Still cold. Still clear and dry. It was a brisk winter day yesterday and should be another one today. Colder at that BOL by a few degrees whenever I checked too. It’s handy having the new weather station working and online…
Yesterday morning I mostly did auction stuff, with some domestic bliss mixed in. My guts were still a bit out of sorts from the travel and all the massive amounts of sugar I ate. In the afternoon, I did a couple of pickups. After the auction pickups, I got the hairiest member of the family from the dog sitter. He was a furry missile and general nutburger. Dervish comes to mind. He likes the sitter, but he LOVES his girl.
Today I’ll do some auction stuff too, after getting the kids out the door. Later I’ve got a pickup to make in Montgomery, which is a bit farther north than I’d like, but the deal was too good. I’ll probably spend at least a little time in the afternoon taking down Christmas decor. D2 wanted to leave it up longer, but W wants it down. The wind has been blowing the inflatables all over and putting them right several times a day is getting bothersome. I will try to leave the lights up for a bit at least. Maybe to the end of the week.
I should probably get the generators running too. And the natgas heater I intend to plumb into the fireplace gas line… I’ve got no way to gauge whether this cold will produce the same outages as before, be a nothing burger, or create a whole new set of problems. I should probably do something “prepper-ish” though…
Stacking isn’t enough, you have to be ready to use the stuff, and it has to work. I could do a bit more in that area, I’m sure.
Get some practice with your preps, but keep stacking too.
nick
$3,000.
https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24337530/nvidia-ces-digits-super-computer-ai
(fine print on the back of the box: monkey not included)
Ok, what’s with the Trump talk about Greenland. And Canada, for that matter.
There is zero chance that Denmark is going to hand over Greenland. That’s just stupid. There is less than zero chance that Canada has any interest at all in joining the US.
Trump has no filter on his mouth, so I understand that he says stupid things. Fine. But why is anyone taking this seriously?
BTW, I just have to comment on the article about Greenland, which says that Greenland wants to declare independence from the Dutch. That’s quality journalism there, since Greenland belongs to Denmark.
Disney was forced to buy out Universal’s share of Hulu last year. I don’t remember the final cost.
Trump has a long history of using outrageous statements as a starting point for negotiations. Don’t take any ‘opening offer’ as serious. Him running for President wasn’t serious until after he had a real chance of winning, you could almost see the point where he started actually working for it.
No idea what either is about except trolling. Wee Pierre is going away. What’s going on with Greenland mgmt?
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31F, below freezing here. 32F at the BOL.
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School lunch is made, coffee should be in the cup. Time to poke the bears in their dens again.
n
There was no value in ESPN over the last decade other than the extortion of the cable and satellite TV providers and mandatory sports programming fees.
If anything, ESPN’s value is heading for negative territory as alumni at big schools start funding transfer portal mischief.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10149152-report-texas-quinn-ewers-got-6m-transfer-portal-offer-amid-2025-nfl-draft-rumors
The “synergy” of that Pedo magnet Wide World of Sports complex in Central Florida is zero. The Tampa Bay baseball team just decided that it was less humiliating to rent the NY Yankees Spring Training stadium for the upcoming season than cutting a deal with the Mouse.
Disney doesn’t allow the pro teams to put their own merchandise in the stores at the stadium, something the baseball team learned the hard way after their Spring Training facility was damaged a few years ago.
The baseball team also exercised a clause in their contract with the government entities owning Tropicana Field to force them to fix the venue at the cost of another year in Downtown St. Petersburg.
My guess is that the spare roof fabricated when the stadium was built will suddenly appear in the next few months. Shazam! Look what we found!
Distraction. Congress certified the Electoral College vote yesterday.
Even one of the comic/movie nerd channels I watch on YouTube carried the event live.
And did so for the first time in decades without challenging it.
Apparently.
n
On my first quick read I read that as incinerate. Also not a bad choice.
That is for the first passport. I had to go to a post office, limited hours of course, and get myself identified. Renewals are online and generally require an updated photograph.
My wife’s photograph got rejected so I cropped it differently, resubmitted, and it got accepted. She got her passport before me and got the new version. Identity page is plastic and the passport number is laser drilled holes in all the pages. I got mine three weeks after hers and it is the old style passport. I also ordered passport cards again, $30.00 each, and can be easily carried. I also use that card to mess with the poll workers when voting.
Trump asks for 3000% of what he actually wants. When the dust settles what he asked for has been reduced to what he actually wants, his rivals thinks they won, he thinks he won.
Trump is a jerk. I don’t like him, I could never be his friend, I would never sit down with him for a cup of coffee. If there had been a viable alternative to Trump, I would have selected the rival. The other option provided this year is worse than what we got.
Trump at least is business friendly, sort of. Certainly better than what the Biden crime regime did to stifle business. Trump is displayed as vindictive. I would argue that Spongey and whomever is pulling his strings, are just as vindictive. I would not be surprised to find that Spongey planted dead fish under the beds in the White House on January 19.
Biden is going scorched earth with his last few days in office with his directives. His awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to some of the least qualified was a massive middle finger to Trump. Hillary, Soros, Chaney, good grief. Three of the most undeserving people. All have worked to turn the U.S. into a dictatorship with them at the helm. It certainly cheapens the award for others that deserved the honor. Jane Goodall, Michael Fox probably deserve the medal. Ralph Lauren! Seriously what has he done that benefit the U.S.?
That’s his JOB. Lucky girl!
No! No! You can tell W that the traditional time for taking down Christmas decorations, especially nativity scenes, is Candlemas (2 February), which is also a day for lighting candles and eating crêpes in France and Belgium, so I get to observe both La Chandeleur and Shrove Tuesday. More pancakes!!
The cross-quarter days at the start of February are a propitious time marking the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere, with Imbolc and Saint Brigid’s Day on the first, Candlemas on the second, and the Feast of Saint Blaise with the blessing of throats on the third (though this latter is sometimes merged into the Candlemas services).
(Let’s see if that was too many links in one post…)
Ray, I too have a Passport Card. Much easier to have on one’s person than a real passport, though it does seem to discombobulate some of the duller sorts of petty officials. I regard that as a bonus. 🙂
I would also see it as a grave insult to those of the prior recipients of that award who actually deserved it, like Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize. Let’s see if anybody has the fortitude to return theirs.
It does have limits. The card cannot be used to fly to other countries, including Mexico and Canada. Driving to Canada or Mexico is OK. The card can be used as an ID to fly within the U.S. I keep it with me when I travel overseas as a way to expedite passport replacement if the passport is lost.
I used the card when I needed to get “Real ID” on my license at the county clerk’s office. The clerk said they needed a state or federally issued photo ID. I showed her the card and she said the passport card was not acceptable. I said look at the list of acceptable IDs. She had to get a supervisor. The card was listed as acceptable. The clerk said “well, I have never seen one before”.
This was the same clerk that was insisting I needed my social security card to get “Real ID” on my driver’s license. I said, no I don’t. The state’s requirements stated “I must provide my social security card or my social security number”. I knew my number. I asked the clerk what part of “or” she did not understand. The supervisor said they would submit the paperwork but it would probably get rejected and I would have to go to the driver’s license office. Neither the clerk or supervisor would admit I was correct and they were not. How dare us peons question their authority.
IQ of that type of worker tends to be…low. Bold of you, assuming they could read.
The card will also work in lieu of a passport to/from Canada and Mexico if you take a boat, ie a cruise.
During the pandemic kabuki, however, the passport was preferred entering the US, even from Canada and Mexico.
The card is so limited as to be essentially useless.
The guy last night said official policy is to always keep old passports. “They are still good id, even if no one knows that, although they can’t be used for travel…”
Few people know that you can have multiple copies of your passport. I had to get a second one on at least two occasions. Some countries take too long to get a visa entered into your passport, so you use the second if you have to travel while they are holding your passport and approving your visa.
And some countries like ‘our friends the Saudis’ are so bigoted that they will not admit you if you have previous entry to – oh say … — israel. You need a clean passport for them.
n
(it was kid’s first “real” passport, ie one with a recognizable picture, not just an infant. She needed to be presented in person, and we had to attest that the pic submitted was a good likeness. Both of us needed to be there to prevent a parent getting a passport in secret to steal a child.)
Re passports, iirc you have up to five years to use your expired passport to get it renewed.
A drivers license used to suffice before 9/11. The card is intended for people who cross the border frequently.
I use mine with the TSA at the airport so I don’t misplace my drivers license.
i also use it for I9 ID when dealing with a new job.
Double check current card restrictions before crossing the border. During the pandemic, the constant threat was that immigration agents would stop taking the cards, but they never did.
“Y’All Answered: Do You Trust the FBI?”
https://texasscorecard.com/commentary/yall-answered-do-you-trust-the-fbi/
“Last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blasted the FBI’s special agent in charge in New Orleans as “idiotic” for suggesting the New Year’s Day attack was not terrorism. The agency has been slammed for its involvement in the “Russiagate” hoax targeting Donald Trump, complicity in covering up details about Hunter Biden’s laptop, and the January 6th protest at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.”
“Yesterday, we asked readers if they trust the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
“Yesterday, we asked readers if they trust the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As it turns out, 97.1 percent of readers said they do not trust the FBI, leaving just 2.9 percent who do.”
““Being born in the former Soviet Union, the FBI is beginning to look like the NKVD… later renamed KGB! It is no longer a law enforcement agency but an agency enforcing political ideology!” – John Makow”
I do not trust anyone in the FBI. The Powers That Be have totally weaponized the FBI as far as I can tell.
“I would not be surprised to find that Spongey planted dead fish under the beds in the White House on January 19.”
I would not be surprised if Spongey was planted under the beds of the White House On January 20, 2020, and a dead fish has been wearing his suits.
Not even worth a Darwin Award:
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/01/07/2-bodies-found-in-jetblue-plane-n2650150
Fetterman Just Threw a Wrench Into Dem Plans to Block Laken Riley Act From Making Its Way to Trump’s Desk
https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2025/01/07/laken-riley-act-n2184043
Congress Finally Votes on the Laken Riley Act
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/01/07/congress-votes-on-laken-riley-act-n2650140
Be interesting to see a breakdown of the Democrat votes from Red/Blue states.
Today’s email spam is thicker than Biden doodoo on the White House carpets.
I noticed that Zillow is now adding unbuilt houses to listings.
Some show as ink and watercolor washes, obvious, others are CGI and photo-realistic.
No one should forget that Georgia Libertarians “voting their conscience” four years ago are directly responsible for Ossoff sitting in that chair.
Of course, 200,000 Republicans staying home in the runoff didn’t help.
Roughly 50,000 Georgia Libertarians. Only ~ 14,000 were necessary to force the runoff.
Today’s email spam is thicker than Biden doodoo on the White House carpets.
I got a spam email today. One. It is the only spam that made it through the Postini filters on gmail.
“National Popular Vote Compact”
https://areaocho.com/national-popular-vote-compact/
“Since Trump was successfully certified as the winner yesterday, I wanted to post something that I found humorous. The left was making all kinds of noise about an end run around the electoral college by signing on to the interstate compact, which is a deal cut between the leftie states that they will award their electoral votes to the candidate that wins the national popular vote. The compact goes into effect once the states signing on to it are equal to more than 209 electoral votes, so they aren’t quite there yet.”
“Had that compact been enacted, the electoral vote would have been the largest landslide in American history. The only state that went for Harris and was not a part of the compact was New Hampshire and its 4 electoral votes.”
“This means that Trump would have won by a margin of 534 to 4, or 99.25% of the total number of electoral votes.”
BLOCKED: Judge Cannon Enjoins Jack Smith From Releasing ‘Final Report’
https://redstate.com/smoosieq/2025/01/07/blocked-judge-cannon-enjoins-jack-smith-from-releasing-report-n2184048
Get him a Dick Tracy wristwatch and see if that impresses anyone when he goes to prison.
‘Nuff said:
Presidential Promise: Trump Tells Press MAJOR January 6 Prisoner Pardons are Coming
There were some crimes committed on J6, but not insurrection. Commute those, all others get a pardon.
LA is burning again.
LA declares state of emergency as wildfire rips through celebrity-packed neighborhood: 30,000 flee with bulldozers called in to clear roads after residents abandon luxury cars and run for their lives
n
“Roku tallies 90 million streaming households at start of 2025”
https://thestreamable.com/roku-hits-90-million-streaming-households-nearly-half-of-all-us-broadband-homes
“The company is not revealing monthly active users for its Roku Channel streaming service, but Nielsen data has good news for it there, too.”
“Roku announced it had 85.5 million streaming households as of the end of the third quarter.”
“The company did not reveal how many monthly active users are on The Roku Channel.”
“Roku has already announced a goal of 100 million user accounts in the next 18 months.”
That is a lot of little Linux boxen with a fairly nice user interface.
“Americans Think History Will Rate Biden Presidency Negatively”
https://news.gallup.com/poll/654878/americans-think-history-rate-biden-presidency-negatively.aspx
“Perceptions of how Trump’s first term will be regarded have improved considerably”
People rated Biden as the second worst president and Nixon as the worst president. Nixon was not that bad, Nixon was way better than Obama and Carter.
Hat tip to:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/gallup-poll-joe-biden-ranked-as-second-worst/
Secondary hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
Upright and breathing.
Biden did a dirty to Alaska with that pen of his. he sure is leaving a mess in his wake. Like squatters pulling fixtures and copper and wiring out in spite when finally booted from their squat.
Doc has me on some new meds. I’m getting a solid night sleep, finally, and a mild return of energy. Regrettably there’s been a return to last decade for some womenly function stuff that I could do without. Saw Doc today to try to dial things in.
Aging beats the alternative but not for weak hearted. I’m mid 50’s. I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to feel less decrepit – ha!
Had three delicious turkeys at $0.88/lb between Thanksgiving andNew Years. Lots of stock put up with the pressure canner.
Delegated rabbit care to husband and child for a week while I dealt with other tasks. That led to a series of unnoticed failures culminating in a catastrophic failure (splintered pvc along one bank of cages) of the watering system. I rebuilt half the system today. Imagine a 14’ by 1’ not quite rectangle with drinking nipples protruding from one length. I’ll haul it down the hill to the rabbits with help tomorrow and get the system going again. I know better than delegating for that long. It has bit me in the butt nearly every time.
I got very pungent tonight crawling around behind the cages disconnecting the old broken system. I’ll get pungent tomorrow connecting the replacement. Keeping things tidy in winter requires a lot of energy I don’t have this year.
It was pouring rain this morning and schools were closed for warm weather. It was just above freezing and the roads were treacherous. Yesterday I tested my winter driving skills coming down the hill home. Steering with your brakes and sphincter is a thing. I didn’t crash. Or poop. Calling it a win.
Work is good. Beat the last of my Oracle upgrades into submission with a minimum of drama.
Tween wants to do after school volleyball. I’m all for it except it conflicts with O/T for her ADD stuff, catechism, and drum lessons, none of which can be moved. Her O/T person chided us in December for too many activities, so we dropped piano and vision therapy. I’m leaving dad and kid to sort it out, my recommendation was the two of them talk it through with O/T as a real life exercise in load balancing.
“Steering with your brakes and sphincter is a thing.”
You are priceless.
I didn’t crash. Or poop. Calling it a win.
– days where that is winning are more common than they used to be… glad you didn’t test your insurance.
n
https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2025/01/07/sorry-zuck-but-theres-no-reason-for-conservatives-to-trust-you-and-your-newfound-love-for-free-speech-n2184078
Having listened closely and found no hint of sincerity, my vote is to pith him like a frog and hand him on a barbed wire fence for four years with renewal options.
“Global Warming Is Now To Blame For Cold Weather, AP Claims”
https://www.outkick.com/culture/global-warming-now-blame-cold-weather-ap-claims
“Guys, I’ve told you it’s not in your best interest to ever bend a knee to the climate change terrorists.”
“Never give up your gas-powered mowers. Hold on strong to your gas stoves. Never let them tell you a battery-powered grill is in your best interest. And for the love of god, never believe them when they try to tell you global warming is causing “extreme cold events” in the United States.”
“”Frigid air that normally stays trapped in the Arctic has escaped, plunging deep into the United States for an extended visit that is expected to provoke teeth-chattering but not be record-shattering,” Borenstein, whose AP story archive is littered with the typical left-wing climate candy you’ve come to expect from Lib journalists, wrote.”
“”It’s a cold air outbreak that some experts say is happening more frequently, and paradoxically, because of a warming world,” Seth continues.”
I am getting tired of these woke so-called scientists.
Nixon gave us the EPA, price controls, and Harry Blackmun. He also closed the gold window.
And let the chinese get a nose into the tent.
n
Los Angeles Is Burning
—Ace
https://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=413158
All that nice dry brush that the locals like for the privacy…
I hope everyone gets out safely.
Wait…
Better give me the list…
I hope James Wood and family get out safely.
Upright and breathing.
Very glad to hear it, Jenny. Good luck getting your health matters dialled in swiftly. Your brakes and sphincter comment got a LOL that almost woke Mrs Denis. 🙂 Best wishes.
And the lefties that hate Nixon hate him for entirely different reasons. They don’t see EPA, price controls, Blackmun, and China as bad.
They’ve been told by their precious media that all Republicans are evil totalitarian Nazi crooks, and Watergate is the proof of that.
In spite of the fact that Watergate was over 50 years ago.
Watching Fox a bit ago.
Wildfire in Cali expanded to 2900 acres, growing at 6 acres per minute. Another one started at suppertime is up to 200 acres.
Reporter was doing a moving interview with a couple evacuating with their horses.
Prayers for all.
“Trump’s Arctic Policy Is No Folly”
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/01/trump_s_arctic_policy_is_no_folly.html
“On Sunday, December 22, President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his desire for America to take control of Greenland, saying it is an “absolute necessity.” The very next day, Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, said the autonomous island, part of the Danish kingdom, was not for sale. But Trump’s plan—like that of William H. Seward, who, as secretary of state, oversaw the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867—is not without tremendous geopolitical advantage to America.”
“It’s all about gaining greater American control over the Arctic, where Russia and China are cooperating to build a strong presence. Fears that such cooperation will extend to include North Korea and Iran are not unfounded. Many pundits believe that Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran have aligned themselves into a new Axis of Evil. According to Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation, they are in “expansionist mode,” seeking “much more land and power” and “coordinating their efforts to benefit each country’s goals.””
So Greenland is really about the Arctic. Gotcha.
>> Congress Finally Votes on the Laken Riley Act
The vote came on Tuesday, with 216 Republicans voting in favor of the measure and 48 Democrats supporting it. The only opposition came from 159 Democrats who voted against the bill.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/01/07/congress-votes-on-laken-riley-act-n2650140
Hey Mr. Headline Editor, the voting so far has been only by the House, the Senate is projected to vote on Friday. House + Senate = Congress.