Finally!!!

Posted on by August 16, 2023

One down, and a bunch to go…

After less than five years in service, the littoral combat ship Sioux City was decommissioned Monday in a ceremony aboard Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

It was the latest early retirement for the costly and troubled Freedom-class ships, vessels conceived earlier this century that officials now admit stand little chance of surviving a conventional battle against China or another nation’s navy.

Full article, HERE from Navy Times.

Suffice to say, the problems are legion, and the one thing that ISN’T mentioned is how badly beat up the crews were, because they were so short handed…

Good riddance, and the sooner ALL of them are gone, the better!

Book promo…

Posted on by August 15, 2023

Peter Nealen has a new Pallas Group book out, Frontiers of Chaos

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

A killing in Seattle

A massacre in Northern California

A mysterious new client

In the aftermath of what appears to be a targeted killing, a mysterious billionaire approaches Pallas Group Solutions with a new job. He seems to be more interested in their intelligence gathering capability than security.

None of them are prepared for what they find.

In a whirlwind of violence and intrigue, the contractors of Pallas Group plunge into a world of human trafficking and elite capture.

And find themselves on the hunt for an underworld facilitator who’s closer than they expected.

It’s a pursuit from the Pacific Northwest to the Tri-Border Area of South America.

And as the bodies pile up, things can only get darker.

You’ll love this action thriller because it’s as fast and ferocious as a bullet! 

Alma is next, with a new book in her Familiars Generations series- Castles, Creatures, and Nights 

The blurb-

Strange things stalk the nights. Especially nights when the land remembers …

  • Christmas brings surprises both welcome and otherwise for Jude and Shoim. Can they survive the peak of baking season, or will Shoim finally end up in a pie?
  • Mike and Rich find themselves over their heads, assigned to observe delicate diplomatic negotiations in a haunted—perhaps—castle. Abyssal beasts might be easier to survive.
  • Deborah, Hiram, and Art try to prove that they are grown-up magic users. Their parents disagree.
  • How does a Hunter say what he cannot speak, mourn when tears are forbidden?
  • And more!

Jojn the next generation of mages, sorcerers, Healers, and Hunters on a wild trip through nights silent and otherwise.

And Raconteur Press has another 50 word story book out on Friday, Imagine That!

Note- The cover link takes you to the entire series…

No blurb yet, but they are damned good! You’ll enjoy this as much as the others! All based on the random picture you got for the story prompt!!!

And last but certainly NOT least, Monalisa Foster has a story in Analog, the magazine, out now!!! Her story is The Deviltree and it is EXCELLENT!

And the TOC-

And she was good enough to join us electronically yesterday on the youtube broadcast, HERE!

Go get all three, you’ll enjoy them!!!

Stalemate…

Posted on by August 14, 2023

SecDef and Sen Tuberville’s meetings did not result in any compromise over the DOD’s abortion stand (free transport, uncharged leave, etc.) So of course, Austin is having a hissy fit…

With the top spots at the Army, Navy and Marine Corps now vacant, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin blasted Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blanket hold on department confirmations on Monday for “undermining America’s military readiness” and adding stress to an untold number of military families.

“This is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe,” Austin said at a retirement ceremony for Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday in Maryland. “It’s hindering our ability to retain our very best officers and it is upending the lives of far too many American military families.

Full article, HERE from MilitaryTimes.com

There are procedures in place for occurrences like this, but the administration doesn’t like the fact that they aren’t getting their way, so they have to blame somebody, rather than actually compromise… sigh…

And Xiden is overriding the military’s recommendations on personnel for CNO, and I believe, the new CJCS.

I hate to say this, but at this point, I cannot in good conscience recommend the military to anyone…

One of our AL post members (E-8) was on orders, had sold their house, and packed out when the USAF realized they didn’t have the money to actually move him, so they were going to have he and his family live ‘in quarters’ (read the on base temp lodging), until they got money which ‘might’ be Nov-Dec… Since he was selling his house to his relief, who also didn’t have money to move, they cancelled the sale, and he’s retiring next month, not by choice. He and his wife are FED UP with the BS currently going on.

This is odd…

Posted on by August 13, 2023

That this isn’t being mentioned at all in connection with the fires on Maui…

Invasive grasses growing in the abandoned plantations on Maui and Hawaii Island fueled the ongoing wildfires, according to a University of Hawaii at Manoa wildfire expert. 

Clay Trauernicht, an Assistant Specialist at UH Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, said land management is necessary to prevent future wildfires in Hawaii.

Full article, HERE from Spectrum Hawaii.

Right now, all the coverage seems to blame ‘climate change’, not mismanagement of the lands. But this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this.

The devastating fires in California and other spots in the US have been found to have a basis in mismanagement by the states or local entities, like PG&E in California. The ‘new’ procedures adopted by PG&E in the last couple of years have now focused on shutting down power in areas where high winds pop up, not resetting circuits automatically in certain conditions, and trimming limbs/trees back from the powerlines, regardless of the wishes of the greenies.

One of the big issues with the Camp Fire, HERE, was the fact that trees were allowed within feet of homes for ‘green space’, and many homeowners weren’t allowed to trim/cut those trees back.

Also, the lack of controlled burns in a lot of areas have contributed to an excessive buildup of dead/flammable material, and cuts to fire budgets and ‘revised’ policies have limited their ability to deal with these issues before they blow up, like happened in Maui.

Also, the loss of power, IMHO, contributed to the lack of notification to the residents. No power, no internet, no cell towers working makes those ‘automated notifications’ not work as advertised.

Say a prayer for the families of those who died, and are missing, some will probably never be found… May the rest in peace.

Oh lovely…

Posted on by August 12, 2023

If you were writing this one off as another ‘Oh well, Chinese…’

You might want to pay a bit more attention…

Prestige BioTech, a Nevada company fronting for parties in China, was caught operating an “unlicensed laboratory” in Reedley, California in March. State and Fresno County officers raided the facility, and the FBI and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have since been participating in the investigation.

The illegal operation housed white lab mice—773 live and more than 175 dead—that were genetically engineered to carry disease. Authorities also found medical waste and chemical, viral, and biological agents. There were on site at least 20 potentially infectious pathogens including those causing coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis, and herpes.

The lab was supposed to be producing COVID-19 and pregnancy tests, but the facility contained items inconsistent with that explanation. The seizures at the lab strongly suggest China’s regime is preparing to spread diseases in America, undoubtedly in the months before a war.

Full article HERE from The Gatestone Institute.

The Chinese have played the long game for for generations, and are in a negative population growth scenario right now. They know they have the best chance in generations to take control of Taiwan, the second island chain, and other claims as long as the US isn’t standing in their way.

Take that for what it is worth…

Some days…

Posted on by August 11, 2023

You just gotta wonder…

The ‘new’ army persons…

Well, progressive science has since discovered that this supposedly “harmless and educational” game was a ploy to instill patriarchal hegemony in male child-persons, encouraging their feelings of violence and aggression towards diverse cultures. Now that many of these feral youngsters have grown up, their knee-jerk jingoism obstructs the efforts of more enlightened, correct-thinking diplomats in dealing with religions and cultures of genuine peace and benevolence, especially in the Middle East.

In order to educate the new generation of state’s mini-adults about the concept of a modern, correct-thinking army, the United Nations in association with the Obama Administration have created a revised set of plastic army persons for use in state-authorized play activities.

Full article, HERE.

And for you California suckers, er… folks that haven’t left yet, PG&E is going to be an indian giver on that charging for your EV…

It’s been said before, California’s power grid will have to expand in order to meet the demand for more energy. PG&E’s CEO Patricia Poppe has come up with an “unconventional” idea, using electric cars to send excess power back to the grid to prevent blackouts.

Bi-directional charging already allows a few electric cars to send energy from their battery to a home. Think of it as a backup home generator.

Full article HERE, from ABC 7.

At this point, I don’t even know what to say to either one of these articles… sigh

Snort…

Posted on by August 10, 2023

This one is interesting, much like the Seminoles down in Florida with the whole kerfuffle over Florida State…

Washington’s WJLA reported Monday that “in a letter to the Washington Commanders Monday, the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) demanded a meeting with the team’s new ownership to discuss a controversial name change.” Healy Baumgardner, who is president of NAGA’s Global Impact Campaigns, said that NAGA has asked the Commanders for a meeting several times before, and been repeatedly stonewalled: “We attempted to have an open dialogue with the now Washington Commanders since they made the name change several years ago with no response by them to have a conversation. We felt that it was time to apply public pressure.” 

Full article, HERE from PJ Media.

We’ve got a major cell moving in, so I’m cutting this short before the power goes out. Go read the folks on the sidebar!!!

TBT…

Posted on by August 9, 2023

Some ads from ‘back in the day’, pre 1900…

When morphine, cocaine, and other things were legal to put in various tinctures, tonics, and drinks… Including Coca Cola!

Yes, Coca Cola originally had cocaine in it in the 1890s…

This one apparently had both cocaine AND morphine in it. I’m ‘sure’ the kids were soothed…unconscious, but soothed…

And then in 1982, the Tylenol poisonings in Chicago took place, changing forever how hard it was to get a pill bottle open, among other things…

Wednesday, September 29, 1982 was a school day, but 12-year-old Mary Kellerman woke up with a runny nose and a headache. So her parents told her to stay home, take a couple of Tylenol and get some rest.

“I heard her go into the bathroom. I heard the door close. Then I heard something drop,” recalled Dennis Kellerman, Mary’s dad. “I went to the bathroom door. I called, ‘Mary, are you OK?’ There was no answer. I called again: ‘Mary, are you OK?’ There was still no answer. So I opened the bathroom door, and my little girl was on the floor unconscious. She was still in her pajamas.”

Mary was pronounced dead at the hospital from unknown causes.

Full article, HERE from the History Channel.

I remember being in Pensacola, going through the abbreviated ACOS curriculum when they required every student to go back to their billeting and physically bring any bottles of Tylenol to the base medical clinic and turn them in. THAT scared the hell out of all of us, and I think that’s one reason, even today, I tend to not take Tylenol…

 

Posted in TBT

Interesting…

Posted on by August 7, 2023

Welp, we all know that the US women’s soccer team lost to Sweden in the knockout round of 16.

Headed into the Women’s World Cup, the US women’s national soccer team (USWNT) was aiming to make history and become the first team — men or women — to win three consecutive world cups. That all came crashing down this weekend when the top-ranked US lost in penalty kicks to Sweden in the round of 16, the first of the competition’s four knockout rounds. 

Full article, HERE from Vox.

I find it interesting that Abad-Santos points at politics as the ‘reason’ the right is down on them for the loss.

An informal poll at the Legion meeting last night was that not a soul watched, and most didn’t care. One woman frankly stated words to the effect that “Frankly, they aren’t likeable, they don’t stand for the anthem, and don’t put their hands over their hearts. Not like the girls that were on the teams back in the nineties and early two thousands. Those young ladies were proud to be playing for America, and they showed it!”

Another of the ladies pulled this one up on her phone and laughed, saying it was on the money.

I tend to agree with her, as most of the ‘press’ I’ve heard about the team is their ‘stands’ for various things, not about how well they play.

And yes, the women were beaten by a bunch of 15 year old boys in 2017- Article, HERE.

Frankly, I don’t care. Soccer has never been something I watch or care about. I have other more important things to worry about.

Some more ‘messages’…

Posted on by August 7, 2023

From Concellation Security-

I found a few more that Cedar didn’t find that I had put up before the wokies took over and kicked us to the curb…

Message from Con Security: Would whomever brought the green dragon come get it out of elevator 1, please. Its tail is caught in the door and it’s a ‘bit’ unhappy… and setting the fire alarm off. Dragons are ONLY allowed in the freight elevator.

Also, the pet relief area in front of the hotel is ONLY for small pets… If your dragon has to go, use portal F, breathing equipment and shovels will be provided.

 Message from Con Security: Those who requested to move to the overflow sleeping area, report to Portal D, your spaces are ready.No photo description available.

Message from Con Security: The hot tub in the swimming pool are is NOT to be used to boil lobsters. Stop it…

If you need a big pot, contact housekeeping. Boiling/cooking ‘things’ may be accomplished back to the left of the loading dock. Look for the Texans BBQing the entire steer, they can point you in the right direction.

Note 1- Whomever ordered the ten bushels of corn on the cob and five pounds of potatoes, please report to the front desk to take your delivery.

 Message from Con Security: The Monster Mashup was not supposed to be literal… Would whomever from 4HU left your CASPERS unlocked please report to Security. We’d like to ‘chat’ with you. Also Room A 666 will be off limits UFN. Whatever the yellowish slime is, is melting the flooring.

 Your attention please- The Shoot Like a Girl demonstration has been moved from our little range due to overwhelming demand. Would the lady firearms instructors please report to Portal B to transport to MCS Pendleton please, they have graciously allowed us to use their range complex. Portal C will open for the attendees at 1100. The demonstrations will begin promptly at 1130. And yes, men are welcome to attend, you just might learn a few things.

 Message from Con Security: Would whom/whatever brought the pink/purple/green poofy ‘thing’ report to A 154. It currently has a German Shepard with a monocle, Red Riding Hood’s wolf, and Mary’s little lamb cornered. The Ewoks are jabbering something about zorching it and recipes…

Message from Con Security: The Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy panel is rescheduled to 1730 in D 101. There was a small ‘issue’ with the Rebels and Alliance over whom would sit where at the panel table.

Note 1- Apparently all will survive, although they have been sent to separate hospitals.

Note 2- Paging 4HU, MCN, Trekkies, and Star Wars, please provide a representative for the rescheduled panel.

Note 3- There will be a cloak room set up, ALL, I repeat ALL weapons WILL be checked at the door, peace bonded or not. That is all.

Message from Con Security: The Social Distancing Panel has been moved from Ballroom A to the Mojave Desert. Portals one, three, and five will take you there. Swag includes: 1 pkg toilet paper, I case water, 1 bottle hand sanitizer, and 1 cattle prod (42″) provided by the Texas Contingent…