Road Rage Leads to Self-Defense Shooting in Michigan

Mother, daughter hospitalized following parking lot shooting

According to police Lt. Mario Bastianelli [of the Sterling Heights police], some sort of dispute erupted between the drivers of two cars as they traveled east on Hall Road. One of the drivers pulled off the road and into the parking lot to escape from the other.

“There was a confrontation in the parking lot,” he said. “The driver of a Durango is a CPL holder, and pulled out her gun and shot the other two women.”

Sterling Heights is a northern suburb of Detroit, with its lower boundary being 14 Mile Road. (You've probably heard something about 8 Mile Road.)

The two women, a mother and her daughter, who decided it was a good idea to follow the Concealed Carry Weapon license holder off the street and into a parking lot, when she was trying to get away from them, have both been hospitalized. The daughter is in critical condition.

Investigators said the woman who fired the gunshots was cooperating with police. She has been released from custody pending further investigation.

Self-defense is a Human Right, and even in Michigan it may be your legal right.

Why Do You Trust Cloud Companies With Your Privacy and Security?

Louis Rossman is the owner of a PC/Phone repair service, and he runs a video channel - not limited to YouTube. I found him because he is an advocate of Right to Repair stuff you own. Today's video is about the oxymoron of Cloud Security.

Recently Wyze cameras had a "security incident" in which it let people see into cameras that they did not own. Literally seeing into other's home

Uploading your data to the cloud does not make it secure. As the people who have Wyze cameras have recently discovered, it may make you less secure. They were trusting that a bunch of people - interns? - at Amazon's Cloud service (AWS) and Wyze to get security right while they were rushing to recover from an outage.

I assume they were rushing because management never likes outages. Uptime is a metric, and if you don't know anything about tech you can measure uptime. And even if they were feeling time pressure, they still screwed up by the numbers.

This is Louis Rossman's video Wyze cameras let other people view her home: why cloud security is an oxymoron.

Why would anyone want to live in NYC today?

First, we have a random attack with a baseball bat on the streets of NYC Stranger bashes woman with baseball bat in apparently random NYC attack: cops

A stranger bashed a 25-year-old woman in the head with a baseball bat in an apparently unprovoked attack in Chelsea this month, cops said as they released the first images of the brute.

The victim was walking on Seventh Avenue near West 23rd Street around 10 p.m. Feb. 8 when the menace suddenly struck her with the weapon, authorities said.

They don't mention race, though they do show a photo - from security camera footage, so not the best - of the attacker.

The second story is of an assault on a New York City bus. Mom groped, slashed by unhinged creep on NYC bus unloads on Biden, Eric Adams for losing ‘control’ of city

A Bronx mother of two who was groped, then slashed by an unhinged man on a rush-hour MTA bus called out President Biden and Mayor Eric Adams — saying it’s on them to regain “control” of the city.

Stephanie Aquino, 33, told The Post that her harrowing ordeal had her praying that she’d see her 3-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter again.

Click thru for the details. This being NYC, where people are prosecuted for going to other peoples' aid, no one helped her beyond yelling warnings.

Just people randomly attacking other people with baseball bats and assaulting them on the bus. New York may have been an interesting place to live decades ago, or even years ago, but today it is just a lawless cesspit where the felons and the crazy people run free, and they are only interested in prosecuting people who defend themselves or other law-abiding citizens.

As these stories often do, these have reminded me of the poem "The Second Coming," by William Butler Yeats. The entire text of the poem, it isn't long, can be found at the link. The part I always think of is...

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

Create a Gun Free Zone and Assume Responsibility for Injuries Due to Crime

Most companies declare gun-free zones in an effort to limit liability. I wonder what impact this will have. Georgia Bill Makes Property Owners Liable for Injuries in Gun-Free Zones

Georgia House Bill 1364 makes property owners liable if a legal concealed carrier is harmed while barred from being armed for self-defense on the owner’s property.

HB 1364 says, “Any lawful weapons carrier who is prohibited from carrying… and who is injured… shall have a cause of action against the person, business or other entity that owns or legally controls such property,” according to 11 Alive.

So in Georgia you have the right to declare your property a legal-self-defense-free zone. Putting up a sign will not stop the bad guys from carrying weapons; it will only stop the law abiding citizens. Fine. But then you accept responsibility for the safety of the people you have disarmed. Seems right to me. (Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms.)

Wednesday Link Roundup - 28 February

Pirate's Cove is first with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

1. LMAO features the latest Biden pronouncement
2. Legal Insurrection covers Haley losing SC badly

Political Hat - News of the Week (February 18th, 2024)

Climate Activists Are Evil
We are far beyond the point where climate activists could be regarded as misguided but well-meaning. They are evil, pure and simple.

EBL - Billy Walker: Samuel Colt

25 February 1836: Samuel Colt patents the revolver
EBL: Saturday Night Girls with Guns

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 02.26.24

Cafe Hayek: Phil Gramm and Me on the High Cost of the Trump-Biden Tariffs, also, On U.S. Global “Competitiveness”
CDR Salamander: The Military-Industrial Complex Wears A White Hat

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 25 February 2024: Replimication Edition

The replication crisis is an ongoing problem in science, and particularly in medicine and psychology, where peer-reviewed papers that supposedly have a 95% probability of demonstrating a real effect cannot be replicated between 50% and 90% of the time.

Don Surber - Highlights of the week

ITEM 4: Zero Hedge reported, “On Thursday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented Israel's security cabinet with a much anticipated document outlining plans for the day after Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 2/26/2024

Macron Holds Meeting in Paris to Rally European Support for Ukraine
The French president said Ukraine’s allies needed to ‘jump-start’ their support for Kyiv as the war enters its third year.

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 02.27.24

Don Surber: Birdbrains in the press
First Street Journal: He can’t handle the truth! also, The Philadelphia Inquirer tells us about yet another government economic program that just didn’t work

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

The Planet Is Burning News: The climate alarmist attack dog.
Dementia Joe’s America: President Jill Biden. Will the left wing media dump Biden?

Bacon Time - Sunday Linkage

Whores & Ale - Two For Tuesday…..
Non-Original Rants - Saturday Meme Drop……
The Air Vent - The Will of the People

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

GMU Econ alum Paul Mueller writes about “the carbon offset dilemma.”
Art Carden asks if we should care if legacy media dies.

Maggie's Farm - Monday morning links

Kite & Key Media: Past Drug Crises Were Overhyped, Fentanyl Isn't
Fentanyl Is Killing American Kids. Most Don’t Even Know They’re Taking It.
The Biden administration’s aggressive net-zero agenda jeopardizes our quality of life

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 2/26/24

"If the left's out-of-control campaign to destroy Trump succeeds, it will forever poison the political system and spell doom for conservatism."
We’ve Reached The Tipping With Trump

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: "Psychological and Cognitive Warfare on Citizens"

• California’s Impossible War on Oil and Gas - Edward Ring
• There Are No Winners In An Inflation Fight - The Pomp Letter

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 02-25-24 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #1634 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Memes that made me laugh 198 from Bayou Renaissance Man, and Fucking Mondays..... gifdump from Wirecutter.

Did He Not Expect People to Be Armed in Arkansas?

If he did, he was mistaken. Man shot by homeowner in Saline County | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansas' Best News Source

Saline County, Arkansas is roughly 10 miles southwest of Little Rock.

A man was accosted as he walked out of his home. He shot the person who confronted him.

After a search of the area, deputies found the injured man, John Nutt of Little Rock, along with stolen property, and took Nutt into custody, the release says. Nutt was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the release says.

After his release from the hospital, Nutt will face charges of residential burglary and aggravated assault

The cops do not expect to charge the homeowner, because this didn't happen on the Island of Manhattan, where self-defense is illegal. It happened in Arkansas where people don't play around. (Do a YouTube search on "Police Chase ASP" to see how the Arkansas State Police handle people who try to run from traffic stops. It isn't always pretty.)

Leftist Pepper Sprayed Pregnant Comedian

This is the tolerant Left in action. Chrissie Mayr Attacked After Comedy Show - Geeks & Gamers

I'm sure the Leftist who was 'offended' by the words uttered by Chrissie is sure they were being stunning and brave.

Unfortunately, the practice of attacking comedians over their jokes seems to be gaining traction. On February 24, 2024, Chrissie Mayr, who is known for her edgy brand of comedy, finished a performance at The Dojo of Comedy in Morris Plains, New Jersey, and while she was attending a meet and greet, someone assaulted her and some attendees with pepper spray and ran away. In an X post, which you can read below (if you’re unfamiliar with Chrissie Mayr’s humor, she uses some words that may offend you, so read with caution), she says that everyone appears to be okay, thankfully. Also, aside from this being a horrible thing to do to anyone, bear in mind that Chrissie Mayr is pregnant.

Chrissie Mayr is 7 or 8 months pregnant. And the Stunning and Brave Leftist - who didn't have the guts to be a heckler during the show - just sprayed pepper spray and ran away. So stunning, but maybe not so brave.

Hat tip to Jeremy at The Quartering.

I've Got The World On A String

Social Media is OK if you can avoid the morass. I try to stick (as much as possible) to the music and movie corners of the various social media platforms. It isn't always possible to avoid the politics, but then I usually come to my senses and sign off for a while.

Anyway, it was by way of social media that I was reminded of this song.

I always loved Sinatra, and I even saw him live in concert once, but that was when he was much older, and his voice had begun to suffer some changes. It was still an amazing show.

This is "I've Got The World On A String" by Frank Sinatra. It was originally released as a single, then included on the 1956 compilation album album This Is Sinatra!

I Need Your Help Diagnosing Problems With YouTube Embedded Videos

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone for your help. I'm still not completely sure what the problem was - probably something on my side together with something done at YouTube. They really hate anything that looks like privacy, and the newer versions of Firefox are all about privacy. And as I mentioned in the comments, they really hate my VPN, to the point that I have to deactivate it to comment on my own blog. Even though I can edit the posts without deactivating the VPN, I can't comment. Which I suppose explains why I am now sourcing video from Rumble and looking at Odysee. (I like Rumble except for the always on autoplay feature.)

Update to the Update: And it's broken again. Since I haven't changed anything - I spent the day dealing with car trouble - I have to assume it is on their end. Since there is virtually no way to get any support out of Google/YouTube/Blogger/Alphabet, I will just continue my drive to use Rumble and Odysee for video, and maybe I will relent and use Spotify for music.

I don't know about all of you, but I am having problems with YouTube videos. Videos that I have embedded from YouTube are not playing, but giving me an error message. I usually (always?) provide a link to watch on YouTube, or you can click on the video title in the embedded video to be sent to that site. They work on YT, just not when embedded.

Since both YouTube and Blogger/Blogspot are Google products, support is nonexistent. I have been trying some stuff. I can't figure out if it is my environment or them.

Videos embedded from Rumble are working. I haven't checked other sources. YT and Rumble being the 2 main places that I find video content, with Odysee gaining on Rumble. I'm not sure I have embedded any Odysee content, but maybe I should check that as well.

If you could let me know in the the comments what behavior you are seeing that would be great. So I've embedded the same video from two different sources below. While I can recommend the video, I'm not asking you to watch it twice; only tell me if it is working/not working on YT and/or on Rumble. Thanks.

Here is a YouTube video. Benny Johnson - CRITICAL DRINKER: They Removed Testosterone & MEN From Movies, Now The Hollywood Sign is in FLAMES🔥

And this is the same video from Rumble. Benny Johnson - CRITICAL DRINKER: They Removed Testosterone & MEN From Movies, Now The Hollywood Sign is in FLAMES🔥

Tuesday Links - 27 February

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony starts things rolling with Daily News Stuff 24 February 2024: Turkeys All The Way Down Edition

The Florida state legislature has passed a law banning children under 16 from social media. (Associated Press)

I'll have to read the text of the bill, but this seems doomed both constitutionally and practically. Children under 13, you may have a case, and that is essentially the law already. But if you're trying to ban teenagers from YouTube and TikTok, that's simply not going to work.

Meep at Stump - Classics on Leadership

My argument: read the classics — they’re chock full of stories relevant to leadership.

Drake's Place - 100,000’s More Gun Safes Added to RECALL… Safes from MAJOR RETAILERS AFFECTED. Biometric guns safes are not safe.

What is going on with the gun safe bio-metric option? Something is either seriously flawed or is it being done deliberately? Why do I ask this? 1) I don't believe in coincidences. 2) If I did believe in coincidences, the number of instances of this happening with bio-metric options greatly exceeds what I would consider or define as a "coincidence."

The Other McCain - Trump Stomps Haley in S.C.

There are a lot of sad faces on CNN tonight (I watch CNN so you don’t have to). All week long, they’ve been hyping up Nikki Haley’s chances in the South Carolina and . . . Well, it ain’t happening.

Legal Insurrection - Media Doesn’t Want To Talk About How Murder Of Georgia Nursing Student Was By Illegal Alien With Criminal Record

Scrambling to obscure that he’s in this country illegally, that the open border policies they support have lead directly to this bright young woman’s death, they have called him everything from an “Athens [Georgia] man” to just plain old “suspect.” Heck, Newsweek even found a way to tie this horrendous crime by an illegal alien to . . . MAGA. You can’t make this stuff up.

Again from The Other McCain - Anti-Israel Protester Does What Every Anti-Israel Protester Should Do (Is #SelfImmolateForPalestine Trending?)

But the main thing is, how can we encourage the whole kook-mob of lefties to emulate the late Aaron Bushnell? Like, wouldn’t it be great if the entire student body of Harvard University just decided to light themselves on fire, en masse, in support of Hamas?

Pirate's Cove - Retailers Test Out New Way Of Reducing Crime In San Francisco

It’s a hardware store. And customers have to wait for help like this is a high end jewelry or suit store, getting waited on. But, they also cannot come in to the store. They’re literally blocking customers from coming in to get what they want. Would you wait?

Adaptive Curmudgeon gets the last word with Curmudgeon’s Non-Vacation: Part 4: The Joys Of Home Ownership

I walked to the basement and found an inch of water on the floor. BAM! My simple little plans took a headshot!

Adulting sucks.

Every hope, dream, positive vibe, and spring in my step evaporated. Game over man!

I alerted Mrs. Curmudgeon that there was a leak, that the mini-vacation was canceled, and also that life was a useless slog of misery. (I was not a happy camper.)

73-Year-Old and 65-Year-Old versus 19-Year-Old Home Invader

It didn't work out to well for the home invader. Fredericksburg home invasion suspect shot and killed | KVUE

Officials said the homeowner, 73-year-old Curtis Roys, was asleep when he heard a loud banging noise outside. He then discovered a young man on his back patio who, when confronted, pushed his way inside through the patio door and began to assault Roys with a blunt object. Reportedly, he then put Roys into a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness.

In the meantime 65-year-old Melody Lumpkin asked the 19-year-old to cease the assault. When he didn't she got a gun and fired a warning shot. When she noticed that Curtis Roys was not moving she shot the 19-year-old in the head.

The suspect was later identified as Cleto Neri Solorzano, 19, of Fredericksburg. He was treated by Fredericksburg Fire and EMS and taken to Hill Country Memorial Hospital, and later to University Hospital in San Antonio. He was later pronounced dead.

Thus saving the taxpayers the expense of supporting him, and making the world a better place.

While the investigation continues, this didn't happen on the island of Manhattan, but in the State of Texas. Fredericksburg, Texas is about about 60 miles or an hour's drive north of San Antonio, and about 65 miles west of Austin.

Hat tip goes to Bearing Arms, and The DaleyGator.

U.S. Patent No. 138 for the Revolving-Cylinder Pistol

The revolver marked the dawn of the modern firearms industry. Samuel Colt

And I hate missing important dates.

On February 25, 1836, the American inventor [Samuel Colt] received U.S. Patent No. 138 (later 9430X) for his revolving-cylinder pistol.

By 1856 - just in time to supply the Civil War - he had standardized/interchangeable parts, where guns had previously been hand-crafted one-off creations, and he could produce 150 guns per day.

The following is attributed to an unnamed Texas lawman from the 1800s. Supposedly it was engraved on his Peacemaker

“Be not afraid of any man;
No matter what his size;
When danger threatens, call on me—
And I will equalize!”

While nominally still in business, the company started by Colt was purchased by the Czech firm Česká zbrojovka Group (now Colt CZ Group SE) in 2021.

The image above is of a Colt 1851 Navy black powder revolver. The Peacemaker wouldn't come along until 1872, and it is still in production. (Hat tip to EBL)

And because Colt invented the revolver, EBL can now bring us Girls With Guns. She does that every Saturday.

Stop the PRO Act

From Mike Rowe: Chronic Freelancer Mike Rowe Goes to Bat for Independent Contractors In America

Of all the really bad ideas currently moldering before Congress, The PRO Act has got to be among the most odious. If it passes, no less than 70,000,000 independent contractors across the country will lose their independent status. Tens of thousands of truck drivers, graphic artists, dance instructors, cameramen, speech therapists, real estate agents, skilled tradespeople, and countless other Americans who would prefer not to labor as a traditional employee, will be forced to do so…or find a new line of work.

Go read the whole thing.

Kill The Noise

Plush is a band I tripped over because they are touring with Falling in Reverse and Disturbed. They are the opening act of 3 bands, but still...

Apparently a Rock/Metal band consisting of 4 women is still a novelty in 2024. Hopefully this is the end of that. They are pretty good. And they just released a new album.

This is "Kill The Noise" by Plush from their January 2024 album Find The Beautiful.

What If You Called 911 and the Cops Decided It Was Not an Emergency?

From MyNorthwest - 'Unacceptable:' Seattle officers disciplined after delayed response

It was a priority 1 call. That is the highest level of emergency. It took them 20 minutes to go one mile. So they didn't think it was an emergency.

Two Seattle police officers have been disciplined in connection with their slow response to a shooting at the Showbox SODO in Seattle in December 2022.

It has been confirmed that Seattle Police Department Chief Adrian Diaz agreed and issued the officers 1-day/9-hour suspensions.

One day off without pay. Given that I believe Seattle PD is in the middle of a bunch of mandatory overtime (I'm not 100% sure on that), my guess is that they will welcome the time off. So, not even a slap on the wrist.

At 1:54 a.m., the report states that the officers marked it as a disturbance with no victims or suspects arrested. DivestSPD noted that two hours later, the victim of the shooting arrived at Harborview Medical Center with an injury to his arm.

But then if someone was shooting at you, would you stick around for 20 minutes?

Calling 911 is a fine thing to do, but you need to realize that the cops won't be there instantly. In some cases it will take them some time to get there.

People Are Fed Up With the Bias of Journalism - Journalists Hardest Hit

There are a bunch of stories in the "news" in the past week or so, lamenting the fact that no one wants to pay for "journalism." I’m scared and you should be too: The state of journalism from the perspective of a student journalist

This is only one story from the past week. There are many from the past few months that are not that different.

On Jan. 23 the Los Angeles Times announced they were laying off 20% of their newsroom staff. That’s 115 writers, editors, photographers and other positions.

As a student journalist this news hit hard. Layoffs and closures are becoming all too common at news organizations around the country. It scares me as someone looking to enter the job field, and it should scare anyone who values democracy in America.

Yes, that sounds scary. Until you remember the glee with which "professional journalists" cheered on the mandated lockdowns during the reign of the "unspecified virus of unknown origins," the fervor with with they trumpeted the "Russia! Russia! Russia!" narrative against Trump, the wall of "that is a disinformation campaign" that they built around the Hunter Biden laptop story.

This was accompanied by hand-wringing about how "this is not supposed to happen to my beloved LA Times."

Even today the "professional journalists" routinely obfuscate the race of mass shooters (unless the race is white), the problems that exist on our southern border, and more. And after all of that they are shocked that people are stopping payments to news organizations.

I do agree that we need local journalists to keep local politicians in line, but people studying journalism in college don't aspire to running a local newspaper in rural Michigan; they expect to work for the LA Times, or the WaPo, or whatever. They dream of being the next Woodward, but not reporting on how the county board in some rural county in Nebraska is spending and/or wasting money.

And the current state of journalism is not new. Journalists have been decrying layoffs for a decade or more. Why is anyone majoring in journalism today? Oh that's right, he was told to "follow his bliss" even if that means spending $150,000 or more on a degree that will prepare him for working a coffee shop.

I can't tell you the last time I read a newspaper, or listened to a local radio or news broadcast. Why? Because I learned a long time ago that they were mostly lying to me. Often they were lies of omission, but lately they have just been lies.

Has everyone forgotten Ra^thergate? I haven't.

I would support journalism, if they weren't such a bunch of biased hacks. This is a story from a US source; the Canadian stories are even worse in some ways, since they are already in the pocket of the government and don't understand why their support of the Powers That Be haven't translated into larger bailouts. Those stories are complete with the "anyone who contradicts us is spreading misinformation!" line. In other words, they are voicing their support for censorship.

Illegal Immigrant Kills Georgia Nursing Student

Illegal Immigration has consequences. Illegal migrant from Venezuela is arrested for murder of UGA nursing student Laken Riley: Was released from CBP custody because of overcrowding | Daily Mail Online

An illegal immigrant freed because of lack of detention space is now accused of murdering a 22 year-old University of Georgia student after she went for a run.

Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested for the murder of Laken Riley in Athens - a sanctuary city - on Friday and is now being held at the Clarke County Jail.

You can click thru for the details.

Hat tip to The Other McCain: Joe Biden’s Policy Gets a College Girl Killed, But White Lives Don’t Matter.

Democrats voted for Biden’s open-borders policy. Democrats voted for the murder of Laken Riley. Do not let the media deceive you.

Rogue Elements

The Critical Drinker (Will Jordan) has a series of books, based on the character of Ryan Drake. There are 9 books in the series (I think). I have only read the 1st book.

Anyway, now they are starting to make movies. Or movie, anyway. The first movie is only a short, but it is a step forward.

With the cost of making movies coming down, and Hollywood in the thrall of the Woke Scolds on social media, the only way we will get new entertainment that is actually entertaining, is if new people make it.

This is the trailer for Rogue Elements. I think it looks good.

Self-Defense in St. Louis

It is becoming more common in the cities, as people realize that the government has given up on law and order. Suspect shot while breaking into historic masonic lodge

Sgt. Charles Wall with SLMPD said the suspect had broken into the Tuscan Masonic Temple on Westminster Pl. near Kingshighway around 4:30 am, setting off the building’s security alarms. Wall said a man living above the lodge woke up, found a gun and went searching through the building.

When the man saw the intruder, he shot him. Wall said police would approach the death as a shooting investigation, but it would be up to the Circuit Attorney to determine whether the shooting was justified under Missouri’s Castle Doctrine, which allows a defendant to use deadly force when they reasonably believe it is necessary in instances of a home invasion.

It remains to be seen if this will be judged legal self-defense. You can never tell in the Blue Cities. (Hat tip to Breitbart.)

New Media Woes

I have a couple of stories today on the state of journalism. A bit outside my usual topic - well, I do make fun of journalists from time to time - but it seems to be appropriate this week.

First we have the state of Vice Media: Vice to stop publishing on website, lay off hundreds. This was apparently unexpected.

Vice Media will lay off hundreds of employees and stop publishing on its website, the company’s leadership announced this week.

CEO Bruce Dixon said, “It is no longer cost effective to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously,” in a memo sent to employees and shared with several media outlets Thursday.

Several people have asked the question, how is it not cost effective to publish a website? I'm not sure if that has been answered. It certainly could be too expensive to employ "100s of people" to produce that website.

Vice is the latest in a slew of digital media companies that have been forced to lay off staff as a cost-cutting measure in an increasingly tough digital advertising market, increased fragmentation across the media landscape and fast-changing news consumption habits.

They mention layoffs at The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, and the demise of a startup The Messenger after less than a year. I don't know anything about The Messenger, but it was billed, apparently, by the founder as being a "WaPo/Daily Mail hybrid." It shut down in January.

Vice Media is not going away completely, but parts of it will continue, though it isn't clear in what way.

Also the media outlet BuzzFeed is going through some stuff as well. BuzzFeed Sells Complex to Ntwrk for $108.6 Million, Will Lay Off 16% of Remaining Workforce.

BuzzFeed has sold Complex - the youth-culture media company it bought three years ago - and will pink-slip another 16% of BuzzFeed's remaining staffers in a restructuring designed to get back on financial track

BuzzFeed purchased Complex in 2021 for a total of $294 million. Though to be fair, the sale doesn't include everything that it purchased in 2021; BuzzFeed is keeping the First We Feast branded content.

The 16% reduction will be from a starting point of an existing employee base of about 1000. It comes after laying off 180 people in 2023 related to closing down its news division.

The proceeds of the sale will be used to eliminate debt. The continuing operations are generating revenue of $73 million or more, so it is hard for me to understand how this company can't make a go if it. I guess that there are some who expect it to be broken up, and sold off in chunks.

How To Help Someone Select a Firearm

When I was an NRA safety instructor there were 2 things that drove me crazy. One was husbands/fathers/boyfriends who bought the gun they used for the women in their life. ("It's the best; that's why I use it!") The other was men who bought .22 LR pistols.

In the real world, a gun needs to fit your hand, the way a shoe fits your foot. What works for you, might not work for someone else.

This article avoids those issues, and concentrates on helping someone find what works for them. Refreshing to say the least. Arming My Daughter Part II: Sampling Mid-Size Nines | An Official Journal Of The NRA

Last year, as my daughter Laney prepared to move out of state and enter the job market, she asked for some range sessions oriented toward home defense. I wrote about the experience in the September 2023 American Rifleman magazine issue and shared some of the range results. I had suspected that my daughter’s results as a petite young woman would be interesting to readers who also might know a first-time gun owner working through similar choices, as well as shooters who find that they have less grip strength than they once had.

As I went through all of the data for the article and saw how she struggled with the micro-sized 9 mm Luger, a natural question jumped out: How would she do with a larger 9 mm handgun? A few months later, she came out to the range with me to find out.

Click thru for the details.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 24 February

Wombat-socho is first with a link I should have had on Wednesday. In The Mailbox: 02.20.24 (Evening Edition)

CDR Salamander: Sealift – A Tragedy Of Numbers
Chicago Boyz: Too Many, Not Enough, also, Koestler on Closed Systems

The Right Way - Top of the News

Ex-Obama CIA Chief Donates to Nikki Haley - Bongino Report
“Scientist” Was Paralyzed By Climate Doom Or Something - The Pirates Cove

Animal Magnetism - Animal’s Hump Day News

Bari Weiss is always worth reading: Alexei Navalny Lived and Died in Truth
The Tragedy of Veteran Suicide

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 21 February 2024: Pyrrhic Moral Victory Edition

The US House of Representatives has announced a Task Force on AI that blah blah blah zzzzzz. (Tech Crunch)
Sorry, my brain crawled out of my head to escape that nonsense.

Tam at View from the Porch - A Jog Around the Blogs

Bobbi goes on a Prohibition-era wikiwander...
"No longer a skull full of mush."
Dodging the cynicism bullet, so far.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 02.22.24 (Afternoon Edition)

Power Line: The Daily Chart: Meat-Eaters
Shark Tank: Alabama’s IVF Restrictions Strike Fear Into Florida Democrats

EBL - Thomas Sowell and Black History Month: White Lefties and Black Mascots

Thomas Sowell on Slavery and Reparations
AoSHQ: Morning Report 02.21.24

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism, 02/23/2024

2/19 – More Winning in the Culture Wars at the State & Local Level
2/20 – OLIVER GHORBANIFAR: When will America liberate Canada from the evil reign of Justin Trudeau?

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Engoron Denies Trump Stay

Atlanta News First reports No closing statements this week in DA Fani Willis disqualification case. "Fulton Judge Scott McAfee deciding if Willis, special prosecutor should be disqualified from historic Donald Trump indictment." I'm sure he's hoping it will just go away on it's own.

Vlad Tepes - Massive cell phone downage in US, Conservative Party calls for more ammo for Ukraine, Houthis attacking shipping and more: Links 1 for February 22, 2024

2. Conservatives Call For Increased Artillery Shell Production & For Canada To Deliver More Military Aid To Ukraine
(It’s like an advert for Maxime Bernier)

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 02.23.24

Dana Loesch: “Student Loan Forgiveness” Is Vote-Buying Welfare
Don Surber: Disposable Democrats, also, End the War in Ukraine
First Street Journal: World War III watch – Warmongers gotta warmonger

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 2/22/2024

Widespread Cyberattack Takes Down Pharmacies Across America
Pharmacies across America are suffering widespread outages after being hit with a major cyberattack, according to reports.

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

Blackie’s Canada: Freeland borrows half a trillion more. Toronto’s socialist city council emboldening Jew hatred. Today Climate Justin burns jet fuel to socialist Edmonton. He will explain to his loyal media how wonderful he is, and trash the premier about gays.

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Paul Schwennesen is in awe of emergent order.
Roger Pielke decries “the unstoppable momentum of outdated science.”

Maggie's Farm - Thursday morning links

What’s fueling the commercial fusion hype?
A Revolution on Race? With ‘The End of Race Politics,’ Coleman Hughes enters the ranks of the most mature and sophisticated analysts of the all-American skin game.

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: The Leftist Lynch Mob Attacking Trump

• Biden Traps Veterans on VA Plantation - Deroy Murdock
• The Truth About Migrants in the US Military - M Dowling

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 2/22/24

Maybe it's time for an organized citizens committee to quash the plague "by any means necessary" - jjs
Organized Migrant ‘Theft Groups’ Plague Pennsylvania Town

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 02/23/2024

Non-citizen Chinese immigrant is sworn in on San Francisco’s Election Commission.
Judge Arthur Engoron DENIES Trump’s move to stall enforcement of $355 million fraud trial fine after AG Letitia James threatened to seize his buildings if he doesn’t pay.

I leave you with Wednesday's gifs from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #1626 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and It's Another Libturd Thursday My Friends ~ PM from Woodsterman.

Homeowners in Louisiana Are Armed

Home invaders are getting shot. Homeowner shoots home invasion suspect in Houma, police say

Houma, Louisiana is about an hour's drive southwest of New Orleans.

Chief Theriot says the homeowner told responding officers that he shot an alleged intruder in his home. He reportedly heard a noise coming from the first floor of his home and as he went down the stairs to investigate, he was confronted by the suspect and shot. The suspect fled.

He was shot in the forehead, but medical personnel determined that the wound was superficial, and after treatment he was turned back over to the cops.

He is lucky he wasn't killed.

[The guy who got shot] was booked into jail on one count of simple burglary and on an outstanding warrant for violating parole.

A woman suspected of helping him in the break in was also arrested.

Self-defense is a human-right, and in Louisiana it appears to be your legal right as well. Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0.

The Bank Testified That They Didn't Lose Money - Didn't Matter to the Judge

Who lost money? Besides Trump, that is? ‘What Fraud?' Kevin O'Leary Destroys CNN Host Over Latest Trump Verdict

The judge in the NY case against Trump, just shot New York in the head.

O'Leary continued, "And then, in this case, even the bank that was supposedly defrauded, testified and said we didn't lose anything. We want to do business with this guy again, we'd like to, but the judge said, 'No, no, no, no, no, no, let's penalize this developer for $355 million. And if we're going to do that, let's penalize all the developers all across America. They've all done the same thing. All of them should go to jail and we should stop building buildings.' That's what the message is from New York. Even the governor herself is concerned about what this looks like to investors all around the world. It's not just U.S. domestic. All around the world, people are talking about what happened here. You really think people want to invest money in New York after this?"

But the judge is removed from the reality of investment. He's a Democrat and he hates Trump, and that is all that matters.

It Leads to This

The Pineapple Thief is a progressive rock band out of England. They've been around since 1999, but they are new to me. I was introduced to them by the algorithm at the Tidal music streaming service.

I've only heard a couple of songs that have been released from that new album, but I am going to take the time to search out their earlier work.

Here is a link to the lyrics, for completeness. Here is a bit I like...

So it leads to this
How could we get it so wrong?
For all this time, our so-called progress
So it leads to this

This song is "It Leads to This" by The Pineapple Thief. It is the title song to their 9 February 2024 album.

Friday Links - 23 February

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony is first with Daily News Stuff 19 February 2024: But Wait There's Less Edition

The EU is reportedly planning to fine Apple $500 million for illegal competition with third-party music stores and streaming services. (The Verge)

Which Apple unquestionably does, but yeah, this is a shakedown operation by Europe.

The Other McCain - ‘News’ in the Post-Literate Age

Sitting here with my office TV tuned to CNN — I watch CNN, so you don’t have to — I’m struck by the arrogance of their assumption that they get to decide what is and is not newsworthy, as if their audience had no other source of information about what’s going on in the world, and no desire to know anything else except what CNN is “reporting.” They have spent most of today going on and on about the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, as well as the war in Ukraine, and they seem to imagine that no one sees through this wall-to-wall coverage in terms of its motive, i.e., to revive the “Russian collusion” hoax against Trump, and to attempt to blame Republicans in Congress for the failure of Ukraine to repel the Russian invasion.

Tam at View from the Porch - Generation Gap

Guy was a student at IU in Bloomington... twenty-one years old would be, what? Junior year of undergrad? ...and was mentioning to his parents how he'd recently found not having a driver's license to be inconvenient a few times.

My mind was blown.

Again from The Other McCain - Bad Arguments in Support of Bad Policy

The attempt to turn this into some sort of patriotic referendum — if you don’t support this bill, you don’t love America, we are told — suggests that there are no strictly factual or logical arguments in favor of the current policy. Why would you need to resort to impugning the motives of opponents, if you had facts and logic on your side? And it’s worth pointing out that many Republican opponents of the Biden policy aren’t anti-Ukraine (or pro-Russian), but are simply trying to leverage this as part of a deal to get some kind of action toward securing our own borders.

Clifton Duncan at The State of the Arts - Becoming Thomas Sowell 1

Just over a week after announcing the crowdfunding campaign for my one-man Sowell play, we've amassed an amazing 628 backers.

Mike Rowe - Chuck Gets a Haircut with Denis Chetzan and Mary Sullivan (Ep. 371)

About a year ago, I encouraged my old buddy Chuck to let his hair grow out a bit.

“Why?” he asked.

“Well, mostly because you still have it,” I said. “And a lot of it. If I had a head of hair like that, I’d go full Sam Elliott.”

Impro Guns - Using the Arcdroid to Build a Semi Auto Pistol

“I’m 90% done with my pistol build. I will post all the cut files for this project soon.”

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 20 February 2024: Grand Central Rat Edition

Global Foundries is set to receive $1.5 billion in government funds under the CHIPS Act, and another $600 million from New York state in one form or another. (Tom's Hardware)

Global Foundries was originally the manufacturing arm of AMD, and was then spun off as a separate company, acquired the semiconductor operations of AMD, and was bought by the UAE, not necessarily in that order.

Legal Insurrection - Report: National MS Society Dumps Elderly, Lifelong Volunteer Because She Asked What Pronouns Were

The National MS Society has come under fire over the last two weeks after Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik reported on an incident involving an elderly lifelong volunteer who says she was dismissed because she asked questions about pronoun usage in the context of their DEI policies.

Washington Examiner - Major investors pull business from New York City following Trump verdict

Real estate mogul Grant Cardone announced on Tuesday that his firm Cardone Capital would no longer underwrite New York real estate, one day after Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary vowed to no longer invest in the state as a result of the verdict.

Don't Bring a Hammer to a Gunfight

Did he expect a homeowner in Texas would be unarmed? Grayson County homeowner shoots hammer-wielding intruder - KTEN

Grayson County, Texas is about 40 or 45 miles north of Dallas. It's northern boundry is the Texas/Oklahoma state line.

"The homeowner attempted to get the man to leave, and was struck by the hammer," officials said in a written statement. "The homeowner shot the man and called authorities. No arrests have been made."

The guy armed with the hammer was not charged because he had to be airlifted to a trauma center for treatment.

When will bad guys get the message that (most) Texans are armed? Probably never.

The Modern Audience

When it was announced that Gina Carano was going to appear at FanExpo in Vancouver, the Twitter Mob tried to get her canceled. Again. It backfired. She had originally been scheduled to attend the Con for 1 day. After Twitter tried to get her canceled, again, she added a 2nd day at the con because the demand was so high.

Drunk3P0 attends these cons with Gina, as a sort of assistant. So while he had a break he went search of the announced protest sparked by Gina's presence at the con.

There were 5 people, who would not talk to anyone.

There was a mob of several hundred on Twitter, of the perpetually offended, but there were 5 people in Vancouver who were "upset" that their will couldn't dictate to the entire planet, or even to the con in Vancouver, about what celebrities people were allowed to like, and who needed to be canceled.

Remember that. When Hollywood changes characters, or gaming companies redesign games for the "modern audience," this is who they are placating. Five people in Vancouver. Not 5,000. Not 500. Not even 50. Five.

Is it any wonder that Woke Hollywood (and Woke everything) is going out of business?

This is the Drunk3P0 video I Found the Gina Carano Protest in Vancouver. It is just over 2 minutes, though you can skit the 1st half if you care to.

I have tagged this post as "Free Speech" because that is why Gina Carano was canceled. She dared to express an opinion that wasn't approved by the Liberal fascists in Hollywood.

The Arrogance of Planners - They Never Create the Perfect City

Planners always promise that they are creating "the city of the future." They never do. From Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog: Dutch “Perfect” Planned City = Instant Slum

Bijlmer, built as a planned neighborhood near Amsterdam, was supposed to be the “prefect city” of the future, with high rise apartment complexes surrounded with green space to make the buildings more warm and inviting for residents.

You know, just like they did with American public housing projects at the same time.

Bijlmer worked out just as well.

Prices were too high. The parking garages were problematic places where crime took place. The vacancy rate was high, because the middle class in The Netherlands didn't want to live in 11 story buildings.

The 15 minute video is worth it.

Government urban planners always think they can always do a better job than the free market, and they’re always wrong.

It is the arrogance of the technocrat. We know what it best, you just need to shut up and do what we tell you to do. Never mind that we have never been right in the history of the world; we will get it right this time.

Aside from the shape of the buildings, it reminds me a lot of Pruit-Igoe, though Bijlmer lasted longer.

People You Know Can Be a Threat

The gun-hating part of the Left loves to go on at length about how if you do own a gun, you are more likely to shoot someone you know than a complete stranger. There is a good reason for that. Roseville police say woman shot niece in self defense

Roseville, Michigan is a northern suburb of Detroit.

A dispute between a Roseville woman and her cognitively impaired niece resulted the niece being shot in a case of self defense from over the weekend, police said.

The niece may be charged with attempted murder and arson. In the meantime she is being held under guard at the hospital. The shooter was released and is not facing charges.

Because even in deep blue states, and counties, self-defense is a human right.

US Infrastructure Under Cyber Attack

If you manage infrastructure, it should not be on the public internet. If you manage infrastructure that can poison thousands of people, you should probably put it on a separate, air-gapped system, and not even on your corporate intranet. (Do people use that term anymore, or am I dating my knowledge?) US govt shares cyberattack defense tips for water utilities

Critical water infrastructure worldwide under attack

Water facilities have been repeatedly targeted by cyberattacks in recent years, compromising the security of critical infrastructure and raising concerns about public safety.

Since the start of the year, several water treatment companies have been breached in ransomware attacks that forced them to shut down systems to contain the breaches, including Veolia North America and the U.K.'s Southern Water.

Links are provided in the article, though there is not much info at the links.

On the proactive side, they do provide some guidance.

CISA, the FBI, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shared a list of defense measures U.S. water utilities should implement to better defend their systems against cyberattacks

It isn't just water, of course. FBI Director Says China Cyberattacks on U.S. Infrastructure Now at Unprecedented Scale.

As intelligence chiefs and policymakers gathered for this city’s annual security conference focused on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation urged them not to lose sight of another threat: China.

Christopher Wray on Sunday said Beijing’s efforts to covertly plant offensive malware inside U.S. critical infrastructure networks is now at “a scale greater than we’d seen before,” an issue he has deemed a defining national security threat.

China is also sending 10s of thousands people over here. But the border crisis is another story.

In some ways, the future is stupid.

A Interview with Gary Buechler (Nerdrotic) and Will Jordan (The Critical Drinker)

Benny Johnson is doing the interviewing.

The Right made a terrible mistake when they abandoned Pop Culture (which is culture) to the Left. "It's only comics." "It's only movies and TV." They were serious people with real concerns. But Politics is Downstream of Culture. And now the culture is in disarray, and our politics reflects that.

I can never decide if I like Benny Johnson, but I do follow him on both YouTube and Rumble. I am starting to appreciate the humor that he brings to politics.

This is Benny Johnson's video Critical Drinker & Nerdrotic: How The Internet DESTROYED Woke Hollywood | ‘We Are The Culture Now’🔥.

The Revolving Door of the American Criminal Justice System

The Other McCain has a post touching on a subject that drives me crazy some days. Recidivism. Two Words: ‘General Population’

Say hello to Don Steven McDougal, 42, another repeat offender who never should have been let out of prison. Over the years, I’ve called attention to lots of criminals who fit this description. They keep getting turned loose until finally they commit an atrocity that makes nationwide headlines.

I don't know if this story made national headlines or not, though it should have. But the media's bias is not the point of this post.

That’s eight convictions over the span of about 20 years, so it seems that McDougal spent basically his entire adult life either (a) committing crimes or (b) serving prison time. At no time was he ever a law-abiding citizen, but they kept turning him loose until he finally killed somebody

And this didn't happen in a Blue City. It happened in Livingston, Texas, a town of about 6000 people which is about an hour's drive north of Houston.

Click thru for the details, and more observations on the topic.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 21 February

First up we have Pirate's Cove with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

12. Cold Fury shows how to build a border wall
13. Watts Up With That? highlights Californina’s megadrought

The DaleyGator - Snarky, Smart-Assed, and Sarcastic

IOTW has Marxifornias newest FAIL
Chief Nose Wetter notes AOC is well
Mike McDaniel has another installment of Too Stupid to Survive

EBL - Black History Month: Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell: The Legacy of Slavery
Instapundit: U of Wisconsin students vote to remove Lincoln statute
Steyn on Line: A Presidential Medley Part One

Political Hat - News of the Week (February 18th, 2024)

China’s Titanic Shipbuilding Capacity
The Wall Street Journal has a report detailing China’s advantages in shipbuilding and the scale of the country’s maritime-infrastructure operations.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 02.20.24 (Post-Presidents’ Day Punditocracy Edition)

CDR Salamander: US Navy In The Red Sea On 60 Minutes
Don Surber: It’s George Washington’s Birthday

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 17 February 2024: Grand Unified Rrat Edition

Experts are - again - proposing the regulation of AI hardware. (The Register)
Where would we be without experts? Probably sipping margaritas by a beach in the Andromeda galaxy.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Nate Says No

At Da Wire, Prominent Pollster Nate Silver: Biden On Track To Lose To Trump, Dems Have ‘No Plans To Fix The Problems.’ Mike Miller at RedState, Nate Silver Drops Truth Bomb on White House for Trying to Hide Biden's Cognitive Decline.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 2/19/2024

Westpac CEO Shares Proof Aussies Are Really Struggling With the Cost of Living Crisis
Westpac chief executive Peter King has revealed mortgage defaults were getting worse. An increasing number of borrowers are 90 days behind on their mortgage obligations.

Don Surber - Highlights of the news

ITEM 33: Breitbart reported, “The Walt Disney Company has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint alleging the company’s DEI policies are unlawful and discriminate against white American men, Christians, and Jews.”

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

Dementia Joe’s America: An interview with Victor Davis Hanson. Good riddance to John Kerry.
The Planet Is Boiling News: The case of EVs.

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkage

The Air Vent - The Hockey Stick Data Hoax – reposted
Watts Up With That? - When You Crunch The Numbers, Green Hydrogen Is A Non-Starter

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Seattle English Students Told It's "White Supremacy" To Love Reading, Writing
Elite Colleges Reconsidering SAT Score Requirements

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 2/20/24

Jeffrey Lord: "A boycott of New York City."
Truckers Target Trump-Hating New York Judge

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Chinese Border Invasion In Progress

• Trump learns - Don Surber
• The Leftist Lynch Mob Attacking Trump - David Strom
• The Military Junta Called "Our Democracy" - TL Davis

I leave you with Cartoons and Memes : Saturday Night Special from IMAO, Sunday Funnies For 02-18-24 from Stately McDaniel Manor, and Yup, it's Monday (gifdump) from Wirecutter.

Do You Expect the System to Protect You? Don't

Like all systems, the Criminal Justice System only protects itself. Judge Denied Nurse's Protective Order Before Ex Fatally Shot Her | HuffPost Latest News

She asked a judge for an order of protection. It was denied. Two days later she was dead.

A Florida judge is being asked to resign after denying a woman’s protective order against her ex-boyfriend, two days before he killed her last week.

Audrey Peterson, 61, was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend, 71-year-old Francis Scoza, on Feb. 9 while she was running towards a neighbor’s home looking help, FOX affiliate WTVT reported, citing Clearwater police.

Now I don't believe for a minute that if the judge HAD issued the order of protection, this woman would be alive. Someone bent on committing murder is not going to be stopped by a piece of paper.

The only thing that might have saved this woman is her being armed in her own defense. Might. There are no guarantees in this life.

In a statement to WTVT, a spokesperson for Loar said in a statement that Peterson’s petition “did not contain enough detail for the judge to determine there had been multiple episodes of willful and malicious acts which had no purpose other than to harass the petitioner, and which would cause the petitioner substantial emotional distress.”

If you think you need a court order of protection, then you also need a plan for your personal safety. I like plans that include 9mm firearms, ammunition, and training. You may have different ideas.

Canada Is Having Problems with Electric Buses

I am, of course, not in the least bit shocked that people are finding problems with electric vehicles in extreme cold.

There are a couple of stories. The first is from Edmonton, Alberta that owns 60 electric buses for public transportation. Chaotic electric bus deals put kids at risk with braking, heating issues - Rebel News

The city is seeking $82 million in damages from Proterra, the California-based company that sold the city electric buses, complaining of mechanical issues and promises of long driving ranges that never manifested. Edmonton says that the buses have never once achieved the operating range laid out in the contract, according to CTV News.

The buses have achieved a range of only 165 kilometers (103 miles) in Edmonton's extreme cold, and only 250 kilometers (155 miles) in warmer weather. This is not close to what was promised. The buses were supposed to have a range of 328 km (204 miles) in warm weather, and 268 km (167 miles) in extreme cold. There have also been problems with gearboxes, steering, and the composite bodies.

Of course the company is currently in bankruptcy, namely chapter 11.

There is more info, but only if you watch the video. For example...

Prince Edward Island, a maritime province of Canada, purchased slightly more than 100 electric buses for their school bus program. 16 to 18 of them have been in the shop on a couple of occasions. Heaters fail, leading to windows fogging and freezing, and air compressors freeze, leading to loss of breaking. These are for school kids to get to school, with no heat, where the drivers can't see, and the breaks fail.

You can find the video at this link. At 5 and a half minutes, you can find the time to watch.

Shake It Out

Florence and the Machine, or Florence + The Machine, is not a band I hear very often. I like the few songs I've heard, but I never go looking for them. Today's song came to me by way of 93 WXRT, Chicago's Finest Rock, but not as part of Saturday Morning Flashback, or only indirectly.

This is "Shake It Out" by Florence + The Machine from the 2011 album Ceremonials.

Willful Ignorance of the Media

From The Other McCain - Our Obtuse Media and ‘Gun Violence’. This is way beyond media bias.

After defining Obtuse, The Other McCain gives us the following:

How can it be that so many things which are obvious to any reasonably intelligent and well-informed person are seemingly beyond the comprehension of most journalists? That question occurred to me when I saw this headline from NPR:

Kansas City shooting raises questions about how kids are getting a hold of guns

"Kids" in this case, of course, refers to the gang members involved in the shooting in Kansas City.

Click thru. It is worth it.

Tuesday Links - 20 February

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony starts us off with Daily News Stuff 16 February 2024: Rrat Edition

Apple has publicly confirmed that it has broken support for persistent web apps (PWAs) on purpose. (Tech Crunch)

The company went on to explain that it broke support because its operating system is buggy and insecure, and because it hates its own developers and users.

They didn't mean to explain that, but they did.

Legal Insurrection - Iowa Universities To Review “Diversity Scholarships” After “Civil Complaints … Filed Against Other Universities” by Equal Protection Project. You can't end discrimination based on race, by discriminating based on race.

We are pleased to see that our actions are helping change the narrative on campuses nationwide, even those where we have not filed a complaint.

Victory Girls - Brooklyn Schools Are The Coolest Schools In The Land

Brooklyn schools are cool because of their immense diversity. In fact, “they’re much cooler than a private school”. And, pfft, your homeschool curriculum? BORING. Brooklyn schools have SWINGERS!

Yes, this is not a typo. I said swingers.

The Other McCain - WTF, ‘Eritrean Migrant Factions’?

Having searched my conscience for a reason to give a flying fuck about Eritrea, however, I must confess I found nothing. Instead, I’m leaning toward the conclusion that Eritreans are nothing but trouble and we should send them all back to Eritrea.

Clayton Cramer - Why Are Students in Debt?

University of Pennsylvania president annual compensation above $22 million. That is $60,000 per day.

Robert Spencer at PJ Media - The Media Is Covering Up Key Facts About the Lakewood Church Shooter's Motivations

ABC News reported Tuesday that Walli Carranza, Moreno’s former mother-in-law, said that “when she first met Moreno, the young woman wore a hijab and said she practiced Islam.” It was also widely reported that Moreno’s AR-15 was emblazoned with a sticker reading “Palestine” and that “antisemitic writings” were found among her possessions, but nevertheless, as ABC put it, “a motive remains under investigation.”

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: SERVICE GUARANTEES CITIZENSHIP. Do sample the Song of the Day (SOTD)

People are arguing on X about Starship Troopers again. Ignore the movie (which is fun but dumb) and read the book instead.

Adaptive Curmudgeon - Project Daily Driver: Low Urgency Tractor Awesomeness

I live in East Bumfuk nowhere. The local supply of goods and services is scant. We all need snow removal but it’s not like there’s a “dial 1-800-plowsno or www.clearmydriveway.com” solution. I meet people who cannot believe there are places like this. I assure you it’s true.

Again from The Other McCain - Shannon Cortez Gooden: Burnsville Gunman the Media Won’t Name

The motive for such a cover-up is . . . mysterious.