Weekend Open Thread

| September 27, 2024 | 118 Comments

Truth or fiction? This Aint Hell commenters are familiar with how unhinged the left could be. Readers also are familiar with the lack of sense of responsibility and accountability among many who vote Democrat. Well, a man allegedly leveraged this information when a house in his neighborhood went up for sale. Not being that pro-Trump himself, he understood that displaying MAGA flags in front of his home would turn off a certain group of voters from wanting to move into the home. Enjoy your weekend!

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Amateur Historian

1st!

Amateur Historian

Ha! I’m the King of the Moment!!!

Hack Stone

D’oh!

ChipNASA

WOW That’s a First First in a little while…but not too long…of course we defer to the holder of the Excel Spreadsheet of Firsts (unless Claw is old skool and actually uses a green government notebook, of which I am certain he can provide the NSN. 😀 )
Anyway, Lord gracefully AH(ole) 🙂

Hack Stone

As reining First Commenter, you are obligated to provide us us the Weekend Safety Brief. We are standing by….

Amateur Historian

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….. Don’t drink hot sauce and sneeze at the same time?

P.S. Don’t ask.

Hack Stone

Don’t buy a used pager held together with duct tape from a street vendor in the Middle East.

MustangCryppie

Damn it!

SFC D

Check your iCom radios carefully.

5JC

Now that you mention it sarge always said; “don’t effing call me when your radio goes kablooey in the desert if you don’t have your pmcs turned in”.

SFC D

He foretold the future far more accurately than Mr. Stone’s magic 8-ball.

Odie

We won’t ask, but how did this happen to your, ummmm, friend.

BlueCord Dad

Here it is…

IMG_1358
Amateur Historian

Can I please upvote this twice? Thrice for Uber Drivers?

Dennis - not chevy

I agree with all of this; however, I always counsel to go easy on the gig-line. Now, I’m not advocating appearing as a soup sandwich; however, consider time and place, soup sandwich may be the uniform of the day.

As a veteran, I’m trying to fit into the world and not have the world meet the standards that were drilled into me. To change the world would be exhausting. I recently discovered food has flavor, after basic training (49+ years ago), who would have thought?

The worst case of “Look you aren’t in anymore” I encountered was when a retired dependapotamous rear ended me with her car at a stop-light. She screamed at me that I wasn’t showing her husband, a retired 2LT, the proper respect.

timactual

Gig line? Heck, I haven’t seem my gig line in years. These days I just try to make sure my zipper isn’t open before I leave the house. Don’t always succeed.

SFC D

Gig line? Hell, I don’t even remember the last time I tucked my shirt in.

A Proud Infidel®™

DO NOT try to pet stray Dogs.
DO NOT piss on an electric fence.
DO NOT play recklessly with BB Guns.

Yes Folks, those actually got taken seriously by a few past Commanders when I added that to the Weekend Safety briefing.

Hack Stone

Don’t tug on Superman’s cape.
Don’t spit in the wind.
Don’t pull the mask off of the old Lone Ranger.
And don’t go onto a military blog attacking people questioning whether Phil Monkress was a US Navy SEAL.

Dennis - not chevy

‘and for us more seasoned citizens; don’t drive around with Ted.

Graybeard

Rats o’the Cong atcha AmHist!

KoB

A Big Ol’ CongRats for your Big Ol’ 1st FIRST, AH. Bask in the glory of it!

Hack Stone

– [ ] Oh, wise and all knowing Magic 8-Ball, will Hack Stone be unburdened by what has been in order to holistically regain the highly coveted and rarely awarded of First Commenter for the This Ain’t Hell Weekend Open Thread, or will he once again be denied to his rightful claim by the existential threat posed by LC? Magic 8-Ball says…

Amateur Historian

Sorry, but no…

Hack Stone

Hack Stone was on a Teams call for 2 plus hours talking to a Haitian coworker. Hack was hitting refresh since noon, to no avail. He even knew he missed the first post, but pasted anyway.

rgr769

Any chance your coworker had feline for lunch?

Hack Stone

Denied!

IMG_1931
Odie

3rd

Commissioner Wretched

So I shall be … fourth!

Hack Stone

Well, with the Weekend Open Thread already put to bed, Hack can head out onto the Beltway for a Friday afternoon buffet at Costco.

Commissioner Wretched

With a nod of respect to Amateur Historian for his successful claiming of the coveted, always-earned, never given FIRST of the WOT, I offer a slightly special trivia column this week. It’s special because I completed yet another trip ’round the Sun. So enjoy, all!

DID YOU KNOW…?
Can you find a true scale model of the Solar System in Australia?
By Commissioner Wretched
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
Copyright © 2024

Well, here we go again.

Time for me to celebrate yet another trip around the Sun … on Thursday, it was my 66th birthday.

As I always say in these situations, quoting my wonderful sister: “If I’d have known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”

I am fully aware that – barring an unlikely genetic abnormality – I do not have 66 more birthdays ahead of me. That makes what I do all the sweeter … since I plan to spend a lot of them right here, in the column, with you.

Happy birthday to me, if such be the will of the gods. And to you, some great trivia!

My treat.

Did you know …

… a surgeon’s refusal to treat a patient came back to haunt him? At the turn of the 20th Century, Dr. Roswell Park (1852-1914) was one of the most prominent medical men in the city of Buffalo, New York. On September 5, 1901, Dr. Park was notified that he was needed for emergency surgery immediately for a man who had been shot. Park, who was in the middle of another operation, said he could not abandon his patient, “not even for the President of the United States.” Another surgeon then performed the emergency operation … on President William McKinley (1843-1901), who died eight days later of blood poisoning from gangrene which had started on the edges of the gunshot wound he’d suffered. Dr. Park later said he would regret for the rest of his life the comment he made when asked to attend the President. (Ooopsie!)

Commissioner Wretched

… most fans of a 1980s hit song totally misinterpreted it? In 1986, the rock group Beastie Boys released a song called “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party),” and the song almost immediately became the anthem of fraternities nationwide. But the song was written as a parody of party and frat culture, poking fun at it instead of celebrating it. To this day, the members of the band are upset that people took the song at face value. (The advice, however, is sound.)

… a classic criminal was also a musician? During his time incarcerated at Alcatraz, mobster Al Capone (1899-1947) gave regular Sunday concerts with the inmate band. Called the Rock Islanders, Capone was featured on the banjo. (The Rock Islanders? Man, even I am not that corny.)

… you may have seen something ackwards? It’s an old English dialect word that describes a creature lying on its back that can’t get up. (In other words, me in bed on a Monday morning.)

SFC D

Ackwards. The root of the term “Bass-Ackwards”, which has nothing to do with fishing. Much like the term “Rat Cheer” has nothing to do with rodents at a football game.

26Limabeans

Just like “dickweed” has nothing to do with either
dick or weed.

Commissioner Wretched

… a scale model of the Solar System exists in Australia? In Melbourne, centered at St. Kilda Skatepark, is a model of the Solar System made to a scale of one to one billion. In other words, the farthest planet from the Sun, Neptune – which is actually 4.5 billion kilometers away – is represented by a model 4.5 kilometers away. In this scale model, the Sun is a ball about 1.6 meters across … Earth is a tiny ball about 1.3 centimeters in diameter … and the largest planet, Jupiter, is a ball about the size of a human hand. Additional trivia note: the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is also in the model, but is within walking distance of the Sun. This is not, however, incorrect. Proxima Centauri is about 40 trillion kilometers from the Sun in reality; in the model scale, it would be 40,000 km from the Sun. That’s also about the distance around the entire Earth, so the Proxima representation is correct – but to be true to the scale, you’d have to walk all the way around the Earth to get back to it. (Pluto is in the model too, 5.3 kilometers from the Sun model … and 23 millimeters in size. Poor Pluto, getting picked on all the time.)

… chocolate was once used as a medicine? The ancient Olmec, Maya and Aztec cultures of Central and South America used chocolate not only as a medicine but also as a medium in which other medicines were taken. (Sing with me … “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down …”)

Commissioner Wretched

… during World War II, you could not buy sliced bread in a U.S. grocery store? On January 18, 1943, a directive came down from the government ordering stores to stop selling sliced bread for the duration of the war. You could buy whole loaves of bread, but you’d have to slice it yourself. Nobody ever explained how that was supposed to help the war effort, however.

… six teams in the National Football League do not have cheerleaders? The six are the Buffalo Bills, the Chicago Bears, the Cleveland Browns, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The six franchises don’t employ cheerleaders because all of them play their home games in open-air stadiums and during the football season, it’s pretty cold. So the traditional skimpy outfits worn by cheerleaders would not be a very good idea. (Darn it.)

… an island in the Thousand Islands chain in New York is most appropriately named? Just Room Enough Island is thought to be the smallest inhabited island in the world, with about 3,300 square feet of land area. The island has a house, a tree, some shrubs, and a small beach – and nothing else, because there isn’t room for anything else. The island is located in the St. Lawrence River near the U.S. border with Canada. It is privately owned. (So stay off the lawn – such as it is.)

… a river in Cambodia changes direction each year? The Tonle Sap River flows north for about six months, then flows south for the rest of the year. The change in direction is caused by the annual rains brought by the monsoon winds. (I guess “Tonle Sap” means “Can’t make up its mind.”)

Now … you know!

Graybeard

Felicitations Oh Great Compiler of Trivium upon thy completion of yet another cycle of the merry-go-round.

Commissioner Wretched

Many thanks, my friend!

RGR 4-78

It’s special because I completed yet another trip ’round the Sun.”

Happy Birthday, we are the same age once again, for a little while longer.

Commissioner Wretched

Many thanks!

Amateur Historian

Happy Birthday!

Commissioner Wretched

Thank you so much!

BlueCord Dad

Many happy returns of the day!🇺🇸

IMG_1527
Commissioner Wretched

Many thanks! I followed your orders to the letter!

Hate_me

I have even more respect for Dr. Roswell Park after reading that.

Fyrfighter

Happy Birthday Commish! just a couple days after (and a few years before) mine!

Commissioner Wretched

Thank you so much!

KoB

Happy Belated Birthday, CW…or should we now refer to you as “Old Coot-issioner Wretched”? My inherwebz and cell service went hors de combat early Friday and is just recently come limping back on line. Some sites are still spotty as all hell, TAH included. Good thing for you that Lois likes Older Men or she’d dump your ass for Jimmy Olsen. And a good thing for us that you continue to bring us an outstanding array of trivia every week. Thanks!

Commissioner Wretched

Thanks, King … and I’m more than happy to bring the trivia! I have to keep Jimmy Olsen from sniffing after Lois from time to time … it’s a tough job but someone has to do it.

KoB

Tell that Cub that you’re The Papa Bear of The Newsroom…and the only thing he can scoop is the kitty litter.

In re the sliced bread during the war I read, somewhere years ago, that it was because commercial bread slicers used so much stainless steel that was needed for the “war effort”.

In re The Packer’s Cheerleaders, one of the young men that I’ve mentored over nearly twenty years now, his Mom was one of the last of the GBP’s cheerleaders. Long legged,well constructed, Ginger that is very well preserved and could cheer them on still today. She shorely can “cheer” me “up”!

5JC

I’d have made it but there was some passing interference. GF came out of an online meeting a little happy over a new account and flashed me her pair.

Hack Stone

The same thing happens to Hack all of the time. The Vice President of the proud but humble woman owned business is always showing his ass.

Commissioner Wretched

If there must be interference, that’s the best kind!

SFC D

Pics or it didn’t happen.

Somebody had to say it.

Odie

Thanks for stepping up.

Odie

Did you say hello ladies?

Slow Joe

Bah…

Commissioner Wretched

… humbug.

CWORet

Dang. 1 fresh and 15.

Amateur Historian

So, wow, 1st time I was 1st in WOT. Not bad for a guy who’s like that one flaky friend you had in High school. Anyway, wanted to give you guys an update on how I’m doing. I’ve been mostly absent from TAH and some of that has to do with the struggle to survive since getting fired. To those of you who gave me suggestions on where to apply, I thank you. But, as it turns out, getting fired was what I needed to realize that CDL driving is not for me. So instead I decided to go to school with the GI Bill (I’ve been sitting on it for a bit since I got out in 2016. Been trying to figure out what I wanted to study since then. But, hey, better late than never). Right now, I’m just waiting to receive BAH for this month while doing Uber Eats. Been touch and go, but I’m surviving. I hope all of you are doing well, but I need to go to work soon. So, I’ll just wish all of you a good day and I aim to be more active in TAH as my financial situation becomes more secure.

-Amateur Historian

“Human wisdom is worthless. Only God can hold true wisdom.” -Paraphrase of Socrates

Last edited 11 days ago by Amateur Historian
Commissioner Wretched

A reason to celebrate! It’s your first First!

OAM

It may have ben suggested, as it is rather obvious, but, what about becoming a History Teacher? God knows we need more people who have a proper head on their shoulders in the field.

Amateur Historian

That’s going to be in the works. Going for a practical degree in Automotive first, and then I’ll do a degree in history and philosophy. Maybe a minor in Theology too!

Commissioner Wretched

Especially since I retired from being a history teacher in 2016 …

Hack Stone

The world has enough history teacher, what we need are more future teachers. It should be easy to pass that class, how could they prove that you had an answer wrong for something that has not happened yet?

Amateur Historian

We already have Conspiracy Theorists for that. They’ve been getting a lot of things right lately 😉.

Last edited 10 days ago by Amateur Historian
Fyrfighter

Hang in there brother! Having gone through similar situations, it can be very stressful, but in thee end, you’ll land where you belong, just be open to possibilities, and pursue them like a rabid pitbull…

Amateur Historian

Thanks, Man 😄

Sapper3307

Happy weekend!

460350251_490944613786376_7505279387871208589_n
OAM

Sapper, I think this year in particular, the answer would be the same.

26Limabeans

It kept getting earlier and earlier so I been monitoring all
morning hoping to hit the jackpot but nothing, even delaying my
lunch and other activities until finally giving up.
Could have taken a nap.
Not first but never last. Happy Fall weekend. Don’t fall down.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

First twenty eighth

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Not to bad with yesterdays storm hitting Florida. Am on the east coast in south Florida and at my place, we got 3 rain squalls for the day that lasted 2-3 minutes. Hope all the TAH members that live north of me and in Georgia are safe and sound

Commissioner Wretched

In my AO in western-central Georgia, we had a crap-ton of rain but not much else. The much-ballyhooed wind and thunder and lightning and all was far to our east. Second hurricane I’ve slept through.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

That storm was a fast mover. I sweated tornados and kept watching the radar map until the eye passed by my community going north which wouldn’t produce tornados in my area.

26Limabeans

Had a slow steady rainfall yesterday after a beautiful sunny
summer like none other. Much needed rain to top off the
Maine potato crop for all you french fry types.
Soon as the harvest is in all the farmers will be heading to
Florida for the winter. Keep an eye out for the Maine plates.
And order a side of fries with that.

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

Hey, a’y’all, send some of that rainfall back west our way (Utah). We need it.

Woke up this morning, let the dogs out just before sunrise, and was greeted with the music of yapping coyotes, gobbling turkeys, and a bugleing elk… grabbed a cup of coffee and just enjoyed the music..

Sam

Link from Pitchpull (an old video):

Sam

Well. Anyway the title is “Robin Williams gets interrupted by military tradition during his USO Holiday Tour.”

BlueCord Dad

I’ve seen that. He was sidetracked but recovered and did a great bit. He’s missed for sure

Forest Bondurant

40th!

Amateur Historian

Work is a little slow rn, so for your guy’s average viewing entertainment, here’s an averagely funny video:

Anonymous
President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

Appropriate song

Hack Stone

Gather the troops, looks like we’re having another change of command ceremony.

Odie

From someone familiar with hamas. Hamas, hezbolla… same thing.

Anonymous
Hack Stone

Looks like the October Duty NCO Roster is going to need some revising, too.

A Proud Infidel®™

I once again declare myself as Present and unaccountable as i once again award myself Honorary First.

((((OVER))))

Epstein did not kill himself.
Epstein’s list is still very tightly guarded.
Will “Diddy’s list’ be as closely guarded due to Entertainment gurus having such a grip on the current crowd in charge? Asking for a friend.

Graybeard

Dang, beat me again API.

Fyrfighter

Seems I’ve seen pics of heels-up hanging with Diddy… could be interesting to hear more on that..

Graybeard

Likewise present and unaccountable as ever.

Had a celebration of life today for a departed member of our Sunday School class. He was 95. It appears he was a true secret squirrel of a fashion. Also one of the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet.

Then ran to give guitar lessons for the rest of the evening.

Haven’t heard from Baby Sister in Atlanta yet, may try later tonight to contact her.
Pleasantly cool in the AO for the nonce. Get to live with the windows open again.

Y’all have a blessed weekend.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Last nights online Navy Times newsletter had an article about the welds plus I heard about it the other day.

Anonymous

Left/libtard school district in Colorado eliminates middle school dean of stidents’ position after he declares he’s a proud American:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/colorado-middle-school-dean-students-122830455.html

Anonymous
Last edited 11 days ago by Anonymous
Anonymous

You know, this sh*t:
comment image

jeff LPH 3 63-66

When I went to school, before social media sites and computers, we didn’t have Marxist teachers. we said the pledge of Alligance every morning in front of the American flag and learned the ABC’s. I was 6 years old in 1951 when I started Kindergarden.

SFC D

So we had an official visit from “Heels up” Harris today. I suppose that means the border crisis is over. D’s Cantina won’t be issuing a stand-down order, however. I’m expecting a surge in illegal aliens between November and January. Harris’ actions today were that of a firebug who torches a building so they can call 911 and be a hero. Were not buying what you’re selling, Kammie.

rgr769

How many of her supporters were bussed in from other states for her rally in your state? In her recent 6,000 person rally in S. Carolina, approximately 80% were bussed in from Atlanta, GA and other states.

Hack Stone

We can assume that all of the Hawaiians in Maui, who happen to be US citizens, have had their homes that were destroyed in the wildfires rebuilt and lost possessions replaced, since we haven’t heard shit about it since last year. That $700 that Joe Biden gave each family goes a long way in the islands, since the cost of living there is so cheap.

fm2176

First (car I’ve paid cash for in a while)! While everyone was enjoying their TAH/VG time today, I was out and about, buying a vehicle that I hope holds up for a while. Sure, it’s 14 model years old and has just under $150k on it, but it drives nicely and seems well-maintained. I wanted the 2015 Honda Civic, but its dash was lit up like a Christmas tree. The 2013 Buick Lacrosse seemed decent at first but had a weird suspension sound. So, I got every Soldier’s favorite car (besides a Charger at 38% APR) — a KIA. The problem is, it’s a 2011 Sorento, but I paid cash and only plan to use it for the commute. It was time. We’ve been a single car family for a few years now, and I finally got tired of getting dropped off at work on school days (one of my daughters has half-day schedules for her Senior year).

I used the KIA to venture into Baton Rouge, a place I like to avoid, for my first night of the Private Investigator course. Seems like a decent gig, even though I just plan to get my Journeyman’s license and ideally work 10-20 hrs. a week moonlighting. After class tomorrow, I’ll be scouting out Loomis, as I have an interview next week. A $1/hr. pay cut, twice the commute, and the loss of my current discount are all cons. I think the pros outweigh them, though, namely that I’m not tethered to a gun vault and counter, might have the opportunity or even be consistently scheduled for overtime, and will be semi-autonomous on my routes.

We’ll see. I could still be working my current job in 10 years, or I might spend two months at Loomis and reconsider. The PI license seems like a good investment, though I now need to research surveillance equipment and spend who knows how much on a good camera setup.

Last edited 11 days ago by fm2176
NHSparky

Interesting idea.
Meanwhile, at Casa de Sparky Western Annex, lots of people not real happy about possible Harris presidency and are voting accordingly. So there’s that.

Fish

This may be rather lengthy, but I wanted to give an assist to anyone looking for a job or thinking about a career change. It’s in a field most don’t think about but affects nearly everyone, healthcare fraud (HCF) investigations. Most of these positions are now remote work post-Covid. I won’t name companies in this post but most all health insurance companies have a special investigations units (SIU) that investigates HCF within their provider groups. Also there are govt contractors that perform Medicare/Medicaid HCF investigations for 5 regions of the country (look up Medicare UPIC) to identify the contractors. If you have investigative skills these companies could use you. Many also have nurse investigators or nurse clinical reviewers if you have an RN background. It’s a rewarding job since this fraud takes dollars from everybody’s pockets either via premiums or taxes. Most all of the companies give vet preference. If anyone is interested let me know.

rgr769

Good choice. Whenever government doles out our tax dollars for any program or service you can be sure it will be rife with fraud. Fraudsters work these programs like gold mines.

Fish

Exactly. The free money flowing during Covid brought them out of the woodwork.

I interviewed a lady who received over 200 OTC Covid test kits from at least half a dozen suppliers, none of which she ordered.

E. Conboy

ROLL TDE!

E. Conboy

ROLL TIDE!

Last edited 10 days ago by E. Conboy
E. Conboy

Damit!

Odie
NHSparky

I’ve been there.
Overhyped. Sandwiches are okay and their gimmick is they stuff the fries inside the sandwiches. Aside from that, nothing to write home about.

KoB

Rest In Peace, Good Sir. Kris Kristofferson, joined the US Army and was commissioned as a 2nd LT, attaining the rank of Xaptain. He became a helicopter pilot after receiving flight training at. He also completed Ranger School. During the early 1960s, he was stationed in West Germany as a member of the 8th Inf Div. Tell Johnny and Waylon hello. One more and they’ll put the Band back together.

5JC

Sad it was to hear of the loss of Army Veteran, Airborne Ranger, Military Aviator and talented singer, song writer and musician Kris Kristofferson.

The man was quite a legend or rather a man of legends. Here is one.

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/that-time-kris-kristofferson-stole-a-us-army-helicopter-and-landed-it-in-johnny-cashs-yard/

https://nypost.com/2024/09/29/entertainment/kris-kristofferson-country-music-pioneer-dead-at-87/

Hack Stone

Just heard some asshole named Hack from Bethesda on The Chris Plante Show, WMAL in DC. Someone should send out some crackheads with blowtorches and pliers to taker care of him.