Open thread 5/12/2025
When I was young, my mother still called the refrigerator the icebox:
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Happy Mother’s Day!
[NOTE: This is a slightly-edited repeat of my traditional Mother’s Day post. It was written while my mother was still alive.] Okay, who are these three dark beauties? A hint: one of them is one of the very first pictures … Continue reading →
“Gloria” in three iterations
I had very vaguely remembered the hit song of the 80s entitled “Gloria,” sung by Laura Branigan, but that was about it for my knowledge of the song. But the other day I came across this version of a Leonard … Continue reading →
Meet the potential 51st state: Alberta
I don’t think Alberta will actually secede from Canada. But it’s being seriously considered, at least by some people: Alberta doesn’t belong in this Canada. That’s not treason. It’s not even radical. It’s a simple observation of cultural, economic, and … Continue reading →
Ceasefire announced between India and Pakistan – but does it have any meaning?
Reports are that it was violated almost immediately, but who knows? This is from CNN, so take it with the usual grain of salt: India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire on Saturday, unexpectedly halting the worst fighting in … Continue reading →
Ras Baraka, ICE, New Jersey, and dear old dad
Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, was arrested yesterday: Authorities arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for allegedly trespassing and ignoring warnings from the feds to leave an ICE facility. The facility holds alleged violent criminals, such as MS-13 gang members … Continue reading →
Open thread 5/10/2025
US higher education is no meritocracy, and that doesn’t seem to be changing
That’s the premise of this article: For most of its history, America’s higher-education system, for all its flaws, operated around a hard but fair rule: Raw intellectual firepower mattered. Talent mattered. The ability to retain information and apply it correctly … Continue reading →
Melatonin: not so great?
Here’s an article saying that melatonin has not been shown to help with chronic insomnia: In a culture that believes there’s a pill for every problem, melatonin seems just what the doctor ordered. It’s a natural hormone whose production the … Continue reading →
Art for non-art’s sake: the Times Square monument to our age
A recent development in the world of art is the installation of a statue in Times Square. While the virtue-signaling have been busy pulling down heroic statues of white men, they are erecting this sort of thing in their stead: … Continue reading →
Open thread 5/9/2025
Don’t miss the ending, when a girl gets turned into a spinning top:
Continue reading →Bernie Sanders, man of the people
Sanders isn’t one of the richest of politicians, but he’s got a few million.
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