Post-it-Notes:
Opinion Quote of the Day – Every civilization carries the seeds of its own destruction, and the same cycle shows in them all. The Republic is born, flourishes, decays into a plutocracy, and is captured by the shoemaker whom the mercenaries and millionaires make into a king. The people invent their oppressors, and the oppressors serve the function for which they are invented. ~Mark Twain
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Finland became the 31st nation to join NATO. This will more than double Russia’s border with the military alliance to 1,584 miles and further increase NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea to seven members.
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“The dollar, in some shape or form, will likely be around for a long time. Perhaps very long. But by weaponizing dollar dominance and permitting expanding mandates to disorient US monetary policy, the dollar’s fate as the lingua franca of world commerce over the long haul may already be sealed.“…
As the world’s reserve currency, the US dollar is essentially the default currency in international trade and a global unit of account. Because of that, every central bank, Treasury/exchequer, and major firm on Earth keeps a large portion of their foreign exchange holdings in US dollars. And because holders of dollars seek returns on those balances, the ubiquity of dollars drives a substantial portion of the demand for US government bonds in world financial markets.
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Marxists – go figure. “Stay in your lane” is a frequently heard refrain nowadays, normally a piece of advice directed at those who, by virtue of some aspect of their identifying characteristics or profession or beliefs, express views which are deemed unwelcome. “Stay in your lane” is not often fair and appropriate advice to be given in debate.
I submit, however, that “Stay in your lane” is usually fair and appropriate advice to give a Marxist who opines on matters which concern the moral, efficient, and effective satisfaction of human wants.
On a recent Saturday morning, with equal parts amusement, frustration, and resignation, I read novelist Sally Rooney’s analysis of an economic situation. Noting Rooney’s position as a self-described Marxist, it was no shock to see her strident call for the government to reinstate an expiring ban on evictions that had been introduced over winter 2022/23 and her proposed solution to housing shortages—the abolition of private property (where that private property is a rental property). The collectivist impulse is strong among Marxists, no matter the costs to humanity. Indeed, some Marxists regarded it as a great loss when the beautiful perpetrators of the Holdomor, that great atrocity, fell from power.
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FEC Commissioner James E. Trainor rejected the idea that there was a violation of federal election law in the Stormy Daniels case.
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There’s a glossary – The FBI uses a “glossary of terms” to look for online that could indicate someone is involved with “violent extremism,” according to documents obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.
The flagged terms include “redpilled,” first popularized by the 1999 film “The Matrix,” “based,” “looksmaxxing,” and the names “Chad” and “Stacey.”
The FBI also flags phrases that include “it’s over” and “just be first.”
The documents were obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project through a Freedom of Information Act request. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)
Such words and phrases have come to be code for certain extremists who communicate online with others like them, according to the FBI’s glossary of words indicating “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism” and a list of “key terms” about “involuntary celibate violent extremism.”
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Can the democrats hate a Kennedy? We’ll find out. A statement of candidacy Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy Jr. has filed with the Federal Election Commission indicates that he is poised to enter the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat.
Kennedy, who is a nephew of Democratic President John F. Kennedy, had previously indicated the he was mulling a White House bid.
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I just bought a Ninja Air Fryer and it arrived at the hovel. My daughter recommended it for cooking healthier meals. Will it be effective? Who knows?
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are crisp on the outside yet tender and perfectly cooked on the inside, making it an alternative method for cooking a baked potato. No actual ninjas were involved.
In the Days of Fighting Sail
Thomas John Chew the fashionable purser of the USS Constitution and USS Chesapeake
Portrait of Thomas John Chew, by unknown c. 1820
Thomas John Chew sailed as the purser on the USS Constitution from 1 June 1812 to 26 September 1812. He was on board when the ship captured HMS Guerriere on 19 August 1812 and was awarded a Congressional Silver Medal for his actions and service and shared with the crew $50,000 in prize money.
After acting as purser of the Boston Navy Yard for a time, he transferred to USS Chesapeake. He was on board that vessel during the battle against the HMS Shannon on June 1, 1813. According to some accounts, Chew supported the mortally wounded Captain James Lawrence as he uttered his famous last command: “Don’t give up the ship.” Chew was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia as a Prisoner of War after the battle, but was quickly exchanged. We went on to serve as purser on board several other US Navy ships as well as for the New York Navy Yard. He resigned from the Navy on March 12, 1821. He died in 1846.
Chew’s shirt, 19th century
The purser was the ship’s commercial agent, purser, grocer, and storekeeper all in one. His duties required a high degree of organization and business acumen. They included keeping the ship’s pay and muster rolls and paying the officers and crews.
His trousers, 19th century
He was responsible for procuring and issuing provisions to the crew. In addition, the purser ran a ship’s shop where the men could buy clothing, hygiene articles, utensils, knives, ribbons, needles, thread, mustard, chocolate, coffee, tea, sugar, and tobacco. In order to keep track of everything, the purser had to keep detailed accounts in accordance with naval regulations. During a battle, the purser was stationed in the cockpit to help the surgeon dress the wounded. He received $40.00 per month and two rations per day.
The red suspenders, 19th century
But it was not only the pay of the purser that was enticing but also the opportunity to make large profits by selling clothing and supplies to the crew at sea. Since there was no competition and the 450 men and boys aboard a frigate represented a steady market, there was room for extraordinary profits.
His stays, c. 1810-1820
Because he earned so well, he could of course dress in the latest and best fashions from Europe. Underneath he wore the finest trousers, red suspenders, and shirts, and even a man’s corset or stay. Men’s stays were also used in the army, for hunting, and for strenuous exercise. In the opinion of the fashion magazine of the time, this gave him an aristocratic look, and that was what he was after. Even though he continued to serve in the Navy, he was still a wealthy gentleman and he wanted to show that through his appearance.
I’m sure we’re all on that list of the Feebs, trigger words or not.
I have no experience with Air Fryers, but the name makes me crazy. AFAICT, they fry nothing.
-Kle.
‘Air Fryer’ sounds more sexy than ‘Air Convection Heat Cooker.’
All about the marketing.
Think small oven
It’s not small. It’s sitting on a counter, but it’s a full-sized oven.
Mark Twain was brilliant in oh so many ways.
NATO. I guess the promise made to the Russians to not move NATO membership eastward is off the table after the invasion of Ukraine.
Dollar. Due to the fine work of the Biden regime the dollar has peaked and is now on the down slope toward eventual obscurity.
Purser. Another interesting look through the window into the past. As always, thanks LL.
Air Fryer. I have a Cuisinart that has an air fryer setting. I use it quite a bit on vegetables and it works well. I do agree with KLE that it is not actually frying but I do not know what the correct term would be so air fryer works as well as anything else. I usually grill baked potatoes but may give the air fryer a try.
Lists. Yeah, we are all on some kind of list.
As stated above, it’s air convection cooking, basically blowing really friggin hot air over and around the food item.
It’s one of the techniques along with microwave ovens, boil-in-bag and other non-oil splattering ways of cooking that are being looked at for non-Earth cooking methods to be used on stations and bases and long-distance travels.
Totally agree on lists. If you haven’t done something to get on a government list, you haven’t done anything.
Everyone who is anyone is either on a watch list or they’re homicidal tranny,
The dollar is only as good as the government backing it – nothing to worry about here, sigh.
The historical tidbits are always interesting but for some reason, while reading this one, I was reminded of a fiction story: the main character, under a new name, visits a place where he had(once upon a time) made history. There were placards on everything saying what the old version had done/ written/said. At which point he was afraid to go into the bathroom.
Sounds similar to an episode of Firefly, where Jane found a statue of himself.
The story was “This Immortal”, by Zelazny. There was also a B-5 episode where one alien got quite insulted by the doll version of him.
A Lando doll/action figure as I recall.
Yep – missing some important items.
Parts that were important to Lando and his mojo.
“Stay in your lane” is another doofy social term millennials use when someone invades their personal space, which I find hilarious as it’s not really a proper comment. That said, I switch lanes all the time, usually to get around the Prius driver who wants everyone to slow down to their preferred speed. Yeah, I’m a rebel against the Woke idiocy.
Twain/Seeds- The problem we have now is those seeds have sprouted on The Left. It’s Spring (actually showed up here today), time to fire up the weed wacker and cut them off at the root before they take over the plot. (another metaphor for today)
Been threatening to get an Air Fryer, a versatile appliance.
I was at a meeting about the new high school that was being proposed in my county. Very ornate. One of the other people at the meeting told another gentleman that he should stay in his lane. Indicating that since he was older with no school age kids he should just shut up and color. Gentleman politely reminded the women that about 34% of his property taxes were for education so he, and everybody else at the meeting that did not have school age kids had a very vested interest in how the money was spent.
“he should just shut up and color” Wow, I would have paid good money to watch that exchange.
Ignorance affords those types the ability to comment on other peoples lives (ie. move into someone’s lane at will) with little understanding of the facts. When you explain reality they often tend to get “triggered”.
I’m finding it a good thing to be a bit older, affords a certain calmness with twits, what I call “the cowboy knowing smile”.
He should have told that b-itch to either write him a check for that 34%, at which point he would gladly stay in his own lane, or she should shut the hello up.
On another subject, I wonder if Jeremy is upset that they’re watching Chad, but not him.
Seen elsewhere – this is the month that the mRHA jabs for livestock are getting started. People in rural areas will still have access to uncontaminated meat, but city folk will have problems.
mRNA.
I’ll be having Easter dinner with rancher neighbors, will ask about this insanity. MrsPaulM is a DVM, has not gotten any notifications.
I misread the article – my sleep pattern varies day-by-day, so I’m in a frequent zombie state. Read this one just before sleeping again. It’s a report on successfully getting mice mRNA vaccinated by using jabbed cow’s milk.
So, it appears they are working on it but they aren’t quite there yet.
At least, that’s what they say…
Guess it would be better to post comments after waking up rather than just before laying down.
Every last one of these deranged lab rats and their bosses doing this Mengele crap, subversively screwing around with our food supply, should get them a direct trip to see God face to face. Gettin’ old.
Read where Iowa State Univ. is two years into a four year study which is supposed to show how healthy cattle are from receiving automatic mRNA injects – I think it was via a pump but I’d have to go back and re-read the bragging post by ISU.
“The people invent their oppressors, and the oppressors serve the function for which they are invented.”
I’m not entirely sure how to parse that, but I’d note that in the USA of 2023, the people doing the worst oppressing are exactly those who claim to be the most oppressed. So my take on Twain is “The oppressors invent their own [history of] oppression, then use it as justification for oppressing others.” It’s hard to imagine a society where Negroes (on the whole) or transssexuals, to take but two examples, are treated so preferentially and deferentially, yet at least some of them kvetch incessantly and loudly about how they are so cruelly oppressed. The reader may be able to think of other felicitous groups that nonetheless kvetch about how they have no voice, no power, no economic influence, etc. Such a cruel world we live in, isn’t it? Even a stone would weep.
The Holodomor never happened. It’s all anti-Soviet propaganda. But if it did happen, those stupid Ukrainian peasants did it to themselves. (And we will conveniently forget the Volgan German farmers who had been brought in to modernize farming methods in the admittedly backward Ukraine and were especially targeted.) Okay, IF the Holodomor did happen, and not because of the stupidity of Ukrainian peasants, then it was reactionary forces that caused it. Molotov and Kaganovich, you say? Awkward. Well, if the Holodomor did happen, and it was directed by M&K, well, it wasn’t so bad. Besides, we mustn’t talk about it, because it’s a “competing narrative”. The competing narrative is NOT my phrase, it’s from supposedly scholarly academics commenting on the the history of the USSR and how the alleged suffering during the Holodomor compares with really important suffering.
Does Sally Rooney give away her novels and other writing? Surely there are persons out there who NEED it. She (supposedly) has the ability to provide writing. I think it’s obvious what she therefore must do. For that matter, some people need her writing. Maybe other people need her ladyparts. Would not a good Marxist make those freely available as well?
Finally, isn’t an “air fryer” essentially a tiny convection oven?
Tonight Tucker said the same as your opening lines with the conclusion it makes them very dangerous.
Finland is an ‘unintended consequence’ of Putin’s failure in Ukraine, and It will be interesting to see how he/Russia react to it, now that the whole Baltic is effectively a NATO sea. Air ‘fryers’ are good for our aging health… And now I want a baked tater… LOL
The Finland-Russian border is largely not garrisoned due to the adventure in Ukraine. There is some leg infantry and a smattering of mech…but it’s thin.
You can just opt for the potato skins with bacon & melted cheese if you want to feel your arteries crackle when you stand up from the table.
Putin blathered on about how basically Finland will rue the day they joined NATO and he’ll give them their comeuppance, really (as he stomps his feet and flails his hands during a hissy fit tantrum.)
Seriously, this is the first time since before the first time the Soviets attacked Finland that Finland has actual ‘We’ll really get involved this time’ allies versus the ‘We’re sitting on our hands so have fun doing all the heavy work’ allies like the first time (and having Nazi Germany on their side for the second time.)
It’s kind of funny to watch the ‘Putin is far stronger than you think’ people act like Putin has anything left in the military barrel short of nukes.
Seriously, Kazakstan has the ability to stand up to Russia and say ‘GTFO’ over the Baikonur space port. And there’s nothing that Russia can do, short of the aforementioned nukes.
And I’m really wondering how many actual fully-functioning nukes the Russkies still have, and fully-functioning nuke delivery systems. My suspicion is far fewer than the Pentagon thinks. Probably enough to cause trouble, though.
“far fewer than the Pentagon thinks”
Like the missile race under Kennedy. The CIA was wrong. Again.
Actually, “missile gap”.
The Russians likely do have nuclear weapons that will detonate. The delivery systems may or may not get them to the desired target but you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
This is a long post but a good one. Global Reserve Currency, Fighting Sail, the FBI, baked potatoes, air friers, violent incels, Marxists and more. My takeaway?
Time to do a quick hitting post featuring Redpilled, Stacey, Chad and “just be the first.” Dare you to beat me to it.
The SWAT team would strike at dawn…
Regarding the Purser, it was also the position that most attracted very corrupt people. Charge full price for rotten clothes. Record the full price of good food and pocket the difference between what should have been paid for and what was actually purchased (whether lesser amounts, poorer qualities, or lesser and poorer.) Charging for just about everything possible, whether it’s allowed or not. Working with corrupt suppliers and outfitters to screw over the ship, the owners, the government.
And it still is going on today. After all, just look at Fat Leonard.
Commissariats back to the time of the Marian reforms and even before that have been profit centers for the less honorable in armies across cultures.
Judas was the treasurer for Jesus Christ and the apostles…and that didn’t end well for anyone including Judas.
That last sentence, never thought of it that way. Perspective is important.
Yet what really screwed Judas, once he shuffled off his mortal coil, was that by committing suicide he committed a Mortal Sin, the Sin of Despair, which is a direct ride to Hell.
Funny, not condemned for all eternity for the Betrayal, but for self-slabbing.
(As to suicide, if one is in real pain and there’s no going back, I don’t see ending one’s life as a mortal sin. It’s when things can still work out that the mortal sin thing comes into play.)
Twain: Every civilization carries the seeds of its own destruction, and the same cycle shows in them all.
Just like how we now understand germs, humans no longer have to accept this as a fixed and unchangeable aspect of human ecology.
EL – I’d like to think that is the case, but have my doubts. I’m reluctant to share some contemporary situations I’m involved in. But human folly seems to reign supreme.
Perhaps I should have written some humans no longer have to accept this. But I score it a victory that the few people who prefer to have their mental model match reality were able to see through the covid/jab non-sense so easily.
I’d been thinking of an air fryer for a while, so tha KS for the semi-review and comments on a baked potato.
I do like a crispy skin.
You all be safe and God bless. And have a blessed Easter.