Wednesday Morning Links

Wednesday morning…one day until the least productive two word days of a basketball fan’s life. (Insert shameless plug for the FREE Glibs NCAA bracket challenge. Password: Podesta).

Let’s get rolling.

Rachel Maddow had a huge, president-crushing, panic-in-the-right-inducing teaser last night.  And then she proceeded to make him look like a better taxpayer than Obama, Clinton, Bernie, NCB Comcast, and a host of other people and entities out there who are on her “team”.  Nice job, Maddow.  You sure got him good!

Geert Wilders vies to become the Dutch leader.

The Dutch election reaches its climax today.  Side note: is it just me or does Geert Wilders look kinda like Leonardo DiCaprio…if he were about 20 years older, a little heavier and if he got stung by a few bees?

The Boston Globe offers up a sober analysis about climate change models.  Somebody ought to send that asshole a subpoena from the New York Attorney General’s office and send him to prison for interfering with the “settled science” narrative they’re trying to ram down Exxon’s throat.

Thomas in the hospital after the amputation.

Former Georgia high school student seeks $25,000,000 in lawsuit against school and teacher that allegedly threw him down several times, causing him to have a leg amputated. Jesus.  According to the story, the teacher is no longer employed there.  Here is some background with video. Judge for yourself.

THOUGHTCRIME!!!!! But worry not. The precogs got him.

“Well we’re living here in Allentown”.  Well, everyone except for the stiff they found in a house.

That’s it, folks.  I hope you guys could muddle through them, what with no bullet points or flashing arrows or a thing that goes “ping”.

I got knocked out in the first round of my club’s match play championship yesterday.  Got beat 4 & 3 by a guy I know I should have smoked. So this is for me personally.

Have a great day!

Comments

354 responses to “Wednesday Morning Links”

  1. Mike Schmidt

    Good morning

    1. *squints suspiciously*

      What’s your game here, mister?

      1. Mike Schmidt

        Baseball?

        1. *Narrows gaze*

  2. Because that’s what Germans do?

    Why a German lab is growing tomatoes in urine

    Rising from the centre of the tank are two transparent plastic cylindrical columns – around a metre in height. Spreading from the top of each tube is a bushy, healthy-looking tomato plant with green leaves, flowers and even a few bright red tomatoes.

    “Are they edible?” I ask, half expecting to be told to stay well clear.

    “Sure,” says Hauslage, a plant physiologist, casually twisting one of the tomatoes from its stem and handing over the euro-sized fruit.

    I put it in my mouth. To be brutally honest, it’s not the nicest tomato I have ever tried: the skin is a little tough and the taste is slightly bitter. But it is, nevertheless, a healthy, edible tomato.

    It’s hardly surprising the tomatoes in Hauslage’s office aren’t the tastiest. The plants have been specially bred to be grown in space. This experimental tank of urine, pipes and plants is the original prototype for a satellite designed to prove that tomatoes could be cultivated successfully on the Moon or Mars.

    1. What the fuck is a “euro-sized fruit”? A fruit that isn’t nearly as big or interesting as it thinks it is?

      1. Euro coin sized? So.. a cherry tomato.

        1. UnCivilServant

          I thought it was “Meets EU regulation regarding the proper size for fruit of said type.

          1. juris imprudent

            Amazing how easily bureaucratese translates from one system to another.

      2. F. Stupidity Jr.

        It’s a fruit now free of any English ingredients.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Andres Serrano approves.

      1. Bobarian LMD

        so does R Kelley

    3. Agent Cooper

      I have a Yellow lab. Sometimes it pees on things.

  3. Mother and son are becoming father and daughter

    A transgender dad and daughter from Detroit are revealing their incredible journeys as they transition from mom and son.

    Corey Maison, 15, first told her parents she identified as a girl four years ago, but it was not until last year she learned that her mother also struggled with her gender identity. The pair are now leaning on each other as they transition together.

    1. The mom should do what she wants. But its child abuse to do that to a kid.

      1. Pomp

        Good links, sloopy.

        1. Why thank you, good sir.

    2. WTF

      So, mental illness obviously runs in the family.

      1. juris imprudent

        That was my thought – fruit, tree, proximity.

    3. straffinrun

      The mom sounds like a stupid motherfucker.

    4. Agent Cooper

      their incredible journeys

      Let me know when they climb Everest or take a ride in a Space X rocket.

      1. Right? Unless they successfully performed the surgeries on themselves, what they’re doing is about as impressive a feat as successfully ordering delivery pizza.

      2. Jimbo

        Hey, you try and have your private parts cut off! That’s an incredible journey!

  4. PieInTheSKy

    You keep saying the password but when I clicked join group it did not ask for any password

    1. Well it asked me to set it up with a password, so I did. Maybe when I made it a private league it took the need away since people are using a link to get there.

      Or maybe you’re not in our real league at all and you’re in the shadowbox league. And we’ve set up the elaborate hoax to reel you in and humiliate you when you think you win it but instead the real winner is revealed and we show our ruse to the world.

      Chew on that for a minute.

      1. PieInTheSKy

        God damn this might mean I randomly dragged university teams I knew nothing about on to a braked FOR NOTHING. I may have lost 10 minutes of my life I will never get back. Someone will pay!!!

        1. Honestly, I have no idea what happened on the password.

          1. Raven Nation

            I wasn’t asked for one but I use Yahoo mail which means I’m always logged into Yahoo. That may have something to do with it?

        2. Jerms

          If you did it right, you should get an email confirming that you joined glibertarians bracket.

    2. Check your Romanian privilege!

  5. Mike Schmidt

    I don’t know if you saw my post in yesterday’s breakfast links. I belatedly thanked you for the Peace Frog link. I had sorta forgot about that gem

    1. I did, and thank you! I’m glad somebody out there cares.

      1. Care? CARE?!! We are LIBERTARIANS! Heartless, greedy, barbarous and cruel!

        1. Mike Schmidt

          You forgot “highly intelligent”

          And “handsome”

          1. John Titor

            Sam Haysom, is that you?

  6. The government is here to protect us!

    Monsanto Colluded With EPA, Was Unable To Prove Roundup Does Not Cause Cancer, Unsealed Court Docs Reveal

    For years the company has assured farmers that their weed killing product was absolutely safe to use. As proof, Monsanto touted the approval of the chemical by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

    That said, newly unsealed court documents released earlier today seemingly reveal a startling effort on the part of both Monsanto and the EPA to work in concert to kill and/or discredit independent, albeit inconvenient, cancer research conducted by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.

    1. Juvenile Bluster

      This is proof that Monsanto is evil and the EPA needs more money, right?

      1. UnCivilServant

        It says to me that proving a negative is difficult.

        1. Brochettaward

          This. Why the fuck should Monsanto have to prove its product doesn’t cause something?

          1. Scruffy Nerfherder

            The only real question is whether Monsanto and/or the EPA conspired to suppress valid findings.

          2. Brochettaward

            There’s no evidence or accusation of that in the article.

            The shit has been on the market for 35 years. I’d think the “everything causes cancer” crowd should have some pretty god damn strong evidence by this stage, but they don’t.

          3. Scruffy Nerfherder

            Then it’s a non-starter.

          4. You’ll never be the Attorney General of New York with that kind of thinking, mister!

        2. …proving a negative is difficult

          No, it isn’t.

    2. John Titor

      Are you telling me regulatory capture is a thing? If only someone had warned us!

    3. Spartan Dad

      With the amount of revolving door positions between Monsanto executive officers and Gov leadership positions, it’s not clear to me that Monsanto isn’t effectively another government dept.

    4. Agent Cooper

      And thus, what happens when the government is given too much power?

    5. Hyperion

      It’s all Monsanto’s fault, because:

      Monsanto = corporation = BAD

      EPA = government = GOOD

    6. The Last American Hero

      This must make Lefty heads explode. They know Monsanto is essentially the Devil, but the EPA is the dedicated savior of Mother Gaia and would never betray their mission for filthy lucre. It’s like finding out Superman sold out to Lex.

  7. H-1B Visas Keep Down U.S. Tech Wages, Study Shows

    A new research paper on the effects of the H-1B visa program on workers suggests the influx of skilled foreign workers has historically led to lower wages and employment for American tech workers. Such findings could further inflame debate around immigration of high-skilled workers, but some economists caution against making too much of the result.

    Economists from the University of Michigan and the University of California, San Diego, analyzed employment, wages and other factors over an eight-year period ending in 2001. They found that, while the visa program bolstered the U.S. economy and corporate profits, tech-industry wages would have been as much as 5.1% higher in the absence of the H-1B visa program and employment of U.S. workers in the field would have been as much as 10.8% higher in 2001.

    1. Something supply, something something demand?

    2. Brett L

      Actually, they probably keep them artificially inflated as opposed to an unregulated market in tech immigrants.

    3. leonadasiv

      I work a little in tech and I find a lot of salary’s for tech to be inflated.

    4. Hyperion

      The real situation, in my experience is that tech workers who are American citizens typically have high salaries. There’s not enough of them to fill all the needed positions, so companies hire H1-Bs because they can’t hire citizens who already have high paying jobs. They pay the H1-Bs less, but I seriously do not think that is lowering pay for citizen workers.

      1. I’m a web dev for a university. We get paid pretty well, but below what people are paying in the private sector, and typically we do all our stuff in-house. When I was there, though, what I saw was a lot of non-tech people farming out tech stuff to H1-Bs who did, frankly, substandard work at substandard pay for just long enough to get situated with a place to live and oftentimes get accepted into a postgrad program of some kind, or medical school. Sometimes they did work that was good enough, but mostly what happened is a real developer would have to be hired at market salary to come behind them and fix what they did.

        1. Hyperion

          “I’m a web dev for a university. We get paid pretty well, but below what people are paying in the private sector”

          Well, that’s typical. Public .edus don’t pay very well, as you said, compared to the private sector.

      2. The Last American Hero

        I’ve seen some downward pressure in these parts as hardworking Chinese and Indian techies show up and work at high paying tech jobs. They are paid quite well, but still cheaper than the citizens. I understand how people can feel threatened when some guy shows up who has almost the same skill set and not quite as good a grasp on the language, but is willing to work for $100k instead of $150k and will work like the devil since it’s 3x what he would have gotten paid at home.

        1. Hyperion

          3x as much? 100 rupee is like a dollar and a half US.

  8. How to make a ‘sasquatch bed’ on your next camping trip

    A bed can really make a camp feel more like a home, and lucky for you, a springy “sasquatch” bed isn’t that hard to make.

    Cut a few logs, some stakes and a dozen poles, top the platform with leaves, debris or other vegetation — add a sleeping bag, and you’ll be snoring like Bigfoot in no time.

    1. WTF

      STEVE SMITH ALWAYS LOOK FOR CAMPERS WITH SASQUATCH BED READY TO GO!

    2. STEVE SMITH NOT NEED BED, BUT APPRECIATE THE GESTURE.

      1. WTF

        I have to admit I like your STEVE SMITH joke better.

    3. juris imprudent

      and you’ll be snoring like Bigfoot in no time.

      AND WAKE UP IN WARM EMBRACE OF STEVE SMITH!

    4. John Titor

      STEVE SMITH NO NEED BED, HAVE CAVE READY TO SHOW CAMPERS GOOD TIME. FOR STEVE AT LEAST.

    5. ElspethFlashman

      STEVE SMITH USE SLEEPING BAG TO CLEAN UP AFTERWARD.

    6. bacon-magic

      STEVE SMITH CARRIES BED AROUND IN SILENT PROTEST OF HUMAN TYRANNY.

  9. PieInTheSKy

    I really don’t understand how someone could use the phrase settled science for something as complex as the climate. Settled science should not be used at all, but maybe for something like thermodynamics you can.

    1. Old Man With Candy

      When I taught classical thermo, I used to start the class by pointing out that this was actually a closed subject, one of the very few.

      Now to be fair, quantum and statistical thermo are very much open and active research areas.

    2. juris imprudent

      You won’t hear an actual scientist use that term – only the IFLS types.

      1. dbleagle

        The good thing about the phrase “settled science” is that when you hear it you know 90+% of what will follow and can end the conversation right there and get on with your day.

      2. Brett L

        Lots of serious scientists do use that term. Most of them study other things and have spent no more brain power on this issue than your average unwashed hippie.

      3. Rufus the Monocled

        Exactly. Anyone who says in a discussion ‘settled science’ and ‘97% consensus’ can be safely ignored.

        1. dbleagle

          Another phrase from this issue that useful in knowing when to disengage, slowly back away and to not make eye contact is: “this will destroy the planet” (all related phrases). This planet has been an ice cube, much hotter, gone through multiple magnetic reversals, and oh yeah, struck by an object nearly the size of Mars which threw enough debris into near Earth space that it coalesced into the freaking Moon.

          I think this old planet can survive me driving to the store to by some booze just fine.

          1. Hyperion

            But, can it survive Trumpocalypse?

          2. Jimbo

            no

          3. Rufus the Monocled

            They don’t understand the SCALE of things, eh?

        2. The Last American Hero

          When can we start to engage the Left on economics with “Soviet Union bitches, the economics is settled”?

    3. westernsloper

      You can’t? Spend a little time in the comments on that Globe article. I feel like I need to go take a shower to wash the hate off of myself. Nothing sets off a smug prog like challenging the “settled science” claim.

      1. mr simple

        Jesus, anyone who disagrees is a troll and anyone who wants to make money or supports nuclear energy is a liar and bad person. The sciencism worship is insane.

    4. thom

      I often point out that when we look back 50, 100, 1000 years it is just silly what some of the “scientific truths” were of the day. However, when you point this out in a discussion on climate change you just get “BUT SCIENCE IS 100% RIGHT SCIENCE! SCIENCE!” shoved back in your face. So “settled science” just means ‘don’t argue with me!’

  10. Scruffy Nerfherder

    So against my better judgement I turned on NPR this morning. Some nitwit 23 year old reporter was talking about how Trump exploited a tax loophole by carrying over business losses from year to year.

    It must look strange to others when I’m raging and yelling to myself while driving.

    1. juris imprudent

      There are 3 year olds with a better concept of fairness than the typical proglodyte.

    2. WTF

      “Loophole” = “in accordance with the law”.

    3. robc

      The same way I did it.

      And everyone else who has ever had business losses has done it.

      Or sold a stock at a loss (although that one has limitations).

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        My worst tax (and fiscal) mistake was not exercising some stock options that matured at the top of the market during the dotcom boom. I didn’t realize I was going to owe taxes on the value of the options on the day they matured. That following April sucked.

    4. Certified Public Asshat

      If you want to pay less in income taxes you can earn less, is a valid planning technique I suppose. Especially losing money.

    5. westernsloper

      Yes, claims like “exploiting a loophole” and “receiving tax subsidies” (used when the wrong people take a legitimate deduction. A favorite phrase of Nancy Pelosi) are two terms that forced me to avoid NPR almost entirely now.

    6. Hyperion

      If Trump was a good person, he’d voluntarily pay 90% taxes, just like all good progs do.

    7. thom

      Journalists seem to have completely stopped asking the next question in political reporting. Ok, why is the law written that way? Nope. If Trump did it, he’s “exploiting” the law.

  11. The rich tapestry of life…

    ICE removes Ethiopian who committed female genital mutilation

    A citizen and national of Ethiopia was removed Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to his native country after serving 10 years in prison.

    Khalid Adem, 41, a native and citizen of Ethiopia was convicted in Gwinnett Country, Georgia, of aggravated battery and cruelty to children in the first degree on Nov. 1, 2006, and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Using scissors, Adem mutilated the genitals of his 2-year-old daughter. Adem was ordered removed Oct. 31, 2016, based on his criminal convictions. Adem’s case is believed to be the first criminal conviction in the United States for female genital mutilation, and became the catalyst for the specific criminalization of female genital mutilation under Georgia state law.

    1. Pomp

      Ugh, the decomposed body link above didn’t make me cringe, but when I got to the passage talking about scissors…..fuck.

      1. Suthenboy

        We should put Charles Napier on the case.

    1. Looks like Michigan on any given January day.

      1. UnCivilServant

        I have to move that so I don’t have boots full of snow when I go to dig out the car again.

    2. John Titor

      I have to move it manually.

      *Plays smallest Canadian violin in the world*

      1. juris imprudent

        It’s almost like the man has no orphans in his basement that he can spare from other tasks.

        1. John Titor

          That’s just bad labour management.

      2. F. Stupidity Jr.

        *Plays smallest Canadian violin in the world*

        It only plays “O Canada”, “You Needed Me”, and “Sundown”.

        1. Agent Cooper

          WHAT MORE DOES GLASS TIGER HAVE TO DO?

        2. Bobarian LMD

          What aboot the Canadian National Anthem?

          Extra apropos.

          1. invisible furry hand

            Damn you Bobarian, you know this is the real one

          2. John Titor

            I’m willing to take crap from the Americans, but not Australians. Go back to picking on people smaller than you, like New Zealand.

            Commonwealth4Life yo.

          3. invisible furry hand

            Put the Union Jack back on your flag and then we’ll talk

            Also: Bryan Adams.

            That is all.

          4. Tundra

            Also: Bryan Adams.

            Ouch. That’s gonna leave a mark.

          5. John Titor

            Hey, we’re the son of Britain that acts out and grows our hair out long, don’t be hating. We’re still on your side, we just had bad influences growing up. We’re better than the one who set the car on fire and then ran off with his girlfriend ‘Republic’.

          6. invisible furry hand

            Hey, we’re the son of Britain that acts out and grows our hair out long

            Oh honey, you wish. You’re Canadians. That means you’re unnaturally polite and have weird booze laws, neither of which scream “teenage rebellion”. Leave it to us and the Kiwis, we have the skills,

          7. John Titor

            Hmmm, who has the longest history of nationalist impulse outside the British Empire? What’s your rebellions against British authority like? Oh cute, a military coup and some mining and convict riots. I wonder who had a proper rebellion. Who demanded a seat at the Paris Peace Conference, and got it by sheer stubbornness? Which country constantly had political debate and turmoil over whether British wars were their wars? Who doesn’t stick Daddy’s symbol on their flag?

            Up your game Australia.

          8. Brett L

            Hey, IFH. Glad you’re here.

          9. invisible furry hand

            Hey Brett, good to see you here too. Love your avatar, because that comes from the most profound show ever made.

          10. bacon-magic

            I loved Roadrunner.

        3. The Last American Hero

          And the violin part to Losing It.

      3. ElspethFlashman

        I am proud of the fact that our kiddo actually likes to shovel snow.

        1. UnCivilServant

          I’m supposed to be working from home, so I can’t spend my morning clearing the walk.

          Otherwise, I’d be clearing the whole walk.

          1. ElspethFlashman

            It’s good for you. Fresh air, exercise, a feeling of fulfillment.

    3. UnCivilServant

      Well, I made a path to the street, so I could get on with the more important task of moving my car before it got a ticket for being on the wrong side of the road during a “snow emergency” – the correct side swaps daily, and there’s physically not enough space for everyone to park on one side of the street, so finding a spot is difficult.

      1. UnCivilServant
    4. Private Chipperbot

      I have to move it manually.

      That’s not even a euphemism!

  12. Juvenile Bluster

    The New York Times with an absolutely devastating analysis of Trump’s taxes

    The New York Times‏Verified account @nytimes

    By claiming losses, President Trump apparently saved millions of dollars in taxes that he would otherwise have owed

    Surely such a thing has never before happened.

    1. UnCivilServant

      I seem to recall this being covered back during the election debates.

    2. WTF

      Are they trying to say claiming legitimate losses on your tax return is wrong? Just because? Or are they trying to say Trump’s claimed losses were not legitimate and they have evidence of them being fraudulent? Or maybe they just want to imply that because they are disingenuous shits.

    3. Scruffy Nerfherder

      This makes me rage.

      A net operating loss is a standard accounting concept. It can even be considered an asset during business acquisitions since those losses may be used against future profits, with some limitations.

      1. juris imprudent

        No, NO! It’s just a trick to keep from paying their fair share! /progderp

        1. Certified Public Asshat

          His fair share likely does include not only paying a large amount of federal income tax, but also payroll, property, sales/excise, state and local income tax, fuel taxes, annual report fees, etc. The progs really do need to define fair share.

          1. Bobarian LMD

            The progs really do need to define fair share.

            “It is what I say it is!” *stomps feet, balls fists, and poops just a little bit*

    4. robc

      I felt like Trump when I got my taxes back from my accountant this year. Due to business losses, I am not paying taxes for 2016, 2017, 2018 and maybe some of 2019.

      1. Tar and feather time!! ::gathers angry villagers::

      2. ElspethFlashman

        I’d like to be able to say the same, but I only had a loss my first year.

        1. robc

          No, this was losses from closing in 2015.

          But I had enough losses to cover my salary reworking for the man for a few years.

          1. ElspethFlashman

            Ah.

          2. Cliche Bandit

            Closing? Didn’t you just open a brewery?

    5. Raven Nation

      To be fair, in recent years the NYT has been unfamiliar with the concept of profit.

      1. Brett L

        I’m sure they’ll release Carlos Slim’s taxes enxt.

      2. Rufus the Monocled

        So unfamiliar, it’s pronounced ‘pro-fits’ in their offices.

      3. Hyperion

        According to their famous writer who has some kind of prize for economics, things are better when you spend more than you have.

      4. thom

        Quickly looking at their financials on Yahoo! – NYT had negative income tax expense in 2014.

    6. Haybob

      They complain about “loopholes” then freak out on you when you suggest a flat tax with no deductions.

      1. Certified Public Asshat

        I really hope to see a Trump return where he took a large credit for renewable energy, just to see what happens.

    7. Drake

      So it doesn’t strike them as odd that the old commie Sanders pays an effective rate of 13.5% versus that greedy capitalist pig Trump’s 24% tax rate?

      1. Bobarian LMD

        13.5% of nothing is indiscernible from 24% of nothing.

    8. one true athena

      Isn’t that particularly stupid coming from the NY times? Surely they of all businesses understand business losses?

    9. BigT

      Further, on NPR they made a big deal that if the Alt Min Tax was repealed (as Trump wants) he would have $103 MM lower income, and pay less than some of the poorest people in the country! Rather than addressing the actual numbers, they built a strawman and proceeded to spend most of their time bashing it. NPR!! Shit!!

      If my aunt had a dick she’d be my uncle.

      1. She can be your uncle without a dick depending on how xe identifies, you cisheteroshitlord.

  13. PieInTheSKy

    So in the comments on The Other site probably a year ago or so someone linked to a youtuber “that guy t” who had a couple of interesting videos. I somehow recently searched for it again out of curiosity and somehow got to the guy’s twitter account and from there I fell down a weird rabbit hole of helicopter and pepe the frog/ kek memes, which I find stupid and fascinating at the same time.

    I think I just don’t understand online communities, never been part of any myself. Never been on reddit, 4chan, other forums, and I wasn’t a gamer or something like that, but I think there could actually be some serious psychological study of this stuff. How these communities form and how they are seen by outsiders.

    Basically there’s a whole bunch of sort of intertwined twitter accounts memeing (can one use meme as a verb? Does it matter?) at each other. A strange mix of ancaps, libertarians, alt-rightists (including white supremacists), Trump supporters, and left-right-center individuals which claim to be anti sjw, anti feminist, or aniti regressive left.

    Among this is a fairly popular apparently YouTuber who goes by sargon_of_akad which seems to be a leader of some sorts for at least a faction. These guys generated an entire ecosystem so to call it of frog memes which include dozens of twitter accounts, probably thousands of photoshopped pictures (mostly war or disaster pics with pepe heads ) and I am in wonder at all this why these people spend this kind of time doing this?

    1. PieInTheSKy

      The ancaps seem less interested in pepe and more interested in helicopter memes. This has links to Argentine dirty war and allegedly Pinochet, who threw people out of helicopters, combined with some Hans Herman Hoppe idea of physically removing undesirables from society. In order to get libertopia throw non-libertarians out of helicopters apparently. These guys also have some snake memes but I did not study this too much.

      Anyway these people are strange. Or I don’t understand meme magic, meme warfare, and other stuff. That being said, I found some memes rather amusing.

      1. Pomp

        Rest assured, their memes are majickal and election-swaying, especially Pepe.

    2. Old Man With Candy

      I think I just don’t understand online communities, never been part of any myself.

      Like it or not, you are NOW.

      1. Exactly – we have our own memes and in-jokes here. Sometimes I think such things actually drive potential new visitors away. For example I imagine our STEVE SMITH and Warty jokes are rather, uh, obscure.

        1. John Titor

          We need an equivalent of a small wiki to sum up our memery for newcomers.

          1. Bobarian LMD

            Having a Wikipedia entry that cross-links “STEVE SMITH” to “Rapesquatch” would be a good start.

        2. Old Man With Candy

          I have to explain a lot of these to SP, since she never dove into Reason comments. I hear a lot of things like, “Well, that seems stupid.”

          The more amusing thing is that she met SugarFree before she ever read anything of his, or got the significance of using his handle as a verb (as in, “Wow, you really SugarFreed that link!”). Last night, she asked me, “I get the Hair part, but who’s the Hat?”

          1. John Titor

            SP needs to learn to accept and include our culture! She needs to check her normal person privilege!

          2. Old Man With Candy

            She’s getting there. I was delighted to see her actually commenting now and then, since she’s the brighter of the two of us and FAR more likeable.

          3. John Titor

            Well everybody likes kids. Cept Riven.

          4. As I like to say when introducing my wife: And here is my much, much better half.

          5. Dont confuse Riven for Nicole from the olden days.

            Please, dear God, don’t confuse one for the other.

          6. John Titor

            I thought Nicole believed having children was evil, Riven just hates kids.

          7. Scruffy Nerfherder

            Nicole’s an honest-to-god antinatalist.

          8. Brochettaward

            Hardly the only ones. I, for one, think we need to develop some form of universal solution to the problem of children. Some sort of camps where they can be concentrated away from the rest of the population.

          9. I’ve asked her here for her to clear this all up.

          10. Scruffy Nerfherder

            You asked Nicole here?

            Actually, I would enjoy that. She always brought some fire to the comments.

            *frantically searches for body armor*

          11. Private Chipperbot

            Speaking of those gone missing. Any word from Almanian?

          12. Old Man With Candy

            Yeah, his last checkup looked better than expected, i.e., the cancer wasn’t spreading more. He’s not well, but he’s greatly exceeded expectations and is taking advantage to spend lots of quality time with his remarkably cute granddaughter.

          13. I don’t hate kids. I’m just resentful of shitty parents who brandish their kids against others to get special treatment.

            I used to work with a gal who would drop her kid off at her parents’ place, go out and get shit faced at a bar, and then call in to work the next day claiming her kid was sick.

            That I am sometimes hostile towards short people is an unfortunate bleeding effect that I’m trying to be better about.

            At least that’s the only bleeding I do.

          14. invisible furry hand

            Please give Almanian a hug from me

          15. Old Man With Candy

            How about I give *you* a hug for *him*? That would be more fun for me.

          16. invisible furry hand

            Only if you come through with the candy

          17. Rufus the Monocled

            Nicole disappeared right around Episiarch did. Are they an item or sumting?

          18. F. Stupidity Jr.

            Nicole disappeared right around Episiarch did. Are they an item or sumting?

            That was my understanding.

          19. Old Man With Candy

            Your understanding is incorrect.

          20. F. Stupidity Jr.

            Your understanding is incorrect.

            If I had a nickel…

        3. PieInTheSKy

          True but I have never made a STEVE SMITH joke myself yet, I feel to new around here to attempt one

          1. robc

            You arent truly one of us until you tell some slaver to fuck off.

          2. straffinrun

            No, you fuck off. Slaver.

          3. Raven Nation

            That took about 9 minutes longer than I thought it would.

          4. ElspethFlashman

            You mean calling someone a cis-gendering sh*tlord.

          5. The Last American Hero

            In Mother Russia, slaver fucks you.

        4. ElspethFlashman

          I thought that Warty was a myth for a while, as a n00b.

          1. John Titor

            I read Sugarfree’s fanfiction about Warty before I saw the real thing. I thought someone had took the character’s name.

          2. He’s real… and a myth. Which is hard for any (im)mortal to do in their lifetime.

          3. Private Chipperbot

            The timesuit helps.

          4. John Titor

            “Now go! Let the legend come back to life!”

    3. John Titor

      Ask Zero Sum Game, the frog whisperer. Short version: THE MEMES MAN, THE MEMES WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.

      1. Banjos

        Meme Warfare

        1. BakedPenguin

          Pepe vs. Harambe: The Memening.

    4. Nephilium

      Online communities have been around for a longer time then most people realize. You could say that the first ones were the local BBS’s that were running back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. If you drop the online requirement, then you could go back to the zine and play by mail communities that formed around interests and certain board games (Chess and Diplomacy having been the ones I was aware of).

      If you search it, I believe there have been some studies on the existence and impact of these cultures. All the internet has done is made it much easier to find a group of like minded people. And honestly, assuming you read and post here, you’re part of an online community here.

    5. PieInTheSKy

      There are also memes involving Trump saying wrong

      The most disturbing meme I saw recently was this quite quite NSFW

      1. straffinrun

        That was worth the click.

    6. Entropy Void

      Have you seen that weird site that seems to obsessed with woodchippers?

    7. commodious spittoon

      Bernie fandom isn’t unusual in that crowd. It’s Trumpian populism without the conservative pretense.

    8. TripodKat

      One of the weirdest things is that Sargon is actually a socialist. He gets a lot of backlash for that.

      1. John Titor

        Sargon’s the classic English socialist, i.e. he recognizes the insanity of his far left brethren but is unwilling to recognize that it the inevitable result of his positions. See Orwell and ‘democratic socialism’ for a more intelligent man falling for the same errors.

      2. straffinrun

        Yep. I tried explaining that to my Trump-loving friend. “No way!”

      3. PieInTheSKy

        He calls himself classical liberal but that’s a bit of a stretch. But he is not a socialist as far as I can tell. In the no private means of production kind of way.

        1. straffinrun

          Not really a socialist, but waaay left for my taste. I remember him saying he wants to save the NHS. That set of warning bells.

          1. The Elite Elite

            Yeah, he definitely is comfortable with a lot more government than any of us would be. (If I remember correctly in that exact video he mentions he’s OK with government funding of the arts). Still, I think he has a genuinely interesting viewpoint that makes listening to his videos enjoyable, even when I’m disagreeing with him.

    9. Hyperion

      You can find almost anything you can think of on the intertoobz. There’s a group of people who believe that the earth is flat. Seriously. Their logic for this is some derptastical stuff.

      1. TripodKat

        A buddy of mine came back from California recently to visit. Some people out there had convinced him that the Earth is flat. He told me “think about it, why is it that sometimes, you can see the Sun and the Moon at the same time? The Earth is flat!”

        I avoided openly facepalming and proceeded to explain the rotation of the Earth, the orbit of the Moon and the orbit of Earth and how these things can cause eclipses and other phenomena. It was sad, California really has become a wasteland of exponential derp.

        1. Vhyrus

          How, exactly, can you continue to believe the earth is flat when we have satellite imagery actually proving otherwise? This isn’t ‘the moon landing was faked’ crap, unless he wants to refute the existence of every single man made satellite in orbit. I mean ffs, I know some educated people that aren’t 100% convinced we ever made it to the moon but this is some serious next level ignorance.

          1. Hyperion

            Look up ‘flat earth society’. They’ll explain it to you if you want to ask. Like I said, it’s really dumb, but they will explain it to you. People can convince themselves of anything, apparently.

            Even more people think that the earth is only 6000 years old. If that’s actually true, the ‘creator’ has one seriously good sense of humor, faking all those fossils and sediments and what not.

          2. thom

            A lot of those people will say that the fossil record, etc is the creator trying to trick us. I’ve always wondered if they’re playing a dangerous game by not believing as their creator wants them to believe.

          3. Hyperion

            I do remember back when I was a kid, some of the church people, who were all around me, saying that dinosaur bones were put there by the devil. Not making that up. Later on they got more sophisticated or something and started saying that the flood killed the dinosaurs about 5000 years ago.

          4. Vhyrus

            I have heard that one before. There was also that wonderful Kirk Cameron strawman about Crocoduck, which became infinitely more delicious when they actually found a fossil record of an extinct crocodile with a wide flat jaw just like… A FUCKING DUCK!

        2. The Last American Hero

          I would have just told him the science is settled.

          1. TripodKat

            Hey, that’s actually pretty funny.

          2. Hyperion

            I’m going to guess that more than 97% of scientists agree that the earth is not flat.

          3. Vhyrus

            As someone who recently graduated with a STEM degree, I am not going to take that bet.

    1. John Titor

      I got an ad for ‘Healing from Toxic Whiteness’ brainwashing seminar. Honestly, I need to get a stupid scam like this going some time, exploit some rich white left-wing idiots.

    2. WTF

      Well, there’s a kid destined to spend alot of time on the pyschiatrist’s couch.

    3. John Titor

      Rape culture is insidious. It normalizes and excuses rape, and it makes it more difficult and dangerous for victims to report rape. Rape isn’t just something that happens to women, a person of any gender can be raped, and it’s important to stand up for all victims.

      But in addition to that, young boys are often taught toxic masculinity, taught that men raping women is somehow the fault of women, and that it’s okay if they sometimes “can’t help themselves.”

      Anti-rape laws go back to the bloody code of Hammurabi, and if you want to see someone act out violent fantasies in the modern world, ask most men about what should be done about rapists. But really we all love it.

      1. WTF

        Rape culture is insidious. It normalizes and excuses rape, and it makes it more difficult and dangerous for victims to report rape. Rape isn’t just something that happens to women, a person of any gender can be raped, and it’s important to stand up for all victims.

        But in addition to that, young boys are often taught toxic masculinity, taught that men raping women is somehow the fault of women, and that it’s okay if they sometimes “can’t help themselves.”

        The poor dear is suffering under the delusion that she lives in Saudi Arabia. Because I defy her to show that to be true here.

        1. Rufus the Monocled

          You don’t know nothing. You should see the boys at the daycare! They’re constantly on the rape rampage!

          1. bacon-magic

            They learned it from you Dad baby sitter orphan trainer!

          2. bacon-magic

            You probably read Atlas Shrugged to them for story time too.

      2. Yeah – My friend once threw a party and caught a guy sexually assaulting a passed out woman who was in one of bedrooms. My friend proceeded to beat the ever living crap out of the guy and then threw him out.

        1. Chipwooder

          Saw the same thing happen once in the Marines. Since a good number of them were underaged (I was the “old man” of the nonrates in the squadron at age 26), we usually got hotel suites on the weekends to have parties. One of the guys was caught once in the bathroom with a passed-out girl, and he got his ass stomped to the curb. Hard to think of a more stereotypically macho group of young men than drunk Marines but that shit didn’t fly.

          1. commodious spittoon

            The assault was proof of rape culture.

            The beating was proof of toxic masculinity, which is proof of rape culture.

        2. Rufus the Monocled

          My buddy stopped an actual sexual assault on a university campus back in the 1990s. It was after a late-night class. He scared the guy off (who likely wasn’t a student) and helped the girl in a state of shock to the office.

          According to the cunt above, my friend should have simply taken over and raped the girl.

      3. Agent Cooper

        taught that men raping women is somehow the fault of women, and that it’s okay if they sometimes “can’t help themselves.”

        Citation dearly needed, Katherine.

        1. Vhyrus

          Seriously. Literally the first and only time I have ever heard or read this in my life is right here and right now, which makes me wonder if this chick is subconsciously teaching her son that very thing.

          1. tarran

            I read this 25 years ago in an editorial in my college newspaper, the Slanderback. A Pakistani student had his editorial published arguing for legalization of date rape.

            His argument went thus:
            1) It is settled science that men need sex biologically
            2) It is also settled science that chicks do not put out sufficiently to provide the needed sex to cover the entire male population
            3) Ergo there is a shortage of sex to cover the biological needs of men
            4) Absent date rape, some men would necessarily get too little sex and therefore bad things would happen
            5) Date rape, therefore, is a social good.

            Essentially, his argument was the proggie argument for taking over healthcare and education, but for some reason it failed to resonate.

    4. AceDroman

      For Christmas, my sister sent my infant daughter some clothes with “Destroy Patriarchy” and “This Is What A Feminist Looks Like”. Me and AceDrowoman looked at each other with simultaneous eye rolls and proceeded to put the gifts in the garbage with the wrapping paper.

      1. WTF

        I wonder if someone makes a line of clothes for little boys that says “Destroy Feminism” and “This is What a Shitlord Looks Like”?

        1. AceDroman

          A+ fucking brilliant

        2. westernsloper

          Excellent.

          +1 “Make me a sandwich woman”

          1. The Last American Hero

            They do have pirate-themed onesies that say Surrender the Boobie. Does that count?

        3. Nephilium

          If there’s any site that has something close, it’s probably T-Shirt Hell. If you’re at work, don’t click the link. Quite a few of their shirts are very NSFW.

          1. Chipwooder

            No worries – no one can click the link! haha

          2. Nephilium

            Damn… oh well, until an edit fairy floats by you can always Google the name.

        4. WTF

          I may go to one of those design your own t-shirt sites and make some for my 3-year-old nephew.
          Except his parents are proggies so they would never put them on him.

  14. So sexy…

    Chelsea Clinton fuels speculation of political run

    “Think we can let the dust settle a bit before we start talking about another Clinton race?” one former adviser to Hillary Clinton said after the New York Post reported in November that the former first daughter was being “groomed” to run for Congress, possibly replacing 79-year-old congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) “It’s exhausting.”

    But that skepticism is starting to fade.

    Last month, a separate report in the New York Daily News said that Clinton could potentially run for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) seat, should the senator decide to run for president in 2020.

    1. WTF

      Chelsea is pretty dim, so the debates would probably be pretty entertaining.

      1. Drake

        She seems to have inherited Web’s looks and Hillary’s charisma. Not good.

        1. westernsloper

          + several trips to Dr Plastic Face Fixer

      2. The Last American Hero

        Chelsea lives in NY and is the daughter of HRC, so it wouldn’t matter.

    2. straffinrun

      So the D’s bench is so empty they’re scraping gum from underneath it.

    3. Brett L

      I wonder how much Chelsea’s hedge fund manager husband failed to pay his fair share of when he ran that fund into the ground. Someone should inquire after his taxes.

    4. Vhyrus

      I would love to Chelsea to run. The left desperately needs a Mitt Romney.

  15. Kevin Williamson: Martin Longman Is Dumb as a Plank

    Martin Longman of Washington Monthly takes issue with my earlier post on insurance mandates, writing:

    What bothers him is that when the state mandates something be covered in an insurance plan, it comes out of the “profits and the bonuses of their fat-cat executives.”

    What I wrote was of course precisely the opposite: that such costs are not likely to come out of profits or executive bonuses. Not, Martin. Not.

    As in: Not very bright, did not read the post very carefully, does not have anything interesting to say, ought not try writing for the general public, not work to be proud of, cannot believe this was not written in crayon, etc.

    1. Brett L

      I liked him on the Fifth Column show he did. It was weird though because Moynihan was out so other people got to talk.

  16. Scruffy Nerfherder

    After thinking about it for a minute, I think this is brilliant market targeting.

    I have been a student of astrology since I was 12 years old and a counseling astrologer for almost 20 years. Many of my ideas, philosophies and concepts have been and are constantly shaped by LGBTQI2S, POC, feminist writers, artists, thinkers, activists and community members as well as by my many brilliant colleagues and folks that I work with both in individual readings and group settings. I aim to make astrology practical, approachable and useful. Otherwise it’s all just cosmic hot air and planets far from reach. I hope to be in a dialogue with you about what you would like to know more about as it pertains to astrology and how I can best serve you through this medium.

    1. John Titor

      “My bullshit takes into account your bullshit.”

      Yep.

      1. Gilmore

        (applause)

    2. invisible furry hand

      There used to be an astrologer here in Sydney who was also a tarot card reader and hairdresser, which for some reason I found hilarious. Did she give you haircuts based on star sign or the cards? Mysteries abound…

  17. robc

    I don’t know if it happens elsewhere, but a place in Louisville gives 50% off vasectomies on the opening Thursday morning of the tournament. You then get to miss work, sit on ice packs, and watch basketball for two days.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Does the same place also offer Asian massages?

  18. Scruffy Nerfherder

    So the AMT has historically been universally reviled because it catches middle class taxpayers. But now the AMT is a golden calf because Trump had to pay it and wants to get rid of it. Obviously, this is only because Trump had to pay it once.

    1. Drake

      I freaked out the first time the wife and I hit the AMT. Suddenly all my deductions were gone and I owed far more than I had in liquid assets.

      That was the last time I did our taxes myself.

  19. Drake

    Fun video of college students who believe in freedom of association for Muslims but not Christians.

    Some of them realize they are caught – the looks on their faces are pretty funny.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Principals over principles.

    2. straffinrun

      Geez. I could give the answer for that and I don’t even agree. My school. 🙁

    3. Vhyrus

      If someone we’re to ask me to give them an example of cognitive dissonance, I would show them this video. Thank you.

  20. straffinrun

    Gay Couple Kicked Out Of Pizza Place For Holding Hands, Told ‘This is Trump’s America Now’

    “As I turned around, I heard, ‘You better get used to this, this is Trump’s America.’ After that, I was like, ‘Wow.’ I just walked away,” he wrote on Facebook. “I was very upset and kind of just in disbelief.” – See more at: http://www.thegailygrind.com/2017/03/14/gay-couple-kicked-pizza-place-holding-hands-told-trumps-america-now/#sthash.e1PkAScR.dpuf

    Kudos for the name gailygrind, but this one reeks of bs.

    1. straffinrun

      Darnit. Didn’t mean to include that second link.

    2. F. Stupidity Jr.

      I doubt anyone, even Trump supporters, besides journalists uses the phrase “Trump’s America”. The Other Site’s writers have used “Trump Era” or “Age of Trump”, which gets my eyes rolling every time.

      1. The Last American Hero

        I thought Age of Trump was one of those online phone games that Arnold is always pimping on TV.

    3. BakedPenguin

      Yeah, because Trump is such a homophobe.

      BS, indeed.

  21. Stinky Wizzleteats

    Wilders looks a lot like old Jimmy Page.

    http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/1083491/b5442c90/wilders_en_jimmy.html

    I can also see the old DiCrappio comparison but I suspect Leo’s going to look like the Ernest & Julio Gallo Orson Welles in twenty years.

    1. Chipwooder

      He’s already sporting the Welles hairstyle and beard.

      Also, though I hate to be a pedant, it was Paul Masson, not Ernest and Julio Gallo. He will serve no wine before its time. Those commercials are hilarious and all available on YouTube, along with his famous frozen peas tapes.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        The drunk out-takes are the best

        Somewhere there was a spoof where the line was changed to “We shall sell no wine before you pay for it” but I can’t find it.

        1. Chipwooder

          EEAAAAAHHHHH, the French!….champagne…

        2. One of my fav vids – I play that at least once a year if I need a laugh.

        3. Stinky Wizzleteats

          Haven’t seen that-fookin’ hilarious.

  22. Drake

    Want to survive cystic fibrosis? Eat a lot of fat.

  23. straffinrun

    Preet Bharara’s Ouster Could Be Very Bad News for Mayor de Blasio

    Bharara, for all his attraction to the spotlight, was generally cautious when it came to bringing charges. As are most U.S. Attorneys, for professional and personal reasons: They take their legal responsibilities seriously, and they don’t like to lose, because the boss gets the blame, particularly in high-profile cases

    *Jaw hits floor*

    1. The Elite Elite

      So the woodchipper case was seriously and cautiously approached? I wonder what a wild and ridiculous charge by him would’ve been?

      1. tarran

        Was there a no-knock raid with battering rams on Nick Gillespie’s door, followed by him being dragged off in handcuffs while agents carry empty box after empty box out of his home and load into black SUV’s while the local NBC affiliate, having been tipped-off the night before, films it all in high-definition?

        No?

        That’s restraint!

    1. straffinrun

      *shrugs* Ahem, edit fairy? Please.

    2. Chipwooder

      A bouncer at a pizza place?

      1. Chucky E. Cheese?

        1. Chipwooder

          Good point.

      2. BakedPenguin

        A bouncer at a pizza place?

        Well, Dominoes has one for their complaint line.

    3. Drake

      So the gay couple goes to “Goodfellas” and start making out. As soon as they are kicked out, they are talking to the WLWT5 news team.

      Sounds like everything went exactly as planned.

      1. straffinrun

        And amazingly someone said the exact thing that they’ve been warning us about.

        1. Juvenile Bluster

          How many of the times where this has been reported since the election have turned out to be hoaxes? It’s got to be over 90%, doesn’t it?

          1. straffinrun

            If another customer actually said that, I’d put money that they meant it as shot at Trump and the “bouncer” not some sneering homophobia.

  24. Grummun

    100 Years ago today, Czar Nicholas II abdicated as Emperor of Russia. He named as his successor his brother, the Grand Duke Micheal, who prudently declined to accept without the support of a public referendum indicating popular support for a continued monarchy. Thus ended the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Empire. Score for WWI: one empire down, three to go.

    1. John Titor

      And eventually ushering in the plague of communism for decades afterwards.

      I’m not sure if the right people won the First World War anymore.

      1. Bobarian LMD

        Well, since the Russians dropped out early before anything was settled, probably would not have made difference.

        1. John Titor

          I don’t think a victorious German Empire would have been willing to have a communist country on their doorstep for long.

    2. straffinrun

      And Czar comes from Caesar. Ides of March. Call the luminati. I’ve got a theory.

    3. I find WW1 to be a lot more fascinating than WW2. Of course the First World War is a lot more nebulous in terms of who is good and bad, but it’s reach in history is very long. From that vantage point, the second WW is just an extension of the first, but with better villains and even more destructive weapons.

      1. Raven Nation

        Yeah, I’m getting the same way. This semester I’m going to have my World History students read parts of the Treaty of Versailles. Much more interesting and debatable. The end of WWII is basically, “you lost so fuck you.”

        1. Vhyrus

          Ironically, the end of everything AFTER WW2 follows an eerily similar pattern.

      2. commodious spittoon

        If Blackadder Goes Fourth taught me anything, it’s that the officers on both sides were the baddies.

        1. commodious spittoon

          u

          1. WTF

            I thought it was for “show me what u got!”

          2. commodious spittoon

            BOO!

      3. robc

        The Hardcore History on ww1 was very interesting.

        The attempts at figuring out how to adapt to modern weaponry were interesting and horrifying.

        1. Brett L

          Should have sent more observers to the American Civil War. Machine guns and trench warfare in… Kentucky or Arkansas. Charges broken by smaller forces with repeating rifles at Gettysburg. Even use of airships for artillery spotting.

          1. robc

            Longstreet wanted to dig trenches across NOVA and fight a defensive war.

          2. Bobarian LMD

            Petersburg was a little slice of Verdun or the Somme. Two bloodiest days in combat in history.

          3. Raven Nation

            It’s been a while since I read about this so I won’t be able to source it BUT, there’s an interesting argument that the Russo-Japanese war influenced tactics in WWI. Some countries sent observers and, although casualties were high, there were not as high as expected which led to the belief that one could successfully mount attacks against well-entrenched defenders.

        2. The Last American Hero

          Now It Can Be Told is an excellent, if horrifying read.

        3. BigT

          Dan Carlin’s Hardcore HIstory of WW1 is awesome! And really long. It was a good podcast to be listening to during the 100 year anniversary.

      4. Grummun

        but it’s reach in history is very long

        Exactly this. The day-by-day “this is what happened in WWI today” thing I do at the office frequently points up events the consequences of which persist to this day. Like when a pair of British and French diplomats sat down to divvy up the carcass of an Ottoman Empire that they hadn’t even defeated yet, and you get the border of modern Syria.

        1. CatoTheElder

          Don’t forget about Kuwait, and the post-WWI history of Britain’s involvement in its formation as a British Protectorate following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Sadaam Hussein didn’t forget about it, but April Glaspie did.

    4. Private Chipperbot

      Hardcore History touches on the Czar a bit in one of the WW1 episodes. I really enjoyed it.

      1. Entropy Void

        Excellent series on WWI from BBC: Our War

        http://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/80045666/s

        http://dai.ly/x231ntn

        Our World War – Episode 1 by limukohou

        My first link on “The New Site” …Not sure what is gonna post best …

        1. Entropy Void

          Call me vapid but I kinda liked the juxtaposition of a modern score and pseudo-satellite shots with the depiction of what I formerly saw a grainy, jittery black& white imagery.

  25. commodious spittoon

    I’m no “points ball lol” philistine about sports, but basketball is genuinely one I can’t wrap my head around. Sure, there’s bound to be fans of just about anything, even college basketball, but the enthusiasm and preoccupation it elicits I just don’t understand.

    1. F. Stupidity Jr.

      I’m a huge NBA fan, but the appeal of the college game escapes me. I mean, I’ll watch a game here and there, but it’s so odd to me that it’s almost a different sport entirely.

      1. Chipwooder

        I’m the exact opposite – love college basketball, hate the NBA.

        Being a Knicks fan just might have something to do with that.

        1. straffinrun

          Loyola Marymount in the early 90’s sold me on how basketball should be played. Stockton dumping the ball into the elbow throwing Malone made me hate the NBA.

        2. robc

          I was that way, but the one and done thing has really caused me to lose interest.

          I liked knowing the top players and seeing them for 3-4 years.

          1. Chipwooder

            I can agree with that. It’s definitely not the same as it was in the ’80s.

      2. Raven Nation

        When I first came to the States, the only thing I cared about was the NBA. But I gradually lost interested. I got mildly hooked on college ball my first few years here. But then 6 years in grad school at Kansas made me a convert.

      3. Brett L

        Watching the NCAA Tournament and the last 3 rounds of the NBA playoffs is all the basketball I care to watch.

      4. Grumbletarian

        The only college sport I’ll pause to watch is bowling. In too many other cases you wind up with Sportsball University unsurprisingly clobbering Basket Weaving Tech until two of the same half-dozen or so teams meeting for the championship. I’ll take the NBA and NFL over their respective college equivalents.

        Full disclosure: I am from New England and cheer for the Celtics and Patriots, who’ve enjoyed or are currently enjoying dynastic championship runs.

    2. robc

      I made a poker analogy once that basketball is like limit poker. Its about finding a small percentage edge and exploiting it over and over.

      Soccer is no limit.

      Football is pot limit.

      Cricket is Razz.

      1. CatoTheElder

        Golf is Razz. Because the winner has the lowest score.

        1. robc

          Good call. And both are frustrating to play.

  26. Certified Public Asshat

    If you can’t read an analog clock, you will die:

    Time to learn! Eighty percent of Oklahoma City children aged six to 12 don’t know how to read a clock because they rely on smartphones and iPads to tell the time

    Many toddlers these days are barely out of nappies before they are playing with touch-screen toys and fiddling with iPads.

    But it appears they are now paying the price – because when they arrive at school they have no idea how to read a clock.

    A study found that only one in ten children aged between six and 12 in Oklahoma City own a watch, Eerie News reports.

    1. Hyperion

      “A study found that only one in ten children aged between six and 12 in Oklahoma City own a watch”

      The horror!

    2. Agent Cooper

      Do they know how to use buggy whips?

      I kid, but only partially. I get telling time on a traditional clock is a useful skill, but that skill is becoming more are more irrelevant with the adaptation of technology.

      1. CatoTheElder

        It’s like counting change. The cash register will do it for you for the time being, and pretty soon there won’t be any cash any way.

        1. Vhyrus

          Yes, you are right.. who needs to count change or read a clock when the machine will do it for you… until there is a power outage or the cash register breaks. Then what you do? Squint at the sun and guess? Tell the customer to reach in and grab his own change? Redundant knowledge can be useful when murphy steps in.

  27. Hyperion

    Not sure if this person learned to write by reading Glibertarian comments. But this is pretty good.

    Democrats

    1. Drake

      Wow – did Sugarfree or Warty get a job at Townhall?

    2. Vhyrus

      That was almost sexually gratifying. I am going to have to read townhall more often.

    3. F. Stupidity Jr.

      Bernie Sanders stood up. “Has anyone seen my shoe? I had my shoe when I came in and now it’s gone. It was a brown shoe and now I can’t find my shoe.”

      I LOL’ed.

      1. Gilmore

        (shakes fist)

      2. commodious spittoon

        From the alternate universe where Hillary won (linked in that piece):

        Bernie Sanders, asked about legislative priorities in the new Senate, explained, “I think I have lost my shoe. It’s a brown shoe and I thought it was on my foot, but it seems to be gone and I think I have lost my shoe. Do you have my shoe?”

    4. Gilmore

      I think this was the best bit of characterization =

      Bernie Sanders stood up. “Has anyone seen my shoe? I had my shoe when I came in and now it’s gone. It was a brown shoe and now I can’t find my shoe.”

      Also, drunk-Hillary referring to Schumer as a lizard and making barechested Martin O’Malley dance for her

    5. invisible furry hand

      Insufficient references to pseudo-penises or the pleasure pits of Cleveland, or gaping anythings.

  28. waffles

    Allentown, the neighborhood of Pittsburgh is one of the few places just plain worse than Allentown proper. It’s the kind of place you can film a post-apocalyptic movie and get away with just a touch of cgi.

    1. Agent Cooper

      I once took the bus the wrong way to Swissvale and Braddock. The bus driver just let us stay on and took us back to right about where we first got on.

      1. waffles

        What year? I lived not very far from there nine years ago and found it to be just fine. The true heart of darkness in the region is south and west of the city. The north and east can be run down but generally not dangerous.

        1. Agent Cooper

          Early 1990s. A different era. I am sure everything has changed. I lived in Shadyside/Squirrel Hill area.

          1. Agent Cooper

            I graduated from Carnegie Mellon.

    2. Chipwooder

      Makes sense – most of The Road was filmed in Pennsylvania.

  29. The Late P Brooks

    Last month, a separate report in the New York Daily News said that Clinton could potentially run for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) seat, should the senator decide to run for president in 2020.

    And America circles ever nearer to the drain.

  30. The Late P Brooks

    This semester I’m going to have my World History students read parts of the Treaty of Versailles.

    Then, have them read The Economic Consequences of the Peace. Some obscure economist wrote it.

    1. Raven Nation

      Hah! That might be beyond them.

  31. Agent Cooper

    That Allentown is not THE Allentown of Joel’s song.

    The 2 bodies in the house Allentown is a neighborhood of Pittsburgh near the South Side Flats. I used to work on the South Side. It was a fun neighborhood (sans decomposing bodies in houses not that far away.)

  32. The Late P Brooks

    when they arrive at school they have no idea how to read a clock.

    If only these “schools” to which the writer refers had some sort of persons whose job it is to impart new knowledge and skills…

    1. invisible furry hand

      There are five year olds starting school still wearing diapers because their parents didn’t get around to toilet training ’em, so the priority becomes teaching the kids not to shit themselves.

    2. Tundra

      Hang on. I’ll ask the Diversity Coordinator if such a person exists.

  33. The Late P Brooks

    most of The Road was filmed in Pennsylvania.

    Holy shit, that movie sucked.

    1. Gilmore

      The book was also a disappointment IMO. I assume because it was actually just a script no one had optioned yet.

      1. Bobarian LMD

        C’mon! That was a light-hearted, father-son, coming-of-age, road trip classic. Should have been the perfect movie (haven’t seen, did read).

  34. Gilmore

    One of the links in The Other Site’s AM links is described thusly =

    • Hoaxers are playing on people’s anti-Trump attitudes to promulgate fake documents that generate fake news stories.

    …which turns out to be a story *By* Buzzfeed news about *How* people keep ripping off Buzzfeed news, because they’re so fucking desperate to get dirt on Trump.

    After getting ripped off a few times, they decide to write a story about how “hoaxers” are taking advantage of them. Like teenage kids who keep getting sold lawn-cut-grass while told its “Seriously, its Kind-bud dudes”, and decide that this menace of fakery needs to be exposed.

    It included this SO SUBTLE line =

    Ariel passed the documents to a network of Democratic and anti-Trump activists who in turn shared them with prominent news organizations including BuzzFeed News.

    The only problem: The documents were phony.

    i don’t blame BF for trying to gin something up out of their own desperate gullibility, but i do think its silly that Reason passes it on without pointing out that its really a story about “shitty journalists who don’t know how to do ‘reporting’ so instead rely on leaked documents”

    which i suppose would be a well-timed observation.

    1. John Titor

      This is the website that has fallen for multiple ‘fake news’ stories over the past couple months, including writing whole articles about tweets from fake accounts.

  35. tarran

    The Pointman has published yet another of his poignant reminiscences from his youth:

    As a kid and like the vast majority of my generation, I knew the family worked on a tight budget. If you wanted something extra, you got some kind of nickel and dime part-time job and after a kickback into the family pot, you had some money of your own in your back pocket. I did a lot of jobs like that, as did my siblings.
    Initially I worked as unskilled labour for various local small businesses but the owners seemed to delight in having a new serf to order around and being young and hot-tempered and certainly no respecter of the older than you and therefore better than you idea, things didn’t really work out. I came to the conclusion that if a bunch of idiots like them could make money out of running their own business, so could I.
    So I did. It was good experience. In a very minor way, I learnt the essentials of business, which would come to serve me well in later years. Things I’d only heard of before I now had to start doing. Things like marketing – you had to pin up a few notices around the locale saying what the service you were offering was as well as your contact details. Unless you announced yourself, no customer was going to come knocking on your door.
    My first business was mowing lawns.
    Most of my clients were elderly and female because as any life insurance actuary will tell you, women tend to outlive their husbands. This was in the days when electric lawnmowers were unthought of. You basically pushed a heavy cast iron monstrosity up and down a lawn in the scalding heat of summer and sweated like a pig.
    Hard physical work like that was now beyond the years of my customers, but they still wanted the pleasure of sitting out in a garden they’d tended for a few decades which had just had a crew cut by a young lad kept going by being passed copious amounts of home-made lemonade or cordial to replace the rivulets of sweat. It somehow put the summer aright for them. Once I’d gotten over the novelty of earning some money, looking out over the finished product of a well manicured lawn became a pleasure we both shared.
    One or two of them were nasty, mean and embittered people and I really can’t remember much at all about them. The good ones – I remember them in Technicolor with a Dolby stereo soundtrack added; their names, faces and even their mannerisms. These days, the gold floats straight up above the forgotten dross at the bottom of the deep chasm of the necessarily trimmed memories of youth.

    1. Tundra

      Terrific essay. I liked this:

      Quiet actions could say a lot more than showy declarations. Manners always mattered and there was a whole hidden and nuanced language contained therein. It was okay to be simply stunned by the sheer beauty of something and the restraint not to remark upon seeing a young kid being totally bowled over by it was classy. A loving relationship was about a lot more than just which bits of physiology fitted in which place. If you were clever enough to spot something other people missed, it didn’t somehow grant you the right to broadcast it from the rooftops. When you’re under real pressure, learn to cultivate an air of calm and grace, especially in front of children.

      Thanks, Tarran.

    2. Vhyrus

      Ah yes, the good old days when you didn’t have to surmount a literal mountain of paperwork and government mandates just to sell a widget or wash someone’s windows. Good thing we got rid of all that nonsense. For the children, you know.

      But, electric lawnmower? Really? The only one’s I’ve ever used are gas powered.

    3. Lafe Long

      Nice & nostalgic.

      I think I was 11 when I got my first paper route. Mowed grass with a push mower til we got a beatup briggs & stratton gas mower.
      Got a volunteer job at the hospital when I was 14. And got my first “real” job at IHOP when I turned 16.
      This is what MOST kids did when I was growing up (the girls would babysit).

      I suspect that’s NOT what most (any?) kids do these days.

  36. The Late P Brooks

    Initially I worked as unskilled labour for various local small businesses

    The Dark Ages, when evil business owners could “hire” an unsuspecting kid without filing any paperwork with the State, and proceed to exploit him mercilessly for a few hours and then send him away with cash money in his pocket. Fortunately, we have put an end to all that.

    1. commodious spittoon

      In our enlightened age, kids start out unemployable and graduate unemployable cum laude.

      1. Hyperion

        +1