Does the perfect metaphor exist?
Obama Center subcontractor files $40M discrimination lawsuit against engineering firm for overruns
A Chicago-based subcontractor is suing one of the firms involved in managing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center for $40 million, claiming racial discriminatory practices forced the firm to do extra work that left it at risk of bankruptcy, according to a lawsuit.
Robert McGee, the owner of II in One, which provided concrete and rebar services for the center starting in 2021, filed the lawsuit in federal court last month against New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, which oversees structural engineering and design services for the $830 million project.
McGee claims that Thornton Tomasetti changed standards and imposed new rules around rebar spacing and tolerance requirements that differed from the American Concrete Institute standards, which resulted in “excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection” and massive overruns.
Crumbling before it is even finished. Womp womp.
Also, just a hideous building. In tribute of Big Mike, the Presidential Bull.
Titanic wreck to be visited by another billionaire — two years after Oceangate disaster killed 5
Implosion is at least a quick way to go.
Missing Texas woman Kaura Taylor found living in lost ‘African’ tribe in Scotland
A woman reported missing by her family in Texas has been found living amongst a lost “African” tribe in the Scottish woodlands.
The Kingdom of Kubala claim they have settled in a forest in Jedburgh, with the intention of reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors in the Highlands 400 years ago.
The trio consists of group leader King Atehene, 36, who was previously an opera singer under the name Kofi Offeh, his wife, Queen Nandi, and their handmaiden Asnat.
HT to Sloopy. As he said “Every paragraph is better than the one before it.”
dfg
Manhattan-size interstellar object appears to emit its own light: Harvard scientist
To paraphrase Kim Newman in Apocalypse Movies: End of the World Cinema, the central attraction of the end of the world is that all the boring people will go away.
Maybe they can repurpose the Obama library into a Chinese Embassy. Looks like they’d feel right at home, after all.
Putting it in Serbia would be extra special.
True… though my first thought is more “Why are you disturbing a grave site unless you have relatives there, pricks?” Oddly, I don’t have a problem with camera drones silently getting footage of wrecks… but I don’t like people diving / mucking about in them. I guess I’m just weird that way.
You’re weird in many ways.
I find I can not dispute your assertion.
Arizona Memorial closed to the public …
Verdun
Every square foot of North America is a mass grave of First Peoples.
And seconds, and thirds, and fourths….
… apparently joined a cult. Hopefully not H/T to TOK.
Obligatory.
That cult was at least interesting, unlike the one my kid was in.
Hers was less National Geographic, more COPS.
Apparently, we get Ren Faires, and Scotland gets… that. Whatever that is.
You don’t have Scottish games in your neck of the woods? Keep in mind that’s different than the Irish Cultural Festival.
Why yes, both events are held outdoors in the middle of summer. In a fairground with a noticeable lack of shade.
I don’t recognize
tranniesmen in skirts having picnics.Oh, and the real Irish cultural festival is getting drunk enough so your wife walks into a door.
/part Irish
Is that where they buried Idi Amin?
1) dfg? TMAs.
2) Ok… so could be a chunk or even a whole neutron star… they can get down to tiny masses like that — as long as it doesn’t go full event horizon, you could have stuff of that density still putting out emissions… so not terribly sure what the story is here.
And hey! I resemble that remark!
I don’t know what he meant by “dfg.” I added a link to that story, too.
Dis Fuckin’ Guy?
I think we are short some HTML…
Just pretend the link exists.
I just added the link. Thanks.
Bring back BLINK and MARQUEE.
Marque Moon? Why, yes, it is a good time to play that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlbunmCbTBA&list=RDjlbunmCbTBA&start_radio=1
Ok… I’ve done my best at seeding the clouds of conversation. Any more talking to myself and they’ll call the nice young men in the clean white coats….
At least when you talk to yourself you’re guaranteed intelligent conversation.
The sad part is when he can’t agree with himself.
Obligatory.
To the funny farm, ha, ha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQNI1KfGXBA
There are plenty of artistic things that I don’t like at first encounter but which grow on me. Music, movies, books, architecture. But I don’t think I’ll ever come to like that Obama Library. That’s just fugly.
It’s like a flak tower.
Don’t insult Flak towers.
Imperial walker with no legs
Looks like a climbing wall.
Looks like a mausoleum.
“Hey, let’s see if we can take neo-Brutalist oppressiveness to the next level!”
I truly pity anyone who has to work in there.
I am guessing that they needed to build something that would make his portrait look good. You know, the one with the leaves.
Clearly meant to be a church.
Well, it is a monument to His greatness.
One small earthquake…
Just incredible that a fine library could be built for like 10 percent of that amount, but, no, we have to build expensive shit for American Royals.
$830m project.
EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY MILLION.
DOLLARS.
FUCK.
https://www.ntu.org/library/doclib/2025/02/presidential-libraries-.pdf
The Imperial Presidency must be commemorated with all due dignity.
Can we just bury them and their staff under a pyramid when they leave office?
You know… go old school.
And this one won’t have any books in it.
Hopefully we can still surf for porn on the library computers.
“And this one won’t have any books in it.”
Well, will have ghost written ones but I’ll bet the one where it says the author was born in Kenya will not be featured!
I hope Trump proposes building TWO presidential libraries because one could never be bigly enough.
Non consecutive terms.
That has to count for something.
I just hope that the Trump library features the gold toilet, right in the lobby.
Right and proper for the enstoolment.
Let me guess…Miss Texas is the ‘handmaiden’.
Ooooh, called it!
Not to kink shame, but my sex cult fantasies generally involve fewer tents and more bathing.
OMG, the ‘offering’ of IRN-BRU and shortbread cookies?
This has to be someone’s performance art piece.
See comment below. That tore me up. “Foraging…”
That sounds like she got roped in by a dyslexic Church Lady…. “And who encouraged you to join this cult? To put your heaving bosoms on display for a wannabe “King” and to make your throbbing loins available 24/7 for his sweaty pleasure?
Oh I don’t know… let me think… could it be ASNAT?“
“Let me guess…Miss Texas is the ‘handmaiden’.”
She probably has quite a tale.
“The Royal Penis is clean, sire.”
I guess he is one Offeh mother fucker!
I heard about The Kingdom of Kubala! What a bunch of maroons!
Just leave them alone for now, go pick up the starved bodies six months from now.
I missed this in the photos:
“The missing American woman gave an offering of Irn-Bru, a Scottish soda, and shortbread sticks to the so-called King Atehene.”
Hahahahahahahahaha!
You can pick up the bodies in 6 weeks, not months.
Certainly I’m curious how they’ll do in a highland winter instead of summer. Somehow I think that if they’re still mobile the ancestral lands will need tending in a more southerly clime.
The real question is if Kubala can?
too soon?
The Kingdom of Kubala claim they have settled in a forest in Jedburgh, with the intention of reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors in the Highlands 400 years ago.
The trio consists of group leader King Atehene, 36, who was previously an opera singer under the name Kofi Offeh, his wife, Queen Nandi, and their handmaiden Asnat.
I’d like to see these guys and the Black Israelites meet.
Yes!
If these folks were in the Highlands 400 years ago, how did the Scots turn out so pasty? Why don’t I have at least a little resistance to sunburns?
On the other hand, 23 and Me says I have 0.1% sub-Saharan African DNA, so maybe mystery solved.
Sounds plausible though…you any good at basketball?
Other than being slow, short, zero vertical leap and unable to dribble with my left hand, I’m pretty good.
Tricknology
Uhtred of Bebbanburg would like a word.
I looked up where Jedburgh is. It is in the lowlands, not the Highlands. Now the phrasing is just vague enough that they “intend” to reclaim the highlands land.. but really journalist, write clearly.
It’s Scotland, the fact that they remember to breath is a miracle.
And then there are these folks I just discovered.
Futurama predicted it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LeYihjMo0Bk
What an idiotic cult, makes the Heavens Gate stuff seem solid by comparison minus the self-castration and all.
There are only 3 of them, so the end won’t be that big of a tragedy.
More triad than tribe.
Apparently it does.
… just doesn’t have the same flair to it.
In the Scottish hills did Atehene a stately pleasure dome decree…
I don’t think that Coleridge intended the ‘stately pleasure dome’ to be made out of ripstop nylon by Kelty…
… a stately pleasure dome erect!
Dave Collum (Cornell Professor I really enjoy listening to) being interviewed by Tucker. Love it.
https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-show-dave-collum
Kiddie porn trial back on track
Bad news for former state Democratic Rep. Stacie Marie Laughton and romantic partner Lindsay Groves, as a federal judge cleared the way for the pair to go on trial in their shocking child sex abuse images case.
In an order issued last week, Massachusetts District Court Judge Dennis Saylor rejected defense arguments that Groves, 40, is mentally incompetent to stand trial. With questions about Groves’ intelligence and her ability to understand the charges now out of the way, the trials are scheduled for November.
Wait… their defense for the “romantic partner” was that they were mentally incompetent? What does that say about the rep?
The former state rep is a man (Barry Laughton who is pretending to be a woman named Stacie Marie Laughton), and the romantic partner is a woman.
You think YOU are the crazy one in this relationship? I’ll show you!
ji:
“Well, I didn’t want to date anyone smarter than me.”
Value of a college education right there.
To be fair, I have no difficulty at all believing that there is an overlap between the categories person who can complete a degree in early-childhood education and person who meets the legal description of too retarded to stand trial.
You might be right. It’s possible graduates might be able to use this as a “get out jail free” card by simply demonstrating completion of such programs.
My thoughts on what should be done with child molesters who are mentally defective to the point that they cannot stand trial would probably sound cruel to some people, but if we are going to shoot Old Yeller, we can do the same for cretins that touch kids.
I should not have been surprised by the picture of the perp.
I’m only surprised they aren’t a Big-L Libertarian.
He thought this was America!
What began as a cheerful Facebook post about homemade pickles has fermented into a political dust-up, complete with cease-and-desist letters, city hall warnings, and pushback from prickly state legislators.
Dan Mowery, a Manchester resident, is known for his homemade bread-and-butter pickles. “Not dill,” he insists. “My grandmother’s recipe — but I tweaked it.”
After posting online that he had “put up 18 quarts and 14 pints” of his tart creations, Mowery was flooded with requests from friends who wanted to buy a jar or two. He happily obliged, charging just enough to cover his costs.
But word of the casual pickle sales reached Aaron Krycki, Manchester’s Chief of Environmental Health. Soon after, Mowery received a cease-and-desist letter warning that his side hustle could amount to a criminal offense.
Live free or dill.
Fucking stealing our liberty and licensing it back to us… I should read Sandefur‘s book again to bring the seething to a proper boil.
Infuriating.
Those busybodies need to can it.
We really need to preserve this reply for posterity, and in case we need to get out of a jam.
Huh. Locally Cleveland Kitchen (formerly Cleveland Kraut) started as a small home run business to my knowledge, and there’s several local booths selling piles of pickled peppers and cucumbers of different flavors and varieties at most farmer’s markets.
Different states have different commercial kitchen requirements. I know in Oregon you can do this, legally, as there is an exception for selling under a certain amount.
ZWAK:
I’m aware, and at some point I should look through the local ones. The girlfriend thinks I could make some money selling mixers and mocktails at farmer’s markets and the like.
Sorry, I have no sympathy for bread-and-butter degenerates. Off to the camps with you!
Is that the dill you are willing to die on?
If the Health Department keeps gherkin that guy around, the legislature will soon have them over a barrel.
In a country where the IRS goes after little kids with sidewalk lemonade stands this is no surprise. You shall not engage in any commerce whatsoever, no matter how small, without them getting their fucking beak wet. Over time ‘them’ has grown from state and federal tax agencies to licensers, inspectors, environmental studiers, fire departments, street departments, lawyers, accountants, stampers and approvalers lined up to the horizon with their hands out.
My son’s generation is quite pissed about it. They keep saying “you have locked us out, we cant get in” and no one is listening.
What these idiots dont see is that my son’s generation will soon be caring for those greedy crooked fuckers in their senescence.
Some people really want an income tax in NH
New Hampshire is not adequately funding its public schools, a superior court judge held Monday — the latest in a string of similar rulings in recent years amid a pair of high-profile lawsuits.
Ruling in the case of Rand v. State of New Hampshire, Rockingham County Superior Court Judge David Ruoff found that local property-tax payers are bearing the burden of paying for much of their local public school budgets due to underfunding by the state, which he called unconstitutional.
But unlike his sweeping decision in November 2023 in a separate lawsuit, this time Ruoff did not order state lawmakers to change the adequacy formula, instead declaring the current funding unconstitutional and allowing the Legislature to respond.
What’s the sales tax there?
NJ just keeps jacking that up. 6.625%
0%, except for rooms and restaurant meals which is taxed at, I think, 9%.
I’d forgotten that. One of DE’s few remaining good points.
So the Judd Gregg temporary tax is still in effect?
So the Judd Gregg temporary tax is still in effect?
Gregg was in the Senate when I moved here. I don’t know what he did as governor.
Government schools should not exist.
The real question was not addressed.
Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish
prisonbathhouse?https://nypost.com/2025/08/20/lifestyle/luxurious-1700-year-old-roman-bathhouse-unearthed-by-archaeologists/
That’s not Turkish, it’s Roman.
The Turks need to stop squatting on Roman Lands.
The town of Bath would like a word.
The Romans Left Britain. The Turks invaded Asia Minor.
Give western Europe back to the Celts.
As a Gael/Brythonic hybrid, how much of it do I get? That’s Double-Celtic.
I do hope that somewhere on Obama’s library is “Look upon my works ye mighty and despair”.
Obamandias?
The question will be which crumbles first – the building or his legacy?
Sounds like they’re crumbling together.
JI gets comment of the day.
I smell a buying opportunity
James Hardie (JHX) stock tumbled 35% on Wednesday as the maker of high-end home siding pointed to a weak US housing market and homeowners reluctant to spend on big projects.
The stock, listed in the US and Australia, saw its biggest one-day drop since 1973, according to Bloomberg data. The company’s profit declined 28% year over year during its fiscal first quarter. Net sales tumbled 9% over the same period.
I don’t have anything concrete, but I’m on board with picking up a couple hundred shares.
Seems like a good investment for young ladies before they hit the wall. There’s a window of opportunity there.. sort of like collecting vinyl.
Who votes to make Shpip walk the plank?
My place needs siding. May be about time to buy that stuff.
I truly pity anyone who has to work in there.
I’d rather be inside it than see it out my window all day.
I thought Idi Amin was the true and rightful Scottish sovereign.
N.S.A.’s Acting Director Tried to Save Top Scientist From Purge
Vinh Nguyen, an expert in artificial intelligence and advanced mathematics, was among the current and former officials whose security clearances were revoked by the president.
Paywall
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/us/politics/security-clearances-scientist-fired.html
Context
He added that his boss, whose name was blacked out in the whistleblower statement, “directed me to abandon analysis of these events, stating reports of Russia-attributed cyber activity were ‘something else.'”
While the names of the whistleblower and his boss are blacked out in the report, a RealClearInvestigations search of federal records shows Vinh Nguyen was the national intelligence officer for cyber issues at the time. The whistleblower would have been Nguyen’s deputy.
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/08/08/whistleblower_ties_clinton_campaign_to_fake_russia_hack_1127658.html
Funny that’s not in the NYT piece
I happen to own some JHX. I was doing okay until now. I figure fired resistant building materials would be in demand after the big L A burn.
Maybe in a year or two, when they let them actually start building?
Don’t they need the train to show up first, what with all the building materials it could be carrying.
Visit the Titanic because……?
“The group said on Tuesday that they “don’t recognize local laws” and have faced persecution from those who don’t understand their ways.”
‘Those’ would be the psychiatric community?
Obama project crumbles, those doing business with him claim fraud….
Ya’ dont say.
Plan 9 From Outer Space? Ed Wood gets the last laugh?
Maybe the thought of dealing with a horde of smarmy political “experts” was too loathsome to contemplate
But a new report suggests that Musk is already moving away from those quixotic plans. Instead, he will likely do the conventional thing and continue to support the Republican Party in upcoming races. Per The Wall Street Journal, Musk has shown a particular interest in Vice-President J.D. Vance and has stayed in contact with him despite his own public falling-out with Trump. The Tesla CEO is reportedly open to financially backing Vance if he decides to pursue a presidential bid in 2028. Sources close to the billionaire told The Wall Street Journal that Musk is wary of damaging his relationships with Republicans by forming a third party and that he is currently focused on managing his companies, though they noted that Musk might ultimately go ahead with his plans for the America Party as the midterm elections draw closer.
Just imagine the hyenas and vultures that third party project would attract.
Trump and Musk had a falling out?
I understand that King Charles has lost his temper with Starmer and gave him a proper ass-chewing.
I also know that everything you see in politics is a kayfabe. It is all theater. In the end it is always the rulers against the ruled.
What is a kayfabe?
Are you one a them teeny bopper kids?
Since I had to look it up too:
kayfabe
noun
(professional wrestling) The portrayal of events within the industry as real; the portrayal of professional wrestling and the accompanying storylines as not staged or worked.
Oh, so Ghey as fuck, gotcha
Also great music choice!
It’s a perfectly cromulent building.
“…degree in early-childhood education from New Hampshire Community College, held down steady jobs, and was able to understand how the court system works.”
Given the bizarre rulings over the past 8-9 years from district and circuit courts, Im not sure I know how the court system works.
Im confident I have a handle on how its SUPPOSED to work…..