Open thread 4/18/24
An answer to a question a lot of people ask:
My own experience is that there is certainly a somewhat higher percentage of gay male ballet dancers than the percentage of gay people in the general population. But it’s by no means an extremely high percentage. And a heterosexual male dancer is in a fabulous position to find willing female partners, if you get my drift.
John Derbyshire attends ballets. Years ago he was told by someone in the business that male homosexuals accounted for 100% of the choreographers, 50% of the dancers, and 25% of the male fans. (The only choreographer a layman is likely to have heard of is George Balanchine, who was married over and over, though he did not sire any children).
The educational apparat in Scotland is now run by paedophiles and their enablers.
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https://blazingcatfur.ca/2024/04/18/scottish-primary-schools-urged-to-ask-four-year-olds-if-they-are-gay-or-trans/
Much depends on whether a strong ballet culture exists in a country. In Russia, Denmark, or France, it may be less likely that a male ballet dancer is gay than in the US, where ballet is a much more marginal activity that men aren’t expected to go into. Or it may just be that people are more likely to know the name of a straight male Russian, French, or Danish dancer or choreographer, while US male dancers are relatively unknown. It does seem like the US doesn’t produce many native-born straight male choreographers. Not since Busby Berkeley or Bob Fosse anyway.
Regarding Biden’s comment about his uncle and cannibals, the thing that struck me most was his speaking seemed more slowed, like he was half asleep, than any other time I recall hearing him.
Next week is Passover, so I would expect Israel’s enemies will launch additional attacks just because of that.
At, or just after, the Passover observance with his disciples, Jesus instituted the church observance sometimes called “The Lord’s Supper ” or “Communion” . A kind of very abbreviated mini spiritual Passover “meal” with unleavened bread and wine for Christians. So Passover is also a kind of ” anniversary” of the founding of “communion” for Christians, with all it’s symbolism.
While Christians of ethnic Jewish background, and even some non Jewish Christians observe Passover, Christians would do well to remember the roots of “Communion.”
As in music… early in the arts, they can be victims of homosexuals, who then normalize this. often, they are preyed on for being lonely and not having contemporary friends.
over and over attempts were made from the time i was 9 or so. about 5 years before i performed at Avery Fischer hall, Lincoln center…
My cousin who graduated Julliard was at Alice Tully Hall…
he died of aids.
[once your old enough not to be fetished by gay men, the stream of people attempting to get you dies out]
On another note.
IF anyone talks to you about income inequality, or wealth inequality, tell them to take a hike…
unless the left pairs the 11 million coming over the border with 11 million wealthy people to be equal, they are always loading one side of the scale with people who never even had a day to try to work towards a more equitable income.
duh
Joe Biden delivered a stern warning to Israeli leaders on Wednesday, “Don’t move on Haifa!”
JOE BIDEN: “I made it clear to the Israelis — don’t move on Haifa!”
So now he is worried they will attack themselves?
(Haifa is the 2nd largest city in israel)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13320581/chinatown-nyc-building-owner-katana-sword-gang-attack.html
Shocking moment building owner slashes brute with a huge katana sword after gang urinated on his NYC apartment and attacked him during ‘Sinophobic attack’
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When asked, people said
“There is a right way, and there is the Ong way”
the day that Iran launched a missile and UAV attack on Israel, that Israel manufactures artificially-fertilized fetuses by the thousands. He described these as “robots made of flesh, explained that this is why it doesn’t bother Israel to massacre children, and added: “This collective must be annihilated.” “We Are Not Fighting Human Beings On The Other Side”; Israel Manufactures “Robots Made Of Flesh”; “This Collective Must Be Annihilated” Saeed Ghasemi: “Since this [Israel] regime is a regime of bastards…
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I thought Boston Dynamics was in the US…
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the local labor market would benefit from an influx of workers seeking asylum in the United States legally but who are now stuck in crowded shelters in big cities like New York as they await work permits. “ All are welcome in Kansas City,” Lucas said Tuesday in a social media post in which he shared a Bloomberg.com article that quoted him saying the Kansas City area could use more workers for its burgeoning economy.
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What could go wrong?
ATHEIST Richard Dawkins Says He Regrets Decline of Christianity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-zyK5sgluw
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He is now funding research into how to turn a pickle back to a cucumber.
he finds that he liked things better before it was all sour
similarly, feminists are discovering they blew themselves up by taking the path that they did.. for each that had no kids, another has to have 5. for each that isnt going to have any, the draft will be open… for those who change their minds, the men are so alienated, the ladies debase themselves like in Russia… yeah, thats why they wore those thigh high sex boots there… and dressed like Kupu Kupu Malang… they been there done that..
with DEI, and 11 million strong entering (some from foreign militaries), our power systems weak (hail can destroy solar – so a shock wave can end a farm while missing it by miles). As feminists declared a point of target the memory, we had held in ourselves and not written, and passed on, has neutered men from having abilities like their past. they are unmotivated and think the opposition is a better team. Ovens might be coming (see DEI again)..
now now.. dont tut tut..
there is no enough social menory to find our way back
and there is not enough cohesion or education to work it out
Trump exposed that “our democracy” was the sovereign democracy, not the republic fraklyn dared us to hold on to
Hope yall studied how to live in such places
there is so much that reflects that now, including controllng prices and their ignoring supreme court judgements… etc.
they even pre loaded the system with the beleive in white supremecists… that way, if the people ever do wake up to the conversion, who do you think will step into the crap suit? and if not, then what?
oh this is going to be so much fun!
and it will happen fast…
like a bug landing on a petri dish and the liquid instantly turns to ice..
what if we are going to go to hell in a handbasket
but i say, if warnings failed, at least you can enjoy the ride
because by the time things are clearer
its way too late..
I agree with neo. When I danced, only one of the five(?) males in the productions (college, overlap) was gay. I took it because I was already drifting towards MA and ballet is very similar. I think Paul Gilbert (straight) went on to become a paid dancer. Know nothing further about the others.
Art Deco:
Derbyshire was told wrong. The first two figures are too high, the third one probably too low (especially for the most fervent fans).
However, what you wrote got me thinking about how few choreographers, period, there are – at least, choreographers who composed works that are very good or memorable, or whose names are remembered even by ballet fans. There have been a few excellent choreographers who account for virtually all the ballets that are often performed, and not that many of them are Americans (although some are immigrants who have become Americans). I may write something about that at some point.
“I thought Boston Dynamics was in the US…”
With all due respect, I’d like to helpfully suggest that you may want to read up on the latest developments in “embodied AI”, before using Boston Dynamics as an archetypal example.
Regarding Jon Baker’s comment…
President Simulacrum stated the following about his uncle, as reported by Reuters:
“He flew single-engine planes, reconnaissance flights over New Guinea. He had volunteered because someone couldn’t make it. He got shot down in an area where there were a lot of cannibals in New Guinea at the time,” Biden told reporters in Scranton moments after visiting the granite memorial.
“They never recovered his body. But the government went back, when I went down there, and they checked and found some parts of the plane and the like,” he said.
The man in question was 2 Lt. Ambrose J. Finnegan, Jr. – one of four crewmen aboard an A-20 attack bomber (serial 42-86768) that crashed at sea – possibly due to engine trouble – during at attempted ditching on May 14, 1944, while on an administrative flight from Los Negros Island to Nadzab. There was one survivor. Thus, the plane wasn’t shot down and no wreckage ever was (or could have been) recovered. In light of technology of the 1940s – very-pre-GPS – the precise location of its crash will forever remain unknown.
See full details at PacificWrecks.com:
https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/a-20/42-86768.html
And so it goes.
This is a beautiful song in its meaning. The song follows a pattern of ” I’m calling on the God of …” for help with various Biblical persons inserted , Old and New Testament such as Jacob, Moses, David, Mary.
This is You Tube so I cannot control what adds pop up before the song.
https://youtu.be/LawxIZE9ePE?si=0AzfcQ6hqpnSzPDL
Dickie Betts has died. Always loved the Allman Brothers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSMubgZoL58
Greetings, artfldgr.
Global Imams Council (GIC) statements:
1) GIC’s Statement on Iran’s Escalation and Terrorism
2) Global Imams Council Issues Statement Condemning Iran’s Attack On Israel
One of the few conservative posts to talk about what to do rather than complaining about the left. What he says is obvious, but it’s ignored by most conservatives. Someone was complaining about a drag show and pride parade in his conservative town in a red state. Kelly discusses how the left understands choke points and uses them to exert power.
“Which brings us to your town. You know that library you drive by on the way to work every day? Do you even look at it?
No. You don’t.
Guess who does. The communist does. You see a library. He sees a choke point.
Guess where a lot of ‘Drag Time Story Hour’ events take place? Public libraries. “
Obviously get on the library board, complain and make noise but most conservatives just want to be left alone. That is why we are losing the cultural war.
https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2024/04/17/jesse-kelly-thread-on-why-communism-wins-and-how-to-beat-it-n2395176
More about Ukraine’s military manpower shortage. They need 500,000 more soldiers.
More could be said, but this is a problem the US cannot solve. Leaving aside whether or not the West can supply a sufficient amount of air defense/ammunition, Russia continues to grind on. If Chasiv Yar falls, it will expose a large portion of eastern Ukraine.
Zelensky signs law overhauling Ukraine’s mobilization rules
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/16/europe/zelensky-signs-mobilization-law-intl-latam/index.html
Ukraine War Maps Reveal Possible Russian Advances Into Fortress Cities
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-war-maps-russia-chasiv-yar-kostyantynivka-1890142
Welcome back, Dodger!
Yep but the first goal was to obstruct, delay, if not stop all military aid to Ukraine. The delay and obstruct mission succeeded for Vlad.
The ongoing mission.is to shape the narrative; that Ukraine can never win even if they get all the military aid that is needed.
Another narrative shaping exercise is to portray that needed military aid as a risk leading to nuclear war because Russia will regard it as provocative and escalatory.
So Brain E is working the narrative shaping operations, because as a realist, Russia cannot, and must not loose in Ukraine. After all NATO is of no use now that the USSR is gone and Russia has proven to be a civilized neighbor and respectful of international norms and agreements.
And when did Newsweek regain it’s credibility?
Brian:
Do you even read what you post here? According to the things you’ve posted here the last few weeks:
1) Russian troops in Ukraine outnumber Ukrainian troops 10 to 1.
2) Russian troops are well supplied with weapons and ammunition while the Ukrainians have run out of everything.
and 3) Russian weapons are far superior to the American and NATO weapons that the Ukrainians are forced to fight with.
Yet somehow, with all of these massive advantages, the Russians have only managed to capture a few square kilometers of territory in the past year at a cost of thousands of Russian armored vehicles and tens of thousands of dead Russian soldiers.
How do you square that circle? Are the Ukrainian soldiers super soldiers able to destroy Russian armor with their bare hands? Have the woodland creatures of eastern Ukraine risen up against the Russians in support of their human countrymen?
How can the things you post be true while Russian advances are so limited and costly?
And then, Brian, there’s the moral component of what you write.
Russia is genociding the Ukraine. If what you write is true and the Ukrainian resistance is about to fall, then we need to be mobilizing NATO, preparing large numbers of advanced weapons for war, and moving everything into place. That’s the only moral response to large-scale genocide in Europe.
Or does “Never Again” only apply to the Jews?
I second (or third) the welcome-back of artfldgr! Hail Dodger!
Now… may I recommend the podcast The Witch Trials of JK Rowling? Really made me think. Didn’t change my mind – but I did have to think about why, or why not. And that, as we know, is valuable.
It’s only, I think, 7 episodes. It includes lengthy segments with the woman herself, but also segments with some thoughtful trans people (thoughtful but, upon consideration, in my opinion, not quite thoughtful enough). And the interviewer used to be a vocal member of Westboro Baptist, and hence has a lot of insight into how we can deceive ourselves or at least cut off debate that might challenge us.
Highly recommended.
Why You Can’t Be an Iran Hawk and a Russia Dove
mkent,
“1) Russian troops in Ukraine outnumber Ukrainian troops 10 to 1.”
A Ukrainian commander said they were outnumbered 10-1. It’s possible CNN just made that up. I doubt it’s the entire front which is 800 km long, but some parts of it. It points out that Ukraine needs more soldiers. That’s well documented. Remember that it requires about three times the number of troops to go on offense than defend fortified positions. The stated goal of Ukraine is to drive Russia out of all territory gained after the “Revolution of Dignity.” They are going to need more soldiers.
“2) Russian troops are well supplied with weapons and ammunition while the Ukrainians have run out of everything.”
I don’t remember saying that or linking to anything that said that– though Russia does have an advantage in ammunition and weapons. It’s a lot more complicated than the delayed $60 billion– of which about $13 billion is intended to purchase weapons and ammunition.
The Europeans promised 1 million artillery shells in 2024, but could only deliver 500,000. It will take until the end of the year to produce the rest. We are ramping up production but are only producing around 90,000 per month and some of those has to go to replenishing our own stockpiles.
Zelensky made an appeal for at least 7 more Patriot systems– and at this point only Germany has committed to one system. My understanding the system costs about $1 billion for the entire system.
“3) Russian weapons are far superior to the American and NATO weapons that the Ukrainians are forced to fight with.”
I’ve never said that. American and NATO weapons are superior. Look at the difference between S-400 and Patriot air defense systems. The Patriot system is also at least twice the price.
A couple of reasons why the Russians are making slow progress. It’s their military system. Without air dominance, which neither side has been able to establish, this is how the war is being waged.
Ukrainian soldiers are very good. They have also had the advantage of holding the high ground on most of the areas in the front such as Vuhledar and Chasiv Yar, as well as fortified cities such as Bakhmut and Avdivka.
“Russia is genociding the Ukraine”
As to genocide, that term is overused both in Ukraine and Gaza. It is defined as a mass extermination of a particular group of people. Neither wars rises to the level of genocide.
My position has been that Ukraine should have been realistic– suffered the ignominy of loss of the Donbas and Crimea and spent the money creating defensible borders and building up their military capability. In other words, building on the Istanbul negotiations.
Om, it’s hard to hide the battlefield. Russia is at the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, which is very important to the middle of the front.
Damage to the Russian Black Sea fleet is very clever by the Ukrainians, but doesn’t gain on meter of territory.
Taking out the Kerch bridge won’t have the effect of forcing Russia to abandon Crimea.
I have read that the sanctions is having more effect as India has lowered it’s levels of purchases. Because of that Russia has lowered production. Which makes damaging refineries counterproductive.
The farther Russia pushes west just makes it harder and more costly in manpower for Ukraine.
At some point Ukraine is going to have to face up to the likelihood that they aren’t getting all of the territory back.
The problem with all this is Russia, at this point has no incentive to negotiate and the terms would be a bitter pill for Ukraine. The best time would have been right after Ukraine pushed Russia out of Kherson and Kharkiv in 2022.
”As to genocide, that term is overused both in Ukraine…”
Genocide is more than a mass killing. It is the intentional destruction of a people. Russia’s stated intention is to destroy Ukraine as a nation, as a people, and as a culture. This was printed in official Russian state media and confirmed by Putin’s right-hand man.
This is why Russia has abducted 20,000 Ukrainian children and taken them back to Russia and forcibly sent thousands of others to “boarding schools” in Crimea (to convert them into Russians). Over 100,000 Ukrainians have been disbursed throughout Siberia after having had their papers taken. It shouldn’t be surprising. It’s an old Russian tactic dating back hundreds of years.
There can be no negotiations with an army intending to destroy your people. Ukraine either wins, or it ceases to exist. They are not going to give up. They want their land back. They want their people back. Most of all, they want their children back.
Europe is preparing for war. They know that if Ukraine falls, they are next. The Trumpers thought that by cutting off American aid and showing weakness that they could appease the Russian bear. Instead, they’re turning a regional war into a world war. Shades of 1938.
As Churchill said of Chamberlain, they had a choice between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. If what you say is true (and I hope it is not), we’ll all have war.
mkent,
Were these children orphans?
As to the war spreading to other countries in Europe. Do you agree that Europe has the financial ability to defend themselves, and given their debt load compared to the US are in a better position to pay for defending themselves?
”Were these children orphans?”
The stories I’ve read of parents trying to get them back suggest not, but it doesn’t matter. We would never have allowed the Japanese to cart off 20,000 American orphans in 1943.
”Do you agree that Europe has the financial ability to defend themselves…”
They have the financial but not the technical ability to defend themselves. NATO is an integrated force. Only the USA and, to a lesser extent, France and the UK, have the ability to fight independently. The rest of NATO is designed to fight as an integrated whole, not alone.
For example, Finland has a lot of artillery and a million-man reserve, but its air force and navy are not sophisticated. The Netherlands, by contrast, has a sophisticated air force, but its army is pretty small. But the two forces are designed to work together, with the Dutch air force providing air support for the Finnish artillery.
Because the United States is a global power and not just a regional power, it needs to have and does have a large number of sophisticated (and expensive) systems known as “force multipliers” — AWACS to monitor air space 400 km out, J-STARS to track every vehicle on the battlefield, a large tanker fleet to refuel aircraft all over the world, a large logistics fleet to send a large force anywhere in the world, a large fleet of intelligence-gathering satellites, etc.
No-one else can provide those things at scale, and while we can fight a sophisticated enemy without NATO, NATO can’t really fight a sophisticated enemy without us. It’s not designed to. So if NATO does need to fight a large war in Europe, it would be Europeans pulling most of the triggers and Americans providing most of the force multipliers. That saves the Europeans a lot of money, yes, but it also keeps the American casualty count low.
That setup benefits America in other ways too. It establishes America as the undisputed global superpower, which means it is American, not European, foreign and economic policy that rules the day throughout much of the world. We can operate in South America, or Asia, or the Indian Ocean without having Germany or Poland, or France showing up and demanding a different policy. A sizable chunk of our economy depends on that.
Like with the war in Ukraine recently, America not showing up doesn’t end the war, it just makes it longer and bloodier. If the war spills over into the rest of Europe, the same thing will happen there, except there will be Americans getting killed too.
The Russian war on Ukraine and the Hamas/regional war on Israel have this in common: These are declared to be holy wars. The Russian Orthodox Church recently repeated its insistence that restoring the russkiy mir, the Russian world, is a holy obligation.
https://anglican.ink/2024/04/17/russian-orthodox-church-declares-fighting-in-ukraine-a-holy-war/
Also, this morning, Israel has made a limited strike on Iran, apparently on a major air base near Isfahan.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-strikes-site-iran-retaliation-weekend-assault
Great point!
For Whom the Bell Trolls…,
Brain E discovers Chasiv Yar, which even the Ukrainians know is important tactically in the Russian 2 year goal to advance beyond Bakmut.
I would encourage Brain E to consider viewing “Reporting From Ukraine” on YouTube where the situation there is assessed. It is from a Ukrainian perspective so Brain E may recoil at a non Russophile slant.
Brain E also brings up (like a submarine – Kursk) the absent Russian Black Sea Fleet and that navies aren’t armies. Somehow ignoring the role of navies supporting armies in invasions of an enemy who has a large coastline. Another sad trombone, but not for Yanukovych this time.
Shaping the narrative is Brain E’s self appointed role for Vlad.
”I would encourage Brain E to consider viewing ‘Reporting From Ukraine’ on YouTube…”
Perun, H. I. Sutton, RFU…I like your playlist.
mkent,
I consider removing children from a war zone a good thing. Where else would Russian authorities take them but to Russian territory away from the war?
During the conflict children are sometimes separated from families. Some have been returned when it’s proven they have legal guardians. After the war is over, I suspect there will be a concerted effort by the international community to identify and return children with families. That will or should be part of the settlement.
I’m not ready to condemn Russia at this point, based on the stories in the western media.
I have first hand experience adopting a child from a war zone. We adopted a boy orphaned by the Liberia civil war.
—-
This article describes some of the circumstances of Russian authorities removing children.
Unlawful Transfer: Inside The Russian System To Take Ukraine’s Children
https://www.rferl.org/a/inside-russian-system-taking-ukraine-children/32437567.html
mkent,
In one sentence you question why Russia is making such slow progress against Ukraine who are suffering a shortage a weapons, and in the next you’re saying NATO needs to get ready for WWIII.
The EU has a gdp 10 times that of Russia, has all the sophisticated weapons we have– we sold them to NATO countries, but doesn’t have the ability to successfully defeat Russia unless we’re leading the way.
That doesn’t make sense. It’s time for the European countries to buy more weapons, and maybe go to night school in modern western warfare.
om said, “Brain E also brings up (like a submarine – Kursk) the absent Russian Black Sea Fleet and that navies aren’t armies. Somehow ignoring the role of navies supporting armies in invasions of an enemy who has a large coastline.”
Russia ruled out an amphibious assault of Odessa early on. Ukraine won’t be attacking Crimea from the sea anytime soon. Crimea is important to Russia for many reasons, including the naval base– but it doesn’t factor into the war with Ukraine.
Brain E can’t recognize that invading a country, killing the adults and then taking the children who survive the invasion off to the invader’s country is a bad thing. You would think he would recognize that is one of the ways invaders destroy the victim’s identity and culture. You might recognize that, Native Americans recognized that, other targeted, victimized cultures recognized that, but Brain E? Nope.
Regarding your child from Liberia, you weren’t one of the warring factions were you? Russia isn’t acting as a disinterested party only concerned for the welfare of the children. You do recognize, Brain E that forced replacement of ethic groups in disputed areas controlled by Russian is a centuries old practice? Probably not.
Brain E responds that Russia ruled out an invasion by sea to menace the Odessa region, and of course, liberate parts of Moldova.
Quaint spin for Vlad, almost propaganda.
The Russian guided missile cruiser Moldova was “ruled out,” their large amphibious landing ships have been “ruled out,” some of their dry docks have been “ruled out,” one of their modern diesel electric submarines has been “ruled out.” The Kerch Straits bridge has to be protected by substantial resources to keep it from being “ruled out.”
It appears that Vlad may have difficulty supplying the Crimea from the Black Sea, a “ruled out” effect. Does Brain E realize that ships are the most effective method to move large, bulky, explody, military things, if the ships aren’t “ruled out?”
Brain E doesn’t seem to acknowledge that Ukraine’s rule out of the Russian maritime assets takes away a capability of Russia to menace all of Ukraine, not just those parts that border Russia or the vassal state Belarus? That of course doesn’t count the continued menace posed by aerial attack from missiles and drones which may at times hit non-civilians.
https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1781337136572022891