Martays Enlaces por la Tardy

by | Jun 9, 2026 | Daily Links | 150 comments

I actually can spell Tuesday afternoon links in Spanish, but it felt like doing it right would step on Mex’s schtick. This is more the “old” Florida way of pronouncing Spanish words. Like “my-amuh”. Anyhow, I’m covering for Mex who is covering for Sloopy and Banjos. Apparently the chipmunks they use across the pond are lazy socialists just like everyone else.

What else is going on? Was fishing with my old man and my two youngest at the beach and we saw a huge pack of cow-nosed rays. I’m told the plural is a “fever”, but who the hell knows that? My wife had to ask a professor at work. The rays illustrate a key difference between Florida and Australia. In Florida, the wildlife can kill you, but its not actively trying. Anyhow, great day. Wildlife, kids at the beach, we caught a whiting, and the little guy “helped” reel it in. And then stood a good 6-8 feet away from it. He’s not an animal lover.

Anyhow, that’s me, now its time for…. links!

If only Old Man with Candy were based in Europe, this would be the perfect hate job for him. Or as was quipped, “this product will confirm all of your biases about American cuisine.”

Senator Gallego hires a PR master, Bates, to help him deal with the fallout from the Swalwell sex scandal.

Guys, guys. We’ve got plenty of money, and our universities are already down enrollment. Let’s not over-egg the illegal immigrant pudding here. Also, it might bring down the attractiveness of our campuses, which was one of my major criteria.

Why, its almost like there’s always more demand for “free” healthcare than there is other people’s money to supply it. I wonder if Thomas Sowell wrote anything about this.

Ah, what the hell, we’ll do a little song from old Florida, too.

About The Author

Brett L

Brett L

Brett set out to find America, the real America, the America of strip malls and serial killers, of butthole waxing and kelp smoothies, of cocaine and maggots. He sought it in the most American part of Americaβ€”Florida: swamp gas and fever dreams, where love arrives on a rickety boat and leaves when it doesn't have the money for its fourth abortion. Oh, where has Brett gone? He’s drinking at the neck of America’s wang, chewing its foreskin and working its shaft. Brett is becoming legend. Brett can never die. Brett can never die. Brett is America, facedown in his own patriotic puke: the red his blood, the white his stomach lining, and the cold, cold blue his gas station slushie, spiked with coconut rum and tetracycline.

150 Comments

  1. Ownbestenemy

    What I do enjoy about the enshitification of society is that when anyone trots out their Harvard degree, I can point to it and say it is more worthless than the local community college in Podunk, America.

    Harvard offers an English course, β€œTaylor Swift and Her World.” At UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, students can take β€œArtistry, Policy, and Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version” through the Department of Economics. Penn State Berks offers a course titled, β€œTaylor Swift, Gender, and Communication.”

    Of course, Harvard shouldn’t be singled out

    The University of Wisconsin-Madison is not alone. Oregon State University offers β€œDisney: Gender, Race, and Empire.” Students at Indiana University can attend the course, β€œHaving it All: Postfeminist Media After Sex and the City.”

    How about β€œBad Bunny: Musical Aesthetics and Politics” at Yale University? The Bad Bunny Syllabus that inspires this course β€” which lists topics such as β€œLGBTQ Activism,” β€œGender and Sexuality in Reggaeton” and β€œPolitical Protests of Summer 2019” for study β€” is also in use at Wellesley College and Loyola Marymount University.

    The Cival Rawr Eleventy-One is gonna be lit yo!

    • creech

      At tPSU-Berks at least Swift is a “local girl who made good.”

    • Muzzled Woodchipper

      I never took any of that shit. I have an MA is Medieval Literature and Informatics for Humanities. I did a shitload of technical work with manuscripts and studied the intricacies of languages no one has spoken in a thousand years.

      And despite having done all manner of technical work, including being involved in developing computer applications to facilitate other scholars doing that sort of work, I was qualified to be a stay at home dad. I now work in a grocery store deli.

      These people who take this shit are fucked. And they probably have massive loans to pay back to boot.

      • Gdragon

        “These people who take this shit are fucked.”
        ‐——-

        With regard to something like a Taylor Swift English class I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that some and possibly many of the students who take it are STEM majors using it to (easily) fulfill a humanities requirement.

  2. juris imprudent

    It is funny how Medicare for all is touted as free. I pay MC premiums (out of my SocSec benefits check) and I pay for supplemental insurance, oh AND the deductible before all of that kicks in.

    Why I might almost think someone is lying about Medicare for all.

    • Bobarian LMD

      Not to be a stickler, but you been paying premiums (out of your paycheck) for your entire working lifetime. The deductible was just a whole lot higher back then.

  3. The Other Kevin

    The title reminds me of my brother’s first college roommate, a guy named Marty he knew from high school. He quickly got the nickname “Party Marty”, and my brother’s first year didn’t go well.

    Years later, my youngest had an even worse experience with her first roommate, who she knew from church. Some things never change.

  4. rhywun

    which immigrant advocacy groups argue will exclude undocumented students from higher education

    Oh heavens no. They already know it is illegal but they advocate for it anyway.

    • Tonio

      We are at step 2 of the progressive progression:

      1) That never happens.
      2) Okay, that happens, but it’s not a problem.
      3) How dare you question this simple, commonsense, act of kindness?

      • rhywun

        And health care for illegals has been at step 3 for awhile.

    • J. Frank Parnell

      “Actually, undocumented students are smarter, get better grades, get more advanced degrees, and generally do more with their education than citizen students” – Cato Institute, probably.

      • Bobarian LMD

        We’d show you the proof, but they’re undocumented so…

  5. Tonio

    Big shoutout and thanks to Brett for filling-in for Mex. And to all our other regular and intermittent contributors for filling-in for people on vacation, and in various institutional settings.

    • Evan from Evansville

      Y’all really are the best. Always appreciated. Actually working on a submission now, which might turn into easy subsequent ones. Find Real Work is shoving me at the moment.

  6. rhywun

    Why, its almost like there’s always more demand for β€œfree” healthcare than there is other people’s money to supply it.

    This might be the first evidence I have seen in the rush to socialism everywhere in the US that it is actually possible to run out of other people’s money.

    California of all places would absolutely not be doing this if it wasn’t already blowing the budget.

    Not when he and every other Democrat on the debate stage during the last presidential election gladly and unhesitatingly promised “free” health care for every illegal.

    • Nephilium

      That’s why it needs to be a federal program!

      • The Other Kevin

        Of course. By putting the wealth tax at the federal level, we can keep those selfish billionaires from escaping by moving to another state.

    • juris imprudent

      Vermont figured out there wasn’t enough money, and boy they sure wanted universal healthcare.

      • rhywun

        I didn’t know they tried it. They probably don’t attract a lot of vibrant newcomers even.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Wasn’t on the jury, but…the murder charge. Man…

      Manslaughter for sure. Stupid decision led to tragic outcome. I doubt this kid was like “Lets go kill Whitey today”

      • Sean

        You are far too kind. Or maybe naive…

        πŸ˜›

      • Ownbestenemy

        Maybe. I dunno.

      • Brochettaward

        Based on the law posted by Dean, it seems appropriate.

        There’s also some aspect of it that considers whether it was an act of “sudden passion.” So basically they factor in premeditation afterwards and if they decide it qualifies the sentence would be between 2-20 years. Which is pretty broad.

        I have problems with putting a teenager away for significant time in a situation where someone put hands on him first.

      • R.J.

        It was absolutely murder. Not manslaughter.

      • rhywun

        I don’t know enough details to say.

        I highly doubt this is going to be the injustice that millions of detractors are going to claim.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yes Dean’s info does clarify.

        Maybe this kid will come out the otherside better. To continue with my naivety I guess.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        I have problems with putting a teenager away for significant time in a situation where someone put hands on him first. </em

        It's not some technicality where you get to say "hey, technically he touched me, therefore I can murder."

      • Brochettaward

        It’s not some technicality where you get to say “hey, technically he touched me, therefore I can murder.”

        I don’t think it was just a technical touch. Metcalf apparently grabbed him. Does that rise to the use of deadly force? Probably not on it own, but we’ve seen plenty of cases of self-defense where there was no physical contact at all. Daniel Penny being one notable case though in a different state under different laws.

        The fact that these were teens and he brought the knife with him in the first place is being used too much in my view. Especially the latter part. I don’t care what goofy rules soccer moms have instituted across America in some futile attempt to eliminate all violence in schools. He has a right to self-defense and if it’s a knife, he’s allowed to have it in my book.

        I think the biggest issue is just the level of force used didn’t necessitate the response, but it’s hard to say how things would have escalated because he went stabby right away. It could have ended up in a Zimmerman situation where he was pinned to the ground and getting pummeled. In a fight it doesn’t take much or even intentionality to kill someone. The right blow to the head can often do it.

        So that’s just my take. I’m no self-defense expert.

      • rhywun

        He has a right to self-defense and if it’s a knife, he’s allowed to have it in my book.

        IMHO the facility has the right to say “no knives”. Did they? I dunno.

        I suspect every event has a bag-check now.

      • EvilSheldon

        In Texas (and most other states), invoking a self-defense claim in court usually takes manslaughter off the table. You can’t claim that you were defending yourself, but also that you accidentally killed the other guy. It’s quite unusual that the judge allowed the jury to consider a manslaughter claim.

      • R C Dean

        Dean’s info here.

      • R C Dean

        You will have a hard time selling a grab as the imminent threat of death or serious injury that justifies the use of a knife to stab the other guy in the chest.

        Self-defense was all he had, so they had to give it a go. But no one ever seriously believed it was a good kill.

      • EvilSheldon

        You will have a hard time selling a grab as the imminent threat of death or serious injury that justifies the use of a knife to stab the other guy in the chest.

        This. And understand, when you make a self-defense claim in court, selling the judge and jury is exactly what you need to do. You are, in effect, admitting to committing a homicide and trying to convince the court that you had a good reason to.

        I read now that Anthony didn’t take the stand in his own defense. That is usually the kiss of death for a self-defense claim. Either his public defender was completely incompetent, or he decided that Anthony’s testimony would actually make his case worse. Ponder that for a few minutes.

    • rhywun

      The case generated widespread public attention

      I can’t imagine why. πŸ™„

      • Ownbestenemy

        I listened to the Court TV totally just reporters reporting feed….

        You’d think OJ was actually convicted based on their reaction.

      • Ownbestenemy

        To your point above..CourtTV without saying as much, is very much hoping its GF 2.0 supercharged for the next Summer of Love

      • rhywun

        We were already set for another Summer of Love. This verdict came right on schedule.

      • Chafed

        As a former public defender, I’ll just say with the right one you get a top notch defense. With the wrong one you are in deep trouble. With the amount of money they collected, they utterly failed that kid by not hiring private counsel.

    • Tonio

      Remember that he could have pleaded guilty. I’m unable to find anything about a plea deal offer, but that generally takes the death penalty off the table. Also remember that his family spent the GoFundMe on personal luxury items for themselves, rather than his legal defense; he was represented by a public defender. His family failed him before the killing, and abandoned him afterwards. They are sacrificing him so they can play the victims for the rest of their lives.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Oh wow..ya

      • Rat on a train

        I believe the death penalty was not an option due to his age.

      • Brochettaward

        Didn’t know that about the public defender. I saw something about a new house at some point. Yea that’s pretty fucked up.

        Ghetto sweepstakes style shit.

      • rhywun

        his family spent the GoFundMe on personal luxury items for themselves

        AYFKM? Disgusting.

      • Brochettaward

        I mean, I looked into it and he was in fact represented by a public defender.

        They raised $625k or so total if not more. And they relied on a public defender. No one would recommend that.

      • rhywun

        πŸ€” Who knows? We know he had a public defender, right? So where did the money go. Or did they not even get it?

      • Brochettaward

        We know they got the money. Even in the link posted by Raven it’s documented that they got a new house for “security.”

        The money was to be for legal defense. Like, I don’t see how you spin that one when if push came to shove the kid had a public defender.

  7. The Late P Brooks

    I’m told the plural is a β€œfever”

    Not an array of rays?

    Opportunity missed.

    • Sensei

      I’ve got a fever for more cowbell.

    • Ownbestenemy

      I give 4Chan 1/2 day to jailbreak it.

      • Rat on a train

        Ask Shia LaBeouf about challenging 4Chan.

    • The Other Kevin

      “Our model is so powerful it could end humanity! You don’t want that kind of power, trust us!”

  8. The Late P Brooks

    SCIENCE

    As governments around the world struggle with ways to reverse plunging birth rates, new US studies suggest they have ignored a key culprit — the smartphone.

    “Is the iPhone Birth Control?” asked a paper published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, delving into why US fertility rates have fallen by 22 percent since 2007.

    For a while, experts linked the decline to the recession that struck in 2008 when the global financial system nearly imploded, driving millions of people into hardship. But when the economy picked up, a rebound in births never came.

    Myriad other reasons have been posited, such as increased use of contraception, more female education, and growing housing or childcare costs. However, no clear cause has been established.

    So Middlebury College economist Caitlin Myers and her student Ezekiel Hooper tested a hypothesis that smartphones — which emerged with the arrival of the first iPhone in 2007 — might have something to do with it.

    I thought we overpopulation was going to kill us all.

    • Sensei

      No that was Global Warming.

    • The Other Kevin

      I am reminded of Scott Adams, who would usually report a study like this and say “They could have saved a lot of money by asking me first.”

      • Bobarian LMD

        It’s not about saving money, it’s about getting grants and other forms of funding.

        If you give me enough funding, I can confirm ALL of your biases.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Yep it was the smartphone that did it

      • Bobarian LMD

        Catholics and Mormons all use Samsung.

        More data for the hypothesis.

    • rhywun

      Maybe if they’re getting all their porn on their phones I could posit a connection.

  9. The Late P Brooks

    Collectivists, communitarians hardest hit

    Remote work has soared in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. But, a new study suggests the practice has made workers more socially isolated, anxious and depressed compared to people who work in-person in offices and other settings.

    ——-

    The findings suggest that “people might be choosing poorly,” when it comes to their well-being, says Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, who wasn’t involved in the study.

    Yes, of course. Nanny knows best.

    • Rat on a train

      I prefer working alone at home over dealing with traffic, public transit, and office annoyances.

    • Brochettaward

      I have a gun in every area of my house in the event that any human tries to contact me and I’m not afraid to use it.

      I’ll die before I go back to the office.

    • rhywun

      I was dead set against returning to the office until my employer started getting much more serious about it recently. I had been playing hooky from the office for three years so I decided to move back when they started letting people go over it. And TBH I am going a little stir crazy alone at home.

      OTHO I just scored remote status a week ago so that makes me ponder.

  10. The Late P Brooks

    Triumph of hope over science

    As the snow settles after a memorably challenging Western ski season, Vail Resorts is reporting a decline in pass sales for next winter and readjusting it’s financial forecast.

    The resort conglomerate, which sells the popular Epic Pass and owns ski areas in the US and around the world, trimmed its expected yearly net income to between $128 million and $162 million, down from a previous forecast of between $144 million and $190 million.

    Sales of Vail Resorts’ 2026-27 season passes also sagged about 10% this spring compared to the same time period last year. The announcement was made in Vail Resorts’ most recent quarterly earnings report on Monday, June 8, 2026.

    The company also unveiled a new pricing category this winter for young adults that, despite the overall decline, solidly outperformed other age groups, according to a news release. It costs $889 and applies to those aged 18 to 30.

    Vail Resorts’ flagship Epic Pass offers access to numerous ski resorts and, right now, costs $1,119 for adults.

    Buy a ski pass? Everybody knows the planet is too hot for snow.

  11. The Late P Brooks

    Trump claims without evidence, as Democrats’ media steno pool cries, “NUH-UH SHUT UP!”

    • Brochettaward

      This occurred in Belfast. Man was ambushed (maybe handicapped) by a Sudanese attacker. Face is basically messed up something fierce.

      The Irish are burning cars and houses over this in what police are describing as “pockets of disorder.”

      Politicians while condemning the attack were quick to note that “hate cannot be allowed to win.” The masked “thugs” doing the burning were called out bigly. Less vitriol directed at the attacker.

      Probably why this will continue until heads start to roll across Europe. But I suspect a lot of the key political figures behind this madness are relying on armed security to keep the rift raft at bay.

      • JaimeRoberto feckful & gruntled

        Nothing to worry about. The people of Northern Ireland are known for their peaceful way of dealing with these sorts of tings.

      • rhywun

        Hate is already winning.

      • Evan from Evansville

        @Jaime: Oh, I see what ya done there.

        /EibhlΓ­n

    • Evan from Evansville

      I’ve been poking at this, but keep adding these up, and maybe every Tom, Dick and Harry will (finally) snap. I mostly think Brits are castrated and will further succumb to being erased. The other part thinks when they *do* snap, that’ll be the Big Event I’ve mentioned, and it’ll be a Reichstag Fire for the Left to eliminate the people most able to fight against the regime.

      Trump, UK and EU versions, need to punch back. Having said that, look at AfD. Uh. Huh. Germans didn’t flip out about that, AFAIK. Huh.

    • rhywun

      When he’s not on drugs he’s a regular person

      Uh huh.

      Sounds like he was lucky several times to escape prison. It is so progressive of us to give him an unlimited number of chances to not be a violent asshole.

  12. The Late P Brooks

    Trump is undermining faith in elections.

    Not the opaque prolonged process of “collecting and counting the votes”. Everybody knows every single person in Los Angeles is a rabid hard core progressive.. Pratt didn’t have a prayer.

    • Brochettaward

      I’ve said it before, but North Korea posts election results. Even they claim there’s more opposition to dear leader and the winner than what you see out of some of these blue hellscapes here in America. Like 98% going one way? That’s too much for fucking North Korea, but I’m supposed to believe it happens in an American city.

      • rhywun

        lol Who the hell in NK is going to vote against Li’l Kim? Nobody is. They’re making it up.

      • Brochettaward

        I’m not claiming the elections are real. I’m saying that reporting 98% vote totals for Kim is too much for even them. It’s like statistically impossible that a large city of voters could realistically go that way for one candidate in a two party system in a supposedly true democracy.

      • Ted S.

        Israel has historical data for the percentage of voters who cast ballots by a certain time on Election Day.

        Now, granted, Israel is highly centralized; trying to get national results for the US in a similar manner would be nigh-on impossible. But it shouldn’t be all that difficult for precinct/county election boards to know within a few minutes of the polls closing how many people cast ballots in a certain precinct, and know (and inform people) on a daily basis how many absentee ballots were received in the mail that day.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Only for the new ballots. It’s clearly to put Raman over the top so she will be on the general and Pratt will be locked out.

        The fraud apologists are claiming that Bass is the establishment pick so if there was fraud, it would be for her. Assuming that is true, this isn’t the general election so that doesn’t matter as much as sending a clear message. Of course that assumes that the fraud block is unitary behind Bass. Could be a faction pissed off at Bass and/or actually pushing for Raman. Who knows.

      • rhywun

        The “establishment” is firmly DSA now. That means Bass has to go.

      • J. Frank Parnell

        The fraud apologists are claiming that Bass is the establishment pick so if there was fraud, it would be for her. Assuming that is true, this isn’t the general election so that doesn’t matter as much as sending a clear message. Of course that assumes that the fraud block is unitary behind Bass. Could be a faction pissed off at Bass and/or actually pushing for Raman. Who knows.

        Maybe they just wanted Pratt off the ballot so they wouldn’t have to talk about stupid shit like reservoir levels and enforcing laws and fire department staffing and filling potholes and improving the overall quality of life for taxpaying citizens instead of turning the city into a third world shithole, and instead could focus the debates on important things like who wants to shovel the most money towards gender-affirming medical care for our undocumented and unhoused neighbors.

      • J. Frank Parnell

        The fraud apologists are claiming that Bass is the establishment pick so if there was fraud, it would be for her.

        Also, do they think there’s only fraud in the primaries, but the general election will be a fair contest between Bass and Raman?

      • rhywun

        The result will be very telling.

        A general election match between the establishment, old-school commie and the next generation, Party-endorsed nu-commie will give a clear indication of who really rules the Dems now.

      • Chafed

        Narrator: in LA it’s the DSA.

      • Gustave Lytton

        JFP, that’s a clearer version of what I was trying to say. I think shutting out Pratt is the main thing (right now). Tomorrow will take care of itself.

    • J. Frank Parnell

      Look, so what if voter registration isn’t verified, the registration rolls are never purged, ballots are mailed to everyone on the list without any address verification, activists are allowed to go around and collect people’s ballots, activists are allowed to “help” people fill out their ballots as needed, there’s no signature verification on the ballots, ballots can be signed on behalf of other people, late ballots are accepted, ballots are accepted with handwritten dates instead of postmarks, the chain of custody on the ballots is untraceable and basically unauditable, the late ballots break in statistically anomalous ways that just happen to benefit the ruling party, the governor made vague statements about emergency plans if the election didn’t go the right way, the ruling party is never going to investigate itself, and the governor just signed a law making it illegal for the feds to investigate.

      You can’t “prove” there was fraud, so shut up.

      • Brochettaward

        We’re like a day away from it being called the most secure mayoral election in US history.

      • J. Frank Parnell

        Oh thank god I don’t have to see any more fucking Tom Steyer commercials on youtube.

      • JaimeRoberto feckful & gruntled

        Now Steyer can go back to destroying a house my grandfather built.

      • JaimeRoberto feckful & gruntled

        To be fair I think the voter roles are somewhat purged. Both my parents died in recent years, and they have not received ballots. But then they were registered Republicans. Now if someone passes away in a foreign country and there’s no funeral home to notify Social Security, I don’t know what happens.

      • rhywun

        Are they sure there aren’t more votes to count…?

      • Chafed

        I wonder what Steyer will run for next?

  13. Brochettaward

    Karmelo Anthony wasn’t represented by a public defender. He had different lawyers a year ago. At some point seemed to file for a public defender, but at trial was represented by Michael Howard who has a private law firm.

    • rhywun

      Maybe he thought the court of public opinion would sway things.

      • J. Frank Parnell

        I suspect they were hoping to get some black people on the jury who would refuse to convict.

  14. Brochettaward

    I riled up a group of “antifa” rather fierce today with a post that called the invaders on D-Day “antifa.” I simply said that among all the men who took those beaches not one had blue hair or a septum ring.

    • Chafed

      Harsh but fair.

    • Not Adahn

      Unless Ed Wood</em. was lying to me, he paradropped in wearing a bra and panty set.

    • RAHeinlein

      No more tax-exempt status…burn it all down.

      • Chafed

        How do I subscribe to your newsletter?

    • Chafed

      Why come you don’t want free busses?

      • rhywun

        Because in NYC at least, the subways are already rolling homeless shelters. The buses have long been much cleaner and safer.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Sounds like a Johnny Cash song

  15. Gustave Lytton

    Wellness check for Drake? Poor guy.

  16. Evan from Evansville

    ChatGPT suggests my best tiers of employment are govt admin, healthcare admin, and university admin. No local govt jobs, but that seems oddly appropriate. Looking into weworkremotely.com and the Himalayas app for remote work. Haven’t dived in yet.

    Checked out truck driving. Even for Class B, and likely forklifts, the brain damage ‘rule’ is ‘eight years w/o seizure.’ Hrm. Vocal rehab dude said he’s got a guy with a TBI a gig transporting cars between Indy and Cincinnati, tho. *shrug* I likely shouldn’t be driving trucks, though, truthfully, I’m an excellent driver. (Well. My goals for driving: Comfy for passengers; No police. Follow those two? Tend to be fairly safe. I succeed at this.)

    We shall see. Planning (and working weekends) to have fall-back work at Meijer was a rare bit of executed wisdom, for me. *high five Muzzled* Tomorrow and Thurs ‘unloading’ followed by four days straight to give a deeper dive into all this work shit. (Plus a neurologist appt.) Part (cozy) desperation plus ‘starving artist,’ I still think trying to sell my story is a solid idea. Not sure how to approach that, yet, but it seems prudent. ‘Ya miss 100% of the shots ya never take.’

    It’s a dilly of a hrmdinger of a pickle. /Ned Flanders

    • Chafed

      That fucking guy has no shame.

    • dbleagle

      WOW. No shame in that one huh?

  17. dbleagle

    Just made a French 75 and am waiting for sunset and to observe the Jupiter Venus conjunction. Low power on the telescope both should be in view. If I up the power, it will be one at a time.

    Raced Friday through Sunday in a fleet of 27 sailboats and 5-6 races a day. We finished not so great but made no mistakes. It was high winds so high drama all three days. Then Monday the Trades dropped until normal.

    PS The NPS and USGS issued the next volcanic eruption alert.

    • UnCivilServant

      Good.

      Time for that lie to die, and all of grifters who dug in like ticks draining the economy with vexatious litigation be flayed alive, their assets burned in public ceremonies.

    • UnCivilServant

      I’m surprised there are people who still have secretaries.

      • Sensei

        Administrative assistant.

      • Gender Traitor

        Executive Assistant if you tack on more duties that are a (figurative) pain in the butt (but increase the pay.)

      • Gender Traitor

        (I lobbied hard for Executive Goddess but was denied.)

      • UnCivilServant

        I don’t even rate an AI assistant.

      • Sensei

        It’s a legitimate role with a legitimate skill set.

        You don’t want to piss off the admins as they can make life very difficult.

        By design they gatekeep executives that you made need access to.

      • UnCivilServant

        I don’t know how it works elsewhere, but there have been pretty much none here for years. Those that existed were grandfatehred in the budget and not replaced on retirement.

        And Executives have pretty much zero bearing on the running of the agency. They just run in circles congratulating themselves on how they’re doing on uncountable metrics that have no connection to reality.

        My quip about not rating even an AI assistant was a self-depricating joke. My remark on the absense of secretaries was an observation on their diminishing distribution in the wild.

      • Sensei

        I don’t rate one anymore.

        Usually they are shared and cover multiple executives in most Fortune 500/1000 companies.

        Anybody who has used “Concur” knows they are worth their weight in gold.

        https://www.concur.com/products/travel-expense

        If AI kills SAP it will have done one good thing…

    • Gender Traitor

      The texts were particularly stupid. Makes me wonder if this case started life as a sexual harassment lawsuit…unless she was OK with everything up until the camera stuff started.

  18. UnCivilServant

    πŸ— for breakfast.

    I don’t know why I decided to cook chicken wings for breakfast.

    But they’ll turn out well, I’ve gotten pretty good at them πŸ˜‹

    • Ted S.

      Because with your screwed up sleep schedule, it’s actually lunch time for you?

      • UnCivilServant

        πŸ€”

        You may be right.

      • UnCivilServant

        On the other hand, I was also right – they turned out delicious πŸ˜‹

    • UnCivilServant

      It’s weird sitting down at my cube and NOT eating breakfast.

      • Gender Traitor

        Do you have something for elevenses?

      • UnCivilServant

        I have a lunch packed. but my official lunch break is 11:30-noon, not 11 πŸ˜”

    • UnCivilServant

      Sweet, Unsweet, or deranged commercial abomination to appeal to AWFL people?

    • Gender Traitor

      Good morning, Sean, U, Ted’S., and Sensei!

      Make mine an iced chai latte, please! 😁

      • Ted S.

        Black coffee.

    • Rat on a train

      I’m doing my part …

    • Ted S.

      Did the demographics of the fighting teens match the demographics of the USA as a whole?

      • UnCivilServant

        I’ve been reliably informed that it is racist to ask that question.

  19. Not Adahn

    JI had an interesting comment yesterday re: SPLC and 1099s.

    I wonder if a zealous prosecutor unafraid of seeking novel paradigms could spin each of those payoffs into multiple felonies.

  20. Tres Cool

    suh’ fam
    whats goody

  21. Sensei

    And on CNBC there is some Rep from Wisconsin discussion removing the NFL’s trust exemptions.

    Let me know when that happens…

    • Ted S.

      Didn’t the USFL case decide that already?

      • Sensei

        And which Orange Man played a part in that?

      • Ted S.

        Anita Bryant?

    • rhywun

      Wherein people suddenly discover that streaming is for the benefit of fatcat owners and players and not them when it means they can’t watch THE TEAM.