Althouse: At the Saturday Night Café...

June 22, 2024

At the Saturday Night Café...

... you can talk all night.

36 comments:

The rule of Lemnity said...: I want to see ‘Inside Out 2’ on account of how much I enjoyed the first one.; 6/22/24, 6:06 PM
MadTownGuy said...: How Wallace, Idaho became the Center of the Universe.

"In the heart of Wallace, Idaho you will find the Center of the Universe. On the corner of Bank and Sixth Street of our Historic Mining town you will find our landmark location of the slightly off-center manhole cover that holds the Center of the Universe monument. Here you will find the Center of the Universe.
Our small Historic town of Wallace is home to over 900 citizens. In 2004, the mayor made a proclamation: “I, Ron Garitone, Mayor of Wallace, Idaho, and all of its subjects, and being of sound body and mind, do hereby solemnly declare and proclaim Wallace to be the Center of the Universe.”

The history of the claim as told by town historian Shauna Hillman, one of the original four behind the idea: “Why not? That’s the answer to why is it the Center of the Universe.” The second answer: “Prove it isn’t.” This relies on the theory of probabilism: If you cannot prove that Wallace is not the Center of the Universe, then it must be the Center of the Universe.

The theory of probabilism arose during an unwelcome visit by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which announced that due to mining, the local water and soil were polluted. They declared Wallace a Superfund site; but they also admitted that they couldn’t prove whether the lead in the water was due to continued mining operations, or whether it was naturally occurring. Since none of the causes could be disproved, the EPA expanded the Superfund site from 21 square miles to 1,500, devaluing local homes and businesses.

[snip]

Every building in Wallace’s historic downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places. This venture was part of a very deliberate effort to prevent the district from being completely bulldozed for the construction of the interstate highway. The town is nestled within 600 miles of national forest, and there are ample opportunities for hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing, fishing, zip-lining, and spotting wildlife in the Center of the Universe."

More at the link.; 6/22/24, 6:28 PM
narciso said...: https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/06/22/campaign-aide-biden-plans-aggressive-debate-approach/; 6/22/24, 7:28 PM
narciso said...: https://youtu.be/_ru0pnAnq7g?si=xL9u7evTJsPrqXPP; 6/22/24, 7:36 PM
Mason G said...: Re: https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/06/22/campaign-aide-biden-plans-aggressive-debate-approach/

President Joe Biden plans to be very aggressive during the debate with former President Donald Trump, according to a Biden campaign official.

So- he's going to have Trump arrested again?; 6/22/24, 7:51 PM
The rule of Lemnity said...: YouTube: Larry David on “destination weddings”; 6/22/24, 8:46 PM
Old and slow said...: I started reading about Wallace Idaho being the center of the universe, but got called away for a few hours. As I was going about my business I reasoned absentmindedly that in an infinitely expanding universe, one place was as good as the next to be considered the center. I mean, since the universe expands out into infinity from every location, why not pick Wallace? I like their explanation pretty well also.

I say the title belongs to them by virtue of being the first (that we know of) to have claimed it. It's sort of like GMT. All locations in the universe will be described by their spatial relationship to Wallace (at a given time, of course, since everything is in motion...); 6/22/24, 9:20 PM
Narayanan said...: So- he's going to have Trump arrested again?
==================
Challenge to Sharting Contest by various metrics
distance
quantity
odorosity

I am hoping moderators-judges do their job diligently; 6/22/24, 9:52 PM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: Since the universe is infinite, every place is the center of the universe. Including Wallace, ID.; 6/22/24, 9:52 PM
Crazy World said...: Beautiful; 6/22/24, 10:11 PM
Political Junkie said...: In 2004 re-elect campaign, GWB team played up Kerry's negatives big time. Did not talk much about the future. Biden team seems to have the same plan. Not sure it will work for SOB Joe.

Recall that the SOB won his first senate race in 72 when Nixon won 49 states, won in Carter's midterm in 78, and won in 84 when Reagan won 49 states. However he does it, the SOB wins elections.

We shall see.

Good night all.; 6/22/24, 11:06 PM
gadfly said...: MadTownGuy said...
How Wallace, Idaho became the Center of the Universe. “Why not? That’s the answer to why it is the Center of the Universe.” The second answer: “Prove it isn’t.” This relies on the theory of probabilism: If you cannot prove that Wallace is not the Center of the Universe, then it must be the Center of the Universe.

OK. Wallace is not the center of the universe because my father-in-law Wallace is dead and buried. He cannot be the center of the universe because God never declared Papaw Wallace from West (by God) Virginia to have ever been. We cannot prove that God was ever wrong.; 6/22/24, 11:57 PM
AlanKH said...: I've been plowing through the Bragg case and I've got some questions.

- Did David Pecker say anything that was actually relevant to the charges?

- Some people are making a big deal about Stormy's lawyer saying that the 130K payment was "consideration" and not "hush money." I can't figure out what his point is, unless "hush money" insinuates blackmail. Anyone have any ideas on this?

- A key factor that many regard as damning evidence of criminal activity is that the payments to Cohen were well in excess of the NDA payment. Many folks cannot imagine an honest motive for that markup. What theories on the reasons for the markup support the defense?

- I raised some issues in a Volokh Conspiracy thread and regarding one in particular a commenter said that it is impossible Trump could have believed that the Cohen payments were anything other than loan repayments rather than legal expenses. Any counterarguments? My query goes as follows (with trial transcript excerpt):

I’m also curious about the dispute between prosecution and defense over the term “retainer agreement” which is critical to the records falsification charge. Prosecution says such agreements have to be in writing to exist, Bove argued otherwise.

7 You know, the Government cited the Rubinstein case.
8 I have a copy of that here as well.
9 I think when your Honor reads that case, what you
10 will see is that what it’s really about is whether and to
11 what extent a retainer letter is necessary to permit an
12 attorney to recover fees from the client.
13 It’s not about whether, as a matter of ethics rules
14 and attorney’s ethical obligations, the Retainer Agreement
15 is necessary.
16 I have some cases as well that we hope your Honor
17 will look at before you rule on this.
18 One is Moran. And I’m going to hand this one to
19 Mr. Steinglass.; 6/23/24, 1:21 AM
Kate said...: "Destination Wedding" is a very odd romcom, almost like a bedroom play, with Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder as two people who meet and dislike each other. Highly recommend.; 6/23/24, 2:33 AM
wendybar said...: How is Hamas fighter AOC going to take the country back from Joe Biden?? Is she going to take it away and give it to Hamas?? Iran?? What is she trying to win back?? Antifa and BLM burning down cities?? I don't understand why she is dancing around the stage acting like a fool thinking people want more of THIS??? Maybe she should think more about the people of the Bronx, then getting herself on stage to push how pretty she thinks she is WHAT has she done for them???...She should have stuck with bartending.; 6/23/24, 4:09 AM
wendybar said...: Forgot the link...

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/06/22/watch-aoc-goes-full-psycho-at-bronx-rally-for-jamaal-bowman-truly-insane-behavior-from-both-n2175827; 6/23/24, 4:10 AM
tim maguire said...: MadTownGuy said...How Wallace, Idaho became the Center of the Universe.

This relies on the theory of probabilism: If you cannot prove that Wallace is not the Center of the Universe, then it must be the Center of the Universe

There’s a more straightforward and mathematically sound argument—if the universe is infinite, then every point within it is the center.; 6/23/24, 6:10 AM
Humperdink said...: Looking at a typical map of the world and one might conclude Israel is the of our world.; 6/23/24, 6:12 AM
Humperdink said...: "Paris residents are protesting the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and the city’s massive spending on a project to clean the Seine River to make it safe for Olympic swimmers to compete in."

So what are the protestors doing? Not wanting to follow the Norks method of using crap filled balloons, the resourceful French are making their fecal deposits directly into the river.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/paris-poop-protest-french-president-emmanuel-macron-paris/; 6/23/24, 6:24 AM
wendybar said...: In case you haven't realized yet, America is dead. This is pathetic, disgusting and makes me mourn for America.

If you wonder WHY we are a laughingstock, besides Joe Biden.....consider...

"Over the course of the month, intelligence officers will be encouraged to have their nails painted with trans flags, or learn to crochet their very own Pride flags, among other critical intelligence-related skills."

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/06/u_s_intelligence_agents_to_have_nails_painted_for_pride_month.html; 6/23/24, 6:40 AM
Rusty said...: My wife is convinced that she's the center of the universe.

You know what's fun? Breaking clays on a Sunday morning . That's what's fun.

I know it has rained in Madison in the last couople of weeks, but we're suffering a drought down here. We're going on the third week.; 6/23/24, 6:47 AM
Mr. Forward said...: Of all the places that claim to be the center of the universe, I would place Wallace, Idaho right in the middle.; 6/23/24, 6:53 AM
Rocco said...: gadfly said...
"OK. Wallace is not the center of the universe because my father-in-law Wallace is dead and buried. He cannot be the center of the universe because God never declared Papaw Wallace from West (by God) Virginia to have ever been. We cannot prove that God was ever wrong."

On Papaw's behalf, I'll disagree. He was from W(bG)Va, what more proof do you need?; 6/23/24, 6:54 AM
Rocco said...: wendybar said...
"In case you haven't realized yet, America is dead. This is pathetic, disgusting and makes me mourn for America."

i have long thought that we've somehow slipped into an alternate reality starting around 9/11 or shortly thereafter.

That wasn't the cause of the slip, but just a way to mark when it happened.; 6/23/24, 6:58 AM
rehajm said...: You know what's fun? Breaking clays on a Sunday morning . That's what's fun.

Those little wobbly ones make me take the lord’s name in vain…; 6/23/24, 7:00 AM
Jersey Fled said...: “President Joe Biden plans to be very aggressive during the debate with former President Donald Trump, according to a Biden campaign official.”

Roid rage.

Biden has two choices for the debate. The first is to come off as the feeble half shell of a man that we’ve all seen time and time again. The one that kept him from being indicted for the classified materials strewn around his unsecured garage with his Corvette and Hunter’s porn collection. The second is to pump himself up with drugs. They chose door number two.

Unfortunately, these drugs have some unhappy consequences. They make you loud and overly aggressive. manic. That’s the Biden we we saw at the last debate. They spun that as being incisive and energetic. Apparently they see this as the better of two evils.

Biden is a feeble old man who is suffering on the edge of dementia. They’re pumping him up and reving up the spin machine. You heard it here first.; 6/23/24, 7:01 AM
rhhardin said...: Normally the page-turner for a piano is dressed to remain visually inconspicuous. If it's two guys playing a Cello Sonata it's not a good idea to have a page turner with visible cleavage.; 6/23/24, 7:04 AM
Rocco said...: Humperdink said...
"Looking at a typical map of the world and one might conclude Israel is the of our world."

The first world maps created created by European cartographers put Jerusalem at the center. It was only later that world maps became oriented to the north/south the way they are today.

And that's where "orient" meaning to align with the points of the map came from. It originally simply meant the east, as Jerusalem is to the east of much of Europe. The word still retains that meaning in a limited sense when we talk about "The Orient".; 6/23/24, 7:07 AM
Jamie said...: I heard that guy PBD - is that right? - a week or so ago on Triggernometry. I had high hopes, as I'd seen the Chris Cuomo interview on his show and he came across as a reasonable fellow there.

But practically out of the gate, he started talking about the man who invented an engine that would go 200 miles on a single gallon of water. You know, that guy, that invention. And that quashing by Evil Big Oil and the Fat Cats in Government. In a world in which Elon Musk exists, I just can't. (Yes, I know an electric car is not truly an innovation - but Musk's money and FU attitude ought to allow him or someone like him to track down that inventor or his undoubtedly paranoid offspring who have spent their lives trying to salvage their unnamed father's reputation and would be thrilled to share his secrets with someone who could take them wide. Although we'll probably find that he, the unnamed father, probably stole the idea from his underpaid Black maid, who had struggled mightily against the white patriarchy to get her PhD in physics but no one would hire her to do the groundbreaking research of which she was capable - isn't that how the story goes?)

I should've kept listening because I was very curious as to how Konstantin and Francis were going to handle it, but I was also sort of vaguely alarmed that that story is still out there.

Anyway, I think Achilles was recommending his show on another thread, and I will probably listen to some more of that, just because most interviewers, pace Jordan Peterson, don't say a whole lot about their own beliefs in an interview, and he did do a good job with C. Cuomo.; 6/23/24, 7:07 AM
Rocco said...: rhhardin said...
"Normally the page-turner for a piano is dressed to remain visually inconspicuous. If it's two guys playing a Cello Sonata it's not a good idea to have a page turner with visible cleavage."

She should have worn one of those bright green body stockings so they could CGI her out in post-production.; 6/23/24, 7:10 AM
Humperdink said...: It one gets bored today, read the lyrics to the song "America the Beautiful". The Commie-Pinko lefties will hate it, but what an uplifting song. Especially the ending:

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.; 6/23/24, 7:14 AM
wendybar said...: Derve Swanson said...6/23/24, 7:13 AM

Tell me. What is Intelligent about our Intelligence Agencies pushing crap like crocheting and painting their nails on our dime??

So I guess we should shut up, just hand America to the communists without a fight. Got it.

Tell me again how Trump supporters, Christians and military members are the Domestic Terrorist threats this dumb administration is crying about. You fit right in.; 6/23/24, 7:25 AM
henge2243 said...: By B. Duncan Moench at Tablet, probably the best group of sentences ever written,

"Far be it from me to defend Karl Marx, but wokeness ain’t “Marxist.” Woke thought borrows from Marx in the same manner Bob Dylan “borrowed” from Woody Guthrie—assiduously learning the man’s basic mannerisms, then jettisoning his unprofitable affections for the poor in order to create a marketable caricature pleasing to college kids who cannot distinguish between genuine folk art and the vapid mimicry of an opportunist."; 6/23/24, 7:27 AM
Jamie said...: Whoa, henge 2243! Them's fightin' words!

I personally have no dog in that fight, to mix my fight metaphors. I don't like either one.

But the point about wokeness vs. Marxism seems to me to be similar to the one Helen Pluckrose makes, in opposition or at least contrast to her Hoax Papers colleague James Lindsay, who is adamant that wokeness, so-called cultural Marxism, is the evolutionary offspring of traditional Marxism.

And I don't have a dog in that fight either - I don't like either of those any more than I like Guthrie or Dylan. Uh... arguably a lot less.; 6/23/24, 7:57 AM
Narr said...: Thanks, rhhardin. Neither the work nor the artists are familiar to me though I'm fairly familiar with Faure'.

I have to go back for the remaining movements, and hope to see some of the piano player's hands (as nice as the Grecian rack is . . .); 6/23/24, 10:36 AM
Original Mike said...: "There’s a more straightforward and mathematically sound argument—if the universe is infinite, then every point within it is the center."

The argument doesn't even require the universe to be infinite.; 6/23/24, 1:07 PM