Happy Birthday Giorgio Moroder

Love it or hate it, Disco had a huge impact on music, especially when it morphed into House (Chicago), Techno (Detroit), Electro-industrial (Canada), and more.

Giorgio Moroder is the father of Disco. Born in Urtijëi, South Tyrol, Italy, in 1940, he is 84 today.

Disco was created in the discotheques of West Germany during the Cold War. We all lived under the threat of thermonuclear annihilation, as we still do, but in the '60s and '70s it was very real. And the West Germans, and in particular the people in West Berlin, dealt with the Cold War in very tangible ways. Checkpoint Charlie. The Berlin Wall. etc. My understanding is that the club scene was intense at least through the 1980s. Maybe it still is.

Disco in the US had become soulless by the mid to late 1970s, when it was firmly in the hands of the suits that ran the American music industry. They had tiny minds that could only reproduce what they had heard 10 minutes before. It was easy to hate it by then. House, Techno, etc. wasn't on the radio because it wasn't what the suits liked, and it hadn't been on the radio 10 minutes before. The music industry (and the tiny minds running it) inevitably take a genre of music and squeeze the life out of it. Things haven't changed in 50 years. Think modern Pop of today. All the same. Over-produced. Nothing real, or very little anyway.

Giorgio Moroder started producing music in the German music scene in Berlin and Munich in the 1960s. His most recognizable hit is probably "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" featuring vocals by David Bowie, from the 1982 film Cat People. He wrote that song, and the entire soundtrack for that movie and produced the soundtrack.

This song is "Giorgio by Moroder" by Daft Punk from their 2013 album Random Access Memories. I include it because of the narration at the opening in which Giorgio describes what he came to do to start Disco.

Friday Links - 26 April

Chicago Contrarian is up first with Chicago Owned Grocery Store Would Be Subsidizing Dysfunction.

A better way to eliminate food deserts would be to admit where Chicago went wrong with groceries closing. Of course, that will lead to some uncomfortable conclusions for Chicago progressives, if an honest study is done.

Forget the study, here is the remedy: Arrest shoplifters — and aggressively prosecute them. Then invite big grocers back.

Granite Grok - Massachusetts Is “Going After Everybody Who Has Money.”

It is unusual for a Democrat or uniparty stooge to say the quiet part out loud, but this isn’t new to Massachusetts. David Ismay, Charlie Baker’s undersecretary for Climate change (can’t be much of a ‘republican’ Gov. if you have one of those – and he wasn’t), said openly that they need to put the screws to everyone in the name of climate change.

Colion Noir - NY Judge Convicts Man Over Gunsmith Hobby & Says 2nd Amendment Doesn't Exist In Her Courtroom. A video about an outrageous judge in the People's Republic of New York. (Fullscreen mode is active on the 8 minute video)

The Other McCain - TikTok Inluencer Hangs Herself

While hanging yourself is bad, it beats lighting yourself on fire, I suppose. Unless and until the contents of Eva’s suicide note are made public, we have no idea what motivated her suicide, but probably a lot of social-media “influencers” are desperately depressed.

My Daily Kona - "How Do Gun Rights Advocates respond to the claim that AR-15's are useless..........."

The U.S. has employed drones, A-10s, artillery, guided missiles… a whole hell of a lot of resources [in Afghanistan]. Hundreds of billions of dollars.

After nearly 20 years of fighting these “poorly armed” people, we’re about to finally quit. Because there is no [feasible] way to win. We don’t even know what “winning” looks like today

Professor David Yamane at Gun Culture 2.0 - News Reporting or Newsadvocacy? Thoughts Inspired by The Trace

I am simply highlighting the fact that The Trace functions as an interest group advocating for the social construction of gun violence as a top public problem in American society. The work of The Trace — as evidenced by the results it seeks — goes beyond news reporting.

Moonbattery - Arizona AG Launches Lawfare Attack on Trump Allies

Only recently, Arizona was a bastion of Americanism, home of the great Barry Goldwater. Then came colonization by California. Currently, the state is ruled by the likes of Attorney General Kris Mayes, who like her New York equivalent Letitia James is plunging the state into banana republic territory and trying to take the rest of the country with it by criminalizing opposition to Democrats in the runup to the November elections.

Red State has the last word with the following. Hilarity Ensues After Sprinklers Go Off Overnight at Harvard 'Gaza Solidarity' Encampment

Back to the sprinklers, a funny thing happened in the overnight hours in the "liberated zone," as recounted by the Harvard Crimson, which provided this play-by-play

Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

You might say that they suffered a failure of the victim-selection process. Homeowner shoots attempted burglary suspect: Surprise PD

The home invasion victim didn’t want to talk on camera but said the suspects rang his doorbell at 4 a.m. He didn’t answer but says they came in through the back door and cornered him.

He says he did not know who the men were and doesn’t know if his roommates knew them either.

The homeowner opened fire, striking one of the two home invaders.

Surprise, Arizona is a suburb of Phoenix.

Officers arrived at the scene and took both suspects into custody, one of whom was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Neighbors, of course, were shocked to discover that they live in The Real World™ and not a mythical safe space, like Pleasantville. That is something everyone should realize. You are NOT protected by your zip code.

"It’s pretty shocking because this is a neighborhood where you can leave your cars unlocked, nothing like that happens here," a neighbor named Justin said.

Your odds of being victimized may change with locale, but those odds are never zero. Bad guys can drive to your area.

One neighbor says to get a guard dog. Good advice, but most people will get a family pet with no idea of how to train a guard dog. (A guard dog is NOT a family pet.)

But you should do something. Like the homeowner in this story, I prefer fast-moving lead projectiles. Not everyone is comfortable with that, however, and you should make your own determination.

A 911 Outage in February That I Missed

I usually look for, and often find, problems in 911 services around the country. I missed this one in February, but it is worth noting. AT&T cellphone outage leaves 1.7 million users without service for hours

More than 1.7 million AT&T customers across the country reported problems with their cellphone service Thursday morning and early afternoon, according to a network monitoring company. Many saw only an “SOS” on the top right corners of their phones, indicating they had no cell reception — not even to call 911. A large number of AT&T customers lacked service for most of the morning, and some, like Joshua Walton of Charlotte, still couldn’t use the cellular network at noon.

This is doubly odd, because you are supposed to be able to call 911 from any cellphone, even if you don't have service currently tied to that phone. 911 is supposed to always go thru.

The ability to call emergency services was disrupted for some people across several states — such as California, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas — prompting some 911 centers to urge AT&T customers to use a landline for any calls, or find a cellphone that uses a different carrier.

Now how you are supposed to hunt up a phone when confronted with a bad guy, they don't say. The WaPo article does link to a discussion of, "should you have a backup phone?" They talk about land lines, which are great when you are at home, and less great when you are not at home.

By around 3 p.m., AT&T said it had restored service to all customers. “We sincerely apologize to them,” Jim Greer, a company spokesman, said in a statement. “Keeping our customers connected remains our top priority, and we are taking steps to ensure our customers do not experience this again in the future.”

The hat tip for this goes to Liberty Doll and her video 911 Services Lost in Four States. It is an 11 minute video, in which she covers the outage I mentioned on Monday, this outage, and a few more. "Just call 911" sounds great, except what do you do, when you can't call 911?

How Is That Criminal Justice Reform Working Out?

Not too well. Judge refuses to detain man accused of carjacking Uber driver at gunpoint - CWB Chicago. (Yes, it has been stuck in the drafts folder for a while. Still worth a look.)

April 9th Tamar Moses sped away from a traffic stop, crashed into an unmarked police car, and was found with a loaded pistol.

Under provisions of Illinois’ criminal justice overhaul legislation called the SAFE-T Act, Moses was released from the police station without being brought before a judge, the court files say.

Just five days later, Chicago police arrested Moses after he was identified as one of two people who fired a handgun while carjacking an Uber driver on the West Side, a CPD arrest report said. The alleged hijacking occurred late on April 8, about three hours before Maywood police arrested Moses.

Maywood, Illinois is a suburb of Chicago. It is due west of The Loop about 15 miles from Lake Michigan.

So despite being caught with 2 guns in 1 month, committing (allegedly) armed carjacking, and fleeing from police, he was again released, this time by a judge. Prosecutors, citing the 2 guns, and the rest asked that he be held. The judge said no can do, and released Moses, though he was given a curfew.

Under the provisions of the new "Bail is mean and unfair" law in Illinois, they will continue to release this guy, until he actually kills someone. Such is Justice in the 21st Century.

Concealed Carry License Holder Defends Himself in Chicago

Concealed Carry is becoming quite the thing in Chicago. From HeyJackass! - Video: CCL Shooting 300 S. Michigan Ave

These days we rack up more shootings involving concealed carry license holders than police-involved, but since we don’t yet require these CCL’ers to don body-worn cameras, we have to settle for a distant traffic camera to pick up the action.

300 S. Michigan Ave is basically in the south end of the loop. It is about a block and a half to The Art Institute of Chicago, a half dozen blocks or so to The Chicago Stock Exchange. About that same distance to the Willis Tower, which was originally the Sears Tower, etc. The incident took place at 5:35 AM on 14 March, 2024.

A guy was walking along, when another guy turned the corner and broke into a run straight at him. Apparently he believed that this constituted a threat, and he defended himself.

To our knowledge, the CCL’er wasn’t charged, nor have we been presented with high school graduation photos of the lead recipient or stories on how he was shot before while attempting to kill his uncle. No matter, Justice for Bum-rushing Guy!

As noted, there is video; use your own judgement as to whether or not you want to watch the video.

Good News on the Geek Front - Voyager 1 Phones Home

From The Silicon Graybeard: Voyager 1 is Awake and Communicating!

This past Saturday, April 20, Voyager 1 updated ground control about its health status with a coherent message for the first time in 5 months. While she still isn't fully operational and sending science data back to Earth, Voyager 1 is now returning usable information about the health and operating status of its onboard systems.

If you're a regular reader, you'll recall that back in November, Voyager suddenly started acting like something was seriously wrong. I likened it to the probe having had a stroke, although that's too anthropomorphic. The probe seemed to take commands and respond, it still kept its position and kept the data link back to Earth running, it's just that the replies it sent back were more like incoherent ramblings. Something about its uncle having been eaten by cannibals before the mission started. No, sorry. I made that up.

Click thru for the details. (The image is courtesy of NASA/JPL by way of WikiMedia. Click the image for more details.)

Voyager 1 launched 5 September 1977. It was sent on mission to visit Jupiter, and Saturn. It crossed the heliopause and entered interstellar space in 2012.

Not bad for 1970s tech.

The Other McCain Takes up His Role as Grammar Police

Because everyone is entitled to a pet peeve or two. It’s ‘Protester,’ NOT ‘Protestor,’ Dammit!

Why do you do this to me, Babylon Bee? For more than 20 years, going back to when I was an assistant national editor at The Washington Times, this has been one of my pet peeves. There is no such thing as a “protestor.” The correct word is protester. I can explain very clearly why this is so, and why allegedly “educated” people keep making this mistake.

Here is the song "Word Crimes" by Al Yankovic. Can't imagine why that popped into my mind.

Of course not everyone agrees. The Content Authority - Protestor Vs Protester: What’s The Correct Word To Use?

According to prominent dictionaries like Merriam-Webster and Oxford, both spellings, “protester” and “protestor,” are correct. Both words refer to the person partaking in a protest singly or in a group. A protestor/protester also states a solemn declaration or dissents from an established policy.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 24 April

Pirate's Cove is first with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

13. Moonbattery discusses the Lincoln Center cancelling Mozart
14. Outside The Beltway wonders if a Tik Tok ban is Constitutional

The DaleyGator - Weekend Assortment

Bunkerville loves Passels
Busted Knuckles has a drinking problem? Or a problem drink

Political Hat - News of the Week (April 21st, 2024)

Major 2nd Amendment Victory In California
AUS district court judge in California granted summary judgment against the state’s one-gun-a-month (OGM) law, finding it unconstitutional.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.22.24

Cafe Hayek: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “Council of Political Enablers”
CDR Salamander: Israel’s Measured Response
Chicago Boyz: Ukraine, and the World Outside US Borders

EBL - Supreme Court Rule 9-0 in Support of Reverse Discrimination Lawsuits

Instapundit: Leftists freak over 9-0 SCOTUS ruling
AoSHQ: Morning Report 04.19.24

A View from the Porch - Flotsam and Jetsam - DIY Done Come On Tuesday

Baltimore city accuses Dali owners of negligence in Key Bridge disaster
Companies behind cargo ship that destroyed Baltimore’s Key Bridge seek exemption from legal liability – Baltimore Sun

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/22/2024

Bill Gates Unveils Plan to Fight ‘Climate Change’ by Targeting Food Supply
Billionaire Bill Gates has unveiled his latest plan to wage war on the food supply as part of an alleged effort to “fight climate change.”

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 04.23.24

Baldilocks: A Few Changes, Coinages, also, On Payback
BattleSwarm: Texas Election Roundup For April 23
Behind The Black: Voyager-1 back online after software patch works

Vlad Tepes - Australian Senator not only doesn’t want Ozzies to know the truth about the stabbing of an orthodox priest, she wants people who allow it to be known to be jailed: Links 2, April 23, 2024

2. New survey on Islamic attitudes about the West within Germany won’t surprise anyone here. But it’s still worth knowing.
3. Please read Mark Steyn’s column on the fate of the Jewish people in the UK.

Tam at View From The Porch - Tab Clearing...

John Hearne writes about Understanding Criminals and Their Motivations.
Bobbi on troubleshooting a mysteriously malfunctioning door.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 21 April 2024: Oops Edition

Workers installing a light pole in Missouri dug into a fiber cable and cut off 911 services in Nebraska - I forgot Missouri has a border with Nebraska, South Dakota, which borders on Nebraska, and, somehow, Nevada.

Don Surber - Highlights of the week

ITEM 5: From the Island of Misfit Never Trumpers comes this dispatch: “The Economy Is Awesome and Here's Why That's Bad for Biden.”

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkage

The Air Vent - The Communist Gaian’s Aren’t Even Trying To Hide Their True Agenda
Watts Up With That? - Evaluating The Model Projections

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

“Why turn off lights for Earth Day when California is already growing dark?”
In the video here, Johan Norberg makes the case that the best economic system for the earth (and for humanity) is capitalism.

Small Dead Animals - Tuesday On Turtle Island

Dementia Joe’s America: Biden’s corrupt judges. A howl of rage. The Neo-Nazi Left.
Blackie’s Canada: Don’t upset the Indians. Promoting terrorism in the Ontario Legislature. Singh spreads false claim about Poilievre.

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Equitable Grading?
Student Suspended After Anti-Israel Protest Complains About Facing Consequences for Her Actions

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 4/23/24

“For those of us who remember Soviet totalitarianism, it was a déjà vu.”
How the West Suppresses Dissent

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: War By Affirmative Action?

• How Do You Solve a Problem Like Mike Johnson? - Brian C. Joondeph • Consequences? Ilhan Omar's Daughter Faces a Few - David Strom

I leave you with Bookworm Beat 4/19/24: Get yer red hot memes here!, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #1736 from 90 Miles From Tyranny, and Tuesday's memes from Wirecutter.

Neighbors Were Shocked

‘It’s very shocking:’ Police investigating after homeowner shoots carjacking suspect in Herlong area

He was in a stolen car when police tried to stop him. He abandoned that car and fled to a neighborhood, where he tried to steal another car.

Then she said her neighbor, Don – the homeowner who the suspect is accused of attempting to carjack– shot him.

“So, when he starts coming towards him, Don says ‘Stop’ because the guy already told him he was going to kill him and so Don shot him.”

He only shot the (alleged) bad guy in the leg, but that did let the cops take him into custody.

As for the neighbors...

“It’s very shocking,” neighbor K.P. Lancaster said.

“It’s been a day and I’m sorry that it happened, and I’m sorry it happened it here,” neighbor Sheryl Anglin said.

No matter how nice your house is, you are not protected by your zip code from crime. It must shocking to realize that you do live in The Real World™ where crime can, and often does, happen.

The cops are continuing to investigate, and then the DA will make any determination on charges. I have no idea what the DA in Jacksonville is like when it comes to questions of self defense. If you know, please leave a comment.

The New Upgrade to the FGC-9 Build Process

From Impro Guns - The FGC-9 is about to get a whole lot easier to build. (Click thru for the photo of the new bolt.)

The ‘Nutty 9’ is an ingenious new and improved bolt design for the FGC-9 which consists of nothing more than four nuts and two bolts screwed into a printed connector piece. The only thing left for you to do is simply drill a hole for the firing pin

In case you haven't figured it out, FGC-9 stands for F#@K Gun Control - 9mm. The bolt is a hunk of metal, now literally a bolt and some nuts. The barrel is typically a length of tube, with an appropriate inside diameter. There is even a way to create rifling using electrochemical machining, which is sort of the opposite of electroplating.

I'm almost tempted to build one to see what all the fuss is about. That's a maximum almost.

Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

It is Giorgio Moroder's birthday this week. For people who don't know, he is generally regarded as the father of Disco. Disco started in Germany, and in particular West Berlin, discotheques of the late 1960s (in particular, 1969) and the early '70s. Of course by the time Disco came to the US the suits running the American music industry had squeezed most of the life out it. By the late 1970s it was easy to hate Disco. Anyway, Moroder went on to have some success in movie soundtracks, including today's song.

This is "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" by David Bowie from the soundtrack to the 1982 movie Cat People. It was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder. Bowie was apparently not happy with the soundtrack version and rerecorded it for his 1983 album Let's Dance. This is the original from the movie soundtrack. Most reviewers liked the original more than the remake; I agree. You are probably more familiar with the remake.

Zack Snyder's Attempt to Make Star Wars

I don't know why people think Zack Snyder is 2024's answer to Steven Spielberg or Nicholas Meyer. He's not.

His first Superman movie, Man of Steel, was OK, not great. The 2 movies of his that have stood out were 300 and Watchmen. And Watchmen failed to make its money back, being darker than your average superhero movie, and not finding an audience as a result. In both of those cases, which are good, genre movies, based on solid graphic novels, someone else was responsible for the writing.

His latest effort is a ripoff of (or homage to) Star Wars. I could tell you what I thought, but I haven't bothered to see all of it. Part one really wasn't worth finishing. It came in 2 parts, because he needed 6 hours to do what George Lucas did in 2. And he failed to do that.

So here is what Will Jordan (The Critical Drinker) has to say. He watched the movie so you don't have to.

It all adds up to a big pile of pretentious, dull, unimaginative dog shit, without an ounce of energy or creative imagination. A film that was an absolute chore to get through, that has nothing to say, and seems to have no particular reason for existing. I mean, don't get me wrong. I totally get why people wanted these movies to be good. I know we need to start creating new things to replace the tired, old franchises that are being slowly bulldozed into the ground, but while it pains me to say this, Rebel Moon isn't the answer, and Zack Snyder isn't the man to provide it.

This is The Critical Drinker video Rebel Moon Part Two - Please Make It Stop!

Tuesday Links - 23 April

Legal Insurrection starts us off with the latest insanity from the Biden Administration. Biden’s Title IX Protects Biological Males in Female Sports and Spaces

Let’s say the quiet part out loud: This is all about males in female sports and spaces. A little itty bitty tiny bit involves females in male sports and space.

Professor David Yamane at Gun Culture 2.0 - Without: Guns

Omar is an admitted skeptic about civilian ownership of firearms. I credit him for seeking me out as someone who is not. We need more civil dialogue across our differences on this issue.

The Other McCain - Max Azzarello: ‘Just Another American Driven Insane by the Past Few Years’

Despair is the essence of the kind of radicalism that leads people to engage in suicidal gestures (Azzarello died late Friday night). And despite my general cynicism about politics, I consider it my duty to remain hopeful

The Ultimate Answer to Kings - Bread recipe, desert hermit style

Keep in mind that bread in the developmental stage is very sensitive to environmental stuff, like altitude and humidity. I’m at 6000 feet with really low humidity and this is how I do it after seventeen years or so – your efforts may not work perfectly if you follow these instructions slavishly. Be prepared to adapt to your own circumstances.

Again from The Other McCain - Crazy People Are Dangerous

Got that? No more traffic stops in Chicago. This is insane — a demand to end enforcement of traffic laws, because Dexter Reed got killed after he shot first in a confrontation with five police officers.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Home For Tax Day

Both of these things happened, and oddly enough I wound up putting in the kind of hours at home the last weekend of the season that I had the last two years at the Damonte Ranch office in Reno. I haven’t checked to see if I brought in enough revenue to earn a post-season bonus, but by God I certainly worked hard enough on some complicated returns that I’m sure I came close.

Divemedic at Area Ocho - Warning Signs

Joe Biden’s economy is claiming more victims. I have been saying that restaurants don’t just compete against each other, they compete against home kitchens. When it becomes too expensive to dine out, people begin cooking more at home. That is what it looks like is happening.

Juliette Ochieng - Strategic Assault

In one of Mr. Gatto’s interviews, he cites a 19th century directive from a Cambridge organization, which I will paraphrase. Public educational systems were to begin emphasizing the memorization of personalities, events and dates without teaching context - that is explaining the connections between such items and/or teaching students how to make those connections themselves.

I leave you with a poem from Smitty - Para-Dogs

The thing about the Para-Dogs
Is: they are rooted in a ruse
That people are just pollywogs
Livestock for elite to use

Journalists and the Concept of Self Defense

It is not a concept that journalists seem to be able to wrap their minds around. Two killed in homicide police are investigating as 'justifiable'

All murders are homicides, but not all homicides are murder. Murder is a crime. Homicide may be a crime and it may not be a crime, depending on the totality of circumstances.

Two people are dead, and a third was wounded in a shooting that took place in an apartment complex in Indianapolis. They are not providing many details, or any really. But there is an examination of what is self defense, and a note that self defense is increasing in central Indiana since 2023.

Attorney Guy Relford gives an overview of the self-defense laws in Indiana, but I get the impression that something was missed in the editing. Be that as it may, click thru for those details.

“It's becoming quite normal for a lot of people in Indiana, to have the means to defend themselves,” shared Relford. “Unfortunately, given the amount of crime that we have in Central Indiana, people are called upon to defend themselves, but where they do, and that's legal, and that's justified.”

Legal self defense may be bad for the bad guys, but it is good for the law abiding citizens. The "professional journalist" in this instance doesn't really seem to grasp that. But then I wouldn't expect them to understand.

Cops Threaten to Arrest Man for Being Jewish in London

Because the cops in London don't hate Jews. Police threaten to arrest ‘openly Jewish’ man for walking near pro-Palestine protest

Scotland Yard are allowing no-go zones for Jews in London, a man has claimed, after officers threatened to arrest him for “antagonising” pro-Palestinian marchers.

Gideon Falter, head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was wearing a kippah skull cap when he was stopped by officers last Saturday in the Aldwych area while on a walk with friends after attending synagogue.

What was Gideon Falter doing to "antagonize" the protestors? He was walking in London. He wasn't protesting. He wasn't carrying a sign. He was wearing a yarmulke.

The police sergeant told him: “You are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything but I am worried about the reaction to your presence.”

In another exchange a short time later he was told if he did not leave the area he would be arrested.

The point of the story is that it is basically illegal to be Jewish in London during certain times.

There is a bit of Irony in this story, because Gideon Falter is a member of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, and that organization had said that Tommy Robinson was not welcome to be in the vicinity of one of their gatherings just 4 months ago. Tommy Robinson not welcome at march against antisemitism, say leaders.

Organisers of a march against antisemitism billed as Britain’s biggest since the second world war have demanded that the far-right leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon stay away.

Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the name Tommy Robinson, has claimed to support the aims of the march through central London due to be held this Sunday.

To be clear, my position is that both incidents were wrong. The cops should not be excluding Jews from London today, or any day, and the Campaign Against Antisemitism should also not be excluding people from London based on their views, religious beliefs, race, etc. Both can be wrong at the same time.

Still, I am going to miss civilized society.

The Trans-Atlantic Race

A single-handed sailboat race across the North Atlantic Ocean. The North face of the Atlantic.

Known as the Transat or Transat-CIC, the 15th edition of the race is set to start on Sunday, 28 April 2024 at 13:30 local time, or 11:30 UTC, from Lorient, a seaport in Brittany (Western France), to New York City, with the finish line being slightly south of Long Island. That's a distance of roughly 3500 miles. It takes the fastest boats about 8 days to complete the race.

"The Transat CIC, whose course is open to the Atlantic, is the most complicated single-handed transatlantic race, because at the end of April - beginning of May, there may be a series of low-pressure systems over the North Atlantic generating headwinds," explains Francis Le Goff, Race Director of The Transat CIC. "The competitors may have to do a lot of upwind sailing in fairly difficult and uncomfortable conditions for several days", he continues. In fact, unlike other transatlantic races that run from east to west, such as the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, the second part of the course is not downwind. "The sailors won't be going downwind in search of the Tradewinds. The Transat CIC doesn't head for the sun. There could be fog, rain and wind. The most direct route (great circle route) is via the North, heading up towards Newfoundland, but that's not necessarily the fastest. It depends on the weather conditions".

This is a race for professional sailors, sailing relatively large boats like the IMOCA 60 monohull or the ORMA 60 racing trimaran class, and more. The boats are expensive to build and maintain, and so there are a lot of corporate sponsors involved.

This serves as one of the qualifying races for the Vendée Globe (around the world, nonstop, alone) race, which will be run staring in November of this year. That race starts in France, ends in France, scheduled to catch (somewhat) better weather in the Southern Ocean.

If you are curious about the Transat race, you can find more information at the link at the top of this post. Some about the race, the 48 skippers who are entered, and a race tracker that will have real-time tracking of the boats once the race starts on Sunday.

The party starts today, the 23rd, in the ramp up to the start of the race. Bands, parties, boat tours, etc. You didn't think there would be boating, and not drinking, did you? You haven't been boating much, I see.

I know most of you don't follow sailing, but it reminds me of a time in my life that I miss, though I never had the desire to sail in waters as cold as the North Atlantic.

While this video is taken from the 2020 Vendée Globe, it shows the Imoca 60 monohull in action. Vendee Globe 2020 and the insane IMOCA 60 foiling yachts. The video is about 2 minutes.

Which Hunts - 2024 Edition

From The Other McCain - Is New York City in 2024 Better or Worse Than Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692?

There was less crime in colonial Salem than in Alvin Bragg’s Manhattan, and certainly more justice than Donald Trump is likely to get with Judge Juan M. Merchan presiding over this 21st-century witchcraft trial.

Click thru for details, analysis and a bit of snark.

The Grey

I have been sampling a few songs from TesseracT since I tripped over them on social media recently. While I was unsure about the first song I featured, this is definitely appropriate for Metal for Mondays.

Here is a link to the lyrics for today's song.

This song is "The Grey" by TesseracT from their 2023 album War of Being .