I'm sure this counts as not safe for work,

 but I'd take another look

There's a new movie of 'The Odyssey' coming out

that's upset a bunch of people in various ways.  One of them is the lady chosen to play Helen of Troy, who said Homer 'didn't have much to say about women'.  In the story of a warrior traveling back home from Troy who wound up using ten years to do it.  Well, a guy has a response:

OK. So Helen’s beauty sparks a war. Athena is a strategic goddess guiding Odysseus. Penelope embodies clever loyalty. Circe turns men into pigs, which frankly is still the most realistic female character arc in literature. Calypso traps the hero on an island for seven years. Cassandra can literally see the future but nobody listens, making her the first woman in recorded history to experience a meeting. The Sirens weaponize music. Nausicaa saves Odysseus when he washes up naked and useless. Andromache gives one of the most devastating anti-war speeches in the Iliad. Hecuba is basically the emotional wreckage of empire in human form. Aphrodite starts half the problems in Western civilization by being hot and petty. Hera is running divine opposition research. Thetis gets Zeus involved because Achilles is having a workplace dispute. But apart from Helen, Athena, Penelope, Circe, Calypso, Cassandra, the Sirens, Nausicaa, Andromache, Hecuba, Aphrodite, Hera, and Thetis... WHAT HAS HOMER EVER DONE TO GIVE FEMALE CHARACTERS ATTENTION?

Polymarket

@Polymarket

Jul 6

JUST IN: Lupita Nyong’o, who stars as "Helen of Troy" in the upcoming Odyssey film, criticizes Homer for not giving female characters enough attention.

I'd say she's never read any of it.

I'd say the transsexual tide has turned

when bigshot Brits are saying "No, a woman does not have a penis."

Big chance from when the few with a real problem have been swamped by the "It's IN!" crowd who caused- and cause- big problems for people, and it was sexist and 'transphobic' to take notice of it.

Yes, it still is among the idiots.

There's a line in an old song about 'Isn't it grand, boys',

and it fits this.  You've likely heard something about the Great Democrat Communist Hope in Maine, and the travails caused by people finding out just what he is.  Now this.
🚨BREAKING: In a stunning display of "read the room" failure, Graham Platner has officially announced he is refusing to drop out, leaving absolutely everyone else in the room, burying their faces in their hands. ​Sources confirm that Platner’s ego has officially detached from reality and is now orbiting the earth. Despite a mountain of evidence, public outcry, and basic common sense screaming, "PLEASE STOP," Platner remains anchored to the spot like a stubborn piece of gum on a hot sidewalk, refusing to drop out unless he can name his successor (where are the no kingers?). ​When asked for a comment on why he refuses to just gracefully exit, Platner reportedly adjusted his collar and said, "The people love me," while the crowd behind him awkwardly looked at their watches and pretended to receive urgent text messages.

"But I am the new Stalin, and they adore me!"

More details on this mess here.  Which includes lots of opportunities for "After all these years calling Trump and republicans national socialists and woman-abusers, THIS is what the Democrats tried to shove down people's throats."

Isn't it grand, boys?

It has been a day of sort-of progress

which started with the daily exercises for the shoulder, then icing it for a bit, then getting some trash separated and tossed, and sorting out some things that need to go back to a friend, getting the riding mower going to cut the front yard(yes, mostly one-handed), realizing why I can't find something I was looking for, wondering how the hell I'm going to get this room cleaned/organized even with two working hands, and taking a walk.  Which, in current conditions, is known as a mobile sweat bath.

Now I'm cooled off, and realized I need to put the mower back in the shed.

Yes, there's  news going on out there, right now I don't care.

To make up for that, here's some things to look at
A new Gadsden gif

and two general distractions while I put the mower away

There's a Brit website called 'The Conservative Woman'

which has put out a lot of good stuff, which put it in the sights of the control freaks, and it's having effect.  Which includes a bunch of 'conservative' politicians who also want control.
'For their own good', of course.

Do not trust any politicians.  Or anyone else here who wants to 'upgrade' the 1st Amendment.  Miserable bastards.

One of the current "I'm communist, but won't say it out loud as yet" clowns in NYeffingYork

Who is most cordially invited to go to hell

On the shoulder situation,

I'm still wearing a sling, for at least three more weeks; partly support, partly to keep people from bumping into me*, and partly to remind me not to use it for anything strenuous no matter how good an idea it seems.

It's now PT three times a week.  The basic stuff is no problem, then it moves to "You sit/lay here while I move and manipulate your arm/shoulder", which is fine except for the moment you say "That's far ENOUGH for now!" and they pause at that level and keep working it.

Yes, it is improving.  No, not enough to mow myself, or load magazines, or a number of other things.  Like you discovering "I'd love to clean more of the garage/living room/workroom, but I actually need BOTH DAMN HANDS to do this!"  And very little cooking, because the cooking may be fine but the cleanup...

So life continues.

I've said Mike Rowe is a wonder,

and he just got a big hand in getting kids to look at the trades.  First saw mention at Kim's place, and took this from Rowe's Bookface page:
Truth is, this check has been distracting me all week. Not only did it cause me to abandon my phone in a public toilet moments before takeoff and then repeatedly misidentify the man who returned it to me, it will probably cause me to misidentify the people presenting me with this generous donation. Three genuine patriots, who I will now attempt to properly thank.

To my right, The Honorable Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment.
To my left, The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy.
And to his left, Dr. Kristin Schaaf Director of Programs for Warfighting Investments, Resourcing, and Execution.
Together, these individuals have spearheaded a long overdue initiative to reinvigorate the skilled trades. The initiative is called BuildFreedom.US, and I am proud to support their efforts, just as they are supporting mine. In short, Build Freedom is both an online resource for job seekers, and a public awareness campaign designed to shine a light on hundreds of thousands of AI-Proof, six-figure jobs currently open in the defense industrial base. These jobs can be found at BuildFreedom.US, along with work ethic scholarships from The Mike Rowe Works Foundation.
https://bit.ly/BuildFreedomUS
If you’ve followed my exploits since the Dirty Jobs days, you know that I pitched a similar campaign to Congress in 2011. Back then, the skills gap was wide and getting wider, and I was worried that our workforce was headed for a colossal imbalance. Well, sixteen years later, the government got back to me! And frankly, not a moment too soon. Hundreds of thousands of essential jobs are waiting to be filled, and the DoW is now taking affirmative steps to reinvigorate the skilled trades on a national level. I’m glad they are, and I’m happy to help them spread the word. I’ll have lots more to say about Build Freedom in the coming weeks and months, and if you live in Texas, Pennsylvania, or Michigan, you’ll likely be seeing me all over the place. With luck, the campaign will spread quickly, and the scholarship money I’ve just deposited will be quickly spent and replenished, as we train the next generation of skilled workers our country so urgently needs. It really is an honor to participate in this endeavor, and I want to thank the people in the photo one more time, especially Aliscia Andrews and Matt Draper, who will bear the daily brunt of making Build Freedom a national success. Closing the skills gap is now a matter of national security, and this administration is the first to accept my offer to help make that a reality. Good luck to you all, and Happy Independence Day.

(And by “you all,” I include Matt/Zach/Corey, for his/their role in getting me to the Pentagon in time to accept this check. Whatever your name really is, I couldn’t have done it without you.)

Saw this at Kim's, and

it reminds me of work

when you're standing behind the counter, and the first thing you notice about someone opening the bay door is if you see earplugs or muffs.

Yes, there's been a LOT of "You need to put your ears on BEFORE you go through that door!"

Damn, this makes me wish I had some tobacco, because

this calls for a pipe

SCOTUS has now made clear that states and cities cannot simply designate broad categories of private property as “sensitive” and thereby ban the exercise of constitutional rights there. This has obvious and immediate implications for the Second Amendment, but it also reaches into First Amendment territory like speech, religion, and assembly. As well as many other rights protected by the Constitution.

If the government cannot turn a shopping mall or grocery store into a gun-free zone by fiat, it similarly faces serious limits on turning those same spaces into speech-free zones, protest-free zones, or religious expression-free zones. This is a major check on the administrative and regulatory state’s ability to carve out exceptions to the Bill of Rights wherever it finds it convenient.

Some things I found I wish I'd had yesterday

I haven't had time to check if Mr. Washington actually said this, but it fits

"Back off, King, or I'll tear you up"

Oh yes, I'm saving all these and more

A day of clearance is here, and also a night for celebration, so

here.  We. Go.