vxbush 2/26/2021 5:24:37 AM

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*Yawn* Happy Friday! Let's get the work over so the play can begin! 

Or, in my case, I can switch hats and keep working at the computer to get other things done. 

PaladinPhil 2/26/2021 5:59:22 AM

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lucius septimius 2/26/2021 6:01:41 AM

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vxbush 2/26/2021 6:14:00 AM

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In #3 lucius septimius said: Today shows signs of being an awful, awful, awful day.

Anything we can do to help here? 

lucius septimius 2/26/2021 7:00:39 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 4:

Not really.

vxbush 2/26/2021 7:08:20 AM

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In #5 lucius septimius said: Not really.

Then we need emergency puppies. 

vxbush 2/26/2021 7:14:10 AM

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Emergency puppy, #2. 

vxbush 2/26/2021 7:15:29 AM

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Last one for now. This one is weapons grade. 

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 7:19:18 AM

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In #2 PaladinPhil said: Time to see how rusty I got over two months of forced inaction.

Two months?  I haven't been shooting since late August. 

vxbush 2/26/2021 7:22:40 AM

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In #9 Occasional Reader said: Two months?  I haven't been shooting since late August. 

As if you needed more proof that the COVID restrictions in the US are more than what they seem......

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 7:33:28 AM

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Megillah Maniacs

—apologies to the "Animaniacs" theme song

We are Megillah maniacs


We defend against attacks


Take your groggers off the racks


Enjoy their raucous clacks


Megillah maniacs

Hear of the Jews of Shushan


And the Persian Empire too


By royal decree, they resist what Haman wants to do


Each year we read their story, and twice must hear it through


And we defame


Old Haman’s name


With our catcalls and boos

Megillah maniacs


We are costumed in odd scraps


Who cares if in taste we lapse?


Pour yourself another schnapps

Megillah maniacs

Meet the King, Achashverosh


Who is a boozy fool


Haman, who’s born of Amalek


And who schemes plots to rule


Esther is the heroic queen


Mordechai keeps his cool


And when the evil
Plan is foiled


The Jews enjoy renewal

Megillah maniacs


We pay half-shekel Temple tax


We hand out gift food packs


To friends, and whoever lacks


We are Megillah


Having quite a thrill-ah


Feasting to our fill-ah


Megillah maniacs


Those are the facts!

vxbush 2/26/2021 7:41:13 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 11:

*clap* *clap* *clap* *whistles*

I approve re-using cartoon theme music!

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 7:45:04 AM

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The Left is nothing if not cultish, and there is nothing more churlish than the Left in victory.

Now you know why the Left is talking about cult-churl norms.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 7:50:43 AM

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In #10 vxbush said: As if you needed more proof that the COVID restrictions in the US are more than what they seem......

Well, not sure if you're being serious here, but; no, not in this case.  The range is open (with social distancing blahblahblah), but between my having had knee surgery, and just generally busy with work and daddying, I haven't had time.  

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 8:21:10 AM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 11:

Unfortunately I'm insufficiently famliar with both Purim, and Anamaniacs... 

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 8:33:08 AM

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In #15 Occasional Reader said: Anamaniacs.

Bleah.  Animaniacs.

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 8:57:10 AM

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In #15 Occasional Reader said: Unfortunately I'm insufficiently famliar with both Purim, and Anamaniacs... 

Animaniacs---which is, I think, still around in some form---was a very overly-cutesy-poo attempt by Warner's to revive their cartoon glory days.  It started back in the Clinton era.

Purim is, if you will, the Jewish version of Carnival; an end-of-winter kick-out-the-jams holiday.  

Supposedly, it commemorates the events recorded in the Megillah (Scroll) of Esther:  the Persian king, Ahachverosh (usually written as "Ahasueros" in English) holds a six-month celebratory feast, towards the end of which he demands his queen appear before him and his guests clad in nothing save her crown.  She refuses; he has her killed for dissing him.

Needing a new queen, he holds a beauty-contest/fuckfest in which he gets to try out the most beautiful babes in the kingdom, keeping them as concubines after their "audition."  One of them is Esther, who is adopted by her uncle Mordechai; they are Jews.  Esther wins the King's favor, and remains in the palace Babe Wing.  Mordechai, hanging around outside the palace to keep an eye on Esther, overhears a plot to kill the King, reports it to Esther, and the plot is foiled.

Meanwhile, Haman---a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag whom Saul failed to kill, becomes the Prime minister.  He's much like the Conrad Veidt vizier in "The Thief of Baghdad," or the Disney copy in the "Aladdin" animated cartoon.  Haman gets pissed off at Mordechai because Mordechai won't bow down to him, so Haman asks the King for permission to kill the Jews of Persia, in exchange for which grant he'll pay a big chunk into the Treasury.  The King grants his wish, and the Jews, naturally, are upset when they hear about the King's edict.  Mordechai says to his neice, "Hey, Esther---you're in the palace, you have the King's ear (among other things). Get him to reverse this edict."  Esther says, "Hey, I can't see the King unless he asks for me; if I approach him and he doesn't hold out his sceptre to me, I'll be killed."  Mordechai says, "If you don't help, we'll get deliverance from somewhere else---but has it occurred to you that you got your position precisely for this purpose?"  Esther says, "Tell all the Jews to fast for me and pray on my behalf, and I'll take my chances."

So, off she goes to see the King---who sees her, holds out his sceptre to her, and says, "What do you want, babe? Even unto half the kingdom." She says, "I'd like to invite you and Haman to a feast tonight."  They go (Haman is pleased; "I'm the only other one she asked!"), and the King asks again, "What is it you want, Esther?" And she says, "Both of you, please come back tomorrow for another feast." They agree; meanwhile, the King can't sleep that night, whether from the indigestible food or the fact that he's hot for Esther, so he asks for the royal chronicles to be read to bore him to sleep.  They read the part about Mordechai saving the King's life, and the King asks, "What has been done to reward him?" "Nothing," the flunkies reply.  Haman's picking his teeth in the anteroom, trying to figure out how he can take over the throne, and the King says, "What should be done for a man the King wishes to honor?" and Haman, thinking "Whom would the King wish to honor other than myself?" says, "Let him be dressed in clothing the King has worn, placed upon a horse the King has ridden, and be led through the streets with heralds proclaiming, "Thus shall be done for he whom the King wishes to honor!" "Go," says the King, "And do this for Mordechai the Jew."  So Haman gets to lead Mordechai on the horse through the city, receiving the honor he wanted.  Of course, nobody asked Mordechai; one can envision him dressed in the King's dirty laundry, hanging desperately onto the saddle pommel as he's paraded through the city, thinking, "A little something from the Treasury would have been nice...or even a plaque, maybe..."

Anyway, at the second night's feast Esther denounces Haman to the King, and the King orders Haman hanged on the gallows he has prepared for Mordechai.  Because an edict signed with the royal seal cannot be revoked, the kill-the-Jews order can't be rescinded, but the King gives them the right to defend themselves, which they do. Mordechai becomes the new Prime Minister. 

So, that's the Purim story in short form.  We're supposed to listen to it twice.  It is customary to make noise drowning out Haman's name when it comes up, following the Biblical injunction to "blot out the name of Amalek."  People dress up in masks and costumes, you're supposed to have a holiday feast, and gifts of food are handed out to friends, and to the needy.  There's a lot of drinking done; many say you should get so intoxicated you cannot tell the difference between the phrases "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordechai."

In effect, it's a celebratory way of marking the end of winter, and starting your Passover cleaning, since Passover is only a month away, and if you do a lot of feasting on the food which has lasted through the winter but is starting to go off and ferment a little, it's a nice way to kick off the Passover cleaning-fest.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 9:06:04 AM

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lucius septimius 2/26/2021 9:08:03 AM

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Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 9:10:49 AM

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In #17 buzzsawmonkey said: Animaniacs---which is, I think, still around in some form---was a very overly-cutesy-poo attempt by Warner's to revive their cartoon glory days.  It started back in the Clinton era. Purim is, if you will, the Jewish version of Carnival; an end-of-winter kick-out-the-jams holiday.  

To clarify; I know the basics of what both things are, I'm just not familiar with the details (in the first instance, never watched the show; in the second... well, never been Jewish!).  

Thanks for your synopsis of the Purim story.  In honor thereof, I'm off to Starbucks to get a Haman cheese croissant. 

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 9:15:40 AM

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In #19 lucius septimius said: Normalcy

I'm perfectly fine with retaliatory strikes on Iranian-backed assets (or Iran itself) that attack our people.  That said, 1) it's pretty funny watching the same Dems who denounced this when Trump did it suddenly go quiet; and 2) I'm seeing some indications that this was a pretty low-value target, unlikely to generate any real deterrence.  

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 9:22:20 AM

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In #20 Occasional Reader said: Thanks for your synopsis of the Purim story.  In honor thereof, I'm off to Starbucks to get a Haman cheese croissant. 

Quite appropriate, since Purim is basically one of the "They tried to kill us---they didn't succeed. Let's eat!" holidays.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 9:27:27 AM

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In #22 buzzsawmonkey said: Quite appropriate, since Purim is basically one of the "They tried to kill us---they didn't succeed. Let's eat!" holidays.

Well, then, I'll add a morde-Chai Latte to my order... 

vxbush 2/26/2021 9:33:23 AM

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In #17 buzzsawmonkey said: one can envision him dressed in the King's dirty laundry, hanging desperately onto the saddle pommel as he's paraded through the city, thinking, "A little something from the Treasury would have been nice...or even a plaque, maybe..."

LOL! Perfect! 

In #20 Occasional Reader said: I'm off to Starbucks to get a Haman cheese croissant. 

Shouldn't it be Haman cheese croissant? (Blotting out the name, and all.)

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 9:45:20 AM

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In #24 vxbush said: LOL! Perfect! 

My two favorite Biblical Vaudeville Moments are the Mordechai Honor Scene and the scene during the Ten Plagues where the Pharaoh's magicians try an "anything you can do we can do better" competition.  The magicians say, "You can make your staff into a snake? We can make our staffs into snakes!" and then Moses' snake eats theirs.  This is followed by the magicians saying, "You can turn water into blood? So can we!" ...which is kind of tough on the poor Egyptians.  That's followed by the same routine with the frogs...and then they try to copy the lice, but can't.  The magicians are "offstage" for the next couple of plagues, but then come back onstage during the Plague of Boils, covered with them.  It's pure vaudeville comedy.

vxbush 2/26/2021 9:56:38 AM

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In #25 buzzsawmonkey said:  It's pure vaudeville comedy.

Yes, but I've noticed few people pay attention to that aspect of it. It's like people think nothing in the scriptures can be funny. They haven't paid attention to what Elijah says to the 300 prophets of Baal when Baal never answers. 

CyberSimian 2/26/2021 10:13:28 AM

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In #9 Occasional Reader said: Two months? I haven't been shooting since late August.

In #11 buzzsawmonkey said: Megillah Maniacs

In #17 buzzsawmonkey said: Animaniacs---which is, I think, still around in some form---was a very overly-cutesy-poo attempt by Warner's to revive their cartoon glory days. It started back in the Clinton era.

In #25 buzzsawmonkey said: It's pure vaudeville comedy.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 10:21:46 AM

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In #27 CyberSimian said: I assume by default that revivals and reboots are dreck,

With “Battlestar Galactica” and “The Thing” being two noteworthy exceptions that leap immediately to mind.

doppelganglander 2/26/2021 10:26:21 AM

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Reply to CyberSimian in 27:

My kids and I were huge fans of the original Animaniacs. I've seen several of the new ones on Hulu. Not as anti-conservative as I had expected, and the portrayal of Trump as Cyclops is actually pretty funny. Still not quite up to previous standards, though.

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 10:43:16 AM

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Reply to vxbush in 26:

Well, at some point I'll have to dig up my re-take on the Adam & Eve story that I posted on Babba's site a while back.  The whole thing is a "Just-So" story, a la Kipling, which should be titled "How the (Trouser) Snake Got His Fur."

The entire key to the Adam & Eve story is that it starts with the statement---always mistranslated---that "they were both naked, and were not ashamed," followed by the statement that the snake was the most naked animal in the garden.  That's what it says in the Hebrew, but the word "naked" is usually translated as "subtle," or "guileful," or some other such nonsense.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 10:43:59 AM

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In #29 doppelganglander said: portrayal of Trump as Cyclops

And I'm sure that now, they're doing bitingly satirical sendups of Biden.

Right?....

... right?.... 

Kosh's Shadow 2/26/2021 10:51:04 AM

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In #28 Occasional Reader said: With “Battlestar Galactica” and “The Thing” being two noteworthy exceptions that leap immediately to mind.

For Battlestar, the show was good, but the ending ruined it for me.

SPOILER

They just decide to live out their lives on the planet they found. I'll leave out another detail, however.

It took me a while to figure out why it bothered me so much. Then I realized they decided their civilization was not worth saving; not worth rebuilding; they really had nothing to live for except themselves. And that is a reflection of what is so wrong with Western civilization, and why so many people get attracted to militant Islam - it gives them a cause greater than themselves to live for.

doppelganglander 2/26/2021 11:04:20 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 31:

Of course not, but mainly because the shows were all in the can a year ago. Anyway, I haven't seen all of them yet so there may be a few jabs at Biden or Obama in other episodes. They took a few shots at Clinton back in the day.

CyberSimian 2/26/2021 11:07:07 AM

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In #32 Kosh's Shadow said: For Battlestar, the show was good, but the ending ruined it for me.

I gave up on it at some point in the third season.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 11:52:42 AM

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In #32 Kosh's Shadow said: For Battlestar, the show was good, but the ending ruined it for me.

Agreed.  The first season, though, was jaw-droppingly good (perhaps in part, my feeling on that was based on my rock-bottom expectations of a remake of a cheesy series). 

lucius septimius 2/26/2021 11:59:34 AM

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In #35 Occasional Reader said: Agreed.  The first season, though, was jaw-droppingly good (perhaps in part, my feeling on that was based on my rock-bottom expectations of a remake of a cheesy series). 

You didn't miss Lorne Greene?

Kosh's Shadow 2/26/2021 12:01:16 PM

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In #36 lucius septimius said: You didn't miss Lorne Greene?

Has Little Joe come back from shootin' Cylons in the north 40?

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 12:01:18 PM

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In #36 lucius septimius said: You didn't miss Lorne Greene?

The original rapper!

JCM 2/26/2021 12:02:08 PM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 18:

Kosh's Shadow 2/26/2021 12:15:31 PM

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In #39 JCM said: Mother Nature 'paves Paradise' with nearly 19 feet of snow

They paved paradise and put up a skiing slope

--Not Joni Mitchell

vxbush 2/26/2021 1:41:03 PM

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In #39 JCM said: Mother Nature 'paves Paradise' with nearly 19 feet of snow

Holy cow! I can't even imagine how you build structures to sustain that amount of snow falling on a roof! 

JCM 2/26/2021 1:44:29 PM

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Reply to vxbush in 41:

Very steep pitched roof.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 2:06:55 PM

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Ah, Proggies.

I was just relating to (knee-jerk Dem) Friend 1 how Friend 2 had his guns confiscated under a "Red Flag" law, due to an utterly bullshit representation made by his angry ex-wife, which Friend 2 easily got knocked down once he finally had a day in court (he's now waiting for return of the guns).

Friend 1:  "Well, I don't see why Friend 2 needed those guns in the first place.  It's like... getting his skis taken away, no big deal'

Me:  How many of your possessions do you need?  Are you okay with the idea that your ex-wife could get the police to come and take away, say, your camera equipment?  Oh, also: There's no constitutional right to keep and bear skis. 

vxbush 2/26/2021 2:09:55 PM

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In #42 JCM said: Very steep pitched roof.

How steep? 60º? 75º? I'd be tempted to say 89º.

JCM 2/26/2021 2:18:49 PM

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Reply to vxbush in 44:

Paradise Lodge

vxbush 2/26/2021 2:25:52 PM

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Reply to JCM in 45:

Ah. Looks to be at about 45º, maybe 50º.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 2:31:46 PM

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Take me down to the Paradise Lodge

Where the snow's piled up, higher than...er... a Dodge?

Whoa, whoa take me down

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 2:47:21 PM

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Middle Easterners begin painting transgender flag colors on doorposts to avoid Biden drone strikes

/from America's Newspaper of Record, as Instapundit calls it now

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 2:56:49 PM

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I'm really looking forward to the anti-Jewish blood libels the formerly-allegedly-philo-Semitic "Christians" are going to be spreading online in the next few weeks.  

They're rampin' up to it, kiddies.  Don't think for a moment they're not.

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 3:02:14 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 49:

To whom, exactly, are you referring, and why "in the next few weeks"? 

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 3:18:13 PM

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In #50 Occasional Reader said: To whom, exactly, are you referring, and why "in the next few weeks"? 

I've been mixing it up with the gang of putative "Christians" on PJM.  There's been a whole lot of 'em lately---the ones blaming "da Joooooos" for the Biden administration, the ones claiming that "Jews aren't white," the ones claiming that Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler were all Joooos, etc., etc.

I've been having some fun asking these creeps to define "white"---and then to explain what the Magic Attributes of "whiteness" are.  They get very huffy and puffy, but only one has even attempted to to reply---and he got all huffy and puffy when I asked him when and how the Irish, who were considered Blotchy Enwords by Americans for well over 100 years, suddenly "became white" in his estimation.

Understand that I don't in any way believe this is "all Christians," or something stupid like that.  Indeed, a lot of these commenters---though by no means all---are relative-newbies with very small posting counts, which I naturally view with suspicion.  Nonetheless, they are seldom, if ever, called to account by more-well-known commenters...and that disturbs me some.

In any event, it's a month until Passover---which corresponds closely with Easter, i.e., the Crucifixion and all that.  It is the traditional season for a particular type of Christian to start getting into blood libels, and between the general "it's all the fault of the Jooooooos" and such things as the nomination of "Rachel" Levine for a spot in Biden's cabinet (which is not that far from "Jews kill Christian children to use their blood for Passover matzos"), I can see a whole flurry of blood libels coming over the hill.

This is one time I'd love to be wrong.

buzzsawmonkey 2/26/2021 3:31:36 PM

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Kosh's Shadow 2/26/2021 3:51:13 PM

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In #52 buzzsawmonkey said: Hey, OR---it appears that your pal Ta-Nehisi Coates is going to write the next "Superman" movie.

As Superman searches for untruth, racial justice, and the un-American way!

Kosh's Shadow 2/26/2021 4:18:07 PM

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In #53 Kosh's Shadow said: As Superman searches for untruth, racial justice, and the un-American way!

Racial truth, racial justice, and the African way

Occasional Reader 2/26/2021 4:23:05 PM

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Reply to buzzsawmonkey in 52:

maybe superman will go around beating up interracial couples (since Coates is on record as opposing them, if I recall correctly).