Texans Are Still Armed...

Home invaders are still getting shot. Report: Texas Homeowner Shoots Suspected Burglar Multiple Times

The bad guys continue to ignore this state of affairs.

A San Antonio, Texas, homeowner shot an alleged burglar multiple times Thursday morning around 5 a.m.

The guy ran before police arrived, but since he had been shot, and didn't want to die, he called for help.

However, KSAT reported that the suspect, who was in the detached garage of another home, called for help saying he had been shot.

He was taken to a local hospital, and his wounds are listed as "non-life threatening."

Self-defense is a human-right. And this incident didn't take place in New York City. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

How Is That Criminal Justice Reform Working Out? - UK Edition

To be fair, he didn't commit the rape after release... But why was he released? UK: Rapist Released Due To “Prison Overcrowding” Arrested On Suspicion Of Rape SECONDS After Walking Free

He was arrested on a charge for a crime committed before he went to prison. Still, probably wouldn't be my first choice for early release.

Introduced by newly-elected left-wing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the early release initiative had sparked controversy before the prisoners had even started being released. But the re-arrest of the 28-year-old renews questions about the vetting process for early release selections and why an individual facing such serious allegations was considered for the program.

Political fallout? Don't be ridiculous. The press has the government's back. Besides they need all of the prison space for people saying mean things about the government on F*c*book and X and wherever else.

Is NYC Public Transit Safe?

Riding Public Transit is like picking up hitchhikers. From the NY Post: Exclusive | Murders soar 60% on NYC subways, nearing record

Murders across the city’s subway system have surged 60% so far this year — a troubling trend as overall crime on the rails has dipped.

Now the numbers are low - 8 people were killed as of September 8th, but it is the very definintion of a "controlled environment." You would think NYPD would be able to police that part of the city.

From 1997 to 2020, there were never more than five murders in the subway in a single year, according to the earliest public NYPD data.

I won't say that all of NYC is circling the drain, but ...

Amazon Rings of Prime - The Vanity Project that Couldn't

Jeff Bezos wanted a Game of Thrones level hit, so he paid a lot of money for the rights to a very small piece of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. But then he decided that he could improve it. He, and his team, have not improved it. More Bad News For ‘Rings Of Power’ As Amazon Reveals Sharp Viewership Decline From Season 1

All the figures in this article are "according to Amazon." We won't have Nielsen data on actual viewership for another week or three. We do have Samba TV numbers, but that is another story.

According to Amazon, Season 2 has reached 40 million viewers in 11 days. But what this means exactly is a bit harder to say. As Variety reports: “It’s difficult to put the stat in full context, as Amazon has not defined how it quantifies its viewership; for example, 40 million could simply be the number of people who watched any portion of the available episodes.”

When you sift all of the data, you are left with the following conclusion.

Clearly this represents a massive decline in viewer numbers season-over-season.

And when they say even that much, they are talking about the season premiere, and the first few episodes. Roughly 60% of the people who watched the season one premiere had given up on the show by the time the season ended. Season two is worse.

It’s a shame. I was very much hoping that a big-budget live-action Middle-earth series would scratch that epic fantasy itch. Instead, the series was given to untested showrunners who clearly were in way over their heads. Whatever hopes I had that they would listen to criticism and come back with an improved second season were quickly dashed.

At this point it is a vanity project of Bezos, that is being written as Fan-Fic shipping Galadriel and Sauron. Which just by itself is a travesty. The only justice is that Bezos essentially took a huge pile of money and set it on fire.

This is the Nerdrotic Daily video FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT! 'The Rings of Power' Season 2 Ratings Are IN THE GUTTER!!! This is an 11 minute excerpt of Wednesday's Nerdrotic Nooner with Gary "Nerdrotic" Buechler, Chris Gore of Film Threat, and X-Ray Girl.

No Mention of Why They Were Targeted

Don't use the "G word!" From WKRN: 1 dead, 1 critically injured after shooting outside nightclub in South Nashville

A Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) release stated Yasser Paz, 18, and the 20-year-old were with two friends in the nightclub parking lot when a vehicle drove up beside them. Witnesses described the vehicle as a dark Chevrolet Suburban, officials said.

The release stated multiple men then got out of the vehicle and began shooting at the victims.

They don't offer an explanation for why the 20-year-old was not identified, but I guess it was because next-of-kin have not been notified. It is only a guess at this point; cops have been known to cover up stuff for all kinds of reasons.

So. This sounds suspiciously like a "targeted killing." Can't call it gang-related, because that would imply that the powers-that-be are failing to maintain order. It's probably also racist or something.

Hat tip to Miguel Gonzalez: Ignore the obvious and blame it on "Gun Violence."

The End of Academic Research?

Academic research is in trouble. You don't get rewarded for asking big questions. You don't get rewarded for learning new things. You get rewarded for publishing papers, and especially if your papers get referenced by other people. The result is we spend billions of dollars on "research" that can't be replicated, that few people care about.

And then you have the people gaming the system.

The YouTube currency is views. The academic currency is citations. And as I just recently learned, you can buy citations the same way you can buy YouTube views. A team of researchers looked into this newest attempt to play the research game and succeeded in engineering the world’s most highly cited cat. Yes, a cat.

There are also instances of people publishing papers who list authors who have been dead for a long time. Centuries, or millennia, in the case of Pythagoras.

This is Sabine Hossenfelder's video Cat Becomes Well-Cited Scholar With New Scam Method

Sabine Hossenfelder wonders if the insanity means that we are near the end of academic research. While the cat story is amusing, it isn't limited to cats. Researchers do a similar thing when they try to explain an anomaly, and reference each others' work. Over and over again.

9-Year-Old Ethan Pang - Chess Prodigy

The players are getting younger. It is not just that I am older, they are setting age records. 9-Year-Old Ethan Pang Defeats Three Grandmasters In One Event

Nine-year-old CM Ethan Pang, the youngest-ever 2200 player, defeated three grandmasters in a recent classical tournament in Hungary and came close to breaking the 2300 rating barrier for the first time.

Pang, who made headlines in July when he broke IM-elect Faustino Oro's record to become the youngest player in chess history to achieve a rating of 2200, scored a remarkable performance at the Vezerkepzo IM tournament that ended last week in Budapest, Hungary.

Ethan Pang is from London, UK.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 14 September

Animal Magenetism is first with Animal’s Hump Day News

It’s always the economy, stupid.
Harris’s biggest challenge is her own stupidity.

The Right Way - Top of the News

Kamala Does a Sloppy Cut and Paste Job on Joe’s Policy Plans - IOTW Report
More Hamas leaders killed by Israel - The New Neo

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 09.12.24 (Morning Edition)

CDR Salamander: 23 Years In The Blink Of An Eye
Don Surber: Dear Aussie – Your PM received only 50,723 votes. Sit our election out.

EBL - Megyn Kelly: Trump vs. Harris AND Moderators in Biased ABC Debate

Instapundit: Sarah Hoyt: Hey, Stop Dooming and buck up
Washington Examiner: Why Trump won the debate

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 11 September 2024: Splrrrrg Edition

Starship has been ready to fly again since the beginning of August, but the government is keeping it grounded until at least November. (Ars Technica)
Because fuck you, that's why.

Small Dead Animals - Thursday On Turtle Island

Blackie’s Canada: The renaming of everything continues. Faith in federal government collapsing.
Woke World: Tommy Robinson Part Four.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 09.12.24 (Evening Edition)

Victory Girls: Democrats Are Desperate For Another January 6th
Volokh Conspiracy: The First Amendment and the Social Media Dilemma

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 9/13/2024

UK: Oxford University Study: Hydroxychloroquine is a ‘Safe & Effective’ Treatment for COVID
Scientists at the world-renowned Oxford University in England have just confirmed that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is “safe and effective” when used to treat COVID-19.

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For September 13, 2024

Yes, Kamala Harris does support taxpayer-funded genital mutilation surgery for illegal alien children.
“Kamala’s Condescending and Mocking Debate Faces May Be What Voters Remember.”

Vlad Tepes - Jewellery, Police acting ultra vires, provoke-provoke and weaponize the reaction, and the liquification of 9/11: Links 1 for Sept. 11, 2024

5. Honest Reporting Canada video on the recent Islamic terrorist attack in Germany.
There is one error though, I think it may be a misquote:
Quoting the mayor of Solingen: “We are full of shock and grief”

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 09.13.24

Don Surber: Darth Cheney cannot save Kamala
First Street Journal: Biden-Harris Admin Upset Over “False” Pets Eating Stories

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Some Thursday DIY

CNN Poll: After Debate, Even More Voters Trust Trump On Economy
Ace of Spades HQ NY Times: Undecided Voters Aren't Sure Who Won the Debate

Tam at View From The Porch - Miscellaneous Linkery...

"I'm not saying they were right or anything, but their tanks sure were cool..."
Don't poke the author. It's rude.

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism – The Nation Edition!

Kamala Harris Doesn’t Need to Backtrack on Fracking
Translate: We’ve already got enough ballots ready in Philly & Pittsburgh to give a damn how the rest of the state votes

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Gary Galles ponders unity, true and false.
“What Americans Think about Trade with China—and Trade More Broadly.”

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships?
Oh, the Ingratitude! ISIS Plots to Murder Pope Francis

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 9/11/24

MARGOT CLEVELAND: Harris’ policies promise to wreck our Constitution and threaten our republic.
Kamala Harris Is The Real Threat To Our Constitutional Republic

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Chaos in Aurora

• ABC’s Pro-Harris Debate Bias Was So Bad Even MeAgain Had to Call it Out - CTH
• The Debate About the Debate - Unsafe

I leave you with Wednesday's gifs from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2007 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Well Well Well It's Libturd Thursday ~ AM from Woodsterman.

Relatives of Dead People Don't Like Self-Defense

People also get pissed off over things that they should let go. Daytona Beach McDonald's shooting: Man claims self-defense in apparent road-rage incident | FOX 35 Orlando

According to the incident report, which is partially redacted, a man pulled into a parking spot at McDonald's to let Collins pass him. As the man pulled back out of the parking spot, Collins stopped his vehicle suddenly, blocking the other man's vehicle from moving forward.

The report said Collins got out of his vehicle and walked towards the other man's vehicle, and punched the driver through his window.

Why did he punch the other guy? Because he thought he was a tough guy. But no one is tough enough to deal with a bullet to the chest.

The other man, claiming Collins had a knife, shot Collins one time.

"The guy attacked me in the parking lot. I had to defend myself. I had to defend myself," he told the 911 dispatcher.

Why is the family upset? Because while he did punch the guy who shot him, and he did (apparently) have a knife, he did not pull out the knife. They call the guy who got shot "A kind soul."

Yeah, I'm going to go with the shooter on this one. You stop your car, blocking me in. You approach my car. You punch me. That is pretty threatening. Oh, and "kind souls" do not punch people for no reason.

Police made no arrests. The investigation continues.

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

"Who Cares?" - Cuomo on Nursing Home Deaths

You don't hate politicians enough, you only think that you do. Cuomo branded ‘lying sack of s—t’ by furious families, lawmakers as he repeatedly deflects blame for NY COVID nursing home deaths during House hearing

Over the course of the more than two-hour hearing on Capitol Hill, Cuomo was asked several times to apologize to the families in the room who lost loved ones during the outbreak — but never did.

Why should he apologize? Old people vote Republican, more than Democratic.

Even when asked by Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell (Mich.) about his callous response — “Who cares?” — to the eventual disclosure of the full death count, the ex-governor declined to say he was sorry.

Democrats, the party of "compassion," or something.

Tuscan Sunset

Paul Speer is a guitarist I have been listening to for a short time, though he has been playing and producing music for a long time. I am fairly certain that I first became aware of him via Buckethead Radio on Pandora. I may have heard his work before that without taking note of who produced it.

This is "Tuscan Sunset" by Paul Speer from his 2008 album Oculus.

The WSJ Covers Video Games? Ubisoft in the Spotlight

The Wall Street Journal covers video games, because video games are Big Business. Usually. By way of MSN: Ubisoft Shares Slump After Investor Urges Assassin’s Creed Maker to Go Private

Shares of Ubisoft Entertainment plunged Monday after a minority investor called for the maker of the Assassin’s Creed videogame franchise to go private and install a new management team.

Ubisoft is a European (French) game studio. They have produced such games as the Assassin's Creed franchise, a few Avatar games, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction, the Far Cry series, and more. They just recently released Star Wars Outlaws, which failed. It didn't die a horrible, sudden death, like Concord, but it failed. Thanks to a lot of reasons; some of the reasons being Woke insanity, but mostly about the game being broken.

The protagonist in the game is clearly a gender-swapped Han Solo. Not satisfied with that, they built the model for the game on a beautiful actress, but made the character in the game ugly. Why? Because you are sexist for not knowing that the "male gaze" is evil, and so all women in video games, and movies and TV, need to be uglified. (Look at what they did to Sydney Sweeney in Madame Web.) As you can imagine, this did not go over well, even before the problems with the game-play came to light.

Star Wars Outlaws has been in development since 2018. A team of 600 developers and designers from 11 Ubisoft studios worked on the game. I can't find any info on the actual spend to build the game. It is continually listed as "Big Budget," and it is listed as having the highest marketing budget Ubisoft ever allocated. These games typically cost anywhere from $100 million to $500 million to produce. A top quality, well-received game can bring in double the production cost, or more in short order

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, released in 2011, cost $100 million to produce, and brought in $620 million in earnings. Red Dead Redemption 2 cost somewhere between $80 million and $500 million, sources vary, but it earned around $1 billion. Like I said, big business. (Reference for the bugets/earnings at this link.)

The next game from Ubisoft set for release is Assassin's Creed: Shadows, due out in November. Fans of that series had wanted a version set in Japan almost from day 1, expecting to be able to play as a ninja, fighting samurai. What they got was a black samurai, of questionable historical provenance. Why? "You are racist for even asking why." In other words, because the Woke have taken over Ubisoft. People who study this kind of thing have cut their sales projections for that game significantly.

There were a few smaller titles that were set to release in this fiscal year (ending in March 2025), but they have been delayed to "meet players’ expectations." Translation: the games had as many or more problems than the Star Wars game just released, and we don't want to be the laughingstock again. And people are laughing at the problems in Star Wars Outlaws. For example see STAR WARS OUTLAWS IS A MASTERPIECE! That is 11 minutes, and highlights problems in both game design and implementation, and serious problems with storytelling.

Friday Links - Triskaidekaphobia Edition

Clayton Cramer starts us off with his 1st post following major surgery. Life Lessons From Open-Heart Surgery

As I prepared to leave the hospital Monday, my suregeon approached and asked how I felt, I told him that I had authoritiezed payment of $200,000 plus for the greatest misery that i have ever experienced, but in eight weeks, i expected to thank him for it.

Lincoln Brown at PJ Media - Disney Adults and High Strangeness

In these uncertain and trying times, it is beneficial to occasionally take a step back and marvel at someone with genuine First-World problems and a serious disconnect from reality.

Moonbattery - Men Erased in UN Newspeak Dictionary Updates

Thanks to social engineers, women are undergoing erasure. By the time they are done pruning the Newspeak Dictionary, there won’t be such a thing as men either.

The Daily Mail reports that the word “Englishman” has been banned:

Townhall - Witness Has the Best Response to Dem Claiming Republicans Are 'Exploiting' Victims of Illegal Alien Crime

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday featuring victims of illegal alien crime, family members and victims rights advocates.

Again from Clayton Cramer - How Bad Could It Be?

Worse than I imagined.

The Other McCain - Debate Night: America in the Balance

Feel free to use the comments as a sort of open thread. While I don’t expect to live-blog the debate, I will try to throw some new stuff in periodically.

And again from The Other McCain - Springfield Gets What It Deserves

You see that, if the Democrats can turn these Haitians into voters, they can make Clark County “blue,” and a similar calculus is being applied nationwide by the Biden administration’s immigration policy. Democrats insist that the “Great Replacement” is a right-wing conspiracy theory, but we can see them doing it — blatantly, deliberately, in front of our eyes — in places like Springfield.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Climate Cult Surprised That Global Boiling Not At Center Of 2024 Elections

Seriously, there has been almost no election in the U.S. or other countries for which ‘climate change’ is the centerpiece. One of the few for it was was in Queensland, Australian in 2012, where people obliterated the majority party over their climate policies, wanting them rolled back.

Mike Rowe - Talking Points and Scotch with Vinnie Tortorich (Ep. 404)

The “food pyramid” we all grew up with doesn’t work. In fact, it was a deliberate fraud based on no science or fact whatsoever. And today, our grocery stores are filled with highly processed foods that are marketed in ways that are downright deceptive.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 12 September 2024: Freeze Dried Spam In A Bottle Edition

This bubble has holes in it. (The Register)

AI in general is not all nonsense. But generative AI, which has sucked all the oxygen out of the AI room, is actually useful for very few of the purposes to which it is being put.

Tuna at Chant du Départ - The Red Pill Has Some Side Effects

The the thing about those posts, my likes and shares, is that it is a permanent record of my beliefs and strong opinions against our totalitarian-trending state. It's not hard totalitarianism, they aren't coming and arresting me for what I'm saying, but the minders in in Mountain View California*, those little birds and ears of the government, are watching what I say. And their algorithms put me into a special category of people who might be of concern¹, ones who are not supportive of events that are taking place.

The Other McCain again - Trump: I Won, No More Debates

This is a bold move, and can only be explained by Duane Patterson’s question: “If Kamala Won the Debate, Why Is Trump Gaining Ground?” Counter-intuitive as it may seem — because Trump had a lousy debate performance — it appears that many undecided voters moved in favor of Trump as a result. Or, to put it another way, these voters didn’t see from Kamala Harris whatever it was they had needed to see in order to vote for her.

It Isn't Self-Defense Because You Say It Is

The media makes much of the 8 shots, but that isn't (necessarily) the problem. Ex-college wrestler accused of killing Kara Welsh claims he shot her 8 times in self-defense

First up is the general issue of size.

The former college wrestler who competed in 197-pound matches claimed he fatally shot his girlfriend eight times in self-defense because he “feared for his life” in the presence of the 5-foot-6 gymnast, officials said.

Now he claims she grabbed a gun, and he was forced to take it away from her. At that point, the threat has been neutralized.

But there's more.

The complaint, however, alleges that Richards fired some of the eight shots at Welsh while she was in the fetal position.

That is pretty much the opposite of a threat.

Whitewater, Wisconsin is roughly a 50 mile drive west of Milwaukee. It is home to The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater campus, where Kara Welsh, 21, was a student.

It isn't self-defense because you say it is. It is only self-defense is a reasonable person would perceive the imminent threat of death or grave bodily injury. Once he had disarmed her, there was no threat. Once she was on the floor in the fetal position, there was no threat.

Every bullet comes with a lawyer attached.

CrowdStrike In Fear Of Legal Action

And rightly so. CrowdStrike hopes legal threats will fade as time passes since it broke the world

CrowdStrike has yet to face a lawsuit over July's global IT meltdown, according to CFO Burt Podbere.

Meltdown it was. Airlines grounded planes. That was the impact most on the news, or at least what I saw. This was probably because video of a lot of angry people in airport lines made for good stories.

The global IT meltdown was caused by a configuration update file that CrowdStrike's software could not parse. The result was Blue Screens of Death popping up on Windows systems worldwide.

The hat tip goes to Pixy Misa. Daily News Stuff 10 September 2024: Ame Mori Edition

Crowdstrike hopes its customers won't sue it into oblivion. (The Register)

I hope they will.

Until companies face real consequences for these kinds of screwups, there will be no resources provided to ensuring they don't happen again.

UK Releases Career Criminals to Punish Thought Crime

Because thought crime is worse, according to the government of the UK. Starmer defends releasing prisoners from jail early to free up cell space | Daily Mail Online

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Farage said: “This to make way for, yes, rioters, but equally those who have said unpleasant things on Facebook and elsewhere on social media.

“Does the Prime Minister understand there is a growing feeling of anger in this country that we are living through two-tier policing and a two-tier justice system?”

Read the whole thing.

More like Airstrip One everyday.

Another Failure of the Victim-Selection Process

And self-defense is legal in the State of Washington. 'I gotta protect my family': Kent homeowner shoots burglar during break-in

“I honestly still keep going back to my bedroom because I’m like, ‘Did it happen?’” he noted, telling KOMO News he was asleep with his wife when an unknown adult male entered their bedroom and turned on the light.

"It was quick. I woke up, and there was this giant standing in my bedroom," he said, referring to the fact that he believed the suspect was at least 6-foot-5.

This is why a perimeter alarm is a good idea if you're a heavy sleeper, and even if you're not.

"I think (being hit with objects) helped to push him out of the door, and I had just enough time to run for my safe (and retrieve my gun)," the homeowner recalled.

Your gun should probably not be in your safe, when you're at home. It takes too long to retrieve from there, but that is only my opinion.

He apparently shot the intruder, because police were called to scene where someone "fitting the description" had a gunshot wound to the torso. They took the injured guy to a hospital.

For reasons known only to them, the police made a point of saying that the homeowner had a concealed carry permit, which you don't need in your own home, but I guess it conveys the idea of "legal gun," or something.

Self-defense is a human-right, and the State of Washington has a long history of recognizing your right to defend yourself and your family.

The Government Is Hiding Data about Good Guys With Guns

From John R. Lott, Jr. writing at The Federalist: Feds Hiding Data Showing Good Guys With Guns Stop Shootings. Let data (not "misinformation") out in the world that contradicts the narrative? What, you think the US government cares about The Truth?

As for the image, I would say government statistics are the worst kind of lie we have to deal with today.

For years, gun control activists have sought to “debunk” the so called “good guy with a gun myth” in an effort to pass more stringent controls on one of our nation’s most cherished liberties. In support of this agenda, the federal government in conjunction with legacy media has sought to suppress the abundant evidence in support of the truth that armed, law-abiding citizens are one of the most effective deterrents against public mass casualty attacks.

For instance, in 2022, 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken stopped a mass public shooting using his legally carried concealed handgun. The story became an unusual instance in which the national media covered this heroic action. But an Associated Press headline claimed: “Rare in US for an active shooter to be stopped by bystander.” Meanwhile, a Washington Post headline declared: “Rampage in Indiana a rare instance of armed civilian ending mass shooting.”

But is it rare? How rare? Read the whole thing to find out. (Hat tip to Of Arms & the Law.)

Corporal Brandon Schreiber

End of Watch - Indiana officer dies almost 2 weeks after being shot in line of duty, sheriff says | FOX 32 Chicago

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana announced that Corporal Brandon Schreiber, an officer who was shot earlier this month, died from his injuries Wednesday morning.

Schreiber was shot on September 1 while assisting the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Office in Sheldon, Illinois.

Iroquois County is located roughly 60 miles south of downtown Chicago, right on the Illinois-Indiana state line.

Few details of the shooting have been released, as the investigation is ongoing. The Illinois State Police have taken over the investigation.

Don't Feed the Trolls

From The Other McCain... Yes, Kamala ‘Won’ That Debate (and Why It Probably Won’t Matter in November)

If any of your Democrat friends try to provoke you into an argument about who won Tuesday night’s debate, avoid the provocation by agreeing that Kamala “won,” and end the conversation immediately.

There is a lot more...

Never Forget - September 11th 2001

Most people remember exactly where they were that day, and how they found out.

Here is a post from 2020, at the archives, that covers everything I have to say today. September 11th, except for one thing. Why have we forgotten. Not everyone, but a lot of people...

And here's a story of an unlikely hero, that is also worth remembering. (Shamelessly stolen from myself.)

I found this fairly interesting. The Famous Actor You Didn’t Know Was a Hero Firefighter in the Wake of 9/11.

The destruction of the World Trade Center left lower Manhattan in such ruin that it took nine months and an army of volunteers to complete the search for the remains of the deceased. Among the first people to volunteer in the recovery effort was actor Steve Buscemi.

He had been a firefighter in New York before he became an actor. Click thru.

The image is of Steve Buscemi from 1996, taken in Silverlake / Los Angeles. It is here via WikiMedia.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 11 September

William Teach at Pirate's Cove starts things off with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

1. Cold Fury: The Axis of Prestige
2. Dissecting Leftism: The New York Times’ Weird Attack on JD Vance Once again

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 8 September 2024: Baked Beans Are Off Edition

I don't want unlimited clean energy. I want communism. (Ars Technica)
These people are idiots.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 09.10.24 (Morning Edition)

Dana Loesch: Last Week In Legal – The Gang’s All Here
Don Surber: What happened to DEI and LGBT?

EBL - DOJ Spokesman Admits: Democrat Alvin Bragg's Prosecution of Trump is a Perversion of Justice

Breitbart: WATCH: Top DOJ Spokesman Calls Trump Cases ‘Perversion of Justice’ on Hidden Camera
AoSHQ: FBI questioned the need for the Mar-A-Lago Raid

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - The Race is On

Twitchy notes even Dana Bash finds Kamala 'EVASIVE' --> Dana Bash Gives DAMNINGLY Honest Review of Her Kamala/Tim Walz Interview and WOW (Watch). From Real Clear Defense, What is the Kamala Harris Doctrine?

Political Hat - News of the Week (September 8th, 2024)

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency Approves First Generation IV Nuclear Reactor
Construction has started on the new facility in iconic Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Vlad Tepes - Carney to King’s advisor 2 CHECK: Links 1 for September 10, 2024

2. Trying to keep up with, or report on the Russia Ukraine situation is a lose lose. Not just in terms of people’s reaction to it, but in terms of knowing what is true in any way about any aspect of it.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 09.10.24 (Evening Edition)

Victory Girls: Debate Night: The Moderators Take On Trump To Save Harris
Volokh Conspiracy: “How Different Are the Trump Judges?”

Don Surber - Highlights of the news

ITEM 20: Net Zero Watch tweeted, “Volvo has ditched plans to sell only electric cars by 2030 amid waning demand for battery powered vehicles.”
Fads fade.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 9/8/2024

Elon Musk Pledges Support for Second Amendment: ‘Tyrants’ Disarm the People
Tech billionaire Elon Musk did not mince words when declaring his support for the Second Amendment on Sunday.

Small Dead Animals - Saturday On Turtle Island

China Virus News: Wuhan lab may have released polio. The Covid lies.
Woke World: The West must fight for it’s history. An iron curtain is descending on us.

Granite Grok - Link Smorgasbord (And a Smattering of Memes)

Chicago | NC Renegades
Venezuelan gang shoots at blacks. This could get spicy, fast

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Reason‘s Matthew Petti makes the case that “the war on ‘foreign influence’ has become a war on the First Amendment.”
Art Carden details some of the damage done by a “debauched currency.”

Maggie'e Farm - Saturday morning links

Say, Why Has Hurricane Activity Been So Low The Last Few Weeks?
America's killer cars

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 9/9/24

Election officials are not entirely sure what happened.
Montana County Declares Wrong Winner After Failing To Compare Total Voters To Ballots

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Leaked DOD Report: Thousands Of Venezuelan Prison Gang Members Operating In U.S.

• What’s At Stake in the Censorship War - Rufo
• Kamala Harris’ Platform Declares War On The Supreme Court - Federalist

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 09-08-24 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Saturday Memes …. from MaddMedic, Sunday Funnies from Flopping Aces, and Mondays in gifs from Wirecutter.

Woman Defends Herself and Her Daughter

Reporters seem to think you need a Concealed Carry License in your own home. At least they are getting used to the idea that self-defense is a thing. CCL holder shoots intruder at home in South Shore. And it is more than just defending herself, or her home. See below.

A woman shot an intruder at her home in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood Saturday night.

What should she have done? Made tea?

And I just finished typing what's above, when I found the following. ‘I just went into action’: CCL holder shoots intruder trying to climb through daughter’s window in South Shore

“I’m just super shaken up. I’m a single mom. I live here with my children, so that’s the last thing I expect, for someone to try and come in on my daughter,” the woman, who did not want to be identified, told WGN News. “It’s just like a nightmare that came true.”

Self-defense is a human right. It remains to be seen if it is a legal right in Chicago.

A Near-Miss in Shipping

The Motor Vessel Tindle was coming into Port Tampa Bay when it lost power.

The Tindle is roughly 1000 feet long, carrying just under 100 thousand tons of cargo. The Tindle is 10 years old, carries 8,600 TEUs. TEU stands for 20-foot equivalent. It is a measure of containers. Most containers you see everyday are being towed by Semi-tractors, on a trailer chassis. Those are typically 40 feet long, so 2 TEUs. (That is sort of mid-sized by today's standards. It isn't even a Neo-Panamax size, though it is large to the Port of Tampa.)

People, who know nothing about shipping see a story like this and think "sabotage," or "conspiracy," or something. The truth is, that humanity is moving a tremendous amount of cargo. Or why do you think the rebuilt the Panama canal? Hint: not because it was a truth or dare. We are moving all of that cargo, and yet we are not perfect.

This is the What is Going on With Shipping? video Containership Loses Power Entering Tampa Bay | Pilot Utilized Tugs to Stop the Ship. Sal Mercogliano covers a bit of the conspiracy nuts take on all of this. He calls the increase in cargo activity, Volume and Velocity.

Now ships lose propulsion all the time. People don't understand, but it does happen, but when it happens during a maneuver like Tindle coming into the dock in Tampa that is critical, ... that is the moment when you don't need to what's called drop the plant, because now all of a sudden you've lost propulsion.

Vishnu

I love a song that includes a well-written, and well-played, vibraphone. The version we have of today's song certainly qualifies.

Today's song was written in 1958, and recorded sometime between 1958 and 1960, but the album wasn't released until 2013. Don't ask me why. Record companies can be stupid sometimes. (Most of the time?) There were probably issues with the rights somehow. At least we got it eventually, and Michael Garrick did release a live version of the song in 1964, which is almost 3 times as long.

But I love the quality of studio recordings from the 1950s and '60s. People had to work to get decent takes. Everything was on tape, there was no AutoTune, and you couldn't fill in with digital instruments. Recording was expensive, and you couldn't "fix it later." They only bothered to record with musicians who were good.

This is "Vishnu" by the Michael Garrick Quartet. It is from the 2013 album Kronos.

Michael Garrick (30 May 1933 – 11 November 2011) was a jazz pianist and band leader from Enfield, Middlesex, United Kingdom. He was known for having poetry recitations in the middle of his jazz concerts. That 1964 album I mentioned above was titled Poetry and Jazz in Concert.

Tuesday Links - 10 September

Professor David Yamane is up first with “A Refreshing Bob Ross-Like Calmness That’s Much Needed”

One of the downstream consequence of my Gun Curious book proposal being rejected by 30+ liberal cultural gatekeeping publishers in New York is that it is also being ignored by liberal cultural gatekeeping newspapers, magazines, and other review outlets.

The Post Millennial - MSNBC calls for boycott of social media platform X, contributor calls for Elon Musk's prosecution

A recent guest on MSNBC also commented on claims that Musk has pushed misinformation on the platform, suggesting that he should be prosecuted over his exercise of free speech rights on X. Businessman and investor Roger McNamee, appearing on MSNBC’s "The Last Word," argued that there could be a legal case against Musk due to his statements on social media.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 7 September 2024: Apple Pie And Mice Cream Edition

College grades have become a charade. It's time to abolish them. (MSN)

The colleges? Sounds good to me. [SNIP]

All true, if somewhat less daring than I had hoped.

The Publica - INDIA: Man Dies After Being Thrown Out Of An Ambulance While Trying To Stop The Driver From Molesting His Wife

“India is one fucked up country. Woman calls ambulance for his ill husband, she was then raped by the ambulance staff, wrote Kenyan user Vitalis Ngoka. “As her husband tries to prevent the crime, they threw him out of the ambulance, the injuries eventually killed him.”

Again from Professor Yamane - “David weaves the tale of Gun Culture 2.0 masterfully and without malice”

In addition to noting my alt-career as a professional tennis racket stringer (funny but true), Stevens highlights some attributes I aspired to in the work:

Jews Can Shoot - Gun Control is really people control

This was published on June 11, 1992. Nothing has changed. The goal of gun control remains the same. And it has nothing to do with safety.

Miguel Gonzalez - Some Tennesseans suffer from low levels of Vitamin A.

Because they need to dive nocturnally with enough lights emanating from their vehicles to illuminate Nissan Stadium because I assume they suffer from night blindness. Either that or they are certified assholes who just want to see somebody be blinded and crash for giggles and social media likes.

SomeOrdinaryGamers - I Called This Cult Leader Out, Now He's Arrested... (A 24 minute video.)

Hello guys and gals, it's me Mutahar again! This time we take a look at what appears to be the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy, once amongst the most wanted at the FBI and the largest cult leader in all of the Philippines. This time luck has run out and now he's well on his way to a cell or even worse, the United States on extradition.

And lastly, from Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Is It October Yet? And The Big BasedCon Book Sale ends today.

Top linkers for the week ending September 6, 2024:

1.  EBL (11)
2.  357 Magnum (10)
3.  A View From The Beach (9)

The FBI - The Biden Regime's Secret Police

Some people will find this shocking. They have not been paying attention.

This is the Tucker Carlson video Tulsi Gabbard Reveals She Is Under Surveillance by Biden’s Secret Police

Homeless Woman Starts Fire, Nearly Starts a Wildfire

She lit a bush on fire with a lighter. Destroyed a local business. Nearly started another California Wildfire. Woman accused of arson in destructive Grass Valley fire - Los Angeles Times

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. Unless she meant to start a wildfire.

Police in the Nevada County city of Grass Valley responded to three 911 calls reporting smoke and fire in the brush around Nevada City Highway and Gates Place at about 3:20 p.m., authorities said

A woman was pointed out by witnesses. After being detained, she “made spontaneous claims” of starting the fire with a cigarette by accident, according to Grass Valley Police Lt. Brian Blakemore.

She later recanted, then said she started the fire while testing a lighter on the brush

Grass Valley, California, is roughly a 55 mile drive north of Sacramento. It is about a 70 mile drive to Tahoe City, California, on the shore of Lake Tahoe.

The business she destroyed is Sierra Motor Sports. The owner claims the fire did about $1.5 million in damages, to lost inventory and the building. (They will rebuild.)

If you click thru to look at the photos, you will see 2 red streaks on the ground around the building. This is air-dropped fire retardant, dropped by CalFire to stop the fire from becoming a major national story. It is the height of fire season in the Sierra foothills right now.

Hat tip to the Blancoliro video CalFire's First C-130H Airtanker Flies!. Though it wasn't the C-130H airtanker. The entire video is interesting, but I have it cued up to the section about the Grass Valley fire. The video covers a couple of instances where the airtankers could contain a fire, and one instance where the could not.

Crime Rates - Reported v Actual, and Policing

Rick Moran at PJ Media: Is Crime Rising or Falling? It May Be Falling Arrest Rates that Have People Worried

The arrest rate for murder is down 37%. The arrest rate for rape is down 58%. The arrest rate for robbery is down 50%.

The reported crime stats come from the FBI, and what used to be called the Uniform Crime Report. Except it isn't so uniform anymore.

Secondly, only about half of police departments report crimes to the FBI database.

Some of the cities that don't report to the FBI are the worst. Last time I checked Chicago did not report to the FBI, which is why the only stats on Chicago worth mentioning come from HeyJackass! For homicide, those stats come from the coroner's office.

Are we shocked that Chicago doesn't report on crime? They won't let officers pursue suspects on foot, let alone in cars.

Anyway the story linked above goes on to detail how Oakland, California, keeps promising rewards, via Crime Stoppers, but hasn't paid any rewards since 2021. They have no money.

The city hasn't paid a tipster since 2021 and yet, they've offered rewards in seven cases. What's worse, is the cops have known about the banking problems and keep offering rewards anyway.

“It was just kind of disappointing, how police and public servants treat their citizens,” the tipster said.

Read the whole thing.

Surrender

I love learning about new music. And as a benefit, this is a new-to-me band.

Ad Ininitum is a Symphonic Metal band out Montreux, Switzerland. (Don't worry, English Lyrics). They were referenced in a YouTube video about harsh vocals, because the lead singer, Melissa Bonny sings in both a beautiful mezzo-soprano, and on occassion does harsh vocals. It is an interesting mix, though I know some people hate it. (Mostly because it isn't what they listened to in high school.)

This song is "Surrender" by Ad Infinitum from their upcoming album Abyss. The song was released to YouTube on August 29th, and the album is due out in October of this year.

Your Crazy Doesn't Trump My Right to Self-Defense

As The Other McCain points out, on a regular basis, crazy people are dangerous. Man killed in apparent self-defense shooting in Daviess County - here's what police said

He showed up at a home, armed, and started arguing with the homeowner.

When Goble [the homeowner] said he noticed Wilson [the argumentative guy] was pointing a gun at home, Gobile fired his weapon twice at Wilson. Wilson got back into his vehicle but later died due to his injuries.

Wilson was identified as someone with "mental health issues."

Daviess County, Indiana, is roughly 65 miles southwest of Indianapolis, and 65 miles west-northwest of Lexington, Kentucky.

Now you could say a lot about the way we do, or more often don't, treat mental illness. But back in the '70s after One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest because a hit movie, the powers that be decided to get rid of mental institutions. And so there are a lot of crazy people running around. When they pose a danger, you have the right to defend yourself.

The cops have not arrested anyone, but they don't make determinations about charges. Ultimately the DA's office makes that decision. That said, if they thought the homeowner was guilty of something, the cops probably would have charged him with something.

Self-defense is a human-right, and it appears to be your legal right in Indiana. (Hat tip to USA Carry)

“The Rebellion Against the Empire of Woke”

From The Other McCain, we get the following. Thought Criminal: Eric Weinstein

In 1992, Eric Weinstein got a Ph.D. in mathematical physics from Harvard University and then did what any truly smart Harvard Ph.D. would do — he got rich working for hedge funds. This makes him the kind of role model I’d like my kids to emulate.

You would be surprised at the number of folks with a Ph. D. who work in finance. A lot of this is because universities churn out too many degrees for the number of professor positions available, but that is a rant for another day.

The full interview is three-and-a-half hours long, and maybe you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, but here’s a 10-minute clip about Big Tech trying to influence the 2024 presidential election:

The title to this post is shamelessly stolen from the Other McCain's post.

A Review of Summer In Chicago

HeyJackass! brings us the recap on The Summer of Silly Decisions. (A saying of Mayor Brandon Johnson, perhaps the worst mayor Chicago has seen in my lifetime.)

This year has been a copy/paste of last year (a carbon copy for you older folks). The current trend puts 2024’s final numbers on pace with last year aside from one key factor, fatality rate. This year’s fatality rate is running a full two percentage points lower than last year which works out to be around 60 fewer homicides despite the same number of people shot. Therefore, we’re looking to end the year at about 600 homicides with 3,000-ish total people shot. The one wild card here is the election.

The final tally was 225 killed, 953 shot, and wounded. It was slightly worse than 2023, but close enough to be statistically the same. 2020 through 2022 were MUCH worse, but 2014 through 2019 were much better, except for 2018 which for some reason was similar to 2024.

Click through for the detailed stats, like the number shot, stabbed, beaten, the number of selfies, and #ShotInTheAss.

The Summer Shooting Season runs from 12p Friday of Memorial Day weekend thru 6a Tuesday of Labor Day weekend. 2014, 2016-2019, 2021-2024 = 101 days, 18 hours or 2,442 hours. 2015 & 2020 = 108 days, 18 hours or 2,610 hours.

How Would You Greet an Uninvited Visitor at 4 O'clock in the Morning?

This guy is lucky to be alive. Homeowner shoots alleged intruder in downtown Phoenix

Someone is breaking into your home in the middle of the night. What do you do?

Security cameras and no-trespassing signs did not deter this intruder. The homeowner says he lives with his baby, his wife, and his parents, and he’s glad this scary situation didn’t end worse.

So you have people that you want to protect. What do you do?

He says he was up late with his one-year-old son, who had trouble sleeping, when he heard his dogs barking. He grabbed his loaded gun and went to check it out. The father says he came face-to-face with the would-be intruder, who was later identified as 34-year-old Juan Mendez, and froze for a few seconds when they both opened the door simultaneously.

If you're confronted by an armed homeowner, you should leave. This guy didn't leave. He was shot twice in the leg. At that point, he decided to leave.

Cops caught up to Mendez a short time later. They took him to the hospital, and then they took him to jail.

Police have not released a possible motive for Mendez, but say the homeowner likely won’t face any charges because he was acting in self-defense. Mendez is facing charges of burglary and assault, according to authorities.

Self-defense is a human-right, and in Arizona, it appears to be your legal right.

Some of Gen Z Giving Up on College

Because taking on $120K of debt for a worthless degree is not the best way to go about starting your life. Meet the Gen Zers skipping college to take blue-collar jobs and launch trade businesses

Salary increases and new technologies in fields from welding to manufacturing are helping blue-collar jobs shed the image of being dirty, menial work as a shortage of skilled tradespeople, brought on as older workers retire, creates opportunities for young adults.

That view of skilled trades was pushed by educators. (They stopped being teachers a few generations back; they run indoctrination seminars.) It is why colleges have been free for decades to raise tuition at will, and increase the number of administrators with wild abandon.

The skilled trades make modern life possible. Do you like electric lights? Do you like modern plumbing? Do you like to be able to turn a tap to get clean water? You need skilled trades.

Hat tip to Don Surber: Highlights of the week

ITEM 30: CNBC reported, “Meet the Gen Zers skipping college to take blue-collar jobs and launch trade businesses: ‘One of the smartest decisions I ever made.’ ”

Instead of taking out a student loan, they take out mortgages. Instead of a piece of paper, they have a house. This is what me, my mom and my sisters did in the 1960s and 1970s. It was normal then. Now it is weird.

Is Hollywood Waking Up to the Problems of the Girlboss?

I'm not convinced, but some people are waking up to the problem. Not enough people in Hollywood are waking up. From Deadline... Jenna Ortega Not Interested In A Female 007: “I Don’t Want To See ‘Jamie Bond'”

Don’t expect to see Jenna Ortega in Her Majesty’s Secret Service any time soon.

The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress says that she wants to see women get their own purpose-built action roles, rather than taking over parts previously meant for men. Case in point: James Bond.

If you want another 00 that is one thing. 008 or 009, or 010, or whatever. But 007 is JAMES Bond, and should remain James Bond. And if you do 008, or whatever, as a woman, she should NOT be a carbon copy of 007.

This is the Amala Ekpunobi video SHE'S RIGHT: Jenna Ortega Is OVER Gender Swapped Roles in Hollywood

I also appreciate the comments that Taylor Trandahl (Amala's cohost) brings to this topic.

No Republicans Allowed (They Have Not Been Paying Attention)

The Other McCain brings us the latest story of insanity from Jewish Liberals. Liberals Have a Jewish Problem (and Also, Jews Have a Liberalism Problem)

Professor Jacobson teaches law at Cornell University, and has turned his Legal Insurrection blog into one of the most influential conservative sites on the Internet (and employs another of my good friends, Mike LaChance). Excuse me for being somewhat mind-boggled by idea that a lecture by such an eminent authority on campus anti-Semitism would be canceled because some liberals in the congregation were triggered by the thought of a Republican setting foot in their synagogue.

Click thru for The Other McCain's views on the real threats facing Jewish existence in the world, and America, today. (Hint: It's not Republicans or even Trump.)

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 7 September

Wombat-socho is first with In The Mailbox: 09.06.24 (Morning Edition)

Ammo.com: Gun Death Statistics By Caliber
Gab: A Dangerous Precedent For Free Speech

EBL - MAGA Walz Family For Trump ☀️🤗

Instapundit: Walz Family for Trump 2024
Ouch! How weird for Timmy.
Trump and Tim's Bro?

If You are Left you ain't Right - WEEKEND LINKY LOVE

Pirates Cove: Climate Grief? More like Good Freaking Grief! And also Kamala the Commie wants to watch what you say

The Right Way - Top of the News

November 5th is a referendum on America’s energy independence - American Thinker
American Dream Nearly Out of Reach for Many Americans Thanks to Bidenomics - The Lid

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 5 September 2024: Not Just Anyone Edition

Elon Musk says he's a free speech absolutist, but he obeys the law. (The Verge)
What a villain.

Vlad Tepes - Various elements of the new communist West fall more easily into focus from vaxx destruction to mass migration and more: Links 1 for September 6, 2024

5. Remember the leftist British city councillor who publicly demanded that right wing yada yada’s had to have their throats cut? He pleaded not guilty. Others are in jail now in the UK just for saying Allah, allah who the fuck is allah

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 09.06.24

Victory Girls: Georgia School Shooter’s Father Arrested, Facing Multiple Charges
Volokh Conspiracy: QAnon “Patriot Reporter” Claims Newspaper Libeled Him by Saying He Had Admitted to “Sexual Relationship” with 15-Year-Old

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

Comrade Kamala’s America: We invited Trump. Kamala’s promises. Harris would sign a slavery reparations bill.
Blackie’s Canada: Toronto airshow protesters. Don’t question corruption in Quebec.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Some Thursday DIY

Kamala's Debate Prep Is Not Going Well – PJ Media
Kamala Harris new campaign hire attacks America as a 'cult,' 'bloodthirsty imperial beast'

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm for September 6, 2024

Speaking of Trump assassination attempts, DHS personnel assigned to the protective detail for Trump’s Butler rally were given rigorous training. And by “rigorous training” I mean “they sat through a two hour webinar.”

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 9/5/2024

Illinois One of Six States With Long-Term Deficits: Study
(The Center Square) — A new report highlights just how bad the state of Illinois has been with the budgetary process over the years.

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Reason‘s Eric Boehm pleads with both American political parties: “Leave U.S. Steel Alone.”
Andrew Stuttaford reports on Javier Milei tackling tariffs.

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

Net Zero: ‘Totally Crazy Weather Roulette’
Pro-Hamas Mob Terrorizes New York City During Labor Day Weekend

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 9/4/24

Criminal illegal aliens brought into the USA, are going to set up residences and headquarters in many places across the country.
Coing Soon to a Town Near You: The Aurora Illegals Invasion

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: The Media Lies Add Up

• What Really Happened to JD Vance in Erie - Salena Zito
• Musk Launches ‘Alexandre Files’ to Expose Origin of Brazil’s Free Speech Assault - NewsBusters

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 09/06/2024

Donald Trump to announce ‘complete audit of the federal government’ with sweeping plans inspired by Elon Musk.
RFK to join Trump in rallies through battleground states:

I leave you with Wednesday's gifs from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #1992 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Meme Dump... from Tam at View From The Porch.