Donkey Brains Cafe

The Moosa Lisa
by Will Huff

Goose shares with his fish friends.

Dog really treads that water.

Baby elephant's first bath is kind of a mess.

Dude just got accepted to Hogwart's.

Baby girl plays with fawn.

Sometimes a grizzly just wants to hang out.

Dog brings his mistress a special gift every time she's in the bathtub.

I'm going to name my band Ghost Wolf. I'm sure that's never been taken.

Wienerdog: If they call me a "wiener," why then, gosh darn it, I'm going to act like a wiener!

I thought he had eaten the hat.. 😅 https://t.co/Wyy3mHg12N
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) October 19, 2026

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Top...20?

Posted by: man at October 21, 2026 07:30 PM (pfXMo)

2 Nooded, by the grace of G*d.

Posted by: Nazdar at October 21, 2026 07:32 PM (NcvvS)

3 Hey, babe, how you doin'?

Posted by: The Moose Out Front at October 21, 2026 07:32 PM (raF1/)

4 And good night, Horde - been a long, long day.

Posted by: Nazdar at October 21, 2026 07:33 PM (NcvvS)

5 The owls are not what they seem.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at October 21, 2026 07:36 PM (zYpTz)

6 And good night, Horde - been a long, long day."

G'day...

Oh. Made offhand comment about a certain type of firearm earlier today... and just got an advert for - the same...

Bizzare, no?

Posted by: man at October 21, 2026 07:37 PM (pfXMo)

7 Reports that Tucker blew a penguin have been discredited after it was revealed that he actually prefers sucking penguin ass.

Posted by: Penguin Facts at October 21, 2026 07:38 PM (MWfyi)

8 Good evening everyone
Had no idea it was this late, got home late so evening flew by

Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:38 PM (Ia/+0)

9 I had the day off, and what did I do? Something fun? Nope - but all the wood flooring is cleaner than it has been since we moved in a couple years ago. And dinner is slowly finishing in the oven. Time to pour a glass of wine.

Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 07:39 PM (mXZsC)

10 A moose with a look like that on it's face only has one thing in mind.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 07:40 PM (MWfyi)

11 PabloD, Cheers!

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 07:40 PM (ua/lL)

12 A moose with a look like that on it's face only has one thing in mind.
Posted by: fd

Biting one's sister?

Posted by: weft cut-loop at October 21, 2026 07:41 PM (nEUC6)

13
Imagine taking a bath in elephant bathwater.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at October 21, 2026 07:41 PM (mmrXZ)

14 Evenin’, All.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:41 PM (77rzZ)

15 Hi, Ben Had.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:42 PM (77rzZ)

16 Bulg, good evening.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 07:42 PM (ua/lL)

17
Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 07:39 PM (mXZsC)

================

Sounds nice!

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at October 21, 2026 07:42 PM (mmrXZ)

18 Was looking to get translation for the Russian, but guess it was a electric bill

Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:43 PM (Ia/+0)

19 6 Oh. Made offhand comment about a certain type of firearm earlier today... and just got an advert for - the same...

Bizzare, no?

Your phone is spying on you. And your TV, and your refrigerator, your toaster and God knows what all else.

Posted by: Delurker at October 21, 2026 07:43 PM (2Drhq)

20 Moosa Lisa or Taylor Lorenz?

Posted by: Anna Puma at October 21, 2026 07:43 PM (2GVsD)

21 Donkey Brains is a Frank from Sunny insult. He has a certificate from a mental institution that avers he does not have donkey brains.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 07:43 PM (l26NL)

22 Wiener by name, wiener by nature.

(He didn't even touch the first couple of cones, I think maybe it is...)

Posted by: bob (moron inbobnitus) at October 21, 2026 07:44 PM (6FR1E)

23 Your phone is spying on you. And your TV, and your refrigerator, your toaster and God knows what all else.

the washer and dryer know if you use enough detergent and fabric softener.

Posted by: Anna Puma at October 21, 2026 07:44 PM (2GVsD)

24 5 Hi, Dash.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:44 PM (77rzZ)

25 Hi, Bulg!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at October 21, 2026 07:45 PM (zYpTz)

26
The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra has ceased operations. Artistic types say Trump, MAGA, the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 and every American are to blame. Can't be that their model has broken down completely. If you're not showering musicians with subsidies, awards and prizes, then you obviously hate art and likely a Nazi.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 07:46 PM (eRlcH)

27 We went to the farm today and on the game cams we caught deer, hogs, turkey, deer, armadillos, possums, coyotes, an 8 point buck, some more deer, and a bobcat. No otters though. I've got one cam pointed at what I think is a den in the creek bank but after a couple of weeks maybe not.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 07:46 PM (MWfyi)

28 If anybody needs translation from Russian, I’m here.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:46 PM (77rzZ)

29 That'll do donkey.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 21, 2026 07:46 PM (viF8m)

30 9 I had the day off, and what did I do? Something fun? Nope - but all the wood flooring is cleaner than it has been since we moved in a couple years ago. And dinner is slowly finishing in the oven. Time to pour a glass of wine.
Posted by: PabloD

Norwegian Wood, hopefully.

Posted by: Art Thread Addict at October 21, 2026 07:47 PM (EdP2u)

31 The hat was purchased at the pro shop at Bushwood.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 21, 2026 07:48 PM (r2Icn)

32
Well well, Ilhan did an interview today with Chris Hayes.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at October 21, 2026 07:49 PM (mmrXZ)

33 7 Reports that Tucker blew a penguin have been discredited after it was revealed that he actually prefers sucking penguin ass.

I mean, I'm reading this stuff and I'm like wha-wha...like, where do they get this stuff? Seriously, I find it so bizarre. I mean, I blow penguins. Of course I do. I've always blown penguins. I've blown penguins all my life. I mean, you can ask anybody who knows me and they'll tell you-I blow penguins. I'm not particularly proud of blowing penguins. But I blow penguins. It's just something that I do, something that I've always done. The only source I can think of that would spread this kind of misinformation, that I don't blow penguins, would be that it's coming from Israel. I mean, think about it. It's the only thing that even makes sense.

Posted by: T'qar Qatarlson at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (2Drhq)

34 Since I've been gone all day I'm gonna need a quick recap.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (MWfyi)

35 If the republican gov candidate in MN can withstand the cheat (big if), on day one she should drop that new Somali-adjacent state flag. It is an abomination.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (l26NL)

36 Is that top pic The Moose Out Front?

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (77rzZ)

37 blame. Can't be that their model has broken down completely. If you're not showering musicians with subsidies, awards and prizes, then you obviously hate art and likely a Nazi.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh

The Hooterville Volunteer Fire Dept. Band never required a grant or subsidy. Just lovers of music getting together in community spirit.

Posted by: Newt Kiley and Floyd Smoot at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (EdP2u)

38 My cat Penny is snoring over on the futon in my office.

She's loud enough I can hear her over my music....

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (FZ29D)

39 I thought in high school, then in USAF learning Russian would be helpful. Didn't even try, but reading Russian history today sure wish I had 50 years ago

Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:51 PM (Ia/+0)

40 Since I've been gone all day I'm gonna need a quick recap.
Posted by: fd

People did things and shit is messed up just like yesterday.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 21, 2026 07:51 PM (r2Icn)

41 The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra has ceased operations"

Well....bye.

Posted by: man at October 21, 2026 07:52 PM (pfXMo)

42 You think you are watching TV but no-tv is watching you, put some clothes on it's recording you.

Posted by: Case at October 21, 2026 07:53 PM (Dd7BU)

43 People did things and shit is messed up just like yesterday."

Tomorrow, too.

Posted by: man at October 21, 2026 07:53 PM (pfXMo)

44 Fraud Rule 101:
Convicted of fraud against US
Nothing
Forever
No prison not jail no SS
AMF

Posted by: r hennigantx at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM (/+uur)

45 >>> 35 If the republican gov candidate in MN can withstand the cheat (big if), on day one she should drop that new Somali-adjacent state flag. It is an abomination.
Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (l26NL)

Burn as many as they can gather, in the middle of the busiest intersection in Minnedishu.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM (jb8Ss)

46 The bad news: When a penguin show up, it won't be with a letter in its beak.

The good news: It won't show up on your second story window sill, so at least that won't be overwhelmed with mephitic deposits.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM (0sNs1)

47 My Toaster has Starlink, blender, too.

Posted by: Osterizer Otto at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM (EdP2u)

48 39 Skip, I can teach you Russian, at least the basics. I did it at DLI.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM (77rzZ)

49 Since I've been gone all day I'm gonna need a quick recap.
Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM (MWfyi)

People are both retarded and evil.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM (zZu0s)

50 I thought in high school, then in USAF learning Russian would be helpful. Didn't even try, but reading Russian history today sure wish I had 50 years ago
Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:51 PM (Ia/+0)
---
I studied German. I have German ancestors, but I figured if the Cold War got hot, German speakers might be useful.

And it was! I deployed to Germany 3 times. I'd hoped to do a stat tour there, but then covid ruined everything.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 07:55 PM (ZOv7s)

51 Goose shares with his fish friends.]

Duck, Duck, GOOSED.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 07:55 PM (l3cgK)

52 So EA did cancel Mass Effect. What they had done must have been a dumpster fire.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 07:56 PM (zZu0s)

53 You think you are watching TV but no-tv is watching you, put some clothes on it's recording you.
Posted by: Case at October 21, 2026 07:53 PM (Dd7BU)
---
I had a friend who served in the infantry and I asked him about his laptop spying on him and his response was "Oh, I WANT them to be watching. They're the ones who are going to regret it, not me!"

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 07:56 PM (ZOv7s)

54 They had been working on it a couple years.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 07:56 PM (zZu0s)

55 Learning other languages when your young is fairly easy, older not easy

Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:57 PM (Ia/+0)

56 26 Artistic types say Trump, MAGA, the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 and every American are to blame.

Don't blame me, I've never even been to Phoenix.

Posted by: Delurker at October 21, 2026 07:57 PM (2Drhq)

57 I changed my PC browser home page to Italian.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 07:58 PM (ua/lL)

58 I tried, twice, to learn Russian in college, but it never stuck. I did Duolingo a few years ago and picked up some, but it's been a while since I practiced. I do remember how to count to 10, order a beer, and tell you to go fvck yourself. That should probably carry me through most situations.

Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (mXZsC)

59
Well, the task of making arrangements to put my mother in the ground are complete. There's a big hole around here with her departure, and it will take some time to adjust to it -- a big part of our lives was about her and her care for the past couple of years.

She outlived just about all of her generation contemporaries, and a more than a few of the level below her. She was the last of my parents generation in the family. So, a big chapter around here has closed.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (w6EFb)

60 Hey, A. H. Lloyd.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (77rzZ)

61 Dog really treads that water.

Sounds like a train...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:00 PM (l3cgK)

62 Owls are not real.

Posted by: toby928(c) at October 21, 2026 08:00 PM (FbiR5)

63 "Learning other languages when your young is fairly easy, older not easy
Posted by: Skip "

Yo *&$ *!%"#!

Posted by: Six year old that shot his teacher at October 21, 2026 08:00 PM (MWfyi)

64 Since I've been gone all day I'm gonna need a quick recap.
Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 07:50 PM

Some people may have done some things.
Mistakes may have been made.
If so, they were done in the enthusiasm of the moment, however Ace is still disappointed.
Old news.
What difference, at this point does it make?
Time to #BeBetter.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 21, 2026 08:01 PM (0sNs1)

65 publius, no words can assuage your loss but you and Miley were her Angels.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 08:01 PM (ua/lL)

66 55 Learning other languages when your young is fairly easy, older not easy

Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:57 PM (Ia/+0)

A niece was raised hearing both English and Spanish...I remember when she was three, talking in one language and mid sentence switching to the other...and it worked; I understood what she was trying to get across.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:01 PM (l3cgK)

67 58 PabloD, I could teach you Russian.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:02 PM (77rzZ)

68 57 I changed my PC browser home page to Italian.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 07:58 PM (ua/lL)

Google changed my language to Chinese...now I have no idea what my search results tell me...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:02 PM (l3cgK)

69 26 Artistic types say Trump, MAGA, the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 and every American are to blame.

Don't blame me, I've never even been to Phoenix.

When I hear The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra has ceased operations and the artistic types are bitching... I unlock my Browning!

Posted by: MAGA Joe at October 21, 2026 08:02 PM (8EQTH)

70 Fraud Rule 101:
Convicted of fraud against US
Nothing
Forever
No prison not jail no SS
AMF
Posted by: r hennigantx at October 21, 2026 07:54 PM

Worst haiku ever.

Posted by: toby928(c) at October 21, 2026 08:02 PM (FbiR5)

71 Speaking of animals...
Just back from persuing the wiley wapiti. The wapiti win again.

Posted by: Diogenes at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM (2WIwB)

72 I learned Italian in my 20s. My old Italian grandmother wanted some of her many grandkids to learn. It's an easy language to learn.

I'm jealous of those who learned another language really young and are fully bilingual. The popular young right-wing podcaster and journalist Angela Rose spent a good part of her youth in her mother's native Peru and speaks perfect Spanish. Kai Trump's BFF, the popular influencer Emma Markin, is Costa Rican-American and spent a lot of her youth there and is fully bilingual.

Posted by: Delurker at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM (2Drhq)

73 Hey, A. H. Lloyd.
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (77rzZ)
---
Hello!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM (ZOv7s)

74 Now my cat Chloe is investigating the boxes I have scattered in my office. She can't quite decide if she's a box kitty or not.

Penny and Hexie are most definitely box kitties.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM (FZ29D)

75 Russian is a surprisingly easy language for English speakers to learn.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:04 PM (77rzZ)

76 58 I tried, twice, to learn Russian in college, but it never stuck. I did Duolingo a few years ago and picked up some, but it's been a while since I practiced. I do remember how to count to 10, order a beer, and tell you to go fvck yourself. That should probably carry me through most situations.

Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (mXZsC)

Russian Police:"You're under arrest".
PabloD: "I'd like a beer."
Russian Police: "I'm sure you would, but you're under arrest."
PabloD: "Go F*ck youself"
...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:04 PM (l3cgK)

77 I'm jealous of those who learned another language really young and are fully bilingual. The popular young right-wing podcaster and journalist Angela Rose spent a good part of her youth in her mother's native Peru and speaks perfect Spanish. Kai Trump's BFF, the popular influencer Emma Markin, is Costa Rican-American and spent a lot of her youth there and is fully bilingual.
Posted by: Delurker at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM (2Drhq)
---
I had some friends in high school who spoke FOUR languages fluently: English, German, Hebrew, and Russian.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 21, 2026 08:04 PM (FZ29D)

78 Swan's no dummy, feeding fish means more fish, means easy prey. yum.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 21, 2026 08:05 PM (vOxCS)

79 I'm sorry to hear that, Publius. It sounds like she had a full life and was ready to rest. My condolences.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:05 PM (MWfyi)

80 Learning other languages when your young is fairly easy, older not easy
Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 07:57 PM (Ia/+0)
---
If I could get my German back to what it was in college, tht would be splendid. I think I can - when I was in Germany it started to come back to me, especially when I was drinking. Hmmm.

A language app that works only when you are drunk!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:06 PM (ZOv7s)

81 >>>Dog really treads that water.

Except his hind legs are on the river bottom.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at October 21, 2026 08:06 PM (syz1S)

82 Virginia man Terry Ward stands accused of tying his wife to a chair and leaving her restrained in the basement of their home while he watched football upstairs.

The incident occurred on October 11. The two teams playing that night were the Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons, a game the Ravens won 30-23 in overtime.

Richmond Police say they received a call around 11:30 p.m. for a reported domestic disturbance.

Upon arrival, they spoke with an adult woman, who identified herself as Ward’s wife.

The responding officer revealed that the woman stated Ward had previously tied her up to a chair using tape in their home’s basement.

Police said that the woman had marks and sticky tape residue around both of her arms.

She told police she had been tied up for between 30 and 45 minutes while he watched the Ravens and Falcons upstairs alone.

Posted by: AoSHQ Celebrity News Bureau and Rumour Centre at October 21, 2026 08:06 PM (0sNs1)

83
Interesting article in the Financial Times (behind a paywall, unfortunately). According to models run every few years, China's growth with respect to the US has been slowing. In the most recent iteration, China's GDP will never overtake that of the US.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:07 PM (eRlcH)

84 I just assume any new Mass Effect from a triple Aaayayay studio is going to involve clowns and boners and maybe also horny penguins with those long twisty waterfowl boners in clown makeup.

Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:07 PM (88C+u)

85 >>I had some friends in high school who spoke FOUR languages fluently: English, German, Hebrew, and Russian.

Years ago I had dinner with a Dutch company at his house with his family. 3 kids all under 15. Flipping between Dutch, German, French and English. It was humbling.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (viF8m)

86 The same thing happens to me when an Auburn game is on.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (MWfyi)

87 83
Interesting article in the Financial Times (behind a paywall, unfortunately). According to models run every few years, China's growth with respect to the US has been slowing. In the most recent iteration, China's GDP will never overtake that of the US.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:07 PM (eRlcH)

But they have whole cities without anybody in them! That's a definite sign their economy is booming!

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (l3cgK)

88 Reading a German history biography that was originally in German but have the English translation.
Another long commute tomorrow
Have a good night everyone

Posted by: Skip at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (Ia/+0)

89
You cannot speak Italian without your hands moving.

You cannot speak French without becoming surly.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (eRlcH)

90 The loss of Iranian oil is putting a hurt on China.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (ua/lL)

91 73 A. H., I would like to correspond with you via e-mail. Doof, Piper, and Ben Had all have my personal e-mail address, and I give them all permission to share it with you.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (77rzZ)

92 Okay, so I have a question: Why does it say "donkey brains" in the title and there aren't any pictures of AOC?

Did I miss an update to the official AOSHQ Style Guide?

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (ZOv7s)

93 Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (w6EFb)

Deepest condolences, publius.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 08:09 PM (zZu0s)

94 92 Okay, so I have a question: Why does it say "donkey brains" in the title and there aren't any pictures of AOC?

Did I miss an update to the official AOSHQ Style Guide?

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (ZOv7s)

That's her before makeup.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:09 PM (l3cgK)

95 Now my cat Chloe is investigating the boxes I have scattered in my office. She can't quite decide if she's a box kitty or not.

Penny and Hexie are most definitely box kitties.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM

* makes call me sign *

Posted by: Erwin Schrodinger at October 21, 2026 08:09 PM (0sNs1)

96 Publius, your mother died knowing she was with people she loved, who loved her. You and Miley gave her that gift.

Posted by: Wenda at October 21, 2026 08:09 PM (J5E68)

97 A. H., I would like to correspond with you via e-mail. Doof, Piper, and Ben Had all have my personal e-mail address, and I give them all permission to share it with you.
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:08 PM (77rzZ)
---
my email is right here:

https://ahlloyd.com/about/

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:10 PM (ZOv7s)

98
Artistic types say Trump, MAGA, the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 and every American are to blame.

Don't blame me, I've never even been to Phoenix.
Posted by: Delurker

By the time you get to Phoenix they'll be crying.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at October 21, 2026 08:10 PM (Cqx++)

99
She turned 96 in May of this year, so about 96.5 years total. Age-wise a little more than a year than my father was, and just a little over 3 years since he died in 2023.

They both had a good run of it, indeed.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:10 PM (w6EFb)

100
Publius, may eternal light shine upon your mother's soul.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:10 PM (eRlcH)

101 Bulg - as with so many things, learning Russian falls into the category of "interesting, but not a priority." Same with re-learning German. I used to be somewhat fluent in German, but that was 35 years ago. Nowadays I'm spending my spare time trying to figure out radios and electronic test equipment.

Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 08:11 PM (mXZsC)

102 "Penny and Hexie are most definitely box kitties.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 21, 2026 08:03 PM

* makes call me sign *
Posted by: Erwin Schrodinger "

Is there one cat in the box, or two. Or none? Who's gonna check? What difference does it make anyway?

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:11 PM (MWfyi)

103 I just assume any new Mass Effect from a triple Aaayayay studio is going to involve clowns and boners and maybe also horny penguins with those long twisty waterfowl boners in clown makeup.
Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:07 PM (88C+u)

Yeah, it is weird. After a Valheim marathon for a bit I have been at loose ends on what to play. I know what I would like to play, but the games are all from 10+ years ago that I have played a million times.

Borderlands 2 but not modern borderlands, which is woke shit.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 08:12 PM (zZu0s)

104
I phrased that poorly. She lived about a year longer in age than my father.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:12 PM (w6EFb)

105 So, a big chapter around here has closed.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 07:59 PM (w6EFb)
---
Please accept my condolences on your loss.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:12 PM (ZOv7s)

106 company? customer

Posted by: JackStraw at October 21, 2026 08:12 PM (viF8m)

107 75 Russian is a surprisingly easy language for English speakers to learn.
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:04 PM (77rzZ)

I only remember a handful of words. Use it, or lose it.

The texts and study materials I had for Russian (this was 1983 and 1984) were so....Soviet. Other language classes had shiny, interesting, textbooks and study guides.

Russian was a small, almost cube-shaped book, black and white drawings when absolutely necessary, but very basic and spare.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at October 21, 2026 08:12 PM (zYpTz)

108
Thank you so much to all.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:12 PM (w6EFb)

109
Remember 40 years ago when we were told to learn Japanese because Japan, Inc. was going to dominate the world?

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:13 PM (eRlcH)

110 Okay, so I have a question: Why does it say "donkey brains" in the title and there aren't any pictures of AOC?
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

Donkey Brains is from Sunny. As a child Frank Reynolds was in a mental institute and up being release he received a certificate declaring that he did NOT have Donkey Brains. No one else in the entire world received such a certificate. Therefore, no one else in the world can prove that they do not have donkey brains.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 08:13 PM (l26NL)

111 "They both had a good run of it, indeed.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley"

That is a good run. Both of my parents are months away from 90.
If I survive that long it will be a undeserved miracle.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:14 PM (MWfyi)

112 Dash, learning the language and the oppression in the same lesson.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 08:14 PM (ua/lL)

113 Also, I call one of my dogs Donkey Brains.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 08:15 PM (l26NL)

114 "Remember 40 years ago when we were told to learn Japanese because Japan, Inc. was going to dominate the world?
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh"

I remember the local school system getting scammed into teaching the students Cantonese.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:15 PM (MWfyi)

115
You cannot speak French without becoming surly.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh

And don't call me surly.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at October 21, 2026 08:16 PM (Cqx++)

116 Reports that Tucker blew a penguin have been discredited after it was revealed that he actually prefers sucking penguin ass.
Posted by: Penguin Facts at October 21, 2026 07:38 PM

The horror ... the horror.

Posted by: Colonel Kurz at October 21, 2026 08:16 PM (0sNs1)

117 101 PabloD, “radios and electronic test equipment” would flummox me more than Russian ever did. God be with you.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:16 PM (77rzZ)

118 112 Dash, learning the language and the oppression in the same lesson.
Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 08:14 PM (ua/lL)

LOL, it really was that!

Pretty pictures are for the bourgeoisie, Comrade.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at October 21, 2026 08:16 PM (zYpTz)

119 >>Can't be that their model has broken down completely. If you're not showering musicians with subsidies, awards and prizes, then you obviously hate art and likely a Nazi.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh
--

Scale? They are superior, they sneer at scale, they are artists.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 21, 2026 08:16 PM (vOxCS)

120 I just heard about Bioware closing. Mass Effect is one of my all time favorite games. I just played through the trilogy last month. Never played any of their other games because they aren't my genre of choice, and I heard the newer ones were trash.

Posted by: Megthered at October 21, 2026 08:17 PM (aCnvD)

121 @75-Bulg
Russian is a surprisingly easy language for English speakers to learn.

You trying to tell us something, Bro?

Posted by: Case at October 21, 2026 08:17 PM (Dd7BU)

122 >>>Sometimes a grizzly just wants to hang out.

The trouble comes when the bear decides that hanging out time is over.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at October 21, 2026 08:17 PM (syz1S)

123 Remember 40 years ago when we were told to learn Japanese because Japan, Inc. was going to dominate the world?
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:13 PM (eRlcH)

Yes...The Japs were so disciplined and so hard working and so dedicated to company and work but no one mentioned that they were getting huge government money and resources to keep all the Japs working and working and working...a working Jap won't cause any trouble.

Before the Jap Scare the Arabs were going to buy and own everything in America. All bullshit.

Posted by: Godzilla at October 21, 2026 08:17 PM (8EQTH)

124 I used to work with a young German guy whose English was so good you couldn't even tell most of the time. Learned it in school, but he said mostly from American TV and movies.

Every once in a while he'd get tripped up and I'd go, oh yeah, English is his second language. Like once when he was describing a meal he cooked and said he used a (made a cheese-grating motion) "I can never remember the word." "Grater?" "Oh yeah. I think of grater as more-than!" (meaning "greater.")

Posted by: Delurker at October 21, 2026 08:18 PM (2Drhq)

125 Remember 40 years ago when we were told to learn Japanese because Japan, Inc. was going to dominate the world?
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:13 PM (eRlcH)
---
Rising Sun. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers.

I don't recall studying Japanese but I recall becoming Japanese.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:18 PM (ZOv7s)

126 112 The Russian language IS NOT synonymous with repression:

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:19 PM (77rzZ)

127 From Deep State Officials:

54
I believe they went a step further and officially certified that the record does not exist. There will be no more looking for it.
Posted by: SciVo

===============

Wait, what does this mean?
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at October 21, 2026 06:52 PM (mmrXZ)

Ilhan's cooked. Even if she hadn't lied about her age and parentage, the man she claimed was her father has no documentation of having ever been naturalized. There is nothing for her to piggy-back off of.

Now, they're very careful. They don't say, "He was never naturalized." They say, "We can officially certify that there is no record of him having ever been naturalized." You don't know what you don't know, and maybe semi-intangible space aliens infiltrated their facility and stole the record.

The point is, what I heard is that it's gone beyond just "we can't find it" to "there is definitely no such thing in our possession." So she is absolutely for sure not a citizen -- most likely thrice over (due to having been an adult and not his daughter), but the one is enough.

Posted by: SciVo at October 21, 2026 08:19 PM (ke3zm)

128 113 Also, I call one of my dogs Donkey Brains.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 08:15 PM (l26NL)

Younger named one of the girl turtles "Stupid"...Did one of those "donate a $1" at the Credit Union one year with Stupid's name as the pet, one of those things where the pet's name ends up on a little heart and added to a wall; they added it to their wall, adding another heart on top so that the name shown was "Stu"...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:20 PM (l3cgK)

129
Well, actually there is one of her cousins at her generational level that still survives, daughter of my one of my maternal grandmother's kid brothers (who lived to be 98 himself). She's 91 (or maybe 92).

Anyway, as part of the SC law about death certificates, they needed to know the full names of both of the deceased parents. And I was at a loss for her father's full name, knowing only the middle initial. The 91 yr old cousin knew. She didn't remember it off hand, but she knew where to find it in all her stuff.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:20 PM (w6EFb)

130 From DU:

"IF ELON MUSK CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER UKRAINE. HE CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER THE UNITED STATES.
DO YOU GET IT YET?"

-- @billkittle.bsky.social

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (0sNs1)

131 You Russophobes can go eff yourselves.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (77rzZ)

132 123 Remember 40 years ago when we were told to learn Japanese because Japan, Inc. was going to dominate the world?
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:13 PM (eRlcH)

Yes...The Japs were so disciplined and so hard working and so dedicated to company and work but no one mentioned that they were getting huge government money and resources to keep all the Japs working and working and working...a working Jap won't cause any trouble.

Before the Jap Scare the Arabs were going to buy and own everything in America. All bullshit.

Posted by: Godzilla at October 21, 2026 08:17 PM (8EQTH)

They spent so much time working they didn't have time for procreating...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (l3cgK)

133 126 112 The Russian language IS NOT synonymous with repression:
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:19 PM (77rzZ)

No, but the textbooks were!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (zYpTz)

134
That's indeed an outrage. The owner of the company that owns and operates the satellites controls his own property. What a shocker.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:23 PM (w6EFb)

135 They spent so much time working they didn't have time for procreating...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia)

They also die at their desks at age 40 a lot.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 08:24 PM (l26NL)

136 I just heard about Bioware closing. Mass Effect is one of my all time favorite games. I just played through the trilogy last month. Never played any of their other games because they aren't my genre of choice, and I heard the newer ones were trash.
Posted by: Megthered at October 21, 2026 08:17 PM (aCnvD)

Knights of the Old Republic is peak. Good enough that even though it is over 20 years old, it is worth playing if you never have. I kind of envy ou, to be honest.

They were also planning to do a KotoR remake- which is horrifying.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 08:24 PM (zZu0s)

137 "Russian is a surprisingly easy language for English speakers to learn" - Bulg

Concur. The alphabet intimidates many. In my first Russian class, the professors (we had 3 full profs, all native speakers - a wonderful artifact/echo of the day not long before then when all universities had serious foreign language requirements and the faculty to teach them) gave us one night to memorize the alphabet (with pronunciation, best we could).

I remember some in the class freaking out. Next day, no problem. Everyone basically had it down.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:24 PM (U/Byj)

138 "Ilhan's cooked. Even if she hadn't lied about her age and parentage, the man she claimed was her father has no documentation of having ever been naturalized. There is nothing for her to piggy-back off of."

If she is deported before the end of the year it will be the second best Christmas ever!

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (MWfyi)

139 130 From DU:

"IF ELON MUSK CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER UKRAINE. HE CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER THE UNITED STATES.
DO YOU GET IT YET?"

-- @billkittle.bsky.social

Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (0sNs1)

And what percentage, pray-tell, of internet users in the US use Starlink?...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (l3cgK)

140 My Russian textbooks were Soviet-produced and loaded with propaganda. Random pages kept falling out because the glue broke down.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (RIvkX)

141 133 OK, Dash, I can grant you that.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (77rzZ)

142 From DU:

"IF ELON MUSK CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER UKRAINE. HE CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER THE UNITED STATES.
DO YOU GET IT YET?"

-- @billkittle.bsky.social
Posted by: Duncanthrax at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (0sNs1)

This guy is a super genius.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (zZu0s)

143 The Russian language IS NOT synonymous with repression:
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:19 PM (77rzZ)
---
*considers Russian history*

Are you sure about that?

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:26 PM (ZOv7s)

144 131 You Russophobes can go eff yourselves.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (77rzZ)

I don't trust Puto, um Putin.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:26 PM (l3cgK)

145 Learning the Russian language is a Putin plot to influence our elections!

Posted by: Hillary! 2028! 2032! at October 21, 2026 08:26 PM (0sNs1)

146 135 They spent so much time working they didn't have time for procreating...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia)

They also die at their desks at age 40 a lot.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 08:24 PM (l26NL)

That usually puts a crimp on procreational activity

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:27 PM (l3cgK)

147 130 From DU:

"IF ELON MUSK CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER UKRAINE. HE CAN CONTROL THE STARLINK OVER THE UNITED STATES.
DO YOU GET IT YET?"

-- @billkittle.bsky.social

Posted by: Duncanthrax
---

Yes, I get it. DU say, all your property are mine.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 21, 2026 08:27 PM (vOxCS)

148 >>@TheBabylonBee
·
3h
>>Ilhan Omar Starting To Regret Hiring Immigration Attorney From Quality Citizeship Center

Posted by: JackStraw at October 21, 2026 08:27 PM (viF8m)

149 And of course, they were not going to just do a graphical update or work on some of the combat systems- they were going to touch story bits. Explicitly. Make it 'modern'. Horrifying.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 08:27 PM (zZu0s)

150 137

*fistbump*

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:28 PM (77rzZ)

151 137 "Russian is a surprisingly easy language for English speakers to learn" - Bulg

Concur. The alphabet intimidates many. In my first Russian class, the professors (we had 3 full profs, all native speakers - a wonderful artifact/echo of the day not long before then when all universities had serious foreign language requirements and the faculty to teach them) gave us one night to memorize the alphabet (with pronunciation, best we could).

I remember some in the class freaking out. Next day, no problem. Everyone basically had it down.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:24 PM (U/Byj)

Hebrew is like that. Chinese is not.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:28 PM (l3cgK)

152
Remember the green white dwarf thing from a couple days ago? Well, they put together a little model of what various known white dwarfs would like to the human eye here:

https://t.ly/RrxQg

Note there's a pink one. And a chartreuse.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:28 PM (w6EFb)

153 C'mon, Bulg. Russia and its language are centuries old, and a thing of beauty.

The whole Soviet era, not so much. You surely must agree. The textbooks were hilariously representative of Soviet sadness.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at October 21, 2026 08:28 PM (zYpTz)

154 Actually I used my Russian just last night. Just pleasantries no soliloquies.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (RIvkX)

155 And of course, they were not going to just do a graphical update or work on some of the combat systems- they were going to touch story bits. Explicitly. Make it 'modern'. Horrifying.
Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at October 21, 2026 08:27 PM (zZu0s)
----
In their twisted little minds:

*** THE MESSAGE *** >>> a good story.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (FZ29D)

156
Random pages kept falling out because the glue broke down.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (RIvkX)

____________

My own books from the 70s, especially paperbacks, have the same problem. Spines crack, pages fall out.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (eRlcH)

157 If she is deported before the end of the year it will be the second best Christmas ever!
Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM

We can haz turkey again?

Posted by: The Bumpus Hounds at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (0sNs1)

158 If she is deported before the end of the year it will be the second best Christmas ever!
Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:25 PM (MWfyi)
---
This was an S-tier October Surprise (am I using that right? All the cool kids say "S-tier" now).

It builds on stuff already out in the media for years, so no one is really surprised.

It forces the Dems to reflexively defend bald-faced corruption and law-breaking.

And it dovetails nicely will foreigners infiltrating our political system. A trifecta!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (ZOv7s)

159 "The Russian language IS NOT synonymous with repression."

Granted. Now do alcoholism and fatalism :-)

Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (mXZsC)

160 Lost my russki books in a move (disaster, really) but some of them were modern, shiny (western-published). All from the Cold War era. Also lost lots of interesting profanity and specialty books/booklets. And books and pamphlets I bought while in the USSR and shipped back.

Use or lose is true for most foreign languages, some more than others. Thing is now, with the interwebs, easy to listen to radio, watch TV and movies, read media in all those languages in a way not possible way back when.

Had a short-wave radio to listen to Radio Moscow (and Deutsche Welle for krautish) back then.

Was lucky to finally use the Russian, mostly post-Cold War, but it's been a while. But now with so many emigres, use it with some frequency. Russkis and Ukes have taken over independent washer/dryer repair here, so always amuse and surprise the guys with Russian and questions about their home cities when they arrive.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (U/Byj)

161 144 131 You Russophobes can go eff yourselves.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:22 PM (77rzZ)

I don't trust Puto, um Putin.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia)
---

He's a Democrat?

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (vOxCS)

162 "Note there's a pink one. And a chartreuse.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley"

Is there a green orange one?

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:29 PM (MWfyi)

163 And what percentage, pray-tell, of internet users in the US use Starlink?...
****

👋

Posted by: clarence at October 21, 2026 08:30 PM (7NfJh)

164 Washington Examiner: Elissa Slotkin faces ethics complaint over warning to young Trump staffers
By Kaelan Deese
Published October 20, 2026 11:19am ET | Updated October 20, 2026 2:01pm ET

The Center to Advance Security in America shared the complaint exclusively with the Washington Examiner. The document, dated Tuesday, asks Senate Ethics Committee Chairman James Lankford (R-OK) and Vice Chairman Chris Coons (D-DE) to investigate whether Slotkin’s remarks violated Senate ethical standards.

tl;dr John Thune still hasn't emitted so much as a squeak about this glow-in-the-dark CIA stooge.

Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:30 PM (88C+u)

165 143 Then Latin is the language of Papist oppression.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:31 PM (77rzZ)

166 >> Is there a green orange one?

Nope, but they did a discover a two-faced one. Each hemisphere would look different due to something or another. So, it's rotation would be obvious to see.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:31 PM (w6EFb)

167 Immigration fraud is a felony.

Posted by: JackStraw at October 21, 2026 08:31 PM (viF8m)

168 165 143 Then Latin is the language of Papist oppression.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:31 PM (77rzZ)

Natürlich.

Posted by: Martin Luther at October 21, 2026 08:32 PM (l3cgK)

169 Then Latin is the language of Papist oppression.
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:31 PM (77rzZ)
---
Cicero, Aeneas, Livy, Tacitus and Virgil could not be reached for comment.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:32 PM (ZOv7s)

170 Putin is good for practice, typically he speaks very clearly and not very fast. Much easier than most Russian TV news people.

German speakers should check out his address to the Bundestag from the 90s (?). His German's pretty good.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:33 PM (U/Byj)

171 The Russians and the Chinese here make their kids learn Russian and Cantonese.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 21, 2026 08:33 PM (RIvkX)

172 "Nope, but they did a discover a two-faced one. Each hemisphere would look different due to something or another. So, it's rotation would be obvious to see.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley"

Janus planets?

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:33 PM (MWfyi)

173
That two-faced one is named Janus, of course. The two faces are due to a whop-sided magnetic field which causes very different mixing somehow.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:33 PM (w6EFb)

174 Nice day today. I may mow lawns tomorrow.

Thanks to the leaves on the trees, I'm in Canada and end up mowing leaves to mulch them into December. I may rake this year and put out Christmas spotlights. Lights on the trees are nice, but in the past, spotlights highlighting the huge trees have looked great.

Ralphy is resting and Snowflake is in. Girl ALWAYS wants food. And I weigh her like a pageant mom most mornings. She's still under 10 pounds.

But there's a REAL CHUBBO in her dying to burst forth.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106 years old! Puppy at heart! at October 21, 2026 08:34 PM (Sco7b)

175 When a x-white dwarf is discovered, where x = fawn, taupe, mauve, puce, ecru, or seafoam, let us know.

Posted by: AoSHQ Fashion Consultants at October 21, 2026 08:34 PM (0sNs1)

176 rhomboid - I miss tuning into BBC and Deutsche Welle in the evenings. I can still hear the announcer's voice saying "You're listening to programs in the World Service of the BBC."

Posted by: PabloD at October 21, 2026 08:34 PM (mXZsC)

177 169 Answered by Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Solzhenitsyn.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:34 PM (77rzZ)

178 My range now has Starlink. Really not much use for web connection that I have encountered, but it's nice I guess. Definitely the right solution. Location is fairly remote, wireless only other option and only ATT has built out their network near the area (non-ATT mobile phones still get the "Bienvenidos a Mexico" text as they get close to the front gate).

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:35 PM (U/Byj)

179
168 165 143 Then Latin is the language of Papist oppression.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:31 PM (77rzZ)

Natürlich.
Posted by: Martin Luther
---

Nonne omnes concorditer vivere possumus?

Posted by: Erasmus at October 21, 2026 08:35 PM (1gmsy)

180 The whole Soviet era, not so much. You surely must agree. The textbooks were hilariously representative of Soviet sadness.

I remember reading old Soviet propaganda comic books which tried to teach the illiterate peasant to sweep the floors, clean up after yourself, take the trash out, wash your nasty russian ass, etc, etc. All basic home economics 101 stuff.

Hilariously illustrated as Ivan must have been one dumb bastard but could follow the drawings.

Posted by: Comrade Boris at October 21, 2026 08:36 PM (8EQTH)

181 PabloD I get it. Used to be very interesting. Occasionally I'd tune in to Radio Havana (English) for Fidel's take on the news.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:37 PM (U/Byj)

182 Star Trek is on. It's the one with the REAL MAN crazy redhead (not some soy man like that fag Riker) that almost causes the Enterprise to be lost to a 20th century barbarian.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:38 PM (MWfyi)

183 171 The Russians and the Chinese here make their kids learn Russian and Cantonese.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at October 21, 2026 08:33 PM (RIvkX)

While in China, the CCP is forcing everybody to learn Mandarin and trying to phase out other Chinese dialects.

Posted by: Martin Luther at October 21, 2026 08:38 PM (l3cgK)

184 Whoops, thinking of Aeneas as I recalled Virgil.

Russia has of course historically been known for limited government, respect for individual liberties its tolerance of other races and religions.

I see "pogrom" is of Russian origin.

Not that I hate Russians. Far from it, I think we can make some deals with them and let old dogs lie. But Russia is what it is.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:39 PM (ZOv7s)

185 @161

I don't trust Puto, um Putin.-jim

He's a Democrat? - Braenyard

Close

Posted by: Case at October 21, 2026 08:39 PM (Dd7BU)

186 I find Japanese interesting in that some of the words need to be ejected instead of spoken.

Posted by: Ben Had at October 21, 2026 08:39 PM (ua/lL)

187 >> REAL MAN crazy redhead

KAHHHHNNN!

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at October 21, 2026 08:40 PM (w6EFb)

188 Oh. Made offhand comment about a certain type of firearm earlier today... and just got an advert for - the same...

Bizzare, no?

Honestly, Flock cameras are the least of our problems.

Posted by: Oddbob at October 21, 2026 08:40 PM (vTZFs)

189 Teaching kids foreign languages from an early age is about the best thing that can happen to them.

JackStraw above mentioned how perfectly fluent some Dutch guy was in English. It's standard there, has been for generations (in Band of Brothers and I think A Bridge Too Far, the easy English conversations between local Dutch and Allied troops was no movie fiction, it was accurate).

Dutch, Danish - usually flawless American-accented English (thanks, postwar American cultural dominance). Many Swedes too.

Growing up speaking multiple languages is just a huge gift that keeps giving your whole life.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:40 PM (U/Byj)

190 KILROYNIVS HIC ERAT

Posted by: GAIUS KILROYNIUS at October 21, 2026 08:40 PM (0sNs1)

191 Good evening!

Posted by: Piper at October 21, 2026 08:41 PM (ZdaMQ)

192 While in China, the CCP is forcing everybody to learn Mandarin and trying to phase out other Chinese dialects.

Hard to blame them, really. It would be like America speaking English and Spanish...wait...

Posted by: Archimedes at October 21, 2026 08:41 PM (Riz8t)

193
Hilariously illustrated as Ivan must have been one dumb bastard but could follow the drawings.
Posted by: Comrade Boris at October 21, 2026 08:36 PM (8EQTH)

___________

One could say during WWII the Private Snafu short films served the same purpose for soldiers with low literacy skills.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:41 PM (eRlcH)

194 Language is what we make of it.
Tolkien and "Orwell" Blair thought that language would force our minds along certain pathways. Maybe that's true in the short term.
Kevin van Bladel is saying the old Persian language got pushed into a debased creole over the span of the Achaemenid empire. I'm sure that ruined a lot of the old Persian poetry. But the newer Persian gave us the Shahnameh, Rumi, and Omar Khayyam.

If Big Brother lost his hold, even his "Newspeak" might end up better than it started with. The orcs without Sauron might learn to sing epic songs in future generations . . .

Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:41 PM (88C+u)

195 If Big Brother lost his hold, even his "Newspeak" might end up better than it started with. The orcs without Sauron might learn to sing epic songs in future generations . . .

Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:41 PM (88C+u)

I would expect something like Klingon Opera...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:42 PM (l3cgK)

196 Answered by Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Solzhenitsyn.
Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:34 PM (77rzZ)
---
Totalitarian states can produce great writing, but they are still totalitarian.

Was Imperial Russia better than the USSR? Absolutely, but Russian culture respects strength and conformity.

It's interesting that American English is really full of exceptions rather than rules and that fits the American cultural heritage. We all talk a little different, no biggie.

German is of course much more rigid, and that's Germany for you. I mean, they have their dialects, but they all have to know Hoch Deutsch.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:42 PM (ZOv7s)

197 I just found out that that hideous, malformed harpy podcaster Jennifer Welch lives right here in Oklahoma. Where we have red supermajorities in both houses. No wonder she's so cranky.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 21, 2026 08:43 PM (l26NL)

198 Orcs singing...

https://youtu.be/VoAfb3f04mo

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:43 PM (l3cgK)

199 Franpsycho good friends (who live a few houses away from Lixiduatlwhatever, he used to go by somethingGoth here) have two adopted Chinese daughters, think they tried but failed to get them into the elite Chinese language school there. But one at least had a Chinese language element throughout at least K-8 IIRC at a public school over near the Mission. Mom is Chinese-American (Cantonese and Mandarin) so they had a good environment to reinforce the basics.

Tone languages are ridiculous of course, for an adult, but with soft brains, youngsters can absorb it all much more easily.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:44 PM (U/Byj)

200 To her credit, she does foil Khan's plan, but if not for that ditz they never would have had to go thru that harrowing experience. I reminds me of Wesley, or ever worse, the menace Data.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:44 PM (MWfyi)

201 We had an interpreter in the desert that was fluent in 7. Indian (dot) from Goa. Dude was impressive as hell.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 21, 2026 08:45 PM (r2Icn)

202 One could say during WWII the Private Snafu short films served the same purpose for soldiers with low literacy skills.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at October 21, 2026 08:41 PM (eRlcH)

The one about not eating the natives food on the islands was hilarious. From the bone through the nose natives to Private Snafu shitting himself and then dying form eating out of the native's pot when instructed not to.

Posted by: Comrade Boris at October 21, 2026 08:45 PM (8EQTH)

203 I agree -

Wall Street Apes
@WallStreetApes
·
44m
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT 🚨 Federal Lawsuit against California shows that 28.8% of noncitizens in California HAVE A VOTING HISTORY

California elections are not legitimate, noncitizens are voting at an extremely large scale

- Los Angeles County elections officials took a sample batch of 200 ballots
- The 200 ballots were taken from a sample of 20,000 that the Trump Admin says are noncitizens
- Of the 200 ballots that were taken, 71.2% of the 200 have no voting history

This means 28.8% of the noncitizens ballots DID have a voting history

Nearly 30% of noncitizens are voting in California elections based on this sample. I’ll bet it’s much higher

Posted by: beckster at October 21, 2026 08:45 PM (kX27y)

204 Birds are not real.

Posted by: nurse ratched at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (xe4ug)

205 It is disappointing that BioWare went full retard and sunk their business. Dragon Age: Inquisition is an amazing game. And the thing is, there was a female-to-male tranny NPC in that game. But you didn't have to interact with it enough to get into that. You could, but it didn't matter. And it made a funny joke offering to teach a male non-human character how to bind his pillowy man bosom. It really didn't bother me because it didn't matter and it certainly didn't preach.

I was excited to play the last Dragon Age until the info started leaking. They had an interesting story set up and just fucked the whole thing. So I'll never play it. Stoopid!

Posted by: She Hobbit at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (ftFVW)

206 I would expect something like Klingon Opera...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:42 PM (l3cgK)

Okay, Star Trek Strange New Worlds made me laugh with Number One - Una - singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' in Klingon.

How it NEEDS to be sung.

I think they even commented that all power ballads are sung in Klingon. That made me laugh.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106 years old! Puppy at heart! at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (Sco7b)

207 Tone languages are ridiculous of course, for an adult, but with soft brains, youngsters can absorb it all much more easily.
Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:44 PM (U/Byj)
---
There is a student in my Becoming Catholic class who is from Taiwan. He can speak the language but not read it. Knows only a few characters. He said when his father picked out the characters to his name, he went totally over the top, like "Master of 10,000 heroes!" territory.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (ZOv7s)

208 Tone languages are ridiculous of course, for an adult, but with soft brains, youngsters can absorb it all much more easily.
Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:44 PM (U/Byj)
---
There is a student in my Becoming Catholic class who is from Taiwan. He can speak the language but not read it. Knows only a few characters. He said when his father picked out the characters to his name, he went totally over the top, like "Master of 10,000 heroes!" territory.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (ZOv7s)

209 Not that I hate Russians. Far from it, I think we can make some deals with them and let old dogs lie. But Russia is what it is.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd
----

And China is what it is.
I'll take Russia.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 21, 2026 08:47 PM (vOxCS)

210 German is of course much more rigid, and that's Germany for you. I mean, they have their dialects, but they all have to know Hoch Deutsch.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:42 PM (ZOv7s)

I can only speak Ham Hoch Deutch...
schnitzel, sauerbraten, and the like.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:47 PM (l3cgK)

211 jim: I smell Japanese 1970s anime themes in "where there's a whip there's a way"

Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:47 PM (88C+u)

212 One of the best recent russki encounters were two 20-somethings (late 20s) at the range, one guy had a DP-27 light machine gun. He'd welded the receiver from a kit back together, of course it was semi-auto. He was testing 54R loads for it. Had the pan magazine and everything. Very cool to see a real one, shooting. They were a bit taken aback at my enthusiasm for WWII Soviet hardware and Great Patriotic War topics, but enjoyed it. Both had been in the Russian army before emigrating.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:47 PM (U/Byj)

213 I have a cousin who is Irish, Polish and Russian.

My uncle used to joke that he was going to get drunk, take over the neighborhood, and not know what to do with it.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:48 PM (ZOv7s)

214 206 I would expect something like Klingon Opera...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:42 PM (l3cgK)

Okay, Star Trek Strange New Worlds made me laugh with Number One - Una - singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' in Klingon.

How it NEEDS to be sung.

I think they even commented that all power ballads are sung in Klingon. That made me laugh.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106 years old! Puppy at heart! at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (Sco7b)

She sang it well.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:49 PM (l3cgK)

215 I reminds me of Wesley, or ever worse, the menace Data.
Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:44 PM

To be fair, there are worse people you could remind yourself of, you know.

Posted by: Wesley Crusher at October 21, 2026 08:49 PM (0sNs1)

216 And the thing is, there was a female-to-male tranny NPC in that game. But you didn't have to interact with it enough to get into that.

Posted by: She Hobbit at October 21, 2026 08:46 PM (ftFVW)

I'd think a girdle of sex-change or whatever similar item would suddenly be VERY, VERY valuable.

Baldur's Gate was fantastic. But the second one had Dorn who would proposition you whether you were male or female. That ticked me off.

I was curious about the newest game but we're so far down the slope, there was no point in checking it out.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106 years old! Puppy at heart! at October 21, 2026 08:49 PM (Sco7b)

217 https://youtu.be/plf4e7NtIhs

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:49 PM (l3cgK)

218 ho lee fuk it's real
youtu.be/plf4e7NtIhs

Posted by: steinman was klingon at October 21, 2026 08:50 PM (88C+u)

219 She sang it well.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:49 PM (l3cgK)

She did and it was funny.

Okay, back to work.
Everyone have a great night.

Posted by: Stateless - Ralphy - 106 years old! Puppy at heart! at October 21, 2026 08:50 PM (Sco7b)

220 I can only speak Ham Hoch Deutch...
schnitzel, sauerbraten, and the like.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:47 PM (l3cgK)
---
That level stuff is pretty easy for me. I was reading Kafka and discussing it in German in college.

I will say that German can help you really drill down into English grammar, because ours is a Germanic language. One can get into some tortured but correct sentences.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at October 21, 2026 08:51 PM (ZOv7s)

221
Ilhan's cooked. Even if she hadn't lied about her age and parentage, the man she claimed was her father has no documentation of having ever been naturalized. There is nothing for her to piggy-back off of.

Posted by: SciVo

=============

Ahhhh. She's a wreck in her interview with Chris Hayes.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at October 21, 2026 08:52 PM (mmrXZ)

222 MFW i learn bonnie tyler died last july

Posted by: steinman was klingon at October 21, 2026 08:52 PM (88C+u)

223 English and Russian are the two best languages currently spoken on earth.

Screw the Romance languages.

Posted by: Bulg at October 21, 2026 08:52 PM (77rzZ)

224 Everything is better in the original Klingon.

Posted by: General Chang at October 21, 2026 08:52 PM (0sNs1)

225 Can the Dutch speak flawless New York City English?
I don't think so.

Posted by: Case at October 21, 2026 08:52 PM (Dd7BU)

226 "Nearly 30% of noncitizens are voting in California elections based on this sample. I’ll bet it’s much higher."

Not so sure. I doubt anywhere close to 30% of non-citizens vote. State GOP estimates that outside a few counties in the north/Central Valley, only 30% of GOP-registered vote.

Not material to the issue of course. The election system here is absurdly insecure, would never be recognized as legit by the US, EU, or UN if it were in a Third World country emerging from civil war (direct experience with that), and is a disgrace.

Posted by: rhomboid at October 21, 2026 08:52 PM (U/Byj)

227 Dammit, shut up, Wesley.

Posted by: fd at October 21, 2026 08:53 PM (MWfyi)

228 I just found out that that hideous, malformed harpy podcaster Jennifer Welch lives right here in Oklahoma. Where we have red supermajorities in both houses. No wonder she's so cranky.

I am sure I saw she moved to NYC after ex got ostracized out of practicing here.

Posted by: Miflin at October 21, 2026 08:53 PM (aA6YN)

229 211 jim: I smell Japanese 1970s anime themes in "where there's a whip there's a way"

Posted by: 88C+u at October 21, 2026 08:47 PM (88C+u)

Not enough tentacles for that...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at October 21, 2026 08:54 PM (l3cgK)

230 Shit tons of Russians in the upstate of SC. Very surprising. Especially in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at October 21, 2026 08:54 PM (r2Icn)

231 >>>Was Imperial Russia better than the USSR? Absolutely, but Russian culture respects strength and conformity.
---

There is a photo book of touring Russia commissioned by the Tsar.
Much different than after the takeover.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at October 21, 2026 08:54 PM (vOxCS)

232 My spirit animals are elephants. Love them and always have since I was a baby.

The wee girl with the deer reminds me our our baby grandgirl who's a year old. She's walking everywhere and into everything and loved by us all. A climber.

She stored up all the insanity of her siblings and is now ready, so look out! Not the quiet one we thought of the three.

She's smart as well as very pretty and sweet. A clone of her big brother, whom she prefers over her crazy sister.

After church she and I have been checking out a tree for months. I tell her about the leaf and ornamental berries and pick one of each for her to feel. Yes, she's tried to taste them and I don't let her. Last Sunday I was holding her and she pointed to our tree. The berries/seeds have turned orange since it got colder.

This little sweetheart tried to put both the leaf and berry back after I picked them vs dropping them and saying uh-oh.

Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at October 21, 2026 08:54 PM (hzuYO)

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