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
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
Open Thread: Were the Eighties the Last Good Decade?
—Disinformation Expert Ace
John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte
@NolteNC
What made the 80s special was that almost NO ONE -- except some teachers who still thought it was the 60s -- was uptight.
Everyone was cool. Everyone could take a joke. You never had to walk on eggshells. The girls were cool. Race relations were cool. We all had part-time jobs. We all had beater cars. We all drank beer, smoked cigs, went to the movies, watched MTV, and only wanted to have fun, not prove we were good people.
What made the 80s special was that almost NO ONE -- except some teachers who still thought it was the 60s -- was uptight.
Everyone was cool. Everyone could take a joke. You never had to walk on eggshells. The girls were cool. Race relations were cool. We all had part-time jobs.…
The nineties were pretty chill, too. Except that that Boomer Pervert Clinton couldn't keep it in his pants and turned the country upside down with his lies. (Or, "lies" -- I don't think the lefties defending him ever believed him.)
Coddled Affluent Professional
@feelsdesperate
I don't think I'm above being propagandized. In fact, I'd probably go along with anything as long as the propaganda was good enough.
Along these lines one of the great puzzles of Woke 1 was why so much cultural production was made dumb, off putting, and aesthetically repugnant. As a Good Person you were supposed to 'eat your vegetables' and act like you enjoyed it, and this worked for those engaged in specific types of reputational and social competition.
But on the whole, for society at scale, libs lost a great deal of soft power by making laughably bad, ideologically doctrinaire art that no one with any honesty would admit to liking or finding pleasurable. In fact, it was the opposite: the more unpleasant, inane, and cartoonish the art became the better a test it became of the ideologically committed and craven - you knew someone was completely committed when they would breathlessly report how something obviously terrible was wonderful. This signified that they were all in and had sacrificed all credibility in service of ideological commitment. The downside of course was that the postwar lib cultural apparatus that was at its peak from the early 1960s to late 2000s ran off the rails and completely lost its ability set defining cultural narratives.
Florida's only Pizza Hut Classic, featuring the nostalgic red plastic cups, vinyl booths, Tiffany-style lamps and checkerboard tablecloths reminiscent of the 1980s, has become so popular that employees from other locations have been brought in to help accommodate the influx of guests at the Homosassa Springs restaurant.
...
Pizza Hut started the Classic initiative around 2017, according to Sparks.
"They approached a few franchisees and said, 'Hey, we're thinking about doing this retro look. Do you guys want to participate in the test?' So I jumped at that opportunity," he said.
...
Customer feedback showed that the throwback styling "really resonated with everybody," Sparks said. Daland currently operates 39 Pizza Hut Classic locations.
Since the Homosassa Springs restaurant was converted, dine-in sales have more than doubled, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported.
"Tons of people" travel from well over an hour away to visit the Pizza Hut Classic that Daland operates in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, which has attracted significant attention on social media, according to Sparks.
"There's only 1,700 people in that town, and they will almost double the national average of Pizza Hut this year in sales," he said.
...
He believes younger generations may feel a similar pull toward the Pizza Hut Classics.
"I think it does take them back to a little clip of time and an era where, in their minds, things weren't as hectic," Sparks said. "It was a little simpler time."
Sparks has also noticed another phenomenon when customers visit the Classic restaurants.
"People put their phones down," Sparks said.
"Once they're over the excitement, and they're taking pictures of the Pac-Man machine and the salad bar and the Tiffany lights ... they set it down, and they start having conversation," he said. "I can't explain it, but it's super cool to watch."
Businessman Tim Sparks has been quietly restoring old Pennsylvania Pizza Hut’s back to its initial glory pic.twitter.com/Vy5mgtX9wW
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 16, 2026
THE MORNING RANT: There’s A Lot of Great News as We Start the Homestretch to the Midterm Elections
—Buck Throckmorton
Labor Day is the unofficial start of the campaign season for the November mid-term elections. The primaries are over, the phony summer push-polls are in the rearview mirror, and we’re about to be flooded with campaign ads. We have every reason to be excited to go to the polls to ensure an ongoing Congressional Republican majority, and to keep the DSA-influenced Democrats away from any levers of power.
The 20 months since President Trump’s inauguration in early 2025 have had the most significant conservative victories of my lifetime, far exceeding President Reagan’s accomplishments. Here are just a few of the things President Trump and his team have done:
• Closed the border to illegal invaders.
• Deported hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, and caused millions more to self-deport.
• Slashed the federal workforce.
• Eliminated DEI and wokeness from the military and federal agencies.
• Eliminated EV mandates and green energy subsidies.
• Effectively terminated corporate average fuel economy requirements for auto manufacturers.
• Engaged the military to eliminate narco-terrorists.
• Engaged the DOJ to target corporations engaged in illegal racial discrimination in hiring.
There are so many more milestone accomplishments beyond those.
For decades the conservative base has clamored for the above victories. President Trump finally delivered. Amidst all this, there are many “conservative” influencers who are promoting doom. For many of them, that is their job - being paid to blackpill conservative voters to stay home, so as to elect a Democrat Congress. The resumption of Democrat lawfare against the Trump administration is their goal.
High prices are a problem, and are very frustrating to Americans, because there is an unrealistic expectation that prices will come down from the crazy inflation of the Biden years. At one point inflation exceeded 9% annually according to government record keepers. (We all know it was much higher, and that it compounded year over year.) Inflation is back down to 3%, but even if it falls to 0%, the runup in prices during the Biden years aren’t going away. Wage growth is the answer to this problem, and that is now happening thanks to Trump’s policies.
There is abundant great news on the economic front:
• Wages: The combination of industrial growth and elimination of off-the-books foreign labor is creating demand for employees and pushing up wages. Per the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, wage growth is outpacing inflation, especially for those changing jobs, as employers are now having to compete for employees.
• Industrial Activity: As I frequently write about, there is an explosion of industrial growth and economic activity in this country. The re-shoring of industry thanks to Trump’s tariffs and his America-first agenda is one of the drivers.
• Job Creation: The most recent jobs report revealed job creation that was triple the expectation of “experts.” In addition, the number of job openings is surging. More than 1,000,000 new private sector jobs, filled by American citizens, have been created since Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
Here are just a few recent headlines that we can celebrate:
What’s funny about the great jobs report is that most media still tried to spin this as bad news, because it could lead to a rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Why would the Fed need to raise rates based on more people getting hired? There is a tired old economic trope (especially when Republicans are in power) that an expanding economy which is creating jobs with good wages is necessarily inflationary, and therefore the central bank has an obligation to raise rates to stifle economic growth and stop the jobs growth, thus staving off inflation.
More than 5 million people have stopped receiving food stamps thanks to the Trump administration. This is largely due to eligibility requirements that disallow the able-bodied from choosing dependence over employment.
My wife and I have had two different friends lose a child to a fentanyl overdose. In one of those cases, it was effectively the murder of a teenaged girl who did not know she was ingesting fentanyl. The fentanyl deaths in this country have been a form of asymmetric warfare waged by China in affiliation with Latin American crime syndicates. Democrats, open border advocates, and China-loving “free traders” all stand in solidarity with the murderous narcotics traffickers. Donald Trump doesn’t. Instead, he’s taking them out.
Beyond the tens of thousands of federal employees that have been eliminated under Trump, their percentage of the American workforce is at an historic low. Meanwhile, the “true conservatives” in legacy right-of-center media are working to discourage MAGA conservatives from voting in November. The “true conservatives” pushed the issue of smaller government for decades. Trump actually delivered, and they’ll never forgive him for it. These are the same “conservative” frauds working to demoralize you and keep you from voting in November.
----------------------------------
We are winning, and we can keep on winning if we get out and vote to keep Democrats away from power – locally and nationally.
The first sustained negative migration in 100 years, and picking up speed. The midterms is your chance to either press the accelerator or to let the Democrats smash the brake. You still control your destiny. Never blackpill. https://t.co/Qb6YAfrdoP
Miami firefighters were seen climbing into the cockpit of the Amazon cargo jet that crashed, killing five – moments after being heard on dispatch shouting “The plane is on fire” as they raced to the scene. The jumbo Boeing 767 freighter, which left Puerto Rico just before 11:45 a.m. local time Sunday, eventually came to a stop after overshooting the runway at Miami International Airport, striking several cars and killing five people. Miami Dade Fire and Rescue crews raced to the scene – with the first units arriving within 30 seconds of the call being placed.
President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that New Mexico could be next on his list of geographic rebrands, sharing a state map on Truth Social with “Mexico” struck through in red and “America” written beneath it — an unofficial stab at “New America.”
Call me stupid or clueless (as many have for most of my life!) but given everything going on in the world and right here at home, what is the purpose of all of this? Is it merely his way of tweaking his political opponents because as much as I am a huge fan of this President and his real achievements since descending the golden Trump Tower escalator eleven years ago all this does is provide fodder for his enemies. Now, if he really intends geographic name changes to highlight serious issues, changing Michigan to Michganistan or warning that that is what can and will happen unless and until we get a handle on the metastasis of Islam here in North America as clearly is in evidence across much of Europe, now that would be something I would cheer.
And here we are scant days away from the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and even Titty-Caca Ocasio-Cortez's constituents (not sure if this is part of her district) or fellow Latinos are up in arms,
Muslim settler colonialism has spun out of control in the Bronx borough of New York City. The scandal went national when the Mamdani regime decided to list ‘immigrant neighborhoods’ heavily slanted towards Muslims while ignoring Little Italy and Irish and Jewish areas in the city. Basically a few Muslims open some bodegas in a neighborhood, a mosque pops up to service them and suddenly a community with a lot of history gets dubbed ‘Little Yemen’ whether or not its residents agree. And the residents, in this case, are Latino, and they’re outraged at being colonized and replaced by Mamdani’s boys. . . Mamdani’s ‘endorsements’ has meant Muslim politicians displacing black and Latino ones and people are starting to notice what’s going on.
Right-leaning commentators—men and women—reacted in turn to the fervency of Clancy’s supporters. Murder is murder, they insisted. Moreover, the evidence suggested premeditation, not a psychotic break. Of course, what really bothered those on the right, Clancy’s detractors, was the very existence of those on the left, Clancy’s supporters. The fact that there exists an organized, animated, and sizable contingent of people who would consciously choose to lionize a child-murderer and to lend her their political, spiritual, and financial support served as proof that there is something profoundly wrong in our society, something ugly, something monstrous.
Part of this, of course, is the familiar story of the politicization of everything, the incidental but defining characteristic of classical, post-Enlightenment liberalism that turns every issue or disagreement into a competition between factions. A bigger part of it, though, is the direct, intentional politicization of everything having to do with women, which started as a cultural movement in the 1960s and morphed into the creation of an entirely new constitutional order.
It is fitting, in a way, that the conclusion of the Clancy trial took place during the same week in which Gloria Steinem died. Steinem was the most prominent and publicly important figure in the second wave of feminism. Others—like Betty Friedan, Kate Millett, and Germaine Greer—were more important to the movement intellectually. But Steinem was its public face, the engaging, attractive face of a movement that often embraced unattractive ideas.
To date I've given this story short shrift mostly because what really is there to say, what new angle on this could I possible add about the trial of a woman who butchered her children.
Illinois Mother Charged With Hanging Toddler Was ‘Very Invested’ in Clancy Trial — According to court documents, Walsh reportedly told authorities “she believed her son was the ‘anti-Christ’ and the ‘devil.'”
. . . I am not a lawyer and make no claim to understand the intricacies of Illinois law, but a defense based on mental illness may be a considerably heavier lift for Walsh than it was for Clancy. In Massachusetts, prosecutors faced a higher burden than they would in most other states: They had to prove Clancy’s criminal responsibility beyond a reasonable doubt. To do so, they had to establish either that she did not suffer from a qualifying mental disease or defect or that, despite such an illness, she retained the substantial capacity both to understand that her conduct was wrong and to control her actions.At any rate, after watching Massachusetts women gleefully celebrate the governor’s signing of a law permitting abortion up to the point of birth—and then learning that the Clancy trial had ended in a mistrial, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) asked an appropriate question: Is Massachusetts a safe place for children?
The upside is that this very un-American malice scares normal voters outside the DSA bastion of New York City, where the “Lulu Lenins,” as Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) describes Mamdani and his trust-fund comrades, have given Democrats a terrible name. The Democratic Party’s frantic efforts to rebrand itself as “normal” for the midterms are hilariously doomed, considering the reality of its policy priorities. Beyond impeaching Trump, Democrats have no agenda to create prosperity and ensure happiness for Americans. It’s all about entrenching their power and making life miserable, whether it’s stacking the Supreme Court, creating two new Democrat states, abolishing the Electoral College, “Medicare for all” illegal migrants, abolishing ICE, defunding the police, and on and on.
From the moment a child is conceived, Democrats and their leftist allies have declared open season . . .This is not hyperbole. This is the documented record. Robby Starbuck’s documentary The War on Children lays it bare: whistleblowers, survivors of childhood medical mutilation, trafficking victims, corporate executives, and figures like Sen. Rand Paul, Riley Gaines, and the creator of Libs of TikTok expose the coordinated campaign to seize control of the next generation’s minds and bodies. Elon Musk called it “worth watching, especially for parents.” Donald Trump Jr. said every parent needs to see it. The film was initially banned from platforms for the crime of telling the truth; Amazon later quietly restored it as the cultural tide turned.
. . .from the womb to adulthood, the left’s war is comprehensive, evil, and existential.
Bingo. Maybe the President should spend some time pondering a name for that? Just a thought.
Sanctuary cities: political cynicism, legal subversion, and the erosion of national sovereignty. Soft Secession From The Republic
For a good while, President Donald Trump has been trying to find a way to fight back against these sanctuary cities and the rules that prevent ICE agents from properly doing their job alongside law enforcement to arrest and deport these dangerous criminals. But Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin believes there is a path forward. Trump Is Looking to Make Sanctuary Cities Pay the Price for Protecting Violent Immigrants
If finalized, the rule could redefine how the 14th Amendment applies to certain U.S.-born children, potentially limiting the scope of automatic citizenship and altering interpretations of birthright citizenship. Critics argue this could lead to legal challenges and further debates over the meaning of the Citizenship Clause. Trump DHS Mounts Another Attempt to Limit Birthright Citizenship.
Wright didn't duck it. The United States remains open to negotiations, he said, but its immediate military mission includes stopping Iranian oil and gas exports. He plainly described the goal: "We are strangling their economy" to force a change in Tehran's policies or leadership. Wright and Bessent Explain the Squeeze on Iran
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Bonneville International Corp. lawfully fired longtime Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear over a 2020 “All Lives Matter” tweet, upholding a lower court’s dismissal of his wrongful-termination lawsuit. Fired NBA Announcer Loses Free Speech Fight over ‘All Lives Matter’ Tweet
In a win for Republicans, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court blockade that limited the most favorable broadcast advertising rates to solely political candidates. Justice Ketanji Brown(25) Jackson was the lone dissenter in the case. SCOTUS Overturns Blockade On GOP Access To Low-Cost Ad Rates
If the Supreme Court sides with the Trump administration, states may be forced to adopt new USPS requirements, improving election integrity but potentially delaying mail-in voting processes. Conversely, failure to implement the rule could lead to inconsistencies in how election mail is handled nationwide, raising concerns over ballot security. Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Intervention on Mail-Ballot Security.
Bergdahl spent nearly five years in captivity before the Obama administration traded five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay for his release… Bowe Bergdahl’s Desertion Conviction Reinstated
In order to demonstrate its spacecraft’s capabilities, the satellite repair startup Katalyst has successfully maneuvered its Link robot to within 7.5 miles of the Gehrels-Swift Observatory, though it will make no attempt to get closer or rescue the space telescope. Katalyst’s Link gets to within 7.5 miles of Gehrels-Swift
FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
Yes, The Verge. Yes you are. You are all the assholes.
Today: Finished hammering Ada into alignment with Ruby (you won't believe this one weird trick), extended my home computer emulator with a tile and sprite editor, a wavetable editor, a music tracker, Forth, and local networking, and it's still under 64k, and built the application server of the suite.
Plus I bought an asset library of tiles and sprites for low-resolution adventure games - the tile size is 8x8 pixels, perfect for a retro look.
The tileset is 800MB. The computer I'm emulating doesn't have even 800kB.
Speaking of which, my initial design allowed for 128k of ROM. The Atari ST, which came a little over a year later, had 192k, and the Amiga had 256k - although neither one shipped with working ROMs; you needed a boot disk. So that seemed reasonable.
I've so far shoehorned in a Basic interpreter, a Basic compiler, a full screen editor, an assembler/disassembler, the above listed modules, and now Logo, and I'm just shy of 64k.
Musical Interlude
Disclaimer: An enigma and a mystery in meso-American history.
Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Sunday ONT. Glad you could stop by! Open thread, as always. Fashion and music, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?
[Top photo: One more from the Northern Command area before I head back to the Main Command tomorrow. This one is from off the coast of Naushon Island.]
When they say, "Why now? Why do you care about surveillance now but didn't care as much about it before?"
Tell them it's AI.
AI has changed everything.
Imagine Flock cameras without AI. They could put cameras everywhere they wanted, and it would be essentially meaningless because they would never have the manpower to watch all the footage. So, in effect, the surveillance of those cameras was never actually there.
Before AI, they only called upon footage if an actual crime was committed and the footage was believed to be relevant to that crime.
Now, with AI, they can effectively watch all the footage, pull all the data they want from it, and compile a record of where every person has been for as far back as the data goes.
That wasn't possible before AI.
The AI we know today didn't start until 2022; that's just a few years ago, and it hasn't been able to track and build profiles on each of us until the past year or so.
So AI is what has changed.
AI is why things are different now.
AI is why they should care about surveillance now, too.
***
A Flock salesman tried to sell the city of Sheboygan 5 years' worth of data on traffic speeds and movement captured by the city's Flock cameras, which the city was never told about.
This proves Flock controls and stores data without the city's knowledge and for periods well over 30 days, in contrast to all public statements and promises about how they handle data.
BREAKING: A Flock salesman tried to sell the city of Sheboygan 5 years' worth of data on traffic speeds and movement captured by the city's Flock cameras, which the city was never told about.
This proves Flock controls and stores data without the city's knowledge and for periods… pic.twitter.com/bqicP0aS6R
A popular gas station chain across the Midwest is saying goodbye to one of its store staples.
A Kwik Trip representative tells Bring Me The News that roller grills will be removed for all of its store locations as of September 21.
For years, the chain’s roller grills have featured hot dogs, cheddarwurst and brats, and tornados, the fan-favorite rolled tortillas that are filled with cheese and meat.
The beloved snacks aren’t going away entirely, though.
“The items that were on the Roller Grill will now be on our Hot Spot moving forward,” a spokesperson confirms, adding the food will now be individually wrapped or packaged and will be more of a grab and go item moving forward.
Stupid. The person who made this decision probably doesn't even eat hot dogs.
***
Speaking of Kwik Trip - This happened in Kansas City yesterday
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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White after Labor Day!?!
The old commandment “never wear white after Labor Day” once felt iron clad. Now it is American style’s most cheerfully ignored relic. White is a year-round color: winter-white coats, ivory knits, cream trousers, and crisp shirts show up on runways, sidewalks, and red carpets in October as easily as they do in July. So where did this bossy little rule even come from? It was a social signal born of Gilded Age leisure, filthy cities, and a whole lot of class anxiety.
In the late 19th century, wealthy New Yorkers and other urban elites fled the summer heat for Newport, the Hamptons, or mountain retreats. There they lived in lightweight white linens, cottons, and tennis whites. Practical, because white reflects heat and hides sweat. Luxurious, because keeping it pristine required staff and time most people simply did not have. Labor Day, made a federal holiday in 1894, became the official last call for that season. Back in the city, it was time for darker, heavier clothes that could survive soot, mud, rain, and streets that were, frankly, grimy.
Those reasons evaporated ages ago. Air conditioning arrived. Modern detergents and fabrics made white far less terrifying. Coco Chanel treated white as a year-round staple in the 1920s; American Vogue started showing “winter whites” around the same time. By the 1990s, major fashion authorities had already declared the rule obsolete. Today the only distinction that actually matters is weight and texture: a slubby linen dress still screams summer, while a white cashmere sweater, wool trousers, or structured ivory coat reads autumn and winter like it was born for it.
The smarter question is not whether you can wear white after Labor Day. Of course you can. The fun question is how to make cream and ivory look intentional next to this season’s colors. Three unexpected palettes do that especially well.
Cream, olive, and cobalt blue
Cream and olive are already a classic fall pairing. See? Perfectly safe.
Want to amp it up? Cobalt is the unexpected voltage. That blue makes the cream look graphic instead of bridal and keeps olive from disappearing into “just another green.”
Brown, cream, and tomato red
This is the most immediately autumnal of the three. Cream keeps the look from turning into a pumpkin-spice cliché; tomato red keeps the browns from going muddy.
Lilac, olive green, and cream
This combination feels slightly off-script in the best way. Olive and cream ground the outfit in fall utility; lilac keeps it from looking like a field-jacket convention; cream is the quiet connector holding the whole thing together.
So wear the white. Wear the cream. Wear the ivory coat like you meant it. Labor Day is not the boss of your closet, and the best outfits this season are the ones that look like you already knew that.
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Thanks, Piper!
The rest of you - Don't forget to check out Piper's X page.
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 Eighth Anniversary Edition? I tell you, the time flies by. Thanks to all of you who make this a regular stop on your internet wanderings. I appreciate it bigly!
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
The time has come to begin the discussion of the upcoming TXMoMe in Corsicana, TX on October 16-17. This is the eleventh annual TXMoMe, or Conservative Burning Man as it's popularly known, and it promises to be a doozy. A double-doozy even. A bigly double-doozy! If you're in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere of the Planet of the Earth, contact Ben Had for details on attending. The dates and email links for all MoMes are always helpfully included on the blog's main page, left sidebar.
What started years ago as a small get-together and informal plinking session lasting a couple of hours has matured into a full scale jamboree-hootenanny including a program of shooting activities for both handguns and rifles over two days. I have to thank Ben Had, Cow Horse Queen and RancherBob for making this whole thing happen and providing the opportunity for the shooting to comprise such a significant portion of the event.
But wait! There's more! Combine that with world class food and drink, and the even world classier company of your fellow Morons, and you have a weekend that legends are made of. For those not inclined to shoot (?), there are non-stop opportunities to relax in the shade of the carport or under a handy nearby tree with a beverage and visit with your online pals to your hearts content, which is really what the whole damn thing is about in the first place..
Allow me to be serious for a minute. I have said this probably two hundred and eighty-three times now. These gatherings are a really good time, and I know of no one who expresses regret after having attended one. Actually it goes beyond that. It's not just a weekend of laughs, it's an opportunity to connect with lots of like-minded people and create lasting friendships and priceless memories. No kidding. Think that's hyperbole? It snot. Would your ol' pal Weasel lie to you? Well, yes he would, but not about this. TXMoMe veterans will attest to the funness and completely laid-back nature of the event. Don't be a dork, do yourself a favor and get yo' ass to Texas!
Specifics of the Friday/Saturday schedule of activities will be posted here in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
TXMoMe veterans: please jump into the comments to encourage the scairdy-cats to join in the fun! What was your first MoMe like? What were you expecting? Were you surprised? Did you have a great time?
Call for Volunteers
Help! As I mentioned above, the shooting program in Texas continues to grow, and we wouldn't be able to do it without a lot of help. If you're interested in lending a hand in some capacity, please drop me a note at gunthread at protonmail dot com indicating your date and time of arrival and we'll be in touch. Thank You!
RSOs from prior years: Expect an email from me soon.
If you are attending the TXMoMe this year, and all the cool kids are, please keep an eye on this section for important information and updates in the coming weeks! I also want to reiterate the TXMoMe is not a gun thing with some socializing attached, but rather is a social thing with some shooting attached. If you aren't a shooter, I guarantee you will not feel out of place and will have a great time. No fooling!
***
NOTE TO ALL: This is a private event, held on private property, and is open by invitation only. If you have not contacted Ben Had, and received a personal invitation, you are, how do I say, not invited. Attendees: do not share the location of the event with anyone or risk losing your own TXMoMe invitation.
So with that piece of serious business out of the way, are all y'all getting excited? Weasel are!!
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The Fourth Shot
Or how Weasel shamed his ancestors.
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This Old Gun
The Colt Police Positive
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Ax Weasel
Q: Weasel, how do I pour Babbitt bearings on a Ford Model T engine block?
A: I'm glad you axed.
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Our Pal Nuclear Meltdowns
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Highway Patrol!
This week's episode: Mother's March!
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Tobor The Great!
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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.
A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid
Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!
Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!
That's it for this week - have you been to the range?
The cutting edge of cooking is usually found at high-end restaurants that have the wherewithal to experiment with new techniques and ingredients, and have an audience that is willing to pay for it. Those kitchens are also always trying new technology, or at least technology that is made accessible to thehier kitchens. I doubt any three star restaurants have SMRs (Small Modular Reactor), but they have liquid nitrogen systems and freeze-drying equipment and aerosolizing machines and all sort of stuff that the home cook or even most other restaurants don't bother with or can't afford.
Is that stuff fun? Sure! Is it something I want in my kitchen? Absolutely not. But some variation of those techniques and equipment eventually trickles down into the typical restaurant kitchen, and then into the home cook's cabinets. Sous Vide equipment is a good example. 20 years ago it was confined to the top restaurants. Now? You can buy a Sous Vide wand for $50.
The dish up top is a great example too. It is a simple dish of tomatoes and mozzarella, with a couple of flourishes that elevate it without making it fussy. It's called: Tartare de Tomate Coeur de Boeuf, Soupe Froide de Tomate - Ananas, Espuma de Mozzarella, Basilic et Olives Taggiasche, which is a mouthful! But the "espuma" part is the kicker. They took a rarified technique from a big fancy kitchen, and toned it down for what they are...an excellent neighborhood restaurant that makes delicious and interesting food.
It's just Mozzarella that has been whipped so it is very light. Nothing like the insanely wispy foams at three-star restaurants that seem to float away from the dish, and that is a good thing, because there is enough substance to it to make it a very pleasing dish without it being a massive and rich first course.
What's the point? Just that the weird molecular gastronomy and experimental stuff coming out of a few kitchens often makes it to neighborhood restaurants, and it improves those kitchens by giving them interesting options without having to break the bank.
Of course my main course was "Blanquette de Veau," a classic dish whose recipe probably hasn't changed in 400 years!
That's an espresso from a Starbucks in Paris. Why did I buy an espresso at Starbucks? Because their bathrooms are accessible, and while I was waiting I figured I would get a coffee.
And it was unbelievably bad. So bad that I, the most parsimonious Moron on earth, tossed it after I documented its horror.
You can get an espresso almost literally anywhere in Paris, or France: Every cafe, every restaurant, every street food joint, every "tabac" where you can buy cigarettes, candy, and condoms along with your espresso. Gas stations too!
And they are at the very least good. And sometimes great! But they all know how to make it and keep their machines clean.
Except, apparently, for Starbucks. How they can screw up a drink that the entire country knows how to make is beyond me. Oh, I could guess...Corporate arrogance that the mediocre espresso they make in America is "good enough," but I really don't care enough to ponder it much past, "Wow...Starbucks s*cks!"
Yes, I drowned my anger and disgust by walking another 100 yards (that's 91.44 meters in Euro-kickball speak) to the nearest cafe and ordering an excellent espresso.
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Yes...it's a holiday weekend, so brevity is the theme! Have a wonderful Labor Day, and cook something tasty!
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The great garlic experiment of 2025-2026 was a resounding...meh. Send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.
About the Bourbon Bubble...I think it has burst, but the category is also suffering from the inflation that affected everything else (Thanks Biden!). I think the sweet spot is still $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!
To the extent that I am aware of her, I find Miley Cyrus to be distasteful, for all of the usual reasons: Hollywood pomposity, celebrity promiscuity, tattoos and piercings, aggressive hints of post-modern sexuality...all typical stuff.
But!
This is an absolutely spectacular version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," and I have a hard time disliking someone who can do such a good job on this song.
Being confined to a wheelchair is a difficult proposition for even the most self-reliant and strong-willed people.
Here is a list of issues that I culled from the internet. They don't seem very pleasant, and leading any semblance of a full life with an injury such as this requires a fair amount of assistance, regular medical care, physical therapy, and undoubtedly psychological support, whether from formal providers or close friends and family.
Complete paralysis of both legs
Loss of sensation below approximately the mid-chest
Normal arm and hand function
Loss of voluntary bladder and bowel control
Sexual dysfunction
Initially flaccid, areflexic legs (spinal shock)
Later development of spasticity and increased reflexes
Loss of normal sweating and temperature regulation below the injury
Impaired trunk and postural control
Autonomic dysfunction, including abnormal blood-pressure and heart-rate responses
Risk of autonomic dysreflexia with injuries at or above T6
That is not to say that it can't be done. There are far too many successful, well adjusted people in wheelchairs to assume that it is impossible.
In college I roomed with several students in wheelchairs, and their injuries ranged from very low on the spine, to so high up that one required assistance breathing. They dealt with their injuries and their lives just like everyone else. It was a continuum, with a few who were amazingly independent and charged through the days, to one who was a passive slug who demanded that others do everything for him. So...pretty much like all of humanity!
Why do I mention this? Well, there is a woman in the news with a total transection at T5-T6, and I wonder whether there might be some justice in her future, even if it might not come from our legal system.
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 8-30-2026 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
—Open Blogger
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 (pumpkin spice latte 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...(Oooh! Shiny!)
So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?
About a week and a half ago, I had urgent need of a root canal. I ended up driving all the way to Jefferson City, MO, which about an hour away from me, for the procedure. When I went into the main office, I saw The Book: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding Civilization sitting on the coffee table. I just had to snap a picture of it. I have this same book sitting on a shelf in my library, as I don't own a coffee table. I don't know exactly how essential this book will be in rebuilding civilization, as it's mostly very high level information about what civilizations need to keep running. The interior artwork is pretty cool, though, and there is a section on "Bows & Crossbows." I fine it to be a neat book to have on the shelf, even if I'll never use it for its wisdom.
INTRIGUE. CONSPIRACY. MURDER. OH MY!
Anyone who's paid attention to what I've been reading will note that I've mostly been reading Dune novels and Star Wars novels. These both contain incredible amounts of intrigue, as characters conspire with each other to meet various personal agendas.
I find stories of intrigue fascinating because I enjoy seeing how both the protagonists and antagonists engage in intrigue to tell a gripping story. In a techno-thriller, the protagonists might need to form a conspiracy of their own to counteract the much larger conspiracy of antagonists whose overall goal is to conquer the world (or worse--kill it off).
Intrigue can be found in virtually any genre or subgenre of writing, so I don't think it's a genre unto itself, but certainly it's a very common trope in many different genres. In a romance story, for example, characters may find themselves embroiled in a complex love triangle that can only be resolved by the permanent removal of one of the other members of the love triangle--i.e., murder. In a murder mystery, the characters in the story may all be vying for some ultimate goal that again relies on the removal of a key player to further their aims. But we never know the full extent until Monsieur Hercule Poirot brings all the suspects into the Accusing Parlor and explains each character's actions, which ultimately results in a single solution the fits all the facts.
As I read the Star Wars: Dark Lord Trilogy, I'm constantly reminded of all the machinations that the Galactic Senate is engaged in behind the scenes as Supreme Chancellor plays Senators off each other like puppets as he consolidates his own power until it's too late. This is a common flaw in many stories involving conspiracies and intrigue--oftentimes there are multiple games being played simultaneously at different layers. Those who can recognize that and exploit the layers of the game will prosper. Those who are blind because they are only focusing on their own agenda are likely to lose--and maybe be killed as a result.
In Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, there's a saying: "On the heights, all paths are paved with daggers." The meaning of this is obvious. As one grows in power and prestige, the road to achieve that power is bloody and vicious. You always have to watch your back as those below you are always scheming to take your place. Most of the stories focusing on intrigue and conspiracies do involve persons of tremendous wealth, power (economic and political), and are all too willing to exercise them, if only because they are bored with life. To the antagonists, it's simply a game, manipulating the lives of lesser beings. To the protagonists, they may reluctantly become involved because it's necessary for their very survival. Or they, too, enjoy the game and are engaged only to see the other guy lose or it's an intellectual challenge.
What are some of YOUR favorite stories featuring intrigue and conspiracies?
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MORON RECOMMENDATIONS
I read Biological War: A Scenario by Anne Jacobson. She is the author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, which this book is patterned after. A lab leak at a biological weapons lab in Russia is the premise. The release is a plague bacteria which has been modified to produce a day of euphoria after infection, giving the infected extra time and energy to infect others. It was also modified to be immune to all antibiotics. The plague bacteria is joined with a virus which is triggered when one takes antibiotics as one would do in the early treatment for plague. The virus causes nervous system failures. The scenario follows the spread of the disease around the world and is interspersed with histories, such as previous scenarios run by think tanks, history of bioweapons, etc. A tense, riveting, frightening read.
Posted by: Zoltan at August 23, 2026 09:24 AM (0/Ew+)
Comment: These kinds of books can be truly frightening, especially when the scenario is so plausible. The idea that mankind should be developing new and deadlier viruses is so fundamentally STUPID that anyone proposing it should be subjected to their own deadly cocktail if only to shut them up.
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I finished The Bridge on the Drina. 5 out of 5. Very interesting book about the old confronting the new in the Balkans as the Turkish empire falls and the Austrians move in. I started The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester about the origins of the OED. I can already tell that this will be a fast read (80 pages down the first day). So far, it's a really interesting story.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 23, 2026 09:58 AM (+ViXu)
Comment: I first encountered The Professor and the Madman when I was randomly perusing the stacks in the basement of the campus library where I once worked. It just caught my eye, so I plucked it from the shelf and started reading. And then couldn't STOP reading because it was so gripping. You wouldn't think that a story about the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary would be so fascinating, but you'd be wrong. It turns out a major contributor to the OED was a lunatic who killed a woman at random and then castrated himself while incarcerated in the madhouse. But he knew his stuff when it came to etymology.
This takes place about 3500 years after the events of Children of Dune. Leto II, son of Paul Atreides, has merged his physical form with the sandtrout of Arrakis to become something new, a hybrid of human and sandworm. This gives him nigh invulnerability and greatly expands his lifespan far beyond what even the spice melange can do. Now he has forced humanity down the "Golden Path," which will ultimately result in humanity reaching out and fulfilling their full potential, even though most humans have no idea that's even happening. The desert planet Dune has been transformed into a much lusher, greener paradise world, which has had the side effect of destroying the sandworms who were vital for producing the melange on which the entire galaxy depended for survival.
A cabal of plotters and schemers now seek to destroy the nearly indestructible Leto II, but as he's prescient, they have to figure out a way to trap him within his own visions of the future.
Like Dune: Messiah, much of this book features characters sitting around and talking about their feelings. The umpteenth incarnation of Duncan Idaho, who first appeared in the original Dune is still alive and kicking, as the Bene Tleilaxu who made him are still sending newer versions to serve Leto II in the vain hope that Duncan will eventually be able to bring down Leto.
Star Wars - Darth Bane Trilogy 3 - Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn
Because this is the Villain's Journey, we see Darth Bane and his apprentice at their worst as they plot and scheme to not only conquer the galaxy but eliminate each other. According to Darth Bane's Rule of Two, the Apprentice *must* eventually challenge the Master when the Master is no longer capable of being the one in charge.
Bad guy wins in the end, but it's actually a bit ambiguous *which* bad guy wins. There's a slight chance some part of Darth Bane's essence is still around.
Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks is best known for his Shannara series, but Lucasfilm reached out to Brooks to ask him to write the novelization of Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Brooks already had a very strong relationship with Del Rey, the publisher of the Star Wars franchise, and he made his fantasy debut back in 1977, the same year Star Wars was released in theaters.
Brooks does a pretty good job, mostly following the main storyline in the movie, but also adding a few details here and there. For instance, the book opens with scene where Anakin is working for his master Watto on Tatooine, and we see glimpses of Anakin's podracing skills, which will be highly relevant later in the story. Overall, it's slightly better than the movie simply because we do get more insight into who each of the characters are on the inside through their inner monologues.
Star Wars - Episode II - Attack of the Clones by R. A. Salvatore
Salvatore was an odd choice to pick to write the novelization for Episode II and here's why--he does not know how to write romance scenes between characters. Salvatore is excellent in writing action pieces. But romance is NOT his thing and the romance subplot between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala really needed much better writing. They were awkward enough in the movie, but Salvatore somehow made them worse.
Star Wars - Dark Lord Trilogy 1 - Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno
This novel is an interquel between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It takes place right before the events of Episode III, and we see everything that leads up to the capture of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. We also see the growing power and arrogance of Anakin Skywalker as he goes about his duties as a full-fledged Jedi Knight. He KNOWS he's better than the rest of the Jedi on every level. This will come to a violent confrontation in the next book. Here he succumbs more than once to "hero syndrome" as he and Kenobi go on vital missions again and again to protect the Republic from Separatist threats. We also see Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) and Darth Sidious (Chancellor Palpatine) moving behind the scenes to set up the main conflict of Episode III.
Star Wars - Dark Lord Trilogy 2 / Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by James Luceno
I've seen a lot of YouTubers raving about how good the novelization of Episode III is--and now I understand why. It really is a very good story about Anakin Skywalker's journey to the dark side. Matthew Stover took great care to unravel the interactions of the characters from the movie so that the reader can fully understand everyone's motivations for their actions. We also see extended scenes about Chancellor Palpatine's seduction of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side. He plays on Anakin's fears and insecurities masterfully until Anakin can no longer sort through what's real and what's merely a product of Palpatine's manipulations. Until Anakin finds himself alone, no longer trusting the very people who love him dearly. Only Palpatine can offer Anakin his heart's desire--saving Padmé from death in childbirth. And that is the turning point in Anakin's fall right there.
Very good book. I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.
Disclaimer: Always wash your hands after reading books!
Word of caution: If you ever rewrite your own blogging platform and use your personal website as a scratch monkey, remember to unmount it before trying to post your daily update, or you may experience a moment of blind panic when everything is gone.
The obvious immediately happened and a judge has ruled that a bunch of lousy grifters fine upstanding group of gentlemen cannot simply appropriate an established trademark for profit.
The interesting part is that the best model at this is - Grok Bot, give me a drum roll please - the brand new GPT-6 Astra.
It's not only a clear leader in this test, it is far out on the Pareto frontier: By the time you find a cheaper alternative, the benchmark score has dropped all the way from 70 to 20.
It wasn't even BGP, which is to DNS what moissanite is to diamond.
A worker just unplugged all the fiber connections.
Today: Slept, weeded the garden and watered the plants, slept, weeded the garden some more and mowed the lawn, implemented the Raft consensus protocol on my new database, nudged Ruby and Ada into reluctant alignment, got my new blog platform actually working...
Yeah. It loads my site and renders it mostly correctly.
For years progress has been at a dead end because MySQL is not the right database and neither is anything else, and Python is not the right language and neither is anything else. I kept trying alternatives, building proofs of concept, and throwing them away, convinced that if I could just find the right combination, lightning would strike and my creativity would be unlocked again.
And... I was right. Took me one day to get my blog working on the new programming language and the new database that I spent that long detour building.
Saturday Night Club ONT - September 5, 2026 [Disco & Dino]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT - a whelming collaboration of The Disco and The Dino.
Open thread - bar is open, too. Come in in, grab a drink or 2. Or 3. Keep it light and friendly. The moose out front is on troll patrol, so say a word of thanks as you pass by that the moose is on duty.
Club ONT Department of Timelines and New Testament Theology
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Club ONT Department of Social Media PR
From the Greensboro, North Carolina police department:
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Club ONT Jukebox
The 2002 original:
The 2019 enthusiastic one-man-band heavy metal for YouTube cover:
The brand new August 2026 cover:
The song has staying power!
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Top 10ish Comments of the Week
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Club ONT is brought to you by: dudes who get it
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There has been a noticeable decline in the amount of Chung Wanging here at Club ONT. Patrons are reminded that everybody is encouraged to have fun, which simply can not occur if everybody doesn't also Wang Chung.
Saturday Evening Movie Post [moviegique]: The Searchers (1956)
—Open Blogger
Pickings have been slim. The Olivia Wilde-helmed The Invite has been hanging on for months, a comedy with a solid 7.5 or so on IMDB. I've thought about going to see it a half-dozen times and, frankly, it just gives me the creeps. There's a John Boorman documentary on how he screwed up Exorcist II: The Heretic that gives me Jodorowsky's Dune vibes but it's awkward to get to. So I says to the Boy, I says, "Well, what if we went to see The Searchers?"
I had seen The Searchers twice before. The first time was as a relatively young nearly 29-year-old. (I approach 29 like Xeno's Paradox: I get closer and closer to it every year but never quite hit it.) After having avoided Westerns all my life—living in a dry, dusty place gave me an aversion to going to see movies about dry, dusty places, and all Westerns are thus—the Old Man and I took in a series at the local Laemmle. (Both the Old Man and the local Laemmle are gone, alas.)
This series turned me around, as I had absorbed some of the negative stereotyping of Westerns being one-sided, simplistic, macho—and I presume there's probably an element of this in the serials and the Republic-type B-pictures, but the movies we saw presented Indians as a threat but not necessarily as bad guys. There was a strong understanding of the difference between macho and hard, where "hard" meant doing what had to be done and not whining about it no matter how much you hated it.
The Searchers, in fact, was sort of shocking and, when I first saw it, I felt it was racist.
Hey, I said I was a young nearly twenty-nine.
In fairness, very few Germans fought cowboys in the Old West.
My thinking was that, clearly Ethan (John Wayne) is meant to be racist, which doesn't make the movie racist. But the movie seems to agree with his stance which would make the movie racist.
How does it "seem to agree" with his stance? Well, it shows the victims of Comanche captivity as becoming insane, barbaric, retarded, etc.
The second time I saw it, with The Flower, I liked it better. And I started to wonder. I was much further along the road to 29 at that point, and I did a little research and discovered that, well, yes, the Comanches were savage in this particular wise, and the source book is very well researched. (Though the actual story it's based on is inverted, with the kidnapped woman preferring to stay with the Amerind tribe. That's a whole ball of wax, tho'.)
As it turns out, The Boy had never seen it, and this was my third time viewing. And I liked it even better.
That's Ethan's mother and father in the older graves.
First of all, the movie's been given the 4K treatment, and it is gorgeous. A lot of those old westerns had sharper contrast than the noirs, and Monument Valley probably doesn't even look this good inperson. Like Blade Runner, every frame's a painting. Unlike Blade Runner, The Searchers isn't like watching a thousand paintings dry.
While watching this, I kept thinking: "This reminds me of Lawrence of Arabia. The landscape becomes its own character. The sense of scale makes everything feel static and urgent at the same time. Allegedly, David Lean watched The Searchers repeatedly while preparing for Lawrence.
Second, John Wayne! TJMP has an insightful video on movie stars, and Wayne is a perfect example: He was very limited in the roles that he could perform. Not necessarily by his talent, but definitely by his star status. Here, while working completely inside this tough old cowboy role, he manages to act up a storm—subtly.
When Ethan shows back up at the family home after the war, he's welcomed by brother Aaron (Walter Coy) and sister-in-law Martha (Dorothy Jordan, coaxed out of retirement by her husband Merian C. Cooper and longtime friend John Ford). The feelings between Ethan and Martha are so plain, some speculate that Debbie (Lana, and then Natalie Wood) is actual Ethan's daughter.
Actually, it came across like a five-alarm fire this time, but people have actually missed this mutual attraction in the past.
This doesn't work, timeline-wise. And dramatically, it's far better for the unconsummated love to have driven Ethan away—he's unable to give a woman a decent home. This doesn't change his feelings for Martha, and makes the drama all that much more intense. When the posse goes out to investigate the missing cattle, and he realizes it was bait so that the Comanches could go after the houses, he stops, rests and feeds his horse—while Martin (Jeffrey Hunter) rushes back.
Ethan states the facts: The horses need rest. But when Martin has run off, we can see the agony in Ethan's eyes. He's as worried as any of them. And as much as he dislikes Martin—who is part Indian—he's also rather protective of him, not wanting him to see what he's seen, and trying to keep him from getting killed.
Seriously, Wayne is terrific here, and this character and performance would inform the rest of his career. The cast is pitch perfect: Vera Miles as the maiden waiting for Martin to settle down. Harry Carey, Jr., as the love-stricken boyfriend of Pippa Scott. You almost never notice he's 15-20 years too old.
Third, the mythic level of the film—that Ethan is the spirit of the Men who tamed the Wild West, and having tamed it, are no longer welcome—hits on so many levels. It works for the specific context of a tamed country. It works for every situation where men are sent to do rough things, only to find themselves changed and unsuited for a domestic life (if they ever were). It's Moses and the Promised Land.
This was an homage to the late Harry Carey, who used to hold his arm like this.
The music is all traditional, arranged by Max Steiner, and is perfect. The mandatory cowboy crooning song is...well, it's probably better than most. Those songs don't usually hold up well, in my opinion. At least when they did this kind of stuff in the '80s, the "for the Academy's consideration" generic pop songs were played over the closing credits. This one is less generic and only played at the front and back.
The Boy liked it, though he found the distinctions between the outdoor shooting and on-set shooting jarring—and these are the sorts of the things the 4K restoration tends to exaggerate and make more obvious.
But otherwise, it works very, very well indeed, and I understand now why it's often regarded as the greatest Western ever made. You can see its influence in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the aforementioned Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, of course it's musical '80s remake, Streets of Fire, and many, many more. Hollywood has been threatening to remake it as sci-fi or horror for decades, and I think we can be grateful that's never happened.
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. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling lucky and decided on a painting plus theme for this Hobby Thread.
A what? Painting plus. What's that? Paintings plus other hobbying stuff. Oh.
The content may not be your favorite but give it a chance before you judge and bail out. Any adjacent hobbying is in scope, so jump in with your interests, stories and questions.
In any event, the thread is not limited to to the theme. Anything (legal) you are hobbying is welcome. Even if the theme does not speak to you, you might learn something or be entertained. If not, offer something else relating to hobbying. If all of that fails, just check in and say hello.
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Leave politics and religion to threads elsewhere (unless your hobby is building or restoring churches). Pants? Nope. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.
Play nice and do not be rude. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls.
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Did you see MisHum's painting on the most recent Monday ONT? It is titled "Fog Shrouded Falls." Hobby threaders are in for a special treat. With a bit of shameless begging, MisHum agreed to pull the curtain back a bit and show us how it came together. Ready for some painting in process shots? I knew it! Here we go...
Final result:
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Since we're talking about painting, let's highlight two waterfall paintings from two other Moron artists.
Hocking Hills from polynikes:
Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls from tankascribe:
Thank you for sharing! We are fortunate to have such talent and skill in our midst.
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Bob Ross - waterfall wonder:
At the 21:17 mark: "I'd catch a fish, put a little band aid on it, give it a little CPR, pat it on the toot-toot, put him back in the water, wish him well."
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This is the type of high quality content YouTube was made for:
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Old tools are pretty cool. Restoring old tools that make candy is even more cool.
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Everyone have your hummingbird feeders ready for the great seasonal migration?
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Is this the most wholesome content on YouTube right now? Maybe so.
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Fightertown at 1:350 scale:
More videos on the same channel of this massive modeling project.
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I sense this may resonate with the Horde:
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Anyone wise in the ways of hobbying with pallets? Maybe we'll do a full hobby thread pallet theme at some point. Many woodworkers repurpose scrap and pallet wood for their projects.
Does anyone know how pallets work? Do places that receive pallets send them back or throw them away or sell them or ? Is there such a think as a pallet deposit? Do hobbyists get discarded pallets from businesses or do they buy used pallets or ? If you stopped by a Home Depot and offered to take away the stack of pallets around back, would they agree or are those pallets spoken for elsewhere?
Not all pallets are suitable. Ones marked MB have been treated with methyl bromide which is a toxic pesticide. Don't use those. Instead, look for HT for heat treated.
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did a YouTube theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
Notable comment from last week:
Given the state of modern television programming and content, I sympathize with Elvis. If he were alive today, he would have run out of televisions.
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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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Reminder: if you put links in the comments, use a URL shortener and describe what you're linking to. Failing to do either or both makes you barrel-eligible. Don't make people click to find out what you're linking.
Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Or just email to say hello. Do mighty things.
During this behavior, which helps them warm up after a cold night, ring-tailed lemurs sit upright with their arms and legs outstretched and their bellies facing the sun to absorb its heat
Hot Tennessee greetings!
It's been a couple of years, and Henry is 8 now. He's doing well enough after his gall bladder removal, just takes a liver support supplement and only approved food and treats. Here he is in opposite modes - elegance and total abandonment to a vacation nap ;)
The pet thread continues to be a welcome diversion in these crazy times! Thanks!
- Kay
Gall Bladder Removal! Well, Henry looks fine in his "elegant" mode. Hard to tell in his "abandonment to nap" mode. I think I would love to meet him.
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My dog Daisy left us this past April at the age of 13. She was a very good girl and greatly missed.
MauserMedic
I love that photo. It looks like she loves you, too. Thank you for letting us get to know her a little. So sorry that she is gone.
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Cherished Pet Morons
At present, I have three cats (plus a shy feral outdoors which accepts food every morning) and one dog. The main cat is Prince Fluff the Magnificent, a long-haired totally white cat with one blue eye and one gold. He is one of the sons in the first litter produced by my daughter's white Siamese, Miso. We allowed Miso to have three litters sired by Augie-Doggie (a ginger and white male, rescued from the streets after being dumped). All of Miso and Augie's offspring save Prince went to live with various authors of my acquaintance and a selection of author's friends.
Attached is a picture of Prince, and of my surviving dog, Benjamin. Benji was also rescued from the street; a catahoula hound mix, who bears a resemblance to my childhood family dog, Punchy. Benji also knows who is boss in the household - and it's not him. In the second attached picture, he is on the sofa being intimidated by three kittens of Miso's last litter.
I post as Sgt. Mom.
What a fine collection of Pet Morons, and a nice story about some others, as well!
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PetMoron Adjacent Animals
Encountered by Members of The Horde
Great photo from Hrothgar. Any guesses on the exact species of bird this is?
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Morning KT!
This guy actually isn't my pet, but I did spot him on a trip out west when Nebraska was still entirely engulfed in flame.
No way in hell I was gonna cross into his territory to get close to him, though..
Thanks for the thread, and I lurk as Xenophon.
That is a distinctive and dramatic photo, even if it isn't a close-up. Thanks for sending it in.
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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.
Hope you and your Pet Morons have a great Labor Day Weekend. Until next Saturday, have a great week! Take care of those sweeties!
This year’s winnings! Top and middle rows, Western Idaho Fair, Agriculture Division. (16 entries, 9 ribbons plus 2 special “Largest” ribbons)
Bottom left, same fair, Floral Division. (4 entries, 2 ribbons)
Bottom right, Canyon County Fair (my first time entering there; 3 entries, 2 ribbons).
CONGRATULATIONS!
YAY!
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Lawns
From By-Tor:
I might have to go full Carl Spackler on the moles that are tearing up my front lawn. What I thought was dead grass from heat is grass killed by mole tunnels. I keep finding mounds of dirt in different places.
I could trap them. Sounds like a hassle. Or just spread the fresh dirt around and coexist. They do eat a lot of insects and spiders, apparently.
Any experiences with moles or gophers?
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Tree Removal Codes
The city of Seattle has a municipal tree code that is almost 10K words long. It has a system of 4 tiers outlining what can be cut. If you want to cut trees in Seattle, you must apply to the city to be an approved provider and prove mandated insurance. If you want to cut them on… https://t.co/olFL4PpphQ
The quote above is from a video by Spencer Pratt (included below) about the Lindsay Clancy case. Which may be leading to some similar cases:
"IS THIS THE NEW ME TOO MOVEMENT?" "An Illinois mother allegedly hanged her 2-year-old son that she described as the 'anti-Christ' - - hours after discussing the Lindsay Clancy case with friends. . . '
But today, since we are in the Labor Day Weekend, perhaps we can touch upon some othe issues related to dignity - some references to communism and other forms of totalitarianism and the dignity of our educational systems.
But back to murders related to mental health. Matt Vespa wrote that some of the JURORS wore pink in apparent solidarity with the defendant.
The Spencer Pratt video mentioned pre-dated the mistrial. It's not just this case:
We've lost our damn minds. The Lindsay Clancy mass psychosis proves that a lot of people need to have their Wifi taken away. But this psychosis started many years before TikTok... pic.twitter.com/WhT1iXJ9Pj
How many more people have to die before liberal politicians give up their determination to keep patent psychotics loose on the streets? Every politician and activist who has fought the institutionalization of the seriously mentally ill is the but-for cause of Monday’s fatal… https://t.co/zsTmg4dUqo
Senate Democrat nominee James Talarico appears ready to bring a touch of Trotsky to Texas. In a video from a climate forum, Talarico is shown declaring capitalism an “oppressive system” linked with white supremacy and that it must be “dismantled” to achieve a better world. It is reminiscent of Leon Trotsky, who denounced the “fundamental evil of the capitalist system” and called on citizens to free themselves from its oppression. The Democratic Socialists of America and radical sites have long called “to dismantle the capitalist state.”
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History illuminates the present. I've been reading Stephen Kotkin's widely and justly praised multivolume biography of Joseph Stalin and have encountered many passages that illuminate the present.
That provides an interesting context for Vladimir Putin's 2005 speech in which he said that "the collapse of the Soviet Union was the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century."
Nature just put out an editorial praising Jason Arday, affirming the lie he was autistic & arguing he had an unmet right to see the evidence against him and respond accordingly
They argued that didn't happen, even though we all saw it
NEWS: Jason Arday Lied About Having a Masters From Birkbeck University
I filed a freedom of information request to Birkbeck University to check the claim Jason Arday made in the video below in 2022 that he had a masters in psychodynamic practice from the university.
.@UMESPres Heidi Anderson runs a historically Black university. She plagiarized her PhD dissertation. Jason Arday got a solidarity letter for the identical charge.
The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
[A very memorable day here at Casa Misanthrope]
Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival there are just a few house keeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in East St. Louis.)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind. Be nice. Don't be Pretti Good.
3) No. I don't care if Austin's parents let him run with a chain saw. They hate him.
4) Have a great weekend you laborers!
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:
5/23 – I used to have a Different Nic could use some prayers as he waits for the results of a biopsy of a mass on his prostate.
6/23 Update – The latest update is that he has stage 2, “unfavorable intermediate”, which he notes is an awful name, but what it means is, it is in the middle, but bad enough that they want to treat it. It’s more aggressive than previously thought. He is at the point where he has to decide on treatment options, which means choosing which set of pretty unfortunate side effects he prefers.
8/20 Update – He has finished his radiation treatment, so all he has left are blood tests and waiting. Thanks for everything.
7/25 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted an update. She is still doing fine. Her chemo pump seems to be working and everything appears stable for now. She says she is incredibly blessed! She is working on a stocking for an as-yet-not-born grandchild. She would appreciate prayers for a successful IVF procedure and pregnancy for her daughter and hubby. Next week, Teresa and her husband will be going to California to visit their daughter who lives there and her family.
8/4 Update – Teresa was admitted to the hospital while on vacation in California. She has a bad infection – cellulitis - not due to the cancer. She is being treated with antibiotics and hopefully it will be cleared up in a couple of days.
8/28 Update – Teresa’s bloodwork is back, and everything looks steady. She has a CT scan on 9/4.
7/29 – Notsothoreau asked for prayers for Billy Ray’s mother, who was just admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. She is a cancer survivor and chemo destroyed her immune system, so this is a big worry.
8/2 Update – Billy Ray’s mother is feeling better, on oxygen and medication. She is not out of the woods, but has stabilized. She appreciates the prayers from around the globe and says thank you very much.
8/16 Update – Billy Ray’s mother is at home, recovering, and down to just needing a little oxygen at night. One of the doctors told her that he didn’t think she was going to make it. Prayer works.
7/29 – TecumsehTea wrote that MrTea’s diagnosis is colon cancer stage 4. They are praying for guidance for how to proceed.
8/12 Update – MrTea will start radiation treatments for the tumor in the sigmoid colon on Monday – 10 treatments. They are not sure what will follow; they are still looking at options. Surgery is not an option. The cancer has metastasized to the lymph node nearest the tumor and there are 3-5 small spots in the liver. There are also spots in his lung which are indeterminate. He continues on fenben and ivermectin. Prayers are appreciated.
7/30 – David sent an update on his wife, Susan, who we have been praying for as she is treated for cancer. Susan is still doing well and her numbers are headed in the right direction, but they are still having issues with the side effects of the chemotherapy. It is manageable, but they have to increase the number of office visits for additional treatments. Some days are really good right now, but others are only bearable with the Lord’s grace. They are so grateful for the prayers on their behalf.
8/26 Update – Susan’s cough has gotten so bad that they did X-rays on her chest. It might be pneumonia. She is in the hospital. Her sodium and blood pressure are low and she is not eating much now. They are trying to turn this around and ask for everyone’s prayers.
9/2 Update – Susan is back in the ICU. She either has an infection or the cancer has spread to her lungs. Either way, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Susan and please continue them.
8/8 – Ace-Endorsed Author A. H. Lloyd posted that Mrs. Lloyd will undergo a double mastectomy to remove the breast cancer. She has advanced to Stage 1. Much hinges on the biopsy to determine the specific sub-category of cancer and whether chemo is necessary. Please pray for her in this time of need.
8/22 Update – Mrs. Lloyd is healing ahead of schedule and the surgeon was amazed at her progress. She is still in pain and has limited mobility, but each day she is gaining more freedom of movement. That is the good news; the bad news was the unrealistic expectations set by the medical staff. The surgery was much more significant, and she will also need chemo, contrary to what she was told before.
8/8 – Retired Buckeye Cop requested prayers for his nephew, Josh, who is losing his business due to overwhelming debt. Old addictions have returned; he is drinking heavily. He is currently estranged from his family. His mother is Mrs. Cop’s kid sister.
8/12 – Joe Kidd asked for prayers for a friend’s cousin, who is beginning chemo treatments for stage 3 cancer.
8/14 – RandomDave asked for renewed prayers for his job situation. He just found out that the position he was close to getting went to someone else, and doesn’t know where to turn. He hates to ask, but is getting desperate. He has a GiveSendGo set up; please contact Annie’s Stew for more info. Thanks to those who have already given and thank you for the prayers. They are keeping him from giving up.
8/15 – Donna V contacted Mis. Hum. to let the Horde know the following: “Please let the horde know I am doing fine in hospice”. She would appreciate your prayers.
8/15 – Buck requested prayers for his wife. She is diabetic, and had a bad day on 8/14, with weakness, vomiting, irregular pulse, high blood pressure. She has had sepsis 3 times. They went to ER, but they only gave her meds for nausea, and now she’s back home. Pray that she recovers quickly. Thanks to all.
8/15 – Intruder Driver asked for prayers for Tonya, who was burned over 90% of her body in a gas explosion in Cabo San Lucas. She is now in a hospital in Mexico City. She has a long road to recovery, if she survives.
8/22 Update – Tonya did not survive her burns. Prayers for her and her husband Rusty, who were/are active members of their local church in Mexico.
8/27 – P asks for prayers for the soul of her nephew, C, who committed suicide on 8/17. He was only 32. May he find the peace in the afterlife that he could not find in this life.
8/26 – Teresa in Fort Worth asks for prayers for her BIL, Dick, who was found dead in the alley behind the house in Texas. He had been in declining health and had dementia. They aren’t sure how long he was outside before he passed away. Teresa’s SIL seems to be handling it okay so far. Teresa also asks for prayers for a former neighbor, Melissa, who is hospitalized, recovering from a second stem cell/bone marrow transplant as they attempt to cure her leukemia. She now has blood blisters in her mouth and throat. She had to be intubated before her throat closed completely. This might be her body rejecting the transplant.
8/27 – “…” asked for prayers for healing (and sleep) for Brit Lass. She is having tests, and so far they are good, but she is worried. She has an imaging test coming up and then an appointment with a surgeon.
8/30 – SPinRH_F-16 requested prayers for classmate “D.B.”, who has ALS. Please pray that he remains as comfortable as possible and for support for his family as they see him through this. Thank you in advance for your earnest prayers.
9/2 – Bulg asked for prayers for purpose in his life.
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.
I hope there's a certain amount of sibling rivalry between Claude Opus and Fable; I just gave Opus access to a complete history of my personal blog where I am complimentary to it and much less so to Fable.
And even less so to OpenAI, to be fair.
Which is to say, Minx 2.0 is finally under way. The database and language limitations that blocked me - there's no database that works the way I need and no language with the set of tradeoffs I want - are gone. I didn't have enums or multi-valued indexes or sharded search in MySQL, and while Python is not bad, making it fast is a juggling act.
So I built my own.
Aiming for a release on my own blog on the 21st followed by wider availability once it's proven itself.
Meanwhile work continues on porting Hack to a 1983 10-bit imaginary home computer. The level generation took 15 seconds initially, but chasing down the code paths in the Basic runtime plus a few clever software optimisations got that down to about 500 milliseconds. It blinks and the new level appears - but that blinking is doing magic, because high-resolution text display really taxes the memory bus and it's the trick of hiding the map that allows it to be drawn so fast.
The Coder platform enables organizations to provide developers with secure, self-hosted cloud development environments for building and deploying software, including AI applications.
"Secure."
The project is used by prominent private and government organizations, including Dropbox, Palantir, Square, Mercedes-Benz, KKR, EnBW, the U.S. government, and defense companies.
Dropbox needs to find better partners to work with.
Not one you put inside your home. It costs $150,000. You buy one instead of a home.
Musical Interlude
Disclaimer: If it hadn't been for Copperhead Road I'd be making moonshine long time ago Where did they come from, where did they go How did the feds find Copperhead Road?
"The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false," Freedman said Friday. "Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise."
He added: "Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth."
from anon2020 So what, she quit?
Megyn Kelly (accursed be her name) used to say all the time that Fox has a top female PR person who is a nasty pitbull and leaks nasty claims about anyone Fox is at war with, including those who have left the network. So I guess maybe she technically resigned? I don't know.
NEW: @FoxNews has obtained Lindsay Clancy defense attorney Kevin Reddington's appeal filing to the MA Supreme Court, which includes Reddington accusing the lone holdout juror of being "biased" against those with "debilitating mental illness", which he says is a protected category.
Holiday Break: I've had a rough couple of weeks -- the shoulder is healing now and I'm finally getting decent sleep -- and I've decided to take a long weekend.
I'm taking Friday off, and then Monday off, too. I have Open Threads for both days and I will post if big news breaks, but if it doesn't -- and it probably won't, news is slow before a holiday weekend -- I'm going to take a four day weekend.
Sh0eOnHead discusses the Psychotic Cult of Lindsay
Real quotes:
"This case has me feeling like I'm on Law & Order with you guys!"
"We literally binge true crime as a hobby, we've been trained for this moment" Worth the watch. If you haven't seen the genuinely upsetting insanity motivating thousands of women, you should watch this just to see how society is crumbling. Ban TikTok, Trump. I don't care if Barron tells you it's popular with the yutes. It is an evil Communist China op and it is driving women insane.
Dolly Parton tells the story of the supposedly real-life Jolene As Andrew Branca says, can we see this Jolene, finally? Who was this hottie that was a genuine sexual threat to Dolly Parton? I think this is Fake News personally. When a magician claims he learned a trick from a Himalayan wise man, I don't believe him either.
Podcast: Dolly Parton...an American classic, Michigan's El Sayed is part of our future destruction, More Global Warming nonsense, mail-in balloting restrictions, Darline Graham? Get rid of family dynasties...and more!
1977 interview shows that Barbara Walters has always been a seaward and Dolly Parton always had "country class" Walters actually asks Dolly Parton if she knows that people think she's a joke. This because Walters can't get over the fact that a show-woman has 1, big breasts, and 2, dresses a bit outrageously because, get this, she's an entertainer. A stage performer. You know, someone people pay money to see live and expect them to put on a show. She never would attack Liberace for wearing glitter-tuxedos. But she's mad that Dolly Parton makes Barbara Walters look bad through association (by being a woman). Babs, you wish people associated the two of you. Believe me, we can tell the difference.
