Open thread 9/8/2026
Hidden talents – Charles Aznavour:
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The AfD does very well in the recent German elections in Saxony-Anhalt
It was predicted, and it has come to pass: Exit polls in the Saxony-Anhalt state election saw Alternative for Germany — an “extremist” party backed by Elon Musk — secure 44.5% of the vote for its candidates, with Merz’s CDU … Continue reading →
Happy Labor Day
[NOTE: This is a slightly edited version of a previous post.] Labor Day is the bookend standing at the opposite end of summer from its holiday beginning, Memorial Day. July Fourth is summer’s early peak, with the promise of long … Continue reading →
Open thread 9/7/2026
A restrained AI spam comment
As I said, the new AI spam comment generator is very very clever. But this comment gives itself away. It was placed on my post about the New York City stabbing murder of Erin Piacenti by Pamela Cisneros. The AI … Continue reading →
A lost skill
What is it? Driving a stick shift: Recent research shows that this once-ubiquitous ability is increasingly becoming a lost art. Only 18% of Americans know how to use a stick shift — with the number even lower among younger drivers. … Continue reading →
The Lindsay Clancy possibilities
In discussions of the Lindsay Clancy case, I’ve seen a lot of misunderstanding of psychosis, especially the fact that in some instances a person can plan and function while under the sway of psychosis. The word “insanity” is actually fairly … Continue reading →
Open thread 9/5/2026
The new AI spam comment generator is very very clever
I’m a connoisseur of blog spam. I’ve seen a great deal of it in my time, almost always trapped in the spam filter. I’d divide it into several categories. The first is the simple advertisement, usually for porn websites. It … Continue reading →
The Clancy jury apparently will end in a mistrial
A mistrial was my prediction, because I think this has been an inherently difficult case to decide and reasonable people can differ. It involves an especially heinous and heartbreaking crime, the murder of three young children by their mother. But … Continue reading →
California doesn’t really care if you’re a citizen or not when you vote
A feature, not a bug: First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said that the arrest of the Honduran national in California for allegedly unlawfully registering to vote shows the state’s vulnerability. Essayli told Bill Melugin on Fox News: “This … Continue reading →
Open thread 9/4/2026
Point: Counter point:
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