Category: Daily Links

I have taken some flak recently about putting too much spice into the links, and requested to tone down the flavor. And eliminate the wine, which is a horrible beverage having distractingly large amounts of flavor. So today, I’m keeping it soft and bland, just to not offend anyone. If the prose is disturbing, then look at the nice, bland images to relax and calm the sensory overload. And I will not mention the delightful Dolcetto d’Alba that SP, Webdominatrix, and I drank last night with their welcome home dinner. That said, on to the news of the day, with the usual snark, though toned down out of consideration for sensitive Glibs.

As astroturfed high schoolers get wall-to-wall media coverage in their desire to have kind and gracious government calmly and reasonably disarm it citizens in complete defiance of the constitution, they unsurprisingly claim that their voices are being stifled. Yeah, the cops came in and quashed the demonstrations immediately and TV news crews stayed resolutely away. Suuuure.

“I don’t like fearing that I’m going to die walking into school every day and I don’t like telling my mom that I’m afraid I’m going to die walking into school – I feel like change should happen,” 14-year-old freshman Alex Barbro said.

I agree, Alex. And the first change I’d suggest is mandatory courses in probability theory and a good dose of training in Pareto analysis. Some reading of Hayek might be nice, but that might be a bridge too far.

There’s a stereotype that (((we))) tend to be smarter than average. If you want a counter-argument, look no further than this. A sample gem:

In the US, while gun advocates say weapons are needed for self-defense, it is hard to avoid the impression that guns have become something of a hobby or a sport. Shooting is an activity many brag about. Just witness the many videos posted on social media showing Americans at gun ranges shooting all types of firearms, and in their backyards, demonstrating the merits or drawbacks of a recently acquired handgun.

The horrors! Of course, there’s all the usual stupidity- the assumption that school shootings are epidemic, the conflation of random nutjob stuff with targeted killings over girls and drugs, the culture of inner cites versus rural… but the shock and surprise that there are people who find guns to be fun is absolutely precious.

Here’s a tale of a happy family with multigenerational togetherness. Surprisingly, it’s not Florida.

Do NOT fuck around when people in a state with legal weed get the munchies.

Those wacky scientists, always getting baffled by the stupidest shit.

Old Guy Music! I’ve recently discovered Courtney Hartman, who does fantastic country, bluegrass, and folk, while having an image that is not exactly mainstream Nashville. That’s a compliment. Anyway, here’s a delightful solo cover of a Tom Petty favorite, and for my usual embedded video, a duet with the great Robert Ellis. I really love how smoothly and effortlessly they trade off the shredding. Sorry, this one isn’t bland.

SEA SMITH SORRY HE FORGET LINKS LAST WEEK. HE SPEND TOO MUCH TIME HANGING OUT WITH FRIEND NINGEN.

NINGEN IS SILLY, BUT GOOD FRIEND. SEA SMITH TELL HIM “MUST DO LINKS, WE HANG OUT AFTERWARD.” BY HANGOUT AFTERWARD, MEAN FIND SHIP CREW TO RAPE. SO YOU GET LINKS NOW:

1. WAIT, WAIT…SEA SMITH KNOW THIS ONE. “F#$% OFF, SLAVER” RIGHT? SEA SMITH NEVER SMOKE ANYTHING…NO CAN SMOKE IN WATER. MAYBE SOMEONE SEND HIM EDIBLES? IF ENGLISH PEOPLE CALL POLICE, SEA SMITH DEAL WITH IT. BY DEAL WITH IT, MEAN RAPE NOSY NEIGHBORS.
2. SCHOOL NO HAVE TO SUSPEND STUDENT IN SKIN COLOR QUOTA ANYMORE? SEA SMITH VOLUNTEER TO BE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. BY RESOURCE OFFICER, MEAN RAPER OF DELINQUENT STUDENTS.
3. SEA SMITH STAY AWAY FROM RIO. THIS NOT TURN OUT GOOD.
4. SEA SMITH THINK THIS STOP HE FROM VISIT HOUSTON. BUT THAT OK. NOT WANT HOUSTON PEOPLE GET WASHED AWAY. SEA SMITH WAIT TO SEE THEM ON CRUISE SHIP OR FISHING BOAT. BY SEE THEM, MEAN RAPE.

LINKS ALL BETTER NOW? SEA SMITH HOPE SO – HE GO SEE IF NINGEN FIND CRUISE SHIP OR FISHING TRAWLER YET.

After two weeks in Florida, SP is coming back today. This has put me in a fury of scouring the house, making sure there’s no tell-tale evidence of my activities while she was gone. You know, stuff left behind “accidentally.” Like the last time, when she discovered some Barbie dolls that weren’t hers. That took creative explaining…

Anyway, that does not slow down the rush of news, nor my obligation to post links no-one will read, with snarky comments that will fall flat without knowing what they’re about. But there’s plenty of room below for telling the world about your newly-discovered genital warts, how your cat just puked up half a squirrel, and links to numerous photos of the art made possible by Dow-Corning. Because, to paraphrase the sadly-still-with-us Barack Obama, that’s who we are.

Let’s start with a rather remarkable contrast. In the US, when faced with a gunman who is killing people inside a building, the cops will cower outside until it’s safe to go in. In France, nation of cheese-eating surrender monkeys, this is what the cops do.

Truly, I am a horrible human being for just not caring all that much about shit like this. I have to admire the minuscule fraction of soi disant “trans” people, who in the past few years may have set new records in amount of media and government fretting per capita.

OK, I was going to snark about the self-indulgent meaninglessness of this, but on reflection, it’s just as effective and far less cruel than advocating for putting people in cages and allowing others to suffer extreme pain for your own feeling of moral satisfaction.

Team Red shows its dedication to principle yet again. And again as well.

Epic trolling, and all I can think about is shakshuka.

A new meaning for “to Godwin someone.”

Old Guy Music! Famous band, but not a famous song, and I have no idea why not. As a teenager, I spent many evenings around various smoking appliances with this as a soundtrack.

Good news, citizens!  the Links ration has been increased from 4 to 3! Now you will enjoy a bounty of links, three of them to be exact. It the commenting goes really well, and the quota is overfilled, there may be a sharing out of a taste of Victory Gin!

Your links ration:

1. Remember, Big Brother is watching.
2. Rebellion will be punished.
3. We have always been in favor of the spending bill.

Ten games on the ice yesterday.  Tampa Bay outlasted the Islanders. The Panthers topped the Rangers.  Bloe Jackets blanked the Panthers. Hurricanes dumped the woeful Coyotes. Caps beat the Dead Wings. Oilers greased the Senators. Maple Leafs drilled the Predators. Canucks beat the Crackhawks. San Jose beat Army/Vegas. and The Kangz annihilated the Avalanche. Well done, all.  But when are the MINNESOOOOOOOODA WIIIIIIIILD playing again, dammit?

OK, now to basketball. This shit is getting out of hand.  Loyola-Illinois won again too advance to the Final 8. They held off a furious Nevada rally to close the game out and advance as an 11 seed.  Joining them were Michigan, the lone higher seed to win yesterday who thumped aTm, Kansas State, a 9-seed who dumped blue-blood Kentucky, and Brett L’s very own 9-seed Florida State Seminoles. who took the perennial media darling Gonzaga behind the woodshed. So we have two 9’s and an 11 in the Final (I won’t call it “Elite” because that has always sounded stupid and was designed to sell more shit) 8. The only high seed remaining in the other sessions tonight is Syracuse. And I know I’ll be praying for them to take out that rat-faced cretin and his Dookies.  Why? If you have to ask then you will never understand.

Texas native Joan Crawford was born on this day. As was the genius Akira Kurosawa. rocket scientist Werner von Braun, crackshot Vasily Zaitsev, mother of a Monkee and savior of typists everywhere Bette Nesmith Graham, the fleet-footed Roger Bannister (who recently died), recently-fired-while-taking-a-dump Rex Tillerson, singer Chaka Khan, fat annoying guy Louie Anderson, cager Moses Malone, “brilliant” “actor” Richard Greico, professional troll Perez Hilton and superstar runner Mo Farah. There were others, but I realized the list was getting long.

That’s it for trivia and sports. Now its time for…the links!

She’s a keeper! You’ll never guess what state she’s from.

You want to know how you end up with “Trail Of Tears II: Electric Boogaloo”?  Try pulling some shit like this on me. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with the court system? Fortunately it looks like its being reversed by the Indian court, but that doesn’t mean the idiots at Miami-Dade don’t have some serious-ass questions to answer.

Murder and hostage situation developing in France.  According to CNN and MSNBC, the motive of the attacker may never be known.

House Committee looking into collusion claims all but accuses James Clapper of committing perjury. Also find no collision between Trump campaign and Russian government but found a systemic effort to stymie Trump officials from effectively transitioning.  CNN had a steaming hot take on it, even calling in the aforementioned Clapper to give his opinion while never noting that he was directly called out for misleading statements under oath. But I’m sure that was in the original story and just got edited for brevity.

The Senate passed possibly the worst spending bill it could have even considered. Thanks a lot, assholes.

A pot calls a kettle black.

And finally, in case any of you were considering picking up a meth habit, look at these photos before you pick up that pipe. Is that how meth is done anyway? Or is it snorted? For some reason I assumed it was smoked like crack. Huh, I’m sure somebody will explain it to me in the comments.

Here you go.

Have a great Friday and a better weekend, friends.

Fuck, its only Thursday.  I swear to God the way this week is moving it feels like Tuesday.  Next Tuesday. But here we are… on Thursday March 22nd: the birthday of subtle genius Chico Marx, underrated Karl Malden, (favorite of Drake) Werner Klemperer, USA Today founder and contributor to the dumbing down of America Al Neuharth, idiot Pat Robertson,  William fucking Shatner, Orrin freaking Hatch, scourge of juicers Dick Pound, Andrew Lloyd Webber, dipshit-extraordinaire Wolf Blitzer, chin-strong Reese Witherspoon, and local philanthropist and part-time football stud JJ Watt.

As you can see, the sports update is a little thin, what with the international soccer break meaning no midweek games, no CBB until tonight and a small slate of hockey games, the results of which are as follows: Pittsburgh beat Montreal (and Sidney Crosby apparently scored a sick goal but I can’t be arsed to find a video of it because ESPN sucks ass. Arizona beat Buffalo in a preview of teams that won’t care until next season (at the earliest). St Louis topped Boston in a game both teams desperately wanted to win for playoff purposes. And the Anaheim Mighty Ducks blanked the Calgary Flames.

That’s pretty much all I’ve got for sports. Which leaves room for a bit of a rant.

Can somebody, since the writer/director is dead, please fucking explain to me why four of the five kids in The Breakfast Club were driven there by their parents?  They’re all seniors, obviously. Claire is ridiculously wealthy and her dad wasn’t mad at her at all when he dropped her off. Andrew’s a star jock, whose dad wasn’t really mad at him for what he did per se, only that he got caught. Allison’s parents don’t give a shit about her at all but they drive her too.

And its not like she’s poor. They’re driving a new Cadillac!

Okay, I can see Brian’s mom taking him because she comes across as a hectoring asshole. And obviously Bender walked because he’s poor and his parents don’t give a fuck about him.  But at least three of them getting dropped off, at 7 am on a Saturday no less, doesn’t make any sense.  Thanks a lot, John Fucking Hughes.

Anyway, here are…the links!

Unless you’ve got access to some Farrakhan archives or David Duke’s pen pal letters, this will probably be the most vile, racist thing you will read all day. Its certainly ::dons sunglasses;; beyond the pale.

The Trudeau Age gets more absurd by the day. “Man, woman? They’re just words. We’re all the same, dude person. We’re all the same.” In the words of Mr Slave: Jesus Christ.

I can’t wait to see the ballistics report on this circle jerk. Also, aren’t handguns illegal there?  I thought that meant this kind of thing could never…..oh wait, let me guess: its because anybody can just drive to (enter name of neighboring state or Indiana) and get a gun from a gas station without an ID.

A brutal, yet sad, assessment on Chicago politics and Election Day fallout. Asked to comment on the election results, several Chicago voters exclaimed “thank you sir, may I have another!”

Trump responds to Joe Biden the way Trump responds to everybody. If you’re on Twitter or plan on watching the news today, get some popcorn and prepare to see a lot of people with the vapors. As for me? I’ll get the jiffy pop out as soon as I stop laughing.

You know, there’s a really easy way for the public to decide what really happened here: Just release the damn video. I know, I know. That’s crazy talk.  Well call me crazy then.

That’s it. Other than this entirely predictable selection.

Have a great day!

::walks across football field…raises fist::

I’d apologize but that would be showing signs of weakness, so instead I give you UNBROKEN EYE CONTACT.

TMZ publishes some screenshots of alleged bomber’s blog posts from a ways back. He sounds like a peach.

Israeli Defense Chief Regrets Clearing 2007 Syria Nuclear Reactor Strike for Publication: Israel claimed credit for the 2007 attack, 11 years after it was carried out to stop Syria from developing a nuclear capacity with North Korean help. Haaretz is being useful by putting everything you need to know about the news in the headline and making the article about the politics behind the news, which are kinda fun.

Speaking of Israel, this is one girl lucky to still be alive. Try this in Egypt or Lebanon or Syria and see what happens.

Most of kidnapped schoolgirls freed, Nigeria says. The rest of the world responds with “wait, that was STILL going on? WTF?” Edit: “Most of the 110 schoolgirls kidnapped last month in Nigeria by the terror group Boko Haram have been released and returned to their hometown of Dapchi, a Nigerian minister said Wednesday.” Late links are bad links y’all.

Well, today’s the last day to take a deep breath and get ready for the Sweet 16 games. And I don’t care if you use a rosary, some beads, put on a yarmulke or lay face-down on a rug, I need your prayers. So take a moment right now, assume your position or don your prayerwear or do whatever you need and let’s all say in unison: “Dear _______ (God, Allah, Yahweh, Buddha, Odin, FSM, some 32-armed dude with a elephant head), please share your grace with the world. Please, ________, deliver us from the scourge that is the Blue Devils. Place your loving hand on the bald dome of Jimmy Boeheim, whom you’ve already blessed with a wife that’s too hot for him by a mile, and give him the strength to overcome Coach K’s incessant playing of the officials and getting calls nobody else gets. And though he asks for forgiveness for being a dirty punk, please hold off on granting it to Grayson Allen lest he decide to trip again.  In your name. Amen.”

I sure hope that works. I’m not sure the world can suffer another Duke win. ::Sigh::

Bunches of games on the ice last night. The results were: Islanders over the Penguins, Blue Jackets over Rangers. Oilers topped the Hurricanes, the Capitals beat the Stars, the Panthers topped the Senators, the Red Wings were better than the Flyers, The Lightning outlasted the Maple Leafs, the Jets beat the Kangz, Army/Vegas took down the Canucks, the Sharks blasted the Debbils, and the Blackhawks reached a new low in getting thumped by the Avalanche. Sorry, Swissy.

I got nothing else in sports. There are some slow weeks, and it’ll get worse before it gets better next week as we are still short of the playoffs and baseball will still not have started and the CBB final four starts too late in the week to really talk about much.  I’ll figure something out.  But until then, let’s focus on…the links!

It looks like the Austin bomber has killed himself as the cops closed in. Dude must have wanted to get caught. There’s no other explanation for his change in M.O. and going to a Fedex store to drop his packages off. Well, good riddance, asshole. Which means its time for the other assholes out there to ascribe motive, collectivize guilt and start sticking their hands out for donations/government handouts to various grievance groups. I hope I am able to tune that part of the circus out.

NOAA! NOAA! You got some splainin to do. LOL, JK. They won’t have to explain shit. Their cultists will still believe whatever they say, regardless of the fact that virtually all of their science is based on made-up bullshit. You know, at least those of us who believe in God are honest enough to call our beliefs a religion that’s faith-based.  These assholes try to pass their faith off as science.

Damn, dude. Next time take a friend or two. Seriously, that’s one tough son of a bitch. But still…get some friends and take them with you next time.

Pritzker defeated Kennedy (yes, another one. They’re like mushrooms.) in the Illinois Democrat primary for the governor’s race. And it has caused an amazing level of butthurt by Kennedy supporters sycophants.  Seriously, Pritzker is an odious creature that probably conspired with Blago to sell the Obama seat. But that’s part and parcel of Chicagoland politics.  Perhaps Kennedy needs to take a page out of the family playbook and go on a drug-fueled bender or two, perhaps with a serious accident thrown in the mix, and then run for office as a story of redemption and overcoming adversity. Seems to work for his generation of that corrupt family.

I can’t think of a better way for the government to collect delinquent taxes than to shut the business down that owes them ahead of what could be an exceptionally busy (and revenue-generating) time. Bravo, IRS…you dumbshits.

Rumors abound as to where the Trump-Kim summit will be held. Will they pick a neutral country? the DMZ? One of the nations’ capitals? A warship? Nobody knows. (::Whispers to self: Please be Russia. Please be Russia. Please be Russia.::)

For our under-appreciated Canadian friends. Pour nos amis canadiens sous-estimés.

Have a wonderful middle of the week!

Buenos Tardes Glibs! Once again, I take you for a brief foray in to the events of the day as seen by people that choose not to learn English

Today is happiest of days, as female rhinoceros have achieved victory over the patriarchy.

El último rinoceronte blanco del norte macho ha muerto, dejando solo dos hembras para salvar a la subespecie de la extinción.

El rinoceronte de 45 años llamado Sudán había tenido problemas de salud en los últimos días y estaba siendo tratado por problemas relacionados con la edad y múltiples infecciones.

Un equipo veterinario tomó la decisión de practicar la eutanasia en Sudán luego de que su condición se deterioró significativamente, anunció el martes el grupo de conservación WildAid.

__________

The last white rhinoceros of the male north has died, leaving only two females to save the subspecies from extinction.

The 45-year-old rhinoceros named Sudan had had health problems in recent days and was being treated for problems related to age and multiple infections.

A veterinary team made the decision to practice euthanasia in Sudan after their condition deteriorated significantly, WildAid conservation group announced on Tuesday.”

People that choose to live in a remote area, cut off by torrential rainfall want more free stuff delivered by helicopter.

En el video, que fue grabado por el propio cacique, se puede ver cómo un helicóptero del equipo de asistencia humanitaria deja su carga en un punto establecido y rápidamente levanta vuelo, segundos antes de que una decena de pobladores se abalancen sobre los productos indiscriminadamente. “Estamos aislados, necesitamos algo más de harina, arroz, fideos, azúcar, colchones y frazadas”, agregó.

 

Al ser consultado sobre este episodio el miércoles en Perspectivas desde Buenos Aires, el gobernador de Salta, Juan Manuel Urtubey, dijo que “es indignante y nada justifica eso” y agregó que “siempre debe haber un responsable del área social”. También hizo hincapié en que “es una zona del chaco donde está concentrada la mayor pobreza”

__________

In the video, which was recorded by the cacique himself, one can see how a helicopter of the humanitarian assistance team leaves its cargo at a fixed point and quickly takes off, seconds before a dozen inhabitants swoop on the products indiscriminately. “We are isolated, we need more flour, rice, noodles, sugar, mattresses and blankets,” he added.

When asked about this episode on Wednesday in Perspectives from Buenos Aires, the governor of Salta, Juan Manuel Urtubey, said that “it is outrageous and nothing justifies that” and added that “there should always be a person in charge of the social area.” He also stressed that “it is a zone of the Chaco where the greatest poverty is concentrated”.

Supreme Court to decide if it is constitutional to detain people that violated the law did nothing wrong, ever will likely vote Team Blue, should be released on bail in the event their sentence for other crimes is served, rather than being held for a pending deportation trial.

La Corte Suprema de Justicia anunció este lunes que decidirá si la ley federal de inmigración (INA) le otorga al gobierno el poder para detener de manera indefinida a quienes esté considerando deportar si la persona cometió anteriormente ciertos delitos graves.

La INA señala que, si los extranjeros no ciudadanos cometen un delito que los convierta en inadmisibles y/o deportables, el gobierno debería mantenerlos bajo custodia para su posible expulsión al salir de prisión una vez cumplida la condena.

La Corte de Apelaciones del 9º Circuito dictó en mayo el año pasado que los no ciudadanos que no hayan sido detenidos de inmediato por la Oficina de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE), se les debe dar la oportunidad de quedar libres bajo fianza.[…]

“Por lo general”, explicó, “cuando un no ciudadano cometió un delito grave y cumple su condena, ICE pide mantenerlos detenidos ( detainer) para iniciar un proceso de deportación. Si por algún motivo se cuela esta persona y el gobierno se da cuenta que no pudo transferirlo bajo su custodia, va a su casa y lo arresta para iniciarle un juicio de deportación”.

__________

The Supreme Court of Justice announced Monday that it will decide whether the federal immigration law (INA) gives the government the power to indefinitely detain those it is considering deporting if the person previously committed certain serious crimes.

The INA states that, if non-citizen aliens commit an offense that makes them inadmissible and / or deportable, the government should keep them in custody for possible expulsion upon leaving prison once the sentence has been served.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May last year that noncitizens who have not been immediately detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be given the opportunity to be released on bail.[…]

“Generally,” he explained, “when a non-citizen committed a serious crime and serves his sentence, ICE asks to keep them detained (detainer) to begin a deportation process. If for some reason this person strained and the government realizes that he could not transfer him into his custody, he goes to his house and arrests him to initiate a deportation trial. “

The dreamers will never give up hope. No sir, no how. It’s not like the Most Evil Presidentè in the History of Presidentès has recently put forth deals to legalize DACA recipients only to be turned down by Democrats. WILL.NOT.GIVE.UP.HOPE.

Los dreamers no pierden la esperanza. Aseguran que seguirán luchando hasta conseguir que el Congreso apruebe una ley que les otorgue un camino a la residencia legal permanente y luego a la ciudadanía. Pero hasta ahora todos los esfuerzos han fracasado por falta de voluntad política en el Congreso y la Casa Blanca.

“Es difícil de creerle al presidente y a los políticos”, dijo este viernes Juan Manuel Guzmán, director de asuntos gubernamentales de United We Dream (UWD), la principal organización de dreamers en Estados Unidos. “Siguen los rumores de que habrá un proyecto, un voto en el pleno de ambas cámaras, pero la verdad es que no se puede creer en nadie”.

“Es difícil de creer que algo pueda suceder, especialmente con el presidente que tenemos”, subraya el activista. Los dreamers no pierden la esperanza. Aseguran que seguirán luchando hasta conseguir que el Congreso apruebe una ley que les otorgue un camino a la residencia legal permanente y luego a la ciudadanía. Pero hasta ahora todos los esfuerzos han fracasado por falta de voluntad política en el Congreso y la Casa Blanca.

“Es difícil de creerle al presidente y a los políticos”, dijo este viernes Juan Manuel Guzmán, director de asuntos gubernamentales de United We Dream (UWD), la principal organización de dreamers en Estados Unidos. “Siguen los rumores de que habrá un proyecto, un voto en el pleno de ambas cámaras, pero la verdad es que no se puede creer en nadie”.

“Es difícil de creer que algo pueda suceder, especialmente con el presidente que tenemos”, subraya el activista.

__________

The dreamers do not lose hope. They assure that they will continue fighting until getting Congress to approve a law that grants them a path to permanent legal residence and then to citizenship. But so far all efforts have failed because of lack of political will in Congress and the White House.

“It’s hard to believe the president and the politicians,” Juan Manuel Guzman, director of government affairs at United We Dream (UWD), the leading dreamers organization in the United States, said Friday. “There are still rumors that there will be a project, a vote in the plenary session of both houses, but the truth is that you can not believe in anyone.”

“It is difficult to believe that something can happen, especially with the president we have,” the activist emphasizes.

Translation services provided by the Alpha Beta Corporation who ask if you’re going to have an evening, why not make it a good one? If you’re going to have people collecting data on your personal life, why not us?