
(I've already ordered everything I need for at least three years that involves memory chips, but if you haven't, you might want to check for bargains while they last.)
These are minor but welcome refreshes, replacing some older features like DVI ports that were largely obsolete even five years ago with more modern DisplayPort, um, ports.
Humans don't just learn through language; we learn by experiencing how the world works. But LLMs don't really understand the world; they just predict the next word or idea. That's why many researchers believe the next big leap will come from world models: AI systems that learn how things move and interact in 3D spaces so they can make predictions and take actions.
Saturday Night "Club ONT" January 3, 2026 [The 3 Ds]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to first Club ONT of 2026. A collaboration the 3D's - The Disco, The Dino, and The Doggo. New Year wishes to you: May your coffee be strong, your Wi-Fi stable, and commenting be witty.
Did you get a new calendar? Mark Club ONTs for each 2026 Saturday - in pen.
[Top photo: Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD]
On New Year’s Eve, Marilyn stood up in the local pub and said that it was time to get ready. At the stroke of midnight, she wanted every husband to be standing next to the one person who made his life worth living.
As the clock struck the bartender was almost crushed to death.
-----
How does a pre-teen celebrate the new year?
The Ball Drop.
-----
A doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party. Their conversation was constantly interrupted by people describing their ailments and asking the doctor for free medical advice.
After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor asked the lawyer, "What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?"
"I give it to them," replied the lawyer, "and then I send them a bill."
The doctor was shocked, but agreed to give it a try.
The next day, still feeling slightly guilty, the doctor prepared the bills. When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer.
Directions
Place ice into a tall 16-ounce glass. Pour in vodka and coffee liqueur, then fill to within 1 inch of the rim with cola. Fill to within 1/2 inch of the rim with light cream, and stir to blend.
Cheers to another year of freedom. Hope all stayed out of jail on NYE - after you hit 29, it's kind of the expectation.
Let's tour some old jails and prisons.
Opening with the prisons of Venice.
Both the Pozzi and Piombi found in the Doge Palace. Fantastic reading at the link - brief description of Casanova's escape from the Lead Chambers, and a architectural rendering of the layout.
High above the pozzi, tucked beneath the palace’s lead roof, lay the piombi—the Lead Chambers. These cells, while still prisons, offered a stark contrast to the wells below. Natural light filtered through small openings, and prisoners could at least breathe relatively fresh air.
The irony was cruel: in summer, the lead roof turned these chambers into furnaces, while winter transformed them into freezers. Yet for those accused of lesser crimes—political dissidents, minor thieves, or those who had merely offended the wrong noble—the piombi represented salvation compared to the alternative.
Cebu Prison, Philippines
You’ve probably seen their video of Michael Jackson’s Thriller; this is due to Cebu Prison’s exercise program that consists of inmates dancing in sync. The warden was allegedly inspired by a scene from the “Shawshank Redemption,” giving birth to a viral sensation. The prison now does live shows and inmates perform at charities, and are even paid for their work.
Of course, Norway.
Bastoey Island low security prison, Norway
Norway is home to the world’s first eco-friendly prison. It uses solar panels for energy, produces most of its own food, recycles everything and tries to reduce its carbon footprint. The solar panels have cut the facility’s power needs by 70 percent. Bastoey has also tapped grants from environmental bodies to help it produce high-quality, organic food. Surplus that isn’t cooked in the prison kitchens is sold to other prisons. The prison has also gained international fame for how it treats its prisoners; it resembles a summer camp, with tennis, horseback riding and swimming.
Did you know that Blondie's "Heart of Glass" was originally recorded as a slower funk/reggae version called "Once I Had Love" or just "The Disco Song."
-----
Did you know that "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison was originally called "Brown Skinned Girl" and was about an inter-racial relationship? He changed it to make it more palatable to radio stations. Even so, some radio stations thought the lyrics were too spicy, so an edited version of the song was released that replaced the words "making love in the green grass" with "laughin' and a-runnin', hey hey."
In 1982, Bruce Springsteen recorded this raw, dark demo of "Born in the USA" during the sessions that would spawn his Nebraska album
*****
Top 10ish Comments of the Week
*****
An announcement from your hosts (if the Moose out front didn't tell ya)
Club ONT is undergoing a change in personnel after we close tonight. One of the D's will no longer be a host going forward. The Doggo has decided to turn in his keys to the Club. The Club will remain open on Saturday nights with Disco and Dino doing our best to provide the whelming level of service you've come to expect.
Will we be "The 2 Ds" or "The Double Ds" or some other yet-to-be-imagined name? That remains TBD. Things might look a little bit different as we figure things out, but thank you for sticking with the Club. Please continue to enjoy your time at the Club (even if the tables are a little wobbly).
For now, we want to say thanks to our brother Doggo - thank you for helping create such a wonderfully Hordian environment and thanks for all the labor behind the scenes. Best wishes for whatever you will be doing with your newly acquired free time. You may be turning in your keys, but you'll still know the secret knock. Once a D, always a D!
Freeze this moment a little bit longer...
Club ONT presents a 21 Milk Bone Salute in Doggo's Honor:
*****
Thank you for renewing your subscription to Club ONT. Club ONT appreciates your continued patronage. Club ONT regrets that it cannot honor drink coupons that expired on December 31, 2025. Drink coupons for 2026 are available from the cashier at a modest and reasonable price. No haggling, but bartering is available.
Before I started watching the complete filmography of Otto Preminger, I didn't really know what I was going to get. Oh, sure, I'd seen the highlights. I'd seen Anatomy of a Murder, Advise and Consent, and Laura, but he completed nearly forty films in his nearly fifty years making movies. Could I say that those three films were representative of him?
It's not like Laura and the other two have a whole lot in common, but you could draw lines of comparison, but what about Forever Amber or The Moon is Blue or Bonjour Tristesse or Hurry Sundown? What do they have to say about Preminger? Well, that's why I do these runs, so that I can find out.
And you know what I found out about Otto Preminger?
I can't say that. He made a few good movies. That means he must be at least good, right? Well, let me talk about his career. I could break it into four distinct periods, but I think it amounts to two pairs where those that make up the pairs aren't different enough to talk about at this high level. So, I'll settle with two: his Fox era and his independent era.
If I have to pick one of the two eras to keep, it would be the Fox era. It's probably the most uneven, but it demonstrates a professionalism in the final products that I don't think most of the independent era have. That's all about Preminger being a cog in the studio system, reporting to Daryl Zanuck, a man who hated Preminger, and having a stable of actors, technicians, and writers around him to cover up what his independent period would reveal to be huge gaps in Preminger's own skillset. So, while we do get drudgery like Forever Amber, a production Preminger was brought in to save after Zanuck fired the original director after a month (none of the original director's footage is in the film) which ends up being a rush job with no real positives, we also get something like Laura, a production Preminger was able to foster within the system as producer until Zanuck fired the director and let Preminger take over.
So, this period has some real highs, like Where the Sidewalk Ends and some real lows, like Kidnapped, but there is this overall professionalism to the films that trends towards the pretty good. Preminger had his highs, his lows, but mostly he was making perfectly competent entertainment with some consistency.
And then, during the production of River of No Return, Preminger got sick of Zanuck and the system and bought out his own contract for $150,000, striking out in the independence. His next production was Carmen Jones (which, ironically, was financed with Fox money though Preminger's production company was independent), an adaptation of the Broadway musical adaptation of the opera Carmen that transports the action to the American South. Watching this, I felt like we were getting a new direction: bold musicals with some kind of progressive emphasis without being didactic about anything like politics.
That's not really what we got.
Independence
When I want to split the independent period in two (the Fox period would be split because of two separate Fox contracts with a gap in the middle), I want to split it in 1959 when he adapts both Porgy and Bess, the Gershwin opera, and Anatomy of a Murder. It's this split between what feels like a focus on the theatrical and a focus on the adaptation of large novels.
Anyway, what matters is Preminger's independence to do what he wants, and I think there are some key examples to pull about how he kind of didn't know what he was doing. The first is Saint Joan, an adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play, the screenplay written by Graham Greene, that I feel falls flat on its face. It's visually boring while distilling a three hour play to about 90 minutes, and it ends up feeling like a clip show of the events of Joan of Arc's life with Jean Seberg playing the central role, and she's awful. I've never quite understood the French obsession with her in the 50s (Godard called her the greatest actress alive), but she's deeply unconvincing in everything I've seen (yes, even Breathless), and Preminger directs her terribly. She's slightly better in Bonjour Tristesse, but I think that's mostly about better casting (she plays a flippant childlike woman as opposed to the zealous saint), and Preminger not only directed her, he cast her. Producing his own movies independently, she was his sole choice, and he got what he wanted, and she's awful.
Next, we have to talk about the string of adaptations of novels.
Yes, we do get Anatomy of a Murder, which is great, but we also get The Cardinal, which feels like a frustrating biopic, In Harm's Way which has its fans but I feel is just flabby especially in its very long middle section, Hurry Sundown which is really just a collection of subplots without a real narrative center, Exodus which is so long that its length is a source of one of the great anecdotes of Hollywood ("Otto, let my people go!" at the three hour mark during the premiere), and Advise and Consent which pushes so much melodrama into the final act that it almost feels like a parody (I mean...I enjoy the film). There are basic script issues, even in films I like, that make me wonder...why did he let all of those problems through? What did he say to his writers that kept these issues in movie after movie?
And I simply come to the conclusion that his time both as a theatrical director (his job in Germany before he emigrated and where he went after his first Fox contract expired) and his time as a cog in the Fox machine where he constantly took jobs of finishing films for other directors (he did it twice for Ernst Lubitsch on A Foreign Affair and That Lady in Ermine) created this habit in him to just accept the writer's work. He refused vision over the script, trusting that the other creatives were doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Except, that's not what happens in the studio system. Teams of writers were reworking scripts all of the time, trying to make them better under producer direction.
If you're going to put your name prominently on every poster (almost all designed by Saul Bass and look great, by the way) and prominently display his "produced and directed by" credits, one expects him to exert creative control, and I struggled to find where he did that. His movies were generic looking overall. His noirs looked like noirs, his comedies looked like comedies, his dramas like dramas. Performances could be good (seriously, Dana Andrews' best performances are under Preminger) or terrible (Seberg). The scripts could be great but mostly had issues that kept them back. There was no real connective tissue except perhaps a generalized desire to be controversial (M*A*S*H* has an episode about the disappointing "controversy" around The Moon is Blue) and perhaps something about the abuse of power, but it's all hidden by issue-filled scripts.
Legacy
I hate slagging on directors long since dead, but Preminger's films overall frustrated me. For every movie I loved, like Where the Sidewalk Ends, I'd be met with movies I might like but felt like just needed a little bit here or there to elevate them. And when that happens with something like 90% of his films, the common factor becomes Preminger himself. Not his rotating stables of writers, cinematographers, or actors (the only one who seemed able to stand him was Burgess Meredith who worked with him a bunch late in their careers). And then there'd be the movies that bored me like Forever Amber or seemed to just miss the point like A Foreign Affair.
And yet, his legacy will be his best films, and that's a good thing. The bad ones, the frustrating ones, the incomplete ones, fade away with time, leaving only movies like Anatomy of a Murder or Laura. His final slate of films, almost all adaptations of unremarkable books like Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon or Such Good Friends get dismissed as a late downturn in favor of the masterpieces he left behind.
Well, I just think the masterpieces are the result of either a machine working well (Where the Sidewalk Ends) or blind luck (Anatomy of a Murder). Preminger himself? Well, I think almost anyone could have made those movies just as well.
Rosebud (Rating 1/4) Full Review "However, it's not nearly enough in a largely dull, disconnected film that really only exists because Preminger was trying his hand at nepotism." [Tubi]
Skidoo (Rating 1/4) Full Review "Funny people given nothing funny to do except mug for the camera while Preminger plows through production without ever considering what could have been done to make things actually funny." [Plex]
Bunny Lake is Missing (Rating 3/4) Full Review "It's more focused and, largely, more effective. I think it still reveals issues with how Preminger approached adaptations, but it's a pretty good time at the movies nonetheless." [Library]
The Cardinal (Rating 2.5/4) Full Review "So, I actually really liked the film for about two hours. And then…it just repeated itself in major sections that ended up feeling isolated events rather than extensions of a character's journey." [YouTube]
Advise and Consent (Rating 3/4) Full Review "I still don't think Preminger brought much to each film artistically, but perhaps he was just becoming better at being able to choose projects. That's far from nothing." [YouTube]
Exodus (Rating 2/4) Full Review "It's an unfortunate situation because I thought the film up to the point was interesting, if not quite coalescing into a whole. It could have been more, but it wasn't. Oh well." [Kanopy]
Anatomy of a Murder (Rating 4/4) Full Review "Is it Preminger's best film? I wouldn't quite go that far, but it is a great procedural legal drama that feels surprisingly light on its feet for its extended runtime." [Personal Collection]
Contact
Email any suggestions or questions to thejamesmadison.aos at symbol gmail dot com.
I've also archived all the old posts here, by request. I'll add new posts a week after they originally post at the HQ.
My next thread will be on 1/24 and it will discuss the directing career of Wolfgang Petersen.
Also, please view my YouTube videos from the last couple of weeks:
Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) its first spin of the new year and it landed on ice fishing.
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. Discussion of current events can go in the afternoon open thread or hang out here and talk hobbying or switch between. Pants are optional but please fully assess the temperature situation if you choose to go without. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.
Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.
***
Ice fishing? Apparently ice fishing is a thing for people in cold weather climates. Bundle up, find a frozen pond or lake, drill a hole, drop a fishing line, and wait.
Dino is not wise in the ways of ice fishing and does not enjoy being cold. That means Gray Box wisdom and energy needs to help with this theme (especially if the Horde is talking current events on the open thread).
Are you wise in the ways of ice fishing? If so, please share. If not, contribute your own hobbying interests and projects.
Horde hobbying with foam - anyone else do hobbying with foam?
From Persnickety to you:
I had to make some gingerbread men for a parade, so I used foamboard sheeting. Seems once you start making gingerbreadpeople, you can't stop. I assume it's the fumes from using a hotwire foam cutter.
So I made big gingerbread men and bigger gingerbread men and a few smallish gingerbread men, than a gnome just to wrap things up.
'Twas fun! I would like to make more whimsical but useless items, but feel it's best that I step slowly away from the hotwire cutter for a bit.
From The Neon Madman:
I've been kind of working aimlessly so far in the shop this winter, but I found myself with a need to cut foam and have always kind of wanted a hot-wire foam cutter, so I made one. Fairly simple and seems to work quite well so far. The wire came from a thrift-store hair dryer, wood was scraps around the shop, and I already had the rest of the bits and pieces.
I experimented with a cutout that I happened to need for a case for one of my cordless hole punchers. The first try is a little messy and rough, but foam is cheap and cloth on top will mask any irregularities (oooh, definitely red velvet).
Dino note - I always appreciate people that can make their own tools. Well done.
***
From the theme last week:
Hat tip: JQ
***
Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did a Year in review theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
***
Notable comments from last week:
***
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).
***
If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.
This is Tuck, plotting mischief - which often means blocking the TV. But we're fond of him, anyhow.
Reine
Tuck looks like a wonderful cat! Great photo.
* * *
Attached are the pair of felines we are the unrecognized staff for. The white one is Ghost (obviously) and is the most chill cuddle-slut ever found.
The black one is Naz-gul and has the worst case of PTSD ever seen in four legs. I fear someone tried to drown him as a kitten as the mere sound of a trash bag opening causes him to flee. He is adjusting to us, and is incredibly jealous, to the point (as you see) that if Ghost is getting pets he will try to forcibly insert himself.
I lurk as Xenophon.
Be safe and warm.
A wonderful pair, with personalities! Thanks for the photo.
* * *
Thank you for sharing your pets and animal photos and stories with us today. It's been too wild a week for the bearded dragon and exotic kitties, but we'll get to them!
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.
Walter Kirn: "If you go back and watch my recent podcasts w/ @mtaibbi you will note that I've consistently predicted a short, sharp conflict with Venezuela.
My husband was in the Army for 38 years and we lived in several different climates (coastal CA, central valley CA, Baltimore, Tidewater VA, and Hawaii). We retired to Las Vegas and while I was never much of a gardener, I managed to keep our living quarters looking OK over the years. Not here. Unless you love cactus, this is easily the most challenging garden environment ever. Fortunately I can buy amaryllis bulbs. They are from Eden Gardens, a wonderful garden supplier. They were badly hit by the North Carolina floods, but still managed to fulfill their orders on time.
Anyway, here’s part of my “harvest” this year. The flowers are so large that they sometimes fall over, but this is not a problem because they do really well when cut and put in a vase.
Ps. I always enjoy your thread. Thanks.
Margsnow
A low-key thread on a busy day today, starting with some beautiful flowers!
It's okay to switch between specialty and news threads on the weekend.
There are some different varieties of citrus in season here in the Central valley. We recently got some big pink oranges resembling blood oranges, mild and a little on the bland side. They looked a lot like this:
They were a real contrast to some deep orange, zesty tangerines. Both varieties were seedless. Don't know their names.
The tangerine was smaller than this, and not as juicy.
The juice of Ehime Jelly oranges.
A hybrid of oranges and tangerines originating in Japan, coated with Kaolin, a clay-based powder sprayed on fruit trees for sunburn and insect protection. pic.twitter.com/vlAmUxeP3a
They feed Mangels to cattle in Switzerland (see last week's post).
*
Gardens of The Horde
From Intrepid Liason, in October:
A few updates at the acreage. First up, there are several large pokeweed plants covered in berries. It's an interesting native plant with neat (but inedible) berries and striking reddish/purple stalk. It can get pretty large, too!
I'll probably harvest my quince soon. They are huge, much larger and lumpier than apples or pears, and have lost their fuzz and turned bright yellow.
Finally, as a curiosity, if you've never left your asparagus unharvested and wondered what its seeds or berries look like, I've got a picture for you. I guess they're technically seedy pods, and they were a fairly bright orange for a while, but have gotten fuller over the weeks.
*
Hope everyone has a nice weekend.
If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:
ktinthegarden at g mail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.
Venezuela's socialist regime appeared rattled and scrambling Saturday after its own vice president publicly admitted she does not know where dictator Nicolás Maduro is, hours after President Trump announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of the country following U.S. military action. Speaking by phone with state-run broadcaster VTV, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said the regime had lost contact with both Maduro and Flores and demanded that Washington provide what she called "proof of life," an extraordinary on-air concession from a government that has long projected absolute control.
"In light of this brutal situation and this brutal attack, we do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores," Rodríguez said during the broadcast, accusing the United States of having "violated, attacked, and assaulted" Venezuela. She repeatedly pressed the Trump administration to account for Maduro and Flores, framing the operation as an act of aggression rather than addressing the disappearance itself. Rodríguez went on to claim Maduro had warned Venezuelans such an operation could happen, blaming what she described as American "energy greed" for the strike.
Audio at the link.
Does she sound scared? Well, Bulg says she's so scared that four sources say she's already fled to Tucker Carlson's other favorite "conservative" country, Russia.
Reuters is reporting that the Venezuelan VP is in Russia, according to four sources.
While we're waiting... Trump: Yes, Maduro did offer me everything before I snatched his communist ass, because "he doesn't want to fuck around with the United States."
Also, Venezuelans crying in gratitude.
This is a sad day, per Tucker Carlson. Why, the parade of paid Venezuelan spokesmen he "interviews" on his propaganda show say that the narcoterrorist communist dictatorship of Venezuela is secretly very "conservative!"
And he pushes obvious lies like this because 1, he's paid to, and 2, he thinks his audience is actually so stupid they are diagnosably learing disabled (yes that was an intentional mispelling) and he has absolutely zero respect for his Pay Pigs who he assumes will believe literally anything as long as it's wrapped in "anti-establishment" tissue paper.
The 10 Best Things About Trump’s Venezuela Victory:
10. America’s enemies are terrified
9. Democrats went from siding with Somali fraudsters early in the week to communist narco terrorists who ignored democracy by the weekend
Maduro and his wife have been captured and brought to the US to stand trial for drug trafficking and, if I know my Trump, election interference in the 2020 rigged election.
Obviously, Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Glenn Greenwald, and all the leftwing pinko pacifists who now, apparently, represent the True Conservative Right are the hardest hit.
As for me? I voted for Trump's foreign policy, not ANSWER's foreign policy, not Ron Paul's foreign policy, and certainly not fat alcoholic Nazi Tucker Carlson's foreign policy.
Good luck trying to bend Trump to your will, Qatar-funded FARA faggots.
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:
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!
12/18 Update – Susan has been receiving IV antibiotics at home for the last few weeks. Thankfully her white count is back to normal, and she was able to start chemo again. Some of that cancer did come back, in the meantime, but they think it will be knocked back down now. She has been having abdominal pains. Thank you, everybody, for your prayers.
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.
12/13 Update – The First lady is doing well. She is still on restrictions but things are progressing nicely. The last mammogram showed clean. They are grateful to all who have been praying for her.
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.
12/17 Update – Bluebell sent along another update from grammie winger. She has had 4 rounds of chemo, which have fried her short term memory (her words) and caused great fatigue. She was scheduled for surgery this week, but the doctor decided she was too weak, so she will continue with chemo until she is stronger. She apologized for not being around much because she can’t follow conversations, but is praying that will get better once her chemo is over. In the meantime, she wishes to share her Christmas greetings with the “motley crew”, and she appreciates every prayer.
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.
12/13 Update – The first week of chemo was “like buttah”, but the second week was spent in the hospital, dealing with side effects.
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.
12/18 Update – Teresa will have a “pump fill” on Friday, then head out of town. (The fill is just Heparin and saline to keep the pump flowing for the next 2 weeks.) After they are back, the pump will have the new chemo medication. The best Christmas present is, if this pump works, she could go 2-3 YEARS before worrying about the cancer coming back. It is truly a Christmas miracle. She wrote that they are blessed to have such stellar medical care nearby and so many people saying prayers on their behalf.
12/12 – Bulg requested prayers for his wife’s brother’s wife, whose dementia has taken a turn for the worse. This week she entered a memory care facility. He asks for prayers for her, Bulg’s brother-in-law, and their two grown daughters. Bulg also asked for prayers for a woman from church who has cancer, and the woman’s granddaughter, who lives with her.
12/13 – Our Country is Screwed asked for prayers for a dear friend’s 3 week old granddaughter who is battling meningitis. They are waiting on results from an MRI. Another friend’s wife is having kidney issues. She has only one kidney, and it isn’t functioning well.
12/13 – San Franpsycho requested prayers for Mrs. F, who sprained her foot due to a fall on 12/12.
12/13 – FenelonSpoke asked for prayers for retired organist Jessie, for strength and for her to feel God’s love. In the past month Jessie’s daughter has died from cancer, as have her two closest friends from church, whom she had known about 85 years.
12/13 – Schnorflepuppy asked for prayers for his wife. She was diagnosed a few weeks back with inflammatory breast cancer and started chemo on 12/2. On 12/3 she spiked a 104 fever and had to be brought to the hospital, where they discovered pneumonia. She has been in ICU for most of the week, to get her enough oxygen and work on the pneumonia. She is improving, but slowly.
12/22 Update – Unfortunately, the improvement trend has reversed. She has spent the last 8 days on oxygen support. The doctors would like to wean her off the vent eventually, but they need to see more improvement in her condition and thus far, they haven’t.
12/26 Update – Schnorflepuppy’s wife got progressively worse on Christmas Day and started a rapid decline, despite the best efforts of the doctors and staff. She transitioned to palliative care on 12/26 and passed away in the afternoon.
12/16 – Jim in Kalifornia sent an update that surgery went well, and his thanks for the prayers.
12/16 – Banana Dream asked for prayers for his wife, who is having surgery on 12/17 to remove pins, steel, hardware, etc. that was put in a year ago after a really bad break of her ankle. The hardware has caused various nerve issues and inflammation over the last year, so the surgeons will be removing it.
12/17 Update – Banana Dream sent his thanks to everyone who offered prayers for his wife’s surgery. It went well. The surgeon removed most of the hardware. There was one part that was too fused with the bone, so it had to stay in. She is doing well. In about 2 weeks, she should be able to walk and then in 6-8 weeks she should be fine.
12/17 – Annie’s Stew sends thanks to God for notsothoreau, who sends many, many prayer requests from the various comments and postings. Notsothoreau is so diligent and such a sweet person!
12/17 – Weird Dave requested prayers. His parents have realized they need to move to assisted living, but they are 1500 miles from Weird Dave. Prayers for clarity on how to make the necessary changes as efficiently as possible, as well as to find the best place for his parents, that will also work for the entire family.
12/20 – Legally Sufficient asked for prayers for a brother who was having carpal tunnel surgery on Christmas Eve. There was a cancellation, so he took the spot, even though the brother is hosting the family dinner on Christmas Eve.
12/20 – Morgan, longtime lurker, takes tango lessons from Sebastian, whose son, Matias, is recovering from brain surgery. The MRI were read on 12/19, and the surgeons did not remove the entire tumor. Even though the biopsy indicated the tumor was benign, the boy is probably facing several rounds of chemo. Please pray for the boy’s continued recovery in El Salvador.
12/20 – Nurse Ratched requested prayers for her friend T. He is having some unrelenting (probably cancer treatment related) pain and needs comfort – both physically and spiritually.
12/23 – Joe Kidd asked for prayers for his friend, Bill, who is grieving the sudden death of a former girlfriend. They had broken up a few months ago over her alcohol use. Bill describes the loss as the toughest thing life has dealt him. Bill is the sole caregiver for his 90 year old mother and may need to take early retirement to continue in that role. Prayers for comfort, strength, and wisdom are welcome.
12/23 – Prayers are requested for Inspector’s boss, “B”, who is in his early 40s, and is being hit hard by Covid. He went to ER, after coughing so badly that he separated a couple of ribs. The pain in his ribs is so bad he doesn’t want to cough, which increases the odds of pneumonia. Please pray for healing.
12/27 – buzzion asked for prayers for a friend named Christina. Christina has struggled with a lot, including addiction and relapse. Buzzion has not heard from Christina in a while and hopes she is okay. Please pray that Christina finds her way and knows that people love and care for her and believe in her.
12/27 – JB asked for prayers that he would gain peace about what God has planned for his job in 2026. Also, please pray for JB’s estranged son, that he and his household will be saved.
12/27 – San Franpsycho posted a praise report from a former colleague, who has defeated metastasized uterine cancer.
12/27 – BlackOrchid requested prayers for a Navy Veteran uncle who has been struggling with his health the last few weeks. The root cause is undetermined, but recurrent infection/sepsis keeps sending him back to the hospital. It seems to be worsening his dementia, which makes it harder for BlackOrchid’s aunt to handle him.
12/27 – pookysgirl posted that their unborn baby girl, Violet Marie, had passed away.
12/27 – free tibet posted about his diagnosis with Giant Cell Arteritis and subsequent vision lost of the right eye. This is a recurrence of the same from 5 years ago in the left eye. The treatment is not painful but regaining vision is “very iffy”. Thank you all for the prayers.
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.
The sales took place on New Years Eve, which is coincidentally when I bought 128GB of Corsair DDR4 RAM on Amazon - I noticed it was selling for close to pre-apocalyptic prices and pounced.
The reported cancellations mostly involve a specific 48GB DDR5 kit, though, which is not at all what I ordered. And one 64GB kit I ordered has already shipped, so it looks like I lucked out. Waiting to see a shipping notice on the two 32GB kits.
Every time I think maybe I bought too much memory I see another story that suggests things are going to get even worse. Memory rarely fails, and the next two generations of AMD CPUs will still support DDR5, so I should have enough to keep me going for years.
Even if the chips go mostly straight into China's domestic market, anything that increases global supply is a good thing, even if it takes a couple of years. I hope to see similar investment in Taiwanese firm Nanya.
As we covered previously, BYD engages in massive fraud to boost its sales numbers. Cars sitting unsold at dealers are routinely booked as sold, and then sold as second-hand vehicles at huge losses.
The best selling CPUs and motherboards right now are AMD's AM4 models - five years old - because people already have DDR4 memory and are scrapping plans to upgrade to newer models that require DDR5.
Intel's 12th through 14th generation CPUs support both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, but Intel's high-performance 13th and 14th generation CPUs, best suited to gaming, all died.
I know this because I have a lot of DDR4 RAM myself and was looking for a good motherboard, and there are literally none available in Australia - they have either sold out or otherwise disappeared, leaving only the cheapest models, which all lack one or more key features like WiFi, 2.5Gb Ethernet, a second M.2 slot, more than just the basic three audio jacks, or a decent PCIe slot layout that would let you add cards to provide those missing features.
This has all those features and five PCIe slots so... I bought one.
I have rather less money saved up than a month ago, because I just bought all the hardware I had planned for this year - and probably next year, to be honest - in the space of three weeks.
This game is known to have a vulnerability that lets you unlock your PlayStation 5's boot loader. But there were only 8500 copies ever made - it was a remaster of a PlayStation 2 game, and mostly sold via digital download - and there are 85,000,000 PlayStation 5s in existence.
Musical Interlude
Disclaimer: If I get the two 32GB kits, then 768GB in total. Half of which is new. Which used to be a lot.
Should Ohh Enn Tee, Be Forgot, And Never Brought To Mind
—WeirdDave
Hello all! Welcome to the first meme ONT of 2026! Got some fun stuff for you, plus some Christmas leftovers. Let's start with this. It's a new year, but what if you were given the chance at a new life. Total reset, the clock rolls back to the day you were born. What traits would you choose if you could?
Remember when the Left celebrated rugged individualists? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
In case you don't know, it's been a long standing meme on the left to praise the circled man, likely named August Landmesser, for refusing to salute at a Nazi rally. Now suddenly they're condemning "rugged individualism" in favor of "The warmth of collectivism".
The warmth of collectivism
Would-be thief gets pepper sprayed and then gets his ass kicked
Podcast: The Somali grift might be the biggest financial scandal in American history, will the Mullahs finally fall? CFPB gets a lifeline from a corrupt judge, Brigitte Bardot...RIP, and more!
This isn't Christmas Eve fare, and I thought about waiting until the 26th to post it, but supposedly an amateur detective has solved the Zodiac killer mystery. And the horrific Black Dahlia killing. He says it's the same person! I always thought of them as very far apart in time but I think Black Dahlia was mid-fifties (nope, 1947) mid and the Zodiac murders began in 1968 so it's possible it's the same killer.
The killer, if it's the same man, would have been in his 20s when he killed the Black Dahlia and his 40s when he did the Zodiac murders. Possible.
A little caveat: I saw someone snark on Reddit, "The Zodiac case gets solved more often than Wordle." There are a ton of coincidences here, supposedly, like a Zodiac cipher being solved by the name "Elizabeth." Elizabeth Short was the name of the so-called Black Dahlia.
If you don't know about the Black Dahlia, don't look it up. Just accept that it's grisly on the level of Jack the Ripper.
Yes, the named suspect resembles the police sketch of Zodiac.
Podcast: Will Ukraine be a flashpoint for a Korean conflict, Trump's intemperate Reiner comments, it's the economy stupid! the Monroe/Trump Doctrine, Bondi, Brown, MIT, and more!
.jpg)
