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March 31, 2016
The Episcopal Church is a carnival of perversion
It's why their pews are empty. Who wants to celebrate that? The answer, of course, is no one and that's why the Catholic Church is becoming a sad joke. Even with fair warning, they are heading down the same rat hole. The Entirely Worthless Catholic Church | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:46 PM | Your Say (3)
Hillary as OJ or the New Bill Ayers, "Guilty as sin and free as a bird."
Will Hillary Be the New O.J.? | Do we need a reminder of why I make this comparison of Hillary and O.J.?Justice, alas, is not always served. (Yes, eventually O.J. got his, but not in the way he should have.) Hillary is much better protected. She doesn't need Johnny Cochranor the restof the "Dream Team."She's got something even more powerful than low-rent appeals to racism and phony charades about gloves that are somehow too small. She's got the president of the United States and the mainstream media in her corner. Working together, as they so often do, they have the ability to pervert justice, as we used to say, nineways to Brooklyn. With their help, the chances of an indictment are slim, of a trial even thinner.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:04 PM | Your Say (0)
Umi Bozu
This woodblock print illustrates the story of the sailor Kawanaya Tokuzo, who decides to go to sea on the last day of the year, which other sailors consider unlucky. A violent storm breaks out, and the Umi Bozu appears. In a ghastly voice the apparition demands, "Name the most horrible thing you know!" Tokuzo yells back, "My profession is the most horrible thing I know!" The monster is apparently satisfied with this answer and disappears along with the storm. Tokaido gojusan tsui ｷ The Walters Art Museum ｷ Works of Art
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 2:16 PM | Your Say (0)
Independent Minds
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:22 PM | Your Say (3)
" I See Your Moral Equivalency and Raise My Moral Outrage"
Since the Religion of Peace dictates that gay behavior cannot be tolerated we must simply accept the fact that GLDM (Gay Lives Don’t Matter) in the land of the Sauds. Meanwhile, in the land of the blackboards (whoops - apologies, micro-aggression right there) we cannot even tolerate…chalking? Apparently not if it’s the chalking of names you don’t approve of – in public! In ALL CAPS! That would signify racist, homophobic, sexist sentiments which our snowflakes find both threatening and intolerable. Michelle Obama's Mirror:
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:19 PM | Your Say (2)
The Don Doing What He Does Best
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:06 AM | Your Say (1)
March 30, 2016
"Boots on the ground," huh?
Has anybody noticed that Islam has many more "boots on the ground" in the West than vice-versa?We find many, many more mosques, centers of "Islamic learning," halal butcheries, etc., in the West than we find churches, synagogues, etc., in the Muslim world. While the UN and the world go into paroxysms of rage when a few Jews build houses in the "Occupied Territories," because, of course, Jews have no right to live among Muslims, literally millions of Muslims have and continue to move into Europe and other Western countries. The Muslim world murders and drives into exile Jews and Christians from their ancient homes, but the West must accept millions of Muslim "refugees" and migrants. The DiploMad 2.0: "Boots on the Ground" and Other Fantasies About "Radicalization"
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:25 PM | Your Say (1)
One of the strange parts of the modern mass media age
is that the mainstream is vastly more rigid and doctrinaire than in the prior age.Everyone assumed that the burst of new media platforms would broaden the scope of what is acceptable discourse. In the 90’s we were endlessly hearing about how “new voices” and “new perspectives” would change the conversation. Instead, it was one purging after another as the Overton Window swung left and became increasingly narrow. The most obvious example that comes to mind is the treatment of Mark Steyn by the Conservative Industrial Complex. He made some glib comments about how homosexuals were discussed in the old days and was pilloried by the hysterical homosexual activist editor of National Review. Eventually, he was driven off the site as a heretic. His crime was being funny and interesting, which is always a problem for the ideologues. Richard Milhouse Cruz | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:38 PM | Your Say (1)
Like Black Elk, Berta Lovejoy Speaks
It's pretty clear why it's being retweeted and shared so much. It appeals to (I would guess) mostly cisgender white males, who are all racist. I would know - as a self-identified POC (I am 1/16 cherokee), I am constantly under siege on this campus. Just yesterday I was attempting to order my second cheeseburger from the grill, when the white male behind the counter asked me to "fill the order form, ma'am". How dare he? How dare he make such a presumptuous comment about the nature of my gender identity? I was immediately triggered and left the dining hall. This is my lived experience, and it matters more than "free speech" and "plurality", which everyone knows are red herrings invented by the racist cisheteropatriarchy. Signed, Berta Lovejoy, Feminist, Promoter of Equality, Love, and Peace. -- A Culture of Sensitivity | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:37 AM | Your Say (12)
"Teens" as used here means subSaharan African American People of Colour under thirty but over ten.
It's a journo thing, a blatant coverup, one of many reasons people know to a certainty the news media are dishonest and resolutely so.This is not reporting, it's advocacy, meaning service to a cause, in this case—reverent pause—Diversity. We can rightly consider the words of an advocate, but not those of a dishonest one. A cause best served by deception reveals itself more persuasively than any opponent could. Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:53 AM | Your Say (1)
"Pay not to Spray": Cities Are Paying Criminals $1000 Per Month "Not To Kill"
He was a passenger in a car involved in a drive-by shooting, police said. And he was arrested for carrying a loaded gun. When Holmes was released from prison last year, officials in this city offered something unusual to try to keep him alive: money. They began paying Holmes as much as $1,000 a month not to commit another gun crime. America Hits Rock Bottom: | Zero Hedge
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:50 AM | Your Say (9)
March 29, 2016
“Our great cities, a hundred Long Streets, are nearly ruined, ravaged by crime, their population corrupted or endangered by deadly narcotics,
all community destroyed. Our boasted affluence is given the lie by the swift and sinister growth of a genuine proletariat, voracious and unruly, subsisting at public expense.Our layers of governmental bureaucracy are increasingly inefficient and vexatious. Our legislatures, national and state, seem willing to yield to every demand of a pressure group, regardless of the true public interest. Our judges, or many of them, have turned demagogues. Our air is polluted badly, our countryside uglified, public taste corrupted. Our children are brought up indulgently on images of terrible violence and gross sexuality. Schooling at every level is reduced to child care, adolescent sitting, and collegiate mating: humane letters and history are contemned. While we talk windily still of free enterprise, the industrial and commercial conglomerates move toward oligopoly on a tremendous scale. Religious belief and observance have been first reduced to the ethos of sociability, and then to ignorant discourses on revolution. Leviathan, the monstrous society, has swallowed his myriads. What hope for the person and the republic?” — Russell Kirk, 1989 || From Russell Kirk’s 1989 The Attack on Leviathan: Donald Davidson and the South’s Conservatism. HappyAcres
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:47 AM | Your Say (0)
San Francisco: It's Come to This
"Yet another article about a carbon copy tech kid in their 20s living in a glorified casket so they can afford a city that is far too expensive for them. These kids are walking dixie cups. Tech companies use them once and throw them away, then restock their supply with a fresh deployment of 22 year old entitled millennials. Have fun returning to your flyover state by the time you're 30. The real irony of his $400 shitbox is that his computer inside it is 4-5 times more expensive than his rent, which just proves these aren't depictions of economically disadvantaged kids struggling to get by. They are millennials who think their computer science degrees from second rate universities are a one way ticket to a city of freaks and natives that aren't just indifferent to them, they downright loathe them. "
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:28 AM | Your Say (3)
It would break all of the internets if it turned out Ted Cruz had cheated with Corey Lewandowski.
— Lee Stranahan (@stranahan) March 29, 2016
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:10 AM | Your Say (0)
How to Sell Blueberries
[HT: True North]
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:36 AM | Your Say (3)
The Liberty Bell is in Philadelphia.
To see the Liberty Bell you enter a secure area, empty your pockets, get wanded down by guards. All this with no sense of irony. Then, at the bell, you're lectured how it was actually the symbol of the struggle against slavery and amen brother hallelujah. Woodpile ReportPosted by gerardvanderleun at 9:26 AM | Your Say (0)
But then they’re The Phone Company.
The robot is stupid, getting a human takes endless repeating of the word operator, and when you get one – in the Philippines – she doesn’t speak any better English than the robot and has an only slightly higher IQ. I would imagine there are hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans who would be much better at handling trouble calls and would like to have the work; but what with having to pay minimum wages, comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, unions, regulations, and the rest, the Philippines sounds more attractive. But is it? It certainly cuts down on the number of 611 calls; but simply disconnecting that number would get the same results. But then they're The Phone Company.- – Chaos Manor – Jerry Pournelle
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:11 AM | Your Say (0)
Islam's New Color Code: Red=first explosion. Blue=second. Green=future suicide explosions.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:02 AM | Your Say (1)
March 28, 2016
Being smart today is about knowing where the information is located or how it is associated with other known information.
Remembering stuff is just not very useful.History, after all, is just formal remembering so it makes sense that history is dying as any sort of remembering is giving way to technology. Then there’s the fact we are on the verge of a great automation of work that will make remembering the past even more pointless as the life of man becomes pointless. Children have no reason to dwell on the past or think of the future. Instead, they enjoy the day playing with their toys. Perhaps the growing amnesia in the West is just part of the slow infantalization of man. One day people will loom at the their surroundings and wonder how they got there and who made them. Perhaps even imagine the machines were made by gods. A long Ramble on Time & Memory | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:12 PM | Your Say (1)
Screw the Rules, Eat at the Indian Restaurant Inside the GasStation
After a final push from Kristen, we decided we’d go to Jay Bros for a late breakfast on our way back to Denver the next day. We pulled up to the restaurant, anxious and eager. As soon as the owner—Harry, who’s from just outside of Mumbai, as I’d later learn—saw us walking towards the restaurant part of the building, he motioned for us to take a seat, placing menus in front of us as we did. We ordered some naan, vegetable samosas, chicken tikka masala, and chicken korma. Not a typical breakfast platter, but, when in Overton… Whatever hesitancy still remained was quickly washed away at first bite. The tikka masala was perfectly balanced: the tomato didn’t overpower the dish, and the cream floated through the mouth. - Roads & Kingdoms
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:36 AM | Your Say (1)
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:27 AM | Your Say (0)
It's probably nothing....
147 FBI agents involved in Clinton email probe | TheHillPosted by gerardvanderleun at 11:22 AM | Your Say (1)
The Female Sex Stare
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:15 AM | Your Say (6)
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:15 AM | Your Say (3)
I don't want to hear another goddamn thing about my carbon footprint. https://t.co/sD4jSPbb6d
— Instapundit.com (@instapundit) March 25, 2016
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:11 AM | Your Say (3)
Fear Islam... ophobia!
Go figure? Genius black guy host of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show Larry Wilmore responded to the GOP’s rabid Islamophobia with this: “Go fuck yourselves, seriously.” Only by our acceptance of Multiculturalism will we be able to embrace our own rape and conquest. It makes perfect sense. Thank God, I mean, Allah, that the Larry Wilmores of the world are willing to stand up to the bigoted forces pushing the notion that maybe Islam is kind of a bad idea. Have they given this year’s Nobel Peace Prize yet? - - STREET CARNAGE
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:48 AM | Your Say (4)
March 27, 2016
Are New Starter Homes History? [Bumped]
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:19 PM | Your Say (7)
It is the churches themselves that need to repent.
And yet the church is very much in decline. Therefore, the church is not doing God’s will and has not been doing so since Vatican II. The concept of repentance (which appears to derive from French “repenser” or “rethink”) has largely been absent from our churches for many years. Sure, the term is often still used, but it is used as a tool by the clergy to urge their congregations ever Leftward. The Great Uncucking | ReactionaryThought
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:31 PM | Your Say (0)
"Senator Bernie Sanders routed Hillary Clinton in all three Democratic presidential contests on Saturday..."
And now Hillary must wait 9 more days for another contest, for a chance to show her campaign is still vital. She'd better win in Wisconsin. But Bernie was here yesterday, stirring up the crowds, causing birds to suddenly appear. - - AlthousePosted by gerardvanderleun at 5:12 PM | Your Say (3)
Europe operating as a market-state without external threats and a pacified population gave the ruling class of Europe the sense that this arrangement would work long term.
Then the king went crazy and flung open the doors to Muslim invaders.
Initially, this was not a problem as the ruling class lives in bunkered enclaves, removed from the consequences of their polices. They have no reason to care if the train stations are carnivals and rape and assault by the dusky sons of Mohamed. But, the people have noticed that their liberties are slowly and methodically being curtailed in the name of public safety. When you can only enjoy a traditional parade from behind barricades and armed soldiers, you’re going to start having dark thoughts about the people who caused this:
When you have to start putting your wife and daughter on a segregated train car,
for fear the Muslims may rape them or simply go crazy seeing an uncovered female head, the mad king is no longer a man for whom you will pledge allegiance. When the king cancels the “March Against Fear” out of fear of offending the invaders, it’s hard to love the king. Instead, you start thinking it is time to kill the king. It’s either him, or you, no matter what comes next. - - Killing the King
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:22 AM | Your Say (5)
The most important religious question in the West today is "What in the West is still worth dying for?"
For many, the answer is "nothing".
Despite the constant use of the word "coward" to describe suicide attackers it is abundantly is that many Muslims are willing to sacrifice their lives for strongly held beliefs while Belgium's March Against Fear cannot proceed due to fear. By contrast some Europeans think huddling in single gender trains and other safe spaces is preferable to being politically incorrect. Terminal Depression | PJ Media
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:54 AM | Your Say (5)
Small perfections.
All the grease on my fingers can be washed warm, and the stuck ramen noodle of the narrow pot falls away with the effort of my nails.There are chemicals under the sink, and fresh water in clear recyclable containers and the gas for the stove has never not come. I dream of apocalypse but it only happens on the television. My backyard is quiet, and I can watch birds from my window as I toil lightly in hot suds. I have enough plates to serve four dozen and enough booze to stumblethem all. If I am feeling low, then cleaning my home can raise my spirits. The rhythmof simple work, the Godliness of cleanliness, the perfection of order, the banishment of chaos in 2000 square feet of privacy should be more than enough. I remain hungry for luxurious refinements in the belief I have toiled long enough. But I am only vain and greedy. When I recognize these faults I can quiet my mind by making myself useful. Small perfections. - - What It Feels Like Today - Cobb
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:19 AM | Your Say (0)
March 26, 2016
Who Says There's No Good News?
and then prompting them to alter or ‘edit’ them in some way.CRISPR refers to a specific repeating sequence of DNA extracted from a prokaryote – a single-celled organism such as bacteria – which pairs up with an RNA-guided enzyme called Cas9. So basically, if you want to edit the DNA of a virus within a human cell, you need a bacterium to go in, encounter the virus, and produce a strand of RNA that’s identical to the sequence of the virtual DNA. This ‘guide RNA’ will then latch onto the Cas9 enzyme, and together they’ll search for the matching virus. Once they locate it, the Cas9 gets to cutting and destroying it. Using this technique, researchers from Temple University managed to eliminate HIV-1 DNA from T cell genomes in human lab cultures, and when these cells were later exposed to the virus, they were protected from reinfection.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:13 PM | Your Say (4)
March 25, 2016
You are right,” Nietzsche said, “our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.”
Before the word processor and then the computer, I used to compose all my papers in longhand and correct them the same way, with many crossouts and additions. Once I was satisfied (or a few hours before the paper was due, whichever came first) I’d type it on my Smith-Corona, using whiteout or erasable typing paper to correct the inevitable typos. It felt like a laborious process, and it often was; I’m not the greatest typist, and Spellcheck was hardly a gleam in anyone’s eye. --neo-neocon ｻ Blog Archive ｻ Hand writing
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:42 AM | Your Say (2)
A Hooker, A Schoolteacher And Three Hacks Walk Into A Bar
These people all hang out with one another.A story like this reveals the truth of political media. It’s all a show. Two people spend a segment calling each other Hitler and then go out for drinks or more. Newt Gingrich called it Hollywood for ugly people and he was right. Nothing is on the level and everything is for sale. Both sides are just in it for the cash. Katrina Pierson, one of the alleged bimbos, is a pretty good example of the sort of people in the chattering classes. She was an Obama supporter in 2008, but then joined the Tea Party in 2010. She worked for Ted Cruz when he was running for senate. Now she is working for Trump. She also has a habit of taking things that don’t belong to her. | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:27 AM | Your Say (0)
Delusions can and will get you killed.
When Islam says it wants to conquer, enslave, and kill us, believe it. Islam claims to be a warrior creed, accept that. Peace marches, candlelight vigils, piles of teddy bears, bathing buildings in colorful lights, and word salad speeches about "not letting the terrorists win by changing our ways" just won't cut it. I would bet that many of those killed in New York, Boston, London, Paris, and Brussels were progressive liberal sorts who "welcomed" the arrival of Muslims, and would have proven horrified at the thought of our portraying (accurately) Islam as a murderous dogma. Delusions can and will get you killed. The DiploMad 2.0: Dealing with the Islamic Threat
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:40 AM | Your Say (1)
March 24, 2016
Note that this quote would be considered hate speech in Britain today.
How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die: but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome. -- Winston Chrchill in The River War (1899)
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:07 PM | Your Say (5)
Europe is a sitting duck for terrorists
Two suicide bombers shut down Brussels, home to NATO as well as the European Union, killing at least 21 bystanders and severely injured 35 at the city’s airport and the Maelbeek metro station.
Air and rail transportation has stopped and mobile telephone networks are saturated. The authorities presume that today’s attacks avenged the capture of Salah Abdeslam, the last man at large from the cell that executed the Paris attacks last Nov. 13. Several thousand trained terrorists reached Europe among more than a million migrants in 2015–4,000 by one account in the UK media, or 1,500 according to NATO Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove in Congressional testimony March 1. In fact, security services have no possible way to verify the bona fides of migrants. The cost of a Syrian passport and passage to Europe is about US $3,000. ISIS and other terrorist organizations can send as many terrorists as they wish to Europe, and a very small cell can shut down a major city.: Spengler @ Asia Times
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:23 PM | Your Say (2)
A Connoisseur’s Guide To Modern Rifles
Scopes came into the scene in the 1800s, and optics, by which I mean holographic and or electronic sights, started in the 80s and are big deals now. Battery powered optics usually are backed up with fold down back up iron sights. A “real scope” does not need backup irons. - - Return of Kings
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:50 PM | Your Say (3)
Babes in Tabland
- Sense of Events: Yes, the Quran commands killing
- Racial Ratios - Taki's Magazine
- The Clinton Crime Family | The Z Blog
- Alternative Right: SIXTEEN SHOCKING REASONS THE AFRICAN MIGRANT CRISIS WON'T END SOON
- People Who Influence Influential People Are the Most Influential People in the World - The Baffler
- How I cured my visual snow and migraine auras - YouTube
- Emory University President Vows to Hunt Down Student Whose 'Trump 2016' Message Wrecked Safe Space - Hit & Run : Reason.com
- Divorcing the Conservative Movement
- Explosive road rage-like anger linked to parasite spread by cats | New Scientist
- The Best Times to Shop at Costco Culture of poverty | BESTqUEST
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:00 PM | Your Say (1)
Crispiest, Dreamiest Macaroni and Cheese
The ratio should be more like 50:50. The soft part, delicious though it may be, wears you out. You need lots of crisp bits to stay interested in the dish. In an effort to realign macaroni and cheese, I brought together three concepts: a baked pasta technique from Cucina Simpatica, a potato gratin method from Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue's food columnist, and a similar method used by Melissa Clark for kugel. Baking Sheet Macaroni and Cheese Recipe on Food52
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:52 PM | Your Say (1)
"Equivalent to 900 dead Americans and a staggering 7,800 wounded"
Belgium is a small country.Relative to population, this would be equivalent to 900 dead Americans and a staggering 7,800 wounded. To say nothing of the symbolism of yesterday’s attack on the metro near Maelbeek station in downtown Brussels, right next to the offices of the European Union. Striking at the very heart of the European project, revealing its vulnerability to even a handful of ardent madmen, sends a powerful message that nobody can miss. Europe Is Again at War | | Observer
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:37 PM | Your Say (4)
Modern Wahhabism is funded by Western decadence, enabled by Western weakness,
Islam is Nature’s solution. Like the Architect from The Matrix Reloaded, it is Nature’s way of saying that “There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept.”It is stultifying, depressing, and tyrannical. It is an enemy of real culture, with the most militant variations smashing the tombs and shrines not only of other religious traditions, but of their own. Modern Wahhabism is funded by Western decadence, enabled by Western weakness, in many ways a product of Western postmodernism and self-hatred. Four Faiths – waka waka waka
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:33 PM | Your Say (1)
How much trust in anyone can you afford, Gentle Reader?
Liberty's Torch: Remnants And Recluses
Think about governmental interception of all electronic communication. Think about the current campaign, by both Democrats and Republicans, to effectively destroy the privacy of private citizens. Think about the greatly expanded regulatory state. Think about the assaults on freedom of expression and religion, being carried on by both governments and nominally private institutions. Think about the mass importation of Muslims. Think about the mass indoctrination of your children going on through the entertainment media and the “public” schools. Think about the bounties being offered to private citizens for betraying the confidence of their neighbors. Think about the riots and massive property destruction that have followed the death of some black thug.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:30 PM | Your Say (1)
Armored vehicles for Preppers in a "Come as you are conflict"
An OT-64 SKOT, a Polish/Czech armored personnel carrier can be sourced for about $15,000 USD in good, refurbished shape. Shipping is a few grand more, depending upon where you live. Stop shouting!: Armored vehicles for Preppers in a "Come as you are conflict"
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:29 PM | Your Say (1)
I recall reading once about a Civil War battle in which a massed Southern infantry assault was described.
In it, the Confederates faced such a dense enfilade of union grapeshot they were said to have marched hunched forward as if walking into a heavy rain.I always remembered that. Not so much for the misery those northern troops secured for both sides’ posterity, but for the image of men stoically bracing to bear what their bodies will not. It seems likely after today’s attacks in Brussels that Europeans are going to be forced into a similar posture. Walking through their lives as if into a heavy rain. Their liberal countrymen customarily retreating into intellectual temples, where white malfeasance always drives the brown fist, and no dead are mourned as intensely as a phantom backlash. They are now so practiced at preemptive weeping, it’s doubtful any additional tears could be wrung when the real thing arrives. A Backlash in Brussels | The Kakistocracy
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:19 PM | Your Say (1)
Soon and at a mosque near you. Plan walks accordingly.
As I keep pointing out, there’s always a reaction and we are seeing that all over as fringe candidates and partiesbegin to fill the void left by the legitimate candidates and parties. The fellas at Pegida or Soldiers of Odin will soon figure out that petitioning their rulers for redress is a waste of time. Instead, they will take up the tactics of the Mohammedan. After all, success breeds imitators. Burning down migrant centers will soon move to blowing up mosques. The End of Doyle | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:49 PM | Your Say (3)
This busted sewer pipe really was the key to life, the universe, and everything --
-- at least everything to do with my house. My house cost less than $25,000 when I bought it. I wasn't expecting a rose garden.
As it turned out, I got a lupin garden, but that's a story for another day. There was a lot wrong with my house, and I knew it. I even knew that the sewer wasn't likely to be first rate. There was a patch on the concrete floor around the sewer pipe. There's always a reason why the floor has been patched around a sewer line. All the reasons are bad reasons. Sippican Cottage: Interestingly, 'Unified Field Theory of Neglect' Is the Name of My Left Banke Tribute Band. But I Digress
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:21 PM | Your Say (0)
"Immigration is the new “No Nukes/Save the Whales” movement, only with more body bags."
Ann Coulter On Brussels–Hashtag: We Are Neville Chamberlain!Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:03 AM | Your Say (0)
Millennials need to put away the juice boxes and grow up
"That’s “Stressed Out,” the top 10 hit from the duo Twenty One Pilots, a couple of dudes who, in the video for the song, like to ride tricycles, sip from juice pouches and hang out in their boyhood bedrooms. "It’s a succinct introduction to the burdens of Generation Why — as in “Why Everything Gotta Be So Hard?” "Millennials are taking bereavement leave from work to build therapeutic treehouses, they’re bringing Mommy and Daddy to interviews, they’re bringing a snack to (and busting it out in the middle of) business meetings, they have a constant need to be entertained and all of them think that they’re shiny unicorns on top of a flowery lawn." - - | New York Post
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:01 AM | Your Say (3)
The Pantsuit Preen is the opposite of the Gelding Preen.
This is, women seeking to elevate their social status by not appearing to be women.Maybe they cut their hair short. Again with the questions: Why? More importantly, who? As in, who likes this? Whoever that is, that’s the one with the real problem. Women are women, it’s just a fact. Women wear skirts and dresses. They look good wearing these things, and men don’t. And if your skepticism doesn’t completely ping off the charts when you see a woman wearing a pantsuit all of the time, you just haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on lately and can’t see the calling cards. Same way it’s a fact that a man is a man, it’s also a fact that a woman is a woman. When did this become something we have to pretend is not true? What slipped? Who’s responsible? There’s the problem, those who are responsible won’t say. They just keep contributing — anonymously — to the problem. House of Eratosthenes
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:55 AM | Your Say (1)
We're again being invited to an honest and open conversation about race, or said differently, the browbeatings will be resumed.
Try this for honest and open: many of us, probably most of us, are tired of your whining, your so-called grievances,your violence and crime, your insults and threats, your witless blather and pornographic demeanor—all of it. You're not quite 13% of the population yet everything has to be about you, all day, every day. With you, facts aren't facts, everything's a kozmik krisis, and abusive confrontations are your go-to. - - Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:56 AM | Your Say (0)
Conservatives Dont Own The Republican Party
Throwing the Buckley Rule,( you vote for the most electable conservative option against a democrat), out the window, the #nevertrump campaign on Twitter has become very popular among conservatives recently.
The hashtag is used to state the reason why someone won't support Trump even if he becomes the Republican nominee. They realize that refusing to support the Republican nominee virtually guarantees a Democrat presidency. Apparently this won't dissuade them, they would rather have a president they disagree with 100 percent of the time versus one they agree with 50 percent of the time. Intellectual Conservative ｫ
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 3:42 AM | Your Say (3)
According to Wikipedia, Belgium has not held a census since 1991,
over twenty years ago.And like the French, the Belgians refuse to collect racial, ethnic or religious statistics. Nevertheless, in 2005 it was estimated that the capital region of Brussels was 25.5% Muslim and the country itself was 6%. Keep in mind that these numbers are over a decade old. The infamous neighborhood of Molenbeek was estimated to be almost half Muslim in 2013. The Belgian state wants to hide or ignore these numbers, but they cannot ignore bomb blasts. The conversion of European capitals into Islamic statelets will not end well for natives or traitors. - -| ATLANTIC CENTURION
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 2:51 AM | Your Say (0)
Post-Jihad Gesture Theater: Je Suis Sick of It
I was one of them. But after 15 years of hapless homeland security theater and bipartisan pandering to terror-coddling “Islamophobia” shriekers, I’m so, so sick of noble gesture paraphernalia. I’m sick of preening celebrities who tell me to “PrayForTheWorld” and celebrate diversity while indiscriminate floods of Muslim refugees across Europe and America corrode the pillars of peace and freedom. I’m sick of Silicon Valley moguls who pretend to champion free speech while muzzling the speech of those who use the Internet to criticize the very open door immigration policies that fertilized European and American soil for jihadists.Michelle Malkin | » Post-Jihad Gesture Theater: Je Suis Sick of It
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:35 AM | Your Say (1)
For most of human history, people understood that the unhinged fanatic was more dangerous than the barbarian at the gate.
It is one of the many things we seem to have forgotten in the modern age.
The bombings in Belgium once again remind us that the fanatic is the most serious threat to human civilization. I don’t mean the fanatics who self-detonated in the airport. I mean the fanatics who invited them into the West and now demand that we invite ever more of them into our lands. The bodies are still warm and the open borders fanatics are demanding even more immigration. Read that Vox article and the only conclusion is that the writer is so committed to open borders she can no longer accept reality. Instead she is forcing reality into the world she believes is just over the next hill, the fulfillment of prophesy. Amanda Taub may be harmlessly crazy, but the people running Western countries are just as unhinged as she is over the topic of immigration. Open borders is now a religion for these people. They will die for it, or at least let you die for it. True Believers | The Z Blog
It is one of the many things we seem to have forgotten in the modern age. The bombings in Belgium once again remind us that thefanatic is the most serious threat to human civilization. I don窶冲 mean the fanatics who self-detonated in the airport. I mean the fanatics who invited them into the West and now demand that we invite ever more of them into our lands. The bodies are still warm and the open borders fanatics are demanding even more immigration.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:24 AM | Your Say (0)
March 23, 2016
Pro-Trump chalkers: The ISIS of microaggressors!
Students have been told to find an enclosed safe space and wrap themselves in bubble plastic and memory foam until the “all clear” is sounded — which is a recording of Bill Nye yelling “it’s all because of climate change” through a bullhorn. Michelle Malkin | » Consider what happened in Belgium, then check out what's got these Emory University safe-spacers freaked out
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:35 AM | Your Say (4)
CRUZ: Now Officially the Second Coming of !JEB!
He won Utah thanks to Mitt Romney, and lost Arizona, falling another 18 delegates behind Trump, who now leads by 274 according to Real Clear Politics (Trump 739, Cruz 465).Trump already has just under 60% of the 1,237 delegates he needs, while Cruz has 38%. If we are going to deny Trump a nomination because he has only a plurality of the delegates, how can we then give the prize to the man who doesn't even have that? Don Surber: Cruz: The Establishment's Anti-Establishment Candidate
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:31 AM | Your Say (0)
"They Haven't Been Seen Since"
"New York siblings Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski were at Brussels Airport at the time of the two explosions inside a terminal - they haven't been seen since." - - | Daily Mail Online
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:12 AM | Your Say (1)
"I literally had over 50 ballots in my hand."
UTAH CAUCUS: First hand insider report - Incompetence, Manipulation, and Ballot Stuffing ...Then came the Presidential Ballot. Someone shows up with a stack of probably 250 ballots. The precinct chair splits them up, and starts handing stacks of them out and tells people "take one and pass it down". No checking credentials, IDs, NOTHING. I'm sitting at the end of a row and people start handing me stacks of extras. I literally had over 50 ballots in my hand.
We were told to mark our vote and place our ballot in a tin can. They then asked for a volunteer to hold the can. At this point, most people filed out the door. I cast ONE vote, then stuck around to see what would happen with the votes. About 15 minutes later, with only about 10 or so people milling around, someone walks in the room with an envelopes STUFFED full of "absentee" ballots - some envelopes having 2-5 ballots. I raised a question and said, "isn't there an absentee process already in place? Didn't people have to register for that last week?" and was told "Oh no, this is completely normal". As I've mentioned in other threads, I was in Party leadership for 6 years and no, this is absolutely not normal.UPDATE: Chuck in the comments reports the exact opposite. Any one else from Utah?
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:41 AM | Your Say (2)
Gov. John Kasich is as awful on immigration as Rubio, but he's so boring, no one can ever remember anything he says.
He opposes deporting illegal aliens because that's not "the kind of values that we believe in."("We" being "the Democratic Party.") He bleats that illegals are "made in the image of the Lord," which would require America to admit everyone in the world -- provided they can pass the rigorous background check of being human. Coulter: Voters Deliver Subtle Message - Die, Donor Scum | Truth Revolt
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:50 AM | Your Say (3)
March 22, 2016
"British Muslims Fear Repercussions Over Tomorrow's Train Bombing"
In Brussels, the terrorists blew up the area outside the secure zone. Which was entirely predictable. As I wrote six years ago: The second thought that strikes you is that the ever-longer lines to get into the "secure" area are now the least secure area in America. Why not blow up the security line? You could kill as many people as on an airplane, and inflict more long-term economic damage. But don't worry. The TSA has plans to expand the "secure" area, so the insecure perimeter will be somewhere else, with even more vulnerable people standing around waiting to get into it. Tomorrow's Civilizational Cringe Today :: SteynOnlinePosted by gerardvanderleun at 10:45 PM | Your Say (2)
The New Normal is Abnormal
The inevitable consequence of the mindless European collapse is to open the flanks of countries like the US, Australia and Canada to the same threat. The ship of Western globalization, having no internal subdivision, once open to the sea in one place is everywhere subject to flood everywhere. The US will face the same dilemma as Europe and probably do the same thing.
The difference is because president Obama has defined the bar down he'll think he's doing the smart thing. In a Tweet responding to the Brussels attacks Obama said, "the whole premise of terrorism is to try to disrupt people's ordinary lives. And one of my most powerful memories and one of my proudest moments was watching Boston respond after the marathon ... THAT IS THE KIND OF RESILIENCE AND THE KIND OF STRENGTH THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUALLY SHOW IN THE FACE OF THESE TERRORISTS". (Emphasis his). In that view all that is necessary to defeat Islamic terror is to stoically bear its hurts. To get up with your own leg blown away and hop to the finish line like it happened every day. And just maybe -- it will. In other words, it's the new normal; exactly what he said the Paris bombing would never herald. Maybe that's political progress. To the concept of "leading from behind" one can add "winning by getting used to losing". | PJ Media
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:11 PM | Your Say (1)
Check//List
- Putting together a Woodpile Report without every other link and essay being about Donald Trump is a problem. By my count, 200 out of every 100 articles on the internet mention Trump at least once.
- An Empty Beach Isn’t Empty At All. – Phenomena: Curiously Krulwich
- The "Shadow" of a Hiroshima Victim, Etched into Stone Steps, Is All That Remains After 1945 Atomic Blast | Open Culture
- Beyond Tail O' the Pup: 22 Old-Timey Los Angeles Restaurants With Wacky Shapes: LAist
- Robb: How The US Ends Up In A Real Civil War This Fall | Western Rifle Shooters Association
- Complicity: I'm talking about people who repeatedly believe obvious, manipulative sociopathic liars.
- World's largest aircraft the Airlander 10 is fitted with fins and engines
- The world's oldest message in a bottle spent 108 years at sea for a critical science experiment - ScienceAlert
- Mummy Brown "People would harvest mummies from Egypt and then extract the brown resin material that was on the wrappings around the bodies and turn that into a pigment. It's a very bizarre kind of pigment, I've got to say, but it was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Man, 27, who was arrested for having sex with a stranger on a Las Vegas Ferris wheel is murdered in a carjacking while driving his stripper fiancée home from work
- Politics is like betting on horses, but with less integrity
- 17yo Burglar Killed During Home Invasion, Relatives Ask How Else Is He 'Gonna Get His Money'?
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 2:37 PM | Your Say (0)
It's not possible to work flat out all day, every day, when you work in the manual arts.
You have to work smart or you won't last.And don't give me any horsehockey about going to the gym, either. I once employed an ex-Marine bodybuilder. I was building my own house at the same time, and sent him to help my uncle build the chimney. My uncle was getting along in years, and had a bad heart. My bodybuilding minion was somewhat cavalier about picking up measly 35-pound blocks instead of the giant useless metal disks in the gym. My uncle wore him out in about four hours. He refused to go back the next day. Sippican Cottage
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:45 AM | Your Say (2)
Conrad Black: Don't underestimate Donald Trump. He will win
Donald Trump will not simulate the languorous defeatism of the senior Bush or Mitt Romney, or the blunderbuss shortcomings of Bob Dole and John McCain.(Romney’s savage attack on Trump served to remind Republicans of how he squandered a winnable election in 2012 and faced in all four directions on every major issue.) Eight years ago, it was time to break the colour barrier at the White House. Now it is time to clean the Augean Stable. Donald Trump has his infelicities, though not those that malicious opponents or people like John Robson, who simply haven’t thought it through, allege. But he seems to have become the man whom the great office of president of the United States now seeks. He is far from a Lincolnian figure, but after his astonishing rise it would be a mistake to underestimate him. -- Canada News
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:30 AM | Your Say (6)
Demeter @ The Ancient Roots of Girl Scout Cookies
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:37 AM | Your Say (7)
March 21, 2016
Neoclassical Portrait Series
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:44 PM | Your Say (7)
The Barnhardt Axiom
"The culture has degraded such that seeking and/or holding office, especially national-level office, is, in and of itself, proof that a given person is psychologically and morally unfit to hold public office." - - | BarnhardtPosted by gerardvanderleun at 11:40 PM | Your Say (2)
It's probably nothing....
Japan to send weapons grade plutonium [331 kilograms of plutonium] back to U.S. this weekend: The shipment is a tiny portion of the nearly 50 tonnes of plutonium Japan holds. Most of Japan's plutonium comes reprocessing spent nuclear fuel burned in the country's reactors. All but two of Japan's reactors have been shut down since the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011.Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:27 PM | Your Say (1)
Terrificating horribilities.
And then, but of course, there’s Donald Trump. He horrifies and terrifies them like no one else. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Trump is horrifying, horrifying, horrifying, horrifying, horrifying, horrifying, horrifying, horrifying, and truly horrifying.
Not only that—Trump is also terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, terrifying, and even more terrifying than you think. -- I Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Easily Terrified - Taki's Magazine
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:58 PM | Your Say (4)
He's the rider, not the horse.
The Democrat-Republican political enterprise appears to believe if it can stop Trump its troubles will be over. No no.Trump was as surprised as DC at the depth and breadth of it all. He says so himself, repeatedly. He's the rider, not the horse. There will be others. As for DC, it fell into a panic when the Praetorian Guard failed to notice the barbarian hordes until they were holding tailgate parties just outside the gates. What else is going unnoticed? Are there more of these arrogant upstarts in the mysterious lands beyond Georgetown and Fairfax, they wonder. As ol' Chasmatic puts it, I woulda told 'em, but they didn't ask. On to other stuff. Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:48 PM | Your Say (0)
Levittown's Instant House
The walls were pale green. The floors were black asphalt tile. (Does your grandparent’s house have a finished basement? Look down. Yeah, that stuff.) The kitchen was pink. The bathrooms were fully tiled (not ceramic, though). The kitchen was fully equipped with brand-new General Electric appliances. In the current Home-Depot era, it’s unfathomable to think that people could not choose their wall colors, floor coverings or kitchen cabinets. Back then, however, the thinking was “You’re not going to get a better deal on a brand-new house. If you don’t like it, change it in the future.” Most people agreed, because the houses sold quicker than Bill Levitt could put them up—at a rate of about 30 houses a day. Instant House: Levittown, PA
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:16 PM | Your Say (4)
The Bermuda Triangle of Science
Perhaps never has the topic of genetic ancestry been so important, yet despite its relevance, bright scholars continue to stay away from it in droves. Who can blame them, really? As John McWhorter has pointed out, screaming “racist” at every one who dives off into this topic has become a religious rite, of sorts. It will not matter how noble you think your motives are, if you factor in race as a variable, your actions are subject to impeachment, and your reputation may be sacrificed as a burnt offering to our new religion. - - | Quillette
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:55 PM | Your Say (0)
The problem with the anti-Trump GOPers is that they come off as sleazy used car salesmen or hucksters at a carnival.
They seem dishonest and dirty and their argument is so transparently self serving.We are to believe that Romney suddenly found his calling and that is to save the conservatives from themselves. Where was his energy when he was running for president. All of the Marco Rubio supporters simply cannot bring themselves to discuss Rubio's gang of eight disaster and his continued weakness to favor immigrants over citizens. The left is openly and blatantly selling out the country to the highest bidder and the GOPe believes it is inevitable so they need to get in on the action and if the tea party would just understand that then the GOPe could get elected and retire as millionaires. So the trend seems to be to convince the conservatives and "angry right" to just give them one more chance and they really will do what they say this time. Just let us give amnesty to 20 million illegals and this time we really will build the wall. Just give us one more trade deal that sends all our jobs to China and this time we change our traitorous ways. Just bend over and grab your ankles we promise this won't hurt, much. #5 GoneWithTheWind on 2016-03-13 11:37 - - An American Cultural Catechism? - Maggie's Farm
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:00 PM | Your Say (1)
How and what did the politicians put into positions of power by the Tea Party do?
The corruption of power, well, corrupted. The Republican Party instead of getting transformed by the Tea Party victors in its ranks, transformed them into Republicans or made sure that they could get nothing meaningful done. Obamacare? Survived. A host of clearly illegal Presidential orders? Remained. Crippling budget deficit? Grew. Use of government agencies as pawns of the progressive movement? Continued. The gutting of the military? Worsened. Our delusional foreign policy? Even more delusional. The flood of illegal aliens? Unabated. And on, and on, and on. I see the whole debate about "who is truly a conservative" as another of those "paralysis by analysis" exercises. We have, for example, the establishment GOP and the supposed conservative movers and shakers gnashing their teeth and rending their garments over whether Donald Trump is a conservative. We even have prominent conservatives telling us they would rather see Hillary "Benghazi" Clinton in the White House than Trump; somehow that would preserve the purity of the conservative cause. What four more years of progressive lunacy emanating from the White House would do to the country . . . ah, well, harrumph, a topic for another day, I guess . . . The DiploMad 2.0: Thinking Aloud About Conservatism . . .
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:32 PM | Your Say (2)
Gawker is helmed by Nick Denton, a prematurely aged 49-year-old English gossip queen who is married to a black man.
is to destroy the personal life of anyone deemed politically unacceptable by their almost entirely pampered and sheltered white staff. Gawker is helmed by Nick Denton, a prematurely aged 49-year-old English gossip queen who is married to a black man. Gawker’s editorial slant typically consists of eminently punchable white guys who think they’re black chiding other white people for being “racist.”...It provides us unbridled pleasure to watch these bitchy and cowardly sadists being forced to fall upon their own sword. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving crew. - - The Week That Perished
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:17 PM | Your Say (1)
How they routinely destroyed dissenters without all the fuss of due process.
The word is difficult to translate because it means originally "biodegradation". The goal was to destroy secretly the self-confidence of people, for example by damaging their reputation, by organizing failures in their work, and by destroying their personal relationships. Considering this, East Germany was a very modern dictatorship. The Stasi didn't try to arrest every dissident. It preferred to paralyze them, and it could do so because it had access to so much personal information and to so many institutions. Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:38 AM | Your Say (0)
The cable rackets and the donor system have conspired to populate the ranks of journalism with ball washers and yes men.
It was not so long ago that you could not afford to make enemies in the elite media, if you wanted to have a public life.The old saying was, "never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel." People like Mark Steyn, Ann Coulter, Steve Sailer and many others are getting on fine as enemies of the state media. Now, Donald Trump is doing well as an enemy of the state parties. Those who are deeply invested in the state have good reason to fear the wreckers. You Wreckers! | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:15 AM | Your Say (0)
How many more GOP stars will die for mass immigration?
So far, there's Eric Cantor, Nikki Haley, Trey Gowdy, Ben Sasse, Paul Ryan, Fox News -- 14 governors, 22 senators and two dozen representatives.With increasing desperation, the media claim that 63 percent of voters don't want Trump based on votes cast for any other candidate in a 12-man race. What the delegate count shows is a resounding rejection of the immigration policies being pushed by the party leadership. - -Ann Coulter: Voters Deliver Subtle Message - Die, Donor Scum
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:51 AM | Your Say (0)
March 20, 2016
Mickey Mouse is Nearly 90
Emerson famously advised his readers that if they built a better mousetrap, people would beat a path to their doors. Walt Disney wisely ignored his advice. Instead of a better trap, he built a better mouse, and the world paved a superhighway to his property. Of Mouse and Men | City Journal
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:44 PM | Your Say (0)
The city’s Transbay Terminal project—billed as a future “Grand Central Station of the West”—was running $300 million over budget.Brown argued that no one should be shocked by such overruns, and that “we always knew” the estimate was artificially low. “In the world of civic projects, the first budget is really just a down payment,” he wrote. “If people knew the real cost from the start, nothing would ever be approved. The idea is to get going. Start digging a hole and make it so big, there’s no alternative to coming up with the money to fill it in.”- - Desperate Rail Gambit
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:43 PM | Your Say (3)
A Loaded Gun: The Real Emily Dickinson :
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:12 PM | Your Say (0)
Clinton declared, “The commander-in-chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it!”
Literally right behind her... – Knowledge is Power
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:01 PM | Your Say (3)
How the US ends up in a real Civil War this Fall
For months, there has been violent protest in every US state. Protesters vs police vs. each other. Voters are edgy when they head to the booths on November 4th. Everyone is ready to put this campaign behind them. However, things are about to change for the worse.... - Global GuerrillasPosted by gerardvanderleun at 10:07 PM | Your Say (1)
Adam LaRoche, YOUR KID SUCKS
His reason: The Sox management doesn’t want his kid at every game, bullpen session, batting practice, etc. I agree with the Sox: Fuck your kid. Why not let Adam LaRoche’s wife sit in the dugout by his side? Why not build a women’s bathroom inside the Sox’s locker room, complete with a diaper-changing station and powdering corner? Shit, the Sox should probably build a goddamn Day Care Center for LaRoche’s children, and while they’re at it, construct a K-12 school to accommodate his needs as well. -- STREET CARNAGE
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:30 PM | Your Say (4)
It was in the Bush years that “conservative” lost all meaning and became a brand label to sell the GOP, as well as ties, coffee mugs and so forth.
Part of the reason Donald Trump has risen to the top of the GOP field is he has largely run against conservative media.It has been an article of faith among media conservatives that the public hated the liberal media. Michelle Malkin has said “lame-stream media” so many times it could be her nickname. Much of what Fox News and talk radio do everyday is rail about the liberal media, seeing that as red meat to their fans. It turns out that the public actually has grown to hate all political media equally. It’s why the screaming about Trump has backfired. The conservative public has been doing a slow burn for eight years over the Bush debacle. They feel they were sold a pig in a poke. The people selling it were the folks in conservative media, who tried peddling Mitt Romney four years ago. They were ready to sell Jeb Bush this time. It’s Not Us, It’s You | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:05 AM | Your Say (2)
March 19, 2016
"This decision will have a chilling effect on the dissemination of private sex tapes involving professional wrestlers. A sad day for America."
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:34 PM | Your Say (2)
They Still Don't Get It
The public doesn't want to swap a Democrat for a Republican, they want actual regime change, which would require firing people down to mid-level bureaucrats and major media outlets.Imagine a major news organization having to fire most of their reporters because they don't know anyone who is in power in DC, and the people in power don't like them and refuse to talk to them. Then you have an idea of the level of regime change required. This isn't a solution, but a lot of the anger would go away. -- UnorthodoxyA number of summary executions of bureaucrats on all levels, trial lawyers, and community organizers of any vintage would work much, much better, but you take what you can get, I guess.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:21 PM | Your Say (2)
"[Trump] blithely responded: “I think you’d have riots.”" speak the truth and shame the devil. Trump wouldn't start it. As the blacks say, "Don't start nothing won't be nothing."
Just this past week, when asked what would happen if he has most of the delegates needed and the party moves to deny him the nomination at the convention, he blithely responded:“I think you’d have riots.” Coming from a pundit or columnist that would be just another opinion. Coming from a political leader it sounded like a threat. Nice little convention you have here, shame if someone put a match to it. Will the GOP Break Apart or Evolve? - WSJAgain, this will not be Trump's doing any more than the Chicago riot was Trump's doing. Again, "Don't start nothing, won't be nothing."
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:12 PM | Your Say (1)
Everything had to fail for Mr. Trump to rise.
You know all the failures, but since we seem to be quoting Uber drivers this cycle, I’ll offer the thoughts of one I talked to in Providence, R.I., a month ago.She’s for Mr. Trump. Started out against him: Who is this guy, he’s a TV star. But she listened and thought: Yeah, I agree. She knows he has an unusual biography for a president. She said most of her friends have experienced the same arc from skepticism to support. She told me her reasons, the usual, but then said something poignant. This is from memory, not notes, but I’ll put it in quotes for easy reading: “Every four years we’re serious, we try to get it right, we do our best to choose the right guy. And nothing we do works! Bush, no, Romney, no, Obama’s a disaster. But we did our best! And now we’re thinking ‘Nothing worked. Take a chance.’ And if he’s no good we’ll fire him in four years.” Will the GOP Break Apart or Evolve? - Peggy Noonan
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:07 PM | Your Say (2)
Muphry's Law
Muphry's Law is the editorial application of the better-known Murphy's Law.
Muphry's Law dictates that (a) if you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written; (b) if an author thanks you in a book for your editing or proofreading, there will be mistakes in the book; (c) the stronger the sentiment expressed in (a) and (b), the greater the fault; (d) any book devoted to editing or style will be internally inconsistent. -- Threepenny Planet
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:41 AM | Your Say (1)
March 18, 2016
How long would US military last in a war against world?
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:40 PM | Your Say (5)
March 17, 2016
Air Force begins lobbying for next trillion-dollar flying clusterfuck
“You’re joking,” James said when asked about combat. “There’s no way you could risk this thing in the field. Have you seen the price tag?” “We’re building on the success of the Joint Strike Fighter program,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Mark Welsh. “The American people asked for more firepower. This aircraft delivers. It’s bigger, bolder, and blacker than the B-2, and with an impressive 500 pound payload, it can flatten an entire Taliban playground. And of course, it’s more versatile than the A-10. And, it will be built in all 50 states, American Samoa, and by prison labor at Guantanamo Bay,” he added. – Duffel Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:28 PM | Your Say (0)
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
"They intend to march across the East Coast in order to spark a “fire that transforms the political climate in America.” The operation, calling itself Democracy Spring, is threatening “drama in Washington” with the “largest civil disobedience action of the century.” The radicals believe this will result in the arrest of thousands of their own activists."Look, boys and girls and trannies, here's how this works. Street riots before the Republican convention assure Trump will be nominated. Street riots after the Republican convention assure Trump will be elected. The last time this was tried in 1968, the country elected Nixon with 301 electoral votes to 191 votes for the Dem. The question here is not if MoveOn or George Soros is financing this, but how much Trump is paying these morons to do this.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:07 PM | Your Say (2)
The writing is on the wall, plain as day…en Español.
What truly makes the future nightmarish for American blacks is the prospect that the white “ruling class” will eventually be displaced by (or will meld with) a new demographic of whites—white Hispanics—who are immune to every trick in the “how to get what you want” handbook of the professional black complainers.For a community that has progressed very little in terms of overall strategy beyond “yell at white people until they kiss the boo-boo, make things better, and reward you with a lollipop,” this is a very bleak future indeed. I am unconvinced that the black community will be able to adapt to it, but I think many can see it coming all the same. - - Tomorrow Belongs to Mí - Taki's Magazine
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:00 AM | Your Say (2)
His presidential bid was supported by 14 Republican governors,
22 Republican senators and more than two dozen Republican representatives, Washington think tanks, lobbyists, the Chamber of Commerce, Chipotle and Taco Bell. Time magazine put him on its cover as "Republican Savior."
And on Tuesday, he lost his own state in a landslide. Rubio lost every single county in Florida to Trump but one. He went 1 for 66 in a state where he is not only a U.S. senator, but also a former house speaker. He outspent Trump by about 500 percent and still lost his home state by 20 points. Coulter: Voters Deliver Subtle Message - Die, Donor Scum | Truth Revolt
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:46 AM | Your Say (2)
Coulter: "The world's biggest lie: that John Kasich is the embodiment of the Republican Party, while Donald Trump is the bastard stepchild."
The voters -- remember them? -- keep showering Trump and Cruz with Ceausescu-like percentages. The combined vote for Trump and Cruz is a ringing chorus of what this party wants: a wall, deportation, less immigration and no job-killing trade deals. In other words, what the party wants is the diametric opposite of what the donor and consultant class wants. One would have to search the history books to find a party establishment so emphatically rejected by the voters as today's Republican Party has been. Coulter: Voters Deliver Subtle Message - Die, Donor Scum | Truth Revolt
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:39 AM | Your Say (4)
March 16, 2016
Everyone seems to be dreaming of some kind of unitary system for everything.
The best example of this phenomenon I've seen lately is the quixotic quest to automate light switches using phones.To a person like me, that idea lives 167 miles past stupid in the land of Moron. I've installed every kind of light switch in a house. The house I currently live in still had some rotary switches hooked up to knob and tube wiring. I think Edison installed it when he was still moonlighting on the weekends trying to make a few bucks. Those are interesting, but they're honestly lousy light switches. They arc like you're turning on the lights in Dr. Frankenstein's parlor, and if you turn them counter-clockwise they do everything except turn the lights on. Some of the switches in my house have two buttons. Top one on, bottom one off. That was an improvement on rotary switches. I've replaced most everything with single-pole switches at this point. To turn lights on and off, the design cannot be improved upon. Period. Sippican Cottage: You May Not Believe This, But 'Weapons-Grade Nuts' Is the Name of My Psychedelic Furs Tribute Band. But I Digress
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:52 AM | Your Say (0)
"In today's world of google maps and satellite images, it's nice to know there's still a little mystery left on the planet."
Known as 'fairy circles', these round patterns had previously only been seen in the dry grasslands of Namibia, and were thought to be the only example anywhere in the world.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:28 AM | Your Say (2)
March 15, 2016
The Single Drudge Tweet Now In Existance
She can rest now. Eat. Get face stretched and filled. Have thyroid removed? All set for summer. #PrimaryDay pic.twitter.com/YVsBNFWdqz
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) March 16, 2016
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:13 PM | Your Say (0)
Amid a hail of bullets from his pair of adversaries, the painter finally shouted, “Don’t shoot, Sanders! You’ve killed me!”
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 3:42 PM | Your Say (4)
Prager: The Left May Well Get Trump Nominated
Tens of millions of Americans look at what the left is doing to universities, and what it has done to the news and entertainment media, and see its contempt for the First Amendment's protection of free speech.And if these millions had any doubt that Trump alone will confront left-wing fascism, Trump's opponents seemed to provide proof. Like the mainstream media, the three remaining Republican candidates for president -- John Kasich, the most and Marco Rubio the least -- blamed Trump for the left-wing hooligans more than they blamed the left. It is possible that in doing so Senators Cruz and Rubio and Governor Kasich effectively ended their campaigns and ensured the nomination of Trump as the Republican candidate for president. | Truth Revolt
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 2:19 PM | Your Say (0)
Trump is being set up for the Kennedy cure, meaning permission is being broadcast on the carrier wave that homicidal nut cases stay tuned to.
As Bill Bonner points out: "around the World Wide Web, you’ll find comments such as: "Donald Trump better beef up his security. Or he’ll end up like JFK."" Scott Adams, a wise and seasoned observer , suspects Trump is being set up for the Kennedy cure, meaning permission is being broadcast on the carrier wave that homicidal nut cases stay tuned to. Thomas DiMassimo, the guy who rushed Trump the other day, is already a star on CNN . There's your absolution, swag bags and a two week stay at Sea Island ain't far behind.... Should an assassination occur the Republican party leadership will be shocked, shocked I tell you but, well, you know. The press will take it from there, they'll portray the perp as a tragically misguided soul stressed beyond endurance by the Mean Ol' Donald, while informing its audience how Trump brought it on himself. Then it's back to same as always. I'd not be surprised to learn the eulogy and blame-shift footage is already in the can with an office betting pool hanging on the cabinet door. Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:48 PM | Your Say (2)
Ol' Remus Wants to Take You Out to the Woodpile
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:41 PM | Your Say (1)
Super Tuesday Early Results: So far it's a rout
Northern Mariana Islands Caucus Results:
— slone (@slone) March 15, 2016
TRUMP WINS! Gets all 9 delegates
TRUMP 73%
Cruz 24%
Kasich .02%
Rubio .01%
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:28 AM | Your Say (2)
March 14, 2016
Future Computers?" Byte Magazine 1981
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:56 PM | Your Say (0)
CoNTs: This brings us to the Cult of Never Trump, known on-line as #nevertrump
and billeted at on-line sites like the Federalist, National Review On-line and The Blaze. Like every cult, the adherents are convinced beyond all reason that their cause is based in indisputable mathematical truths. These truths are so obvious, they repeat them with a regularity that resembles a chant. Every CoNT I’ve encountered says the exact same things, like they rehearse them. - - | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:35 PM | Your Say (4)
"My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi..."
The 100 percent silk piece is no longer available for purchase, but it originally retailed for $17,990. The embellished piece didn’t need any more bling, so she went without jewelry. Malia blew out her hair in loose waves and had a subtle cat eye and nude lips.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:21 PM | Your Say (3)
I don't know how big a company Fernco is. It's a privately held company.
That's why you never hear a word about privately held companies on the business pages. Today's average business plan is to borrow money in increasingly gargantuan tranches without ever even trying to turn a profit, and then selling out to Marissa Mayer for a billion dollars before you run out of Ramen noodles and she runs out of board members who think she's cute. Then you read about it on Marketwatch on your Speak N Spell. Whoops, I meant iPad. Sippican Cottage: It's Funny, But 'Increasingly Gargantuan Tranches' Is the Name of My Ellery Bop Tribute Band. But I Digress
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:08 PM | Your Say (2)
If the media is trying to start a race war, they’re doing a very good job of it.
The Great Chicago Trump Shutdown occurred after weeks of desperate turd-flinging against Trump by both major political parties and mainstream media across the political spectrum.And yet the same tools who insist that gullible fanatics can be easily whipped up into violence by mere rhetoric took not a wisp of responsibility for possibly triggering hordes of their special snowflakes with endless propaganda about how Donald Trump is the secret love child of Adolf Hitler and the KKK. But who exactly are acting like the intrusive brownshirts in this equation? Which side is aggressively flouting all known rules of decorum and civility and is openly messing with the other side? It’s certainly not the fascist redneck hordes that have allegedly been hypnotized by Trump. A few seconds of Googling yielded the following results:• “protesters disrupt sanders rally” … 5 results • “protesters disrupt clinton rally” … 10 results • “protesters disrupt trump rally” … 24,500 results No Safe Space for the Wicked - Taki's Magazine
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:14 AM | Your Say (1)
March 13, 2016
The BOSS Wall
a group of superclusters that span roughly 1 billion light-years across and represents the largest structure ever found in space. The BOSS Great Wall, which sounds aptly named for its size but actually stands for the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, is a string of superclusters connected by gases lying roughly 4.5 to 6.5 billion light-years away from Earth. Thanks to gravity, these superclusters stay connected and swirl together through the void of space. Astronomers discover the biggest object in the Universe so far - the BOSS Great Wall
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:24 PM | Your Say (1)
In the future, the media will kill famous people to generate news that people will care about. – The Dilbert Future (May 1997)
Again, no one is sitting in a room plotting Trump’s death, but – let’s be honest – at least half of the media believes Trump is the next Hitler, and a Hitler assassination would be morally justified. Also great for ratings. The media would not be charged with any crime for triggering some nut to act. There would be no smoking gun. No guilt. No repercussions. Just better ratings and bonuses all around. The Trump Riots That are Mostly My Fault | Scott Adams Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:18 PM | Your Say (0)
I’m old enough to remember when one of the core tenets of conservatism was the idea of personal responsibility for one’s actions,
including starting riots.Free thinking adults are free to ignore or condemn rhetoric they disagree with. When they decide to gather up tens of thousands of people to take to the streets and bust the joint up, that’s not something which was traditionally blamed on a speech given days or weeks before. But the truly dismaying part of last nights social media onslaught was the sight of #tcot conservative thought leaders gleefully joining ranks with the supporters of MoveOn, Black Lives Matter and Bernie Sanders’ operatives for the sake of blaming Donald Trump for a protest march and the cancellation of a what was undeniably an exercise in free speech. Conservatives align with Black Lives Matter in rush to find blame for Chicago protests « Hot Air
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:00 PM | Your Say (0)
Whites in America have two sacred responsibilities: pay the bills and keep their mouths shut.
That many consider Trump to be implicitly breaching this agreement is the source of practically all ongoing hostility and hysteria.And that’s understandable. America’s multi-cult globalist ambitions ride on a docile and domesticated white middle class. Everyone but those bearing the saddle share a heavy interest in keeping it on all fours. For the intellectual left flank of liberalism’s bell curve, that means imagining a people who may no longer be inclined to shuffle through life muttering eyes-averted apologies. And when another man is paying for your food, housing, education, and medical care, you damn well expect him to be properly contrite. Trump is tossing contrition out the window. And for many, that is definitely not how to make America great again. A Bad Dude | The Kakistocracy
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:53 PM | Your Say (0)
File Under: Innovations in the Good Life You May Have Missed
wherein, the apparatus 10 includes an inner vibrator unit 12 and an outer tampon unit 11 dimensioned to be received in a woman's vaginal canal, and a remote power supply unit 13 disposed outside of the vaginal canal and operatively connected to the inner vibrator unit 12 for the purpose of preventing electrical shocks to the walls of the vaginal canal. - - Google Patents
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:14 PM | Your Say (0)
How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?
It’s this feature in Velociraptor fossils from Mongolia that led experts to assume all dromaeosaurs had small ‘wings’ on their forearms – a feature now confirmed by the Chinese fossil of another new dromaeosaur called Zhenyuanlong, described in 2015 by scientists including Dr Stephen Brusatte at the University of Edinburgh. | Science Focus [HT: The Dog @ Dinosaurs - Maggie's Farm]
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:04 PM | Your Say (0)
The Washington Post asks: Trump has lit a fire. Can it be contained?
The Post should be asking: Who built that pyre? It’s been long in the making, and its existence is due neither to accident nor negligence. Who? Whom? – waka waka wakaPosted by gerardvanderleun at 2:08 PM | Your Say (2)
Although it may hardly seems so, in one respect this is the best election cycle ever.
The chaos has forced candidates to abandon their scripted paths and into unplanned encounters. We seem them as they are, with their focus-group crafted speeches and professionally written zingers left by the wayside. It is often forgotten, in this age of overhead reconnaissance and ISR, that people used to find out what was over the next hill by sending a luckless patrol over or firing and seeing if anything fired back. Those who formerly believed there was no one in the Leftist or Populist woods must now see they are full of hostiles. Recon By Fire | PJ Media
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:46 PM | Your Say (1)
Never give into SJW pressure to do anything.
They are cowards and herd animals, and they will always retreat from those who don't flinch in front of them. They wouldn't be SJWs if they didn't have short time preferences, so stand your ground no matter what they threaten and the storm will pass soon enough. Vox Popoli: Putting theory into practice
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:01 PM | Your Say (1)
You don't visit Beelzebub's Disneyland without exiting through the gift shop.
Sippican Cottage: You'd Never Guess as Much, But 'Stopples From the Silurian' Is the Name of My Plasmatics Tribute Band. But I DigressOver one hundred years of other people's foolishness could appear from that pipe. I jerked my thumb to indicate REVERSE, held on to the whipping cable to avoid a proper drenching, and prepared to be surprised. Out they came. The feminine pennants snapped in the breeze from the yardarm stay of my drain augur cable. Dracula's teabags. The things no man is supposed to buy at the Rite Aid. Tampons emerged like an army on the march. Now, it's not up to me to decide exactly how tough a tampon should be. Smarter men than I have determined that feminine hygiene products should be able to withstand a shotgun blast and an acid bath at the same time. It's a given that they should be more durable than space shuttle tiles.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:42 AM | Your Say (1)
THE HAUNTED TWILIGHT OF RICHARD SIMMONS
Now, his closest friends, banished from his inner circle, have grown increasingly concerned. They worry that the pop-culture icon is being held against his will inside his Hollywood Hills mansion — with one suggesting more sinister notions are at play. - - Where’s Richard Simmons? Twisted mystery has friends concerned
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:33 AM | Your Say (4)
What's In a Name?
Kids will love the fact that three other fish species have a nom de donkey: the Galathea assfish, the abyssal assfish, and the robust assfish. None are in the genus Acanthonus, though, and Hanke says heâs has âno idea whyâ they, too, got labeled assfish. Maybe theyâre just jerks.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:14 AM | Your Say (1)
March 12, 2016
I really do not care that Donald Trump is vulgar, combative, and uncivil and I would encourage you not to care as well.
I would love to have our political discourse be what it was even thirty years ago and something better than what it is today.But the fact is the Democratic Party is never going to return to that and there isn't anything anyone can do about it.Over the last 15 years, I have watched the then-chairman of the DNC say the idea that President Bush knew about 9-11 and let it happen was a "serious position held by many people," watched the vice president tell a black audience that Republicans would return them to slavery if they could, watched Harry Reid say Mitt Romney was a tax cheat without any reason to believe it was true, and seen an endless amount of appalling behavior on the part of the Democrats which is too long to list here and which I am sure you are aware. And now you tell me that I should reject Trump because he is uncivil and mean to his opponents? Is that some kind of a joke? This is not the time for civility or to worry about it in our candidates. An Open Letter to the Conservative Media Explaining Why I Have Left the Movement | Ricochet
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:45 PM | Your Say (6)
How many professional Republicans are big fans of democracy now?
In a mass media age where the people interface with everything through TV and the Internet, the guy who wins the election is the best actor on screen.
Donald Trump is winning the GOP primary because he is a master of mass media. He’s been doing it his whole life. He’s running a modern, 21st century celebrity campaign and on the verge of toppling one of the political parties. The Future of American Democracy | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:41 AM | Your Say (3)
March 11, 2016
It may still be "too early," but not by much.
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:17 PM | Your Say (3)
By instigating the biggest political riots in America since the 1960s, the Left has declared war on all who have not joined the Left.
The luxury of not taking sides no longer exists.You are either with them, or you are a target, and they consider “any means necessary” to include violence, theft, sexual assault and attacks on police for stopping the mayhem, as the Trump rally riot showed. Trump, of course, has come out a champion. His comments both showed a leadership concern for the welfare of his people, and recognition of the transition through which America (and Europe, by extension) have just passed. American Revolution 2.0
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:53 PM | Your Say (4)
Be ready for war.
STRATFOR George Friedman predictions for the future: BI: In this day and age it's relatively unusual for nations to go to war against one another. Do you see that changing? Do you see interstate warfare making a comeback? GF: From 1815 to 1871 there was not an interstate war of any substance in Europe. Then came World War I, a biggie. I'll give you another statistic. There has never been a century that has not had a systemic war -- a systemic war, meaning when the entire system convulses. From the Seven Years' War in Europe to the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century to the World Wars, every century has one. Do you want to bet this will be the only century that doesn't have one? I'll take that bet ... When you have the countries like Germany, China, and Russia decline, and be replaced by others, that's when systemic wars start. That's when it gets dangerous, because they haven't yet reached a balance. So Germany united in 1871 and all hell broke loose. Japan rose in the early 20th century, and then you had chaos. So we're looking at a systemic shift. Be ready for war.Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:51 PM | Your Say (4)
"Self-esteem is the new intelligence"
Sultan Knish: Smartly Stupid : Smart once used to be an unreachable quality.
Einstein was proclaimed a genius, because it was said that no one understood his theories. Those were undemocratic times when it was assumed that the eggheads playing with the atom had to be a lot smarter than us or we were in big trouble. Intelligence has since been democratized. Smart has been redistributed. Anyone can get an A for effort. And the impulse of manufactured intelligence is not smart people, but people who make us feel smart. Self-esteem is the new intelligence. Obama's intelligence was manufactured by pandering to the biases and tastes of his supporters. The more he shared their biases and tastes, the smarter he seemed to be and the smarter they felt by having so much in common with such a smart man.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:08 PM | Your Say (0)
Dear Magic 8-Ball: Can Trump Drive Turnout?
#SCPrimary turnout
— Paul Fairie (@paulisci) February 28, 2016
2008 Dem: 532,468
2016 Dem: 359,066 (98.2% reporting)
2008 Rep: 445,677
2016 Rep: 737,924
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 3:49 PM | Your Say (0)
Cat Ladies And Childlessness: A Love(less) Connection
From Quantifying the Search Behaviour of Different Demographics Using Google Correlate.We find that users in states with higher birth rates search for more information about pregnancy, while those in states with lower birth rates search for more information about cats. | Chateau Heartiste
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 3:03 PM | Your Say (0)
Nassim Nicholas Taleb: What we are seeing worldwide, from India to the UK to the US, is the rebellion against the inner circle of no-skin-in-the-game policymaking "clerks" and journalists-insiders
that class of paternalistic semi-intellectual experts with some Ivy league, Oxford-Cambridge, or similar label-driven education who are telling the rest of us 1) what to do, 2) what to eat, 3) how to speak, 4) how to think... and 5) who to vote for.With psychology papers replicating less than 40%, dietary advice reversing after 30y of fatphobia, macroeconomic analysis working worse than astrology, microeconomic papers wrong 40% of the time, the appointment of Bernanke who was less than clueless of the risks, and pharmaceutical trials replicating only 1/5th of the time, people are perfectly entitled to rely on their own ancestral instinct and listen to their grandmothers with a better track record than these policymaking goons. Indeed one can see that these academico-bureaucrats wanting to run our lives aren't even rigorous, whether in medical statistics or policymaking. I have shown that most of what Cass-Sunstein-Richard Thaler types call "rational" or "irrational" comes from misunderstanding of probability theory. ( - Nassim Nicholas Taleb / Facebook
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 2:10 PM | Your Say (0)
Millions of ordinary Americans support Donald Trump. Here's why
I call it a “mystery” because the working-class white people who make up the bulk of Trump’s fan base show up in amazing numbers for the candidate, filling stadiums and airport hangars, but their views, by and large, do not appear in our prestige newspapers. On their opinion pages, these publications take care to represent demographic categories of nearly every kind, but “blue-collar” is one they persistently overlook. The views of working-class people are so foreign to that universe that when New York Times columnist Nick Kristof wanted to “engage” a Trump supporter last week, he made one up, along with this imaginary person’s responses to his questions. | Thomas Frank The GuardianPosted by gerardvanderleun at 1:50 PM | Your Say (0)
Secrets of Surveillance Capitalism
This is a new surveillance capitalism that is unimaginable outside the inscrutable high velocity circuits of Google’s digital universe, whose signature feature is the Internet and its successors. While the world is riveted by the showdown between Apple and the FBI, the real truth is that the surveillance capabilities being developed by surveillance capitalists are the envy of every state security agency. What are the secrets of this new capitalism, how do they produce such staggering wealth, and how can we protect ourselves from its invasive power? - - Shoshana Zuboff:
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:09 PM | Your Say (0)
The conservative media’s claims that the Republican party must reject Donald Trump because he is not a “conservative” are pathetic and ridiculous to those of us who are old enough to remember the last 25 years.
I spent the last 20 years watching the conservative media in Washington endorse and urge me to vote for one candidate after another who made a mockery of conservative principles and values.Everyone talks about how thankful we are for the Citizensâ United decision but seems to have forgotten how we were urged to vote for the coauthor of the law that the decision overturned. In 2012, we were told to vote for Mitt Romney, a Massachusetts liberal who proudly signed an individual insurance mandate into law and refused to repudiate the decision. Before that, there was George W. Bush, the man who decided it was Americaâs duty to bring democracy to the Middle East (more about him later). And before that, there was Bob Dole, the man who gave us the Americans with Disabilities Act. I, of course, voted for those candidates and do not regret doing so. I, however, am self-aware enough to realize I voted for them because I will vote for virtually anyone to keep the Left out of power and not because I thought them to be the best or even really a conservative choice. Given this history, the conservative media's claims that the Republican party must reject Donald Trump because he is not a "conservative" are pathetic and ridiculous to those of us who are old enough to remember the last 25 years. An Open Letter to the Conservative Media Explaining Why I Have Left the Movement | Ricochet
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:51 PM | Your Say (1)
Surber: "The party needs to accept the verdict of the voters, unite, and defeat Hillary."
Any Monday Night Football fan who goes back to when Howard Cosell was alive, remembers Don Meredith singing as the game got out of hand, "Turn out the lights, the party's over. Do Republicans hear him singing now? They should. Last night's debate showed Trump's opponents have nothing left to offer America except their sadness, their disappointment, and their "Blood, Sweat and Tears" albums.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:26 PM | Your Say (1)
Peggy Noonan: "Farewell to Nancy Reagan, a Friend and Patriot "
“You mean you dream of him,” I said. She got a quizzical look.
“I don’t know if it is dreams or what. It sounds funny or crazy, sometimes I wake up at night and he’s in bed next to me and I see him.” Once, she said, she woke in the middle of the night and looked over at the big beige stuffed chair at the bottom of the bed to the left. “You look cold,” she said to him, and went to the closet for a blanket. She draped it over him and went back to bed. The next morning she awoke and looked over at the chair. The blanket, she said, was still there, but moved to the side as if someone had pushed it when he left....Rest in peace Nancy Davis Reagan, darling girl, elegant lady, tough little patriot. - WSJ
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:14 PM | Your Say (1)
Loathsome: Steven Nardizzi, Al Giordano fired as Wounded Warrior CEO, COO
In 2014, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) received more than $300 million in donations but only spent roughly 60 percent of that on veterans, CBS News reported.
Other respected charities for wounded veterans, like the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust and Fisher House, reportedly spent more than 90 percent of their donations on vets. CBS News spoke to more than 40 former WWP employees who accused the charity of out-of-control spending. “Their mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors, but what the public doesn’t see is how they spend their money,” said Army Staff Sgt. Erick Millette, who recently quit his job as a public speaker for WWP. “You’re using our injuries, our darkest days, our hardships, to make money. So you can have these big parties.” Spending on conferences and meetings went from $1.7 million in 2010, to $26 million in 2014, which is the same amount the group spends on combat stress recovery, its top program, according to the charity’s tax forms obtained by CBS News.- Washington Times
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:01 PM | Your Say (0)
March 10, 2016
Self-esteem is the new intelligence. Obama's intelligence was manufactured
by pandering to the biases and tastes of his supporters. The more he shared their biases and tastes, the smarter he seemed to be and the smarter they felt by having so much in common with such a smart man. Sultan Knish: Smartly StupidPosted by gerardvanderleun at 6:09 PM | Your Say (3)
The World the Millennials Want for Themselves Is "On the Way"
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:46 PM | Your Say (3)
[Bumped] In totalitarian societies like the old Soviet Union, the police and propaganda organizations do their best to enforce preference falsification.
Such regimes have little legitimacy, but they spend a lot of effort making sure that citizens don't realize the extent to which their fellow-citizens dislike the regime.If the secret police and the censors are doing their job, 99% of the populace can hate the regime and be ready to revolt against it â but no revolt will occur because no one realizes that everyone else feels the same way. This works until something breaks the spell and the discontented realize that their feelings are widely shared, at which point the collapse of the regime may seem very sudden to outside observers -- or even to the citizens themselves. Kuran calls this sudden change a "preference cascade," and I wonder if that's not what's happening here. Glenn Reynolds: A Trump wave is on the way
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:45 PM | Your Say (10)
Western civilization in spite of its flaws is superior to anything that would seek to replace it.
We don’t force young children to marry adult men. We don’t practice incest and polygamy. We don’t kill people by throwing stones at them. We don’t resort to a 1400 year old book written by a pedophile warlord to govern our society. As a result, the whole world looks at us with thinly concealed envy. It would be cruel to allow them to replace us. - - What the Western world can learn from the Moriori
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:30 PM | Your Say (1)
Hitler tried to exterminate minorities. Trump’s policies lean pro-minority:
- 1. Veterans are disproportionately minorities.
- 2. Aborted babies are often minorities.
- 3. Trump wants to avoid people "dying in the streets" with no healthcare, and that benefit is good for minorities.
- 4. Trump wants to keep Social Security strong, which helps everyone, but mostly people at lower incomes.
- 5. Trump's spokesperson is half African-American. Trump's daughter converted to Judaism. And so on, and so on.
- 6. Stopping illegal immigration reduces job competition for lower-income families. Some say it also reduces violence to women of all ethnicities.
- 7. Trump wants citizens to be armed. Hitler didn't want that.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:03 PM | Your Say (2)
You Won't Believe This, But 'Impromptu Metal Snake' Is the Name of My Black Oak Arkansas Tribute Band. But I Digress
I chose the goofiest-looking one from the bunch. It was a bendy one-foot spring with a nasty-looking spike on the end shaped like a spade on a deck of cards. I clicked it onto the first length of auger cable, and then shoved it by hand into the pipe until it hit the turn. Then we hooked it up to the machine, said a poopy prayer, and turned it on..... - - Sippican Cottage:
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:17 PM | Your Say (3)
Heartbreak Hotel
DivorceHotel is the international founder of 'Divorcing in a positive way'. We see your separation not only as the end of your marriage, but especially the beginning of a new phase in your life. If you decide to divorce, we can help you do this quickly, skillfully and affordably. We will never treat you as a client, but as one of our most esteemed guests. You are welcome, let us serve you and support you in making your divorce as positive as possible. DivorceHotel | Autoriteit op echtscheidingsgebied
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:50 AM | Your Say (0)
Wanted: Tortoise Walker
I live a few short blocks from Central Park and have a pet stroller to get him to and from. Once he's there, Henry can roam freely under your watchful eye. No tortoise experience necessary, but you must be an animal person and also good with people. - - Craigslist
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:30 AM | Your Say (2)
Book Club Notes
Michelle Obama's Mirror: If You Haven’t Yet Read 1984, Do It Now While You Still Can
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:01 AM | Your Say (1)
Camille Paglia: Trump’s fearless candor and brash energy feel like a great gust of fresh air, sweeping the tedious clichés and constant guilt-tripping of political correctness out to sea.
I was wrong about Donald Trump: Camille Paglia on the GOP front-runnerâs refreshing candor (and his impetuousness, too) - Salon.comUnlike Hillary Clinton, whose every word and policy statement on the campaign trail are spoon-fed to her by a giant paid staff and army of shadowy advisors, Trump is his own man, with a steely “damn the torpedoes” attitude. He has a swaggering retro machismo that will give hives to the Steinem cabal. He lives large, with the urban flash and bling of a Frank Sinatra. But Trump is a workaholic who doesn’t drink and who has an interesting penchant for sophisticated, strong-willed European women. As for a debasement of the presidency by Trump’s slanging matches about penis size, that sorry process was initiated by a Democrat, Bill Clinton, who chatted about his underwear on TV, let Hollywood pals jump up and down on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom, and played lewd cigar games with an intern in the White House offices.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:07 AM | Your Say (2)
March 9, 2016
Trump is the strategic choice for not losing at chicken games.
To see what it is to be a chicken game loser, there’s no better model than recent GOP presidential candidates.John McCain appeared to positively delight in the honor of being defeated by Barack Obama in 2008, and Mitt Romney followed quite faithfully in his footsteps. In both cases, which can be extended to the GOP establishment generally, respectability is defined by the sentiment: “Sure, winning would be nice, but we’re not going to be crazy about it.” If there’s a single key to winning at chicken, however, ‘crazy’ is it. Outside in - Involvements with reality » Blog Archive » Political Chicken
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:06 AM | Your Say (0)
Who Says There's No Good News?
An asteroid the size of a blue whale is shooting past Earth tomorrow and conspiracy theorists believe "it could be the last hour". There are allegedly two other signs that the end is nigh, including a super moon that will appear to grow in size as it reaches the closest point to the planet. Earth is also expected to enter darkness as the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking its light and creating a solar eclipse.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:39 AM | Your Say (4)
Black Lives Matter is stupid and pointless, but the tactic is useful.
What’s to stop the Christian working at the courthouse from “accidentally” slowing down the process of issuing marriage licenses to gays?
What about people systematically lying on government forms? In isolation, these things mean nothing, but cumulatively they can cause all sorts of headaches for the people in charge.There’s also the fact that in a mass media culture, things like Black Lives Matter get massive coverage. This invites imitation. When idiotic things like “planking” can catch on in days due to the lubricant of mass media, imagine how cool forms of protest can sprout up and create mayhem. As Steve Sailer points out, the Million Muslim March into Europe is just a big flash mob. Throwing Sand in the Gears | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:51 AM | Your Say (1)
March 8, 2016
"Hurts. Make It Stop:" Sweet Meteor of Death Needs to Strike Earth Today!
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:14 AM | Your Say (6)
If anything kozmik is happening no one is reporting it.
If anything kozmik is happening no one is reporting it. Finance and the actual economy are still dragging out their ugly divorce, so now it's down to personalities. Equities are pulling a Mary Celeste. Even the press is bored. Small moves are either a "plunge" or a "surge." No motion whatsoever rates a "poised to." It's like watching tectonic plates while they talk about mountians. If it's especially slow going the corpse of Lehman gets trotted out for one more tour around the block or we get another overlay on the DJIA chart for 1929-1933. Foreign military actions smaller than out-of-theatre raids in past wars are reported as if enemy tanks were rolling through the suburbs of Boston. Even the science sites are sleepwalking through a dry patch, every little jitter in the cosmic spectrum is written as if physics itself may be overturned. Hey, I've got a web site to run here. Would someone please discover Planet Nine or invent a time machine or falsify relativity or sumptin? The quiescence is attracting public relations interns—you can always tell, the graphics are first rate. -- From the freshly minted Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:41 AM | Your Say (2)
Weasel Words Suck Out Truth and Tell It Like It Isn’t
Then there’s the little suffix -er . These two letters figure prominently in a device known as a dangling comparison.Just as the pronoun it may be missing a referent, the suffix -er often compares a product to nothing: “Crunchies stay fresh longer.” “Hammer headache remedy works faster.” “Belch Beer has fewer calories” (often cast as— gasp! — “less calories”). Longer than what? Faster than what? Fewer than what?, we are entitled to ask. Finally, beware and be wary of weasly adjectives that promise something special about a product that isn’t special: “Tanko, the detergent gasoline” or “Boozie, the natural beer” or “Coke. It’s the real thing.” Careful inspection of such eviscerated messages reveals that every gasoline is a natural cleaning agent, that all beers are made from grains, water and other natural ingredients and that “the real thing” simply means that nothing more than that the product itself is that product. Keep both eyes out for such “water-is-wet” claims. - - | Richard Lederer's Verbivore
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:04 AM | Your Say (0)
Because calling him a rapist makes white, upper-class women feel good about themselves,
and making white, upper-class women feel good about themselves is the supreme value in our society today, especially at expensive private schools. - - InstapunditPosted by gerardvanderleun at 9:01 AM | Your Say (0)
March 7, 2016
Let's Get Real: The worst possible Republican candidate is better than the best possible Democrat candidate
A third party, a split vote, a protest vote, or other such nonsense is, in effect, a vote for the fascist Clinton or the Bolshevik Sanders.The worst possible Republican candidate is better than the best possible Democrat candidate. We have had eight years of Dem fundamental transformation, astronomical debt, economic madness, race riots and âoccupyâ anarchist riots, cop-killings, betrayal of allies and aid to enemies even to the point of arming Iran with nukes. We have refused to admit that Islam is dangerous even to the point of lionizing Achmed the Clockboy, and calling the Fort Hood shooting workplace violence. Unimpressed and Undecided | John C. Wright's Journal
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:15 PM | Your Say (4)
In a Fascinating Coincidence, 'Tool Rental Faux Pas' Is Also the Name of My World Party Tribute Band. But I Digress
The cables for a drain auger come in 10-foot sections. They have a simple, durable, and foolproof mechanism for joining them together. There's a spring-loaded button you depress, which allows you to push two fixed pins in slots on the end of the last section. When it's fully inserted, you twist it to lock it in, and the spring-loaded pin pops out to make it impossible for it to come loose unless the pin is depressed again. If a section of cable became detached in use, you'd be totally boned. There would be no practical way to retrieve it, short of excavating the pipe and busting it open. The ground around here can freeze four or five feet deep in the winter, and I knew that if I lost a piece down the pipe, I might as well put the family in the car and drive away from the home forever. Sippican Cottage:
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:39 AM | Your Say (4)
Conservative is a word created for the purpose of identity persuasion. Nothing more.
Conservative has no logical or coherent reason for existing.While I assume it once had a noble birth, at this point it is just a hodgepodge of ideas that disagree with Democrats. Some of the individual ideas have merit, but they donât belong together in the same bag for any reason that is obvious to me. A year ago I could not have said what I just said without being drummed off of the Internet. But Trump has laid bare the ridiculousness of the conservative label. In 2016, the word conservative can be seen as a tool of influence â a shaming tool â used by the party elites to bring people together under their handpicked puppet. The Conservative Con (Master Persuader Series) | Scott Adams Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:11 AM | Your Say (2)
Jeep is turning 75
“The Jeep, the Dakota, and the Landing Craft were the three tools that won the war.” And to have your car brand associated with the free world's victory on such an historic scale is a wonderful thing. Take a look at 75 years of Jeep
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:01 AM | Your Say (10)
On the right enemy...
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:36 AM | Your Say (1)
In Anxious Anticipation
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:20 AM | Your Say (0)
Millions of Republicans and lots of Reagan Democrats would gladly prefer to be wrong with Trump than right with anyone else.
Because Trump anger is not about consistency on the issues, but raw emotion, refuting Trump by rationally exposing the myriad of his hypocrisies and vulgarities has not so far won over too many of his supporters.That might have been easily possible a year ago, had a candidate tried to infuse some passion into a workable agenda and shown some affinity with those who are otherwise written off as Ice Road Truckers or Ax Men embarrassments. Or had a candidate far earlier, as Rubio apparently is now, been willing to blow up his campaign by descending to Trump’s crude level and in kamikaze fashion trading repugnant Trumpian smears, blow for blow. Or had a Kasich, Carson, or Bush far earlier bowed out. Victor Hanson on The Origins of Trump Nihilism | PJ Media
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:59 AM | Your Say (1)
Let There Be Light Bulbs: How Incandescents Became the Icons of Innovation
“As the glass heated and cooled around those wires, it would crack and destroy the vacuum, dramatically reducing the life of these lamps,” Jenkins explains. “Edison’s first bulbs only burned 15 hours anyway, so it wasn’t an issue for those. Later, his researchers realized that the electrical resistance of platinum is significantly lower than copper, so there is much less heat produced. They figured if they used platinum, there would be less expansion and contraction, so maybe they wouldn’t crack.” Sure enough, platinum lead-in wires solved the problem.| Collectors Weekly
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:04 AM | Your Say (2)
How Mark Twain’s ghost almost set off the copyright battle of the century
For most authors, that moment—that is, the moment of death—is a natural time to stop writing. But in 1917, seven years after Twain’s demise, reports emerged that he had dictated a new novel, via Ouija board, to a receptive medium.... Review: “If this is the best ‘Mark Twain’ can do by reaching across the barrier, the army of admirers that his works have won for him will all hope that he will hereafter respect the boundary.” | Fusion
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:37 AM | Your Say (0)
Archetypical Hillary Voter Identified
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:00 AM | Your Say (3)
March 6, 2016
Ronald and Nancy Reagan: The Real Deal According to a Secret Service Agent
The real deal, moral, honest, respectful and dignified. They treated Secret Service and everyone else with respect and honor, thanked everyone all the time.
He took the time to know everyone on a personal level. One favorite story was early in his Presidency when he came out of his room with a pistol tucked on his hip. The agent in charge asked: "Why the pistol, Mr. President?" He replied, "In case you boys can't get the job done, I can help." It was common for him to carry a pistol. When he met with Gorbachev, he had a pistol in his briefcase. She was very nice but very protective of the President and the Secret Service was often caught in the middle. She tried hard to control what he ate. He would say to the agent, "Come on, you gotta help me out." The Reagan's drank wine during State dinners and special occasions only otherwise they shunned alcohol. The Secret Service could count on one hand the times they were served wine during family dinner. For all the fake bluster of the Carters, the Reagan's were the ones who lived life as genuinely moral people.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:27 PM | Your Say (5)
The key to the nomination is Kasich, not Rubio
Game theory says that Cruz needs to get Rubio and Kasich out of the race and get their endorsements right now so they can campaign for him and help him poach either Florida or Ohio.Whether they are in or out, Trump is going to surpass the 30 percent threshold in the proportional states. Since Cruz was at 21 percent in Ohio and 12 percent in Florida, the key to the nomination is Kasich, not Rubio. And presumably, Kasich knows this, which is why he has stayed in the race up until now. Vox Popoli: Perception vs perspective
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:23 PM | Your Say (0)
Apparently Marco Rubio didn't know when to quit, so the GOPe decided to call time on his campaign in order to clear the way for Ted Cruz in Florida
When the elders of the party take you out for dinner, and suggest that maybe it is time for you to consider getting out of the race for the good of the party, that's just their way of being polite. What they really mean is that it is time to get out of the race... if you're smart enough know what is good for you. Seriously, does no one watch The Godfather anymore? Vox Popoli: That's one way to shut him down
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:07 PM | Your Say (3)
Class (American)
I make very little money, so I am heir to the misfortunes that disproportionately impact the impecunious – the almost-certain forthcoming hike in T fares looms large in my anxieties right now –but I am a professional with an advanced degree and possession of the shibboleths of the professional class. I didn't stop being in the social class I had been in when I dropped to a much lower economic class. The privileges I lost were only those attendant to economic might; I retained the privileges of social position.
So, for instance, if I don't like the medical care I get from the doctors my state-subsidized health plan (thanks, Mitt!) gives me access to, I can't just whip out my checkbook and buy myself care from a better reputed specialist. Being poor might yet shorten my lifespan, as it curtails my access to care. But on the other hand, if I present with a serious booboo to just about any doctor, I will have narcotic pain relief offered me with no questions asked, because someone of my social class is not suspected of being one of those naughty "med-seeking" addicts. The decision of whether or not to trust me with a prescription for percoset is not made on the basis of the MassHealth card in my pocket marking me one of the precariat, but my hair style, my sense of fashion, my (lack of) make-up, my accent, my vocabulary, my body language, my (apparent) girth, my profession (which, note, doctors often ask as part of intake), and all the other things which locate me in a social class to observers that know the code. Contrariwise, a patient of mine – who is a white woman of almost my age – who is covered with tattoos, speaks with an Eastie accent, is over 200lbs, and wears spandex and bling and heavy make-up, gets screamed at by an ER nurse for med-seeking when she hadn't asked for medication at all, and just wanted an x-ray for an old bone-break she was frighted she had reinjured in a fall. [psych/anthro/soc, Patreon] : siderea
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:56 PM | Your Say (0)
The Troll
Enraged over what the African refugees did to that child, a young Swedish blogger named Stefan wanted to tell the world about the way that Swedes live. He excoriated his country’s open immigration system, at points even flirting with nationalist advocacy.More posts followed, as he accused the Polismyndigheten of ignoring witnesses and criticized the criminal courts of levying barbarically lenient sentences in similar cases. His posts grew increasingly angry—and unfamiliar phone calls had started coming. He thinks that he being is watched. As a precaution, he keeps a short metal baton by the door in his apartment. There is a knock on his door one Sunday morning. He looks through the peephole in disbelief, recognizing a media personality who is famous for exposing xenophobic internet users. The film crew stands behind him with cameras and microphones aimed at Stefan’s door. His gut impulse is to throw the door open and beg that it is all a misunderstanding, he is a good person and not a bigot.
But instead, he reaches for the baton. Maybe he thought about that poor child. There were shooting stars in the sky last night, one of them was so bright and then it winked and disappeared.
He unlatches the door and opens it. The cameras are rolling. The show’s host opens his mouth to say “Hello, troll!” but his face freezes in an amber-encased grin as Stefan strikes him on the head with the baton. He falls to one knee, still with that smirk. The crew stands frozen. He keeps raining rapid-fire blows to the man’s skull. The visitor’s hands slip of his head. He collapses, his screams fading to moans. Stefan swings at a hysterical film crew woman who runs at him, breaking her forearm. He understands that there is no turning back and that he is now a folk hero. The visitor is on the floor, blood spreading over the vinyl tiles. Stefan swings once more, and this time he splits the coconut. Then, it doesn’t matter what happens. He did what he was born to do. Peace, like he had never felt before, fills his heart.We Don't Have to Live Like This -- PA
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:26 PM | Your Say (2)
Interview with an Applicant
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:52 AM | Your Say (1)
No Word of Lie: 'Rest Room Snickers' Is the Name of My Haircut 100 Tribute Band. But I Digress
I was at the counter filling out the forms to get my Electric Eel and pipe breaker.
During a lull in the action, I looked around the showroom and noticed that I knew, intimately, what every single piece of equipment was for, even though it was all unlabeled. This was a rental house for commercial construction jobs. It had big hammers and pavement slitters and various other tools of destruction that have chapped my hands and my ass at one time or another. I noticed my son looking around the place, and caught him wondering what the hell all this weird stuff was for. So in my ignorance, I said to him, "Son, if you know what everything in this room is for, you've had a very bad life." Sippican Cottage:
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:18 AM | Your Say (0)
Food [Bullshit] Poisoning
Scientists who found gluten sensitivity evidence have now shown it doesn't exist - ScienceAlertThe subjects cycled through high-gluten, low-gluten, and no-gluten (placebo) diets, without knowing which diet plan they were on at any given time. In the end, all of the treatment diets - even the placebo diet - caused pain, bloating, nausea, and gas to a similar degree. It didn’t matter if the diet contained gluten. "In contrast to our first study… we could find absolutely no specific response to gluten," Gibson wrote in the paper. A third, larger study published this month has confirmed the findings. It seems to be a 'nocebo' effect - the self-diagnosed gluten sensitive patients expected to feel worse on the study diets, so they did. They were also likely more attentive to their intestinal distress, since they had to monitor it for the study.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:35 AM | Your Say (3)
March 5, 2016
The Long-Ago Shamans of Death Valley: Vision Quests and Magical Rites
– probably the reason why any trace of them survives at all. They are ritual and magical features left by long-ago shamans, probably of the ancestral Pima and Shoshone peoples, and they are fragile, so much so that their precise locations are not advertised. Indeed, only a few archaeologists have visited them, and then only rarely. I had to work from what I had been able to gather from obscure sources and personal guidance to find any of them, and so I quite often found myself standing at features I knew no one had seen for many years, possibly for decades. | Ancient Origins
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 3:23 PM | Your Say (1)
And clearly punching above its bantam weight is....
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:22 PM | Your Say (3)
All this tone-deaf sanctimonious lecturing will not actually help reduce interest in Trump, and may instead increase it.
But surely an awful lot of our establishments must be smart enough to have figured this out. Yet the tsunami of lectures continues. Why? A simple interpretation in all of these cases is that people typically care more about making sure they are seen to take a particular moral stance than they care about the net effect of their lectures on behavior. - - Overcoming Bias : Can’t Stop Lecturing
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:09 AM | Your Say (5)
Whalefall and the Bone Worm
Whale Fall (After Life of a Whale) from Sweet Fern Productions on Vimeo.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:08 AM | Your Say (1)
"They are letting loose on the only guy in the race with a job."
It’s not that he is from the wrong side of the tracks, which is certainly a big issue here, but that he is a reminder to all of them that they are just the errand boys of the rich people, who pay their salaries. They are not the kingmakers and trend setters they imagine. They’re just servants.
What’s being revealed now is just how much these people truly despise themselves for living the servant’s life. They can’t take it out on the donors, who they are required to stroke once a month and fundraisers, so they are letting loose on the only guy in the race with a job. Their frustration grows as their assaults fail, because it reminds them of their impotence. - - The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:45 AM | Your Say (4)
Global Warming, Is the Anything You Can't Do?
The horror of climate change is starkly brought home by this image of a Great Grey Owl, which is melting. pic.twitter.com/jDZzreLTPj
— James Clark (@MotoClark) March 4, 2016
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:56 AM | Your Say (2)
March 4, 2016
It's probably nothing.... SU-35s Over Taipei, DPRK Rockets Over Okinawa |
Connecting The Dots: As for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – that’s the Kleptocracy in the North, not the real democracy to the South – China’s unruly vassal fired a rocket that buzzed Okinawa; and the satellite it carried wound up passing over Levi's Stadium in San Francisco shortly after Super Bowl 50 ended. Message received.Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:33 PM | Your Say (2)
Frederick Forsyth in The Dogs of War:
to sit in an office under the orders of a wee man in a dark gray suit and look out of the window and recall the bush country, the waving palms, the smell of sweat and cordite, the grunts of men hauling the jeeps over the river crossings, the copper-tasting fears just before the attack, and the wild cruel joy of being alive afterward. To remember, and then to go back to the ledgers and the commuter train, that was what was impossible."
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 3:12 PM | Your Say (3)
It takes more and more effort to compress a spring, but when it goes to solid no amount of force is enough.
We're about there. Should a serious run on physical cash occur the public will suddenly become aware of what's going on.
The big picture. Conspiracy fact. Gold and silver will be next up for a run, particularly silver, together with brass-lead assemblies. Those already having physical currency and stashes of these metals should do well in their little corner of the world, the prudent ones at least. - - Ol' Remus @ Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:59 PM | Your Say (2)
For 2015, the government reports $3.2 trillion in total assets.
This includes everything from financial assets like bank balances to physical assets like tanks, bullets, aircraft carriers, and the federal highway system.Curiously, the single biggest line item amongst these listed assets is the $1.2 trillion in student loans that are owed to the government by the young people of America. - – Sovereign Man
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:49 PM | Your Say (4)
Let It Burn
Let It Burn means; not "revolution!!!" but rather "its already burning and the firefighters know it won't be saved." Let it Burn recognizes that its already on fire. We're past the point of preventing it. We cannot save this Republic, until we get past the hard times ahead and begin the slow, painful process of rebuilding. Word Around the Net: WHY ITS OVER
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:19 PM | Your Say (2)
It's Funny, But 'Onsite Slump Tests' Is the Name of My Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Tribute Band. But I Digress
Anyway, the geyser of excrement is under control because we've stopped using the bathroom for a day.Not really stopped, exactly. Throttled back. Tweaked the governor. Put a lid on it. No laundry and no Number Two, thank you. If you're reading this, (I know you're not) my wife would like to apologize to the McDonald's restaurant out on Route 2 for using their bathrooms like our own personal porta-pottie. We did buy an order of fries there, once, about five years ago, so I hope it's OK. Sippican Cottage:
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:51 PM | Your Say (0)
Obama: The Lamest Duck
Obama issues a new initiative—and the nation snoozes.He wastes the day on the golf links—and the nation snoozes. He smear his critics, invites a rapper to the White House whose latest album cover has a dead white judge lying in front of the White House—and the nation snoozes. He cozies up to America’s enemies and snubs our friends—and the nation snoozes. For the nth time, he blusters about closing down Guantanamo—and the nation snoozes. He opens the border even wider to welcome in more illegal aliens and future constituents—and the nation snoozes. Lame duckestry means not even being able to wake up your opponents. | PJ Media
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:51 PM | Your Say (2)
March 3, 2016
The Federalist and similar outfits have revealed themselves for the co-conspirators they are .
And what does "live to fight another day" mean? When was the first day? Moderation and compromise isn't fighting. Witty repartee and clever comebacks isn't fighting. Congressmen rolling over after ritual jousting isn't fighting. Career conservatives and Republicans, a.k.a. cuckservatives, are so collegial, so timid, so deep into the game they believe the game is all that matters, worse, they think people with legitimate concerns are an annoying distraction . So support Hillary, but don't tell me how self-sacrificing and clever you are. And give Jane Fonda a hug while you're in the neighborhood. - - Ol' Remus @ Woodpile Report
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:36 PM | Your Say (3)
BUSH TRUMP Derangement Syndrome
The interesting thing we are seeing with this smear campaign against Trump is that it is a copy of the one launched against Bush.Trump is supposed to be allied with Yankeedom. If he had backed Rubio or Bush, the people at National Review would be holding parties in his honor. They would laud him as a great “conservative” behind the campaign of Jeb Bush! Instead, they are driving around in the broken down progressive clown car from the previous decade. That tells us something about our managerial elite. The Left side freaked out over Bush the apostate. Now the Right side is doing the same over Trump. Their loyalties are to their class. The Right side is now finding solace in the arms of the Left side as they huddle together in the castle. All the jibber-jabber about party loyalty, conservative principles and fair play from the Right side have been cast aside in order to defend their class interests. The Apostate | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 5:21 PM | Your Say (2)
For those who find peeling an orange just too hard.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 11:24 AM | Your Say (6)
There's No People Like Show People....
Stephen Sondheim remembers seeing her in Ravello during the shooting of John Huston’s madcap movie Beat the Devil. ‘I recall her sitting at an umbrella table in the square,’ Sondheim says, ‘rehearsing a scene with Edward Underdown, who played her husband. Above the surface of the table she was bantering blithely with him, but below it she was tearing her napkin into shreds. This was not in the script.’ At home, she never appeared before 6 p.m. This was the only time of day she ever saw her daughter, the child of her marriage to Selznick. This was a world in which parents who spent their afternoons in psychoanalysis spent their evenings berating their children. Selznick was addicted to Benzedrine; Jones tried to drown herself; one of her sons shot himself; and her daughter, Mary Jennifer, jumped off a building at the age of 22. ‘She was a very pretty girl but not movie star pretty,’ her brother says. ‘I think there was some disappointment with it. She magnified it to the point where she got very self-destructive. She couldn’t handle being young and almost beautiful.’ - - · LRB
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:15 AM | Your Say (2)
I, too, wish it were not Trump
Don Surber: I want to make this clear: I, too, want someone better than Donald Trump as the next president of the United States.But the truth is, Republicans have no one better. In the marketplace of ideas, he made his case and won. You think I am happy with this? I am not. But I accept the vote of the public in 15 states. The party was only kidding itself when it said it had a great field of candidates. That was not true. The party had a bunch of Senate back-benchers and governors seeking their third term. I guess for Rick Perry, that would be a fourth term. And the truth is the Republican Party is saturated with intellectual mites and sellouts.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 7:19 AM | Your Say (3)
March 2, 2016
Wait for It
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:39 PM | Your Say (1)
“A killer-diller coat with a drape shape, reet pleats and shoulders padded like a lunatic’s cell”.
to express their desire for freedom from discrimination and racism as an underclass. The zoot suiters became a signifier for a radicalised other and were quickly considered un-American. It was the suit that caused a series of youth riots to break out in Los Angeles and was banned for the duration of WWII. The Dandy Suit that America Banned and Caused a Riot | Messy Nessy Chic
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 6:02 PM | Your Say (8)
I have watched the National political maneuverings with interest these past several months.
It seems that both the (Super Tuesday) front-runner's values don't bare any resemblance to my own or to those of anybody I actually know. I understand Trump's popularity in that he appears to me the poster manchild for a sharp turn away from Political Correctness, a term which seems to besynonymous with wussiness, liberalism, progressivism. I can see that he is not PC. What he actually "is" is less easily discerned. I don't like all the PC business. Is that the single most import issue to base my vote on? True North: Creepy.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 10:38 AM | Your Say (7)
The Bernie Zone
It is a dementia as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the Bernie Sanders cess pit between genocide and fascism, between stupidity and superstition, and it lies at the bottom of man's evils and the slaughter of many millions. This is the dimension of depravity. It is an area which we call the Socialist Zone."
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:45 AM | Your Say (4)
Unsolicited Advice for Freelance Writers
What the heck. Might as well set your expectations low right off the bat. Freelance gigs for even the most popular sites pay terribly, assuming you can pry checks from the hands of their perpetually forgetful payroll departments. There are only a few dozen staff positions in the field you're enthusiastic about. No matter how much talent you have, you are valueless and incredibly easy to replace. Ten thousand people are eager to get the job done for less money as long as the companies they cover give them free t-shirts once in a while. You're fucked. This is all fucked. There are more eyeballs on the internet than tv and film but when you weren't looking everyone decided that writers should be made to suffer until they go away by either getting a job in the industry they wanted to write about or by dying in a garbage fire. -- Something Awful
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:34 AM | Your Say (3)
Envoi by Ezra Pound
Tell her that sheds
Such treasure in the air,
Recking naught else but that her graces give
Life to the moment,
I would bid them live
As roses might, in magic amber laid,
Red overwrought with orange and all made
One substance and one colour
Braving time.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:29 AM | Your Say (0)
Hitler finished second, and why that is important
Most Germans (including those who voted for third- and fourth-party candidates) did not want Hitler.But once the election was over, the politicians locked the doors and decided to make Hitler the vice chancellor. They assigned him powers that should have belonged to Hindenburg. The threat to democracy is not the people we elect, but the people we don't elect who assume the power. From the Supreme Court to the regulatory agencies, America's biggest threat is a federal government that answers to nobody. - - Don Surber
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:47 AM | Your Say (1)
It is outright totalitarianism that is taking place today within American society
from the silencing of conservatives on college campuses to forcing Christian business owners to pay excessive fines and face prison sentences for holding true to their beliefs in traditional marriage.The nation has fractured into two separate Americas that continue to drift further and further apart with half the nation seemingly convinced that their rights stem from the government while the other from God. The former seeks not only to control the latter but to see to it that the latter is utterly destroyed. To accomplish this, liberalism functions as all totalitarian movements have functioned in the past, by subjecting individuals to unbearable stress, conflict, and crisis until each is broken. Progressive Totalitarianism – Politically Short
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:12 AM | Your Say (0)
How a Basket on Wheels Revolutionized Grocery Shopping
Using a metal chair, he built a new one — this time with several improvements: two baskets were mounted on the cart on top of one another; when not in use, they could be removed and “nested” (stacked up), and the cart could be folded up to save space. Goldman was thrilled. Not only did his device presumably double a shopper’s buying capacity, but it made the whole experience less straining for them: no longer would women have to haul 15-20 pound baskets around his stores. But the inventor’s excitement was not equaled by his customers. - - Priceonomics
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 8:01 AM | Your Say (0)
March 1, 2016
The on-going implosion of conservative media offers the best glimpse into the reality of the so-called conservative movement.
We see some of them pledging to support Hillary Clinton.Others have broken into the old liberal chants from the Bush years. Still others are claiming Trump is a member of the KKK, the Nazi Party, the Italian Mafia and a Progressive Democrat. I guess that’s what George Bush meant when he said he wanted to be a “uniter” not a divider. The shocking part for many Americans is seeing people who have spent decades claiming to be their champion, suddenly turn on them and call them morons and fascists. But, it’s what happens when the lines break down and there is no longer anyone around to maintain order. We see the true nature of the combatants. In this case, most of the people in conservative media never cared much for their customers. The audience is just there to be farmed, like cattle. The Attack of the Dirt Monster | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:18 PM | Your Say (0)
We have lost our sense of extension in time.
Until now, every generation of every civilization saw itself as a living bridge between past and future— as heirs and beneficiaries of the productive labor of their forebears, and stewards of that treasure for children yet unborn. But now, having pulled up our roots (and salted the earth from which they sprang), we have no inheritance to cherish and preserve; that which we have not simply squandered, we have taught ourselves to despise. - - The Marshmallow Test
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 4:11 PM | Your Say (0)
Monsters. Tyrants. Horrific. Racist. Sexist. Homophobic. Islamophobic. Theocrats. Extremist. Draconian.
Imagine, if you will, some miraculous scenario where all three branches of government were somehow filledwith your perfect ideal of a conservative servant of the people and the constitution. That sounds wonderful, right?Now imagine what happens once they are sworn into office. That very second, the news media, popular culture, academia, and out-of-power Democrats begin to bombard every conceivable outlet from social media to film, TV, radio, newspaper, books, personal conversation, and more with the same message. Word Around the Net: WHY ITS OVER
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 1:09 PM | Your Say (5)
No single individual has done more to erode racial reconciliation than did Barack Obama.
The racialism of the 2008 campaign -- the nativist clingers of Pennsylvania, his “typical white person” grandmother who did so much to ensure his own upper-middle-class prep-school existence,the savage anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism of consigliore Rev. “audacity of hope” Wright, the childish calls to “get in their faces” and “bring a gun to a knife fight” -- really was the foundation for the next eight years of Trayvon Martin as the lost Obama son, the Ferguson mythologies, racism explains all opposition to Obama, the beer summit, “punish our enemies,” and Eric Holder’s “nation of cowards” and “my people.” Obama: The Lamest Duck | PJ Media
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:50 PM | Your Say (4)
The new religion is based on the “Four News” (new customs, new culture, new habits, new ideas),
In America, your career is at risk if you violate any of the sacred taboos.If you fail to show proper enthusiasm for the one true faith, you run the risk of being expelled from polite society. The term of art is âWatsoned.â Now, the social media giants are âdisappearingâ people for violating the new religion, by banning their accounts. Robert Stacy McCain is the most recent example. The Cult of Anti-Racism | The Z Blog
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:26 PM | Your Say (2)
The Good News is That "The Geyser of Excrement" under Sippican Cottage has been capped. The bad news....
Calling a plumber is an open-ended transaction. More or less, I'd be writing a blank check with my mouth for a plumber's services simply by calling one. I'm too poor to write a finite check to anyone, never mind a blank one. I'm on my own on this one, and that's that. It focuses the mind to think like that. There's no cavalry coming, so let's fix the plumbing in the Alamo ourselves! Sippican Cottage: 'Frog-Marching Plumber' Is the Name of My Golden Earring Tribute Band. But I Digress
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 12:19 PM | Your Say (2)
All that is necessary for ugliness to prosper is for artists to reject beauty.
Theodor Adorno said that there could be no more poetry after Auschwitz. Our view of the world has become so politicized that we think that the unembarrassed celebration of beauty is a sign of insensibility to suffering and that exclusively to focus on the world’s deformations, its horrors, is in itself a sign of compassion. Beauty and Ugliness by Theodore Dalrymple
Posted by gerardvanderleun at 9:47 AM | Your Say (2)