Is Sydney Sweeney Actually Hitler

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Sydney Sweeney is an American actress.  Among other things she has blonde hair, blue eyes, a very pretty face and a figure that would be considered extremely attractive by most normal men.  She did a commercial for a clothing manufacturer called American Eagle that is for blue jeans.  So, the joke is that Sydney Sweeney has good jeans which sounds the same as “good genes.”

And because she is sort of the poster girl for attractive white women this has been deemed to be some kind of crime against humanity.  The usual suspects (feminists, anti-white bigots and ugly women) have declared this not only white supremacy and racism but also fascism.  In other words, Sydney Sweeney is an agent of the Nazi party trying to bring on the genocide of non-white, non-blonde and non-blue-eyed women everywhere.  Boy, that’s some trick.

I’ve watched a few of the angry videos.  The less unhinged ones are upset because young women and girls will be “harmed” because they don’t look like Sweeney and so they’ll have their self-esteem bruised.  It’s interesting.  I’ve watched a number of movies and commercials with guys like Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in his day and even though I lack some of their classic northwestern European charm I always managed to resist the urge to kill myself or hide under a rock.  And come to think of it, Camera Girl’s hair is brown and her eyes are hazel so how did she manage to survive the onslaught of the Swedish Bikini Team and other equally blonde and blue-eyed fashion stereotypes that filled the television screens in her youth?

Now, do I think that the jeans commercial is an obvious commercial use of sex to sell clothing?  Of course it is.  But in what way is that a new thing?  And hasn’t the last ten years of trying to use anything but young, fit, shapely, white blonde women as models been a pretty pathetic failure?  Even Victoria’s Secret tried to use overweight and non-white models to sell their lingerie and it almost bankrupted the company.

As to the race, hair and eye colors of the models, I’m sure in today’s multi-ethnic society a cross-section of beautiful women will surely help maximize the appeal for advertisers.  But it seems that the decade long experiment of excluding white women from modelling is being abandoned and Sydney Sweeney is just a shot across the bow to announce that America likes pretty blondes again.  Gee, what a surprise.

But this is a free country.  The other jeans manufacturers are free to use overweight models of any and all ethnicities.  They can even use trans-women and extol the tuckable nature of their pants for this special demographic.  They can have the women looking especially unfeminine with their heads shaved or half shaved, with piercings and nose rings and tattoos and as flat chested as boys.  Whatever makes them happy.  But one thing is definitely true.  Billions of people are looking at the American Eagle ad and they’re gonna sell a lot of jeans.

Guest Contributor – Neil Dunn – 29JUL2025 – Guadelupe River Flood

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A few weeks ago, you asked for some input about the Guadalupe flood in Texas and I think you were interested in some of the possible political shenanigans.

Well, we live in Kerr Co. on the Guadalupe and lost at least 3/4 of the trees on the river. It looks like a war zone. Our home and other buildings are on the top of a rise 30+ feet above the river. The debris line crested just over the top but all our buildings were fine.
Over the next two weeks after 7/4 we had over 300+ search and recovery people (many from in and out of state; all were dedicated, hard-working, serious, polite, courteous, respectful) searching through massive amounts of debris (one pile was 75 ft x 25 ft x over 5 ft high) with excavators, skid-steers, a SHERP, many-many chain saws, 2 scuba divers, multiple cadaver dog teams (to include two ladies from NYC-one of whom participated post 9-11) and horseback riders on our stretch of river (about 1500 ft)–>tragically, they found 6 victims over that time which will provide closure to loved ones. I wish that no one has to go through something like this.

Politics: Discussions have begun at the state level but seem pretty nebulous at this time.
I have seen a couple of articles tracing the history of what has been done about statewide flood control and relative to the Hill Country, I am not impressed.

Locally, I obviously don’t know what has been going on behind the scenes, but things have just started at the City Council in Kerrville and at the County Commissioners of Kerr County. There is a public hearing this Thursday at 9:30am at the Ag Barn (properly known as the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville) on disaster preparedness and flooding put on by The Texas Legislature’s Joint Committee to hear testimony from officials with the City of Kerrville and Kerr County relative to the emergency response to the July 4 flood.

The Mayor, City Manager, and Kerr County Judge are scheduled to speak. Citizens who sign up will each be allowed to speak for 3 minutes.  I plan on attending, and if there is any interest, I can try to provide a follow up. I envision this disaster response and responsibility assessment to go on for some time.
If interested: there is a 37 min Utube video of the 30+ rise of the G.River at the Center Point bridge about 12 miles east of Kerrville. The last 2 minutes/so show a house floating down the river and lodging at the bridge. The water crests over the bridge with sizeable debris being deposited. That water is what all of us on the river were exposed to. It is being described as a “thousand year” flood.

30JUL2025 – Quote of the Day

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The Cask of Amontillado

…

It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth [[,]] and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed it partially in its destined position. But now there came from out the niche a low laugh that erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded by a sad voice, which I had difficulty in recognising as that of the noble Fortunato. The voice said —

“Ha! ha! ha! — he! he! — a very good joke, indeed — an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo — he! he! he! — over our wine — he! he! he!”

“The Amontillado!” I said.

“He! he! he! — he! he! he! — yes, the Amontillado. But is it not getting late? Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo — the Lady Fortunato and the rest? Let us be gone.”

“Yes,” I said, “let us be gone.”

“For the love of God, Montresor!”

“Yes,” I said, “for the love of God!”

But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew impatient. I called aloud —

“Fortunato!”

No answer. I called again —

“Fortunato!”

No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!

Edgar Allan Poe

I Have My Priorities

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So today was an early day because I had to head to the office.  I was already running late when Camera Girl walked out of the kitchen and said, “Don’t react or the dogs will start barking but there are a couple of momma turkeys at my bird feeder with about eight young.  Go take a look.”

So, they were under the bird feeders looking for seeds on the ground that the normal birds spilled out of the feeders.  But eventually they weren’t satisfied so they headed out into the fields.  Camera Girl saw them heading for the gardens and said, “They’re headed for the raspberry patch.  Do you think they’ll eat any of the berries.”  I answered knowledgably, “No they only eat bugs and small critters.”  Of course, they immediately attack the patch and clearly start picking ripe berries off the canes.  I didn’t look back at her but I think there was a look.  And I think there might have been a derisive sound.  I came back with her own famous statement, “Well, everybody’s gotta eat, right?”  So, I announced that I had to leave for work and made a show of ignoring the prehistoric creatures that had invaded my domain.

When I got home, I got the update.  They had not only picked all the ripe raspberries but they then cleaned up the ripe blueberries too.  Then they went down by the swamp and annoyed Moe and the rest of Camera Girl’s murder of crows that hang out there during the morning.  Finally, they walked the perimeter of the fields until they ended up near the road and then made a nuisance of themselves for the motorists until they finally crossed the road and headed for the next swamp in their path.

I’ve always been interested in the turkey population because they provide an opportunity for interesting photographs.  But here they were adding insult to injury.  They not only didn’t eat any of the copious beetles that are afflicting my vegetables and flowers but they went out of their way to pillage my favorite summer fruit crops.  This is the thanks I get for never hunting them or setting the dogs on them or even making fun of their homely appearance, clumsy walking style or spastic flying abilities.

Well, truth be told they’re still in my top five species of birds I like to see around the place.  I like seeing the vultures (turkey and black) in the trees.  I like to try and get a shot of a Great Blue Heron fishing in the swamp and I also hope one day to lure some of the local ravens into a closer arrangement.  I’ve always thought they were fascinating creatures.

But there’s something appealing about a flock of turkey hens with their young walking around in Dunwich in the summer acting like they own the place and livening things up.

Yep, that’s true.  However, if they come near the berries again, I may just get some rocks and help them to move along at high speed.  At this time of year, I have my priorities.

29JUL2025 – Quote of the Day

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The Cask of Amontillado

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled — but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.

…

Edgar Allan Poe

Maybe He Wasn’t Ready for His Own Show

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So, the First Selectman heard about Stephan Colbert losing his gig with the Late Show and somehow got the idea that maybe he could end up as a replacement on CBS.  He called me into his cave and said, “Listen Appetizer, I want you to get on the blower with Bill Paley and tell him I have a great idea for a late-night comedy show.  I’ll call it “Late Night Selections.”

I said, “Sir I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but William Paley died in 1990 at age 89.  And currently the parent company of CBS; Paramount Studios, is being acquired by another entertainment company Skydance Media and they have decided that the old-style late-night show is outdated and unprofitable.  They have not only not renewed Stephen Colbert’s contract; they have ended the whole Late Night production company.  They’ve effectively fired two hundred people in order to save $100 million.”

This outraged the First Selectman, “Who ever heard of anyone dying at 89.  Why I’m in excess of a trillion years old and I’ve never felt better in my life.  Sure, I eat healthy and stay away from fatty food like Mexicans and Italians but last time I saw Bill in 1948 he was the picture of health.  He was smoking a cigar, drinking a martini and pinching his secretary.  You don’t get much livelier than that!”

I interjected that notwithstanding his fond memories of Mr. Paley it was unfortunately true that new management was in place at the Tifanny Network and perhaps this was not the time for a new late-night show.  This got me nowhere and so yesterday I was assigned the task of putting together a stage for this dynamic new production.  As luck would have it, I read an ad for Colbert’s extra furniture going up for sale and picked it up for a song.  I think it was being sold hot by the disgruntled stage crew.

Well with a little alteration to allow the five hundred foot tall First Selectman to interact with human sized guests on the stage we had it up and running this morning in time to go through some try-outs.  As luck would have it Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren were all hoping to get some extra face time during Trump’s problems over the Epstein case so the First Selectman was able to book all three of them for his trial run.

Well, there were problems.  During the first segment Schiff began banging the drum about Donald Trump being a fascist.  Now the first Selectman used to be a close personal friend of Mussolini so he innocently said, “What’s wrong with being a fascist.”  Well, Schiff went ballistic and started going through his talking points about Trump assaulting women and being a felon and starting an insurrection and before you know it, he was calling the First Selectman a reactionary.  Well, this didn’t sit well with the First Selectman so he ate Schiff.  And when Pelosi and Warren saw this from the wings, they came running out screeching at a very high pitch.  As it happens the First Selectman is very sensitive to the particular frequency so in self-defense, he quieted them by eating them.

Well, the booking agency was very upset and said they couldn’t provide any more guests, except maybe AOC and Mamdani because nobody likes them anyway but the First Selectman said Puerto Rican and Middle Eastern food gave him the runs.  So, he’s given up on the whole show idea.  It’s all very sad.

28JUL2025 – Quote of the Day

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The Tell-Tale Heart

…

No doubt I now grew very pale; –but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased –and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound –much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath — and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly –more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men — but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed –I raved –I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder –louder –louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! –no, no! They heard! –they suspected! –they knew! –they were making a mockery of my horror! –this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! –and now –again! –hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! —

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! –tear up the planks! –here, here! –it is the beating of his hideous heart!”

Edgar Allan Poe