Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

Decision time: keep arguing about the last election, or try to win the next one?

Keep the Immigrants and deport the fascists!

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Is trump is trying to break black America over his knee? signs point to ‘yes’.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

This is dead girl, live boy, a goat, two wetsuits and a dildo territory.  oh, and pink furry handcuffs.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

You are here: Home / Archives for 2024

Archives for 2024

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Halfway to Spring, Practically

by | 149 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Technically, the cross-quarter holiday between the winter solstice and the spring equinox is February 2nd (that’s why Groundhog Day), but sometimes everybody just needs an excuse for a day off. (No MLK Day in Ireland.) And the confusion between an ancient pagan deity and a (probably) historical saint is very, very culturally Irish… never let a mingy grey ‘truth’ stand in the way of a bold brilliant STORY!

Per the Associated Press, “Who was St. Brigid and why is she inspiring many 1,500 years after her death?”:

Devotees of St. Brigid celebrated her Sunday with the return of a relic associated with the so-called matron saint of Ireland. The festivities came about a millennium after her remains were removed from the town of Kildare, where she founded a prestigious abbey and inspired a host of colorful, miracle-filled legends.

The celebration in her hometown, southwest of Dublin, is part of Brigid 1500 — a series of observances across the world centered around the saint’s feast day of Feb. 1, marking the 1,500th anniversary of her death around the year 524.

In a sense, Brigid is on a roll. The commemorations come a year after Ireland began honoring her with an annual public holiday — the first Irish woman to be recognized with one.

While St. Patrick has long been the saint most identified with Ireland, Brigid has gained a growing following in the 21st century. Devotees draw inspiration from Brigid the saint — and from Brigid the ancient pagan goddess, whose name and attributes she shares — as emblematic of feminine spirituality and empowerment. This comes amid growing disenchantment with the patriarchal and historically dominant Catholic Church…

Several events are being organized this week by Solas Bhride, Irish for “Light of Brigid,” including a noontime “Pause for Peace” on Thursday. Thousands of students plan to mark the pause by making a human formation of a large St. Brigid’s Cross, shaped by a square with four symmetrical arms.

Others around the world are joining in the pause — a minute’s silence at noon local time — said Brigidine Sister Rita Minehan, one of the founders of Solas Bhride.

“We are sending out a message that we actively oppose warfare in our world and the proliferation of arms,” she said. “It’s rather frightening what’s happening in our world. It’s sorely in need of peace, and Brigid was renowned as a peacemaker.”

The group Herstory, which uses arts and education to promote female role models, plans events around Ireland on the holiday and days afterward. These include lightshows in which artistic depictions of Brigid are projected onto historic landmarks.

Elsewhere worldwide, Irish-heritage groups plan to mark the day with cultural events. Churches plan Masses in honor of the saint, while Wiccan and other pagan groups plan meditations and other ceremonies in honor of the goddess.

Speaking of halfway to Spring…

show full post on front page

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Halfway to Spring, PracticallyPost + Comments (149)

On The Road – TKH – Jordan Trail Part 8

by | Leave a Comment

This post is in: ,

TKH

I will bring it home for sure this time. Promise!

 

On The Road – TKH – Jordan Trail Part 8Post + Comments

On The Road - TKH - Jordan Trail Part 8 8
Between Wadi Rum and Gulf of AqabaNovember 26, 2024

With Wadi Rum behind me, a look ahead. Somewhere behind the mountains on the horizon is the Gulf of Aqaba which is where the trip is going to end. Between where I am standing and the Gulf is one small village, Titin, which supposedly has a supermarket. This is where I hope to get some water because the distance between the last water in Wadi Rum and the coast is too big to carry water all the way.

The acacia tree at the right margin of the image has the characteristic shape of the tree in areas where camel forage on the trees. Essentially no branch is going to survive if it protrudes into the range where the camels can get to it. Even though the twigs have spikes longer than the leaves on the twigs, the camel chomp down on the foliage as if they weren’t there.

On The Road – UncleEbeneezer – Turning 50 In Taos (Part 2 of 3)

by | 20 Comments

This post is in: ,

UncleEbeneezer

One of the coolest cultural explorations we did on our trip was to visit the Taos Art Museum which is located in the Fechin House, a very cool place that my wife had been dying to check out:

The Nicolai Fechin House in Taos, New Mexico, is the historic home of the Russian artist Nicolai Fechin, his wife Alexandra and daughter Eya. After purchasing the house in 1928, he spent several years enlarging and modifying the two-story adobe structure, for instance, enlarging the porch and adding and widening windows to take advantage of the views. He carved many of the fittings of the house and its furniture, using typical Russian design elements such as “triptych windows and intricately carved doors.”[2] The whole reflects a modernist sensibility combined with Russian, Native American and Spanish traditions.

The Fechins divorced in 1933, after which Alexandra stayed at the house until her death in 1983. Eya returned to Taos in the 1970s and began restoration of the house. She opened it to visitors beginning in 1981, under the auspices of the Fechin Institute, which she founded in her father’s memory.[2]

The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1979. After Eya Fechin’s death in 2002, the house passed to her daughter and son-in-law. They sold it to a foundation, which established the house museum and the Taos Art Museum.[2]

On The Road – UncleEbeneezer – Turning 50 In Taos (Part 2 of 3)Post + Comments (20)

On The Road - UncleEbeneezer - Turning 50 In Taos (Part 2 of 3) 7
Taos, NMDecember 22, 2023

The Fechin House has some really neat art inside, but the main attraction (for us) was the architecture and stunning woodwork.

Late Night Open Thread: Everything Trump Touches…

by | 151 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Late Night Open Thread - STOCKPILE 3

(John Deering via GoComics.com)

Guess Habba can kiss her hopes of being Wife #4 goodbye…

show full post on front page

Late Night Open Thread: Everything Trump Touches…Post + Comments (151)

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Pelosi Nominates Chef Andres for the Nobel Peace Prize

by | 99 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Readership capture:

Dear Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee:

It is with the utmost respect for the Norwegian Nobel Committee that we write to nominate José Andrés and World Central Kitchen for the Nobel Peace Prize. Chef Andrés and his team are nothing short of heroes for humanity – not only conquering hunger but spreading hope.

When a devastating earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Chef Andrés launched World Central Kitchen with a simple yet powerful vision: that food can be a force for good. His innovative model – providing local dishes with local ingredients prepared by local people – has proven nimble and effective. Responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and war zones without hesitation, Chef Andrés and his team have served more than 350 million meals worldwide.

During many dark and difficult moments, the impact of Chef Andrés and World Central Kitchen has been extraordinary. All are in awe of how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Andrés quickly marshaled the effort to provide 40 million meals to feed the hungry across the world. We in Congress saw firsthand how respectful he is of the people he serves, when he came to the U.S. Capitol to feed the National Guard after the January 6th insurrection. During Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, World Central Kitchen set up shop in Kyiv to distribute hot meals and grocery kits. Amid violence and chaos in Gaza, he distributed food and aid to displaced Palestinians.

José Andrés and World Central Kitchen are a generational global phenomenon, with a desire to help those in need that is as saintly as it is insatiable. They do not accept obstacles between their meals and those who need them. Chef Andrés gets his own boots on the ground, even in the most harrowing places, because the need is there. And he believes in building “longer tables,” with enough good food for all.

For his selfless personal commitment to feeding the hungry and launching World Central Kitchen, we believe José Andrés is most deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize and we are honored to nominate him.

Thank you for your consideration.

Wednesday Evening Open Thread: Pelosi Nominates Chef Andres for the Nobel Peace PrizePost + Comments (99)

War for Ukraine Day 707: Another Significant POW Exchange & We Need To Talk About Civil-Military Relations

by | 26 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , , ,

Screen shot of a mural of an eye shedding a tear/crying. The upper eyelid is painted in the blue of Ukraine's flag. The lower eyelid is painted in the yellow of Ukraine's flag. The mural was painted by the artist MyDogSighs.

(Image by My Dog Sighs)

The Ukrainians did a significant POW exchange with the Russians today.

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1752678218744635817

 

Today, 207 Ukrainian defenders returned home from the russian captivity.

Defenders of Mariupol, “Azovstal”, Zmiinyi Island, warriors from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson and Sumy directions.

We will never leave our people behind! We will return all of them 🇺🇦

https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1752694686743994659

The former Azov Commander:

https://twitter.com/D_Redis/status/1752744887202533511

Another prisoner exchange took place today, with 207 Ukrainian servicemen returning home. I am happy for everyone who has regained their freedom and wish them a swift recovery.

I sincerely congratulate two fighters of the 12th Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine on their release from enemy captivity, who, after the Azov unit was expanded from a regiment to a brigade, became part of our military family. However, my joy over their return is overshadowed by the fact that the families of the soldiers who held the defense of Mariupol as part of the Azov regiment will not see their loved ones’ names on the lists once again. In all the exchanges since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the names of my comrades have appeared only a few times. Although it has been more than a year and a half since the order to cease the defense of Mariupol was issued.

More than 900 Azov soldiers remain in Russian captivity, who held the defense of Mariupol with dignity and for 86 days did not allow the enemy to timely transfer forces and means to advance towards Zaporizhzhia.

We are fighting hard against the invaders in the forests of Kreminna, destroying and capturing Russian servicemen, and we continue to believe that the relevant authorities are making sufficient efforts to free our heroes. I am grateful to every Ukrainian who remembers their heroism and fights for their freedom.

You’ll notice there’s been no more word out of Russia, let alone actual evidence provided, about their claim that 65 Ukrainian POWs were killed last week when that IL-26 went down of Belgorod.

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

show full post on front page

War for Ukraine Day 707: Another Significant POW Exchange & We Need To Talk About Civil-Military RelationsPost + Comments (26)

Proof of Life

by | 51 Comments

This post is in: ,

Sorry I did not post yesterday, but I was sick. Had felt run down and achey for day and the just got wholloped. Went to bed last night at 6:30 and woke up at 8 am. Feel better but still run down. Also love opening up the bills at the end of the month that’s always fucking fun. Pisses me off paying for electric even when I am not there but am on that payment plan you pay the same amount year round because you never know. It’s like you spend the whole month thinking about fun things to do and then the bills come and it’s like “wonder what is on netflix.”

/oldmanyellsatclouds

Proof of LifePost + Comments (51)