Stand and Deliver - A Movie You Probably Haven't Seen

In this age when every movie involves dragons, or aliens, or mega explosions, it is hard to discuss a movie from 1988 that is about a man asking high school students to be more than they ever dreamed. While this isn't one of the best movies ever, it is a solid movie about the ability of humankind to dream, even of things they have never seen in their lives.

One of the effects of the sad deterioration of cinema in the 21st Century, is that factory film-making allows no room for good movies like this. Instead we get the swill of the 14th entry in a franchise that should have stopped at 4, or the soulless remake of a classic movie, or the "vision" of an artist as they tear down a beloved story to make it in their own image, or reimagine it for the (mythical) modern audience.

This is the video Edward James Olmos on STAND AND DELIVER

Here is a link to the trailer for that movie. I actually own this movie on DVD, so I have no idea if it is streaming anywhere. It should be. It is available from my local library, and it might be from yours. (Free is always good!)

A Miguel Gonzalez Musical Interlude

A relaxing song for a Sunday afternoon. Sunday Repose

The Progressive Rock of the 1970s produced some interesting music. While not all of it is great, I do like Annie Haslam's singing on this song.

Click thru for "Ocean Gypsy" by Renaissance from their 1975 album Scheherazade and Other Stories.

Face Tattoos Are a Bad Look

How would you respond to a "scary looking demon" tying to get in to your home? Horn-faced suspect caught creeping door-to-door of Martin Co. apartments

Score one for the Ring Doorbell security.

I'm not sure I would have gone outside, but at least one of the homeowners was armed when they did.

He is seen trying to enter a condo. The homeowners go out and confront him. One of them is armed with a shotgun. Video is at the link above, both a newscast and raw video.

Richards, 46, was arrested and faces multiple charges, including two counts of attempted occupied burglary, possession of burglary tools, resisting arrest without violence, and a violation regarding sex offender registration.

Jensen Beach, Florida is about 45 miles north of Palm beach; it is located on Intercoastal Waterway.

Florida Sheriffs are usually good for a quote.

"He's a bad dude and I'm glad we were able to take him into custody. And he's lucky he was taken into custody. He almost got shot by a homeowner," said John Budensiek, Martin Co. Sheriff.

Self-defense is a human right, and this didn't take place in New Jersey.

Is Your Car Worth Your Life?

And neighbors were shocked to discover that they live in The Real World™ Mid city man injured in shooting attempting to stop burglars

My vehicle isn't worth my life, but you have to make your own determination.

There was a "car burglary." The owner of the car was shot. This took place at 4:30 Tuesday morning in New Orleans.

As for the neighbors...

The home where it happened was left riddled with bullet holes, leaving other neighbors like Giulia now concerned for her safety

There were several interviewed. Click thru.

A separate neighbor who also didn’t want to be identified said he witnessed the shooter jump in a black vehicle where the driver sped away. Now, neighbors are left wondering if the bold criminals will have the urge to strike again.

If your car, or what you have inside, is really worth your life, or at least risking getting shot, you might consider parking in a more secure location.

Which Is Why Monopolies Need to Be Busted

Not that I expect it to happen anything soon. Epic Games CEO calls Apple and Google 'gangster-style' businesses in need of competition | TechCrunch

The company [Epic Games] sued both Apple and Google for monopolistic practices over their respective app stores. Epic won its case with Google but not with Apple. However, the court did require Apple to open up to more competition by forcing a change to its App Store rules. The court said app developers should now be able to link to other purchasing mechanisms besides Apple’s own. (Unfortunately for app developers, Epic is still battling with Apple in the courts over this change, as it alleges that Apple violated the court order by allowing developers to process their own payments, but only with a small, 3% reduction in commission, which doesn’t make it worth their while.)

Click thru for the rest.

Basically they will ignore the law for as long as they can.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 5 April

The Right is first with Top of the News

America’s federal court judges: a self-anointed priesthood. - American Thinker
Banning Le Pen, Playing With Fire - BlazingCatFur

Animal Magnetism - Animal’s Hump Day News

No shit, Sherlock.
Harris lost because she was a shitty candidate. And an idiot.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.02.25

The Bugscuffle Gazette: Meditations on Beatdowns Part 2,
Toni Airaksinen: Palestine Studies Prof At UC-Davis Could Make $149,000 A Year

EBL - MAGA Liberation Day : Make America Wealthy Again ☀️

Legal Insurrection: They charge us, we charge them
Breitbart: Trump speech on Reciprocal Tariffs

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism – Back to The Economist!

The American and Russian right are aligning
No. Note to Eurotrashelitists: *No* Americans are n favor of Putin. We just don’t want to spout billions of dollars to Ukraine while Western Europe – I’ll stop here out of kindnes

The Glibertarians - Winston’s Mom Does the Links

Yes we know, the FBI lied.
Don’t just sue this clown—deport him!

Vlad Tepes - List of links concerning the conviction of Chris Barber and Tamara Lich

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/tamara-lich-chris-barber-freedom-convoy-trial-decision-1.7500015
https://x.com/DThickley/status/1907901654873301035

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.03.25 (Morning Edition)

Dana Loesch: The Proxy Voting Theater
Don Surber: Food Stamp Nation

Small Dead Animals - Friday On Turtle Island

Stories You Won’t Find At The CBC: VDH – The Ukrainian known knowns. Paul Joseph Watson – The world’s biggest nag. Killing a kingdom.
Your morning meme.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/3/2025

Don’t Cry for Elmo, He’s Filthy Rich
“Elon Musk and Marjorie Taylor Greene are trying to defund Sesame Street and dismantle PBS and NPR,” Rep. Robert Garcia claimed during hearings on the two radical leftist organizations.

DaleyGator - Weekend Links starts early this week

Daniel Greenfield looks at Crooked Cory
Feral Irishman has some positive news

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For April 4, 2025

A follow-up to an item in last week’s LinkSwarm: “Musk: U.S. Institute of Peace Attempted to Delete One Terabyte of Financial Data to ‘Cover Their Crimes.'”

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 04.04.25

Transterrestrial Musings: Grifterism, Hypocrisy, America’s Leftist Librarians, The Average College Student Today, and More Bad Space Reporting
Victory Girls: The Left: “Our Violence is Speech And Your Speech is Violence”

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Special Elections, Win Some Lose Some

At JTN Misty Severi Trump creates 'investment accelerator' that fast-tracks approval for investments over $1 billion, "The order creates a new office within the Department of Commerce that will speed up the approval process for investments

Flopping Aces - Is the Democratic Party a Terrorist Organization? An Objective Look

Conservatives Join Bluesky, Face Abuse and Censorship
Tesla vehicles vandalized across the US since Elon Musk began White House role
Teslas Are Still Being Keyed: Culprits Not Realizing Cameras

Maggie's Farm - Friday morning links

The NGO Complex Is Irredeemably Corrupt
Trump Starts Undoing JFK’s Worst Mistake

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 4/ 4 /25

Hotel Washington was also evacuated.
Treasury Building Evacuates After Suspicious Package Found Near White House

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Krugman vs. Trump on tariffs

• Lawfare around the globe is a threat to democracy - Jonathan S. Tobin
• Who Will Break First in War of Attrition – Israel or Hamas? - Jonathan Spyer

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 04/02/2025

Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications — Washington Post.
Cory Booker staffer arrested with GUN on U.S. Capitol grounds.

I leave you with Your mid-week memes from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2462 from 90 Miles of Tyranny, Memes and Things from The Feral Irishman, and Wednesday Memes … from MaddMedic.

One Case of Self-Defense, One Case of Felony Stupidity

You can't just shoot at people. Your house is not a free-fire zone. Slidell homeowner jailed for shooting suspect's vehicle after break-in, sheriff says

Tyrone Mercadel decided he was going to break into a home in Louisiana.

He allegedly hit a woman, who owns the home and she managed to get a gun and shoot Mercadel in the leg.

So far, so good, as far as self-defense goes, but after he got shot, Tyrone Mercadel decided that he was going to leave.

Wayne Mercadal, the other homeowner, shot at the suspect's vehicle as he tried to get away. He was arrested and booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center for aggravated criminal damage to property.

And I think he will be lucky to not be charged with something like assault with a deadly weapon, but that is just a guess on my part.

Tyrone Mercadel was also arrested, on a charge of aggravated burglary.

Slidell, Louisiana is about a 30 mile drive north from New Orleans. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

Again. You can't just shoot at people you believe to be bad guys. And you can't shoot at them if they are actively trying to get away. That is the direct opposite of the threat.

I don't think the 2 last names are a coincidence, but police did not say anything about the people being related.

He Spoke Harshly To Them

And almost got shot for his trouble. Cordova man shot at while confronting car thieves

Is your car worth your life, or worth getting shot?

The homeowner said he heard his car alarm go off in the middle of the night. He went to his front door and saw one person beside his car and another inside.

The victim said he yelled “hey” and that’s when the man standing beside his car fired two shots toward him with a semi-automatic handgun.

The bad guy was a bad shot, so he wasn't hit, though I imagine his home now has a couple of bullet holes that need repair.

But he could have been shot. He could have been killed. You have to make your own decisions, but this doesn't seem like the wisest course of action to me.

Shootout at the Airbnb

It impacted other homes in the neighborhood. 90 shell casings found outside home after shooting

If I wanted to live in a nightclub district, I would do so. But what if the nightlife came to me by way of a neighbor renting their house to Airbnb?

This all took place in a neighborhood in Memphis.

A Midtown man said it took too long for officers to arrive as his home was being used for cover in an exchange of gunfire.

The shooting took place at an Airbnb moments after an argument during a large gathering early Saturday morning.

There was a party. When a gunfight broke out. One or more of the people involved used a neighbor's house for cover. There are bullet holes and broken glass. And he isn't too happy with the 911 response time.

The Midtown homeowner is not sharing his identity, but said it took 20 to 30 minutes for officers to arrive.

This wasn't something over in a minute. 90 shell casings is a lot.

One guy drove himself to a local hospital; there were no other reports of injury.

Airbnb issued a statement about "sharing the outrage," or something. Click thru to read it.

Murder By Numbers

A song by way of a YT short from Rick Beato. (His video is linked below.) I do remember hearing this song at the time it came out.

There was some interesting music being made in the 1980s. And it was probably the height popularity of Sting. He was cast in David Lynch's 1984 movie Dune. (Which is a horrible adaptation of the novel, and not much better as a stand-alone movie. Though people do like it, despite the special effects.)

This is "Murder By Numbers" by The Police from their 1983 album Synchronicity, though it was omitted from the LP because there wasn't room on the vinyl. It was included on the cassette and the CD, though CDs were incredibly new in 1983. It was originally released as the B-side to the single "Every Breath You Take."

This is the Rick Beato short “Murder By Numbers” breakdown #guitar #thepolice #sting #song #shorts.

Friday Links - 4 April

Meep at STUMP starts things off with Public Pension Classic: 80 Percent Funding Hall of AWESOME!

Replaying that decago-ago favorite tune ... Experts say: 80% fundedness is AWESOME!

Joel at The Ultimate Answer to Kings - …and so that’s why nobody hires me to build bridges.

I’ll start procrastinating again tomorrow.

The Silicon Graybeard - How Bad Was Starliner's Flight? I Had No Idea

The story starts after launch and their first night in orbit in an unexpectedly cold Starliner capsule. As they're approaching the Space Station, you'll probably recall they lost some thrusters and the ability to control Starliner. They knew they should dock with the ISS and felt that they'd be safer there, but they didn't know that their Starliner would hold together or if more failures would come. As Starliner's thrusters failed, Wilmore lost the ability to move the spacecraft in the direction he wanted to go.

Impro Guns - The Toys From Brazil

A sawed-off under-lever air rifle and .22lr pistol made from a stapler. Seized in the Brazilian state of Rodonia in March.

The Other McCain - UPDATE: Liberal Wins in Wisconsin After GOP Wins Two Florida Special Elections

So basically we burned tens of millions of dollars for nothing.

Tim Young at The Daily Signal - Entertainment Industry Didn’t Get November’s Memo: Americans Are Tired of Your Political Rants

We get it. You don’t like Trump—basically no one in Hollywood does. I, like more than half of this country, would just like to be entertained without a political lecture for once.

Again from The Other McCain - ‘A Dumpster Fire of Lies’: Netflix Series Race-Swaps British Crime Trend, Journalists Treat It Like a Documentary

What I did know about Adolescence was that it is set in England, and that the screenwriters had essentially reversed the races of contemporary crime trends in the United Kingdom, by making a white boy the knife-wielding killer. Despite the news media’s reluctance to deal with this honestly, anyone who pays attention to crime news out of Britain knows who is implicated in the surge of stabbing sprees there. It’s not a secret.

Self-Defense Is Legal in Idaho

This may also be an example of how alcohol can ruin your health. Nampa man cleared in fatal shooting, ruled self-defense | KTVB

This incident took place in September of 2024, so it has taken quite some time for the DA make this determination. Is that because the DA hates self-defense, as most of the do? Who can say.

According to investigators, Villalobos, 53, approached Fleming's home uninvited and intoxicated before physically attacking Fleming, striking him in the head. Fleming then shot Villalobos in self-defense.

Idaho has a "Stand Your Ground" law, so it is fairly hard for a DA to prosecute self-defense.

The ruling came after a months-long investigation that included witness statements, forensic analysis, physical evidence, DNA testing and video footage review.

Even all of that doesn't take 6 months.

Still, I think they got to the right place in the end.

Disney Hates Strong Women

Disney only wants to acknowledge women who agree with them. Disney Attempts to Erase Gina Carano by Leaving Her Off ESPN List of Top Women Fighters in MMA — UFC Boss Dana White Calls Disney Out

Do people know that ESPN is owned by Disney?

In what can only be described as another stunning example of Disney rewriting history, ESPN—the sports media giant owned by the House of Mouse—released a list of the “Top 10 Women Who Changed MMA in the 21st Century”… and completely excluded Gina Carano. Yes, ESPN excluded the same Gina Carano who helped build women’s MMA into what it is today.

Why would they do this? It couldn't be because of the lawsuit that is ongoing between Disney and Gina, could it?

Even UFC President Dana White wasn’t having it. He blasted the list and called out Disney for this sleight.

“Gina Carano not being on the list is INSANE,” he said blasting the ESPN list.

The image above includes both Gina, and Gina in her role as Cara Dune, from the Star Wars franchise.

Hat tip to Jay AKA Dunk3PO and his video Disney's ESPN Attempts to Erase Gina Carano BACKFIRES

I'm Shocked that Zuckerberg Seems to be Lying

OK I'm not really shocked. From the Daily Caller: Zuckerberg’s Right-Wing Metamorphosis Appears To Be A Giant Facade

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s recent shift rightward appears to be little more than window dressing, as his company’s policies still favor mass censorship.

He got beat up for censorship, so suddenly he was opposed to censorship. It appears it was all marketing lies.

Additionally, Meta still has a lengthy section on “Misinformation,” an oft-used term for its COVID-19 censorship, much of which, Zuckerberg later revealed, came at the behest of the Biden administration. (RELATED: Mark Zuckerberg Tells Joe Rogan That Biden Admin Would ‘Scream’ And ‘Curse’ At Meta Employees To Censor ‘True’ Content)

The misinformation section states “there is no way to articulate a comprehensive list of what is prohibited.”

Go read the whole thing.

Texans Are Still Armed

Home invaders are still getting shot. Homeowner shoots suspected burglar in University Place

A husband and wife were at home, when their security system alerted them to an intruder.

The husband in his 50s went to their garage with his gun, saw the garage door was open and someone was sitting inside his wife’s car.

As he went to confront the man, police said the man got out of the car.

It was dark, and the homeowner couldn't see the guy too well, so when the would-be bad guy approached homeowner, the homeowner shot him.

That man was taken to the hospital and was expected to recover and face burglary charges.

And because this took place in Texas and not in New Jersey, the homeowner is not facing charges.

Without Consequences Why Change Behavior?

The Criminal Justice System refuses to lock people up. 16-time convicted burglar is arrested for burglary 2 days after getting out of prison - CWB Chicago

How do you spell recidivism?

A 16-time convicted burglar is back in jail this morning, accused of burglarizing two more businesses less than 48 hours after getting out of prison. In addition to his 16 burglary convictions, 58-year-old Vance Patton has been sent to prison for four other felonies, too.

All of that and he got parole.

Prosecutors asked Judge Susana Ortiz to detain Patton, but she declined their petition. Instead, she said Patton could go home on an ankle monitor to await trial on the new charges.

Yeah, that makes sense, or maybe not.

Hat tip to Second City Cop: Another Parole Success Story.

With sixteen separate convictions for burglary, he should have been serving between sixty-four and two-hundred-forty years. Concurrent sentencing probably cut that down, but why are Illinois taxpayers constantly putting up with (and paying for) this bullshit?

Good question.

Leading Candidate Banned From Upcoming Election in France

Lawfare is not just a weapon against Trump. It also seems that the powers that be don't really like democratic rule. Marine Le Pen Banned From French Election After Found Guilty of Embezzlement

Weird how this happens after a poll discovered Le Pen would be the front runner in the 2027 election.

Gotta stop the Populists from winning elections.

So much for democratic rule of Europe.

I do not believe in coincidences. Beege Welborn at Hot Air pointed out a significant detail that had been published a day before the court’s decision.

Europe is lost.

As one of the comments noted:

They aren’t even TRYING to disguise their Soviet-style antics anymore.

March in Chicago

Good News or Bad? A bit of both. HeyJackass! brings us the March Wrap-up

Strange patterns are forming where the number of shot is lower, but those that are shot are more likely to pass. More practice, better shot placement, slower and lesser quality emergency care, high tides, full moons, or whatever the reason(s) may be, higher fatality rates do not bode well for the upcoming Summer of Silly Decisions.

The final March totals were 38 killed, with 97 shot and wounded. Those totals are significantly better than the past few years.

Click thru for all the stats, and the comparisons to previous years.

The stats include things like breakdown by age, gender, and race, as well as things like the number of Selfies, and #ShotInTheAss.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 2 April

Pirate's Cove is up first with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Maggies Farm has Links. And more links. And does this all during the week.
Ned Hardy has historical photos and stories.

EBL - Richard Chamberlain, RIP

Richard Chamberlain, RIP
THR, Deadline, Variety

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.01.25 (Morning Edition)

Don Surber: Vance destroys anti-tariff argument
Glenn Reynolds: Three Small Items

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 30 March 2025: Quick Precis Edition

Why do LLMs make stuff up? (Ars Technica)
Because that's what they're designed to do.
They're language models, not fact models. Indeed, they don't have fact models.

Glibertarians - Sunday Morning This Is A Test Links

Diversity?
“A state that is conditioned for failure.” An accurate description.

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

Woke America: Does it get any more un-American than this? The woke elites and museums.
Conman Carney’s Canada: A pair of CBC reports. Carney’s severing of Canada.

Political Hat - News of the Week (March 30th, 2025)

It’s Ladies’ Night at the Gun Range
Luxury shooting complexes offer country club amenities to woo a new wave of firearm owners

Vlad Tepes - Carney & Trump, DEI still in play and more: Links 1 for April 1, 2025

2. Mark Carney: CHINA’S MAN: Hong Kong human rights organization files letter with RCMP over Carney’s Chinese candidate
Canadian police have never, as far as I know, pressed charges against a ranking politician.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - April's Fool Edition

'Becca Downs at TownHall thinks Markwayne Mullin Delivers Masterclass on 'Signalgate' During Sunday Show Appearance. AP whines that Trump says he won’t ‘fire people’ over Signal messages, reiterates support of national security team.

Theo Spark - Bits and Bobs........

No Teslas on Mars! Stop the oligarchy! - Roger Simon
No, European Strategic Autonomy Drive is not Trump Related also, is the USA Really NATO's #1 Sceptic? - Cdr Salamander

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/1/2025

» “Maryland Father” or MS-13 Migrant Gangster. Which is it, MSM?
» “Smacks of Racism” — Activist Judge Halts Trump Admin’s Move to Revoke Protected Status of Venezuelans

Don Surber - Highlights of the news

ITEM 12: CBS said, “5 high-level CDC officials leaving in latest turmoil for public health agency in Trump administration.”
CDC, isn’t this the same agency that warned doctors not to prescribe ivermectin to treat covid?

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

John Garnett is right that “Trump was right to kill the EV mandate.”
Arnold Kling insightfully counsels economists to take real-world complexities far more seriously than they are led to do by the mainstream economics of Paul Samuelson.

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

California High Speed Rail Asks for $7 Billion More
DEI in Airlines Having Haunting Effect on Veteran Pilots, Many Afraid to Leave Co-Pilots Alone in the Cockpit

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 4/ 1 /25

Kurt Schlichter: The next three crucial steps.
Time for the Trump DOJ and FBI to Deal the Pain

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: House lawmaker moves to oust judge in deportation case with move that skips impeachment

• Judge Boasberg is not my president - Don Surber
• Sen. Grassley Introduces ‘Judicial Relief Clarification Act’ to Rein in Activist Judges - Debra Heine

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 03-30-25 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2454 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Mondays again, in gifs from Wirecutter.