TODAY I LEARNED: Any colour you like: the diverse chromaticities of white dwarfs.
October 20, 2026
MY LATEST NEW YORK POST COLUMN: Elissa Slotkin’s threats to prosecute conservatives move America closer to civil war.
THE PLOT THICKENS: No Record of Ilhan Omar’s Father’s U.S. Naturalization?
CDR SALAMANDER: Yes, a gun on top of a gun, and more of them, is your solution. “Not that there is anything wrong with a good 30mm chain gun. Those will fit in places where 50 mm and larger guns just can’t squeeze in. We also love ‘ole Ma-Deuce. In the military version of a Turducken, what if we mounted a .50 cal on top of a 30mm?”
When the war starts, we always wind up adding guns to our ships that they should have had already. Especially antiaircraft guns. Which this time around will probably be antidrone guns.
REVEALING, THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE: ‘Me Hopping Over the Anti-ICE, Pro-Palestine Protesters at 85 mph’: Flying Tesla Reactions Are Gold.
DAVE FREER IS RIGHT, YOU KNOW? Based on past records: I think we can safely say that my 2 year old grand-daughter would be more to be trusted than any government, to manage her money. And she’d crumple it, lose it or eat it, & pooh it into her nappy. Come back when you can demonstrate that Govt. can do better.
THE LEFT HAS BADLY MISREAD THE MOMENT: Yes. Marine Le Pen will be the next President of France. Here’s why.
I’VE BEEN SLEEPING VERY BADLY, AND THAT HAS ME HEARING EARTHQUAKE BELLS: A Pause Before The Fire.
IT’S NOT SURPRISING, BUT IT’S STILL SHOCKING: You’ve heard that the DSA is proposing structural reforms to America, including abolishing the Senate and imposing term limits. What you not have heard is – there is an operational plan to put it all into action. If the Democratic Party sweeps 2026, then DSA will become “foot soldiers” in constant clashes with the administration to cross a “red line” or invoke a “doomsday scenario” – meaning, President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, probably sometime in 2027. Then, a lot of coordinated responses kick off, including delegitimizing the federal government itself and handing that legitimacy to Democratic governors. 2028 then becomes a vote on whether to keep America governance as-is or to burn it all down to appease a “young and brown” demographic.
I’VE BEEN GETTING THIS STORY FROM A LOT OF COMPUTER-PROGRAMMING FRIENDS: The 18-Month Delta. From “probably faster by hand” to production in a weekend.
MOST OF THESE ARE CYCLES WE DON’T EVEN FULLY UNDERSTAND: Monarch Butterfly Populations Rebound as U.S. Honeybee Colony Counts Rise.
UH. BUT WE CAN PROBABLY DO IT TOO: Coal-to-Everything. On the energy lever China is building.
SOCIALISTS DESTROY WHAT THEY COULDN’T BUILD: RIP Limoges Hôtel de Ville. A few thoughts on city halls inspired by the news of its destruction.
THE SHORT VERSION: GOVERNMENTS AT WAR WITH ECONOMICS: The West’s Lost Two Decades. Why nearly every wealthy Western economy has experienced historically weak economic growth since 2007.
IT’S SAD TO SAY IT, BUT I CAN’T DISAGREE: Her Life Was a Waste, Her Death Was a Lesson.
CHASER: Followup: Her Life Was a Waste, Her Death Was a Lesson.
ON SUNDAYS I RUN A PROMO POST FOR (MOSTLY) INDIE AUTHORS, AND YESTERDAY I WAS TOO TIRED TO STAY UP AND SHARE IT: Book Promo And Vignettes By Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.
Note these are people who willingly associate with my blog, so they’re a good place to shop for writers who probably don’t hate you.
October 19, 2026
OPEN THREAD: Monday, Monday.
I DON’T THINK THAT “DISUNION” IS AN ALTERNATIVE for the United States. As with Britain and Ireland since the days of Spain, we can’t allow a country where our enemies could have a base next door. A seceded California — even without Oregon and Washington State — would immediately become a Chinese satrapy — I mean, more than it already is. We can’t allow that on our continent. Canada and Mexico we can dominate. A peer nation we could not.
MY LATEST NEW YORK POST COLUMN: Elissa Slotkin’s threats to prosecute conservatives move America closer to civil war.
