A couple are passable. Most are forgettable. A few are horrible. But it is interesting to see what passes for "Popular Music" today.
Even when the singing is good, and the production is high quality, people in the 21st Century apparently don't know how to write songs. For the most part.
This is the Rick Beato video TOP 10 SONGS OF 2024??
This list is based on the most number of streams on Spotify.
Steve MacDonald at Granite Grok if first with a story about the toxic fallout from Wind Turbines: Another Problem for Dems, Enviros, and Big Wind
The mad rush to expand these energy platforms is an environmental and human hazard, as is their operation, use, and disposal. And now we’ve got a so-called green industry balking at having to address concerns [of] toxic shedding, which it claims is prevented by coating them with PFAS compounds.
Meep at STUMP - Updated Public Pension Projection Tool -- Includes Fiscal Year 2023 Data
I looked, and it seems that, with all the [waves arms] this year, I didn’t get around to officially releasing a Public Pension Projection Tool update for FY2023.
American Free News Network - Oregon Robs Kids Of Their Futures
In early October, the Portland Tribune reported that Oregon elementary students’ academic proficiency remains “significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels, with only 31% of all Oregon students testing at proficiency in math, 43% in English and 29% in science.”
Wombat-socho at Dreamwidth - That was the Christmas that was
Doug surprised me with a small wooden box marked "Made In Russia/Recycled In Ukraine", which proved to contain a ingot from a T-72 destroyed in the Battle for Kiev.
Aaron Brown at Reason - No, California's $20 Minimum Wage for Fast-Food Workers Did Not Create Jobs
If you actually read it, you'll find that the results celebrated in the press release and echoed by the media aren't in the paper. In fact, it barely addresses the effect of the minimum wage increase on fast-food employment in California. It offers no numbers and no models. There's no evidence that fast-food jobs increased after the law was implemented.
Wombat-socho at The Other McCain - FMJRA 2.0: An Unpromising Start In Kansas City
Top linkers for the week ending December 27:
- (tied) A View From The beach and EBL (9)
- 357 Magnum (8)
Thanks to everyone for all the links!
Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 29 December 2024: COBOLated Soda Edition
VW leaked data for 800,000 of its cars. (Car Scoops)
This doesn't include your payment information. Just where you live, where you work, where you go shopping, where your kids go to school, and indeed the GPS coordinates of everywhere your car ever went, because of course VW was recording that and storing it on an unsecured cloud server.
Rick Moran at PJ Media - Are You an Illegal Alien About to be Arrested by ICE and Deported? There's an App For That
Mexico is currently testing a cell phone app that will allow illegal aliens to warn relatives and a local Mexican consulate that they are about to be detained.
Again from Wombat-socho at The Other McCain - Rule 5 Sunday: At The Pump & Munch
Amazing how many gas station chains have double entendre names.
The lads at Flappr have some bad news, but I’ll let them tell you about it. Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley et Hamas delendam sunt.
The Other McCain is still obsessing about Sports Ball. America Loves an Underdog
Four months ago, nobody expected that Sam Darnold would be hoisted upon his teammates’ shoulders as the Minnesota Vikings celebrated their 14th victory of the season, making them the winningest team in the NFC, with one week remaining in the NFL schedule.
Maybe Immigrants from Chile don't know that Floridians are heavily armed. Sheriff: Manatee homeowner shoots, kills intruder
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, a home owner in the River Club community shot at two intruders entering the rear of his home on Hickory Hammock Circle.
One guy was shot. He died later at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The other guy was tracked down by K-9 units, and arrested.
Manatee County, Florida is on the southeast side of Tampa Bay, with some exposure to The Gulf of Mexico. It is basically across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from St. Petersburg, and north of Sarasota.
"What we do know, as we work with Border Patrol, what we believe is that the suspect that survived is, Chilean descent, came to California from Chile sometime, a few months ago," [Manatee County Sheriff Rick] Wells said. "I guess if you are from Chile, Border Patrol gives you a 90 day visa. That visa was supposed to expire in September. Suspect never returned back to Chile. somehow made it to Tampa about six days ago."
They have not identified the guy who passed away, I'm assuming that is because they need to notify his family first.
The sheriff had a great quote, which was not included in the other article.
“This is the state of Florida. If you break into someone’s home, you should expect to be shot,” Sheriff Rick Wells said during a press conference.
Self-defense is a human-right.
Things didn't go well. Jacksonville man suing JSO after being shot in the leg when an officer tried to take his gun during a traffic stop
The incident occurred on Dec. 13, when [Jason] Arrington was stopped after running a red light. Arrington disclosed to the officers who pulled him over — a man and a woman — that he was carrying a firearm.
According to Arrington, officers instructed him to exit his vehicle so the weapon could be removed.
While Arrington complied with being “frisked” and informed the officers of the personal gun ahead of time, a female officer reportedly tugged on his holster from his waistband multiple times, causing his firearm to discharge.
And I'm completely, 100%, absolutely sure that the fact Jason Arrington is black had nothing to do with their decision-making process. I mean, cops aren't racist, are they?
A lawsuit has not been filed, but is in the works. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has updated its policies on concealed carry. Florida instituted Constitutional Carry in July of 2023, but the Sheriff's Office hadn't bothered to rethink how they deal with people carrying concealed. Arrington and his attorney say more needs to be done than issuing a memo, which is what the Sheriff did.
Apparently the sheriff doesn't want to release the bodycam footage.
“Mr. Arrington had violated a traffic law, certainly was not a wanted criminal,” Williams said. “There is no reason the body cam should not be released both to the victim of this situation and his council, and to the general public. So, we are asking JSO, the City of Jacksonville, to release the body cam footage. Because we believe it would in fact support what Mr. Arrington has described to you today, it would show the citizenry, that the officers' actions were in fact unreasonable, and it’s appropriate here...”
Cops need to come to terms with the fact that a lot of law-abiding people are armed. If they aren't used to that idea in Florida, what chance do we have in other parts of the country? If the fact that a lot of people are armed bothers or scares them, perhaps they should consider another line of work.
Poland is right next to Ukraine. Poland has always been under threat of invasion. (Didn't you study history in school?)
Until three months ago, weapons training was voluntary. Not any more. Now it is mandatory for 13 and 14 year olds. How to assemble and use the weapons. And of course, safety.
This is Colion Noir's video Poland Now Has Mandatory Gun Classes To Teach Young Kids To Shoot AR-15s
Okay, this counts mostly as new music. It is only a couple of months old.
I found out about Dorothy, because the lead singer from the band, Dorothy Martin, performed on Nita Strauss' most recent album. I liked the song she sang on, and I think she has a great voice for Rock and Metal.
Lyrics are in the video.
This is "The Devil I Know" from Dorothy. It was released to YouTube (and probably other places) on October 31st of 2024.
They couldn't make it another 9 months due to chaos. Germany's president dissolves parliament, sets national election for Feb. 23 | AP News
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered parliament dissolved and set new elections for Feb. 23 in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition, saying it was the only way to give the country a stable government capable of tackling its problems.
Scholz lost a confidence vote on Dec. 16 and leads a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party coalition collapsed on Nov. 6
An election would have been held in September if the government didn't collapse.
Key issues include immigration, how to get the sluggish economy going, and how best to aid Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.
No one on the Left wants an election so close to the Christmas market attacks. AfD is polling fairly strong, which makes the establishment crazy.
And the way to get Germany's economy going is to bring back cheap ways to make electricity. Wind isn't working out as planned. But the Left in Germany will never allow that.
I'm guessing that armed robbery wasn't on the menu of activities. 3 children shot in Harris County after allegedly attempting to rob man
Three twelve year olds decided to rob someone on Christmas. This isn't a problem caused by guns. This is a parental problem. This is a societal problem.
According to initial information, the kids between the ages of 12 and 14-years-old allegedly attempted to rob a man with what appeared to be weapons.
The victim pulled out his own weapon and shot at the juveniles, said HCSO Major Suarez. The three injured were taken to hospitals with two said to be in fair condition, but the third was last said to be in critical condition.
While the sheriff called the shooter "the victim," some of the media did not. See the video below.
This is Colion Noir's video 12 Year Old Robbers Shot By Armed Citizen In Texas
Instead of addressing the root causes - parenting, community breakdown, lack of accountability - we just keep passing gun laws that do nothing but make life harder for law-abiding gun owners
The video is eight and a half minutes long.
How dare you not agree with everything the ATF stands for!!! Or something.
So the ATF, being the Keystone Cops of federal law enforcement, are apparently spitting mad that people like the Second Amendment, and use the First Amendment to support it.
They raided a 2A advocates home, pointed guns at his kids, said he was a felon in possession - despite him not being a felon. They said he had "illegal guns," (that is machine guns) but could find none, and finally threatened him over his use of his first amendment rights. Though they have been doing that.
Why? Because they are tyrants and you should do what they tell you to do, surf!
The story from Shooting News Weekly - Why Did the ATF Raid Baltimore Gun Rights Advocate Mark ‘Choppa’ Manley’s House?
According to the Washington Times, “ATF agents announced themselves to Mark ‘Choppa’ Manley and his family by tossing a flashbang into his living room and ordering everyone out at gunpoint during the predawn search days before Thanksgiving.”
The ATF has killed people that they didn't like in early morning/middle-of-the-night raids. Was that what they were hoping for?
Manley, who is described as a gun rights advocate and lives in Baltimore, thinks the raid by agents in battle rattle was an attempt to send a message to other black gun owners. [SNIP]
Harassment has been a hallmark of the ATF since the Biden administration launched its war on legal gun ownership not long after it took office. And the agency is, of course, refusing to comment on the case.
In the end, they couldn't find anything wrong, and only confiscated his phone.
This is the Liberty Doll video 2A Advocate Raided By The ATF. The reason I know about this is because of her video.
The feds also allegedly threatened to arrest both the man and his wife, if he continued his community Second Amendment efforts.
And I'm sure that race has nothing to do with the fervor that the AFT is displaying. I mean, the ATF isn't racist, is it?
The government also has been shutting down events, especially those that focus on the Second Amendment and firearm safety for the urban black community. Unsurprising, the authorities even threatened to arrest him if he continued to hold workshops.
That doesn't sound like a bunch of racist, tyrants at all, or does it?
The GoFundMe for Mark Choppa is at this link.
Oh, and Mark Choppa himself has a short video (about a minute and a half), which you can find at this link.
With luck, the bad guys will get the message, and alter their behavior. Felony shoplifting cases surge 154% under new state's attorney - CWB Chicago
Crimesha, AKA former Cook County State's Attorney Kim Fox, lost the recent election to someone who actually intends to prosecute crime.
Shoplifters in Chicago are being slapped with felony charges 154% more often under Cook County’s new state’s attorney than they were under Kim Foxx’s administration.
Retired justice Eileen O’Neill Burke took office on December 2 and immediately followed through on her campaign promise to adhere to state law by pursuing felonies against people who shoplift merchandise worth more than $300. Foxx ordered prosecutors to withhold felony charges unless the value exceeded $1,000 or the accused shoplifter had ten or more previous convictions.
The result of that $1000 edict was to decimate retail in the city.
“The felony retail theft statute says that the value of goods has to be $300 or above to be a felony,” O’Neill Burke said during a February town hall covered by Nadig Newspapers. “You can clear out several aisles at Walgreens before you get to $1,000. The ramification of this policy is that retail stores have closed all over the city because of theft.”
It might be too little, too late, but at least they are trying to turn things around.
The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and more are looking BACK on the era of Woke Hollywood. And not fondly.
That's right. The Woke Scolds have lost the NY Times.
This is the Nerdrotic video Woke Hollywood LOST, and That's a GREAT Thing.
Listen, I'm not the kind of guy who says, "I told you so," but cue Raz0rfist.
That is my favorite line from the bit, but then I like Raz0rfist, and his "F- you, I was right!" bit. The following line isn't bad either.
New York Times, and everybody else in the dinosaur Legacy Media, thank you for your honesty, I guess, but you can't call this an Awakening when you just admitted you've been full of [_] the entire time, and by the way we all knew it.
The video is 16 minutes and then some. Plan accordingly.
While the title of this post comes from the video, Gary B. got it from Roy Price, former head of Amazon Prime, at his site Price Point. Woke is the New Disco: Hollywood and the Harris Campaign
Woke is the new disco, and nowhere is this cultural shift more evident than in the parallel decline of Hollywood and the collapse of Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. Both share a fatal flaw – an insistence on catering to an ideological bubble while alienating vast swaths of the potential audience. For Hollywood, this miscalculation carries existential implications. It’s time to move on.
Did he assume he was the only one armed in the "confrontation?" 19-year-old charged in shooting at Clarksville Walmart
Clarksville Police said 19-year-old Labron Gibson is being charged with four counts of aggravated assault after he was determined to be the “primary aggressor” in an incident that led to a shooting at the Walmart on Fort Campbell Boulevard.
During an argument with another man, Gibson reportedly showed a firearm. Police said the other man then “acted in defense of his family.”
Gibson was shot multiple times in the incident, but his wounds have been determined to be non-life-threatening.
Once he gets out of the hospital, he will be moved to the county lockup.
Hat tip to Miguel Gonzalez and Victim Selection Failure: WallyWorld.
And for the rest of us: Always Carry Everywhere.
Color me shocked. Exclusive | NYPD's top cop Jeffrey Maddrey abruptly resigns after allegedly demanding underling perform sexual favors in exchange for overtime
The NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer abruptly resigned late Friday night after The Post uncovered explosive allegations that he demanded sexual favors from a subordinate in exchange for massive amounts of overtime.
Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey stepped down soon after The Post contacted the NYPD about Lt. Quathisha Epps’ claims in an exclusive interview that he routinely preyed upon her, asking for sex in NYPD headquarters.
The person getting the overtime, also resigned/retired.
[Quathisha] Epps recently made headlines as the NYPD’s top earner, pulling in a whopping $400,000 — including roughly $204,000 in overtime alone last year for her administrative job in Maddrey’s office, payroll records show.
She put in for retirement, just before internal affairs decided that they should look into it.
Maddrey has been accused of sexual misconduct in the past.
Former Police Officer Tabitha Foster filed an unsuccessful 2016 civil suit alleging he took advantage of her by exchanging sex for job perks. A judge threw the case out and cleared Maddrey. Foster also accused Maddrey of hitting her.
I'm sure the fact that Maddrey is "close friends" with the mayor of NYC, had absolutely nothing to do with his appointment to Chief of Department.
Hat tip to Second City Cop. And no, I'm not really shocked.
It's hard to trust the science when the narrative is pushed ahead of the facts. FBI was not allowed to brief President Joe Biden on evidence that suggested Covid-19 was caused by a lab leak, ex-scientist for US intelligence agency claims | Daily Mail Online
Jason Bannan, former senior scientist at the FBI,a alleged the intelligence agency was not invited to a National Intelligence Council (NIC) briefing with Joe Biden.
Mr Bannan told the Wall Street Journal: ‘Being the only agency that assessed that a laboratory origin was more likely, and the agency that expressed the highest level of confidence in its analysis of the source of the pandemic, we anticipated the FBI would be asked to attend the briefing.
A lab leak narrative, might have led to an investigation of the lab, and it might have blown back on the people funding gain-of-function research with US taxpayer dollars. Can't have that.
Hat tip to Second City Cop: "Not Allowed"
Yet more proof that the entire intelligence community needs massive reform and that disbanding the fbi is merely a starting point.
SCC has more to say about the FBI. Be sure to click thru for that.
Gatordoug at If You are Left you ain't Right brings us Guitar Greatness
Click thru for Eric Clapton performing "I'm Tore Down" Live at the Fillmore, San Francisco, 1994.
Animal Magnetism is up first with Animal’s Red Thursday News
С Рождеством! Russia Is Playing Reindeer Games on the Alaska Coast.
Russians Reply to Trump’s Greenland Ambitions
The Right Way - Top of the News
For those who don’t believe in Santa Clause - American Thinker
Why Christmas Eve Is Date Night In Japan - BlazingCatFur
Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 12.26.24 (Afternoon Edition)
Don Surber: Illegal burns a woman alive. Enough already, also, The Most American Christmas Ever
Glenn Reynolds: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Vlad Tepes - Another Ray Epps type reveal and more for December 26, 2024
2. James Lindsay with some insight as to the purpose of “safe spaces”. Essentially, turn a normal political event into a traumatic experience that requires as much props as possible to make it appear like a catastrophic event, like the election of President Trump
EBL - Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
The Christopher Reeve Story
A very good documentary and (to its credit) not at all depressing. Well worth watching.
Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 26 December 2024: Postprandial Edition
Apple is not planning to let Google be broken up by the government without a fight. (WSJ)
Apple has filed to intervene in the penalty phase of the Google antitrust case, now that the judge has ruled that Google has violated antitrust law.
Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 12.26.24 (Evening Edition)
Cafe Hayek: Slandering Friedman and Hayek
CDR Salamander: Cables, Pipelines, & Consequences
Chicago Boyz: Two Hundred Years of Christmas
A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam on The Feast of Stephen
At the Pop Times, I’m Safe, You Know Why? Trump Blasts the Left on “President Musk”: Autism Capital@AutismCapital: "TRUMP: “No, Elon Musk is NOT going to be President, that I can tell you.
Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For December 27, 2024
Russia attacks Ukrainian positions with cars and pickups. That goes exactly as well as you would expect…
Russian cargo ship heading to Syria sinks off the coast of Spain.
Small Dead Animals - Christmas Day On Turtle Island
Dementia Joe’s America: A Christmas to remember.
Odds And Ends: Top ten viral stories. Don’t cause offence. Christmas in Syria and Turkey.
Gates of Vienna - News Feed 12/25/2024
American Pharmacists Raise Concern Over COVID ‘Vaccine’ Safety
An organization representing American pharmacists is raising the alarm over surging side effects caused by Covid mRNA “vaccines.”
Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 12.27.24
Don Surber: Primary Democrats, too
First Street Journal: Everybody has lost
Cafe Hayek - Some Links
GMU Econ alum Alex Salter rightly decries the fact that much of the accumulated wisdom from economics over the centuries “isn’t present in today’s undergraduate courses.”
Maggie's Farm - Boxing Day links
Tom Holland on How Christianity Remade the World
Why These Christmas Songs Could Only Be Written in America
I Took Religion Out of Christmas. I Regret It
J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 12/26/24
Prominent figures say they've been kicked out of their banks over politics
What Is Debanking And Why Are People Talking About It?
Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: They plotted to have Trump lose his life in Rikers. They must all go to prison.
• Congress Must Expose the Senility Coup - Daniel Greenfield
• The Incoming Congress Should Immediately Ban Zuckbucks Across The Nation - Jacob Grandstaff
Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 12/27/2024
DARPA’s “theory of mind” program aims to predict and influence behavior, raising privacy concerns.
Burn it all down: Jill consumed by vengeance as she prepares her White House exit.
I leave you with Thursday Memes … from MaddMedic, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2210 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Back At It . . . It's Libturd Thursday ~ PM from Woodsterman.
He defended her from attack by his father. Fatal shooting investigated as possible justifiable homicide
Domestic violence is a terrible thing.
Police units were dispatched to a residence in the 13000 block of Turquoise Ave NE, near Tramway and Copper, after reports of shots fired around 9 p.m. Upon arrival, officers detained a teenage boy and interviewed family members who described a physical altercation between the boy’s parents.
The son shot his father during the fight. The man was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The police and the DA decided not to arrest the boy, since self-defense, and defense of others, is a human right.
The gun-hating part of the Left (no, it isn't all of the Left) loves to go on at length about how if you own a gun, you are more likely to shoot someone you know than a complete stranger. There is a reason for that, as this story highlights.
The downside of a domestic violence incident like this, is the impact it will have on that kid. Hopefully he can accept that what he did needed doing, but I imagine it will be tough to do that in these circumstances.
Another story about rising 911 response times in a major city. What's behind increase in 911 response times - ABC7 New York
This article is mostly about EMS and ambulance response times. You can click thru for the details, and there are a lot. Including more calls coming in, worse traffic (no mention of any bike lanes - I guess NYC didn't remove traffic lanes for bike lanes in the city) and long waits at hospitals to transfer patients.
The bottom line is that people suffering and even dying as a result.
But there were two statements that caught my attention.
With a starting pay between $18 and $20 dollars an hour, they've had a hard time keeping EMS workers on the job.
Can you even live on $40,000 in New York? And since they state that there are not enough EMS responders, how much overtime are they booking? That does increase your pay, but it also can lead to burn out.
And then there is this:
They're launching pilot programs to try and speed up the process and launched what they're calling a comprehensive examination into the entire EMS process.
I'll save them the money on their "comprehensive" study of the problem. They need to raise the pay for EMS employees. Probably by a lot.
I would also bet there is some way that FDNY is treating EMS like the red-headed stepchild. But that is only a guess.
Minimum wage in NYC is $16. It will got $16.50 on January first. That means you can make almost as much at McDonald's as you can as an EMT and you are not dealing with the stress of life and death. I would bet you also have more control over your hours worked.
So. You admit that pay is an issue, yet can't admit you need to change the pay. Do you want to solve this problem, or do you want the system to collapse on itself?
This song came up on social media recently. There was a lot of what some people are calling "Yacht Rock" on the radio in the late 1970s and early '80s. I'm not sure we called it that exactly back then. It is a bit hard to believe that this song came out 45 years ago. The album was released on 27 December 1979, and the single was released in February of 1980.
This song is "Ride Like the Wind" by Christopher Cross from his 1979, self-titled, debut album.
And you can't hear the guitar solo at the end of the song. But You can hear it in the Rick Beato video The Greatest Guitar Solo You Can’t HEAR! If you don't want to listen to the whole video (it's only 11 minutes), you can find the relevant section at 4 minutes and 40 seconds.
"Yacht Rock" is not a genre of music. It is a hallucination of the people who put together the "documentary" currently playing on HBO, and nothing more.
This is the Rick Beato video "Yacht Rock" Is Bullsh*t
Now, why didn't they ask Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie to be in the documentary? Well, because they didn't fit the narrative. I've had them both on my channel in addition to Larry Carlton, who wasn't in there, that played the amazing solo on this song ["Kid Charlemagne"]. This guitar solo was incredibly influential to the people of my era, growing up. This was a a solo that was the standard of guitar solo. Nobody thought of this as being soft rock or anything; this was serious Fusion of jazz and rock music.
There is more. Toto's second-most streamed song on Spotify, "Hold the Line," which is clearly rock.
The video is 10 and a half minutes, so plan accordingly.
The Other McCain starts us off with ‘I Am Trying, and Admittedly Failing, to Understand How This Makes Sense’
Young people may not be able to imagine this, but there was a time when professors and researchers in such fields as sociology sought to understand and explain why things are the way they are, rather than beginning with the premise that the existing social order must be viewed as a state of systemic oppression.
Joel at The Ultimate Answer to Kings - That’s the way for neighbors to do Christmas.
The other day I got an extremely rare personal visit to the Secret Lair. My longtime neighbors and friends S&L came putting up in their ATV, having texted ahead first so as to give me time to a)be home, and b)have home, dog and self presentable.
Professor David Yamane at Gun Culture 2.0 - Emptying My Notebooks: The Could-Have-Been Titles for GUN CURIOUS
I brainstormed many possible titles/subtitles for what was ultimately published as Gun Curious: A Liberal Professor’s Surprising Journey Inside America’s Gun Culture. I recently found a couple of those lists. I’m happy with the title we chose, but below are some other contenders we considered.
Moonbattery - Jasmine Crockett & Co. Cling to Identity Politics
Cultural Marxist browbeating is no longer working. Only the woke and weak-minded (but I repeat myself) were willing to vote for someone as awful as Kamala Harris on the grounds that they had to because she is a Woman of Color.
Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 26 December 2024: Postprandial Edition
A record 18,000 games were published on Steam in 2024 - around fifty per day. (Tom's Hardware)
Of course most of these are small indie titles, but given that most of the tentpole AAA titles in 2024 were catastrophic failures - cough Concord cough - that's not only entirely understandable but a good thing.
Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - ASML Exits, China Screwed
To summarize: Western nations have an advanced, highly interconnected semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem that China doesn’t have the technical expertise to replicate. In particular, China has nothing like ASML’s extreme ultraviolet lithography machines (AKA a “stepper”) necessary to build the most advanced chips with the smallest feature geometries.
Pirate's Cove - On The Return To The Office For Federal Employees Debate, It’s Not About You The Taxpayer
Obviously, the rank and file of the Washington Post are all for working from home (and the beach, the mountains, in between Call Of Duty sessions and binge watching their shows), especially since those who run the WP have told employees they need to work from work. There is something interesting in this article
Standing By - Reason 2,574 Why We Need Guns
The article I am highlighting today was published on the 24th of December, but I did not have time then to include it for gentle readers meditations. The article in question is by D. Parker at the American Thinker entitled Are they going to say the horrific murder of the woman on the subway was caused by "fire" violence? Actually, they aren't saying much of anything because this doesn't fit into any of their "narratives." First, it was committed by an illegal alien who has been living here rent free and squandering some $30 a day on drugs. Second, it didn't involve a firearm.
They apparently thought that an ambush would mean they came out on top of the fight. Akron police: 24-year-old man shot dead after 'altercation' inside residence | WKYC
Witnesses told police the 24-year-old and another man had knocked on the door of the residence and "rushed in when the door was opened." The 24-year-old shooting victim then allegedly assaulted a 23-year-old man inside the home.
It was during this fight that a 19-year-old man allegedly grabbed his gun and fired one shot at the 24-year-old.
The guy who got shot left the apartment, but he collapsed and died outside the building.
Officers "detained" several people, but after interviews, no one was arrested.
It sounds to me like they knew one another.
And the politicos seem unwilling to ask the real question, "Why?" Questions Remain About Delayed 911 Response Time In The Capital City | News | Montgomery Independent
Montgomery, Alabama has a 911 problem.
The councilman [Ed Grimes] also told [Jerime] Reid [the mayor's chief of staff] that he knows someone personally who called 911 and did not have their call answered “for an hour and 10 minutes.”
That is a long time by any measure. So what causes things like that?
[Reid] also told the council that 911 operators are answering “every call they can”. Although, out of the 56 operators needed only 26 of the positions are filled.
Reid told the council that 14 people have applied for the positions in the 911 call center and will be interviewed soon.
So why are there so few operators in the 911 call center? At a guess, based on other call centers that have had similar problems, it is because the pay is not worth the stress and the awful working conditions.
Still, he says that the city being 30 operators short is a “sad thing" and he has no more information on plans to remedy this situation from the mayor's office.
911 call operators are talking to people on one of the worst days of their lives. Their house is on fire. A relative is having a heart attack. They are facing a violent criminal. Something awful has happened, is happening, or is about to happen.
911 call centers are often run in a way that crushes the soul out of people for 8 or 10 hours a day. The fact that they are chronically understaffed means there is a lot of overtime. People burn out on that overtime and quit. Or they get some experience and move to a 911 call center that pays more, and is less soul-crushing.
Those 14 potential new hires won't solve the problem. Some won't make it through the interview process. Some won't stick around through the training period. Some will burn out on overtime and quit.
Here is a bit of encouragement from Glenn Harlan Reynolds. Never Give Up. Never Surrender.
Never give up! Never surrender! Fine words from a fine movie, but also a lesson of recent weeks, months, and years, and something I’ve been thinking about for quite a while.
I’ve often used the example of gun rights progress as proof that determined work can overcome the resistance of basically the entire establishment. But this tweet summarizes it well:
In the late 1980s and early 1990s crime was out of control, and like now the "intellectuals" blamed guns and not criminals. Clinton and Co would ban the AR-15, concealed carry permits were unheard of, and more.
But then Florida changed their concealed carry law from "May issue" to "Shall issue" removing discression from county sheriffs. This was in response to Cuba dumping a bunch of criminals into South Florida. The result was to drive down violent crime, once the bad guys figured out that people really were armed.
Today, we aren't arguing so much about concealed carry permits, as we are about laws allowing concealed carry without permits.
AR-15 went from being banned to being the most popular firearm in the US.
States and their restrictions on concealed carry and self defense are losing in court everywhere.
Anyway, go read the whole thing.
Here is a link to the tweet from Cynical Publius he references, which got him started down this path.
I suppose I should hold this off for another few days, because it was originally performed on the 7th day of Hanukkah, but I can't wait that long.
This is the original performance of "The Hanukkah Song" by Adam Sandler from Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, which aired on 3 December 1994.
But California seems generally confused on a lot of things. Homeowner Shoots Bobcat After It Kills Chickens and Charges at His Wife in Oak Hills - Victor Valley News
An Oak Hills homeowner reportedly shot and killed a bobcat in his yard after the animal allegedly charged at his wife, and targeted his chicken coop.
Oak Hills is about 2 hour drive northeast of Los Angeles. It is located on the far side of Angeles National Forest from the city.
As of Saturday, it remained unclear whether the shooting was considered justified by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which states on its website, “Bobcats that are harassing or killing pets and livestock may be taken by the landowner or agent under the authority of a depredation permit issued by CDFW.”
OK. The cat wasn't shot because it was threatening chickens. The cat was shot because it was threatening people. But then journalists are confused when the use of a gun is considered legal. Of course it could be that California as a whole is also confused.
Self-defense is a human right. In California it may or may not be your legal right.
Your home may be your castle, but it is not a free-fire zone. San Antonio police arrest man accused of shooting woman he thought was a burglar
Johnathon Vasquez is accused of shooting and critically injuring the woman he thought was a burglar after she came onto his property, police said. He faces one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
She came onto his property. She didn't threaten him. He had time to withdraw and call police. He didn't do that.
Vasquez told the woman to leave, and when she refused, he drew a firearm, according to the police report. The woman still refused to leave Vasquez's front yard and was walking toward the homeowner before he shot one round, striking the woman.
That she was "walking toward him" may complicate the issue, and save the man, but it may not.
The criteria for self-defense, as I understand it, is that you must have a reasonable fear of imminent death or grave bodily harm. The police obviously didn't think that applied in this case.
But don't you dare say that they have taken over the apartment building, that they've taken over. Migrant shot another migrant for murdering a third migrant, prosecutors say - CWB Chicago
A Venezuelan migrant, charged with murdering another migrant, is hospitalized after being shot by yet another migrant who was angered by the killing, officials say. Both shootings occurred inside the same Washington Park apartment building where a 911 call reporting that armed migrants had taken over the complex was declared unfounded and decried as racism by mainstream news outlet “experts” in September.
RTWT.
Hat tip to Second City Cop: More Crime by Illegals
Seems the callers were right about armed illegals taking over. Who would have thought the media lied about everything in the service of getting the Kackler elected?
I mean be fair, if they admitted that Venezuelan gangs had taken over apartment buildings in Chicago, that might reflect poorly on our Border Tsar.
This is as much Christmas Spirit as I can muster this year...
Vince Guaraldi was a jazz musician. Among his other claims to fame, he wrote the score for a number of Charlie Brown/Peanuts TV specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965.
George Winston is one of my favorite pianists.
This is "Linus & Lucy" by George Winston from his 1996 album Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi.
Pirate's Cove is up first with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup
- neo-neocon: Gaslighting the public about Biden: you have to want to be gaslighted
- Noisy Room: They Want to Kill Elon Musk
Wombat-socho In The Mailbox: 12.23.24
Don Surber: NYT Goes Wile E. Coyote Again
First Street Journal: “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to (foul) things up.”
EBL - The Gift of Diversity 🔥😬
Horror story on the subway
January 20 cannot come fast enough...
Instapundit: Daniel Penny is unavailable for intervention
Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 23 December 2024: Again Dangerous Frisbees Edition
2024 has been kind to AI startups, but less so to EV efforts. (Tech Crunch)
Apple spent billions of dollars in secret on its Apple Car only to confirm the project existed the same day it was shut down.
Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island
Blackie’s Canada: Rand Paul slams Trudeau and Freeland. Time to leave.
Woke World: Cold weather deaths. The fall of Western science.
A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Gone Fishing DIY Edition
Ace of Spades HQ Drunk, Insane Illegal Alien Sets Woman On Fire in NYC Subway, Burning Her to Death
Hochul Erupts in Callous Flames of Subway-Terranean Hubris UPDATE – HotAir
1. John Campbell: New mRNA vaxx test suspended
2. This is an EPIC speech by Trump. Let’s hope he follows through and makes this real. UNEXIT!
Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkage
The Air Vent - This is Why In Person Voting With ID is Critical
Watts Up With That? - Ocean Temperatures and Climate Hysteria: A Lesson in Perspective
Don Surber - Highlights of the week
ITEM 15: Politico reported, “First Amendment advocates worry about an emboldened Trump using civil litigation to target journalists he dislikes.”Gates of Vienna - News Feed 12/23/2024
By dislikes, Politico means ...
Bankruptcies and Suicides Rise as Japanese Struggle With Mounting Debt
Personal debt is overwhelming an increasing number of Japanese as higher interest rates and the rising cost of living bite.
Political Hat - News of the Week (December 22nd, 2024)
Florida’s Much-Needed General-Education Reform
If faculty won’t fix the curricula, trustees and administrators must.
Cafe Hayek - Some Links
Russ Roberts talks with my Mercatus Center colleague Alain Bertaud about cities.
GMU Econ alum Dominic Pino offers an example of why the public was less than enchanted with Bidenomics.
Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links
Saturday Miscellany
Brazile: Biden is one of our greatest presidents
What Happens When We Are All on the Dole?
J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 12/23/24
They break everything on their way out.
Democrats Don’t Transfer Power Peacefully
Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: A Christmas Prayer
• Texas Democratic Congressman: Hispanics Are Stupid For Voting Against Open Borders - BattleSwarm
• Fixing the Biden Border Victor - Davis Hanson
I leave you with Sunday Funnies for 12-22-24 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Tuesday's gifs from Wirecutter, and Christmas Eve Memes … from MaddMedic.
Isn't that what fathers are supposed to do? Dad shoots man he says broke into New Mexico home, cops say | Kansas City Star
A New Mexico father fatally shot a man he says broke into his home and wouldn’t leave after repeated requests, according to police.
The shooting happened the night of Dec. 14 in the kitchen of the La Luz home, near the bedrooms of the father’s three young kids, New Mexico State Police said.
It was more than the fact that he wouldn't leave. The encounter escalated.
No charges have been filed, but the final decision will be made by the DA, not the cops doing the investigating.
Especially when it is directed at police. Newport police sued after man says he was arrested for comments
A Northern Kentucky man is suing the Newport Police Department alleging its officers arrested him in retaliation for comments he shouted at police from his girlfriend’s balcony.
Newport is directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.
About that "allegedly." He was charged with public intoxication. He was in his girlfriend's apartment, and cops called him into the hallway of the building. And arrested him. As soon as it was presented to a judge, the charge was dismissed with prejudice.
... meaning it cannot be refiled.
As for the real reason... A Little Person mouthed off to a cop. Cops don't stand for that. In particular, Officer Ronald Lalumandier wouldn't stand for that. Allegedly.
“The officers merely wanted to arrest him because they wanted to punish him for engaging in speech that they did not appreciate,” the lawsuit states.
It is also questionable how Officer Ronald Lalumandier - give him his 15 minutes of fame - gained access to the locked building. Click thru for those details.
The guy is asking for money, but also wants the Newport, Kentucky Police Department to admit that this behavior is unconstitutional, and to make sure it doesn't happen again.
This is as close as I can come to Christmas Spirit, because it mostly isn't Christmas. (Bah, Humbug? Maybe not quite)
With tag lines like "Wreck the Halls" and "Putting the Christmas into Rock" what's not to like? In small quantities, anyway. At least it is not the same 20 songs playing in every store and on most radio stations in America.
This is "Wherever I May Roam" by Santa Claws and the Naughty but Nice Orchestra from their Metallica-tribute, Christmas album, ...And Christmas for All.
The Gateway Pundit starts things rolling with a hearty "good riddance." RINO Mitch McConnell Delivers His Farewell Speech as Senate Republican Leader — A Legacy of Betrayal and Compromise
McConnell, who has held the reins of Senate GOP leadership since 2007, boasted about his so-called “accomplishments,” which often came at the expense of the conservative values he was elected to uphold.
Gen Z is on board with DOGE: WATCH
In her interviews with students, King focused on four taxpayer-funded university research projects costing millions of dollars: “Gambling Pigeons,” “Sexy Goldfish,” “Honey Bees on Cocaine,” and “Shrimp on Treadmills.”
Students were surprised to learn that all of these projects were real — and publicly funded, no less. “Stop using our money, guys,” one student remarked.
The Other McCain - 2024: The Year the Media Lost
Wishing to squeeze the last ounce of pleasure from this year’s victory, I’ve spent a lot of time watching highlights of Election Night coverage, and one particular moment stood out as Peak Media Bias.
Professor Yamane at Gun Culture 2.0 - Further Thoughts on GUNLORE: Guns are Normal
Early in their introduction, the editors of Gunlore observe: “Considered as a single group, gun owners would be one of the largest lifestyle/hobby-based subcultures in America” (p. 5). This perspective is reminiscent of James Wright’s “Ten Essential Observations” from 1995 and Abigail Kohn’s Shooters in 2004. But, as I first argued in 2017, it has largely been forgotten by social scientists studying guns since, in favor of approaching guns from the perspective of deviance and pathology.
Again from The Other McCain - Against Euphemisms
What I resent is the manipulation of language by those who apparently think we’re too stupid to figure out that we’re being manipulated or why. Their arrogance is an insult, and the people who engage in this insulting manipulation — the Thought Police — expect to get away with it because they’re always hiding behind the human shields of their Official Victim Groups.
Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 22 December 2024: Game Of Rat And Dragon Edition
Why AI is stupid garbage and everyone in the industry is lying frantically to cover up the truth. (Ars Technica)
Okay, I may have paraphrased Tim Lee at Ars just a little there, but if you look at the promises AI leaders have made against the mathematical problems they face, that is the gist of the situation.
Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: A Christmas Break From Baseball
Today’s illo is taken from the Korean Playstation 5 game Stellar Blade, which was caused much pearl-clutching among radical feminists and game “journalists” (but I repeat myself) on account of the main character’s sexy design. Not that that’s ever happened before.
Again from Pixy Misa - Daily News Stuff 23 December 2024: Again Dangerous Frisbees Edition
OpenAI's next generation model, GPT-5, is ahead of schedule and coming in under budget. (WSJ / MSN)
Sorry, just kidding. GPT-5 is not working, may never work as planned, and each training run takes six months and costs half a billion dollars.
This sounds a bit like a domestic-violence situation. Summerville Police arrest man shot by homeowner during break-in attempt
First he was shot, then he was arrested.
He went to one home and tried to gain entry. The homeowner called 911, and then she and her daughter escaped to a neighbor's house. He followed them, and tried to gain access to the neighbor's house.
Maybank, who was holding a burglary tool, was confronted by the homeowner, who was holding a handgun.
The homeowner shot the suspect as he believed he was in fear for himself and the neighbor’s safety.
The suspect fled on foot where he was arrested by the police on Delafield Drive minutes later.
Summerville, South Carolina is about 25 miles northwest of Charleston, though it might take you more than an hour to drive those 25 miles, depending on the time of day.
Cops took the guy who got shot to a local hospital, and then to the county lockup.
Both homeowners were not injured and the homeowner who shot the suspect will not be criminally charged, according to [Captain Ken Driscoll of the Summerville Police Department].
The reason I referenced domestic violence at the outset, is that he seemed very focused on the woman from the first house. We probably won't learn more, because these stories cease to be interesting to the media once the only "action" involves lawyers and plea deals.
Self-defense is a human right.
I thought they would be strictly forbidden, and they are, mostly, but not completely. From Impro Guns: UK Legal FGC-9 – 3D Printing Guns in Britain
In the UK downloading the CAD template files and printing half the gun as a neat ornament is 100% legal as long as you don’t intend to conduct any acts of terrorism. In order to shoot it you are permitted to take your incomplete gun to a range in the USA where you may then complete the parts and fire it. This was all confirmed by a solicitor.
Click thru for more, including a 19 minute video.
The image is of an unrelated FGC-9 Mk II.
What were you doing when you were 14? Boy, 14, charged with 7 robberies aboard Red Line trains - CWB Chicago
A 14-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday to face charges in seven recent robberies of CTA passengers along the Red Line.
Chicago police released a community alert about the robberies on November 29, saying between two and seven robbers were involved in each mugging, which took place aboard train cars. Many of the victims were physically attacked during the crimes.
Because he is a minor, very little information has been released.
It is a good thing that Chicago and Illinois are fighting tooth and nail to keep Chicago Transit Authority trains and busses Gun Free Zones Defenseless Victim Zones. Someone might get hurt. </sarcasm>
Generations that have never heard, "Thou shalt not steal." Witness the result.
But then what else is Hochul going to say? Elderly Woman Attacked Inside Manhattan Subway Station As Governor Declares "Safe Subways"
At approximately 2:35 p.m., the victim was standing on the southbound “6” train platform when an unidentified male approached her and punched her in the head, police said. The impact caused the woman to fall to the ground.
The assailant fled the station on foot in an unknown direction. Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where she is reported to be in stable condition.
This happened with Governor Kathy Hochul's PR stunt of riding on the subway, with her armed security detachment, to "prove" how safe the city is.
Despite these efforts, Hochul’s claims have faced scrutiny, particularly in light of high-profile crime incidents. For example, her statement on Sunday about the subway’s improved safety was met with criticism following a horrific incident where a woman was set on fire on a subway train the same day.
PR stunts are not going to change reality. (Hat tip to The Quartering.)
Today's song includes a large number of guest artists. Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Chuck Billy (Testament), the members of Sabaton, Warrel Dane (Nevermore, Sanctuary), Jeff Waters (Annihilator), Ross the Boss, Rolf "Rock'n'Rolf" Kasparek (Running Wild), the band DeTraktor, Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, Dead Daisies), and Tommy Bolan (Warlock).
Why so many involved? The song (and the album) were dedicated to Lemmy of Motörhead, who had passed away a few years before the album was released.
Lemmy's birthday is December 24th, 1945. He passed away on December 28th, 2015.
This is "All For Metal" by Doro from her 2018 album Forever Warriors Forever United.
Home invaders refuse to get that memo. Homeowner shoots, holds intruder at gunpoint until police arrive: LWPD | FOX 13 Tampa Bay
The victim told police that he woke up at his home on the 700 block of South Scenic Hwy. to the sound of his dog barking.
That's when the homeowner said he armed himself and found the intruder, 34-year-old Cameron McGuire, holding some of his child's belongings inside the home.
The intruder didn't listen to the command, "Freeze," issued by the homeowner, but continued to advance towards the homeowner. The homeowner shot the guy in the leg, and summoned the police.
Lake Wales, Florida is about 50 miles due east of Tampa, and about 40 miles south-southwest of Orlando. It is located in Polk County.
Usually when there is a self-defense incident in Polk County, we get a statement from my favorite sheriff, Grady Judd. Instead we get a statement from Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez.
"This homeowner is a law-abiding citizen and had every right to protect his family," said Velasquez. "Cameron McGuire should be thankful today that he is alive and in jail. Hopefully, this was his wake-up call".
I certainly would not have shot an intruder in the leg, unless I missed my aim. By a lot.
Self-defense is a human right. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.
This is link to a story about the car attack in Magdeburg, somewhat delayed, but there is a twist, thatnks to Miguel Gonzalez. At least 2 dead, nearly 70 injured when car plows into German Christmas market: Officials - ABC News
UPDATE: The death toll is now up to 5, and they are saying that 200 were injured.
This story, which is also related to "security" at Christmas markets, makes me angry. Miguel Gonzalez: There is a knife crime problem in Germany.
And the solution is the confiscation of all knives including from old ladies.
Instead of blaming the people for crime, the German authorities are channeling their 1930s ancestors, and searching people at Christmas sales, like the one in Magdeburg. More security theater? It is more than that. It is the erosion of rights.
And while they are busy confiscating Swiss Army Knives from elderly women (yes, they did do that), they ignore the real threat to Christmas markets.
So when the Europeans eliminate all of the knives, will they then outlaw steel pipe? Rocks? When will people realize that it isn't the tool used that is to blame; it is the person wielding the tool.
And Miguel Gonzalez has a follow-up post: New Terrorist Attack in Germany.
At least the terrorist driver was not carrying a Swiss Army knife otherwise, it would have been worse.
Shoplifting will destroy NYC, and other cities. Maybe that should be "is destroying." NYC lost nearly half of all drugstores in past decade — with 10% closing just this year — as shoplifting and crime run rampant
Nearly 10% of New York City’s drugstores have closed this year — a dramatic drop following a decade of retreats that has slashed their number by 40% as shoplifting continues to run rampant, according an explosive study.
The number of Walgreens, Duane Reade, CVS and Rite Aid stores across the city shrunk to 395 locations in 2024. That’s versus 435 last year, and down sharply from a peak of 656 in 2014
It isn't rocket science. Stores can't make money if they are constantly being robbed. If they can't make money they will close. That seems fairly clear to me, but it is apparently mystifying to Democrat politicians in NYC. And in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and the rest.
Crime isn't the only issue of course. Rent is an issue.
A Walgreens rep told The Post that the closings are driven by increased “regulatory and reimbursement pressures” that are “weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs.”
The company has not directly tied its store closings to crime, but executives have said on earnings calls that “shrink” — which means theft in corporate speak — “represents a serious systemic issue across the retail industry.”
And it is leading to a lot of vacant store fronts in NYC.
Go read the whole thing. And also see my post on NYC from yesterday, about how the powers that be are waging war on the middle class.
