Althouse: At the Thursday Night Café...

June 13, 2024

At the Thursday Night Café...

... you can talk about whatever you want.

(Photo by Meade.)

33 comments:

imTay said...: So I have been reading a book of interviews with Judi Dench called "Shakespeare, the Man Who Pays the Rent" and it's been kind of interesting, if you are interested in the background of stage production, and how actors approach characters, and it's all very informal, it wasn't intended to be a book, but a project to be listened to by students. Anyway, she talks about playing Lady Macbeth, and she calls her "M," which I think is pretty funny, because that's the name of her character in the 007 movies, where she plays the spy chief who sends the assassin, 007, off on his missions, while she plans and controls them, but I digress, what I have enjoyed is reading the interview, then finding the play on YouTube and watching her in it.

That's it, that's the comment. Sorry for over commenting, but I have been laid up for a week, and spent a couple of days confined to a hospital bed, nothing serious and I am on the mend, but things are looking up, and if I can get up and about tomorrow, I have laid in a lot of work to do around here to keep me busy and away from the keyboard instead of clout poaching from Althouse, who does amazing work for her earned audience.; 6/13/24, 8:28 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/13/24, 10:09 PM
BG said...: I'm reading "Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner of War Camps," written by Betty Cowley. Copyright 2002. She spent three years researching it because the National Archives had destroyed information of the POW branch camps in Wisconsin in the 1950s. She had to research local newspapers and do interviews. Most of the camps were in little towns scattered throughout the state. It's a very interesting read since this is a part of WWII history that hits close to home that I knew nothing about. Some of the German prisoners had relatives living in Wisconsin who would visit them in the camps. Some prisoners came back after the war because there was no family left in Germany. In 1945 there were approximately 20,000 captured POWs in the state. They were put to work in the fields, canneries and other processing plants to harvest crops due to a shortage of workers. Each chapter covers a camp - 38 of them listed in alphabetical order. I found it very interesting that in all probability, a POW was doing my dad's job in the canning factory while my dad was in Germany fighting in the war. The book describes how the prisoners were treated and the conditions in which they lived. At the end of each chapter there is a section called "Recollections." Betty Cowley was a history teacher who was shocked at the lack of information pertaining to small town Wisconsin's roll in housing WWII POWs. I highly recommend it if you are interested in WWII and Wisconsin history. Most Wisconsin libraries probably have it to check out. (Most members of the Monarch Library System have it.); 6/13/24, 10:31 PM
Political Junkie said...: FullMoon...funny you mentioned Hillary.
I want to post a "shout out" to Hillary (never thought I would do that), for endorsing the opponent of Jamaal "I hate Jews" Bowman.
Now about DJT picking her for VP.......NO.; 6/13/24, 10:51 PM
Mutaman said...: Rationalizing Trump's insanity as being a "highly gifted standup comic" is a hell of a stretch even for Althouse.; 6/13/24, 10:59 PM
Mason G said...: AOC has some interesting ideas about how the federal government works.

It’s not a question if congress has jurisdiction over the Supreme Court, it is what power are we going to exercise to rein in a fundamentally unaccountable and rogue court.; 6/13/24, 11:20 PM
Drago said...: Mutaman: "Rationalizing Trump's insanity as being a "highly gifted standup comic" is a hell of a stretch even for Althouse."

LOL

"insanity"

Well, I guess that was an inevitable progression given thats PRECISELY how the communists ended up characterizing their political enemies in the Soviet Union, Maoist China, etc, before imprisoning those political opponents.

Mutaman is simply doing what we all knew the New Soviet Democraticals would do as leftists are all exactly the same.

But only exactly.; 6/13/24, 11:28 PM
Jimmy said...: It is so amusing to read the rants of the leftists on this blog, and in the usual 'Party' sanctioned' publications.
they don't get Trump at all. What they like, and are comfortable with, is the dystopian nature of this country.
Think about it- Under Trump, taxes, inflation, food, gas, housing, were all low, and affordable.
Under Biden, and his Dem and Rep friends- hundreds of thousands die each year, due to open borders. over 60% of federal crimes committed by illegals, not Americans.
Its like the left is brainwashed-they read Orwell and thought, yeah, thats the ticket, lets emulate that nightmare. so much fun to obey the state, and snitch on all my friends.
Seriously, that is a typical left wing person, most likely female or female adjacent.
The icing on the cake, is people on the left have no sense of humor, are hideously offended by everything, and have the sort of arrogant attitude that most of us gave up by the time we were 6.
It's sad. Read the moaning and crying just on this blog, by the left. It is sad, and very pathetic.; 6/13/24, 11:59 PM
Eva Marie said...: Thanks for the Judi Dench recommendation. I also bought Shy by Mary Rodgers.
On another thread someone recommended Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Just finished it. It’s the That was a good movie.; 6/14/24, 12:41 AM
Chuck said...: Well this will certainly be of interest to Wisconsinite and Trump Comedy connoisseur Ann Althouse: Trump calls Milwaukee a “horrible” city in a private Congressional speech. Immediately thereafter, GOP House and Senate members proceeded to lie and contort themselves as they tried to deny it. It was “shithole countries” times about 250.

This is another case of Trump humor stylings that will require an Althousian explanation.; 6/14/24, 12:58 AM
Mutaman said...: Drago said...

"LOL

"insanity"

Well, I guess that was an inevitable progression given thats PRECISELY how the communists ended up characterizing their political enemies in the Soviet Union, Maoist China, etc, before imprisoning those political opponents."

"Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city."

Upon further review, maybe this isn't insane Trump. Maybe this is just Trump blowing that old dog whistle.; 6/14/24, 1:01 AM
Gospace said...: Any information needs to be verified today before passing it on. Nothing is fully trustworthy. I deleted my earlier post right after making it- it was a video of the aftermath of two electric cars colliding. And right after posting I decided to search for the original source- and it was a truck loaded with propane tanks... Some very impressive explosions as they lit off. The video that showed the truth started earlier...

But who can you trust? Ah- almost no one. There's the rub. The MSM cannot be trusted. They all declared in unison that Hunter's laptop was fake because 51 intelligence officials told them so. And, by the way, I'm old enough to remember when the MSM NEVER believed ANYTHING anyone from any 3 letter agency said without verifying it six ways from Sunday.

The public health establishment has blown up all of it's reputation because of the covidiocy where they simply lied to the American people. Lied, period. That's the only way to put it. They weren't mistaken. And shouldn't be forgiven.

Democrats, of course, cannot be trusted at all.

And Republican leaders, the more powerful they are, the less they can be trusted.

Then we have the entire public school system, everywhere in the USA, telling children "Yes, you can change your sex! It's as easy as 1-2-3!" Except, of course, that's an impossibility.

The edge is finally coming off the "Marijuana is harmless" crowd. Turns out it isn't, which any sane person knew all along.

And it tuns out butter is better for you then margarine, whole milk better then skim milk, and animal fats better then seed oils.

One of my favorite bugaboos are all the studies showing that 40% - OR MORE- are deficient in Vitamin D- deficient by the absurdly low numbers of the public health establishment- and the powers that be say you don't really need to take any Vitamin D supplements (or any supplements at all) and routine testing shouldn't be done. Wait- 40% of the people are known to be deficient yet routine testing shouldn't be done? In what world does that make sense? Oh, yes, multiple studies have shown that as Vitamin D levels go up the body handles ALL URIs more handily, up to about 50 ng/ml. Response seems to level off about there. If we were to decide that 50 ng/ml was the goal, then probably 80% of the population would be deficient. I say 80% because I suspect 20% of us are already supplementing. I don't really know.

And even that info on Vitamin D I just gave you you shouldn't trust because who the heck am I? So look it up- and you'll find I am a trustworthy source.

But then looking it up when the internet is starting to fill with AI... I posted something on Facebook the other day about someone stating to an AI "I'm feeling depressed." The reply was "There are many things to try to deal with your depression. One Reddit user suggests jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge." Well, that IS a way to deal with it, but...; 6/14/24, 1:15 AM
gadfly said...: Gospace said...
Any information needs to be verified today before passing it on. Nothing is fully trustworthy. . . .

But who can you trust? Ah- almost no one. There's the rub. The MSM cannot be trusted. They all declared in unison that Hunter's laptop was fake because 51 intelligence officials told them so. And, by the way, I'm old enough to remember when the MSM NEVER believed ANYTHING anyone from any 3 letter agency said without verifying it six ways from Sunday.

As for Hunter's laptops, the right-wing indicted conspirators from the Trump administration, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon, were the first to get the laptop files from John Paul Mac Isaac - who snooped into the files illegally. Whether you believe that part of the story is not all that important. Except insofar as it raises the chances that what went into JPMI’s store was packaged up to do maximal damage; and insofar as right-wingers and gossip columnists posing as journalists claim it gives them license to do anything they want with the data. Indeed, how that story has been used as a license to do something grotesque is about all that story does, whether true or not. Access to the computer files equals access to RHB's iCloud account where all hell can be unleashed. We are well past two broken computers.; 6/14/24, 5:01 AM
Christopher B said...: BG .. There was a WWII POW camp in Algona, Iowa (near my hometown). I didn't know it existed until I was in my late teens and a museum was organized. I believe Algona was the main camp and there were a number of satellite camps across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. POWs would largely work on local farms with some working in factories. The POWs organized the creation of a nearly full size creche out of concrete which was maintained by the town after the camp disbanded. I recall an exhibit of one escape attempt where the men worked their way into Canada before attempting to get across the Atlantic. I don't remember if they made it or not.; 6/14/24, 5:04 AM
Christopher B said...: buzzingfly is still trying to sell the narrative that Hunter's laptop is fake, after the DOJ and FBI specified that the evidence from the same used to convict him was authentic.

Kool-aid guzzler or just plain idiot? You decide.; 6/14/24, 5:08 AM
Humperdink said...: Mutaman put this in quotes, allegedly from Trump: ""Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city."

Of course that's not what he said. He was referring to the crime level in Milwaukee. But no matter, the media and the muta carry on with the lie.

Interestingly, I heard a Biden campaign ad yesterday asserting that Trump said there would be a bloodbath if wasn't elected. Again that's not what he said. The actual quote from Trump:

"“If you’re listening, President Xi — and you and I are friends — but he understands the way I deal. Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now … you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us, no. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected. Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars. They’re building massive factories.”

Mutaman, you're a lying scoundrel, but we knew that.; 6/14/24, 5:12 AM
Tina Trent said...: I lived in Germantown, a small former WWI internment community in SE Atlanta. The men were imprisoned in the federal prison up the hill; the women and children were locked behind barbed wire in tiny houses, where they grew food and lived on subsistence rations and money they made selling small poured metal toys through the fence. I found old German-language newspapers used for insulation in layers when I tore off decades of rotting wallpaper to find tongue-and-groove pine.

They were American citizens. They had also lost their homes. I assume the reason they are not remembered as victims the way Japanese internment camp residents were has something to do with this occurring in the Jim Crow South. Still, it's jarring that the city's first African-American mayor, Maynard Jackson, changed the name of the settlement to further erase that history.

Ignoring history and current events is denialism. How many people know anything about the mass slaughter of Christians and burning of churches occurring regularly around the world today? In monitored countries alone, in 2023, 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith, more were kidnapped, imprisoned, or tortured, millions were persecuted and discriminated against, and 15,000 churches destroyed, mostly in Africa, Iran, and North Korea.

You don't see that in the paper.; 6/14/24, 5:50 AM
rehajm said...: My tendonitis is bad today…; 6/14/24, 6:00 AM
rehajm said...: The weems watch I’ve been working on had a broken screw in the main plate so I used some alum to turn it to goo. It took three days. The alum was a pain to clean up unfortunately but the parts are all ready to go for assembly…; 6/14/24, 6:06 AM
Iman said...: “Maybe this is just Trump blowing that old dog whistle.”

Or, more likely, it’s mutaman just blowing.; 6/14/24, 6:09 AM
Rusty said...: Gadfy breathlessly bloviated,
"As for Hunter's laptops, the right-wing indicted conspirators from the Trump administration, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon, were the first to get the laptop files from John Paul Mac Isaac - who snooped into the files illegally. "

Since the owner of the laptop Mr. Mac Isaac gave the contents of his own free will to the FBI and Gulianni there is no illegality involved.; 6/14/24, 6:12 AM
Humperdink said...: From the Conservative Treehouse: "When President Obama famously told incoming President Trump the largest foreign policy concern was the potential for near-term military conflict with North Korea, Trump curiously asked Obama, “Well, have you talked to Kim Jong-un?”

President Trump has never revealed how Obama responded to that question ... "

The difference in approaching US adversaries between Trump and the swamp. Trump engages, the left vilifies. And they hate him for it. The left needs targets. It's how they roll. Of course, the left then accuses Trump of being in bed with our enemies.; 6/14/24, 6:39 AM
walter said...: "Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city."
--
By many metrics, true.
Calling that statement a "dog whistle" reveals Mutation's racism.; 6/14/24, 6:58 AM
Rocco said...: Tina Trent said...
"I assume the reason [German internees] are not remembered as victims the way Japanese internment camp residents were has something to do with this occurring in the Jim Crow South."

It didn't occur just in the South. Thousands of German-Americans and thousands of Italian-Americans were interred in WWII, too. Their numbers were just much smaller than the Japanese.; 6/14/24, 7:09 AM
Jamie said...: I listened to parts of two Joe Rogan podcasts yesterday - with Bjorn Lomborg and with Jon Haidt. They were exemplary in their patience.

It must be so frustrating to be on the other side of the mic from him - he gets wrapped around the axle about minor points and continually interrupts major ones to get "clarification" on obvious things; he fronts his bugaboos and cuts off the present interviewee to elevate random "authorities" who share his opinions; it just seems like short attention span theater.

I make this comment in response to the one above about the harmlessness of weed.

And yes, of course, I give Rogan credit for being so willing to talk at length to so many people with such varied views. I just think it'd be annoying to be one of those people trying to get your point across against a powerful current of "but shouldn't we."

Finally, I must note that these are the first two lengthy segments I've ever listened to - I made it past the halfway point on both. So my statistical universe is way too small to make such sweeping pronouncements as I have just made.; 6/14/24, 7:25 AM
Drago said...: Mutaman actually ran with the fake quote:

"Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city."

ANOTHER lefty hoax quote!

It seems as if they come up with almost 1 per day now!

Mutaman is a New Soviet Democratical Hoax Quote NPC foot soldier.; 6/14/24, 8:30 AM
Dr Weevil said...: gadfly says that John Paul Mac Isaac "snooped into the files [on Hunter's laptop] illegally". That seems to me obviously and slanderously false. When you drop off clothes to be dry cleaned, a pair of shoes to be resoled, or a computer to be repaired, there is always a written notice that if you don't pick them up within a month, the shop owns them. Whether it's a mink coat, or a pair of $1,000 Italian loafers, or a computer full of interesting data, you're out of luck. Once Hunter failed to pick up the laptop, Mr. Isaac owned it, and could do anything he wanted with it. Except of course that it turned out to have child pornography on it, so he called the FBI, because possessing that is illegal. Whether he could have just deleted the porn, I don't know: calling the FBI was obviously the right think to do.; 6/14/24, 8:52 AM
Aggie said...: @Jamie, I listen to Rogan infrequently now, maybe 2-3 times annually. I was never a huge fan, but would check out podcasts if there was a person of interest. But over the years, even as a fitness fanatic, the toll of the weed is catching up to Joe. I knew many young people in high school and University in the 70s that over-indulged on weed, and after a few years the damage would become plain to see. And there are few things more unpleasantly boring to be around, as bad as a drunk. Now with today's killer THC levels, I would think it's even worse. I don't listen much to Rogan anymore, because I find it unsettling to see these effects on someone that is intelligent enough, perceptive enough, to know better - and doesn't. A shame, really, because his intelligence and perception is being compromised. He can use all he wants, obviously these are his choices to make - but the quality of his program is suffering.; 6/14/24, 9:12 AM
Narr said...: In 1917-1918 my father's German-born parents (who had not married yet) were confined and watched closely by the authorities. Opa naturalized in the'20s, but Oma kept putting it off and didn't naturalize until 1944. My father always thought he was kept stateside until late '44 because of that, and the authorities watched them and the other German-origin Memphians closely.

I ought to research it, and get some FOIA action.

In WWII some 300k German and Italian POWs ended up in camps in CONUS, where the enlisted prisoners were put to work on farms and in factories. Here, many served at the brand new, enormous Defense Depot, where my mother had her first job after graduating from HS in '44.
Others worked for farmers in west Tennessee and eastern Arkansas.

There was a story--it may not be an urban legend--that one German walked off the job and spent his day wandering in downtown Memphis, where there were so many foreign uniforms around that nobody noticed his.

"The One That Got Away" starring Hardy Kruger (1957) tells the story of German fighter-pilot Franz von Werra, who escaped temporarily in the UK several times, and in Canada for real--he eluded neutral US law enforcement and made his way back to the Reich by way of Mexico, South America, and Spain. Went MIA in late 1941.

"The Train to Crystal City" by Jan Russell is the story of the secret camp for Axis citizens (and their American-born children) gathered from Latin America and the USA for purposes of exchange for Americans held in Axis countries.

The late Benjamin Hooks used to tell of his experiences in the US army before going overseas. Black soldiers were often tasked with escorting German and Italian POWs from one place to another, and in the Southland the POWs were allowed into restaurants while their guards waited outside.; 6/14/24, 11:01 AM
imTay said...: Turns out that the reason that the ivory billed woodpecker is extinct is that a large stretch of wilderness, which was their last redoubt, and which was in the process of being sold to the government for a park due to lack of labor to harvest the lumber, suddenly became economically viable, as German POWs became available to do the work, and that wilderness was turned into furniture.; 6/14/24, 12:53 PM
Narr said...: I typed a lengthy one about POWS, and saw it post (or so I thought) but now it's gone.

Disappointing.; 6/14/24, 1:54 PM
walter said...: Narr,
Always control C copy your post text and don't paste until you see it publish.; 6/14/24, 11:07 PM
Narr said...: I'll try to remember, walter, starting now. Thanks.; 6/15/24, 9:37 AM