Weekend Open Thread
I remember when the Baby Boomers were criticized, by the older generations, as being liberal. The generations before them were conservatives. Today, the Baby Boomer generation has filled the conservative niche, and Generation X is shifting right. The person who created this meme will find himself/herself as a member of a conservative generation in two to three decades. Enjoy your weekend!
Category: Open thread
First!
Some CongRats sent your way, Good Sir, on your twofer! Not hard at all when there’s no real competition. Looks like there was NO competition. After my announcement of this morning, I figured ALL of the usual suspects would be gathering up to take a shot. Not a good example of my figuring, eh? Much catching up to do, I’ll peruse the trivia in a bit bit.
Sad detail today for The Gun Bunny. Had to go say “See you later, on the Other Side” to a very Dear Lady Friend. Aimee was the epitome of what it means to be a Good Daughter, Sister, Nurse, Wife, Mother, Grand Mother, and Friend. Had known her and her pegged legged husband Shannon for years. Shannon was my go to for carpentry work, doing my rehab to FOB Hawkins Hill, COP CRC Timber Ranch, and Firebase Magnolia. Aimee was much loved and respected by all that were Blessed to know her. She will be sorely missed. Only 61 yo when the Big C took her away from us.
Condolences to Aimee’s family and friends.
May the God of all comfort wrap His arms around them all.
Thanks, Graybeard. I passed these kind words, along with CW’s, to the family today on a follow up visit. They were deeply appreciative. Aimee was a firm believer in The Promise made by The Former Jewish Carpenter. We’ll meet up with her again.
My deepest condolences to your friend’s family and to you, King. My aunt passed from cancer Friday afternoon, so I’m right there with you.
Thanks, CW, muchly appreciated. Condolences to your family also. The Big C doesn’t discriminate and not only ravages its victim, but also the family.
ps…Another fine job on the trivia…it is muchly appreciated, too!
My condolences to you both. Cancer doesn’t care and that bitch lays in wait. My wife beat it 3 years ago and we’re thankful that her treatment was successful, but we both accept that it’s just waiting for its chance to make an encore. We just live our lives and enjoy our time “Until the one who left us here, returns for us at last.”
Two in a row for the old Commish! I’ll just hang on to the orb and scepter and all that stuff … restock the larder and beverage areas … and leave you all some trivia to mull over while I rule in my semi-despotic manner. Here ’tis …
DID YOU KNOW…?
Did an Academy Award™ sit in a Pennsylvania hardware store for 25 years?
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
During this week, my friends of the Jewish faith are celebrating Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. If you don’t know much about it, you’d do well to look it up.
The eight days of Hanukkah are very special and wonderful, and if you’re celebrating them this week, I wish you a joyous one!
For those who don’t celebrate Hanukkah, hang tight … Christmas is right around the corner.
I have some friends who celebrate both. I think they get the best of both worlds, don’t you?
And to celebrate, how about a dollop of trivia? I have some right here for you!
Did you know …
… the word “education” comes from Latin? It comes from the phrase e duco, which means “to lead out of.” (But they never tell you what they’re leading you into, do they?)
… family members were reunited by happenstance and social media? When Anaïs Bordier (born 1987), a French student studying in England, saw a YouTube video featuring an American woman, she was struck by the amazing resemblance the woman had with her. Bordier’s research into the video turned up the name of Samantha Futerman (born 1987), and the incredible coincidence that both were born on the same day, in the same South Korean hospital, and were both adopted. It turns out that Bordier and Futerman were identical twins. The story was the basis for the 2015 film Twinsters, in which the two women play themselves and search for their birth mother. (I love a happy ending.)
… British television does not translate well to American audiences? Bear with me a moment. Some of the most enjoyable shows on British TV were also very successful during their runs on American networks – examples abound, such as Downton Abbey, Are You Being Served? or The Prisoner. But efforts to make those programs with American casts and tastes usually fail. For example, Are You Being Served? – a comedy set in a fictional London department store – was made as an American version in 1979. The BBC series lasted 13 years, but its American counterpart didn’t make one full season. The reason the American versions don’t succeed is not very clear, but the fact is, they don’t – with two notable exceptions. The BBC’s Til Death Us Do Part was successfully remade in the U.S. as All In the Family, while their Steptoe and Son became the hilarious American Sanford and Son.
… reindeer like bananas? Odd, considering that bananas don’t normally grow where reindeer are plentiful. (And bananas like reindeer, too, I suppose.)
… the apparent mathematical chance of meeting your true soul mate is one in 10,000? (Somebody sits around and figures this stuff out?)
… statues of a cartoon character can be found in Texas and Illinois? In the town of Crystal City, Texas you can find a statue of Popeye the Sailor. Created by Elzie C. Segar (1894-1938) in the Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1929, Popeye was immortalized in Crystal City because that community considers itself the Spinach Capital of the World. Another statue of the character can be found in Chester, Illinois, the home town of Segar. Chester maintains a “Popeye Character Trail” with smaller statues of the characters Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy, Eugene the Jeep, Swee’pea, and Olive’s parents Cole and Nana Oyl, among others. (Well, blow me down!)
I’ve been to the Popeye statue in Crystal City. It was a stop on the 2022 Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas. My wife and I rode down to take a qualifying picture for the tour.
Originally (mediocre) Brit shows: The Office, House of Cards, Whose Line is it Anyway, The Thick of It (Veep), Secret Millionaire, Cash Cab, Pop Idol (American Idol). Search “British TV shows remade in US” for others.
Man About The House (UK) = Three’s Company (US).
Ghosts started over there and just ended after 5 seasons and 30 episodes total. Here it is translating well and doing even better. A one off but a fun series no matter what side of the pond you are on.
… a famous actor’s Academy Award™ was kept in a Pennsylvania hardware store for years? When James Stewart (1908-1997) took the Best Actor Oscar for The Philadelphia Story in 1940, his father, Alexander Maitland Stewart (1872-1962), said he’d heard that his son “won some kind of award” and offered to keep it in his hardware store in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The actor, bemused by his father’s comment, did just that, and the Oscar stayed in the store until 1965. The Oscar was displayed along with Stewart’s military medals and other family awards. The elder Stewart had originally hoped his son would take over the family business, the J.M. Stewart and Company Hardware Store, but young James apparently had other plans.
… the world’s narrowest street is in Germany? The Spreuerhofstraße in the city of Reutlingen, Germany, measures only about one foot wide at its narrowest point. Most pedestrians actually have to turn sideways to be able to walk along it. (I couldn’t even do that!)
… the first long-distance journey by aut
omobile was made in 1888? On August 5 of that year, Bertha Benz (1849-1944) drove from Mannheim, Germany, to Pforzheim in a vehicle built by her husband Karl (1844-1929). The drive accomplished two purposes: it field-tested the Benz Patent-Motorwagen internal combustion engine, and it gave Bertha a chance to take their kids out of the house for a while. The total journey was 60 miles and proved that automobiles could be used for personal travel. (Anything to get the kids out of the house, eh, Bertha?)
… you really cannot sink in quicksand? Despite what dozens – nay, hundreds of television shows and movies have depicted, falling into quicksand is not a slow, torturous death by drowning, or whatever. Humans are not dense enough to sink in quicksand, which is a mixture of sand, clay and water. Even if you struggle and thrash around like the movies advise you not to do, you won’t sink much lower than your waist in the muck. (So much for old-time movies and TV shows!)
… the average house cat spends between 15 and 20 hours a day sleeping? Their sleep is not like yours and mine, however. It’s more a kind of “cat nap” in which they are not far from being fully awake and alert. (Ah, but the dreams!)
Now … you know!
My Mountain Cur is a proud member of an energetic breed, known for climbing up to ten feet and running for miles to corner everything from hogs to even bears. Her companion, a Black Lab, turns 14 soon and sleeps most of the day. She tries to emulate him, but the second I stir in the wee hours or make a movement towards the back door when awake, she’s a virtual rocket, running outside to challenge any creature out there.
Our domesticated house creatures are funny at times. Instinct and breeding have them ready to do what their working peers and forebears do/did, but they adapt so quickly to our lifestyles. The Cur will be chasing something one minute, then curled up at my back snoring the next, only to hear thunder and take it personal. She reminds me of Scrappy Doo.
We had to have our Mountain Cur/Snowball Fiest mix put down 2 years ago, he was with us for over 17 years.
I still miss him.
I had to put down a horse I had for 28 years; bought him as a six-year old. He was the best of my cavalry reenactor horses; he was fearless in a charge.
You’ve just destroyed every action show from the 1960’s where the hero is slowly sinking in the quicksand, then after commercial break he is saved by the damsel in distress who he was hired to rescue. As long as you are ruining stereotypical plot lines, a few weeks back, Hack Stone was curious on how many people are actually killed by flesh eating piranhas. Turns out almost zero. Bodies recovered after being bitten by piranhas show that most of them were dead before the fish rang the dinner bell.
The information about piranhas is in an upcoming column, Hack. I actually take a bit of glee in ruining stereotypical plot lines … one of the first drafts of my first novel contained such a plot line and my editor was adamant about my re-tooling it.
Next you are going to tell us that in the American Judicial System, from time of arrest (or lawsuit being filed) to the case actually being heard in a courtroom is usually a year or more, and not the next day like every situation comedy. I’m looking at you, Seinfeld.
Well, Seinfeld and his posse were stone-cold misanthropes so maybe that’s why their case was fast-tracked!🤣
The world lost a good man last week. Graham Dale was one of my Marines in Iraq. He was in the US with a green card and a citizen of Ireland. He was a good Marine, which was a good thing for him because he was a walking liberty incident. He decided to go to Ukraine because he felt that Europeans should be the first in line to defend Europe from Russia. We communicated a few times through fb (the only redeeming quality for fb) after he had arrived in Ukraine. He started out delivering first aid supplies to front line units. I guess it wasn’t close enough to the flame because he was serving in an infantry unit, I believe, when he was killed.
Rest in Peace L/Cpl Dale. I’m proud to have served with you.
Dubliner (45) killed fighting in Ukraine also served as US Marine in Iraq – The Irish Times
I believe the saying goes something like this: “If you aren’t liberal when you’re young, you have no heart. If you aren’t conservative when you’re older, you have no brain.”
I’m too old and lazy to look up who said it and to give them credit; just accept that it was a very wise person.
I believe it was Sir Winston Churchill.
Anselm Batbie, according to https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/heart-head/
I disagree with that.
If you are liberal when you are young, you are uneducated and a fool that believes in fairy tales.
The real difference between free market capitalism and communism is that in a free society the investors own the means of production, and in communism politicians own the means of production, as the communist party controls everything, and there is only one party. So, politicians.
Yeah, I never really went through a liberal phase. I knew that I agreed with Ronald Reagan and saw strength when he debated Carter in 1980. I was 7 years old and wanted nothing to do with what the Dems were offering.
On station.
Happy Holidays from Dr. Jill Biden!
No. Do not watch this. It makes Tchaikovsky cry.
They must be from the UK. That’s the only explanation.
Or…
Wow…
Do you have any idea how much foam is created when Sam Adams shoots out your nose? Fookin’ hurts, too!
ChipNASA,
This was a punch line in the John Goodman movie King Ralph.
Turns out, Pennsylvania’s Heinz
(the ketchup company) makes it, too.
I had a buddy that had that once. Took three rounds of penicillin to get rid of it. Korea is like a different country or something!
Present! And getting more conservative every day. Looking back, I’ve always been pretty conservative, I just didn’t know the difference between conservative and liberal.
A conservative has read and understands the Constitution.
A liberal has not read the Constitution but is an expert on it.
Hope that helps.
FIRST TWELVE.
Am not a Baby Boomer, I’m of the silent Majority being born in November of 1945. Baby Boomer came about after the war ended with the troops who were separated after 1945, moving to the houses being built all over the country and having babies. Dad joined the National Guard in 1940 before the draft and then was activated into the regular Army and separated 3 months after the Japanese surrender. before I was born.
Yes, indeed. Baby Boomers are, by definition, concieved after the war (WW2, you know, The Big One) ends, you are correct. Anyone born on or before 1 SEP 45 (or during 1945 at all) certainly isn’t a Baby Boomer. (VJ-Day is pushing it for those who got The Big Chill soundtrack and really want to belong.)
There was loud boom the day I was born.
I was conceived less than six months after the war ended. So, I am part of that first wave of boomers
Bad Luck 13th!!
I’m here you tards.
4 oir 5 days behind on reading so hollar if I’m needed elsewhere.
Lord nicely CW and enjoy your reign.
Chimpy
Old PEN State gotta fire the witch.
IMHO
Right there.
And the context, for left/libtards and the folk they like, is:
Sapper3307,
University of Pennsylvania / UP / Penn,
NOT Pennsylvania State University / PSU / Penn State.
Penn is in downtown Philadelphia.
Penn State is in the rural center of Pennsylvania,
University Park, alongside State College, PA.
My BAD
On duty.
Yesterday while trying to help Favorite First (h/t Commish) D-i-L I dropped my truck on a culvert & tore stuff up grand royal.
Christmas $ this year goes to the body shop. (I cxled the full coverage 6 weeks ago.)
Y’all have a good weekend and Happy Hanukkah- remember the fighting Jews who got weapons to protect their faith and families.
I had cancelled the full coverage on my 2000 P/U, years back, and hit my first of 4 deer 6 days later. Sandwiched between #3 and #4, I managed to hit another whitetail with the wife’s car, damage to the tune of $4300.
Here in the middle of the Mitten(Michigan), we hit a lot of deer with our vehicles.
I live in a National Forest – but am pretty good about seeing the deer before they jump in front of the car.
I did have a doe run into the side of my vehicle oncet.
I usually don’t see them until I’m right next to them
Went by one last week at 5 am behind the guard rail.
Years ago had one leap over the guardrail, land in
front of me, then leap out of my way all in a matter of
a few seconds while I’m doing 85+ on I-95 Maine.
Talk about phew….
I live in a semi rural part of town, and deer cross my yard on a somewhat regular basis. I take my dog out on a leash to do his business, and occasionally see deer while doing so. Sometimes they watch to see what’s happening and other times jump into the stand of timber. When they disappear into the woods, they blend in within the first few feet, and at no time do I hear them crashing through the trees.
Sneaky bastards.
I once again award myself Honorary First.
((((OVER))))
Epstein did not kill himself.
An UP YOURS to the FBI Personnel monitoring US instead of the Illegal Aliens.
Just learned about an internet discount for veterans on a pension. I found veterans pension as a qualifier and was accepted. Be aware then after I was approved and the internet company gave me the discount, I began receiving spam type email from Lifelink who I believe administers this program. Check it out:
Affordable Connectivity Program
We would like to make you aware of an assistance program for broadband subscribers called the Affordable
Connectivity Program operated by the Federal Communications Commission.
If you or a member of your household participate in certain government assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, have a student that qualifies for free or reduced lunch, have received a Federal Pell Grant or if you already receive a Lifeline benefit, you may qualify to receive a recurring monthly credit of up to $30 on your internet service under this program.
If you would like to apply, go to deleted and follow the instructions provided. Once your eligibility is confirmed, contact us at deleted to enroll.
Edited. The interwebs are full of scammers, Stu. Caveat emptor.
AW1
C’mon man, you know you can’t put something on the interwebs if it ain’t true!
Hold on, it’s time to frog this muh-fugger:
My man Milei giving a shout-out to the Jewish people during his inauguration speech. Viva La Libertad, Carajo!
Long Live Liberty, Dammit!
VLLC!
https://youtu.be/gXOtGbkFlD8?si=HYCDQZ6MgF2_ZI4p
Just watched this: Female Cop Does NOTHING During Attack! (youtube.com) My comment in the military recruitment woes thread quickly succumbed to the decades-old debate as to whether or not women can withstand the challenges of front-line service. In my experience, some can, and many can’t. Oddly enough, there’s also a majority of men who can’t or won’t step up to a Combat Arms job. That’s good, we don’t need a military full of “trigger pullers” who can’t pull the trigger or maintain a sustained combat maneuver. The Infantry units I served in were all male. After the transformation in 2004, when females were allowed to serve in IN battalions (as part of the Forward Support Company), I figured it would only be a matter of time. At Air Assault School, we had exactly one female make it past Zero Day. She was an MP CPT, fit and squared away. As my buddy from BN Scouts and I were heading out on the second leg of the ruck (three out, three in, repeat), she passed us heading back in. Good stuff. Nearly a year earlier, our driver was a female 88M. When we got ambushed outside of Baghdad and her gunner froze up, she attempted to get the ring-mounted M2 into play but was ordered back to her seat by the PL riding up there. “Your job is to drive!” Hard to do when we’re sitting in a kill zone and none of the scores of vehicles are moving. Fortunately, that Ground Assault Convoy consisted of a battalion of pissed-off, sunburnt, and dehydrated Infantrymen looking for a fight. At Drill Sergeant School, there were more than a few highly capable females, especially the DS Leaders, mostly MPs, but one of whom was an X-Ray Tech of all things, who’d never even led a Soldier before becoming a DS and later DSL. A couple of years later I was in school to finally get SFC and the only female in my class (now, the First female Armor 1SG) outdid me on the APFT. I was ahead throughout the run but I guess… Read more »
On the flip side, I served with a now-retired Blackhawk pilot who was the only other junior enlisted in my company in TOG with a CIB. He had a 1/75 Combat Scroll and was sent to Ranger School while in TOG, then to AASLT and Pathfinder before submitting his WOFT packet. Great guy, but there were rumors as to why he was a scrolled Ranger suddenly in TOG within a year of graduating RIP (now RASP).
Flash forward: I’m in Afghanistan in 2013 and inspecting the RSO&I tents with one of the line companies’ 1SGs when he tells me about a firefight his squad had been in in early 2002 or so. One of the new guys froze up and had to be almost carried down the mountain. Per regulation, he’d earned his Scroll and CIB, but of course 75th Ranger had no use for him, so why not send him to where disciplined and otherwise squared-away. I named a name, and sure enough, it was my former TOG peer. Great guy, and obviously found his niche in Aviation, but he didn’t belong in a firefight on the ground.
Full circle… the female officer above obviously shouldn’t be a patrol officer. Maybe she’d make a good investigator, Armorer, or outreach officer. Her lack of action leading to the necessity of deadly force being used against the subject only adds to the list for people who think females shouldn’t be cops (see also, Kim Potter).
Similarly, when we see videos like the ones Jamesons Travels posted a while back (I watched it when it first came out), we question the “value-added” aspect of actively recruiting young women into jobs they are neither physically nor mentally prepared for.
Whew! Made it!
Good times create soft people, soft people create bad times…
Well, at least she’s actually thinking it through. Most of the muppets and donuts out there won’t even connect the dots enough to get to step 3. And almost none would have the realization that, “Oh shit, this ain’t gonna work…”
Concur.
The surprise— learning a gay person’s inability to fly like Superman from a tall building.
I want to fly like an eagle,
To the sea,
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me.
It ain’t Santa up on the rooftop
Haven’t watched this guy for a while. We used to use his videos to motivate us, especially during those sometimes 0330-2200 days during First 72 and early Red Phase:
To start, some common Recruiter tactics: How Recruiters Be in Each Branch of The Military (youtube.com)
The best part about being a Drill: When Oldschool Drill Sergeants Smoke You For Anything (youtube.com)
Our predecessors always had it tougher: BASIC Training (Week 1) 1966 VS 1996 VS 2016 (youtube.com)
Of course, cadence calling…I was the dark one, so things got morbid and deep really quick when calling cadence: (80) HOW DRILL SERGEANTS CALL CADENCE – YouTube
Been there, ain’t done the finale (yet). Might have if I’d have made it past E7: Drinking As You Get Older In The Military (youtube.com)
Speaking of promotions, I used to love it when my first line would call to congratulate me on making the selection list, especially when my SF/Ranger PSG called while I was getting my Dad’s death certificate on leave. The list is confusing to many lower-IQ types, they see your name but forget to look for the sequence number denoting that you really did finally make it: WHEN YOU DO NOT MAKE THE PROMOTION LIST IN THE MILITARY (youtube.com)
On a final note: (80) How the US Army Reserves and National Guard Get Ready For a Deployment in a Combat Zone – YouTube
Good stuff. Note that Thomas himself was a Recruiter, and his BDUs have some sort of unofficial badge where the DSID Badge normally goes, as well as an “S.U.F.R.” tape in lieu of “US Army”, while the female is still in as a SFC and was a DS. Done right, in my opinion, despite being a comedy YouTube channel, he’s respecting fellow Vets by not wearing stuff he didn’t earn and not trying to act like he’s still serving. Much better than the posers exposed here.
Your links tripped the limit filter and put you in jail.
AW1
That’s what I figured. Oops, I’ll just share a couple next time and let everyone decide whether to go down the rabbit hole like I did. 😁
PHONY POW William Spurlock Jr. – Murfreesboro, TN
2023 York VA Veterans Day Parade “Grand Marshal”.
EPILOGUE –
VA acknowledges Spurlock was never a P.O.W.
VA is taking appropriate action on multiple fronts.
WGNS Radio has removed this photo and titled radio interview bullet audio clips from their website story.
However, Spurlock’s interview clips with “POW”, “Tet”, and “2 dogs”
remain up,
located on the top line 3:43 story audio.
Follow the VG trail back to a previous Weekend Open Thread,
and then again to the 2023 Veterans Day Holiday Open Thread, where
ninja laid out the reveal for all of us to see.
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=149819
Hack Stone beat Commissioner Wretched by a hood twenty seconds yesterday, but his comment was placed in the “pending approval” file, right next to Psaul’s resume, so of course it would never see the light of day. The only way that Hack Stone can post a comment is if he is not utilizing the IP address of a proud but humble woman owned business that sells outdated and overpriced Red Hat Software to the Federal Government. And sometimes that trusty rusty 1980’s vintage Jaguar just doesn’t want to turn over at 14:55 on a Friday afternoon. Maybe Hack should go back to the UK.
“Hood” 20 seconds? Is that anything like “CPT?”