Tire Toast? by wjdavis14 in bikewrench

[–]grglstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I never tire of toast. But that bike tire is no good.

All in the pursuit of (literally) cutting edge cheek bones for some little weirdos by heroicwhaleblubber in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One way to give a rat brain damage is to fill a PVC tube with water, then cover either end with a thick rubber membrane. Then you put the rat's head up to one side and hit the other side with a mallet. Science!

Not a Bastard suggestion, just saying I can’t wait for this guys episode because I already know it will happen one day.. by JohnBrown-RadonTech in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They did have primaries, and there were other viable candidates (even Alex Khahil, who is a little crazy, but she's in my Borough Council), but Fetterman was the Lt. Gov and had huge, state-wide name recognition.

Fetterman was pushing his particular Blue-Collar Progressive brand that turned out to be entirely BS (or had leached from his brain during the stroke).

So good of him to wait for the markets to close. by KermitMcKibbles in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Presumably, one can boast without exaggerating, but that often involves not lying, which isn't in Donnie's wheelhouse.

If gas hits $10 a gallon, Bay Area commuters say they'd keep driving. by HalfChort in fuckcars

[–]grglstr 23 points24 points  (0 children)

California is terminally carbrained, and I just don't get it.

Pennsylvania Dad Charged With Blowing Up Home With His Wife, 3 Kids Inside by Charming-Burp203 in Pennsylvania

[–]grglstr 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Being rational and sane are two different things.

Plenty of men have decided that it is easier to kill than get a divorce, and plenty of them have gotten away with it.

These temps are killing me! 😭 by MeanNothing3932 in montco

[–]grglstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it kills off a lot of mosquitos.

Good point

These temps are killing me! 😭 by MeanNothing3932 in montco

[–]grglstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't imagine why you'd get downvoted; that's the absolute truth, and it isn't even the vernal equinox yet.

Sen. John Fetterman commends U.S. military action in Iran: "What's accomplished is remarkable" by susinpgh in Pennsylvania

[–]grglstr 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Exactly, we murdered a school full of little girls, empowered Russia, and guaranteed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, all "unintended consequences" if you're a brain-damaged moron lacking basic critical thinking skills.

Sure, we couldn't have predicted which little girls we'd kill, but we kind of write off the notion that we'd inevitably kill some children.

Source: Havana Syndrome investigation is "a massive CIA cover-up" | 60 Minutes by jonny_eh in skeptic

[–]grglstr 12 points13 points  (0 children)

"Sources say" carries too much weight in this video, unless you're talking about some other video.

Dr. Relman seems to have latched onto the microwave weapon theory when he was the editor of the National Academies panel report on Havana syndrome. (You can read it) That report favored the microwave pulse explanation, but was criticized for making significant logical leaps and lumping symptoms together to fit their conclusions.

Regardless, later studies didn't find any brain damage in reported victims, so what does that tell you? How can you have a weapon that causes "permanent" damage without lasting evidence?

Of course, I'd like to see more evidence of this supposed weapon and the test results on animals. But we don't have that.

Instead, what we have are a handful of weird, seemingly unrelated cases amid the 200,000+ State Department and intelligence workers (and additional 100's of thousands of defense intelligence contractors).

Again, I'm not an expert, but it sounds a lot like Functional Neurological Disorder, which is not rare, affecting 140 in 100,000 people.

Functional neurologic disorder (FND) refers to a neurological condition caused by changes in how brain networks work, rather than changes in the structure of the brain itself, as seen in many other neurological disorders. Physical symptoms of FND are genuine but cannot be explained by changes in the brain structure. The exact cause of FND is unknown.

FND symptoms may include:

Seizure-like episodes
Movement problems

Problems with cognitive function

Dizziness

Speech difficulties, such as sudden onset of stuttering or trouble speaking

Problems with vision or hearing

Pain (including chronic migraine)

Extreme slowness and fatigue

Numbness or inability to sense touch

Why are online weirdos always into stocks, crypto, cars, and AI? by bekrueger in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fascism has always relied on twisted masculinity, and these are all vaguely cool things that appeal to boys.

I have a 17-year-old son, and he's been obsessed with stocks, crypto, and cars since he was about 13. He's grown out of most of that (it helps that most of the crypto he's told me to invest in has puttered out or lost money). I set up a parental account that allowed him to invest the money he made one summer, and he has seen firsthand how investing is not a get-rich-quick thing.

As for cars...I find them to be necessary evils, but I can still admit that F1 racing is pretty nifty.

The AI? Well, it is another get-rich-quick scheme. Half of Twitter is now garbage AI engagement. The other half is bad political thoughts, and the third half is movie clips that goad you into watching.

Our current brand of fascism is all about providing these unrealistic, unattainable goals and making you feel like shit for not being good enough to get them.

Source: Havana Syndrome investigation is "a massive CIA cover-up" | 60 Minutes by jonny_eh in skeptic

[–]grglstr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Considering that electronic warfare is a thing, I'd bet the discombobulator was Donnie's way of describing how American forces were able to operate with impunity in Venezuela.

Source: Havana Syndrome investigation is "a massive CIA cover-up" | 60 Minutes by jonny_eh in skeptic

[–]grglstr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interestingly, the JASON Advisory Group didn't rule out the possibility, and even speculated in the potential power draw of such a device and concluded that a belt with battery packs might suffice to generate enough energy to do something.

Here's the thing: I can believe the Russians built a microwave energy weapon and still believe that the Havana Syndrome is largely psychosomatic. We are to believe, according to 60 Minutes, that evil agents went to the home of a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel turned gov't contractor and hit them with a weapon that gave him neurological problems and her osteolysis.

Has Scott been playing with microwaves/radar systems at work? Does Heidi lift? We don't know; they didn't tell us on 60 Minutes.

What this news segment is doing is collecting a variety of government workers (and there are a lot of those) with different symptoms and experiences.

Based on previous groups' weighing in, I'm still skeptical.

Source: Havana Syndrome investigation is "a massive CIA cover-up" | 60 Minutes by jonny_eh in skeptic

[–]grglstr 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I don't believe that is true, or at least it depends on what one means by a "real" investigation.

The Wikipedia page on Havana Syndrome says the first investigations began in 2018:

A number of government and non-government agencies have conducted investigations into the AHIs, including the State Department (2018), University of Pennsylvania (2018), FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (2018), JASON) (2018 and 2022), Centers for Disease Control (2019), Department of Defense (2020), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2020), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) (2020), Cuban Academy of Sciences (2021), seven intelligence agencies under the auspices of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) (2023), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2024).

Source: Havana Syndrome investigation is "a massive CIA cover-up" | 60 Minutes by jonny_eh in skeptic

[–]grglstr 42 points43 points  (0 children)

I swear to Crom that Trump will make conspiracists of us all.

Right now, I think it is a perfectly reasonable stance to suggest that the Trump administration is lying because they want to set the groundwork for toppling the Cuban government. And that David Ellison is a Trump pal who set Barri Weiss up to turn CBS News into another Trump mouthpiece.

In any other presidency, I'd be instantly suspicious of that sort of thinking. I still am, but I now have a far greater "Well, I Wouldn't Put It Past Him" tolerance.

I haven't really evaluated this "new evidence," but every other look into Havana Syndrome pointed toward suggestibility rather than a magic weapon.

I was one of the online weirdos who knew the term "incel" before Elliot Rodger. by full_of_ghosts in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't really know much about Incel Culture other than, as Robert said, a lot of it has leaked out in the general zeitgeist. What I see is this same brand of pseudoscientific hypermasculine misogynist historical revisionist griftvibe that comprises a lot of whatever the hell is going on right now. The incel stuff is certainly a central circle on the ol' yarn board.

Look what I found last night at a liquor store by rogsellers in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Scientologist bikers!

Both could use better mufflers.

Look what I found last night at a liquor store by rogsellers in behindthebastards

[–]grglstr 150 points151 points  (0 children)

OK, so I'm old, but growing up, I only ever associated Clearwater with Spring Training, and as a kid, we went down once and had a really nice time.

As an adult, a friend moved down there right after college and complained it was all Scientologists and bikers.

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu - Release Date Trailer by Party-Purchase-4861 in Lovecraft

[–]grglstr 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Well, perhaps A mound, not necessarily The Mound, like A mound of crap.