Friday Night Open Thread: It’s Been Ten Years

Well, were they?

These ‘crazy ants’ love to munch on cellphones and TVs. Are they headed your way?
the news tribune | 6 Dec 2016 | Ben Guarino

Although the insects are so named for their swarming maneuvers, the term is equally apt for the damage they inflict on the human psyche. For reasons not fully understood, the ants are found in large numbers near electrical equipment and wall sockets. Cellphones and television sets have succumbed to the ant swarms, and the insects damaged electronics in a Houston-area industrial park…

Like the infamous fire ant, the crazy ant is a South American native that made its way to the Lone Star state. The animals do not coexist peacefully. The crazy ant – despite its less painful venom – has a chemical upper hand, scientists discovered in 2014. The crazy ants secrete a substance that neutralizes the fire ant acid, and are thus able to overwhelm the enemy ants….


 


 

Straight Line of the Day: Other Antiquities You Could Fake: …

The Fake Ancient Theater in Italy That Fooled Ticket Buyers for a Decade
Weird Italy | July 25, 2026

Marketed as a Neolithic and Roman find, the site was in fact assembled with concrete and grouted stone blocks. 

A man in northern Italy has been sent to prison after Italy’s highest court gave final confirmation to his conviction for illegally constructing a fake ancient theater and presenting it to the public as a genuine archaeological site, charging visitors an entrance fee of up to 40 euros. 

The structure still stands in Arcugnano, in the province of Vicenza. It consists of tiered stone seating built from stacked stones that were worked to look ancient. The columns are fake too, made of concrete, along with plaster statues and an artificial small lake dug beneath the tiers in the arena area. 


 


 

Bond Girlathon Friday : Results from 8/21/2026 : New Matches for 8/28/2026

 

 

You voters wouldn’t use the force for selfish purposes, now would you?

 

Results from 8/21/2026

 

 

Denise Perrier No Preference Tsai Chin
122 3 42

 

 

(16)Izabella Scorupco No Preference Karin Dor
125 1 69

 

New Matches for 8/28/2026

 

Match 1

 

(8) Jill St. John (Tiffany Case) vs (4) Famke Janssen (Xenia Onatopp)

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
(8) Jill St. John 6 – 1 – 0 1035 – 5 – 481

 

Tiffany Case

 

Actress: Jill St. John
Nationality: American
Bond Movie: Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Synopsis:

Tiffany Case was a diamond smuggler in part of a pipeline of smugglers that ultimately ended at Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Courier Peter Franks was supposed to pass the diamonds to Tiffany, but Bond intercepted and impersonated Franks, and managed to take the diamonds for himself. Bond’s involvement saved Tiffany being murdered, and she eventually switched to Bond’s allegiance.

 

Jill St. John

 

VS

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
(4) Famke Janssen 7 – 0 – 0 1034 – 8 – 305

 

Xenia Onatopp

 

 

Actress: Famke Janssen
Nationality: Dutch
Bond Movie: Goldeneye (1995)

Synopsis:

Xenia Onatopp was a henchwoman working alongside the traitor General Ourumov. She stole a Tiger Helicopter, a new prototype that was resistant to electromagnetic pulses. She then helped Ourumov steal the codes and launch key for the Goldeneye satellite weapon from the Severnaya Space Control Centre. She killed the staff and programmed Goldeneye to destroy the facility with electromagnetic pulses that wouldn’t effect the Tiger. She flirted with Bond and tried to kill him on multiple occasions, but Bond ended up onatopp.

 

Famke Janssen

 

Who do you prefer?
39 votes · 39 answers

 

Match 2

 

(2) Jacqueline Bisset (Giovanna Goodthighs)  vs Serena Gordon (Caroline)

 

 

 

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
(2) Jacqueline Bisset 7 – 0 – 0 1065 – 2 – 326

 

Giovanna Goodthighs

 

Miss Goodthighs is a Smersh agent who attempts to kill baccarat master Evelyn Tremble (operating under the alias James Bond 007) at Casino Royale in a bid to prevent him from bankrupting her employer Le Chiffre. She meets him in a hotel room, wearing a nightgown and cradling a large bottle of champagne suggestively in her arms. Despite successfully seducing and poisoning him with a spiked drink, he is rescued by his recruiter and ally Vesper Lynd. When Tremble asks what became of her, Lynd remarks that she “took care of her”.

 

Jacqueline Bisset

 

VS

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
Serena Gordon 1 – 6 – 0 481 – 16 – 768

 

Caroline

 

Actress: Serena Gordon
Nationality: English
Bond Movie: Goldeneye (1995)

Synopsis:

Caroline was a psychological evaluator working for MI6. She was sent by M to evaluate Bond, who took her for a drive in his Aston Martin DB5. Bond drove very fast and engaged in a race with Xenia Onatopp, making Caroline very uncomfortable. After screaming at Bond to slow down, Bond came to an abrupt stop, and seduced Caroline with a bottle of Bollinger champagne hidden in an armrest. The two proceed with a “very thorough evaluation.”

 

Serena Gordon

 

Who do you prefer?
36 votes · 36 answers

 

 


 

Quote of the Day

 

“This is a lazy, intellectually dishonest dodge. Race is not the point; assimilation is. The people in that 1950s footage were, in many cases, themselves first- or second-generation Americans—Irish, Italian, Polish, Jewish, among others. They were people whose parents or grandparents had arrived here through Ellis Island. They did not come to recreate the old country on American soil, transforming it. They came to become American—to transform themselves. They learned the language, embraced the civic norms, cheered on the same teams as their neighbors, and played by the same unwritten rules that made public spaces safe and orderly. Baseball was not merely entertainment. It was a sacrament of a shared American identity.” ~~ Brian Lonergan


 


 


 


 

Quote of the Day

What’s really driving them bonkers is less about providing voter lists for eligibility determination (though they are certainly worried about that) and much more about MATCHING BARCODES of the outer and inner envelopes in a mail ballot package.

Here is why that’s the problem for them. If surplus mail ballots collected from people who aren’t voting by mail are somehow voted on behalf of OTHER PEOPLE, it becomes readily detectable that a ballot was repurposed from its originally intended voter to someone else on the voter rolls. The “no-match” condition means that ballot was taken from the originally intended voter or it was given away. Either way that’s how fraud can be easily detected.

Keep in mind, the barcode matching requirement does not require any personal information that isn’t on the outside of an envelope, and it doesn’t prevent states from using mail to conduct elections, so the hysterical reactions are confirmation they know the gig is up.  ~~ Mark Mendlovitz


 

Bond Girlathon Wednesday : Results from 8/19/2026 : New Matches for 8/26/2026

 

 

Can you feel the chill? September is in the air.

 

Results for 8/19/2026

 

(7) Britt Ekland No Preference (6) Caroline Munro
108 1 101

 

(11) Madelaine Smith No Preference Olga Bisera
134 1 45

 

New Matches for 8/26/2026

 

Match 1

 

Lois Chiles (Holly Goodhead) vs Gloria Hendry (Rosie Carver)

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
Lois Chiles 6 – 3 – 0 1066 – 16 – 682

 

Holly Goodhead

 

Actress: Lois Chiles
Nationality: American
Bond Movie: Moonraker (1979)

Synopsis:

Holly Goodhead was a CIA agent working undercover as an astronaut for the Hugo Drax organization. After spending the night together with Bond, the two met up at the top of Sugarloaf mountain in Rio. On the cable car ride down, Jaws tried to kill them, and Holly’s cover was blown. Bond managed to escape, and rescued Holly after the pair were almost killed in a rocket blast chamber. They went to space together and shot down Drax’s globes that contained fatal gases meant to kill the human race on Earth.

 

Louis Chiles

 

VS

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
Gloria Hendry 1 – 8 – 0 243 – 24 – 1545

 

Rosie Carver

 

Actress: Gloria Hendry
Nationality: American
Bond Movie: Live and Let Die (1973)

Synopsis:

Rosie Carver was an inept and incompetent double agent, working for the CIA and for heroin baron Dr. Kananga. She checked into Bond’s hotel room as Mrs. Bond, and said she would take him to the spot where Bains, another MI6 agent, was killed. While picnicking near the area, Bond confronts Rosie, revealing that he knows she is working for Kanaga. Bond threatens to kill her, and Rosie runs away, only to be killed by a hidden gun in one of Kanaga’s scarecrows.

 

Gloria Hendry

 

Who do you prefer?
52 votes · 52 answers

 

Match 2

 

Corinne Clery (Corinne Dufour) vs (8) Jane Seymoour (Solitaire)

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
Corinne Clery 6 – 3 – 0 1050 – 10 – 586

 

Corinne Dufour

 

Actress: Corinne Cléry
Nationality: French
Bond Movie: Moonraker (1979)

Synopsis:

Corinne Dufour was Hugo Drax’s personal assistant and pilot. She flew Bond over Drax’s estate, giving him a guided tour of the Moonraker complex and flying him to meet Drax. After spending the night with Bond, Corinne revealed the location of Drax’s safe, where Bond photographed secret documents. Drax discovered this, and Corinne was killed by Drax’s vicious pack of dogs.

 

Corinne Clery

 

VS

 

 

Contestant Record Total Scores
(8) Jane Seymour 7 – 2 – 0 1420 – 7 – 810

 

Solitaire

 

Actress: Jane Seymour
Nationality: English
Bond Movie: Live and Let Die (1973)

Synopsis:

Solitaire was a psychic tarot card reader working for heroin baron Dr. Kananga. She predicted the movements of James Bond and other men who posed a threat to their operations. Solitaire was practically imprisoned by Kananga as he knew that, like her mother, she would lose her psychic gift if she were to make love. When first meeting Bond, Solitaire drew the lovers card, predicting the fate of her and Bond. Indeed, Solitaire soon lost her powers, and became a target of Kananga’s wrath.

 

Jane Seymour

 

Who do you prefer?
54 votes · 54 answers

 

 


 

Quote of the Day

“If 2 Arab boys need to be taken care of, I’m not sending two girls in. As soon as certain surnames come up, we bring in the police.

“It usually doesn’t take long for 20, 30, 40 family members to show up in front of the hospital. They have special Telegram groups where they alert each other, and they want to make their presence felt in a way that’s often aggressive: ‘We’re here; we stand by our people—and you can expect trouble if anything happens to them.’

“In these circles, it’s common for the mothers and women to scream loudly and in high drama. This high noise level is a stress factor for the staff and also for the patients.” ~~ German ER Nurse


 

Straight Line of the Day: At Last! Your Chance To Violate Social Order and Good Customs…

… by altering the lyrics of a popular song.  

I know that’s a pretty broad category, but who doesn’t like categories with pretty broads?

Crossing a ‘Red’ Line? Chinese Comedy Star Investigated Over Altered Song Lyrics
Channel News Asia | 19 Aug 2026

Prominent Chinese comedian Guo Degang has come under investigation after improvising new lyrics to a well-known revolutionary song, with a complaint accusing him of violating “social order and good customs”. The incident spotlights the fine line performers in China must navigate between creative license and political sensitivities, amid Beijing’s continued emphasis on ideological discipline.

He should have formed a group: Kool and Degang.

Guo changed the lyrics of Playing My Beloved Pipa during a Peking opera adaptation of Ji Gong, a legendary Chinese Buddhist monk and folk hero, held in Wuhan on Jul 24, reported Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper. Guo starred as Ji Gong in the production. Playing My Beloved Pipa was featured in the 1956 film Railway Guerrilla – a well-known revolutionary classic depicting a group of railway workers and farmers who form a guerrilla force to fight invading imperial Japanese forces.

So, unless you are too busy playing your beloved pipa, have at it.

Chinese Peoples’ Army Censoring Squad:

🎵  We Didn’t Start To Fire . . .  🎵