August 24, 2026
Mid-Morning Art Thread
Konstantin Yuon I can't get past the reality of this artist...he embraced the revolution and communism, and was part of the official art of the Soviet Union. Whether that was out of necessity or belief is irrelevant. Too many artists fought against it to allow this man any leeway.
Konstantin Yuon I can't get past the reality of this artist...he embraced the revolution and communism, and was part of the official art of the Soviet Union. Whether that was out of necessity or belief is irrelevant. Too many artists fought against it to allow this man any leeway.
Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (288) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Morning Report — 8/ 24 /26
God bless Nick Shirley and anyone and everyone like him, like James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles of Project Veritas, for they are the real journalists and patriots exposing the grift and graft that are robbing the taxpayer and treasury blind while empowering scum like Newsom and funding his and his allies to the tune of billions as they work to enrich themselves while enslaving America and destroying the very foundations of our republic. It is the legacy "mainstream media" whose goal is to perpetuate the myths and lies of Newsom et al, as a de facto Leftist/Globalist ministry of propaganda, in service to our destruction. Trust in them has absolutely cratered year after year over the past decade. When the editorial boards of the NY Times and Washington Post along with CNN and MSNOW(NSDAP) finally go dark, the incandescent light of truth shall be a sight for sore eyes, and that is a light that has been lit by Nick Shirley, and long may it shine, Amen! In a not necessarily unrelated item we have this bit of good news:
Have a good day,
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California’s controversial “Stop Nick Shirley Act” into law Saturday, which critics say will suppress investigative journalism in the state.
Newsom, however, won’t be around to officially field any First Amendment court challenges of Assembly Bill 2624. The law does not take effect until October 1, 2027, nearly ten months after the northern California Democrat has left office because of term limits. The bill expands the state’s “Safe at Home” program to employees of nonprofits that purportedly help people navigating the U.S. immigration system.
What that could mean, critics say, is investigative reporters are banned from seeking to interview workers whose organizations are suspected of fraud. Mia Bonta, the Almeda Democrat who introduced the bill back in February has rejected that interpretations, saying the law does not conflate legitimate journalism with the doxxing targeted by Safe at Home, the California Post reported. . .
. . . Critics, like Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio from San Diego have countered that the measure is simply meant to intimidate people “trying to shine light on bad behavior.” DeMaio coined the nicknamed the law the “Stop Nick Shirley Act.”
. . . Shirley, an independent journalist and YouTuber, has made viral videos following immigrant workers and accusing them of fraud, particularly incidences involving day nonprofits in the Somali community in metropolitan Minneapolis. . .
The young journalist has criticized AB 2624, alleging it was created only after he “exposed widespread fraud in immigrant communities” in California and Minnesota.
God bless Nick Shirley and anyone and everyone like him, like James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles of Project Veritas, for they are the real journalists and patriots exposing the grift and graft that are robbing the taxpayer and treasury blind while empowering scum like Newsom and funding his and his allies to the tune of billions as they work to enrich themselves while enslaving America and destroying the very foundations of our republic. It is the legacy "mainstream media" whose goal is to perpetuate the myths and lies of Newsom et al, as a de facto Leftist/Globalist ministry of propaganda, in service to our destruction. Trust in them has absolutely cratered year after year over the past decade. When the editorial boards of the NY Times and Washington Post along with CNN and MSNOW(NSDAP) finally go dark, the incandescent light of truth shall be a sight for sore eyes, and that is a light that has been lit by Nick Shirley, and long may it shine, Amen! In a not necessarily unrelated item we have this bit of good news:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment dropped by more than 13 percent in just one year. . . This reduction follows the introduction of stricter requirements. Under new federal rules, adults aged between 55 and 64 and parents of children aged between 14 and 17 must now meet work, volunteer, or education requirements in order to qualify for the food stamps program. Specifically, new data released this week revealed that enrollment fell from 42.2 million in May 2025 to 36.6 million in May this year, much faster than anticipated . . . . . The rapid decline in SNAP enrollment suggests that the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and fraud crackdown are achieving their aim of reducing welfare reliance. Waste, fraud, and abuse have become significant problems costing the government immense sums of money. In one high-profile case, reported back in March, a Haitian man admitted to $7.6 million in SNAP fraud committed through his retail store in Boston, Massachusetts. Another bust earlier this year implicated more than 20 retailers in Ohio. In Minnesota, a woman admitted to over $300,000 in SNAP fraud through illegally obtained Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.This is certainly not necessarily Nick Shirley's doing but no doubt the shining of the light certainly makes the efforts of President Trump, Musk and DOGE that much more effective and popular, at least among real actual Americans and Taxpayers. An ever expanding welfare state and concomitant loss of freedom and liberty via dependency by more and more citizens (and perhaps an equal or even greater number of non-citizens and amnetized migrants/immigrants as exposed by Nick Shirley in Minnesota, California and elsewhere) is how the Democrat/Left gains and expands its power.
In conclusion, while the causes of the MAGA and DSA populist movements are similar, thus allowing for rare and specific instances of agreement, the overarching differences between their agendas are as stark and irreconcilable as their respective views of America and the power of its government. A reformist MAGA seeks to “drain the swamp” to “make America great again.” A radical DSA seeks to empower government to “flood the zone” to create a socialist hellscape. And a frustrated electorate just wants practical results that work for them. Students of history know of the failures and horrors of socialism. But they also know that in trying times, the temptation to trade freedom for “free stuff” can be powerful. And that the DSA is banking on it.While certain elements of the establishment Democrat Party are trying to distance themselves from the DSA, others are riding the back of the Tiger thinking they can go all the way to power and immortality, or be eaten last. Perhaps this is Newsom's logic as he is or at least was a major, if not "THE" contender to beat for the 2028 presidential nomination. I guess, we'll just have to wait and see. Speaking of Democrat Socialites, once again our blackened eyes are turned to Michiganistan...
PETA knows how to find a villain. When Kristi Noem, then South Dakota governor and later a member of the Trump administration, revealed in 2024 that she had shot her 14-month-old dog Cricket, PETA went straight for her throat. The group said Americans would consider Noem a "psychotic loony." It later sold a Halloween costume depicting Noem as a "Puppy Killer."Well, once President/Mullah El-Sayed starts euthanizing Jews there will be no criticism since per Newsom's law along with the Koran, that will be illegal and get one arrested, "inshallah!" Gevalt.
Nobody had to search for PETA's position. Subtlety had left the building.
Then came Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, Michigan's Democrat nominee for the Senate.
El-Sayed oversaw Detroit Animal Control for about 16 months while serving as Detroit health director. He was reported to have had more than 4,000 dogs and cats euthanized during his tenure, although the number during his actual period of oversight appears to have been closer to 1,900. . . . . . But principles aren't worth much when their volume changes depending on whose name is attached to the controversy.
Kristi Noem got "psychotic and loony." Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed got a lecture about breeders.
People can decide for themselves whether politics had anything to do with it. PETA made sure they have plenty of evidence to consider.
Have a good day,
Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:15 AM | Comments (393) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 24 August 2026
Top Story
- The that guy who thought it would be a fine jape to hand Border Patrol a "duress password" making his phone wipe itself rather than unlocking is facing felony charges. (Law Commentary)
His lawyers say that the CBP were unconstitutionally using their clients past criminality as a pretext to search for his present criminality. Uh, not admitting that either of those occurred.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:35 AM | Comments (112) | Trackbacks (Suck)
August 23, 2026
Sunday Overnight Open Thread - August 23, 2026 [Doof]
Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (391) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gun Thread: Next To Last August Edition!
Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (228) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Food Thread: Oyster? I hardly Know Her!
Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (237) | Trackbacks (Suck)
First World Problems...
Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (150) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The NeoCon Wet-Dream For Iran Is "Boots On The Ground."
Hell No! There Is A Better Way!
Increased domestic production has contributed to the dampening of oil price shocks, and Venezuela's reentry into the global petroleum market has improved supplies. Rerouted shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz has decreased Iran's ability to threaten shipping. They simply can't reach far enough to hit the southern portion of the strait. And degraded Iranian military options because of a consistent and successful campaign to destroy their offensive capacity has decreased the probability of a successful strike on shipping or infrastructure. Traffic in Strait of Hormuz skyrockets nearly 400%, as analysts say Iran's grip on critical waterway weakens
That's a good start, and probably an underestimate of the total volume. Because the world has other options, Iran's power over world commerce has decreased, and will continue to decrease until the Strait of Hormuz is simply not important. Add the economic sanctions being applied to Iran by our government, ably administered by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and we have a rational plan to destroy the 47-year-old dictatorship that has been the world's foremost supporter of militant Islam and its terror attacks. Of course Russia and China are working to subvert our efforts, by supplying arms, and in China's case by buying Iranian oil. But there just isn't enough being smuggled to them to make a dent in Iran's desperate need for cold hard cash! It will take a long while, and there will be spasms of violence and destruction, but the arc of Iran's control over the Strait, and Iran's ability to pursue nuclear weapons is sinking. All we need to do is stay the course, and don't declare a premature victory. That might be the toughest part of this whole effort! And yes, I am referring to President Trump and his deals!
Hell No! There Is A Better Way!
I have been consistent in my denunciation of the tired and discredited idea that American boots on the ground is a reasonable response to Iran's 47 year war against the West, in particular America and Israel.
Would it work? Probably, especially if it was run by war-fighting generals with a healthy disdain for our previous rules of engagement. A systematic campaign to destroy the IRGC, the Mullahs, and any Iranian armed forces that oppose the operation would be at least moderately successful. But we would lose men, and it just isn't worth it. If the Iranian people want freedom from the Mullahcracy, they can fight for it themselves, with offshore assistance from us (and the Israelis). Will they die. Yes, in large numbers, but it is their country, and our responsibility ends with ending Iran's chokehold on 20% of the world's petroleum, and its obsessive drive to acquire and use nuclear weapons. That is why we are there. Not the freedom of the Iranian people, no matter how noble a goal it might be. But it is entirely possible that we will drive the Mullahcracy to ground without having to resort to military efforts beyond the occasional swatting of their anti-ship capacity. The global demand for petroleum has shrunk slightly, in part in response to the war, in part in response to Europe's insanity with respect to oil, and in part because of President Trump's focus on China's predatory trade policies.Increased domestic production has contributed to the dampening of oil price shocks, and Venezuela's reentry into the global petroleum market has improved supplies. Rerouted shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz has decreased Iran's ability to threaten shipping. They simply can't reach far enough to hit the southern portion of the strait. And degraded Iranian military options because of a consistent and successful campaign to destroy their offensive capacity has decreased the probability of a successful strike on shipping or infrastructure. Traffic in Strait of Hormuz skyrockets nearly 400%, as analysts say Iran's grip on critical waterway weakens
Iran appears to be losing its grip on the Strait of Hormuz while traffic through the critical waterway has exploded by nearly 400% over the last two weeks — as ships increasingly use a US-backed corridor to cross. Nearly 200 ships navigated the strait last week, up from 150 the previous week and just 40 two weeks earlier, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center. The surge brings total traffic along the passage route to about 20% of pre-war levels, through which roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil flowed in peacetime.
That's a good start, and probably an underestimate of the total volume. Because the world has other options, Iran's power over world commerce has decreased, and will continue to decrease until the Strait of Hormuz is simply not important. Add the economic sanctions being applied to Iran by our government, ably administered by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and we have a rational plan to destroy the 47-year-old dictatorship that has been the world's foremost supporter of militant Islam and its terror attacks. Of course Russia and China are working to subvert our efforts, by supplying arms, and in China's case by buying Iranian oil. But there just isn't enough being smuggled to them to make a dent in Iran's desperate need for cold hard cash! It will take a long while, and there will be spasms of violence and destruction, but the arc of Iran's control over the Strait, and Iran's ability to pursue nuclear weapons is sinking. All we need to do is stay the course, and don't declare a premature victory. That might be the toughest part of this whole effort! And yes, I am referring to President Trump and his deals!
Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (231) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 8-23-2026 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
(HT: Hour of the Wolf)
(HT: Hour of the Wolf)
Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (not for the squeamish!). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...(they grow faster than you do!)
So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?
Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (229) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 23 August 2026
Top Story
- Never send a Link to do a Zelda's work: The LINK mission intended to boost the Swift Observatory into a higher orbit has itself spun out of control, leaving Swift to burn down, fall over, and sink into the swamp, by which we mean disintegrate upon re-entry and any surviving fragments fall harmlessly into the ocean and Canberra. (CNN)
The loss is lessened slightly, perhaps, by the fact that Swift was launched with a planned operational lifetime of two years... In 2004.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (241) | Trackbacks (Suck)
August 22, 2026
Saturday Night Club ONT - August 22, 2026 [Disco & Dino]
Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:16 PM | Comments (522) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Hobby Thread - August 22, 2026 [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. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling lucky and decided on a radio control theme for this Hobby Thread.
A what? A radio control hobby theme?Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (255) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Ace of Spades Pet Thread, August 22
Courtesy BifBewalski* * *
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.
* * *
Courtesy BifBewalski
Posted by: K.T. at 03:34 PM | Comments (65) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Aug. 22
Katy, shalom, I'd like to pass on some photos from the spring and early summer, before they become ancient history. They're already outdated, I know. Kept delaying in the hope of coming up with a killer photo.Starting with white and pink amaryllis.
Posted by: K.T. at 01:41 PM | Comments (38) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Mascots of The Anointed - This Story Isn't Going Away
Last week we discussed events around the downfall of Jason Arday, a Mascot of The Anointed (to borrow an idea from Thomas Sowell). Why does this story continue to grow beyond the former Cambridge professor? Excerpts from an interesting essay for your weekend, from before Arday's death:
". . .even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky" (From: Musee des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden)
It's over for Professor Jason Arday. The final shiv - et tu, Brute? - coming, somewhat surprisingly, by way of this excellent piece of reporting by Lanre Bakara in The Guardian. The article's last paragraph or, to use the literary term of art, 'the kicker', is a doozy:In a recent interview to promote the memoir, Arday spoke about feeling like Icarus when he came under scrutiny after joining Cambridge. "I always wanted to be a person who flew close to the sun," he said. "But sometimes I wonder: did I fly too close?"
Posted by: K.T. at 11:31 AM | Comments (183) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival 
*****
Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival there are just a few housekeeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in Cold Spring)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind, be nice. Enjoy our sanctuary.
3) No running with sharp objects.
4) Have a great weekend!*****
2) Be kind, be nice. Enjoy our sanctuary.
3) No running with sharp objects.
4) Have a great weekend!
Posted by: Open Blogger at 08:00 AM | Comments (256) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 22 August 2026
Top Story
- All the news is stupid.
- AI use boosts the quality of students' homework - and then craters their exam scores. (Economist) (archive site)
Who knew?
- Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 is a smut machine. (Tech Crunch)
The whole article is about users deliberately jail-breaking Claude Opus 4.6, an older version of that particular LLM, to use it to write porn. And blames Anthropic for it.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (165) | Trackbacks (Suck)
August 21, 2026
We Are Gathered Here Together To ONT
Evening everyone! Welcome to the ONT!
Posted by: WeirdDave at 10:00 PM | Comments (388) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Touchy Cats Cafe
Knaresborough, on the River Nidd, North Yorkshire
by @DaveZphoto
Knaresborough, on the River Nidd, North Yorkshire
by @DaveZphoto
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:10 PM | Comments (222) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Week In Woke
You will be made to celebrate the human feces, Racist:
New: Supreme Court okays Trump's reconstruction of the White House ballroom.
From ABC7:Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's $400 million ballroom project for now. Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday allowing work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. Lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval. That ruling was set to take effect on Friday. Roberts signed the order because he oversees appeals of Washington-based cases.More businesses -- this time, corporate coffee giant Starbucks -- flee Seattle's incompetent wallflower dishrag socialist femcel.
'Where's the bottom': Economics professor addresses Seattle area's shrinking job marketObama and Biden got rid of any standards for disability payments and so took millions of frauds, fakers, and layabouts out of the theoretical labor market. So that 4.9% is higher than it looks.
Starbucks layoffs come as King County grapples with an unemployment rate of approximately 4.9%.
Layoffs at Starbucks' Seattle headquarters is the latest sign of continuing job losses in western Washington. Other major employers, including Amazon, Microsoft, META and Expedia have announced hundreds of local job cuts in recent months. The cuts come as King County saw its unemployment rate dip to nearly 5% in June. Seattle University associate professor of economics Nick Huntington-Klein said the area is seeing a "sustained issue," with big companies doing sweeping cuts at the same time. There are several factors at play, he said. These companies cite AI as the potential to replace some employees. There was also over-hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, higher taxes in Washington state and Seattle specifically has been a reason for reductions in force or for some companies to relocate.Oh, I thought you were going to completely omit that important factor but you did acknowledge it, "finally," as a minor contributor.
Citizens are attempting to recall the femcel socialist mayor over her complete refusal to stop violent drug-gangwars taking place in residential neighborhoods.
"So we're seeing a number of reductions in force across a lot of these different companies that are all sort of concentrated in these similar sectors, information technology being a big one," he said. Starbucks is filing another WARN notice Thursday covering 104 support roles and 120 employees who declined moves to Nashville, a company spokesperson told KING 5. The layoffs are the final piece of the global restructuring the company announced earlier this year. "Starbucks itself not really a tech company, but we're seeing similar kinds of jobs leaving the area or disappearing altogether," he said.
Jacobson and Osterud argue that the mayor's mishandling of public safety issues meets the legal standard and provides sufficient grounds to remove her from office. The recall petition states that a five-hour delay to hold a press conference after the Bite of Seattle food festival shooting on July 26 that killed three, continuing crime on North Aurora Avenue and in the Chinatown/International District, and a decision to turn off surveillance cameras after the World Cup, all point to the mayor's failures. If the judge were to accept the petition as valid, the couple would have 90 days to gather 69,000 valid signatures to hold a recall. Jacobson says she had been gratified to see online support in favor of the petition, "Right now, there's a strong sentiment that the mayor should be recalled," she said. "But it's in the hands of the judge."LOL: Google has different advice for Muslims and Christians when it comes to being alone with a goat. IMPORTANT: inclusive diverse puppetry. White Hispanic Alert. There is a lot of evidence posted on social media showing police falsely claiming that clearly-black suspects and arrestees are "white." Two-tiered justice:
NotKennyRogersWell it's simple: The guy who shot four people is black and the Regime has decided we need "equity" in prisons and it doesn't matter that blacks commit crimes at six or seven or eight times the rate of everyone else, we're going to achieve Equality in Sentencing and sentence white grandmas to draconian sentences (for protesting) and black gunmen and attempted murderers to house arrest.
@NotKennyRogers 17h I need more clarity as to why the guy on the left was just sentenced to 4 years of house arrest after shooting 4 people in a bar at Indiana University in 2022 while the grandma on the right was sentenced to two years in prison for praying outside of an abortion clinic in 2020.
FischerKing
@FischerKing64 14h NPR ran a surprisingly good takedown of Jason Arday, pointing out he was a fabulist. A story I hadn't heard: He claimed he had been confronted by a masked man in his Cambridge office and ordered to resign or be killed. Cambridge then installed security cameras and a panic button to protect him. He then again claimed someone came at him with a knife, and demanded he resign as part of a racist attack on him. But strangely this wasn't on the security cameras installed to protect him. He also claimed at one point he ran '600 miles in 6 days,' but he retracted that claim when he was confronted with the math.
You will be made to celebrate the human feces, Racist:
I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸
@ImMeme0 21h Woman in NYC faces online backlash for wearing flip-flops after saying she stepped in human feces on the sidewalk and now wants to leave the city. What kind of upside-down world are we in where open defecation on the streets draws a shrug, but the woman who steps in it and dares to complain becomes the villain?
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:00 PM | Comments (189) | Trackbacks (Suck)
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