Universal Studios fire

Old news, of course, that there was a big fire at Universal Studios over the weekend. What took a while was tracking down what had been destroyed in the way of exterior sets:

“Courthouse Square” — most famous for being the city square featured in the Back to the Future movies. The actual courthouse and clocktower were evidently damaged but not destroyed.
A whole bunch of stock New England and New York streets which have been used in movies and TV shows since time out of mind (including a corner I was just pointing out to Margie the other day in a TV show).

Universal says it will rebuild.

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***Dave Does the Mastodon

1 day ago

Wherein I babble about #ballotmeasures, ballot #propositions #goodgovernance #principle and #hypocrisy . As one does.

https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2026/08/09/propositioning-and-good-government.html

7 days ago

So, not only are #AI companies rampantly stealing IP, they are apparently bulk purchasing physical books , including rare volumes, and "destructively" scanning them, with a notional goal of eliminating all the books in the world in favor of Ai spitting out #slop on command.

Snopes: Are AI companies scanning and destroying millions of books, including rare titles?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books/

7 days ago

You know Donald's thrashing a bit when he plays the populist card against oil companies. Though I'm sure he'll forgive them if they just give *him* the money. On behalf of the public, of course.

#Trump says #Exxon and #Chevron made 'too much money' during #Iran conflict https://share.google/GOP 330 X PA I'm VIC Pio 345

1 week ago

The New York Times: #Blanche Gives G.O.P. Senators Written Assurances on Trump’s I.R.S. Deal
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/us/politics/todd-blanche-trump-irs-fund-order.html

Even without impuning Blanche's character, his making any promises about something #Trump decides he wants is meaningless. Trump has made it clear that the AG works for him, and is expected to follow any commands given by the POTUS. Blanche can't give reliable assurances about anything.

1 week ago

"The #Constitution is not a suicide pact"... unless you're #RFKjr

RFK Jr. tells CNN host that #constitutionalrights take priority over #publichealth - POLITICO https://share.google/vAwH5RviC010tvD7C

2 weeks ago

The only positive thing I can say about #LindseyGraham is that his "never met a #war I didn't like" attitude may have kept the US supporting #Ukraine against Putin's invasion (and Trump's indifference).

Aside from that, he was always eager to send troops anywhere at the drop of a hat, and the brief moments of treating #Trump as the ass he is were followed by utter collapse and brown nosing to a point that folk wondered what kompromat Trump had on him.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-says-graham-liked-war

2 weeks ago

Federal prosecutors are charging an American traveler under a federal law against damaging or destroying property before the government can seize it.

His "crime?" Providing a #DuressPasscode to wipe his phone contents when the US #CustomsAndBorderPatrol folk demanded access to the mobile on his reentering the country.

#byhookorbycrook #cbp #tsa #searchandseizure

https://www.thetravel.com/us-customs-and-border-protection-faces-first-ever-type-incident-after-travelers-phone-search-goes-wrong-due-to-passcode-hack/

2 weeks ago

It's "Shakespeare in Love" at the refurbbed Rippon Outdoor theater at #CUBoulder, Colorado Shakespeare Festival!

#COShakes

2 weeks ago

"Nearly 150,000 mail ballots rejected in California’s primary despite efforts to count every vote"

The AP headline's headline should read (since it's largely what's in the story):

"California mail voting rules worked, 150K ballots rejected"

Trump objections have always been "votes come in late and still count, anyone can send in a ballot" etc. The article makes it clear California is preventing that, despite the headline.

#mailballot #mailvote #votebymail

https://apnews.com/article/california-primary-rejected-mail-ballots-voting-2291684fe4544cab2301f8965abc8f79

3 weeks ago

Garlic-Parmesan Melting Potatoes https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/margie/garlic-parmesan-melting-potatoes.html

3 weeks ago

At the #CUBoulder #Colorado #Shakespeare Festival world premiere of David Davolos' "Friends | Romans | Countrymen," sharing a set with their "Julius Caesar" production.

#csf #theater

3 weeks ago

Went to The #Odyssey last night. Had a great time seeing an ambitious movie that largely pays off on what it's trying to do. Worth seeing.

#movies #moviereview

https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2026/07/19/movie-review-the-odyssey-2026.html

3 weeks ago

Now, all of a sudden, #Trump is concerned about #airquality ? No, he's only concerned about looking like The Biggest Bully on the Block. Also, the biggest idiot.

#fires #climatechange #airpollution #smoke

3 weeks ago

The #Trump administration has finally come up with an odd rationale for banning #windfarms : they confuse radar, so drones can sneak past them and do drone things, so clearly they are an existential #nationalsecurity risk.

Next up: "You know, when drones fly just above trees in national forests, it confuses radar, so ..."

https://gizmodo.com/pentagon-says-drones-can-hide-in-wind-farms-freezing-155-wind-projects-2000787068

4 weeks ago

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole https://hill-kleerup.org/blog/margie/cheesy-zucchini-casserole.html

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