April 11, 2021
— Ace Open Blog
Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes, wine moms, frat bros, crétins sans pantalon (who are technically breaking the rules). Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, a weekly compendium of reviews, observations, snark, witty repartee, hilarious bon mots, and a continuing conversation on books, reading, spending way too much money on books, writing books, and publishing books by escaped oafs and oafettes who follow words with their fingers and whose lips move as they read. Unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants, which, you know, it's funny how, even though what's 'cool' changes from year to year, dorky is always dorky. I'll bet these pants were dorky even in 1955, and any unfortunate boy who got caught wearing them probably got unmercifully taunted at school and then pantsed by ruffians and made to watch as his dorky trousers got run up a flagpole. And then, later on, a number of these pantsless beta dorks got together and started the Lincoln Project.
A Faux Found 'Long Lost' Book:
"They say that the moon is made of green cheese," said Alice, stroking the lazy cat's belly. "Do you believe that, Snowball? Father says it's nothing more than a great white stone, and I suppose I ought to believe him; but really, how can one be sure without ever having been there?" So begins a truly extraordinary tale as Alice finds herself meeting all manner of strange creatures as she sets off on new adventures. This is a completely new story by R J Carter, but has been presented as if it were a lost Lewis Carroll manuscript, complete with annotations and original illustrations. This book is guaranteed to delight both children and adults.This sounds like it might be fun for young readers for the story itself, and for older readers who might appreciate the artifice of a long-lost Lewis Carroll book.
Moron Recommendations:
122 I'm a few chapters into Lindsay Ellis's "Axiom's End". It is pretty compulsively readable and feels almost like a David Wong story.
It begins in 2007 when a meteor falls in northern California. An activist blogger with a huge following releases a USG memo proving that the government has been trying to communicate with an alien intelligence. He runs afoul of The Powers That Be and flees the country, leaving his family to deal with the law and the blogger's freakish fans.
Then another "meteor" falls in the exact location as the first, and there is no explaining it away. The lead character, Cora, a college dropout studying linguistics, thinks she's under surveillance because of her father. Not so.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Sans-Culottes (except for the Book Thread) at March 28, 2021 10:00 AM (Dc2NZ)
Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human―and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.The Kindle edition of Axiom's End is a bit spendy at $14.99. There is also a sequel, Truth of the Divine, which continues Cora's story and her relationship with earth's first alien visitor.
I am currently reading Neither Five Nor Three by Helen MacInnes. I would like to thank the 'ron or 'ronette who recommended this novel (unfortunately, I can't remember who it was). Set in 1950 in New York City, members of the Communist Party are infiltrating the news media and Hollywood. In many ways the plot is similar to C.S. Lewis' That Hidden Strength. Both novels are relevant to what is happening now--scarily so.
Posted by: March Hare at March 28, 2021 11:49 AM (lwrAe)
For your book recommendations, strongly recommend two legal thrillers. A while back you mentioned a moron - authored book - Misjudged by James Chandler. That book is now a best seller on Amazon. He has now released a second book already, too - One and Done. Each follows the trials and tribulations of a disabled veteran attorney as he battles his own troubles while fighting on behalf of his clients. If you try to like John Grisham and Michael Connolly but find their liberal politics tiresome, James Chandler is your guy. He leaves his politics at the door and writes good stories—a conservative approach by any measure. They are two of the top fifteen best selling legal thrillers out there, right now.</blockquote>
"Combat Engineer, The Life and Leadership of Colonel H.W. Anderson" is the story of a remarkable man. From his years of intensive work as a railroad engineer and a national guardsman between the world wars, Colonel Anderson developed a highly specialized and useful skill set -- as an army combat engineer -- that made him precisely the right man at precisely the right time to spearhead the hastily organized defense against the furious German onslaught during the final days of World War II known as the Battle of the Bulge. Colonel Anderson was a formidable commanding officer, courageous and innovative, whose "hands on" leadership style and willingness to get down into the dirt alongside the enlisted men he himself trained was a major reason why the German offensive eventually failed. Without his leadership, the course of the war might have been very different, and the cost in men and material to secure victory much higher.It would be hard to come up with a finer example of the American citizen-soldier. I thought the book was quite good. I enjoyed learning about what combat engineers do (mainly, building stuff and blowing stuff up) and, of course, reading more about The Way Things Used To be.
Posted by: Ace Open Blog at
09:00 AM
| Comments (278)
Post contains 1520 words, total size 14 kb.
--- from "True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee" by Abraham Riesman
Posted by: All Hail Eris at April 11, 2021 09:02 AM (Dc2NZ)
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at April 11, 2021 09:02 AM (PiwSw)
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at April 11, 2021 09:03 AM (PiwSw)
Posted by: All Hail Eris at April 11, 2021 09:03 AM (Dc2NZ)
Posted by: runner, Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink ! at April 11, 2021 09:03 AM (Q9SFr)
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 09:03 AM (7EjX1)
Posted by: runner, Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink ! at April 11, 2021 09:03 AM (Q9SFr)
Been working on the Screwtape letters, about a 3rd of way through. There is some serious human insight there.
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:04 AM (Cxk7w)
Posted by: runner, Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink ! at April 11, 2021 09:06 AM (Q9SFr)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:09 AM (Cxk7w)
Posted by: All Hail Eris at April 11, 2021 09:10 AM (Dc2NZ)
Posted by: Lord Squirrel at April 11, 2021 09:11 AM (hQrcu)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:12 AM (Cxk7w)
Posted by: Infidel at April 11, 2021 09:12 AM (E0OEG)
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 11, 2021 09:12 AM (gtatv)
Posted by: Jordan61 at April 11, 2021 09:13 AM (OED7z)
Posted by: Widespread Pepe at April 11, 2021 09:14 AM (owBzT)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:14 AM (Cxk7w)
Posted by: NaughtyPine at April 11, 2021 09:14 AM (/+bwe)
Posted by: runner, Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink ! at April 11, 2021 09:15 AM (Q9SFr)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:16 AM (Cxk7w)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 09:16 AM (ONvIw)
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 11, 2021 09:17 AM (gtatv)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy - Psychos Rule! No, really. They're in charge now. at April 11, 2021 09:17 AM (HaL55)
Posted by: Zoltan at April 11, 2021 09:17 AM (kiyX4)
17What's Bowie reading?Posted by:All Hail Eris at April 11, 2021 09:12 AM (Dc2NZ)
I don't know. No matter how I enlarged the pic, I could not make it out. (You can click on the photo for the actual size)
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Pants Monitor & Social Distancing Professional at April 11, 2021 09:17 AM (xozU8)
Posted by: Widespread Pepe at April 11, 2021 09:18 AM (owBzT)
I don't know. No matter how I enlarged the pic, I could not make it out. (You can click on the photo for the actual size)
Posted by:OregonMuse, AoSHQ Pants Monitor & Social Distancing Professionalat April 11, 2021 09:17 AM (xozU
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 09:19 AM (ONvIw)
Posted by: f'd at April 11, 2021 09:19 AM (Tnijr)
Posted by: Oddbob at April 11, 2021 09:19 AM (qc+VF)
Stan Lee's parents fled Romania to escape the increasingly virulent anti-semitism. I didn't know before reading this book how many Romanian Jews fled to the U.S., ending up in the Lower East Side, where the Romanian block became the most densely populated area of the city.
Posted by: All Hail Eris at April 11, 2021 09:19 AM (Dc2NZ)
Posted by: Widespread Pepe at April 11, 2021 09:19 AM (owBzT)
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at April 11, 2021 09:20 AM (PiwSw)
What is also strange is that I found among ancient papers an essay in my own handwriting in German. I could no longer translate it. Getting old sucks.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 09:21 AM (llXky)
Normal school is an old word for teachers' college
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 09:21 AM (ONvIw)
Plus, for me personally, I like older writers writing about old stuff. I mean, not self-consciously. They just wrote about things that were contemporary for them, and I get kind of nostalgic reading about The Way Things Used To Be.
For the most part, I concur. You come to realize that The Way Things Used To Be were often horrific periods in human history but they were tempered by reason and resolve, in the end. I see very little evidence of either these days. Hoping for the best but kind of expecting the worst.
Posted by: Notorious BFD at April 11, 2021 09:22 AM (W4eKo)
I've just started "Lost Cleopatra: A Tale of Ancient Hollywood" by Phillip Dye. Over a decade ago, Dye, a film historian, began collecting every photograph and publicity still he could find of Theda Bara's lost 1917 movie "Cleopatra," in an effort to re-create the movie (much as was done in book form for Erich von Stroheim's masterpiece "Greed" years ago).
Dye's book is PACKED with information on the movie's plot, its creators and stars and how it was and where it was shot. It's the sort of book that will give me lots of background info for my own novel, but not the sort of thing the Horde would care for unless you are really into silent movies.
https://tinyurl.com/6sf2xyw8
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at April 11, 2021 09:22 AM (2JVJo)
Posted by: Tonypete at April 11, 2021 09:22 AM (Rvt88)
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 11, 2021 09:22 AM (gtatv)
Posted by: f'd at April 11, 2021 09:23 AM (Tnijr)
When the socket of a recently pulled tooth got infected, I was astounded at how quickly the pain escalated! I was put on antibiotics and got a shot of pain-killer.
Posted by: All Hail Eris at April 11, 2021 09:23 AM (Dc2NZ)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy - Psychos Rule! No, really. They're in charge now. at April 11, 2021 09:24 AM (HaL55)
Posted by: grammie winger at April 11, 2021 09:24 AM (45fpk)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 09:24 AM (y7DUB)
Didn't make it to the bottom of the post before ordering "Combat Engineer". I have been limiting Amazon purchases, but this was an easy decision, looking forward to reading it.
Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at April 11, 2021 09:24 AM (x8Q/V)
Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at April 11, 2021 09:25 AM (vLT5l)
Posted by: Oddbob
I had a friend that went to "Raymore Peculiar". FWIW
Posted by: f'd at April 11, 2021 09:26 AM (Tnijr)
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at April 11, 2021 09:26 AM (xnmPy)
Posted by: grammie winger at April 11, 2021 09:27 AM (45fpk)
Posted by: Night Moves at April 11, 2021 09:27 AM (GTThQ)
=====
My own impression is that the designation was for teacher training -- general education.
Posted by: mustbequantum at April 11, 2021 09:27 AM (MIKMs)
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at April 11, 2021 09:22 AM (2JVJo)
---
It's funny to think that "Sunset Boulevard" was filmed only 20 years after talkies came in, yet they portray it as a lost age. I suppose 1950 did feel very different from the Roaring Twenties, but it's interesting how our pop stars simply don't ever go away. No dignified retirement in their 50s, just more plastic surgery and reality shows. I mean Brad Pitt split up with Jennifer Aniston a quarter-century ago, and it's still tabloid headline material.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 09:27 AM (llXky)
I only wish my book had included the lengthy, girthy passage I had written about combat fornications. It opened with it, but then was severed.
Posted by: goatexchange at April 11, 2021 09:28 AM (bDyGY)
I thought the movie, which I have pretty much memorized, would take in most of the book. Nope! The book is much more involved and wide faring. The movie portion covers only a part. I wish he had written more books.
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 09:28 AM (7EjX1)
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at April 11, 2021 09:28 AM (xnmPy)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 09:29 AM (y7DUB)
The Blu-Ray version of "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" did that with one scene late in the movie where there is supposed to be a telephone conversation between Spencer Tracy and Buster Keaton. The sound track exists, but not the film, so a still was used in place.
Speaking of movies, this reminds me that next Saturday might be a silent night, so I have to be sure not to get blind drunk!
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at April 11, 2021 09:29 AM (2JVJo)
Posted by: Zoltan at April 11, 2021 09:29 AM (kiyX4)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 09:24 AM (y7DUB)
----
And I bet the teachers with two years of education were much better than the ones today with their doctorates.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 09:30 AM (llXky)
Posted by: Oddbob at April 11, 2021 09:30 AM (qc+VF)
Really happy to heat that Mary, wishing you the very best. I'd suggest you do not watch any of the Sunday Morning Talking Head shows if you want to stay that way.
Posted by: motionview at April 11, 2021 09:31 AM (q49HP)
And I bet the teachers with two years of education were much better than the ones today with their doctorates.
Posted by:Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloydat April 11, 2021 09:30 AM (llXky)
As were the elementary and high schools. The state of today's education "industry" is horrifying.Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 09:32 AM (ONvIw)
Those pants.....I'm wearing them right now! Must have 3 or 4 pairs.
The Who Dis is Ziggy Stardust.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy at April 11, 2021 09:34 AM (R/m4+)
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 09:28 AM (7EjX1)
---
Some of those old books are truly massive and yet were immensely popular. No TV, so you sat and read for entertainment, perhaps as a group.
Gone with the Wind is another massive tome with mountains of detail.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 09:35 AM (llXky)
Posted by: motionview at April 11, 2021 09:35 AM (q49HP)
You can visit the place where he wrote:
https://tinyurl.com/3hr25whb
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at April 11, 2021 09:35 AM (2JVJo)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 09:37 AM (ONvIw)
Posted by:Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloydat April 11, 2021 09:30 AM (llXky)
As were the elementary and high schools. The state of today's education "industry" is horrifying.In my late teens and early 20s, I went camping in western Maryland quite a bit. I'd invariably encounter signs for Frostburg State Teachers College. Even back then I figured that going to school out in the sticks was a good way to remove distractions.
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 09:39 AM (y7DUB)
Part of my enjoyment is, so far, is his writing encourages the reader to see or pursue the links that ancient Greek legends have with the rest of the world. It adds to a well written approach. I have the follow on book about the mortal Greek heroes, like Theseus and Jason. It should arrive later today.
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 09:40 AM (7EjX1)
Posted by: Trimegistus at April 11, 2021 09:40 AM (QZxDR)
I mean Brad Pitt split up with Jennifer Aniston a quarter-century ago, and it's still tabloid headline material.
Posted by:Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloydat April 11, 2021 09:27 AM (llXky)
WTFO dude Brad and Jen split??Posted by: rhennigantx at April 11, 2021 09:40 AM (yrol0)
Posted by: Trimegistus at April 11, 2021 09:41 AM (QZxDR)
I'm bored with not doing any writing, but one can't force things. I did put my "Geek Guns" feature at bleedingfool.com on hiatus since grinding out a weekly column does tend to take up time that would otherwise go to a book project. I miss writing, but I'm not sure what I want to do next.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 09:41 AM (llXky)
Posted by: Charlotte at April 11, 2021 09:41 AM (Q8jPu)
I couldn't get through Kafka, though I tried
It left me feeling vaguely mystified
The heavy allegory
Really killed the story
I just couldn't leave the insect aside!
Posted by: Muldoon at April 11, 2021 09:41 AM (m45I2)
The protagonist is likable and bookish without being a nerd. One of my favorite quotes was Alex's reaction to his teacher explaining interior logic in storytelling. "It was like being permission to imagine anything he wanted, as long as he built the right fence around it." The novel is interspersed with Alex's stories, which are pretty spooky.
I liked it and would recommend it for kids outgrowing Goosebumps.
Posted by: NaughtyPine at April 11, 2021 09:41 AM (/+bwe)
It was an also a neat book to read on Easter, since being a story about priests and exorcists, it had some Easter-themed sketches as part of the bonus material in the back of the book.
The book seems to be released by the indiest of indy publishers. Its only available straight from the publisher (Iconic Comics) and isn't even listed on Amazon.
Posted by: Castle Guy at April 11, 2021 09:42 AM (Lhaco)
Sort of disappointing because I used to love those choose your own adventure books as a kid.
It wasn't a total bust because they were giving away an old tattered copy of one of the Bill the Galactic Hero books for free, so that balanced it out.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 09:43 AM (9aYjv)
The short version of this 663 page doorstop is: McCarthy was right. The FDR and Truman administrations were infested with Reds. McCarthy may well have underestimated the problem. Eleanor was sleeping with the communist Joe Lash and wheelchair-bound cuck Franklin was at least commie-curious. The mainstream media, led by the New York Times, were shameless communist propagandists, as bad as Pravda, Izvestia or TASS. They led the attacks on McCarthy to try to keep him from exposing the extent of the infiltration. The State Department was riddled with communists, but so were many other Federal agencies. The OSS, predecessor to the CIA, may have been even worse.
Posted by: cool breeze at April 11, 2021 09:45 AM (UGKMd)
The book tells the story of a young man named Jackson Rook who was a teenage war hero before his cybernetic implants were infected by a nasty virus that made him kill his comrades. He was rescued by the man who smuggled his exosuit mech to the planet and now Jackson runs with the crew of gun runners. They try to help the underdogs by supplying weapons to them, and now they're getting hints that the guy they just sold the latest top-of-the-line mech to isn't what he appears to be.
I really like how the story is whole and complete even though I can see where the sequel possibilities were built in to it. It makes me want to read more about the worlds and the crew and find out more about all these exceptional people with shadowy pasts, and it gives me hope that these stories may even be written someday.
The main problem I have with this novel is that I don't like horror nearly as much as Larry Corriea does. Even his lighthearted comedies have horror elements to them. I really, really want to love this book. I even stayed up late two nights in a row to finish it. However, I just can't. I have to settle for just liking it a lot.
Posted by: Cybersmythe at April 11, 2021 09:45 AM (17UTy)
Posted by: Cybersmythe at April 11, 2021 09:46 AM (17UTy)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:46 AM (Cxk7w)
I'm barely into it and enjoying it. The lead character, Garrett, is hired by a family of dwarves to find a woman to whom a dead friend left his fortune.
This job will take Garrett back into a land where a perpetual war over silver mines -- silver is vital to magic -- is taking place. Garrett spent a five-year hitch there and never wanted to see the place again -- but he could get a big payoff.
The friend's bitch sister doesn't want Garrett to find the woman. She's offered money and herself, both of which Garrett has spurned. Now she's resorting to violence, hiring a thug to beat him up.
The friend's fortune may have been founded through shady means. His associates may be after Garrett, too.
And remember, this is a land at war ...
When I bought this book, it was a standalone novel. Now it's a series. I may try to find more of the books. As if the shelves aren't already full of unread books.
At the same con, I bought the book "Armor" by John Steakley(?). Several morons have mentioned it. I never read it, either, and now I've lost it. More reason for kicking.
Posted by: Weak Geek at April 11, 2021 09:46 AM (ndAUW)
The author seems to have a refreshing contempt for PC jargon -- he uses the 1920s Romanizations of Chinese names rather than this week's new spellings from the CCP, and he doesn't waste any time deploring the way people spoke.
Posted by: Trimegistus at April 11, 2021 09:48 AM (QZxDR)
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 09:49 AM (7EjX1)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:49 AM (Cxk7w)
The short version of this 663 page doorstop is: McCarthy was right.
Yep. More than a few of us have been pointing this out since Obama, and especially so since Trump was accidentally allowed to be elected.
Worse still, they won.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 09:50 AM (9aYjv)
..."I do think you've sniffed my hair quite enough, Preezy Joe.", said Alice with a polite curtsey, "It's almost tea time."
"Later then. Yes. yes. yes, yes, yes. What? Who are you little girl?", Preezy Joe massaged Alice's shoulders and sniffed her hair so deeply some got caught in his nose!
"Alice, sir." Alice curtsied again as she pulled her curly locks from Preezy Joe's ethmoid sinuses. "I believe we were about to have tea. The table looks most sumptuous."
"...Huh?" Preezy Joe considered Alice as he might a five-legged golliwog. "Who are you?"
"Alice, Mr Preezy Joe.", Alice politely curtsied again, "Shall we have tea now, please, sir. I am quite parched and my cat, Snickerdoodle is quite famished."
"Ah, yeah, sure, little boy." said Preezy Joe staring at the bright yellow sun with his mouth wide open.
"Preezy Joe, are you quite alright? There seems to be a thick, pink custard leaking from your ears."
"Oh, that. That's just my brains. They're melting you see. And turning into a delicious breakfast jam. Everyone says I have the best brain in DC. Tastes just like raspberry jam made in heaven. Here" said Preezy Joe proudly spreading his melty brains on a nicely toasted crumpet "Eat this. You'll love it!"
Alice cautiously took a bite of the crumpet and Preezy Joe's brain jam. Oh my! She not love it! And in her distress, Alice dropped the crumpet to the floor. Whereupon, Snickerdoodle, her cat, being of the opposite opinion, gobbled the crumpet right up and promptly died then turned into a puddle of black goo smelling suspiciously like Marmite and old Wellingtons!...
Posted by: naturalfake at April 11, 2021 09:53 AM (dWwl8)
Dammit. There were supposed to be paragraph blocks in that wall o'textI haven't learned much about this presumably temporary commenting setup except the quote tag (which is cool and I hope remains) but I did find out that plain ol' HTML 1.0 paragraph tags work and give me double-spacing. Just adding carriage returns doesn't work for me, no matter how many I add.
Posted by: Oddbob at April 11, 2021 09:54 AM (qc+VF)
Since women today are more interested in weddings than marriages, there should be a term for that.
Posted by: Dr. Varno at April 11, 2021 09:54 AM (vuisn)
One of the characters remarks on this but then concludes "But I guess that's okay now," and shrugs.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 09:54 AM (llXky)
My reading habits took a real shot after the election because my mindset was continually pissed off. I still haven't come to grips with what a deep state fuck job we're immersed in, like all the samizdat I'd read and thought "I'm glad this isn't here" has come to pass. The number of dipshits who've sold out the country is huge and I'm in no mood to listen to Vote Harder tools telling me to re fuck the country.
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 09:57 AM (y7DUB)
Careful here, OM. There are a number of 'ettes who appreciate the male leg, and will kilt if thought otherwise.
Posted by: Duncanthrax at April 11, 2021 09:58 AM (DMUuz)
In the 70's, the 50's felt like a lost age. I watched a "Leave it to Beaver" show a while back which was about how Wally had bought a "loud" suit with wide pinstripes and his parents were afraid he'd embarrass himself by wearing it. Your kid wearing a tacky suit - that was an issue in the '50's. "Seinfeld" certainly has a 90's look to it - Elaine's clothes and hair and massive wireless phones - but still feels contemporary, although it's further away now than "Happy Days" was to the 50's. The great cultural split was the 60's.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at April 11, 2021 09:59 AM (HabA/)
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 09:59 AM (VVEnO)
She used to be on 'That Guy With the Glasses' webzone as 'The Nostalgia Chick'. She has a LOT of baggage.
David Bowie is awesome, by the way, past pole smoking or not.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 11, 2021 09:59 AM (uxJPn)
The more computers can do and the way they can interconnect into all other systems, the less I trust them. Not just for reading but in almost all parts of living. It's like anyone under the age of 50 doesn't understand the value and purpose of privacy.
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 10:01 AM (7EjX1)
I still haven't come to grips with what a deep state fuck job we're immersed in, like all the samizdat I'd read and thought "I'm glad this isn't here" has come to pass.
Yeah, and it's disturbing to know how easily tech allowed it to happen. Way over half the country - and the vast majority of the House and Senate - is going to cheer when the military opens fire on American citizens for no reason other than, ultimately, that they supported an icky candidate who is no longer in office.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:01 AM (9aYjv)
At no point does Waugh let it be forgotten that the Soviets were just as bad if not worse than the Nazis.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:02 AM (llXky)
Even back then I figured that going to school out in the sticks was a good way to remove distractions.Posted by: Captain Hate
Not necessarily. Here in my neck of the woods there is a middle-of-the-road type Family Medicine residency training program. Each year, the incoming interns write a brief autobiographical blurb for the website. Invariably they follow this general format:
"After a five year gap following undergrad I finally ran out of options and my grandparents' money and ended up going to medical school. My partner Terry and I along with our Golden Retrievadoodle Buddy are excited to come to Grand Junction . We enjoy mountain biking, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, telemark skiing, ice climbing, wilderness camping, kayaking, canoeing and pickleball...and skiing. In my spare time I enjoy pretending to be a doctor. I picked this training program because of...er...its fine academic tradition. Not to mention the outdoor recreation opportunities. Did I mention we like skiing? And have a Golden Retrievadoodle?
Posted by: Muldoon at April 11, 2021 10:02 AM (m45I2)
Posted by:Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloydat April 11, 2021 10:02 AM (llXky)
Another bit of history lost to today's academics.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 10:03 AM (ONvIw)
The number of dipshits who've sold out the country is huge
One more thought on this:
It's incredible to realize the Chinese probably spent less than $300M and successfully took control of the US.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:04 AM (9aYjv)
Posted by: Duncanthrax at April 11, 2021 09:58 AM (DMUuz)
*raises hand and waves*Posted by: NaughtyPine at April 11, 2021 10:04 AM (/+bwe)
I'm the opposite. I didn't get much book reading done in 2020 because I was online all the time, obsessed with politics. After the election, I knew we were boned and turned away from current events and read Nero Wolfe mysteries and history instead. I'm still reading Tuchman's "Guns of August" and Tom Holland's "Millennium" and "Persian Fire" are next. Holland is my new favorite historian. I'll probably read a few more Nero Wolfe mysteries between histories, kind of like having sorbet to break up a heavy multi-course dinner.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at April 11, 2021 10:05 AM (HabA/)
Posted by: Who Knew at April 11, 2021 10:05 AM (SfO/T)
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:01 AM (9aYjv)
---
This is a spectacular misreading of what is going on. The political class is completely clueless - they operate moment to moment without any clear picture of where they are going. It is both terrifying and reassuring.
It is terrifying because the institutional guardrails are all down. We are racing down a mountainside with blind people at the wheel who think nothing bad can happen to them.
It is reassuring because our enemies are legion but their goals are impossible and conflicting. There's no point worrying about it or getting mad. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:06 AM (llXky)
Another bit of history lost to today's academics.
Until you come to terms with the understanding that they don't truly think that sort of behavior is really all that bad, and it's probably necessary at times for dealing with people who disagree with them.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:06 AM (9aYjv)
Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at April 11, 2021 10:06 AM (2JVJo)
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at April 11, 2021 10:09 AM (PiwSw)
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:04 AM (9aYjv)
---
No. This was a multi-decade project involving billions of dollars.
What's funny is if the US engages in civil war 2.0, China's economy will collapse. Our bonds will become worthless and our food exports will cease.
Our leaders are very much like the ones in 1914. They have no idea what they are unleashing.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:10 AM (llXky)
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at April 11, 2021 10:10 AM (PiwSw)
This is the third of his Wars of France series. I will get his books The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune, 1870-1 and Death of a Generation: Neuve Chapelle to Verdun and the Somme. I date the time the Left has failed in power, every time, from the Paris Commune.
The French had the largest military in Europe. It was well equipped, with some tanks better than anything the Germans had. But they did not do things we know are important. Like have good leaders, train hard, exercise what-ifs, and have sound plans.
The story is how they lost to a smaller Army, with a good enough Air Force. This is even with good defensive terrain. The French Air Force was not up to the battle, although the new fighters could have helped. Anna Puma is your guide here.
Part 1
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 11, 2021 10:12 AM (u82oZ)
The story of Paul Reynaud, the fighting French Prime Minister, is a great one. His mistress, Comtessa Hélène de Portes was very important to him. She was not pretty but influential, and alas, a strong Fascist sympathizer. She exerted continual pressure for him to give up. Winston Churchill did his best, but in the end, Raynaud resigned, and the new Government asked for an armistice, producing Vichy France. Her unexpected death makes me ask questions.
There is a short sum up at the end that is well placed.
Wargaming this campaign is difficult, because with hindsight, the French win. Why they did not win is important even to today.
The French in 1940 fought much harder than the GOPe, yet they lost their country. To lose France was a great tragedy, which still resonates today. Many suffered under the Nazis. The many lives lost to stop them were in vain.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 11, 2021 10:13 AM (u82oZ)
Let's smile & be happy & strike fear in the hearts of killjoy leftists everywhere.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 11, 2021 10:14 AM (u82oZ)
It doesn't help that the non-spy plots are so outdated. I'm stuck on one of those, but I can't bring myself to skip it. So the stall continues.
Posted by: Weak Geek at April 11, 2021 10:14 AM (ndAUW)
45Morning, 'rons and 'ronettes...Now if only the local classical channel would play music instead of stopping every five minutes to beg for money. . .Posted by:Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at April 11, 2021 09:22 AM
Heh. Must be "Pledge Week." I'm old enough to remember when PBS ran their pledge weeks once per year. Then they upped it to twice a year. Then every quarter. I hate to think what it is now.
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Pants Monitor & Social Distancing Professional at April 11, 2021 10:16 AM (xozU8)
It is reassuring because our enemies are legion but their goals are impossible and conflicting. There's no point worrying about it or getting mad. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
I'd like to agree, but they're goals are close enough to allow them to work together, the same way a running back wants to score the touchdown but is okay if the wide receiver gets the points. So long as they win, the way they win is secondary.
And they're winning. A super contagious cold virus has killed over twelve billion people and you still have to wear your mask after vaccinations, we had an armed insurrection on January 6th resulting in five deaths, an officer was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher and died from the head wounds, Trump was impeached because of it (and all the election fraud talk ended immediately), and that same president - and who knows how many people simply discussing actual news that is counter to the narrative - was banned from having any real voice after the 6th.
Oh yeah, and your vote doesn't matter one single bit, but you're required to state that elections are free and fair.
Did I mention gun registration in 30 days via the unelected ATF's non-legislative laws?
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:17 AM (9aYjv)
I suspect we vehemently agree. Yes, this was a multi-decade project for the same reason McCarthy was calling out communists.
But I meant the outright bribes over the last decade or so to tip us over the edge. Heck, the sitting President of the United States only cost $10M.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:19 AM (9aYjv)
Posted by: vmom sic semper stabbicus at April 11, 2021 10:22 AM (GBZnB)
/Mickey Rooney
Posted by: Muldoon at April 11, 2021 10:22 AM (m45I2)
Posted by: David Chipman at April 11, 2021 10:24 AM (cRau3)
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 10:25 AM (AwPyG)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 10:25 AM (y7DUB)
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Pants Monitor & Social Distancing Professional at April 11, 2021 10:16 AM (xozU
Nearly constant.
Posted by: BignJames at April 11, 2021 10:27 AM (AwYPR)
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:10 AM (llXky)
China always plays the long game. Yes, their economy will collapse but will that destroy China? Probably not. They'll be the major functioning industrial country in the world. They can weather it (the gov't) cuz they don't really care about the citizens and have them under control.
China is also taking care of their food needs elsewhere in the world. For instance, they are buying up huge amounts of Japanese farm land, and in other places around the world. Their new military doctrine says they can and will land in any country if they feel Chinese lives or interests are in danger.
With the US engaged in CW2, and Preezy Joe at the helm, their military can run free and conquer what they want, in the Pacific, at least. Hell, with a real destructive CW2 going on, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Chinese land on and take the west coast "to protect Chinese lives". At least half the population of CA, WA, and OR would welcome them.
Posted by: naturalfake at April 11, 2021 10:28 AM (dWwl8)
Posted by: Linnet at April 11, 2021 10:28 AM (l8fD3)
at least that's the way i remember them.
oh, and from last week (?), comments about Della Street and Perry Mason. I (finally) read some of the ESG novels and was surprised to see that Della wasn't quite the person as on TV. Much less straitlaced, who seemed to have the hots for Perry, which weren't quite returned. Like ESG wanted the sexual tension but didn't want to ever resolve it
Posted by: yara at April 11, 2021 10:29 AM (N7mou)
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:29 AM (llXky)
Posted by: vmom sic semper stabbicus at April 11, 2021 10:29 AM (GBZnB)
I agree that the political class is clueless, but for the same reason that someone pointed out upthread that we always hear about the same celebrities, even though they are getting old.
Everybody's in an influential position is a puppet, put in place by the bad guys, and the bad guys aren't clueless at all.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 10:30 AM (AwPyG)
Did I mention gun registration in 30 days via the unelected ATF's non-legislative laws?
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:17 AM (9aYjv)
Hard to believe how fast it's happening...10 weeks.
Posted by: BignJames at April 11, 2021 10:30 AM (AwYPR)
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 11, 2021 10:31 AM (sd8p8)
Heh. Must be "Pledge Week." I'm old enough to remember when PBS ran their pledge weeks once per year. Then they upped it to twice a year. Then every quarter. I hate to think what it is now.
The local kollidge station down here solicits donations all the time now. "A member-supported station" is in their station ID. They play mostly straight-ahead jazz, mostly, with no commercials per se other than that. The drawback is National PROGDA Radio "nooz" every hour.
The local NPR classical music station that I also really enjoyed listening to on Sunday mornings went digital and split in two with one channel being music and the other all NPR talk. Only one of them is broadcast OTA, so naturally it's not the one I want to listen to.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy - Psychos Rule! No, really. They're in charge now. at April 11, 2021 10:31 AM (HaL55)
Hard to believe how fast it's happening...10 weeks.
Never let a crisis go to waste, and we had an entire insurrection.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:33 AM (9aYjv)
Posted by: Trimegistus at April 11, 2021 10:34 AM (QZxDR)
China always plays the long game. Yes, their economy will collapse but will that destroy China? Probably not.
Posted by: naturalfake at April 11, 2021 10:28 AM (dWwl
---
Strong, resilient governments don't have to run massive police states. That's a sign of weakness, not strength.
The fact that China has to take all these drastic steps speaks volumes about the ruling class's confidence in their own stability.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:35 AM (llXky)
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 10:35 AM (7EjX1)
Ah, I love the Garrett P.I. books! I discovered them back in high school (I think Cold Copper Tears, with a girl and a ratman on the cover, was my first) and now have a whole stack of them. After the first book, they take on more of the typical 'noir' tropes, with our hero staying mostly in the city. The city practically becomes its own character, and the book develops a recurring cast of characters and locations. The 'Dead Man' is a particularly interesting mix of noir and fantasy tropes...
Interestingly, the war for silver does continue in the background throughout the rest of the series, with each book having a few scenes of Garrett hearing about news and rumors of the latest developments, and musing on how they will (or won't) affect the day-to-day goings-on of the city.
Posted by: Castle Guy at April 11, 2021 10:36 AM (Lhaco)
Posted by: DIY Daddio at April 11, 2021 10:36 AM (RJscS)
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 11, 2021 10:37 AM (sd8p8)
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 11, 2021 10:37 AM (llXky)
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at April 11, 2021 10:40 AM (2DOZq)
Posted by: saf at April 11, 2021 10:41 AM (/N+d8)
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 10:41 AM (AwPyG)
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 11, 2021 10:31 AM (
Almost as good as the Our Gang shows. 
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at April 11, 2021 10:43 AM (2DOZq)
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 10:46 AM (AwPyG)
Speaking of, any word on when the charges for the coup are scheduled to drop?
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:48 AM (9aYjv)
I read Kafka back in high school German class (fourth year).
In my neverending quest to learn Latin, I have begun to read Virgo Ardens (The Hot Virgin) (not as hot as it sounds) by Rachel Cunning. The dedication is "Feminis optimis quae cotidie mecum versus scriptos a vate Martha Marchina legebant" which I translate as "To the best women who struggle everyday with me to read the the writings of the oracle Martha Marchina" and I thought, "Don't tell me SJWism is in even Latin pedagogical novellas." Turns out Martha Marchina was a 16th century Italian poet who wrote in Latin. So it's about Latin, not feminism.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 10:54 AM (VVEnO)
Just you wait! the suspect states are doing audits, just 5 short months after the obvious flim-flam.
I'm sure the stall has nothing to do with the fact that Arizona law allows ballots to be destroyed at 6 months.
But it does seem that the general mood has changed. The younger relatives who were gung-ho are not so much, anymore.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 10:55 AM (AwPyG)
As of 2019, there were about thirty one-room schools in operation in Michigan. Within a five-mile radius of my home are five former one-room schoolhouses. Four are private homes, while the fifth is the club house for a Boy Scout troop.
not my comment
Posted by: weirdflunky at April 11, 2021 10:57 AM (cknjq)
But it does seem that the general mood has changed. The younger relatives who were gung-ho are not so much, anymore.
I suspect a lot of people came to terms with what they just saw happen with a Republican-majority Senate that didn't do jack to stop it and a VP that called in the National Guard on his boss.
I also suspect that's a large part of why so many posters here disappeared.
Also ammo shortages.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 10:58 AM (9aYjv)
But there wasn't' "covid" then, forcing everyone to stay indoors. You can see why they're desperately trying to keep that narrative going. Expect more.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 10:59 AM (AwPyG)
*ponders changing nic to Femina Optima*
Posted by: vmom sic semper stabbicus at April 11, 2021 11:00 AM (GBZnB)
And I think it's also what's been happening around them. Just about everything that Trump warned about--that they scoffed at, because Orange man Bad--has come true.
Not to mention we're now being told to wear masks after the vaccination. You can tell they're over it.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 11:03 AM (AwPyG)
First, she sees people as victims of the capitalist society. I see them as heroes that made bad choices. She blames the housing crash for destroying a lot of folks' investments, without mentioning the politicians that caused it. The other destroyer of wealth is divorce, but she never questions that. They have said, over and over, that people should work until their 70s yet seem upset at the thought of people that age doing physical labor. She's really upset that people with degrees wind up there.
There's no mention of allowing millions to come into the country illegally. She doesn't consider the impact it would have on housing and jobs. Never seems to question what would happen to these folks if they legislate their current jobs out of existence. It seems to me that the folks she interviews made the best choice they could, given the options available. But you would think bad things just happen because of corporate decisions.
I'm only three chapters into it and will likely finish it. But there is so much the author misses.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at April 11, 2021 11:03 AM (YynYJ)
a number of local Greek young boys are quite enthusiastic about the Nazis. I guess they had glowing PR?
We think of the Nazis as pure evil but that is not how they saw themselves. They saw themselves as young idealists creating a utopia.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 11:05 AM (VVEnO)
On my Kindle I started "Caught" by Harlan Coben, based on someone's rec last week. It's proving to be a very fast read but I'm enjoying it so far.
On my phone I'm reading "Catholic and Curious: Your Questions Answered" which is excellent for waiting rooms in which I have been spending way too much time in and will until July when my shoulder replacement will supposedly be healed. Anyway, Kindle says it's 511 pages of yummy Catholic doctrinal goodness, and it never hurts to read that.
I am feeling my interest in communism revived after reading "Radical Son" by David Horowitz and I am listening to "The Gulag Archipelago" on Audible. It's an abridged edition so I will rectify that some day, but I keep wondering who could think up the tortures visited on prisoners, and then go home to wife and children? How does that work?
And my dead-tree book is "The Killer Department" by, I think, Robert Cullen. This is about the hunt for Andrei Chikatilo, a serial killer preying on young people in Ukraine after WWII.
Posted by: Tonestaple at April 11, 2021 11:05 AM (pmSTt)
Posted by:Moron Robbieat April 11, 2021 10:58 AM (9aYjv)
Pence's treacherous behavior was hardest to take, I expected Mitch to be a POS.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:06 AM (ONvIw)
Do it! That's awesome.
PS. In my Cassandra-column, I forgot to mention that I said Judge Sullivan was a bad guy, and suffered a lot of scorn as a result.
He's still judging, fat and happy
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 11:06 AM (AwPyG)
Major Patriot on Gab said yesterday that the biggest red pill of all was finding out that the Republicans were in on it.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 11:07 AM (AwPyG)
We think of the Nazis as pure evil but that is not how they saw themselves. They saw themselves as young idealists creating a utopia.
Posted by:Anonosaurus Wrecksat April 11, 2021 11:05 AM (VVEnO)
But I guess today we substitute "woke" for master race?
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:07 AM (ONvIw)
Yup....the democrats today are simply a modern version without all the snazzy uniforms, marching songs and strength thru joy programs.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy at April 11, 2021 11:09 AM (R/m4+)
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at April 11, 2021 11:09 AM (HabA/)
a number of local Greek young boys are quite enthusiastic about the Nazis. I guess they had glowing PR?
These dummies don't realize what they're doing by focusing so much on race. Or maybe they do.
Because at some point white people will begin to agree that they need to focus on what's best for their own kids, and they'll teach their kids that, too.
*spit*
It infuriates me that this KKK Democrat crap was essentially gone back in the 90s and the Democrats brought it back.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 11:14 AM (9aYjv)
The Monster in the Mist
- Another of Rachel Cunning's Latin novellas is Cerebus Canis Monstruosus (Cerebus the Monster Dog). It may be more down my alley.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 11:14 AM (VVEnO)
Any recommendations for a great translation of The Iliad?
Posted by: callsign claymore at April 11, 2021 11:14 AM (+ABad)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:14 AM (ONvIw)
Posted by:Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloydat April 11, 2021 10:02 AM (llXky)
Another bit of history lost to today's academics.
Try this again (maybe I hit preview D'OH). There were always tools who ignored the massive evidence in front of them. When Nabokov came to the US he was championed by Edmund Wilson, personally a miserable piece of shit who happened to recognize literary talent, who kept refusing to believe that Lenin and Stalin were totalitarian monsters even to someone who's father was murdered at the behest of Lenin. The fucking 60s were when cheering for the commies went mainstream.
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 11:15 AM (y7DUB)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:17 AM (ONvIw)
Recommended, if you're into that sort of thing.
Posted by: mot at April 11, 2021 11:17 AM (jad3h)
Posted by: Pixy Misa at April 11, 2021 11:17 AM (PiXy!)
Posted by:Anonosaurus Wrecksat April 11, 2021 11:05 AM (VVEnO)
Exactly. Nazis didn't wake up every morning and say "I'm going to go out there and be really evil today." They saw the Jews as evil. The Nazis thought they were purifying the world.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V at April 11, 2021 11:21 AM (HabA/)
Posted by: exdem13 at April 11, 2021 11:22 AM (W+kMI)
Posted by: Getting the band back together for lace wigs n rolex replicas at April 11, 2021 11:22 AM (locJE)
Posted by: Tonestaple at April 11, 2021 11:23 AM (pmSTt)
Posted by: Night Moves at April 11, 2021 11:25 AM (GTThQ)
They saw the Jews as evil. The Nazis thought they were purifying the world.
Posted by
onna&&&&&&Vat April 11, 2021 11:21 AM (HabA/)
They saw a lot of people as "subhuman"
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:25 AM (ONvIw)
Burns sees everything in black and white. His Jazz series was roundly mocked at a music blog I used to comment on in the aughts for acting like the music was a museum piece that ended with the death of Coltrane. He completely ignored the avant garde, probably because Stanley Crouch told him to, and ignored the free jazz movement in Europe, which was where most of the innovation was happening, particularly in Germany where they primal screamed against the forced partition of the country no matter if they were adherents of Adam Smith or Karl Marx.
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 11:26 AM (y7DUB)
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at April 11, 2021 11:26 AM (2DOZq)
Posted by: Getting the band back together for lace wigs n rolex replicas at April 11, 2021 11:27 AM (locJE)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:29 AM (ONvIw)
The fucking 60s were when cheering for the commies went mainstream.
That coincides with the rise of the Anti-hero in movies around that time. Sure, he's a bad guy, but he has bits and pieces of things that could possibly add up to almost one redeeming quality if you squint real hard.
I never grokked that at the time. I do now, what with everything being downstream from culture.
Posted by: BackwardsBoy - Psychos Rule! No, really. They're in charge now. at April 11, 2021 11:30 AM (HaL55)
Any recommendations for a great translation of The Iliad?
Robert Fagle's may be the most accessible. A new translation by caroline Alexander is also good. I liked Alexander Pope's translation into Shakespearian poetry.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 11:33 AM (VVEnO)
The Constitution was barely ratified by the required number of states and only because Article V was added (Jay Winik's The Great Upheaval, recommended by someone here, has a well narrated account of the convention). Marbury v Madison should have been shot down immediately.
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 11:34 AM (y7DUB)
Posted by: Night Moves at April 11, 2021 11:35 AM (GTThQ)
Posted by: exdem13 at April 11, 2021 11:36 AM (W+kMI)
Now look at me You can tell I know by my Eastwood squint.
Posted by: Humphreyrobot at April 11, 2021 11:37 AM (Zz53D)
https://bit.ly/3a3VPOx
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 11:37 AM (VVEnO)
Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 11:38 AM (Cxk7w)
Posted by: Lincolntf at April 11, 2021 11:39 AM (2cS/G)
Posted by:Night Movesat April 11, 2021 11:35 AM (GTThQ)
I'd take Mr Rogers. It's Benedict Arnold that I cannot forgive. I wonder what the family got for the betrayal?
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:41 AM (ONvIw)
Posted by:Night Movesat April 11, 2021 11:35 AM (GTThQ)
- Pence is HW part 2. A GoPe attached to a popular with the voters but not the party candidate that is there to keep things from going too far in a direction the party dislikes. Bonus is it gives the GoPe a candidate they can pretend is following in the footsteps of that popular candidate who if elected becomes the Potomac candidate they could never have gotten in otherwise.
And Pence lost me when he caved on the religious freedom bill- that moment told me he wasn't what he claimed to be on the religious front and/or wasn't going to fight for what he claimed to believe as he served a different master than he claimed in public.
Posted by: Bete at April 11, 2021 11:43 AM (Ojki1)
Maybe in this country, but the work of Shalom Aleichem, particularly his Hodel story, is quite sympathetic to socialism. It doesn't start that way, but Tevye comes around. Fiddler on the Roof downplayed it, but then the musical changed a lot of the story as is so often the case.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:45 AM (ONvIw)
---------------------------
Yes, Daniel Defoe wrote a serial novel, based on the real life adventure of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone on a Chilean island after being marooned (not shpwrecked). Dafoe changed the location to an island in the Spanish Main, and got involved in the idea of survival in the face of adversity. It was the 18th century version of The Martian, if the Mars had goats, cannibals, and pirates, and was quite popular.
Posted by: exdem13 at April 11, 2021 11:48 AM (W+kMI)
Posted by: Night Moves at April 11, 2021 11:49 AM (GTThQ)
Indiana natives remember how he botched a defense of marriage bill and ended up caving on everything. Trump is how the base wants the GOP to be versus how it really is. The GOP is as wedded to the derp state just as much as the donks are. Look at all the Tea Party candidates who started backtracking as soon as they got in office: Ayotte, Mia Love, Rick Scott and Dondi just for starters and there are probably more that right now aren't coming to mind (Scotty Centerfold kept his promise on Gaylordcare but palled around with Lurch otherwise).
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 11:49 AM (y7DUB)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 11:52 AM (y7DUB)
Posted by: saf at April 11, 2021 11:53 AM (/N+d8)
-----------------
"Money is a curse!" "If money is a curse, then may God smite me!"
Posted by: exdem13 at April 11, 2021 11:54 AM (W+kMI)
Here's a fun bit of gossip--supposedly when Pence took his Florida vacation, just after the election, he was being interviewed by the virgin islands fed prosecutor--the one who is supposedly opening up the epstein cover-up
Take with a grain of salt, of course.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 11:55 AM (AwPyG)
Posted by: BackwardsBoy - Psychos Rule! No, really. They're in charge now. at April 11, 2021 11:56 AM (HaL55)
Posted by:exdem13at April 11, 2021 11:54 AM (W+kMI)
He "evolves" to embrace his son-in-law and see his high ideals. In the stories, much more than the movie.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 11:59 AM (ONvIw)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 12:01 PM (y7DUB)
Nice Cage (who doesn't speak a word.) ALL the cheesy 1980s hack and slash movie tropes! (Stupid teenagers who split up, the couple who just had to HAD their horny on, serial killers, satanic rituals, etc.) Outrageously silly townsfolk. Bad guys from hilarious hell. They are even releasing this gem on VHS!
Posted by: Madame mayhem at April 11, 2021 12:02 PM (Vxu+H)
And its very obvious Pence and Haley were promised they'd be on the next ticket, if they turned on trump. That doesn't seem to be working out so well, so now Pence is getting a money-laundered book advance to make up for it.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 12:02 PM (AwPyG)
We just watched the entire system that we knew fail, gamed, and collapsed. Five cities control the entire country's elections when needed, and that doesn't have to happen again because the illegals will pick up that slack for next time. Nothing at the federal level matters, and probably not much at the state level matters. County? Yes, very much, but that's not going to matter much if the states don't support those freedoms, too. And I'm guessing sheriffs get federal dollars with the strings attached just like all the rest of the welfare recipients.
I'm not ready to give up my political habit, but it's horrible to know you're a junkie and then discover you're addicted to salt water when you thought you were being sold heroin.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 12:04 PM (9aYjv)
Posted by: Dusty Boomer at April 11, 2021 12:04 PM (BdDfF)
Posted by:artemisat April 11, 2021 12:02 PM (AwPyG)
I'd love to hear those conversations. Who is paying off Pence and Haley? That person is the real power behind today's thrones.Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:05 PM (ONvIw)
Posted by: Skip the guy who says Nood at April 11, 2021 12:05 PM (Cxk7w)
thanks mitch.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 12:05 PM (AwPyG)
Axioms End sounds tedious and annoying.
Posted by: Zyprexa Cowboy at April 11, 2021 12:06 PM (uMqnc)
thanks mitch.
Posted by:artemisat April 11, 2021 12:05 PM (AwPyG)
So he ran knowing this and aware that he'd be replaced by a donk? Well I guess he is an elephant skin suit.Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:07 PM (ONvIw)
Then you will enjoy the two books that my wife, the lovely and gracious Annalucia, and I enjoyed reading aloud to each other last week.
The first was "Hercules, My Shipmate" (British title, "The Golden Fleece") by Robert Graves, the poet who's best known as the author of "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God". This is a retelling of the story of Jason and the Argonauts, and the recovery of the Golden Fleece. In this book, Graves rides his hobbyhorse of a maternal society that worships a triune goddess, sort of a female analogue of the Blessed Trinity; but in context of the story, I did not find it obtrusive, and in fact enriches the story. Graves writes superbly well and is a masterful storyteller. Well worth reading. By the way, Graves' war poetry, which he's written during WWI and then suppressed, is in print again. It is harrowing but well worth reading.
The other book is quite different: "The Last Man on the Moon," which is the as-told-to autobiography of astronaut Gene Cernan. It's not quite as good as Michael Collins' "Carrying the Fire" in terms of describing what it was like to be there, but he does go more into the politics of the Apollo program, which were considerable, and is frank about the toll that it all took on his family and his personal life, without whining about it. It's also a reminder of what a magnificent achievement Apollo was, back when America was about high achievement rather than managing decline. It also awakens in me hope that the Artemis program will succeed; I remember Apollo 11 vividly, and I'd love to see another American up there before I cash in my chips.
Posted by: Nemo at April 11, 2021 12:09 PM (S6ArX)
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 12:10 PM (y7DUB)
Posted by: Pendulu at April 11, 2021 12:12 PM (AlYYP)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:15 PM (ONvIw)
McPhee has a rare gift of writing interestingly about any topic that piques his interest. Even geology...
Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at April 11, 2021 12:15 PM (y7DUB)
He proved himself a scamfuck when he had to give a big speech denouncing Russia "Meddling in Our Democracy"
I would've assumed the VP would've had the same high-level security clearances as the Republicans on the investigative committees that knew immediately that it was all false.
Posted by: Moron Robbie at April 11, 2021 12:16 PM (9aYjv)
enduluat April 11, 2021 12:12 PM (AlYYP)
Most of the GOPe was delighted to back Mueller over Trump, and now to whitewash the Bidens and the steal. Fuck em all, I'll sit out voting for a party regular.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:17 PM (ONvIw)
I would've assumed the VP would've had the same high-level security clearances as the Republicans on the investigative committees that knew immediately that it was all false.
Posted by:Moron Robbieat April 11, 2021 12:16 PM (9aYjv)
Complicit from day one, all of them. And eager to stop MAGA and the Wall.Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:18 PM (ONvIw)
I think that's what puzzles people like me more than anything. Why hasn't trump denounced more people, and in stronger terms? For heaven's sake, he just endorsed Rubio.
When he posted a screed this week, denouncing Fauci and Birx, a lot of the comments wanted to know why he didn't fire them long ago.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 12:22 PM (AwPyG)
Sweet Silver Blues (the 1st) is outstanding, as is the 2nd-Bitter Gold Hearts (better, even, than the first (IMHO). The rest vary in quality from pretty darn good to only ok. As the series progressed Cook accumulated a large collection of recurring characters and apparently felt compelled to give each a featured bit in most of the books, so after awhile some of the books began to resemble one of the Avengers movies.
The first 8-10 of the Garrett Books are available in hardcover collections (e.g., The Garrett Files, Garrett, P.I., Garrett Investigates, etc) from the Science Fiction Book Club I believe. You might check used book stores for the book club collections to build your collection.
Posted by: Lawdawg at April 11, 2021 12:22 PM (6K2vl)
This is the third of his Wars of France series. I will get his books The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune, 1870-1 and Death of a Generation: Neuve Chapelle to Verdun and the Somme. I date the time the Left has failed in power, every time, from the Paris Commune.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 11, 2021 10:12 AM (u82oZ)
A good history of France before WWII is Shirer's Collapse of the Third Republic.
Posted by: Stonn at April 11, 2021 12:23 PM (kTmsO)
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:32 PM (ONvIw)
If Trump fired Fauci, articles of impeachment would have immediately been drawn up and as the death count from Covid mounted--inflated with cancer or car accidents, or not--calls for Trump to be removed would have grown louder and louder, and I believe the Senate would have voted to remove him.
Covid would have been perceived to be entirely his fault--and that would give all the politicians who fucked things up--cover.
Posted by: JoeF. at April 11, 2021 12:36 PM (HrMC1)
https://bit.ly/3a3VPOx
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks at April 11, 2021 11:37 AM (VVEnO)
That is hilarious.
Posted by: BignJames at April 11, 2021 12:39 PM (AwYPR)
The ONLY chance Trump has of being elected in 2024 is if Biden fucks things up so badly and so thoroughly that Trump is the ONLY choice.
But do any of us really want things to get that bad?
Posted by: JoeF. at April 11, 2021 12:41 PM (HrMC1)
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at April 11, 2021 12:44 PM (GBHAb)
Posted by: JoeF. at April 11, 2021 12:44 PM (HrMC1)
I think I've learned more about history from reading the comments here than I learned in school.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 12:46 PM (AwPyG)
I dunno--with hindsight, it seems that Trump was well-aware of the Covid plan, and he warned that terrible things were coming in New York. Was he so worried about getting impeached (again) that he let a lot of people die? It's hard to reconcile.
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 12:49 PM (AwPyG)
Posted by: vmom sic semper stabbicus at April 11, 2021 12:51 PM (GBZnB)
Posted by: JTB at April 11, 2021 10:01 AM (7EjX1)"
Can we use the same penumbra that covers our "right" to abortion to cover other private areas of our lives?
Posted by: March Hare at April 11, 2021 12:51 PM (lwrAe)
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 11, 2021 12:52 PM (sd8p8)
Also still reading 'Death in the Garden', Ironside. She is proving to be an exceptional writer...and the book is entertaining too. It is reading such authors that convinces me that *I* could never be a writer.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at April 11, 2021 12:52 PM (pK7cg)
Posted by:JoeF.at April 11, 2021 12:44 PM (HrMC1)
Nah, they just became Obamaites, Boot because he probably always was and the other one took the bribe, IMO. French, Boot, Rubin, didn't need money.Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:53 PM (ONvIw)
Can we use the same penumbra that covers our "right" to abortion to cover other private areas of our lives?Posted by: March Hare
Pretty sure that abortions fall under the 'Emanations' clause.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at April 11, 2021 12:54 PM (bPH26)
Posted by:vmom sic semper stabbicusat April 11, 2021 12:51 PM (GBZnB)
He set the gears into motionPosted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:55 PM (ONvIw)
Pence is like Romney in that they both project this image of moral rectitude and upright goodness because of their (supposedly) clean living and faithfulness to God and family.
But they are both as sleazy and sneaky as anyone in Washington, so that makes them sleazy and sneaky---and also hypocrites.
Posted by: JoeF. at April 11, 2021 12:58 PM (HrMC1)
Yes, it does.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 12:59 PM (ONvIw)
It's like anyone under the age of 50 doesn't understand the value and purpose of privacy.Posted by: JTB
The private life is dead in Russia. - Strelnikov
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at April 11, 2021 01:01 PM (WZ5i4)
Posted by: JoeF. at April 11, 2021 01:01 PM (HrMC1)
Posted by: JTB
Every brain fart and burp is on Twitter, they send out dick pics to all and sundry and they never use cash
Posted by: JoeF. at April 11, 2021 01:04 PM (HrMC1)
Posted by: Who Knew at April 11, 2021 01:06 PM (SfO/T)
Every brain fart and burp is on Twitter, they send out dick pics to all and sundry
and with the new butthole tanning craze, they can send out dick pics to all as they sundry.
Posted by: Comrade Anachronda, behind the Newsom curtain at April 11, 2021 01:12 PM (5br8a)
I think that's always the problem with series--how much does the author have to re-explain? It slows down the story for old readers, but its necessary so that new ones aren't lost
Posted by: artemis at April 11, 2021 01:13 PM (AwPyG)
Posted by: Who Knew at April 11, 2021 01:27 PM (SfO/T)
Posted by: Cringe Biscuit at April 11, 2021 01:30 PM (ZiAW7)
If you haven't, check out The Defense of Duffer's Drift by Swinton. PDF link here:
https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/199th/OCS/content/pdf/The%20Defence%20of%20Duffers%20Drift.pdf
Posted by: Joe at April 11, 2021 01:30 PM (jZv/r)
Posted by: Webley Silvernail at April 11, 2021 01:35 PM (MvW7J)
Posted by: Who Knew at April 11, 2021 01:06 PM (SfO/T)
I haven't read the Lattimore tranlsation. I like Rieu's tho.
Posted by: Stonn at April 11, 2021 01:35 PM (kTmsO)
And lots of the desert scenery and tales. Kungam the bandit king was pretty much lifted and a few serial numbers filed off...Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 11, 2021 01:39 PM (s4OSc)
Posted by: Stonn at April 11, 2021 01:40 PM (kTmsO)
Posted by: Webley Silvernail at April 11, 2021 01:41 PM (MvW7J)
Of course, I have never read it. Someday.
(I wonder how many unread books I will have when I die.)
Posted by: Weak Geek at April 11, 2021 01:55 PM (J9wig)
I like to think of some of my books purchased after having read them in the past as heirlooms as they are getting harder to find in any form, and I just don't trust digital.
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 01:57 PM (ONvIw)
I've been reading "Girl Genius" since its beginning. I have TCs of nearly half of the series and am considering hunting for the rest.
This would be for preservation. The series is that good, and I can foresee it all vanishing in a Web crash.
Posted by: Weak Geek at April 11, 2021 02:08 PM (J9wig)
Posted by:Weak Geekat April 11, 2021 02:08 PM (J9wig)
I fear some favorites being "cancelled" or altered beyond repair
Posted by: CN at April 11, 2021 02:15 PM (ONvIw)
Posted by: Heresolong at April 11, 2021 03:08 PM (spsWF)
Posted by: HarriedandHopeless at April 11, 2021 05:20 PM (Y1Oht)
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Posted by: Skip at April 11, 2021 09:01 AM (Cxk7w)