Midway through March Friday Afternoon Links

by | Mar 20, 2026 | Cocktails, Daily Links, I Am Lame | 54 comments

Well, that beer was definitely not an IPA.

The talk of downtown on St. Patrick’s Day was the alien action taken.

“Iconic”.

All the comfort of Lego in the form of a Croc.

Barrens chat hardest hit.

Is it wrong of me to think that this is being celebrated through Korea?

Where all the white women mothers at?

How will we mitigate this tremendous and terrible “risk”?

Deportation = death.

Just another Saturday night, right?

Of course it isn’t your fault.

Over 4.3 feet? The girlfriend makes the cut.

For the cocktail this week, blood oranges are still on the shelves (and Meyer lemons have been popping up as well), so let’s go with:

Blood [NOT RASPBERRY] Orange Margarita

  • 6 part (1.5 oz) tequila/mezcal
  • 3 part (0.75 oz) triple sec/orange liqueur
  • 1 part (0.25 oz) Campari
  • 3 part (0.75 oz) blood orange juice
  • 3 part (0.75 oz) lime juice
  • 1 part (0.25 oz) simple syrup/agave nectar

Put your glass up in the freezer while you build the cocktail. Going with mezcal over tequila will add a smokey note through the drink, which I’m a fan of. Everything goes into the shaker, shaken until combined, and strained into the chilled glass. Now, if you would like, you could salt the rim (or go with a Tajin rim), and garnish with a slice of blood orange.

With that, I hope you enjoy your weekend, and forgive any links that have been shared already.

About The Author

Nephilium

Nephilium

Nephilium is a geek of multiple types living in the vast suburban forests of Cleveland.

54 Comments

  1. EvilSheldon

    Hmm. I recently acquired a bottle of Liber & Co. Blood Orange cordial. Possibilities as a substitute?

  2. The Late P Brooks

    Excellent music choice.

  3. rhywun

    So if Haiti is not safe for Haitian citizens and it is the responsibility of the United States to keep them safe… is it also the responsibility of the United States to move American citizens who live in unsafe cities into safe cities?

    • Grumbletarian

      I’ve heard it said that the US isn’t safe for black people anyway what with all the white conservatives out there noosing black people in the dead of winter in Chicago. So moving them out is an act of mercy.

  4. The Late P Brooks

    No man’s freedom is safe when Congress is in session.

  5. Shpip

    Hitoshi Tanaka, a former diplomat, wrote on X that Ms. Takaichi’s approach was “bizarre and embarrassing.”

    “It’s a relationship between heads of state,” he wrote. “While some flattery is fine, if it’s overdone, it ends up repulsing the onlookers.”

    ‘Member back when OMB met Putin in Helsinki (basically Russia’s backyard) and said some nice things about him? The usual extremely online suspects went completely batshit, howling “TREASON!” and “PUTIN’S STOOGE!”

    Apparently you can’t be mean to another head of state, and you can’t be nice either. Or maybe there’s just no pleasing some people.

    • rhywun

      Putin stole the presidency from Hillary so of course they hate him.

      • The Other Kevin

        He failed to respond to the Reset button.

      • Rat on a train

        Hillary gave them an overload button instead.

      • Aloysious

        I still think ol’ Vlad should have judo chopped Hillary and her stupid button.

      • Ted S.

        Technically, isn’t Emperor Naruhito the head of state?

      • Sensei

        I honestly never got that into the weeds for royalty.

        I do know that after VJ Day he’s no longer divine, however.

      • Gustave Lytton

        That’s correct. Trump is both head of government and of state while the PM is merely head of government.

      • Tonio

        IIRC, Hirohito (WW2 emperer) was the last god-emperer. Neither his son Akihito, nor his grandson Naruhito went through the Shinto ritual to make them gods.

  6. Son of Fourscore

    I doubt Trump’s pointless insult to the Japanese Prime Minister is being celebrated throughout South Korea, being that 70% of their oil imports flow through the Straits of Hormuz.

  7. The Late P Brooks

    Situational forgiveness

    The endorsement from Warren also comes at a crucial important moment for Platner, after Mills launched her first attacks against him this week. Mills released a TV ad that highlights 2013 social media posts in which Platner downplayed sexual assault. Platner released a response ad saying those comments “are words and statements I abhor from a time in my life when I was struggling deeply after returning from war” and “not who I am.”

    “Look, he has apologized for that and he’s out there talking to the people of Maine every single day,” Warren told HuffPost on Thursday.

    Having Warren’s backing could be a helpful boost among progressive female voters as Platner tries to fend off those attacks, said one Democratic strategist granted anonymity to speak candidly about primary dynamics.

    It’s not like he was riding around on Epstein’s plane. I guess they swept the “Nazi tattoo” under the rug, too.

    • Tonio

      “I guess they swept the “Nazi tattoo” under the rug, too.”

      Yeah, they’re doing performative outrage about Hedgseth’s “Deus Vult” and multiple crosses tatts, but are conspicuously ignoring Platner’s ink. They love mutilating bodies, so I’m surprised they haven’t aske platner to have them removed.

      • Ted S.

        This is why one shouldn’t get any tattoos at all.

    • R.J.

      Elizabeth Warren? I have problems believing any young person would care about what she has to say.

  8. Shpip

    The U.S. Supreme Court will soon make a decision that could cost some Ohioans their lives.

    The only Ohioans who will be at risk are (a) the housepets of people who live in Ohio, and (b) the poor drivers who have the misfortune of meeting a Haitian on the road.

    Or does the newspaper claim that people who snuck into the country and then remembered their coaching to claim “asylum” are instant Ohioans?

  9. The Other Kevin

    In the past week here, we’ve discussed retiring before AI got too far. Today my manager and I discussed goals for this year, and company-wide we all have “get more stuff done because now you have AI to help you.” I’m too young to retire, but I am thinking a career change might be a good move.

    • rhywun

      I will be having the exact same conversation with my boss next week.

      • The Other Kevin

        The next step is, “AI is making you so productive, we need fewer of you, so the ones that aren’t best friends with AI go first.”

    • kinnath

      Haven’t heard that I my job . . . . yet

      One of the few benefits of working in a heavily regulated business is that process change is usually time-consuming and painful. So, there is a certain amount of inertia.

      But AI comes up every time there is a townhall meeting. The engineering staff regularly voices concerns about job security in the face of AI.

      • Tonio

        I think you left out a word between “my” and “job.”

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      I’m getting close to retirement age. If AI makes me irrelevant, I’ll be happy to take a golden handshake.

      I said handshake, you perv.

      • Threedoor

        I read reacharound.
        Pretty sure everyone saw that too.

  10. Pash KKatel

    First full week or work unlocked! I don’t know the last time I felt this happy. A huge weight has been lifted, mentally and financially. Also, Jet Lag: The Game has a new season coming out next week. Life is good again.

  11. Tonio

    The local Moms Demand Action is having a meltdown because Magpul gave a child an AR-15 magazine at a 2A rally at the state capitol in Richmond. They were giving away mags for free to anyone who wanted one. “Irresponsible. Bad optics.” They’re getting roasted on social media.

    BTW, the name is hilarious in its cluelessness. But I suspect the “moms” are not the sort who’d appreciate, or be any good at, the “action.”

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      “Bad optics.” No duh, it was a magazine, not a scope.

      • Tonio

        That was noted by several people, but I suspect went right over the heads of the “moms.”

    • Gdragon

      I think that I once owned “Moms Demand Action 6” on VHS

      • Dr. Fronkensteen

        Use it to kill 800 people. duh.

  12. The Late P Brooks

    But I suspect the “moms” are not the sort who’d appreciate, or be any good at, the “action.”

    Yeah, I suspect “Moms Detest Action” would be more likely.

  13. The Late P Brooks

    Wear a sweater

    Instead of waiting for disrupted production to recover, lowering demand could ease pressure on consumers and help bring prices down more quickly.

    Minimizing road and air transport, working from home where possible, and switching to electric cooking could significantly help cushion the shock for consumers, the agency said.

    Heightened geopolitical risk has rattled traders, sending not only crude prices higher but also sharply increasing costs for refined products such as diesel and jet fuel, which directly impact transportation, logistics and consumer prices.

    I wonder if people are dusting off their coal gasification projects yet.

      • Threedoor

        There is a small uptick in emissions as you are processing those people.

  14. The Late P Brooks

    The next step is, “AI is making you so productive, we need fewer of you, so the ones that aren’t best friends with AI go first.”

    “We have half as many people, but they’re twice as productive!”

    • Sensei

      Tesla, the new BMW, but with greater turn signal usage.

      Looks like only RWD version too.

  15. DEG

    Time hasn’t healed any wounds for Kristin Cabot, the woman caught canoodling with her boss on Coldplay’s kiss cam last July.

    And her eyes look crazy.

  16. The Late P Brooks

    That was an unfortunate choice.

    I’m mildly surprised Tesla doesn’t have traction control able to get out of there.

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