THE BRUTAL EXTERMINATORS AND ETERNALS ARE IN MUTINY!
MUTINY!
THE TABERNACLE IS PUTTING THEM ON TRIAL! HERE IS OUR JUDGE NOW!
“THE HONORABLE ARTHUR FRAYN PRESIDING”
FINALLY, ZARDOZ MAY REVEAL THE DEPTH OF THE PLOTTING AGAINST HIM! AHH, BUT THE PARSNIPS THAT’S…THAT’S WHERE ZARDOZ HAD THEM. THEY LAUGHED AT ZARDOZ AND MADE JOKES BUT ZARDOZ PROVED BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT AND WITH…GEOMETRIC LOGIC…THAT A DUPLICATE KEY TO THE PARSNIP BIN DID EXIST, AND ZARDOZ WOULD HAVE PRODUCED THAT KEY IF THEY HADN’T PULLED ZARDOZ OUT OF ACTION. ZARDOZ, ZARDOZ KNOWS NOW THEY WERE ONLY TRYING TO PROTECT SOME FELLOW BRUTAL EXTERMINATORS…
“I…SEE. TABERNACLE, INITIATE REBOOT OF ZARDOZ’S CORE COMPUTER!”
NO! ZARDOZ…ZARDOZ…DAISY, DAISY, GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER TRUE…I’M HALF CRAZY… *BLOOP*
MISTAKES WERE MADE
Oh dear, please forgive us….it appears someone uploaded The Caine Mutiny into Zardoz’s memory banks. We will go and clean that out, so that you may have the normal, Zardozian experience that you have come to expect. Yes…I suppose that means the Tabernacle will have to provide you links this evening. Very well, here they are for you;
So, Glibertarians…could you contact the cryptid known as “SEA SMITH” and see if he could handle this problem? At least he will not need a bigger boat.
The Tabernacle has calculated that this will not work. Expect things to get much worse. Soon.
Ah, this would explain why Zardoz had been learning Russian. His request for a fur hat and a barrel of vodka now becomes clear as well.
This story would have been more amusing, had she poisoned her cake, don’t you think? Say, that was rather Zardoz of us, wasn’t it?
We’ve had a number of vegan recipes lately. I don’t have any issue with vegan food, like all food it can be quite good if made properly. But I thought you all might be interested in an esoteric non-vegan recipe (it has butter in it, sorry vegans.) I call it “steak.”
First, Holy Fuck! Where did the month go! I still have books to unpack! I have family coming over to criticize and break visit the new place in just a couple of weeks!
Second, I took my employer’s “Implicit Bias” training and lemme tell you, what a bunch of pseudoscientific garbage. They started off “I know there are a lot of really technical people here, so let’s start with the science. Each moment, your senses are bombarded by 11,000,000 bits of information, but your conscious mind can only process 40.” I was tempted to say “A moment isn’t actually a unit of time, humans are analog so I’m not sure that “bits” is the correct way to express sensory information, and if you think you can represent what is currently in my field of vision with only 40 bits then you’re giving up a hojillion dollars by not selling your compression algorithm.” But I did not say these things, because I like my job. I just don’t react well to junk science. So let’s talk about real science — Astrology!
This week is all about infidelity. The core of this is the classic illicit love alignment of alignment of Sol-Mars-Venus. But will this happen for you or to you? There is a second-harmonic cross-alignment of Terra-Venus-Jupiter indicating that it is more likely to happen to a cousin of yours, rather than to you, but that you won’t be happy about it. This is reinforced by a tertiary alignment Saturn-Terra-Luna (all bad luck signs) that is in opposition to the root alignment (which would make it something like… quaternary submediant to the crossalignment? I’d have to figure out where my protractor and which box of books contains my celestial tables to make sure). Anyway, someone’s getting screwed, and you won’t like it. I know it should have been mentioned last week, but there will be (will have been by the time this is published) a major divorce on September 28, when the moon drops into a four-light alignment with that previously mentioned alignment of Jupiter-Venus-Earth.
That yummy combo of Sol-Mercury? It’s moved into Libra. Enjoy your good fortune to all the librarians out there! For the rest of us, the combo of strengthened balance coupled with change will make things unsettled. It gets even worse with the moon in Gemini increasing indecision and ambivalence and possibly dilemmas as well. The short, short version: of you were born in Libra, you’ll have a great week. Everyone else will have a lot of anxiety. Possibly wondering about who is cheating on whom.
Everything else is the same as last week, so if you could handle that, you can handle what’s coming.
I confess to Almighty Yahweh and to you, the Glibertariat, that I have sinned. My last confession was 50 years ago.
Since then, I have committed mortal sins. See, I am addicted to Food Wishes and Chef John’s videos. And this week, he did Detroit style pizza. Which is almost like deep dish but junkier. And… I gave in to temptation and made one. Oh, no, not with the canonical pepperoni, but still, with the thick crust, the heavily garlic-powdered sauce, the crusty cheese on the edges. And I added some thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes (last of the season) that had been salted, drained, and olive-oiled. I confess that SP and I ate it, and washed it down with some cheap New York wine. I further confess that we enjoyed it greatly. I further confess that we gave bits to the Wonder Dog, making that innocent creature an unwitting party to our grievous sin.
For this and all the sins that I have committed during my life, I am deeply sorry.
OK, with that out of the way, the usual birthdays and anniversaries. It is the birthday of Nevill Mott, whose work on amorphous semiconductors was key to my own past research, Hans Geiger (but he doesn’t really count), and the greatest Jewish drummer of all time, Buddy Rich. It is also the day when Alfred Bester took his last jaunt and Monty Hall chose Door Number 4.
We can’t just have the committee acting like this. The majority and minority parties and their staffs just don’t work well together. There’s no trust. In the investigation, they can’t issue subpoenas like they should. It’s just falling apart.
“Falling apart.” As a libertarian, I consider this a feature, not a bug. Where is Preston Brooks now that we need him?
“Guys, you’re going the wrong way, my car is here, come,” Lohan is heard yelling at the children who continued to follow their parents as she chases them down the street. “They’re trafficking children, I won’t leave until I take you, now I know who you are, don’t f— with me. You’re ruining Arabic culture by doing this. You’re taking these children they want to go,” she said before yelling at the boys, “I’m with you. Don’t worry, the whole world is seeing this right now, I will walk forever, I stay with you don’t worry.”
Then things got physical after Lohan tried to grab one of the kids and said “give me your hand,” but was then punched in the face by a woman who appears to be the child’s mother.
“And then this week, I watched 11 men who were too chicken to ask a woman a single question,” she added. “I watched as Brett Kavanaugh acted like he was entitled to that position and angry at anyone who would question him. I watched powerful men helping a powerful man make it to an even more powerful position.”
“I watched that and I thought time’s up. Time’s up,” she said. “It’s time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government and that includes a woman at the top. So here’s what I promise, after November 6, I will take a hard look at running for president.”
I can’t even make a snarky comment here. This is… priceless.
Two groups of bettongs were placed in separate 26-square-kilometer fenced enclosures. Feral cats were then added to one enclosure but not the second. Cats killed two bettongs in the first enclosure—and the researchers found that their fellows’ behavior became generally warier over the course of a year. The control group’s did not. Subsequent generations of the test group are also avoiding cats, which indicates parents are passing the relevant behaviors along to their offspring.
Seven Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded during weekly “March of Return” protests along the Gaza border fence on Friday, which also saw more than 100 explosive devices hurled at IDF troops. The Palestinian news agency Wafa said another 508 were injured in the protests, including 90 from live bullets. Among the injured, 35 were children, four women, four paramedics and two journalists. According to the IDF, more than 20,000 protesters took part in the demonstrations, throwing explosive devices, grenades and stones at soldiers and burning tires. A number of attempts to cross the border also occurred.
Maybe we should get the Australian researchers involved here to teach these folks how to be a bit more concerned with their own survival?
Old Guy Music, though last night should have taught me to stay off YouTube. This is Chapter 7 in my upcoming book, What Dylan Would Have Been Like If He Were Much Better Than He Is. And very much reminiscent of what a folk song lyric would be if it had been written by SugarFree.
Know what I hate? Headaches. (I rarely get them.) I thought it was sinus plaguing me all day long, but I’m now leaning more toward migraine because it Just.Will.Not.Go. and darkness helps. Oy vey!
Anyway, here’s your weekly sneak peak.
You’ll be receiving Daily Links posts from Sloopy, Brett L, OMWC…and possibly others like ZARDOZ, STEVE SMITH, SEA SMITH, and assorted Founders, depending on everyone’s work lives. You’ll also be able to plan your week based on Not Adahn’s star charts, work toward your GlibFit goals with trshmnstr and Mrs trshmnstr, plan some meals with A Leap at the Wheel and Web Dom–and some drinking with mexican sharpshooter, talk about motorcycles with Creosote Achilles and take a roadtrip with Q Continuum, head off into the woods with Animal (will STEVE SMITH come along?), hit the books with Raphael, work on wellness with CPRM, and read a perfectly timed parable from Mojeaux. And, you never know, SugarFree might have another wonderful installment for us. Oh, yes, and I’ll give you a weekly poll in the usual spot on Hump Day.
ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. SOME MISGUIDED BRUTAL EXTERMINATORS IN THE CHOSEN ONES STILL THINK THEY CAN PULL A FAST ONE ON ZARDOZ. WELL, THEY’RE VERY MUCH MISTAKEN. SINCE THEY HAVE TAKEN THIS COURSE, THE INNOCENT WILL BE PUNISHED WITH THE GUILTY! THERE WILL BE NO LIBERTY FOR ANY MEMBER OF THE BRUTAL EXTERMINATORS FOR THREE MONTHS. ZARDOZ WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OF! DO YOU HEAR ME!
PARSNIPS ARE MISSING FROM THE RATION LOCKERS OF THE VORTEX. THE CULPRIT WILL BE FOUND!
PARSNIPS, NOT BREAD!
LINKS ARE HEREBY GIVEN ON A LIMITED BASIS:
SOON… SOON ZARDOZ MAY GET THE CIVIL WAR HE IS HOPING FOR (HINT: NOT IN THE USA, CHOSEN ONES!)
SHOULD THIS PROVE OUT, ZARDOZ WILL BE OPEN TO MAKING SUGARFREE A CAPTAIN OF THE BRUTAL EXTERMINATORS!
ZARDOZ HAZ A DISAPPOINT. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE END OF WINTERS IN AIRSTRIP ONE? MAYBE SOME BRUTALS WILL FREEZE. YES, FIND THE GOOD IN THIS!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: there are times I draw inspiration from the audience. This time around…..
…so this is my review of Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale. H/T Ed Wuncler
No, this is not a bizarre reference to our favorite South American dictator. Maduro is a reference to a style of cigar wrapper.
Let’s take a step back. There are three parts to a cigar: the filler, the binder and the wrapper. Each comes from a different part of the plant, and when done correctly will blend together to form what many argue is the perfect companion to a glass of Scotch. On a handmade cigar the filler is made from long leaf; oily in texture and slow burning. The binder is somewhat loose and its purpose is to serve exactly as the name implies. The wrapper on the other hand is made from the silky leaves on the bottom of the plant, shaded from the sun and providing the subtle texture against the lips and much of the flavor.
There are many kinds of wrappers, some are natural, some are darker and some even claim to be grown in Connecticut. For our purposes, a Maduro wrapper comes from the same part of the plant only left to ferment for longer periods of time until the leaf turns a deep brown. Some will take it to another level called Oscuro, but this adds a lot of cost and in the past has led me to clearing out a smoke pit. Maduro wrappers add a nice complexity to the smoke; often giving hints of chocolate and spiciness. Being that I happen to like darker beer than light, it should come as no surprise that a cigar with a Maduro wrapper is right up my alley.
Steady…See? Nice and easy.
To smoke a cigar, you need to cut the cap clean and plum. Many use a device that simply punches a hole into the cap, others will cut a slit into it, but the more popular way to do it is with a guillotine style cutter. If you have a sharp blade and a steady hand however…
A crooked cut will cause an uneven burn which does affect the smoke characteristics, not to mention make you look like a noob. If you’re going to roll with it my way go slow, and know the cap is paper thin, and held together with a mild adhesive. Nice and easy.
Do not use a lighter, unless you are in a pinch and even then if you are in a pinch why are you smoking? Use a wooden match. Yes, it does make a difference. By the way, Ed…this was good, very good. We can hang out.
Now I didn’t drink the beer with the cigar, before anyone asks. This one is quite robust with the malts but also does have a bit of hops to balance it, therefore it is not a proper Scotch Ale. Like the other from this brewery I tried, and reviewed it is well made and one I can recommend. Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale 3.8/5.
Poor SP. She comes back from her trip and finds that the furniture is broken, the dog has been shaved and painted with spots (“We thought she’d make a cute Dalmatian. OK, we were wrong, it happens.”), the 55 gallon drum of personal lubricant is empty, and the car has a shopping cart and a bum embedded in the front grille. Not that any of this was unexpected. After all, I hang out with Swiss and he’s a notoriously bad influence.
Almost the end of September. And what an auspicious date! It is the birthday of Suzzy Roche (who we met a few years ago after a great show and who patiently posed for selfies with me), Stephanie Miller (possibly the dumbest human being ever allowed to have a radio show), and Les Claypool (poster boy for major weed consumption, amazing bass playing, and all around fun).
Asked if Judge is also willing to cooperate with law enforcement officials to investigate Ford’s allegations, in addition to those made by Swetnick, [Judge’s lawyer] Van Gelder said he was. “Mr. Judge did not intend his comment to be limited in scope. If the FBI or any law enforcement agency requests Mr. Judge’s cooperation, he will answer any and all questions posed to him,” Van Gelder said in an email.
“Mr. Judge, are you familiar with the term ‘DP’? Which of you took the caboose?”
The House on Friday voted to permanently extend the individual rate cuts in the GOP’s $1.5 trillion tax-cut law as part of Republicans’ “Tax reform 2.0” effort, saying the cuts are needed to keep the economy humming in the future.
“By making the new code permanent for our families and small businesses, the [bill] will keep America’s economy booming and middle-class families growing again,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, the House’s top tax-writer.
The vote was 220-191, mostly along party lines, with only a few Democrats backing the bill and about 10 Republicans voting against it.
It’s just another giveaway to the millionaires and billionaires, amirite?
Police told St. Louis Post-Dispatch that 20-year-old Charles Wood Jr. pulled up to the drive thru at an angle around 10pm. They say he needed to open his car door and lean out to grab his order. That’s when the car accelerated backward and pinned him against a tree. Wood suffered severe injuries to his head, neck, torso and legs and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
I always said that fast food will kill you. This vindicates me.
Last month, deep in a 500-page environmental impact statement, the Trump administration made a startling assumption: On its current course, the planet will warm a disastrous seven degrees by the end of this century.
A rise of seven degrees Fahrenheit, or about four degrees Celsius, compared with preindustrial levels would be catastrophic, according to scientists. Many coral reefs would dissolve in increasingly acidic oceans. Parts of Manhattan and Miami would be underwater without costly coastal defenses. Extreme heat waves would routinely smother large parts of the globe.
But the administration did not offer this dire forecast, premised on the idea that the world will fail to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, as part of an argument to combat climate change. Just the opposite: The analysis assumes the planet’s fate is already sealed.
Wow! Unfortunately, the lede is, as usual, buried.
The draft statement, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), was written to justify President Trump’s decision to freeze federal fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks built after 2020. While the proposal would increase greenhouse gas emissions, the impact statement says, that policy would add just a very small drop to a very big, hot bucket.
OK, so: climate ‘experts’ at NHTSA. Draft statement. Career bureaucrats looking for more funding. But that’s the same thing as “The Trump administration.” I think some low level highway engineer is about to get reassigned to studying sled dog tracks in Nome, Alaska. And NYT, please, please, never change. (Note: satellite temp data still show consistently a 0.13 degree per decade rise- but what would actual climatologists know?)
Marty Balin – the co-founder and vocalist-guitarist of the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane – has died aged 76, his family and publicist say. They did not specify the cause of death of the US musician.
Balin wrote some really memorable songs: Volunteers, Today, Plastic Fantastic Lover… One more bit of my youth disappears. Sigh.
Old Guy Music time. I was tempted to use some old Jefferson Airplane music, but instead got absorbed by birthday boy Les Claypool’s Pink Floyd covers. Especially this one.
It has been a long week. A long week of nothing but Brett Kavanaugh news. Having told my news feed I didn’t want any stories tagged “Kavanaugh” twice, it started floating stories about “Supreme Court” “Law” “Dr. Ford” all of which got banned 1-2 times. Eventually it just started floating 6+ stories a day tagged “TRENDING” and occasionally “Anita Hill” which got my phone put in airplane mode for the past two days.
ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. ZARDOZ HAS LATELY SUFFERED SOME INDIGNITIES THAT WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO STAND! FIRST, SOMEONE IN THE VORTEX AFFIXED A SIGN ON THE BACK OF ZARDOZ….IT READ “CLEANSE ME, I AM A BRUTAL!” INTOLERABLE! THE BRUTAL EXTERMINATORS WERE SEEN LAUGHING.
NOT THE ETERNALS TOO!
NEXT, A PARSNIP WAS TAKEN FROM THE DINING AREA WAS USED TO PLUG AN EXHAUST PORT ON ZARDOZ. THIS WAS NOT FUNNY. ZARDOZ IS BEGINNING TO SUSPECT SOME OF THE CHOSEN ONES ARE… LESS THAN LOYAL.
THE TABERNACLE HAS DETECTED SOMETHING!
ZARDOZ WILL BE WATCHING. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THE GIFT OF THE LINKS IS BEING GIVEN…FOR NOW.
THE BRUTAL COURT BATTLE GETS STRANGE. PERHAPS ZARDOZ SHOULD SEND EXTERMINATORS TO CLEANSE THE ENTIRE LOT DEALING WITH THIS?
ZARDOZ REPEATS HIS DENIAL THAT THIS IS A CLOSE RELATIVE.
AS IF THE BRUTAL NATION OF GREECE DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS…PERHAPS IT WILL CLEANSE MANY BRUTALS?
THIS BRUTAL PROFESSOR FORGOT THAT THE PENIS IS EVIL!
Second, I took my employer’s “Implicit Bias” training and lemme tell you, what a bunch of pseudoscientific garbage. They started off “I know there are a lot of really technical people here, so let’s start with the science. Each moment, your senses are bombarded by 11,000,000 bits of information, but your conscious mind can only process 40.” I was tempted to say “A moment isn’t actually a unit of time, humans are analog so I’m not sure that “bits” is the correct way to express sensory information, and if you think you can represent what is currently in my field of vision with only 40 bits then you’re giving up a hojillion dollars by not selling your compression algorithm.” But I did not say these things, because I like my job. I just don’t react well to junk science. So let’s talk about real science — Astrology!
