Mid-Morning Art Thread

The Irwin Lighthouse, Storm Raging
John Wilson Carmichael

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (265) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 8/18/25

Good morning kids. First up, a state of emergency and mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in North Carolina as Hurricane Erin churns off the coast. Prayers for all who may be in any area that could be impacted. Stay safe.

Elsewhere, with the Trump Putin Alaska Summit wrapping up without any major deal to end the fighting in Ukraine (as we had suspected), all that the propagandists could focus on was the threat to national security because a gift list and the menu were found in the hotel printer!

So now, the President is going to meet with corrupt comedian Shecky Zelensky. Look let's face it, the only way the war is going to end is by Ukraine officially ceding the territory lost to Putin. And thankfully President Trump seems to be standing firm on nixing the prospect of NATO membership for Ukraine. That, plus NATO's encroachment towards Russia ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall, despite previous administrations guarantees that that would never happen were one of the factors, along with hundreds of years of historic Russo/Ukrainian confrontation and animosity as well as American and western interference via the color revolution engineered by Victoria Nuland and the Obama crew that overthrew a popularly and freely elected Putin friendly president.

I hope that President Trump does not agree to anything that might entangle us in a conflict that has absolutely zero impact on American national security. Yes, Putin invading Ukraine and the ensuing bloodshed was and is abhorrent. But, it's not our fight. If the soon to be Islamic Republic of E-U-istan wants to get their hair mussed with Putin, that's their affair.

Elsewhere in the world, and in a region that has much more importance to our security, some positive news for a change out of Latin America:

'Socialism defeated' — Bolivia boots its ruling leftists after 20 years in power — Hell has frozen over in Bolivia -- which is often a bellwether for the direction of South America's politics. . . The report notes that several conservative candidates didn't make the final cut for the runoff, Quiroga has been around for a long time, and Paz is a moderate. But something like this represents progress, given the long grip socialism has had on the battered Andean country, which is known for its valuable natural resources. And to read the article, Paz doesn't sound like a moderate -- he sounds pretty conservative, seeking to let markets determine prices.  Meanwhile, the performance of the socialists in office over 20 long years was execrable . . . I'm just surprised the ruling socialists didn't rig the election enough to keep themselves in power. The article describes how Morales and other leftists have sought to spoil their ballots ahead of the coming runoff, but that's a rearguard action that won't work. 

Well perhaps 40 years from now, we'll cheer socialism's final defeat in NYC as a geriatric Mamdani is wheeled out of Gracie Mansion. Unless he goes the way of Ceaucescu before that.

On another front, as the geschrei and handwringing over both the calling out of the National Guard to combat crime in Democrat controlled criminal breeding grounds also known as cities continues, we also have the predictable and disgusting threats against our President from the usual quarters. Not just on this issue but on every issue under the sun where President Trump's agenda and its wild successes have exposed the Democrats as the inept, incompetent and criminal tyrants that they are.

State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-TN) claimed that his party needed to pull out all the stops and fight back against Republicans — to whom he referred alternately as “fascists” and “neo-confederates” — and argued that it wouldn’t matter in the long run what they were willing to do as long as they won.

Pearson was ousted from his position in the Tennessee House when he helped lead his party’s efforts to “occupy” the State House in protest, and then was reinstated days later — after claiming that he’d been forced out by “racists.” During his appearance with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, he discussed the current state of American politics — particularly with regard to redistricting battles and Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) plan to “fight fire with fire.”

Does this tedious yammering eggplant not know he and his ilk are outgunned and outnumbered, figuratively and dare I say it, quite literally. Let's leave it at that.

Meanwhile, with corrupt hack-in-black judges along with crime and illegal aliens running wild in the streets, the implications of this story strike a chord, at least with me:

People have showered an alleged car thief in a California jail with donations after she beat up a fellow inmate who is charged, along with her husband, with torturing and killing her eight-year-old stepdaughter.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. But, when people feel that the justice system rewards/coddles criminals and is tilted against honest and decent people, I guess this kind of thing is to be expected.

Certainly where this kind of thing happens:

This Man Dodged Prison For Beating Two Pro-Lifers. Biden Jailed Pro-Lifers Over Peaceful Protests. Dozens of peaceful pro-life protesters were targeted during the Biden administration.

I think my point has been made.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

Have a great day!

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• A State of Emergency has been issued by the Hyde County Board of Commissioners for Ocracoke Island, North Carolina due to the expected flooding that will come from Hurricane Erin and the impacts that it will have on Highway 12. The order is effective as of Sunday at 8:00 p.m. The board also ordered two mandatory evacuations. For visitors, they have to leave the area immediately, while residents need to begin evacuations Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. (RELATED: Hurricane Erin Expected To Restrengthen After Downgrading To Category 3)
  Mandatory Evacuation Ordered In North Carolina Due To Hurricane Erin

• The new release by Gabbard is a vindication for Trump, who stood alone in 2018, and strengthens his position ahead of the upcoming summit.
  Bombshell DNI Emails Expose Fraud That Sabotaged 2018 Trump-Putin Summit
  
• Based on the scientific method and the data collected, the Professor William Jacobson Theory of Current Academia is correct: It is broken beyond repair.
  “Nature” Article Demands Replacing DEI in Science With Decolonization, Indigenous Knowledge

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:01 AM | Comments (387) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 18 August 2025

Top Story

• At a tech press dinner Thursday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mention that the company continues on its path to invest trillions on new AI datacentres and looks set to break $10 billion on gross revenue this year. (The Register)
  
  That's up from last year, when the company lost $5 billion on revenues of $5 billion.
  
  Asked if this was a bubble, Altman responded yes.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (139) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread - August 17, 2025 [Doof]

Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the somewhat revamped Sunday ONT! Wholesome content, retro content, and the real reason you're here - Piper's fashion stuff - will be regular features on Sundays. Other ONT-worthy stuff will be here to fill the gaps. And the gray boxes aren't going anywhere. So come on in and get to commenting!

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (432) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: Third August Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the Third August Edition? Seems like only a few weeks ago it was July, and before that, June. As we all know, the August 17, 2025 edition of the Gun Thread has historically been a content-lite effort. Thanks for understanding and respecting our Gun Thread traditions!!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (219) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: A Little Bit Of Nothing

Sauerkraut!

Lyon, which is considered to be the gastronomic capital of France, takes it very, very seriously. That dish, served at a famous (and huge!) brasserie, is called the "Royale - Smoked Belly and Loin of Pork, Frankfurter and Smoked Sausages." And there is a bigger one that adds a whole knuckle of pork.

Yeah...they don't screw around with portion size.

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (236) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First World Problems...

The fabric of the universe has been torn!

Has this ever happened to anyone in the history of the world?

This is new territory. Nothing has prepared us for this unprecedented event.

What are the rules?

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (195) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Don't Be Fooled: Iran Will Always Seek The West's Destruction Via Nuclear Weapons. Regime Change Is The Only Long-Term Solution

Islam is a revolutionary political philosophy that uses an ersatz religion to manipulate and motivate its adherents. The Twelvers sect of Shia Islam is a particularly nutty branch that specifically seeks the apocalypse to usher in the return of Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth Imam. That means America and Israel must be destroyed!

But all is well! Only about 85% of Shia Islam believe that! Of course Iran is the most prominent Twelver Shia country, because they have assiduously pursued that goal for the last 46 years.... bankrupting the country, throwing it back into the dark ages, and fomenting terrorism throughout the world. On the way it created a comprehensive police state, and cultivated terrorist proxies in the Middle East: Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis are the big ones, but there are others in Bahrain and Iraq, and Syria.

But the biggest and most expensive effort is of course Iran's efforts to design and build nuclear weapons. And not just any nuclear weapon...they want ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads! And that requires highly enriched uranium and significant engineering. No shipping container bombs for Iran! They want the best!

And for what? The destruction of Israel is number one. The destruction of America is number two. On the way they might take shots at Europe, and maybe Saudi Arabia; the center of Sunni Islam. That would be a bonus, but their real target is Israel.

And they will never stop. The raison d'être of the Iranian Mullahs and their lunatic acolytes is the arrival of the twelfth Imam, and nothing will deflect them from that goal. Nothing will stop their nuclear aspirations. Nothing will stop their support for terrorist organizations across the globe. Nothing will moderate their maniacal desire for the world to go up in nuclear flames.

Except regime change.

Round Two for Iran's Nukes

Two things can be true at once. Yes, Iran’s nuclear capa­bility was obliterated, and the brain trust behind it killed off. But what has been obliterated can be reborn. Any fanatical, apocalyptic regime that has spent decades and billions of dollars and endured global sanctions and national stagnation to engineer weapons of mass destruction can and will be willing to reconstruct its projects and harden its obsession. Therefore, so long as there is no regime change in Tehran, so long as its mullahs remain devoted to mass murder, so as long as the world permits it, we might well see Iran’s nuclear program return — or perhaps see another method of death and destruction not yet envisioned.

Israel understands this. A few people in Washington understand this. But far too many people believe that with sufficient pressure, via sanctions and military action, and perhaps a taste of the carrot, that Iran will move into the 21st century and act as just another country.

But they won't. They can't! The core of the Mullah's being is the return of Muhammad al-Mahdi, so any expectation that they will veer from that apocalyptic course is dangerous naiveté.

Even President Trump, whose understanding of the Muslim world is far more impressive than any other modern president's, believes that a "deal" can be struck with Iran. That didn't prevent him from ordering the attack on Iran's nuclear sites, but will he do it again in two years when they have begun to rebuild and have perhaps recovered some or all of their enriched uranium from the rubble? Or will President Vance order another strike in four years, or President Sanders in 12 years?

Regime change is the only way to end the threat of Iranian Armageddon. Luckily that will not require military action, but rather a united front against the Mullahs. Sadly, the EU would rather do business with them than save Israel and the world, and along the way save the Iranian people from the despotic Mullahs.

Remind me why we saved Europe...twice?

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (182) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Reading Thread 08/17/2025

Howdy Readers! Welcome to the Reading Thread, your Sunday morning source for the insightful, lively and spirited discussion of books 'n stuff. I'm filling in for a while as this space re-invents itself under new management so please set your near-term expectations accordingly low.

What do we have this week? Why, it's none other than Typhoon, written by Joseph Conrad and originally published in 1902. Yes, another actual book for this edition of the Reading Thread but be forewarned, next week we may have what is generally considered alternative reading material.

Why did I make this particular selection you ask? Well, mostly because Conrad is a galactically amazing writer despite English not being his first language [bio linked here]. Also because Typhoon is probably my favorite of Conrad's work and arguably one of my favorite short stories by anyone.

Feel free to discuss reading and books in general and share your thoughts on this week's selection if you're so inclined.

I know you're every bit as excited as I am, so just jump below the fold to get started!

Posted by: Weasel at 09:00 AM | Comments (367) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 17 August 2025

Top Story

• A federal judge has blocked the FTC's investigation into Media Matters' illegal activity. (Tech Crunch)
  
  Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan - I swear I am not making this up - said that nothing Media Matters was doing was illegal and in any case they had already stopped with most of the illegal stuff.
  
  
  
• A brazen attack on air safety is under way. (The Verge) (archive site)
  
  If you saw "The Verge" and guessed they were screeching inanely about the Trump administration, you can collect your Kewpie doll in aisle five, next to the mayonnaise.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (221) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Night "Club ONT" August 16, 2025 [The 3 Ds]

Club ONT Recognizes Establishments of Similar Caliber

Welcome to Club ONT! A collaboration of your Sunday through Wednesday Thursday ONT Crew - The Disco, The Doggo, and The Dino. Your membership application has been approved (with only mild sighing and minimal regret). The secret phrase/password this week is: You'll get used to it.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (260) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The CBDLESS Music Thread

Those were the days. Although this store is much larger than the two original record stores Pipe Dreams and Beggar's Tune in my old hometown. Then a big one moved in called The Exclusive Company. All gone.

Or were you a member of the Columbia Record Club? I joined once to get a number of LPS for cheap and then regretted it. Why? The selection sucked and the prices did as well.

Good evening Music Thread Fans. There is no truth to the rumor that CBD is attending a Nina Hagen concert this evening.

In our last conversation he said something about maple syrup, French Toast, nutmeg and a fifth of Drambuie. You go and figure that out........

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 07:30 PM | Comments (270) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hobby Thread - August 16, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. Good news! The Ace of Spades Wheel of HobbiesTM) is back in service. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and it landed on small scale restorations.

I have faith that you can either find something in the content that resonates or contribute your own hobbying interests.

You might be tempted to say "I have no hobbies or interests." Bah. Dig around in the content and soak in the comments. Be curious. Glad you're here.

[Top photo: Totality over Texas (oils on a 12x24 inch cotton canvas)- tankascribe]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (143) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, August 16

Courtesy Misanthropic Humanitarian

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Wanna help your dog dress for success at that big party?

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Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

Posted by: K.T. at 03:28 PM | Comments (61) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Aug. 16

It's so hot. Let's start out today with some cool-looking flowers:

The high heat and humidity here in the mid-Atlantic have taken a toll on the flowers, but these Limelight hydrangeas are doing well!

The Pilot

That's a refreshing color!

Posted by: K.T. at 01:29 PM | Comments (46) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Thinking in new ways, or maybe letting a machine do your thinking

"Grok make me a plate of Cheetos in the style of the Dutch Masters."

We are about to start building small nuclear plants all over the country so anyone who wants to can make more of this "art"

- Walter Kirn

For decades, we have been hearing from advocates of "green energy" that nuclear plants cannot be considered as a replacement for fossil fuels to provide energy for homes and businesses. I haven't seen this argument used much against the proposals to build small nuclear plants to power Artificial Intelligence capacities. Where are the campaigns to cover the countryside with solar panels or windmills to power AI?

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Posted by: K.T. at 11:02 AM | Comments (195) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Classical Saturday Coffee Break & Prayer Revival

Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in Little Suamico)

1. This is an open thread, feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2. Be kind, be nice. Even trolls and certain weirdos have feelings.
3. No. Don't. Even. Ask. No running with sharp objects.
4. Have a great weekend!

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 07:28 AM | Comments (377) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 16 August 2025

Top Story

• GPT-5 is getting warmer and friendlier. (The Verge)
  
  Not better, mind you. Indeed. they seem to have rather embraced the shambles of a rollout.
  
  But what can you do except not use it which I already am doing. Or not doing, depending on how that works.
  
  
  
• How to avoid your AI therapy driving you crazy. (WCCFTech)
  
  You know, there seems to be a theme here.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (136) | Trackbacks (Suck)

A Man, A Plan, A Canal, ONT!

Welcome to Friday. Here's a quick peek at what it's like gathering content for Friday's ONT.

Posted by: WeirdDave at 09:58 PM | Comments (441) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Finally Friday Cafe

Route 66, Monument Valley, AZ

Cats are opposed to the surveillance state.

Ah, it's finally Friday. What a week.

Dog is my copilot.

Dogs help their master.

Rosie O'Donnell said The View is cancelled?!?!

A coyote was separated from his pack so he made friends with the neighborhood dogs. That's not a great situation for a coyote so they brought him to a refuge and gave him a friend.

Rescuing and rehabbing an injured owl.

A dog helps a sloth named Chuey heal up after being electrified by a power line.

Bear cub takes a dip in your hot tub.

Poppy the baby pygmy hippo goes for her first swim.

Solving the most perplexing mystery in history: What football game were they watching in Die Hard?

Guitar and parrot perform "Sultans of Swing."

Goat knows how to entice a lady.

Mild violence caution on this clip from Steve Inman: A goat shows that he's no fan of influencers or selfies. Ask permission before you photograph someone else for your stupid TikTok feed!

This guy has filled his house with secret doors and secret rooms. He's either young at heart, or a serial killer.

Flipping each other off.

A new dog moved in next door.

Posted by: Ace at 07:30 PM | Comments (285) | Trackbacks (Suck)