I know, I know, it’s March… I get it… but dayum…
Expected highs this week, 53 to 99, lows 28 to 61. I’m sorry, but that just ain’t right! And no, zero, nada, for rain.
But we’ve got all kinds of clouds!!!
And still not a drop… Sunset last night. Sigh…
Is gonna leave a mark…
President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. had carried out a bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a strategically vital island in the Persian Gulf that serves as the country’s largest oil terminal and a crucial hub for its crude exports.
“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The island, located roughly 35 miles off Iran’s Bushehr province in the country’s southwest, is about the size of New York City’s Central Park but carries huge importance for Iran’s economy.
Full article, HERE from Fox News.
The before…
I’m sure we’ll be seeing the ‘after’ in the next day or so…
That’s seven million barrels a day of oil that Iran can no longer move…
That is also a lot of money that will not be going into their coffers to pay the IRGC and others. Now things get really interesting for them. How ‘loyal’ are the IRGC when nobody can pay them?
And if the keep hitting other country tankers parked in the Persian Gulf, how soon before those countries start shooting back? The Saudis have options, with the east/west pipeline going over to Yanbu and up to Ain Soukhna. So they could quit using Ras Tanura completely and still get their oil out.
We’ll see what happens next…
Again…
NASA is targeting an April 1 launch for its Artemis II mission around the moon, marking the first crewed lunar flight since Apollo in 1972.
Officials said Thursday they completed a flight readiness review (FRR) and are set to roll the rocket back to the pad March 19 followed by final configuration for launch.
A potential launch for the 10-day mission is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. ET April 1, with a backup date of April 2 at 7:22 p.m.
Full article, HERE from Fox News.
I almost hate to say this, but I’m glad ‘I’ am not part of this…
Trying to overcome the inertia at NASA has to be an uphill climb at best, and a losing cause at worst. The fact that they aren’t even doing an unmanned automated flight makes me wonder if they are jumping the gun.
Especially with the ‘known’ issues with the leaks.
Personally, I ‘think’ this is too much, too fast. But I can’t help but wonder if they are trying to beat SpaceX and are willing to put lives in danger for political points…
Not a bit…
The scandal-plagued Obama Presidential Center in Chicago already stirred up plenty of controversy. Now the money trail surrounding it raises even more uncomfortable questions about how former President Barack Obama’s inner circle is cashing in while taxpayers get screwed over.
New federal tax filings reveal the staggering salaries flowing through the Obama Foundation as construction of the $850 million Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park nears completion. The foundation will operate the massive 19.3-acre campus, which sits on publicly owned Chicago parkland. The project includes a museum, an athletic center, and a public library branch. It will not operate as a traditional presidential library overseen by the National Archives.
The land it sits on is a big part of the scheme. The Obama Foundation secured a 99-year agreement with the city, under which the foundation pays just $10 per year to use the plot. That deal alone costs Chicago tens of millions of dollars in potential value while handing over prime public property to a private nonprofit run by a former president.
Full article, HERE from PJ Media.
As always, ‘follow the money’ if you can…
This is also the organization that promised a $450M ‘endowment’, but according to records, only $1M has ever been put IN the endowment.
Meanwhile, the usual suspects keep dipping into that trough of ‘free money’, since they were part of the ‘administration’. Of course, they say their ‘salaries’ are lower than ‘most’ foundations…
The Rockefeller Foundation’s CEO makes about $1.4M year, but controls $6.4B of endowment. The Mellon Foundation’s CEO makes about the same, but controls about $8B of endowment with annual grants about $540 million. The Ford Foundation’s endowment is $16 to $16.8B with annual grants about $500 million, and the CEO makes around $1.2M.
How about compare and contrast… shall we???
And I’m wondering if the lawsuits have been to court yet, or been squashed over the overruns, quality control issues, etc… Haven’t heard much if anything about those in the last year or so.
Shrug, not my circus, not my monkeys, and sure as hell NOT my money…
Welp, the State of NY has f**ked another person…
Our friend Kelly Grayson is in the process of getting both knees replaced, the first one was done 14 Jan and he’s working on getting the second one scheduled.
But… NY has ‘disallowed’ his short term disability, supposedly because he was diagnosed with ‘arthritis’ in his knees. This is @#%#)! ridiculous.
Kelly has spent over 30 years as an EMT/Paramedic working transport, 911, and the myriad of calls that an ambulance crew gets. He’s delivered babies, kept people alive to get them to care, etc. And wore out his knees in the process…
According to him, once the right knee was replaced, his right leg is now almost 3 inches longer than his left! I know when I saw him late last year, he could barely walk, more like a bowlegged wobble than actually walking upright.
Lawdog set a modest goal for a fundraiser to help Kelly, and it got around half of the total. We were hoping that money would help ‘offset’ the short term disability. Well, that ain’t happening…
And if you know Kelly, he’s too proud to ask, preferring to suffer in peace. So once again, we are asking for folks to give what they can, even $5, a cup of Starf**ks folks. Every bit helps to pay the bills.
The link for this GiveSendGo is HERE.
Thank you for whatever you can do to help him!
Tragedy strikes close to home…
The wife of a Georgia high school teacher who died after what authorities described as a late-night senior prank gone wrong has asked for all charges to be dropped against the students involved.
Five North Hall High students were arrested after going to math teacher Jason Hughes’ Gainesville home armed with toilet paper to carry out a long-standing prank tradition. Hughes, 40, was the intended target Thursday night.
As the group tried to leave in two separate vehicles, Hughes was walking toward the street when he tripped and fell into the slippery roadway, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. He was then run over by a car driven by 18-year-old Jayden Ryan Wallace.
Full article, HERE from Fox News.
I”m surprised this has blown up like it has…
This is my cousin’s daughter. They were both teachers, and very involved not only in the school, but Jason was also the golf coach for the school. They were raised in christian families, and were also deeply involved in the local church.
Obviously this has deeply affected our family, but the outpouring of care from not only the family, but the church and community have made a world of difference.
Would I have the same forgiveness Laura has? I honestly don’t know.
If you have a moment, a prayer for Laura and the boys would be appreciated.
Thank you.
To start the week…
An oldie but goodie
Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary…
8:00 am – Dog food! My favourite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favourite thing!
9:40 am – A walk in the park! My favourite thing!
10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing!
12:00 pm – Lunch! My favourite thing!
1:00 pm – Played in the yard! My favourite thing!
3:00 pm – Wagged my tail! My favourite thing!
5:00 pm – Milk bones! My favourite thing!
7:00 pm – Got to play ball! My favourite thing!
8:00 pm – Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favourite thing!
11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!
Excerpts from a Cat’s Daily Diary…
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards.
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now…
And other things that caught my eye…
Sadly, I ‘think’ all of them are on the money, so to speak… Dammit…
This… ROTFLMAO!
A New Jersey Girl Scout troop is the target of complaints after it came up with a way to boost sales of the famous Girl Scout cookies. New Jersey is one of several states where the use of marijuana is legal, so this troop set up a booth outside a cannabis shop to sell cookies to its customers.
Full article, HERE from Town Hall.
This is so smart… I can’t believe somebody hasn’t thought of that before! Kudos to whomever came up with the idea.
Yeah, they’re probably in trouble with the higher ups in the Girl Scouts, but good on them for having a good idea of where to get a ‘hungry’ crowd! I hope they may a helluva lot of sales before they got closed down!
First up is a new story from Nick Nethery- The Peace Child
As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link!
The blurb-
The Peace Child was a sacred custom, one which had held for thousands of years.
Red was a soldier at the end of a long career, who just wanted to retire to his estate and forget about the world.
But then his king asked him to perform one last mission: safeguard and escort a six year old boy, royal scion of a once-enemy kingdom, away from danger. Because there was a conspiracy, or several conspiracies, to kill the Peace Child in order to start a new war. And almost immediately, Red discovered that the places and friends he thought he could trust were just as dangerous as his known enemies.
From the royal palace to a sacred abbey at the top of an active volcano, from a smugglers’ sanctuary to a clifftop estate above a raging sea, Red must keep the novice and the Peace Child safe. He and his companions must make new friends, hide from bounty hunters and soldiers from all sides, and navigate little-understood yet powerful magics. If Red fails, the ancient tradition ensuring the peace will be broken, and war will begin again.
Next up is Cedar Sanderson with the third book in the Tanager series- Tanager’s Fleet
The blurb-
Captain Jem Raznick and the weary crew of the Tanager crave a moment’s peace after grueling evacuation runs across star systems. But spymaster Jade Star’s urgent summons shatters that hope, yanking them back to the fog-shrouded swamps of Boudreaux. Posing as orchid hunters, they must infiltrate the murky underbelly of the port to find missing operative Dilar Restin, and the explosive secrets he’s uncovered, before it’s too late.
What begins as a covert rescue spirals into a deadly trap: buried family betrayals surface, pirate shadows close in, and unexpected allies emerge from the mist with their own hidden agendas. Only when the true stakes are revealed, the culmination of Jade’s decades-long master plan, does the crew realize the galaxy itself hangs in the balance, with one wrong move dooming them all.
In this gripping space opera finale, Jem races to untangle a web of galactic deceit, protect his makeshift family, and ignite a defiant legacy. Heroism isn’t born in solitude. It is forged in the fierce, unbreakable unity that defies the encroaching void.
Next up, Larry B. Lambert with the third book in his Duelist series- The Crow Creek Expedition
The blurb-
The Crow Creek Expedition is the third book in the duelist series. In The Confederate Cipher, young Henry Hudson begins his journey down the rabbit hole of espionage as an initiate, guided by the fledgling British Secret Service. In Hudson’s Scouts, he expands his tradecraft and gains experience during the War of Southern Independence.
The Crow Creek Expedition begins with a massacre and ends with a prophecy.
There is something intoxicating about a secret. Fraternal societies base their rites on symbolic rituals that take the initiate on a journey from darkness into light. Secret societies tend to do the opposite, accentuating the darkness of combinations and conspiracies designed to do harm. Specific handshakes (grips), words, and signs are used to identify members whose oaths are backed by the promise of retributive bloodshed if they are revealed.
And last but not least by any means, a new Monster Hunter anthology- Monster Hunter Files Volume 2
The blurb-
FROM THE CASE FILES OF MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL
For well over a century, Monster Hunter International has kept the world safe from supernatural threats far and wide. Now, join us as we delve some of the wilder stories from the library archives which have never seen the light of day. The Monster Hunter Files Vol. 2 continues the secret lore and mythical battles against the forces of evil, and the fallout from these conflicts.
Deadly mermaids attacking a small northeastern port village . . . ancient Roman heroes . . . combat exorcists . . . Decision Week . . . ancient Greek muses . . . all these and more within, all revealed with meticulous care and research of Albert Lee, MHI’s archivist.
Featuring stories from New York Times best-selling author Larry Correia, Steve Diamond, Kacey Ezell, Brad R. Torgersen, Marisa Wolf, and more!
Complete list of contributors: Larry Correia, Jason Cordova, Brad R. Torgersen, Robert E. Hampson, Steve Diamond, Jack Wylder, Hinkley Correia, Kacey Ezell, LawDog, Marisa Wolf, Mike Massa, Melissa Olthoff, Spearman Burke & Nick Nethery.
I can highly recommend all four of these, and yes, all are friends of mine! The highlighted authors in the MHI one are all Raconteur Press folks also!
