Wednesday Night Open Thread

Some artists only have one really big hit.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. That’s not the version you know. The Chordettes did take it to almost the top of the charts later, this was the original version, and the only hit from Ronald & Ruby. Ruby was actually Beverly Ross, who co-wrote the song. Ronald was Ronald Gumm, who was also a songwriter, but didn’t pen this one. It’s hard to find video of the duo. They didn’t tour much, as interracial groups had trouble getting bookings.


[The YouTube]

What’s been on your mind? Got something you’d like to share? A topic to discuss? It’s Wednesday Night Open Thread.

Who wants to start?

IMAO Time Machine: If We Just Do the Opposite, We Should Be Fine

Harvey posted this 12 years ago today. — The Editors


Commie peacenik wackos – the Oxford Research Group by name, “a British think-tank” according to Al Reuters – released a report saying that fighting terrorists only makes them stronger. Sorta like Jedis, except without laser swords or posh British accents.

They recommend the withdrawl of all foreign troops and the utilization of extensive diplomacy.

Guess they’re not Jedis, since there’s no mention of creating a clone army.

They describe invading Iraq as a “disastrous mistake” because it created a “most valued jihadist combat training zone”. I guess I can’t argue with that. I mean, Al Qaeda gets to save a fortune on bullets while still providing extensive live-fire training exercises. Sure the attrition rate is a bit… elevated… over traditional teaching methods, but the bullet-money saved can be used to print extra recruiting posters with slogans like “Outtrained, Outnumbered, Outgunned – OUTSTANDING!” and “The Few, The Proud, The Cannonfodder”.

Now, the ORGies say that if we were to remove the valuable resource of a place for terrorists to be blasted into their component molecules by American munitions, the war would be over in 10 years. However, they warn, if we keep killing the crap out of the terrorists until they run out of stupid/gullible/brainwashed volunteers, the war could take decades.

Although I think they have their timelines reversed, I notice the conclusion is the same. No matter how long it takes, the terrorists will eventually lose. No surprise there. Hell, we spent 45 years toying with the Commies until we got bored & had Ronald Reagan destroy them by spending trillions of dollars pretending to build space lasers.

I think the same strategy would work again. Tell the jihadists we’re building a interdimensional photon destructo-ray or something that’s capable of killing Allah. Then pretend to fire it off (the Wachowski Bros. can fake some special effects) while simultaneously detonating a nuke over Mecca. “Hey, guys, looks like your ‘god’ didn’t have the power to save you. We must’ve killed him with our multi-phasic transgromifier.”

Lacking a supreme deity, they’ll be forced to convert to a less pinheadedly suicidal religion, like Christianity or Thompsonism.

And yes, I know Thompsonists are also prone to sudden fits of murderous violence, but it’s usually aimed at things that need killing anyway, like foreigners, or that miserable global-warming bastard, the sun.

So, even though ORG doesn’t know dippity-squee about military strategy, they appear to have exercised their stopped-clock privilege by unintentionally getting this one right:

America’s victory over the terrorists is inevitable. The only question is how long we get to enjoy killing them before they give up.

Limewrack and Ruin

Antifa’s calling all commies to disrupt a Trump rally tomorrow.
Ho-hum.
And water is wet.
I assume their parents just got home from looking to see if there were any more “Peoples’ Anti-Vietnam War Rally” flyers posted on the local bulletin boards.

Meanwhile, in the real world, this is missing a last line:


Progressive protestors pretend
Any means are justified by the end
They remind their recruits:
“Bring brass knuckles and boots” …


Finally, a Joker Origin Story. Again.

Didn’t we do this already? Yeah, but different. So, am I talking about my posting a video about a new Joker movie I don’t care about? Or am I talking about the plot to a new Joker movie I don’t care about? I don’t know.

[The YouTube]

Oh, I shoulda said “Spoilers!” again, huh? Whoopsie!

So, you want another Joker movie video thingy tomorrow? Me neither.

Happy Harumph Day

It ought to make you feel good to reflect on the fact that you are not either of the people in this story:

Beer Vendor Fired After Charging Dolphins Fan $724 for Beer
NBC Bay Area | 10/2/19 | Staff

Police say a beer vendor used a personal card reader to charge a fan more than $700 for two beers at a Miami Dolphins football game.

An arrest affidavit says 33-year-old Nathaniel Collier faces charges of grand theft and possession of a skimming device. He was fired Sunday by the company that employees vendors at Hard Rock Stadium.

Random Thoughts: Forgiveness and Spider-Man

Adam is naming all the animals. He sees an insect buzzing in the air.
“That’s flying, so I’ll call it a ‘fly.’”
He sees a bird in the sky.
“This is already getting way too complicated.”

“Adam, so I was near the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and this snake came up to me and said—“
“You mean a ‘crawl’?”
“…”
“I told you we’re not calling it that.”

Remember when Obama got a Nobel Peace Prize just for existing? Things used to be so silly.

Forgiving a murder from a year ago is baffling to people who can’t forgive a tweet from ten years ago.

Can imagine pre-2010 someone pitching a movie in which Donald Trump is president, but it’s a drama and not a comedy?

“Thanks to the success of the Joker movies, we’re now having a Penguin movie!”
“Oh no!”
fat, short middle-aged men go on violent rampages

Don’t turn against free speech or eat babies.

My favorite part of The Joker is where he says, “Riddle me this!” and then shoots at Batman with his umbrella.

Scorsese: “What am I? A director? Here to amuse you?”

ME: “The most common cause of death is—“
MY 6yo SON: “Lava.”

“Lava” was also his guess on why the moon glows at night.

Do I have to watch the Joker movie to have a hot take about it?

My 6yo is listening to the audiobook of Hellbender and responding to whatever words he recognizes.
“There’s a government in this!”

There’s no lava in the story, though 🙁
There was in Sidequest.

The whole Scorsese thing is just sour grapes as he knows how much better Taxi Driver would be if Travis Bickle had a lighting-infused hammer.

It’s not cinema unless you’re kinda bored by it but feel cultured afterward.

I think I learned the cinema distinction back when I had Netflix DVDs through the mail. They were the movies that I got because I heard what classics they were but they’d just sit there while I’d immediately watch whatever disposal blockbuster came my way.
If I dragged myself to watch them, I get engrossed and afterward say “What a great film!” but they took effort to start.

I think one of the reasons Brandt Jean’s actions angered so many is we’ve become a culture that not only wants to hate, but wants to be told their hate is righteous and good. And here is someone no one would blame to hold on to some hate, and he said no.

Watching Spider-Man: Far from Home. Glad Sony and Disney worked out a deal or otherwise this would be just a little depressing watching knowing it would be the last of MCU Spider-Man.
Man, the “Blip” was not random. Of course, all the original Avengers were spared. And every major character from Spider-Man got “blipped” so they would all stay the same age.
So do Italians usually have to rely on vacationing American superheroes? Shouldn’t there be like a Pastaman or something?
I do like their universe’s Daria/MJ. She’s so weird.
LOL. “Night Monkey.” Ned might be my favorite MCU character.
Oh. Wow. A number of big surprises in the first after credits scene, including the return of a character that’s hard to imagine being played by anyone else.
Anyway, that was a fun movie! But I’ll need like a 60 tweet thread to analyze whether it was “cinema.”

My 4yo just now: “When I grow up, I want to be a goose.”
Guess what video game we’re playing.

My older daughter’s suggestion for a title for the Untitled Goose Game is “Bad Goose.” Yeah, that works.
You worry about violent video games, but I’m not sure what to think of my kids trying to come up with new ways for the goose to be mean to random people.
“Steal his newspaper and throw it in the water!”

I don’t care if Trump stays as president or is brought down. He’s not the problem.

It really seems like a lot of people when they hear someone is a billionaire, they think of Scrooge McDuck with a big vault full of a billion dollars they can spend any time they want.
Sure, Bezos could sell off a lot of his stake and Amazon and buy people all the things they think they deserve, but that’s not long-term sustainable. And I kinda assume if someone like him started selling his stock, that would drastically affect the price.
Actually, that’s an interesting question. Bezos is said to be worth 108.4 billion. If he decided to liquidate all his assets, how much cash could he actually get on hand? I’d need someone more versed in economics to answer that.

I really need daily assurances from the president that the kind of genius he is is stable.

The far left get really mad when people aren’t hateful enough to those they hate, which is really sick.

If you’re not constantly throwing tantrums at the mere sight of people who disagree with you, how caring a liberal are you?

Eight Men Out

1919 Chicago White Sox

It was 100 years ago today that the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago White Sox in the 8th game of the World Series, winning the series five games to three. That was the one where eight players on the White Sox ended up being banned from baseball for conspiring to throw the series.

A lot of people have come out over the years claiming that “Shoeless” Joe Jackson wasn’t actually in on it, but at the time, there was little doubt. Same with Buck Weaver. Though there is doubt about those two actually participating in the fix, they knew about it and didn’t report it. So, they were banned by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis.

I like baseball. I don’t like things that harm baseball. And much of the game today isn’t what I like. That’s why minor league baseball is a better game, though the players are lesser players. They’re playing hard, all the time. They want to make it to the majors. It’s just a shame that so many that make it to the majors then turn into what’s wrong with baseball.

It’s kinda like politics, except that when baseball players take money, nobody forces you to pay for it.