A healthy Aaron Rodgers has been cleared to play. I dropped him from my fantasy roster after the injury and he was thankfully picked up by Apatheists, who I dispatched of this past week. Thank God. Jose Canseco must have gotten hit on top of the head by another fly ball.
Not the brightest bulb
A few soccer games of note yesterday: Burnley temporarily moved into the top 4, Chelsea won. And Crystal Palace moved out of the bottom three with a furious final 3 minutes. Lots more on tap today, including Liverpool, Man City And ManUre. In hoops action, Cincinnati and Seton Hall were the only top 25 teams in action, and they both won comfortably.
Over in the NHL, there were a ton of games. The Sabres piled more misery on the Senators, who have lost 12 of 13. De Debbils pounded the Kings. The Flyers doubled up the Maple Leafs. The Crapitals beat the Avs. The Oilers greased the Blue Jackets. The Lightning shocked the Blues. The MINNESOOOOOOOOODA WIIIIIIILD extinguished the Flames. Carolina beat Las Vegas. And the Blackhawks topped the Panthers in OT, to the pleasant surprise of one Swiss Servator.
And now for something completely different…the links!
Everybody in the world except Roy Moore himself, has accepted that Doug Jones won the Alabama Senate special election.
P.T. Barnum reincarnated
If any of you Glibs were duped in this latest con, I’m gonna be very upset. I mean…seriously? This guy is a fucking con man and I just hope our government is no throwing money at him.
See how many fucked up things you can pick out in this story. Or at least give me three ways in which a “civilian” caught doing this would be treated differently. Or just read it and move on. No skin off my nose.
Tough old broad fights off mugger. Police tell her she should have just given in (and coincidentally encouraged more criminal behavior). I say “good for you!” to the 75-year old.
Everybody on here please take note of which Virginia Glib isn’t participating in today’s comments. Because when he gets back from his little vacation, we need to have a talk with him.
Here’s a happy little piece to take y’all down memory lane. Enjoy reminiscing and share which of these, or what you think is missing from the list, made its way under your tree. (You Jooz can participate even though you don’t properly celebrate Christmas).
Oh hell yeah!
And last but not least, I give you the wonderful miracle known as modern medicine. This one hits a little close to home for me and Banjos. Some of you know this, but Baby Reason, who is 5 now!, was born with a similar but less serious condition called an omphalocele. For her it was part of her bowel, colon and liver that was outside her abdomen. We spent the first several weeks of her life swapping out rooms at a Ronald McDonald House in Madera, California while she was in the NICU. And while that was tough, I can only imagine the road these people and their baby girl are going through. But stories like this speak to the never-ending will to learn and the ceaseless desire to save lives from medical professionals around the world. We’ve all got problems and we all have our challenges in life. But when we look at miracles like those these doctors have performed, we should all see them in perspective and realize that we have it pretty damn good.
Sorry to get all sappy there, but stuff like this really gets to me. Especially around the holidays since Reason spent so much of her first holiday season in the hospital, but was happily sent home on Christmas day. Anyway, God bless those doctors and nurses and God bless these doctors and nurses for giving and/or restoring the gift of life.
Its not really my kind of music, but after that last link, I felt compelled to play it.
Have a great day, friends.
Everybody in the world except Roy Moore himself, has accepted that Doug Jones won the Alabama Senate special election.
I demand a recount
I don’t believe Jones won.
Clearly the write-in vote was for Ronald McDonald.
Doug Moore was the big winner.
“‘It was every community. You know I keep hearing about the different communities in this state. The African American community – thank you! My friends in the Latino community thank you! To all my Jewish friends, Happy Chanukah!”
There are Jews in Alabama?
There’s one lawyer anyway, according to Moore’s wife.
Probably a few moved to Huntsville.
Paul Finebaum???
DOUG JONES AIN’T PLAYED NOBODY PAWWWWWWWWL
Okay, does Sloopy just have a vast collection of images of fat people to use for the lynx?
Hey a man’s fetishes are his own personal (bad touch!) kingdom.
Bad Touch, you say?
Oh, is there a fat guy in that one? I was looking at the chick.
The fat guy I think is the same guy that’s in this YouTube video where he’s with this entry-level rapper from down south at an outdoor range (or someone’s backyard or something) and he shoots an AR that’s he’s concealed in his gut flap.
But yeah, I was mostly concerned about the chick. Not what you’d call a refined, classical beauty, but she’s totally in my wheelhouse. Probably a lot of fun to hang out with, is intimately familiar with margaritas, and is probably an MVP of Netflix and chill.
I just want to know how he got a picture from my last date. I’m pissed.
See snark below.
“We’ve all got problems and we all have our challenges in life. But when we look at miracles like those these doctors have performed, we should all see them in perspective and realize that we have it pretty damn good.”
So First World solutions?
Yeah, pretty much. We do have first world problems. And we are fortunate to have first world solutions.
But what’s really great to recognize is that literally billions of people around the world that are now “suffering” first world problems along with us were preceded by people living in huts with no electricity, running water or reliable heat less than two generations ago. The first world is expanding every day, and there’s nothing the Luddites and global warming scammers can do about it.
Amen. Thanks capitalism!
You didn’t build that! Without the government roads there would be nothing but Somalia!
According to Jimmy Kimmel, Donald Trump wants to use capitalism to kill
hiseveryone’s baby.If any of you Glibs were duped in this latest con, I’m gonna be very upset.
Man walks down the street in that hat …
Hey, at least he finally has a business that’s making a profit. Give him some credit.
I have that hat. My mother made it for me.
The most important part of being in a Ponzi scheme is to know when to push the eject.
The Macho Individualism That Gave Rise To #MeToo
Republicans increasingly championed the idea of a nation of individualists – who are these goddamn republicans promoting individualism?
And where are they…can I get one of them to run for office (Freedom Caucus excepted, of course)?!
I seem to remember Obumbles puking up that same drivel. Somehow it seems to have gotten past Heather that the overwhelming majority of #MeToo’s victims are not the rugged individual types but rather her fellow travelers.
Annie Oakley just wasn’t woke.
That’s disappointing – but not surprising.
I’ve met her a few times: very nice person and excellent historian. But wave a political cause in front of an academic and standards disappear.
While the reality always was that women in the old West worked outside the home and took on important public roles, the fictional world of the American cowboy had no place for women except as wives and mothers and as sex objects.
The funny thing is that the people publishing this garbage really have no understanding of the individualist ethos or the mythology (often true) of the American West. The woman in the mythology was never a helpless creature demanding the man provide for her. She was generally depicted as a strong, resourceful partner to the cowboy hero. She chose to be a bride and mother because family life is something that men and women find fulfilling. In case the author wasn’t paying attention, it was Kane’s bride in High Noon who shot one of the men who aimed to kill him. And that fits with the individualist ethos. An individualist man doesn’t want a woman who is a whining, pathetic, neurotic, placing demands because she’s entitled in life. That’s more an accurate description of a feminist.
“An individualist man doesn’t want a woman who is a whining, pathetic, neurotic, placing demands because she’s entitled in life. That’s more an accurate description of a feminist.”
OK, I’m stealing that.
She’s lucky Sally Scull ain’t alive…she’d likely want a word with her.
So does this mean everyone will go back to not giving a shit about the state of Alabama?
‘ceptin’ college football, I reckon.
Yeah, except those motherfuckers on the College Football Playoff committee. They’ll be stroking it as hard as they can about Bama until Clemson ::shudders:: blows them off the fucking field in the Sugar Bowl.
Yes, I’m still salty as fuck about that.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 champs will play in the real Rose Bowl.
It’s a fucking travesty that USC and OSU aren’t meeting in Pasadena.
Logistically, it makes more sense for Auburn and Oklahoma to meet in the Cotton Bowl anyway.
These things shouldn’t be set in stone before the season. There should be some flexibility. Fuck this stupid playoff man. The last 10 years of the BCS worked out just fine, with the exception of 2011, and I don’t think they’d make that mistake again now that there’s more balance in the college football universe.
derp… Georgia.
Slow down there. If it was in the Rose, then I’d have to drive from South Carolina all the way across the country and then back to Texas to see the game. Now I’ll just have to drive home and then a few hours north on game day. This saves me 3000 miles of driving.
“The last 10 years of the BCS worked out just fine…”
*passes out onto keyboard*
The committee didn’t have any choice. Could you imagine the shitstorm that would occur if they had put in a two-loss Ohio State over a one-loss Wisconsin exactly one year after putting in a one-loss Ohio State over a two-loss Penn State? It would have been a mutiny (and should have been).
As someone who actually argued for Penn State to be in the playoff last year (head-to-head and conference championships should mean something), I don’t feel bad for arguing OSU should be in this year. At least I’m being consistent.
But… in the end, it’s still OSU’s own damn fault. Can’t get your ass kicked by Iowa.
Ohio State didn’t deserve it, and I’m glad the committee fucked them over.
::serenity now::
::serenity now::
::serenity now::
::walks away::
He is right, UCF deserved the spot.
I honestly would have been fine with that. Putting in UCF would have been an easy out, and would have re-energized G5 football as a whole, which has taken a hit int he playoff era.
Like I said, I’m fine with OSU not being in. But not for Alabama. That’s absolute fucking horseshit. UCF would have been the proverbial “splitting the baby”, and I’d be cool with that.
And just to lay out a little factual nugget:
Since Bama’s last win against a FBS team, Ohio State beat 3 teams from a P5 conference, including a top 8 (final ranking) team. They also have three wins over teams ranked higher than either of the two ranked teams Bama beat, including two top 10 (final ranking) teams.
They also got nuked by Iowa, which is an eliminating factor.
Ok, but the decision basically told the Big Ten, Big XII and PAC 12 to stop scheduling 9 conference games to eliminate the likelihood of something like that happening and to pad almost everybody in your conference’s record by a gimmie win against an FCS or Sun Belt bottom feeder in November.
I think the FCS game in November is stupid, but does it matter whether it is Sun Belt in November or MAC in September?
ACC was going to go to 9, but with the Notre Dame deal, it meant 10 annual games in some years for those with an SEC rivalry game.
SEC scheduling is generally pathetic. Alabama did try this year, but it turns out Fresno was the better FSU on their schedule.
And looking at their schedule again, Alabama’s OOC wasn’t that bad, FSU, FSU, Colorado St, Mercer isnt as hard as expected, but is much better than what the majority of the B12 do.
Those games have always been treated as pre-season by any self respecting program. I’m sorry, but they should be played early on and nobody should be playing a non-P5 school other than ND from October on. The timing of losses matter. Padding the last month of a schedule against FCS schools like that is gutless. That’s why I’m not surprised schools like Bama do it.
The B1G is the only (well, maybe not only, but primary) conference that has historically stuck to “OOC games followed by conference games”.
While it makes a lot of sense, other conferences have historically spread out conference games. The FCS before rivalry game thing is relatively recent (and stupid), but if you look back thru historical schedules, you see lots of non-conference games throughout the year.
The reason for the late FCS game is that the 12 game schedule made it hard to have a bye the week before the rivalry game.
GT schedule 1989 in November:
Western Carolina (FCS)
Wake Forest (ACC)
Boston College (OOC)
Georgia (OOC)
Only 1 ACC game in last 4. Games 1,2, 4-7 were the other ACC games.
3 was vs South Carolina (a loss, just like we were OSU).
^^That was basically a randomly chosen year^^
1962 (also randomly chosen), GT, while still in the SEC, played Duke and Florida St OOC in November.
You are suffering from B1G bias. The real world of college football doesn’t work the way you think it should.
I made it clear that teams should only play P5 schools or ND late, not conference games. I did so because it preserves rivalry games like GT-UGA and Clemson-USCe. I have no beef with those at all, just the bullshit gutless scheduling of Mercer or The Citadel in the penultimate week of the season.
Florida St 1962 == Mercer 2017.
Well, maybe not that bad, but Western Carolina 1989 is pretty much the same.
I was criticizing your “treating them as preseason games” comment.
That isn’t historically the way CFB scheduling has worked. There is no such thing as preseason. That is a B1G concept.
Mercer on your schedule in November should drop your shitty team about ten spots in the rankings.
There are a couple of programs that have never stooped to scheduling D2 / FCS games.
Notre Dame, USC and I think UCLA is the entire list.
I thought USC was the entire list.
Notre Dame is definitely on that list. Hate them as a rival but respect their brutal scheduling.
The SEC is built on an illusion. They have the worst OOC schedule year after year after year and life off of inflated rankings.
Evidence: http://gridironnow.com/sec-teams-fcs-opponents-2017/
Did you really want yet another beat down from the state of South Carolina.
BTW, How the fuck do yall have a losing record (much less a complete 0fer) against the state?
My school, which has no where near the historical record as aOSU, is 50-30-2 vs Clemson and 12-9 vs USCe.
THEY ARE EASY TO BEAT.
Vegas has Bama as a 2.5 point fave at this point.
I ‘spect that’ll flip pretty steep like between now & game time
The jig’s up
Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York told CNN on Monday that President Donald Trump should resign over allegations of sexual assault.
“President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign,” Gillibrand told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview.
“These allegations are credible; they are numerous, ” said Gillibrand, a leading voice in Congress for combating sexual assault in the military. “I’ve heard these women’s testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking.”
Senator Sorority Girl has had all she can stand. Now she’s going to stamp her little feet and pout.
As I remember it those allegations were shown to be bullshit. They think we forgot?
They won’t stop. They have had a couple successes now so it’s gonna be all groping, all the time.
go on…
Well we do have solid video of the President aboard AF1 wagging his dick at female reporters.
Oh wait, that was a different president.
I must have missed that one. Obama?
https://news.grabien.com/story-video-2008-campaign-appears-show-obama-flaunting-erection-fe
They think we forgot?
Why do you think they only talk to the people making these allegations in friendly venues in the morning, when most people are at work? They want the headline out there. And for their supporters, they know that’s enough. They’ll “believe the women” because they want to. Try taking the cases into an actual impeachment proceeding and see how it goes. I’m sure that you’ll generate a wave of public indignation that Donald Trump gave you his phone number. I’ve no doubt that everyone will ignore the fact that you’re a long-time Clinton friend and the Secretary of her foundation when you relate the horrors of Donald Trump touching your knee.
Wait until we get to Kamala Harris and Willie Brown.
For those keeping score, remember the old “seriousness of the allegations” standard.
Clarence Thomas: Totally matters
Bill Clinton: Does not matter
Donald Trump: Totally matters
I see a theme…
I’ve actually seen a select few Lefties finally admit that Bill Clinton’s conduct was pretty bad, but of course, they’re only saying that now that Bill is out of office and Hillary is probably (hopefully) done with politics forever. The Clintons are of no further use, so it’s OK to toss them to the wolves.
All I have to say about the Alabama election is that both parties played perfectly to type.
The Democrats (and their full-throated accomplices in the media) reinforced their claim as the Evil Party by using a group of women to perform a political hit on Moore; by setting up a non-provable (and non-disprovable) set of allegations.
Of course, the Republicans retained their title as the Stupid Party by: 1) Nominated a person with so many skeletons that the Dems’ allegation were able to stick…just well enough… for a Democrat to win… in Alabama, of all places. and 2) Of course, all of the ‘mainstream’ elephants immediately threw Moore under the bus within hours of the original WaPo story.
*sigh* It’s slimeballs all the way down. No wonder we’re fucking sick and tired of Washington.
Bring on the woodchippers (Rhetorically, of course) *Hi, Preet*
If these fucking politicians didn’t have so much power over our lives and wallet, I wouldn’t care. What a pack of evil shit-stains.
Oh, I forgot 3) If your wife is an anti-Semitic moron, KEEP HER AWAY FROM A FUCKING MICROPHONE THE DAY BEFORE AN ELECTION!!!!!
Jimminy Fucking Christmas.
Are we sure she is anti-semitic? The comment I read from her was more like “We don’t hate jews, we just don’t know any either and I am too awkward to parse the question elegantly.”
Not to mention most right-wing religious types have a bit of awe for their Jewish progenitors. Hence part of their strong devotion to Israel, etc…
Preet isn’t in office any longer, so I don’t think we have to worry on that account. He managed to make himself so toxic doing all the lovely things he did that I doubt another prosecutor will try that for at least another few years.
The voters were given a choice between GOPe pick Luther Strange and Trump-like outsider Roy Moore. Since the allegations of his being a “pedophile” were being held in reserve, the voters voted without all relevant information concerning Moore. When the allegations did emerge, a concerted effort to prove their veracity by proclamation rather than by investigation worked its magic on the voters.
The same voters that nominated Moore decided to abandon him on election day.
IIRC, Moore got about the same number of votes in this special election as there were votes in the Republican primary a month earlier.
Jones got roughly the same amount of votes the D candidate got during the 2016 general.
This is the same story as Georgia 6th – the Dems are currently maxing out their support. All gains they’re making right now are due to Rep voters staying home.
Berlin had a big Jew-Hating rally last weekend. What’s the worst that could happen?
Huh…that is new.
Here you go:
http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/530cc8236bb3f7f87669e8d0-1200-924/merkel-netanyahu-mustache.jpg
Apparently, Germany’s sense of historic guilt isn’t strong enough to actually protect the descendents of their victims from the “underprivileged”.
They’re just trying to be nice to their former allies, who are now fellow citizens……..
They ain’t citizens.
Yeah, which underprivileged neighborhoods in particular?
Not sure what they are called, I just know that there are a proliferation of snack bars in them.
Shouldn’t this be a “You know who else…?”
Don’t look at me, I have a Jewish lawyer!
Thank you for that.
Meanwhile, Brussels insists that Poland import their fair share of jew-haters.
You Know Who Else wanted to send a bunch of Jew-haters to Poland?
The Ottomans? (though they got stopped by Pie’s kin)
I saw that movie…
Darcula totally rocks, but not in that ghey Twilight nonsense kind of way…
/joking.
While Chancellor Merkel promised to “use all available legal measures”, the leading German newspaper Die Welt reported that no action was being taken against those who chanted “death to Jews” in Berlin over the weekend, claiming the local police were ‘helpless’.
Something tells me they would take action if someone shouted “Death to Muslims” in public.
I had none of these.
Since they only went back to 1981, I didn’t either. Bought a few of them for my kids, though.
And played with them as much as your kids got to on Christmas morning, I would imagine.
Naturally. Dad’s prerogative.
*shifty look*
…Maybe some of them (kicks wii under table)
all I remember about trying to use that iteration of Nentendo was a teeny tiny remote with teenier tinier buttons that were hard to press individually.
This year I bought my son the Nintendo Switch. I’m looking forward to some quality Zelda / Mario Odyssey time.
My daughter’s 2 1/2. Lately, we’ve started spending weekend mornings sitting on the couch together while I drink coffee and play games over my Steam Link on the living room TV. She likes Assassin’s Creed Origins (hat tip to UCS for the recommendation) because there are horses and cats. She also likes Elite:Dangerous because of the stars and planets and spaceships and so forth, but she gets bored watching me fly trade routes. I think in a couple years she’ll be ready to play games with me, and I cannot express how excited I am about that.
I cannot express how excited I am about that.
Until she starts taking up all your game time. My grand-daughter was like this, but now all she wants to play is Minecraft and ‘girly apps’.
Put them to work to save up to buy either their own rig or time on your system. It will help build work ethic while freeing up the system for your own gaming.
LDS first real purchase was a Nintendo DS. This was essential because Mrs. #6 and I wouldn’t spring for one.
“Then I’ll buy it myself!”
I ordered it for her on Amazon, and then took great pleasure in taking $135-odd bucks off her three days later.
“It says $127 on Amazon!” quoth she.
“Let me explain Sales tax and Use taxes, honey!” quoth I.
And that was how the legend of TLDS began …
… ‘scuse me … there are a lot of allergens in the air today.
Right now she’s on this Toca thing on her Kindle Fire. It’s hard to describe, but it’s basically like undetailed animals in physics demos. I’m hoping that by the time she wants to play Minecraft and Barbie’s Pony Hair Salon HD or whatever she’ll have a device on which she can play it, and/or I’ll have won the hearts and minds battle for media taste. It’s close, because she’s found Dora the Explorer and watches the shit out of it, but she also really likes Shaun the Sheep. She’ll do some Bob’s Burgers, too. As a baby she was fascinated by “The Hollow Crown” films and I got her on The Three Stooges, so I think I’ve got a shot at steering her away from dumb girl games. She does wear a lot of pink, though…
Indeed. Where’s Major Matt Mason?
A shocking development, to be sure!
ditto – but by the time ’81 rolled around I was more interested in computers than toys. Well minus Micronauts.
Got a C-64 in ’82-’83 ish and it was game over by then.
“Got a C-64 in ’82-’83 ish and it was game over by then.”
It was probably GAME ON by then, if you know what I mean (Epyx Summer Games?)
Raid of Bungling Bay, T.A.C., and Jumpman were some of my favorites. Along with Zork and Planetfall text adventure games. And the proto X-rated games, like Strip Poker; where I learned to rename the files so the girls started nude and would add clothes as they lost.
Below The Root and Infernal Runner for me… Holy Mackerel, all the hours spent.
Oh, man, Zork and Ultimate Wizard were my jam in the day. And eventually all the Pools of Radiance games.
The beginning of PC gaming, when you had to create custom boot disks in order to play some games, and the games didn’t hold your hand at all. The one genre I wish would make a solid comeback is the Wing Commander games. Space flight games where you could fail missions, and the story continued from there. Not missions you can’t win (although I believe there was one of those in WC3), but missions that changed the story if you failed on the objectives. That is a feature that was missing from the X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Freespace games.
Oh, man, Wing Commander! Yeah, I really like that failure wasn’t a deal-breaker generally speaking. There are a very few games I’ve played since that do that. IIRC, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada does that, but it’s a little more open-ended.
Wing Commander was one of my favorites! There was one mission I could never beat though. I should go back and see if I can finish the game.
Strangely enough I’ve been playing some stuff from my youth lately – the Ultima Worlds series. They are free on GOG with integrated dosbox. I’m currently on Savage Empires.
Lump of coal every year, eh?
and a glass of water to wash down the single Nabisco Nilla wafer.
Lump of coal
In a box, with a stick, so you could play with it.
Or my Dad’s other classic:
‘So poor, Gramma would cut a hole in my pocket for Christmas’.
And it looks like a fucking slideshow list.
It is…. 🙁
Lowcountry girl searching for human skull gets wish granted
I know female serial killers are rare but it’s good to see the increased equality of the sexes.
What is a lowcountry? How low is it?
Paging RBS!
Its the coastal area of South Carolina mostly from Beaufort to Hilton Head Island. Although some people try to include Charleston, but they’d be wrong.
Based on our roadtrip honeymoon, it’s a place where people look at you funny if you ask for hot sauce to put on grits, I’ll tell you that much…
My cheese grits at a certain famous/hip Brooklyn diner resulted in a bowl of hot hominy (whole, fluffy hominy like one would perhaps serve in a dish of chili) with chunks of partially melted fresh mozzarella stirred in.
On one hand that doesn’t sound too bad.
On the other, that doesn’t sound like grits.
The deep dish of grits, if you will…
I agree that it could be made into a tasty dish; this however, was just a bowl of flavorless, wet stringy, popcorn . Grits have joined the list of things to never be ordered out.
🙁 So they screwed up their screw up.
Good for her, she’ll make a fine doctor and/or murderer one day.
Kermit Gosnell managed to pull both off.
Jhazmyne
Doctor? She’ll be lucky to grow up a dyslexia stripper.
^^Whut I was gonna say.
Hobo jungles are a fire hazard
“We knew it was only going to be a matter of time before something horrible happened,” Miner said.
Miner said she was skeptical of the proposed campaign to educate homeless people about fire risks. Los Angeles needs a massive regulatory overhaul like the one that followed the 1961 Bel-Air fire, she said, which should include eliminating hillside encampments.
Humans are usually the cause of fires in Southern California, including sparks from car crashes, farm equipment, cigarette butts or camping fires, officials said.
Surprising, I know.
“Sources of ignition are often found to be the causes of fires.”
No mention of poor forestry practices which encourage bigger, more catastrophic fires instead of smaller annual burns.
Not to be pedantic, but they don’t really practice forestry around LA. It’s mostly chaparral and desert ‘trees’. That said you are absolutely correct that proper management would reduce fire severity, which means regular prescribed fires to burn off the growth as happened prior to major settlement-among other things. But people, as we all know here, want the govt to DO SOMETHING!, instead of taking care of their own property. Problem is, they don’t like the ideal solution or don’t want to pay for it.
Anyway, I’ve often thought about doing a piece on land management or public lands in the US. Anyone interested in something like that?
It would not be the strangest thing to grace this site.
+ any number of HM links.
Anyone interested in something like that?
Very much. As a libertarian who loves the National Parks, I would be very interested in your thoughts.
I would definitely be interested.
Here in North Floriduh, we’re surrounded by public and private conservation land, most of which gets a prescribed burn on a 1-3 year rotation. It’s pretty bad when Florida Man is the example others need to follow.
Some of you southern folk might know of the govt campaigning against the burning folks used to do back in the day. Heard some stories when I was down there…
Yes, please do it.
Still, yes please, write it up and submit!
Ok, sounds like a go! I can’t promise a time line but I’ll give it a try.
The other big problem is they bring water to places that don’t naturally get that water, which means over vegetated and dry when the Santa Ana’s blow.
Yes. Out west especially, that topic is a big freaking deal.
I’m interested, since my in-laws have an 80-acre plot with house in high-altitude forest land here in Colorado, where I spend my weekends. Maintaining defensible space is a constant thing, which is tougher since the property is bounded on two sides by national forest land, and the feds do a crap job of reducing their fuel load.
…At least those Twitterers who don’t personally know any Cubans.
I only know Mark myself
*narrows gaze*
What about this Coobun?
From the annals of no shit
5,500-Year-Old Wooden Clubs Were Deadly Weapons
https://www.livescience.com/61140-prehistoric-wooden-club-weapons.html
Primitive people used clubs as weapond. Who’d ev thunk it
Also
Someone tried to film a ren fair with a drone and the result is one of the best gifs I’ve ever seen.
https://twitter.com/BMCarbaugh/status/939941644782264321
“I have slain the dragon!!!”
That’s hilarious!
Oh, that’s good.
Every spear you throw has to land somewhere.
Common-sense spear control, people.
“Being ribbed suggests those are clubs.”
*Drops immediately and washes hands*
Ribbed for her …bashing over the head?
“Look out, he’s got a Thames Beater!”
Those look like paddles to me, not clubs. Probably had some other function.
Primitive spanking devices?
I think its a smart design for a club, actually. Wood is relatively low density. The effectiveness of the strike is increased the more mass you have concentrated on the striking surface. Strike with the “edge” of the paddle-shaped club, and you have a more damaging blow.
In high school I got into a few fights while carrying a skateboard. It’s an excellent, and I mean excellent, design for a weapon.
And is also a getaway vehicle. Especially if you can pull a Marty McFly and hang on to car bumpers.
A very informative article. Who would have thought a large chunk of wood being swung at high speed could hurt or even kill someone?
Who?
Proud Boys
Proud Boys are misogynistic? NONSENSE!
In keeping with libertarian tradition, the group does accept non-white and gay members – I think we have some people to kick out of the group
Fine! I’ll start my own libertarian website! With Blackjack! And Hookers!
Ah, the hell with it.
I thought the deal with these guys is that they have some ritual schedule about spankin’ it and they basically think white men are a net positive, historically-speaking. Quirky, but not even near as morally shitty as, say, Antifa, or any Communist.
I think a suitable neologism would be “masculinists”.
It’s a bit of a stretch conflating them with racism, and almost as much of stretch calling it white supremacism – ‘white culturalism’ is probably a better term for any readers who don’t know who Nicolas Chauvin was.
I won’t pretend to be sad because that fucking jackass Moore lost. When the “system” only pukes up horrible alternatives, it’s time to take a long hard look at the system.
Haha, who am I kidding?
Scots airline pilots have sexiest voices, survey finds
Well talking like Sean Connery is taught in schools in Scotland so I am not surprised
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.
As I recall, that election in Alabama was only held because Trump plucked Sessions out of the seat to make him Atty Genl.
Good going, dumbass.
But it was a safe seat though …
It was basically a parade of errors:
1. Trump picks Sessions
2. Ala Governor decides for some reason to make the special election in December 2017 rather than November 2018
3. Ala Republicans for some reason nominate Roy Moore, twice removed as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for being a dumbass
4. Margin in Senate down to 51-49
Although good news is that in 2020 Alabama will probably pick a Senator better than Moore. Or Moore again.
A court in Egypt has reportedly jailed for two years a singer who appeared in a music video in her underwear while suggestively eating a banana.
Shaimaa Ahmed, a 25-year-old known professionally as Shyma, was arrested last month after the video sparked outrage in the conservative country.
On Tuesday, she was found guilty of inciting debauchery and publishing an indecent film, local media said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42328428
“Inciting Debauchery” sounds like an album name.
Sounds like my college career.
It’s a hell of a name for the tour… away from home?
Because she wrote, produced and directed the video?
Hey! She might have triggered a Harvard guy to discuss the attractiveness of women.
There should be a pussy of the day website like bad-ass of the week or however that site was called
Cool Struggle Session, bro.
Discussing the attractiveness of women is bad?
Has this dumbass ever heard what women talk about when they get together?
Why, Egyptians might lust after someone besides their first cousins if they saw that video.
And the other singer who was punished for a common sense warning against parasites… Do you want schistosomiasis? ‘Cause that’s how you get schistosomiasis.
I for one would like to be the first to Shyma as our newest asylum grantee with open arms. Seriously, call me, my wife will totally understand.
Story linked in that article:
Don’t feel bad, most guys just leave her hanging in the tree.
OK, if this is true then the entire investigation needs to be shut down because it pretty much started as a political witch hunt. And any evidence collected that resulted from this collusion between the DoJ, Fusion GPS and their foreign spy network, which includes Russians by the way, should be inadmissible. And if its shown that this played any role in the FISA warrant being issued so the DoJ could spy on the Trump campaign, people need to go to prison.
Oh, it should be admissible… against them.
By the time Mueller is done embarrassing himself, he’ll have accidentally solved the Seth Rich murder and most of the Deep State will be awaiting trial.
If he gets anywhere near that, he’ll meet with his very own “unfortunate accident” courtesy of Herself’s goon squad.
There’s not a way in hell the Hitmen she uses go down for any of this. They’ll take the entire family out first.
Whatever you say comrade.
Seriously though, yeah, the investigation has become an absolute joke and it needs to go away.
Mistakes were made. People did and said things they now regret. Let’s put it behind us a get down to impeaching Trump.
But was protocol followed?
This too:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/12/developing-text-messages-peter-strzok-mistress-lisa-page-emerge-trump-go-fck/
A majority of the key players have revealed themselves to be ideologically biased against Trump and the rest of the administration. It becomes clearer as time goes by, and I have no doubt that it’ll either get shut down (later) or will be allowed to go on until it implodes (even later).
I can’t think of a better way for Trump to sow salt upon the rubble of the FBI, than to get a unified legislature that desperately, unequivocably wants all this to stop. Trump owed the GOP nothing, and for every item of humiliating, criminal behavior uncovered that was perpetrated by the GOPe, it looks like it’s 3 or 4 against the democrats. There’s no chance anything’s going to stick, the public are getting sick of this, and if he does have to deal with an impeachment, an awful lot of nasty stuff comes out in discovery, and you can bet he’s got his own channels to leak all that juicy stuff.
Donald Trump – undercover anarchist?
It’s starting to look like his spirit animal is a bronze casting of a honey badger with hemmorhoids.
I think you are way too optimistic.
The “dirt” on Dems and their allies that is coming out is being buried by the media and won’t result in bipartisan pressure to rein this in.
A lot of DC Repubs are NeverTrumpers and are fully on board with a “by any means necessary”, including a corrupt and illegitimate special counsel, to bring down Trump.
Indictments will issue only against Trump’s people. Once issued, they have a life of their own.
Trump is playing a dangerous game here. I think he is letting this play out to delegitimize the Dem operatives corrupting the agencies. But, most of the major players are fine with that, and its not clear to me how he brings together any kind of coalition to bring them down.
Revealing my naivite here, but I think the discovery phase of any push to impeach or censure will protect him.
Impeachment isn’t a judicial process, its a legislative one. Trump will get exactly as much “discovery” as the House and Senate allow him to have. Since impeachment will only go live if the Dems control the House, I don’t expect them to give him much at all, especially with the NeverTrump Repubs backing the Dems.
If the Dems manage to get control the House and the Senate, I give 1 in 3 odds Trump is removed from office. Don’t forget that, unlike the Clinton impeachment, the Dems will have the active collusion of the other party and the media.
Jury Rules Against Leawood Family Whose Home Was Raided In Bungled Marijuana Search
And just as bad as Congress is our justice system… Well at least when it comes to matters involving police.
I mean it is a good thing there is so little crime in your country that police can stake out hydroponics stores
It was ex cop who was staking out reporting people who came out of the store.
“A Missouri State Highway Patrol officer was parked nearby in an unmarked car, surveilling the store for possible evidence of people purchasing supplies for indoor marijuana grow operations.”
Ah, here. I found the problem.
“They searched the house for more than two hours, finding the hydroponic tomato-growing operation but no marijuana. The wet vegetation uncovered in the trash pulls turned out to be loose-leaf Teavana tea.”
This sounds like something out of a bad novel. I’m not familiar enough with weed to know how wet leaves smell, but used tea leaves have a fairly distinctive aroma.
Of course, that could explain why teavana stuff is so expensive. Maybe I should try a bowl (oops….. cup…. I mean cup)
Where in the fuck are they getting these juries from?
The PBA Donor list
Don’t forget that Hillary won the popular vote.
People too stupid to get themselves out of jury duty.
Of course…
Seattle bookstore gives odd honor to Hillary’s ‘What Happened’
Clintons’ favorite Seattle stop puts election recap in science section
It belongs in the trashbin. Barring that, put it with the rest of the fiction.
Science is just part of the religion for them.
The Hillary cult of personality is nearly as bad as the Chocolate Jesus’. These people creep me out.
Well, at least no one uncritically accepts everything Trump dribbles out.
No surprise here. There is a significant swath of the left that believes Marxism to be science.
I initially read that as “Science Fiction” and chuckled.
Britain’s most successful road cyclist Chris Froome is fighting for his reputation after returning a failed drugs test during his victory in the Vuelta in September, a joint investigation by the Guardian and Le Monde can reveal.
Froome, who also won his fourth Tour de France in July, was found to have exceeded the permitted levels of the asthma drug salbutamol on a test taken on 7 September. Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, riders are allowed a level of 1,000 nanograms per millilitre. However, the 32-year-old was found to have twice that in a urine sample taken during the Tour of Spain.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/dec/13/chris-froome-team-sky-reputation-abnormal-drug-test
Being a cyclist should have killed him from embarassment, then getting cought cheating at cycling…
/flicks UCS’s ear.
Some of us cycle you know.
And you should be embarassed.
Some of us needed at least one healthy hobby. And no one jogs to a brewery.
Cycling TO a brewery is healthy, the trip home? Not so much
Many moons ago I was both an exclusive velocipede commuter and a hard-drinking French Quarter bartender. Even living a mere 4 blocks from the bar, I’ve had more drunken, stubborn rides home (and consequent spectacularly embarrassing spills) than I probably should have.
Road rash will heal.
Four blocks? Why not walk?
Yes, let’s walk four blocks through New Orleans at 4 am while drunk.
That’s a good way to end up dead.
To be sure, at the time, the ‘Quarter was about the safest place to be in the city proper – businesses were open, there were people out and about 24 hrs , and the Bourbon Promenade district of NOPD was often a focus of city attention (tourist dollars matter). I’ve been chased by feral teens in The Marigny and had guns pointed at me in The Warehouse District but I’m pretty sure Da ‘Quarter was under the protection of Big Daddy (as seen in Parade magazine).
“Under World Anti-Doping Agency rules”
Just get rid of these, and cycling can be fun again.
Or make the rule at least 50% blood in your blood
We’ve already seen what happens if we go that route.
So? Do your best doping, suffer the consequences, and let the chips (and testicles) fall where they may.
/psst
It’s a comedy mockumentary. It includes a scene with the head of the anti-doping committee going through all of the drugs he’s tried, and showing his paintings he did while on them: (from memory here…)
Hopefully the girls filled out a 4473 for these weapons.
http://archive.is/wNEqx
3, 6, 23, 30, 44
7 10 22 27 58. Some of these look kinda photo-shopped which kinda ruins it
69!
69 with 69.
I just take 48 and head to my bunk.
See y’all in about three years.
I must not be feeling well. I’m unimpressed with this collection.
You’re not alone. Overall meh for me.
Well, they filled out something.
Fantastic list, but if I had to pick one, it’s #1. For days and days and days.
” In San Francisco, autonomous crime-fighting robots that are used to patrol parking lots, sports arenas, and tech company campuses are now being deployed to keep away homeless people.
“The San Francisco Business Times reported last week that the San Francisco SPCA, an animal advocacy and pet adoption group, put a security robot to work outside its facilities in the gentrifying Mission neighborhood. The robot’s presence is meant to deter homeless people from setting up camps along the sidewalks.
Last week, the City of San Francisco ordered the SF SPCA to keep its robot off the streets or be fined up to $1,000 per day for operating on sidewalks without a permit, according to the Business Times.
Krista Maloney, media relations manager for the SF SPCA, told Business Insider that staff wasn’t able to safely use the sidewalks at times because of the encampments. Maloney added that since the SPCA started guarding its facilities with the robot — known as K9 — a month ago, the homeless encampments have dwindled and there have been fewer car break-ins.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/security-robots-are-monitoring-the-homeless-in-san-francisco-2017-12
I’m surprised the homeless didn’t gang up and beat the robots to death.
Actually, looking at it – one hobo with a stick would be enough.
Or a Hobo with a Shotgun
I saw that movie. For that it was, it wasn’t bad.
” In San Francisco, autonomous crime-fighting robots that are used to patrol parking lots, sports arenas, and tech company campuses are now being deployed to keep away homeless people.
Maybe they ought to have them look under benches in the Embarcadero for randomly discarded, and loaded, firearms. Might actually save a life.
“Your move, creep.”
Someone isn’t woke af enough about the homeless issue….
keep its robot off the streets or be fined up to $1,000 per day for operating on sidewalks without a permit
Is their staff allowed to be on the sidewalks when they are on duty?
That naked man caused rt. 28 to backup all the way to rt. 7, and tacked on an extra 1.5 hours to my ride home yesterday. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the new tolls on rt. 66 that caused him to freak out like this. I consider doing the same thing every day!
Time to move.
Or start commuting naked?
Start?
Do you take the slug line?
I’m glad I worked from home yesterday! (or did I? *winks knowingly*)
There is a new chapter in Harry Potter’s story — and it was written by artificial intelligence
How much less work would be needed if you’d started with a human writer?
Based on recent stories, why are there still criminals in Georgia?
Korean vet shoots intruders, old woman beats up mugger. Etc, etc.
Northern migration of the Florida Man.
Or southern migration of blue staters?
Not sappy at all.
Nope. A friend of mine’s little one was born last year and has already been through a heart transplant. It is miraculous what the docs can do.
Thirded. A friend of a friend’s son was born with a hole in his heart and is now a happy, healthy 7 year old. We’re friends with another couple who have had two kids born way, way premature who are totally healthy. Shit, fifty years ago there’s a good chance none of those kids would be alive, or at least would have terrible medical problems. It’s interesting and nice and all when you hear about what doctors can do in the abstract, but when you actually meet children who are here because of it, it’s like coming to a real understanding of what the word “miraculous” means.
I can (sort of) attest to that. I was born with a hole in my heart and valves that don’t close completely (it’s called Ebstein’s Anomaly). If I had been a kid today, they could have fixed it and everything would have been cool. As it is, they misdiagnosed my as a child, and I haven’t been able to breathe properly through my entire life.
I’m 6’5″, 250 so I played sports in high school with it (somehow), but could only play in short bursts. I was good in football, but couldn’t play basketball, even though I was more skilled than anyone who was on the team.
I worked with it for about 25 years, but it’s gotten to the point where I can’t do much anymore (and they can’t fix it anymore other than with a transplant, which I can’t get for unrelated reasons). Luckily I have saved enough that I was able to retire, since I live a pretty frugal lifestyle anyway.
Medical science has done amazing things in the last fifty years or so (or had done amazing things, the bureaucrats in Washington are in the process of killing off yet another golden goose..forever).
“I was born with a hole in my heart”
That’s why you’re libertarian! /kicks unsuspecting orphan in the ass.
You make me laugh.
So I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but the Volokh Conspiracy is leaving WaPo and going to Reason.
Meh it could have done more good in wapo I suppose… Not that anyone noticed it…
Fuck that firewall..
F that! It should come here!
We can’t have professionalism, that would ruin the charm of the site!
Professionalism is just a word white people use to oppress. They need to get rid of their toxic-whiteness and be more like us.
Feel free to haunt more “professional” sites…like Reason. Got to keep standards up, you know!
?
I’m confused at why you sound offended.
OK, this site was professionally built, well laid out and has no squirrels. It provides original content across a broad field of subjects from knowledgeable people. It also is fun and has a decent sized commentariat that spend a good amount of time here….while some of us make sure there is daily content EVERY DAY. This was built from scratch, and is something unique…and you ask why I sound offended you label it unprofessional?
I really, really cannot help you fill in what is missing from you.
Not putting words in mouths, but maybe UCS is using “professional” in the sense of a task performed for monetary compensation?
The irreverent rough edges in contrast to the over polished sterility of the ‘Professional’ sites where the content is the revenue stream.
It appears that you mistook my comment for an insult or a derogative. It’s really the difference between hand crafted and mass produced.
“I am sorry if you were offended”
Wow Swiss is monumentally butthurt.
We lack the squirrels of professional sites.
Our squirrels are only the finest; free-range and nut-fed!
But, are they gluten free?
The pork chops I cooked last night said “gluten free” on the label. FFS.
Too late, they got him. Judge Moore has some free time now, maybe he could pen us a weekly article.
“Why Fags Go to Hell” by R. Moore.
I still want to go to a Westboro protest sometime with the following sign:
GOD HATES FIGS
MARK 11:14
I might be with God on this one, although “hate” might be strong. The little seeds, man, ugh. It’s like the little bitty bones in some salmon.
It’s amazing how long it takes to get one of those seeds out of the low spot between teeth when you don’t have a proper implement (and sometimes even when you do)
I would like to know the reason.
No pun intended.
that sweet sweet webathon cash? How did that go this year by the way?
Looks like they hit their target.
By random coincidence at the last second their donations jumping from low trend to just past the mark.
FAKE NEWS.
Anonymous big donor.
I think they said it blew past years out of the water.
i’m mixed on this. but if Eugene gets greater compensation from the Koch’s, then good for him. of course being separated from the “venerable” WaPo and now part of a Koch-funded/orphan-fueled libertarian site won’t do me any favors when linking to his analysis to shut my derpbook leftist friends up.
Well, I kind of felt that he was, at least from the perspective of WaPo’s typical readership, something of a curiosity more than a respected, alternate perspective. Not even a “token” libertarian so much as a zoo animal. I don’t think he was making any converts in the DMV among that audience. Maybe he can pull some of Reason’s cosmos towards a more principled classical liberal stance. Or at least get them to consider principles at all.
Cat Person is ‘mundane’, Austen is ‘dross’: why do so many men hate female writing?
Giles Coren hates Jane Austen so much he’s made a TV show about it, and men are tweeting their disdain for Kristen Roupenian’s New Yorker short story. It’s all part of a modern literary witch-hunt
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/dec/12/cat-person-kristen-roupenian-new-yorker-jane-austen-misogyny-as-criticism
I love living in a time when some trolls say mean things on twitter is worthy of publishing in a major Newspaper. Oh wait its just the guardian….
I don’t hate female writers, I hate shitty writers. Jane Austen is the original soap opera and the only reason people like her is to socially signal. Gimme Camille Paglia any day of the week.
No, I’m pretty sure if you criticize one female in any capacity, you’ve collectively insulted The Sisterhood.
Unless that woman is Sarah Palin, Ivanka Trump or the broad that Franken groped.
NOT REAL WOMEN!
I could take or leave Austen, but it’s the subject matter, not her sex. I enjoy Frankenstein. There are a ton of Victorian women who wrote excellent horror, and for that matter there are a lot of great horror authors (and editors, most famously Ellen Datlow) in the current horror/weird fiction scene who are women. Maybe it’s just that men don’t like things written by women who think that “female writing” is a genre.
I fucking HATE Nicholas Sparks.
When trying to compose a critique of works from independant authors I noticed something. There is a distinct difference in focus and style between male and female authors. The same patterns repeat themselves and appear to be link to what these creators themselves find interesting. Which is also why the same author’s work output morphs over the years as their own interests wander.
This is not actually an original observation, since I have no doubt others have made it before me, but I’d wager the author of this piece has a vested interest in denying the basic fact that there are differences in taste between the sexes that her ideology can’t erase, and it’s not down to hatred or soggy knees.
If you have to ask why men dislike Austen, you’ve spent too much time deciding that men must change by and not enough trying to understand them.
I honestly don’t dislike Austen. Not necessarily a fan but I read a couple of books without distaste
My point stands that, if you refuse to try to understand men, it doesn’t come across as genuine when you b push for men across society to change to be how you want them to be.
I have no idea if I like Austen or not. Two sentences in and I find it impossible to keep my eyes open.
best to watch… I enjoyed watching Pride & Prejudice with my wife. At least the 1995 version with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.
Agreed with Humongous the movies are usually among the better period dramas. The cast and the scenery usually looks great, they are not depressing or slow as hell and you can learn a bit about the lives and attitudes of people in the early 1800s. My wife has watched the 2009 Emma mini series like 3 times this week.
Superior:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374989/
The percentage of the population that has even heard of some short story in The New Yorker is maybe 0.5%, so who gives a shit?
It’s all part of a modern literary witch-hunt
Maybe this is why men hate women authors, Kaite.
A week later Kristen Roupenian gets burned at the stake. The guardian: HA I told you
Yes David, we know that you’re part of the “in” crowd that get invited to all of the swanky cocktail parties.
https://i.imgur.com/NMH2Ee1.png
I know you’ve all been waiting. I now present to you:
The best Christmas cookies in the upper-upper midwest!
At some point the upper-midwest turns into the north. Not sure where the line is, but that is above it.
Focus on the cookies
Not sure where the line is
On the other side of the giant ice wall.
I love them all.
No, you can’t have my cookie recipes!
I’ve always referred to Peanut Butter Blossoms as “Ghengis Khan Hat Cookies.”
Also, can’t one buy a bag of non-wrapped Hershey’s kisses specifically for baking?
Yes, but I have trouble determining if they’re only available in the mini size or if they’re also sold full-size.
No Pizelles? No mini cheesecakes? No Snickerdoodles? No Nobakes?
BOO on the Upper Upper Upper Midwest!
I like that. It’s way better than “The North”
And +1 on the No-bakes. They should have been on the list.
Mmmmm, krumkake.
Right?! My family is German, so I only get krumkake when visiting Norskies. I should really get an iron and learn how to make it. That and lefse.
Add crostoli to your list. My Italian grandma used to make them for holidays.
She’s gone and I can make them myself, but they just aren’t the same. 🙁
Wow. Those look delicious! “Uno tira l’altro” indeed.
The Polish version of those, named krischiki(sp?) are a yuletide favorite at Chez Six too.
and flat bread.
And what possibly be more Midwestern than my mother making “Total” flatbread, as in, “Total” cereal. It makes laugh every time I eat it (it is good.)
I’m not sure what you’re referring to as flat bread. Is it a desert or cookie kind of thing?
More like a cracker. https://ifood.tv/european/117058-swedish-flatbread
You mentioned lefse and that made me think of it.
Oh sure, I’ve had that before. Not bad. And, yes, using Total is awesome. Very Midwestern!
You can now get your boyfriend’s face 3D-printed on a sex toy this Christmas
Everyone, the mirror needs to be shut down. It’s 2017 and they just printed an article about don’t something ‘humorous’ with regards to sex. This is weaponized sexual assault and we shouldn’t accept it.
I don’t need a 3D printer for that.
But if you work in one of those offices
Read that as ‘orifices’.
Which works pretty well.
Sabres won?
*falls out of chair*
Don’t get rattled
Pie’s sharp this morning!
I think we get the point.
I was going to take a stab at this one, but I can’t think of anything punny.
I’m still on the fence about punning today.
No need to cut it close like that.
Time to sharpen those pun skills.
Tangs for these puns. I’ve been a little on edge recently, and needed a laugh.
This subttread is filled to the hilt with bad puns.
I thought this thread would turn out Rape-ier.
I sword I wouldn’t get involved in this.
Piercing commentary.
*narrows gaze at the lot of ye*
Doesn’t really break any new ground, but still worth a read.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/bonfire-of-the-academies-two-professors-on-how-leftist-intolerance-is-killing-higher-education/article/2642973
Its only that conservatives hate education / prog response
Proof that conservatives are ignorant anti-science idiots.
Joe Rogan did an interview with Weinstein and he still provided a whole lot of excuses for students. I get the impression that he doesn’t really understand how the ideology he follows and the results of what happened to him go hand-in-hand.
You’re right, Weinstein seems like a nice guy who doesn’t quite grasp what’s going on. He’s trying to fight the good fight though.
You’ve just described a lot of academia, especially in the administrative levels.
I am pouring all this gasoline on it, but can’t stop these fires?
The stereotype of the kindly, befuddled professor comes from a real place.
I get it. They are young and being led astray, The students didn’t come up with this nonsense all by themselves.
I listened to it and it made me very unsympathetic towards him. He helped build that shit show, and now doesn’t understand why he came out on the wrong end of a struggle session.
These stories seem to validate every fantasy the Right ever had about the Left.
Christ, what an asshole.
Yeah, just maybe those aren’t fantasies. Seeing as they mostly are based on taking the Left at their word.
Hateful white nationalists comprise a tiny but exceedingly loud minority of people on the Right.
They’re given a platform and seemingly endless airtime by lefty journalists and media outfits. They’re literally given the microphones with which they’re permitted to be “exceedingly loud” by your ideological fellow travelers in the news media, then magnified by race-baiting social justice activists in academia. White nationalism is a product of cynical lefty gamesmanship, not the right.
Look! REAL strawmen!
And I’m still convinced it’s struggling actors taking these alt-right roles for resume filler.
Juno reveals the roots of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
https://newatlas.com/jupiter-great-red-spot-roots/52571/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=ddc37aa119-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-ddc37aa119-89921350
Don’t click the link titled “he was in a comma for weeks but then his girlfriend did this” it can only lead to disappointment.
Did she tell him that Trump had been impeached and he woke up?
Had her period?
Very punctual.
Did something to his colon?
It’s a fairly comma condition. But nothing more fiber in the diet can’t fix.
Digital-anal massage?
That Ellen Page is one smart little lesbian!
So, based on what people have said here about Moore, I’m not upset he isn’t going to be Senator. However, it’s going to look like the Dems’ hit-job on Moore is what cost him the election, no matter if the reason some people didn’t vote for him was because they thought he wouldn’t be a good senator and not because they believed the obviously false allegations against him. So from that perspective, Moore’s loss was not a good thing. Especially that this worked in what should’ve been a completely safe seat for the Republicans. With this success, I can only assume we’ll be seeing more false sexual misconduct allegations against future Republican candidates (spearheaded by Gloria Allred of course) as a regular tactic.
That’s a fair take. I certainly shed no tears for Roy Moore, but every Dem added to the Senate makes gun grabbing more likely.
Not to mention that’s another guaranteed vote against any kind of tax reform or Obamacare repeal.
Republicans had their bites at those apples. Trump’s legislative agenda was DOA in January.
Still worth the administrative and judicial appointments, though.
Moore’s nonsensical performance on Hannity right when the scandal was breaking is probably what killed him. Fake or not, he looked like creep regardless.
I remember decades ago Moore was sitting on the Al SC and hearing a suit to strike down the state law banning sex toys. After the plaintiffs finished presenting their witnesses, psychologists, physicians etc. Moore asked
“Well it is clear that sex toys dont cause any psychological harm and they dont cause any physical harm, in fact they can be useful tools for treating certain sexual disfunctions BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MORAL HARM THEY CAUSE?”
I was glad to see him kicked off of the court. Twice. Only a proggie could get me to wish Moore had won this election.
Right. It’s not like politics end today and we’re stuck with these people forever. Don’t nominate dirtbags. Hard lesson learned. Move on.
It helped that this was an off-cycle election. I’m sure the Dems will try to replicate the this successful hit job in some close races next October. But they can’t do it everywhere or else the the stories get too diluted in the media – and even the gullible stop believing them.
Oh, they’ll overplay their hand with this, that’s for sure. But before everyone finally sees their BS, how many elections will this tactic successfully steal for the Dems?
The Stupid party will pick up the tactic just in time for it to explode right in their face.
A agree. I think it was for the best that he lost, otherwise we’d have yet another “scandal” that won’t go away.
I consider how he lost a scandal and the very dirtiest of politics. They knew they had no chance to win on the issues so they destroyed the man with false accusations.
Yup. Look at Trump. They’re still peddling the false accusations against him, but no one outside of the progs is paying any attention to it. If people had ignored the garbage thrown at Moore, any continued pushing of “ZOMG, CHILD MOLESTER IN THE SENATE” would’ve done nothing but continue to make fools of the left.
They have never had any substance and as far back as I recall have always won on making the other guy evil. Even Bill Clinton, whom benefited from congress rolling back the nanny state, if I recall correctly, ran smear campaigns primarily.
The way I see it, Moore’s character flaws are irrelevant and had nothing to do with him losing. There’s two wars going on here. One is the Dems who finally succeeded with their tactic of piling on likely bullshit allegations against GOP candidates. They sunk Herman Cain with this, but he didn’t really matter. They tried with Trump and failed. Now they finally succeeded and added a guaranteed GOP senator’s scalp to their belt. Prepare for this tactic being employed in force from now on.
The other war isn’t talked about as much, but is even more important is why Moore lost. This is the internal fight going on between the establishment GOP and the new GOP. The GOPe did everything they could to sink Moore. They pulled party funding until the last minute, publicly made campaign donations to the Dem challenger, announced Moore would be destroyed immediately upon being elected, and supported a GOPe write-in candidate, who to my understanding, pulled enough votes away for Moore to lose. The Dems didn’t cause Moore to lose. Moore didn’t either. It was the GOPe who would rather lose the Senate than see their gravy train upset.
Anyway, that’s my take on it.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/alabama-sends-a-message-1513139661
The WSJ is in full triumph mode this morning over the destruction of anti-GOPe forces. I don’t think I’ve seen them this happy since Bush invaded Iraq.
Yup, I’d say this is about right. I still remember the Herman Cain attack. That one pissed me off, because quite frankly, of the candidates at the time, I’d say Cain was probably my personal preference for the ticket. Oh, and again with that one, who spearheaded the hit-job on Cain? Why, Gloria Allred of course! How she can be the lawyer for anyone, and that person’s accusations still get taken seriously by people on the right (cough, Ben Shapiro, cough) is unreal.
Yeah, this is pretty right on, although I’d say that nominating Moore was almost like seeing the “safe seat” analysis as a challenge. “Safe, huh? Well, let’s just see how safe it is…”
It was the GOPe who would rather lose the Senate than see their gravy train upset.
The GOPe routinely tries to destroy any kind of Tea Party or populist candidate. They have thrown away several races to keep an insurgent Republican out of office. Talk to them “off-the-record” (as I have) about the non-establishment insurgents in the party, and they are quite clear they would rather have a Democrat win than a non-establishment Republican.
Dr. Strangegov, Or How I learned to stop resisting and love socialism that lines my pockets.
I think the GOPe leadership, the entrenched bureaucrats that have more in common with the democrats than they do the people they represent, not only wanted Moore to lose, to spite Trump, but because it would send the message that the establishment would not tolerate outsiders or people bucking it.
I think the craven political class we have, on both sides, would rather burn down the country than let the ungrateful fucking plebes do stuff that would make them lose their power and prestige. Not to mention the gravy train.
We are doomed.
*We* are not doomed. *They* are. Never forget that.
*They* are screwing the people pretty well in Venezuela, Zimbabwe and North Korea.
Also how is the political class doomed? Their strategy of free shit is working quite well. Free shit means votes. Bureaucrats and giving them high salaries means more votes and funding and ads. And they will resist any attempts to reduce their power.
Alabama elected a gun grabber.
Socialized medicine will be impossible to repeal and will create a lot more bureaucrats, doctors and nurses dependent on government and will vote for it.
The United States government is doomed. It is in a financially untenable state. To get out of its problems it needs to take steps that will harm the officers who would initiate those steps.
Thus, the U.S. government is going to continue its death plunge with no significant change of course.
The people it is parasiting off of are increasingly disgusted and contemptuous of it. Like its comrade, the CCCP, there will come a time when people stop obeying it. And then it will die a well deserved death.
I would feel a lot less down about this if I was not so certain – from having seen, and a few times having seen it firsthand – how this shit always plays out. Why do you think the left is so gung-ho to disarm us, huh? They know eventually they will need to resort to authoritarianist violence to keep the people down, and a bunch of sheep with less ability to fight back are going to be easier to control. But have no doubt these people have already rigged the system to make sure when shit really gets ugly, they keep what they have and keep power, while throwing those of us that have displeased them to the wolves.
Yep. We’re not locked in a room with them. They’re locked in a room with us.
We never were, aren’t and never will be a political party in the mold of the GOP/DNC. The day we become one is the day we lose. Our role in the political landscape should be to hold politicians feet to the fire. It’s depressing, but it’s the only way.
“The day we become one is the day we lose”
Problem is even the LP does a shit job of becoming that…
In the US, the only way to create a more libertarian America is to subvert the existing parties.
Congregating around opportunistic lunatics who collapse on the stage while on network TV ain’t gonna work, even when network TV is no more.
How to do that?
Democrats are the party of free shit and more high salaried government employees. No way they will support libertarianism.
Republicans? With the Establishment, Socons, Neocons and Populists the fiscal conservatives have accomplished jack.
Co-worker: Oh my God even Alabama hates Trump
Me: No, that’s not what happened
Co-worker: That’s what CNN is saying
Me: Seriously? I mean- come on
Co-worker: Yeah, you’re right, it’s CNN
Hey, look at that. We pick up a Senate seat and get to keep calling people racists and sexists. Sweet.
“It’s about time those backward ads hicks voted right”
– Doug Jones
Before the election I remember some totally non-biased reporter saying that voters should consider who George Wallace would vote for in the race and then vote the other way. Someone pointed out that Wallace was a Democrat so he’d probably vote that way.
Didn’t George Wallace basically disavow racism later in life after being confined to a wheelchair?
Did he do it in a similar manner as the way Al Franken apologized for his behavior?
John Harwood was just one CNBC saying the same thing: “Trump is weak in Alabama…not as weak as in the rest of the country.”
Everybody on here please take note of which Virginia Glib isn’t participating in today’s comments.
Wasn’t me! I only go north of Fredericksburg at gunpoint.
Archaeology: Inequality has deep roots in Eurasia
A study of 64 archaeological sites across four continents shows that the growth of agricultural and political systems provoked economic disparities, more so in Eurasia than in North America.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature24758
Understanding the processes that broaden the gap between the wealthy and the poor is a concern for social scientists and policymakers worldwide – I am sure they are very concerned
Although economists and historians can identify key factors that drive inequality today, it is less clear where its ultimate origins lie and what dynamics first led to economic differences – different people have different outcomes due to being different? Just a guess…
“One key step will be to include the Andean societies of South America in future analyses.” – this is actually the first thing I though of reading the title…
…social “scientists”…
Fixed.
Astrology is a social science, right?
Well, it’s an ‘ology’, anyway
And it has more rigor, facts, and logic than most of the hard social sciences grievance mongers now pay colleges a fortune to major in…
So did they to do any interest group comparisons? Cuz I’ll let that the sooner age society might have been equal but was worse off that the poor of the society they were comparing it to. To exclude the Andean civilizations is just dishonest, because they are trying to paint ‘inequality’ as a European issue and not as a natural outcome of a growing civilization, and overlooks at how v the said civilization lifts everyone up, even if some have more than others. Everyone is better off.
this tweet assumes facts not in evidence..
Retweeted Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity):
Here’s the thing: Black people aren’t a RESOURCE that democrats can only tap into during elections while ignoring their existence in all other ways.
Are Democrats or black people aware of that? Because observation would seem to indicate otherwise.
Sure, they were all close games against crappy teams, but the Blackhawks have won 3 in a row for the first time this season!
I am still on the ledge.
https://www.dangerous.com/38338/feminist-website-joyless-and-soul-crushing-dating-tips/
No, you’ve had enough sandwiches.
Permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever, according to a new US government report that also found Arctic seawater is warming and sea ice is melting at the fastest pace in 1,500 years.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/arctic-permafrost-sea-ice-thaw-climate-change-report
Scaaary. And they know this how exactly?
Arctic winter sea ice maximum levels in 2017 were the smallest they’ve ever been for the season when ice normally grows. It was the third straight year of record low winter sea ice recovery. Records go back to 1979. – ah 1979 is ever I see
1979 is a magical year for warmists. The start of the world, and the satellite record. It also has the strange coincidence of being near a cyclical minimum temperature.
Huh… so I was born before the start of time.
Well, the start of the Carbon Calendar.
Don’t know if you were born before the start of real time – the UNIX Epoch.
I am born in very small UNIX negative time.
Huh, I was born in that small window after man first walked on the moon, but before the start of UNIX time.
I think 1979 was the year there was constant snow on the ground in Indianpolis from Thanksgiving until April Fool’s Day. It was either that year or ’78 (the blizzard year).
Either way, it was an artificially low temperature period, so it’s the perfect time for charlatan warmists to begin their calculations.
In ’78, in southern Illinois, it was so cold in Jan that I only went to school for 6 days (old building; boiler couldn’t get classrooms above freezing).
Winter 77/78. 20 foot drifts of snow. My first real winter. We just moved to New Castle Indiana. I had grown up previosly in Chapel Hill and Killeen, TX. I never saw snow like that. And fucking cold.
I vowed to get the fuck out of there that winter. 40 years later, I’m living the dream in Long Beach California. 75 degrees and sunny today.
Fuck snow.
I am pretty sure sea ice was lesser when the vikings were sailing around Greenland and growing gardens there.
These people are so full of horseshit.
Which brings what, to me, is an important question. Historically, hasn’t warmer climate been associated with increased prosperity, easier living and cultural welfare?
Warmists don’t want properity, they want Socialism.
If any of you Glibs were duped in this latest con, I’m gonna be very upset.
All of my money is tied up in Chipotle stock.
Venezuelan money. Cheaper than Charmin.
Illinois Drives People Away
The taxpayer migration continues from the Land of Ever Higher Taxes.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/illinois-drives-people-away-1513125224
And here I though Michigan was about cars and driving. How are the roads in Illinois do you know?
Please….stop. I have to stay here for at least 15-16 more years. I have to take care of my parents, and GIANTSWISSCO keeps me chained to a desk here.
*muffled sob*
Better buy another drum of that lube…
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=10259
I am outraged at this appropriation of South American culture.
Llamas are not, by nature, terribly agreeable creatures.
Absolutely. My aunt’s good friend raises them for the coats (as well as alpacas), and one is a sweetheart, very nice, but she was the one they started raising when they still were my aunt’s neighbor, and kept her in the backyard, hand feeding her from a very young age. The others, and the alpacas, are nice if you bring food or treats, but don’t give a fuck if you don’t.
Reason just hit a home run.
https://reason.com/blog/2017/12/13/volokh-podcast
Looks like the Washington Post pissed him off, and now he’s taking his bat and ball and going to Reason.
One quote stood out:
—-Eugene Volokh
That’s pretty much the opposite of the Dalmia, ENB, Soave method.
Merry Christmas, Reason. Santa made a mistake in your favor.
Now if they get rid of Dalmia (and keep ENB to writing on sex work and Robby on campus stuff), I might go back. I mean, stay here too, but go back for the articles.
I only have so much time at work, and I never read the articles there anyway.
Robby is useless.
What’s the point of a libertarian free speech writer who doesn’t know anything about free speech?
A lot of times, I think people project free speech views on him–when he’s just writing about something. Robby doesn’t know whether he’s against Title IX or just doesn’t think it’s implemented fairly. I’ve seen him before say that a free speech advocate on campus was using free speech–it was provocative speech.
He writes for a libertarian magazine ’cause that’s the gig he landed. If it hadn’t been Reason, he might be writing about movie reviews or about cars.
I can’t separate out what was actually in Title IX and what it was “interpreted” to say. It’s effect has been a net negative, so it is time to be rid of it.
It’s the Michigan difference!
That’s right. He did go to TSUN. The useless twat.
I’ll have to remind Gillespie on Twitter that he’s now renewed the contract for somebody from that dump two years in a row, which is one fewer than Harbaugh has consecutively lost to the Buckeyes to start his dynastic reign in Ann Arbor.
Robby’s problem isn’t necessarily that he’s not sufficiently libertarian (by whatever meaningless metric this is judged), but that he’s to much of a chickenshit to stand up for his convictions unequivocally. The “to be sure” chin scratcher which he is lamentably renowned for is a mechanism to brace the reader from being offended. He can’t write about free speech effectively, because he is incapable of speaking freely himself.
That’s an excellent point. The use of such mannerisms is a genuine ‘tell’.
To be sure, while this new Bugatti is an amazing ride, it doesn’t give me the smug satisfaction as the Tesla.
If I get a grant, I can do a study on which brand produces fewer smug emissions…
Indeed. I think this is the case for a lot of “professional” writers nowadays, and people have a hard time not assuming that somebody has a passion or interest in something because they got a job writing about it.
ENB to writing on sex work – needs more field experience
She tried unsuccessfully to be a sugar baby, iirc
In all seriousness, Dalmia would be a perfect fit for WaPo.
God damn it my company has an in-house simulator and I can’t get the damn thing to give me the info I want. Just fucking stick to spectre god damn it. Although those asshole at Cadence want money for licenses and shit. Goddamn it I lost two days worth of time not doing what I was supposed to do to this shit. And it also takes a long time to see it is not working as I want. Sorry rant over
I can hear that same rant coming from a climate “scientist”…
Saw Rep. Peter King trending on twitter. Was hoping he’d been caught up in congressional perv-a-geddon and forced to resign, but apparently he was on CNN, called out Bannon, and said Bannon looks like “some disheveled drunk” (which isn’t untrue)
Leonid Brezhnev was making fun of somebody’s appearance?
That’s such juvenile criticism.
They ought to take a look at some photos of Albert Einstein. Dude was disheveled all the time.
Brannon does look like a hobo. But who the fuck cares?
said the drunken terrorist supporting piece of shit
Peter King is an out of touch idiot. Someone please take away that man’s soup and turn off his oxygen.
Steve Bannon is running the longest in-character cosplay in history.
https://twitter.com/suss2hyphens/status/798161959434629120?lang=en
The IRA terrorist is one to talk.
You know, if I was a heretofore unrevealed serial harasser of interns and colleagues in the current climate, an obviously fake dossier being circulated as a prebuttal to eventual disclosures might sound like a really good idea…
Someone Is Trying to Fool Reporters With a Fake Document Alleging Chuck Schumer’s Sexual Misconduct
“Chuck Schumer made me grab his tits!”
You’re trying to make me ill, aren’t you?
Turning away from the reality of a situation isn’t a healthy attitude.
What’s worse than a tornado?
A Titty Twister!
/Finest 3rd grade humor, with accompanied bruises.
What time is it?
I can see that: “These charges have already been shown to be false.”
In the words of Ernie McCracken, “The woman’s a bald-faced liar – I pulled out of her really early.”
https://twitter.com/RepMaxineWaters/status/940791605753204737
Elected officials, asking the important questions.
By far the stupidest person in congress, quite the accomplishment.
I didn’t think Maxine could formulate a coherent question. And I was right.
I see a bunch of companies hyping “use your phone for [insert something that used to not require electrical power]”. The latest is using the phone e as a rental car key.
I dunno about y’all, but I’m lucky if I get home from work with 15% charge, and it tends to be worse when I’m traveling. Why the hell would I risk getting stranded in a new city because my phone died?
I’d rather just get a key from the rental place and return said key with the car.
I tend to have multiple days of charge on my phone battery – but I also tend to use it only for making and receiving phone calls.
UCS stands by his Nokia 1100.
Go analog or go home!
Car charger? Also gives you an option for keeping your phone charged during power outages. I picked up 4 OEM Samsung chargers for ~$10 off ebay.
If I think about it, I’ll usually toss my charger in the top of my carryon, but I’ve found that in many cars, their USB ports don’t put out enough amperage to charge while I’m running GPS on the screen. Usually they’ll be able to maintain charge, but I’ve had situations where even plugged in, it slowly drains to zero while I’m trying to navigate somewhere.
Obviously, a little more foresight or an external battery would solve the problem, but the risk is much greater if your car becomes nonfunctional when the phone shuts off.
You may want to throw one of these into your carry-on:
https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Charger-Output-iPhone-Samsung/dp/B00M6QODH2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1513178753&sr=8-6&keywords=12v+car+charger
It’s one more stupid thing to carry and potentially lose, but it’s a good workaround for the pathetically underpowered USB ports in modern cars.
Should clarify that I’m posting this for it’s higher output rating than other car chargers (which I think are 3.1A).
N.B.: This only provides faster charging for phones that use higher currents rather than higher voltages for fast charging. If you don’t have an Apple or Samsung phone, then you probably need a different charger to get faster charges.
Or you could get one of these which supports both types of fast charging.
My last rental was the one the insurance company paid for between having my focus totaled and taking posession of my C-Max. So I don’t know how common the feature is, but I’ve found 110V AC Inverter outlets in cars that put out juice comperable to a wall outlet. Of course, talking rentals you can’t guarantee any given tertiary feature like that.
FWIW the standard car power outlet, at 12 V/10 A, can put out far more power (120 W) than any cell phone can actually use. You just have to find the right DC charger for your phone to actually take advantage of it.
Not that it isn’t nice to have a standard wall outlet, but it’s not necessary for decent phone charging.
Yes, I know. I’ve also charged laptops off that outlet…
One of the reasons I still get paper airline tickets instead of using my phone. I’m afraid of draining my battery while gaming on the first flight, having to rush to the next gate, and ???
But my paranoia rate shoots up when I travel.
That’s why I just carry an external battery, and TSA hasn’t ever said anything about it.
Yep. All my tickets get printed out and put in my shirt pocket when I fly.
Sloopy, my 16 year old was in the hospital a lot this summer, so I’m with you. Also, Ronald McDonald Houses are amazing.
https://twitter.com/KevinAllred/status/940774961534439425
This person teaches college.
“College”…..well, Rutgers anyway.
Hey, Rutgers University – Durham Campus is a great school! I mean, everyone that goes there is an asshole, but still, great school.
“I’m an idiot troll – PAY ATTENTION TO ME!”
Christ, what an asshole.
not sure he’s still employed..
Kevin Allred, the creator of the “Politicizing Beyoncé” course at Rutgers, is currently under investigation by the University and is not scheduled to teach during the spring semester, according to a University spokesperson.
Allred said he is also being investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) at the request of local law enforcement.
http://www.dailytargum.com/article/2017/01/politicizing-beyonce-professor-remains-under-investigation-by-university-will-not-teach-during-spring-semester
HAHAHAHAHAHA asshole
Yeah, apparently ex-employee and also fired by Montclair State (TW Daily Mail):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4750992/Former-Rutgers-professor-fired-tweeting-kill-Trump.html
“The RUPD subsequently notified the New York Police Department (NYPD), who visited Allred at his Brooklyn residence. They proceeded to escort him to Bellevue Hospital Center for a mandatory psychological evaluation.
According to a statement by the NYPD, the campus police had informed them that Allred had “made threats to kill white people.”
“I definitely think it’s indicative of a larger issue on campus — and an unfortunate one,” he said. “Especially with the election results and the specter of the new Trump America. It shows that free speech and expression only matter for certain groups and when you question power and privilege, regardless of who you are, you get punished.””
The guy’s clearly a dick, but WTF with the mandatory psych evaluation?
It would have been more accurate if he had posted “LOOK AT ME!” 50 times instead.
Rhywun beat me to it.
I really enjoyed the STEVE SMITH Christmas songs yesterday. Here’s another.
SAID THE PARK RANGER TO THE HIKER BOY
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? (DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?)
A SASQUATCH, A SASQUATCH RAPING IN THE NIGHT
LET US TURN AND RUN FOR OUR LIVES
LET US TURN AND RUN FOR OUR LIVES
STEVE SMITH ALWAYS IN CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. AND MY CHRISTMAS MEAN RAPE.
Excellent. Maybe we will have to have a STEVE SMITH CHRISTMAS SONG post….hmmm.
Yes!
OK, we are going to light the STEVE SMITH beacon and see if we can make that work Friday evening.
Yah! Hopefully we’ll get to see some classic STEVE SMITH album covers.
That is way outside my ability to do or predict!
I might be able to help you with that. Can you contact me via email?
We have a few cooking, but will always accept more for the purposes of mayhem.
https://glibertarians.com/submit/
Ok, I will see what I can do by Friday.
Good King Steven Smith looked down
on the feast of raping
When the snow lay round about
deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Tho the rapes were cruel
When a hiker came in sight
gathering winter fuel . . .
*ahem* 🙂
Swiss Servator on December 12, 2017 at 2:18 pm (Edit)
GOOD STEVE SMITH LOOKED OUT
ON THE RAPENING EVENING
WHEN THE HIKERS DID RUN ABOUT
CRYING AND SOME WERE PLEADING
BRIGHTLY SHONE THEIR FLASHLIGHTS THAT NIGHT
THOUGH THE FROST WAS COOL
WHEN A POOR HIKER CAME IN SIGHT,
OH, THE UNLUCKY FOOL.
Ok, I lol’d. Mostly because I hate that Christmas song, so nice work on re-phrasing it.
Save them up for Friday!
It’s not to late to get the perfect gift for your wife/fiancée/girlfriend/mistress!
https://www.amazon.com/Clone-Willy-Dildo-Kit-Light/dp/B000NBS2RE?th=1
“What are the demensions? My girlfriend wants it im 9 1/2 long with a cercumfrense of 8in ”
cool story, bro
I just found you guys….was really sad about the drop off in participation at the other place.
My cynicism is not keen enough to compete or post much, but I continue to adore the tone and insights.
greetings from TN, Don
Welcome, Tulpa.
Greetings mammal, what took you so long?
I didn’t get the memo: musta missed it.
When I can, I read everything. But some weeks I’m entirely too busy. I missed the exodus.
You guys cut Don some slack. He was obviously busy during the last couple of weeks being interviewed for and then turning down the Volunteers football head coaching job. Like everybody else pretty much did.*
Lol. Sorry, but I gotta lol.
*Except the guy who is about to get paid a shitpile of money by them who never even had to set foot on campus.
So much for “Leave no libertarian behind”.
Due diligence was exercised, and he eventually found his way by his own initiative, so no remedial action is required.
We didn’t wait at the beacon to make the pickup.
The lieutenant wouldn’t have liked it.
“So much for “Leave no libertarian behind”
This is Libertopia. You’re on your own, pal.
There is no competition here….post away!
Oh yeah? I’ll show you what no competition looks like.
*prolonged ovation*
Interesting Euphemism.
If your ovation lasts longer than four hours, consult a doctor.
Wilkommen! Bienvenue! Come on in!
Fuck Off!
/Greetings
Welcome to the hive of scum and villainy!
Scum, villainy and quite a lot of tits…
Welcome, Don!
Welcome, fellow degenerate!
Welcome, Now the initiation rites.
Walk through the woods where STEVE SMITH reside, then spend a night in Warty’s dungeon, finally read the collected works of Sugar Free. And may God have mercy on your soul.
If you’re fool enough to do any of that, you don’t belong.
Shh, you’ll ruin it.
Don’t feel bad Don, I didn’t find this place for a couple of months after it started.
My questions about the aftermath of the Alabama race:
(1) What lesson with the Dems learn from it? I predict that they will conclude that accusations of sexual harassment/impropriety, no matter how old, obviously false and/or unsubstantiated, win races. I look forward to a brutally ugly campaign next year, devoid of substance. I also expect that even fewer people who aren’t professional politicians will be willing to run as a result.
(2) What lesson will the Repubs learn from it? In keeping with the age-old tradition of the ruling class learning nothing and forgetting nothing, I think the Repubs will conclude that the DC Establishment needs to crack down even harder on the provincials, and will bend every effort to destroy the campaigns of anyone who doesn’t tow the establishment lion. The lesson they won’t learn is that refusing to give their voters what they want is ultimately why they lose elections. “Populist” candidates get traction when the establishment has little to offer the base. Look for savage primary battles and, when the establishment loses those, a refusal to support the insurgent candidate – IOW, they will repeat the practices that have cost them several races over the last few cycles.
Silver lining to Moore losing? I think Franken’s opportunity to rescind his “resignation” just evaporated. He will be harder pressed now to stick around, although a newly emboldened Dem party, acting under the delusion that the Alabama race means they have recovered the moral high ground could close ranks to keep him in office.
He’s done. The governor of Minnesota already appointed his replacement (will be official at 10 AM Central)
http://www.startribune.com/sources-lt-gov-tina-smith-to-be-named-senator-to-replace-al-franken-on-wednesday/463904203/
Can the governer actually name someone to an occupied senate seat?
It varies by state. And she won’t take office until Franken formally leaves.
Lol. Comments are negative. Except this one:
Damn. I was hoping they’d replace him with Garrison Keillor.
I doubt there is a lesson, but they will misinterpret as hard as they can.
Jones won the same way Trump won, by going up against a uniquely terrible opponent.
Any other Republican would have kept the seat if Moore had the humility to stand aside, but his preening brand of theocracy had armored him against political reality.
If someone wants to lament Doug Jones being in the Senate, blame Roy Moore and no one and nothing else.
I hear you, SugarFree – Moore has no business in public life and should realize that. But I think the responsibility for this outcome spreads a little wider than that. Why did Moore win the primary? Because the DC Repubs adamantly refuse to give their voters what they want, and put up a weak (for Alabama) candidate. Why did Moore lose the election? In some part, because the DC Repubs did everything they could, including publicly donating to his opponent, to ensure he lost.
If the DC Repubs don’t learn that they need to give their base something, and to not overtly oppose and covertly undermine anyone Not Their Sort, they will lose more races next year. The only party that can give the Dems a majority in either house is the Repubs, and they will be happy to do so if they can’t pack the ballot with weak-ass establishment candidates.
publicly donating to his opponent
Wait, really? The RNC donated to a Democrat?
I don’t think the RNC as a body did, but at least one DC Republican did:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/05/gop-sen-flake-donates-100-to-dem-doug-jones-in-alabama-race-country-over-party.html
Man, Jeff Flake has been working hard lately to live up to his name.
And his mom and dad will be vindicated once Jeff Cuck Flake’s full story is told.
So Moore is a libertarian?
Seems to me like the Dems just caught a hold of a once in a lifetime opportunity. I doubt that WaPo held off on the Moore allegations just to dump them right before the election. Yes, the timing stinks to high heaven, but what if they really did just happen to get their hands on these allegations thanks to the Weinstein moment? It’s possible that the American society is falling head first into an Evergreen College type insane moment. I’d bet against it. Then again, whaddoIknow?
You can watch from afar, there is that
Like arrogant athletes, they won’t learn a thing from winning. Be more concerned about what they think they learn when they lose.
I don’t know who learned what, but to me, it re-enforced that one issue — even if it is purely manufactured and irrelevant — can suck all the air out of the room. All I heard about was an allegation about something that may have happened a long time ago, that as far as I know wasn’t even illegal, presented by sleazy lawyer, with corrupted evidence. I can’t speak on the mores of Alabama in the 1970’s, but being interested in a sixteen-year-old does not make someone a “pedophile”. Yet we kept hearing that word over and over again. Meanwhile, I heard next to nothing about the policy positions of either candidate.
Holy shit, the insane asylum with typewriters is even more unhinged than usual today. America went right to the crumbling edge of the Abyss, and only stepped back at the last possible moment.
No linkys.
Salon?
Everydayfeminism?
DU?
NYT?
WaPo?
Most of Twitter?
ToS?
What lesson with the Dems learn from it?
Based on multiple recent articles about the Demos flooding Alabama with outside money and
agitatorspolitical consultants, I think they will continue to beat the tribal drums as hard as they can. “Listen, you dumb hicks, we know what’s best. Do as we say.”They beat a uniquely execrable candidate who’s devoid of personality and good sense. If they know what’s good for them they won’t read too much into it.
The cleanest way I can frame it: You’re only mildly more popular with these voters than a kiddie diddler. Before you celebrate, let that sink in.
For real, look at the tiny gap between the two. To paraphrase an idiotic tweet, that many Alabamans looked at Roy Moore and said, “Ok, you know what? Enough’s enough.”
They don’t. They will.
“the Demos flooding Alabama with outside money ”
I thought outside money was bad?
Principals, not principles. (But you knew that.)
But stories like this speak to the never-ending will to learn and the ceaseless desire to save lives from medical professionals around the world. We’ve all got problems and we all have our challenges in life. But when we look at miracles like those these doctors have performed, we should all see them in perspective and realize that we have it pretty damn good.
At risk of being a downer, consider that there is a significant portion of the population who believes that the men and women who work those miracles essentially have no rights, that they exist solely for their benefit.
That said, thanks for sharing the story of your daughter. Hopefully, she’s fully recovered. I live about half a block away from a Ronald McDonald House. They really seem to be a decent charity helping people who are going through a really tough time.
consider that there is a significant portion of the population who believes that the men and women who work those miracles essentially have no rights, that they exist solely for their benefit.
Mr. Nice Guy hit hardest.
NYT?
Very good. You win a cookie.
Ugh – more snow today and I won’t have the new Blizzak tires installed on my car until tomorrow.
Do any of my fellow Glibs have experience carrying the Glock 36?
26 – yes
30 – yes
36 – no
What kind of feedback were you looking for?
My girlfriend and I are getting ready to finally take the plunge and get CCLs. I’ve shot the 30 and loved it (both the grip and recoil were perfect for me), but I think it might be too bulky for me to carry – I’m a pretty small guy (about 5’8″ & 150), and I spend 10-14 hours a day out and about. The 36 gets excellent reviews, but I’d be interested in hearing from anyone here who has personal experience.
I’m about same size as you and I couldn’t quite swing a Glock 26 which is the same size as the 36, more or less.
I’d recommend trying a 36 if you could. You might not enjoy shooting it as much as the 30. That wide frame helps tame the recoil a little bit.
Yeah, I was thinking about that. On the plus side, this would probably be a carry & practice at the range gun, rather than something shot for fun.
I carry a Shield 9 for many hours every day. Now that I have the holster thing squared away it’s perfect for me. I don’t think I’d go any bigger for day-to-day.
Which holster are you using? I’ve asked on here before, but haven’t pulled the trigger on a new holster for mine.
haven’t pulled the trigger on a new holster
That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.
Bravo Concealment
Very low profile, great retention and amazing clips. I wear it just ahead of my hip with just the single rear clip.
Inexpensive, too.
The only think I don’t like about the Bravo concealment holsters is that they’re closed at the bottom (althouh that’s easy to fix).
Why is that? Debris?
Nastily, skin flakes, the stuff you’d find if you never cleaned out your keyboard.
But worst is the moisture wicks into the crap, and sits there.
If I had a gun that BC made a holster for, they’d be on my shortlist. And then I’d just open up the bottom.
Ah, gotcha.
You should email them about yours.
Well, quite sensibly, they’ve looked at the big sellers. They’re really only selling 6 shells – my guess is that they manage to support all those 1911 variants with about 2 different shells.
But anyway, about the only gun I have that might be a big enough seller would be my Beretta 92G, but those aren’t really very IWB carry-friendly unless you have a physique like mine. And I aim to change that if I can.
BHP, CZs, SIG 229 [hopefully in a couple hours] – either not common as a carry piece nowadays – or appears in a number of different flavors (229 especially. Wide-slide? yes or no? Rail? yes or no?
So, I can’t blame BC for being good businessmen.
Disclaimer – not a Glock fan, or even owner.
Ergonomics are important. Glock makes life hard for you because their different models have quite a variation in grips, AND the different Gens have different grips. Make sure you try holding one of the model and generation you’re interested in before you buy. For guns like the 30 and 36, the finger ridges on the grips might not even have the same spacing, and I presume the grip is going to be slimmer too.
Which ever you choose, be sure to get a proper gun belt for carrying.
Something from thebeltman.net is what I would recommend.
More tuperware guns killing innocents. /s
Thanks for the advice, guys – I’m sure I’ll need more as things go on. (My girlfriend is a 6’+ Valkyrie… *she* won’t be relegated to the subcompact aisle. Grr.)
…go on…
G30 is a delight to me
but I’m 6-2 and concealed a 6″ 686 with the factory stocks for years.
Carry is about comfort: what do you do while you carry?
Driving is the main challenge for me:
I carry at 5 o’clock, above the wallet, IWB,
and I don’t want the magazine digging into my kidney.
I hear the thoughts about recoil,
but I just don’t think that’s an issue for a competent marksman;
’tis true that you will practice with what is comfortable,
but, other than .30-06 Derringers, it should be a non-issue.
I’ve taught small girls to succeed with short magnum revolvers,
so I don’t want to hear any guff about semi recoil.
My son packs the G26 +P because he needs smaller.
The rule of three says capacity is unlikely to ever matter,
so I say max sectional density and carry high pressure:
that ninth round just ain’t critical.
Go in peace.
If they know what’s good for them they won’t read too much into it.
The mob at NYT are exulting joyously. The tide has turned. Obama will be back in the White House soon, apparently.
After Virginia, the Demos will ride a wave of woke to century or more of majority rule.
They have 7 more years of Trump. I wonder if they will descend further into madness, turn to more violence, or wake up to reality.
Yes. Roughly in that order.
99.99% likely
They have 7 more years of Trump.
Early to say. It depends on how the economy does in 2019 – 2020. We are in a weird economic cycle – ordinarily, we would be overdue for a recession of some kind, but the Obama recovery was so weak that the cycles are thrown off. There are definitely bubbles and instability percolating in several markets that could trigger a contraction.
I’m looking around and seeing tons of stuff being built after a decade hiatus, help wanted signs everywhere, houses being fixed up (and prices rising), lots of economic activity in general. The numbers show the same thing happening around the country. It’s always possible that something could cause the economy to unexpectedly crash, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
It’s the recovery from the Obama Stagnation, it’s delayed the next bust for a bit.
At some point Trump’s deregulation efforts will start paying dividends. If they can get tax reform done, it could extend the recovery quite a long time.
We had our best year in the last 10. But memories of 2007-2008 still give me pause.
A lot can happen in two years.
Yes, that’s my point. I never thought I would look back on the ’90s with such wistful nostalgia.
All I wanted from these clowns before they got swept out of office was to get rid of O-care (failed) and cut taxes (jury still out). Immigration reform would have been nice too, but we all know that’s never going to happen. After that I would have been perfectly fine with Dems regaining majorities and gumming up the works. Instead we’re stuck with O-care forever and there’s a better than even chance tax cuts will fail too.
Moore was a warning shot to the DC Repubs. When you fail to heed a warning shot, you generally get your head blown off. At some point, Repub voters will just say “These guys are useless. They do nothing that I want them to do. Why support them?”
They probably won’t cross over to a Dem, especially the way the Dem party is going, but the base not turning out is how elections are lost. Sure, many of the DC Repubs will get reelected no matter what, but enough seats could go the other way to cost them the majority.
And I honestly believe they are fine with that.
‘At some point, Repub voters will just say “These guys are useless. They do nothing that I want them to do. Why support them?”’
I think a lot of people reached that point already when they failed in humiliating fashion to get rid of O-care.
Let’s hope it lands on college faculties and the textbook industry.
They’re every bit as stupid as the Republicans it seems.
I think one of the biggest issues in politics now is shortsightedness. Just a few years ago the Dems had control of everything, shot their wad on Obamacare, then lost everything. Anyone with the attention span of a gnat would realize one of two things. 1) The country is just not into being progged good and hard, and/or 2) elections are cyclical, and with a two party system it just goes back and forth every few years. But as you said, the going interpretation is that this is the beginning of a 100 year reign!
It’s all so terribly… tiresome. I recognize we are all here to talk politics to some extent or another; but the professional talking-heads and lunatics with typewriters are so tedious that I don’t know how they can stand themselves. Being a propagandist must be the most hollow, pointless, unsatisfying and meaningless job in the world. In all honesty, most of these people don’t even pass the Turing test. I’m not a computer scientist but I’m pretty sure I could write an algorithm that could churn out the NYT daily. Maybe that’s how to save the newspaper industry; get rid of the whole staff and just have a bunch of servers pumping out preframed narrative pieces and be done with it.
“I don’t know how they can stand themselves.”
Brings this to mind…
https://youtu.be/GO0JaecRWy0
Rosenstein testifying before congress right now looks like Nate Thurm. He’s twitching like a lunatic.
There are so many slimy turds in the news I am beginning to lose track of them. He’s one who was boning the Fusion chick? The one who hired them to write that fictional dossier? Or is he the one…hell, I cant remember. The lot of them need flushing.
Deputy AG. It’s on Fox now.
Listening to the Dems praising the FBI and DOJ for their decades of great work for the American people is giving me a headache.
I’ve become convinced it actually stands for Democrats Obstructing Justice.
Oh my god who put my last date picture on the title image of the morning links?!
Wait, you’re a woman?
Okay, I’m late to the links and I’m sure it’s been mentioned already, but damn am I glad that authoritarian asshat Moore lost his Senate race.
Yeah the authoritarian asshat that Dems put up won, but now Franken pretty much has to resign and maybe the Dems in Minnesoda will overplay their hand and nominate Ellison to fill his seat, and the Repubs might actually manage a win against that progtard.
Or whatever. At this point I think the best we can expect from Congress going forward is deadlock and hopefully that keeps them from making things worse. I gave up hope on things getting better a while ago (legislatively, that is; Trump’s approach to gutting the executive agencies has been a net plus).
Ah, dammit, just saw that Smith is being appointed to replace Franken. Thanks JB.
maybe the Dems in Minnesoda will overplay their hand and nominate Ellison to fill his seat
Nope. Some chick who has been warming the Lt. Gov. seat. Good bet in Minnesota to hold the Senate seat.
Since x.com/PayPal, has Musk started any company that doesn’t rely on government funding?
If you are looking for an answer…. I give you the food truck Ferris Wheel.
Okay, this one isn’t bad:
“My Parrot, the Sexy Beast“
Because extension chords are too philistine?
Bored Elon prefers extension harmonies.
I’d quibble at the pun, but quite frankly it’s nothing to fret about.
I don’t think there’s much point in picking at a comment like that.
It was a bit of a stretch, but I figured I could bridge the gap and string something together.
I wouldn’t want to barre you from being creative and voicing yourself in a modulated manner.
.@drvox has written eloquently of America’s “epistemic crisis,” which is driven by the GOP’s rejection of transpartisan institutions like academia, journalism, etc. https://t.co/vXf9xRWxnu This is how it happens.
Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) December 12, 2017
It’s difficult to know whether this is routine, bald-faced journalistic malpractice, or if Klein really believes it.
Lies, damned lies, statistics, and now Bizarro-world hot takes.
Does no one see the irony in the founder of Journolist discussing how journalism is ‘transpartisan’? Irony is dead in our era
The replies, summarized.
They count on people being stupid and having short memories.
Hard to say that isn’t the way to bet.
Since when has journalism ever been ‘transpartisan’ (notice that he doesn’t say non-partisan)
Couldn’t the same be said about Dems. They reject transpartisan institutions like religion, business (unless it’s big) and family.
Most journalists are transpartisan. They identify as partisan Democrats.
Lies. No one could believe that academia is not partisan.
Honestly, at a certain point, doesn’t stuff like this just stop being lies and become just bullshit. I mean, does Klein even think he’s convincing anyone when he says stuff like this?
Possibly. Although most of what Vox does is preach to the choir. Their brand is doing it with a more verbose and inflated writing style. Which lets their readers think they’re smarter and more sophisticated for having read it.
Fucking numbers- how do they work?
Consider some of the cumulative figures since the Newtown tragedy, whose five-year anniversary is Thursday. Start with data from the F.B.I.’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, generally considered the best proxy for gun sales. There have been 118 million of these since December 2012, suggesting that more than a third of all firearms in the United States have been purchased in just the past half decade.
WTFSRSLY?
Plausible.
But more likely is that more than 1/3 of all federally recorded firearms in the United States have been purchased in just the past half decade.
Guns in circulation also trigger NICS checks when sold used, and the official estimate of the number of privately held firearms in the country is probably half the real value.
Not all the time. I’ve legally bought a couple used firearms and never had a check done on me.
Indeed, there are person to person sales that don’t. I was thinking of when I bought used from an FFL Dealer, whcih they undoubtedly bought from a previous owner.
“F.B.I.’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, generally considered the best proxy for gun sales.”
I’m ignorant. Wouldn’t that system be used for more than just gun sales?
No, that’s a specific (and mandatory) check with the ATF every purchasing event of a firearm or firearms via an FFL. You can buy multiple guns at the same time on the same Form 4473 (which is the paperwork that has to be completed for a NICS check).
Now, a person-to-person sale might not require a NICs check, which is irrelevant here because there’s no increase in the number of guns. On the other hand, a used gun at an FFL will require a NICS check, so some of that total number of NICS checks is also not reflective of a net increase in guns.
So, in summary,
1. Some guns predate NICS, and their owners have held onto them and therefore have never been the subject of a NICS check
2. Some guns have been person-to-person sold or gifted with the recipient and donor/seller in the same state and have never been on a NICS check
3. Guns that predate NICS that have been stolen
4. Guns which were exported to Mexico illegally, that then end up back in the US. The only paperwork here being the gun store ledgers and the manufacturer’s schedules (numerically insignificant, we are informed by the ATF who are responsible for this)
4. New guns, legally purchased which have gone thru’ a NICS check in accordance with federal requirements
5. Used Guns that may or may not have had NICS checks done on them in the past that have been sold via an FFL (which is mandatory if selling across state lines) where the FFL is either simply handling the transfer, or re-selling a used gun from stock.
6. C&R (antique guns) which are perfectly serviceable, won’t appear in NICS checks. Some surprisingly effective weapons fall in this category.
Only guns in category 4 and *some* (possibly hard to quantify) in category 5 can be counted. The guns in other categories are entirely below the radar. Given that guns are pretty much indestructable, I’d suggest that the number of guns in America are far greater than many people think.
Add guns you build yourself.
Tru Dat.
But more likely is that more than 1/3 of all federally recorded firearms in the United States have been purchased in just the past half decade.
Maybe they should break out the number of newly manufactured guns vs transfers of existing guns to new owners.
How about guns undergoing multiple transfers in that period?
That claim is just stupid.
That would require that they look closely at all the 4473’s that have been filed with the Federal Government.
Which we are told is impossible, because no records are kept of the details of a 4473. They’re retained just long enough for the check to be done. That was why the NICS check wasn’t actually a federal record of gun ownership.
They’re retained just long enough for the check to be done.
Pretty sure the feds have been caught retaining those records.
… where’s my outraged face? Nope – can’t find it.
Surprised face it is. With a soupcon of disbelief.
From the same article, the gist of which is, gunmakers’ sales are slowing:
Then there are the largest publicly traded makers of guns and ammo, American Outdoor Brands (formerly Smith & Wesson) and Sturm Ruger. They have reported combined revenue of around $6.2 billion since the massacre. Sales volatility, however, has caused their shares to underperform, with American Outdoor’s rising 39 percent and Sturm Ruger’s remaining flat. Fold in privately held Remington’s $4.3 billion of sales since Adam Lanza used one of its semiautomatic rifles to kill the schoolchildren, and the three accounted for $10.6 billion in sales.
But in capitalism, when money flows with abandon, bad decisions tend to be made. That partly explains why Colt Defense filed for bankruptcy two years ago. Remington’s accounts illustrate a similar dynamic. The company was assembled through a series of takeovers, including Bushmaster in 2006, by the private equity firm Cerberus, which once called it Freedom Group. After it bought Remington Arms in 2007, Cerberus had aspirations for an initial public stock offering two years later.
I’m not saying that’s untrue, but bad decisions are hardly exclusive to capitalism.
100 million dead in the past century was just an unfortunate mistake, not a doctrinal error.
When bad decisions are made in capitalism the problem takes care of itself, not so much with a state run economy.
Yep. People are starving or eating dogs in Venezuela because good intentions are no substitute for markets. (I’m not even sure given all its history that you can accuse commies of good intentions.) But try telling that to Bernie “bread lines are a good thing” Sanders and his imbecilic voters.
I’m still flabbergasted at the sheer stupidity it takes to believe hard enough to make that statement. The base presumption that if they’re not in bread lines then they must be starving at home is absurd and easily disproven with the merest amount of effort.
In Capitalist America food is so cheap our poor have an obesity problem.
The problem was that in anticipation of Clinton winning, they ramped up sales and created lots of inventory.
Gun owners are event-driven buyers and the prospect of an ardent and vociferous gun-grabbing president created an expectation that once she was elected, there would be about 6 weeks of knockout sales. When Trump was elected, a huge amount of that anticipated demand didn’t materialize. Manufacturers – especially American manufacturers – ended up with a lot of inventory (as did the distributors). The problem is that really, the large manufacturers can’t make huge profits in normal times unless they also have military contracts.
I know a couple of dealers pretty well. One concentrates on selling just high-end stuff. If you want an M&P, he’ll get it for you but you’ll be paying MSRP and waiting for it to arrive. His bread and butter customers will come in and spec out their new Wilson Combat. He’s doing OK, but some of his customers are slowing down on ordering. Another guy I know probably won’t make it. He had to run a very very tight profit Black Friday promotion and from what I understand, the success of it means he’ll break even this year.
The problem is that guns nowadays just don’t break, and while gun nuts love to own guns, the collector demographic is now near the top of the demand curve. What will save dealers and manufacturers is a large number of first-time buyers, driven to their doors by panic. November eliminated the panic.
Manufacturers? Colt? Dead meat. It’s all over minus the debtor-in-possession financing talks. I’ve seen the numbers in detail. Remington? Outlook is better, but far from rosy. They’ve just built out new facilities in TN in an old car plant, and their debt ratio (and their business plans) are more feasible.
We’re due for some creative destruction/disruption in the marketplace. We’re overbuilt in a market which – no matter how many new variants of the XD Springfield bring out – is near to saturation unless there’s some new development nobody anticipates.
His bread and butter customers will come in and spec out their new Wilson Combat. He’s doing OK, but some of his customers are slowing down on ordering.
I can imagine many of those customers aren’t buying a new gun every year.
Well, many of them buy multiple guns like that every year. While his town isn’t, he’s right at the north end of one of the most affluent parts of the North East.
He ain’t gonna starve anytime soon, let’s put it that way.
A lot of the shops I frequent specialize in custom 1911’s. It’s not a demographic that owns guns out of fear of needing a gun or having the time to get the max performance from it. It’s status symbol of sorts, I guess is what I am getting at.
Oh, these guys are mainly safe-stuffers. I can’t imagine why you’d want to go out and pay $6000 for your perfect 1911 and the following year, get another perfect 1911, and not want to shoot at least one of them.
Having said that, he does an excellent trade also in taking S&W Performance Center models and THEN having them worked-over.
That would require that they look closely at all the 4473’s that have been filed with the Federal Government.
The author whines bitterly about the NRA’s nefarious efforts to obfuscate the numbers.
The NRA can’t even tell me which training and range accreditations I have with them.
How are they gonna know anything about guns?
Manufacturers? Colt? Dead meat. It’s all over minus the debtor-in-possession financing talks. I’ve seen the numbers in detail. Remington? Outlook is better, but far from rosy. They’ve just built out new facilities in TN in an old car plant, and their debt ratio (and their business plans) are more feasible.
A loooong time ago (like… single digit stock price), I was looking at Ruger as an investment. Because I’m stupid, I never pulled the trigger(!). The thing which really made them appealing to me wasn’t the firearm business; they have/had a proprietary titanium production process which had broader value. It’s been so long I don’t remember specifically, but I think it was a sintered metal process.
Ruger is a well-run company, though for the life of me I can’t understand why they’re still headquartered in Connecticut.
They have some solid metallurgical skills that many of their peers have lost and if someone asked me which would survive in ‘Firearms manufacturer Thunderdome’ – Ruger would be the strongest contender.
Why is there so much Ruger hate among gun dudes? Every one of theirs I’ve shot seems like a damn good firearm.
It’s not so much hate as I forget they exist when thinking of firearms.
Pretty sure because of Bill Ruger and the AWB.
I have no problem with Ruger as a company.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
Fuck him and his ten round limit!
It’s mostly this.
That was because old Bill Ruger advised Clinton when the 94 AWB was brought in. In return for his assistance and ‘industry concensus’ that nobody needed an AR-15 with a bayonet lug etc, the Mini-14/PC-9/PC-40 etc were miraculously exempt from the ban, or so ’tis said.
The fact that ownership and management at Ruger is totally different now doesn’t affect the die-hards. I’ll happily buy from today’s Ruger. Wish I could say the same about Springfield Armory.
Oh yeah, and specifically the mags. From a company that now makes the MOST reliable 25-round mags for the 10/22.
Ah, competition reduction through legislation. How novel.
Wish I could say the same about Springfield Armory.
Ok, what did they do?
Oh, effectively buying dispensations from the state legislature instead of open opposition to magazine limits. Playing both sides of the coin.
Look at the Springfield prices on Buds. I suspect they’re having an even harder time selling their stuff than everyone else precisely because of this.
There’s a loud and coordinated boycott movement on Youtube that is undoubtedly hurting them.
What they did do that was smart, is that they apparently didn’t bulk up on inventory the way S&W and Remington did. On the other hand, they’ve just launched a bunch of new variants of the SAINT.
The other day, they launched 6.5 Creedmore versions of the M1A – which to my (largely unqualified but nevertheless opinionated) eyes looks a bit desperate.
Maybe they learned their lesson after New Jersey named the M1A specifically when they passed their ban.
Why is there so much Ruger hate among gun dudes
For a long time, they couldn’t make a rifle, or at least a bolt action, that shot for shit.
Ruger is a well-run company, though for the life of me I can’t understand why they’re still headquartered in Connecticut.
Me neither. Especially when many of their guns are manufactured in Prescott, AZ and would love to give them a home.
They still manufacture in Southport, and a lot of the execs have lived there years.
A key point will, I think, be the gubernatorial election. If another shithead spend-spend-spend jackhole gets in, they’ll bail. There are a couple of economically reliable candidates in the running, which could pull us back from the brink.
Fun fact (and why Colt re-launching the Python was never anything more than talk)
Someone I know inherited some guns from her father. Over the course of a few years, she had them looked at by a gunsmith, and started shooting them. She’s not a wheel gun fan, so one of the last guns she took out was a Colt Anaconda. Went to her gunsmith, and he (refreshingly honest) said – I haven’t ever worked on one of these before – but look, you’re in CT – go see Colt themselves. They’ll check it over and fix anything that isn’t working to spec for free.
So, she contacts Colt. They can’t look at the gun. They have NO revolver gunsmiths on their payroll.
Colt without revolvers just isn’t the same.
Let them close their doors.
Where am I gonna get a lower for my black gun build in 5.56 from if they do?
Almost anywhere?
Oh! Yeah! Good point.
Even if they did have the staff a revolver of comparable quality to their 1970s handmade pieces would retail well over $2000.
Early 70’s, maybe.
Mid 70’s, Colt’s QC went totally down the toilet on their production guns. One guy I know laughs when people show him prices of Pythons. When his son was born, he bought a 7″ nickel Python to store away for when Jr. was a man.
Got it home, the plating was peeling off the top strap. Sent it back, and bought S&W. He told me he never bought a Colt product ever again.
Their 1911’s were good. Used to be. I have a 70’s and an 80’s series and they shoot like new guns.
Believe me, I know. I need a new Python barrel. The forcing cone is cracked on mine (common problem – they made them too hard). Midway had some on sale a few years back for 80 bucks. Of course I didn’t buy before they ran out and now the barrels alone are 400-500 bucks.
*kicks self*
You could always wait for Colt’s inevitable “going out of business sale”.
I dont think Colt actually has any of them. They are out there floating around in various gunsmith shop and parts houses.
Smart of Sig to sell the P320 at close to cost to the Army. While the rest struggle, they’ll be picking up cop contracts and selling what they make with excess capacity to civilians.
The next big military rifle RFP will have wildly high stakes.
Well, Sig have another advantage that none of the US manufacturers have at the moment. They have military contracts, as you state.
It’s also important to recognize that the fact the military buys them does appeal to a rather large segment of the US gun-buying public.
They’ve just built out new facilities in TN in an old car plant
Saturn?
No idea, but TN gave them a very sweet tax deal for the next 5 years, I think.
It’s a good job I’m not having to balance that little snippet of rent seeking against the desire to purchase any of their products. Except maybe an accurized 700.