Monday Afternoon Links

by | Apr 1, 2024 | Daily Links | 174 comments

                                              Yeah, what this says. 

 

Monday…ugh. I don’t have any special theme or rhyme or reason to the Links today. So, here you go…some links.

  • I am beginning to suspect Government is not a bunch of open and honest folks.
  • THERE IS NO SPACE SMITH.
  • Economic dislocation. Or is it relocation?
  • Hmmm. Not sure what the Swiss are doing in this particular case.

Music.

Comments belong to all of you.

About The Author

Swiss Servator

Swiss Servator

Currently serving at the pleasure of a Swiss multinational. Previously a Soldier, rugby player, lawyer, bouncer, bartender, substitute teacher, risk manager, and cubicle mushroom. Will work for raclette.

174 Comments

  1. Common Tater

    “I am beginning to suspect Government is not a bunch of open and honest folks.”

    Wasn’t that link this morning?

    • Sean

      Still better than the Space Smith one…

      • Common Tater

        Or the Swiss one.

      • Chafed

        Whew! I though it was just me.

      • SDF-7

        [REDACTED]!

    • Common Tater

      “‘Almost Orwellian’: Feds black out nearly all emails about trucker surveillance proposal”

      • kinnath

        two repeats; two I can’t open

        Swiss time was running out.

      • SDF-7

        It is April First… Swiss just pities da fools who criticize his efforts — it suits him to a T.

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        Very Sneaky Swiss.

      • Evan from Evansville

        Me likey.

      • Chafed

        I can’t believe you posted that comment without a music link.

      • kinnath

        I felt it was . . . . . unnecessary.

      • The Last American Hero

        Maybe he’s just on the jazz.

      • Suthenboy

        1. Ability to examine the presence and role of whiteness.
        2. Be an “Antiracist.”
        3. Be “racially conscious.”

        The usual mealy mouthed double talk. What they want is a foam-at-the-mouth racist piece of shit because being such is all the rage these days.

      • Bobarian LMD

        Product placement is a thing.

      • whiz

        the Assistant Superintendent proactively supports the Superintendent to create and communicate anti-racist structures and systems

        Something tells me that’s the opposite of what they will actually do.

  2. SDF-7

    Hmmm. Not sure what the Swiss are doing in this particular case.

    I’m not sure either — and I like some CH… CHEESE is good… CHIRP… CHEST is always good for Q….

    Afternoon, Swiss!

  3. SDF-7

    Ausfahrt nach links verboten

    Glibs is a right leaning site confirmed! Aggle blaggle blarg!

    • kinnath

      argle bargle

  4. Shpip

    “Customers are now evaluating their supply chain options and NC Ports stands ready to assist and support the larger supply chain network as needed,” said Brian Clark in a statement. He’s executive director of North Carolina Ports.

    The directors of the ports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Brunswick, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and Mobile all issued identical statements.

    • Nephilium

      Local news was asking if the Port of Cleveland would get more traffic, in the first paragraph, they admitted that there was no path for the big container ships to make it to the port, but they were hoping.

      • SDF-7

        Hoping someone would dredge up the funding?

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        Can’t they use the Erie Canal?

      • SDF-7

        They don’t want to deal with their drug mule, Sal.

      • Spudalicious

        They need to channel their efforts in a different direction.

  5. The Late P Brooks

    Haters

    “It’s very likely that Musk himself is contributing to the reputational downfall,” Caliber CEO Shahar Silbershatz told Reuters, saying his company’s survey shows 83% of Americans connect Musk with Tesla.
    Reuters spoke to five marketing, polling and car experts who said controversies surrounding Musk’s increasingly right-wing politics and public statements are weighing on Tesla’s brand and demand.
    “It is hard enough to win sales without getting into politics,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

    ——-

    In recent years, the billionaire courted controversy with comments and actions including his embrace of the Republican party and endorsement of anti-semitic comments on X. Musk has denied being anti-semitic.

    If the monkeys throw enough shit, some of it is bound to stick.

    • The Other Kevin

      I guess all the people buying EV’s are flocking to the other manufacturers.

  6. Common Tater

    “More than 150 students, staff and alumni have reportedly been diagnosed with cancers and other diseases linked to a university building teeming with toxins.

    Cases of lymphoma and thyroid and breast cancers have been reported among patients who spent time at Poe Hall, a class building at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

    The building closed in November 2023 amid reports of exposure to concerning levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic chemicals linked to cancer.

    An investigation the month before found that PCB levels in five rooms were more than 38 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) building limit.”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13259753/nc-state-university-cancer-cluster-abandoned-building-poe-hall-carcinogens.html

    yikes!

    • Ted S.

      It should have been the Jim Valvano building.

    • Derpetologist

      related:

      Cancer rate among Air Force Missileers prompts questions, concerns
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC_iKQy9GHo

      PCBs are suspected. Like asbestos and lead, it’s useful and causes cancer.

    • Raven Nation

      “We anticipate this spill over will occur somewhere in early October…”

      • R.J.

        Happy Halloweeeeeeen! Scary, scary bird flu! WoooOOOooo!

      • Lackadaisical

        Please stop giving them ideas.

  7. The Late P Brooks

    “It is hard enough to win sales without getting into politics,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

    Meanwhile, the “expert” class has done everything possible to drag politics into every aspect of business and life in general.

    • Suthenboy

      Few people seem to notice that the left is waging an all out culture war on us. They have managed to shit people into buying into the evilest shit imaginable with hardly a whimper. Fucking idiot cowards. C’mon, my opinion of people in general was already low but now….it seems most are hardly worth the bullet it would take.

      • Sean

        I dunno…I got some cheap ammo…

      • Plinker762

        I still have a shit load of 5.45. I think it was $0.07/rnd delivered.

      • Sean

        Same.

        #spamcans

    • Chafed

      I’m having trouble believing he really said that.

      • The Other Kevin

        I’m sure it’s real, just like those Salma Hayek quotes about economics.

    • Plinker762

      April fools or is he ranting about evil corporations forcing us to buy 27 different brands of deodorant?

    • Raven Nation

      “you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing”

      But enough about government bureaucrats.

    • Fatty Bolger

      WTH, that link locked up my browser.

    • Suthenboy

      Uh, that is not a Sanders quote. It is a Rand quote via her character Francisco D’Antonio.
      Lefties pull this shit all of the time…try to appropriate their ideological opponents words.
      I really liked when Obumblefuck tried to claim he is known as ‘The Gipper’.
      Jesus, how pathetic and creepy.
      It is a tell that they know full well the evil they do.

      • The Last American Hero

        Or it’s April Fools

    • SDF-7

      They were too worried about 88 numerology?

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        Do we have something against Micheal Irvin?

        Other than playing for Dallas and U-Miami, that is.

      • Common Tater

        Wearing more diamonds than Elizabeth Taylor?

      • Rat on a train

        Everyone who graduated in 88 is a Nazi.

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        Whew, missed it by one year!

    • Suthenboy

      Not 55?
      Since when does Adidas have the power to ‘ban’ anything? I buy the shirt it is my property. I will do what I want with it.

      Not only did I forget about the 88 thing…I forgot what it is supposed to mean. I guess I suck at being a white supremacist.

      • Rat on a train

        According to the ADL, almost every number is a hate symbol.

      • Lackadaisical

        Math, like time, is racist. So numbers being racist in general checks out.

      • SDF-7

        H is the 8th letter of the alphabet, so 88 is “HH” and supposedly used by neo-nazis as code for Heil Schicklgruber is my understanding.

        This week on convoluted logic….

      • Rat on a train

        It could also be happy hour, which is also bad.

  8. The Other Kevin

    My eldest is finally here for a visit after 9 months. We’re trying to convince her she’s living in a cult but she’s not having it. She lives with her half-brother, his girlfriend, and their “other boyfriend”. There are 7 adults, 4 kids, and several pets in the house they rent. She shares a room with another woman and someone else’s kid. There are cameras in the room to watch kid and in the kitchen so they can watch her do chores. Some people there work full time some do not. Every week when she gets paid, she shows “other boyfriend” her pay and he tells her how much she owes for bills. Which is usually all of her pay minus gas money to get to work. She can’t afford to drive 2 hours away to see us, and doesn’t have car insurance.

    This is totally a cult right?

    • SDF-7

      More of a commune unless they’re also having her worship the astral presence of Other Boyfriend — but bad enough, yeah. Definitely a “get out” situation to me.

      • The Other Kevin

        Commune probably a better word. But it is so crazy.

      • Chafed

        It is. I’m sorry you are dealing with this.

      • The Other Kevin

        Thanks.

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        I don’t know what to say TOK, but sorry you and she are going through this.

    • kinnath

      Abuse? Yes.

      Cult? Maybe. Maybe not.

    • EvilSheldon

      I don’t know about a cult, but it’s definitely not a good situation.

      • Sean

        ^^ Agreed.

      • The Other Kevin

        We’re trying to talk her into moving back home. I’ll let you guys know if we do, so then if you see any “Indiana couple mysteriously disappears” articles, kindly forward this info to the cops. Anonymously of course.

      • SDF-7

        Good luck, stay safe — If you do convince her to get out… I’d be seriously tempted to find her a place with no overt connections to you in case they come looking to pull her back in. (I’m assuming she’s mentioned where she was going or your address in the past… nothing you can do about that now but be watchful…)

      • EvilSheldon

        If any of my fellow Glibs mysteriously disappear, I’ll be forwarding that information to a baseball bat, a box of contractor-grade trash bags, and an industrial stump grinder…

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        I like your thoughts, and would like to subscribe to your email list.

      • Evan from Evansville

        WTH? Is it at all larger then those six? A community of these housing situations? Regardless, I imagine they’d be eager to share their story with a local newspaper or three. Any news on it? If they’re hiding anything? Yep. Creepy Flag up. Not in the good way.

    • Translucent Chum

      Reality TV show?

      • The Other Kevin

        You think reality TV shows are all made up, then you see something like this.

      • Ted S.

        To be fair, “reality” shows *are* made up.

      • Ted S.

        Seriously, though, I can imagine going through a situation like the one you describe.

      • Raven Nation

        Ted S.: are you specifically a Bayern M fan or just German football in general? Are you interested/intrigued about Leverkeusen possibly winning for the first time?

      • Ted S.

        Bayern first (I’ve got relatives in Bavaria, and they were amazed when they visited for my sister’s wedding back in 1988 that pimply teenaged me knew who Franz Beckenbauer was), but also a Bundesliga fan in that I want to see them advance in the CL just to piss off the star-fucking hipsters who only care about the EPL at least until the next fad comes along, and who are the only fans the US sports media cares about courting.

      • rhywun

        I don’t like Leverkusen’s “working man” pretentions. Most of the teams have some ancient baggage.

      • Ted S.

        Leverkusen was founded as a sports club for the employees of Bayer, and is one of the two German teams to be grandfathered in to the laws on majority ownership. The other is Wolfsburg, originally set up by Volkswagen; indeed, the players are still VW employees.

        There was a humorous case several years back of a Wolfsburg player getting in trouble for posting pictures of himself in a Mercedes.

      • Translucent Chum

        If she complains about the money offer up a situation where she keeps what she earns. Find what motivates her to avoid the automatic pushback of being told her situation sucks.

      • The Other Kevin

        Part of our sales pitch is to point out she brings home $1400 a month, and if she lived here we wouldn’t charge her more than $350. She’s have the rest to spend on her car, insurance, and savings.

      • Translucent Chum

        We’re doing this with our oldest (although only 21). He pays minimal rent and lives at our cottage. Instead of blowing $1k/month minimum in rent he can pay off school and we get someone to take care of property. It took a while to get him to buy in. He wanted to be on his own but he finally understood we’re both getting something out of the deal.

    • Common Tater

      How old is she?

      • The Other Kevin

        27

      • Common Tater

        That’s certainly old enough. Maybe she likes the situation? Maybe there is some BDSM thing?

      • The Other Kevin

        She was neglected as a kid so there are always some development issues. And she sincerely believes her brother and the girlfriend would never do anything bad to her. They’re totally taking advantage of her.

      • kinnath

        And she sincerely believes her brother and the girlfriend would never do anything bad to her.

        It is important to explain to her that the brother could be taking advantage of her on purpose or he could want to be helping her, but instead is using her to cover his own problems or he is merely completely incompetent and is hurting her without bad intent.

        The real point is that it doesn’t matter. The net result is that he is abusing her.

      • Lackadaisical

        Hope and pray she finds a way out of her current situation.

    • Suthenboy

      Cult, no cult, who cares. It is mind control bullshit. It doesnt matter what she says get her the fuck out of there. If anyone tries to stop you…well…bring a 12 gauge and a friend or two.
      That is your child, not their property.

    • Mojeaux

      I’m so sorry you’re going through this.

  9. Shpip

    After deep and careful reflection, I have come to the conclusion that capitalism is an inhumane and unsustainable system, responsible for the deaths and suffering of billions of innocent souls. The rampant hoarding of wealth by the 1% is the most egregious crime facing our world, and must be stopped immediately. Human beings are hierarchical by nature, and it is our collective duty to create a hierarchy that ensures redistributive social justice for the most oppressed and marginalized among us.

    • Sean

      Pass.

    • EvilSheldon

      Too late in the day, bruh.

      The Keith Richards one almost got me though…

    • R.J.

      Beautiful. April Fools to you too.

    • The Other Kevin

      I’m with Shpip, I can handle high prices and interest rates making it hard for me to support my family. The thing that keeps me up at night is knowing there are billionaires out the having a beach vacation.

      • SDF-7

        And relevant to the quiz this morning — that people might inherit wealth that other people don’t. The nerve of them! We should just tax everything at the time of death so no one can provide for their offspring!

      • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

        Yes, the party functionaries should have the dachas, and they are also the ones who should get vacations in Odessa, TX.

      • creech

        MOJO!

    • Translucent Chum

      Hard to disagree. I humbly accept the daunting task of setting up this hierarchy. I promise to be fair and even handed while bringing everyone in line.

      • R.J.

        Pull my finger. I’ll produce something that is fair and evenhanded.

  10. Shpip

    This bugs me.

    Both producers and consumers will be feeling the pinch for years to come.

    • The Other Kevin

      I think that’s the most interesting link I’ve seen bayou.

      • SDF-7

        Starting another pun thread on his links is really going to stick in Swiss’s craw.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        It’s really going to make him crabby.

      • The Other Kevin

        I guess it’s rather shellfish of us.

      • Homple

        He’ll be cheesed of again.

      • Homple

        Cheese OFF spell checker. OFF

      • Homple

        Goddamn spell checker.

    • kinnath

      I remember reading about this movie. I still can’t fathom how this movie got made.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Woke idiots living in a woke bubble making stupid woke decisions.

      • Fourscore

        That’s the mayor of Baltimore, can’t fool me even on March 32nd.

    • The Other Kevin

      The world needs more people named Porky.

      • Fatty Bolger

        And they should all open strip clubs in the swamp.

      • dbleagle

        A real man of genius.

        Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

      • creech

        Moral turpitude.

    • Sean

      Simpler times.

  11. Mojeaux

    XY: I’m moving out!

    Me: Oh, okay. When?

    XY: April Fool!

    Me: Oh.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Cruelest one yet

      • Mojeaux

        Right?!

  12. UnCivilServant

    Finally!

    I got what looks like a good print off the new vat and build plate.

    • UnCivilServant

      I successfully printed – bits of the wrong scale. Back to try again.

      Freshly cleaned vat and build plate, releveled and tightened down… 🤞

  13. robc

    Due to international break and FA Cup limited games weekend, I haven’t updated EPL relegation status in a while.

    With 8/9 games to go:

    Mathematically safe: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Manchester United
    Reasonably safe: West Ham United, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolverhampton, Chelsea, Fulham, AFC Bournemouth
    Okay for now: Crystal Palace
    Danger Zone: Brentford, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Burnley
    Toast: Sheffield United
    Relegated: None

    Changes from last time: a bunch of teams moved up to reasonable safe, and Burnley moved out of Toast and into the Danger Zone. I still don’t think they have a chance to survive, but they are making a go of it.

    Midweek games this week that matter:
    Everton @ Newcastle tomorrow
    Fulham @ Forest tomorrow
    Wolverhampton @ Burnley tomorrow
    Brighton @ Burnley Wednesday
    Luton Town @ Arsenal Wednesday
    Sheffield United @ Liverpool Thursday

    • Raven Nation

      This seems about right. Wild card is still the Forest points deduction appeal and a possible second deduction against Everton.

      • Evan from Evansville

        Ev thirds the notion against Everton.

  14. Derpetologist

    Had another interview today, but if I get the job, it starts in August when the school reopens. I had 13 Florida teaching job interviews in a year. I’m going to a job fair next week. There’ll be 20 or so schools and one of them is bound to hire me. I also signed up to be a substitute.

    Anyway, they liked me and suggested the job fair. After so much idleness, I look forward to work, even though for me, teaching barely feels like work. Whatever, easy money for me.

    • Sean

      Good luck Derpy!

  15. Tres Cool

    Tres Ver 2.0 didnt have school today so we saw Ghostbusters Frozen Empire.

    He gave it a 7. I’m not so generous- 6.5/10

    Pro- little to no wokeness
    Con- I expected more from the effects
    Con- even for a matinee, I spent $40 before we even sat down.

    • Sean

      Bidenomics!

      • Tres Cool

        Honestly, as a kid I never saw a movie unless it was at the Dollar Cinema. And then my cheap-ass mom would smuggle in snacks.
        Cold popcorn and those ghetto juice barrels while everyone had the good stuff.

    • Zwak says the real is not governable, but self-governing.

      I thought he was going to shave with cosmoline.

      was disapoint

  16. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    Listening to ATC regarding UA921 Heathrow – Newark. They are squawking emergency. Apparently passenger issues. But not enough for them to descend and/or divert. The ATC is asking the pilot “tell us as much as you can about your current situation”, saying management wants to know. 😬

    • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

      I can only hear the ATC side of the conversation. The pilot took about a minute to relay whatever situation is going on, but I couldn’t hear it

      • Gender Traitor

        We could start a pool betting on what the issue is (if you think we’ll every find out for sure.)

        I call mass-enhanced passenger demanding an entire row of seats.

      • Common Tater

        “mass-enhanced”

        LOL

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        It would seem that the Indians’ acrimonious relationship with commodes extends beyond the terrestrial variety.

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        What a shitty situation.

    • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

      They’re going to switch frequency soon…hopefully I can catch the handoff

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        Got the handoff but the frequency is scratchy and almost unreadable.

        They on ZBW Boston Center (MPV52/PLB53)

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        Asking UA921 for a gate #…seems early to ask that for EWR

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        Guessing cops will be meeting them at the gate, so they have to be staged in advance

      • Ownbestenemy

        I’m on two weeks of leave otherwise I’d pull the audio for ya

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        Awww thanks!!

        EWR approach and tower are clear on LiveATC..I think I may be able to hear more once they go to the Approach frequency

    • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

      Over Western MA but now only at 12k feet…very low. Fast rate of descent. They have been flying for over 2 hours already without descending

  17. Common Tater

    “Lara Logan: Well, I have a better question for you, Steve. Why are you coming to the mic telling the country that it’s not terrorism when your own intelligence agencies are telling you it is? And I know they are because I didn’t make this up. These are not my words. I’m talking to people who are on the inside, some who are on active duty, some who are retired. And everyone, literally, from critical infrastructure in the Department of Homeland Security to the intelligence agencies, they know there’s no other… This is a cyber attack on a critical infrastructure corridor for the United States.

    For those people who think this is just a river, this is in Baltimore, what does this matter? You don’t know anything about what you’re talking about. The I-94 corridor on the Eastern Seaboard is literally what connects the North and South. And when I talk about hazardous materials, this is a brilliant, well-planned strategic attack on one of the most important supply chains in the United States of America. The only other one is in the Western side in California. That’s the only one that’s busier. And what you have done, you now have shut it down.

    And When I talk about hazardous materials, what are we talking about here? This is refined fuels, right? This is propane gas. This is diesel. This is fuel. This is flammable materials. This is oversized loads, nitrogen, chemicals. Everything that you need for your economy to move has literally just been shut down for 4-5 years.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/lara-logan-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapse-everyone/

    I have no idea.

    • Ted S.

      There’s no I-94 corridor on the eastern seaboard, is there?

      • Derpetologist

        I think it’s a typo for I-95.

    • rhywun

      I dunno either but I do think I-94 ends in Michigan.

    • Derpetologist

      On the plus side, The Wire now has a premise for a new season.

      Suggested first episode name: A Bridge Too Close

    • rhywun

      It reads exactly like something Mayor Pete might have penned.

  18. Evan from Evansville

    Shoto Imanaga gets his first win as a Cub in his MLB-debut from Japan. He threw 4 and 2/3s perfect before a couple soft singles and finishing the inning. No runs nor walks. First starter of ours to get a win, let alone deserve it. Welcome to Chicago, Shoto. Damn good intro.

    Chistopher Morel, a damn good hitter who can’t field, got a hilarious Little League homer on a painful (for them) error. It was a fun game. They all have been, in their own way.

  19. UnCivilServant

    Been listening to some working class English and can’t miss their linguistic oddities. I started wondering if there was a recorded circumstance where the upper class and lower class dialects of a language became distinct and non-intelligable languages through evolution and not invasion ie, Norman French would not count as it was the introduction of a foreign language rather than the divergance of a common one.

    • Derpetologist

      Tok Pisin?

      also this

      ***
      Located 34 miles from the North Carolina mainland, Ocracoke Island is fairly isolated. You can’t drive there as there are no bridges, and most people can’t fly either as there are no commercial flights. If you want to go there, it has to be by boat. In the early 1700s, that meant Ocracoke was a perfect spot for pirates to hide, as no soldiers were going to search 16 miles of remote beaches and forests for wanted men.
      ***

      https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190623-the-us-island-that-speaks-elizabethan-english