11 August 2025

Kuss

I know how much Americans hate foreign languages, so today we have an instrumental. Eisbrecher is a German band in the Neue Deutsche Härte genre. That’s “New German Hardness” in English. But there is no German in today's song.

I'm kind of surprised that I haven't featured this song in the past, because when it turns up in one of my Heavy Metal playlists, I often listen to it twice in a row. Especially if I'm driving.

This song is "Kuss" by Eisbrecher. It is from their 2008 album Sünde. "Kuss" is Kiss in English.

Don't Bring a Harpoon to a Gunfight

That is a post title I never expected to type. Tenant fatally shot by homeowner during apparent break-in attempt in Lodi, New Jersey: police

Lodi Police say 33-year-old Amr Ali, a basement tenant of the home, was trying to smash his way in.

Investigators say the 62-year-old homeowner and family members confronted Ali.

Police say the homeowner ultimately fired three shots, striking Ali once.

Mr. Ali did not survive.

The homeowner and his family are traumatized. They also have no idea why Mr. Ali was trying to break in, since he didn't say anything.

The harpoon?

Police say it was around 11 p.m. Sunday when a man was trying to kick open the front door to their home Garibaldi Avenue and tried to break in using a spear-type object, a handheld harpoon.

Lodi, New Jersey is about 12 miles north of Newark.

Self-defense is a human right. This took place in New Jersey, which is not the state most dedicated to individual action, or liberty, but the police seem to be treating this as a case of justified self-defense.

Armed Teachers in Texas

Texas is one of the states that allow teachers to carry concealed firearms. Concho Valley schools that allow teachers to carry firearms

I'm not a lawyer, and I don't even live in Texas, but I believe that Texas has one program to arm teachers. It is known as Guardian. It dates to 2009 according to what I have seen.

These are the benefits of a Guardian program, according to the Tom Green County Sheriff Nick Hanna:

“It establishes for somebody wanting to attack that they are going to meet resistance,” Hanna said. “The fact that these schools are in the county, even if officers are nearby, our response time is going to be several minutes away. When we have Guardians, you are going to buy yourself a little bit of time, and that’s when the minutes really matter.”

There is a great image of a sign you meet on the way into one of the schools, that basically says if you come here expecting to do harm, armed teachers will do harm right back at you. You should click thru for that alone.

And while they provide a list of Guardian schools near San Angelo, Texas, they also provide a list on non-guardian schools. I suppose the the Professional Journalists™ think that second list is of superior schools, though they do note those schools have a school resource officer.

Bear Attacks - A Quick Search

I was looking for a particular story, and not having any luck, so I changed to a more general search term. I was surprised at the number of stories. This is basically from one week, and I didn't record everything, because the incidents started repeating.

As you can imagine, the reactions in different places are very different. In California the locals are wringing their hands waiting to be saved by Sacramento, but the budget was cut for wildlife management. Can't imagine what they are spending money on.

The story I was looking for turned out to be from May, which was why I couldn't find it. (One of my searches kept giving me a video by Florida Wildlife Commission officers, which made me think it was more recent than that.

That story is Black bear attacks, kills man and dog in Collier County, Florida. What we know

Florida Fish and Wildlife is investigating after a man and a dog died in a suspected black bear attack on May 5, 2025, just south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area in Collier County.

At 7:07 a.m., the Collier County Sheriff's Office received a call regarding a potential bear mauling on State Road 29, between Naples and Everglades City.

Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area extends west roughly from about 20 miles from the western edge of Dade County and Broward County to about 55 miles west of those counties. It encompasses Big Cypress Swamp, which is just west of the Everglades, mostly. Alligator Alcatraz is on the south edge the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. (Alligator Alcatraz is housed at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. It is probably about 2 miles from the Everglades proper.)

Brandon Herrera, The AK Guy, Is Running for Congress

The AK Guy ran for Congress in 2024, and he came within a few hundred votes of defeating a RINO who voted for gun control in Texas. He was outspent 10 to 1 or better, and he still nearly almost won. Here's hoping he can do better in 2026.

This is Brandon Herrera's annoncement. Brandon Herrera Announces His Congressional Run At GOALS. GOALS is the Gun Owners of America Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit.

Beto O'Rourke 'F**k the Rules'

Mike LaChance at The Gateway Pundit Repeat Loser Beto O'Rourke Tells Texas Crowd Democrats Will Do Whatever it Takes to Regain Power: 'F**k the Rules' (VIDEO)

Is it a surprise that Democrats would lie, cheat, or steal elections to gain or keep power? I'm from Chicago, so it does not surprise me.

He claimed that Dems will redistrict blue states in response to what Texas is doing. Apparently, no one has told him that Democrats have nothing left to gerrymander because they have been doing this for years.

Read the whole thing.

10 August 2025

Chicago Pensions Are in Deep Yogurt

Math is hard, but it isn't this hard. From Meep: Chicago Pension Artificial Sweeteners

How do you spell, "Negative Amortization."

You can't continue to promise gold-plated pensions, and then fail to fund them. Eventually the bills must be paid.

Meep at STUMP is an actuary. Her job is literally to evaluate this kind of thing. Not that the politicians will listen to the actuaries.

Unsurprisingly, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Chicago police and fire Tier 2 pension sweetener, bringing it in line with the downstate plans. However, this is not much of a gift to Chicago… or those pensioners… if those promises are never fulfilled.

They are adding extra costs onto the city's pensions, but no one is doing anything to actually fund those pensions.

UPDATE: Not sure what happened to the end of this post... but there was more aside from MEEP. I just can't remember the source right now. (Note to self: Don't edit posts when you're in the throws of insomnia... things won't end well.)

Rebuilding Infrastructure

After the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams in Michigan in May of 2020, Jordan Mowbray took a page out of Juan Browne's book and started documenting the rebuilding efforts.

Secord Dam was determined to be at risk of the same kind of failure, and so a lot of rebuilding was required. The work on the Secord dam was halted in 2024, after completion of the emergency spillway, because of a lawsuit filed against Four Lakes Task Force, the organization created to own the 4 dams after the disaster. (2 dams failed, 2 were either damaged or deemed to be in need of repair. There may be more dams in the mix.) That lawsuit was completed, and the work on rebuilding the main spillway was restarted.

This is Jordan Mowbray's video Secord Dam WORK has RESTARTED! HUGE Progress! - Drone - Dam Collapse

Here are a few links to prior posts on the whole situation.

Another Failure of the Victim-Selection Process

Why would you assume that homeowners in Florida would not shoot you? Man shot in the chest by property owner during attempted home invasion on Jacksonville’s Westside, police say

Granted, this isn't Sheriff Grady Judd's Polk County, but Florida is not a place to mess around.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a man was shot in the chest on Monday when he attempted to break into someone’s home on the city’s Westside.

According to JSO, the incident happened just after noon [August 4th] on Cahoon Road when the suspect attempted to burglarize a home and was confronted by the property’s owner.

The guy who got shot showed up at an urgent care, and was transported to a local hospital, where he is stable.

JSO added that the incident appeared to be isolated, the suspect was detained, and there is no further threat to the public.

Police don't make determinations about charges, and so did not answer the stupid questions from the media on whether the homeowner would face charges.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

This Is Why I Always Stayed In the Boat

There are always sharks in the water, you just can't see them. Shark bites man near Bean Point on Anna Maria Island

A man in his early 20s was bitten in the lower leg by a shark near Bean Point on the north end of Anna Maria Island on Sunday [July 27th], according to the West Manatee Fire Rescue District.

The time of day is interesting, because I always thought the middle of the afternoon was the safest time. Maybe there is no safe time. Though the Fire Marshall did say that dusk or dawn is when shark activity is greater.

The Manatee fire marshal said the victim got into the water from a boat and did not wade in from an Anna Maria Island Beach.

The boater rushed the victim to the Kingfish ramp so he could be taken to a hospital.

He was in the water off the northern tip of Anna Maria Island when he was bitten on the lower leg.

Anna Maria Island is a barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico America immediately south of the entrance to Tampa Bay. It is also just west of the entrance to the Manatee River. It has several beaches, including Bean Point, and a fair number of restaurants. Bean Point is on the extreme north end of the island. I lived about 10 miles from the island when I was living on my boat, and had the boat in a marina on the Manatee River.

The five year average for shark bites in Florida is 22 per year. Which is why I always tried to stay in the boat.

Can You Fight Discrimination with Discrimination?

Is this insanity? Probably. Legal group accuses Rutgers U. of discrimination against white students in granting scholarships

The Equal Protection Project filed a civil rights complaint against Rutgers University with the US Department of Education, claiming the scholarship programs violate federal anti-discrimination laws and are unconstitutional.

Federal law, New Jersey state law, and Rutger's own bilaws forbid discrimination based on race. So of course they are discriminating based on race.

The group’s Aug. 1 complaint filed with the Education Department accuses four different Rutgers programs of discrimination by excluding white students, a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Law of 1964, as well as the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

Click thru.

Multi-million Dollar Yacht Stolen in Jupiter, Florida

From the NY Post Russian national allegedly stole luxury yacht, leads Florida police on massive boat chase in attempt to flee to Bahamas

This is a crazy story from May, that I didn't see at the time.

A Russian national is accused of stealing a massive luxury yacht and leading authorities in Florida on a boat chase as police feared he planned on fleeing to the Bahamas for a “smuggling venture.”

Nikolai Vilkov, 29, was arrested on May 5 after the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies had to use smaller boats to pin the stolen 68-foot, two-million-dollar yacht against the shoreline in Jupiter Island, Sheriff John Budensiek said in a press conference.

Does this constitute piracy? This was not quite a cutting-out expedition, though that may describe the law-enforcement response.

Martin County, Florida stretches from the east shore of Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Coast. It includes Stuart, Jensen Beach, and Indiantown. It also includes the eastern end of the Okeechobee Waterway that connects Fort Myers to Stuart by way of the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee, and the St. Lucie Canal.

And let's be clear, because people like to say illegal immigration enforcement is about race. Nikolai Vilkov is Russian. His wife and kids were in the US, but they flew back to Russia in 2024. My guess is that he fled Russia to avoid the draft for the war in Ukraine, but it is only a guess. After the situation with the yacht is sorted out, he will be shipped back to Russia, and then probably to the Ukrainian front.

Midwest Safety has a video, Large Police Response to Stolen $3,000,000 Yacht, that includes quite a bit of bodycam video from the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

Midwest Safety is one of a few channels on YouTube to which I am subscribed, that have police chases, and other bits of video of people making questionable choices.

09 August 2025

Officer David Rose

End of Watch. Atlanta shooting near Emory University, CDC HQ kills DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose; suspect ID'd as Patrick Joseph White - ABC7 Chicago

"Officer Rose served DeKalb County with courage, integrity, and unwavering dedication. Even in the face of danger was he diligent in his duty to protect our community," the police department said in a statement posted online late Friday night.

At the earlier press conference, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, DeKalb County CEO, said it was a "dark day" for the county. The officer leaves behind a wife, who is pregnant, and two children, she said.

Click thru for the available details. It started when the suspect opened fire on the CDC headquarters in Georgia.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 9 August

The Right Way is first up with Top of the News

Out of Ammo - According To Hoyt
‘Climate Change’ Is Coming For Your Potato Chips Or Something - The Pirates Cove

Animal Magnetism - Animal’s Hump Day News

Watergate, and then some. This is a big deal.
It all boils down to two words: Energy density.

The Daley Gator - CRAZY ASS WEEKEND LINKAGE

And now the Dems want a rebrand
Pirates Cove Features Oregon Shenoanigans

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 08.07.25 (Afternoon Edition)

Baldilocks: How To Fall,
CDR Salamander: Take Your Globe And Tilt It Towards You 90 Degrees

EBL - Howard Stern Gets Cancelled By Sirius

EBL: WNBA DildoGate
Instapundit: PJ Media: The Sad, Pathetic End of Howard Stern.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 7 August 2025: Piezoelectric Edition

In the future all food will be cooked in a microwave and if you can't deal with that then you need to get out of the kitchen. (Colin Cornaby)
Yeah, developers are not welcoming yesterday's comments by the GitHub CEO.

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For August 8, 2025

Meanwhile, in Texas, the redistricting battle is white-hot following the latest Democratic State Representative’s quorum break. “AG Paxton Launches Investigation Into Soros-Funded Texas Majority PAC.

The Glibertarians - Wednesday Morning Links

Nobody is above the law. Well, we’ll test that theory anyway.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. I will not miss him.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 08.08.25 (Afternoon Edition)

Dana Loesch: Fort Stewart Shooting Suspect Apprehended,
Don Surber: Democrats hire Dumb Entitled Idiots

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Big Balls Beaten Badly, Trump Threatens DC Takeover

John Sexton at Hat Hair notes Trump Says India will Pay 'Substantial' New Tariffs. From Da Wire, Russia Responds After Trump Dispatches Submarines: There Can Be No Winner In A Nuclear War, "... we believe everyone should be very careful about nuclear rhetoric."

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

Woke America: VDH – The Left hates beauty. And Trump’s unknown frontiers. Philly’s Muslim Day.
Lord Carney’s Canada: The bought and paid for media. Poilievre slams Conman Carney.

Vlad Tepes - Four indicators of the communist revolution going from covert to overt: Links 1 for Aug. 7, 2025

3. This short video describes the Hegelian/Marxist dialectic attack on British culture, people and history but calls it hypocrisy.

Once again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 08.08.25 (Evening Edition)

Matt Taibbi: The Deep State Is Alive & Well Selling The Same Old Lie
Outkick: Lions-Falcons End Preseason Game In Prayer Circle After Terrifying Injury To Detroit CB Morice Norris

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 8/6/2025

Cornell University renamed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office on Friday as the school remains negotiating with the Trump administration to restore $1 billion in federal funding.

Political Hat - Quick Takes – Queering Academia: Queer Marine Biology; Queer Archeology; Queer Dictionary

Apparently the mother ocean is a dyke…
Daddies are now mummies…

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 8/7/25

The 2023 beating took place outside of a local Planned Parenthood.
Baltimore Man Who Brutally Beat Pro-Lifers Faces Years In Prison

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Senator Tom Cotton is trying to destroy Tulsi Gabbard… and Donald Trump

• Defiant Arizona Lawmaker Could Face Charges After Tipping Off Illegals To ICE Presence - M.D. Kittle
• Excuse the hell out of me? - Tom Knighton

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 08/06/2025

They stole his iPhone though, raising the issue of whether it was targeted. Eight youths, and they could not get the woman’s car? The Police cruiser which just happened to pull up as everything ended could have been a cooler

I leave you with Wednesday's gifs from Wirecutter, Thursday Memes … from MaddMedic, Meme and Things from The Feral Irishman, and Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2841 from 90 Miles from Tyranny.

The Media's TDS Continues

If Trump did it, it can't possibly be good. Media Downplays Trump’s Six Peace Deals Despite Warring Nations’ Confirmation

During his second administration, President Donald Trump has not only focused on securing the U.S. border and demanding improved trade terms with allies, but has also worked to negotiate peace deals and end conflicts. While the media has portrayed his foreign policy as a failure, evidence, including official statements from the previously-warring nations, shows he has been remarkably successful. Below is a rundown of the six conflicts President Trump has brought to an end.

The media has to portray everything done by any Republican as a failure. That is their job as mouthpieces for the Democratic party.

Anyway, click thru for the conflicts and the details.

Homeowner Fires Shot at Masked Intruders

Prospect homeowner fires shot at masked intruders during break-in | Crime Reports | WDRB

The homeowner had redundant security systems.

He said he had gone to bed early that night when his dogs began barking in a way that immediately alarmed him. Moments later, his home's security alarm went off.

So he grabbed his .44 Magnum pistol from his bedside table and left the bedroom.

That's when he came face-to-face with two masked intruders in the middle of his home.

"And I said, 'What's going on?' And they turned around and took off.

He did shoot at the would-be bad guys. I'm not sure I would have if they were leaving. (Every bullet comes with a lawyer attached.)

PROSPECT, Kentucky is about a 15 mile drive northeast from downtown Louisville.

The police are investigating, but I don't know that they have any leads. Apparently nearby homes have been hit in a similar manner.

"I would encourage everybody to lock their doors, to get cameras installed and to have alarms set up that will go off in case there's an unexpected intrusion," [the homeowner] said. "You need to have a plan if your residence is invaded — either an immediate 911 call or some kind of protection ... something to isolate yourself from these burglars."

This took place in Kentucky, so the homeowner was not arrested, because self-defense is both a human right, and your legal right in Kentucky.

Is the New York Post Actually Profitable and Growing?

I tripped over this at Deadline while looking for an article on the latest fiasco from Disney Marvel. New York Post To Expand To L.A. With The California Post

News Corp. said Monday that it plans to launch the California Post, a Los Angeles-based tabloid with the flavor of the New York Post, early next year.

Robert Thomson, CEO of News Corp., said, per the Post, “Los Angeles and California surely need a daily dose of The Post as an antidote to the jaundiced, jaded journalism that has sadly proliferated.

I have said for a very long time, that while we don't need the biased coverage from the like of the NY Times, or CNN, we do need reporting that we can trust to know what is going on in Washington, or the state capitals, or your local county board. While the New York Post is not perfect, it is much less imperfect that the Left-leaning insanity that usually passes for media.

I expect that offices in Los Angeles will be burned out on a regular basis, because the "Tolerant Left" is tolerant of anything except for a differing opinion. And they do love violence these days.

Dream A Little Dream of Me

Emmaline is a singer, currently based in Nashville. She is a Jazz singer in the old style, and I really like the songs I've heard so far. As I type this, it isn't a lot, because I only recently was introduced to her work by Miguel Gonzalez.

Sometimes you just want to listen to a beautiful voice, with a bit of an accompaniment, that isn't too harsh.

This is "Dream A Little Dream of Me" by Emmaline. It is a cover of a Jazz classic that was originally recorded in the 1930s by Ozzie Nelson. You are probably familiar with the version by the Mamas and the Papas from 1968, though you may know the Robbie Williams duet with Lily Allen from 2013.

RIP Jim Lovell - 25 March 1928 to 7 August 2025

From The Silicon Graybeard: Jim Lovell, Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Passes at 97

SiGraybeard is better placed to do the honors. The image is from NASA's portrait of Lovell in 1969

Jim Lovell, veteran of four space flights including the famous Apollo 13 passed away yesterday, August 7 in Lake Forest, Illinois. That short summary only hints at his contributions to the Gemini and Apollo programs, and space history.

Jim Lovell was commander of the Apollo 13 mission. He was played by Tom Hanks in the movie. One of the best things they did was give Jim Lovell a cameo in the movie. He is only in the movie for a few seconds at the end, but he trades salutes with and shakes hands with Tom Hanks.

Click thru for Lovell's accomplishments.