Saturday Open Thread - 12/28/24: Odds and Ends

Good morning, good people!

Sick of Xmas tunes? Well, you will soon be sick of tunes ringing in the New Year!

I think I will just post a tune that is not associated with a season, just associated with good times!

Now, I have a concern for one day going to prison for saying the wrong thing, since some of our Freedom Loving Pols are proposing bills RIGHT NOW which will eradicate the 1st Am. Well, at my house, Dear One and I are practicing self-censorship, just to get into the habit and not get caught accidentally committing a speech crime.

Well, we have started with curse words. Instead of the curse word, we insert "Bleep, Bleeper, Bleeped, Bleeping". All in good fun, mind you. Ex: "Bleep you! You are a bleeping mother Bleeper!" How can that conceivably be offensive when "bleep" is the consummate censorship tool? That satisfies the gummint of the oligarchs, and has a practical use at home. Say you are cooped up at home, nowhere to go, nothing to do, and your spouse says you are nominated to cook dinner. "Bleep that and Bleep you!" It is a gentle way of stating some very mild opposition to the nomination and should in no way start an argument.

So far, the downside has been constructing long sentences with "you, it, that, "and the horse you rode in on", all the other words are "bleep". It takes a while for the listener to figure out the meaning, but by that time, he speaker can leave the room. I promise, folks, this works!

By the time I am able to respond to anyone, I will be sitting on a balcony overlooking the Gulf, trying to spot water fowl and dolphins, although it will likely be too dark. The real games will begin Sunday morn.

Aaanndd, speaking of fowl spotting, the gorgeous bird at my front yard feeder was identified as a Black-headed Grosbeak. Good reason for being caught completely off guard, since we are not even close to being in their range. I am absolutely certain I have seen a mature female, fairly certain I have seen a mature male. I have not seen two at once at the feeder, but have noticed one coming from my back field, beside the house, landing at the feeder, so it might be a pair.

That bird is a pretty bleeper! I am bleeping grateful for some wondrous event to occur in my waning years. Never give up hope for something to happen that lights up your life and just thrills the bleep outta you! Bleepin' WOW!

War bleeps. Depressions bleep. Not being able to call out the perps and evil wrongdoers for causing them is completely bleeped up. NO MORE GENOCIDE, Bleepers!

NO MORE WARS!

Ok, I get exhausted by the self-censoring, must wonder how long I can last before I take the tape off my mouth, the lock off my brain. I encourage all of you to try it for a day here, and day there, just to get accustomed to it, and I wish you the best of luck!

You know you are bleeped if you don't!

This is an open thread, folks. All of us enjoy shared news, perspectives, musings, and whatever is on your mind.

I will thank you in advance for the lively back and forth such comments that will ensue!

Do your best to avoid driving a drunken vehicle on New Year's Eve! Jails will be very crowded! Bleeping vehicles!

Go for it!

Share
up
12 users have voted.

Comments

Nevertheless...

Love you guys! Say what you want to say while you bleeping can!

up
10 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

dystopian's picture

@on the cusp Hi OtC,

So this looks familiar to you? Wink

bhgbk-a.jpg

GREAT work on the Black-headed Grosbeak! It is an excellent find anywhere in the east half of Texas. San Antonio and Austin are as far east as a 'sure thing' to get them every year. And that is just a light sprinkle of reports. I am 70 miles further west of SAT and do not see one every year here. I suspect there are some county listers in your county that have not seen one there.

Kudos to JtC for noticing its different behavior. That big conical seed-cracking bill is key. Bill shape is key in bird ID, and often what family a bird is in is most quickly determined by bill shape. Cardinal is actually a crested ground grosbeak. Again not the conical bill (triangular in profile). Grosbeaks are about the worst thing a bird bander can be bitten by. It will draw blood.

Congrats on the great find! And for being aware enough to notice it! It only takes one good bird to make your day, or week, month or year if it is good enough!

Great work y'all!

Happy feathers!

edit to fix smiley face, add a period, and a clarumfication... sorry about my vision going...

up
4 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

@dystopian The female was even more colorful with the spots of white feathers on her head.
My jaw dropped the first time she came to the feeder. She was in clear view, approx. 25 ft. away from my patio chair. When we figured out what we were seeing, we checked their typical range. They are way outta their normal turf.
I will contact Texas Parks and Wildlife and they can help me locate some counters. This is too extraordinary to just let slide.
Enjoy your Sunday, friend.

up
0 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

QMS's picture

in the Lost in Space series
Bleepers and Bloopers kinda rhymes.

Good luck on your voyage to MS.
Wear your slickers, may be a bit wet.

up
5 users have voted.

question everything

@QMS @QMS No tornadoes, occasional light rains lasting a few minutes, heavy traffic that kept moving except for one short stretch near Baton Rouge. We had daylight to easily find a nearby supermarket, bought dinner and tomorrow's lunch at their deli, and are getting familiar with the condo. It is a cut above most condos, but the view of the beach is what you get, along with the loud noise of heavy traffic. You do not get the ambience.
Bloop! I had forgotten!

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

The rain you drove through is due here in the early AM hours. Hope you avoided the tornadoes.

As to self censoring, I say forget it. Let 'em arrest me if just saying something TPTB don't like is a crime. I don't see how that can stand up in court unless the constitution is annulled. Now in the UK they are arresting people for speech and even for their X posts, but of course they have no constitution.

What a democracy we have in the west...cancel elections (Romania and Ukraine), foment coups, refusal to leave office (Georgia), and the EU ruled by unelected appointees. Yeah we know democracy.

Well, have a great trip to the coast and enjoy your holiday!

up
7 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout of which you speak? Don't forget Macron. Trudeau, maybe.
I have made enough statements and comments about Zionism and the Israeli government that if I landed at London's airport, I would be arrested. That can get you fired here, can get you kicked out of school here, can get you arrested for participating in a pro-Palestine protest here, and get you primaried and/or impeached here, so censorship is coming soon to our shores, as well as a new set of criminal statutes.
Happy Bleeping New Year, LO!.

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

QMS's picture

Let’s see how you do on the Collum Conspiracy Test (CCT) to obtain your CCT score (CCTS). Read the 30 declarative statements listed below that are in conflict with standard narratives. Keep score on a Post-it by giving yourself:

Zero points if you disagree or have no idea what the statement means.
One point if it troubles you that the statement might be correct.
Two points if your response is “Yup” or “Hell yeah!”
-
9/11 was an inside job.
Kamala Harris was groomed by her mother via MKUltra to become a Manchurian candidate.
Pizzagate is real and tied to Satanic rituals.
The QQQ index has a price-earnings ratio that exceeds 100.
Lindsay Graham is the love child of Nancy Pelosi and Peanut the Squirrel.
One million children a year disappear to consumers who are never identified.
The 2020 election count was rigged.
We never landed on the moon.
Anthropogenic climate change is a hoax and a grift.
The Covid-19 vaccine and crisis-based healthcare policy responses tied to the pandemic killed more people than did the Covid virus.
75% of prescription medicines have no efficacy.
Greater than 75% of those in Congress and the Senate are controlled by blackmail.
Steven Pollock did not fire a single shot in Las Vegas.
The authorities are hiding evidence of alien contact and alien technology.
US tactics and policy during World War II were under the control of Joseph Stalin.
The world is flat.
JFK and RFK were whacked by operatives tied to intelligence.
The DOD—think chem trails and HAARP—is modifying weather for tactical purposes.
The world leaders are shape-shifting reptiles.
The holocaust was fake.
FDR knew the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor and let it happen.
Jeffrey Epstein isn’t dead.
The Covid virus was generated in the lab under the auspices of the US bioweapons program.
Michelle Obama is a biological male (Big Mike).
The Clinton Foundation trafficks children.
Ryan Routh and Thomas Crooks are/were intelligence assets.
There is something seriously wrong with the Sandy Hook shooting narrative.
Directed energy weapons (DEWs) are being tested by starting forest fires.
Fluoridation of water is not about making our teeth stronger.
The mainstream media does not need revenues, which are easily covered by the deep pockets of the Deep State, but desperately needs viewers.
-
If you got a perfect CCTS of either zero or 60, get professional help. You have an unstable personality. A CCTS above 50 suggests you only spotted the explicit sanity checks; you are a loon but not necessarily at risk of harm to yourself or others. A score of 40–49 tags you as a World-class rabbit chaser. A CCTS of 20–39 places you in the Zerohedge bell curve. Below 20 means you are not a die-hard conspiracy theorist but occasionally spot oddities. I hasten to add that, if you think the world is that straightforward, the Joe Rogan–Marc Andreessen podcast and Rogan-Mike Benz mind bender combo platter will adjust your attitude. As promised, I scored 40; exactly which declarations scored me points is my business, although this Year in Review and previous Year in Review offer some insights. Also, my scale is conservative…

FWIW I scored a 28.

up
5 users have voted.

question everything

@QMS I took the test. My score was 13, so I occasionally spot an oddity. I had expected to score somewhat higher. My score seems boring.Maybe I read too much.

up
5 users have voted.
QMS's picture

@Will Rogers Guthrie
the choice between 0 and 1
was quasi reactive
no is more straight forward

up
2 users have voted.

question everything

enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

One million children a year disappear to consumers who are never identified.

Those who consume children, how many are there, how many children does each consume per week?

be well and have a good one

up
5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

QMS's picture

@enhydra lutris
.
think it was worded to confuse the respondent
too many conflicting issues keeps your score down

up
2 users have voted.

question everything

@QMS I scored a B-...
At east I am not a harm to myself or others!

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

the press are essential and foundational to democracy. Awareness of this is why they are in the FIRST Amendment. It goes beyond that in that they are necessary to any legitimate government. The only legitimate governments are those which rule with the consent of the governed. Such consent cannot exist without free exchange and interchange of ideas and information.

Our government keeps trying to limit these freedoms because they fear the populace. They keep trying to justify their behavior by claiming that these measures are intended to protect and defend us from various threats which, barring WWII were threats not to the populace or the nation, but to the oligarchs and the oligarchy. We are forever defending ourselves from the power of the people, with eternal enemies such as "anarchy", "socialism", trade unions, "communism", and the like, now replaced with "terrorism" and some generic state security. This is unacceptable and must be rejected, firstly by non-compliance to the extent reasonably feasible.

As McCarthyism waned, a major west coast university attempted to prohibit political speech and organizing on its campus. A significant portion of the student body and local populace decided that should not stand, and, in the fullness of time, the courts agreed. Simply put:

At each juncture we need to stop and ask ourselves "How bad is it? Is it time yet?" I truly believe that the time will come, is coming, and is not a question of IF, but of WHEN. So, keep it in mind.

be well and have a good one

up
5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris The Big Guys scare we little guys. We are killing the planet! We go nuts with guns! We need to have our currency controlled via cbdcs. We need to go o school, read, memorize, conform, work harder or...else! And yet, it is a fact that all the Big Guys of history were terrified of we little guys, and throughout history, they pushed us too far, and their worst fears came to fruition.
Nothing is new, is it, El?
One day...
Oh well, i am old, won't live to see it, unfortunately.
If the bleep-head driving the loud "tough truck" would pass on by, I would be able to enjoy the sounds of the ocean waves. This balcony is just all that!
Wish you were here, friend!

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

up
6 users have voted.
soryang's picture

@humphrey

It used to be 700 per household, it was raised to 760. This was for basic necessities lost by hurricane victims in need. Then there was an additional 2500 that was raised to 2660. This was for emergency housing needs. These amounts may be adjusted for number of family members I'm not sure.

There were also eventually much larger amounts distributed to cover home repairs due to storm damage for those home owners who didn't have flood insurance; flood hazard from natural disasters is typically not covered by ordinary home insurance, you have to have an NFIP policy which the feds provide/subsidize through private insurers. Many didn't have these policies. There may be another supplemental federal program of insurance for those who can't afford NFIP themselves, I'm not clear how this works.

Delivering this aid in a timely fashion can be problematic, as some regions are not accustomed to having natural disasters are having them now. Also, the scale of the damage and repeated damages in some regions in short periods of time, like the Helene-Milton interval overwhelms with tens of thousands of victims. My knowledge of this is from reading the web sites and talking with neighbors. The part about home repair money for those without FEMA coverage is hearsay from neighbors. It took some of them a long time to get this money because the application process wasn't simple.

But the point is well taken anyway. The lock weapons manufacturers, their NGOs, and other lobbyists have on government and media is a reflection of the innate corruption of the war for profit sector. Too many resources for too many wars for too many years.

Many people have given up or abandoned their properties on the west coast near the gulf. Typically those that give up are wealthy. I can understand why they do it even though they have insurance. Dealing with the insurers and contractors is major stress. This has been a still ongoing terrible experience for us, even worse than last time.

I've met older people (my age) who just aren't online, aren't digitally oriented, who don't have a clue how to get the money.

up
5 users have voted.

語必忠信 行必正直

@humphrey all day long. Nobody on the world stage has his grasp of the machinations of the US.
Thanks for the post, friend!

up
3 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Houthis remain undeterred.

up
6 users have voted.

@humphrey spend on that drone?
I think the Houthis are as admirable, courageous, and committed as any military force in my life time.
They don't lie, Israel does.
We need to stay out of their range, imho.

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

up
6 users have voted.

@humphrey moral is as moral does, but I am a peacenik.

up
2 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

.

No Pottervilles

It’s only the most important part of the movie.

up
6 users have voted.

Putin isn’t going to make you homeless or kill you or deny you health care.
Your government will allow it to happen though.

@snoopydawg That is strange stuff! WTBleep!
Do they honestly think they can improve movies by their genius edits?
Oh, well, traffic is dying down, I can hear the ocean waves.
All I can do is never buy anything from Amazon.
The interstate was filled with Prime 18-wheelers. Yuck.
Give Sam a hug from his fave attorney.

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Oh did Vivek and Elon step into with their comments on American professional workers and American culture. Right wing Identity Politics meets Left wing identity politics. Here is one part of quote:

The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit … A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture,” Ramaswamy wrote in a Thursday post to X. “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.”

Looks to have created a firestorm which some are calling it a MAGA civil war as Musk has doubled down on Vivek's comments.

The issue that started this and which Vivek tries to avoid is the corruption of the H1B visa system which basically imported low wage average to below average engineers. I have worked in high tech for 40+ years and can attest to the utter corrupted used by both American high tech companies, lawyers, and Indian recruiters and government officials. For maybe the first time ever the utter corruption of the H1b visa program is being exposed on social media. I can predict without a doubt that Musk will censor any dissent over the H1b visa program.

I have to think that white professional workers and their families must think they are getting it coming and going. The left and now the right think they what is called their culture is utter shit. Watch some pop show on TV and you are ruining America with mediocrity. Vivek and Musk targets are definitely whites.

All I can say is "suckas!!!!" I did not vote for either Trump or Harris.

Here is link to Vivek complete comments.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/somebody-got-stuffed-locker-maga-163835383.html

Sezs it all.

up
4 users have voted.

Oh did Vivek and Elon step into with their comments on American professional workers and American culture. Right wing Identity Politics meets Left wing identity politics. Here is one part of quote:

The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit … A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture,” Ramaswamy wrote in a Thursday post to X. “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.”

Looks to have created a firestorm which some are calling it a MAGA civil war as Musk has doubled down on Vivek's comments.

The issue that started this and which Vivek tries to avoid is the corruption of the H1B visa system which basically imported low wage average to below average engineers. I have worked in high tech for 40+ years and can attest to the utter corrupted used by both American high tech companies, lawyers, and Indian recruiters and government officials. For maybe the first time ever the utter corruption of the H1b visa program is being exposed on social media. I can predict without a doubt that Musk will censor any dissent over the H1b visa program.

I have to think that white professional workers and their families must think they are getting it coming and going. The left and now the right think they what is called their culture is utter shit. Watch some pop show on TV and you are ruining America with mediocrity. Vivek and Musk targets are definitely whites.

All I can say is "suckas!!!!" I did not vote for either Trump or Harris.

Here is link to Vivek complete comments.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/somebody-got-stuffed-locker-maga-163835383.html

Sezs it all.

up
2 users have voted.

@MrWebster Things are breaking apart at the MAHA apparatus, too.
Circus is here! Where's the bread?

up
5 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

soryang's picture

They appeared at the last of the year candlelight, anti martial law/ anti-coup, Saturday demo in Seoul today in Gwanghwamun plaza.

Lee Nal Chi changed the refrain from "Tiger has come down..." to "Civil war crime (insurrection) has come down." It's a play on words: a homonym, beom 범 can mean tiger 虎 or crime 犯. Mixing old and new, traditional and modern styles in support of the democracy movement.

The insurrection crisis still isn't over as the non-elected officials now running the executive office, along with the "ruling party" the PPP (Yoon's party) continue to fabricate justifications to stonewall the impeachment process. There are analysts that are wary that other attempts to install martial law, and start a war with North Korea as a pretext, may still take place. Yoon's "father in law" Kim Chung-sik, actually a shadowy behind the scenes political influence peddler catering to private interests close to Kim Gon-hee and her mother, is alleged to be involved in the plot concocted by active duty generals close to the former defense minister, and two other "retired" generals who were forced out of the military for disciplinary reasons. Kim Chung-sik was a friend of Kim Gon-hee's real father who asked Kim Chung-sik, to look after his family after he died. Kim has been involved in various alleged fraudulent or otherwise extraordinary real estate dealings based upon influence peddling in one way or another. Kim was alleged to be a Unification Church member and consequently pro-Japan.

Will the new acting president, Choi Sang-mok, fill the vacant seats on the Constitutional Court or not? Choi, the Vice Premier and Minister of Economy and Finance, assumed the acting president role December 27 after the prime minister and first acting president Han Duck-soo, was himself impeached. Han who may have been complicit in the coup beforehand, was impeached essentially for aiding and abetting the insurrection after the fact, by stonewalling the impeachment process. He vetoed legislation to investigate the first lady, and another special investigation of the insurrection itself. He also obstructed the appointment of justices to the Constitutional Court.

Thanks for the odds and ends OTC!

up
3 users have voted.

語必忠信 行必正直

soryang's picture

@soryang

...on the airfield after a wheels up landing that looked too long on the runway spot, and ran into the overrun barrier and exploded. 28 people reported dead. There may be more casualties.

South Korea plane crash: casualties reported after Jeju Air flight veers off runway at Muan airport

Raphael Rashid
South Korean news agency News1 reports that approximately 28 people are feared dead in the crash, according to fire authorities. Two people have been rescued, with emergency services continuing their search operations.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, was carrying 175 passengers and six crew members when it struck a perimeter wall during landing, breaking apart and catching fire. Fire services have issued their highest level-3 emergency response.

The rumors are flying hot and heavy because HQ Intel Div special ops teams were directed at two airports in potential false flag ops. I think one team was reported at one point to still be at large. On the other hand, this could just be an aviation accident of the normal variety.

up
4 users have voted.

語必忠信 行必正直

QMS's picture

@soryang
seems to be a pattern emerging
FRA, GERM, SO.KO, SYR, GEORGIA, UKR
GB next?

up
3 users have voted.

question everything

@soryang What a cluster you-know-what! Protesters there are very artful, like ours were in the 60s,
I hope SK comes out of this mess the beautiful culture and country it was meant to be.
Have a great weekend, soryang!

up
4 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981