Saturday Open Thread - 1/24/26: Odds and Ends
Submitted by on the cusp on Sat, 01/24/2026 - 7:00am
Good morning, good people!
Cold weather brings out the cold weather foods. In these parts, chili. You might get a kick out of our preferred seasonings choice's story.
https://carrollshelbyschili.com/history
Not sure about the weather, although we may be on the edge of the ice event, so electricity may be spotty here. We shall see.
It's funny how the news of Friday night can flip by Saturday morning. What I and all of us know when we hit the hay last night just might be the opposite of what we know this morning.
And then, some humor:
Your turn, friends!
Comments
Good morning, good people!
I hope everyone is doing well, weathering the storm.
Not sure if I can even get online today, but we may be ok.
Please keep each other posted on world events, whether I am present or not.
This is, after all, an open thread, a thread that encourages all of you to post whatever you think should be considered by your friends.
Let 'er rip!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Chilly as dry ice here today
.
.
With the wind factor we are at about - 10 degrees F.
Speaking of chili, am intrigued by the concept of adding
cocoa powder to make it 'mole'. Wouldn't normally be my
first choice of spices, but who knows? Mix it up a bit.
Thanks for the Camp video. I like his humor style.
Bundle-up and good luck with the ice. Now, about that
wood stove ...
Zionism is a social disease
I have been reading about
cocoa added to chili by famous chefs for years, but have never tried it.
So, you go first, friend! Let us know how it turns out!
Stay warm!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It will add depth and complexity to the flavor of the dish
similar to adding coffee to a chocolate cake batter. It is the "I can't quite place the flavor, but I will take a second helping"
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Hey, soe!
I have also read about the coffee to the batter hack, but have never tried it. Also read that a dash of cayenne sparks up chocolate cake or candy in a good way. I can get a bit heavy handed with spices. If I tried that, I would want help.
I am at the point in life where all food is comfort food to me! Lol!
I am hearing thunder in the distance. Glad I got my little shopping trip in town done. The icy rains gonna come.
Hope everything is weather-proofed for you! That way, you can relax and enjoy your weekend, friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hola Cap'n Q y todos. Cocoa and Chili are a natural
combination, a little cocoa in the chile, a little chili in the hot chocolate, and, speaking of mole:
Ingredients(Makes about 1 1/4 cups):
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed (cooked or canned)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
5 Tablespoons honey (Use 1T brown sugar)
1/4 cup sugar (Use 1T)
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (or grated unsweetened dark chocolate 1 to 1.5 T)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (scant)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (heaping)
1/8 teaspoon mustard seed (use heaping 1.5t mustard powder ??)
~1/4 cup water (Use about 1/8 c vegetable stock)
Black Bean Mole Sauce Beans
Method:
Combine all of the ingredients except for the water into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Slowly add the water while blending until the sauce reaches a fluid yet thick consistency.
Put on proteins or cook them in it, use like enchilada sauce on burritos and such, etc.
Also, about that chocolate + coffee thing. Just made some box mix brownies,Ghiradelli brand with chocolate chunks. Added 1 teaspoon espresso powder, as always, and replaced the water with part kahlua and part baileys. Really wonderful.
be well and have a good one
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 --
Good morning...
Already have some ice falling, but we're at 33F, so hopefully we won't get coated. Tonight is the real threat for ice. We're hoping to avoid the worst of it.
Hid the cars down in the barn to keep them from icing over.
I think we've got back-up power lined up in case of outage, but we'll see...or hopefully won't need it.
Planning to hunker down in the house the next few days. I've already got a big pot of chili cooked plus a pot of chicken soup. Only needs warming.
Everyone in the cold take care especially if you need to get out on the road!
Thanks for the OT. Take care!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good afternoon, LO!
We only planned for tonight and Sunday. Soup is a good choice.
My Monday morning court hearing was delayed until Tuesday. Hopefully, the roads will be safe early morning Tuesday. The court annex building is about 15 miles away, hilly and curvy roads the whole way.
Appointments and an errand in downtown Houston sucked away the day on Friday, so we are not as stocked up as we planned.
An interesting thing happened as I sat in the Motor vehicle office to get certified copies of some car titles. Out of the blue, a tall older guy came in and sat behind me while we waited to get a call to come to a station. I told him he looked familiar, and he said I did, too. I asked if he was a lawyer, and he said he is a retired engineer. Well, I worked as a draftsman (now called drafter) in several engineering firms in the late 70s and early 80s. What are the odds???
Stay warm, and when I say, "stay lit up", take it any way you wish, dear friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
We made
Scotch Broth and clapshot for our cook last week, because we came across an absolutely beautiful, monster rutabaga. We’d had a good chunk of lamb frozen since the spring, just waiting for a job, and this cold snap just screamed for hearty stew and lots of root veg.
We’re kind of on a Scottish food jag now- we’re doing Cullen Skink for tonight, but with smoked salmon instead of smoked haddock (finnan haddie). Cooking is a great refuge from all the psychopathy of the world right now.
4degF this am. Definitely time for more long-steeped steamy runny yummy food. And hot toddys, for sure…
Twice bitten, permanently shy.
What a menu, my friend!
I couldn't find the ingredients here in East Texas to even try my hand in Scottish cooking.
The last trip I had booked was to Scotland. Covid hit, trips cancelled. I may re-book it one day.
I can barely handle the lows this weekend of 18degF. 4? My hands and feet would just fall off.
I am worried about my cat. I can't say if he is truly feral, or a cat that was mistreated by some human somewhere. We have made a cardboard box house with a cushion and blanket, placed it on the porch where he sits and naps a lot. We can't safely handle him, and he is not a house cat. This is the best we can do for Pour Boy. ( Texans pronounce poor as pour. I catch myself doing it.)
Well, looks like you are ready for what comes, friend! Stay safe and warm!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Skink?
These dudes?
be well and have a good one
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 --
ICE kills again
https://www.commondreams.org/news/minneapolis-protest-shooting
At this point I don't even know what to say any more.
MAGA
Morons
Are
Governing
America
A video of the execution. How will Noem et al cover this up?
those storm troopers are out of control
.
killing civilians for no apparent reason
other than resisting 'authority'. F*kers.
Zionism is a social disease
Hey, Cap'n!
Ditto
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hey, humphrey!
Not sure how a man beaten down to the ground, completely surrounded and detained by 4 or 5 cops needs to be shot and killed. This is regardless of whether he was armed or not. He would not have been able to draw his weapon, and imho, posed no threat.
But then, that's just me. What do I know, amirite?
If the feds investigate it, which is not guaranteed, they will find no wrongdoing by the cops.
My mind wonders to who benefits from a civil war? A few names come to said mind...
Enjoy your weekend and please, friend, post every X you think we would benefit in seeing.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
When London police put seven bullets in an innocent man’s head
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/apr/06/fatal-error-20-year...
Disney just recently produced a drama about the incident:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12716021/Jean-Charles-Menezes-s...
Good afternoon, sp!
About ICE, I am running out of words myself.
Some of my best friends are immigrants. I am very pro-legal immigration. I am very anti-illegal immigration. This has been my position in this regard for all my life. What has changed is the processing of immigrants has been overwhelmed, and must morally, legally, and sensibly be re-instated and expanded to handle the influx.
We should have never, as citizens, be positioned to choose between hiding or harboring or employing an illegal, all of which are crimes, or standing idly by while while an armed police force is not bound by the 4th amendment, and has expanded self-defense to the point where it is indistinguishable from murder.
I just do not know what to do. For now, I am just ducking and hiding, hoping all this goes away.
Enjoy your weekend, and stay safe, and don't get caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Lee Camp
offers exactly what we, as normal human beings, NEED during Trump Against The World: ridicule.
Indignation is what he and his sponsors want from us. It sets them up to say to their constituency that we "liberals" are insane for supporting Russia, Hamas and drug cartels. But if we get them to laugh at the Orange Fart Cloud, we can cut into his support base.
Creepy Era we live in.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.
Good afternoon, fwf!
I am gonna go sell a truck, then try to find some warm house shoes at a local Dollar Store.
Laughter is the best medicine, after all. I will take a dose any time, friend!
Stay safe out there!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Doing my weekly checking in, otc. Hoping
JtC is getting set for his next round of therapy.
Right now, here in ECFL, it is 78 and partly cloudy. We'll start another cool down Monday. Hard freezes here are a thing of the past thanks to the big-money bozos in gas and coal. You all in the freeze/ice zones, be careful. Black ice was the one thing I was always wary of as a kid. Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
We are dry and sub freezing so far today
.
the heavy white stuff comes in tomorrow.
FL sounds good right about now.
Zionism is a social disease
Good afternoon, obf!
Farmers wish for an occasional freeze as it replenishes soil with a needed nutrient, nitrous oxide. Still, I hate it when over done, lol!
JtC has 26 more radiation/chemo days. Very slight side effects.
He sees the same nurses, has running jokes going with all of them, so the real downside is the 45 minute drive to the hospital every weekday. It is what it is.
Glad you are spared this weather event. Hope you can find something fun to do this weekend, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Now here's a fun conundrum.
1) Moon of Alabama -- of all bloggers -- noticed that the gullible editors of the New Left Review -- a publication to which I subscribe -- have published what appears to be State Department propaganda. This is a new low. Chock up the New Left Review as part of a community of people who ought to know better. They're all a bunch of nice liberals with big egos, unless proven otherwise.
2) The main problem is, of course, that, sure, the Iranian regime is run by a bunch of grifters, but the primary alternative to the Iranian regime, continually in motion since last year, is the destruction, and by this I mean total physical destruction, of Iran. And, by Iran, I don't mean the regime, but rather the physical entity, the chunk of land and the stuff on top of that land, which we call "Iran."
3) We should keep in mind that Iran has two sets of protesters: a) the nonviolent, managerial-class types protesting against the corruption of the regime, just as we might protest against Trump, and b) the violent, Mossad-coordinated protesters. Conflating the two sets, then, is the propaganda move.
4) Larry Johnson and Larry Wilkerson know this, and have said some meaningful things about what appears to be a planned attack on Iran. In this video they are in dialogue with Nima Alkhorshid, who is at this time in Iran.
5) The Larrys believe that the CIA is lying to Trump, that there is a plan being put into operation right now to destroy Iran with thousands of missiles, and that the result of that plan, were it to receive an okay, would be the destruction of Israel.
6) So this is another example of what I mean when I argued for the abandonment of the term "the Left" in politics. Think of this situation as being like 2003. Bush, in this case Trump, is about to attack Iraq, in this case Iran. The big differences between then and now are that a) there are no protests this time around, b) "the Left" supports Trump, and c) Iran is a lot stronger than Iraq was.
7) I'm sure the nice liberals with big egos are planning a statement: We can liberate the Iranians, just like how we supported the Ukrainians. Or as the Star Wars character Hondo Ohnaka (Star Wars The Clone Wars; Star Wars Rebels) might say: "Sounds good? Of course it does."
8) Let me suggest a general principle to be followed here. Whenever the nice liberals with big egos tell us "Omigod there's capitalist on capitalist violence -- we gotta gete involved!", our response should be "why?"
"It hasn't been okay to be smart in the United States for centuries" -- Frank Zappa
Good afternoon, Cass!
Well, the Lefties voted to increase spending to Israel and to increase the military budget, and voted to allow the government to put a kill switch in every vehicle on the roads, I would say that the traditional political left is gone away, never to return.
Regime change can only be opposed when your donors are not weapons producers. Or AIPAC.
In a few minutes, I will start cooking the pinto beans for the chili, and while they boil up to perfection, I will watch the video.
Not comfortable with Nima being in Iran. I am sure he is a target.
I do think the days of Iran being restrained are coming to an end. Israel is about to FAFO.
Enjoy your weekend, friend, and stay warm!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good video.
Impeach Trump, as recommend by Lee Camp.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Small wonder that the incompetent Whitehouse is doing a
fine job of screwing everything up.
I'm sure those penguins are mere illegal immigrants
coerced into migrating to the Arctic by the State-Department-orchestrated destabilization of Antarctica /snark
"It hasn't been okay to be smart in the United States for centuries" -- Frank Zappa
The rest of the story
MAGA
Morons
Are
Governing
America
Funny!
Does anyone at the White House know anything about anything?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
In a word, no
MAGA
Morons
Are
Governing
America
What this penguin/president imagery says
...from my perspective is that Trump is still being briefed on Asian issues in anticipation of his forthcoming trip to Asia. This imagery of the president with a penguin seems to reflect the media appeal at least in Asia of the animated penguin myth of Pororo Simone Chun reported on a a couple of weeks ago. President Lee in Korea had posted on his X account in relation to the friendly penguin myth on January 7. It's was an attractive appeal to diplomatic opening with North Korea.
The post is in Korean but the translate button worked...
Penguin Lee and Penguin Kim, Meet!
Simon Chun picked up on this twitter post by President Lee Jae-myung. Lee is referring to a an article dated January 7, on Daum.net, discussing the cultural and potential political significance of a jointly produced animated film that circulated worldwide.
The article notes the significant restraint exercised by Kim Jong-un during provocative actions by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. The impeached former president of South Korea tried to set the stage for martial law by provoking the North Korea with drone violations of North Korean territory among other things.
The browser translate function readily produced a good English translation. I would have posted more but there was a stern copyright warning.
Meet, Pojaemyeong and Pojeong
My concern is that this representation is simply the other side of his "decapitation attack" on Venezuela which Trump regards as some great military achievement. These special forces operations are a tactical response to strategic issues and therefore will lead to military debacles when misapplied to other strategic situations like Iran and North Korea. I first saw these decapitation attack plans by US special forces task forces described in open source media in South Korea a few years ago. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and they were never carried out.
This is all speculation on my part. It could be simple plagiarism by the psywar experts running Trump's propaganda machine, but imo reflects his actual state of mind at least for the moment.
edited for spelling
己所不欲，勿施于人。
Interesting interpretation
.
Without studying the image too deeply
my thought was Trump was taken on a walk in the snow
and the penguin whacked him and buried the fool
for the sake of America. Pure projection on my part.
Zionism is a social disease
I see Sec Kennedy is using the Pororo meme too
Maybe the White House will start using Fu Bao the panda media memes next to catapult their propaganda. It's all warm, soft and cuddly.
South Korea has actually been negotiating to get Fu Bao, the first panda born in South Korea from parents loaned by China, back in South Korea, because she became the nationally loved animal. Internet media concerning Fu Bao, get millions of hits. Maybe the White House can boost their media campaign that way, too.
己所不欲，勿施于人。
Well this is interesting future puzzle regarding immigration
If AI systems can be considered legal persons, then comparing AI systems deployed around the world to immigrants, legal and illegal.
Sign in WEF 2026: Yuval Noah Harari Says AI Is Not a Tool — It’s an Agent That Can Rule Humans | AI1G Jan 20, 2026 af World Economic Forum (21:06 min)
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Good grief,
AI is worse than I thought.
Any word spoken by a talking AI head is our words. Nothing new or created, just putting words out of our mouths into theirs.
Given the AI legal spittum I have seen thus far, hey...let 'em be human and let me and mine sue them to oblivion, deport them, kill them with the flip of a switch.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Maybe it is just me but it appears as if ICE is simply handing
out bullet proof vests and helmets to random MAGA supporters to carry out their tasks.
including murdering innocent civiliansJust like that the cover up of the latest murder begins!
Edited to add:
New evidence is coming to light!
humphrey,
I am typically the very last person in the room, or nowadays, in the country, that believes anything that federal cops say.
Do these crazed bastards realize we are taking videos and sharing them with the world, plainly showing what they are doing? How do they know ahead of time they can act with impunity? Or shall I say, immunity?
That video shows the cold blooded, broad daylight murder of an unarmed man.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
The murderer (is wearing blue jeans) can be spotted in the 2nd
video beginning at about 20 seconds.
LOL The Iranian side slips in a bit of well deserved snark.
Is seems as if ICE is applying the lessons taught by the
Zionists.
However they are on the the receiving end of fact checking blowback.
Even from Trump supporters.
This has got to be
causing TPTB to have brain bleeding. Only brain pretzel twisted to perfection can save them.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
FWIW, the guy had a permit for the gun, and MN is an
open carry state. That's state law. The state says if you have a permit yu can wear a handgun. The feds, however, sappear to say that if you carry a gun they can kill you, or that's what the evidence clearly indicates.
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 --
Worth a lot, el...
many lives, in fact, my dear friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
@enhydra lutris
Ryan Rozbiani@RyanRozbiani
·
Hmmm!
Gaza Beach 2030....
That’s exactly it. We’re all just Palestinians now
Zionist billionaires believe they are are the purpose of the universe’s existence and we are just superfluous matter put on earth only to serve and obey them and make them even richer.
Whoever does not bow down to their whims and comply is fair game and will be eliminated, just like in the West Bank when so-called “settlers” show up.
It obviously a mere coincidence that the new CEO of TikTok
happens to be Jewish.
I am wondering
how many illegal immigrants are on Tik Tok AND anti-zionist? The ones I have run across avoid social media and aren't religious.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I think that the targets most likely are Americans who are not
supportive of Trump, Israel, ICE etc. particularly if you live in a blue state.
I was being a bit
tongue in cheek, humphrey. There mention of "illegals" is bs. Sounds like a cover to give it some legitimacy. Bottom line: it is a hunt for anti-Zionists, period.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Somewhat related.
And I learned a lot about
Zelenski's posturing and inability to cede Ukraine territory in Karlof1's article:
https://karlof1.substack.com/p/my-long-comment-to-larry-johnson
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981