Oh sure, there really cute when they're babies, but then they grow up and you're left with an actual jellyfish you have to feed and house and take for walks and it's not all cuteness and joy. That's when the WORK begins.
For much of my youth, I had Jamaica Bay west of me and the Atlantic to the east. Jellyfish galore, during the season, most harmless, others memorable...
"Mrs Crabtree? I got stinged on the ass by a jellyfish yesterday, so can I stand for class?"
"Now Shocky, you know we say 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨, not 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥. Now sit yer ass down maybe you'll be more careful next time"
Diaper wants to turn his golf course in Palm Beach into a presidential retreat. He's said he'll pay for the buildings, which means WE will, and of course, it'll be named after him. So, like Camp David, future POTUS will fly to Donald J. Trump Airport to golf at Donald J. Trump presidential resort. All paid for by people that despise that man.
If the fence proposal is implemented, it could limit the public’s access to an open space that has allowed people to practice free speech at the doorstep of the country’s highest seat of power.
The administration has said that a permanent fence around Lafayette Square would enhance security during “heightened conditions,” and that the park would remain a public space. It has cited clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and the police in 2020, vandalism of park statues in 2024 during protests against the war in Gaza and a shooting near the White House this year as examples of security concerns.
Mr. Trump has invoked national security to justify an array of proposals to remake Washington, including the building of a 250-foot triumphal arch and the demolition of the East Wing to make space for a ballroom.
Opponents of the plan say that a fence would deter the free speech activities that have long defined the seven-acre park and make it easier for the administration to curb protests at will. It is the latest example of President Trump’s use of executive measures and legal maneuvers to clamp down on dissent, they say...
By the way, is something wrong with Bluesky? It’s not recognizing my login. Does that mean I’ve been kicked off for some reason, or is this happening to everybody?
The New Republic piece on stupidity really makes me want to read the Carlo Cipolla book. It brought to mind the John Stuart Mill quote about stupidity, which I know I've posted before, but here it is again, anyway.
"I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. Suppose any party, in addition to whatever share it may possess of the ability of the community, has nearly the whole of its stupidity, that party must, by the law of its constitution, be the stupidest party; and I do not see why honorable gentlemen should see that position as at all offensive to them, for it ensures their being always an extremely powerful party . . . There is so much dense, solid force in sheer stupidity, that any body of able men with that force pressing behind them may ensure victory in many a struggle, and many a victory the Conservative party has gained through that power."
2020—The nation is mesmerized during the Vice Presidential debate, as a fly takes a stroll on Mike Pence’s hair.
2016—The Washington Post releases a videotape on which the GOP Presidential candidate brags about grabbing women by their genitals. Hours later, hacked emails of his opponent’s campaign chairman are released.
2004—George W.[MD] Bush and Dick “Dick” Cheney do the bait-and-switch: so what if Saddam didn’t have WMDs—he cheated on oil-for-food.
2001—“Operation Enduring Freedom” begins with the CIA botching the first-ever drone strike; Taliban chief Mullah Omar gets away.
1996—Fox News begins broadcasting mass quantities of insidious swill.
1985—Attorney General Ed “Meese is a Pig” Meese patiently explains that “Miranda only helps guilty defendants,” because “if a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect.”
1985—Stop illegal meddling in Nicaragua? No, the Reagan administration pulls the U.S. out of the World Court.
1969—Sam Melville bombs the Whitehall Induction Center in N.Y.C. A right-wing informer helps send him to Attica, where he’s murdered by a cop during the uprising.
1756—Daniel Fowle and enslaved pressman Primus X begin printing The New Hampshire Gazette in Portsmouth. It achieves national seniority in 1839 when the Maryland Gazette [founded 1727] folds.
I have a book by Pete Blaber, he commanded the Delta Force in the early Oughts. Delta Force found Bin Laden in late 1999 and reported up the chain recommending action. The outgoing Clinton administration decided it would be inappropriate to decide and gave the into to GWB's transition team. No action was taken.
During OEF, Blaber recommended not using helicopters, like the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, on ops meant to capture Taliban leaders. He was overruled, and Operation ANACONDA turned into a disaster similar to "Blackhawk Down".
Update on my ballot. In the spring I applied for a vote by mail ballot so I would not miss an election while recovering from my surgery. In Texas, if you apply due to age or disability (including sickness) it only gives you the option for “annual application.” No choice to pick one election that year and return to normal. So I guess that’s why they sent me a ballot for the fall election. I guess that means they’ll reset next year.
In the instructions on the Application fo Ballot by Mail, it even says “To ensure you receive all appropriate ballots, your application may be forwarded to other entities holding elections. As a result you may receive a ballot for other elections in addition to the ballot you originally requested.” So does that mean I can vote using this ballot? Hmm.
Freddie Jackson, the US singer whose smooth and romantic take on R&B found a huge audience in the 1980s, has died aged 70.
A statement from his family on social media reads: “Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends and his music with everything he had. For decades he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on for ever.” No cause of death was given.
Blessed with a dextrous and technically brilliant voice that could flip from playful flirtation to earnest entreaties to crushed lamentations across the space of a single album, Jackson became a mainstay in the US R&B scene, earning 10 No 1 singles and four back to back No 1 albums on the country’s R&B charts. He also twice hit the main pop chart Top 20, with 1985’s Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) and You Are My Lady. The latter song also earned him two Grammy nominations.
Born in 1956, Jackson was raised in Harlem by a single mother, “eating collard greens and fried chicken”, he later said. “That’s not learned soul, it’s not acquired in some singing school or from copying what you hear on records. I live soul.”
In 2024, he announced he was living with kidney disease. “This journey has had its challenges but I’ve decided to face it with openness and resilience,” he said.
Gina Hinojosa! Yay! Currently the state representative for where I live. But don’t forget Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor here in Texas. Lieutenant Governor is elected separately from the Governor. It’s a powerful position in Texas. The Lieutenant Governor sets the agenda in the state Senate and appoints committee heads and members. The current Lieutenant Governor is the horrible Dan Patrick.
Oh, against all odds, I did a really good job in court yesterday (where I felt like my coworker set me up to fail).
He ended up pouting.
Other stuff—my husband likes to watch movies early in the morning and I just can’t. Especially the movies he watches. Some movies are just night movies. You can’t watch something dark or suspenseful at this hour. Maybe a fluffy old movie, but not this.
More tiny things, this time it’s wee little jellyfish in your hed gif: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/little-jelly-droplets
And your meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/52cd6abf-0c63-422a-bda8-29008ed91324?utm_source=share
Oh sure, there really cute when they're babies, but then they grow up and you're left with an actual jellyfish you have to feed and house and take for walks and it's not all cuteness and joy. That's when the WORK begins.
People.
My first thought... cool lookin' lava lamp.
Larvae lamp.
FIFY
For much of my youth, I had Jamaica Bay west of me and the Atlantic to the east. Jellyfish galore, during the season, most harmless, others memorable...
"Mrs Crabtree? I got stinged on the ass by a jellyfish yesterday, so can I stand for class?"
"Now Shocky, you know we say 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨, not 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥. Now sit yer ass down maybe you'll be more careful next time"
Also timely: Rifftrax adds "Sting Of Death" this Friday. Okay, the monster is a different cnidarian, but still, STING OF DEATH!
Soundtrack by Andy Summers & Stewart Copeland.
I see what you did there.
Are they different kinds? A couple looked like the deadly irikanji.
I grew up near the ocean. In August we'd get home from the beach - the kid with the most jelly fish stings won. What we won, I don't recall.
We used to throw sea nettles at each other.
Geez, we just used sandspurs.
And here I didn't believe that Lamprey Tossing is a real sport.
Which coast? I'm guessing East.
Yup, east end LI. But this was back in the late 1950s/early 60s before the entire east end became a year round wealth ghetto.
Sure looks like they're trying to escape!
awww I feel bad for them, they are trying to escape their teeeeny tiny prison, except that one, that is rather cool, whatever about it
These are so cool! Spaz jellyfish is my favorite.
"There must be some way outta this place!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLV4_xaYynY
Jimi Hendrix, All Along the Watchtower.
Well, I searched Amazon really good but could not find any lightbulbs like that. I'm so disappoint.
Cnidaria!
Language!
Diaper wants to turn his golf course in Palm Beach into a presidential retreat. He's said he'll pay for the buildings, which means WE will, and of course, it'll be named after him. So, like Camp David, future POTUS will fly to Donald J. Trump Airport to golf at Donald J. Trump presidential resort. All paid for by people that despise that man.
ABSOLUTLEY THE FUCK NOT.
𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽’𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲
If the fence proposal is implemented, it could limit the public’s access to an open space that has allowed people to practice free speech at the doorstep of the country’s highest seat of power.
The administration has said that a permanent fence around Lafayette Square would enhance security during “heightened conditions,” and that the park would remain a public space. It has cited clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and the police in 2020, vandalism of park statues in 2024 during protests against the war in Gaza and a shooting near the White House this year as examples of security concerns.
Mr. Trump has invoked national security to justify an array of proposals to remake Washington, including the building of a 250-foot triumphal arch and the demolition of the East Wing to make space for a ballroom.
Opponents of the plan say that a fence would deter the free speech activities that have long defined the seven-acre park and make it easier for the administration to curb protests at will. It is the latest example of President Trump’s use of executive measures and legal maneuvers to clamp down on dissent, they say...
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/10/05/us/politics/trump-free-speech-fence-lafayette-park.html?unlocked_article_code=1.G1E.UNbK.6JGSs4YkecXa&smid=url-share
Because of course that rancid dickfuck is going to try to do that.
By the way, is something wrong with Bluesky? It’s not recognizing my login. Does that mean I’ve been kicked off for some reason, or is this happening to everybody?
Yeah, it's down for me too.
Ok thanks
I'm going back to bed to watch Gunsmoke and Barnaby Jones with The Crew.
Have a MiniCrew meme from last night.
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W8x-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fmedia_upload%2Fcomment%2F3aba8b54-284a-4fea-bce4-e9d1c00d73f6%2Fea6e4238-2dca-4710-8cae-e25a4994f6e6.jpeg
October surprise may be plague.
The New Republic piece on stupidity really makes me want to read the Carlo Cipolla book. It brought to mind the John Stuart Mill quote about stupidity, which I know I've posted before, but here it is again, anyway.
"I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it. Suppose any party, in addition to whatever share it may possess of the ability of the community, has nearly the whole of its stupidity, that party must, by the law of its constitution, be the stupidest party; and I do not see why honorable gentlemen should see that position as at all offensive to them, for it ensures their being always an extremely powerful party . . . There is so much dense, solid force in sheer stupidity, that any body of able men with that force pressing behind them may ensure victory in many a struggle, and many a victory the Conservative party has gained through that power."
This date in history...
2020—The nation is mesmerized during the Vice Presidential debate, as a fly takes a stroll on Mike Pence’s hair.
2016—The Washington Post releases a videotape on which the GOP Presidential candidate brags about grabbing women by their genitals. Hours later, hacked emails of his opponent’s campaign chairman are released.
2004—George W.[MD] Bush and Dick “Dick” Cheney do the bait-and-switch: so what if Saddam didn’t have WMDs—he cheated on oil-for-food.
2001—“Operation Enduring Freedom” begins with the CIA botching the first-ever drone strike; Taliban chief Mullah Omar gets away.
1996—Fox News begins broadcasting mass quantities of insidious swill.
1985—Attorney General Ed “Meese is a Pig” Meese patiently explains that “Miranda only helps guilty defendants,” because “if a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect.”
1985—Stop illegal meddling in Nicaragua? No, the Reagan administration pulls the U.S. out of the World Court.
1969—Sam Melville bombs the Whitehall Induction Center in N.Y.C. A right-wing informer helps send him to Attica, where he’s murdered by a cop during the uprising.
1756—Daniel Fowle and enslaved pressman Primus X begin printing The New Hampshire Gazette in Portsmouth. It achieves national seniority in 1839 when the Maryland Gazette [founded 1727] folds.
https://www.nhgazette.com/2026/10/07/wed-oct-7-2/
I have a book by Pete Blaber, he commanded the Delta Force in the early Oughts. Delta Force found Bin Laden in late 1999 and reported up the chain recommending action. The outgoing Clinton administration decided it would be inappropriate to decide and gave the into to GWB's transition team. No action was taken.
During OEF, Blaber recommended not using helicopters, like the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, on ops meant to capture Taliban leaders. He was overruled, and Operation ANACONDA turned into a disaster similar to "Blackhawk Down".
Ah, Mike Pence's fly. Good times.
Pence's IQ was a hundred points higher when that fly was there. Briefly he had average intelligence.
https://substack.com/profile/157455618-wobbly/note/c-355023322?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2lqtj6
Beni Rae Harmony for the Jim Bobs and Bobby Jacks
Imagine having to fight so hard to eliminate evil and improve basic quality of life, and your government is who you are fighting.
Update on my ballot. In the spring I applied for a vote by mail ballot so I would not miss an election while recovering from my surgery. In Texas, if you apply due to age or disability (including sickness) it only gives you the option for “annual application.” No choice to pick one election that year and return to normal. So I guess that’s why they sent me a ballot for the fall election. I guess that means they’ll reset next year.
In the instructions on the Application fo Ballot by Mail, it even says “To ensure you receive all appropriate ballots, your application may be forwarded to other entities holding elections. As a result you may receive a ballot for other elections in addition to the ballot you originally requested.” So does that mean I can vote using this ballot? Hmm.
𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐔𝐒 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝟏𝟎 𝐑&𝐁 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝟕𝟎
𝐶𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑑𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝐽𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑝 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑅𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑀𝑒 𝑇𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑆𝑎𝑘𝑒) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝐴𝑟𝑒 𝑀𝑦 𝐿𝑎𝑑𝑦
Freddie Jackson, the US singer whose smooth and romantic take on R&B found a huge audience in the 1980s, has died aged 70.
A statement from his family on social media reads: “Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends and his music with everything he had. For decades he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on for ever.” No cause of death was given.
Blessed with a dextrous and technically brilliant voice that could flip from playful flirtation to earnest entreaties to crushed lamentations across the space of a single album, Jackson became a mainstay in the US R&B scene, earning 10 No 1 singles and four back to back No 1 albums on the country’s R&B charts. He also twice hit the main pop chart Top 20, with 1985’s Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) and You Are My Lady. The latter song also earned him two Grammy nominations.
Born in 1956, Jackson was raised in Harlem by a single mother, “eating collard greens and fried chicken”, he later said. “That’s not learned soul, it’s not acquired in some singing school or from copying what you hear on records. I live soul.”
In 2024, he announced he was living with kidney disease. “This journey has had its challenges but I’ve decided to face it with openness and resilience,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/oct/07/freddie-jackson-romantic-us-singer-with-10-r-and-b-chart-toppers-dies-aged-70
Eva Marie Saint (On The Waterfront, North By Northwest) died yesterday at (checks notes) at 102.
I did not have her on my Bingo card after Denny Hastert and Jim Bakker.
I would have taken Newt Gingrich instead of Cheeto Mussolini.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Marie_Saint
Trump rally in Texas 7pm ET. Yikes.
Gina Hinojosa! Yay! Currently the state representative for where I live. But don’t forget Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor here in Texas. Lieutenant Governor is elected separately from the Governor. It’s a powerful position in Texas. The Lieutenant Governor sets the agenda in the state Senate and appoints committee heads and members. The current Lieutenant Governor is the horrible Dan Patrick.
Oh, against all odds, I did a really good job in court yesterday (where I felt like my coworker set me up to fail).
He ended up pouting.
Other stuff—my husband likes to watch movies early in the morning and I just can’t. Especially the movies he watches. Some movies are just night movies. You can’t watch something dark or suspenseful at this hour. Maybe a fluffy old movie, but not this.