Black Sails Is Definitely Worth The Watch

Finally finished Black Sails after sorta binging. I prefer not too watch too many episodes of a series that I’ve never watched before, and, let me tell you, this was a great show. I highly recommend watching this, but, then, I do love a good pirate movie or show, just like I love horror and science fiction.

I won’t repeat what so many have written about it, suffice to say great characters, great scenery, and great story. You really do get a sense of what the Golden Age of Pirates was like, and they talked in a flowing way that people did in that era.

Obviously, it mixed quite a bit of fantasy with reality, always pointing to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Interestingly enough, there is a small island in the Manasquan River where I grew up that is called, informally, Treasure Island, as Stevenson visited the area 5 years after he wrote the novel, dubbing it that name.

Some apparently did not like the ending, but, I thought it was perfect: spoiler ahead

It pretty much ended almost exactly the way it started: a strong women running Nassau backed by a figurehead male, with a governor who turned a blind eye, and even profited, from piracy. It was tolerated as long as it didn’t get too bad. Did John Silver reconcile with Madi? It looks like it. Did Captain Flint give up the treasure? They never truly said. Things were mostly back to normal, with just new people running the show.

And Calico Jack Rackham was back to piracy, with Ann Bonney, and Mary Reade, in disguise, joining up. It was a good ending. Of course, things would soon come crashing down in the near future, with Jack and Ann captured, Jack being hung, the British truly cracking down on piracy in the Caribbean, driving pirates out, with many moving to the east coast of Africa.

It’s always nice when a show ends exactly as it should. Wings, with Joe and Helen flying off to France so Helen can pursue her dream, while Brian accepts responsibility to keep the airline running. Continuum, where Kiera saves the timeline for her child, but, is now out of time herself, and can only watch the “original” Kiera raise her son. As time travel should be. Psych, with one last mystery.

Black Sails: 5 out of 5 stars.

Read: Black Sails Is Definitely Worth The Watch »

If All You See…

…is the name of a company that produces awful fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post on the Brandon regime losing a key ally.

It’s country ladies week!

Read: If All You See… »

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Patriotic Pinup

Happy Sunday! Another fantastic day in the Once And Future Nation Of America. The birds are singing, the squirrels are squirreling, and the Dodgers are winning like they’re supposed to. This pinup is by Stefano Riboli, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Jihad Watch covers Iranian police beating a little girl for wearing a short sleeved shirt
  2. Legal Insurrection features pro-Hamas Harvard students charged for beating a Jewish student
  3. Moonbattery discusses EVs causing motion sickness
  4. neo-neocon has thoughts on the Trump trial jury
  5. Never Yet Melted notes the Swiss Army Knife will soon have no knife in European models
  6. Outside The Beltway wonders when a taco is a sandwich
  7. Pacific Pundit notes Trump holding a rally in AOC’s district next Thursday
  8. Powerline discusses the Bragg’s case against Trump
  9. The American Conservative covers forever war with Ukraine
  10. The First Street Journal notes inclusive places allowing discrimination against Jews
  11. The Gateway Pundit shows AMC putting trigger warnings on films over “cultural stereotypes”
  12. The Last Refuge covers Biden putting tariffs on non-existent products
  13. The Lid discusses Disney dumping Tinkerbell because she’s not Woke enough
  14. The Other McCain notes the leading cause of Jew hatred
  15. And last, but, not least, The Right Scoop laughs at Biden trying to convince Hamas to not attack new dock

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014, so, most are hosted internally). While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your Pinups for Vets calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me. I’ve also mostly alphabetized them, makes it easier scrolling the feedreader

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?

Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Yahoo Finance Seems Upset That You Peasants Have An Issue With Biden’s Great Economy

Seriously, you peons have to just ignore the prices you see at the gas station, grocery stores, restaurants, car dealerships, clothes stores, homes/renting, interest rates, etc and so on. It’s all fake, you know, and Biden has been hooking you up

Why Americans are feeling bad about inflation despite a good economy

BidenflationAmericans despise inflation.

It’s a loathing that colors their perception of the economy and their personal finances. And even if the Federal Reserve hits its so-far unmet inflation target of 2%, it won’t be enough to soften that revulsion for most people.

In fact, if it were up to them, Americans would choose no inflation at all.

Those are among the findings from a pair of recent studies exploring how Americans feel about inflation, whether those feelings can change, and what policymakers should make of that sentiment.

The biggest gripe people have about inflation? How it cuts into their standard of living, forcing Americans to adjust their budgets by buying smaller quantities or lower-quality goods.

Um, well, yeah? I’m not thrilled paying $2.25 for a can of soup that cost $1.50 before Biden took office (in fairness, as always, the root cause is China and their coronavirus. Biden’s policies made it worse). Nor a lot more for ice cream. The guitar I bought in 2020 now retails for $100 more than it did then.

Case in point: A record share of Americans say that inflation remains their top financial concern, per a recent Gallup poll. That has weighed down confidence despite robust job growth since the start of 2021 and an unemployment rate that has stayed below 4% for 27 straight months.

Well, yes. Because we have eyes. Meanwhile, the article fails to substantiate the headline that the economy is good

Understanding preferences shows that folks don’t experience inflation in the same way, an important consideration for a central bank trying to keep the economy on solid footing. Even the many measures of inflation vary because they examine different expenditures.

“People with different incomes, as well as those living in different places, are facing very different inflation rates because of the basket of goods they consume or how they finance their purchases. This important variation is not well-captured by our standard measures of average inflation,” Stantcheva wrote.

The rich folks hobknobbing with Biden at expensive fundraisers aren’t bothered by paying a whole lot more for food. The middle and working class are. So, don’t sit there telling us that the economy is good. Inflation in decades past was caused by things outside of government (oil prices, easy home loans, consumer lending). Today inflation is largely caused by government spending. Trouble is higher rates don’t stop politicians spending money. The fed has no power to stop government spending so they are trying to offset government with less consumer to control inflation. Government causes inflation and consumers suffer not only higher prices but higher rates as well.

Our purchasing power is less. And it mostly has to do with government policies. And, I suspect these types of “don’t believe your eyes, the economy is awesome!” article showing up as the election gets closer.

Read: Yahoo Finance Seems Upset That You Peasants Have An Issue With Biden’s Great Economy »

Sea Levels Will SOON! Be At Doom Level In South Florida Or Something

I’m dying to see how much the seas will rise per the Miami Herald. Weirdly, no one there is saying they will leave Florida

Sea levels are starting to rise faster. Here’s how much South Florida is expecting

Sea levels are rising, swamping roads and homes in South Florida. And it’s picked up the pace in recent years.

In the last 80 years, sea level rise has risen about a foot, with 8 inches of that total in the last 30 years, said Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science.

About a foot? Can we see the precise measurement? That’s science. In fact, the closest gauge to Miami shows 1.04 feet since 1931, which is still a bit below what is expected during a Holocene warm period. And has no accelerated.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s best estimates, that pace is expected to speed up — dramatically.

It took about 80 years for the first foot. The second one will only take 30 years. The next, 20 years. And Florida could see the next foot in merely a decade after that.

“Sea level rise is beginning to speed up a bit,” McNoldy said. “If you draw a straight line it starts to not look so straight in recent decades.”

So, in 60 years there will be 3 feet of sea rise? If this doesn’t happen, who loses their job? How about this: make a prediction for the next 5 years. Let’s see how close you are. They won’t, though, because then they’d be on the hook. And you seriously do not expect the Credentialed Media to a: hold them accountable and b: force the climate cult scientists to prove their work, do you?

But perhaps the biggest uncertainty in future sea level rise boils down to one thing: exactly how much more pollution the world will continue to spew into the atmosphere. The lower-end predictions account for a world in which governments stop burning fossil fuels quickly, and the higher-end predictions are based on a situation where we burn even more than we are now.

How do they even call themselves journalists anymore? This is like a doomsday cult written submission.

Read: Sea Levels Will SOON! Be At Doom Level In South Florida Or Something »

If All You See…

…is an ugly, overcast day due to carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Geller Report, with a post on the IDF finding the body of Shani Louk in Gaza.

Read: If All You See… »

House Passes Bill Slamming Biden For Withholding Israeli Weapons

Biden started out mostly strong on Israel, but, has slowly inched his way towards the pro-Hamas/anti-Israel beliefs of his unhinged, Jew hating base, to the point of withholding arms

House passes bill forcing Biden to arm Israel, catches Democrats in political crossfire

House Republicans tried to drive a wedge between Democrats and President Biden on Thursday in passing legislation that would compel the White House to arm Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists.

Democrats were forced to either side with Mr. Biden or side with ally Israel and Jewish voters who have long been loyal Democrats. They chose Mr. Biden.

The House passed the Israel Security Assistance Support Act 224 to 187, with just 16 Democrats joining the Republican majority in support of the bill.

The bill authored by Rep. Ken Calvert, California Republican, responded to Mr. Biden’s threats to further pause arms shipments to the Jewish state over concerns of possible mass civilian casualties when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent forces into Rafah, home to over 1 million Palestinians.

Mr. Calvert’s bill would force the administration to send weapons to Israel and to send any arms that have been withheld. Mr. Biden has paused the shipment of thousands of bombs.

The bill also put Democrats on record on their stance on Israel, an issue that has split the party between its historic support for Israel and the left-wing’s increasingly anti-Israel fervor.

Well, Democrats mostly do not care about the Jewish vote: they’d rather pander to the Jew haters and Islamic extremists who support Islamic terrorist groups. But, they still expect Jews to vote Democrat, despite being treated poorly, much like they expect the black and Hispanic votes. But, it’s mostly the Islamists that Democrats engage with

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, said that the specific weapons that Mr. Biden was trying to block — heavy bombs and precision munitions — were necessary to root out Hamas because the terrorist organization has an extensive tunnel network in Rafah.

He argued that Mr. Biden and his Democrats were making a sudden about-face just months after proudly standing with Israel.

“War is hell, war is horrific, war is messy, nobody wants war,” Mr. McCaul said on the House floor before the vote. “But Israel did not start this war, Hamas did. And sadly, civilian casualties are part of urban warfare.”

Funny how Democrats, including Biden, rarely have a word of condemnation for Hamas and the Palestinians who support them, eh?

The bill is all but dead now that it has passed the House.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, declared that he would not put the bill to a vote after Mr. Biden vowed to veto it earlier this week.

Chuck won’t even hold a vote on it, which is interesting, considering how many Jews are in his district. Sure, it would be a waste of time, since Biden has come around to the Israel hating side, but, he could seriously hold a quick vote. I suspect he doesn’t want debate on it, which would look bad for Biden.

(Politico) “They are clearly making this decision to appeal to a small subset and element in their party,” Speaker Mike Johnson said of Democrats. “The president himself and Leader Schumer both within just the last several weeks were saying that we should stand with Israel. They were using the right language and now they are doing a complete about-face. Why?”

Unfortunately, it is not just a small subset: the number of Israel/Jew haters who also take the side of the Islamists is actually pretty big. Biden and the Democrats would rather patronize them, despite often being people who despise America.

Read: House Passes Bill Slamming Biden For Withholding Israeli Weapons »

Bummer: BBC Losing It Over Collapsing EV Market

Essentially, those who wanted an EV got them, and will keep them for a long time (though many are giving them up and going back to fossil fueled vehicles) leaving a small number who will be first time buyers at this point

BBC Comes to Terms With Collapsing EV Market

Electric vehicleThe BBC is confronting the possibility that the once promising surge in sales of EVs is going flat. Naturally, this is starting to cause a panic because all those pesky climate targets enshrined in law aren’t going to be met. Range anxiety and costs are the two most serious obstacles.

Only cheap EVs will plug the gap but the tidal wave of lower-cost Chinese imports will wreck domestic manufacturers, and the only solution to that on the table is tariffs. Here’s the story:

Buoyant electric car sales are a must if we’re to hit our climate targets. But EV sales in the West are down and if governments want them to recover it may have to be at the expense of their own economies.

By 2035, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says there will need to be 790 million EVs if we’re to hit Net Zero by the middle of the century.

That implies growth in sales of 27% every single year.

China’s largest EV manufacturer BYD has been vying with Tesla for the number-one spot. BYD also saw a slowdown between January and March.

And EV sales in Europe fell more than 10% year-on-year in the final quarter of last year – although in the U.K. total sales are running up on last year.

I just have to wonder, how many at the BBC and IEA are driving EVs themselves?

In the U.K., analysts say strong EV sales in recent years were fuelled by company car purchases, thanks to generous tax breaks.

But the household market is proving a tougher nut to crack, with people saying they are mostly put off by the high cost. The average price of a new EV in the US is over $60,000 (£47,433). Prices are similarly high in Europe and the U.K.

If I wanted to spend $60K I’d be getting a high end vehicle like an Audi or Alpha Romeo. Or, not quite that much, the top end Honda Passport. I’m quite happy with my Civic EXL. I’ll consider the hybrid version or an HRV (maybe have the hybrid version by next year?) when my lease is up next April, provided the residual and money factor makes sense.

Anyhow, what the BBC wants Western governments to consider is allowing China to dump their cheap, substandard EVs into the markets, even at the expense of Western workers. The Beebs isn’t quite at the point in advising governments to force this on consumers.

Read: Bummer: BBC Losing It Over Collapsing EV Market »

LGB: State Department Issues World Wide Warning For Americans Traveling Abroad

Hey, remember when Biden, Democrats, their pet media, were all saying that Biden would bring sanity back to America’s foreign policy? How America would be respected again? How’s that going?

State Department issues ‘worldwide caution’ alert for Americans overseas

Americans traveling abroad are being urged to exercise caution worldwide, the State Department said Friday.

The agency issued a security alert because of the “potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.”

“The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” the alert states.

Hmm, this seems rather convenient. Is the State Department only caring about one particularly demographic, or is this linked?

Say, I wonder who would threatening these LGBT folks? Weird how the State Dept. doesn’t mention the Religion Of Peace. And, hey, maybe the SD is subtly trying to tell all the “queers for Palestine” and similar groups that going to Gaza and the West Bank is a Bad Idea.

Read: LGB: State Department Issues World Wide Warning For Americans Traveling Abroad »

Climate (cult) Grief Is Linked To Greed And Power Or Something

And every time some Warmist says “this is 100% about the science (insert Dean scream here)” I run across something like this

Complex grief of climate change
Sara Gurulé shares her grief of climate change and how the systems of greed and power have affected the places she calls “home.”

You really could just stop there. It’s obvious this is political. It’s sociology. It’s not science

Sara Gurulé (she/her) is a constituent engagement representative for Mennonite Mission Network, MC USA’s mission agency. Sara is passionate about liberation and justice movements that are intersectional, with one such area being environmental justice. She is a graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Fresno Pacific University, receiving an Master of Art in theology and peace studies with an environmental concentration and a Bachelor of Arts in biblical and religious studies with a minor in environmental studies, respectively.

Should I stop after that? Yet another crazy Warmist advocate

I grew up in the high desert region of central New Mexico, as well as the southern Central Valley area of California. Whenever I write on the topic of climate, I find it to be a grounding practice to name the lands that raised me. The Sandia Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains witnessed my birth and growth; the warm clay, the junipers, the pines, the desert wildflowers and all the creatures of the desert — these became teachers to me. And these are only the beginning of my kin! Even though I now live among the lush greenery of eastern Pennsylvania, I have grown up seeing the effects of climate change on many parts of the places that I call home. Specifically, I have witnessed annual precipitation that has led to the subsequent loss of ecological diversity and resilience against things like wildfires, disease, erosion and infestation, in addition to monsoon seasons getting shorter, less snow on the mountain peaks and mass tree death …

So, weather? Natural processes of the Earth? Things change.

I mention these as elements of the complex grief that I experience around climate change. A lot of these elements are visible phenomena that are springing from much deeper issues, which have been brought about by climate change. It wasn’t until I was in college that I began learning about how accelerated global warming has become, particularly over the last 100 years or so.

Cool, indoctrination.

The effect on my worldview and faith — at the time — were catastrophic; it took years — and counting! — to reconstruct how I understand the world around me, as well as what my purpose looks like in deeper relation with all of my kinship. From college onward, I have learned how climate change is directly tied to how empires extract and exploit resources and human lives to build wealth for the privileged few. I have learned how violence, oppression and religion have been used against the least of these, in order to assert control and domination over people, the land and all therein. I heard the stories of people who have had to flee political violence, economic despair, natural disasters and the like; within each of those stories, the land was a central component. The already complex climate grief I was witnessing deepened and complexified further, as I learned that climate change is directly interconnected to social justice efforts around the world.

Sigh.

Read: Climate (cult) Grief Is Linked To Greed And Power Or Something »

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