Sun. Jan. 25, 2026 – so are we all still here??

Cold. Wet. We’ll see about the rest. Yesterday was dreary in Houston but not apocalyptic. Of course my experience isn’t universal. I’m sure winter is giving it to some people good and hard. Like it used to. Guess we’re moving out of the warm period…

Saturday was filled with calm and fairly low key prepping for the storm’s arrival. Check the generators. Check the heat. Bring some stuff to the front of the stacks. Secure the outdoor stuff as needed for a storm. Normal stuff.

We are being manipulated. Pushed. Pulled. Whiplashed. Led. Directed. I’m tired of it. The right memes about NPCs having their ‘outrage of the day’ chip swapped out, but we are subject to it too.

Disengage. Step back. Look for the context, the hidden hand, the manipulation. Leave the emotion behind. Observe, decide, act, but don’t be led to leap off the cliff.

—————

Today we’ll see if the hype was hype or justified and reasonable. My bet is on “No”.

Stack. Prepare. Then there is no need for panic or upset, and you have choices. Choices are good. Panic is not.

nick

72 Comments and discussion on "Sun. Jan. 25, 2026 – so are we all still here??"

  1. drwilliams says:

    What is it about PLT’s?

    There are multiple cities where they will physically attack people wearing a MAGA hat, but they claim that driving vehicles at federal agents and wearing handguns while they impede officers making arrests is within their “ rights”.

  2. brad says:

    wearing handguns while they impede officers making arrests

    Well, to be fair, wearing a gun ought to be fine – that’s what the 2nd amendment is about, after all.

    Now that reporting has settled down, the situation seems pretty clear: Officer 1 took away the guy’s gun. But then, officer 1 then accidentally discharged it. The gunshot caused officer 2 to panic and shoot the guy. Not a good look – in fact, pretty incompetent.

    ICE needed to get a grip on this kind of stuff after the first shooting. It may now be too late, because even conservative blogs are turning against them.

  3. Denis says:

    … officer 1 then accidentally negligently discharged it.

    FIFY. As you say, not a good look. People under stress, including cops, make mistakes. Fine motor skills become gross motor skills, tunnel vision happens, etc., etc. Tragic.

    However, this is another data point for “don’t do stupid things around armed people” and “be somewhere else”.

  4. Greg Norton says:

    Wow, Paramount is pushing Starfleet Academy very hard.  I get a commercial of it ever episode of Landman.

    I’ve seen cost estimates per episode at $6-7 million.

    From “Resistance is futile” and “Fortune favors the bold” to “Sometimes hanger is the greatest enemy of all.”

    Yes, an actual line, delivered by Stephen Colbert as the Academy’s virtual dean.

    The fans are p*ssed as are, reportedly, the Ellisons, but Paramount can’t fire the production company without demonstrating due dilligence promoting their output.

    We stopped after the first episode. I will pull the penultimate hour to see if Jonathan Frakes redeems himself for his last effort on “Strange New Worlds”.

    The decisions for “Starfleet Academy” and the upcoming Trek sitcom (!) were made back in June 2024, when the Geico Gecko still held a big chunk of Paramount stock and the expectation was that Trump would be denied a second term in the White House.

    When we saw Frakes in Dallas that month, he “leaked” Holly Hunter’s casting and talked up Tawny Newsome’s improv ability during his Q&A.

    Newsome is the show runner on the comedy show.

  5. Greg Norton says:

    The decisions for “Starfleet Academy” and the upcoming Trek sitcom (!) were made back in June 2024, when the Geico Gecko still held a big chunk of Paramount stock and the expectation was that Trump would be denied a second term in the White House.

    When we saw Frakes in Dallas that month, he “leaked” Holly Hunter’s casting and talked up Tawny Newsome’s improv ability during his Q&A.

    When we were in Dallas the first weekend of May in 2024, I saw a mystery pallette of bricks left in the median of one major intersection in Fort Worth. This was ahead of the Plugs debate disaster, when the expectation was that the handlers wouldn’t let him roll into Techwood without the max medication possible.

    No one expected Biden to be that far gone.

    Star Trek wasn’t the only one adhering to the agenda and playing with fans “memberberries”. Go watch the “Thursday Murder Club” on Netflix, filmed during that time period by The Beard’s production company, complete with Chris Columbus in the director’s chair.

  6. MrAtoz says:

    The decisions for “Starfleet Academy” and the upcoming Trek sitcom (!

    I thought Academy IS the sitcom.

    Somebody on the producer side must have a serious foot fetish. Holly Hunter’s feet are prominently displayed in every episode. She should start an Only Fans featuring her feet.

  7. EdH says:

    21.5F here in the California high desert this morning. 
     

    The little diesel truck heater kept the house a pleasant 62.5F inside, as of 6am.

    I hope everyone stayed safe and warm last night.

  8. MrAtoz says:

    However, this is another data point for “don’t do stupid things around armed people” and “be somewhere else”.

    It looks like the guy was unjustly killed. Don’t bring a concealed weapon to a protest and don’t get in the way of 10 guys with guns. It doesn’t matter how nice a nurse he was. He was there to interfere and was armed. I don’t believe anyone will be charged. Let go maybe.

    ICE will do more dumb stuff when people just jump in their way to save illegals. They aren’t local police.

  9. drwilliams says:

    “It looks like the guy was unjustly killed.”

    ???

  10. MrAtoz says:

    If ICE had his gun and dropped it and the others fired because of that… All the facts aren’t in though.

  11. drwilliams says:

    DUI Driver Who Killed 2 Teens Sentenced for Illegally Reentering U.S.

    A twice-deported undocumented immigrant previously convicted of the DUI deaths of two teens in an Orange County freeway crash was sentenced on Friday, Jan. 23 to three years and ten months in federal prison for illegally reentering the U.S.

    The early release last year of Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano after he served 3 1/2 years of a 10-year sentence for the Nov. 13, 2021 deaths of Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin in a high-speed crash on the southbound 405 Freeway near Seal Beach Boulevard drew outrage from family members of the victims, criticism from federal officials and finger pointing amongst local and state agencies.

    Ortega-Anguiano’s early release ignited that national uproar after it became clear that he had twice been deported to Mexico – only to return to the United States prior to the deadly OC crash.

    Ortega-Anguiano has since been taken into federal custody on the illegal reentry charges, and U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb during a hearing Friday at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana sentenced him to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

    Ortega-Anguiano’s immigration status — which the father said he didn’t learn of until last year, shortly before his release from state prison — “added an extra layer of anger and pain,” he told the judge. He compared it to his own immigration story, which the father said included assimilating into the country and following the rule of law.

    https://www.ocregister.com/2026/01/23/dui-driver-who-killed-2-oc-teens-then-reentered-u-s-illegally-after-prison-is-sentenced/

    Raised in the U.S. from a young age and claims to be “American at heart”.

    No details on how the early release travesty came about, but it’s probable that the state covered up his immigration status if it was not part of the court record. Reentry after deportation is a federal crime, and such–twice–should have been a factor in the original sentence.

    Killing someone after felony reentry into the U.S. should automatically be a federal manslaughter charge.

  12. Greg Norton says:

    Somebody on the producer side must have a serious foot fetish. Holly Hunter’s feet are prominently displayed in every episode. She should start an Only Fans featuring her feet.

    Which of the 20 producers?

    Not just a foot fetsh, but a boot kink.

  13. drwilliams says:

    “Now that reporting has settled down, the situation seems pretty clear: Officer 1 took away the guy’s gun. But then, officer 1 then accidentally discharged it. The gunshot caused officer 2 to panic and shoot the guy. Not a good look – in fact, pretty incompetent.”

    I’m not seeing any such reporting this morning, including checking the two Minneapolis TV stations–5 ABC and 9 Fox–that seem to have the best coverage.

    I did find two interesting data points:

    An early eyewitness interview of a man that claimed that the victim didn’t do anything when ICE rolled up on him. That’s materially different from what the only video presently available shows, and impugns eyewitness testimony if not actually indicating disinformation. Be interesting to find out who this bloke is.

    Second was a printed account of an interview with the decedents parents describing a family discussion where conduct at a demonstration was a large topic. Bottom line is that he didn’t seem to do what he had agreed to do to be safe. 

    But the larger piece was that he was described as being a concealed carry permit holder that did not usually carry. There’s a lot of unknown in that statement. Someone who routinely carries is very aware of getting into any situation. Someone who interferes with law enforcement  is making a bad decision. 

    Someone who interferes with law enforcement while carrying is making a deadly decision. Stepping into chaos with a gun may not end badly, but if it does the primary fault is your own.

  14. drwilliams says:

    The Anti-ICE Signal Chat in Minneapolis Has Reportedly Been Infiltrated…and *That* Name Looks Familiar

     Confirmed; A neighbor told |The Mirror US| that Alex Pretti was part of a Signal group targeting ICE in Minnesota.

    Don’t stop making her famous until she’s arrested 

    Minnesota anti-ICE Signal group leader who’s been coordinating ICE riots was identified as Amanda Koehler She is a paid protest organizer and Minnesota State Senate Candidate 

    She was a campaign strategist for Tim Walz

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/01/25/the-anti-ice-signal-chat-has-reportedly-been-infiltratedand-that-name-looks-familiar-n2670039

  15. Greg Norton says:

    Someone who interferes with law enforcement while carrying is making a deadly decision. Stepping into chaos with a gun may not end badly, but if it does the primary fault is your own.

    Wolverines!

  16. drwilliams says:

    Rioter Arrested After Laying Traps to Disable ICE Vehicles

    During the riots, one individual was apprehended for obstructing law enforcement personnel and utilizing caltrops to deflate the tires of law enforcement vehicles. 

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/01/25/woman-arrested-after-laying-traps-to-disable-ice-vehicles-n2670043

    Get search warrants for phone, financial records, and home. If they can find the Home Depot receipts they can pull the security footage and look for associates aka co-conspirators. Likewise texts might be enlightening. 

  17. MrAtoz says:

    Someone who interferes with law enforcement while carrying is making a deadly decision.

    Third, I don’t believe a word of the “pediatrician“ who said ICE weren’t  following CPR procedures. Another ICE mistake was letting someone who says they are a doctor onto the scene. He/she may be a doctor but was probably there protesting. You use your own EMTs or call for EMT.

  18. drwilliams says:

    The Left Doesn’t Want You to Know This About Alex Pretti, the Man the Border Patrol Shot

    We already knew that Pretti was carrying a loaded handgun and two extra loaded magazines when he showed up at an active ICE operation targeting a violent criminal illegal immigrant. And like Good before him, Pretti wasn’t some random citizen. He was part of an organized network dedicated to interfering with immigration enforcement.

    Each area of Minneapolis has its own group chat, with the city carved up into patrol zones that tell activists exactly where to operate. The chats max out at 1,000 members by midday and get deleted and recreated daily to avoid detection.

    Alex Pretti was a member of the Kingfield Signal ICE watch group. Jeanne Massey, who coordinates rapid response for these networks, confirmed Pretti’s involvement. She describes her role as patrolling neighborhoods when ICE is spotted, alerting residents, and witnessing what she calls the “horror” of enforcement operations.

    The left wants you to see this as federal overreach. The reality is that these networks have created a dangerous environment in which activists deliberately interfere with law enforcement operations. They track agents around the clock, follow them, confront them, and apparently sometimes show up armed. Then they act shocked when agents act in self-defense and things turn deadly.

    https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/01/25/the-left-doesnt-want-you-to-know-this-about-the-man-shot-by-border-patrol-n4948728

    Nice pistola. Newish. I’m sure the serial number has been run. History might be interesting.

  19. drwilliams says:

    Judge Blocks Evidence Destruction in Border Patrol Shooting As Minnesota Sues DHS

    https://redstate.com/smoosieq/2026/01/25/minnesota-tro-n2198491

    Plaintiffs asked for five things and got one, subject to a hearing tomorrow.

    The one is:

    1. Defendants, together with their employees, agents, and anyone acting in concert with them, are ENJOINED from destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting involving federal officers that took place in or around 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026, including but not limited to evidence that Defendants and those working on their behalf removed from the scene and/or evidence that Defendants have taken into their exclusive custody.

    Which is basically “follow the federal rules of evidence”. phhht!

    They did not get access to the evidence.

  20. MrAtoz says:

    Now we know Pretti wasn’t some innocent bystander on his way to work that tried to save some guy ICE was taking down. He came armed, his right, but didn’t bring any common sense. He had a pretty gun, probably never trained with it. He should have stayed in the background, but decided to mess with 10 guys with guns. I bet he didn’t declare he was carrying. Reports are he had no ID. If you are going to carry, you better have ID. He bet his life and lost.

  21. MrAtoz says:

    Which is basically “follow the federal rules of evidence”. phhht!

    Exactly. An activist judge saying follow the law. Shilling for a DIE activist AG. Filing a suit against the Feds the next day without even collecting evidence. Gee, ya think they had a canned lawsuit in place?

  22. Nick Flandrey says:

    Anyone else noticing that they have a whole parallel governing structure in place?  And a whole C3ISR   network with comm protocols, etc?

    Organization multiplies individual power.  Sure, it gives your opponent something to attack, but most endeavors use them anyway.  

    They are much further along than most people know.

    ———————

    30F here but liquid water on the ground.   Bright overcast.  No frost on roofs, but cold and damp.   We’ve had colder mornings waiting for the kid’s bus.  AND it’s been a long time since “morning”.

    Coffee, eggs and bacon are all in ma belly.

    Dunno why I slept so late, but there it is.   

    Probably time to get busy.

    n

    Every time someone says “nurse Alex” say “Ashli Babbitt”.   And ask yourself if your feelings about demonstrating or protesting are really “I’d die for this.”   Because there is always that chance.  It seems like these people are LARPing, “why are you using real bullets???” and don’t understand the stakes.

  23. Nick Flandrey says:

    Alex was LARPing.   Dressed like civilian tactical timmy, operator beard, ballcap… shiny gun.  But left ID at home….

    n

  24. MrAtoz says:

    Anyone else noticing that they have a whole parallel governing structure in place?  And a whole C3ISR   network with comm protocols, etc?

    They are putting that Somali fraud money to good use.

  25. Nick Flandrey says:

    I gotta say, I’m not trained, or any kind of insurgent, but the ICE guys in the video look silly.   

    All those guys are dogpiling nurse Alex, no one is keeping any situational awareness.   

    Engage the squad with a patsy, then the B team comes in and takes all of them out. —-

    The next phase will be “just drop the problem” and call for removal because ICE is tired of losing agents.

    That should play into the insurgents’ agenda.   Especially if the patsy is photogenic.

    The bad optics will lead to paralysis and abandoning territory on the part of ICE and LEOs.    

    “This shit will get out of hand.”

    n

  26. Nick Flandrey says:

    It’s like all the LARPing that took place during the St George riots.   If they were serious, they’d attack the horses and shoot people.   And no one wants to burn to death.

    SOMEONE is serious.  There is a crazy amount of organization showing in all this.   Someone’s been reading the playbook.

    n

  27. ITGuy1998 says:

    But the larger piece was that he was described as being a concealed carry permit holder that did not usually carry. There’s a lot of unknown in that statement. Someone who routinely carries is very aware of getting into any situation. Someone who interferes with law enforcement  is making a bad decision. 

    2A doesn’t apply to just certain circumstances.

    Was the dude careless/stupid/manipulated? Yes.

    Were the feds carless/stupid/manipulated? Yes.

    I’m getting tired of seeing the feds be either absolute bad guys, or absolute good guys, depending on which side of an argument they fall. 

    Nick has it correct. There is great organization going on here. Some hidden, powerful people seem to playing games with the lives of their “subjects”. Kinda like gov has done since the beginning of recorded history, as well…

    You don’t have the best and brightest at these demonstrations, on either side. The only safe bet is to not be there.

  28. Nick Flandrey says:

    More data points 

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-15492737/container-store-closures-california-texas.html 

    Same old same old.   To much easy money.   Changing market.  Selling stuff people don’t really need.

    But then there is this at the very end…

    The ongoing retail bloodbath saw Macy’s announce earlier this month that it was to close 14 ‘underproductive’ stores across 12 states and on Tuesday luxury department store Saks Global group filed for bankruptcy, marking one of the largest retail failures since the pandemic.

    This comes after more than 8,000 chain retail store locations across multiple companies shut down in 2025.

    n

  29. Greg Norton says:

    Anyone else noticing that they have a whole parallel governing structure in place?  And a whole C3ISR   network with comm protocols, etc?

    I saw the first James Talarico commercial last night on local Faux News.

    The media will regard Talarico as a Shadow Senator if he wins the Dem primary and Cornyn loses to Paxton in March.

  30. Nick Flandrey says:

    Um, when you put it like that…

    Silver crossed the $100 per ounce line today. I expect that gold will cross the $5000 per ounce line on Monday. Platinum is nearly $2800 per ounce this evening and will probably cross $3000 per ounce before the end of January.

    Digest that for a moment. In the past 6 months, in terms of dollars:

    • Gold is 1.5 times higher
    • Silver’s value in dollars is 2.5 times higher
    • Platinum has doubled

    That is an inflation rate of around 120%. This is devastating if it continues.

    People who have read this post: 241

    By Divemedic, 1 day ago

    n

  31. Greg Norton says:

    Same old same old.   To much easy money.   Changing market.  Selling stuff people don’t really need.

    Private equity.

  32. lpdbw says:

    Someone’s been reading the playbook.

    Members of the intelligence community, FBI/CIA/NSA etc., past and PRESENT, wrote the book, and are implementing it.

    I don’t know why they want a shooting civil war, but it looks like they’re dead set on getting one.

    As far as the latest shooting goes, I think the best description went something like this:  He was a communist soldier in a war against America, and he died a martyr to his cause.

  33. Greg Norton says:

    As far as the latest shooting goes, I think the best description went something like this:  He was a communist soldier in a war against America, and he died a martyr to his cause.

    VA nurse. I wonder if he was on disability in addition to getting the paycheck.

    More will come out in the next day or so.

  34. drwilliams says:

    Prepper fail?

    Got into some old bandages for a minor split near my thumbnail. Had two that were ca. 20-25 years old fail on a line between the sticky part and the bandage pad. Upon examination the backing had about 10-120% of the expected physical integrity. Had to scrpe it off my thumbnail like it was all adhesive. 

    I’m going to look for some old flexible fabric bandages and check them, and new ones of that type will be my next purchase.

  35. Nick Flandrey says:

    I stopped buying anything but Bandaid brand flexible fabric.   The other brands just don’t stick to me, nor do the plastic ones.   Even quality industrial first aid kit brands aren’t very good.

    —–

    29F and a bit less brightness to the overcast.   

    It’s hard to get a sense of what the actual situation on the ground is.   Areas hard hit don’t seem to be sending out much info, and all the articles seem to be mostly summaries or retread of predictions.   

    I guess we won’t get any real info until after.

    n

  36. Ken Mitchell says:

    Weather?  San Antonio was PREDICTED to have a high of 37. It’s 3PM and it is now 30 degrees, so I think the chances of a 7 degree rise today are “slim” and “none”. Tomorrow is PREDICTED to have a high of 43 and a low of 19. 19C would be quite pleasant, but 19F is “damned cold” for SOUTH Texas. 

    With any luck, no or little snow will coat the solar panels of the fools who went that route. 

  37. drwilliams says:

    @nick

    “I stopped buying anything but Bandaid brand flexible fabric.   The other brands just don’t stick to me, nor do the plastic ones.   Even quality industrial first aid kit brands aren’t very good.”

    I have 3M Nexcare flexible fabric of unknown vintage. I used to buy the box of 100 1″x3″, because there is nothing more useless in the world than those tiny ½” wide bandages, and the ¾” versions are not long enough to fit around a finger. I just looked and couldn’t find the one-size pack, nothing but foo-foo assortments, so it looks like J&J.

  38. drwilliams says:

    Irony: ICE Incident At One Epicenter of Welfare Fraud

    Right next to the shooting there is an approximately 10,000 square foot building with 184 healthcare providers registered, which seems just a bit implausible, as well as several other businesses.

    https://hotair.com/david-strom/2026/01/25/irony-ice-incident-at-one-epicenter-of-welfare-fraud-n3811204

    220 ft2 each–very efficient use of space.

    FFS. Isn’t there any f*cking oversight at any level that’s worth a one-eyed tinker’s curse? Terminate the whole program and fire every person at the federal level that had anything to do with it. Innocent workers? How about innocent taxpayers that are sick and tired of being violated?

    What’s the average number of Somalis scam businesses per cluster?

    10
  39. Greg Norton says:

    What’s the average number of Somalis scam businesses per cluster?

    How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

  40. Denis says:

    Sunday bedtime. Travel went well, despite banks of fog and freezing fog en route.

    I really am going to have to build a car with integrated GAU-8. This time, it’s for the morons that (a) turn their fog lights on even though visibility is 100 yards or much more, and (b) leave their fog lights turned on after they have passed through a fog bank and into clear visibility. I was driving for five hours today and had at least one such imbecile in view for essentially the whole trip. My retinas are furious.

    Time for shut-eye. Goodnight.

  41. Lynn says:

    Just went on a 2.5 mile walk with my dog.  It is 28 F and the wind is blowing 15 mph out of the north.  No ice whatsoever even though it poured on us at 4 am.  I wore long underwear, four shirts, an insulated vest, and two hoodies.  I was warm except my velour gloves leaked cold air at the seams. And I have a dog blanket for my dog which she hates with a passion. My wife dares not go outside, her bronchitis came back for the third time since Thanksgiving.

    Now I am grabbing a shower and gonna go check on my office buildings and momma.  And go see if HEB has anything left in the store, it was ravaged Friday night according to my wife.

  42. Lynn says:

    ERCOT is fat, dumb, and happy with 16,000 MW of spinning reserve and 70,000 MW of load.  They even had 10,000 MW of solar today but that has dropped to 4,000 MW now.  The coal units have pushed themselves over 10,000 MW and the natural gas / diesel are running 42,000 MW with 10,000 of wind turbines.  The nukes have pushed themselves over 5,000 MW.

    They are gonna have 85,000 MW in the morning at 8 am.  Except the schools are all closed so that may pull 5,000 MW off the grid with all of those closed doors.  Even our church was closed today.

       https://www.ercot.com/gridmktinfo/dashboards

  43. Nick Flandrey says:

    Took a hot shower, cut my hair, and shaved.   I feel like a new man.

    ———

    Not really getting much done today. 

    n  

  44. Greg Norton says:

    Just went on a 2.5 mile walk with my dog.  It is 28 F and the wind is blowing 15 mph out of the north.  No ice whatsoever even though it poured on us at 4 am.  I wore long underwear, four shirts, an insulated vest, and two hoodies.  I was warm except my velour gloves leaked cold air at the seams. And I have a dog blanket for my dog which she hates with a passion. My wife dares not go outside, her bronchitis came back for the third time since Thanksgiving.

    You need a real down parka, especially if you’re contemplating a move to points north of Round Rock.

    I don’t know where to suggest looking for one these days, but mine came from Land’s End about 14 years ago.

    When we moved here broke, I almost turned in the coat for the money, but weekends like this make me glad that I didn’t.

    Real down will last forever if taken care of properly. “Thinsulate” and many synthetics break down over time, but the tradeoff is that they will retain insulating properties when soaking wet.

  45. Greg Norton says:

    They are gonna have 85,000 MW in the morning at 8 am.  Except the schools are all closed so that may pull 5,000 MW off the grid with all of those closed doors.  Even our church was closed today.

    Another “triple witching hour” holiday weekend will happen in three weeks, with Valentines Day, the Presidents Day Federal holiday, and Lunar New Year all happening within a four day span starting Saturday the 14th.

    A freeze that Monday will be the true test to see if ERCOT and the various levels of Texas government have learned anything since 2021. No one in those entities will want to be on the job after noon on Thursday, Feb. 12, even if they “work” from home.

  46. Nightraker says:

    Rick Rule: I’ve Rarely Seen Such Good Opportunity In Oil & Gas Stocks

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVYq2vEifVU

  47. Lynn says:

    My neighbor has blankets on both of her horses and they are wandering around happy as larks, eating frozen grass. 

  48. Lynn says:

    You need a real down parka, especially if you’re contemplating a move to points north of Round Rock.

    Got three down parkas.  It get cold here in Texas.

    5
    1
  49. Denis says:

    Real down will last forever if taken care of properly. “Thinsulate” and many synthetics break down over time, but the tradeoff is that they will retain insulating properties when soaking wet.

    (Eider*) down is great except, as you say, when it gets wet. A lot of what is passed off as down is inferior goose down, or just chicken feathers.

    For keeping warm even in the wet, nothing beats wool, preferably the sort with the lanolin still on it, like the traditional geansaí of Aran fishermen or the Nordic pullover, Loden (felted wool) from Austria and Germany, or Duffelcoats and Tweed from the UK and Ireland. Swanndri brand  from New Zealand is a reasonable facsimile of good Loden, and not quite as expensive.

    Get knitting! 🙂

    * I have actually seen Eider ducks at the river Eider!

  50. Nick Flandrey says:

    Since I’m sitting here, you might see some minor tweaks or changes here during the day, or tomorrow.   Mainly colors.

    REI should have some good technical clothing.   I still wear the expedition grade down liner and shell I bought 35 years ago.    Techwash by Nikwax will keep the outer shell clean and their Down Wash works on jackets and sleeping bags.

    n

  51. drwilliams says:

    “Since I’m sitting here, you might see some minor tweaks or changes here during the day, or tomorrow.   Mainly colors.”

    Thanks for the heads up. Just refreshed and the blockquote highlight turned blue. 

  52. lpdbw says:

    re: down jackets

    The late, and sorely missed, Gerard Van der Leun wrote an essay on his American Digest blog about a Winter miracle.  Which miracle was a $30 down jacket found at a Walmart when he found himself displaced far from California in the cold.

    I read the essay, and went right out and bought 2 of them. 

    No, probably not Goose, and definitely not Eider.  Probably feathers mixed with down.  But warmer than anything else I owned, and it packs away to nothing.

    I just went to walmart.com and found a whole page of puffer jackets, and further refined the search using “down filled”.  Many options for very cheap.

  53. drwilliams says:

    Dear Ms. Anarchist: When Did Safety Go Out of Style?

    There’s a strange word, actually a psychiatric diagnosis, that describes women who are sexually interested in or attracted to criminals: hybristophilia. 

    A Pew Research survey shows well over 50% of young white liberal women have been diagnosed with a mental condition. A Columbia University study found “depression among liberal teenagers escalated after 2012, while conservative teens remained far more stable.” Social Science & Medicine–Mental Health found that “liberals, especially young ones, consistently experience more emotional distress than conservatives.”

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/01/dear_ms_anarchist_when_did_safety_go_out_of_style.html

    Effed in the head in more ways than one.

    Time to bring back institutions.

    Rather than long marble or concrete halls, we could make them of asphalt with lines down the middle to make them feel at home. They could live in rooms designed to look like a Prius or Subaru to help them feel safe. 

  54. lpdbw says:

    Cat update.  Our sick semi-feral cat who would come into the house and eat but wouldn’t let us close the door without freaking out.

    I found a vet, and was working out all the logistics of getting a carrier and getting to the vet, etc., when the weather apocalypse was sprung on us.  Cat seemed to be a little better.  Just thin and very sick, not imminent death.  Would drink water, and nibbled a couple bites of food.

    So we kidnapped him inside, and wouldn’t let him leave.  He’s accepted that fate, and is resting well, and looks generally better.  GF slept in the living room to be near him, and eventually let him go outside in the cold to do business, worried he wouldn’t come back.  He’s not litter trained, so far as we can tell.

    He came right back.  He’s been with us all day, making a few excursions outside.  He’s gotten vocal again.  The quiet had us worried.  I think he’s on the mend.

    He may have transitioned from semi-feral to owned, mostly outdoor in good weather cat. 

    We’ll see.   At a minimum, he’ll probably stay with us for the next 2 very cold nights.

    10
  55. Greg Norton says:

    Dear Ms. Anarchist: When Did Safety Go Out of Style?

    The Ted Bundy trial.

    Literally, Jim Cramer is responsible for making a sex symbol out of Bundy.

    Yes, that Cramer. The Bundy trial was his ticket to the big leagues.

  56. Greg Norton says:

     He’s not litter trained, so far as we can tell.

    Try a box. Make sure it stays in one place, and stay consistent with the brand of litter.

    Our current cat was a kitten in a feral colony living under a freeway overpass when Animal Conrol rounded up as many as they could in response to a call.

    The cat has never done her business outside of the litter in the two years since she came home.

  57. drwilliams says:

    ICE’s WOW Database Turns Enforcement Into a Public RecordHard for the LSM to prat on about neighbors when the lists of murderers and child molesters names the names.

  58. Nick Flandrey says:

    Ok, so editing files live is sometimes a bad thing.

    Editing the functions.php file that controls the theme of the wordpress site is a bad thing all the time. 

    n

  59. drwilliams says:

    Gov. Tim Walz Compares ICE To Nazis Hunting Anne Frank

    “Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody’s going to write that children’s story about Minnesota.”

    #1 in the running for Sick, Twisted Commie Tool 2026.

    4
    1
  60. Lynn says:

    Rick Rule: I’ve Rarely Seen Such Good Opportunity In Oil & Gas Stocks

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVYq2vEifVU

    Nope.  We are swimming in crude oil and natural gas.  Call me again in three years.

    Of course, if Israel and Saudi Arabia take out Iran, all bets are off.

  61. OldGuy says:

    Editing the functions.php file that controls the theme of the wordpress site is a bad thing all the time. 

    You should be aware that if the theme author released an update to the theme, any changes you make to theme files (such as the functions.php file) will be overwritten with the new version.

    Changes you make ‘inside’ the theme (via options in the theme’s admin screens) will be retained, as they are stored in the theme’s settings in the WordPress database. 

    5
    1
  62. drwilliams says:

    Watch This Crazy Grilling of People Anti-ICE Activists Thought Were Federal Agents

    https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/01/25/anti-ice-activists-are-at-it-again-grilling-the-regular-people-n2198512

    Walz’ good little Kommunist Keystone Kops at work showing their real totalitarian colors.

    “You have to prove to us that you are not ICE!!!”

    “If you’re in the database you’re ICE!!!”

    “Unclean!!! Verdammt ICE!!!”

    Spittle flies and freezes as it hits the ground.

  63. drwilliams says:

    Scott Bessent Crushes Anti-Trump Media Narratives When Asked About CBP MN Shooting Incident

    BESSENT: He brought a gun. (CROSSTALK)

    KARL: He’d been disarmed before he was — (CROSSTALK)

    BESSENT: He brought a gun. Have you ever gone to a protest, Jonathan?

    KARL: I mean, we do have a Second Amendment in this country that —

    BESSENT: Jonathan, have you ever gone to a protest?

    KARL: I mean —

    BESSENT: Have you gone to a protest?

    KARL: I mean, I’ve — no, actually, as a reporter covering it.

    BESSENT: OK. I’ve been to a protest.

    KARL: Yes.

    BESSENT: Guess what? I didn’t bring a gun. I brought a billboard.

    KARL: OK. Secretary Bessent, thank you for joining us.

    https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2026/01/25/watch-scott-bessent-crushes-corporate-media-narratives-when-asked-about-cbp-mn-shooting-incident-n2198502

  64. drwilliams says:

    DHS: Suspect in School Bus Rock Attack That Fractured 8-Year-Old’s Skull Is Illegal Alien

    DHS said they are unaware of the date or the location of his illegal entry into the U.S., but they noted his criminal record spans more than 20 years.

    Some highlights from Garcia-Morales’ rap sheet:

    In 2006 he was arrested for possession of a weapon and theft, according to DHS. And he was in trouble with the law twice in 2023, the agency revealed, but was not charged in sanctuary state.

    On July 23, 2023, Garcia-Morales was arrested for burglary after allegedly entering a building in Hackensack, NJ, DHS reported. Those charges were not pursued. The following day, he was arrested again in Hackensack and charged with giving false information and attempted burglary.

    Those charges were downgraded by the Municipal Court of Hackensack on Sept. 20, 2023 and Garcia-Morales walked away with only a 30-day jail sentence and $905 fine for disorderly conduct.

    In the 2006 arrest in Hackensack, he was convicted on both charges and sentenced to 330 days in jail, according to DHS.

    He is a suspect in several other rock-throwing incidents last year, where cars and cops were targeted, authorities said. He has twice been accused of peeping into homes in Bogota, NJ, according to authorities, NorthJersey.com reported.

    Perhaps the most egregious aspect of this case is that, despite his criminal history and illegal status, because of New Jersey’s sanctuary state policy, he was never deported.

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/01/dhs-suspect-in-school-bus-rock-attack-that-fractured-8-year-olds-skull-is-illegal-migrant/

    Democrats are perfectly fine with giving filth like this special treatment so he can spread misery to taxpaying citizens for decades in furtherance of their plans to build a Democrat Reich.

    That rap sheet reliably under-reports his activities because the Dems have worked hard to keep him unaccountable and out of the court system. In addition he’s probably flat-out gotten away with most of his crimes.

  65. Alan says:

    >>Now that reporting has settled down, the situation seems pretty clear: Officer 1 took away the guy’s gun. But then, officer 1 then accidentally discharged it. The gunshot caused officer 2 to panic and shoot the guy. Not a good look – in fact, pretty incompetent.

    “But then, officer 1 then accidentally discharged it. ”

    Or it discharged itself…

    Reported to be a Sig P320.

  66. Alan says:

    >>But the larger piece was that he was described as being a concealed carry permit holder that did not usually carry. There’s a lot of unknown in that statement. Someone who routinely carries is very aware of getting into any situation. Someone who interferes with law enforcement  is making a bad decision. 

    Someone who interferes with law enforcement while carrying is making a deadly decision. Stepping into chaos with a gun may not end badly, but if it does the primary fault is your own.

    PSG, WSP

  67. Nick Flandrey says:

    @oldguy

    Changes you make ‘inside’ the theme (via options in the theme’s admin screens) will be retained 

    the theme’s author didn’t provide any way to change colors, even though a mechanism exists to ‘name’ all the colors used, so that those names can later be redefined.  (based on what I’ve learned so far, which, admittedly, isn’t exactly expert level.)  It would be nice to have something like color1, lightcolor1, darkcolor1, color2, lightcolor2, darkcolor2, linkcolor, linkhovercolor, linkvisitedcolor.   A simple template like this one really doesn’t need many more colors than that.  Even adding the same for a third color would keep it well within various ‘web design’ color theory guidelines.

    The issue in the functions.php file was what looked like a simple syntax error, but I forgot that I was editing something important, and not just a color.

    // -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    // admin message on theme activation
    //add_action('after_switch_theme', 'CW_Jason_theme_activated');
    
    function CW_Jason_theme_activated () {
            echo '<div class="notice notice-success  is-dismissible">
                 <p><b>Thanks for using our theme!</b>  We\'ve included a Contact form template that will block contact spam. See the theme installation details via the Details link on the Themes page.</p>
             </div>';}
    
    // -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    something is wrong in the middle of that, probably the /b tag.   My unthinking attempt to just move where the close tag was blew it up…

    The only reason I’d try is that some failed activity is keeping the ‘auto update’ feature of wordpress from working.

    ————

    The other place I can’t find where the color is coming from is the main navigation menu at the top of the page.   When it’s horizontal, the background color can be defined, but no matter what you do, when you zoom in the page so the menu is vertical, it goes back to cyan.  inspecting the element says that the cyan is ‘inherited from html’ .      Found it.

    n

  68. Nick Flandrey says:

    And I missed a “ } ” so there was NO menu for a couple seconds there…

    Fortunately the editing tool has a syntax highlighter… and I have a local copy to compare to if needed.

    n

  69. OldGuy says:

    @nick  – if you use the ‘Inspector’ in your browser (via F9 key, usually), you can see the CSS style names used for a particular element. In the Inspector, you can simulate various CSS settings (text colors, for example). Once you find the right color for a CSS style, you can add that the the theme’s CSS section (most themes have that in the theme’s admin  pages). 

    You might need to add the new CSS style in a ‘media’ section to associate the CSS with smaller screen sizes (‘media’ CSS group). Note that WP will show you the results of any CSS settings you add to a CSS theme setting area on the preview screen, so you can see the results of the new CSS rule you add. It won’t affect the ‘live’ site until you actually hit the ‘save’ button on the CSS screen.

    Bold settings (the HTML for bold is the ‘b’) have an opening and closing tag, the closing tag shown by the slash character. Note that since the ‘echo’ command writes the text of the echo to the screen, and that text is surrounded by single quotes. But also notice the single quote in the “we’ve” word. That single quote in that word has to be ‘escaped’ (with the backsplash character; if not, that will ‘end’ the text to be echoed, and then the text after that will be processed as additional PHP commands, which may have caused the fatal processing error that killed the site. Or inadvertantly deleting a open or close bracket (or curly bracket, which is used for the start and end of the code for a function) could also cause fatal errors.

    Not sure why auto-update is being disabled by the theme. Can’t think of a reason off-hand as to why that would happen.

    Note also that the theme’s CSS styles are contained in the theme’s style.css file, so you could make changes to a CSS there. But that is not recommended, as a theme update would overwrite your changes. Which is why you want to put additional CSS into the theme’s admin area (“additional CSS’ menu), so that any CSS you add would survive a theme update.

    The browser’s Inspector (all the main ones have that feature) is useful to poking around the HTML code of any page to see what is happening. If you are so inclined to go down that rabbit hole….

  70. Denis says:

    Monday. Early. Slurping porridge…

    Blue! I think I like it. Time will tell. Thanks, Nick, for all your work.

  71. Nightraker says:

    Nope.  We are swimming in crude oil and natural gas.  Call me again in three years.

    Yes, the suggestion is for a price leap in ~3 years barring geopolitical or improved technology factors.  That fellow tends to look down the pike more than a little early.

  72. Nick Flandrey says:

    I think the previous cyan tinged color scheme had a good run- about 3 years, iirc.  Still not done poking at it. Probably.  But do let me know if you like it or not.  I haven’t looked at it in anything other than firefox and a really old IE.

    —–

    Not sure why auto-update is being disabled by the theme. Can’t think of a reason off-hand as to why that would happen. 

    – there is an error message on the host that leads me to believe something else is broken.  I’ll look tomorrow and see if I can find the details.   IIRC, it was something about a php error.   Auto update hasn’t worked since forever, despite being ‘on’.   When too many updates pile up, I just run them manually.  

    ——–

    Time for a warm bed and a trip to the land of Nod.

    n

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