Hank and the Reaper
Reaper: OK, Hank - can I call you Hank? - it's time, old pal.
Henry: Well, I knew I couldn't stave you off indefinitely.
R: You had a good run.
H: Outlived all my enemies and most of my detractors.
R: Can't ask for much more than that.
H: Well, I've received my prizes on Earth. Time for my prizes in Heaven.
R: Oh, there are prizes awaiting you, but they're not in ... well, you'll see.
So the headlines today read "ISRAEL KILLS HAMAS LEADER" ... but you read on and you find out that the Hamas leader was located in a tunnel UNDER a refugee camp. Soooooo, essentially, Israel got to the Hamas leader by BOMBING the refugee camp.
Yet, the headlines do not read ISRAEL BOMBS REFUGEE CAMP.
Do we see who is controlling the narrative here?
And no, all you racists, before you say, "It's THA JEWSSSS!" I will tell you, it's the government of Israel and of the United States. Put away your Soros bogeyman and realize that this slaughter is the responsibility of a bellicose state and its arms-dealing benefactor.
In the early days of this war, they said Hamas had cut off the heads of 40 Israeli babies. The original reporter had said she had "heard it" from some soldiers - but that she had no confirmation, and recanted it.
Because it simply was not true.
But, for a day at least, this horrific story reached around the world and infuriated (unnecessarily) countless people. The situation is already sufficiently horrific without misinformation adding to the angst, anger, despair, and rage.
I have a dog chained up in a kennel in my back yard. I feed the dog scraps and when it yaps I slap it to make it shut up. I've done this for years.
The other day, the dog jumped over the kennel fence and bit my hand, so I said, "This dog's gone feral!" so I shot it.
Who am I?
My wife keeps sending me videos on IG of Tristan Tate talking about looking good in suits, along with some other guy talking about how getting into shape make people think you are wearing an expensive suit when you might just be in a white button-down short. These guys are all so roided-out and beefed up and strutting around beaches with women looking on in dripping admiration ... it's actually kinda weird.
- I think she might be telling you to hit the gym.
Yeah, that and she's suddenly on this "Alpha Male" kick. She wants me to be an "Alpha Male"
- That's what the Tate brothers are selling.
Exactly, so I told her, "These guys have been arrested in Romania for sex trafficking. What they are selling is Toxic Masculinity Bullshit. You want me to be an Alpha Male? OK, fine. Don't ever send me shit from those fucking shitbags ever again! How's THAT for 'Alpha Male'?
Wife had been watching a short TikTok Video about the Maui fires and a person was saying that a bunch of investors were swooping in to try to buy land. the natives do not want to sell their ancestral land to investors who want to build resorts on this prime property.
My wife showed me the video and said, "They're saying that these investors used a laser beam to start the fire."
This particular TikTok video did not make that assumption. The man in the video was ONLY talking about the vultures trying to swoop in and take advantage of a tragedy before the people could even mourn their loss.
I agreed with my wife that it was definitely a possibility that the fire may have intentionally been set. I said, "Developers have set fires intentionally before, it's possible they did this time too." Then I added, "Even if it wasn't intentional..."
"See! That's why we fight! In your little brain, you want to say 'even IF!' ... you NEVER believe me. There is no 'even if' ! It WAS intentional. Developers set the fire, but you never take my side and you never believe me and you always make fun of me and this is why we can't talk about anything any more, and I don't want to fight because we're supposed to be going out on a date today, but you always seem to want to just dismiss everything I say and we can't agree on anything, we can't even agree on where to go to church, and you're supposed to be the head of this family and you can't even do that! Now, leave me alone because I want to use the bathroom and I don't want to say anything that I really shouldn't!"
Damn that Jordan Peterson! He's an arrogant prick, but he's the arrogant prick that I wanted to be if I wanted to be an arrogant prick.
Oh honey, you already ARE an arrogant prick. Just not a famous one.
It has become quite evident that God has not, indeed, blessed America, but rather,
God has given America the keys to the Charger, along with a fistful of hundred dollar bills,
knowing full well that America will get blasted on cocaine and beer, and rage that car to the end of the highway, off a cliff into the ocean, taking out as many pedestrians as it can along the way.
I looked up what you sent me today from that Rodas lady.
And do you believe me now?
What you sent me said that she's saying the entire government is feeding children to a worldwide sex trafficking ring. What she actually said to Congress is that "Whether intentionally or not, it could be stated that the government has become the middleman in sex trafficking" That's basically just saying the government dropped the ball
NO IT'S NOT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMART? HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID! It's the government, the entire government.
You're saying the entire two million government employees are involved in trafficking children?
Yes YES! That's why they don't want us to see Sound of Freedom!
Reference:
https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/rodas-testimony.pdf
Heard on NPR yesterday - rebroadcasting some BBC show - with some tech genius making the case for continuing with the rollout of AI. He was saying that, while we should continue to implement guardrails, we should not halt the advent of AI altogether. Imagine, he said, each student in the world having their personal AI - education would be accessible to everyone, not just those who could afford it.
THAT! I exclaimed, right there in my car, is EXACTLY what I said about the Internet in the 1990s - that it would make information accessible to all, and there would be a general lifting of all minds.
I was wrong THEN, and this guy is wrong NOW.
2023-0615
La Playa de Bahia Dorada
The edge of each final wave that laps the shore;
A row of tiny white horses galloping up the strand.
2023-0615
Refrán
El Arbol de la Quina
Esta siempre a tu lado,
Porqué esquina.
2023-0616
Al Puro Surf, El Zonte, La Libertad
The crooked limbs of the Suessian tree
framing the picture-perfect ocean waves
upon which a happy surfer rides
the crest, until the board and
rider part ways,
each of them flung into the air.
And the waves marches
joyfully toward
the shore.
In the United Lounge
waiting for our flight to El Salvador -
all the Americans
on their laptops
updating their spreadsheets,
or speaking loudly on their phones
about sales meetings
about shipments
about how Robert really
dropped the ball with
this customer or
that customer,
or their conversations over the chair armrests
about how they run their team:
"I take them out for fun, sure,
but they gotta hit their numbers first.
I mean, you gotta do the work
that pays for the fun, right?"
MR
2023-0608
Lucky Moran: RIP The Queen
Otis Redwing: RIP The Queen
Lucky: Tina Turner, man - what a voice! What a story!
Otis: So true, so true
Lucky: Now she's in Heaven, a private dancer for Jesus!
Otis: That ... probably sounded a lot better in your heard.
Lucky: Yeah. Yeah, it did.
Otis: Probably should have stayed there, too.
Lucky: Probably.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/jordan-neely-marines-nyc-subway-chokehold-video-b2333006.html
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-subway-chokehold-death-ruled-a-homicide-as-groups-demand-justice/4301660/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/04/us/new-york-subway-chokehold-death/index.html
For Jordan Neely
On the Northbound F,
he often dressed
like Michael Jackson -
moved like him too,
danced like a madman
escaped from a zoo,
and he entertained the people
and he scared some too,
cuz you never really knew
what he might do,
but one day he came on screaming,
didn't know
at what
or at who,
but a couple of guys
restrained him -
a big Marine, too,
put his arm around his neck
and held him down
held him tight,
held him until he
stopped screamin'
until he stopped
breathin'
until he
stopped
dancin'
MR
2023-0504
The Greatest Musician
Rihanna
Homer
Well, here's how I put it to her (thoughts that came to me in the shower)
I'd been hearing about how "great" Rihanna is as a performer, and everyone saying, "She dances so great while 3 months pregnant!" and "Greatest performer ever" and I got to thinking ...
Homer wasn't one guy, we know that.
It's a general name given to a bard.
But at the time, performances were given at king's courts, for all their buddies.
These parties lasted days.
So you had one guy, with a lyre, who had to not only remember these sagas ...
... but also be able to make stuff up on the spot, TUNE his instrument WHILE playing ... and read the room, so if he saw them getting bored, know how to step it up a notch.
Now remember, he did this knowing that if he sucked, he would get beaten or even killed.
So, that's why I think the Homeric bards should be considered the "greatest" musician ever!
And when I told this to my wife, she said, "Don't tell people this. They'll think you're completely insane!"
Daughter: Thanks again for helping me with my taxes.
Dad: Of course.
Daughter: But I was wondering about that Student Loan interest thing. Why didn't I get all the interest back?
Dad: Because they only give you a portion of it, not all of it.
Daughter: And why didn't I get the whole portion?
Dad: Because it's not an actual refund. It just lowers the amount of income that you have to pay taxes on.
Daughter: So, I wouldn't gave gotten anything back if I hadn't paid my school loans?
Dad: Hold on, let me calculate ... [pulls out phone, looks up tax schedules] OK, just roughing it here, looks like this: IF you had not made any student loan payments, you would have owed $12 in taxes, but since you DID pay student loans, that got you to a point where the government gave you BACK $450.
Daughter: That's pretty cool.
Dad: So whenever you hear anything blathering on about how mean government is, just remember that there are things that government does to try to cut you a break.
Tonight Joe Biden will give the State of the Union address. While this is mandated by the Constitution, it's really not a good idea.
It's a trap: already set up by the Conservatives, to make him seem ineffectual and senile.
The screaming gallery will be in full force from the gallery, with the Right Wing pundits laughing at every gaffe, and the Left Wing pundits sheepishly trying to explain them away.
Will say this, though, I'm exhausted at hearing that Sarah Huckabee Sanders will give the Republican retort. The Constitution mandates a SOTU, but says nothing about the "other side"'s response. In fact, there shouldn't even be an "other side" - the SOTU is the state of the UNION. To have a "counterpoint" argument in itself demonstrates clearly that there is NO UNION.
It's ludicrous!
Americans keep saying they want a civil war, but they really have no idea what they are asking for.
Dad helping daughter do taxes...
What's this 1099INT for $225?
That's from my bank.
But you don't have enough savings to make that kind of interest.
They gave me that to open the account.
Oh. OK, cool.
Does that mean I have to pay it back?
No. It just means you have to pay taxes on it.
WHAAAAA?! What a rip off!
Well, that's the IRS for you.
They better cancel my student debt then!
Uh ... the IRS doesn't cancel debt.
Well then SOMEBODY should!
M: There's a lot of money in this town.
C: Yes there is.
M: A lot of people are filthy stinking rich.
C: True. There are.
M: How do you get filthy stinking rich in this country?
C: How do you mean?
M: Well, I want to get filthy stinking rich.
C: Well, in this town, mainly it's oil. Oil, when it's up, gives annual bonuses that lets some people buy boats.
M: I want to be that rich.
C: We ARE that rich. We're the President and the VP of a $90M asset manufacturing company, on track to make $65M annual revenue. We ARE rich.
M: Yeah but we're not FILTHY STINKING RICH. That's where I want to get to. How do I get there?
C: Look, if I knew that, I wouldn't be here talking to you. I'd be driving my Ferrari around my private island.
M: And I'm sure if you ever found out, you wouldn't let me in on the secret.
C: Sure I would. There'd be enough wealth to go around.
