Sunday, December 31, 2023
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Try Harder, You Lazy Slobs
I am very disappointed in you creeps. This is AMERICA, not some namby-pamby Western European nation or Japan. Get that death toll where it belongs. Have you no pride?
Bring back the plague if that's what it takes to restore the real America of fast cars & murder.After Rise in Murders During the Pandemic, a Sharp Decline in 2023 — The country is on track for a record drop in homicides, and many other categories of crime are also in decline, according to the F.B.I. — Detroit is on track to record the fewest murders since the 1960s.Elizabeth Crisp / The Hill: This year set to mark record drop in homicides, research showsDigby / Digby's Hullabaloo: Hopium 4 U — You'll note that Trump's lower number was in November 2019, before the pandemic hit and the numbers surged.Jacob Knutson / Axios: Homicides in U.S. set to drop by record numbers this year
Friday, December 29, 2023
Final Friday Finger
Thursday, December 28, 2023
“What do you want me to say about slavery?”
Willing to say (or not say) anything to get elected.When Haley was running for governor of South Carolina back in 2010, she sat down with the Palmetto Patriots — a Confederate heritage activist group. When asked why the Civil War was fought, Haley glossed over slavery in order to describe it as a battle between those fighting for “tradition” and those fighting for “change.”
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
"Don't Know Much About History ..."
Politicalprof:Haley declines to say slavery was cause of Civil War — The former South Carolina governor instead said it was a dispute over how ‘government was going to run.’ — Nikki Haley declined to say that slavery was a cause of the Civil War on Wednesday evening, placing the blame, instead, on the role of government.William Vaillancourt / The Daily Beast: Nikki Haley Seemingly Forgets Slavery When Asked to Name Cause of Civil WarTaegan Goddard / Political Wire: Nikki Haley Declines to Say Slavery Caused Civil War
Pretty much what happens when you let the losers write the history. What bullshit do they teach in South Carolina?Nikki Haley, in New Hampshire, when asked what caused the Civil War:“I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run. The freedoms and what people couldn’t do.“
As in, the freedom to enslave people.
Only In America
"Heavy Impairment"
Disarm the police! Are those Harris County deputies or I.D.F. soldiers? And why in hell are the dipshit moron coppers sporting woodland camo in an urban environment? The usual ignorance & incompetence of fascists, I s'pose.Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Mark Of The Bezos
What gone bad a-morning,
Can't come good a-evening, whoi!What gone bad a-morning,
Can't come good a-evening, whoi!Every day carry bucket to the well,
One day the bucket bottom must drop out.Every day carry bucket to the well,
One day the bucket bottom must drop out.
The Continuing Enshittification Of Everything
Happy New Yr., sucker-ass chumps!Chris Welch / The Verge:
Amazon Prime Video will start showing ads starting January 29, with an option for customers to pay an additional $2.99 per month to avoid the ads — Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to start incorporating ads into movies and TV shows streamed from its Prime Video service …Johanna Romero / PhoneArena: Amazon tells its Prime Video subscribers that ads are coming on January 29th, unless they pay extraEmily Price / PCMag: Amazon Rolling Out Ads to Prime Video on Jan. 29John Callaham / Neowin: Amazon Prime Video will show ads during its movies and TV shows Jan. 29 unless you pay extraMadeline Berg / Business Insider: Commercials are coming to Amazon Prime Video next monthZachary Cimaglio / CBR: Prime Video Adding Ads to Streaming Content, Announces Ad-Free Option for Added FeeDerek Strickland / TweakTown: Ads coming to Amazon Prime Video in January, ad-free will cost extraParis Marx / @parismarx@mastodon.online: The end of low interest rates is showing us what the tech companies really built over the past 15 years and it's nothing like what their PR hacks once promised. — Everything is more expensive, more invasive, and far less innovative or improved than they led us to believe. — https://www.theverge.com/...Luke Bouma / Cord Cutters News: Amazon's Prime Video Will Add Ads For All Subscribers In January - Here is Everything You Need to KnowMaxwell Zeff / Gizmodo: Amazon Will Inject Ads Into Prime Video Starting Jan. 29thBrian Dear / @brianstorms@mastodon.social: @Mediagazer — At this point, not worth fighting the steaming services over their ads. They were always going to do ads. — Let 'em run ads. The MORE ads the better, I say. Because it may just wind up being just what the market needed to spike demand for Blu-ray discs of everything once again. …Ben Schoon / 9to5Google: Amazon Prime Video starts showing ads in January unless you pay $2.99/month extraTom Warren / @tomwarren: and so it begins. Amazon Prime Video will start showing ads on January 29th. Movies and TV shows on Amazon's streaming service will start getting broken up with ads in January — unless you're willing to pony up an extra fee each month https://www.theverge.com/...Peter Sterne / @petersterne: Amazon Prime Video is adding ads starting Jan. 29. Ad-free version will be extra $3/mo on top of cost of Amazon Prime.@driskal: @tomwarren So we've basically come full circle. Streaming is exactly like cable now. Probably just as, if not more expensive@tvgrimreaper: ICYMI Everyone that gets Prime Video now will get ads, unless you affirmatively choose to pay more to escape them. Prime Video will go from 0% of subs with ads to (wild-ish guess) >80%. @janerationx@mas.to: LOL, what a load of horseshit. 🏴☠️ for the win. — https://www.theverge.com/...
Those of you who pay attention may remember that this reporter's philosophy is that everything's made of shit & we're all dying. If you paid no attention above, these are the most pertinent statements:
The end of low interest rates is showing us what the tech companies really built over the past 15 years and it's nothing like what their PR hacks once promised. — Everything is more expensive, more invasive, and far less innovative or improved than they led us to believe.
So we've basically come full circle. Streaming is exactly like cable now. Probably just as, if not more expensive
Fuck you in the mouth w/ my fist, Bezos. I would advise every patriotic, anti-monopolistic American to carry an ice-pick & be ready to let the air out of the tires of any Amazon delivery vehicle that's impeding traffic or parking.At this point, not worth fighting the steaming services over their ads. They were always going to do ads. — Let 'em run ads. The MORE ads the better, I say. Because it may just wind up being just what the market needed to spike demand for Blu-ray discs of everything once again.
Monday, December 25, 2023
Free Mickey!!
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| joneoyvilde03 |
Air Pirates Funnies. Not to forget Mickey Rat. Previously.Gene Maddaus / Variety:
The earliest versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse enter the public domain on January 1, as Disney's copyright suits have slowed to a trickle in recent years — Dan O'Neill was 53 years ahead of his time. … In 1971, he launched a countercultural attack on Mickey Mouse. In his underground comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” the lovable mouse was seen smuggling drugs and performing oral sex on Minnie.Jennifer Jenkins / Duke University School of Law: Books, movies, and music from 1928 and sound recordings from 1923 enter the US public domain on January 1; works include D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's LoverJustin Carter / Gizmodo: The OG Mickey Mouse Finally Hits the Public Domain Next WeekKelly Coffey-Behrens / The Blast: Mickey And Minnie Mouse Will No Longer Be Owned By DisneyEvan Kindley / @evankindley: How long until someone does a version of “Lady Chatterley's Lover” with Mickey and Minnie Mouse https://variety.com/...@finsvol: Mickey Mouse, Long a Symbol in Copyright Wars, to Enter Public Domain... Daycares across America can rejoice... they won't be threatened by the Militant Mouse Movement... https://variety.com/...Clyde Wayne Crews Jr / @wayne_crews: “'Just add zombies' appears to be a popular thing to do.” https://variety.com/...@trailersfromhel: If there aren't about 20 Mickey slashers in the next two years, we're going to be very disappointed with all of you. Story -> Mickey Mouse, Long a Symbol in Copyright Wars, to Enter Public Domain: 'It's Finally Happening' https://variety.com/...Mike Gunzelman / OutKick: Disney To Lose Copyright Of Early Mickey Mouse Drawings, So Let The Games BeginShelby Brown / Cord Cutters News: “Steamboat Willie” Mickey and Minnie Will Become Public Domain on January 1Mary Whitfill Roeloffs / Forbes: Original Mickey And Minnie Mouse Will Enter Public Domain Next Week—Here's What It Means For Creators
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Merry Fucking Christmas
Now Please Die
Israel has waged one of this century's most destructive wars in Gaza — The damage in Gaza has outpaced other recent conflicts, evidence shows. Israel has dropped some of the largest bombs commonly used today near hospitals. — The Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip has been unlike any other in the 21st century.James Joyner / Outside the Beltway: Israel-Hamas War's Massive Destruction
Scuba Santa Still Swimming
Eleven days ago. Now:Again w/ the sharks. And right here in these United Sharks of America, a couple of wks. ago:Guess the aquariums are trying to grub money like everyone else this joyous season. Ho ho hos, all of you.
Somehow I Missed This Outrage
Compare & contrast this Tiktok equivalent from 80+ yrs. ago of a song composed in 1917. (Hell, the doughboys were complaining at Valley Forge, 240+ yrs. ago.)Alice Wright / Daily Mail:Lou Aguilar / The American Spectator: SNAFU in the Woke Military
Any outrage about the barracks situation or "Coach" Tuberville's holds on promotions from these fake news outfits?The Army has finished major renovations and demolition of Fort Liberty, North Carolina's troubled Smoke Bomb Hill Barracks, which the service deemed unlivable after a slew of complaints from soldiers and media scrutiny.Three barracks buildings were renovated and are set to house soldiers again in early 2024. But a dozen barracks were determined to be unsalvageable due to mold infestations and aging infrastructure. The Defense Department fast-tracked $82 million in contracts in September 2022 to renovate three buildings, and an additional $13.5 million contract to demolish 12 others.
The moves come after Military.com reported on the poor state of the barracks in August 2022, including senior Army officials' dismay over how local leadership had tolerated a rapidly deteriorating quality of life for soldiers stationed at the base, then known as Fort Bragg. The service quietly announced the renovations last week.
"The Smoke Bomb Hill Barracks on Fort Liberty were identified to have life, health and safety issues due to systematic mechanical issues that resulted in a failure in humidity control, which increased the mold growth in the living spaces of the soldiers," Cheri Dragos-Pritchard, a spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers, wrote in a press release. "Those conditions could have negatively impacted the readiness of the XVIII Airborne Corps mission for a rapidly deployable force."
After senior leaders condemned the barracks, it triggered an unprecedented relocation of some 1,171 soldiers, putting an enormous strain on garrison logistics and marking one of the largest movements of soldiers outside of a mission in recent Army history. Nearly 300 of those troops were allowed to live off base.
Smoke Bomb Hill's closure served as a flash point over dilapidated living quarters for junior enlisted troops, a key quality-of-life concern that dominated media coverage of the Army. In some cases, mold has infested barracks to such a degree that soldiers have reported to Military.com about having to go to the emergency room for coughing up blood, difficulty breathing and other symptoms consistent with long-term exposure to mold.
Liberty garrison leaders knew numerous rooms were infested with mold, but action was taken only after direct complaints to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and an inspection by now-retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, who then served as the top enlisted leader for the service. The complaints also came at a time when the Army was vocal about quality-of-life issues for soldiers, a priority that seems to have become less pronounced after a change in senior leadership.
Fort Liberty has been the only installation to move troops en masse due to mold or other infrastructure issues. A 2022 investigation by Military.com found that Fort Stewart, Georgia's barracks are in equally bad or possibly worse shape, but local leadership said there are no plans to move residents -- though in some cases, soldiers who have been treated for health ailments have been relocated.
After Military.com's investigation, the Army inspected all of its active-duty barracks, finding 2,100 had some sort of mold issue. Of those, 390 barracks are in "poor or failing" condition, according to internal service documents reviewed by Military.com.
Funding is at the heart of the issue. Army planners estimate it would cost $7.5 billion simply to catch up on maintenance and repair backlogs for soldier housing, particularly in humid parts of the country including North Carolina, Georgia and Hawaii.
The Army has a relatively small $1 billion annual budget to maintain and build new barracks, with some projects at Fort Cavazos, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colorado, projected to open within the next three years. Though the Army aims to fully fund maintenance, Wormuth told Military.com in October, the service in recent years has taken roughly 15% of its maintenance budget for barracks and diverted it to other, unrelated priorities.
Even without diverting the funds, fully funding maintenance would add only about $343 million to the barracks budget overall through the rest of the decade -- essentially pocket change for the Army that doesn’t account for the likely rise of labor and construction costs.
Lawmakers in states with a large military presence have since asked all of the services to figure out a price tag to catch up on all renovations and construction, something the Army has been gun-shy about as it juggles demands such as running expensive Combat Training Centers and expanding its footprint in the Pacific.
Army leaders within the last month held a meeting on future plans for barracks, including potential new policies and construction efforts, but nothing has been formalized, Maj. Gen. John Rafferty, the chief of Army public affairs, told Military.com.
Related: Mold Is Consuming Fort Stewart's Barracks as a Pattern Emerges Across the Army
No, & they were all in favor of Tuberville's crap. One can only wonder if these useful idiots are being paid to undermine confidence in our institutions, such as they are, or if they do it simply because they hate most Americans.
Saturday, December 23, 2023
"I Drilled A Hole In My Head"
[Don't arse yourself; it's the Daily Paywall.]No, you don’t need to drill a hole in your head and implant a microchip in order to lose weight.[...]
Conspiracy-peddling billionaire Elon Musk raised the prospect of computer-chip-aided weight-loss back in April, while discussing his Neuralink BCI in a TED interview. “I think you can solve a very wide range of brain injuries,” Musk said, “including severe depression, morbid obesity, sleep [disorders and] restoring memory in older people.”
Here Comes Santa Claus,
Here Comes Santa Claus ...
... Right Down Beverly At Wilshire
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| No poopy-holes; do they excrete through that hole in their stomachs?* |
*70 yrs. old, & more juvenile than when I was seven.
Friday, December 22, 2023
A Whore Just Like The Rest
"A Well-Worn Path"
Nikki Haley & her ilk, as well as all bankers, businesspeople & the like should be drowned in "The Swamp" before it's drained, & buried under the landfill.Washington Post: “Haley’s finances are under a spotlight as she seeks a return to public life, this time as president. A financial disclosure she submitted earlier this year, as required for candidates, shows how she followed a well-worn path to wealth: trading on her government experience, both as U.N. ambassador and, before that, as governor of South Carolina.”“The public profile Haley, 51, cultivated as a Republican official — melding deregulatory policies with interventionist and adamantly pro-Israel positions — created lucrative private opportunities. In an 11-month period ending January 2023, she earned about $2.5 million from paid speeches alone, delivered to banks, other businesses and advocacy groups, according to her disclosure. That’s more than she earned in combined salary during the eight years she spent as governor and then a presidential Cabinet member.”
Festive Friday Finger
Not feeling the Solstice Spirit yet, Santa? I know I'm not. Is there more daylight yet?
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Callous A-Hole Of The Day
Some schmuck in the Daily Paywall states:
He seems to have missed that it was the Israeli reaction that led to the wave of insults. Here are some other "profound" injuries & deaths, which apparently don't stand out above all else among the "awful consequences".Of all the awful consequences of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, one stands out above all else: that the savage murder of more than 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of hundreds of others has led to the most significant wave of anti-Jewish hatred in recent American history.It adds insult to profound injury — and if public opinion is to be believed, things may only get worse for American Jews.
You think Joel B. Pollak of Breitbart has a more accurate estimate of who is & isn't a "terrorist"?Yasmine Salam / NBC News:
Palestinian support for ‘armed struggle’ is rising as Gaza death estimate tops 20,000 — “You cannot kill people into liking you,” a policy analyst said in response to a recent poll. — As the death toll in Gaza reached an estimated 20,000 on Thursday, the majority of them women and children …Katie Bo Lillis / CNN: US intelligence analysis warns Hamas' influence has grown since its attack on IsraelJoel B. Pollak / Breitbart: NBC News Parrots Hamas Death Figures; Does Not Distinguish Terrorists, CiviliansJulia Frankel / Press Herald: Israel's military campaign in Gaza is among the most destructive in history, experts say
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving, according to a report Thursday by the U.N. and other agencies that highlights the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s bombardment and siege on the territory in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.The extent of the population’s hunger eclipsed even the near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen of recent years, according to figures in the report. The report warned that the risk of famine is “increasing each day,” blaming the hunger on insufficient aid entering Gaza.
L'hiver Est Arrivé
First Amendment Outrage!
This is no longer a free country if one can't call for public hangings of the internal enemies of the nation.
Trump & his family, for example.
Trump & his family, for example.
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
John Schneider Probe Opened By Secret Service After ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ Star Urges Public Hanging Of Joe Biden — Vin Diesel's Ex-Assistant Sues ‘Fast & Furious’ Star For Sexual Battery & Retaliation; Read Full Complaint — ‘Warnamount’ Merger Talk Confounds Investors And Industry …Mark Alfred / The Daily Beast: Secret Service Probing John Schneider's Call for Biden to be ‘Publicly Hung’Aneeta Mathur-Ashton / The Messenger: Secret Service Opens Probe Into ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ Star Following Call for Biden Execution: ReportJennifer Bowers Bahney / Mediaite: Secret Service Reportedly Opens Investigation Into '80s Icon John Schneider After He Urged a Public Hanging For BidenTaegan Goddard / Political Wire: ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star Says Biden Should Be ‘Hung’Jason Easley / PoliticusUSA: Secret Service Opens Investigation Into Dukes Of Hazzard Star John Schneider For Calling For Biden To Be Publicly HungRamon Antonio Vargas / The Guardian: Dukes of Hazzard actor John Schneider called for public hanging of Joe Biden
OFF W/ THEIR HEADS!!
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Sticky Souvenirs
Had my cardio electrogrammed Friday. Found one of these attached to the left side of my rib cage on Sunday,
& the other on Tuesday.
The result? Nothing there.
& the other on Tuesday.
Degeneration
RedState has an interesting definition of "degenerate", doesn't it? Not a thing "degenerate" about having a daughter pledge her "purity" to her daddy (Who's sharing his porn sites w/ his "accountability partner"/son.) until someone comes along who can afford her. Essentially, Jesus makes your daughters whores. Nice guy.Will Steakin / ABC News:
Speaker Mike Johnson and daughter were profiled attending ‘purity ball’ in 2015 German TV news segment — The unearthed segment is the latest example of Johnson's deeply held views. — A still image from a 2015 German news segment featuring Mike Johnson and his family.
The Devil's Fish
Is Someone Trying To Tell Me Something?
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Monday, December 18, 2023
... But Never Better Late
I was on this on Thursday (w/ the assistance of memeorandum) what took the rest of you losers so long?
And thanks for the credit, y'all.
Learn something:
 |
| Niko Geyer |
Fucking everything has to be about middle-class sheep, dunnit?Ballanchine’s version became a huge success, partially because of his choreography and overall vision for the production, partly because it was televised in 1957 and 1958, making it a national tradition, and partly because it catered to the sensibilities and anxieties of Cold War America, by creating a cultural experience reflecting the social norms of the time.“Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is a tribute to idealized middle-class family life,” writes Kodat. “Fathers dance with their daughters with gentle ceremony and decorous affection; mothers come to the rescue of sons left without a dance partner; children squabble and their parents smooth things over; and, most important, the pleasures of holiday feasting are presented unalloyed by working-class anxiety or upper-class decadence.”
While previous versions of The Nutcracker had engaged with the weirdness of the story that inspired it and unsettling, possibly pedophilic characters like Herr Drosselmeier, Balanchine produced a version that said “there is nothing foolish or hypocritical or ridiculous, let alone sinisterly Freudian, about the joys of family life and conspicuous consumption.” In 1950s America, that was the message–and the ballet–that stuck.
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