Anybody who’s seen me on the weekend Zooms knows that I have a pond about forty feet from my back door. This being Florida, we have no shortage of frogs around the house during the rainy season. Plenty more live in the trees that surround the place on three sides.
Needless to say, my nephew has, like every other small boy worth his salt, a fascination with reptiles and amphibians, and it’s my job as only uncle to encourage him along (his mother has finally forgiven me for convincing the lad that butterflies were carnivorous).
He typically visits during the day, which makes our attempts to find froggos fruitless. So I eventually got him a model frog to take home, telling him that he could keep it until he was old enough to stay through the night for a proper frog-spotting adventure.
One problem, though. The frog was made of metal, and I had no glue.
You would think that Swiss would give me a pat on the back and a “weld done,” but instead I get this:
Ah, well… I’ll continue to solder on.
The wee beasties sometimes congregate in the oddest places. You’d think they would feel safe and warm in their pond, but they’ll occasionally gain the high ground and sit in judgement of me.
Every once in a while one of their enforcers will arise from his watery abode to issue a challenge — or maybe a warning: “Tread softly,” he’ll croak.
It’s easy to laugh at the thought of having to give a wide berth to the froggos, until you remember that this is Florida:
‘Til next time, friends, when I can come up with a story that’s toadally worth your time…
Critters Around the House, &cet
My new neighbor, a millenial chap who is an assistant professor with the Herpetology department, recently discovered a new species of toad in the Everglades.
He’s named it Bufo deeznuts.
Excellent.
Can frogs narrow their gaze?
We’ve lived here about 18 years now. The type and number of critters varies each year. At first we never saw rabbits, now there are a lot of them. We used to have a lot of tree frogs climbing on the house, this year I haven’t seen many but I hear them. And I also hear a lot of other frogs outside at night.
I just the hear random hooting and whistling from the meth head who has been parking himself out front every day for the last couple years. Thank smod he goes elsewhere at night, probably to the urban campground behind the Walmart.
We live on the edge of a bunch of open space and it’s interesting to see the changes in the animal populations year to year. We recently had a lot of rabbits, but a coyote came and cleaned them up. We’ve had explosions of mice and/or voles in some years. Some years have a lot of snakes. When we moved in there were a lot of pigeons, but then they removed the fast spinning raptor chopping windmills on the hill, and the raptors cleaned up the pigeons. It’s useful to see that nature is constantly changing.
Adapting, even.
If only humans could do that.
The last two years have been blessedly vole free.
The toads come out around the end of March, deer, pheasant, northern harriers, chuckers, kestrals, humming birds, crows, ravens, coyote, thankfully no killdeer this year, passing through we get the occasional skunk, raccoon and packrat. The latter two get our hackles up. Once every few years we get a wolf or a cougar or black bear.
I was driving across South Dakota, once upon a time, and encountered some sort of frog exodus. There were squashed frogs all over the road. I could hear them hitting the bottom of the car.
were they affecting the tire grip?
relevant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYvtUNcm3Y
I like snakes, lizards, frogs, and then other herps, in roughly that order.
My favorite Facebook group, from back when I was allowed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratsnake/
Make sacrifice and obeisance to Ceiling Frog.
Is Ceiling Frog more like Pepe Frog or the Froggies (i.e. French folks)?
Hypnotoad:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zHU2RlSCdxU
There is is.
I can’t even with this post
those frogs look gay.
I’ve been told that they were putting chemicals in the water to do that.
were they affecting the tire grip?
Very much so. It’s a good thing it wasn’t raining. That would have been like driving on ice.
Change
The White House published a memorandum of understanding on Monday, with the President pushing to ease the “crushing environmental regulatory burdens [that] caused the average cost of vehicles to soar.” In response to said burdens, he’s encouraging the EPA to clarify what emissions repairs are legal and issue guidance to consumers so they can avoid running afoul of the CAA. Additionally, the President requested that the EPA work to reduce reliance on the California Air Resources Board for parts certification—a known snag for some aftermarket manufacturers.
But maybe the most relevant takeaway for consumers is this: President Trump’s MOU urges the EPA to consider deprioritizing enforcement against “anyone who, in good faith, attempts to fix his or her own vehicle to its original configuration.” In other words, if someone uses parts that aren’t CARB- or EPA-approved to repair their car or truck, the EPA should contemplate whether or not legal action is necessary. Note the last part of the President’s phrasing, however, as he makes clear that his suggestion pertains only to those who try maintaining their vehicle’s original configuration.
Not exactly a performance enhancement free for all, but you might not be hostage to the dealer so much.
Sounds pretty useless to me.
Haha, suckers!
Editor’s note: Earlier today, we erroneously published a story saying that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. Neither Alito nor the court’s public information office has announced his retirement, and we have retracted the story.
June 30, 2026
Wishful thinking.
They really should have listed their bogus source and promised to cease using them.
It’s one of many pre-written stories they prepare. Similar to Obits.
They just accidentally pressed send.
To the teleprompter, or whatever it is they use for their newsreaders?
While they are already full of shit, it’s probably a bad idea for them to cease using their asses.
There was an SNL skit years ago with them doing canned obits for bizarre ways of celebrity deaths.
(-.-)
The wee beasties sometimes congregate in the oddest places. You’d think they would feel safe and warm in their pond, but they’ll occasionally gain the high ground and sit in judgement of me.
You can’t allow that. They’ll get ideas.
Sensei, from the dedthred, Wizardry is a computer game series that started in 1981. The wiki page is a pretty good summary of the series and all of the spin-offs.
Complete blurb from The Drive:
Ferrari and BMW are among the automakers shifting from copper to aluminum for wiring applications, which happens to be cheaper these days due to data centers driving up the cost of the former. Chinese automakers and Tesla have done the same in recent years. One added benefit of aluminum is that it’s lighter than copper, and weight is a particularly important consideration for EVs. [Reuters]
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t a bunch of houses burn down when they tried this?
Maybe it’s an alloy less prone to work hardening, but it makes one wonder.
All cars will have electrical issues like they were made in Britain in the 60s/70s.
The rodent attracting insulation is an optional extra!
The issue in the home wiring was thermal expansion and contraction. It wiggled the wires loose.
If you properly terminate it – it could probably work. But it doesn’t give me warm fuzzies.
I wonder if there is a dot Indian cover band called Four Naan Blondes.
dot Indian is no longer the correct nomenclature
H1-Bindian?
I live on a lake and the frogs are extremely loud this time of year.
I like it, but it bothers my wife when one climbs up one of our windows.
I always tell her, “Don’t worry about that one, that’s just Steve”.
She never thinks it’s funny, but in my heart, I know I’m funny.
[ Ron’s wife and Glibs friends stoically put up with Ron’s bad jokes ]
last time I slept at my mom’s place the frog noises were insane
How long before OMB issues a new executive order saying the kids born in the US can stay, but the parents get deported, no exceptions?
I think we are already there.
about time
The issue in the home wiring was thermal expansion and contraction. It wiggled the wires loose.
I was thinking there was also an issue of work hardening and brittleness from those heat cycles. It was a long time ago.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the household code has a phenomenally expensive experimental update to “fix” the problem and bring aluminum back.
I thank my stars that I built my how 20 years ago and that I will never have to deal with it again.
The two 120V legs of 100A for my 200A service are Al. You just need to have the termination properly designed to accommodate the expansion and contraction.
If you perpetually overheat it from bad termination I can see it work hardening and becoming brittle as well.
In the case of the Al home wiring it was people using outlets and switches not designed for it and people not following procedures for its installation. It’s much less forgiving than Cu.
Electrician I had do some work said AL connecting to CU was a danger.
So adorable
The U.S. Federal Government is meddling with the automotive industry, the free market, and capitalism. Ironically, the current administration claims it’s for the latter two items on that list. But on Thursday, the U.S. Government essentially killed an automotive brand in America by forcing Polestar to stop selling new cars.
——-
The death by U.S. Government force of Polestar is an eye-opening moment, especially for consumers who are in favor of a free market and capitalism. But it’s just the latest, rather large, moment in a continuing saga.
What impermeable rock have these people been hiding under?
Hadn’t caught the story before.
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/polestars-us-setback-leaves-owners-asking-who-will-service-my-car-2026-06-29/
Last week Polestar, which is majority-owned by China’s Geely Holding (0175.HK), opens new tab, said it was denied an authorization to sell new models in the U.S. under a federal rule that restricts cars with Chinese-linked connected-vehicle technology, beginning with the 2027 model year.</.em
Forbidden from selling chinese spyware in the US. Oh My!
Explains why the MSM is critical of the idea.
‘Merican spyware in cars is AOK as long as the state has access.
And about that mandatory kill switch…
Geeky owned Volvo is ok, though.
Jarvis
@jarvis_best
(Paul Krugman sits down)
(Opens his laptop)
(Fires up his Substack)
(Stares at the black page)
(Pours a glass of chardonnay to the brim)
(Starts typing)
“The good thing about rent control is
9:45 PM · Jun 27, 2026 · 318K Views
too bad about the black fly
He can control Winston’s Mom’s vagina.
From this morning’s discussion about AC in Europe, the article had this brilliant insight:
“But in the longer term, what happens is, installing more air conditioning actually emits more heat into our environment, so it will actually increase the speed of warming.”
You cant fix stupid.
Now, in fairness, this is likely originally based in the idea that using electricity to cool the inside increases CO2 emissions, therefore contributing to global warming. Now, even with this steel man, this is a dumb take.
Putting that in an article published in a mainstream publication is kinda wild.
But more than that…
I have seen this phrase everywhere the last several days, ostensibly posted by real Europeans. They seem to honestly and angrily believe that pumping the heat outside with an AC makes it hotter outside and thereby makes everyone else hotter and in greater danger.
I know… it seems ludicrous… but it is all over the place. I even saw a lengthy argument about refrigerators in your home working the same way and people not being able to comprehend either the analogy or that they dont actually die of heat stroke if they have a refrigerator.
Not really, when the entire elite establishment takes all of that nonsense as gospel. They don’t really have to believe it, mind you. They just need to pretend to believe it so that they can control you.
there was a silly claim that many took uncritically that using AC in a city raises the outside temperature like 4 5 C . It was off course less than 1C.
Technically it does raise the outside temperature since it takes work to move the heat energy from inside to outside.
yes but not by that much to be a serious issue.
Technically correct is the best kind of correct.
Just to add, having a place to escape the heat is far more important to avoid heat deaths and injuries than the minor warming. Just to be explicit about the point here.
The World Cup and this heatwave have revealed the ugly little downside of their welfare states. They get taxed to hell and enjoy a few things they can try to lord over Americans while glossing over the downsides like their healthcare being rationed for all but the wealthy. Rarely does anyone discuss that Americans are still wealthier with a lower cost of living on the day to day.
Air conditioning and larger houses and the ability to eat out constantly and the ability to drive yourself wherever etc. Americans take that shit for granted, left or right. And you can bet that the average mouth breather online talking about “walkable” cities still thinks they’ll have a car in the back of their head.
Rarely does anyone discuss that Americans are still wealthier with a lower cost of living on the day to day. – ah but euros have the ultimate comeback: overall life expectancy is still higher in Europe.
I like walkable cities. I have a car but don’t use it much.
Guzzling down ranch dressing and high fructose corn syrup laden products will do that to ya.
Rarely does anyone discuss that Americans are still wealthier with a lower cost of living on the day to day.
A former coworker of mine moved from Brussels to the Unites States in 2008 bringing his wife and four kids.
The company sponsored him for the appropriate paperwork to be in the US legally (I think he and his family have citizenship now) and converted his salary to dollars from Euros at then exchange rate.
He and his family had a better quality of life (a bigger house instead of the small apartment in Brussels, a car, a bunch of other stuff) with higher take home (i.e. after tax) pay.
He and his family were very happy with the move.
you only need a small apartment and the knowledge the government will take care of you, if it has enough money left after paying foreign criminals to move to your neighborhood that is
#metoo except I don’t have a car. Despite being a rich American, I am not keen to pay for one that I would hardly ever use. Being a confirmed bachelor helps.
If I had rugrats it would be the different story.
Any technology that could mitigate the scary aspects of global warming is frowned upon (accepting the basic premise the planet is warming). The goal is moral punishment. Pollution is the white man’s original sin. Or one of them because this is basically how most aspects of left wing thought start.
You can’t have serious talks about just mitigating the results of warming through technology. So the fact that insane numbers of Europeans currently die from heat injuries very year is in some way a good thing. It’s just deserts for our capitalist lifestyles. The only right way to change this is to repent.
I should add that my dog really hates the heat. Just took him out on a walk. Randomly just aid to himself nah fuck this and dragged me back inside to get back to the AC. He routinely refuses to go out when it’s too hot.
He also has free healthcare that I pay for. Officially has it better than a European.
The immorality of comfort is the continuous strand in the Puritan to Progressive philosophical strand. It’s a truth misunderstood. They see the truth that sacrifice leads to success, but they don’t understand it. They don’t preach deferred gratification, or practice toward skill development, or putting aside savings to invest in the future, which sacrifices directly lead to improvements. They preach hair shirts and self flagellation in a futile hope that the malign Gods of their primitive faith will be satisfied with their ration of human misery and will spare the faithful.
World Cup, Norway score; from the BBC text commentary: “The whole Norway bench runs onto the pitch to celebrate!”
Rhywun weeps.
The reaction to that should be to throw every player who rean onto the field out of the stadium and ban them from the next ten games.
lol
I get it but of all the stupid fiddly rules they have, you would think they would stop that behavior.
FFS, the manager is not allowed to dip a toe in there at any time – why are inactive players allowed?
Well, Jesse Marsch was in the middle of the pitch when the Canucks scored against South Africa.
I kind of get if for last minute winning or equaling goals (like this: https://youtu.be/b7eZmKWW9s4?si=Rz6K6Eyzqy5wdmkP&t=13) but the pitch invasion for an opening goal in the 27th minute of the first half seems, umm, off.
Huh. I guess they make an exception for goal scoring. If that is the case then I wonder what is the time limit because you know there would have to be a regulation to cover it.
Ahhh the vuvuzelas take me back.
You know what those frogs are singing right? “Wanna fud?”
I thought they were singing “Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal”.
+1 Warner Brothers cartoons
Bonus!
All I hear is “ribbit”. 🙁
Budd wei zerrr
installing more air conditioning actually emits more heat into our environment, so it will actually increase the speed of warming.
Energy created or destroyed.
Heat pumps steal our cold!
We can pump the North American summer heat to Chile
It’s not 100% efficient in heat transfer. There is unused heat created in the electricity generation for it and the AC process creates heat as well as moving heat.
You are being disingenuous just like the people who issued that statement.
What did commies use for refrigerating food before iceboxes?
The cold, dead bodies of the prisoners.
What food?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is a bitch.
“This frog’s for you!”
😱
You are being disingenuous
It’s what I do.
Coexist
Truly famous and infamous photo.
Nastassja was not exceptionally pretty/beautiful. But she absolutely oozed sexuality on camera.
Cat People was not great, but she was mesmerizing.
Aeroquip (I think) did a “parody” promo poster with a naked girl draped with braided stainless hose in the manner of that Kinski photo.
I have tried to find it on line, with no success.
https://www.audiworld.com/articles/2027-audi-a3-gets-interior-revamp-loses-more-physical-controls/
The EU didn’t make Audi do this.
Blech.